Flames and Family IV: Intended Path
by madashes2ashes
Summary: Sequel to Flames and Family III. Tsuna runs away from home in order to start a new life away from the Mafia. Tsuna-centric as always. Rated M for Blood, Violence, and other Adult themes.
1. Chapter 1 Forgotten

_Disclaimer: I do not own K. Hitman Reborn. All rights to the characters and world goes to the author Amano Akira. _

_This is just a simple fanfic I've been writing for fun. __This is work is incomplete!__ Reviews equals love!_

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Author's Notes:

_This story picks up directly after the events in the Fanfic "Flames and Family 3: Crimson Curtain".__ I strongly suggest reading the predecessors to this story first since there will NOT be a summary chapter. _

_**Chapter notes **__will be posted on my myspace account. Sometimes they're in-depth notes. Sometimes they're just a few lines to say the chapter is up. Feel free to read it or not. It's not required to enjoy the story, but sometimes I can use it to clear up questions that come in after a chapter is posted. It's also a place that I can update when my writing schedule is screwed up. Take the spaces out of the following line to go there:_

_myspace. com/ gamerwitch_

_**Flames and Family IV was inspired by **__one of my previous reviewers, _Yamamoto Kou_, who suggested a Bazooka accident that brings younger-Tsuna into the future in order to see, and be forced to face, what he's done on the wrong path that his future self walked in my Flames and Family stories. I let that plot bunny sit for a good, long time and it has mutated. The beginning of this story is the result._

_**Flames and Family IV is also dedicated to**__ my buddy, _Mr. M _(you know who you are). Your story threw me for a loop and I can't help but want to let it inspire me, too._

_For the sake of those who've asked many times in the past, __I don't mind in the least if you make fanart or fanfic of my fanfic__. We're all fans in this together. As long as you're not ripping my stuff off, I'm happy if I've managed to inspire others like Amano Akira has inspired me. I do ask that you PM me or hook me up with a link if you do, however. I like the warm, fuzzy feelings I get when I see such things. If you make fanart and post it on deviantart, feel free to message me on there (madashes2ashes) and let me know. I'll add it to my collection. _

_I would also like to request that you guys help me keep an eye out for people ripping this story off. I'm not stupid. I'm sure someone, somewhere, is uploading this in an attempt to take credit. If you see any plagiarism, please let me know. I do have a backup copy of the first story on Deviantart, but other than there and here... there should be no other copies. If there are, I'd like to know about it. Linking isn't minded without permission, but taking the whole story is._

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_**Warning:**__This will be rated M for Mature Features such as Violence, Blood, Gore, Language, Alchohol, Tobacco, Drugs and Sexual Encounters.__ Do NOT read this if you can't understand the word MATURE. Mature means adult frame of mind, people. I.E. Don't read this if you're not allowed to, or don't prefer to, watch R rated movies! You have been warned!_

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Thank you for taking the time to read the above. If you didn't, go back up and read it! LOL

And now...

We begin again...

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Gokudera's fingers rambled across the small piano in the room, continuing his attempts to find the right music to serenade the sleeping one behind him into wakefulness. It never worked. It never did, but he hoped that perhaps it gave his sleeping Boss good dreams. As it was, playing the piano was the only thing he could do for him. He thought it was amusing that the one faucet of his life that he'd tried to abandon so many times was the very thing that allowed him to be at peace with his Boss in such a state. The one thing that let him continue to believe that he was of some use to Vongola's own Snow White.

"Time's up," a voice growled from behind him. Gokudera paused in his playing, hating the fact that he could only stay by his Boss' side for such a short amount of time.

"Thanks, Xanxus. Is Basil ready?" Gokudera asked quietly.

"Yeah," he replied, yanking his normal chair over to Tsuna's bedside. "He's waiting for you in the Boss' Office." Gokudera stood while Xanxus sat, nodding in acceptance of his duties. "How long are you going to keep this shit up?" He asked curiously without taking his eyes off of Tsuna. "Toshi's good, but you're going to have to let the truth out at some point. The brat is going to have to take over at some point anyway."

"Maybe next week," Gokudera replied.

"You keep saying bullshit like that but you won't do it," Xanxus grumbled with his expression giving lie to his displeasure. Gokudera smiled, knowing that his determination that Tsuna would return was the foundation of hope for the rest of the Family. No one would give up before Gokudera. At the same time, everyone would give up the moment that Gokudera did.

"He'll wake up," he said firmly. Xanxus nodded, accepting the words silently. Trying not to let himself get depressed in the presence of his sleeping Boss, Gokudera quietly left the room. The moment that he was gone, Xanxus let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples.

It was getting hard. It was getting really hard to keep himself from falling back on rage in order to protect himself. More than anything, he wanted to rip the room apart and scream in Tsuna's face until he had no choice but to wake. Yet, he didn't. He knew better now. Doing such a thing would only bring misery. For Tsuna's sake, he had to keep himself calm. He had to take chances and let himself believe in the worthless pieces of trash around him.

And he did. But only for one selfish, secret reason. It was a reason that few knew other than Gokudera. It was a reason that kept him balanced and calm enough to face every day. It was a reason that made him lock the bedroom door so that no one would intrude on the little bit of peace he could grasp.

Xanxus smiled in self-satisfaction when he got to crawl up into the bed next to Tsuna and rest next to the one person that he had allowed himself to fully believe in. It felt good to hold him in his arms again. It felt good to look into Tsuna's face and take pleasure in how Doctor Shamal had restored his age. It felt insanely relaxing to let his guard down so that he could fully enjoy simply sleeping in the same bed as the one he loved.

* * *

The moment that his internal alarm went off, Xanxus woke. Stretching lazily, he smiled to himself over having been able to get another good night's sleep with Tsuna all to himself. Not that Tsuna knew he was--

Xanxus' mind went blank upon realizing that he was the only one in the bed. Absently, he lifted up the tangled blankets as if the missing person that should have been in it would magically appear. When Tsuna didn't, Xanxus snapped back to himself in a rush.

"Oh, fuck," he gasped, jumping out of the bed. Forcing himself to calm down despite the urgent need to have a panic attack, he fell back on his hitman senses. He couldn't have been kidnapped. An intruder would have woken him. He couldn't have left, because Gokudera would have arrived to chew his ass off within a few seconds. That meant that he was still somewhere in the room.

Somewhere in the room, awake.

"Tsuna...?" Xanxus called worriedly, heading for the bathroom at a run. "Did you wake up? Where the fuck are you?" Not in the bathroom. The closet? "This isn't funny! Where the fuck are you?!" Not in the closet. The wardrobe? Not there either. No sign of him on the balcony. The hallway. He was just gone! Xanxus' temper snapped, angry at himself for having missed the one moment that everyone had been waiting on.

A scream of fear erupted from under the bed at the same time Xanxus' fist shattered it. Scorched feathers filled the air alongside wooden debris, while a figure scrambled out from underneath it before it could crash down on top of him.

"Tsuna...?" Xanxus asked in shock, lowering his fist with wide eyes. Overjoyed by simply seeing Tsuna moving around, Xanxus didn't even bother asking why he'd been hiding under the bed. Instead, he rushed forward to capture the panicked Tenth Boss in two large arms and forced him to stay still so that he could do the one thing that he'd been wanting to do for months now.

It felt sinful, the amount of enjoyment he was able to get out of kissing a moving, thinking, and responsive Tsuna. His lips were moist and warm. They seemed pliable and enticing under his own. He'd waited so long to feel them again. Tsuna's warm body pressing against his own. Tsuna's hands on his shoulders. Tsuna's scream in his mouth--

Wait.

Xanxus pulled back in surprise at the same moment that Tsuna started screaming again.

"Reborn! Save me!" Tsuna screamed on the top of his lungs while attempting to push himself out of Xanxus' arms. Xanxus let go in shock, not having incited such a reaction in the past. That reaction only got worse when Tsuna scrambled away into the farthest corner of the room while scrubbing his mouth. There was a look of fear and panic on his face, completely at odds with any reaction he'd gotten from him in the past.

"Tsuna...?" He repeated in concern. Reaching out with a step forward, he paused when Tsuna cringed backward into his corner with a look of pure fear on his face. "What's wrong?"

"What did you do with Reborn?!" Tsuna squealed.

"Reborn is in Japan," Xanxus murmured in confusion. "Why--"

"Where am I?" Tsuna yelled. "Why did you kidnap me?!"

"I didn't kidnap you!" He shouted back, getting another cringe for his angry tone. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You're acting like you don't even recognize me!"

"I recognize you!" He cried. "You're Xanxus! You're the Ninth's son and you're the one that's trying to hurt all of my friends!"

"Hurt your friends?!" Xanxus repeated in a roar. "I haven't done shit like that since--" Once more, Xanxus' mind went blank for an instant. When he got it working again, only one question was on his lips. "Tsuna. What's today?"

"Today's the first match for the rings," he answered with a tremble.

"Oh. Shit."

"Xanxus!" A voice called cheerfully from the locked door. "Rise and shine! I brought coffee!" Slowly stepping backward in order to keep Tsuna in his sights, Xanxus reached behind himself and unlocked the door. Yamamoto entered with a broad smile on his face, one which fell alongside the cups in his hands when he saw Tsuna standing in the corner. For his part, Tsuna merely stared back with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"Yamamoto," he mumbled in a combination of shock and confusion. "You got big. Did Lambo hit you with his Bazooka?"

"No," Yamamoto replied with a quick glance of askance at Xanxus.

"He's got amnesia," Xanxus explained quietly while trying to hide how hard it was to think or move with Tsuna acting so strangely. "He thinks that we're still in the fucking Ring Battles. I can't go near him without him screaming his ass off."

"Tsuna," Yamamoto called carefully with an absent nod in Xanxus' direction. Slowly, he walked forward to Tsuna with a look of concern on his face, unable to hide his worry with a smile for once "I didn't get hit with a Ten-Year Bazooka. You're not in middle school anymore. The Ring Battles ended a long time ago. I know that this is going to sound crazy to you, but you were in an accident."

"Eh?"

"Look in the damn mirror," Xanxus growled, getting another automatic flinch and a lurch of fear. Xanxus found himself unable to hide the way his lip wanted to twitch in disgust for Tsuna's gutless reactions. "You're twenty-two, brat. You've been in a coma for the last three months."

"EH?!"

"Xanxus," Yamamoto said while Tsuna ran to the dresser mirror to look for himself. "Call Gokudera and the doctor. I'll--"

"What happened to me?" Tsuna mumbled with wide eyes, staring into the mirror with a hand touching the scar on his face. Yamamoto grimaced slightly, knowing that things could only go downhill from such a statement. And it did. Tsuna's attention went from the scar on his cheek to the scars on his exposed arms. From there, he chased them up to his shoulders and then pulled his shirt out so he could look down it. When he saw what lay beneath his bed-shirt, the tears began flowing freely. "What did you do to me? Why is my body like this?!"

"Tsuna--" Yamamoto interjected worriedly before he could begin to have a panic attack. Reaching out, he attempted to stop Tsuna from pulling at his clothes in order to see the extent of the damage done to his flesh. He froze in shock when Tsuna tearfully slapped the hand away.

"Don't--!" He yelled while his tears broke free. "What happened to me, Yamamoto?! Why do I look like this?!"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled at a complete loss of how to answer such a question. Tsuna continued to look at him with an expression full of misery while he tried to think of some way to explain the horror of his own life to him. The silence became thick while Tsuna began to cry into his hands, which made Gokudera's entrance all that much more of a relief.

"BOSS!" Gokudera cried, bursting into the room while still wearing his pajamas. Yamamoto flinched slightly at the sight of the crowd behind him, but Tsuna didn't even seem to notice it. Without hesitation, Tsuna threw himself forward. Gokudera was in complete shock when he fell to a stop at the impact of a sobbing Tsuna around his waist. "Eh?" He asked blankly, surprised beyond belief. "Aren't we supposed to be the ones crying?"

* * *

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked obliviously to the doctor that was checking his vital signs. The man's expression took on a look of heartache for a moment. It was a look that Tsuna was slowly getting used to seeing, since many of his innocent questions seemed to receive them. It had taken him nearly an hour to calm down after Gokudera had arrived and it had only been after Gokudera had broke down crying with him. He didn't really understand anything that was going on, but the sight of his own body had been like an emotional train-wreck. One that made him repeatedly ask himself the same question.

What in blazes happened?!

Gokudera had answered some of that. He'd been in an accident. Early guesses were that the accident had caused him to lose his memories. Of course, none of them wanted to tell him what kind of accident, but he couldn't deny the explanation when he'd calmed down after an hour and realized that there was no way he'd been hit with Lambo's Bazooka like he'd hoped. He was confused. That wasn't helped when Gokudera said that his body had gotten like it had over time. Apparently he'd gotten them all while protecting his friends. Or so Gokudera said. There were so many though.

He still couldn't make sense of Xanxus, either. After he'd calmed down, he'd noticed that Xanxus' scars were missing. He supposed that they'd somehow gotten transferred from Xanxus to him, but that didn't really make sense. Not when it only explained a third of the scars. The big, black X on his chest wasn't something that could be explained in such a way. That kind of explanation didn't explain why Xanxus had been sleeping next to him. It didn't explain why Xanxus was kissing him either! That had been his first kiss, too! Tsuna blushed and stared at his hands while trying to push that thought away. It was gross. A guy had kissed him. He'd even felt his tongue. Just the thought made him want to gag.

"I'm Sakura, Tsuna," the doctor finally answered, pulling away his stethoscope. "I've been with your Family since right after the Ring Battles. You really don't remember me?"

"Sorry," Tsuna replied with an apologetic expression, seeing how his question had hurt the man. "I don't remember you. Were we friends?"

"Yes," he nodded with his expression continuing to resemble that of a hurt puppy. "Tsuna. I'm going to try something. I want you to tell me what words you recognize and which you don't. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, seeing Gokudera's encouraging nod out of the corner of his eye. Gokudera seemed so much more mature in the future. His hair seemed far more tailored. He didn't have the tremendous excess of jewelry that he used to. He still had some, such as a bunch of rings and his earring, but he was missing his belts, necklaces, bracelets, and chains. Then again, none of that would have really went with the suit he was wearing. It was kind of weird to see Gokudera in a suit, but Tsuna had to admit that it kind of fit him. The only thing was that it made him seem so... adult. It was nothing like Tsuna remembered from the last time he'd seen him.

"Bianchi," Sakura said.

"Where?" Tsuna asked instantly, looking around in fear of the woman's poison cooking. He wasn't about to let that woman around him without his guard up! The last time he had, she'd stuffed something awful in his mouth!

"No, Tsuna," Sakura chuckled, reaching out to calm him. "I'm just asking to see if you recognize the name."

"Oh," he blushed. "I recognize it."

"Good," he replied. "Let's try another. Matsu." Tsuna shook his head with a shrug. He had no clue who Matsu was. "Shamal." Tsuna nodded with a wide smile, glad to hear a name of something he knew. "Haru." Tsuna nodded again while wondering what that girl had done with herself. Maybe she'd become a costume designer like she'd wanted? "Hotaru." Tsuna's face fell and he shook his head no. That wasn't a name he recognized. Neither were any of the ones that followed. "Sangia. Ieyasu. Elario. Father Robert. Pandora. None of those are ringing any bells?"

"Sorry," Tsuna repeated in disappointment, curling his legs up on the bed that they'd made him sit on. "I'm supposed to know. Aren't I?"

"It's okay, Tsuna," Sakura soothed. "Let's try a few harder ones and see if they trigger anything. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed sullenly.

"Mukuro," he said carefully. Everyone jerked when Tsuna nearly leaped out of his skin at the name.

"Mukuro!" He squeaked. "I thought he wasn't coming back!"

"He's free, Boss," Gokudera soothed with another expression of concern passing across his face. "You freed him and brought him into the Family. He was in the same accident you were. Don't you remember?"

"NO!" Tsuna blurted, crawling forward to stare at Gokudera with wide eyes. "Why did I do something like that?!"

"A lot has happened, Tsuna," Sakura soothed once more, making him sit back in his bed once more. "Let's keep going. How about Kitsune?"

"Kit-who?"

"Kitsune," Sakura repeated. Tsuna shook his head. "Ari." Another head shake. "Kyoko." Tsuna's face lit up with a smile and he nodded energetically.

"Of course I know Kyoko. She's--"

_A shrill scream filled the air._

"Tsuna?" Sakura asked worriedly when his face slowly fell. Tsuna blinked and attempted to finish his sentence.

"Kyoko is--"

_"Help me, Tsu-kun!" Kyoko screamed with her nails clawing into his ankle. Kyoko's screams continued to fill the air while three men continued to hurt her at the edge of Tsuna's watered vision._

"Tsuna?!"

_Blood sprayed across his feet, making him weep despite his resolve not to. He couldn't take it anymore. He tried to tell them to stop. He tried to tell them that he'd give them what they wanted. His mouth wouldn't work, though. He couldn't even lift his head and the enemies were too distracted with their prey to notice that his will had been broken. All he could do was continue to sob while he watched them continue to hurt his beloved Kyoko._

_Her scream continued to pierce the air._

"K-K-Kyoko--" Tsuna gasped with tears running down his face. Before he could say more, another scream ripped through his mind while bringing darkness in its wake.

* * *

Tsuna woke to find himself alone and safely tucked in his bed. Night had fallen already, making him wonder what had happened. One minute, he'd been in the middle of being questioned by Sakura. The next, he'd passed out. He thought that it had something to do with Kyoko, but he couldn't remember. All of it was hazy like a dream. One moment he thought he could remember it and it was gone the next.

"...and don't try to trigger anything," a hush voice commented as the door opened, making Tsuna dart back under his covers for some unfathomable reason. Closing his eyes, he stayed still and pretended to be asleep while wondering why the urge had hit him to do such a thing. He wasn't normally prone to eavesdropping. Was he? "I think that he's shut his memories out in order to protect himself," the voice continued, entering the room. Tsuna remembered that voice. It was that guy Sakura who'd questioned him earlier. The doctor. "I've contacted White. She said that she would look at him, but she won't be able to arrive for another two days."

"Can't she get here faster?" A new voice asked. "It can't be good for Tsuna to be like this."

"I know," Sakura sighed. "I'm not sure what they did to him, but the trauma of seeing Kyoko killed must have snapped something in his mind. He's went back to a time before anything really bad happened to him. For him, it's like he's still fifteen. Everything past that is just gone."

"I wish Mukuro were here," the new voice mumbled. "Xanxus can't get close to him, but maybe Mukuro could."

"I don't think so," Sakura replied. "Back then, Mukuro was just another of his enemies, too. He'd probably blow another gasket if he had to deal with either Xanxus or Mukuro. Not that we could ask him to help anyway. He's still in a coma from whatever Ari did to him. The only fortunate thing where he's concerned is that he managed to kill her before going down. As for Tsuna... For now, it's probably better to just keep him isolated with a few people that he knows and trusts until White can come."

"Alright," the newcomer sighed. "Well, you better go get some sleep. I'll watch over Tsuna and call you if anything happens."

"Thanks," Sakura sighed before leaving the room.

"Tsuna," the other called, tugging the covers back cautiously. "You need to wake up and eat some-- Oh no."

Tsuna covered his face with his arms, not wanting the stranger to see his tears.

It wasn't true.

Kyoko wasn't dead.

It wasn't true.

"Tsuna..." the red-haired man whispered, pulling him into his arms while he continued to cry in hiding behind his arms. Tsuna let out a sob, trying to deny what he heard while something inside him kept telling him to accept it. Tears streamed down his face while he fought another sob that wracked his body.

"It's not true," he cried while pathetically attempting to push himself out of the stranger's comforting hug. "Kyoko's not dead!"

"I'm so sorry, Tsuna," he replied in a choked voice while Tsuna continued to cry. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"It's not true!" He screamed in denial of the sorrow piling down on him.

* * *

He didn't like this. He'd cried more in the past day than he could remember crying in his whole life. First he'd cried over how his body had been made to look so hideous by all the scars covering it. Then he'd found out that Kyoko had been murdered.

Murdered.

Not some accidental death. Not some health issue. She'd died because someone had killed her. There mere thought of someone hurting Kyoko brought tears of anger and frustration to his eyes. For them to have killed her made him want to weep every time he thought about it. How could he have let something like that happen? Kyoko was the most precious person in his life. Wasn't she? That much couldn't have changed in a mere seven years.

As much as he was depressed over what he'd been told, he was just as confused. Nothing was making sense. He was in Italy apparently. More than that, he had taken up the position as the Boss of Vongola. Then there was the red-haired guy that had held him until he'd cried himself out. He'd explained later that his name was Matsu and that he was Yamamoto's husband. Even creepier was that he and Yamamoto had a kid together. A kid that had been named Yoshi in honor of Tsuna. How that was even possible was completely beyond Tsuna's range of comprehension. Then there was still that nasty kiss that Xanxus had given him that he didn't understand. Plus, there was Mukuro's freedom that he felt the need to question.

It was an overload. Nothing was making sense. What the hell had happened in the past seven years for everything to have turned out so screwed up?! Next thing he knew, someone would be trying to tell him that Gokudera had gotten married or that he'd had a dozen kids! Oh, God. He didn't even want to think about something like that. Considering how screwed up everything else had been since he woke up, the nightmare could always get worse.

Curling up on the couch in his room, Tsuna was determined to put all of that out of his mind. He needed to stop thinking of such things. They said that he'd get his memories back in two days. Everything would make sense then. All he had to do was stay calm and keep himself from crying anymore until then. Stay calm and keep his mind away from questioning this crazy world. He felt like he'd scream if another surprising revelation hit him. He'd had more than his quota today.

Using the remote, he flicked on the television while ignoring the plate of food that Matsu had left for him before exiting to allow him some privacy.

"Tsuna!" A voice cried out, making him jump out of his skin once more with a loud scream. Looking around the room, he tried to figure out where the voice had come from. He'd thought that he was alone. "Over here, Tsuna. I'm on the T.V." Feeling that he was in a strange horror movie, Tsuna slowly turned in place until he could see for himself. What he saw was nothing he expected.

Hence why he got an immediate nosebleed.

"Oh no!" The woman on the television cried, her French Maid outfit bouncing in a way that only made Tsuna's situation worse. "You better go get a tissue!" Tsuna nodded and scrambled for the bathroom while trying to keep his nose squeezed shut. It took several minutes to stop the bleeding, not helped in the least when the woman's voice followed him into the bathroom and kept giving pointers like she could see him.

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked curiously when he'd finally managed to settle back down in front of the television with a blush. Keeping his eyes averted, he tried not to let the woman see how flustered he was. Maybe it was one of those high-tech video conference things that he'd heard about?

"I'm Pandora," she answered with a chuckle. "Your vital readouts are above average, Tsuna. Is there anything bothering you?"

"Um... No..." Tsuna answered with another blush.

"Your temperature just spiked again," she admonished. "If you're coming down with something, perhaps I should wake the doctor--"

"No!" He gasped, waving his hands hurriedly at the screen. "I'm fine. Really. It's just that your clothes..."

"Would you prefer something else?" She asked with her head cocked in curiosity. "I have a whole data-file of wardrobe choices for you to choose from. This was always your favorite, though. I can change it if you wish."

"Datafile?" He repeated in confusion.

"Yes, Tsuna," she confirmed with a smile. "I'm the artificial intelligence program formerly known as CICI. You are currently in the process of manufacturing a body for me in return for my management skills with the Vongola Database. As it has been said, your wish is my command. I also perform regular maintenance on most of the household systems in exchange for access to surveillance and communication outlets."

"Wow," Tsuna murmured in awe. "Amazing!"

"I try my best," Pandora replied with a small curtsy that made Tsuna remember his previous predicament once more. "Your temperature is rising again, Tsuna. Would you like to choose a new outfit for me or would you like me to choose?"

"You can," he answered while once more averting his eyes. "Just.. um... maybe cover up some more?"

"How's this, Tsuna?" She asked. Tsuna looked up and immediately looked back down. While the skin-tight outfit indeed covered her more, it also left less to the imagination.

"You have anything that's not... um..." Tsuna blushed, not knowing how to phrase the word sexy in any other way. "Do you have anything like a formal suit or something?"

"How is this, Tsuna?" She asked once more. Again, Tsuna looked up with more hesitancy than previously and sighed in relief at the image on the screen. The woman was finally clothed in something that was both pretty and decent. The kimono that she was wearing made her look extremely cute but not in a way that made him feel like he'd get a nosebleed. Not when compared to the previous two outfits.

"That's better," he sighed. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem," she chuckled. "I haven't had a chance to use this one yet. Yuki said that it would be better to wait until we had something to celebrate."

"Is Yuki a friend of yours?"

"Yes. He's the one that made me to help you."

"Help me?" Tsuna repeated. "Like how?"

"I help you manage the Vongola Database," she replied with another smile. "Thanks to me, you don't have to even lift a finger to retrieve information anymore. We worked together a lot before you were kidnapped."

"I was kidnapped?"

"Yes, Tsuna," she answered with her head cocked to the side once more. "Would you like a summary of events?"

"Please!" He gasped, finally glad that someone was willing to tell him what had happened.

"Four months ago, intruders from the Todd Family broke into Vongola Headquarters in order to successfully kidnap you. A simultaneous strike stole your wife, Sawada Kyoko, out of the Japanese Headquarters. You were retrieved two days later but your body was in critical care. After two weeks of recovery, you began showing signs of paranoia and loss of emotional stability. The Family began tearing itself apart by the actions you took during that time. I am still unclear of some details, but one month after your initial kidnapping was when what the Family calls 'The Accident' occurred. No files were reported to me and the surveillance records from that time have been deleted along with the backup copies up until two days after."

"What happened after that?"

"You were in a coma, Tsuna," she answered with a shrug. "So was Mukuro. Kyoko's body was found and buried. Gokudera has been working in collusion with your shadow and Basil in order to repair the rifts in the Family and to keep the Family running under the cover that you were perfectly fine, but a few trusted individuals within the Family has been permitted access to you in order to ensure your continued health and survival until you woke."

"Trusted individuals," Tsuna mumbled with another blush. "Like Xanxus?"

"Exactly," she replied with another smile. "He was particularly adamant about caring for you daily. While you've been asleep, both he and Gokudera were the only two to have refused all assignments taking them outside of the city. They have been at your side regularly for the past three months."

"I understand Gokudera," he replied, absently leaning forward to pick at the plate of food on the table while he talked. "Gokudera is just crazy like that. But why Xanxus? I can't figure it out. We were enemies."

"You were," she confirmed with a nod. "Until you became lovers." Tsuna choked on the first bite of food that he'd attempted to eat, splurting it out on the carpet in his shock.

"NO WAY!" He finally blurted. "That's... That's just gross! There's no way that I'm gay in the future!"

"You're not," she confirmed, making his sigh in relief. "I believe the correct term is bi-sexual."

"That's not any better!" Tsuna squealed, tensing up once more. "You're lying! There's absolutely no possible way that I'd... I'd... do _that_... with a guy! Especially not Xanxus!" Tsuna shuddered, getting freaked out by even thinking about something like that. He wasn't naive. He knew that two guys could have sex. He also knew that he wasn't one of them!

"I assure you that you are," she replied with a look of surprise.

"Prove it!" Tsuna squealed in denial.

"Accessing Database VV dash Excaliber," she replied with another head cock. Tsuna choked at what appeared on the screen a mere moment after she disappeared.

_"Tsuna--" Xanxus gasped with his head buried in Tsuna's neck around a fox-tail charm attached to his hair. Tsuna gasped in a combination of pleasure and surprise as he was pushed down on an office desk with a wide smile. His pants were already down and Xanxus' hands were already firmly wrapped around--_

"STOP!" Tsuna cried with a bright blush. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Flustered and embarrassed, Tsuna ran to his bed and hid himself under the covers. He didn't just see what he thought he'd seen. That was... That was just _wrong_! Xanxus had been touching him _down there_! What the heck had he been doing these past seven years?! He was a hentai! He was a pervert! Who knew what else he was?!

Tsuna's mind went blank as an epiphany struck. Pandora could tell him. She knew something that personal about his future self, so maybe she could tell him about the rest of his life. Why he'd accepted being a Mafia Boss when he'd sworn up and down to Reborn that he wouldn't. What he'd been doing for the past seven years.

She could tell him everything.

"Pandora," Tsuna mumbled, crawling out of his bed once more with his covers still wrapped around his head. Peeking out, he saw that the woman was back on his television, having already wiped away that dirty footage from before.

"Yes, Tsuna?"

"Who am I?"

* * *

Tsuna clutched his stomach as he heaved once more into the toliet. Less than two minutes. In less than two minutes, he knew too much about himself. Things he'd never dreamed that he was capable of. Murder. Torture. Orders to cut people's lives and limbs into pieces. Financial ruin of his enemies. Lives and reputations completely ruined. The sheer number on the file that Pandora had pulled up had been overwhelming.

_Vongola Tsunayoshi  
A.K.A. Vongola Decimo  
A.K.A. Black X  
A.K.A. Beast-Tamer  
A.K.A. Sir Yoshi von Gola  
A.K.A. Orange  
A.K.A. The Fucking Firecracker _

_Vongola Hitman Rating: 10/10  
Successful Assignments: 13510/13510  
Refusal Rate: 0/13510  
Failure Rate: 0/13510_

_Assignment Breakdown:  
Execution 1658/13510  
Punishment 2795/13510  
Warning 3854/13510  
Negotiation 4081/13510 (Preferred)  
Infiltration 360/13510  
Other 762/13510_

_Combat Ability: 9.99/10  
Combat Primary Style: Vongola Special-- X-Gloves Version III  
Combat Secondary Style: Ranged marksmanship-- Glock 42 Custom_

Tsuna hadn't been able to read very far into the mission summaries. The numbers were too high. The summaries were too grotesque, which made it all that much worse when he saw that he'd been the one to write them. To think that he even owned a gun. And the word Execution. The thought made him sick. So sick that he couldn't even take the time to wonder what the heck could fall under the 'Other' category.

He'd killed people.

He was a murderer.

He was a horrible, horrible person.

Nothing... Nothing could make up for what he'd done.

Tsuna heaved again into the toilet as the image attached to the first summary popped into his head once more. From the date on the summary, it had been a mere day or two before he'd fallen into a coma. That poor, poor woman. How he could ever be capable of such a thing was beyond him and the report hadn't helped. It was sickening. The way he'd _enjoyed _hurting that woman. It was there, written in his own words. He'd killed her and the only thing she'd done wrong had been to call him short.

He had to turn himself in.

That was the right thing to do. But if he turned himself in, they'd give him the death penalty. Even if he couldn't remember, he'd killed over a thousand people. He was a mass murderer! Tsuna began to panic as his thoughts continued to spiral downward. He had no clue what his future self would do, but he couldn't do those kinds of things! He didn't want to even remember doing those kinds of things! He--

Oh no. He was going to get his memories back in two days. He'd have to remember all of those horrible things he'd done. They said that they were going to fix him! He didn't want to be fixed, though! Not if that was the kinds of things that he had to remember if he was fixed!

He'd run away.

That was the only solution he could think of and he latched onto it like a drowning man latched onto a life-raft. If he ran away, they couldn't make him get his memories back. He didn't really have anything holding him here but a life that he never asked for. Gokudera and Yamamoto and everyone else... he'd miss them, but they were just friends. Reborn had been the one trying to force them all to become closer! If it hadn't been for Reborn, he never would have made them as friends anyway! He could go back to how life was just a few years ago. He could go back to being just the guy that everyone ignored. That hadn't been such a bad life! Not in comparison to this cruel and sickening one that his future self had led!

He'd run away.

His mind made up, Tsuna ran into his bedroom and his eyes immediately went to the cameras. They'd try to stop him if they knew. He couldn't let them stop him. If they stopped him, they'd make him remember. He didn't want to remember!

"Pandora," Tsuna called, running up to the television once more. "Pandora? Are you there?"

"I'm here, Tsuna," she said, popping up on the screen. "Did you need something? I can call Matsu for you."

"You said that you were made to help me! Right?" Tsuna exclaimed in a rush.

"I was," she confirmed with a smile.

"Then help me!" He yelled. "Make it so that no one can see what I'm doing and don't tell anyone!"

"I'm not sure--"

"Just do it!" Tsuna shouted.

"If that is your orders," she replied in doubt and confusion. "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"Tell me if anyone starts to come in here," he said before running into his closet. He paused for a moment upon entering, his eyes going wide at the sheer number of suits he owned. It was almost like he wore nothing else! There had to be something, though. Some type of normal clothes. He couldn't wear suits _all _the time!

After several minutes of searching, he found his way into a large trunk of clothes stored at the back that was full of folded blue-jeans and t-shirts. Throwing a pair on, he tried not to get too curious as to why they felt new nor did he wonder why the shirts still had the tag on them. Surely he had some regular clothes somewhere that he wore to relax in, but he wasn't willing to waste time looking for them. At first, he was hesitant about taking the clothes, but then he remembered that they were his. Using that as justification, he grabbed a duffel bag that was also stored inside and began cramming extra clothes inside. Then he reached up in order to snag the one normal-looking blue-jean jacket from a hangar before grabbing the sole pair of sneakers sitting next to a long line of dress shoes.

What kind of freak had he turned into?! All of it was too orderly. Too neat. Too organized. It wasn't him! He was the guy that his mom yelled at constantly to pick up his room! He was the guy that thought a hamper was a spare trashcan. He was the guy that used his dirty clothes as a protective measure for when he fell out of his bed! He was the No-Good guy that everyone made fun of and THAT WAS FINE! He'd rather be No-Good than be a murderer!

Running back into his bedroom with the duffel in hand, he tossed his wallet, some spare sets of boxers, and a few other necessities into his bag before he was satisfied. He ignored Pandora's questions, keeping his mind focused on trying to find the last two things he needed in order to escape. The first was easy to find after a curious question to Pandora around her counter-questioning. Slipping the fingerless gloves on that she specified, he looked at them curiously for a moment in wonder. They weren't like his old mittens but that was okay as long as they worked.

That found, he set to looking through his future-self's belongings in hopes that he had what Tsuna needed. His future-self had to have something to make him go into Dying Will Mode. Since they'd said that Reborn wasn't around, he hoped and prayed that maybe Basil had given him some of those Dying Will Pills that he'd taken during their training sessions together. He knew Reborn. The guys that he was running away from were probably just as bad. The only way he could even dream of outrunning them was to get a little bit of a boost.

There!

Tsuna found what he needed, tucked in the back of a locked drawer that had the key in it for some stupid reason. It was no wonder that it was locked, though. Especially when it was full of knives, weapons, and other nasty-looking items. Admittedly, not all of them looked nasty. Just most of them. There were a few boxes that piqued his interest, but he didn't bother opening. Reaching past them, he grabbed the bottle laying forgotten in the back and popped it open. Dozens of round capsules looked back at him, giving him the final piece he needed.

Popping two into his mouth, he flinched slightly as the power of his Flame overwhelmed him for a moment. It was strong. So much stronger than he remembered. That was fine, though. As long as it could let him fly, he didn't care. He just had to get away to safety.

"Where are you doing, Tsuna?!" Pandora cried again.

"I'm leaving," he finally answered, slinging the duffel over his shoulder. "I refuse to commit such atrocities anymore. Thank you for telling me the truth, Pandora. Now, please tell me how to get out of here without anyone seeing me."

"I guess I don't have a choice," Pandora mumbled in dismay as part of a wall slid away in order to reveal an escape tunnel. "I'm not allowed to disobey you. It is part of my programming now."

"If they ask, tell them that I said goodbye," he replied with a nod. Before Pandora could respond, he was already gone.


	2. Chapter 2 Lost

Matsu sighed as Tsuna continued to watch television. Figuring that Tsuna needed some time to himself, he'd retreated to the surveillance room in order to keep an eye on him while also giving him the illusion of privacy. There had been a moment several minutes ago that had worried him. One where Tsuna had ran to the bathroom for some reason. After he'd come back, though, he'd said something to the television and then had went back to sitting on his couch.

"LA LA LALALA LA LA LA!" A voice suddenly started singing. Matsu glanced around at the monitors along with the guard staff in curiosity. It sounded like Pandora's voice, but why was she singing? "LA LA LALALA LA LA LA!"

"Pandora?!" Matsu yelled when the sound got louder. "What are you doing?!

"LA LA LALALA LA LA LA!"

Matsu grimaced at the volume before finally tracking the program's location down. Her image was superimposed on the video feed from Tsuna's room. Her hands were behind her back and she had an expression of both panic and frustration on her face.

"LA LA LALALA LA LA LA! LA! LA! LA! LAAAAAAAA!"

"Pandora?!"

"Sir!" One of the guards suddenly squeaked. "The feed from the Tenth's room! It's on a loop!"

"What?!" Matsu cried, spinning in place to stare at the man while Pandora finally stopped singing in the background. The sudden combination caught his attention like nothing else could. Staring up at Pandora, he knew that she was the only one that could have done such a thing. Even so, he asked for confirmation. "Pandora! Did you hack into the surveillance feeds?"

"Responding might be a breach of my orders," she replied with a triumphant grin. The grin told him what she had apparently been ordered not to say. That was enough for him. Speeding out of the surviellance room, Matsu burst into Tsuna's room at the same moment he saw Tsuna disappear down one of the many hidden passages built into it. He was moving fast, too. Too fast to be simply running.

"Pandora!" He yelled, knowing that he wasn't capable of catching up on foot. "Wake everyone up and send a unit to stop him!"

"With pleasure," she replied. Matsu grimaced at the amount of flair she put into it. The military bugle that erupted from every television, radio, intercom, and other device in the building was sure to have woken everyone. Growling at his own mistake of allowing Tsuna privacy, which hadn't seemed wrong at the time, Matsu ran over to the room's control panel and flipped the switch for Gokudera's room.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" Gokudera shouted before he could get a word out.

"Tsuna's run away!" Matsu yelled in return. "He's going out the escape hatch into section six. I'm about to follow, but you need to beat him there or else we'll lose him!"

"He's broke out of section six," Pandora interjected with a grimace. "He's airborne."

"SHIT!" Matsu and Gokudera yelled in unison.

"I'll head to the security office," Gokudera snapped. "If he's airborne, then we'll have to use the tracking devices to catch him. He was dressed. Right?"

"I caught a glimpse of that jacket that Lambo gave him for his birthday," he answered.

"Good enough," he mumbled, his voice growing distant from the intercom on his end while he ran around his room to get dressed. "Grab a team and call Tremolo for me. Tell her to get the long range helicopters ready. Meet me at the helipad in two minutes. Any longer and we'll lose him!"

"I'm on it," Matsu cried, running out of the room in the middle of the sentence.

* * *

Why would come later, Gokudera thought to himself. Right now, he had to stop his Boss from doing anything rash. He wasn't himself and it wasn't the first time that Gokudera had found himself in a position where he had to protect Tsuna from himself. It happened more often than he wanted to think about, actually, which made his job as a Right Hand so very important.

Even so, he continued to wonder one thing while the directed Tremolo in Tsuna's wake.

What the hell was Boss thinking?

* * *

Run away!

Run away! Run away! Run away! Run away!

He had to get away before they caught him! He wouldn't do cruel things like that anymore! He refused to be a Mafia Boss! He never wanted to be someone like that! He just wanted to get away to somewhere that he could forget all the stuff Reborn had put him through. Somewhere that Reborn couldn't find him. Somewhere so far that it wouldn't be possible for anyone to find him. He wanted to just go home, but he knew that doing so would just put him right back into Reborn's clutches. If that happened, he'd be forced to get his memories back. Memories of a world where he killed people and the people he loved died.

People like Kyoko.

He'd rather be alone than to have to feel that horrible ever again! Kyoko. His poor, beautiful angel. If seeing her die was why he couldn't remember the past seven years, then maybe that was a good thing! He'd rather remember her smiling. Remember her cheering him on. Remember her small praises and her cheerful giggles. Pandora had said that she was his wife, but he couldn't be happy about finding that out. Not when he'd been cheating on her with a guy. Not when he'd allowed her to be murdered.

He refused to accept it. He refused to accept this life. This couldn't have been a life that he'd chosen. This couldn't have been a life that he agreed to. He would make himself a new life. One that he could be happy with. One that didn't make him a murderer and a betrayer. One where he helped people instead of hurt them. That was the kind of person he was. Not a criminal! The most criminal thing he'd ever done was a little bit of apathy or a little bit of simply not caring about people other than himself. He wouldn't not care anymore, he swore. Not caring and ignoring other people's problem in favor of his own was probably how he'd turned into such a monster. No more. He wouldn't do things like that anymore!

He wasn't a bad person! He would be a good person!

Going purely by intuition, Tsuna continued to fly westward while ignoring the nagging feeling that he should go back. It didn't take him long to begin to feel tired purely from the amount of effort that it took to keep himself aloft while carrying luggage. He was used to continuously using his Flame, though. Up until yesterday, he'd done it regularly while training with Basil in preparation-- No, he corrected himself. Seven years ago, he did it regularly in his training once he'd gotten past a certain point. He had no clue what Reborn's goals had been for that training, being unable to remember the sessions that followed Varia's attack on Lambo. Not that it mattered anymore. All that mattered was that he still felt a large store of power inside himself. He planned to keep running until that wellspring ran dry, too. It was his only hope for escaping the Mafia that were probably chasing him by now.

Figuring that they probably had tracking devices on him since Reborn had always been able to find him in the past, no matter what exit he took to run away from confrontation, Tsuna decided to not avoid the storm brewing. He hoped that the cloud cover would stop whatever form that they were using to transmit if it was something attached to him.

He thought that he was over the ocean instead of just the sea. It was hard to tell, though. His speed was much faster than he remembered. It was hard to control, too. That was okay, though. He was going in a straight-line anyway. As long as he kept moving at this rate, he'd probably reach an island or somewhere that he could rest at. But he refused to even look for one until he knew that he was out of range for anyone to follow him.

He started to wonder if hiding under the storm had been such a good idea. It was much bigger than he'd initially thought. The water below him was churning violently and the rumble of thunder overhead began to herald the lightening that started to crash down. Forcing himself to move even faster, he tried to focus himself on getting out of the storm before something bad happened.

The tingle of static on the back of his neck was the only warning he had.

* * *

"Oh god," Gokudera gasped when the tracking signal on his hand-held readout went out. Slapping it a few times, he tried to think what could have happened. They were only twenty miles behind him. "Pandora," he called into his headset over the loud beat of the helicopter. "What happened?"

"We lost his signal," she replied in worry. "Weather reports show a large storm over his last known position. It's possible that the electricity in the air shorted out--"

"Are you saying that he was struck by lightening?!" Gokudera yelled.

"I don't know!" She cried in return. "The devices on him only give me his location! I wasn't receiving any other data like I was getting out of his room sensors!"

"Boss!" Tremolo called from the seat beside him. Gokudera looked over at her in order to see her pointing out the window with a worried expression on her face. When he saw the reason, he couldn't help but pale himself. The storm was huge and Tremolo slowed in order to hover a good mile out of the breaking front. Dark clouds covered the entire horizon, closing in on them at a rapid pace while lightening and thunder crashed down below it alongside a pelting rain. "I can't fly through that!" She yelled. "I can try, but there's too much wind and lightening! Look at the waves it's creating! We'd get tossed into the ocean if I got too close!"

"Go back!" Gokudera spat. "Head for the boats! They shouldn't be too far behind! You can drop me off before retreating!"

"Roger!"

* * *

"Hurry!" Yamamoto yelled as Gokudera jumped onto the boat without waiting for the helicopter to even attempt to land. While the retrofitted boat had a landing pad for helicopters, they all knew that it would be useless for her to bother landing. Not when they were about to head into a storm that was easily the size of Greece. The moment he got off, the helicopter circled in place and retreated back toward the mainland. She'd make it but probably only by the skin of her teeth. It had been bound to happen soon anyway, Gokudera grumbled to himself. Tremolo's helicopters could only go so far with the amount of fuel they carried on board. That had been why Yamamoto had been following with the boats in the first place.

"We lost his signal," Yamamoto cried out in worry.

"Just keep heading in that direction!" Gokudera shouted back. "Pandora says he might have been hit by lightening, so we've got to hurry! There's no islands around here for him to go to ground! If he was knocked into the water..." Gokudera bit his lip, not wanting to finish that sentence. "Just go!"

* * *

Everyone stared blankly at the raging waters while searching frantically for a body among the scattered belongings. The search area was quickly being spread over an increasingly large area that the fleet of rescue ships were trying to cover without being overwhelmed by the storm. This was the place, though. They knew it without a shadow of a doubt. It had to be the right place since Tsuna's clothes were drifting among the churning waters.

But where was Tsuna...? Had he just dropped his bag? Was he even in the waters? Maybe--

Everyone on board grabbed onto something as another wave burst across the tossing deck. Gokudera found his grip ripped away from the railing he'd been holding onto and his body tossed to the deck. Yamamoto immediately reached down to aid him, but stopped for the same reason Gokudera did. Reaching out, he snatched up the item that had landed on the deck with the last wave while Gokudera continued to stare in a combination of shock and denial. Yamamoto continued to stare, as well, while the two of them completely forgot their surroundings.

"No..." Gokudera finally moaned. Refusing to accept such a sign, Gokudera rushed to the edge of the railing. He had every intent to jump overboard and search the depths personally for his Boss if that's what it took. He wouldn't give up. Not because of something like that! He began to dive overboard, but multiple sets of hands reached out to grab him and yank him back onto the shifting deck. He fought with tooth and nail, not allowing himself the luxury of stopping despite the people restraining him for his own sake. He knew he was panicked. He knew that he was irrate.

He didn't give a damn. His Boss needed him!

"Sorry, Gokudera," he heard a moment before something hit his temple and darkness overwhelmed his vision, only to be replaced by dreams of a lightening-scorched glove and blood.

* * *

"Yamamoto, I--"

"Don't talk to me," he snapped, sharply tugging his arm out of Matsu's grip. Then, he paused at the expression of guilt and tearful heartache that passed across his lover's face. "We'll talk later," he amended.

"I understand," Matsu mumbled with a nod. "I'll be in our room. Tell Gokudera--" Shaking his head, Matsu realized that there was nothing that he could say. The boats had been searching non-stop for three days and all they'd found was more of Tsuna's clothes. Hope had already begun to diminish. Especially after several of the divers had to deal with sharks. After the storm had cleared, the true problem had shown itself. Considering how far some of Tsuna's belongings had drifted, there was a ten mile span that he could be in. Even with every boat searching, it was more than possible that a carnivorous sea creature had already done the unforgivable and swam away.

Gokudera hadn't been freed from his bindings until several hours after the storm had cleared. It had taken that long to get him to promise not to attempt to jump overboard anymore. Even with his promise, though, he'd still jumped over every time they found another trace of him.

There was absolutely nothing Matsu could say to Gokudera. There were few things that he could even say to Yamamoto. As it was, Yamamoto and Pandora were the only two people willing to even look at him. They'd all known that Tsuna wasn't himself. Even though no one would have done anything different in his place since Tsuna really had needed some time alone to settle his thoughts, he was the one to blame for having actually done it. He was to blame for allowing Tsuna to run away before his mind could be fixed. He was to blame for... for...

"We'll talk later," Yamamoto repeated much more softly than he had before, understanding that no one could punish Matsu worse than he was already doing so to himself. Matsu nodded quietly and retreated back to his room before his tears could break free.

* * *

Squalo was getting sick of this bullshit. When the fuck had Xanxus turned into such a crybaby pansy? How many times was that brat going to turn his Boss into a gutless piece of shit? He'd been drinking non-stop for almost a week now. Normally, such a thing wasn't unexpected, but it was sickening to watch when Xanxus didn't even have the balls to throw anything.

Normally, Xanxus would have been drinking straight from the bottle by now. Instead, he was still quietly refilling his glass without even acknowledging anyone's presence. Bel had even snuck up on him twice without being smacked in warning. He'd even managed to tap him on the back with a knife. The shock of making it so close without getting a reaction had scared Bel more than an attack would have. The quiet and polite response instead of a rage-filled yell had sent him running out of the room entirely.

For everyone else, Xanxus was currently one fucking scary Mafioso. Not to Squalo, though. Squalo saw what everyone else didn't. He couldn't help but see since Squalo was one of the few that had been permitted to see his Boss' _other _Flame. Xanxus wasn't scary. He was fucking depressed. What everyone took to be a rage so deep as to move him to silence was actually a suicidal state of depression. From what he'd managed to drag out of him, the Tenth Boss had finally woke the fuck up. The problem was that he'd woken up without any memory of what he and Xanxus meant to each other.

It was a damn good thing in Squalo's opinion. Maybe his Boss could get his real fire back. He could get back that Wrath that had made him into a man worthy of being followed. He could--

"X-Xan...xus..." A voice gasped from the door. Xanxus jumped to his feet while Squalo merely turned his head from where he'd been watching his Boss drink. He raised an eyebrow at the appearance of the Tenth's Right Hand. He looked like he'd been dragged through all Nine Hells by his ankles and had come out on the other side with a broken spirit. Only one thing could have made him look so horrible.

Only one thing.

"What happened?" Xanxus asked, running forward to grab Gokudera by his throat. "What the _fuck _happened?!"

"W-We can't find him," Gokudera cried with tears breaking free in order to run down his face unheeded. "He ran away and t-there was a...a storm and... and..." Falling out of Xanxus' suddenly slack grip, he held out something for Xanxus to see for himself. Xanxus' eyes widened at it and he snatched it for himself after only a glance.

It was a glove. The sight of it made even Squalo jump to his feet. It looked like it had been ripped off of someone's hand after a battle. It was both tattered and melted, two things he'd never imagined for that particular glove. Especially when the glove was undeniably one of Vongola the Tenth's.

"Where's the Tenth?" Squalo asked, unable to believe the insinuation that Gokudera was making. It was one thing to think badly of the brat and wish him dead, but it was another to be faced with something like this.

"We can't find him," Gokudera repeated with another sob. "We've been looking for almost a week now and we still can't find him. We were right behind him and he flew into a storm. He was trying to run away and he flew into a damn storm!"

"What about his tracking devices?" Xanxus asked while openly wavering on his feet over the shock that he'd been missing that long without anyone informing him.

"All of them were destroyed," he answered around his tears. "Pandora thinks that he was hit by lightening and then..." Trying to control himself, Gokudera put his fists over his eyes and sucked back his tears. He managed for a mere moment. Long enough to finish passing the news to the one person that everyone else was too scared to tell. "We were right behind him! We went as fast as we could, but--"

"Where's Tsuna?" Xanxus asked quietly, his eyes still locked on the glove in his hand.

"We lost him," Gokudera finished before pressing his head to the floor in misery and covering it with his arms. "The ocean... The ocean swallowed him and w-we l-lost--" Gokudera's words were choked off in shock at the sound that filled the room. It was a sound that Squalo hadn't heard in months. It was a sound that hadn't had that particular tone to it in years.

It was a sound heralding the return of a powerful force into the world.

"So that's how pathetic he really was," Xanxus barked once his cruel laughter fell to a stop. Gokudera flinched as the Tenth's glove was tossed down at him with a complete lack of care. "God, it feels fucking good to have him gone. Let me know when the funeral is planned. I'll have Levi pay his respects and all that proper bullshit for the Varia."

"Xanxus!" Gokudera yelled angrily at the insulting tone that the man was taking. "What--"

"Shut up!" Xanxus roared in a flare of rage. "Someone get this fucking piece of trash out of here!"

"OOOOIIII!" Squalo yelled with a wide grin. Walking forward, his eyes lit on Gokudera with open plans to get revenge for every instant that the Tenth had been... Well, he couldn't say he'd been bad as far as Bosses went, but there were a few assignments that had been insulting. "You heard him! Get the fuck out!"

"What--?" Gokudera asked in shock, getting to his feet without seeming to understand the situation. Xanxus made it very clear to him when he grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"Your Boss is fucking dead," he growled in warning. "There isn't shit protecting you anymore. The Varia follows my lead, you fucking piss-ant. If you don't want me to find my own shit to keep me busy then you better start finding things for me to do. I don't like fucking downtime. Got it? We're born killers. That means we need stuff to kill or else we might just bite the hand that feeds us. Is that simple enough for scum like you to understand?"

"You traitor!" Gokudera gasped around Xanxus' tight grip. "Boss lov--" Gokudera found his word cut off as Xanxus' grip tightened even harder. It felt as if his throat was being crushed in his hand, making him fight the restraint automatically. He continued to fight while the lack of air began to make his chest burn. He stared into the rage-filled gleam of Xanxus' eyes, slowly coming to realize that the man was once more trying to be the bastard that he'd been before Tsuna had entered his life. There was no reason for him to be different anymore. No reason for him to hold onto the human element that Tsuna had uncovered.

No reason to care about anyone but himself.

"I'll find something for you to do," Gokudera gasped when Xanxus let up slightly in order to allow him a breathe. He grimaced at the force Xanxus used to set him down and the shove that propelled him toward the door with Squalo on his heels. Then he stopped and stood his ground, needing to know at least one thing before he left. Giving a warning glare to the swordsman while rubbing his throat, he asked the only question he cared about anymore. "Will you honor the Tenth's request?"

Squalo looked at Xanxus in askance when silence filled the room rather than another roar. He was looking down at his feet for some reason with his fists clenched at his sides. Pissed didn't even come close to describing his rage in that moment. Although, considering how he'd just manhandled the Tenth's Right Hand, the lack of release was surprising.

"Yes," he growled quietly. "I'll train the brat. Later. For now, just get the fuck out."

Gokudera nodded, accepting what Squalo was only barely beginning to notice. Xanxus was trembling. He rage and his show of power was just bluster. It was simply an attempt to cover the pain that he didn't want seen. It was bluster that he was woefully out of practice in using and therefore was only something that he could keep up for a short burst. He was trying to rely on walls that were so full of cracks and holes that it was taking everything he had not to break down. The only way he had to patch those cracks and those holes now, though, was his rage.

And his rage was slowly losing to his sorrow.

"I said get the fuck out," he snarled. Gokudera nodded once more and actually left, his stumbling path and haggard expression being the only two things to show his own misery.

"Heeey! Boss!" Squalo exclaimed in effort to break the dark mood that had fallen. "Here's your chance! We can--" Breaking off his sentence, Squalo found himself in the same death-grip that he'd just watched in usage on the Storm Guardian. Clawing at the hand around his throat, he stared with wide eyes at Xanxus' still bowed head.

"Don't even think about finishing that fucking sentence," he growled in warning. "If you ever think about laying a hand on the Eleventh, I'll rip your head off and shove it so far up your ass that you'll see daylight. Understand?"

"Y--" Squalo choked while fighting for air.

"Good," he praised quietly. "Now that we've got that out of the way, I've got another little understanding that we're going to come to."

"What's. That?" He gasped. Pausing in his attempts to fight Xanxus' grip, he realized that it had slackened. It had slackened due to the way Xanxus' arm was trembling. "Boss...?"

"I'm not a monster," he replied, dropping Squalo entirely. Squalo laid where he fell and stared up to find that tears had been running down Xanxus' face without being noticed. He--! He was crying! Xanxus didn't even seem to register Squalo's slack-jawed reaction to the sight. He merely turned in place and headed toward one of the connecting bedrooms. Reaching the door, he paused long enough to shoot Squalo a look of askance that only got a silent gape in return. Then, with a shrug, he went inside and shut the door behind him.

Still sitting on the floor where he'd landed, only one thought went through Squalo's mind.

_What. The. Fuck?_

* * *

"Are we heading back, sir?" One of the deckhands asked curiously. "If we don't go soon then we'll miss the funeral."

"Jump on one of the other boats if you want to go," Ryohei replied quietly from where he was sitting next to the boat's navigation system with his gun in hand. "I'm staying right here."

"But sir--"

"We still haven't found him," he growled, pinning the man in place with a glare. "Pass the word along. I'm not leaving this ship until I find his body or I've found whatever fucking ate him. Got it?"

"Got it, sir," the man confirmed with a small flinch. "I'll tell the others."

Ryohei nodded in satisfaction while knowing deep inside that he never wanted to actually find Tsuna's body. As long as someone was still searching and coming up empty-handed, there could still be hope. He would be that hope. He wouldn't let go. Not when that small flicker of hope was the only thing he had left.

* * *

"Ryohei didn't come," Lambo commented sadly. "Neither did Matsu."

"I'm here in Matsu's place," Yamamoto said quietly with his head bowed. "He didn't think that his presence would be wanted, so he said that he'd come later to pay his respects. Ryohei's still out looking like he's been for the past three weeks."

"Uncle Gokudera," a voice said quietly. Every head turned automatically to the eight year old boy that had become Boss overnight.

"What is it, E-Eleventh?" Gokudera asked with his voice only breaking slightly on the title.

"Why do I keep getting deja vu?" He asked curiously. "It feels like I've already done this before."

"That's--" Gokudera shook his head, unable to respond to the question that everyone present knew the answer to.

"It's because we just had K-Kyoko's funeral a few months ago, Hotaru," Haru answered in his place, pulling her tear-filled face off of Hibari's already soaked shoulder. Hibari didn't even seem to notice the woman that had begun crying on him, his eyes still locked on the casket before them. Every face nearby flinched and bowed their heads in unison at the reminder of how much they'd lost in the past few months. Hotaru nodded without a single tear in his eye while his mother once more began weeping into her handkerchief and then onto Hibari again.

It was worrisome that Hotaru couldn't seem to find it in himself to cry for his father. Several people had attempted to prod the boy into a release of some sort, but the crybaby didn't seem to be a crybaby anymore. No one could tell if hearing about his father's death had snapped something in him or if Reborn's training on one so young had done it first. Either way, no one had a choice anymore. Like it or not, Hotaru had been named heir before Tsuna's death. He'd agreed readily to the role, as well, once the situation had been carefully explained to him. He'd shown the most fortitude of everyone since the announcement...

...but the ring on his finger seemed so very large for such a very small hand.


	3. Chapter 3 The Fool

Author's notes: Rewind the tape!

* * *

Tsuna screamed as the lightening cut through the Flame-Shield that he'd attempted to put up to block the bolt that arced down at him. There was only one problem. Lightening couldn't be melted. It wasn't even solid. It was merely an electrical discharge! Had it been Lightening Flame, he might have been able to counter better. As it was, the pure lightening hit his Shield and coursed down his arm. He was frozen in agony while he fell, his nerves twitching despite the fortifying nature of his Hyper Dying Will Mode.

Had it been merely one bolt, he might have been able to recover. As it was, he was the highest point in the ocean and therefore the most likely thing to be hit. A second bolt arced down for him, making the back of his neck tingle once more. He tried to dodge, but his right glove didn't seem to want to answer him. Not wanting to even look at it, since it hurt like hell, he tried to compensate with his left. He barely managed to miss a direct hit to his body, but another tingle passed through his body when his duffel bag was hit instead. Spiraling out of control, he could only watch as his belongings were scattered by the high winds.

Then he regained his balance a mere moment before he would have crashed into the waters. Hovering with the boost of one hand, he groaned at the pain spasming through his hand. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Knowing that he needed to see the amount of damage there probably was, he looked down to see and immediately looked away. It was bad. Very bad. So bad that it hurt just to look at it. The palm of his hand was charred and that particular area of his glove had been burned completely away. The glove itself was only holding on to his hand by a few remnants of material around the tips of his fingers and the cuff around his wrist. Looking at it made him realize that his gloves had probably protected his hand and arm from taking worse damage.

Feeling his skin burning by the touch of the half-melted material against it, he carefully pulled it off with his teeth. He managed, but the wind ripped it out of his mouth before he could grab it with his injured hand. Hissing and spitting from the pain that the manuever caused, he decided not to chase after the errant garment. It wasn't like it could be used anymore, so he was better off using his time to find somewhere to land. He knew that he had to tend to his hand.

Grimacing from another spasm that crawled up his arm, he used the boost from his remaining glove to propel him against the force of the storm. This time, he stayed as low as he could. While that increased his chances of getting smashed by a wave, it lowered his chances of getting targeted by lightening. It also gave him an extra millisecond to respond if needed.

Had he not been in Hyper Dying Will Mode, Tsuna knew that he'd be crying. He'd be helpless in pain. That, more than anything, told him that he needed to find somewhere to land. The fact that he could even consider such things told him that his Dying Will was fading. The pain continued to run up his arm while he searched without finding a single piece of land that he could set down on. He was lost. Absolutely, completely lost. He had no clue where he was and no clue if there was even an island as far out as he was.

He felt like weeping when, after a half hour, he finally saw a boat. It was a large boat. One that was perfectly capable of weathering a storm the size of the one around them. Lowering his altitude even more to see if he could manage to get on the deck without being seen, he gasped as a cold wave crashed into him and sent him tumbling onboard. Laying where he fell, the cold didn't even seem to penetrate him. His body was trembling from exhaustion and shock. His Dying Will was flickering out even while he began to limply roll on the deck in unison with the way that the ship tossed.

No more. He couldn't go on for even another mile. Even so, he held on. He held onto consciousness for one reason.

Survival.

Nursing his hurt arm, he forced himself to roll to his knees and then forced himself to his feet. He could barely stand. His legs felt like rubber and his muscles felt a hundred times worse than anything he remembered. The first time he used the Rebuke Bullet came close, but it was still a far second to this pain. Only the knowledge the he'd fall into the ocean if he stayed outside kept him moving. Heading for the first door he saw, he opened it and fell inside.

Music and laughter filled his ears as he hit the ground and was abruptly cut off at a strangled yell from someone. Tsuna didn't care. He was safe. He was alive. He looked up at the first person that walked up to him and wondered to himself if he was hallucinating. Not that it mattered. He was so tired. So very tired.

"OI!" The woman... man?... called worriedly as she...he?... pulled Tsuna up into two meaty arms for support. "Where the hell did you come from, kid?" Tsuna tried to answer, but his words only came out as a moan. Knowing that he'd only be able to be coherent for a single moment, he said the only thing that he cared about.

"P-Please," he groaned with tears leaking out of his eyes from the pain in his hand. "D-Don't t-tell any...o-one..." His request stated, Tsuna couldn't find it in himself to even wait for a reply. Closing his eyes, he gave in to the will of his shaking body and slept.

* * *

"James," a woman's voice whispered. "Leave that poor boy alone."

"But mom," a younger voice objected, "I think he's waking up." With a small moan, Tsuna carefully cracked his eyes open when the boy's words reached him. Then they flew open when the first thing he saw was two large eyes and a nose that was perilously close to his own. With an automatic yell of surprise, Tsuna lurched in place while a matching scream erupted from the other person. He cut it off after only a moment while his heart continued to race at the unexpected shock.

"Now look what you've done," the woman admonished. Tsuna quickly sat up in order to stare at the boy that had given him such a scare and the woman who was apparently his mother. The first thing that came to mind was that apparently he hadn't been hallucinating. A woman with a beard really had been the one to find him. The boy looked normal enough, though, which was a bit of a relief.

"W-Where am I?" He asked hesitantly. Almost immediately upon asking the question, he realized that he wasn't wearing anything. Yanking his blanket back up over his chest, he asked an even more important question. "Where's my clothes? What--"

"Slow it down, kid," the woman chuckled with an amused smile. "To answer your first question, you're on the Errant Angel, an ocean-liner bound for America. I'm Charlotte, the bearded-lady of the circus that has commissioned this particular boat. As for your clothes, we had to take them off. You were soaked and you went into shock. I've got them right here for you, all nice and dry, but I'm not going to let you have them until you answer me a few questions in return."

"Q-Questions?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Yes," she replied, pulling up a chair in order to sit next to his cot. Without even thinking about it, Tsuna pulled the covers even higher around himself in order to hide his scars from the strange woman. She shot him a knowing look before reaching under them despite his squeals. With a grimace of pain, he clamped his mouth shut instead of screaming when she firmly grabbed his arm. Tears spasmed into his eyes at the simple touch, making him decide that fighting just hurt too much. She wasn't trying to hurt him, though. Instead, she pulled his arm from out of hiding and began to change the previously unnoticed bandages going down his arm. "Your hand is beat up pretty badly," she commented while she worked. "Can you feel it any?"

"Yes," he gasped. "It hurts."

"It was all black and blistered!" The boy exclaimed, receiving an immediate glare from his mother.

"We bandaged it up for you, but the doctor on board is more suited to dealing with animals than people," she continued. "It might help if you could tell us what happened."

"I got hit by lightening," he answered with a blush. She stopped in the middle of unwrapping his arm in order to stare at him. "It was an accident," he explained sheepishly. "I felt it coming, so I put up my hand to stop it and--"

"You're lucky to be alive!" She squeaked. "No wonder you went into shock! Is that what happened to your boat?"

"My boat?" He repeated in confusion.

"You had to get out here somehow," she said logically. "Don't tell me that you managed to swim out this far on your own!"

"I didn't," he replied with a small shake of his head. "I flew."

"Oh, I see," Charlotte sighed in relief. "Your plane must have crashed and then you used a life raft. Talk about a lucky break. Well, bad luck for you. That storm last night was pretty nasty."

"Y-You didn't tell anyone that I was here... Did you?" He asked worriedly. "You're not going to turn me in. Are you?"

"We didn't. Yet. But are you someone that needs to be turned in?" She inquired in return. "You've got a lot of scars on you. It's time for you to fess up, kid. We've taken you in and took care of your wounds so the least you can do is tell us who you are and where you came from."

"I'm Tsu...oh..." Tsuna bit his lip, realizing that the honest truth might not be such a good idea. These people could always change their mind and lock him up. They could turn him in and then he'd find himself back where he didn't want to be.

"Is that your name?" She asked curiously when he fell silent. "Suoh? Is that Japanese?"

"Um... yeah," he answered while hiding a twinge of guilt over the lie.

"It's nice to meet you, Suoh," she smiled without showing any signs that she mistrusted him. "Would you like to tell me why you were flying through a storm in the middle of the night?"

"I was running away," he admitted, not wanting to lie unless it was absolutely necessary. "Some bad people are chasing me and I can't let them catch me. P-Please," he mumbled. Wiping away the tears that welled up in his eyes over his own words, he looked at the woman with a pleading expression. "Please don't turn me in! I'll do whatever you want! I'm not a bad person, but--"

"Calm down," Charlotte soothed with a gleam of concern in her eyes. "If you're that worried about it, then we won't tell anyone that you're here. You wouldn't be the first lost lamb that's joined us and you don't really seem like a psychopath. Just relax for now and I'll talk to the Ringmaster for you. How does that sound? Those bad people that's chasing you will have a rough time if you're constantly on the move."

"Really?" Tsuna asked in hope. "You'd do that for me?"

"I don't see why not," she replied with another smile. "James could always use some help with the animals. You don't mind a little honest labor. Do you?"

"I guess not," he answered with a small grimace, knowing that he already owed these people his life despite his dislike for manual anything. "I'm not very good at that kind of stuff, though. I'm really clumsy."

"We'll work something out," she said with a note of confidence in her voice. "For now, let's get you dressed and see if you're up to walking. I'm sure that you're probably hungry by now."

"Starving," he admitted with a quirky smile.

* * *

Smiling to himself, Tsuna had to laugh at the cliche position he'd found himself in. Runaway kids always seemed to be synonymous with the circus, but he'd never thought he'd see the day where he'd be one of those mythical people. Although, had it not been for his special circumstances, the Ringmaster had bluntly told him that he'd have been out on his ass faster than a clown during a pie skit. As it was, it was a little hard to kick someone out in the middle of the ocean, which meant that he'd bought enough time to prove himself.

Tsuna hadn't found out how important that was until they'd given him back his things. His incredibly few things. He'd lost everything with that second lightening strike. His spare clothes. His wallet. His jacket had been torn to shreds without him realizing it and the Dying Will Pills that had been in his now-missing jacket pocket were nowhere to be found. Considering the way that parts of it had been ripped and burned from the electrical discharge, he was amazed that there was any fabric even left. As for his duffel bag itself, only the strap that had been around his shoulder had survived. The bag itself was just gone!

All he had left was the clothes he was standing in, a single glove, and a torn jacket. With that in consideration, the mercy of the circus people seemed even more precious than before. He couldn't go into Hyper Dying Will mode without his Pills, so he would be completely vulnerable without their protection. He had no money, so he would possibly starve without their charity. If they had decided to throw him overboard, no one would even know and he couldn't swim well enough to save himself!

Mucking out animal stalls suddenly didn't seem like that bad of a trade. He was getting what he wanted, after all. They were protecting his secret. The Ringmaster had told everyone that he was an innocent shipwrecked sailor that was willing to work in trade for passage until they reached shore. What he didn't tell them was that Tsuna was being chased and that he might stick with them even longer if he got along with everyone real well. He'd told Tsuna to keep that part under wraps, though, so that he could honestly hear how people felt about him. If they all seemed honestly regretful that Tsuna would be leaving their traveling troupe when they reached the mainland, then the offer would be officially made for him to join them on a more permanent basis.

Being on trial made Tsuna truly realize the enormity of his current predicament. He had nowhere else to go if these people threw him out. He had no money, no home and no friends. He'd left all that behind when he ran away and he couldn't go back. Going back would be worse than even being kicked out. At least while he was here, he could be an honest guy. He could live an honest life. None of that killing and none of those horrible crimes.

Nope. Mucking out stalls wasn't that bad at all. Well, it did smell bad, but it wasn't that bad overall. The bigger problem had been to get over his fear. Especially of the lions. He still remembered when he'd saved Kyoko--

--when he'd saved Kyoko from lions. They were fierce beasts and unbelievably scary without a cage around them. He'd nearly wet himself when James had told him that he'd be going _into _the cages. Then James had laughed and went in by himself. Then something had happened. Something that Tsuna couldn't remember happening before. It had been strange and weird and had felt curiously right. All of the fear had just rushed out of him when he'd seen James reach out to pet the tamed beast behind the ear. He hadn't been scared after that. He didn't understand it, but the lion had seemed to just turn into a large kitten in his eyes.

He'd tried to be scared, since he knew that he should be. Yet, no matter how many times he reminded himself about the length of the lion's teeth and the sharpness of his claws, Tsuna couldn't be afraid. After that, Rojo had become Tsuna's favorite animal to take care of. It had been the first time he'd not been scared of _any _animal. At least, it was the first time that he could remember. He'd found himself talking to the beast, too, as the days passed. Normally, it was just curious ramblings so that it wasn't so quiet in the cargo hold. Sometimes, though, he found himself asking questions directly to the beast. It was almost like he was actually...

That was impossible, he laughed at himself. People couldn't understand animals and animals couldn't understand people. Even pretending that such a thing was possible was just silly. Still, talking to Rojo was better than talking to himself. The circus troupe didn't mind his presence, but it wasn't easy to really get close to them, either. He mostly kept to himself, figuring that it would be better that way. No one could question him and he wouldn't get any people disliking him. He did his work as well as he possibly could and tried to keep out of everyone's way. After the first few days of the voyage, he'd even taken to sleeping down with the animals rather than take up Charlotte's cot anymore. That seemed to have been a good choice since it endeared many people to him.

"Suoh?" A voice called out, shaking him out of his doze.

"I'm in here," he called back, not even finding himself hesitating on answering the name anymore. Standing up, he smiled sheepishly out of where he'd been napping. "I already finished the list that Mr. Morrey gave me. I hope it's okay that I took a little break--"

"Holy hell," James gasped. "Don't tell me that you were sleeping in there!"

"Am I not supposed to?" Tsuna grimaced, glancing around the cage he was in. "I made sure to lock the gate so that Rojo wouldn't leave while I was asleep and--"

"No, no, no!" James interrupted with a slack-jaw. "It's okay. I'm just surprised that you're willing to! Most people would be too scared to go to sleep next to a lion! I've known Rasha since I was six and even I wouldn't do something like that!"

"Really?" He asked curiously while he dusted straw off of his jeans. "But he's really sweet. I don't think he'd hurt a fly. If anything, I'd be more scared with Muji."

"Muji?!" The boy exclaimed in return. "The Koala?!"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod. Reaching over, he buried his hand in Rojo's mane. Rojo lifted his head for a moment in order to let out a lazy yawn before lowering it back down in order to go back to sleep. "Muji doesn't like it when people go in his cage. He's afraid someone is going to steal his treats. He lets me go in to clean, but only if I bring a treat with me so that he knows that I don't want to steal his."

"Wow," James mumbled in surprise, shaking his head to himself for some reason. "So that's why Muji always sat next to her feed when I would go in. I just thought she got hungry around that time. How did you figure it out?" Tsuna paused in the middle of closing Rojo's cage door back and asked himself the same question. Honestly, he had no clue how he knew. He just did. He'd figured it out on the second day that Muji had been added into his list of chores.

"Who knows," he finally replied with a shrug. "Did you need me to help with something?"

"The Ringmaster wants to see you," he confirmed. "He's up in his cabin." Tsuna nodded and darted out of the cargo hold in order to answer the summons. He knew that Mr. Morrey, the Ringmaster, determined a lot about what happened with the troupe. If he made Mr. Morrey mad, it wouldn't matter what anyone else thought about him.

Pausing outside his door, Tsuna caught his breath before hesitantly knocking. A sharp yell permitted him entry like he did with everyone else, making him somewhat happy that he'd been accepted in even that small way. Poking his head inside first, he glanced around for a moment to find the man before entering and shutting the door behind him.

"James said you wanted something from me, sir?" He asked politely, doing his best to keep a good impression of himself in his boss' mind.

"Sit down, Suoh," he ordered gruffly, twirling his fake moustache in thought. "There's something that I've been wanting to talk to you about."

"Um... sit where?" Tsuna asked curiously since there wasn't a single chair in the room. He flinched slightly when the man pointed at his bed, but didn't object since it made sense. Taking a seat on the edge, he tried to think of what the man wanted to talk to him about. Maybe he hadn't done a good job? Maybe someone had complained about him? The mere thought made him grow pale. If someone complained about him, he wouldn't have anywhere to go. "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," the man soothed. "I didn't call you here for anything like that. Actually, you've been doing a fine job. James said that he's had more spare time to study than he's been able to have in a long time. Charlotte is quite happy since his grades have risen as a result. Home school isn't easy, you know."

"That's good," he smiled in relief. "Then, did you have some more chores you wanted me to do?"

"Perhaps," Mr. Morrey said. "But first, I wanted to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"How many languages do you speak?"

"Huh?"

"How many languages do you speak?" He repeated. "So far, we've seen you use four. James said that you talk in Japanese to Rojo. And he said that you were talking Italian to Charlotte and him when you were alone. But you've been able to keep up with the English conversations at meals. And right now, we're talking in Spanish. So. I'm curious about how many languages you know."

"What are you talking about?" Tsuna asked in confusion, staring at the Ringmaster with wide eyes. "I only know Japanese and a little bit of English that I learned in school."

"It's silly to lie to me, boy," the Ringmaster laughed. "Especially when you're trying to tell me that in Spanish."

"But--" Feeling his head spinning, Tsuna broke off as a wave of vertigo hit him. Vertigo coupled with knowledge. The words coming out of his mouth weren't Japanese. How had he not noticed that? The words he was hearing weren't Japanese. How could he have missed that?! Why could he understand?! Why was he speaking in a language that he didn't even know?!

"Are you okay, Suoh?" The Ringmaster asked worriedly when Tsuna doubled over in order to clutch his spinning head.

"I don't understand," he mumbled. "How do I know other languages when I don't remember how I learned them?"

"Don't be silly, Suoh," the Ringmaster laughed. "Few people remember how they learned their native language. It just happens over time. I was just wondering why you knew so many."

"I don't know," he answered honestly around the tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't remember."

"You've said that before," he commented curiously, sitting down next to him on the bed. "Is there something that you're not telling us, Suoh?"

"No," he lied while hating himself for the need. Hiding his tears, he reminded himself that he couldn't become a burden to these people. If he did, they'd just kick him out the moment that they landed. "I'm just a normal guy that made the wrong people mad. It should be okay as long as I don't run into them."

"I was thinking about that," the Ringmaster commented in thought. "As it is, I can kind of guess what happened. Especially when you look so much like him."

"Him?" Tsuna asked, stiffening in worry.

"Well, you can't deny it," Mr. Morrey laughed. "If it weren't for the fact that you've been sleeping with Rojo, you'd probably have found yourself imitating him a few times, too. Black X is one of the biggest porn stars that there is and you've got his image down to perfection. You're not the first look-a-like that I've run across, but you're one of the better ones. Ever since the second edition of the Voyeur was released, Black X imitators are even more common than the Excaliber ones. That's not a problem. The problem is that everyone notices Black X and you're trying not to be noticed. I have no clue why you went so far in pretending to be him, but we've got to change that if you want to hide from those people chasing you."

"What do I do?" He finally inquired when he realized that the Ringmaster was basically telling him to change his image. He faintly remember Black X being on the list of his aliases and silently thanked the heavens that it was an alias that people tended to imitate for some reason. Not that he really wanted to think about it. Especially when the man had specified 'porn star'. Hearing that just made him want to change his image even more.

Just when he thought his future self had hit the limits of depravity, apparently he could sink lower.

"Well," the Ringmaster mused. "Changing your hair would be the easiest way. And we need to find some way to cover some of your scars. Why don't I call Charlotte up here and we'll figure it out?"

"Okay," Tsuna agreed with a tremulous smile.

* * *

Tsuna fingered the locks of his now-black hair that peeked out from under the beanie that James had given him. A wide band-aid covered his cheek, hiding the most visible scar he had. Out of all of it, the tattoo was the one thing that made him grimace. He had matching ones crawling up his arms, done by the tattooed fire-eater that was attached to the freak-show. It was artfully done, but it had hurt! Even though his hand and armed had healed up during the boat trip, they felt like they'd both been struck by lightening again. He'd squeaked and squealed every time the needle had touched his flesh until the tattoo artist had finally given him something to bite down on instead.

The tattoos were interesting, he had to admit. It was the first he remembered getting even though there was one on his hand and several other areas of his body. The artist had picked an artful image, one that he'd thought was fitting when he'd heard that Tsuna's name was Suoh. It was an ouroboros. Two of them actually. The serpents wrapped around his arms and insinuated itself around his scars in a way that completely drew attention away from the marks. At the same place on each of his upper forearm, the orange serpents' heads came together with their tails in order to create an endless loop. For now, they'd been re-wrapped with bandages in order to protect them while his skin healed.

For some reason, Tsuna couldn't get the thought out of his head that his mother would kill him for getting tattoos. Only when he kept reminding himself that he was twenty-two instead of fifteen could he manage to feel better about it. He had to admit, though. It really did make him look less like himself and that was a good thing right now. Maybe later, when he didn't have to worry about people chasing him anymore could he go back to his normal brown hair. For now, it was black and most of it was forced flat under his cap where it was tucked out of sight.

As for the rest of his new wardrobe, pieces had been donated when the rest of the troupe had found out that Tsuna didn't have any of his own. Tsuna had been both touched and grateful for the gesture, even though most of the pieces that were given to him had been put through the mill a few times. But, it gave him something to change into so that he could wash his own clothes. He had kept his own sneakers on after changing into the first change of clothes that he'd had in almost a month, but everything else he wore was new. Well, he mentally amended, they were new to him. The jeans were too long in comparison to his own but had been one of the few that fit well around his waist. The bagginess could be dealt with by rolling up the legs, but only the long-limbed trapeze artists had been thin enough to have something to fit him where it counted. His shirt had been donated by one of the cotton candy vendors. James had given him another black glove to go with the one that he still had so that he wouldn't get any more blisters while he worked.

Overall, he was happily surprised with how much everyone had helped him. Even better had been that no one seemed to want anything in return. They'd just told him to keep doing a good job like he was part of the troupe already.

It made him happy. He had a job. He had people that cared about him. He didn't have to be a bad person. He could be a good person. He could be a good person and he could live a life without thinking anything about the Mafia, or Reborn, or any of the horrible things that his future self had done. All that was behind him now.

Smiling to himself, Tsuna let go of his hair and knocked on Mr. Morrey's door. Answering the automatic yell that rang out, he walked in like he always did after first poking his head inside.

"Sit, Suoh," Mr. Morrey ordered with a smile. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Tsuna mumbled with a blush. "Do you think it's enough, though? I can't let anyone r--"

"Don't worry," he laughed. "I don't think anyone is going to be thinking of Black X when they see you anymore. It makes me wish that I hadn't suggested the change."

"Huh?"

"Would you like a drink, Suoh?" He asked curiously while pouring his own.

"I'm not--" Tsuna froze, having to remind himself once more that he _was _old enough to drink. Once he remember that, he had no clue how to refuse. He started to just shake his head, but Mr. Morrey took his refusal as modesty and shoved a glass in his hands anyway. Curious, Tsuna looked down at it and sniffed it experimentally. It looked and smelled strange, but he had to admit that he was tempted. He'd never had anything but a few stolen sips of sake before. This seemed like something completely different.

"Drink up," Mr. Morrey encouraged. Not wanting to upset the man that determined his whole possible future, Tsuna drank. It wasn't until after he swallowed that he wished that he'd sipped instead of drinking like it was a soft drink. Spluttering at the taste, he tried to ignore the Ringmaster's laughter when he handed the glass back in distaste. "Not much of a drinker. Are you?"

"No," he choked while wishing he had something to wash the taste away.

"We'll finally be docking tomorrow," the man commented. "A better ship would have gotten us there weeks ago, but the Errant Angel didn't do bad for the price they charged. I've been asking around like I said I would. Pretty much everyone wants you to stay with us."

"Really?" Tsuna asked, pausing in his attempts to rub his tongue raw.

"Really," Mr. Morrey chuckled, twisting his mustache once more in amusement.

"That's great!"

"It sure is," he grinned. "But there's one thing that makes me unsure of whether to let you stay with us or not."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled, his face falling slightly at the man's words. Trying to keep how the alcohol that he'd drank was going to his head, he stared at Mr. Morrey in effort to focus. "Is it anything I can fix? I'd really like to keep working with Rojo and all the other animals. They like me and everyone here is really nice."

"I think we can come to an agreement about it," Mr. Morrey said with a small nod, sitting down next to him. "That is, if you're really sure that you want to stay with us."

"I am!" He exclaimed earnestly. "I don't have anywhere else to go! Please! Whatever it is, I'll do my best to do better!"

"Is that so?" He asked with a quirky smile and his eyes narrowed at Tsuna. Tsuna nodded again, this time managing to unbalance himself drunkenly in the process. Thankfully, Mr. Morrey reached out and caught him before he could fall forward on the floor.

"Sorry," Tsuna mumbled with a blush while he tried to steady himself.

"It's perfectly fine, Suoh," the Ringmaster grinned. "Why don't you lie down until your head clears?"

"Thanks," he said, taking the offer. The room was swimming as more of the liquor rushed to his head, making him wonder if his one virtue had always been sobriety. If not, then there had to be some big Vongola secret that he'd used to deal with alcohol that he didn't know. Laying down, he kept mumbling apologies to the Ringmaster. Then he noticed that Mr. Morrey wasn't just helping him to lie down. "Um..." he blushed, pushing his shirt back down from where the man had been trying to take it off for some reason.

"Alcohol can make you overheated. You're probably feeling pretty hot. Right?" He asked logically. Tsuna found himself blushing again at the knowing look the man sent him, which only made that particular problem seem to get worse. "I'm just trying to cool you down. It'll be easier if you take your shirt off."

"But--"

"Trust me," Mr. Morrey soothed. "I've been drinking a lot longer than you."

"O-Okay," he mumbled hesitantly. Blushing furiously, he let the man help him pull of his shirt. He had to admit, the room did seem a lot cooler than before. He was still dizzy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. He could see straight again as long as he kept his eyes focused on something. Keeping himself covered with his arms, he tried not to let Mr. Morrey see how uncomfortable he was. This wasn't any different than if he was getting ready to go swimming in a pool. He was just wearing jeans instead of swimming trunks. That's all there was to it. There wasn't anything wrong with--

With a squeak, Tsuna lurched in place when a finger ran up his bare side. Then he stared with wide eyes at the man who was leaning over him.

"What's wrong, Suoh?" He asked curiously.

"N-Nothing," he answered, while trying to hide how his feeling of discomfort sky-rocketed. Blushing slightly, he tried to shake off the feeling of danger that was building inside him. Mr. Morrey was a good guy. He wouldn't do anything wrong like that. Mr. Morrey was the guy that had taken him in and given him a job. He was the guy-- "What are you doing?" Tsuna asked when the Ringmaster began tugging at his pants. Snatching his zipper out of the Ringmaster's grip, Tsuna sat up and tried to hide how panicked he was becoming inside.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" The Ringmaster replied with another quirky smile. "I'm trying to come to an agreement with you."

"What?" He asked in confusion, his eyes going wide when Mr. Morrey reached for his zipper once more.

"Don't be a fool, Suoh," the man grinned again, the cruel gleam in his eyes no long hidden by even amusement. Tsuna gasped when he found himself pushed down on the bed with the Ringmaster's lips sloppily pressed against his own. Choking, he tried to push the heavier guy away, but found that he was more than just smaller. He was weaker. Pressing his lips together, he turned his head and fought the embrace with everything he could think of until the Ringmaster finally pulled away. "Don't fight it, Suoh," he ordered with a small growl. "Your little game of playing innocent has gone on long enough. Everyone knows that Black X and Excaliber look-a-likes are up for sale. Considering how well you had his image down, you must be one damn fine whore for how much plastic surgery you probably had done. I don't know why you gave it up, but you must still know how to do the work."

"I'm not--"

"Plus, you said it yourself," he continued mercilessly, freezing Tsuna in his mental tracks. "You have nowhere else to go. If you want to stay with us, you better start thinking about how to please me. If not, then I can always just turn you in as a stowaway when we reach shore." Tsuna stopped fighting while the words continued to ring in his ears. He had nowhere else to go. If he was to stay there, he had to do what Mr. Morrey wanted. And if Tsuna didn't... He... He was using blackmail! It wasn't fair! Tsuna didn't want him doing this, but he also didn't want to go back home! And that's exactly what would happen if Mr. Morrey turned him in!

Choosing freedom over his discomfort, Tsuna bit his lip and hid his tears while the Ringmaster began licking along the X on his chest. His hands were crawling down his sides, trying to push his pants down without even bothering to unfasten them now. With a moan, Tsuna realized that the uncomfortable protrusion that was rubbing against him wasn't the Ringmaster's cage keys.

Tsuna didn't know what made him do it. He wasn't sure how he knew the way to do it so well. He wasn't sure that he was sorry for doing it. All he knew was that the minute that his fist hit Mr. Morrey's face, his hopes of traveling with the circus disappeared in a flash. Then Mr. Morrey collapsed from the punch, falling unconscious from the speed and sudden strength that Tsuna had used against him in desperation. At that, Tsuna froze, his mind slowly realizing what had almost just happened.

The Ringmaster had almost raped him.

Shaking from the realization, Tsuna scrambled out from under the man and threw his shirt back on. Pulling his pants back up from where they'd crawled down his hips, he ran from the room in a stumble. Flying past several people, he didn't stop running until he was safely in the one place that the Ringmaster couldn't get to him. Once he was there, he tried to ignore the way his flesh was crawling while he cried onto the one shoulder that presented itself.

When he finally fell asleep after he'd cried himself out, the blanket he hid under didn't seem to warm him nor did Rojo's presence make him feel the least bit safe.

* * *

"Are you sure, Suoh?" James asked sadly. "Can't we talk you into coming for just a few shows? Rojo is going to miss you."

"Sorry," he mumbled, slinging his bag of extra second-hand clothes over his shoulder. "I don't think that it's a good idea."

"But yesterday, you said--"

"Suoh," Charlotte asked carefully, pulling her son back from where he was nearly pleading for Suoh to stay. "Did something happen last night?"

"Nothing that matters," he lied with a sad smile while silently thanking the heavens that the Ringmaster hadn't made a fuss over being hit. His threat to turn Tsuna in seemed to have been mere bluster, too. Either that or he was afraid of getting hit again. "Thanks for everything, though. I really liked working with all of you."

"What are you going to do now?" She asked worriedly, completely ignoring the calls for her help in unloading the circus' gear from the boat.

"I'll think of something," he replied, scratching his head for a moment before realizing that his cap was in the way. "Maybe I can find a job or something. Surely there's somewhere that will take me without asking any questions."

"Be careful," Charlotte advised with a grimace, knowing as well as Tsuna did that it was impossible to find a job without any identification. Especially when he wasn't even legally supposed to be in the country.

"I will," he mumbled, biting his lip as the Ringmaster walked off of the boat. Seeing the man's glare around his black eye, Tsuna decided that a retreat was in order. "Thanks again," he murmured with another farewell wave. Turning on his heel, he started quickly walking down the dock in hopes that he could be out of sight before Mr. Morrey changed his mind.

Like it or not, he was still on the run.

Only now, he was more than homeless.

He was friendless.

* * *

Author's note:

And lo! Here we get to the truth of Flames and Family IV. And now is where I'm finally going to warn you all. If you didn't like this chapter, you might not want to continue reading. Why? Because, excluding Chapter 2, the entirety of **Flames and Family IV is planned as purely being from Tsuna's POV**.

**Take a moment. Realize what that means**.

**Please do not Flame me for this choice**. If you don't like it, then that's okay. I'm not forcing you to read. It was this choice that made me leave Flames and Family III off on a cliffhanger. That way, you guys could imagine your own ending if you didn't want to go along for the ride with me on this. I'm still going to continue to write and I hope that you guys will continue to support me, but Tsuna will be the focus of this whole story. Yes, I know... the story is called Flames and FAMILY and that WILL make sense... eventually...in a way... This isn't the first time that I've written Tsuna without his Family, but it is the first time that I'm planning a whole story around it.

Considering how many of you have been clamoring that I should be a published novelist, I _hope _that you will continue to support my story. It's a story that I'm actually really excited about writing and one that will be much different than my previous stories. This is going to be a more 'slice of life' story than anything. And, truthfully, most of it won't be pretty. If you guys have made it this far, you should know that I try to go for a large measure of realism. Considering that I've got a former homeless guy's brain that I pick daily, this will be VERY realistic.

No, I didn't bribe him with five bucks and dinner.

It was only two bucks and lunch.

Just kidding! (He's a great friend of mine and he's got a home now, thank you very much! No-- Not my home. He's got his own.)

For those that are willing to go along for the ride, I thank you and I would love it if you could review to let me know that you're willing to go along for the ride. As always, anonymous reviews are appreciated just as much as signed ones. Honestly, if it wasn't for Miiharu and Mr. M's prodding, I'd have ended III differently and never have chosen to write this. As it is, I'm excited but alas my confidence is still fragile. BUT! I _have _confidence thanks to all of you that's been supporting me and cheering me on.

One final warning. **I won't be uploading as often from here on out. **Probably a maximum of three times a week instead of six. More than likely, once or twice a week will be the norm. I want to focus more time on the original story that I'm planning to submit to either Daw or Del Rey. Once again, all of your support has helped me get this far and I can't tell you how much your continued support would mean to me.

Thank you and please come again.

;)


	4. Chapter 4 Snicker

Tsuna sat in an empty seat on the subway as the reality of his life truly hit him. At first, he'd simply been focused on getting away from the docks. Then, once that was done, one thought hit him. He had nowhere to go. He had no way to get a job. He wasn't even supposed to be in this country. If the cops found him, they'd take his prints and then call his Family. All he had with him was a spare set of clothes and a little bit of money that Charlotte had insisted that he take. Once it hit him that he wouldn't be able to get more unless the Goddess of Fortune smiled on him, he was suddenly so much more grateful for the woman's kindness.

Where would he sleep?

How would he eat?

It wasn't just about running away anymore. He'd managed that. The problem was how he was going to manage his own survival. His mother had always taken care of him in the past. His dad sent money and they lived off of it. Other than a few times that he'd worked for Yamamoto's father and his recent stint working with the circus, he wasn't familiar with actual work. He was normally in school at this time of day. Not that he really could go back to school. He was pretty sure that illegal immigrants couldn't enroll. Plus, he was twenty two, he reminded himself. A twenty-two year old in middle school would gain too much attention. Attention that he didn't want.

Bowing his head, reality continued to crash into him in waves while the subway continued to scream along its tracks.

* * *

"Hey, boy," a voice hissed. "Boy!"

"Hunh?" Tsuna mumbled, waking up from where he'd dozed off. Raising his head, he rubbed his eyes while staring at the man that had woken him. How he'd fallen asleep on a subway was beyond him, but he knew that he'd been sitting on it for hours before that. It wasn't as if he had a reason to get off.

"Grab your bag, boy," the man in the seat across from him ordered. Tsuna blinked at the man in askance with a glance at the bag beside him. Grab his bag? "You've almost had it snatched twice now. Don't matter how poor you are, you've still got more than someone else. Grab it up and hold it tight before someone takes it. I ran off the last piece of trash that tried, but I'm not accustomed to watching out for naive idiots. If you want to hold onto it, you better wake up and take better care."

"Oh!" Tsuna squeaked, grabbing his bag in realization that the man was talking about it being stolen. Considering that it was all he had, having it stolen would have been the end of him. "T-Thank you, Mister."

"Now don't go calling me Mister," the man chuckled. "Call me Snicker." Tsuna blinked before chuckling a little with the man. The reason for the name was obvious. Especially when he had a candy bar wrapper pinned over the nameplate on his threadbare Army jacket. The man smiled once more before grabbing his own bag and standing. He was tall in comparison to Tsuna. Then again, everyone seemed to be taller than him. Seven years hadn't changed much where that was concerned. His bushy beard was speckled grey and the lines around his mouth and eyes made him seem much older than he was. Even so, he wasn't the bend-over type of old. Instead, he carried himself proudly despite the patched nature of his clothing.

Which made Tsuna wonder...

"Are you getting off here, boy?" Snicker asked with a raised eyebrow as the car began to slow in preparation for stopping. "After this is the last stop and it's always better to get off before you get kicked off."

"Oh... um... yeah," Tsuna mumbled, jumping to his feet with his bag clutched protectively in his arms. "I guess so. I don't really have anywhere to go so this is as good as anywhere."

"You're new to the streets. Aren't you, boy?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Tsuna nodded with a blush, wondering how the man had figured it out so easily. "Come with me. I got a deal for you." Not getting any sort of bad vibes from the man, Tsuna was still cautious in following him off of the subway. He hadn't gotten any bad vibes from Mr. Morrey either, after all. Taking the man's cues, they headed to a small area of the subway platform that was out of the main path of traffic. Once there, Snicker yanked him down into a crouch so they could talk semi-privately.

"I've got a deal for you, boy," Snicker repeated. Then he paused. "What's your name?"

"Suoh," he answered without missing a beat.

"Okay Suoh," he smiled. "Here's the deal. I've been on these streets for almost ten years now. The first thing I'm going to tell you is to go home."

"I can't," Tsuna objected in a hiss.

"That's what they all say," Snicker laughed with a twinkle in his eye. "But trust me. No matter how bad you think you got it at home, out here is a lot worse. You look like a decent type of guy. Go back to your family and beg forgiveness and make things right by whatever--"

"I can't!" He repeated vehemently, his eyes widening at the mere thought of going back to the hell that was his future self's life. "They'll make me do bad things and I don't want to do that! I ran away so that I wouldn't have to do that kind of stuff anymore! There's no way that I'm going to go back!"

"Alright, calm down," Snicker soothed in surprise. Then his face took on a look of thought. "Bad things, eh? That means that it would be really bad for you to get caught by the cops. Wouldn't it?" Tsuna nodded, knowing that the cops weren't his friends anymore. His future self had made sure of that. "Okay," Snicker sighed. "Here's the real deal. It's not good to be on the streets alone. It does something to you that isn't good. I just met you, but I don't want you turning into one of those silent wretches that drink just to stay warm. Hell, I don't want to be like that either. Life out here isn't pretty, but I know my way around pretty well. The problem is that the guy that was watching my back died a few weeks ago. Poor bastard finally gave up and overdosed on a bunch of cold medicine that he'd been saving up. I didn't realize until I woke up the next morning and he was already gone by then."

"I'm so sorry," Tsuna mumbled sadly.

"Don't be silly, Suoh," Snicker laughed. "I sometimes envy him, but I'm not ready to just give up like him. Things can always get worse. That's where you come in. Having friends isn't something that most homeless guys want. I'm not like most of them, though. I might be homeless, but I'm making the best of it. You haven't gotten that shine knocked off of you yet, so I figure you'll be good to keep me lively. How does that sound? I'll show you the ropes and then we can watch each other's backs."

"You'd trust me like that?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Kid," Snicker muttered sadly, bowing his head. "The worst you could do is kill me. It's not so much a matter of trust. It's more that I don't got nothing to lose anymore."

* * *

"Have you eaten today?" Snicker asked while they slowly rambled their way down the crowded sidewalk. Tsuna absently shook his head while he tried not to gape at his surroundings. The buildings were so freaking tall. Even apartment buildings seemed like skyscrapers. He had no clue what part of the city that they were in. Heck, he didn't even know what _city_ he was in. Not that it mattered. It wasn't New York, like he'd feared, and the weather was warm enough even though it was still winter. It wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't freezing.

Following curiously with his bag safetly strapped to his back, he followed his guide into one of the narrow alleyways between buildings. Horror began to creep up on him at the sight of a dumpster, which seemed to be Snicker's goal.

"Um..."

"What's wrong?" Snicker asked, pausing in his step at Tsuna's hesitant mumble.

"You don't plan to...?" He inquired with wide eyes, staring from the dumpster to Snicker and back again.

"No," Snicker roared in laughter. "I don't sink that low anymore. Not unless times get really rough. Prepare yourself, though. The day might come when a dumpster looks like a feast. Especially around Christmas and holidays. We'll be digging for the left overs of other people's feasts on those days cause most of the places I know are closed to celebrate."

"Christmas?" Tsuna asked in confusion. "Wouldn't people be more giving around then?"

"You'd think so," Snicker sighed sadly. "But that's when the organizations start begging, so real beggars have a harder time. Unless you get real lucky, most people rather throw money to a Santa than in a homeless man's cup. They figure that at least that way, their money isn't going for booze. They don't realize that drinking keeps a man's blood flowing warmly no matter how cold it gets outside. Whether it actually does is another story, but at least you can't feel the cold then. There's other reasons, too. People are happier around holidays. When people are happier, they don't like to see people that aren't happy. That's why, no matter what, you can't ever let yourself become one of those wretches who can't smile. The moment you do, the only people that'll toss you a handout are people that are going through their own hard times."

"That doesn't make sense," Tsuna objected. "If a person is having a hard time, wouldn't they be more likely to ignore someone else that's having problems?"

"No," Snicker laughed. "You'd think that, but it's the complete opposite. People that are having hard times can feel sympathy for other people that are having hard times. It's the people that are happy and don't really have a lot of problems that will ignore you. You'll see. We'll do some begging tomorrow so that we can get you some supplies and you'll see what I mean. For now, let's get dinner."

"O-Okay," Tsuna mumbled, his eyes darting back to the dumpster while he paled once more. Snicker smiled widely and shook his head before leading them farther down the alley in the direction of the large green menace. It wasn't until Snicker walked past it and banged on the door next to it did he realize that the man had other plans. Within a minute, the door flew open to let the clatter of a kitchen erupt into the alley. Yells and calls rang out while the men inside rushed around in chaos.

"Any trash today?" Snicker asked with a grin.

"Snicker!" The small cook exclaimed with a smile. "We thought you weren't coming! Yeah. It's all piled up in the usual place. We were just about to have Michael take it out."

"No need for that, Robbie," Snicker laughed, yanking Tsuna inside behind him. "I'll take care of it. Brought me some help so that it'd go faster."

"Help?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow directed at Tsuna. "Is he going to be coming with you regularly now instead of Zero?"

"It's still up in the air," he shrugged in reply while Tsuna silently listened. "More than likely, though."

"I'll wrap up some extra for you, then," the cook replied with a soft expression on his face. It was a strange one. One that Tsuna took a moment to recognize.

Pity.

"Let's go, Suoh," Snicker said with another smile. "Gotta work if you wanna eat." Hurriedly, he gave a quiet wave to the cook and led the way to where a heap of trash had been piled in a corner of the kitchen. It was a lot, but Tsuna had a feeling that it didn't take long for it to pile up. Even as he watched, another man walked up with a trash bag and threw it on the deep wheel barrow that was already overflowing with garbage. "Help me get this out to the dumpster," he ordered. Then he leaned down and whispered in Tsuna's ear so that he couldn't be heard by the kitchen staff. "Let's do this fast before we start getting those looks from everyone. Pity serves its purpose, but it isn't good to get it too often. Plus, we won't be able to come back here anymore if the kitchen manager sees us. The deal I got going is just with a few of the cooks."

Nodding in agreement, since it was the first time that anyone had really pitied him, Tsuna grabbed several of the bags that had fallen out of the cart while Snicker managed the cart on his own. In less than a minute, they were outside with all the trash and were hurriedly working to transfer it to where it needed to go. A single glance from the man said to work first and talk later, so they worked silently in unison with Tsuna trusting the man's cues. He hadn't done anything wrong to be mistrusted yet, after all, and all his advice _seemed _to make sense so far.

The cook was waiting for them the moment that the cart was put back in their place. There was no other idle talk like the initial greeting. The man simply handed Snicker a brown bag and turned back to go to his work once more. With a toss of his head, Snicker hurriedly led the way back into the alley once more and made sure that the door was firmly shut behind him.

"Over here," he directed, pointing to two crates stacked up next to the dumpster. Sliding the top one off, Snicker sat on the other and pressed his back up to the wall. After a moment, Tsuna sat on the other with much less care. "Not like that," Snicker ordered. "Turn it and put your back to the wall. Don't be stupid, boy. I might be watching your back, but you don't need to go taking risks."

"O-Okay," he answered in confusion, sitting like Snicker directed instead of turned to him so that they could talk easier. Snicker nodded in satisfaction and set the brown bag on the ground in order to pull it open. He seemed to be extraordinarily happy at what was inside.

"Looks like having you around will give me another bonus," he grinned, pulling out two large boxes of food. Handing one over to Tsuna, he answered the curious look of askance that Tsuna sent him. "Normally, he don't stuff it this full," he explained, opening his own box to show what was inside. "He normally doesn't give me any steaks either. You got that waif look to you, even though you're kind of old to pull it off. Makes people think of a starving teenage boy. See, normally, he just tosses me a potato that wasn't dressed to the customer's liking and maybe some bread that got baked too hard. If I'm lucky, he might toss me a cup of whatever the soup is for the day. The only other time he gave me a steak that the customer wanted remade was when he found out that Zero died. Normally, one of the chefs takes it home to eat if it was overcooked instead of undercooked. But see here? They saw I had a boy with me and they tossed some in out of pity. Don't expect to get it again, though. Seeing you was probably just a shocker to them and they tossed us a bone."

"You keep saying that," Tsuna commented, opening his own box. His stomach growled at the sight of a steak and baked potato inside. They'd even tossed in some raw vegetables and a small roll that looked like it was actually fresh. "You act like pity is a bad thing."

"Did you like getting pity?" Snicker asked with a raised eyebrow, picking up the steak in order to eat it like it was a hamburger.

"Not really," he admitted with a grimace. "But they gave us something to eat and all we did was to take out the trash."

"Pity has it's uses," he sighed as Tsuna hesitantly started eating. It felt weird to not eat with chopsticks, but it wasn't as if he had anything but his hands. The kitchen hadn't supplied any knives or forks for them to use and Tsuna slowly realized that most places probably wouldn't waste silverware on a handout. "The problem with pity is that's all we ever get. After a while, looks like those start to eat at a man's soul. It's always better to try to get gratitude. Gratitude don't leave you feeling as pathetic inside. The only problem with that is that gratitude is hard to get. Even when you work for your supper, people stop appreciating that they aren't just giving it to you for free."

"Do you always work for handouts?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"I try to," he admitted. "But we can't come back to this place again this week. The only reason they let me take their trash out at all is out of pity. Tomorrow, we'll be begging for our meals and we'll be heading over to this other place I know on the day after that. I got enough places mapped out in my head that'll let me do odd jobs that even if the begging don't do well, we can still eat once every other day. They're used to feeding both me and Zero, so they shouldn't have a problem with me bringing you." Snicker glanced down the alley and looked back down at Tsuna's plate for some reason. That reason was quickly explained when Snicker began focusing his attention on his own food around a quick warning. "Hurry up and eat, boy. This restaurant is known for getting busy around this time. People will be coming to forage in a bit to see if they can find anything fresh-like. We need to be gone by then or else we'll have to be fighting to keep our suppers."

"Why would--?"

"Don't be stupid, boy," the man snapped, picking up his pace in order to nearly inhale his food. "You probably seen those comedy acts on television about poor guys fighting over meat on the street. It ain't so funny when you're the one fighting and it's the only meat you've gotten fresh in a year. People die every day cause they can't get their hands on proper food. Unless you wanna end up falling into some gutter from malnourishment, then eat before someone shows up to steal what we got. People talk about survival of the fittest like it's just about jungle cats and monkeys, but we got the same problems. People stop caring about others when they're just trying to stay alive."

Tsuna nodded and did his best to eat as fast as he could. It was good. So good that it was hard to believe that it was a handout. Snicker seemed to be in heaven while he ate, which made Tsuna wonder how long it'd really been since he'd eaten steak. He was done much faster than Tsuna was and Tsuna was amazed to watch him gnawing off every sliver of meat off the bone until it was washed white. He even ate the peeling on the potato!

"Are you going to finish that?" He asked with a raised eyebrow when Tsuna started to close his box over his finished meal. Tsuna blushed, knowing that he hadn't been able to clear his plate like the other man had. Steak was good, but he couldn't bring himself to stomach the fat that had been on the edges nor could he suck the bone dry like Snicker. He also wasn't fond of broccoli, although the carrot had been good. As for the potato, he figured that he could afford to leave the peel after he'd gutted it.

"Don't look at me like that," Snicker laughed when Tsuna blushed even deeper in embarrassment while he handed the box over. "It's cute that you'd be embarrassed for my sake, but I'm not about to let good food go to waste. You'll know what I mean when you've been out here long enough. Like I said before, you still got that shine on you from living the good life." Tsuna felt his ears turn red at the statement while his companion finished the bits that he'd skipped over. In less than a minute, there was nothing in the two boxes but white bones. Snicker put both the boxes back into the bag and tossed them into the dumpster before once more turning to Tsuna. He didn't seem to be in a rush anymore. Instead, he seemed to be perfectly at ease.

"Alright, Suoh," he sighed. "I've given you a bunch of tips and I've even shown you my favorite place to eat. I think I've done enough to have earned a bit of trust."

"Yes," Tsuna agreed with a grimace, knowing nothing good could follow such a statement.

"I'm not going to ask where you came from or why you're on the run," he stated bluntly. "Everyone's got a story and I ain't any different. I figure that you'll tell me when you're good and ready. But there's two things I got to know and I got to know before we run into anyone else. First off is exactly how bad it'd be for the cops to find you and the second thing is whether you got any cash."

"Really bad," he answered with another grimace. "I... I don't have any ID and it'd be really bad if they got my fingerprints."

"And the cash?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "How much do you got? Don't worry. I'm not going to steal it from you. That's why I'm asking now. I don't want you going and pulling it out where others can see."

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "I can't really tell. It's not like the money that I'm used to working with."

"You one of those illegal aliens?" Snicker asked, putting two and two together. Tsuna nodded with a small cringe, knowing that he couldn't hide it when he couldn't even count change in this country. "Don't worry," Snicker chuckled. "If you were a bad one, you would have already met up with some buddies and you definately wouldn't be sitting here with me. I won't turn you in. Like I said, everyone's got a story. Seems that yours made you run a long ways, though. Go ahead and pull out your money, boy. Let me see what we got to work with."

Nodding, Tsuna pulled out the slips of cash that Charlotte had gotten for him after he'd initially told them that he hadn't been going to stay. Snicker whistled slightly without showing any signs of wanting to take it and gestured for Tsuna to show him the individual bills. Tsuna did, becoming more surprised when Snicker whistled even more in appreciation.

"Whoever gave you that must have really liked you, Suoh," Snicker commented. "That's a hundred and sixty bucks right there. It's a good thing you didn't try to go spending any of it without me around. You probably would have been tricked out of every cent."

"Is this good?" He asked, looking down at the bills.

"Good enough," he nodded. "We'll get you set up right as rain with that much. I'm going to ask you to trust me again, though. I'm also going to get a few things for myself if you don't mind. It isn't often that a windfall like that comes around. We'll be able to buy some of the necessities instead of having to forage for them. We got to think long-term with this money. You hear me? We can't go wasting it on stuff that we can do without. For now, tuck it away again and lets go."

"Go where?"

"First things first," he said in thought while they quickly stacked their crates back on top of each other. "We got to get to our sleeping spot before someone goes and takes it. Most everyone knows my spot, but I've been seeing people eyeing Zero's. We'll do the shopping tomorrow. For tonight, don't bring that money out again and protect it with your life. If people know you got that much on you, we ain't going to be able to hold on to it."

"If you say so," he mumbled, deciding that he'd trust Snicker since he'd been so helpful already. That thought made him pause for a moment in wonder. "Hey, Snicker," he said quietly when he started leading him down the empty alley.

"What?"

"Are we friends?"

"As much as anyone can be out here," Snicker answered with another small smile. "As long as me and you stick together, then we got a reason to keep going. Right, Suoh?"

"Right!" Tsuna answered with a wide smile.

* * *

Tsuna followed curiously while Snicker spent the bulk of his money. Surprisingly, the first place they'd went was a pharmacy. Snicker had insisted they buy the cheapest bottle of painkiller and four bottles of multivitamins. Two of the vitamins had went into Tsuna's bag along with the painkillers while the other two bottles had went into Snickers'. He'd also gotten a small first aid kit stuffed into his bag with warnings to only use it when absolutely necessary. The last thing he'd bought there had been on Tsuna's insistence. That had been a large box of bandages that Tsuna could use to replace the one on his cheek when it got too worn out. Snicker had raised his eyebrow over it, but hadn't complained when he'd seen how adamant Tsuna had been about it.

After that, they'd went to a second-hand clothing store. Tsuna had been kind of surprised at first until he realized that clothes could be bought for a few dollars. It was almost like a huge garage sale since everything inside was secondhand. Once more, Snicker hadn't bought what was expected. He'd completely skipped over boxers and basic clothing. Instead, he'd grabbed a pair of sturdy sandals that had only cost two dollars with an explanation that he'd get foot-rot if his shoes got wet and he tried to keep wearing them before they dried out. Then he'd grabbed a small, dented pot that was about the size of Tsuna's fist. Had it not been for the curious handle on it, it could have honestly been called a shallow cup. Tsuna had grimaced a bit over it, but hadn't argued.

Then they'd went to the Army Surplus store. Tsuna's eyes had went wide at that until Snicker had explained that military goods lasted longer than the normal stuff. They had to, considering who they were meant to be used by. Inside, they'd used a large chunk of money purely on Tsuna. First to get him a small, camouflaged, military-grade messenger bag to replace his overstuffed and worn backpack. After that, Snicker had insisted on getting a canteen much like the one Snicker kept fresh water in. The last item that they'd gotten there had been a simple pocket knife without any of the extra tools on it that had went into Tsuna's pocket.

At first, Tsuna hadn't believed everything from his bag would fit inside the new one since the messenger bag was only a third of the size of his backpack, but Snicker had shown him how to manage it. His spare clothes had gotten rolled up tightly so that his shirt and pants had only taken up a quarter of the bag. His one pair of socks and his spare boxers got rolled up with them. Then the first-aid kit had been placed at the bottom of the remaining space. Tsuna's band-aids had gotten put in a plastic bag for some reason and were carefully placed inside with the small pot laying beside them. The bottles of painkillers had gotten tucked into the side pockets along with the vitamins, which had left much more space than Tsuna had thought possible.

Finally, they'd went to their final stop. That had been surprising since it had been a department store. But it hadn't been as surprising as the reason they'd went in. They'd gotten a lot of disgusted looks when they'd went inside. Considering Tsuna was still wearing the clothes that he had slept in and Snicker didn't exactly look clean, it was probably to be expected. Snicker had just kept telling him to ignore the looks and had led him through the isles until he'd found what he wanted. The items he picked out were amazingly ordinary and were ones that Tsuna was curiously grateful that they had gotten.

A toothbrush and a bottle of toothpaste for each of them were those initial items. Although, Snicker's comment about them being luxuries wasn't something Tsuna wanted to contemplate. He'd skipped out on deodorant and other common necessities, though. Tsuna had been dumbfounded when Snicker refused to let him get either deodorant or mouthwash. He hadn't let Tsuna get shampoo, either, and had laughed at him over the suggestion. Instead, he'd went over and picked out two large bars of soap. Then he'd taken all of their personal items and headed back to a different section of the store. There, he'd picked out Tsuna a small sewing kit in a water-proof package and had gotten two spools of thread that he carefully chose after testing their strength. That had gotten them a dark glare from the shopping attendant that had begun to follow them around, but thankfully nothing more.

"Is there anything you want to get out of what's left?" Snicker asked curiously after tossing a box of plastic zip-tight bags and a manual can-opener into their carry-basket of items. "If you got a favorite food that you want or anything then now is the time to get it."

"Hamburgers are probably out," Tsuna grimaced. Then another idea popped into his head and he smiled widely. There was one thing that Snicker might actually praise him for suggesting. "How about rice? If we get a plasic bowl with a tight lid, we can put some in with some water at lunch. Then, if we store it in our bags and leave it, it'd be good to eat by dinnertime."

"That works," he nodded with a wide grin. "You're starting to catch on. Uncooked rice can last a long time and it's cheap. If we're careful with it, it can tide us over a bunch of those rough spots. The problem is when it rains. We'll have to be careful to make sure that we don't let the bag get wet."

"Let's get an extra box of plastic bags," he suggested with a grimace, suddenly realizing why the man was wasting money on them. It wasn't just to keep small items together. It was to waterproof items that were precious. "The rice fixes the problem that you said we had about starches. What do we do about fruits and vegetables, though? You said we can't always count on getting them in trade for odd jobs."

"That's what the vitamins are for," Snicker answered, tossing two large bags of common rice on top of their pile of items. "I'm not fond of the idea of losing either my teeth or my hair, so we take one of those twice a day. That's why I got us two bottles each. That'll last us most of the year. It isn't what I'd prefer, but it'll keep us from falling over. I was actually getting worried cause I ran out last month and I haven't been able to get enough money begging to cover a new bottle. Anything else we want to get?"

"I can't think of anything," Tsuna answered with a small shake of his head. "Is there anything you want? You've been helping me and the only things you've gotten so far are just basic things. We've still got a lot of money left since we've been spending carefully."

"Maybe," Snicker mumbled, absently rubbing his beard in thought. Raising an eyebrow, he pinned Tsuna in place with a curious look. "Are you sure that you wouldn't mind? I don't want to hear you turning on me when we're broke and can't find shit to eat."

"I wouldn't do that!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Plus, I'm the one asking. It's not like you're forcing me on what things to buy. Everything you've had me get makes sense and you managed to save me ten dollars by talking that guy down on my bag! The least I can do is get you something!"

"Alright!" He chuckled softly in return. "If you're that sure about it, let's go make one more stop before we go buy tonight's dinner. There's actually something that I've been wanting for a while now but I haven't had time to forage for."

* * *

Tsuna smiled quietly while he nursed the bottle of whiskey that Snicker had bought for him. He hadn't taken more than a few sips from it and only then had been at Snicker's insistence. The taste was a lot better than the potent stuff that Mr. Morrey had given him and he had to admit that the air lost what little bite it had once it was inside of him. That wasn't the reason he smiled, though. He was smiling at the look of ecstasy on Snicker's face while he smoked a cigarette that he'd personally rolled with supplies that he'd bought at a smoke shop. By the time he'd finished rolling them, he'd had three baggies full and had given one of those to Tsuna in thanks.

"I'm even happier that I found you, Suoh," he grinned in delight. "I've been having to scour ashtrays outside of stores for half-smoked cigarettes for a while now. This is the first one that I've had to myself since someone tossed me half a pack on the street."

"I'm glad," Tsuna mumbled with another grin while he looked around their home in curiosity. Admittedly, it wasn't much. The part of town that it was in didn't allow for much, but at least they didn't have to worry about it being carted off. Or so Snicker had said. The alley was actually full of makeshift homes. But none of them were as good as what Snicker had. Hence, why he had been so worried about someone taking it. While some people had made the best out of boxes, blankets, and trash, Snicker had managed to claim an abandoned doghouse and a barrel.

Snicker had let him claim the doghouse, which had once been Zero's, since Tsuna was the only one small enough to fit inside with his bag. The roof of it was in perfect condition, which meant that he could sleep without worrying about the weather. It warmed up nicely, too, once Tsuna had wrapped himself up with the blanket inside. It smelled bad, but not like urine, puke, or death like Tsuna feared. Rather, it simply smelled like dirt and liquor.

The barrel that they were sitting on was what Snicker had been truly worried about losing. Even though the other residents of the alley had managed to light a fire-barrel already, there was always the possibility that they'd decide they wanted another. Snicker had managed to somewhat disguise the value of his home by putting a box around it and lodging it in place with random items, but there was always the possibility that someone would notice it. A barrel was a hundred times better than a box for sleeping in since it was somewhat weather-proofed. One of the blankets that Snicker had managed to get was covering the entrance to it, too, so that no one would know what was inside unless they crawled in there.

Which, no one did. Snicker was well known around where he slept. The people living in the alley seemed to have been living there for a long time, too. All of them had silent agreements, one of which was who slept where. None of them would steal Snicker's home or Zero's as long as he came back every night. While people had coveted one of the two makeshift homes since Zero had died, those looks had receded when Tsuna had taken up the spot.

Despite the number of people, Tsuna found it strange that no one really talked to each other. Even when they huddled around the fire-barrel or when they passed around a bottle of liquor that they'd all chipped in to buy, they rarely spoke to one another. Snicker was the only exception, purposely finding things to talk about with a desperation that Tsuna slowly came to understand. He didn't want to become like the rest who huddled together simply because they didn't want to be alone. Snicker was scared that he'd become silent with depression, so he had sought out a real friend rather than just a buddy to sit next to.

"How did you end up out here?" Tsuna asked curiously while hesitantly accepting the lit cigarette that Snicker insisted that he take. At first, Tsuna attempted to hand it back after a single fake puff on it, but Snicker raised an eyebrow and lit another for himself. Figuring that there wasn't really anyone around to scold him for it, he let the curiosity get the better of him. Gokudera had always smoked a lot. There had to be a reason. With a mental shrug, he inhaled off of it and was surprised when he didn't start choking like he expected. It was almost as if he was used to smoking.

The realization took all the fun out of doing something he shouldn't. _Great_, he thought,_ I guess I can add smoker to the list of things my future self did wrong. Well, at least I can still get a kick out of drinking. I bet I never did that since I get drunk so easily_.

"It was a crash landing after a long fall," Snicker finally sighed. "I used to own my own business. I had the perfect life. I was my own boss. I had a house and a wife. I even had a little boy. Then, about ten years ago, my shop burned down. That wouldn't have been a bad thing, but the insurance I'd put on it refused to pay. I already had a second mortgage and the bank wouldn't give me any loans. Because of all the financial problems, my wife left and took my kid with her. She took the house, too, after she divorced me. I sold the plot of land that my shop had been on and used that to live on for a while. I got me an apartment and went out every day to try and find a job. I had management experience and a lot of other good skills, but I couldn't seem to find a place. That's when I found out that my wife had put a nail in my coffin. Her parents were loaded with cash, you see. They were well-known people, too. They'd gotten word out ahead of me and made sure that I wouldn't get a job anywhere. After that, I came up here to the city in hopes that I could find something. That was no good, though. Everything is more expensive in the city. I didn't even have enough money for an apartment by then and you can't really get a job without a residence."

"What about charity and churches and stuff?" He asked curiously when Snicker fell silent.

"You'd think they'd help," he laughed. "And some of them do. But there's too many homeless. The most they can do is help with the necessities. There's the mission, but they only feed and house you for two days a month. Churches. Unless you find one with a very giving preacher, those aren't any good either. Not for someone like me."

"Why?" Tsuna asked, taking another careful sip while he listened.

"Because," he sighed. "The Churches have regulations nowadays. They sent me downtown to fill out some paperwork in exchange for a voucher that could be traded in for supplies. I went down there and tried to fill it out and you know what one of the questions asked?"

"What?"

"It asked for my address!" He exclaimed in laughter. "I can't even get charity without a home! Man, you don't know how pissed off I got over that. I went back to the church and went off on the poor guy. He couldn't do anything, though. I was about ready to just give up and fall into a gutter at that point. That was when Zero found me and helped me find my way around. He'd been living on the streets since he was a teenager--"

Gold.

Everything Snicker was saying suddenly seemed so very far away. Tsuna found his eyes locked on the golden blonde hair of a girl that was exiting the restaurant across the street from their position. She was gorgeous. She was standing arm-in-arm with a man twice her age, but Tsuna barely noticed her father. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was an angel. A beautiful angel that took his breath away between one moment and the next. She was probably a few years older than him-- younger than him, he amended after reminding himself that he was twenty-two. She looked to be eighteen or nineteen but had a maturity about her that made her seem even older. Maybe it was the short, silky dress she was wearing or the high heels attached to her long, bare legs. He wasn't sure nor was he sure that he cared which one it was. All he knew was that her wide eyes and her bright smile made her shine from the moment that he laid his eyes on her.

"Don't fall for her," Snicker warned, breaking into his admiring gaze. Tsuna blinked and looked back down at his friend, missing his chance to look at her even more as she ducked down into a car behind her father.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a blush.

"I saw who you were looking at," Snicker commented around a pull off of his own bottle. "She isn't for you, Suoh. You might as well reach for the stars on someone like her."

"I wasn't--"

"Yes, you were," he interrupted knowingly. "She's stolen a lot of hearts down here and she's broke damn near half of them. I'm telling you. Don't do it. Don't go falling for a girl like that. You'll waste every penny you've got and she'll be gone the moment that you're broke."

"I don't understand," Tsuna mumbled while he continued to smoke the cigarette that Snicker had given him. "She seemed like a nice girl," he commented while hiding another small blush. "I mean, going to dinner with her dad and all. She's--" Breaking off, Tsuna turned to stare at Snicker when the man began roaring in laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Her dad!" He roared, slapping his knee while he continued to laugh so hard that tears began forming in his eyes. Tsuna merely looked at him in confusion until he began to stop laughing. Then his face fell in a rush when he realized that Tsuna wasn't laughing with him. "You don't seriously think that was her dad. Do you?"

"It wasn't?" Tsuna asked while Snicker stared at him with a slack jaw.

"How naive can you get?" Snicker muttered to himself in exasperation. Leaning over, he pulled Tsuna down into a huddle in order to whisper another of his little pieces of wisdom. "Listen, Suoh. I don't know how it is where you come from, but here they have a word for girls like that. They actually have a lot of words for her. Words like slut, whore, hussy, bimbo and hooker. She's a working girl, Suoh. A prostitute. She's one of those that goes out with guys and screws them for her paycheck. She's one of the better ones, too. That's why she actually has clients that take her out to dinner instead of just clients that want to bang a bit in a hotel room. She'll still screw just about anything as long as the pay is good enough, though. That's why I'm telling you. Don't fall for someone like her. She'll tell you everything you want to hear and then she'll pretend that she's never met you the moment that she's emptied your wallet. She's made herself a reputation down here. Damn near everyone within three blocks is in love with her and three or four are living on the street because of her. Don't go saving up your money with a silly dream that you can make her fall in love with you if you can just get near her once. That's a damn fool thought that has been the destruction of many, many men."

"No way..." He murmured in shock. He knew he was naive on some things, but that girl hadn't seemed like that! Prostitutes stood on street corners and cat-called out to passing cars! They had feather scarves and--

Short dresses.

And high heels.

And an inviting smile.

"That's more like it," Snicker said with a nod when Tsuna's face fell from shock into understanding. "Never forget how little you have, Suoh. You can't afford to waste your time or your money on a woman like that. Now go get some sleep. We got a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah," he mumbled sadly, recapping his bottle before stashing it in his bag. Snuffing out his cigarette, he handed the butt back to Snicker so that he could store it with his other butts to eventually be recycled into a new cigarette. That done, he crawled through the small hole of his doghouse and curled up around his bag. Two knocks on the rooftop said goodnight before Tsuna was left alone with thoughts of pennies and gold.


	5. Chapter 5 Spiral

He didn't like doing it. He hated doing it. At the same time, he couldn't argue with the need for doing it. Not when they only had two dollars and some change left. Three days ago, he wouldn't have been capable of doing such a thing. But this wasn't four days ago when he'd eaten steaks. This was three days after eating nothing but a handful of rice each day. The day following their shopping trip, Snicker's meal plans for the day had fallen through. Apparently that particular resturaunt been robbed and police had been all over the place. Once they'd seen that, they'd made rice using water and body heat. The day after that, Snicker had done some begging while Tsuna watched. It hadn't been pleasant to stand next to a wall and watch him work, but he hadn't been able to see himself doing it. Even though his stomach was gnawing on his backbone from such a small food allowance, the thought of asking other people for money just didn't sit well with him. Snicker had said he understood and hadn't forced the issue since they could make a little more rice to tide them over until the following day.

The following day, luck hadn't been with them, either. The kitchen staff at that restaurant had asked them to go away because the owners were inspecting the place. Apparently, the cooks that made the deal with Snicker would get fired if they were caught giving handouts. At that, Snicker had been understanding, but he'd cursed violently once they were away from the building. It hadn't been curses targeted at Tsuna, though. They'd just been venting curses of overall frustration. Seeing how upset he was, Tsuna had agreed to do what he wasn't comfortable doing. After all, two people begging could get more money than just one.

Three hours later, Tsuna was more than just poor. He was depressed. Nickles and dimes, Snicker had warned. Never expect more than nickles and dimes. Quarters and dollars are lucky windfalls. He should always beg for just nickles and dimes because people didn't appreciate nickles and dimes as much even though they added up to quarters and dollars just as fast. People were more willing to reach in their pocket and pull out nickles and dimes than they were willing to let go of a dollar.

But, after three hours, Tsuna couldn't even ask anymore. He just sat down next to a wall and held out his pot in hopes that someone would throw him a bone. Snicker had been right about people. He'd tried hesitantly asking happy people since they'd seemed more cheerful. He'd believed that happy people would be more giving in their cheer. Yet, Snicker had been right. Most of them had been so caught up in their own happiness that they'd either ignored him or said one of the same line that he'd heard several dozen times already.

"I don't have anything to spare."

"Sorry. I don't have any cash on me."  
"No. Not today."

"I already give to charity."

"Why don't you go get a job?"

Girls in groups tended to blush and purposely look away when he approached. Then, after turning him down, they always burst into laughter when he walked away. Businessmen would just walk a little faster past him without making eye contact. Women with small kids would openly admonish their children about looking at him. It had been just as Snicker said. People without problems didn't want to see those people with them. The few people that had tossed him some change had been those quiet few that looked somewhat troubled themselves. They'd been people that were obviously going through their own hard times and were willing to help someone else that they saw in need. Possibly in hopes that karma would be kind and help them in return.

There was another thing that made Tsuna depressed even more than the refusals. Even more than the people ignoring him. That thing was the expressions of pity. Snicker had been correct on that account, too. While it hadn't seemed bad that first time he'd gotten the look, it had piled up over and over again throughout the past three hours. No one looked at him with anything but pity unless it was anger. He was almost appreciative for the anger even though it made him uncomfortable. It was something different. It was an honest expression that didn't make him feel quite as pathetic. It couldn't even be called sympathy because the people only thought that they knew what he was going through.

They had no idea.

They weren't filthy from sleeping in the same clothes for almost a week. He'd thought about changing, but he didn't have any privacy to change in and he didn't want people seeing his scars. He hadn't been able to bathe, either, since their supply of fresh water was retrieved twice a day from a sink in a convenience store bathroom. Fresh water couldn't be wasted. Not unless they wanted to drink the polluted pond scum that they could find on the street. The people that pitied him didn't know how badly his stomach hurt from lack of food. They didn't know how much his muscles ached from sleeping curled up in a ball every night.

He hadn't chosen this. When he'd run away, he'd been rash but he hadn't thought he'd end up like this. People told him to go get a job, but he couldn't without an ID and a residence. People told him to try going to a charity, but Snicker had already shown him how little such places could help. It wasn't their fault either. There were just too many homeless to care for. Tsuna wasn't even a number on their census. He could die and no one would know or care other than Snicker. Even then, Snicker would probably just envy him like he did Zero.

Yet, what could he do? The only people that had ever cared for him was his mother and his friends. His friends had turned into murderers and thieves. He couldn't go back to his mother without being caught by Reborn. Reborn wouldn't let him go that easily. After having spent so much time being forced to do what the hitman said, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Reborn wouldn't let him get away again. That meant that he couldn't go back home. He couldn't get a job in this country, since he was living under a fake name. That meant that he had no way to make money other than to do what he was doing.

He'd never imagined that begging for money could hurt so much.

"Ah, hell, Suoh," someone said with a sigh, stopping in front of him. Tsuna didn't even look up at Snicker, feeling tears in his eyes from everything he'd been thinking of and not wanting anyone to see them. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I'm fine," he lied with a sniff, pushing his need to cry away. Looking in his pot, he saw that someone had tossed a dollar and a little more change inside, bringing his total to around four dollars rather than only two. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get something to eat. "How did you do?" He asked curiously.

"Good enough," he grinned in return. "Come on. Let's go shopping. We'll eat good tonight."

"Really?" He asked with wide eyes. Jumping to his feet, he scraped the money out of his pot and put it in his pocket before hurriedly storing the pot itself back in his satchel.

"Yup," he confirmed once they started walking. "After that, I've secured us a shower, too. You still got that soap we bought, right?"

"Yes," he nodded, patting the bag slung around his chest so that it could safely hang at his hip. "I put it in a baggie like you said."

"Good deal," Snicker praised. "After we eat and shower, we'll go to the park for a bit so that you can cheer up."

"The park?" Tsuna asked quietly. "Why there?"

"Because," he laughed. "No one goes to the park unless they're happy. Being around happy people can sometimes get your mind off of things and make you feel better. Not always, though. Sometimes it'll make you feel shitty as hell. But, right now, you only got a little sadness, so the park will fix you right up."

"How do you do this, Snicker?" Tsuna asked softly while they walked. "No matter how bad things have gotten this week, I've never seen you depressed."

"I'm used to it, Suoh," he sighed, scratching his beard as he answered. "I've stopped dreaming of the good life and I've tried to make the best out of what I got. I try to look for the little bits of happiness that come my way instead of looking for those big windfalls. Right now, we might be having a little bit of a food management problem, but I keep my mind on all the other problems that we managed to solve this week. Rice and vitamins might not be real healthy to live on, but it'll keep us going until we can get real food."

"What kind of food are we getting?" He asked curiously when Snicker led him into small grocery store.

"We haven't had any milk this week," he answered in thought. "I figured we could share a jug and then get two cans of food each. There's a bunch of those pasta soups that taste decent when they're cold and if we can find a can of chili, that'll give us some extra meat along with beans. We'll eat one can tonight and another in the morning so that your stomach isn't growling so loud. I figure that between us, we got enough as long as we only get a half-gallon of milk."

"We're getting followed again," Tsuna sighed, tossing his head to the clerk that was pretending to straighten a row of boxed macaroni.

"Just ignore him, Suoh," Snicker directed. "You can't blame him. Guys looking like us have probably stolen from him before. People do whatever it takes to survive when they're hungry. As long as he isn't kicking us out, then it'll be okay."

"If you say so," he mumbled worriedly as Snicker began cursing about the price of the soup he'd been planning to get.

"Looks like it's either pasta or chili," he said apologetically. "Either that or we'll have to skip the milk."

"Let's skip the milk," he replied with a pathetic expression. "Water works good enough and I'm more hungry than thirsty."

"Alright," he agreed with a sigh. "You want spaghetti rings or ravioli?"

"I don't care," he answered honestly while Snicker continued to browse. "Just pick something and let's go. I'm starving." Snicker looked up for a moment in order to look Tsuna over. Seeming to realize exactly how hungry Tsuna was, Snicker cursed slightly and grabbed the two cheapest cans in his reach. Then, picking up his pace, he grabbed the first two cheap cans of chili he saw and headed for the counter. Like always, Snicker handed Tsuna his part of the money to pay with. At first, Tsuna had been wary about the man's desire that he handle their small amount of cash until he'd figured out that it was Snicker's way of teaching Tsuna the value of money in this country. If he personally paid for everything, he'd learned a lot faster how much he could get for a dollar than if he watched someone else do it.

The clerk seemed angry for some reason while Tsuna counted out the change from his pocket and added Snicker's part to it in order to pay. He couldn't understand it since pennies, nickles, and dimes were still money. It wasn't like they were stealing it. They were buying their food like anyone else. Maybe it was because he didn't like how they looked? Or maybe it was how they smelled? Tsuna couldn't really blame him on that account. It couldn't be helped, though. It hadn't rained and showers were hard to come by.

As soon as they were done paying, they stored their cans in their bags and headed out the door. Snicker led them down the street and had him wait outside while he went into a fast food restaurant to grab some plastic-ware for them to use. As soon as he came out, he grabbed Tsuna and they retreated into the first alley they came to in order to eat. Like Snicker had taught him, he kept his back to the wall so that no one could come up from behind him to take his food. After opening his can with hands shaking from weakness, he began eating single-mindedly while keeping an eye out for trouble like Snicker did. They'd almost had their rice stolen once when someone had approached them while eating. Considering they'd gotten their hands on something with meat in it, he wasn't taking any chances.

He barely tasted any of it. He didn't even really notice that he was eating cold pasta. Too focused on filling the hole in his midsection, he didn't even notice how fast he was eating until he stuck his fork back in the can and it came back empty.

"Put a little of your water in it and shake it around to get the rest of the soup part that's sticking to the sides," Snicker advised, already doing the same for himself. Tsuna nodded and reached in his bag for his canteen. Pouring enough in to fill half the can, he carefully began swirling it like Snicker was. Like Snicker said, the sides were washed clean within a few seconds, which let him drink the dregs like it was a new soup. "Does your stomach feel a little better now?" He asked worriedly. "I forgot that you're not used to being out here like I am. I don't even feel the hunger-pains anymore."

"It's better," he sighed, looking at his spotless can in hopes that there was still some magically hidden inside.

"Next time it gets that bad, make yourself some rice," Snicker replied in relief. "I know that I told you that we need to conserve it, but we can always get more instead of something else. Meat and variety is good, but not hurting is better."

"I'll try to remember," he mumbled quietly while his depression began to weigh down on him once more. Snicker sighed and directed them both to throw away their cans properly in a trashcan before leading the way down the sidewalk. Tsuna followed while keeping his eyes locked on the sidewalk in hopes that someone had dropped some change or a dollar. More change meant more food. A dollar meant another can of food to fill his stomach. He managed to stop and pick up a total of fourty-eight cents along the way, which was added to the left-over change in his pocket.

"We're here," Snicker said softly, coming to a stop outside a fire-exit down the middle of an alley.

"Where's here?" Tsuna asked.

"This here is a hotel that I have a friend working at," he replied with a grin. "Me and Zero helped Freddie out a few months back. You see, Freddie was a guy like us that was homeless and this guy came out of nowhere and offered up a job and a place to live. It was only for one person, though, and me and Zero had agreed that we wouldn't leave each other alone on the streets. Well, Freddie was there with us and he took the offer. The guy was the manager of this hotel and is an all-right kind of guy. Well, all-right for a cheap bastard. See, he has plenty of rooms to spare. Freddie gets to live in one of the cheaper ones and he gets paid minimum wage for a job that the guy had been paying an arm and a leg for someone to do. I guess it's alright, though. The guy has a loyal worker now cause Freddie doesn't want to lose the first decent place he's had to live in years and the owner is happy because he isn't having to pay a decent wage."

"What's that have to do with us, though?"

"Freddie is going to let us use his shower," he grinned in satisfaction. "Me and Zero had been asked first, but we turned it down. Freddie got this job cause we said no since we both couldn't go. We don't want him to lose his place, though, so it's kind of secret. The owner would kick him out on his rear if we came around too often. Wouldn't look good for his business. But, he don't mind if we come once every other week. That's why I had us buy soap. We don't want to go taking what Freddie's got."

"I see," Tsuna mumbled. "That's nice of him to help us. He could have just forgotten about all of you."

"Oh, he did," Snicker laughed. "Me and Zero were the only ones he was willing to stick his neck out for. This is one of those rare instances of gratitude for you. He thinks that he owes us rather than him just helping us out of pity."

"Whatever works," Tsuna commented with a small, melancholy shrug. "If it means that I can get clean then I don't really care."

"It'll be okay, Suoh," Snicker replied softly, patting him on the shoulder in effort to comfort him. "Just remember that you're not alone out here." Tsuna nodded, not feeling particularly like responding or continuing an actual conversation at the moment. They waited for what seemed like an eternity before the door suddenly opened without any warning. A tall man dressed in a uniform appeared and silently tossed his head for them to follow. Trailing after Snicker, like he always did, Tsuna headed inside and down the long hallway full of doors. Using the stairwell instead of an elevator, they climbed up to the third floor and quickly crossed into Freddie's room before anyone could see them.

"Sorry about that," Freddie sighed once they were both inside. "Mr. Carlson is a nice enough boss, but the consierge has been riding my ass lately. He'll look for any reason to complain about me and it's been kind of hard to stay out of sight."

"It's fine, Freddie," Snicker soothed with a broad smile. "Thanks for letting me use the shower again."

"It's no problem," he replied in turn. "If you want, you can borrow my bed for a while, too. As long as you aren't here when the maids come through in the morning, it should be okay."

"We might take you up on that," Snicker grinned. "A nap on a bed sounds good. How does that sound, Suoh?"

"That's fine," he commented with another shrug.

"Who's your friend, Snicker?" Freddie asked curiously.

"Oh, Suoh is just a friend that I picked up on the subway," Snicker laughed. "Why don't I tell you all about him while he washes up first?"

"Sounds like a plan," Freddie agreed before turning to Tsuna. "Suoh, the bathroom is right through there," he directed, pointing to a door at the back of the room. "There's razors and wash-clothes if you need them. I also snatched some extra shampoo bottles for you guys. The weekend maid loves me and didn't ask why I wanted spares. Go ahead and feel free to use whatever is in there. Just clean up after yourself."

Nodding, Tsuna headed for the door with another mumble of thanks. He knew that he should be more energetic about the aid that Freddie was giving them, but it just seemed to make him feel worse for some reason. He couldn't even bathe without someone's help. He was useless. He had no worth to anyone except for Snicker.

Trying to cheer himself up, he focused his mind on how good it'd feel to be clean again. Storing his satchel close to the tub where it would still be within his reach, he got out his bar of soap and placed it within reach. Turning on the hot water, he quickly undressed and placed his clothes on top of his bag. Then, without further ado, he got in. It felt heavenly. He'd been so cold without realizing it and the hot spray washed it away along with the filth on his skin. Then he noticed the way that the water at his feet was a solid brown while it rushed toward the drain.

He was so dirty. So dirty and filthy that he'd lost track of how badly he was. In a mere week, he'd accumulated more dirt on his body than he thought he'd gotten on him his whole life. It was no wonder that people followed them around stores. For a long moment, Tsuna just stared at the water in shock. Then his eyes filled with tears and getting clean suddenly took on a whole new meaning. Grabbing his soap, he started scrubbing himself while trying not to look at how the water flicking away from him and unto the shower walls was brown. The reason for Freddie asking him to clean up after himself suddenly made so much more sense.

Like Snicker had directed, he didn't use a single thing of Freddie's that couldn't be replaced. Instead, he scrubbed his body and his hair with only the bar of soap and the washcloth that Freddie had provided. He was silently crying before he was even half-way done. It wasn't like at home where he could relax in the shower and enjoy letting the heat wash away a little bit of sweat while it massaged barely used muscles. It wasn't like at home where he could be done after only a minute or two. The dirt was everywhere. It had infiltrated under his clothes and between his toes. Even his hair, which had been safely covered with his cap all week, was matted with sweat and dirt. Then came the point that he could actually smell himself again.

At that point, he simply sat down under the shower and began weeping. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back and eat his mom's dinners. He wanted to go back so that he could change into clean clothes every morning and take a bath every night. He wanted to go back so that he could laugh with everyone again. He wanted to go back and see Kyoko's sm--

Kyoko was dead. He couldn't go back. All of his friends weren't like he remembered anymore. If he went back, he'd have to be a murderer. He'd have to be a Mafia Boss. He'd rather die than do that. But it hurt. It hurt so damn much to make that choice because he could almost feel himself dying. Every day that he'd spent on the street, he was dying just a little more. Dying of starvation. Dying from depression. Dying from the lack of money and shelter.

He might as well actually die. No one would know. No one would c--

"Suoh," Snicker called, suddenly pushing the shower curtain back. "Save me some hot wat..er..." Tsuna looked up from where he'd lurched in surprise and stared at the man in shock. His tears had fallen to a stop, but he knew that the signs of their passing were still on his face. "Ah, hell, Suoh," Snicker said softly. "I didn't know you meant that bad when you said 'bad things'." Tsuna stared for a moment in confusion until he realized that Snicker wasn't looking at his face. He was looking at his body.

His hideous, scar-covered body.

Tsuna buried his head in his knees under the spray of the shower and simply began weeping once more. He didn't care anymore. It didn't matter if Snicker saw. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. At least if he was dead, he wouldn't hurt this much. Even as No-Good Tsuna, no one had ever pitied him. He'd been made fun of, but not pitied. He'd never been so pathetic that people would look at him and actually think to themselves that they weren't as bad off. He'd been ignored before, but not because he was a leech that no one wanted to see.

"Come on, Suoh," Snicker said, shutting off the shower entirely. Tsuna didn't move from where he sat while continued to cry out his pain. A small corner of his mind noticed when Snicker threw a towel over his head and began to dry him off, but he was too depressed to care. He had to beg for his meals. He'd had to lean on charity just to get a shower. He slept in a doghouse and had to borrow public restrooms just so that he could use a toliet.

He'd never imagined any of this when he'd run away. Television had always skipped over all of that. He'd seen shows where there were homeless guys, but reality was so much harsher. The homeless guy was always just the side character that the main character had to deal with. They were the people that stole a purse so that the hero could come in to save the day. They were the guys that were mistrusted when they went into a store and the main character had a funny time talking him into leaving. They were the drunks that begged for change so that the main character could show how compassionate they were or how realistic they were. They were the pathetic saps that popped up out of dumpsters for a laugh at the right moment.

But living it was so much different. While the stereotyped homeless guys existed, being a decent person while trying to simply survive was so much harder. The television didn't mention the smell. They didn't mention the depression that drove them to drink. It didn't mention the reason the stabbing hunger pains that made them feel the need to steal. It didn't mention how pathetic that person in the dumpster felt about having to sink so low just to survive.

"Don't give up on me, Suoh," Snicker said softly, cutting into Tsuna's rain of tears. "We're in this together. Right? As long as there's two of us, we're not alone. Don't think about what you aren't. Think about what you are. Okay? Right now, you're the only thing I've got anymore."

"But I'm nothing," Tsuna objected tearfully. "I don't have anything and--"

"You're not nothing," he interjected. Tsuna hesitantly looked up at the firm tone that Snicker used. He was sitting on his knees outside the tub, still trying to dry Tsuna off with the bushy towel that he'd gotten from Frederick. "You're a person, Suoh," he continued in satisfaction that Tsuna was actually listening to him. "You're someone that I can talk to and you give me a reason to keep going. Why don't you think of me as the same thing? Cause, you know, I wouldn't have a reason to keep going if you gave up. Just take things one day at a time and we'll make it through. We just got to remember that we have a friend to talk to and keep reminding ourselves that we can't fall because then our friend would fall. You don't want me to fall. Do you, Suoh?"

"N-No," he sniffed, wiping his tears away while he thought over Snicker's words.

"You're a good one, Suoh," Snicker sighed, pulling his hands away from the towel still around Tsuna's hair. "You know, I don't think I told this to you before, but I was about ready to give up when I found you. I tried to keep going without Zero, but I was wavering. I hadn't eaten for two days when we met. I wasn't planning on eating, either. Then, there you were. I sat down and watched you for a while. You were so damn vulnerable, sleeping on the subway like that. I decided that I couldn't just leave you. You're my reason to keep going, Suoh. You're the only friend I've got. So, please stop crying. I know that it's rough living out here, but we could be a lot worse off."

"How?" He asked with another sniff while he started taking over from where Snicker had left off with his towel.

"Well, we could be living in a dumpster instead of a barrel and a doghouse," he laughed. Tsuna hesitantly chuckled with him despite knowing that there wasn't much difference. "Or we could be those poor idiots that steal for their meals," he continued with a more serious bent. Tsuna nodded, realizing that could be true. "And there's always the ones that start fights just to get two days of food and shelter from city lock-up." Tsuna grimaced, remembering one such scene that they'd already had to get away from before they got pulled in. "Or we could be sitting around, drinking and silent, like the others. But we're not. We got each other to talk to and we're actually thinking ahead. We might have problems and road bumps here and there, but we're not doing that bad, Suoh. You just got to focus on the little pleasures instead of the big ones."

"Like what?" He asked curiously, finally getting to his feet with a blush over being seen naked by Snicker.

"Like that pretty blonde girl that you like to oogle every chance you get," Snicker teased.

"I don't oogle!" He squealed in return, finding another reason to blush while he herded the man out of the bathroom. "I just think her hair is pretty!"

"So forceful," Snicker admonished. Tsuna gasped with he spun in place with a knowing grin on his face and paused in the bathroom door. "If you aren't going to admit that you like her, then I'm not going to tell you her name. I know that you've been wanting her name, too."

"No, I don't!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Yes, you do," Snicker laughed. "You even went and made up one for her. I hear you mumbling it every morning when I wake up before you do. You're always talking to her and calling her Kyoko and you make these noises that--"

"K-Kyoko...?" He repeated with his face falling. "I've been dreaming of Kyoko?"

"She's not your name for the blondie?" Snicker asked in surprise. "Is she someone you know?"

"I used to," Tsuna mumbled sadly. "She's dead now."

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he answered honestly. Shaking his head, he turned back to gather his things from the corner that he'd stuffed them into. When he turned back, Snicker had already shut the door to allow him some privacy. He was done crying though. The release had already been enough to allow him to focus himself on what he needed to do. The first thing was to get dressed and clean up after himself. It was somewhat nice to get dressed in clean clothes, even though that was somewhat tarnished by the musty smell of his spare set. He left his dirty set out, knowing that they'd probably scrub them in the shower after Snicker took a turn. His soap got put back in its baggie and once more got stored away while he dug out his box of band-aids and his toothbrush.

That was one thing he'd managed to still clean everyday. Whenever he woke up, the first thing they did was to use the dregs of their water to brush their teeth. He was quickly realizing that Snicker placed more importance on what was going on inside their bodies than outside. He was a smart guy. Too smart to deserve to still be on the streets after so long. He always kept track of what they ate and when so that he could use their money to make up for a lack of nutrition. He knew where to go and when in order to get what he needed without being messed with by other people. He was kind, too, and quickwitted. When Tsuna had watched him beg, Snicker had always smiled no matter whether they tossed him a bone or not. When they did, he always had a way of thanking the person in a way that made them smile in return.

And, for Tsuna, he was a reason to keep going. Snicker had helped him when he hadn't had to. Things _could _be a lot worse. He had at least one friend that cared about him. One person that saw him as having worth. One person that needed him. Snicker needed him as much as Tsuna needed Snicker, he finally realized. Snicker hadn't been lying. All of his words had been honest truth. As long as they could focus themselves on caring for each other, Snicker could keep himself from giving up. Tsuna just had to focus himself on doing the same in return. He had to focus himself on caring for his friend.

He'd do it, he firmly decided, looking himself in the mirror. This was the only life he got and he swore that he'd use it to keep Snicker from falling any farther. The Mafia, his old life, his old friends. They were gone now. None of them mattered. He was a decent person and he was living a decent life, even if it wasn't one that he'd initially chosen. As long as he kept surviving, Snicker would keep surviving. As long as Snicker kept surviving, Tsuna swore to himself that he wouldn't give up.


	6. Chapter 6 Itch

"Jackpot!" Tsuna cried, popping up from where he'd been searching through the dumpster alongside Snicker. Snicker stood up from where he'd been picking through another bag and grinned widely at the ring in Tsuna's hand. "Is this it, lady?" He asked, holding it out for the woman that had offered them the job.

"It sure is," she smiled in relief as she accepted the ring. "I can't believe it slipped off like that. Thank you for going in after it. It was my grandmother's."

"It's no problem," he replied, letting Snicker climb out ahead of him. "Dumpsters aren't really that bad unless people don't bag up their stuff. I wouldn't want to see you getting your clothes all dirty anyway."

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" She asked gratefully. "If you hold on a second, it'll just take me a second to run up and grab my--"

"How about cookies?" Tsuna asked before Snicker could accept. Both of their attention went to him as he lifted himself out of the dumpster by himself. "I can smell them," he explained, pointing up to the open window several stories above their head. It was the same window that they'd seen her poking her head out in dismay when her ring had fallen off of her hand and into the dumpster below.

"Are you sure?" She asked in surprise, a small blush lighting up across her face. "They're not that good. I've been baking all morning, but they haven't been turning out right. I wouldn't want you getting sick when you just helped me."

"Let us be the judge of that, miss," Snicker laughed. "Those cookies sure do smell good now that Suoh's pointed them out." The woman blushed again and nodded before retreating in order to get them some of the treats she'd been cooking. The moment that she was gone, Snicker pinned Tsuna in place with a small glare. "She was going to give us cash, Suoh."

"I know," he pouted. "But I was kind of curious. I'm not sure why, but the smell is kind of nostalgic. And since it's strong enough that we can smell it all the way down here, I figured that she'd been making a lot for some reason. She can spare a few and we can have some fresh cookies for once. Come on. When was the last time that you got a cookie?"

"It's been a while," Snicker admitted, rubbing his beard in his habitual fashion.

"We still got plenty of supplies to last a few days," Tsuna continued mercilessly. "I figured that you could forgive me just this once for a luxury. You will forgive me. Won't you?" Snicker laughed when Tsuna put on his best begging expression, one that had been honed after three months of begging for their dinners between random jobs.

"Don't look at me with that face," Snicker scolded with a smile. "I know a devious mind lies behind it and you aren't fooling me a bit. What's your real reason for wanting cookies?"

"Caught me again," Tsuna sighed. Scratching under the edge of his cap, he blushed slightly in full knowledge that it didn't make much sense. Then again, it never really did when he got his curious inklings. "I think I know what she's doing wrong and I want to see if I'm right."

"You think that you know just from the smell?" He asked curiously.

"Maybe," he confirmed. "I don't know. I've never baked, but I got a feeling."

"Still there?" A voice called down. Both Tsuna and Snicker looked up to see the woman poking her head out of the window again. With a wave, they called back to tell her that they were and made ready to catch the bag that she tossed out. "Tell me what you think," she called down. "I put a ten in there for you, too. So don't force yourself to eat them if they're bad!"

"Thanks!" Tsuna called up. Opening the bag, he handed the ten dollar bill over to Snicker with a wide grin before pulling out a cookie. It was as hard as a rock, he noticed immediately. It wasn't burnt, though, and it smelled decent. Taking an experimental bite, he knew that his gut had been right. "It's good," he called up honestly. "Why do you think that they're bad?"

"Because, they're hard!" She exclaimed with a laugh. "And my boyfriend says that the taste isn't like his mother's!"

"Try regular milk," he called back. "You've been using evaporated milk, haven't you? More than likely, he gave you the recipe from his mother's cookbook, but his mother didn't mention that she always skipped a bit and used regular milk to make them. She probably pulled them out a few minutes earlier than the recipe ordered, too, and just let the heat from the pan finish baking them. You've been making them right, but his memory isn't of that recipe's cookies. His memory is of his mother's."

"That's possible," she commented in thought. "You're right about it being from his mother's cookbook. She wasn't ever one to follow a recipe exactly, too. That's why I've been having such a hard time. I'll try it and see what Jeremy says! Thanks again!"

"No problem," he called with a final wave. Turning, he offered one of the other cookies in the bag to Snicker with a small grin. Snicker took it, but not before giving Tsuna a raised eyebrow in return.

"That's one hell of a specific feeling," he commented. "Are you sure that you aren't psychic?"

"I'm not psychic," Tsuna laughed, feeling an old argument coming on again while they continued along to their previous destination. "I just get feelings sometimes."

"Like that feeling that we should go stay at the mission and then it rained the whole time we were in there?" Snicker commented knowingly. "Or the time that you said that we should leave the park and there was a gang fight half an hour after we left? Or how about that guy that was walking his dog?"

"What about him?" He asked defensively. "All I told him was that the dog didn't have to go and that it was sick of pretending just to get him out of the house. Come on! Anyone could have figured that out! The dog wasn't even sniffing around and the guy was panting from the effort of walking out his front door!"

"Uh huh," Snicker agreed in open disbelief. "And the rain? There wasn't a cloud in the sky when you told us to go."

"My ears popped because of the change in air pressure," Tsuna lied with a blush.

"And the park?"

"Will you just drop it?" Tsuna begged when he couldn't come up with an explanation. "I'm not psychic!"

"Alright," Snicker laughed. "If you want to keep pretending then I won't push it. Just let me know if you get any more of those feelings. They've come in handy a few times already." Tsuna nodded grudgingly and led the way toward their normal spot in the park. They'd taken to visiting it at least once a week when the weather was good. It was a good place for Tsuna to get his mind off of things and relax while it was a good place for Snicker to read the one book that he'd managed to hold on to over the years. Tsuna had once asked him how many times he'd read it and Snicker hadn't been able to enumerate it anymore. When asked why he kept reading it over and over again, he'd said that it made him feel better about his life to read about someone that was worse off than himself.

"We have to get more cigarettes," Tsuna commented, taking a perch on 'their' park bench. "I'm down to three and I know that you ran out last night." Snicker nodded with a sigh and accepted the cigarette that Tsuna produced for him alongside his own. They smoked in silence for a time while Tsuna took to people-watching like he always did. It was interesting to watch people. There was a lot that could be told about them when one took the time to look for details. The way they walked. They way they carried themselves. The expressions on their faces. And their eyes. Eyes always gave a person away. Whether it was to tell that the smile on their face was fake or that they were worried about something. Whether it was a hidden fear or a secretive gleam. The eyes always explained the reason for the way that the rest of a person's body acted.

"You had another nightmare last night," Snicker interjected into the silence. "You didn't yell or anything, but you kept kicking the walls again."

"Sorry," he mumbled absently. "I'll try to remember to turn the other direction tonight."

"You still can't remember any of your dreams, Suoh?" He asked curiously.

"Nope," he replied shortly, not wanting to talk about the nightly forays that he still couldn't make himself remember come morning. He had a feeling that they were memories trying to resurface and that was the last thing that he wanted. His life might be rough, but he was happy in his own little way.

Three months had been enough time for him to realize several things. He'd come to terms with his age for one. He wasn't fifteen. He was twenty-two with all the problems and issues that came with it. He'd completely skipped the worst parts of puberty, but his body was still prone to mature hormones. He was old enough to drink and smoke if he wanted and he no longer even thought twice about doing so. He'd had to teach himself how to shave and had even taught himself how to do it with his pocket knife.

The next thing he'd realized was exactly how worse things could have gotten for him if Snicker hadn't found him. He was small and had been targetted several times for the bag he carried at his side even with Snicker's presence. He'd already been dragged out of his doghouse once when someone tried to steal it and only Snicker's timely aid had saved him along with the bag. He'd already seen people beat each other bloody and he'd even seen a guy knifed for less than what he had. They'd also lost two people in their particular alley. One had faded away from starvation without telling anyone and the other had been a simple lack of medicine.

The last realization had been that he knew things that he shouldn't and that he hadn't known things that he should. The things that he shouldn't know were things that he kept his mouth tightly sealed about most of the time. Like times that he knew people were lying about their pasts. Like when someone walked past them and Tsuna got a strong feeling that he knew why they were troubled. There were times that he knew someone was just bad after a simple glance while other times he was adamant that a person wasn't as bad as they seemed. That had actually become a game with him and Snicker at night with Tsuna judging people that walked into the restaurant across from their makeshift home. Half the time, he could only shrug, but there where those times that he got a strong feeling about a person.

The things that he should know but hadn't known at first were silly things. Things that had marked him as naive at first. Such as how to really tell if a woman was a hooker. The stereotyped ones were there, but there were a lot more variety than he'd known about. The fact that some of those standing on street corners were only pretending to be women. He'd heard of cross-dressers before, but he hadn't known that men sometimes hired them for the same reason that they hired regular prostitutes. He hadn't known how easy it was to get drugs nor how cheaply that first dose could be. Not that he'd done any, but he'd been approached a few times with offers. He also hadn't known exactly how far a person could go in order to survive.

How far he'd been willing to go in order to survive.

He knew now, though. Three months of living on the streets had taught him more than a classroom ever could. He knew the worth of a quarter better than most people knew the value of a dollar. He knew what the absolute minimum of food was in order to be capable of still moving each day. He knew that whiskey really did make him feel warmer but that he should never drink more than half a bottle. He knew what infractions would catch a cops' attention and how to act in order to be ignored. More than anything, though, he knew how to survive. Snicker had taught him everything he needed to know. From where to go to how to act and a hundred other things that he'd never have known on his--

Gold.

Tsuna paused in the middle of his cigarette, absently tapping Snicker beside him while he stared. He couldn't help but stare. No matter how many times he got to glimpse her, he couldn't help himself. He didn't understand it. Maybe it was because she shined as brightly as his memory said that Kyoko had. The resemblance ended there, though. No one would ever call this angel innocent. Even so, she was gorgeous. She was wearing another of those short, light-weight dresses she loved so much. Her hair lay in place around her shoulders and she had her favorite white hat on. It wasn't quite a soft-cap like Tsuna's own black one, but it was still attractive. It reminded him of a sailor hat that had been retrofitted into day-wear. Whenever she wore it, he always thought that it made her eyes seem so large and bright.

"Still oogling that one?" Snicker teased.

"I don't oogle," Tsuna automatically replied without taking his eyes off of her. He did, however, with a bright blush when she turned his way and noticed his stare. When he hesitantly peeked back up, she was gone. "Damn," he mumbled.

"She isn't for you, Suoh," Snicker laughed, patting him on the back in a good-natured way. "Although," he mused. "I've been wanting to ask you something."

"What?"

"You're still a virgin, aren't you?" He asked bluntly with a raised eyebrow. Tsuna couldn't help the blush that tinged his ears and neck red alongside his face. The only romantic kiss that he could remember getting had been that surprising one by Xanxus when he'd first woke up and the sloppy one from that Ringmaster. He'd had a few dreams of kissing Kyoko in the past, but those would stay dreams. Even imagining something more than that made him turn red. "I'll take that as a yes," Snicker chuckled. "I'd already figured that, so here's my real question. You have any interest in losing it?"

"EH?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"One of the girlies asked about you last night after you went to bed," Snicker laughed. "She said that she'd ride you up, down and sideways if you'd let her and she wouldn't even charge as long as you took a shower first."

"Are you serious?" He gaped with his face still bright red. "Was it a real one or one of Gigi's group? I'm just asking cause I'm not about to take chances with Gigi's crowd."

"That woman with the baritone still gives you nightmares, eh?" Snicker laughed. "No, this was one of Mike's girls. I was curious, so I went and asked Mike if something like that was okay. He said it was as long as you didn't go interfering with the girls' work hours."

"B-But--"

"Suoh," Snicker continued softly before Tsuna could think of a way to answer his initial question. "You're a grown man. There's no need to play that innocent routine with me. I'll admit that you got it down good and that it works with your small size, but face reality. If a clean girl like one of Mike's wants to show you a good time, you should do it. It's not like you're going to be able to get laid any other way and it won't ruin the image you got going."

"What should I do?" Tsuna mumbled with another blush, finding it very hard to simply turn down the offer. Just thinking about a girl touching him made him hard. He knew that he hadn't reacted like that before he woke up into a world gone crazy, but it wasn't a reaction that he could ignore. Blushes and lack of memories aside, his body was telling him that it was fully mature.

"I think that we should go get you a shower," Snicker commented with a twinkle in his eye.

* * *

Tsuna couldn't help his red face. Even if he hadn't been blushing, Snicker had made him wash it raw. He couldn't believe how fast Snicker had called in favors when he'd decided that Tsuna wouldn't be adverse to the interesting offer that had come his way. Although, Tsuna was beginning to have misgivings. His body was saying yes, but he knew that it was probably wrong. He wasn't really sure about it. His dad hadn't been around that much to give him the facts of life and his mom was oblivious. He knew the basics from television and just normal guy talk, but talking and actually doing... it... were two different things.

He was fairly sure that he'd done... it... before, but it wasn't like he could remember doing so. He knew that his future self had been married to Kyoko, so that probably meant... Tsuna instantly shoved that thought away with another blush. If he could remember any singular memory, that'd probably be the only one. Then he started wondering if doing this would betray Kyoko's memory. It was confusing since he didn't have any memory of them being anything more than just friends.

She probably wouldn't mind, he thought to himself. If living on the street had taught him anything, it was that he couldn't hold on to the past. There was only today and tomorrow. And today, his body was going crazy from the thoughts that had erupted from Snicker's little revelation. Even so, there was that small, niggling thought in the back of his mind that he shouldn't be doing this. It was a thought that he shoved even deeper in his mind right next to the thoughts that his mom would kill him for smoking and drinking.

Hesitantly, he knocked on the door that the woman had given to Snicker the previous night. Part of him wondered if it was all a huge joke. Maybe she'd open the door and would laugh at him for coming. Maybe she and her friends had a bet to see whether or not he'd come. Maybe this wasn't even her apartment.

His mind continued to come up with a hundred reasons that he should just leave and he nearly talked himself into leaving when the door opened. Tsuna stared for a moment, blushing even harder than before. There was no way that this had been a serious offer. Damn Snicker! He was probably laughing his ass off right now! There was no way in hell that a girl like this would be interested in a No-Good guy like--

"You took a shower," she grinned. "You look even better without dirt on you. Come on in." Tsuna stood his ground for a minute, gaping in shock. For a long moment, he couldn't even think straight. This girl... woman... was both beautiful and exotic. She had short, bright blue hair that had been cropped like a pixie. All she was wearing was a sports bra and a pair of athletic shorts. What was filling it was enough to make any man drool and over it all was the gleam of glitter-laced body spray.

And she'd actually made an offer to Snicker.

"You coming in or not?" She asked saucily, sending him an inviting look over her shoulder. With a blush, Tsuna stumbled inside and shut the door behind him.

"Umm..." he mumbled with another bright blush, completely unsure of what to say or do. She sighed in exasperation and walked back to him in order to grab his hand. From there, she yanked him along behind her and nearly dragged him into her bedroom. After that, she didn't waste time on words. He found himself flat on his back with her lips pressed against his while she crawled on top of him.

For a moment, Tsuna was shocked at the quick and forceful way that she got to the point. Then he realized that he didn't matter. It was a kiss that he wanted and his body said that it wanted more. With a small moan, he gave in to it and kissed her back while cupping her face with a slightly trembling hand. He wasn't sure whether he was doing it right or not, but she didn't seem displeased with his efforts. The opposite, in fact. She gave a small moan in return and paused in order to nibble his lip. At that, Tsuna could feel himself harden almost instantly.

"You really are adorable," she commented with a smile. "Try not to disappoint me, now."

"Un huh," he agreed in a voice just slightly higher than he had been aiming for. Letting his head fall back down to the bed, he tried to control his gasps and moans when she placed a hand between his legs and started rubbing him.

"Already, hmmm," she mumbled in amusement. "Why don't we break the tension a little bit and then we can have a little more relaxed fun?" Tsuna nodded, willing to do anything she wanted as long as she continued the sensations tightening though his groin. What she did wasn't what he expected, though. Within two seconds, she had his pants opened and had positioned her head between his legs. Then, without knowing what she had planned, he gasped and shivered from the feeling of her lips around him. Her lips! It took everything he had in him to hold back the urgent need to explode in that moment.

Then she began to suck on him, running her lips down his length. He fisted the blankets under him, trying to control himself. Completely unable to speak, he could only moan and gasp out his pleasure each time she dipped her head down over him. It felt so good. So incredibly, unbelievably good. It was so good that he couldn't catch his breathe while he panted in need. The feeling inside him continued to build and build beyond his level to control until he could control it no longer. He tried to warn her, but he didn't even know her name yet! Even if he had, he wasn't sure that he could have managed to say anything before his back arced and he spilled over into her mouth. Lights exploded into his brain from the force of his climax while his body shuddered and moaned. He'd thought the building had felt good, but that part was a hundred times better. A thousand times.

Every muscle in his body loosened the moment that it was over, leaving him more relaxed than he'd been in what felt like years. He lay in a daze for a moment while the seductress over him pulled back and surreptitiously wiped her lip dry. Tsuna gaped at the insinuation. She...him... She'd swallowed him!

"You should eat more fruits," she commented with a smile. Unsure of how he should respond to such a statement, Tsuna simply lay still while he continued to blush. She'd asked him not to disappoint her and he'd given in so early. Then again, maybe that had been her intent? She didn't seem unhappy with him and she wasn't kicking him out yet. Maybe... Maybe she was hoping that he could make her feel that good? He wasn't sure exactly how, but he could try. Maybe... Maybe that's what she'd meant by breaking the tension? She'd wanted him to do that so that he could focus on her instead of his own need?

From the curious look that she was giving him, that was probably the case. Sitting up, he absently pulled off the strap of his satchel and allowed it to fall down next to the bed. Watching her carefully, she didn't seem upset with the motion. She seemed happy over the move since it meant that he was willing to continue. He took off his shoes and socks in the same fashion, storing them next to his bag out of habit. At that, she seemed even more pleased.

"You don't have to be so worried," she chuckled at him. "You look like you're afraid that I'm going to bite you if you do something wrong."

"Umm..." he mumbled with another blush. "This is... umm..."

"Oh no," she laughed, instantly understanding what he was too embarrassed to say. "No wonder you were so tense! I didn't think that you were still a cherry!" Tsuna was positive that even his toes turned red in reply. "Don't worry," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'll make allowances. You just enjoy yourself and I'll make sure that I enjoy myself on my own. Okay?"

"B-But--" he objected worriedly. She didn't allow him to object any farther than that. With a knowing smile, she once more grabbed his hand and pulled him to her. After only a moment of hesitation, Tsuna did like she wanted and put his hand on her chest. Something didn't feel right about how he was groping her, though. Curious, he twisted his hand until it did feel right. She blinked at him in surprise before smiling widely and nodding at the thumb he rubbed across her nipple.

Encouraged that he'd managed to do something right, he began trusting the cues of his body. Whenever he did something that didn't feel right, he moved it until it did. She seemed willing to go along with his faltering motions and even seemed to enjoy a few of them. More focused on the curious game of hot and cold that his own body was playing with him, he barely noticed that he was touching a woman. When he did notice again, he paused with another bright blush. His hands weren't even on her clothes anymore. They were under them.

"Don't stop," she moaned in her own pleasure. Tsuna could feel his groin tightening again over the look on her face. He was doing it! He was actually managing to make her feel as good as she'd made him feel! Seeing that, Tsuna stopped fighting. He stopped even thinking. If only for a little while, he allowed his body to completely take over. He was past his embarrassment. All he wanted was to make her feel good and maybe make himself feel good again in the process. She'd already done more than anyone else for him. It wasn't a meal or anything of substance, but she'd seen value in his existence if only for one day. If he could repay that by continuing what he was doing, then so be it.

While his lips joined his hands in making her body quiver under him, his ears listened for the cues of her gasps and sighs. He took note of every small thing he did to make her react and filed them away to be used again. He also noted the things that he did that didn't seem to get a reaction. Those things, he simply stopped doing. Before long, the list of things that he did do that pleased her was enough to be repeated without being noticed that he was repeating. She began writhing under him by the time he actually paused to undress her, begging for more through trembling lips.

And he would give it to her he swore to himself. Then he paused, remembering one important thing that Snicker had called in a particular favor to get for him. It was something that he couldn't forget to use since Snicker had went so far to get it. Jumping off the bed for a moment, he quickly dug into his bag until he found it. Snicker had made him swear to use it and he wouldn't break that promise. Even if it meant that his lady-friend had to wait a moment. Not that she seemed to be wanting to go anywhere. She did sit up a little bit in order to glare at him for stopping. Then she realized why and grinned widely while Tsuna fumbled with the wrapper around the condom.

Plucking it out of his hands, she ripped it open with practiced hands and pulled him back onto the bed. Tsuna went willingly after kicking his pants off next to his shoes. He was hard already. He had been hard for a while, actually, but it had come in a poor second to satisfying her. With practiced hands, she slipped the condom onto him, making him groan despite himself at the feeling of her hands touching him down there again. The moment that it was in place, she pulled him into a kiss and fell backward on the bed so that he could be on top of her properly.

From there, everything seemed to happen naturally. Almost too naturally. The moment Tsuna slipped inside her, he knew that he'd done this before. He knew because he got a feeling that she should feel tighter. He knew because his body told him exactly what to do from there. There was no hesitation. There was no exploration. He knew exactly what buttons to press to make her climax quickly or slowly. It was as if a door in his head flew open without giving him any inkling of how he had gained the knowledge.

He grasped that knowledge. He used that knowledge. He didn't care if it had been gained in a life that he'd turned his back on. This was good knowledge. This was knowledge that allowed him to bring happiness and joy to another person, if only for a small moment. It gave him pleasure, too. He couldn't deny it. It felt incredible to be inside of her. It was amazing to thrust time and time again while he brought her to the same peak that she'd tossed him over. He could feel himself building a mere thrust behind her while she began to cry out his name in rapture, proving that she knew his name already. Then her cries began to be soft screams and his face went slack while he engrossed himself in the expressions crossing her face.

"Keep it down, Summer!" Another woman shouted, sticking her head inside the door. "_Some _people are still trying to sleep so they can work tonight!" Tsuna jerked and turned to look in surprise--

--and instantly climaxed at the sight of his golden haired beauty. His jaw went slack while he stared at her in shock, embarrassed beyond belief while also enjoying an explosion even greater than before. She didn't even seem to notice. The moment that her message was given, she disappeared back out the door while slamming it behind herself in frustration. Not that Summer, the woman under him, noticed either his climax or even her apparent roommate's shout. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and her back was still arced from Tsuna's final thrust which had thrown her over the edge. She sagged back down with a soft moan at the same time that he collapsed on top of her. They laid in a silent, tangled heap for nearly a full five minutes while they both enjoyed the euphoria that was the aftermath of their activities.

"Sorry about Autumn," she finally commented quietly.

"Autumn?" He asked softly in reply, refusing to move more than he had to.

"She's my roomate," she explained quietly. "I wasn't expecting you to be that good or else I would have turned on a stereo."

"I was good?" He mumbled in content, rolling over at her insistence so that she could lay on his chest.

"Great," she confirmed with a grin. "Snicker used to be my favorite candy but I think you're my new addiction. I hope you don't mind. Plenty of the other girls still like Snicker, but I'm going to make you my own little secret. It makes me glad that I took Snicker's request."

"Snicker's request?" He asked with a strange sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Didn't he tell you?" She asked, lifting her head up in order to look at him.

"He said that you asked him," he said quietly while pointedly looking at the ceiling in a combination of frustration and embarrassment.

"Oh, no," she laughed with a look of sympathy on her face. It was a look that Tsuna tried not to allow himself to come to tears over. He was used to pity now. He wouldn't let such an expression ruin his enjoyment. "Mike owes Snicker a bunch of favors," she explained. "It was something that happened before I became one of Mike's girls. Mike lets Snicker sleep with one of us whenever he's needing to scratch that itch. None of us mind cause Snicker's a really nice guy. He's not like normal customers. He makes sure to always treat us as more than just whores and he always makes sure that we're willing before sleeping with us. He asked Mike if you could become one of our candies. Mike didn't care, so he asked me if I'd be willing. Well, he asked Autumn first, but Autumn is Autumn and she won't do anything for free. Snicker's never been able to get past that, even though he's tried a few times. Autumn has her price and she don't negotiate. She's a bit of a prude when it comes to that. Anyway, Snicker asked me to do it and I said it would be okay as long as you showered first like he always does."

"So Snicker set this up," he asked blandly.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "He warned me that you'd probably be a shy one, but--"

"I think I better go," he commented, pulling his arm out from under her in order to sit up in the bed. Pulling off the condom, he tossed it into the trashcan he saw poking out from under the side-table before quickly grabbing his pants up. He felt used. He felt embarrassed. He felt betrayed. Snicker had lied to him. He'd come in thinking that the girl had wanted him, not the other way around.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly while he hurriedly slipped on his socks and shoes.

"I wouldn't have done it if I'd known," he said in frustration, tears building in his eyes from more than just her expression of pity. "Snicker lied to me. He said that you asked for me, not that he asked you to do this. I'm sorry. I didn't know or I wouldn't have come. I'm not like that. I--"

"Suoh," she soothed, forcing him to pause with two hands firmly on his shoulders. "He might have asked me, but I could have said no. I wanted to do this. No one forced me to. It's cute that you'd get upset for something like this, but you don't have to. Snicker just opened the way so that you'd have us available if you wanted. I'm kind of glad he did. You're quite good in bed. I enjoyed myself a lot more than I expected to and I plan to keep you to myself if you'll let me."

"Really?" Tsuna mumbled. "Or are you just saying that because of Snicker?"

"Yes, really," she chuckled. "And no, I'm not saying that because of Snicker. I really liked being with you. You're not like the clients. If more of my customers were like you, I wouldn't ask for half the price that I do. Please don't be mad at Snicker because I'm not. I plan to thank him and give him a huge steak for pointing you out to me."

"Give me the steak," he grinned quirkily, feeling some of his mood lift due to her words. "I'll toss him the bone after I'm done for lying to me."

"That's more like it," she laughed. Then she paused and looked him over for a moment. "We need to give you a candy name, though. Suoh is pretty unique, but the other girls won't remember it. How does Reese sound?"

"Reese?" He asked curiously.

"Like the peanut butter cup," she chuckled. "You got to lick out the creamy center first before you can have the firm part."

"I don't think so," he mumbled with another bright blush.

"What do you think, then?" Summer asked with a small, teasing smile. "I can't see you being Twix or a Three Musketeer."

"Do I have to be a candy?" He asked, feeling his ears turn red.

"Come on," she insisted, massaging his shoulders in an attempt to relax him. "You have to have a candy name! It's tradition! Please? You don't have to use it like Snicker does. It'll just be a name that I can call you by. Kind of like a pet name to show how much I like you!"

"Fine," he relented. "How about..."

* * *

"So?" Snicker asked with a smile when Tsuna took up his normal spot next to him on top of their side-by-side homes. Tsuna blushed and lit a cigarette before answering. Despite himself, he'd allowed Summer to tease him back into bed several times. It had only been when she had to get ready for actual work that she'd finally allowed him to leave. By the time that Tsuna had left, dusk had already fallen.

Which made him blush even harder when he remembered the fact that he'd went in at noon.

"Pocky," he answered quietly, sending a glare mixed with gratitude to his friend. Even if the way he'd went about it was somewhat screwed up, Tsuna couldn't argue with the outcome.

"What the hell is Pocky?" He asked in curiosity.

"If you don't know, then I'll be damned if I tell you," Tsuna laughed in return. Snicker smiled, openly happy that Tsuna wasn't begrudging him over the trickery. Passing over a bottle of whiskey, Tsuna gave a small salute before taking a long drink.

Things were going to be very interesting in the future, of that he was sure.


	7. Chapter 7 Resolution

"T-Thank you!" Tsuna exclaimed, still staring at the folded twenty that a passerby had dropped in his pot. Quickly scraping it out, he shoved it in his pocket before any of the other guys saw how much had been dropped on him. Jimmy was too drunk to notice or care, but Richie was a shrewd one. Carl was walking around, looking for change since few wanted to help out a guy that looked as bad off as he did. Once it was safely hidden, Tsuna stayed in place without showing any sign that the bill had been larger than a one. He always showed his gratitude for any bills that came his way and he always hid it the moment that he got it. Snicker had taught him that. It was a form of protection since he'd be targeted if anyone noticed that he'd gotten more.

For now, he continued to stay in the open. No one would attack him on a crowded street. They'd wait until he was alone in an alley. He knew that since he'd already been followed and had to fend off Colonel three times in the past month. The last time, he'd only gotten away by the skin of his teeth and a timely right cross by Snicker. Since then, they'd agreed that Tsuna wouldn't move from his spot while they were apart unless it was to move to an even more crowded spot. He had all the good spots mapped in his head now. He knew where to be and when in order to make the most out of his begging.

Currently, Snicker was trying his luck across town. They'd decided to split up on days that they begged since people wouldn't toss change into two men's cups that were side-by-side. If a person tossed anything, they probably wouldn't toss anything again that day. Hence, it was a waste for them to stay together. Tsuna only wished that they had some other way to get their meals. They didn't, though. The restaurant where they'd traded taking out the trash for a meal on Mondays had said that they couldn't do it anymore. The owner had found out and threatened to fire all of them. The place that they went on Wednesdays had burnt down. And the place they went on Fridays had been taken over by a guy that beat them there by half an hour for the past three weeks running.

They'd been managing, though. Between begging and Snicker calling in favors at an increasing rate, they had been surviving. But Snicker's favors were slowly drying up and they were running out of options. They hadn't had cigarettes or whiskey in almost a month. Just getting food was becoming a problem since prices were skyrocketing due to the way that tourist season was drawing near. They'd been ran out of three different grocery stores that they'd normally went to, which had forced them to go across town every single time they wanted to buy a can of food.

The worst part had to be the weather, though. That was what was really killing them. The sky stayed dark for days on end due to the cloud cover. They'd already used their time up at the mission a mere week ago, which meant that they had been forced to find other ways to deal with the constant rains. People didn't go out as much when it rained, either. The pickings had been poor because of that and twice this week, they had given up on even attempting to beg in order to stay huddled out of the weather in their makeshift homes.

It could be worse, though. Bridgette's house had collapsed entirely and she'd been forced to sleep in the rain until she could find a new home or rebuild her own out of boxes. Tsuna had taken pity and let her use his doghouse for three days before he realized that she had no plans on taking the time to fix what was broken. His empathy for her had disappeared after that and he'd stayed in his house until she'd figured out on her own that he wasn't going to let her have it anymore. After that, someone had went through Daren's spot and had melted the bags and string that made up his roof out of simple spite. Then, Niles had simply gotten tired of living and had thrown himself in front of a car. Daren had taken over his hole in the alley as a result.

It could get even worse than that, though. Phoebe had turned whore. Not the good kind, either. She didn't even have a room to take the guys to. She's started sleeping with other bums in the alley for a mere three dollars each. Desperation had drove her to it and she'd got pregnant as a result because she hadn't taken the time to go downtown and pick up free condoms at the health offices. She had went down and gotten aid when she walked in pregnant, though. She hadn't thought it through, however. Tsuna knew that she'd be back on the street the moment that the baby was born. Assuming she thought ahead enough to actually care enough about whether the baby survived.

Tsuna was merely happy that sickness hadn't started to spread yet. With all the rain, there'd already been a few sniffles and coughs. Thankfully nothing worse than that. If something worse went through the neighborhood, then none of them would be able to protect themselves from it. Everyone would get sick and they'd continue to pass it around between each other until the weather changed enough that they could overcome it. Tsuna still had some of his painkillers left, but that only helped with fever. They'd still have to suffer through all the other symptoms that came with colds and flu.

Glancing upward, Tsuna eyed the sky warily when a rumble of thunder heralded another upcoming storm. It didn't look good. Carefully getting to his feet, he scrapped out the change that he'd used to salt his cup and shoved it into his pocket. It was his last good pocket, too. All the others had ripped and they hadn't had time to spare lately in order to fix them. There were more important things to worry about than sewing right now. Things such as finding Snicker and retreating for cover before the storm broke. It was almost time for Snicker to return, anyway. He had probably already used his subway pass to return to this side of town. It was only a question of meeting up with him en route.

Like he expected, he found Snicker hurriedly walking down the sidewalk in his direction. Smiling widely, Tsuna waved and rushed up to him to give him the good news.

"Guess what?!" Snicker exclaimed first. "Someone dropped a fiver on me!"

"I got you beat!" Tsuna replied with a wide grin. "Someone tossed me a twenty!"

"No shit?" He gaped. Then he smiled widely and pulled Tsuna into a bear hug, knowing how far they could stretch a twenty. They'd be able to eat every day this week on a twenty. It wouldn't be much, but it was at least a can of food a day along with a replacement bag of rice. "Let's get some hot dogs to celebrate!"

"With chili and cheese?" Tsuna asked with wide eyes, pulling back out of Snicker's friendly embrace.

"As long as you put veggies on it then I won't care," he laughed.

"You sound like a dad every time you say that," Tsuna chuckled in reply. Then his laughter fell when he realized the look that Snicker was giving him in response. It took him aback for a moment, making him realize the kind of relationship that had grown up between them without Tsuna really noticing it.

"Is that a bad thing?" Snicker asked quietly, his tone suggesting that he'd been thinking that way for a while now. It wasn't bad now that he'd noticed it, Tsuna admitted to himself. It was just a little surprising when he thought of himself as Snicker's kid. His own dad hadn't ever been around that much. The last time he'd finally decided to show up had been to turn Tsuna's life into a living hell. Having a dad like Snicker wouldn't have been that bad in retrospect. Snicker was smart and took care of him. He was a little pushy at times when it came to keeping up with their health, but that was only because he'd seen first-hand what happened when one didn't. He protected Tsuna without trying to coddle him, but always made sure Tsuna knew the reasons for his methods. He never tried to force Tsuna into doing things, either. He merely waited and let him come around at his own pace.

"No," Tsuna smiled shyly, scratching his cap in his own habitual fashion while Snicker rubbed his beard in consideration. "I don't think it's a bad thing. You're a lot better than my real dad ever was. I'm kind of old for that kind of thing, but I... um... you know."

"I get the picture," Snicker laughed when Tsuna blushed once more. Tsuna blushed even harder when Snicker put a hand on his head for a moment before pushing him gently in the direction of a street vendor. The vendors were already starting to pack up in order to escape the rain, but Georgie stopped when he saw them walking up.

"You two better hurry," Georgie warned with a thick accent. "This one is supposed to be a big 'un. Says it won't blow through 'til tomorrow afternoon."

"We're heading home," Snicker assured him with a nod. "You mind tossing us something before you head out? We can actually pay today."

"No need for that," Georgie laughed. "Save your cash. I got a whole bag of ones that I cooked up before the call went out to pack up. I'll let you have them for free along with a few buns as long as you two help me get my cart outta here."

"We'll do it," Tsuna said immediately, reaching over to help him stow away all of the fixings that they wouldn't get to partake of after all. Even so, a whole bag of hotdogs would be good enough. Especially if they were still hot and actually cooked. The last time that he'd had a hot one instead of a package of cold ones from the grocery store had been when Georgie had given them to him in thanks for pointing out a guy that'd tried to rob him when he wasn't looking. After that, they'd always made sure to say hello on their way past even if they couldn't buy anything. Such pleasantries created bonds that made lucky breaks such as the one that was currently happening. It was yet another lesson that Snicker had taught him in order to help him create a pool of favors and friendships that could help him survive in the worst of times.

It didn't take long to get his cart packed up and Tsuna took the bag of hotdogs and buns that Georgie handed over while Snicker started pushing the cart for the man. Georgie could have probably done it on his own, but they were able to move faster with Snicker pushing with them working to keep the sides from tipping due to the speed. They didn't have to go far. Just to where Georgie had a large truck parked in a nearby parking garage. Loading it up only took a minute with all three of them working to lift it rather than waste time on pulling out the ramp and Georgie nodded in satisfaction while he strapped the cart in place.

"Listen, you two," he called when they started to retreat. "I got a deal for you, cause I ain't ever been able to get Mary-Sue in my truck that fast before. Usually takes me twenty minutes and a whole lotta hell bringing out the ramp."

"We're listening," Snicker replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll tell you what," he sighed, jumping out of the back in order to shut the back doors. "I can unload her in the morning cause I get here early, but my wife gets to bitchin' when I take too long getting home. If you two help me load her up just like you did tonight, I'll hook you up with at least a dog a piece. Maybe more if there's a lot of leftovers. I usually give 'em to my dogs anyway. I'll even let you have dibs on whatever fixings are left that can't be reused. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a damn fine deal," Snicker answered in surprise while Tsuna nodded furiously. "That's more than most would offer someone like us. You close up shop after the afternoon rush. Right?"

"Same time everyday," he nodded. "We got another guy that comes and takes over the late nights for the party crowd. He works over on Mont Street, though."

"We'll be there," Snicker replied firmly.

"I won't be coming out tomorrow," he warned. "But I'll be there as long as the rain don't got no bite to it. You two better run along for now. The weather is supposed to turn real nasty tonight."

"We will!" Tsuna promised. Georgie nodded and headed for the driver's seat of his truck. Without even needing to say anything, both of them headed for the nearest alcove in order to plunder their spoils first. Neither of them had managed to get enough money begging to cover food in two days. Both of them were starving, although neither of them showed it. They were used to starving. This hadn't been the first bad week that they had nor would it probably be their last.

But all that had changed in the space of an hour. Twenty five dollars and a bag of hotdogs to share along with the promise of more. Tsuna was in heaven at the first bite. Georgie's hotdogs were the good kind. The kind that you knew was real meat instead of pressed leftovers. He didn't just have hotdogs, though. That was noticed immediately and Tsuna snatched one of the sausages from the bag in order to make himself a stacked mess of meat and bread. It was greasy, but neither of them cared. It was still warm grease. Both of them had stopped caring about whether food was hot or cold, but times like these allowed them to appreciate the luxury of a hot meal.

"Not too fast," Snicker warned when Tsuna finished inhaling his dual-dog and started to grab another. "We haven't eaten in a while. Unless you want to get sick, don't cram it down like that. You should know better. Do you want a repeat of that bucket of chicken you ate?"

"No," he grimaced, remembering the time that Snicker was talking about. They'd managed to score a whole bucket of fried chicken after going without food for nearly three days. He'd eaten it so fast that he'd overstuffed himself without realizing it. His stomach had rebelled from the sudden onslaught of food and it'd all went to waste. Only the fact that Snicker had held some back had allowed him to try again. Reminded of the pathetic event, Tsuna forced himself to slow down. He nibbled at his next dog almost daintily and chewed as slowly as possible while reminding himself that he already had two in him. It was a good thing that Snicker had stopped him, because halfway through his third dog, his stomach went from empty to bloated between one bite and the next.

"We'll save the rest for later," Snicker chuckled, seeing the sorrowful look cross over Tsuna's face while he stared down at the still-warm remains of the food he couldn't eat. "You still got baggies. Right? Take half of these and keep them and I'll store the rest in my bag." Tsuna nodded and began digging in his bag for one of the spare plastic baggies that he always kept. They'd been reused multiple times for a hundred different uses, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was keeping safe and dry what little food they had. Once that was done, they stood in unison and started heading home.

* * *

"No way..." Tsuna mumbled with tears in his eyes. "This isn't the right place. Is it, Snicker? We're just in the wrong place. Right?"

"I wish I could say that," Snicker replied sadly. The two of them continued to stand in shock while the rain poured down on them, staring at what had once been the alley holding nearly two dozen makeshift homes. It was empty now. Completely and absolutely empty. His doghouse was gone and so was Snicker's barrel. The residents had already scattered to find new shelter and not even a scrap of trash remained to show that people had once been living there. "This isn't the first time," Snicker commented with a sniff to betray his own need to cry. "That was my third home. My first one got taken by over by a gang and my second got torn down when they put up the shopping mall. I didn't think I'd lose this one. This one was Zero's favorite."

"What are we going to do?" Tsuna wept without bothering to hide his tears. "They took our home, Snicker! Someone came and took it away! It was here this morning and it's not here anymore and now we don't have anywhere to go!"

"We were homeless to start with, Suoh," he sighed, pulling Tsuna into a hug so that he wouldn't have to cry to himself. Tsuna allowed it, burying his head into Snicker's soaked shirt in order to weep over their loss. It wasn't fair! They'd left to get food and then they came back and their homes were gone! No one had asked them if it was okay! No one cared that it had been all they had! They'd probably just came through and seen junk and trash and then carted it all away. Didn't they understand that it was like tearing an apartment building down while the residents were at work? Didn't they know that they'd taken away the one place that they'd been using to sleep safely and warmly? It hadn't been much, but it had been all that they had!

"Why, Snicker?" Tsuna cried. "Why did they do that? We weren't hurting anyone. Why did they take our home away?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Maybe they were tired of looking at us. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Snicker? Pocky?" A voice asked worriedly. Tsuna pulled away with his face still covered in misery in order to look at the small group of women staring at them with pity on their faces. Tsuna immediately buried his face back into Snicker's chest, not wanting to see such expressions. He didn't want pity. He wanted his home back. Pity wouldn't give him a small sense of security that had allowed him to sleep at night no matter how insecure their life was.

"What is it, Summer?" Snicker asked quietly while absently trying to comfort Tsuna.

"We tried to stop them," she said softly, walking up in order to share her umbrella with him. The other girls with her gathered around, blocking out the rain in a huddle of umbrellas. Tsuna pulled his tears back the moment that the rain no longer washed them away, wanting to hear what the girls had to say. "It was the city. Their neighborhood cleanup committee finally reached down this street. They said that all the garbage brought down the property value of the neighborhood, so they brought in crews to clear it all out. We tried to tell them that it wasn't trash, but they still took it anyway. Autumn... Autumn even got arrested. She kind of shocked all of us. She tried pulling out her daddy card and everything. Told them that you guys weren't hurting anything and that it wasn't right about what they were doing. They started to actually look like they had misgivings, but a guy slapped her ass and told her that little girls shouldn't worry about such things."

"And she hit him," Snicker finished with a sigh.

"Laid him out flat," one of the other girls agreed. "You should know that she keeps a five pound weight in her purse. She smacked it right across his face. He never knew what hit him. She broke his nose, too, so the cops didn't have a choice but to take her in. Not that they could keep her in. She got out about an hour ago on bail. By then, most of the damage had already been done. The work crews hadn't stopped and everything had already been torn down pretty well. They..."

"They thought it was funny when they tore Pocky's house down," Summer finished with a grimace. "They took turns jumping on it until the roof caved in so that they could toss it into the garbage truck ea--."

"I don't want to hear anymore," Tsuna interrupted miserably. Pushing himself out of Snicker's comforting hug, he quietly forced his way past them and into the rain. Snicker followed without a second's pause, knowing that they had to find somewhere else to go before the worst of the storm broke. The girls looked at them in sympathy, each one having to stop the other in order to not offer their own apartments to them. Tsuna was touched that they wanted to, but knew as well as they did that such a thing wasn't possible. The rainy season meant people wanted to stay inside, which also meant that the girls would be getting more work. Having two homeless guys in their apartment wasn't something that their pimp would like since the girls wouldn't be there to make sure that they didn't steal anything. Mike was a nice enough guy, but he was a realist, too.

They had to find their own place.

Some place that cost less than twenty-five dollars and half a bag of hot dogs.

* * *

"Wake up, Suoh," Snicker hissed. Tsuna woke with a small jerk, his leg lashing out in a knee-jerk reaction to being woken up in the middle of the night. They'd managed to secure a hidden spot in the back of a parking garage where they wouldn't be seen by the guard patrols.

But the sounds that met his ears while he stared at Snicker wasn't that of guards. He froze in the middle of wiping the sleep out of his eyes at the sounds. It was the sound of a crowd and cars parking. A lot of cars and a lot of people.

"What's going on?" He whispered, sitting up from where he'd been curled around his bag.

"It's something bad," Snicker replied worriedly. "Something big enough that the cops will probably show to break it up. We gotta get out of here. They'll want witnesses to testify and all of that."

"Cops would be bad," Tsuna agreed. Quietly, they made their way to the entrance that they'd used to gain access to the underground garage and headed for the exit.

"Hold it!" A voice yelled. Tsuna started running in unison with Snicker and they almost made it before the garage doors slammed shut. He heard Snicker curse at the same moment that they both spun in place to put their backs against the wall. "Hold it!" The man chasing them repeated. They stared with wide eyes, Tsuna's fear plain on his face at the sight of a man in a black suit. "Calm down!" He ordered with his hands out. "I'm not going to hurt you two."

"What's going on?" Someone else yelled from across the garage, gaining the attention of many of the people filling up the area. They were all well-dressed people. People that looked more suited for a fancy restaurant than a place like this.

"Just two bums that were sleeping here," he called back. "I'll take care of it. Tell Boss that we just got a couple extra spectators."

"We don't want no trouble," Snicker said calmly. "Just let us go and we won't go telling anyone that you guys are here."

"I don't want any trouble either," he replied with a quirky grin. "Why don't you two just stick around for a bit and we'll let you go when everyone leaves. That's not too much to ask. Is it? That way we know that you won't go snitching and ruin our little event. I'll even give you both a twenty to keep your mouths shut."

"You'll give us twenty to just be quiet and watch?" Tsuna asked suspiciously. "And you won't hurt us?"

"That's right," he nodded. "I'll even give you each ten now and another ten after everyone leaves. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like--"

"Twenty now and twenty more later!" Tsuna blurted before Snicker could agree. Both Snicker and the man looked at him in surprise, but he had a feeling. One that he didn't want to ignore. "Twenty for us to be quiet and twenty so that we'll stay and tell the cops that no one was here. That would be good. Wouldn't it? The police will ask and we'll say that we didn't see anyone here and then they'll throw us out anyway but at least then they won't be looking for any signs of you guys. That's worth twenty extra dollars. Right?"

"Alright," the man agreed with another grin. "So, eighty all together and you guys will even stick around to cover our tracks. I think that Boss will agree to that. If not, I'll yank it out of my own pocket. For now, you two just find yourselves somewhere nice and comfortable-like. Here's the first twenty for both of you. I don't want to see you mingling with any of our guests, though. Got it?" Tsuna nodded furiously in agreement and cautiously reached out with Snicker to snatch the twenties that were offered to them. Out of habit, they both shoved them into their pockets without missing a beat, knowing that they'd be harder to take back that way.

At the man's cue, they both walked over to a corner of the garage and leaned up against a wall so that they could be watched at all times. Neither of them cared anymore. Eighty dollars meant that they could survive for a good, long time. If need-be, they could buy a tent now and set it up wherever they happened to be at night if the weather was bad. Any alley would do and no one would care as long as it was gone by the time that they woke up. He saw the same thoughts going through Snicker's head and smiled widely at the look of praise that he shot him. It had been a risk to ask for more, but one that Tsuna was glad he'd taken. Especially since the cops might not necessarily come if this so-called event was as well-hidden as Tsuna was starting to think. They'd get eighty dollars for doing nothing, plus they'd still get to sleep out of the rain.

Then they turned to the event itself and realized the reason for all the secrecy. A fighter had each exited out of two of the vehicles in order to stand within the sights of the crowd. Tsuna wasn't stupid. The moment that he saw that, he realized that it wasn't simply some kind of trade or racing or some other illegal get-together. It was an underground fighting ring. One where people were already betting large amounts of money on who would win.

Yet, that wasn't what Tsuna's mind focused on. Instead, he couldn't help but get a sense that both the fighters were weak. They were really, really weak. He didn't understand it. They were both easily three times his size. Possibly four or five if he was honest with himself. They had more muscles on their bodies than Tsuna could ever dream of having. They were well-fed and obviously itching for a fight. Even so, he had a feeling that they were weak. It made him wonder what exactly his comparison was being based off of since both of them looked perfectly capable of tearing a car in two. They weren't like the people that Tsuna saw every day on the street. The people he saw everyday on the street, he'd never been able to judge. Maybe because of how their wills fluctuated alongside their food supplies and money. These guys, though. These guys gave him an incredibly strong feeling. One so strong that he wanted to laugh at their cocky posing and muscle flexing.

"What's wrong with you?" Snicker gasped when Tsuna actually did let out a small chuckle.

"I can't help it," he hissed. "They're acting all scary but they're weak."

"Who are you kidding?!" Snicker scolded back through clenched teeth. "Don't go laughing at them or else they might see. Unless you want them to tear you in two for calling them something like that?!"

"Sorry," Tsuna mumbled, forcing himself to turn away so that he wouldn't feel the urge to respond to the fighters. The moment that he calmed down and stared at the wall long enough, he immediately started cursing himself. What the hell had he been thinking?! These guys were like semi-trucks and he was just a bug on the windshield! He'd get splattered without a second thought if he caught their attention! He knew that he'd been holding his own against Basil, back when he'd been training under Reborn, but he didn't have a Dying Will Bullet anymore! He was just a normal guy with normal problems and normal ways of getting out of those problems!

Yet, he was having a hard time suppressing the urge to interfere. For the next half-hour while fighter after fighter was presented, only to be defeated by the dark-haired opponent from one side, Tsuna felt a desire growing inside him. It was a suicidal desire, he knew. Even so, he had a desire to test the true strength of the continued winner. He had a desire to show the cocky man that even he could be defeated. Even he could lose. That unless he broke the limits that he was placing on himself by thinking that he was the best there was, he would never get stronger.

And the fighter was a good guy. He deserved to be helped to true strength. Tsuna got that feeling stronger than any other.

"Are you okay, Suoh?" Snicker asked worriedly. Tsuna broke off from where he'd absently begun mumbling to himself in effort to silence the thoughts going through his head. In effort to talk himself out of acting on the thoughts going through his head.

"We got to get out of here," Tsuna mumbled, looking at him in worry.

"What's wrong? We have to stay so that we can get the other forty," Snicker pointed out. "Plus, we don't know what these guys will do if we try to sneak out."

"B-But--" Tsuna broke off as a commotion erupted between two of the spectators. It was a loud commotion that had silenced the rest of the watching crowd.

"I told you!" A man in a black suede shirt shouted angrily. "He's not up to fighting tonight! I'm not going to lose another fighter just because you want to make a little extra money, you greedy bastard! You've already beat everyone I had to offer. Be satisfied!"

"Like I give a fat damn," the one in a red silk shirt spat in return. "You promised eight. Not seven. Eight. If I knew that you were going to try pulling this _bull_-shit, then I would have kept Ore at home! We didn't have to come down here and fight for you. You were the one that begged us and now you're trying to protect your assets cause we knocked the fuck out of the rest of your pussy fighters? I don't think so. You better get your next target--oops-- I meant _fighter _out here and let Ore knock him down like all the others. Unless your fighter just forgot his balls at home alongside his dick and his--"

"Watch who you're talking to!" The man in black shouted back. "I told you last night that Bulldog wouldn't be here and you didn't have a fucking problem with it--"

"And I don't," he snapped. "But I didn't say nothing about you shorting us. You better find a fighter so that we can have a nice finish to this show or else Ore here will be turning you into--"

"I'll do it," someone called. Tsuna choked and realized that it was himself at the same moment that Snicker slapped two hands over his mouth. It was too late, though. Every eye looked in their direction in effort to see who had dared volunteer themselves to go against a man that was already covered in blood.

Blood that wasn't his own.

"Sorry," Snicker called, restraining Tsuna against his chest with his hands still clamped over his mouth. "My friend is kind of crazy. Don't mind him."

"'m 'ot 'ra'y," Tsuna objected. Pointing at the fighter named Ore, he couldn't help himself. "I 'an 'eat 'im."

"See, crazy as he can get," Snicker continued in growing panic. "Just look at him. You can't take someone like him seriously. He--"

"No," the man in the red shirt grinned, pulling down his completely pointless set of sunglasses. "I'll take him seriously. Crazy mother fuckers can sometimes put on a good show. You really willing to fight, kid?" Starting to believe himself that he was crazy, Tsuna found himself nodding in Snicker's arms. The man in the black shirt merely stared at him for a moment while openly relieved that a fighter had appeared to save his own ass. On the other hand, the man in the red shirt began taking bets for the Crazy Bum versus Ore.

"What the hell did you just do?" Snicker gasped, spinning him around in place in order to stare him in the eyes. "You realize that you got to fight that guy now?! He's going to tear you to shreds!"

"I don't know," Tsuna gasped in reply, the aftermath of what he'd just done only finally starting to hit him. "I couldn't help it! I got a feeling and I couldn't ignore it this time!"

"You got to go tell them that you can't do it," Snicker urged. Tsuna shook his head, realizing the impossibility of managing such a feat. He had to fight. There was no backing out of it now. If he tried to back out, the red shirt would just kill him anyway out of disappointment.

"Hey, kid." Tsuna and Snicker looked up in unison to see the well-fed man in a black suit walk up to them with two guys at his shoulders. They didn't look like people that were willing to play around. Although, the look of gratitude on the man's face was surprising. "You just saved my ass," he commented. "I'm-- Well, you probably don't need to know who I am. What's your name, kid?"

"Suoh," he lied.

"Suoh," the man repeated with a small nod. "I'll tell you what, Suoh. Since you saved my ass, I'm going to give you and your friend here a hundred bucks each. How does that sound? When you lose, I'll even cover the hospital bills on top of it. It's a lot less money than I might have--"

"I won't lose," Tsuna blurted before slapping his own hands over his mouth. Beside him, Snicker groaned at the words since they carried over to the crowd and into Ore's ears.

"You got guts," he laughed in reply. "You really are crazy, kid. That's okay, though. Just keep yourself alive and you'll be eating steaks as soon as your jaw gets fixed."

"What if...?" He mumbled quietly.

"What was that?" The man asked, turning his ear in surprise.

"What if I win?" Tsuna repeated hesitantly, lowering his hands from his mouth. "Can we have the money that you would pay the hospital?"

"Alright," he nodded with a small, disbelieving grin. "If it'll make you feel better then I'll promise you two grand if you win. That's not as much as the hospital bills will cost, but it should last you a while."

"T-Two...?" Tsuna stared up at Snicker with wide eyes. "Is two grand good?"

"It's twenty hundreds, Suoh," Snicker choked, knowing that Tsuna had never seen more than a hundred American dollars before. Hearing it as twenty hundreds made a lot more sense, though. He knew how much they could get with a hundred. Imagining twenty of them seemed like heaven.

"I'll win, Snicker," he promised quietly. "I'll win and then we can go sleep in a bed tonight. We could afford a hotel room if we had that much."

"We could afford an apartment for a month, Suoh," Snicker breathed. Then he shook his head, tossing dreams of the impossible away. "Don't go thinking such things, Suoh," he ordered, grabbing him by the shoulders with a small shake. "Don't go thinking big like that. Just keep your mind on the hundred that he's promising and try not to get hurt. Fuck," he spat. "That's damn near impossible. Just try not to let him hit any of your sensitive spots and don't let him grab you. If he grabs you, he'll probably break something. You don't want an arm or a leg broke. Do you, Suoh?"

"No," he mumbled.

"If he hits you, just go down," he advised in growing panic. "You don't have to give them a good show. Just go down and lay there and don't move. You got it?"

"Yes," he agreed as his own fear began to build. What the hell had he been thinking? Like he could actually beat a guy like that! It was like two Ryohei's stacked on top of each other! What was he going to do?! Tickle him to death?! He didn't have a choice anymore, though. He hadn't kept his mouth shut and this was the outcome. He should just run away. He knew that if he had a choice, he'd run away. But if he ran away, Snicker would probably be forced to fight in his place. He couldn't do that to Snicker after everything the man had done for him. He'd be dead by now if it hadn't been for Snicker. Plus, there was the money to think about. They didn't have a home anymore. They could have a home for a while with the money that they got. Even if he lost, they'd be able to survive for a little longer.

It would hurt, but they'd survive.

Letting that thought encompass his mind, his determination grew enough that he was able to force his way past his fear. He'd been crazy to get into this, but maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. He couldn't ignore his feelings and his feelings said that doing this was right. He wasn't sure if it was right for Snicker's sake or Ore's sake or maybe black-shirt's sake or even his own. All he knew was that something inside him was spilling over with an assurance that kept his feet from running.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop his knees from trembling.

Quietly, he pulled off his satchel and handed it over to Snicker for safe-keeping. He left his hat on, knowing that his roots were probably showing by now. Summer had trimmed his hair for him a while back and had exclaimed over his natural hair color, but they hadn't been able to afford a pure luxury like hair dye. He'd taken to keeping a lump of charcoal in his hat in order to dust it black in a makeshift fashion. After handing his bag over, he tugged absently on his gloves to make sure that they were in place and prayed that his shirt wouldn't get ripped.

His small bit of preparation done, he turned at the black-shirt's cue and slowly shuffled toward the ring of spectators. He couldn't even walk properly. He had a feeling that if he tried to bend his knees, they'd completely give out. His body was as tense as a board in fear, but his mind was as clear as daylight from determination. The mixture made him feel as crazy as he was sure that he looked. People laughed at him when he straightened his back and marched the last few feet in a pathetic attempt at bluster. He realized it the moment that he did it because his arms and legs moved like a robot due to him thinking too hard about it.

Then everything seemed to disappear.

Ore.

His opponent was weak. The feeling got even stronger while he stared up... and up... at him. He had to be a good three feet taller than him. The man was a giant. A muscle-bound, eight-foot-tall giant. One that was staring down at Tsuna like he was a mere bug. Tsuna didn't feel like a bug, though. It was strange. The man was so much bigger than him, but it was as if he had a hundred weak points that were screaming at Tsuna. They were all screaming 'hit me'. A few of them even screamed 'kill me', which left Tsuna shaking after he noticed them. He put his face in his hands for a moment upon seeing them, shaking from the knowledge that was pouring through his mind.

This wasn't good knowledge. This wasn't knowledge he wanted. This was knowledge that made him want to weep for having. It was knowledge that reminded him why he'd run away. He'd run away from home because of this. He didn't want to kill. He didn't want to hurt people! Why was he here?! Why was he doing this?! He just wanted to be a decent person! He just wanted to live a good life! He just wanted... He just wanted to be left alone!

"You getting scared, twerp?" Ore asked with a cruel laugh. "Here," he continued, leaning down into Tsuna's reach. Tsuna peeked out from his hands in order to see the giant pointing at his own chin. Tsuna stared at it with wide eyes while the man continued to scoff. "I'll let you hit me once so that you'll feel a little better about getting stomped on. Go ahead. I'll let you have one free shot. Or are you too scared to hit me at all?"

"I'm not scared," Tsuna mumbled in honesty. "But I can't hit you there."

"Oh really?" The man laughed, playing the crowd in his amusement. "And why is that? Are you afraid that you'll miss?"

"No," Tsuna mumbled to himself, shaking his head while his face twisted slightly in an internal pain that his opponent could probably never understand. Holding his head, he tried to control the thoughts twisting through it. Thoughts that he had to hit his opponent there. Thoughts that he needed to finish it quickly. Thoughts that he wanted to deny even having. "If I hit you there, you'll die and I don't want to kill you. I just want some money so that Snicker and me can eat. I don't have to kill you to get that. Do I? I don't want to kill you. You're not a bad person and I don't want to be a bad person. I'm a good person but they took away my home today. I don't want to hurt you, either, but I have to. I have to or else Snicker and me won't get two grand. We need two grand. Two grand would--"

"Stop it, Suoh!" Snicker called worriedly from the sidelines. "I told you, don't worry about the money! Just don't get hurt!" Tsuna looked up and stared at Snicker for a long moment. Snicker. The man who'd saved him. The man who took care of him. The man who had given him a reason not to give up. The man who meant everything and did everything for him. How many times had Snicker watched his back? How many times had Snicker been there for him when no one else was?

"I'm sorry, Snicker," he said softly with tears welling up in his eyes. Snicker's jaw dropped at the sudden apology while the audience continued to take delight in the crazy bum who was crying over the fact that he was about to be beaten. Tsuna knew better, though. He knew what he had to do. He had to do it for Snicker. He had to do it to repay everything that Snicker had done for him. Snicker didn't have a home. He didn't have a home. If he did this, he could repay Snicker for everything. He could give something back to Snicker for once. "I'm sorry," he repeated in misery. "I don't want to do bad things, but I have to."

Turning back to his opponent, he saw that the man was still leaning over with a mocking smile on his face. He was still scoffing and pointing to his chin, allowing Tsuna the first hit.

"Please, don't die," Tsuna begged. Ore nodded in exasperation and merely pointed to his chin again. Bawling up his fist, Tsuna pulled back and threw everything he had into a single punch. He put his whole weight behind it. Every ounce of his determination and his weak muscle. He prayed continuously while he swung that he was wrong. He screamed out all his frustration and his pain the moment that it connected with the man's chin.

Ore lurched upward from the force of the follow-through, standing on his toes for a moment while his face became covered with shock instead of amusement. Tsuna froze. He'd done it. He'd hit him there. He'd hit him there so that he could win. So that he could get two grand for Snicker. So that they could survive together for just a little longer.

He was a bad person. He was a horrible, rotten human being. He'd killed him. He'd killed the man just so that they could eat and have a home. He--

"Holy fuck," someone mumbled when Ore fell backward like a log. No one was laughing anymore. The man in the red shirt ran over to check on his fighter in shock while Tsuna simply stared around his tears. He was dead. He had to be dead. Tsuna had hit him in a 'kill me' spot. He'd hit him there without holding back. He--

"He's alive," the red-shirt commented in relief, making Tsuna burst out crying even harder in his own relief. Then the man stared up at Tsuna in shock from beside Ore's unconscious body. "Who the fuck are you, kid?" Tsuna stared back for a long moment before the question registered in his head.

_Who the fuck are you?_

He was someone that was supposed to be hiding. He was someone that didn't want to be found. He was someone that couldn't afford to draw attention. He was someone who had an identity that he didn't want known.

What had he done?

He'd just revealed himself to bad people. He'd just brought attention to himself in front of people that might be connected with the people that he was running from. People that would catch him and make him do bad things. Bad things that he didn't want to do!

"I... uh..." Tsuna panted, his heart racing in a sudden fear that he couldn't control. He had to run. He had to run away. He had to run away now, before these people started asking him questions. Before they tried to find out who he really was.

"Suoh...?" Snicker mumbled in concern. Tsuna merely shook his head at him, attempting to send him a look of apology around his fear.

He had to run.

Unable to control his fear anymore, he stumbled backward out of the ring in a mixture of shock and panic. He didn't want to be a bad person. He didn't want to be a bad person. He didn't want to be a bad person. Tsuna was clawing at the garage doors before he even noticed that he'd moved. Throwing it open, he was running down into the storm-filled street before anyone could even think to follow him.

He had to run away.

He had to run away so that he wouldn't be a bad person.


	8. Chapter 8 Break

_"Oya? Why are you here, my dear Tsunayoshi?" _

_Tsuna tried to open his eyes and couldn't for some reason. He could feel himself wavering in a way that made him unsure if he was waking or sleeping. He had to be sleeping, though. He had to be if the voice he was hearing was the person that he thought it was. He didn't know. He couldn't be sure because he couldn't bring himself to be scared like he knew he should be._

_"Why are you here?" The male voice repeated gently. _

_"Where... Where is here?" He asked quietly in return._

_"You shouldn't be here, Tsunayoshi," the voice continued without mercy. "Go back and continue to rest for a while. I'm still gathering the pieces that you left behind."_

_"The... pieces...?"_

_"Your memories, Tsunayoshi," he continued gently. "The Lake-Dwellers aren't parting with them willingly. What you have are but fragments that your mind is keeping you from seeing. Do not fret. I'll gather the rest and then I'll find you. I'll find you when I have them all and I'll make you whole again, Tsunayoshi."_

_"I don't... I don't want them. I don't want to be a bad person. I'm a good person. I'm a good person and I don't want to ever remember being bad."_

_"Hush, Tsunayoshi," the voice soothed, seeming to wrap him in warmth merely by the sound of his voice. "I know it is painful, but that isn't your true heart's wish. Our souls are bound together, Tsunayoshi. I know what it is that you truly desire. You will understand when you are whole again. Just rest for now. Rest and allow yourself to forget your worries for a time."_

_"B-But--"_

_"Rest, Tsunayoshi," he repeated. Tsuna felt something press against him, almost as if it were a warm kiss. He couldn't tell. He couldn't feel his lips. All he could feel was a pressure that sent more warmth through him, washing away everything._

"Mukuro..." Tsuna called out weakly, reaching out in effort to understand the strange tumult of emotions that threatened to sweep him away. His hand was instantly grasped while he opened his eyes. Vertigo hit him the moment that he tried to move, making him shut them again. Two hands reached out to gently push him back down in his place. He wasn't sure where he was or who was with him, but it didn't matter.

What did matter was how hot his body felt. He felt like he was suffocating. He didn't understand it since the last thing he'd remembered was falling over wet and cold at the spot where his doghouse had once stood. He hadn't known where else to go. There was only one place to go and that was back home. Back home to the one place that he'd retreated to for countless weeks now. It hadn't been until he got there that he'd remembered that it was gone. Left with nowhere else to go, he'd simply collapsed in the spot while weeping out his pain.

But now... He was so hot now. His body felt like it was burning up from within. Thrashing feebly, he tried to push off the covers that someone kept putting on him. They kept being replaced, though. He was so hot that he couldn't breathe. His chest felt tight, making it so that he couldn't seem to get a full lungful of air. This had to be his punishment. This had to be his punishment for being a bad person, he thought in a blind daze.

Panting and sweating, he gasped in relief at the feeling of something icy cold being pressed against his head. A cold hand at the back of his neck lifted him up so that he could greedily drink what was offered to him. The sickly sweet taste of liquid medicine made him choke and gasp for a moment when it hit him. Then it was pulled away and something else was pressed against his lips. Once more, he choked for a moment at the taste. This time was out of confused surprise. It was more than mere broth. It was a soup. Chicken noodle soup to be exact. He remembered the taste from a can that he'd eaten a few weeks back. This tasted slightly different, though. Maybe because it was hot?

He didn't care. He ate it the best he could, reaching up to shakily try to steady the cup pressed against his lips. He felt so hungry. It was as if there was a hole in his stomach that was a black hole trying to swallow the rest of his organs. It hurt. It hurt so much that the way it rampaged upon having food enter its domain completely took his mind off of the heat radiating from his body. Then the cup was pulled away and another was pressed to his lips. He accepted it just as greedily and moaned softly the moment that he could taste it. Beef stew. It was one of those beef stews that Snicker had paid a little extra for them to get in the past. The kind with real meat and real vegetables, only this one was hot. It took everything he had to simply chew the doses poured into his mouth enough that he could swallow. Only the fact that Snicker had taught him how precious food was kept him chewing long enough to finish the last bite that couldn't be saved.

He sighed in contentment when the empty cup was pulled away, the beast in his stomach appeased enough to be silent. Once more, the heat of his body overwhelmed his mind while he drifted back off into a scorching oblivion.

* * *

Warm. More than anything, Tsuna woke feeling warm and protected. It was a nice feeling. It was nothing like the boiling feeling that he could remember from before. Instead of being suffocated, he felt as if he was wrapped up in a cocoon. It was a nice feeling. It was a feeling that he couldn't really remember having before. It made him feel cherished for some reason. He couldn't really remember anyone cherishing him before. They'd suffered through his presence. They'd occassionally gotten enjoyment out of him being around. Yet, in all his memories, there wasn't a single moment that he could remember anyone truly cherishing him like he was made of glass. He couldn't remember anyone holding on to him so carefully like they feared he would break.

Even Gokudera, during the short time that they'd known each other. Gokudera had always valued his existance, but he'd never done more than ensured that enemies didn't hurt him. He'd been more concerned with the foolish and stupid position of Right-Hand than actually caring for Tsuna himself. This was different. This was a feeling of being protected away from any harm, be it friend or foe or mindless beast. This was being sheltered in order to keep his own, true existance safe instead of an existance that was a mere facade.

It was the difference between being valued and being treasured, he thought to himself. It was a good feeling. Someone cared about him enough to treasure him. Him! Not because Reborn said he was going to be a Mafia Boss. Not because Reborn gave him friends that would have never looked at him twice on their own. This was someone who'd seen him on their own and had seen him as worth caring for.

He'd never knew that being held by someone could feel so good and it felt good to be held by Snicker. There wasn't any sense of impropriety or romantic feelings. Rather, Tsuna had a sense that he was being held like Snicker would care for his own kids. It was nice to think of himself as Snicker's kid. Snicker had taught him everything. Snicker had raised him out of nothing and had given him a reason to keep living. No matter how hard things got, Snicker had always looked out for him. Tsuna knew. He saw it every day. Whether it was how Snicker made sure that they ate enough to keep going or how he always let Tsuna hold on to their money, Snicker always showed that he cared and how he trusted. He always showed how much he appreciated Tsuna's care and trust for him in return.

_"I'm sorry. I don't want to do bad things, but I have to."_

Tsuna slowly sat up so as not to wake Snicker while the words resounded in his head. He'd done something awful. Something horrible. He'd purposefully hurt another person. For some reason, he couldn't find it in himself to regret it, though. He thought that he'd made the right choice. He'd chosen to do it for Snicker. So that Snicker could have twenty-hundreds to live and eat on. They'd never had twenty-hundreds before. He knew that he'd been greedy, but he couldn't find it in himself to say that he wouldn't do it again. Snicker deserved twenty-hundreds. He deserved a lot of twenty-hundreds.

They'd be looking for him, though. He couldn't do that again. Twenty-hundreds was a lot, but it had hurt. It had hurt so much to do that. More than how it hurt him, he knew that it hurt his ability to hide. Those guys would probably be looking for him. They'd want revenge for knocking out Ore. Even worse, they might want him to fight again. He didn't want to fight again. He was scared of fighting. The only reason that he'd managed to do it this time had been out of desperation. He'd been desperate because they'd lost their homes and he knew that they had needed the money.

Pausing on that thought, Tsuna took a look around himself in order to truly notice where he was. It wasn't a hotel room like he'd initially thought. The room looked to be an empty attic of some sort. He could tell because of how the walls and ceiling ran together into a point. There was a large ventillation fan on one end, pushing out the hot air that accumulated around them so that the building wouldn't get overheated. Soft light could be seen on the other side, but the sound of rain told him that the weather had turned nasty again.

For being an attic, the place was incredibly clean. From the bare, wooden slats on the floor to the cobweb-free peak, the room was totally clean. Although, considering the amount of dirt on Snicker, it wasn't hard to figure out why. More than likely, he'd traded cleaning it out in order to secure them the place at all. Even if he had twenty-hundreds now, Snicker wasn't one to waste money. Despite being cleaned out and empty, there were a few things that surprised Tsuna when he noticed them. There was a large, blue ten-gallon plastic keg of water. There was a small propane-powered cook-stove that looked to be intended for camping. On top of it was a pot that looked to be recently used. There were also over a dozen cans of food, much more than Tsuna could remember seeing outside of a grocery store since he'd been on the streets.

Then he noticed that the matress that they were laying on. It wasn't a big one. Even Tsuna's legs hung off the end and Snicker was barely on it at all. It took him a moment of staring at it to realize that it was a discarded crib matress. He knew that it was discarded and not bought because of the stuffing that was poking out in order to tickle his knee. Even so, it was better than anything Tsuna had slept on in countless months when one excluded the rare times that he fell asleep after satisfying one of Mike's girls.

He had a blanket and a pillow, too. It wasn't one of the blankets that they handed out at the mission, either. It was a nice, soft and warm fleece blanket. It was huge. He could have easily wrapped it around himself six times and still had plenty to spare for Snicker. The pillow made him blush a little when he looked at it, since it was obviously one that one of the girls must have supplied them. It wasn't stained or dirty, which told him that it hadn't been pickings from the trash. Combining that with the blacklace fringe going around the golden square told him that it had to have been an offering from a girl. Since they only girls that they knew who would be willing to give them such a thing was one of Mike's whores, the blush on his face was justified.

"Suoh...?" Snicker mumbled sleepily, waking from his own doze.

"I'm here, Snicker," he answered with a small smile. He couldn't help but smile over the look of surprise on Snicker's face. Snicker's eyes had went wide the moment that he'd noticed that Tsuna wasn't laying down and jerked up in place in order to stare like Tsuna was some sort of ghost. "What happened?"

"That's what I want to know!" Snicker exclaimed when his jaw was capable of working again. "You went crazy on me and got into that damn fight and then you went and won with one hit, Suoh! I ain't seen nothing like that before! I've never even see you hit someone to defend yourself before and then you go pulling some crazy act like that! And just when I thought you'd gotten as crazy as you were gonna get, you got even crazier and ran out into the damn storm! By the time I found you, you were already hotter than a firecracker on the fourth of July! I tried taking you down to the hospital, but they weren't in any damn rush to help you and you scared the shit out of me, Suoh! You--"

Tsuna stared for a moment in shock at the gleam of unshed tears hidden in Snicker's eyes. Blindly reaching out, he hugged Snicker in full knowledge of exactly how scared he'd made him. Snicker had been scared of losing him. Despite his bluster of envying Zero, Snicker was scared to death of being alone. If he'd lost Tsuna, he would have lost everything. Twenty-hundreds would have been meaningless to him.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled apologetically. "I didn't mean to scare you, Snicker. I just got scared. I..." Tsuna paused, wanting one answer far more than any other. It was an answer that he honestly didn't know anymore and an answer that brought tears to his own eyes. "I'm still a good person. Aren't I, Snicker?"

"What's this all about, Suoh?" He asked in concern, absently running a hand through Tsuna's hair to soothe him in return.

"I don't want to be a bad person," he whispered as he buried his face into Snicker's chest to hide his need to cry. "I don't want to be a bad person, Snicker, but I hurt someone. I hurt him and maybe I'm just a bad person no matter what I do. I don't want to be that. I don't want to hurt people, Snicker. I don't want to be like I was before. I--"

"You're not making sense, Suoh," Snicker interjected in growing worry. "Is this about those bad things that you ran away from?"

"I hurt people, Snicker," he answered while his tears silently broke free. "I hurt people and I killed them and I did all kinds of horrible things and I can't remember any of it. I don't want to remember any of it. I ran away because they were going to make me remember. If I remembered, I'd have to do those things again and I don't want to do that! I don't want to! I'm a good person and I don't want to hurt people! I don't like doing things like that! I don't want them to make me do those things--"

"Calm down, Suoh," Snicker ordered, tightening his arms around him in fierce protection. "You're a good person. I don't really get all of what you're saying, but I'm getting enough of it. You ran away from home because you were in a bad situation where you were having to hurt people. Right?" Tsuna nodded softly in his arms while he continued to weep. "And you got scared because you hurt someone. Then, before you could wrap your head around that, those guys started questioning you. I bet that scared you because you've been hiding from people like that. It's no wonder that you ran out into a storm. I figured that you'd have enough sense to at least run for cover, but you were too scared to even think about that. Weren't you, Suoh?" Tsuna nodded, remembering enough of what happened to remember the fear that had seemed to be biting his heels while he'd been running. "Suoh's probably not your real name, either. Is it?"

Tsuna cringed, wanting to tell Snicker the truth while also fearing that merely saying his real name would bring the Mafia to his doorstep.

"Don't worry," Snicker chuckled. "Snicker isn't my real name, either. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You're still the same person to me that I've always known. You might have given me a scare, but I can't see you as a person that would hurt people for fun. You're a good person, Suoh. Don't ever doubt that for a minute. Bad things might have happened to you in the past and you might have done bad things to others, but you've been more decent than most since I've known you."

"Really?" Tsuna sniffed, his tears falling to a stop due to Snicker's vote of confidence.

"Really," he confirmed in a tone that didn't allow argument. "Let me tell you something else, Suoh. It doesn't make you a bad person to have hit that guy, either. He was asking for it and he'd been willing to get hit. Even more important, he would have hurt you if you hadn't knocked him out first. As long as someone is asking for it, you should knock the hell out of them. Don't hold back because you're worried about hurting them. I thought I already taught you that. It's kill or be killed out here and you can't ever let yourself be on the killed side. You hear me? Hitting other people only makes you bad when you do it to make yourself feel good. You're not the type to do that, Suoh, so quit worrying about that kind of thing."

"Alright," he mumbled quietly, still unsure at where that particular line was drawn.

"Suoh," he replied with a scolding note in his voice suggesting that he had heard Tsuna's doubt. "Was I a bad person for punching Colonel when he tried to steal your bag? Or when I hit Sal for pulling you out of your doghouse?"

"No."

"Then you're not a bad person for hitting someone, either," Snicker said firmly. "He'll live and he'll never understimate someone your size again. He had asked for it, too. Just don't go doing that too much because then you might like it. Ah!" He interrupted when Tsuna tried to immediately object. "Don't say that you wouldn't. Have some sense, Suoh. When you're living as low as we are, the feeling of being on top would feel mighty nice. I want you to promise me that you won't fight for money again. You said you weren't a bad person and I don't wanna see you become one. You can hit people to protect yourself and to protect others, but don't go doing it for no reason anymore. Got it?"

"But I didn't do it for no reason," he objected, pulling out of Snicker's arms with a pout. "I did it so that you could have twenty-hundreds. We can have a home for a while with twenty-hundreds. Can't we, Snicker?"

"Yes, we can," Snicker admitted, staring at Tsuna for a long moment. "I actually already got that for us. I didn't think you'd mind and you needed somewhere dry to rest until your fever passed."

"What?" Tsuna choked, immediately understanding the insinuation Snicker made. Looking around the empty attic, he gaped in new appreciation for the area. It was warm. It was dry. It was much larger than a doghouse. "_This _is our new home?"

"It sure is," he confirmed with a wide, toothy grin. "You see, Autumn did us a really nice turn. She has to work at the hospital during the early morning shift for part of her training to be a nurse. Surprised the hell out of me, but I didn't look a gift-horse in the mouth. When she saw that the hospital wasn't putting you in priority, she refused to let us go out in the rain. She called in someone to replace her and brought us back to her place with a taxi. Shelled out the cash to have a doctor make a house call, too. Normally, that kind of thing is impossible nowadays, but she got him to come. He said you had a touch of pnemonia and gave us the presciption to make you right again. Then she went and talked to Mike for us. Mike don't know about our money, so Autumn talked him into letting us have this place for only fifty dollars a month. It wasn't like it was being used anyway. The girls took care of you for a while and I got it all set up. It was full of junk. It was a bunch of stuff that couldn't be reused, but I took care of that. I moved you up here before I finished, though. You started having fits, Suoh. It scared the bejesus out of a few of the girls."

"Fits?" Tsuna repeated quietly. "You mean I had more nightmares?"

"Damn straight, they were nightmares. I don't see you yelling out like that for a nice dream featuring blondie. Hearing a bit about your old life makes me understand, though. It's no wonder that you never remember your dreams, Suoh."

"Let's not talk about that," he begged with a grimace. "I'll apologize to the girls later and thank them for taking care of me. I should thank you, too. You took care of me, Snicker. You didn't know anything about me and you still picked me up off of the subway. You've saved me countless times since then and I've never really told you how much I appreciate that. Even after I acted so crazy, you still came after me and saved me again. I-- Thank you, Snicker." Tsuna bowed his head with a small blush, embarrassed slightly by how much feeling he put into the words. He couldn't help it, though. Snicker was the only person that really mattered anymore. The man probably didn't know how devoted Tsuna was to him and he probably didn't know what he'd done to deserve it. But he did deserve it. Snicker deserved a lot more than just devotion. He deserved to be loved. It was too embarrassing to show that, though. Just letting him see this much was embarrassing enough.

"How much money do we have left?" Tsuna asked when the embarrassed silence continued to stretch. "You got the twenty-hundreds. Right?"

"Yeah," Snicker replied in relief over the abrupt change in subject. "I spent one of the hundreds to pay for this place for a month and to get supplies. I wanted to see what you thought before I paid Mike for more. I was thinking that we could pay up for a year if this place was okay with you. It's better to do it now, while we got the money, than trust that we'll be able to get fifty dollars each month. Us staying here is secret, though. Mike will get in big trouble if the city finds out that he's renting out a spot that's not meant to be rented out. Not that it should be much of a problem. They just inspected when the cleaning crews came through the neighborhood."

"It's fine with me," he confirmed with a wide grin. "Just... where are we? I get that it's a place that Mike owns, but which building?"

"Oh, you'll love this," Snicker replied with a huge grin. Tsuna looked at the floor at Snicker's cue and raised an eyebrow. "That's blondie's bedroom right under us."

"EH?!"

"And she's the one that gave you that pillow," he continued mercilessly, enjoying every moment that Tsuna's eyes got wider. Reaching out, he snatched up the gold and black item in order to look at it in mock-consideration. "It's a pretty nice pillow, too. She gave it to you, but I just might--"

"Mine!" Tsuna yelped, snatching it out of Snicker's hand like was probably expected. Blushing furiously, he held it protectively against his chest in order to lay claim to it. Then he got suspicious. "She really gave it to me?"

"Sure did," Snicker replied with a knowing grin. "If you're that possessive over it, I guess I won't be able to nick it from you. Just remember what I told you about her, Suoh. I can't keep you from dreaming, but don't go acting on those dreams. She's got a bit of caring in her, but she isn't for a guy like us. She'll probably marry rich and live the really good life before long. She might be a whore, but she's one of those smart ones. A man who is willing to pay her price will show up one day. She'll take it, too, and then drop him like everyone else. Then she won't need no man to pay her way."

"She's not like that," Tsuna objected quietly, burying his face into his pillow. "I don't know why she's working for Mike, but she's not doing it for the money. She's different than that and she's not a vulture like you're trying to say she is, Snicker."

"Another of your feelings?" He asked curiously. Tsuna nodded, unable to deny the strong impression that he got when he talked about Autumn. It didn't make sense, but he'd learned that his feelings were right a lot of the time. This was one that he couldn't act on, though. Knowing that Autumn was more than she seemed didn't give him any leverage. It just meant that he could be curious alongside his attraction for her. He was still a poor fool that couldn't afford to do more than look at her from a distance.

But...

He was living with Snicker in the same building as her now.

That thought left him smiling for a very, very long time.

* * *

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?" Snicker asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," Tsuna chuckled in return. "I'll find something to do. You just go and try your best. Okay? Don't worry about me. If I go out, I know to stay in public. I'll leave my stuff here, too, so that it can't get stolen."

"I wish that we could get you some ID, Suoh," Snicker commented sadly. "Then you could go job hunting with me."

"I'll figure something out. You just go try your best. We actually have an address now thanks to Summer and Mike. Our money won't last forever, though. I might not be able to get a job, but I'll find something to do to help. If nothing else, I'll head down to the airport and try to help tourists out for some change."

"Just remember that with tourists, you have to watch out. Especially those foriegn ones. If they try to give you more than a five, you turn it down. You don't want them going to the cops and telling some sob story about you fleecing them."

"I'll be careful," Tsuna promised with another laugh. "Now go, before you miss the bus."

"I'm going," he laughed. Tsuna nodded and watched him exit out the door that connected to a stairwell leading down to the rest of the building. Tsuna knew that he probably wouldn't leave today. If he did, it wouldn't be until later. First, there were several things that he needed to do. Most of those things were simple chores. Things that he took care of so that Snicker wouldn't have to. It was the least that he could do since Snicker was trying so hard.

The first thing was to take the cans from last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast down to the dumpster. It was part of their agreement with Mike that they keep the place spotless. After that, he went back upstairs to wash up, using a bit of water from their keg, his pot, and one of the two washclothes that they now owned. It wasn't as good as a hot shower since the water was tepid, but at least he was able to get clean every day.

After that, he pulled out both his and Snicker's old clothes. They'd actually been able to use a laundrymat for the first time. Money had been too precious to waste when they'd been living on the street, but Snicker had said that they could afford the luxury this time. Pulling out his sewing kit, he focused on getting them patched up properly with the small amount of skill that Snicker had taught him. There wasn't much that he could do about the holes without extra material to patch in, but he could still fix any tears or rips that there was. He could also patch up anywhere that the seam had given out. Considering that Snicker checked over his own clothes regularly, though, there wasn't much to fix.

Tsuna's clothes, however, needed a bit of work. He grimaced while he looked his shirt over, knowing that he would have tossed it out a long time ago if he'd still been living with his family. He wasn't with his family anymore, though. This was all he had. Well, not all that he had, he mentally amended. Snicker had afforded them each another luxury. They'd went down to the thrift store and had gotten several spare sets of clothes. Snicker couldn't go job-hunting in what he had, after all. He'd needed something that looked at least a little better. He'd made Tsuna get two extra shirts and a pair of pants while he was at it. He'd tried to get Tsuna to get shorts, but Tsuna knew what his legs looked like. Even if it was getting a little hotter out, he couldn't go around showing off his scars.

Although, he could show off his arms. His tattoos worked pretty well in covering those scars up. Enough so that he decided to forgo fixing the shoulder rip in his oldest button-down shirt. Instead, he picked the seam out in order to completely to remove the sleeves. A little bit of work folding back the material and sewing it in place gave him a sleeveless shirt that would be very handy in the coming months. When it started getting colder again, he could simply sew the sleeves back on. His sewing might not win any awards, but he could manage that much with what Snicker had taught him.

Putting on his now-sleeveless shirt, he had to smile in satisfaction. The heat in the attic didn't seem nearly as bad now. Folding up his other clothes, he stacked it neatly beside Snicker's small stack in the second drawer of their new dresser. The dresser itself had been another dumpster salvage job. One of the drawers had been completely torn apart for some reason, but the rest of it was perfectly good. He kept the rest of his belongings from his satchel in the bottom drawer of it while Snicker used the middle one. The broken top drawer was gone, but a piece of carboard inserted in it allowed them to use it as a shelf for their stock of canned food.

He thought it was both sad and happy when he looked at their possessions. Other than their bed, everything they had fit into a dresser. Their hotplate sat on top of it along with their two pots and their keg of water was neatly placed beside it. Everything they had could still fit into a barrel, he wanted to laugh. At least it didn't have to anymore. They had a whole room to themselves. It was one that they could stay in for a long time, too. It might not have a legitamite address to it, but Summer had let them use hers.

It was a chance. It was a chance that they wouldn't have had if he hadn't fought. Realizing that made him feel a lot better about what he'd done. He might have hurt someone, but Ore would get better. He hadn't killed him and Ore would become an even stronger fighter now. Even better, they'd made enough money off of a single punch that they had a real home for the first time since Tsuna had run away. For Snicker, it was the first real home that he'd had in ten years.

If he managed to get a job and they saved, they might eventually get a real apartment, too. Snicker had promised as much. A real apartment meant running water and their own toliet facilities and their own shower. They didn't even have to get the electricity for it. Just the running water would be enough. If they got a place that ran on gas along with the electricity, Snicker had said that they'd go ahead and get the gas, too. That way, their showers could be hot on a regular basis. They didn't need electicity. They didn't have a television or anything that required it. Both of them were used to going without light at night, so such a luxury could be bypassed.

But Tsuna had to do something so that he wasn't a nuisance. It wouldn't feel right to leech off of Snicker once he got up on his feet. Tsuna knew that right now, all they had was each other. That might change if Snicker was having to constantly take care of him without Tsuna doing anything to help. Snicker might be like a father to him, but he couldn't forget that Snicker wasn't. He doubted that Snicker would ever turn on him, but having money could change people. He'd seen it on the streets. How quickly people that were friendly turned nasty when they had money dangled in front of them.

So, that meant that Tsuna had to find a way to make some money, too. He might not be able to get a real job, but he could still do some work to help them out. If he went dumpster diving, he could possibly find treasures to sell at a pawnshop. They'd done that a few times when they'd gotten lucky enough to come across something of worth. An empty name-brand purse that the strap had broken off of could be fixed and pawned. A good enough seam and the broker wouldn't even notice that it had been in the trash. A watch that just needed a new battery and a broken watch with a good battery could be used to make a single watch worth a bit of cash. Lately, there'd been a lot of VCRs thrown out. Those could be salvaged and sold as-is. It might not be worth more than a dollar or two, but it was still more cash than they'd had before. Video cassettes got tossed out a lot, too. People switch to DVDs and they thought that their VHS tapes were useless.

One man's trash was another man's treasure. Tsuna had learned the incredible range that the statement fit into. With enough salvaged stuff, anything could be fixed. By knowing where to go, nearly anything could be sold. They'd gotten their dinners in such a way numerous times. Now, though, he could salvage stuff for more than just to sell. He could salvage stuff to keep for once, too. Things that couldn't be sold but were useful, he could gather up to use. Candles were one. Even if it was burnt down a good ways, the waxy dregs on the bottom could still be used if there was still a wick. Broken chairs could be salvaged now. A little bit of glue was a lot cheaper than a new one. The same with tables that thrift stores wouldn't want. He could get a chair and a table so that Snicker didn't have to sit in the floor with him anymore. Tsuna knew that his joints weren't as flexible as they used to be. Snicker might seem to be a still-lively man, but Tsuna knew how hard it'd been for him to crawl in his barrel every night.

They usually ate straight out of their pots, but Tsuna could salvage some cups for them, too. That way, they could eat and drink at the same time in the future. He wouldn't take cans, since he knew that Kaleb raided dumpsters for cans instead of begging. Cans were five cents each at the recycling center and Kaleb was probably already in the process of collecting today. He could help Kaleb, though. If he asked Kaleb to keep an eye out for treasures, he could help Kaleb collect cans. That would be a fair trade.

What else could he do? Tsuna knew that he couldn't solely rely on dumpster diving. He had to think of a way to make cash on a regular basis. He couldn't beg for money. That wouldn't be right since they weren't as bad off as before. There were still a lot of people out there that could use a handout more than him and Snicker now. He wouldn't take those handouts while they had a small savings to rely on. Snicker had been surprised when he'd been so forceful about it, but Snicker had agreed in the end.

What if it wasn't a hand-out, though? He saw street performers all the time. They were working in droves now that tourists were starting to come through more frequently. Real tourist season hadn't hit yet, but if he practiced now then maybe he could make money like that. He'd learned a little bit of juggling while he'd been working on the Errant Angel. If he got better at it, maybe he could make people happy enough to toss some money his way. Or--

Tsuna grinned widely at himself. He could be a mime. That way, he wouldn't have to talk if cops came around. Snicker or one of the others would let him use their name in order to get a performer's permit. He hadn't seen any pantomimes lately, either. At least, not in the park. He's seen one on a street corner across town, but the park on this side didn't have any. It would be embarrassing, but that didn't matter to him anymore. It was a way to make money where he didn't have to talk and he didn't have to have a name. He'd be able to paint his face, too. He doubted anyone would recognize him if he painted it white. Well, he'd probably have to paint it black with charcoal at first, until he got good enough that they could afford paint. Still, it was work and it was money that he could make to help out. Even a little bit of money would still be more than what they'd had previously. He'd been watching people for a long while now. Maybe he could start out with just impressions and work his way up so that the whole mime act wasn't as embarrassing.

That wouldn't last all day, though. He could do that during the peak times when tourists and people actually walked through the park, but he wouldn't be able to make money off of it for more than a few hours a day. That was okay, though. He could go and do what he'd already told Snicker about at the airport. He knew the city well enough by now that he could give directions. Snicker didn't know how well he'd be able to do it, though. Even Tsuna wasn't sure how many languages he knew. Snicker knew that he could speak English fluently and he'd spoken Japanese for him a few times, but he'd never shown Snicker the other languages he knew. If he could give directions to people in their native languages, then he could make some gratitude money. It was highly possible that he could get a deal going with the cab drivers that frequented that area, too. The people that needed help were always easy to spot. Tsuna had noticed it the one time that they'd tried begging around there. People that didn't know English well always had a dictionary in their hands.

There had to be more, though. He could still help Georgie out on loading up his cart, but that only got them dinner. If Snicker got a job, he'd still be far behind on matching how much Snicker made. He knew that he couldn't match it completely, but he still wanted to be able to get at least half as much as Snicker would. What skills did he have, though? He'd figured out a way to use his languages and his knowledge from watching people. He had promised Snicker that he wouldn't use his knowledge of fighting for money. He refused to use his knowledge of sex unless things got really, really bad. People probably wouldn't pay for him anyway, once they saw all of his sc--

Scars. Mr. Morrey had recognized him for his scars. He'd thought that he was a Black X look-a-like. He'd never asked around, but maybe that was something that he could make money from? He knew that Black X was one of his aliases from the life he left behind, but was it something that he could use? Mr. Morrey had said that everyone knew Black X was for sale. Having spent so much time around whores, he knew what he'd meant now. Was there some way that he could be a Black X look-a-like and make money without actually selling himself? Gigi would probably know. He had a feeling that it wasn't something that a straight guy would know about. Gigi, though... Gigi had come on to him enough times that the guy would probably be able to tell him all about Black X. Enough that he'd be able to figure out some way to use it.

And the best part was that, if he thought of a way to make money off of his likeness to Black X, it was the best way to hide that he could think of. He wouldn't have to hide behind bandages anymore. He could hide behind the cover of being a look-a-like. He'd be the best one that there was, too, because in a life that he refused to remember... he'd been the real Black X. He'd be able to hide in plain sight.

He just wished that he'd thought of it earlier! They'd been too focused on simply surviving to think about possibilities such as these.

One thing at a time, though. First, he had to go talk to Gigi. Then, he could go talk to Kaleb about the treasure for cans trade. After that, he'd go check to see if the park was still empty of pantomime acts. Later this afternoon, he could talk to Snicker about getting a performer's permit. It'd probably cost some money, so it was definately something that they'd have to talk about. Plus, he'd have to use Snicker's real name to get it.

That should be enough. It should be more than enough for now. Maybe if he could figure out what other skills he had, he could do more. But, for now, it was enough around chores at home that Snicker should be happy to have him around. They'd do it. Between the two of them, they'd make enough money that they'd get an apartment. They'd make so much money that they'd be eating steaks on a regular basis and be able to take showers, too! And a matress! He'd buy Snicker the most comfortable matress that there was! And then...then they could have their own address instead of a borrowed one!

One lucky break. It was the only one that they'd gotten and he'd be damned if they let it go to waste.

* * *

Author's notes: Gintan drew Snicker!

gintan. deviantart. com/ art/ Snicker-91693883


	9. Chapter 9 Kink's

"I'm not going to ask why you have this stuff," Tsuna groaned, slipping the leather arm guards up over his tattoos. It took a moment to figure out how to tighten it, but he managed after a minute. Gigi had told him that he'd have to go without a shirt to show off the part of himself that looked most like Black X, but the tattoos had to be covered since it was out of character.

"You'd probably be happier that way," Gigi chuckled, tossing a pair of black pants onto the bed. "Here, try this on. Rodger is about your size. He won't mind if you borrow it."

"If you say so," Tsuna mumbled doubtfully, eyeing the leather pants warily. "If there somewhere that I can change?"

"Right here," Gigi laughed with a wink. "Come on. You've got to give me something for helping you out. I still don't know why you didn't tell me earlier. I can give you a hundred tips about how to make money off of being an impersonator. I used to make money off of my Cher impressions before I started turning tricks. You'd be surprised how much someone would pay-- Never mind. You said that you didn't want to go that far. Right?"

"Right," Tsuna replied, trying not to blush due to the way Gigi was openly staring at him once his pants were off. "I hit my head a while back and I can't remember what I did to make money. That's how I ended up on the streets. It wasn't until a few days ago that I realized that my scars were actually part of a look-a-like act."

"Are you sure that you're not gay?" Gigi asked with an amused grin.

"I'm straight," he said firmly. "I'll do the act if it gets me money, but I'm not willing to sell myself to that kind of crowd. Just tell me where I have to go and what I have to do."

"If you're sure," he replied in disappointment. Tsuna nodded and continued trying to get his borrowed pants up. Gigi continued to watch him while he blushed furiously. There wasn't much he could do, though. Gigi had already warned him that he had to get used to people staring at him if he was going to do this. Stares were a good thing because then people might be willing to throw money at him in appreciation. What he was planning on doing wasn't quite the work of a stripper, but it'd be damn close.

"These aren't going to fit," Tsuna growled, finding that he couldn't fasten them once he managed to yank the leather pants up.

"Take your boxers off," Gigi ordered with his amusement disappearing for a moment. "They'll just ride up anyway and they'll make lines in the leather. It's supposed to be tight so that it can show off what little ass you have. Just be careful when you zip up."

"Don't watch," Tsuna snapped with another blush mixed with a grimace. Gigi sighed in disappointment once more and turned to his vanity in order to continue working on his makeup. He didn't have his wig on yet nor his women's clothes, so Tsuna was slightly less uncomfortable undressing around him. He was still a he, after all. It wouldn't be until he was completely changed that he'd make Tsuna really uncomfortable. When he changed into his leather miniskirt and push-up top, then he'd be scary. For now, he was just another guy who happened to appreciate the male body more than most.

A lot more, Tsuna realized with another blush.

"I said not to watch!" He squealed, seeing Gigi eyeing his reflection in the mirror. The damage was done, though. Gigi merely chuckled and turned in place to openly watch him once more while he struggled in an even bigger rush to get his pants on again. He wasn't sure what was worse. Letting Gigi see his goods flying around while he jumped and tugged the pants up or the fear of what would happen if he turned around with his pants halfway down like they were.

Either way, he'd never been so embarrassed in his life.

"I'll stop torturing you," Gigi laughed when his body continued to get even more red. Tsuna choked when he advanced, sure that he was about to have something horrible done to him. He wasn't surprised when Gigi spun him around. He was surprised, though, when Gigi's motion to bend over was merely to grab the pants out of Tsuna's grasp. He yanked them up in a sharp tug, covering Tsuna's rear along with giving him one blinding wedgie. "How's that?" Gigi whispered in his ear.

"That's.. um..." Tsuna coughed, forcing his voice to lower back down an octave. "That's fine. Thanks." Groaning, he tried once more to fasten the pants and found that they still didn't want to close.

"Lay down and suck your stomach in," Gigi advised while he retreated back to his vanity. "Like I said, they're meant to be tight. You're scrawny, but those were meant for a scrawny man. You've seen Rodger. He uses those when he's not playing the mock-underage card. Lately, he's been going after the pedos a lot, though. He says that they pay better out of guilt."

"I see..." he mumbled, laying on Gigi's bed to do like the man had suggested. He gave Gigi a considering look the moment that he did lay down, realizing one feeling that kept wanting to surface. Gigi was an okay person. He was a realist, but he wouldn't take advantage. Tsuna had said that he was straight, so Gigi wouldn't treat him like he wasn't. He'd joke around and take appreciation, but Tsuna didn't have to fear being around him. He'd probably get embarrassed a lot, but Gigi wouldn't do more than that.

Although, Tsuna was positive that he'd be the first to jump if Tsuna even considered sleeping with a guy. Not that such a thing was going to happen. Tsuna was adamant that he liked girls. How a guy would let another guy stick himself up there was beyond him. He couldn't see how his future-self had allowed it. His future-self, the him that lived past the age of fifteen where his memories stopped, had done a lot of things that he could never see himself doing. There were limits that he refused to cross and having sex with a man was one of them.

"I hope you don't mind kissing," Gigi warned when Tsuna sat up with a groan. The pants were tight. Really tight. So tight that they made his bulge look hard even though he wasn't. It would take a lot of work to get used to wearing something so tight. He was used to things not fitting at all. Having something fit too well was a completely new experience. He could almost feel his circulation to his feet slowing from the near-tourniquet that was his leggings.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"The place we're going to, a lot of the guys are willing to pay five bucks for a kiss," he explained. "You don't have to accept, but it's a good way to make money. Usually, they start out with a kiss, then they'll offer a little more for a little more in exchange. By the end of the night, you can make a few hundred bucks for a single lay by doling it out. You're straight, though. I don't know how you learned it, but where I come from, that's only first base. If you aren't willing to tease by going that far, you won't make much money after the first couple of nights. People will realize that you can't be bribed into going farther. You have to be willing to at least give them a sample or else they'll save their money for someone that they can win over."

"I don't know," Tsuna murmured in thought. "I just know that I don't like guys like that. I said that I wouldn't sell myself and I won't, but I don't know if kissing falls under that. I don't think I could do it for just five bucks. I mean, I know it's just a kiss, but it's not something that I'd get any enjoyment out of."

"Then raise your price," Gigi suggested while he continued putting his fake eyelashes on. "Five is just the common price because it's nothing more than a little lip action. If you make them think that you have a price but that it's too high for them to afford, you'll make a ton of money. Just think about it for now. You don't have to do any of that tonight. Tonight, you'll be just showing yourself off for the first time. Don't be surprise if someone cops a feel. If it lasts longer than a second or two, tell them that touching isn't free. You'll get the hang of it. I'll look out for you tonight."

"You're being really nice to me," Tsuna commented suspiciously. "Why are you helping me so much? All I asked for was a little information and you're supplying me with everything."

"Because," he answered with another amused grin. "I get to look at you all night in those pants. Plus, if your lips do have a price, I'm calling first dibs."

"You'd pay to kiss me?" He choked with a bright blush.

"I'd pay for a whole lot more than that, sweet-cheeks," he confirmed. "Just tell me your price and I'll pay it."

"I'll..." Tsuna blushed brightly, feeling his ears turn red in embarrassment. Even so, he thought he could do this much to pay Gigi back for helping him.

"What was that?" Gigi asked curiously.

"I'll let you kiss me," he replied shyly. "Just once, though. It's... It's the only way I can repay you right now."

"Really?" Gigi murmured with another wide grin, his amusement plain on his face. Tsuna couldn't look up, too embarrassed by Gigi's open willingness to take the offer. He felt himself grow pale when Gigi stood and walked over to him. He'd do it, he swore to himself. It was only a kiss. It wasn't like he was going to have to do '_this' _and '_that' _with him. He'd kissed a lot of people by now. All of Mike's girls excluding a few that he didn't feel comfortable with and Autumn. He'd been kissed by two guys in the past, too.

Determined, he looked up when Gigi tilted his chin up. If he couldn't kiss Gigi, he wouldn't be able to kiss anyone else. If he was going to make money off of his looks without selling his whole body, he had to be willing to do that much.

He stared in shock when Gigi merely leaned down and kissed his cheek. Then Tsuna found his expression softening. Gigi was really a good guy. Too good. He knew how hard it was for Tsuna do even say something like that and he wouldn't force him to do it out of guilt. But that didn't give Tsuna the knowledge he needed. He needed the knowledge of how a guy liked to be kissed so that he could make money. He needed to know exactly how disgusted it made him feel so that he knew what price to ask.

It was Gigi's turn to be shocked when Tsuna grabbed him and forced a real kiss on him. Not that it was truly forced. He knew Gigi really wanted it. After the initial surprise, Gigi didn't fight it, either. Encouraged, Tsuna allowed himself to remember how girls liked to be kissed and used every ounce of his knowledge in making it a kiss worthy of being paid for. Kissing couldn't be that different between guys and girls.

It wasn't quite as bad as he thought. As long as he made himself think of Gigi as one of the girls that he'd slept with, it was almost enjoyable. Gigi helped him after a moment, silently showing Tsuna small changes to make it even better. He wanted the kiss deeper. He didn't want a chaste lip-lock. He wanted something that could get him turned on. Gigi showed him how to tilt his head just right so that he could dominate the kiss rather than be dominated. When Tsuna dared to flick his tongue against the roof of his mouth before pulling away, he got a small moan of both lust and disappointment in return.

He took that as a good sign.

"Mm mm mm," Gigi hummed in appreciation, taking a deep breathe to calm himself while he held onto Tsuna's shoulders to steady himself. Tsuna merely tried to control his blushes and waited for Gigi's real critique. "You really know how to tempt someone to break their self-control," he mumbled, biting his lip while pointedly not looking at Tsuna.

"It... It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he admitted shyly. "You didn't slobber or anything like I expected. I... I think I can sell kisses. We sometimes did kissing booths for festivals back home. I wasn't ever popular enough to be in it, though. But I guess this isn't much different."

"What price are you going to ask?" Gigi asked curiously.

"W-Would you pay twenty?" He inquired with a blush. "I was thinking fifty would be the cheapest that I'd be willing to kiss for, but I think twenty would be okay. Snicker always said not to get my hopes too high. Do you think people would pay twenty? I don't want to go any lower because it's not something I really like, but... I think twenty would be okay."

"You won't get as many at first," he commented in thought, absently rubbing a hand down Tsuna's leather-covered arm without seeming to realize it. "You'll still get a few curious and then your skill will get you some regular buyers. I'd say twenty is a good price. Just remember to turn down anyone with lip sores. You don't want to go catching anything."

"I'll remember," he promised with a smile. Gigi nodded and retreated once more to his vanity. Tsuna started to lean down to grab his shoes, but stood back up in confusion when Gigi returned after only a second. "Wha--?"

He blushed brightly at the twenty that Gigi held up.

"I want one more before we head out," he grinned. "You need cash to get in the place anyway and you definitely know how to leave a person unsatisfied without making them feel cheated. After this, though, I want you to wait for me in the living room. I'll end up broke if you stay in here with me while I get ready. Just toss your shirt on for now and I'll stow it in my purse when we get to the club."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed with another shy smile. He groaned when Gigi didn't let him take the twenty, though. In a fashion that he had a feeling he was going to have to get used to, Gigi slipped it into the hem of his pants with fingers obviously wishing for a lucky feel of him. He missed, but only because the pants didn't allow much access. He was suddenly very thankful for how tight his pants were. Especially when those fingers lingered while Gigi claimed his second kiss.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"I don't know what I was thinking," Gigi grimaced apologetically while he continued to fix Tsuna's hair with a comb. Tsuna merely shrugged, having not noticed the detail himself even after Gigi had shown him the calendar that had made Black X so famous in certain circles. It had taken him a long time to get the image of Xanxus out of his head after that. Much longer than he wanted to admit. The image was everything, though. When Tsuna had went into the club's bathroom to pull his shirt off after Gigi had managed to get him in without an ID, Gigi had followed in shock. He... She'd immediately begun berating herself over Tsuna's hair when he'd pulled his wool cap off along with his shirt.

"It's fine," he laughed, batting her away. "Just let me get some water and toss it a bit so that it's not matted. It's not your fault that you didn't notice. I'm the one that's supposed to be the look-a-like."

"You should dye your hair," she commented while Tsuna immediately started working on his own hair. Splashing some water on it from the sink, he got it good and wet before using his shirt to dry it off. Towel drying it allowed it to puff back up into life again, making Gigi murmur in appreciation. "Change that," she said with a careful eye on his hair. "Just grow it out some more and cut off the black tips. For now, you'll do. The black gives you a nice, edgy look. Oh! And I brought this. Go ahead and put it on."

"What's this?" Tsuna asked, looking at what seemed to be an oversized bracelet. It was odd, though. It had spikes, almost like--

"A dog collar," she answered with a knowing grin while Tsuna's eyes widened in recognition. "They'll grab it to hold you in place when they kiss you. Unless you want hands going for your pants every time you get a kiss...?"

"I'll wear it," he snapped, quickly fastening it in place around his throat with Gigi's help. Gigi chuckled quietly to herself, pitching her voice perfectly to be mistaken for a woman's alto.

Tsuna had been interested to see during his first walk through the club before he'd headed for the bathroom that it hadn't been full of transvestites. There were a goodly portion of them, but there were far more men dressed modestly, too. There were a few women mixed in the crowd, as well. Although, those could have just been cross-dressers that had done so well as to be mistaken for the real thing. There'd been a few men in business suits and a lot more variety than Tsuna had initially expected.

The biggest shock, though, had been the size of the place. It was huge. When Gigi had said club, he'd expected a small hole in the wall. The massive retrofitted factory was nothing like that. It had been tiered with scaffolds for people to watch and drink from. Laser lights were going off in sequence with the throbbing music that was playing. Nearly every inch of the building was covered with people who were drinking, smoking and dancing.

If Tsuna hadn't already had it in his mind that this was work, it could have actually been a place to go to for fun. Although, he was pretty sure that he'd have fun. No one wanted to tip someone who wasn't having fun. Gigi had told him that the easiest way to get tips was to find a large group of people to hang out with, when the drinks got low and someone stood with cash in hand, he should take the money and go for them. Then, when he returned without a drink for himself, they'd send him back. From there, he should ask for a shot glass of water and then tell the person who'd bought it for him that it was vodka. He could pocket the difference with no one the wiser since no one really went sniffing each other's drinks.

That equated to five dollars a drink in his pocket after he paid for the water.

He'd objected at first, because it seemed like he was cheating people. But, Gigi had pointed out that it wasn't really. Unless the person specified a certain drink, they'd given him free license to spend the money how he wanted on himself. There were other things he could do, too. One was to snatch a chair. When someone asked him for it because they needed to sit, he could offer to sit in their lap for a few bucks. Then he didn't have to stand and he got paid. She'd also made him memorize every expression that Black X made. Impressions were two dollars each.

He just had to remember to watch how much he drank. Gigi had warned him on that, too. There were plenty of people that'd try to get him drunk before making advances on him. Gigi said that she'd try to keep an eye on him, but she had to work the room herself. She had a lot more of herself to sell, after all.

"How do I look?" Tsuna asked doubtfully, feeling incredibly exposed by the idea of walking out into the club without his shirt on.

"You look expensive," she chuckled, carefully putting his shirt in her purse like promised. "Remember to find me and drop off your cash when you get too much to fit in your pocket. I won't take any of it and you don't have to worry about someone snatching it that way. You still have enough for a starter drink. Right?"

"I think so," he replied, blushing over the knowledge of how he'd gotten the money. "It only cost ten to get in and I can get a beer for three. Right?"

"Right," she nodded. "Alright, sweet-cheeks. You're on your own from here. I'll walk around for a little bit and introduce you around, but it's up to you from there. If you see anyone just asking to buy you a drink, you work them for all they've got. Now escort me like a proper lady. I'm not doing this for free, you know."

"I know," he grinned. Hooking his arm, he let Gigi hang off of him like she wanted. Then, without further ado, they headed out of the bathroom. She didn't pause for a moment when they got outside. Instead, she led him out into the open in order to gain even more attention. And the attention was captured. Eyes hit upon them and then people did double-takes in order to stare. Friends tapped the shoulders of the friends next to them in order to point him out. Where his face alone wouldn't have caught people's attention, his scars did.

He never could have imagined how many people were attracted to what he considered a disfigured body. He was thin from months of near starvation. His ribs were prominent over his collapsed stomach. Gigi said that it was a good thing, though. It made him look more like Black X from the first edition of the calendars that she'd shown him. The one where his body had seemed sick and twisted for some reason. He liked the facial expressions from the second one, though. They didn't make him feel as pathetic. He could look people in the eyes with those kinds of expressions. He could still look himself in the mirror after making them, too.

A lot of people turned their backs and continued their conversations after he passed. Some continued to stare and made quiet comments to their friends. The group that Gigi was aiming at welcomed them with open arms.

"Gigi!" A man in a plain white shirt exclaimed. "Where did you get such a fine-looking hunk of man?"

"The poor thing was begging for crumbs on the street," Gigi replied smoothly. "He thought it would be faux pas to go around as Black X after he'd died so tragically. I told him... I said, Black X might be dead, but that don't mean people don't want to still catch a glimpse of him. It took me a lot of work to talk him into taking it up again."

"You poor thing," he murmured, shooting Tsuna a look of sympathy mixed with appreciation. Tsuna shrugged while filing away the sudden knowledge that he'd been apparently written off as dead. That was a relief that Gigi had no clue she'd just given him. If he was thought to be dead, no one would be chasing him. "And after you perfected the look so well. I bet you were crushed when he died."

"Completely," Tsuna lied, gazing out of half-lidded eyes in an enticing way that he remembered from June of the second edition. Putting his mind on what he was doing, he shoved all thoughts of his old life completely away. That life was gone now. Completely and utterly gone. "Gigi made me an offer I couldn't refuse, though. It's been a long time since someone bought me a drink."

"We'll take care of that," he snapped, digging in his pocket for money. He handed it over to one of his friends with orders to grab Tsuna a drink. Gigi had warned him that it might happen that way at first. It'd take a while before he could make money off of people buying him drinks. "I'm going to steal you from Gigi, though. I haven't seen a Black X impression as good as yours in years."

"Sorry," he replied with a grin. "I'm not one to be stolen. I think I could be persuaded with the right bribe." Tsuna pulled out the January expression, giving the man a look full of invitation.

"Oh," the man moaned in delighted amusement while he looked Tsuna up and down in appreciation. "You sure brought us a live one, Gigi."

"You just make sure to take care of him properly," Gigi commented, pulling her arm away from Tsuna's. "I've got to go see if I can tempt Hannah into dancing."

"She's not Hannah tonight," the man replied, putting an arm around Tsuna possessively. Tsuna allowed it, knowing that he'd be able to make money off of the contact eventually. "She didn't come in drag tonight. I think that she's considering going straight again. She got dumped again."

"Oh no!" Gigi exclaimed. "I swear that woman is as flighty as a hummingbird. He should know by now that he always comes running back for her sugar daddies. There isn't a female piece of ass out there that'll satisfy him! She needs someone to set her up right before she starts all the drama again."

"You're telling me," he replied with a nod. Then his eyes lit down on Tsuna and a wide grin spread across his face. "Hannah is a closet-case Black X fan. Isn't he?"

"Oh ho!" Gigi grinned, coming up with the same thought. "This one will get those straight thoughts right out of his head. He isn't cheap, though."

"I wouldn't expect him to be," he replied, grabbing a handful of Tsuna's rear in the process. "How much? I'd rather shell out a good bit than have to hear Hannah's drama when he can't find a good enough woman."

"Too expensive for you to afford," Tsuna answered playfully. "But I'll give him a kiss good enough to make him forget for twenty. I prefer to buy my own drinks, but I'm not adverse to letting someone else giving me the money to pay with."

"He's worth it," Gigi interjected, biting her lip in open regret for having let Tsuna out of her clutches.

"Here's forty," the man laughed, pulling out two bills. "I want to sample this kiss that's worth that much and then I want you to go give Hannah one."

"Alright," Tsuna grinned, plucking the money out of the man's hand. Like Gigi had warned, fingers curled around Tsuna's collar in order to pull him up to retrieve what had been paid for. Tsuna gave it to him, knowing that he had to do it well to earn the money that he'd been given. Forty dollars was more than he'd made in a whole month of begging in some cases. Forty dollars mean steaks for him and Snicker. Forty dollars meant that they were that much closer to getting an apartment. A real apartment instead of a borrowed attic. He knew that Snicker wouldn't be happy about him doing this, but he didn't have to know. Snicker hadn't cared about him going out with Gigi, but he didn't know that Tsuna was doing it for cash.

Like before, he kissed long enough to give the man his money's worth before forcibly pulling away. He looked somewhat dazed for a moment before yanking Tsuna up into another one. Tsuna let him, knowing that he'd already paid for two. Letting him get a second one meant that he'd have to buy another for the Hannah person.

That meant sixty dollars in less than ten minutes. Although, he had a feeling that he couldn't do this every night. Kissing just this one person made him already feel like he was soaked in slime. He didn't let that show, though. Once more, he kissed him deeply and thoroughly in order to make him want more. Then he felt a hand grab his rear once more, making him yelp and break off early in surprise. The man didn't seem to mind, though. Instead, he grinned in complete pleasure and squeezed before releasing him.

"What's the price for all of you?" He asked with lust in his eyes, completely unable to tear his eyes off of Tsuna. Leaning up into his ear, Tsuna told him. It was a price that he'd talked over and came to with Gigi. One where he actually could see himself giving in and one that he doubted anyone would be willing to pay.

"Two Hundred Grand," he answered quietly, his quiet voice sending a shiver down the man's spine. "Like Gigi said, I'm not cheap."

"I think I'll make myself happy with your lips," the man grimaced with a small shake to get his head back on straight. "Unless you're willing to take a payment plan, I don't have that kind of cash. Here's another twenty. Go give Hannah what you just gave me and then come back. Jimmie should be back with your drink by then."

"Sounds like fun," he smiled, accepting the third twenty. Raising an eyebrow at Gigi, he let himself be led by the drag queen away from the group that had been silently appraising him. The moment that they were out of earshot, he looked up at her with barely-suppressed enthusiasm. "Did you see that, Gigi? He gave me sixty!"

"Damn nice work," she praised. "You didn't try to stop him from wasting a twenty, either. Now, Hannah. Hannah will probably be your biggest customer when he sees you. So you lay it on thick. Leave him begging for more. Hannah's one of the clean ones, too. He volunteers with me at the free AIDs testing center, so I know."

"I didn't know you volunteered," Tsuna replied in surprise.

"Yup," she nodded. "I give a large chunk of what I make to the center to keep it open. That's the only reason that I don't have more than what I got. Between that and saving, I've got me a nice nest egg to retire on but it means that I got to live cheap for now. I suggest you do the same. Put back all the money you make tonight. I know that you want steaks, but I'd put it in the bank for when times really get tough. You can't do this and think that you'll make money every time you come in. You'll get a lot tonight because people will be curious."

"I'll remember," he promised, knowing that Snicker would think ahead with the money like he always did. Looking around, he saw a lot of people both curious and wistful when they looked at him. The wistful looks had to be because they'd been watching the kiss. Leading him upstairs, he followed in Gigi's wake toward a table where several guys were lounging around and listening to a man furiously talking about something. There were several looks of amusement and the impression that they were all humoring the man. Tsuna only needed a momentary glance up at Gigi to get him targeted as Hannah.

Hannah paused mid-diatribe to stare when Tsuna and Gigi walked up. Everyone else turned in unison to see what had gotten Hannah to shut up and they gaped at the sight of Black X.

"Charles bought you a gift, Hannah," Gigi announced cheerfully.

"Are you Hannah?" Tsuna asked with the half-lidded June expression again. Hannah nodded with his jaw still slackly hanging free. Tsuna let go of Gigi in order to approach him. Like Gigi had suggested, he planned to lay it on thick. He walked forward and pushed him back in his chair, getting a low groan in response. Then, without even a by-your-leave, he kicked the guy's legs open to allow him to stand even closer. A knee softly placed on the edge of the chair let him have leverage in order to lean forward and kiss him with everything he had.

It took everything he had in him not to laugh at the quivering spasm against his leg, telling him that the man had gotten off only three seconds into the kiss. He did laugh openly, however, when the man's head fell back after five more seconds and he passed out completely.

"Um..." he chuckled, looking back at Gigi with an expression of awe mixed with disbelief. "I think he likes me a little too much. It's a good thing that Charles didn't pay me forty."

"That's good enough," Gigi laughed while the rest of the group began applauding along with a drunken roar of laughter over the display. "I don't think we'll have to worry about him becoming a drama queen instead of a drag queen. At least, not as long as we have you around." Gigi grabbed everyone's attention with a little clap, doing Tsuna an even greater favor. "Listen up, all of you. Remember this. Anytime you want Hannah to shut up, just toss Black X here a twenty. He'll be happy to do a repeat show whenever he's around but he can't stick around if he doesn't have the cash to buy his own drinks."

"We'll take good care of him, Gigi," one of them exclaimed around his delighted laughter. "You go tell Charles that we're keeping him here. If I know him, he probably wants this one back, but I want to see Hannah's face when he wakes up. Here's a twenty. Why don't you go get drinks for our little X here and something for yourself. Grab me another beer while you're at it and tell Charles what happened."

"I guess that means that Hannah here is my seat for the night," Tsuna chuckled, lounging across the man's lap like everyone openly wanted. "Anyone want to buy him another gift for when he wakes up? He barely got to the good part before he passed out. I'm not sure if it was enough to make him forget about women entirely."

Tsuna grinned widely at the three twenties that flew up into the air.

* * *

He was horny. He was incredibly, undeniably horny. He didn't know if it was from kissing strangers all night or if it was that last shot that Charles had bought him or if maybe someone had slipped something into his drink, but he felt so hot. Even worse was that he couldn't hide the bulge between his legs anymore. Especially when the person who's lap that he was currently sitting in kept grabbing between his legs to pull him back up against him. This time, the hand didn't disappear, though. He was grateful for the high table that he was able to hide behind, but the hand knew what the others hadn't noticed yet.

He didn't know what to do at this point. Gigi had disappeared over two hours ago to work the crowd on her own in hopes of finding a companion willing to spend more than a twenty on her. Normally, she'd have already been out on the streets to work, but it was raining again. At least, that's what she said when she'd checked in last. Even worse than knowing that he was horny was the knowledge that he was drunk. He was drunk enough to admit that he was drunk, too. Everything someone said was funny and he found himself laughing at stories where he didn't know a single person that it was about. There was no way that he'd allow others to touch him so often if he hadn't been this drunk, too. Even though he knew that he wouldn't want it sober, he craved more of that contact. It was like he completely forgot his adamant stance of being straight.

It felt good to be touch and he didn't care who it was by at the moment. Especially when the hand started slowly rubbing down his length though his pants. He tried not to react to it, but he could feel his legs working out of his conscious control to let the guy have more access. Hiding behind another drink of his beer, he tried to focus on the joke that Nel... Neal?... was telling. He nodded in agreement when he seemed to want a reaction and shrugged occasionally, feeling himself grow even more flush while the hand continued to rub him. That particular hand had grabbed him several times tonight, but this was the first time that he couldn't find it in himself to reject it. He felt that he could explode in his pants at any moment.

Nel turned to one of the others to continue his story, not getting the reactions he wanted out of Tsuna. Tsuna couldn't help it, though. The hand... the hand was taking up all of his thoughts.

"I'll give you fifty to let me give you head in the bathroom," he whispered into Tsuna's ear. Tsuna nodded, more than willing to let him do it for free. He knew by now that 'head' was synonymous with someone sucking his member and he wanted someone to do it very badly at the moment. Letting the man guide him, he stumbled away from the table. No one even looked up at their exit, having probably long expected them to disappear. They made it down the stairs very carefully with the guy's hands on his shoulders in order to keep him from falling over.

"Where you going, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked curiously, stepping in their path when they happened to pass where she was drinking with a friend.

"Just to the bathroom," the guy holding him up smiled, trying to continue to guide Tsuna past.

"Oh, no you don't," Gigi objected. "I know you, Gabriel. You let me take him if he's got to go. I'm not about to let you talk him into doing the nasty in a filthy place like there."

"Back off, bitch," Gabriel growled, shoving Tsuna forward. Tsuna dug his heels in, though. Gigi was his friend and he wasn't going to let someone talk to him...her...him...whatever like that! His need for release could be ignored in the face of that. Gigi was a hundred more times important than getting off.

"She's not a bitch," he snapped when Gabriel raised an eyebrow in askance. "Gigi is nice and kind and a really good kisser. You should apologize."

"Sure thing, X," he grinned with a roll of his eyes. "I'll apologize as soon as we get you taken care of. Now, why don't we--"

"No!" He said with drunken firmness, breaking out of Gabriel's grip in order to turn and look at him. "Apologize now or I'm leaving. I can't be friends with a person that is mean to other people."

"Oh really?" Gabriel chuckled while Tsuna wavered on his feet without his support. "And why is that?"

"Because," he grinned. "That... is my way of the ninja." Tsuna nodded to himself, satisfied with the reason he'd come up with. Then he remembered that he wasn't a ninja. Where the hell had he come up with that? Oh well, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Gabriel apologized for his insult.

"I think you've had enough, sweet-cheeks," Gigi commented with a chuckle, reaching over to grab him by the shoulders like Gabriel had previously. Tsuna started to object, but a single pointed look from Gigi silenced him while he was herded to the door. He became more light-headed with every step he took while the alcohol in his system really got to flowing. By the time she got him outside, everything was spinning in a way that definitely couldn't be considered pleasurable.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he groaned, pausing in order to lean against a wall. The cold air helped clear his head a lot, but he'd drank much more than he'd intended. Much, much more than he'd intended. He just hadn't noticed it because he'd been sitting down. Getting up and moving around made it hit him all at once, though. He barely managed to stumble deeper into the alley before he began retching up the alcohol that was threatening to make him pass out. It had stopped raining while he was inside, but he barely noticed anything other than his stomach, the ground, and the way everything was spinning.

"Let it out, sweet-cheeks," Gigi soothed in concern, rubbing his back when he started heaving again. He was grateful for her care, but wanted to laugh a bit at it, too. His hair was too short to need to be held back, but he had a strange feeling that she would have done it for him if it had been needed. "What were you thinking, almost letting him lead you off like that? You know what he was going to do when he got you in the bathroom. Right?"

"Yeah," he answered, standing back up with his stomach completely empty. Wiping his mouth, he waited to a moment to ensure that his stomach wasn't going to start tossing again. It seemed okay, though. Stumbling back out toward the street and away from the mess with Gigi's aid, he sat down on the curb with her beside him. Before he went anywhere, he wanted his head to clear some. As it was, everything was still spinning too badly for him to walk straight. He knew that it was warm out, too, but the air seemed pleasantly cold considering how overheated his body was. "Thanks for stopping me," he mumbled after a minute. "I don't know what I was thinking. Well, I know what I was thinking. I was thinking fifty bucks and I could get this wood out of my pants. I would have hated myself later, though."

"The first one is free," Gigi laughed. "Next time, saving you is going to cost you, though. I almost had me a date for tonight."

"Sorry," Tsuna mumbled apologetically. "How much did I make? We'll split it and call it even."

"Are you sure, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked doubtfully. "You made a nice chunk."

"Call it a down payment for saving me in the future," he replied, rubbing his head in an attempt to get the vertigo to stop. "Don't worry. I'm not a black-out drunk. I'll remember that I told you to take it in the morning."

"Well, you made six hundred and forty," she said, pulling out a roll of cash that made Tsuna's eyes pop. He tried figuring it up in his head and lost count after the sixth kiss. "That's thirty two kisses you gave tonight," she supplied for him. "Plus whatever you still have in your pocket."

"No," he corrected. "It wasn't thirty two. Twenty of that was just to sit in Gabriel's lap for half an hour and forty was so that Charlie...I mean Charles could touch me during his third kiss. I told him off for touching me for free the second time like you told me to. He said forty was good to cover that and then paid an extra twenty to.. Fuck... What was the other twenty for?"

"That would have been the special shot," Gigi supplied knowingly. "You tucked it in the hem of your pants and let him drink it like that."

"I did that?" He asked with a moan, his head becoming more clear by the moment. "Things went downhill after you stopped getting the drinks."

"I can't watch you all the time," Gigi laughed. "I have my own work to do. I didn't know that you were going to split the take with me, though. I'll tell you what. If you'll split it with me every time, I'll start sticking to you like glue. I can ask for them to water down your drinks so that you can stay longer, too. Me and the bartenders are on good terms. They know when I ask for a wet whatever, it means that I want it watered down. I figure that you won't want to go out every night, so I can still look for dates on the nights you don't go. How does that sound? I'll watch your back and you don't have to worry about getting talked into the bathroom again. We'll take the money from me getting your drinks and the money you make from kisses and split it down the middle."

"Sounds good," he admitted. "I like Snicker watching my back better, but this isn't a place that he can go into and feel comfortable. Hell, now that my head isn't going in fifty directions, it's not a place that I'm comfortable in. I'll probably only come on weekends. I don't think I could do this every night and that kind of crowd probably isn't there on weekdays. What time is it, anyway?"

"Only two a.m.," she answered. "Do you feel like going back in? There's still a lot of people that haven't gotten their hands on you yet."

"No," he mumbled, attempting to get to his feet. He was still hornier than ever, but he didn't feel quite as overheated as before. It might not seem like such a large difference, but cooling off meant that he could control himself. "Snicker's probably worried by now," he explained while Gigi split the stack of twenties in order to hand both his half and his shirt to him. Tsuna put it on without bothering to button it, not wanting to let himself get hot again. Sticking the cash in his shirt pocket, he leaned on Gigi while they headed in the direction of home.

"Hey, Gigi...?" Tsuna asked after a block.

"What is it, sweet-cheeks?"

"I'm not a whore. Am I?" He inquired quietly.

"No, you're not," she replied firmly. "You might have kissed for money, but you didn't sell more than that."

"So, what am I if I'm not a whore?"

"I think you'd be considered a man-slut," she answered honestly. "Don't feel bad, though. That just means that you're willing to take the money that men throw at you. That's common sense in my book. Hell. If I could make as much as you do off of just kissing, I'd be happy to be a slut instead of a whore."

"I didn't know that there was a difference," he mumbled in thought. Then he shrugged. "I don't care. As long as I can make money, I'll stomach whatever I have to. I won't let Snicker go back out on the streets again. You know, he said that we could get an apartment when he gets a job."

"That would be nice," Gigi replied while she helped him down the street toward his apartment building. "You and Snicker deserve a nice place. I noticed you two. Neither of you ever tried to steal from anyone else. No matter how bad things got, you just protected your own and you never got rotten. I'm proud of you, sweet-cheeks. Most people wouldn't have stuck to their guns like you two have. You might not know it, but you and Snicker have a lot of people cheering for you. You especially. We thought we were about to lose Snicker and then you showed up. I haven't seen Snicker this lively in a long time. A lot of us were thinking that you two were sticking together for warmth, but that's not it. Is it?"

"No," he smiled, shaking his head in a way that made him want to shake his whole body alongside it. "Me and Snicker aren't together like that. Snicker wouldn't do something like that with me. That would be just wrong. I love Snicker, but not in that kind of way."

"What other way is there?" Gigi asked curiously.

"I love him because he's my family," Tsuna answered quietly.

* * *

"H-Hold on," Tsuna grinned drunkenly, digging his heels in before a particular apartment door as they passed. Gigi raised an eyebrow at him, but he ignored it. He wanted a kiss that he'd actually enjoy before he went to bed. He still had the feel of someone's lips on him. He wasn't quite sure who it was, but it definitely wasn't a woman's.

But he knew how to fix that.

Leaning on Gigi for support, he knocked loudly in hopes that Summer wasn't out working tonight. It took several knocks before the door flew open to reveal--

"Hello, Gol--uh--Autumn," he grinned.

"You're drunk," she replied, not even questioning the fact. Tsuna nodded slowly, feeling as if the world was bouncing instead of his head.

"Is Autumn home?" He asked. "Wait. You're Autumn. I meant, is Summer home?"

"She's out working," she stated blandly. "What do you want? I'll tell her when she gets back."

"That's no good," he mumbled in open disappointment.

"What's going on, Gigi?" Autumn asked, leaning on her doorframe in growing amusement over Tsuna's drunken state. Tsuna smiled widely, happy that she was happy while Gigi tried to find the words to answer her question.

"I took him to Kink's," Gigi grimaced. "He made a nice chunk, but--"

"How could you?!" Autumn gasped. Then she paused, looking Tsuna over. "Unless... He's not gay, is he?"

"No," Gigi replied with a small cringe. "He's straight, which is probably why he wanted to see Summer. He was a lot more popular than I expected."

"Why would you go somewhere like that, Suoh?" Autumn asked in open concern. "Only gay guys go there. You had to know--"

"I knew," he confirmed, bowing his head in realization that she wasn't happy with him anymore. Even worse was that he couldn't blame her. He wasn't happy with himself, either. "But I made money. I made enough to help so that me and Snicker can get an apartment. Snicker is trying to get a job, so I should work, too. I don't have an ID or an address, but I don't need those to do this. I--" Tsuna paused, clamping his mouth shut the moment that he noticed that he was rambling. "Good night, Autumn. Tell Summer that I said hello. I was hoping that she could give me a kiss goodnight, but that's okay. She probably won't want to see a drunk idiot like me after she gets home. She has to deal with enough of them to make her own money."

Tsuna absently waved and started stumbling toward the attic stairwell along with Gigi. He put thoughts of Autumn and Summer out of his head, choosing instead to wonder if he could get Snicker to leave the room for a little while so that he could take care of his personal problem. Snicker was probably already asleep, though. He--

Tsuna froze at the feeling of lips on his cheek. Then he was grateful that Gigi had stopped to get him a soda on the way home since the lips brushed across his own a moment later. Female lips. Autumn's lips. He moaned softly at the feel before blindly reaching out. Before she could do more than squeak in surprise, he pulled her into an even deeper kiss in order to wash away all the foul memories he'd gotten over the course of the night. She felt a hundred...a million...a hundred million times better than anyone he'd had to kiss at the club. She was liquid gold. She was molten hot against him and made him covet more with every second that he touched her.

Then he noticed that she wasn't reacting. She wasn't enjoying the kiss and she wasn't letting it move her in the least. He was forcing her to kiss him and she didn't want to. She'd just wanted to give him a nice token and he was plundering the whole treasure chest. The moment that he noticed, he pulled back and shook his head to clear it. What the hell had he been thinking? He already knew that she wasn't meant for a guy like him. There was no way that she could like a guy like him. Not only was he drunk, but he was broke. No... change that. He had money now, but it wasn't money that he was willing to spend on her. That money was for Snicker.

"Um...uh... sorry," he mumbled with a blush, unable to even look at her after he released her. "I shouldn't have done that. I... uh--" Tsuna grimaced at the sound of her door slamming shut. He knew that he'd screwed up. It'd been a chance to look good in front of her and he'd went the whole typical male route. He couldn't help it, though. He was male and there was only one route to take when one wanted a kiss. That was to take what he could get. She'd been the one to kiss him first. He'd just--

"Slap me," Tsuna begged, looking up at Gigi in realization that not only was he being belligerent with himself, he was trying to justify slobbering all over Autumn like he had. Gigi looked at him in askance with a raised eyebrow. "I know that I'll hate myself for doing that in the morning, but for some reason I have a feeling that I'm also going to be patting myself on the-- Oh shit." Tsuna froze like a kid that had just raided a cookie jar at the sight of Snicker standing in the stairwell at the end of the hall.

He was pissed.

Tsuna could tell at a single glance. He had bloodshot eyes from staying up all night in wait. He had his arms crossed and a look on his face that suggested that he'd seen the whole thing. Tsuna pushed away from where Gigi was holding him up and slowly stumbled toward him. It was a lot harder than he thought to walk on his own, but he managed it. He managed to slowly make it all the way to Snicker and he managed to falter to a stop in front of him. Reaching down to grab his hand, Tsuna yanked free the stack of cash that he'd made and stuffed the money in it.

Snicker's eyes went wide at the sight of all the money Tsuna had made.

And that was the last sight he saw before Tsuna completely passed out where he stood.


	10. Chapter 10 Daily Repetitions

Author's notes: Triple upload!

* * *

Another day, another dollar. Tsuna woke to find himself warmly pressed between Snicker and the wall with their battery-powered alarm clock beeping softly in his ear. He absently smacked it to silence it before sitting up. He knew that he couldn't oversleep like he used to. If he did, then Snicker would and he'd lose his job. Their blanket was haphazardly tossed about them, but Snicker had managed to pile some of it up around his head for a pillow. He woke with the gentlest of shakes, snapping awake to defend himself like he was still living in his barrel instead of an attic. The moment he saw Tsuna, he smiled and relaxed in order to lightly doze while Tsuna got up to make their breakfast.

It was incredibly nice to have both breakfast and dinner every day. Tsuna took a lot of pleasure in knowing that he'd helped make it happen, too. Hot meals used to be a luxury, but they got it every day now. He knew that Snicker was still working harder than him, though. It was because of that reason that Tsuna optioned to do the morning cooking so that Snicker could rest a while longer. It didn't take long to make, though. Going over to their ice chest, he started pulling out the makings of their breakfast.

The half-carton of eggs that he'd bought the previous night at the store came out first. Those got scrambled in one of the pots in less than a minute and Tsuna shut off the propane flame the moment that they were cooked well enough to pass Snicker's inspection. Four slices of bread got pulled out of their supply, the staple that they'd started getting instead of rice. They ate a loaf a day between them, but that was perfectly fine since they were doing so well. The eggs got scraped out in order to make sandwiches and Tsuna made sure to get every last bit in the pot. They'd get a bit of meat for dinner, but they got fruit to go with breakfast. Tsuna got an orange today and Snicker took his normal banana.

"What time will Harold be here to get you?" Tsuna asked to make small talk.

"He's not coming today," Snicker answered around a bite of egg sandwich. "Got to take the bus today."

"You'll be cutting it close," Tsuna warned with a grimace, hurriedly finishing off his own sandwich so that he could set Snicker up with some water to bathe with.

"Boss is a good one," he replied with a small nod to himself. "I already warned him last night that I'd be taking the bus today and he said it was just fine with him. I got a feeling that Harold is getting tired of picking me up."

"I don't know why," Tsuna sighed as he got to work doling out the water. "It's on his way and you ride in the back. He never has to wait on you, either."

"Guess it's just the way of things," Snicker sighed. Tsuna nodded sadly, knowing it to be true. People didn't like giving handouts and no one wanted to do it on a regular basis. That was fine, though. Public transportation would get Snicker down to the factory within a few minutes of the start of his shift.

While Snicker cleaned up with the water and rag that Tsuna gave to him so that he wouldn't have to get up, he set to cleaning up after their breakfast. There wasn't much. The empty bread bag and the empty egg carton got put in the same sack that he'd used to bring it home in. The peelings from their fruit got tossed inside along with them. Both he and Snicker had stopped eating that part since Snicker had started worrying about pesticides on the skins.

Taking the bag outside, he tossed it into the dumpster. That done, he hid behind the dumpster long enough to urinate before retreating back up to their living space. He knew that it was far from legal, but no one would care as long as he wasn't caught. As it was, he knew that everyone in his particular building were still sleeping off hangovers. The rain would wash it away, too. He was used to it by now. Pissing in the alley was a hundred times better than forcing himself to go into a port-a-potty in the park when he had to go during the day. For the instances that he needed more than a few seconds to relieve himself, there was always the supermarket's bathrooms. They knew him enough by now that he'd been allowed to use their restroom several times.

By the time he got back upstairs, Snicker had already combed his hair back with water and had scrubbed his body clean. He was in the process of dressing in a new set of clothes for the day and Tsuna quietly snatched up the dirty set to be washed when they both ran out of clean sets. That wouldn't be until Friday, though. They always got washed on the same day that they got showers. Tsuna got to take a real shower at Gigi's before they went out and Snicker still went to Freddie's. For now, the clothes got folded neatly and placed in the stack of clothes that was next to their little dresser. Stacking them neatly kept even the dirty stuff in the room from seeming to be dirty.

By the time that Tsuna finished with that, Snicker was already standing in preparation to leave. Like always, he gave a long stretch the moment that he got to his feet in order to straighten out any kinks that he'd gotten during the night. As always, Tsuna took advantage of him raising his arms up to give him a quick hug of thanks for everything he did.

"Don't push yourself," Tsuna mumbled when Snicker lowered his arms back down. Tsuna grinned momentarily at the hand that ruffled his hair before letting Snicker go.

"Don't you go pushing yourself, either," he advised. Waiting for his nod of agreement, Snicker left with a smile in order to ensure that he got to the bus on time. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna set to doing his own preparation for the day. Pouring out the dregs of the water into the gutter outside the slow-moving ventilation fans, Tsuna quickly doled out his own in order to wash up. He made sure to get the cleanest parts first and slowly made his way to the dirtiest in order to ensure that he didn't just spread the worst part around on himself. After that, he used a bit of extra clean water to brush his teeth properly.

Then came the part that Tsuna hated, but knew that he had to do. He'd gotten the pinky again yesterday, so he had to work on his ring fingers today. Gigi had told him that Black X had been declared dead, but that didn't mean that bad things wouldn't happen if he was taken in by the police for some reason. The only way to ensure that he wasn't ever found was to destroy one of the only lingering piece of his old life that could be traced to him.

His fingerprints.

Pulling off the bandages of his ring fingers, he eyed the cuts from the previous week. Thankfully, they'd been deep enough this time. The time before last, it hadn't been and his print had come back just as clearly as before. He knew better now, though. It was better to suck it up and just cut deeply so that he'd be able to eventually stop cutting his fingers up. As it was, there were only a couple of scar lines on each of his fingers. He needed a lot more so that no one would ever be able to piece his old fingerprints out again.

In preparation, Tsuna took two of his painkillers along with some water. Then he pulled out his pocket knife and the small bottle of rubbing alcohol that Snicker had made him promise to use. A drop got put on his knife and a drop went on each of his fingers. It hurt. It hurt a lot the moment that the alcohol hit the cuts that were already there. It hurt so much that he started crying. It was okay to cry because he was alone and crying didn't stop him from doing what he knew that he had to do.

The moment that he finished, he slapped fresh band aids over them and laid down. He laid down for a good hour until the pain subsided in his hands. He always shook afterward, no matter how painless he made it for himself. He didn't really understand it, but he thought that he might have a phobia to blood. That thought always made him laugh, though. He could still remember what his future self had written in the summary reports of the things that he did. There was no way that he had a phobia to blood. It was just the pain. He had always run away from painful things before, so he was positive that the shaking had to be because he was forcing himself to go through pain.

As soon as he managed to stop crying and was able to ignore the pain again, he got back up to continue the day once more. There was no real rest for a guy like him. The first thing he did was to fold up his blanket so that the room wouldn't look as ragged. Then, pouring out the dirty water like he had Snicker's, he peeked out to see what the weather was like. It was sunny out today, which meant that he'd probably do well in the park. The rest of his preparation was done in a rush once he noticed that. He got dressed and pulled both his wool cap and a pair of tight work gloves into place instead of his fingerless ones. After that, he quickly crushed up a lump of charcoal to dust his face thoroughly with. Like always, he sneezed several times by the time he was done applying it. That was okay, though. A quick glance in the fragment of a mirror that he'd salvaged let him know that his face was covered well enough to suffice.

With a last glance around to ensure that everything was in order, he grabbed his satchel and headed out the door after ensuring that everything he needed for the day was inside. Like always, the hallways between the apartments in the building was empty. The one time that someone happened to pop out of their apartment, he gave a shy nod and a wave before continuing on his way.

He didn't waste any time in getting to the park. Setting himself up next to the main fountain, he gave a small wave to the other performers before starting. He had his satchel propped open with a hangar so that people could easily toss change inside. Like always, he started out by simply leaning on air and drinking a cup of imaginary coffee. There was no point in putting himself out until people started walking through. By the same token, he couldn't simply start when he saw them, either. He had to have some sort of starting point and drinking a cup of coffee was as good as any.

Thankfully, the rush started to come through before he'd been there more than ten minutes. He got a lot of curious looks at first, but he waited for the perfect chance to pass by. And she did. Grinning widely, Tsuna craned his neck downward to follow the trail of a buxom brunette that looked at him while she passed. When he leaned forward to get a better angle, he jerked like he'd hit something. Several people watched him curiously while he tested the invisible wall that he'd bumped against. Laying down his invisible drink on an invisible table, he continued the routine in order to get even more attention. After all, mimes were recognized immediately for the whole stuck-in-a-box act.

It was embarrassing and cliché, but he did it anyway. He did it because of the change that was tossed into his bag in appreciation. Making himself a door, he walked through it to get out of his box, receiving a lot of amused chuckles and even a little applause for those that had paused to watch him. By now, the park was teeming with people who were walking around or were enjoying a quick lunch outside of their offices. Those people were more than willing to toss the leftover change from their lunch to him in order to get entertained and he was more than willing to embarrass himself for it.

After the mime-in-a-box routine, he pulled out another that he'd taught himself from watching the mime across town for a day. Pulling out an invisible fishing pole, he tried to snag a passerby that kept glancing at him without stopping. Of course, the passerby didn't stop then, either, but it allowed Tsuna to pretend that he was getting dragged. He got another round of applause when he acted out his line breaking and everything. Fishing again snagged him a person that was willing to play along.

Expressive expressions got him what words probably couldn't have. He stared with wide eyes at the guy that had stopped when he noticed Tsuna being 'dragged' behind him. Tsuna reeled in his line quickly, once more pretending that it was taunt. Almost as if he was pulling in a big one. Of course, for him, it was a big one. If the guy was willing to stop and play along, he'd probably be willing to toss him a buck, too. Tsuna continued the play for several minutes until the man finally walked all the way up to him with laughter on his face. When he got there, Tsuna showed him off to the people watching like he was a prized catch.

The rain of coins made him giddy in happiness. Encouraged by his success, he decided to pull out another favorite. Miming that he had a rope, he handed one end to the 'prized catch' and walked a few feet away. Turning with a flourish, the man looked at him in confusion until Tsuna started tugging on the rope with a manner that suggested he was having a hard time. The man instantly got the picture and started playing invisible tug-of-war with him. Tsuna did everything he could. First he tried pulling hand-over-hand, but got yanked forward by a good tug from the guy. Then he tried pulling it over his shoulder and digging his feet in. He saw the guy tug again out of the corner of his eye and flew backward in order to get another round of applause. Pretending to spit on his hands, he grabbed the invisible rope and gave a good, hard yank.

The man playfully ran forward a few steps in his own attempt at miming. Tsuna ignored him, raising his arms in victory like he'd just won an award for winning. More dollars and coins rained down in appreciation before Tsuna turned to present his helper with an invisible gift in thanks. The man took it with a laugh and put it in his pocket before reaching into his pocket to pull out his own gift of appreciation for Tsuna's work. Tsuna took it, propping out his hip and making both shocked and grateful expressions until the man left with a small wave.

Continuing his act, Tsuna mimed everything he's seen the mime across town do. He also did a few of his own, such as following people around and imitating them when the crowd started to disperse. No matter what their reactions were to being followed, Tsuna had prepared reactions of his own to their reactions. Curious looks got considering looks. Startled looks got startled acts. Angry outbursts got tearful plays. Typically, even if the person that was being followed didn't toss him money, someone else who was watching did. It wasn't anything that he could get in trouble for, either, since he didn't leave the area around the fountain. It was only harassment if he kept doing it after being asked to stop.

Sadly, he got a few of those, too.

By the time that lunch rush was over and the park had died down to only the other performers and a few random people, Tsuna figured that he still had plenty of time to go dumpster diving before his other job. For that, though, he needed to go back toward the residential side of town. Not the down-scale residential side, either. He needed to go to the upscale side where people didn't know worth if it bit them on the ass. Most of those places had their dumpsters in fenced-in areas that were only accessible to the residents, but there were a few places that he knew that didn't.

Since he didn't have a bus pass, he walked three blocks to the nearest subway station and used a bit of his change to get on. His charcoal-covered face got a lot of strange looks, but he ignored them. A lot stranger things were seen in the city at times. Along the way, he reached in and counted his money out under the cover of his bag. He grimaced a bit at the outcome, but it was still better than what he'd made begging. Seven dollars and thirty two cents, not including the bus token that he hadn't noticed before. Oh well. He could use the token for getting back home.

Two stops later, he jumped off onto the platform behind a man in a business suit and a woman with more makeup on than a clown. He sometimes found it amazing what people wasted money on now. The woman would look a hundred times better with her natural face and the man's suit looked like it had more starch on it than Tsuna had eaten in a month. Ignoring them, he headed for the stairs that led back up to topside. The moment that he reached daylight, he ducked into an alley. This was very close to the rich and snotty part of town. The part of town where people like him were questioned regularly by cops.

As long as he stayed in the alleys, though, the cops wouldn't see him. Those guys tended to stay in their cars and go along the main roads. As long as Tsuna wasn't in plain sight, he'd be safe. Well, from them at least. Taking the alley road meant that he had to be more careful about the other dangers. Dangers such as those worse off than himself. There were a few that stuck to this side of town predominately and they didn't take it lightly when they caught someone going through what was theirs.

Which was why Tsuna hid in the first dumpster he came across. Jumping inside after ensuring that the coast was clear, he hid himself in one of the front corners. For once, his small size did him a favor since he was completely out of view that way. He still had to keep an ear out for anyone sneaking up, but he could search for salvageable treasures in near safety. Dumping out a bag that wasn't full of rotten food, he started grabbing every can that he saw while he picked through in hopes of finding something of value. Bags that were obviously full of kitchen discards was left alone and tossed into the corner away from him. The other bags got picked through in curiosity for what he could find.

He was nearly dancing in place in joy when he found a stack of outdated video games. While the idiot that had tossed them out probably thought they were worthless, he knew better. The cartridges all got tossed into his satchel without a second thought, followed by the controller that was bagged up with them. Then he found the reason that the games had been tossed. The console to play them was in pieces. From the looks of it, someone's parent or significant other had taken a bat to it. Since the console had been destroyed, the games had lost value in the eyes of the owner. They were useless without a console.

Idiots.

Tsuna could care less. Someone else's loss was his gain and he'd just gained over twenty bucks worth of goods. Then he found a leather jacket that looked to be in near new condition. The zipper was busted, but that was the only thing wrong with it. Tsuna tied that one around his waist with full intent to clean it and use it for himself when the weather got cold again. It was a little big, but not so much that it would make him look silly. He didn't even have to roll up the sleeves on it.

Then Tsuna came to a bag of what looked to be broken and discarded toys. Seeing that told him that he'd been lucky enough to come upon the remains of someone's Spring cleaning. The bag got grabbed in entirety, but not as something that he planned to sell. Instead, he planned to hand it over to Gigi. Gigi would know where the poor kids went to get toys. Even if one of the action figures was missing an arm or a doll didn't have clothes, it was still more than most of them got. Their parents would be too prideful to accept it as charity, but they were more than willing to buy it for a nickel or a dime. The only problem was that thrift stores that had toys usually didn't have much in the way of toys. People bought new most of the time if they had money and turned it to trash when it wasn't any good anymore.

Waste.

The city was full of wasteful people. The world was full of wasteful people. That was fine, though. Wasteful people meant that he had more opportunities to make money. Peeking out of the dumpster, he ensured that he was still alone before lifting himself out. Months of doing that very thing had strengthened his arms enough that he could get himself in and out unaided. The moment he was back on the ground, he grabbed up his spoils and headed back for the subway. He'd gotten lucky today by finding something of worth in the first dumpster. Normally, he had to go through three or four before finding anything. The two dozen cans that he'd gotten would be enough to make Kaleb happy, too.

He got several funny looks on his train ride, but he ignored them. People brought things that were a lot scarier than trash with them. The ride only took five minutes, after which Tsuna jumped off. Going up the exit stairs, he quickly walked down the sidewalk while glancing down alleyways for his friend. Six blocks later, he saw Kaleb digging through a trashcan next to a supermarket in hopes that a case of sodas had burst. Kaleb looked up with his normal, wild-eye stare that softened only slightly when he saw that it was Tsuna approaching. Not a word was spoken as Tsuna handed over the bag of cans he'd collected. Kaleb accepted them, giving only a shrug to say that he'd not found anything of worth today.

That done, Tsuna headed back down the street in order to drop off the toys with Gigi before stopping in at his and Snicker's place to wash his face clean. He'd tried working at the airport without washing his mime mask off, but several people had been openly scared at his approach. It was better to have a clean face with a band aid on it than have a dirty complexion. He could make much more innocent expressions, too, which made him more approachable when people needed help.

In no time at all, he was exiting back out of his home after drinking two large cups of water to sustain him. There were signs of activity going on in the apartments as he passed through the hall between them, but no one was really coming out yet. He knew that by the time he finished his stint at the airport and returned, they'd be crossing between each other's apartments like it was a huge dormitory. Everyone in his apartment building knew each other. Him and Snicker were the only exception to the building being rented out in completion to Mike's girls. Considering that Mike took a cut of their profits for setting their dates up, it was in his best interest to protect his assets by giving them a cheap and safe place to live, too.

By the time he got to the airport, the five o'clock jet from Paris was just landing. Hurriedly, he checked to see what time tomorrow had any international flights before heading back out to take up his post by the already waiting cabs. Waving to Felmir, he leaned against the guy's cab to talk and lit a cigarette while he waited for people to start exiting the station.

"Any live ones today?" He asked curiously.

"You have no idea," Felmir replied instantly, sipping on a cup of hot coffee that he had in his cup-holder. "I had this lady earlier that just had me drive in circles while she told me a sob story about her fucking boyfriend that dumped her for a pair of twins. I told her, 'Lady, I hate to tell you, but I'd take twins over a single girl any day'. She looked at me like I'd just slapped her like I was supposed to tell her that he was a bastard. She got pissed and said that she'd call my boss, but I told her 'Lady. Go ahead and call him. He'll just tell you the same fucking thing. I don't mind chit-chat, but I don't get paid to be a councilor. You want someone to tell you that it'll be alright, then go hire a therapist.'"

"Ouch," Tsuna grimaced, taking a long drag off of his first cigarette for the day. Taking a moment to enjoy it, he propelled himself off of Felmir's cab at the first sign of people coming out of the airport. His deal with the cab drivers was simple. Get the people in their cars rather than the rival service. Most people were moving too quickly and were darting for cabs on their own, so there was nothing that Tsuna could do about them. What he focused on was the slow-moving people who looked somewhat disoriented.

Surprise was always the initial reaction when he approached someone. He worked quickly, though. A bright smile and keeping his hands where the target could see them allowed him to get their ear for the time it took to find out if he could help them. A few people brushed him off instantly, thinking he was simply looking for a handout. The ones that allowed him to help were surprised when he turned down offers of gratitude money. French seemed to be the language of the day. Almost all of the people that he was able to approach knew English, but it was a surprising comfort for them to get to speak their native language in America. A few people wanted to continue speaking English and Tsuna spoke it with them as they wanted, giving small corrections that wouldn't get people upset.

For every person that he escorted to one of 'his' cab cars, the driver handed him a five before driving off. In a lot of cases, the five wasn't just for getting the people in their car. It was for loading their luggage, translating addresses, and other random pieces of aid. Considering how long it took to help one person, he was only able to help five in the course of an hour. In Tsuna's eyes, though, it wasn't that bad. Twenty dollars for an hour of work wasn't bad at all. Of course, on days like today, five was a good amount. Especially considering that some days didn't have a single international flight scheduled to land. On those days, Tsuna didn't even bother coming since there was less chance for his particular skills to come into play. Such was the problem with a city big enough to boast two airports.

Checking the time on one of the clocks on the front of the airport, Tsuna grimaced in realization that he'd ran over his normal time again. He hurriedly helped out a sixth person in order to accept his last five and wave goodbye. He'd have to run to make it to Georgie on time.

He ran, not wanting to explain to Snicker about why they'd missed out on free food again. Georgie was already packing up by the time he got there with the sun setting down the street. Georgie raised an eyebrow at him, but smiled in understanding over Tsuna's look of apology.

"No worries, Suoh," Georgie laughed. "The rush lasted a bit longer today. I was just starting to head out."

"I know," he grimaced. "But I know that you like us here early so that you know that we're coming."

"Is Snicker coming today?" He asked curiously as he put the lid on the leftover chili in his cart. Tsuna shook his head, knowing that if Snicker wasn't there before him then he was probably too tired from work to come.

"He probably won't be able to make it anymore," Tsuna explained while he quickly covered and stowed the toppings for the hotdogs. "He got a job down at the refrigerator factory. He's usually getting off right about now, so he heads home if he's too tired. I hope it's okay if I come alone."

"No problem," Georgie soothed when Tsuna let his worry show. "You work pretty fast on your own and I understand if Snicker's pulling shifts down there. I'm glad that he was able to find a place."

"He had to call in a few favors," Tsuna replied, lowering the umbrella on the stand while Georgie started releasing the brakes on the cart's wheels. "Right now, he's only on trial. They said that if he works hard enough, his position will be confirmed in three months. He can't join a union or get insurance until then, but they're still paying him really good."

"That's good to hear," Georgie sighed. Tsuna smiled at him for a moment in appreciation for his kind words before taking over on pushing the cart toward the parking garage. He wasn't able to go as fast as Snicker could since he didn't have anyone making sure that it didn't tip on one side, but they still made it in good time. Georgie didn't seem displeased with the speed, but that might have just been because he didn't have to push it. Either way, he seemed more than willing to hand over a small bag of his leftovers before driving off.

Tucking the bag into his satchel for safe-keeping, Tsuna headed out of the garage and toward a nearby market. It was one that had kicked them out previously, but Tsuna had weaseled into letting him back in. The first thing he did upon reaching it was to use their bathroom since he'd been in too big of a hurry to use the airport's. After that, he grabbed a basket and made the same route around the place that he made every day. First, to get the fruit for the morning and a bag of pre-mixed salad for dinner. Deciding on a box of macaroni and cheese instead of chili, he headed there next. After that, he grabbed up a loaf of whole wheat bread and then a half gallon of milk to go with dinner. The half-carton of eggs for breakfast was the last thing he grabbed before heading toward the front to pay for it all.

"No chili tonight?" Becca asked with a wrinkled smile.

"I figured that we could use a change of pace," Tsuna replied easily. "And we haven't had anything cheesy in a while, so Snicker might like macaroni."

"You're such a dear with how you think about your friend like that," she chuckled while she continued ringing up his supplies. "Do you need another bag of ice?"

"As always," he answered with a nod. Taking a deep breathe over the price for it all, Tsuna handed over the money out of his day's earnings. Then, with a small nod of appreciation over how she'd bagged everything together so that nothing would get smashed, he grabbed a bag of ice out of the freezer at the front before leaving. Using the bus token that he'd gotten with his mime earnings, he jumped on a bus to save his already-abused legs from even more walking. He only got to sit for ten minutes, though, before his stop came up and he had to walk another two blocks to make it home. In all honesty, he could have probably walked it faster since the traffic was crazy, but sitting down for once felt nice.

Dashing up the steps, he avoided appreciative and playful grabs at him where he could. The girls were crossing between apartments like it was a dormitory and very few bothered to put on more than undergarments first. A few didn't even bother with that. It was the same gauntlet that he ran every night, though, and one that made the wearisome nature of the day instantly disappear. He was stopped numerous times for the girls to use him to blot their lipstick instead of toilet paper. There were several grabs of invitation, as well, that Tsuna knew he wouldn't be able to take. He'd have to come earlier than now if he wanted to satisfy those kinds of cravings.

Then he caught sight of Autumn, one of the few to already be fully dressed. All it took was a glimpse to make all the perverted thoughts in his head come to an abrupt stop. He still couldn't forget what he'd done to her. He'd forced a kiss on her and she probably despised him now. He didn't have the right to talk to her. To look at her. To even breathe the same air as her. Before she could come out and see what the growing chaos was all about, he extricated himself so that he could retreat up to their attic living space. Several of the girls seemed disappointed, but they quickly returned to what they'd been doing before he even got the stairwell door closed behind him.

Quickly hurrying up the stairs, he grimaced when he saw that Snicker had already fallen asleep. He tended to do that when Tsuna took too long. Tsuna let him sleep and quietly set down the groceries. Grabbing up the ice chest, he retreated back down the stairs in order to borrow Cassandra's sink. It was only a minute's work and the cost of a kiss to empty out the melted ice before he was allowed to go back up into the attic again. Once there, he set to emptying the ice into the chest and storing breakfast away inside.

As soon as he finished with that and had the milk on ice, as well, he pulled off his gloves and stowed his satchel next to the dresser. It only took another moment to pull off his sweaty shirt and pants in order to pile it with the rest of his dirty clothes. Snicker wasn't perverted and he didn't plan to go out again until morning. That meant that he could cook dinner without being overwhelmed by the heat in the place.

The macaroni got made first, after which Tsuna pulled out the free hotdogs that they'd gotten and cut them up to add to the pot. He figured that Snicker would appreciate being able to eat it all at once and the hot dogs would get reheated from the hot macaroni. Once it was done being mixed, he pulled out the bread and salad mix. Holding back four pieces, he pulled out the milk from the chest before laying the rest out on top of the ice chest. Sliding the whole thing over next to where Snicker was sleeping, he grabbed up their pots and put them on the floor before reaching over to shake Snicker awake.

"Come on, Snicker," he urged gently. "You've got to eat before you sleep."

"Hunch?" Snicker murmured, lurching wide awake in an instant. "Suoh?"

"It's me," he soothed with a soft smile. "I made dinner."

"I must have nodded off again. Is that macaroni I smell?" He asked, rubbing his eyes while Tsuna helped him sit up. Tsuna nodded and handed him his pot so that he knew that he didn't have to get up. He took it willingly, using the blanket to keep himself from getting burned. "Is that milk?" He asked curiously while he scooped up a bite with a slice of bread.

"It sure is," Tsuna confirmed, handing the whole jug over. "I got salad, too. I know how you are about us having the green stuff."

"Arogito," Snicker replied with a wide grin.

"Arigato," Tsuna corrected with a chuckle in return. "You're getting better, though. You didn't try to say 'I'll kick your ass' this time."

"Bah," he scoffed. "I shouldn't be trying to learn how to speak Japanese anyway. How was your day?"

"The usual," he sighed.

"Still no sign of those guys?" Snicker asked with a raised eyebrow, not needing to specify who he was speaking about since it was something that they both knew. 'Those guys' meant both the people that Tsuna was running from and the underground fighter that Tsuna had beat.

"Nope," he answered, digging into his own meal with a suddenly ravenous appetite. "Everything was still all-clear. After I paid for dinner, I think I made a total of fifteen dollars today. I'll add it to our savings before we go to bed."

"You know that you don't have to work. Right, Suoh?" Snicker commented quietly. "You just being here is enough for me and the factory is paying enough that we'll be in an apartment as soon as I get my first check."

"I know," he lied with a smile for Snicker's nightly assurances. "But it makes me feel better if I'm helping out, too. I know that we still have enough savings to last until your first check, but there's no reason to spend it if we don't have to. I'd rather pay for our meals than be a burden while you're working so hard. Plus, the more extra money that I make now, the faster that we can start having luxuries like other people. You should be able to come home and take a hot shower and relax on a nice mattress after working so hard. If I help out, then we can have those things faster."

"I won't argue," he sighed around a bite of cheese-covered salad sandwich. "A hot shower and a mattress sounds like heaven. You know, I would never have let myself dream of such things six months ago. It's nice to have you around, Suoh. You make me hopeful again."

"It's not hope," he corrected firmly. "It's a promise. As long as we keep working together, we don't ever have to go back out on the streets, Snicker. We'll have a home. A real one instead of a borrowed one."

"You're too good to me," he mumbled with a grin. Tsuna shrugged shyly and set to cleaning his pot with his last piece of bread, leaving Snicker to do the same to his own. The moment that they were clean, he put them back on the propane-powered camp stove. Then, leaving Snicker to finish off the salad, he took liberties in finishing off the milk while he pulled the ice chest back over to its normal spot against the wall. Gathering up the trash, he stowed it away in the bag that he'd the groceries brought home in and put the bag to the side to be taken down to the dumpster with the breakfast trash. Once that was done, he helped Snicker with his boots and the other items of clothing that he didn't sleep in. His socks and shirt both got folded up to be placed with the rest of their dirty clothes while he kept his pants on for propriety.

His chores for the night complete, Tsuna sat with Snicker and chatted for a bit about his work at the factory while they smoked an after-dinner cigarette together. Like always, the butt was put out and stowed to be recycled into a new one when they ran out. Leaning over, Tsuna pulled out his earnings from the day and counted it out before supplying the exact number to Snicker. That got put in with the baggie of cash that was stowed and hidden behind the bottom drawer of their dresser. Put together with their savings from his lucky punch and his savings from a full weekend of working as Black X, they almost had fifteen hundred dollars saved up. Plenty of money for a down payment on an apartment once Snicker had the money for the rent.

Satisfied that they were making progress, Tsuna smiled in the knowledge that the weekend wasn't that far ahead. Another weekend of impersonation could put them even farther ahead. Far enough ahead that they could think about the down payment on getting electricity. Putting the money back in hiding, he replaced the drawer before crawling up into his normal spot on their small mattress next to Snicker. True night had fallen while they'd eaten, but they were both used to seeing merely by the small amount of moonlight that came through the ventilation fan at the end of the attic.

Snicker didn't even notice his presence as he crawled between him and the wall, having already passed back out while Tsuna was dealing with the cash. Nuzzling his gold pillow, he smiled widely at the feeling of Snicker automatically cuddling up against his back. Snicker would probably berate himself if he knew that he did that every night, but Tsuna didn't mind. He wasn't doing it out of lust. He was doing it because it felt nice to not be alone. They didn't have to be romantic together to appreciate that and take comfort in the fact that they had each other.

Completely content, Tsuna drifted off to sleep in hopes that his dreams would be full of steaks and gold.


	11. Chapter 11 Deja Vu

Author's notes: Part two of triple upload!

* * *

Another day, another dollar. Tsuna woke to find himself warmly pressed between Snicker and the wall with their battery-powered alarm clock beeping softly in his ear. He absently smacked it to silence it before sitting up. He knew that he couldn't oversleep like he used to. If he did, then Snicker would and he'd lose his job. Their blanket was haphazardly tossed about them, but Snicker had managed to pile some of it up around his head for a pillow. He woke with the gentlest of shakes, snapping awake to defend himself like he was still living in his barrel instead of their apartment. The moment he saw Tsuna, he smiled and relaxed in order to lightly doze while Tsuna got up to make their breakfast.

It was incredibly nice to have both breakfast and dinner every day. Tsuna took a lot of pleasure in knowing that he'd helped make it happen, too. Hot meals used to be a luxury, but they got it every day now. He knew that Snicker was still working harder than him, though. It was because of that reason that Tsuna optioned to do the morning cooking so that Snicker could rest a while longer. It didn't take long to make, though. Going over to their ice chest, he started pulling out the makings of their breakfast.

The half-carton of eggs that he'd bought the previous night at the store came out first. Those got scrambled in one of their pots in less than a minute and Tsuna shut off the stove the moment that they were cooked well enough to pass Snicker's inspection. Four slices of bread got pulled out of their supply, the staple that they'd started getting instead of rice. They ate a loaf a day between them, but that was perfectly fine since they were doing so well. The eggs got scraped out in order to make sandwiches and Tsuna made sure to get every last bit in the pot. A slice of cheese got pulled out of their weekly allotment and was laid on top of the steaming eggs to melt. After that, he got to frying up the package of bacon that he'd bought before grabbing the fruit that they got to go with breakfast. Tsuna got grapes today and Snicker took his normal banana.

"Do you have to work overtime today?" Tsuna asked to make small talk while he handed Snicker his bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich along with his banana.

"Probably," Snicker answered around a bite of bacon and egg sandwich. "They're starting to get into a big rush now 'cause Christmas is less than six months away. I'll probably be working overtime more often than not."

"They work you too hard," Tsuna sighed with a grimace, hurriedly finishing off his own sandwich so that he could set Snicker up with some water to bathe with.

"So they do," he replied with a small nod to himself. "But they pay me right. I'm not going to go arguing with double-time pay for a couple extra hours. It kills me sometimes when I see people bitching over having to work an hour or two extra. First they bitch cause they aren't getting paid enough and then they bitch when the factory tries to make them earn it."

"That's silly," Tsuna chuckled from the apartment's bathroom as he got to work starting Snicker's shower. He paused for a moment before telling Snicker that it was ready in order to borrow their only toilet. "If they want money, they should be willing to work for it. Why should they get paid more for a job that they're already doing?"

"Guess it's just the way of things," Snicker sighed. Tsuna nodded sadly, knowing it to be true. People didn't like working unless they had to. They always said that they'd rather work smart than work hard, but the problem with that was that someone always had to work hard. Usually 'working smart' meant brushing off their responsibilities onto someone else and then continuing to act like they'd done all the work on their own. That was fine, though. Snicker's boss was a good one and he knew who fixed mistakes made by others time and time again.

While Snicker took his shower, Tsuna set to cleaning up after their breakfast. There wasn't much. The empty bread bag and the empty egg carton got tossed out one of the windows into the dumpster below. The peelings from Snicker's fruit and the stems from Tsuna's grapes got tossed out along with them. The pot that he'd cooked in got scrubbed out in the sink.

In less than five minutes, Snicker had already combed his hair back with water and had scrubbed his body clean. He was in the process of dressing in a new set of clothes for the day and Tsuna quietly snatched up the dirty set to be washed when they both ran out of clean sets. That wouldn't be until Friday, though. They always got washed on the same day that Tsuna took off of his other jobs to prepare for his weekend forays as Black X. That way, Snicker wouldn't have to do any big chores on the two days that he took care of Tsuna and his hangovers instead of Tsuna taking care of Snicker and his weariness. The clothes got folded neatly and placed in the stack of clothes that was bagged up next to their little dresser. Bagging them up in the cloth bag kept even the dirty stuff in the room from seeming to be dirty while also saving Tsuna hassle on Friday.

By the time that Tsuna finished with that, Snicker was already standing in preparation to leave. Like always, he gave a long stretch the moment that he got to his feet in order to straighten out any kinks that he'd gotten during the night. As always, Tsuna took advantage of him raising his arms up to give him a quick hug of thanks for everything he did.

"Don't push yourself," Tsuna mumbled when Snicker lowered his arms back down. Tsuna grinned momentarily at the hand that ruffled his hair before letting Snicker go.

"Don't you go pushing yourself, either," he advised. Waiting for his nod of agreement, Snicker left with a smile in order to ensure that he got to the bus on time. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna set to doing his own preparation for the day. Jumping into the shower, Tsuna washed himself thoroughly and quickly with the rest of the hot water that Snicker hadn't used. He took simple pleasure in simply being able to bathe every day and let the hot water relax him to the fullest. After that, he paused at the sink to brush his teeth properly.

Then came the part that Tsuna hated, but knew that he had to do. He'd gotten the thumbs again yesterday, so he had to work on his pinky fingers today. Pulling off the bandages of his ring fingers, he eyed the cuts from the previous week. Thankfully, they'd been deep enough this time. Then again, he was practiced enough to do it right every time now. As it was, there were dozens of scar lines on each of his fingers. He figured that he only needed a few more so that no one would ever be able to piece his old fingerprints out again.

In preparation, Tsuna took two of his painkillers along with a tall glass of some ice water. Then he pulled out his pocket knife and the small bottle of rubbing alcohol that Snicker had made him promise to use. A drop got put on his knife and a drop went on each of his fingers. It hurt. It hurt a lot the moment that the alcohol hit the cuts that were already there. Even so, it didn't bother him anymore. It was the same pain that he went through every day, after all.

The moment that he finished, he slapped fresh band aids over them and set to continuing the day once more. There was no real rest for a guy like him. The first thing he did was to fold up his blanket so that their bedroom wouldn't look as ragged. The only thing in there was their crib mattress and their bedding. He still hadn't been able to get a better one for Snicker. The electric for the hot water tank, stove, and refrigerator had come first since their apartment didn't have gas. They'd gotten lucky on that account, though. The apartment across from Summer and Autumn had come open, meaning that the money that they paid for the attic got spent as their down payment and the money that they'd saved for a down payment got used on electricity.

Peeking out a window let him see what the weather was like. It was sunny out today, which meant that he'd probably do poorly. The summer heat was making people too depressed to enjoy themselves lately. The rest of his preparation was done slowly once he noticed that. He got dressed and pulled both his wool cap and a pair of tight work gloves into place instead of his fingerless ones. His fingerless ones were still stowed away in his dresser along with numerous treasures that he'd saved for himself over time. After that, he quickly crushed up a lump of charcoal to dust his face thoroughly with. Like always, he sneezed several times by the time he was done applying it. That was okay, though. A quick glance in the fragment of a mirror that he'd salvaged let him know that his face was covered well enough to suffice.

With a last glance around to ensure that everything was in order, he grabbed his satchel and headed out the door after ensuring that everything he needed for the day was inside. Like always, the hallways between the apartments in the building was empty. The two times that someone happened to pop out of their apartment, he gave a shy nod and a wave before continuing on his way.

He didn't waste any time in getting to the park. Setting himself up next to the main fountain, he gave a small wave to the other performers before starting. He had his satchel propped open with a hangar so that people could easily toss change inside. Like always, he started out by simply leaning on air and drinking a cup of imaginary coffee. There was no point in putting himself out until people started walking through. By the same token, he couldn't simply start when he saw them, either. He had to have some sort of starting point and drinking a cup of coffee was as good as any.

Thankfully, the rush started to come through before he'd been there more than fifteen minutes. He got a lot of curious looks at first, but he waited for the perfect chance to pass by. And she did. Grinning widely, Tsuna craned his neck downward to follow the trail of a buxom red-head that looked at him while she passed. When he leaned forward to get a better angle, he jerked like he'd hit something. Several people watched him curiously while he tested the invisible wall that he'd bumped against. Laying down his invisible drink on an invisible table, he continued the routine in order to get even more attention. After all, mimes were recognized immediately for the whole stuck-in-a-box act.

It was cliché, but he did it anyway. He did it because of the change that was tossed into his bag in appreciation. Making himself a door, he walked through it to get out of his box, receiving a lot of amused chuckles and even a little applause for those that had paused to watch him. By now, the park was teeming with people who were walking around or were enjoying a quick lunch outside of their offices. Those people were more than willing to toss the leftover change from their lunch to him in order to get entertained and he was more than willing to take it.

After the mime-in-a-box routine, he pulled out another that he'd perfected. Pulling out an invisible fishing pole, he tried to snag a passerby that kept glancing at him without stopping. Of course, the passerby didn't stop then, either, but it allowed Tsuna to pretend that he was getting dragged. He got another round of applause when he acted out his line breaking and everything. Fishing again snagged him a person that was willing to play along.

Expressive expressions got him what words probably couldn't have. He stared with wide eyes at the woman that had stopped when she noticed Tsuna being 'dragged' behind him. Tsuna reeled in his line quickly, once more pretending that it was taunt. Almost as if he was pulling in a big one. Of course, for him, it was a big one. If the woman was willing to stop and play along, she'd probably be willing to toss him a buck, too. Tsuna continued the play for several minutes until the woman finally walked all the way up to him with laughter on her face. When she got there, Tsuna showed him off to the people watching like she was a prized catch.

The rain of coins made him giddy in happiness. He would have continued the act, but the woman left without adding anything of her own to his bag. The crowd was already dissipating, continuing on their way with the attention span of a gnat. Tsuna couldn't blame them. He was already feeling the heat himself. Having charcoal on his face didn't help matters any. He could almost feel his face cooking under the sun, telling him that he needed to shell out the cash for real paint soon.

Continuing his act, Tsuna mimed everything he knew would please even an inattentive crowd. When that failed, he decided to pack up. No one was in a mood to be followed around and imitated and Tsuna didn't want to deal with a long stream of angry reactions. That was okay, though. He'd mimed long enough that the main rush was over. He could afford to skip the mini-rushes today. Since he was heading out so early, Tsuna figured that he still had plenty of time to go dumpster diving before his other job. For that, though, he needed to go back toward the residential side of town. Not the down-scale residential side, either. He needed to go to the upscale side where people didn't know _worth _if it bit them on the ass. Most of those places had their dumpsters in fenced-in areas that were only accessible to the residents, but there were a few places that he knew that didn't.

Since he didn't have a bus pass, he walked three blocks to the nearest subway station and used a bit of his change to get on. His charcoal-covered face got a lot of strange looks, but he ignored them. A lot stranger things were seen in the city at times. Along the way, he reached in and counted his money out under the cover of his bag. He grimaced a bit at the outcome, but it was still better than what he'd made when he'd first started out. Fourteen dollars and sixty seven cents, not including the subway token that he hadn't noticed before. Oh well. He could use the token for getting back home.

Two stops later, he jumped off onto the platform behind a couple of teenagers that should have probably been in school and a man with more pens in his pocket than he had hair on his head. He sometimes found it amazing what people wasted money on now. The teenagers had pants on that he would have sewn up long ago, but he had a feeling that were made to look hobo. The man's pens were all gleaming with hints of gold and Tsuna thought he saw a hint of a monogram on each one. Ignoring them, he headed for the stairs that led back up to topside. The moment that he reached daylight, he ducked into an alley. This was very close to the rich and snotty part of town. The part of town where people like him were questioned regularly by cops.

As long as he stayed in the alleys, though, the cops wouldn't see him. Those guys tended to stay in their cars and go along the main roads. As long as Tsuna wasn't in plain sight, he'd be safe. Well, from them at least. Taking the alley road meant that he had to be more careful about the other dangers. Dangers such as those worse off than himself. There were a few that stuck to this side of town predominately and they didn't take it lightly when they caught someone going through what was theirs.

Which was why Tsuna hid in the first dumpster he came across. Ten minutes of searching brought him nothing but a half-dozen cans for Kaleb. Getting out, he headed down the alley roads to the next one that he knew had decent stuff sometimes. That, too, was full of nothing but true trash. The third and final one that he tried was no better, although, Tsuna did pick up a small toy that looked like it had been thrown away by accident. There was nothing wrong with it and, for some reason, Tsuna had a strange feeling of nostalgia when he looked at it. It made him feel strangely warm and happy. Enough so that he decided to pocket the little knight figurine for himself.

It wasn't the first item that he'd taken for himself, even if it was one of the strangest so far.

Peeking out of the dumpster, he ensured that he was still alone before lifting himself out. Months of doing that very thing had strengthened his arms enough that he could get himself in and out unaided. The moment he was back on the ground, he grabbed up the cans that he'd collected and headed back for the subway. He might not have gotten lucky today, but there was always tomorrow. The two dozen cans that he'd gotten would be enough to make Kaleb happy, at least.

He got several funny looks on his train ride, but he ignored them. People brought things that were a lot scarier than trash with them. The ride only took five minutes, after which Tsuna jumped off. Going up the exit stairs, he quickly walked down the sidewalk while glancing down alleyways for his friend. Three blocks later, he saw Kaleb digging through a dumpster outside an apartment building. Kaleb looked up with his normal, wild-eye stare that softened only slightly when he saw that it was Tsuna approaching. Not a word was spoken as Tsuna handed over the bag of cans he'd collected.

Kaleb accepted them before reaching into his pocket to pull out a treasure that he'd found for Tsuna. It wasn't much, but Tsuna's eyes immediately lit up on it. Normally, Kaleb didn't have anything. For him to have something was special in itself. Even more so when it looked to be a Zippo lighter. The face was barely scratched at all and the only problem seemed to be the need for lighter fluid. The flint was still perfectly good. As it was, a little bit of polishing and it'd make the perfect birthday present for Snicker.

Tsuna smiled widely in appreciation and patted Kaleb's shoulder in gratitude before headed back down the street in order stop in at his and Snicker's place to take another quick shower to get rid of the charcoal and his sweat. In no time at all, he was exiting back out of his home after drinking two large cups of water to sustain him. There were signs of activity going on in the apartments as he passed through the hall between them, but no one was really coming out yet. He knew that by the time he finished his stint at the airport and returned, they'd be crossing between each other's apartments like it was a huge dormitory. Everyone in his apartment building knew each other. Him and Snicker were the only exception to the building being rented out in completion to Mike's girls. Considering that Mike took a cut of their profits for setting their dates up, it was in his best interest to protect his assets by giving them a cheap and safe place to live, too.

By the time he got to the airport, the four-thirty jet from Rome was just landing. Hurriedly, he checked to see what time tomorrow had any international flights before heading back out to take up his post by the already waiting cabs. Waving to Tec, he leaned against the guy's cab to talk and lit a cigarette while he waited for people to start exiting the station.

"Any live ones today?" He asked curiously.

"Not today," he replied instantly, sipping on a cup of cold tea that he had in his cup-holder. "Everyone's too busy bitching about the heat like they pay us enough to run the air conditioners with the gas prices like they are.'"

"Ouch," Tsuna grimaced, taking a long drag off of his first cigarette for the day. Taking a moment to enjoy it, he propelled himself off of Tec's cab at the first sign of people coming out of the airport. His deal with the cab drivers was simple. Get the people in their cars rather than the rival service. Most people were moving too quickly and were darting for cabs on their own, so there was nothing that Tsuna could do about them. What he focused on was the slow-moving people who looked somewhat disoriented.

Surprise was always the initial reaction when he approached someone. He worked quickly, though. A bright smile and keeping his hands where the target could see them allowed him to get their ear for the time it took to find out if he could help them. A few people brushed him off instantly, thinking he was simply looking for a handout. The ones that allowed him to help were surprised when he turned down offers of gratitude money. Italian seemed to be the language of the day. Almost all of the people that he was able to approach knew English, but it was a surprising comfort for them to get to speak their native language in America. A few people wanted to continue speaking English and Tsuna spoke it with them as they wanted, giving small corrections that wouldn't get people upset.

For every person that he escorted to one of 'his' cab cars, the driver handed him a five before driving off. In a lot of cases, the five wasn't just for getting the people in their car. It was for loading their luggage, translating addresses, and other random pieces of aid. Considering how long it took to help one person, he was only able to help three in the course of an hour. In Tsuna's eyes, though, it wasn't too bad. Fifteen dollars for an hour of work wasn't bad at all. Of course, on days like today, five or more would have been better. Especially considering that some days didn't have a single international flight scheduled to land. On those days, Tsuna didn't even bother coming since there was less chance for his particular skills to come into play. Such was the problem with a city big enough to boast two airports.

"Excuse me," someone asked in Italian, patting Tsuna on the shoulder. Tsuna turned around in hopes of helping out a fourth person and found himself being stared at by a stranger. The man looked like he'd been hit on the head with a hammer for some reason.

"Do you need directions?" Tsuna asked curiously. The man nodded and Tsuna looked down at the piece of paper that was held out to him while trying to ignore the way that he was being stared at. He didn't really understand it because the guy wasn't anyone that he recognized. Maybe he was a Black X fan? Shrugging it off, he gave the guy directions and tried to usher him toward a cab to take him to where he needed to go. He didn't seem to want to go, though. Instead, he kept staring at Tsuna with a dumbfounded expression. "Are you okay?" He asked finally.

"Oh," he gasped before blushing in realization over his own actions. "Sorry. You just look a lot like someone I used to know. You couldn't be him, though. He died a long time ago. Please, forgive me. It's just that when I saw you, it was like I was looking at a ghost."

"I'm no ghost," he chuckled, patting his own chest. "Flesh and blood. That's me."

"Uh... right," the man nodded with a small shake of his head to clear it. Tsuna nodded and escorted him to the cab with much less hassle than before, getting another five from the cab driver before it pulled away. Tsuna merely waved at the guy who turned in his seat to stare, before shrugging and lighting himself another cigarette in preparation for the five-forty five flight from Beijing. Helping out with a second flight allowed him to get a good twenty-five extra dollars, giving him a goodly-sized profit for the day. If it wasn't for the fact that the cab drivers couldn't pay for anything other than clearing out the airport before the afternoon rush from the business district, it was enough to make Tsuna think about giving up his miming.

When that was done, he slowly headed home since Georgie had cancelled their deal for the duration of the summer. He couldn't be blamed, though. Hotdogs went bad a lot faster in this kind of heat and he couldn't waste any since few people wanted hot food on a really hot day. Especially when there was a rival down the block that was selling fresh blended fruit slushies. Instead of there, Tsuna headed directly toward the market. Upon entering, he grabbed a basket and made the same route around the place that he made every day. First, to get the fruit for the morning and some squash and cucumber for dinner. Deciding on fish, he headed to the freezer section next in order to grab a box of fish sticks along with a new package of bacon. After that, he grabbed up a loaf of whole wheat bread and then a half gallon of milk to go with dinner. The half-carton of eggs for breakfast was the last thing he grabbed before heading toward the front to pay for it all.

"Fish sticks tonight?" Becca asked with a wrinkled smile.

"It's better than trying to find fresh," Tsuna replied easily. "And we haven't had any fish in a while, so Snicker might like it."

"You're such a dear with how you think about your friend like that," she chuckled while she continued ringing up his supplies. "Do you need another bag of ice?"

"Not until tomorrow," he answered with a small shake of his head. Taking a deep breathe over the price for it all, Tsuna handed over the money out of his day's earnings. Then, with a small nod of appreciation over how she'd bagged everything together so that nothing would get smashed, he left. Using the subway token that he'd gotten with his mime earnings, he jumped on a subway to save his already-abused legs from even more walking. He only got to sit for three minutes, though, before his stop came up and he had to walk another block and a half to make it home.

Dashing up the steps, he avoided appreciative and playful grabs at him where he could. The girls were crossing between apartments like it was a dormitory and very few bothered to put on more than undergarments first. A few didn't even bother with that. It was the same gauntlet that he ran every night, though, and one that made the wearisome nature of the day instantly disappear. He was stopped numerous times for the girls to use him to blot their lipstick instead of toilet paper. There were several grabs of invitation, as well, that Tsuna knew he wouldn't be able to take. He'd have to come earlier than now if he wanted to satisfy those kinds of cravings.

Then he caught sight of Autumn, one of the few to already be fully dressed. All it took was a glimpse to make all the perverted thoughts in his head come to an abrupt stop. He still couldn't forget what he'd done to her. He'd forced a kiss on her and she probably despised him now. He didn't have the right to talk to her. To look at her. To even breathe the same air as her. Before she could come out and see what the growing chaos was all about, he extricated himself so that he could retreat into his apartment. Several of the girls seemed disappointed, but they quickly returned to what they'd been doing before he even got his door shut behind him.

Quickly hurrying to the kitchen, he grimaced when he saw that Snicker had already fallen asleep in the broken recliner that they'd salvaged. He tended to do that when Tsuna took too long. Tsuna let him sleep and quietly set down the groceries. It was only a minute's work to stow away the groceries in the refrigerator before he could take the time to pull off his gloves and stow his satchel in the bedroom next to the dresser. It only took another moment to pull off his sweaty shirt and pants in order to pile it with the rest of his dirty clothes. Snicker wasn't perverted and he didn't plan to go out again until morning. That meant that he could cook dinner without being overwhelmed by the heat in the place.

The fish sticks got made first. Lining the oven itself with tin foil, he spread the whole box of fish sticks out to be baked. After that, he sliced up the squash and cucumber with their sole kitchen knife. Those got fried up in the least amount of oil that he was willing to dole out. Tossing them out equally between their two plates, he doled out the bread and made them both two grill cheese sandwiches each. They'd probably have a hint of squash and cucumber flavoring to them, but he couldn't see wasting the oil that was already in the pan. Next, he pulled out the milk from the refrigerator before carefully pulling the reheated fish out of the oven. He hissed several times over touching the hot food, but managed to get it all on one plate or the other. Picking up the plates, he laid them down on the table next to where Snicker was sleeping. Then he did the same with the milk before reaching over to shake Snicker awake.

"Come on, Snicker," he urged gently. "You've got to eat before you sleep."

"Hunch?" Snicker murmured, lurching wide awake in an instant. "Suoh?"

"It's me," he soothed with a soft smile. "I made dinner."

"I must have nodded off again. Is that fish that I smell?" He asked, rubbing his eyes while Tsuna helped him sit up. Tsuna nodded and handed him his plate so that he knew that he didn't have to get up. He took it willingly, his eyes going wide at the fried vegetables. "Is that squash?" He asked curiously while he carefully picked up a bite to pop into his mouth.

"It sure is," Tsuna confirmed with a smile before taking his normal seat up. Snicker didn't mind, moving his legs so that Tsuna could comfortably lean up against the recliner at his feet. "I got cucumber, too. I know how you are about us having the green stuff."

"Arigato," Snicker replied with a wide grin.

"You're welcome," Tsuna chuckled in return.

"So," he mumbled. "How was your day?"

"The usual," he sighed.

"Still no sign of those guys?" Snicker asked with a raised eyebrow, not needing to specify who he was speaking about since it was something that they both knew. 'Those guys' meant both the people that Tsuna was running from and the underground fighter that Tsuna had beat.

"Nope," he answered, digging into his own meal with a suddenly ravenous appetite. "Everything was still all-clear. After I paid for dinner, I think I made a total of thirty dollars today. I'll add it to our savings before we go to bed."

"You know that you don't have to work. Right, Suoh?" Snicker commented quietly. "You just being here is enough--"

"I know," he interrupted with a smile for Snicker's nightly assurances. "But it makes me feel better if I'm helping out, too."

"I won't argue since you're volunteering," he sighed around a bite of grilled cheese sandwich. "The hot showers feel like heaven and I know that you want that mattress as bad as I do. I wouldn't have ever made it this far without you, Suoh"

"Ditto," he grinned in return. "As long as we keep working together, we don't ever have to go back out on the streets, Snicker. We have a home now."

"You're too good to me," he mumbled with a grin. Tsuna shrugged shyly and set to cleaning his plate, leaving Snicker to do the same to his own. The moment that they were without a single crumb, he took them to the kitchen to be washed properly. Then, leaving Snicker to finish off the milk, he set to gathering up the trash. Another head poke outside the window allowed him to drop it down into the dumpster just like he had for the breakfast trash. Once that was done, he helped Snicker with his boots and the other items of clothing that he didn't sleep in. His socks and shirt both got folded up to be placed with the rest of their dirty clothes while he kept his pants on for propriety.

His chores for the night complete, Tsuna sat with Snicker and chatted for a bit about his work at the factory while they smoked an after-dinner cigarette together. Like always, the butt was put out and stowed to be recycled into a new one when they ran out. Leaning over, Tsuna pulled out his earnings from the day and counted it out before supplying the exact number to Snicker. That got put in with the baggie of cash that was stowed and hidden behind the bottom drawer of their dresser. Put together with their savings from before and his savings from a continued weekend forays of working as Black X, they almost had seven hundred dollars saved up again. Plenty of money for a mattress once they made sure that this and next month's bills were paid up.

Satisfied that they were making progress, Tsuna smiled in the knowledge that the weekend wasn't that far ahead. Another weekend of impersonation could put them even farther ahead. Far enough ahead that they could think about new shoes for each of them and maybe some more in the way of luxuries. Putting the money back in hiding, he replaced the drawer before helping Snicker into the bedroom. Turning off the bedroom light, he crawled up next to Snicker. True night had fallen while they'd eaten, but they were both used to seeing merely by the small amount of moonlight that came through the windows.

Snicker didn't even notice his presence as he crawled between him and the wall, having already passed back out while Tsuna was dealing with the cash. Nuzzling his worn gold pillow, he smiled widely at the feeling of Snicker automatically cuddling up against his back. Snicker would probably berate himself if he knew that he did that every night, but Tsuna didn't mind. He wasn't doing it out of lust. He was doing it because it felt nice to not be alone. They didn't have to be romantic together to appreciate that and take comfort in the fact that they had each other.

Completely content, Tsuna drifted off to sleep in hopes that his dreams would be full of steaks and gold.


	12. Chapter 12 Deviation

Author's Notes: Part three of triple upload!

* * *

Another day, another dollar. Tsuna woke to find himself warmly pressed between Snicker and the wall with their battery-powered alarm clock beeping softly in his ear. He absently smacked it to silence it before sitting up in their bed. He was sorely tempted to oversleep, but knew that he couldn't. If he did, then Snicker would and he'd lose his job. Their blanket was haphazardly tossed about them, but Snicker had managed to pile some of it up around his head for a pillow. He woke with the a hard shake, drifting in an out for a moment before finally opening his eyes. The moment he saw Tsuna, he smiled and had to forcibly keep himself awake while Tsuna got up to make their breakfast.

It was routine to have both breakfast and dinner every day now. Tsuna took a lot of pleasure in knowing that he'd helped make it happen, even if they were used to it. Hot meals used to be a luxury, but they got it every day now. He knew that Snicker was still working harder than him, though. It was because of that reason that Tsuna optioned to do the morning cooking so that Snicker could rest a while longer. It didn't take long to make, though. Going over to their ice chest with a wide yawn, he started pulling out the makings of their breakfast.

The half-carton of eggs that he'd bought the previous night at the store came out first. Those got scrambled in one of their pots in less than a minute and Tsuna shut off the stove the moment that they were cooked well enough to pass Snicker's inspection. Four slices of bread got pulled out of their supply, the staple that they'd started getting instead of rice. They ate a loaf a day between them, but that was perfectly fine since they were doing so well. The eggs got scraped out in order to make sandwiches and Tsuna made sure to get every last bit in the pot. A slice of cheese got pulled out of their weekly allotment and was laid on top of the steaming eggs to melt. After that, he got to frying up the package of sausage that he'd bought before grabbing the fruit that they got to go with breakfast. Tsuna got an apple today and Snicker took his normal banana.

"Get up," Tsuna called when the food was done and Snicker still hadn't appeared. Going in to the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the bed and once more shook Snicker awake. It took nearly a full minute to get him sitting up enough to accept his bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich along with his banana.

"I'm up," Snicker yawned before taking a bite of his sandwich. "I'm not as young as I used to be. This soft life is spoiling me."

"No. They just work you too hard," Tsuna sighed with a grimace, hurriedly finishing off his own sandwich so that he could set Snicker up with some water to bathe with.

"So they do," he replied with a small nod to himself. "But it's a paycheck."

"I can't argue with that," Tsuna chuckled tiredly from the apartment's bathroom as he got to work starting Snicker's shower. He paused for a moment before telling Snicker that it was ready in order to borrow their only toilet. While Snicker took his shower, Tsuna set to cleaning up after their breakfast. There wasn't much. The empty bread bag and the empty egg carton got tossed out one of the windows into the dumpster below. The peelings from Snicker's fruit and the seeds and stems from Tsuna's apple got tossed out along with them. The pot that he'd cooked in got scrubbed out in the sink.

In less than five minutes, Snicker had already combed his hair back with water and had scrubbed his body clean. He was in the process of dressing in a new set of clothes for the day and Tsuna quietly snatched up the dirty set to be washed when they both ran out of clean sets. That wouldn't be until Friday, though. They always got washed on the same day that Tsuna took off of his other jobs to prepare for his weekend forays as Black X. That way, Snicker wouldn't have to do any big chores on the two days that he took care of Tsuna and his hangovers instead of Tsuna taking care of Snicker and his weariness. The clothes got folded neatly and placed in the stack of clothes that was bagged up next to their little dresser. Bagging them up in the cloth bag kept even the dirty stuff in the room from seeming to be dirty while also saving Tsuna hassle on Friday.

By the time that Tsuna finished with that, Snicker was already standing in preparation to leave. Out of habit, he gave a long stretch the moment that he got to his feet in order to straighten out the imaginary kinks that he'd gotten during the night. As always, Tsuna took advantage of him raising his arms up to give him a quick hug of thanks for everything he did.

"Don't push yourself," Tsuna mumbled when Snicker lowered his arms back down. Tsuna grinned momentarily at the hand that ruffled his hair before letting Snicker go.

"Don't you go pushing yourself, either," he advised. Waiting for his nod of agreement, Snicker left with a smile in order to ensure that he got to the bus on time. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna set to doing his own preparation for the day. Jumping into the shower, Tsuna washed himself thoroughly and quickly with the rest of the hot water that Snicker hadn't used. He took simple pleasure in simply being able to bathe every day and let the hot water relax him to the fullest. After that, he paused at the sink to brush his teeth properly.

The moment that he finished, he folded up his blanket so that their bedroom wouldn't look as ragged. The only thing in there was their queen-sized mattress and their bedding along with their dresser. He still hadn't been able to get a better dresser, although he was tempted to. Getting a couch and a radio had come first. They'd gotten lucky on that account, though. One of the girls had replaced their old stereo and they'd gotten a perfectly good couch from a thrift store for only fifty dollars. They could probably afford to get a new dresser.

Turning on the radio let him listen to weather reports while he got ready. It was sunny out today, which meant that he'd probably do really well. The fall chill was making people enjoy themselves a lot more lately. The rest of his preparation was done quickly once he heard that. He got dressed in a stripped shirt and pulled on a small beret that Snicker had gotten him. Then he pulled on the pair of white gloves that Dedra had bought him with a small glance at the healed scars on his fingertips. Not even a trace of his old fingerprints remained. After that, he quickly used the mirror in the bathroom to apply his face-paint properly. Like always, he had to fix it several times by the time he was done applying it. That was okay, though. He didn't get fancy with it. Just a white covering and a small, black diamond under each eye.

With a last glance around to ensure that everything was in order, he grabbed his satchel and headed out the door after ensuring that everything he needed for the day was inside. Like always, the hallways between the apartments in the building was completely empty. No one even popped out of their apartment for once.

He didn't waste any time in getting to the park. Giving a small wave of greeting to where Sheila had set up with her amp and electric fiddle across the main thoroughfare from him and another to where the Parker twins had already taken up their positions as human statues. He ignored the male guitarist competing with Sheila from across the park, knowing that the jerk had already tried to snatch the twin's tip hat twice. He did raise an eyebrow at the new guy that had set up near the entrance of the park, though. It was the first street preacher that he'd seen in this part of town. Curious, he headed over to Magico the street magician in order to see if it was anything to be worried about. Tsuna knew from experience that most street preachers were harmless enough as long as they were ignored.

It was the ones that refused to be ignored that became a problem.

He considered it bad luck to talk while he was in the park, so he merely waved for a moment to get Magico's attention and then pointed to the preacher. Magico nodded and paused in his act, which wasn't that big of a issue since no one had really started walking through yet. It was always good to already be performing when people came through. Magico didn't seem to mind the break, though. He leaned close to Tsuna with a small, disgusted shake of his head while he glared at the ranting preacher standing on top of a crate.

"He's not a good one," Magico said bluntly. "I listened to him a bit earlier. There wasn't no preaching of loving your fellow man or forgiveness. All he's got is hellfire and hate. Even worse is that he's running people off and preaching about the sinful nature of those who perform on the street. He's trying to fleece people into giving him the money that they'd normally toss us while what he's doing is no damn different. Wouldn't be no problem with him preaching that kind of stuff if he wasn't trying to make money off of his words. I talked to the others earlier and we've decided to call shenanigans on him if he's still here around at the noon rush. I don't even think he's a real preacher and I can damn near guarantee that he don't got no permit. We'll give him an hour or two to see if he goes away on his own before calling the cops on him."

Tsuna immediately crossed his arms to say no along with giving him a furious headshake.

"No?" Magico asked in surprise. "What do you want us to do then? We can't let him going around like he is. People won't want to walk through here if they got to go past him first." Tsuna grinned. Patting his chest, he chucked a thumb to himself and then to the young and clean-shaven preacher before placing a finger against his nose to say that he'd take care of it. Magico shrugged and nodded in understanding. "If you think you can. Go ahead."

Taking a deep breathe, Tsuna mentally prepared himself. This probably wouldn't be pretty. But, if it got rid of him without bringing cops around, then it would be better. He could withstand quite a bit of abuse. Living on the street had made his skin a lot thicker than it used to be. Thick enough that once he set his mind to it, he was able to go confront the preacher by himself. He started out easy on the man, wanting to hear exactly how spiteful the man's words were.

They were bad. So bad that he wished that he could talk to tell the man off. If was a sad fact that faith created as many demons as it did angels. This man was nowhere near angelic. He had a feeling that he probably didn't smile at all. He was dressed as a priest, but Tsuna recognized it as a mere Halloween costume that had probably been bought at a thrift store. He wasn't sure why it was so obvious to him, but it was. It was another of those feelings that he couldn't ignore nor could he explain. He knew that it was something that he had to act on, though.

Tsuna crossed his feet and balanced himself so that it looked like he was leaning against an invisible wall while he listened. At first, he kept his face blank in order to give the fake a small benefit of the doubt. The longer he listened, though, the more he came to realize that the man didn't even know the foundations of the faith that he was preaching. He was ranting and tossing out random lines from the bible in his hands that was taken completely out of context. Anyone who had listened to a real preacher in order to get a handout knew more about this man's supposed faith than he did.

Absently drinking from an invisible cup of tea that he made himself, ensuring that he made every motion of making the tea first, Tsuna reflected on the sad nature of what this man was spouting. He hated himself. That much was obvious. He despised himself and the lows that he'd sank to. Rather than fix the problem, he'd chosen to turn his own pain into a weapon that he was trying to use to make money. The only problem was that preachers like him were a dime a dozen and no one threw a dime to his kind. People got yelled at enough during their jobs and their daily life. They didn't want to get yelled at while walking down the street, too.

He needed to learn how to laugh. Tsuna felt that he had to teach him how to laugh. He wasn't a bad man at heart. He was just a bit twisted by what life had made of him. There was still hope. There was still a chance that he could transform his weapon from hate into something else. He just needed to be shown the way. It took everything in Tsuna not to laugh at the thought of a mime preaching to a priest. Yet, that's exactly what he'd be silently doing. While the mock-priest continued ranting, his diatribe not pausing in the least by Tsuna's pantomime before him, Tsuna put his mind to work on figuring out how to do it.

First, he'd have to shake him up. Then things could progress naturally from there. It would be up to the man to figure out the rest after that. If he was smart enough, he'd get the message. If he wasn't, he'd still probably storm away in a fit.

Tsuna waited until a decent sized group of people started to approach before setting down his tea and yawning widely. He slapped himself a few times and stretched before lurching in place as if he'd just noticed the priest. The priest paused for a second in surprise for Tsuna's sudden actions before continuing with a bit of a stumble. With a shrewd smile, seeing as how the man had already been startled once, Tsuna continued the act. He paused himself and began nodding in unison with the rhythm that the priest was talking in, slowly lowering his head like he was falling asleep again. Then the man hit a loud note and Tsuna once more jerked awake.

Once more, the man paused to stare at Tsuna's open mockery of him before launching forward with his speech again. It was the same speech that he'd just started repeating again, which told Tsuna that he had memorized it.

Which meant that Tsuna knew what to expect.

The poor priest never knew what hit him. Tsuna started acting out the bible story that he was using to validate his point. His act of fighting off an invisible giant got quite a few passerby to stop, which only seemed to fuel the priest's fire even more. He seemed to stop caring about Tsuna's act since it only helped him gather more people. Then came the good part. How he managed to work Moses into it was completely beyond Tsuna, but it gave him the starting point for his mockery.

Tsuna raised his arms to part the waters, getting an applause of amusement from their watchers. Then Tsuna started doing the dance of the Village People, knowing Y.M.C.A. quite thoroughly. The transition from his raised arms parting the waters into the M and so forth immediately got a roar of laughter for being so unexpected. Tsuna clapped with them after a moment and hurriedly positioned himself next to the most animated of the crowd in order to begin imitating the man. He didn't seem to mind, laughing even harder at how Tsuna was a split second behind his motions. Before long, he was doubled over while the priest attempted to raise his voice to be heard.

Tsuna smiled at the several handfuls of change and the few bills that were tossed in his propped-open satchel at his waist.

Breaking off his imitation, he turned his attention back to the priest's display and trailed a hand down his face in thought like he had an enormously long beard. Curious, the growing crowd also turned their attention to the priest in order to see what he was focused on. The priest's face was humorous in itself. He was flabbergasted at how easily Tsuna had captured attention and directed it. The expression on his face looked like he'd been hit by a board while he continued ranting at a much slower pace.

It took a moment for him to regain his composure enough that he wasn't just stringing together random bible quotes. The moment that he picked back up on his planned speech, Tsuna once more moved into action. This was a part that the priest tried to tie his quotes in with his overall rant against street performers. In effort to silence him, Tsuna slowly walked forward in order to stand next to him while he watched in consideration. Then, between one beat and the next, he began imitating every move that the man made. From the thumping of his bible to his wide-mouthed talking. Tsuna did everything in sync, sensing what the man was going to do before he even knew. Having watched people enough, Tsuna already had all of the man's body cues mapped out in his head.

The man stopped between one word and the next in order to finally confront Tsuna himself. When he turned with his hands on his hips and his nose flaring in anger, though, Tsuna turned to face him in a matching stance. Their eyes met for a long, silent moment. Tsuna stared with mischief and innocent playfulness. The priest looked back with anger and a gleam of his own laughter being carefully held in check. Tsuna took it as a very good sign. One that made him dare to see if he could break the priest even more free from his determined hate.

One raised eyebrow was all it took to see whether the man was willing to play along. The amusement gleamed again, showing that the priest found Tsuna's performance amusing enough that he couldn't take offence even when it was about himself. Tsuna's feelings had been right again. The man needed a laugh more than anything. He needed someone to reach out and remind him how. It was in him still. He'd not been corrupted past that. He'd just forgotten temporarily due to some kind of bad situation that he was in.

Seeing that he was willing, Tsuna knelt down and crossed himself like he was asking forgiveness. The man acted out the motions to give it to him, getting a small round of applause for himself. Standing up again, Tsuna bowed several times in gratitude, applauding along with the crowd while the priest got the first tips that he'd probably gotten all morning. He looked down at the change in surprise before looking at Tsuna in askance. Tsuna merely smiled, happy to see him doing more than simply ranting for once. He was paying attention to what was going on around him.

The first step taken care of, Tsuna pulled out an imaginary rope. The man yelped in surprise when it was thrown around him and even went so far as to play along with the impromptu act. He locked his arms to his sides and Tsuna did the traditional tug of war act in order to pull him along after him in the direction of Sheila after first grabbing the man's bucket of change. He was nearly giggling inside over how the crowd followed. He'd worry about getting tips later. For now, he wanted to deal with this mock-priest in completion.

Stopping in front of Sheila along with the crowd, he cued her to what he wanted with only a small gesture. She grinned and complied, seeing the huge crowd that he'd brought with him. It was only a few seconds work to untie the priest and hand him his own bucket. It took a moment to get him to hold it right before he nodded to Sheila to tell her to start. A roar of laugher went up when the song that she was playing was instantly recognized. The way that Tsuna had made the priest hold his bucket up on his arm suddenly made a lot more sense, too. After all, he couldn't be Dorothy without a basket. Tsuna went along with it, going so far as to play the scarecrow for a little bit. He tumbled and fell through the crowd while grabbing his hat like he felt that his head was going to fall off. His arms and legs went everywhere until he finally leaned on 'Dorothy' in order to get his feet properly under him.

Sheila finished with a flourish and a laugh of her own. Tsuna took a small bow and held out his bag for the few people that looked like they wanted to toss change at him. He accepted a few before miming the act of pulling out his own wallet to throw some money into Sheila's bag. The crowd took the cue and a rain of real coins and bills followed his imaginary ones. While she started playing again, Tsuna once more tied the priest up in order to tug him farther into the park. Their crowd had grown as more people wanted to see what all the ruckus was about, but Tsuna paid them little mind. The more, the merrier.

Tsuna didn't stop in front of the guitarist, instead making his way to the twins. They'd decided to be bronze statues today and Tsuna quickly interjected himself into their slowly transitioning piece. He saw gleams of amusement in their eyes over how he'd taken over touring the tourists and the curious along with how he'd shut up their biggest problem of the day. Tsuna sent a quiet wink to both of them and a silent signal to the priest in hopes that he got the cue. Thankfully, the priest did and he lurched into position at the same moment that both of the Parker twins and he transitioned into a strange barber-shop quartet with their hands out in unison. They got another soft round of applause for the almost seamless switch and how even the priest had joined in on the end.

Breaking out first, Tsuna lead more applause while silently pointing out the plastic jar that the twins were using for their tips. He tipped them with imaginary change before snatching the priest up for the best part of the impromptu show. Pulling him down, Tsuna pretended to whisper excitedly in his ear while pointing to the magician that was also set up in the park. A lot of smiles resulted when the priest once more played along enough to nod even though both he and the audience saw that Tsuna spoke nothing. The priest lurched back in surprise in the end and Tsuna nodded with a bright smile, tugging him in the direction of Magico without bothering with the rope this time.

Stopping in front of Magico, Tsuna sat down like a little kid at a birthday party. He wanted to giggle again when several of the crowd and the priest sat down with him. Today was definitely a good day. People were in a good mood for some reason and they were all willing to play along. He wasn't sure what had happened to the city today, but he wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth. Unlike when he was begging, this was a way to get money that relied on the completely opposite emotions. It required having people that were having easy-going times instead of people that were having hard times. Normally, he could get money out of both with his quiet act, but he needed those who were willing to smile and laugh to get money out of the large act he was putting on.

Tsuna played the excited kid act out to an incredible degree. From the over-zealous clapping to the silent giggles to the tugs on the priest in order to point out the amazing tricks that Magico did. Magico finished his act with a small bow and a flourish, smiling brightly when dollars began to rain into his hat since everyone had already gotten rid of their loose change during the previous acts. Getting up, Tsuna led the priest over to the edge of the sidewalk in order to give silent farewells to everyone after they'd finished tipping the magician. Once the crowd saw that the park tour was over, they began to break up. Several continued down the sidewalk on whatever route they'd been on. Numerous people backtracked to see more of the act that they'd enjoyed most. A few stopped to show gratitude for Tsuna having made them stop to smell the roses in a way.

Showing no shame, Tsuna popped his hip out and let them toss all the money they wanted into his bag. A few, he mimed shocked reaction over the size of their gratitude. Others, he did whatever small request that they asked for. He was completely unsurprised when the first one was to mime being stuck in a box. He quickly got out of that one by making himself a door and opening it to let himself out. There were a few tourists that wanted him to pose for a camera, which he willingly did. For most of them, he played a broken puppet and let them take a snapshot of being the puppeteer. Several wanted a shot of both Tsuna and the person in question both kneeling down to get forgiveness from the priest. Again, the priest played along. By the time that the crowd dissipated down to nearly nothing with the lunch rush over, the priest looked almost disappointed over the sudden lack of people.

With a soft sigh, Tsuna realized that he'd probably gotten all that he would out of people today. Walking off of the sidewalk, he completely forgot about the priest while he counted out his money. The man's hatred was broken and he should have a good amount of respect for street performers now. Considering Tsuna had temporarily turned him into one and he'd enjoyed himself, there wasn't any way that he could go back to his rants without being a true hypocrite.

Counting out his money, he was happy to find that he'd made nearly double what he normally did. It was enough that he felt perfectly fine about going around to drop two dollars in everyone's hats for helping him get it. Then he noticed the guitarists sad face. He was near to tears and barely hiding it. With a grimace, Tsuna knew that he couldn't leave him. Not after making him lose out so harshly on the crowd that had come through. Kneeling down in front of him, Tsuna decided there wouldn't be any harm in talking just this once. The guitarist paused in shock over hearing him speak since it was a common misconception that all mimes either took a vow of silence or were deaf.

"Will you promise to stop trying to steal from everyone?" He asked simply with a raised eyebrow. "It's hard enough to make money off of people without stabbing each other in the back, especially since tourist season is almost over. I skipped you because you were only looking out for yourself. Sheila, Magico, and the Twins have all been more than willing to help me when I was just getting started with performing. If you promise not to steal from everyone, I'm sure that they'll be willing to help you until you get better, too."

"I didn't know," he replied quietly. "I figured that they could spare it and--"

"And you didn't think we'd catch you," Tsuna interjected with a raised eyebrow. "We all perform in the same area for a reason. It's so that we can keep an eye on each other. When we got a large crowd, it's harder to focus on both our act and our hats. We've all got a silent agreement to keep an eye out when that happens because it might be us one day that scores the big audience. Now. Will you promise?"

"I'll promise," he mumbled, thoroughly chastised over his actions simply by the punishment Tsuna had already given him by drawing the crowd away. Tsuna nodded and took a deep breathe.

He knew that he'd regret this in the morning.

"Here," he said, tossing his own stack of dollar bills into the man's guitar case. "That's what you would have got today if I hadn't passed you over. If you're bad off enough that you were needing to steal, you need it more than I do. Just make sure to go apologize to the Parkers. The money you were trying to steal is what they use to pay for their mother's hospice."

"I didn't know," the guitarist grimaced.

"Most people don't," Tsuna replied. "That's why you should never steal. You never know a person's story other than your own. Now, I got to go or else I won't be able to go treasure-hunting before my afternoon shift at the airport. Just think about what I said." The guitarist nodded and Tsuna stood in order to retreat. He sighed on his way toward a water fountain deeper into the park where he could wash his face off with the rag that he'd brought with him. He knew that he'd tossed over enough cash that he could have bought some steaks to go with dinner for once, but that was okay. He would have felt too guilty about keeping the money after having hurt the man's chances at making some so badly.

It wasn't until he was bent over and washing his face with the clean water that he realized that he'd picked up a stray.

"You're still here?" He asked in surprise, staring at the mock priest that had followed him.

"That was amazing!" He exclaimed with wide eyes. "Not just your act! You had everyone eating out of your hand after only a minute! Not only that, but what you did for that guy with the guitar was awesome!"

"Yeah... uh..." Tsuna raised an eyebrow while he continued washing the paint off of his face, wondering what exactly had happened to the raving lunatic that had been the man a mere hour ago.

"I'm Eric," the guy gasped, throwing forward a hand in greeting. Tsuna looked at it for a moment before accepting it and hesitantly giving his name in return. "I am... well, I _was _an actor down at the performing arts school. They kicked me out because I refused to stick with their methods."

"I see," Tsuna mumbled, everything clicking together in his head. "So, you thought you'd get back at them by getting people to hate performers. And the best way to do that was to use religion. The only problem was that the only performers that you could use as an example were the people that performed on the streets."

"It was stupid," Eric flinched. "I wasn't thinking it through. The school I was going to always acted like you guys were idiots and fools. I'm sorry about that. I guess I was brainwashed more by them than I thought. It wasn't until you started mocking me that it hit me. What I was doing to you guys was the same thing that they were doing to me. Preaching to me about what I should and shouldn't think about performing instead of letting people decide for themselves."

"We made a decent amount today," Tsuna shrugged as he started heading out of the park. He had a bad feeling the moment that Eric automatically started following him. "Just forget about it. You figured it out and stopped before it would have hurt business. Just go find a different school that's more open-minded and you'll be fine. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get going or I won't make it in time."

"Where are you going?" Eric asked curiously, pulling loose his collar and unbuttoning his shirt to show that he had a regular t-shirt beneath it. "Can I come with you?"

"Eh?" Tsuna choked, pausing in his tracks in order to stare. "Why?"

"I don't have anything else better to do," he answered simply. "My folks don't know that I was kicked out yet, so I figure it'll be better to stay out of their sights until my application for the school across town goes through."

"I guess it's okay," Tsuna replied, scratching his head out of habit. "It's not anything you'd find fun, though."

"Let me be the judge of that," Eric said in full confidence.

* * *

"Ewww," Eric moaned in disgust. "You can't seriously--" Eric broke off the moment that Tsuna ignored him and jumped into the dumpster. He was used to dumpster diving by now. He barely even noticed the smell anymore. "Why would you do that?!"

"Because I don't like being broke and there's money to be found in here," he answered honestly. Absently, he found himself talking while he searched through the trash for treasures and cans. What cans he found got crushed and tossed into a trash bag that he salvaged. Treasures got tossed in his satchel if they were something that he could make money from. "You've probably never lived without a nice house with running water and electricity. Up until a few months ago, I lived in a doghouse in an alley on Twenty-Seventh Street. This used to be where I found my meals when no one tossed me any money while I was begging. I started doing the whole mime thing to make up for me not begging anymore. After this, I got to go to my other job, but my weekend job is where I really make money. Honestly, the only reason I even confronted you was because people aren't as willing to stop and throw money if cops are around. Magico was about to call them in to get rid of you, but I told him that I'd take care of it. Doing it myself was better than losing my cash flow for the day."

"But you still gave it all to that one guy," Eric pointed out in confusion.

"Yeah, well," Tsuna mumbled as he ripped open another bag to dig through it. "I'm not doing bad lately. You can't really tell how a person is doing by the way they look. That guy was clean and well-fed, but he looked like he was about to give up. When you give up, it doesn't matter where you're at or what you're doing. That's the bottom of the barrel. He needed someone to stop him before he hit that. I would have been responsible if he hit bottom because of how I treated him, so it was my responsibility to pull him up some. Thirty bucks is a small price to pay if he keeps surviving. Time solves every problem as long as you don't give in and keep going and don't let chances pass you by."

"How old are you?" Eric asked curiously.

"Twenty two," he replied, hesitating only for a moment before answering. "Do I sound younger?"

"No," he said with a small shake of his head. "You sound older, but you don't look it. That's why I asked."

"Older?" Tsuna repeated in surprise. Then he shrugged it off, knowing that he'd grown a lot during the past year. He'd been forced to. There was so much that he'd never have even dreamed of being possible of doing in his old, coddled life. A change of circumstance had made him mature at a rate that even he'd been able to see. He had a sense of responsibility now. Not just for his own actions, but for those around him. He knew what it was like to have absolutely no net to catch him when he failed and that had forced him to fail much less. He knew what it was like to have no pride or self-respect left. Knowing that allowed him to do things that would have once shocked and embarrassed him into inaction. He knew how precious a thing like chance and luck was, which had taught him how to make the most out of such things when they struck. There were so many things that he'd learned in the time since he'd run away that he couldn't possibly list them all.

Simply, living on the streets had made him grow up. He actually felt like he could be twenty-two now instead of only fifteen. What Reborn hadn't been able to teach him in a year of living the good life, he'd managed to gain on his own in just a handful of months with Snicker. The key difference was that he was allowed his boundaries and he wouldn't be made into a sadistic psycho this way. He was grasping more of what people were capable of instead of distancing himself from people. He was sure that distancing himself had been what allowed him to kill. Therefore, he craved closeness and friendship where ever he could find it. He was positive that having that would keep him from becoming a heartless person like a Mafia Boss.

Pausing, Tsuna grinned widely at the sight of a treasure. It wasn't much, but--

"Suoh...?" Eric asked curiously. Tsuna tore his eyes away from the broken pocket watch in his hand in order to look at Eric in askance. "Are you okay? You've been staring at that for almost five minutes now."

"I'm fine," he lied. Confused not only by the strange feeling inside him when he looked at the treasure, but by the strange urge to cry that he was fighting, Tsuna lifted himself up out of the dumpster. Once he was safely out, he looked down at the watch again in an even greater confusion. Why did it feel so nostalgic?

"Are you going to sell that?" Eric inquired in open doubt. "I don't think it'll sell for much. The chain is missing and it looks like the latch is broken."

"No," he answered quietly, stuffing the pocket watch into his bag while he determinedly shoved the strange feelings away. Tying the bag of cans to his waist, he started heading toward the subway once more. "I think I'll keep this one. It can still be fixed."

"Where are you going now?"

"Normally, I'd check out a few other dumpsters on this side of town, but I stayed too long at the park today," he answered. "For now, I'm going to head over to the airport and see what I can do about making some extra cash."

"Can I come?"

"I guess so..."

* * *

"Shit," Tsuna mumbled, staring up at the front door of his apartment building.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked. "Can I not come after all?"

"No..." he blushed. "It's fine. I just.. um.. I've got to warn everyone that I'm bringing you through. This is the first time that anyone but me, Mike, or Snicker have been allowed in this building. Other guys aren't allowed in since they're usually stalkers."

"I don't understand," Eric admitted, scratching his head.

"Me and Snicker are the only guys that live in this building," Tsuna replied with a deep look. Eric stared, still not comprehending. His lack of understanding made Tsuna want to curse over his sheltered naivety. "Just... um... hold on a minute..."

Eric nodded and Tsuna hurriedly rushed up the stairs. Going inside, he grimaced at the sight of girls crossing between the six apartments down the first floor hallway next to the stairs. He figured that he could get Eric to close his eyes for that part. Rushing up to the top floor, he groaned at the chaos going on down his own hallway. He immediately got a lot of attention due to his rushed expression.

"What's wrong, Suoh?" Rachel asked in curiosity while she continued to curl her hair.

"Well, I've got a friend that wants to come up and he's a guy, but--"

"OH!" She squealed, immediately bringing silence to the area. "So you finally turned gay!"

"NO!" He gasped with a bright blush while he shifted his groceries in his arms. "I'm NOT gay! He's just a normal friend! Sheesh! I just figured that you guys would want some warning before I brought him through!"

"Don't worry about it," Cassandra called from down the hall. "We'll make sure not to embarrass you. Go ahead and bring him up, Suoh. I'll go in and warn Snicker for you, too."

"Thanks," he replied earnestly before retreating back down the stairs and outside. Eric was still waiting in open curiosity and was more than ready to follow him inside. Tsuna peeked down the first floor hallway in appreciation for the sudden silence that told him someone had followed him down to warn the other floors. That was, until he reached the top floor with Eric beside him. He couldn't help but blush at the spectacle that awaited them.

"Welcome home, Suoh!" Nearly three dozen women cried in merry unison. Tsuna bowed his head, knowing that he should have foreseen this. He was the building's favorite tenant, after all. Him bringing a friend home for the first time was a pretty big deal. One that everyone wanted to make special.

He was touched, but he wished that they'd put on more than lingerie first.

"Let's go," Tsuna ordered with a bright blush, shoving Eric ahead of him. Eric stumbled with every step, his eyes wide at the bevy of near-naked women. Well, in a few cases, fully-naked women. He groaned when they each took turns planting a kiss on Eric before placing a kiss on him while they passed. Seeing that he wasn't going to get out of it, he started paying them back slightly for their attack with startling smacks against their bare rears.

That only got them even more riled. By the time that Tsuna was able to get into his apartment with Eric beside them, they were covered in more lipstick than a bald man on New Years' Eve. They even tried to follow him inside his apartment! When he finally managed to get the door shut, he leaned against it for a moment to sigh while the ring of Snicker's chuckles filled the room.

"How do I get to live here?" Eric asked with wide, shocked eyes while Tsuna braced the door at the feeling of someone trying to test it.

"Trust me," Tsuna grimaced. "It wears thin after a while."

"So says the man who has me beat as their favorite candy," Snicker laughed, taking the groceries from him. "Who's your friend, Suoh?"

"This is Eric," he introduced. "He helped me with my pantomime today. I got to have a lot of fun thanks to him."

"I think that should go the other way around," Eric corrected, reaching out to hesitantly shake Snicker's hand. "Suoh's been letting me tag along with him for today. I hope that it's okay that I came along for dinner."

"He bought us steaks for dinner," Tsuna interjected before Snicker could make a decision on whether to be worried about a freeloader. "We got potatoes to bake, too, along with all the good toppings."

"It's perfectly fine," Snicker laughed, looking down inside Tsuna's grocery bag in appreciation. "Why don't you let me do the cooking tonight, Suoh? You and your friend grab a beer and relax."

"Are you sure?" He asked worriedly. "You just--"

"I'm sure," Snicker replied warmly, handing both Tsuna and Eric a beer out of the refrigerator. "I want to hear all about how you met this fellow while I cook, though. Is he going to be joining your act from now on?"

"We hadn't talked about that..."

"Can I?!" Eric asked excitedly. "I wouldn't need the profits or anything. Just getting to act again like we did earlier would be great!" Tsuna looked at him in surprise for a moment before glancing back to see a soft expression on Snicker's face. They had another friend. One that was outgoing and energetic and didn't seem to be bothered by their modest lifestyle. Tsuna's gut said that he was a really good guy, too.

"It looks like you got yourself a little brother to take care of, Suoh," Snicker commented in quiet happiness. "Make sure that you teach him everything that you know."

"Ah," Tsuna agreed brightly before turning to Eric. "I guess I can say... welcome to the family."


	13. Chapter 13 Laundry Day

Another day, another dollar. Tsuna woke to find himself warmly pressed between Snicker and the wall with their battery-powered alarm clock beeping softly in his ear. He absently smacked it to silence it before sitting up in their bed. He was sorely tempted to oversleep, but knew that he couldn't. If he did, then Snicker would and he'd lose his job. Their blanket was haphazardly tossed about them, but Snicker had managed to pile some of it up around his head for a pillow. He woke with the a hard shake, drifting in an out for a moment before finally opening his eyes. The moment he saw Tsuna, he smiled and had to forcibly keep himself awake while Tsuna got up to make their breakfast.

"Get up," Tsuna called when the food was done and Snicker still hadn't appeared out of the bedroom. Going back in, he gave an exasperated sigh at the sight of Snicker having fallen back asleep in the bed. It made him wonder why he ever bothered to attempt to wake Snicker up that first time. It wasn't like he ever actually got up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he smiled quietly to himself while he once more shook Snicker awake. It took nearly a full minute to get him sitting up enough to accept his bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich along with his banana.

"Wake up," he chuckled when Snicker tried to bury his head under his pillow. "It's Friday. Make it through today and you get two days off."

"Fine," Snicker groaned before sleepily sitting up. He perked up like he always did when Tsuna handed him a hot plate of food without forcing him out of bed to eat. He paused, though, before eating and pinned Tsuna in place with a soft smile.

"What?" Tsuna blushed at the sudden focus of attention.

"Are you going out again tonight?" Snicker asked quietly.

"Yes."

"I don't like it," Snicker replied solemnly. "You should go out for fun, not to--"

"It's okay, Snicker," he soothed softly. "It's not like I'm actually selling myself. Like Gigi said, I'm just accepting the money that they throw at me. I'd be stupid not to take it and you have to admit that we can use the money."

"We don't need it that badly anymore," he countered. "I don't like it, Suoh. I'd rather go out and get a second--"

"Oh, no you don't," Tsuna snapped with narrowed eyes. "Don't even think about getting a second job just to take care of me. I won't forgive you if you do. You're working too hard already at the factory. I'm not about to sit back and watch you work yourself to death when I can go out two nights a week and pull in some decent cash. You just worry about the rent and the electric bills. I'll worry about getting us ahead."

"You still don't have to do it," he replied. "You're already working two jobs yourself plus all those other things you do. You don't have to go out on the weekends, too."

"That just gets money for our meals," he pointed out around a slow bite of his breakfast. "I have to do the impersonation gig if I want to get us some actual savings. You know that, Snicker."

"I know," he groaned. "But I still don't like it and I know that you don't either. We can do without all these fancy things that you've been getting us."

"We can," Tsuna admitted. "But we don't have to. I'd rather go out and let guys pawn all over me than have to watch people who work less get all the good stuff. You deserve good stuff, too, and I'm going to make sure that you get it, Snicker."

"You're too good to an old fool like me, Suoh," he commented quietly.

"Not nearly good enough. Hurry up and eat or else you'll miss your bus," Tsuna chuckled tiredly before getting to work on starting Snicker's shower. Once Snicker jumped in, he set to doing his normal clean-up chores. By the time he was done, Snicker was out of the shower and quickly getting dressed for the day.

Then came the best part of the day in Tsuna's opinion. The part where Snicker stood in preparation to leave. Out of habit, he gave a long stretch the moment that he got to his feet in order to straighten out the imaginary kinks that he'd gotten during the night. As always, Tsuna took advantage of him raising his arms up to give him a quick hug of thanks for everything he did.

"Don't push yourself," Tsuna smiled when Snicker lowered his arms back down. Tsuna grinned momentarily at the hand that ruffled his hair before letting Snicker go.

"The same goes for you," he advised. Waiting for his nod of agreement, Snicker left with a smile in order to ensure that he got to the bus on time. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna set to doing his own preparation for the day. Jumping into the shower, Tsuna washed himself thoroughly and quickly with the rest of the hot water that Snicker hadn't used. He took simple pleasure in simply being able to bathe every day and let the hot water relax him to the fullest. He was halfway through his shower when the events of the morning got abnormally interrupted by a knock at the door.

Curious, Tsuna shut off the shower and paused for a moment to ensure that he'd heard right since no one ever knocked at their door. Especially not so early in the day. When the knock sounded again, he grabbed up his towel and wrapped it around his waist before quickly hurrying to answer it. Opening it, it took him a long minute to recognize the tall and lean figure outside as his miming partner. The reason that it took a moment to recognize him was because he was dressed in a sweater vest and had his hair greased back like he was going to some sort of fancy event. Normally, Eric's hair was naturally wind-swept and he wore a simple jeans and t-shirt. Seeing him like this brought a whole knew meaning to the thought of split personalities.

"Eric," he identified in surprise, waving him inside. "What are you doing here?"

"I know that you said you didn't go to the park on Fridays, but I was bored," he answered while self-consciously plucking at his vest in dislike for it. That hand stopped when he actually looked at Tsuna for the first time. He blinked and stared in a shock that took Tsuna a long moment to understand. It'd been so long since someone outside Mike's whores and his customers at Kink's had seen his body that it took a moment for the reason to dawn on him. Eric was seeing his scars for the first time.

"Give me a minute to get dressed and we'll talk," he murmured shyly, trying to nonchalantly cover his chest with his arm while holding his towel in place around his waist. Eric nodded, trying to avert his eyes with a blush when he noticed for himself that he was staring. The reaction only created an uncomfortable silence that Tsuna was sure wouldn't be broken until he got clothed. Once he retreated into his bedroom and out of Eric's sight, he tried to explain. "In case you're wondering, they're part of a impersonation act that I do on the weekends," he temporized. "The guy goes by the name of Black X and he's pretty famous in certain circles and he has scars just like these. That's where I usually make my real money since I can't make enough from my other jobs to cover more than our food budget."

"Oh," Eric called in surprise from the living room. "I'm sorry for staring. They just looked so real."

"They're supposed to," he laughed in return, taking Eric's reaction in stride. "If they didn't look realistic, I wouldn't get half the money that I get."

"Do you get hired to go to parties or something?" He asked curiously.

"Not quite," Tsuna chuckled, slipping his last pair of jeans and his t-shirt on. "I work at this bar called Kink's. It's not an official job or anything, but they let me in free since people have started coming just to see me. I talk people into buying me lots of drinks and tipping the bartenders extra, so the owner looks the other way when I get tips. He's making a ton of money just from the entrance fees of all the extra customers that I bring in for him since I go there exclusively. It's a pretty nice set-up and I can relax because all the bartenders and bouncers look out for me now."

"So, the owner is paying you just to go there and drink?" Eric inquired in open confusion.

"No," he corrected with a blush, walking back into the living room while he towel-dried his hair. "I get gratuities from the people that go there for fun. The owner just looks the other way."

"I don't get it," he commented innocently. Tsuna sighed while wondering if he'd ever been so sheltered.

"I get paid to make people horny," he said bluntly. He paused with a raised eyebrow as Eric's face turned a bright red over the revelation that Tsuna got paid to do such a thing. "I make everything into sexual innuendo. I get paid to dance dirty. I get paid to sit in people's laps and to just let them touch me. And I get paid by the kiss. Plus, I never have to buy my own drinks since everyone wants to get me drunk in hopes that they can slip me out of the bar without my manager Gigi noticing." Tsuna watched in sympathy as Eric tried to find something to say and he merely gaped like a stranded fish for several minutes.

"And women pay you for that?!" He finally gasped. This time, it was Tsuna's turn to blush.

"I wish," he groaned. "It wouldn't be such a bad job if that was the case. Unfortunately for _me_, the guy that I impersonate is only really famous in gay circles. No, I'm not gay," he interjected automatically when the question passed across Eric's face. "But I'd be stupid not to make money off of my likeness to him. I can sometimes make ten times what I make out of my other jobs in just one night of impersonating Black X. It's not really a job that I like doing, but it's better than begging without giving anything in return. At least this way, I'm getting money out of appreciation instead of sympathy. It's actually not that much different than my act at the park. At first, it was embarrassing and I hated it because it made me feel pathetic, but I got over that when I got better at it and made more money. Now, it's just another job that I have to smile through."

"I.. um... I see..." Eric murmured with another sheepish blush.

"Don't worry. I'm not a prostitute like the girls that live here and I'm not going to turn into a fairy just because I do that kind of work," Tsuna laughed, flipping on the small radio that he'd splurged to get. A press of a button sent it to the music station that he'd found he liked, allowing him to have something to listen to while he started doing his Friday chores. It was strange, because he'd never seen himself as a person to like Jazz, Blues, or Modern Jive. Yet, out of all the options that he'd come across by playing with the radio's tuning, those were the sounds that he felt that he liked listening to. It was... nostalgic... for some reason. It relaxed him and he found himself occasionally dancing while doing his Friday cleaning of his and Snicker's apartment.

"When do you go to that job?" Eric asked curiously while Tsuna went to pull a broom out of the apartment's only spare closet. Tsuna smiled softly over at where Eric had already taken up a corner of the couch like a puppy who was scared of being turned into a stray if his master decided not to like him.

"Not until later tonight," he answered while he started sweeping the carpet with quick, harsh strokes of his broom. Tsuna knew that most people would have the luxury of a vacuum for such a task, but they hadn't yet gotten around to that particular luxury. For now, sweeping worked well enough in getting up any debris that might have been tracked through. "First, I have to finish my chores around here and then I've got to go do laundry. After that, I'll go do the shopping for the weekend so that Snicker doesn't have to go tomorrow or the next day. When I get that taken care of, I'll make up his dinner and then head over to Gigi's to start getting ready. Assuming I don't have to wait on a washing machine, I might have an extra hour or two in there to go... um... spend some quality time with one of the girls. It takes the edge off so that it's harder for there to be any incidents at the club."

"Incidents?" He repeated with his head cocked slightly in open lack of understanding. Tsuna paused and pressed his head against the tip of his broom, once more cursing himself for Eric's complete naivety. It was as if he was still stuck in middle school! The sad thing was that Tsuna several years less memories than Eric, but he was less innocent even though Eric was younger than him. How Eric had managed to get himself kicked out of performing arts school while being so cherry-cheeked innocent made Tsuna wonder what was wrong with the world. Even more, he asked himself what was wrong with Eric himself. He had the brass to tell his superiors at his school that their ways were wrong, yet he was like a puppet in some ways.

Pinocchio. Eric was Pinocchio. That was the only explanation. He'd been a mere puppet until he'd finally come to life and cut his strings. This was his first time out in the real world. Sheltered. Naive. Innocent. Eric was simply an energetic little boy who was stuck at the same point in his growth. Where Tsuna had grown too fast in the past year, Eric had been growing too slow for many years.

Together, they balanced each other out in a way that Tsuna thought was incredibly amusing.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Tsuna asked worriedly, staring up at the condo building that Eric lived in. It wasn't so much the size of the building that bothered Tsuna as it was the location. By that alone, Tsuna knew that Eric's parents were loaded with money. This was one of those areas of the city that he normally treasure-hunted in the dumpsters, not an area that he could actually feel welcome in. Maybe once upon a different life, but not anymore. He knew his place in the world now. People that lived in places like this were the people that ignored him when he was begging on the street.

"Don't worry about it," Eric soothed with a smile. "My parents won't be home until later and it's the least I can do. You missed out on beating the rush to the Laundromat because we stopped to get me breakfast."

"If you say so," Tsuna shrugged in his salvaged leather jacket, willing to accept the offer since it saved him three dollars in laundry fees. Refusing to let Eric carry the bags, he slung the bag of his own dirty clothes over one shoulder and Snicker's bag over the other before following him inside. This wasn't a place that he'd feel too comfortable in anymore, but he wasn't about to let a thing like comfort stop him. Especially not when the Laundromat he normally went to had already been full of people when they'd gotten there. He refused to use the one down the street since he'd nearly had his clothes stolen mid-cycle twice with him still in the building. That meant that he either had to waste a few hours waiting for a washer to come free or else take Eric up on his offer.

For the sake of the time he hoped to spend with Cassandra today, he took Eric up on his offer. Like he expected, the door attendant looked at him like he was automatically a thief because of how he looked. Not that Tsuna could blame him. He'd looked at himself in the mirror this morning. Even with his scars covered, his face wasn't one to inspire thoughts of trust anymore. Between his tattoos and the jaded look he could see in his own eyes, he knew that he probably wouldn't trust himself on first glance, either. How Eric had latched onto him so easily was actually very surprising.

He's a good kid, Tsuna mused to himself in wonder since Eric really did seem like a big kid to him. Difference in relative or actual age aside, Tsuna knew that he had more experience than the guy even with his memory loss factored in. He couldn't call himself as street-wise as Snicker, but he'd learned tons more about the world than the sheltered actor beside him.

Pushing such thoughts aside, Tsuna looked around the lobby of the condo complex in appreciation. It had everything one would expect. It had waxed floors, bad statuary coupled with fake plants, and even an attendant on duty to protect the resident's mail alongside his duties to attend to any problems that might come up during the day.

Spoiled.

Tsuna couldn't help the thought as he followed Eric into the elevator. Just from the lobby, he could tell that everyone who lived in the building was spoiled. They were spoiled by their fat paychecks and they were spoiled by easy jobs that they probably didn't appreciate. They were spoiled by having all of their whims met and they were spoiled by how their worst problems were how their bellies got too fat for their pants. All of them were spoiled. They were spoiled into being unable to appreciate the good life that they had.

Besides the automatic need to scoff at such an arrogant and pampered lifestyle, Tsuna took a moment to appreciate Eric for himself. He lived with being surrounded by such luxury each day, yet he was willing to accept that such a thing wasn't to be taken for granted. He'd never said a word about Tsuna's own lifestyle nor that of Snicker's. He'd never belittled what little they had nor how hard they had to work to get what they did. He was open-minded in a way that Tsuna found both strange and unbelievable after seeing merely the building that Eric lived in.

He was a blank slate. Eric knew how he lived, but didn't automatically assume that everyone lived that way. Knowing that, Tsuna instantly forgave any instances in the past that Eric had raised his nose. Especially when Tsuna noticed for himself that Eric had always lowered it back down on his own in the desire to understand the reasoning behind the things that he didn't instantly understand or like. Tsuna's dumpster-diving had been one of those instances. Eric had raised his nose at the idea at first, but he'd been willing to listen and understand from Tsuna's point of view.

Eric was sheltered, but he was willing to stand in the rain in order to learn.

"Here we are," Eric smiled widely, leading Tsuna to his condo door without noticing the train of Tsuna's thoughts. Tsuna smiled quietly in return while he followed him inside. The condo was large. The spacious room that met them when they walked in looked like it was probably cleaned daily by a maid. More than likely, the floors got waxed once a week, too. There was no carpeting in the room, although several modern rugs that looked like they'd cost a fortune were dividing up the different areas. All of the furniture had still-new look to it. It also looked uncomfortable. It was almost as if they were screaming 'Don't use me!' There was no real heart to the place. Tsuna could see that immediately. There were pictures on the modern fireplace's mantle and on top of the baby grand piano in the corner of the room, but it all looked staged. There wasn't even dust to show what was used and what wasn't, which made it all look unused.

For several minutes, Tsuna and Eric busied themselves with starting one of the two loads of laundry that Tsuna had brought. Keeping in mind what Snicker had taught him about not taking what other people had, he insisted that he used his own detergent. After that, he walked back into the living area to look around while Eric retreated to the kitchen to get something to drink for both of them. Since the living room furniture didn't look like the most inviting of places to sit, he walked around for a while in curiosity of the pictures put up for show. He got to chuckle over Eric in grade school with glasses the size of soda cans and the worst acne that one could imagine. It was kind of amusing to see that Eric had been a geeky freak in his childhood. Seeing that made Tsuna realize that Eric probably still saw himself in such a way. He didn't wear glasses anymore and his skin was clear, but he didn't show any self-confidence or arrogance about his attractive features. Quite possibly, he didn't know that he was attractive in the boy-next-door type of way.

His lack of confidence in himself because of his less-than-attractive childhood was probably why Tsuna was his only friend, too. He had never put himself forward to make friends until now. Noticing that made Tsuna really wonder about what had triggered the sudden change in his new friend. Something had to have done it. He couldn't have just woken up one day and decided to change his life. Well, Tsuna amended, he could have, but people didn't tend to follow through on such thoughts. He couldn't really see Eric as someone so rash. If he hadn't done such a thing in puberty, then it was unlikely that he would do such a thing now.

One more brushing his thoughts away, Tsuna found himself a seat in front of the baby grand piano. Like anyone who was confronted with the long row of gleaming white keys, he couldn't help but reach out to tap a few. The sweet sound that came out made him smile in giddiness. Since Eric didn't immediately shout out for him to stop, he tried tapping a few more. It made him happy to hear such a clear sound, although he couldn't say why. It was as if no key he touched could respond with less than a pure sound. Encouraged, he tried hitting several in combination and received an interestingly dulcet string of sound that he found made him both relaxed and strangely morose.

Wanting to hear more of the piano's purity get unleashed, he continued to play. After a minute, he found his hands in the same position that Gokudera had always used to play. He--

_"Teach me more, Goku-sensei!"_

Tsuna faltered to a sudden stop, the notes thudding against each other in discord. What was he doing? He couldn't play the piano. He'd never even seen Gokudera play. He--

"Why did you stop?!" Eric exclaimed from where he was standing several feet away with two drinks in his hands. "That was sounding really good! I didn't even know that the piano could sound like that!"

"I... uh..." Tsuna shook his head to himself, feeling a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. Grasping at straws, he stood hurriedly and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "May I use your bathroom?"

"Sure," Eric replied in surprise while he set down their drinks on the living room's coffee table. "You don't even have to ask. Just go down the hall and it's the third door on the left. I'm going to go get changed out of this monkey suit. Mom wanted to walk me out this morning, so I couldn't change before."

"Okay," he replied, extraordinarily happy that Eric wasn't questioning him. Trying not to show how much he wanted to run, Tsuna headed down the hallway as directed with Eric right behind him. Eric ducked in the first door, leaving Tsuna to find the bathroom on his own. His brain was so scrambled from the strange moment on the piano, though, that he went right instead of left. He froze in surprise, finding himself in a bedroom instead of a bathroom.

And he wasn't alone.

Gaping, he felt his ears turn red at the sight of what was probably Eric's mother. She was standing in only a robe and was staring back in her own surprise at the sudden intruder. That alone was bad enough. What really made him blush was the sight of someone he knew sitting on the side of the bed while she got redressed.

"Suoh...?" Autumn asked with a raised eyebrow before the woman could panic. The word snapped Tsuna out of his shock enough that he spun in place to shut the door before Eric could see the unforgivable sight of his mother with a prostitute. While Tsuna wished that Eric wasn't so naive, he had no wish of destroying what peace that he had at home in order to make him open his eyes some more. "Was that you on the piano?"

"Suoh?" Eric's mother repeated in surprise before Tsuna could respond with more than a wide-eyed glance. The mother paled and started to tremble in panic. "Oh no. You're Eric's friend from his acting class. If you're here then--"

"I won't tell him," Tsuna said with his mind racing in circles.

"Eh?"

"I won't tell him," he repeated, keeping his wide eyes firmly locked on the wood of the bedroom door. "Eric is my friend, but I won't tell him. It would hurt him if he knew that you were in here like this. He cares about you a lot or else he'd never put up with everything you do to him. He'd never have went to a school he didn't like or let you dress him day after day unless he really cared, so I won't tell him. Just... um.. Just give me five minutes and I'll get him to leave with me for a little while so that he doesn't have to see."

Not waiting for a reaction or agreement, Tsuna slipped out of the bedroom and hurried back down the hall to Eric's room. It took a moment to control his blushes before he was able to knock on the door with a straight face. He'd been interested in meeting Eric's parents, but he'd never expected his mother to be one of Autumn's clients. Seeing that told him that not everything was happy in Eric's seemingly simple world. It was none of his business, he repeatedly told himself. He just had to protect his friend. What little happiness that Eric got by the stable farce that he lived with at home would be destroyed if he saw his mother like that.

A surprised call permitted him entry into Eric's room. He grimaced at the sight of Eric leisurely changing. In the time that Tsuna normally tossed on his whole set of clothes for the day, Eric had barely removed his sweater-vest and shirt.

"Why don't we head out to the.. um... the arcade," Tsuna suggested hurriedly, using the first thing that came to mind before Eric could say anything. "I've still got all those quarters that I don't have to use on laundry and it should be safe to leave my clothes here. There's no reason for us to have to stick around inside. Is there?"

"No," Eric answered, pulling a regular t-shirt out of the back of his closet. "But isn't the arcade kind of childish? I like video games as much as the next person, but--"

"How about the casino?" Tsuna blurted with his mind jumping to a more appropriate venue that might interest Eric.

"The casino?"

"Yeah," he nodded fervently. "I hear that there's a couple down by the waterfront, but I've not had time to go. We might win some money playing and I'd normally be out three dollars anyway."

"Okay," Eric agreed with a grin. "I've never been, so this should be interesting." Tsuna sighed in relief when Eric followed him out the bedroom door without bothering to change into jeans from his slacks. His mother was still in her room and there was no sign of Autumn as they passed through. Grimacing slightly since he hated leaving his and Snicker's clothes behind, he mentally cursed himself for having allowed himself to break out of his routine. His routine was there for a reason. It was a series of events that made his and Snicker's life better without putting him in awkward situations like this.

It was safe.

Mentally berating himself, he walked with Eric out of the condo complex and back into the street. Tomorrow, he swore to himself. Tomorrow, he'd get back on his routine and he wouldn't deviate on it. First, though, he had to get through today.

* * *

"Sorry," Tsuna grimaced, relaxing into his seat on the public bus heading toward Eric's condo again. "I didn't know that we needed ID to get in. You should have just went in without me."

"That wouldn't have been fair," Eric objected. "It's okay. I'll wait until you can come in with me to go. I wouldn't have felt comfortable going in alone."

"You know that you'll never go if you wait on me," Tsuna commented quietly so that none of the people sitting toward the front could hear them. "I can't get ID in this country."

"I know," he nodded with his own small grimace. "You told me before. Have you thought about asking around to get a fake one made?"

"No and I don't plan to."

"Why?"

"Because," Tsuna sighed while wishing 'why' wasn't Eric's favorite question. "The people who make things like that aren't usually the nicest of people. I don't want to get mixed up with something that I'll regret later. It's better for me to just keep my head down and use Snicker's identity when I have to do paperwork for some reason. I don't want to get in trouble and end up getting deported back to Japan. As it is, no one can prove that I'm not a citizen here and no one bothers with me because I'm not hurting anyone. If I got a fake ID made, they'd more than likely use someone else's identity and that would be stealing. I refuse to steal, so I refuse to get an ID made."

"Wow," Eric replied in surprise. "I never knew that you were so righteous-minded, Suoh."

"I'm not," he laughed. "I just don't want to become a bad person and it's little things like that which can start someone on the road to becoming one. It's easy to justify doing things when you don't have to look at the person that you're hurting, but I can always see those people. Plus, Snicker taught me not to take what other people have and I know that I don't have to as long as he's there for me."

Eric was saved from having to reply as they got up to get off at their stop. The stop was only a block away from Eric's condo, which was fortunate since this was supposed to be a day of semi-relaxation for Tsuna. He had to save his energy if he was going to be able to stay up all night. Having to cover for Eric's mother wasn't very conductive to that. Even so, he didn't begrudge the time spent in doing so. If it meant that Eric could stay blissfully happy for a while longer, then so be it. He just hoped that the coming meeting wouldn't be as bad as he thought it was going to be.

Following Eric through the condo lobby and hallways with growing foreboding, Tsuna knew that he didn't have a choice. He'd left his and Snicker's clothes in Eric's home, which meant that he had to go back in to retrieve them. He was tempted to ask Eric to get them for him, but then there would be the question of why. Every excuse that he could think of would possibly alienate his friend, so he was forced to simply hope that his mother had left while they were out.

His hopes were in vain. He knew it the moment that they reentered Eric's condo to find the smell of pizza waiting. Eric gave him a confused look over the smell before calling out to the woman that Tsuna already knew was there.

"Mom? Dad? Are you home?"

"I'm in here," she called back, sending both Tsuna and Eric into the spotless and modern kitchen. Tsuna tried not to act any differently than he would during a first meeting. He didn't avert his eyes and he controlled his need to blush. Playing off his embarrassment for her sake as mere shyness, he let Eric introduce him. Seeing her dressed made Tsuna reevaluate his initial impression of her. The business suit that she was wearing, tailored for a woman, made her look both formidable and a person that Tsuna would probably ignore when he was hoping for tips to get tossed his way. Her previously-loose hair had been neatly tied up in a French twist, giving her the image of a secretary for a powerful man.

"I finished up the clothes that were in the laundry for you, dear," she said with a forced smile. "I was surprised when I heard the washer going. For a minute, I thought that the maid was skipping out on taking our stuff to the cleaners."

"No," Eric blushed sheepishly. "Those are Suoh's. The Laundromat was full, so I let him use--"

"What are you wearing, dear?" She interrupted, giving Eric's t-shirt a dark look around her smile.

"Oh, I, uh..."

"Why aren't you in school?" She interrogated mercilessly. Tsuna gritted his teeth when Eric's face turned ashen, making him wonder if he should interfere. She was backing him into a corner without thinking twice about it. From Tsuna's standpoint, it wasn't fair. Eric was eighteen. Even if he was living with his parents, he deserved some consideration for his age. Seeing how they aggressively acted toward him made Tsuna understand why he was so childish. They'd never allowed him to be anything but a child.

"I... um..."

"The school let out early to celebrate the Japanese Bon Festival," Tsuna interjected, immediately getting both of their attention. "Eric changed because he didn't want to get his nice clothes dirty by helping me down at the cemetery. I tried to tell him that cleaning the grave site for tradition wouldn't get him that dirty, but he didn't want to chance upsetting you. Since we were already coming over here, he also offered to let me use your washer and dryer for my own clothes. Please forgive me if I've inconvenienced you by accepting." Tsuna bowed in apology to hide the way his eye wanted to twitch in frustration. He hated lying, but this woman wasn't going to let up. Stepping in was the only way to get her to lay off of her own son. All it took was a mere minute of watching her to see that.

"Oh," she squeaked at the reminder of Suoh's presence. "That's... That's perfectly fine. You said that today is the Bon-bon Festival?"

"Bon Festival," he corrected politely with a small grimace over the lie. That particular festival wasn't actually for another week and he'd stopped celebrating after having left home. He was simply using their probable ignorance over customs outside of their own in order to cover for his friend.

"Such a interesting friend you have, Eric," she commented with another forced smile. Tsuna could tell it was forced because of the way her eye kept twitching every time she looked at him. Whether it was because she was afraid or because she was angry, Tsuna couldn't tell. What he could tell was that she didn't like interlopers in her happy fantasy of a perfect family.

That just made Tsuna want to destroy Eric's cage all that much more. He couldn't, though. It wasn't his family and it wasn't his right to choose how they lived it. If Eric was willing to continue being treated as a middle-school student, then Tsuna had no choice but to accept it.

"I made pizza rolls for you and your little friend," she continued, making Tsuna's eye twitch again at the condescending tone. "Why don't you two go to your room and play some of your video games. I'll bring you some sodas in a--"

Arg.

"Can Eric stay with me tonight?" Tsuna asked with sugary-sweetness.

"Eh?"

"Can Eric stay with me tonight?" Tsuna repeated, ignoring the look of surprise from his friend and his mother.

"Will your parents be home?" She asked curiously.

Tsuna silently counted to ten.

Twice.

"Yes, ma'am. My guardian will be there," he answered politely while laughing inside since Snicker would probably be the one to buy the booze and maybe get Eric an interesting diversion for the night.

"Well," she mumbled in thought, the perfect picture of innocent motherhood at its peak. "I don't see why not. Eric doesn't have school tomorrow. What time will you bring him home?"

"Sunday evening after church if that's okay with you," he answered with more sugary-politeness, deciding the time out of the knowledge that hangovers were hellish pain to deal with. "I'd really like it if he could stay the whole weekend and I'm sure that you'd appreciate the whole weekend to spend with your husband." Tsuna allowed himself a cruel smile, knowing that he would probably regret the threat later. That was fine. If it allowed Eric a weekend of being himself, then he'd accept the trouble that the threat might cause.

She immediately got the hint from the reminder that Tsuna had a dirty little secret to blackmail her with. He could tell that she understood because of the way that she paled.

"Eric," she snapped with her eyes narrowing in on Tsuna. "Go pack yourself a bag for the weekend while Suoh helps me put these pizza rolls on a plate to take with you."

"Really?!" Eric gasped in surprise. "I can really go stay with Suoh for the whole weekend?!"

"Go before I change my mind," she replied. Tsuna chuckled to himself at the burst of energy that sent Eric toward his room. Then he merely smiled sadly in the realization that this was probably the first time that he'd been invited over to someone's house in such a way. He'd been sheltered and over-protected for far too long. The minute that he was inside his room with the door shut, Tsuna turned to the mother in order to trade glare for glare. "How much do you want to keep quiet?" She growled darkly.

"I won't take bribes," he replied with a shrug. "I only said that because I was tired of being treated like I was in middle school. I'm twenty-two, lady. I can smoke; I can drink; I can get laid and I don't need anyone's permission to do any of it."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She hissed angrily.

"I'm Eric's friend and I don't like how you've been treating him."

"What's that supposed to mean?! I've been treating him--"

"Like he's thirteen," Tsuna calmly finished for her. "He's still acting that way because you haven't let him grow up. How he managed to get through high school like that is a fucking miracle. I'll tell you right now that I'm not going to just watch you keep him caged up like you have. You might want to pretend that you have a perfect son with a perfect marriage, but you're just going to get knocked down a few pegs when your lies come back to bite you in the ass. I'm not going to let you take Eric down with you when it happens. He's eighteen and he needs some real world experience if he's going to survive even a minute outside of your gilded prison. Unless you planned to keep him caged up for his whole life?"

"How dare you!" She gasped in an outraged hiss, keeping her voice down so Eric wouldn't overhear. "I've never been more than caring for my son! He's always had everything he needs and--"

"You've handed it all to him on a silver platter," he interrupted in disgust. "You spoon-fed him his whole life and he's grateful for that. I won't say that he isn't. Even though he's unhappy with how you dress him and control him, he accepts it because he doesn't know any other way of life. He'll follow wherever you lead him because you're his mother, but do you really think he's happy like that? He has a mind of his own, you know. Or do you want him to marry someone you choose, work a job that you set up for him, and continue living his life as you desire for him? If you do, I'd really like to know where Eric's feelings fall into play. He's been taught to make you and his father happy, but when the hell have either of you actually thought about what makes him happy?"

"We always--"

"Think about it, but you don't consider it," Tsuna interrupted once more in his own growing anger. "If you did, he wouldn't have to lie to you just to get some freedom in his life. After meeting you, I'm not surprised at all about why he does it. You've never treated him as anything more than a puppet son, so he doesn't know any better. He's an adult now and--" Tsuna broke off, realizing that he was butting his nose in where he'd promised himself that he wouldn't. It was too late, though. All he could do was make the best of the damage he'd already caused. "I'll make you a deal. I'll keep my nose out of your life and I'll keep your dirty little secret from Eric. I won't threaten or harass you for money or favors. You can go on with your life and you can keep pretending that it's picture perfect. All I ask is that you think more about Eric as an individual with his own wants, needs, and thoughts and that you won't forbid him from visiting me anytime he wants. If you can do that, then I'll pretend that I never saw anything."

"That's blackmail," she growled.

"So?" He shrugged carelessly. "You were trying to bribe me two minutes ago. The way I see it, you aren't really out anything this way and Eric gets some more freedom in his life. You can still have your picture perfect son while he's at home, but he can have the option of being himself while he's with me. In my opinion, it's a winning situation for everyone."

"I want to ask you one thing before I agree," she said after a moment of silent thought. "What are you planning to do with my son tonight?"

"I haven't really thought about it," he answered honestly. "All I can really tell you is that Eric will be staying up long past his normal bedtime."

"Alright," she sighed in acceptance, probably thinking that they'd be simply watching horror movies all night. Tsuna wasn't in any mood to enlighten her. "I'll accept your terms, but only because it doesn't cost me anything. After today, I don't want to see your face in this house again."

"I think that'll make us both happy," he replied with another sickly-sweet smile. "Eric's probably almost done. Why don't we get those pizza rolls boxed up so that he doesn't ask what we were doing?"

"That's fine by me."


	14. Chapter 14 Friday Night

Smiling to himself, Tsuna unpacked the weekend's groceries without regretting the fact that it was already almost sunset. He might of missed out on spending time with his spicy pepper, Cassandra, or even his little pixie, Summer, or possibly his ebony statue, Dedra, but Eric's enjoyment was making up for it with a vengeance. Eric had brought several years of allowance with him when the two had left his place. His parents had been giving it to him for a long time, but he had always been limited on what he could spend it on. After a while, he'd stopped buying things since his parents had merely thrown out the things that he bought himself because of their content.

Video games that he'd picked out were too violent in their eyes. The collection that Tsuna had glimpsed when Eric had pulled him into his room to help pick out clothes to take had been less than satisfactory. It wasn't so much as they weren't interesting. Many of the brain puzzles and platform games had gotten even Tsuna's curious attention. The problem was that they were all family games. They were games that even a baby could play.

His music selections had been just as bad. They were all either classical, instrumental or seasonal music. There wasn't a single one in his collection that could be properly termed as either modern or contemporary. He'd mentioned that he'd once borrowed a CD from a classmate that was from a popular girl group, but his parents had said it was too sexually deviant for him to listen to. They'd thrown it away without mercy and he'd had to fork over the money to his classmate for a new copy. That incident had apparently been his last attempt at making a friend before Tsuna.

The movies were rated for family. There wasn't a single curse word or instance of bloodshed in the whole collection. It was almost as if 'action' wasn't an accepted genre.

His books were classical masterpieces of several of the movies he owned. There was no pieces of work that might make Eric question his own life. They were carefully selected to keep his mind occupied without permitting him any glimpses of the real world. Tsuna had kept his comments to himself when he saw that every book Eric owned had a golden seal of approval on the cover. They were probably good books, but he found it sickening that he owned nothing outside those 'approved'.

Then Eric had shown Tsuna his secret stash of comic books while being openly entranced by the images within. That had been the last straw. Tsuna had thrown his plans for the day to the winds, grabbed both Eric and his half-packed bag along with his own bags of laundry. Giving a pissed off salute to Eric's mother, he'd done the only thing he could think of. He'd dropped off his laundry at his apartment, pulled out a few hundred dollars out of the savings that Snicker made Tsuna promise to use on himself, and then marched Eric down to the mall with orders that he bought whatever he wanted.

At first, Eric had been flabbergasted and adamant that he couldn't do such a thing, but Tsuna had broken through that. It hadn't been hard. All he'd had to do was to tell Eric that he was buying it for himself and he needed Eric to help him find something interesting. After that, Eric had been more than willing to point out item after item. When Tsuna had informed him that he could buy himself stuff in the future to keep and enjoy at Tsuna's place, he'd pulled out his own cash and started going wild.

Between both of their money and Tsuna's eye for saving, they'd managed to get a lot. There were nearly a hundred things that he'd made Eric put back in the stores because of their price, but Eric didn't mind in the least. Especially not when Tsuna showed him the wonders of pawn shops afterwards. Half of the DVDs that Eric had wanted to buy, they'd gotten for a microscopic fraction of the price. There were a couple that Tsuna had still refused to get since the copies were scratched when he checked, but they'd still gotten more than Eric could watch in one day. Instead of buying CDs, Tsuna had made Eric get an MP3 device in full knowledge that they could borrow Gigi's computer to download songs for cheaper than it would cost to buy a full CD. After that, they'd skipped over the bookstore completely with Tsuna promising to take him down to get a library card first thing Monday morning. Finally, at their last stop on the trip, Tsuna had found a decent-looking television and DVD player at a pawn shop for twenty dollars each. The television was old and used, but still worked without any glitches. The DVD player looked completely new.

It had taken both of them working together to carry it all home before grocery shopping, but he didn't begrudge the work. There was no way he could when Eric looked like a little boy on Christmas morning when they'd returned with the groceries. He'd done all the work of setting the television up on a make-shift stand made out of two crates that they'd snatched from next to the grocery-store dumpsters on their way home. The DVD player hadn't been far behind. Currently, Eric was trading out DVDs at an insane rate, unable to make up his mind on which one he wanted to watch first.

"We'll go check out the thrift shops tomorrow," Tsuna called to him with a grin. "I haven't been out shopping like that in a long time. We'll hit the clothing stores up first and see if we can find anything good. Snicker's been needing a new pair of work boots and I might be able to find me a few extra costume pieces, too."

"Oh!" Eric gasped in surprise, putting down the DVD case in his hands. "I almost forgot! What time are we going out?"

"Eh?!" Tsuna cried in his own surprise, pausing in the middle of putting a jug of milk into the fridge. "What do you mean, we?"

"I'm going with you. Aren't I?" Eric asked with a pout.

"No!" He blurted. "I told you earlier, Eric! I work at a gay bar on the weekends!"

"Are straight guys not allowed in?" He inquired innocently.

"That's not it!" Tsuna gasped. Shutting the fridge door, he tried to control his sudden need to blush. Eric would be eaten alive if he went into Kink's. He still had the glow of a teenager. He was open minded and friendly. Worst of all, he was attractive. It would be like a fawn walking into a lion's den. "Don't look at me like that," Tsuna groaned, pointedly turning away from Eric's hurt expression. "It's nothing personal. I just can't take you in with me. You don't want to see me working anyway. It's gross and you wouldn't enjoy yourself."

"Yes, I would!" Eric exclaimed.

"No, Eric," Tsuna growled. "Just stay here with Snicker and enjoy your new movies. He'll probably wake up in an hour or two and order some Chinese take-out."

"But I want to go," he whined unhappily. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" He asked with a groan, willfully taking the bait in curiosity of what card that Eric was going to play. He couldn't help but be curious since Eric went from asserting himself to submissively depressed within a few seconds.

"Unless I'll just get in your way," he finished, trying to blow off his own feelings in a way that Tsuna was finding hard to see as an act. "Never mind. I'll just stay here and watch movies. You already put up with me enough at the park and you got my mom to let me go out for the weekend. I've already given you enough trouble and it's not like anyone there would probably like me. What time do you think you'll be back? I'll make sure to have a fresh bag of popcorn ready."

Tsuna grimaced. Unknowingly, Eric had used the "pull instead of push" card. It was one that Tsuna knew that he was woefully vulnerable to. Eric's self-confidence was battered on a regular basis. It was something that he was used to and he was honestly trying to make it easier for Tsuna to leave him behind. That automatically pulled Tsuna into the desire to make him feel better.

"Alright!" He exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air in the decision that Eric's self-confidence would get a needed boost by the attention he'd get at the club. "You can come. Just don't say that I didn't try to make you stay home!"

"I won't!" Eric promised as his face lit up. "Scout's honor!"

Tsuna stared for a long moment, almost able to see Eric in a boy scout uniform in that instant.

Fawn. Lions.

It was going to be a _very _long night.

* * *

"Why are you coming over here to get ready?" Eric asked curiously while Tsuna knocked on Gigi's door.

"Because," he replied with a sigh. "Snicker won't let me leave the apartment in my costume. The last time I tried to get ready over there, he threw a fit. He kind of sees me like a son, so he doesn't like to see me wearing that kind of stuff. If I wanted to, I could put my foot down and change over there, but that would just make Snicker unhappy. At least this way, he can pretend that I'm just going out for drinks instead of work. Since Gigi likes to pick out my costumes anyway, this works out better for everyone. He'll--" Tsuna broke off as Gigi's door flew open on the third knock.

"Sweet-cheeks!" He exclaimed happily, grabbing him up in a bear hug. Tsuna automatically thought of him as a 'he' since he wasn't yet in drag. The moment that his wig and costume was in place, that would automatically change into a 'she' again. Tsuna had found that it was the best way to deal with transvestites. Their gender went by their current way of dressing. He'd found that other ways of thinking was just too confusing. "Is it Friday already?! I thought I was going to die after having to go all week without seeing your cute face. Oh! And you brought a friend along! Is this your new boyfriend? I thought I made you promise that I could have a shot at you first if--"

"He's just a friend!" Tsuna spluttered while Gigi carefully put him back down. "He's spending the weekend over at my place and he wanted to come with me tonight. Sheesh! You should know by now that I'm not going to turn gay!"

"You give us hope every weekend, though," Gigi replied with a twinkle in his eye. "If I wasn't such a good person, you would have been gay for months now. All it would take was me being bad just once and I don't think you'd go back."

"You better keep being good!" Tsuna blurted with a blush while Eric looked Gigi over in curiosity.

Having already forewarned Eric that Gigi was a cross-dressing man, Tsuna didn't find it surprising that Eric would stare a bit. After all, Gigi didn't currently look like he could turn into an attractive woman. He was dressed in a button down shirt and slacks that he'd worn for his normal daytime wear. He was clean-shaven, but his normal brown hair didn't look like it was regularly covered by a wig. Gigi had the normal slouch of a normal guy, refusing to put the extra effort in outside of drag. His frame was lean, but not what one would call small. Most of all, his face didn't seem particularly feminine. His lips were sized well and his jaw line was rounded, but that only gave one of the impression of a baby-face. Once he was in drag, though, those features would be sharpened into a pouty look of an appealing woman.

"What do you mean?" Eric interjected cluelessly, following Tsuna into the apartment. "How does he give you hope?"

"Suoh can't hold his liquor," he chuckled in reply. Tsuna felt his ears turn red while both Gigi and Eric followed him through the apartment toward Gigi's bedroom. The apartment was modestly decorated. If it hadn't been for the fact that Tsuna had seen Gigi's bedroom, he could easily have attributed the place as a businessman's home. It was neat, clean, and modern. The only attributes that marked it as Gigi's was the fact that the magazine on the coffee table had two men fawning over each other on the cover and the pink accents that Gigi loved to add into the room.

"He can't?" Eric asked curiously with his eyes popping over the amount of silk, feathers, and lace inside Gigi's room. Tsuna took a moment to watch Eric's face as he looked back and forth between the living room and the bedroom for a moment. He was dumbfounded by the change in personality between the two.

"No, he can't," Gigi confirmed. "Our poor little Suoh gets overheated pretty easily. He's like a dog in heat once you pour enough liquor down his throat. If it wasn't for the fact that I promised to protect him, I'd have laid claim to him a long time ago. He's such a playboy, though. Well, you'll see. I think he enjoys teasing everyone a lot more than he'll admit."

"It's just work," Tsuna growled while hiding the urge to blush again. Reaching into the closet, he slid out the long box laying across the top shelf. Tossing it on Gigi's bed, he opened it up to find three pairs of leather pants laid out so that they wouldn't crease. A second box followed with all of his other gear still stored safely away inside. He couldn't help the blush that lit on his face when he saw Eric's wide-eyed expression upon looking at it all. "The red, white, or black tonight?" He asked in hopes that he could get back to his normal routine.

"Are you wanting to take the riding crop with you?" Gigi asked in curiosity, perusing through the pile of gear in the second, smaller box.

"Not really," he groaned. "I know that I make more when I take it, but I hate having to play with it."

"Since I know that I can't talk you into assless chaps, why don't you go with the white tonight?" Gigi suggested. "If you wear the white choker and we pick you up a rose, you can go for a romantic feeling tonight."

"I still don't have white arm coverings, though," he objected. "I thought we were going to hold off on the white until I could find something."

"I already solved that problem, sweet-cheeks," Gigi grinned. Tsuna raised an eyebrow when Gigi bounced into his closet to pull out a small, wrapped package. Staring at it, Tsuna was too dumbfounded by the wrapping to take it.

"It's not my birthday," he blurted in confusion.

"It doesn't have to be," Gigi laughed, thrusting the box into his hands. "Think of this as a present from one of your many admirers. After all, if I buy it for you then I get to see you in it."

"Gigi..."

"Just open it!" He exclaimed with a small clap of excitement. Tsuna looked at Eric and shrugged before ripping into it. If Gigi wanted to give him a present, then who was he to turn it down? He paused when he got it open, staring at the strange mixture of lace and leather inside in surprise. Pulling it out, it took him a long minute to realize that they were indeed new coverings for his tattooed arms. Curious as to how they really looked, since it was hard to tell by just holding them up, he quickly stripped off his shirt in order to put them on.

The first thing that he noticed was that it was a hundred times cooler than his thick, black leather armguards. It was almost as cool as his red mesh ones and was ten times lighter than his chain mail pair. The lace covered his arms without actually covering his arms. The fabric covered the image, but didn't suffocate them. It was actually several separate pieces of lace, connected by three rings of leather. One ring of white leather went around his upper arm, above the tip of his Ouroboros tattoo. The second ring went around his elbow, connected to the first by a lace sleeve. The third ring connected around his wrist and was connected to the second with another sleeve of lace.

All together, it gave him a whole that seemed both girly and edgy at the same time. The best part was that the lace itself wasn't that of a feminine doily. Instead, it was a geometric design that Tsuna could honestly say that he liked. Then Gigi pulled a choker out of the bottom of the box. The unadorned leather collar went around his throat and attached to the sleeves with two leather straps a piece. The first strap on each side went around his back and connected to the uppermost ring of leather while the second strap did the same around the front of his body. It effectively kept the sleeves up without him having to feel like he was cutting off the circulation in his arms.

"I love them!" He finally commented when he had the whole accessory completely on. "It's a lot cooler than it looks and it's not heavy at all! Where did you find this?!"

"I made it," Gigi answered with a wink, making Tsuna's jaw drop. "Don't worry. It was time well spent. I can't wait to see you with those and the pants on. Oh! I got you one other thing."

"There's more?" Tsuna gaped while Eric curiously picked at the lace pattern.

"Just some more accessories," he replied with an amused smile. Tsuna raised an eyebrow when he approached him once more without having seemed to get anything. Then he grimace when he held up a small, rose stud earring. "You still have your ear pierced. Right?"

"Don't remind me," he groaned. "I still can't believe that I let you talk me into that."

"Plenty of straight guys have their ear pierced," he admonished. "Just be glad that I made you get both pierced so that no one has any misconceptions about you. Plenty of people still go by that whole 'left is right and right is gay' motto even though it's outdated. Which... you should start wearing an earring in your left during the week, otherwise it's going to close up and you'll have to get it re-pierced. Tonight, we'll only go with the right ear, though. I have something special that I want to do over on your left side."

"Do I want to ask?" Tsuna mumbled while Gigi mercilessly pushed the earring through the half-healed hole in his ear.

"Probably not," he chuckled.

* * *

"Be honest," Gigi cringed. Tsuna nodded in order to make Gigi release him so that he could look at her handiwork. She'd made him finish changing before working on his hair and Tsuna froze at the sight of himself. He had his tight leather pants on and the sleeves that she'd made for him. Combined with the white leather boots that he'd been holding back, it made him look both masculine and feminine at the same time. The use of baby-oil had made his skin look slick and sweaty even when it was dry, highlighting the small amount of muscle he'd put on from constant activity. The rose earring topped off the romantic mood of his costume without really pushing the sexuality over into too-feminine.

The real thing that made Tsuna pause was his hair. Tsuna stared at his hair in the mirror, unable to think of a single word to react to it. It seemed like the same hair-do he always wore as Black X. The same hair-do that he'd worn in middle school. She'd done something to it, though. It seemed softer and quieter than his normal, loud spikes of hair. His bangs had been tamed and softened, as well. They were brushed into silky smoothness and covered one eye in a sultry manner.

To balance the softness, she'd went even farther. She'd somehow fastened a stream of feathers to the nape of his neck and had placed them so that they trailed over his left shoulder. It turned all the overly-romantic image into an exotic one. The feathers were in shades of white, red, and pink, making him feel like a strange, tribal groom-to-be. It wasn't that he disliked it. It was more that he wasn't sure how to react to it. Especially the feathers.

Tearing his eyes away from the mirror, he looked down at them. There wasn't a lot. He thin trail was barely an inch wide. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like it should be bigger. There was something missing in it, too. Something important that he couldn't put his finger on. For some reason, merely thinking that made his heart clench. Touching it brought tears to his eyes. There was just something about it that made him feel like his heart was being ripped in half.

"What's wrong, sweet-cheeks?!" Gigi exclaimed, breaking into his thoughts. Tsuna looked up and realized that he was crying. Why was he crying? He shouldn't be crying. There wasn't any reason to cry. "If you don't like it, I can take it out--"

"No," he blurted, grabbing onto the feathers possessively while he scrubbed his sudden tears away. "I like it. I just... I don't know. It's stupid, but I feel like there's something missing to it and it made me really sad."

"Hmm," he murmured in thought. "Something's missing? I think that you're right now that you point it out. It needs to be more sparkly."

"Sparkly?" Tsuna repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's try some glitter and see," he nodded, retreating to his vanity in search of something. "If you don't like it, I have some spare feathers that we can use instead. Don't worry. I'm not going to use party glitter. We'll just use a little bit of my body dust and see how it looks."

"Alright," he agreed, allowing Gigi to experiment. Bringing out something that looked like a container of women's face powder and a brush, he dusted the glitter onto the feathers. It took a moment for the glitter to settle and Tsuna had to chuckled at the dusting that mixed with the oil on his chest, but he had to admit that it helped. The glitter powder made the feathers shine in a way that he liked. He still felt that there was something missing, but it wasn't as overwhelming as before. It felt incredibly, insanely right.

"There we go," he nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad if I do say so myself. You look like a thin slice of silk cream pie that I would kill to get a nibble off of. Are you sure that there's no way that I can tempt you into--"

"No," he said bluntly.

"Can't blame me for asking," Gigi chuckled with a shrug. "Come here and give you sugar momma a kiss so that I can get myself ready. Then you need to go see how Eric is coming along. He's been quiet ever since he went into Rodger's room to change."

"Okay," he smiled, leaning forward to give Gigi her prize like he always did.

He didn't even blink over it anymore since he knew that he'd be kissing a lot more people before the night was over. He was completely unsurprised, too, at the way Gigi wrapped his arms around him in order to rub one arm down his back and grab a handful of his rear with the other. Ignoring it since Gigi was chaste around him the rest of the time, he wrapped his arms around him in return while he turned the deep kiss into a war zone. It was hard not to since it was the first kiss that he'd gotten since the previous weekend. Gigi wasn't a person that he found himself disgusted with himself while kissing anymore, either. Quite the opposite actually. He realized it when he pushed the kiss far longer than he normally did. If that wasn't enough, the way he didn't reject Gigi's shifted grip on his rear hinted at it. Then, when he found himself willingly being pushed back onto his bed told him undeniably that he liked it. He liked it a lot. Gigi was safe. Gigi was someone that Tsuna cared about. He was someone that he trusted. He was someone that was making Tsuna feel incredibly good at the moment.

Losing himself in the never-ending kiss, he was panting and flush by the time Gigi pulled away. There was more to it, though. It was a strange feeling of being unsatisfied that made Tsuna reached out to pull him back down for another kiss. He wanted more. Grabbing Gigi's hips, he pressed the man down against him in order to get a burst of pleasure through his groin. He wanted to be touched more and caressed more and--

He moaned in ecstasy as Gigi's lips trailed down his chest and across his nipple. It lasted for only a second, after which Gigi tore away from him entirely.

"Stop!" Gigi gasped, taking a deep breath from where he retreated to. He crossed over to his vanity in order to stand panting while leaning on the vanity chair for support. Tsuna froze in surprise at the word. Gigi had been wanting this. Hadn't he? "You're tempting me too much, sweet-cheeks. There's a limit where you should stop in your teasing. I'm only human. I can't withstand you when you act like you're throwing yourself at me like that."

"I... um... I wasn't teasing," Tsuna replied with a bright blush while trying to control the throbbing between his legs. Gigi looked over his shoulder with wide eyes in order to stare and gape at the words, which only made Tsuna blush harder.

"Y-You-- Me-- EH?!" Gigi spluttered.

"I'm... uh... I'm sorry," he mumbled, bowing his head in the realization that he'd probably crossed the line. He and Gigi were only friends, after all. Gigi's appreciation for him aside, he didn't take the man's true feelings into consideration. Gig probably didn't see him that way after how many times he'd had to look after Tsuna like he was a little brother. "It's just been a long week and I didn't get to take the edge off like I normally do. I guess I'm just a little overly needy tonight. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to try to make you do something that you didn't want to do. I-It won't happen again. I promise."

"Wait," Gigi gasped when Tsuna slid off the bed in order to retreat in shame. Tsuna paused, unable to meet his friend in the eye after having acted so wrongly. He knew that Gigi was gay, but that didn't mean that he was honestly interested in him. It had probably been just a bunch of ego-boosting and meaningless flattery. What had he been doing?! Tsuna knew that he wasn't gay. Was he really as bad as a dog in heat at times?! He thought he had better control of himself than that! "Are you serious, Suoh?" He asked, grabbing Tsuna by the shoulders and craning his neck downward to see Tsuna's bowed face. "Were you really interested in doing that with me?"

"I don't know," he admitted honestly with another blush, pointedly finding a place on the floor to stare at. "Maybe."

"I don't understand," Gigi said calmly. "You've always said that you were straight. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't know," he repeated in honesty, feeling tears well up in his eyes again for some unfathomable reason. "I don't know what's wrong with me tonight. First the feathers and now this. It's stupid because I don't even know why. I keep having these urges to do things and I don't like it! I don't like it at all!"

"Calm down," Gigi ordered, wrapping his arms around Tsuna once more. Tsuna didn't fight the hug. He latched onto him instead, crying out the confused and unreasonable heartache inside him. He honestly didn't understand it. Neither the sudden need to cry nor the feelings that kept twisting up inside him. He knew that it wasn't the first time, either. There had been the time that he'd been overwhelmed with the urge to fight. All the times that feelings of nostalgia and unexplained happiness had hit him by merely looking at something. There were the unreasoning thoughts that he should be able to drink more than he knew that he could and the thoughts that things were wrong even when they seemed perfectly fine. The urge to play the piano and the unexplained feeling of sadness that had hit him afterwards. Now there was this incident piled on top of it all and it was simply too much to handle. He wanted these feelings to stop. He wanted the urges to go away.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Gigi asked in concern when his tears finally started to slow.

"Ice cream," he sniffed, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Eh?" Gigi chuckled in surprise, pulling away from him. "You want ice cream?"

"Is that okay?" He asked quietly while scrubbing the evidence of his tears away.

"Of course it is, sweet-cheeks," Gigi soothed softly. "Just let me get ready and we'll stop for ice cream before we go to the club. It'll just take me a few minutes to get changed and throw my makeup on. Okay?"

"Okay," he mumbled with a tremulous smile. "Thanks, Gigi," he mumbled, putting every ounce of feeling that he could into the words. Not just for being a shoulder to lean on while Tsuna was feeling out of sorts but for not taking advantage of his momentary weakness.

"Don't worry about it," he sighed in reply. "Just consider it momentary insanity that I let you get away and don't expect me to be so virtuous next time."

"I'll try to remember that," he grinned, knowing that Gigi would be just as virtuous no matter how many times Tsuna made a breach. The only way for him to act otherwise anymore was if Tsuna still desired it while both being sober and able to talk about it openly without changing his mind. Gigi had been around long enough to not be willing to settle for less where a personal relationship was concerned.

Quietly leaving the room, Tsuna paused after he shut the door in the realization that he had no clue which room was Rodger's. With a shrug, he poked his head back in Gigi's room to ask, only to find Gigi in a very embarrassing position. He was in the middle of leaning over his bed and clutching his crotch with an expression of painful regret on his face. Seeing that made Tsuna fall to a sheepishly silent stop while Gigi turned red in embarrassment over being caught.

"Um... Rodger's room?" Tsuna asked with a bright blush.

"Second door on the right," he answered without moving an inch. Tsuna nodded and backed out quickly, firmly shutting the door behind him.

Deciding that it would probably be better to pretend that he hadn't seen Gigi like that, he quickly headed down the hallway to the neighboring room. The moment that he got there, he found that he hadn't needed to ask after all. The door was wide open and Eric was still standing in it with the clothes that Gigi had given him in hand. It wasn't hard to figure out why he was struck still and silent in the doorway. A mere peek was all it took to understand.

"Oh shit," Tsuna choked, staring past Eric at all of the blown-up pictures of Black X across the walls. Eric jerked in place at the sudden comment, staring down at Tsuna with wide eyes. He gaped for a moment, pointing between Tsuna and the posters while talking in an incoherent babble. Knowing that there was no way to explain until Eric calmed down, he grabbed his miming protégé by the ear and dragged him across the hall to the bathroom. Tossing him inside, Tsuna pulled the door shut in hopes that Eric could regain sense with a little time alone and away from the images that had assaulted him.

Going into the living area, Tsuna lounged on the couch while Gigi and Eric got over their personal issues and he dealt with his own. He tried reading one of the magazines laying about, but found that it didn't help the issue any. It couldn't when every single one of the magazines featured half-naked bodies. It made Tsuna wonder if maybe he--

No! No, no, no, no, no! Shoving the thought away, Tsuna started playing a game of mental tic-tac-toe against himself while he waited. The forced neutrality that the game forced on his thoughts allowed his mind to silence itself. Once his mind was silenced, his body quickly followed. By the time that his friends started to finish up, he was back to normal. Well, he chuckled to himself, as normal as one can get in a white costume like his.

Gigi was the first to exit, being long practiced in getting herself ready. She was dressed in a denim mini-skirt that showed off her silky legs and a glittering silver top that somehow created cleavage where there was none. He'd chosen the straight, shoulder-length platinum wig tonight that was cut to cup around her face in order to make his baby-doll features even more feminine. Despite popular belief, he didn't wear much makeup, either. Just enough to give his face a natural glow and to highlight what needed to be highlighted. Even though Tsuna knew that her long, sultry eyelashes were fake, he honestly wouldn't have been able to tell if he hadn't watched Gigi put them on time after time. To finish it all off, she wore her black high-heels naturally, making Tsuna watch in awe over the complete lack of instability. He'd seen women have a harder time in heels!

"You look fabulous," Tsuna praised, giving Gigi the compliment that she most wanted to hear. Giving her a hug, he paused at the smell of her perfume. It wasn't sickly sweet like most perfumes. Instead, it seemed to be a strange mixture of musk and lilies that was very pleasing to the senses. He knew that it shouldn't have been that surprising, but it was. The fragrance wasn't girly, but it wasn't manly either. It was the perfect mixture for Gigi, though, and worked with her body chemistry in all the right ways. "You better not get too close to me tonight," Tsuna groaned in warning, pulling away as another surge of desire ripped through him from the scent. "I can't be held accountable when I'm like this and you make yourself so tempting."

"Quit flattering me," Gigi blushed, walking over to the table next to the door in order to retrieve her wallet and keys. Both items got tossed in her white handbag while Tsuna simply watched her move in appreciation.

"I'm not flattering," he counted quietly, tearing his eyes away in the full knowledge that he wasn't acting like himself. "I'm going to be counting on you tonight, Gigi. My self-control isn't at its best."

"I'll keep an eye out for you," she soothed. Tsuna nodded and looked over at the sound of Eric exiting the bathroom. He still had a hint of a blush on his face, but he didn't look like he was going to have a meltdown anymore. Now, he looked like he was going to have a night full of close calls.

He was wearing a baby blue silk shirt that Gigi had loaned him. There were no buttons on it, giving Eric the same feeling as if he was wearing a wide-collared t-shirt. It seemed to flutter with every single one of Eric's movements, catching the eye and bringing attention without being loud. Tsuna knew the reason that Gigi had picked out that color since it made Eric's blue eyes seem to glow attractively. Under that, he wore a tight fitting pair of dark blue, denim jeans that hugged ever curve he had and refused to go higher than halfway up his hips no matter how much Eric continued to try to tug them up. Tsuna had to chuckle a bit at the sight since he'd had the same problem with his own leather pants until he'd gotten used to it.

"That won't do," Gigi interjected into Tsuna's appreciative thoughts over Eric's clothing. Tsuna looked at her in surprise alongside Eric's own startled glance. Gigi advanced on him quickly, making him cringe backward out of an automatic reaction. She merely chuckled at him when he ducked down at what he thought would be a punch, only to find his hair in Gigi's manicured hands. He visibly froze while Gigi's nails raked through his hair vigorously, knocking it out of the slicked-back style that he'd been wearing all day. He went with it after a moment, openly enjoying the feeling of someone scratching his head while he turned it slightly to silently beg Gigi to scratch a different spot. The reaction made both Tsuna and Gigi chuckle, although their laughter fell to a stop when he finally rose back up.

"Is it bad?" He grimace while Tsuna merely stared at him in shock. Tsuna mentally altered his opinion of how the night was going to go. Eric wasn't a fawn. He was something far worse. Something so tempting that Tsuna couldn't even put a name to it.

"You look good," he replied in perfect honesty while Gigi openly looked him over. Her eyes seemed to light on something and she once more reached forward. This time, it was to pull out a necklace that he was wearing.

"What's this?" She asked curiously, examining the strange pendant attached to the necklace.

"It's my good-luck charm," he answered softly, smiling down at the item. Curious, Tsuna went to look for himself since he'd never known that Eric wore such a thing. Considering that it had been tucked under his shirt and had only been found because his current shirt didn't hide the chain, it made him wonder how long Eric had owned it. Had he always worn it under his clothes? Looking at it, there wasn't much to the pendant itself. It looked like a polished blue stone of some sort that had been shaped into a large teardrop. Small strains of gold turned parts of it to marble, but Tsuna was struck by how solid and bright the blue was of it. "It's lapis lazuli. An old friend of mine gave it to me a long time ago. He said that it would make me stronger and would protect me. I know that it's silly, but I've worn it ever since."

"What happened to him?" Tsuna asked curiously, feeling that there was much more to the story than Eric was telling.

"He died," he replied bluntly, making both Tsuna and Gigi look up at him in sympathy for having forced such an answer out of him. "Don't worry," he chuckled upon seeing their expressions. "It was a long time ago. He was always sick and his parents did everything that they could for him. They tried everything from the latest medical procedures to spiritual healing. He had a rock collection because of that and he gave this to me after they'd finally come to terms that he wasn't going to get better. He said that it might not have worked for him, but that he felt that it would work for me. I have to admit that I like to believe that it does at times."

"You better treasure it, then," Tsuna murmured with a small smile, carefully tucking the pendant back into Eric's shirt. Seeing that Gigi was at a loss for words, Tsuna decided that a change in focus was needed. Grabbing both of their arms, he propelled them toward the front door in unison. "Come on," he smiled. "We can skip the ice cream until afterward. I want to get to the club and see if Eric can dance."

"EH?!" Eric exclaimed.

* * *

Tsuna smiled to himself in simple happiness. Eric was just as popular as Tsuna had thought he'd be. He had the boy-next-door charm along with an innocently sweet demeanor. Given a little confidence, he had been able to socialize with anyone that approached him. Tsuna was positive that Eric was having fun, too. This was probably the first time that he'd had so many people notice him. There was no possible way for him to hide in the back of this particular crowd with how he looked. Although, Tsuna wasn't too happy with the beer in his hands. He'd managed to get Eric in without being carded since the bouncer at the door both knew and trusted Tsuna, but that didn't mean that he'd wanted Eric to accept all the drinks that were tossed his way.

He was thankful that he'd changed his mind and asked Gigi to look out for Eric tonight instead of Tsuna himself. With the strange state that Tsuna was in, complete strangers were no danger in comparison to the safe and friendly Gigi. There was no way that he could accept an offer with Gigi merely in the same room. So, as long as Gigi stayed away from him, he was perfectly capable of controlling himself. That was a very good thing since his current situation looked to be very compromising under normal circumstances.

"Are you prepared, Hannah?" Tsuna asked softly, keeping with the romantic feeling that his costume inspired while he turned his attention away from where Eric was drinking at the bar below.

"Yes," she nodded, her wig tossing in sharp unison with her head. "As always, if I win then I get to take you on a date tomorrow night with the money from the pot. If you win, you get the pot itself."

"How much is it tonight?" He asked curiously, looking at the bowl of ones, tens, and twenties in the middle of the table.

"Four hundred and twenty three," she replied, bringing a round of appreciative murmurs to everyone who was watching the Friday night showdown that had become tradition.

"That's a new record," he commented in amusement. Not wasting any time, he slowly approached where Hannah was sitting. The owner of the club had brought in a luxuriously ornamented couch for this particular showdown. After the third time that Hannah had passed out, it had been in his best interest to give her something that she couldn't hurt herself by falling out of. That only gave Tsuna more room to work. Like always, he kicked Hannah's legs open to give him room to stand. He planned to do things differently from there, though. His new costume demanded a new kiss. He had special ones for Hannah depending on which one he wore and he wanted a real killer for his white one. Especially since four hundred dollars was at stake.

Hannah gasped in surprise, as did everyone else, when Tsuna spun in place and sat in Hannah's lap in one smooth motion. Pressing his back against Hannah's chest and his rear into Hannah's groin, he leaned back to look up over his own shoulder at his lovably chubby target. Hannah groaned upon the contact and the look, taking a moment to appreciate it with her hands clenching Tsuna's hips without conscious thought. Then Tsuna went in for the kill, pulling Hannah down over his shoulder for her four-hundred-dollar kiss.

Tsuna started to worry when she managed to last over five seconds. The soft, romantic kiss gave her room to resist him. He could tell that she wanted to swoon, but she wasn't being overwhelmed into fainting. It was the position, he realized belatedly. Hannah was having a chance to dominate him and his lips for once. Even though he was on top of her, Hannah was controlling everything else about the kiss. Grimacing internally, Tsuna pulled out the only card that he had left. He refused to let Hannah win that money because he refused to play that he was interested in a serious relationship with her. That only left--

"Ah!" Hannah gasped in surprise, breaking off the kiss at the feeling of Tsuna's rear having clenched while pressed against him. Tsuna stared into Hannah's flushed face for a long moment, wondering if it hadn't worked. Then he felt the muscle spasm against his rear while Hannah's eyes rolled backward in bliss. In less than a second, she was toppling over on the couch like she had for countless Fridays running. Tsuna let out an exasperated sigh, blowing his hair up out of his face in relief. That had been far too close for his liking.

"Suoh!" Someone gasped breathlessly while he collected his winnings after the applause died down. Tsuna looked up, pausing in the middle of trying to stack all of the bills neatly in order to stare at the short man who'd burst through the crowd. "Gigi told me to find you! That Eric guy is your friend, right?!"

"Yeah," he nodded with a raised eyebrow, wondering how Eric had gotten into trouble so quickly. They'd barely been there for half an hour.

"Gabriel just talked him into going outside! Gigi tried to stop them, but he got some of his friends to run interference! They're about to leave!"

"Shit!" Tsuna spat. Leaving the jar of money, he ran over to the edge of the scaffolding in order to see how much time he had. Not much from the looks of it. Eric was making Gabriel take his sweet time, talking animatedly about something. From what he could see, Gabriel was humoring him in amusement while continuing to lead him toward the door. Tsuna cursed at Eric's naivety. Gabriel was the worst sort of person. He'd sleep with anyone and anything that he could get his hands on. He took ample pleasure in taking first dibs on 'fresh meat' and Eric unfortunately fit that description to the letter. He could see Gigi trying to get past three guys who kept blocking her path, sadly out of line of sight from Eric himself. As it was, there was no way that Tsuna could get down the crowd around the stairs and through the mob in time to save him.

That left only one option that he knew was going to hurt later. Walking back toward the table with his winnings, he thrust the bowl into the little guy's hands with orders to keep it safe. Then, he reached over and stole a shot of vodka out of the closest person's hands. Tossing it back, he handed it back and steeled himself while ignoring the look of shock on the man's face over having his drink stolen. This was probably going to hurt a lot, but Eric's innocence depended on it. With that in mind, he walked back to the edge of the scaffold raised up over the level of the dance floor and jumped over the railing in a smooth motion.

He seemed to hover in the air for a moment with his feathers flying behind him, gaining the attention of almost everyone in the club. They faltering in their dancing in order to stare in shock and surprise. Simply glad that no one was standing where he landed, he managed to stick the landing completely. The shock of impact ran up his legs and buried itself in his knees, but the shot of Vodka allowed him to ignore it. Focusing only on Eric, he forced himself to stand up from his crouch. The crowd parted in shock at his every forceful step which gained speed and momentum after the first three allowed him to shake off the lingering effects of landing. In less than ten seconds, he was able to stop directly beside a surprised Eric and a flabbergasted Gabriel.

"Eric," he said calmly. "You don't want to leave with this guy."

"I don't?" He asked curiously, staring around at the silent club full of people that were staring in return without having a clue about why he was being stared at. Tsuna knew, though. He'd just acted completely irrationally in their eyes and everyone smelled a drama. Everyone wanted to watch to see why he'd acted so oddly. "Gabriel was just going to show me his motorcycle and then I was going to come right back in."

"Just trust me, Eric," Tsuna said gently, sending a dark glare at the slender man beside him while Gigi was finally able to pull up next to him. "You don't want to leave with him. Why don't we go get a drink? My treat."

"Okay," Eric shrugged. Tsuna wanted to groan over Eric's naive nature once more when he turned back to Gabriel and gave a wide, innocent smile. "Maybe next time, Gabriel. I can't turn a drink down if Suoh is buying."

"Sure... uh... that's fine," Gabriel mumbled in shock while Gigi started to lead Eric away from Gabriel's clutches. Tsuna didn't move from where he stood, waiting for his friend to be out of earshot before speaking. For extra security, since there was still half a roomful of people watching, Tsuna stepped forward in order to lean up and whisper in Gabriel's ear.

"Gabriel," he hissed quietly. "As long as you were honest, I ignored how you tempted people but you went too far this time. You tried to lead my friend out of here with lies of your intentions and I can't turn a blind eye to it. I want you to leave for tonight, Gabriel. There's one thing that I can't forgive and it's people that try to hurt my friends. Do you understand?"

"Fuck. You," Gabriel whispered back after a long, silent moment. "I'm not leaving and you can't make me, you fucking pussy."

"Are you sure about that?" Tsuna growled in growing anger. "I'll send you straight to hell where you belong if you aren't careful."

"That's it," Gabriel snapped, shoving Tsuna away. "You and me. Outside. I'm not going to let a narcissistic little piece of trash like you talk to me like that! Or are you too chicken shit?"

"Be careful, Gabriel," Tsuna warned darkly. "Don't underestimate me because of my size. I don't want to hurt you."

Not knowing where his confidence came from, Tsuna found himself completely unafraid when Gabriel pulled back to throw a punch. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or temporary insanity, but he didn't feel a need to even dodge. Instead, he ducked his head slightly in order to make the fist barely graze his cheek. Then a second punch started to fly toward him and Tsuna paused in wonder. They were so slow to him for some reason. They were slow enough that Tsuna could literally reach out and grab his wrist to stop it. Gabriel's arm was weak enough that Tsuna found himself able to easily spin inside Gabriel's guard in order to send an elbow against his face, paying him back in full for having tried to lure Eric into private. He wasn't done there, though. While Gabriel tried to stumble backward with blood rushing out of his broken nose, Tsuna spun around once more with Gabriel's wrist still in his grip. He wasn't sure how he knew what to do, but he was more than willing to simply go along with it at the moment. Gabriel needed to be dealt with in completion, which meant that he needed to be escorted outside before he made an even worse scene.

The final spin allowed him to flank behind Gabriel and hold him in place with the man's arm in his grasp. Pausing, he grimaced at the amount of people watching. He couldn't just leave it like this.

"He threw the first punch," Tsuna blurted, getting a round of nods from the wide-eyed crowd. Nodding in satisfaction that he couldn't be held accountable for Gabriel's wounds, he started marching the man toward the door. The bouncer, a man that Tsuna spoke to often, didn't even blink an eyelid when Tsuna walked past in order to toss Gabriel outside. He did make Tsuna pause, however, after Gabriel had been tossed out on the sidewalk and the heavy door was shut once more. Tsuna grimaced at the meaty hand that grabbed his chin so that the bouncer could inspect his cheek.

"Go ask Demetri to clean that up for you," he ordered in a gruff voice.

"Demetri?" Tsuna repeated in surprise.

"Pink hair," he nodded. "You can't miss him. He's usually drinking up next to the DJ."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied warmly when the large man let him go.

"You worry us on a regular basis, Suoh," the bouncer commented, staring down at Tsuna in consideration. Tsuna blinked, not having known that the bouncer knew his name. "I'm glad to see that you can protect yourself. You took care of him before any of us noticed that he was fighting mad. It'll make the rest of the guys rest easier when they know that. We're always worried that your little escapades might start a riot between your fans one day."

"I'm fine while I'm sober," Tsuna chuckled with a wink. "When I get drunk is when you have to worry."

"Fuck," he groaned, slapping his hand over his face. "That's no good! That's every weekend for you."

"I'm not that bad!" He squealed with a bright blush.

"Yes, you are," he chuckled in reply, lowering his hand down to his chin with a smile. Then his expression turned serious. "Go get that cut cleaned."

Tsuna nodded and ducked into the crowd in order to lose the focus of those that were still eyeing him over the fight. Almost everyone had turned back to what they were doing after Tsuna had clearly won, but there were a few that were obviously talking about him. He could tell since they hurriedly averted their eyes when they saw him instead of gazing in appreciation. Silently, Tsuna kissed his profits for the night goodbye. He'd be lucky to find anyone willing to kiss him after acting out so blatantly.

Demetri grabbed him by the arm the moment he got within sight. Tsuna knew instantly that it was Demetri. He had bright pink hair that was spiked upward. He was dressed as a bouncer. Most importantly, he was leading Tsuna into the office behind the DJ's pit.

"What happened?!" He exclaimed the moment that the door was shut and the loud music from outside was cut off. The manager inside the office jumped to his feet, rushing forward to examine the harmless scrape across Tsuna's cheek. "I saw you jump over that railing like a madman and then you disappeared! I thought I was going to faint and now you came back looking like you'd just got into a brawl!"

"It was a fight," Tsuna admitted with a grimace. "I--" Tsuna gasped as his knees suddenly buckled, making him grab onto the manager in surprise. He froze in shock as his whole body started trembling when his fear finally caught up with him. Not just his fear, but his shock. He'd just broke a man's nose without thinking twice about it. In just two seconds, he'd done everything that he'd sworn not to do. He'd fought. He'd hurt someone. He'd-- "Was he asking for it?" Tsuna asked with a shudder.

"Eh?" Demetri asked while the manager helped him over to a chair.

"Was Gabriel asking for it?" Tsuna repeated with wide eyes. "Snicker said it's okay to hit people if they were asking for it. Gabriel tried to lure my friend outside and I hit him. Was he asking for it?"

"If it was Gabriel, then probably so," Demetri chuckled while he sprayed antiseptic onto a clean square of cloth. Tsuna grimace at the pain that hit him when the cloth was pressed to his face, making him wonder if maybe Gabriel had done more than simply scrape him. He couldn't remember if he'd been wearing rings, but it was completely possible that he had been.

"So it wasn't bad that I hit him?" Tsuna asked, wanting some assurance that he wasn't turning into a monster for what he'd done.

"You were just protecting your friend, Suoh," the manager soothed. "We won't let anyone say any differently. I need to know, though. Who swung first?"

"He did," he replied sheepishly. "I warned him not to, but I think he took it the wrong way. It just goaded him into fighting inside instead of going outside."

"That's fine," the manager sighed. "If he swung first, then I can deal with it a lot easier. If he tries to press charges, we have video cameras that we can give to the police. There shouldn't be any big trouble over this. It's actually better this way than if you'd went outside since it would have just been your word against his then."

"I..."

"What is it, Suoh?" Demetri asked while he checked Tsuna's cheek to ensure that the minor wound was disinfected and cleaned.

"I want to pay for him to get his nose treated," Tsuna mumbled quietly. "I already made four hundred tonight. That should be enough. Shouldn't it?"

"What's this about, Suoh?" The manager asked curiously.

"I shouldn't have just thrown him out like that," he replied in guilt and worry. "I hurt him and was really mean to him. He was trying to hit me, but that didn't give me the right to hurt him. I want to make sure that he gets better. Is there any way that I can give you the money and you can make sure that it gets to him for treatment? I hit him pretty hard and I think I broke his nose. I'll pull some money out of my savings if I need to! I'm sure that Snicker won't--"

"Slow it down, Suoh!" Demetri gasped. "It was just a broken nose. Right?"

"Yeah," he nodded, settling back down in his seat in shame.

"I think the club can cover it," the manager sighed, patting Tsuna's leg from where he'd knelt down in front of him. "I'll ask the owner, but he said to take care of you. This is the first time you've ever needed anything and we'd be remiss if we didn't help you. If you need Gabriel's nose fixed to make you feel better, then we'll make sure that it gets done."

"Oh," Tsuna squeaked in surprise. "I knew that he didn't mind my working out of here, but I didn't know that he'd was willing to go so far for me."

"Don't get too thankful," Demetri laughed. "His revenues have doubled since you started coming here. If you haven't noticed, this is now the best gay bar on this side of town and it's all thanks to you. We have three times the amount of customers that we had before you started coming. If you don't believe me, try coming in here on a weekday when people know that you aren't going to be here. This place is dead compared to the weekends. Getting Gabriel's nose fixed would cost us a lot less than if you decided not to come here anymore."

"For now," the manager interjected, "you go find yourself a seat at the bar and get yourself a ice cold drink to put on that cheek before it swells. It looks like he barely got you, but there's no need to take chances. Just enjoy yourself tonight and you can pick back up your normal act tomorrow."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed with a smile, feeling incredibly relieved and soothed by his talk with the two. Standing, he headed to the door with legs only slightly wobbling from the aftershock of fighting. "Eric and Gigi are probably wondering where I disappeared to anyway. Thanks for everything."

"Don't be afraid to ask if you ever need anything," Demetri replied firmly, walking out beside him to ensure that he got to the bar intact at the manager's cue.

"I won't," Tsuna promised.


	15. Chapter 15 Friday Night II

Author's Notes: MEGA-SIZED DOUBLE UPLOAD! Please remember to read the previous chapter first!

* * *

"Hey, Suoh," Nel called, waving him over to where the drag queen was mingling with two dozen of her closest friends. "How's it going?" Nel asked curiously. "You've been pretty quiet ever since you tossed Gabriel out."

"I didn't think anyone would be in the mood for me tonight," he shrugged easily, being himself for once instead of the slut that he normally acted like. "The manager asked me to lay low until tomorrow night, so I've just been kicking back."

"I like you better this way," Charles interjected conversationally, making Tsuna pause in the middle of taking a drink of his beer. "Don't get me wrong. I like you any way that you want to come, but you seem a lot more comfortable tonight. I always got a feeling that you weren't really enjoying yourself, but I couldn't ever put my finger on it because you were always smiling and laughing."

"And it never showed in your kisses," Michael agreed with a nod. "I think a lot of us buy your kisses just to try to see if we can figure you out."

"Then, you should know that it's impossible by now," Tsuna grinned.

"It's still fun to try," Nel laughed.

"So tell us about this guy that you brought with you tonight," Charles prompted. "He's quite the catch. Have you two been dating long?"

"No," Tsuna blurted with a bright blush. "We're not dating! Eric is just a friend!"

"Oh really," several people murmured in consideration, their glances flickering over to where Eric was drinking a Fuzzy Navel with Gigi.

"For some reason, I can't believe you," Nel challenged. "If he's really just a friend, then you wouldn't have a problem with kissing him like you do us and I haven't seen you lay so much as a finger on him tonight."

"That's right," several people exclaimed, making Tsuna's eyes go wide. What the hell was going on?!

"T-That's because... um... That's because I haven't gotten bribed enough to kiss him!" Tsuna exclaimed, grasping at straws in hopes that he could find a way out of the corner that he was getting backed into. "You all know that I only kiss with the right motivation and-- oh no..." Tsuna groaned at the hail of twenties that flew up. They'd all had them ready. They'd planned this from the beginning. They all wanted to see him kiss the new guy to see how the new guy would react.

"Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty," Charles counted aloud as he started gathering up the bills from all the donators. "One hundred, one hundred twenty, one hundred forty, one hundred sixty, one hundred eighty, two hundred..." Tsuna licked his lips as the number rose. There was no way that he could accept. Eric would never forgive him. He-- "Three hundred eighty, four hundred, four hundred twenty, four hundred forty. There you go. Four hundred and forty dollars for one kiss. How's that for motivation?"

"Eric is going to kill me," Tsuna moaned, taking the money that was offered to him. He couldn't pass it up. Not when it was only one kiss. Eric would forgive him after he split the cash with him... he hoped.

"Make it good now," Michael goaded while catcalls started ringing out. Tsuna turned in place with a head bowed in shame, feeling more like a slut than ever while he walked toward the bar. He couldn't turn it down, though! After he gave tipped the bartenders with the club's cut of his profits against Hannah and the cut that Gigi took, he'd only made a little over a hundred dollars tonight! With this, he could make up for all of his missed work in one shot! Eric shouldn't mind after he explained that he was just using him to make up for the tips that he'd lost because of the fight!

Eric smiled at him with a complete lack of knowledge of what was about to be done with him. His innocent and trusting expression made Tsuna cringe inside at what Eric's possible reaction might be. Would he be mad? Surprised? Would he pass out like Hannah? Would he splutter and gag? Would he like it? Would he hate it?

"Is something wrong, Suoh?" Eric asked curiously when Tsuna put his now-empty beer bottle on the bar and leaned against it for a moment. Tsuna couldn't even look at him, feeling the eyes of all the buyers on his back. They'd bought a kiss. It was his responsibility to give them what they'd paid for. Still, did Eric have to completely be surprised?

"Eric," he whispered, turning in order to lean up and talk in Eric's ear so that he didn't have to call over the music. "I'm going to kiss you. Act like you like it."

"Wh--mph!"

Tsuna plunged in with his eyes closed without allowing Eric to ask his favorite question. Eric stiffened in surprise at the impact of Tsuna against his lips. It took a moment before he got over it enough to start acting, but he played it off well when he did. Tsuna was surprised at how well he pretended to like it. He had everything down. From the arms that wrapped around him to the way that he kissed in return. He was actually pretty good at kissing, Tsuna noted while he gave everyone the show that they were hoping for.

Sliding his hands up Eric's neck, he tangled his fingers in his hair while he deepened the kiss into a wide-mouthed affair. He tried to keep his tongue to himself, but Eric apparently didn't know how to act that kind of kiss without actually doing it. Amused at the strange quirk, Tsuna slid his own forward in answer and smiled inside at the taste of pineapple from what Eric had been drinking. He faintly heard Eric moaning after a few seconds of curious probing, probably trying to signal that he was running out of ideas to make the act better.

Deciding to finish it off in a way that would satisfy everyone, Tsuna lured Eric's tongue into his own mouth. The moment that he thought that it was in deep enough, he clamped his lips down on the intrusive tentacle. Giving it a soft suck, he dragged his lips down along the length of it while trying to keep his amazement to himself over the unexpected size. He could hear catcalls and cheers ringing out by the time that he got to the tip, making him relieved that they felt that they'd gotten their money's worth. Eric was simply frozen in place with his tongue sticking out and his eyes closed when Tsuna finished. Tsuna chuckled for a second and broke him out of it with a small flick of his tongue once more on the tip of Eric's.

Eric's eyes flew wide open and he stared while his face turned into a beet red. Then Tsuna found himself laughing hysterically when Eric tried to talk without putting his tongue back in and ended up biting it. He knew that Eric acted well, but he'd never considered that he was this good outside of pantomime! He was grateful for the chance to laugh since it gave him a cover to control the fire that had sparked inside him during the kiss. That spark wasn't something that he wanted Eric to know about since the whole kiss had been just an act.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna gasped, seeing how Eric was turning even more red over being laughed at. Merely looking at him made Tsuna laugh even harder, remembering the expression on his face when he'd bit hit tongue. "I'm sorry! I can't help it. It's just that your face--!"

"Let's get out of here," Gigi chuckled, grabbing Tsuna by the shoulders while he tried to gasp for air. "I think Suoh hit his limit and we didn't notice."

"No, I haven't," Tsuna objected around attempts to breathe. "I've barely drank tonight!"

"You had three beers, six straight shots, and four mixed drinks," Gigi countered with a knowing look. "One more of any of those and you wouldn't be arguing. Just trust me, Suoh. You've hit your limit. Let's go get some food in your belly so that you can sober up some. There's no reason for you to have to have a hangover tomorrow since you didn't have to work tonight. We'll head out early and see if we can beat the rush to the all-night grill."

"Do they still serve breakfast all day?" Tsuna asked, perking up at the thought of having biscuits and gravy again. He'd never gotten the knack of making it himself, even though it seemed so easy. He could make the biscuits but not the gravy. He always ended up with broken up bits of a really bad pancake soaked in half-cooked batter for some reason.

"They do," Gigi confirmed, guiding Tsuna toward the door while Eric followed.

"And a hamburger?" Tsuna asked, finally noticing the hole in his stomach.

"Okay," she sighed.

"And a banana split?"

"I did promise you ice cream," she agreed, shoving him out onto the sidewalk with a laugh. Tsuna shivered for a moment at the chilly fall air before Gigi dug in her purse for his sweater. He put it on in a hurry, barely groaning over the fact that she'd brought a fluffy white fur piece that only went to his ribs. Despite the over-the-top style, he had to admit that it was light and warm. It took a moment to pull his feathers out in order to let them drape over them again, but he managed while Gigi continued to taunt him. "Does the bottomless pit want anything else?"

"I better eat that first," he mumbled in thought, pushing away thoughts of milkshakes and chili cheese fries. "If I order something and don't finish it, then Snicker will get mad."

"Why would he get mad?" Eric asked curiously, trying to join in on the conversation.

"Because it would mean that they wasted food," Gigi answered softly while Tsuna grew quiet in thought. "Suoh probably told you that him and Snicker were living on the streets a while back. They had to scrape and starve a lot, so it meant a lot to see other people just throwing away the small amount that they were living off of. Suoh and Snicker couldn't be gluttons now if they tried. Even thought it sounds like Suoh is going to get a lot of food, he knows far better how much his stomach can hold than most. Plus, he knows that he won't eat anything until tomorrow afternoon. He won't waste money on more than what he can eat without wasting, even if he's craving just a bite of something cheap."

"We can't assume that the good times will last," Tsuna agreed sadly. "There might be a time in the future that I have to make a run for it and I've got to make everything ready so that Snicker can still keep going when that time comes. I won't let Snicker end up on the streets again. I have to make enough savings that--"

"Hold on, sweet-cheeks," Gigi interjected worriedly. "This is the first time that I'm hearing about this. What do you mean that you might have to make a run for it? Does this have something to do with how you hit your head?"

"Are you afraid that the cops will deport you?" Eric asked simultaneously in his own worry. Tsuna's head snapped up, realizing that he'd said too much. Gigi knew about his memory loss, but not about his immigration issues. Eric knew about his illegal immigration, but not anything about his memories. He hadn't thought of it before, but having the two of them together was a very bad thing!

There was absolutely nothing that he could say, though, while the two stared at each other in confusion before turning on him.

"Deport?" Gigi repeated with narrowed eyes, forcing all three of them to stop in the middle of the sidewalk. "You're not American, Suoh?"

"What does he mean about you hitting your head?" Eric added in concern.

Tsuna cursed to himself in Japanese, French and Spanish.

"You two weren't supposed to talk about that," he groaned finally, covering his suddenly pounding head while he tried to think of some explanation to give them.

"Are you keeping secrets from us, Suoh?" Gigi asked angrily. "I thought--"

"Please," Tsuna begged to both of them. "Please don't be mad. There's things about me that I don't want to talk about, Eric. It's not about trusting you. It's just that it's all from a life that I don't want to think about anymore. Gigi, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but I honestly didn't think that it would matter to you. You never asked, so I didn't think it was an issue and...And, damnit, I'm still Suoh!" He shouted in frustration. "Does any of that matter? I just don't like talking about my problems!"

"No, it doesn't," Gigi soothed, grabbing Tsuna's shoulders in order to calm him down. "But you're talking about having to make a run for it and that worries me. It does matter if there's something that's going to take you away from us. At least tell us that part."

"Alright," Tsuna murmured quietly, his anger gone upon hearing Gigi's tone of honest worry. "After the accident that made me lose some of my memories, I woke up in a bad place with a lot of bad people. I ran away because they were going to make me do some really bad things and I ended up here. Right now, they think that I'm dead, but there's always the chance that they'll figure out that I'm still alive. I... I don't want to go back but they'll make me if they catch me. They'll make me go back and do bad things and I don't want that! I'm a good person! I--"

"Calm down, Suoh," Gigi snapped with wide eyes. Tsuna snapped his mouth closed, breathing heavily in a panic that he'd not noticed swelling up inside in. "You're a good person. Now, have you thought about going to the police--"

"I'm not a citizen," he interrupted in tearful frustration. "Even if I was a citizen, they'd probably just arrest me if they found me. I saw the files of the things that I did during the time that I can't remember. I was a horrible person. I was so bad and I can't remember any of it. I don't know how I could have ever done those kinds of things and I don't want to ever even think about doing them in the future. The only thing I can do is to keep hiding and keep running if I have to. As long as I keep my head down and don't let anyone identify me, then I'm safe, Gigi. I'm safe and I can stay here and be happy with Snicker and you and Eric and everyone else. I--"

"We'll help," Gigi soothed, pulling him into a hug. "Just you hush and take a moment to calm down. You said that you're safe and no one can make you run away if they don't identify you. Right? We'll help, Suoh. We'll do everything we can so that you don't ever have to run away from here. Okay? You've become important to a lot of us and it'd just downright kill us to lose you. I had no clue that you were running away from something like that. I thought that you were just a normal guy who was down on his luck after a head injury. I never knew that you had that kind of past."

"I'll help, too," Eric added. "I might not be able to do much, but I'm a decent actor. I can cover for you if you ever have to talk to the police. We can pretend that you're deaf and mute."

"There you go," Gigi laughed, being one of the few to have actually taken the time out to see Tsuna's pantomime. "I have a few friends, too. I'll see if I can call in a few favors and get you fake papers."

"No," Tsuna gasped in objection. "I don't want to steal anyone's identity!"

"Don't worry, sweet-cheeks," Gigi soothed, rubbing his back while they started moving again toward the all-night restaurant. "They'll make the identity up from scratch. I've got a regular customer that would be happy to do me a favor instead of paying me cash for once. He's a little fellow that's not much bigger than you and can go in and he works for witness protection. He can make you look like you were born here without thinking twice about it. As long as I vouch for you, you'll be fine."

"You can do that?" Tsuna gaped, staring up at her in awe.

"That's right," she nodded with a wide smile. "He'll be able to take your fingerprints and a picture of you and make you into a new man. He'll need a little more information about what you want listed, though. He can't do it without a background. And he'll need to know a last name for you, too. Do you have any in mind, sweet-cheeks?"

"Yup!" He exclaimed instantly, making both Gigi and Eric pause outside of their destination. "I want it to be the same as Snicker's!"

"You know Snicker's last name?" She choked in surprise. "I didn't think anyone knew his name!"

"He told me!" Tsuna grinned widely. "I want to be Suoh Timberson!"

"Alright," Gigi chuckled while Eric smiled widely at the name. "Henceforth, you will be Suoh Timberson! I'll even ask Snicker if it's okay to list you as his son. How does that sound?"

"Really?!" Tsuna gasped excitedly. "You mean that Snicker will actually be my dad?!"

"As long as he agrees," Gigi nodded in amusement. "I'm not sure why I didn't think of it before. He's old enough to be your dad and no one will question you if you have relations living in America. You'll be a legitimate citizen, Suoh. I want something from you, though. I'm not going to do this for free."

"O-Oh," he mumbled, his face falling slightly at her words. "W-What do you want?"

"Don't start stuttering like that at me," she said saucily, putting her hands on her hips in sudden irritation. "It's nothing bad. I just want you to promise that you won't go running off without telling anyone. If trouble comes your way, you better come and tell one of us about it. You have a lot of friends, Suoh. It's about time that you realized it."

"I--I do?"

"Of course you do, Suoh," Eric interjected quietly. "I'm kind of jealous of you, actually. If I had just half the friends that you do, then I would be perfectly happy. There's all the people at the park that are your friends. I bet that you're friends with every red cab driver in the city. There's that hot dog guy that you talk to and everyone at the supermarket knows you. Plus, there's all the people in your building."

"And all the people you help on the street," Gigi continued mercilessly. "There's all of the people at the club. There's also all of the people that you and Snicker used to barter with for meals. They're all your friends, Suoh. They've been cheering for you and Snicker all along and it's about time that you opened your eyes enough to see it. You have half of everyone on this side of the city watching your back. I don't know how you managed it since you do stay pretty quiet, but everyone knows you. Hell, I've ran into people that I know that you've never met in person and they know who you are."

"No way," Tsuna chuckled in disbelief. "I barely talk to anyone! There's no way--"

"Come here," Gigi growled, grabbing Tsuna's ear in order to drag him inside the restaurant. Tsuna squealed in surprise while Eric laughed heartily over his reaction to being dragged like a naughty little boy. She was merciless as she tossed him out into the first open area within the small cafe. The place was crowded, but that was misleading since it was crowded with a mere thirty people. Looking around with wide eyes, Tsuna couldn't name a single person sitting at any of the fifteen little tables that the place boasted.

"Excuse me! I just need one second of your time, please," Gigi called out, instantly getting everyone's attention while she pointed at Suoh. "Can anyone here tell me who this is?"

"That's Suoh," several people replied in confused amusement while the rest of the customers nodded in agreement. Tsuna felt his jaw drop while he stared at the complete strangers in shock. Several of them looked familiar, but he'd never traded names with them! What the hell was going on?!

"One more thing!" Gigi continued, grinning widely at Tsuna's expression. "Can any of you tell me where Suoh works?"

"He works at the airport. I know because he helped my great-aunt when she came over from Russia."  
"He does? I thought he worked with the recycling center. I'm always seeing him digging in trash and collecting cans."  
"No! That's not right. It's not the recycling center. It's the pawn shop. He salvages stuff that no one cares about anymore."  
"Who are you kidding? He has to work at a bakery. He helps my cousin out every time she gets stuck on a recipe."  
"Are you sure that he isn't he the mime that works next to the Ebony Fountain?  
"Yeah, he works at the park on fourteenth street. I always go to watch him on Wednesdays."  
"Oh! I thought that he worked for the grocery store! He always carries my bags out to a cab for me when he's there!"  
"No, he works for the cab company at the airport. I've seen him working there, too."  
"That can't be right! I just saw him working as an impersonator at Kink's! See, he's still in costume!"  
"I know that he does that, but I thought that he was mainly just Snicker's errand boy...?"  
"That's not work! He's just being a good son!"  
"That's right! Suoh is a good guy who works for the mission. I always see him handing out sandwiches down alleys on Sundays."  
"He works with Georgie sometimes, too, doesn't he? I swear that I've seen him helping Georgie with his cart."  
"Eh?! How many jobs does he have?!"

"That's good enough," Gigi called out in satisfaction, sending everyone into more quiet discussions about where they'd seen Tsuna. Tsuna simple stared and continued to gape in shock. They knew him. They _all _knew him. How? Why? When? What?! "Let's sit down, Suoh," Gigi suggested quietly when Tsuna was completely unable to come to terms with what they'd answered with. What had he done to make people notice him? He couldn't think of anything. He'd always just kept to his routine and tried to be a good person. He'd never stuck his neck out for anyone, but he'd never ignored anyone who needed help, either. Before Eric had come along, he'd barely talked to anyone other than Snicker and Gigi. He said a sentence here and there to people he saw regularly, but that was just being polite. How had he gained so much popularity without knowing about it?!

"Do you want your usual, Suoh?" The waitress asked as he collapsed into the corner booth that Gigi guided him to.

"Usual...?" He asked with wide eyes while Eric slid into the seat across from him with Gigi.

"You always get the same thing," she chuckled. "Biscuits and gravy, a hamburger with all the fixings, and a raspberry iced tea."

"He'll be adding a banana split today," Gigi answered when Tsuna was openly struck speechless. "I'll take my usual, as well. Eric, what do you want? It's my treat."

"Oh, um... Do you have chili cheese fries?" He asked, belatedly opening up the menu.

"We sure do," she nodded, noting down the orders on her notepad. "What to drink with that?"

"Just surprise me," he answered quietly. The waitress smiled cheerily in return and headed back behind the long bar to where the cook was working away at cooking up the orders fresh. It wasn't until after she'd dropped off their drinks, leaving Eric with a strawberry milkshake and Gigi with a soda, that they finally snapped him out of his blank-minded surprise.

"I thought that you were just playing modest outside, but you really didn't know," Gigi stated quietly. "You have a lot of friends, Suoh. They might not all be close friends, but I don't think that there's anyone that would turn their back on you if they saw you in trouble. You might not be able to say the same thing across town, but you're the heart of this side. No one denies it. You're the poster boy that everyone is trying to take after around here. You might have your occasional vices, but everyone down here has at least one. No matter what, you're still one of the best people to know."

"I'm a better person for knowing you," Eric agreed firmly. Then he blushed. "Even though you... um..."

"That reminds me!" Gigi exclaimed. "Why did you go and lay one on him like that?! You surprised the hell out of me!"

"I was paid to," he answered with a bright blush, willingly changing to the new subject even though it was just as embarrassing as their previous flattery. "Charles and everyone kind of backed me into a corner and tempted me. It was too hard to say no with four hundred bucks waving in my face for just one kiss. I didn't get a chance to really warn you, so I hope that you'll forgive me for that, Eric."

"I... uh... it's no problem," he blushed again.

"You played along really well," Tsuna praised in hopes of making him feel better about the whole thing. "Your acting was really believable. You had even me going for a little while. Especially at the end when you bit your tongue. I think that I'll have that stuck in my head for a long time." Tsuna grimaced slightly when that didn't seem to make Eric feel any better. It actually seemed to make him feel worse. It wasn't hard to tell since he bowed his head to hide his face so that Tsuna wouldn't have to see his expression of... Embarrassment...? Dislike...? Anger...?

Then Tsuna caught a glimpse of his expression at the same moment that Gigi did.

"T-That's..." Tsuna mumbled in a new-found level of shock.

"Oh my goodness!" Gigi exclaimed in open merriment over the strange mixture of shame and wistfulness on Eric's face. "He wasn't acting, Suoh! You went and kissed him and now he's all flushed like... no way..." Gigi paused in order to stare at Eric alongside Tsuna. Tsuna knew what Gigi had been going to say and he was finding it very hard to deny it when he took Eric's home-life into consideration.

"Was that your first kiss, Eric?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Was it bad?" He asked with a sheepish grimace, silently acknowledging that it had been.

"No," Tsuna admitted in return with a small smile over Eric's sudden shyness. Within a few sentences, he had turned completely virginal in his ways. It made Tsuna wonder how he'd missed it before. It wasn't that Eric was slow or childish, it was merely that he'd missed out on a lot of experiences that Tsuna and Gigi were already long past. "It was really good. It was good enough that I might use you as a practice dummy in the future if you'll let me. I almost got beat by Hannah tonight and that would have been really bad."

"If you don't want to do it then I volunteer myself," Gigi interjected in open enthusiasm. Tsuna laughed and Eric gave a small chuckle, but were saved from having to reply by the arrival of their food. Tsuna bowed his head low over his plate and dug in with an seemingly ravenous appetite. Honestly, he would have preferred to sit back and slowly enjoy it, but he knew that no one tried to talk to someone in the process of inhaling their food. It gave him time to think and settle himself, something that he badly needed at the moment.

He had no clue what was wrong with him tonight. First Gigi and now there was a strange urge to consider Eric for a few diversions. It was enough to make him question his own sexuality. Was he maybe gay after all? Or was it just that he wasn't picky as long as it was a friend? That couldn't be right, either, because he hadn't become friends with many of the girls in his apartment building until _after _he'd seen their sheets. Was it just guys that he had to be friends with first? No. That wasn't right. He'd been turned on by strangers in the past. That was why Gigi had to watch out for him, after all. He'd always just blown it off as the alcohol talking, but maybe it wasn't. He was tipsy tonight, but he wasn't drunk. He hadn't even drank anything yet when he'd been throwing himself all over Gigi.

Maybe... Maybe he was just in denial? That couldn't be, though. He knew that he was straight. Didn't he? He'd never felt any strange feelings like this in the past. At least, not any that he could remember. Then again, he couldn't remember his first kiss, either. For him, Xanxus had been his first kiss. He hadn't really known anything about transvestites and gays back then, either. He'd known that they existed and what they did, but not to the degree that he knew now. It was the difference between only reading about a unicorn and actually being able to ride one. The reality drove the idea of it being obtainable into his head faster than anything else could. Maybe he'd just never felt that way because it hadn't really ever been an option for him before now. He'd always just done what normal boys did and that was to look at the pretty girls like... like Kyoko.

Merely thinking that name brought his thoughts to a halt. How long had it been since he'd thought of her? Days? Weeks? Months? He used to bring her face up in his mind in every spare moment that he could, but he was having trouble even remembering it anymore. He could still bring it up if he tried, but the details were starting to get fuzzy. There fact that he couldn't remember the color of her eyes made him freeze completely. He could see them in his mind's eye, but he couldn't remember the right shade. They were bright, but how bright? He couldn't remember if she'd had any beauty marks or any freckles. How short exactly had her hair been? Chin-length or shorter? Longer? He couldn't remember! That was one memory that he didn't want to lose, though! Kyoko hadn't been a bad person! She hadn't done anything wrong! Why was he forgetting her?!

"Suoh...?" Eric asked with wide eyes when Tsuna suddenly stood with his meal only half-finished.

"I'm going for a walk," he mumbled. "Go ahead and finish eating without me. I'm sober enough that I can make it back home alone."

"Are you okay, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked worriedly.

"No," he admitted quietly. "I just need some time alone. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay? Just take Eric back to the apartment for me." Gigi nodded with a look of concern on her face that Tsuna pointedly ignored while he made his way out of the building. He wanted to actually think and concentrate on this. That would be impossible with Gigi and Eric sitting next to him since they were one of the things that Tsuna wanted to ponder. First, he wanted to get his memory of Kyoko firmly etched in his mind once more.

Silently walking down the sidewalk, he tucked his hands under his arms to keep them warm while he thought. He tried to remember every instant that he'd seen Kyoko. The first time that he'd seen her. All the times that he'd admired her from afar. The first time that he'd confessed to her and the first time that he'd actually held a conversation with her. He pulled up every single instance that he could remember in order to vividly recreate that face in his mind. Kyoko had been the sunshine itself to him. She'd given him the courage to face the day no matter how his life sucked. Just glimpsing her had been enough to make him smile each day. She'd been so sweet and so innocent. There was no way that he could let himself forget her.

Before Tsuna was even halfway done, he found himself sitting on the park bench that he and Snicker sat on every Sunday. It was a comfortable place. For him, it was the happiest place that he could really remember. Simply spending time with someone and enjoying himself while he took comfort in the happy faces of those who came to enjoy the park. Not that anyone was currently there. There were still several hours until dawn since they'd left the club much earlier than normal. At the moment, it was as quiet and ominous as he felt that his thoughts should be. The trees scattered around were blocking the moonlight, but he felt safe since there was a small streetlamp next to his perch. He couldn't think of a better place to be at the moment in order to think.

His past feelings for Kyoko aside, Tsuna wasn't sure how he felt anymore. He'd found himself turned on by a lot of people, but he'd ignored that since there hadn't been any emotion tangled up in it. That was different where Gigi and Eric were concerned. He knew that he cared about both, but where did the line get drawn between the feelings of friendship and the feelings of deeper companionship? He honestly wasn't sure because the two were the closest friends that he had ever had. They were friends that had come to his side for _him_; they weren't friends that were drawn to him because of his past affiliation with the Mafia. Yet, Snicker was a friend and Tsuna couldn't find it in himself to be even remotely--

No, he amended with a blush. He _was _as bad as a dog in heat when he was drunk. He still remembered the black eye that Snicker had given him after he'd come home horny after his second foray out to Kink's. That had been when they'd decided that Tsuna would 'take the edge off' before attempting to work that kind of job. Snicker had forgiven him, but had made Tsuna to swear to never try anything like that again. All he'd done was to give him a hug and a little peck on the neck! Then again, what seemed chaste to a person in the light of day seemed much different when one had a half-naked and horny impersonator of a gay man attached to them. Since then, Tsuna tried to sober up a little before returning to the apartment, hence the tradition of eating after they left the bar.

Tsuna couldn't deny that he had feelings for both Gigi and Eric. The trouble was figuring out exactly what those feelings were. Was it just simple caring? Was it the occasional lust? Was it a deeper attraction? Was it just his mind playing tricks on him? Should he act on it? Should he not act? How strong was his feelings? Did they _need _to be acted on? Did he _want _to act on them?

He knew the answer to the last question. Merely thinking about how Eric had kissed him made him definitely want to act. Thinking about Gigi on top of him earlier made him want to act. That was just simple lust, though. Wasn't it? No, he mentally denied. There had been more to it than that. He'd latched onto Gigi because he'd been more than just a stranger. He'd been someone that Tsuna trusted and cared about. There had been emotion mixed in with it. They'd been confused emotions, but the emotions had been there. But how did that explain Eric? Eric was just a friend. Why was he feeling the need to throw himself at his buddy? He knew that he didn't have any deeper emotions for Eric than just friendship. Before now, he'd never even considered him as an object of attraction. A single kiss had changed that, though, and he was now finding himself in a very awkward and confused state. It took him a moment to figure out the word for that state, after which everything seemed to become crystal clear in his mind.

It was a state of longing. He didn't care who it was anymore. He just wanted to hold someone that cared about him for himself. He wanted to be with someone who cared about more than just his body. The attraction was merely the desire to not be alone anymore. He had Snicker, but it wasn't the same. Snicker was an important companion for his mind and spirit, but he needed someone for his heart and his body. Having only Snicker to lean on had been fine in the past, but it was different now. Sleeping around with Mike's girls had been good for a few thrills to satisfy his urges of the moment, but it didn't satisfy his need for something more. It was that which he was desperately clawing for.

He wanted more. More than just sex. More than just friendship. He wanted someone that he could trade his heart with if only for a short time. He didn't care if he knew that it might end up broken. He just wanted a moment of knowing how it felt to give more than just his body to someone. He wanted someone to--

"I'm so pathetic," Tsuna mumbled, realizing that his face was covered in tears again.

"No, you're not," a voice replied, making Tsuna jump out of his skin in order to peer into the darkness while he scrubbed his tears away.

"Who's there?" He called.

"It's me," he answered, slowly walking into the light so that Tsuna could see who it was. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Eric of all people, the last person that he would have expected to show up.

"What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked quietly with a blush of embarrassment for being caught in such a morose moment. "I thought Gigi was going to take you home for me."

"I ditched him," Eric answered with a shrug, sitting down next to him on the bench. "You didn't look right when you left and I was worried. I let Gigi walk me home, but I left without going in. I wanted to see if you were okay and this was the first place that I thought to look. You really like the park. Don't you?"

"Yeah," Tsuna sniffed, grateful for something other than his own issues to talk about. "Snicker showed me this place. I didn't like it at first, but then he taught me how to watch people. After that, it helped make us feel better to be around happy people when we were feeling down."

"There's not many people here right now," Eric commented curiously.

"No, there's not," he chuckled in return over his own stupidity. "It was just habit to come here. I wasn't really thinking about where I was going."

"Why were you crying, Suoh?" He asked gently, quickly returning to the obvious subject that he wanted to talk about.

"Don't worry about it. It was nothing. I've just been out of sorts all night," he answered while attempting to get up with a faltering smile.

"No," Eric objected, reaching out to grab Tsuna's arm in order to yank him back down into the bench. "I want to know why you were crying. I--" Eric froze mid-sentence while Tsuna continued to stare at the hand still on his arm. "What's wrong?" Eric asked worriedly, pulling his hand away in fear that he'd went over the line by even remotely attempting to control Tsuna.

"It was warm," Tsuna replied absently while still staring at his arm. Then he blushed brightly, realizing the cheesiness of the line that he'd just blurted out. He couldn't take it back, though. It really had been warm enough to be noticeable. Quite possibly it was because he'd been outside longer than Eric, but he wasn't sure if it mattered. He wanted that warmth. He--

Tsuna shut his eyes in bliss when Eric reached up at the words to put his warm hand against Tsuna's cold cheek. It felt incredibly good to have someone offer him their warmth. He wasn't cold and homeless anymore. He had warmth of his own to share now. He didn't care if it was Eric or Gigi or one of the girls that lived in his building. He just wanted that feeling of being touched and comforted and accepted for more than just what he could do for them. Right here and right now, Eric was offering that to him in some small measure. Eric cared about him as an important friend and was willing to reach out to him.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," Tsuna mumbled quietly while his heart twisted over his own verbal acknowledgement. "Being with Snicker kept me from noticing it for so long, but I've never been with someone I care about. It hurts, Eric. It hurts to think that I'm still alone even though I've got so many people around me now. People know me and recognize me, but only a few of you actually care about the me that's inside. I can probably count the people who care on one hand and still have fingers left over. It's nice that I'm not ignored, but I don't have anyone there for me, either. Snicker cares, but he's like a father to me. There's feelings and wants and a lot of other things that I can't share with him. I want someone that I can love completely and that loves me for me in return. It's pathetic. Isn't it? I have people throwing themselves at me at the club, but none of them are people that would be any different than sleeping with Summer or Cassandra or Dedra or any of the other girls that I live with."

"I don't think that it's pathetic," Eric replied quietly. "It's not much different from me when I think about it. Everyone always knew me, but I was always standing alone at the back of the crowd and got ignored at school. My parents have never seen past anything other than whether I was at the top of the classes that they put me in. I know tons of people, but there isn't any that I could call a friend. Then you showed up and saw me and really noticed me for once. I was so happy. You're the first person since Stephen that's cared about me without expecting anything from me. I can't tell you how much that has meant to me. I... I've never been in love, but I think I could love you, Suoh."

"Eric..." Tsuna whispered in shock over the sudden confession. He heart was racing again like he was drunk once more, but the euphoria that came with it was completely different. He was loved. Eric was willing to love him. He wasn't sure if Eric really knew what he was saying, but the thought that he did made Tsuna insanely happy. It made him happy enough that he threw his normal caution away in order to reach out and pull Eric down in front of him. More than anything, he wanted to know what love felt like when it was shared.

For the second time that night, he kissed his beloved friend. This time was so much different in comparison to the first, though. Where the previous one had been full throttle from the beginning, Tsuna found himself going incredibly slow in order to savor every moment of it. The light brush of their lips against each other in order to merely taste. The second dive down to nibble. The way Eric chased after him when he pulled away to prepare to dive again. Eric's hands reached out to grasp onto Tsuna's sides for support while Tsuna once more reached behind his head to grab the hair at his nape to hold him both close and steady. Then came the moment that Tsuna dived down to engulf and devour.

He could almost feel himself being more and more satisfied with every second that passed. It wasn't like normal kisses that he gave at the club. It wasn't like the slobbering kisses that he got in return. Eric's kiss was quietly passionate and innocently gentle even when surrounded by the heat of Tsuna's desire. Even so, Tsuna could feel that he was being given as much as he was trying to give, making him lose himself entirely like a cliff being eroded by soft rains over time.

"It's about time that you admitted that you were gay."

Tsuna choked, breaking off the kiss in order to see who'd caught him. He blushed when he saw that it was Autumn. She was the last person that he wanted commentary from! He especially didn't want to see that smirk on her face! What right did she have to look at him like she knew him?! They'd barely spoken a dozen sentences to each other in the past! For some reason, her whole manner irritated him. The raised eyebrow. The hands on her hips. The knowing gleam in her eyes. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was deeply attracted to the woman, but that didn't give her the right to comment on his choices! She only had that right when she actually became part of it, which looked to be never!

"I think it's about time, too," he agreed with his own smirk. Autumn blinked in surprise over the sudden agreement, making Tsuna dance internally in glee. She honestly seemed taken aback by his answer, which gave him a chance to grab Eric's hand and pull him to his feet. Dragging him toward the park's exit, he was nearly giggling over the expression that had been on Autumn's face. It served her right. He might admire her for her beauty and be a little smitten with her, but he was more than willing to accept that she was out of his reach. Accepting that allowed him to accept Eric, which meant that his unrequited feelings for her could stay unrequited. He was more than happy about that, though. He wasn't greedy. He'd take what he could get and be satisfied. He didn't need gold. He'd be just fine with his silver nickel. Hadn't that been what Snicker taught him? It was pointless to waste time thinking about riches when nickels and dimes were so much easier to reach out and actually possess.

"Where are we going?" Eric gasped, having to run every other step to keep up with Tsuna's quick pace.

"Home," he answered with a wide grin. "I want to spend some more time with you in a place where we won't be interrupted. Is that okay with you?"

"Y-Yes," Eric agreed shyly, for once able to completely understand the unspoken words laced into the statement. Tsuna smiled even more widely at the answer. Eric was just too innocently cute at times. He suddenly understood why cute could be more attractive than sultry at times and mentally told himself to add it to his impersonation routine. He could use Eric as his motivation. If he could act out even a quarter of the cuteness that Eric displayed so naturally, he'd have people running to him in droves. It was no wonder that Eric had been popular at the club.

They were both breathless by the time that Tsuna let go of his hand to run up the stairs to his apartment building and get the security door open. Eric followed him closely, purposefully staying in close proximity. That was fine with Tsuna. It felt nice to have Eric's body heat radiating against his back. It felt even nicer when Eric oh-so-accidentally kept brushing against him. Feeling that was encouraging since Tsuna was finding it hard not to do the same. It was so hard to restrain themselves, though. He could tell Eric wanted more of their interrupted kiss. Tsuna knew that he wanted more, too, along with several other things that he was quite sure that Eric would agree to. It took everything they had to keep themselves under wraps in order to make it to Tsuna's apartment. Even trying, they still both took the stairs inside at a rate that made it look like they were racing. It made him thankful that the building was almost empty with all the girls still out working. There were a few present who'd already finished for the night, but Tsuna blew past them with the thinnest of nonchalant greetings.

Tsuna gestured for Eric to be quiet before he opened the door since both of them were flush and boiling over from excitement. More than anything, he knew that he couldn't wake Snicker. He hissed in triumph when he poked his head inside and saw in the fading moonlight coming through one of the windows that the bedroom door was closed. He and Eric had the living room completely to themselves. Tiptoeing inside, he gasped when his foot hit up against a DVD still laying in the floor of the dark room and sent it spinning across the floor. Eric froze behind him at the sound, pausing in the middle of quietly closing the door. Tsuna wanted to laugh a bit, feeling strangely like a teenage boy who didn't want to get in trouble for coming home late.

There was only silence from the bedroom, telling him that Snicker was still out cold. It was Friday, which meant that he'd still put in a full day's work. It wouldn't be until tomorrow that he might be up all night. That was perfect for Tsuna. As long as he stayed asleep tonight, then he could explain everything in the morning. For now, he wanted to snuggle up with Eric without interruptions.

Apparently Eric wanted that, too. Tsuna could tell because of how he boldly came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Tsuna. Taking a moment to really enjoy the embrace, Tsuna closed his eyes and let himself mentally drift in the warmth that he could feel. It lasted only a minute, after which he became consciously aware of the throbbing pulse going through him. He wanted Eric. He wasn't drunk or crazy. He was sober and insane. Even so, he wanted Eric and there wasn't any reason not to act on that feeling.

Carefully leading Eric once more, he guided him to the couch before turning around to finally give in to the desires running in unison through both of them. Eric took his cues while they kissed, slowly sinking down to sit on the couch. Sitting quickly became lounging and within another minute, Eric was laying down while Tsuna pressed himself down on top of him. It was then that Tsuna finally did more than just kiss. He began to caress while his hips moved on their own in order to let him rub himself up against Eric. The result made Eric gasp and break off the kiss, but not out of any thoughts of stopping. Instead, he seemed to break off merely to attempt to catch his breathe, one that Tsuna didn't let him get. He couldn't when he was able to clearly see Eric's face in the soft light coming through the windows. He was enjoying himself completely while Tsuna continued to overheat his body with sensations. Eric just didn't know how to handle it since it was a new experience to him.

Chuckling quietly to himself, Tsuna found that he wanted to let Eric experience more. He wanted to make Eric feel good in gratitude for being willing to love him. Making him happy made Tsuna happy in return. Making him overheated made Tsuna overheated in return. It was a feeling that was unlike any other and Tsuna wanted more of it. Eric was someone that he could hold and care about and share himself completely with. That alone made him want to continue.

Eric panted breathlessly when Tsuna pushed his shirt up in order to gain access to his new area of focus. Since the lips were currently out of the question with Eric's attempts to catch his breath, Tsuna went to the next best thing. While his hands trailed down Eric's sides, he licked and kissed Eric's chest. He could taste the sweat that had built up over the course of the night. The salty taste only made Tsuna thirsty for more. His licks and kisses became soft sucks and nibbles while his hands clenched tightly around Eric's hips. He kept his ears open for Eric's gasps of surprise and enjoyment, taking pleasure in simply having caused such reactions.

Pausing, Tsuna took a moment to pull off his thin sweater and toss it onto the floor, feeling more than overheated himself. When he looked back down at Eric, he groaned at how the sight of him made his loins tighten almost painfully. He had his arms up over his head to keep them out of Tsuna's way and his face was flushed from the way that his body was making him feel. His legs had fallen open with one completely off of the couch while the other was propped up on the back of the couch. All of that combined with the shy lust in Eric's eyes was enough to break anyone's self-control.

"_Kawaii_," Tsuna grinned widely, once more leaning over to steal a real kiss. Eric moaned into it since the action caused him to rub against him even more firmly than before.

"What's that mean?" Eric gasped when Tsuna let him up for air. Seeing that he wouldn't get the lips back again, Tsuna sent a trail of kisses down Eric's neck and another trail of caresses down his chest.

"It means that you're too cute," Tsuna chuckled against his salty-sweet skin without pausing in his actions. "Are you still feeling okay? Do you want me to stop?"

"N-No," he panted. "Ke-Keep going. Please."

"Say it again," Tsuna moaned, transferring down to his chest once more. He knew that his kisses were becoming more frenzied, but he couldn't help it with how Eric was being so complaisant.

"Please," Eric begged obligingly, making Tsuna's control break completely. Sending more kisses down to Eric's stomach, Tsuna started clawing at his belt buckle. He felt like he was going to explode at any minute and he wanted--

"That's far enough!"

Tsuna let out a sharp yell of surprise at the splash of icy-cold water that hit them. Spluttering, he jumped to his feet in order to glare the moment that the lights were turned on.

"What the hell, Snicker?!" Tsuna finally shouted, standing shivering, soaked, and painfully unsatisfied from the unexpected dousing. Snicker merely gave him a knowing look much like the one that Autumn had given him earlier while he set down the small ice chest that he'd used to attack with. What the hell was wrong with everyone today?!

"I ain't about to let you go and do something you'll regret in the morning," Snicker said firmly. "I had a feeling that there would be trouble with you bringing your friend over on a weekend and I was right. It makes me glad that I prepared myself for when you came home drunk."

"I'm not drunk!" Tsuna cried.

"Sure you aren't," Snicker agreed sarcastically. "That's why you were all over Eric like you were. You wouldn't go doing something like that if you weren't sober. And look at Eric, he's just as sober as you are. I can see heaven with how clear his eyes are." Tsuna paled at the sarcasm in the last statement and took a moment to look over his shoulder at where Eric was trying to hold his soaked shirt away from himself. One glance was all it took for Tsuna to grimace, noticing what he'd been too distracted to notice before. Eric _was _drunk and was trying very hard to hide it. As it was, he was barely standing. All the moments that Tsuna had thought were caresses along the way home had just been Eric's attempts to steady himself.

"Shit," he groaned, realizing that he'd almost taken advantage of his friend. Even worse was the realization that the same friend probably wouldn't remember everything that he'd said in the park. It was no wonder that he'd been acting so subdued rather than energetic. It was his first experience with hard liquor, too! He'd never had more than half a beer while visiting with Tsuna in the past.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked quietly, finally noticing that both Snicker and Tsuna were staring at him. Frustrated and angry at himself for having let himself believe that his issues could be solved so easily, Tsuna reached out to grab Eric by the ear. He squeaked in surprise and stumbled forward when Tsuna dragged him out the door, spluttering in confusion about Tsuna's sudden switch in actions toward him. Tsuna ignored it, knowing that Eric would thank him in the morning.

Thankfully, the very people that he wanted to see were standing in the hallway, talking to each other about their clients of the night. The talk faltered to a wide-eyed, laughing stop over Tsuna and Eric's soaked state alongside the sight of Eric getting dragged down the hallway by the ear when he walked up.

"Are any of you interested in taking care of Eric for me tonight?" Tsuna asked bluntly. "He's drunk and he's a virgin and he's definitely not safe with me right now. I'll pay whatever you want to just take him off of my hands until morning."

"I'll take him, Suoh," Cassandra offered with narrowed eyes while the other two gaped over the insinuation that Tsuna had just made. He'd almost slept with one of his best friends. They had right to gape. He wasn't sure what he'd been thinking by accepting Eric's offer without thinking it through first. Maybe he was drunk like Gigi said. He didn't really feel any different, but alcohol had a way of doing that right before it would knock him on his ass.

"Are you okay, Suoh?" Summer asked in concern while Tsuna handed Eric over.

"I'm fine," he lied. "Is Autumn back yet? I need to apologize to her for how I acted in the park."

"Not yet," Summer answered with a small shake of her head. "She said that she was meeting someone and she wouldn't be back until later."

"Could you tell her that I said that I was sorry?" He asked quietly. Summer nodded and Tsuna took the chance to retreat while Dedra talked a confused Eric into her apartment.

Loneliness crashed into him the moment he shut the door to his apartment again. Leaning against it, he berated himself for having fallen so low. He'd probably caused irreparable damage to his friendship with Eric, all because of a little thing like feeling alone. What kind of monster was he? Was he really willing to accept anyone just to silence a single feeling? That kind of thinking would only make him more miserable in the future! Yet, there was a little nagging voice that told him that he'd at least feel a little better with someone to share himself with.

"Are you okay, Suoh?" Snicker asked in concern, pressing a hand against Tsuna's forehead in worry. "I didn't make you catch a chill with that water. Did I?"

"No," Tsuna whined, answering both questions at once. Leaning forward, he pressed his head against Snicker's chest in hopes that it would make all of his thoughts just stop for a while. It didn't work. Instead, he found himself in possession of the urgent need to cry. He felt so frustrated and so confused and over it all was a poignant feeling of loneliness that he couldn't shake off. "I don't understand, Snicker," he cried tearfully. "I have friends, but I still feel like I'm alone and it hurts. I want this feeling to go away!"

"Ah hell," Snicker groaned, finally hearing what Tsuna's problem was. "You're getting all morose on me, Suoh. I know that it's tough at times, but you shouldn't let it get you down. You just need to get laid and find yourself a hobby and you'll be just fine. You're just feeling it a bit more than usual because you're drunk. You'll feel better after you get a little sleep."

"Alright," Tsuna sniffed with a nod, standing erect once more in complete trust of Snicker's advice. "I--"

_That's her. Just come a little closer so that I can get you._

"...just..."

_That's right. Walk this way. I got just the thing for a sweet thing like you._

"Suoh?" Snicker asked worriedly when Tsuna reached up to grab his suddenly pounding head.

"It hurts," he gasped as his knees buckled. Snicker reached out to catch--

_The breeze whipped through the bushes and trees of the park, adding extra chill to the cool air. From his vantage point, he could see his target. She was gorgeous, which made what he was going to do just that much sweeter. The bitch would never know what hit her. He was getting irritated, though. He could tell that his partner was getting irritated, too. They'd dressed up like homeless bums to get this job done, which meant that they had to work with only common, untraceable knives. The blonde was the whore that their boss wanted dead, though. If only she'd stop pacing and walk farther down the path! As it was, she was positioned next to a park bench where she'd been standing since that pair of homos had left. It was like she couldn't make up her mind about something. She needed to get over it and go on her merry fucking way already! This disguise stinked worse than anything and he wanted to get back to base so that he could change and shower. He couldn't do that, though, until the bitch was dead--_

"Suoh!" Snicker yelled, smacking Tsuna across the face to get his attention. Tsuna gasped and stared up at him with wide eyes. What the hell was that? A vision? A dream? A hallucination? Where the hell had something like that come from? And why had it been full of intent to hurt Autumn?! Scrambling to his feet, he knew that he couldn't take a chance that it was a fluke. Autumn might really be in danger! Ignoring Snicker's cry of askance, he went flying out of the door and down the hallway without pausing for an instant. The only thought in his head while he jumped down the stairs at his top speed and crashed out of the building's security door was that he had to help her. Assuming that the weird vision had been real, he just hoped that he could make it in time.

What had been a fifteen minute walk home at a fast pace, he ran even more quickly. Dodging streetwalkers and drunken idiots on their way home, he ignored everything but getting to his destination. Several people yelled out to him to see what was wrong, but he just kept running. He focused everything he had into making his feet move faster so that he could reach the park in time. He barely avoided running headlong into a bus stop outside of the park, skidding several feet while he quickly changed direction to run inside. If he remembered right, Autumn had been on the path between the fountain and the back exit that lead out into a small, unremarkable side street. At this time of night, it would be completely empty with people only daring to pass through the main thoroughfare.

Faster. Tsuna put even more speed in his step, running down the entrance path and past the main fountain. He caught sight of her still standing next to the park bench and gave a sharp yell of warning while he continued to speed toward her. Unfortunately, that only made her notice him, which wasn't a good thing. Being too far away, she didn't hear the words of his warning nor see the look of panic on his face. All she saw was his costume and presence, which made her hurriedly pick up the path that she'd been walking when she'd ran across him. He tried to yell out in warning once more, but it was no use. She was stubbornly ignoring him.

Irritated at the damn woman for acting like that toward him, he put on an extra boost of speed in order to reach her before the goons jumped out of the bushes. He barely made it, grabbing her arm to throw her backward at the same time that a knife came stabbing forward through the darkness. He wasn't even thinking while his body moved to counter it. Dodging the blade itself, he chopped down on the offending hand with all of his strength, sending the blade to the ground out of the attacker's numb hand. So focused on that, he was completely unable to dodge the punch that rammed into his jaw. He didn't fight it, letting his head turn with the fist to keep the follow-through from being damaging enough to make him black out. He couldn't let himself black out until Autumn was safe. He couldn't even let himself think until Autumn was safe.

Ignoring the pain from the punch, he struck back with a ferocity that he didn't even know was in him. Part of his brain was completely unable to catch up with what was happening while another part calmly saw everything and adjusted his body without any actual input from him. The first thing that he did notice after the punch, though, was that he was getting the sense that he'd used against Ore. He could see vulnerabilities and places just asking to be hit. Knowing that Autumn's life was in danger, he hit every spot that he could manage to actually reach. The man was trained well, though. Only half of Tsuna's blows got through and there wasn't a single 'kill me' spot on him. There was only one spot that was screaming louder than all the others to be hit which Tsuna focused on while he tried to keep himself from being hit in return. It was hard, though. This guy's punches weren't like Gabriel's. He could see them, but not fast enough to react most of the time.

There! Tsuna lashed out at the first opening that he could see in order to hit the 'hit me' spot that was screaming at him. The man choked and hit his knees from the impact to the center of his chest, unable to breathe. He tried, but he simply couldn't. Tsuna watched in shock as he fell over from the lack of air, becoming unconscious while numerous 'kill me' spots started screaming out. Tsuna ignored them in favor of checking on Autumn, simply happy to see his opponent's back rising and falling normally once he had blacked out.

He cursed, seeing her holding off her own assailant with her purse twirling like a sling or a mace. Reaching down for the knife fallen at his feet, he shut the blade and gave a sharp yell of warning. Once more, he growled when Autumn refused to listen to him. That irritation was released when he threw the blade anyway. It flew with a power that Tsuna didn't even know he possessed, spinning past Autumn's ear in order to ricochet hilt first against the distracted assailant's head. He stood in shock for a moment, giving Autumn the chance to slam her weighted purse against his head. He flew to the side from the impact, crashing unconscious to the ground in the process.

Autumn's bag fell to a faltering stop while she turned in place to stare at him with wide eyes. She looked from him, to the man at his feet, and then to the man at her feet. Then, for some strange reason, her eyes started fluttering in a way that Tsuna didn't like. He barely made it to her before she collapsed, catching her before she hit the ground and hurt herself. Worried, he took a moment to check her over and felt anger welling up in him at the sight of a small bruise on her cheek. He suddenly wished that the man would wake back up so that he could personally knock him back down again. It made him irrationally furious that someone would dare to lay a hand on his untouchable golden beauty.

It made him so angry that he couldn't even feel slice of the knife that grazed his bare back. That feeling was transmuted into strange satisfaction that he'd get to knock at least one of them down again. Laying Autumn down quickly and carefully, he spun in his crouch to face the man who'd already woken up. The man backed away at the gleam of insanity in Tsuna's eyes, but Tsuna wasn't about to let him run away. His brain was all caught up now and he used every ounce of it into dodging the man's blows while looking for the most satisfying places to hit back. The punches were almost too slow now. He could see them and advance with incredible ease, moving only minimally in order to dodge. It was almost too easy. He could see the fear growing in the man's eyes when he kept getting closer and he kept having to retreat backward.

That fear was what made Tsuna stop without striking. What the hell was he doing? He was actually enjoying this man's fear. He wanted to hurt him. He was toying with him like he was some sort of mouse. Thankfully, the attacker didn't seem to notice. He took the opportunity of Tsuna's pause to turn tail and run in the decision that he wouldn't be able to complete his mission. Tsuna let him go, shocked at himself for having turned into the very thing that he'd sworn not to be. If only for a moment, he'd turned into a very bad person.

Trying to shake the feeling away, he turned back to Autumn. The other man didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon, but he didn't want to take any chances. Grabbing Autumn's purse, he groaned at the fifteen pound weight inside before putting it in her lap and folding her hands over it. His only thought was to get her home safely before someone else thought to attack her. He wasn't sure who these guys were or where they were from, but he knew that he couldn't call the police to find out. If he called the police, he'd be questioned and that would be bad.

Scooping Autumn up, he cradled her against his chest and lifted her off of the ground. She was lighter than she looked, he noticed immediately. Her small height advantage on him had made him come to the apparently wrong conclusion that she'd be heavier than him. That was far from the case. He understood why while he slowly put his feet on the path home. She had a tall frame, but it was also a small one. He'd never noticed it before, being so infatuated with her hair, but her legs were un-proportionally longer than they should be. If they were in proportion, she'd probably be slightly smaller than him like Summer was.

For some strange reason, it made him feel good to know that. It made him feel good to know that he could hold her like this without it being awkward or uncomfortable. It was a calming sensation. A soothing one. He wasn't sure why, but holding her made all the pain from earlier seem like a faint nightmare. Looking down at her unconscious face, he immediately knew why. He'd known why for a long time, but he'd purposely kept himself from verbalizing it. He loved her. He'd loved her from the first time that he'd seen her. It wasn't the simple caring that he felt toward Eric. It was deeper than that and much more clear.

He knew that it was an impossible dream, but it made him feel much better to admit it to himself. He had someone to love, she was just a little out of his reach. At least he could look at her, though. He could look at her and care for her and love her from a distance. That would be enough. He might not be able to actually touch the golden treasure, but he could get a little closer to it in admiration. Nickels and dimes might be all that he could keep to himself, but there was no harm in coveting the gold that someone else could afford.

Although, it made him very tempted to break his oath about stealing.

He felt her shift in his arms, telling him that she was waking up. He didn't stop, though, nor did he pause to put her down. He wanted to hold her for just a little longer and they were almost home anyway.

"Put me down," she growled, proving that she was fully awake.

"No," he answered with a wide grin.

"I can walk," she snapped. "Stop and put me down."

"No," he repeated. "You might have hit your head when you fell. I'll put you down when I get you home." Tsuna smiled at his white lie, grateful to himself that he'd come up with an excuse to hold her longer.

"I'll scream," she warned.

"Go ahead," he countered merrily. "We're almost home. I'm sure that everyone will be happy to know that you're being so ungrateful to the person that saved you."

"I didn't need your help," she scoffed. "I could have taken them on my own."

"No, you couldn't," he objected in growing irritation. "I could barely take them. You would have been mincemeat without my help."

"Keep telling yourself that," she smirked. "I'm fine, so put me down. Or did you not get stared at enough at Kink's? I bet you're just loving the attention that you're getting with this guardian angel act. You even got the feathers and the white outfit to go with it."

"I'd enjoy it a lot more if you'd just shut up," he growled, feeling his eye twitch over the comment. "And it's not an angel costume. It's--"

"That's right," she interrupted pointedly. "It's a prince charming outfit and you left your cape at home. Where's you're faithful _steed_, Eric? Aren't you supposed to ride into the sunset on him?"

"He's probably in the middle of losing his virginity to Cassandra," Tsuna answered through clenched teeth. Coming to a stop, he practically dropped her to her feet. "You can walk after all," he explained. "The stick up your ass is more uncomfortable to carry than I thought it'd be."

"I'd prefer a stick up my ass, instead of being carried by an ass, any day of the week," she replied with a bright smile of open satisfaction.

"No wonder they wanted to kill you," Tsuna groaned. "Are you always this much of a bitch or do I just always catch you at the right time?"

"You're just lucky like that," she grinned in triumph before spinning in place to walk home on her own. Tsuna started to walk beside her, but she quickly increased her pace to outdistance him. He let her, seeing their apartment building up ahead. There was enough people on the streets that he doubted anyone could get to here before she reached safety. He was kind of glad that she'd went ahead of him since he was becoming distracted by the stinging sensation between his shoulder blades. There was a tickling sensation running down his back, heralding something that he didn't want her to see. It had been his own stupidity that had made him turn his back on someone with a knife. He could just imagine her snide comments if she saw his mistake written out so plainly.

Despite being so close to home, he ducked into an alley when he saw her turn around to see him following. He needed to catch his breath and get his energy up for the last burst home so that Snicker could clean up his back. He also wanted to give her time to get into her apartment before he tried to follow her. He smiled to himself over how she'd acted toward him, though. She really did think that he was a purebred jackass. Not that he'd done anything to make her think otherwise. He had a feeling that she wasn't really as tart as she was acting, either. She was just taking out her own feeling of vulnerability on him. He'd just been taking out his own insecurities on her. It had been a fair trade and a bickering argument that had been kind of fun when he thought back to it. It was fun up until he realized that it was also the longest conversation that he'd ever had with her.

Shaking his head in irritation over his bad luck and continued roll of bad impressions where Autumn was concerned, he turned and started heading out of the alley once more. Autumn aside, the only thing he wanted currently was Snicker to check out his back, a hot shower, and a lot of sleep. He just had to figure out how to get to his apartment without any of the girls noticing his back.

Groaning, Tsuna realized that he'd been right.

It _had _been a very long night.

* * *

Author's Notes: I will be on Hiatus for a minimum of two weeks. When I return, the new chapter will be an intermission featuring Xanxus as decided via poll. Thank you all for your understanding and I hope that this double-upload will satisfy you all somewhat!

Please leave me lots of wonderful reviews detailing what you liked about the chapter! Trust me, that'll make me 'get well' a hundred times faster than anything else!

Yes. I know. I'm shameless. :D


	16. Chapter 16 X Intermission

Author's Notes: You all should know that I can't be held back for a full two weeks! BWAHAHAHA!

Here we go! This is the poll-winning Xanxus POV Chapter! Whoops! I wrote it too long, so I have to split it unto a DOUBLE UPLOAD! Thanks for all of your well-wishes and your patience!

:end hiatus:

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"Stop being so soft," Reborn commented as he polished Leon in the form of his favored pistol.

"Fuck off," Xanxus snarled in return. "I hit him hard enough." Xanxus nodded in satisfaction to himself and went back to filing down an imaginary hangnail. He did that a lot while training his charge just so that he didn't have to look in the childish face that matched that of the person that he'd failed. The past year had only refined that resemblance while Hotaru's training and activities as Vongola the Eleventh turned him into a man well before puberty could do the job.

"If you're going to punish him, then do it right," Reborn replied without inflection. "He barely knocked down two trees this time. You'll never raise his defensive capabilities like that."

"That's because I don't want to hear his whining today," Xanxus snapped. "It's bad enough that I suffered through it yesterday. If I smack him this way, he can hold the waterworks back and he gets the fucking point."

"Mercy from an assassin isn't mercy," he mumbled in distaste. "Maybe I should call Colonello in so that he knows what real punishment is like."

"No need," Xanxus growled at the insinuation that he wasn't doing his job. "You just fucking worry about watching his back. I'll take care of his shitty training like I said I would."

"Uncle Xanxuuuus!" Hotaru whined, finally lifting his head up from the crushed wreckage of the tree that he'd landed in. "You could have killed me!"

"But I didn't," Xanxus replied logically. "So get your ass up and do it right this time or else it'll be four trees next time."

"You're going to make Mr. Gardener mad," Hotaru mumbled under his breathe while attempting to pull leaves and twigs out of his dark mess of hair. "And mom is going to be mad because you ruined another one of my pairs of-- Hiiieee!! Don't hit me!" Hotaru cringed back at only the hint of movement from Xanxus and Reborn in unison while openly trying to decide which to fear more.

"You got four seconds, brat," Xanxus warned, pointing to the pedestal that was Hotaru's current training podium. "If I don't see some improvement this time, I'm going to consider you a slacker and you know what I do to slackers." Xanxus narrowed his eyes, looking directly at Hotaru for a mere millisecond in warning before turning his attention to his overly self-manicured hand. Hotaru squealed loudly and ran for his pedestal once he saw the gleam in Xanxus' eyes, making it with half a second to spare. The last time that Xanxus had called him a slacker, he'd ended up being allowed to stay in bed for two days straight like slackers liked to. Unfortunately for the boy, it wasn't due to any reason such as laziness or relaxation. Instead, Hotaru knew that being allowed to be a slacker equaled recovery time.

It was harsh, but such was the way of the world. Hotaru's importance in the world was unparalleled and therefore his training had to be, too. Thankfully, he was still young enough to accept being protected, but everyone knew that the day would come where his desire for freedom would get the better of him. They had to make him ready to withstand anything on that day or else risk seeing the end of Vongola entirely. Hotaru had to be taught how to stand firm and tall as a Boss in his own right rather than forever be seen as the lucky and protected son of Vongola the Tenth. His strength was Vongola's strength and Vongola's strength was sadly only eleven.

Xanxus clenched his teeth together while Hotaru dodged the sandbags swung at him. They did this daily and he was still acting fearful toward the training. That was one thing that Xanxus hated about training the brat. It was one thing that he couldn't help but compare Hotaru to his father. It irritated him and angered him like nothing else could. Tsuna had looked like that the last time he'd seen him. Cringing. Fearful. Panicked. Normally, he ignored the irritation that such displays caused, but it was literally impossible when those same expressions were coming from Hotaru. When they were coming from that face, he wanted to soothe and calm and do a hundred things that he resented feeling the urge to do.

So, he lashed out, sending Hotaru once more flying off of his pedestal and into the tree-lined forest surrounding their particular area of the garden.

"What was that for?!" Hotaru yelled angrily with fat tears of frustration welling up in his eyes. "I was dodging them like you told me to!"

"And if any of them were a real enemy, you'd be dead!" Xanxus roared back, reaching out to grab one of the sandbags still flying around. Yanking it off of the pulley that it was on, he sent the whole thing flying toward Hotaru's head, which sent the boy to the ground in fear. "Look at you! You're nothing but a gutless coward who's more scared of me than the training! Grow some fucking backbone, you piece of trash! Or do you think that everyone is going to follow a whiney ten year old forever?"

"I'm eleven now!" Hotaru objected, not even bothering to get up from where he'd landed this time.

"Ten, Eleven," Xanxus repeated in a growl. "There's no fucking difference. You still have the facial habits of a kid, telling the damned enemy everything he needs to know about you. You're nothing but a scared wimp and if you keep this shit up then Vongola is screwed! How long do you think that the other Families are going to let us have before they really start attacking? Who the hell do you think they're going to attack first? I can fucking tell you right now that it'll be soon and it'll be you. You're a fucking tenderized piece of shrimp just asking to get pounded flat with how you are. Now, unless you want to get pounded by someone a lot less forgiving than me, then get your ass back up here and do it right! Show the enemy nothing that they can use against you and--" Xanxus froze and felt a muscle in the back of his neck twitch at the sound of tears.

Counting to ten, Xanxus tried to keep himself calm. Hotaru was still just a boy. Even his father hadn't started training until he'd reached his teenage years. There was only a few years difference between the normal training age and the age that Hotaru was being forced to start at. From what Reborn's comments revealed, Hotaru's training was actually proceeding nicely and much more quickly than his father's had. Yet, there was one pivotal difference between the training of the father and the son and that was the usage of the Dying Will Bullet.

Hotaru didn't give Reborn many openings. At least, that's what the baby hitman said. He wasn't talking about line-of-sight openings. He was speaking of moments of regret. Hotaru rarely had any from what it seemed and the Dying Will Bullet was deadly without it. The kid tended to act on his feelings more often than not, which made him completely unlike his father and more like his mother. There were a few rare times that he didn't act and Reborn jumped on those fervently, but he was left alone most of the time where the Dying Will Bullet was concerned. He already knew what he needed to do and did it without anyone having to goad him. He was responsible and caring and was quickly turning into a worthy leader.

Except during their daily training sessions. During their daily training sessions, Hotaru was becoming worse and worse. Not just the fear and the panic. The waterworks and tears were getting worse, too. His motor-skills that were normally only slightly clumsy became even clumsier. By the time he was concentrating enough to overcome that, his emotions were a wreck. By the time they got his emotions straightened out, his motor-skills were clumsy again.

Xanxus threw his hands up in the air, refraining from the desire to pull out his own hair. What the hell was wrong with Hotaru this time?

"Screw it," Xanxus growled, deciding that he wasn't in any mood to deal with the boy at the moment. "We'll pick back up tomorrow, assuming your ass feels like actually training instead of crying for once." Xanxus turned to leave, but decided to throw a last parting shot behind him in hopes that he could goad the kid into wanting to become more than he was. "At this rate, you'll never be as strong as your father, Hotaru."

Silence met his words, heralding a temporary ending to Hotaru's tears. Giving Reborn a small nod of agreement for the baby hitman to take over for the rest of the day, Xanxus started heading back toward headquarters. He honestly wasn't in the mood for babysitting today. Reborn knew it. Stormy knew it. Squalo knew it. Everyone in the fucking castle knew it. Because of his mood, no one wanted to bother him on today of all days. They would leave him alone and politely give him his space. Of course, that's what they did anyway, but they were much more conscious of doing it today.

Not even a full year had passed yet and everyone was already moving on with their lives. He thought it was despicable. It was disgusting. It was a betrayal of the worst kind. He thought it was a hundred things, all of which was merely self-loathing for having allowed himself to begin letting go, as well. He'd not believed that it was possible, at first. One day had rolled into another without stopping to ask him if it was okay. The sun had still rose and had still set without his permission. For a long while, he'd simply drank himself sober every day and every night while waiting for someone to comfort him.

No one had ever come. Even though he'd hinted at the need for someone to Squalo, the man had never come. None of Tsuna's friends or Family had come. No one cared about the cock and balls that Tsuna had played around with. It had been then that he'd realized that he was a nobody. Everything he did meant nothing. He lived in the shadows. He worked in the shadows. His love life had automatically been in the shadows. Quite a few people had known that he'd continued his affair with Vongola the Tenth well after his marriage, but no one had really understood that it had been more than just sex.

It had been an epiphany that had started a change in his life. He didn't want to be a nobody anymore. Tsuna had taken down his walls for him and there was a person standing on the other side. For the sake of Tsuna's memory, he didn't want to wall that person back up again. He wanted people to know that Xanxus, himself, was one of Tsuna's many legacies. He wanted people to know that Vongola the Tenth had been a man capable of anything under any terms. The only way to allow people to see that had been to stand in the light, though.

After three months of failed attempts to live in the light and still do his work, he'd given up the Varia completely. Squalo was now the leader with Leviathon as his trusted Right Hand. Xanxus' retirement had been something that everyone saw coming. What they hadn't seen was what he'd planned to do with his retirement. It hadn't been plans to go to Bermuda. Instead, he'd worked out a deal directly with Reborn. Reborn was Hotaru's tutor and Xanxus was now one, too. It had been something that Tsuna had asked of him and not even Reborn would stand in the way of a hitman with a promise to keep.

Of course, he wasn't sure how well he was doing. He couldn't be doing that bad with all things considered. Hotaru had gotten physically stronger in the past months. Despite the scene at the training grounds, he was mentally maturing, too. He'd already shown a few signs of hyper-intuition and his displays in Dying Will Mode were a sight to see when he was actually forced into it. There was still something missing, though. He could see it whenever he looked at Reborn because Reborn always had that same expression of irritated thought on his face lately. There was some factor that they weren't paying enough attention to and neither of them could figure out what Hotaru was truly missing in his growth.

At first, Xanxus thought it was the common factor of bloodshed, but that thought had been tossed away. Hotaru didn't need to see blood to do his job. That was actually all due to Hotaru's own nature. He was probably the only Boss in Vongola's history to come up with such a way of working and was actually able to succeed. Xanxus was silently grateful that Hotaru had Crimson Curtain at his disposal. He'd seen far too many become desensitized after bloodshed became part of their lives at a young age. Belphegor was a prime example of what might have happened if Hotaru hadn't had an alternative option to work with.

As it was, Hotaru let his pet keep the Families in line and merely insinuated that he was the controlling factor that kept Crimson Curtain from destroying them completely. No one could prove that he wasn't and no one wanted to test him on it. Not even Xanxus was sure if Hotaru really had Crimson Curtain's ear. Stormy and even Reborn vouched that he did, but it seemed somewhat farfetched to him. Hotaru barely went outside and he supposedly had the world's greatest hacker doing his bidding. Either the kid had his father's ability with people or else he was a prodigy in his own right. Whichever it was, he'd managed to hold everyone down in a fear that didn't require a single knife wound. Already, Hotaru was known among the underground as Vongola The Blackmailer and he wasn't even a teenager yet. It would be somewhat worrisome if Hotaru's nature was anything like his nickname. Since it wasn't, Xanxus hid his worries and his doubts in hopes that Hotaru would be strong enough to keep surviving.

Xanxus paused at the edge of the entrance hall, having been headed for the wing on the far side. The reason for his sudden stop wasn't hard to see. It was a sight that was growing all too familiar and all too sickening at the same time.

"Get out," Xanxus growled loudly, making everyone in the room jump. Several people spun in place to stare at the former Varia leader with wide eyes. It was the man at the center of the mob that Xanxus was speaking to, though.

"I know you. Don't I?" The man ask innocently, smiling a sweet smile with a face that wasn't his own.

"Let me guess," Xanxus said in a calm voice while his lip twitching in disgust, a small sign that sent everyone else fleeing for safety. "While you were lost at sea, you lost your memory from the trauma. That's why you can't remember names or faces correctly and this fellow that has the balls to stand next to you just so happens to fucking be your savior. You'd like to get your memories back along with forgiveness from everyone for having worried everyone."

"Something like that," the fake Tsuna nodded with his eyebrows narrowed in effort to hide his frustration.

"Who let this guy in?" Xanxus snapped angrily. Glaring at the men lining the walls, he raised his voice to get an answer. "Who the fuck let this asshole in?! I'm going to count to--"

"D-dad...?" Xanxus' eyes widened and he spun in place to see Hotaru staring at the imposter in his own shock and hope, having been headed for the same place as Xanxus on a much more straight-forward route. Even as he watched, Hotaru's face fell and he shook his head to himself. "That's not dad. He's another fake. Isn't he, Reborn?"

"Seems so," Reborn confirmed darkly with a glare at the offender in their midst. "Why don't you go find your mother and wash up for breakfast. I'll--"

"Hotaru--!" The fake Tsuna gasped in sudden recognition. Xanxus and Reborn both jumped forward in unison to block the way to the boy and numerous weapons were drawn in warning when the man tried to move. The imposter froze at the suddenly unwelcome atmosphere in the room. "What's going on? I thought you would all be happy to see me."

"You're not dad," Hotaru's voice answered quietly, slowly walking forward despite Xanxus' effort to keep him from having to see the fake. There was a tone in his voice, though. It was a tone that said that he was tired. It was a tone that said that he didn't think this was a silly game like a lot of his other work was sometimes turned into. It was the harsh and gut wrenching tone of a kid who was acting too mature for his own good. In front of that tone of voice, neither Xanxus nor Reborn or anyone else in the room could move. "You're a fake," he continued mercilessly, walking up toward the man without a single ounce of fear in his body. "Lots of fakes have been coming to try to steal what dad left me. You're no different." Hotaru smiled warmly and stopped in front of the man, giving a sharp tug to his suit to pull him down. The man knelt in confusion, trying to understand how Hotaru had seen through him so quickly. It was the same look that all the other fakes had held before they'd been dealt with.

"Is there any way that I can prove that I'm your dad?" The fake asked quietly, still believing he could talk his way out of the hole that he'd dug for himself by even coming.

"How about three questions," Hotaru replied calmly, holding up three fingers. "Answer all three right and I'll say that you're my dad."

"Hotaru--" Xanxus choked. Then he paused at the gleam in Hotaru's eyes. It was a gleam that he saw in his own mirror on a daily basis. Hotaru was angry. He was incredibly, quietly angry. He might be eleven, but he was taking this man's game personally. Seeing that was enough to completely silence him in awe of a side of Hotaru that he'd not known existed. Was that the side that had developed after so much time spent with Xanxus himself?!

"First question," Hotaru said playfully. "What nickname did Uncle Mukuro always call me?"

"Firefly," the fake snapped, making Xanxus groan internally. That kind of question was on simple background reports. No one would dare enter Vongola Headquarters without that kind of basic information.

"Very good!" Hotaru clapped enthusiastically, making Xanxus rethink his initial judgment of the question. From the looks of it, Hotaru had expected him to get it right. What was the kid playing at? He'd gotten sharp all of a sudden. Too sharp when one considered that he'd been crying less than ten minutes previously. "Second question. This one is going to be harder," he warned.

"It's fine," the fake smiled, believing that he had the upper hand against a kid. Unfortunately for him, this was Tsuna's child.

"See my rings," Hotaru said, holding up his hand for the imposter to look at. Xanxus paled, feeling that he knew exactly what Hotaru planned to do.

"You have a lot," the man commented with a smile growing in amusement while his 'benefactor' stared over his shoulder.

"There's four," Hotaru confirmed with a grin. "The question is really easy but also really hard this time. Which one bites?"

"Bites?" He repeated in confusion.

"Yup," Hotaru said with a nod, the smile completely leaving his face. "If you guess wrong, it's going to bite you for trying to pretend to be my dad when you're not." Xanxus grimaced at the threat while the silence grew thick in the room. This wasn't the first imposter that had tried to go through Hotaru to gain access to the Family. The last time had ended up with his mother in tears for weeks since the fool had actually been a decent enough impersonator to make everyone believe. Only Hotaru had been able to figure out the truth before Shamal and the whole incident had ended badly.

"You're taking this too personally, Hotaru," Xanxus called out while the man tried to decide whether the threat was worth fearing. "You already know that he's a fake. Why don't you just--"

"This one," the man answered, pointing to the Vongola Ring. Xanxus grimaced, but it was too late. Hotaru's eyes lit up with all the anger that he'd been hiding and he mouthed a single command. While it was true that all of Hotaru's rings were able to bite in a different way, there was one in particular that everyone knew to fear. It was the reason that Hotaru was still in power even though he was only a child. It had been Tsuna's last legacy to his son and the last gift that he'd given before he'd died.

The room became a whirlwind of heat and Flame as it poured out of a different ring on Hotaru's hand, silently telling the man that he'd answered incorrectly. It continued to engulf the room, sending people fleeing for the exits while the poor impostor and his benefactor was pinned in place with an even greater fear. The fear of fire and the dragons who spouted it.

"Salmon Kai!" Hotaru called as the Flames began to harden and coalesce, tossing his hair around in the winds of its passing.

"I am here," the Flames responded. "You have been crying again, little brother. Who made you cry?"

"They did!" Hotaru yelled over the roar of Flames, stabbing a finger at the two men in the middle of the room with his tears of frustration and anger finally breaking free. "Make them go away!"

"As you wish," Salmon agreed. Xanxus found himself knocked backward into a wall as the dragon of Flame surged forward. A loud explosion followed, ripping and burning a whole into the front entrance of Headquarters through which Salmon exited with his 'cargo' in his claws. Scrambling to his feet, Xanxus dashed outside to see the overly-large, orange Salamander flying toward the nearest sea-port in probable desire to let the fakes know what it truly felt to be lost at sea. While knowing that they would be dealt with made him somewhat appeased, he couldn't help the lack of fulfillment that he wasn't able to get due to not being able to personally deal with the fools.

How many times? How many times were the fakes going to come in and tear the Family to shreds with false hope and lies? How many times were the Family going to continue to let people use their personal tragedy as a platform to steal from? There was only one person that was stupid enough to let this happen after the last time and there was only one person that would grasp onto that hope even after being burned so many times in the past.

Stalking inside, he saw that the Guardians had already shown up to take over with Hotaru. Ken was letting Hotaru cry on his shoulder while the Mist Guardian, the cat Symphonia, paced around him in worry. Reborn was watching it all with a look of dark distaste on his face while Orinato was nearly strangling a black-suited man in hopes to get answers about what had happened. The explosion had brought the whole Family from the looks of it. Sakura was checking over Hotaru for wounds while Toshi helped Orinato try to find the idiot that had caused the whole mess. As always, it took a moment for Xanxus to recognize Toshi since the man had gotten a voluntary face-lift in order to be more comfortable in his new position as one of Hotaru's Guardians. He was completely useless most of the time, but he had his moments of usefulness and serving Hotaru had given him a new purpose in life after he'd lost his own beloved person.

Within a few seconds, the area was even more crowded as the old Guardians started appearing in answer of the explosion. By then, Xanxus was ready to knock heads together in frustration. Especially when Haru appeared without seeming to notice that she was hanging off of Hibari's arm. Thankfully, that stopped within a few seconds of her seeing the remains of the front door coupled with her crying son. She darted forward to retrieve him with a panicked shriek that magically made everyone else calm down. No one wanted their own hysteria to induce Haru into a true fit of panic over her son.

Ignoring it all, Xanxus traded looks with the two Guardians who were looking it all over with the calmest eye of them all. Stormy traded a glance and a grimace with Yamamoto before giving Xanxus a small nod. There was only one idiot that could have caused this much mayhem so quickly. There was only one fool who was willing to believe anyone was the Tenth as long as it meant that the Tenth was still alive.

"I'll take care of it," Yamamoto interjected quietly, gathering instant attention from everyone. "I'll make sure that he knows that he can't do this anymore."

"I'm coming with you," Xanxus growled, kicking a piece of burnt doorframe out of his way. "You had your chance to get it through to him last time. I'm going to bust it into his head so that he gets the fucking picture this time."

"He--" Yamamoto started to object in defense, but he stopped with the objection unspoken. There really was no way to defend him this time. The last time had left scars on the hearts of the Family and this time had hurt Hotaru directly. The idiot who kept accepting fake Tsuna's had to be put under control in one way or another. Yamamoto nodded with a sad glance toward where Hibari was collecting Hotaru up to be taken to his room so that he could cry himself out in private with his mother. Gokudera was already tossing out orders like a professional, getting Hotaru's Guardians working on repairing the damage done to the entryway. Reborn was the only one that had seemed to disappear and that was normal considering that Hotaru had dealt with the matter on his own. The little hitman probably needed to ponder how this was going to affect Hotaru's training in the future.

Leaving the mess to be cleaned up by someone else, Xanxus led the way in the direction of the elevators. Their target was probably in his room at the moment and all of their rooms were in the underbelly of the facility now. Tradition demanded that the current Guardians got the luxuries of the Guardian's wing, which meant that everyone from Yamamoto to Xanxus had been moved to different rooms in one of the underground wings. Xanxus didn't mind since he was used to sleeping in the shadows, but some of the others hadn't been very happy about the change. It was a small mark that their time was past and insinuated that Vongola didn't need them anymore. Considering they were all still in their twenties, it was a sad thing to see them considering retirement from field work. Only the fact that Hotaru needed competent people to rely on kept them on hand despite the common feeling of being a generation behind.

Xanxus followed silently, not feeling like talking in particular. He wondered if this day was going to be this bad every year. He'd been trying to keep his mind off of it, but it was hard to when he'd been forced to look at Hotaru and then a fake Tsuna. That was the last face that he needed to see today and he was seeing it constantly. It was enough to drive him insane with irritation and frustration among other emotions. Pushing such thoughts aside, Xanxus paused at Yamamoto's cue while Yamamoto knocked on a seemingly unimportant door. It was barren like everything else down this particular wing of the house, but they both knew that this room held someone who was becoming a nuisance to everyone.

That person opened the door with wide, joyous eyes when he saw Yamamoto and he smiled brightly in welcome. It was a smile that was quickly wiped away due to Yamamoto's hand striking his cheek with a loud crack.

"How could you, Matsu?" Yamamoto murmured unhappily, refusing to look his former lover in the eyes. "Didn't you learn anything from last time?"

"W-What are--?" Matsu mumbled in reply, his eyes still widened in shock from the unexpected slap.

"The fake Tsuna, you shit-for-brains!" Xanxus yelled with his own anger snapping free. Lunging forward, he grabbed the scrawny scum by the throat and took ample pleasure in squeezing the life out of the fool. Yamamoto interfered before he could succeed, but he managed to leave Matsu bruised and heaving for air on his own floor. All Xanxus could really see was red. It was as if all the stress and irritation of the day was exploding into his brain like fireworks, leaving him even more irritated and angry. He faintly heard Yamamoto yelling at him to stop, but he wanted some satisfaction. He hadn't been able to tear the fool imposter to shreds, but he could tear the one who'd let him in to shreds. He managed one solid kick before Yamamoto got serious in keeping him from killing the little shit that'd caused the trouble.

"How many times are you going to have to be fucking told?!" Xanxus shouted down at his coughing enemy. "Tsuna's fucking dead! Do you really think that he'd just going to magically appear and say that he's sorry for worrying everyone?! Or do you even give a shit about anyone but your own god damned self?!"

"I'm sorry," Matsu heaved while still trying to gasp for air. "He wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow while you were all out. How many saw him?"

"Everyone," Yamamoto answered quietly. "Hotaru is pretty upset this time. This is the fifth time that you've gotten his hopes up. You can't keep doing this, Matsu."

"I can't help it!" Matsu cried, punching the ground in frustration while Xanxus tried to find anything in the room to look at that might calm the rage in his heart. All he found were maps, shipping routes, stacks of reports from Ryohei, and reports that were almost a full year old. "It's not your fault that he's gone! I have to find him! I have to prove that he's not dead! I thought that I really found him this time. You all know that Tsuna's memories were gone when he left and this guy couldn't remember anything either. Plus, there's the fact that he was picked up by a fishing boat only six miles from--" Xanxus felt his temper snap again. Once more, only Yamamoto's interference saved Matsu from more than a solid punch to the jaw.

"You fucking fool!" Xanxus yelled. "They all say that shit to cover the fact that they aren't Tsuna! Get a fucking clue already! If Tsuna was alive, we'd have found him by now! Everyone else has accepted it and you need to get over it! I'll be damned if I'm going to just sit by why you bring in piece of trash after fucking piece of trash to try to replace him! It might make you feel fucking good to think that he's still out there, but you're just tearing everyone else to shit with your delusions! Get over yourself or get the fuck out!"

"Wha--?" Matsu murmured in shock, staring up at Xanxus with wide eyes once more.

"You heard me!" He spat angrily. "I'm sick of this shit and so is everyone else! Stop trying to replace a dead man or I'll let you play dead for a while! That's your only option, scum."

"B-But--"

"Matsu," Yamamoto interjected softly, making the red-head pause with a look of complete panic on his face. Yamamoto's eyes narrowed in worry and he knelt down next to the fool that had caused such a headache for everyone. "You can't keep doing this. I know that you blame yourself for Tsuna, but what you're doing is not going to bring him back. Even Ryohei has finally agreed to stop looking. It's almost been a year and no one's found anything. Don't you think that it's about time that you let go, too?"

"I--"

"Yoshi misses you," Yamamoto continued mercilessly. "Why don't you give this up and come home with me?"

"B-But--"

"I'm not so nice," Xanxus growled, purposely not looking at the way that Yamamoto and Matsu were looking at one another. "I'm not giving you a choice, so start packing your shit. I've changed my mind. Your options are to go home with him willingly or go home in a body bag. I don't give a shit which you choose, but I don't want to fucking look at you anymore."

"Xanxus..." Yamamoto murmured, seeming to understand fully what was going through Xanxus' mind. Xanxus ignored him while trying to keep his emotions under control. Things had always been so much simpler when there was only anger. It was a comfortable emotion compared to the other things that he could feel now. Things such as jealousy, poignant sadness, and loneliness were his top three lately. Focusing on controlling those was the fastest way that he knew how to control his anger and irritation in turn.

"I want you gone by the time that I get back," Xanxus ordered, turning in place to head for the door. "If I see another fake coming through here while pretending to be Tsuna, I'm going to take it directly out on your ass next time. If I were you, I'd take the only option you have left and pick your fucking life back up. Tsuna... Tsuna wouldn't want you to waste it like you have been." Before either of the men could comprehend the words that Xanxus had spoken, he snapped a farewell and disappeared down the hall.

By the time that he got to the elevator, he was silently cursing himself for having allowed himself to be affected by his target. It made him grateful for having found a purpose in training Hotaru since he knew that he'd make a lousy fucking hitman now. Even though Tsuna was gone, his legacy was still changing Xanxus. That thought gave Xanxus some comfort despite the cold space that was around him where warmth had once stood. Tsuna had turned him from a monster into a man and he refused to allow himself to regress.

* * *

"What's the diagnosis?" Xanxus asked with a quirky smile, tossing back his over-filled shot of V Special in the process.

"You need to get away for a while," White stated calmly, leaning back in her chair while rubbing her aching temples. She always did that after one of their sessions, claiming that walking through Xanxus' mind was like wading waist deep through rubble. Not only was it painfully hard to get anywhere, but it took an incredible amount of energy to go forward even a little bit. "You're letting your feelings pile up again. If you keep going at this rate, you're going to have another breakdown. What's going on? Is it because of Hotaru again?"

"Sometimes," he admitted quietly, relaxing back in his own chair so that he could stare at the ceiling. He wanted to laugh at himself for talking to this woman, but it had been his own decision to start seeing her on a regular basis. The fact was a closely guarded secret along with his reasons why. He could just imagine how much bullshit he'd have to put up with if word got out that he was seeing a spiritual councilor twice a week. As it was, only Reborn, Hotaru, and Squalo knew. Hotaru knew since he funded the visits. Reborn knew since he covered for his absence. Squalo knew because he'd been the one that had forced him into the first visit. After that, though, Xanxus had willfully come on his own. Other than that, everyone just assumed that he went to Pink's to fill a different kind of void.

His reasons weren't difficult to understand. At least, it wasn't for the few that had seen him during his breakdown. The time when he'd finally accepted Tsuna's death hadn't been an easy one. It had taken months to get to that point and he'd been suicidal insane when it had finally hit him. Squalo had kept him from killing himself, but it had been a close call. The swordsman wasn't the touchy-feely type of person, but he knew how to slap someone upside the head when they were being stupid. Having his own subordinate threaten to slice open his throat had made Xanxus realize exactly how far he'd fallen. After that, Squalo had done what he could to help. Needless to say, Xanxus had been shocked when he found out that Squalo had tossed him to the mercy of a shrink.

It had been what he needed, though. He could admit that now. White was a trustworthy person. She was someone that knew how to reach out to others and she was willing to listen. She was the first person that was willing to be there for Xanxus since Tsuna and it helped immensely to have her there. It made Xanxus finally understand all of those stupid dramas about patients falling for their therapists. She'd helped him in a hundred way. She'd helped him get back on his mental feet. She's helped him find goals and reasons to keep living. She'd helped him come to understand the depths of what his relationship with Tsuna had done to him. After figuring that out, he'd chosen to continue visiting the woman in hopes that he could keep himself from destroying what Tsuna had created within him.

"Today is his birthday," Xanxus mumbled quietly, getting down to the root of the problem that he knew White was fishing for. "It's his birthday and everyone is trying to pretend that it's not. It pisses me off. Everyone is focusing on his kids and setting up a huge party for this afternoon, but all I can think about is that everyone has fucking forgot that it's Tsuna's birthday, too. He's not even been gone a full year and they're trying to act like he never existed."

"They're just trying to move on with their lives," White countered logically. "They're focusing on the living since nothing can be done for Tsuna anymore. They're trying to make it into a happy day by celebrating the birth of his children. Don't you think that Tsuna would have wanted that?"

"Yes," Xanxus grumbled, pouring himself another shot in frustration. "He never was one to bitch and moan about things for his own sake. I think that's what is irritating me more than anything. I know that Tsuna would be the first one to ignore his own birthday for his kid's sakes, but I can't do it, too. Tsuna deserves-- deserv_ed_ to have a lot more than what he got. He always got the shit-end of the deal and he never fucking complained about it. I guess I hate it because he's not around for me to bitch at for letting himself get brushed aside like this."

"So, what are you going to do?" White asked curiously around a small chuckle. "Are you going to go rampage at everyone for ignoring Tsuna's birthday?"

"No," he groaned. "Tsuna would have gotten pissed at me if I did that. I was thinking that I'd just stay away on this one. I'll let them have their fun and just toast a few rounds with myself at home. It wouldn't be the first time that I did that."

"You're letting it pile up again," White murmured worriedly, sipping on the drink that she'd ordered for herself. "Don't you have anyone that would be willing to drink with you? I've told you before that it's not good to drink alone."

"No," he answered sadly, nursing another shot in his hands. "Squalo is out on assignment and so is most of the Varia. Yamamoto and Gokudera are going to be taking their own kids to the birthday party and I'm not on drinking terms with very many others."

"What about Reborn?"

"He'll be busy watching Hotaru's back," he groaned. "Hotaru's Guardians are still greenhorns so he has to pick up the slack until they figure out that they're useless weaklings. Right now, there's not a single determined piece of trash in the lot of them."

"Ryohei?" White suggested hopefully.

"Still out fishing," Xanxus replied, rubbing his own temples to subdue his growing headache. "He refuses to give up until the one year marker. I kind of envy him. He's held out longer than anyone. Did I tell you that we finally got Matsu to give up?"

"I'm so sorry," White gasped in dismay. Xanxus let a small smile flicker on his lips, grateful that at least one person understood what he was really feeling. More than anyone, he'd been rooting for Matsu to succeed.

"We had to," he sighed. "He brought in another fake. It's gotten to the point that it was better for him to stop instead of getting everybody's hopes up."

"What about you? Is that why so much has piled up since your last visit?"

"Maybe," he mumbled quietly. "I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't believed that it could be him for a moment. The fakes are getting better on his image. There wasn't a single flaw this time. It was like I was looking at a picture of him. For a minute... For a minute there, I really wanted it to be him. I could almost see myself accepting him just so that I could have him back."

"But you still knew that it wasn't him," she stated.

"Ah," he confirmed, throwing back another shot of V Special. "Tsuna's aura made this guy look like an ant. There wasn't any recognition, either. Even though Tsuna had lost his memories, he had still known my name in the end. I'm not sure which are worse, the fakes who don't know my name or the fakes who know me as Excaliber. Not that it really matters. They all end up getting kicked out. Hotaru did it personally this time, which is why we had to make Matsu stop. Everyone was okay with it before, but seeing Hotaru get hurt over it is another matter. No matter how much everyone secretly wants to keep looking, we can't damage the future by holding onto the past."

"Does it hurt, Xanxus?" White asked gently. Xanxus shrugged, not wanting to verbally answer that particular question. They both knew that it hurt. The avenues of hope had been finally narrowed to one and Ryohei's time was growing short. The day that Ryohei gave up, Xanxus was positive that part of himself would die along with the small rays of hope that he'd been holding onto. All he'd have left after that would be his mission to train Hotaru. "You should take a vacation," White suggested into the silence, making Xanxus lift his head to look at her in surprise. "You haven't left Italy in months. I think a change of scenery would be good. Maybe you should go to Germany. I think you can still catch the tail-end of Oktoberfest. Or you can wait a week or two and go to Spain for Dia de los Muertos. A traditional celebration might help you some and you'd be able to honor Tsuna's memory in the process."

"I'll think about it," he murmured in thought, tossing the idea for Spain around in his head. Then he grimaced. "I can't. The Masque Ball is coming up in two weeks and I need to be there."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"Because," he replied slowly, grimacing once more to himself over the reason he had to go. It wasn't one that he really wanted to admit to, but he knew that White would weasel it out of him. "I just do."

"Were you ordered to go?" She inquired mercilessly.

"Not exactly..."

"Do you think Hotaru needs you to be there?"

"No, he's got Reborn on his ass, so he's safe enough..."

"Is there something that you don't want to talk about?"

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it," he groaned. "It's just that I know that I'll come off as an asshole if I talk about it."

"Xanxus," White sighed in a long-suffering way. "How many times have you come off as an asshole to me?"

"Too many," he twitched.

"Then what's the problem with one more? You know that I'll be honest with you if I think you're going over the line again. I set you straight in the past. Haven't I?"

"Yes, but--"

"Out with it," she snapped. Xanxus groaned to himself and sat up, currently disliking the need to talk to this woman. She was irreplaceable when it came to keeping him humane, but she was also a pain in the ass at times. Especially now when he knew that he was going to have to listen to her lecture him. It was the price, though. It was the price that he was willing to pay to keep Tsuna's legacy within himself intact. He had to have at least one person that he opened up to constantly or else he'd revert to the walls that Tsuna had painstakingly knocked down.

"It's Hibari," he mumbled unhappily under his breath. "I want to keep an eye on him."

"Hibari?" White blinked in surprise. "I thought you and he had a silent agreement to leave each other alone."

"We do," he growled. "Which is why I haven't said shit to him about it."

"And what is 'it'?" She asked curiously.

"Haru," he answered with another grimace.

"I...see..." White murmured to herself slowly in thought. "Hibari's been getting close to Haru...?"

"It wasn't noticeable at first," Xanxus explained, staring pointedly at his shot glass after he refilled it. "I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed it yet, either. Whenever I come across her, Hibari's always somewhere nearby, though. I ignored it at first because I wasn't any different. Haru and me got a lot in common. We're the only two still walking and talking out of the people Tsuna was with. I've been keeping an eye out for her because she's something that Tsuna left behind. I didn't really think anything about Hibari being around because that bastard was dating this psychotic Garner woman, but I found out a few days ago that she dumped him. Supposedly, she called him an emotional eunuch, threw a bunch of shit at his head, then moved out."

"And you think that there's more than friendship going on between him and Haru now," White finished for him. He nodded, unable to put it any other way. "Are you jealous because Haru might be moving on?"

"No," he growled angrily over the blunt comment. "I'm pissed. Tsuna's not even been gone a year and Hibari's already moving in on her. That's Tsuna's fucking wife! He has no right to--"

"Calm down," she snapped, forcing him to take several deep breathes to do like she ordered. "Have you thought about Haru's feelings in all of this? I hear 'Tsuna this' and 'Tsuna that' a lot out of you, but Tsuna's not here anymore. Haru's a widow now. Any vows she took with Tsuna were voided with his death. She has every right to move on if that's what she chooses. Assuming that she's even chosen that! You don't know and you have no right to judge if she does. Hibari could be simply looking out for her in the same way that you are. Have you thought about that?"

"Yes," he snarled. "Of course I have! Why the fuck do you think I said that talking about it would make me look like an asshole?! You're the one that wouldn't fucking leave it alone--"

"You're holding it in," she interrupted calmly. "Between your irritation over everyone's actions today and your unresolved confusion toward Hibari's actions, you're holding all of your emotions in. You've got to stop that, Xanxus. If Hibari's actions are bothering you, you need to act like a grown adult and talk to him like a decent person instead of glaring at him in the distance. You should talk to Haru and tell her your feelings in the matter, too."

"Fuck that," Xanxus growled, tossing back another shot. "It's bad enough that I talk to you. I'll be damned if I start sticking my nose into other people's business like that. I didn't do it while Tsuna was alive and I'll be damned if I do it now that he's dead."

"You'll never make friends if you close yourself off like that," White warned gently in concern. "You need to open up to more people about your feelings, Xanxus. If you're worried or hurting because of what they're doing, then you should talk to them about it."

"No," he replied stubbornly, reaching out for his bottle of V Special once more. "I've went this long without friends. I'm just fine with just me, myself, and I. We make a nice trio when I drink enough."

"That's not good for you, Xanxus," White sighed in defeat. "Sometimes I wonder why you bother coming every week. You say that you want to grow as a person because that what Tsuna had wanted, but you refuse to change. You can't have it both ways."

"I'm perfectly happy with what I've got," he said bluntly while setting his shot glass aside in favor of drinking straight from his bottle. "And we both know the real reason that I come every week. It's specifically so that I don't change. I don't give a fuck about growing as a person. I just don't want to lose track of the person Tsuna left me as."

"Why is that, Xanxus?" White asked curiously, bringing Xanxus to a mental standstill. "Why are you holding onto that image of yourself so tightly? I don't think I ever asked you that before. Is it out of respect and caring for Tsuna or is it something else?"

"S-Something else," he answered hesitantly, feeling as if the ground was shifting under him. He didn't like that feeling. It left him unstable in a way that he didn't like at all.

"Why is it, Xanxus?" White asked with narrowed eyes, her psycho-babble nature closing in on something that Xanxus knew that she'd freak about.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled under his breath.

"Tell me," she ordered.

"No."

"Tell me or I'll cancel all of our future sessions," she threatened. Xanxus' eyes widened while he mentally cursed the woman. Then he grimaced and looked away in his own defeat. White knew him too well now. She knew how much he relied on these sessions to keep himself balanced. She knew that she'd stumbled onto something that could possibly rip open Xanxus' personal issues. It was something that he'd kept carefully hidden for a long time now and he knew that she'd be disappointed in him over it. Even so, he couldn't deny what he was feeling.

"He'll come back," Xanxus whispered quietly, keeping his eyes pointedly locked on the ground. "I can't shake this feeling that he's still out there and he's going to come back one day. I've got to still be someone that he can love when he comes back or--"

"Xanxus," White moaned in dismay. "Not you, too. I thought you'd accepted his death. I knew that you still held out hope, but don't tell me that it's the reason for how you're living your life!"

"I'm fucking pathetic," Xanxus commented in a combination of embarrassment and shame. "I can't help it, though. I've tried telling myself that he's dead a hundred times over and I still can't stop this feeling that he's still out there somewhere. My head believes it, but I just can't get the rest of me to believe."

"Which is why you're being so touchy about his birthday and Hibari's actions toward Haru," White groaned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? I can help you come to terms if you're still having difficulty, Xanxus. You should have told me months ago that you couldn't let go. There's no way that you can pick back up your life if you're still stuck in the past!"

"I don't want to," he answered solemnly. "Tsuna was the only person that ever gave a damn about me and I don't want to let that go. I don't care if it means that I'm stuck in the past. I'm perfectly happy--"

"Waiting every night for a person that will never show up," White finished bluntly. "You're perfectly happy tearing yourself up on a daily basis because everyone else can move on with their lives and you can't. I can't believe I'm hearing such a crock of shit come out of your mouth, Xanxus. Are you seriously trying to tell me that you'd rather pine your life away after a memory instead of living a real one with real people?"

"I'm living a real life!" Xanxus objected angrily. "Just because--"

"When was the last time you had sex, Xanxus?" White asked bluntly with a knowing look in her eyes. Xanxus flinched at the question, falling to an immediate stop since they both knew the answer.

"When I was with Tsuna," he groaned.

"When was the last time that you went out with someone for fun?"

"With Tsuna."

"Excluding me, when was the last time that you talked to someone openly?"

"Tsuna."

"The last time that you did work that you enjoyed?"

"Tsuna."

"The last time that you drank with a friend instead of alone?"

"Ha! Squalo!" He answered in triumph.

"Why were you drinking that time?"

"Shit," he spat while his face fell. "Tsuna."

"Holding on to his memory isn't doing you any good, Xanxus," White sighed, rubbing her temples with her point fully conceptualized. "Yes, you are living a life, but can you honestly say that it's a good one? Even if Tsuna were to come back tomorrow, do you think that he'd be happy to find out that you put your life on hold while you were waiting for him?"

"No," he admitted grudgingly.

"Xanxus, I could seriously smack you a few times right now," White growled. "You never make things easy on me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm giving you an assignment," she snapped with a hint of her own anger over his obtuse nature. "This is for your own good. If you refuse, I'm calling a halt to our sessions because they're absolutely pointless. You are to go on a two week vacation out of the country and I demand that you make at least one friend before you come back. Hell. It doesn't even have to be a friend. Just a one week fling with someone will make me happy. I want complete details as proof, though. Do you hear me?"

"Wait... what?!"

"Go. Get. Laid," she ordered bluntly, continuing her attempts to rub out the migraine that Xanxus had given her. "Tsuna's been dead for almost a year. It's time for you to move on like everyone else. Since asking for you to have a real relationship right off the bat is out of the question with your nature, I'm telling you to at least take some small step toward moving on. Make a friend. Have a fling. Shit! Have a one-night stand. I don't care. I just want to see you make some movement toward letting go of Tsuna or else I don't want to see you in here again. Do I make myself clear, Xanxus?"

"B-But--"

"Actually," she continued mercilessly while Xanxus' eyes widened over White's sudden orders. "On top of that, I want to make sure that you don't try and weasel out of this. You've had enough time to do it on your own and since you're as stubborn as a goat, I'm going to give you a nice, fat push. You seem like a person that needs one hell of a push and it's my job to give it."

"EH?"

"Stay here," she snapped, jumping to her feet. "I'm going to go call in a favor from Pink. You need to be reminded what real people feel like instead of a memory and since we're already in a whore house, I'm going to make sure that you get what you need."

"Wait! No--"

"Don't you dare object, Xanxus," White warned darkly, making Xanxus' jaw drop in shock. "I'll send someone up here in a minute and you better enjoy her fully or else I'll come up here and beat you with a beer bottle like an insane barmaid. You've been coming to see me for over six months now. Consider this advice from a friend instead of your councilor. Got it?" Xanxus gaped in shock, trying to come to terms with what White was saying. Even after three full minutes of silence, he still couldn't grasp it while he stared at the woman. "It'll be okay, Xanxus," White soothed with her face softening in sympathy. "Just trust me on this. You don't have to do anything that you're not comfortable with, but I want you to at least hold someone for a while. Can you do that as a favor to me? I think you'll understand after you feel it."

Xanxus continued to simply stare, unsure of what she'd just determined that he was going to do. He was even more flabbergasted at the other insinuation that she'd made. When had they gotten on friendly terms? He didn't make friends, yet she'd just called herself one. It left him wondering if the world had just been turned upside down without him noticing. Before he could think of a single thing to say in response, she disappeared out of the room. Once she was gone, he finally grasped where she'd left to go and his mind went blank for a different reason.

Doing the only thing he could think of, he downed half of his bottle in shock to try to jumpstart his brain again. It didn't help get it working any better, but it did calm the spike in his twitching nerves. What the hell was that damn woman thinking? She couldn't seriously be expecting him to--

"Um... hello...?" Xanxus looked up with wide eyes to find a small girl poking her head shyly in the doorway. He initially thought 'girl' but he realized that she was a fully-grown woman when the rest of her body followed. She had a wide-eyed baby face that made her look younger than she was and a sweeping hairstyle in a hue that made Xanxus groan in full knowledge of what White was trying to prove. If Tsuna had a twin sister, this girl was probably what she'd look like. "I'm Amber," she said with a small curtsey of introduction with her golden brown dress once the door was shut behind her. "White almost asked one of the others to come, but she said that you might like my special services better."

"I'm not interested," he growled gruffly, taking a long pull on his nearly empty bottle.

"White said that you'd probably say that," Amber chuckled. "She told me to do it anyway and to remind you of Pink's policies of an arm and a leg."

Xanxus snarled in return, not even bothering with actual words this time while he mentally cursed his psycho-therapist. She wasn't a psychiatric therapist. She was a fucking _psycho _therapist. What game was that witch trying to play? This was for his own good? How the fuck was letting a complete stranger touch him supposed to be for his own good? Fuck that! He hadn't betrayed Tsuna's memory once and he didn't plan to. Tsuna would--

A gasp escaped him at the feeling of the woman's hands fluttering against his neck. She'd fearlessly approached him and touched him while he continued to stare pointedly at the floor to keep himself from looking at temptation. Her fingers began silently kneading into his taunt muscles, making them loosen against his will. It was the first time in a very long time that he could remember someone touching him in a way that was neither careless or chaste.

He missed it. Within just a few milliseconds, he knew what White was trying to make him see. He missed being touched and touching others. Tsuna had created that craving in him where he'd always been fine without it before. Tsuna had been the only one that had ever taken enjoyment in touching him. Tsuna had been the only one to actually enjoy being touched by him in return. He was holding on because he couldn't believe that anyone else would... would love him in such a way. Before Tsuna, there'd only been whores who were paid to fake enjoyment. Before Tsuna, there was only the heat of the moment and alcohol. He knew that there was more now and letting go of Tsuna meant that he had to let go of the world that had been opened up to him. Letting go of that world meant that only the monstrous world of rage was left to him and he didn't want that world anymore. That would be like a return to hell after having tasted heaven's sweet fruits.

A simple touch. A caring caress. More than anything, his whole body was screaming in longing for it. It was the same desire that had sent him to Tsuna in the first place. The desire for acceptance. The desire for someone who understood him. The desire to share everything he had with someone who knew the real him. Someone who knew the Xanxus that wasn't feared and wrathful.

White saw. White knew. White wanted him to understand that letting go of Tsuna wasn't the same as letting go of that. He could still reach out and find someone. It wouldn't be the passionate Flames of caring and love that he'd harnessed because of Tsuna, but he could find other Flames. Other fires. Other places to warm himself against the cold, hollow place that was where Tsuna had once stood.

"You're the real Excaliber. Aren't you?" Amber asked conversationally while she continued to knead the muscles in his shoulders.

"Yeah," he answered simply, closing his eyes in acceptance of her ministrations.

"Was it hard?" She asked curiously.

"Eh?"

"White said that you lost your lover, but Black X was kind of promiscuous. I think I would have been too jealous to stay with him. I mean, he had two wives plus all those lovers. Was it hard for you to stay with him?"

"N-No," he answered in surprise for not only her strange question but his own answer. "There was once that I got kind of jealous, but he wasn't someone that made you feel like you needed to be. H-He loved who he loved and never loved any of us more than the others. We all had something that he loved and there were things that one of us could give him that the others couldn't."

"Really?" She asked in thought. "Didn't that make you feel bad, though? No one likes to know that they're lacking anything, but he pretty much shoved it in your face that you weren't good enough. At least, he did if I'm understanding you right."

"No," he corrected with his eyes narrowing in thought over the woman's words. "Tsuna never made us feel like we were missing anything. We were all different and he liked our unique qualities. He--"

"What was your unique quality?" She interjected in innocent curiosity.

"I don't know," he answered in growing confusion. "What--"

"I bet it was your boyishly good looks," she said firmly, reaching around him to unbutton his shirt so that she could massage farther down his back. He let her, focusing more on her words than what she was actually doing. He couldn't help the feeling that she was picking a fight with him, yet he had a feeling that she was trying to boost his ego at the same time. It was a unique mode of operation and one that he'd not ever seen in a whore before.

"Tsuna wasn't superficial like that," he objected. "Plus, I used to be covered in scars."

"Oh," she squeaked, running warm fingers down his spine playfully. "Maybe it was your gentleness?"

"I tried to kill him when we first met," he countered blandly.

"Your quiet and introspective atmosphere," she suggested with a perky smile.

"Try cold and enraged," he chuckled in growing amusement.

"He loved you for some reason," she mumbled in frustration. "You couldn't have been that much of an asshole."

"I was," he laughed. "I was a complete and total asshole. I used to be a fucking monster but he tamed me without even trying to. He was just there and it happened on its own."

"Wow," she gasped in surprise. "Most guys wouldn't admit something like that."

"I don't have any pride to lose anymore," he sighed, finding himself actually relaxing into her massaging hands.

"Is that why you're scared?" Amber asked curiously, pausing in her ministration. Xanxus immediately tensed at the question.

"Scared?" He repeated.

"White said that you're scared of letting go," she explained quietly with a small nod to herself. "She said that you were afraid that no one would love you like your lover did. That's why she asked me to come up instead one of the other girls. I think that there's something to love in everyone. It just takes the right searching to find it sometimes and that's my special services. After seeing you, though, I don't know why she thinks that you might have a problem. I can name a hundred things that are lovable about you and I just met you."

"You... love... me...?" Xanxus repeated slowly, feeling as if he'd been hit in the head with a plank.

"Love is easy," she chuckled in confirmation. "The trouble is finding someone that has more things that you love than you hate. If you just want to spend a short time, you only have to find one or two things to love. For longer amounts of time, you just have to find someone with more. As for you, I think I could spend a couple of weeks really happily, assuming that you could find enough things to love in me for that long."

Xanxus simply stared into space at her words. Love couldn't be that easy. If it was that easy, he wouldn't have had such trouble learning how to love. She was making out like a person could snap their fingers and being in and out of love like a new suit. Love couldn't be treated like that. Could it? Love took trust and deep caring. It took a leap of faith that he'd been terrified of making. Only Tsuna had closed that gap enough that he'd felt comfortable crossing over.

"Black X was your first love. Wasn't he?" Amber asked curiously. Xanxus nodded, still trying to grasp this woman's way of thinking. "I guess that it's no wonder that you're so shy. You loved him and then lost him before you could get past the honeymoon phase with him. Then again, he seemed like the type to keep his relationships in the honeymoon phase. That's probably why he had so many lovers. He was a player who never stayed with one of you long enough for you to get tired of him. As long as he kept moving around between you, none of you could get really close to him. You know, they say that people wear different masks depending on who they're with. I bet Black X had a ton of masks and he showed each of you a different one. He probably loved each of you because you each loved a different part of him."

"That's..." _That's not right_, Xanxus thought to himself. He couldn't voice it fully, however. There was a little, nagging, doubtful voice in the back of his head that was getting louder. Had he really loved every part of Tsuna or had he just loved the parts that Tsuna let him see? Had Tsuna treated love like this woman did? Had he been just another coat to throw on for the day when he happened to match the mask that Tsuna was wearing? Tsuna had loved more than one person. It was possible to love more than one person. Wasn't it? He didn't know. He wasn't sure. Before Tsuna, he'd always scoffed at love. Love had just been lies and excuses to cover lapses in the way people thought. It was a way to rationalize the irrational.

Had Tsuna really loved him? He had. Xanxus refused to doubt that. The time that they'd shared together wasn't a lie. The real question was whether Tsuna had loved him entirely. Had Tsuna just spent time with him when he'd found something to love? Was Amber's way of thinking right? Was love nothing more than weighing the things that one liked in a person and what they hated? If the balance was right, it was love and if it wasn't then it was hate? Something seemed so wrong with that, but he couldn't name what. There'd been things in Tsuna that he'd not been able to stand. He'd still spent time with him and had given him everything because the loved side of the scale had weighed heavier.

"I love your hair," Amber interjected quietly into his thoughts, running her nails against his scalp. "I love your wide shoulders," she continued, rubbing her palms down his neck and across his shoulders. Xanxus gasped at each touch, feeling like they were blows that were a hundred times heavier than a punch. Then he stared with wide eyes when she flanked around in front of him and crawled into his lap. There was a look in her eyes that made him want to scream. Love wasn't that easy! Why was she trying to make it seem so easy?! "I love your muscular chest and your cute little ears," she murmured, leaning forward to send a shiver down his spine at the whispered breathe in his ear while her hands glided down his bare front.

"Stop," he gasped, reaching up to grab the offending hands.

"I love your strong hands," she continued mercilessly, twisting her wrist out of his loose grasp. Xanxus felt his breath catch in his chest when she grabbed his hand and brought one of his fingers to her lips. "I love a lot of things about you," she mumbled with a teasing smile. "It's only natural that a person wants to make the ones that they love feel good. Can I make you feel good, Mr. Excaliber?"

"I... uh..." Xanxus stared with a jaw dropped open, unable to give a definite answer. It was so hard to think with her licking and sucking on his finger like she was. The last person that had done that had been Tsuna and that felt like it had been so long ago. It felt good. He couldn't say that it didn't. Other than Tsuna, this was the first person that had ever thrown herself at him. He wasn't sure how to cope with it. People had always been too scared or to disgusted with him as a person to want to do something like this. He'd thought Tsuna was the only one that could see past that and find him attractive, but this woman was openly enjoying herself each time that she touched him.

It was a completely new experience. He was being loved by someone that wasn't Tsuna. It might be a temporary, superficial love, but she loved things about him. Because of that love, she wanted to do things with him. The things that he'd only ever done with Tsuna. Not just a quick lay to satisfy the body, but a in-depth session to soothe so much more. He knew that his body was screaming for all engines to full, but could he really do this with his heart? There wasn't a point in doing it any other way. After Tsuna, nothing other than a full exchange would satisfy him. The beast within him wouldn't accept a lesser meal.

And the beast within him was starving.

_Please, forgive me, Tsuna_, he silently prayed to the heavens before reaching out for the first creature that had offered him even a hint of honest affection and warmth. _The world is so cold without you. _

* * *

He couldn't sleep. Two days had passed and he still couldn't sleep. He was scared, he admitted to himself. He was horribly afraid that he'd fall asleep and Tsuna would come to him in his dreams. He'd slept with someone other than Tsuna and all he had to show for it was a cold knot in the pit of his stomach. A cold knot and hospital bills. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He honestly hadn't. Tsuna had never complained that he was too rough, so he'd never paid attention to how much strength he'd used before. He should have known, though. He should have known.

He really was a monster. Tsuna had been special because he could withstand Xanxus' monstrous tendencies. He was a born killer and he wasn't meant to be loved by soft and cuddly things. He only ended up hurting them like he'd hurt Amber. He hadn't meant to, though. He really hadn't meant to. He'd tried to be gentle. He'd tried to be considerate like a lover was supposed to. He'd tried to keep in mind everything that Tsuna had taught him about putting other people first.

He'd succeeded on that part. It had been when she'd been satisfied that the problems had arose. His own needs had turned nearly primal. If he was an animal, it could have easily been explained as a rut. Nearly a year had passed since Tsuna and he hadn't been touched by a single person during that time. He'd been overwhelmed by sensation and lust and he'd stopped paying attention to anything but satisfying his own needs once she'd been taken care of.

Only White's interference had saved his arm and his leg. Even though he hadn't raised a hand to the woman, his ministrations hadn't been merciful after that point. He could barely remember any of it. He wasn't sure if it'd been the alcohol or pure desire, but he'd lost control. He'd lost control and she'd gotten hurt because of it. No one had noticed that he'd went too far until after he'd seen it for himself. He'd finished with her and pulled back, only to find bruises where his hands had been. There'd been burns from where he'd touched her while he peaked. He'd even somehow managed to break her leg in one place and he couldn't remember doing any of it.

All he'd wanted was to once more taste the bliss that Tsuna had shown him. He'd never meant to hurt her. He'd never meant to cause her pain. He'd been drunk and confused and she'd offered herself up in his time of need. The last thing that he'd wanted to do was hurt her. Maybe he wasn't meant to be with other people? Maybe he was better off alone? It was saddening, but he couldn't think of any other explanation. Maybe this was the heaven's way of telling him that he was cursed. His mother hadn't truly loved him. His father had merely used him. The people that did seem to care for him had ended up dead and hospitalized.

He was a walking curse. He was a monster named Xanxus who wasn't allowed happiness. Maybe the world would be safer if he just put his walls back up. With his walls up, he wouldn't hurt anymore. He could cage the beast inside him again and throw away the key. He could live without love. Couldn't he? He still had his wrath.

But his wrath didn't make him feel good. As it was, he was miserable. Worse than miserable, he was out of alcohol. Every bottle that he reached out for came back empty. One by one, he tossed them over his shoulder until there were none in his immediate reach. He'd completely went through his private stock in two days. Even the wine was gone. The V Special had went first, followed by the scotch and the 151. The vodka and the whiskey had followed, leaving him with an upset stomach for most of the day. That hadn't stopped him from taking out the lesser stocks of beer and wine.

He hated drinking alone, but he didn't want to face anyone right now. Hotaru knew about the incident. He'd been forced to know about it since the hospital bills had been sent to Headquarters for his Boss to pay. Reborn had already been in to bitch at him, but he'd already been drunk enough to ignore the little bastard by then. He didn't need the little guy telling him that he was a shitty tutor and a poor example of a man. He could see that for himself by looking in the mirror. What the hell had Tsuna seen in him?

"Come on," a voice ordered in his ear, physically dragging him away from his private wet bar. He glanced behind him and found himself smiling widely. Gokudera had actually come to visit him. No one ever came to visit him. He should offer Gokudera a drink. He couldn't, though, because he'd already drank everything. Fuck. Wait. Where was Gokudera-- "Sorry about this," Gokudera said in warning.

Xanxus doubled over at an unexpectedly heavy blow to his gut. All the alcohol inside roiled around unhappily, making him grateful for the toilet that magically appeared in front of him. Against his will, he started retching up two days worth of binge drinking until his insides felt twisted and hollow. Had it not been for Gokudera's iron grip on his hair, he knew that he would have face planted in the mess the moment that he was done. The world was spinning in a way that he was positive that he didn't like, leaving him with the need to vomit even more out of his already empty stomach.

He was on the edge of blacking out when the cold spray of the shower hit him, making him actually notice that he'd been moved. It was icy cold against his alcohol heated body, momentarily clearing away the dizziness without giving him a single ounce of strength. He was so tired. So infernally fucking tired that it wasn't even funny.

"Stay with us, you damn idiot," Gokudera ordered, repositioning the shower's spray to hit against Xanxus' chest instead of his head. "Reborn said that you weren't looking good, but I didn't know that he meant that you were this fucked up. You're lucky as hell that I followed my gut and came to check on you. There's this little thing called alcohol poisoning that you might want to read up on. It means that you can kill yourself by drinking too much. What the hell were you thinking? It looks like you've been drinking non-stop since you came back from Pink's. You can't tell me that you're really that screwed up over injuring a whore."

"What the fuck do you know about me," Xanxus groaned, attempting to sit up better in the tub but only managing to fall over from the piercing migraine that spiked through his temple. Gokudera cursed and helped him situate himself better so that the water could continue cooling him down without making him feel like he was drowning. Xanxus continued to curse in return, venting his anger for having let someone find himself like this while also cursing over his own drunken ineptitude. He must have drank much more than he'd noticed because alcohol had never made him feel this shitty in the past. It was a strange epiphany since he hadn't known that even he had limits where liquor was concerned. He'd been drunk before, but he'd never been quite this plastered in the past. After Tsuna's death, he'd been constantly drunk up until his breakdown, but he'd never been so drunk as to lose track of how much he'd drank.

"I don't know anything," Gokudera admitted quietly, sitting down on the edge of the tub. Xanxus refused to look at him, trying to control the surges of rage that kept spiking over into the urge to cry. Where he wanted to kill the silver-haired asshole one second, the next second left him with the unreasonable need to retrieve a hug. "You've always kept to yourself, Xanxus. No one knows what's going through your head. Reborn says that he can't read you. Boss thinks that you just need some more time to yourself and that you'll come out on your own. Yamamoto thinks that you're still hung up over the Tenth and getting information out of Squalo is like pulling teeth. So, honestly, I don't know shit about you other than that you went to Pink's to get laid like you always do and you came back with doctor bills for a whore. That was two days ago and you've been locked in your room ever since. What happened?"

More than anything, Xanxus wanted to tell him to shove his questions up his ass and leave. He didn't, though. One question that White had asked was still cycling through his head, leaving him with the strange feeling that he should talk for once.

_"Excluding me, when was the last time that you talked to someone openly?"_

"I haven't been going to get laid," Xanxus corrected quietly, sagging down into the tub in complete defeat.

"Eh?"

"I've been seeing a shrink," he admitted with a small growl. "Reborn suggested her to Squalo and I've been going to see her twice a week since I had that breakdown after Tsuna died."

"Are you talking about White?" Gokudera asked in curious surprise, reaching over to shut the shower off. Xanxus nodded without making any movements toward getting up. His head still felt like he was a rollercoaster and he knew that he wouldn't feel talkative if he had time to think.

"Yeah," Xanxus confirmed, leaning his head back against the shower wall. "Go ahead and laugh if you want. Xanxus the Irritable has to go get his head checked out regularly. I'm sure that you and everyone else probably had bets on whether I was clinically insane or not, so feel free to--"

"Tsuna went to see her a lot," Gokudera interjected, making Xanxus lurch to a stop. "If you've been seeing her, then you must have been a lot worse off than any of us realized. White only serves those that are close to being broken or have already been broken. Anything less and she just refers them to a regular psychiatrist."

"I guess that you could say that I was broken," Xanxus murmured in thought. "Tsuna..." Xanxus took a deep breathe to steady himself while wondering why he was going through such troubles. It would be a hundred times easier just to throw Gokudera out on his ass. "There was a lot more between me and Tsuna than just sex. You could say that I'm his half-finished project."

"What kind of project?"

"The kind of project that turns monsters into human beings," he chuckled sadly, reaching up to cover his face with his hands. "He wasn't doing it intentionally. He was there and it just happened. I let it happen. I wanted it to happen. He talked to me. He listened to me. For the first time in my life, I had someone there that actually knew the real me instead of just want they told themselves that they saw in me. I fell in love with him before I even knew that it was Tsuna that I was talking to. Then I met him in person and I found out that it was, but that was okay. It was okay because Tsuna was strong. I know. I ran the Gauntlet right beside him. I was there every single time he did an assignment and I was the one that helped piece him back together afterward. So it was okay to love him because I knew that he was strong enough. It was okay because I knew that he was a survivor. He was a scrawny little shit, but he was my little shit. He was my little shit and he promised that he wouldn't regret being with me."

"Xanxus..." Gokudera breathed speechlessly.

"He ran away from me," he cried, barely even noticing the fact that he'd been crying for a while now. The hot tears splashed down his face and past his hands to run together with the cold water on his shirt, leaving few signs of their passing. "When he woke up, he was scared of me and he ran away. Do you know how much that hurt? I told myself that it was okay because at least he was alive. I told myself and I left so that I wouldn't scare him anymore. I left him, Gokudera. I had promised him that I wouldn't let him die and I just left him there. If I'd stayed, he--"

"You don't know what would have happened if you'd stayed," Gokudera interrupted worriedly. "He might have ran off that much faster. He might have jumped out a window. He wasn't himself in the end. If he was, he'd never have flown off into that storm. I ask myself 'what if' a hundred times every day, but it doesn't lead anywhere, Xanxus. We all did what we thought was best for him. He should have been perfectly safe in Headquarters which is why none of us took any stronger measures. He was our Boss, too. How were we supposed to know that he had to be protected from himself? He only lost his memories past the Ring Battles. He still remembered that me and Takeshi and everyone else was his friend, but he still ran away from us, too. He was scared. You know that he never wanted to be a Mafia Boss. Coming from his background, he wasn't ready to jump into this world without preparation and that's exactly what happened when he woke up without his memories. Hindsight tells us that we could have done a hundred things differently and he might still be alive, but it doesn't change the fact that he's dead."

"I know," Xanxus moaned. "I know that. I'm reminded every day that he's dead. I just can't get parts of myself to believe it. It's been over six months and I keep getting the feeling like I'm going to walk around the corner and he'll be there. It's fucking illogical as hell and it's tearing me apart, but I can't shake it."

"Is this why you were trying to drink yourself into an early grave?" Gokudera inquired.

"Something like that," Xanxus admitted, sucking back his tears in shame for having released them. "White told me... No," he amended, "the bitch practically fucking ordered me to find someone and to let go of Tsuna. She didn't think that I would actually try, so she hired me a hooker from Pink's stock to start with."

"And?" Gokudera prompted.

"And I followed her orders," he admitted in guilt. "She was right about me needing to retire from the Varia, so I took her advice. It was the first time that I've touched anyone since Tsuna and I kind of lost it. I... I didn't mean to hurt her. I just... just..."

"Didn't know your own strength," Gokudera grimaced in understanding.

"Yeah," he mumbled in growing depression. "Tsuna always dealt with it when my Flames leaked, so I forgot to control those, too. I didn't realize what I did until after it was already over. She never screamed or tried to push me away, so I didn't notice that she'd passed out. From what the hospital said about her alcohol levels, she'd probably passed out from the fumes of the V Special that I'd been drinking."

"Well, I guess that should go down in the Vongola record books," Gokudera laughed in effort to change the mood. "The former Varia leader could knock out a whore with just his bad breath!"

"Fuck off," Xanxus growled with a grudging smile.

"Don't worry," Gokudera sighed, patting his leg in a strangely friendly manner. "Now that I know what happened, I'll go give Boss the watered-down version so that he's not mad at you for hurting someone. Which, I got a call from Pink a while ago. Amber will recover just fine, but she's billing us for the scar removal after she heals up. Some of those burns were pretty bad. Amber demanded that you send her some flowers and chocolates to apologize, too, but she's not mad at you. I think her exact words were 'tell him that he's an asshole, but that he's still a lovable one.'"

"She said that?" Xanxus asked in surprise.

"Supposedly," Gokudera confirmed with a shrug. "Mafia whores are a lot more sturdy than the regular ones. They got much better health coverage, protection, and a union. You just try to get some sleep and sober up. I'll tell Boss to expect you in the morning."

"Thanks," he mumbled under his breath while the former Right-Hand stood to head for the door. Gokudera paused before leaving, though, in order to turn and stare down at where Xanxus was still pitifully lying soaked in the tub.

"Xanxus," he said gently, making Xanxus lift his head to look at him in curiosity over his strange tone. "The Tenth was our leader, but there's more to having a Family than just a powerful Godfather. You have brothers here if you ever need us. We don't know that you need us unless you tell us, though."

"I'll try to remember that," Xanxus promised quietly, lowering his head back down in introspection. Gokudera nodded quietly to himself before turning and leaving with his piece said. The moment that he was gone, Xanxus felt the strange need to laugh. "Brothers? Too bad that the black sheep is always the fucking outcast."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Xanxus grimaced, not moving from where he was knelt over a small hand.

"I'm sorry isn't good enough!" Hotaru yelled angrily, snatching his hand back. "You hurt someone Uncle Xanxus! You're old enough that you should know better!"

"What can I do to make things right?" He asked sincerely, keeping his head bowed in shame.

"No more drinking!" He snapped, making Xanxus flinch over the punishment. It was a fair one, though, and it was a lot better than the alternative punishments that Xanxus had seen Hotaru hand out to others. For a pre-pubescent boy, Hotaru could be as merciless as his father at times. Some of that was probably due to Reborn's influence and advice, but it was affective nonetheless.

"No more drinking," Xanxus agreed quietly. "Is there anything else that I can do?"

"Stop kneeling down like that," he ordered absently. "It makes me feel like you're going to start banging your head on the ground like Goku-sensei. Just sit down for a while and let me think while I try to finish up this homework that Uncle Yama-chan left for me."

Xanxus nodded silently and did like he was told, not wanting to be the cause for one of Hotaru's infamous 'bad days'. By the end of his last 'bad day', he'd nearly caused two riots and a midday shootout between the visiting Nubo, Cavallone, and Tomaso Families. Unintentionally, of course. Hotaru had sorted it all out and somehow managed to control everyone, but it had been far too close a call for anyone's liking. Who would have known that trying to cheer Hotaru up after a 'bad day' could cause such havoc in the race to find him his favorite ice cream first?

Silently, he watched in admiration for the little guy while he did his 'homework'. What he called homework, Xanxus knew was a euphemism for paperwork. Calling it homework had a way of easing his overactive mother into acceptance over asking a child to do an adult's job. There were some things that only a Boss could do, though, and Hotaru was the only person that could fill that position without causing internal warfare within Vongola. The strife in the days following Tsuna's death had been enough to make everyone worry. That worry had forced them to accept a child as their Boss rather than be torn apart from within.

Hotaru never complained about any of it, though. He took to being Vongola the Eleventh with pride, actually. It was surprising when one considered how hard his father had fought to deny the position. No one was sure if it was Hotaru's natural gifts or if it was some blessing from the heavens that he could stay so boyishly pure in such a place of pure power, but he did. Hotaru had every hand in Vongola looking out for his welfare. He had Tsuna's Family looking out for his mental stability to ensure that he never saw what might be too much for such a young mind. He had his own Family looking out for his heart to keep him happy and joyous. He had the best of the best when it came to physical training and an eye for his future growth. He had more doctors looking out for his health and chefs looking out for his nutrition every day than most cities could claim to have in a year. On top of it all, Hotaru had every man, woman, child, and animal within fifty miles watching out for his safety.

"Are you happy, Hotaru?" Xanxus asked curiously, watching him file away another contract proposal into the 'bad feeling' folder for his secretaries to look over a second time. He looked so small behind his father's huge desk, even with his chair having been fitted to make him more comfortable.

"What do you mean?" Hotaru asked innocently, pausing to look at him directly instead of returning to his homework.

"I mean, are you happy?" He repeated. Leaning back in his supplicant's chair on the opposite side of the desk, he gestured to the room around them. "Do you ever think about running away? Most kids would be out playing right now, but you're in here doing homework. Does that make you unhappy?"

"No," Hotaru answered after a long moment of seemingly deep thought. "Why would I want to run away? Everyone I care about is here and everyone takes good care of me. I get to spend every day with my friends and family since I moved here and I can do anything I want. No one ever scolds me or gets mad at me for making mistakes. Everyone is really nice and helps me with anything that I ask for, too. I get to go out to the zoo and the amusement park with Orinato and everyone on the weekends as long as I get all my homework done. And Pandora always makes fun games for us to play when it's rainy out. The food is really yummy and mom is still there any time that I need help picking out a book to read before bed. I like the television, too! There's like a million different channels that I can watch! And there's so much to explore! Pandora once showed me to this room with a hundred different monitors and we got to watch all of the channels at once! Someone named Cadenza came and shooed me out, though. I think that I made her mad because we weren't supposed to be in there while she was eating her lunch."

"I'm glad that you like it here," Xanxus said in open amusement, finding himself easily riveted on every single one of the boy's innocent words. "I was just curious because your father never liked it here that much."

"I'm not my dad," Hotaru nearly snarled, making Xanxus freeze at the sudden mood swing.

"I wasn't--"

"No one ever comes out and says it," Hotaru pouted unhappily. "I can tell, though. Everyone's always comparing me to him. I didn't mind when I was younger, but I'm eleven now. If there's anything that makes me unhappy with living here, it's that everyone is always making comments like that. 'Your father' this and 'your father' that. They always say it like they're surprised that I gave a different answer than dad might have. I'm starting to get tired of it, Uncle Xanxus. I'm not my dad and I never claimed to be. Most of you know him better than I ever did. Do you know that I can count on both hands how many times that I can remember him visiting me while he was alive and still have fingers left over? Even when he did visit me, he always acted weird. I always got the feeling that he was disappointed in me and I hated that! He got better before he died, but I can still remember that same look that he always gave me. There was always that and there was the way that he always acted like he expected me to jump up in the air and fly around like he did! Dad was crazy! I was scared of heights until Reborn started training me and dad always kept suggesting that I ride piggyback while he flew around!"

"You didn't use to be," Xanxus chuckled quietly. "Before you had that accident, I'd say that you were airborne more than he was. Your dad was never disappointed in you, either. He was always very proud of you. I remember once that he told me that he was disappointed in himself for not being someone that you felt comfortable with. After your accident, I don't think that he knew how to connect with you anymore. Everything that made you close to each other was lost back then. You might not know it, but you used to follow him everywhere. You were like his little shadow and he never went a day without saying something good about you. There's a reason that he made you his heir, Hotaru. He saw a lot of potential in you and he was always willing to sacrifice anything to protect you."

"I wish that I could believe that," Hotaru grumbled, putting his head down on his desk to relax in thought. "Dad always cared about the whole family, though. It wasn't just me. If he cared about just me, he would have been home more."

"He was protecting you," Xanxus soothed in concern, noting the sadness in Hotaru's quiet complaints. "He set up a lot of the groundwork so that the world would be a lot less harsh once he was gone. There was a lot more blood on the ground in the past, Hotaru. I'll tell you right now that your father had to do a lot of nasty and dangerous work so that we could have the peaceful life that we have. When the prophecy came down that he was going to die, he was more scared than anyone. He could have ran and hid and he might have even lived longer, but he kept you in mind the whole time and just kept working. Because he kept working, we have half a dozen treaties that are keeping our enemies at bay and there are nearly two dozen Families that will never raise a hand to us again. He managed to double our Allies, too, so that you'd have plenty of support after he was gone. He wished daily that he could go and spend more time with you and Haru, but protecting your future was more important than that. Don't ever think that your father didn't care about you. If it had ever come down to a choice between you and the Family, I can tell you right now that Vongola would have been destroyed in an instant."

"Wao," Hotaru murmured with wide eyes, using the phrase that he'd picked up from Hibari. "I was right. You _do _know more about dad than I do. Oh! Maybe you can tell me where Dad got Ginger from so that I can tell if the people version is the same as the tanuki version!"

"What--?"

"Or should I ask if Dad was ever scared of anything? No, Gokudera said he was fearless. Maybe I should ask about Dad's recreation room? No, that would be a waste of a good question. Dad liked everything in there or else it wouldn't be in there. I wonder if I should ask about..."

Xanxus stared at the little boy while he quietly argued with himself in trying to decide what question to ask about his father, with open plans of taking full advantage of Xanxus' talkative mood. There was a fierce gleam of curiosity and hope in his eyes that Xanxus couldn't remember ever seeing there before. Typically when his father came up, Hotaru liked to grow politely quiet. This was the first time in memory that he was actually asking about Tsuna. Unfortunately, it wasn't a topic that Xanxus wanted to discuss in great detail. He wasn't ready for that yet. He'd just gotten his heart to start letting go and the discussion that had already taken place about him was bad enough. He had to think of some way to appease his Boss without destroying the strangely happy mood that Hotaru seemed to be in.

"Have you read his file?" He asked, grasping for the first thing that came to mind. "Reborn probably has the bad parts on lockdown for your own safety, but there should still be a lot of his history that you can read. All of the Boss candidates had watchers on them from the moment that my old man considered them for the position of heir. If I remember right, your father had watchers on him from the time he was seven or eight. There's probably a ton of information in the database about him that you can read over to get the whole picture about him. Anything I tell you is going to be biased since we were enemies until well after he turned seventeen."

"Oh!" Hotaru squeaked in surprise over the suggestion. "I forgot about the database! Dad has a file in there?!"

"Several," Xanxus confirmed with a wide, amused smile of relief. "Everyone in Vongola has a file."

"Even Reborn?" He asked curiously.

"Even Reborn," Xanxus nodded. Then he grimaced, "But I wouldn't try digging into that file just yet. You might want to wait until Reborn isn't able to knock you out as easily. You know how touchy he can get."

"He's almost as bad as you," Hotaru giggled, clapping his hands over his face in his childish laughter.

"Finish your homework before you start digging," Xanxus ordered gently, happy to see that Hotaru's 'bad day' had been averted.

"Yes, Uncle Xanxus," Hotaru sighed with a wide grin. Xanxus found himself blinking blankly at the file that was thrust at him with a small hand. "It's your assignment," Hotaru explained. "I picked it our especially for you after Miss White called me about Miss Amber. She said that you needed to go away for a little bit, so I tried to pick out somewhere fun for you."

"Assignment?" Xanxus repeated, taking the brown folder with his shock plain on his face. He hadn't taken an assignment since he'd become one of Hotaru's tutors.

"I keep getting a really strange feeling whenever I look at that one," Hotaru mumbled with his face falling from joy into a quietly thoughtful expression. "I was going to ask Uncle Yama-chan to go check it out for me, but I think that you'll be okay. It's not anything hard. I just want someone to go visit the Martelli Family in America. I think that it'll be a lot of fun for you, too. It's almost Halloween and they're supposed to have a costume party just like Mr. Nubo. It's not as big or fancy, but it's something different and Miss White said that you needed something different. I-Is that okay?"

"If that's what you want," Xanxus automatically muttered while continuing to stare at the file with wide eyes.

"Good," Hotaru exclaimed happily, his whole face lighting up in a way that tore at Xanxus' heart. That look more than White's orders told him that time away from Headquarters might be good for him. Hotaru was looking more and more like his father with every day that passed and it would be impossible to let him go with that face in front of him. "You better go pack," Hotaru ordered absently, his attention already returning to the stacks of files and paperwork on his desk. "Your plane leaves out this afternoon and you can't miss it if you want to ride first class. Oh! And go talk to Big Bro Bradley. He was the one that knows more about the problem than anyone. I sent him on a scouting trip a few months ago when Mr. Nubo first asked my opinion."

"Alright," he agreed, standing up on the cue for dismissal. Knowing that Hotaru would be there to send him off, he held off on the farewells. More importantly, he wanted to get to his room and look over the assignment that he'd been given. When White had told him to take a vacation, he'd never expected her to be so forward in ensuring that it happened. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful or angry. The decision on how he would feel would probably rely more on what kind of assignment Hotaru had given him than anything.

Retreating into his room, he ignored the mess that he knew that he'd have to clean up before leaving and sat on the corner of his bed. Once settled, he absently reached out for a bottle to see if anything was left in the dregs, stopping himself just short of actually drinking it in the painful realization that he'd been forbidden it. Sobriety was his worse enemy and he was going to be facing off with it on a constant basis now. After all, if he couldn't trust himself to obey his Boss' orders, why the hell should his Boss trust him, too?

Throwing the bottle against the wall in frustration, he tore open the file in hopes that he'd get some good news. What he found inside was far more interesting than anything he'd expected Hotaru to give him. It wasn't a coded order to threaten or punish, which he was used to getting in Hotaru's childish explanations of what he wanted. There were no orders to scare his targets away or anything to suggest that Hotaru wanted them put somewhere where they couldn't hurt anyone. Instead, it seemed to be a simple observation mission.

The Martelli Family worked out of an area neighboring the Nubo's outrageously large claim of territory. Their base was in a city of a decent size, but the Family was pretty young in comparison to most Mafia Families. The Nubo had requested both information and an opinion on them since they seemed to be a neutral Family. They made no alliances, yet they made no true enemies, either. They weren't even in the game from the looks of it, which made Xanxus even more curious about why they'd come under the attention of Vongola the Eleventh.

The initial reports said that the founding Godfather of the Family had been a fleeing immigrant. They'd quietly set up operation in the Founder's chosen city and had kept to themselves for nearly four generations. The current leader was growing old and the succession was where the issue started. The Family was splitting from Don Martelli's inability to chose a definite heir. He had reason to have problems, though. There were only two possible choices and they were twins.

Gabriel Martelli was the eldest and had the support of the rich and powerful in the city. He was the one that had gained the attention of the Nubo by creeping in on the drug markets outside his Family's permitted territory of operation. He was getting close to Nubo territory for his markets. Nubo wasn't sure if they should ignore the Family's sudden grasping or if they should take offense. For now, the Nubo were simply watching the situation and were requesting information on the Family that Gabriel represented so that they could better judge the situation.

Xanxus could instantly see that the situation with the heir was what had Hotaru's attention. Considering that Hotaru wasn't the eldest of Tsuna's children but had still claimed the seat of power in Vongola over his older, less legitimate siblings, he had reason to be curious. The outcome of the Martelli's situation of heir could easily effect Hotaru's firm assurances over his own position. Would the right person be picked for the heir or would a few minutes difference in birth decide it? Was the Boss planning on choosing after a test or was he going to chose off of pure instinct? Hotaru was curious over the process since he had no clue why he was chosen to fill his father's shoes. Watching the Martelli Family for the Nubo gave him the perfect opportunity to see how someone else handled such a matter.

"Shit," he groaned, tossing the file aside. "I guess it's better than not having anything to fucking do."

* * *

Author's note: Please remember to review before continuing on!


	17. Chapter 17 X Intermission II

Author's Note: Double Upload! Read previous chapter first if you haven't already!

* * *

Xanxus owed Gokudera. He couldn't deny it. He wouldn't deny it. He wasn't sure what he'd done to the bastard to make him speak up for him, but he was grateful. Then again, Gokudera had probably been speaking up for his own sake, too. Everyone knew that Xanxus was easier to deal with when he had liquor in him. Gokudera had managed to talk Hotaru into pulling back his punishment. He was allowed to drink after all, which was a blessing. He was just limited a bit. It was enough, though. It was enough to take the edge off of his easily irritated mind and to deal with several other issues he had. One of which was the fact that he got airsick without a drink when he was forced to fly under someone else's power. He wasn't sure what it was about planes, but they made him uneasy. His X-Guns were a hundred times more trustworthy, but planes were required for quick travel across oceans.

The flight itself was nothing worth mentioning. The mid-flight movie wasn't to his taste, but he remembered that it was one of the classics that Tsuna had always liked. He spent the bulk of the outrageously long ride on his laptop. It was old, battered, and abused, but he refused to give it up. He'd learned from Tsuna that it was a link to the world outside his own. It was a link that he'd been using for years now to change himself. A new screen name equaled a new life. It was as easy as that and he was able to start over as many times as he needed in order to learn how to deal with people without resorting to anger or violence. Although, he was quickly running out of ideas for screen names. He'd already gotten banned on nearly fifty different websites for different infractions.

He was too crude. Too harsh. Too judgmental. Too easily irritable. Too quick to take offense. He was too much of a lot of things and it tended to get him in trouble. He didn't give up, though. There were a few of his aliases that were doing well. Unfortunately, they were the quiet ones. Any place on the internet that he lurked instead of actively involving himself was perfectly fine with his occasional visits. He'd learned to steer away from forums and to never stay in a chat room for more than a few minutes.

Games were his friend when he found one that actually captured his attention. He liked to take ironic pleasure in playing a low-ranking hitman in an interesting free game that he'd found about the Mafia. The game itself was in no way based on the reality that he lived, but it was still an interesting way to waste time when he had extra time on his hands. By the time that he finished his flight, he'd gained three stars for killing off four dozen hitman, two irritating deaths from sniping bounty hunters, and a quarter million of illusionary cash through underground deals. He'd also managed to catch a rare fish when he took his yacht out to the Devil's Bayou and had to wait for nightfall in-game for his contact to arrive. He'd decided to sell it on the Black Market in the end instead of adding it to the trophy collection in his beach house.

Closing his laptop, he packed it up as the plane made ready to land. He had a feeling that he probably wouldn't get to sit back and game again until his assignment was over. He might get lucky, but he'd already warned his Family in-game that he wouldn't be around. They'd keep an eye out for his assets so that the Agencies didn't seize control of his assets and make him start over from scratch again. For now, he set his mind on the urgent need to smoke and the urgent need to piss. He'd be damned if he used what they had on the plane and the bastards hadn't let him get on with a lighter.

The moment that the plane landed, he headed for the luggage conveyor. It took nearly ten minutes of standing and waiting for both his own bag and his case from the weapon handlers to get sent out. The tags on the case were still intact, telling him that no one had screwed around with his X-Guns. His luggage looked to be untampered with, too. Going into the bathroom, he armed himself properly in hiding and relieved himself gratefully before heading for the exit of the airport.

He loved the city as soon as he stepped out into it. It felt like it'd been a long time since he'd been surrounded by the physical embodiment of all the disease and corruption that he knew was part of the world. He'd been stuck at Headquarters too long, with it's sprawling, manicured lawns and pleasantly distanced atmosphere. The city was the place for him. It was somewhere that he could really dig his fingers into the cracks and see the scum that liked to hide elsewhere.

Smiling in appreciation for the destination that his Boss had chosen for him, he started to actually look forward to his stay. He wasn't in any rush. The assignment only specified that he needed to take some time out of the next two weeks to judge the current situation in the Martelli Family. The city was always full of his types of places and the places that Hotaru would throw a fit over if he knew about them. He could find out what the true black market in this town had to offer and spend some time getting his feet wet again.

Pausing next to one of the many archways outside the terminal, he pulled out a cigarette while grumbling about the habit. He should have never let Sakura talk him into smoking the damn things. It didn't matter if they kept him calm and that Tsuna had once smoked the same ones. It was one vice that he'd sworn to never pick up and he'd still picked it up anyway.

"Need a light?"

Xanxus looked up from where he'd been cursing and fumbling for a lighter that he'd forgotten that he'd already thrown away. He stopped when he saw who was speaking, feeling his mouth drop open and his cigarette fall out completely.

Those eyes.

Those lips.

That face.

"Don't you speak English?" Tsuna asked curiously, bowing his head slightly as if his words would come across more clearly. Xanxus continued to stare, feeling as if he'd just taken a punch to the gut by Hibari. "Hello?" Tsuna asked again. "You're Xavier. Aren't you?"

The accent was wrong. It was that which made Xanxus blink and made his brain start functioning again. This guy's accent was laced with small increments of dialect that was probably the norm in this city. The body language was completely wrong, too. Tsuna had always been so self-conscious and tensely poised, but this guy seemed to be the complete opposite. He was loose, calm, and confident without seeing to give a damn about how people might respond to him. The Tsuna that he knew would have never walked up to a complete stranger, either.

But the resemblance was uncanny. There were no flaws outside of his clothing and cleanliness. Not that he wasn't clean, but there was a dingy nature to his clothing and face. There was a smudge of what looked to be paint on his jaw line, too. His hair was too short and streaked tips poked out from underneath his cap that were nothing like Tsuna's hair. Then again, that could just be a bad attempt at dying his hair. He probably tried to dye it into Tsuna's color and ran out before he got the black tips covered.

He was an impersonator. Just like all of those shitheads that came to the mansion and tried to weasel into the Family as Tsuna, this guy was an impersonator. A very good one from the looks of it. He was missing a lot of the detail work, but he had the face and the body. If his guess was correct, he had the other physical attributes, too. Reaching out in a flash to see if he was right, he grabbed the edge of the cheap bandage covering one of the man's cheeks and ripped it off in a smooth motion.

The reaction was immediate.

"What the fuck!" The fake Tsuna yelled with a hiss, his hand going up to cover the offended cheek with a grimace of pain on his face. "Why the hell did you do that?! You about ripped my face off, you asshole!"

"You're an impersonator," Xanxus sighed finally in perfect English, staring at the scar that was identical to Tsuna's in every way.

"Yeah, so what?!" He shouted angrily in return, still rubbing the place where the bandage had been yanked free from. "Are you a fucking retard? I'm your opposite or don't you know who the hell that _you're _impersonating? Why else would I waste my time on you when I could be working? Demetri told me to meet you here and show you to Kink's so that we could practice for the show tomorrow tonight. He didn't tell me that you had your screws loose! If I'd known that you were such a jerk, I'd have told him to fuck off. I'm perfectly fine without--"

"I have no fucking clue what you're talking about," he chuckled in amusement over the petulant and angry expression on the impersonator's face.

"Eh?" He asked, falling to a stop mid-tirade. "You're not Xavier? But you look just like Excaliber and--"

"SUOH!"

Xanxus raised an eyebrow at the man who came darting out of a cab the moment that it came to a stop outside the terminal. The guy had bright pink hair and a too-tight black shirt on over a well-toned body.

"Suoh!" He called again, which seemed to be the Tsuna-impersonator's name from the looks of it. "I just got a call from the Owner," the man panted, falling to a stop next to Suoh while he waved to the cab driver for some reason. The cab pulled away, which made Xanxus curious since he hadn't seen any transfers of cash. A friend maybe? "Xavier's not coming. He got called to do a show in California that was willing to pay twice as much for his room and board. He--" The newcomer fell to a stop, doing a double-take on Xanxus who was watching in simple amusement. "Xavier...?"

"Think again," Xanxus replied gruffly, seeing the flash of hope light up in the man's eyes. Reaching down, he snatched up his bags and started heading for a cab. He had a bad feeling about being recognized and he'd just gotten into town. He'd hoped for some time to situate himself before he let his name out. It was just stupid bad luck that he'd arrived on a day that a fucking fag impersonator of himself was due to arrive. People in Italy knew better than to even consider him like that. He might have taken some hot pictures with Tsuna, but he wasn't one of those faeries that went to gay bars and sipped through straws. That was Yamamoto and Matsu's crowd, not his.

Not that he really had a crowd.

"Wait!" Suoh exclaimed, making Xanxus freeze despite himself. Even with the dialect, the voice was too much like the one that he remembered. "Wait!" Suoh exclaimed again, skidding around in front of him in a rush. "I'm sorry I yelled at you! That was rude as hell of me but I thought you were someone you weren't and I know this is really pushy of me since I'm a complete stranger but--"

"No," Xanxus interrupted, already knowing what the punk probably wanted to ask.

"Eh?"

"No," Xanxus repeated, staring directly down into two amber orbs that made his gut twist. "I don't do impersonations. I'm here on business and I don't have time to--"

"Please?" Suoh asked with a begging expression, instantly creating a large lump in Xanxus' throat. "It's only one night and I can show you around town to make up the time. My friend is hoping to win the pageant tomorrow and everyone is expecting Black X and Excaliber to hand over the awards. Our Excaliber isn't going to show and it would be a huge let-down for everyone if I didn't find a replacement. All you have to do is stand there and I promise that it'll be fun."

"N--"

"Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top?" Suoh begged again with an overly-hopeful expression. Despite himself, Xanxus felt his resolve cracking. It was his face. It was so hard to turn down that face when it was the face that he wanted to look at more than any.

"I can offer you the same gratuities that the Owner was offering Xavier," the pink-haired man added in hope. "It's not much, but it should cover your expenses while you're in town. I might even get him to throw in some extra it since you'd be helping us out of a real pinch."

"Do I look like a person that needs money?" Xanxus growled, turning to him in relief since it pulled his eyes away from Suoh. The man grimaced, probably noting for the first time that Xanxus was wearing a business suit and an expensive leather trench coat to cover his weapons.

"Please," Suoh gasped again, once more pulling Xanxus' attention down to him. This time, he wore a worried and pleading expression that seemed to rip right into Xanxus' soul. "Is there anything that we could do to talk you into it?"

"I could think of a few things," he mumbled, the words slipping out despite himself. Then he blushed brightly, knowing that he hadn't meant to say that. Shaking his head to himself, he quickly turned and started heading for a cab again in hopes that the two strange people would leave him alone this time. They both seemed taken aback by his statement, which gave him enough time to throw his bags into the back of a waiting cab and jump inside. Giving hurried directions to the cab driver, he was nearly panting in fear that he'd be followed by the time that the cab pulled out of the terminal.

What the hell was wrong with him?!

"You sure got Suoh in a frenzy," the cab driver commented conversationally while Xanxus tried to calm himself. "He's normally a quiet one. I haven't ever seen him act that way to a customer before."

"Customer?" Xanxus asked curiously, relaxing into his seat as they got farther away from the airport.

"He works for us sometimes," the driver explained. "Helps tourists into our cabs in exchange for a few bucks. The red cab service has gotten a lot of good reviews because of him. We're starting to get people that look our for our cabs instead of the yellow and blue ones because they remember how Suoh helps them when they first get into town. Our call-in requests doubled after he joined us. Not that he's officially working for us or anything, but people remember those that are connected with good people and Suoh is one of the best. What was he nagging you about, anyway?"

"He wanted me to work as an impersonator," Xanxus answered succinctly, filing the information on Suoh away in the back of his mind. "I look like a guy that he was expecting to show but didn't."

"You must mean the Excaliber impersonator," the cab driver mused, making Xanxus' eyebrows fly up in surprise. "That's a damn shame. From what I hear, Suoh only gets paid when he meets expectations at his weekend job. If Excaliber isn't going to show, he's going to lose out on a nice fee for doing that pageant that he's been talking about. He's been going on about it for almost two weeks now. Some big event with Drag Queens coming in from a couple of the neighboring towns and everything. Not that I follow all that baloney, but it's hard not to know about things when Suoh's involved. He seems to pop up everywhere in the city at one time or another. It's kind of strange now that I think about it because he's poor and he always keeps to himself, but you just can't help noticing him when he's around."

"You ever hear about a guy named Gabriel Martelli?" Xanxus asked, figuring that this guy knew the more important people of the city if he had time to pay attention to a gay impersonator.

"Never heard of him," the cab driver shrugged. "I know of Paolo Martelli, though. Everyone calls him Papa Paolo. He runs the restaurant down on Independence Avenue. Really nice fellow. He always has a new joke whenever I get the call to drive him around. Wait. I think he has two kids. Is maybe that Gabriel fellow one of them?"

"Probably," Xanxus nodded. "His father is Paolo Martelli and he has a sister named Autumn Martelli. I'm here on business to meet with all three of them, but Gabriel is the one that I'm really needing to know about."

"I don't know Gabriel," the driver sighed. "Autumn, though. Everyone knows Autumn. She's a real heartbreaker. Beautiful, smart, sassy, and did I mention beautiful? She's been known to give men heart attacks with a single glance. Not that it's hard when you're my age. I'm sure a young man like yourself shouldn't have any problems with her, though. Well, here's your hotel, Mister. It look like it'll be thirteen fifty for the ride." Xanxus nodded and filed away the new information while he paid the man.

Gabriel was a nobody in his own city and his rival sibling was one who used her looks as a weapon.

Just peachy.

* * *

_This is a Mafia Family?_ That same question continued through Xanxus' mind while dinner continued. His introduction had gone smoothly and he'd been welcomed openly since he was only there to talk with them. His credentials as an envoy from Vongola had been accepted with a complete lack of the formality that he would have expected from any other Family. It took him a long time to figure out why, but it was unsurprising when he did determine the reason for it. The whole Family was too low-scale to have age-old, honored traditions or the formality that was demanded of the more powerful Mafia Families.

'Papa Paolo' was more like a rotund owner of a family business than the Godfather of a Family. His holdings all seemed legitimate and he didn't seem like the type of man to maim, kill, cheat, lie, and steal. Then again, neither had Vongola the Ninth and Xanxus personally knew how wrong that impression was. It was the things that Paolo was hiding that Xanxus was there to uncover. Where did his real money come from? What were the ties that made him and his family into Mafia instead of merely a family of tycoons?

Gabriel was everything that he expected. Rotten to the core and completely unconcerned with the fact. He was completely unashamed of his actions and was as crude as Xanxus knew that he could be at times. His only redeeming features were a complete lack of morals and the brains to actually cover for himself.

Autumn was just as beautiful as he had been warned, but she had the attitude of a shrew. He guessed that people could consider it sass, but he would rather call it like he saw it. She was a complete bitch. She had all the attitude of a rich snob, but none of the class. He'd seen gutter whores with more polish than this woman and she couldn't light a candle to even the cheapest of the offerings at Pink's.

"I'll get straight to the point," Xanxus finally said at the end of the meal, accepting the cigar that Martelli offered alongside his refilled drink while he mentally pulled up the speech that Yamamoto had written for him. The four of them sat comfortably around a table in a sectioned-off section of the man's restaurant, privacy for their talks being one of the few amenities that he'd actually provided. "Vongola the Eleventh was approached as a mediator. The Nubo are wavering on whether to take your actions as insult or not and I was sent to judge the situation. We sent a man previously, but he was unable to determine anything of value since the structure of your Family is unstable. So, over the course of my stay here, I'll be trying to determine whether we should report to the Nubo that you are a threat or if you are harmless. It's as simple as that."

"I see," Martelli nodded in understanding. "I never expected Gabriel's actions would warrant the attention of one of the Mafia's elite. Would it be possible to pull back his range and for us to make our apologies? I have no desire to cause any feelings of rivalries or--"

"Dad!" Gabriel exclaimed. "You can't do that! It took me months--"

"Shut up!" He yelled in return, reaching out to slap his son across the back of his head. "Show some respect! I taught you better than to speak out of turn like that. Forgive him," the old man continued with a smile, returning his attention to Xanxus. "I'm afraid that his mother spoiled him a bit when he was younger. Like I was saying, we have no desire to cause any feelings of rivalries or any instances of misunderstanding. There is plenty of other places that we can expand to if that is my son's wish without needing to break our neutral stance."

"That would solve a lot of problems," Xanxus admitted with narrowed eyes, disbelieving that his mission could be over so easily. "We could report to Nubo that you're regretful of entering into their territory and they'll probably come to take your apologies in person. I find it hard to believe that you are willing to pull back so easily, though."

"We're a small Family, as you can see," Martelli pointed out in humility. "My father and his father were always more focused in caring for our own than trying to gain excesses of either power or riches. As long as we have enough to keep our city and those that live in it safe, then the Martelli Family is satisfied. We're not world-wide jetsetters like you folks from the homeland. We are prosperous and have much to be thankful for even if it's modest compared to what you are probably used to. Our Family has learned how to be satisfied with what we have and I have no wish to jeopardize that."

"And if your son wishes it?" Xanxus prompted suspiciously.

"Then he will have to wait until I am dead and gone," Martelli replied firmly. "Assuming he succeeds me. As it is, my daughter is winning the challenge for the position as heir."

"Only because she's a whore," Gabriel growled under his breath, earning him another slap upside his head.

"I might be a whore," Autumn said with an amused smile, speaking up for the first time since the meal had finished. "But I'm still a hundred grand ahead of you and I've got a prospective Family member that won't give you the time of day. I think you know him. He broke your nose a few weeks ago."

"Bitch," he spat.

"Ass," she countered.

"Enough!" Martelli snapped while Xanxus tried to hide his amusement over the two heirs' bickering.

"I think I've seen enough for tonight," Xanxus interjected, putting out his cigar in his drink. "I'll reserve final judgment until my stay here is over, but I'll pass your words along to my Boss. I hope you'll bear with my presence in your city until the allotted time has passed."

"We're happy to have you," Martelli soothed graciously, standing in unison with him. "I'll have Gabriel on hand for you if you should need anything during your stay since he was the cause of your visit. Please do not hesitate to call if we can convenience you in any way."

"I'll remember that," Xanxus promised. Giving his farewells in the formal way that these bumpkins probably didn't even appreciate, he headed for the door. The minute that he was outside, he dug in his pocket for a cigarette to get the taste of the cheap cigar and bad wine out of his mouth. These people wouldn't know quality if it bit them on the ass.

"Where are you heading now?" Gabriel asked curiously, walking up to stand beside him while he waited on a cab outside the restaurant.

"Probably back to my hotel," he answered shortly, shoving his hands into his pocket to cover the urge to finger his X-Gun.

"This is probably rude of me," Gabriel said quietly. "But you're him. Aren't you? You're the real Excaliber."

"You know me?" Xanxus asked with a raised eyebrow, finding his attention going to the man for a new reason. Only gay men knew him by that name. Gabriel didn't look like the type, but he didn't have much references to go by. Just Lussuria, Yamamoto, and Matsu with himself and Tsuna being bisexual. Everyone else he knew was straight. There'd been a few times that he'd wondered about Squalo, but that man kept to himself almost as much as Xanxus did.

"Of course I do," he nodded quietly. "I didn't know that you were in the Mafia, though. Was Black X in the Mafia, too?"

"Yeah," Xanxus growled. "Although, we called him Boss when he was alive."

"Oh, shit," Gabriel gasped in surprise. "I read that he was a head of a big corporation, but it just hit me. He was head of Vongola Corp!"

"Do you want a fucking cookie for figuring it out?" Xanxus scoffed tonelessly, reevaluating his opinion on Gabriel's mental capabilities. He was either an idiot or a brilliant actor. Xanxus' intuition told him it was probably the latter. After all, the name of the calendar that had made Tsuna famous was the Vongola Voyeur. Then he cursed himself, seeing Gabriel's expression take on a considering look. He'd managed to stay diplomatic in front of the Family head, but he'd automatically reverted once he was out on the street again.

"You want to go get a real drink?" Gabriel asked bluntly. "There's someone that I want your opinion on."

"Alright," Xanxus agreed with his eyes narrowing in on the man. "But in exchange, I want you to answer every question that I have about your Family. I'm not buying your father's load of bullshit."

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," he promised with a wide grin. "Dad always said that we had nothing to hide."

"Lead the way."

* * *

It was crowded. It was noisy. It was definitely one of those techno gay clubs that he purposefully stayed away from. He stayed away for them for one very important reason.

No one was scared of him.

His glares were ineffective. They only seemed to make people shiver in sickening excitement. He knew that if he punched someone in the face, the person would be grateful for it. Hands and beer bottles got easily broken. It was a type of place that turned his normal assurances of what to expect turned into a foggy dream. Of course, he only had the one time that he'd went out drinking with Yamamoto as reference, but that was enough for him. He wasn't comfortable in such places and he'd stuck to drinking by himself after that single attempt.

"If you touch me, I'll fucking kill you," he growled for the umpteenth time when someone approached with that grotesque gleam of desire in their eyes. It was the same gleam that everyone in this place had when they looked at him. It was a look that gave him a strange feeling of being hunted and there was nothing that made him feel more irritable than feeling hunted. He was the one that hunted. Not the other way around. Anyone who thought differently should be shot.

Damn Tsuna for that second issue of the calendar! He saw now why Tsuna had initially been so upset over those pictures that were released of them together. It wasn't so amusing when everyone saw him in the position of supplicant. Tsuna had been the only person that he would have ever allowed to do such actions, but no one here knew that. Of course, they didn't know that he was the real thing, either. He'd come across himself in the past. He knew exactly how people saw 'Excaliber' after that be-damned calendar.

"Hey Gabriel," someone called, walking up to them fearlessly. Xanxus glared, but his glare was ineffective in warning the intruder off. "You want to put anything in the pot for the Friday Night Challenge?" The man asked, holding up a jar full of small bills. "He's coming to do it tonight since the Pageant is tomorrow."

"I'll pass," Gabriel replied, waving the man away.

"Come on," he goaded with a smile, not giving up on whatever he was trying to get from Gabriel. "I know that you're still pissed about your nose, but Suoh already apologized. Can't you let bygones be bygones and just help him out a little bit? You know that he needs the money. Or is that why you brought an Excaliber in with you?" The man's face took on a hardened expression, silently telling Xanxus that his presence was being misunderstood. "If you brought him here to cut in on Suoh's act, you better just leave now Gabriel. You can't run Suoh off with something like that because no one will pay."

"He's not an impersonator," Gabriel growled before Xanxus could. "He's a friend of mine from out of town, so mind your own fucking business."

"If you say so," the man replied in open suspicion. "But I'm keeping my eye on you."

Xanxus restrained the urge to draw his weapon at the insulting look that the man gave him before he turned away. There was nothing that he hated more than being judged and it was obvious that the scum wanted to judge him for his appearance. Only the reminder that his Boss would be pissed if he got thrown out of another city made him slowly and purposefully control his growing rage. He wasn't about to make an eleven year old boy clean up the mess that would result if he let himself blow up while on assignment.

"Sorry about that," Gabriel murmured, leaning back over the third floor railing to look down at the dance floor. Xanxus leaned against it with him while trying to keep his calm in such an infuriating place. "It shouldn't be that much longer until he shows, though. They usually start filling the pot about ten minutes before he shows up. If they've already made it up here, then he's due to arrive at any time."

"Who is it that you want me to see?" Xanxus asked with a strange sinking feeling. It was a feeling that he didn't even need an explanation for. He'd known the probable person that Gabriel wanted him to see from the moment that Gabriel confirmed that he was Excaliber. It was probably that same fucking look-a-like that had met him at the airport. The feeling was caused by the knowledge that he'd have to see him so soon. He didn't feel prepared enough.

Almost as bad as that was the confused rush that kept circling through himself. He wanted to see the fake almost as much as he didn't. Part of him wanted to beat the hell out of the little twerp for having a face that wasn't his while the other part wanted to see him just one more time. Normally, the beating part won out whenever he felt like this since the assholes were always trying to pretend to be something they weren't. This was the first time that he was going to be face-to-face with someone that looked like Tsuna but wasn't trying to take over Tsuna's life. It left him unsteady since he wasn't sure how he should react. The impersonator was making money off of Tsuna's image, but he was being honest about it. No one here called him Tsuna or Black X. They all called him Suoh and knew that he was a fake.

"It's a Black X impersonator," Gabriel confirmed. "I'm curious about how well he stands up to someone who knew the real thing."

"I've already met him," Xanxus informed him bluntly. "I ran into him outside the airport. He looks like him and he has the same expressions, but there isn't a damn thing right about how he talks and acts."

"Well, it's hard to tell a personality from a picture," Gabriel laughed with a purposeful glance toward Xanxus himself. "If you saw him at the airport, then you're in for a treat. I've seen Suoh on the street. He looks like something the cat just dragged in, but he's different in here."

"How so?" He asked curiously, taking a long pull off of the beer that Gabriel had bought him.

"You'll see," Gabriel promised with a wide grin. "I'll warn you, though. He's more expensive than a harem of whores. Don't go getting your hopes up about spending the night with him unless you want to spend a fortune on--"

"Wait," Xanxus choked, nearly spewing out a mouthful of beer. "He's for sale?"

"So he pretends," he confirmed with a raised eyebrow. "His price is outrageous though. No one knows if he's serious about it or not, but he claims he has one."

"H-How much?" Xanxus asked, licking his suddenly dry lips. He couldn't believe that he was asking, but it was a chance that he couldn't pass up. Even if it was a fabrication, he still looked like Tsuna. Tsuna would forgive him for it, he thought, because it would be like having Tsuna in his arms again. If only for one night. Maybe a week if he could stretch his bank account that far. It wasn't like he had anything else to spend his money on and a whore couldn't be that expen--

"Two hundred grand," he answered, making Xanxus curse which in turn made Gabriel chuckle at his expense. Gabriel was right. That was easily a hundred times the cost of a full harem for a night. He had it, but it would be a large blow to his savings. He'd have to skip out on buying V Special for a while and only drink the stock at home. He'd have to start cleaning his own guns again, too, just like he had in the old days. He'd also have to be careful to not need any new repairs on his laptop for a while and he'd have to start eating with the Family. He could manage it. It'd make things tight for a while, but he could manage and he couldn't think of a better way to relax on his vacation than to spend it with the walking and talking image of Tsuna. "There he is," Gabriel said suddenly, breaking into Xanxus' mental calculations.

It took a moment of searching through the crowd to see where Gabriel pointed down at the dance floor. Then the crowd seemed to start whirling around a moving eye and it became perfectly clear where the impersonator was. One look was all it took to make Xanxus' mouth water. Tsuna would have never worn clothes like those in a million years, but Xanxus found himself knocked speechless at the sight of his image wearing tight red leather and mesh. Even from a distance, Xanxus could tell that his scars had been professionally done with an eye toward them being permanent. For someone to have went to such lengths to get the details of all of his scars so perfect turned the impersonator's flesh into a work of art. The way that they looked to continue down his hips and past the hem of his low-riding leather pants made Xanxus wonder if he looked like Tsuna from every angle. It was possible. Every inch of Tsuna's body had been photographed and it would explain the outrageous fee that this man had. It was the price asked for quality goods.

There were differences, though. Not a lot, but enough to remind Xanxus constantly that this wasn't the real Tsuna walking up the stairs to the very platform that they were on. Some of his manners had changed from when they'd met earlier in the day. There was his walk itself. Tsuna had never been so conscious about his hips to use them in such a way and the Suoh from earlier hadn't done it that way, either. There was the way that he let people fawn on him and he fawned in return. Tsuna would have been stuttering after the first too-long touch and would have probably been offended at the hands that kept squeezing his rear. Not that this guy wasn't offended at it, but he was playfully offended like he didn't really mind. When he got closer, Xanxus could see that he had a single blood-red feather earring hanging down against his neck where Tsuna had never had his ears pierced. His hair was cut slightly too short for what had been Tsuna's traditional cut and had been poofed up in a different style than the matted and covered style that Suoh had worn earlier. He had a few extraneous scars that were probably his own rather than mistakes from whoever had done his body modifications. The most telling thing was that he had his nipples pierced, though. Tsuna would have never had such a thing done since it gave the enemy a very painful target to focus on.

If that wasn't enough, the fact that he was bare-chested and standing in a gay bar in leather should be enough to tell Xanxus that this definitely wasn't Tsuna.

He could tell the moment that the fake saw him. Everyone could probably tell. He broke off in the middle of hugging someone hello in order to stare with his mouth hanging open. Then he narrowed his eyes with a petulant expression on his face before pointedly turning away as if to say that he couldn't care less about Xanxus' presence. Xanxus blinked in surprise over the reaction. He'd expected Suoh to come over and start begging him to do the show again which would have given him an opening to negotiate. Instead, he was completely ignoring him while--

What the fuck?

Xanxus watched as Suoh snatched a twenty out of another person's hand and reached up to give that same person a eye-popping kiss. It wasn't anything that could be called a greeting. It was deep, in depth, and delirious. At least, from the look on the recipient's face, it was delirious. It went on so long that Xanxus felt himself growing hot just watching it. Not that he let it show outside the fact that he was staring along with numerous other people. Then Suoh pulled back, with a smile that sent a shiver down Xanxus' spine and he--

_That _little _brat_, Xanxus thought in amusement over the look that Suoh sent him. It was a look that said 'you know you want this'. It was a teasing look that said that he knew exactly how he was affecting the people around him and he was taking enjoyment out of it. He was putting on a show to try to make Xanxus regretful over turning down his request at the airport. It was working, Xanxus admitted to himself.

"So what do you think?" Gabriel asked, leaning over to talk in his ear.

"I think it's the best damn two hundred grand that I'm going to spend," Xanxus answered with a broad grin. Gabriel choked on air and gaped, staring at him with wide eyes over the insinuation. Not only that Xanxus had two hundred grand on hand but that he could afford to waste it on a single companion. Not that Xanxus wouldn't try to bargain him down first. Two hundred grand was just his starting price and Xanxus had his intuition working on his side.

His intuition was currently working overtime. The guy was obviously in need of cold, hard cash. His threadbare state from earlier had told Xanxus that much. He probably only had two or three costumes that he used to work as Black X in and a few sets of clothes to make it through most of the week without having to reuse the same set. His mannerisms suggested that he had been selling himself for a long time, but there was something else about him that told Xanxus that he'd never went past kissing with a man before. Maybe it was a missing element in his walk or a missing gleam in his eye. Xanxus wasn't sure, but there was some element missing that his intuition told him was a lack of first-hand experience.

It should be easy to bargain him into submission. If he met the guy's price but stipulated that it had to be for more than one night's work, he would be probably more than happy to agree. It wasn't everyday that someone walked up to a person like him and offered more money than many people made in two years. It was probably more than Suoh had made in five years combined. He wouldn't be willing to pass up that much money even if it meant that his contracted time had to last longer than he originally planned. Xanxus would ensure that he enjoyed the time, too. If he was spending that much, he could spend some extra money on spoiling the brat, too. It would be almost like he was able to spoil Tsuna like he'd never really got around to doing while he was alive.

Xanxus watched with his smile slowly growing larger with every plan that he made. This would be the best damn vacation that he'd ever had. He would have to call both White and Hotaru and thank them for making him leave the country. If they hadn't, he wouldn't have found such a enticing treasure. One which he could do horrible, horrible things to and not get a single cross word from anyone. Not that he'd hurt the guy, but he might have trouble walking for a few days after he finished with him.

For two hours, Xanxus watched out of the corner of his eye as the impersonator continue his show. Business came before pleasure, though, and he had a ton of questions to ask the fool Gabriel. They retreated to a small table in a quiet corner of the club so that they wouldn't be overheard and talked over the course of three pitchers of beer, which Xanxus admittedly drank the most of. Beer was like water to him and he wasn't even tipsy by the time that they started on a fourth. By the end of that time, he had a measure of respect for Gabriel. He wasn't quite the fool that he'd initially thought.

Like the impression that Don Martelli gave off upon their meeting, he was a man that wanted to keep his Family safe. He was the real fool, though. He believed that staying neutral would be possible forever, even with Nubo creeping in on their city from the north and the Franco Family creeping in from the south west. Even farther out west was the Deter Family with their Las Vegas base and there was the Valdez Family who controlled from the capital of Florida. Gabriel saw it all and knew that his Family only had two generations at the most before they were swallowed by somebody. It was probably already too late to save them completely, but Gabriel had the eye toward defining his Family's territory at the utmost limits of his reach from his home city. He knew that it meant walking the line into opposing Family's territories, but that was required to keep them from expanding any farther in the Martelli Family's direction.

If Xanxus was in his place, he honestly couldn't say that he'd have acted any differently. Screw what his father thought. If he wasn't willing to face reality, he had to take matters into his own hands. That meant affirming control of what was his and warning off anyone that tried to fuck with them. That was where Gabriel was foolish, however. The Martelli Family had neither the manpower or money to keep their Family running for long with everyone being stretched so thin. Gabriel knew that and he knew that he was making an all-or-nothing gamble. Either they were ignored long enough for Gabriel's plans to come to fruition and the Family expanded to meet the demands of such an enlarged territory or someone would swoop in and destroy them first.

Then there was an issue of the Family's succession, which was keeping Gabriel's plans at a snail's pace currently. Don Martelli had put a challenge out to both of them. The first one to bring him twenty Family members that were able to pass the Family's entrance tests and a million dollars in cash that they'd earned without the support of the Family would become the heir. As it was, Gabriel was standing with only two members and two hundred thousand dollars. He had another two hundred thousand invested in assorted merchandise and fifty thousand invested in hired hands. Unfortunately, not a single one of the hands but two had been able to pass the tests that Don Martelli gave. What those tests were was a secret that only the Boss himself knew. He gave them in private and no one ever spoke about it after the fact. Those that didn't pass ended up missing. Gabriel knew since he'd started choosing more carefully after the fifth person disappeared on him.

On the other hand, his rival was beating him badly. She already had already handed over half of the financial requirement of the challenge and had found six Family members who had passed their father's trial. Where Gabriel had earned start-up cash through drug deals and had worked his way up to affording his own gangs of workers, Autumn had chosen another path. One in which she only put herself on the line by selling herself nightly to the rich and powerful that were more than willing to pay her set fees. Where Gabriel wasted cash in keeping up a respectable front, she had thriftily chosen to live completely as a whore. Her living expenses were only a fraction of Gabriel's, which had given her a head-start from the beginning. Every dollar that she made was profit, as well, where Gabriel had to fork his money back out for merchandise to make even more money. They'd both been arrested multiple times already for their crimes. Gabriel's offenses had been higher, which meant that he'd been jailed longer. In comparison, Autumn never stayed in lock-up for more than a few days when she was caught. She had the money to spare to pay her fines, as well.

Both of them were gaining knowledge, Xanxus realized after a while. They'd both been kicked out on the same day, which had been three days after their eighteenth birthday. They'd been set the challenge and dropped off on street corners in opposite parts of the city with only a hundred dollars and the clothes that they were standing in. From there, they'd gained contacts, street connections, learned the ways of the underground, and had worked their way up in the race. At any time, either of them could have chosen to give up and return home to live under their father's generous roof, but they hadn't.

They both had their reasons for wanting to take over the Family. Gabriel didn't know Autumn's reasons, but his own reasons were straight-forward enough. There was money, power, and a measure of notoriety to be had. If he took over his father's seat, he would have the respectability of his Family behind him which would make him accepted by the city and would give him a stable platform in which to thrive. He could do anything he wanted and he'd have the legitimate front of a businessman following in his father's footsteps.

"Plus," Gabriel added with a glazed look in his eye from drinking a little too much, "I really don't want to have to live with my bitch of a sister as Boss. Can you just imagine what it'd be like with that kind of shrew telling you what to do?"

"Why don't you just kill her and be done with it?" Xanxus asked quietly.

"I've tried," Gabriel admitted while trying to cover his need to belch. Xanxus raised an eyebrow while he poured more beer down his throat, surprised that he'd admit it so freely. "Dad said that we were honest rivals and anything went in order to win. I've tried to kill her six times, I've burned down her first apartment, and killed her first pimp. The bitch won't die, though. I can't shake her supporters, either. She just kept going like nothing had happened. The only thing I haven't tried is to rat her out to the cops when she had a date and I can't do that. My own men would turn on me for that shit."

"What happened on the assassination attempts?" Xanxus inquired in curiosity since he knew how easy assassination could be. Especially for untrained, spoiled brats like Gabriel and Autumn.

"The first time, she fucking slept with the guy I hired to save her own ass," Gabriel laughed. "The second and third time, I swear she had to have known it was coming. She lured them into a trap both times and took them out herself. The fourth time, I almost had her. I cut the lines on her brakes on her rental car personally right before she was supposed to get on the freeway to go out of town for a weekend job. Some bum on the street had seen me do it, though, and warned her that someone had messed with her car. Fucking bitch even had the gall to thank me after that since she ended up bringing that bastard into the Family."

"And the sixth time?" Xanxus prompted.

"That one's a real sore spot for me," Gabriel grimaced. "I found me a nice pair of freelance hitmen. They'd taken down dozens of people in their time and had incredible references. I paid an arm and a leg, but they failed. They fucking failed just like all the rest. They kept babbling about the angel of death or some shit. I still don't know what happened, but my sister was fucking pissed as hell at me after that. She hadn't seemed to care on any of the other attempts except for when I killed her first pimp, but she came in screaming at me on that one. I couldn't understand a word that she fucking said and then she hit me with her ball and chain. Broke one of my ribs and knocked me flat before she stormed back out. She said later that she'd kill me next time if my men went after anyone but her in the future. I guess one of her friends got fucked up while protecting her. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Are you going to give up?"

"Hell no! I'm thinking poison next time. Maybe I can bribe the chef into adding something to her wasabi when she goes out for sushi again. I don't know. I'm still trying to decide. Right now, I'm not too focused on it. She might be beating me, but my financial situation is growing exponentially where hers is a fucking turtle race. Right now, I'll be cutting it close, but my projections show me coming out ahead of her. She can only fuck so many people in a day, but I got unlimited amounts of people that I can sell to."

"It'll be interesting to watch the games," Xanxus mused, glancing around to ensure that Suoh hadn't left yet. It took a moment to find him where he was sitting in some guy's lap. He was laughing and drinking and seemed completely oblivious to the hand stroking his inner thigh under the table. Xanxus could see from the angle of where he was sitting since they were on one of the lower platforms and Suoh was sitting on a higher one on the other side of the dance floor. Suoh looked out over the railing next to his table and immediately caught Xanxus' eye. They stared at each other silently for a long moment until Xanxus tossed his chin slightly to tell him to come over to him, after which Suoh smiled widely and gave a small nod.

Satisfied that he'd be getting a visitor from his true target very soon, Xanxus set to wrapping up his questioning. Most of it was straight forward. Gabriel's opinion on his father, which was as Xanxus expected. He thought his father was an idiot. His plans for possible failure, which was absolutely none. He simply assumed that everything would go his way. Satisfied that he had plenty to send in his initial report, Xanxus decided to cut the meeting to a close when he saw Suoh get up from where he was sitting and started heading down from his platform in order to cross over to them.

"I think I've heard enough," Xanxus growled. "Why don't you head home? I have some negotiating to do and you'd just be in the way." Gabriel blinked a few times in surprise, but shrugged and got up like Xanxus wanted. He wasn't gone for more than thirty seconds before Suoh slipped into his still-warm seat. Sitting his beer bottle down on the table, he leaned forward and rubbed his thumb around the rim suggestively for a few seconds while staring directly at Xanxus himself.

"You wanted something from me?" Suoh asked finally with a small smile twitching along his lips.

"How much?" Xanxus asked bluntly, leaning forward with his own feral grin.

"Twenty will get you a kiss and I'll keep your seat warm for thirty," he replied.

"And how much to keep my bed warm?" Xanxus asked without beating around the bush.

"You can't afford me," he answered playfully.

"Think again," he corrected. "I've already told you that I'm here on business. Business has been doing well and I have plenty of money to spare. If you're really for sale, tell me your price or tell me the truth so that I don't waste my breath."

"I... uh..." Suoh mumbled with a bright blush while he sat up in his seat in surprise. "I could see myself being talked into keeping someone company for two hundred Gs."

"Two hundred," Xanxus nodded in relief that Gabriel's tally had been on the mark. "I can manage that, but it's pretty damn expensive for just one night. I'll give it to you, but I want you to stay with me until my trip is over in two weeks." Xanxus grinned widely at the spray of beer that he spewed in surprise, having been in the middle of drinking. Fortunately, he'd turned his head, so someone else got the brunt of the wash instead of Xanxus himself.

"What?!" Suoh exclaimed once his mouth was empty.

"I'll meet your price, but my requirement is more than a single night," Xanxus repeated with an even wider smile. "You can't blame me. I can buy a house, a yacht, or a very nice car with that amount of cash. It's almost a quarter of a million and you can't really expect someone to pay that much for only a few hours of enjoyment. This trip is supposed to be a vacation for me and--"

"Hold on!" Suoh gasped, jumping to his feet. He held out a finger to tell him to pause, gesturing that he'd be right back before rushing away. Xanxus watched him go with a raised eyebrow, only to see him walk up to a silver-haired drag queen that he started talking very animatedly with while chucking a thumb in Xanxus' direction repeatedly. Perhaps it was his pimp, in which case Xanxus was more than happy that he'd get to negotiate with someone who knew exactly how reasonable Xanxus was being. He could go anywhere else in the city and pick up a cheap whore for a little over a hundred bucks a night. Being willing to pay two hundred thousand for thirteen days was a rate that most pimps could only dream of for a single hooker.

He returned quickly with the drag queen in tow who kicked a nearby drinker out of his chair and stole it in order to sit down and cross his legs like he was a woman instead of a man.

"My name's Gigi," he introduced himself while Suoh slid back into his own chair. "I'm Suoh's social advisor. He tells me that you've made an interesting offer for some unusual services."

"You might say that," Xanxus barked in laughter. "Or you can say it like it is. I want to fucking rape his ass raw and I got the money to pay for it."

"That's..." Gigi gaped with a bright blush. The she seemed to shake herself out of her shock over Xanxus' bluntness with surprising efficiency. "That's quite a rude way of putting it, but if that's what you prefer then there's no reason to quibble over niceties. Unfortunately, I can't let Suoh go for two consistent weeks. At most, I could let him go for two days and even that would be pushing my tolerances."

"A week and a half," Xanxus haggled with a wide grin. "And I'll throw in unlimited room service."

"I don't need room service," Suoh interjected before Gigi shushed him.

"Three days and he gets both unlimited room service and pay-per-view."

"He can have room service and access to pay-per-view, but he stays a week," Xanxus countered, knowing that he needed at least a week to actually work anyways. He'd started with two weeks in full knowledge that he'd be haggled down.

"Three days, four nights, room service, pay-per-view, and you pay for his way home," Gigi relented in growing irritation.

"Six days, seven nights and I'll throw in all the trimmings that he wants."

"Four day, five nights. I won't go any higher."

"Five days, six nights and I'll let him actually sleep," Xanxus countered in his own irritation. "I've been known to last weeks on only fifteen minutes of sleep a day, so you might want to go just a little higher."

"Fine. Let me talk it over with Suoh and--"

"A week, but you do the show with me tomorrow," Suoh blurted. Then he blushed hard and added, "And.. uh.. um... y-you let me sleep."

"Don't worry about the show, sweet-cheeks," Gigi hissed. "This is two hundred grand that this gen-- um... this _man _is offering you. You won't need do to the show."

"But I promised," Suoh replied with a pout. "And I owe the Owner for fixing Gabriel's nose for me. Everyone will be disappointed if I'm not there with an Excaliber. We put it up on all the flyers."

"I'll do the show," Xanxus sighed with his lip twitching slightly in disgust. "But I refuse to do anything but stand there and I'll break the hands of anyone who touches me. No weird costumes, either."

"Really?" Suoh asked, perking up tremendously.

"Why not," he shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do. If it keeps you with me for a solid week, then I'll stomach it."

"Are you really okay with this Suoh?" Gigi interjected worriedly. "This is the first time that anyone's actually met your price."

"I better check before I agree," Suoh mumbled to himself. Xanxus raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply since his intuition had already told him that Suoh didn't have any experience with men. He was willing, though, and he was ripe. Xanxus was more than happy to teach him a few things. .

After a moment of silence, Suoh stood and crossed over to his side of the table. Xanxus let out a soft groan when he swung a leg over him in order to sit in his lap. He had no clue what Suoh was planning, but he was more than willing to go along with it. Especially when he was allowed to look into the image of Tsuna's face so closely again. It made his heart race to have him so close. He was right there. He could raise his hand up and touch his face. He wanted to so badly, but he found himself completely frozen in place. He doubted that he could have lifted a finger if a sniper had decided to use that moment to take him out. They simply stared at each other for a long moment while both tension and attention seemed to gather around them.

His heart leaped into his throat when Tsu--_Suoh _was the first to move. He reached up and placed his hands on Xanxus' shoulders. Then, he leaned forward in a way that had to be intentionally torturous in its slowness. Xanxus patiently waited for him, though, with his eyes locked on the lips that were so frightfully familiar. Finally they met and Xanxus had to hide both his need to moan and the urge to simply throw him over his shoulder, head to his hotel room, and take him now. It wasn't Tsuna's quietly passionate kiss. In a way that he didn't want to admit, it was actually better than Tsuna's kiss. It was deeper and much more unrestrained. There was a wildness to it and a blast to it that Xanxus could only describe as dynamite. Then the kiss gave the sensation of falling that came with a strange lurch and a sharp pain to the back of his head.

When Suoh broke away with a strangled gasp, he realized what the last sensation had been. His chair had fallen backward and he'd hit his head on the ground without comprehending it. Not that he gave a damn about either his head or the ground. He was more worried about getting his lungs working again. They'd stopped well before his chair had become unstable. Suoh looked to be having similar issues, which made Xanxus strangely satisfied even though he'd not gotten to embrace nearly as long as he'd wanted to.

"Are you okay?!" Gigi gasped, helping Suoh up off of where he was straddling Xanxus in a very appreciated fashion.

"I'm fine," Suoh replied heavily, reaching down to help Xanxus up in turn. Xanxus ignored the hand in favor of working off a little of his sudden excess of energy. Putting his hands up by his head, he kicked off the chair and did a handstand in order to flip up to his feet. Once there, a sharp kick sent his chair up into his hand where he was able to set it upright with a calm that he was only grasping at.

"So?" He prompted with his desire hidden outside of his eyes.

"I... I don't think there will be a problem," Suoh answered with a hints of lust in his own half-lidded eyes.

"Not even I can argue after watching that, sweet-cheeks," Gigi sighed before sending a dark look at Xanxus. "He'll need the cash up front," the transvestite warned. "Bring it tomorrow and he can go with you after the show. Be here at four o'clock to get ready."

"Alright," Xanxus agreed with a wide grin before giving his own warning directly to Suoh. "Don't bother bringing anything. You won't be needing any clothes."

"O-Okay," Suoh nodded with a sudden shyness. Deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to control himself with such temptation in front of him, Xanxus gave a small wave of farewell before retreating. He had a lot of work to do before he could fall off the map for a week, but what a gloriously sinful week that it was going to be.

* * *

Gigi and Suoh gaped from where they were standing in the alley behind Kink's, peeking into the briefcase like they hadn't believed that he'd actually show with the money. They had absolutely no clue who they were dealing with, though. Xanxus always got what he wanted if it was something that could be bought with cold, hard cash. Since Suoh had put a price on himself, Xanxus wasn't the type to pass up the chance to fulfill his own selfish wants. He wasn't the shy type, either. Shyness meant that he actually cared about what other people thought and there was only one person that he'd ever gave a damn about. Since that person was dead, any shyness on his part was pure acting.

Tsuna would forgive him, he repeatedly told himself. He couldn't be blamed for being willing to take a substitute at this point in the game. Especially when that substitute would only be beside him for a week. It was a business deal. Nothing more. He could satisfy everything inside him for the first time in a long time. He'd might be using a substitute in body, but his mind and heart would always be only given to the real Tsuna. By being with a imitation, he could do that. Couldn't he? He could satisfy his earthly needs with Tsuna's image. He could satisfy his other needs by telling himself that Suoh was only a stand-in for the Tsuna that couldn't be there. Tsuna would forgive him for that. Tsuna wouldn't have wanted him to continue suffering when there was an alternative at hand.

"Are you ready to go?" Xanxus asked quietly, his eyes raking the body that would soon be his. "I stood in on your fucking freak show and you have your money. Is there anything else you need?"

"Gigi," Suoh mumbled, licking his lips in greed over the huge bounty in their hands. "Take care of that for me until I get back. Don't tell Snicker about this, though. He'll blow a gasket. Just make up some excuse and tell him that I'll be back next Friday. Ask Eric to take care of him for me, too. You know that Snicker will get depressed if I'm not there and--"

"Don't worry about a thing, sweet-cheeks," Gigi soothed, shutting the case once more and tucking it possessively under his arm. "You just go and remember the things that I told you and make this nice man happy. He's paid a lot for you and don't you forget it."

"I won't," Suoh muttered with a bright blush, making Xanxus once more note that this was probably the first time that he'd actually sold himself. "Just um... just let me go get changed before we go. I need to send the costume back to Roger."

"Fine," Xanxus relented, knowing that it would attract too much attention in his hotel to walk in with a bare-chested Japanese man dressed as an Indian. Xanxus had already removed his own costume, which had consisted of only a cowboy hat on top of his normal clothes and some fake scars drawn artfully on his face. That had been as far as he'd been willing to concede in order to get what he wanted. Suoh and a bunch of others had dressed up as the Village People for some retarded reason and had been adamant that he needed to be the cowboy at the very least. Like he'd said the previous night, he'd done nothing more than stand where directed, but that had been enough. With Suoh standing next to him, they'd garnered a lot of attention while 'guarding' the trophies for the pageant winners. Several of the Bouncers had filled in for the rest of the Village People, which made them noticeable on sight.

There'd been swarms of gay men and transvestites through the place. It was a much bigger event than Xanxus had initially expected. The DJ stand had been cleared of all the equipment and had been covered with decorations and stage props over the course of the afternoon. Every inch of the dance floor and the scaffolds had been filled with watchers. Compared to the previous night, there'd barely been room to move. The show itself had been actually a little fun to watch if he admitted it to himself. He thought it was particularly interesting to count the flaws in the Drag Queens who were up for the different awards. Some of them had been horrendous like they'd never seen a woman's body before. Others were almost too-perfect with even their Adam's apples being hidden. They all had one flaw that set them apart from being able to pass perfectly as a woman, though. It wasn't even their bulges, since those were well-hidden. It was the fact that they were too-poised. No woman that Xanxus had ever met, with the sole exclusions of high-bred rich women, had ever held themselves so properly. Then again, many of the men had been dressed as women of class. The others had ranged from looks marking them as street-walkers to businesswomen.

The one before him was somewhere in the middle between whore and high-bred.

"Don't you dare hurt him," Gigi warned after they'd been left alone together for several minutes. "Suoh picked a price for himself because he's not so stupid as to pass up an opportunity, but he's not an average prostitute. He's not ever done anything like this, but you probably already knew that."

"I figured it out," Xanxus confirmed blandly, pinning the cross-dressing pimp in place with a glare. "And if he gets hurt, I paid enough for him to get himself fixed. Not that I plan on hurting him. That's the last fucking thing I want to do to him."

"Why _are _you paying so much for him?" Gigi asked suspiciously. "You have to know that he decided on that much because he didn't think anyone would actually pay."

"I know," Xanxus growled. "And my reasons are my own fucking business. Keep your nose to yourself and I'll have him back to you in a week."

"There's no need to get testy," the drag queen admonished. "It's just my job to look out for Suoh. It wasn't easy for him to agree to this, you know. He was up all last night trying to decide if he should actually go through with it or not."

"What made him decide to do it?" Xanxus asked in open curiosity.

"He... Well, he has his goals," Gigi answered slowly. "There's things he wants to do and people that he wants to take care of, but he hasn't been able to find a way to make the money that he needs outside of what he's been doing. His father got sick last week and I think that's what made him decide more than anything. You should have seen the poor thing. It was only a touch of the flu, but Suoh acted like it was the end of the world. He's getting desperate for some reason and I'm not sure why exactly. It's like he's racing against an invisible clock."

"Everyone has a story," Xanxus scoffed, reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. Lighting it, he used it to measure the time that Suoh was gone. Two and a half cigarettes later, he wondered if he was even coming. His pimp was starting to look worried and Xanxus was starting to get the feeling that the guy had chosen to back out of the deal after all. Right as Xanxus was about to send the pimp after him, he finally returned, though. From the flush look on his face, Xanxus grinned widely in full knowledge of where he'd probably been. He'd been at the bar, downing what he could to get his courage up.

He looked like he had when Xanxus had first seen him. His hair was tucked away under a wool cap, he wore blue-jeans and a faintly dingy t-shirt, over that was a plain, heavy leather jacket that looked to be two sizes too big. Overall, he looked just like any other wannabe thug out on the streets and he looked nothing like the promiscuous tease that he'd been like in the club. Not that Xanxus cared either way. It was what was under the clothes that Xanxus was more concerned about and Suoh had everything that he wanted.

"I'm... um... I'm ready," Suoh said, trying very hard to hide the fact that he'd gotten himself partially drunk. Not that it was going to do him any good. Xanxus wanted him nice and sober so that he wouldn't pass out on him. Plus, he didn't want anyone screaming rape in the morning.

"Come on," he ordered, turning in place to head out of the alley. "We're walking there."

"Where's there?" Gigi called without following while Suoh dropped into place beside him.

"Penthouse," he answered shortly, "Golden Crest Suites."

"Wow," Suoh mumbled in surprise. "You really are rich... um... What did you say your name was?"

"Xan-- Xander," Xanxus lied off of the top of his head. He had no desire to let his real name out since Suoh was a Tsuna-impersonator. Enough people knew that the real Excaliber's name was Xanxus and, outside of those who needed to know his true identity, he didn't want the fact that he was in town to get around . "It's short for Alexander," he continued.

"Can I call you Alex?" Suoh asked curiously.

"I'd prefer Xander," he replied, leading the way down the sidewalk. That part was honesty. He would be more likely to respond to Xander since it was much closer to his real name than Alex.

"Oh," he mumbled. "Okay. Xander it is. How did you know my name? I don't think I remember introducing myself."

"People wouldn't shut up about you," he answered, slowing his pace a bit since Suoh seemed to be getting slightly winded while they walked down the steaming streets in the direction that Xanxus knew his hotel was in. It was the first rule of survival in a hitman's world to know the lay of the land. He'd known every street and alley before ever getting off of the plane, simply to ensure that he knew the territory that he might have to battle on. While the Martelli Family were wimps in the greater scheme of things, there were plenty of people out there that held a grudge against Vongola and might have followed him. Not that his intuition was giving any inklings of such a thing happening. Which, his hyper-intuition had been strangely quiet lately. That could be just from lack of using it, however. He'd been out of the field for far too long now.

"Really?" Suoh inquired with a small blush. "I didn't know people talked about me. Did they say good things or bad?"

"Good," he answered bluntly, glancing repeatedly down at the face that he'd grown to love. There was something very calming about simply walking with a version of Tsuna next to him. It was a good feeling, like the cold and empty spot inside him had found warmth again. He knew that it was only temporary and a facade, but he was incredibly grateful for the comfort it gave him. "I think the word is charismatic," he explained, remembering the cab driver. Then he remembered what else that he'd pieced together. The numerous comments about Gabriel's broken nose. Autumn's comment about eyeing a potential candidate for her Family that had been the one to break Gabriel's nose. What he'd learned at the club about Suoh having been the one who broke it. "You've caught the eye of some pretty influential people in this city," he added absently. "I think that you'll find yourself pretty well taken care of if any major trouble comes up."

"Yeah, right," Suoh chuckled, bowing his head sadly for some reason. "Who are you kidding? I'm a nobody where those with money and influence are concerned. People like that only throw money after what they can use for their own entertainment. N-Not that I'm saying that you're like that," he amended hurriedly. "I'm just talking about--"

"Don't sweat it," he soothed with a bark of laughter. "I got two eyes, brat. People are self-serving and are only in it for themselves. I'm no different and I won't play around like I'm not. I bought you, didn't I?" Suoh grimaced over the words, but didn't deny them. They seemed to make him melancholy, though, which was the last expression that Xanxus wanted to see on his face. "What are you going to do with that much money?" He asked curiously in effort to cheer the little twerp up. The effect was immediate, turning Suoh's mind toward the huge sum of cash that he'd come into.

"There's this place that I've been negotiating for," he answered enthusiastically. "It's an old theater that hasn't been used in years. The show tonight was supposed to give me the money for the deposit, but now I can afford to just buy it outright. It needs some work to be livable, but there's plenty of space for me and everyone else. My friend Eric will be able to move in with me and Gigi might come along since Roger is moving out with his new boyfriend. There's a big room that me and my dad can use in the upstairs. Gigi will probably love the oversized dressing room and Eric's already shown a lot of interest in retrofitting the technical booth as a bedroom. I figure that we can take out all the seating and sell most of those off since they're in good condition. That will pay for us adding a kitchen into it and retrofitting the ladies' room with a bathtub and everything. And there's a lot of room to relax in with the stage and all, so everyone shouldn't mind living together. My dad is all for it. He says that he always dreamed of a big house that was full of people, but he was never able to have it. I can't really give him a normal house, but he says that the theater that I showed him is ten times better."

"You're still living with your dad?" Xanxus asked curiously, taking enjoyment out of simply listening and watching the expressions that crossed Suoh's face.

"Y-Yeah," Suoh answered hesitantly. "I don't think that Snicker, my dad, would keep on living if I wasn't there for him and I probably wouldn't be any different without him. W-We're kind of all that each other has."

"I see," Xanxus replied, filing the information away in his memory. Suoh was an only child and they didn't have any other family to fall back on. More than likely, his mother was a crack-whore that died, but his father was one of the rare breeds that took responsibility for their children. It made Xanxus wonder who his real father had been. Not that the bastard deserved any thought. He was nothing more than a sperm-donor in the greater scheme of things and it was probably far too late to consider finding him. He already had one bastard old man who had already died on him. There was no point in tracking down a second one.

Feeling impatience start to eat at him, he glanced down to see that the red flush of liquor had eased off of Suoh's face. The chill air probably had a lot to do with it, even though the temperature wasn't exactly what he'd call cold. Then again, he never felt cold. His unique body chemistry didn't allow it except for in extreme conditions. Seeing that Suoh was close enough to sober to satisfy him, Xanxus kept an eye out for passing cabs and hailed the first one that he saw. Suoh got in at his silent gesture, after which he fell completely silent. Xanxus ignored the introspective mood in favor of getting him alone. Once they were alone, then he'd worry about making Suoh comfortable with him.

The ride only took five minutes, where walking the complete distance would have probably taken an hour. Possibly longer with the pace that Suoh had set. Suoh's clothing garnered attention in the lobby, but it was thankfully late enough that only the staff was present. The staff kept their mouths shut like they were trained, but he noted that they all needed to learn a fucking thing or two about keeping their looks to themselves. Who and what he brought into the hotel was his own damn business. Hotaru had paid enough for his stay there that the scum should have more respect for anyone that he brought in with him.

Letting it pass for now since he didn't want to alienate Suoh with any displays of rage, he simply glared on his way through to the elevator. Suoh followed him obediently and silently, keeping his eyes locked on the ground in a way that Xanxus could only think of as submissive.

"Don't lower your head to them," he growled once they were in the elevator, finding it irritating since Tsuna would have lowered his head to no one. "None of those pieces of trash are any better than you."

"I-I know," Suoh replied quietly.

"Are you hungry?" He asked in effort to keep him talking. "I haven't seen you eat anything this afternoon."

"A little," he answered modestly as the elevator doors opened up to the entryway of the penthouse floor. Once more, Xanxus led the way while Suoh looked around the empty hallway with a curiosity that he hadn't shown downstairs. Xanxus nodded in response to his answer and set his mind working on what he might like to eat. He definitely didn't seem like the caviar type of person, so anything too expensive was probably out. Pizza would probably take too long and wouldn't give a good impression of Xanxus. Maybe he could have some sushi delivered? Then again, just because Suoh looked Japanese didn't automatically mean that he liked Japanese food. Fuck. Screw figuring it out for himself. "What do you want?" He asked bluntly.

"Oh, um, anything is fine," he replied, which only irritated Xanxus further.

"What do you want?" He repeated more firmly, ducking into the bathroom to remove his X-Guns and wrap them up safely in his jacket lest the frighten Suoh off. "There's a restaurant downstairs that can make anything or we can order delivery," he called. "I don't give a shit what it is, but pick something."

"Any chance on some steaks?" Suoh asked playfully. Then he chuckled and tossed the suggestion aside. "No, you're already spending enough on me. How about--"

"Steaks it is," Xanxus snapped before he could suggest anything else. Suoh's eyes went wide and he was left gaping for some reason, which made Xanxus strangely happy. "How do you want it cooked?"

"You don't have to--"

"Shut it," he growled. "You said that you want steak, so I'm going to get you a damn steak. You're mine for the week and I take care of my shit. Now, you can either tell me how you want it cooked or I can just tell them to send it up rare so that it's done faster."

"Oh, um," Suoh blushed brightly, understanding the insinuation that came with that statement. "W-Well-done," he answered with his shyness coming out again. Xanxus groaned over the answer, but accepted it since he knew that Suoh might want a little extra time to get comfortable with him. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was staying a week, his patience would have been non-existent. As it was, he could afford to have manners.

Calling down for room service, he made his order quickly and added on a few extra treats to be sent up with it. A few of those treats probably wouldn't be used until later, but he wanted them on hand for when they could be used. Right now, he had to think of some way to get Suoh relaxed and keep control of himself in the process. He was so fucking close and they were alone. He'd been bought and paid for, so there was nothing stopping him from simply ripping of his clothes where he stood except for a nagging voice in the back of his head that told him to take things slowly. It was a nagging voice that told him that Suoh would get scared off very easily if he moved too fast and that was the last thing that he wanted.

"Make yourself comfortable while I check to see if my reports were received," he ordered, snatching up his laptop. Retreating to the lush sitting area in the sprawling suite, he threw it open the moment that he was on the couch and tried to get himself under control. His intuition told him that his own self-control would be what determined whether this experience was enjoyable or a nightmare. He refused to let it become a nightmare, which meant that he had to exert self-discipline to the utmost of his ability.

Predictably, Suoh followed him while still looking around in curiosity. He tossed his cap and his jacket onto a chair for safe-keeping, before sitting politely and quietly in a corner of the same couch that Xanxus had chosen. Biting his lip, since it was incredibly hard to concentrate whenever he felt Suoh's eyes on him, he reached out and snatched up the remote control for the suite's entertainment system. Tossing it to him, he gestured to tell him to watch something and turned his attention back to his laptop.

It was useless. He managed to see the confirmation emails from Hotaru, but he couldn't focus on a word written in them. They could be ordering him to take out the Martelli Family in completion and he wouldn't have been able to comprehend it. Not with Tsuna's expressive face curiously watching the television screen right beside him. Keeping up the charade, he pretended to focus on his laptop to keep Suoh at ease while staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He'd found something to watch and he looked like he was actually relaxing.

Quietly, he shut off the laptop and put it down on the floor next to the couch, moving only slightly so that Suoh wouldn't notice. After that, he turned slightly to make himself more comfortable with his arm along the back of the couch and his eyes locked on the only fucking thing in the room that mattered. Nearly ten minutes passed before Suoh noticed that he was being looked at. He happened to glance over during a commercial while he was taking off his shoes and caught Xanxus' eye. Then he blushed brightly when he noticed the desire that Xanxus was finding very hard to restrain.

The blush eased after a moment despite the fact that Xanxus refused to look away. Xanxus watched as he thought something over very hard while pretending to watch the television. Then he seemed to relax again in what could only be acceptance. Once more, Suoh turned to him and met his eyes. This time, there was no blushes or shyness. There was only a look of determination that Xanxus thought was the most irresistible expression of them all. Especially on that face.

His patience was rewarded when Suoh was once more the first to move. With that determined look in his eye, he crawled forward on the couch, making Xanxus all that more aroused with every inch of space that he closed between them. Letting Suoh set the pace, Xanxus ensured that he knew that his actions were appreciated by the small moan he let out when Suoh actually reached his lap. After that, he could contain himself no longer. He reached out, pulling Suoh against him while willfully claiming his lips. They were just as scaldingly explosive as previously. Possibly more so since Xanxus had the knowledge that he could claim more than simply his lips this time.

Suoh molded against him, melting into the kiss like he had in the club. However, Xanxus refused to let up this time and he refused to stay frozen. Suoh seemed to be unfrozen this time, as well. He continued to crawl into his lap and Xanxus scooted sideways to give his leg clearance to straddle him. Suoh's hands wrapped up around his shoulders and into his hair around his feathered charm. Xanxus' own hands clutched needfully on his sides with extra care given that he didn't clutch too tightly.

His lips were as fiery as Tsuna's. They danced and melted against his own with a hint of Suoh's own desire showing alongside the pressure he used with them. Then all trace of misgivings had disappeared within his hired lover when he felt a tongue slide against his own. It turned the kiss from a simple embrace into a raging tsunami where Xanxus' heated winds met Suoh's crashing waves in fierce conflict. He could feel his whole body throbbing in unison with the storm, begging for permission to release the true fury that he was carefully harnessing for Suoh's sake.

His hands refused to be denied. They slid from Suoh's hips to his rear in order to press him even more firmly against him. Suoh broke off the kiss and gasped upward in surprise at the sensation of Xanxus' hardened bulge coming in contact with his own through their clothes. Xanxus lips refused to stop despite the lack of Suoh's own meeting them. Taking advantage of how Suoh's head was thrown back, he aimed his kisses there. Suoh moaned in pleasure over the nuzzling contact to his neck, making Xanxus throb even harder. He wanted to hear more of that sound. He wanted it louder and he wanted it longer. He wanted to make him scream in passion and lose himself completely in the moment. Anything less would be a failure.

Keeping on hand on his rear to gently guide him into a motion that allowed them to rub against one another in a pleasurable fashion, his used his other hand to get rid of a factor that was slowly starting to get in the way. A single finger was all it took. Trailing it down Suoh's collar, he popped every button on his shirt in order to let it fall open and give Xanxus' lips more room to work. Once more, Tsuna gasped in surprise over the action. Then he moaned low in the back of his throat when Xanxus' tongue curled around Suoh's nipple ring.

His hands tumbled out of Xanxus' hair and fell slack to his sides, giving himself up completely to the sensations that Xanxus was giving him. Xanxus gave him more, flicking his tongue repeatedly against the nipple ring in order to get a hitching and gasping moan that sent spasms through his whole body. Suoh began to fall backward, losing himself just like Xanxus wanted. Xanxus caught him with two hands firmly on his sides, although his head was still able to fall backward even more. Xanxus let it, instead focusing on lowering his attentions from Tsuna's nipples to his abdomen. Tsuna writhed in his grasp, his body begging for more while his mouth continued to emit the sounds that Xanxus enjoyed hearing so much.

Leaning forward, he slowly lowered Ts-_Suoh _to the ground. Suoh showed no sign that he noticed except for the way that he wrapped his legs around Xanxus' hips to keep him pressed close during the transition. Leaving off of his abdomen, he slowly nibbled and licked his way back up to claim Suoh's lips once more. Suoh reached out for the first time while Xanxus firmly rubbed against him during the kiss. His hands were shaking from open desire, making him fumble with the buttons on Xanxus' shirt. Xanxus pulled his arm out from under him after a moment and helped, yanking it open with a sharp tug so that Suoh's hands could reach what they wanted. They were cold against his overheated flesh, making him realize that Suoh was probably getting chilled with how he was exposed. The room was at a comfortable temperature for him, but Suoh's skinny frame was probably poor at trapping heat.

Taking that into consideration, Xanxus pulled away reluctantly and quickly got to his feet. Before Suoh could even look at him with more than a frustrated glance for having stopped, he was lifted up off of the ground and tossed over Xanxus' shoulder. Xanxus grinned at the squeak that Suoh emitted in his surprise, but the brat's weight was nothing to him. His cargo securely in place, he grinned like a maniac when he saw that the room service had arrived without them noticing it. Swinging over to the cart that was next to the door, he left the food for later and snatched up the bottle that he'd ordered.

"I should have ordered it rare," Suoh chuckled sadly when he saw the cart and the trays atop of it. The hard knot poking him in the shoulder told him that Suoh didn't truly mind that Xanxus was skipping the dinner, though.

"I'll get you another one," he promised, not pausing for a moment in reaching his goal. Setting the bottle on the side-table, he yanked back the covers on the bed before tossing Suoh down on it. Suoh wriggled after he fell, giving Xanxus the most arousing visual yet when he was done. It made Xanxus groan and automatically press a hand against his own staff to exert self-control. His hair was splayed out against the pillow with his shoulders exposed above his open shirt. His chest was bare, his nipples were hardened, and his legs were parted to give Xanxus full few of the stiff erection pulling at his pants. He had one hand up next to his head and the fingers of his other pressed to his lips. The expression on his face was one full of his own desire and made his eyes radiate with want.

Even as he gazed on temptation incarnate, the temptation was increased even further. Suoh slowly trailed his hands down his own body and ran his hands up his open thighs. When they made their way back up to his hemline, he popped open the button on his pants and slowly pulled down the zipper. Xanxus could only watch, finding himself completely enthralled while Suoh stuck his thumbs down the sides and started to slowly pull off his own pants. They inched downward with agonizing slowness, during which time Xanxus let out a low moan in the sudden knowledge that he'd not been wearing any underwear. Then he let out a second, harsher groan in the pleasant realization that he really did look like Tsuna from every angle. Like he'd hoped when he'd paid two hundred thousand for him, the work he'd put into making himself look like Tsuna was quality work. Every scar was there, going across his hips and down his legs. Every bullet wound was fabricated and every scar from where Tsuna's skin had been broken from knife or strap. Every discoloration from the zero-point stasis was present in exact detail.

It made him wonder for a moment if--

No, he amended to himself while forcefully shoving such thoughts away. Tsuna was dead. Suoh was well-known in this city and that kind of notoriety didn't happen in a single year. Not only that, but he'd made mention that he was living with his father. Tsuna's father was dead, not living with him in whatever place Suoh lived in. He had an accent that Tsuna had never had and his actions weren't Tsuna's. This was Suoh. Not Tsuna. He just looked like Tsuna which was why he'd bought him in the first place.

Keeping that firmly in mind, Xanxus put his mind toward undressing himself. His eyes were still riveted on the look-a-like's body, however. Suoh tossed his pants off of the other side of the bed and quickly sent his shirt following. Xanxus bit his lip once Suoh was completely nude, watching him as he stroked himself and touched himself where Xanxus could watch. By the time that Xanxus was nude and crawling into the bed on top of him, he was throbbing with need from having been allowed to view such a show.

Remembering the whole reason for coming to the bed, Xanxus threw the covers over both of them and pressed himself down fully on Suoh to warm him. He was as cold as an ice cube, but Xanxus put his mind toward setting that right. Running his hands down Suoh's legs, he rubbed them gently while the heat from his own body leeched into him. He could tell that Suoh could feel the difference from the small consideration that Xanxus had made since his tense muscles loosened with every moment that Xanxus spent in slowly caressing his body warm.

"P-Please," Suoh panted after several minutes, making Xanxus notice that Suoh had went from cold to warm and then from warm to over-heated much more quickly than he'd expected. "I can't take it anymore," he gasped. Considering that Xanxus couldn't honestly say that he was any better off, he reached out from under the covers for the bottle of lubricant that he'd ordered. It wasn't the same brand and scent that he'd always used with Tsuna since there were some things that shouldn't be shared with even a fake. It was the same texture, though, and he knew that Suoh would probably appreciate a healthy amount for his first time.

Quickly coating his hand, himself, and Suoh with the slippery oil, he tossed it back on the side table without a care about taking the time to put the lid back on. All he cared about was pressing a hand to Suoh's inner thigh to hold him open and doing what he could to ease what he knew to be the most painful part of lovemaking. Running his lubricated hand down Suoh's erection and across his balls, he slid his hands even lower and fingered the rim of his entrance for a moment without entering. As he knew from his own experience, Suoh's automatic reaction was to clench tightly to keep the offending digit from penetrating.

Xanxus merely waited with the patience that Tsuna had given him until Suoh relaxed on his own. The moment that he did, he slowly pushed in to stretch the virgin entrance as much as he could. It gave somewhat easily in comparison to what Xanxus expected, but Suoh still cried out at the penetration. He continued to emit gasps and strangled cries until Xanxus' finger brushed up against the bundle of nerves that made him cry out for a different reason. His whole body trembled at the shock, making Xanxus smile in full knowledge of what he was probably feeling.

Satisfied that he'd found the location of his target, he started slipping his finger back and forth across it while adding a second finger to stretch him out even further. Suoh moaned and gasped at the rhythmic penetration, taking full enjoyment out of it much more quickly than Xanxus had expected. Encouraged, he didn't waste any time in pulling his fingers out and pressing himself up against him in his place. Before Suoh could so much as notice the disappearance, Xanxus thrust forward with his own hardened staff rather than his fingers.

Suoh showed no signs of noticing the transition. His eyes stayed close to enjoy the sensations pouring into him and his mouth stayed parted to let out harsh pants and moans of pleasure. At that point, Xanxus stopped caring about anything other than keeping himself within certain limits so that he didn't hurt him. Not that he was currently hurting. Far from it, since he was crying out for more. Xanxus gave it to him, leaning over to give himself better leverage to thrust harder and faster.

He could feel himself building along with the increasing rate that he pounded himself down to the hilt inside of Suoh. With every pummeling blow of his hips against Suoh's rear, he felt the urge to explode cresting closer and closer. Tsuna's words became an unintelligible, endless cry when Xanxus began pumping him in rhythm with the motion, sending them both toward the cliff that was so painfully close. His thumb fingered Tsuna's tip while he stroked his slippery length, taking incredible pleasure from the small droplets that began to leak in warning.

He could feel his Flames tightening into a solid core inside him. Holding back his need to explode with everything that he had, he put up every fortification possible to keep that ball of Flame under his control for when--

Tsuna's back arched and he screamed silently while he climaxed, his anus automatically clenching around Xanxus in his spasms. Xanxus could hold on no longer. Feeling his jaw drop and his breath stop in his chest, he began spilling over. His inner fortifications barely held, but they were enough to keep him from burning Tsuna. His outer fortifications were already breached, however. They stay breached until Tsuna was filled with every drop that Xanxus had to offer, adding more than just oil to the slippery mess that was lubricating him.

Xanxus collapsed dizzily the moment that he was completely spent, smothering Tsuna for a moment until he was able to roll off of him to the side in order to let him breathe. Suoh didn't seem to be in any state to notice or care, panting heavily while his eyes kept a glazed look to them. He moaned quietly when Xanxus pulled out of him, but didn't show any signs of wanting to move. Xanxus felt no different, but he did want to move for one simple reason. Shifting, Xanxus used the last of his strength to pull Tsuna--_Suoh._ he mentally corrected himself again,against his chest. Suoh came willingly, using that last of his own strength to pull the covers up to his shoulders in the process. That done, Xanxus gave himself over to the relaxing euphoria flowing through his body and the warm, comforting presence wrapped around it. Within minutes, he dozed off to find heavenly dreams of the real Tsuna waiting on him.

* * *

Xanxus energetically rolled out of bed on the fifth day of his vacation, although his energy wasn't due to excitement. It was automatic reaction due to the sound of a gun being cocked. Before he could get his brain caught up, he already had his hands lit in Flames of Wrath for having been woken up in the fashion that he hated most. He stared at his assailants with all the anger in his being. He was tempted to kill them all where they stood, but the face of one person in particular caught his eye. It was a person that should have absolutely no reason to complain.

"Do you want to tell me why the fuck that you're in my room?" He growled, completely ignoring the weapons raised at him since they'd not been fired yet.

"Like you don't know, you bastard," Gigi snarled from where he stood dressed in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt. His hand were shaking around the small pistol in his hands, showing Xanxus immediately that the man was in great distress. "I knew that I shouldn't have let him go with you. I knew, but I let it happen anyway and this is what happened."

Xanxus' eyes automatically went to his bed, making him notice for the first time that Suoh wasn't in it. He'd been there last night. They'd fallen asleep together after he'd playfully fed him strawberries. There was no way possible for Suoh to have left the bed without waking him, but he wasn't there and Xanxus didn't remember him leaving. Glancing up with wide eyes, he looked around the suite as if he'd pop up from hiding while trying to ignore what his intuition was screaming at him.

"Where is he?" Xanxus asked in shock over Suoh's continued absence. There was no denying it. He'd run away. Why had he run away? Xanxus had made sure to be mostly gentle with him. He'd been perfectly fine when he went to bed. He'd been a little cold again because he'd been shaking some, but he'd seemed otherwise okay. Xanxus had treated him well. He'd given him everything that he'd showed even a moment's interest in. He'd wined him and dined him and the only thing that he'd not given him was clothes. He'd been allowed a robe, though. That wasn't enough for him to have run away. He'd been amused over Xanxus' desire to keep him nude. He'd--

"Put your guns down," Autumn ordered while slowly lowering her own. "If he's lying, then he's pretty damn good at it. Gigi! Put it down! If he didn't know Suoh was gone, then he's not involved."

"B-But he--"

"Put it down!" She snapped forcefully. "I let you come along because we all thought that he did it, but he didn't. Snicker gave us a few other options on people that might have grudges against Suoh. We'll go one by one and figure it out. We'll find the bastards that did this. I promise you that."

"What. Happened. To. Suoh?" Xanxus interjected forcefully. "He was fucking here last night." Xanxus traded glare for glare against the Mafia heir, refusing to stand down with his own Flames until he got a fucking answer. Everyone in the room looked to be out for revenge, but he had no damn clue why. Obviously, something had happened while he'd been sleeping soundly.

"They found him in a dumpster three blocks away this morning," Autumn replied bluntly, making Xanxus feel like he'd been shot in the heart. "He was raped and beaten, then tossed in the trash. It was either done by someone strong like you or a group of people. We're still not sure which. If I were you, I'd get out of town. The cops are probably going to be right behind us and I'm sure Vongola doesn't need a dead hooker on their hands. It's bad for public relations."

"D-dead...?" Xanxus choked with his Flames dying out on his hands. "H-He's dead...?" Autumn shot him a look full of pity before turning her attention to directing her people into retreating. Xanxus barely noticed them move. If they'd wanted to, they could have shot him full of lead and he probably wouldn't have moved an inch to save himself. It was like Tsuna all over again. He'd failed to take care of him. He'd failed to keep him safe. He'd run away and then he'd died and...

And where the fuck did that leave him?


	18. Chapter 18 Catalyst

Author's notes: Rewind the clock!

* * *

Damn him, Tsuna growled to himself as he limped down the alley away from the hotel. Damn him. Damn him. Damn him! He should have realized it sooner. He should have noticed. Why hadn't he noticed?! He knew why he hadn't noticed. Xander-- no, _Xanxus_, he corrected himself-- didn't have the scars on his upper body and face. He'd honestly thought that he was another impersonator and had blown off the scars on his lower half in belief that he was in the middle of his body modifications. He hadn't known. He hadn't questioned. All the calendar pictures of Xanxus had his scars present. The first time that they'd come in contact, Xanxus had his scars present. He'd completely forgotten about that last time that he'd seen him in person when he'd woken up. He'd been too terrified at that time to notice that Xanxus didn't have his scars anymore!

He'd forgotten and this was his punishment for forgetting. He had to run. He had to hide. He didn't think that Xanxus had realized that he was really was Tsuna, but he might if he stayed any longer. He couldn't stay longer now that he knew. He wasn't that good of an actor and all of his old fear had welled up in him so quickly. It had welled up in him when Xanxus had cried out the wrong name which he didn't know was actually right. He'd called out for Tsuna instead of Suoh in the heat of the moment, telling Tsuna everything that he didn't want to know.

Hearing his own name had been a slap to the face. He'd realized immediately that he was in trouble. It had taken everything he had to let Xanxus finish without showing how scared he became. It had taken everything he had not to throw up in the knowledge of what he had been letting _Xanxus _do to him. He'd needed the money, though. He'd have been a complete idiot to pass up two hundred thousand dollars. Now he was telling himself that he was an idiot for getting greedy. Nickels and dimes. He should have just stuck with his nickels and dimes. He'd been doing just fine without all that money and--

Tsuna cursed and paused next to a dumpster. His rear hurt with every step he took and his legs felt like they wanted to turn into gelatin. He'd known that it wouldn't be easy to take it in the backside, but he hadn't known that it would make him hurt like this. The bastard could teach a jackhammer a thing or two. The bastard needed to learn manners, too. Xanxus had torn every button off of his shirt without thinking twice about it. He didn't have that many shirts to spare! Screw it. He could buy a new one now. Well, a new used one, he amended. Even with all that cash, he wasn't going to waste a cent of it. Snicker had taught him better than that.

Assuming that Xanxus didn't come after it since he'd not stayed the whole week. Shit! Maybe he could hide for a week or two. Xanxus had said that he had to leave town next week. If he could just stay in hiding until Xanxus left, he could keep the money. If he still came after it, maybe he could ask Gigi to tell him that he's ran off to Texas or something. He really didn't want to leave this city. It was the first home that he'd found for himself and he was scared to death of having to start over from nothing again. He had friends here and Snicker was here. He couldn't leave Snicker. Snicker was his reason for living and he was Snicker's. He--

Tsuna looked up in fear of the sudden presence that he felt next to himself. They'd come up so quietly and he'd let himself get distracted. Pushing off the dumpster, he tried his damndest to keep his walk straight while he hurried further down the alley. He needed to make it out of the other side. He knew how small he was. He'd run into trouble before when he'd been caught alone. He--

He paused, seeing a man block the exit of the other end with his large frame. He was huge and even in the darkness, Tsuna could see the malice radiating from him. The way that the man's gaze was focused on him made him automatically turn around to retreat back the way he came. He'd just go back out in the streets where it was safer. There was a bigger chance on Xanxus catching him, but that was fine. Actually, he could afford a cab just this once. He--

Tsuna gasped in surprise, turning directly around to find that the people that had walked up to him at the dumpster had been following him closely. He tried to slip past them, but found himself shoved up against one of the alley walls with the dumpster itself hiding them from view. He tried to scream in his growing panic, but found his face slammed against the brick wall again before he could utter more than a squeak. Fighting back, all of his blows were weak from rising fear. His brain didn't want to catch up and everything started happening too fast for him to comprehend. It hurt. He was being hurt. That was the only thought that he could grasp as he felt his lip split open from a punch. More punches followed, leaving him too dazed and dizzy to fight back. Someone else started punching him while the first person held him pinned upright. The fists were so heavy and they blurred into four of them as they collided with his unresisting body.

Before long, he couldn't even stand on his own two feet. He had no clue why these people were hurting him. He had no clue what they'd want to steal from him. Everything that he had was broken or tattered. Not that such a thing mattered on the streets. Some people had even less than the pitiful clothes that he was standing in. Maybe they wanted to steal his shoes? No, they wanted to steal his pants. He could feel them been torn off while he clawed at the ground weakly in an attempt to get away after they dropped him. He tried to kick the person behind him, but only got kicked himself for his troubles. He felt a sharp pain go through his ribs, telling him that it was cracked.

Then he felt something. It was something that terrified him even more than being beaten. It was something that made him stop clawing at the ground and made him roll on the ground to turn around and fight. He managed to get on his back, but a foot on his throat pinned him down. He tried to push the foot off and succeeded. Or so he thought. The foot stomped down on his arm repeatedly, making him scream hoarsely when he felt it break. Then his scream was silenced as another kick impacted the side of his head, making the world become completely unfocused. He blinked slowly, trying to get everything to line up correctly so that he could get away, but his body and his eyes stopped wanting to answer him.

"Hey now," a third person admonished, which Tsuna only barely heard as the world faded in and out. "I said to keep him subdued, not to kill him. I might want to use him again sometime. Just hold him down so that we can see if his ass is really worth paying that much for."

Tsuna felt tears welling up in his eyes. He knew that voice. He didn't want that person inside him. That person didn't give him a choice, though. His assailant's friend reached down and pinned him in place while even more hands grabbed his ankles to hold him open. Clenching his eyes shut, he felt the need to scream in terror when he felt himself being penetrated despite how he tried to clench himself closed. He couldn't, though. He was too scared to even scream. He tired, but they only came out as breathless gasps. They were hurting him. They were going to kill him. He didn't want to die. He had to keep living for Snicker. Snicker would save him. Wouldn't he? Snicker always saved him. Snicker...

Snicker didn't know where he was.

Tsuna let out a small sob, feeling himself being filled by the last person that he'd ever wanted to touch him. He let out a sob out of fear. Out of disgust. Out of shame for how his own body was reacting against his will. He felt something pressed against his mouth and he tried to turn his head away, but they wouldn't let him. The one person he recognized pulled out of him, only to be replaced by another person. And another. They traded off on him so many times that he lost track of how many people there were. Was it two? Three? A dozen? They kept using him repeatedly until all he was left with was a mental void where his mind had stopped completely.

When that happened, there was only oblivion that followed.

* * *

_"You really do have a death wish. Don't you, Tsunayoshi?" _

_Tsuna's eyes snapped open. What he saw left him disoriented. He could see a sky that was pure and untainted by smog. Where was the buildings? Where was he? The city was gone. He was supposed to be in the city. He wasn't in the city, though. He could tell without even sitting up. He was on some kind of lake shore. He could hear the water splashing at his feet and he could see trees when he turned his head. Where the hell was he? What happened?_

_Everything came back in a rush. He'd been caught by surprise in an alley while he'd been fleeing Xanxus. They'd seen him and followed him. They had... They had beaten him. They... They had hurt him. They'd hurt him badly. He felt his whole body begin to shake and tears well up in his eyes at the memory. Giving himself to Xanxus had been bad enough, but at least he'd been willing when he hadn't known who he was. Those people hadn't even asked him if he was willing. They'd just hurt him so that he couldn't fight back and had taken it from him. They'd violated him and... and..._

_Tsuna let out a sob while he curled into a tight ball. They'd hurt him. They didn't have any right to hurt them, but they'd still done it. No one had come to save him. No one had interfered and made them stop. No one had heard his screams. He'd screamed. Hadn't he? At least once, he'd screamed while they'd first started attacking him. Had no one heard? Had they just ignored him if they did? It didn't matter anymore. He was dead. They'd killed him and he was dead and this was heaven. Or maybe this was hell. He'd done terrible things in his life, so maybe this was hell and he was going to be punished. Or maybe his punishment had already started and that was what he was remembering. _

_"Hush, Tsunayoshi," the familiar voice soothed. Tsuna tensed with a gasp when he felt someone touch his back. It was going to start again. He was in hell and he was going to have to go through that over and over again for eternity. He didn't want to go through that. He'd tried to be a good person. He'd tried-- "What happened, Tsunayoshi?" The voice asked worriedly when he started shaking even harder. "You are typically much more at peace when you are here. What transpired while my eye wandered away?"_

_Tsuna looked up tearfully, his eyes confirming what his ears already told him. This was definitely hell. Only the devil would be cynical enough to make him think that Mukuro was trying to be friendly. Mukuro had wanted to possess him the last time that they'd met. He wanted to take over the world and destroy it. At this point, he didn't care, though. If Mukuro possessed him, he wouldn't ever get hurt again. That would be okay. Wouldn't it? Not that Mukuro probably wanted to possess him anymore. He was a nobody, just like he'd always been. He wasn't a Mafia Boss like Reborn had kept trying to make him. He was just No-Good Suoh. No-Good, weak, helpless, pathetic, PITIFUL Suoh. He was Pitiful Suoh who could even manage to protect himself. It made him wish that he was dead. _

_Then he realized that he was dead._

_Hell. He was definitely in hell. _

_Tsuna gasped again, feeling something rummaging through his head. It hurt. It was like there were a thousand pieces of shattered glass in his brain, poking him with every shift while the presence carefully dug through it. It hurt! It made him feel violated all over again. He hadn't agreed to this! He wanted it to stop, STOP, STTTTTOOOPPP! _

_"I'm trying to be gentle, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro hissed in pain a moment after the rummaging actually did stop. "You aren't speaking to me and I see no other recourse than to see for myself what happened. Your mind is still in shambles and--"_

_"Go away," Tsuna wept, curling back into his ball again. _

_"I need to know what happened," Mukuro urged mercilessly. "Your spirit has been damaged this time instead of merely your body. I must know the cause if I am to help heal it."_

_"Go away," Tsuna repeated, curling even tighter. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to remember it. All he wanted was to go home. He wanted to go home to Snicker and Gigi and Eric. He could almost feel them. It was as if he just reached out and pulled, he could be with them again._

_"Wait! Tsuna! Not yet--"_

_Darkness washed out the rest of Mukuro's panicked words when he curiously pulled on that thin, tattered line that he felt inside of himself._

* * *

It was dark. It was dark and his body was covered in pain that seemed to reach into his very bones. He was cold and naked for some reason and he could feel that he was laying on something made out of metal. There was a tight sensation in his chest that made it incredibly hard to breathe and that was just for starters. His head was sore and bruised from the blows that he'd taken. His ankles hurt and he could almost feel the hand prints on his legs. He couldn't feel his left hand at all, but there was an agonizing sensation lancing through his upper arm. Worst of all was the undeniable knowledge of what other parts of his body hurt.

Why was it so dark? Was he still in the alley? Not that it mattered. No matter where that bastard had taken him, he had to get away and go get help. He would die if he stayed like this and he couldn't die. He'd promised Snicker that he'd keep living. Even if it hurt. Even if he didn't want to, he'd made a promise. He couldn't let Snicker die because he gave up.

Summoning all of his meager courage, determination, and energy, he reached out to find that someone had the decency to cover him with a sheet. They'd just covered up too much of him. Not that he was going to argue. It beat laying on a table naked. Able to see out of only one eye since the other was swollen shut, he knew immediately that he was on a table. Not that it really mattered why he was on a table, but he was curious over it since it was the last place that he'd expect to find himself upon waking. Maybe he was in one of those creepy BDSM places that Gigi had once warned him off of. A metal table sounded more like their style instead of a comfortable bed and that was probably the type of place that those assholes that had attacked him would probably enjoy.

Not wasting the brain power on figuring out more, he tied the sheet around himself for modesty using the only hand that he could feel and tried to get to his feet. He tried and he failed, collapsing the moment that he put any weight on his legs. His whole body was shaking from exhaustion, but he knew that he couldn't rest. He couldn't rest until he got out of here and found help.

Staring for a moment at the red droplet that fell to the ground when he pushed himself up to his knees with one hand, he realized that his head was bleeding. As if the single droplet was a catalyst of energy for him, he forced himself to his wobbling feet and forced those feet to hold him. He couldn't die. He had to get help. One step. Two steps. The door seemed so incredibly far away. Just a little more though. Five steps. Six. Reaching out, he had tears in his eyes when he finally reached his current goal. He pushed it open, grateful that it seemed willing to give with the slightest of pushes. It was almost if--

Tsuna froze at the plaque staring at him when he stepped out into the new hallway with only a sheet wrapped around his waist. There was no way. There was no way that they'd given up on him and put him there. He wasn't dead and only dead people went there. Yet, he knew how to read English and there was no other way to read it than what it said.

MORGUE

He heard a flurry of movement beside him as he felt his knees give again. He couldn't see who it was since that side was swollen shut, but someone caught him before he hit the ground. Then the person shifted into his sight and Tsuna felt tears well up for a different reason.

"S--" he tried to say in relief, but his throat and mouth was too cracked and dry to get the word out.

"Oh God," Snicker cried, holding him painfully tightly against his chest. "Hold on, Suoh! Do you hear me?! The nurse is running to get the doctors. I knew it. They said that you were dead but I told them that I didn't believe them and I made them bring me down here to see you. I told them and I was right. You're going to be okay, Suoh. Just you stay with me. Okay? I ain't going to let them shove you into no box just yet." Suoh nodded to say he understood, but Snicker was too frantic to notice. He felt himself bodily lifted up in Snicker's arms, saving him from having to have to walk anymore. He was beginning to feel dizzy again for some reason, probably from the exhaustion that seemed to seep into him in a rush.

He was safe. He was with Snicker and he was safe. Snicker wouldn't let them hurt him anymore.

"Don't you close your eyes on me!" Snicker snapped, making his eyes fly open from where they'd slowly been flickering shut. "You keep them open. You hear me? Here they come, Suoh. I'm going to give you over to the doctors and they're going to patch you right up. They're going to patch you up and then you can come home again. How does that sound?" He asked, laying him down on a gurney in a hurry. The doctors and nurses immediately shoved him aside in their belated stampede to help him, but Tsuna could still hear Snicker calling out from just past them. "We can throw you a big party when you get better, Suoh! So you just let the doctors fix you up and you hold on! I'll be waiting on you when they get done with you! I'll be right here, Suoh!" Tsuna smiled, feeling tears falling freely at the tears he could hear in Snicker's voice. "I'll be right out here waiting on you!"

Never again, he swore to himself as the painkillers that the doctors began pumping into him started to work and he began to get even dizzier. Never again would he worry Snicker. He'd get stronger so that Snicker would never have to worry about him ever again. He'd get stronger so that he could survive anything and survive up against anyone. He'd get stronger and stronger until he was strong enough to defeat the person that had done this to him. Until he was strong enough to defeat that man for having violated what he had no right to violate. He'd defeat that bastard for having hurt Snicker by hurting him.

No, he mentally amended. The bastard had almost killed him. They'd planned it and had willfully chosen to hurt him. He wasn't a naive kid. He didn't want to simply defeat the man that had hurt him and Snicker. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to send him straight to hell so that neither him or Snicker would ever have to worry again. He knew who'd done this. He could kill him. That was the only justice there would be for him. He couldn't talk to the police because they might find out his identity was fake and might find out who he really was, but if he kept his mouth shut...

If he kept his mouth shut, recovered. and got stronger, he could kill Gabriel the next time that he saw the bastard.

He'd kill him and then no one could ever hurt him or Snicker again.

Ever... again...

* * *

_"See your target, Tsuna!" Iemitsu yelled. "See what he's going to do before he sees! You can't always rely on your gloves! Your gloves are a tool! You are the user of that tool! Open your mind or you'll never be anything more than what you are now!"_

_"Hai!" Tsuna shouted in reply, continuing his spar with masked man before him. The man had real weapons and was fresh, switching out regularly with the other two dozen men lining the walls, each with this own specialty. He was bare-handed and bone-weary, but he had to defeat all of them twice before his dawn run to cool down. They were all on loan from the Vendiche prison. The worst of the worst. All of them had been promised amnesty along with riches and fortunes if they could kill him. _

_All of them were going to die eventually if they didn't. It was the pinnacle of Reborn's Spartan training for him, but it was effective. He wasn't allowed to lose. He had to keep fighting. He had to keep winning. He couldn't die here. Not while simply training. He'd never be forgiven for such a failure. He didn't want to kill, though. That was his assignment and he fought it with tooth and nail every morning. He had to defeat all two dozen rested and armed killers twice to be able to leave without killing anyone. He'd yet to succeed. The last time that he'd come close, Reborn had added an extra half-dozen men to his training regimen. _

_He was pushing. He was pushing for that moment where Tsuna had no choice but to kill or be killed. He was pushing him purposely in complete faith that he wouldn't simply give up and allow one of them to slice his throat open. There were times that he wondered why he kept fighting. There were times that he wondered why he didn't just give up. His instincts wouldn't let him, though. His instincts screamed for him to do everything possible to keep himself alive. _

_Even if it meant that he had to kill._

_"Do you want to die, son?!" Iemitsu cried when Tsuna barely dodged the knife that tried to slice through his waist. "You can't save everyone! I know it's hard, but you're pushing yourself too much! Accept that you have to kill to survive and counter! See his movements and strike back! You can do it, Tsuna! You have more power than simply what your gloves give you! Fight back, damnit!"_

_His dad was right. He couldn't last much longer. He was going to die at this rate. Tsuna took a deep breath and lunched forward with the last of his strength, twisting the dagger out of the man's grip along the way. With a flurry of movements, he turned it in his hand and sent it plunging forward as he shouldered the man into a standstill. Blood began pouring out over his hands while he clenched his eyes shut in the full knowledge that his opponent had died painlessly. He'd made it quick, unlike the torture that the Vendiche would have executed him with. It'd been to the point that he wouldn't have been able to fight back if he'd kept going. It'd been better to strike while he still had enough strength to keep it a clean kill. While he could still strike with enough force and speed that the man died before he was able to register the impact._

_Right?_

_"Good enough, Tsuna," Iemitsu praised quietly as the body fell to the floor and Tsuna felt to his own knees, shaking from exhaustion and after-shock. "You can't hold back when your life is on the line. Too many people rely on you. You have to always remember that and not hold back."_

* * *

He could hear laughter. He liked the sound. It made him feel safe and warm. There were people, talking and laughing around him. Familiar people. Familiar laughter. There was Snicker's boisterous chuckle and Eric's exuberant one. He could hear Gigi's voice telling some story that had everyone around him in stitches. It made Tsuna want to laugh and tell his own joke that popped into his head. '_Well, at least I'm not the only one in stitches_!'

He couldn't, though. It took everything in him just to crack his eyes open, so talking was out of the question for the moment. He wanted to see everyone, however. He wanted to see and make sure that it wasn't a dream. He really was safe and everyone was really around him. He could see them, laughing and talking in the hospital room. They were all there and they were all waiting on him. Snicker was there just like he'd promised, but Gigi and Eric was there, too. The one sight that truly made his heart leap was the golden beauty sitting on the edge of his bed, blocking his view of what sounded like Demitri.

She was holding his hand. He could feel it. He could feel the warmth and caring that she hid to protect herself. That comforted him more than he wanted to admit. She was here. She didn't have to be, but she was here to see how he was doing. They'd never seemed to get off on the right foot with each other, but she was still here. She was here because some small part of her actually cared about a loser like him.

A loser like him that had sold himself off to a murderer like Xanxus. A loser like him who had nothing to offer in return. A loser like him who had been beaten up without landing a single punch to defend himself. A loser like him who had let Gabriel violate him. A loser like him that had been passed around like a party favor and had been... had been... forced...

Tsuna denied the tears that wanted to well up in his eyes with a tremble. He wouldn't cry. Crying wouldn't make everything all better. Nothing would make everything all better except for him to get stronger. He had to get stronger so that he could kill Gabriel and make sure that Gabriel didn't ever hurt anyone ever again.

Ever again!

"Suoh..." Autumn mumbled worriedly, making Tsuna gasp in the realization that he'd clenched his hand tightly around Autumn's hand and that he was shaking. His whole body was trembling. He couldn't stop it. The more that he tried to make it stop, the harder that it would get. Letting go of Autumn's hand, he tried to weakly smile to cover for how his body was acting. He didn't want everyone to stop laughing and talking with each other. He definitely didn't want everyone staring at him like they were.

He wanted them smiling, not looking at him with that expression that he hated so much. The more he tried to smile, the deeper those looks got until he finally gave it up and looked down so that he didn't have to see such expressions directed at him. He didn't want pity. He didn't want them to pretend like they understood when they had no fucking clue how he felt. It was no different than the pity that he'd gotten on the street. Stupid people trying to think that they had imaginations vivid enough to really understand how hard his life was. The only difference was that pity got him nothing from where he was sitting right now. It was pointless and only made him feel even more pathetic.

"Why don't you all head back?" Snicker suggested quietly. "All of you can see that he's just fine and he needs his beauty sleep. He's not going to get any with all of you carrying on like you are." No one argued, even though Snicker had been laughing along with them. Snicker knew, though. He was just as sensitive to pity that Tsuna was. They'd had to take those looks together when they were homeless, jobless, and didn't have a penny to their name.

For some reason, Autumn didn't budge. He was strangely happy about the fact, even though she pitied him, too. At least, he was happy about it until she opened her mouth.

"What happened, Suoh?" She asked bluntly once only she and Snicker were in the room with him, making Tsuna shake internally again. "Did Xander do this to you?" Tsuna softly shook his head no, refusing to look up or speak about it. "Did you see who did this to you? I need to know." Tsuna nodded quietly, not wanting to lie to his golden Autumn. Then came the question that he feared. "Who did this to you, Suoh?" Tsuna shook his head once more, silently telling her that he refused to say. He wanted to take care of Gabriel himself. He had to or else he'd never know if he'd gotten strong enough to keep himself from getting hurt again. He had to know that or else he'd never rest easy. "Who was it, Suoh?" She repeated. "Just say the name and I've got a lot of friends that would be more than happy to pay him back for hurting you. You don't want them to hurt you again. Do you? All I need is a name and--"

Autumn broke off when Tsuna finally raised his head. He simply stared at her, giving her a look that told her that he didn't want her help. He didn't want her pity. He was more than capable of paying Gabriel back himself and he had every intention to do so. It was a look that told her that he wouldn't settle for simply settling the score. It was a look that silently told her that he planned to kill that unnamed person. There was a rage inside him for what Gabriel had done to him. There was a rage that was eating him alive for how Gabriel had hurt him enough to make Snicker so worried that he'd cried. Never again. He'd kill someone else before he ever let that happen again. He didn't care if it made him into a bad person. Just for that one bastard, he'd put every ounce of his own decency to the side and murder the man.

"You don't think that you'll get away with it. Do you?" Autumn asked with surprising gentleness after she managed to shake off her shock. "You'd get caught and thrown in jail and where would that leave Snicker?" Tsuna bowed his head. She was right. He couldn't have both. He could either kill Gabriel or stay by Snicker's side. Right now, nothing was more important than Snicker. He could still get stronger, though. He could get stronger and maybe one day, he'd be able to figure that part out. Until then, he could simply do everything that he could to prepare.

"Just tell me who it is, Suoh, and I'll take care of it," she pleaded. "I promise." Once more, Tsuna stubbornly shook his head to tell her no. "Fine," she snapped in irritation, jumping to her feet. "Suit yourself. I don't know why I'm even bothering with a pig-headed man like you. You don't deserve my time. You're nothing more than a filthy, stubborn, egotistical, indiscriminate, wanton jackass who doesn't have a single thing worth--"

"I love you," he interrupted with a small smile, speaking for the first time since waking. His voice was still cracked and parched, but he was able to get the words out clearly. He wasn't sure what made him say it, but he felt that he needed to. Maybe it was him remembering that he had woken up in the morgue. Maybe it was because he'd come so close to dying with that small regret. Maybe it was just because how the more that she insulted him, the more that he felt like he could stand up and counter what was thrown at him. She made him feel like he wanted to wring her neck at times, but he couldn't help how he felt even when she was at her worst. She gave him courage by simply being herself.

Peeking upward to see her reaction, he smiled a bit more over her expression. She was like a stranded fish with how he'd caught her mid-insult and off-guard. She opened and closed her mouth several times, obviously trying to think of a way to respond and coming up blank. It was the first time that he'd managed to shut her up and it made him feel a hundred times better to simply watch her in that moment. After nearly a minute, she noticed for herself that she was stunned. Her mouth clamped shut and her eye twitched while she glared at him for having made her look so foolish. Tsuna only grinned wider at the reaction, taking heart that she hadn't automatically blown his confession off. After another moment of glaring, she made her response.

She hissed at him like an angry cat before spinning in place and storming out. The moment that she was gone, he found himself chuckling softly over the reaction. It was just like her. She hated being controlled, just like a cat. She got pampered and idolized a lot and craved attention despite her attitude of disregard for the offerings that came her way. Yet, he'd seen her a few times when he went over to see Summer. She was possessive over what she claimed was her own and she cared for those things almost religiously when she thought that no one was looking. For her to have been knocked speechless had to have been a major shock to her. It was a shock because for just a split second, Suoh had managed to make her lose control.

He didn't doubt for a moment that Autumn was pissed at him now. Not that he cared. She was always angry at him for some reason. He didn't mind it so much anymore, because he could see past the anger, insults, and banter now. He could see past it because he'd been bickering with her often enough that he took pleasure in their occasional exchanges. It was a game to see who could leave the other one without a counter. She won every time, but just this once... Just this once, he'd left her speechless.

"Well, I'll be damned," Snicker commented in awe. "She didn't give you the old 'love is cheap and I prefer cash' line, Suoh. I think that's a first. I gotta tell Gigi about this one. He'll never--"

"Keep it to yourself, old man," Tsuna interjected with another small smile. "She might not have blown me off, but she didn't accept it, either. There's no point in pissing her off any more than she already is."

"Now, who are you calling old man?" Snicker scolded in mock-offense. "I'm only thirty-eight, I'll have you know. I'm no where near the top of the hill yet! Of course, when I get there, everyone on the other side will be screaming. You know what they'll be screaming, don't you?"

"What's that?" Tsuna asked in amusement.

"They'll all be screaming 'Oh no! It's another old bastard in denial! He's going to shit on the top and make the hill larger again!'" Despite himself, Tsuna burst out laughing at Snicker's joke. It was crude, but it was exactly the kind of antic that he could see Snicker doing. Snicker smiled at him in open happiness that his joke had helped make Tsuna feel better. Which, the joke did take his mind off of his troubles right up until his laughter sent a lancing pain through his chest that left him gasping and wheezing. "Easy now," Snicker murmured in...in pity.

"Don't look at me like that," he begged once the pain had eased. "Anyone but you, Snicker. You know how much I can't stand that look."

"What look?" Snicker asked in confusion.

"You know what look," he replied. "It's that same look that people always gave me when I was begging. I don't want pity. You should know that!"

"Don't be stupid, Suoh," Snicker scolded with a sad, soft expression. "No one is looking at you with pity. It's called worry. You almost died on us. You went through something really bad and we're all concerned about you."

"Well, don't be. I'm perfectly fine," he lied firmly, hiding the way that he wanted to shake at even the smallest mention of what he'd went through. "I.. uh... I just um..."

"Why did you go, Suoh?" Snicker asked while Tsuna tried to find something to say to make everything go back to how it had been. "You know that the streets are dangerous at night. What were you doing, walking that alley by yourself?"

Tsuna simply stared into space for a moment, feeling like the question was a blow to his gut. There was something in Snicker's tone. Something small and barely noticeable that seemed to lash Tsuna repeatedly like a whipcord. It was a tone that suggest that he'd been asking to be beaten. It was a tone that suggested that he'd asked to be raped. He'd never asked for it, though. He'd just been walking and minding his own business while trying to get home. He'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had come under the attention of some very wrong people. He'd known better than to go down the alley-roads on his own at night, but he'd been distracted and scared that Xanxus would wake up and follow him. It would have been dangerous no matter which path that he took, he thought. He'd thought that Xanxus was the bigger threat and had acted accordingly. He hadn't asked for those people to hurt him just because he'd walked down that alley. He hadn't asked them to beat him and punch him and kick him and touch him and... and...

"Suoh?" Snicker asked worriedly.

"I want to go home," Tsuna mumbled with a hint of a whine in his voice.

"You can't for a few days," he said sternly. "The doctors want to keep an eye on you to make sure that your head is alright. You had a nasty concussion and they want to make sure that there isn't any internal bleeding that they missed in the rest of you. They say that it's a bloody miracle that you survived. They estimated that you'd been in that dumpster for almost six hours before they found you. The paramedics claimed that you were dead at the scene, so they took you straight to the morgue. Dead my ass. It makes me glad that I threw such a fit. You should have seen the look on the doctor's face when you walked out of the morgue, though. You can better believe that heads are going to roll for them giving up on you when you weren't dead yet."

"I was dead," Tsuna mumbled with a strange feeling of certainty. "Maybe it was just a dream, but I don't think so. I really did die."

"What that? Were you floating over your body or something?"

"No," he murmured sadly, bowing his head in confusion and sadness. "I was in hell." He'd been in hell. That place couldn't have been anything else. Not if Mukuro was there. That man was a monster that was almost as scary as Xanxus. He couldn't be trusted. He could just imagine having to spend eternity with that man. There was no way that it was anything other than hell. That was okay, though. If he was going to end up in hell anyway, then there was no point in not killing Gabriel. He'd tried and tried and tried to be a good person, but it didn't matter. He was still going to hell anyway. At least he could take another bastard with him. He could wait and take that bastard with him as soon as he figured out a way to kill him without getting caught by the police.

Although, thinking of Mukuro and Gabriel brought another monster into his mind.

"What happened to Xan--Xander?" Tsuna asked, carefully not using Xanxus' real name. "Did he come and take his money back because I left?"

"No," Snicker replied with a raised eyebrow over the sudden question. "Autumn said that he skipped town when he found out that you were dead. He took the first flight out this morning so that he didn't have to talk to any cops about what you were doing at his hotel."

"Good," he sighed in relief.

"Good, my ass!" Snicker snapped with a heavy overtone of suppressed anger. "You shouldn't have been at that hotel at all, Suoh! I can't believe that you actually went and sold yourself like that! We ain't homeless no more! You didn't have to go doing something like that for money! I told you that I could go out and get a second job if you needed anything! There just some things that a man shouldn't do and that's one of them! It might be all right for Gigi to go out selling himself, but he actually likes having things shoved up where the sun don't shine! You are different, though. You shouldn't be going out kissing men and doing all that nasty business that you've been doing! You were just asking for someone to think that--"

"_Was _I asking for it?" Tsuna interjected quietly in his own growing doubt. Snicker froze at the reminder that the worst had already come to pass. He grimaced over his lack of tact, but Tsuna wasn't sure if he could blame him anymore. Was everyone thinking that he'd been asking for it? Was that why it had been done?

"No, Suoh," he soothed gently, coming over to sit on the edge of his bed. "You weren't asking for it. Can you at least tell me what really happened, though? All I got is what the police told me. They came to the apartment this morning to get my statement and that's when we all found out about you. They'll probably be here as soon as they hear that you're awake, but I'd really like to hear it from you before they get here."

"You already know," Tsuna mumbled with a small tremble. The memory came up so easily at the words. The fear. The pain. The shame. The feeling of being completely helpless and the knowledge that no one had saved him.

"I still want to hear it," he replied carefully. "I just can't believe it, Suoh. I saw you take down that big monster before and you fended off those muggers in the park. Then I hear that you got beat up by some punk in an alley. It just don't make any sense to me. I've seen you fight, Suoh. You're strong. So, what happened?"

"I don't know," Tsuna started slowly. "I tried to fight back, but it was different this time."

_Fighting back, all of his blows were weak from rising fear. His brain didn't want to catch up and everything started happening too fast for him to comprehend._

"It all happened so fast and they were already hitting me before I even knew it."

_He was being hurt. That was the only thought that he could grasp as he felt his lip split open from a punch. More punches followed, leaving him too dazed and dizzy to fight back. _

"I was scared and there were too many of them."

_Someone else started punching him while the first person held him pinned upright. The fists were so heavy and they blurred into four of them as they collided with his unresisting body._

"I tried to fight back, Snicker. I really did, but it was like I couldn't find the right thing to hit."

_The foot stomped down on his arm repeatedly, making him scream hoarsely when he felt it break. Then his scream was silenced as another kick impacted the side of his head, making the world become completely unfocused._

"Then they pinned me down and kicked me and hurt me and..."

_'I might want to use him again sometime. Just hold him down so that we can see if his ass is really worth paying that much for.' Clenching his eyes shut, he felt the need to scream in terror when he felt himself being penetrated despite how he tried to clench himself closed. He couldn't, though. He was too scared to even scream. He tired, but they only came out as breathless gasps. _

"It's okay, Suoh," Snicker soothed with tears in his eyes, reaching out to pull Tsuna into a hug that was carefully place as if he was afraid Tsuna might break. Tsuna put his head on his shoulder, trying to fight the urge to cry while his body continued to shake, feeling like he _would _break if he let out a single tear. "You don't got to tell me any more. It'll be okay."

"Excuse us," a voice interrupted before Tsuna was allowed to gain even a small measure of balance again. Snicker let him go in order to turn in place to look at the new visitors while Tsuna continued to try and regain his calm. "I'm Officer Williams and this is Officer Jeffress. We're from the Special Victims Unit and we'd like to ask Suoh a few questions."


	19. Chapter 19 Kickstart

"Go away!" Tsuna yelled, slamming the door shut and pressing his back against it like it'd keep them out. "I already told you everything! Just leave me alone!"

"We're just trying to help you," Officer Jeffress called through the door. "If you can remember anything, you need to tell us, Suoh. We can't catch these guys before they hurt someone else unless you give us more information."

Tsuna kept his mouth firmly closed, knowing how these particular Officers worked. They wouldn't stop as long as he kept responding. They'd keep going and going as if even his rejections told them that he wanted to talk. They'd almost made him slip a few times before he'd regained his calm at the hospital. The second time that they'd questioned him before he left, he'd refused to say a word until he was positive that his answers gave away nothing more than what he wanted. That time, it'd been a lot easier to answer because he hadn't been quite as scared. Gigi had informed him that his identity had been finished while he'd been with Xander. As far as even the police knew, he was a normal citizen with nothing special about him.

By necessity, his background had been thoroughly created. Gigi had skimped over very little for his sake. His blood parents had been illegal immigrants who'd died on the street. He'd been picked up by Snicker, which wasn't that much of a lie, and had been permitted adoption since it'd been during the time that Snicker had been separated by his wife but hadn't yet become homeless. Fake records had been inserted into a local high school for him and no one would question him having passed through without notice since the schools themselves were overcrowded. As far as his records were concerned, he barely got through high school with a GED before he'd left with the circus at eighteen. He traveled with the circus as an unpaid extra hand who got meals and shelter for his work up until he was twenty-two. Then, he'd returned to the city to live with his father again and the rest was history.

For good measure, a few police warnings had been tossed onto his record. Not that they were anything serious. Just one count of drinking in public, one count of streaking, and one count of driving without a license. He figured he could forgive Gigi for that since it made his records look more legitimate. As for his fingerprints, Gigi had already covered for that, too, when she'd noticed that they were abnormal. His records showed that it had been caused from his work at the circus. He'd been scratched on his fingertips repeatedly by one of the animals and the circus itself had paid for treatment on one of them when it got infected. He had forged hospital bills to prove it.

He had an ID. He had a background. He had a social security number, although the number itself was admittedly of a man his age that had died four years ago. The number had simply been reassigned to his identity by Gigi's friend and no one should notice since the man that it'd been stolen from had been an orphan. Tsuna didn't feel quite as bad about stealing from a dead man. It wasn't like he was going to be needing it anymore and it was integral to Tsuna's life.

He even had a full American name. Although, Gigi was still spluttering whenever she thought about the middle name that she'd picked out for him. She'd picked it out for him because it'd always been on of her favorite stories and thought it would be fun. She'd thought it was fun because it fit him. She'd picked it because it was the name of a beggar who'd been handed nothing by the rich but hadn't become bitter over it. But she'd been dumbfounded when he'd lived up to the other story about a man with the same name.

Suoh Lazarus Timberson was his full name now. He had a home. He had family. He had everything he needed except one thing. He didn't have any peace.

"Suoh," Officer Williams' female voice called sweetly in contrast to Officer Jeffress' deep, male baritone. "We just need to know if you can remember anything about the men who attacked you. Have you remembered what any of them looked like or even how many there were?"

Tsuna kept his mouth firmly closed. He was getting tired of all the questions. The police were the last people that he wanted to talk to anymore. The second time, they'd been more direct and pointed in their questions. He could tell that they knew how hard it was for him to talk to them at all, but they had no clue that he had more reasons than just one. They were determined. They were incredibly, single-mindedly determined to bring the guys who'd hurt him to justice. They knew that their questions were painful, but they asked them anyway in order to do the job that they took so seriously.

Where were they when he was being attacked? He wanted to ask that more than anything, but he knew that he'd just be causing them pain for something that hadn't been in their control. There were only so many police officers and the city was simply too large. They couldn't be everywhere. He just wished that they'd go away at this point. It was almost a litany that kept going through his head. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away! GO AWAY!

"If you remember anything, we're just a phone call away, Suoh," Officer Jeffress called with a note in his voice that said he was unsure if Tsuna could even hear him. "I'm going to slip my card under your door in case you lost it. Don't be afraid to call at any time. Even the smallest thing might help." Tsuna looked down and saw a small card spin past his foot. They wanted to help. He knew that they wanted to help him. It was honest and sincere caring that he few would show to a nobody like him. It was that, more than anything, that made him hate the need to keep his mouth shut.

After a moment, he sighed in relief at the sound of their heavy steps heading back down the hallway. He'd only been home three days and they were already making trouble for him. He knew that he'd be hearing about it from Mike if it wasn't for the fact that they'd already warned him that they were moving out. Life went on, as the saying went. The world didn't stop just because he'd ran into trouble. Bills still had to be paid and events still came to pass. He was currently unable to mime because of his broken arm, but there were other things that he could do.

The police still didn't know about the money he'd gotten from Xander and it was safely stashed away with Gigi. He'd used his money from the show to pay for the deposit on the theater and he'd be able to pay for it in full once the heat died down from him being attacked. They had three days before the electricity and water got cut off in their apartment since they'd already had it turned on at the new place.

With everything that had happened, he'd already hinted at Gigi that he wouldn't be going back to the club. He wasn't sure if he'd ever go back. Not only did Gabriel go there and Tsuna didn't want to come across him until he felt ready to kill him, but there were other reasons. They were reasons that he'd not noticed until they'd been home for a while. Namely, the fact that he found it incredibly difficult to be around people. He'd nearly had a panic attack going down the hallway. Everyone had been joyous over his return home and had been enthusiastic in greeting him. He'd managed to hide how badly it'd made him feel to be touched, but he'd been shaking when he'd finally let it out behind closed doors.

Since then, he'd not went out unless he absolutely had to and only in the company of Eric or Gigi. The rest of the time, he preferred to stay inside. He felt safe when he was inside. When he was outside, he felt like he constantly had to look over his shoulder. He felt like he was going to be attacked at any minute, even in broad daylight. That feeling left him cursing and punching random objects more often than not. It was all because of Gabriel. Gabriel had made him feel like this and Gabriel had taken away the small feeling of security that he had found for himself.

At times, he didn't even feel safe in his own home. It was rare that anyone left him alone, but times like now were the times that really bothered him. Eric had been roped into some function with his parents. Gigi was at his place, getting sleep to make up for his work the previous night. Snicker was at work, too. His boss had let him take off a week for his personal issues, but he wasn't allowed to take off any more. He'd had to go back or else risk losing his job. That meant that Tsuna was alone and he'd learned that being alone was almost worse than being surrounded by too many people.

For almost an hour, he was able to keep his mind preoccupied with packing. Not that they had a whole lot to pack, but it gave him something to do. Even packing the small things took him a while since he only had one arm to work with. Packing up their growing collection of DVDs took nearly ten minutes, even though there were only a few dozen. After that, he set the box next to the growing pile next to the door and looked around for something else to pack.

Since Snicker had been bringing home fast food so that he didn't have to go out shopping, he chose the kitchen next. Once more, there wasn't a lot to pack, but it took him a while to wrap up the items carefully in newspaper so that they wouldn't get broken. Eight plates, cups, bowls and saucers went into the box. Following that, he used another box to pack away their skillet, two pots, and the multi-use casserole dish that was big enough to cook anything from fish sticks to pizza. Their extra Tupperware got tossed in on top of that and he stuck their plastic cooking utensils in one of the corners of the box. He left both of those boxes on the counter, not trusting himself to not drop them and break everything inside.

Looking around, he realized that there wasn't much else that he could pack away. Their few sets of excess clothes had already been packed away. His junk drawer of treasures had been emptied into a box. They didn't have much in the way of nonessential trinkets, but the ones that they did have were already packed. The pictures that he'd taken such pride in taking of everyone and framing in frames that he'd hand-made were already packed. His miming gear was packed away and he wasn't quite sure if he'd ever be up to unpacking it. The only thing left was the clothes that they needed for tomorrow and the larger items like the television, couch, and bed.

He and Snicker were already prepared to live rough again for a little bit. It wasn't much different than how they'd lived in the past. It might take them a while to retrofit the theater into a truly livable area, but they could both see the potential in the place. The theater itself wasn't large. It'd only been set up to hold around a hundred people at once with an extra thirty seats in a small balcony. The stage itself was actually slightly smaller than what he'd remembered from his auditorium in middle school. It had been built a long time ago when the city had been much smaller and had been abandoned when the owners had upgraded to a larger complex. Since then, it'd been rented out on occasion by small time orchestras to start out in and sometimes the performing arts school took it over during the summers for extra seminars. The current owner was more than happy to let it go since it was barely worth the cost of owning it.

It was in good shape, though. It had some cracked tiles in the bathrooms and a few chairs that were in need of repairs. The stage needed to be stripped, sanded and rewaxed. They were all little things that needed repairs and had piled up to a point that the owner hadn't wanted to deal with the hassle anymore. The roof was new and the walls were sound. There were thick doors on the main entrance and the emergency exit that led into the alley. The locks were good and the plumbing was nearly new. The wiring had passed inspection, too. It had everything that Tsuna and Snicker needed and wanted. The kitchen and bathtub was the least of their worries. That could be built in time.

Fairly fast time if Tsuna's plans went well. After the twenty thousand that they set aside to make payments on his doctor bills and the hundred and fifty thousand that it'd take to buy the theater in full, they still had thirty thousand dollars. He could stretch that thirty thousand a long way. He could hire two people on the street to help him strip out the seating. He could hire another two people to work on stripping out everything in the women's bathroom so that he could turn it into a bathhouse. The men's bathroom could stay how it was so that they still had toilets stalls and sinks. Georgie had put him in contact with an electrician that was willing to help him add in all the electrical work that would need to be added for the bathroom and to add a kitchen. He was willing to do it for half of his normal fee, too, since Georgie had put in a good word for him.

He planned to do the painting on his own to fill up his time while he was healing. Gigi was happy with how the large dressing room off of the left side of the stage currently was and planned to paint that for herself before she moved in. Eric planned to move in, too. He hadn't gotten around to telling his parents about it, but he'd shown a lot of interest in the technical booth off of the right side of the stage. There was also a storage room under the stage that Tsuna figured could be retrofitted into a spare bedroom for if anyone needed it, although the only access was through a trap door in the stage itself. There was also a huge back-stage storage room that was more easily accessible that he planned to turn into an extra bedroom.

He and Snicker had plans to retrofit the balcony itself into a bedroom by putting up thick windows and curtains after they removed the seating. He and Snicker had talked about it openly and they'd both realized that they still wanted to share a room even though they were coming into a much larger area. If they didn't, the loneliness at night would get too hard to bear even with the fact that they'd be living with several other people. Tsuna needed to know that Snicker was still there almost as bad as Snicker needed the comfort in return. Maybe one day, when either he or Snicker found someone that they wanted to spend more than a few hours with, that might change. For now, they both agreed that they'd be happier sharing than splitting their space apart.

The entry area where people bought tickets and relaxed during intermissions could be turned into a garage of sorts, since Eric had a bicycle that he barely used and Tsuna planned to get one of his own. They still didn't know what they were going to do with the stage, but he had plans for the rest. One corner of that area would become the kitchen. He figured that the area by the emergency exit that was next to the stage would be a good place. That way, they wouldn't have to take the trash all the way through the place just to take it out to the dumpster. They could build a bar to separate it from the rest of the area and maybe set it up so that the cabinets turned the area into a decent sized square that wouldn't be crowded even with several people in there at once.

A large section would become a sitting area that was big enough for everyone. Gigi had already offered to pitch in for a big television that they could all use to watch movies on together, even though they'd probably all have televisions in their rooms for private entertainment. Eric had a big stereo that he planned to bring if his parents permitted him to keep it upon moving out. He'd offered that up for the entertainment area since he had his MP3 Player. There was also plenty of room for a pool table and other entertainment facilities for everyone.

The final section of the area that was opposite of the kitchen would become a gigantic office-like area where Eric could do his college studies and Gigi's computer would be set up for anyone to use. Tsuna planned to splurge a little bit and get a second computer just to make sure that no one fought if more than one person needed it at once. He thought he'd seen a cheap one at the pawn shop for two hundred dollars. It was a little outdated, but that meant nothing to him. He wasn't buying it to play video games like Gigi did. He just wanted something that he could go onto those online auctions that Gigi had introduced him to. There was so many unique and useful things that he could get really cheaply that way. Using Gigi's credit card in exchange for cash, that was how he'd gotten their set of really nice set of dishes for only ten dollars. They were used, but they were still in mint condition. He'd gotten a really nice floor lamp off of there, too, for only a few--

Tsuna jumped in his skin when he heard a knock at the door, making him lurch out of his mental planning for his new home. Cursing his jumpy nerves, he went to answer it. If it was those cops again, he planned to be even more firm this time. He wasn't going to tell them anything and they needed to give up!

"Who is it?" He called cautiously through the door.

"It's Demetri," he answered loudly, sending Tsuna for the doorknob in a frenzy. He threw it opened and ushered Demetri in quickly, happy to have someone to keep him company. He fervently threw himself into making Demetri comfortable, possibly putting much more energy into it than necessary. He couldn't help it, though. It was an incredible relief to have someone there with him after having to spend the day alone after Snicker had left for work. "I'm sorry to bother you," Demetri grimaced once they were seated with cans of soda in hand and Tsuna had lit himself a cigarette in effort to make himself relax. "I know that you're busy moving and everything."

"It's no problem," Tsuna replied sincerely. "Did the Owner send you? If so, I don't know when I'll be going back. I'm still not sure if I'm even going to be able to since the theater is going to need so much work and all..."

"N-No, the Owner didn't send me," Demetri said hesitantly. "I came on my own after I talked to Gigi last night. We're were talking and he thought that you might be interested in learning some kickboxing."

"Kickboxing?" Tsuna repeated in surprise.

"Yeah," Demetri nodded. "I go to a gym three times a week and I talked to my coach. He said that he'd be more than willing to teach you for free in exchange for a little bit of work. It's nothing hard. Just help taping people's arms and legs, some regular janitor work in the morning before people start showing up, and that kind of thing. He said that he had no problems starting right away, even though your arm is broken. Assuming that you're even interested."

"I'll have to think about it," Tsuna murmured, knowing exactly why Demetri was making the offer. It was to teach him how to fight. They wanted him to learn self-defense so that-- "Actually, no," he amended, reminded instantly of his goal to get stronger. "I don't need to think about it. I'll take that offer if you're serious about it. I have to warn you, though. I've always been really clumsy. In school, I was always the last one picked and I was horrible at ball sports. I've stopped tripping over my own feet, so maybe I can learn. I'm willing to try if he's willing to put up with me."

"Wonderful!" Demetri exclaimed. "Gigi said that you probably wouldn't go for it since you aren't really the fighting type, but I thought there was more to you than that! If it turns out that you don't like kickboxing, the gym also has a regular boxing coach and a judo trainer. It's a multi-use facility that the three head coaches share. They're all brothers, so it works out pretty well."

"I'll try kickboxing first," he smiled. "I used to have a friend that was into regular boxing. He always tried to get me into it, but I was stubborn. I was always scared of getting hit. Now, though... Now, I realize that I might get hit no matter what. It's probably better in the long run if I just suck it up and take it so that I can learn how to keep myself from being defeated completely. I have to get stronger. I made a mistake before, thinking that there would always be someone there to save me. But the truth is that I have to learn to fend for myself on some things."

"Would you like to go check it out now?" Demetri asked curiously, openly trying to get Tsuna's mind off of his problems. "The coach said that he was eager to meet you. He was actually really enthusiastic after I described what you looked like."

"Sure," Tsuna nodded, jumping up off the couch to go retrieve his jacket and his cap. "You didn't tell him about how I look at the bar. Did you?"

"Nope," Demetri laughed. "I know how embarrassing that would probably be for you. Plus, Coach Renolds is a huge homophobe. He probably wouldn't be able to teach me if he knew that I was gay, so keep that on the down-low if you can. Not that he'd discriminate exactly, but his attitude might change. He doesn't pry into people's personal lives, so it shouldn't be too hard. I only told him that you were short, scrawny, and had the eyes of a crimson sunset. I also told him that you ran into some trouble on the streets and that you might want to learn how to defend yourself."

"A crimson sunset?" He laughed. "I don't think I've ever heard myself described like that before. I bet he thinks that I'm a rabid rat or something now."

"Sorry," Demetri blushed as they headed out the door. "Your eyes are you most appealing feature, so they're kind of hard to miss. Everyone agrees. Seeing you in costume every weekend has always been a bonus to that." Tsuna paused, looking Demetri up and down in consideration for a moment when he realized that the bouncer was one of his fans. Then he grinned widely, not feeling any fear despite the revelation.

"You couldn't afford me," he laughed, giving his typical line.

"Don't remind me," he groaned, leading the way down the hallway in mock-dejection.

The walk to the gym was made briskly due to how Tsuna pushed their walking speed as fast as he could. He hated being out in the open more than anything now. Demetri seemed to understand, offering to get them a cab after only three blocks. Tsuna didn't argue, feeling eyes on his back even though he knew that no one was watching him. He'd already been warned at the hospital that he might feel like that for a while. It was paranoia from having been attacked. That's all it was. It was just simple paranoia. There was no one watching him. It was all in his head.

"You'll like it here," Demetri commented optimistically as they headed inside the gym. Tsuna smiled in return as he ducked through the heavy door that Demetri held open for him. He hoped that he liked it too since there wasn't many other options for him to fall back on. He didn't want to waste money if he didn't have to and he couldn't think of any places that he might be permitted to learn without it. "Oh. And I should probably warn you about Big Guy. Don't be scared of him. He'd big, but he's really nice. To be honest, he used to be a big, cocky dickhead, but he got better a few months back. I'm not sure what happened, but he came in one day and was totally different. He said that he'd gotten defeated by someone about your size and it completely changed him. He still fights, but he treats fighting and his opponents with a lot more respect."

"I try not to judge people on how they look," Tsuna commented absently as Demetri led him past a line of people that were squaring off against punching bags. "There are a lot of really good people out on the street who look like--"

"You!" A voice suddenly roared, making Tsuna jump nearly a foot in the air. When he landed, he automatically landed in the direction of the yell, where he found himself gaping at the last person he'd expected to see.

"Oh god," he paled.

"It's you!" Ore roared again, running toward him like a stampeding bull. Despite himself, Tsuna clenched his eyes shut and cringed backward in fear out of the belief that he was about to be crushed in revenge. He'd beaten the fighter with one punch. That one punch had sealed his and Snicker's rise out of complete poverty into only mediocre poverty, but that didn't change the fact that he'd probably destroyed the man's pride. He had to want revenge for it. There was no way that he didn't. "I thought that I'd never find you!" Ore exclaimed excitedly. "You've got to tell me how you did it!"

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped, his eyes flying open to see that Ore had fumbled to a kneeling stop in front of him.

"Please!" Ore exclaimed from eye level. "You got to show me what you did!"

"W-What I did?" He repeated in shock.

"That outrageous punch!" He exclaimed. "I've never felt anything like it before! I've been trying to figure out what you did, but I haven't been able to! I thought my skull was going to shatter, but it didn't. When I woke up, Bossman said that you'd ran off and I couldn't ever find you. I tried looking down every alley cause I knew that you and your friend were homeless, but no one would talk to me. They kept just running away before I could get any answers. You have to tell me! I've been training and training and I still can't figure it out!"

"I didn't know that you knew Suoh, Big Guy," Demetri interjected in surprise.

"Suoh?" Demetri repeated. "Your name is Suoh, Little Guy?!"

"Y-Yes," he answered hesitantly.

"No way!" Ore gaped. "You can't be Suoh! Demetri said that Suoh doesn't know how to fight and that he's not really strong! You're strong, though! You're OUTRAGEOUSLY strong! You're so strong that you knocked me out with just that one punch!"

"T-That--" Tsuna mumbled before he was interrupted.

"Wait!" Demetri squeaked. "You're telling me that _Suoh_ is the Crazy Bum?!"

Tsuna felt his face turn red when the mountain known as Ore nodded furiously. He turned even more red when they both turned to stare at him with their questions plain on their faces. He thought that he was going to turn purple when he noticed that the rest of the gym had fallen to a halt and were staring at him in open awe.

"I-I-It w-w-was just l-luck," he finally stuttered. "I-I was j-just really d-desperate and I... I w-was under a-a lot of.. um... a lot of s-stress. I... uh... I don't... I don't really r-remember what I did." Tsuna grimaced at the look of disappointment that covered Ore's face. "I'm sorry," he mumbled apologetically, feeling a strange calm descend in the face of such a sincere expression. "I-I just hit you with everything I could because I knew that I was dead meat if I didn't knock you down. There really was nothing special to it. I was just scared and desperate because we'd lost our place to go that night. Y-You might have thought that your skull was going to shatter, but my hand felt that way, too. It was swollen up for over a week after that and Snicker had to keep it wrapped up in ice for me. I just... I just did what I had to because I had to protect Snicker. I was afraid that they'd make him fight if I ran away."

"It was still an outrageous punch," Ore replied with a small smile. "You got a lot of potential, Little Guy. If you beat me with just luck, I can't wait to see what kind of monster that you'll be after Coach Renolds teaches you."

"R-Really?" Tsuna asked in hope. "T-That would be good if he could make me really strong. I... I want to get stronger."

"Well, if you want to get stronger, we need to see how strong you are already," another voice interjected. Tsuna turned in unison with Demetri and Ore to see the Coach of the gym walk out of his Office with two other assistant trainers. He knew automatically that it was the Coach because of how everyone belatedly returned to what they'd been doing before Demetri and Ore's conversation about him. "Come here, Suoh," he ordered, pointing to one of the punching bags. "Let's see what you got."

"Um... o-okay," he mumbled hesitantly. With Demetri's help, he pulled off his jacket with a small grimace over Ore's surprised look when his arm was no longer hidden under the heavy leather. He thankfully stayed quiet instead of asking endless questions like he obviously wanted to, possibly because of the Coach's domineering presence. Quietly, he stood where the Coach directed and hit the bag like the man wanted.

The response was immediate and negative.

"Don't give me some soft, sissy shit like that," he growled. "Put your whole body into it! You're hardly trying! Do you want to learn to fight or learn how to fish?!"

"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled with a bright blush. "I-I--"

"I know what happened to you, Suoh," the Coach said bluntly, pulling none of his verbal punches. "I got friends down in the ghetto, too, and I've seen my share of rough times. You aren't anything special. That's the sad truth and I'm not going to coddle you like most would. I'm going to teach you things that will keep you from getting the shit-end of the deal, but my teaching is pointless if you're too weak to strike. I'm not talking about muscle," he said when Tsuna started to object. "I'm talking about a weak mind, Suoh. I'm not going to waste my time on someone who is too afraid to use what I'm going to teach. If you want self-defense to make you feel better and keep you from getting hurt when you get attacked, then go somewhere else. They got classes that teach that sort of thing. I teach people how to fight, which means that I teach people how to take the initiative in hurting others. Plain and simple. Now, do you want to learn self-defense or do you want to learn how to fight?"

"Fight," he said firmly.

"Good," the Coach nodded. "I figured that you'd say that. I wasn't any different. Now, try again. This time, I want you to think of someone that you really want to punch. Don't see it as a sandbag. I want you to see it as a flesh and blood person, because that's what fighting is. It's you against another person. I want you to punch it this time and show me what you really got in you."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed, once more turning to the bag like he was ordered. It wasn't hard to think of a person that he wanted to hit. There was only one person in the world that he'd ever actually wanted to hurt.

Gabriel. Simply thinking the name made him see red. Gabriel had hurt him. Because of Gabriel, he didn't feel safe walking down the street. Because of Gabriel, he couldn't have peace when he was alone in his own home. Because of Gabriel, he couldn't go out at night. Because of Gabriel, Snicker had cried. Because of Gabriel, he was harassed constantly by the police. Because of Gabriel, he couldn't work. Because of Gabriel--

Tsuna threw all of his anger, frustration, and hate into the punch this time, aiming directly for what he thought was Gabriel's head. It connected solidly, unlike when he'd first hit his fist up against the sandbag. This time, he followed through, wanting to send his fist through Gabriel's head instead of simply up against a bag.

Blood sprayed everywhere, making him freeze as Gabriel's head exploded. He stayed still in shock for a long moment before he realized that it wasn't blood that was raining down everywhere. It was sand. Sand. Sandbag. The Sandbag had exploded where his fist had hit it. It hadn't popped at the seams. Instead, the material itself had given at the point where he'd impacted. Staring with wide eyes, he realized that the blow had ripped through the other side, as well. He'd hit so hard and so fast that the momentum hadn't transferred to the bag. Instead, his hand had ripped right through it to the other side.

He gasped when he pulled his hand out of the bag, belatedly feeling the damage that he'd done to himself in the process. His hand was bleeding profusely and his skin had been ripped from knuckle to knuckle. Having sand in the wound was not exactly conductive to making it hurt less, either. He would have grasped his wrist in pain over it, but his other arm was sadly out of commission. All he could do was hold it against his chest and grimace over the pain. He did that for what seemed like an eternity until finally someone moved.

"Come on," the Coach ordered quietly into the silence that had once more fallen over the gym. "Let's go get that hand treated and then we can talk about your training." Tsuna nodded, noticing only the pain in his only good hand and the Coach's guidance. Had he been paying more attention, he would have noticed that every eye in the building was staring at him with the same question in their eyes.

_What kind of monster is he?_

* * *

"There you go, Little Guy," Ore said with a bright grin. "Try that."

"I can't lift that much with my legs!" Tsuna squealed, staring at the two fifty pound weights that Ore had loaded onto the machine. Ore had volunteered to oversee his weight training to build up his strength, but Tsuna had long come to realize that the man had no clue that his own strength was so incredible.

"Why not?" Ore asked with a curious expression. "It's only a quarter of what I normally use. Just try it." Tsuna glared, but tried it like the man wanted. As expected, he couldn't even get the machine to move an inch with his already sore and aching muscles. "I see what you mean," he mumbled finally while scratching his head. "Why don't we start off with two five pound and work our way up?"

"Don't bother for today," the Coach interjected. "Suoh, that's enough for today. Let your muscles rest and come back on the day after tomorrow. Ore, can you walk Suoh home? I sent Demetri on an errand and I've got a feeling that Suoh probably doesn't want to walk alone." Tsuna paled, but couldn't argue with the comment. The thought of walking home alone made him tremble with more than just muscle fatigue.

"Sure thing, Coach," Ore agreed instantly. "Let's go shower real quick, Little Guy. Then I'll take you where ever you need." Nodding in agreement, Tsuna gratefully got off of the weight machine and followed him to the showers. Working at Kink's had destroyed any measure of body-shy that he had once owned, but he still picked a shower stall at the back of the room and undressed inside. Not that his desire for privacy really mattered with Ore. The mountain was so tall that he had to keep his head tilted in the locker room so that he didn't hit his head on the ceiling and he was capable of looking over the stall walls without even thinking about it. "That's a lot of scars that you got there," he commented while Tsuna tried to rinse his sweat off without getting his cast or bandaged hand wet. "You been in a lot of trouble in the past. Haven't you, Little Guy?"

"I... uh... I guess that you could say that," Tsuna mumbled with a small grimace. "But these are just for a impersonation act that I used to do. I'd get rid of them if I had any choice."

"What happened to your arm, Little Guy?" He finally asked. "Did you fall down some stairs or something?"

"N-No," Tsuna murmured with a small shudder. "Someone beat me up. A lot of some ones, actually. They caught me alone in an alley and ganged up on me."

"That's not very fair," Ore growled. "Fights should be one-on-one if they want to measure how strong they are against you."

"It... It wasn't that kind of fight, Ore," he mumbled sadly. "They just wanted to hurt me. I.. I think that I was asking for it. I'm small compared to most people and--"

"It still isn't right," he interrupted firmly. "People shouldn't beat up littler people. Just because you're small doesn't mean that you should get picked on. I remembered that after you knocked me out. I used to be little, too. I started learning how to fight because everyone picked on me when I was a lot smaller than them. Then they picked on me because I was too big. I remembered what it felt like to be picked on when you hit me and I stopped doing it after that. It took a while, but everyone stopped teasing me about my size when I stopped being looking down on them because they were smaller than me. Little guys can be really strong, too. You taught me that."

"Wow," Tsuna replied with a small smile. "I did that?"

"Yup," Ore nodded, accidentally hitting his head on the ceiling in the process. Tsuna chuckled at the glare that he sent at the ceiling as if it was the ceiling's fault for being too low. Then Tsuna blinked, getting an idea in his head that felt incredibly right.

"D-Do you hit your head a lot when you're at home, Ore?" He asked curiously. "I mean, because you're so tall and most places have low ceilings."

"Yeah," he groaned. "I don't have any trouble at work because I work outside with construction, but I don't make enough to afford a fancy condo with lots of room. I try to stay sitting down when I'm inside, but I get this nasty crick in my neck if I got to stand up for too long."

"You work construction?!" Tsuna asked excitedly, his idea becoming even more firm in his mind as he shut off his shower and started re-dressing in a hurry. "That means that you know how to build walls and stuff, right?"

"I'd say that I know a little bit of everything," Ore nodded with a raised eyebrow. "I work for this company that makes buildings from start to finish. They call me in a lot to help install stuff after the walls and everything is up."

"Would you be interested in moving?" Tsuna asked in a rush. "I mean, moving in with me and a few other people. I got a hold of a really nice place with really high ceilings and lots of room to spare. You'd still have to duck down through the doors to get inside, but you could relax without worrying about hitting your head once you're in. We have an extra room that I was going to turn into a spare bedroom and it's got high ceilings and even the bathrooms would have plenty of head room for you. You wouldn't have to pay rent or anything if you're willing to help me fix the place up!"

"Hunh? Really, Little Guy?" Ore asked in surprise. "We just met again and you'd trust me like that?"

"Yeah!" Tsuna confirmed with a bright smile. "I can take you to go see it if you want. I think that you'd like it, though, and everyone else that's moving in is really nice! Gigi takes a little getting used to, but Eric is really sweet. And you already met Snicker. He's that guy that was with me down in the parking garage. I'm sure that he'll be more than happy to have you come live with us since having you would save us a ton of money on construction costs. You see, we've got to put in a bathtub and kitchen. You might have to help out on feeding everyone since me and Snicker don't make enough money to do it ourselves, but that shouldn't cost nearly as much as you'd probably have to pay for rent. Gigi's already offered to pay the cable and internet bills to cover for his part and Eric is still doing street-mime to pay for the water. Me and Snicker are going to pay for the electric, so all you'd have to worry about is helping out with the food bill."

"That'd probably be fair," Ore laughed. "I eat like a pig."

"That's fine!" Tsuna laughed with him as they headed back out through the gym. "I've learned to cook pretty well, so you wouldn't even have to do that part!"

"It's really tempting," Ore grinned, holding the heavy gym door open for him with one large hand. "I usually only get home-cooked meals when I go pay a visit to Granny. Mamma never got the hang of using more than a microwave."

"Do you want to see it?" Tsuna asked. Then he froze, realizing that he was on the street again. Even worse was that it was the middle of the afternoon rush-hour. The sidewalks were clogged with people on their way home, which made Tsuna's nerves twitch almost uncontrollably each time that someone bumped up against him. He could get away from it by ducking down into an alley and using the alley roads, but that would be even more scarier for him.

Tsuna squeaked in surprise when he felt two large hands around his waist. Before he could do more than that, he found himself firmly planted on Ore's shoulder with one hand holding him steady. He turned beat red in embarrassment over the stares that were sent up at him, but quickly came to realize that the stares were a hundred times easier to bear than the crowded feeling he got on ground level.

"There we go," Ore grinned up at him. "I hope you don't mind. I was afraid that I'd lose you in the crowd. You're a lot easier to talk to when I know where you're at."

"It's fine," he grinned back. "There's a nice view from up here. I'm not to heavy, though. Am I?"

"Light as a feather," the mountain chuckled. "I could hold a hundred of you without breaking a sweat. So, which way to this dream home?"

"That way," Tsuna pointed down the street, feeling his nerves calm down even more despite the large amounts of people. They were there, but they couldn't touch him. It was an incredible relief that made him completely forget his embarrassment. He even found it to be fun after a few minutes. Ore walked smoothly, so the ride was actually comfortable instead of jarring. The crowd parted like butter to let him through, since no one could miss him. Best of all, they made quick time because of Ore's long legs. "This is it!" Tsuna exclaimed, sliding down off of Ore's shoulder with a small amount of help.

The exterior wasn't much to speak about. It had a regular brick face and two large double doors facing toward the street corner. Across one street was a pawn shop and there was a strip of restaurants and clubs across the main thoroughfare that was currently clogged with traffic. The building next door was an apartment building and there was a run-down department store behind them that they could access through the alley connecting their street to the one that the store was on. There was a grocery store next to the department store, too, so they wouldn't have to go too far for anything that they needed.

He knew that he had Ore's attention as soon as they walked inside and the man didn't have to duck more than an inch to get past the door. Ore showed even more appreciation once they were actually inside and he could stand erect without hitting his head on anything. Tsuna threw himself into explaining everything that he was going to do to the place, pointing out all the changes and modifications that had to be made.

Ore showed a lot of interest in the Japanese-style bathhouse that Tsuna told him about, which included a square tub that was long enough for even Ore to lay down in if he was the only one in it. He didn't understand the point of washing himself twice, until Tsuna pointed out that they couldn't fill the tub to soak in more than maybe twice a day. They'd still have a shower if anyone wanted to do that instead, but he seemed to enjoy the idea of a relaxing bath as much as Tsuna did. He even commented that it would be really nice since he'd not been able to take a bath since middle school. He'd grown too big during puberty to fit in the normal sized ones that came with apartments. He'd always been stuck with just showers. Even that was problematic since most showers were installed at his chest level. If he moved in with Tsuna, accommodations could be made specifically for him from the start. Namely, a line of rain shower heads built into the ceiling.

Then Tsuna showed him what would be his room, which would be the large storage room that was accessible from a door hidden behind the backstage curtains. This area had been used for storing stage props, which meant that the ceilings and doorway were large enough to let just about anything pass through. Ore was instantly impressed and Tsuna could see his eyes shining with ideas for the unclaimed room.

Continuing the tour, Tsuna led him to the small dressing room off of the stage that would be Gigi's room. He also showed him the room off of the other side of the stage that had once been the technical booth. All of the equipment had already been stripped out of it, leaving a decent sized area that Eric had claimed instead of the prop room. He'd decided on that one since there were nearly a dozen different electrical outlets and the fact that he knew that he would have felt lonely in such a large area like the prop room. As it was, things would be nice and cozy for him once all of his stuff had been put into the room that he had claimed.

After that, he showed Ore up the stairs to the balcony that he and Snicker had claimed. The area was longer than it was wide and the ground was flat, just like the main floor. It'd only been meant to hold three rows of ten seats, but the seats up here had been spaced a lot farther apart for the comfort of those who were willing to pay more for privilege. From their vantage point, Tsuna explained how he was planning on sectioning up the main floor once he got all of the seating taken out and how he planned to section off the balcony with windows that could slide open and closed depending on his mood. Ore suggested ripping out the railing completely and creating calf-high wall so that he'd be able to lay on his bed and talk out the window when he wanted. Tsuna latched onto the idea immediately, figuring that it might be fun to laze in his bed and still talk to everyone until they went to bed for the night.

Then the insinuation of Ore's suggestion hit him.

"You'll move in?!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"I won't say yes until I meet the others that are moving in," Ore replied, rubbing his chin in thought. "But this is a pretty outrageous place that you're setting up. I'd be an idiot to say no when all you'd want from me is a little bit of construction work and the food bill. Even with feeding five people, I'd still be saving a ton of money in the long run and I'd actually be comfortable for once."

"Do you want to go meet them?" Tsuna asked. "Eric said that he'd stop by for dinner tonight and Gigi's been stopping by before he heads out to work. I should warn you, Gigi moonlights as a drag queen and a street walker at night. He's really nice, though. You shouldn't have any problems once you get used to him. I don't think that you'll have any problems with Eric, either. He's almost too sweet for his own good. His parents spoiled him a lot and kept him isolated a lot, too. He's grown up a lot since I met him, but he still gives off a vibe of a teenager."

"Sounds interesting," Ore commented. Tsuna smiled brightly once more, feeling a stability that he hadn't had since being attacked. It was the same feeling when he was around Snicker or Gigi or Eric. It was the feeling that he was safe and protected from anything that wanted to hurt him. Once more, Ore put him on his shoulder when they got outside and started walking in the direction that he directed. This time, Tsuna didn't feel even a tinge of embarrassment over being carried like a little kid. Instead, he took it in stride and a certain amount of amusement.

By the time that they reached his current apartment building, it was buzzing like an anthill. People were flying in and out like always, running around to do late errands and prepare themselves for the night. Of course, all of the buzzing came to a stop and windows started flying open with half-naked girls popping out when word spread that Tsuna was approaching on top of a giant. Ore whistled in appreciation and grinned widely, sending most of them into belated attempts to cover themselves a little more decently with their curtains.

"The ceilings are low in here," Tsuna warned apologetically as Ore once more helped him down from his perch, completely ignoring the attention that they were getting in favor of keeping Ore's attention.

"I'm used to it," Ore shrugged. Tsuna nodded and led the way inside, grimacing slightly over how Ore had to keep his head ducked down so that he wouldn't hit the ceiling. Seeing that made him even more positive that he had to have Ore move in with them. The man needed to for his own sake! Walking like that even at home couldn't be good for his neck and spine!

The hallways were filled with girls, all of whom wanted to meet Tsuna's new friend. All of whom where wide-eyed and in awe of the man's size. All of whom quickly got over their shock in order to insinuate several questions that left Tsuna spluttering and blushing over their lack of tact.

"I'm not gay!" He finally shouted in in red-faced frustration. "And you can ask Ore later about the size of his anatomy!" He groaned when the immediate reaction to his statements were a loud rush of giggling, squealing, and irritating comments about denial. Deciding it was better to just ignore it all since he knew that couldn't win against these girls, Tsuna eeled his way through the mob in a rush in hopes that Ore would follow. He did, but at a much slower pace since he didn't want to step on anyone.

"Snicker," he called upon walking in the door. "I'm ba--Ack!" Tsuna squeaked at the hand that cuffed him solidly against the back of the head upon sticking his head in the door. Grimacing, he looked at the person who'd hit him in full knowledge that only one person would have the nerve.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Snicker asked angrily while Tsuna reached up to rub the place that he'd been lightly smacked. "I got home and you were gone without leaving even a note. Do you know how worried I've been?!"

"I'm sorry," Tsuna replied in sincere apology, still standing in the doorway since he wasn't quite sure that it was safe to go in yet. "I thought that I'd be back sooner. Demetri came over and took me down to this place to learn some kickboxing and--"

"I'm sorry," Ore interjected, coming to stand behind him in the hallway. Snicker raised an eyebrow in recognition, but seemed completely unfazed over his appearance. "It's my fault. Coach told me to take him home, but the Little Guy was telling me about the theater and I wanted to see if it was really as outrageous as he said it was."

"Ore works construction and we were talking about him living with us if it was okay with everyone," Tsuna added in hopes of appeasing Snicker's anger. "He's a really good guy when you get to know him and he's not mad about that... that...um... fight. He doesn't do that anymore. He's only been fighting in legitimate matches since then and--"

"No use talking about it in the hallway," Snicker sighed, his anger seeping out of him almost visibly in order to be replaced with open relief. "Come on in and we can talk about it over a beer like civilized men. You just better remember to leave me a note next time. I almost had a heart attack when you didn't come back right away."

"Sorry," Tsuna repeated with a grimace, finally walking inside with Ore behind him. Taking off his jacket, he directed Ore to the couch while mentally noting that he'd have to buy some really heavy furniture that could support the man's weight. "I'll remember next time. I figured that you'd be happy. If I learn how to fight, I won't... What happened before won't happen again."

"That's true enough," Snicker agreed, belatedly kicking off his own work boots so that he could relax in the oversized recliner that Tsuna had gotten him. "I don't got any problem with it. We got plenty of room to spare as long as he gets along with everyone. Like I told Gigi and Eric, if we're going to do this then we got to treat each other like family. It's going to be share and share alike or else there's no point in all of us moving in together. If you want something to stay just yours then you gotta keep it in your room. Anything that gets put in the common areas is going to stay in the common areas, even if you move out. If you can agree to that, then I don't have any problem at all. It's probably going to cost an arm and a leg to feed a big guy like you, though."

"Little Guy has already thought of that," Ore replied. "Instead of rent, I'd be more than happy to pay for groceries. I can either give you the money for it or you can give me the grocery list. I've always just ordered out for my meals, so I don't have any clue about what you might need to make home-cooked stuff."

"We can just double the list that we already made," Tsuna interjected from where he sat next to Ore. "We figured that it would be easier to just have planned meals, so that everyone gets a turn at their favorite foods. It should be really easy to add your favorites in there. You can change it, too, if you get tired of the same things. We all decided that Fridays would be left overs and we'd order out on the weekends still. Instead, you can pick the meals for Friday, Saturday can still be takeout, and we can turn Sunday into a left-over day. It works out perfectly."

"That it does," Snicker agreed. "When Suoh gets used to proportions for everyone so that there isn't any wasted food, we can start ordering out on Sundays too."

"I got some work-out equipment at my place," Ore commented in thought. "Assuming I get along with everyone, I wouldn't be averse to putting it out for anyone to use. There a few pieces that I'd like to keep to myself since I use it a lot, but the other stuff gets ignored a lot. I wouldn't have any problems leaving it behind if I end up having to leave for some reason."

"We can put it up on the stage!" Tsuna exclaimed. "There's plenty of room up there that's not being used and I'm sure that the rest of the guys would appreciate--"

"Suoh!" Eric shouted, bursting through the door without bothering to knock. Tsuna, Snicker and Ore stared at him for a moment to take in his flushed and well-manicured look. He was wearing a suit and tie, although it was rumpled from how he'd seemed to have run from whatever function his parents had dragged him off to. "Great news! I talked to my parents and my dad talked my mom into letting me move out!"

"That's great!"

"It gets better!" He panted. "You know how I finally told my parents about me getting kicked out of college? They were mad at first, but I told them about how I've been applying to other places on my own because I still wanted to act...?"

"Yeah," Tsuna confirmed.

"My dad was so proud of me for doing it on my own that he put in a good word for me down at this place that he does P.R. He showed them some of my pictures and they want me to go audition for a commercial!"

"That's wonderful!" Tsuna exclaimed again, jumping to his feet to give Eric a congratulatory hug. Snicker wasn't far behind, praising Eric for having finally stood up for what he wanted.

"They want to see the place before they let me move in," he warned. "So I figure that it'll be best to wait until we're done renovating, but I can help pay for it to get done faster if I actually land the commercial shoot!"

"Don't worry about that," Snicker laughed. "Suoh's already one step ahead of you. He brought another stray home that he wants to move in with us." Tsuna squeaked at the reminder, giving belated introductions between Ore and Eric, after which, Snicker immediately returned to the matter at hand. "This deserves a celebration. Let's go grab Gigi and drag him out for dinner. Is that okay with you, Suoh? We can go somewhere where there's not a lot of people."

"That's fine," Tsuna agreed, knowing that he'd be perfectly fine anywhere with his four friends around him. "W-Why don't we ask a few of the girls to come, too? It wouldn't be a party without at least Summer, Dedra, and Cassandra."

"And Autumn, too, I suppose," Snicker commented with a wide, knowing grin.

"S-Sure," Tsuna blushed brightly, grateful that someone else had suggested it while also wishing that it'd been someone other than Snicker. "Mike shouldn't mind too much. Even the girls need a night off, too. You up for coming along, Big Guy?"

"I don't have anything better to do," Ore replied with a wide grin, openly enjoying the friendly atmosphere along with the way that Eric had immediately accepted him as Tsuna's friend. "But I have a feeling that we better pick a buffet. I could eat a horse at the moment."

"Buffet it is," Snicker laughed. "We'll head down to the Chinatown and make things nice and rowdy!"


	20. Chapter 20 Moving On Up

_Tsuna smiled, feeling Xander crawling up his back in order to place gentle kisses along the base of his neck. The man was insatiable. Before breakfast, he wanted to do it. Xander had already stopped in the middle of lunch to strip his robe off while he was in the middle of eating. He wanted more before dinner and he'd already woken Tsuna up twice in the middle of the night. They'd yet to finish a movie together and showers were almost pointless. If it wasn't for the fact that Xander always seemed to be more interested in satisfying Tsuna rather than himself, Tsuna wasn't sure what he would have done. As it was, he had the strange feeling of being the one who'd hired a hooker rather than the other way around. Even during the few times that he'd tried to earn his money properly like Gigi had instructed him, Xander always seemed to turn it around on him. _

_He had absolutely nothing to complain about. Xander might be a little on the rough side, but that could be forgiven since he obviously had no clue about the fact that he was being rough. He asked almost constantly to ensure that he hadn't, which meant that he was actually trying to be gentle despite his lack of actual gentleness. Gigi had warned him on that, though. He was never supposed to complain unless the roughness got bad enough that he could call it injury. He had to accept anything less. That was what he was being paid for, after all. He was being paid to accept whatever the client wanted of him. Xander had paid two hundred grand for him, so Tsuna was more than happy to ignore a few bruises. _

_"I want you," Xander whispered in his ear, pressing himself firmly against Tsuna's backside. In response, Tsuna stretched languidly and rolled over to better meet Xander's wishes._

_"Let's see if that ass is really with that much money," Gabriel said cruelly. Tsuna's eyes widened in shock upon seeing Gabriel in the place that Xander had been just moments previously. There was a moment of disorientation as the hotel room disappeared, only to be replaced with a dark alley. He started to scramble away from Gabriel, but found his legs pinned firmly in place. Countless hands began to appear from the shadows and feet began crashing down at him out of nowhere. Through it all, he could feel Gabriel's presence inching closer and closer to him until he finally screamed in fear, only to find his mouth and throat become clogged with sand._

_He couldn't breathe. It hurt. He wanted the hands and feet to stop! He wanted Gabriel to stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!_

* * *

Lurching awake, Tsuna felt his whole body trembling in the aftermath of his nightmare. It took several minutes of simply sitting in shock before he realized that Snicker was awake beside him, having been the person who'd shaken him awake in the first place.

"Another one?" Snicker asked worriedly.

"Yeah," he mumbled quietly, sagging down in place. "Don't worry about it. Just go back to sleep. You still got work in the morning."

"Maybe we shouldn't sleep so close together," Snicker suggested in concern. "I can sleep on the couch if--"

"No," Tsuna interrupted firmly. "I'm not going to let what Gabriel did interfere with my life, Snicker. I just got to shake it off."

"I wish that you'd just tell the police," he replied. "You're a legitimate citizen now, Suoh. Or at least tell Gigi and some of the others. You should let word get out about Gabriel so that people are warned about him."

"No," he sighed, scooting out of bed in the knowledge that he couldn't go back to sleep now. If he tried, he'd end up having nightmares constantly until morning. He had to break cleanly from the dreaming world before he could even think of shutting his eyes again. "I'm satisfied with just telling you. I told you because I trust you not to tell anyone else, Snicker. If I told any of them, they'd probably take matters into their own hands and I don't want that. I want to take care of it myself."

"He might do it again to someone else," Snicker commented worriedly. "You should--"

"No!" Tsuna snapped. "I'm not telling anyone, Snicker, so just drop it. This is my problem and want to deal with it myself. It's the only way that I'll ever find peace. Just go back to sleep. Okay? I'll be back in a few--" Tsuna groaned as their alarm went off with typically bad timing.

"No rest for the wicked," Snicker chuckled, reaching out to shut it off. Then his expression softened into worry once more as he climbed out of the bed himself, noticing the bags under Tsuna's tired eyes. "How about you lay in bed for a while and I cook breakfast for once?"

"There's nothing to cook," Tsuna mumbled with a small shake of his head. "And I already packed the kitchen up. You'll have to grab something on the way to work again."

"What about you? You haven't been skipping on breakfast. Have you? It's the most important meal of the day."

"No," he lied, feeling a complete lack of hunger like he had for every morning since he'd been attacked. "I'll pick up something after you go to work. Eric and Gigi said that they were going to come over today to help me move all of our stuff over to the theater, so I'll get something while I'm out with them."

"Don't overwork yourself," Snicker warned. "The doctor said that you should take it easy until your arm is completely healed."

"I'll be fine. You just go get ready for work."

* * *

Moving in proceeded much faster than even Tsuna expected since they had Ore's unexpected help in moving in. Ore was on a two week vacation due to the fact that Thanksgiving was quickly approaching. Snicker's holiday wouldn't start for a few more days, but Gigi and Eric came over to help, too. Between the four of them, they were able to move the six boxes, two bags, and all of the furniture in a mere two trips. They could have honestly done it in one trip if Tsuna had borrowed a cab and everyone carried the furniture, but he didn't see the point in wasting money.

For now, all of their things were stored on the stage since the seating hadn't yet been pulled out. After that, Tsuna had called a halt before anyone could start working on clearing it out for him. There was something far more important that he had to get done first.

"A safe?" Gigi asked with a raised eyebrow, looking down into the pit below the stage's trapdoor along with everyone else.

"Yeah," Tsuna nodded. "I can't really put all that money in the bank without raising questions, but I can put it in a safe. I was just going to get a little one, but I've changed my mind. With Ore here, we can get a bigger one. I figure that we can hide it under the stage for safe-keeping and if it's heavy enough, then no one but Ore could pick it up and carry it off. We can bolt it down into the floor and store all of our money and valuables in there. There's a nook down there that one can fit in and we can put a fake wall up in front of it for extra security in case someone thinks to look down there. If we make it hidden really well, none of you have to worry if you give me money for the bills before the bills are actually due. We can put back extra money in there for emergencies, too. If we do that, we can still be covered even during times that we'd normally have to live slim."

"Good thinking, Little Guy," Ore agreed with a wide grin.

"That would be good for me, too," Eric commented. "I don't get large lumps of cash like everyone else. I could just give you what I can as time goes on and let you manage everything."

"That might be a good idea for all of us," Gigi murmured in thought. "If we give you extra instead of just paying our minimum part, we can store up enough for the rough times. I'd hate to get the cable shut off just because I couldn't find a horny guy with cash to spare. If it were anyone else suggesting it, I'd say hell no. But I can trust you, Suoh."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied with a bright blush. "I promise that I won't use any of it unless we have to."

"We trust you, Suoh," Eric chuckled easily. "You're probably going to be the one putting the largest chunk in and you're the one that's paid for this place. If you say that money needs to come out of it, none of us are going to argue or call you a thief."

"I always lived hand-to-mouth anyway," Ore shrugged. "This isn't any different for me. I just don't have to worry about managing house bills or have to worry if my check is actually going to cover my outrageous food bills. There's nothing worse than getting to the end of the week and not having enough to spare for more than some ramen noodles."

"You won't have to worry about that," Tsuna smiled. "Not for a long time, at least. Hopefully never. Like Snicker says, as long as we all pitch in, we can all live a lot more comfortably than we do alone."

"Why don't we go pick out the safe first? We can use my credit card to pay for it and just put that money back into my account later," Gigi suggested. "Then we'll all go together to pick up your stash, Suoh."

"Stash?" Ore interjected in curiosity.

"It's how I'm paying for this place," Tsuna explained. "I did some stuff and made a whole lot of cash all at once. It... It wasn't exactly legal, but no one has to know about it. I'm waiting for the heat to die down from me being attacked before I use any of it."

"How much is it?" He asked. Tsuna looked at him for a moment before answering, trying to judge exactly how trustworthy Ore was.

The answer was completely.

"Two hundred grand," he replied, making Ore's jaw drop. "After doctor bills and the cost of this place, we'll have thirty grand to spend in renovating. I don't want to use more of it than we have to, though. Snicker taught me to save every penny that I can and I plan to. But, no one can know about the money, Ore. No one but us. Someone might try to come steal it if word gets out."

"My lips are sealed," he promised.

"Then let's do this," Tsuna nodded with a wide smile at the three.

* * *

Ore, Gigi, Eric, and Tsuna continued to peek around the corner to watch as the teenage boy sent another blast of orange and black spray-paint down the alley's brick wall. From the looks of it, he was painting a stylized dragon down the side of the building. A large one, at that. It was taking everything Tsuna had to keep Gigi from chasing the kid away or possibly catching him and hurting him. The reason for Gigi wanting to do that wasn't hard to see, either. Not when the building being defaced with graffiti was their own theater.

"Let me go beat some sense into that kid," Gigi hissed. "If we let him keep going, it's going to take hours to get all that graffiti off!"

"I like it," Tsuna mumbled, looking straight up from his crouch at where Gigi was leaning over him. "I don't want to scare him before he finishes it. Why don't you and Ore go put the safe inside and I'll wait out here. Get ready and I'll have Eric signal to open up the alley door to block his escape route. You and Ore should be enough to make him run back toward me and I think that between me and Eric, we can catch him."

"Why do you want to catch him?" Eric asked curiously.

"I just want to talk to him," Tsuna shrugged. "Are all of you okay with that?"

"Sure thing, Little Guy," Ore grinned, picking the large safe back up from where he'd set it down. Gigi went with him, purposely flowing along at the same speed as the rest of the people on the sidewalk in order to go unnoticed. Eric followed a moment later, standing in the doorway to give the signal as soon as Tsuna was ready.

He watched as the boy continued with his short strokes of painting. Tsuna could tell from the quality and the complete lack of dripping paint that this wasn't the first building that the kid had defaced. He probably thought that it was still abandoned, which told Tsuna something even more important. The kid had some morals. He doubted that the boy would paint on anything that would possibly cause someone trouble. More than likely, he frequented the city's overpasses quite often in the belief that no one would have to clean it up. He wouldn't paint on buildings being used or people's homes. Places that were abandoned, dumpsters, and back alleys that no one saw were free game, though.

The boy himself didn't look to be more than thirteen or fourteen and even that was pushing the limits of estimation a little high. He had curly, strawberry-blond hair peeking out from under his baseball cap and a mask of freckles covering his face above the handkerchief tied around his face to protect him from fumes. His arms were thin and the only way Tsuna could think to describe his hands was by calling them delicate. That was the only part of him that looked delicate, though. The rest of him looked stocky yet malnourished, which was sadly a sight seen far too often in Tsuna's part of town.

The moment that the boy stood back to look at his work in satisfaction, Tsuna sent a hand gesture to Eric. Eric sent out a sharp yell, which was immediately answered by the alley door being thrown open. The scoundrel let out a shout of surprise, dropped the spray-paint in his hands, and immediately started running the opposite direction of Ore when he appeared. Already prepared, Tsuna and Eric jumped out in unison to grab his arms as he passed in order to drag him kicking and screaming back down the alley once more.

"Let me go!" He yelled in fear. "I won't do it again! Pl--"

"Shut up," Tsuna snapped, handing his arm over to Gigi so that the boy couldn't run off. "If you keep it up, someone is going to hear and call the police."

"Anything but that," he exclaimed with wide eyes. "They'll call my parents! I didn't know that someone had bought the place! I'll clean it up or whatever you want, just don't call them! Please!"

"I'm not calling anyone," Tsuna sighed, turning to look at the graffiti with a grin. "And I don't want to clean it up. I like it. I've been thinking that we need a name for this place and you just provided us with a good one."

"Eh?" The boy gaped, staring at Tsuna in disbelief. Then he looked back and forth between his two captors with his shock plain on his face. "Is this guy for real?"

"Suoh is one of a kind," Eric laughed without letting up on his restraint.

"Hey, Ore," Tsuna called, reaching down to grab one of the fallen cans of spray-paint. "Give me a boost."

"Sure thing, Little Guy," Ore grinned, already seeing what Tsuna planned. As easily as always, Ore lifted him up to his shoulder before covering his mouth at Tsuna's warning. Then, taking a moment to decide, he chose to write the name in English above the enormous dragon. He purposely wrote it sideways to take up as much of the wall as possible so that no one else would paint over what the boy had drawn for them. After that, he had Ore put him down and he wrote some Kanji to fill up the space below the elongated dragon.

"There," he grinned, smiling at his work. It wasn't the best of handwriting, but it would suffice. Hopefully, if the boy understood the point that he was trying to make, he could spruce it up once he wasn't scared of getting in trouble. "Orange Dragon Dojo. We teach cooperation, friendship, and teamwork. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good, Suoh," Gigi laughed loudly. "Although, I hope you actually know what you wrote on the bottom. I couldn't read Chinese for the life of me."

"It's Japanese," he chuckled in reply. "It just says 'United We Stand'. I figured that it was fitting since we're in America."

"It sounds patriotic," Eric smiled in amusement. "But it does fit us. What are we going to do about this guy, though?"

"Why don't we go inside and talk?" Tsuna suggested, making the boy tense up in fear once more. "It's getting cold out here and my arm is starting to hurt again. Gigi, can you call and order some pizza with your cell phone? I'm getting kind of hungry. Get at least one supreme or else Snicker will throw a fit over me not eating veggies. Eric, you want to go turn the heat on inside? And.. um... Ore, do you think that you can get that safe installed on your own?"

"No problem," Gigi nodded.

"Right away," Eric agreed.

"Sure thing, Little Guy," Ore replied.

"Eh?" The boy gaped when both Gigi and Eric let him go in order to head inside behind Ore. "Aren't you going to drag me inside, too?"

"Nope," Tsuna smiled, grateful that Gigi and Eric had understood his cue. "You're welcome to come in with us, though. I'm sure that you're pretty cold from standing out here while you were painting. Plus, I might have an offer for you, if you're interested."

"Offer?" The boy repeated suspiciously, not moving from where he was standing.

"Yep," Tsuna nodded with a smile to try to get the kid to relax. "Look, let's talk about it inside. There's plenty of room to run in there if you're scared, but I can promise that I'm not looking to hurt you. I really do like the dragon you drew. It's a work of art to itself."

"Alright," he finally agreed tensely. "But you go in first and no funny business."

"You're the boss," he grinned, leading the way inside after tossing him both of his cans of paint. He seemed to relax somewhat once they were in his hands again, possibly since he considered himself armed with them. "What's your name?" He asked once they were inside. Heading toward the stage, he peeked inside the trap door to see how Ore was doing in order to give the boy more space.

"Leo," he answered while staying close to the emergency exit. He seemed even more relaxed, though, once he realized that Tsuna was being honest about not forcing him to stay. "Leo Greenfield."

"Nice to meet you, Leo," Tsuna said with a wide smile, sitting down next to the trap door to rest. "The big fellow down there is Ore..."

"Ore Trevies," Ore supplied since he was able to hear the whole conversation from where he was hidden.

"Ore Trevies," he repeated. "We all just call him Big Guy, though. The one with the doll face is Melvin Pot, but he goes by the name Gigi since he hates his name. Not that I can blame him. His parents had to have hated him."

"Immensely," Gigi called with a long-suffering groan from where he was making his call in the 'garage'.

"The dark haired guy is Eric Brahms."

"That's me," Eric grinned enthusiastically, jumping into one of the theater seats with his quest to turn on the heaters complete. "I don't have a funny name yet, but we're working on it."

"He says that, but Eric is Eric," Tsuna laughed.

"And what's your name, Mister?" Leo asked curiously, finally pulling down the handkerchief over his mouth and nose. Like Tsuna expected, there was nothing special about what was under it. Leo's nose was a normal size and his lips weren't anything special. He had a dimple in his chin, though, that Tsuna was sure would match a set that would appear in his cheeks if he got the kid to smile.

"I'm Suoh Timberson," he answered with a wide smile. "No funny names here, either."

"So, what's this offer you had?" He asked bluntly.

"Well," Tsuna mumbled in thought. "I got a lot of walls in here that need to be painted and you seem to like painting walls. I was just going to put a solid coat of paint over it all, but that would be kind of boring. The same with the ceiling. The ceiling is almost lost in the shadows, but a little bit of color up there would be really nice. Then there's the floor. It would be really expensive to put down carpeting, but paint and wax is really cheap in comparison. I was thinking that maybe after we fill in the holes with cement from where the seats are bolted down, we could sand it and just paint something really wild. A nice, thick coat of wax and we wouldn't have to ever worry about messing it up, either. It'd be better in the long run, too, because waxed floors are a lot easier to clean than carpet."

"You want me to paint everything?!" Leo exclaimed in surprise.

"Why not?" Tsuna smiled with a shrug. "It'd be fun. Don't you think? You could have this whole building as your canvas. Gigi, Eric, and Ore are going to do inside their own rooms, but everywhere else could use some love. There's no windows and there's only the house lights, so color would be just the thing to make this place feel more open and lively. I was thinking that we could outline some of whatever you draw with strip lighting, too. That way, if Gigi or someone comes in late at night, they can still see without having to turn the house-lights all the way up. Although, I have a feeling that this room will be active twenty-four hours a day, but strip lights are cheaper to keep on than all those light bulbs in the ceiling--"

Tsuna jumped in place with a squeak at the sound of Ore bolting the safe down into the concrete. Considering that Tsuna didn't have any power tools, the sound of the safe getting nailed down was the last thing that he expected.

"All done," Ore said, poking his head up out of the trap door after a fourth loud thumps.

"How did you--?" Tsuna gaped. In explanation, Ore held out his hand with a wide grin to let Tsuna see the light impression of the bolt heads on them.

"I do it at work sometimes when I can't find the drills," he laughed at Tsuna's dumbfounded expression. "If it were steel, I couldn't do it, but concrete is a different story. The safe isn't going anywhere now."

"Useful," Gigi commented quietly, finding himself a perch on the back of a chair. "Pizza will be here in twenty minutes. I hope everyone likes either Supreme or Pepperoni. I got two of each since I didn't know how much Ore would eat."

"Okay," Tsuna sighed before returning to the matter at hand. "So, Leo. What do you think? Are you interested? I'll supply all the paint for you to use."

"Maybe," he replied in suspicion once more. "It sounds like too good of an offer. What's the catch?"

"The catch is that you go to school," he answered bluntly, making the kid pale since Tsuna knew for a fact that schools hadn't let out for the holidays yet. "You're too young to be skipping out on school and you'll regret it later if you don't go. You can come and paint the place all you want after school lets out. I want you to promise that you won't paint anywhere else, either. This building is your canvas, not anywhere else."

"I-I can't go to school," Leo mumbled quietly, bowing his head.

"Bullies?" Gigi asked with a grimace.

"The boys picks on me a lot for being a tomboy. They say that if I dress like a boy, I should be treated like a boy and they've been getting really mean--"

"What?!" Everyone gaped in unison. Even Ore paused in the middle of squeezing himself up out of the trap door.

"You're a girl, Leo?!" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah. So what?!" She shouted back in frustration. "Is there something wrong with being comfortable instead of looking like a freaking drama queen?"

"No," Eric answered for them while everyone began bursting out in laughter over her response. "I think Gigi's got everyone beat as a drama queen."

"Don't you forget it," Gigi replied with a bit of his drag queen sass showing up despite him being out of costume.

"We were just surprised, Leo," Tsuna chuckled while Leo gaped for a moment at Gigi's purposeful display of stereotyped gayness. "I'm guessing that you don't want to be judged by your gender, but you don't have to worry about that here. Gender doesn't mean squat to us."

"Are you all gay?!" Leo exclaimed.

"NO!" Everyone blurted in another burst of laughter.

"Just me," Gigi said with a flourish and a bow.

"I _meant_," Tsuna continued with a bright blush, "that we don't judge people by their gender. Just be yourself and no one here is going to care how you dress. About those bullies, though..."

"We should help," Ore commented. "It's outrageous that boys would pick on you for being a tomboy."

"They probably think that she's cute," Gigi mused with a small nod to himself. "You know how boys are when they're just starting to really like girls. Well, _you _know. I had a little bit of extra trouble when I was in school."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, unable to remember anything about that part of his own life.

"Sometimes boys can't figure out how to talk to a girl," Eric supplied in thought. "Especially tomboys. I never knew if I was supposed to joke around like they were one of the guys or treat them like normal girls. I just stayed confused around them and kept my mouth shut, but I saw how some of the other guys tried to act. They would pick on them because they were frustrated. A girl that's dressed like a girl isn't hard to figure out, so when they started liking a tomboy, they would tease them in hopes that they could get them to fit a role that they understood better."

"That's stupid," Tsuna mumbled in confusion. "Why don't they just talk to them like normal people?"

"Did you skip puberty?" Ore teased. "Hormones make boys to a lot of stupid things at that age."

"I can't really remember," Tsuna said, scratching his head in thought. "Where I went to school, we had uniforms. Girls all wore skirts and we all had to wear ties. I knew this one tomboy, though. She had a mean right cross, if I remember right. I always just talked to her like any other person."

"Not all boys are as sweet as you, sweet-cheeks," Gigi chuckled. "Now, none of this is solving Leo's problem. The deal is that she gets to paint the place if she goes to school, but she can't go to school with how things are. I'm not one for telling her to change just to make other people happy, so what are her other options?"

"Maybe just a show of support?" Eric suggested with a shrug, immediately getting attention that made him blush. "I mean, um, if we all walk her to school, the boys might think twice about teasing her. You know, because there's so many of us and everything. Big Guy alone would probably scare them into leaving her alone and, um--"

"That's a great idea!" Tsuna exclaimed with a wide grin that matched everyone else's. "How does that sound, Leo? We can walk you to school at lunchtime and let people know that you've got big friends outside of school. Then, we can pick you up everyday so that they don't forget. The people teasing you should drop off a lot. I can't promise that it'll be totally, but it should be enough for you to be able to go to school without problems."

"Y-You would do that for me?" Leo gaped. "I painted graffiti on your wall and I just met you! Why are you trying to help me?!"

"Because," Tsuna answered with another bright smile, "you're a good person and our friend. Aren't you, Leo?"

"You're nuts," Leo replied with a look of amused disbelief.

"Suoh, you might want to get fancied up for this," Gigi suggested while Eric jumped up to go answer the knock at the door. "Eric might want to, too."

"Why?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow. "We're just walking her to school."

"First impressions leave a big mark," Gigi explained reasonably. "If you go in there all sexy like I know you can be and act all suave, you'll have half of the girls clamoring to be Leo's friend and the boys will think that they have competition. If they see you acting like a gentleman and Leo plays like she likes it, the boys will have something to model themselves after, too. We could really turn things around for her."

"If you say so," he mumbled in doubt. Then his eyes lit on the four boxes of pizza that Eric was carrying up to the stage. "Food first. Sex appeal later. Are you hungry, Leo? There's plenty to go around."

"It smells good," she replied with a grudging smile, the first that she'd given since meeting with them. Tsuna began mentally cheering when she finally came to trust them enough to move away from the emergency exit and join them in taking out the four large pizzas. Gigi and Eric took out one together, Ore took out two, and Tsuna shared the last box with Leo.

"Alright," Tsuna mumbled, while everyone continued eating on the crusts. "What should I do, Gigi?"

"Do you still have your jewelry box?" Gigi asked, receiving a nod in reply. "The red feather earring should be good and maybe a couple of necklaces to go over your shirt. You need to fix your hair, too. Eric, sweetie, unbutton your collar a few notches and go run some water through your hair, too. Big Guy should be just fine as long as he tucks in his shirt and goes without his jacket so that those big, manly arms are showing."

"What about you?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I got everything I need right here, sweet-cheeks," he answered, tapping his rear with a laugh. "Now get to it or else we'll miss the school's lunch break."

"What school do you go to, anyway?" Eric asked on his way toward the bathroom.

"Kaleb Hgh," she answered, making everyone freeze once more.

"How old are you, Leo?" Ore asked for everyone.

"How old do I look?" She growled in irritation over the question.

"Thirteen," Tsuna answered honestly.

"Twelve," Gigi answered.

"I'd say thirteen, too," Eric answered.

"I'm sixteen!" She shouted with a red face. "I'm a freaking junior in high school already! I'll be a senior next year! Damnit! Do you guys see my problem?! It's not just about being a tomboy. Everyone teases me because I look like a baby!"

"Sixteen and already a junior?" Gigi asked with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't become a junior until I was seventeen."

"It's not my fault. My birthday is after the cut-off, but my parents had me to start school a year early," she pouted. "They couldn't wait to make me someone else's problem during the day."

"Things are rough at home? Gigi asked sympathetically.

"You might say that," she mumbled quietly, the truth made plain in her demeanor. Tsuna and Ore traded grimacing looks. It was something that was seen far too often, though. The city was crowded and individuals got lost in the chaos. That's why there were boy's and girl's clubs in order to catch those that they could, but those didn't fit everyone. For a free spirit like Leo, a place like an outreach program was probably the last thing that she wanted to take part in.

"You can come here," Tsuna offered, seeing the same gleam in everyone's eyes.

"Eh?" Leo mumbled in surprise, raising her head back up again.

"You can come here," he repeated. "The place might not look like much right now, but we're going to turn it into a really nice hangout. When things get hard and you need somewhere to go, feel free to come here and hang out with us. It might not always be exciting, but we'll loan you an ear and a place to relax. It's better than you being out on the streets alone where you can run into trouble. Trust me," he grimaced, holding up his broken arm. "I know."

"I-I'll remember that," she mumbled shyly.

"Go, hurry up, Suoh," Gigi clapped several times to rush him. "We got half an hour before lunch hour is over if I remember my old schedule right. It'll take us fifteen minutes to get there, so we'll be cutting it close."

"Yes, ma'am," Tsuna laughed, jumping off the stage to head for the bathrooms located between the small lobby and the main seating area. Heading inside, he quickly removed his wool cap and set it aside. Using a small washrag that was already inside, he quickly cleaned the dust and dirt from his face. He found it sometimes irritating at how easily it collected by merely walking the streets. His hair took some work, needing to be completely soaked down and shook dry before it would poof back to life. That done, he looked himself over in the mirror for a moment to ensure that he didn't miss anything before heading back out to the stage area.

"Ready?" Eric asked, with his own hair tossed around with water and his shirt unbuttoned like Gigi had ordered. Everyone nodded and Tsuna directed everyone to head out the front door so that he could lock up.

"Can I get a lift, Big Guy?" He asked after the building was secure. Ore nodded and reached down to get him, already having come to understand that Tsuna didn't like the crowds. Since the lunch rush was already going strong, it went without saying that Tsuna preferred to be on Ore's shoulder. His other shoulder was quickly filled by a squealing and surprised Leo. "Don't worry," Tsuna soothed while she clutched frantically onto Ore's head. "Ore is really strong and he wouldn't let us fall. Isn't that right, Big Guy?"

"That's right," Ore agreed, keeping one hand firmly on each of their legs for stability. "Why don't Eric and Gigi walk in front of me? The crowd usually parts when they see me coming, but they close up pretty quick as soon as I'm past. We wouldn't want you two to have trouble keeping up."

"I'll lead," Gigi offered with Eric beside him. Tsuna chuckled when Leo squeaked again when Ore started to move. She calmed down after half a block when she noticed for herself how smooth Ore's stride was, but didn't let go of Ore's neck for an instant. Along the way, Tsuna gave quick greetings to several people that he recognized and took the teasing about his 'ride' with the same good nature that Ore showed. Georgie especially took the time out to toss them each a free hot-dog despite the fact that Tsuna hadn't been able to help him with his cart in almost a month. Most of those hot dogs ended up in Ore's belly while they walked, making the giant very pleased even though he'd already taken out two pizzas to himself.

Overall, they made excellent time in reaching the high school. Hundreds of eyes instantly locked onto them when they entered the courtyard, making Leo blush from all the attention. It was kind of hard to miss two people riding on top of a giant, after all. Then Tsuna's eyes lit on the best person that he could have possibly hoped to see. He gave a wave and directed Ore in the man's direction, quickly led by Gigi who saw the same person that he had where the man was sitting at the staff table outside.

"Why are we going to see Principal Henderson?" Leo hissed in panic.

"Because," he whispered back with a wide grin, seeing how the Principal alternately paled and blushed over the wave, "We know Principal Henderson as Hannah on the weekends. Just be quiet and let me handle this."

"Michael!" Gigi greeted with a mere handshake. "I didn't know that you took over after Principal Fjorde retired! You never told us!"

"I-I... um... uh..." he mumbled in shock, his eyes completely locked on where Tsuna was being helped off of his perch.

"I hope you'll forgive our intrusion," Tsuna murmured with a small smile twitching on the corner of his lips while he used the half-lidded expression that he knew Hannah couldn't resist. "We found one of your students and I'm afraid that we kept her busy for much longer than anticipated. We had her paint the sign for our new Dojo and she was very strict about not leaving it half-done."

"T-That's--"

"You'll come by and see it some time, won't you... Michael?" Tsuna controlled his need to laugh when Hannah nearly turned purple where he stood, not wanting to ruin either the man's pride or his reputation. Hannah merely nodded in agreement with eyes shining over the invitation, obviously incapable of actual speech. One of the other teachers at the table didn't seem quiet so speechless, however.

"Leona Greenfield," the man snapped as Leo was carefully set down on the ground. "What's the meaning of this? Not only have you skipped class for the past week, but you've shown up late with four hooligans!"

"Forgive us," Eric interjected smoothly before Leo could say a word, using his acting abilities to the utmost. "We swear that it won't happen again. Leona was just telling us about how her teachers were some of the best and we just had to meet you. Especially her science teacher. She said that he was strict, but was also one of the teachers that cared the most about his students. Is there any chance that we might be able to meet him?"

"You're looking at him," the teacher replied with a much calmer tone, obviously mollified somewhat due to the compliments. It was then that Tsuna noticed what Eric already had. The book on the table in front of the man was a teacher's guide for science. It had been a long-shot that this man was Leo's particular teacher, but Eric had taken the chance since he'd known Leo's full name. "I would still like an explanation due to her absences. We were ready to call her parents over the matter."

"Please don't," Eric replied with his most earnest expression yet. "It's truly our fault. We thought that school had already let out for the holidays. We would never want to jeopardize Leona's time spent learning from such knowledgeable individuals like yourself. I can promise that it won't happen again. We will do our utmost to ensure that she makes the most out of the precious time that she spends in learning what you have to teach."

"I find that hard to believe," another teacher commented. "Leona's never turned in a single shred of homework. She's been slacking off during class when she does come and she barely skirts by on her exams. I'm honestly still not sure if I should even pass her at this rate."

"That will improve," Tsuna interjected with a pointed look at Leo which made the girl flinch. "What happens in High School opens a lot of doors for people. We'll make sure that her grades start improving and that she begins completing her assignments. It's the least that we can do to make up for our mistake. Isn't that right, Leo?"

"I guess," Leo mumbled with a bright blush.

"Which one of you is Leo's art teacher?" Ore asked curiously, making several people jump despite themselves.

"I-I-I am," a small woman answered without standing up.

"You must be proud to have such an artistic student," Ore commented with a small bow of greeting, knowing that the woman would be too fearful to shake hands. "There aren't many who can work on such broad scales like Little Leo."

"Oh, um, yes," the woman replied with a bright blush, obviously not having been one who'd noticed her student's ability. She possibly couldn't be left to blame. Leo's chosen medium wasn't exactly something that most schools would identify as being acceptable. "W-What, if you don't mind me asking, have you found to be Leona's forte? I'm afraid I-I haven't been able to find anything to bring out her creativity to the fullest."

"Fresco," Gigi supplied while Ore was openly trying to think of a way to say graffiti without actually calling it that. "The piece that she did for us was a stylized work that easily encompassed ten times the normal canvas scale. It's both bright and edgy, making the whole area catch the eye like nothing else could. It's simply fabulous."

"F-Fresco...?" The teacher repeated in disbelief. Then her eyes narrowed in understanding. "You mean--"

"It really is an amazing work of art," Tsuna interrupted before she could say the damning word. "It makes me honored since she has sworn to only create such vivid images within the confines of my property. The medium might be unwieldy, but the results are incredible. It would be a shame to disregard her talent due to a little thing like stereotype. Don't you think?"

"Oh," the woman gaped, her foremost possible objection being instantly destroyed. They were saved from any other questions by the sudden ringing of the bell, signaling the five minute warning before class would resume. Tsuna gave the teachers their farewells before they hurriedly rushed inside. Leo began to turn and head inside with the crowd, but Tsuna reached out to hold her back with full intention to play his part until the end.

"Would it be permissible if Leo gave us a small tour, Michael?" Tsuna asked quietly once the teachers were gone, making the Principal shiver at each enunciated syllable of his name. "I've walked past here a lot, but I've never seen inside. I'm absolutely dying of curiosity. It would mean a lot to me if we could go in just once. Pretty please?"

"S-Sure," he replied, quickly turning to gather up his things. "B-But I better, um, come with you so that, um--"

"That would be great!" Tsuna exclaimed with a bright smile. "You can tell us all about how you became Principal along the way. I'm sure it's a fascinating story," he fawned, purposely stepping into Hannah's close proximity. Like he expected, Hannah still couldn't handle being around him. The man managed to stutter out half of his story and made it halfway down the first two hallways before he finally made an excuse to escape. Tsuna refused to let him go easily. "Do you have to?" He pouted.

"I, uh, have--"

"That's right. I almost forgot," Tsuna supplied playfully. "You're a big, responsible Principal. You probably have a ton of work to do. I really appreciate you being so considerate of me. Would it be okay if I stopped by on occasion and _inconvience _you in your office? I'd really like to keep track of our dear Leo's progress in her studies."

"That--" He mumbled with a bright blush, obviously thinking of something far more detailed than a progress report, "That, um, would-- Okay," he finished with a high squeak.

"You better run along and tend to your students," Tsuna prompted with a wide grin. Hannah nodded for a moment without moving before he realized that it meant he was supposed to leave. Then he blushed brightly once more and set off at a pace that quickly put him out of earshot. The moment that he was gone, Tsuna couldn't hold back his laughter any more. His friends joined him, making them the center of attention in the packed hallway for a moment until they regained control of themselves.

"Oh, Suoh," Gigi gasped. "You really know how to lay it on thick."

"Poor Michael," he chuckled, wiping merry tears out of his eyes while ensuring that he didn't use the damning name of Hannah where students could overhear.

"What-- What was that all about?" Leo asked while trying to merely breathe after laughing so hard.

"We'll tell you later," Eric chuckled. "It would be bad if we talked about it here. Let's just get you to class."

"That reminds me," Tsuna said while Leo nodded and once more started leading them through the halls. "If you're going to hang out with us, you really do have to start trying at school and start doing your homework, Leo. I can't have people claiming that I'm a bad influence on you. It won't be just you that gets in trouble. It'll be all of us."

"Fine," Leo grumbled grudgingly with a small spark of amusement in her eye, stopping in at a locker to retrieve a book that looked completely unused. "But I'm only doing it because you're supplying the paint. Plus, it'd be a shame if I painted my best _frescos _in your place and then never got to see them again."

"Well, we better get out of here," Tsuna cued before she could start leading them toward her classroom again. She looked at him in surprise since she'd expected them to go even further, but he could see that they'd already garnered the attention desired. People were staring at them out of the corner of their eyes and there were obviously multiple conversations going on about them. There had to be since there was only a minute or two until class started and no one looked like they were planning on moving out of the vicinity. Playing up to the attention, he moved before Leo knew what hit her. Not that he'd even consider kissing her on the lips, but the peck on the cheek was completely unexpected and still made her freeze entirely. "We'll see you after school," he said with a wide grin, reaching down to grab her frozen hand in order to place a kiss on the back of it, as well.

She stared at him in shock for a moment, but Tsuna continued to stare at her until she saw what he was trying to silently tell her and could respond to the prompt.

"If you're lucky," she said, pulling her hand out of his grip with a gleam of understanding amusement in her own eyes. Tsuna mimed getting shot in the heart, falling back completely where Eric and Gigi deftly caught him and started dragging him laughingly back toward the exit.

"One day!" He exclaimed like a love-sick fool. "You can't reject me forever!"

"You want to bet?!" She called at him with a laugh. "Just get out of here, you nutso!" Tsuna smiled at her, seeing the crowds of her classmates closing in the instant that he was far enough down the hallway that they felt safe in questioning her.

"That went well," Tsuna commented with a laugh, throwing his head back to look up at Gigi and Eric with a grin once the attention was off of them.

"Yes, I think it did. You played the rebellious, leather-jacket-wearing heart-throb perfectly," Gigi agreed with a smile. Both him and Eric traded glances and grinned cruelly, dropping him almost in unison. "But you can walk from here."


	21. Chapter 21 Trio

"Don't push yourself, Nick," Tsuna ordered gently, looking down at where the man was having trouble with a bolt at the base of a chair. "If you can't break it loose, just go on to the next one. I'll have Ore get it when he gets home." The man nodded silently and went on to the next one, working quickly and efficiently in the desire to get his 'wages' all that much faster. Their wages weren't much, but it was cash and food that Tsuna was more than happy to give to people that would truly appreciate it. He'd went to the store with Ore to prepare for this, buying cans of food in bulk to get a discount. Each person that he accepted as a worker was given six cans and twenty dollars in cash a day. With winter being in full bloom, the food and cash was appreciated since they got to work in warmth and Tsuna had plenty of hot tea to go around. He fed them all on top of it, so that none of them had to worry about not having enough strength to do the small tasks that he asked of them.

Nick was one of the smaller that had answered the call that he'd put out for helpers. He'd been nearly frozen through and half-dead when he'd first walked in. Tsuna had forced him to sit on the stage with blankets to warm up while he ate before allowing the man to do a single task. Nick hadn't been the first or the last person that he'd been forced to do that for, either. Half of the people that came in had been either starved or nearly frozen. The city's weather had fluctuated in the past week and a cold front had moved in with hardly any warning. There had been a couple instances of snow even, although the hot streets had melted it all as soon as it'd landed.

For the homeless, it was the worst part of the year. People were gearing up for the holidays and thinking about all the last-minute shopping that they had to do. Money stayed in people's pockets instead of getting thrown toward those that could use it. It was the time of year when excuses got more pointed and defined. "Sorry, I don't have anything to spare." Tsuna knew that the depression on the streets were skyrocketing. While people with Families and Homes were walking to and fro with thoughts of turkey and tables full of gluttony, the homeless ones on the street corners were reminded constantly of what they didn't have for themselves.

It was a sad fact that even Tsuna could spread his help only so far. For those that clamored for one of his three helper positions each day, he was forced to turn away so many. All of them got a sandwich and a cup of hot tea for showing up. He allowed all of them to come inside and warm themselves, too, while he chose which ones to accept. He tried his damndest to care for them all and he made sure to never pick the same person twice. They knew and they understood, though. He wasn't a miracle worker and what he had to spare could only stretch so far.

They all also noticed the other thing that had made everyone but Snicker scratch their heads over Tsuna's apparent waste of manpower. They saw it and he could see that they appreciated what he was doing. In all honesty, he knew that he could have just hired them all at once to get the whole building cleared out in one day. Instead, he'd chosen to keep it to three to slow the process down some. It gave him a reason to give a small, helping hand to those that continued to come. It gave hope to those people that they'd be lucky enough to have a job in warmth for just one day. Ore, Eric, and Gigi had seen and understood after the third day when they'd actually been present for his selection of helpers, but none of them had truly understood until then. He wasn't drawing out the process for his own sake. He was doing it for the sake of the people that came to answer the call that there were jobs to be had for homeless guys at the Orange Dragon Dojo.

He found it saddening that they all came to the alley door to knock. Not a single one had come through the front. There had been several that he'd recognized, including the few that he'd asked to pass the word around. Those in particular had been full of praise for how far he and Snicker had risen in the past few months. It hadn't been bitter praise, either. He could see it in their eyes. The fact that he and Snicker had such a nice place to call their own gave them hope that they could rise up off the streets themselves. Snicker had been one of them for ten years before finally catching a break. Tsuna himself had been beside them for untold months. It gave them hope that if they simply kept surviving and trying, their own break would eventually come, too.

Although, there was bitterness to their meeting, too. Daren had brought word that Bridgette had died of starvation without telling anyone. Phoebe had lost her baby and was back on the street, as well. Carl had gotten in an argument with another man over who'd seen a particular fallen quarter first and had been punched. He'd simply been too weak to live after even such a light blow and had never gotten back up. On top of that, Kaleb, the can-collector, had went missing. The police said that they were looking for him, but everyone knew that he was just another face on a pin-up board now. There was also the fact that the city's clean up committees had cleared out six blocks worth of bum-holes. People had been falling over at a dizzying rate once their only small claim for shelter had been cleared away.

Despite the load of bad news, Daren had brought good news, too. Colonel, the man who'd punched Carl, had waited for the police and had admitted guilt. He was in prison now, where he got three square meals a day, clean clothes, showers, and a warm cot to sleep on. He'd already been talking about getting a degree when they'd carted him off with a smile on his face. The police had thought that he was insane, but he'd played off well enough in front of the judge to get sentenced to ten years, saying that he'd wanted to kill Carl instead of telling the truth about the incident. In addition, the work crews had stopped for the holidays and the word on the street was that they wouldn't pick back up until after Christmas. That was a huge relief since it meant that no one had to fear leaving their home and coming back to an empty alley until then.

Daren himself had seemed to be doing good. He'd managed to get a large windfall while dumpster diving. He was now the proud owner of a two-man tent that he could pack up and carry with him every day. It had a couple of holes in the sides, but they were just tiny moth holes. He was perfectly content with it since it kept the worst of the weather out and got nice and cozy when he shared it with two of his friends. They even had a nice agreement with the owner of a restaurant so that they could pitch it in the alley behind it with no trouble. As long as they ran out anyone else trying to pop a squat back there, the man was perfectly fine with their presence as long as they packed up and left when the morning crew started arriving. One of the cooks was even nice enough to walk out and wake them up each morning.

All of it made Tsuna very glad that he'd kept touch with those that he knew on the streets. He'd not seen any of them since his attack, but there were still decent people that were slowly finding a way to keep surviving in the gutters. He'd helped Daren out a bit in appreciation for bringing him the news, too. He'd told him to take his three friends and to go talk to Georgie. Basically, he'd given them the opportunity to take up the job that Georgie had given him and Snicker. Daren had been beside himself in thanks when Tsuna had told him the simple trade of moving Georgie's cart in exchange for some hot dogs. Tsuna knew that Georgie wouldn't have any problems with it as long as Daren told him that Tsuna had sent him. Georgie had been asking about whether he'd known anyone trustworthy enough to help him since Tsuna's arm was broken and Tsuna couldn't think of anyone better than Daren and his two friends.

There was also a nice fellow by the name of Tracer that had come by on the second day. Tsuna had been amazed to find that the guy knew three languages. Tracer thought that it was a completely pointless skill, but Tsuna had set him straight. Tracer knew English by necessity, but he'd grown up around a Spanish speaking family. In addition, he'd learned a smattering of French while in high school. It wasn't much, but it was enough to clue him in on a possible way to use his skill. Tsuna had given him everything that he needed to know about taking over his job at the airport, since Tsuna knew that he wouldn't be comfortable returning to it. Not with how uneasy he still was in crowds. Tracer had been dumbfounded and had been doubtful, but Tsuna had once more told the man to drop his name to the red cab drivers at the airport and he knew that everything would work out just fine. Tracer had a face that made people want to trust him, which made him perfect in helping out tourists.

It was actually a relief to find people to take over his jobs, he noticed. It meant that he could focus all of his attention on the theater and Snicker. Gigi had even told him that another Excaliber impersonator had shown up at Kink's. This one wasn't quite as good as 'Xander' had been, but he was enticing enough that he'd garnered a lot of attention in Tsuna's absence. Gigi had taken him under her wing so that the man didn't short-change himself without realizing that he could ask more for himself. He was now asking quadruple the fees that he'd started out with and, unlike Tsuna, he was more than happy to have a 'tea party' for an extra consideration. He even gave Gigi a small cut in exchange for the same deal that Tsuna had made. He never had to worry about roofies and he never had to worry that he drank himself out of an extra few hours of work.

All in all, everything was moving along smoothly. Almost too smoothly for Tsuna's liking, but he wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth. If some problem arose, he'd deal with the problem then. Until then, he was more than happy with how things were going. Everyone was happy and everyone was completely content. It was enough. It was enough to keep those around him smiling.

And that was enough to make him smile.

* * *

"Get away from him!" Tsuna shouted, fearlessly propelling himself off of Ore's shoulder in order to charge down the alley that they'd been about to bypass. The teenage boys scattered, running away in fear when they saw Ore more than any fear that they had of Tsuna himself. Tsuna could care less for their reason for running, wanting nothing more than to knock a few heads together for what he'd caught them doing. It was winter. Didn't they realize that shaving a dog was paramount to a death sentence?!

Not that the bastards cared. He could tell from their clothes that they lived in decent homes with decent families. They were nothing more than spoiled brats out looking for something to entertain themselves. It made Tsuna want to chase them down and see how they liked having all their hair shaved off! He had other problems to think about, though. The first one was a little piece of shock over himself for having charged in so recklessly. He'd barely been going to kickboxing class for two weeks. He was a complete idiot for throwing himself in harm's way for a silly dog. If Ore hadn't been there, he had no clue what might have happened! He could have gotten beaten up again!

"Poor fellow," Ore commented before Tsuna could get too shaken over what he'd thoughtlessly did. Looking down, he found Ore kneeling down next to the mongrel German Shepard. The dog hadn't moved an inch from where he'd been surrounded. He simply continued to stare at the people around him while wagging his tail, obviously hoping that someone would throw him a bone. There were four large swaths of hair missing from his side from where the boys had shaved him already, making Tsuna grimace at the sight of skin and bone. "No collar," Ore added, patting the dog gently on the head.

"No," Tsuna blurted at the note that he heard in Ore's voice. Both Ore and the dog looked up at him with matching expressions, making him hold his breathe unintentionally for a moment. Then he got control of himself. "No, no, and no!" He blurted again, crossing his arms in denial. "I hate dogs!"

"But look at him, Little Guy," Ore said with a very large lip sticking out. "He has to be a stray. He looks like he hasn't had a good meal in his little life and he'll just get picked on again if we leave him here."

"No, no, and no!" Tsuna repeated with a red face. "We can't afford him and he's probably someone's pet!"

"There's no collar," Ore replied reasonably. "And you know that dog food doesn't cost that much."

"I know," Tsuna groaned, remembering the few times that he and Snicker had been forced to buy it since it was cheaper than real food. "But...But he probably has fleas," he threw out, hoping to come up with some excuse not to keep the beast.

"I'll give him a flea bath and brush him so that he doesn't shed," Ore promised, scratching the dog's ear while the dog continued to wag its tail in pleasure. The large beast looked to be in heaven with how his eyes were nearly rolling back in his head in joy. "We got that barrel that you and Snicker have been using as a tub until the bathroom is finished. I'll make him outrageously flea-free, assuming he's even got any. With how cold it is out here, all the fleas have probably already died."

"Fine," Tsuna grumbled, unable to think of any other reason not to take him in.

"Hop back up on my shoulder and I'll carry him," Ore offered with a joyous smile, holding out a hand for Tsuna to step up with. Tsuna took the boost, retaining his secure place on Ore's shoulder before the man reached out to pick up the dog himself. The dog let out a small bark over being picked up, but didn't look to be the type to bite. He was probably really well behaved, considering that it'd simply stood still while those boys had been removing its one protection from the winter cold.

"At least this time when Snicker teases me, it'll actually be a real stray," Tsuna commented with a quirky smile. Ore laughed at the quip before setting off, returning on his path home from their kickboxing training.

"P-Pocky...?"

Tsuna looked up from where he'd silently been watching everyone fawn over their new pet, finding himself struck speechless at the sight of his visitor. The others saw it as well, standing up slowly with their questions plain on their faces.

"What happened to you?!" Tsuna finally gasped, running forward to inspect Summer's black eye and split lip.

"It was Mike," she answered tearfully. "I told him that we wanted to stop working for him. I.. I didn't know that Cassandra and Dedra had already told him the same thing together, so he was pissed when I came and told him, too. I had went alone and he got really mad over it and took it out on me. H-He said that I wasn't allowed to quit and... and..."

"I'll take care of it," Tsuna promised, feeling a rage boil up inside him while Summer started weeping into his shoulder. Looking around, he saw the same dark looks on his friend's faces too. It was too soon. It was still too soon after having seen Tsuna with a black eye to find someone else in the same position of being hurt. It was only made worse since Summer was even smaller in size than Tsuna himself. Her being a girl on top of it was just too much to bear. Even Eric looked to be on the edge of wanting to tear someone's head off, which was surprising since he hadn't known that Eric was even capable of getting mad.

"You can't," Summer sobbed. "Mike owns my apartment. He'll throw me out just like he did Cassandra and Dedra! He said he won't let me stay if I won't work for him!"

"He threw them out?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Yes," she whined. "He wouldn't even let them get their stuff! He's standing in the door with a baseball bat and told them that he'd--"

"Stay here," Tsuna growled, seeing red from the rage boiling up inside of him. Prying her off of him, he tossed her into Eric's arms to console her and started heading for the door. "Me and Mike are going to have a talk." Ignoring Summer's sobbing pleas, he didn't even pause to grab his jacket. Five feet out the door, he found himself running in the direction of Summer's apartment building with only one thought in mind.

Bastard.

He didn't pause for anything. He barely noticed the fact that he was fearlessly running down the alley roads again, completely alone since he'd left before anyone could realize that he was leaving. At the moment, he didn't care. He had a strange feeling that, had anyone tried to attack him in that moment, they would have ended up the loser in the struggle. As it was, he exited out next to the apartment building after only a three minute run, making both Dedra and Cassandra squeak in surprise over his sudden appearance. They both tried to stop him when he started heading up the stairs, yelling out warnings about how Mike was waiting inside. He ignored them. He didn't care if Mike had a bat. Tsuna had something far scarier. He had his rage.

Without even thinking about it, he raised his broken arm up to protect his head when the bat came crashing down at him once he was inside. The blow sent a spasm through his arm for its ferocity, but he felt strangely detached from the pain that he knew he should be feeling. Mike froze, seeing instantly the it was Tsuna instead of one of the girls. He stared and Tsuna stared back while a cracking sound filled the area. When he finally pulled his bat back in shock, Tsuna grinned almost insanely at the free movement he could feel in his previously encased hand. His cast was shattered and his arm was healed enough to be usable. It hurt some to use it, but pain was the last thing that Tsuna was paying attention to.

Pulling his arm out of his sling, he tossed the sling itself aside and shook off the remains of his cast. Once more, he was moving by pure instinct while he pulled out the pins in his arm which had been holding the bone in place while it healed. Mike stared at the blood that welled up, paling beneath Tsuna's cold, rage-filled stare.

"What are you doing, Mike?" Tsuna asked quietly, once more ignoring the girls that started peeking out of their doors to watch. "Were you planning on using that bat on one of the girls?"

"I.. uh.." Mike mumbled, taking two steps backward when Tsuna began to advance.

"Answer me!" Tsuna yelled, throwing a punch into Mike's cheek in repayment of the one he'd hit Summer with. It was quick and fast but under the level of lethality, just like Coach Renolds had been teaching him. It sent Mike reeling in a fashion that Tsuna found was quite satisfactory. "Why the fuck did you hit Summer, Mike?! Why won't you let Cassandra and Dedra get what is rightfully theirs?!"

"Fuck off!" Mike finally roared, regaining his balance enough to throw his own punch in return that made Tsuna feel like his jaw was going to break. Tsuna roared in his own rage, sending Mike to the ground with a second blow. Tsuna jumped on top of him, pinning him down in order to grab his collars and shake some sense into the man.

"They're not your toys, Mike! They work for you, but you don't fucking own them! Why the hell are you hitting them?! Do you think you have some right to fucking hit them?! If they say that they don't want to play your sleazy games anymore, then they don't have to!"

"Says who?!" He shouted back, sending another fist upward at Tsuna's chin. Tsuna started to fall backward in a daze, but was able to shake off the blow quickly enough to reassert himself over the larger pimp. He sent blow after blow downward into his face and chest, pouring out his anger over seeing one of his friends in the same position of victim that he'd been forced into. After the third blow, all he could see was red. All he could see was red and the memory of himself in a dark alley. He continued to punch, taking occasional blows in return without even noticing, until someone finally, forcefully yanked him off.

"Stop, Little Guy!" Ore shouted in worry, making Tsuna freeze in place where Ore was holding him up three feet off of the ground. Looking down, he paled at the sight of Mike. His face was already starting to swell and bruise. He was coughing blood from a blow to his chest combined with the tooth that Tsuna had knocked out. He was still conscious, though, and he was indeed still alive where he might possibly have not been if Tsuna had continued. From the look on his face when he tried to roll over, he was in a lot of pain, though.

"Put me down," Tsuna mumbled, bowing his head in guilt for having hurt someone. Several of the girls poured out of their rooms to help Mike when they heard his calm and quiet tone, sensing easily that the fight was over despite how Ore carefully set him back down. "I owe you a lot, Mike," he said quietly when Mike sat up enough to glare at him despite his defeat. "You took me and Snicker in when no one else would. But... But I can't stand by when your hurting people. What would have happened if someone other than me had walked through that door? You could have killed someone, Mike. You could have killed them and then where would you be? You would have been in jail and then everything you'd worked for would have been gone."

"Am I supposed to thank you?" Mike snarled with a lip twitching in rage.

"No," Tsuna replied. "But you can't treat people like you own them. I'm not going to say that I'm sorry for hitting you, because you were asking for it, Mike. You hit Summer and you're trying to control Dedra and Cassandra. You can't do that anymore. I... I won't let you." Tsuna finally looked up, staring at Mike with a determination that he couldn't explain. It felt right, though. He had to protect his friends. Every fiber of his being demanded it.

"Tell them to get their shit and get out," Mike growled, letting the girls help him up to retreat to his own apartment in defeat. He paused once he was on his feet, sending one last glare at Tsuna. "I won't forget this, Suoh."

"I know," Tsuna mumbled sadly. It couldn't be changed, though. He wasn't sure if he wanted to change it, either. Mike would probably hate him forever, but Tsuna doubted that he'd ever lay a hand on one of his girls again. His friendship with Mike was a price that Tsuna had to pay to keep the girls safe and he was wiling to pay that price. He was willing to pay it because the alternative was a lot harsher for those that lived under Mike's rule. "Ore," he said quietly, looking up at the construction worker solemnly. "Would you mind staying here and helping Dedra and Cassandra get their stuff? I don't think Mike will try to interfere anymore, but it'd probably make the girls feel better if you stay."

"Sure thing, Little Guy," Ore nodded with a gleam of concern in his eyes.

"Tell them that they can stay with us if they don't have anywhere else to go," he added, walking toward the door while trying to ignore the growing throb in his arm. "You all don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not, Suoh," Gigi murmured, steadying him when his footsteps started to weave. He could feel exhaustion and the aftermath of what he'd done begin to crash into him all at once, leaving him bone-tired and emotionally drained. His knees felt like gelatin and he felt slightly dizzy from more than just the blows that he'd taken to the head. "Let's go get some ice on your face," Gigi suggested, guiding him out the door gently instead of with his usual pushiness. "We need to get that arm wrapped up, too. You're bleeding like a stuck pig."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled, lifting his arm up to see that it was indeed covered in blood. The leak was slow, but there was enough holes in his arms from his rash and violent removal of the pins that it was still bleeding. He considered himself lucky that he could even still feel his arm. He still had several weeks before he was supposed to take the cast off, after all. "Did I do the right thing, Gigi?" He asked as he was led back in the direction of the theater.

"I think so," Gigi answered promptly. "And I bet that everyone else does, too. Mike will come around once he's not mad about you punching him. You really did save him from making a big mistake, Suoh."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied, knowing that Gigi was trying to comfort him over the lost friendship. He just wished that he could believe those words.

* * *

"It's a lot quieter than normal," Snicker commented, kicking his boots off after tossing Tsuna the bag of hamburgers that he'd picked up for their dinner. "Everyone is usually still enjoying themselves when I get here."

"No one was in a mood to party today," Tsuna mumbled, setting the bag aside without taking anything. Eating was the last thing that he felt like doing. After Gigi had patched him up, he'd paid off the work crews and had spent the rest of the day curled up on his mattress where it was currently residing on the stage. "I got in a fight."

"I can tell," Snicker replied, reaching out to grab Tsuna's chin and inspect the bruises on his face. "From the looks of it, you lost."

"I won," he corrected sadly, putting his head on his knees. "Summer came over and told me that Mike hit her because she wanted to stop turning tricks. He was threatening Dedra and Cassandra with a bat, too, for the same thing. I... I don't know what I was thinking. I ran off and confronted him over it."

"And?" Snicker prompted, pulling off his jacket and sweaty shirt like he normally did upon reaching home if no one else was present but Tsuna.

"And I beat him up," Tsuna answered with his face still buried in his knees. "Big Guy came by a little while ago. All three of them are staying at his place until we get this one fixed up since they'll need a shower while they're job-hunting. They got their stuff out, but Mike said that he didn't want to see any of us again."

"Big Guy is going to have his hands full," he chuckled. "So, why are you moping? You should be proud of yourself. You stood up for what you thought was right and you didn't take any of Mike's shit. Don't give me that look," he added when Tsuna popped his head up to look at Snicker in surprise. "That's how me and Mike met. All of his girls were walking out on him left and right. He started smacking them around because he thought he could force them to stay. I set him straight when I caught him doing it in an alley. It saved him from losing the rest of his girls, too, because they all came to pity him. He ended up losing half of them anyway, but what I did helped him get on his feet again. He'll thank you once he sees some sense. He ended up thanking me, after all."

"That makes me feel a little better," Tsuna smiled softly.

"How's your arm?" Snicker asked, reaching over to grab the bag of burgers for himself. Pulling one out, he tossed it at Tsuna with a look that said he didn't have any choice but to eat. Tsuna smiled in return, feeling his appetite being to return due to Snicker's confidence that everything would work out.

"It aches, but I can use it again," he answered. "Mike broke the cast off with his bat, but I think I'll be okay without a new one. Gigi put a splint on it while he was wrapping it up for me. I just got to be careful not to overuse it for a few weeks."

"Keep it in the sling," he ordered firmly. "There's no sense in taking chances."

"Whatever you say, old man," Tsuna grumbled, getting a glare in return for the nickname.

"And the stray?" He prompted, pointing to the dog laying down at Tsuna's feet who was silently begging for one of them to toss him a burger, too.

"My first failed attempt at saying no," he laughed. "If you think a puppy can make a cute puppy-dog face, you should see Ore's. I had both of them staring at me with the fat lip and eyes together. I couldn't say no."

"What am I going to do with you?" Snicker asked with a long-suffering sigh. "At this rate, the place is going to be cram-full of people."

"That's not such a bad thing, is it?" Tsuna asked with a wide smile. "You said that you always dreamed of a big home with lots of people."

"That I did," he agreed in contentment, falling back to lay on the mattress with his stomach full and his work behind him for the day. "You've really made all my dreams come true, Suoh. All we need now is a pretty little thing to keep our bed warm and we'll be set."

"That'd be nice," Tsuna agreed, lounging back beside him with a grin. "We share everything else. I wouldn't have any problems with sharing that, too. If it were someone else, I couldn't see it happening but--" Tsuna froze and blushed, realizing what he was saying. Snicker rolled over and propped himself up on his arm, also getting the mental image that had popped into Tsuna's head. Him and a girl and Snicker. Him... and Snicker. It felt wrong somehow, yet so very right at the same time. "I.. uh..."

"The paperwork might say I'm your dad, but... but you know that it was just put there to make things look legitimate," Snicker commented, staring down at the sheets with a blush lighting up on his face. Tsuna bolted up, feeling his whole body turn red at the insinuation.

"W-What are you saying?!" Tsuna gasped, feeling like his whole world was being turned upside down.

"Ah, forget it," Snicker grumbled, turning over to lay back down in a rush. "Pretend that I didn't say anything."

"No," he replied firmly, feeling his eyes get wider by the moment. "I want to know what you meant by that, Snicker."

"Just forget it," he repeated, reaching back to pull the covers up over himself.

"Joshua D. Timberson!" Tsuna snapped, making Snicker bolt upright again in surprise over hearing his own name come out of Tsuna's mouth. Tsuna smiled at the look of shock on his face, feeling strangely happy that he'd been able to create such a reaction. Then his face softened and he asked once more, "What did you mean?"

"I'm an old fool," Snicker replied slowly, covering his face with his hands in shame. When he put his hands back down, he continued to stare at them in the open inability to look at Tsuna. "I can't see you as a son anymore, Suoh. It hit me back when I found out that you'd went and sold yourself. I... I got jealous. I've been jealous for a long time, but I just wasn't noticing it. I... I kept thinking 'someone else is sleeping with my Suoh' and other thoughts that I didn't have any right thinking. Then you got hurt and I tried to make myself think of you as my son again while you've been healing, but it's been hard. You ain't helpless, Suoh. You ain't helpless and you've got lots and lots of people showing up that want to be around you. It's been making me jealous all over again and..."

"You're afraid that you're going to lose me," Tsuna finished in heart-wrenching understanding. "But that could never happen, Snicker," he said firmly, reaching out to hug himself up against Snicker's chest. "I would be nothing without you. Even if we have more people around us, you're the only one that really matters. I could keep going if Eric or Gigi or any of the others left, but I'd die if I lost you. You're my whole reason to keep going. You couldn't get rid of me anymore, even if you tried."

"You make it sound like I want to get rid of you," Snicker chuckled while rubbing Tsuna's back soothingly.

"Do you?" Tsuna mock-pouted, looking up at Snicker with a small grin.

"Hell no," he laughed. "You keep me on my toes. I feel twenty just by trying to keep up with you and all your craziness."

"I'm not crazy," he countered. "I'm just unique."

"A unique, crazy bum," Snicker said, looking down at him with a wide grin. Then his grin faltered, finding himself far too close to Tsuna's face for either of them to react. Neither of them moved, unable to move backward in rejection of the feelings that they saw in each other's eyes. They couldn't move forward, either. They were both too scared of destroying the comfortable relationship that they had. Pretending to be father and son gave them both peace and a stability that they took great comfort in. If they were to break that by becoming intimate, everything would change and they'd never be able to return from it. Even knowing that, Tsuna could feel his heart pounding in his chest until finally the stalemate was broken.

"I'll get it," they both said in unison. Tsuna stayed put since Snicker was able to scramble up faster to answer the banging knock at the door. Neither of them laughed over the matching desire to grasp for the interruption. They were too busy trying to control their blushes.

With a groan, Tsuna threw himself forward on the bed and covered his head with his favorite gold pillow. What had he been about to do? He knew that he loved Snicker, but he'd never considered him like that before. Well, he mentally amended with an internal flinch, there had been a few times. There'd been once or twice while they were on the street. A few of the nights had grown very cold and he'd ended up crawling in Snicker's barrel to sleep on top of him for warmth. Snicker hadn't cared, taking open pleasure in how cozy things had gotten, but Tsuna had been forced to apologize numerous times for poking. There'd been that one time that Tsuna had come home drunk, too. Although he'd seen his own actions as harmless, Snicker had given him a black eye over it. Looking back, it might have been more out of frustration than anything. If Tsuna's clinging that night had made feelings well up in Snicker that he'd not wanted to admit to, it was understandable that his reaction had been so abrupt.

He was going to hell, he told himself with another internal groan. He was definitely, undeniably going to hell. He--

"Pocky?" Summer asked, making Tsuna groan verbally again.

"Don't mind him, lass," Snicker said with a grin that Tsuna _knew _was spread across his face. "We were just having a bit of a conversation and he's a little... um..."

"Horny," he blurted from under his pillow, taking cruel revenge for Snicker's amusement. He heard Snicker cough sheepishly, obviously having been trying to decide on a very different adjective. Something like 'confused' or 'worse for wear'.

"Can I help?" Summer inquired with laughter laced through her voice. "I never got to thank you for helping us. I talked to Dedra and Cassandra before they, um, started showing their thanks to Ore. You got Mike to back off and you've even offered this place for all of us to stay in. That was really nice of you."

"Don't mention it," Tsuna replied with a squeak in his voice, throwing a thumbs up at her without pulling his head out from where he was hiding his furious blushes. "No problem at all."

"You'll have to forgive him," Snicker laughed loudly. "We were just talking before you came in. I was telling him that we got everything we need except for a pretty thing like yourself to keep both of us warm at night."

_Damn you, Snicker, _Tsuna mentally cursed while his blushes grew deeper. He understood, though. He understood what Snicker was doing and he couldn't find fault in it. If Summer offered herself up in answer to his comment, he and Snicker could share more than just sleeping space. They could share more without destroying the nice and comfortable relationship that they had going. It would allow them to become intimate without them actually becoming intimate with each other. They'd be just be intimate with the same person at the same time. He had to admit, there was a very large part of himself that he couldn't deny his desire for that. He'd slept with Summer lots of times and so had Snicker. It'd just be a little matter of timing.

"Someone like me to keep you _both _warm at night...?" Summer repeated with a curious note in her voice.

"She's not interested, Snicker," Tsuna growled, waving the comment away.

"I wouldn't say that," she interjected in thought, making Tsuna freeze in his tracks. "I kind of like the idea. I'd get my two favorite candies at once and I actually _like _sleeping with you two. I was tempted to suggest it a few times in the past, but I know that neither of you are gay."

"We're not," Snicker said firmly, "But we're used to sharing a lot. There's no sense in wasting bed-space with two pretty little things when one will do."

"Then, can I be the one?" Summer asked, making Tsuna's eyes clench in a embarrassed confusion. Part of him was screaming 'Yes!' while the other part was screaming 'I'm going to hell!'

"Sounds good to me," Snicker said slowly. "Suoh...?" Tsuna froze at the prompt, unsure of how he should reply. He wanted it. He couldn't deny that he wanted it. Yet, there was a little nagging voice inside him that was questioning the morals of doing so. That voice was immediately silenced by the loud throb that resulted when he felt Summer's hand on his side, prompting him to turn over. He did, rolling over onto his back with his pillow still firmly covering his face.

"How about it, Suoh?" She asked in a voice that made both Snicker and Tsuna groan low in the back of their throats. "Would you like me to make you and Snicker nice and warm?"

"Un hun," he finally answered in a bit of a whine, feeling Summer's lips already teasingly playing with the nipple rings that he'd let Gigi talk him into getting. He'd yet to regret getting them and he was once again reminded to thank the drag queen for the increased sensitivity that they caused. He'd cursed endlessly when they'd been pierced, but he'd not cursed since.

Throwing the pillow aside for air, he reached down to bury his hands in Summer's hair when she pulled his boxers out of the way in order to wrap her lips around something even more sensitive. He was flush and panting, but he stopped caring if it could be seen. It was worth it, too, when he found his eyes locked with Snicker's while the man greedily rubbed his hands down Summer's sides and hips.

"You know that we're going to hell. Don't you?" Tsuna panted, his eyes nearly rolling back in his head while Summer continued her ministrations.

"That's fine," Snicker laughed as he began sliding down Summer's pants. "We can rent a timeshare together."

Tsuna could only laugh in return before his attentions were consumed by something far more interesting.


	22. Chapter 22 Home Sweet Home

"Autumn..." Tsuna gaped, staring out the door at the early morning visitor. He'd expected it to be one of their workers, hence why he'd been willing to answer the door in his boxers. He'd never expected Autumn of all people to show up.

"Are you going to let me in?" Autumn hissed, quivering from the cold. "It's freezing out here."

"Y-Yeah," he gasped. Snapping out of his shock, he ushered her inside before firmly pulling the door shut. He should have realized that it wasn't one of the workers from the moment that a knock had sounded from the front instead of the alley. He was cursing himself now, although it wasn't from embarrassment. Autumn had seen him in his boxers loads of times simply due to the fact that she and Summer had shared an apartment. He could care less if she saw Summer sleeping in their bed, too, since he knew that he didn't have a chance in hell of being accepted by Autumn. He'd accepted that a long time ago. If he hadn't, he would have stayed too self-conscious to have been able to sleep with her roommate. Although, sleeping with her roommate had given him other bonuses where Autumn was concerned. Bonuses such as seeing her when she first crawled out of bed. Autumn in a silk nightie and bed-head was almost a hundred times better than seeing her dressed for the day.

"I came to check on Summer," she said bluntly, pulling off her cap once inside. "She's here, isn't she?"

"Yes," Tsuna nodded, seeing no reason to deny it. "Her, Dedra, and Cassandra are all moving in with us, but I think Dedra and Cassandra are going to be sharing bed space with Ore."

"That didn't take them long," Autumn commented with a quirky smile.

"How's Mike?" Tsuna asked worriedly, leading the way toward the stage at the sound of their alarm ringing through the cavernous area.

"Bruised and shaken, but he'll be fine," Autumn replied. "I was about to call some friends in to deal with him but you got there first. I wasn't expecting Mr. Wannabe Prince Charming to run in like he did."

"Neither was I," Tsuna mumbled under his breath, making Autumn raise an eyebrow at him. He smiled and shook his head, not wanting to break the relaxed conversation that they had going. Of course, it was broken anyway when he woke Snicker and Snicker saw Autumn in the middle of his morning stretch. Then Summer yawned and her head peeked out of the covers, making Autumn raise her eyebrow even more at him. While part of him was internally grimacing over the look on Autumn's face, the other part constantly reminded himself that he'd not done anything wrong. Autumn had no claim over him. They barely had a tenuous friendship. He wasn't about to let a little infatuation get in the way of an enjoyment that he could actually reach out and touch.

"What's little miss ray of bitchshine doing here?" Snicker asked with a quirky grin.

"She came to see Summer," he answered.

"Me?" Summer asked, sitting up in the bed with the blankets wrapped around her modestly.

"I talked to Mike," Autumn replied bluntly. "You don't have to move out if you don't want to. Mike will keep renting the apartment to us and you don't have to work for him anymore. It's all set up, so--"

"Thanks, but..." Summer interrupted with a bright blush. "I think I'm still going to move in here. Assuming that Suoh and Snicker don't mind."

"Not at all," Snicker soothed with a wide grin while Tsuna shrugged to answer her look of askance.

"You can stay here as long as you want," he confirmed. "We're running short on rooms, but maybe I can--"

"I don't need a room," Summer interjected with another bright blush. "I mean, unless you don't want me to share yours..."

"That's..."

"Fine," Snicker finished hurriedly while Tsuna gaped over the insinuation. Somewhere along the lines, he'd assumed that Summer would only be interested in a short-term pairing. From the look on Snicker and her faces, though, they were both quite content with the idea of it becoming permanent. Not that he could really argue. It had been a very interesting experience and one that he could see himself wanting to experience again. It also wasn't as if he had any other available options that where throwing themselves at him.

"Are you sure about that, Summer?" Autumn asked bluntly with a knowing look in her eyes. "You always said that you didn't want to get involved with gangs."

"Gangs?!" Tsuna squeaked, tensing up at the merest mention of the word. Everyone looked at him with a raised eyebrow, even the dog that Summer had named Peanut after the beast had curled up next to Snicker's feet. His eyes widened at the insinuation that all those looks made. It was the insinuation that it should have been obvious. Looking down, he stared at Snicker in particular in hopes of retrieving some answers. "What's she mean, Snicker?! We're not a gang!"

"Suoh..." Snicker murmured slowly with a small flinch. "You can't blame people for thinking that. I already heard about it yesterday from my supervisor. They're calling us the Orange Dragon Gang because of the sign. I didn't--"

"You really are an idiot," Autumn interjected with a laugh. Tsuna stared at her, feeling his heart leap up into his throat and his stomach fall down to somewhere in the vicinity of his shoes. Then he stared around himself, slowly coming to terms with an undeniable fact. First of all, the building was covered in Leo's graffiti, possibly giving outsiders a very bad impression of the type of people living there. Second, the building was overflowing with people. He'd gathered up people and he'd basically put himself in a position of caring for them. Even worse, he'd taken up the responsibility of protecting them by his actions toward Mike. _I won't let you_. It had been a statement that he'd made in the spur of the moment, but the meaning of that statement was just beginning to hit him. The most damning part of all was the money. Everyone had already agreed to send their money through him. They'd agreed because they'd trusted him. Yet, to outsiders, he knew what it must look like. It looked like he was requiring tribute for everyone to stay part of his group. It looked...

It looked like he was a Boss.

The mere though made him drop to his knees. Was this what Reborn had been trying to teach him? Had this been what he'd been trying to accomplish by all of his attempts to make Gokudera and Yamamoto into his subordinates? Was he still just a No-Good idiot that was leeching off the strength of others? That couldn't be. He wouldn't accept it. Gigi and Eric and Ore and Leo were just his friends. Snicker was just his partner. They weren't his subordinates. He wasn't having all of them come together because of some stupid person had run into his life and told him to do it. He was doing it because they could all be happier that way. They could all pick up the slack when one person had problems. They weren't coming together to simply protect him because someone had said that he was important. They weren't using teamwork just because they were dead if they didn't. They were doing it because they were all working toward the same goals. The goal of surviving and simply making ends meet.

These were his friends, he reminded himself firmly. No one had gathered them up for him. They were people that had accepted him as their friend on their own. He'd been the one to bring them together, not Reborn. He'd been the one to take charge and figure out what had needed to be done for everyone to be happy. He already lived every single day in a desperate struggle. It hadn't been a magic Mafia bullet to the head to make him desperate. He was already desperate to make their lives better because he'd lived the alternative with Snicker. He'd lived the alternative and he was willing to die before he let them sink back down into oblivion.

Where did that leave him, though? He'd made a gang. He'd never thought of it that way before, but it was undeniable. He'd even done some illegal stuff without thinking twice about it. Prostitution was illegal in this country, as was his whole immigration. He'd stolen, too, when he thought about his fake identity. He hadn't had a choice, though. He'd only done it because there hadn't been a choice. In every single instance, breaking the law was better than the alternative. The alternative of poverty. The alternative of being turned into a monster. The alternative of being found. He didn't want any of that. He didn't want to go back where Reborn and everyone could make him into something he didn't want to be. He didn't want to be a Mafia Boss. He--

He wanted to stay here with everyone. He wanted to protect them and make all of their lives better by working together. It didn't matter what other people thought, he realized. So what if people thought that their home was a hideout? So what if people thought that he was the Boss of a gang? He knew better. He was just their friend. He was their friend and he'd do whatever it took to reach their goals together. He knew that they wouldn't do anything less in return. He trusted them and they trusted him. They weren't doing anything wrong. They were all just being themselves and looking out for each other. Why should he care if people tossed a stereotype on him? Why should his friends cared if they got tagged with it, too? They all knew better. They all knew what really mattered. In a world where stereotypes were everywhere, he knew that he would have been hit with one eventually. It was just different than the one that he expected.

There was just one thing that he had to know.

"I'm still a good person. Aren't I, Snicker?" He asked earnestly, finally looking up into Snicker's worried eyes while the man paused in the middle of repeating his question about whether Tsuna was okay. Snicker's expression softened, understanding exactly how important the answer was to him. Snicker knew. Snicker knew enough about his past, even though he didn't know the finer details. Snicker knew that the thing he feared more than anything was turning into the same monster that he'd ran away to keep himself from becoming.

"You ain't done nothing wrong, Suoh," he answered firmly. "Just because other people call us a gang, it don't mean that we're bad people. You just keep doing what you've been doing and let everyone else just go stick their thumbs up their asses. Everyone around you that matters knows that you're a good person and you know that you're a good person. If people want to say different because of a little gossip, you just send them my way and I'll set them straight."

"Arigato," he mumbled in thanks, feeling all of the tension drain out of him at Snicker's vote of confidence.

"No problem," Snicker smiled since 'Arigato' was one of the few phrases that Tsuna had taught him. "Now, I better get a move on or else I'm going to be late. You should get moving, too. I doubt you and Summer want to be in your skivvies when people start showing up to work."

Tsuna squeaked and jumped to his feet, knowing that Snicker's estimation was probably right on the mark. People tended to start showing up right before Snicker left, so he only had a minute or two to change. Thankfully, he had privacy for dealing with the issue since they'd temporarily stored most of their belongings under the stage. Jumping down into the hole, he handed up Snicker a fresh set and dug for his own. Throwing them on, he climbed back up the ladder in order to fold up and stow away their sheets and bedding. He knew that he could trust most of the people working for him, but there was no sense in taking chances. As it was, he was barely able to push their couch over the trap door to hide it before the first knock sounded off.

Ignoring Autumn's curiously extended presence, having thought that she would have taken the first opportunity to leave, he went to answer it and quickly ushered the five men outside into the main room. All of them were regulars, people who had come every day, and Tsuna was happy to see every single one of them.

"Go ahead and warm up," he directed with a smile, gesturing absently at the edge of the stage. "I'll go start the tea. I got a bit of a late start today."

"No rush," Daren laughed, hopping up to relax on the stage like he did every morning. "It's as cold as fuck out there. If the temperature keeps dropping like it has, we'll have a white Christmas again this year. Maybe a white Thanksgiving at this rate."

"That would be bad," Tsuna grimaced in sympathy. "If that happens, all of you can come warm up here anytime that you need to. Just make sure and keep it between people that you can trust. I don't want anyone in here that'll snatch something and run."

"We might take you up on that," Nick replied with a shiver, making Tsuna grimace again at his patchwork of clothing. It was enough to make him instantly decide that he'd go down to the thrift store and pick up some spare coats, socks, and leggings for all of them as a bonus for coming every day. He hadn't wanted to waste the money since he knew that pride might keep them from taking it, but he doubted that any of them would turn down the gifts at this point.

Ducking into the bathroom, he sighed in relief that Snicker had already started the tea for him before ducking out for work. He quickly transferred the coffee-pot full into a pitcher that they'd gotten and started brewing a second pot. He'd found that the coffee-pot was a hundred times more useful than he'd ever expected. Sending water through the machine without any coffee or filter and placing the tea bags in the pot worked perfectly in quickly brewing up tea. He could also toss a can of thinned soup inside at lunch and leave it sitting with the warmer turned on in order to have himself something hot to eat at dinner. Although, he hadn't had to do that since they'd gotten a microwave.

Grabbing up a large platter of sandwiches that he'd made up before giving in to his urge of self-pity the previous night, he took both the platter and the tea out into the main room. He smiled over how everyone had already dug out their pots, bowls, or cups depending on whatever they used to beg with. He filled them up as much as he could while also ensuring that everyone got a fair share. Without being told, no one took more than a single sandwich each, knowing that more would be coming to share in the bounty. Chatting amicably, he heard the latest updates about his old friends on the streets while trading a few small stories of his own, such as the size of Ore's lip when he made a puppy-dog face and a short, tempered version of why his cast was missing and he was banged up.

It wasn't until a second group arrive and all of them were eating and finally beginning to get warm that he finally remembered Summer and Autumn's presence. Turning to them, he blushed at the knowing stares that they were giving him. He gave them a shrug, unable to deny the looks in their eyes while refusing to alter anything about what he was doing. He simply offered them tea and sandwiches, too, while waiting for the last of the stragglers to show up.

"What are we doing today, Suoh?" Harold finally asked, popping the last of his stipend into his mouth.

"I figured that we could switch off taking the chairs out to the alley," he answered, taking a seat next to Stubble Steve in the nearly-empty floor. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette for himself before passing the pack around to be shared with the other smokers in the room, taking immense pleasure in the fact that they could afford to buy filtered ones now. "I made a deal with a consignment store and they'll be here to get them later. They say that they've got a possible buyer for them and they'll give me a hundred for the whole lot. After that, Ore should be here with the floor sander that he's borrowing from his work, so let me know if you know how to use one. Even if you don't, Ore is probably going to need help with demolition in the bathroom and we need to pull the carpeting up in the lobby so that we can turn it into a garage. Ore has a motorcycle that he's going to store in there and the carpet would just get messed up anyway. I'll probably be working up in the balcony, pulling down the safety railing, and I think that Eric and Gigi are going to be working on prepping their rooms today, too."

Everyone nodded in acceptance of the work he listed, willing to take part in the tasks since they didn't have any better options at the moment. Then came the hard part. He had to choose. Everyone knew and everyone purposely didn't look at him in hopes of making the choice easier. There had been a few times already that Daren and his lot had backed out to allow someone else have the slots, but they weren't today. They weren't backing out today because every single person present had already had their fair turn. There were twenty-five of them, all together. There were twenty-five men and he could only choose three.

"How many more days do you think it'll take?" Nick asked conversationally.

Tsuna's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

"Today's probably the last," he mumbled in shock, staring around at expressions that said that they'd all already figured as much. "After this, there's only the stuff that we can do over time." Everyone in the room nodded quietly, their shoulders sagging in the knowledge that this was their final chance to work. On the other hand, Tsuna's face lit up. "But there's no reason that we have to do it over time!" He exclaimed. "If this is the last day anyway, why don't we just go ahead and get it all done? Isn't that okay with all of you? With everyone working double-time, we can get the demolition done and get everything sanded down so that Leo can paint after school. Two of you can work on just clean up and I can send some of you down to pick up the cabinets that I ordered. We can get the kitchen installed since the electric and plumbing has already been set up and I can go get the glass to install up on the balcony. If everyone works together, we can have everything but the bathroom tile done and the floors waxed by the end of the day!"

"Wait," Daren gaped. "That means that you're hiring all of us?!"

"Yep!" Tsuna confirmed with a wide grin. "All of you are good at following Ore's directions. We'll have you work in teams. Daren, you and your team can have the bathroom. Steve, I want you to lead the team that's going after the cabinets and installing the kitchen. Nick, I'm putting you, Kit, and Tracer on the floor sander since you three are the smallest. You can take turns sweeping up the dust and working the machine. Steve, I'll have you and your friends work on the carpet in the garage. The rest of you can split up into whichever team you want, but make sure that you work together. You're all getting an equal amount of pay for getting the job done, so there's no reason to compete. The faster that it's all done, the faster we can order in a huge dinner to celebrate!"

"Can we help?" Dedra asked with a smile in her voice, making Tsuna flip around in place in surprise. He smiled widely at the sight of Dedra and Cassandra, both of which were wearing blue jeans and loose t-shirts in preparation of working. Dedra even had a handkerchief around her glossy black hair and Cassandra had pulled hers back into a tight ponytail. Ore was behind them, carrying a large floor sander on his shoulder like it was a suitcase, having used his own set of keys to get in the door. They'd been listening quietly without him noticing, having heard his plans and his orders enough to get the picture of what he wanted to do.

"They say that they want to help out," Ore explained with a shrug, putting the floor sander down. "And not just with the renovations."

"I can cook," Cassandra said with a saucy twitch of her hips. "It's the least that I can do for letting us move in with Ore without charging."

"With Ore?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow that made the whole group of three blush brightly.

"I can do the cleaning, too," Dedra added to keep the subject away from their sleeping arrangements. "I suck with a stove, but with all you guys living here, you'll probably need someone to pick up after you."

"I can help out some, too," Summer piped up happily. "At least, I can today. Tomorrow, I've got a job interview that I've got to go to."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed excitedly. "First things first! Let's get all the chairs moved out into the alley." Everyone moved in a hurry at his direction, stowing their belongings safely on the stage while they began jumping to the task in glee. "Cassandra, Dedra, and Summer, I'm going to send you three out on an errand," he continued, making all three girls surround him in anticipation. "We're going to need a large stove and an oven to cook meals big enough to feed all of us. I've already paid for the cabinets, but I haven't picked out those parts yet."

"What about a fridge?" Cassandra asked curiously.

"Snicker has already taken care of that," he answered. "He works down at a factory that makes them. He got us a deal on an extra-large fridge and we got a deep freezer on top of it. We'll need a washer and a dryer to go in the garage, though. We've already got everything set up on the left side, we just have to hook them up. I figure that if I send you three to pick out what we need, you can weasel them into delivering it all by truck for us without getting charged."

"I think we can do that," Dedra agreed with a toothy grin.

"What about me?" Someone else asked. Tsuna turned in surprise while the three girls began discussing the size and make of stove, oven, and laundry facilities in order to stare at Autumn in surprise.

"What about you?" He asked blankly.

"You can't expect me to just stand here," she growled at him, crossing her arms against her chest in displeasure. "You got everyone all riled up. It would be a crime for me to leave without helping, too."

"Oh," he murmured with a bright blush. Looking around, he tried to think of something that he hadn't already assigned to someone else. He finally did when his eyes lit up on the balcony. "How about you go get the glass?" He suggested, pointing up at the balcony. "We were going to put some sliding panels up instead of a wall so that I could open it and talk to everyone without having to come down."

"Classy," she commented in thought, making him blush once more at the compliment. That was, until she opened her mouth again. "It doesn't fit you, though." Autumn paused, her eyes sparkling the moment that he saw his frustrated glare. "Don't look at me like that! It doesn't and you know it! Plus, this place is a Dojo. Right?"

"I guess so," he grumbled, biting his tongue on what he really wanted to say to her.

"You need shoji screens," she said bluntly, looking back up at the balcony in thought. Tsuna blinked and looked up, as well, while trying to hide how well the suggestion resonated with him. He hadn't seen a shoji screen since leaving Japan. The thought of sleeping while surrounded by them made him feel strangely happy. It would be like he had a taste of home again. "Maybe that would be too stereotypical, though," Autumn mumbled to herself. "I mean, just because you look Asian doesn't mean that you like that kind of stuff."

"I like it," he mumbled quietly, bowing his head at the comment since it was a reminder of how little Autumn knew of him. She didn't even know that he wasn't American. "W-Would you mind decorating up there for me? I-I don't think Snicker would mind if our room had a theme to it and I'm going to be busy making sure that everything keeps going smoothly down here so, um..."

"Shopping is my favorite hobby, so I'd love to," she smiled. "Just tell me my budget and I'll--"

"Spend as much as need to," he answered while tying to hide the pang of homesickness the twisted inside him momentarily. "Just bring me the bills and I'll give you the money for them. Try not to spend a whole lot unless you have to, though. There's still a lot of stuff that we have to get and I've only saved up so much."

"Alright," she replied with a raised eyebrow, showing none of her typical, irritating nature. "Any requests?"

"Japanese," he answered solemnly, looking over at her with another pang twisting up into his expression. "But I want Snicker to be comfortable in there, too, so don't go overboard. If... If you could find a butsudan, I'd really appreciate it."

"What's that?" She asked bluntly. Tsuna smiled to himself and bowed his head, feeling even more homesick by the need to explain.

"Just ask around Chinatown," he murmured sadly, not wanting to answer any of the questions that he knew would follow if he told her that it was a cabinet that was used as a home shrine. That would be delving far too close to his past and the reasons for wanting one to make him comfortable. "There's a lot of Japanese down there, too. You'll figure it out. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just a small one will do."

"If you say so," she murmured doubtfully. "I'll ask around for a butt sedan, but it better not be anything dirty. I knock the hell out of you if it is."

"You do that," he said with a small smile at her mispronunciation, knowing how hard she'd get laughed at when she tried to say that down in Chinatown. It was a small revenge, though, for all the times that she'd beat him in their verbal spars. She could be the one to get a little irritation this time around. Plus, if she spent most of the day looking for a 'butt sedan' then he'd be able to focus more on getting some work done. "If you have any trouble down there, then drop my name."

"Are you some kind of Yakuza or something?" Autumn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," he chuckled. "I just know a lot of people down that way. While I was working at the airport, I made sure to never miss a flight from Asia so there were a lot of times that I helped people's relatives out. It felt nice to talk in my own language again. I'd started to think that I'd forgotten how it sounded. That's where I've started going to pick up my tea, too. Ichigawa-san imports it straight from her homeland and she always gives me a good deal. Then there's Fuma-san who always gives me a box of fresh takoyaki when I stop by to say hello. I try to pay, but he won't let me because I'd found his grandmother walking around lost in the park and escorted her home. There's also a bunch of other people that know me, so I don't think that you'll have any trouble. Just tell them that you're shopping for..." Tsuna froze and paled, realizing that she was probably going to make fun of him tremendously. Even so, he couldn't help how the people down there had named him.

"For...?" Autumn prompted with a teasing smile, not missing his hesitation or her expression.

"For Little Dragon," he groaned with a blush of embarrassment. Tsuna felt his ears turn red at her snort, followed by his neck and his shoulders when she let out a loud wail which caught everyone's attention. "It's not funny!" He squealed, storming away from her before she could make an even bigger deal about it.

* * *

She'd thought that he was full of shit and a typical jackass like all the other men she ran across on a daily basis, albeit one that wasn't afraid of at least attempting to bite back. He was always so quiet and seemed like a loner who only trusted Snicker, but she was slowly finding out differently. She was finding out a whole lot more than she'd ever expected to find out. It made her wonder exactly who was the man that she'd teased Gabriel about bringing into the Family. She'd not been serious about it before, having simply been using Gabriel and Suoh's mutual dislike for each other to tweak her brother's nose. Now, though, she was wondering if he may be worthy. The sheer effect of his name on certain people was enough to make her actually consider him.

It had happened before she knew what was really going on. She'd laughingly dropped his name like he'd told her to while looking around for the 'butt sedan' that he'd wanted. Everything had changed after that. The shopkeeper's face in the antique store had grown solemn and sad, making her wonder what exactly the item was and why it got such a reaction when paired with Suoh's name. The man had paused and had directed her to follow him into a back room where she found herself seated across from an old woman with tea being served in a manner that she found to be rather formal. After a minute, she'd decided to go along with it and she hadn't found to have regretted it. Especially not when the shopkeeper had started translating the gibberish that the old woman was spouting.

"She says that Little Dragon is a lost soul," he said quietly while Autumn sipped her tea. It had a strange taste to it that was nothing like the stuff that she was used to, making her stare at her cup in surprise. "He's running from something, but he refuses to ask for help out of mistrust. She says that if you are a true friend of Little Dragon, you will help him find his way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, looking back and forth between the shopkeeper and the granny. They talked between themselves for several minutes in a language that she couldn't hope to understand before the man finally turned to speak to her again.

"You said that Little Dragon wants a butsudan," he said slowly. "Did he tell you what it is?"

"Nope," she replied flippantly. "He just asked me to decorate his room so that it has a Japanese theme and asked for that thing."

"I see," he murmured to himself, bowing his head down in that same irritating way that Suoh always did. "He has grown to trust you, but there are still seeds of doubt." Autumn raised her eyebrow once more when the man stiffened at some more gibberish that the old woman spouted at him. He nodded several times in agreement with whatever the woman said before abruptly standing and leaving the room. When he returned, there was a large box in his hands that made Autumn's eyes widen. From the looks of it, it was a large jewelry box that she almost laughed loudly at due to its overly-embellished look. She would have, too, if not for the glare that the old woman sent at her. That look made her pause, second-guessing her snap-judgment about Suoh's desire for somewhere to hide his valuables.

"This shrine has been in my Family for nine generations," the shopkeeper murmured, placing the polished wooden box carefully on a shelf. "My own daughter has already shown no desire to inherit it, but we would be honored if Little Dragon could find some comfort in it."

"A shrine?" Autumn repeated in surprise, her jaw dropping open while the man carefully opened the chest so that she could see the lavish ornamentation inside. "Like, for praying?"

"Indeed," the man nodded while Autumn slowly got up to inspect the silver and gold embellishments more closely. "We have long wondered if Little Dragon had need for one. My mother has an eye for those things unseen. She has commented often upon the spirits haunting Little Dragon. They are vengeful that he has turned his back to them. If this can ease his burden, we would be honored for him to have it."

"Spirits?" She asked in growing disbelief. Her remark was instantly answered by another long string of gibberish from the grandmother that was quickly translated by the shopkeeper once more.

"Suoh doesn't talk about himself much," he said seriously. "But there are things that we can see by the things that he refuses to speak of. For instance, he can speak freely about having grown up in Japan, but he will not say where he lived or why he left. He grows fearful if you question him about it. He will not speak of his family nor will he speak names of those he once knew. He is hiding from something, Miss. He is hiding by turning his back on everything that he once held dear. The spirits are angry at his neglect for having done so and they torment him in his sleep. He has mentioned them, has he not? The dreams that he can not remember but frighten him so much that he has come regularly for calming teas?"

"No he hasn't," she mumbled honestly, regaining her seat once more with much more on her mind than a jewelry box. "Like you said, he doesn't talk about himself. I used to hear him shouting sometimes when he lived above me, but I thought that was just him arguing with Snicker. Now that I think about it, it couldn't have been because he was usually sleeping around that time."

"Little Dragon is in great pain," the shopkeeper translated earnestly, making Autumn pause due to the man's firm tone. "He is a kind Dragon and a benevolent one who is resting quietly but uneasily. There is power in him, Miss. My mother has seen it, as have all who can see the world that lies beyond this one. We..." The man took a deep breath while the old woman gestured for him to continue translating what she'd said. "We fear that when he was hurt, he was changed. My mother believes that there is an anger that is eating at him. It is a desire for vengeance that is tainting his pure heart. Miss, I don't know if you truly consider yourself one of Little Dragon's friends, but I beg you. Please, watch out for Little Dragon and try to help him. He must find his way again before the power sleeping in him falls into the wrong hands."

It was the last line that did it.

Autumn still continued to smile at the man while keeping her thoughts to herself. Suoh and power were simply two words that didn't go together, like she'd thought. Even more, the plea that he'd tagged onto the end sounded like something from a cheesy children's drama. Suoh had probably set it all up. That was why he'd sent her out for something so specific. This was probably the only place in town where she could find one, which meant that she'd get rolled up by the fantasy that they were trying to spin. Typical. It was completely typical. Suoh couldn't beat her with wit, so he'd chosen to turn prankster. She should have known when they'd started talking about spirits. The part about him having a pure heart was complete bullshit, too. That was fine. That was _perfectly _fine. She'd get him back, though. She'd spend a fortune on decorating his bedroom so that he'd regret ever messing with her. She knew about his stash of cash. He could afford one or two thousand dollars in having to repay her. She wasn't totally cruel, though. She'd make sure that he'd be able to return some of the stuff. Making him waste time trying to get refunds for her expensive purchases should be perfectly reasonable vengeance. She'd make the room look amazing on top of it so that he had to weep while he was dismantling it.

It'd serve him right!

* * *

Tsuna watched curiously from where he was helping to install the kitchen sink, seeing Autumn come through the front door with three tall Asian men carrying several boxes worth of items. Those were followed by several other people when another three followed while carrying two shoji screens each. Then he choked when another two men followed after _that_, carrying a box between them that was about half the size of his and Snicker's mattress.

There was a look of frustration on Autumn's face, telling Tsuna that something had went badly, which reminded him instantly of how she'd mispronounced 'butsudan'. They couldn't have teased her too badly, though. She hadn't come back and told him to decorate his own damn room. Curious, he started to head for the stairs leading up to the balcony, but found himself barred from entry by one of the people that she'd brought with her. Thankfully, it was a person that he recognized.

"What's going on, Mr. Cheng?" He asked in Chinese.

"Word got around that Miss Autumn was shopping for you," he answered with a wide smile. "Everyone is excited to see that you have not forgotten your homeland and wish to help create a room so that you may have some peace."

"Oh," Tsuna murmured with a bright blush, able to easily read between the lines. The men had all come to help after hearing about what he'd sent Autumn after. It was their way of repaying the debts that he refused to acknowledge. He couldn't acknowledge them, after all. Helping people out shouldn't be something that he did in hopes of recompense. He'd just tried to be a good person when he could was all. "You guys don't have to do that. I can set it all up. I was just having Autumn to go and--"

"We will not be refused, Little Dragon," he replied with a wide grin. "Let us tend to your bedroom as a small token of appreciation for all that you have done."

"But I didn't do much," he objected worriedly. "I was just working for the cab company and Chinatown is the only place that I could find something to help me get back to sleep. There's no reason--"

"My grandfather hopes that you will come play mahjong again with him sometime," Cheng interjected with a smile. Tsuna blushed, remembering the one time that he'd sat down in some shade to cool off during the summer and had ended up getting roped into a game with a man that he barely remembered. He'd won, but only by the skin of his teeth.

"S-Sure," he mumbled meekly, deciding that it would be simply easier to retreat from the battle of words. There was a look in Cheng's eyes that said he really wouldn't be denied. There was also an amused sparkle that suggested he knew exactly what Tsuna was thinking.

Heading back toward where they were working on the sink's plumbing, he groaned when he saw them putting up the shoji screens first. They worked at a quick pace, installing them efficiently. Two screens got installed firmly into the ceiling and floor. One sliding screen got installed at either end, so that he could open it at the far sides to look out from his bed while the other would allow him to look out from what he guessed Autumn would make into a seating area. The last two doors were installed in the center so that they could slide out and reveal the center like a set of double doors. After that, Tsuna had no clue what they were doing inside since they'd not unpacked anything before the area was lost from view.

For the next few hours, he tried to keep his mind off of what was going on in his bedroom. At one point, four men came down to haul his mattress upstairs, leaving him to wonder exactly how far Autumn had went decorating his room. It made him pale slightly when he thought of the possible amount that she was going to demand of him. If she'd went so far as to buy him new bedding, then she's probably spared no expense. He'd seen women shopping before. Especially women with expensive tastes like Autumn's. It made him curse over having asked her to decorate his room for him. He didn't know what he'd been thinking. The thought of home must have scrambled his brains in a pivotal moment.

Trying to take his mind off of it, he threw himself into scrubbing the floors so that Leo could start painting when she arrived. The walls were already covered, so she would probably be eager to start when she found that her new canvas was ready for her when she arrived. The cement that had been doled out to fill in the bolt holes in the floor had already dried with a few exceptions of the ones that had only been pulled out this morning. It had all been sanded down so that it was smooth, though, and both Nick and Kit were helping him scrub it clean so that Tracer could come behind him with his roller and bucket of garage floor paint so that Leo's art would have a clean background. He thought that it would be dry by the time she arrived. At least, that's what he hoped. The paint that they'd gotten was pretty good about drying quickly, since the area where the kitchen workers were standing had finished before the cabinets had arrived.

Tsuna squeaked when he found himself suddenly surrounded by people after having focused his attention on the floors for three solid hours. Looking up, he was barely able to see Mr. Cheng's face before he found himself blindfolded and dragged up to his feet which made him instantly stiffen in fear.

"What's going on?" He squealed, feeling himself being lifted up and bodily carried somewhere by a multitude of hands.

"Your room is finished, Little Dragon," Mr. Cheng exclaimed joyously. Tsuna laughed in reply, feeling the tension drain out of him at the response. They were just carrying him to his room because they were all a little excited about how he was going to react. It was understandable when he thought of how nice just the shoji screens looked.

What awaited him when he was finally allowed to stand and the blindfold was taken off made the screens look like an afterthought. Covering his mouth, he could barely see after a moment due to the tears that welled up in his eyes. They'd truly went all-out to give him a room that he would enjoy. Someone had put wallpaper up, making the whole back wall look like it was a grove of blooming sakura. The floors that had already been sanded smooth were covered in a large, plush rug that he'd also not seen hauled in, which was silently begging to be walked on barefoot with how soft and warm it looked. A long, ornate dresser had also been brought in that was easily double the size of anything that he and Snicker could possibly need.

He giggle a moment at some of the wall hangings that were nailed up over the stairs. Several people shot him wide grins and tossed their heads at where Autumn was watching him look around with a satisfied expression on her face. She had no clue. They were tapestry scrolls that he knew that she'd brought off of a street vendor down in Chinatown. He knew because he'd laughed hysterically and had talked to the man in amusement over them. Each scroll bore a different kanji, but under those kanji were written words in English that were horrifyingly different than what the actual kanji said. For one, the kanji for 'Hentai' didn't translate into 'Love'. Secondly, the kanji for 'Asshole' definitely translate to 'Peace'. Finally, the kanji for 'Breasts' didn't translate into 'Happiness'. Well, it did to some people, but he thought that was just coincidence.

Putting his merriment over the scrolls aside, he grinned widely when he identified what had been in the flat box that he _had _seen them bring in. It was a large kotatsu, complete with a tea warmer, that was already set up for winter comfort. He smiled even more widely at it when he sat down in front of it and found that he could reach out and push one of the screens back so that he could look out over the rest of the house. It was absolutely wonderful. From there, he could look at the calming sakura on the wall and think and he could gaze happily over how they'd set up the rest of the room.

His bed had been made with a set of nice, simple brown linens that he found went well with the bamboo screens and the dark brown rug. They'd installed a headboard that wrapped around it which also dipped down into two perfectly placed side tables, each one holding a small lamp that could be used to light the room at night. There were small trinkets that reminded him of home even though they were probably collected from cultures other than his own. For example, the elongated dragon motif that ran along the wall above his bed was probably Chinese. The interlocking, painted panels in one corner of the room was possibly Korean from the way that the cranes and swallows were painted on them. Although, he recognized the hanging cork sculpture on one wall as being of Japanese make instead of Chinese.

Then his eyes went down to his dresser again and he slowly got to his feet in shock over the two items that he'd missed completely when he'd first looked around. Going over, he laid his hand on the first item and turned to the group of watching people with his questions plain on his face.

"Fuwa-san believed that you would treasure his sword," one of the men explained with a small smile. "His own sons were wishing to sell it, believing it to be worth nothing more than the price someone would pay for it."

"No way..." Tsuna mumbled, remembering the story that Fuwa had told him over a cup of tea after he'd escorted the man's grandmother home from the park. That particular sword had been in their Family for centuries. It had supposedly been forged in the fifteenth century by a man who'd refused to give up his ancestor's methods of making blades, citing that the blades and methods that became popular during that time were soulless in comparison. Tsuna had agreed with the man's words, unable to deny the feeling that the maker had put his own heart and soul into the forging of it.

Then Tsuna turned his attention to the small shrine, reaching out with a shaking hand to touch the top of it in recognition, as well.

"Mrs. Ichigawa from the tea-shop has a brother that runs the antique store next to her shop," Mr. Cheng explained to his wordless question. "Their mother was there when Miss Autumn stopped by and they all agreed that you would treasure their family heirloom, as well."

"There's more," another of the men commented before Tsuna could wrap his mind around it all, pointing at the large, embellished chest at the foot of his bed. It looked antique and was possibly another heirloom in itself. He could tell, though, that the true treasure was something laying inside of it. He could tell simply by the anticipation that he could feel building in the room. If it was something that he was supposed to see immediately, they wouldn't be getting excited. As it was, he wasn't sure if he could take another shock. Even so, he could feel the energy of those watching almost pushing him toward it. Kneeling down in front of it, he paused with his hands on the latch holding it closed until finally, he simply threw it open before he gave _himself _a heart attack.

"I don't understand," he murmured with his mind going blank.

"It's a wish, Little Dragon," Mr. Cheng said solemnly, making Tsuna's eyes widen in understanding of what he was seeing. He was seeing what a thousand paper cranes looked like when they were all stuffed into a single trunk. "Grandmother Ichigawa has been folding them for you since she met you in her daughter's tea-shop. She said it was destiny that she reached one thousand when Miss Autumn walked into her son's store. She said it was destiny and she told us to tell you that her wish is for you to find peace."

Tsuna continued to stare, letting the words sink into his already over-shocked brain. The only thought that he could grasp was that he didn't deserve it. He barely knew any of them, yet they'd went to such lengths for him. He didn't deserve it and he'd done nothing to earn such consideration, yet they'd still went to such lengths to aid him. They went to such lengths and they knew nothing about him! As Ore said, it was outrageous! It left him speechless and gaping and, when he finally noticed it, it left him crying. Unable to think of a single thing to do that would be enough to show his appreciation for how much they'd done for him, he simply turned in place and nearly gave himself a concussion in the process of bowing his head as low as he could.

'Domo arigato gozaimasu!" He wailed around his tears, saying his thanks in the most honest way he knew how.

"What's that mean?" Autumn asked in open incomprehension. For once, Tsuna didn't care if she had bad timing. He raised his head and looked at her with every ounce of his appreciation plain on his face.

"It means thank you," he answered earnestly. "Really, Autumn, I can never repay you for this."

"You better!" Autumn exclaimed, putting her foot down with a furious stomp. "This cost me an arm and a leg!"

One second passed.

Two seconds.

Three .

Tsuna couldn't contain his tearful laughter anymore. Neither could anyone else. The reply was simply too much out of context and too honest to ignore. Autumn looked around at the roar that filled the room, leaving her gaping since she obviously didn't understand what was so funny. Tsuna decided not to tell her while he wiped the tears out of his eyes. With the exception of Autumn, he could see matching tears gleaming in the eyes of those watching him, telling him that they knew how much it meant to him.

It was a taste of home. It was a taste that he'd been craving and had been denied for far too long. He'd learned to ignore his cravings, but for just his once...

For just this once, his craving had been satisfied.


	23. Chapter 23 Deep Impact

"Go," Tsuna ordered with a smile. "Me and Snicker will be fine."

"Are you sure?" Eric asked worriedly. "It doesn't feel right leaving you two behind."

"It's fine," Tsuna replied, shoving Eric out the door with a laugh. "Hurry up or your parents won't let you move in after all. You can't make them mad when they're supposed to be inspecting after Thanksgiving."

"But--"

"Go!" Tsuna urged with a little more bite in his voice. "People are supposed to spend the holidays with their family," he smiled. "Don't worry about us. Me and Snicker have been through lots of holidays with just the two of us. Trust me, we'll enjoy the peace and quiet with how noisy all of you are. Go and enjoy yourself with your family. Remember, if they like what they see, you might be living as a bachelor. Plus, with how busy you're going to be working to answer all those job offers and attending college, this might be the last time that you really get to spend with them until Christmas."

"You're right," Eric grimaced. "I'll see you the day after tomorrow, though. Okay?"

"Okay," Tsuna agreed with a laugh, waving Eric away while he walked backward down the nearly empty sidewalk. "Just get out of here!" Ducking back inside, Tsuna firmly shut the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment.

They were gone. Gigi had been the first to go, getting picked up by his aunt in order to head up to his grandmother's home in New York City. Ore was gone, too, having left the day previously so that he could reach his Granny's farmhouse almost a hundred miles away without having to worry that the weather would worsen while he was traveling on his motorcycle. He'd wanted to leave earlier so that he could enjoy more of his Granny's cooking and tell her all about his new housing arrangements, but Tsuna had hidden his keys after getting one of those bad feelings that Snicker had told him to never ignore. By the time that he'd found them, the feeling had went away with no one the wiser. Leo had already warned that she wouldn't be able to show again until after the holidays and the girls had already scattered to their families, as well. Eric was the last one to leave them completely, having stopped by to check on them and to put some finishing touches on the paint job in his room.

Heading back through the building, he tried to ignore the echoing silence that rang in his ears while he headed back up to his room. It was quiet. Too quiet. Ever since the bathroom had been finished, the theater had always had some movement or sounds going on. Gigi had moved his stuff in first, filling the area with the sound of humming and movement. Ore had followed quickly, bringing the sound of thudding footsteps and creaking workout equipment. Then there'd been the girls with their giggling and ceaseless conversation. Eric hadn't gotten permission to move in yet, but he was still there with them more often than not and added his own noise into the tumult. Leo made a big dent in the sound factor, too, with her constant 'touchups' to the walls and ceiling and the squeals that erupted when the spray hit something _other _than the 'canvas'.

The silence was depressing in a way since he'd come to think of them all as an extended family. This was a reminder to him, he thought sadly. It was a reminder that no matter how many people he came to trust and care for, Snicker was the only one that was really there for him. He didn't have family anymore. His parents were long behind him since he'd been forced to give them up to escape the Mafia. It was better this way. He believed that straight down to his core. His mother was probably sad without him, but she still had his dad. His dad was a jerk wad that was never home, but at least he was actually alive instead of dead like Tsuna had believed for so long. Tsuna doubted that he'd run off and leave Nana like he had before. He wouldn't do that. Would he? Although, thinking of home made him wonder how everyone was doing without him. He knew that they all thought he was dead, but--

Shoving such thoughts aside, Tsuna crawled up into the bed in order to curl up under the covers next to Snicker. As always, he was immediately soothed by the comforting arms that wrapped around him and warmed him through-and-through. He could survive without his family. He'd went years without his dad while his mom had always been trying to make him into something that he wasn't. He loved them, but he could live without them.

"Stop lying to yourself," Snicker admonished, pulling him tighter against his chest.

"I'm not lying," he objected.

"Now you're lying to me," he scolded.

"And you think I'm the psychic," Tsuna chuckled. "Did you turn into a mind-reader when I wasn't looking?"

"No," he replied quietly. "I just know you. Your shoulders always tense up when you're lying and since you weren't talking, that meant that you had to be lying to yourself."

"You know me too well," he mumbled with a sad smile, burying his face deeper into Snicker's chest.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"No," he answered, knowing it was a lie while hoping that Snicker would let him drop the subject. He wanted to talk about it since it might get it off of his chest, while he was scared of talking about it at the same time. He was scared, because he had a strange, irrational belief that even speaking of his past might bring it into the present.

"I hated the holidays," Snicker commented conversationally. "They always reminded me of everything that I didn't have. Whether it was food or family or a house, it all always hit at once that I didn't have any of it. Last year was really bad. Zero was still around, but he was spiraling down fast. I think he forgot about me before the end. I was always right there next to him, but he grew quiet on me. I wasn't in any good shape either. You see, I found out that my ex-wife had moved into the city. I did what I shouldn't have done and walked by their apartment. I saw my son again for the first time since she'd taken him."

"And...?" Tsuna prompted in curiosity, tilting his head up to look at Snicker's face when he fell silent.

"And it hurt," he admitted painfully. "He don't know about me, so I was just some idiot to be ignored. My ex didn't even recognize me no more. She just had her new husband run me off like they would any strange man who came too close. As far as they're concerned, I'm dead. It made me realize that I was pretty much a dead man walking. Zero was the only one that cared that I still existed. Even my own son had grown up just fine without me. For him, the nice fellow married to his mother is his dad. I told myself that it was okay, because Charlie looked happy. It still hurt, though. It hurt like hell and I can't say it didn't. But you should have seen him, Suoh. He'd grown up so big and tall. The last time I'd seen him, he'd just been a little guy that I could put up on my shoulder like Ore carries you. He'd gotten big in the last ten years. He's a teenager now, you see. He might even be someone that goes to school with Leo."

"Why didn't you go see him?" Tsuna murmured in thought. "I mean, after she took him. You still should have had visitation rights."

"I had too much pride," he answered sadly. "Too much pride and I was too damn ashamed of myself. I didn't want my kid seeing me as just another homeless bum on the street. I kept telling myself that I'd go see him after I got myself back on my feet. I kept telling myself that and, well, it just never happened. It never happened until you came along. You gave me back my confidence and you gave me a reason to pull myself up again. I couldn't go and let all your hard work go to waste. Plus, it's too late now. Ten years flew by before I noticed and he's got himself a new family and a new dad. I can't go interfering with his happiness."

"I see what you mean," Tsuna agreed. "For a long time, I thought my dad was dead and then I found out that he was still alive. I hated him for just disappearing and then butting back into my life like he did. I kept thinking that he should have just stayed missing since my life would have been a whole lot simpler without him. It's probably better that you keep your distance."

"What part are you lying about?" Snicker asked curiously, making Tsuna tense up even more. Then Snicker grinned widely in the open belief that he'd already figured it out. "Is Suoh getting a wee bit jealous?" He teased. Tsuna blushed brightly in reply, turning over in the bed to face away from the man while he hid his face under the covers. "Suoh...?" Snicker asked in surprise, rolling over to sit up on his elbow. "Are you really jealous?"

"I can't help it," he mumbled unhappily. "You're the only one I've got, Snicker. How you're talking... You sound like you'd be perfectly happy without me as long as you had him around."

"Maybe," Snicker replied honestly, making Tsuna's heart clench in a painful way. "If for some reason I didn't have you around, I might be able to keep going if I had my son. I can't say that I wouldn't. But that same thing is true for you, too. There has to be someone out there that might--"

"There's no one," Tsuna interrupted with tears in his eyes. "There's no one but you, Snicker. I don't have anyone else anymore."

"That's not true," Snicker objected, sitting up completely in the bed. "You got lots of people. You got Ore and Gigi and--"

"And where are they now?" Tsuna snapped, sitting up himself with his whole body becoming tense.

"They're with their families," he answered solemnly.

"They're with their families," he repeated with an angry nod, fighting the tears that threatened to break loose. "Why don't you go visit your family, too?" He asked with his anger breaking loose instead, making him jump up to rummage a pair of jeans and shirt out of their dresser. Throwing them on, he ignored Snicker's surprised expression in order to vent his frustration. "If you want the truth, I was actually kind of happy to see my dad again. I'm sure _Charlie _would be really happy to see you, too. That way, both of you will have something to be really _thankful _for tomorrow. At least someone will, because apparently I got a lot less to be thankful for than I thought that I did."

"Suoh--!" Snicker finally gasped. Tsuna ignored him, reaching out to grab his jacket before shoving the shoji screens open. Reaching out, he grabbed the pole that Ore had set up for him and slid down it in a fashion that had become almost habit. He could hear Snicker's footsteps chasing him down the stairs, but the faster exit out of the room allowed him enough time to thrust his feet in his shoes and allowed him to get out the door before the man even hit the ground floor.

He was running down the sidewalk from the moment his feet his the pavement. He was cursing inside. He was cursing Snicker and he was cursing his naive belief that he'd really been the only one that mattered to the man. It hurt. It hurt to think that he'd put so much faith and so much trust into one person, only to find it repaid with feelings of a lesser measure. He was replaceable. That's what Snicker had basically told him. If something happened to him, Snicker wouldn't really care. He'd be upset if Tsuna was gone, at least until someone else came along that he could latch onto.

It made him mad. How many times had Snicker told him that he needed him? How many times had Snicker said that he'd die without him? How many times had they both agreed that all they had were each other? Now, the truth had finally come out, though. Snicker had lied. He'd lied, because he wouldn't die without him. He'd keep on going just fine, _as long as he had his son_. His son, _who he'd not seen in ten years_, he growled to himself. A complete stranger was as good as he was. That had been what Snicker had basically said. He'd basically said that Tsuna was just a--

A replacement.

He _was _just a replacement, he realized in a blinding epiphany that brought tears to his eyes again. He was a replacement for Zero. Was that all he'd ever been? He'd thought that they meant more to each other than that. He'd shared everything with Snicker. Everything from his last cigarette to his little pixie. He'd been happy to share, because Snicker had shared in return. It'd never been one sided, he thought. Yet, now, he was finding out that something was. He was finding out that Snicker didn't really have the same feelings as he did. He didn't doubt that Snicker cared for him, but it wasn't the same level of caring that Tsuna had for him. It was like the caring that Tsuna had for Ore or Gigi or Eric or Leo, whereas Tsuna's feeling ran much deeper for Snicker. They ran so deep that he could fill his will to live already beginning to seep away as he moved farther and farther away from the man.

Noticing that made him slow in his steps. Putting Snicker's feelings aside, he prodded his own feelings like a loose tooth. He was dependant on Snicker. He'd known it for a long time. It had been a comfort, because he had someone to depend on. He was someone that brought stability to his unstable life. More than that, though, was the feeling that he really couldn't keep living without the man. Snicker meant everything to him. Snicker was his reason to face every day with hope and goals. Snicker was his reason for finding happiness no matter how bad things got. Because of Snicker, he had a home, a purpose, and a family. If Snicker didn't need him, then what point was there to life?

_There was none_, he answered himself while he could feel his heart crumbling in his chest. _Absolutely no reason at all._

* * *

Tsuna climbed up the ladder built into the wall next to the door to Ore's room with one solitary goal. The roof. Snicker had been gone when he returned, probably out looking for him so that he could lie again. Tsuna refused to be lied to anymore, though. He knew how things stood. How things stood, he was No-Good. He had no purpose. He had no reason to face every day. He had nothing except a bunch of empty words. Those words had kept him going for so long, but not anymore. Now, he just wanted the words to go away. He wanted the world to go away. All it was full of was pain and heartache. How many times was he going to be hurt? How many times was he going to allow himself to be used by other people? That's all it'd been. Snicker had just used him. He didn't need Tsuna. He didn't need a No-Good, worthless piece of nobody.

That was fine. He didn't care anymore. Snicker had his dreams fulfilled. He had his big house and his big family. He could go get his son now and he'd be just fine without Tsuna. It was probably better this way. He'd get out of everyone's way. He was just a tag-along anyway. He had no job and no reason to be there anymore. They would all be better off without a nuisance like him.

Jumping off the latter onto the catwalk above the stage, Tsuna crossed over to the loft that spread across the length of the entire building. Seeing it made him pause for a moment. He hadn't known that there was another room up here. He'd known that there'd been some place for the crews working the stage lights to stand, but he'd thought it'd been an unusable nook.

It didn't matter anymore, Tsuna told himself firmly as he headed for the second ladder that connected up to the roof. Reaching the roof was an utter surprise, though, since he'd taken the previous owner's word on it being in perfect condition. He'd never been up there before, so the sight awaiting him was a shock.

There were potted plants everywhere. Most of them were currently dead or sleeping due to the winter cold, but there were even some small potted evergreens situated around a small shed that he'd been clueless about. From the way that they were trimmed, they looked like they were cared for on a regular basis. Putting his goal aside, he walked curiously over to the small shed to see what was inside. He immediately shut the door with a squeak after only a small peek inside.

Bat!

It wasn't cute and furry! It looked vicious and scary!

"He's harmless," a voice commented tonelessly. Tsuna squeaked and jumped in place, leaning over to see a man's legs peeking out past one of the larger potted plants lining the sides of the shed.

"W-who are you?" He asked with his heart racing from all the frights.

"Poe," he answered simply.

"W-What are you doing up here?"

"Waiting for darkness to fall."

"Why here?" Tsuna asked in growing confusion.

"It's quiet. Why are you here?"

"T-That's..." Tsuna bowed his head as all the tension ran out of him. He remembered now. It didn't matter. It didn't matter who this person was because he was going to jump off of the roof. It was high enough up. He'd be dead the moment that he hit the ground.

"Are you planning on jumping?" The man asked curiously, leaning forward to look at Tsuna in open curiosity. Tsuna was struck speechless for a moment at his long, dark hair and his icy blue eyes.

"What do you care if I am?" Tsuna growled, shaking his surprise off.

"Can I watch?" He asked with a wide grin, revealing two sharp canines that Tsuna prayed were inserts.

"Whatever," he snapped, pushing off of the shed to head for the side of the building. He felt his whole body tense when he looked over his shoulder to see the tall, thin fellow following him. If Tsuna could think of any word to describe him, it would have been 'vampire'. Especially after seeing the bat that he was keeping in the shed. Every article of clothing that he was wearing was black, right down to his heavy black boots and his black trench coat. He wore a simple crucifix on his neck which only added to the impression.

Ignoring him, Tsuna looked over the edge of the building. He tried not to twitch when Poe walked up next to him in order to look over the side.

"That's one hell of a fall," he murmured with a whistle of appreciation. "You should go splat really nicely."

"So what?" Tsuna replied. "It's not how I look when I hit that matters."

"Maybe for you," he countered, "But I want a nice show. It's no fun if you just land and it's over. There's got to be blood flying all over the place and body parts going crunch. Otherwise, there's no excitement. Hey, do you think you can land on your arms? I've always wanted to see if it really looks as nasty as it seems on television."

"You're a freak," he commented quietly.

"So I'm told," Poe nodded. Then he tilted his head and made Tsuna freeze beneath his icy gaze. "I have one question before you jump, though. Why are you jumping into the alley instead of out front?"

"Huh?" Tsuna asked in confusion.

"Well, most people jump so that others can see them," Poe said logically. "Only someone that feels really worthless would jump so that no one would see. Hell, they might not even find you if you move over a few steps so that you land in the dumpster. I thought I had problems, but you must be really fucked up in the head."

"I guess you could say that," he admitted. "Snicker doesn't need me."

"Is that the old bum that lives with you?" Poe asked curiously. Tsuna nodded silently instead of verbally replying, trying to put his mind back on what he was doing instead of listening to Poe's distracting questions. "Wow," he murmured, leaning over to look down into the alley again. "Killing yourself off because no one needs you. Why didn't I think of that? Here I was thinking I needed a reason to die, but that's a reason to itself. I'm useless, so I should just disappear. Nah," he amended. "That's not really my style. Whatever works for you, though. So, how are you planning on doing this? Swan dive or belly flop?"

"Would you just go away?!" Tsuna finally exclaimed in exasperation.

"What?" Poe asked in surprise. "What's the problem? You said that the old fart said that he didn't need you. So, what's wrong with me watching you off yourself?"

"He didn't say that!" Tsuna exclaimed. "He..." Tsuna paused, realizing the one point in his line of thinking that he'd not noticed before. Snicker had never said that he didn't need him. He just said that if Tsuna wasn't there, he _might _be able to keep going _if _he had his son. He didn't have his son, though. He had Tsuna. He had Tsuna, the thrice-damned fool that was wanting to kill himself because he'd assumed that a what-if meant that Snicker didn't need him anymore. "I'm such an idiot," Tsuna mumbled with a laugh, turning in place to walk back toward the roof hatch in a daze. "He never said that. I got jealous and mad, but he never said that he didn't need me. What the hell am I doing?"

It wasn't any different than his own situation, now that he was thinking rationally. Tsuna had his mother, but he couldn't see her because of circumstance. Snicker had his son, Charlie, but he couldn't see him because of circumstance, too. Snicker had never lied to him about his feelings. He'd always been honest. They really were in the same boat together. He'd just let his feelings get the better of him. More than Snicker needing him, though, was the fact that he knew Snicker still wanted him. Even if he wasn't needed, Snicker _wanted _him to be there. It didn't matter if he was useless and just a tag-along, because he made Snicker happy by being there. Snicker wouldn't have chased after Tsuna if he hadn't wanted him. Since he was wanted, that was enough of a purpose to keep living. Wasn't it?

"Aren't you going to jump?" Poe asked in disappointment.

"No," Tsuna replied with a lazy smile. "I need to go talk to Snicker."

* * *

"Are you going to get off, old man?" Tsuna asked with a small smile, using the same line that Snicker had used when they'd first met. "After this is the last stop and it's always better to get off before you get kicked off."

"Suoh..." Snicker breathed in surprise, his head snapping up from where he'd been sitting on the subway. Tsuna smiled at him, not missing for a moment that he'd come to the place that they'd met. Tsuna could tell from the graffiti alone that it was the very seat that he'd been sitting in at that time. Then Snicker grinned widely, seeing that Tsuna wasn't still upset. "You can't fool me like I fooled you. I know better. This subway runs in circles, so there is no last stop."

"I'm sorry that I ran off," he murmured apologetically, slipping into the seat next to him.

"It's my fault," Snicker replied sincerely. "I should have seen that the holiday was hitting you hard. I was depressed myself and I wasn't looking out like I should have been. I wasn't thinking when I said all that stuff."

"I wasn't thinking either," he soothed quietly. "I was depressed and already feeling a little unwanted. I just read a whole lot more into what you said than what you meant. You weren't trying to say that you didn't need me. You were talking as if we'd never met about a what-if that couldn't happen. You were right. If I hadn't met you, I'd probably have been just fine if I had my mom here with me. But I can't have my mom, just like you can't have your son. Us coming back into their lives would just make things too complicated."

"I was wrong, though," Snicker corrected. "I realized it after you'd already ran out. Even if I had Charlie, it'd keep me going but I couldn't say that I'd be happy without you. No one can replace you, Suoh. Not anymore. In my head, I kept thinking that everything would be okay because I was able to find you after Zero died. I kept thinking that if something happened, I could find someone else to fill the gap. It was wrong of me, but I know that it's wrong now. You and me, we're a lot closer than me and Zero ever were."

"We both have to stop thinking about what-ifs," Tsuna sighed. "Things did turn to shit for both of us and we did find each other, so there's no use in thinking about might-have-beens."

"It's hard," Snicker sighed in return. "I've went so long with them stuck in my head, that thinking differently might take some time. I'll promise that I'll try, though."

"That's good enough for me," Tsuna smiled, getting up to head out of the subway with Snicker behind him. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket for warmth, he walked contentedly due to Snicker's presence beside him on the path back home.

"I've been wondering, Suoh," Snicker said quietly with his own hands stuffed in his heavy Army jacket. "You know pretty much my whole life story, but I still only got the watered down version of yours. I know that you were working for some nasty people and that you can't remember the stuff you did. I know that you grew up in Japan and that you can speak more languages than I got fingers. You got other abilities that are crazy, which only seem to pop up here and there. You psychic stuff is one. Then there's how you can fight like a caged lion one second, then get your ass kicked in the next. There's a lot of stuff that just don't line up right with you and I've been trying to figure it out without asking nothing, since I know that you don't like talking about it. The only thing that I can come up with was that you were one of those secret super-soldier projects that you know the military has to be working on."

"Super soldier?" Tsuna laughed in amusement. "I'm not a super soldier."

"Then what are you?" Snicker asked bluntly.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked quietly, feeling a strange urge to finally tell him. It was a feeling that said that now was the time. It was a feeling that said that it would be perfectly safe to tell him here and now. No one was listening to them. No one was following them or watching them. His normal fear when the subject came up was completely missing, making him feel perfectly comfortable about talking about himself for once.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'd really like to know what you were running from," he replied earnestly.

"Alright," Tsuna nodded, making Snicker twitch in surprise. "I'll tell you. This doesn't go any farther, though. Just like when I told you about Gabriel."

"Your secrets are safe with me, Suoh," he assured him with an eager glint in his eye.

"You know that guy that I was impersonating? Black X?"

"Yeah."

"I'm the real thing," he said bluntly as they reached the theater. Leading the way inside, he could feel Snicker dropping off behind him in surprise. Even so, he continued. "My real name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and I was running from the Mafia when you found me. When I was thirteen, a hitman showed up at my door with orders to train me into a Mafia Boss for the Vongola Crime Family just because I fit into some stupid bloodline that was nearly extinct. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you about him, but he had a special... uh... gadget... that made me do what he wanted. Back then, I was just going with the flow. I'd always been a No-Good nobody that was made fun of in school. It... It felt good to have people starting to appreciate me. They weren't appreciating me for me, though. I know that now. They were just coming around me because of my tutor."

"What happened then?" Snicker asked with a slack jaw, going over to sit down while Tsuna curled up in the opposite corner of the couch.

"He made me do a lot of stuff," Tsuna answered, bowing his head in remembrance. "He kept unlocking something in me that turned me into a raging lunatic. I didn't mind, though, because he never had me do anything bad and people praised me for the stuff I did. It was always stuff that made things better. Like this time that he made me save a meditating panda off of a rollercoaster or the time that we kicked the local yakuza out of town. A lot of his training was really crazy like when he tried to train me in how to swim by having me chased by a man-eating dolphin. Then came the time that we went after some escaped convicts that were beating up everyone at my school. It was really crazy, but I basically got a death threat that told me to do it or die. I did it. I did it because all those people that had been praising me were getting hurt. He used a different gadget on me that time and we won. The convicts got taken prisoner and everything went back to normal again."

"Then...?"

"Then my dad came home when I was fifteen," he continued, bowing his head in sadness. "I'd thought that my dad had been dead for two years when he came back. I didn't know that he was working for the Mafia. I didn't until we almost got our heads blown off by a group of assassins and he saved us. They told us that we had to fight in a bunch of one-on-one battles with me fighting the leader for the position of heir. I'd never wanted to be heir and I tried to turn it down, but they said that they'd kill us if we lost. So, me and my friends all started training. We actually started training from the moment that we were warned that the assassins were coming. I had to climb this huge cliff non-stop until I could reach the top in five minutes and I had to spar against this guy that was actually really nice and polite but he was also a monster when it came to fighting."

"Keep going," Snicker urged, hanging off of every single one of his words.

"That's as far back as I can remember," he replied, looking up at him with a pained expression. "I was walking to the first match with everyone and then everything is blank. The next thing that I can remember, I was waking up with the leader of the assassin group laying next to me. I was scared out of my mind. I pulled out the IVs in my arm and hid under the bed. He found me and... uh..." Tsuna blushed brightly, remembering his first kiss very vividly. "He kissed me. I freaked out completely. Then all of my old friends started appearing, but they were all different. They'd gotten older. _I'd _gotten older. I had all these scars that I never remembered getting and everything kept getting turned upside down after that. I found out that I was married to the girl that I liked in middle school, Kyoko. Well, I _was _married to her. Apparently she was murdered right in front of me and that's why I can't remember anything. It was horrible, because I found out that I'd been cheating on her and I could never imagine doing that behind Kyoko's back. Then... Then I found my file, the secret one that the Mafia kept on me, and I saw everything that I'd did in the years that I couldn't remember. I couldn't read past a certain point, though. It made me sick to my stomach. It made me really sick, because the descriptions and summaries were written by me. I'd turned into a complete monster somewhere along the line and I couldn't think of any reason other than it was what the Mafia had turned me into. Rather than have it happen again, I ran away."

"How did you get away?" Snicker asked in awe.

"I used a special pill that did the same thing that my tutor's gadget did," he said with a shrug. "This time, I got to decide for myself on what my goal was. I... You probably won't believe this, but it made it so that I could fly when I was using these special gloves. I flew out over the ocean before they could chase me. I ended up running into a storm, though. I thought I was invulnerable, but a bolt of lightening hit my glove and tore it to shreds. See," he said, holding up his hand in order to point out the particular outline of his burns for Snicker to inspect. "The lightening tore my pack to shreds and I lost my supply of pills. I was almost completely out of energy, but I managed to crash-land on this ocean-liner. Everyone on board was from a circus and they all thought that I was just a shipwrecked sailor that got tossed on board because of the storm. I asked them not to tell anyone that I was there and I traded some work for safe-passage. That's where I made up the name Suoh and that's how I got to America, too. That was also where I learned about Black X. I hadn't just been cheating on Kyoko, I'd taken pictures and shoved it in her face. The Ringmaster thought that I was just an impersonator that was for sale and I ended up punching him when he crossed the line. When the ship landed, we figured that it'd be best if we went our separate ways and that's when you found me."

"So..."

"So, that's it," Tsuna shrugged. "That's everything that there is to know about me. When you met me, I was still fifteen in my head. It wasn't until after a few months that I got myself to actually start thinking of myself as the age that I really was... am," he corrected firmly. "I found out that they all think that I'm dead, but I've still got to be careful. The Mafia is really powerful. They seem to be everywhere, too. You remember that guy, Xander?"

"Yeah," Snicker nodded with narrowed eyes.

"His real name was Xanxus," Tsuna chuckled. "I thought he was just an impersonator, but he was the real thing, too. He was that same assassin leader that tried to kill me when I was fifteen. I'm not sure what the hell happened to me in my life to make me want to do the nasty with him, but I did. When I figured out that Xander was really Xanxus, I ran away as soon as he fell asleep before he found out who I really was. That's why I was in that alley where Gabriel caught me. I was trying to come home so that I could pack my stuff and run again."

"That's one hell of a story," Snicker murmured in shock, sitting back into the couch with wide eyes. "I had no clue you were running from something like that, Suoh... Or should I call you--"

"Suoh," he said firmly. "That other name is from a life that I left behind me, Snicker. I'm Suoh Lazarus Timberson now. I don't want anything to do with the Mafia or anyone that's in it. I'll be perfectly happy never hearing that word again and I'm perfectly happy pretending that all of it was just a bad dream. My old life and my old name is gone and I don't want it back. I'm happy here just living with you and everyone."

"Come here," Snicker ordered with his arms held out. Scooting over, Tsuna went to him willingly with the feeling that an incredible burden had been lifted from him. It was a good feeling that only got better once Snicker wrapped his arms around him in a hug. He could tell the Snicker was still digesting all of it while he held him, but he knew what the outcome would be. He knew and the knowledge left him with a fluttering feeling of happiness in the pit of his stomach. "Your secret is safe with me," Snicker assured him. "Now that I know, I can keep my eyes open for trouble, too. You better believe that me and you will be on the first bus out of here if anybody shows up looking for you."

"You'd really come with me?" Tsuna asked in open pleasure over the promise.

"If you try to leave without me, I'll track you down and beat you until you're black and blue!" Snicker exclaimed, hugging him fiercely to reinforce his words. Tsuna smiled brightly at the feelings that his support and acceptance gave. Just like he'd figured out for himself, Snicker did want him. Snicker wanted him and-- "I love you, Suoh," he mumbled quietly, making Tsuna's heart skip a beat. "I don't think I told you that before and I should have."

"Snicker..." He murmured, shifting up out of Snicker's arms to look at him in shock.

"I really am an old fool," he said with a mournful look in his eyes.

"No, you're not," Tsuna chuckled softly, leaning up to hug him around the neck instead of his chest for once. Snicker answered the hug, wrapping his arms around him tightly once more. When Tsuna pulled back, he quickly decided on something that he'd been holding back from for far too long. He realized now that there was no reason to hold back.

Plunging in, Tsuna knew exactly what he was doing as he kissed Snicker. It was what they both wanted and were too afraid to do. They both wanted to share everything. Not just everything from their last bottle of booze to Summer. They wanted to share everything from their last penny to themselves. There was no reason not to. There were no secrets keeping them apart anymore and no reason to hold onto the platonic fantasy that they'd created anymore. Their relationship wouldn't be destroyed by it. Their relationship would only grow closer because of it. They enjoyed living together. They enjoyed working toward the same goals together. They had the same friends together. They already shared almost everything else there was to share with one another. The only thing that they hadn't shared was the feelings that they harbored for one another.

No more, Tsuna swore as Snicker began to respond to the kiss in acceptance. From now on, they would share everything.

* * *

Tsuna blushed, feeling Snicker's eyes on him from where he was still lounging in bed. Trying to ignore it, he kept his focus on the omelets and sausage that he was cooking for them. He wasn't very good at ignoring it, however. He couldn't when he could feel Snicker's eyes roving around his robe with first-hand knowledge of what lay beneath.

By both desire and necessity, they'd went slow. It'd been desired because it'd been sweeter that way. It had also been by necessity since Snicker had been like a blushing virgin. He'd been completely unsure of himself at every crossroads, constantly checking to see if Tsuna was happy with what he did. He'd never done anything with anyone that wasn't female before and had always been adamant that he wouldn't. Because of that, he'd been clueless about the fundamentals that Tsuna was already versed in thanks to Gigi and Xanxus. Tsuna had taught him everything that he knew without crossing the lines that he knew Snicker would be uncomfortable with. Snicker wouldn't be open to a lot of things for a long time, assuming he ever got comfortable with the idea of being on the receiving end of what Tsuna had taught him.

He'd grown up with strict thinking and strict values that didn't hold true for him anymore. That'd been why he'd tried to explain away his feelings like he had. It wasn't wrong to feel as deeply as he had if he considered himself a father figure, or so his mind had been telling him. Tsuna had tried to explain away his own in the same fashion due to the fact that Snicker had always kept his distance. Summer had broke through that, though. It'd been a step and a progression that had led to the very thing that should have done in the first place. What they should have done is had more faith with each other from the beginning and accepted that they meant more to each other than the simple fantasy of father and son.

_All's well that ends well_, Tsuna mused to himself with a small smile.

"You should grow a beard," Snicker called to him with a wide grin.

"I will as soon as you shave yours," Tsuna countered, flipping the omelet onto a plate. Snicker chuckled at the reply in open amusement, having taken much time in teasing Tsuna over being ticklish.

"Just a little one?" He asked. "Maybe just a little goatee or a soul patch?"

"I never knew you had a beard fetish, Snicker," Tsuna teased.

"Is there something wrong with that?" He replied while pretending to be offended. "I happen to like my beard."

"Compromise," Tsuna said while tossing the sausages onto their plates and shutting off the stove. Snatching both of them up, he headed to the stairs while dodging the furniture littering the room. Nearly everything that they'd wanted had been added in. From the big screen to the pool table to the work station, everything had been brought in like planned. Eating was a little bit of a hassle, since they'd skipped on a dining table, but they made do. Typically, Tsuna at his kotatsu with Snicker, Ore ate while leaning up against the bar between the kitchen and the pool table so that his 'outrageous' portions didn't have to be moved far. Gigi and Eric typically ate while sitting on Ore's workout equipment and the girls took over the couch so that they could eat on the coffee table.

"What kind of compromise?" Snicker asked suspiciously, getting up to throw on his own robe so that he could sit at the kotatsu with Tsuna.

"You trim yours down to one and I'll grow one," he said with a wide grin, knowing that Snicker would never have his beard off even if it was only half of it.

"Okay," he agreed instantly, making Tsuna pause with his first bite of breakfast raised.

"Eh?"

"Okay," he repeated. Tsuna gave a small grimace while Snicker carefully sat down on his side of the table due to how he knew Snicker's joints were already creaking before their time. "If you want me to trim it down, then I'll trim it down," he continued once he was comfortable. "I ain't trimming it all the way off, though."

"You'd do that for me?" Tsuna mumbled with a bright blush.

"If it'll make you happy then I will," he nodded firmly, digging into his breakfast without a second thought.

"Then I'll grow one," he replied with a wide smile, feeling his stomach fluttering pleasantly over Snicker's absent-minded sweetness. Rubbing his chin, he thought of how he'd look with a little bit of a beard on his chin and found that it wasn't as unpleasant as he thought. "Just a little one, though. I can't grow a big monster like yours. It'll probably take me a year to grow more than just random stubble, anyway."

"Really?" Snicker asked in surprise that Tsuna had agreed. Tsuna nodded before digging into his own food, not bothering to hide his happiness over Snicker's open happiness. "Have you thought about what we're going to do?" He asked curiously.

"About what?"

"About us," he answered bluntly. "Do you want it to be open or do you just want it to stay between us? I don't care which, but I need to know so that I don't go one way while you're going the other."

"It's no one else's business," he decided with a shrug. "I think Summer will figure it out fast enough, but I don't see any point in just walking up to everyone and telling them. Most of them probably think that we've been sleeping together anyway since we've always shared a bed. They had it wrong before, so I don't see any reason to tell them that they're right now."

"That works for me," Snicker agreed with his previously tense shoulders loosening up. Tsuna smiled at him and let the tension go without comment. He knew how difficult that it'd been for Snicker to come to terms with his feelings and the man was nowhere near the point where he was ready to be questioned on it. He might never be, which meant that things were probably better off staying how they were. That was okay, he thought. Even though Snicker didn't feel comfortable showing his feelings to other people, he had those feelings and that was all that mattered to Tsuna. The affection that they already felt comfortable letting other people see was more than enough to keep them both satisfied.

Just like Tsuna thought, nothing would really change. They were already too stable with each other for anything to be dislodged by the development in their relationship. He was still Tsuna and Snicker was still Snicker. The only difference was that they'd accepted the feelings that the other had. Although, it made him feel strange inside when he thought about it. This was the first time that he'd ever cared for someone this deeply. The feelings that he remembered having for Kyoko had been an infatuation in comparison. It made him really realize that he loved Snicker, just like Snicker had already told him in return. He didn't just love him, he _loved _him! He didn't love him as a father figure or a brother or a comrade, he loved Snicker as a whole lot more.

He loved Snicker and nothing could ever replace him.

* * *

_Author's notes: Admittedly, I had a lot of trouble deciding whether to keep this chapter as I'd written it or not. Due to the future of the plot of I have planned, I decided to keep it as-is. If you don't like it, what can I say? I do. See my chapter notes at myspace. com/ gamerwitch for more details if you're curious about my reasoning._

Also, Check out Smiling-star on Deviantart! Tons of new fanart that killed me from an overdose.

smiling-star. deviantart. com/


	24. Chapter 24 Food and Friends

Autumn had no clue what she was doing there. She'd promised her father that she'd be on time for once, but she found herself here instead. The whole Family was gathering for a feast. There was to be nearly a hundred and fifty people at the dinner party that her father had planned, all of which were either Family, Family to be, or blood relations. Her father's restaurant was only the least of his assets, although it was the one that he took the most pride in operating personally. It was like a hobby to him, whereas the true work was done in the shadows. She'd known from a small age about her father's true position in the world. She had to know considering she'd been read 'All About the Mafia' religiously as a bedtime story when she was growing up.

In all truth, she hadn't wanted the Family. She hated people, so taking care of everyone was the last thing that she wanted to do with her life. She didn't have a choice, though. She knew her little brother. He was the only person that she gave a damn about because the little prick had grown up next to her. She loved him and she hated him at the same time. Autumn loved him because he'd always challenged her. He'd never been like everyone else who thought of her as a little princess. Gabriel had been the one person that treated her like she wanted to be treated and that was to be treated as an equal. Yet, she hated him, too. He was egotistical like most men were and he would destroy everything that their forefathers had created with sheer negligence. She could just see him as a Boss. He'd alienate everyone by lording over them and he'd spend all the Family's assets away on wine, women, and drugs. It was better this way. Gabriel was better off while under someone else's leash. Right now, he was under their father's leash. She had to win this stupid game so that he was still under a leash when their father retired.

Although, there was a little part of her that was starting to like the idea of becoming Boss. Not just for her brother's sake, but for her friend's sake. She'd never had friends before, but she realized that she did now. Suoh had been the cause of that when she admitted it to herself, which was rarely. After he'd started visiting Summer, Summer had been full of talk about him. With no one else around, she'd talked to Autumn and they'd built a tenuous friendship due to it. Autumn had, of course, had nothing good to say about him, but it had been fun to counter all of Summer's praise with reality. Summer had been having fun countering the sass in return.

After Summer, some of the other girls had warmed up to her after overhearing them talking about Suoh. The man was absolutely infuriating, but he seemed to have a charisma that made people pay attention. Suoh had been a common link that had brought a lot of people to her doorstep. As the only person not in awe of him, everyone had come to her for unbiased opinions about what he might like. It was because of that fact that she'd gotten upset over how they'd destroyed his doghouse. After all, if Suoh was forced to leave to find a new place to sleep, she might lose the connections that she'd started to create. She knew that she needed those connections, too, after seeing Gabriel's large gang. As it was, she was a sitting duck if he sent them after her en masse.

She'd managed to get a few additions to the Family, but they'd just been pure luck. A few had been bums that had saved every penny they'd gotten in effort to buy her for a night. Men that stupid were just asking to be used and she'd handed them over to her father with a bow tied around their necks. They'd all passed his mysterious test and had been put to work in one of his legitimate restaurants under the agreement that they'd keep their paws off of Autumn. For each of them, sense had reasserted itself after facing her old man and they'd agreed without a second thought. A job and a home or a quick lay with someone that would never sleep with them without being paid. For every single one, they'd picked the job and the home when confronted with the choice.

She was still short on that part of the race, though. She was beating Gabriel, but only because he'd not resorted to sending people to their father en masse. He had her outmanned and outmaneuvered and there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was to keep doing what she was doing. Of course, all she could do was to sell the only commodity that she owned which was herself. She refused to sell other people and she refused to sell drugs. She didn't have any supporters, either, so that meant that Suoh's effect on people had to be used to the utmost. She had to use him in order to find people to meet her own goals.

She had to use an irritating jackass in order to get what she wanted. For that alone, she despised him. He was nothing more than a poor, egotistical bum and yet he could do something that she couldn't. He did it as naturally as breathing and, if she admitted it to herself, Suoh could probably beat both her and Gabriel without breaking a sweat. At least, he could on the first requirement of the race. On the financial requirement, he was an idiot that wasted his money on pointless fripperies. Really. He'd not blinked twice when he'd been told the price that his room cost. From what she'd seen when she'd stopped by since then, he'd not dismantled it, either.

It was irritating! He was supposed to be upset over it! It'd been revenge, not a caring gesture! She'd thought that she'd had him when she'd seen tears in his eyes, but then she found out that the little prick had been honestly _grateful_! What was he?! A bloody idiot?! He's spend two grand on a bedroom, but he wouldn't spend it on buying her for a few hours. She knew that he wanted her. That'd been made plain on that one night that he'd kissed her when he was drunk. She didn't even want to think about the bullshit that he'd spouted when he'd been in the hospital. She'd not wanted to alienate him since she was using him, but that'd been somewhat shocking. For him to have countered with the last thing that she'd expected had certainly brought the score of their contests of wit to twenty-seven to one.

Although, it frustrated her that she felt the need to keep score. It was that more than anything that had made her go after Xanxus. The only other person that she kept score with was Gabriel. That meant that somewhere deep inside where she was trying to forcefully bury the thought, she knew that Suoh saw her as an equal. Yet he didn't, which was even more frustrating! Suoh was a bum and he didn't even consider himself as being on equal terms with her. She could see it in his eyes. He knew his place. He knew that she was better than him. But, he also knew that she was a whore. So why? Why didn't he do what she expected and simply buy her like everyone else?!

It didn't make any sense to her. Was he just a cheap jackass like she thought? That couldn't be, because Gigi had sided with him. She'd found that to be very surprising to begin with. Gigi had always kept to her clique of drag-queens and man-sluts. What was it about Suoh that made it so he could be so comfortable around Gigi and yet allowed him to be comfortable around a straight-as-a-board guy like Snicker? She'd seen Snicker lay men out flat for even talking about gays before. Yet, even Snicker had sided with Suoh despite how Suoh had started turning tricks with guys.

It was a puzzle and she hated puzzles. She liked things simple and straight forward, but things were never simple when Suoh was involved. The idiot even had the balls to pretend to be clueless about it all. Like how he'd been so damn clueless about his gang. He was the fucking leader and he hadn't known that he'd created a gang?! Idiot. Complete idiot. He was good at playing innocent, too. No man was as innocent as he pretended to be. They all thought with their cocks and their balls. Suoh was no different and she knew it. She'd seen the true Suoh when he'd kissed her. He was a slobbering idiot. She'd seen it, too, when she'd seen him fight off those men that she _knew _were Gabriel's. He was an actor. That was probably why Eric had attached himself to his side. Eric had seen through Suoh's disguise of an innocent and pure person and he had an professional interest.

But there were still so many unsolved mysteries about him. Why he'd run away from Xander was one. Who'd hurt him and who was strong enough to nearly kill him when he was able to fight like he was. That was actually worrisome. If it hadn't been Xanxus, there had to be someone out on the streets that had the ability to take Suoh down. He wasn't a weak pansy. Even she had to admit that after seeing him fight. For the sake of winning the game, she couldn't let her tenuous street connections become harmed. If they were harmed, she might lose potential additions to the Family through neglect. Her fragile protections would be erased, too, and she'd be a sitting duck for Gabriel. That couldn't happen, which meant that she had to protect Suoh in order to protect herself.

Gigi had given her some information on Suoh after she'd informed him about her Mafia connections. Gigi didn't give a damn about legalities. He had been so angry when he'd found out that Suoh was hurt that he'd nearly thrown himself into her hands. He was a Family member now, albeit an almost useless one. He could be called on in an emergency, but he was nothing more than a reserve hand that occasionally trafficked street information to her. He was a link that connected her with the people on the streets that wouldn't give her the time of day.

He was also a link to Suoh. She knew more about him now, but not enough to unravel the puzzle. For instance, there was the question of where he really came from. Although she didn't want to admit it, the people down in Chinatown had been right on that account. He'd shown up out of nowhere and had instantly latched himself onto Snicker's side. He'd been strange at first. It'd been almost like he was a little kid, but he'd stopped acting like that after a while of working with Snicker. It was like all those months on the street had given him a maturity that he'd not yet grasped before. How he could be twenty-two without maturity was a puzzle to itself. He was either a spoiled brat that ran away from home or he had given up one act for another.

Of course, none of this was answering her real question.

What the hell was she doing here?! It was Thanksgiving and instead of being nice and warm at the Family's banquet, she was pacing outside the door to the Orange Dragon Gang's hideout in the freezing cold. She'd come to see how they were doing because she had to keep connections with them. She had to keep connections if the past year of work wasn't going to be wasted. That's all it was. She'd been using them this long and she didn't want her work to go to waste. Because of Suoh, Gigi had joined the Family. She had to keep connections with the jackass because he might cause others to fall into her hands.

That's all it--

"Autumn...?"

"Suoh--!" Autumn gasped, spinning in place to see Suoh and Snicker walking Peanut down the sidewalk. They both had their jackets zipped up and their red faces suggested that they'd been out walking for a while. She mentally cursed herself. She'd been pacing in front of their place so long and she'd not even realized that they weren't home!

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a curious expression.

"I was just walking past on my way to my Family's feast," she snapped with all the frustration welling up in her again at the sight of Suoh.

"Oh," Suoh replied with a sad smile. "Well, do you want to come in and warm up? We turned the heat off to save on electricity, but it's still warmer inside than out here."

"You shut your heat off?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, reevaluating his level of stupidity yet again. Considering the size of the building, maintaining a temperature was much cheaper than turning it on and off whenever it got too hot or too cold. With it being so cold out, the temperature inside must be freezing. There was no way that the rest of his gang would be happy with him doing such a thing unless-- "Where's everyone at?"

"With their families," Snicker answered blandly, following her inside the building while Suoh held the door open for them both. "The sitting table up in our room keeps us warm enough as long as we keep blankets on our backs. We can watch television from up there, too, so there wasn't any sense in running up the bills when we're perfectly fine without it."

"I'll make some tea," Suoh offered, throwing off his jacket on the way through the building. He really had to be an idiot, considering he'd taken off his jacket just because they'd went indoors. It was just as cold inside as it was outside! Refusing to take her own jacket off, she followed Snicker up into their bedroom at his urging. Thankfully, he pushed the screens open when they reached it instead of trying any funny stuff once they were out of sight.

Although, that was irritating, too. She knew both of the men were typical jackasses, but neither of them were acting like normal jackasses. Snicker had made the moves on her a few times in the past, but he'd almost completely given up after only a few refusals. Suoh had been no different. He'd never made a single advance toward her after stealing that slobbering kiss. It was enough to make her want to scream 'Hello! Did you forget that there's a woman here?'

Bah. That was probably Summer's fault. Satisfied men didn't always play by the same rules as the rest. Then again, no man was satisfied when something better showed itself before them. If that was true, though, why weren't these two acting like they should? She knew that they both considered her a mark above Summer.

"Sit," Snicker urged, motioning her down onto one of the pillows surrounding the low table. Raising an eyebrow, she did but she refused to stick her legs under the comforter so that Snicker could play footsie without being seen. He gestured a few times for her to do so, but she just silently refused. Then Suoh showed up with the tea and she wasn't allowed to refuse.

"Wha--?!" She squeaked when he started pulling her shoes off directly after setting down the teapot onto the warming plate on the table. Since they were dress shoes, they came off almost two easily. He didn't answer, simply continuing what he was doing before she could utter a single complaint.

"There," he said with a smile, smoothing the comforter over her lap before she could do more than blush. It was warm. She noticed it instantly. There was more to the table that she'd been urged into buying than she thought. It had a built-in foot warmer that she'd not known about and it was actually a lot more comfortable to sit at than she thought. "A little tea and you'll be warm in no time."

"What kind did you make, Suoh?" Snicker asked curiously before she could react to the knowing gleam that she saw in his eye for a moment.

"Just regular tea," he answered with another of his wide smiles, sitting down easily in what she recognized as 'his' normal seat. "I know that you don't like the taste of the herbs that I get from Mrs. Ichigawa, so I made some that I know you like."

"You should stop using those herbal remedies," he replied with a small look of disgust. "You've been remembering your nightmares just fine lately, so there's no point in using them anymore."

Autumn listened quietly while trying not to laugh as how formally Suoh was acting in pouring the tea into three Japanese-style cups. It was bad enough to see him with a ceramic teapot in his hand much like the kinds that she'd played with as a little girl, but seeing him pouring it so daintily almost sent her into a fit of laughter. He didn't even seem to notice it, being too preoccupied with ensuring that he didn't spill a single drop.

"I can't," he murmured quietly. "They're different dreams now, Snicker. I still can't remember the old ones. I'm not sure that I want to, either. Plus, the tea isn't supposed to make me remember. They're just supposed to help me calm down and go back to sleep. You have to admit that it works. I don't ever have the same nightmare twice if I wake up and drink some before trying to go back to sleep."

"What nightmares?" Autumn asked, narrowing her eyes at Suoh. The people at Chinatown had mentioned his nightmares, but she'd blown it off in the belief that it was part of their little skit. If even Snicker was talking about them, though, then there was no way that they weren't real.

"Are you warm yet?" He asked abruptly, sipping on his own tea like he hadn't heard the question. Autumn's eyes narrowed, remembering one sentence in particular that the man in Chinatown had said. _Suoh doesn't talk about himself much, but there are things that we can see by the things that he refuses to speak of. _

"Why did you leave Japan, Suoh?" She asked bluntly, remembering what else the man had said. _He can speak freely about having grown up in Japan, but he will not say where he lived or why he left._

"It's none of your business," he growled, making both her and Snicker stiffen in surprise. Her eyes widened, taking a close look at the effect her question had on Suoh. It was as if he'd completely dropped his fake nice-guy act in order to let her see the real jackass underneath. It made her satisfied inside to finally see the real Suoh again, while she cursed herself at the same time for having pushed him so far. She'd asked for the specific purpose of seeing his reaction for herself, but it was far more pointed than she expected.

"Now, Suoh..." Snicker admonished gently. "There's no reason to--"

"Why are you really here, Autumn?" He asked with his nose flaring with anger. She blinked, seeing his reaction blossom into much more than she'd expected. He was seriously pissed over the innocent question. Why, though?

"I hate puzzles," she replied, deciding to lay all of her cards out on the table. "You're a puzzle and I don't like that. You pretend to be a nice guy, but you're just another jackass. You pretend that you're in love with Summer, but--"

"I never said that I love Summer," he replied with his face darkening even more than it already was. "We're using her, just like she's using us. Nothing more and nothing less. The most that I'd ever say is that I like her as a friend."

"You act like you're an idiot, but you were capable of becoming the boss of a gang," she continued mercilessly, trying to stay on the offensive with him.

"I never intended for us to be a gang," he growled, his face getting even more dark. "And I'm not a fucking Boss."

"Suoh--" Snicker interjected worriedly.

"You came out of nowhere and you've got people coming to you in droves," she snapped. "No one knows anything about you. You won't talk about yourself. You won't let anyone know about your past and you keep to yourself, but you're pulling strings on everyone around you without thinking twice about it. Why does everyone trust you when you've given them no reason to?"

"You're right," he murmured, bowing his head in that irritating fashion that he had. Autumn's eyes widened at the sudden shift into her favor. "I haven't given anyone a reason to trust me," he added quietly with none of his previous anger. "I can't--" Suoh bit his lip, obviously rethinking what he was going to say. "Isn't who I am here and now good enough for everyone?"

"Eh?" Autumn asked, knocked off the offensive by Suoh's mood swing.

"It is, Suoh," Snicker said firmly, reaching out to place a hand over... Was Suoh's hands shaking? They were! She could tell because of how his tea was lightly rippling in his cup. _He grows fearful if you question him about it_, she remembered the guy in Chinatown saying. So, it was true! "No one cares about what happened before you moved here and you don't got to talk about it. Autumn is just being her normal bitch-self like always. She's probably just pissy from the cold."

"No I'm not--" She objected.

"And you!" Snicker said, turned to her with a frown. "Didn't your parents ever teach you manners? Everyone has something that they don't like to talk about, even me. Suoh invited you in to warm up and you've been nothing but nosy today. I'm used to you and Suoh bickering at each other, but don't you think that you could lay off with it being a holiday and all?"

"Sure thing, old man," she grumbled, tagging on the nickname because she knew he hated it when Suoh used it. His reaction to hearing was a lot different than what she expected, though. Instead of a glare and a grumble to show that she had gotten under his skin, he blushed! He blushed and looked away in embarrassment! What the hell?! Suoh was looking away and blushing, too! Wait. No way. There was no way possible that straight-as-a-board Snicker and crooked-as-a-saw tooth-blade Suoh were--

"Wow," she gasped, staring at Suoh in awe. "You really do get around!"

"No, I don't!" He squealed with a bright blush.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "Three girlfriends, plus you have Gigi and her crowd, and now you've gone and turned Snicker, too."

"I don't have any girlfriends," he snapped, his blushes easing up as he tried to defend himself. "And I've never done anything with Gigi's crowd! That was just work!"

"Sure it was," she teased mercilessly. "So all those times you came home with--" Autumn squeaked and lurched in place at the heavy hand that pounded down on the table. Snicker's hand.

"That's enough," he growled, showing a gleam of his own anger. "We don't judge you for selling yourself, so you shouldn't judge Suoh for doing the same."

"I have my reasons for doing it," she replied with narrowed eyes. "Suoh is different. He was just--"

"Doing it for his own reasons, too," he said before she could finish. "He was working just like you were when he was going out. Do you count every person that you show a good time to as a relationship?"

"No," she admitted with a glare.

"Neither does Suoh," Snicker continued firmly. "Whether it was at Kink's or Mike's, what was past is in the past and--"

"You don't have to defend me, Snicker," Suoh interjected, bringing instant attention to him and his soft smile. "Autumn can say whatever she wants, but none of it matters. I know the truth. Gigi, Summer, Cassandra, and Dedra are nothing more than friends to me. They've never been more than friends to me. Almost everyone down at Kink's isn't even that much. There's only one person that I love and that will never change."

"Well, you can't have me," Autumn said nonchalantly, planning on tweaking his nose just a bit more.

"I'm sorry, Autumn," he chuckled sadly in a way that made Autumn pause in the middle of sipping her tea. "I know that I told you that I loved you while I was in the hospital, but that was just because I was feeling a little vulnerable and confused. I'll admit that I was attracted to you, but it was wrong of me to say what I did because I didn't mean it."

"Then who?" She asked blankly. Then it hit her. "Snicker?!"

"There could never be anyone else," he replied with a wide smile, looking over at where Snicker was nearly turning blue from holding his breathe.

"I thought you said it was nobody's business!" He finally blurted in a rush.

"It's not," he chuckled. "But you can't blame me for today. You're the number one thing that I'm thankful for."

Thankful. Thanksgiving.

"Shit!" Autumn blurted, scrambling up from the kotatsu while trying to keep her dress down. "I completely forgot! I'm late to dinner. Dad is going to kill me."

"Do you need one of us to walk you?" Suoh asked worriedly with his nice-guy facade back in place.

"No need," she snapped, slipping her shoes back on. Then she paused, seeing Snicker and Suoh sitting calmly at their table like it was just another day. Looking around, she realized that there was no feast for them two. There was no family celebration or gluttonous displays. It seemed wrong somehow, but she didn't know why. "What are you two going to do?" She asked bluntly. "It's Thanksgiving."

"Huh?" Suoh asked, looked up at her in what seemed to be honest confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you going to pig out or celebrate or anything?"

"No," Suoh answered, shaking his head sadly. "We've already celebrated the holiday. Snicker's work gave him a free turkey and we'd just finished delivering it down to the mission when we ran into you."

"What about dinner?" She asked with her jaw dropping in shock.

"Me and Suoh got some turkey pot pies," Snicker answered with a wide grin. "They're those nice overstuffed ones that bake up real nicely. They're more than enough for us to be happy."

"I might make some rice to go with it," Suoh added in thought. "That shouldn't--"

"Turkey pot pies and rice?!" Autumn squeaked with wide eyes. "It's Thanksgiving! Where's the stuffing and the mash potatoes and corn and--"

"We don't need it," Suoh and Snicker answered in unison, with both of their faces turning dark for some reason.

"You better go, Autumn," Suoh added with his head bowed down once more. "You wouldn't want to be even later than you already are."

"What's wrong with you two?" She mumbled in confusion. "You look like I said something despicable."

"You wouldn't understand, Autumn," Snicker replied quietly. "Just go enjoy your family and your feast like everyone else. Me and Suoh are happy here with what we got."

"But--" _all that's here is you two and some frozen pot pies_, she finished mentally. It left her feeling strangely unhappy inside. Holidays were meant to be spent with family and Thanksgiving was supposed to mean feasting, but they were acting like it was nothing special. What was wrong with them?

"There's nothing wrong with us," Suoh said, making her jump in her shoes since he'd practically read her mind. "Thanksgiving isn't about feasting even though it's true that most people do feast on Thanksgiving. It's about taking the time out to appreciate what you're thankful for. We're doing that. We're thankful that we have enough for ourselves that we can afford to give to others for once, so we showed our appreciation by taking extra food down to those that don't have any. Now, all that's left is for us to show our appreciation to each other by spending some time together. We're celebrating just like you are, Autumn. It might be different than what you're used to, but we're happy with it."

"If you say so," she replied in open doubt. Heading for the stairs, she looked back once to see Snicker and Suoh refilling their tea like she was already gone. Then, with a shrug, she left while putting the two as far from her mind as she could.

* * *

"I'm back!" Gigi called, his voice ringing through the building with a feminine flourish.

"Welcome home!" Tsuna called in return with a bright smile from where he was going over the inspection plans with Eric on the couch.

"You call this place a heaven?" Someone growled from behind him. "It looks like just another boarding house to me." Tsuna's eyes widened and he stood, seeing that Gigi wasn't alone like normal. Eric stood beside him and even Snicker slid open the screens from where he was lounging in bed on the second floor in order to see the newcomer.

"Hush, Marty," Gigi admonished before turning to Tsuna with a grimace plain on his face. "This is my sister Marty," he introduced, gesturing to the woman on his right. Tsuna blinked at her, slowly taking in the spiked green hair, piercings, and tattoos. He absently noticed that she was kind of pretty, but it was hard to tell with how she'd covered most of it up. Although, even though most of it was covered, very little was covered with clothes. Even in the dead of winter, she wore a sleeveless A-shirt and a pair of cargo jeans that was ripped off past the calf. What was more disturbing than how she looked had to be the three foot long wrench strapped to her back. "She's a mechanic and I found out yesterday at dinner that she was evicted again."

"You could call it evicted," she mumbled, looking around the place. "I like to call it another bastard that decided blondes were more attractive."

"Marty," Gigi scolded in a hiss before turning back to Tsuna again. "I was wondering if..."

"She can stay here," Tsuna supplied with a smile. "You'll have to share your room, though. I already gave the loft to Poe to use."

"Poe?" Gigi repeated in curiosity.

"That's me," Poe replied, sliding down the rope connected to the punching bag on the stage. "Suoh caught me on the roof the other day," he continued, jumping off the top of the sandbag in order to stand on the stage without a twitched eyebrow at his own maneuver. Gigi, Eric, and Marty stared, not having seen the man before. "I was kind of surprised. Instead of running me off, he invited me down for dinner yesterday and offered me the loft to stay warm in."

"No one was using it," Tsuna mumbled with a small blush. "And Poe seems like a nice guy even though his humor is kind of dark."

"Don't worry," Poe chuckled, crouching down in front of the stage stairs centered between the kitchen and the office area. "I promise that I'll only bite a little bit and Andlo won't bite at all."

"Andlo?" Gigi repeated worriedly, his focus obviously on the fangs that Poe showed so readily.

"Oh no," Tsuna mumbled under his breath.

"And lo!" Poe called with a flourish of his own. Tsuna groaned at the screech that answered a mere moment before the sound of flapping filled the room. Eric squealed loudly and ducked the moment that the bat appeared and Gigi let out a matching one before hiding behind his unaffected sister. Even Snicker slammed the screen shut on the second floor, having already told Poe that he hated bats, and Peanut whined before hiding under the billiards table. Strangely, after having seen the bat act so tame on Poe's shoulder, Tsuna was completely unafraid. He'd been terrified at first, but it was the same unexplained confidence that had welled up inside him when he'd been around the lion Rojo.

"You don't have to be scared," he said quietly. "He really won't bite unless he thinks that you're going to hurt him. I'm not sure how Poe tamed him, but he's really harmless. He spent all day yesterday clearing out the flies and spiders up in the rafters around the catwalk."

"W-Why did you name him Andlo?" Gigi asked curiously in an attempt to reclaim his pride despite his sister's knowing looks at him.

"Because, I like saying 'And lo!'," he chuckled with another fang-filled grin.

"I'm not saying 'And lo' whenever I want to yell at him," Tsuna sighed. "I hope he doesn't care if I just call him Lobat."

"It make take him a while, but he'll get used to it," he replied with a small shrug. "Anyways, I'm Poe and I'll be living up in the loft. You probably won't see me much since I prefer to keep to myself. Just a warning, though. Me and Andlo can smell blood from half a mile away, so be careful. You don't want to find out if these fangs are real. Do you?"

"They're inserts," Marty said simply.

"Are they?" Poe asked with a wide grin, heading up the ladder toward the roof again.

"Yes," Marty called with a dead-pan expression. "They are. I had a set back at Halloween."

"No, they're not," Tsuna whispered with a grimace after Poe disappeared up into the shadows. "He let me touch one yesterday and it didn't come off."

"Glue," Marty replied after a moment. "He must have glued them on."

"If you say so," Tsuna replied in open doubt. "I think he has fun making people wonder." Shaking off his thoughts of Poe, he turned his attention back to Marty's situation. "Where's your stuff? Me and Eric can help you move your stuff into Gigi's room."

"Gigi?" Marty scoffed, looking at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me that you're still playing dress-up, Mel. I thought you outgrew that."

"One does not outgrow certain things," Gigi replied with a toss of his hips. "One just gets better with time."

"Great," Marty groaned. "So not only are you a fag, but you like women's underwear, too."

"I like anything that'll ride up my ass," Gigi countered with a wide grin, making Marty splutter.

"Um," Tsuna interjected with a bright blush, openly trying to change the subject. "Your stuff?"

"Right here," she answered, holding up the worn bag in her hand. "A change of clothes, some necessities, and my lucky wrench. I like to travel light."

"Oh," he mumbled with a grimace, remembering that it hadn't been so long ago that he'd only had a bag of belongings to himself. "Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you don't mind sharing with Gigi."

"It should be fine," Gigi sighed. "She'll be going out job-hunting tomorrow and we work on different schedules. Assuming that you can all put up with her, I don't see us fighting over the bedroom. Just don't let her cook. She can burn a bowl of canned corn in the microwave without even trying."

"The microwave was faulty!" She squealed.

"Sure it was," Gigi laughed while Eric and Tsuna's jaws dropped in shock. "You still have to buy mom a new one."

"I will," she growled. "Just show me to the bedroom so that I can put my stuff down."

"What about your car?" Tsuna asked in sudden thought, knowing that Marty had driven Gigi to their family's house.

"She sold it," Gigi answered as he led her up the stairs to the stage. "She dropped it off on the way back. We had to ride a bus to get here." Tsuna flinched slightly at the words, knowing that things had to be going bad for Marty if she'd even sold her car.

"I'm back!" Ore called, walking in as Gigi returned with Marty beside him in order to pull up a stool next to the kitchen bar. Marty made herself at home on the stairs while Peanut finally came out to introduce himself to her. Marty looked at Ore in consideration for a moment, taking in his large size, before turning back to the dog with a complete lack of awe.

"Welcome home, Big Guy," Tsuna called back as Snicker finally opened the screen back up to take part in all the homecomings now that the bat was gone.

"What do you got there?" Snicker asked curiously, seeing the box in Ore's hands. Ore smiled widely and set it down on the billiards table while showing open enthusiasm for what he'd brought.

"I told my Granny all about this place a while back," he replied. "Granny was a little upset at first with us being a gang and all, but I set her straight and told her that we weren't one of those bad ones that makes trouble. She was so happy that I'd went and got me a bunch of outrageous friends that she sewed these up for us."

"But we're not--" Tsuna started to object worriedly. Every eye focused on him in curiosity as if he was trying to say that they weren't all friends. Beneath such stares, he flinched slightly and decided there was no point any attempts to deny it anymore. At least, not verbally.

"You'll like this," Ore said with a bright grin, instantly regaining everyone's attention. Pulling open the box, he pulled out a swath of black cloth that made Tsuna's eyes widen. "Isn't it outrageous?! Granny made a special one for you since you're the leader," he exclaimed. Before Tsuna could do more than blink, Ore took two steps to close the distance between them and wrapped it around Tsuna's upper arm. Tying it off with a knot, Tsuna looked down to see that the cloth was more than a cloth. It was an handkerchief that had been skillfully embroidered with the image of an orange dragon. From the look of the next one that Ore pulled out, his was special due to the gold embellishment that was outlining the emblem.

"I got tons here," he continued with a wide grin, passing them out before Tsuna could even react to either the marker or the title of leader. "Granny said that since we got so many friends, we should all wear one so that others can see that we're such good friends. Handkerchiefs always come in handy, too. She even embroidered two different sets along with Suoh's special one. She said that all of us living here could have the set with the dragons on them and then we can give out the ones with just fangs to our other friends. It'll be nice cause then I can see Gigi's friends out on the street and say hello when I see one and Gigi can say hello to Eric's friends from the park. We'll make even more friends that way."

"That's a great idea!" Eric exclaimed with a bright smile, trying his around a loophole of his belt instead of the arm of his button-down shirt. Gigi tied his tightly around his leg like a garter belt and even Peanut got one tied carefully around his neck so that the dragon emblem could be seen on his back. Snicker took his without batting an eyelash, tying it around his arm in the same fashion as Tsuna's was tied. Ore absently handed off a fang one to Marty since he didn't know who she was, who shrugged in reply and tied it around the wrench still on her back without saying a word.

"I got a couple of extra dragon ones here for Leo and whoever else you want to give them to, too," Ore said, pulling out some spares. Tsuna took them when they were thrust into his hands, staring down at them with wide eyes. "I figure that everyone can take an outrageous stack of the fang ones and hand them out to whoever they want. Just make sure that you give them to good people. We don't want anyone shady being confused with us. We only have so many, too. Granny said that she could make more but..." Ore paused, finally noticing Tsuna's silence while everyone else showed their enthusiasm over the markers. "Suoh..?" He asked, bringing everyone's attention to him.

"I never wanted us to be a gang," he mumbled quietly, bowing his head in overwhelming sadness. Setting down the stack of handkerchiefs in his hands onto the coffee table, he slowly headed for the stairs to his room out of the desire to get into private before he had a meltdown. He ignored the curious and confused looks he got, disappearing upstairs only to find that Snicker had already closed the screen again. Looking at him, he let Snicker glimpse the heartache that twisted inside him due to the feeling of the marker on his arm.

There was no denying it anymore. There was no way to take everything back and start over. Even the people living with him thought they were a gang and were taking pride in it. It was like a snowball that he'd started without noticing and now it was too large for him to stop anymore.

"It's happening again, Snicker," he moaned sadly, forcing the tears in his eyes to stay unshed.

"It'll be okay, Suoh," he soothed in open concern. "You might be the one that they're all looking to as a leader, but that's just because you're the one that they care about. None of them is going to make you do anything that you don't want to."

"But a gang..." Tsuna murmured, throwing himself onto the bed dejectedly. "That's like telling everyone that we're criminals. I don't want to be a leader and I never wanted any of them to think of themselves like that. It was okay when it was just other people talking, but they're talking like that now."

"Just think, though," Snicker replied, pulling him up against his chest in a comforting hug. "If you're the leader, you can make sure that none of them actually start fitting into the stereotype. Even if they call themselves a gang and even if they look to you as the leader, they're still the same people that we're friends with. None of them are going to start trouble just because of a silly name. You should be happy. Didn't you see how no one argued about you being the leader? That's like getting picked first instead of last."

"I guess," he mumbled in frustration. "I'm just scared that I'm going to turn into that monster that I ran away from. I don't want to become that person, Snicker."

"Then don't," he replied simply, making Tsuna lift his head up in surprise. "No one is forcing you into this. If you don't want to be leader, then just say so. I think that it'd be good, though. The leader is always the person that everyone trust the most and he's the person that everyone goes to for help. It's like being the Captain of a team. Everyone still does their own part, but the Captain is the one that makes sure that everyone on the team is taken care of. I'd say that you fit that role, Suoh. You care more about everyone here because you're the one that brought them all together."

"Captain?" Tsuna repeated, letting the word roll around in his head. It had a much better ring to it than 'Boss'. Everyone knew that the Captain of a team was voted on and picked for special reasons. It wasn't like before where he was told that he was the Boss just because his so-many-times-great-grandfather had been someone important. Everyone had picked him. They'd decided on it because he was special to them and they trusted him to care for them. It made him feel warm and happy inside when he thought of it like that. He'd never been on a real team before, let alone been picked as Captain. There'd been that one time in middle school for the pole knocking competition, but that had been just because Reborn and Ryohei had forced everyone to accept him. This time, he was being accepted without anyone forcing them to.

"Do you feel better about it?" Snicker asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes," he answered with a bright smile, his heart and his nerves utterly soothed so easily by Snicker. Snicker always knew the right thing to say in order to make him see the positive side of things. It was one of the qualities that Tsuna loved so much about him.

"Then you better go tell everyone that," Snicker laughed. "Ore looked like you broke his heart when you weren't happy about his surprise."

"Oh!" Tsuna squeaked, getting up to do as ordered. Throwing open the screens to their room, he grimaced at the sight of everyone looking solemn and sad. Several of them had even pulled off their handkerchiefs in order to look at them in thought.

"Little Guy," Ore said in instant apology. "I didn't know that you--"

"It's okay," he interrupted with a wide smile, making everyone lift their heads up in hope. Grabbing the pole outside the screen, he slid down it using only one hand and a single foot to reach the ground floor. Once there, he walked up to Ore in determination. Grabbing the oversized handkerchief made specifically for him out of the man's hands, he quickly tied it to Ore's forearm since he couldn't reach any higher. "There," he said once it was securely in place. "Now everyone will know that we're friends, Big Guy."

"Can I have one, too?" Leo asked, popping up from where she'd snuck into the kitchen.

"Sure," Tsuna agreed with a firm nod, taking immense pleasure in how quickly everyone cheered up again. Snatching up one of the dragon markers, Leo snatched it greedily out of his hands. In less than two seconds, she had her old mask pulled off and had the handkerchief tied around her face in the way that he'd become accustomed to seeing her while she painted. She pulled it down after a moment, showing a wide spread of teeth with her bright smile. Deciding quickly, he pulled one more out of the stack before tossing the rest of the stack of dragon markers up to Snicker for safe-keeping. Dodging Marty on the stairs, he jumped up onto the stage and looked up. Like he expected, Poe had been listening all along from the catwalk despite the pretense of having left to make everyone comfortable.

"You want one?" Tsuna asked curiously, holding up the item for Poe's inspection. He was completely unsurprised when Poe smiled in return and whispered to the bat hanging from the rafters above his head. With a screech that made everyone jump in place again, Lobat descended in a flurry of wings, scooping up the cloth in a dive before flapping back up into hiding. Poe simply stuffed the handkerchief into his trench coat pocket before ducking into hiding in the loft, but Tsuna felt strangely happy that he'd accepted it even if he didn't wear it.

"Alright," Tsuna sighed, looking around to see that everyone had their markers displayed with a pride that made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. They were a team. Everyone wearing the identifiers meant that they were taking pride in being part of the team. It was as if they were taking pride in him and that made him inexplicably happy. "It looks like it's official. The Orange Dragon Dojo is home to the Orange Dragon Gang."


	25. Chapter 25 Missing Piece

Author's notes: Thank you for over 200 reviews! You guys really make me warm and fuzzy when I see so many of you still supporting my fanfic series.

DOMO ARIGATO!

* * *

"Look out!" Tsuna shouted, hitting the breaks on his ten-speed bicycle. Despite his attempt to save himself, the icy ground made instant breaking almost impossible. He rammed into the tall skateboarder at full speed, having not had enough warning of his sudden appearance down the alley to have stopped in time. He did manage to slide sideways instead of flying headlong into the poor guy, but they still ended up in a tangle of limbs and spinning wheels that left Tsuna grimacing.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna groaned, carefully pushing the bicycle off of them.

"What the hell, man?" He snapped, sitting up with his dark blue hoodie falling off of his head to reveal a very disgruntled expression of a black man topped with a shock of blond hair. "Why don't you watch where you're going?!" He yelled as he jumped to his feet.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I tried to stop, but there was some ice and--"

"You better not have busted up my board," he growled, snatching up his own transportation in order to inspect the damage that the crash might have caused. Then Tsuna realized that his own transportation might be busted and that would be really bad. Snicker had gotten it for him for an early Christmas present when they'd been out window-shopping for fun. Normally, they'd just look in the windows and laugh hysterically at the overpriced items, but the bicycles had been different. Those were actually useful and Tsuna had commented off-hand that he wouldn't be so scared about going down the alley-roads alone again if he could simply move faster than his short legs could carry him. So, Snicker had surprised him by riding home from work on one the very next day. Snicker claimed that he'd gotten it for himself when Tsuna objected, but it was simply too coincidental to be true. It was the very same sports bike that Tsuna had shown appreciation for, plus Snicker never went anywhere except to work which he was able to get to via public transportation.

Thinking of Snicker...

"Oh, shit!" Tsuna gasped, snatching his bike upright once more. Thankfully, it looked to be okay, although it took a moment to reset the gears. Looking over at the black man, he grimaced in apology as he jumped back on it. "Are you okay? Nothing is broken, is it?"

"No, it's fine," he grumbled unhappily. "You owe me a-- Hey!" He shouted as Tsuna started to dart off. "Where are you going?!"

"Sorry!" He shouted back behind him. "I have to hurry! Snicker forgot his lunch!" Putting the crash out of his mind since the guy had seemed to be without injury, Tsuna raced through the alley-roads at his top speed once more. This time, he was more careful about intersections, though. It was rare for anyone to use the alleys as a pass-through like he did. It took a mental map that few but the homeless had in order to use the alleys to their full potential. A lot of people had mental maps and used some of the alleys to go from point A to point B, but Tsuna didn't know very many that could go from _any _point A to _any _point B with the hidden roads. There were plenty of homeless and poor that came close, but it was rare to find anyone that could afford transportation using the roads. Especially the ones Tsuna used. Even while on foot, the roads he used were used rarely. They were too dangerous unless the people using them were either moving too fast to get trapped or they went in groups. They were dangerous because they took one out of sight of any and all major thoroughfares.

But Tsuna was moving fast enough now. More than just moving fast, he was armed. He was armed with the knowledge that Coach Reynolds had been pounding into him and he was armed with the knowledge that his two brothers had begun to teach him. He felt confident that he could use Judo to get out of most grapples and attempts to immobilize him. He could use boxing punches to make the most out of his slowly growing upper body strength and he had what he'd learned in kickboxing to extend his reach since his legs were a bit longer than his arms.

More than that, though, he was truly armed. He was nearly armed to the teeth now. He had an extra lead pipe fastened onto his bike in case it was needed. He had a smoke grenade that the guy at the Army Surplus had given him in one coat pocket and a bottle of pepper spray in the other. There were backups in his backpack should one of each not suffice to ward off an attacker. He also had a foghorn that could be heard for almost a half-mile attached to the steering column of his bike, one with a particular tone that every person connected with the Orange Dragon Gang recognized.

On top of that, he had a few little surprises of his own. The first was a set of retractable blades hidden underneath his leather work gloves. Pressing a certain spot while he balled up his hand unleashed over three inches of hidden steel that couldn't be taken away. Even without the blades, he didn't have to worry about his punches being light due to fear. There was a steel plate hidden across his knuckles that was sure to ward off any attacker. The other surprise was a set of retractable blades that had been inserted into the soles of his boots and could be released with a bit of pressure with his big toe while simultaneously hitting the back of his boot against something. That was in case he found himself pinned down again. Releasing those would let him castrate anyone that tried to hurt him before they could succeed.

Just let someone try to attack him again. This time, he was prepared. Everyone had helped him prepare from the moment they'd seen him show even the smallest desire for a little independence again. He couldn't go everywhere with Ore and he was sick of relying on others to simply go to the store. It'd been over a month since Gabriel had hurt him and he wasn't about to let that person's actions stop him anymore. His arm was healed up enough to be useable again, even though he should have technically kept the cast on for another month and a half at the minimum. Coach Reynolds in particular had been amazed at the amount of recovery he'd shown in such a short time, but Tsuna was unsurprised. When he'd broken his leg in middle school because of that turtle shenanigan, he'd managed to heal up much faster than the doctors had estimated. Of course, staying at the hospital had caused even more injuries back then, but he tried to forget about that.

Lastly, there was his bicycle itself. Dashing down alley after alley, he smiled to himself at how well his bicycle answered him. With the exclusion of the interference of ice, he was able to take most of the twists and turns with an ease that he probably wouldn't have had even running. It gave him a reassuring feeling that he could escape anything and also enabled him to fearlessly use the alleys just like his gut had told him he would. He couldn't even describe how good it felt to have freedom again. He knew that the fear would come back the moment that he was at a standstill long enough to think about it, but not while he was in motion. While he was in motion, he was like a sparrow that couldn't be captured.

In what seemed like no time at all, he was pausing at the guard shack at the gates of the factory. The man on duty was polite and firm, taking down all of his information such as his name, reason for coming, and other need-to-know information. He wrote it all down with an efficiency that only came from years of doing the job before directing Tsuna toward the building holding the main office. Dodging semi trucks and delivery vans in the parking lot, Tsuna went as directed. His bike got parked outside and chained up beside a half dozen others that were obviously owned by workers.

The noise inside made him want to cover his ears with his hands. From the moment he walked in the door, the smell of synthetics overwhelmed him while he tried to ignore the screech and bangs of working machinery. Over it all was the rumble of overheated heaters and fans which attempted to circulate heat and air through the building at a rate that Tsuna found to be almost completely useless. Although, it wasn't cold inside. Far from it. Before he even reached the office of the large factory, he was already sweating bullets. Something told him that it wasn't the heater that was warming the place, though. It was all the machinery coupled with all the people working inside. There was the smell of sweat laced through the synthetic aroma that made him want to gag over the combination.

"Can I help you?" The secretary within the office asked loudly, pitching her voice to be heard clearly over all the noise.

"I'm here to see Joshua Timberson," Tsuna replied simply. "He forgot his lunch this morning and I brought it to him."

"What department?" She asked, reaching for the keyboard on her desk.

"I, uh, I don't know," he answered honestly. "He never told me. He said that he works on doors, though."

"Almost everything we make has doors," she laughed. "You said Joshua Timberson, correct?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Oh!" She squeaked after a few silent moments of searching her database. "You meant Snicker! Why didn't you just say so?" Tsuna blushed in return, not having known that he went by Snicker even at his work. "I'll show you were he's at," she continued with a wink, getting up from her desk in order to come around to where he was at. "Lydia can watch the office for a while and it's almost lunchtime anyway. Just follow me and look out for moving carts. Here, put these on, too."

"Eh?" Tsuna asked, taking the pair of clear plastic glasses that she handed him.

"Regulations," she explained, putting a matching pair on herself. "No one is allowed to go past the office without one on." Tsuna nodded in acceptance and put them on before following her out of the office and past a set of oversized double doors. Once inside, the sounds tripled until his head began to pound from all the tumult.

The place was a complete maze which he was guided through only due to the secretary's presence and the walkways lined in yellow paint on the cement floor. Everywhere he looked were people working away with a sweat-filled frenzy that he could only gape at. Workstations and machinery was littered everywhere while carts of half-finished products were sent speeding along painted roads through the place on carts pushed by men and women of every kind. Tsuna's eyes widened at the sight of one of the cart-pushers, seeing that the man was no bigger than himself that was still trying to push a filled cart of what looked to be the innards of nearly a dozen refrigerators from the production line to a large elevator.

The heat got even worse when she lead him up to the second floor via a set of metal grate stairs. Since heat rose, the second floor was even more stuffy than the first. It was nearly suffocating to him after having come so recently from the cold outside. It made him understand why Snicker had always worn just a simple t-shirt under his jacket instead of one of the warmer sweaters that Tsuna had tried repeatedly to get him to wear. It also made him understand why Snicker always came home smelling of sweat even though his clothes stayed dry. The old fool must have always waited for his clothes to dry out before returning just so that Tsuna wouldn't see how difficult his work conditions were. Not that anything could be done about it. He could tell that the factory tried to make things easier. Every window in the building was open and the fans kept the warm air circulating somewhat so that no one felt breathless. Although, feeling the heat in the winter made Tsuna very solemn when he thought about Snicker having worked in the place in the spring.

Falling to a silent stop beside the secretary outside of a set of workstations, Tsuna immediately saw Snicker. He was working with the same furious speed that everyone else was displaying, attempting to fill the last minute orders that had come in for the holidays. The back of his t-shirt was soaked with sweat while he continuously lifted panel of stainless steel from a cart onto the line. Almost immediately, he tore off the protective layer of clear plastic off of it before snapping pieces of plastic into place over the sharp edges. His hands darted out repeatedly for bits of tape to hold it all in place before sending it down the line to the next person that was wielding a drill to replace the tape with screws. Finally, without pausing to even catch his breathe, he began repeating the process again and again.

Tsuna simply waited beside the secretary and watched Snicker work for several minutes. From what he was able to see, the only time that Snicker got even a moment to pause was when someone ahead of him was too slow. The line got backed up fairly quickly, but Snicker didn't even stop when it came to that. Instead, he started getting ahead with what was still on the cart by tearing off the plastic on the next three doors. By then, the line was clear again and he set to his frenzied pace once more.

Every head seemed to pop up in unison at the sound of a horn ringing through the factory. Hands slowly finished the piece they were working on before the people left their workstations en masse. The secretary smiled at him quietly before urging him forward to finally talk with the person that he'd come to see. He knew the moment that Snicker finally saw him in return due to how he nearly choked on a large gulp of ice water from the jug that he grabbed from a shelf below his own workstation. His jaw dropped in surprise and he froze completely in shock while Tsuna crossed the distance over to him.

"What are you doing here?" He finally gasped.

"You forgot your lunch," Tsuna answered with a smile, quickly pulling off his backpack to retrieve the container that he'd brought with him. Holding it out, Snicker took it slowly with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Since you're working so hard, I figured that you would probably be hungry."

"You didn't have to do that," he mumbled with a conflicting look of gratitude on his face. "Come on," he continued, giving a small nod to the secretary to tell her that he'd take over guiding Tsuna. "You can sit and eat lunch with me. We get a half-hour and there's no reason for you to rush off since you came all the way down here. Did you have any problems at the gate?"

"Nope," he answered with a small grin as he followed Snicker through the maze once more with the obvious goal being a picnic table set up for the other line workers to take their breaks at. Several of them were already eating or simply chain smoking in effort to get enough nicotine in their systems to last another few hours. The rest were taking turns pulling their lunches out of the small refrigerator assigned to the department or were already heating their meals up in the microwave on top of it. "I did have a little bit of a crash on the way here, though. My bike is fine," he added hurriedly when Snicker's head snapped toward him in concern. "So am I. I just hit a little bit of ice while I was going around a turn and skidded a little bit."

"Be more careful," Snicker advised before snagging them both a seat across from each other at the table. People scooted over to make room without any fuss while giving him a small wave of greeting in curiosity. Tsuna barely noticed them, instead being focused on Snicker's face when he opened his lunchbox. "What's this?!" He asked in joy, making Tsuna grin widely in happiness when he saw that the meal had survived the crash intact. After seeing that Snicker had forgotten his lunch, he'd put extra time in making him a fresh one. No one had minded since Snicker always picked some of the cheapest and easiest things to make on his meal-days. He usually picked things like potato soup and salad or sloppy joes and french fries. What was in his lunchbox wasn't simple or cheap, though. But he deserved it. After seeing him work, Tsuna was even more positive of that than ever.

"It's one of those barbeque beef sandwiches that you like so much," Tsuna answered with his happiness plain on his face. "There's a couple veggie kabobs in there with that pepper seasoning you like and I picked you up a fresh orange since you didn't have your normal one at breakfast. Oh!" He gasped, reaching into his backpack again. Pulling out the can that had put him into such a rush to make it on time, Snicker gaped at the sight of the energy drink that he occasionally splurged to get for himself.

"What's the occasion?" He asked while he looked over the bounty that Tsuna had brought him.

"No occasion," Tsuna replied with a small blush.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it," one of Snicker's coworkers commented with an appreciative glance into his lunchbox.

"Get your own!" Snicker snapped laughingly before digging in. Tsuna felt his ears turn red for a moment at the possessive comment, making him insanely happy that Snicker wasn't willing to share. He found himself becoming almost drunk on the feeling while Snicker nearly inhaled the meal around expressions of ecstasy for the taste of his favorite foods. Then Tsuna smelled something incredibly familiar and his gut twisted in his own longing.

"Is that curry I smell?" He asked curiously, looking down the table at where another guy was eating quietly at the end. The man looked up at the word curry and tilted his head with a curious expression on his face.

"You like curry?" The man asked with a heavy Indian dialect.

"I haven't had any since I moved here from Japan," Tsuna answered with a smile. "It's almost as hard to find good curry as it is to find good dango outside of Chinatown and I never learned how to make it."

"It is tough," the man replied with a small grimace of sympathy. "The only place that I've found is a little shop down on Market Street. Most people just walk past it, but it makes the best curry in the city. You should go by there sometime. Just look for Hurry Curry. Tell them where you're from and they'll make you think that you're in your homeland again."

"It sounds too good to be true," Tsuna replied while embedding the information into his head.

"We'll go tonight," Snicker interjected around his last bite of barbeque-covered sandwich. "It's your turn to pick the meal. Isn't it?"

"Eh?!" He exclaimed, turning to look at Snicker in surprise. "No. It's your turn. You said that you wanted--"

"I changed my mind," he replied with a wide grin. "I've never had curry. It smells interesting and Cassandra would probably like a night off of cooking. The cans of chicken and dumplings can be put back for another night. Plus," he added with a soft, knowing look on his face, "You always pick my favorites when your turn comes around. Don't you go thinking that I haven't noticed. It's about time you got what you wanted, too. If you got a craving for curry, then we'll go have curry tonight."

"Snicker..." Tsuna mumbled with a bright blush, feeling as if his chest was going to explode over Snicker's effortless caring.

"Now, isn't that sweet," one of the women at the table mocked in amusement while Snicker pulled out a cigarette to cover his embarrassment over Tsuna's honest reaction. "And here we all thought that Snicker was just a bumbling old geezer. It looks like there's more to him after all."

"Who are you calling a geezer, you old goat?" Snicker scoffed in reply while Tsuna hurriedly grabbed his lighter out of his pocket when Snicker couldn't immediately find his own. Lighting it, he grabbed for a cigarette of his own to cover his growing embarrassment at all the considering looks that people kept glancing at him with.

"So," one of them asked conversationally. "Is this that roommate that you're always talking about, Snicker?"

"Yep," Snicker nodded before giving belated introductions. "This is Suoh. Suoh, this is Harold, Cliff, Fred, Sarah, and Paula," he said, pointing out the individuals at the table. "The fat one on the end is Frankenfurter and your curry friend is Ekram."

"I'm not fat," Frankenfurter laughed while attempting to smash his third hamburger into a bite-sized lump. "I'm just big-boned."

"Tell that to your cholesterol," Paula, the middle-aged woman from before, laughed. "If you keep eating like you do, you're going to end up having a stroke by the time that you're my age."

"Keep teasing me about my weight and I'll schedule overtime," Frankenfurter threatened in reply, making Tsuna blink for a moment in the realization that their supervisor was among them. Everyone at the table groaned openly without showing any inkling of being afraid of their overseer. It made Tsuna gape since he'd thought that Snicker's supervisor would be a lot different than what he was. "Suoh," he asked curiously. "If what I'm told is right, you're the leader of the Orange Dragon Gang down on Independence Street."

"Yes," Tsuna nodded, seeing no reason to deny it. Absently, his hand went to the marker tied on his arm over his jacket while he glanced over to see Snicker's was still proudly displayed on his arm. "There's nothing wrong with that. Is there?" He asked hesitantly.

"Nope," he replied, shaking his head while everyone else listened in shamelessly. "Half the people working here are in one gang or another. The ones that aren't are either living the good life or are loners."

"Or chose not to take part," Sarah added with a tone that suggested the young woman was speaking of herself.

"Like I said," Frankenfurter commented with a raised eyebrow at Sarah's freshly dyed hair, manicured nails, and name brand clothes. "They're either living the good life like Sarah or are loners like Ekram. I try to keep a close eye on my people because I don't like the way that the other departments have such a high turnover rate. It's better to teach them right and hold onto the people that really appreciate their jobs. Most of the other departments hold onto a few core members that are quiet and don't make trouble, but they just get rid of new people before their trial period is up and they can join the Union."

"Union?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"All of us are in the Union," Cliff commented with a thick, southern accent. "It'd be stupid not to join when they keep us from getting laid off for no damned reason. Even Snicker started paying his dues when he managed to scrape past the trial months intact. It isn't that much, but it's better to have their support and not need it rather than find yourself in need and not have anyone watching your back."

"I didn't know you were in a Union, Snicker," Tsuna mumbled in surprise. Almost instantly, he had to firmly silenced the jealous voice grumbling in the back of his head over someone knowing something about Snicker that he didn't.

"No reason to mention it," Snicker shrugged while he relaxed in complete contentment over his full stomach and his half-finished cigarette. "But I'm glad that I paid my dues. They helped me out back when you got hurt. The factory was running everyone ragged and they didn't want to let me off for more than a day. I got a Union rep to come in and help me talk them into giving me more. It was a pain in the ass to get them to even agree to that much. I had to end up using three days of my vacation time on top of the four days that they managed to get me so that I could have a whole week."

"Back to what I was saying," Frankenfurter continued while Tsuna's face fell over the knowledge that Snicker had done such a thing for him. "I don't have any problem with Snicker being in a gang, but I'd like some assurances that he isn't going to be getting in any trouble. I don't want to come in one day and find out that he's not coming in because he's in jail or some nonsense."

"He won't!" Tsuna squeaked with wide eyes. "We're not that kind of gang!"

"That's what Snicker said," he nodded. "And I believe it after meeting you, but gangs are notorious for getting into trouble. Especially when word spreads about a new one."

"Snicker won't ever get into trouble," Tsuna swore firmly, his face set with determination. "I won't let that happen."

"Good deal," Frankenfurter sighed in relief. "Well, it's almost time to get back to work. Snicker, go walk your friend out and I'll keep an eye on your station until you get back." Tsuna blinked at the instant acceptance of his oath and at the speed with which everyone stood at Frankenfurter's words. In less than ten seconds, everyone had put out their cigarettes in the ashtray, put up their lunch boxes, and started lazily heading back toward the work area in order to be back in place when the line started up again.

With a squeak, Tsuna belatedly jumped to his feet at the prodding tug on his sleeve by Snicker and hurriedly followed him back down the same path that the secretary had brought him down. More than anything, he wished that the trip could be made slower, but Snicker was nearly racing in order to get him outside so that he could return to work without fail. They stopped for a moment at the office on the way through so that Tsuna could return the protective goggles back to the secretary, but it was otherwise a straight shot out to where his bike was still chained up outside. Although, he did notice that Snicker slowed down a bit once they were out of the factory in the obvious desire to enjoy the cold air for a moment. There was no need to ask why, either, when Tsuna saw how the cold made the sweat steaming off of Snicker's head visible.

Kneeling down, he quickly unlocked the chain on his bike and set to mounting it in the full knowledge that Snicker wouldn't be comfortable doing more than simply saying goodbye. The fact that he was waiting to see Tsuna off at all was enough when Tsuna considered how strict the rules of the factory were. The way that he lingered even after the horn sounded off for the lines to start back up was better than any kiss or any intimate gesture because it was something that he did within his own limitations to show that Tsuna meant more than anything else. Tsuna noticed and found himself blushing over it almost as if he _had _been kissed.

"Thanks for bringing it to me," Snicker said quietly as he belatedly had Tsuna hold still so that he could put his empty lunchbox back into Tsuna's backpack to take home. Tsuna nodded in return and started backing up his bike from the rack that it'd been locked to while trying to keep his head ducked down to hide his blushes. Inside, he was cursing himself for his blushes since he knew that he was a grown man. Even so, it was difficult to control them. This was the first time that he'd ever felt so deeply toward someone and he had no experience to fall back on that told him how he should act and react to things. He was simply making it up as he went along while hoping that he didn't step wrong. He knew how to act with friends and he knew how to act with someone he'd slept with who was a friend. What combination was he supposed to use when he had a friend that became something more to him than even an intimate companion?

As the saying in the circus went, he suddenly felt like he was working without a net. All he could do was to keep his mind on what he was doing and hope that he didn't slip up. He knew that it shouldn't be as difficult as he was making it for himself. Snicker was still the same Snicker he'd had beside him all along. It wasn't like he was looking at him differently or anything. He was just more appreciative of the tokens of caring that Snicker had always shown. It was a strange combination. Snicker was simply a partner and friend like he'd always been, but everything he did seemed to mean so much more now. He knew that he was probably just thinking too hard about it, but--

"Suoh," Snicker said, lifting Tsuna's head with a gentle thumb rubbing across the three microscopic whiskers on his chin that had finally emerged after a week. Tsuna found himself blushing even more when he looked up at Snicker due to the way that his breath caught up in his throat so quickly when their eyes met. All the blushing made him realize why Snicker probably wanted their relationship to stay private, too. If he blushed so easily because of inexperience, Snicker must be just as bad off on the inside. The only difference was that he had practice in hiding it.

"Yes, Snicker?" He replied breathlessly.

"I really do appreciate you bringing me lunch," he said with a small smile. Then the smile turned into a grimace, making Tsuna's heart clench in automatic response. "But next time, I can just pick something up from one of the vending machines. Okay?"

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled with wide eyes. Turning away, he pointedly stared at the steering column of his bike while he let the words sink in. He knew Snicker wasn't saying it to be hurtful. Instead, he was saying it so that he could be open with how he felt since that was the only way for Tsuna to know. There was no other way to say it in a nicer way. He'd said it as gently as possible and as carefully as possible in order to lighten the blow that they both knew were in the words. "Okay," he agreed while trying to keep how it still hurt from being seen by Snicker. "I won't bother you at work anymore," he promised with his head bowing down despite himself.

"Thanks," Snicker said with a voice laced full of sincere gratitude and a touch of sadness. "I'll see you at home and we'll go for curry tonight along with all the guys." Tsuna nodded in agreement before silently turning his bike in the direction of the front gates. Snicker didn't say anything else as Tsuna left, knowing that Tsuna preferred silence to think things over in. Thinking was exactly what he did while he sped out of the parking lot and out of sight into an alley beyond the guard shack.

He knew that Snicker hadn't been trying to hurt him. He'd just tried to be honest with his feelings and his feelings were that he still wasn't comfortable with other people seeing the two of them together. Before they'd become intimate, he would have never had an issue with Tsuna showing up at his work. It was different now. There was a paranoia present in Snicker that made him automatically fear that people would assume the worst about the two of them. When there were others present other than Tsuna, he was able to discard that paranoia completely. Yet, when confronted with Tsuna alone, there was something in him that cringed in fear of what everyone else thought. He hadn't cared when there was no truth to the matter, but he couldn't help it now that there was.

It was his fault, Tsuna thought to himself miserably. If his feelings for Snicker weren't always so plain on his face, Snicker wouldn't have that fear. He'd realize that they could be together in front of others without people assuming that they were more than friends. They'd did it for so long without any problems, but there was a problem now because Tsuna couldn't control his emotions that he'd finally accepted as part of himself. While part of him wished that Snicker could be happy with screaming to the world that they were together like Gigi would have in his place, he understood that there was no changing Snicker. He didn't want to change Snicker. He'd fallen in love with Snicker even though Tsuna knew that he'd had such a flaw.

He had to try harder, he told himself. He had to learn to hide his blushes like Snicker did. That was what real partners did. They made up for each other's flaws. Since Snicker couldn't fix that flaw after having spent so many years with it, it was up to Tsuna to do what he could to make things better. He had to remember how he'd hidden his embarrassed blushes around Summer after Summer had introduced him to sex for the first time. He couldn't keep being the way he was because then he'd just be a burden to Snicker. He didn't want to be a burden.

However, thinking of that made his thoughts turn toward how much of a burden he already was. With the exceptions of Marty and Leo, he was the only one in the house without a job. Cassandra and Dedra had their jobs working for the house as a whole. Summer had gotten a waitressing job. Marty was at least looking for a job and Leo's school studies came before any thoughts of work. As it was, he was completely useless. He was taking up space and eating the food that everyone worked so hard to provide, but he wasn't doing anything to help contribute anymore. He'd thought that he'd be able to contribute by doing chores around the house like he'd done for Snicker in the apartment. Cassandra and Dedra took care of that, though.

Maybe that would make Snicker more comfortable, Tsuna mused. As it was, he was like a housewife who owned maids. Snicker didn't want a housewife. Tsuna didn't like the thought of being one, either. He was a man and maybe that was where Snicker's issues spawned. Even though there'd been nothing in his actions that were feminine, Snicker had been married once before. How Tsuna had been acting probably brought all of those memories up at a frightening regularity and made him think in Tsuna outside of fitting terms. Snicker wasn't one to like being doted on by a wife. He was the type that wanted a partner that could stand beside him.

He could fix that, Tsuna thought in satisfaction. That was something that he could definitely fix. If Snicker's issue really was what Tsuna thought, all Tsuna had to do was to get Snicker to see him outside of that role. That role didn't fit him anymore, anyway. He'd make Snicker see him like he had before. They had other people to do the cooking and the cleaning. They had other people that could watch the place to make sure no one robbed it. Tsuna didn't have to be there constantly when he wasn't at his kickboxing class. He could go get a job like everyone else. He could become a contributor to everyone's goals again, just like he'd been on the street for Snicker.

He'd been hiding under the pretense of recovering for far too long. For everyone's sake... For Snicker's sake, he had to become someone that was worthy of Snicker's feelings. He had to become someone that Snicker didn't feel ashamed or embarrassed to be seen with. He had to become a real man at heart instead of a mere boy. He had to reclaim all of that maturity that he'd gained on the street. He'd lost a lot of it when Gabriel had hurt him. It'd made him feel better to revert into a person that allowed himself to be protected. It'd made him feel safe and comforted. Snicker didn't need someone that had to be protected, though. Snicker needed someone that was strong enough to watch his back. As it was, Tsuna was barely strong enough to watch his own!

No more, he swore in a silent promise to himself. He'd become stronger. He'd become stronger so that Snicker had a real partner again instead of an amorous kid that needed to be watched over. That would make Snicker more comfortable. That would make Snicker happier. That was what Snicker had fallen in love with and not the weakling that he'd reverted into. It was his flaws that were making Snicker's flaws into something so harsh. He'd fix his own flaws so that Snicker's weren't so prevalent. It could be fixed. He could fix it. He WOULD fix it!

* * *

Tsuna tore through his room in a panic, sending his and Snicker's clothes everywhere. It had to be here. It wasn't in his pocket where he normally carried it. It wasn't in his jacket or in his backpack. He had to have left it in their room. He prayed that he'd left it in their room. He hadn't even realized it was missing until after he'd put in three applications and had finally headed over to stand in line at the electric company.

"What's wrong, Suoh?" Leo asked curiously from the ground floor. Tsuna popped his head out over the balcony to stare at her with his panic plain on his face.

"Have you seen my wallet?!" He exclaimed.

"No," she replied with a shake of her head, sending Tsuna instantly back to rummaging through their things.

"Help me look for it," he called loudly, getting both Cassandra and Dedra's attention, as well. "We've got to find it!"

"When did you last remember having it?" Dedra asked curiously.

"This morning," he answered while rifling through another set of empty pockets in their dirty clothes as if he'd simply mistaken the location of where he'd last put it. He knew where he'd put it, but he was hoping like hell that he was just not remembering correctly. "I put it in my back pocket like I always do when I leave! But it's gone!"

"Someone probably stole it," Cassandra commented with a shrug. Tsuna stiffened as if he'd been branded with a hot iron upon hearing the very thing that he feared.

"It's okay, Suoh," Leo added while still digging through the couch anyways in hopes that she was wrong. "You don't have any credit cards and you can get a new ID made. It's not that big of a deal."

"I.. uh..." Tsuna felt himself grow pale and breathless, knowing that it was a huge deal. "I had the money for our electric bill in there," he mumbled with wide eyes looking out at the three girls while overwhelming shock covering his face. He could feel himself break out into a cold sweat while they stared back at him. Considering how many people lived in the building now, the electric bill was enormous. He'd had enough cash in his wallet to completely cover Snicker's full paycheck for over a full week. It was a huge blow to him for having lost it. Right when he had decided to make himself more mature in Snicker's eyes, he'd went and allowed someone to snatch one of the most important things that he was responsible for. It was the _only _thing that he was currently responsible for, which made the failure all that much harder to cope with.

"That's bad," Leo muttered with her jaw dropping open. "How are we going to figure out who stole it?!"

"The more important question is how it was stolen," Dedra murmured in thought. "Weren't you on your bike, Suoh?"

"Not the whole time," he grimaced. "I stopped by a few stores to put in my application for a job, but none of them were hiring so I never had to pull it out at any of them. They were packed with people Christmas shopping, so any of the places could have had a thief working the crowds." Tsuna gave an even harsher grimace, getting an epiphany that told him exactly where he'd probably dropped it. "Change that. I don't think it got stolen. I probably dropped it when I crashed earlier. I was in too big of a hurry and I could have lost it when I ran into this skateboarder. We slid because of the ice and it could have slipped out without me noticing."

"That's easy then," Leo exclaimed with her face lighting up. "We just have to go back and-- Oh." Leo paused and her face fell to around the same level that everyone else's already were. There was no way that a dropped wallet would have stayed on the ground this long. With how much money was in it, it was probably long gone.

"I can still go look," Tsuna mumbled quietly as he got to his feet. "Even if the money is gone, maybe I'll get lucky and they ditched the rest of it into the dumpster."

"Suoh..." Cassandra muttered in open concern.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a faltering laugh while he threw his jacket on. Descending the stairs slowly, he felt like fainting over the thought of having lost such a large chunk of their funds. They had the savings to cover it, but that was several hundred dollars that they could have used for something else. Since Marty had joined them, they had another mouth to feed and there was no way that they could afford the Christmas decorations that everyone wanted now. As it was, covering this mistake was going to cost them half of what little savings that hadn't disappeared into the winds already.

He could sell some of the decorations in his room, he thought silently. He hated to do it, but curing homesickness was a lot less important than taking care of the home he did have. He could have Snicker get a refund on his bike, too. He would just have to suck it up and either walk through the crowded sidewalks or trust in the defensive measures that he carried with him. This was his mistake, so it was his responsibility to fix it. He wouldn't ask anyone else to give up their wants. They all wanted to decorate the place to make ready for Christmas and it was his job to provide that. They wanted a tree and all the trimmings so that they could feel the holiday spirit like those who lived the good life did. He couldn't blame them. They were living the good life in a way. He wasn't about to take that away just because he'd screwed up. He could always get a new bike and new decorations for his room after he'd gotten a job to help contribute. He was supposed to earn the things he got like everyone else, but he'd forgotten that somewhere along the lines.

He really was nothing more than a No-Good kid that'd been taken care of by everyone else. That thought made him even more depressed than he already was. He might not remember all those lost years, but he was twenty-three now. He'd just turned twenty-three a mere two months past. He wasn't a teenager that could expect that all of his needs were taken care of. He had to pull his own weight and he'd been failing miserably for a while now. This mistake just clinched the fact in his mind. Everyone had trusted him and he'd failed to come through for them. He wasn't pulling his own weight and he hadn't been pulling his own weight. Everyone had been carrying him and it had to stop. It was no wonder that Snicker was too embarrassed to let him come around his work. He'd be embarrassed, too, if a No-Good, useless, pathetic--

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped as he looked out the open front door at the man standing outside with his hand still raised to knock. His eyes widened in recognition of the blue hooded sweater that the man was wearing alongside the skateboard in his hands. "You!" He finally exclaimed.

"What about me?" He growled while he lowered his hand down to his side.

"I mean, you're the one I ran into when I lost my wallet!" Tsuna spluttered. "Have you seen it?! It's--"

"This?" He asked blandly with the small billfold appearing into his empty hand as if by magic. "I was bringing it back-- Hey!" He blurted when Tsuna's hand darted out to snatch it back possessively. Uncaring of how rude he was, Tsuna yanked it open and felt his knees weaken at the sight of the house's electric bill. It was all still there. Every last dollar that he'd feared to be gone forever was staring back at him without a greasy mark on them.

"Thank you!" Tsuna shouted in joy while he yanked the poor guy inside the door. Before the man could do more than give an unintelligible shout, Tsuna was already aggressively ushering him deeper inside in hopes to show his appreciation fully. "I can't tell you how much this means to me! I thought I was going to have to tell everyone that I dropped my wallet and lost--"

"You didn't drop it," the man interjected, making Tsuna freeze in the middle of pushing him down into a seat on the couch.

"Eh?"

"You didn't drop it," he repeated without twitching an eyelid while he stared up at Tsuna with an uncaring look on his face. "I stole it from you."

"That can't be right," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "You brought it back--"

"I said that I stole it," he repeated once more. "I didn't say that I wanted to keep it." Tsuna stared alongside Leo, Cassandra and Dedra while they all gaped at the man. He seemed oblivious to their shocked expressions as he looked around the oversized room with open appreciation in his eyes. Tsuna paled at the open curiosity, recognizing instantly that he was scoping out the place in hopes of robbing it. Even so, he couldn't help but want more of an explanation for the man's actions. Especially when he seemed so at ease with admitting his crime.

"I don't understand," Tsuna mumbled as he fell back into Snicker's recliner. "You returned my wallet with all the money still in it."

"Yep."

"But you're saying that you stole it."

"Yep."

"And you just stole our television remote," Tsuna added with wide eyes when he noticed the item peeking out of the pocket in the guy's sweater. The remote was easy to identify since Leo had painted the casing in neon colors to make it easier to find even with the lights down low.

"Crap," he paled, pulling the remote back out. Tsuna blinked while he put it back down on the arm of the couch with a slow and purposeful motion. No one had even seen him pick it up, let alone noticed him stuffing it into his pocket! "I better go," he mumbled with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Wait," Tsuna blurted. The man paused and Tsuna paused while wondering why he'd stopped him. It was probably a good thing that the guy was wanting to leave. He was a thief and there was nothing about his actions that spoke well about him. It was as if every moment that passed was filled with him looking for something new to snatch. Even so, Tsuna had a strange feeling that he was harmless.

"What?" He asked while hiding his face under the shadows of his hoodie.

"Why didn't you keep it?" Tsuna asked, sticking with that gut feeling that didn't want to be denied. "I mean, there was a lot of money in there and I probably would have never been able to pin the theft on you. So why did you bring it back?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he growled.

"Try me," he replied simply. The man paused, peeking out enough so that he could glance at Tsuna's face. Whatever he saw must have upset him because he instantly shook his head in denial and started heading for the door once more. Feeling a strange urge, Tsuna called after him with the words supplied by that inexplicable feeling once more. "You're not a bad person."

"Suoh," Dedra hissed as the man hesitated, "Just let it go."

"I can't," he said as the man faltered to a stop again. "He's really not a bad person. That's what my feelings say and I don't think it's wrong. If he was a bad person, he wouldn't have returned my wallet. He wouldn't have been honest about stealing it, either. I just don't understand why he stole it in the first place."

"I can't help it," the man answered quietly. "I get an itch in my fingers and then I got someone else's stuff in my pocket. I know that I'm doing it and I know that it's wrong, but I can't stop. I've tried to stop before and I felt like I was going to tear myself into pieces. It's like a drug that I never chose to get addicted to and there isn't any way to get off of it."

"So you keep stealing," Tsuna mumbled with his eyebrows knitting together in painful understanding. "You keep stealing, but you don't like to steal. Since you don't like to steal, you give it back after the fact."

"That's why I steal wallets when I get to choose," he said with a nod while he once more turned his head away to hide behind his hood. "If I steal a wallet, they got their ID and address inside. I can give it back and no one gets hurt. It's better than the alternative. I've already lost four jobs and got kicked out of my apartment for stealing. No one likes a thief living around them or working for them."

"But you're not a thief," he blurted, making the guy stiffen in surprise. "I mean," Tsuna mumbled with a blush. "A thief steals stuff to keep for themselves. You don't keep it. You just borrow it for a little bit without asking."

"Something like that," he agreed with a tone that told Tsuna that the guy was probably rolling his eyes over the technicality. "You got your answer, so I'm going to--"

"Do you want to live here?" Tsuna blurted.

"Suoh!" Leo gasped, making him turn red over the sudden offer. The guy turned in place to stare at him like Tsuna was insane and Tsuna couldn't fault him for the expression.

"You don't even know my name!" He spluttered.

"And we don't have any empty rooms!" Dedra added.

"But..." Tsuna felt his embarrassment growing by the second, but his gut had told him to make the offer. He wouldn't ignore that feeling nor would he take the offer back. "But he's not a bad guy," he said simply in order to answer the three girl's looks of shock first. "And there's still the room under the stage. I didn't think Marty would want it since Gigi's room is already set up with a bed and everything, but if he wants it then I don't see any reason not to let him use it."

"But Suoh," Cassandra objected with a worried look on her face. "What about the you-know-what down there?"

"Who better to protect us from a thief than someone who knows how to steal?" Tsuna asked logically. "And he said that he got kicked out of his apartment. It's the least we can do to thank him for bringing back my wallet. Assuming that everyone else is okay with it, of course."

"Suoh's never been wrong about a person yet," Leo commented with a firm note in her voice that made the skateboarder gape. It was a note that said she would trust him due to a simple vote of confidence from Tsuna.

"That's true," Dedra agreed with a shrug.

"I guess we can't argue with that," Cassandra sighed while rubbing her temples. "Alright. If he wants the stage-room, I won't argue. But you've got to be the one to explain it to the rest of the guys, Suoh."

"I will," Tsuna promised with a bright grin before turning back to their guest. "I guess I really should ask your name first. You probably already know mine from my ID."

"Ollie," he answered with a gaping jaw.

"Would you like to live here, Ollie?" Tsuna asked again. "If you live here, you'd be able to steal from one of us so that you don't have to steal from anyone else and possibly get in trouble. Everyone will understand and forgive you as long as you always give back whatever you take."

"You're nuts," Ollie replied with an unbelieving expression on his face. "I'm a thief!"

"That's what I told him," Leo chuckled, making Tsuna blush once more. "I'm a graffiti artist and he lets me hang around. He caught me tagging the place and made me part of the gang instead of turning me in. Collecting strays is Suoh's specialty."

"I don't collect strays!" He squealed in objection.

"Who are you kidding, Suoh?" Dedra asked with a knowing grin as she crossed over to him with Cassandra beside her. "All of us were strays of one kind or another."

"That's right," Cassandra agreed with a toothy smile of her own, obviously having decided to back Tsuna up completely. "You're the one that looked past our jobs or our hobbies and gave us all the benefit of the doubt. Not many would accept people like us without reservations. Especially not how you did by just jumping in headlong."

"Snicker might have noticed it first," Dedra continued, "But all of us have seen it, too. You're special when it comes to judging people, Suoh. If you say that Ollie is someone like us, then we can't really argue."

"And if you want Ollie to be our friend, then we'll be happy to welcome him," Cassandra finished. Tsuna blushed brightly once more as both girls leaned forward to mark his cheeks with a lipstick kiss. When they pulled back, Leo darted forward to give him a hug, as well, which left him gaping at the sudden affection. It gave him a nice feeling that they trusted his judgment so much, even after he'd almost screwed up so badly.

"So?" He asked, turning back to the skateboarder. "The pit under the stage doesn't have any windows, but it's bigger than it looks. The ceiling is low, but Ore is the only one that hits his head down there. We'd be happy to let you use it."

"For how much?" Ollie asked in sudden suspicion.

"No charge," Tsuna answered with a broad smile. "Everyone that lives here just helps out when they can. If you want, you can look at the room before you decide. The only entrance is from the trapdoor, but the room itself is one of the bigger ones in the place. Ore just finished installing the lighting down there, too."

"There has to be a catch," Ollie objected with his eyes glancing toward the stage area. "You don't know anything about me and you're offering me a place to stay for free. If you guys are a charity or something, then I don't need it. I can figure out something for myself."

"We're not a charity," he corrected sadly upon seeing the same pride that kept so many on the streets from accepting help. "We--"

"Then is the trapdoor going to lock when I go down there and you're going to run and call the cops?"

"No," Tsuna answered with a slightly hurt expression over the accusation. "I wouldn't do something like--"

"Then what's the catch?" Ollie asked bluntly while he seemed to get even more upset. "No one trusts a clepto. You don't know a damn thing about me and--"

"You're a good person," Tsuna interjected in sudden understanding. Ollie was used to being automatically mistrusted. Tsuna was positive that his life had been hellish because of his problem. He had a feeling that Ollie wasn't lying about not being able to stop himself, either. What made him different, though, was that he didn't try to gloss over the facts. That meant that he probably had a lot harder time than others with his same problem since he didn't seem like the type to lie to protect himself. "You might steal, but you're an honest person, Ollie. If you promise to always give us back what you steal from us, then we'll trust you and forgive you no matter how many times you feel like you have to snatch something. Isn't it better for you that way? If you steal from us, then you won't feel the need to steal from others."

"Why?" Ollie asked, bowing his head to hide his distressed expression beneath his hood. "Why would you offer yourself and your things up like that? For all you know, I could just be pretending to be honest to lure you all into dropping your guard so that I can rob the place."

"But you're not," he replied with a soft smile, feeling even more reassured about the idea of having Ollie move in with them with every moment that passed. "I can't explain it Ollie. After having talked with you for just a few minutes, I feel like I've known you my whole life. I know that it doesn't make sense, but you're meant to be here. At least, that's what I feel and I can't ignore that feeling. That feeling told me that Ore should live with us and that feeling told me that Leo wasn't as bad as Gigi thought at first. I have a lot of very important people around me now because I learned to listen to that feeling. I know that I could be wrong, but I want to trust in that feeling and that feeling is telling me to trust you in turn."

"You're nuts," Ollie repeated with his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Maybe I am," Tsuna agreed with an amused smile of his own. "But I've found a lot of happiness with that insanity, so I'm going to keep listening to it."

"Interesting," he said with a bark of laughter finally being released. There was a gleam in Ollie's eye and a grin on his face when he finally looked back up that told Tsuna everything that he needed to know.

"It looks like we have a new member to the gang, Captain," Leo commented with a wide grin.


	26. Chapter 26 Fever

"Try back after New Years."

"Sorry, our holiday staff is already filled."

"We're not hiring."

"We don't hire anyone without a decent work history."

"I'll put your application on the manager's desk."

"We'll give you a call when a position opens up."

"Come back in two weeks and we'll see if any positions are open."

"I'm sorry. We're already overstaffed for the holidays."

He'd heard nearly three dozen ways of saying it over the last few days, but it all came down to the same thing. He couldn't get a job. Everywhere was already staffed with high school students who were looking to make some extra money during their holiday break. Those that weren't were places that already had a set staff that they were happy with. The places he hated most, though, were those places that gave him hope while they were obviously not going to call him. The places where he saw his application get tossed into a stack with dozens of others. There were also the places where the manager was too busy to talk with him and he had to turn his application into a regular clerk or crew member. Even the unemployment office had been completely without any jobs to offer.

He'd even tried to go to a staffing place like Snicker had in order to get his factory job, but that had been hopeless as well. The place had been jam packed with people who all had three very important factors in their favor. They had high school diplomas. They had a work history. They had references. It was incredibly depressing that the only thing he could fill out on his applications was his name, address, and Gigi's cell phone number. All of his jobs before had handed him cash under the table instead of a paycheck. He couldn't list any of them because he'd never been on anyone's payroll before. His continued failures made him see why Snicker had finally given up on finding a job for so long. It had been a horrendously lucky break for him to get hired on at the factory at all.

And, sadly enough, he'd only gotten one call back out of all his searching and the interview wasn't looking good.

"You don't know?" The panel of interviewers asked with raised eyebrows all around.

"I'm sorry," he replied apologetically. "I just know the languages. I don't know how."

"Did you take foreign language classes in high school?" One of the four asked curiously. "Or maybe self-studied?"

"No," Tsuna answered while he absently bit his lip in worry. He knew that it'd go easier if he lied, but such lies would be found out eventually. He had to be honest and simply hope that they'd hire him anyway. "I just know them."

"You just know them," another repeated with a raised eyebrow. "And how many languages do you 'just know'?"

"I'm not sure," he replied with a grimace. "I can talk to anyone down in Chinatown without any problems, so I know Japanese, Chinese, Loa, Vietnamese, and Korean. I also know that I know French, Spanish, Italian and German. Other than that, I'm honestly not sure. I don't know that I know a new one until I meet someone who speaks it."

"Mr. Timberson," the head interviewer sighed with a long-suffering note in his voice. "You can't expect us to believe that. Even if such a thing was true, you can't expect us to hire you when you can't provide any credentials to back up your proficiencies. For all we know, you're lying through your teeth about knowing any language but English. We can't risk our clients to a person who can't give us any way to authenticate whether he's translating correctly or not. I'm sorry. But even if you are as skilled as you say you are, we can't hire you. I suggest taking some language courses at the local college. If you can bring us back some fourth-year proficiency exams where we can validate your claims, we would be able to consider you for one of our openings."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled with his face falling completely.

"Please send in the next applicant on your way out," he finished in dismissal. Tsuna nodded in acceptance and headed for the door. He couldn't blame them. He really couldn't. If someone had walked up to him and said that they were fluent in over ten languages, he'd ask for proof, too. Tsuna didn't have any proof, however. All he had was his ability and that ability was completely useless without a piece of paper saying that he had the ability.

Quietly, he told the next person standing in line outside the door to go in while he headed for the exit in complete despair. This had been his best hope. He'd been excited and hopeful when he'd seen the ad in the paper that said there were several positions open for translators. Everyone else had been hopeful, too. After all, no one could speak more languages than he. They'd all went out and bought him a suit and tie to go to the interview in so that he could have that measure of respectability that his normal clothes didn't have. It was all wasted, though. Even if he looked respectable, he had no references or credentials to back it up. He should have known that a place like this would need proof. This place catered to rich foreigners and wealthy overseas businessmen. It was too classy of a job for a bum like him to have been able to land.

He loosened his tie as soon as he walked out the door into the street in order to breathe again. He hated the thing, but he'd worn it in hopes that it would be a point in his favor. It reminded him too much of Reborn and the Mafia and all the things he hated because they were all things that had taken away his nice, simple life back in Japan. Almost as irritating was how stuffy it felt. Even with snow on the ground, he felt overheated in the damn thing.

He could feel a pressure building in his head while he ducked into an alley to head home. He'd had a migraine for nearly three days now and aspirin didn't seem to help it any. Since it was probably from stress, he tried to ignore it while he headed home. Most of the trip was filled with a feverish feeling of desperation. He knew that he was getting desperate. Not just for Snicker's sake, but for his own. He didn't want to be No-Good anymore. He'd sworn to himself that he'd get stronger and that he'd start contributing alongside everyone else in the gang. He couldn't just sit back and enjoy himself while everyone was working so hard to make all of their lives better together. It was getting to the point that he was willing to die if it would just get him a damn job!

"Don't take what other people got."

That's what Snicker had taught him, but he was taking left and right without batting an eyelash. He'd earned the roof over all his head since he'd bought it, but he didn't deserve any of the other luxuries that his friends provided for him. Bountiful meals, hot baths, cable television, Gigi's internet, working lights and warm beds. Out of all of it, the only thing that he'd done had been to pay for the roof over all of their heads. While it had been a big contribution, it didn't give him a right to laze around forever. Even though everyone said that they didn't care if he had a job, Tsuna cared. He cared because he didn't want to be No-Good. He wanted to be useful and to be helpful again. Even though miming on the streets had only given them a little extra to supplement Snicker's check, he'd still been doing what he could to help out and he'd felt useful back then.

Maybe he should just sell himself again, he thought tearfully. That seemed to be the only thing that he was good for. No one thought badly of Gigi for selling himself. Snicker would understand, too, when Tsuna pointed out that their savings was shrinking into nothingness instead of increasing in size. That was his fault, too. He kept taking people in to live with them even though they didn't contribute. He knew that they all wanted to contribute, but there were currently more people to feed then there were people working.

Leo had started eating with them more often than not and Tsuna hadn't had it in his heart to tell her no. She'd seemed so sullen that first time that she'd dropped by during the Christmas school break. She normally ate breakfast and lunch at school, but she ate with the gang now that school was out. She typically stayed for dinner after making a comments that it would probably be better if she didn't go home until her parents were asleep.

Cassandra and Dedra were incredibly helpful around the house, but neither of them were bringing in money anymore. The money that they'd given upon moving in had already been used in keeping everyone fed. They were both going to college full-time, which was where the rest of their savings had went when they'd left Mike's. Tuition wasn't cheap and they both had dreams that they'd worked years to save up to get the chance at grabbing them.

Marty was helpful, too. Because of her, Ore had been able to give more to the house funds instead of using it for maintenance on his motorcycle. Marty took care of all of that while she looked for the one job that she could have peace doing. Unfortunately, she'd yet to find a garage that would take her. She'd went out looking again today, but it was probably hopeless until after the holidays. There were a lot of things in garages that could be done by monkeys, such as changing tires, so they were all currently filled by high-school grease-monkeys. She was having the same problem as Tsuna where that was concerned. No one wanted to hire for full-time positions until after the holidays were over and their high-school employees returned to school.

There was also Ollie to think about now. Ollie had been trying to look for a job, but few places would trust a guy with his references. At least he had references, though, so he had a better shot of finding something than Tsuna. After all, not everywhere actually called around to find out why they'd been forced out of his last job. If Ollie just put down that he lost his job because of cut-backs, there was a high chance that no one would question it. Assuming, of course, that he was willing to only tell half the truth instead of all of it.

Surprisingly, Poe was one of the few contributors in the house. He wouldn't say where he worked or what he did, but he gave Tsuna money once every week. It was never much and the amount was always different, but it was always just enough that Tsuna could feel relieved instead of continuing to panic of their dwindling stash of cash. He claimed that he did it because he didn't like being in other people's debt, but Tsuna sometimes wondered about Poe's real reasons. He really had kept to himself and didn't even come down to join everyone at meals. He was always somewhere nearby, though, and he always accepted the plates of food Tsuna took up to him. The loft was pretty much out-of-bounds now since Poe had curtained it off, but he was always there with a smile and a sinister joke from the moment that Tsuna stepped onto the catwalk in front of it.

Eric was doing well where jobs were concerned. He was becoming more popular by the day, which sometimes went to his head until everyone brought him back down to earth. It was the first time in his life that he'd truly found himself in a position of being noticed. He was getting more and more photo shoots where he wasn't a person in the background and the few commercials that he did were making his face seem like it was everywhere. The pay was decent, too, which was why they were actually making ends meet. Eric always gave every penny that he earned to Tsuna with claims that he was perfectly satisfied spending just the allowance that Tsuna doled out after bills were paid.

Ore's job paid well, too. They were still on vacation until after the holidays unlike how Snicker had to return for a few weeks after Thanksgiving. He was still getting paid, though. He got a check even though the company was temporarily closed since he'd put in for unemployment like everyone else for the missing weeks of work. As soon as the holidays were over, he'd be back to building again like nothing had happened. Unfortunately, his checks for the missing time was only a fraction of what he normally got.

Gigi was bringing in money when he could. It all depended on how well he was able to pimp for the Excaliber impersonator at Kink's. Most of the time, he was able to bring home a couple hundred dollars at the end of the weekend at the minimum, but that was such a small amount with how many people were in the house. He was doing the best he could, but he could only do so much. His other 'clients' were currently trying to be virtuous for the holidays and word had spread that the cops were looking to start busting down on prostitution in their district. That meant until the coast was clear, Gigi was forced to simply pimp to make cash rather than chance another arrest.

Summer's part-time waitressing job was bringing in a little cash, but it honestly wasn't enough to pay for more than a single meal. She was trying, though. She was trying to work at a decent job while also studying for her own dreams.

Then there was Snicker. The old fool was currently pulling in more money than anyone and he was working three times as hard as everyone, too. It made Tsuna worry since Snicker wasn't as young as he tried to pretend. Tsuna saw when Snicker put down his guard at night. His muscles were aching from the pace that he had to work to keep his job. His feet were sore and blistered from standing in place so long. His arthritis was beginning to show again, too. He couldn't even sit properly at the kotatsu anymore. It had been enough that Tsuna had finally raised the kotatsu up so that Snicker could sit at it with a chair. As it was, the only thing Tsuna had been able to do for him was give him massages and to always ensure that he got the first of the hot water in the bath.

Thinking of that only made Tsuna feel more desperate and more depressed at the same time. Snicker was still young in comparison to most, yet he was old before his time due to how he lived and worked. He'd lived on the cold streets for ten years and there was nothing that Tsuna could do in order to relieve the damage that it'd caused. His work was important for everyone, as well, and Tsuna knew that they'd be in major trouble if he quit. Snicker didn't have another job to fall back on, after all. With the current conditions of things, he was too tired to look for an easier job, too.

That meant that Tsuna had to pick up the slack. More than anything, he wanted Snicker to see him as a mature person that he could be proud of loving. What was becoming even more important was that Tsuna was able to work enough that Snicker wouldn't have to continue in such hellish conditions. Snicker couldn't retire until he was sixty-seven, but Tsuna didn't want him to have to wait that long. That was the age set for people who'd had comfy homes to return to every night and that was what age people who got regular healthcare was capable of working until. Snicker hadn't had any of that for a very long time and it was making itself shown. If he was going to retire any sooner, Tsuna had to work hard and save every penny that he could.

But he couldn't do that if he couldn't find a job!

No one asked how his interview had went when he walked into the Dojo with his head bowed. It was plain from his mood that it'd went very badly. He could feel their sympathetic stares on the back of his neck while he slowly trudged up the stairs to his room in order to change out of the suit that everyone had gotten him. He didn't even bother actually putting on clean clothes. Instead, he crawled into his bed in only his boxers and hid under the covers in hopes that everything would just solve itself. There was nothing more that he could do today, anyways. He'd had to wait in line for three hours before his turn to be interviewed had come up. Before that, he'd spent the day going around to all the shops and restaurants that he'd already applied to in hopes that they'd changed their mind about hiring him in the past few days. Of course, none of them had. Now it was too late in the day to do anything more since he knew Snicker wanted him to be there when he got home from work.

So, doing the only thing that he could do, he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

* * *

_He was dreaming. Somehow, he knew that it was a dream although knowing didn't seem to wake him from it. Even more interesting was that he was dreaming of hell, but he didn't have any of the fear that he'd had when visiting the place for real._

_"Mukuro?" Tsuna mumbled in recognition of the person sitting before him. It wasn't hard to tell, even with Mukuro's back turned to him. Mukuro looked over his shoulder and Tsuna automatically cringed backward at the sight of the easy-going smile on his face._

_"I see you've come to visit me again," Mukuro replied without a hint of malice in his voice. Tsuna didn't reply as he looked Mukuro over a second time, taking in all the things that he'd been too frantic to notice in hell. He'd changed from what Tsuna remembered. His hair had grown out immensely and his shoulders seemed sagged beneath an invisible weight. Even while Tsuna watched, he didn't show any intent to move from where he was at. Rather, he simply turned back to the lake spread out before him and continued fishing with the small pole in his hands. There was no malice. No intent to harm or to manipulate. For some reason, Tsuna could tell that Mukuro was incredibly saddened by something. He didn't know why, but that made him sad in turn. It strange to feel sad that Mukuro was sad. Mukuro was his enemy. Mukuro was the demon that'd been sent to torture him in hell. Wasn't he?_

_Tsuna watched quietly, while feeling strangely ignored. He wasn't sure why, but being ignored made him completely drop his guard even though he knew he shouldn't._

_"What are you doing?" He asked curiously in hopes of figuring out the purpose of the dream he was stuck in._

_"Fishing," Mukuro answered with his lips curling up with a small smile. "Twice now, the dwellers of this lake has robbed me of something precious. I would have it returned this time where I was unable to retrieve it the first."_

_"Can I help?" Tsuna asked._

_"I'm afraid not, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro replied with another glance back at where Tsuna was standing. "Although your presence worries me. I saw nothing happen to you that would have brought you here. Tell me, what has happened that my eye did not see?"_

_"What do you mean?" He asked while inching closer in an attempt to see what was in the buckets at Mukuro's sides. _

_"I've been watching, Tsunayoshi," he mumbled with another of his amused grins. "I let my eye wander before and you were allowed to be hurt, but I would not have that happen again. You have been out trying to find a job like a common drone. I saw nothing that would have brought you to this place. Furthermore, you are not here in whole."_

_"Isn't that because I'm dreaming?" Tsuna asked, looking down to see that he could see through his own hands. _

_"Kufufufufu! A dream?" Mukuro replied with a laugh. "What a jest you speak! Alas, I find myself believing it even though it is unprecedented. Only _you _could come to me _here _in a mere dream. There must be more, however. The shadow of yourself that you are should not have the power to pierce the veils between the Paths. Tell me, Tsunayoshi. What abnormalities have occurred?"_

_"There's nothing abnormal," Tsuna replied with a confused shake of his head. "I mean, it's kind of weird that I'm dreaming of you and that I know that it's a dream, but dreams are weird like that. Aren't they?"_

_"I see," he sighed, turning back to his fishing once more. "You do not know. I will have to investigate this when I have time. It will have to wait for now, however. The lake-dwellers are currently hungry and it is the best time for me to achieve my goals."_

_"The lake-dwellers...?" He repeated with the question plain in his voice._

_"They still hold pieces of that which I lost," Mukuro explained quietly. "To retrieve those pieces, I have come to an agreement with them. I must offer them something of greater value. I mourn the fact that there is only one thing that they wish to feed on and I possess only one set that they find of greater value than those that they stole. I hate to pay it, but it is the price they demand."_

_"I don't understand," Tsuna mumbled honestly. Mukuro smiled once more over his shoulder and gave a small shake of his head to say that Tsuna wasn't meant to._

_It was strange. It was completely and utterly strange to talk to Mukuro. Even as he watched Mukuro reel in his line, Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling that something important was going on and that their conversation had so much more importance than he could comprehend. He hated that feeling. It was a feeling that made him want to tell Mukuro to stop what he was doing just so that someone could explain it to him. Unfortunately, Mukuro was ignoring him again. His attention was instead on the small fish that he'd reeled in._

_The fish itself was small and ugly. Its dull colors and small size made Tsuna wonder if Mukuro was going to throw it back. It was the size of a minnow, although only half as appetizing. Considering that Mukuro had said he was fishing for something precious, the creature couldn't be what he sought. Mukuro surprised him, though, by unhooking the miniscule fish and tossing it into the bucket on his left. When Tsuna inched closer, he saw that there were dozens of the small creatures swimming around in the waters within._

_Then Mukuro surprised him even more when Tsuna saw the bait that he was working with in the bucket to his right. They were beautiful. They were fat and glossy with fins blossoming outward in a rainbow of silken colors. Even the most beautiful Koi in the world couldn't compare. Yet, from the looks of it, Mukuro was planning on using it as the bait! Even as Tsuna continued watching, Mukuro scooped one out of the bucket with his hand. He held it for a moment, gazing almost lovingly at the patterns of bright colors whirling around on its scales. It was almost as if the fish was something else entirely. Something that Mukuro found to be incredibly precious._

_"These are not fish, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro sighed sadly before hooking the fish onto the end of his pole. Within a few seconds, it disappeared below the surface of the lake once more while Tsuna tried to comprehend what he was seeing._

_"What are they?" He finally asked._

_"That would be telling," Mukuro replied with a small chuckle. "Just know that what you see is merely a representation that your fragile mind can handle. If you were to see the true nature of my bait and my prize, I fear that you might go into shock. At times, I wonder at myself for doing such a thing and find myself unable to comprehend the actions that I have chosen to take. But it is too late to turn back. I have made my peace with my past and I will look to collecting my prizes so that I may turn them in for an even greater prize in the future."_

_"I don't get it," Tsuna said with a small shake of his head. "You always talk in riddles. Why are you using the good fish for bait? Why not use the ugly ones that aren't any good?"_

_"They aren't any good?" Mukuro repeated with another laugh. "Now who is it that does not see the true value? My prizes might seem unwanted and pitiful now, but they will become something desirable when I have the whole set of them."_

_"If you say so," Tsuna mumbled in open doubt._

_"I will not tell you what they might be," Mukuro commented with a small smile while he continued to watch his line for signs of activity. "I fear that you might react badly in the state you are in. However, I will warn you of something, Tsunayoshi. The Mist is he who makes something from nothing. Yet, the mist can also make nothing from something. The choice is yours and you will one day have to decide. I have the power to give you either one you wish, but you must determine with which path to walk. Until then, I shall continue to deceive all in order to protect you as you are in your pitiful state. After all, the little firefly is less of a puppet than you would have been, had you stayed put while in such a broken tangle of strings and parts."_

_"Can't you talk straight for once?!" Tsuna blurted in irritation, feeling as if he was once more missing something incredibly important. "I can't understand you at all!"_

_"Kufufufu," he chuckled. "You will understand in time, Tsunayoshi. Don't worry of such things for the time being. For now, I believe it is time for you to awaken from your dream. "_

_"What--?"_

* * *

"Snicker?" Tsuna asked curiously when he opened his eyes to see the man hovering worriedly over him. With a yawn, he started to sit up but found himself pushed back down into the bed before he could move more than a few inches. Tsuna blinked in the surprise at the action before asking the obvious question. "What's wrong?"

"You're sick, Suoh," he answered while reaching over to grab a fresh ice pack from the side table.

"I'm fine," he objected while batting the item away. He tried once more to sit up and once more he found himself pushed gently back down. This time, he resisted in determination to find out what was going on. He'd just fallen asleep while waiting for Snicker to get home from work. It was understandable when he considered how emotionally weary he'd felt when he'd laid down. His dream had been slightly disturbing, as well, but that wasn't enough to say that he was sick. He felt perfectly fine. He was still a little overheated from wearing that suit, but that was just because his suit had been stuffy.

Shaking off his disorientation, he jumped out of bed like he normally did if he was lazing around when Snicker got home. He rummaged through their drawers for a minute in order to pull out a tank top and a pair of loose pants that would let him stay cool until he wasn't feeling the effects of his suit anymore. Once dressed, he turned back to Snicker with a smile and tossed his head toward the stairs.

"Come on," he urged without showing Snicker any signs of the depression still weighing heavily on him. "Ore picked ham tonight. If we don't hurry, Ollie will steal all the pineapple slices off of it."

"Wait," Snicker said quietly while he attempted to jump up to his feet. Tsuna just smiled and headed the stairs first with full plans to tease Snicker about being slow in order to get his mind off of things. He could hear Snicker calling out behind him with a note of panic in his voice, probably since Tsuna had gotten a head start.

"What's wrong, Snicker?" He teased with a chuckle. "You're not--"

Tsuna froze.

His smile faltered.

He could feel his chest skip three beats while his heart lurched into his throat.

Every eye turned to him while his eyes dilated in shock. He barely noticed how much had changed in the room since he'd laid down for his nap. There was only one thing on his mind and it sent him running for the door at top speed after a mere two seconds.

"If you run, I'll kill everyone here."

Tsuna faltered to a stop while his heart raced in blind panic. He felt frozen in place. He was too scared to turn around and face the enemy. He was too scared for his friends to keep running.

"Predictable as always," Chikusa commented blandly while barring his yo-yo in a threatening manner. "I'm surprised that you were able to fool everyone but Mukuro-sama."

"Why did you come here?" Tsuna asked with a quiver, finally turning in place to see all of their friends hesitating on their feet around Chikusa. Every single of them had been surprised at his entrance and every single one was confused about the current situation. Everyone with the exception of Snicker. Snicker was shaking so hard in worry that Tsuna grimaced just to look at him.

"Mukuro-sama sent us," the small girl at his side interjected quietly. Tsuna raised his eyebrow at her, having not thought that Chikusa had ever been a ladies' man. Then again, he'd turned into a monster in seven years. Things could have changed for Chikusa, as well. Although, it was almost more strange not to see Ken at his side.

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly, getting an automatic flinch in reply.

"Do you not remember me, Boss?" She asked. Tsuna's throat went dry and he could feel sweat breaking out onto his head. Boss. That word that he hated so damn much. She was Mafia. He'd already known that Chikusa was in the Mafia, but apparently this girl was one, too. Even worse, since she'd called him Boss, that could only mean one thing.

"You're a Vongola," he identified in growing fear, finding his feet inching back toward the door once more. He managed three small steps before he found his feet glued to the floor. They were literally glued, which made him fall back on his rear while his friends finally lurched forward to aid him. They, too, found themselves pinned in place although it was more than merely their feet. They let out muffled screams and yelps of surprise as they were each instantly wrapped in a cocoon. The only exception was Snicker, who was still frozen in place in fear for Tsuna.

"Don't be afraid, Boss," the girl soothed. "Mukuro-sama told us not to tell anyone else that you were still alive. It's our job to keep you hidden until you recover your missing memories. You're safer if everyone thinks that you're dead."

"I don't want them!" Tsuna shouted with another tremble, feeling as if his whole body was going to break into pieces from the simple comment. Then his eyes widened as the room began to fill with a deep fog. The only thought in his head was that he had to be still dreaming. It was a nightmare. A complete and total nightmare! One that only got worse as a familiar chuckle began rumbling while the fog began to clear again.

"R-Rokudou Mukuro!" Tsuna squeaked when he could almost feel the man's presence before he saw him.

"I have come to pay a return visit from the other side of the cycle, my dear Sawada Tsunayoshi," he replied with another burst of laughter once the fog cleared completely in order to reveal him in full. Tsuna barely noticed that the girl had gone missing. All of his attention was on Mukuro and the trident in his hands. Then his attention went to Snicker when Mukuro's attention glanced away from Tsuna and toward Tsuna's beloved fool of a partner.

"Run, Snicker!" Tsuna shouted in panic, clawing forward on the ground in hopes that the glue would break away. Then Tsuna froze once more with his heart and mind coming to an utter stop due to the sight of Mukuro walking in Snicker's direction. Snicker didn't move, obviously torn between charging the enemy and going to Tsuna's aid. Neither choice was what Tsuna wanted, however. "Stop, Mukuro! Don't hurt him!"

"I have no plans to just yet," Mukuro replied absently. "For now, he serves a purpose that I cannot fully dedicate myself to. I will deal with him in the future, when you remember who truly holds the pieces of your heart, Tsunayoshi. However," he added with another amused grin while he laid the tip of his trident against Snicker's cheek, "I might find some entertainment in--"

"St--"

Tsuna couldn't even finish getting the word out. At the same moment his desperation hit a whole new level of force, his body began screaming in protest. He felt so hot and his gut was twisting painfully. Snicker had been right. He was sick. He was badly, horribly sick. Why hadn't he noticed before? Everything inside him was on fire and his skin felt tight like it was on the edge of exploding. There felt like there were a thousand shards of glass in his head that were stabbing him repeatedly like daggers.

"I thought so," Mukuro sighed, making Tsuna look up with a grimace while his nose started slowly bleeding. Mukuro's trident had been pulled back and there wasn't a single mark on Snicker's face. He blinked slowly while he looked around, seeing his friends all unbound and looking at him with expressions of concern. Snicker crossed over to him immediately with his fear completely gone and his worry plain on his own face. Putting it all together, he could come up with only one conclusion.

"You all know," he mumbled with another grimace, clenching his eyes shut as sweat began to bead out of his head even faster than before. "Why?"

"You're desperate, my dearest Tsunayoshi," Mukuro murmured. "You've been letting that desperation build without any release. For most people, it would be a simple matter of worrying themselves sick. For you, it means that your Dying Will Flame has been building inside you for too long. I fear that you must release it or else your body will be explode from the pent up pressure. You can not see it to tame it anymore, but it is still inside you. That will never change until the day you die."

"I'll explode then," Tsuna growled, doubling over to clutch his twisting sides while another rivulet of blood began dripping out of his other nostril. "If that's all you're here for, then go away, Mukuro."

"I see," Mukuro sighed sadly. "You plan to be difficult. In that case, you have two options."

"Put this on and fight," Chikusa ordered at Mukuro's silent cue, tossing down a painfully recognizable glove that he must have retrieve from Tsuna's drawer. "Or we really will kill everyone here."

"Suoh, they don't mean that," Snicker hissed into his ear as Tsuna froze once more in body, mind, and spirit. "Get ready. I'll distract them and then you can run for it. You probably just got a touch of some nasty virus. We'll go and find you a real doctor just as soon as--"

"No," Tsuna objected quietly, closing his eyes as he made his choice. It was an obvious choice, after all. If Snicker chose to fight in his stead so that he could escape, Snicker would probably be killed. Tsuna couldn't let that happen. Not when there was another option. Reaching out, he grabbed the glove with a shaking hand and ignored the objections that Snicker began spouting. They were all objections that Tsuna might have once allowed himself to believe, but not anymore. He'd fought Mukuro and his lot once in the past. He knew that Mukuro wasn't joking about killing them all. That meant there was only one choice. He felt his feet come unglued at the same moment his hand slipped into his glove.

"Can we go onto the roof for this?" Tsuna asked softly with a glance toward where his friends were simply gaping at him. "I don't want them to..." Tsuna breathe caught in his throat as the bullet penetrated his head. He had only a moment to realize that it was a Rebuke Bullet before the screams started. Not just the screams of his friends as he fell backward, but the screams that filled his head. There were too many. Far, far too many. All he could comprehend was pain, jumbled pleas that overlapped until he thought his head was going to explode, and a piercing scream that filled his ears.

_WhywhyWhywhywhywhyWhywhy_

_Why didn't you save us?_

It was strong. It was too strong for even him to ignore. He could only lay there while the screams continued and Snicker began shaking him while also shouting something. The inconceivable tumult of unintelligible rebukes continued to build in his mind until he felt like screaming himself. Then, with an almost audible snap, something inside him broke free. He could feel his flame coursing through him with such force that it became instantly painful. Then his potential to withstand pain was unlocked and the effects that he remembered started to come out in full force.

He tried to fight it out of the desire not to let his friends see him like the monster that the Dying Will Flame turned him into, but he couldn't force it down. It wouldn't be denied. The wellspring of energy for his body. The calm haze over his mind. The feeling of ultimate knowledge that was right outside his grasp. It completely overwhelmed him for a moment before taming itself willingly to into his control. It was as if it were begging to be used. Like an old friend, it embraced him in such a way that he could feel the intent to never let go.

* * *

Snicker began weeping the moment that he saw those bastards shoot Suoh in the head. Suoh had told him that the Mafia was cruel. When he'd come home a week ago and Suoh hadn't been responding to anything, the strange couple had swooped in after only a few days. Before Snicker had even known who they were, they'd managed to calm everyone and weasel their way into being trusted. He blamed himself. None of them knew about Suoh's past. It had been his job to protect Suoh and watch Suoh's back.

Then the couple had started spilling the beans. Everything that Suoh had already told him, these people told him, too. The only difference was that there was more to the story than Suoh had told him. There'd been some baloney about a magic flame and some more stuff about Suoh's going out of control. No one had wanted to argue with the explanation since it _was _an explanation. Suoh's temperature had risen until their thermometers had kept breaking. The doctor that Autumn had brought by couldn't explain it, yet these people had explained it. Even more, they'd told everyone the very thing that they wanted to hear. They'd told everyone that Suoh would be perfectly fine.

Then they'd started spilling all of the beans. Everyone knew what Suoh had already told him. Snicker had been completely unable to deny it when they'd looked to him for confirmation. Suoh was really Sawada Tsunayoshi from Japan. Gigi had fainted on the spot, but everyone else had needed more explanation. They'd given it, too. No one had believed it at first. No one had believed that Suoh was in the Mafia or that he was really a billionaire who'd faked his own death. Snicker believed it, though. He had to. It explained so many of Suoh's strange quirks. Even more, Suoh had told him the story himself. More than not believing Suoh's story, he firmly believed that Suoh wouldn't lie to him.

He'd fallen into everyone else's pace. The yo-yo fellow had warned everyone that some strange things would happen when Suoh woke up, but this was too much. He'd not been able to understand when everyone had gotten wrapped up all sudden-like. But he understood now. They'd just been planning on killing him. Why hadn't any of them seen that? They'd trusted complete strangers and this was what happened because of it. Suoh. His precious, irreplaceable Suoh was dead.

"I won't forgive them."

"S-Suoh...?" Snicker asked in a daze. His tears fell to a stop as his mind slowly caught up to the fact that Suoh was suddenly across the room on the stage instead of in his arms. The sight of him made Snicker's insides lurched roughly and the surprised looks on everyone else's face said that they were no better off. Suoh looked different. There was no explaining it. There was a glazed look to his eyes, yet they were almost burning in brightness despite that. His body seemed suddenly so much bigger for some unfathomable reason. It didn't look like it'd grown any, but it was just so much more imposing than the cute little street rat that he normally was. The earnest demeanor was completely gone, overwhelmed almost completely by the malice and determination that practically radiated out of him. Although, the most frightening part of it all was the fire. There was a fire burning on Suoh's head that seemed to refuse using his hair or skin as tinder.

"I won't forgive them for making you cry," he repeated calmly. "You will regret coming here, Mukuro."

"Get ready, my loyal Chikusa," Mukuro hissed.

"I feel it, Mukuro-sama," he replied in that same monotone voice. "He's prepared to kill."

"Kufufufu," he chuckled once more in amusement. "It seems that we've angered our little hornet by threatening his nest. He never was one to fight for his own sake." Snicker's eyes widened as a pack of wolves appeared around the man. It was insane. One moment there was nothing there and the next moment there was. Snicker rubbed his eyes several times to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. He wasn't. The amusement left the Mukuro guy's face a moment before everything began happening too fast for Snicker to comprehend. Mukuro let out one simple command and everything began moving too fast to hardly even see. "Go."

Suoh, Mukuro, and Chikusa seemed to flicker in and out of view. The dogs disappeared within a mere minute after being defeated by an invisible strike. As it was, the only thing Snicker could follow was the flashes of light that appeared whenever Suoh clashed with one of the two. It went on while Snicker could only gape and try to comprehend the incomprehensible until something finally broke the stalemate. It was the last thing anyone expected. Even Mukuro and Chikusa faltered to a stop. Chikusa had blood running down from over his eye and Mukuro's shirt was torn to shreds. Yet, that was nothing in comparison to the wound that Suoh was receiving.

* * *

Tsuna felt completely paralyzed from the moment that the teeth sank into the nape of his neck. He couldn't move. Not even his Flames allowed him to ignore the poison that began seeping through his body. He couldn't even turn his head. He'd noticed from the moment that the creature had appeared, but he hadn't expected to be the target. He'd expected help, not another enemy. He'd let his guard down and this was the price.

He could feel himself weakening. The wellspring of energy within him seemed to become diverted into the direction of his wound like a hot geyser seeking the surface. It ran out of him at a rate that he couldn't control. It wasn't answering him anymore. It was answering the call of the contact points lodged in his neck. Within a few moments, he no longer had the power to even keep himself afloat. His body sagged into the embrace of the creature upon landing, leaving him with no way to protect himself in his paralysis.

It was flowing out of him at an incredible rate. He could feel blood trickling down from the wound while his very life force was sucked out of him. He began to grow dizzy and a euphoric contentment began to wash over him. All the tenseness and anger began to seep out alongside his energy. His Dying Will Flame flickered out despite his efforts to keep his mind on his task. It was as if his fight with Mukuro was nothing more than a faraway dream. He felt so sleepy. His spirit rather than his body craved rest. He started to shut his eyes at the same time that the teeth pulled away and a tongue greedily swabbed over his wound. Only one thing kept him from giving into the urge to give in to the need to sleep.

"You're such a delicious little Salamander," Poe whispered in his ear while licking his lips in pleasure. "I was waiting for your power to ripen. I can't wait to taste it again, so don't go killing yourself before then. If you do, I'll be very displeased."

"What did you do to him?!" Snicker yelled in panic. Tsuna felt himself ripped out of Poe's arms and was completely unable to resist. His whole body was tingling with a strange sense of satisfaction. It was almost as if his Flame was letting out a soft sigh due to a contentment of its own over not being so painfully condensed anymore.

"Don't worry," Poe chuckled. "He's still got all of his blood. It's only the vampire bats that suck that part out in today's world. Techniques have been perfected in the last few centuries. We only take the part we need and that's the power itself. His energy will return, the wound will close, and I've already been treated so that my meals won't be turned. Now, does someone want to tell me why a Gatekeeper and a pathetic human were attacking my delicacy?"

"You're quite atrocious for a hell spawn," Mukuro growled from where he stood in a defensive position a mere three feet away. "That is the descendant of Giotto that you've devoured."

"Which is why his power is a delicacy," Poe replied with a lip twitching in amusement. "I could smell it in his blood from a mile away. You still haven't answered my question. Why were you attacking my meal?"

"His pent up Flame was destroying him," Mukuro answered with a frown. "We were making him expend it."

"Bah," Poe grimaced, scratching his head while Tsuna started getting feeling back in his fingers. "That's what I get for answering Jin's inquiry. My meal ripened and I wasn't here for it. At least I got back in enough time to taste it. If that's all that you're here for, you can leave, Gatekeeper."

"I am no Gatekeeper," he replied quietly with a dark gleam in his eyes and another frown. "I am bound to the cycle now."

"Technicalities," Poe scoffed. "Just leave this place before I destroy your host. I don't take kindly to other people interfering with what's mine."

"Will you bite me to death?" Mukuro asked with his smile lighting back up.

"No," he replied in a growl. "I'll bite you into oblivion. Don't underestimate how much my stomach can hold. There won't be anything left of you to walk the Paths if you continue this game."

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled with a glance down at where Tsuna was beginning to feel his arm again. "You've collected quite a Family this time, my beloved Tsunayoshi. Take care not to be destroyed by it."

"Muk--" Tsuna managed to croak.

"Sleep, Tsunayoshi," he ordered gently. Tsuna found himself obeying the command and was asleep within seconds.


	27. Chapter 27 Protector

Tsuna didn't say a word. He didn't move. He barely breathed. All he did was to sit in the bed that he'd been tucked into and listen to the silence outside of his room. It was quiet. Far too quiet for everyone to still be happily enjoying themselves. That, more than any other sign, told Tsuna the truth. It hadn't been a nightmare. All of the core members of the Orange Dragon Gang knew his secret. Snicker had already known, but now so did Gigi, Eric, Ore, Leo, Ollie, Poe, Marty, Cassandra, Summer and Dedra. He counted his blessings that Autumn hadn't been present. He could only imagine what waking to her would have been like.

He felt abandoned. The silence was too thick for anyone to have stuck around after seeing him get shot in the head. It left him wondering what he should do. Should he wait and see how everyone reacted? Perhaps it would be better to just duck out so that he wouldn't force everyone to tell him to his face that they were scared of the trouble he had brought into their lives. Like Snicker had said, "It was better to get off before he got kicked off." There was no way that he wasn't going to be kicked out, so it was better for him to leave on his own.

That meant that he'd be on the run again. He didn't want to leave everyone, but it was probably better that way. There was a danger associated with him that he'd wanted to deny before. He couldn't deny it now, though. Not when Mukuro had threatened his friends' lives. Almost as bad as that was the fact that they'd found him at all. He needed to run so that they couldn't find him anymore. He wasn't sure why he'd not been dragged back already, but he wasn't going to waste the only chance that he had. He needed to escape while he could before Mukuro changed his mind.

He knew what he had to do, yet he still hesitated. He hesitated for what seemed like an eternity due to one very big reason. He couldn't decide what to do about Snicker. Should he wait to see if Snicker came back before he left? Snicker had said that he'd go with him if he ever had to run for it. The problem was that Tsuna had knew that Snicker would be in more danger with him than without him. How important was Snicker to him? Was he important enough to take the chance of having Snicker beside him? By the same token, was Snicker important enough to him to leave him behind? He knew that he'd die without Snicker, but that was fine as long as Snicker didn't know he was dead. Snicker might be a little unhappy for a while after Tsuna left, but he could continue living if his mind turned toward his son.

With that in mind, he made the hardest choice in his life. He'd leave Snicker behind. Tsuna didn't care if it meant he lost what was important to himself. Snicker was more important than he was. He would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Snicker because of him. Snicker had a Family to care for him now. He had people that would look out for him and ensure that he didn't do anything rash in Tsuna's absence. For Snicker's sake, Tsuna would disappear from his life before the Mafia destroyed it in the process of hunting him.

Despite having made up his mind, his eyes were still blurred with tears as he got up to change out of the pajamas that he'd been put to bed in. He'd hoped. He'd hoped so hard upon waking that his friends would understand. He'd hoped that they'd give him a chance to explain and maybe they'd even be willing to look past his unique troubles. After all, he'd looked past all of theirs. Stupid. Naive. In the end, everyone looked out for number one. It was naive for him to have forgotten that. It was stupid that he had hoped for loyal friendships when he'd not been friends with most of them for even a full year yet. His anniversary of meeting Snicker was supposed to be soon, assuming he remembered the time frame correctly. He wasn't positive since they hadn't had any calendars when they first met, but Snicker had thought it was around mid-January since Zero had died around Christmas.

One year since he'd met Snicker. Four months after that in late Spring, they'd managed to get off the streets and he'd become close friends with Gigi and had started working at Kink's. Four months later in the early fall, he'd met Eric and added another friend to his pitiful collection. Several months after that, he'd met Ore again in late October after the incident with Gabriel. They'd found Leo in early November. The girls had come not long after, although he'd known them since the Spring. He'd met Poe on Thanksgiving and Marty a few days later. Then Ollie had come in early December. For most of them, he was still too new of a friend for them to stick their necks out for.

It didn't take long to pack up what he needed to take with him. He'd lived on the streets long enough to know exactly what he needed, after all. The only difference than normal was that he packed two bags instead of one. In his backpack that he used while riding his bike, he packed up the necessities that were needed for survival. In his satchel went all the items that he'd collected into a junk drawer over time. The knight figurine that he'd pulled from a dumpster and the silver pocket watch that made him feel mournfully nostalgic. The map of the moon's craters that made him feel strangely calm. There was the ring of black onyx that made him feel sad. There was also the zombie comic-book that he'd never been able to actually read, but had been completely unable to let go of out of pure possessiveness. He also had a miniature cornucopia that was no bigger than his fist. He wasn't sure why, but that made him irritated when he looked at it. The last thing that he packed to take with him was a small deck of cards that someone had tossed out that always made him smile when he looked at the jester's image on the joker card.

None of the items made sense to him, but he couldn't bear to part with a single one of them. They all incited strong emotions from within him that he didn't want to lose track of. At least, not until he knew why they caused such reactions. Alongside those items went several of the trinkets that he did know the reason for having. There was his favorite picture of the whole gang and another of just him and Snicker. There was his favorite feather earring that he decided to just wear. He also put on the necklace with the stone charm that Eric had gotten him to match his own protective charm. He paused for a moment over the sword and altar that had been gifted to him. He hated leaving both behind, but he knew that he'd just end up selling it for food. He hoped that Snicker would know to return them to their owners when he left it behind.

Taking a moment, he checked to make sure that all his weapons were stored in his coat still. Since they were, he set to taking off the X-Glove that they'd left on his hand while he slept. It wouldn't come off, though. No matter how hard he tugged or hard he pulled, he couldn't remove the fingerless piece of leather. It was as if it was permanently attached to his skin. Irritated, he decided to worry about it later and simply set to arming his other hand with his retractable knife and another fingerless glove. It looked a little strange, since the pair was mismatched shades of black, but it was enough for him to be able to make due. His spare knife got tossed in his satchel along with the glove he normally used where the X-Glove was stubbornly staying put.

Looking around, he decided to pause for a minute and write a letter so that Snicker wouldn't worry. It was hard. It was incredibly hard to write in a way that made it seem that he didn't care. He knew that he had to, though. If Snicker had any clue about how hard it was, he wouldn't be willing to stay behind. Yet, he had to stay behind. It was too dangerous for him to be around Tsuna. Mukuro had made that incredibly clear.

_Everyone,_

_I can't tell you all how sorry I am that you got caught up in my mess and I'm sorry that I can't say goodbye in person. I've known that this day might come along for a long time now, but I had hoped that it wouldn't come so soon. What can I say? I should have left when I realized Xander showed up. I was stupid to think that I could stay here after coming in contact with him. I can't change my past, but maybe I can keep it from repeating. It was fun while it lasted. Maybe one day when I'm stronger, I can come back and see you all when I return to settle some unfinished business. Until then, I hope that you all stick together and keep looking out for each other. Snicker, everyone is going to need you, so you better keep your head up. I want to hear your laughter if I ever get to come back again. That goes for everyone._

_Stay safe,_

_Suoh_

_P.S. I'm sorry, Joshua._

Tsuna crumpled the piece of paper in his hand the moment he finished the last tear-drenched word. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay and enjoy living with everyone. He wanted to prove himself to Snicker, not hurt him by disappearing. He didn't have a choice, though. The Mafia had taken that choice away from him. Just like when he had been thirteen, they'd walked in and turned his life upside down without a second thought.

Why? Why did they keep doing this to him? He wasn't anyone special. There wasn't a single thing about him that was admirable. Admittedly, he didn't feel like the whiny brat that he'd been in middle school, but that was just because he'd learned first-hand that whining solved nothing. Bad things still happened no matter how much you cried over them. Gabriel had taught him that and it was a lesson that he'd never forget. Even so, his tears continued to fall while he tried to set his mind on leaving. He knew that crying solved nothing, but he couldn't stop for several minutes. It simply hurt too much.

Finally, he managed to get control of himself again. Letting go of the crumpled paper, he left it on the dresser for Snicker to find. Then, putting on his leather jacket, he slung his satchel crossways over his shoulder where it wouldn't hit his bandaged neck wound and threw his backpack on his back. There was still three things that he needed to get before he left. He hoped that he could be forgiven for taking them, but surely no one would mind since he was handing over the building for free. The first was a bottle of whiskey out of the fridge. The second was a pack of cigarettes out of the stocked cabinet. The third was a mere forty dollars out of the safe. He didn't want to take more since he knew that everyone needed that money to live off of. There was still plenty of money in there for everyone, though. Once he was gone, they'd be saving a lot of money on meals, necessities, and luxuries, so the savings seemed sufficient instead of pitiful for once. He made sure of that before writing down the combination on a sticky-note and putting it where it could be easily found.

Putting on his wool cap, he looked around the empty building one last time before heading out the alley door. His heart twisted painfully when he realized it was probably the last time that he'd see it. One day, he knew that he'd return to pay Gabriel back in full, but he wasn't ready for that yet. The mere thought of facing Gabriel made his body shake in fear. He knew that Gabriel wasn't strong, but he had a lot of friends who were. If he tried to face him right now, he'd be defeated again and hurt again. He couldn't take the chance of that happening until he knew that Snicker wouldn't know the outcome. Whether he won or he lost, either result would upset Snicker greatly.

It was better this way. That seemed to be the story of his life. The better way always left him alone. It left him without real friends. He'd tried, once a long time ago. He'd tried to play with balls and make friends on his own. He'd been no-good, though, so it'd been better for him to stop humiliating himself by trying. He'd made poor grades, so it'd been less of a hassle for his teachers and classmates if he just skipped school. When Reborn had come, he'd thought that the better way would be better for him, too, for once. But it never was. It was always better for everyone that came in contact with him. He'd been nothing more than a puppet that Reborn had used and his friends had gathered because of Reborn. He'd been alone in the crowd the whole time without realizing it. It'd been better for him to run away, too, since he wasn't killing people anymore. That had been the first time that the better way had made him lose _everything_. Now, it was happening again.

He wanted to feel Snicker again. More than anything, he wanted to see him and touch him one last time, but he couldn't. Snicker wouldn't let himself be left behind if he knew that Tsuna was leaving and he had to be left behind in order to stay safe. It was better this way. None of them probably wanted him around anymore anyway. They'd all left the house because he was there. He was a dangerous person to be around and they all knew his dirty secrets. They knew that he once killed people. They knew his identity, too. More than it being dangerous for them if he stayed, he knew that it was probably dangerous for himself. He didn't think any of them would sell him out, but he hadn't thought they'd completely abandon him, either.

It didn't matter anymore, he realized as he headed for the highway. He just had to survive long enough so that Snicker wouldn't know what happened to him. At least that way, Snicker would survive off of the hope long enough for everyone else to realize that Snicker needed someone watching out for him. He wasn't like Tsuna. He lived off of a sense of responsibility for other people. As long as everyone reminded him that he was needed, he'd be okay.

With his determination set in his mind, he picked up his pace in order to get the deed over with sooner. The faster that he was out of town, the less likely that he'd give into his own desire to stay. There was only one destination that he had in mind when it came to getting out of town. He headed for the main roads out of town in hopes of hitchhiking as far as he was capable of going. The farther away that he was from everyone, the more likely that he could protect them through his absence.

It took some work to get to the freeway. Not only did he have to make a trip on the subway to get across town, jump on one of the ancient trolleys still buzzing along in the upper reaches of town, but he had to climb three fences and outrun a stray dog before he managed to gain access to the busy set of roads. Looking behind him, he could see the city spread out as if he was already dozens of miles away. Steam was rising from the streets, giving the whole city a look of being fogged over despite the complete lack of anything but light snow.

Turning his back on it, he set down the slippery road while staying on the grassy verge so that he didn't slip. Part of him wondered if anyone had noticed he'd left yet, but he was almost positive that they hadn't. They hadn't shown any signs of returning during the whole time that he'd been setting off, so there was no reason that they'd return now. It hurt too much to think about that, however, so he focused his mind on setting one foot in front of another while he kept his thumb stuck out in the universal sign of 'I need a ride.' He didn't bother wasting time on looking to see if anyone would answer the plea, already knowing how self-serving most people were. It was typically never a good thing to pick up hitchhikers, either, since a person could never know what kind they'd gotten. Movies and media had done a wonderful job of making people overly suspicious of those in need. Not that he could really blame them. There was always one nutcase that ruined it for everyone else.

He just hoped that someone had a truck that they'd feel safe letting him ride in the back of. Cars were out of the question, as were vans without multiple people inside. He might get lucky and get a semi truck to stop, although he knew from talking to others that those were actually more rare than most people believed. Most shipping companies had rules against picking up hitchhikers, although some still did it anyway so that they had someone to talk to in order to keep themselves awake.

It wasn't until he came across a sign saying that he'd walked almost four miles before someone finally did stop. He almost didn't notice them until they'd slowed down behind him and honked loudly enough that he jumped in place. Trying not to loose his footing when he landed, he still slipped and landed hard on his side due to the thick snow on the verge. Unlike the main part of the city, there was no built up heat in the ground to melt the snow as it fell.

"Are you okay?" The man in the passenger side called as he leaned out of his window.

"Yeah," Tsuna grimaced as he painfully scrambled back to his feet.

"Well, you need a ride? We're headed south for a road trip before our classes start back up. Get in if you want to come with us."

South. Snicker would probably expect him to jump on the train lines and head west, so south was probably the best direction for him to go in. Not that he was going to argue about the direction. Any direction was fine as long as it got him away so that the Mafia couldn't find him. The south was warm, too, even in winter. With that in mind, he cast all of his doubts aside and jump in the moment that the college students in the back slid the van door open for him. The recognizable sickly-sweet smell of marijuana hit him from the moment he got inside, but he ignored it in favor of finding a seat out of everyone's way. The van itself was brimming with people and supplies, so much so that they'd taken out the seats to fit everyone. From the looks of the supplies piled in the back, they were all planning on camping on the beach until after the New Year.

They all greeted him warmly, obviously feeling completely safe due to the odds in their favor. He found himself seated in one of the back corners between a girl in a fuzzy sweater and a guy in Goth. From the looks of it, almost every stereotype was present. There was the Goth, the nerd, the jock, the pretty-boy and the fat guy. As for the girls, there was a cheerleader, a slut, a tomboy, a prude, a hippie, and one with her nose stuck in a book. Overall, the range left him gaping for a moment until he found himself understanding completely. These were the outcasts. All of them fit into a mold like a glove, but they weren't accepted by their 'types' regardless of that. To make up for the failure to fit in, they'd all found each other. In a way, it made Tsuna morose since his gang hadn't been much different.

"So where are you headed?" The jock driver asked.

"Anywhere is fine," he answered quietly with a shrug. "As long as it's far away from here, I don't care."

"That's a pretty earring," the hippie commented with her bangles jangling around her wrist while she reached out to pet the feather like it was a real bird.

"Thanks," he mumbled while bowing his head. "It was a gift."

"You look kinda old to run away from home," the fat guy commented while stuffing a cheese-puff into his mouth. "Why were you hitchhiking?"

"I ran into some trouble and I had to get out of town," he answered honestly.

"Were you in a gang?" The bookish one asked with a finger pointing out past her novel toward the handkerchief that he'd not realized he was still wearing. Tsuna touched it absently while forcing down the tears from where they wanted to well up in his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied. "But not anymore."

"What's your name?" The nerd asked from where he sat cross-legged. Tsuna paused for a moment before answering. When he did answer, it felt almost like he could feel himself falling into a deep chasm with everything that mattered to him being left at the top.

"Joshua," he said quietly, his eyes drooping from the invisible weight that settled on him while he continued to fall. "You guys can call me Josh."

* * *

_"Joshua--"_

_"Oh God, Suoh," he whispered in a breathless pant, keeping their voices down so that they wouldn't be overheard. Tsuna fisted the blankets and bit down on the pillow under him in order to keep from screaming out his pleasure as Snicker hit that blessed spot inside of him again and again. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Snicker's hands were stimulating him in all the right ways and he could feel himself edging closer and closer with every thrust. "I love you, Suoh," he grunted into his ear as he buried himself down to the hilt again. "I love you and I want to see if that ass is really worth that much money."_

_"What?" Tsuna gasped, looking over his shoulder to see that his dream had once again turned into a nightmare._

_"I wouldn't pay that much," Gabriel said with a cruel grin as he thrust again. "But I'm sure Xanxus doesn't mind sharing an expensive piece like you. I'm going to make sure he gets his money's worth."_

_"Stop--!" Tsuna screamed as his nails tore at the rock-hard ground until his fingers were bloody. "STO--"_

* * *

Tsuna lurched awake and only the fact that he was used to waking in such a manner kept him from flailing out and hitting anyone else. It took him a moment before the disorientation of his nightmare left before his mind finally caught up to where he was and what he was doing.

"Sleep good?" Will the Goth asked while holding out a lit joint. Tsuna accepted it while trying to once again shake the feeling that he was going to get hit the moment that it was in his hands. He wanted it, though. He wanted they way that it helped numb everything and the way it let his mind grow distant from all the things that bruised it. At first, he'd passed every time that it'd went his way, but he'd given in on the fourth offer. He had no reason not to anymore. All of his reasons were now over a hundred miles away and that distance was quickly increasing.

"Where are we?" He asked curiously before taking a long drag. Holding it in like he'd seen the others do in order to let as much of the drug enter his system as possible, he passed it over to where the prude, Nikki, was waiting to receive it. He wanted to sigh in relief as a soothing haze washed away his memories of Gabriel. He could still feel Snicker's touch on his skin, but he knew that it would also go away after a while.

"We just crossed the state-line an hour ago," Pete the fat guy answered from the driver's seat. Tsuna nodded his thanks for the response before finally exhaling without a hint of the choking coughs that Mary the cheerleader always displayed. From the looks of it, Shelby the jock and Rachel the bookworm were still asleep with Dean the nerd's leg splayed across them. Ophelia the hippie was sitting up front while pretty-boy Heath and Scarlet the prude continued to pass around one of the favored supplies that made the long trip bearable. "We should be able to hit the beach by sunset."

"Is there anywhere we can stop for something to eat?" Nikki whined. "I'm getting hungry."

"I'll look for something," Pete promised. Tsuna kept to himself while those that were awake began discussing what to eat. The only time that he'd talked with any of them in the past two days had been when they'd directed a question at him. Otherwise, he tried to stay out of their hair as much as possible. He felt incredibly lucky that this particular group had stopped to pick him up. Anyone else and he'd have probably only made it a few towns away before having to find a new ride to get farther. On top of that, they were amused with his presence rather than finding it an inconvenience. It helped that he sometimes did things that shocked them. For example, he refused to let any of them buy him food each time they stopped, but he was more than willing to take whatever leftovers that they were going to throw away. He wasn't shy about pissing in an empty bottle and tossing it out the window where the other guys always required a pit stop at a restroom, too. He was also willing to take any pranks that they decided to pull on him, as long as they stayed away from his bags. For them, he was a never-ending source of amusement that they paid for with a ride and a spot in the passing order.

There was another reason that he felt lucky, though. All of the people in the van seemed to exude naive innocence. More than likely, the worst thing that any of them had ever done was to smoke the weed that was once more passed to him. They probably had comfortable lives that they couldn't appreciate and parents that provided them with everything they could ever need or want. Will in particular irritated him due to that. The guy's gothic pants probably cost more than every item on Tsuna's body combined, but the guy moaned about life as if he'd seen how bad it could truly get. The worst thing he'd probably ever had to deal with was what shade of black to paint his nails! Tsuna kept his mouth shut, however. First off, these guys were a non-stop one way ticket to the beach and he couldn't alienate them. Plus, Poe dressed in the same style that Will did and he didn't give off the same aura of whining.

Although, Tsuna didn't want to think of Poe at all. His neck still hurt after three days and it didn't feel like it was getting any better. The wound itself had completely closed and scabbed over so that he could remove the bandages, but he guessed that modern vampires didn't have the healing properties that myth suggested. It would probably take another week for it to go away completely, assuming that it didn't get infected. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to believe that Poe was an actual vampire, but his gut had been warning him of it since they'd met. Only the fact that Poe had stayed so friendly had allowed him to ignore the feeling of being nothing more than a rabbit when the guy had been around.

Tsuna found himself giggling quietly to himself about the other thoughts that came alongside such thoughts. Thought of 'herbivore' and thoughts of whether maybe Hibari had always been secretly a vampire, too. He was pale and strong, just like Poe, although they only had a few personality quirks in common. Poe was better at pretending to like other people so that he could make friends easier. Maybe that was why Hibari always kept his relationships private, he mused silently with a wide grin. He couldn't have people seeing him biting people when their 'energy' peaked.

"What are you laughing about?" Will asked blandly as he passed the roach-end of the joint around. Tsuna took it with a wide smile and merely shook his head.

"Nothing," he laughed before taking another inhale off of the little critter that was making him feel so pleasant. He had to be careful not to burn his lips, but he managed to get several small puffs that added up to a full one that satisfied him. He tried to pass it on, but Ophelia was already working on rolling a new one. Heath just shrugged at him and mimed that he could keep it. Tsuna shrugged in return and smiled as he gave them exactly what he saw that they wanted in their eyes. Building up the saliva in his mouth, he put it out on his tongue while praying to himself that it went out before actually hitting his skin. Then, without further ado, he popped the small piece in whole and swallowed it.

"I never get tired of seeing that," Scarlet chuckled with a small clap of appreciation. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Nope," he replied with another shrug, unwilling to let them in on the secret of spit. Namely, that it kept the fire from surviving all the way to the flesh of his tongue as long as he built up enough of it. The first time, he'd not been quite so careful and part of his tongue still stung from the abuse. Relaxing back against his bag, he took a moment to stretch out his leg as Shelby, Dean, and Rachel finally started to wake. The jock shifted in place, which caused the nerd to kick the bookworm, which ended up causing a lot of grumbling that made all three of them sit up in unison. Tsuna wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad that they woke. He was happy because it meant more leg room. He was upset because it meant that he'd only get two turns with the new joint instead of three.

"Hey, Josh," Dean piped up as Tsuna kept his eyes on the prize slowly making it's way to him again. It took him a moment to realize that he was being talked to, after which he tried to focus on what Dean was asking him. "...talking last night and we made a bet."

"What kind of bet?" Tsuna asked like Dean obviously wanted. In all honesty, he couldn't say that he particularly cared, but he knew that he had to play along to keep everyone happy. After all, if he made them happy, then he got to take part in the nice diversion that made everything hurting him seem to just drift away.

"You said that you were in a gang," Dean stated as if putting together all the facts about him. "You got all those scars, probably from street violence. You got a motorcycle jacket on and you've probably got dozens of weapons hidden on you. I tapped on your hand in your sleep and I can tell that you got brass knuckles hidden under your gloves."

"I'd give you a cookie, but I'm fresh out," Tsuna quipped in order to make everyone chuckle as the joint finally made it to him again. He didn't linger over it, knowing that Shelby the jock would start crying 'puff, puff, pass' to urge him on if he took too long. Not that it mattered any to him. Once the smoke was in his lungs, he could care less about the location of the joint until he had no choice but to exhale again.

"I was just making sure," Dean said with a nod before turning to Shelby. "I'll bet twenty."

"You're going to lose," Shelby laughed as book-worm Rachel lounged up against him.

"My calculations deem that unlikely," Dean replied with a wide grin before turning back to Tsuna. "You don't have any weed on you, Josh. Do you?"

"No," he answered with a raised eyebrow, wondering if they were about to cut him off.

"Me and Shelby will give you five joints out of our stash if you answer a personal question for us," Dean surprisingly continued. "But you have to be completely honest."

"What kind of question?" Tsuna asked suspiciously as he lingered over his second turn. He didn't want to smoke just yet. Not when he'd have to talk and his turn would be wasted in answering. He knew that he'd answer, too. None of the people knew he had forty bucks on him and he hadn't wanted to tell them unless he absolutely had to buy some of their stash to take with him when they parted ways.

"Shelby thinks that you're either gay or bi," he replied bluntly. "I told him that there's no way that--"

"He's right," Tsuna replied with a shrug, simply glad that he could earn a stash of his own so easily. Shelby grinned widely and tapped Ophelia on the shoulder to tell her to start rolling more while Dean spluttered over the answer. Tsuna simply gave him a look that told him he shouldn't judge a book by its cover before finally taking his turn on the half-joint that'd returned to him. Holding his breath, he turned to Shelby in curiosity and asked as simply as he could in order to preserve what was in his lungs for as long as he could. "How'd you know?"

"The earring," Shelby answered. "It was a long-shot since a bunch of the guys on my team wear earrings, but I couldn't imagine any of them wearing a feather."

"The guy that gave it to me was a gay transvestite," Tsuna replied while letting the smoke out in a long breathe. "I never slept with him, but he wanted to. I'm not really sure why, but it's like a good luck charm to me. Whenever I look at it, I get this weird feeling that there's something out there that doesn't want to let me get hurt."

"Like a guardian angel?" Nikki asked curiously.

"Something like that," he nodded. "It's kind of weird, though. I used to know this guy that wore red feathers in a good-luck charm and he was a complete asshole."

"Maybe he was just an asshole because he liked you?" Nikki suggested. "He could have been a jerk so that you wouldn't figure it out. If you knew subconsciously that he liked you, that could explain your feeling."

"No," Tsuna laughed loudly. "That's definitely not possible. You don't try to kill people you like. I figure it's just one of those crazy feelings you get when someone gives you a strange gift. The kind that makes you not care that it's strange."

"Could be," Will commented quietly.

"Nah," Tsuna replied with another burst of laughter as the roach of the joint was passed to him again. "I'm just stoned," he chuckled. "But it sounded good."

"How does tacos sound?" Pete called from the front seat as the van shifted in direction.

"Oh!" Rachel exclaimed. "I want a chalupa!"

"I wonder if they still have those chili-cheese burritos," Shelby mused.

"No burritos!" Nikki and Ophelia exclaimed in unison.

"Josh, what do you want?" Dean asked quietly.

"I'm not hungry," he lied in return, lounging back against his bags. "You guys just go ahead without me. I'll watch the van for you while you're inside."

"But--"

"I'm fine," he reasserted, closing his eyes so that he didn't have to see the looks of pity that they all gave him. They all knew that he'd barely eaten in the past two days. Altogether, he'd had half a dozen french fries, half a hamburger, half a slice of pizza and a leftover leg of fried chicken. For Tsuna, he knew that it was a bounty that he would have been utterly satisfied with when he'd been living on the streets. Yet, it was also true that his stomach had acclimated itself to getting three square meals a day. He felt hungry, but he knew that he had to get used to small meals again. It would be a while before his stomach shrunk enough that he couldn't feel the hunger pains anymore. It was better to tough it out right from the beginning rather than find himself completely without and able to feel it. "Don't worry about me," he repeated when the van lurched to a stop and he cracked his eye open to see everyone still looking at him. "I'll just take whatever you guys don't eat."

Sitting up, he put his backpack and his satchel back over his shoulder before heading out of the van behind everyone else. The fact that he refused to leave his stuff behind had gotten a few curious comments when they'd stopped for the first time, but Tsuna knew how things went. It was better for him to carry his belongings in case they decided to drive off without him instead of finding himself left behind without anything. Putting that aside, he truly began to feel exactly how stoned he was when he stepped out into the fresh air. From the glazed looks in everyone else's eyes, they were feeling it too. The only exception was the driver who'd kept his head halfway out the window and had passed on smoking during his shift at the wheel. Tsuna did take the opportunity to go in and use the bathroom, however.

The first thing he noticed while walking toward the fast food restaurant beside everyone else was how warm it'd gotten. He thought that it'd been because of all the smoke in the close quarters of the van, but he realized now that the climate had changed. Driving non-stop for two days, although it was honestly three if he included the day that was still in progress, had taken them far enough south that the weather patterns had changed. Considering that none of them had driven slower than sixty miles an hour, it was safe to assume that he was almost a thousand miles away from home. They'd honestly would have been there a lot sooner, but they tended to break for several hours when they did stop. They'd also stopped once when the group had wasted money to rent a motel room to shower in after the girls had started complaining about the growing body odors of the guys.

He was almost there, though. By nightfall, he would have reached his goal. The thought made him incredibly depressed since his current goal was the only thing keeping him going. Snicker should have found his note by now and was probably worrying himself. Maybe... Maybe he should call and make sure that Snicker was okay. It wasn't like when he'd left home the first time. He wasn't running away because of Snicker and everyone. He was running away to protect them in the only way he knew how. No, he amended with a trembling heart. He couldn't call Snicker. It would hurt too much to hear his voice when he knew that they'd never get to see each other again. That meant Gigi was out of the question, too, since they might be together.

There was one person, though. One person who wouldn't care what he was doing or where he was.

Heading back outside, he quickly crossed over to the truck stop next to the Mexican restaurant and headed for the phone. He wasn't sure why, but he needed to know that everyone was doing okay. He needed to know that Snicker was okay. It took a few moments to find enough change to call so far, but he managed after turning several dollars of his pitiful stash of cash into coins. Dialing the number that he'd memorized without meaning to, he was almost shaking in his boots by the time that he heard the line pick up.

"Hello?"

"Autumn, it's me," he replied quietly.

"Suoh!" She exclaimed with a note of surprise and concern in her voice. "Where are you?! Don't you know that everyone is worried sick about you?! What the hell happened? No one will tell me anything but that you ran away after some kind of fight with a childhood friend of yours!"

"I ran into some trouble," he answered with a grimace. "Look. I don't really want to talk about it. I just called to make sure that Snicker was okay."

"Of course not!" She yelled, making him automatically lurch away from the phone. "He had a heart attack, you jackass! Everyone was at the hospital with him when you decided to run off!"

"Is he okay?!" Tsuna shouted back as his heart leaped up into his throat. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of having left Snicker in such a state. He knew what had probably caused it. It was his fault. Because he'd been there, Mukuro had shown up and everything had gotten turned upside down. He hadn't thought of it before, but Snicker's heart probably couldn't take such stress. He was used to common problems and simple difficulties. Something like this... Something like this was more than someone like Snicker could handle. "Please, Autumn," he wept. "Tell me that he's okay."

"He'll be okay," she soothed with the anger in her voice disappearing in confusion. "It was just a minor attack. He had to have surgery, but his insurance covered it. Are you going to tell me what's going on? Tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"I-I can't," he groaned, putting his head down on the top of the square payphone. Pushing away his urge to keen, he sucked back his tears and tried to keep his goals in mind. "I can't come back, Autumn. It's safer for everyone if I just stay away. Snicker's already gotten hurt because of me. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if-- Never mind. I just can't come back. Can you do me a favor, though?"

"What kind of trouble are you in, Suoh?" Autumn asked instead of giving him the answer he wanted. "I might be able to help you if you'll tell me."

"You can't help me," he replied firmly. "No one can help me. Just do me a favor and keep an eye on Snicker. His head works funny if you leave him alone. He'll... It'll take a while, but he'll realize that he doesn't need someone like me. He'd still got everyone else. Tell him to go talk to Charlie. Can you do that? I think that he'll understand if you tell him that. Just tell him that I said that I want him to talk to _Charlie_. Tell him... Tell him that he's not allowed to give up. Tell him that I won't forgive him if he does."

"Charlie," she repeated with a note of concern in her voice. "Suoh, does you running away have anything to do with why you ran away from Xander? If so--"

"Goodbye, Autumn," he interrupted. "Take care of everyone for me."

"Wait--"

Tsuna could feel his heart pounding in his chest when he hung up. More than anything, he wanted to run back home and personally ensure that Snicker was okay. He couldn't, though. He'd be putting everyone in danger simply with his presence. He had no choice but to stay away. He missed them already. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see everyone again, but he couldn't. He couldn't because he was a hunted man that would never be free of the blood that his ancestors had cursed him with. It was crazy and it was stupid, but believing that didn't make reality any less real. He was just some No-Good idiot that'd never finished middle school yet was on the run from the Mafia in a twenty-three year old body. If it weren't for the fact that he'd had a year to come to terms with his troubles, even he wouldn't be able to believe it if he'd told it to himself. There was nothing Autumn or anyone else could do to make his life easy again. Not unless they could build a time machine so he could start over from the day that Reborn had entered his life.

That was impossible, though. Completely and utterly impossible.

* * *

He was stoned again. He knew that he was stoned, but he didn't let that stop him. There was only one thought on his mind and that was to make himself forget. He wanted to forget the feeling of Snicker's lips. He wanted to forget the feeling of his warm hands. He wanted to forget how good it felt to be embraced by him. He wanted to forget everything because remembering only caused more pain.

Different hands touched him. Different lips nibbled at his own. A different body was rocked beneath him as he gave instead of received. There was no choice but to give. He'd only received one offer and he made the most out of it in order to wipe away the sensations still crawling around under his skin. It helped so little that it was painful. Even after an hour, he could still feel Snicker on him. He could still remember Snicker's warmth and touch. He could still remember the feeling of Snicker inside of him and the feeling of Snicker's very breath against his skin. It hurt. It hurt that even though Snicker wasn't the one with him, Snicker was the only thing that he could think about. Instead of the person he was with, it was his memories of Snicker that invigorated him and it was the sensations that Snicker had etched into his body that brought him to a climax.

"Oh, God," Scarlet sighed in contentment as Tsuna pulled out of her. He collapsed on top of her as soon as he was free and buried his head into her pillowy chest. "Remind me to thank Ophelia later for making us pick you up."

"Sure," he mumbled absently with his hopes completely dashed. There was no way that he could make himself forget Snicker. He had a feeling that no matter how many times he tried, it would always be Snicker that he was with in his mind instead of the person in front of him. The old man had ruined him without meaning to. Like he'd told Autumn back on Thanksgiving, there could ever only be one person. "I better go," he added before sitting up and grabbing his shirt. Scarlet sat up with him with a disgruntled look on her face while he tossed the used condom out one of the windows and got redressed.

"What's the rush?" She asked while covering herself up with the edges of the blanket that they'd been laying on in the van. Everyone else was already outside, enjoying a bonfire out in front of the tent that they'd pitched on the beach.

"No rush," he replied. "There's just no point in me sticking around anymore. You all got what you want and I got what I want, so we're even."

"You have to stay for the bonfire at least!" She exclaimed irritably. "Shelby got an extra six-pack just for you!"

"Alright," he grimaced due to the pitch of her voice. "If it'll make you happy, I'll stick around a little longer. Sheesh. Just keep it down. You act like I'm your boyfriend or something."

"You're not," she admitted with a blush. "But you were my first."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped with his train of thought coming to a wrecked halt. "I thought you said that--"

"I lied," she replied with her lip pouting out even more as she pointedly looked away from him. "All of them were too scared when they found out that I was a virgin. You probably would have stopped, too, if I'd told you the truth."

"No," he corrected slowly as he put his jacket back on. "I probably wouldn't have, but I would have went a lot slower. You didn't lie about being eighteen. Did you?"

"No," she murmured with another bright blush. Then she pouted again. "Anyway, you can't leave yet. You wouldn't want me to hate men because you ran off after deflowering me."

"_Deflowering _you?" He repeated in amusement. "You've been around Rachel and her books too much."

"No, I haven't," she objected with her blush deepening even more. Tsuna leaned forward and pulled her into a kiss that made her completely forget to cover herself for modesty. When he pulled away, she was flushed instead of blushing and looked slightly dazed from want of more.

"Yes, you have," he corrected softly. "But if you want me to stay, then I'll stay a little longer. You'll have to forgive me when it's time for me to go, though. You knew from the start that I was on a one-way trip."

"I know," she replied while biting her lip. "That's why I wanted it to be you. That way, even if I was bad, you couldn't tell anyone back home."

"You weren't bad," he soothed while honestly not remembering a single thing other than the stimulation he'd received from her. "It's the guys that have to worry about being bad. If a guy ever tries to say that you're bad in bed, that's just because they're trying to cover up for themselves. The girl can make it more enjoyable, but the guy has the pressure of being satisfying enough. I think the only way that a girl could ruin it is if the match wasn't a good one to start with."

"Like how?" She asked curiously, pulling back to cover herself up once more.

"Like a guy that likes girls that scream and a girl that is too shy to," he replied in thought. "Or a girl that likes to bite and a guy that can't take pain. That kind of thing. It's all about preferences. Even if it's bad one time because you both like different things, it might be better with another person that likes the same."

"Oh."

"You better get dressed," he instructed before grabbing his bags with a small smile over her surprised reaction. Slipping them into place, he slid the van door open in order to exit out into the night breeze. The moment that it was shut again to give Scarlet some privacy, he started silently cursing himself. He'd planned to leave as soon as they'd finished, but now he was roped into sticking around with the group a little longer.

Then again, it wasn't as if he had anything better to do.

* * *

Tsuna slowly walked down the street while ignoring those around him. He'd left at dawn after sleeping off the alcohol that he'd consumed with everyone else. Everyone else was still passed out where they'd dozed off around the bonfire or in the tent. Pete had retreated into the van since the tent hadn't been big enough to fit him along with everyone else.

He was alone again. He knew that his friendship with the group of road-trippers had been temporary from the start, but he hated parting. He hated parting for one simple fact. That fact was that he had nothing now. His goal was accomplished and he had nothing else to keep him going. Autumn would watch out for Snicker and Snicker was too far away to know what became of him. That was better for Snicker since Tsuna knew that anything could happen on the streets. Especially now that he didn't have anyone watching his back.

Fortunately, people seemed too busy enjoying themselves to cause trouble. At least, that was the look of things in the part of town he found himself in. Everywhere he looked there were tourists heading toward sources of entertainment or toward the beach. As for himself, he knew that he couldn't go to the beach just yet. Not until two days had passed and everyone that he'd arrived with headed back home. Until then, he had to find somewhere to make himself comfortable in order to ease the transition into the new city.

Part of him wondered if he should simply keep moving. He knew that it was dangerous to keep moving, since he would never know the territory that he was walking into. Yet, there was something very calming about the thought. If he drifted, he'd be much harder to track down. Even more importantly, he wouldn't have time to repeat the mistake that he'd made up north. That was the mistake of thinking that he could settle down and have a home. That he could have friends and the same small joys that normal people had.

He'd been naive. He'd been naive and far too hopeful towards life. He'd seen the misery now. He'd seen the truth. It made him feel old in a way that he didn't like. The knowledge of reality seemed to weigh down on him until he felt completely crushed beneath it. There was no great and wonderful journey ahead of him. There was no bright future that he only had to reach out for in order to grasp. His whole existence had been sifted down to simply not becoming a bother to others.

There was a saying that pain told a person that they were alive. He'd always thought that such a saying was only part of the truth. The whole truth was that pain told a person that they were alive, but it was happiness that told them that they were living. It was a subtle difference, but one that Tsuna understood far too deeply. He knew, because he was alive without living. He was only a ghost that wasn't allowed to stay in the company of those who smiled and laughed. Only misfortune came to those that permitted his presence for an extended period of time. The only difference now was that he realized it.

He wasn't sure how many days had passed since he'd left home. Maybe three. Maybe eight. He'd completely lost track after splitting up with the people headed for the beach. Since then, he'd barely spoken a word. There was no one to talk to. Even when he found himself permitted a seat with others of his kind under bridges or in alleys, there was never more than a nod of greeting. There wasn't much that one could say to one another, after all. He was living rough. They were living rough. The time of moaning about one's pains and complaining about their troubles had long gone past. Talking about it didn't solve anything and only caused them to realize exactly how unhappy they were. How pathetic they were. No homes. No family. No friends. They all still wanted to be around people, though, and Tsuna knew that feeling just like all of them did.

Pulling out the bottle of whiskey that he'd managed to buy with the day's begging, he popped the cap and took a long drink before passing it to the guy on his left. It was received silently with a nod of thanks and he knew that it was worth it to share. It was worth it because of the other three bottles being passed around and sharing it made him automatically accepted. There were no questions and there were no exclamations of joy. At most, there was an incoherent mumble of appreciation before the bottle continued its rounds.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day that he finally moved towns. He'd decided tomorrow because he knew enough of the town to make his way around. That was a sure sign that he'd stayed too long. It was becoming too familiar. Familiarity meant attachment. He couldn't let himself get attached because that would mean the pain of parting. Never again. He'd decided when he'd parted ways with the others on the beach. He couldn't become known. He couldn't become friendly. He had to keep moving so that the shadow chasing him could never grab hold. He had to keep moving so that nothing around him could be touched by that shadow while he passed.

Silently, he warmed himself by the small trash fire that they were all sitting at and accepted the drink when it circled back around to him. Without thinking twice about it, he pulled out his last joint and started smoking it without plans to share. Tomorrow. A new town. A new start. He wasn't sure why he bothered. There was no point in keeping up the charade of being alive. His only purpose was to stay out of other people's way. He had nothing that made him useful. Nothing that made him into more than the trash burning merrily away in front of him. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be the person that others looked at in pity. He'd almost forgotten that he was nothing more than a leech feeding off the livelihood of others. He couldn't change, though. He'd tried to stop and build a life. He'd tried working and making friends. He wasn't allowed such luxuries, though.

What was the point? As it was, he begged all day for enough money to buy the things that made the pain go away. He ate from trashcans and occasionally he got to char the dead fish that washed up on shore. Why was he even pretending that he was worthy of surviving? He asked himself that, but he knew why. It wasn't anything silly like hope. He'd lost that the moment that he'd come to terms with the fact that there was nowhere for him to go and there would never be. What made him keep looking for scraps and what made him keep digging for the necessities to survive was a sense of responsibility that he couldn't let go of even now. It was the feeling that as long as he stayed alive, Snicker would still keep his legs kicking. That was the only thing that mattered anymore. As long as Snicker was still living, Tsuna would be satisfied with merely being alive.

And that was enough.

Getting up, he took one last, long pull off of the bottle before handing it off for good. He took a final hit off of his joint, too, before knocking the red-hot cherry off so that he could store the remnants for later. After that, he headed deeper into the alley in order to make his way to the dead-end turn off of the left-side intersection. Once there, he ducked down beside the dumpster into the small nook that was created between it and the wall of the building next to it. Safely hidden away, he curled up around his knees and buried his head out of sight. Only then did he let his misery have some release while he silently cried himself to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28 Silence

He jumped out of the slowly moving train car after giving a small wave to the goats that had kept him warm while they'd been traveling. His leather jacket was missing a few spots thanks to the beasts and his jeans were eaten off up to his calf, but it'd been worth it to sleep next to them once they'd curled down for the night. He had to run a few steps upon landing due to the momentum built up by the railway car, but he managed to get his feet under him before he fell into the watery gutter running alongside of the banked up road.

Honestly, he'd wanted to stay on a lot longer, but his gut had told him that he'd be found if he stayed on past this point. He understood why, too, when the train started to slow even more and he saw the edges of a train yard ahead of where he'd jumped off.

"It's better to get off before you get kicked off," he mumbled to himself with a small smile. Looking around, he grimaced at the sight of nothing but trees and foliage. Once again, he'd found himself in a place utterly unlike the city that he'd grown to love. This place didn't even have the diversion of a beach. He sighed in relief, however, when he managed to see buildings peeking out between the breaks of the railway car. It was just his luck that he'd jumped out the wrong side.

Not that it really mattered. He wasn't in any rush since he had no goals. Time meant nothing, as well. He ate when he found food. He slept when he got tired. He walked or found a ride when he had nothing better to do. All in all, he was getting used to being a ghost. The only thing that he was having trouble with was the silence. He understood now why Snicker had always been afraid of silence. It was painful to be left alone with only his own thoughts. Thoughts of how pathetic he was. Thoughts of how lonely. Thoughts of how meaningless his existence was in the overall scheme of things.

Leech. Maggot. Scum. Trash. Bum. Hobo. Filth. Disease of Society. Pitiful Soul. Vagrant.

Those that didn't want to see him.

_"Why's that man eating out of the trash, mommy?"_

_"Don't look, sweetheart. Just keep walking." _

Those that took him as a source of entertainment.

_"I'll give you five bucks to eat this grasshopper."_

_"Oh my god! He'd actually doing it!"_

Those that heaped scorn on him for existing.

_"Hit him again!"_

He'd heard it all and been faced with it all. The sad thing was that his thoughts of himself made the names that others called him look like schoolyard bullying. The sad thing was that he knew it was sometimes easier to just take a beating rather than fight back. The sad thing was what misery others tried to pile on him was nothing compared to the misery that was already part of him. He knew where he stood in the world. What others heaped on him was nothing more than water that rolled off his back. He'd come to terms with what he was and there was no changing it. He didn't care what others thought of him. He would keep surviving because Snicker needed him to.

Even so, there were times that he found himself growing weary. _Did _Snicker still need him? Had he already moved on and Tsuna existence was nothing more than a fond memory? Possibly, he admitted to himself. He wasn't sure how many weeks had passed since he'd started drifting, but he knew that it was more than a few. Winter had broken it's hold on the country and he knew from the rains that it was already deep into Spring. Plenty of time had probably passed for Snicker to have figured out for himself that he could live without him.

The thought made him stop where he was and simply sit on the verge without caring where he was or what he was doing. If his thoughts were true, then Snicker didn't need him anymore. He had the thought that Tsuna was alive and that was enough. Why was he forcing himself to keep up this meaningless existence if a memory could suffice?

"What do I do, Snicker?"

It hurt. The silence that responded hurt more than fists or knives ever could. It tore at him and ripped him into pieces, leaving him only the urge to cry with eyes that were woefully undersupplied. He couldn't cry anymore. He'd cried every tear that he could already. All that was left was dry eyes that grew heavier from the weight that continued to grow on him.

He had to know.

Getting up, he ran in sync with the train long enough that he was able to jump up and over the link between the cars and make it out the other side before he got ran over. He tumbled a bit on the landing, but he got back up without noticing it for more than a moment. Instead, he focused his eyes on the fence between him and the buildings of what looked to be a shopping district. Climbing it was only a matter of a few seconds and he let himself fall the moment that he crossed over the top. Once again, landing proved awkward, but not so much so that he could count the bruises and scraps as injuries. What damage that was caused was quickly washed away by the drizzle that once more began to come down.

Darting down an alley between the back of two low buildings, he instantly saw that the city that he was in wasn't that great of a size. For one, there were no skyscrapers or eye-catching entertainment districts. Secondly, no large city would have woodlands within viewing distance of shops and the trees were typically taller than the buildings. Lastly, there was no smog or traffic-clogged streets. Quite the opposite, he realized when he stumbled to a stop at the end of the alley. At most, he saw one or two cars pass on the road in front of him, but the pavement was otherwise not utilized for anything but parking.

A ghost in a ghost town, he mused to himself with a hint of a smile on his lips. Looking around, he saw a phone booth half a block away. In all honesty, it was only a quarter block if he went by city measure, but he considered it a block since it was at an intersection down the road from the intersection he was closer to. Running to it, he sent his thanks skyward while he started dialing the collect call. He'd have preferred to call with his own money, but his last cent had been spent on resupply in the last town he'd been in. Even then, he'd also had to sell his backpack, smoke grenades, spare clothes, and every weapon he owned outside of those in his boots and gloves. The only thing he had left was his satchel full of trinkets, the clothes that he was wearing, his earring and his wool cap. In addition, his 'supply' consisted of a bottle of whiskey, a half dozen hand-rolled cigarettes that were laced with his favorite painkiller, and the dehydrated ramen noodles that he'd learned to eat hard.

Collecting himself from his run, he forced himself to calm down before hitting the last button of the number.

"Please state your name after the tone," the operator instructed.

He froze with his mind going completely numb. He hung up after a second as the shock sank into him. He'd forgotten his name. It was impossible and it was insane, but he honestly couldn't remember. It'd been so long since someone had spoken to him that he couldn't remember what people called him. He knew that Joshua was Snicker's name. His mom had called him Tsu-kun. Tsu... Suoh! It came to him in a blinding moment that made his heart tumble messily around in his chest while he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He was pathetic. He'd forgotten his own name. He'd not been gone that long. He'd only made it halfway across the country so far. Of course, he only stayed around a week when he did find somewhere decent to stop. He never stayed more than two. Wait, no. Had he stayed at that last city for three? No, the last city he'd only stayed for three days, not three weeks. It was the city before that where he'd stayed longer than intended because the pickings had been good and the dealers had been cheap. The city before that had been expensive in comparison, which is why he hadn't stayed long. No, no, no. It was the city after the cheap one that had been expensive. Or had the last city been the ghost town much like this one? That's right. He'd not been able to find anyone who had what he'd wanted and that's why he'd left. Or was that--

Noticing that he was arguing with himself, he shut the mental dialog off in realization that it didn't matter and dialed the collect call once more. This time, he was prepared for the question prompted to him.

"Please state your name after the tone."

"Suoh," he answered after the beep. Tsuna tapped his foot impatiently and put his back to the phone booth so that he could look around to ensure that no one could sneak up on him while he talked. He'd already had two close calls while he'd been eating. One of those, he'd been lucky to lose only his meal. The second time, he lost the shiny gleam on his retractable knife. Thankfully, the wound he'd caused had been light and he'd been able to get away with a minimal of other fighting.

"Suoh!" A voice exclaimed breathlessly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Suoh! Are you there?! Is that really you?!"

"It's me," he answered quietly with his own heart leaping up into his throat. He couldn't recognize the voice. He knew that he should, but he couldn't. It wasn't Snicker's and that was the only one that he could remember anymore. "Is Snicker there?"

"He's at work right now," the person answered. "Stay on the line and I'll--"

"It's okay," he interjected hurriedly while he looked up at the sky to see that the sun was overhead. "I lost track of time and wasn't thinking. If he's at work, I don't want to bother him. I just wanted to make sure that he recovered from the surgery that Autumn mentioned."

"He recovered a long time ago," the person replied in a rush. "He's been working like crazy so that he can hire detectives to find you! Where are you?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But tell Snicker to stop wasting his money. I--"

"When are you coming home, Suoh?" The person asked with a voice laced with tears. "No one cares about your past anymore. A lot of us were shocked at first, but it doesn't matter! We just want you back!"

"Stop crying, Gigi," he ordered as the name finally popped into his head. "You know that I can't come back. They're always going to be coming for me when I least expect it. The only way to keep them from finding me is to just keep running. I can't let what happened before happen again. You're all better off with me gone."

"Stop joking around!" Gigi yelled. "Don't you know how miserable everyone is without you?! We--"

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled sincerely. "But I can't change the facts, Gigi. Mukuro threatened to kill all of you just because you were around me. You're safer without me."

"You left to protect us?" Gigi replied with a tone of shock. "That's why you left?! We thought--"

"I've already stayed on too long," Tsuna interjected. "Collect calls aren't cheap. Tell everyone that I said hi and that I'm doing okay. I have to go before I miss my train."

"Wait, Suoh--!"

"And tell Snicker that I still love him," he added sadly. "Sayonara."

"SUO--"

Tsuna stared at the phone for a long time after he hung up without bothering to even blink. Snicker was back at work. That meant that he was finding purpose to live off of the mere memory of Tsuna. That meant that Tsuna himself wasn't needed.

He wasn't needed.

He wasn't needed.

He wasn't needed.

He wasn't needed.

He wasn't needed.

He wasn't needed.

He wasn't--

"Are you just going to stand there all day?" A voice growled from over his shoulder. Tsuna didn't even look up at the voice as the words still rang in his head. He had no purpose anymore. He had no reason to keep surviving. There was no point to him having to face every day because there was nothing waiting for him. Nothing. Meaningless. Pointless. Useless. Worthless. "Don't ignore people when they're talking to you!" The voice roared, grabbing him by the collar in order to yank him up into the speaker's face. Tsuna simply stared, completely uncaring of anything anymore. Whether he lived. Whether he died. Whether he was beaten or whether he was given aid. It simply didn't matter. He felt like the guillotine had just been dropped and he simply hadn't noticed that he was dead yet.

The man in his face gaped for a moment at the expression on Tsuna's face before setting him back down. Figuring that the man wanted to use the phone, Tsuna did what he did best and got out of his way. That's all he was anyway. He was just something that took up space. A rock had more uses than he did. In matter of fact, he could enumerate all the ways that a rock was useful and he did it while walking back into the alley so that he'd be out of sight. Sitting down next to the dumpster halfway down it, he started off with his mind going completely numb to everything else.

Stick it under a wobbly table to steady it. Pin down a blanket on the beach. A bookmark. Pave a dirt road. Landscaping. Restraining walls. Can climb for fun. Throw to scare animals. The crow used them to get water out of the bottom of a glass in a folktale. Knock out a loose tooth. Sharpen knives. Wash clothes against them in a stream. Line a stream. A dam in a stream. Geologists study them...

* * *

...Kick for fun. Shape it for an arrowhead. Tie it to a stick for a weapon. Start a fire. Skip it across a pond. Catapult ammo. Destroy glass houses. Stone a martyr. Make a cairn. Bury a dead person. Create a tombstone. Build a fence. Use to play hopscotch. Use to juggle.

"Stones."

Layer at the bottom of a fishbowl.

"Pebbles."

Carve into a statue.

"Rock."

Make into a mortar and pestle to grind medicine.

"It's all the same thing. It's a rock. Isn't it? You're listing all the uses for a rock."

Knock out a loose tooth. No, he already listed that one. He wished that the voice would shut up so that he could concentrate. Now he was going to have to start all over again!

"I'm sorry if I made you mess up. Why are you listing all the ways to use a rock anyway?"

Tsuna blinked and looked up, realizing that it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. Someone was actually talking to him. Even more important, he wasn't where he'd been when he'd started making his list.

"Jacob brought you here. He said that you looked like you had a breakdown at the payphone and he couldn't just leave you all zoned out in the alley like you were."

Where was here and how was the guy in front of him reading his mind? It was freaky.

"You're funny," the blue-haired man replied as he leaned closer as if Tsuna was a source of absolute amusement that needed to be closely inspected. "I'm not reading your mind. You're talking and I've been listening. As for where you are, you're in Jacob's warehouse. It was safer to bring you here than leave you to get picked on by Jojo's gang. You were listing all the uses of a rock. Wasn't that what you were doing?"

"Y-Yeah," Tsuna answered, finding himself unable to speak higher than a whisper since his throat was worn out. That more than anything told him that he had been talking constantly for the past several hours. He hadn't meant to, but he'd lost track. He was so used to silence with the exception of his own voice and he must have wanted to hear something. At least, that was the only explanation that he could come up with.

"You talked back to me!" The guy exclaimed as if it was completely unexpected. "You actually heard me that time! I've got to go tell Jacob!"

"Wait--!" Tsuna croaked when the guy started to scramble to his feet. The guy paused and Tsuna could only look at him with hundreds of unshed tears glazing his eyes. "D-Don't leave..." he mumbled. "I..."

"Don't worry," he replied with a wide, reassuring smile. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere. Okay?"

Where was he going to go, Tsuna asked himself as the man darted off and left him alone again. There was nowhere to go. He didn't have anywhere to go. He didn't have a home. He only had places he could visit. He could list all the places he could visit. There was Alabama... Alaska... Arkansas... Arizona...

"I thought you said that he'd stopped mumbling."

"He did, Boss! He just started back up again! See, it's a new list!"

Tsuna snapped his mouth shut and clenched it tightly the moment that he heard the word 'Boss'.

"Hey, man," the Boss called, walking over to kneel down next to him. "I know that you can hear us because you just went all quiet. What's wrong with you? You looked like you'd just got the worst news in the world when I first saw you and then you went all crazy-like. Who are you? Where did you come from? Let me warn you that I ain't going to go easy if I hear something I don't like. I'd rather bury someone than see my friends get put six-feet-under because I let a nutcase walk around town."

"Does that mean that you'll kill me?" Tsuna murmured, finally looking up to stare at his keeper with a dead look in his eyes. He knew that it was a dead look because he felt dead. He simply existed with no purpose, no life, and no uses. "If you want to kill me, then it's okay. I'm too tired to run anymore."

"You really mean that," he replied in surprise. "What's got you wanting to die so badly?"

"I'm tired," he repeated. "And it hurts."

"Was that why you were making lists?" The younger of the two asked. Tsuna nodded and bowed his head again, unable to deny the fact that it hadn't hurt as long as he'd kept his mind on pointless thoughts.

"Why don't you get some sleep," the taller man suggested, reaching out to push Tsuna down on the pallet that he'd been placed on. "We'll talk in the morning when you're not so tired."

"Okay," Tsuna agreed without a fight, pulling the cover that was placed on him over his head. Closing his eyes, he only heard part of their conversation before he fell into a deep sleep.

"I wonder what happened to him."

"Who knows."

"Are you going to help him, Boss?"

"I told you not to call me Boss. Just call me Jacob like everyone else."

"But everyone calls you Boss behind your back!"

"But not to my face, so quit it."

"Well, are you going to help him, Jacob?"

"I'll try, but I'm not sure if there's anything I can do."

* * *

Red. Pink. Yellow. White. Orange--

"Will you stop making lists already?!" Jacob exclaimed in irritation.

"You can't blame him," C.J. objected after tossing Tsuna another beer. "You did ask what color roses you could get Susie for her birthday."

"I'm not even sure if I should get her roses," Jacob sighed. "Leon is probably going to get her three dozen, the rich bastard. I gotta figure out something that she'll like that's cheaper."

"Frog," Tsuna mumbled with the image popping into his head.

"Hmm," he replied in thought. "Susie does like frogs. She always goes around wearing those hair clips with frogs on them. What can I get with a frog on it that she'll like?"

Stuffed animal. Card. Shirt. Bobble-head. Keychain. Cake. Balloon. Pajama pants. Backpack. Necklace. Charm bracelet.

"I get the picture," Jacob growled. Tsuna snapped his mouth shut again. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't stay quiet anytime he tried to list stuff in his head. Even after having real people to talk to, he couldn't break himself of the habit. Anytime he was alone and anytime that he was sad, he found himself making lists so that he wouldn't think of painful things. It helped, but it also made him seem crazy to others at the same time.

Not wanting to irritate Jacob any further, Tsuna retreated back to the pallet that they'd given him in the back corner of the warehouse. Since arriving, Tsuna had found that Jacob was the leader of the local gang. Even backwaters had gangs apparently, although they only had one rival to speak of. The only reason they'd even got a gang status by others was because of a few altercations that happened in town when their group came in contact with Jojo's group. They actually didn't even call themselves a gang. They called themselves a Posse as if they were stuck in a wild west show.

Altogether, there were twenty members of the gang. Most of them were burly farmhands, while a few were skinny guys that were obviously wanting protection. Everyone got along, though, and there was no in-fighting that he would have expected. From the look of things, everyone had grown up together in the same town and were comfortable with each other's presence. Almost all of them had jobs working on their parent's farms and those that didn't had jobs elsewhere in town.

The first day, a lot of them had come up to talk to him. It'd made him happy to talk to someone again. He hadn't noticed how lonely he was until he'd once again been in the presence of people that noticed him. After two days, though, none of them had approached him anymore since their curiosity was appeased for the most part. C.J. was the only one that sought him out to talk anymore. But that was enough. It was enough for him to not care anymore about whether he moved on and it was enough for him to accept their generosity.

He wasn't sure how many days had passed after that. He found himself sleeping a lot. When he wasn't sleeping, he was either making a list, talking to someone, or smoking weed. Those were the only things that he did because they were the only things that kept him from hurting. Those things took his mind off of himself and his miserable situation. He preferred sleep over doing things while he was awake. Sleep meant oblivion and he was typically too tired to remember his dreams anymore. The fragments that he did occasionally remember were too disjointed for him to piece together. Not that it mattered since he always made himself fall back asleep again after a bit of his new herbal remedy. He just wished that he could get his shakes to stop so that he didn't tremble himself awake a lot of the time. He figured that it was either the new weed that was causing it or it was his body's disorientation from sleeping too much. He hoped it was the latter, so he ignored it more often than not.

Reaching into his satchel, Tsuna pulled out the thick blunt that one of the guys had given him after he'd smoked the last of his own. He'd been carefully doling it out by smoking only a small amount at a time. After all, he had no clue when he'd be able to get more and he didn't want to be without if he found himself in need. It was slightly different than the stuff that he was used to, but he found that it was both stronger and the haze that he enjoyed was thicker. He appreciated it since the only time he was able to smile was when everything was blissfully distanced.

And he wanted to smile. Even if it was fake, it felt good to smile without a care in the world. He liked not hurting and not being able to feel. It was as if all the weight that he'd been carrying around just started lifting off of him ounce after ounce.

"Don't take it personally," C.J. said, sitting down next to him. "Boss is just a little grouchy because Susie didn't like what he got her for Christmas. He's not real good when it comes to shopping."

"It's fine," Tsuna smiled, leaning his head back in order to shut his eyes and feel the soothing effects wash over him. It felt good. So good that he knew exactly why it was criminal. He felt like he could live off of the effects alone. He didn't need food. He didn't need water. He just needed voices around him and his miracle cure and he'd be perfectly happy until the day he died.

"Are you hungry?" C.J. asked curiously. "I haven't seen you eat anything in a few days."

"I'm good," he lied with a pat to his satchel. "Everything I need is in here."

"If you say so," he replied doubtfully. "Well, I gotta run up to the store and pick up a couple of things. Do you want to come with me? You haven't been outside since we brought you here."

"Sure," Tsuna sighed, taking one last hit before putting what was left out. Stowing it away in his bag, he tried to ignore how his gut twisted around his backbone painfully while he stood up and silently followed C.J. toward the warehouse's gaping exit. That was his cue, he knew. He hadn't eaten in three days and he had to find something before the day was over. He didn't want to take what C.J. or Jacob offered because they were too caring for their own good. It didn't feel right when he considered how much he already leeched off of the two. He couldn't take the food out of their mouths on top of it.

"Are you okay?" C.J. asked worriedly when he stumbled a bit. Tsuna nodded and continued down the path that led to town, feeling incredibly light thanks to what he'd taken. He felt light and happy with all his worries and all of his pain seeming to go so far away. There was still the twisting pain in his gut and he felt like he was shaking inside from weakness, but his heart... His heart felt so unburdened that it made him want to laugh.

And he did while the ground rushed up to meet him.

* * *

Tsuna noticed three things before he even opened his eyes. The first thing was the smell of medical sterilizer. The second was lack of the dirty, crawling sensation on his skin. The third was silence. Then a fourth thing was noticed when he finally cracked his heavy eyes open.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I finally found you."

"You found me," Tsuna repeated without emotion. "So go home."

"Not without you."

"Then you're not going back," he countered.

"Yes, I am," Autumn replied. "And you're coming with me."

"I can't go back."

"That's bullshit and you know it. There's no reason for you to not go back. Just because a few childhood friends tracked you down doesn't mean--"

"They're not my friends," Tsuna growled, pinning her in place with a glare. "I don't make friends with murderers."

"Murder...ers...?" Autumn repeated in shock.

"Go back," he ordered, turning his head away from her completely.

"Not until I get some answers!" She snapped. "Do you know how much it cost me to fly out here ahead of everyone else?!"

"Every--" Tsuna felt his heart begin to race in his chest as he bolted up in the hospital bed. "I got to get out of here," he mumbled to himself as he started pulling the IVs out of his arms. He tried and he failed due to the way that his hands were still shaking from exhaustion. He couldn't even get the medical tape off. If his weakness wasn't plain enough, the way that Autumn was able to grab his wrists and pin them together definitely made it plain. He attempted to twist out of her grasp, but was completely unable to due to weakness.

"You're not going anywhere," she said firmly while he continued his pathetic attempts to get free. "Stop it, Suoh, and talk to me! Why did you run off if it's not what everyone told me? Why don't you want to wait and see everyone?! Answer me!"

"Because!" He snapped while he continued to twist his wrists in her iron-grasp. "If I stay around them, they'll all die! Let me go!"

"What?"

"They'll all die," Tsuna repeated, looking up into Autumn's shocked face with his misery etched into his own expression. It hurt. It hurt to admit it, but it was the truth. "If I'd stayed around them, everyone would have become targets. I can't let them get hurt, so let me go! I have to leave before they get here!"

"Targets by who, Suoh?" Autumn snapped aggressively. "I want the whole story, not the bullshit that everyone's been feeding me. Who would target you?"

"T-The Mafia," he answered, sagging down in place while Autumn's hands let go out of shock. Simply saying it aloud made him lose his will to fight and flee. There was nowhere he could run. Nowhere that he could hide. He knew that they'd find him eventually, but he had to make sure that no one got hurt when they did. Even knowing that and even knowing that he needed to run, he felt a strange calm wash over him that made him feel like he had all the time in the world to escape.

"The... Mafia..." Autumn repeated slowly as she stumbled back into a chair. "You're running from the... Mafia... No wonder everyone lied to me. Gigi probably told them not to trust me. Why? Why are they after you, Suoh?"

_Tell her that you were part of the Estraneo Family._

"I was part of the Estraneo Family," Tsuna lied while wondering why he was listening to the strange voice that floated into his thoughts. Collapsing softly back into his hospital bed, he felt a wave of vertigo wash over him that made his eyes grow heavy. He was too tired to argue with the voice. He just wanted to sleep and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be allowed any until he obeyed.

_Tell her that you were part of a project to defeat Vongola the Tenth._

"I was part of a project to defeat Vongola the Tenth," he repeated as contentment made him even drowsier. It was like he had just smoked again. Everything seemed so far away and pleasantly distant.

_Tell her that you ran away but Vongola is still chasing you._

"I ran away, but Vongola is still chasing me," he said obediently as another wave washed away the heavy feeling burdening his heart.

_Kufufufu, good boy, Tsunayoshi. That should be good enough. Remember those words and repeat them until they become truth. If you don't, you'll be found again. You don't want to be found by anyone but me. Do you, Tsunayoshi?_

"No, Mukuro," he replied dreamily. "I don't want to be found."

"Suoh?" Autumn asked worriedly.

_Kufufufu. Call me Mukuro-sama and I won't make you go back. I will keep you hidden with deceit and I will shield you from the ugliness of the world. Accept my offer, Tsunayoshi. I can make it so that you don't have to fear for the lives of those around you. Accept my pact and you can return to stand beside those you long for. _

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," he mumbled as he felt himself drifting off to sleep again. Only one thought entered his mind. Snicker. He could go back and see Snicker again. It didn't matter if Snicker didn't need him. He wanted to see Snicker again. He wanted it more than life itself. "I'll accept your pact."

"Suoh...?"

Tsuna hissed as pain began to shoot through his wrist. It was different than what he'd imagined. He'd thought that Mukuro would possess him and make the world disappear. He wasn't, though. Tsuna could feel something writhing and shifting in his mind, tumbling shard after shard of memories up against the surface until his back arced and he let out a strangled scream from the pain. His hand began to go numb from some invisible force clamping down on it hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. Then it was gone between one moment and the next, taking the sight in one of his eyes with it.

_I will be watching, Tsunayoshi. Just call my name and I will be there. You are mine now._

"Suoh!" Autumn cried, bringing his attention to her and the stream of nurses that were hovering over him. "What's wrong, Suoh?!"

_Sleep, Tsunayoshi._

"Yes," he agreed, feeling completely worn out both mentally and physically. Shutting his eyes, he heard Autumn's voice ringing in his ears while he fell into a deep, painless slumber.

* * *

Tsuna looked around the room in curiosity. It was dark, which meant it was probably nighttime. There was a little bit of moonlight coming through the blinds, but not enough that he could really see anything other than the hospital bed he was laying on. The hospital bed and...

...And Snicker's head resting comfortably at his side from where the man had fall asleep while sitting in the chair next to the bed. Tsuna started to reach out in curiosity of whether he was dreaming or not, but pulled back before waking the man.

Was it really safe? He could barely remember making a deal with Mukuro and he wasn't quite sure why he'd agreed so easily without thinking things through. Mukuro was the one that'd ruined everything and had made him run, yet Mukuro had offered to hide him so that it'd be safe to go home. It didn't make sense. Why would Mukuro have offered to do something like that for him? What was Mukuro getting out of it? More importantly, had that even been real?! Maybe he'd just been hallucinating the whole thing.

_Kufufufu. It wasn't a hallucination, Tsunayoshi._

"M-M-Mukuro?" Tsuna whispered, looking around the dark room to see where he was lurking in the shadows.

_I thought you were going to call me Mukuro-sama_, he pouted as Tsuna realized the voice was purely in his head. _Did you not agree to our pact?_

"That was real?" He asked quietly with his eyes widening at the thought of having made a deal with the devil.

_That hurts, Tsunayoshi. I'm no devil, although I will not claim to be a saint._

"How are you talking to me?" Tsuna asked curiously.

_The you that you can not remember being created a connection between us. It is much like the connection I already shared with my dear Chrome. I can always find you, Tsunayoshi. I have been watching you for quite some time through it. You weren't in a condition to accept my presence before now, but I believe that the time was right to lay claim once more to what is mine. You need me. I had hoped that your pursuit of revenge would strengthen you enough to survive until my task was finished, but I fear what may befall you until you can achieve that strength. You've already fallen too many times for me to sit back in comfort. Accept me, Tsunayoshi. Accept me and allow me to do what you cannot. Vongola will never know that you are alive for so long as you wish it to be._

"Aren't you going to possess me?" Tsuna inquired, quickly getting used to the fact that he was basically talking to himself.

_Kufufufufu. I was tempted, but you're so much more fun to play with when you have the will to fight back. Plus, it is condition set in the connection binding us together that I may never make you do something you would regret. Even if I wished it, possessing you would be a risk that might infringe upon that condition. The most that I am permitted with this pact is to use you as a host when you are willing._

"Then the pact...?"

_It strengthened our connection so that we could talk more frequently in this fashion. You have given me possession of your eye as the price. I've set up illusions while you were sleeping so that you may still perceive what I see out of that eye. Doing so has also given me control of several things inside you that you cannot control on your own anymore. I will be able to teach you things that you would not be able to learn under normal methods. _

"What are you getting out of this?" Tsuna asked suspiciously.

_You_, he answered simply. The answer made Tsuna freeze in place, feeling as if his gut was twisting from something other than hunger for once. Looking down at Snicker's face, his mind became a tumult of confused thoughts. What did Mukuro mean by that? Where did that leave him and Snicker? He'd thought that the pact was so that-- _Calm down, Tsunayoshi. I will not allow you to regret adding to that which binds us together. You may have your toy for now. Your life is your own, but you have given me the power to intercede if needed. Merely thinking of me is enough to bring my attention to you and speaking it will give me rights to take you in completion._

"You're really not going to tell anyone that you found me?"

_Kufufufu. Not as long as you call me, Mukuro-sama._

"O-Okay," Tsuna blushed brightly. "I-If that's all that you want, then I'll call you it."

_You'll call me what...?_

"M-Mukuro...sama..." He replied while he blushed so hard that his ears turned red. A ring of laughter filled his ears as Tsuna felt himself internally lurch in place. It was an unsettling feeling, almost as if he'd been swept off of his feet and set into someone's lap. He still had all of his senses, but he was completely unable to control anything.

"I usually try not to tarnish my dearest Chrome's mind with the knowledge of what I do while she hosts my spirit," Mukuro said quietly while using Tsuna's voice. "For you, I do not believe that I may be permitted such luxuries."

_What happened?!_ Tsuna screamed silently.

"A test drive, my dearest Tsunayoshi," he chuckled. "Oya? Your body is much smaller than I remember. You've damaged it quite badly."

I... I forgot to eat and I passed out.

"Starvation, hmmm? There are much less painful ways to die."

_I wasn't trying_, Tsuna replied sadly while he tried to ignore the feeling of Mukuro using his hand to caress across his own chest under his hospital gown. _I just stopped caring and I wasn't paying attention to how bad I'd gotten_. _Hey--! "_Don't touch that!" Tsuna squeaked, lurching forward in place when Mukuro's hands started moving south with one very noticeable goal in mind. The lurch left him disoriented for a moment when he was able to reassert control of his own body again.

_Alas, unlike with my dear Chrome, it'll take some time before you learn not to fight me._

"I can push you out?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

_Sadly enough, it looks to be so. It is not a true contract, after all. It is merely a pact. _

"Oh."

_I must go, Tsunayoshi. The lake-dwellers grow hungry and I must make the best of the time when they can be bargained with._

"Before you go," Tsuna mumbled with a small feeling of concern still making his gut roll around. "Is it really safe for everyone? Can I really go home?"

_Yes, my dearest Tsunayoshi. I will protect you as much as you'll permit._

"Thank you," Tsuna replied with a sigh of relief. "I can't tell you how happy that makes me, M-Mukuro-sama." Tsuna forced back the blush that automatically wanted to surface with calling Mukuro in such a fashion, knowing that he'd have to get used to it. It was such a small price, though. For the reassurances and the protection needed so that it'd be safe for everyone even if he went back home, a little thing like an honorific was nothing. Although, he thought Mukuro was a little egotistical for asking for that kind of thing. Either that or he had strange, perverted tastes that Tsuna didn't even want to think about.

Probably the latter, Tsuna thought with a groan as he felt Mukuro depart from his mind with laughter. The feeling of him leaving was indescribable. He could feel the link between them tugging at the edges of his mind while he drifted away. The tug got softer and softer as more distance came between them until Tsuna couldn't sense Mukuro at all. He was watching, though. Tsuna knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. It was different, though. It was the difference between having someone in the same room as himself and knowing that someone was watching through a hidden camera. He could make himself forget that a camera was there, where it would have been impossible with a person being in the same space.

Once more, Tsuna found himself looking down at Snicker's face. His beloved fool of a Snicker. They could go home together. He could see him. He could talk to him. He could touch him and hold him again. It took everything he had not to reach out and mercilessly shake him awake when he realized it. He looked so tired and peaceful where he slept. He'd gotten more toned since Tsuna had left. From the few hesitant touches that Tsuna allowed himself, Snicker's arm felt like nothing but skin over stone. What little fat that he'd once had claim to had been totally hardened into solid muscle. It made him wonder how long he'd really been gone for Snicker to have gotten so strong. It also made him wonder what they'd been doing for him to have gotten that way.

It didn't matter. Snicker was there. He was real. He couldn't count all the times that he'd dreamed of seeing Snicker again. What he _could _count was all the things that he'd missed and loved about him. He loved his kindness. He loved his smile. He loved the sound of his laughter. Warm hands. Cynical humor. Accepting nature. His wisdom. His hidden idealistic heart and the way that it sometimes clashed up with his realist way of thinking. His soft hair and his bushy beard. His intelligence. His determination. His carefree and ever-positive way of dealing with almost anything that came his way. The way he appreciated simple things. The way he always went 'Pah!' when burping after a soda. The way he'd reacted that time that he'd woken up to find that Tsuna had braided his hair. The way that he was ticklish on his sides but not on his feet. The small birthmark that he had on his lower back. The freckle on his knee. The way that he stuck his tongue out to the corner of his mouth when he was having a hard time opening a jar. The way that he snapped the same beat every time he was having trouble thinking of something. The way that he always fumbled when flipping a coin. His never-ending list of curse words that he spouted when he stubbed a toe. The look on his face when he--

"Suoh...?"

--woke up but still had that dreaming look in his eyes.

"I'm here, Joshua," Tsuna replied while feeling his heart begin to pound. It was a good feeling. It was a feeling that screamed out that he was still alive. No, he amended, it was a feeling that screamed out that he could start _living _again. He could start living because Snicker was within arms' reach again.

He wasn't sure who moved first. He wasn't sure it mattered. He wasn't sure of anything other than the blinding need to throw his arms around Snicker and lock himself tightly into the embrace that'd haunted him with every second that'd passed since he'd left. It was everything he'd hoped for and everything he'd dreamed of. Every gentle touch was like a hot brand that etched itself into his memory so easily that it was painful. Snicker's words were almost incoherent, but every word of his babbling lanced into Tsuna's ears. His tears were like hot wax on his skin, making Tsuna able to count every droplet that fell with how painfully aware he was of them. His lips... His lips were like rock candy that were sweet yet made one want to bite despite how painful such an act would be. It took everything he could muster not to bite through Snicker's lips to keep him from retreating time and time again while he tried to continue his babbling. Tsuna knew that he was no better as he tried to tell Snicker all the words that he'd not been able to say around attempts to claim all the kisses that they'd missed out on.

"You're coming home," Snicker said firmly, pulling Tsuna tightly against his chest when Tsuna started to grow faint from the lack of air combined with the way his heart was speedily trying to jackhammer its way out of his chest. "I don't care if it's the Mafia, the Military, or UFOs. I ain't going to let anyone take you away, Suoh. I ain't going to let anyone threaten you so that you feel like you got to run, either. We'll protect you. The whole gang decided on that. We all decided that when we found you, we'd hogtie you until you realized that we aren't scared of your past. Just let them try to do what they did again. We--"

"It's okay, Joshua," Tsuna murmured while letting himself drift contentedly in Snicker's smell. "I already made a deal. I can go back now."

"What kind of deal?" Snicker asked in open concern.

"It's not important," he answered with a smile. "All that matters is that no one will bother us anymore."

"It does matter," Snicker replied worriedly, pulling back out of Tsuna's arms in order to look at him in the face. He froze the moment that their eyes met and Tsuna looked away with an accurate guess of why Snicker found himself speechless. "What happened to your eye, Suoh? It's red."

"It's not important," Tsuna repeated. "I'll cover it up so that you don't have to see it. All that matters is that I can go home now. I can go home and we don't ever have to be apart again."

"Do you mean that?" Snicker mumbled with his attention completely diverted away from Tsuna's affliction. "You won't try to run off again?"

"I don't have to run anymore," Tsuna mumbled sleepily. Snicker shifted onto the bed so that Tsuna could lie back down without having to give up his place where he was snuggled warmly against Snicker's chest. "I can go home and get a job so that Snicker is proud of me. There's lots of jobs that I could get that I didn't think of before. I can be a volunteer firefighter. I can volunteer down at the free clinic as an orderly. I can be an errand boy or a messenger. I can have Coach Reynolds sign me up for some tournaments with prize money. I can work as a herald boy for the newspaper stand. I--"

"Won't you be scared of the crowds?" Snicker interjected curiously, reasserting his presence in Tsuna's mind.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But I can do it anyway. I've had to deal with a lot of crowds while we were apart. There was the crowd at the beach in Florida and the one at the amusement parks. There were crowds at all the fishing spots and there were crowds of cars on the freeway. The sidewalks were always full of crowds and--"

"Was it hard?" Snicker asked gently before Tsuna could get started up again.

"It was quiet," Tsuna answered honestly. "Even in noisy crowds, I thought that I was deaf sometimes."

"I'll make sure to remind you that you can hear," Snicker replied. Tsuna looked up and noticed the soft, sad expression on Snicker's face. Snicker knew. Snicker always knew. He knew what silence could do and he knew what people sometimes did to ease it. Whether it was collecting, counting, random listing, word games, or something else, everyone found their own way to deal with the silence. They had to or else they'd lose themselves to the madness that came from only hearing their own thoughts. "One should never walk alone in their own mind, Suoh," Snicker commented. "Anytime you start trying, I'm going to be there to remind you that I'm here to talk to. I'll do it for as long as it takes."

"I love you, Snicker," Tsuna mumbled as he snuggled even closer. "I'm sorry that I caused you to get hurt. I never wanted that to happen."

"Running away didn't make it any better," Snicker grumbled unhappily. "I thought I was going to have another one when they finally told me why you weren't there when I woke up. If it weren't for Autumn, I think I would have gave up right then and there. I need to thank her again sometime."

"Autumn...?" Tsuna repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep," he nodded, shifting slightly to get more comfortable on the bed so that he could hold Tsuna better. "She gave me your message. The one where you said that you were waiting for me to find you when I got better. It took longer than expected, but--"

"That bitch," he growled with his eye twitching in anger. "All that work I did to try to make you give up on me and she says something like that."

"You might want to explain that a bit," Snicker prompted darkly. Tsuna grimaced and instantly wished he'd kept his mouth closed.

"I..." Taking a deep breath, Tsuna decided that there was no point in hiding it. "That wasn't the message I told her to give you. The message that I told her to tell you was for you to go talk to Charlie. When I left... When I left, I didn't think I'd get to go back. You understand. Don't you, Snicker? I was afraid that I'd be putting you all in danger. I wanted to see you so badly, but I couldn't. I wanted you to give up on me, but I didn't want anything to happen to you. I was afraid. I was afraid that you'd be like me and I didn't want you to hurt like that."

"If I'd gave up on you, I'd gave up on myself, Suoh," Snicker mumbled, pressing his lips against Tsuna's forehead. "It's probably better that Autumn lied to me. If I'd heard that you'd said something like that then I probably would have hurt a lot more than I already did. At least I had some hope this way. Even so, there were days... There were days that I wanted to give up because we hadn't heard from you in so long.

When you called Gigi the other day, I can't tell you how much it helped to hear that you were alive. It helped but it also hurt because I didn't get to hear your voice. It reminded me that I couldn't see you. That I couldn't hold you. I wanted to hear you so much, Suoh. I missed the sound of your voice so much that I thought that _I _was going deaf. I was going deaf because I didn't want to hear anything that might make me forget what you sounded like.

I still talked, though. I talked about you until I thought that I was going to turn blue because I didn't want to forget anything about you. Everyone knows about us now. I couldn't hold it in anymore and I stopped caring what everyone thought. Part of me wondered... Part of me wondered if you ran away because I didn't want to admit how I felt about you to everyone else. So I told everyone. I told everyone and I knocked the shit out of those that had a problem with me liking a guy half my age. I knocked the shit out of them until there wasn't anyone left that had a problem with us being together."

"You did that?" Tsuna asked in surprise, propping himself up carefully so that he could look in Snicker's face. Snicker nodded with his eyes shining from a multitude of unshed tears that began to tumble freely. It was only the fourth time that he could remember seeing Snicker cry since they'd met and Tsuna felt his heart clench from the knowledge that he'd caused the tears. He'd caused the tears all the other times, too. There was nothing that he could do to repent for it, either. The only thing he could do was to apologize repeatedly while he tried to kiss the tears away. It made his heart feel so heavy again, but it was a weight that he willingly carried.

Seeing Snicker cry made him realize that he'd broken his own ability to cry. He'd carried the pain endlessly until now and he'd grown acclimated to it. Even seeing Snicker cry only made that pain ease instead of worsen. It made it ease because every tear that Snicker shed was a purpose and a goal. It gave him the purpose of keeping Snicker from ever crying again. It gave him the goal of making Snicker laugh and smile for weeks for every single droplet shed in sadness.

"I love you, Suoh," Snicker sniffed when his tears finally started to slow. "I love you and I ain't going to let anything get in the way anymore. I'm nothing but an old fool, but you just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes not to lose you again."

"You're not going to lose me, Snicker," Tsuna soothed, once more cuddling up next to him when a wave of trembling weakness washed over him again. "I already told you that I took care of it. We can go home as soon as they let me out of here."

"Speaking of which," Snicker sniffed again as he pulled away in order to regain his composure under the cover of pulling over a tray of food hidden in the shadows. It took a moment for him to rearrange himself with the wheel-able table between the two of them, after which Tsuna's eyes widened at the spread laid out for him. "I didn't want to have to leave you alone, so I had Gigi and Ore pick you out some food from the cafeteria. The doctors said that they couldn't release you until they were sure that you were able to eat properly. They said with how bad your stomach had gotten, they were surprised that you could stomach solid foods at all. The gelatin is probably runny by now, but we got you lots of stuff to pick from. You just eat whatever still looks good and let me know if there's anything specific that you want fresh. I'll send one of the nurses down to get it for me."

"I can't eat all of this!" Tsuna gaped, his stomach churning at the thought of trying to down such a large amount.

"It don't matter," Snicker said while surreptitiously wiping his face. "You just eat what you can and get your strength back up. I know that it's a bit wasteful, but I figured that it could be forgiven this time."

"Snicker..." Tsuna murmured in awe. It was the first time that he'd ever heard Snicker say that it was okay to waste. That gesture alone almost touched him more deeply than his tears had. Snicker cared. He cared for Tsuna as much as Tsuna cared in return. Even though Tsuna had caused him such heartache, he was still there with affection and tokens that Tsuna didn't feel worthy of receiving. He got past that feeling, though. He got past it and accepted it anyway because to deny Snicker's offering would be paramount to denying Snicker's feelings. That was one thing that Tsuna wasn't capable of doing. Snicker meant too much to him for him to be able to do such a thing.

With a lump in his throat and shaking hands, Tsuna reached out to take the first thing that he saw while feeling Snicker's caring and concerned gaze on him. It wasn't until he'd forced himself to eat half of it that he realized that it was actually good. Having food in his stomach made him realize how hungry he was and having Snicker sitting across from him increased his appetite until he could feel exactly how empty his stomach was again. He was so hungry that it made him feel sick. His stomach wanted to rebel the moment that it actually started feeling the food in it while complaining loudly that it wanted more.

"Take it slow," Snicker advised worriedly while handing over a cup of water. "Don't force yourself, Suoh. Just take small nibbles until you feel full. I know how it is when you get as bad off as you are. Don't worry if you can only handle a few bites at a time. The doctors will probably have you nibbling on something constantly until you can eat a whole meal. We aren't in any hurry. Home will still be there when we get back. You just take it easy and do what you can without pushing yourself."

Tsuna nodded and took the advice. It was almost scary how accurate Snicker was. He only managed a boiled egg and a quarter of a soft bread roll before he felt like he'd get sick if he ate anymore. Even that much made him feel bloated, which made him try to remember how much he'd been eating. Snicker had always been the one to keep track of that on the streets. Tsuna had been capable of keeping track when they'd been able to get at least one helping of ever food group during the day, but they'd survived before then by Snicker's careful management. When left alone, Tsuna had lost track and had stopped caring about what he ate as long as his stomach hadn't been gnawing on his backbone.

"You don't just have the effects of starvation to deal with, Suoh," Snicker commented while Tsuna looked over all the plates of food mournfully. "You weren't eating the right things for a long time before you ran outta food, so you got malnourishment to deal with, too. You can have one effect without the other, but you got both. On top of that, you had enough THC in your system to make a small elephant feel giddy. We can wait to talk about that when you're feeling better, though."

"Are you going to hit me?" Tsuna asked while bowing his head. Snicker stiffened in surprise at the question, but Tsuna let it stand. There'd been such a strong feeling like someone was going to punch him every time that he'd smoked that he'd almost stopped numerous times.

"No," Snicker replied with his concern on his face once more. "I just want to talk and find out why you were doing drugs, Suoh. No matter how bad things got in the last six months, you--"

"Six months?" He yelped while lurching in place. Looking up, he stared at Snicker with his shock plain on his face. "I was gone six months? That can't be right! I was only in Florida for..." Tsuna paused and tried to figure up the days and weeks. It didn't take long to figure out that he couldn't. His time hadn't moved at the same pace as everyone else's. All of it was hazy and what he could remember was a jumble of cities and transportations. He couldn't keep that part straight in his head and he'd stopped paying attention to how long he stayed in new places. Instead of staying for a certain number of days, he'd always just stayed in a place until the area he was in began to grow familiar. Sometimes it was only a day or two while other times he'd stayed until he lost track of how long he'd been there. Sometimes it'd felt like he'd been gone years while other times felt only like a week or two.

"You were gone six months," Snicker repeated gently. "Your internal clock might be a bit wonky, but it's almost the end of June, Suoh. You were probably down where it was nice and warm for the end of winter, but Spring has already passed, too. We're in summer now. Didn't you notice the firework stands setting up for the fourth of July?"

"No," he groaned while covering his face with his hands. "I wasn't paying attention to stuff like that. How did I--"

"Don't worry about things like that right now, Suoh," he ordered quietly as he got up to steer the table of uneaten food back into the shadows of the room. "You just lay back and try to get some more rest."

"Don't--" Tsuna mumbled when Snicker started to sit back down in the bedside chair. Snicker straightened back up as Tsuna bowed his head. He didn't want Snicker that far away, but he didn't have the strength to reach out to pull him closer nor did he remember how to ask anymore. Snicker knew and understood, though. Just like he always did, Snicker knew because he felt no different.

Snicker let out a soft sigh and pulled off his ever-present army coat in order to get more comfortable. Scooting over on the narrow bed, Tsuna made room so that he could lay down next to him fully instead of simply lounging halfway off like before. Tsuna could feel a simple joy welling up inside him as Snicker's weight settled down next to him that was only strengthened when Snicker reached out to wrap his arms around him again. More than just his arms, Snicker draped his jacket over Tsuna's back and pulled him close so that Tsuna was resting his head on his chest.

It was warm. He felt like he'd been frozen through and Snicker's heat was a sauna penetrating him until he was warmly dozing in complete contentment. Snicker's smells and Snicker's warmth enveloped him and soothed him until he felt as if he could never feel pain again. Then Tsuna closed his eyes and felt his heart leap. There was sound. Even in the silence of the night, there was sound. He could hear it thumping speedily away in Snicker's chest like a lullaby played in percussion.

It made him happy.

It made him happy because as long as Snicker was there, he didn't have to fear the silence.


	29. Chapter 29 Return

Gigi had never truly taken it in before, but Suoh was incredibly vulnerable. He'd known already, having watch Suoh's back when he was filled with liquor. Yet, he'd not truly thought of him as vulnerable outside of that. He was always so strong in front of them. Even after he'd been raped, Suoh had never shown his weakness to people. Maybe Snicker had seen it, but he'd hidden away from everyone else for several weeks. When he'd shown himself again, he'd been full of determination and a drive to fulfill whatever goals were locked away in his head.

To see him now was painful. He seemed so small and frail in comparison to how Gigi remembered. The six months that he'd been away hadn't been kind to him. He'd noticed it in Suoh's voice over the phone. The hesitation and the lurches in his speech. He didn't even seem to notice that he was doing it, nor did he notice that he thought aloud more often than not. It made it hard to believe that the man sitting in the hospital bed, attempting to slowly eat a slice of apple, was really the Tsunayoshi Sawada that he'd idolized for so long.

He wasn't, Gigi mentally slapped himself. Tsunayoshi Sawada died. The man sitting in front of him was Suoh Timberson. He was still the same Suoh Timberson that he'd looked out for and--

"What are.. ah... you thinking about, G-Gigi?" Suoh asked quietly from where he'd bowed his head over the half-eaten slice of fruit in his hand.

"I'm just glad to see you," he replied with a smile, crossing his legs so that he could lean forward in his chair. "I wonder--"

"Gigi's lying to me again," Suoh mumbled, switching to third person like he always did when he didn't realize that he was speaking his thoughts aloud. "I don't like it when he lies to me. I can tell now, but he doesn't know that I can tell. Did you make it so that I could tell, Mukuro-sama?" Gigi flinched to herself when Suoh paused and his face took on an expression of apt listening. He was talking to his imaginary friend again. He did it at least once a day and Snicker had said that it might have been something he'd done so that he didn't feel alone. It was okay, though. They'd all agreed to ignore it until Suoh figured out for himself that he didn't such a thing. Everyone was still a little worried over it because Mukuro had been the name of the man that had shot Suoh, but he could have chosen that person just be because Suoh was willing to admit that the person was strong. It was all just tricks that Suoh's mind was playing on him and it'd go away eventually. Or so they all prayed.

"I see," Suoh mumbled unhappily. "So it's the blood again. Can I make it go away?" Silence. "Because I don't want it! I--" Silence. "Yes, Mukuro-sama. I'll learn to deal with it. Thank you for answering my question." Silence. "Oh." Suoh looked up to see everyone staring at him and blushed until his ears turned red. This time when he spoke, he seemed to actually know he was speaking. "W-What... ah... were you... ah... What were you saying, G-Gigi? I... ah... I'm sorry. I-I wasn't paying a-attention."

"Don't worry about it, Suoh," Gigi soothed with a forced smile. "I was just wondering how you were liking your apple."

"Oh," Suoh mumbled, belatedly lifting the slice back up to take the smallest of nibbles off of it. "It's... uh... It's good. T-Thanks for... ah... for giving it t-to me."

"It was a pleasure," Gigi replied. "Is there anything else that might sound good?"

"Ah... No," he answered with a hint of sadness in his voice as he once more bowed his head. "I-I still have p... ah... plenty." Gigi nodded in acceptance, but found himself freezing entirely as Suoh started mumbling under his breath again. "Hamburger. Fajitas. Onigiri. Dango. Takoyaki. Melon Bread. Donut holes. Anpan. Steak. Sea urchin. Fatty tuna. Sashimi. Sushi. Tempura. Mash potatoes and gravy. Dumplings. Udon. Somen. Spaghetti. Yakisoba. Yakitori. One of Georgie's spiced sausages. Grilled eel. Vegetable beef stew. Gyoza buns. No, I haven't been able to eat Gyoza since I-Pin almost killed Kyoko with one." Gigi felt his heart leap up into his throat at the name. Kyoko Sawada was Tsunayoshi Sawada's dead wife. Everyone who idolized him knew that. She'd been found decapitated with a multitude of other things done to her that the news hadn't been capable of detailing due to the graphic nature of even the verbal report. Gigi remembered back then. Right after that had been when Tsunayoshi had started a downward spiral that had thrown the media into a frenzy with his escapades right before he'd disappeared from public view almost completely. It'd been such a big deal that the news of it all had reached all the way state-side.

Was that one of the things that those Mafia fellows had said that Suoh couldn't remember?

"But that shouldn't matter anymore," Suoh continued to mumble. "That was back in middle school. Kami-sama, when was the last time that I thought of her? I never even got to go see--"

"Suoh," Snicker interjected loudly. It was almost too loud, making Suoh jerk up in surprise like he'd been poked from where he'd slowly been sagging down farther and farther.

"Eh?" He gasped with a complete lack of notice that he'd been talking aloud again.

"Don't think of things that'll give you nightmares," Snicker advised gently. Suoh's eyes became glazed for a moment before he simply nodded and put his head back down to continue his nibbling. "I bet you're curious about what everyone's been doing while you were away," Snicker added as a prompt. Suoh nodded silently once more without lifting his head. "Skittles got himself a small role in a television series. Oh, that's right. You probably don't know, but Summer tagged Eric with the name Skittles. Summer decided she wanted to try a real relationship for a change and moved into his room with him. Anyway, Skittles plays a role of an exorcist in this demon hunting team. He doesn't get a whole lot of lines yet, but he's got himself a small fan club that comes by to hassle him every once in a while."

"That's good," Suoh mumbled.

"Ore's started street-fighting again," Snicker continued in hopes of finding something to interest him. "He said he wanted to get stronger since he didn't like how easy he went down before. He's going at it a lot more seriously than he was when we first met him. He's the undefeated champion in the city now."

"That's good."

"I had a sex change and my name is Foxy Wetwhiskers now," Gigi lied in order to point the obvious out to Snicker.

"That's good."

"Damn," Snicker cursed in defeat. Once again, they'd lost connection with Suoh completely.

"We need to get him home," Gigi sighed while he leaned back in his chair. "Right now, they won't let more than two of us in here to visit with him and he needs more going on so that he can't drift off like that."

"Autumn's working on it," Snicker replied with his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "If we can get him to the point that he can eat a whole sandwich, the doctors will let him go. I think you're right. He'll come out of it if we can just get him home. It just still hasn't hit him that he's with--"

"Do y-you hate me, Gigi?" Suoh asked suddenly, instantly capturing both of their attention.

"What do you mean, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi inquired in confusion. "Why would I hate you?"

"I... uh... You kn-know now. Y-You know the... uh... the truth about me. A-Are you mad? Cause... uh... I-I lied."

"Is that what you were thinking of?" Gigi asked in open irritation for such a question. That irritation faded when Suoh looked up once more with a vulnerable expression that was utterly unlike the Suoh that he was used to. "No," he soothed immediately. "I'm not mad. I will admit that I was shocked at first. It's hard to think of you as the billionaire that I fant-- ahem-- that I tracked closely over several years. If you'd told me when I first met you, I might have acted different. That's not what you want, though. Is it? So, to answer the question that you're really wanting to ask, you're still just Suoh to me, sweet-cheeks. I don't plan on acting any different around you than I did before. That means you can expect me to slap your ass, tweak your nose, and continue to dream from afar that I could somehow manage to outwrestle Snicker for you. Not that I'd can anymore. He'd break my nails off and stick them down my throat if I tried."

"Depending on how far you cross the line, your fingers might still be attached," Snicker growled. "Suoh's mine and I don't plan on sharing."

"You just take away all my fun," Gigi replied with an amused grin.

"Do... ah," Tsuna mumbled, glancing at Snicker with a happy gleam in his eye before turning his attention to Gigi in full again. "Do you m-mean that? You... ah... you can really f-forget about my... ah... my name from before w-we met?"

"If that's what you want," Gigi confirmed with another note of confusion in his voice. "What's this all about?"

"I'm not.. ah... I'm not that person," he murmured. "Isn't... um... Isn't it o-okay if I'm... ah... I'm just Suoh?"

"You're past can stay in the past, Suoh," Snicker said firmly, giving Gigi the clue needed to comprehend what Suoh was so worried about. "No one is going to look at you different just because we know. You just be yourself. Your secret is safe with us."

"T-Thanks," Suoh replied with a small smile. "I... ah... I lied to A-Autumn. I... ah... I made up a story so... ah.. s-so that... ah..." Suoh paled a moment before sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I-I'm not sure, really. M-Muk... ah... Mukuro-sama told m-me to."

"Mukuro's not here, sweet-cheeks," Gigi said carefully, deciding that there was no better chance to confront the issue. He saw Snicker grimace slightly, but Gigi felt a need to point it out before Suoh got lost deeper in his delusions. "He disappeared after everything was over."

"I... I... um... I know," Suoh agreed slowly. "He's... ah... he's in my head. I made a.. ah.. a--" Suoh froze with that same look of listening on his face, making Gigi once more flinch in understanding of what was going on. Suoh thought his imaginary friend was talking to him again. "Eh?" Gigi traded looks with Snicker in the silence that followed. The same thought was running through both of their heads. If only they'd found Suoh faster. "But I'm not crazy! I-- Oh. Yeah, that probably does make me look crazy." Silence. "No! You can't! They won't--" Silence. "Of course I don't want to be locked up in a loony bin! I--" Silence. "Fine, but you better not do anything but talk!" Silence. "O-Okay. Let me warn them first." Silence. "I don't care if it's more fun for you! These are my--"

"Suoh!" Snicker snapped, unable to watch Suoh continue his argument with himself. Once more, Suoh lurched up as if poked and stared at Snicker in surprise. "You've got to stop that, Suoh," Snicker advised gently. "Me and Gigi are right here for you to talk to. You don't have to--"

"He wants to talk to you," Suoh interrupted, making both Snicker and Gigi turn pale. Gigi felt his heart drop into his stomach as he slowly came to terms with the fact that Suoh's problem was worse than they'd realized. It wasn't just an imaginary friend. It was something far worse. From the way Suoh was talking, it was a complete and totally separate personality. "Do... ah... Do you guys m-mind... ah... talking to him? H-He says that... ah... that he'll be good."

"Suoh..." Snicker groaned with an expression filled full of heartache. "You--"

"I'm not crazy," he mumbled, once more bowing his head. "He's real and... ah... and he can s-see and hear what... ah... what I can. It... It was p-part of that... ah... that deal I-I made."

"What's he talking about?" Gigi asked with narrowed eyes when Snicker paled with wide ones.

"It's something to do with his eye turning red," Snicker replied absently before replying to Suoh. "You're not making a joke, are you, Suoh? It's another of those crazy Mafia things that you told me about. Isn't it?"

"Mukuro-sama s-says that he'll... he'll explain," Suoh mumbled. "He--" Snicker and Gigi jumped up in unison when Suoh froze mid-sentence with a look of shock on his face and the remnants of his apple slice fell out of his hands. Then his eyes flickered for a moment and his expression changed. It changed into something so unlike Suoh that neither Snicker of Gigi could move. "You were taking too long, Tsunayoshi. Now be a good boy and stay quiet. I don't have time to waste on such trivialities." Suoh chuckled in laughter unlike his own and reached out to grab one of the many plates of food on the side-table. "I might as well take care of this while I'm here, too. You are far too modest for your own good, Tsunayoshi. At the rate you're eating, I'll have nothing amusing to watch for quite some time."

"W-What--?" Gigi murmured while he watched Suoh take a overly-large bite of the hamburger that he'd turned down previously.

"He's hungry," Suoh replied, talking about himself in third person. "He's hungry, but he's given himself a martyr complex and refuses to take what's offered since he does not feel he earned it. Not that I find it surprising. The he that he cannot remember being wasn't much different. He was always finding some new cause to fight for. Yes, Tsunayoshi, and to kill for. I cannot deny that the wings your grew were stained red before you reached adulthood." Gigi swallowed hard in the silence that followed, watching Suoh eat in a fashion completely unlike the way that he'd been eating for the past few days. In less than a minute, the hamburger was gone and Suoh tossed the plate carelessly back to the table before laying back in his bed in utter contentment. "Very well," he sighed, once more talking to himself. "I won't speak of it if you do not want to hear. When you are ready, I will tell you all that you wish to know."

"What's wrong with you, Suoh?" Snicker mumbled slowly.

"So the old one speaks," he chuckled with a smile flickering along his lips. "Tsunayoshi truly does have unique tastes to have chosen you as his temporary lover. Oya?" Mukuro mumbled with his eye suddenly twitching in irritation. "I asked for you to be silent, Tsunayoshi. I'll get to the matter at hand momentarily. Why don't you sleep for a while and let us talk in peace?" Silence ensued for a moment while Snicker was openly dumbfounded by the word 'temporary' and Gigi tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Were they supposed to wait the episode out? Maybe they should get a doctor? A psychiatrist? Something...? "Enough, Tsunayoshi!" He finally snapped. Then he sighed, once more turning his attention back to the others in the room. "That's better. No more interruptions."

"What... What did you do?" Snicker asked with wide eyes. "What did you do with Suoh?"

"Kufufufu," he chuckled with open pleasure. "I see that Tsunayoshi's trust in you was not completely misplaced if you are able to comprehend the situation so quickly."

"I asked what you did with Suoh!" Snicker growled while Gigi continued to find himself frozen in confusion.

"Do not fret. I've just suspended his perceptions for the moment. His outbursts were beginning to wear thin and he was on the verge of pushing me out again. For the sake of not wasting this trip, you can say that I put him to sleep so that we could talk freely. I do not have power to waste in coming here more often than needed. The pact we've made is still quite fragile."

"What pact?!" Snicker began to snarl, stepping forward to grab Suoh by the collar. Gigi started to go forward to intervene, but a single glare from Suoh made him pause after only a mere step.

"Do not forget that this is still Tsunayoshi's body that you're manhandling," he commented with a raised eyebrow down at the fists full of his shirt. Snicker's hands only tightened more with his anger sparking in his eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, Gigi started to realize that this was something far more than just a split personality. Snicker knew Suoh better than anyone and he believed that Suoh was currently gone completely. Someone else really was in Suoh's head and was possessing him. "I see that you're going to be difficult," the not-Suoh sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but I see that you're not going to be polite otherwise."

Gigi found herself shaking at the sight of Snicker's chair walking up behind him in order to restrain him. There was no explaining how it moved. The legs curved and moved in ways that the metal of the legs shouldn't move. The arm-rests lashed out in order to wrap themselves around Snicker's waist and forcibly pull him down into the seat where it could hold him in place. Gigi squeaked in surprise when he found that his own chair was just as alive, albeit in a much nicer fashion. It made him feel insane to look down and find the arm-rest of his own chair pulling on his sleeve as if to say 'sit on me'. Considering he didn't want the same treatment as Snicker, Gigi sat slowly and delicately while trying to hide the feeling of being in the twilight zone.

"Much better," the not-Suoh said in satisfaction when Snicker finally stopped fighting his restraints. "It would be best if you calmed down, my wrinkled rival. Tsunayoshi would be very unhappy if you were to have another heart attack due to my presence."

"Rival...?" Gigi interjected before Snicker could have another outburst. Pointing the word out made Snicker finally pause in order to gape at Suoh in shock.

"Pathetic humans," the not-Suoh growled. "You think that a mere year is enough to create unbreakable bonds and to know everything there is to know about the person who has unknowingly leashed you all. Tsunayoshi has ties and bonds going back to the day of his birth and before. He has forsaken all of that quite easily and yet you think your bonds with him are special. I will give you but one warning. Tsunayoshi is mine and has been mine for centuries. He is destined for things that your small minds can not begin to comprehend and I will not give up my last chance to walk beside him through this world. I refuse to leave him in the broken state that he is in, so know that your time with him might end rather abruptly."

"Broken? Our time together will end? What are you talking about? I don't understand," Gigi exclaimed.

"His memories," Snicker gasped with a shudder. "You're talking about his memories. Aren't you? He doesn't want those back! How many times does he have to say it for you to leave him alone?!"

"Indeed," the not-Suoh mumbled blandly. "The Tsunayoshi that you know does not want them back, but I assure you that the Tsunayoshi he has forgotten would. You are satisfied with possessing only a fragment while I refuse to accept less than the whole. You have no choice in this matter. I will piece together that which is shattered in his mind. Until then, I will leave him in your care. The boring monotony of your lives is relatively safer than the sadistic and ugly nature of the true horrors of this world. Alas, Tsunayoshi has faced those horrors far too often for me to be happy." Gigi gaped when the not-Suoh pushed up Suoh's hospital shirt in order to look sadly down at the tattoos and scars covering his chest. "He has deserved a rest in oblivion for a time. Just know that the time will eventually have to end. Tsunayoshi is a rare quality of being that must not be allowed to be destroyed."

"You're in love with him," Gigi gasped with a dumbfounded gape.

"I can not deny it," he replied with a dangerous softness. "But I would not have him know that until he can remember that which tied us together. He does not remember that we were once more than enemies nor does he remember the promises made. He can be forgiven for such betrayals, however. He can be forgiven since only half of him was pulled out of death's clenched jaws. I'm positive that when I retrieve the other half and he is made whole again, he will return to my side. Until then, I have created a pact with him in order to protect the half that was already returned."

"What's this pact?" Snicker asked suspiciously.

"That is between me and Tsunayoshi," he answered with a small glare. "Just know that I will be watching and that any trespasses made against Tsunayoshi will be paid in full. For now, my presence will be only at Tsunayoshi's personal request. Now, I think I've made the reality of my presence undeniable in your puny little minds. I'll give you one opportunity. Is there any other pointless questions that you two wish to ask before I return to my task?"

"Just to make this clear," Gigi said in mild confusion. "You _are _the person that shot Suoh in the head, but you're also claiming that you're inside of him in order to protect him."

"Correct," Mukuro answered in boredom. "I had my minions already explain that to you. Or has your small minds already forgotten? We warned you that we would have to force Tsunayoshi into releasing his energy. Unless you are simple-minded enough to think that it was a normal bullet that I had in the chamber? If so, you are nothing more than gullible fools."

"That was the gadget that Suoh told me about," Snicker mumbled in thought. "It didn't hit me before, but he'd sounded hesitant back when he told me about it. He probably didn't think I'd believe him if he told me he'd been taking bullets to the brain."

"They are unique in manufacture," Mukuro replied. "It took much work to retrieve one without being noticed. Thankfully, he won't be needing such remedies in the future."

"Why's that?" Gigi asked curiously.

"Because he has accepted me," he smirked. "Due to the pact, I can steal his abilities with the skill I learned on the Path of Hungry Ghosts. As long as I'm in control of his body, I can use the abilities that he cannot yet touch. It will be a simple matter to take him over when he becomes feverish and expend his Dying Will back down to a level that his weakened body can handle. With enough training and time, his body will become acclimated to its usage again and the negative effects will dissipate."

"Or we can let Poe just bite him again," Snicker amended with a glare. "I think Suoh might prefer that over having someone like you inside him."

"I believe he'll prefer my method," Mukuro countered with his eye once more twitching in irritation. "Using his life energy is better than having it eaten by hell spawn.

"W-Why don't we just let Suoh decide on that," Gigi interjected reasonably, feeling the tense air become thick between the two. "It's his body that--"

"Needs to be given back," Snicker finished in a growl.

"I see that I have reached the end of civilized conversation," Mukuro replied in amusement as he shifted to get more comfortable where he lay. "I have business to tend to anyway. Just remember that Tsunayoshi's life before he came in contact with you is not to be spoken of. There are things that he would not be able to understand if he saw it merely by the eyes of those such as yourselves. Forcing him to face that which he does not understand might only shatter him further. Other than that, know that I'll be watching."

Snicker jumped up the moment that his chair became normal again and Gigi wasn't far behind. On the bed, Suoh's eyes flickered shut for a moment, only to reopen with a sleepy haze suddenly present. He sat up, rubbing his eyes while looking around with a half-asleep expression on his face.

"What time is it?" He mumbled under his breath. "I must have dozed off while I was talking to Mukuro-sama. Damnit! I wanted to make sure that he was nice!"

"He was nice," Snicker blatantly lied. "Well, as nice as a fellow like he can get. We kind of know what's going on now, Suoh, and we know that you're not crazy. I should have thought of it being possible before with you having psychic inklings and all."

"I'm not psychic!" Suoh automatically squealed. "I'm just--" Suoh paused mid-gesture with his face turning green. Then he doubled over while holding his stomach in pain. "Ow--" he whined pathetically while Gigi and Snicker hovered over him in worry. "Mukuro-sama made me eat too much," he explained with a pitiful look on his face.

"I'll call the nurse and have her bring you something for your stomach," Snicker chuckled. "At least you aren't tossing it back out."

"Your stutter stopped, too," Gigi commented in thought.

"Stutter?" Suoh repeated in askance. "I don't stutter."

"You were," Snicker corrected in curiosity.

"Oh," he mumbled with a slight grimace. "I didn't notice."

"Don't worry about it," Gigi soothed, leaning down to give Suoh a small, friendly kiss on his forehead. "I'm going to go out and let one of the others come in. I'll have them bring something for your stomach while I'm out."

"Thanks," Suoh replied shyly. Gigi headed for the door, pausing only for a minute to look back and see Snicker already closing in on Suoh in anticipation of one of the few moments they got alone together. Everything would be okay, he told himself. Suoh just got one extra quirk added to his list and that was all. They could deal with that... hopefully. His past was manageable and could be hidden. His present consisted of helping him recover. His future...

His future was with the Orange Dragon Gang, Gigi thought firmly. Just let Mukuro try to take Suoh away. Their time together might end abruptly? HA! He could just try. The gang hadn't wasted the past six months. After seeing what Suoh had been running from, they were prepared now. Suoh wasn't the only one with secrets anymore.

* * *

"S-So Poe and... ah... and all the g-girls stayed... ah... stayed behind," Suoh replied hesitantly. Eric nodded and traded looks with Snicker, only to get a shrug in reply. Gigi had a lot to tell them before they'd let Eric get his chance to visit, but he vividly remembered Gigi staying that the stuttering speech had cleared up.

"Yes," Eric replied verbally to reinforce his nod. "We didn't have enough spare cash for everyone, so just four of us came. Ollie stayed behind, too. He said that he'd be too scared of going through the scanners after being stuck on a plane for several hours."

"So... ah... so h-how's the... ah... the acting going?"

"Is there something wrong, Suoh?" Eric asked worriedly instead of answering. "I thought Gigi said that you weren't stuttering anymore."

"Eh?" Suoh asked, looking over to Snicker for confirmation.

"You're doing it again," he verified sadly. "What's changed since Gigi left?"

"Oh--!" Suoh gasped as all the blood rushed out of his face. Biting his lip, he ducked his head down in embarrassment out of the desire not to say.

"Out with it," Snicker ordered. "If we're going to get you all fixed up, we might as well find out what's making you sound like a slow-witted idiot riding a pogo-stick."

"It's... ah... It's E-Eric."

"Me?!" Eric exclaimed in surprise. He instantly fell silent at a small gesture from Snicker while Suoh shrunk farther back into his bed.

"What about him?" Snicker prompted.

"I'm.. I'm... ah... I'm nervous," he mumbled quietly and tensely.

"Nervous," Snicker repeated, straightening up in his seat in thought. "I see. I'm going to step out into the hall with Eric for a minute. You sit tight and try to rest until I get back."

"D-Do you have to go?" Suoh asked while chewing his lip.

"I'll just be a minute," he promised as Eric found himself yanked up out of his chair in a rush. "Why don't you try to think of something fun that we can do to celebrate for when you get out of here?"

"O-Okay," Suoh agreed before curling up to get more comfortable in the hospital bed.

"What's going on?" Eric hissed once he was pulled into the hallway with the door closed.

"He's nervous," Snicker sighed. "I don't know why I didn't notice it earlier."

"I don't understand," he replied honestly. "Why would he be nervous around me?"

"Because, you gotta see if from Suoh's point-of-view. He's been alone for six months while we were all still able to talk to each other and see each other. He knows that we were never stopped looking for him during that time, so he's probably worried that he can't live up to all of our expectations anymore. He's probably worried about how everyone feels about him after how he ran out, too. When Gigi came in, she tried to pretend that they'd just seen each other yesterday. That ain't what Suoh needs, though. He needs you to be honest. Whether you were mad about him leaving or you're relieved to see him again, you got to make it clear to him how you feel so that he knows how he's supposed to act."

"I don't get it," Eric said sheepishly.

"Just say it plainly, you numbskull," Snicker said in exasperation. "Don't go skirting around the truth."

"What about you?" He objected.

"I already told him," Snicker replied with a small smile while scratching his goatee. "I wasn't meaning to confront the issue just yet, but it just kinda happened anyway. Me and Suoh know where each other stand. He just don't know how he stands with you anymore. He must have figured out how he stood with Gigi while we were talking with that Mukuro fellow. From what it seemed like, he got himself a little nap while we were talking and you know what they say. If you can't figure something out, try sleeping on it."

"I took that saying literally once," Eric commented with a grimace. "I still got the imprint of that plane model on my stomach."

"Keep your mind on what's important," Snicker scowled, reaching out to cuff him on the back of the head. "What I'm saying is that Suoh stopped talking like that when he stopped stressing out. I can't do it for you, so you got to tell him straight out how you feel if you want him to act normal around you."

"Alright," Eric muttered apologetically. "I'll try." Snicker nodded in reply and led the way back into the room. They didn't manage more than a few steps before they paused at the sound of Suoh's voice. He was looking up and fiddling with the nurse call button over his head while his mind was obviously somewhere far, far away. He didn't even notice their re-entry while he continued his ramblings.

"...park and play dominos. Cuddle up with Snicker. Watch a movie and eat popcorn. Cuddle up with Snicker. Take Peanut for a walk. Cuddle up with Snicker..."

"I think he wants to cuddle up with you," Eric teased, unable to stop himself from snickering at Snicker due to the way that Snicker turned red at Suoh's latest list. "Why don't I work on what I'm going to say and let him get some rest for now?"

"Shoo," Snicker ordered sheepishly, giving Eric a boot in the rear to follow his hasty and laughing exit back out of the door.

* * *

Suoh seemed so small in his arms. He'd always seemed small, of course, but it was more prominent now. He was almost afraid to hold him since he seemed so fragile, yet there was no one else that could without waking him up. Suoh had fallen asleep on the plane and he hadn't budged even upon landing. Ore worried constantly since the little guy had slept a lot since they'd found him, but Snicker said that it was normal. It'd be a while before he got his energy and strength back up enough that he didn't keep dozing off so heavily. There was mental and physical fatigue built up that a single week in the infirmary couldn't cure, but regular meals and good company supposedly could.

Suoh shifted in his arms, burying his face into Ore's chest while pulling Snicker's coat tighter around himself in his sleep. All of his old clothes and his leather jacket had been thrown out back in that backwater town that they'd found him in. Snicker had been so dismayed at their state that he'd not been capable of looking at them long enough to try to salvage any of it. The dirt was too thick to think about, but Snicker had tried to look past what could be cleaned. The rents, tears, and holes were too much to handle, but Snicker had looked at them with a seamster's eye. The bloodstains... The bloodstains had been when Snicker had just begged someone to throw them away.

Suoh was wearing new clothes now, although he'd objected about the purchases at first. Not only were they brand new, but Snicker hadn't given a damn about the cost. Neither had Ore for that matter. Although, it'd been saddening when they'd been forced to take back the clothes they bought several times. They'd bought them in Suoh's old sizes and those sizes had fallen off of him almost completely. After several tries, they'd finally ended up having to buy sizes meant for kids instead of the adult sizes that Suoh normally wore.

The weight could be regained. Ore reminded himself of that repeatedly while walking down the street with Suoh cradled sleeping in his arms. The other three that were with him led the way while the crowd parted to make way for his monstrous size. They'd garnered a lot of attention at the airport, although Suoh had been oblivious to it all. Word had spread through the city like wildfire that they'd found Suoh while they were gone. Every cab driver that knew him had 'coincidentally' decided to try the airport rush hour at the time that their plane had been due to land. Every single one had also 'coincidentally' been on break. That had led to a bit of grumbling since the other passengers had been forced to walk a block to get a working cab, but Ore thought it was incredible that they'd all come to see that he was okay. There'd been a lot of unshed tears, though. There'd been tears of happiness that he was back and tears of shock over how worn out his body was.

He'd get stronger, Ore told himself. Suoh was a strong little guy. He'd just run into a really nasty opponent and needed to be patched up. Even the strongest person had an opponent that they couldn't beat. What Ore was really worried about was how Suoh's head was. He'd stopped talking funny to everyone after Eric had explained how to make him relax around them. Apparently he hadn't been worried about what Autumn thought or else they'd already talked and he knew where he stood with her. He'd been just fine around her from the time that they'd arrived.

It was the other quirks that worried him and everyone else, though. Suoh still liked to make lists, which they'd kind of gotten used to since Suoh had stopped making them quite so often. He'd stopped talking to that Mukuro ghost that everyone said was real, too. At least, he'd stopped talking to him where other people could hear. There'd been once or twice that Ore had caught him mumbling to himself, but it'd been so low that no one had known if he'd been listing things or talking to his ghost pal.

"Mmnh," Suoh moaned, shifting once more in his sleep. This time, he woke up in the process and sat up in Ore's arms while rubbing his sleep-filled eyes. "Where are we?" He mumbled. "Did I pass out again?"

"We didn't want to wake you, Little Guy," Ore replied as Snicker, Gigi, and Eric all looked over their shoulders at him. "We're almost home. If you want, you can lie back down and sleep. You're so light that you're easy to carry and I can wake you back up when we get there."

"No," Suoh mumbled with a shake of his head. "Let me walk, please."

"Don't you want me to carry you anymore, Little Guy?" Ore asked with a crestfallen expression. He loved carrying Suoh because Suoh was so small. It was a hundred times better than carrying a pet because Suoh could talk back to him while they walked. Plus, if Suoh walked on his own, Ore would have a harder time keeping track of him and not stepping on him.

"Just let me walk right now," he replied while chewing his lip again. Ore did like he was asked and put Suoh down amidst everyone else. On the ground, he seemed even smaller than before in comparison to others of normal proportions. He'd always been short, but now he was nothing more than skin and bones. Ore mentally noted that he should pick up some extra body-building supplies to help Suoh gain his weight back. It wasn't much, but it could help. Assuming Snicker said it was okay for him to have it.

Everyone automatically slowed down to Suoh's pace when they started walking again. For Ore, it felt like a snail's crawl, but he kept that to himself. Taking the tiniest of baby steps, Ore kept himself behind Suoh while he walked at a pace much slower than that of his old self. Ore wasn't sure if it was because he was tired, apprehensive about reaching home, or because of not being in any rush to get anywhere in so long, but he didn't even seem to notice that people were passing them by at a rate that Ore could have easily outdistanced at his normal rate of walking.

After only a quarter of a block, Suoh started sweating noticeably. After half a block, he had to pause and catch his breath. By the end of the first full block of walking by himself, he finally ducked into an alley. He leaned against one of the walls without seeming to notice how his friends worriedly gathered around him. It was shocking to see Suoh winded so easily. It was almost more shocking to see him trembling from exhaustion.

Before he got his breath back, he began walking once more. Unfortunately, it wasn't back out toward the street. Instead, it was deeper into the alley at an increasing pace. Ore followed along with everyone else while wondering where Suoh was going. Snicker hesitantly called out to him a few times, but that only made him speed up even more. Then, with a curse, Suoh's actions were understood by one person when he broke out into a run.

"Shit!" Snicker squawked. "He's running for it! Ore! Stop him!"

It was almost too easy to close the distance to where Suoh was trying to scramble away. Stopping him completely was a simple matter of reaching out and lifting him off the ground. The only problem with that, however, was that Suoh fought in his grip like a fish caught in a net.

"Let me go!"

"Why are you running away, Little Guy?" Ore asked in confusion while the others quickly caught up.

"I can't do this! It's too dangerous! I've got to go!" He exclaimed, bodily pausing inside Ore's meaty grip. "Let me go, Ore! I can't stay here!"

"Yes, you can," Ore corrected in even more confusion. "It's not dangerous anymore, Little Guy. We did a lot of outrageous stuff while you were gone so that it was safe for you to come back. We won't let anyone hurt you again, so don't worry."

"Ore, I--" Suoh mumbled, pointedly turning his head and clenching his eyes shut in shame. Or was it guilt? Ore couldn't tell.

"You promised not to run away again," Snicker added in a hurt voice, making Suoh flinch in place.

"Can I carry you again, Little Guy?" Ore asked with a note in his voice saying that he wasn't asking. "You shouldn't be working out yet."

"Alright," Suoh agreed quietly in defeat. Figuring that it'd be too dangerous to carry him on his shoulder with how he liked to drop off into sleep, Ore cradled him in his arm once more so that he could lounge against his chest. Unsurprisingly, he dozed off before they even got back outside the alley.

* * *

**Author's notes:** So how are you all liking the story so far? Don't be afraid to drop me a line and let me know what you think. _You don't have to be a member of this site to review_, although signing up does allow you to put this story on alert so that you can be emailed when I upload new chapters! Yes, I know, yet another whiny plug begging for reviews.

Putting that aside, I've decided to do something fun again. In the unnamed future, I'm going to have an opening for a filler chapter (not anytime soon... still lots to write first). I've decided to allow another glimpse into Vongola during that time. So, if you want to help me decide, go to my profile here on fanfiction. net and **vote on the user poll**. Choices are:

Gokudera  
Yamamoto  
Ryohei  
Haru  
Lambo  
Hibari  
Matsu  
Chrome  
Dino  
Reborn  
Random Vongola Subordinate X  
Hotaru  
Pandora

(List was randomly ordered) Yes, I know that you want to weep since Xanxus isn't on that list but... --cry-- He won last time. **_Warning: This oneshot will not neccessarily connect back to Tsuna like Xanxus' did._** _Please vote with that in mind_. Also, you're allowed up to three choices since there were so many complaints last time. Voting will end... hrm... September 10th sounds like a good day. (My niece's birthday )


	30. Chapter 30 Friends and Fine Wine

Leo sighed as she finished the last sprits on the umpteenth coat of paint on the Orange Dragon Gang's sign. She'd been kicked out of the main room since the girls were in a frenzy. Even Ollie had been forced back into his pit for the day. Everyone was anxious and everyone knew not to get in the way of Cassandra and Dedra when they were on the warpath. Cassandra had been baking and cooking nonstop. Dedra was scrubbing everything until it shined. Like a little kid, they'd told Leo to make herself useful but there was only one thing that Leo could do.

So, Leo did it. She repainted the sign continuously until the paint was bright, thick, and very noticeable. It'd needed it, Leo admitted to herself. She'd hardly felt like painting at all since Suoh had left, so many of her creations were in bad need of touch-ups. The girls would kill her if she tried to paint inside right after they'd just worked on the building, but she made a mental note to work on those when they weren't looking.

"What are you doing out here?!" Dedra cried, bursting out of the alley doorway.

"Eh?"

"Get in here and fix the rest of the walls!" She ordered with her small afro tossing with every bounce of her head.

"But you were cleaning," Leo objected.

"She ran out of things to clean so she wants you to make a mess," Cassandra chuckled, poking her head out of the door under Dedra's arm. "I got fresh tamales and some churros if you're hungry. I just finished them."

"Sure," Leo agreed with a shrug, knowing that Cassandra's ethnic specialties were some of the best things that she could make. "I'll grab some after I touch up Lady Liberty."

"Fix the emblem first," Dedra ordered. "The others can wait."

"Okay," Leo said, darting inside the building once more. A lot had changed since Suoh had left. The layout of the building wasn't much different, but many of the things that he'd only thought of had been made into reality. Leo's paintings were outlined in strip lighting, making the place look like Vegas at night. Dragons, stylized wording, and naked strippers covered the walls with Lady Liberty painted proudly in one corner of the room. She'd even put a few Koi and cranes up after Suoh had left in hopes that it'd bring him back.

The pride of the building was the emblem, though. Ore had taken down the back curtains of the stage and had knocked out a second door into his room on the far right side instead of the left. Everyone had been curious about it, but no one had said anything until two weeks of strange noises had been emitted from his room. Finally, everyone had called him on it and he'd finally unveiled what he'd been doing. He'd claimed that his room was almost too big, even for a guy his size that was sharing. So, in typical Ore fashion, he'd sectioned off a chunk that he wasn't using and had made it into a new room. Leo had been instantly given that room, even though she still lived with her parents.

It'd made her happy since having a room in the building told her without words that she was truly part of the gang. Ore had even cut out a small window halfway up the wall and added a landing that she could lay on and look out of like the gang's own little princess in a tower. She'd been so happy that she'd went on a painting frenzy all over the wall that had been previously hidden behind stage curtains. She'd painted a tower all the way up to that window and had hidden her door below with artfully placed brickwork. Ore's door had gotten covered with the image of a giant Cyclops guarding the castle. Then, between the two, she'd inserted the gang's logo as if it were a rising sun. She'd used her own handkerchief as the guide and had drawn the Orange Dragon Logo in their signature colors. Needless to say, Ore had been ecstatic since his Granny had been the one to design the rounded dragon logo.

Other than the modifications to the paint, there were a lot of other modifications. Dedra had talked them into putting up a disco ball over the pool table and they'd added different models of strobe lights in the upper corners of the room. Ore had hung a sandbag in the corner of the stage to use. Eric's ads and posters were slowly becoming wallpaper between her paintings. She took special pleasure in painting frames around them. Gigi had become a huge fan of darts, so much so that there were no less than eight dartboards scattered around on the walls. Everyone had grown used to his random target practice, although there was a growing sharpness to his throws that made the targets seem to quiver in fear at times. Snicker had put up some camouflage netting in the pass-through between the garage and the 'cathedral' as they called it. It wasn't much, but it helped blocked out any fumes from Ore's motorcycle while also cutting back some on the noise. Marty's tools had become a fixture in the place, too. So much so that there was a wrench rack next to the rack of pool cues. She tended to like collecting the oversized ones for some reason, although she'd taken to wearing a tool belts full of more realistically sized ones.

Ollie had impacted the place, too. The stairs going up from the cathedral onto the stage had been replaced with a ramp. Ore had sectioned off the different areas of the building with welded steal pipes, too, so that he could enjoy practicing his tricks without having to go outside. He'd nearly busted the big screen twice already, but it was always worth it to see him flying headlong onto the couch. Even Poe had added touches to the place, albeit only small ones. Vines from his plants dropped down from the catwalks above the stage and along the edges of his loft, lining the ceiling of the stage in foliage. There was a huge skylight over the cathedral, too, that was done in the gothic style that Poe favored. He could open and close the shutters of the pointed dome at will now so that he was able to be part of the group or not depending on his mood.

Then there was the bell. The bell had been something decided on by everyone. It was one of the building's many new upgrades, although it was the only one that wasn't secret. The bell could be heard for miles around, even over noon-hour traffic. It was an old church bell that had been salvaged from a broken-down cathedral outside of town and had been installed directly under the skylight. Most of the time, it was nothing more than one of Poe's favored watching posts and one of Lobat's favored sleeping spots. When it was used, though, it signaled to those that knew the sound that something had happened. They'd only rang it a few times so far, but the initial reason that they'd added it in had been because of Suoh. If only they'd had a way to pass the word that there was trouble, they might have been able to find him before he'd gone out of their reach. As it was, anyone who wore a Orange Dragon bandana knew the sound and knew to drop what they were doing in order to answer the call. It'd been dubbed the 'Dragon's Roar' by Georgie due to the strange, booming tone it had in place of a clanging noise. The only problem that they'd found where it was concerned was that it also brought the two cops that'd taken to watching the gang closely.

The moment that she finished the last spray of paint on the emblem and stepped back in satisfaction, Dedra came forward with a bucket of soapy water and a towel. Without saying a word, she set to scrubbing the small flecks that'd drifted to the ground around the single work out machine that Ore had gotten to replace the clutter of machinery that'd once taken up the area. Getting out of her way, Leo darted down and grabbed a churro from the cooling pan and munched on it while sending spray after spray along Ollie's scraped rails. Then she went over and started focusing on touching up the paint on the second emergency exit that Ore had installed between the office work area and the entertainment area.

Stay busy. That'd been everyone's motto since Suoh had left. They'd all stayed as busy as they could to keep their minds off of how little they'd been able to achieve in finding him. Now that they had word that he was returning, they stayed busy to keep their minds on how anxious they were to see him. From Snicker's last call to check in, he'd not been in too good of a shape. Snicker hadn't wanted to say it outright, but it'd sounded like Suoh had been half-dead. Of course, he'd actually been half-dead, which is how he'd ended up in the hospital in the first place.

Thank goodness for strokes of luck, Leo silently mused. Suoh had still been in possession of his wallet when he'd been admitted to the hospital after falling over. The hospital had naturally called the local hospital for his records by getting his city off of his ID. On Suoh's medical records, Snicker had been listed as the next of kin to be contacted in case of emergency. That call had been the one that everyone had been waiting on. The hospital had given their location, Suoh's condition, and had kept him sedated until they'd been able to arrive. From what Snicker had said, he hadn't needed to be sedated, though. He'd been bad off enough that he'd slept even without medication to make him more comfortable.

That was all over now. Suoh was healthy enough that they'd released him to come back home. Snicker had already emailed a copy of the meal guide that the nutritionist had ordered for the next month, too. That'd kept them busy for almost a full day in trying to get all the supplies for the meals that the doctor wanted. They'd all chuckled at it, too. It was obvious from the list that Snicker had been present in making the plan. There were still touches of everyone's favorites, but Suoh's favorites were in large doses. They'd had to go down to Chinatown to get half of the groceries needed since the regular supermarket simply didn't carry much of it.

"Is the Miso soup and rice done?" Leo called over her shoulder, noticing the time on her watch.

"I'm about to start it," Cassandra replied. "I just can't decide whether to use the tofu or the clams."

"I'd go with the tofu," Leo suggested. "That way Ore can eat it if he doesn't want it. You know that Ore doesn't like shellfish. Save the clams for something else that he can snack on."

"Good idea," Cassandra agreed before starting up another clatter of noise in the kitchen. For the next half of an hour, everyone worked in an increasing frenzy. Even Ollie came out of his stage pit in order to help. Leo kept herself focused on her task, freshening up the walls so that they'd be bright and new for Suoh's return. Dedra continued to chase after her in an increasing pace while Ollie set to fluffing the pillows on the couch and detailing his railings with a cloth. A fresh breeze wafting through the building told them that Poe had opened up the skylights so that the smell of paint could clear out, only to be replaced with the smell of Cassandra's frantic cooking. Even Marty came out of her room and started helping by tightening every bolt on the stools littered around the room. It was Marty who thought to turn on the stereo, filling the building with sound and a throbbing beat of drums and guitars that got everyone working to the same rhythm. As always, the sound of music was followed by the sound of talking. They chattered about meaningless things until they were blue, all of which were unconsciously focused around the one topic that they were all too scared to mention. They were too scared because it was as if merely speaking about the thing that they were all waiting on would break the spell of hope about his return.

Everyone froze at the sound of someone at the front door. They held their breathes in unison and not a single one of them was without their hearts in their hands.

"I'm back!" Summer called, bursting through the door the moment that it opened. "I got off early. Are they back yet?"

"Not yet," Leo said in disappointment. Summer nodded on her way past, rushing up the ramp to the stage in order to toss her waitressing apron and purse into Eric's room. Those two had become quite a couple since Suoh had left. Without Suoh, Snicker hadn't wanted anyone else sleeping in his bed, so Summer had slept on the couch for a while. After only a mere week, she'd started showing interest in Eric out of the open desire to have a room to retreat to.

The relationship had grown unexpectedly after that. They suited each other very comfortably. Summer was a small girl that Eric could get off on protecting. She was also playful and energetic, which was exactly what Eric liked. She also had enough of a realist in her to counter Eric's idealism. She was also happy for his success, but didn't have any problems on bringing Eric back down to earth when his head got filled with too much hot air. In return, Eric was romantically innocent. Summer got charmed constantly as a girlfriend instead of a whore. She got treated as a treasure to be cherished instead of a trinket to be bought. Eric wasn't shy about their relationship, either. For once, Summer got to be with someone that showed her off in pride and someone that loved on her almost constantly.

Ore's relationship with Cassandra and Dedra were going well, too. As he said frequently, he preferred an outrageous quantity of things that could satisfy him instead of a small bit of quality that'd only leave him wanting for more. Apparently, it hadn't been just food that he'd always been talking about. Cassandra and Dedra were happy with him despite having to share, however. Like Eric, Ore treated them as more than just whores to satisfy his urges. He treasured them and showed them off with the same pride that Eric showed with Summer. From what Leo had figured out, Ore purposely forgot his lunch at least once a week so that he could get the two to come down to his work and make all of Ore's coworker's jealous. Seeing two women with goods like those that they possessed, carrying a three-foot-long lunchbox between them, and catcalling lovingly to him had created quite a stir. Ore was now the most envied man at his work and the three of them took a lot of pleasure in repeating the scene that they'd caused.

Ollie was a loner who preferred to stay single and Poe wasn't one to talk about himself. Gigi, on the other hand, always had a story to tell about his latest fling. As he said, one man wasn't enough to satisfy him and he had a lot of fun passing his favors around to the latest hunks that'd caught his eye. He never brought any of them home, however. He only brought the stories that left people gaping, blushing, or ticked off in his place.

Then there was Leo herself. There was someone that she liked, when she wasn't too flustered to admit it to herself. She like that person a lot but it was strange since she'd never found anyone that'd resonated with her so well. Even worse was that she thought that the person knew. That person knew and kept teasing her about it in ways that no one in the house ever saw. She wasn't quite sure what to do about it, especially since that person was three years older than her. Then again, Snicker had over a decade head-start on Suoh and no one thought that there was anything weird about it. Well, she admitted with a grimace, she had. She had, but she'd kept her mouth shut because Snicker hadn't been in any mood to take criticism. After a while, the idea had grown on her and she didn't think that she had any issues with it anymore. She couldn't with how much Snicker's feelings toward Suoh had come out in the open since he'd been gone. If Leo could find someone that cared about her even a quarter of that, she'd be just as happy as Eric or Ore.

Still... Just thinking of Marty like that made her want to blush. Girls were supposed to like guys, not other girls! But she wasn't stupid. If two guys could figure out a way to be together, surely there were secrets for girls, too. She wasn't ready to think of that yet, though! It was bad enough that she sometimes found herself imagining herself kissing--

Leo shoved the image away with a bright blush and focused herself on finishing up on the lettering in front of her. Everyone's name had at least one place on the walls and she was currently working on the object of her confusion. Leaving off of it with it only half-finished, she decided that the stripper needed polishing up much more. That one had been drawn for the sake of the guys since none of the resident girls gave a damn about whether images were naughty or not. The stripper took up half of one wall from floor to ceiling with her tits being as big as the big screen television. That one had been much more fun to draw than she'd realized since Eric's mother had stopped by for the last time while she'd been painting it. Unsurprisingly, Eric's father had come to visit a lot more often after that, which had made everyone grin in satisfaction. His dad was easy to get along with while his mom was a complete bitch that rivaled even Assface Autumn.

"You're making those nipples kind of perky," Marty called up. Leo bit her lip under her mask and looked down to find Marty staring up at her in amusement from the bottom of her ladder. She couldn't count how many times a day that she thanked the heavens for having a legitimate reason for covering her face anymore. Marty knew exactly what to say to make her blush.

"They have to be perky," Leo finally called back down in the decision not to let Marty tease her anymore. "If they're weren't, that would mean that I was doing something wrong."

"You--" Marty broke off on her counter reply and snapped her head toward the front door along with everyone else when it once more flew open. This time, the crowd that entered was the one that they'd been waiting on. Leo scrambled down from her ladder at the sound of everyone and Marty turned down the stereo to a level that they wouldn't have to yell over. Cassandra and Dedra froze where they stood and Ollie was the only one to rush forward and pull back the camo netting for everyone to get past. A squeak from above proved that even Lobat and Poe was curious about their arrival.

No one moved and no one breathed as the entourage entered. He was home. Everyone was speechless with the same thoughts running through their heads. Suoh was home. They couldn't see much of him since only his legs and were visible. The rest of him was covered in Snicker's Army jacket. That by itself was surprising since it was the middle of summer. Snicker never went anywhere without it, but why was Suoh covering himself up with it with it being so hot out? Even more important was why Ore was cradling him instead of carrying him on his shoulder like normal?

"Up in bed or the couch?" Ore asked quietly.

"The couch," Snicker directed, going over to toss off most of the superfluous pillows. "He'll want to be in the center of things when he wakes up. Eric, run up and grab a blanket and his gold pillow. Gigi--"

"I'll grab his tea warmer and set it up on the table," Gigi supplied.

"Should I turn off the stereo?" Marty asked curiously as everyone realized that Suoh was sleeping.

"No," Snicker replied. "Turn it back up. From now on, there's not to be silence in this place unless Suoh asks for it. I want the television and the radio on at all times. You can mute the television so that the subtitles are on, but it's not to go off completely."

"What's going on?" Leo asked while Ollie went to deal with the television while Marty inched the stereo back up to the normal levels that they kept it. The same question was in Dedra and Cassandra's eyes as they brought a warming tray over to set the meal that Snicker had asked to be prepared down on top of to stay hot.

"Suoh's going to need a lot of attention," Snicker mumbled while he hovered worriedly. "He's going to need a lot of distractions for a while, too." Ore set him down with a care that he only showed to glass and injured animals. The moment that he was laid down, Suoh shifted slightly on the couch before once more laying still. It wasn't until Ore had backed away in order to restrain the overly excited Peanut and Eric had returned with a light blanket and pillow that the comment was explained. When Snicker pulled off the warm coat, every girl in the room plus Ollie found themselves gaping at the sight of Suoh.

"Is that really him?" Someone finally asked breathlessly.

"Ah," Snicker confirmed without emotion as he covered Suoh up with the blanket and tucked his favorite pillow under his head. "That's him."

* * *

"Shiiiit!" Ollie cried as he flew headlong into the couch. He always forgot that there was a link in the pipe that he had to skip over right there! Suoh's sleep hadn't seemed to be fazed by the sound of his grinding, so he'd taken to getting some practice in during his turn to watch the sleeping waif. Then he barely had time to remember that Suoh was still asleep on his landing spot before Suoh himself reacted from the yell.

Ollie let out another strangled yell as he found himself grabbed while still mid-air and flipped over the couch completely, landing on his back in the floor so hard that it knocked his breath out of his chest. His eyes widened at the sight above him when the world stopped spinning end-over-end. Suoh. Suoh was pinning him down with his hand pulled back for a punch and his retractable blade already unsheathed. Ollie's heart leapt into his throat while Suoh stayed frozen in that position. There was an insane, glazed look in his brown eye that said that he was fully capable of killing while the red one was filled with a kanji that Ollie couldn't read.

"S-Suoh...?" Ollie asked hesitantly when he continued to stay frozen. The knife on the back of his hand was sheathed instantly when Suoh let up on the pressure on the trigger. It was a poignant reminder that Suoh was always armed. He had refused to take them off at all once he'd got home. He even bathed with them on! Apparently, his head was still working under street-law where he could be attacked at any time in order for someone to steal what little he owned. Ollie was familiar with the mindset, although he'd been able to give it up over the past six months.

Suoh still didn't move, even after his blade was sheathed. He continued to stare blankly down at Ollie from where he was sitting on top of him. Curiously, Ollie reached up when Suoh's hand dropped down to his side and gave him a little shake in hopes to snap him out of whatever zone his mind had drifted off to this time. He didn't snap out of it, though. Instead, he snapped back asleep completely, collapsing forward on top of Ollie without showing any signs that he'd ever actually been awake.

Ollie laid still for a moment in shock. First Suoh tried to kill him and now he was using him as a mattress! What the hell was wrong with him?! Screw it, Ollie grumbled while Suoh started lightly snoring. He was just happy that none of the girls were home to see this shit. They'd never let him hear the end of it. If that happened, he could say goodbye to getting free action from a woman anytime soon. Nothing in the world worked as a worse cock-block than rumors like that.

With that in mind, Ollie set to putting Suoh back on the couch with plans not to do anymore skateboarding while he was asleep. He managed, but his attempts to keep from waking Suoh proved fruitless. Suoh woke with a start and let out a sharp cry of surprise due to how Ollie was forced to hover over him to cover him back up.

"Easy, man!" Ollie soothed with his hands automatically going out in front of himself in defense when Suoh reflexively balled up his hand again. "I was just putting you back on the couch!"

"Oh," Suoh mumbled as his body loosened up. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead while Ollie found himself a seat on his skateboard at a safe distance away. "S-Sorry. I had a bad dream and you startled me. Has anyone come by for me while I was out?"

"No," he answered with a raised eyebrow. "You expecting someone?"

"Ah," he confirmed tiredly. "Oh. They're already here. They've just been waiting for me to wake up."

"Eh?"

"You can come out, Chikusa," Suoh replied with his shoulders sagging. "Mukuro-sama says they're not going to leave me completely alone, so there's no point in waiting for Ollie to leave."

"Che."

Ollie left off of staring at Suoh in confusion and jumped to his feet in the direction of the irritated voice. He froze with his hands quivering at the sight of one of the same people that had caused Suoh to run off in the first place. He was sitting at the bar separating the kitchen from the pool table, casually sipping tea like he'd been present for hours instead of seconds.

"It's okay, Ollie," Suoh soothed, making Ollie lurch in surprise and confusion. "I was expecting him this time. He's not here to fight."

"B-But--" Ollie gaped. But he's the same guy that made you run away, he silently screamed. He was one of the same guys that barged in and... And, well, they were polite and very giving with information, but Ollie thought that they were still the enemy! They'd attacked Suoh! He didn't understand! Why was Suoh sitting so calmly around him now?!

"I misjudged before, Ollie," Suoh said quietly, answering his unspoken question. "I thought that he was here to try and take me back, but I found out recently that they were only trying to help me. There's some things that I can't run away from anymore and my connection with Mukuro is apparently part of that. Even though Chikusa is Mafia, I--"

"I consider that an insult," Chikusa said softly. Suoh slightly turned in place to looked at the man with a raised eyebrow as if surprised by the outburst. "The Mafia can burn for all I care. My loyalty lies only with Mukuro-sama, unlike that traitor Ken."

"I'm sorry," Suoh replied with a grimace. "I didn't know. I thought that--" Suoh paused midsentence while Ollie kept a close eye on the man who slowly stood from his seat. He had no clue how the guy had been hidden in plain sight, but he wasn't about to fail like last time. Everyone was counting on him to protect Suoh. Knowing that, he cautiously inched his way toward where the rope to the emergency bell was hanging down along the wall. He didn't have much in the way of fighting skills, but he'd honed his ability to go unnoticed in the past few months. He used every ounce of that ability in order to reach the rope. He didn't pull it yet, though. He merely leaned against it and kept it ready in his hands. Their visitor was still only talking and Suoh didn't seem to be in distress. Using the bell was a big thing that brought everyone running. He couldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. "Yes, Mukuro-sama," Suoh mumbled finally. "If that's what you want."

Shit, Ollie silently cursed. The others had warned him about the Mukuro-sama ghost. He still didn't want to believe it, but if they hadn't been yanking his chain then...

"Kufufufu," Suoh chuckled, making Ollie flinch at the change in his tone. Yep. It was just like everyone had told him. Split personality-ville. "You're still so bitter, my dear Chikusa. I would have thought that you'd have forgiven him by now. We've all done what we must in order to survive despite the Mafia's cruel games. Even you. Even me."

"Please don't speak of yourself in such a way, Mukuro-sama," Chikusa replied unhappily. "It was we who failed you and slowed you down."

"Not anymore, my most loyal Chikusa," Suoh soothed with a mischievous grin flickering along his lips. "There are two paths before us and one allows us to become free of the Mafia forever. Alas, my poor misguided Ken can no longer be trusted. The little firefly's hold on him is a strong one. Chrome will be lost to us for a time, as well. Vongola's leash stays tight on her in my absence which is why my request was for you to come alone. She is the bait to lure away the hounds while the true quarry will stay under our care. For us to make the most out of this golden opportunity that has been gifted us, there is much that I would have you do."

"I'm yours to command, Mukuro-sama," Chikusa said quietly.

"Kufufufu," he chuckled again in with that deep, not-Suoh quality. "The first thing is to remember that my current host is only to be called Suoh. We cannot have our plans ruined by a simple slip of the tongue."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama."

"I'll need you to find a way to unattach yourself from Vongola," he continued. "We can't have them following you."

"I'll find a way, Mukuro-sama."

"Get together what funds you can and bring them to me," he murmured in thought. "I wish to move my body out from under Vongola's care and I do not wish to move it into poverty. Vongola owes us that much for all that they've taken. Chrome has brought news that discontent about my state is starting to spread. The Vendiche have started to become involved and I cannot assume that the Eleventh will be able to keep me free under the circumstances."

"It'll take some time to go without notice, since I already emptied my account to bring what you asked, Mukuro-sama," he replied with a flinch. "I can have more tomorrow, but liquidating everything under your control would gain attention."

"We're not in that much of a rush, Chikusa," Suoh soothed. "I believe that the Eleventh will manage to hold out on the Vendiche for at least three months for Ken's sake. After that, I fear that he does not have the fortitude to withstand the power of those such as they. It should be relatively easy to escape as long as I return to my body before they know that I am aware of my plight. I begrudge the time that will have to be lost from my task, but I would not be able to complete it at all if my body was locked away at the time when I must use it for delivery. You said that you had what I asked for?"

"Right here, Mukuro-sama," he replied, picking up the duffel bag on the floor next to his stool. It was handed over without comment and Suoh took it without twitching an eyelid. When he set it down on the couch next to himself and opened it, Ollie found himself moving toward it with a slack jaw and the bell completely forgotten. "One million in unmarked U.S. bills and the eye patch that you requested from Chrome," he supplied.

"Oya?" Suoh murmured in amusement, obviously talking to himself once again. Reaching in, he pulled out the neatly folded patch and began to slip it in place over his reddened eye. "Did you not say that you wished to keep my eye hidden, my little street-urchin? Rather than allow you to interfere with my wishes, I've had this brought. That's right. It's just like the one that the girl from before was wearing. You never did seem to wonder why she wore it even though her missing eye could be replaced with illusion. It is because the illusionary eye that is in place within her has the same qualities as yours now does. No, she did not wish to hide her eye from others. It is nothing so simple, my dear Suoh. The patch itself has qualities that a simple store-bought one could never possess. You'll see for yourself in a moment."

Ollie tried to pay attention to the conversation, but found his hands twitching more and more as he stared at the stacks of money instead. That was always the problem when there was something of value in front of him. It was like suddenly finding himself in the Olympics of stealing. He couldn't lose. He couldn't fail. He had to steal some of it without being noticed. If he was noticed, then he was disqualified from the competition. He couldn't get disqualified. He had to get at least a bronze medal. He doubted that he could get a gold medal, since stealing the whole bag wasn't possible without being noticed. One stack, though. One stack of all those hundreds could easily be grabbed. He just had to--

"Suoh wishes me to tell you that you can't steal this since it's not his," Suoh commented suddenly, making Ollie lurch in realization that he was being talked to instead of ignored for once. "However, it _is _his, so feel free to take as much as you wish. Just know that he will require you to return it." Ollie gaped at the small smile flickering over Suoh's amused expression for a moment before Suoh's attention once more turned introverted. "Oya? It is yours, my pet. You sold yourself so easily for a two hundred grand. Did you not think that I wouldn't pay a higher price in order to own you? Kufufufu. You are mine, my dear Suoh. You refuse to care for yourself due to pointless thoughts of being inadequate. I believe that this should suffice to cure such beliefs. That's right, my precious pawn. This money is yours and all you have to do is to ensure that your body is a satisfying host for me. I wish you to become vigorous and healthy enough to amuse me where you are woefully incapable at the moment. Do you accept?"

Ollie swallowed hard, hoping that Suoh accepted the offer that he gave himself. It was psychotic, but that was a hell of a lot of money!

"Kufufufu," Suoh chuckled. "You've become so predictable, my pet. You may go, Chikusa. I'll expect a report within a month. Find us somewhere interesting to go to ground this time. I can't have it known that we are connected with this place, but I wish it to be near enough that I do not have to strain myself to visit."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," Chikusa replied softly before slowly heading for the alley door.

"Oh, and Chikusa," he called before the man left completely, "Tell my little Kiyoshi that he can show himself next time as long as he keeps silent. I do miss seeing his precious face."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," he agreed as he disappeared out the door.

"Do not worry about trivialities," Suoh told himself as he zipped the bag shut once more. "Oya? You finally noticed. This patch does not hinder your sight, but it will allow me peace if I so wish it. It is tiresome to watch your tedious life so closely sometimes. I have more important tasks to focus my mind on and this will allow me to temporarily close our link if I deem it necessary. Do not fret, my pet. A mere thought of me is enough to still gain my attention if my watching eye should have need to wander."

"Eh?" Ollie gasped when the bag was tossed at him with a strength that Suoh couldn't possibly have managed.

"I believe you know where that should be stored," Suoh said blandly as he stood.

"Where are you going?" Ollie asked with a note of panic in his voice.

"We're going upstairs for some privacy," Suoh replied with a flicker of a grin again. "See to it that we're not interrupted."

"Interrupted?" Ollie repeated in confusion as Suoh headed for the stairs to the balcony room. "What--?"

"I have to ensure that my pet is capable of giving up control under any situation," he replied with another of his deep, disturbed chuckles while he crossed the room. "He's still coming close to pushing me out for far too trivial of matters, but I know one way to cure it. It's better that I drill it in his head now rather than find him interfering at a time that his life could be the price of a mistake. Don't worry. I'll ensure that the instruction is as painless as possible. He might even find it rather enjoyable. Kufufufufu."

Ollie could only stand and gape in shock and confusion while Suoh disappeared into his and Snicker's room. Then his dark skin turned a shade darker as he blushed in partial comprehension of why he'd retreated into privacy. He knew that he was supposed to be looking out for Suoh while everyone else was at work or out grocery shopping, but how was he supposed to protect Suoh from himself? Should he even try? It was too damn confusing and he had a million dollars in his arms that he was painfully aware of holding.

"Fuck," Ollie muttered as he headed for his room and the hidden safe within it. "They said that Suoh could make himself sane again when he goes crazy if he wanted to. If he wants to go jack off with a ghost or split personality or whatever, that's his business."

* * *

He was hungry. He was hungry for more than the residual energy that he was able to consume from normal salads and rare steaks. Vampires had been forced to make due for centuries, lest their existence be realized as more than just folktales and fiction. Much like mankind had refined their world with technology and diplomacy, the underworld had been forced to refine their own. Secrecy was the utmost concern for their kind. So much so that biting had been almost completely eradicated by most clans. Non-consensual biting was an especially heinous crime, one that the clans as a whole were merciless in condemning.

Suoh was troublesome. Much more troublesome than he'd originally thought. The unique smell of his blood was easily hidden due to the overwhelming populace in the city, but Poe couldn't hide the increase of such pure energy in his own self. He'd been questioned when it'd been noticed and it'd unfortunately been noticed before he could digest the energy he'd consumed in order to propagate his own. The clan knew about Suoh, now. None of them dared to enter Poe's territory, so the quality of his blood was still secret, but they knew that Poe was in possession of a tasty morsel of Sky. If they knew that he'd been bitten without consenting, Poe would be immediately outcaste.

That wasn't the only problem with him, though. Word was spreading. There was a reason that the Sky was so rare. It wasn't just because it took a unique type of person to own it, but because they were the purest source of life energy that there was. It was like finding the wellspring of pure power and bathing in it's presence. To even be in the presence of one was intoxicating. The energy that could be leeched simply off of his aura was enough to satisfy most of his hunger pains. Enough so that he'd not had to feed off of his beautiful harvest of living plants for months after eating his fill straight from the vein.

But he was tainted now. It was enough to make Poe was to rip out his throat for destroying himself in such a way. He was tainted with the stench of Mist and his aura pulsed with the darkness of the Gatekeeper's soul that was invisibly intertwined around his own. There'd been hints of it before, but it'd only been a strange tang in the air that could be ignored. It was thick now. So thick that it left a putrid roiling sensation in his gut.

He shouldn't have let Suoh leave his protection. One vampire to one city. That was the rule of the clans to keep them from wiping themselves out of existence. The nexus points were three or more territories met were the only places where they were allowed to congregate with their own kinds unless safe passage was permitted by the Council for one to enter another's territory. The city was nothing more than a cage, one that he was bound into by his societies' rules and the agreements made by the ancients. His territory was surrounded by those of others. There was no unclaimed lands that he could travel on. To leave his territory would have been an unforgivable infraction. Not just by the laws he was bound by, but due to one very sickening fact.

The populous was safe as long as he was present.

Vampiric interlopers into his territory were permitted to be sucked dry at his choosing. There were always those clans out there that tried to ignore the laws. The ones that traveled at will despite the law and were able to be completely free, unlike how he was only permitted to drift in the small world that he'd been allocated. Some outsiders only entered the city as a pass-through and followed his laws while in his city, so he was able to ignore them despite his envy. Others were mindless and only wished to find a feast. They were like bandits, wanting nothing more than endless meals to satisfy an eternal hunger.

Then there were the Phlegm. The nasty stain on Vampiric society and one that was permitted existence as a reminder of the greater disease awaiting those who failed to follow the laws. They were vicious and bloodthirsty. It was they who created new vampires as the only Clan who had refused the injections to stop the spread. The injections had been required. The world couldn't be filled with vampires, after all. There had to be humans and morsels that could be stockaded and fed from. By the same token, extinction of their kind could not be permitted, either. Hence, why the Phlegm had special allowances made. They were as rare as the Sky Flame and they could go where they pleased. To kill one was almost more of a crime than killing one of the Council or one of the Ancients.

Yet, he was very, very tempted to bite the one before him.

"He looks tasty," Barb said, licking her lips with a long, wet tongue. "Sky. That's a unique delicacy. I wonder if..."

"He's off-limits," Poe growled. "Pick someone outside this place."

"And what if I said no," she replied with a wide, insane grin as she stood up from where she'd been looking in through the roof's skylight. "Don't think that I can't smell him, Poe. This is one hell of a secret that you've been keeping. You could almost say that he's of _Primo _stock. If word of this were to get out, you'd have far more problems than you do now. If you thought it was bad when word that there was Sky to be had in your territory, just think of how many would flock here if they thought that they could devour such a rare stock of blood. He's completely at the mercy of anyone who wants a taste. He'd be sucked dry the moment that your back is turned."

"I'll kill anyone who tries," Poe snapped while wondering how Barb thought that Suoh was without protection. Didn't she see the Mist laced through Suoh's Sky? It was tainted so badly that it'd be like eating from a rotting corpse. Until Poe could figure out how to get rid of the foul pollution, Suoh was inedible.

"Oh?" Barb asked curiously. "Have you marked him as a blood slave, then?"

"He hasn't consented yet," Poe answered, biting off each word in irritation. "But I still have claims on him. He's not to be turned."

"Turned?" Barb repeated in amusement, absently pushing her sleek sunglasses closer to her face. "Don't make me laugh! Now that would be a crime. I said that he looks tasty, did I not? To turn him would waste his potential as a meal! Turning him is the last thing I want to do!"

"Then what--?"

"You hate me," she said suddenly, walking over to lean up against the shed. Poe raised an eyebrow, instantly confused by the sudden change in topic. "It's understandable. The Phlegm are like a plague that you can't stop. I come in, I infect people, and then I go on my way. Then you're left behind to clean up the mess. Whether to kill those that are turned or to bring them into the society if they're worthy of being saved. Really, I completely understand why you despise my kind so much. Especially when we're forced to be vicious when the lords of a territory try to interfere with our work."

"I don't--"

"You don't want me to turn anyone. Do you, Poe?" She asked languidly. "After all, you always were one that hated cleaning up a mess and there would be one hell of a mess if word of your Primo stock got out. There would be another mess, too, if I found myself unsatisfied and very hungry while in your city."

"What do you want?" Poe growled in growing rage, already seeing that she was working toward blackmail.

"A taste to take with me," she answered with another wide grin. "Just a vial full that I can use for seasoning. You might not want to accept it, but we are not so different as you might think. The Ancients speak of us like we are mindless animals, but we chose our path like thinking beings. The freedom of the world in exchange for the burden of turning others. I will admit that there are some of my Clan who wouldn't have hesitated to jump down there and feast already. I'm not so foolhardy. Why destroy something so rare instead of harvesting it for the future?"

"A vial," Poe repeated, walking forward to look down the skylight in thought. Suoh was actually awake for once and was steadily lifting the weights on the exercise equipment that Ore had supplied for the unruly band. Even from this distance, Poe could see the pulse of energy pumping though him alongside his blood and sweat. He'd regained some weight already, having started to eat more heartily in the past week. From how he was acting, he was intent on turning that weight into muscle as he went. Every minute not spent sleeping or eating was spent in some sort of purposeful activity.

He was healthy enough. He was healthy enough that a vial wasn't too much to ask. Two vials would even be permissible. The question was how to get it. Suoh wasn't ready to be confronted on the reality of Poe's unique qualities. As it was, he was barely able to stay calm when Poe was around. His heart rate always quickened so much that it made Poe just want to bite him even more.

"I'll even throw in a claim," she mused from behind him. "If I claim this territory with my Clan, no others of my kind will come here. You'll have to see me at least twice a year when I make my rounds through my territories, which is much more often than unclaimed territories get entered. But, if I claim this place, you would never have to worry about cleaning up a mess again. I'm bought quite easily. Keep me supplied with seasoning and you'll never have to kill another horde again. I heard about the last time. Pilfered was really hungry and made a big mess for you to clean up when he passed through two years ago. Wasn't there six families that you had to put down and even an orphanage? All those poor children. Kicking and biting each other when they couldn't control their hung--"

"Alright," Poe agreed through clenched teeth. "I'll get you a vial. You just keep Phlegm teeth out of my city and your mouth closed about what's in it."

"Excellent," Barb sighed in contentment. "I think I'm going to take a nap in this nice little shed you have. Bring it to me when you have it and I'll be on my way. I do hope you hurry, though. After all," she added, pulling off her sunglasses in order to lock her set of blood-red eyes with his icy-blue ones. "You wouldn't want my appetite to get the better of me before I leave."

"One hour," he replied, breaking away his gaze. He knew that he didn't have to set himself a time limit, but doing so would make him do it before he could change his mind. "I'll have it to you in one hour."

"That'd be nice," she commented before disappearing into the cool shade of the shed. The sun was painfully bright overhead, but their kind had evolved in order to withstand it. It'd never been so much that they were burned by it, although folktales wished it that way. They wished it that way because then there was only the night to fear. No one wished to admit that their nightmares were capable of walking around them in the light of day. The truth was that the vampires of old had been fearful, sneaking out only under the cover of darkness to satisfy their thirst and secluding themselves in order to keep themselves from feeding rampantly on the citizens around them in broad daylight where their sins couldn't be hidden. That had been in the past, though. The vampires of modern times has cast off such traditions and fears in order to hide themselves in plain sight. They'd evolved out of their fears in order to grasp more control of their lives and their hidden world. It had taken an evolution of self-control and an evolution in thought, rather than anything of physical nature.

There were a hundred places and a hundred ways to tell one that there was a vampire among them and to feed without anyone actually believing that he was being honest. To actually find someone that would believe him and would willingly give themselves as a blood slave was rare, however. Most commonly, a vampire was able to find only one in a lifetime and that person tended to become a blood-bride until their death of old age. It was because of that lack that so many vampires had stopped feeding off of anything other than auric energy, too. While doing so could never completely satisfy an appetite, it left no traces that could link it as a vampire attack. The victim merely felt faint afterward, unknowing that they'd even been fed from.

Yet the urge to drink was still there. He couldn't deny it even though he wished to so badly. It'd taken every ounce of self control to only take Suoh's energy once the blood had touched his lips. He wouldn't allow himself to devolve into a mindless feeder, though. He refused. To allow such a thing would make him no better than the Phlegm that drank so readily. He wouldn't be one of the diseased of his kind. He was a thinking, civilized being. A real one instead of the twisted monstrosity like Barb who had fun pretending to be.

And thinking, civilized beings tried diplomacy first.

"Poe," Suoh said in surprise when he finally dropped down into the cathedral. Sitting up from where he'd been lifting weights, he started to wipe the sweat from his face. "I didn't know that you were here. I mean, I knew someone was here, but I thought--"

"I need your blood," he said bluntly. Suoh froze for a moment with his face buried in his towel.

"Okay," Suoh replied calmly while he put the towel down. Poe stared for a long moment, unbelieving that it could be so easy. He'd expected panic and fear, not the complete and absolute acceptance that he was displaying! "Mukuro-sama said that he's been making me look like I'd taste nasty to you," Suoh explained quietly. "He said that he's been making me look like maggots and vomit so that you wouldn't want to bite me. If you say you still need it anyway, then it has to be important. Right?"

"You--" Poe gaped in shock.

"You really are a vampire," Suoh said with a small smile. "I think I knew all along and when you bit me, I could sense that you were trying to be gentle. It all happened kind of fast, but I remember that part. You even tried to apologize about being rough. You're not a bad guy, Poe. A bad guy wouldn't have kept me from jumping."

"Che," Poe spat. "Don't be stupid. I wanted you to jump so that I could eat from you. If you were going to kill yourself anyway, then I just wanted to make sure that you hit in a way that'd cause you to bleed. I could have fed off of the splatter without having to bite."

"Eh?" Suoh gasped with his face growing pale. "Without having to bite...?"

"You don't really think that our teeth is the only way that we can feed," Poe snarled in disgust. "Those are just the most sensitive contact points. If I wanted, I don't even have to touch you to take what I need."

"Then why--?"

"I bit you because you were going rampant," he replied through clenched teeth. "Your energy was leaking out too fast for me to take it in any other way before it dissipated. I had to go straight to the source and siphon off the flow there or else all that energy that you were using would have been wasted. Aren't you the one that's always going on about not wasting food?"

"Oh," Suoh murmured, biting his lip with a sad look in his eyes. "Food," he repeated. "I guess I can understand that. Does that mean that you're hungry, Poe? I mean, if you're needing my blood, that means that you're hungry. Right?"

"Yes," he admitted while deciding that Barb was better kept as a secret.

"That... That kind of makes me happy."

"Eh?" Poe gasped, this time being his turn to be surprised.

"Mukuro-sama calls you a lot of names and he says that I can't trust you," he said shyly, absently scratching his nose while he looked down at his seat. "But you're asking me instead of just taking it. Plus, you're asking me instead of someone else. That means that we're friends and that you trust me. That makes me happy. I know it shouldn't, because you want to feed off of me. But it does. It's like you're saying that I'm good enough. Maybe even that I'm better than other people. It's like you're maybe saying that I'm a steak and other people are lunchmeat. No. That's not right. Turkey and chicken. No. Oysters and clams. Maybe-- That's it! I'm a fish filet and other people are just fish sticks!"

Poe couldn't take it. He found himself bursting out in laughter at Suoh's latest list. It was insane. Suoh was comparing himself to food and he didn't have a problem with that! He was actually stupid enough to take pride in comparing himself to mere meat! What kind of fool was he?!

"It's not funny!" Suoh squealed in indignation. "I was being serious!"

"I know you were," Poe chuckled. "That's why it's funny. You are truly a unique creature to be able to accept the idea of yourself as a filet." Deciding that Suoh was asking to be teased, Poe used his lightening speed in order to flash out of his sight for an instant. When he reappeared, Suoh froze and his heart started beating wildly at Poe's teeth being so close to his neck. It was instantly intoxicating, seeing Suoh's life energy pulsing madly with only a thin and delicate piece of skin containing it. The corruption of the mist was gone, having cleared up once Suoh had spilled the secret. It left him breathless with hunger to see the untainted power inside him again, making him wonder if getting close had been such a good idea. "Although," he mumbled softly with his eyes unintentionally becoming locked on the beating vein in Suoh's tight throat. "I like to think of you as veal. So tender and succulent--" Poe let out a small groan and pulled back when Suoh shuddered, biting his own lip rather than beak his own oath. Civilized, he silently repeated to himself like a litany. Desperate times called for desperate measures, but biting wasn't acceptable in other cases without--

"You can bite me," Suoh said with a small tremble.

--consent.

"Just... ah... J-Just d-don't.. ah... Don't take too m-much. I... ah... I don't w-want Snicker to.. ah... to get up-upset."

Poe's mouth filled with the taste of blood when he instantly bit through his lip. Without thinking, he automatically licked the wound in the full knowledge that his saliva still acted as a coagulant even if it no longer had the ability to spread his hunger. In olden times, that property was what thickened the blood ingested so that vampires could survive off of a liquid diet. Now, it was nothing more than a quirk that allowed him to keep from wasting even the smallest drop of his own blood.

"You don't know what you're saying," Poe mumbled in disbelief. "No one offers themselves up as--"

"Are you hungry, Poe?" Suoh asked with calm settling over him once more. Poe stared in shock at the smile that covered Suoh's face when he stood and walked closer. "It's okay. Friends help each other out. Mukuro-sama is kind of mad at me right now, but I think he'll forgive me. I already told him before that I wanted to let you as long as you asked me first. It's a lot sooner than I expected, but you can't help it if you can't wait. Go ahead. I really don't mind."

"Why?" Poe asked with his confusion overwhelming his hunger for a moment.

"Because," Suoh murmured with another sad and earnest gleam in his eyes. "I want to know that I'm useful."

_There's a difference between being useful and used_, Poe wanted to say. He didn't, though. He didn't because he could tell that Suoh wouldn't understand the difference. More importantly, Poe didn't want to foolishly talk Suoh out of withdrawing his consent. How long? How long had it been since he'd had someone willingly offer themselves? Twenty years? Thirty? He knew how long. Forty-two years. No one had since Phyllis had died in that car accident outside the theater after she'd finished the show for the night. If only he'd taken better care of her. If only he hadn't taken her offer, she would have noticed that car and she would have had the strength to dodge it.

He'd only come down to get a vial of blood, he reminded himself as Suoh tilted his head slightly in invitation. Just a vial, he repeated as he found himself drawn in anyway. He was hungry, he realized. Hungry for more than just the accepted diet of auric siphoning and human meals. He wanted to taste it again. He wanted that intoxicating flavor that'd dripped onto his tongue when he'd bitten Suoh before. It was so close and pulsing so brightly that his gut tightened in anticipation. A taste could be forgiven, he mused with his lips already grazing Suoh's trembling flesh in order to find the best location to sink his teeth into. Just a nibble to ease the hunger pains. Suoh wasn't fighting. He was offering himself up freely as...

...as a friend.

Poe froze with his teeth lightly resting Suoh's flesh without breaking the skin yet. His body was trembling with fear in Poe's arms, although he didn't utter a single sound despite how his hair was clenched tightly in Poe's grasp. Poe could tell from how the vein below his mouth was pulsing frantically and the tense muscles surrounding it that he was scared. The lack of fight showed his determination, though. He wanted to be bitten even though he was scared to be bitten. Poe knew that he wanted to bite but there was a doubt that flew into his mind. It was an insane, pointless doubt that he wasn't sure how to respond to.

Was this what a friend would do?

He didn't know. He didn't have friends. No one but his own kind accepted him fully for what he was. Yet, Suoh had said repeatedly that they were friends. Suoh knew what he was and had offered himself up to be devoured. Normally, such thoughts and words were instantly ignored, but this time was different. The person saying the word 'friend' knew the most damning thing about him and was saying that it was okay. But it wasn't okay. It wasn't okay because Suoh really was a friend, but Poe was treating him like food. Friend or food? Which was he? He couldn't be both! That _would _be uncivilized! One didn't talk to and befriend their meals! What the hell was he doing?!

"P-Poe...?" Suoh mumbled in askance when he continued to hesitate.

"You're more trouble than I thought," Poe groaned, pulling his teeth away completely. "As delicious as you look, I'm afraid that you're not veal after all."

"Eh?"

"Come here," Poe snapped, grabbing Suoh's wrist in order to drag him toward the kitchen. Reaching into the cabinet, he grabbed out the coffee mug that Suoh had been assigned to him and set it on the counter before facing Suoh with a irritated expression. "Where?" He asked bluntly as he pulled out a small paring knife from a drawer.

"I don't--"

"I'm not going to bite you," Poe growled. "But I do need your blood. Where can I cut so that it doesn't bother you? Pick somewhere."

"H-How about my hand?" He suggested hesitantly. "I always keep my gloves on, so Snicker wouldn't see it and get upset."

"That works," Poe agreed with a small smile of relief. He watched as Suoh set to hurriedly stripping off one of the gloves in his own relief and nodded to himself in satisfaction. He'd made the right choice. Biting Suoh would have allowed him to eat his fill, but this way was the right way. It was the civilized way. Maybe one day, he'd take Suoh up on his offer when he was more comfortable with the idea and strong enough to withstand the feeding. It would be troublesome to hold off, but that was okay. Poe could be patient so that Suoh's energy wasn't laced with the aftertaste of fear. After all, Suoh _wasn't _a young and innocent veal. He was a wine that needed to be aged properly in order to bring out the finest of bold and intoxicating flavors.

He was a wine that was well worth the wait.

* * *

Author's notes: I've been converted to livejournal. Notes will still always go up on my myspace first, but feel free to join and post in the flames and family community that's been set up on LJ.

community. livejournal. com/ flamesandfamily/

Also, two new fanarts! Go check them out! (Why do I keep wanting to call Taikova as Tapioca? ACK!)

taikova. deviantart. com/ art/ F-and-F-IV-Intented-Path-96287746

taikova. deviantart. com/ art/ F-and-F-III-Hotaru-s-blab-96289396


	31. Chapter 31 Highs and Lows

Author's notes: --Passes out again--

* * *

"A job?" Tsuna repeated in surprise. "Doing what?"

"Just random errand work," Autumn replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Most of it will just be routine errands. Things like picking up Auntie's groceries for her and delivering them. If my dad starts trusting you, he'll give you more and more work until you're doing the really well-paying jobs. Things like confidential paperwork deliveries and.. um.. paychecks and stuff."

"What aren't you telling me?" Tsuna asked suspiciously as he held off on his third set against the sandbag. He had a feeling that something was completely off about the whole offer, but it was hard to describe. Not only was there a strange flipping sensation in his stomach, but Mukuro-sama was unusually silent. Typically, when Autumn came around, Mukuro-sama was full of all the bad-mouthing that he normally only reserved for Poe. It was as if he was purposely keeping his opinions to himself for once and that wasn't like him at all.

"There might be a small problem," she admitted with a grimace. "I don't think it'll be a big deal where my father is concerned, but it might be a big deal to you."

"What?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"Your former Mafia connections," she murmured with her eyes firmly locked on the couch. "You'll have to fess up to them to my father."

"No. I shouldn't have even told you."

"He won't care!" Autumn exclaimed. "But you've got to tell him! It's only fair! He'll be taking a big risk by having you work for him! It's not like he's going to sell you out!"

"He might," Tsuna mumbled softly.

"He won't," she said firmly. "He doesn't judge people for their pasts. One of his cooks is a murderer and one of his live-in maids is a former thief. Both of them told him the truth about themselves and my father protected their secrets. I can swear to you that he won't be any different when he hears your story. Just meet with him and talk to him. I went through a lot of trouble to do this for you. The least that you can do is to hold off your decision until after you've met him in person!"

"Fine," Tsuna grumbled before turning back to his sandbag. "I'll meet with him, but don't expect much. If he's not going to give me a job without knowing my life story, then I'll find something else."

"Good," she grinned. "In that case, hurry up and go get dressed. He's waiting on you to show up. He said that if you're not there within an hour, you can forget it."

"EH?!" Tsuna exclaimed, overextending his punch so much that he fell over.

"Go!" Autumn ordered shrilly. "You've only got thirty minutes left because it took me ten minutes to get here!"

Tsuna sat in shock for a moment as the words penetrated his mind. Despite his carefree attitude, this was the first offer that'd come his way. It'd taken him two weeks before he could stay awake for a full day, but he'd started looking from the second day that he felt energetic enough to do that much. That was two weeks ago and he still wasn't getting anyone willing to hire him. It was December all over again. Only this time, everyone was out of school for the summer instead of for Christmas. He had hopes that when it started back in August, he'd get his chance, but that was still weeks away.

He wanted a job. He wanted it so badly that Mukuro-sama had already been forced to deal with two fevers before Tsuna had even noticed that there was a problem. Admittedly, those two fevers and the workouts that Mukuro-sama had forced his body through because of them were the reasons that he was already back on his feet. He'd been sore for days afterward, but it'd pushed his body in ways that he couldn't push on his own. He was still as thin as a rail, but his body's strength was quickly building by the day once that foundation had been laid.

A job meant that he could contribute. Despite having the money that Mukuro-sama had given him to pay for him to keep his body healthy, he wanted to contribute. That had been the feeling that had started the whole mess from before and that feeling hadn't ever went away. He'd thought that he'd been contributing by running away, but he knew better now. He had to stay with everyone and contribute in other ways. Whether it was a simple 'good morning' or to eat everything that Cassandra put her heart into making. Whether it was protecting the house while everyone was away or walking the dog. Whether it was preparing the baths for everyone or simply giving Snicker a kiss good night. He had to contribute. He'd been doing his best to contribute without working, but a job would make him satisfied that he really was contributing instead of just leeching.

This was his first chance. Even though it was a long-shot since Autumn said that her dad wouldn't hire him without knowing everything, he still had to take the chance that her dad would hire him anyway. It would be a job. A real job with a real paycheck. He could have a work history and work references to get a better job in the future. Most importantly, Snicker would be proud of him. He'd be proud because Suoh would finally be a partner again instead of a mooching boyfriend that needed to be taken care of.

"A job..." Tsuna murmured as he quickly jumped in the shower. Real work. Real pay. Somewhere that he was useful for more than what people saw attractive in his disfigured body. It was like a dream come true. It made him excited and giddy. His first real job working for his first real boss. It wasn't like before where he worked at that whatsits sushi place to pay back what Reborn and everyone stole. This time, he'd be working for himself and his friends because he wanted to. He'd be working for profit instead of debt.

_Don't get your hopes up too much, my pet._

"Why is that?" Tsuna asked curiously, pausing in the middle of rinsing himself off.

_I cannot say. This choice is not one that I may be permitted to interfere on for reasons that I'm not yet permitted to speak of._

"That's weird," he replied in thought. "You're acting weird. Is there something that I need to know about?"

_Tread carefully_, Mukuro-sama whispered into his thoughts before fading away once again. Disturbed by the warning, Tsuna took his time in drying off. Mukuro-sama was usually a lot more vocal on his opinions. It was almost as if someone had told him to shut up this time, though. That didn't make sense, though. There wasn't anyone that could tell Mukuro-sama to shut up where he'd actually listen. Hell, there were a few times that Tsuna had begged him to shut up and it'd only added more fuel to the fire. Mukuro-sama was the type to enjoy twisting words around until he got what he wanted. Why was this time so different? It was just a job interview. Was there something special about Autumn's father that Tsuna didn't know?

"Hurry up!" Autumn shouted in exasperation when he slowly walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. The words did the trick in reminding him of his time limit. With a strangled yelp, he went running for his room in a rush that left Peanut chasing him and barking in excitement. He didn't have time to waste in thinking about what to wear, so he simply grabbed up the first outfit that came to hand that actually fit. He knew that a t-shirt, blue jeans, and his sleeveless vest probably didn't make him look too professional, but he didn't need to be for a messenger job. Plus, Autumn said that her father would supposedly accept him no matter what, which meant that it was probably better for him to go dressed like he normally did if she wasn't lying.

Without even thinking about it, he slipped on his wool cap and his messenger bag out of habit on his way back out of the room. The bag was currently empty except for a few spare weapons since Snicker had been adamant about Tsuna leaving his prizes at the house as proof that he'd return when he left. Tsuna had to admit that the token was both needed and effective. The first few times that they'd actually left him alone, he'd been tempted more often than not to just run for it. It was even worse when he left the building, but those trinkets made him come back each day no matter how far his feet thoughtlessly wandered. It was literally impossible for him to leave his treasures behind even though they would be considered trash by anyone else.

Grabbing his bike, he wheeled it out the front door and made sure that the door was locked behind him before getting on. He knew that everyone had a key to the place that should and Peanut had miraculously trained himself how to ring the bell with his teeth if a stranger came in while no one else was home.

"Get on," Tsuna ordered.

"I'll walk," Autumn replied with a deadpan expression.

"Come on," Tsuna exclaimed in exasperation. "We won't make it in time if you walk."

"Then go without me!" She snapped.

"There's no time to argue," he countered. "He probably won't give me the time of day if I don't have you there to introduce me. You said it yourself that you're the--" Tsuna broke off, seeing the gleam of apprehension hidden in Autumn's eyes. It left him gaping. "You're scared of riding a bike."

"I'm not scared!" She squealed with her face turning red in irritation "I just never learned how to ride one!"

"Don't worry," he said in a breath of resignation. "I'll be doing all the work. You just have to hold on. See that bar going through the back wheel? Slip off your heels and stand on that and hold onto my shoulders. I'll take it easy so that you don't fall off."

"I-I'll just call my dad and get an extension," she mumbled, looking at the bike as if it were the source of all evil. Tsuna reached out and stopped her when she started to dig in her bag, sensing that her fear was abnormal.

"Do you trust me?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" He repeated with a small smile.

"Now isn't the time to role-play Aladdin!" She growled after a moment, slapping the hand away.

"In that case, we might as well not go," Tsuna sighed as he started to dismount his bike.

"Wait! Why?" She gasped, pushing him back down. "I said--"

"That you'd get an extension," he finished with a sad nod. "Considering that he's wanting to hire me for deliveries, it'd look pretty bad if I couldn't be on time. Wouldn't it?"

"That's... true..." she relented with a grimace.

"I appreciate you trying, but this just wasn't meant to work," he added sadly. "I'll just find something on my own. Surely there's some place out there that'll take a ch--"

"A...ight," she mumbled under her breath.

"Hmm?" Tsuna asked while hiding his urge to grin in triumph.

"I said, alright!" She snapped. Grumbling and cursing under her breath, she kicked her feet up into her reach to remove her heels. Stuffing them in her purse, she hiked the purse itself high onto her shoulder before hesitantly stepping onto the bar like he directed. Tsuna grinned widely when she leaned forward to grab his shoulder, her fingers clutching on tightly in fear once she was relying completely on him to keep her balanced.

"Relax," he soothed as he reached over his shoulder to plop his helmet on her head before she could object. "I said that I'd take it easy. Are you ready?"

"Y-Yes," she replied. He was sorely tempted to take it fast anyway just to tease her, but there was something very strange about how she was acting. It wasn't a normal fear of the unknown. Autumn took the unknown as a challenge. This was different. It made him completely forget about making it on time and focus everything he had on trying to help her overcome her fear. To see Autumn being honestly vulnerable was something that he found himself very concerned about. She hadn't been scared in the face of muggers, but she was scared of a bicycle. It wasn't like her at all!

"Where are we going?" He asked curiously before starting off.

"My dad's restaurant," she answered. "He's at the one on Third Street today. It's a fancy Italian one--"

"Pasta da Paolo," he supplied with a nod. "I've seen the place even though I could never afford to go in. Italian food has never really been my thing, either. Okay. Here we go," he warned, seeing that she was starting to relax despite standing on the back of his bike. She tensed up again at the warning, but he ignored it in favor of pushing off to a slow start. He felt her lurch behind him and her nails dug into his shoulders even harder until he could feel them almost cracking against his shirt. Feeling that, he decided to take the long way so that there were fewer turns and she could get used to the sensation of riding on the straight paths.

It worked. Slowly, but surely, she began to relax again when there where no lurches or jolts to scare her. The ride was smooth and steady, so much so that it was almost as if they were out of a joyride instead of a race against the clock. Along the way, Tsuna could feel Autumn's attention drift toward the homeless that kept tossing out greetings to them as they passed.

"I know them," he explained conversationally, happy that Autumn's fear was waning enough that she could focus on something other than the bike that was transporting them. "I used to come out on Sundays and pass out sandwiches. It wasn't much, but once me and Snicker had the money, we figured that we could spare it. For some of them, it was the best meal that they got all week. Baloney is cheap, but we'd toss in some cheese and fresh lettuce. Eric's been doing it since I was gone, but I'll probably start doing it myself again this weekend."

"Why?" She asked curiously. "They're grown people. They can go work just like you and Snicker did and get their own meals. Why waste the money that you two work hard for?"

"Because," Tsuna replied sadly. "We've been there and sometimes a simple thing like a sandwich can change everything. It can give hope when you start thinking that no one is ever going to see past your problems to help you. It can give you the strength to try when you don't think that you can keep going. It can take your mind off of how bad your stomach is growling so that you can think ahead instead of only thinking about how bad it hurts. Me and Snicker have everything we need. Instead of spending our allowances on stuff that we don't need, we'd rather help out those that are as bad off as we were. After all, that might be us again one day and those people that we help might be the ones handing us a sandwich. We can't hope that we'll always be as well off as we are. A person can go from having everything to having nothing in the space of a day. Me and Snicker know that while most people like to pretend that their lives are a lot more secure than they really are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked seriously.

"Take you for example," Tsuna sighed as he continued to smoothly pedal forward. "Say... Your dad dies and doesn't leave you anything. That leaves you with just your apartment, your job, and your bank account. Now, say that someone steals your purse on that same day and empties your account. Now all you have is your apartment and your job. Then your apartment building burns down and you didn't think to get insurance. Now all you have is your job. How long do you think you'll be able to work as a well-paid woman for hire if you can't make yourself smell pretty?"

"That's--" She murmured in shock.

"A badly timed death, a thief, and a house fire. Three things and you'd be living on the street like everyone else. Does your life still seem secure?" Tsuna asked knowingly. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled at her in effort to soothe her before focusing his attention back on the alley roads. "Don't worry. You've got friends, Autumn. If something like that were to actually happen, you'd still have a place to go. Me and the gang wouldn't let you end up on the street."

"Suoh..."

"We're here," he called back to her as his bike exited out of the alley into a break in the flow of pedestrians. She squeaked a bit when he lurched to a stop, flying forward since she'd stopped gripping his shoulders so tightly. Her eyes widened, seeing that they'd come out of the alley between her father's restaurant and the rival next door.

"How?" She gaped as she stared up at it. "There wasn't any street signs or anything to go by."

"I still got the map in my head," he answered while she hesitantly dismounted first. "I don't have to use the sidewalks or streets to get to places in this city. A few parts are kind of foggy since I was gone so long, but this area is still really clear. Me and Snicker came over here a lot to barter work for--"

"Autumn!" Someone interjected in surprise as Tsuna started chaining his bike to a lamp post. Tsuna looked over his shoulder in order to see a rotund man with a chef's apron on. From the look of him, he was probably one of the kitchen workers. "You were on a bicycle!"

"Oh, umm..." Autumn replied with a sheepish blush, hastily taking off her helmet in order to throw it at Tsuna. "S-Suoh talked me into it so that we wouldn't be late. We're not late. Are we?"

"Just a little bit," he replied, reaching out to give Autumn a surprisingly warm hug. "But I don't care about that. You were on a bike! I didn't think you'd ever get on one!"

"It was just this once!" She exclaimed in a huff, pulling away almost instantly. "I-It wasn't as bad as I expected," she added, which left the man gaping.

"You--!" He finally roared when Tsuna hesitantly stood back up. Before Tsuna knew what was happening, he found himself in a headlock and being dragged through the front doors of the building with Autumn squealing indignantly behind them while she gave chase.

"What did I do?!" Tsuna cried in growing panic, his feet stumbling while he tried to keep up with the man's fast pace.

"You got my little princess on a bicycle," he replied without letting up on Tsuna's neck in the least.

"Daddy!" Autumn shouted. "Let him go!"

"In a minute," he promised as Tsuna found himself dragged through the kitchen doors. "I want to talk to this little bugger."

"Daaddd--!" She whined, her voice getting cut off by a closed door as Tsuna was finally released into what looked to be the manager's office. Gasping for air, Tsuna looked around the office with wide eyes, seeing no escape route through the cluttered area other than by the door that they'd come in by.

"Sit down," the man urged while Tsuna's mind slowly grasped the fact that this was the man that he'd come to meet. Doing like he was told, Tsuna tried to figure out if he was in trouble or if he wasn't. He'd been led astray, thinking that the owner of such a fancy place would be wearing dress clothes instead of work clothes. "Cigar?" He offered while he made his way behind the overflowing desk.

"No thanks," Tsuna mumbled, taking extra care not to stutter. "Did I.. uh...?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," he soothed, making Tsuna sag down in his seat in relief. "I've got to say that I'm impressed, though. Princess has been paranoid about bicycles ever since her mother died while riding on one."

"Oh," Tsuna gasped with all the blood rushing out of his face. "I didn't know."

"I'm not surprised," the man sighed, leaning back in his chair with a lit cigar in his hand. "Princess doesn't like talking about it that much. Her mother loved her bicycle, but she can't seem to think about that part. She just thinks about the car that jumped the curb and hit her."

"That's horrible," he murmured in dismay.

"But this isn't about my late wife," he replied with a smile. "I want to hear about the man that talked my fool of a daughter into forgetting about that tragedy. So, tell me about yourself. What's your name?"

"My name is Suoh Timberson," Tsuna started hesitantly.

"I'm Paolo Martelli," the man interjected, leaning forward to give a belated handshake in introduction. "You can call me Papa Paolo or Papa P. That's what everyone calls me."

"Okay," Tsuna agreed shyly. "Everyone just calls me Suoh. Well, almost everyone. My friends down in Chinatown call me Little Dragon."

"Little Dragon," he chuckled. "They call me Big Dango. I'm not sure what that translates to, but it doesn't seem like an insult. They're always laughing and smiling when they say it."

"I'm sure they are," Tsuna agreed while trying to hide his own need to laugh. The reason for the name was obvious since the man was so rounded at his midsection.

"So," Papa Paolo prompted. "Tell me where you came from. I want to know everything about my daughter's friend. She's brought people to me before that needed a job, but this is the first time that I've seen her get so worked up. I want to know what made you into a person that caught my little Princess' eye."

"I like to keep my past private," he said honestly, steeling himself against saying anything at all about his past. "Look," he said, deciding that it was better to get it straight out in the open from the beginning. "I know that Autumn said that I have to tell you my life story, but I'm not going to. I only came because she did stick her neck out for me. I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some work, but I'm not going to give you every detail of my life in order to get it."

"I see," he said softly when Tsuna faltered into a silent stop.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled as he started to get to his feet. "It was probably just a waste of your time for me to come here, but--"

"Sit down," he ordered. Tsuna froze at the firm and commanding tone. It wasn't like the pleasant and fatherly one from before. "Let me tell you what I know about you," he said, leaning forward to flip open a file on his desk while Tsuna continued to stand in confused apprehension. "Suoh Timberson. Age twenty-three. You came into the city by boat in the January before last. In the past year and a half, you've went from being a homeless bum on the streets to the leader of the Orange Dragon Gang. No one knows anything about you from before you showed up except that you were supposedly working for the circus. The circus that was on the same ocean liner that you came in on says that they don't have any clue who you are. You are here illegally, although your ties to Melvin Pot, a.k.a. Gigi, has allowed you to create a fake identity so that you can live and work in the states without getting caught. Do you want me to continue?"

Tsuna stared blankly into Papa Paolo's face, unable to respond in his shock.

"Upon arriving, you attached yourself to Joshua Timberson, a.k.a. Snicker, and proceeded to live quietly while scraping by out of sight. In the Spring of last year, you and Snicker lost your home when the city's cleanup crews emptied out the bum-holes. This forced you out of your normal routines and into a unique situation. You found yourself caught up in one of our street-fights in the Michigan Street parking garage. Somehow, you managed to even take out our top fighter with one punch. Which, by the way, I was there for that and that was one hell of an uppercut. I thought you were a lunatic with how you ran out of that place, so it made me very upset when I found out that you began residing in my daughter's apartment building after that."

"T-T-That--" Tsuna mumbled breathlessly, feeling as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Feeling his knees weaken, he collapsed back down in his chair while trying to understand how they knew so much about him. Not even the cops knew that much!

"I hope you don't mind if I jump ahead to the really interesting part," he continued mercilessly, flipping forward a few pages. "The part where you found work for yourself and Snicker was pretty boring. Here we go. Last October. You should remember this pretty well. You sold yourself to a man using the alias of Xander for two hundred grand. His real name wasn't Xander, however. His name was Xanxus and he was here in the city on behalf of the Vongola Mafia Fa--"

"How do you know that?!" Tsuna finally gasped, feeling his heart leap up into his throat. Jumping to his feet once more, he reached out to snatch the file off the man's desk. Reading through it quickly, he found himself becoming panicked with every word. They knew everything. No, not everything. He really didn't know anything about Tsuna's past. There were suppositions and theories, but nothing concrete. They didn't know about Mukuro and they didn't know why he'd ran off six months previously. Other than what he'd done in the city, they knew absolutely nothing about him. For some reason, the most relieving thing he found was that they didn't know the name of the person that had attacked him.

"This is my city," Papa Paolo commented without moving an inch from his seat. Tsuna stared at him, feeling the pages of the file fall from his suddenly numb hands. "I don't have the man-power to watch everyone, but you caught my eye from the moment that I saw that punch. I've been keeping my eye on you since then."

"Y-You're Mafia," Tsuna stated with a lump forming in his throat.

"Yes, I am," he confirmed simply.

"Autumn..." he murmured with wide eyes. "Does Autumn know?"

"Yes, she does," he answered as he leaned back in his chair with a curious expression on his face once more. "She's one of my possible heirs. Of course she knows. I have to say that I'm surprised. I thought it was standard knowledge about us in the ghetto. The Martelli Crime Family has been around for over a hundred years and we're known quite well in these parts. For you to not have known--"

"Snicker told them not to tell me," Tsuna mumbled to himself. "He told them not to tell me because he knew I wouldn't have stayed here. They lied to me. They said that it was safe here for me now, but it's not safe. There's nowhere that's safe. I've--"

"You're running from the Mafia," Papa Paolo interjected with a sigh, instantly getting Tsuna's undivided attention. "I dismissed it before, but now I'm positive. What Family are you running from, boy?"

"Why should I tell you?" Tsuna growled with his eyes narrowing in anger at the object of his possible ruin. Because of this one man, he might have to run again. Everything he'd worked for and all of his hopes that it really was safe again were shattered because of one fat, spoiled, disgusting pig. "You're the same as them. You come in with smiles and lies and then you tear people's lives to p--"

"I can protect you," he said, making Tsuna freeze in his mental tracks. "All I want is the truth. I can swear that it won't go out of this room and you'll never hear me mention it again. I just want to know. I can't protect you if I don't know what it is that you're running from."

"P-Protect?" Tsuna repeated as his mind went blank.

"I've met people like you before," he explained with a sad note in his voice. "People that try to hide on their own and people that try to bottle up all of their problems in hopes that they'll go away. It never works. They all end up destroying themselves in the end. I know that you don't trust me right now. I can't blame you, seeing how I've got the power to destroy everything that you've built up for yourself. But I'll have you know that I'm not the type to use that power. If you were to walk out that door right now, I can tell you that you'll never hear from me again. I don't want to ruin you or take what you have. As long as you're not harming anything that I've built, it's my policy to leave things be. Don't fix what isn't broken, as my father always said. The problem is that what's broken isn't anything with me. It's you, boy. One day, the people looking for you are going to find you. Unless you got allies with the kind of power that I got, you aren't going to last longer than the time that it takes to load a bullet in the chamber. If you'll just trust me a wee little bit, I can help you, though. I can give you heads up to keep your head down when other Families come through the city. They all got to come through me, you know."

"You wouldn't sell me out?" Tsuna asked suspiciously. "How do I know that you won't just tie me up and hand me over to them?"

"I could do that," he admitted, making Tsuna tense up even more. "But I wouldn't. You're not harming anything with what you've been doing and I have a feeling that my little Princess would be upset with me if I did such a thing. More importantly, my men wouldn't be too happy with me if they couldn't trust me. Unless you become a risk to me and my Family, you're perfectly safe in this city. If you want to leave now, feel free to, but know that I won't raise a hand to help you when things go south. Nothing will change from before, but that's both good and bad. Isn't it? Now, on the other hand, if you stay and tell me the truth, I just might be able to help you out. From what I hear, you're needing a job really badly and I just so happen to have a few positions up for grabs. You'd get what protection that I can offer. Plus, you won't have to worry if I'm a hidden snake in the grass that'll jump out and bite you when you least expect it."

"I--" Tsuna froze and found himself sitting down for a third time. He didn't know what to do. If he just ran for it, his gut said that it'd be exactly like Papa Paolo said. Nothing would change, but he'd continue to fear that the local Mafia would change their minds about him. Tsuna's gut said that he was being honest about protecting him, too. No matter how heinous his crimes in the past were, the man would believe him when he said that he wasn't the same anymore. He had the feeling that the man patiently sitting before him had given lots of men a fresh start in the past. Then another thought popped in his head and Tsuna bowed his head in pain-filled realization. "You saw that punch," he murmured. "Ore... Ore is working for you. Isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Papa Paolo confirmed quietly. "So is Gigi and recently Ollie. They do odd jobs for me and, so far, the only thing that I've been able to do in return is to help their friend Eric out in getting his acting career going. Even your adoptive father, Snicker, came to me a time or two in hopes that I could find you when you ran away." Tsuna gasped, feeling beaten and breathless at the words. Ore was bad enough, but he should have realized it earlier with how the man fought underground matches. Gigi was unexpected. Ollie, it was unexpected but unsurprising. Tsuna had noticed that his stealing had gotten a lot more flawless since he'd been gone. He was able to lie now, too. Their influence of Eric's career was shocking, but Snicker... Snicker was like a bomb exploding out of nowhere. They'd all sold themselves. While he'd been gone, they'd handed themselves over to the very people that Tsuna was running away from. Why? Why would they do that?! Didn't they know that--

"I don't know what Family you're running away from," Papa Paolo murmured. "But I have a feeling that they're a lot different than my own. Don't be upset at your friends for coming to me, boy. None of them sold you out. If they had, I wouldn't be needing to ask you about yourself. They were willing to come to me because I'm known for keeping my promises and they wanted more power in protecting and caring for each other. Now, I have my theories about you, but I'd like to hear it from your own mouth. Have you decided? Are you going to leave or are you going to fess up?"

"What do I do, Mukuro-sama?" Tsuna asked under his breath, completely at a loss for what to do. Everything inside him was screaming to trust, but how could he trust the Mafia?!

_I can't help you choose_, Mukuro-sama replied sadly. _If you were to one day regret your decision, I could be held accountable for that regret if I were to influence your choice. You must decide for yourself which path to take lest I cause our destruction._

"B-But--"

_I cannot live your life for you, my beloved pet. Think for yourself._

"M-Mukuro-sama...?" Tsuna asked with his eye twitching in shock. He was gone. He'd come at Tsuna's plea, scolded him, and then ran off. What kind of help was that?! Wasn't Mukuro-sama supposed to come in and deal with all of his problems?! No, he immediately admonished himself. Mukuro-sama was supposed to protect him when things got dangerous. As it was, Tsuna had been monopolizing his time for his opinion on every little issue. That was wrong of him. The moment that he noticed it, he knew that it was wrong. Mukuro-sama didn't exist to serve Tsuna's whims. If anything, Tsuna existed to serve his since Mukuro-sama was the one that had offered to take care of him and protect him. But Mukuro-sama couldn't do everything. Tsuna's intuition told him that in such a forceful way that he couldn't deny it. Looking at the current situation, he saw that Mukuro-sama had his limits. What was Tsuna supposed to do when those limits were reached in a time of crisis?

Insurance. Wasn't that what he'd mentioned to Autumn in her 'everything goes to shit' scenario? If she had insurance when her house burned down, things might not turn out so badly. If... If he fessed up about himself, this would be his insurance. Not just for himself, but for his friends. When trouble came knocking, they would have warning to prepare instead of scrambling to protect themselves. He was trembling inside at the thought, but his feelings were telling him to trust. He wanted to trust Papa Paolo. Papa Paolo wasn't lying on anything he'd said. He was being honest and all that he was asking in return was a little honesty. Honesty.

He had to be honest.

"V-V..." Tsuna felt his heart racing in his chest. Was this the right choice? Papa Paolo could always change his mind and turn on him. He was a Mafioso. Mafiosos did things like that. If he found out that Vongola was after him, what would he do then? What--

"It's alright, Suoh," Papa Paolo murmured, coming around the desk to sit on the edge of it informally. Tsuna looked up at him, unable to hide how afraid he was of admitting the truth. What was going to happen to him? What was going to happen to his friends? He felt like he was on the edge of a cliff and was slowly teetering over an endless abyss. Then, Papa Paolo gave the final shove. "I know that it's hard for you to trust people. Especially someone like me. If it helps, I can promise that just because I know about you, I'll never make you do anything against your will. From everything that I've heard, you're a more decent person than most, Suoh. You're a decent, good person and I wouldn't ever want to make you into someone that's not."

_I'm a good person._

_He wouldn't make me into someone that's not._

"Do you promise?" Tsuna murmured as his nerves finally began to calm.

"What's that?"

"Do you promise?" Tsuna repeated softly. "Do you promise that you won't make me do things that'll turn me into a bad person?"

"I can't promise that exactly," he replied slowly in thought. "But I will promise that I'll never make you do anything. I'll be honest. I want you in my Family. You have unique qualities and unique abilities that I'd like to see fulfilled to their potential. It'd be a winning deal for both of us. I would have someone like you working for me and all it would cost me was making sure that you stayed hidden when certain sorts of people come into town. Even if you join me, though, you're allowed to refuse anything that I ask you to do. I'm not a tyrant like some Bosses that I've met. If you don't want to do something that I ask of you, there's someone else in the Family that'll be more than willing to do it for you. Not that I foresee making any requests that you might want to turn down. I'm only wanting to hire you on as an errand boy."

"Errand boy," Tsuna repeated as he began to feel even calmer. "Not a hitman. Errand boy."

"I won't lie," he continued with an amused note in his voice. "There will be times that people will try to chase you down to steal what you're delivering for me. It'll be your responsibility to make sure that the stuff don't get taken before it gets to where it needs to go. But, yes, you'll just be an errand boy. I got other men that I call on when I need dirty work done. I'll assume that since you're running from the Mafia, you already know to keep your mouth shut about anything you see or hear while you're working for me. Assuming that you give me a reason to trust you. You still haven't given me one."

Tsuna nodded and sagged further down into his chair. When he really thought about it, it wasn't a bad deal. That was to say, it wasn't a bad deal if Papa Paolo was being honest. Tsuna could feel it, however. He could feel that Papa Paolo was being incredibly honest. More importantly, he was giving Tsuna a chance where no one else had. Even more important than that was the fact that Snicker had come to the man. Snicker had come to him and trusted him even though Papa Paolo was of the same ilk that Tsuna had run from. He'd trusted him because Papa Paolo wasn't the same despite appearances. Papa Paolo...

Papa Paolo was a good person.

"Vongola," he admitted in quiet defeat. "I'm running from Vongola."

"That's a start," Papa Paolo said in encouragement. "I figured as much, though. Now, why are you running from them?"

"I... I told Autumn a lie," he mumbled, clenching his eyes shut. "I... I don't want her to know the truth."

"That's fine," he soothed. "What you say in here will stay in here. I won't even tell my own children. I hope that you'll tell her in the future, but it's not required. As long as you trust me, I'm satisfied and I can trust you in return. So," he prompted. "You told Autumn a lie. What's the truth then?"

"M-My name... My... uh... M-M-M... um..."

"Just take it slow," Papa Paolo soothed, kneeling down in front of his seat. There was an earnest and concerned look in his eyes when Tsuna finally saw his face again that seemed to rip right through him. "Your real name is...?"

"Tsuna," he answered with tears welling up in his eyes upon admitting the truth. "My real name is Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"That's a start," Papa Paolo said with a smile, not showing the smallest sign of recognition. "Now tell me. Why are you running away from Vongola?"

"B-Because," Tsuna answered as his tears began to fall. "I didn't want to be their Boss. I don't want to hurt people."

"Boss...?" Papa Paolo repeated with surprise lacing through his honest worry. "You're going to have to explain that one. I don't think I understand."

"It's like this..."

* * *

"Autumn doesn't know," Tsuna murmured tonelessly, having finally run out of tears. "I don't think she'd understand."

"I think that you're right," Papa Paolo agreed, working his way through his third cigar as he filled up Tsuna's glass from the whiskey bottle that he'd broken out after only a quarter-way through Tsuna's story. "She wouldn't understand. My Princess is a bit of a greedy little thing. If she heard that you were a billionaire and you gave all that up to become a homeless bum, I'm not sure if she would be able to believe it. Hell. I'm not sure that I believe it."

"I don't remember any of that," Tsuna mumbled as he sipped off the glass to keep himself calm. "The last thing I remember, I was still living at home with my mother and going to middle school like a normal person. We weren't poor, but we weren't rich, either. I... I don't want to remember. I don't want to know anything about that life. I've already seen what I needed to and I don't want to go back to it. I'm happy here. I'm happy living with everyone and working together with everyone. I want to stay here and just be Suoh. I want to stay here and be a good person. I want to be a good person and I want to become a stronger person that can take care of everyone. I don't want any special treatment or special powers. I just want to have the same ability to take care of them that they have for me. I just want the same chances and the same opportunities that everyone gets."

"Believe it or not, I can understand why you ran away," Papa Paolo sighed, leaning his head back. "There's been times that I've thought of doing it myself. People like us aren't meant to be Mafia Bosses. Our hearts just don't have that cruel streak that's needed to rule through fear. I envy you. If it were for the sense of responsibility that my father drilled into me when I was just a small boy, I would have ran off dozens of times over the years. You understand. It'd be like you running off from the Orange Dragon Gang... Oh, sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay," Tsuna replied with a sad smile. "I didn't want to leave. That was me choosing between abandoning them to keep them safe or staying at their sides while being a danger. If it was something like choosing to fight to protect them or running away to save myself, things would have worked out differently."

"Then why did you run away from Vongola?" He asked as he sat back up in his chair in confusion. "If you've made that choice--"

"That was different," Tsuna replied after tossing back his whole glass in one large gulp. "Protecting the gang doesn't include mass murder and torture. I'll protect them, even if it means that I hurt myself by hurting others, but I won't become a monster that kills people just because they call me short." Tsuna grimaced at the memory of that summary that had been written by his own hand. That had been the one that'd sent him running to the bathroom in order to empty his stomach. "Before that, I'd never puked just from something I read before," Tsuna added sadly. "I know that it might be impossible to be a completely good person in the world that we live in, but I refuse to be completely bad."

"That's all any of us can hope for," Papa Paolo sighed. "I know that some Families have people that were violent and vicious. Those kinds will lash out at anything and everything that irritates them. I see those types a lot when I have to deal with the more powerful Families. You seem like a pretty good kid to me, but I know that power and money can change people. Maybe you're better off as just Suoh. You don't have billions of dollars and an unlimited supply of subordinates, but you aren't doing bad for yourself, either."

"I'm happy," Tsuna repeated with a small smile. "Sometimes things can get rough, but I like working with everyone to deal with problems when they come up. I'm not a Boss and they're not my subordinates. We're a team and all of us pitch in as much as we can so that we can survive."

"From what I've seen of your Family, they're a good bunch of people," he commented.

"F-Family?" Tsuna paled.

"Don't give me that look," he chuckled. "Gang or Family, they both work together toward the same goal. At least, they're supposed to. It's just a term, Suoh. Whether you want to admit it or not, you're the Father of a small Family now. One that I hope will be happy joining the Martelli Family. I've got control of one hundred and two Families at the moment. It's a small number when you think of the Cavallone's five-thousand or the Nubo's eight thousand. It's enough to control this city, though. Some of them call themselves gangs, teams, cliques, or whatever else they like to call themselves, but it all boils down to the same thing. Whether they got three people or thirty, they're all a Family that has a person at the center. For your Family, you're that center. Don't you know why they call people like me a Godfather?"

"No," Tsuna answered honestly.

"It's because we're the top," he said with a laugh. "The Fathers and Mothers of smaller Families look up to us and are protected by us. I'm the end of the line around here. There's no one higher that I have to answer to. You were like that, even though you can't remember. Vongola has thousands of Families that look to their leader as the ultimate power. They are so powerful that other Godfathers in their Alliance look to them for leadership."

"And what about you?" Tsuna asked quietly. "Do you look to them to?"

"No," he answered shortly. "My Family is neutral and I plan to keep it that way. As long as they keep their mitts out of my city, the other Mafia Families can blow each other to hell. I protect my own and I'm not about to go risking the happiness and successes of my own people in order to dabble my fingers in other people's problems. All of my Families know that. The moment that they move out of the city, they're on their own. No matter what, though, I won't tell their secrets as long as they don't tell mine. An eye for an eye, as the saying goes."

"That seems fair," he murmured, rubbing his sleeve over his face to ensure that the trail of tears from earlier was completely wiped away.

"I guess I probably know everything about you now," Papa Paolo said as he screwed the lid back on the whiskey bottle. "I can't say that I can really believe half of it, but I guess it don't matter since you said that you don't want any special treatment. Besides that, the redness in your face is gone now. Well, not all of it. I think the whiskey is getting to you."

"I'm not very good with liquor," Tsuna admitted with a blush.

"Before it all goes to your head, I want to make sure that we're on the same page," Papa Paolo said formally, instantly getting Tsuna's undivided attention. "Most of your Family has already sworn loyalty to me. If you, as their leader, were to swear loyalty, all of them would instantly come under my protection. That doesn't mean that they'd all be required to work for me," he soothed when Tsuna started to object. "It just means that I'll protect them. Call it a bonus for being the person that they all consider as the most important. As that person, I can start sending my requests for things that I need done through you instead of directly to Ollie, Gigi, or Ore. It'd be useful since I wouldn't have to track them down. I can just give you the message and you can pass it along. You can decide to do it yourself, too, if you think that you're up to the task."

"I can do it?" Tsuna repeated with wide eyes.

"Yes," he confirmed solemnly. "That's your right. Everyone has named you as their leader, so it's your prerogative to make the decision for them. Whether you turn the request down, assign it to one of them, or simply do it yourself without telling them. It's all up to you. I'll warn you that you'll be required to do it yourself if you accept a request for one of them and they turn _you _down. I've got a pretty good idea of what they will and won't do, though. You shouldn't have to worry too much."

"I'm not sure--"

"It's the way things work, son," Papa Paolo said sadly. "If you want me to protect them, you've got to take responsibility for them. You're not alone where I can just take you in by yourself. There are people depending on you and that has to be considered, too. You wouldn't want me to save your neck when Vongola drops by to say hello and just leave them to get trussed up and taken away for questioning."

"No," he admitted with a grimace. "I'd want you to protect them first."

"Then you need to accept your role," he said firmly. "You have to accept the responsibility that comes with being their leader or else I can't accept that you'll be responsible with your role as a member in my own Family."

"I don't know," he said in growing confusion. "I just came to get a job, but you're telling me to join the Mafia under you. It's--"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Papa Paolo said quietly. "I know that the Belfang Gang has been poking around your hideout for a while now. The Velvet Scats have set their eye on your place, too. I can name at least half a dozen gangs that are slowly closing in on you with plans to take you over. I know how it is on the streets, son. It's a law in our Family that the heir can only succeed after living on the streets for over a year. My great grandfather made that law because he saw how the Family that he ran from had lost sight of their reason for existing. They got hungry for power and greed and stopped caring about the people that they were hurting along the way. That's why my precious little Princess is a harlot. It's better that she's a harlot than a Boss who doesn't care about the Families that she'll be responsible for. So I know. I know how it is on the streets because I've lived it for a time. There is always someone more powerful than you out there that wants to take what you've got. Staying neutral isn't easy and at times, it's downright heart-breaking. Take my advice. Join me and let me take care of the nasty business so that you and your Family can keep on living peacefully. The loyalty that I ask in return is a small price to not have to do it yourself."

"Can I think about it?" Tsuna asked, knowing that his head wasn't in any condition to think straight. Not only were there hundreds of confusing thoughts to sort through, but the alcohol that he'd drank to calm down was beginning to go to his head with a vengeance.

"That's fine," he sighed. "I was honestly hoping that we could come to an understanding tonight, but--"

"Night?" Tsuna repeated with wide eyes. Looking up at the clock on the wall, he jumped to his feet in instant panic. "Oh no," he gasped, seeing that they'd talked for hours. They'd talked for so many hours that night had long fallen outside the windowless room. "Everyone's probably worried sick about me. I've got to get back."

"Feel free to come back when you make up your mind," Papa Paolo said as he got to his own feet. "The offer is open for as long as you need. Just know that my hands are tied until I hear an answer."

"That's fine," Tsuna replied. "I've really got to go, though. Is it okay if I use the back door? I don't want to disturb your customers by going out through the front."

"You would probably create quite a stir," he confirmed. "What's the combination to the lock on your bike? I'll have one of my waiters go out and take it around to you."

"Um... three, eighty-six, twenty-seven, sixty-nine," he answered.

"Okay," he agreed. "You just wait out back and I'll have them bring it to you. I need to go make sure that Isaac is keeping the boys in line. I've left them on their own for too long already."

"Yes, sir," Tsuna mumbled as he led the way out of the office.

"Papa Paolo," he snapped, pausing in the doorway to pin Tsuna in place with a glare.

"Papa Paolo," Tsuna corrected himself while trying to hide how unsteady on his feet he was. Following him out of the door, he looked around to see that the place was in a frenzy for the dinner rush. There was the sound of wine glasses and chatter coming from beyond the double doors to the far left while a clatter of kitchen utensils and sizzling pots and pans filled the room around them. More than just the sound of working chefs, there was the sound of waiters reading off orders and shouts back and forth between the chefs who were working to answer them.

It was chaos. He tried to make sense of it all, but they all looked like headless chickens running around. There was no flows that he could see like there was with traffic. It was as if everyone just went where they wanted and said to hell with the poor fool that got in their way. He tried to navigate through it even though there were simply too many people running around for him to make sense of the order enough to slip through without getting hit. He didn't have a choice but to try once Papa Paolo rushed off and left him in order to stop a waiter from carrying out a salad dish without the dressing service set. As he had feared, Tsuna managed to make it halfway across the kitchen toward the exit that Papa Paolo had pointed out before finding himself slammed to the ground when one of the cooks accidentally ran into him.

"Watch where you're going!" The burly man shouted at him, reaching down to yank him back up by his collar. "Who the hell are you? The kitchen is off-limits to--"

"Isaac!" Papa Paolo's voice rang out over the kitchen noise, bringing instant silence when everyone in the room froze at the sound of his voice. "Put Suoh down!" He ordered with a dangerous quality to his voice.

"Yes, Papa P," Isaac replied in open confusion, settling Tsuna carefully down on his feet.

"Suoh," he called pleasantly while the kitchen staff continued to stay frozen. "Jimmy will have your bike out to you in just a few minutes. Until next time we see each other, please take care of my little Princess for me."

"I'll try," Tsuna replied with a small flinch. "She's kind of a bitch to get along with at times."

"You've managed pretty well so far," he chuckled. "Just do your best."

"Yes, si-- Papa Paolo," he agreed sheepishly, feeling every eye in the room on him. "I... uh... Arrivederci," he said, saying goodbye in Italian without thinking about it. He could see a twinkle of amusement flash in Papa Paolo's eyes for a moment before Tsuna darted through the standstill in the kitchen in order to retreat into the alley. Once there, he leaned against a wall and felt his heart begin to race. Arrivederci? What the hell was he thinking?! Papa Paolo was a Mafia Boss for goodness sakes! The best that he could come up with was Arrivederci? Shit. And he'd insulted his daughter to his face.

SHIT.

Pulling out a cigarette from his satchel, Tsuna lit it while he tried to think of what he should do. Maybe he should just start running now. Go home, pack his things, and just run. No, he couldn't run. He'd promised Snicker that he wouldn't run away again. What options did that leave him? Should he wait it out and see if Papa Paolo was as honest as Tsuna's gut said he was? The man knew his secrets now. Tsuna still wasn't sure how he'd managed to get him to spill them so easily. It'd taken him a year to open up to Snicker, but Papa Paolo had managed in less than an hour. Had it just been the shock of finding out how much he already knew? Tsuna wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was glad that he'd managed to keep two secrets under wraps. Papa Paolo hadn't asked about the incident that'd put Tsuna in the hospital after he'd ran out on Xanxus and he hadn't asked about the eye patch. That meant that he didn't know about Gabriel or Mukuro. But he knew everything else!

SHIT!

Needing something to lash out against, Tsuna sent his fist into the dumpster outside of the building. His fist left an impression and made it slide a foot across the ground, but unfortunately didn't do anything else but make his fist hurt. He shouldn't have come. Autumn's warning should have kept him from coming, but he'd let himself get sidetracked by the fact that she'd actually been trying to help him. Mukuro-sama's warning to tread carefully should have warned him, but he'd been overconfident. Now he was up shit-creek with only shit for a paddle.

SHIIIIIIT!

What was he going to tell everyone? Oh, I'm sorry. I ran away from the Mafia but it looks like I'm going to have to get roped back into working for them because I couldn't keep my mouth shut...? LIKE HELL! Maybe he shouldn't tell them? He had to tell them, though. Autumn had probably already and stopped by to tell them where he was. They're going to want to know everything that happened. They should know, he grumbled silently. They went to him first. That was a whole different subject, though, and one that he wasn't sure that he was ready to face.

"Hey, twerp." The words were the only warning that Tsuna had before he found himself pinned to the alley wall by his throat with Isaac's angry face filling his vision. He hit with enough force that it left him breathless for a moment before panic set in and he automatically tried to struggle.

_Calm down, beloved_, Mukuro-sama ordered in his mind. _I am here should you have need of me._

"Who are you?" Isaac growled while he relaxed in relief. "How the hell do you know Autumn and why is Papa P telling a piece of shit like you to take care of her?"

"If you want to talk, it'd be easier if you let me down," Tsuna choked around Isaac's grip, able to think clearly and respond once he knew that Mukuro-sama was there to protect him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't gut you right now," Isaac snarled.

"Because Papa Paolo would make you clean up the mess," he gasped, tossing out the first thing that came to mind. That only made Isaac look more furious, so Tsuna tried again around the ever-tightening grip. "There's no reason to," he grimaced as he was hit with an epiphany. "Me and Autumn are just friends. Papa Paolo wasn't meaning it like that."

"Why should I believe you?" He asked angrily, pulling back to slam Tsuna against the wall again. Deciding that he was in danger from the simple lack of oxygen, Tsuna did the only thing he could think of. He threw a punch. His fist hit Isaac's unguarded face, knocking him away completely. Tsuna collapsed in a heap the moment that he was released, gasping for air while he rubbed his battered throat.

"Fuck," Tsuna cursed without trying to run away. He didn't need to run away. His intuition was telling him everything that he needed to know. "I can understand you getting upset because of an interloper, but were you really trying to kill me? I said that me and Autumn are just friends."

"Bullshit," Isaac snapped while he shook his head to clear it from the lingering effects of the blow. "Everyone--"

"I'm gay," Tsuna interrupted blandly, admitting what he'd refused to admit before he and Snicker had accepted each other. "And I happen to be very happy with who I'm with. Papa Paolo knows that. Even if he doesn't, he knows that _I_ know exactly how much of a bitch that she can be. I'd rather sleep with a viper. It'd be a lot less painless."

"What the fuck did you say?!" Isaac roared in anger. "How dare a worthless bum like you talk that way about--"

"She doesn't want to be protected," Tsuna sighed, feeling a complete lack of fear in the face of Isaac's fury. Quite the opposite. With the reassuring feeling of Mukuro-sama's presence combined with his own intuition, he felt as if he was armed with an impenetrable defense. "You like her, but you aren't going to get anywhere with her as long as you keep her up on a pedestal. To you and her father, she's a perfect little Princess. To me, she's nothing more than a piece of ass with a price that's too unreasonable. If you can get yourself to treat her as something in the middle of those two extremes, you'd have a lot better chance with her than you do now."

"Wha--"

"I've got to go," Tsuna said as he scrambled to his feet, seeing the waiter finally wheeling his bicycle down the alley. Ignoring the cook, Tsuna went to claim his transportation and quickly jumped on. Not wanting to get into another argument, he fled the scene at his top speed after mounting. Behind him, the waiter and the cook simply gaped at the small wave that he sent behind himself as he set himself on the path home. Along the way, he felt his mind go blank from the combined shock of everything that had happened. By the time that he actually reached his front door and jumped off to wheel his bicycle inside, he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Snicker shouted, jumping up from his recliner when Tsuna finally ducked past the camo-netting separating the garage from the cathedral.

"Job-hunting," he answered honestly while trying to stay off of the subject that he didn't particularly want to talk about yet. Ignoring Snicker's surprised expression and dodging a flying four-ball from the pool table when Ore put too much jump on it again in his match against Marty, Tsuna slipped past where Ollie was trying to perfect a balancing act on his skateboard and tried to get through where Cassandra and Dedra were standing in the middle of the walkway where they were hovering over a magazine. At least Eric and Summer were out of the way. Eric was surprisingly working on the exercise equipment while Summer was curled up on the couch, watching television. Reaching his goal, Tsuna reached into the fridge and grabbed a six-pack of beer before making a return trip to try and head for the peace of his bedroom. Popping the top off of one along the way, he barely noticed that his quiet mood was quickly gaining attention before something else grabbed everyone's attention in unison.

"I'm heading out," Gigi called as he passed through the building toward the front door in a rush. Tsuna looked at him for a moment, taking in the fact that he wasn't dressed in drag. He hadn't been dressed in drag when he'd went out for the past two weeks, either, Tsuna realized sadly. "Oh, sweet-cheeks, you're back," he smiled as he passed next to him. "We were starting to worry about you. I can't stay and chat, though. I've got to go. There's money to be made."

"Hmph," Tsuna murmured to himself before heading toward the stairs once more. Was it work or is it an assignment from Papa Paolo? He was willing to bet that it was an assignment and Gigi was just trying to pretend that he was still just working as a pimp. That was fine. Gigi could pretend all he wanted. It wasn't--

"What did you say, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked, freezing in place where he had been about to duck past the makeshift door into the garage.

"I didn't say anything," he mumbled before heading up the stairs to his and Snicker's room. He could hear quiet chattering break out under the volume of the television and stereo, but he ignored it in favor of guzzling his beer. He knew that he was already inebriated from the whiskey. He wanted more than that. He wanted to be completely drunk so that the twisting in his gut and the clenching sensation in his heart would go away.

It wasn't working. Even after a third empty can hit the floor, he was still capable of pacing and he could still feel. He was pacing purposefully, knowing that he wouldn't feel the effects as quickly if he sat down. He should be drunk by now, but he wasn't. He wasn't and it was irritating him beyond belief. The forth can didn't change that and he was quickly working through a fifth when Snicker finally came up to talk to him. Tsuna could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to talk, but Tsuna didn't want to. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to vocalize all the shit that had happened through the day. So, doing the only thing that he could think of to keep Snicker from doing what he didn't want, he walked up to him before he could utter a word and stole his mouth with a kiss.

Snicker was surprised at the sudden act. That was plain with how he tensed up instead of reacting. Tsuna didn't care. As long as he didn't speak and ruin it, Tsuna was quickly getting an idea of how to take his mind off of his problems. There wasn't anything that he could do about his problems right now anyway. He couldn't run from them like he'd always tried to in the past. He'd promised that he wouldn't. He didn't want to join the Mafia, so even considering Papa Paolo's offer wasn't an option anymore. That meant that all he could do was to sit around and fear for the day that his life turned to shit again. Since he didn't want to think about that, all that was left was to make himself enjoy the things that he was still happy with.

"Suoh--" Snicker gasped, breaking away from his lips for air while he tried to get Tsuna's attention. Tsuna instantly reached up and pulled him into another one, not wanting to let him have enough time to think about anything other than Tsuna's lips. Snicker's lips felt nice. They were warm and moist, making him think of toasted marshmallows over a campfire. It was one of the few places on Snicker's body that was still gooey instead of solid. Although, the solid parts were nice to touch, too. Snicker's shoulders. His arms. His love-handles were gone, but his hips made Tsuna moan in want the moment that he touched them. Grabbing both of them, he led Snicker toward the bed while kicking the empty beer cans out of his path.

"Suoh--" Snicker gasped again, taking advantage of his dominant position when Tsuna pulled him down on top of him on the bed. "We've got to talk."

"I don't want to talk," Tsuna replied in irritation, pushing up Snicker's t-shirt in order to kiss and lick the chest hidden beneath. "I just want you to fuck me."

"No," he growled, reaching out to grab both of Tsuna's probing hands and pin them down on the bed. "I'm not going to sleep with you. You're drunk and I already told you once before that I don't like it when you're not sober. I just want to talk to you. You said something before about Gigi--"

"I don't want to talk about that!" Tsuna snapped.

"I don't care if you want to!" Snicker replied with the same amount of force and volume. "I need to know, Suoh! What did you mean about Gigi getting an assignment from Papa Paolo?!"

"Shut up!" He shouted, raising his voice even more while he writhed his arms out of Snicker's grasp. "I said that I don't--"

"Did you go and talk to him?!" Snicker shouted back. "Papa Paolo is Mafia, Suoh! You can't--"

"SHUT UP!" Tsuna screamed, freeing his arm long enough to sent a fist up at the be-damned mouth that kept saying words that he didn't want to hear. He froze in shock over his own actions as Snicker rocked backward and let him go in the process of steadying himself. Then Tsuna's resolve hardened. He wouldn't hear it right now. He wanted less pain, not more. Angry that Snicker wouldn't give him what he wanted, Tsuna shoved him away completely in order to get to his feet. "Papa Paolo, Papa Paolo," he yelled in anger while Snicker tried to shake off the fact that Tsuna had hit him. "I said that I don't want to talk about him! You act like I fucked up by talking to him! So what if he's Mafia?! You didn't give a damn about that when you went to him, Snicker!" Snicker's eyes widened while he stared up at Tsuna without budging an inch. "You lied to me!" Tsuna yelled, feeling the need to vent the part that was hurting him the most.

"You lied to me, Snicker! You said that it was safe to come back! You didn't tell me that there was Mafia here! You didn't tell me that Autumn was one of them! You didn't tell me a lot of things that I needed to know! I walked into his office, looking for a fucking job so that I could work and you'd see me as a partner again, but I got a lot more than I fucking wanted! You knew! You knew that Papa Paolo was Mafia, but you didn't warn me, Snicker! Because of you, I walked into a bomb that exploded in my fucking face! I thought I could trust you, but you were keeping secrets from me! And now look what fucking happened! Because of you, I have Mafia in my fucking head! Because of you, there's a Mafia Boss that is probably going to blackmail me into doing whatever he fucking wants me to! What else, Snicker? I ran away to get away from the Mafia! What else are you keeping from me?! What other Mafia is going to show up and I'm going to have to fucking accept because of you?!"

"Suoh, I--"

"Shut up," Tsuna snapped bitterly, forcing himself to calm down and lower his voice. "I don't want to hear excuses right now. I... I don't even want to see you right now. I'm going out."

"Where--?" Snicker asked worriedly, holding out a shaking hand in hopes to stop him.

"I'll come back," Tsuna replied with a tired sadness washing over him. "I'm tired of--"

_Trouble, my pet_, Mukuro warned a mere moment before the sound of gunshot heralded the buckshot that tore through their bed. Tsuna gasped and found himself frozen as his favorite gold pillow drifted through the air, it's innards scattered by the bullet fragments that'd pierced it. He had a feeling that the people below them had just aimlessly fired at the ceiling, but hadn't realized that they were still standing under the balcony.

"OOOIIII!" A voice yelled, bringing back memories of a certain swordsman despite the difference in the voice. "Listen up, all of you filthy scumbags!" The voice rang out, heard clearly over the music and television that'd been lowered in volume. "We're taking over this shit-hole of yours! All of you are now under the control of the Belfang Gang, so bow your heads or get the fuck out!"

"Like hell!" Ore's voice roared. Curious about what his friends were going to do, Tsuna inched over to his sliding screen to peek out while ignoring Snicker's quiet, urgent pleas to hide. Ore was bodily putting himself between the armed men and his two girls while Eric was covering for Summer while he tried to inch her toward one of the emergency escapes. Ollie was slowly inching toward the bell rope and Gigi was standing calmly with several darts in his hand from where he must have been playing. Marty was simply standing in place with her hand on the tip of the oversized wrench that she kept strapped to her back. Out of all of them, Peanut was the only one hiding his head under his paws and whining in fear. "That's outrageous! It's you guys who need to get the fuck out! This is our home!"

"And who's going to make us?" The leader of the gang asked with a cruel grin.

"We will if we have to," Gigi answered nonchalantly. Despite the severe nature of the problem at hand, Tsuna found himself smiling. It kind of made him proud that he had such strong friends. Even in the face of armed intruders, none of them lost their cool. They were working together toward the same goals and they hadn't had to think twice about doing it. They were all focused. None of them were allowing themselves a single thought other than what they believed that they needed to do.

"I want to help them, Mukuro-sama," Tsuna whispered under his breath.

_I'll increase your Flame_, he replied in amusement. _I do not wish to make you recognizable by allowing it to surface, but it should be enough for what you're wishing to do._

"Thank you," he said politely, grateful that Mukuro-sama was allowing him to try on his own for once. That was right, he remembered as he felt his body tighten in anticipation and his mind begin to grow clear once the fog of the alcohol was burned away. He'd wanted to get stronger. When had he lost sight of that? He'd been training his body recently to satisfy Mukuro, but hadn't he wanted to get stronger before that? He'd only allowed himself to get weaker, though. He'd forgotten his goals when he'd allowed depression and thoughts of his losses get the better of him.

Hadn't he sworn 'never again' and 'no more'?

Remembering that, Tsuna boldly slammed the shoji screen open. He wasn't going to let people take things away from him anymore. His friendships. His home. His goals and his strength. It was his responsibility. It was his and no one else's. He'd made this place. He'd brought everyone together. Like Papa Paolo had said, he just hadn't accepted the responsibility. He'd been acting as the Captain, but he'd been refusing the duties that came with it. He accepted them now. Now, when someone was trying to take it away, he could see clearly where he'd been failing. If he'd accepted them sooner, maybe everyone would have trusted him better. They'd been picking up his slack and trying to keep him from worrying because he hadn't been worthy of the position that they'd entrusted to him.

"I'm sorry, Snicker," Tsuna mumbled softly while he glared down at the surprised intruders who were looking up at him. "I didn't mean everything that I said. I was just mad because I didn't want to face the truth. It's not your fault. It's mine and I shouldn't have blamed you. I hope that you'll forgive me."

"Suoh..." Snicker gaped.

"I'll get stronger, Snicker," he promised, ignoring the questioning yells that were thrown up at him. "I'll get stronger and I'll protect you like you've been protecting me. I won't let anyone take away our home." Turning his attention back down to the quickly angering mob of armed intruders, Tsuna raised his voice and made his feelings known. "Get. Out."

"Little Guy--" Ore mumbled in surprise before he was cut off.

"And who the fuck is going to make us?" The man laughed while brandishing the sawed-off shotgun that had torn Tsuna's pillow to shreds. "I don't think that you understand the position--"

"I'll give you thirty seconds," Tsuna interjected as he reached out to slide down the pole set up outside the screen. Ignoring the group, Tsuna walked over to refrigerator and opened it in order to grab a bottle of 151 that was stored inside for when everyone got into the mood to really party. 151 was a special drink. It was one that was both potent and easily flammable. He knew from his time with the circus that the fire-breather had sworn by the drink. Therefore, it was exactly what Tsuna needed since his Flame wasn't strong enough to melt steel. Melting steel wouldn't be needed, however. Even though the enemy had a shotgun, that was the only one and he felt confident in his speed to close the distance and bring it under control if needed. The rest of them were armed with baseball bats, knives, cudgels, chains, and other makeshift weapons that were useless against the weapon in Tsuna's hands.

"Twenty seconds," Tsuna said calmly as he walked past his friends toward the mob once more. Unscrewing the lid from the bottle, Tsuna saw irritation spawn brightly in the faces of his enemies.

"Shut up, you little cock-sucker!" The leader spat, pointing the rifle directly at Tsuna.

"You haven't reloaded," Tsuna informed him blandly, somehow knowing that the shotgun wasn't the type to hold more than one shot at a time. "Ten seconds," he added while the man looked at his gun with a curse.

"Eddie, Valdez, teach this little gook a lesson," the leader ordered.

"That's not a nice name," Tsuna growled. "Time's up," he added, taking a long drink while the two men began to close in on him. Feeling Mukuro's agreement and understanding inside of him, Tsuna felt his Flames come under his control just long enough for him to create a spark with his glove. That spark was enough to light the spray of 151 that he spewed into the faces of those trying to take what wasn't theirs. He sent it out in a steady stream, carefully measuring the speed so that the flames didn't have time to trail up into his mouth and cause an explosion with the reservoir that he was using as fuel. What resulted was a breathe of fire that was completely unharmed by the weapons brandished at it. The flames licked around their weapons, scorching hair and faces of everyone before him.

Hearing their screams of surprise and pain, Tsuna cut off the flow and closed in. He didn't feel like he was moving any faster as he walked through the mass of people. They all just seemed to suddenly get a lot slower. They were so slow that he was able to simply trip some of them as he walked past. Others, who looked enraged instead of scared, he punched on the way past in order to send them into the floor where they'd be harmless. One by one, he dealt with all of those who dared to threaten his friends. He dealt with all of those who dared to come into his home while wielding weapons. He dealt with all of those who dared to think that they had a right to come in and take what wasn't theirs. He dealt with all but one.

_Are you having fun, my pet?_ Mukuro-sama inquired in amusement.

"Not right now, Mukuro-sama," Tsuna replied while trying not to think about how good it felt to take charge for once. It did feel good. It felt incredibly good. These people were trying to take what he'd built, but he could fight back for once. He could fight back and win. He could win with his own power and his own strength instead of someone else's! He was doing it. He was protecting everyone else for once instead of being protected! It made him happy and giddy and excited in ways that were almost as intoxicating as Papa Paolo's whiskey had been.

All too quickly, it was over. The leader was still in the middle of pulling out the used shells from his shotgun, not having realized that all of his men had already fallen. It took Tsuna a moment to notice that his own friends hadn't noticed yet, either. He'd moved too fast. He'd moved so fast that momentum hadn't even caught up with the people that he'd hit yet. When he stopped moving and came to a stop in front of the leader with his hand reaching out to take the weapon, it all seemed to catch up at once. Faces smashed into the floor, bodies flew backward from where he'd tripped them, and the leader was the only one left standing after the nearly simultaneous thuds echoed through the suddenly silent room.

"You lose," Tsuna said plainly as he yanked the shotgun away before it could be reloaded. The leader looked around at his subordinates, his eyes nearly popping out of his head in shock. "This is my home," Tsuna said, pinning the man in place with a dark, flame-filled glare from the one eye that the man could see. "You're not welcome here, so leave and take your men with you."

"D-D-Dra-," the leader stuttered in fear as he stumbled backward over his own men. "Dragon!" He finally shouted before turning tail and running for his life, leaving his men to gather themselves up and scramble away on their own. Tsuna followed the slowest one out the door, giving a good kick to the man's rear in frustration for having been forced to fight. It'd felt good to fight, he admitted to himself, but that didn't mean that he liked it. It'd been too one-sided. It made him feel like a bully even though the other guys had started it.

Pushing the Belfang Gang out of his mind, he went to make sure that his friends were okay. The cops would probably be showing up soon, too, if someone had reported the sound of gunfire coming from their building. From the looks of it, he'd managed to keep the fire from scorching anything in the room but the enemies. There was still the debris from the buckshot that had went through the floor of the balcony to clean up and there was also Tsuna's pillow upstairs that needed to be pieced back together. Everyone looked to be in one piece, even though they were all speechlessly gaping at him.

Snicker. Tsuna cursed and ran for the stairs, unable to see if Snicker was okay from the ground floor. The balcony was quiet. Too quiet. Snicker's heart wasn't in the greatest of conditions. What if-- Tsuna let out a deep breath of relief when he saw Snicker still sitting where Tsuna had left him. He was fine. No, not fine, Tsuna amended upon seeing the expression of misery on the man's face. Tsuna had said a lot of hurtful things that he hadn't meant.

"Snicker...?" Tsuna called hesitantly, absentmindedly setting down the shotgun on the dresser.

"I don't understand you, Suoh," Snicker mumbled while staring down at his hands. "I thought I did, but you go and confuse me all over again. You ran because we couldn't protect you and now that we're strong enough to, you go and fight instead of running. Do you want us to protect you or do you want to protect yourself? I can't figure it out anymore."

"When do I fight?" Tsuna asked simply.

"Eh?"

"When do I fight?" Tsuna repeated, already knowing the answer that Snicker needed to see for himself. "Out of all the times that we've gotten in trouble or in fights, what's the one thing that never changes?"

"I don't understand--"

"List them," Tsuna ordered quietly. "When we were on the streets and someone wanted to steal my bag, did I fight?"

"No. You protected what was yours, but I never saw you throw a punch."

"When Colonel always tried to steal my begging money. Did I fight?"

"No. I had to yank him off of you."

"When do I fight?" Tsuna repeated.

"You fought Ore," Snicker answered in thought.

"For you," he added quietly, making Snicker's eyes widen in understanding.

"Gabriel at the bar," he mumbled.

"For Eric."

"Mike."

"For the girls."

"Just now..."

"For everyone," he answered with a sad smile. "I can't fight for myself, Snicker. I've never been able to."

"So when you were attacked..." Snicker breathed with his eyes clenching shut in understanding.

"I was helpless," Tsuna confirmed painfully. "I'm weak by myself. I noticed it during the months that I was away. When my life wasn't in danger, I couldn't fight. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't lift my hands. I had to just stand there and take whatever scorn people threw at me. But when there was real danger, I was able to fight for you. In my head, I knew that if I let myself die then I'd be letting you die. I couldn't let that happen, so I was able to fight. But back when I was attacked in that alley, all I could think of was that you weren't coming to save me. I was weak and scared and I didn't have anything urging me to fight other than my own fear. I'm useless when I'm alone like that, but I like to think that I've gotten stronger since then. I'll keep getting stronger, too, so that you don't have to worry about me as much. But even then... Even then, I need you, Snicker. I need to know that you need me. Without that, I can't fight and I can't be strong."

"You're personality quirks just keep getting better and better," Snicker commented with a small laugh.

"Will you forgive me for all that stuff I said?" Tsuna asked with a hopeful smile. "I was drunk and I wasn't thinking straight."

"And you're sober now?" Snicker asked with a raised eyebrow. "That was less than ten minutes ago, Suoh--"

"My head is on straight now," Tsuna interjected. "I was already drunk when I came home, I just wasn't feeling it. I'll admit that I'm upset that you didn't warn me, but I can understand why now that I'm thinking straight. Papa Paolo isn't a bad man and you didn't want me to get scared when there's no reason to be afraid."

"There's more to it than that," Snicker said, a gleam of misery entering his eyes once more. "But why don't we talk about it tomorrow? You look tired, Suoh."

"I am," Tsuna admitted with his tense muscles loosening up once more. Snicker forgave him. Snicker understood. The best part was that Snicker was willing to let sleeping dogs lie until Tsuna had time to come to terms with everything on his own. Walking over to the shoji screen, Tsuna slid it shut after peeking out to see that everyone had slowly regained their senses. They were more subdued than usual, but they'd get their energy back. Satisfied, Tsuna set to stripping off his shoes and shirts in order to make ready to get some sleep. Part of him wondered if Poe had seen the show that he'd put on, but he decided that it didn't really matter since he hadn't interfered this time.

Then Tsuna's attention was diverted from such thoughts when he felt eyes on his bare back when he went to unbutton his pants. Grinning, he turned quickly in order to catch Snicker in the act of staring at him, which got an immediate blush.

"You perverted old man," Tsuna teased with a wide smile.

"Just when you're around," he replied, making bedroom eyes. "You can't blame me with how you tried to get me all riled up. I have my self-control, but you aren't acting all sloshed anymore."

"And how am I acting," Tsuna asked quietly, making a show out of unzipping his pants. He grinned again at the almost visible lump that got caught in Snicker's throat. Even after so long, it was still so painfully easy to tease him. It was to be expected, though. They'd barely gotten a few weeks together before Tsuna had up and left him. Snicker had been allowed months to come to terms with the thought of them being together, but the reality was something that still left him blushing. Tossing his jeans into the hamper, Tsuna crossed over to where Snicker was sitting on the edge of the bed and purposefully crawled into his lap. Unlike before, Snicker was more than welcoming.

Tsuna instantly felt that something was different than normal, however. The arms that wrapped around him were more possessive than usual. Snicker's kiss was much deeper and more passionate than his typical kiss. There was a fevered quality to his pace as opposed to the slow rate that they normally took with their time together. It was usually Tsuna that tried to rush things faster. It was usually Tsuna that was pushing for more. It was usually Tsuna that was latching on tightly as if... As if in fear. Snicker was afraid. He had the same fears that Tsuna normally possessed. The fear of not being needed. The fear of not being wanted. The fear of becoming useless. Snicker was the same as he. He felt the same pains and the same joys. They knew each other in ways that no one else could possibly dream of. A twitch of the neck or a particular tone. They could read each other like a book most of the time by just a few, minor clues. If it were legal, it was enough to make Tsuna want to propose on the spot so that Snicker would know that his fears were baseless.

Actually, Tsuna decided as Snicker grew more frantic in trying to please him. Screw legalities.

"Marry me, Snicker," Tsuna gasped, making Snicker pause as his lips hovered over his pierced nipple.

"Eh?"

"Marry me," he repeated in a panting breath. Snicker froze completely and Tsuna felt his heart sink when he noticed how much inner turmoil his question had caused. Even so, Tsuna couldn't find it in himself to retract the statement. "We need each other, Snicker," he found himself hesitantly say in explanation. "We need each other, but there are times that we doubt that we're needed. I sometimes doubt and you sometimes doubt, but it's pointless. Nothing is going to change how we feel about each other, but there's still that doubt. I think... I think that those will go away if we have something tying us together from the outside instead of just the inside. It'll make our relationship stronger."

"We can't. It's illegal," Snicker murmured in objection.

"I don't care if others recognize it," Tsuna pouted. "As long as me and you know, that's all that matters."

"It matters to me," Snicker replied unhappily.

"Then how about we just get engaged?" Tsuna asked hopefully. "And we can get married when they do make it legal."

"What about the legal status we already got," Snicker asked, shaking his head to himself. "They got me listed as your father."

"We'll just get it unlisted," Tsuna countered. "We didn't get it listed legally in the first place. I'm sure Gigi could take care of it if we asked. It's not the same as this. That was just an excuse we made up so that people wouldn't think anything about us living together."

"But what about--"

"If you don't want to, then just say it," Tsuna blurted in frustration. "It was just a thought. I figured that you would want something like that to bind us together more."

"I'm just thinking of all the problems and reasons why we can't," Snicker replied slowly.

"Well, stop it," Tsuna pouted again. "I just want to know if you want to. I didn't ask if we were allowed to."

"I want to," Snicker replied with a small smile. "It's crazy and it's something that, two years ago, I would have said hell no to, but it don't seem so bad when it's you that's asking."

"So, is that a yes?" Tsuna asked excitedly.

"If you can figure out some way to make it happen," Snicker laughed at Tsuna's open enthusiasm. "Then it's a yes."

"Really?!"

"Yes," Snicker confirmed. Tsuna let out an excited shout and jumped to his feet before Snicker could say another word. Leaping onto the bed and crawling hurriedly for the shoji screen next to the headboard, he poked his head out while keeping his bare body hidden in order to get everyone's attention before Snicker could change his mind.

"Everyone!" Tsuna shouted with a wide grin, instantly getting everyone's attention. "Snicker just said that he'd marry me!"

"God damnit!" Snicker cursed with a laugh, yanking Tsuna back into the room by his foot before he could see more of a reaction than just a few dropped jaws. "Why did you go and do that?!"

"Because," Tsuna laughed, crawling back over to Snicker in order to knock him onto his back with an overjoyed kiss. "I want everyone to know that you're all mine."

"You're a damn rollercoaster," Snicker grumbled as Tsuna crawled on top of him. "You really know how to screw with people. Don't you? We're all still in shock from the last loop that you threw us for and now you're throwing us for another one. If you keep this up, I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to keep up."

"You like it," Tsuna teased, leaning down over him in order to pick up where they'd left off again. Snicker moaned into the kiss, his hands reactively crawling up Tsuna's thighs in order to clamp down on his bony hips.

"You're right," Snicker gasped when Tsuna let him up for air. "I used to like ferris wheels because they were predictable, but rollercoasters are a lot more fun."

"Good," Tsuna grinned, rubbing himself against the bulge in Snicker's pants as he leaned down once more to attack his neck. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Why's that?" Snicker groaned, his hands trailing to Tsuna's backside in order to push him down more firmly against him.

"Because," he answered naughtily. "I plan to ride you like one and it's no good if you don't enjoy it."


	32. Chapter 32 Just Another Day

Tsuna let out a small sigh of contentment while he lounged on his stomach in utter happiness. Despite everything that'd happened the previous day, he'd slept well. Almost too well. It was as if, deep-down, he knew that his problems weren't as big as he tried to make them. Those issues with Papa Paolo seemed even less important when he thought about the good that had come at the end of everything.

"Good morning," Snicker moaned, cracking his eyes open in order to find Tsuna wide-eyed and staring at him.

"Good morning," Tsuna replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a brick," he answered before reaching out to drag Tsuna up against him. "What are you doing awake before me?"

"Just thinking," Tsuna smiled, tilting his head forward when Snicker began to give sleepy kisses to the back of his neck.

"Thinking about what?" He mumbled against his skin.

"Papa Paolo," Tsuna replied quietly. As he expected, the words had the effect of waking Snicker up fully. The kisses came to a stop and Snicker propped himself up on the bed so that he could look over Tsuna's shoulder at his face with his questions bright in his eyes. "I think I want to trust him," Tsuna said softly, rolling over to lay on his back so that they could talk easier. "You told me to always follow my feelings and I got a strong feeling that he wouldn't betray me. It's kind of odd. I rarely get a feeling that comes off so clearly when I first meet someone, but it did this time. I don't think it's wrong. Papa Paolo said that he'd keep my secrets and he promised that he'd never make me do anything that I don't want to. I'll always get a choice. I don't think he was lying."

"So, what are you going to do?" Snicker asked carefully.

"I think I want to take him up on his offer," Tsuna replied just as slowly. "He'll give me work and he'll be able to protect me from the Mafia from the inside. I... I'm not as naive as I was when I first ran away. I know that he probably does illegal stuff, but I don't think that he does it for fun. He does it for the same reasons that we have to at times. There's... There's just no other way. I mean, we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are if we hadn't crossed the line a few times. Actually, we'd probably still be on the streets because even fighting Ore was illegal. Me selling myself to Xanxus was illegal. Everything Gigi does is illegal. If we went by what other people say is right and wrong, Leo would be in juvenile hall right now and Ollie would be in jail. We're not like those people that can sit up in their fancy condos and their big houses and can make our lives better while doing what other people tell us is right. We have to decide for ourselves and I think that Papa Paolo isn't any different. He doesn't like breaking the law any more than we do, but he knows that sometimes people like us have to. As long as he's not hurting anyone and he's not doing it for fun, I think I can ignore the fact that he's Mafia. He's... He's a lot like me, I think."

"Papa Paolo is a good guy," Snicker agreed with a soft nod. "He helped me and Zero out a time or two while we were on the streets. I didn't want to go to him at first, but I thought that if I could just use him to find you, then we could run off before he found out that you were running from his sort."

"You were going to double-cross him?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"If I had to," he confirmed. "But he couldn't help me. He said that his power ends at the city limits. If he were to reach past that to look for you, he'd be crossing the line into other Family's territories. He just gave me the name of a few really good detectives and sent me on my way."

"I bet he wanted to help," he said quietly.

"I think so, too," Snicker agreed. "He's alright for being Mafia. He's not like those guys that you told me about. He's the type of guy that stands by his word. If you say that you want to work for him, then I don't have any objections. I can almost guarantee that he won't sell you out. There is one problem that I've got to tell you about, though. I didn't want to tell you last night, but you need to know if you're going to go to him."

"What's that?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"It's about Gabriel," Snicker sighed sadly. Taking a deep breath, he almost blurted the words out. "He's his son."

"W-What?"

"Gabriel is Papa Paolo's son," he repeated. "And he's Autumn's brother."

"Y-You're joking," Tsuna objected with a faltering laugh. "You're just joking. Right, Snicker?"

"I wish I were," Snicker replied with a pained expression. "He's the black sheep in their Family. That's why I wanted you to let people know that Gabriel was the one that hurt you. It would have gotten back to Papa Paolo and he would have taken care of it. He's not the type of guy to ignore a rapist in his own Family. I know that you're still wanting to take care of him yourself, but you'll have to forget about revenge if you want to work for that Family."

"That's..." Tsuna sat up in the bed slowly while trying to get his racing thoughts to settle. Give up revenge on Gabriel? After what Gabriel did?! That would be like ignoring someone that set fire to the Dojo right in front of him! But... But work. He wanted that job. Working for Papa Paolo didn't mean that he'd be working for Gabriel. Right? But Snicker was right, too. He couldn't go after Gabriel while he was working for Papa Paolo. If he did that, he'd lose his job. He wanted revenge, but he wanted that job, too. It was the only offer that he'd gotten. Which was more important?

Feeling Snicker's patient presence next to him, he knew which was more important. Snicker was. Snicker would always be. He wasn't strong enough to get revenge yet anyway. He had no clue how to do it without getting caught despite numerous plans and endless brainstorming. No matter how flawlessly he tried to think of something, his gut always told him that it wasn't good enough. He'd get caught. That meant it was really down between the hope of revenge and the reality of work. Since reality beat out ideas every time, he knew what he should do.

"I'm still going to go," Tsuna decided. "Gabriel might be rotten, but Papa Paolo isn't. I think that I can ignore his relation to Gabriel. I...I'll try to. I need that job, Snicker. I'm never going to be able to find work if I don't take the opportunities that I get."

"Alright," Snicker agreed softly. "But if Gabriel starts coming around, I don't--"

"I deal with it," Tsuna soothed with another faltering smile, hugging his knees in hopes that he could get warm again. "I'm stronger than I was back then, Snicker. I won't let something like that happen again. As long as he doesn't touch me, I can ignore him. Plus, as Papa Paolo's errand boy, I won't be in one place for very long. Even if I come in contact with Gabriel, I can hold it together and just go back out on another run. I won't stay around him long enough for anything to happen. You have to think, too, he won't do anything as long I'm working for his father."

"I know," Snicker murmured, reaching out to rub his back. "I know all that, but I still worry. I don't know enough about the Mafia to know if you'd be safer working for Papa Paolo or in more danger. All I got is what you tell me. If you tell me that it's safer, then I'll believe you. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop worrying."

"Well, don't worry," Tsuna laughed, reaching back to grab a pillow to bop Snicker with. "I'm not a little kid. I'm your partner and I--" Tsuna froze and found himself blushing as the other memories of the previous night came back to him. "I... Did I really propose last night?" He asked, feeling his nose turn red.

"Yes, you did," Snicker confirmed with a wide grin.

"And you really accepted...?"

"Yes, I did."

"Oh," Tsuna blurted while he stared at his hands with a bright blush. He was going to get married to a guy. Even though he'd been the one to pop the question, the thought made him want to hide his head in embarrassment. Then again, he realized as his blushes dissipated, it didn't sound so embarrassing when he thought of it as getting married to Snicker. Snicker wasn't just any guy. Snicker was Snicker. They didn't need any big ceremonies or embarrassing displays. Snicker wouldn't be comfortable with that and neither would he. Just a simple exchange of vows and maybe an exchange of rings. That's all that they needed. With that, they'd be sworn to each other and they wouldn't have to doubt because they could remember the vow that the other had made.

That would be nice.

"You look like a kitten with a bowl of cream right now," Snicker chuckled, making Tsuna blush for a different reason. "You even got fur," he added, reaching out to brush a hand across Tsuna's chin. "I noticed, but I didn't say anything before. You grew one out just like you said you would."

"It was itchy on the street," Tsuna grumbled, reaching up to scratch the thin layer of hair covering his chin. "I lost track of how often I shaved while I was gone, but I made sure to leave that little bit for you. It was pretty easy to grow out when I wasn't looking in the mirror every day."

"That's how I grew mine," Snicker laughed, rubbing a hand across the thin mustache and goatee that had been salvaged out of his own bushy beard. "I have to say, getting used to shaving again was a pain in the ass."

"Speaking of shaving," Tsuna groaned as his fingers traced along the outer edges of the patch on his chin. "I need to make this look better. Right now, it just looks like a bush attached to my chin. I was thinking of shaping the edges so that it's just a rectangular strip. That should be good enough to make you happy. Shouldn't it?"

"Yep," he confirmed. "I can settle for that. As long as you have at least a little one, I won't complain."

"Why?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Eh?"

"Why?" He repeated. "Why is it so important that I grow one? I thought about it a lot when I considered just shaving it off, but it's more than just appearances to you. Isn't it?"

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man," Snicker quoted. "That's Shakespeare and it's something that my Pa used to always tell me a lot."

"What's it mean?"

"When it comes down to it, it means that I don't like sleeping with little boys," Snicker answered bluntly, making Tsuna stiffen in surprise. "I didn't want to say anything, but it's a lot easier for you to ignore our age difference than it is for me. I've got it in my head that it don't matter since we're both adults, but sometimes it's hard to remember that you're an adult and it's okay for us to be together like we are. With you being smaller than me, plus younger than me, the beard helps me forget nonsense thoughts. I know it's silly, but that's just how I feel."

"If it makes you feel more comfortable," Tsuna mumbled with a shrug. "Other than shaving, I need to get a haircut, too," he added, returning to the previous subject. "I can't go around with this mop on my head if I'm actually going to be working. I didn't think about it before, but I probably looks like shit. It's no wonder that no one would hire me."

"You look fine to me," Snicker objected with another wide grin, reaching out to pull Tsuna down into a kiss. The kiss unfortunately didn't get to last long since there was a knock on the hard wood of one of the shoji screens.

"What's up, Big Guy?" Tsuna called absently before diving down for another kiss, knowing that the giant was the only one tall enough to reach the balcony without trying.

"Breakfast is ready, Little Guy," he answered, pushing the screen at the headboard open so that he could see inside after taking a step backward for better perspective. Tsuna looked down at him and raised an eyebrow when Ore looked flabbergasted for some reason.

"You might want to get up," Snicker whispered in explanation. "I don't think they're ready to see us like this." Tsuna found himself turning red yet again when he noticed that Ore wasn't the only one staring at the glimpse of them in bed together. Even though their lower halves were covered with a blanket, the position that Tsuna was in on top of Snicker's chest was one that was obviously a prelude to something more. Even worse was that everyone was already awake and moving around. Even Leo was there already and Gigi was still awake from being out all night.

"Ah, fuck," Tsuna blurted, throwing the covers over his head in embarrassment. Unfortunately, the covers didn't hide the ring of laughter that filled the building in response. Damn him! Even Snicker was laughing! He was the one that was supposed to be more embarrassed over getting caught! "It's not funny!" He squealed, holding the blanket tightly down around his head. Hearing Snicker only laugh harder, Tsuna decided to get revenge. Grabbing the blanket as tightly as he could, he jumped off the bed with it wrapped around himself. Considering this left Snicker in bed stark naked without anything to cover himself with, it was Tsuna's turned to laugh at the man's reaction. Namely that he let out a string of curses before throwing himself off the opposite side of the bed with a loud thud to hide himself.

"Oh, shit," Tsuna gasped, running for the stairs with his blanket still tightly wrapped around him when he saw a desire for playful vengeance in Snicker's eyes. Running away didn't prove to be the brightest of his ideas. With Snicker chasing behind him once he'd thrown his bathrobe on and the fact that Gigi was still awake on the main floor, he knew that he was screwed the moment that he started running aimlessly through the cathedral in hopes of finding cover.

"Grab his blanket!" Gigi yelled in laughter, instantly getting all of the girls in the room on his side.

"Help me!" Tsuna cried as he ducked under the pool table, finding himself three defenders just as quickly. After all, Ore, Eric, and Ollie had absolutely no desire to see him naked. Surprisingly, he found Leo on his side, too, which left Snicker and Gigi only with Cassandra, Summer, Dedra, and Marty as backup. Twice, he almost got caught by Gigi when his blanket got pinned to the floor by expertly thrown darts. Eric saved him from those, whipping off the thin chain from his belt and using it to yank them free with a precision that surprised Tsuna. Marty almost caught him once, dropping a heavy wrench on the trailing end of his blanket. The wrench itself was so heavy that Tsuna found himself face planting when he refused to let go of his pinned-down covering. Ore saved him from that, knocking the wrench away as if it were nothing more than a fly.

With Eric and Gigi facing off and Ore and Marty facing off, he found himself with three to four odds of getting caught. Leo took care of Summer by chasing her around with a can of spray-paint and Ollie took care of the other two girls by distracting them with their stolen hairpins and letting them chase him. This left him one-on-one with Snicker, which was unfortunately a little too one-sided since Snicker's robe was tied on. Deciding that he needed to retreat back into hiding, Tsuna dodged Snicker and jumped over the couch in hopes of making it back to the stairwell. He relaxed too soon. Snicker leaped over it after him, reaching out to grab the trailing end and yank it free of Tsuna's grip before he was in the clear.

"That's not fair!" Tsuna squealed, trying to cover his exposed rear and his exposed front as he darted up the stairs to get away from the laughter that met his loss.

"Will you look at that!" Snicker yelled after him. "His ass does turn red when he blushes!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

"How about this one?" Gigi asked, pointing down through the case at a ring almost gaudily covered in diamonds.

"Hell no," Snicker and Tsuna said in unison.

"What?" Gigi asked in mock-offense. "You said it's an engagement ring. You've got to have diamonds!"

"Neither of us are girls, Gigi," Tsuna replied. "We don't need diamonds."

"How about this one, Little Guy?" Ore suggested. Snicker and Tsuna curiously went to look, but grimaced almost in unison.

"It's too big, Big Guy," Snicker said, patting him on the back for trying. "We got to have something that won't get in the way while we're working."

"How about this one?" Ollie asked, holding up a ring for Tsuna to look at. Tsuna automatically reached out and snatched it out of the thief's hands.

"Don't take them out of the case, Ollie," Tsuna snapped, looking it over before giving it back to the attendant that was trying to keep his eyes on everyone. "It's too plain anyway. We want something simple, but not that simple."

"How about this one?" Eric asked from across the store. Curious, since Eric was the only one that hadn't been asking Tsuna and Snicker's constant opinion on ones that he liked, everyone went in unison to see what Eric had found. "Can we look at it?" Eric asked the attendant while Tsuna gaped alongside Snicker.

"Why that one?" Tsuna asked curiously, picking up the band that was carefully laid down on top of the case for inspection.

"I figured that Snicker wouldn't want gold," Eric replied sheepishly, finding everyone's attention on him. "Since he said that his band from his previous marriage were gold. This is titanium, so it's a harder metal. It's thin, though, so it'll fit under his work gloves pretty easily. Plus, I think that the gems on it is kind of fitting. See, there's a whole rainbow going around it, but they're small and spaced out so that it's not gaudy. If what I remember from Gigi is right, those are all the colors in the gay pride flag. It's probably not what you're looking for, but I thought that you might want to--"

"It's perfect," Snicker mumbled, instantly cutting through Eric's modesty.

"Yep," Tsuna agreed with a wide smile, trying the ring on for size. He started to put it on his ring finger, but then remembered that local tradition was to put it on his thumb. At least, that's what Charles had explained when Tsuna had asked about the ring on his thumb. Not all gay couples chose to place it there and there were plenty of people who wore thumb rings with no meaning, just like there were people that wore rings on the normal ring finger without being married. Yet, the explanation that Charles had given for his decision rang through Tsuna almost painfully when he was in the same position.

_I'll put it on my ring finger when it's legal to,_ he'd said. _Until then, it's better to keep it on my thumb. Most people don't look twice at it because it's not where it should be and it's easier to make my own rules rather than deal with ignorance or prejudice. The meaning doesn't change and that's all I really care about._

Considering that he didn't want to have Snicker to have to deal with those same issues, Tsuna decided to keep with the local custom. For those that knew Tsuna and Snicker, they'd see the rings and understand. For those that didn't, it'd just be a fashion accessory that probably wouldn't raise much comment unless those that saw it had some knowledge of how things worked in the gay community. He didn't know if the tradition was universal, but it was a tradition that Tsuna found himself wanting to take part in. It was almost as if it was defiance, too. Defiance and a plea. The defiance came from him still wearing one despite the law. The plea was from the fact that he wore it without wearing it where he wanted to. It was a silent plea for things to change so that his union with Snicker could be legal.

"One day," Gigi commented quietly while the clueless ones of the bunch raised their eyebrows over the placement. Tsuna nodded sadly before sighing and taking the ring off in order to hand it over to Snicker. It was a simple band, just like they'd been looking for. It was made of strong metals and the gems were inset into it so that the surface was smooth. There was nowhere on it that could catch on something or scratch. The symbol created by the gems wasn't a flamboyantly screaming flag. It was quiet and modest, just like they tried to be. There was just something that screamed 'right' with Tsuna about the rainbow of colors.

"I got to say that it feels a little funny," Snicker murmured, holding out his hand with the ring on his thumb like Tsuna had worn his. "But I'll get over it. Is this the one you want, Suoh? If so, we'll have to send off for a custom set. This one don't fit either of us and I don't see any sense in getting different ones if we both like this one."

"I like it," Tsuna mumbled shyly. "It wasn't what I was thinking of, but I think this works better."

"Good," Snicker grinned before handing the ring back to the attendant. Tsuna smiled to himself as Snicker started placing the order for two matching rings. The price was hefty, but it was worth it. As just a symbol, it gave them both hope for the future and would wash away their doubts. It wasn't a wedding and it wasn't the culmination of their wishes, but it was a promise. It was a promise to each other that one day they would get married.

One day...

* * *

"Mohawk?" The hair stylist hovering over him suggested. "It's starting to come back in style."

"No," Tsuna sighed. "Just use a weedwacker on it and cut it down. It's making the back of my neck itch."

"Come on, Suoh," Gigi chuckled as the stylist working on him continued to trim back his hair into his typical Caesar cut that made wearing his wigs so much easier. "You've got so much hair now that you can have any style you want. Go with something exotic!"

"Go with something easy to manage," Ore countered as the stylist over him continued to shave off the stubble that's grown on top of Ore's head.

"He probably just wants a trim, guys," Eric called from his seat, trying to hold still so that his hair stylist could trim his hair. It was currently soaked down from being shampooed, making Eric look like something that the cat had just dragged in. Tsuna was slightly jealous, though. Even in such a state, Eric's hair was one of his most attractive features, although Poe's surpassed it easily.

"I can't dye your hair if you steal the dye," one of the other stylists in the room grumbled, pausing with only half of Ollie's head covered with the thick bleaching cream.

"Sorry," Ollie chuckled, handing the bowl back to the woman from where it'd been hidden under his bib. Tsuna smiled, seeing that the hair stylist in question was taking Ollie in stride. From how all of the stylists were acting, Tsuna assumed that the gang had been going there for a while. The reason why wasn't hard to figure out when Tsuna considered that the woman working on his own hair was none other than Ore's onyx statue, Dedra.

"Just cut it down, please," Tsuna begged. "If it keeps up like this, Snicker might tease me by putting bows in my hair while I'm asleep. Since I really don't want to kill him, just start hacking at it. Please!"

"Alright, alright," she soothed, tilting his head yet again in hopes of finding a better angle to start. "I can't do this," she murmured. "Not with your eye patch on. Can you take it off for me?"

"Umm..."

"It's alright, Suoh," Snicker called out when he hesitated. Tsuna automatically turned his head to look in the direction of the sound of his voice, but was completely unable to see him since Ore was sitting between them. "Just keep your eye shut."

"O-Okay," Tsuna murmured, clenching the eye shut like Snicker suggested. Reaching up, he lifted the eye-patch off of his face and rubbed the area that it'd settled into place at. Almost a month had passed since he'd started wearing it and the skin was incredibly sensitive after being hidden away for so long.

"I can do this now," Dedra said in full confidence. "You just sit back and relax and I'll have you looking good in no time at all." With a shrug, Tsuna sat back and relaxed in the chair while allowing Dedra to do whatever she wanted.

Although, it wasn't until he woke up after half an hour that he realized that he'd relaxed too much. Sitting up with a lurch, he knew that his hair was shorter simply from the missing weight. A hand running through it before he even looked in the mirror told him that there was still enough length that it wasn't a Caesar cut like he'd feared. In all honesty, he didn't care what his hair turned out looking like. As long as it was short and didn't require any more attention than what it took to be washed and combed, he would be happy. And, from the look of it when he finally glanced over into the mirror, that's exactly what she'd given him.

"Wow," he murmured, running his hand through it again. It didn't look like bed-head for once. It was still tossed in random directions, but it looked wind tossed instead of bed tossed. It wasn't more than a couple of inches long, too, which meant that it could all be easily hidden under his cap again. It wasn't of the length that he'd had to grow it out to in order to pose as Black X, but that didn't matter since he wasn't working as an impersonator anymore. It was a lot shorter than he'd ever remember having it before, though. His mom had always hated cutting his hair since it was so problematic, so he'd tended to keep the length in a place that had allowed most of the hair to settle under its own weight instead of making him look like an electro-shock patient. It'd still been messy, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. Dedra had found a way around that, however. It was shorter than he'd ever dared to cut it before, but it wasn't flying out into a million directions. It was only flying out into a dozen like normal. More importantly, it was off of the back of his neck, which was an incredible relief.

"How do you--" Dedra froze the moment that he turned to look at her, her face registering shock and a gleam of fear. It was the fear coming off of her and the way that several others who were looking at him seemed to be holding their breathes that made Tsuna realize that his eye patch was still missing. It was still missing and he was staring at her with both of his eyes open.

"Sorry," Tsuna squeaked, throwing a hand up over the eye. Reaching out to where they'd stored his patch on the hair stylist's work table, Tsuna felt himself grow pale. He cursed himself, knowing that his eye was disturbing to people. It'd been normal before he'd left.

"I-It's fine," Dedra murmured with a small shake to rid herself of her shock. "I was j-just a little surprised. I've been wondering why you came back with an eye-patch. I-Is that a glass one?"

"Yes," Tsuna blurted before anyone else could answer, quickly placing the patch back in place. Several of his friends shot him pained looks, but didn't argue with the lie. It was easier this way and it was better. No one would question him any further and Mukuro-sama wasn't something that needed to be explained to just anyone. Dedra was part of the gang, but some things were better kept secret. It was simply safer that way. Plus, Dedra wouldn't get freaked out by a normal explanation.

"Do I want to know what happened?" She asked quietly.

"Uh... no...?" He answered in hopes that she'd drop the subject. For once, his hopes were answered.

"So, how do you like it?" Dedra asked, reaching out to tousle his hair. "I wanted to make it shorter, but Snicker said that I couldn't. He made the first cut after you fell asleep and told me not to cut any shorter than that."

"It feels good," he replied with a small smile, looking back over into the mirror again. On second look, he realized that she'd given him a shave while he'd been asleep, too. Just like he'd mentioned to Snicker, his patch of dark chin-fuzz had been shaped into an small inch-wide rectangle that curved from right under his lip to right under his chin. He'd honestly have preferred to just shave it all the way off, but Snicker liked it and it didn't hurt anything for him to keep it.

_You don't look like the Tsunayoshi that I know anymore_, Mukuro grumbled.

Tsuna didn't reply, but only smiled wider. It was true. Between the shorter hair, the eye-patch, and his chin strip, he barely recognized himself. Even in only his sleeveless button-down shirt, his scars were well-hidden under the disguising tattoos on his arms. He kind of liked it, he decided as he looked in the mirror. With his wool cap on, he looked like an average dock-worker and a bit of a rake. The fact that it made him look less like himself of old was just a bonus. Although, he wondered what Snicker thought of his new look.

Turning in place, he found himself gaping when he saw Snicker standing off to the side in waiting. His hair had been trimmed, although it still trailed down his back in a ponytail. The undersides of his hair had been shaved, though, so that his hair seemed a lot more sleek and streamlined than it used to. Even more importantly--

"You dyed it!" Tsuna spluttered, instantly seeing that the gray in both his hair and his goatee was missing. The color was a dark brown, making it look incredibly healthy despite the damage that the streets and the factory had stressed on it over the past years. More importantly, it made it so that he didn't look like he was almost forty. Far from it. Without the grey, the small wrinkles around his eyes and mouth were almost invisible. It took more than just ten years off of his face. It took fifteen!

"Do you not like it?" Snicker asked worriedly while Tsuna continued to simply gape. "I can have them wash it out."

"Pffft!" Tsuna blurted, unable to form a coherent sentence at first. "I love it!"

"Thank goodness," Snicker sighed, sagging in relief. "I wasn't sure."

"You're tail is just asking to be braided," Tsuna teased, walking over to run a hand up along the base of his head where the hair had been shaved off. The reaction to the touch wasn't one that was expected. Snicker gasped and shivered, reaching back to grab Tsuna's hand in order to stop him.

"Don't do that," he begged.

"Why not?"

"Because I like it," he answered with a deep stare. Tsuna blushed brightly and pulled his hand away while noting the fact for later use. "You better get a move on," Snicker commented in order to change the subject. "You don't want to go by while Papa Paolo's too busy to talk to you."

"Alright," Tsuna mumbled with a nod, turning to look around at everyone once more. They all looked back with the same determined expressions, making Tsuna positive that he'd made the right choice. "You're right. there's no reason to put it off any longer. I guess it's time for me to go meet my new Boss."

* * *

Tsuna hesitantly knocked on the alley door, while wondering if he should have just went through the front. He would have, but he hadn't wanted to bother any of the customers. Even a fancy place like this one had a lunch crowd. While most of them were businessmen instead of dinner parties, it was still a crowd that would be disturbed by the mere sight of someone like him.

"What do you want?" Isaac growled upon opening the door. The man loomed over him, looking down on him like he was a mere bug.

"I need to talk to Papa Paolo," he answered steadily despite the malice. "Is he here?"

"I'll tell him that you're here," Isaac replied before slamming the door shut again. Tsuna simply stood in the alley patiently while wondering if Isaac was always going to hate him. Not that it mattered. Tsuna wasn't there to make friends. He was there for a job.

After twenty minutes of waiting with still no sign of Papa Paolo, Tsuna started pacing in worry. Maybe the job offer had only been for yesterday? Maybe Papa Paolo was mad because Tsuna hadn't agreed on the spot? Maybe Gabriel had shown up and told his father not to let Tsuna work for him? Maybe--

After an hour passed, Tsuna started to wonder if he was just wasting his time. Papa Paolo would have come out already if he wanted Tsuna to still work for him. Maybe ignoring him was just his way of telling Tsuna that--

"You're still here?" Isaac grumbled in disappointment, suddenly poking his head out the door again.

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped an instant before Isaac disappeared once more. Wondering what the sudden question was all about, Tsuna quickly came to realize one thing before Papa Paolo came rushing out to meet him. Isaac hated him a lot. The bastard hadn't even told Papa Paolo that he'd been out there waiting until now!

"Come inside, come inside!" He urged, yanking Tsuna into the kitchen. "Well, don't you clean up nicely," he commented upon seeing Tsuna's haircut when he pulled his cap off and openly surveying Tsuna's overall look. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon. What can I--"

"I'll do it," Tsuna interjected quietly.

"What was that?" Papa Paolo asked carefully.

"Your offer," Tsuna replied, bowing his head while his heart started beating furiously. "I want to take you up on your offer."

"Let's go into my office to talk," he said, reaching out to practically drag Tsuna in the direction of the small door before any more other than the three cooks already eavesdropping could start listening in. Tossing him inside, Papa Paolo nearly slammed the door shut before putting his back up against it to take a deep breath. "Let me hear that one more time."

"I want to join your Family," Tsuna said clearly.

"I'm hearing it, but I'm not sure I believe it," the large man said slowly, walking over to collapse into the chair of his desk. "After you left yesterday, I honestly didn't think that I'd see you again. You know what you're agreeing to. Don't you, boy?"

"I do," he answered softly.

"No, you don't," he objected, slamming a hand down on his desk. "If you did, you wouldn't be standing in front of me right now! You're agreeing to be a traitor! By joining my Family, you're swearing loyalty to me! That means that you're forsaking any oaths that you made to Vongola! It's a breach, boy! If you're really who you say you are, then it's a major breach! The Boss of Vongola joining--"

"I'm not the Boss!" Tsuna shouted angrily. "I'm not part of Vongola! I never wanted to be! If I wanted to be, I wouldn't have ran away! I'm just Suoh! Suoh Timberson! I told you yesterday! Tsuna is dead and he can stay dead! It's me, not Tsuna that's standing here! I never agreed to be part of Vongola and I never..." Tsuna clenched his teeth shut and forced himself to regain calm. "I never agreed to be part of the Mafia. Until now. You promised that you'd forget my past, Papa Paolo. Don't judge me because of the person that I might have once been. I'm not that person. I'm the person standing in front of you and I'm the person that's asking you to accept me as I am here and now. I know what I'm asking and I know what I'm saying. I'm asking to join your Family so that Vongola will never find me. I'm asking to join your Family for the sake of my friends. You promised to keep them safe and you promised to hide me and you promised to give me a job. If all you want in return is a little thing like loyalty, then I'll give it. It's a small price to pay to be able to stay here with everyone."

"Are you prepared to take responsibility for them?" Papa Paolo asked with a frown.

"Yes," Tsuna answered firmly, reaching up to touch the handkerchief that was always in place on his arm. "I told them all about my decision over breakfast. They all trust you and agree that it's the best path that I can take."

"Very well," he replied quietly, bowing his head over his desk in acceptance. "Are you prepared? Are you prepared to defend your choice and are you prepared to stand by it?"

"I am," Tsuna repeated with determination.

"Then come here, boy," Papa Paolo ordered, pointing to the floor next to his chair. Doing like he was told, Tsuna walked around the desk and, at Papa Paolo's silent cue, he knelt down. For some reason, he found it completely unsurprising that a ringed hand was held out before him. Papa Paolo didn't speak a word, but Tsuna knew what to do. It was the token kiss to seal his loyalty. A simple kiss and he would seal his fate into Papa Paolo's keeping. Trust. It was trust that made Tsuna lean forward and gently plant his lips on the etched ring. His trust that Snicker's judgment wasn't flawed. His trust that his friends had already sided with the man and hadn't been corrupted. His trust in Papa Paolo himself to stand by his words and promises.

It was that trust that made the darkness that swept over him and Papa Paolo's words that chased him into oblivion into something that was completely unexpected.

"I'm sorry, boy."

* * *

"Boss. Boss. Wake up, Boss."

Tsuna lurched awake with wide eyes and stared into the face hovering over him in horror.

"Welcome back, Boss," Gokudera said with a wide smile. Tsuna looked around, seeing multiple escape routes gleaming through the dark warehouse. Scrambling to his feet, he started to dart for one. The sound of familiar voices made him lurch to a stop. Spinning back around, he gasped and felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of Snicker, Autumn, and Papa Paolo tied up in the middle of the floor.

"Snicker!" He yelled, running over to the three in panic.

"You can't, Boss," Yamamoto interjected, coming to stand between them out of nowhere. Tsuna ignored him, nearly ramming him off of his feet in order to get to his friends.

"I'm not your Boss!" Tsuna shouted defiantly, sliding to a stop next to the three. Reaching out, he started trying to fumble the knots on their ropes free, but they refused to budge no matter how hard he tried to loosen them. "Damnit," Tsuna cursed in growing panic. "Mukuro-sama! Help me!"

"Mukuro isn't going to help you, Boss," Ryohei stated, stepping into the light hovering over his three captive friends. Tsuna stared up to him while his mind resounded with silence and he finally noticed that he was surrounded. His three old friends were standing around him, merely watching with uncaring eyes as Tsuna froze in his attempts to save his three new friends.

Something was wrong.

"Why don't you come home, Boss," Gokudera asked.

"It'll be safe and warm with us," Ryohei added with none of his usual vigor. "You won't have to go hungry or worry about small problems anymore."

"We'll take care of you, Boss," Yamamoto asserted. "We'll take care of your friends, too."

"Then why did you tie them up?!" Tsuna blurted angrily. "Let them go!"

"Sure thing, Boss," Gokudera agreed with a smile. "You just have to tell us which ones."

"W-Which--?" Tsuna repeated in horror.

"You have to prove your loyalty, Boss," Yamamoto added sadly. "You almost betrayed us."

"No, I--"

"It should be easy, Boss," Ryohei soothed as he tossed a gun into Tsuna's numb hands. "Just shoot one and we'll free the other two."

"They used you, Boss," Gokudera repeated with his eyes flashing with a dark anger. "They don't deserve to live."

"Just pick one, Boss," Yamamoto urged with a smile. "Then we can go home together."

"Which one are you going to choose, Boss?" Ryohei asked. Tsuna stared down at the gun in his hands and then to the three who were tied up. Choose? He couldn't choose between people! They were all important to him!

"If you don't choose one, we'll have to kill all of them, Boss," Gokudera nearly growled, making Tsuna tremble in place. Tsuna continued to stare into the thin air between him and the three captives. If he didn't chose one, they'd all die. If he chose one, the other two would be saved. There... There wasn't a choice. He couldn't let Snicker die. He had to chose one. Looking at the other two options, Autumn and Papa Paolo stared at him with fear in their eyes. Autumn. The gold goddess that challenged him and pushed him in ways that others wouldn't. Papa Paolo. The honest man that'd offered him a fair chance and had judged him for the man that he was rather than a figment of the past. Even though the last thing he remembered was being in Papa Paolo's care, he couldn't believe that Papa Paolo was the reason that the three of them were in the position that they were in. Papa Paolo wouldn't sell him out. Something else must have happened after he passed out.

"Choose, Boss," Yamamoto urged with his voice growing dark.

"Choose, Boss," Ryohei commanded.

"Choose, Boss," Gokudera ordered.

"NO!" Tsuna blurted. "I won't choose! They're all important to me and they haven't done anything wrong! I won't choose between them!"

"Then we'll kill all three," Gokudera said sadly. Tsuna moved before he realized what he was doing. The moment that Gokudera took a single step toward his friends, Tsuna's hands clenched around the gun that he'd been numbly holding. He gasped breathlessly, feeling his heart racing madly in his chest while he pointed it at the last person that he'd ever expected to point a gun at. "What are you doing, Boss?"

"Stay back!" Tsuna yelled, clenching his hands tightly around the pommel of the gun until his fingers turned white. "I won't let you hurt my friends!"

"Don't you want to go home, Boss?" Yamamoto asked quietly. "Your mother misses you. You don't need this baggage with you."

"Shut up!" He shouted back, feeling tears welling up in his eyes as his gun switched focus. "I don't want to go back! I'm not your Boss! I'm Suoh and these are my friends! If you hurt them, I'll... I'll..."

"Will you kill us, Boss?" Ryohei asked softly. "Would you choose their lives over ours?"

"I don't want to choose between anyone!" Tsuna exclaimed tearfully. "But I can't let you hurt my friends!"

"Think about what you're doing, Boss," Gokudera said carefully, holding up his hands before him. "We're your friends. These people have just been using you. They--"

"Shut up!" Tsuna yelled, brandishing the gun with shaking hands. "They are my friends! They haven't been using me! We've been working together because we care about each other! My friends haven't done anything wrong! It's you guys who are doing wrong things! You tied them up and you want me to shoot one of them! You're the ones that not my friends! My friends wouldn't ask me to do something like this!"

"What was that?" Yamamoto asked curiously.

"You're not my friends!" Tsuna screamed.

"That's enough," Gokudera growled angrily as he stepped forward with open intent to harm the three captives next to Tsuna. "We'll just--" Tsuna felt his ears ringing with the sound of gunfire. He stared without comprehending for a moment while a crimson stain started to spread on the front of Gokudera's suit. "Boss...?" Gokudera gasped, reaching down to touch the bloody wound in shock.

"S-Stay back," Tsuna gasped softly, feeling as if his whole body was going to shake into pieces. He'd shot Gokudera. He'd shot his best friend from middle school. It didn't want to register in his brain, but the smell of burnt gunpowder and blood was undeniable. It was undeniable and he couldn't find it in himself to regret it. The reason why was the three innocent and important people behind him. "I... I won't let you hurt my friends."

"Oh?" Ryohei asked in amusement. "He has made his choice."

"Ah," Yamamoto confirmed. "He has made his choice."

"It is both joyous and sad," Gokudera murmured.

"W-What...?" Tsuna quivered, looking around at the three without understanding.

"We accept your choice," Gokudera said formally as his body wavered, only to be replaced with a kindly-looking man wearing an outdated outfit. Looking around, he saw that Yamamoto and Ryohei had vanished, as well, only to be replaced with two other older men in even more outdated designs. "May you never face this choice again, beloved son."

"We accept your loyalty," the former Yamamoto intoned.

"From this day forth, may you find peace as a son of Martelli," the former Ryohei smiled.

* * *

"Are you still alive, son?"

"Unh," Tsuna moaned, opening his eyes to find himself laid out on the floor of Papa Paolo's office. "What... What happened?"

_Are you alright?! _

"You passed, son," Papa Paolo answered quietly, walking over to slap an ice pack on Tsuna's aching head.

"I'm fine, Mukuro-sama," Tsuna murmured before turning his attention back to Papa Paolo. Sitting up, he held the ice pack in place and found himself an overstuffed bookshelf to lean against when his head started spinning. "What happened? Was all of that a dream?"

"I'm honestly not sure," he laughed sadly, rubbing his balding head as he collapsed into a chair. "It's different for everyone. All I can say is that my ancestors tested you to see if you were worthy of being part of the Family. Since you woke up and you're still alive, I can tell you that you passed."

"I..."

"You don't have to tell me," Papa Paolo interjected before Tsuna could say anything damning. "I know all that I need to already. I have to admit that I was scared for you. I've had runaways from other Families come to me before, but this is the first time that it's been another Family's runaway Boss. I guess I shouldn't say that, though. You're not a runaway Boss anymore, son. Since you passed, you're part of the Martelli Family now."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled at a loss for anything else to say.

"I hope that you're ready to work," Papa Paolo added. "You're a low man on the totem pole, now. You'll have to work hard if you want to earn all the benefits that come with being part of the Family. I don't care if you were once the Boss of the Vongola Family or the former President. I don't protect slackers and I don't help those that don't want to help themselves."

"I'll work hard!" Tsuna promised, instantly distracted from his dream by the hope that the words gave him. Jumping to his feet, he held the ice pack forgotten in his hands in his excitement. "Then, that means--"

"Yep," he confirmed with a small smile. "You go home and rest today, but I'll expect you back here first thing in the morning. I'll have Andy turn over his old route to you and show you the ropes. Starting tomorrow, you'll be on my payroll."

"Thank you!" Tsuna squealed, rushing forward to give the man a bear hug. Then sense reasserted itself and he pulled back with embarrassed apologies.

"Don't worry about it, son," Papa Paolo laughed, patting him on the shoulder with a gentle familiarity. "We're Family now and hugging isn't a crime. I'm not sure what you're used to, but I hope that you'll come to think of me as a Papa in truth instead of just a nickname."

"I...I'll try," Tsuna agreed shyly.

"Seriously," he said with his eyes growing solemn. "Never hesitate to come to me with a problem. We're Family, Suoh, and I take care of my Family."

"Alright," Tsuna nodded, feeling in his gut that Papa Paolo's words were nothing less than the truth.

"Well, get on home," he ordered with a wide smile covering his face once more. "Make sure and get plenty of rest. Today is going to be the start of a bright future."

* * *

Author's Notes: I had some fun with one of Gintan's drawings and made a F&F wallpaper for whoever wants it. It's Tsuna and Suoh (the Suoh was my tweaking of one of Gintan's drawings... It was fun to take a picture of Tsuna and make him unrecognizable.)

madashes2ashes. deviantart. com/ art/ Flames-and-Family-wallpaper-96770270


	33. Chapter 33 Parent

Author's note: Forgive lateness and lack of proofreading. I seem to have caught a nasty bug that's been going around. No notes this time unless someone reviews and says there's something that they don't get. Oh... And feel free to hate me for this chapter.

* * *

Watch out for pedestrians on the sidewalks. Pedestrians like to jump out when he least expected it and they liked to respond in a hundred unpredictable ways. Watch out for cars on the roads. While traffic was predictable, parked cars weren't. He'd already been doored twice this week. Once, someone had opened a door in front of him to step out and see what the holdup with traffic was while he'd been navigating through a traffic jam. The second time, he'd stuck to the bicycle lane, which happened to be the same lane that allowed parked cars to open their doors without fear of it getting knocked off by another car. His crotch still hurt from that last one, since he'd hit so hard that he'd flown forward into his handlebars. He was just grateful that he hadn't flipped. At the speed that he'd been going, he would have likely broken his neck.

Watch out for stray animals. Stray dogs liked to chase, cats were vicious, and birds were just stupid. Especially pigeons. He hadn't thought that he could run over a bird with a bicycle before, so he'd ignored them in belief that they'd fly away as soon as he was near. Either he was too fast or the birds weren't easily startled, because their belated attempt to flee had been too late. He was nursing that particular pigeon back at home until its wing got better, but the little critter was slowly looking more and more appetizing. It was like a chicken with how it liked to peck the hand that fed it. Tsuna swore that if the little guy pecked his fingers one more time, they'd be having pigeon stew. The little bugger was getting fat enough to eat, after all, with how everyone was constantly tossing it crumbs.

Excluding the incident with the pigeon, everything was going so great that it was almost dream-like. His and Snicker's rings had come in quickly, giving them the ability to affirm their relationship through their engagement. Tsuna was working now, so he was happy that he was able to contribute. He did around twenty deliveries a day and his paycheck was around half as much as Snicker's, but that was okay since he was typically finished by noon. That worked perfectly for Tsuna, since it allowed him to workout at the gym for several hours after he was finished for the day. His coaches had been upset about how he'd run off, but they'd forgiven him when he'd returned without a scrap of fat on his body and the determination to learn everything that they had to teach. He was learning at an almost furious pace since he knew that his luck couldn't hold out forever. He'd managed not to cross paths with Gabriel for this long, but it was just a matter of time with him working for the man's father.

That didn't matter. He'd be ready. When that day came, he'd be ready and nothing would stop him. He was loyal to Papa Paolo, but that didn't mean that he was loyal to Gabriel. They were two different people and he wasn't going to judge one for the crimes of the other. Papa Paolo would understand after it was over. At least, that was what Tsuna hoped. If not, that was a bridge that Tsuna would cross when he got there. For now, he just worked as much as he could toward making himself strong while trying to think of a plan that wouldn't separate him from Snicker after the fact.

Shoving such thoughts away, Tsuna focused on his work. He liked his work when all was said and done. He wasn't pinned down in one place and he was allowed to constantly be on the move. When he was a kid, he would have hated a job like the one that he had since it meant constant exercise and having to go outside instead of lounging around. He was different now. The feeling of never staying in one place for very long gave him a sense of security that he couldn't find in anything else but Snicker himself. It made him happy, too, because he got to meet and deal with lots of different people, such as the person that he was in the middle of delivering to.

Chaining his bike up in the usual spot outside the apartment building, Tsuna snatched up the styrofoam box out of his basked and dashed up the steps. Pushing the buzzer outside the security gate, he sighed when Mrs. Sojer unlocked the security door without checking to see who was at the door. He'd told her nearly a hundred times that it was dangerous to do that, but she still did it. The old woman was far too trusting for her own good.

"Mrs. Sojer!" Tsuna called, knocking lightly on the door before heading inside in full knowledge that she'd probably already sat back down to rest her tired legs. "It's Suoh! I'm here with your... lunch..." Tsuna trailed off in surprise, seeing the last person that he expected sitting across from the old woman. In a room full of crochet and aged furniture, the sight of the sleek Poe sipping from a cup of coffee was completely unexpected.

"Suoh!" Mrs. Sojer exclaimed happily, waving a wrinkled and bony hand at him. "Come on in, sweetheart. I want you to meet someone."

"We've already met, madam," Poe interjected while Tsuna edged forward in confusion. "Suoh owns the boarding house that I mentioned."

"Well, don't you say!" She said in surprise, accepting the parcel that Tsuna handed over while staring at Poe in shock over the man's presence. "What did you bring for me today?" She asked, pulling Tsuna's attention away before he could ask any questions.

"Oh, um," he murmured, sitting down on one of the spare chairs in the room since his usual seat was taken. "It's Alfred today, I think, with meatballs. I asked the cooks to make you some without the seasoning, just like you asked. There's extra garlic on the breadsticks, too, just like you like it."

"Wonderful," she exclaimed, opening the box in her lap in order to pluck one out. "Would either of you like some? There's more here than I can eat by myself."

"No thanks," Tsuna said in unison with Poe.

"Garlic gives me indigestion, madam," Poe said politely, tossing Tsuna a crooked grin in the process.

"I.. um..." Tsuna mumbled, trying to think of an excuse.

"Don't worry about it, dear," Mrs. Sojer soothed. "You've told me before that you have a sweetheart that you want to eat lunch with, so I won't fill you up before you get to go."

"Thank you," Tsuna blushed as he felt Poe's eyes on him. Looking down, he noticed a photo album spread out on the table between Poe and the elderly lady. Curious, he stretched his neck in open desire to see what the woman had been showing Poe. "What's this?" He asked while he looked.

"Haven't I shown it to you?" She asked with a gasp of surprise.

"I don't think so," he replied in thought, looking down at a page full of aged photographs. "You've shown me some of your other photo albums, but I don't remember you showing me anything this old."

"I thought I'd shown all of my albums to you already," she murmured unhappily. Leaving off her meal, she sat forward in her seat in order to spin the book around so that Tsuna didn't have to crane his neck and flipped it back to the first page. It was then that Tsuna got his second shock of the day. "Tom looks just like his father, Todd, doesn't he?" She asked with a wide grin. Tsuna could only smile and nod while his eye twitched from the need to laugh. There was absolutely no way that the person in the picture was anyone but Poe. Yet, the sight of him with short hair, a suit, and a brimmed hat was unexpected. Then Tsuna's eyes went down to the woman standing next to him and he noticed the slight blush on the woman's face while she looked up at Poe. She was gorgeous. Even with most of her body hidden under a wide swagger coat, her beauty wasn't diminished. Her hair was pinned into ringlets on top of her head and her neckline gave off a statuesque feel.

"That was my sister," the woman said sadly, seeing where Tsuna's attention was focused. "Believe it or not, we were identical twins. That was taken just a month before she died. I put it at the front of the book because that was the happiest time in her life. The theater was just starting to get popular and she was getting wonderful reviews from the critics. She'd found herself a nice beau, Todd, and was doing really well for herself, even though she'd went and turned into an actress. We were only in our twenties back then and fresh out of high school. I remember that I was working as a secretary for Paolo's father back when I heard the news that she'd been in an accident. I think after she died was when the theater started to go downhill and that whole side of town went with it. She was an angel that people used to come from all around to see. Once she was gone, those people stopped coming and all the businesses in that area dried up. It started getting worse and worse. First Jimson's Sundae Shop closed and then the restaurants. Most of all the other stores moved into the district where the fancy new concert hall opened and even Mr. Martelli was only able to keep one or two of his father's restaurants intact. What was left was torn down for apartment buildings and shops that were scraping by got bought out by franchises. A lot happened down that way, but not many people want to believe that it was because of my sister's death. They used to laugh at me, because she was just a little actress in a little theater. They didn't want to believe that she'd been the star of hope for a lot of people."

"I believe it," Tsuna mumbled, leaning forward to prop his chin up with an elbow on his knee in order to flip through the album in curiosity. "I used to think that one person couldn't make a difference, so I never tried hard at anything. But I like to think differently now. I know how much one person's help meant to me while I was sleeping on the streets, so I don't think it's hard to believe that things could be affected on a larger scale. If she was really as popular as you say, I bet the whole city cried when she died. They were probably just too embarrassed to admit it, kind of like how Gigi hid how he cried when that comedian that he liked died. It's like losing someone that you never got the chance to confess to. I bet that everyone was so sad that they didn't want to go back to the place that would only remind them of what they lost."

"I bet you have it right," Mrs. Sojer agreed with a gentle smile, reaching out to pat him on the leg. "But that's enough reminiscing. You better get going, dear. You don't want to keep your sweetheart waiting. Be sure and tell her that I said to feed you right. You're always going to be scrawny if you don't eat good."

"I will," Tsuna replied with a blush as he stood, glancing over to see Poe giving him an amused look. It couldn't be helped, though. He knew for a fact that Mrs. Sojer would go ballistic if the woman knew that Tsuna's sweetheart wasn't a girl. It was better to just let the woman believe what made her happy. Especially since Tsuna didn't want lectured every time that he had to make a delivery to her, which was every day. "Is there anything special that you'd like for tomorrow? I can ask Isaac to make it for you."

"I'll take whatever he makes, dear," she smiled. "I'm not picky. The meatballs was the only thing that made my stomach upset."

"Alright," he smiled. "It was nice talking to you again, Mrs. Sojer. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"

"See you tomorrow," she agreed merrily, digging into her meal while Poe continued to quietly sip his coffee. Tsuna shot Poe one final curious look before heading out the door. On his way downstairs to retrieve his bicycle, he found himself wondering about the man. He thought that he'd come to terms with Poe being a vampire, but seeing that picture had brought up something that he hadn't thought of before. How old was he? Tsuna had been treating him like he was in his twenties, but he was probably a lot older. Maybe even hundreds of years older. He was probably really experienced and wise, even though he never showed it. Actually, he tended to act the opposite, Tsuna noticed. Instead of experienced and wise, he always acted shyly inexperienced yet worldly. There was a difference between being worldly and being wise. It meant that Poe knew how the world worked, but didn't have any knowledge about why.

Putting that aside, he wondered why Poe had been visiting with Mrs. Sojer. Tsuna couldn't imagine him wanting to suck out the life of the old woman, which was why he'd felt that it was okay to leave them together. Poe obviously had affiliations with the woman's Family, but it was strange to think of him as the type to sit around and talk. Maybe that girl in the picture...

It was none of his business, Tsuna told himself firmly. If Poe wanted to tell him about his past, then he would. There was a thing called privacy that Tsuna was all too familiar with. If it wasn't for people honoring his wish for privacy, a lot more people would know about his past than those that already did. If that happened, a lot of people wouldn't see him the same. None of the Fangs of the Orange Dragon Gang knew his secrets. Neither did Autumn, Tsuna's 'coworkers', and their other acquaintances. Only Papa Paolo and the core of the gang knew, but even that seemed too many. For every person that knew, the danger increased exponentially. He wasn't about to go and dig into other people's secrets without permission since the same might be true for them. Even with something as simple as a lady-friend from the past.

Plus, Poe might not even want to remember her since she'd died. Tsuna knew how hard it was to think of Kyoko, even now. He'd moved on with his life, but the knowledge that his childhood crush was murdered wasn't something that he would want to talk to others about. Not even with Snicker. It was better not to think about painful things like that. If Poe wanted to talk about it, he'd come to Tsuna and talk. At least, Tsuna hoped that he would.

Deciding that his choice to ignore the unexpected meeting was the best one, Tsuna jumped on his bike and started heading back toward the alleys. Mrs. Sojer's lunch delivery was his last one for the day, which meant that he was free to do what he wanted. Considering that there was only one person on his mind during such times, Tsuna put his bike on the path toward Snicker's work with a smile. Snicker had changed since Tsuna had been away. It was a good change, instead of a bad one. Snicker had said it while Tsuna was in the hospital, but the reality was so much sweeter. Snicker didn't care if anyone saw them together anymore. That wasn't to say that he'd gotten comfortable with public displays of affection, but he was different now. He didn't mind Tsuna's displays anymore, no matter how big or small. He just wasn't quite ready to return them where others could see. He always made Tsuna know that the caring was wanted and returned once they were in private, though.

While it didn't seem like a big thing, it was a huge step for a guy like Snicker. It meant that Tsuna could go see him all that he wanted to while Snicker was on his lunch break. It also meant that Snicker didn't bat away Tsuna's touch in public anymore. He wasn't about to walk down the street and hold hands, but he didn't mind it when Tsuna leaned up against him while they walked. The important thing was that he was progressing. It was slow, but he was getting better and better about overcoming his phobias. Tsuna was willing to be patient for him and enjoyed matching him every step of the way. It was amazing how quickly he was getting used to it, though. The Snicker from before had been scared about even letting people see them in the same vicinity together while alone. The Snicker of now had no problem teasing him where his coworkers could overhear and had even went so far as to hug him where Gigi and the gang could see.

That had been nice, Tsuna grinned to himself in absolute bliss. Snicker had his quirks, but he really did love him. It made Tsuna so happy that he was sure that Snicker would tease him about his 'cat with cream' expression as he called it. It was hard not to be that content with everything going so well. They didn't have any major relationship issues. They had a huge savings piled up for the house. Everyone was working and their savings was actually increasing for once. Leo was starting her senior year at Kaleb High. Eric's acting was going great. At Tsuna's urging, Gigi had given up both pimping and prostitution after the latest AIDs scare had went through the community. He still got his kicks, though, but it was as a bartender at Kink's instead of a customer. Ore's construction company had gotten a big deal for a twenty-story skyscraper, which meant that the company was expanding again. Best of all, both Marty and Ollie had finally gotten a job. Ollie hadn't gotten much, but his job paid minimum wage and he got at least twenty hours a week. He was satisfied with it, even though he was working for a fast food chain. Marty, on the other hand, had landed a job in a custom auto shop. She got to do her favorite thing in the world and she got paid for it.

All in all, things were going great. It was peaceful and happy. Even their German Shepherd, Peanut, was happy. Cassandra had splurged and made steaks last night, so the dog currently had more bones than he knew what to do with. Especially after Ore had finished no less than six by himself. The creature was incredibly smart, too. Everyday, he seemed to learn something new as if he wanted to have a new trick to show Tsuna and the others when they got home. So far, the best trick had been the one where he'd followed Snicker into the bathroom and had used the toilet like a person. Last night's trick had been simple in comparison. He'd waited for Snicker to say 'pass the remote' before running over to fetch it before anyone could get up. All-in-all, Tsuna found himself thanking the heavens daily that Ore had talked him into keeping such a smart pet. It could have turned out a lot worse. Kind of like how it was with the damn pigeon.

Not wanting to ruin his good mood, he purposely didn't think of the pigeon. Instead, he focused himself on waving to the gate guard as the man gestured to tell him to go through without checking in. The man knew him on sight now, so he already knew all the information to write down and didn't need Tsuna to stop. It never changed, after all. His name, his address, or his reason for visiting. It was always the same. Parking his bike in the bike rack, Tsuna always thought back to the first time that he'd visited the factory. His impression of it being a sweaty and loud hulk hadn't changed, but he didn't think of it as oppressive anymore. It was true that the people within worked hard, but they got a lot of benefits for that work. There was a reason that they all worked in a frenzy and it had nothing to do with slave drivers for bosses. It had to do with the fact that everyone wanted to meet expectations and keep their job. It was repetitive work, but it wasn't as back-breaking as some jobs. They got health care, insurance, and tons of other bonuses. If they wanted to, they could talk and enjoy the company of their coworkers or simply stay quiet and to themselves depending on their desires. Overall, Snicker was happy with his job and Tsuna could see why.

Timing his pace just right, he walked into sight right as the horn sounded for lunch. He smiled to himself when he saw Snicker looking over his shoulder, openly on the lookout in hopes that Tsuna would show. It was such small gestures that always left Tsuna feeling fluttery with happiness. There was no one in the world that made him as happy as Snicker could with just a look. Then he noticed the expression on Snicker's face and he faltered. He faltered both in his smile and his step. Snicker was nearly spitting in anger for some reason. It was surprising since he'd been perfectly happy when he'd left for work this morning.

Unable to think of a single word to say, Tsuna gasped when Snicker grabbed his hand and practically started dragging him back the way that he'd come. His mind started racing in panic, trying to think of what he'd done wrong. He had to have done something wrong. Snicker's face continued to get darker and darker while he headed for the exit of the building with Tsuna in tow. Considering how many people were looking at them, Tsuna knew that he had to be getting even more upset over the attention. Maybe Tsuna had packed his lunch wrong? Maybe he'd mixed up the dirty clothes and the clean again? Maybe--

"It wasn't anything you did," Snicker growled as he continued in a hurried pace. "I'll tell you when we get outside."

"O-Okay," Tsuna murmured while jogging along behind him in effort to keep up. Trusting of Snicker's words, he felt his heart calm in relief. If Snicker said that he wasn't upset over something Tsuna did, then it wasn't something that Tsuna did. The moment that they were outside and Snicker had pulled him around to the side of the building away from the lunch-tables set up for those who wished fresh air on their break, Tsuna quickly found out the real reason that Snicker was upset.

"That bitch!" Snicker finally yelled, letting go of Tsuna's hand in order tug at his ponytail in anger. "She was waiting, that damn floozy! The moment that things are finally looking up, she goes and pulls this bullshit on me! Hasn't she fucked up enough of my life already?!"

"Who?" Tsuna asked quickly before Snicker could go on another tirade. "What happened?"

"My ex-wife!" Snicker cried, kicking at the ground in frustration and rage. "That damn bitch went and done it this time! She wasn't happy with ruining me last time so she decided to get smart about it this time! I can't believe this bullshit!"

"I don't understand," he replied. "What did your ex-wife do?" In answer, Snicker yanked a piece of paper out of his pocket and silently thrust it in Tsuna's hand with the open inability to talk coherently anymore. Taking it, Tsuna quickly looked it over and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was just Snicker's usual pay stub. It had his name on it, his pay amount-- "This can't be right," Tsuna mumbled in shock, looking down at the number. "This can't be right, Snicker," he repeated quietly, his jaw still gaping wide open. "You worked hard all week. Why are they only giving you sixty dollars? You usually get three hundred."

"Child support," he growled. "The bitch filed for my checks to get garnished. I'm ten years behind and her new man is a fucking lawyer. They took every penny that they could, Suoh. She wasn't happy with me being broke. Now she wants me to work my fucking ass off and still be God damned broke while she spends my fucking paycheck on bullshit! You know what this means, don't you? If we were still living in the apartment, we'd be back on the fucking streets, Suoh! A man can't live decently on sixty dollars a week!"

"Yes, we could," Tsuna snapped, his eyes narrowing with a surge of his own anger. "We lived on a lot less than that."

"We didn't have rent and bills back then, either!" Snicker shouted. "That's it! There's no sense in me working if she's going to get every penny of it! She can go to hell in a hand basket for all I care! Her and her fancy cars and her rich folks and her--"

"What about Charlie?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Eh?" Snicker said, faltering to a halt at the name.

"What about Charlie," he repeated. "The money is supposed to go for supporting him. If you quit working, you won't know for sure that he's getting what he needs."

"He's getting what he needs," he growled dangerously with his nose flaring in anger. "He's getting a lot more than my little paycheck could give him. You don't understand, Suoh. My ex-wife's family is loaded and she'd got a well-paid lawyer as a husband. They're just taking my money because they're greedy sonsovbitches. They--"

"You don't know that," Tsuna objected carefully. "Look, Snicker... If you don't want to work anymore, then we can leave right now. I'd be happy for you to stay at home all day and just be retired. We can afford for you to do that now. But... But you like working. I know you do. You always seem so happy when you come home from work because you spent all day doing something productive. It's not just about working for money. So what if she took your paycheck? You still got sixty dollars more than you would have had otherwise. Plus, with the child support getting taken out, you know for sure that Charlie is getting what he needs. We have everything we need, so does it really matter? I know that your ex might just waste the money," Tsuna added when Snicker started to object. "But you don't know that for sure. She might be different than when she left you and Charlie might need that money. Isn't it better for them to have it and not need it than need it and not get it?"

"I..."

"You don't have to decide what to do right away," Tsuna added hurriedly. "I just don't want you to do something that you'll regret later. Why don't you wait a week? If you can't enjoy your job because of this after that, then I won't say a word about you quitting. Honestly, I'd love you to quit, because that would mean that you'd be at home a lot more. But I don't think that you'd be happy if you did. At least, I don't think that you'd be happy if you did it without thinking it through first."

"Alright," Snicker grumbled, leaning against the outer wall of the factory with a sigh. "I won't do anything reckless. I'm just pissed because that woman always seems to come in and turn my life upside down. I'm telling you, she's psychotic. If it wasn't for the fact that she ran home to her parents with Charlie, I wouldn't have left my son with her at all."

"Why did you marry her?" Tsuna asked curiously as he passed the pay stub back to Snicker.

"I was young and stupid," he answered with a laugh, rubbing his head as if to rub away memories. "I got caught up in my own Cinderella fairytale. I was from a family of peasants and she was the rich princess. I happened to get invited to a party in high school and I met her there. She seemed normal when I first met her. A little needy, but I was happy with trying to fulfill all her wants. Back then, my folks were still alive and I only had her to make happy. I worked my ass off to give her everything she wanted. When she wanted married, I worked my ass off to give her the wedding of her dreams. When she wanted kids, I worked my ass off to build up a secure future to raise one in. It could have kept going like that for the rest of my life without noticing how superficial she was. It wasn't until I lost my ability to make money that I got my eyes opened. It was a rude awakening. My perfect life just crumbled into ash and she didn't give a damn. She just ran home to her mom and dad and got me blacklisted out of spite for the few months that she suffered next to me. I guess 'for richer or poorer' only means 'until you're too poor to make me happy'."

"Maybe to her," he objected unhappily at the insinuation that all people were like that. "I was happy even when we were poor!"

"That you were," Snicker agreed with a small smile. That smile made Tsuna instantly wish that Snicker was comfortable with kissing in public. Snicker wasn't comfortable, though. He didn't want Snicker to be uncomfortable. It kind of made him sad because it was smiles like those that made Tsuna want to jump into his arms. Just looking at him while he was smiling that smile at Tsuna made Tsuna want to steal that smile for himself. It took his breath away and made him want to kiss him more than ever.

Then Snicker's smile widened as he reached out and yanked Tsuna to him in a way that he'd never done in public before. Even though there was no one watching, they were outside of their room. Snicker rarely hugged him outside their room and he'd never hugged him outside their house. It made Tsuna gasp in surprise and shock, one that only deepened when he realized that Snicker wasn't pulling him into a hug.

The surprise only lasted for a moment, after which Tsuna sank into Snicker's lips with a moan in the back of his throat and his body melted and molded itself up against him in pure bliss. He could never get used to Snicker's lips. They overwhelmed his own with more than just size. They were warmer, fiercer, and hungrier. No matter how much Tsuna tried to match Snicker, he could no longer resist the feeling of gently restrained power and passion that was hidden by such a thin veil of flesh. Snicker might have been the more inexperienced between the two of them where intimacy was concerned, but his honesty and his desire more than made up for it. Nothing less would have made Tsuna surrender so easily. By the time that Snicker was finished and slowly pulled away to hover, Tsuna was still unconsciously holding his breath with his eyes closed while savoring every second that Snicker had spared him.

Before he was able to completely savor every second of their first kiss outside of their bedroom, reality intruded in the worst possible way. He noticed it at the same moment that Snicker did and they both snapped their instantly wide eyes in the direction of the audience that wasn't supposed to be there. Tsuna felt Snicker tense at the same moment that Tsuna himself froze in shock, knowing that this might be their last kiss outside their bedroom due to such an untimely interruption. They stared. Their audience stared back. No one could say a word while everyone tried to come to terms with what they'd just witnessed. From the looks of it, almost all of Snicker's department had come to check on him. Everyone from Frankenfurter all the way down to Paula.

"Um..." Snicker mumbled, letting go of where he'd grabbed Tsuna's rear while they'd kissed. The moment that he was free, Tsuna pulled away in hopes of regaining his shattered composure. It wasn't the most mortifying moment of his life, but he was sure that it was ranked highly. For Snicker, it was probably ranked first. Surprisingly, it was the one man of the group that Tsuna would have expected to be a homophobe that responded first.

"God bless the USA," Cliff murmured into the silence with his thick, southern accent. Snicker choked at the words, even though it was Cliff's way of saying that they were free to do whatever they wanted. As for himself, Tsuna turned red and found himself a hiding spot behind Snicker. More than anything, he wished that he could disappear. These were Snicker's co-workers and he'd just let them all see something that not even the gang had seen yet! Snicker was probably upset over it. Really upset. How could he not be? He was still too gun-shy despite his work toward being more open. He--

"Home of the free and land of the brave," Snicker tossed back at the man, making Tsuna's mind go blank.

"And here we were worrying about you," Frankenfurter grumbled half-heartedly. "I was afraid that you were going to ditch at lunch and not come back."

"I was tempted," he admitted with a small smile. "Suoh talked me out of it."

"It didn't look hard," Paula laughed.

"It never is with Suoh," Snicker agreed, reaching behind him to pull Tsuna to his side. Tsuna just stared at his feet once exposed out of his hiding spot while trying not to blush over the arm around his shoulders. He wasn't able to grasp the situation at all! He'd thought that Snicker would be upset. He wasn't upset. Instead, he was being even more open about their relationship than normal! What the hell was going on?! "He made me promise to wait a week before I decide what to do."

"Good enough," Frankenfurter sighed. "As long as you're not running off right this second, I'm happy. We got the answer we were hoping for. Let's head back inside and leave these two lovebirds alone, everyone. As for you, just make sure that you're back on time, Snicker."

"Yes, sir," Snicker agreed quietly. Tsuna simply stood sheepishly in place under Snicker's arm until the group walked back the way that they'd come.

"I'm sorry!" Tsuna blurted once they were alone.

"Eh? Why?" He asked in surprise, making Tsuna look up at him with a dropped jaw. Then he smiled in understanding and reached up to touch Tsuna's cheek in a unnaturally gentle manner. "I don't care about what other people think anymore," he soothed. "I'll do anything if it makes you happy and I know that you've been wanting me to loosen up some more." Tsuna felt a lump rise up in his throat, although it was out of panic instead of any fluttering emotion. How? If Tsuna could ask anything, he wanted to ask how Snicker had known. He'd made sure to not mention it so that Snicker wouldn't feel pushed into doing anything. "You were mumbling again," Snicker explained, leaning down to whisper in Tsuna's ear.

Automatically, Tsuna bit his lip, clenched his eyes shut, and covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. He knew that he still mumbled since it was such a hard habit to break, but it always seemed to pop up when he least wanted it to. He hadn't wanted to pressure Snicker into doing things! Why couldn't it just go away?! He had Snicker now! He didn't have to talk to himself! He--

"You're mumbling again," Snicker chuckled, reaching out to throw his arms around Tsuna once more. "You need to stop worrying. I know that you don't notice it. If I hadn't wanted to kiss you, I would have just pretended that I didn't hear anything. Since I was wanting the same thing, it was kind of nice to hear you talking about me. I got to hear what you were really thinking instead of having to guess."

"W-What did I say?" Tsuna asked in embarrassment, keeping his hands firmly over his face.

"Not a lot," he soothed. "You've gotten better on that part. Earlier, it was only 'I love Snicker's smile' and 'I want to kiss him, but he doesn't like kissing outside.' Just now was 'I can't believe I'm mumbling again' and 'I've got Snicker now.' I've noticed that you only do it when you're around me or the gang anymore, if that helps any. You've stopped doing it when other people can hear you."

"That helps a little bit," he admitted while hesitantly uncovering his face in order to bury it in Snicker's chest. "That means that I probably haven't done it any during my deliveries."

"Probably," Snicker agreed, giving him a tight hug before letting go completely. "I need to head back," he murmured. "I'll see you at home tonight. Okay?"

"Okay," Tsuna confirmed with a wide smile. Then he blushed again as a particularly nice thought crossed his mind.

"What is it?' Snicker asked in curiosity over his expression.

"Um... eh..." Tsuna bit his lip for a moment while he tried to decide between blurting it out or to just let it go.

"Come on, tell me," he urged in open amusement for Tsuna's hesitancy.

"O-One more," he blurted in response. Snicker didn't seem to comprehend the meaning behind words while Tsuna turned even more red. Man, he reminded himself. Men don't blush so easily. He had to get a grip of himself! Slapping himself on the cheeks to make the blushes go away, he mustered his courage and tried again without the red face or the irritatingly submissive voice that he knew Snicker hated. "I-I want another kiss before you go."

Tsuna felt the lump in his throat return again as soon as the words were out. He managed to hold on to his determined expression, but he was positive that his face was turning red from lack of oxygen. He'd said it. Snicker looked surprised, but smiled widely in response to the words. His lack of anger or apprehension was a relief, but Tsuna still found it impossible to breath due to the man's smile. No person should have a smile like his. It was so warm and open. It was a smile that made it seem as if every troublesome moment in life was just a challenge waiting to be overcome. It was a smile that nearly exuded optimism and happiness to everyone that saw it. He was still smiling when he leaned down and Tsuna found himself turning nearly purple from the lack of air. It wasn't until a sudden poke rammed into his stomach that he was able to gasp for air from the surprise.

"You can't pass out on me before I get my goodbye kiss," Snicker teased before plunging in to steal Tsuna's breath away completely. In revenge for the poke, Tsuna set to giving as good as he got this time. He could feel Snicker smiling around the kiss, but that smile faltered when Tsuna started to gain the upper hand. The kiss unintentionally deepened into something that left them both wanting for more. Snicker's arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer and Tsuna's hands slid up the back of Snicker's sweaty shirt. He could feel his body pulsing in a quickening rhythm until he didn't think he could bear it any longer. Still, he held on out of the desire to devour just one more second of--

"Shit," Snicker gasped when the horn sounded for the lines to start back up. Tsuna let out a yelp and pulled away quickly, knowing that Snicker would be in trouble for being late in returning. Snicker shot him an apologetic and regretful look before dashing around the building and out of sight, leaving Tsuna to lean against the wall and try to get his breathing and heartbeat under control. It couldn't be helped, though. Despite his irritation and frustration that made him say that he wanted to quit, Snicker's job was important to him. It was probably important to him for the same reasons that Tsuna felt that his own was important. As much as he wanted Snicker to stay home and relax like he deserved, the man wouldn't be happy unless he felt that he'd earned it.

Settling himself, Tsuna let out a groan while he buttoned the bottom of his sleeveless over shirt in hopes of covering the aftermath of the kiss. Damn that old man, Tsuna silently cursed with a smile. He knew just what buttons to press and he took a lot of enjoyment out of pressing them. It was only fair, Tsuna mused. After all, Tsuna knew the right buttons in return. Snicker was probably having just as embarrassing of a situation at the moment. Tsuna made note not to tease him about it, though. After all, it'd been well worth the embarrassment to have Snicker kiss him without a care in the world. And that fact left Tsuna smiling for a long time afterward.

* * *

"How's the homework coming, Leo?" Tsuna asked curiously around his cool down stretches. Ten minutes of stretching, ten minutes of jumping rope, an half hour of shadow-boxing, five sets of twenty sit-ups and pushups, a half-hour on the weights, five sets of squats and leg lifts, one hundred pull-ups, and a half-hour on the sandbag before a ten minute cool down on every day that he didn't go to the gym. At first, he'd barely managed the shadow-boxing for ten minutes and half of one set before needing to rest, but he was able to complete his full menu now without any trouble. He was currently in the cool-down phase, which meant that he stayed active without straining himself. Of course, the stretching that he was able to do with his body fully warmed up always garnered a lot of appreciation from the girls along with a lot of teasing.

"I can tell you that your legs are at a hundred and eighty degree angle," Leo laughed as she looked up from the desk where she was working just below the stage. "Other than that, I have no clue. I should have a clue since this is my second year to take geometry, but I kind of didn't pay attention last year. I'm paying attention this year!" She added in a rush when Tsuna sent a glare down at her. "I'm just not getting it."

"Do you want me to try and help?" Tsuna asked with a grimace despite knowing that he'd failed middle school math. Past that, he couldn't remember anything, so he doubted that he could be helpful. Still, one never knew until they tried.

"You have trouble figuring out bills," she teased with a chuckle. "I'll manage. It's just taking a little longer than normal for me to get it."

"Maybe Eric could help when he gets home," Tsuna suggested apologetically while he reached to touch his toes. "He's pretty good when it comes to school stuff."

"Maybe," she mumbled. "I don't know if I can stay that long tonight. Dad has been touchy lately. He told me that if I wasn't home in time for dinner... well... Let's just say that he wouldn't be happy."

"You'd tell me if he ever got... um... too mean. Wouldn't you?" Tsuna asked in concern, seeing the trace of unhappiness in the tomboy's expression.

"He's always mean," she replied absently while keeping her head lowered over her textbook.

"I mean, really mean," Tsuna specified. "You've mentioned before that he's a jerk, but--"

"There's nothing you can do," Leo interjected quietly. "No matter how mean he gets, there's nothing you can do, Suoh. I don't want you to get involved with that asshole anyway. He's not worth going to jail over. I've got this place to come to, so I can deal with his tantrums while I'm at home."

"Leo," Tsuna replied with a serious calm settling over him that caught even Cassandra and Dedra's attention. Leo finally looked up at him with a pained expression on her face as if begging Tsuna not to ask the question that he wanted to. Tsuna stared at her for a long moment while asking himself if he should ask. Leo was important to him, but she had a point. While she was going to school and there was no proof of foul play, he couldn't do a damn thing to help her. Once she was eighteen, it'd be a different matter since she could legally move out on her own without interference from her parents. Until then, it was unlikely that they'd let her go without a fight. After all, parents didn't want others thinking that they were bad parents, no matter if they were good ones or bad ones. "You can always come here," Tsuna said pathetically, deciding to honor Leo's wishes for privacy. "If his tantrums ever get so bad that you can't deal with them, just come here and let us know."

"Thanks," she replied in honest appreciation. Not only appreciation for the offer, but appreciation for letting the matter go. It was painful, but Tsuna knew that he couldn't help her. He couldn't help her unless she helped herself first. The moment that she told him that she didn't want to go home or that she was afraid, Tsuna would be the first person to step in and protect her. Until then, he had to respect her wishes. Right now, her wishes were to endure. Tsuna just prayed that she knew her limits and would come to him when she couldn't take it any longer. He had a bad feeling that her father was the type to get rough, but she didn't have any signs of being hit or raped. That meant that he didn't have any right to dig into her home life. Until she cracked the door to let him in, his hands were tied. He'd be an interloper that might only make the situation worse without helping her at all. It was especially likely if she didn't want his help.

Finishing his stretches, he stood up and headed for the showers. Support. That was all he could give her right now and they were both painfully aware of the fact. If she had so much as a single bruise that he could see, he'd step in whether she liked it or not. She didn't, which made her long sleeves and baggy clothes all the more worrisome. She'd always dressed like a tomboy. What if--

Nose. Out of it. Tsuna had to remind himself repeatedly to mind his own business while he showered. He didn't want to mind his own business, though. He wanted to go shake the truth out of Leo and possibly go beat her dad for putting that look in her eyes. Yet, he couldn't. He didn't have that right. Leo might be part of his gang, but she was also someone else's kid. In a year and a half, she'd turn eighteen and that would change, but things were currently outside his control. The fact left him feeling helpless in a way that he didn't like.

Deciding that mulling over it wouldn't make the situation any better, Tsuna shut the shower off and headed up to get dressed in his clothes from earlier. He'd take a better shower after dinner along with everyone else, the shower for now was just to keep himself from reeking of sweat and ruining everyone's appetite. Although, he found a reason to be grateful for the shower when he heard Cassandra's voice ring through the shoji screens.

"Suoh!" She called. "There's someone here looking for someone named Joshua. Do you know anyone by that name?"

"Yeah," he yelled back, taking the long way back into the cathedral via the stairs while he dried his hair with a towel. "That's Snicker. Who is it?"

"I don't know," she said as Tsuna reached the room and was able to see the newcomer for himself. The kid looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. Looks could be deceiving, though. Leo looked only thirteen and she was almost seventeen. He didn't have a babyish face, though. Far from it. He had a strong jaw line and an athlete's build. From his letterman's jacket, Tsuna could see that he was a football player at Leo's high school. For her part, Leo was simply staring with a raised eyebrow as if to ask why one of the public school's elite was present in her home.

"Do you know him, Leo?" Tsuna asked, deciding to go through a round-about way since the jock didn't seem like he was particularly happy to be there.

"Yeah," she nodded. "He's a freshman that managed to make it onto the Varsity team. His name is Cody or Chuck or something."

"Charlie," he corrected with a frown, making Tsuna's face turn pale.

"Ch-Charlie...?" He gasped as he stumbled against the back of the couch for support.

"You know me?" The teenager asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No... I mean, yeah... I mean... Charlie... What are you doing here?" He finally spluttered.

"I'm looking for my dad," he replied with a curious look. "You know him? His name is Joshua Timberson. I found his address while I was going through my mom's mail. It was in with a bunch of child support paperwork. Look. If you don't know him, just tell me so--"

"We know him," Tsuna blurted before he could stop himself. Charlie stared at him in surprise while he tried to gather his scattered wits. "I'm sorry," he mumbled with a touch more calm. "W-We know him. Y-You'll just have to forgive me. I wasn't expecting to meet you. Your dad... Snicker..."

"Why don't I make some tea?" Cassandra interjected hurriedly, quickly catching on to the issue at hand. "Suoh, you and Charlie just sit down and relax while Dedra helps me in the kitchen. This... This is kind of big."

"Y-Yeah," he mumbled shakily while he went to sit in Snicker's chair. Charlie followed him at his belated gesture, sitting down on the perpendicular sofa so that they could talk. It took Tsuna several silent minutes to collect himself while his mind raced in a panic. Anything he said or did could make Charlie hate his dad. It put such pressure on him that he felt like he was going to crack.

"So, Snicker is your dad," Leo commented, coming over to sit with them rather than continue her homework. For once, Tsuna didn't tell her to get back to it. He was grateful for the help since he was too afraid to break the silence on his own. "I didn't know that Snicker had a kid. I definitely didn't think that someone that I went to school with was related to him."

"Is he going to be here soon?" Charlie asked quietly. "No offense, but what I got to say is to him and then I'll be on my way."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled as he finally started to calm down. He was able to get calm because of one small fact that was quickly made clear from Charlie's expression. Tsuna couldn't make things worse. Charlie already hated his dad. "Yeah. He should be here pretty soon. He'd be here already, but the buses run a little slow around this time because of the traffic." Charlie nodded and Tsuna sat in silence while trying to think of something to say. What could he say?

"So, this is where my dad lives," Charlie commented under his breath while he glanced around the room out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed with a wide smile, latching onto the subject in relief. "Me and Snicker bought this place last year. It's--"

"A dump," he finished. Tsuna's face fell in realization that Charlie was nothing more than a spoiled brat. For some reason, that made Tsuna angry. Very angry. He and Snicker had worked hard to get what they had. It might not be something done by a fancy interior designer, but what right did Charlie have to judge? Compared to the hell that Snicker had lived through because of Charlie's mother, this place was heaven. It had everything that they wanted and needed and they were all happy living there together! "I can't believe dad left mom for a place like this."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped with his anger temporarily put on hold. "Your dad didn't leave your mom. She ran out and left him."

"Sure she did," Charlie replied with his eyes rolling in sarcasm. "And he didn't sell off his business before he left with his pockets stuffed, either. Believe whatever you want, but I know the whole story so there's no reason to try and make him look good."

"I'm not--" Tsuna objected.

"You know one side of the story," Leo interrupted. "You don't know all of it. I know Snicker better than you do and I can tell you right now that he's not the type to run off like that."

"Sure," Charlie mumbled with that same sarcastic tone. "If he didn't run off, then tell me why he didn't come to see me since he left ten years ago."

"He was ashamed," Tsuna answered quietly, instantly getting attention from everyone in the room. Tsuna wasn't sure what came over him, but he found the words falling from his mouth without any ability to control them. "He wanted to go back and see you when he got on his feet again, but it never happened. He thought you'd be happier without him instead of seeing someone that you'd only be ashamed of."

"Wait," Charlie gasped in confusion. "Ashamed? Why would I be ashamed? Even if he was a jerk, at least he would have been around! He--"

"Where do you think that Joshua's been for the past ten years?" Tsuna asked in a monotone voice.

"He's been hiding and living off of all the money that he got for--"

"He's been homeless," Tsuna corrected quietly. "He's been living on the street, Charlie. Didn't you ever wonder why he didn't send you child support before now? It was because he didn't have the money to send. He wanted to, but he wasn't able to get a job before now. From what he's told me, his in-laws spread a lot of bad rumors about him so that no one would hire him. Even so, I think that the reason he stayed here instead of moving to a different city to get around that was because he didn't want to move too far away from where he knew you were at."

"I don't believe you," Charlie replied bluntly. "Who are you, anyway? How do you know my dad?"

"I-I'm..." Tsuna said slowly while at a complete loss of how to actually answer the question. Should he be honest? Should he lie and make himself out to be just a friend? How was he supposed to introduce himself to Snicker's son?! It wasn't like he could just blurt that he was Snicker's gay lover. That would probably be horrifying to Charlie! He came to talk to his father, not to get knocked upside the head by unexpected realities!

"He's Suoh," Cassandra supplied with a wink while she handed out cups of iced tea. "He's your father's best friend. A lot of us have known Snicker for longer than him, but I don't think there's anyone that knows him better. Snicker likes to keep quiet about himself, so this is the first time we're hearing any of this. We didn't even know he had a son. I'm guessing that Snicker told you in private, Suoh?"

"Y-Yeah," Tsuna confirmed with a nod while wondering if it was even okay for him to talk about such things. It didn't feel wrong. This was Snicker's son that he was talking to. Charlie had a right to know. Still, there was a seed of doubt planted by Cassandra's comment. Snicker had told him in private. Charlie had a right to know, but maybe Tsuna didn't have a right to tell him. "You can ask Snicker for yourself when he gets here," he said after a moment of thought. "It's probably not my place to talk about Snicker's past since I wasn't there. I just don't want you thinking that Snicker forgot about you. He thought about you a lot, but he just couldn't get the courage to go see you."

"Why... Why do you keep calling him Snicker?" Charlie asked in curiosity.

"It's his nickname," Dedra explained from where she was sitting on the edge of the pool table while she filed her nails. "It's tradition for all the working girls on Independence to name their boyfriends after a candy. From the story that I heard, the girl that named Snicker said that he always gave off that All-American vibe, so she named him after the All-American candy bar. His buddy got named Zero since he was as white as one."

"Not me," Tsuna squeaked when Charlie raised an eyebrow at him. "Zero was your dad's buddy before I got in town."

"Suoh's nickname is Pocky, but it never seemed to catch on," Cassandra said with a shrug. "Probably because none of us ever had Pocky, so we don't know if it's a fitting name or not."

"So that's why you guys started calling Eric 'Skittles'," Leo laughed. "I was wondering about that!"

"Summer named him," Dedra chuckled. "She said that he's a different flavor every time she sees him. We all decided on Starburst for Gigi since he's just so fruity. He'd probably enjoy the name too much if we told him about it, so he doesn't know. We're still trying to come up with a name for Ore, but he's kind of difficult."

"Pringles?" Tsuna suggested in amusement. "It's not a candy, but--"

"You can't ever stop at one!" Cassandra and Dedra finished in unison before breaking out into a roar of laughter.

"Oh, we're definitely naming him Pringles," Cassandra continued with a chuckle. "I doubt that he'll answer to it, but it'll be fun to tease him about it."

"Anyway," Tsuna interjected with a smile in effort to remind everyone that Charlie was still in the room. "Their running joke is why Joshua is called 'Snicker'. He likes to play along with jokes and he even started wearing a candy wrapper over his nametag. After a while, people started forgetting what his real name was and now there's only a few who know that it's Joshua."

"It's news to me," Cassandra agreed with a shrug. "He was already going by Snicker when I met him."

"Same here," Dedra nodded. "He--" Dedra broke off at the sound of the front door opening. It was unmistakable.

"That's him," Tsuna gasped, setting down his drink in order to jump to his feet. Practically running in hopes of heading Snicker off and warning him about Charlie, he was completely unable to make it in time. Even worse, he made it to the camo netting between the garage and the cathedral at the same moment that he ducked past it into the room. All Snicker saw was him running up to meet him, which got one very zealous reaction.

"Snicker--! Ch--mph!" Tsuna felt panic well up inside him while Snicker decided to run with his newfound choice to be more openly affectionate. While Tsuna would have normally been ecstatic over being kissed, it was definitely the worst way for Charlie to see his father for the first time in ten years. Tsuna thought that it couldn't get any worse, but it did. When he pulled away to gasp out his warning, Snicker simply thought he was being playful and gave chase. The message ended up being, "Ho... Hold... on... Sni... Snicker!... Ch...Char...lie--!" Snicker froze with his arms still around him, giving Tsuna time to gasp out the message in full. "Charlie is here, you idiot!"

"Charlie..." Snicker repeated while staring down at Tsuna in shock. Tsuna could only look back, painfully aware of all the eyes on them. Then Snicker's gaze lifted and he saw what Tsuna already knew. Charlie was standing up at the couch that was less than twenty feet away, staring at them in horror.

"I tried to warn you," Tsuna mumbled quietly when he saw tears beginning to form in Snicker's eyes.

"I'm outta here," Charlie said before heading directly for one of the side doors. Snicker continued to stare in shock, openly unable to get a single word out around the nearly visible lump in his throat.

"Wait--!" Tsuna yelped for him. Charlie ignored the call, charging out of the side door like a rampaging bull. Tsuna scrambled out of Snicker's limp grasp and ran after him, knowing that Snicker would never forgive himself if he let Charlie leave without getting a chance to talk. Tsuna darted out the door just as quickly as Charlie had and paused for a moment to see which way he'd went. He'd was walking quickly as he headed deeper into the alley and Tsuna gave chase in hopes of catching him. "Wait--!" Tsuna yelled, stretching out an arm to grab Charlie's shoulder. "Please! You can't judge him for that! He--" Tsuna was completely caught off-guard by the punch that Charlie stopped to hit him with. The fist to his unguarded face when he was least expecting it knocked him crashing onto the ground.

"Don't touch me, you fucking fag!" Charlie yelled at him. "My mom was right! She said that his friends would try to lie to me and make my dad seem like an angel when he's not! I almost fell for it, but fuck that shit! I'm glad that he never came to see me now! I'd rather go without than have a homo for a dad!"

Tsuna felt like every word was a lance digging straight into his chest. Charlie didn't want his dad because of him. Because his dad was with Tsuna, Charlie hated him. Why? Just because one of them wasn't a girl? What kind of logic was that?! They loved each other! Wasn't that enough?! For Charlie, it apparently wasn't. Yet, Tsuna couldn't let Charlie leave because of him. Snicker needed Charlie, just like he needed Tsuna. It wasn't about competing anymore. The ring on Tsuna's thumb told him that he wasn't competing against Charlie anymore. He knew Snicker cared about him and needed him, so... So...

"Wait," Tsuna begged painfully from where he sat on the ground, making Charlie pause for a mere moment as he turned to walk away again. "If I'm the only reason that you don't want to see your dad now, then... Then, I'll go away. Your dad is a good man. Just give him a chance. I-I'll go for a walk and you can pretend that I don't exist. Please. I'm begging you. Snicker would never forgive himself if you left because he messed up. He's been waiting ten years to see you again."

"Che," Charlie spat. Tsuna could tell that the idea mollified him a little. It gave Tsuna hope. Enough hope that he dragged himself to his feet and stood out of Charlie's path in hopes that he'd go back the way that he'd come.

"Go ahead," Tsuna urged. "You don't have to think about who your dad is with. You're here to see him, so don't let me be the reason that you don't talk to him. He's probably in there crying his head off because you left before he could say anything. Just give him five minutes. That's all I'm asking. You had to have wanted to see him since you came all this way and I know that he wants to see you. He--"

"Fine!" Charlie exclaimed in irritation, storming past him while he headed for the side door again. "If it'll make you shut up, I'll give him five minutes. Just get lost!"

"O-Okay," Tsuna agreed. Turning in place, Tsuna watched out of the corner of his eye while he headed deeper into the alley. It took a moment for someone to answer Charlie's knock since the side doors automatically locked themselves when they shut. As he had expected, the person that answered it let Charlie inside before poking their head behind the door to see where Tsuna was. "I'm going for a walk," Tsuna called with a small wave. "Tell Snicker to take all the time he needs. I'll be back later."

Leo shrugged in reply before heading back inside. The moment that the door was shut, Tsuna had no clue about what he should do. Being left out made him feel alone and estranged. Even worse was that he didn't have his bicycle or his wallet on him. That meant that his options on where to go were limited. He thought about gong to the gym, but the gym was across town. Getting there without his bike, he'd at least need his bus pass which was in his wallet. The same went with Chinatown. The park was close, but it was already late in the evening. It would be dangerous to go there by himself. That left only two places. He could go by and visit Autumn or he could go by and see Summer at work.

Since his eyes was already feeling swollen, he decided to head for Autumn's apartment. Hopefully she wouldn't be in bitch-mode and could loan him an ice pack. He felt like he knew Autumn better after working for Papa Paolo. She definitely could be a bitch at times, but a lot of that was simply her way of countering the infatuation of her fans. In other words, she was a bitch on purpose. It was the grain of salt that a lot of people needed so that they wouldn't instantly judge her by her looks. Autumn knew more than anyone that her looks could win awards. However, she didn't want awards. She just wanted the only people around her to be those that saw past her beauty. Unfortunately, a lot of people couldn't until they'd talked to her.

If she'd been sweet and adorable, she would have had hundreds at her beck and call. The trouble was that those hundreds would have been following just her image instead of her as a whole. She preferred to push people away as a test to see if they were sincere and, sadly enough, few people passed. When confronted with her shot-gun style of bluntness and down-to-earth nature, most people had their image of her destroyed and weren't able to come to terms. So, they just stayed away. Even for Tsuna, he'd had to reevaluate his image of her. He'd been infatuated for her for a long time, but actually talking to her had made that beauty pall until he not longer even noticed it. For him, Autumn was just Autumn now. For some reason, he had a feeling that she'd noticed and was pleased with the fact.

He still didn't get why Autumn was working as a prostitute when her dad was so well off. It might just be her desire for independence or maybe she just had a strange quirk like that. He'd wanted to ask a hundred times, but he knew that it was probably none of his business. Everyone had reasons for why they did stuff. Sometimes it made sense and sometimes it didn't. Sometimes, people couldn't even explain their reasons. He knew that she had them, so that was all that really mattered.

It wasn't until he was standing in front of her door and had already knocked that he realized that she might not even be home. It made him feel stupid for even coming to her apartment building. Things had been settled with Mike while Tsuna had been gone, but it still wasn't the most welcoming of places anymore. If Autumn wasn't home, it meant that he'd wasted a trip. Although, it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to go. Even if he'd went to see Summer at work, he didn't even have the money for a glass of ice water on him.

He sighed in relief when the door cracked open on the second knock. What met him wasn't Autumn, though. Far from it. It was a little girl that looked to be only eight or nine years old. She was a cute little thing with her hair up in pigtails and a innocently cute expression on her face that made Tsuna want to smile despite his problem.

"Hi," Tsuna smiled, leaning over to try and meet the girl eye-to-eye. "Is Autumn home? I--"

"Get lost, asshole," the girl snapped before slamming the door in his face. Tsuna blinked at the grain of the door for a long moment before standing back up. Hearing a curse come out of such an innocent mouth. So much so that it took him several long minutes to realize that the little girl wasn't a visiting relative. It was Autumn's new roommate, which meant that she was probably ten years older than she looked. Tsuna cursed to himself over it. He knew Gigi's old roommate was a lot like this girl. They were the types that used their agelessness as a weapon and turned it into something that they could sell. Which meant that Tsuna had no issues with banging on the door instead of knocking. He wasn't about to let a lolita get the better of him!

"Go away or else I'm calling the cops!" She yelled through the door.

"I just need to know if Autumn is home!" He called. "I--"

"Suoh--!" Autumn exclaimed as she flung the door open. Tsuna sighed in relief when she reached out and yanked him inside. "What are you doing here?!"

"I need to borrow an ice pack," he answered while sending a glare at the lolita who was lounging on the couch with a cup of yogurt. "Is it okay?"

"Sure," she agreed while rushing over to the freezer. "What happened? Your eye is turning black. Did you get in a fight?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "You might say that. Snicker's son came to visit and he wasn't too happy when he found out about me. I wasn't going to tell him, but a bunch of stuff happened and he did anyway."

"And he punched you," Autumn sighed. Returning with a filled icepack, Tsuna hissed when she slammed it over his eye and let go. Holding it in place before it fell, Tsuna followed her over to sit down on the couch between her and the lolita. "I didn't know Snicker had a son," she commented.

"Most people don't," Tsuna murmured. "He hasn't seen him since he was five. Snicker doesn't talk about him a lot because he doesn't want to make me jealous. I... I kind of used to feel like I was competing with him."

"So what happened?" Autumn asked, curling her feet up on her couch in a relaxed manner. She was still in her pajamas, which told him that his banging had probably woken her up. She wasn't wearing the silk nightie that she'd always put on while he'd been coming over to spend time with Summer. Instead, she was in a set of cotton plaid and he had to stare out of the corner of his eye at her since it was the first time he'd seen her without makeup on. She was just as pretty as she always was, but the hardness in her face was missing without the artistic shading and dark eyeliner.

"I found out that he doesn't like gays," Tsuna chuckled. "I managed to talk him into not leaving after he hit me, but I knew that he wouldn't stay if I did. So, I left. It's the first chance that Snicker's had to talk to his son. I... I'm not competing with him anymore. I know where me and Snicker stand with each other. That's not going to change because of Charlie. At least, I hope not."

"You're an idiot," Autumn grumbled. "If it was me, I'd have stayed and said to hell with him. If he can't accept you, then he's not really accepting Snicker."

"That's asking for too much," he objected with a small smile. Honestly, he felt no different about it, but he knew what Charlie's response would have been. He would have left and Snicker wouldn't have had his son. "He already has issues with Snicker. I figure that it's better if he gets over his issues one at a time. You can't expect him to accept me when he's not really ready to accept his dad at all. I just want them to talk for a while and feel each other out. This is the first time that they've talked in ten years. I-I'll be alright."

"No you won't," she countered bluntly. "I can tell. You're upset as hell and you're trying to hide it. Snicker might be happy seeing his son again, but you're stuck watching from outside. That's not fair to you. Plus, I thought you two were getting married. How the hell are you supposed to be his partner when you can't even stand up to a his son?"

"I-It's okay," Tsuna said with a faltering smile. He wanted to curse at Autumn for being right. He was upset and he knew it. He didn't like being forced out of his own house, but it was what Snicker needed to be happy. Snicker would be happy if he had both Tsuna and Charlie. He just couldn't have them at the same time. That was okay, though. It was just for a few hours. After the few hours were over, he could go see Snicker again and hear all about what had happened. However, deep down, he knew that it wasn't the same. He wanted to be there with Snicker. He wanted to stand next to him and be a part of the happiness that he might be able to get from talking with Charlie. "It doesn't have to be fair to me. As long as Snicker is happy, then I'll be happy."

"Your words and your face don't match," Autumn groaned. "You're not going to start crying on me. Are you?"

"No," he chuckled sadly. "I won't cry over something like this. It can't say that it doesn't hurt, but it'll be over soon. I just have to find something to do until they're done."

"Let me get dressed and we'll go get some coffee," Autumn sighed. "You're an idiot, so I bet that you left without your wallet. I'll pay, but you better pay me back later."

"Deal," Tsuna agreed with another small smile. Turning slightly in place, he looked at the lolita next to him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think that we got off to a good start. I bet that you thought that I was one of Autumn's stalkers."

"You can't blame me," she shrugged. "You're the third guy this week that's come by."

"Well, I'm just a friend," he smiled, holding out a hand belatedly in introduction. "You can call me Suoh."

"I'm Poppet," she grinned back, taking the hand instantly. "I'm guessing that I'm not your type. You're a homo instead of a pedo if I understood right."

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed with a grimace. He couldn't count the times that he'd sworn that he wasn't gay while in this very room. Admitting it now seemed somehow wrong, even though he knew that there was no denying his relationship with Snicker. "Would you like to come with us? Since I'm paying her back, I guess you could say that it's my treat."

"Sure," she snapped, jumping up to run into her bedroom to change. While they were gone, Tsuna lowered the ice pack from his eye and gingerly touched the surrounding flesh. It was tender, telling him that he'd been popped by a good strike. It was probably going to turn black despite his attempts to ice it. At least the swelling had went down already.

_Like father, like son_, Tsuna grinned to himself. Snicker had popped him once, too, when Tsuna had once gotten too close while drunk. He hadn't really thought about it before, but Charlie had his father's homophobia. The only difference was that Snicker had already gotten over his and had went one step further in admitting that the reason he'd disliked them had been because he'd been fearful of becoming one. Of course, by the time he'd admitted it verbally, he and Tsuna had already been sleeping together. The decision to accept Tsuna couldn't have been easy for the father, so it was to be expected that the son would prove difficult, too. Once Charlie accepted that their choice wasn't a contagious disease that would turn him gay, he'd come around.

At least, Tsuna hoped.


	34. Chapter 34 Responsibility

This day was cursed. Tsuna was positive of the fact. Nothing had went like it normally did. Not even going to the cafe that Summer worked at with the two girls had went right. Not when there was a dozen gang members sitting sprawled out across three booths who were both loud and uncouth. They'd come in after Tsuna, Autumn, and Poppet had already sat down and were running out the customers with their actions. It made what was supposed to be a relaxing trip into something irritatingly uncomfortable.

"Just ignore them," Autumn sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Guys like that never learned to grow up. They're not like you and your gang. All of you are responsible and are adults. Honestly, if it wasn't for the boarding house, I wouldn't have ever thought of you as a gang."

"We can get wild, too, sometimes," Tsuna chuckled in effort to take her suggestion on ignoring the unruly band. "But we try not to be a menace. When we go out, we head to places that don't mind big groups. Eric helps out a lot, too, since he always talks for everyone. He's getting really good at making people comfortable even though we don't look like the most trustworthy of people. Because of him, the places that we go to are always open about whether we're being a bother. If we are, we just pick somewhere else for the night. That's only when we all go out together. Speaking of which, we haven't--" Tsuna broke off with a slight jolt at the roar of laughter and the sound of shattering glass. Looking over his shoulder, Tsuna jumped over to his feet with wide eyes at the sight of Summer sprawled out on the ground with their pot of refill coffee shattered next to her.

"What happened?" He exclaimed as he ran over to her. Ignoring the mob, he knelt down next to her to help her up while grimacing at the sight of a long scratch going down her arm from the glass.

"Someone tripped me," she hissed, flinching slightly when she felt the pain from her arm. Tsuna turned in place, looking around with a glare to see who's foot had been the offending one.

"What are you looking at?" One of the gang asked with a cruel smile, sticking out his foot as if to challenge Tsuna to do something for tripping Summer. Tsuna hesitated at the sight of the dozen people. He was angry, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that he'd be dead meat if he tried to fight all of them. If it was just one on one, he was confident in the abilities that Coach Reynolds had trained into him. However, twelve opponents was a little out of his league.

"It's okay, Suoh," Summer soothed, grabbing his attention while he tried to figure out what he should do. "I'll be back in a minute with your coffee. I'll have to get another pot."

"Take your time," Tsuna murmured. "Get that arm sanitized first. I'm not in any hurry." Summer nodded and he watched her walk back behind the counter once more in order to disappear into the kitchen. Tsuna glanced over at the group once more while wishing that his friends were there. They wouldn't be so quick to be a menace if Tsuna wasn't alone. As it was, Tsuna knew that he was no match for them all. It was that knowledge that sent him back to his table. Trying to fight them for such a small incident was suicidal. It made him feel ashamed, but Summer wasn't hurt that badly. If he tried to fight them because of just a little scratch, he'd get hurt a lot worse.

"Way to be a man," Autumn scoffed when he sat back down.

"Shut up," he snapped. "I didn't come here to fight and Summer will be okay."

"They're only going to get worse," Poppet commented quietly. "I can tell from their jackets that those are the Velvet Scats. They're known for trashing businesses. I heard that the last place that they went to, the owner ended up with a broken arm and was beaten up pretty badly. He was so scared that he couldn't press charges."

"I want to help," Tsuna mumbled apologetically. "But I'm just one guy. I'd end up just as hurt."

"So, Mr. Guardian Angel has a realist side," Autumn chuckled. "And here I thought that you were just an idealist jackass."

"You can't survive on ideas," Tsuna replied while sipping his coffee. He'd always hated the taste of coffee when he was younger. Living on the street had taught him that taste could be overcome, though. Coffee was warming and it was energizing, so there'd been a lot of times that he'd drank it with Snicker since it'd been the only thing available. Now, he could drink it as easily as he did his chosen drinks, which made things a lot simpler at times. For example, with Autumn and Poppet drinking coffee, Summer only had to bring a coffeepot to their table for their refills instead of making two trips for separate drinks.

"How's your job coming along?" Autumn asked curiously to change the subject. "Daddy said--"

"Where's my chili fries?!" One of the gang members roared.

"I need a refill!" Another shouted.

"You and Poppet might want to head home," Tsuna mumbled while the angry yells continued to ring out. "You two don't want to be here if things get messy."

"What about you?" Poppet asked quietly.

"I'm going to stay here for a little longer," he replied with a smile down at her. "I'm sorry that we didn't get your ice cream sundae, but I'll take you out for one at some other time. I really don't want you two to be here right now. It can't be comfortable."

"You're planning on fighting them," Autumn teased with a grin of disbelief. "You plan on fighting and you don't want us to see you get your ass handed to you."

"Yeah," Tsuna mumbled. Autumn was taken aback by the answer and her grin faltered. She stared for a long moment, openly reevaluating him.

"You can't be serious," she hissed. "They really will hand you your own ass!"

"I know," he replied without being able to look at her. He did know. He knew and he wanted to still try. He had hoped that they'd be satisfied with just tripping Summer, but he could see the rate that they were going. If it kept up, Summer would be in real danger. "It's my responsibility," he said quietly, remembering what he'd told Papa Paolo. He was responsible for Summer, just like he was responsible for everyone else. These people were interfering with her work and were causing her problems. It was his responsibility to protect her as a member of his gang. There were twelve to one odds that he was going to get seriously hurt, but there was also one to twelve odds that he might manage to fulfill his duties. The odds were low in his favor, but it was his responsibility to take those odds. "I can't run away, Autumn. If I do, Summer will get hurt. If it was anyone else, I'd be leaving right behind you. But I can't. I promised your father that I'd be responsible for everyone."

"That doesn't mean you have to go commit suicide for them, you idiot!" She snapped. "Why don't we just go and call the cops? You'll still--"

"If I call the cops, those guys will come back for revenge," Tsuna objected bluntly. "Just go. I'll get rid of them somehow."

"Just when I think that you've actually got a brain," Autumn growled, grabbing up her purse in order to dig out five dollars for all of their drinks. "Come on, Poppet. We're going to be late if we stick around this idiot any longer."

"Good luck, Mr. Suoh," Poppet said, jumping up in her seat to give him a kiss on the cheek before jumping past him to head out the door with Autumn. Tsuna watched them go and waited for a minute to settle himself. He had to do this. There was no backing out. Even so, he wanted to very, very badly. Just a small glance over his shoulder at the mob of toughs made his insides turn to ash. It was going to be like trying to stand up to the Disciplinary Committee. He didn't stand a chance in hell.

_Would you like me to take care of it, my pet?_

"Mukuro-sama--!" Tsuna gasped. "Yes! B-but--"

_You've made up your mind to deal with them, _he sighed_. I'd rather do it for you than watch my vessel be destroyed._

"Y-You won't--"

_I won't kill them,_ he chuckled. _I'll just scare them away as I know you wish. Would that make you happy?_

"Yes!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Please! T-Thank you so much, Mukuro-" _sama_. Tsuna felt a moment of disorientation as Mukuro-sama took control of his body. As always, it left him feeling unsettled. Mukuro-sama took control at least once a week to ensure that he remembered what to do. Of course, remembering what to do always made him blush and want to hide his face. Mukuro-sama's training had been affective, but he wished that he hadn't agreed to go through it. It'd been one of the most embarrassing times in his life.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro-sama chuckled while Tsuna started the process of pulling back his own senses. As always, it was difficult, even though he had the sensation of being outside himself. First he pulled back his awareness of his legs. Then his arms. It was as if he was pulling off clothes until all that was left was his own awareness in a tight little ball at the core of his own body. Doing so left him unable to interfere as easily with Mukuro-sama's manipulation of his body. In other words, it made him 'get out of the way'. "You might want to close your eyes, my pet. I do not wish for you to have nightmares of my creation."

_A-Alright_, Tsuna agreed. Closing his eyes was a little more difficult and he still hadn't become capable of closing out sound. To close his eyes without being able to close his eyes meant that he could still see. It was a matter of purposely unfocusing his eyes while knowing that his body's eyes weren't affected. He couldn't cut off sense completely, but he wasn't able to see anything clearly once they were unfocused. Everything just became formless blobs that didn't make sense to his visual perceptions.

"Are you ready, my pet?" Mukuro-sama asked curiously. Tsuna nodded, knowing that Mukuro-sama could feel his silent confirmation. It was incredibly hard to keep himself curled up inside like he was. So much so that he knew that he would be sweating if he had his body. Even as introverted as he was, he could still feel some things. He could feel that they were moving. He could feel the calm pace of his heart while in Mukuro-sama's keeping. He could feel how Mukuro rolled his head slightly to get out the kink that'd been in Tsuna's neck since his workout.

"I don't want to waste a lot of time here," he heard Mukuro-sama say to the thugs. "So I'll make this short. Leave this place and never return."

"Who the fuck--"

Tsuna felt Mukuro-sama start. His eye spasmed painfully and he could feel his energy being slowly sapped away. Like Mukuro-sama had trained him, he didn't fight the drain. Mukuro-sama had already explained to him that it took his own energy to cross the distance between them. The energy to use his skills had to come from the vessel he used or else he'd be drained too quickly to be of any use. The blobs that he could see had stopped moving around, telling him that whatever Mukuro-sama was doing was working. He was probably using illusions by how quickly Tsuna could feel his energy being depleted. The illusions required to scare twelve armed and vicious enemies must be incredible, Tsuna mused. Only Mukuro-sama was strong enough to be able to scare away people like that without having to actually fight.

"Leave. Now," Mukuro-sama repeated. Sighing in relief, Tsuna could hear yelps and shouts of terror as the blobs started moving again. Mukuro tracked them by sight, but all Tsuna could see was a dozen shapes hitting up against each other and jumping over each other while they got smaller with distance. After a moment, they all disappeared completely out of what Tsuna assumed was the door. "How was that, my pet?"

_Thank you, Mukuro-sama_, Tsuna answered with an internal tremble. _I would have been a goner_.

"You have such little faith in yourself," Mukuro-sama replied sadly. "Perhaps I should have let you fight your own battle. It pains me to see you walking into such situations without any determination to come out as the victor."

_I'm happy this way, Mukuro-sama. No one got hurt. If I'd fought, someone definitely would have. Probably me unless that fighting sense came back again._

"Or unless I increased your abilities once more," Mukuro commented as he returned to the seat that Tsuna had been occupying with Autumn. "You keep forgetting about the untapped potential you hold, my dearest."

_I... I don't like using that._

"Oya? Why?"

_Because, it... it just feels strange. Plus, it makes Poe upset because of how much energy I leak._

"Who cares about whether that hell spawn is upset," Mukuro grumbled.

_I care. Poe is my friend, even if he's a little different._

"You already know my feelings on the matter," Mukuro snapped unhappily.

_Yes, Mukuro-sama. I'm sorry, but I just can't agree with you on that. Will you forgive me?_

"Do as you wish," he answered before disappearing in a blinding instant. Tsuna gasped and hurriedly uncurled himself in order to regain sense of his body. When he did, he found himself face-down on the table from where his body had crumpled without anyone in control of it. It took a moment to get his eyes to refocus and to get feeling back in his arms and legs, after which he sat up to find Summer hovering over him in concern.

"I'm okay," Tsuna soothed, shaking his head a little to try to get the disorientation to go away. "Did those guys leave?"

"Yeah," Summer mumbled in awe. "You just walked over and told them to leave and then they all ran out of here. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," he answered honestly. "I--"

"Thank you!" A short, squat man interrupted, running up in order to grab Tsuna's hand and shake it enthusiastically. "I don't know how you did it, but you got those punks to leave! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Eh?"

"This is my boss, Mr. Lovell," Summer introduced with a grin. "Boss, this is Suoh. I think I've told you about him."

"Yes, yes!" Mr. Lovell cried joyously. "I should have thought about it earlier! You're the leader of the Orange Dragon Gang! Please, let me know if you ever need anything! I can't tell you how much you've helped me! I called the cops, but I didn't think they'd get here in time. Just look at what they did already!" Tsuna looked at the booths where the men had been sitting. They were completely trashed. So much so that it couldn't be cleaned up with a simple bucket of water and a cloth. He could see scratches etched into the seats from where they'd been carving things into the formica. One corner of the table would have to be completely refurbished and there was what looked to be spray-paint on the wall next to another. On top of that, their food and drinks that they'd already been served were all over the place and Tsuna could see that several of the salt shaker had been smashed underfoot. Overall, the whole area was a mess.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna murmured apologetically while absently trying to figure up how much it'd cost to fix all of it.

"Don't be sorry, man!" The manager spluttered. "Thanks to you, the damage is just a few tables. Imagine what they could have done if they'd decided to trash the whole place!"

"No," Tsuna replied sadly with a shake of his head. "I am sorry. I should have stopped them sooner. Because I didn't, Summer got tripped and you've lost a lot of money because of the damages."

"And you saved me money by keeping it from getting worse," the man laughed, slapping Tsuna on the back. "Actually, now that I think about it..." Tsuna bowed his head over his cup of coffee when the man dashed away, feeling incredibly guilty for having hesitated. Despite the man's words, Tsuna knew that he should have stepped in earlier. He'd been scared, though. He'd been scared and it'd taken him realizing that Summer had been cornered in order to decide to fight back. "Here."

"Eh?" Tsuna looked up without comprehending.

"Here," the man repeated, grabbing Tsuna's hand to thrust several twenties into it. "It's to show my appreciation for running those men off. It's not much, but I want you to take it."

"B-But--"

"I won't take no for an answer," Mr. Lovell said firmly. "You've saved me ten times that much, so it's no big loss to me. I want you to take it and I hope that you'll come back here again. A lot of gangs come through here late at night and I can't get any decent customers because of them. If you're willing to help me keep this place in order, then I'm willing to give you gratuities."

"O-Okay," Tsuna mumbled in shock. Then comprehension dawned and his eyes widened in understanding. "T-This is a job, right? You want me to keep that gang out of here."

"And keep others from coming in and trashing the place," the man agreed. "You're welcome to all the free drinks you want when you come in here and I hope it's okay to call you if there's trouble on nights that you can't stop by."

"S-Sure," Tsuna nodded while scratching his head in thought. "Summer knows the number to the Dojo's community phone. If I'm not there, I'm sure Ore or some of the others wouldn't mind coming by to help. Especially Eric. Some of them might not be able to do much, but I'm sure that they can talk them into going outside or distract them from destroying the place until the police get here."

"Good enough," the man nodded. "Speaking of police, it looks like they're finally here. It took them long enough."

"They're busy," Tsuna shrugged, following the man's eyes to the car parking in front of the building. "The city is big and there's only so many."

"If you say so," the man mumbled before giving his farewells and heading out the door to greet the officers.

"I better go before they try to question me," he said to Summer. "Eric should be here soon to walk you home. Is that okay?"

"Go ahead," Summer smiled. "I'll see you back at home and... Thanks."

"It's my job," Tsuna grinned before standing up and shoving the twenties in his pocket. It might be wrong of him, but he wasn't going to turn down money that someone threw at him just so that they'd feel a little safer. It wouldn't be any trouble to ask one of the guys to stick around the place and it gave them an opportunity to make cash. With Snicker's pay getting garnished, they'd need the money or else they'd have to dip into their savings again. They already did that often enough that Tsuna felt like they were hemorrhaging money.

Actually, they were hemorrhaging money, Tsuna admitted while he put his feet on the path home. The core of the gang knew about their savings and asked to dip into it on a regular basis. Ore had wanted to buy a custom mattress that was big enough for him and the two girls, plus his gym membership and physical trainer wasn't cheap. Gigi constantly wanted new clothes and his shoe fetish was getting out of control. Eric had his expenses for dinner parties and fundraisers that he was required to go to in order to get his face seen by those who could give him better paying gigs. Ollie had no less that six skateboards now and shelves full of spare parts. Marty had become enamored with miniature car replicas that were motorized. Just one cost fifty dollars and she had six now. Even Leo had upgraded the quality of spray-paint she preferred, plus she'd hesitantly asked for a few things to get for her room. Tsuna himself had started paying for his own gym membership instead of working so that it was free. It'd seemed like a understandable expense, since he was training under all three of the gym's combined coaching. Plus, paying for it instead of working for it meant that he could get back to Snicker on time.

There were other expenses that was quickly taking a bite out of their savings. Their meals had started getting more expensive. Not because grocery prices had went up, but because everyone thought that they could spare the money for fancier meals. Where they'd once been satisfied with hotdogs and cold salads, they now wanted steaks, steamed veggies, and baked potatoes. Nights where they had racks of ribs or legs of lamb were becoming more and more commonplace. On top of that, they'd started going out more often. Instead of renting movies, everyone wanted to go to the movies. Instead of drinking at home, they wanted to go to a bar and pay three bucks a bottle. Instead of ordering pizza or buffets on the weekends, they wanted to go to a restaurant and order individual meals.

They were all becoming spoiled. Tsuna realized that even he was becoming spoiled. Snicker was the only one that hadn't changed once that money had become available. Had Snicker noticed what was going on? He didn't think so, but it was highly possible that he had. He hadn't said anything, though. He was probably waiting for everyone to see it for themselves. Or, maybe, he'd just been trusting Tsuna to see it. Since Tsuna had been agreeing to all the expenses, he hadn't seen a reason to mention it. They could afford it, after all.

The problem was that a million dollars spread out between a dozen people wouldn't last very long. He hadn't counted it up recently, but he knew that it'd been disappearing at an unhealthy rate. That money was supposed to be emergency money to fill in gaps on bills or to pay for unexpected expenses. Instead, they'd been using it as a splurge fund. That had to stop. It was his job to stop it. It was okay for a few dollars here and there, but Gigi didn't need a thirtieth pair of pumps and Eric could scale down his orders at dinner parties. He, himself, could cut back.

Who was he kidding? Everyone was working hard so that they could splurge a little. They deserved it. They'd earned it. They shouldn't have to pull back their expenses because of Snicker's financial setback. It was Tsuna's job as their Captain to keep them happy. They wouldn't be happy if he cut them off. They'd probably be upset over it. What Tsuna could do instead was to minimize the hemorrhaging where he could and plug the leaks with more incoming cash.

In other words, he needed to work harder. Odd jobs like protecting the cafe at night from rowdy gangs would be some incoming cash. He had his delivery route in the morning. If he cut back his training schedule, maybe he could ask Papa Paolo if he had any night deliveries. There was all those requests that people had been sending his way that he could actually start taking. He wasn't about to take up any of the impersonation requests or Hannah's non-stop requests for dates. What he could do, however, was to start taking up the requests for protection that he'd been turning down. There were three places in Chinatown that had asked to see if he and the gang could help scare off a different gang that'd started harassing people around the area. There was that dumpster arsonist that was freaking people out on Market Street, too. Several of the shops in the area had offered up rewards for catching the guy, but no one had found him yet. If Tsuna put his mind to it, maybe he could succeed where others had failed. The cops obviously couldn't help them, but Tsuna might be able to. It'd be worth it for him. Not only since he might get more gratuities like he had from Mr. Lovell, but he could collect the rewards for street bounties.

There was always things that he could do. He'd forgotten that in his determination to get a payroll job like Snicker's. He was on someone's payroll now, so he could think past that goal. He'd been stupid to set his hopes so high previously and he was lucky that Autumn had found him what he'd wanted. He should have kept them where they needed to be. As long as he was fulfilling his responsibilities, it didn't matter what he had to do. At this moment, his responsibility was to plan for everyone's future by preparing for the hard times that would eventually come. He knew that they'd come. Life wasn't so easy that every single day went as planned. Looking at the day that was behind him, he knew that without a shadow of a doubt. What would happen if Ore got laid off and Eric couldn't find any more gigs? What would they do if the pipes burst in the kitchen or the roof started leaking? It was his responsibility to prepare for those unexpected instances and he'd been doing a very poor job.

He'd do better, he silently swore. Starting with talking to Papa Paolo first thing in the morning and minimizing his own financial hemorrhages. He'd trained under his three coaches long enough. As long as he worked out at home and sparred with Ore on occasion, he would be okay. The three coaches hadn't been able to spare time for him lately anyway. Five minutes each a week wasn't enough to justify the money he was paying them. Not when he considered that he had the same training equipment at home. Ore needed Coach Reynolds since he was street-fighting, but Tsuna was satisfied with what he'd learned from them. Plus, he had Mukuro-sama now for when he got in a jam. On top of that, he could start suggesting cheaper meals for his night to pick. Everyone probably would be a little surprised at first, but it might be good to remind them that there were other meals that could be enjoyed. A pot of beans and cornbread was just as filling as marinade fish filets and beef stir fry, while also having the bonus of being insanely cheap in comparison.

"What are you doing?"

Tsuna froze in place at the sound of rippling cloth combined with Poe's voice. Turning around, he felt his heart jump into his throat like it always did. He didn't know what it was, but Poe always made his heart react like that. It wasn't the kind of lurch that happened when he was around Snicker, however. It was the kind of lurch that was from fear. He didn't really understand it, because he thought that he'd overcome his fear of Poe. Everyone else had been allowed six months to come to terms with Poe's unique qualities, but Tsuna had only been allowed a few weeks so far. He wondered how long it'd take before his heart stopped jumping into his throat. Then there was the question of whether the others had gotten over it or if they were just putting on a show because Tsuna had told them that Poe was a friend?

"I'm--" Tsuna let out a small cough to cover the tight pitch of his voice before trying again. "I'm just walking home. W-What are you doing here?"

"I sensed a foul aura and I came to investigate," he answered as he shoved his hands in his pocket in a relaxed manner. Seeing that he was wanting to walk and talk, Tsuna hesitantly continued on his route home. "I'm assuming that it was your Gatekeeper friend?" He asked as he pulled out a clove cigarette and offered one to Tsuna. Tsuna accepted it gratefully, having not brought any of his own in his hasty exit from the Dojo. He could feel Mukuro-sama at the back of his mind again, proving that the question had garnered his attention since it was about him. Tsuna ignored it, knowing that Mukuro-sama would stay quiet until he was alone. The man had some sense of courtesy. It was either that or else he didn't want people seeing Tsuna talk to himself since it was habit for Tsuna to automatically talk back. In a way, his silence was protection since it was less likely for people to worry about Tsuna's sanity that way.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed sheepishly after Poe lit his cigarette for him. Walking along, he kept to a slow pace so that they could talk, knowing that he was in no rush to return home yet. "There was a little problem at Summer's work that Mukuro-sama took care of for me."

"I don't understand him nor you," Poe commented. "You are of Giotto's bloodline, yet you place yourself in a position of submission under one such as him. I also find it incomprehensible that he would protect one such as you, as well."

"I don't see why it's hard to understand," Tsuna replied with a shrug. "I'm no different than anyone else. He's strong and he's willing to help me, so why wouldn't I accept his offer? I'd rather keep my ass intact than my pride."

"But why is he helping you?" Poe asked after a moment of digesting the information. "I assumed that he was just using you at first, but I can't understand his purpose. He's made no move to completely possess you."

"He promised that he wouldn't," Tsuna smiled. "Honestly, I don't know why Mukuro-sama cares about someone like me. He just does and I keep getting a strong feeling that I can trust him because of that. I think the real answer is somewhere in my past, but I really don't want to know about that. As long as Mukuro-sama keeps his promise, he can do whatever he wants."

"His promise?" He asked curiously.

"He promised to help me protect everyone," Tsuna replied with a wide grin. Tsuna paused when Poe's step faltered halfway down the alley. Turning to look at him, Tsuna raised an eyebrow at his shadowed expression. "What's wrong?"

"Let me speak with him."

"Eh?!" Tsuna exclaimed at the same time he felt Mukuro-sama's laughter in his head.

"I know that it is possible, so let me speak with him."

"Uh..."

_Go ahead, my pet. This might prove amusing. I'll answer the request, although I will want you to sleep during our chat. _

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," Tsuna murmured, taking the comment as an order. As he expected, Mukuro-sama leaped forward in his mind to grasp control of his body the moment that his name was verbalized. Also like he expected, a weariness overcame his consciousness the moment that he was firmly in control. It was a weariness that he knew he could easily fight, but he'd agreed to sleep. That meant that he accepted Mukuro-sama's manipulation of his perceptions until he became closed off completely by a simple, peaceful oblivion.

* * *

"Wake up," Poe growled while pinching Tsuna's cheeks.

Tsuna let out a small shriek when he opened his eyes to find himself looking up with Poe's face abnormally close. Crawling backward to get away, he rammed into a wall within a mere second where he paused while he tried to get his racing heart under control. It took a moment to recognize where he was in the soft light of the single lit candle in the room. He was in Poe's shed on the roof of their theater. The only problem was that he had no clue how he'd gotten there and he had no clue what might have been done with his body in the meantime.

"Don't worry," Poe said quietly. "I don't have any interest in you other than for your blood." Tsuna paled and started surreptitiously checking his neck to see if there was any wounds. He couldn't feel any, but he knew that Poe's teeth could paralyze. "I didn't bite you," he added from where he curled up against one of the other walls on top of a pillow. Looking around, Tsuna could see that the room was pretty empty. Most of what there was comprised of gardening tools hung up on the walls above their heads, a toolbox, a stool that looked to double as a table and the discarded cover at Tsuna's feet. He faintly heard Lobat chirping above them, but the shed was otherwise completely empty.

"How did I get here?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"I brought you here," Poe replied from the shadowed edge of the candle-light. "You collapsed after I was done talking to Mukuro and leaving you in the alley would have been uncivilized. I thought about taking you downstairs, but I didn't feel like dealing with questions so I brought you here instead. I was planning on leaving you until you woke on your own, but your sleep-talking was starting to get on my nerves."

"Oh," Tsuna blushed, sighing in relief once everything was explained. "I didn't say anything embarrassing. Did I?"

"I believe you were having a conversation with Gigi about her shoes, but I'm not quite sure," he answered solemnly. "You stopped making sense after a few sentences and you started listing. I'm guessing that it was a list of people that you know...?"

"What where the names?" Tsuna asked while he grew pale.

"Ignacio Longjaw, Terrance Michaels, and Heath Phillips were the first three," he replied with a note of curiosity in his voice. "I let you go on for a while, but it started getting irritating around the twentieth name and I woke you up before you hit thirty."

"That's odd," Tsuna mumbled in confusion. "I don't recognize any of those. Are you sure that they were names?"

"I have no clue. It was your dream."

"That's true," he replied sadly, curling up around his knees. "I still can't remember my dreams sometimes. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing anymore."

"There's something that I need to discuss with you," Poe murmured into the silence that followed Tsuna's statement. "It's a serious matter, so I want to get this over with."

"What's that?"

"I want to mark you as a blood-slave," he replied bluntly without looking at him. Tsuna shuddered slightly at the word while part of his mind noticed that Mukuro-sama wasn't grumbling in the back of his head like usual. "I thought that it wouldn't be needed, but there is a group passing through the city in a few days. If they smell you out, you'll be sucked dry by people that I can't raise a hand against. If I mark you as mine, they can't drink without permission and they'll have to be considerate of you as my property. I'll be perfectly honest. It will be difficult to tell them no, but you'll be spared from more than just a taste if I mark you."

"Does my blood look that good?" Tsuna asked with a small tremble over the unexpected threat.

"Imagine ambrosia walking around in front of you every day and being told you can't have it," Poe murmured quietly. "There's a reason that I stay away from you. Just getting into range of you makes me hungry."

"Then why haven't you bit me yet?" He asked, burying his head in his knees to hide the resulting blush over Poe's description.

"Do you want to be bit?" He countered while still staring at the opposite wall. "Your heart still jumps when I come near. I don't want to bite you until you no longer fear what comes from offering yourself. I say that, but I'm running out of time," he sighed. "The people that will be passing through aren't as civilized. The Council is used to getting what they want. If they smell you, they'll be vicious in absorbing everything that they can from you. In your case, they'll want to drink instead of just consuming your energy. They won't be able to help it once they smell Giotto's mark in your blood. I can keep them silent if they're satisfied, but word of you will spread through my kind if they are only teased with your presence. That's why I needed your blood before. It was a bribe to keep a particularly nasty sort of vampire away from you."

"I still can't believe it sometimes," Tsuna commented, hugging his knees even more tightly. "You tell me that you're a vampire, but you don't seem like one. You still eat the meals I bring up to you and you walk around in daylight like everyone else. I've never heard of a vampire gardening, either, but you're really good at it."

"Plants last longer than people if they're taken care of properly," Poe replied without emotion. "This place is just a nursery for most of my plants. The bulk of them are in one of the back corners of the park. The first plant that I grew is still alive back there."

"Really?" Tsuna asked curiously as he peeked his head up. Poe didn't typically talk about himself so much. Hearing both his reasons for gardening and about his secret garden was mind-boggling. "Can I see it sometime?"

"If you agree to my request," Poe murmured, instantly jumping back to the more important topic. "It would be safer to simply show you off as a prize to the Council instead of trying to hide you. I won't lie and tell you that it'll be a comfortable experience, but it's one that few humans would be allowed to live through. You'd be left alive simply because of the mark you carry."

"I... I don't know," he mumbled, feeling all the blood rush out of his face. "M-Mukuro-sama might--"

"I've already discussed the matter with him," he interrupted. "He is not pleased, but we have an understanding. Keeping you in one piece is more important than a little matter of comfort. I refuse to allow it without your agreement, however."

"A-Are you trying to protect me?" Tsuna gaped. Poe shifted so that his face was farther in the shadows, but Tsuna instantly got a feeling that he was embarrassed. "You are!" He exclaimed with a wide smile. "I knew that I was right! You really do care--"

"Shut up!" Poe growled, lunging forward to pin Tsuna against the wall behind him by his throat. Tsuna trembled in his grip, staring up into Poe's enraged face with wide eyes. It was a side of Poe that he'd never seen before. His ice-blue eyes seemed so hard and sharp that they could cut with a mere look. His fangs were bared while he seethed. His hair even reacted, becoming partially stiffened so that it flowed out around him like a black lion's mane. All of that combined with the sharp nails digging into the skin of Tsuna's throat left him speechless for several long minutes.

"I-I'm sorry," Tsuna finally gasped as Poe seemed to slowly regain control of himself. It took a moment for him to pull his hand away, after which his expression seemed to grow both quiet and sad. "W-Was it something that I said?"

"No," he answered as his hair once more became a simple ebony waterfall that shadowed his face from view. "You should just know that my kind isn't permitted the luxury of caring. It only brings more pain in the end."

"Then why...?" He asked, unable to understand Poe's reasons for trying to protect him.

"You are a rare delicacy," he answered while keeping his face hidden. "Nothing more." Tsuna simply stared at him, knowing instantly that he was lying. Assuredly, Poe saw him as something delicious to eat, but Tsuna knew that he meant more than that to Poe. Because he meant more, even though Poe didn't want to admit it, Tsuna knew what his responsibility was. His responsibility was to do what he could to help Poe out. He had a feeling that Poe needed him to agree to his request more for his own sake than for Tsuna's. For him, it must be between offering Tsuna up as a dessert or else fighting his superiors to keep Tsuna unharmed. Since the last choice could end up with not only Tsuna hurt, but Poe, too, there was only one choice that he could make.

"Alright," Tsuna mumbled with a sad smile. He smiled because it gave him a sense of satisfaction to fulfill his responsibilities. It was a sad one because he could feel his curse at work again. Once more, the better choice was one that didn't make things easier for him. That was okay, though. He was happy doing what he could to help Poe out. Poe was trying to do the same for him by arranging things so that he would have the safer route. "I'll let you mark me, Poe, and I'll trust you to protect me from your friends. If you say that it's safer to show myself to them instead of hiding, then I'll go with you to meet them. Even... Even if it means..."

"That they'll bite you," Poe finished. "They will. I doubt that I could stop them. At least this way, I'll be able to keep them from doing permanent damage. You'll have to take a few days away from your work for this, but the Council should give a nice gift for your willingness. It's not everyday that someone with Giotto's bloodline allows himself to be fed on. For most of them, this will be a once in a lifetime experience. On top of that, I'm sure that we can pass you off as an illegitimate bastard. It's not unheard of, especially with--"

"Eh?" Tsuna blurted, seeing Poe's lips continue to move without any sound coming out.

"I said, it's not unheard of, especially with--" Once more, Tsuna watched while Poe continued to soundlessly speak. Rubbing his ear, he tried to get whatever gunk was blocking it out before trying again.

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "One more time? I couldn't hear you." Poe stared back at him silently for a long moment before his face took on a look of pained understanding that left Tsuna confused.

"Don't worry about it," he soothed. "It's not important. What's important is that I can pass you off as someone of Giotto's bloodline without people questioning your true nature. There will be those who suspect, but they should be silent without any proof. After all, they wouldn't want to do anything to lose out on the hope of a second opportunity."

"W-What do I need to do?" Tsuna asked hesitantly. "To.. um... To be... um..."

"To be marked as a blood-slave?" Poe asked with a small smile over Tsuna's open dislike of the term. "It's nothing special, Suoh. You'll have to wear a ring with my seal engraved on it. To be on the safe side, I'd like to ask you to get it tattooed, too. For popular slaves, it's common practice since the rings can be lost or stolen."

"F-For popular slaves?" Tsuna repeated. "Are there a lot of them out there?"

"Yes and no," Poe answered. "It depends on who you're talking about. For the Guardian level vampires like myself, it's rare for us to even have one. Outcaste vampires usually never have any unless they manage to overtake a town or find some way to settle down in unclaimed territory without being hunted. The Council are required to have at least one with them at all times but there's a rare few that have up to a dozen depending on their lifestyle choice. Then there's the Ancestors. There's not many of them left, but they have an ungodly supply from what I hear. They're some of the few left that can't let go of the need to drink since they went so long in acceptance of it. There's a couple... Never mind. I've already said too much. What I've told you already is all that someone like you needs to know. The short answer is no. There's maybe one in every ten million people that is a blood-slave. As for vampires, I think the last count put us at three thousand."

"So many," Tsuna gaped.

"So few," Poe corrected. "Some vampires go their whole life without seeing more than one or two others of their kind. Even doubling the census for rogues or outlaws that were turned without coming under the rule of one of the clans, there's far too few of us. In some ways, that's a good thing, but I've been worrying lately."

"Worrying? Why?"

"The number was only fifteen hundred last year," he answered solemnly. "No one has noticed it since the population of our kind isn't something that a vampire of my level typically thinks about. I checked it out the last time I visited the nexus house and-- Arg," he grumbled, burying his hand in his hair. "What am I telling you about? This isn't stuff that I should be talking about with a blood-slave!"

"How about a friend?" Tsuna blurted.

"Eh?" Poe gaped in return.

"We're friends, aren't we, Poe?" Tsuna asked hesitantly. "You can talk to friends about anything. Isn't that why you really want me to agree to be a blood-slave? It's not just because I smell good to you. You want me to because you don't want any other vampires to hurt me. You're even afraid that you'll hurt me. You said for yourself that you stayed away from me--"

"Stop it," Poe growled, making Tsuna jump in surprise over the interruption. Looking at Poe, the man was sweating and holding his face in his hand.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked worriedly. He had reason to worry since he'd never seen Poe sweat before.

"Sometimes when you talk, your energy spikes," he replied. "When you talk like you can't be wrong about something, it gets very hard to ignore. I--" Tsuna's eyes widened when Poe jumped to his feet and darted out the doors of the shed. Curious, Tsuna blew out the candle and followed in order to see if he was alright. He didn't look alright. He was breathing heavily as he leaned out over the wide ledge around the roof, obviously trying to cool off from some sort of mental exertion. Tsuna knew that there were times that he was oblivious to some things, but he wasn't stupid. Putting Poe's words together with his actions led to only one conclusion. It was a conclusion that made Tsuna's heart clench when he realized that Poe had been holding back like this ever since they'd met.

"Poe," he called quietly in concern.

"Go away," he growled. "I can't feel Snicker's offspring in the area anymore. Go back downstairs where you belong."

"I-I can't do that," Tsuna murmured as he took a slow step forward. "I can't leave you like this. Not when I can fix it. I can help you, Poe. I know I can, so I can't leave. You're like this because of me and--"

"So go away!" Poe snarled with his fingers scraping across the ledge. "I've been around you too long. Leave now, before I do something that--"

"Bite me," Tsuna interrupted with a small smile over the words he chose for his refusal. Poe spun in place in order to stare at him like a cornered beast. Tsuna continued to smile at him, feeling surprisingly calm about his choice. It wasn't like before where he could only think about how much Poe's teeth would hurt. This time, all he could think about was the look on Poe's face and what Poe must be feeling. "I can't just stand by and watch you like this," he said sincerely. "We're friends and I have something that you need. When you asked me before, I wasn't ready for it. I'm ready now, so please bite me. I need to know what it feels like anyway if I'm going to go with you to--" Tsuna gasped at the feeling of Poe behind him. He hadn't even seen the man move, yet the presence at his back was unmistakable.

It took Tsuna a moment to get over the shock of Poe being so infernally close so suddenly. When he did, he glanced over his shoulder to see Poe visibly trying to restrain himself. He was panting from the effort and the look in his eyes was both feral and hungry. Tsuna closed his eyes and forced himself to relax, having already decided to do allow Poe to have what would ease his suffering. Reaching up, he pulled the collar of his t-shirt away from his neck and tilted his head to the side in order to make it easier. Poe still didn't move, however, while he continued his silent battle with himself. It was a battle that Tsuna wanted to end so that Poe could stop hurting in silence.

"Drink," he encouraged, determined to give Poe what he needed. "I want you to. You weren't like this before I came around, so it's my responsibility to fix the problem that I caused. More than that, you're my friend and I'm making you hurt. Please, Poe. I don't--" Tsuna broke off when two arms wrapped around him. He jumped a bit at the feeling of something at his neck, a response that he couldn't have possibly overcome despite his resolution. Then he noticed that it wasn't teeth on his neck and he tensed up in surprise. He became even more surprised at the undeniable sound of Poe's laughter and quickly realized that Poe wasn't restraining him in order to bite. He was hugging him and laughing with his forehead laying on Tsuna's shoulder. "P-Poe...?"

"I wish I had a tape recorder," Poe said, lifting his head in order to roar with laughter. "You should have heard yourself. I don't think I've ever heard someone begging to get bitten so badly. Not even the cult of vampire wannabes talked so passionately about it."

"I'm just trying to help you!" Tsuna squealed, blushing brightly in realization that he was being made fun of. "You looked like you were having a panic attack over it and I--" Tsuna broke off once more with his heart jumping up into his throat at the feeling of Poe's lips on his neck. His heart started racing out of his control at the unexpected touch, leaving his mind blank as to what he should do.

"If you want me to so badly," Poe murmured against his skin, "Then there's no reason for me to turn you down. Are you sure you want to do this? I can't promise to be gentle."

"Yes," Tsuna answered solemnly as Poe's teeth began to lightly graze his flesh. "I think Snicker will understand and I really do want you to. You've held back long enough, Poe. We're friends, so take what you--" Poe's teeth sank into his neck, instantly cutting off anything else he might have said with the paralysis that resulted. Had it not been for Poe's arms around him, he would have instantly crumpled to the ground. As it was, Poe slowly lowered him down so that he was sitting in Poe's lap while Poe began to drink.

He could feel himself being drained, although it was at a much slower rate than the first time that Poe had gotten his fangs on him. It was almost as if Poe was savoring it, which made Tsuna want to smile even though he couldn't. All he could do was to look up at the washed out stars above the city when Poe tilted his head back for him and allow himself to sink in the calming waves of contentment that came with every small suck on his neck. He could hear Poe softly moaning in ecstasy with each sip, making Tsuna positive that he'd made the right choice. It made him happy that he could help his friend out, even if it was in such an unorthodox way.

Feeling one of Poe's fingers against his lips, he wanted to look at the man in askance. He couldn't, though. Nor could he move in order to stop him when he tasted blood. His heart started racing in fear when he realized that it wasn't his own blood that was dripping onto his tongue. It was Poe's. His mind went blank with one solid thought racing in circles. He hadn't agreed to this! He didn't want to be a vampire! Wasn't that how vampires were made? They had all of their blood drained and then they were forced to drink the head vampire's blood! Wait. Some stories said that just being bitten by a vampire was enough! He hadn't thought of that when he'd agreed!

Poe stopped as Tsuna began to panic even more around waves of dizziness. It came and it went, telling Tsuna that he was at his limits. The paralysis started to fade the moment that Poe pulled his teeth out and gently licked the two small punctures on his neck. Even so, it took several agonizing minutes before Tsuna could feel enough to actually move. Before he completely regained control of himself in order to scramble away, Poe's grip on him tightened in order to hold him in place. He trembled at the feeling of Poe's lips on his neck, finding himself completely unable to move out of fear. Poe was going to bite him again. He was sure of it.

"Sorry," Poe mumbled softly without releasing him. "I should have asked first. You just tasted so good and I got into it a little more than I should have."

"A-Am I g-going to--"

"No," Poe interjected, already knowing the question Tsuna was going to ask. "I couldn't turn you even if I wanted to. I'd have to make a request from one of the Phlegm, which I'd never do. This curse isn't something that I'd wish on anyone."

"Then why...?"

"Why did I have you drink?" Poe supplied with a smile while his lips continued to trail back and forth past the bite wound. "I simply felt like it. You..." Poe let out a groan, his teeth clamp down on his flesh again which made Tsuna tense up in surprise and fear once more. He pulled back before breaking the skin again, but the threat was there. Poe was appeased, but he was nowhere near satisfied. It made Tsuna wonder if he'd really helped at all by what he'd done. "You should go," Poe murmured, finally releasing Tsuna completely. "My blood should help build yours back up by morning. I'll see you tomorrow, should you still wish to agree to my request."

"I-I'll be there," Tsuna promised as he slowly got to his feet. "G-Good night."

Feeling slightly unsteady, he wobbled over to the roof hatch and carefully climbed down. He felt as if the day would never end with everything that had happened. Of course, thinking of everything that had happened automatically made him wonder how things had went with Charlie. He needed to know that more than anything else. Did everything work out so that Snicker was happy? Had Charlie said something to upset him or had they come to an understanding?

"There you are, Suoh!" Eric called up to him from the stage when he exited out on the catwalk. "We didn't see you come through! How did you get up there?"

"I'm not sure," he replied in perfect honesty as he started climbing down the second ladder to the stage. "Poe brought me home after..." Clenching tightly to the ladder, Tsuna paused as another wave of dizziness passed over him. It was too much. The stress of meeting Charlie, the energy drain from Mukuro, and the blood drain from Poe all seemed to hit him at once. It made his head spin for a moment while part of his mind clung onto the ladder in desperation. He waited it out, letting his mind clear some before attempting to continue down to safety.

A second wave hit the moment that he loosened his muscles between steps. Before he could adjust to compensate, his grip slackened and he momentarily lost feeling in his arms and legs. His eyes dilated with vertigo, making him lose his sense of balance and timing. He lashed out a hand toward the ladder in effort to save himself, but missed it completely as dizziness made him loose any focus that he might have held onto. Time seemed to stop as he fell.

Deja Vu washed over him.

_"Tsuna... What are you--?"_

_"Goodbye," he said. Letting out a soft sigh in acceptance, he looked at his friends one final time before dodging them and heading for the sky. This was what was meant to be, he told himself as he raced toward the heavens. For their sakes, he had to die. He was happy to die. Smiling over the knowledge that they'd have a secure future this way, Tsuna flipped in place and allowed himself to fall. His Flame began pulsing in preparation while he looked at his friend's outstretched hands. Catch me, he thought sadly. Catch me like you always do when I fall._

_Then he found the right timing and, a moment before they would have caught him, they were gone. _

_His fall continued._

"Suoh--!" Eric shouted as Tsuna's body collided with his. Even having been prepared to catch him, Eric was unable to stay on his feet at the impact and they both crumpled to the ground together. Before either of them could get up from the crash, extra hands were pulling them to their feet while numerous questions started piling on top of each other. Tsuna ignored them all, looking up to find that Snicker had been the one to help him up.

"Snicker," he smiled tiredly. "How did it go with Charlie?"

"Don't worry about that," he snapped. "What happened to you?!"

"I'm fine," he soothed as his eyelids started drooping from fatigue. "I'm just...a...little...sleep..y..."

_Rest, my dearest_, Mukuro-sama ordered gently.

Tsuna nodded in agreement a moment before he blacked out completely in Snicker's arms.


	35. Chapter 35 Unresolved

Author's notes: Poll winner is Hibari! His chapter will be coming up in the future. I've still got several other chapters to write first, but he'll be appearing at the earliest possible time.

* * *

Tsuna stared at the alarm clock for a long minute after he woke before jumping out of bed with a curse. Snicker was already gone, which was proof that the number wasn't wrong. Dressing in a rush with the first set of clothes that came to hand, Tsuna hopped down the stairs while trying to get his sneakers on. The maneuver caused him to nearly trip down them twice, but he managed to hit the ground floor running.

"Suoh! You're up--"

"No time!" Tsuna exclaimed at Dedra while he snatched his backpack up and slung it on without pausing. "I'm late!"

"Wait--!"

Tsuna ignored the yell, slamming through the front doors of the building with his bike. He mounted it on the run and dodged parked cars in order to get into the bicycle lane of the street. Traffic was going at full tilt, but he didn't have to worry about such things. The parked cars were typically more dangerous than the moving ones, since he never knew if one of those unmoving vehicles might suddenly pop open a door in front of him. He made good time getting to Pasta da Paolo, however. He managed to hit most of the green lights and his bike ran smoothly as it made even better speed than that which traffic was slowed down to. Not even a taxi could have gotten him there faster. Chaining his bike to a gutter-pipe in the alley, Tsuna banged on the side door to the kitchen in a rush. As always, Isaac was the one to meet him, although he didn't look happy this time. Tsuna could tell because of the hand that cuffed him.

"You're late," he scolded, shoving Tsuna in the door by his head in order to propel him across the kitchen. "He's waiting for you in the office."

"You don't have to be so-- Yes, sir," Tsuna squeaked, breaking off his objection to the rough treatment at Isaac's glare. Reaching up to belatedly check the bite marks on his neck, he sighed in relief at the feeling of bandages. His whole neck had been wrapped up, although he'd been in too big of a rush to notice it before. Satisfied that his unusual wounds wouldn't be seen, he quickly tried to think of an excuse for them as he headed into the office. Knowing how Papa Paolo preferred to have an open-door policy, Tsuna went in after only a small knock to announce himself.

And froze three steps into the office.

"So, you're finally here. Come in and shut the door."

"I-I'll just come back later," Tsuna trembled with a fake smile plastered on his face at the sight of Gabriel. He wasn't ready. He didn't feel ready. Just looking at Gabriel made his insides shudder and his backbone turn into jelly. He wasn't prepared. He wasn't--

"Get in here," Gabriel snapped, pointing an arbitrary finger at the chair in front of the desk that he'd usurped. "Dad already handed off your route to Jimmy this morning, but he asked me to have you take another delivery to him if you showed up."

"W-W-Where i-is he?" Tsuna asked while trying to hide how badly his legs were shaking. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. Then Gabriel finally looked at him and Tsuna felt his insides twist at the slow smile that spread across Gabriel's face. He knew. He knew that Tsuna was scared. He knew and he was taking pleasure in the fact. Then he stood and he smiled even wider at how Tsuna's foot automatically retreated.

"Don't move," he ordered. "If you do, I'll tell my father that you said to hell with his orders."

Tsuna's mind went blank. At the threat, he couldn't have moved even if he wanted to. His body was quivering with the terror that overwhelmed him. Not even Hibari had ever frightened him so badly since he knew that Hibari wouldn't kill on school grounds. It wasn't disciplined to do so. On the other hand, Gabriel was capable of anything. The fact scared him. Being alone with him scared him. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He wanted to get as far away as he could, but his legs refused to move. They simply continued to shake until he felt that they'd rattle themselves out of their joints while Gabriel walked over and pushed the door shut. Gabriel was behind him now, between him and the exit. He couldn't look. He couldn't breathe. The room that always seemed so cozy and inviting with Papa Paolo in it suddenly seemed cramped and claustrophobic. He broke out in a cold sweat, feeling Gabriel's eyes on him as he moved closer. His whole body tensed, fearful of the man's very presence.

"Why are you scared of me, Suoh?" Gabriel asked in a dangerously dark voice. "Did I do something to make you afraid?" Tsuna couldn't answer, feeling a knot in his throat that closed off all attempts at sound. He was finally startled out of his frozen state as a hand was lightly laid on his shoulder. Without thought or reason, he lurched away and stumbled a few steps deeper into the office. Putting his back to the wall, he felt like a cornered animal while he stared at Gabriel. Unfortunately, he wasn't a beast capable of fighting back. The thought of fighting never even crossed his mind. He just wanted to flee.

"I see," Gabriel murmured in satisfaction. "You know that it was me. I thought that you didn't know since you kept your mouth shut, but that's not right. You know and you kept your mouth shut because you were scared. You shouldn't be scared, though. We were a little rough, but you enjoyed it."

_No_, Tsuna trembled, shaking his head in denial. He wanted to say it, but he couldn't get the word out around the condensed fear choking him.

"Liar," he taunted, slowly taking steps forward toward him. "You enjoyed every minute of it. As proof, you came multiple times before we were done with you."

_No._

"You never screamed or told us to stop because you liked it."

_No._

"You liked it so much that you came to work for my father in hopes that I'd want to do it again."

_NO!_

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He growled, grabbing Tsuna's arms in order to pin them to the wall at his back. Tsuna tried to fight the grip, but his arms wouldn't listen. He was scared. He was so scared that his body refused to listen to him. He was so scared that his mind couldn't think of anything to do other than to run. He wanted to run so badly, but his body wasn't answering his fear-filled screams while he continued to tremble himself into pieces. His mind became consumed in terror of what Gabriel was going to do to him. Gabriel was going to hurt him again. He was going to touch him and rape him again. He didn't want that! He wanted to run away! He wanted to scream for help! He wanted someone to save him because he was too weak to save himself! He thought that he had gotten stronger, but he hadn't! He hadn't! He hadn't and now Gabriel knew that he hadn't!

A knock on the door heralded his salvation. Gabriel let him go in a rush and grabbed his collar in order to fling him to the ground at the same moment that Isaac walked in the door. Uncaring of the reason for being flung, Tsuna trembled in relief for something having stopped Gabriel before he could do something.

His salvation was short-lived.

"What's going on, Boss?" Isaac asked with a menacing growl.

"This fucking queer tried to come on to me," Gabriel answered while Tsuna froze in shock. "I told him that I don't fly that way, but he wouldn't stop until I put him in his place."

..._take care of him_, Mukuro-sama snarled into his mind, his words finally reaching Tsuna through his fear. _Disgusting creatures such as him should return to hell! Say my name! I'll rip him to shreds for you_!

"I'll teach him some manners, Boss," Isaac offered dangerously, reaching out to drag Tsuna to his feet by his collar before he could wrap his mind around anything.

"Don't rough him up too much," Gabriel ordered, flinging a package into Isaac's open hand. "He has a delivery to make. Fourteen hundred West Drive. He should know which place when he sees it."

"Come on, brat," Isaac ordered as he dragged Tsuna out of the office. Tsuna went, grateful simply to get away from Gabriel no matter how it came about. That was, until he saw Gabriel's sadistic smile and saw him mouth two words before Isaac yanked him toward the alley door.

Next time.

His mind went blank. The next thing that he was aware of was Isaac pinning him to the alley wall and a fist that rammed itself into his gut so hard that it knocked him breathless. He collapsed onto the ground the moment that the fist was pulled away, reflexively curling into a ball around his injured abdomen. All he could think of was why? Why would Isaac punch him? He hadn't done anything wrong! Gabriel was the one that was doing wrong things!

"I'll only say this once, you little shit," Isaac snarled, pulling Tsuna to his feet by his hair in order to hold him directly into his enraged face. "Stay away from Gabriel and I want you to stay the fuck away from Autumn! I don't trust you and I'll be damned if I let a little queer like you ruin their good names! I don't know what game you're playing, but you keep your hands and your mouth to yourself. Got it?"

"B-But--" Tsuna gasped.

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Isaac roared, slamming his face into the brickwork of the alley before letting him crumble to the ground again. "This is the only time I'm going to warn you! If you try to hurt either of them, I'll fucking kill you! I'll be damned before I ever consider queer like you as Family! Understand?!" Tsuna nodded out of common sense and the simple desire not to get hit again. Isaac tossed the package that Gabriel had given him at Tsuna, before slowly turning to head back inside. "You heard him. Deliver that and I don't want to hear about you bothering either of them ever again. Know your place, twerp. You're nothing more than Papa P's errand boy and you better not forget it."

Tsuna continued nodding his agreement until Isaac retreated inside. After he was gone, Tsuna began to shake and shake hard in the aftermath of everything. He curled up into a ball once more, trying to get the shaking to stop while waiting for the pain from Isaac's 'teaching' subsided. He wasn't sure which hurt more. The way that Gabriel had terrified him so easily and the shame from being helpless or the physical pain that had came with Isaac's warnings.

"I'm s-so pathetic," he mumbled.

_Say my name, my pet_, Mukuro-sama urged. _One word and_--

"You c-can't," Tsuna said painfully around his trembling. "You'd be u-using my b-b-body. S-Snicker. I-I don't--"

_Is he really worth such pain? Just say my name and I'll make sure that you never have to go through something like that again._

"I'm s-sorry," he replied slowly, purposely keeping himself from saying it. "I-I can't. I-It's more than j-just Snicker. P-Papa P-Paolo trusts m-me and A-Autumn. I c-can't betray them. I-I owe them t-too much. I-It's okay. I knew th-that this m-might happen. I-It's over and that's a-all that matters."

_You're hurting. _

"I'm a g-guy," Tsuna mumbled with a small smile as he crawled to his feet with the fallen package in his hands. "I-I can take i-it. I w-won't let G-G-Gab-briel w-win. P-Please, let me d-deal with this on my own, M-Mukuro-sama."

_You leave me with no options_, he replied in frustration, pulling back his mental hands from where he was a hairsbreadth away from taking Tsuna over. _Do not regret this choice, my pet_.

"I won't," he promised. "O-One day, I'll be strong enough."

_You are strong enough now_, he grumbled. _You just let your fear control you_.

"Th-That makes me weak," Tsuna murmured as he stuffed the package into his backpack. Mukuro-sama gave no reply, unable to counter the truth that Tsuna was already painfully aware of. His first meeting with Gabriel and Gabriel had completely controlled him. Tsuna could think of a million things he should have done. He could think of a million things he wanted to do. Yet, none of it had been what he did do. He'd been too terrified. Gabriel had a power over him because of that fear and there was nothing that Tsuna could do until he overcame it.

It was shameful. More than any other emotion, shame was the feeling that weighed him down. Gabriel had put him in such a submissive position and had said such mortifying things. It left him horrified and ashamed of himself for having been unable to stop him. For being to unable to say one word in objection.

Trying to force such thoughts out of his mind, Tsuna threw himself into his assignment. He had a package to deliver. More than that, he felt calmer with every yard that he put between him and Gabriel. Distance. Distance was protection. He didn't care if it was running. He was only running from Gabriel, not the people that mattered to him. It was okay like that.

No, it wasn't. Tsuna knew that it wasn't okay, which only made him feel worse. He didn't have any other options, though. He was too scared. The fear that Gabriel had implanted into him through assault and rape wasn't something that he could get over so easily. He'd buried it into the back of his mind, but he'd yet to overcome it. Burying it had been the only thing that he could do in order to continue living his life. The memory was still there, however. The memory of the pain, the fear, the panic, and the shame. The shame was the worst part. Even more than the fear and the pain.

"I didn't like it," Tsuna said through clenched teeth, throwing himself into pedaling even faster. He hadn't! How could someone like being forced to do anything? To be forced into sex after being beaten, there was no way that he'd liked it! Yet, that only brought more shame because he knew that Gabriel's words weren't lies. His body had reacted, even while he'd been screaming inside. Even after he'd fallen unconscious. He couldn't have stopped it, even if he wanted to. The rape councilor that he'd been forced to talk to before leaving the hospital had said that it was natural and had warned him that it was one of the secret horrors of being a victim. She'd said to not be ashamed of it, but how could he not be?! Gabriel had--

"Don't think about it," he snarled to himself. "There's other things to think about. You've got to finish this delivery first. After that, you've got to go meet Poe. Then you promised Eric to go see the set today. After that is..."

* * *

"Have any of you seen Suoh?" Eric asked as soon as he ducked into the cathedral of the Dojo. His question got immediate attention.

"Poe was asking about him, too," Leo said in concern. "Did he bail on you, too? He said that he was going to help me on my art project today, but he still hasn't shown up. Snicker's out looking for him along with Gigi, but neither of them are back yet. Ore just called from the gym and said he never showed up there, either."

"That's not right," Eric mumbled worriedly. "I could understand him ditching one of us if something came up, but never all of us. Something must have happened."

"Tadaima." Everyone turned in unison at the sound of Suoh's voice as he ducked into the cathedral like Eric had previously.

"Where have you been?!" Cassandra squealed first.

"Eh?" He replied dumbly.

"Don't 'eh' her!" Dedra shouted, throwing a couch pillow at him. "We've been worried sick about you!"

"You never showed up to anything today," Eric explained with a faltering smile. "I'm sure you had a reason, though. Right?"

"Oh," Suoh replied while sheepishly scratching his wool cap in his habitual manner. He grinned broadly with a hint of apology. "Sorry. I forgot."

"You forgot?!" Leo spluttered. "How could you forget?! I've been talking about this project all week and you--"

"Sorry," he exclaimed hurriedly. "I'm here now, so why don't we get started?"

"Wait," Eric said, reaching out to grab Suoh's arm as he passed. "This isn't like you. I wouldn't mind if it was just me, but you ditched everyone today. Where were--" Eric broke off, smelling something that he recognized from Suoh's clothes when they'd found him in that backwater hospital. Gigi had explained to him what that smell was and he couldn't believe that he got a whiff of it here and now. "Suoh... you--"

"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to," he growled without looking at him, yanking his arm free out of Eric's suddenly limp grip. "I'm here now. I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"

"I want to know why you're stoned," Eric blurted right as Gigi and Snicker froze in the middle of entering the room.

"It's none of your business," Suoh snapped, walking over to where Leo was working on her art project on the kitchen bar. Smiling as if to make all the stares and questions go away, he yanked Leo over to her project and started asking questions about what she was doing. Everyone continued to stare, unbelieving that Suoh was shutting them out. Suoh never shut them out. He was normally so open and caring. For him to be so cold, even with his apology, was paramount to a brick wall that no one knew how to react to.

"He'll tell us what's wrong when he's ready," Snicker said quietly so that his voice wouldn't carry. "Just leave him alone for now."

"If you say so," Gigi murmured in dissatisfaction. "Are you sure that he's stoned, Eric? He doesn't look like it."

"I could smell it," Eric replied unhappily. "I don't think I was wrong and Suoh didn't deny it."

"D-Dinner's almost ready," Cassandra called hesitantly.

"What are we having?" Suoh asked curiously, looking up from Leo's sculpture.

"It was Ollie's pick tonight, so I made a couple of roasts with vegetables," she answered.

"Sounds good," he mumbled absently before bending his head down again.

"He's acting normal now," Dedra commented in thought from the couch. "I wonder what happened for him to disappear like he did."

"How's Summer's arm, Eric?" Suoh called while he helped Leo shape the clay into something that looked more recognizable. "Is that scratch okay?"

"Yeah," he answered, giving Dedra a shrug while he tried to follow Snicker's advice. Walking forward, he sat on the edge of the stage so that Suoh could look up and see him without having to turn around. "It wasn't as bad as it looked. She told me about what you did last night. It's pretty wild that you--"

"I didn't do it," he interrupted. "Mukuro-sama did."

"Oh," Eric replied, unable to think of any other way to respond to the claim. Unable to think of anything else to say, he found himself blurting the first thing that came to mind into the silence that followed. "Why didn't you come today?"

"I told you, I forgot," Suoh answered with a small flinch.

"But I told everyone that you were coming," Eric blurted. "They were all really hoping to meet you!"

"I said I was sorry, Eric! Just drop it! I--"

"Suoh," Poe interjected, making everyone's eyes fly up to the bell a moment before Poe dropped down into the cathedral. Everyone grew silent, unsure of what to do since Poe came to the ground floor so rarely. "Is this your answer?"

"No!" Suoh exclaimed, spinning in place to stare at Poe with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to ditch you! Something just came up and I couldn't make it! I'll go with you tomorrow! I promise!"

"Just like you promised today," he said without emotion.

"I'm sorry!" Suoh shouted, slapping a hand down onto the kitchen bar. "What more do all of you want from me?! How many times do I have to apologize for all of you to just leave me--"

"Is he back yet?" Ore called as he rolled his motorcycle into the garage and slammed the double doors shut.

"Yes," Snicker called from where he was still standing next to the entryway, simply watching as Eric confronted Suoh. Ore ducked past the camo-netting and paused to look around the room. The grimaced slightly when he saw Suoh, making everyone raise their eyebrows over the expression.

"How's your stomach, Little Guy?" He asked solemnly. "I went by your work to see if they'd seen you and they said--"

"Shut up!" Suoh screamed tensely, making everyone straighten up in shock.

"Keep going, Big Guy," Snicker ordered quietly. "We might as well hear this now."

"No!" Suoh yelled. "It's none of your business!"

"What the hell are you saying, Suoh?" Snicker breathed in disbelief over the words. "When the hell did you suddenly start keeping secrets from me?"

"N-No," Suoh mumbled, covering his face with his hands. "I didn't mean it like that. I j-just--" Suoh took a deep breath and lowered his hands, smiling at Snicker with a pleading expression. "Can't we just drop it? Please? I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry that I didn't show up like I was supposed to today, but I'll make up for it tomorrow."

"Aren't you going to apologize to Snicker, too?" Ore asked in a rumbling voice.

"Me?" Snicker asked in surprise. "Why would he--"

"Because," Ore growled, pinning Suoh with a glare. "His work told me everything. He--"

"Don't!" Suoh exclaimed in panic, rushing toward them in an attempt to get to Ore before he could blurt--

"--was trying to cheat on you behind your back."

"No, I wasn't!" He cried, faltering to a stop several feet away with his fists balled up at his sides and his head bowed in denial. "I wasn't! They're lying, Snicker!"

"They told me that they had to hit him a few times because he wouldn't back off," Ore added unhappily. "It was better than firing him for sexual harassment."

"I didn't!" Suoh exclaimed. "Why won't you believe me?! Gabriel lied and made--"

"Gabriel?" Snicker repeated in shock while Suoh slapped his hands over his mouth. "You saw Gabriel today and you didn't tell me?"

"I-I didn't want you to get upset!"

"I'm upset anyway!" Snicker yelled, finally showing something other than calm acceptance of Suoh's attitude. "What did that bastard do?"

"N-Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Suoh!" He shouted, walking over to grab Suoh by his shoulders. "He did something or else you wouldn't have ran off like you did!"

"What's going on?" Gigi asked with the same confusion everyone else in the room had. They were all dumbfounded. Not only at the claim that Suoh had tried to cheat on Snicker, but by Snicker's inexplicable outburst over Gabriel. What the hell was going on? From what it sounded like, Snicker was expecting for Gabriel to have done something. Yet, everyone knew that Suoh was more than capable of dealing with the jerk. He was the one that had broken Gabriel's nose, after all.

"Y-You promised, Snicker," Suoh said quietly while Snicker looked around at the reminder that they weren't alone.

"Upstairs," he ordered, propelling Suoh in the direction of the stairs to their room. Shooting an unhappy glare around the room, he said two words that left everyone gaping before he retreated behind Suoh. "Forgive him."

* * *

Snicker was pissed and the only thing stopping him from going to tear Gabriel into pieces was the small body grappling his waist. Tsuna had told him everything. Everything from what Gabriel done to how Gabriel had turned everyone against him with one claim. It wasn't just Isaac. Gabriel had headed Tsuna off on his delivery to Papa Paolo. Up until that point, he'd had every intention of continuing his day like normal. It was the lecture that he'd been forced to listen to and Autumn's disgusted looks at him that had cracked what calm he'd managed to regain. He'd been tempted to tell Papa Paolo the truth, but his confidence had declined the longer that he'd lectured until Tsuna had been positive that the man would believe his son over a mere errand boy.

The lecture had hurt since it'd been based on Gabriel's lies, but Tsuna had simply nodded and agreed in the belief that Gabriel would win in the "I-said, You-said' game. He could have dealt with that hurt, but it was Autumn that had pushed him over the edge. She hadn't let him say a word before hitting him with her own mini-lecture. Unlike her father's disappointed lecture about having thought that Suoh didn't need to be warned not to cross certain lines since he had Snicker and his tirade about Tsuna having come onto his son where Papa Paolo normally had to warn people away from his daughter, Autumn had lectured him with the knowledge that her father didn't have.

_"You were probably teasing him again, weren't you? Idiot. How did you expect him to react? He's the son of a Mafia Boss. A lot of us know that Gabriel likes cock, but he doesn't flaunt it like you do. It's one thing to play around while he's out in secret, but it's another to mess with him at work. He's got to keep up appearances around the Family. No wonder you two don't get along. You treat work as play and play as work. Get it straight, Suoh, or else you're going to run into a lot of problems with my brother in the future."_

Tsuna had been so shocked over the lack of Autumn's faith in him that he'd broken down the moment that he'd gotten away from Papa Paolo's other restaurant. He'd went to one of the secluded dead-end alleys not far away and had cried himself out for almost an hour. After that, he'd wiped his face and had went to Mike to get the one thing that he knew would make the pain go away. That's where he'd stayed for several more hours, sharing out what he'd bought with the man in order to get Mike to keep it secret that he'd come for such a thing. He hadn't wanted anyone to know the truth and he hadn't wanted anyone to know how he'd dealt with it.

"Stop, Snicker!" Tsuna begged from around his waist. "I told you that I could handle it!"

"You tried and you couldn't," Snicker growled with his eyes flashing with rage. "Let me go. I'm going to go take care of it right now."

"No!" Tsuna yelled. "It's my problem, Snicker!"

"Your problems are my problems."

"No, they're not! If you go, Gabriel will end up turning it around again! He'll get you thrown in jail, Snicker!"

"I don't care! I'm not going to let that bastard--"

"I care!" Tsuna cried, squeezing Snicker's waist even tighter in hopes of holding him in place despite their size differences. "I don't want him to come between us, Snicker! I don't want him to be the reason that you get taken away from me!"

"What do you expect me to do?!" Snicker exclaimed in frustration. "I can't just sit back and watch him terrorize you like that!"

"Just... Just hold me," Tsuna suggested pathetically.

"Suoh..." he murmured with a grimace, instantly distracted from his own raging emotions in order to see Tsuna's. Tsuna simply trembled with his arms still wrapped around Snicker's waist, hoping that his words worked. In truth, his own feelings were the last thing on his mind at the moment. All he wanted was to protect Snicker from the consequences of trying to go head-to-head with a Mafia Boss' son. It might make him feel better in the short term to go knock the hell out of Gabriel, but doing so would only make the situation worse. If Snicker just dropped the matter, however, then things could go back to normal.

"I'll be more careful next time," he babbled as he shifted so that he was simply standing and hugging Snicker's chest instead of his waist. "I just wasn't prepared this time. I won't go into Papa Paolo's office anymore and I won't let myself get caught alone! It was my mistake, Snicker, so please just trust me. I'll won't let it happen again!"

"I'm sorry," Snicker mumbled apologetically, wrapping his arms around Tsuna as he quit fighting his attempts to stop him. "Here I am getting all worked up and I haven't even asked if you are okay."

"I'm fine, Snicker," Tsuna replied with a tremulous smile. "That's why I said to stop. He didn't do anything other than scare me a little bit and spread some gossip. I've dealt with worse. I can handle it. I'll admit that I was upset earlier, but I'm fine now. So... So just let it go. He's not worth the trouble. Okay?"

"But you _are _worth the trouble," he countered, ducking his head down to kiss Tsuna's crown. "You're trying to blow it off, but you're shaking, Suoh. I don't like seeing you like this."

"Mukuro-sama said the same thing earlier," he commented with a sad smile. "I'll do better next time. I was just caught off-guard."

"Quit pretending to be tough," Snicker scolded gently. "It's not your style."

"Then what is?"

"You're supposed to let me come running in and knock the shit out of anything that hurts you," he answered with a small grin.

"I'm not a girl, Snicker," Tsuna grumbled. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

"I'm just watching your back," he objected.

"Watch it all you want, but I don't want you to interfere this time," Tsuna growled.

"Is there really nothing I can do?" Snicker asked with his heartache plain in his voice.

"I didn't say that," Tsuna murmured, hugging Snicker even more tightly. "I still need your support, Snicker. I don't think that I'd be able to keep dealing with it if you weren't here. That's why I don't want you to go see Gabriel. I know what you'd do because it's the same thing I wanted to do with Leo's dad. Just like she told me, I'm going to tell you. He's not worth it. As long as you're here for me to come back to, I can cope. If you went and did something to Gabriel and got sent to jail for it, I wouldn't be able to. I'd be without you plus I'd still have to deal with him."

"Then let me tell the others for you and let one of them--"

"No!" Tsuna exclaimed in exasperation. "I don't want anyone to get in trouble over it! Please, Snicker, just drop it! I don't want anyone else to know! It hurts enough talking to you about it!"

"Alright," he grumbled. "If that's what you really want, I'll let it go this time. However, I'm only doing it because you're so dead set on keeping me from it. If you change your mind for even a second, I'm going to go give that bastard a piece of my mind."

"You can't win," Tsuna mumbled, laying his head against Snicker's chest. "Even if the whole gang went, none of you could win and you'd all just get hurt. He's Papa Paolo's son, Snicker. You can't fight the Mafia. I'm okay like this. As long as I have you here for me, I'll survive."

"I love you, Suoh," Snicker said quietly. "You know that. Right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a small smile. "I know. I love you, too, Joshua."

"You know that this is frustrating the hell out of me, too," he added. "Right?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Snicker ordered gruffly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I just--"

"Why don't you go blow off some steam on the punching bag?" Tsuna suggested. "It always helps me when I'm upset."

"That sounds like a good idea," he agreed. "Are you going to come down with me?"

"In a minute," he promised. "I just want to get changed first. I must smell since Eric caught me so quickly and I don't want to make anyone's stomach upset.."

"Alright," he mumbled. "We still have to talk later about that and about what happened last night, but it'd probably be better to wait until I'm calmer inside." Tsuna nodded and lifted his chin, knowing what to expect. He wasn't disappointed when Snicker ducked his head down to give him a kiss. It was a much gentler one than normal, telling Tsuna exactly how much Snicker was holding back. In order to hold back his rage, he was holding back everything. Tsuna didn't mind. He didn't mind for one simple fact that he refused to let Snicker see.

The moment that Snicker disappeared down the stairs, Tsuna slowly dropped to his knees and held his roiling stomach while covering his mouth with his hands. It hurt. It hurt but he knew that he had to hide it. He didn't want Snicker to know that Gabriel was tarnishing even this. If Snicker knew, nothing would hold him back from his anger. Snicker's touch. Snicker's hug. Snicker's kiss. All of it only made Tsuna think of Gabriel's soiled hands and his rotten presence. It made him sick. It made him so sick that he couldn't stand. All of the loathing and the foul memories that he'd buried came up so easily, which is why he'd been trying to hide his need to shake in Snicker's arms. He hadn't been shaking because he was upset. He'd been shaking because of Snicker's arms around him.

It wasn't right! It wasn't fair! He loved Snicker and he wanted Snicker to embrace him! He wasn't going to let Gabriel do this to him and his relationship with Snicker! He had to get stronger. He had to get tougher. This would continue forever if he let it. He couldn't let it, so that meant that he had to learn to deal with it better. For the next time, he had to learn to cope with it better! He had to cope with it so well that no one knew, because he couldn't let Snicker get upset over it. He'd tried to keep that from happening this time and he'd failed. Next time, he swore. He'd do better next time. He wouldn't give Gabriel an opportunity for a next time, but he'd deal with it better if it somehow managed to happen. He wouldn't let Gabriel control him so easily and he'd hide his reaction to Gabriel's presence better. He had to.

It was the only way to protect Snicker from himself.

* * *

Tsuna sat up in bed with a sigh. He couldn't sleep. Even though he'd told Snicker that he was too worn out to do anything, it was a lie. He'd even used the headache line, which had ended up getting him teased. The truth was that it'd taken everything he had in order to relax in Snicker's arms. Trying to do more would have been impossible. To do more would have let Snicker see what he shouldn't see. In a way, he was too worn out to do anything. It wasn't physical weariness, however. It was emotional. Too much had happened in the past two days for him to recover so easily. All of it was stuff that he couldn't simply roll with the punches on, which left him off-balance and reeling.

Not wanting to wake Snicker from where he was softly snoring, Tsuna slipped out of bed and slipped on his house slippers. The oversized bear feet always made him smile whenever he put them on. Simply because they were both crazy and cozy in addition to the fact that they were a gift, he couldn't help but smile. Heading downstairs, he decided to take his own advice and blow off some steam. He didn't want to wake those who'd already went to bed, so that meant that he was stuck with only the weights. That should be good enough, though. As long as he could wear himself out so that he could sleep soundly, he'd be happy.

"Oh," Eric squeaked in surprise when he exited out on the ground floor. "You're still awake."

"So are you," Tsuna replied with a grin. "Practicing your lines again?"

"It's not quiet enough to do it at any other time," Eric confirmed from his seat at the couch. "There's coffee if you want some. I just made a fresh pot."

"Listen, Eric--"

"Don't worry about it," Eric interrupted, already hearing the sincere note of apology in Tsuna's voice. "I shouldn't have known that something was up when you didn't show. I'm sorry that I pressed you on it like I did. I just... I don't know. I guess I look up to you a lot more than I realized and it was a big disappointment when you didn't show up. I just wish that I knew why. Not that you have to tell me or anything. I kind of figured some of it out from what Ore said. Even you have a bad day at work, I guess. It's really no problem. You said that you--"

"Gabriel cornered me in Papa Paolo's office," Tsuna blurted, wanting nothing more than for Eric to understand that skipping out on him hadn't been just a whimsical choice. "He's one of the people that raped me, Eric. I--"

"Oh god," Eric gasped, slowly standing up from the couch with a look of utter shock on his face. "Why didn't you say something?! I had no clue that it was something like that!"

"Shh!" Tsuna hissed through clenched teeth, looking around to make sure that no one else was awake and listening in. "I... I didn't want anyone to know. It's hard enough holding Snicker back. Can you imagine what Gigi or Ore would be like?"

"You've got to tell Ore," Eric whispered urgently. "He really thinks that you were cheating on Snicker!"

"No," he replied, tensing up at the suggestion. "I just wanted you to know so that you would know why I didn't come. I wanted to, but I just wasn't feeling good after that. I'm sorry, Eric. I know that you were looking forward to showing me around, but--"

"Don't be stupid, Suoh," he interjected with a hurt expression. "I wouldn't expect you to after something like that. He didn't hurt you. Did he? If he did--"

"No," Tsuna soothed hurriedly. "He just said some stuff and started the lie that I was trying to seduce him. He was on his home ground, so I couldn't stop it like I should have. He's Mafia, Eric. If I try to get revenge on him, I'll have the whole Martelli Family against me. That would put all of you in danger and I don't want that. I can deal with a little harassment. As long as he keeps his hands off of me, I'll be fine. Just...do me a favor and don't tell anyone that I told you. You're not the type to run off for revenge or else I wouldn't have said anything. The others are a lot more hot-headed."

"What are you going to do?" Eric asked worriedly.

"I'm going to work out," he answered with a small smile. "After that, I'm going to try and get some sleep."

"That's not what I mean!" He hissed.

"I know," Tsuna shrugged as he headed over toward the stage. "But that's all I got right now. As long as I keep my distance from him, he can't do anything. I'm still trying to work out something to pay him back, but that comes second to taking care of the theater and keeping Papa Paolo happy. Thanks to Gabriel, it'd be bad for me even if I let the truth out now. Everyone will just assume that I'm lying to get back at him for being turned down."

"But you didn't--"

"I know," he sighed. "Snicker knows, too. He's known about Gabriel ever since it happened. As long as Snicker doesn't believe the lies, I'll be fine."

"What about Ore?"

"What about him?" Tsuna asked coldly as he sat down to start using the weight machine. It took him a moment to lower the weights from Ore's level down to his, after which he started pulling the weighted bar over his head down in smooth, repetitive motions. "He can believe anything he wants. If he's willing to believe that I'd betray Snicker like that, it just shows that he doesn't really trust me."

"If you're not willing to tell him the truth, then that shows that you don't trust him!" Eric countered loudly. "You shouldn't let him believe that if it's a lie!"

"Not so loud," he admonished again. "I do trust him. That's why I'm trusting him to come to the right conclusion in the end. He might be big, but he's pretty smart, too. He's a lot smarter than me. He's the one that helps Leo on her homework when you can't. I trust him to come to the right conclusion, but I also know him really well. That's why I can't tell him the truth on my own. If I did, he'd run off like Snicker tried to. If I let him figure out that Gabriel lied on his own, he won't have a reason to go get in a fight with him. He'll be mad over the lie, but he won't be fighting mad like he would be if he knew the truth. Does that make sense?"

"No," Eric exclaimed. "If he's going to know that it's a lie no matter what, then what's the difference between you telling him and not?!"

"The difference is that this way he'll still not know the truth," Tsuna answered. "He'll still trust in me, but he won't know why. I know that it's probably asking a lot, but it's the difference between asking for blind faith and giving him an explanation as to why he should believe in me."

"What if you're wrong," Eric murmured unhappily. "What if he can't just blindly trust in you?"

"Then I'm wrong," Tsuna sighed, letting the bar go in order to sag down in his seat. "In that case, I lose a very important friend."

"It's too much risk, Suoh," he mumbled. "Just tell him the truth."

"I can't," he replied in his own unhappiness. "Even if I lose him, it's safer this way. He's a part of the Martelli Family, too. I can't have him turning traitor because of me. I'd rather lose a friend than have a friend lose everything for me."

"That's--"

"What the next scene about?" Tsuna asked as a way to tell Eric to drop the subject. Eric looked at him for a long moment, obviously not wanting to let the matter go so easily, before sighing and sitting back down in grudging acceptance.

"It's a dialogue between me and the reaper," Eric answered. "I'm supposed to act it out like I hate the reaper, but I get jitters whenever I think about him. The costume is hideous and creepy, plus the reaper is supposed to be pissed off at me for killing a certain demon because it upset the balance of things or something. I'm hoping that if I can get the lines down so that I'm not having to think about them, I can focus more on getting the right emotions out. It's kind of hard to act out hate when you're scared out of your wits."

"I can understand that," he agreed with a small smile. "Do your best. I'll be looking forward to seeing how you manage."

"It'll be a relief to have you there," Eric replied with a soft smile. "Things aren't scary when you're there. Whether it's a gang of misfits that come barging in or just trying to talk to people, I'm a lot more confident when you're around."

"Keep it up and you'll make me blush," Tsuna teased as he started doing repetitions again.

"I'm serious," he replied, turning in his seat with a solemn expression in order to look at Tsuna. "Everyone always told me that I was energetic and cheerful, but I never had the confidence to go with it until I met you. Meeting you changed my life, Suoh."

"Eric..." Tsuna mumbled as he paused in his workout again. "Now you really are making me blush," he said as his face turned red. Eric grinned broadly at him before turning his attention back down to the script laid out on the coffee table. Watching him in wonder for a long minute, Tsuna could only gape at how easily he said such embarrassing things. Then Tsuna smiled to himself. He could say such things because he was confident and he claimed that Tsuna had a hand in building that confidence. For some reason, that made him inordinately happy. Of course, it should. It should because it meant that he'd helped his friend out and there was no better feeling than knowing that he'd been helpful. He'd been useful. He'd been needed. It didn't make him quite as happy as it made him when he knew that he'd been helpful to Snicker, but it came close.

Although, thinking of Snicker brought his mind back to the reason that he couldn't sleep. He'd thought that the sickening feeling would go away after a little time together with him. They'd cuddled for hours while talking out everything that they'd not covered earlier.

Charlie indeed hated his father. Snicker had been called numerous names by him before he'd become calm enough to listen. It'd hurt. Tsuna could tell that the names had hurt, but Snicker said that he hadn't denied his choice to be with Tsuna even for a minute. Charlie had tried to make him, too. He'd tried tossing down an ultimatum saying that he wouldn't have anything to do with Snicker as long as he was gay. Snicker had simply given his son a hug and apologized without giving in. In some ways, hearing that had made Tsuna happy. He'd won when Snicker had been forced to choose. Yet, it also made him unhappy because he knew that Snicker didn't want to chose. He shouldn't have had to choose.

Charlie had been so shocked over losing that he'd simply sat in place while Snicker had explained his reasons. They'd been simple reasons, too. Tsuna didn't want him to change where Charlie did. Tsuna had stood next to him while Charlie had looked down at people like him. He'd told Charlie about the Thanksgiving that he'd stopped by and Charlie had been shocked over the fact that the bum that they'd run off had been his own father. He hadn't put it together before then. Snicker's most important reason had been that he'd made a vow to Tsuna and he wasn't going to break it. After that, Snicker had given him his own side of how things had fallen out with Charlie's mother.

Finally, he'd sent Charlie home to think things over with an open invitation to stop by at any time he wanted in the future. That invitation had come with a warning, though. Apparently, Snicker had been pretty upset over how Tsuna had folded. Tsuna had orders to never leave like that again because of Charlie while Charlie had orders to not come at all unless he could be respectful toward Tsuna. All in all, by the time Snicker was done telling him about Charlie, Tsuna had a bad feeling that his son was never going to accept him. How could he when Snicker had openly prioritized him over Charlie?!

After Snicker had gotten done talking, it'd been Tsuna's turn. He'd told him about the incident that Summer had already told them about, but edited from his own point of view. He'd told him about Poe and had explained the bite mark on his neck. Snicker hadn't been happy about that part. He'd not been happy at all, but he'd accepted it in the end like Tsuna had already known he would. Snicker had teased him a little about it, telling him that he shouldn't be scared of Gabriel if he was able to offer himself up to a vampire like he had. Of course, that had only had the effect of reminding Tsuna about what had happened, although he hadn't shown it.

Finally, Tsuna had told him about the blood-slave agreement and about meeting the vampire Council. Snicker had been against it. He'd been seriously against it for a long time. It'd taken almost half an hour to get him to calm down after hearing about it. Letting Poe bite on him here and there was one thing. Letting him do it whenever he felt like and letting others bite him was another matter. He'd been full of objections. He'd covered everything from transmitted diseases to anemia to simple trust factors. One by one, Tsuna had shot them all down with his trust in Poe until Snicker had grudgingly agreed to the three-day absence.

Once that'd been discussed to death, Snicker had simply held him tightly with his worry plain. Thankfully, he'd fallen asleep before he'd thought to question him about the weed that he'd smoked. Tsuna hoped like hell that he'd completely forgotten about it and that it'd stay forgotten. It wasn't that big of a deal, after all. Well, to Snicker it was, but otherwise it was just a minor infraction. It wasn't like he was going out and killing people nor was he selling it. He'd just smoked a little to get his mind off of things for a while. In the overall scheme of things, Gigi's occasional miniskirts were more criminal! At least, they were in Tsuna's mind.

Thinking of that gave him an idea. It was an idea that he quickly banished. Not only would Snicker be upset if he smoked more, but there was Poe to think about, too. It was already bad enough that he had narcotics in his bloodstream. If he put more in there just mere days before the big, bad Council was supposed to show up, Poe's 'Dessert Protection Plan' might fall through. He wasn't sure. He didn't know if smoking that kind of stuff would make his blood taste bad but he couldn't chance it. Not when being the after-dinner tidbit was supposed to protect him. If he was a bad-tasting dessert, the Council might do the opposite of being careful with him. They might just rip him to shreds in dissatisfaction.

So, that meant smoking was out of the question for a few days, Tsuna decided as he tried to get his blood flowing again. Alcohol was probably out of the question, too. That knocked out any chance of getting rid of his troubles with something that could alter his mood. Not that it'd solve anything anyway. It'd just allow him to deal with it later. The problem was that now was suddenly that later that he had wanted to put off and he still didn't have any answers. He knew how to deal with Gabriel and he knew how to close out what had happened so that it didn't affect him. He just didn't know how to deal with the after-image that it left on Snicker. With how things currently were, he got sickening images of Gabriel every time Snicker touched him.

"What are you two doing up?" Gigi asked as she entered into the room from the garage. She was sporting a red evening dress and high heels, along with her blonde wig of curly hair, telling Tsuna and Gigi that he'd just gotten back from a date. Tsuna goggled for a moment at Gigi's rack of breasts even though he knew that they were fake. Not even Autumn had a pair that nice!

"Couldn't sleep," he answered while Eric tossed an absent wave over his shoulder. "You look like you had fun. Where did you go?"

"Nowhere special," she answered as she kicked her heels off. "Nubbins had an art exhibit that he wanted to take me to and then there was the after party to congratulate him on his crappy show. Really. I've seen better taste in some of the houses on fifth street. I would swear that he had to be straight if I hadn't already slept with him. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be able to put up with him. If I hear one more comment about how I'd look better in a pastel green, I'm going to kill him. Pastels makes my complexion look sickly. I need vibrant color!"

"If you say so," Tsuna chuckled as Gigi collapsed into Snicker's recliner. "Hey, Gigi. Do you think I can ask for some advice?"

"Sure thing, sweet-cheeks," she replied, tossing her wig on the table next to Eric's script before lounging sideways in the chair to look at Tsuna. "What's the problem?"

"Well," Tsuna mumbled, letting the weights fall to a stop in order to get up and walk closer while he tried to think of how to phrase it. "I've got this... um... friend."

"Of course," Gigi replied blandly with her eyes rolling. "A friend. What's your _friend's _problem?"

"Is it that obvious," he grimaced.

"Very," she confirmed with a laugh. "Just spit out whatever your problem is, sweet-cheeks. I won't say anything about it."

"I'm... I'm having problems with Snicker," he admitted in a whisper, coming over to sit on the corner of the couch closest to Gigi. "I don't want him to know, but I'm getting flashbacks whenever he touches me. It's... It's hard and it hurts. How... um... How should I deal with it?"

"Flashbacks?" Gigi repeated carefully, sitting back up in the chair properly. "You mean as in... those... flashbacks?"

"Yeah," Tsuna mumbled with his head bowed down.

"Is that why--"

"No!" Tsuna blurted. "I really didn't hit on Gabriel! You know me better than that, Gigi!"

"I know," she sighed. "I just still can't believe that a rumor like that could get started. You even got hit over it and that's not good."

"This has nothing to do with that," he lied. "I just... uh..."

"It's a relapse," Gigi sighed in understanding. "Roger had them on occasion when he got stressed out about something. It's the same fear that you probably had back when it first happened. You're scared of getting touched because your subconscious is telling you that you're going to get hurt. The only advice I can give you is to keep telling yourself that Snicker isn't going to hurt you. The feeling will pass, sweet-cheeks."

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "I-I'm scared that it might not."

"Just lay off the hanky-panky for a while," she replied earnestly. "Don't force yourself to do anything that you're not comfortable with and you need to be honest with Snicker about it. He'll understand and he'll help by keeping himself from doing anything that might make you uncomfortable. You shouldn't make yourself suffer when a little honesty will make things right again a lot faster."

"I-If you say so," he mumbled. "I just don't want him to get upset and I know he would."

"He might get upset, but it's not at you, sweet-cheeks," she soothed. "Just give him a few hints and he'll get the picture. Use the headache line if you have to. That'll tell him that you're not feeling comfortable."

"Oh," Tsuna blushed. "I... uh... I kind of already told him that."

"I bet he backed off right away," Gigi chuckled.

"He still wanted to cuddle, but he did back off a lot," Tsuna admitted sheepishly. "Actually, he went to sleep in pajamas and he normally doesn't."

"See there," she laughed with a wide smile. "He's pretty smart for an old man. He knows that you'll be back to kissing on him and loving on him in no time, so he's willing to be patient. Just wait it out, sweet-cheeks. Time solves a lot of problems, especially if you have someone like Snicker to lean on."

"You're right," Tsuna replied with a matching smile. It was a smile that quickly turned into a yawn once he was no longer stressing over the matter.

"Go get some sleep," Gigi ordered, waving a hand as if to banish him. "Things will look better tomorrow." Tsuna nodded and headed for the stairs after giving them both an absent-minded 'good night'. He stopped halfway up the stairs, feeling the inexplicable need to eavesdrop. He knew exactly why when Gigi and Eric thought he was upstairs already. "Gabriel was the one that raped him."

"Eh?!" Eric gasped quietly in surprise.

"Get a clue, Skittles," Gigi scolded. "Me and Ore talked about it earlier together. Suoh isn't the type to disappear on everyone like that unless it was something happened that really affected him. He's not the kind of person that would cheat on Snicker, either. That guy is completely devoted to Snicker. Even a blind man could see that. Ore's the one that made the connection after he'd calmed down and thought about it for a while, but we didn't have any proof. For Suoh to be saying he's having flashbacks after a run-in with Gabriel, there's only one conclusion. Gabriel was the one that raped him. I knew that he was lying before about not knowing who attacked him, but I wouldn't have guessed that it was him."

"What are you going to do?" Eric asked quietly.

"Nothing," Gigi sighed. "The last thing Suoh needs right now is someone invading his privacy. If he wanted us to get involved, he would have asked us to. He knows that we've got his back if he needs backup. Since he isn't asking for it, that means that he wants to deal with it on his own. All we can do is give him support."

"That makes me feel useless," he mumbled.

"Same here," she replied. "Not every problem can be fixed with a one-on-one fight, Skittles. We'd just make more trouble for Suoh if we tried going after Gabriel. We might succeed in scaring him off, but Gabriel's got a lot of friends that don't scare easily. I think Suoh knows that and that's why he's keeping us from getting involved by not telling us. That idiot is trying to protect all of us by suffering by himself."

"Why doesn't he just quit?" Eric asked. "I mean, without that job--"

"He can't," she interjected. "Not only is he part of the Martelli Family now and subject to Papa Paolo's whims like me, but he wouldn't be able to get another one. Imagine what would happen if you just quit the show you're doing."

"No one else would want to hire me," Eric grimaced. "They'd think that I'd just quit on them, too."

"For Suoh, it's even harder because he's only got Papa Paolo as his employer on his work history," Gigi sighed. "Papa Paolo is a nice enough guy, but he's overly honest when it comes to references. If you quit on him, he'll tell whoever calls about you that you quit. If you got fired, same deal. He doesn't sugar-coat anything, which is actually a good thing if you're on his good side."

"Still... To keep a job where he comes into contact with Gabriel..."

"He couldn't get away from Gabriel even if he tried now, so there's no big difference if he keeps it or not," she mumbled unhappily. "If we'd known about Gabriel sooner, we'd wouldn't have let him join the Family. It can't have been easy for him to find out that Gabriel is the Boss' son. I don't blame him for disappearing. I'd disappear for a couple of hours, too."

"Yeah. I'd..."

It was fine like this, Tsuna thought to himself in satisfaction as he quietly continued up the stairs. They knew. They understood. And, most importantly, they wouldn't get hurt while trying to get revenge. It might be different if they knew that he knew that they knew. But, they didn't know. They thought that they knew and that was the end of it. It was the one with the most knowledge of the other that could control how things worked out. Since Tsuna was in possession of knowledge that they didn't have, he could keep them safe without losing their trust. For example, he knew that Ore had been listening at his door the whole time that he'd been talking to Eric. The same thing with Ollie below the stage. They'd all been listening. They all had heard. He'd told them all-- But Eric was the only one that he'd told directly. This way, they'd understand but they wouldn't act on the knowledge that they had. They couldn't, since they all thought that they weren't supposed to know.

Tsuna crawled into bed, satisfied that his friends were still his friends and they weren't going to get hurt. He was even more satisfied that they knew the truth behind Gabriel's lies now. None of them would wonder if he'd really tried to cheat on Snicker and none of them would do something stupid with the knowledge they had. They were warned about Gabriel without being given the right to do anything about it or tell anyone else about it. It was definitely enough to make Tsuna happy. Gabriel could spread all the lies he wanted and he could try to corner Tsuna as many times as he could. It didn't matter anymore. Tsuna had a place to hide that Gabriel couldn't breach with his lies or his treachery.

And that was enough to let Tsuna sleep from the moment that his head hit his pillow.


	36. Chapter 36 Feast

Author's Notes: So... I kinda just start writing yesterday until I passed out. OO Writing Frenzy FTW!

* * *

"...Mrs. Sojer is the last drop-off. Just take her up her lunch and tell her that you're filling in for me. She's nice, but don't mention anything about me and Snicker. If they make her meatballs tomorrow, make sure that they don't season them. Oh! And check to make sure that her wrists aren't swelling again. If they are--"

"I'll take care of it," Gigi chuckled. "Don't worry about a thing. It's just three days. I can manage."

"Okay," Tsuna agreed while biting his lip.

"Is there anything else you need done while you're gone?"

"I wanted to count the safe," Tsuna answered with a grimace. "I didn't want to say anything, but I'm worried about how much we've all been spending lately. If it's as bad as I think it is, I was going to talk to Cassandra about cheaper meals. We need to start conserving better with the radio and the television. They don't need to be on all the time. Oh! And someone needs to go down to Summer's work at night while I'm gone. I got hired to keep gangs away from the place for some extra protection money. Shit. I also promised Mr. Young that I'd go by and inspect his dumpster. There's an arsonist that he wants me to catch. Go by and look at it for me and see if you can get any clues. Tell him I'll work on it as soon as I get back."

"Anything else?" Gigi asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Tsuna blurted as he continued packing his backpack with three days worth of clothes. "Ask Eric if he can hand out sandwiches for me. I won't be back until Sunday afternoon and everyone always looks forward to lunch on Sunday. Tell him to go with ham instead of baloney this time. The deli over across from the curry house always gives me a good deal when I go by there for supplies. Mila was supposed to come over for some help with her cookies, too. Her husband gave her another recipe that she can't get right. Tell her when she shows that she shouldn't separate the eggs. His mother always cut corners on cooking and it doesn't matter if the recipe says to use the whites only."

"Anything else?" Gigi gasped.

"Georgie should be stopping by on the day after tomorrow," he nodded. "He was supposed to let me know how the three guys I sent him is working out. Ask him and make sure that he hasn't been getting in any trouble over wearing our marker. I'm kind of worried that he might be targeted since he's out in the open and we've got both the Velvet Scats pissed at us, plus the Belfang Gang might be out for revenge. If he says that he's been worried lately, go down to the airport and see if you can find Tracer. He's a short guy that's just slightly smaller than me. Tracer is good with the street rats, so have him send a couple of kids to watch out for Georgie. They might be small, but they're mature for their age. They won't give Georgie trouble by sticking around and they can run here for help if something happens."

"Anything _else_?"

"Leo's classmate is missing a cat," Tsuna continued. "She should be bringing the picture today. See if one of the girls can help her make flyers and have them put them up. I also need Leo to do a tag for me on Summer's work. Tell her not to do anything big, but we need to let the other gangs know that the place is ours. I figure that putting our sign up might get them to back off. Rumors are starting to get around about us and I figure that they'll come straight here when they see the sign instead of bothering with the cafe. Tell her to tell the owner what she's doing and to get permission first. We don't need her going to juvie."

"Please tell me that you're almost done," Gigi pleaded. Tsuna froze in the middle of preparing another list of requests and laughed.

"Sorry," he grinned. "I guess I have more on my plate than I realized. Just one more. Have Ore tell the gym that I won't be coming anymore."

"Why?!" Gigi gasped. "After what happened the other day--"

"Nothing happened," Tsuna said firmly, shoving the last piece of clothing into his bag much harder than intended. "I'm not bringing in enough money to justify how much it costs to go and I don't have time to work for it. Don't worry. I'll be fine with the workout equipment that we've got here. As long as I keep up with my workouts, I should be fine."

"B-But--"

"Gigi," he interrupted solemnly, pausing once his bag was zipped closed. "I've realized that it's not skill or ability that I'm lacking. No amount of training is going to help if I'm too scared to use what I know. Going to the gym isn't going to help me at all anymore. Since I know that, there's no point in me going."

"B-But--"

"No buts," he chuckled as he threw his bag on. "I've made up my mind, so just tell Ore for me. Make sure to take care of Snicker for me while I'm gone." Reaching out, he gave Gigi a small hug before heading for the stairs out of his room.

"You better come back!" Gigi exclaimed as he chased down the stairs after him. "And call us if you decide to come home early! We'll come pick you up!"

"I will," Tsuna promised. Reaching the ground floor, he blushed slightly at the sight of everyone standing around and waiting on him.

"Are you sure about this?" Snicker asked worriedly, reaching out to hold Tsuna in a bear hug. "Is there any way that I can talk you out of it?"

"It's okay, Snicker," he soothed. "It's better this way. I don't want to have to be watching my back constantly over the next two weeks that they're here. If I'm there for the welcoming party, they'll stay away after that."

"Still..." Snicker grumbled, holding him almost possessively. "Can't you come right back here afterward?"

"No," Tsuna said, shaking his head. "Poe said that I shouldn't. I'm sure he has his reasons. He's got me a hotel room set up that I'll have all to myself. Just think of it as me going to a health spa. He promised that I'll come back relaxed and refreshed."

"I don't want you to go," he whispered, hugging even tighter so that Tsuna could barely breathe.

"Poe will take care of me," Tsuna choked out. "It'll be fine, so stop squeezing me so hard." Snicker let go with a sheepish blush while everyone else chuckled at the unintended display. "Don't worry so much, Snicker. I'll call tomorrow afternoon and check in. You just go to work in the morning like usual and enjoy your weekend off."

"That's impossible without you," Snicker replied quietly. Tsuna rolled his eyes over the cheesy words, but couldn't hide the wide smile of happiness that they caused.

"Give me a kiss," he ordered. "I've got to go. Poe said that the party started at seven and I'm supposed to show up at nine. He didn't want me coming earlier because, well, you know."

"No, I don't know," Snicker grimaced as he leaned forward. "And I don't think I want to." Tsuna laughed once more at him before retrieve the kiss that he'd requested. Once more, Snicker pulled him into a bear hug that even pulled his feet off the floor this time while he gave a kiss as if he were trying to suck the life out of him.

"Snicker!" He squealed breathlessly when he finally managed to pull away. "It's only three days!"

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, setting Tsuna back down. "Just be careful. You seem to have the worst luck when you're alone."

"I won't be alone," Tsuna grinned. "Poe will be there."

"Come on," Ore ordered, grabbing Tsuna by the back of the neck in order to propel him into the garage before one of the others could start drawing out the farewell. "I'll drive you." Giving a small shrug of acceptance, Tsuna gave everyone a small wave to say goodbye before following Ore as he wheeled his bike out the front doors. Tsuna goggled for a moment when he picked it up completely in order to lift it over parked cars and set it down into the lane marked out for people to open their doors without getting them knocked off by traffic. He did it so easily that it left Tsuna breathless, after which he sat down on it like nothing special had happened. "Get on," he ordered.

"Where?" Tsuna asked curiously, having never rode on Ore's bike before. There didn't look to be room since Ore had to sit all the way at the back edge of the seat in order for his long arms and legs to be comfortable.

"Right here," Ore said, pointing to the open space in front of himself. "Just get on and I'll show you." Tsuna obeyed, slipping his leg over the bike in order to sit in Ore's lap. He gasped when Ore pushed him backward between his legs and reached down to grab Tsuna's legs. Before Tsuna could even choke, Ore had Tsuna's feet placed on a bar peeking out from the sides of the steering column. "Keep them up there so they don't get in my way," he ordered as he slapped an overly-large helmet on Tsuna's head. "Push down all you want with your feet to keep yourself steady. Pressure on that doesn't affect my driving any. You can hold onto my arms, too, just make sure not to push on them."

"O-Okay," Tsuna agreed with a nod, his helmet falling down over his eyes with the slight movement. Ore gave a grunt to say that he heard and put his hands up into place on the handlebars at the same time that Tsuna pushed it back again. It took only two seconds to start since it had a modern key-ignition instead of a kick start engine. Before Tsuna was even aware of the light rumbling under his rear, Ore was already pulling the bike into traffic after knocking the kickstand back out of the way.

Riding in front of Ore was like nothing else. There was a secure feeling from having Ore's large frame protectively surrounding him and there was the free feeling from the lack of solid enclosure. It was like riding on a rollercoaster, where Ore's arms and legs were the restraining bar holding him into his seat. It was like flying, having nothing before him but wind and--

"Look out!" Tsuna squeaked as a car cut them off, reaching out to clutch Ore's arms in momentary panic.

"I got it," Ore called over the rumbling wind and engine, breaking just enough to let the car in before shooting into the gap that the car had left behind. It only got worse after that as Ore took turns getting cut off and cutting others off in a ruthless battle against traffic. Tsuna lost count of how many times he squealed and how many times he screamed in panic, all while Ore seemed to get more and more excited until he finally seemed to burst. "Isn't this OUTRAGEOUS?! Motorcycles are the best!"

Tsuna mentally noted to never ride with Ore again. By the time that they reached the hotel and Ore fell to a stop at the lobby doors, Tsuna felt like fainting. He'd never had so many close calls in his life. Forget rollercoasters. Forget flying. Riding with Ore was like running in front of a wall of spikes while dodging ten-foot tall pachinko balls. There were few experiences that were as terrifying.

"Call me when you're ready to come home," Ore said as Tsuna thrust his helmet at him with shaking hands. "I'll come pick you up."

"I'll take a taxi," Tsuna countered unsteadily, feeling as if his hair should be standing on end like a startled cat's.

"Hey, Suoh," Ore called when Tsuna started to head inside. Tsuna paused and turned back to him in askance, only to find Ore wearing an unnaturally quiet expression. "I'm sorry about the other day. I jumped to conclusions. I know that you wouldn't cheat on Snicker. It was just hard for me to realize it because Isaac and me go back a long way. Isaac is devoted to the Family and it was just hard for me to believe that he'd lie to me. Once I figured out that Isaac had been lied to, too, I felt outrageously shitty about how I acted toward you. So, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a small smile. "Isaac was just doing his job and you were just looking out for Snicker. I don't blame either of you. Just take care of Snicker for me and I'll be back in a few days."

"Alrighty," he nodded. Slapping on his helmet, he gave a small salute before driving away. Tsuna watched him go before heading for the doors once more.

He was stopped before he ever set foot inside.

"I'm sorry, sir," the greeter at the door said, bodily barring his way inside. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm meeting someone--"

"You'll have to meet them out here, sir," the old man said bluntly. "I can't let you inside. The lobby is not for random rendezvous. It's for guests only."

"But the person I'm meeting told me to come here!" Tsuna exclaimed. "He said that his friends were staying at this hotel! You've got to let me go in!"

"Please leave before I call the police," the man replied coldly. "This hotel caters to the highest class of wealth. I doubt that one such as yourself could possibly know anyone--"

"Suoh!" Poe snapped, sticking his head out the door. "You're late. Get in here!" Tsuna couldn't help it when the doorman froze with a poleaxed look on his face. He stuck his tongue out at the snobby man before slipping past him to get in the door. It served him right for judging people by their looks. Tsuna knew that his clothes weren't designer, but his word was just as good as those who wore designer brands. "Did you tell Mukuro to keep his ass away tonight?"

"Yes," Tsuna answered as he followed Poe across the lobby. It felt strangely nostalgic to pass through the place. The last time that he'd walked through this very room had been at Xanxus' side. He wasn't sure if it was good luck that he remembered or bad. While the ending had sucked, he had to admit that he'd kind of enjoyed the time he'd spent with Xanxus. Maybe it was just hindsight and the fact that his ass wasn't hurting, but Xanxus hadn't treated him badly. Far from it, Xanxus had spoiled the hell out of him up until the end. It might have just been sex, but it'd been good sex. Really good. Good enough that--

"They're already enjoying themselves up in the penthouse," Poe said, making Tsuna belatedly push away his train of thought with a blush. "We'll stop by the room I got for you first and let you bathe."

"Bathe?" Tsuna spluttered. "But I already took a shower."

"You might have gotten something on you on the way over here," he countered coldly as they rode the elevator up into the hotel. "I've borrowed one of Nadia's handmaidens to help you prepare. It might be a little embarrassing, but do what she tells you. She's been through banquets in the past, so she knows the drill. I've got to go upstairs and make sure that they're satisfied with their main courses. They're probably starting to smell hints of you in the building, so I've got to make sure that they don't try to save room. It won't be pretty if one of them is hungry for more than just a nibble."

"That would be bad," Tsuna agreed.

"Look, Suoh," Poe sighed as they reached the floor directly under the penthouse. "I won't lie to you. They're probably going to do stuff to you that you might find either offensive or might think of as crossing the line. I told you before that the Council is used to getting what they want."

"What are you trying to say?" He asked worriedly. "What kind of things? I thought they were just going to bite me a little."

"Uh," Poe blushed along with giving a faltering chuckle that did nothing to soothe Tsuna's suddenly racing heart. "I can tell you that it'll be enjoyable if you don't fight it."

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed, stopping in his tracks in the middle of the hallway. "You didn't tell me anything about that!"

"I didn't think you'd come," he replied honestly, reaching out to drag Tsuna behind him. "I know how devoted you are to Snicker, but you've got to put that aside for now. If you don't make the Council happy, they won't stop until they're satisfied. I've prepared a few things to help make sure that they are, but you've got to be willing to go along with it. It's going to be embarrassing and I know that you'll hate me later, but I can live with that."

"Is this why you wanted me to stay for three days?" Tsuna asked quietly when Poe fell to a stop outside a hotel room door. "I thought it was just--"

"It's so that you can get over the embarrassment, along with recovering from the shock," Poe said bluntly. "I figured that you wouldn't be able to face anyone right afterward. I also knew that you wouldn't want Snicker or the others to see how many bite marks that your going to get or where you're likely to get bitten. I never said that this was going to be easy. I just said that it'd be safer."

"You tricked me," he mumbled unhappily.

"I'll ask your forgiveness later," Poe replied. "If you don't want to do this, then you better leave now. I can't promise that you'll make it home intact. They're probably already getting excited upstairs. If you don't go up there--"

"I'll go," Tsuna said through clenched teeth. "I don't have a choice now."

"I won't tell anyone, Suoh," he soothed. "What happens here will stay here. I've got to go make sure the other desserts are being taken care of properly. I've already warned them that they might get bitten while they're working, but--"

"What other desserts?!" Tsuna choked.

"What?" Poe laughed as he opened the hotel room door and shoved Tsuna inside. "Did you think that you could satisfy all twelve on your own? I had to hire some help. Don't worry about that. Just get yourself prepared. I'll be back for you after I've made sure that everyone is enjoying their wine and I've announced your arrival."

"Wait--!" Tsuna gasped as the door slammed shut. Staring at it for a long moment, reality of his situation finally started to dawn on him. When Poe had described him as a dessert, he'd somehow gotten it in his head that he'd be sitting in a chair and they might nibble on his neck and his fingers a little bit. From what Poe was hinting at, it wouldn't be anything like that. He was going to get eaten!

"It'll be okay, Master Suoh," a feminine voice soothed from behind him. Tsuna let out a curse and spun in place in order to stare at the woman with wide eyes. It took several seconds before Poe's words came back to him. Handmaiden. Help him prepare. Right. "I'm Nadine," she introduced with a shy smile as Tsuna tried not to look at her skimpy, opaque costume. It had slave-girl written all over it. "If you will set your things down, I've already prepared a bath for you."

"You're not going to go in there with me, are you?" Tsuna asked as he hesitantly followed her instructions and laid his bag of clothes to the side.

"Do you want me to?" She teased. "Don't worry, I'm just here to give you instructions that Lord Poe wasn't permitted to give you earlier. Now, please hurry to the bath. He'll be back for you within the hour."

"What do you mean that he wasn't permitted?" He inquired as he headed for the bathroom. Upon entering, his eyes widened at the tub. It wasn't the small one that was meant for one person. Instead, it was a huge two-person heart-shaped affair which told him that he had to be in the honeymoon suite. Rose petals littered every inch of the bathroom, but Tsuna couldn't smell any of the perfumes and oils that he had expected when Poe had mentioned a special bath. On top of that, Nadine hadn't left any soaps or oils for him to use on himself. Not even so much as a shampoo bottle was in sight. "Um... What--"

"Just get in the tub," she ordered, already knowing the question he was going to ask. "I've already put in what is needed. The idea is to strip you down so that there's no smells interfering with your natural flavor. We have to get rid of whatever deodorant you used along with the smell of the stuff you use at home."

"Oh," Tsuna grunted with a small blush, shutting the door so that he could once more do like he was ordered. It wasn't what he expected, but he guess it made sense. His blood was what attracted Poe and his kind, so perfumes and oils would just get in the way of that. Getting undressed was only a matter of seconds. Knowing that he couldn't have his gloves on, he disarmed his blade from where it was strapped to his hand under his glove and wrapped it up in his shirt. Surprisingly, his other glove came off just as easily. It was strange, since he hadn't been able to take off his old X-Glove since he'd put it on back when he'd got into that brawl with Mukuro. Now wasn't the time to think of strange occurrences, however. He had to prepare. Dipping a foot in to check the temperature after tucking the special glove into his pants pocket, he gasped at the scalding hot water. Then he grimaced. He was going to be boiled alive, but he had to admit that there was no better way to cleanse himself. If any dirt or smells managed to hold onto him after a dip in such hot water, he'd eat his own hat. Although, there was one smell that made his eyes widen. "Is that pepper?!" He squealed.

Nadine roared with laughter outside the door.

"That's just me teasing you again," she laughed. "I thought about putting a couple slices of carrots in there instead, but I wanted to see if you noticed the smell. Don't worry. I didn't put any in the bath. I just sprinkled some around the sink to mess with you. Call it a hazing from one blood-slave to another. It's always fun to mess with someone that knows they're going to be a meal."

"You're a blood-slave?" Tsuna asked with a hiss as he lowered himself deeper into the water.

"Yes," she answered. "I've been with Mistress Nadia for six years now. I'm her third handmaiden. It's my duty to see to the cleanliness of her meals and ensure that newcomers are properly informed. We can't have a temporary meal running their mouths and ruining the reputation of the Council members. There are plenty who take their experience as a temporary blood-slave as something to be used for blackmail. I'm here to ensure that they know how dangerous such an attempt would be."

"Don't worry about that," Tsuna called, looking over to ensure that the door was still shut while he scrubbed his already clean skin with a cloth. "I'm not looking to blackmail anyone. I'm just here because Poe asked me to come. Which, you still haven't answered my first question. What did you mean by him not being permitted?"

"It is a rule," she replied. "Those that are to become entertainments for the Council are not permitted to know anything about the true nature of what they are taking part of. Typically, they are merely told that their clients for the night have a biting fetish and the resulting anemia is dealt with by a blood-slave such as myself after they've fallen unconscious. It is to keep ones such as yourself from running your mouth and causing the entertainments to be delayed or cancelled. For someone like Lord Poe, such a fiasco would be eternally damaging. He was permitted to tell you about the meeting since you are his blood-slave, but he would never recover if you had backed out."

"Eh?"

"Lord Poe's acquisition of you as a blood-slave has already started to spread," she replied. "The Council heard rumors about you before, but they were only curious. Then you accepted Lord Poe's seal and they were more than curious. It has been several decades since he swore to never feast on humans again and many of them were beginning to worry. Even the most reserved vampire must have blood on occasion or risk death. For him to have managed to survive so long is nothing short of a miracle. I think you're the reason the Council chose this city for their quarterly meeting. They're all curious about the person that made Lord Poe chose to break his suicidal oath. If you'd hidden from the Council, they might have outcaste Lord Poe out of the insult since you're the reason they came to this place."

"I... I didn't know," Tsuna mumbled, sinking down into the hot water.

"The Council gets what they want," Nadine murmured. Tsuna felt oddly disquieted at the words. It was almost as if that sentence was a law or something with how often he'd heard it lately. "That's no good."

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped, looking up to see Nadine standing in the suddenly open doorway. Before he could move to grab a towel to cover himself or even blush, she bore down on him while rolling up her sleeves.

"We've got to scrub you better than that," she said callously.

"EH?!"

* * *

"You could have warned me," Tsuna grumbled.

"It wouldn't have been that much fun that way," Nadine grinned as she continued to brush his hair until it glistened. Tsuna felt like blushing. He wanted to blush, considering how she'd held him down and ruthlessly scrubbed him, but his face and body was already red from the harsh strokes she'd used. He'd be surprised if he had a single piece of dead skin left on his body after she'd gotten done. He knew that he didn't have a shred of privacy left now. Not when, after he'd managed to jump out and dry himself off, she'd cornered him and had started massaging lotion into his skin until it was smoother than he'd ever managed to get it. He'd objected since he'd thought the whole idea behind the bath had been to get rid of excess smells, but she'd just shown him the label of the stuff she'd used. He'd had to groan at the sight of it. It was labeled as scentless, tasteless, and edible.

"Are you almost ready?" Poe asked, making both of them jump in place since his entry had been a silent one.

"Just let me get dressed," he mumbled in embarrassment, standing up with his bathrobe tightly wrapped around himself.

"No need," Poe chuckled. "Your clothes would only get shredded if you tried to go in with any on. Nadine, go fetch the manacles."

"Manacles?" Tsuna repeated with his face growing pale while Nadine started digging into her sack of goodies on the hotel bed.

"They're required," she said apologetically. "It's tradition. In the old days, blood-slaves were kept chained so that they couldn't move their hands or feet since many hunters posed as them to infiltrate our strongholds. Special slaves were marked with them, too, since the manacles could be made to hide the main juncture of the artery going down their wrists."

"That was centuries ago," Poe interjected. "There aren't many hunters left since most believe us to be fictional creations and most vampires have more sense than to go for the wrists now. Don't worry, Suoh. There's no chains attached and you'll be able to move freely. The manacles are just a symbol now. It's to mark you as a blood-slave instead of simply another of the night's entertainments. Even Nadine has a pair on."

"Yep," she grinned, pulling up her sleeves to let him see the black leather cuffs around her wrists. "Lord Poe went to extra lengths for you and had a set specially made. All the other blood-slaves are jealous that your Master spoils you so much. It makes me wish that I was born with Sky energy instead of Rain."

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped. "How--?"

"It's like knowing your astrology sign for us, Suoh," Poe explained. "She feeds her Mistress at times. Of course she knows what flavor she is."

"I didn't think about that," Tsuna mumbled while Nadine started wrapping the manacles around his wrists. He instantly saw why Nadine had commented on them. They weren't like her own simple leather ones. Instead, they looked to be made out of-- "Is that gold?" He gasped as she latched them closed. The pair she put on him didn't look like manacles at all. They looked like wide, gold bracelets that covered three inches of vulnerability on his arms.

"Yes," Poe confirmed quietly. "Gold with my signet in silver. You're free to keep those after this is over as my way of thanking you for agreeing to this. You should be able to sell them for a nice profit."

"I can't keep these!" He spluttered as Nadine started placing a matching set around his ankles. "These things had to have cost a fortune!"

"You won't be so quick to turn them down after the night is over," Poe grinned. "Just accept them. Please, I wouldn't feel right if you didn't. You agreed to this without asking for anything in return."

"Of course I did," Tsuna said softly. "You're my friend and you asked me to."

"I asked you to, but you didn't have to agree," Poe objected.

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't," Poe growled. "You could have turned me down, just like if I'd asked you to jump off a cliff."

"You're right," Tsuna sighed as Poe grinned in satisfaction. "Just asking me wasn't enough. But I would have jumped off a cliff, too, if I knew you needed me at the bottom. So, no. You're still wrong. I couldn't have turned you down, Poe. I could tell that you needed me to do this."

"No wonder Lord Poe likes you," Nadine teased from his feet, making both Tsuna and Poe turn red. "You've got the right type of caring about your Master that a good blood-slave needs in order to be more than just food. You're all ready."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped as she stood up. Staring back and forth between her and Poe, he found his face turn even more red. "You're not really going to make me go up there in a robe!"

"Sorry," Poe grimaced. "Actually, I've got one other thing for you to put on and then I've got something else for you."

"What?"

"This," Poe said. Tsuna started down at the item he held out, feeling his whole body turn red with embarrassment.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"I'm not putting that on."

"You'll regret it later."

"But--"

"I'd put it on," Nadine urged with a wide grin. "I heard that Lord Poe prepared some Heaven's Fire for you."

"Heaven's...Fire...?" Tsuna asked slowly. "Do I want to ask?"

"Probably not," Poe grinned, slapping the item into Tsuna's numb hand. Tsuna groaned and stepped into the bathroom, unbelieving that he was agreeing to wear such a perverted thing. Although, if Heaven's Fire was what he thought it was, he'd probably need it.

"I'm going to kill you later, Poe!" Tsuna squealed in embarrassment as he slipped the ring into place around himself.

"It's not my fault," Poe laughed. "I know from experience that your energy is best when served hot."

"That's not funny!" Tsuna spluttered, tying the belt of his robe tightly in order to keep his lower appendage tied back. "From now on, you're not allowed to come inside the building while I'm in bed!"

"But you never notice the energy is missing," he teased, making Tsuna feel like he was going to instantly die from mortification. "And you sleep so well afterward."

"You--!!"

"Enough talking," Poe said seriously when Tsuna came back out in a rush. "Here." Tsuna stared at the bloody thumb thrust into his face for a long moment while Nadine gasped.

"Lord Poe! You can't--!" She exclaimed slapping his hands over her mouth in shock.

"Shut it," he ordered. "I'm breaking no laws by doing this and he's going to need it. Drink, Suoh. A few drops will fortify you so that you can recover faster after this. I wanted to wait until the last minute to give it to you. I'll give you a few extra drops after the fact, but this should help propagate your own blood so that you aren't easily drained tonight. I know that you don't like this kind of thing, but you'll need it." Tsuna nodded and leaned forward to accept the offering. He grinned slightly when Poe blushed while he licked the thumb dry, but didn't comment since he knew his own embarrassment hadn't even begun yet. The coppery taste made him want to gag in the knowledge that he was tasting blood that wasn't his own, but he swallowed it anyway while telling himself it was just a strange type of medicine.

"Happy?" Tsuna asked with a sheepish cough when Poe pulled his thumb back and licked the pinprick so that it'd stop bleeding.

"Nadine," Poe said solemnly instead of answering. "I'd be very happy if you kept this to yourself."

"I-I-- uh--" Nadine mumbled nervously.

"I'm not telling you to lie to your Mistress," he soothed. "Just don't bring it up unless you are directly asked about it."

"Forgive me, Lord Poe," Nadine murmured with a grimace. "I can't promise that."

"Ah, well, it was worth a shot," Poe shrugged. "In that case, tell your Mistress that I've always done whatever I want and nothing is going to change that."

"Yes, Lord Poe," she replied with a small curtsey.

"What--?" Tsuna asked as Poe single-mindedly headed for the door.

"Have him upstairs in the entry hall in two minutes," Poe ordered before disappearing. The moment that he was gone, Tsuna gasped and had to reach out to keep Nadine from collapsing to the floor.

"What the hell?!"

"You drank Lord Poe's blood," she gasped in shock. "I can't believe it. A vampire offered his blood to a human."

"So what?" Tsuna blurted, helping her to sit down on the edge of the bed before she collapsed onto the floor. "It was just a few drops. It's not like it was a big deal."

"Not a big deal--!" She repeated with yet another gasp. "It's a huge deal! Lord Poe is a pure-blood!"

"Eh?" He replied without an open lack of comprehension.

"Don't you know anything?!" She shrieked at him. "Lord Poe was never human! He wasn't someone that was turned like the rest! Other than those on the four Clan Councils and the Ancients, there are only six pure-bloods left! Eight if you include the pure-blood Phlegm leader and the outcaste full-blood! For him to have given you even a single drop of his blood... That's... That's unheard of! His blood is more precious than anything and he gave it to a blood-slave!"

"Oh," Tsuna murmured. "Okay, so it's a big deal to you guys. I don't really see what the big deal is, though. So what if he's a pure-blood? I don't see how that makes his blood more special than mine. I mean, I let him drink mine because he needs it. He figured that I'd need his for once, so he had me drink it. That's a fair exchange. Isn't it?"

"You really have no clue, do you?" Nadine gaped. Then she shook her head and jumped to her feet. "I'll worry about this later. We've got to get you upstairs." Tsuna shrugged and nodded, following her out the door in order to head for the elevator. It was embarrassing walking the halls in only a robe, but he quickly put himself into the 'work' mindset. This was no different than his old work at Kink's or the work that he'd done by sleeping with Xanxus. He'd had more people looking at him at Kink's. He'd done countless embarrassing things with Xanxus. He could do this. Poe needed him to do this. Hell, he needed to do this for his own sake so that he wasn't bitten to death!

Nodding to himself with his mind set with determination, Tsuna stepped into the elevator with his head bowed down. He could do this. It was just another--

"Suoh?"

--job.

"Oh god," Tsuna gasped, lurching against the far wall of the elevator in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"Working," Autumn answered from where she was glaring at him while standing in her own white bathrobe. "I got hired for an orgy. I'm a whore. Remember? The real question is what the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh..."

"Master Suoh is the main attraction tonight," Nadine supplied as she sent the elevator speeding toward the penthouse.

"_Master _Suoh?" Autumn repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Do I even want to ask why you're being called Master? Is this another one of your fantasy role-play games?"

"Uh..."

"Please do not talk to Master Suoh like that," Nadine admonished. "If you do, I will have to ask Lord Poe to find a replacement for you."

"Suoh?" Autumn asked with both her foot and her finger tapping in irritation.

"Uh..."

"We're almost there," Nadine said cheerily.

"Autumn," he gasped quickly, it finally hitting him that they were going to the same place. "Look, you don't want to work this job. There has to be somewhere else you can go tonight. Why don't you just go back? Okay?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Autumn asked curiously. "I'm getting five grand for one night. There's no way in hell I'm leaving. Why don't you leave?"

"I can't!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I-I can't explain it to you right now, but I promised to do this!"

"Is this why you told daddy that Gigi would be filling in for you for three days?" Autumn asked with a dissatisfied look on her face. "I can't believe you! You have Snicker and you're still playing whore behind everyone's backs! After what happened with--"

"We're here," Nadine interjected with a wide grin as the elevator doors opened wide. Tsuna gaped at how many girls were already present. There were just as many males, all of whom were twice his size and build. There had to be over two dozen all together, all wearing nothing but bathrobes under the soft lighting that barely reached the floor. Tsuna slapped his hands over his face. He was definitely going to kill Poe after this was over. Thinking of the devil brought him to the entry hall where everyone was waiting. Tsuna darted forward the moment that he saw him in order to yank him to the side.

"What the hell is Autumn doing here?" Tsuna hissed.

"Autumn?" He repeated. "Oh! Autumn. Lord Pelides requested her specifically. It seems he has a human acquaintance in this city that highly recommended her."

"You didn't tell me Autumn was going to be here!" Tsuna blurted in growing panic.

"It'll be okay, Suoh," Poe grinned. "All the girls here have signed non-disclosure contracts. They're not allowed to speak about what they see. If they do, they'll be sued into non-existence and thrown into jail. That includes talking to each other about what happens inside. Why? Do you like her or something? I thought you were exclusive with Snicker."

"I am, but--"

"Then don't worry about it," he grinned before turning to the group of voluptuous women and rock-hard men. "Alright. All of you have already been told what to do. Find yourself a partner wearing one of the medallions I showed you and make sure that they're pleased. Sam, you're to head for Mistress Lydia. She's the blonde sitting on the couch. Autumn, you're to go to Lord Pelides who's relaxing on the floor cushions. He'll be the one with a bottle of wine in his hands. Rachael, you were requested by Lord Laswick who's in the throne to the right. I don't think I need to remind you that what you see and hear in here is strictly forbidden to be spoken about. All of you were warned that tonight's entertainments might include hardcore blood-play. If you don't feel up to it or if you get queasy at the sight of blood, feel free to leave now. Once you go in, there's no backing out. Any questions?"

"What's Suoh doing here?" Autumn asked from the back of the mob while three girls suddenly dashed back into the elevator.

"Suoh's the main entertainment tonight," he answered with a bluntness that made Tsuna pale. "If you recognize him or anyone already inside, please remember the contract you signed and do not interfere beyond what you were hired to do. The plans might be a little hard to stomach, but everyone here is already prepared. Right, Suoh?"

"Uh, r-right," he replied hesitantly. Poe nodded and gestured for the girls to walk past him into the main entertainment area of the penthouse. Tsuna knew from experience that there was a large complex of rooms inside. With all the doors opened and the furniture rearranged, there was easily enough space to hold a hundred guests. There was only one guest that he was concerned about, though, and that was Autumn. How the hell was he supposed to do this when he knew that she'd be watching?! Especially when she gave him that be-damned knowing look as she passed in front of him. "Poe. I'm going to really kill you later."

"Don't let the Council hear you say that," he hissed. "You can say stuff like that all you want in private, but this is serious stuff. Are you ready?"

"Shit," he spat. "I don't have a choice. Do I?"

"Sorry," he grimaced. "Not once you got within a mile of here, you didn't. They're all anticipating you and they've got to be going nuts in there now that you're so close. I can pretty much guarantee that they're ignoring the hookers since they can smell you. You can hate me all you want later, but at least you'll be alive to do so."

"Let's just get this over with," he groaned. "If we keep standing here talking, I'm going to lose what nerve I have left. My legs are already shaking."

"I can tell," Poe murmured before leading the way down the hall in the same direction that the others had already went. "Don't worry, Suoh. I know that I keep saying that, but it'll really be okay. I won't let them go too far. Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Tsuna nodded and bowed his head like he'd been instructed to by Nadia. He tried to make himself forget that Autumn was already in the room, but it was difficult. It was okay, he told himself repeatedly. Autumn was here, too. She must be just as embarrassed. He had other things to worry about, such as twelve hungry vampires who were used to getting what they wanted. He had to give them what they wanted, too, or else Poe would suffer.

"Here we go," he whispered in warning before striding confidently through the double doors into the main entertainment area. "My Lords and Mistresses," he announced as Suoh hovered hesitantly behind him. "Allow me the honor of introducing my personal blood-slave for your consideration. I hope that Suoh will be as pleasing to your palates as he is to mine." Tsuna blushed furiously when he felt a dozen hungry eyes focus on him in unison along with over two dozen merely curious ones. He kept his head bowed down to them all with a meekness that he didn't have to feign. He couldn't have lifted his head even if his life had depended on it with so many people staring at him.

"He looks delicious," someone called out from the shadowed recesses of the room. "So this is why you chose such a backwater city to settle in, Poe. Such feasts would have been snatched up instantly in a larger city."

"Indeed," Poe agreed with a piteous bow, reaching out to offer his hand to Suoh as Suoh had been warned. Tsuna didn't take the hand. Instead, he merely laid it in Poe's and followed obediently where he was guided. Of course, he was guided to the most embarrassing place in the room. It was a single chaise lounge in the center of the room that Poe gestured for him to situate himself on. He did, taking the opportunity to glance around. The walls seemed packed with people, most of whom were hired hands for the night while he knew others were long-term subordinates who were serving their Master's whims. It was too dark to see, even with the soft lighting coming from overhead and the tapered candles strewn around the room, but he had a feeling that the 'main courses' had already been removed from the room so as not to scare the 'desserts'.

"He looks so timid," a male voice called out while Tsuna tried to arrange his robe to cover his legs. He tried to hold himself in a seductive position, trying to gain bonus points for Poe, but his nervousness was showing through without a doubt.

"No worries," Poe smiled as Nadine appeared with a goblet. "He is to be a special treat for you, my honored guests. I've prepared Heaven's Fire to ensure that he is to your satisfaction."

_I'm going to kill you, Poe_, Tsuna glared when the goblet was pressed to his lips. Poe didn't give any response to the glare, but Tsuna could see his eyes twinkling in amusement over the rim of the cup. Then they were gone as Tsuna forced himself to drink the wine. He knew immediately that it wasn't wine, however. No wine made him so hungry for more after only a mere sip. No wine lit such a fire in his belly after a gulp. No wine made him feel like he was brimming over with pure power by the time the cup was empty.

"There we go," Poe breathed in satisfaction as murmurs of pleasure filled the room. "Let them taste your power first. How do you feel?" Tsuna could only shake his head and gasp, feeling as if his whole body was going to explode from the inside at any moment. It wasn't lust that created that feeling. It was the surging energy that he could feel rushing through his limbs and across his vision.

"Flames," he gasped. "I see. Orange Flames. It's hot."

"It's just an energy overload," Poe soothed. "Right now, you're brimming with it. The drink draws your Flame out at a rate that you can't possibly manage on your own. It'll pass. Just sit back and relax until it calms." Tsuna nodded and laid his head down on the inclined chair, feeling his whole body overflowing with heat. It made him feel feverish. He could feel it pouring out of himself like a fountain overflowing with water. It sprayed out of his pours along with sweat and filled the room until he could see nothing but a haze of orange around himself.

It was hot. Too hot. He couldn't breathe. He hadn't been prepared for this. He'd guessed that Poe had gotten him an aphrodisiac ready, but this wasn't what he'd been expecting. It hurt. It burned. His whole body felt like it was on fire, making him moan and shudder. His body was going to explode. It couldn't take much more, yet the power kept surging forward. It left him writhing in place, looking for something to make it stop. Looking around produced nothing, however, since everything was hidden behind orange Flames. Every moment that passed seemed like an eternity as it continued to build until finally--

Tsuna cried out as the fire within him finally found an outlet and it exploded forth in a wave that left him dizzy and panting. Poe was at his side in an instant, keeping him from falling sideways off of the lounge chair.

"W-What..." he panted, trying to suppress the bestial urges already beginning to surge forward once his mind began to clear.

"That was a good show," Poe whispered in his ear. "Keep your Flame up as long as you can."

"Eh?" Poe grinned and looked up at Tsuna's forehead, telling Tsuna what he already knew. There was a Dying Will Flame on his head, the byproduct of the Heaven's Fire. His intuition told him even more than that. Putting together the fact that Poe had known the name of Giotto along with the occurrence, it was highly likely that the Dying Will Bullet had been the result of Heaven's Fire after heavy alteration. The risk of death was higher with Heaven's Fire, but there was no stipulation of regret. As with the Dying Will Bullet, he still felt an urgent need. The defining difference was that he didn't know what he needed. He just felt need. With the Dying Will Bullet, that need was focused into correcting his regrets. With Heaven's fire, he had nothing directing him. Without that guidance, he felt as if his whole body was tearing itself apart from within as he fought the instincts that would turn him into nothing more than a beast.

Fight.

Eat.

Mate.

"Oh ho!" A voice rang out, instantly getting Tsuna's undivided attention while his fingers dug into the padding of the couch. He wouldn't give into it. He wasn't an animal. "He's controlling it," the person said in amusement. "That's one amazing blood-slave you have, Poe. He didn't jump up and start attacking or fornicating. This is more amusement than I expected. How long will he be able to last?"

"He might last until it wears off," a female voice commented. "He does have Giotto's blood."

"That's true," the first chuckled. "Well, what are you going to do, Poe?"

"I'm... unsure, my Lord," he answered while hovering over Tsuna. "I was positive that he'd give in almost immediately. How are you feeling, Suoh?"

"What... What's going on?" He asked, his fingers digging into the long-chair even harder until the sound of the cushion ripping filled the air.

"So, you can talk," he murmured quietly, kneeling down next to him. "Honestly, Suoh, this is the part where most people lose track and react by instinct. You're the first... no, the second to ever keep his mind together after drinking Heaven's Fire."

"I feel it," he admitted with every muscle in his body tightened in effort to keep control. "I need."

"You need what?" Poe asked carefully.

"I don't know," he gasped. "I just--"

"I see," Poe murmured. "It's unfocused. Even though I made you expect certain things, you're not one to give up control so easily. Well, what do you want to do, Suoh? Everyone was expecting sex, but you can decide since you can control it. I'm afraid that I didn't prepare food, so you'll have to accept either a fight or you'll have to get laid. They can't start feeding until you're mind's been focused on something."

"I'm going to kill you," he growled with his eyes lighting up in a feral grin. Poe paled as several people in the room sat up in surprise. "Later," he promised. "Just bite me already. I can control it."

"Suoh--"

"Just do it!" He snapped. "This is what you were waiting on! I'm not going to betray Snicker and I don't really want to hurt you, so just get this over with."

"Suoh, you don't know what you're--"

"Just bite him," a female voice called out. "His mind will pick one for him as soon as the pain hits him."

"You won't be paralyzed this time because of the drug," Poe hissed quietly. "You weren't supposed to be aware at this part." Tsuna nodded in acceptance, understanding that Poe was telling him that it'd hurt more than before. He'd still be able to react, too. That meant that his self-control would be tested to the limits.

Without rhyme, reason, or preparation, Poe grabbed his arm and sank his teeth in. Tsuna's back arched and he cried out from the pain that shot up it with his mind screaming to fight whatever had hurt him. It took everything he had to push the instinct back down, which only received more murmurs of praise when he didn't lash out. The teeth pulled out after a moment, leaving him gasping and seeing stars. It hurt. Even with his Flame fortifying his mind and body, it hurt incredibly. It was as if the strength that his Flame gave him had been sucked away before Poe's teeth. Without that strength, that area of skin had been pierced so easily that it had been as if he hadn't had his Flame going at all.

"Such resilience," someone praised. "He still refuses to surrender. Oh, Poe. What a magnificent dessert you've given us."

"Just pick something, Suoh," Poe growled through clenched teeth, wiping the blood away from this lips with his thumb. "It'll be too painful for you like this. If you want to fight me, then so be it. If not, pick one of the girls to enjoy yourself with. You can have anyone in the room except for the Council members."

"No," Tsuna grunted.

"Go ahead, dear," someone said from behind him. "That should prove just as amusing."

"Lord Pelides?" Poe asked, looking over Tsuna's shoulder.

"The attendant I requested thinks she can get him in the mood," he called. "Why not let her have a try? I'm starting to get edgy from waiting."

"If that is the Council's wish," he agreed, stepping back completely from Tsuna. Tsuna looked over his shoulder to see what was going on, only to be faced with his worst nightmare.

* * *

Dickhead. Jackass. Ruiner of an easy five grand. Why, out of all the good gigs out in the world, did she have to get the one that the most irritating man in the world was the star attraction of?! She was hissing and spitting inside. At least, she had been. Everything had changed once she saw what her client's favored form of entertainment was. She'd been warned, but she hadn't connected the biting fetishes and blood-play with Suoh until the 'show' had already started. At first, it'd been kind of funny to watch Suoh twisting around on the couch. After five minutes, she'd grown bored while her client continued to be fascinated with his movements. He wasn't the only one. Looking around, she could see that every person wearing one of the medallions that their purchaser had pointed out was completely engrossed. Even the man who had four whores making out before him in effort to get him in the mood seemed completely engrossed. He'd even went so far as to push two of the girls out of his way when they got into his line of sight.

She didn't get it. What the hell was so amusing about Suoh acting like a worm? Even their purchaser, Poe, seemed completely enthralled. The client that had specified her, Lord Pilfred or Piledriver or whatever his name was, even went so far as to continuously lick his lips and smack them as if he were devouring the sight. It wasn't until Suoh had continued to play out the strange show for over twenty minutes that she realized that he wasn't acting. There'd been something in the drink that Poe had given him. What she was watching wasn't some strange, upscale fetish for abstract acting. Suoh wasn't wriggling! He was writhing! He was really hurting and she'd just been watching him get tortured for almost half an hour without doing anything!

"Don't worry, dear," Lord Piledriver had soothed, reaching out to run a hand down her hair. "It's almost over. He's almost ready. Just a little more and the real entertainment can--" Autumn's head had snapped back to Suoh at the sound of him crying out, where she'd seen the undeniable sight of fire burning on his head. "There we go," Lord Piledriver had murmured in satisfaction. "Now, let's see how he reacts. Is Poe's plans going to work or is he going to grow violent and tear himself apart?"

It'd been neither. Suoh had just stayed in place, panting heavily while sweat had dripped off of his body until he had finally seemed to notice Poe beside him. His whole attitude had turned into that of a maddened boar. He even had the warning stamps of his hooves with how he clawed at the couch beneath him. She's listened while he'd been taunted by the different clients, slowly coming to understand one thing. Suoh either had to fight or fornicate and he was keeping himself from doing either. Then he'd said the one line that had made Autumn's brain temporarily shut down. It was almost as if he was throwing her words from the elevator back at her, even though she had a strange feeling that Suoh had completely forgotten she was in the room.

"I'm not going to betray Snicker and I don't really want to hurt you, so just get this over with!"

Yet, it had been Lord Piledriver's quiet words that had shocked her into action.

"Too naive," he'd mumbled below the level of where his voice would carry. "If he doesn't focus the energy, it'll feed back into his body and destroy him. That's why Giotto had such trouble harnessing Heaven's Fire for himself. It can be controlled and the instinct suppressed, but he'll probably kill himself trying. Giotto barely managed to survive when he did it. That's the only reason we gifted him with the recipe." Her eyes had widened in shock while she'd blankly stared at Suoh without a clue of what to do. She had known that this was going to be a dangerous party. That's why she'd been offered five grand for just a few hours. No one had mentioned possible death, though! Especially not to Suoh! She considered the guy to be a complete douche, but she didn't want him dead! He came in handy sometimes!

"Ah, that might work," Lord Piledriver had said in response to the other client's comment about someone biting Suoh. "He should lose control when the pain hits him. Looks like Mistress Nadia is hoping for blood sport instead of sex. Not that I can blame her. This should be a pretty good show. A pure-blood versus a spawn of Giotto." He'd been disappointed, though. Autumn had gasped and covered her mouth when Poe had bit into Suoh's arm so deeply that he drew blood. Lord Piledriver and the others had sat up and leaned forward in anticipation at the break, making Autumn wonder what kind of sickos she'd been hired by. Not only had they tortured Suoh, but they were enjoying the sight of him bleeding! When they'd said biting fetish, one usually stopped before the skin broke!

"That's no good," Lord Piledriver had grumbled. "He's still holding on. At this rate, we'll be doing nothing but watching him destroy himself."

"C-Can you stop it?" Autumn asked worriedly.

"Nope," he shrugged. "Unless he starts pouring his energy into a goal, he's doomed. Typically, humans fall back on instinct when they're pushed as far as he's been pushed. That means that right now, there's only the basics on his mind. That's hunger, the instinct to fight, and the instinct to breed. One usually takes over more than the others, which is why Poe set up the night with everyone prepared for an orgy. It looks like he didn't prepare his blood-slave enough or else that one's fighting instinct and hunger are on equal levels with his need to mate. If it's the first case, it's Poe's fault. If it's the second, he just needs a push in the right direction since he's obviously suppressing his fighting instinct."

"Can I try?" Autumn asked once she understood the basics of the drug Suoh had been given.

"Go ahead, dear," he'd grinned. "This should prove just as amusing."

"Lord Pelides?" Poe asked, looking over Suoh's shoulder in order to stare at her as she got to her feet.

"The attendant I requested thinks she can get him in the mood," he called. "Why not let her have a try? I'm starting to get edgy from waiting."

"If that is the Council's wish," he agreed, stepping back completely from Suoh. Suoh looked over his shoulder to see what was going on with an almost feral expression on his face, only to have it replaced with a look of panic when he saw her. She felt her eye twitch at the expression. Suoh owed her, big time.

BIG TIME.

"A-Autumn...?" He asked with his lips trembling around his clenched teeth.

"It's alright," she murmured, knowing that he wouldn't accept what he planned to do if she just bluntly told him. She was definitely going to pay him back for this later. Really! Only Suoh could get himself in the position where he was dead if he didn't get laid. Such facts was exactly why he was so damned irritating. Plans never went according to plan around him! "I just want to give you a little massage," she continued with her most seductive smile. "You look tense."

"What are you doing, Autumn?" He growled, tensing up even more as she pulled the back of his robe down. She froze at the steam that rose up from his body once it was pulled back. One touch was all that was needed to tell that his body was incredibly fevered. It was that more than anything else that made her realize that the whole situation was no game. Lord Piledriver's claims were right. Suoh could die if he kept fighting the drug like he was!

* * *

"What are you doing, Autumn?" Tsuna growled, his body tensing in preparation of a fight. He always fought with Autumn. He didn't expect that now would be any different. He was surprised, though, when she pulled down the back of his robe. The cool air was like a bucket of ice water when it his back. It made him realize that he was still burning up. He'd thought that the fever had broken when his Flame had found release, but it hadn't. It'd just pulled back to a level that his body could handle without being painful. It completely distracted him from Autumn's presence for a moment, making himself completely become overwhelmed with the need to cool off.

The next thing he knew, he was standing naked in front of everyone without so much as his robe on while he continued to pour a bottle of chilled wine over his head. He immediately stopped and looked around, needing to find something, anything, to cover himself with.

Tsuna felt another moment of disorientation when the next moment, he had somehow crossed the room and he had one of the hooker's robes tied around his waist. He had no clue what was going on. He didn't remember even moving. One second, he was sitting on the chaise lounge. The next he was naked and pouring wine over his head. Now he was standing up, having just stripped a hooker of her only garment. He didn't understand! Even worse, he could hear everyone laughing at him. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life!

"Suoh! Stop!" Poe snapped, instantly getting his attention before he could so much as think another thought. "You're letting your needs control you!"

"Let him keep going!" Someone along the walls said around a roar of hysterical laughter. "I want to see what he needs next! He's controlling it better than I thought!"

"No, no," another objected. "Focus him in the right direction so that he'll sit still. We've seen enough of his abilities and I'm dying for a taste!"

"Suoh," Autumn called, making Tsuna look at her while his mind went blank. "Do you need me?" She asked with a seductive smile, loosening the belt on her robe in order to reveal a tantalizing spread of bare flesh.

"Nope," he answered honestly. He grimaced when she put her hands on her hips and let out a disgruntled huff while everyone once more began howling in laughter. It was true, though. He didn't need her like that! At most, he just needed to make her happy--

* * *

"Oh! He succumbed again," someone called out as the strange fire on Suoh's head spasmed again. Once more Autumn rolled her eyes, wondering what stupid act he'd put on this time. She thought that he'd went in the right direction last time, but he'd only wanted the hooker's robe instead of the hooker herself.

"What's going on?" Someone called out curiously, making Autumn realize that Suoh wasn't moving. He was crouched down like he had been the previous two times before he'd swung into action, but he wasn't showing any signs of going anywhere. "Did he lose it already?"

"No," another replied before Autumn could panic. "His Flame is still going. He seems to be waiting on something."

"Lords and Mistresses," Poe called, pulling attention away from Suoh. "If you'll permit?" He said as that woman who'd told her off in the elevator set a brazier up on either side of Suoh.

"Ooh!" One of the clients clapped in excitement. "Yes, use that!"

"What's that?" Autumn mumbled curiously, looking back behind her at Lord Piledriver.

"Just a little aphrodisiac, my dear," he answered with a wide smile. "Things should get pretty interesting. We weren't planning on using that until later, but it should be enough to overwhelm him. In a few minutes, he'll need sex more than anything else. Of course, so will everyone else in the room. Don't worry. It's a special recipe that doesn't show up on orthodox blood screenings. It'll definitely make this a night to remember, though. I'm getting excited all over again."

"Whatever works," she shrugged. "I just wish he'd do something instead of standing there like an idiot."

"What would you like me to do?" Suoh asked, making everyone lurch at the sudden question.

"So that's what he was waiting on!" One of the female clients squealed in laughter. "He got himself stuck!"

"Eh?" Autumn asked without comprehension when everyone stared at her.

"He responded to you, dear," Lord Piledriver explained from behind her. "Ask him what he needs."

"W-What do you need, Suoh?" She asked like ordered.

"I need to make Autumn happy," he replied, his face taking on an expression of bestial focus. Autumn blushed brightly at the words. If that meant what she thought it meant, it meant that he'd do whatever she said if she specified that it'd make her happy.

"Well, how's that for entertainment, Poe?" One of the clients guffawed. "Your blood-slave went and turned slave to a hooker!"

"I still don't understand his train of thought sometimes," Poe smiled as he lit what looked to be charcoal dust in the braziers. Two small pillars of flame shot up before dying down to a dozen hot flickers in the small dishes, each of which began putting out a pungent smoke.

"What are you waiting on, girl?" Lord Piledriver urged. "We don't have to wait on the smoke now. Just tell him that you'd be happy for him to kiss you. He'll figure out what will make you happy from there."

Shit. She'd almost forgotten that she was here as a hired hooker. She'd been thinking about how to phrase it so that he'd give in to someone else, but her own client had just given her an order. Five grand, she reminded herself. She'd done a lot of things for a lot less than five grand. She could definitely sleep with Suoh for five grand. That's all this was. She wasn't going to get paid if her client wasn't satisfied. Whatever was going on with Suoh came second to that. She wasn't trying to help him. She was just working.

Right. Working.

"Kiss me, Suoh," she ordered.

"That wouldn't make you happy," he objected in a guttural voice, sending another roar of laughter through the room while she automatically let out a harsh curse.

"Why do you have to be so damn difficult?!" She blurted in frustration.

"I'm not difficult," he growled.

"Then why won't you kiss me?!"

"Because it wouldn't make you happy."

"Then what would, Mr. Know-It-All?!" She exclaimed, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be getting him to give in.

"I don't know," he answered.

"WHAT?!" She spluttered, feeling like tearing her hair out. "If you don't know what will make me happy, then how do you know that kissing me wouldn't?"

"Vongola hyper-intuition," he answered. "It's in my blood and it tells me that kissing you wouldn't make you happy right now."

"I give up," she gasped, dropping down to sit on the floor in defeat. She was surprised to hear that he had the legendary hyper-intuition of Vongola, but that only made sense since he was a clone of Vongola the Tenth. He'd already told her that much.

"So he has it."

Autumn looked around in surprise when murmurs broke out. From the looks of consideration on the client's faces, it was like something had just been confirmed that they'd been curious about. That wasn't the scary part. The scary part was the looks of hunger that grew once the consideration went away.

"Of course he has it," Poe said nonchalantly. "He has Giotto's mark on his blood. That's why I chose him for tonight's dessert. You'll have to forgive the delays. If I remember correctly, Giotto was just as hard to control."

"Don't fret, Poe," a woman murmured in amusement from the shadows, one of the few voices that hadn't spoken yet. All the other clients in the room seemed to become still at the sound of that singular voice, telling Autumn instantly that she was the powerhouse of the group. "This is proving to be very amusing as it is. You promised entertainment and we have not been let down. I am content."

"You honor me, Mistress Drake," Poe said, bowing his head slightly in respect.

"Are you positive that he is not the real thing?" She asked into the silence. "It would not do well to reveal ourselves to one of Giotto's true spawn."

"He is not," Poe soothed with an uneasy smile. "He is but a discarded clone. His blood bears the mark, but he is not a legitimate successor. More importantly, even if he was, he has consented for his flesh to be taken within the bounds of propriety."

"How much longer?" One of the clients whined when Mistress Drake leaned back into the shadows in satisfaction. "I'm getting hungry again. You're teasing us too much, Poe."

"Hush, Nephriam," Lord Piledriver scolded. Then he paused. "Actually, he looks pretty tame where he is. As long as he's stuck like he is, he shouldn't pose a problem. We won't get the peak that we wanted, but at least we can nibble until the smoke starts working."

"True enough, Lord Pelides," Poe nodded. "As long as he can't figure out what would make Autumn happy, he should be tamed. Feed to your heart's content, my Lord Nephriam."

"That's all I needed to hear," he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Autumn gasped despite herself when he stepped away from the crowd of girls around him and out of the shadows. What the hell was a little boy like that doing in a place like this?! He didn't even look like he'd hit puberty yet!

"Come here, my dear," Lord Pile-- Pelides, she corrected herself, ordered. Autumn nodded and crawled back to her client while staring as the little boy approached Suoh fearlessly. "Let's see how he takes him," the man whispered in her ear.

"T-Takes him?" Autumn replied as the smoke started to spread to their corner of the room.

"Just watch," he ordered, slinging an arm around her shoulder in order to slip a hand under her rob to fondle her. She let him, being long used to what her job as a prostitute entailed. She barely noticed it, finding herself far more concerned with Suoh.

"How's his neck?" The little Lord asked curiously with a glance up at Poe.

"Very satisfying," Poe replied politely from his watchful stance at the door. "You have to be careful not to collapse the vein, but it's well worth it if you can manage. The blood from the muscles in his arm was quite nice, too. His hands weren't that great. Too much trouble and a bit lacking in the flavor department. He typically keeps his hands warm, so the deep flavor is missing by the time it passes through there. I'm afraid I can't give you much more opinion than that. He only recently began accepting his role as a blood-slave. I haven't had much chance to see what his range of flavors are."

"Hmm," he mumbled, patting his lips with a small finger as he walked around behind Suoh. "Let me try here!" In a flash, the boy jumped onto Suoh's back and bit down on the shoulder span above Suoh's collarbone.

"Good choice!" Lord Pelides called with a chuckle as Autumn gasped at the dribble of blood that resulted. Suoh showed no sign of reaction to the bite, however. It was as if he didn't even feel it! She was outraged. What kind of people taught a little boy to bite like that?! Didn't he know that things like that hurt?! She started to reach out in objection, but her client yanked her back and continued his fondling. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to look away from Suoh in order to respond to her client's wishes. From the looks of it, Lord Pelides was getting turned on by the smoke. Not that she could blame him. She could feel her own blood beginning to surge and she knew that it took a lot for her to actually get in the mood. She was simply too disillusioned by sex to enjoy it.

Thank goodness she was a freaking brilliant actress.

Trying to keep her bile down, she returned the slobbering kiss the Lord Pelides laid on her. She turned all of her attention toward satisfying him, right up until the moment that she felt someone hovering over her. Looking up, she squeaked at the sight of Suoh with the kid still lodged on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She squealed when he reached out and grabbed her. Before she knew it, she found herself tossed onto the chaise lounge that Suoh had previously been occupying with him standing firmly between her and her client.

"You were unhappy," he growled as he crouched down at her feet as if preparing himself to pounce. Autumn gaped, unable to believe that he'd come between her and her paycheck so readily.

"Don't worry, dear," Lord Pelides laughed as he reached out for the other girl he'd hired. "Just keep him occupied until the smoke starts to work. I'm perfectly fine."

"What would make you happy?" Suoh asked in a guttural voice while the brat on his shoulder finally pulled his teeth out. Autumn gasped at the blood that flicked toward her for a moment before the kid licked the wound and the blood stopped spurting. In all honesty, she was getting a little freaked out by the blood-play, even though she'd been warned about it. It was one thing to see a stranger agreeing to it, but it was another to see Suoh as the person on the receiving end of it. Especially when he was receiving it from a little kid. She knew that leaving wouldn't make her happy, though, because then she'd lose out on five grand.

"Money," she blurted in sudden insight.

"How much?" He asked.

"Ninety-seven thousand," she answered with a cruel grin, deciding that she'd definitely would be happy if she could get the last of the money she needed in order to win succession.

"Would you be happy getting it later or right now?" He inquired.

"Eh?" She gaped. She'd said that just to screw with him. She hadn't really meant--

"I can go get it right now if it'll make you happy," he explained. "Or if it'd make you unhappy for me to leave right now, I can give it to you later. I have that much at home."

"If he leaves, you'll be in a lot of trouble and you won't get a penny," Poe hissed at her.

"Later is fine," she snapped.

"You're still not happy," he grumbled. "I can tell."

"Well, you can't really expect me to believe you have that much at home," she replied. "I'd be unhappy if you left, but I can't be happy on an empty promise."

"My dear," Mistress Drake called out to her, instantly creating a sea of stillness in the room once more. "Come here."

"Y-Yes," she answered hesitantly, standing up in order to walk to the room's powerhouse.

"You seem like a woman that I can deal easily with," the woman said from the shadows. "It seems that we are at an impasse. As you can see, the smoke is already in full swing." Autumn looked around, realizing that it was true. Everyone in the room was already going at it, although the clients had all paused at Mistress Drakes voice no matter what they were in the middle of doing. The only exceptions were Suoh, Poe, Mistress Drake herself, and Autumn, all of which were feeling the smoke but weren't allowing it control. "It seems that his need to make you happy is even greater than his need to satisfy himself. Poe underestimated him."

"Forgive me, Mistress Drake," Poe murmured in sincere apology. It was an apology that the Mistress absently batted away. She honestly didn't care about the apology. She simply wanted what she wanted and she was tired of waiting.

"You're not in trouble, dear," she soothed, ignoring Poe completely in order to speak to Autumn. "I wish this matter to be resolved, so I am giving you an offer."

"An offer?" Autumn repeated in surprise.

"If money is all it takes to make you happy, then I have plenty of it," she answered, her wide grin gleaming from within the hidden corner of the room. "We both have something that the other wants. You see, I wish to taste the pinnacle of energy from the one trying to please you. In return, I have the money that it would take to make you happy. If you give me what I want, I'll be content to gift you with that which you desire."

"Eh?" Autumn gaped.

"I'll put in in terms that you can understand easier," she said condescendingly. "Give that man an orgasm and I'll pay you ninety-seven thousand. An amount like that is a small price to pay for a rare delicacy like him. I'm sure Poe would have offered first, but my son is a bit stingy when it comes to money."

"Are you serious?" She breathed in disbelief.

"Yes, I am," she smiled. "You should know that I've rented out this whole hotel for the evening and it was my money that provided tonight's entertainments. Poe was just the intermediary since this is his home city."

"Is that true?" She asked, looking at Poe for confirmation.

"Mistress Drake's capital worth is extraordinary," he nodded. "I do believe that the last time I was told, the interest on her main account gave her three hundred thousand a minute just for breathing."

"A-A minute?!" Autumn exclaimed.

"I've had untold years to build my fortune," the woman grinned once more. "A pittance like ninety-seven thousand is nothing. Now, you don't seem like the type to take one at their word, so feel free to hold Poe accountable for the promise should you feel the need. Would that satisfy you?"

"Y-Yes," she gasped. "All I have to do is screw Suoh?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

"Alright!" Spinning in place, Autumn couldn't get the unexpected payoff out of her mind. Just the mere thought of beating out Gabriel so unexpectedly when Gabriel thought he had the upper hand made her happy. And all she had to do was one more job! She'd thought that it'd take a hundred more jobs, but it wouldn't! All she had to do was--

--was screw the biggest jackass in the world. Fuck it. Screw it. She didn't care who it was. It could be a lot worse. She'd screwed hundreds of guys that were worse than Suoh. She'd told herself earlier that she could do it for five grand. Now they were offering her ninety-seven! It was heaven! No more selling herself after this!

"Stand up," she snapped, walking up to where Suoh was crouched down. Suoh stood. "Sit down," she snapped, pointing at the lounge chair. Suoh sat down. She paused for a moment, deciding that this was suddenly too easy. To test it, she sat down on the chair next to him and gave another order. "Kiss me." She choked when he actually kissed her. She'd thought he was just screwing around before, but he really did know whether or not she'd be happy if he did what she said! Fuck. That made this a whole lot harder. Mentally preparing herself with reminders of the ninety-seven thousand, she pulled away in order to give him one final order.

"Use me to satisfy yourself."

"Would that make you happy?"

"Yes!" She yelled at him, keeping the payoff in her mind. The payoff would make her happy. To get the payoff, Suoh had to enjoy himself. It would definitely make her happy for him to get _happy_!

"Alright," he agreed, reaching out to pull her to him. She wanted to do a victory dance, but found herself too busy to manage. Suoh--

Suoh was good, she realized in surprise. His kiss was gentle yet passionate, even while he managed to keep the strange fire on his head from touching her. His touch, when he slipped his hand into her robe, was light yet firm. He didn't grope or fondle her like she was used to. Instead, he gently trailed a hand down the open line of her robe. He actually stayed away from even touching her breasts, which was surprising since it was the first thing that most guys focused on. Because of that, touching her chest had become a major turnoff for her. Yet, Suoh didn't go for them. He didn't go for her rear, either, nor did he dive directly for her crotch. Instead, he traced his finger down her stomach and across her hips before gently coming to a stop with his hand on her thigh. His other hand was placed at the base of her neck with his thumb cupping the side of her cheek, a maneuver she'd enjoyed seeing in dramas but few men had actually used. He didn't move it, either. Where those men that did do it, only did it for only a second in passing before using the hand to grab for something else, Suoh kept it gently in place while he continued to kiss her.

It was the way she'd always wanted to be kissed but no one had ever done it long enough for her to be satisfied, she realized. Such a simple thing, but no guy had ever figured out that such a simple thing could make her happy. She didn't understand it. How could Suoh of all people be the one to figure it out?! He was the most irritating of any male she knew and he'd done it so naturally that it brought tears to her eyes. How could he do this to her?! What happened to that drunken idiot that had slobbered on her in the hallway between their apartments?!

She knew that she had to get control of herself. It was probably just the drugs working on him that was making him like this. No, that didn't make sense. Everyone else around them was acting like animals in heat. Suoh was the only one acting so reserved. Not that he was really being reserved. He just seemed to be in a lot more control than those around them. A glance to the side proved that even Mistress Drake had started to get into the mood. Worst of all, she'd gotten into the mood with Poe!

Not good! Not good at all! At this rate, she'd lose control just like everyone else. It was taking everything she had in order to hold back already. Suoh wasn't helping, either. Not when he was refraining from doing anything would turn her off while also doing everything to turn her on. She'd thought it was impossible. She knew better than anyone how touchy she was, yet Suoh was navigating around her likes and dislikes like he had a map! That wasn't good at all! It left her cursing inside. The reason was simple. She knew that no man could satisfy her. She had to keep control in order to satisfy herself! If this kept up--

If this kept up, it'd be no different than being with a client. It was that thought that made her gasp. What the hell was she thinking? Satisfying herself? Now wasn't the time to think of something like that! The whole purpose was to get Suoh going! Suoh _was _a client! If she satisfied him, she got paid. End of story. Sheesh. She'd almost forgotten what she was doing for a minute. Suoh seemed so determined to get her in the mood that he'd actually started to manage with the help of the drugs.

Now that she was back in her right mind again, she purposely shut off her own feelings in the matter just like she did with her clients. She wasn't here to have a good time. She was here to get paid. The faster that Suoh was satisfied, the faster her client would be satisfied, which meant that she could be satisfied financially.

The moment that she thought that, Suoh lost his magic touch. She squeaked in surprise when he swung her around and pinned her to the lounge chair with a much harder kiss than she preferred. Not that she cared. From the protrusion digging into her leg, she could tell that Suoh was getting into it. Thanks to the drugs, she knew that it wouldn't be horrible no matter how he took her. It might not be what she preferred, but it wouldn't be bad.

With that in mind, she went to work in order to earn her money. Suoh was nothing to her at the moment. He was neither friend nor Family. He was simply a client. Personal feelings were automatically shut out. Her own preferences were shut out. The only thing that mattered was satisfying him as a simple, pig-headed man. Especially once he started showing his true colors. One of his hands flew up to her chest while another slid under her to cup her rear. She panicked for a moment on that, hoping that he remembered that she was a woman. Then she shut even that thought down. It didn't matter. It wouldn't be the first time that she'd taken it there, although it'd be the first that she did it outside of a group date.

Even as a typical male, she had to admit that Suoh was a step up. He might have still went for her tits and her ass, but he wasn't fondling them in a grotesque way. He wasn't playing with them without a clue of what to actually do, either. On top of that, even though he was harder with his touch, she couldn't really say that he was rough. Instead, he seemed to give off a needy vibe. It was as if he was starved and she was the buffet. Even so, he didn't try to gobble her down like an idiot. What he was doing was methodically caressing her while trying to devour her lips. Then he pulled down her robe and began devouring her shoulders. Her chest. Her stomach. Her legs.

By the time he absently discarded his own robe, she had to admit that she was being affected by the thick smoke in the room. No matter what Suoh did, she started enjoying herself even if it wasn't what she preferred. She knew it had to be the smoke, because she'd never gotten so hot without being on top before. Her skin started trembling under Suoh's touch and gasping under his lips. She could feel her own body beginning to produce sweat, something that she couldn't remember happening before during simple foreplay.

Abruptly, the foreplay ended. She could tell it ended because of how Suoh positioned himself between her legs. He was straddling the open end of the lounge chair with her legs thrown around his hips. Even then, he didn't stop, though. His hands and lips continued to run rampant despite his intention to enter. Within one moment and the next, he had already slipped inside her, telling her that she was beginning to lose track of the situation. The smoke was simply making it feel too good. The situation only got worse as he began to thrust inside her. Even in this, he was a step up from normal horny jackasses. He was one of the few that'd managed to realize the reason why locomotives were used so much in sexual insinuations. It wasn't about thrusting forward, it was about the chugging roll of the hips in order to stimulate more than just one spot.

He had potential. That was the only thing that she could think of while he thrust inside her, edging them both toward climax at a terrifyingly quick rate. He was doing better than most men, even though he'd turned into a self-satisfying lout. She wasn't unhappy over it. Far from it. The faster he got off, the faster she got paid. It wasn't as if she was sleeping with Suoh for fun. Having enough of the smoke in her system that she was actually enjoying it was just a bonus. It made it into a bearable experience.

She opened her eyes when Suoh's rhythm was thrown off for a third time in a row. It was then that the bearable experience turned into a horrifying one. Suoh was still moving, but his body was covered in blood! It wasn't hard to see why, either, when the source of the main wound was still lodged in his neck. Even as she stared, another person came forward and ripped his hand free of her hip in order to bite down on his forearm. They-- They weren't being gentle. They were biting down on him hard enough to draw blood! It was running down the wound in his neck and a wound in his side. It was welling up around the weirdo's lips that was biting down on his arm.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed when they pulled him from her completely in order to drag him toward a darkened corner of the room. Her whole body was trembling at the edge of climax, but that was the last thing on her mind. She was used to being disappointed in bed. On the other hand, they were injuring Suoh!

"Be quiet," someone hissed. "If you interfere, they'll bite you to death." Autumn sat up and turned in place to see Poe hovering over her. She stared up at him in shock, understanding that the threat wasn't a joke. These people seriously liked biting.

"But they're biting Suoh to death!" She replied in a harsh whisper.

"No, they're not," he replied. "All of the bites are superficial wounds. It just looks bad because they're being a little messy. Not that I can blame them. The smell is starting to get to even me."

"Smell? What the hell are you talking about?"

"The smell of his blood," he answered with an almost feral grin. "Right now, it's stronger than even the smoke. You did well, Autumn. You built up his energy quite nicely. Now be quiet until they're finished. They'll want you to finish the job once they're satisfied."

"Satisfied?!" She gaped. "What the hell is wrong with you people?!"

"Nothing," he answered with a glare. "Now be silent or you can forget your payoff. This is why Suoh is here. You'll only cause him harm if you interfere." Autumn could only stare at him, unbelieving that this was the real entertainment that Suoh had agreed to. Only an idiot would agree-- Never mind. Suoh _was _an idiot. Still, she felt that she had to do something. If they kept up like they were-- "Nadine, start clearing out the ones that have already been bitten," Poe hissed, speaking to the girl from the elevator once more. "Their room numbers should be on their bracelets. Tend to their bites, as well."

"Yes, Lord Poe," Nadine replied with a small bow of her head. At the words, Autumn looked around in order to notice one important thing. Other than her and the clients, no one was moving. Everyone that she'd entered with were slumped over or sprawled out on the floor. Absolutely none of them were moving.

"W-W-What--?"

"That's why I said Suoh would be fine," Poe answered before she could begin to panic. "Don't worry. They're all perfectly fine. Most of them just fainted. They'll be back to normal in time. Most of the Council got tired of waiting and filled what room they'd saved back on the spares I bought. Thanks to that, they're just tasting Suoh instead of actually devouring him. His unique energy is the only thing that they're actually eating."

"E-Eating?" Autumn repeated, staring into the mass of people writhing on top of him. He had people on his arms and his legs, along with multiple people on his sides and one person still at his back. Suoh's head was rolled back onto the should of the person lodged in his neck, showing neither expression or feeling. It was horrifying. Even as she watched, one or two people broke off with blood covering their jaws and crawled away in satisfaction. They patted their stomachs with wide, bestial smiles while others who were waiting took up the abandoned spots. It made Autumn want to scream for them to stop, but fear kept her silent. She stayed silent in the fear-filled knowledge that they'd turn on her if she tried to stop them. She didn't have any weapons on her. She didn't have enough skill to take on such a large mob. She didn't have the courage to raise her voice like she knew she should.

It made her ashamed. Suoh was Family, but she was too scared to do anything to help him. She couldn't protect him. She'd done this so that she could make enough money to win succession, but her inability to do anything made her wonder if maybe Gabriel would be a better Boss. Gabriel would have stood up and done something by now, yet she couldn't do a thing. All she could do was sit there in fear-struck shock while she continued to watch Suoh's blood flow.

Once more, everything stopped at the sound of one person's voice.

"Bring him here," Mistress Drake ordered. The mass of people jumped away from Suoh in a rush as Poe stepped forward to answer the order. Autumn could only watch while covering her mouth to keep herself from getting sick. Suoh was covered in blood. There was simply too much of it and it was all his own. He didn't look capable of even moving, let alone standing up and walking over to her. Yet, he did. At Poe's guidance, he got to his feet and took one step after another in the direction of Mistress Drake. "I thought so," she murmured when Suoh fell to a stop before her after shuffling past Autumn without even looking at her. "You're still controlling it. Since when?"

"Since Autumn became happy with the offer you gave her," he answered in a guttural rumble, instantly getting the undivided attention of everyone in the room. The ones that had been biting him looked at him in shock while Autumn gaped. She could put two and two together. The fact that he hadn't responded to her combined with his answer meant that he'd been controlling himself all along. He... He hadn't had to sleep with her! He could have stopped!

"Why didn't you stop?" Mistress Drake asked in amusement.

"Because that would have made her unhappy," he replied tiredly. "I figured I'd make everyone happy by giving them what they wanted. Are you not satisfied?"

"You would go so far to satisfy us?" She asked with a smile twitching along her lips. "Does it not hurt?"

"It hurts," he groaned.

"Then why?"

"Letting down my friends would hurt more," he answered while wobbling on his feet. "If I can help them or make them happy, I figured that I should."

"Mistress," Poe interjected quietly. "He's getting close to his limits."

"Very well," Mistress Drake sighed. "We'll continue this discussion at a later time. Come here, Giotto's mirror. You, too, girl. I want the best that he has to offer."

"Eh?" Autumn gaped when every eye turned toward her while Suoh stumbled forward into the woman's reach. Before she could do more than gasp, Poe grabbed her by her arm and flung her down at Suoh's feet.

"Finish the job," he hissed. "Or do you not want to get paid?"

Shaking with indecision, Autumn looked up with wide eyes to see that Suoh was sitting in Mistress Drake's lap with his legs spread. The woman, the one person that Autumn thought was sane in the room, proved that she was no different from the rest as she swiped a finger through the blood trails on Suoh's chest before sticking the wet fingers in her mouth. It was sickening. It was disgusting. Even worse, she knew by the woman's gesture about what she was expected to do. The only thing was that Autumn didn't know what she wanted to do. She couldn't decide.

"Stop thinking about it, Autumn," Suoh mumbled from above her. "We're strangers right now. What would you do if you didn't know who I was?" Autumn flinched. She knew exactly what she'd do. She'd do what the woman wanted without a second thought in order to get the job done and get her payoff. Strangers weren't her problem. The problem was that Suoh wasn't a stranger, no matter what he claimed.

"Hurry up," Poe hissed, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "The longer you take, the longer he's going to be in pain." Autumn clenched her teeth at the words. Poe was right. She wasn't helping Suoh by becoming a momentary prude. She'd done worst things in her life than suck someone off. So what if he was a friend? It just meant that she needed to be working faster instead of stalling.

With that in mind, she crawled forward and got to work. Suoh gasped the moment her lips touched his tip, obviously still sensitive from having come so close previously. Seeing that, she set to finishing the job properly. It was shocking to her, but she knew that she wasn't doing it just for the sake of her paycheck. Suoh was hurting and they'd finally given her a way to intervene. She put more effort into bringing him to climax than she'd ever put into her activities in the past. In her own mind, it was her way of making up for not having done anything for him when she'd thought that he'd been in trouble.

She could tell that she was succeeding, too. Suoh moaned with every stroke of her lips across his sensitive flesh until he was slippery with her saliva. She teased him with her tongue as she went, increasing both her pace and the amount of stimulation she gave him. He gasped when she momentarily freed him long enough to pull of the ring that some idiot had put on him. Then she dived again, encasing his tip with a soft suck before taking him whole. She could taste herself on him. She could taste the sweat on him. She could taste the flecks of blood on him. All of the flavors swirled around her mouth, giving her absolutely no idea of what he actually tasted like. His hands reached out by instinct and entangled itself into her hair, occasionally clutching as if begging for more.

Suoh let out a sharp gasp as he climaxed, spilling over into her mouth. She pulled back almost instantly, working him with her hand while she spat out his essence onto the trailing end of her robe. It was an iron rule that she refused to swallow unless the client specified otherwise and she wasn't going to change that even for Suoh. Especially not for Suoh. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to give any reaction to his orgasm other than the single, quiet gasp that he'd emitted. She supposed that he was used to keeping quiet since he and Snicker lived with so many people. Still, she'd expected something a little more exciting. He wasn't even giving so much as a tremble or a thrust in her hand as she pumped him hard and slow to ensure that she'd milked him completely.

She figured out why when his hand fell off her head. Curious, she finally looked up at his face, only to find him staring blankly into thin air and the strange fire on his head was missing. Mistress Drake was embedded into a previously unbitten spot at the base of his neck. She wasn't sure if it was because of the angle or just a sudden epiphany, but Autumn stared at the teeth buried in Suoh's skin. Then she slowly stared at his other wounds. They were all the same. Everywhere that blood was leaking was a single puncture wound. Puncture, not a tearing bite wound. At least, not a bite wound from human teeth. The only place that wasn't leaking was the one under Mistress Drake's mouth.

"You've finally figured it out, little girl," Mistress Drake gasped as she pulled her fangs free with a loud squelch. More blood pooled up and began to pour down Suoh's chest from the wound, drawing Autumn's eyes away from her expression of unholy satisfaction. "What do you think? It's not every day that you see vampires feed. Such tasty food he is, too."

"I-I... uh..." Autumn panted heavily feeling as if she was already running for her life even though she hadn't yet moved. "I think vampires are messy eaters," she blurted, her mouth working outside control of her mind. She was too shocked to actually think. As always, her instincts kicked in at such a time and age-old defensive measures kicked in. "I mean, just look at him. He's got more blood on him than you all probably ate... o'shit." Autumn gasped and cringed backward when Mistress Drake released Suoh from her arms and he fell discarded to the floor at her side. "I.. uh...I didn't mean to insult you," she apologized hastily crawling backward as the vampire stood and began advancing on her. "It was just a joke! I really don't think you were messy. You were just... um... shit--" She gasped when she couldn't think of anything to say to save herself right as she rammed into the restraining arms of two other vampires.

"S-St...op..." A voice croaked from behind them. Mistress Drake paused, standing erect from where she'd begun to lean down for Autumn. Autumn's eyes widened at the sight of Suoh trying to get to his feet with Poe's wide-eyed help. "D-Do...n't... eat... her... pl...please. I... I can... g...give... mo... more... if..."

"Stop it, Suoh," Poe hissed. "You're already at your limits. You shouldn't even be standing."

"N-No.." He gasped slowly, taking a heavy step forward while Autumn shuddered in her captor's grips. She was scared. She'd never been so terrified in her life. Was she going to end up like one of those others that had already been sucked dry and dragged out of the room? She didn't want that! She wanted to get out of here! She didn't want them to bite her! This wasn't worth the money! No one had told her about there being vampires! The thought of such creatures terrified her so badly that hot tears began running down her face before they could even well up in her eyes. "A-Aut...tumn... she...she's my... friend. P-Pl...Please. Let... Let... her... go. I... I... can... g...give... more... in...stead..."

"You would go so far for her?" Mistress Drake asked, ignoring Autumn completely where she was feebly struggling in numerous vampiric grips.

"Yes," he answered, dragging his feet forward to stand before the head vampire. Autumn wanted to scream for him to run, but her voice was lodged in her throat. All she could do was silently weep while trying to twist her arms loose.

"Would you even let me suck you dry?" Mistress Drake asked with a cruel smile covering her face.

"Mistress--!" Poe gasped in objection.

"Silence!" She roared, her voice momentarily stopping even Autumn's tears with the simple tone of command she used. "Would you become outcaste over such a worthless being by denying me, Poe?"

"O-Of course not," Poe answered hurriedly. "It's just that he's such a rare vintage and--"

"All the more reason to savor him to the last drop," she interrupted before turning back to Suoh. "So, boy? What's your answer?"

"Yes," he murmured, silencing everyone with not only the simple answer, but the tears that began falling with it. Even Autumn's shaking subsided in shock, watching as tears began creating rivulets in the blood matting his chest. Then he looked at her and smiled. Autumn could only stare wide-eyed in return. There were fires in his eyes as if the fire on his head had become hidden in his body and were shining through the two small windows. "N-Not... a...again..." he panted with a mysteriously saddened expression. "A-Any... thing... but... that..."

"Let the girl go," Mistress Drake ordered. Autumn gasped as the hands let go of her and Mistress Drake gave her a single command. "Shoo." Terrified, she didn't stick around to argue. Scrambling to her feet, she mindlessly ran for the elevator and hit the call button. She tapped it repeatedly until the damned doors finally opened, after which she ran inside and hit the button for the first floor with plans to flee the building. She yanked her robe back up around her shoulders and tied it shut, already trying to think of what she was going to do after that. She knew what she was going to do. She was going to go get her daddy and have the Family exterminate some monsters. Suoh was a lost cause, but--

She let out a shriek when a hand reached in the closing doors of the elevator and pushed them open. Before she could panic even more, Poe jumped inside with Suoh in his arms. Instead of hitting the same button she had, he hit one for a different floor. She felt a lot more confident once it was one-on-one, although she waited for the doors to shut before acting. The moment that they were alone, she flew into motion.

"Let him go!" She screamed aiming her ringed fist straight at the man's temple. "Oh shit," she gasped when he stopped her hand instantly and gave her a cold look that sent tremors through her once more.

"Fr...Friends...not...f...fight..."

"Suoh!" She yelped at the sound of his voice. Yanking her arm free of Poe's grip, she looked over at where Suoh was being held up against Poe's chest with one arm. "Are you alive?" She asked hesitantly. He didn't look alive. His eyes were barely cracked open and she could see that they were rolled back in his head. The skin on his face seemed to have lost all it's color and she could barely tell that he was breathing.

"N...Not... a...g...ain..."

"He's delirious, but alive," Poe murmured as the elevator doors opened. Reaching down, he scooped up Suoh's fallen legs and darted into the hallway. Autumn gave chase, unwilling to let Suoh stay in the vampire's clutches. She'd failed as a Boss before, but she wasn't going to again!

"Where are you taking him?!" She exclaimed as the Nadine woman lurched out of a hotel room door.

"Everything is ready Lord Poe," she called as Poe started walking even faster.

"Answer me!" Autumn shouted, hating how she was being ignored more than anything.

"Shut up!" He snapped back as she followed him into the hotel room. "I'm going to fix Suoh, but I can't do that with you fucking yelling at me. Either keep quiet or get lost! Nadine--!"

"I'll get the bandages ready," she exclaimed in a rush as she slammed the door shut. "Who bad is it?"

"Worst than my hopes and better than my nightmares," he growled as he kicked the door to the bathroom open and went inside with Suoh still in his arms. Autumn followed him inside in order to find a steaming bath that Poe callously dumped Suoh into. Suoh didn't even react to the heat nor did he move to save himself as his head sagged below water level for a moment before Poe tilted his head back.

"What can I do to help?" She asked, seeing that Poe was actually trying to help him. The water was already thick with his blood, which only made her realize how dangerous this was. Diluting the clots on his skin couldn't possibly be a good thing.

"Get me a towel," he ordered as he started pulling Suoh out of the tub already, completely ignoring how he was soaking himself in the process. Autumn grabbed the first one that came to hand and ran forward at the same time that Nadine reappeared with a huge first-aid kit. "Spread it out on the floor then get out of the way," he snapped. Uncaring of his superior attitude, Autumn did like she was told. Poe laid Suoh carefully down on it the moment that it was spread enough to keep Suoh from catching a chill on the floor. After that, she was stuck backing away to watch helplessly.

Suoh looked horrible. He'd been bitten countless times and she could see all of it now that most of the blood had been quickly washed away with the dip in the water. There were three on each arm. He had bites running down his legs and up on his thighs. His hips and his sides had even been punctured, as had his chest muscles, his shoulders, and his neck. There were simply too many to count. The one that made her cringe was the one around his nipple and the missing barbell that was normally running through it.

"Damnit," Poe hissed as he looked him over. "This is worse than I thought. The blood was covering most of it."

"I thought that he was just supposed to be the after-dinner tidbit," Nadine gasped as she started taping bandages down over the wounds that weren't leaking. Autumn covered her mouth in horror when she saw the reason for the choice to patch those first. Poe... Poe was licking the wounds that were still oozing. His lower jaw was already covered in blood.

"He was," he growled between licks. "They weren't satisfied with one bite each--Damnit!" Poe snarled as Suoh started shaking while Autumn continued to stand back without a clue of what to do. She'd been training to be a nurse, but she didn't know how to deal with something like this! She'd just been doing rounds for checkups and giving occasional shots! This was ER type stuff, not colds and flu like she dealt with! "Go grab a cover and a pillow!" He yelled at her. "If this keeps up, he's going to go into shock!"

Autumn scrambled for the bedroom. In less than ten seconds, she was back with the pillows and blankets from the bed in her arms. Her training started to come back to her and she stuffed the pillows under his legs, stacking them as high as they could go. Nadine had pulled off one of the strange bracelets on Suoh's wrists and was in the process of injecting him with something. Poe was still licking the wounds and Autumn finally noticed that the bleeding would simply stop after only one or two strokes of his tongue. His legs were the first to get quickly patched, afterward Poe directed Autumn into covering him up as he moved upward while gesturing for her to pull off his anklets. She did, going one step farther in chafing his feet in order to help his circulation.

He was cold and unmoving, making Autumn panic internally.

"Give him an transfusion," he ordered, obviously talking to Nadine. "Autumn, take over for her on the bandages. We've got to hurry, his heartbeat is getting slower. He-- Shit."

"What's wrong?" Autumn gasped when Poe froze completely in his frenzied movements. Instead of answering, he threw off his trench coat and held out his wrist. Recognizing the motion from movies, she reached out to stop him. "Don't!" She cried. "Suoh doesn't want to be a vampire!"

"Shut up," he growled as he slashed a nail across his vein. "I can't turn him, even if I wanted to."

"Lord Poe..." Nadine murmured, staring in shock as Poe lowered his wrist down to Suoh's lips while he open and closed his fist to get the blood flowing.

"If it can save him, then so be it," Poe said solemnly. "It's my fault that he's come here. I underestimated the Council's bloodlust or else they underestimated their own hunger. They're nothing more than uncaring beasts trying to hold onto a world lost ages ago. Most vampires are nothing more than humans with a disease, yet they hold onto their barriers of race. I'd have nothing to do with them if it was permitted, but I have no wish to become outcaste. I know what they did to Uric's lands. I won't have them send the Phlegm to destroy this city, as well. One warning was enough."

"I can't believe that you're a pure-blood," Nadine mumbled. She instantly slapped her hands over her mouth with a blush and hurriedly focused every ounce of her attention on the blood infusion that Poe had ordered.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Poe replied as he looked down to see how Suoh was faring. "Nadine. I'm going to ask you to leave now. Suoh is my blood-slave and I wish to deal with him alone from here." Nadine nodded and got up in order to leave while Autumn looked Suoh over in worry. He was still showing no signs of reaction to the blood nor was his breathing getting any stronger. He simply lay in place while Autumn continued to place bandages over each of his wounds. Then Poe did something curious. He pulled off Suoh's eye patch and forced his eyelid open. "Mukuro," he said, speaking into the eye as if it would talk back. "I know that you can see me. I screwed up and I'm not afraid to admit it. If you can keep your presence hidden, I'm not too ashamed to beg for your help. Suoh is far more important than my pride."

"Mu..."

"That's it, Suoh," Poe encouraged as Autumn paused at Suoh's sharp exhale.

"He shouldn't talk," Autumn hissed.

"Shut up," Poe snapped in return. "There are things in this world that people like you could never hope to understand."

"..ku..."

"Keep it up," Poe urged. "You can do it, Suoh. Initiate the pact."

"...ro..."

Autumn let out a sharp curse at the strange wind that whipped through the room, sending a chill down her spine. She didn't understand it, but Suoh's breathing instantly got better. His skin seemed warmer, too.

"About time, you foul hell spawn," Suoh growled, showing none of the weakness that he'd had previously. "I should send you back--mph--"

"Drink first," Poe snapped, shoving his wrist down over Suoh's open mouth. "Suoh was too weak to take it properly. You can send me back to hell later. Don't give me that look, I've been inoculated. Just take it so that it can start working."

"W-What...?" Autumn gaped as Suoh started sucking on the wrist with a sudden strength that he hadn't had before. He'd looked like he was on the edge of dying a moment ago and he was suddenly fine! Well, not fine, but better!

"I got him to summon his keeper," Poe answered with a crooked grin. "Mukuro is keeping Suoh's insides confused with illusions until the blood transfusion and my transfusion can get to work. He should have called him earlier, but I just realized that Suoh was probably holding back because I told him not to let Mukuro show himself tonight. I just hope that those upstairs don't feel his presence."

"That's enough," Suoh gasped, pulling his blood-drenched lips away from Poe's wrist. "He's already risking a change with that much."

"I told you, I've been inoculated," Poe replied as he licked his own wrist to stop the bleeding.

"Which keeps healthy people from becoming carriers when they're infected," Suoh growled. "Does Suoh look particularly healthy at the moment?"

"Shit," Poe cursed. "I didn't think about that. How is he?"

"He's delirious," Suoh growled. "A memory fragment broke loose again. He remembered his wife's murder thanks to your disgusting blood games."

"H-His wife?" Autumn choked. "What--? What's going on?"

"Suoh has more trauma in his short life than a pathetic human like you could ever hope to understand," Suoh snarled, making her doubts completely disappear. This definitely wasn't Suoh talking. It had to be some sort of split personality that she hadn't known about.

"Can you make him forget again?" Poe interjected worriedly. "You said before that Suoh is supposed to be resting from all of that. He won't be able to if he remembers."

"I don't think so," he replied with a glare up at Poe. "It broke loose while outside of my control. I can't recover it without taking more of his memories along with that fragment. Prepare yourself to take the consequences. The memory wasn't a pleasant one and he won't understand why he made the choice that he did. It was your screw-up, so it's your responsibility to deal with it."

"I'll do my best," Poe soothed with a pained flinch. "This night didn't go anything like planned."

"So I saw," he murmured. "There were a few other shards that scattered with the main break. He'd still oblivious to his past, but I haven't completely been able to do damage control yet. There might be other shards big enough for him to notice."

"Why did you keep him from hearing he had a son?" Poe asked quietly while Autumn simply sat and listened in flabbergasted shock.

"You're a fool," he replied. "That is the one thing that he must not find out about. If he were to, there would be nothing I could do to keep him from shattering his own mind. Without the memories in my keeping and those that I'm still searching for, he would break himself by trying to piece together the pieces that he still has. His bond with his son was something powerful enough that he would destroy himself in trying to respond to the mere memory of it. I would not have that. Remember our bargain, hell spawn. If you fail me but once, I will send you back to hell where you belong."

"I won't fail," he soothed with a smile. "But you better keep your promise. I want to be human when this is over."

"Keep putting Suoh in these situations and I'll push you into the lake instead of taking you through the Hidden Gates," Suoh countered with a feral grin. "Now, pick him up and carry him into the bedroom. This floor is quite uncomfortable."

"Sure, sure," Poe chuckled. "You know... For a Gatekeeper, you're almost bearable."

"For a vampire, you're a step below loathsome," he grumbled.

"You're just jealous because you want to be one," Poe laughed as he picked Suoh up.

"It's tempting," he admitted quietly, making Poe pause in the middle of a step. "If I could get Suoh to agree, I find myself not quite as disgusted by the idea."

"Was that why you agreed to this tonight?" Poe asked solemnly. "You were hoping someone would slip up or that he might accidentally get turned?"

"It was a thought," Suoh murmured.

"Callous as always, Mukuro. Do you really think he'd be happy with this curse? Suoh is the type of person that hurts when he takes from others. It would destroy him to have to feed."

"He is stronger than you know. Suoh's taken countless lives in his past. More importantly, who said he'd ever need to feed off of the unwilling? I could return to him eternally."

"Oh?" Poe asked as he carried Suoh into the bed and Autumn belatedly brought the covers to wrap around him once more. "And here I expected you to want to become one beside him. Instead, you'd try to be his eternal blood-slave?"

"Meeting is the best part," he replied with a small smile. "For him to eternally be searching for me, I find there to be a certain amount of poetic justice to the thought."

"I take back what I said," Poe growled as he threw the covers over Suoh's bandaged body. "You are the cruelest, most foul being that I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. To damn him over something that happened in a past life is too cruel."

"Ah," he smiled in amusement. "So word of my plight was gossip even among your kind."

"More than gossip, you foul demon," he spat. "There were people that wrote novels and epic tragedies about you two. Ylas talked about it almost constantly back when I still had access to Hell's Mirror. You're much more of a twisted bastard than he ever told me, though."

"Ylas always was more angel than devil," he chuckled. "I believe our dialog has went far enough. Suoh is beginning to come around and his blood is already strengthening. Ensure that the whore knows the meaning of silence. I must go. Whether my plan failed or succeeded is still to be determined and it is Suoh's battle to fight. Not mine."

"Wait. What?" Poe gasped.

"Kufufufufu," he laughed. "You'll see soon enough."

* * *

Omake:

Ashes: Why am I doing this?

Xanxus: Because you miss our asses.

Ashes: True. It's harder to write without all of you than I thought, but I'm managing. I wonder how people are liking it so far.

Xanxus: They'd like it better if you'd get to writing another chapter instead of this bullshit.

Ashes: But I'm scared of writing the next chapter. What should I do? I accidently wrote Tsuna into a corner!

Xanxus: What the fuck are you planning this time? You better not be thinking about turning Tsuna into a fucking blood-sucker!

Ashes: Are you scared?

Xanxus: Fuck no!

Ashes: You're lying.

Xanxus: Fuck off. No I'm not!

Ashes: Would you like me to make him into a werewolf?

Xanxus: NO!

Ashes: Why's that?

Xanxus: Dumbass! Wolves go into heat!

Ashes: So, you are scared.

Xanxus: Shut up, you fucking scum! Vampires and Werewolves aren't real!

Ashes: Then why are you scared?

Xanxus: I'M NOT FUCKING SCARED!

Ashes: So how are things on your end? How's Vongola doing?

Xanxus: How the fuck should I know? I'm retired. Go write Hibari's chapter if you want to know that.

Ashes: You retired? Like, completely?

Xanxus: Yeah. My therapist told me to. She's a fucking witch.

Ashes: I bet you miss Tsuna, don't you?

Xanxus: Where did I put that rum?

Ashes: Don't worry, Xanxus. There's always hope for the future.

Xanxus: Yeah right. You've written how many chapters without me? I thought I was your second favorite character!

Ashes: I'll see if I can squeeze you into Hibari's chapter, but no promises. I might forget when I finally get there. You know how I like to deviate.

Xanxus: How much fucking longer? I'm getting bored waiting around for Tsuna to remember us. I need some damn ACTION!

Ashes: Calm down! Soon enough! First, I got to see how people react to this chapter! I wasn't planning on adding so much vampire stuff into the story, but it kind of just swung that way. I don't know if people are liking it or not. Plus, I've got to decide if Tsuna should stay human, Vampire, or if I should twist him in some unexpected fashion.

Xanxus: Probably the last one. You're a crueler witch than even Lilith.

Ashes: First name basis, are we? Hmmmm.

Xanxus: SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'm just killing time!

Ashes: Sure you are.

Xanxus: You're dead meat, you trash. Prepare yourself.

Ashes: Crap. Later!


	37. Chapter 37 Itadakimasu

He remembered.

He remembered everything about Kyoko's murder. He'd been there. He'd sat there and watched it happen. He hadn't done anything to stop it. Why hadn't he done anything to stop it? Had he been that much of a monster? Had he really become so much of a monster that he'd been capable of sitting back and merely watching as they'd raped and beaten his beloved Kyoko? He'd heard her screams. He'd heard her pleas. He's listened to her terrified voice but he hadn't lifted a finger to help her. Even...

Even when they'd cut off her head, he'd merely sat there. He couldn't remember what he was thinking at the time and he had no clue what his reasons were, but he'd just sat there like a cold-hearted bastard. Was he really capable of that kind of thing? Was he really capable of doing nothing in the face of his most precious person being hurt?! What kind of No-Good loser was he?!

_Stop thinking about it, my pet_, Mukuro-sama ordered. _You cannot change the past_.

"But Kyoko..." he murmured painfully. He'd gotten sick as soon as he'd woken up with the memory bright in his mind. That had been expected. What hadn't been expected was that he couldn't find it in himself to cry. It scared him. To remember such a horrific thing and not feel anything over it made him wonder what kind of monster he really was. He'd just sat in dumb shock after that while the memory replayed in his head over and over again. "It hurts and my stomach twists, but why can't I cry, Mukuro-sama? Kyoko's dead and I can't cry!"

_You've already accepted it_, he answered quietly. _That was two years ago and you've faced the same memory countless times since then. You've already cried enough, my dearest_.

"I've already faced it...?" Tsuna asked slowly. Then understanding dawned on him. "Oh. The dreams. Was this what I couldn't remember?"

_You weren't ready to remember_, he murmured. _You probably still weren't ready, but all the blood you saw last night forced it to come loose. One trauma has summoned the memory of another_.

"What am I supposed to do, Mukuro-sama?" He inquired quietly.

_Nothing, _he replied simply_. You cannot change the past. You can only continue to live your life in the fashion you chose. You have already accepted her tragic end and mourned. It is enough, my dearest._

"It doesn't feel right," he mumbled. "How am I supposed to--"

"Suoh...? Is that you?"

"Good morning, Autumn," he replied with a forced smile that he managed to keep up for only a few seconds. Autumn looked at him for a moment as she sat up in the oversized hotel bed with a yawn. "Do I want to ask why you were sleeping next to me?"

"Someone had to keep an eye on you last night," she grumbled in return. "And Poe wouldn't let me leave."

"Try again," he countered without moving from his padded chair. "You realized that there was vampires in the building, you were scared out of your wits, and Poe wouldn't let you leave last night."

"H-How--?" She gaped.

"Lucky guess," he shrugged. "You're not the type to stick around because I got a few wounds."

"D-Do you remember anything about last night?" She asked hesitantly.

"Not a thing," he answered with a wide smile. "After I drank the stuff Poe gave me, I blacked out." It was a lie and he knew it. He remembered almost everything. There were a few parts that were fuzzy toward the end, but he knew what part Autumn wanted to know about. He'd be damned if he'd let her know that he remembered. If he remembered, she'd hold it against him. He still wasn't quite sure what he was thinking. He was going to have a hard time facing Snicker now. He really had cheated, even though it'd been because Autumn had gotten an unreasonably large sum of money. It was a sum of money that she'd obviously needed and wanted. It was a sum of money that she wouldn't have gotten without his agreement to go along with everything. It was a sum of money that he wouldn't have to loan her now.

He'd seen how everything had been going. He'd realized that he had been hurting Poe by denying his instincts. He'd been making Poe look bad in front of his own kind. So, he'd decided to just keep his mouth shut and do what they all wanted. He thought he'd made the right choice. Everyone had won that way. It'd hurt like hell when they'd bitten him. It'd taken everything he had not to scream out or react. There were a few moments that he'd blacked out from the need not to feel the pain. In the end, he thought that they'd all been satisfied, however.

"I... uh... I didn't do anything embarrassing last night, did I?" He asked, knowing that he had.

"Nope," she blurted. "Those vampires just bit you a little and then let you go."

_Liar_, Tsuna grumbled in his head. He didn't say it, however. It was the answer he wanted because it meant that he could pretend that the previous night hadn't happened. If Autumn was going to keep her mouth shut about it, then so be it. He hadn't slept with her because he wanted to anyway. Admittedly, he'd gotten off because of her. Snicker was better in bed, though. Autumn had just satisfied him because the smoke had made him enjoy it.

"Do me a favor and don't tell anyone about last night," he mumbled. "Snicker and everyone would probably be upset if they knew how many times I'd gotten bitten. No one I knew was supposed to be there and Poe promised that the bites would be gone by the time I went back home."

"I signed a contract not to talk about it," Autumn snapped as she jumped out of the bed. "So, I should be the one telling you that since you're the one talking about it. Since we are talking about it, though... Why the hell were you there?!"

"Because Poe is my friend," he answered simply. "I agreed to be his blood-slave and this was one of my duties. It could have been a lot worse. At least now, I don't have to worry about them attacking me on the streets or killing me."

"Blood-slave...?" She repeated slowly as she sat down on a corner of the bed.

"Poe drinks my blood," he explained with a small smile. "He didn't want to at first, but I managed to talk him into it."

"_You _talked _him _into it?!" Autumn gasped.

"Well, he didn't want to," Tsuna shrugged. "But it was hurting him not to. I can deal with a little biting. It usually feels just like a pinprick because he's got something in his teeth that numbs it. I couldn't just sit back and watch him starve. Speaking of starving, are you hungry? Poe told me before I came that I could get all the room service I wanted. I don't know about you, but my stomach feels empty. I was too nervous to eat before I came."

"Y-You don't feel strange, do you?" She asked hesitantly. "Like, you're not craving a rare steak or anything?"

"I was thinking waffles," Tsuna chuckled. "Don't worry about the bites, Autumn. Poe said that he can't turn people. He's been inoculated. The same goes for the rest of the Council."

"Still..." she mumbled in doubt. "You're not hungry for something bloody, are you?"

"No," he sighed with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not craving blood. I'm craving real food. You know, the kind that _people _eat? Go ahead and order whatever you want, but get me something, too."

"If you say so," she replied. "What do you feel like?"

"Just order some of whatever that is that I'm smelling," he answered, feeling his stomach growling over the scent that had been teasing him all morning.

"W-What are you smelling?" She asked quietly, pausing with her hand on the phone.

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "I was hoping you'd recognize it."

"I-Is it blood?"

"No," he laughed. "Will you drop that already? I'm not going to turn into a vampire. It's something else. Can't you smell it? I think it's something with cinnamon in it. Cinnamon...and pepper."

"Oh," she murmured with a faltering chuckle. "Cinnamon and pepper. I'll call down and see what they have. I can't smell anything, but it's possible that they have cinnamon rolls and peppered bacon."

"You can't smell it?" He asked in surprise. "It's really strong. It's been driving me nuts since this--" Tsuna broke off at the sound of a hesitant knock at the door and started to automatically get up. Even the slightest movement hurt, however, which was the reason he'd gotten stuck in the chair after stumbling out of the bathroom.

"I'll get it," Autumn offered upon seeing his pain-filled movements. Tsuna nodded and relaxed back in his chair, more than willing to let someone do it for him. His stomach growled audibly when she opened the door and let more of the smell in along with their visitor.

"You're looking better," Poe grinned as he stepped into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Worn out and hungry," he admitted with a soft smile. "Autumn was just about to order room service. Do you want anything?"

"Sure," he nodded as he walked over to inspect Tsuna's bandages. "Order me up a salad, half a dozen raw eggs, and a soda."

"Raw eggs?" Autumn blanched.

"They're good energy boosters," he grinned. "I didn't get much to eat like everyone else last night. I had to hold back to make sure that he had enough energy for the others. Just tell them that I feel like practicing juggling if they're curious."

"If you say so," she murmured doubtfully.

"Suoh," Poe continued as she started dialing the number for room service, "I'm going to lay you on the bed and check your wounds over. To get them to go away like promised, I've got to... uh..."

"Lick me," Tsuna supplied with a bright blush. "I know. I kind of figured it out. Nothing ordinary could get them to go away and your tongue has weird abilities."

"Please, don't say it like that," Poe groaned as he lifted Tsuna up and placed him on the bed before he could try to move on his own. "You make it sound like I'm a freak like you and Snicker."

"We're not freaks!" Tsuna squealed.

"Tell that to me when your energy spikes wake me up in the middle of the night," Poe teased. "Now sit still. I'll try and make this quick, but some of these are pretty nasty. They weren't very gentle in tearing into you."

"Alright," he groaned in agreement, slipping off his robe in order to get it out of the way. Someone had thankfully put his boxers back on him during the night, but he was afraid to ask who. All that he cared about was the fact that he wasn't completely naked once his robe was off, unlike how he had been the previous night. As long as he had his boxers on, he wouldn't get embarrassed in front of Poe and Autumn. He wasn't a kid anymore where seeing a little skin gave him nosebleeds and showing his own made him embarrassed. It'd be different without the boxers, but the boxers made it a difference between being naked and being dressed. The grey area in between didn't exist anymore. He had to smile to himself about that. He guessed that noticing that was a sign of maturity.

Of course, that maturity didn't matter at all when Poe jumped onto the bed and positioned himself between his legs. He felt himself turn red over Poe's choice of positioning, which got an amused grin from Poe in return.

"It'll go faster this way," he explained. "I won't have to shift sides as much."

"If you say so," he fidgeted. "Just get it over with." Poe nodded and grabbed his ankle, obviously deciding to deal with the bite on Tsuna's calf first. In response, Tsuna grabbed the pillow from under his head and covered his face with it. Maturity or not, this had to be the most embarrassing treatment that he'd ever gotten. Poe was gentle in pulling off the bandages, but the embarrassment continued to get worse. It got worse because of the sound of Poe's small, pleased moan when he reached a particularly big one on Tsuna's thigh and the wound broke open slightly despite Poe's attempts to be careful.

"That's kind of hot," Autumn commented callously. "Are you two enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes," Poe admitted as he continued his efforts to cover Tsuna's wounds one-by-one.

"No," Tsuna blurted, having completely forgotten that she was in the room.

"You're body is saying something different," she countered. Tsuna squeaked and lifted the pillow off his head in order to look down in dismay at himself. He'd forgotten to tuck himself back and his reaction to the licks was all too visible as it strained against the thin material of his under-shorts. The pillow that had been hiding his face quickly got thrust elsewhere in order to hide something much more embarrassing than his expression.

"Don't worry," Poe soothed without a trace of laughter. "I know it's nothing personal. Some of these bites are in sensitive spots and I can't go faster without hurting you."

"Just hurry up," he mumbled through clenched teeth, not happy with himself for even a moment due to the unexpected erection. "The faster these get healed up, the faster I can go home to Snicker."

"I talked to Mukuro last night," Poe commented in effort to help Tsuna keep his mind off of what was being done to him. "He said you remembered something."

"I don't want to talk about that," Tsuna growled while Poe leaned forward with the pillow separating them in order to start on the wound on Tsuna's side.

"He said it had to do about your--"

"Don't," he said, gritting his teeth at the memories that the words brought up. "I'm serious, Poe. I don't want to talk about that. Mukuro-sama is right. It's in the past and nothing can change it. I'm not that person. I'm not someone that could just sit by and _watch _while--"

"Calm down, Suoh," Poe ordered gently while Tsuna clenched his teeth even harder. "I don't know what happened, but you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm fine," he lied, purposely looking away from Poe's expression of concern. "I've known that she was dead for a long time now. Remembering just..."

"Just what?" He asked quietly, hovering over a bite on Tsuna's stomach.

"It just lets me know how much of a monster I really was," he answered as he slung his arm over his face to hide it. "Just hurry up and finish already," Tsuna begged pathetically, trying to block out the memory as it began circling his mind like a hungry shark. "I said I don't want to talk about that."

"I'm sorry," Poe murmured. "I didn't know it would be so painful."

"It doesn't matter," he gasped into his arms. "I'm not that person anymore. I'm Suoh and I'm nobody else. That's not my memory. My memories are of us going out to festivals and--" Tsuna froze as Poe started on one of the wounds on his chest. The smell from before was stronger. Much, much stronger. It was so strong that his mouth began watering in hunger. "When did room service get here?" He asked curiously, trying to peek over Poe to see where the cart was.

"It's not here yet," Autumn called from her quiet seat in one of the room's lounge chairs.

"It has to be," Tsuna objected as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows despite the pain the maneuver caused. "I can smell the--"

"Suoh?" Poe asked in worry while Tsuna choked in realization.

"Never mind," he said hurriedly while he silently denied himself. "I forgot to eat yesterday and I'm probably just getting excited. I remember how good the food was here the last time I stayed."

"If you say so," Poe mumbled doubtfully, returning to his task once Tsuna settled back down once more. Tsuna shut his eyes and tried to settle himself. He knew what he was smelling now, but he couldn't explain why he'd been smelling it all morning. He guessed it was Poe's shampoo since the smell was definitely coming from him. Maybe the hotel had picked up a new brand and he'd smelled it on Autumn? No, that couldn't be right. Autumn didn't look like she'd showered yet. Plus, the smell hadn't been coming from her. It had simply been hanging in the air.

"Um... Poe..." He said hesitantly as the scent got even stronger when Poe started working on his shoulder.

"What?"

"Y-You... um..." He said as his stomach rumbled and his mouth watered even more. He wasn't sure why, but the combination of cinnamon and pepper made him extremely hungry. Far hungrier than he could remember being. It sent hunger pains through his abdomen, a feeling he couldn't remember having since returning to the city. The smell coming off of Poe left him dizzy with want. It was so strong. Poe's long hair was like a waterfall of scent that crashed across his face due to Poe's attempts to keep it out of his way while he worked.

"I'm almost done," Poe murmured against his skin, tossing the waterfall away from Tsuna in order to turn his head to focus on Tsuna's neck. That didn't make the smell go away. Far from it. The smell seemed to get stronger once Poe's face grew so close to his own. Tsuna absently wondered if it was a lotion instead of a shampoo before turning his mind toward controlling the sudden urge to lick his lips. It made him feel intoxicated by his hunger. So much so that he had to grab two fistfuls of blanket in order to control himself while he mentally repeated that room service would arrive soon enough. "I know it hurts," Poe murmured with misunderstanding for the motion. He paused to look up and speak directly to Tsuna, leaving off of his neck for a moment. Tsuna took a sharp breath and held it. Poe's breath was overwhelmingly strong with the smell that was making his stomach twist with need. Every word he spoke seemed to drive Tsuna closer and closer to an invisible cliff. "Just try to bear with it. After this, I still have your arms and then I'll be done for now. I'll have to come back and do th-- What are you doing?"

"Sorry!" Tsuna gasped and pulled back with a wide-eyed blush. He-- He hadn't meant to! The smell had just been too strong! He'd just wanted to get closer to the source! He hadn't meant to lick Poe's bottom lip! What was he thinking?!

"Are you feeling alright, Suoh?" Poe asked worriedly. "I didn't think you'd get this turned on. I can get off and--"

"Suoh!" Autumn shrieked as Tsuna succumbed to the scent again. He couldn't help it. It was too strong. It made him too hungry. It made him so hungry that he found himself trying to find the invisible source of the be-damned smell that was driving him crazy. It was inside Poe somewhere. He could smell it. The scent was strong on his breathe, so it had to be in his mouth. Since that was where it was coming from, that was where Tsuna searched in effort to find the taste that would satisfy the craving that was controlling him. Even when Poe sat up and tried to pull away, he latched on and sat up with him in effort to keep him from getting away. He wanted it. He needed it. "What are you doing, Suoh?! What about Snicker?!"

Tsuna broke away from Poe's lips, confused and disoriented. What was he doing? He was hungry, but Poe wasn't food! He'd done something horrible. He'd just kissed Poe full on the mouth with Autumn watching. Why? Was his self-control so lousy that he didn't even need alcohol to get himself going anymore? He thought he'd gotten better about that! Ever since Snicker had accepted him fully, the thought of being with someone else hadn't even crossed his mind! Why would he go and kiss Poe like that?!

No! No, it wasn't that kind of kiss. Poe was handsome, but he wasn't attracted to Poe. Poe was just like Eric, Gigi, Ore, and Ollie to him. It hadn't been a kiss. It--

Tsuna took another sharp breath when the smell almost made him black out with how strong it suddenly got. Staring unblinkingly at Poe, he saw that Poe had taken off his trench coat and his shirt while Tsuna had been sitting in a confused daze. That wasn't why it got so strong, though. It got stronger because the source of the smell was out in the open. Tsuna clenched his eyes shut and looked away from it, trying to deny the hunger in the pit of his stomach. He tried to deny the desire and the need.

"I'm sorry, Suoh," Poe murmured while Tsuna trembled in effort to control himself. "You weren't kissing me. This is what you were looking for. Wasn't it?"

"No!" He blurted in denial of both the words and the dripping cut that Poe had lanced across his own chest.

"The smell is heavy in my breathe since the walls of my mouth is thinner than my skin," he murmured. "You smell it. Don't you? You smell my blood and it's making you hungry."

"No! No, it's just--" Tsuna broke off in bliss. Two fingers swiped across his tongue, having been shoved in his mouth while drenched with the crimson liquid that was making Tsuna's gut clench in hunger. He couldn't have pushed them away, even if he'd wanted to. It was heavenly. So quickly, the mere taste made his stomach loosen and the tension run out of him. It was thick, yet smooth. The texture reminded him of the inside of a chocolate truffle. No. It was like the chocolate soup that the girls had made for Valentines Day so long ago. The taste was heavy with cinnamon, but not so heavy that it became unbearable. It was the exact amount of rich flavor to make him crave more with a peppery aftertaste that made him feel like he'd eaten a large piece of jerked beef instead of just a few drops of--

Tsuna broke away, coughing and spluttering while he shoved the hand away. What was he doing?! That wasn't candy and it wasn't a meal! That was blood in his mouth! Not just any blood, it was Poe's blood! He didn't understand it at all! He'd taken a few drops of Poe's blood in the past as a method of fortifying his own blood, but it hadn't tasted like that! It'd tasted normal like his own blood! Why was he getting images of such strange things?! He didn't understand! He didn't understand that nor why his stomach was starting to tighten again! Why? Why?!

"What's going on?" Autumn asked quietly while Tsuna doubled over from nausea. Not just nausea from knowledge, but the nausea that came from his hunger pains. "Don't tell me that he really turned into a vampire."

"No," Poe replied solemnly. "He's not a vampire. For Suoh to be drawn to me instead of you tells me that much. Plus, vampires aren't attracted by the blood of their own kind. We can smell it, but it doesn't trigger hunger."

"Then what's wrong with him?!" Autumn exclaimed. "You just saw his face! He was completely into your blood! What did you do to him?!"

"Like Mukuro said, his body was too weak for him to withstand bites from even inoculated vampires," Poe answered calmly. "He was already using everything he had. When I gave him my blood, his body absorbed it too well. It triggered the Change."

"I don't understand!" Tsuna exclaimed, lifting his head with a grimace for how his stomach was clenched inside him. "I thought you were all inoculated! You said that you couldn't turn me!"

"The inoculation works like a temporary, reverse type of AIDs," he replied with a flinch. "In my body, it suppresses the agent that spreads the curse and creates a medicine that can be passed to those that we feed off of. Once it's in your body, it alters your immune system to withstand the infection and duplicates itself within your white blood cells. For a person with a healthy immune system, the infection is destroyed before it can take over. Without the infection present, your body just continues functioning like normal and your white blood cells return to normal like neither the infection or the cure was ever present."

"You're not making any sense!" Tsuna yelled.

"Normally, I give you both the vampire's curse and the anti-curse when I bite you," he said slowly. "The same goes with all vampires that are inoculated. The anti-curse kills the curse by using your own body without you knowing. The anti-curse is spread through our saliva and our blood, just like the curse is. You should have been fine this time, just like the other times I've bitten you. The anti-curse is typically so strong that there's only a one in a trillion chance that you could still be turned. Something went wrong this time."

"Obviously!" Autumn exclaimed.

"Shut up," Poe hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to Suoh."

"What happened to me?!" Tsuna cried, doubling over as his stomach clenched tightly once more. "If I'm not a vampire, why is it hurting like this?! Why do you smell like that?!"

"I only have one answer for you and you're not going to like it," he answered.

"Tell me!" He shouted, lifting his head up once more.

"I want you to eat first," Poe replied, making Tsuna turn pale.

"I-I'll eat when room service gets here," he mumbled, biting his lip in effort to control himself. It was hard. It was hard to control himself and it was hard to ignore the crimson drops running down Poe's chest.

"I know the pain you're feeling, Suoh," he said in a low rumble. "Stop trying to control it. You'll only tear yourself apart by trying. If you fight it too long, you can end up hurting yourself or someone else. Just drink, before your instincts start to take over."

"I won't," Tsuna said firmly. "I can deal with it."

"Don't underestimate it," he snapped.

"I'm not!" He yelled. "I'm not going to... to... to do _that_!"

"You leave me no choice," Poe growled. Tsuna stiffened, automatically expecting that Poe was going to force him. He was surprised, however, when the man didn't. Instead, he got off the bed and walked over to the balcony. Once there, he opened the doors and stepped outside. Before Tsuna could even think of stopping him, he was gone. Tsuna and Autumn both stared at the spot that he'd disappeared from while wondering about the sudden exit. Tsuna could tell that he was still alive, whether he'd jump down or had somehow magically teleported up to the roof. He could tell because his scent was still strong, but it began to grow fainter and fainter as he went farther from the building.

"What the hell?" Autumn mumbled in shock, walking over to look over the railing to see if he was laying dead several stories below. "He's gone."

"He's alive," Tsuna replied. "He--" Tsuna paused as the scent seemed to blink out of existence, leaving only the lingering aroma in the room. "He must have went inside somewhere. I can't smell him anymore." Tsuna sighed once it was gone, thinking that his hunger pains would go away. He gave Autumn a faltering smile. It should be okay. Something had obviously went wrong since he had the strange craving, but he could control it until it went away.

He could control it.

He could--

"S-Suoh...?" Autumn asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he smiled. "Why?"

"You're tearing your pillow up," she answered slowly.

"O-Oh," he mumbled, absently throwing the pillow to the side and out of his hands. He felt tense. The hunger pains weren't going away, even though Poe was gone. He had the inexplicable urge to chase after him. Not to eat him, of course. No. He didn't want to eat Poe. He wasn't a vampire. He wasn't! He just... He just liked his smell. His instincts were crying out to chase after him. He had to chase after him or else he might lose him. He couldn't lose him. If he lost him, he'd lose the smell. If he lost the smell, these pains wouldn't ever go away. He suddenly knew that without a shadow of a doubt. Poe was the only one that could make the pains go away.

No! He could make the pains go away himself. He could and he would! He didn't need blood. He didn't need that sweet aroma of cinnamon nor the hearty tang of pepper. He didn't need that rich texture nor the all-too-satisfying taste. Truffles were a luxury that he could live without. He didn't need cinnamon toast or cinnamon rolls when normal, simple bread would work. He didn't need peppered beef or peppered sausage when normal, unseasoned meat was just as filling.

"Where's that room service?" He growled, feeling his stomach twisting even worse than before. He was so hungry. He was so hungry that the thought he might die if he didn't eat soon.

"It's here," she gasped after rushing out the door to check for him. She yanked the laden cart inside and barely managed to get out of the way before Tsuna was at her side. Blindly, he knocked the warming lids off in order to grab the first thing that came to hand. He didn't care what it was. He had to find something to satisfy his stomach. It was hurting. It was hurting. It was hurting and nothing that he crammed into it seemed to make the knot in his midsection loosen.

Poe could. It wasn't too late to go after him. He knew what direction he'd went in. He could follow him and track him down. Tsuna could tell from how long it'd take Poe to disappear from his senses that his range was large. As long as he got close, he could figure out where Poe had went. He could figure it out and find him. Once he found him, he'd be able to make this hunger go away. Poe could make it go away. If Poe wasn't willing to make it go away, he...

He'd make Poe make this pain go away. It was unbearable. It was worse than the pains in his wounds. It was worse than the punch Isaac had hit him with. It was worse than anything he could remember from living on the streets. It was worse than even the sharpest bite from Hibari's tonfas. He felt as if the hunger was driving him insane with pain and need. He had to find Poe. He had to chase after--

"Where are you going?" Some woman gasped, slamming the door shut before he could manage to do more than crack it open. Tsuna started to ruthlessly shove the strange woman out of the way, but stopped himself when recognition belatedly hit him. He stared at her with his hands poised to rip her away from the door. She stared back, openly trembling before his raised hand. "Y-You're scaring me, Suoh. What's wrong with you?"

Tsuna stumbled backward in shock, staring at his own hand. He'd almost hurt Autumn in order to chase after Poe--

Poe.

He could smell Poe again. Tsuna spun in place, tensing up in preparation. The smell was getting stronger at a horrifyingly fast speed. He was getting closer. Tsuna could smell his scent on the wind. He could tell that he was rushing to return. He was coming. He was coming.

He was coming.

He was coming.

He was--

Tsuna lurched forward with a howl of fury, propelling himself across the room with a single lunge. Poe was prepared for him, sending him flying into the opposite wall with the momentum from his own attack. Without taking the time to shake off the impact, Tsuna lunged forward again the moment that his hands and knees hit the ground. He needed Poe. Nothing else mattered. He had to satisfy his hunger before it drove him to death. Poe wasn't a friend. Friends wouldn't make him hurt this much. Poe wasn't a person. People weren't something that made him hungry.

Poe was simply his prey.

"Damnit, Suoh!" His prey screamed, tossing him off of his back when Tsuna finally managed to grapple him for a moment after a fourth lunge. "You're too far gone already! Pull it back! I thought you said that you could control it better than this!"

Tsuna momentarily froze at the words as if they were a bucket of cold water. What was he doing? Wait. He knew what he was doing. He was trying to make the pain stop. He was trying to make the hunger twisting inside him go away.

"Suoh!" His prey yelled when Suoh lunged forward again and sent them both tumbling onto the ground, rolling around as they both tried to gain the upper hand. For Tsuna, he wanted to upper hand in order to sink his teeth into whatever part of his prey that he could manage to rip open. For his prey, he had the simple wish not to be ripped apart. "Calm down, Suoh, and I'll let you feed!"

No, he wouldn't. He'd run away again. Tsuna knew he couldn't let go. His instincts were screaming not to let his prey get away. Even if it meant killing him, he couldn't let his prey get away. He'd die if his prey got away. He didn't want to die. He wanted to eat and survive.

"Get control of yourself, Suoh!" His prey cried. "What would Snicker think of you like this?!"

Snicker.

The name made him freeze like nothing else could. Poe took full advantage of the hesitation. He didn't take advantage by tossing him away, however. Instead, he took advantage by slamming Tsuna's face into his chest. Instinct took care of the rest. Poe let out a sharp hiss as Tsuna's teeth ripped through his skin. Blood sprayed instantly, filling Tsuna's mouth with his prize. Letting out a small moan as the knot inside him slowly unfurled, Tsuna mindlessly pulled his teeth out and set to licking up the blood as fast as he could. It was good. It was so incredibly good. He wanted more. He needed more. His stomach was begging to be filled.

"There you go, Suoh," Poe murmured, reaching out to run a soothing hand through Tsuna's hair while he continued to take in the blood. "Take as much as you need. I'll be fine as long as I'm not drained dry." Tsuna barely heard the words, focusing only on his stomach while Poe relax on his back in the middle of the floor. He was messy. He didn't have the experience or talent that Poe had in managing blood. As it was, he was barely managing to stay ahead of it before it leaked out onto the carpet. He only managed that by completely forgetting that he had to hold his prey down. Using his hands, he dammed up the flow so that it could pool up and Tsuna could finally suck it away quickly enough to actually be considered a mouthful instead of a mere taste. Thanks to that, he was able to inch his way back toward the blood's source.

He was in mindless ecstasy when he finally managed to clamp his lips over the wound. With every small suck, he could feel his hunger ebbing away in satisfaction. It was tricky to manage swallowing, breathing, and sucking all at once. If he stopped sucking, the blood welled up and leaked out past his lips. If he stopped breathing, he got dizzy. If he didn't swallow, the sucking would be pointless.

"Next time, keep your teeth in the wound," Poe murmured. "That way, you can control the blood flow better."

Tsuna gasped and choked in the middle of a swallow, coming back into his right mind in a flash. What the hell was he doing?! He'd injured his friend and he was drinking his blood! Coughing harshly from the blood he'd choked on, Tsuna pulled away to stare at his hands in shock. They were covered with blood. His mouth was filled with blood. He could feel it covering his chin and dripping down his chest. He's been eating his friend!

"Don't panic," Poe snapped, seeing the expression growing on Tsuna's face. "It's okay, Suoh. I told you to do it and I knew what you were going to do when I left. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I--I--" Tsuna shuddered. "I'm s-so--"

"Don't apologize," Poe said firmly, pressing a wet hand down on his wound. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I didn't check your health out before having you take part in the Feast. More than that, I didn't think before I gave you my blood. You didn't do anything wrong, Suoh. You were just following your instincts."

"M-My... instincts...?" He repeated slowly, trying to think of how he could possibly have the instinct to drink blood.

"Yes," Poe murmured. "You were following your instincts as a werewolf."

"What?" Tsuna gasped.

"Don't worry--"

"What do you mean, don't worry?!" Tsuna howled in panic. "I just attacked you and... and... Am I going to--?"

"No," Poe blurted hurriedly, gesturing to tell Tsuna to stop with his assumptions. "Not that kind of werewolf! You're not going to shape shift! That's just Hollywood's version!"

"Then..."

"Just calm down and listen and I'll explain," he soothed, sitting up in order to speak. "It might not be the tale you know, but the original story goes something like this...

Once upon a time, there lived a man in a nice, quiet village. This man was in love with a woman who happened to be a vampire. The vampire bit him repeatedly during their hidden trysts together, but he was never turned. This man was the source of what was later studied and turned into the vampire vaccine. After several years together, the vampire woman received word that she was to wed the Count who controlled the lands. The man, upset over the news and distraught, refused to eat and stressed constantly over the upcoming loss of his beloved vampire mistress. The night before she left, they had one final tryst in which she bit him repeatedly. Due to his poor care of himself, his body was unable to fight off the vampire curse completely.

At first, the man didn't know he had been Changed. He continued his life with the forlorn hope of seeing his lover again and even managed to wed at his neighbor's prodding. Years passed and the change slowly began to show itself. He ate less and less of what his wife served. He took to hunting at a frenzied pace as if trying to find the source of his dissatisfaction. His stomach began to feel a different, unidentified hunger growing stronger and stronger.

He stopped shaving. He stopped tending to civilized notions such as bathing and changing his clothes. He spent more and more time away from his home until finally he simply did not return. He began living in the woods, surviving simply off of instinct and satisfying only the most basic of his needs. In his lucid moments, he would fabricate cloaks and warm wrappings out of his kills in order to protect himself from the cold. Little by little, he became little more than a cave man or a hermit with nothing more in mind than finding the source of his cravings.

Rumors began to spread. Wolf-man, they called him due to his fur-covered wrappings and from the expression that became etched on his face. Just like a lone wolf, his eyes held nothing but primal fierceness and the desire to hunt. People began to fear him, even though he never showed even the smallest amount of aggression for humans. They were afraid of what they didn't understand. The wolf-man's wife, unhappy with how he had changed and disappeared, went to the Count and begged for him to send someone to rid her husband of the demon that tortured him into acting so strangely. She told the Count that it had been as if he had changed overnight, which quickly turned into the belief that he _had _changed overnight. Stories and fear spread, making the man who dressed in wolf-furs out to be someone who was half-man, half wolf. Rumors of the woman's pleas were added to the story, making people believe that he had been possessed by a wolf overnight. Gossip changed and altered the story, turning it into a tall-tale of a man who had got bitten by a demon wolf and had become one himself.

It all came together about six months after he gave into his desire to find what he was craving. Rumor told that he tended to howl at the moon. The truth was that he still loved his vampire mistress and would sometimes mourn her loss at night, crying out "Aula" in his distress. It was an argument between two men who'd heard the cries that reached the vampiress' ears. Frightened that it was indeed her former lover that was creating such a stir, she went out on a night with a full moon to look for him and managed to find him.

At first, their meeting was a joyous one. It was joyous right up until he realized that it was her scent that he was craving. Frightened by the realization, he sent her away. She went unwillingly, but she still went. Less than ten minutes after she returned to her husband's manor, the man came for her. His hunger knew what it craved after having identified her as the source. You see, he wasn't changed completely into a vampire. He had withstood the Change to a certain point. It was instinct that said that more of what had brought him to that point could further the Change so that his hunger would end. So, he hungered for her instead of hungering for simple, undefined blood as sustenance like a vampire would.

His instinct got the better of him. Like I said, it took a mere ten minutes for him to go hunting. Like a wolf that had found his prey, he broke into the manor in order to go after her. He was like a mindless beast, destroying anything and everything in his path in order to reach his goal. She was surprised when he appeared and was completely unprepared for him. He attacked her and she fought back. In the end, he killed her, ripping out her throat in order to feed. He was found as his hunger was sated and injured with an arrow. He managed to escape into the woods, where his victim's vampire brethren hunted him down in secrecy.

And so, no one knew of what had become of him. The legend of the wolf-man, which was later turned into the legend of the werewolf, became a tale handed down throughout history. Over time, it was edited and altered, becoming more and more fantasy than that of the actual story. From time, another werewolf would appear in the ranks of blood-slaves, which added to the stories of vampires enslaving werewolves. There was one in particular up in the snowy north who wrapped himself in white polar bear fur and became the legend of the abominable snowman. There was another who used coyote fur in the hills who started the legend of big-foot since the man had been the size of Ore. There was also one occasion of a werewolf attacking a vampire in a public place, which got tossed into history as vampires and werewolves being at war with one another.

The only real thing tying all the incidents together is that they all hunger for vampire blood and will search ceaselessly for it until they find it. They can't fight it or help it, no matter how hard they try. Their bodies are half-Changed and instinct craves for the unfinished business to be finished. They hunt like wolves until they catch the scent and then they will go to any lengths in order to satisfy their Hunger. In the end, one vampire realized the cause and found a treatment for it so that the victim didn't go running off into the hills."

"There's a cure?!" Tsuna exclaimed, finally breaking out of the listening spell that Poe had caused with his story.

"I wouldn't say a cure," Poe grimaced. "But it's a treatment so that you can keep living normally."

"What is it?!" Tsuna and Autumn cried in unison.

"The vampire that you're craving gives you blood whenever you're hungry," he answered with a flinch.

"T-That's it?" Tsuna gaped, staring at Poe in shock. Autumn stared, too, before beginning to pace in worry. "I-I have to-- You can't be serious!"

"I'm sorry," Poe murmured with his hand still held down over his wound to keep it from bleeding. "No matter how much blood you drink, the Change can't be progressed again once it's stopped. You fought it off enough to keep yourself from being a vampire, but not enough to keep yourself from the Hunger. You're stuck and I'm afraid I don't have any way to fix you. Werewolves and Vampires were always the same race, which is why we have many of the same weaknesses. The only difference between us is what we crave. Me or you, both of us would become nothing more than mindless beasts driven by instinct unless we feed."

"That can't be true!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Nadine said that you didn't eat for a long time!"

"Che," he spat. "Nadine needs to keep her mouth closed. I might not have fed off of blood, but I've still been eating. Vampires devour the energy that runs through humans alongside blood. We don't have to drink the actual blood anymore. Actually, I can survive off a fresh salad just as easily as I can off of a human."

"T-Then why...? Why did you bite me?" He mumbled in disbelief.

"Because you offered yourself!" Poe snapped in frustration. "I might be able to survive off of a salad, but it doesn't mean I like it! Son of a-- I've went forty years without biting something and I've always eaten enough of what my body craves in order to stave off the Hunger so that I don't devolve. Then you walk into my life, prancing around like a meal on wheels, and tell me to bite you! Don't get my Hunger mixed up with yours! I can do perfectly fine without you!"

"So, this is my fault?!" Tsuna yelled, feeling as if he was being blamed for everything. "You never warned me that there was a chance of this happening! I sincerely remember you telling me countless times that you couldn't turn me! Never once did you ever say 'I can't turn you _unless _you fucking aren't in perfect health!'"

"It's rare," Poe flinched as the shout struck home. "I didn't think there was a chance. There hasn't been an incident of a werewolf in eighty years. Not since Lord Nephriam bit his nanny while she was asleep with a fever. You seemed perfectly fine."

"How can I be fine?! I've been stressed out from work, stressed out from everything going on at home, plus I passed out the other night thanks to both you and Mukuro-sama! Then I spent two days stressing out about this event so much that I couldn't eat! Then I got here and you made me drink something that tore my body up before I got bitten even once! If I'd known that there was a chance that this could happen, I wouldn't have come and I would have just taken my chances by hiding!"

"I think you were screwed from the first bite last night," Poe grimaced. "And I was the first one that bit you. I was too focused on how you were controlling the Heaven's Fire to notice and you were too distracted by other needs to feel it. Suoh... I really never meant for this to happen. Never in a million years did I think that you would get turned in any way."

"On a side note, all of your wounds are gone, Suoh," Autumn interjected, pausing for only a moment before she continued in her pacing. Tsuna squeaked and looked down at himself in unison with Poe. It was true. All of his bite marks were completely missing.

"That's..." Tsuna mumbled in shock, staring at the circles of clear skin where his wounds had been. It was shocking in more ways than one. Not only had they healed so quickly, but they'd healed without the scar tissue or discoloration of the space around it. There were dozens of the round circles dotting his body.

"Nice," Poe commented, reaching out to touch the spaces. "You managed to Change enough that you got our healing ability. Your body can transmute my blood in order to enhance your own regenerative powers. It's usually Sun energy that is best consumed for healing, but it looks like you can use Cloud just as easily. It propagated your tissue until it covered the damaged areas. Just think. If you let me bite you enough, we can eventually get rid of all your scars."

"That's not funny!" Tsuna squealed when Poe let out an amused chuckle. "I never asked for this! I just want to go back to being normal!"

"I can't make you normal again," Poe replied sadly, his laughter falling to a quick halt. "Don't worry, though. I'll take responsibility. This is the modern age, Suoh. I can have my blood injected into capsules for you. You'll have to take them regularly to stave off the Hunger and you might have to occasionally feed, but there's perks to being a werewolf."

"Like what?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Fast healing when you consume my blood for one," he answered, pointing at the healed wounds on Tsuna's flesh. "Pop a Poe Pill whenever you get so much as a scratch and it'll heal itself. There's also your sense of smell. It'll take a while to control with me around, but you'll be able to track others just as well as you can track me once you're used to their scent. I'm not sure if you had it before, but you're really strong, too. You fought on par with me and you were able to keep up with my speed. If I remember right, you couldn't even see me move before."

"T-That's true," he admitted hesitantly.

"So what if you have to drink a little blood," Poe continued with a faltering smile. "I'm sure there's other benefits that will show themselves in time. I can already tell you that your blood is actually more appetizing than less. Not only do you have Sky and Giotto's mark, but there's an earthy hint to your smell now. If anything, I'd say you smell like 'Heaven on Earth'."

"That's not funny either," Tsuna growled when Poe chuckled at his own pun again.

"Come on," he laughed, patting him on the knee. "It could be worse. Which, speaking of smells, I'm curious. What do I smell like to you?"

"Why?"

"I'll tell you what you really smell like to me," Poe said teasingly.

"You first," Tsuna mumbled, curling up around his knees as he tried to come to terms with his situation.

"What a person smells like and tastes like differs from vampire to vampire," Poe murmured with a smile twitching along his lips. "For me, you smell like spiced pumpkin pie. You've even got the aftertaste of whipped cream and the texture of cotton candy. That's to say, cotton candy when your first take a bite and it starts to melt, not after you've already turned it to sugar. Now, what about me?"

"I shouldn't have asked," Tsuna groaned. "Fine. You smell and taste like fresh cinnamon rolls and peppered beef. As for texture, I'd say chocolate truffles."

"Not the most appetizing of combinations," Poe grimaced. "But, I guess it can't be helped. At least I've got a good texture."

"For once, you're easy to swallow," Tsuna commented with a grudging smile.

"That's the spirit!" Poe laughed.

"How's your chest?" He asked, nodding toward the gash under Poe's hand.

"I'm already healing it," he answered. "That's why Autumn is so quiet. She was starting to get on my nerves with her pacing." Tsuna looked over his shoulder in order to see that Autumn had quietly passed out into a chair. Raising his eyebrow, he looked back at Poe in curiosity. "She'll be fine. I just vamped her aura a bit. She had energy to spare."

"What are we going to do about her?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "Even if I can manage to control my Hunger with blood pills, she's probably going to tell her father and everyone about my problem. I... I don't want anyone to know about this. Snicker and Gigi and everyone might look at me different. Even worse, her dad is my Boss. If he finds out that I slept with her last night, I'm a dead man. Who knows what he'd do if he found out that I'm drinking blood. He might shoot me or something."

"You're taking this better than I expected," Poe commented.

"No, I'm not," he corrected with a tremble. "I'm shaking inside, but now isn't the time to let it out. It'll hit me later when I'm alone. I think I got that from hanging around Snicker so much. No matter what happened to us, he always thought about the next step before letting himself feel. Right now, all I can think about is what to do next."

"Plan while you can?" He asked with a crooked grin. Tsuna nodded, unable to deny the words. Some things couldn't be put off until later, but this was a big enough shock that his mind was still processing it. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that it'd truly hit him later. He'd probably spend the night crying instead of sleeping. That was later, though. In this moment, his mind was looking ahead at the consequences.

"I think I got the part covered about me sleeping with her," he murmured in thought. "She thinks that I can't remember anything after I drank the Heaven's Fire and is playing along like nothing happened but me getting bitten a lot last night. The part about me turning into a... uh... a werewolf. That part is going to be a lot harder to cover up. Autumn's really noisy and she's horrible at keeping her comments to herself. If it's not her own ass on the line, she'll let the cat out of the bag without caring. I'm guessing that she doesn't want me to know how she used me and that's why she's playing along about what happened last night. This is a different story, though. She won't think twice about spilling the beans."

"I'll remind her of her contract," Poe said in thought. "The contract states that Mistress Drake can repossess every single thing she owns as well as every penny she has if she speaks about what happened last night. She can also be sued for up to thirty million for breach of contract by merely mentioning that someone else was present. Your Change should fall under that. She was pretty scared last night. I can probably use some scare tactics, too. I'll tell her that I made you forget about your condition with vampire magic and that I lied to you about the purpose of the blood-pills. I can threaten her and tell her that I'll send an army of vampire slaves to suck her dry if she even hints to anyone that she knows the truth, even to you. That should keep her quiet."

"I hate the thought of scaring her," Tsuna murmured with a small grimace, looking over at her sleeping form. "But I hate the thought of anyone finding out, too. Go ahead and do it. Scare her, but don't give her a heart attack. I just want her quiet. I don't want to give her nightmares."

"I can't promise, but I'll see what I can do," he replied. Lifting his hand, he looked over the wound on his chest. It was closed, but it wasn't seamlessly like Tsuna's had healed over. If left alone, it looked as if it scar over. On Poe's unblemished skin, allowing such a thing would be a crime. The wound was still disfigured and Tsuna could still see the shape of his teeth in the closed-off section of skin.

"Y-You should bite me," Tsuna murmured. "That'll go away if you have fresh blood. Won't it?"

"If it's yours, then yes," he confirmed quietly. "How is it that you're still offering yourself? Aren't you afraid now?"

"The worst has already happened," he shrugged. Then he paused as a sudden thought hit him. "Unless my blood isn't any good anymore?"

"It's borderline," Poe answered with a quirky grin. "Depending on who's looking at you, you could be considered half human or half vampire. Our kind could never figure out which world your type fit into, which is why we simply used the human's name for you. Instead of naming you ourselves, we just call you a werewolf to differentiate between our Hunger. Your blood doesn't smell _that _different from before, which is why I didn't notice at first. So, it's still drinkable to me. A vampire that met you now, who didn't know you before, might have a little more problem, but I don't."

"In that case, go ahead and bite me," Tsuna said with a firm nod. "I'm all healed up and I don't feel tired or--"

"How's your Hunger?" Poe interrupted. Tsuna paused beneath his knowing look. "You stopped when your mind caught up to what you were doing. That doesn't mean that you're satisfied. If you're going to live with this without running for the hills or trying to kill me, you're going to have to learn to not fight your stomach. That means that you're going to have to learn to feed while you're still in control of yourself. You don't want a repeat of what just happened. Do you?"

"N-No," he admitted with a shudder. "But I don't think I can--"

"Would you prefer to kill me?" Poe asked bluntly, his face completely without expression. "You'll try to whether you want to or not unless you satisfy your cravings. If that happens, I won't hesitate to kill you. I came close when you weren't controlling yourself before. If you hadn't paused when you did, I was already thinking of how to make it quick. It comes down to survival, Suoh. If it's between my life and yours, I refuse to hand mine over. You'd fall into instinct and insanity without my blood to drink whereas I can survive without you. I won't give up and let you kill me to satisfy yourself because you were too stubborn to drink while you still have a mind to work with. I said that I'd take responsibility for what was done to you, but I'm not a romantic fool that will let feelings get in the way of reason. You can either learn to feed or you can die. Those are your only two options."

"Can you give me some time to--"

"No," he snapped, making Tsuna's eyes widen. "I want you to do it now, before your Hunger grows again. You've got to satisfy it completely for the moment or else you'll fall into instinct as soon as I leave again. Don't underestimate the Hunger, Suoh. Humans are hunters, just like wolves. Vampires are no different. We both have become civilized beings, but we can't ignore our primitive natures. Human feed on the physical bounties of nature. Vampires feed on the spiritual energies. You are a werewolf now, so you feed on both while unable to be completely satisfied with only one or the other. To feed as both at once, you _must _consume blood. There is no other way to appease your Hunger, Suoh. In time, you might be able to do as other werewolves have in the past and learn to control your instinct so that any blood will suffice. I've only met one in my lifetime that had managed that and it took years of feeding regularly in order to train his body to accept more than simply his vampire prey."

"S-So, there's hope," Tsuna gasped with a tremble.

"There's hope," he nodded. "Before he died of old age, he was able to live off of blood drained from his livestock and the juices from rare steaks. Others have tried to repeat his feat and have failed, but I believe that you might be able to manage. You are the man who could control Heaven's Fire, after all."

"T-That was only because I've been hit with the Dying Will Bullet in the past," Tsuna flinched. "I'd felt that instinct before."

"Regardless of why, you were able to control it," Poe said firmly. "With practice, your Hunger will be no different. Now. Come and drink or else you won't last long enough to even think of training yourself. There is a long and hard road ahead, but you cannot reach the end unless you take the first step. That first step is accepting your need and feeding."

"Only if you promise to bite me after I'm done," Tsuna murmured after a moment. "I can't do it if I know you'll be hurting afterward."

"Alright," he agreed solemnly. "Just get over here. I know that you're still Hungry. I can hear your stomach growling from here." Tsuna paled, but couldn't argue. His stomach wasn't painfully tight like it had been before, but there was a hollow space inside him that he knew normal food wouldn't fill. "Remember how it feels," Poe ordered as Tsuna slowly crawled forward. "The level of Hunger that you're at right now is when you need to come to me and feed. Until then, just take the blood pills that I'll give you whenever you're feeling even a hint of craving."

Tsuna nodded in understanding as he came to a stop in front of Poe. He could feel his Hunger responding with the distance closed between them. His stomach was crying out to be satisfied in a way that he couldn't explain. It wanted to be satisfied and Tsuna knew that nothing other than Poe's blood could silence it.

He was damned.

Such was he only thought that he could manage to think of as he stared at Poe's neck. He'd run away from home to keep himself from turning into a monster, only to find himself turning into a different kind of one. He couldn't help but wonder who it'd be this time. Kyoko had suffered because of him before and now Poe was going to have to suffer. Who else was going to have to suffer because of his curse?

"You can do it, Suoh," Poe encouraged, reaching back to pull his hair out of the way. "Move closer and you'll be able to smell out a vein. Go slowly and take your times. I'm not in any rush." Tsuna grunted in response and lowered his head so that he was hovering over Poe's neck. Poe was right. He could smell it. It was like there were different balances of Poe's unique flavor combinations. Where his chest muscle had been an equal balance of cinnamon and pepper, his neck had more pepper. Curious, he continued to smell over to his shoulder and down his arm. His arm had more cinnamon, although it was only concentrated in small doses around his muscles. "Blood from fatty tissue is sweeter," Poe explained in full knowledge of what Tsuna was curious about. "Blood from an artery is heartier and will fill you up more. Blood from muscle is balanced. People don't tend to have a lot of muscle in their necks, so that's why we prefer to eat there. It's much more filling than anywhere else, even if the taste is a bit strong."

"Is there always method to the madness?" Tsuna asked as he headed back up to Poe's neck.

"It wouldn't be civilized if there wasn't," he replied. "Ah! Hold on," he gasped, pushing Tsuna away from him for a second. "I forgot to check. Open you mouth."

"Open my mouth?" Tsuna repeated in surprise over the sudden order.

"I need to check your teeth," he replied. "You didn't paralyze me before, but I want to check and make sure that your teeth didn't change. I don't like the idea of not being able to respond, especially when someone is drinking from me. It'll just take a second."

"Okay..." He agreed hesitantly, opening his mouth in order to let Poe do as he wanted. It took much more self-control than he expected in order to not react to the fingers the probed around his incisors. Every time that Poe gently pressed on one of the two teeth, Tsuna had an overwhelming urge to bite down.

"They don't feel swollen," Poe murmured as he continued to feel around the gums around the two teeth. "I don't feel the poison sac for the paralytic, either. Honestly, I can't really tell a difference. I don't think you got that far in the Change before it stopped."

"They're a little different," Tsuna corrected, feeling them for himself once Poe pulled his fingers away. "They're a little longer than I remember, now that you point it out. I didn't notice because they're not getting in the way of my other teeth."

"They shifted a little," he agreed. "Not a lot, but enough that the difference in length won't damage your lower teeth. It could be worse. Chaldien's Change ended before they could shift. He ended up having to get his bottom teeth ground down to make room for the fangs. Yours shifted, but they didn't grow out enough to be noticeable. Not like mine are, at least."

"Do you think Snicker will notice?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"He shouldn't," Poe soothed. "As long as you don't go pointing them out, your secret should be safe. The Change affects your body in order to compensate for the Hunger, but few of the differences are visible. Your eyes didn't change color and your teeth aren't that noticeably different. You'll have to trim your nails more often to compensate for the increased rate of bone growth. The same goes for your hair. You won't grow out a beard overnight, but it'll take work to keep yourself from looking shaggy after a week. You might think about filing down the backside of your fangs to sharpen them into a hidden weapon to make up for their short length. As it is, it's going to be hard for you to break the skin without getting the rest of your teeth into the biting."

"What do I do?"

"Let me worry about breaking the skin for now," he answered with a small smile. "Just know that you'll have to do it for yourself eventually. Now, are you ready?" Poe didn't wait for an answer. Reaching up, he used his sharpened thumb nail in order to pierce the skin at his neck. Tsuna's stomach rumbled in response from the moment that Poe's aroma hit him. His mind told him that it should be churning at the thought of drinking from the cut that Poe slowly expanded, but his gut had other things in mind. It smelled too good. It didn't smell like blood. It didn't taste like blood. It was as if his taste buds had grown a strange new section. Instead of just the basic four tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, there was that fifth taste. It was a type of taste that he could only think of as "Umami", as in savory. That sense of taste had been altered so that the taste of Poe's blood made his mouth water in anticipation. It brought out the true flavor of Poe's blood so that he couldn't even sense the metallic tang that his human senses had found prevalent.

"Drink," Poe urged when he was finished, gently reaching out to guide Tsuna's head to his neck. Tsuna trembled in his arms, still trying to deny his need for such a thing. He didn't want to drink, no matter how much his stomach begged him to. The smell was intoxicating, though. The closer he got to it, the more that his gut begged until it finally clenched tightly as if ruthlessly commanding him. The painful spasm broke his self-control, making him blindly dive for the wound with a shudder. Tears welled up in his eyes while his lips clamped over the shallow cut. They broke free at the same moment that his pitiful excuse for fangs dug into the fresh break in order to rip the skip open even more. As the blood began to run into his mouth in answer to his probing, he could only think of one thing.

He was a monster.

* * *

"It burns," Tsuna hissed.

"It's supposed to," Poe replied callously as he pulled the needle out of Tsuna's arm. "It'll go away in a little while once the inoculation spreads through your system. Be careful not to kiss anyone or let your blood get on anyone until the burning wears off. If you do, you'll turn them. The vaccine you get when I bite you isn't the same as what I just injected you with. This stuff won't go away like what gets transferred. It'll stay in your system and allow you to pass the vaccine to others so that you don't spread the disease. I would have given it to you before the Feast if I'd been thinking any at all. Typically. meals at banquets don't get bitten more than once each, so I wasn't thinking ahead to the consequences. Vampires usually don't like eating after another. It's like sharing the same plate. Occasions like yours, where one person takes more than one bite, is rare. I didn't think--"

"Stop trying to make excuses," Tsuna grumbled. "What's done is done. You were probably just as worried about the Feast as I was and you had too much stuff to think about. You've already apologized, so just stop it. I already told you that I forgive you. I know that you didn't mean for this to happen and you're not leaving me to suffer, so stop thinking about what you can't change. I don't regret what happened, even though it didn't turn out like plan--"

"What?" Poe asked worriedly when Tsuna paused with a grimace.

"Snicker told me before I left that I have the worst luck when I'm alone," he answered. "It looks like he was right."

"I'm sorry," Poe said quietly. "I was there and--"

"Apologize one more time and I'm going to bite you!" Tsuna exclaimed in exasperation. Poe grinned at the words and nodded, finally accepting that Tsuna wasn't going to hold anything against him. Smiling, Tsuna continued packing away what clothes that had actually gotten pulled out of his bag. Once that was done, he set to rearming himself with his retractable knife and his fingerless gloves.

"Don't forget these," Poe said, tossing Tsuna's two sets of gold manacles on the bed.

"I can't take those," he objected. "I didn't--"

"I know you didn't come to get paid," Poe interrupted. "But it'd make me feel a little better. I did turn you into a werewolf, after all. A few trinkets isn't going to make up for that."

"Is the silver going to hurt me?" Tsuna asked worriedly, carefully picking them up by the gold plating so as not to touch the silver signets on them.

"It'll give you a rash, but it won't kill you," he replied with a knowing grin. "Garlic won't do more than throw off your sense of smell a bit and give you indigestion, too. Indigestion can be scary, though. Especially if you get it as bad as Count Duwold did. That poor man used to run from the sight of a clove."

"And the whole thing about not being able to go in a building without being invited inside?" Tsuna asked, throwing out another piece of vampire myth.

"That's Madame Sarah's fault. She always was overly-mannered. A lot of the time, what one vampire does can get noticed and spread around as if it holds true for everyone. Just think. If vampires couldn't go indoors without getting invited, how would we go shopping?"

"Servants?" Tsuna guessed.

"Nice try, but not all of us have a ton of servants. Just look at me. I'd go nuts if I had people tying me down. I like quiet too much."

"What about holy water and crosses?" Tsuna asked, continuing in his curiosity.

"Now, that's a tricky one," he answered. "Crosses don't affect us. They're just symbols, after all. Holy water does, but only if it's prepared a certain way. Water is still just water even in the hands of a priest. Even the right mixture of rose water and salt won't affect us. However, I've met a few, rare priests that added something into their holy water so that it actually gave me a rash. That's why I always dip my fingers in the urn of holy water at the entrance to churches. If it stings, I know that the priest isn't a phony. If it doesn't, then I know that I'm wasting my time."

"You go to church?" Tsuna asked in awe.

"Just for business," he replied with a grin. "Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty good friends with several priests. Most priests start hitting me with their exorcist mumbo-jumbo as soon as they figure out that I'm a vampire, but there are others that are more sensitive in nature. They're willing to sit down and talk to me in a civilized manner. Almost all of them misunderstand my nature at first, but it's nice to meet those that are more focused on saving me than destroying me. It's from them that I get stories that I can use as motivation."

"Motivation?" Tsuna repeated slowly. "What do you do for work, Poe? You never told me."

"I write," he answered with a wide grin. "Guess what I specialize in."

"Horror?" He guessed.

"Wrong!" He laughed, slapping a hand up against Tsuna's back. "I write modern day bible stories."

"EH?!"

"I take old tales and I rewrite them," he grinned. "Have you read the story of David and Tyke?"

"David and Tyke?" Tsuna repeated.

"It was one of my first stories," he explained. "It was a best-seller, too. I took the story of David and Goliath and turned it into a modern-day tale. There was David who was a little kid in a neighborhood, who went up against Tyke who was a bully leader of a gang. David won, using a single marble that he threw. There's a lot more to it than that, but that was the premise. I've done a lot of others, too. There's 'Jonas and the Fat Wife'. I also wrote about 'Neal and the Yacht'. I've also dabbled a little into Greek mythology. My favorite was the modern-day story of Medusa and--"

"You're joking," Tsuna stated in shock. Poe blinked at him in surprise before giving his biggest grin yet.

"Nope," he laughed. "I might be a vampire, but I'm not evil. No matter what popular culture wants to think, I'm a lot more ordinary than you might think. I have special needs, but I'm not so much different than regular humans. I still need to eat, bathe, and find shelter like anyone else. I'm a little better at being able to survive alone, but that doesn't mean that I prefer it that way. I still have to work and get a paycheck to supply for my comfort. I'm not like those on the Council. I don't have centuries of built-up wealth and an ancestral manor to fall back on."

"So that's why you always bring me such weird amounts of money," Tsuna murmured in thought.

"I figured giving you cash was easier than finding a new nursery for my plants," he shrugged. "Speaking of, I need to go check on them. My marigolds weren't looking that good when I left. Do you have everything?"

"Um... yeah," he answered after looking around to ensure that he didn't forget anything. "I've got the pills you gave me in my pocket and all of my clothes together. I think that's everything."

"Take these and let's go, then," Poe said, holding out a pair of sunglasses. "I need you out of my hair so that I can tend to the Council. They're still going to be in the city for another week and a half."

"Why sunglasses?" Tsuna asked curiously, accepting them automatically out of trust in Poe's judgment. "I thought sunlight didn't affect vampires or werewolves."

"It doesn't," he laughed. "If it did, I wouldn't be giving you sunglasses because they'd be useless for protection. I'm giving them to you because your eyesight is a lot more sensitive now. You haven't noticed because you're indoors, but I could tell since you could track my movements. Let's just go. You'll understand when we get outside. You'll need the sunglasses until you can get used to it."

"What's 'it'?" Tsuna asked, snatching up his backpack in order to chase Poe out the door.

"You'll see," he answered as they stepped into the elevator. "It's faster to just let you figure it out on your own rather than trying to explain it. With it being sunny outside, you won't be able to miss it."

"If you say so," he replied doubtfully. Walking through the lobby, Tsuna couldn't help the small smirk he sent when the same doorman who'd worked on the first night he'd arrived was present upon his exit. The man gaped at him for a moment, obviously shocked that a poor-looking person like him had been in the hotel for three days. After the smirk, Tsuna erased the man from his mind and stepped out onto the sidewalk alongside Poe. As soon as the sunlight hit him when he was no longer under the entrance's awning, he immediately saw what Poe had been warning him of.

First of all, the sunlight was strong. It was so strong that Tsuna backpedaled into the shade with his eyes clenched shut so that he wouldn't be blinded. Secondly, it seemed to reflect off of everything. What would normally only be a small shine on streetlamps, cars, and other reflective things seemed to be ten times as shiner as usually. The light seemed to bounce straight for his eyes, sending spasms to his eyes whenever he tried to look around. Finally, there was the level of how he could see anything in itself. He hadn't noticed when he'd been shut in the hotel room, but he could see more than ever before. The world was full of so much more activity and movement than he ever expected. Whether it was birds perched on windowsills or dust motes dancing in the air, he saw a level of detail in the world that he'd never paid attention to before. It was as if his eyes were focusing at three distances at once.

It gave him a headache.

"Look at the sidewalk," Poe hissed. "And put the glasses on. You'll get used to it."

"I can see how the rumor got started that vampires are scared of sunlight. It's enough to make me consider heavy drapes and seclusion," Tsuna groaned, pulling off his eye patch in order to slap the lenses in place. He heard Mukuro-sama cry out in his head when he looked around without the eye patch on, making him snap his possessed eye shut and freeze in panic. "What's wrong?" Tsuna gasped.

_That hurt_, Mukuro moaned into his mind. _Warn me next time you take that off. I can't shut you out without it and my eyes aren't made to see like yours, my pet. You just gave me a wake up call from hell._

"Sorry," Tsuna grimaced. "I'll keep it closed for now. I can't wear both at the same time."

_See that you do,_ he grumbled before fading away.

"What was that about?" Poe asked as Tsuna stuffed his eye patch into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"I hurt Mukuro-sama," Tsuna answered before slowly attempting to brave the sunlight again. "He's not used to my eyes any more than I am."

"It serves him right," Poe muttered under his breath. Tsuna simply shrugged at the words, figuring that Mukuro and Poe just weren't capable of becoming friendly with one another. They seemed to have settled their differences, but that didn't mean that they liked one another. Some people just weren't meant to get along, he supposed.

"Why don't we take the alleys?" Tsuna suggested after only two blocks of walking in the sun gave him a splitting migraine. "There's more shade and it's less crowded."

"Alright," Poe agreed. "I go by rooftops mostly, so I never learned the ground routes outside of the main streets. If you know the way, then let's go." Tsuna nodded and ducked down into the first alley he saw. He sighed in relief once he was hidden away between the two buildings. With the narrowed perspective and the dingy nature of the hidden brickwork, the blinding glare was reduced incredibly. On top of that, the shade killed the light reflecting off of the dirt hanging in the air so that it was unnoticeable. "Better?" Poe asked curiously.

"Much," Tsuna confirmed.

"Have you thought about what you're going to tell them?" Poe asked as he followed Tsuna down the alley.

"A little," he replied. "They're probably going to be pissed that I didn't call when I promised to. I'll tell them that I just overslept and I didn't want to wake anyone. Then I'll tell them that I spent all day Friday and Saturday getting health treatments at the hotel's spa. They shouldn't complain too much. They've been telling me to pamper myself more even though we can't afford pointless luxuries like that."

"And the pills?"

"Herbal energy supplements," he supplied. "The coating you put on the capsules hides what's inside, so they won't know that it's blood. They look just like normal pills, even though you made them so freaking big."

"Remember to break them open in your mouth before you swallow," he responded. "That's why I made them a decent size. There's enough in each one to give you a satisfying mouthful without spilling over. Just bite down and chew. The capsules skins are tasteless, but they're edible and they double as a breath mint. Just don't let anyone else take one. It won't hurt them, but the taste will give you away."

"I'll remember," he promised. Tsuna looked down at his hand as he walked, still unable to fully believe what had become of himself. He was a werewolf. Poe had warned him that his Hunger would settle into a cycle. Some found it peaking around the time of a full moon while others got it on the same day every month. Poe had even had the poor humor to joke that Tsuna might seem like he's got PMS to people. Pre-Mastication-Syndrome as he called it. He'd also been warned to never consider himself a vampire. Some true vampires found it insulting and would kill him over the attempt. It was the same reaction that a human would have when faced with a cannibal. Rather than admit that they were the same, vampires preferred to name him differently and claim that he was something else entirely. That wasn't to say that vampires hated werewolves. They simply disliked to see their own true natures exposed and preferred to pretend that they were unrelated.

There were other reason why they were labeled differently even though they had the same curse. The main one was how they were Changed differently by it. Werewolves had more of the primal instinct inside them that Poe's kind had disposed of through evolution. It was still there, but it wasn't strong enough to control them outside of their Hunger. Vampires had culture and breeding as their defense. Werewolves relied on instinct and their primal senses. Where Poe bit for pleasure and taste, Tsuna bit for survival and necessity. Where Poe could vamp anything with a life force and was allowed to be picky in choosing his likes and dislikes, Tsuna only had the choice between vampire blood or starvation that would lead into madness.

They were alike, but they were different. It was the differences that defined what they were. Tsuna knew that better than anyone since he knew the truth that Poe didn't want to point out. Poe said that true werewolves didn't shape shift, but Tsuna already had. He might not have physically turned into a half-man, half-wolf, but his mind had. He'd lost his humanity when his Hunger had taken over. He had a feeling that Poe would still be Poe, even if he was starving. He'd seek out food mindlessly, just like Tsuna, but he wouldn't be brutal about it nor would he ever turn on a friend without consent. On the other hand, Tsuna would turn on his friends and the people he loved in order to fill his needs if he allowed his Hunger to grow too much. He would shift into a hunter again with Poe being his prey.

"Hey, Poe," Tsuna said softly. "This is real. Isn't it? I'm not just in some weird nightmare."

"This is as real as it gets," Poe murmured unhappily. "Like it or not, there's no turning back."

"That's what I thought," he sighed quietly.

* * *

Omake:

Ashes: So, what do you think?

Tsuna: You HAD to go and turn me. Aren't I screwed up enough already?

Ashes: But, but, but--

Tsuna: I thought you were trying to make me seem normal!

Ashes: You're not allowed to be normal. You know that.

Tsuna: I know, but damn! Povery, Perversion, Possession, and now you're turning me into a Poe-Pill-Popper! What's next?

Ashes: You'll get over it. It's not like it'll change you THAT much. You'll just be a little more touchy.

Tsuna: I've got Gokudera for that. Oh! That's _right_. You took Gokudera away.

Ashes: Sarcastic much?

Tsuna: It's from hanging around Autumn. Really. Could you have made her any more of a bitch?

Ashes: Yes.

Tsuna: I shouldn't have asked. At least she's starting to gain some sense of responsibility for others. That Vampire Feast really must have shocked her for her to have worried about me.

Ashes: I think her own helplessness shocked her. I doubt she'll take that laying down.

Tsuna: Too true. I just hope she doesn't take it out on me.

Ashes: I doubt it. She kind of owes you for making her notice it before she became a Boss.

Tsuna: So, is she really going to win? I'm not sure if having her as my Boss is really better than having Gabriel.

Ashes: Shh! You don't know about the race for succession! Remember?

Tsuna: I'd remember if you gave me my memories back.

Ashes: Nice try. You're not ready yet. There's still a long way to go before that happens. We have to see what your limits really are. This is the last F&F fic, after all.

Tsuna: Don't remind me. I get a happy ending at least. Right?

Ashes: ...

Tsuna: _Right_?

Ashes: Do you?

Tsuna: I shouldn't have asked. I'm going to go lay down now.

Ashes: I just like scaring you. You'll figure out how it's going to end when it ends, just like everyone else.

Tsuna: You're too cruel.

Ashes. It's more fun that way. Until next time!


	38. Chapter 38 To Breed Lies

Smiling at the sound of Peanut barking in excitement, Tsuna ducked into the cathedral of the house with his bag still slung over his shoulder.

"Yo," he called, instantly getting attention.

"Suoh!" Eric exclaimed from Peanut's side. Reaching out, he buried a hand into Peanut's fur and grinned. "So that was why he got all worked up. He knew that you were back. How did it go?"

"Just fine," he answered. Heading upstairs to drop off his bag, Tsuna asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Gigi is asleep, Marty and Ollie are at work, the girls are at their weekend classes, and Ore's at the gym," he called.

"What about Snicker? I've been dying to see him." Tossing down his bag on the bed, he yanked out his eye patch and put it back in place with his sunglasses going into his pocket. After that, he pulled out the manacles. The two wrist ones with Poe's seal went on the dresser. The two plain anklets got wrapped up in a shirt and carried downstairs with him. One set was enough to keep for memory's sake. He had every intention to sell the second pair in order to get some extra cash for the house.

"He said something about dominos in the park before he left," Eric replied. "He should be back at any--" Both Tsuna and Eric paused at the low growl that suddenly erupted from Peanut. Tsuna stared at the dog, taking a step backward when he realized he was the source of the dog's reaction. "Wha--"

"Peanut," Tsuna gasped, instantly knowing what the problem was. The problem was that Peanut _knew_. Peanut had noticed the difference in Tsuna from the moment he got close. "It's okay," he encouraged with a faltering smile, reaching out in an attempt to soothe the beast. "It's me, Su--" Only the combination of Eric's arms wrapping around Peanut's neck and Tsuna's quick reflexes saved his hand. Peanut went into attack mode, snarling and barking while biting air in Tsuna's direction.

"What the hell's gotten into him?!" Eric shouted in panic, holding onto the dog for dear life so that he couldn't reach Tsuna. Tsuna didn't answer, merely looking into Peanut's enraged eyes while the dog continued his attempts to attack. All at once, Eric's grip slipped and Peanut lunged forward with every intention to rip Tsuna to shreds. Only one thing stopped him.

"SIT!" Tsuna roared. Peanut paused in the middle of his lunge with a whine and a yelp, trying to sit while his momentum sent him sliding forward to Tsuna's feet. The moment that he stopped, he looked up to see how close he was to Tsuna. This immediately caused him to produce another whine in his confusion. He was scared. He'd lost the battle for superiority by obeying Tsuna's command and he was scared of what was going to happen next. He was confused, too. He knew Tsuna from all the time that they'd spent together, but Tsuna wasn't the same as when he'd left. Not to the dog's senses. Peanut's instincts could tell the difference that humans wouldn't be able to notice.

"It's alright, Peanut," Tsuna murmured, reaching out once more to pat the dog on the head. Peanut let out a yelp at the touch and ran for hiding under the pool table. Tsuna let him go, knowing that nothing but time would allow the dog to accept the change. It was no different than the reaction he would have expected from Peanut's human counterparts in the room, which was why Tsuna had decided to keep his Change a secret. Still, the lack of foresight to not have realized that Peanut would notice made him horribly upset. Yet, there was nothing he could do about it. If he chased Peanut down and forced acceptance on him, the dog wouldn't be happy.

"What was all that about?" Eric gaped from where he still sat on the floor.

"That's what I'd like to know," Gigi grumbled from his bedroom door, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Tsuna grimaced at the sight of him. He looked completely worn out and he doubted that being woken up from Peanut's barking had helped him any..

"He probably just reacted to the smell of vampires," Tsuna lied quietly. "I'm probably still covered in it. They were staying at the same hotel, after all."

"But he doesn't react that way to Poe!" Eric objected. Tsuna shrugged, holding out a hand to help Eric to his feet.

"He's used to Poe," Tsuna murmured. "Plus, you probably never noticed, but Peanut always hides when Poe comes in the building. There were others besides Poe there, so he probably just didn't recognize my smell with all the others on me. I'll take a shower later and see if that helps any."

"Okay," Eric agreed with a wide grin, accepting Tsuna's words.

"Go back to sleep, Gigi," Tsuna added when the man stumbled out of his doorway with a yawn.

"I'm up now," he said grouchily as he headed for the coffeepot in the kitchen. Tsuna walked over and found himself a seat on a stool, while Eric followed and sat beside him. "Remind me not to fill in for you ever again. I don't know how you've been managing. I swear I didn't get to sit down for even a minute in the past three days. Every single time I thought I was caught up, someone needed something. I kept trying to turn them down and tell them to do it for themselves, but they kept hitting me with the same sentence. 'I thought you were filling in for Suoh. Suoh would help me.' Even street bums seemed to know that I was filling in for the past few days."

"Gigi had a meltdown yesterday," Eric chuckled as Gigi passed out mugs of coffee and the small jug of cream. "You should have seen him. A pissed off drag queen is a hilarious sight. I caught him telling off some old guy in the park."

"The little bastard tried to tell me that Suoh always plays a game of dominos with him on Saturdays and that I had to fill in," Gigi exclaimed. "I don't even know how to play dominos! Plus, I'd already missed lunch, my feet were killing me from running errands in high heels, and Peanut had dragged me all the way there while I--" Gigi broke off when Tsuna choked on his laughter at the thought of Gigi trying to fill in for him while in drag. "Friday was hard enough!" Gigi spluttered in his own defense. "I thought no one would recognize me if I tried to do Suoh's errands in drag!"

"You should have seen him," Eric laughed. "He yanked off his wig and started stomping on it because he was so frustrated over being caught."

"Gigi," Tsuna gasped, roaring in laughter. "The guy I play dominos with is blind! He wouldn't have known if you were a man, woman, or a ten-foot-tall frog!" Beside him, Eric snorted into his coffee while Gigi's expression became dumbfounded.

"H-He was blind?" Gigi gaped with his jaw hanging wide open.

"Didn't you see the dog with him?" Tsuna asked while he tried to get himself to stop laughing. "He knew it was you because of Peanut!"

"Oh dear," Gigi mumbled with a bright blush. "I'm going to have to apologize to that guy. I made such a huge scene."

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna soothed. "I'll stop by and explain it to him later. He'll probably get a kick out of it when I tell him what happened. He might not be able to see, but he's got a good imagination. That's how we can play dominos together. I just tell him what I put down and he can imagine the board. You stomping on your wig in the middle of the park is sure to make him laugh."

"Great," he grumbled. "Now I'm the laughingstock of the neighborhood. Ah, well, I guess it could be worse."

"Did I mention his heel broke while he was stomping and he fell into the fountain?" Eric chuckled. In Tsuna's defense, he managed to hold back his laughter for three seconds. After that, it erupted at a rate that was uncontrollable.

"You didn't have to tell him that part!" Gigi screeched, grabbing up a kitchen towel to smack Eric with. Eric dodged and jumped out of his seat, running for his life around the room while Gigi chased him with curses and explicative. It was in the midst of the squeals and melee that Snicker arrived home.

Mate.

Tsuna's breath caught in his throat when his eyes were captured by Snicker's. Tsuna sat frozen under his eyes, his mind a rush of a thousand thoughts. Thoughts of being unable to face him after the secret betrayal were shattered instantly, replaced almost seamlessly by the simple need to stare at him. Then Snicker smiled at him, joyous that he was home, which sent Tsuna to his feet in a heartbeat. What had happened between him and Autumn didn't matter. Snicker didn't know. He never would. Tsuna didn't care if it meant he had to lie. He just wanted to be in Snicker's arms again. He wanted to be in the arms of the man that needed him and wanted him. He refused to let Autumn's greed change how Snicker felt about him. The lie weighed heavily on him, but he was willing to bear it because Snicker could still smile at him with such honest car--

Tsuna faltered to a stop half a dozen feet away from Snicker, finding a unexpected barrier in his path. Peanut stood between them, snarling and growling in an attempt to scare Tsuna away. Tsuna simply stared at him in shock. Peanut had to know from before that he'd come out the loser between them, but he was still trying to protect Snicker.

"What's wrong with you, Peanut?" Snicker asked worriedly when Peanut let out a sharp bark of warning. "That's Suoh that you're barking at."

"Suoh still smells like vampires," Eric supplied from where he'd fallen to a stop with Gigi beside him. "Peanut thinks that he's a danger to you, so he's trying to protect you."

"Don't be silly," Snicker said in exasperation at the dog, reaching down to pet him on the head as he passed by him on his way to Tsuna. "Suoh's no danger to any--"

"Look out!" Gigi screamed when Peanut lunged past Snicker in effort to get to Tsuna first. Tsuna dodged automatically, reaching out to backhand Peanut's jaws away. It was then that he remembered Poe's warning.

_Be careful not to kiss anyone or let your blood get on them until the burning wears off. If you do, you'll turn them_.

The burning hadn't went away yet. He'd forgotten about it because it wasn't as strong as it had been at first, but it was still present. Peanut had every right to attack him. If he'd kissed Snicker, his saliva would have turned him. He cursed, remembering his coffee cup, too. If someone drank after him, it would be no different. The inoculation wasn't completely assimilated into his system yet. He was a walking time-bomb at the moment that hadn't yet been diffused.

Realizing that, Tsuna ran for the kitchen with Peanut nipping at his heels despite everyone's attempts to control him. Snatching up his coffee cup, he ran out the side door and shattered it against the opposite wall before turning to simply run. Poe had asked him before parting ways about whether Tsuna was ready to meet with everyone. He'd said yes, completely forgetting that he was a danger. Now, the reason for Poe's question took on a whole new meaning.

He wasn't ready. He was close, but he still needed a little time. He knew that he couldn't stick around, because Snicker would want a kiss as soon as they saw each other. For Snicker's sake, he ran. He ran as fast as he could, keeping his eyes firmly on the ground in order to ignore the blinding glare of the world around him. It wasn't until he was several city blocks away that he faltered to a stop, panting and gasping for air in the middle of an alley.

Peanut had just been protecting them from danger. Tsuna had been a danger. It made him want to weep that he'd been so careless. Because of him, Peanut was probably going to get in trouble for turning into an attack dog where he'd never been dangerous in the past. Peanut had never so much as growled at someone before this. For him to have almost bitten Tsuna was a first. It would also be his last unless Tsuna figured out some way to fix the situation. He couldn't tell everyone the truth, but there was no way that they'd believe that Peanut had just been playing.

Lies can breed. Tsuna couldn't remember where he'd heard that before, but it was true. He'd lied about why Peanut had been upset with him. He'd decided to lie about everything that'd happened the past three days. He'd made up his mind to lie, lie, lie, and keep lying in order to hide his secret. Part of him wanted to tell the truth so badly once he realized his burden was much heavier than expected, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't because of one simple fact. That fact was that they still occasionally looked at his eye patch with strange expressions when they thought he couldn't see them. They were expressions that told him that he couldn't trust them not to look at him differently if they knew about this new change.

Forcing himself to calm down, he tried to come up with some plan of attack.

And came up empty.

"What do I do?" He asked aloud.

_Do you know the reason he attacked you?_ Mukuro-sama asked with a sigh of resignation.

"It's because I'm different now," Tsuna answered painfully. "Peanut doesn't re--" Tsuna paused. Peanut _did _recognize him. He wouldn't have obeyed his command if he hadn't. That meant that there was more to it than that. Maybe Peanut's instincts had told him that Tsuna was dangerous. That couldn't be the case, either, since he'd not reacted while Tsuna had simply been drinking coffee with the others. Peanut was smart for a dog. His instincts were better than that. Maybe... Maybe his instincts had warned him initially that Tsuna was a danger, but Peanut had decided to trust him. Then, his instincts had warned him again when Snicker had come in the room since there was always contact when the two of them were together. If that was the case, it might not be Tsuna's Change itself that was making the beast react. It was the danger that came with contact. Which meant that Peanut would be fine once the inoculation was done working, causing Tsuna to no longer be a threat.

"I think I got it figured out, Mukuro-sama," Tsuna murmured. "Peanut should be fine if I wait until the shot stops burning to go back. It's been wearing off pretty quickly. Another ten minutes and it should be gone completely." Tsuna felt an absentminded confirmation before Mukuro-sama faded out of his mind again. Signing in relief, Tsuna stood up and tried to think of what he should do now that he knew how to get Peanut to calm down. He owed the dog an apology for having been so quick to jump to conclusions. If he'd thought more about Peanut's actions, the dog wouldn't have had to go so far in order to protect everyone.

More than just an apology, he owed Peanut for _succeeding _in protecting everyone. His loyalty had been strong enough that he'd tried to protect Snicker even though it meant going up against Tsuna. It made him think of stories where dogs protected their masters out in the woods when bears attacked. The dog didn't stand a chance, but he still tried even though it meant they had to fight something that they had no chance of beating.

With that in mind, Tsuna knew what his goal was. He had his wallet in his back pocket, the place that he always kept it after having been stuck out of the house without it during Charlie's visit. Since he had that, he headed toward the nearest pet shop. It was hard to see where he was going, especially since he had to keep his eyes focused on the ground. Even in the alleyway, the light was blinding to his eyes without the sunglasses on. It made him want to laugh at the thought that such brightness was the reason that dogs were colorblind. He knew that wasn't the case, but he was almost positive that the light would be easier to bear if the colors around him weren't so vibrant.

Shading his face from the light, Tsuna kept them cracked at only the bare minimum in order to see his way through the pet store door. Once inside, he sighed in relief. It was still bright since the store had so many lights, but he could cope with it. Bypassing the baskets, Tsuna headed down the long aisles in effort to find what he wanted. He found it. He also found something else that made him queasy.

It smelled good. He'd eaten dog food before when they hadn't had enough money to buy real food, but never had he found himself enjoying it. Sadly, he found his mouth watering as he walked down the aisle of dog treats and oversized bones. The aroma coming off of the bins of treats that were at a level where people could bring their pets in to pick was incredible. He could smell each and every one as if they were unique dishes. That one was grilled salmon. That one was rib eye. That one was barbeque chicken. The salad one smelled nasty. There was another that smelled like-- Tsuna froze and reached out to snatch up a long bone from a pile. The label said that it was a preserved lamb leg, but it smelled like fresh hamburgers to Tsuna. Definitely a keeper.

Satisfied with his choice but suddenly curious, he stuck the bone under his arm to buy and went to check the aisle of dog food. It smelled horrible. He had to plug his nose as he walked down the aisle. Most of the bags reeked of sawdust. He was horrified when he got close to the bag of food that they'd been getting for Peanut. It smelled like rat's ass. Literally. There was even one that smelled like feces, making Tsuna's stomach churn. It got better as he headed for the more expensive bags. The ones labeled brightly for nutritional value started smelling like cereal. There was one that smelled like honey glazed chicken nuggets. A few smelled like fresh baked bread. Then Tsuna found it. The perfect bag to get for Peanut and the one brand that had a decent aroma coming off of every bag. He grimaced at the price, but he'd figure out how to budget it in later. He wasn't about to let Peanut eat the crap that they'd been feeding him so far. This one was a hundred times better. It was better because it smelled like grilled steak and vegetable kabobs.

Grinning with the small bag in one hand and the long bone under his arm, Tsuna decided to make one last stop. That was to the toy aisle. He had no clue what a dog would like, so he was completely lost while he slowly looked through the goods. His altered sense of smell had come in handy with foodstuffs, but plastic just smelled like plastic. He knew that they already had a tug-of-war rope for him at home, so that was immediately thrown out. Anything with catnip on it made him sneeze, so those were out, too. At least, they were at first. The more he sneezed, the more he wanted to check out the springing balls that were attached to wide bases anyway.

Boing.

Tsuna felt and irresistible urge to giggle when he reached out and flicked the one that was on display. It was more amusing than he thought. No matter how many times he flicked the puffy orange ball, it bounced right back at him. Boing. Boing. Boing. Boingboingbonigboingbo-- Tsuna froze, realizing that he was playing with a cat toy. He cursed, shaking off the drowsy sense of contentment, amusement, and pleasure. It was the catnip. Where it normally wouldn't affect him, his heightened sense of smell made him susceptible to it. At least, it made him able to smell it. He didn't think that it was the catnip itself that was affecting him. Rather, it was the toy itself. He'd simply been amused too easily. It left him blushing and rushing back toward the end of the aisle that was free of the scent. Upon reaching it, it took him several long minutes of simply standing and breathing to settle himself while he pretended to look down at a pile of squeak toys. He wasn't a dog. He wasn't a cat. He was a human, damnit!

Although, it couldn't hurt to buy just--

No!

Reaching out while he forcibly reminded himself that he was looking for something for Peanut, he grabbed the first toy that he saw and gave it a test squeak. The sound was dull and monotone to his ears, making him drop the item back down with a grimace. It was no wonder that Peanut never played with the one that they'd given him. It wasn't an enjoyable sound at all! Digging through the pile, he tested one after another until he found one that sounded good. The pitch wasn't off and it wasn't too loud. It was a strange shape for a squeak toy, but that wasn't really what mattered. Anyways, the shape itself gave Tsuna the urge to laugh every time that he squeezed it.

Deciding that Peanut should like the rubber duck despite it looking like a rubber duck, Tsuna made one last stop before leaving. The trip was teaching him more about his new senses than ever before. It wasn't just his eyes and his sense of taste that had been changed. It wasn't just his sense of smell where Poe was concerned, either. His hearing was different and his changed olfactory senses made a lot of things smell differently instead of just vampire blood. It was the hearing that made him curious. The burning sensation was gone, letting him know that it was safe, too. He wouldn't have to worry about spreading his unique condition to anyone else now.

Grinning, Tsuna picked up the first dog whistle he saw and gave it a sharp blow. He nearly screamed from the pain that ripped through his solar plexus as a result. His eardrums felt like they were going to explode, making him drop everything in his hands in order to cover his battered ears. He could hear barking from the dogs who were in the store with their owners, but he had his own problems at the moment. Looking up at the label on the whistle, he groaned at what he hadn't noticed before.

"Sure to drive dogs crazy!" and "A sound that dogs can't ignore!"

Cursing, Tsuna worked his jaw a little to try to get the ringing to go away. He wanted to find whoever had made the bedamned whistle and rip him a new one.

"Can I help you, sir?" Tsuna looked over to find a woman in the store's uniform hovering near him. He gave her a faltering grin, trying to hide how his ears still hurt and trying to hide the fact that he could barely hear her at the moment.

"I'm fine," he answered, pointing at the rack of whistles in front of him. "I was just looking for one that my dog might like and I grabbed a bad one."

"Do you have your dog with you, sir?" She asked slowly. Tsuna paled, belatedly remembering that normal humans couldn't hear the pitch of dog whistles.

"N-No," he answered. "Uh... I uh... I have a hearing aid!" He blurted, grasping for the first thing that came to mind. "Yeah. A hearing aid."

"Oh," she replied with a look of surprise. "So you can hear the sound?"

"Yeah," he nodded hurriedly. "I tried this one, but it was painful. I was hoping to get one that Peanut will actually like to hear."

"Have you tried this one?" She asked curiously, reaching for a small silver tube hidden on the bottom row. "It might not be fancy like the others, but my dog likes it. Most people won't give it a shot because their dogs don't react while they're in the store, but I've tried it at home. My dog comes to me every time that I use it, but he doesn't going into a barking frenzy."

"I'll try it," Tsuna agreed with a grimace. Preparing himself, Tsuna stuck it in his mouth and plugged his ears before giving the shortest blow that he could manage. "Eh," he gaped in surprise, snatching the whistle before it fell from his lips. Trying again with his ears unplugged, he gave a slightly longer whistle. It was nice. The tone was assuredly a higher pitch than he could normally hear, but it didn't seemed like it. It seemed to resonate through him pleasantly, making him want to hear it more. It was calming instead of ear-shattering. It was a sound that Tsuna was positive that Peanut would answer to, much like a person would seek out the source of a piano's sound. "It's perfect," he murmured to the saleswoman. "It has a really pretty sound. I think Peanut will love it."

"Really?" The woman blushed. "You seem to really like your dog. The last person that I recommended it to said that they wouldn't get it because they wanted a strong response from their pet. They said that it wasn't worth it because they couldn't tell if it was broken unless it got a reaction. Then they bought this whistle since it set off all the dogs in the store." Tsuna grimaced at the whistle she pointed at. It was the first whistle he'd tried.

"I think this will get a reaction," he replied. "I don't want to get something that'll hurt his ears. That one is like nails on a chalkboard. This one is like a bamboo flute. He'll hear it and come just out of curiosity."

"I'll have to remember that for the next person that comes in," she chuckled cheerfully, helping him to pick up his fallen purchases. She looked them over with a knowing eye before pinning him with a broad grin. "You really do care about your dog. I'm not too sure about the rubber duck, but that dog food is what my veterinarian recommended and he goes nuts when I get him a new lamb leg."

"Uh, yeah," he murmured sheepishly. "Peanut is one of a kind."

"Would you like me to help you carry these up to the register?" She asked politely. Tsuna nodded, feeling strangely as if he'd been targeted for something. The looks of consideration she kept throwing at him when he thought he couldn't see only made that feeling get worse. He saw a lot of things that people didn't think he could see, since everyone assumed he had a blind spot with the eye patch. He could see through it, though, thanks to Mukuro-sama's alteration of his perceptions. "Have you had your dog for a long time?" She asked curiously as Tsuna belatedly realized exactly what the woman was considering.

"Yes," he mumbled, deciding to let her down gently. "He's more attached to my husband than to me, though. I'm hoping I can win him over a little with all the treats."

"Oh," she gasped in surprise, her eyes going wide at the word 'husband'. Tsuna grimaced internally. He and Snicker weren't married yet, but it was easier to deal with advances this way. They'd be married soon enough and the girl would give up with the level of attachment that the word insinuated. She fell quiet as she helped him put his items down at the check-out stand. As he expected, she disappeared directly afterward while he was busy paying.

Walking outside with his purchases in hand, he realized that the trip had more than one added benefit. The bright lighting from within the store had allowed his eyes to slowly get used to an increased level of lighting. He could actually see outside, although the glare was still a bit much for him to take head-on. Poe was right like always, he sighed as he ducked down into the alley next to the store. He would get used to his improved eyes. It'd be a little hard at first, but he could survive.

He absently wondered what Poe was up to. He was probably already back at the hotel, trying to answer the Council's whims. The purpose of the Council and what their importance was, Tsuna had no clue. He did know that Poe seemed to be under their thumbs. It seemed wrong somehow. Tsuna had a feeling that Poe had been miserable from the moment that the Council had arrived. Even more importantly, Poe just didn't seem like someone that should have to answer to anyone. He was chained when he should be free and he was slowly dying inside. It made Tsuna get the crazy notion that he should save him, but he had no clue where to start. He wasn't sure if he should, either. If Poe was free, he might get away. Poe couldn't get away. He was too tasty and--

Tsuna bit his lip and juggled his purchases in order to dig in his pocket out of the belated realization of what his mind was focusing on. Thinking about Poe abstractly was one thing. Getting images of steaming hot, peppered steaks in his head while thinking about him was another. It made him curse for more reason than one. Poe had made him feed again upon waking simply to ensure that he could make it a week without him. Not even half a day had passed since then and he was already starting to get hungry again.

He hated it. Despite his calm attitude in front of Poe, he hated what had become of himself. He pretended to cope while in front of the man so that Poe wouldn't hurt, but the truth was that he hated everything about how he'd Changed. It'd screwed with his insides far more than Poe could ever dream of. Not just his senses, but his mind. There was more that'd Changed than just the addition of Hunger and the controlling aspect of his instincts when that Hunger was pushed too far. He was only starting to notice most of them, but he was coming to realize that the title of werewolf was becoming more and more fitting. The instincts of a vampire and the instincts that had been imprinted on him were completely different, no matter if they came from the same source.

Neither Poe nor the person that he'd been before would have gotten the flash of mating instinct that Tsuna had gotten instead of flashes of caring when he looked at Snicker! Neither Poe nor the person that he'd been before would have been so easily amused by a stupid cat toy! Neither Poe nor the person that he'd been before would have ever considered dog food as something appetizing! There was more Changes in him than Poe knew and none of them were things that he could ever see Poe reacting to. He couldn't help but react, though. He--

Fight.

Don't fight.

Tsuna froze as his instinct collided with his intuition, both telling him to do different things. It left him in shock with his pill bottle forgotten in his hands. His instincts were screaming for him to fight while his intuition was telling him not to. He was confused by the conflicting desires. They were both so strong, but he didn't know which to listen to. He knew that he had to figure out something, fast, too. Someone was quietly approaching from behind him. What to do?! He had to do something! He couldn't just stand there and--

He let out a startled yelp and spun in place at the hand that touched his shoulder. Staring with his eyes nearly popping out of his head, it took him nearly a minute to realize that Ore was standing before him. Ore had a startled look on his own face, having not expected such a reaction.

"Are you okay, Little Guy?" Ore asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah," he lied, trying to get his mind working again and his heart back down from his throat. "Y-You just startled me."

"You startled me, too," he chuckled. "I guess I should know better than to come up behind you in an alley. I was just on my way back from the gym. You need some help?"

"Sure," Tsuna nodded, shaking off his confusion and his panic. It only took a few seconds of calm thinking to understand why his instincts and intuition had reacted the way that they had. His instinct could tell that Ore was strong and strength equaled threat, which had made him want to fight. On the other hand, his intuition knew that Ore was harmless and had told him not to. It was a tricky thing to separate the two feelings away from each other, but he understood once he had a moment to think. From what Poe had told him, he-- Gritting his teeth at a spasm in his stomach, Tsuna handed off the rest of his purchases to Ore and fumbled with the lid of his pill bottle while he put his feet back on the path home.

"What's those, Little Guy?" Ore asked curiously.

"Just some energy supplements," he lied as he popped on in his mouth. Biting down on one, he couldn't stop the small moan of pleasure that came from the satisfying taste as the juice rolled across his tongue. Chewing the coating like Poe had told him to, the smell of Poe's blood began to dissipate almost immediately without destroying the flavor. By the time he actually swallowed, his whole body sagged slightly with the loss of the tension that he hadn't noticed building. It was delicious. It was good enough that it took the edge away from his Hunger. He felt satisfied, almost as if he'd fed directly off of Poe for countless minutes instead of a mere second. With the preservative laced on the inside of the capsules, the blood would stay good for a week without being refrigerated. That meant that he had to fight the temptation to take another since he had so many. Poe would be back to check on him at that time and to give him a new bottle. He had to control himself until then. He couldn't let his Hunger have control. If he did, he'd become gluttonous and no amount of feeding would satisfy him.

"Are they strong?" Ore asked curiously while Tsuna recapped the bottle and shoved them back in his pocket.

"No," he lied, knowing that everyone would be worried about the sudden usage. He had to make them seem harmless or else he'd have to worry about needless interventions. "I got them from the health spa at the hotel. It's an herbal mixture that's popular with the rich snobs that frequent there. Poe had me try them out and they're actually not that bad. It's like drinking a cup of coffee on the go. Something to do with extra... uh... B vitamins or something...?"

"I see," Ore replied with a wide grin. "I'll stick with the vitamins that Coach tells me to get. I'm glad to see that you're using something healthy for an energy booster, though. Gigi got _outrageously _worn out while you were gone. He's been drinking coffee like mad."

"So I heard," Tsuna smiled up at him.

"What's with all the dog stuff?" He asked, lifting up the bags that he was carrying.

"Peanut got upset with the smell that I brought back with me," Tsuna lied before retreating back into honesty. "He tried to bite me. I'm hoping that the treats will make up for upsetting him."

"Well, this should make him outrageously happy," Ore grinned as he brandished the large bone that Tsuna had gotten. Tsuna nodded in agreement as they passed the side door of the theater. Going around to the front, Tsuna slowly entered while keeping an ear out for Peanut. He thought that it should be okay since the burning from the inoculation had worn off, but he didn't want to take chances. He froze as he entered the cathedral, seeing that Peanut was waiting on him in the walkway going from the entrance to the stage. Everyone else in the room also paused, preparing themselves to leap if Peanut went nuts again.

"I brought you some treats," Tsuna called hesitantly reaching up to grab the long bone out of Ore's hand. "You were just trying to protect Snicker. Weren't you, boy? I'm not mad. You were just doing your job. I was the one that was stupid for walking in here with those smells on me. Will you forgive me for scaring you?" Everyone held their collective breathes when Peanut sneezed. Unsure if that was a good sign or a bad one, Tsuna slowly walked toward him while keeping his eyes peeled for any changes in Peanut's mood.

It was almost anti-climactic when Peanut refused to react to Tsuna's hand when he reached out to pet him. Standing up, he wagged his tail happily as he accepted the large offering that Tsuna had brought. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief with Snicker going so far as to collapse back into his chair.

"Well, that's over," Snicker said with a small smile. "I got to see you for less than a minute and you were already giving me a heart attack, Suoh!"

"Sorry," he mumbled apologetically, hiding his own need to sag in relief. Peanut seemed perfectly fine with him now. Actually, more than fine. When Tsuna stood, Peanut tracked his every movement in a way that Tsuna could tell was out of a strange new devotion. That only deepened when Tsuna gave him his new squeak toy, filled his bowl with his new food, and let him hear the sound of his new whistle. He was nearly bouncing with joy, running circles around Tsuna's feet over all the goodies. "I think he likes it," he grinned as he put the cord of the silver whistle around his neck. Thankfully, it wasn't real silver that would give him a rash. It was just painted to look like it. Tsuna was pretty sure that nothing made of real silver could cost as little as the whistle had.

"Get over here," Snicker grumbled. "I think I deserve a hello after--mph!" Tsuna pounced. The moment that Snicker showed even the slightest desire to receive the greeting that they'd missed out earlier, Tsuna gave it to him. He'd been restraining the desire to from the moment that he'd walked in. Dealing with Peanut had come first, but three days without seeing Snicker had felt like an eternity. It was an eternity that he had an incredible need to make up for. He felt Snicker's surprise over the sudden presence of Tsuna straddling his lap, but it was quickly gone as catcalls from everyone started filling the room.

They were catcalls that died off in sheepish embarrassment when the kiss didn't end. Tsuna felt Snicker grinning around the kiss and he grinned back without stopping. He wasn't going to hide it. He knew what he wanted and Snicker seemed perfectly willing since he wasn't trying to get him to calm down. Snicker showed a small glimpse of the muscle he'd built when he cupped Tsuna's rear and stood. Holding him up, neither of them gave so much as a second thought to those watching. Instead, Snicker refused to let Tsuna's legs drop from his hips while he stumbled toward the stairs, running into things constantly since he couldn't see where he was going with Tsuna still kissing him.

"At least wait until you're upstairs!" Gigi finally exclaimed from behind them when Snicker tripped on a stair and fell over on top of Tsuna. Tsuna didn't need to be told twice. Both he and Snicker scrambled for the top, both of them racing with the same thing in mind.

Married life had its perks.

* * *

"Nope," Tsuna said.

"What about this?" Gigi suggested.

"Nope," he replied.

"This?"

"Nope."

"Then what?! You've got to pick something!" He gasped in frustration.

"How about jeans and a t-shirt?" Tsuna grinned.

"Don't even joke about something like that," Gigi growled. "I'd never live it down if I let you two get married in casual wear."

"It's not like we can really get married," Tsuna sighed, sprawling out on the couch while he continued eating his apple. "Finding a preacher that'll marry us will be hard since there aren't many that will oversee our vows when we can't get a marriage license. Me and Snicker haven't even picked a date yet."

"January fourteenth," Gigi supplied.

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped. "Where did you get that?"

"You and Snicker met in January or somewhere around there," he answered. "I picked the fourteenth for you so that you'd have a month between that and Valentine's day. You can celebrate meeting and your anniversary on the same day. Plus, I've always wanted to plan a winter wedding. I'm hoping that we'll get lucky and it'll start snowing while you two are up at the altar. Wouldn't that be--"

"Pull back the fantasies," Tsuna warned with a crooked grin. "Have you talked to Snicker about that? He might want to pick some other month since that'd be right after Christmas."

"He agreed to it," Gigi soothed with a wide smile. "Just let me have my fun, sweet-cheeks. Unless you had some other day in mind...?"

"No, it's alright," he sighed. "If Snicker said that it's okay then I'm fine with it. I don't think that we'll ever actually get to have it, though. The gay community around here is thinning out a lot. They're all heading for the states that have already legalized marriages. Neither me or Snicker want to leave, but it doesn't look like they're going to change the laws any time soon. That means that we're stuck."

"You can still have the wedding," Gigi pouted.

"And who's going to marry us?" Tsuna countered realistically. "Name one preacher, pastor, or priest that will look past the law and is open-minded enough to--"

"Georgie," he said promptly.

"Eh?"

"Georgie," Gigi repeated. "I got to talking with him the other day and he was ordained as a minister when he was younger. I've already talked to him and he's looking into getting his status reinstated so that he can preside over your wedding for you. He said he hasn't preached in twenty years, but he still knows how to marry people. It won't take anything for him to brush up on it a bit."

"T-Then... Then we can really get married?" Tsuna asked breathlessly, sitting back up on the couch in shock.

"This January," Gigi confirmed proudly. "Assuming you get your mind on answering me seriously so that we can plan this!"

"Y-You're not lying to me, Gigi. Are you?" Tsuna murmured, still unable to believe his ears. Gigi smiled softly in understanding while Tsuna tried to get his suddenly racing brain to calm down. January wasn't that many months away. It was already Fall. He'd been counting down the days to his and Snicker's two year anniversary of having met. Last year, he'd been on the run. This year, he'd wanted to make up for it so he'd started brainstorming early.

"I'm not lying," he soothed gently. "I can't give you two the legal marriage that you two deserve, but I can throw one hell of a shindig for you to trade vows at. Assuming you don't mind me being your wedding planner."

"Please!" Tsuna gasped as the thought of putting a wedding together _at all _made him panic. "I don't know the first thing about planning a wedding!"

"Let me worry about it," he smiled, pulling over the stack of tuxedo pictures back over to Tsuna. "I just need your opinion. Your _serious _opinion. Do you both want white tuxes or black ones or would you prefer one of each so one of you can play the bride? If you like, I can get a dress--"

"No dress!" Tsuna squeaked. "I'm gay. I'm not a transvestite!"

"So you're the bride," Gigi grinned.

"Uh," Tsuna blushed brightly. "I uh..."

"Don't worry, sweet-cheeks," he soothed. "There's nothing to be ashamed of over being the bride. I just get to have a little more fun in designing your suits."

"Can... um..." Tsuna bit his lip, suddenly much more hesitant in throwing out his opinion now that he knew that it might be used. "C-Can we have ties instead of bowties? I... um..."

"Sure thing," she said instantly. "Let me look and see what I have with ties. That means that there won't be any cummerbunds, but I think I remember there being several outfits with nice-looking vests." Pushing his blushes away, Tsuna looked to see what Gigi had to offer with a serious eye to his future. This wasn't some fairy-tale that would probably come up in Gigi's imagination. It was his real wedding and he didn't want it to be a farce. Snicker was too important to him to allow such a thing. He wanted it to be a memory that he looked back on in wonder, not look back and wonder how he'd taken part of something with bad taste. He felt Gigi getting excited beside him, telling him that his suddenly mature attitude toward it hadn't gone unnoticed. It was a good thing. After all, Tsuna didn't want Snicker to regret his second marriage like he did his first.

Halfway through Gigi's questioning, he had to take a pill. Other than that, it went seamlessly. He'd been taking the pills for three weeks now and he'd yet to have them not push back his Hunger. He was used to it now. He didn't think twice about taking them nor did it even bother him anymore that he was eating blood. A lot more of his Changes had revealed themselves, too. For example, he only actually slept every other night. One night, he'd simply lie awake in bed and read while cuddling with Snicker or else he'd get up like he currently was. The second night, he'd sleep like the dead. Only when he was constantly active without a moment to rest during the day could he sleep two nights in a row. His flexibility had increased, too. He didn't even have to warm up now in order to do many of the stretches that he could have only previously done with his joints heated up. His instincts sent him feelings alongside him intuition almost constantly. Most of the time, the two matched. When they didn't, Tsuna relied on his intuition.

On top of that, he had almost everyone's smell memorized now. He knew who was home as soon as they walked in the door. People couldn't sneak up on him without him smelling them out, either. He never lost at the old game of 'guess who' now. He'd even managed to get ahold of Gabriel's scent. That had been another nightmare encounter that he never wanted to happen again. Even as a werewolf, his fear of Gabriel was too strong. It overrode even his instinct to flee. At least this time, he hadn't gotten cornered as badly. He'd still gotten cornered, but he'd been saved by an interruption before Gabriel could close in on him. The package that he'd handed over to Tsuna had reeked of him and Tsuna had forced himself to smell it until the scent was etched in his memory. It was worth it, even though it'd made him feel sick. Now, he knew when Gabriel was at the restaurant and could call into work rather than meet him. The only problem was that the occasion was happening more and more often. If it kept up at the rate it was going, Tsuna would either have to call into work three times a week or face him.

He had a bigger problem to think about, too. It'd been three weeks since his Change. Poe had already warned him that the time should be coming where he wasn't satisfied with mere tastes. He'd have to feed soon. He dreaded it. He'd gotten used to the pills, but the thought of putting his teeth into Poe made him sick. He assumed that instinct would arrange it otherwise when the time finally came, but it wasn't something he could think about currently without turning green.

"...those, Suoh?"

"Eh?" Tsuna asked, belatedly turning his attention back to Gigi. "Sorry. I was thinking. What did you ask?"

"I asked when you were going to stop taking those," Gigi repeated, tapping the pocket with his pills in it with a pen. "You shouldn't take energy supplements so often. They're bad for your health. Just look. You're still up and it's past three in the morning. You should be sleeping, but you're taking those instead. I think you're getting addicted."

"No," he murmured with a small shake of his head. "I can't stay healthy without these, Gigi. Don't worry. They're not why I'm still awake. They're not that kind of drug and they're not bad for me. Snicker wouldn't let me take them if they're bad for me. Right?" Tsuna smiled at Gigi and Gigi nodded in agreement. As he hoped, everyone assumed that Snicker knew every detail of what he was taking. And, of course, they had no problem with it if Snicker was okay with it. He just hoped like hell that no one thought to probe Snicker directly about them. He'd purposely kept Snicker from seeing him ever take them and had absently mentioned a few times to him that he was taking extra supplements. So far, it'd worked. When asked about the pills, Snicker would nod and say he knew about them without having any clue that Tsuna was taking them so often. Whoever had asked about them would typically just shrug and drop the matter.

The only major problem was how often he had to take them. Like clockwork, four times a day. Every single day at typically the same times, the Hunger started rearing it's ugly head at him. It was regulated enough now that it was part of Tsuna's routine activities. Once after he left the house after breakfast, once after his last delivery, once after his workout, and once after dinner. On the nights that he stayed up all night, he took a fifth one halfway between bedtime and breakfast.

"How often do you take those, Suoh?" Gigi asked suspiciously, making Tsuna cringe inside.

"Twice a day," he lied with a smile. He could almost feel the lies breeding, but it was too late for him to consider stopping.

"Was that your first or second for today?" He inquired.

"What's with the questions?" Tsuna replied defensively. "I told you that they're not bad for me."

"But you're showing dependency for them, Suoh," he countered worriedly, making Tsuna grimace. It was coming. He'd known that it'd eventually come, but he hadn't thought that it'd be so soon. He hadn't even reached his first feeding cycle and his friends were already looking to intervene. "You said it yourself that you can't stay healthy without them. You shouldn't depend on a pill to keep you healthy! Especially when you get balanced meals every day!"

"Gigi," Tsuna said calmly, taking a deep breathe in hopes that he could get rid of his anxiety. "It's really fine. If you like, I'll go to a doctor and have them write you a damn note saying that they're not bad for me."

"Yes," he snapped. "I _would _like that." Tsuna gaped, not having expected him to actually want him to waste money on a doctor for such a silly thing. Then his eyes narrowed. Fine. If he wanted to play games, Tsuna could play. All it'd take was a small favor from Papa Paolo to get a stupid note. He-- "And I want to be there when you get it," he added firmly, shattering Tsuna's hopes of an easy out. "If they're really as harmless as you say they are, then I want to hear it out of the horse's mouth. After that, I won't say another word about them. I haven't said anything, but you've been acting strangely ever since you started taking those. You've started smoking twice as much as you used to."

_Because it blocked out his sense of smell_, Tsuna mentally explained.

"You barely ever sleep."

_Because he didn't need to. _

"You've been able to lift more and more weights like you're on steroids."

_The pills didn't have anything to do with it. He'd just added five pounds a week like he always did._

"Your table manners have gotten horrible. You eat like you're starving half the time."

_Because he was hungry for something else. _

"You've been getting focused on silly things too easily."

_It was Ollie's fault for playing with a paddleball and Eric's fault for bringing in that damn drinking bird._

"You're a lot touchier than you used to be."

_Because he was having to constantly fight his instincts._

"I'm worried about you, Suoh. Those are just a few of the things that I've noticed. There has to be at least three dozen more that I could list. A lot of your tastes have changed and some of them aren't things that can change overnight. I think it has something to do with those pills and I really think you should stop taking them."

"Let me ask you something," Tsuna said tensely. "If those differences don't go away with the pills, what would you do? What if that's just how I am and nothing you could do can change it?"

"Then I'll accept it," Gigi answered firmly. "You're my best friend no matter what. I just want to make sure that you're not under the influence of something that is hurting you."

"Fine," Tsuna agreed quietly, bowing his head with his teeth clenched in frustration. In the end, there was no other way then this. "I'll stop taking them." _Where you can see_, he mentally added as the lies continued to breed.

* * *

Omake:

Ashes: So?

Gokudera: Go away. We don't want any.

Ashes: Uhh... What?

Gokudera: I said go the fuck away! We don't want any of your--

Ashes: Um... I'm here to talk to you about the chapter.

Gokudera: Do I _look _like a person that has time to read?

Ashes: No. Is that your little boy on your head?

Gokudera: Get off of me, Elario! Go find your mother! Can't you see I'm talking to someone!

Elario: Da-da! Poo!

Ashes: Isn't he cute? He's what? Two now?

Gokudera: Terrible twos. I'm starting to wish Lambo was still around. At least I could smack him when he got on my nerves. If I tried with Elario, Sangia would have my ass. It's supposed to get even worse later on today. Someone got the bright idea to plan a play-date with Takeshi's Yoshi.

Ashes: Takeshi? You and him are on first name basis now?

Gokudera: You got a problem with that?

Ashes: Not at all! I'm just curious about the reason why.

Gokudera: He helped me out a bit after you killed off the Tenth. He kept me focused on my Family and on the Eleventh until I realized that there were more people in my life that still needed me.

Ashes: It must be tough.

Gokudera: You have no idea. But, I'm not too ashamed to admit that I think Ryohei has it the worst than me. We hardly ever see him anymore. The bastard cut ties after we finally got him off that boat and is working almost exclusively with the Varia now. I don't think even Hotaru sees him that much since all the assignments get sent through Squalo.

Ashes: So, what did you think of the chapter?

Gokudera: I already told you that I don't have time to read some fairytale! I stopped reading your bullshit after you took the Tenth away!

Ashes: That means that you don't know that your replacement as a right hand is a transvestite?

Gokudera: WHAT?!

Ashes: Or that Tsuna is a werewolf?

Gokudera: Ah. Okay. I see. You're insane. Okay, I think I've humored you long enough. I'm going to go now.

Ashes: Alright. Elario smells like he needs some attention anyway.

Gokudera: Sangia!

Sangia: It's your turn!

Gokudera: But--

Sangia: Don't even try it!

Ashes: ...

Ashes: I think we'll leave them to argue amongst themselves. Until next time!


	39. Chapter 39 Warning

"Have you guys seen Leo lately?" Tsuna asked curiously, suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen the tomboy in almost a week. He'd seen her on the day that he had been forced to feed, but he hadn't seen her since.

"Nope," Dedra answered while Cassandra quietly shook her head.

"I think she said something about not being able to come around as often," Summer said as she continued painting her nails. "She probably went and got herself a boyfriend."

"She doesn't have a boyfriend," Marty growled, throwing her wrench across the room from where she'd been trying to rebuild a carburetor. "Fuck!" She yelled as if releasing some pent up steam that no one had noticed building. "Why the hell isn't she here?!"

"Do you know something, Marty?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "Even a little clue would be helpful. I already asked the guys. Ore said that she's not been coming to meet him when they go to walk her home. Ollie said that he tried going by her place but they said that she wasn't home. And Eric said that her paint cans in the garage haven't been touched. I went over to her school and talked to Hannah in case she was on a school trip or something, but Hannah said that she's not been going to school at all."

"Heh," Marty scoffed with an extreme look of displeasure on her face. "She's avoiding me. I think I teased her a little too far the last time that she was here."

"What happened?" Summer asked, pausing in the middle of painting her nails.

"It's none of your business," the mechanic practically snarled. "It's between me and--"

"You kissed her," Tsuna supplied with a sigh. As expected she jumped to her feet, spluttering and gaping at Tsuna's words while the other girls in the room went wide-eyed in shock.

"How did you know?!" She yelled angrily. "Have you--"

"I haven't been spying," he sighed, tossing himself down in Snicker's chair. "I can't really explain how I know. You two just seem different when you're around each other, so I could tell that you were considering each other. So? Are you going to tell me what happened? I'm guessing that you didn't go past kissing with her. She's at the age that a little fooling around is expected, but she's not eighteen yet, Marty."

"She kept her clothes on," Marty growled, kicking random pieces of furniture in frustration while she paced like a caged beast now that she wasn't holding it inside. "She said she wanted it and I was sick of putting my faith in idiot men. She acted like she was happy when she went home! I don't know why the fuck she changed her mind! She could of at least had the balls to face me!"

"She's the type that runs away when things get tough," Tsuna murmured in thought. "But I thought she stopped doing that after she joined the gang."

"I told you!" Marty yelled. "She's avoiding me!"

"No," Tsuna corrected. "My gut says that you're not the reason she's not been coming, but I have no clue what the real reason is."

"That's it," Marty snapped, heading for the door after pausing for only a moment to sling her oversized wrench onto her back. "I'm going to go see her and find out what her deal is."

"I'll come with you," Tsuna offered, jumping to his feet to follow. In all honesty, that had been what he'd been hoping for by asking the girls. Leo's scent was faint after so many days of her absence and it was spread around the neighborhood so much that he couldn't even begin to figure out how to track her. Ollie knew where she lived, but he hadn't thought to get the address from him before he left for his evening shift.

Marty didn't even seem to notice his presence as he followed her. She walked quickly, just short of outright running. It wasn't until after three blocks that Tsuna saw what direction she was heading for. She was heading for the Pits. It was the cheapest area to live in out of the whole city. Truly, it was the ghetto's ghetto. Seeing that made him understand why Marty had grabbed her wrench. It wasn't out of habit. It was out of necessity. It was a something that she wouldn't be questioned or stopped over and she could use it to protect herself. After all, what cop would think of a wrench as being a deadly weapon? Tsuna knew that in Marty's hands, even a small wench could be deadly, though.

Knowing the general area of her destination and figuring that she'd be safe enough on her own, Tsuna ducked down the first alley he saw without her noticing. She was too focused to notice. Once alone, he threw everything he had into running to the Pits ahead of her. He had a bad feeling. His instincts and his intuition had been nagging him all day and it only got worse the closer he came to figuring out the cause. He'd had an itchy feeling in the back of his head for two days. On the third day, he realized that it wasn't from his feeding that he'd felt strange. On the fourth, he narrowed down the issue to having something to do with Leo. He refused to let it go into a fifth day go past without resolving the problem.

In no time at all, he was jumping fences in the alleyways in order to get to the main streets again. The alleys weren't safe at all in the Pits. They were a place that even hopeless bums feared to go. The reason why was simple. This was Redrock territory. He'd managed to stay off their radars since Leo always came to them instead of the other way around, but the cloth marker on his arm would attract attention in no time if he was sighted. He really didn't feel like getting into a fight, so the main roads were a better choice for a route. It was less likely that he'd get cornered. Truthfully, he didn't know much about the Redrocks other than they had picked the worst part of town to settle in.

This was an area that graffiti was more common than painted buildings and trash was more common than grass. Even the street sweepers only came through this area once a month, where his own street got cleaned once a week. Even then, what they cleaned before they hightailed it out of the area was pitiful. Most of it had to do with the fact that the city dump was adjacent to the neighborhood. The smell washed over everything, making it almost impossible to breath for him. It got bad enough at one point that he had to take a pill just to get a second wind. It was worth it, though. The blood fortified him enough that his nose could finally pick through the aroma of urine and trash enough that he caught Leo's scent. Once he had that, he was able to follow it on a more direct path to where she was at.

Banging on the steel screen over a duplex doorway, Tsuna knew he had the right place. He could smell Leo so strongly that it was impossible for her to be anywhere else. It was coming from above him, letting him know that she was on the second floor. There was only one problem. No one was answering the damn door.

"Leo!" Tsuna shouted up at the second floor window, banging on the door even harder in case she was asleep. "I know you're in there! Open up! It's S--" Tsuna gaped at the sight of a sign that was thrust into the window. The scrawl was barely legible and he couldn't see any of the person holding it up due to the blinds it was thrust through. It was definitely something that Leo had written, but he couldn't figure out why it told him to go away. "Leo!" He shouted up at the window, giving up with the door altogether. "It's Suoh! Come out here and talk to--"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"--to me!" Tsuna continued, ignoring the yell from an apartment building across the street. "We're all worried about you! Your principal said that you haven't been going to school and--"

"Quiet!"

"--and Marty told us what happened! You don't have to hide--"

"Will you go the fuck away?" Someone growled from the doorway. Tsuna looked back down from where he'd been looking at the window in hopes of a reaction to find that someone had finally answered his yells. He instantly had to fight down the urge to attack. The man, who Tsuna assumed was Leo's father, looked hungover and simply lousy. He'd seen bums on the street that took better care of themselves. His face held what looked to be a permanent scowl and Tsuna's nose could only get the scent of liquor and sweat from him. He looked like his clothes and hair hadn't been washed in weeks and he even had the poor manners to belch despite being in front of a stranger.

"Let me talk to Leo," Tsuna demanded.

"She's not home," the man replied before slamming the door back shut. Tsuna felt anger welling up inside him. He knew that Leo was home. He could smell her, plus she'd put that note up. Frustrated at the lie, Tsuna banged on the door even harder so that it shook in its hinges. He'd be damned if he let some deadbeat like that man keep him from taking care of Leo. This time, the door flung open in half the time it'd taken previously and the man didn't look happy at having to answer it a second time. "I said that she's not fucking home!"

"Yes, she is!" Tsuna shouted. "I'm not going away until I see her!"

"Get lost!" He roared in return, slamming the door shut before yelling through it. "I'm calling the cops if you're not gone in ten seconds!"

Tsuna could feel his teeth cracking from how hard he clenched them in effort to control himself. He counted to ten on his own in hopes that he could calm down. Then to twenty. Then he simply reached forward and yanked the security screen off of it's hinges before knocking directly on the door itself. Tossing the screen aside, he swore that he was going to see Leo this time.

"That's it! I'm--"

Tsuna didn't let the man get any farther. The moment he cracked the door open to threaten, Tsuna shoved it open and sent the man flying from the forced entry. He heard a scream from what was probably the living room, but he ignored it in effort to run for the stairs sectioned off against one wall. Following his nose, he ran up them two at a time while calling Leo's name. He froze upon opening her bedroom door, his mind completely going blank. When it started working again, he only had one very dangerous question to ask.

"Who?"

"Go away!" She screamed at him while trying to hide her tears with her arms. "I don't want you to see me like this!"

"Who?" He repeated. "Was it your dad?"

"No!" She gasped. "He's a jackass, but he wouldn't go that far."

"Then who? Who hurt you, Leo?" Tsuna absently reached up to stop the baseball bat aimed for his head. Leo's father stared at him in shock for being able to ward off the blow, but Tsuna had his mind on other things. He wasn't the enemy here. However, the presence of her father was suddenly very useful. "Who hurt her?" He asked quietly without loosening his grip. "I'm not looking to fight you. I just wanted to know why Leo wasn't going to school or coming to the Dojo. She didn't tell us that she got hurt."

"Because I don't want you to get into trouble!" Leo shouted tearfully. "It was my fault! It was an accident! Just leave it alone, Suoh!"

"Hell no," he spat. "I want to know who hurt you. You don't get black eyes and broken arms from accidents!"

"Is he your friend, Leo?" The father asked, belatedly getting a clue. "He's one of those Dragon people that you're always skipping out on dinner for. Isn't he?"

"I'm the leader," Tsuna supplied, unable to take his eyes off of the casts on Leo's arms once he looked back at her.

"Ah, this is your fucking fault then," the man snarled. "Do you know how much her doctors bills are going to cost me?! All because--" Tsuna lashed out, knocking the bat away in order to pin the man to the nearest wall in anger.

"Fuck your god damned doctor's bills!" Tsuna spat. "Your daughter has two broken arms! I want to know who the hell broke them!"

"Suoh! Stop!" Leo shouted, wriggling herself out of her bed in an attempt to run over and stop him. She didn't make it. At least, not before Tsuna got the information he'd already guessed.

"I heard it was some Redrock punks," he answered. "Because your ass encouraged her, she was caught tagging in their territory. They broke her arms as a warning."

"That's all I needed to know," he murmured in satisfaction before politely letting him go. A strange sense of calm washed over him upon receiving the answer. He felt as if his mind was as clear as daylight with one solidified goal before him. "Sorry for the intrusion. I'll leave now. Leo, Marty is going to be here in a minute. She's really upset with you. She thinks that you've been avoiding her. We'll talk about you breaking your promise about the graffiti later. Right now, I've got some things to take care of."

"What are you going to do?" Leo asked worriedly.

"Let me worry about that," he smiled. "You just get those arms healed up and I'll have Eric go by and pick up your homework tomorrow. You can come over and work on it at the Dojo. Everyone's been missing you. I'll send Ore to pick you up first thing in the morning." Turning back to look at the father, Tsuna didn't hold back the need to glare. "You don't have a problem with that. Do you?"

"Whatever," the man replied in distaste. "Her ass is out of this house in a year anyway."

"If you like, I can take her off your hands tomorrow," Tsuna murmured with a sudden epiphany. "In exchange, I'll pay her hospital bills for you. I'll make sure that she still attends school and it can be our little secret. Fifty grand should cover it. Right?" Tsuna smiled when the man's eyes widened. He'd purposely thrown out a number that was easily three times the likely cost of the hospital bills. It was enough that he could already see the greedy light shining in the man's eyes.

"I'll think about it," he replied while his eyes were already telling Tsuna an excited yes despite his attempts to hide it. "I'll have to talk it over with Leo. You don't need agreement right now. Do you?"

"You can tell Ore in the morning," he soothed. "Right now, I've got other things to attend to. Just make sure and take care of Leo until then or else I might withdrawal the offer."

"What are you saying, Suoh?!" Leo spluttered while her father nodded furiously.

"You'll figure it out," he murmured with a small smile. "I've got to go. There's a few people that I need to go talk to."

"Suoh!" Leo gasped leaning forward out of the automatic attempt to grab him. "You can't be thinking about doing what--"

"Leo," Tsuna interrupted, his smile dissolving completely into shadows. "Don't ask questions that you don't want answers to." Without waiting to give Leo a chance to respond, Tsuna dashed down the stairs and took them two at a time in order to get outside as quickly as possible. Unsurprisingly, he caught Marty outside the front door. "She's inside. Don't let her follow me," he ordered before heading down the street at a run. Marty called after him in a belated reaction, surprised to see him there before her, before finding her attention consumed with Leo as the girl ran out of the apartment after him.

Tsuna ignored them.

He wanted answers and he wasn't in the mood for help.

* * *

Running down the alley at top speed, he cursed at the sound of someone yelling his name. They'd seen him. Someone had recognized him. That was bad. Considering what he'd done, it was very bad. At least the Pits wouldn't have any gangsters terrifying anyone for a while. The only problem was that he might not be able to protect anyone if he was caught. He'd be in jail in a heartbeat if they actually caught up to him.

He'd managed to find the gang's hideout, but it had turned into a melee before he could get any answers out of anyone. Angry over their refusal to take responsibility, he's settled for simply dishing out the same suffering that they'd caused. He knew that it wasn't right, but something had happened. He'd remembered. Right as the first counter-punch had hit him, he'd remembered something horrible.

_He was almost asleep again when his internal alarms went off. Instinct kicked in and he rolled to the side, barely avoiding a flash of steel as it slammed into his pillow. Tsuna's inner flame surfaced and he tried to get up off the bed, but his feet became entangled in his covers. Someone jumped on top of him brandishing a large hunting knife. _

_Tsuna panicked when he was pinned to the bed by force and the sharp steel quickly descended toward his neck. Instinct kicked in again and Tsuna grabbed the man's wrist and tried to push it away. His eyes widened when he found himself slowly being overpowered. The knife nicked his throat and he finally realized this wasn't a surprise training encounter, but that the man on top of him was actually trying to kill him. His flame flared hotter from the knowledge, giving his arms the extra bit of strength he needed. Slowly, he was able to turn the knife away from his own neck. The intruder pushed harder, trying to regain the upper hand. Tsuna let out a roar and pushed harder. He felt moisture against his bare hands when the knife finally came in contact with the assassin. Where at, Tsuna didn't know, but he did know it was a damaging hit._

_The man's strength waned and Tsuna got his feet untangled during that interlude. With a panicked movement, Tsuna used them to push the man across the room, sending him flying into the darkness. Rolling off the bed, he ran for some kind of button panel. Before the intruder could get back up, he'd hit it and a loud emergency siren began to go off. He turned quickly, putting his back against the wall to protect it. He cursed to himself as he fumbled blindly for a light switch. The lights flashed on and Tsuna blinked for a moment in blindness at the sudden change from pitch black to illumination. When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked around until he found the intruder. The masked man was laying unconscious on his stomach where he'd crashed after hitting the wall. Blood had begun to pool around his upper body from where the knife had been turned back on him._

_Someone rolled the man over. The knife that had almost killed him was sticking hilt-deep in the base of the man's throat. Tsuna looked down at his hands in horror, suddenly realizing how much blood was on them. He fell to his knees in shock, ignoring someone's panicked questions. He'd killed a man. With his own hands. The blood on his hands were from a dead man. A dead man that he'd killed. He'd never killed a man before._

He'd blacked out after that. When he'd regained consciousness, he'd been standing over a man and had been in the process of breaking his arm. He could still hear the snap and crunch of the bone. He'd stopped in shock, but he'd already caused an incredible amount of damage by then. Where he'd only planned to punish the guilty, he'd somehow gotten in his head that they were all guilty and had punished them all while he'd been unconscious. Then he'd heard the sirens and he'd ran. He'd ran as if his life depended on it.

Tsuna burst through the doors of the Dojo in a rush, knowing that the cops would be right behind him. He'd managed to make good time by using alleys, but the cops had a nifty thing called a car. It had a magic siren that allowed them to get through traffic faster than even his bicycle. They couldn't be more than a minute behind him.

"Suoh!" Snicker shouted in shock. Tsuna cursed. He hadn't realized that he'd been fighting long enough for Snicker to get home. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"No time," he gasped, scrambling for the bedroom. "I've got to change. The cops are right behind me."

"What?!" He heard numerous people yelp.

"What did you do?!" Snicker yelled. "The girls said that you were just--"

"Freeze!"

Tsuna cursed and froze on the bottom stair. He'd thought he'd had more time than this. Putting his hands up, he turned in place to find cops pouring in through the front door. Several of them already had their guns out and at the ready. Gigi let out a small scream as more plowed through one of the side doors and he was summarily tackled to the ground. It was as if every cop in the city had shown up to catch him.

"Suoh Timberson," one of them said clearly. Tsuna smiled in recognition.

"Did they throw you back on patrol, Officer Williams?" He asked pleasantly.

"I'm not here to chat, Suoh," she replied, keeping her firearm at the ready. "We've got to take you in. I think you know why."

"No clue," he lied.

"Don't play dumb," she snapped. "Now disarm yourself and throw your gloves over here."

"So you knew about these," he sighed, slowly lowering his hands to do like he was told.

"We've been watching," she replied. "Criminal organizations aren't something we take lightly."

"Since when are we a criminal organization?" Tsuna growled, throwing his gloves at her feet before slowly beginning to pull off the retractable knife still strapped to the back of his hand along with the triggers.

"Since you decided to take part in gang violence," she answered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied again.

"Sure, you don't," she scoffed. "And you don't know about the two dozen men we just found in a warehouse on Kosher Avenue. Just like you don't know how they all broke their arms or why they're all babbling about a dragon. Give it up, Suoh. Two of my men saw you and you're covered in evidence."

"Are you talking about those guys that tried to mug me on my way back from visiting a friend?" Tsuna asked with a small, knowing smile as he let the knife fall down at his feet.

"Nice try," she hissed. "A self-defense plea won't get you out of this."

"We'll see," he sighed as two men walked forward to pin his arms behind his back while a third cuffed him. It felt strangely nostalgic to banter with the Officer. He didn't really get why since the last time he'd come face-to-face with the woman had been back when he'd been the victim instead of the criminal. He wasn't scared. He had a feeling that he'd been arrested a lot in the past that he couldn't remember. He wasn't positive, but he felt like he knew what to do.

"Gigi," he called out as the police escorted him toward the front door. "Call mega-bitch's father for me and tell him what happened," he ordered, knowing that Gigi would know he meant Papa Paolo. "Tomorrow, have Ore go pick up Leo in the morning and ask Eric to go by to pick up her homework for her." Then he grimaced, knowing that Gigi would never forgive him for the next one. "And let Poe know that I'm out of my pills, too."

"What?!" Gigi gasped from where the police had finally let him up.

"Just do it!" He snapped. Then he dug his heels into the floor in order to turn in place for a single moment to look at the most important person in the room. Snicker was simply staring at him with his eyes widened in shock, having never expected for such an occurrence to happen. "Snicker, don't worry. I'll be back home in no time."

"He'll be back in three to five years, assuming everyone he hurt survives," Officer Williams corrected before directing the other cops to forcibly drag him out the front doors to one of the many waiting police cars.

* * *

The funny thing about panic was that it kept one from feeling while the needs of the moment took over. Once the panic went away, a person could feel again. For Tsuna, that ability to feel left him trembling in his seat while he absently clutched onto one of the bars of his cell. Everything had happened too fast for him to think about anything before. He was thinking now and what he was thinking about was the reason that no one else in the cell tried to get near him.

He was covered in blood. From his head to his toes, his clothes were splattered with it. He could feel the sticky sensation on his face as it dried and it was that which made reality finally hit him. He'd hurt people. He'd hurt a lot of people. More than that, he remembered killing someone. It was as if all the blood on his body was of the man he'd killed instead of the people he'd hurt. He hadn't wanted to hurt them. He hadn't! He'd just been going to go and confront them to find out why they thought it was okay to break someone's arms over a little paint. Everything had just blown up after that. They'd focused more on his bandana on his arm than his polite questions. He'd been forced to fight in order to survive! There'd been too many and he'd gotten hit, though. He'd gotten hit and he couldn't remember anything after that!

What was he going to do? He was in jail. They'd charged him with assault with intent to kill and resisting arrest for running. It'd been instinct to run, though! He hadn't been able to control it with the shock that he'd been suppressing. He'd been scared and screaming inside, no matter how calm he'd seemed to react. Actually, the calm that he remembered only made him panic even more. Why the hell was he capable of acting like that?!

_Calm down, my pet_, Mukuro ordered in his mind. _It is just a memory fragment. Deal with it in the same fashion you did with the other. _

He was right. That wasn't his memory. That was a murderer's memory. That-- That-- Tsuna gritted his teeth. Who was he kidding?! That memory did something to him! He'd broken someone's arms! He'd broken a lot of people's arms! He wasn't capable of something like that! He was a good person! He was a good person! He was a good person! He--

"That's a lot of blood you got on you there, Suoh," a quiet voice commented. Reaching up to scrub the tears out of his eyes, he looked over to find Demetri sitting next to him. His eyes widened in surprise. He'd rarely seen Demetri since he'd stopped going to Kink's. Only on occasion would he see him at the gym. Since he'd stopped going to the gym, he'd not seen the man at all. He'd dyed his pink hair recently. It was a glossy shade of deep brown now. The police had made him take off his jewelry before putting him in the cell, too. He looked surprising normal because of the combination and nothing like the gay man that he'd played Quarters with at Kink's.

"W-What are you doing here?" He asked while holding back a tremble.

"There was a big fight that broke out at the club," he answered with a small smile. "The cops couldn't figure out who were the troublemakers and who weren't, so they just brought everyone in. Don't worry about me. The Owner will have me out in no time. What happened with you? You look pretty beat up there."

"I... uh... I got into a fight," he answered with a grimace, bowing his head as the words seemed to snap everything into reality. "Someone from the Redrocks broke Leo's arms and I went to find out why. They weren't willing to talk, though. I kept asking who'd done it and why they'd do something like that, but they kept just trying to attack me for going into their hideout. I don't know what I was thinking. No, I wasn't thinking. I would have never went into a place like that if I was thinking. I just... I just felt like I had to do something! A-And then one of them hit me and I blacked out. I don't remember anything after that, but I apparently beat them all up from what the cops said. They've charged me with twenty-six counts of assault and... and I don't remember any of it! When I woke up, I was standing over a guy and I could hear sirens. I panicked and ran and--"

"I'd run, too," Demetri soothed in concern.

"I don't understand!" He gasped. "How could I beat them all while I was unconscious?!"

"Instinct," Demetri supplied, making Tsuna stiffen while his heart started racing even faster than it already was. How did Demetri know about him? No one knew that he was different! He-- "It happens to boxers sometimes when they get knocked out in the ring. They'll keep fighting even though they don't know what's going on. When you're in a life or death situation like that, your instinct for survival must have kicked in."

"O-Oh," Tsuna murmured, belatedly realizing that Demetri had meant _human _instinct. "What am I going to do? I'm probably going to go to prison. I can't go to prison! Snicker needs me!"

"Does Papa P know yet?" He asked, lowering his voice down to a whisper.

"I told Gigi to call him," Tsuna mumbled. "By now, he should."

"Papa P's going to be pissed," Demetri warned with a sympathetic hiss. "You should be more worried about him than prison. Don't worry too much. He'll pull through for you and get you out of here. Just don't think that he's going to let you off the hook with a warning."

"W-What do you mean?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"Do you know how much money it's going to cost him to save your ass? Plus, he's going to have to call in a lot of favors. You've really screwed him over by making trouble."

"I didn't mean to!" He gasped. "I really just went there to talk! It was the other guys that kept attacking me!"

"No one's going to buy that," Demetri sighed. "Face it, Suoh. You went in there and you came out after breaking all their arms. You can't tell me that you didn't want revenge."

"I didn't!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I don't like hurting people! I was just defending mys--" Tsuna froze. He'd never said anything about breaking their arms. He'd just told Demetri that he'd beat them up. "H-How did you know about their arms?" He asked quietly.

"That'd be because I'm an undercover cop," he answered with a small, sad smile.

"W-What--?"

"My job at Kink's was just a failed attempt to get close to Gabriel," he answered quietly. "Don't worry, Suoh. I leave prostitution to other guys. I've got bigger fish to fry."

"T-Then all that about Papa Paolo...?" Tsuna asked with a tremble over the reminder of what else he could have been busted for.

"I figured you'd open up and tell me the truth if you thought I was working for him," he replied with a wide smile. "Sorry for the lie. I wanted to talk to you and see what happened. You're not the kind of guy that would walk in and put twenty-six guys in the hospital out of something like revenge. I'll talk to the detective in charge of your case and see what I can do. I believe you, Suoh. You just stick with honesty when they come to question you. Now, if you'll pardon me, I've got a certain restaurant Owner to head off and question. He's bound to come down here once he hears about this. Thanks to you, this is a nice opportunity to make him slip up."

"Papa Paolo isn't a bad guy!" Tsuna squealed in shock. "I just had Gigi call him because he might know a lawyer and I knew that I'd need one!"

"I know," Demetri grinned as he lazily got to his feet. "You've been working for him, but you've come up clean every time that we've had you followed. But there's a side to Paolo Martelli that you don't know about, Suoh. For your own sake, I suggest finding a different job. You'll only get mixed up in a lot of trouble if you stick around him. He might seem like a decent boss to work for, but he won't stay that way if you keep working for him. You're a good guy. Don't ruin that by sticking around him. I've seen a lot of guys end up in prison because of him and I don't want you to follow them."

"Papa Paolo isn't a bad guy," he repeated stubbornly, keeping his mouth tightly closed around the fact that he knew exactly why the cops would be targeting him.

"Whatever you say," he sighed as he waved for one of the guards to let him out. "Just don't say that I didn't warn you. The next time we see each other, I just hope that it's not across an interrogation room."

* * *

"Remind me to never get arrested again," Tsuna murmured, trying to hide his growing panic. He'd managed to last until he'd made bail only out of the fact that he'd downed every single one of his pills in order to flee the cops in the first place. The problem was that it had been hours ago. Only the fact that it'd been more than just a small taste at that time had allowed him to go past his normal dosage time without problems. Even then, he was nearing his limits.

"If you ever get arrested again, I'll tie your ass up and throw you into the safe so that you won't make trouble," Snicker growled unhappily as he led the way out of the police station. Tsuna grimaced at the sight of the moon still up in the air. He'd thought more time had passed while he'd been questioned repeatedly before they'd allowed him to be bailed out. He'd thought he'd be able to keep his self-control through until morning with how much he'd eaten. It had to have been the stress. Being caged had done nothing but make him worry about his condition while he'd fought his urge to pace inside the confines of the cell. His mind had constantly been focused on his stomach for the past several hours, making him hungry even if he normally wouldn't have been. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you know how many people you injured?!"

"They said twenty-six," he answered calmly, his mind preoccupied with other problems. "Did Gigi get those pills like I asked? I need one."

"No, and he's not going to," Snicker spat, reaching out in an attempt to pull Tsuna to a stop in the middle of an alley. Tsuna dodged the hand and continued toward his goal with a single-minded focus. He was running out of time and he knew it. "I want to know what the hell's gotten into you," Snicker demanded as he chased after him. "Gigi told me that you stopped taking those pills. Why're you asking for something that you said you weren't taking?"

"Because I'm still taking them," he answered, picking up his pace toward home. "I can't stop just because Gigi gets a stick up his ass. What he doesn't know about, he can't bitch about."

"When did you start lying to people?!" Snicker yelled at him, reaching out in another attempt to yank him to a stop. Once more, Tsuna dodged him and increased his pace even more. He was hungry. He could feel only hintings of it, but he knew that the clock had already started ticking. Even now, his stomach was beginning to get knotted. He knew from the information that Poe had given him that he only had ten minutes from the first spasm. It terrified him because he knew that the first warning spasm couldn't be far away and he didn't have any way but one to satisfy his cravings. "Will you stop and talk to me?!" Snicker roared angrily.

"No," he answered honestly. "I can't stop right now. I've got to go see if I--"

"You're going to go get more of those pills," Snicker accused, practically running to keep up with Tsuna. "Damnit, Suoh! I want you to stop taking them! I thought Gigi was just joking, but you are as addicted as he said! You've completely lost sight of what's important! You've completely changed from the Suoh I know and I--" Snicker broke off, nearly ramming into Tsuna's back when he fell to a sudden stop. Tsuna fought the nearly irresistible urge to growl in his frustration. Clenching his teeth shut, he tried not to let it out while Snicker's words rang painfully through his ears. The pain made him angry. He couldn't help how he was. So what if he had a few quirks?!

More importantly. what the hell made it so that everyone thought that they could invade his privacy?! He kept his nose out of other people's business, so why couldn't they keep their noses out of his?! He'd not said one word about Marty and Leo's secret meetings, even though he could smell what was going on from across the building. He'd not said one word to Ore about the fights that he knew the man got into when he came home reeking of blood. He'd not said one word to Eric about all the times he'd come home with news about a new gig, only to smell semen on his breath. He'd not said one word to Ollie about the weed and other herbs that he knew the guy kept on himself. He'd not said one fucking, almighty blasted word to the great and wonderful saint Gigi about all of _his _lies when he came home with a new story about a date while he reeked of gunpowder! Everyone had something they wanted to fucking hide! He wasn't unique!

"Fuck off," Tsuna growled, making Snicker rock backward in shock. "I don't need to be lectured like some fucking middle school student, old man. Even I need a little space and some damn privacy, but I guess none of you understand that. Just like you can't understand that a person can't stay frozen in time. If you can't accept that I'm going to change over time, just like anyone else, then fine. I thought you were someone that walked forward beside me instead of trying to hold me back like a child. I'm not a kid. I know what I'm doing and I thought that you were someone who could trust me to know what's best for myself. I guess I was wrong. I didn't know that you wanted to be my father instead of my husband. Sorry. I guess I should have noticed earlier."

"S-Suoh...?" Snicker asked with a shaking voice. Tsuna couldn't look at him. He couldn't speak to him anymore. He'd already delayed too long. His stomach was getting tighter and tighter by the moment. At this rate--

Tsuna's eyes widened and he was grateful for the shadows of the alley when he felt the first spasm rip through his stomach. Ten minutes. He had ten minutes to find Poe or else he wouldn't be able to control the nature of their meeting. With that in mind, he started running. He hated leaving things hanging with Snicker in such a foul way, but he had no choice. A little pain could be gotten over. He wouldn't endanger Poe and other people by not making it in time. He didn't want a repeat of before where he'd not even recognized Autumn. Actually, it was probably better this way. It hurt so much that it brought tears to his eyes, but it was better. Snicker wouldn't follow him after he'd said such hurtful words. If he couldn't find Poe in time, Snicker should be nowhere around to be in danger.

Still, he hoped like hell that he made it in time.

* * *

"I want to know what the hell you've been giving Suoh!" Gigi yelled across the rooftop. Poe merely raised an eyebrow at her, openly amused at her leather miniskirt and boots. Gigi refused to react to the small grin. He was pissed and upset and drag allowed him to put himself in someone else's shoes. Right now, he was the devil mistress that always got what she wanted and she wanted answers.

"So, Suoh finally told you," he stated quietly.

"He told me that you're the person that's been giving those pills to him," she confirmed with a stomp of her foot. "I want to know what's in them!"

"I see," he murmured with his eyes narrowing. "He hasn't told you."

"He told me enough!" She spat. "He said to tell you that he was out of pills before the cops came and dragged him off! That means that he was getting them fr--"

"He's out?" Poe repeated in startled surprise. "Wh--"

"Yes, he is, and he can stay out!" Gigi yelled. "Because of what you've been giving him, our poor little Suoh is completely addicted! This is you're last chance to tell me what's in those pills you've been giving him! You might be a vampire, but you can still get your ass kicked like anyone else!"

"And who's going to kick it?" Poe asked in amusement. "Do you really think you can lay a finger on me?"

"I won't know until I try," Gigi growled, reaching up to pull off his wig and his earrings in anger. He was mad. He was angry. Suoh was so far gone in his addiction already that he'd totally changed. She'd thought it was bad before, but there were two major reasons to forcibly intervene now. One was that her little sweet-cheeks had turned into a liar where he'd always been so irresistibly earnest before. The second was that the drugs had turned him into a hooligan. Little Suoh would have never, ever hurt someone like he had if it weren't for the drugs! Little Suoh couldn't hurt a fly! It had to be the drugs! There was simply no other explanation!

"I don't have time for your games," Poe said dangerously when Gigi was done preparing herself for a fight. "How long ago did Suoh-- He's coming."

"Eh?" Gigi gasped when Poe completely turned his back to her in order to stare across the neighboring rooftop.

"He's coming."

* * *

Fried ice cream. Peppered bacon. Cinnamon rolls. Peppered fajitas. Churros. Peppered steak. Cinnamon covered donut holes. Peppered roast. Cinnamon toast. Peppered--

_Stop_, Tsuna mentally shouted at himself as he ran across rooftop after rooftop. He barely remembered bouncing back and forth between the alley walls in order to reach the hidden roads that Poe preferred. He would have rather taken the alley themselves, but the scent had drawn him upward. Poe's scent was strong above him. He was getting closer. The closer he got, the hungrier he became. Soon, though. Soon he's be able to ease his pain.

His mouth was watering almost out of his control. Six buildings between them. Control, he reminded himself. Poe should have the pills ready by now. He didn't have to give in to the urge to bite. Five buildings between them. His teeth were aching as another spasm ripped through his stomach, sending him running even faster. Four buildings between them. He could see him. He was standing on the roof next to the shed. There was a worried look in his eyes, but he didn't attempt to flee. Three buildings between them. His watering mouth turned to ash at the sight of Gigi on the rooftop with Poe. He considered stopping. Should he stop? No, there was no time. He'd already wasted too much in talking to Snicker. Two buildings between them. Poe's teeth clenched and he took up a defensive posture. The difference between it and his normal posture was almost unnoticeable, but Tsuna noticed. He noticed because of how Poe's scent gained a sharp quality. His chocolate truffle was turning into a jawbreaker. One building between them. Control, Tsuna reminded himself. He slowed his pace, trying to let Poe see that he still had a mind. He wasn't that far gone yet. The attempt completely failed. The scent was drawing him in. He'd found his prey.

He'd found Poe, he corrected himself as he tried to shake the image away. Poe! Not prey! He forced his legs to stop once he reached their own rooftop since he knew that Poe would react badly to a charge forward. It took almost all of his willpower. Even then, he still found himself slowly walking forward.

"Do you have them ready?" He panted.

"No," Poe answered quietly, relaxing slightly when Tsuna spoke. "I just found out."

"It hurts, Poe," he murmured, clutching onto his stomach with his hands in effort to hold himself back. He knew that he couldn't give in. Not now. Not with Gigi watching. But he was so hungry and Poe was so close. He felt like he was losing his mind. _Right there_, he sighed as he buried his face in Poe's neck. He could smell it. It smelled so damn good. He could feel his pulse beating against his lips. Just a small nibble would make him happy, but he couldn't. He couldn't because Gigi was watching. Making himself pull away with a shudder of pure need, he looked over his shoulder to find Gigi gaping at him. "Go away," he snarled, the words coming out much harsher than he intended.

"What about Snicker?" He asked with a hurt expression. "I didn't think you were the type to go behind his back like this."

"Snicker wouldn't understand," he grunted, his mind on keeping Gigi from seeing him spill blood even though she knew the truth about him now. "Keep a lid on it if you actually give a damn about me. It's bad enough that you know now. I don't want any of the others to find out. Just get out of here for now. I can't hold back for much longer."

"But--"

"In here, Suoh," Poe ordered, picking him up to carry him into the shed when his fingers dug into Poe's sides due to another spasm of hunger that was strong enough to make him dizzy. He refused to let go. He knew that if he lifted his hand for even a moment, fear of losing his prey would overwhelm him. All he could do was clutch tightly and hold himself back until they were safely hidden away within the dark confines of Poe's hideout. One the last flicker of light from the door disappeared, Tsuna couldn't hold back any longer.

Flickers of flame darted across his vision as the first few drops hit his tongue. He bit harder, spilling more in his need to consume the only thing that could fix him.

_"Are you okay? Don't worry about it. Everyone's probably nervous. Everyone here is new, you see."_

_"I'm Jack. Jack of the Wilde Family."_

_Dead, lifeless eyes stared back at him, the emotion he'd felt at the moment of his death forever etched into them; sadness. _

"Not so deep, Suoh," Poe hissed a moment before Tsuna pulled his teeth free from Poe's shoulder. Tsuna trembled in his arms, imaging circling in his sight almost endlessly. Friend. The person he'd killed had been a friend. Shoving Poe away, he scrambled for the depths of the small shed in order to huddle against a corner. It wasn't safe. He was dangerous. He was so incredibly, undeniably dangerous. He was a murderer. He'd killed someone. He'd killed a friend! "Suoh...? What's wrong?" Poe asked worriedly.

_"Your secret is safe with me. Honestly, I shouldn't say that since our Family's aren't allied, although they aren't rivals either. But still, I'll honor the trust you gave me."_

_He thought he saw Jack for a moment outside one that specialized in daggers and knives, but he lost track of him in the crowd before he could verify. _

_The ghost made a sharp gesture to the bloody stab wound in the base of his throat. "You did this to me. You took away my life without ever once attempting to save me. You only cared about saving your own life. You never stopped for a moment to wonder why someone was trying to kill you. You never stopped to wonder who was trying to. I trusted you, Tsuna. I trusted that you were strong enough and caring enough to see past my mask and stop me. You failed me, though. You took away my life instead of saving me. I will never forgive you. I regret having ever met you!"_

"I-I'm sorry," Tsuna wept. "I didn't mean to! I didn't! I don't want to hurt people!"

"Suoh--!" Someone gasped, shaking him roughly.

_"Sorry doesn't give me my life back."_

_The knife that had almost killed him was sticking hilt-deep in the base of the man's throat. Tsuna looked down at his hands in horror, suddenly realizing how much blood was on them. The blood on his hands were from a dead man. A dead man that he'd killed. Someone pulled off the intruder's mask and Tsuna wanted to scream._

"J-Jack," he shuddered as a candle was lit.

"Who's Jack?" He was asked urgently. Tsuna couldn't answer. He didn't know. It was someone important, though. A friend of some kind, but he couldn't remember where he met him or why they'd been friends. All he knew was Jack was a friend and he'd killed him. He'd killed him and--

His hands were covered in blood.

Tsuna stared down at his hands, unable to get the image of Jack's lifeless eyes out of his head. He wanted to scream. He needed to scream. He had Jack's blood on his hands. He'd killed someone. He'd killed someone. He'd killed someone. He needed to scre--

He heard the sound of glass shattering a moment before he slumped over unconscious into Poe's arms.

* * *

Tsuna curled up under the blanket that had been wrapped around him while trying to understand. The sound of birdcalls rang in his ears as a discordant note countering his misery. He remembered. He remembered what it felt like to kill. He remembered the face of the strange man while he was smiling and he remembered the sad face etched on it in death. Jack. That was all he could remember about the person. A simple name, but with it came countless feelings. Friendship. Sadness. Guilt. A feeling of worthlessness and betrayal. A feeling of failure. A feeling that he couldn't trust anyone. A feeling of distance. A feeling that he still needed to atone.

He wanted the feelings to go away, but something told him that they wouldn't. It was the same guy feeling that told him that his former life was full of such darkness. It made him want to crawl into a hole and die. Such misery. Such pain. All of it was because he'd existed. He didn't deserve to live. Maybe... Maybe he should reveal himself and turn himself in to the police. No. No, he couldn't do that. He'd already thought of that before. They'd give him the death penalty. He only remembered one of his crimes, but there were thousands more. That's why he'd wanted the altar in the first place. He'd hoped that daily prayer would help him figure out some way to make up for all the crimes that his past-self did.

That's right. They were the crimes of his past-self. His future-self was someone different now. His current-self was someone different. He might have remembered something horrible, but Mukuro-sama was right. It was no different than the tragedy that'd happened with Kyoko. If he could cope with something as horrific as that, this Jack person was just another victim. He was horrified that he'd been the guy's murderer, but the fact was that he wasn't the guy's murder, either. It was like trying to make a present-day person pay for a medieval warlord's crimes. That person wouldn't deserve to be punished any more than he did for the crimes of his past self.

R-Right?

Even telling himself that, he couldn't get the images out of his head. He noticed, however, that each time he replayed them, they got a little easier to deal with. It was like watching a horror movie. The first time might shock and scare him into white hairs, but he knew what to expect by the fiftieth time. It was still gruesome, but he could detach himself from that by telling himself that it wasn't him that was acting it out. He knew that it probably wasn't the right way to deal with it, since doing so allowed him to wrap all those feelings up in a desensitized haze. He still did, though. He did for one reason.

He could smell Snicker's tears on the air. He had someone here and now that needed him. He couldn't change the past, but he could correct his current mistakes. Those mistakes were letting Gigi know that he was a werewolf and having said such cruel things to Snicker. It was hard to decide which to deal with first. Normally, he'd run straight to Snicker to make up for what he'd done, but he didn't know what method he should go about doing that. He couldn't know without talking to Gigi first. If Gigi had spilled the beans to everyone about his condition or, even worse, Gigi hated him because of his condition, he didn't know how to handle any of it. Hence, the reason he was still hiding under his covers in Poe's shed.

"Quit pretending to be asleep," a voice grumbled into the room, making Tsuna jump since he hadn't known anyone else was present. "I can tell that you've been awake for over an hour now."

"P-Poe?" Tsuna identified, peeking out of his hiding spot with the covers still wrapped tightly over his head. He heard rattling in reply a moment before a pill bottle landed on a trailing end of his covers.

"Take one," he ordered. "After that, you can tell me what the hell happened last night."

"O-Okay," he agreed, knowing that he owed Poe for not having kicked him out onto the roof to sleep. Popping one in his mouth, he tucked the rest in his pants pocket and grimaced at the sight of his shirt. Blood had dribbled down the front of it during his messy meal, although his body had been wiped clean. Stripping it off in a rush, he threw it into a corner of the room before sighing in relief for having gotten rid of the garment. A few seconds later, he found a fresh t-shirt thrown at him by Poe who'd crossed over to retrieve it out of the bottom of the shed's toolbox. Tsuna put it on gratefully. It was slightly large for him, but only by one size. It wasn't enough to make him look like he was wearing cast-offs like when he wore Snicker's clothes.

"So...?" Poe prompted.

"Where do you want me to start?" Tsuna asked hesitantly. "A lot happened last night."

"Start with how you ran out of pills," he ordered.

"Well," he said slowly, settling the blankets around his shoulders for warmth. "I got into a big fight. I went over to Leo's house to find out why she was missing and she had both of her arms broken. I got mad and went to ask the people who'd broken it why they'd do something like that over a little paint. I-I wasn't really thinking. I barged into their headquarters and, of course, they started attacking me when I started demanding information. I tried to fight them off, but someone hit me really good and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was covered in bruises and wounds and I'd somehow defeated everyone. I heard sirens, so I started to run. I was having trouble even getting out of the building, so I kind of downed what was left in my pill bottle. I got home, but the cops followed me and arrested me. I guess getting locked up made me worry too much about my stomach and I got really hungry. The rest, you already know."

"Not quite," he murmured. "Who's Jack? You had a meltdown after you bit me last night and it had something to do with him."

"I-It's someone I killed," Tsuna answered quietly, bowing his head as the emotions quietly washed over him. "I-I can't really remember anything but that he was some kind of friend and I killed him. It's all kind of foggy. It's one of Tsuna's memories. It's not one of mine. I wouldn't do something like that."

"Are you sure?" Poe countered with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't think you'd charge into enemy headquarters to beat people up, either."

"I-I d-don't know," he admitted quietly, pulling the blankets even tighter. "If it was to protect Snicker, I probably would. I... uh... I almost did once before. That's how we met Ore for the first time. I think that's why it's bothering me so much. A year ago, I could have said I wouldn't and it would have been the truth. I want to be able to say it now, but... but you're right. I can't."

"Even the most innocent person can be corrupted when faced with the need to protect what they cherish," Poe sighed. "Most people never realize what their limits are. They can say in the abstract that 'I'd never' and 'I could never', but it's different when you've seen what it's like to lose something precious. Personally, I think it's a sign of maturity in humans when they can accept that they're nothing more than beasts. Only the stubborn, the stupid, and the naive believe that they're completely incapable of harming others. Since you know what you're capable of--"

"I know what I'm capable of," Tsuna interrupted with a stubborn look on his face. "But I don't think I'm a smart or corrupted because of that. I still get a choice. Just because I know that I'm capable of it doesn't mean I have to chose to do it every time. I could only do it if I didn't see any other way."

"Which is why humans are weak," he laughed. "There's always another way. Humans just limit their choices because they are unable to look deeper than the options that they're small minds give them."

"Now who's being naive?" Tsuna scoffed. "Are you saying that you could never kill?"

"Oh, no," Poe replied with a smile twitching along his lips. "I kill all the time. I just choose to since it's easier."

"C-Can I pretend that I didn't hear that?" He asked with a small tremble.

"Do whatever you want," he replied. "My only other question is what you plan to do now? You left quite a mess last night."

"I'm still thinking," he groaned. "I've got to face Papa Paolo some time today and thank him for the lawyer he sent me. I'd probably still be in jail if it hadn't been for how the guy got the police to set my bail. I've got to see how Gigi is reacting to last night and I've got to apologize to Snicker. I said some really mean things to him that I didn't mean. I just... I just didn't know what else to tell him, so I pushed him away. I don't want him to know the truth because then he might look at me differently. I'd... I'd die if that happened. I think I could deal with it if it was just Gigi and the others, but if Gigi told Snicker the truth then I don't know what to do. I'm scared to find out whether he did or not."

"Hiding in here isn't going to solve anything," Poe growled. Tsuna grimaced, getting the instant picture that Poe was starting to get sick of him. They had to see each other often enough when Poe dropped him off a new set of pills or he fed. He had a feeling that even that small amount of time was far more than Poe normally spent in the company of others. He was already pushing it for having stayed the night in Poe's retreat. To stay any longer would make him unwelcome for the future.

"You're right," he murmured hesitantly. "I guess I better go get this over with."

"That might be a good idea," Poe agreed. Considering that the look on Poe's face wasn't anything that could be considered pleasant, Tsuna mentally prepared himself as he stood. It probably wasn't going to be pretty. He could already imagine the look that would be on Gigi's face. Fear. Wariness. Uncertainty. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself from that and probable expressions that he couldn't even name, Tsuna headed out the shed door after giving Poe his polite thanks and a farewell.

He noted to himself that he needed to do something for Poe in gratitude for the things he did. Not just little things like not letting Tsuna stay out in the cold, but for taking responsibility where another vampire might not have. Maybe he could get a greenhouse built over the rooftop area. One with windows that Poe could open and close at will depending on whether he wanted to let the rain in or if he wanted to shelter his plants from a particularly nasty storm. That would help him, too, since he wouldn't have to constantly be moving them between the loft and the roof depending on the weather. He could maybe even build doorways and platforms so that Poe can still come and go as he pleases across the other rooftops. It'd be expensive, but Poe was currently irreplaceable to him. He chuckled a little at the thought of going the extra mile to find out where Poe's homeland was in order to get some dirt to layer across the roof.

Thinking of such innocent things relaxed him enough that he was able to climb down from the loft without thinking of what came next. Once he was at the bottom, it hit home fairly quickly since Gigi was staring at him from where he stood dressed in normal men's attire. The expression wasn't one that he'd expected, however. He guessed that he could understand the anger since he had lied to Gigi, but the disgust hit him at an odd angle and left him unbalanced.

"I'm sorry," he blurted instantly once he realized that Snicker's scent was only lingering and the man himself wasn't present. "I should have told you, but I was scared about how Snicker would react if I told him. I didn't want to chance losing him, so I thought it'd be safer to keep it a secret."

"You're a bastard," he spat. "I don't know how the hell I looked after you for so long." Tsuna flinched at the words, trying not to let them lance as deeply as the glares he was receiving already were. Apparently Gigi had already spilled the beans, because the girls of the house were staring daggers at him and the guys looked ready to beat him to a pulp. Even Leo looked ready to strangle him despite the fact that her arms were useless at the moment.

"I thought you'd understand," he replied quietly, trying to hide how much the words hurt. "It's not like I wanted it to happen. I can't control it. It took everything I had last night to wait until you wouldn't have to watch."

"You have more self-control than that," Eric grumbled unhappily from his seat next to the kitchen bar. "I know that you get horny easily, but I thought you were focusing it all at--"

"WHAT?!" Tsuna shouted in surprise. "Horny?! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Don't try to suddenly play dumb, Suoh," Summer said, walking up to smack him across the face. Tsuna just stared at her, wondering what exactly was going on. "That was for Snicker. To think that you really have been sleeping around behind his back all this time. We thought you were a better person that that."

"I have no clue what you're talking about," he murmured honestly, uncaring of the stinging in his cheek from her hand.

"I saw you just last night!" Gigi yelled angrily. "You were all over Poe and don't you deny it! I think your exact words were 'Go away' and 'I can't hold back for much longer.' If that doesn't ring any bells, maybe how you were slobbering all over his neck might!"

"Y-You think I was kissing him...?" Tsuna asked, slowly coming to understand the reason for the disgust and the glares. It wasn't over him being a werewolf. He'd thought that Poe had told Gigi since they'd both been on the roof together, but he hadn't. That meant that Gigi knew nothing. What Gigi had witnessed took on a whole new complexion with that knowledge. It made him want to laugh. For someone to think that he could be all over Poe out of lust when he had Snicker was simply ridiculous. Then he wanted to cry for a different reason. "Y-You didn't tell Snicker that. Did you?"

"Not yet," he replied, crossing his arms in order to turn away from him in disgust. "I wanted to but Ore wouldn't let me."

"Thank goodness," Tsuna sighed, collapsing down to sit on the stage in overwhelming relief.

"I said that we should hear you out first, Little Guy," Ore rumbled. "I didn't want him to go starting trouble between you and Snicker if there was a good explanation. I already made that outrageous mistake. I didn't see letting him make the same one. You better have a good explanation, though, or else I'll knock your ass out first."

"I-I do," he said slowly. "I... I'm just scared to tell you all. You might not want to be friends with me anymore."

"If it's something better than you cheating on Snicker, I'd like to hear it," Gigi snapped, stomping a foot down in demand.

"It's worse," he murmured, bowing his head to hide his expression. "It's a hundred times worse. That's why I don't want Snicker to know. He might leave me because of it."

"Just spit it out, Suoh," Leo ordered.

"I-It has to do with these," he replied, pulling out his pill bottle with shaking hands.

"I knew it," Gigi exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the small tube. "I knew it! It knew it! Poe got you addicted to them and he's making you pay with your body!"

"No," he corrected quietly, feeling tears well up in his eyes as he forced himself to admit the truth. "Poe gave them to me because there's no other treatment for my condition and it's easier to deal with this way."

"Condition...?" Dedra asked in surprise. "What condition?"

"Come here, Gigi," he mumbled as he fumbled the bottle open. Gigi slowly came forward in order to accept the small pill that Tsuna held out for him. "B-Break it o-open and y-you'll figure it out." With that done, he finally gave in and broke down into tears. He couldn't explain it himself. It hurt too much to allow them to even know. He didn't have the courage to speak up and tell them. Burying his head in his arms, he simply sobbed while Peanut hovered over him in worry. They were going to hate him now. They were going to be scared of him or else they'd outcaste him. If they didn't do either of those, they were still going to treat him differently. He felt as if he'd just handed over a bomb that was going to destroy the friendships that he'd built up with everyone.

"I-Is that blood?" He heard one of the girls say. The tremor in the voice made him only sob harder. It was coming. Any moment they were going to turn on him and start demanding answers. He'd give them to them, but he knew that they'd never forgive him for lying to them all this time. He was a monster, after all. He was a monster who ate vampire blood and couldn't control his urges.

"I-I don't understand," Gigi mumbled with shock in his voice.

"I wasn't kissing Poe," Tsuna whined, lifting his head in order to sob out in the open. "I was trying to eat him!" His crying was the only thing that could be heard in the silence that followed. He didn't know what else to say. The shunning had already started. No one moved to get near him and a few people even stepped backward to get away from him. It hurt. He knew that his friends all wanted to run away from him and he couldn't blame--

His sobs stopped in shock when Gigi flung his arms around him. His breath still caught in his throat every time he tried to breathe, but his paused enough to hear the tearful apologies that Gigi was practically shouting.

"I'm so sorry, Suoh!" He cried through his own set of tears. "No wonder you didn't want to tell us! All those little differences that we noticed were because of this! Wasn't it?! And we've been blowing them out of proportions! I can't tell you how sorry I am for not trusting you! I even doubted your feelings for Snicker and I should have known better! You can't help it if you got turned into a vampire! This isn't your fault! It's all--"

"It's not Poe's fault," Tsuna hiccuped, cutting him off from trying to lay blame. "And I'm not a vampire," he added with a small, pain-filled smile. "I'm a... um... a werewolf."

"Eh?" Gigi gaped, pulling away from him in order to stare in surprise. "You're going to have to explain that one, sweet-cheeks."

"I-It's a long story," he warned hesitantly, finding hope in the fact that they were wanting to hear him out.

"We're listening," Eric soothed gently.

"Well..."

* * *

Author's note: Snicker and Suoh fanart by Gintan!! ...drool...

gintan. deviantart. com/ art/ Strength-to-Endure-98094646


	40. Chapter 40 Cleanup

Author's notes: Opps. I uploaded my WIP for 41 by accident. All better now. Be happy if you got to read it before I took it down... That chapter isn't ready for consumption yet.

* * *

Tsuna blushed as yet another person scratched the hair at the nape of his neck. He wanted to tell them that he wasn't a dog, but he didn't want them to stop at the same time. It gave him an incredible sense of relief every time that one of them did it. They still wanted to be friends with him. They weren't scared of him. Those feelings and more were passed to him each time they reached out to touch him. He didn't want that to stop, so he didn't clue them in that he was perfectly capable of scratching his own neck if it itched.

It'd taken hours for them to understand, but they'd calmly listened to every word he'd said. They'd tossed out questions hesitantly at first and quickly seemed to become enamored with the idea of Suoh-as-werewolf. He was surprised, but it was Gigi who made him understand. It was because they were used to Poe already. If vampires could exist, it wasn't so hard for them to go the next step to believe in werewolves. Although, Eric had been disappointed when he found out that Tsuna couldn't shape shift. Gigi had also been disappointed that he couldn't offer himself up in place of Poe. Tsuna had been pleased over the disappointment, though. It meant that they were still looking at him as himself instead of some strange monster. He had a new strange quirk, but that was it. It was the same way that Autumn had come to think or so he believed from how she treated him no differently than from before.

"What are you going to tell Snicker?" Cassandra suddenly asked, bringing the chatter in the building to a screeching halt.

"I don't want to tell him," Tsuna murmured, his expression instantly becoming downcast. "He doesn't show it, but Lobat scares him witless and he gets freaked out about Poe. I'm scared that he might not be able to accept it as well as all of you. He already gets upset over Poe biting me. I don't think he'd be able to kiss me if he knew that I was biting Poe back. He gets the willies whenever I even talk about Poe's vampire side."

"You might be right," Gigi agreed, surprising almost everyone in the room. "What?" She gasped in response to the stares. "You all know how touchy Snicker's heart is. Do you really want him to have a heart-attack over this when a little white lie could solve everything?"

"I already tried lying," he grimaced. "You all caught me. Remember?"

"That's because you weren't telling the right lies, man," Ollie countered. "You were telling the truth half the time and it wasn't lining up with the lies. You said you needed those, but you were saying that they were just supplements at the same time."

"Then what should I tell him?" Tsuna asked curiously. "I don't want him to worry about what I'm taking."

"He knows that Poe bites you," Ollie replied, leaning side to side to roll around on his skate-board turned seat. "Tell him that the pills are for anemia and you didn't want him to know because then he wouldn't let Poe bite you anymore. If you tell him that, he won't try to run Poe off and he won't say anything about the pills anymore."

"That might work," Ore agreed. "You can even tell him that you're getting the pills from Poe since Poe is the cause for needing them."

"We'll help cover for you," Summer promised. "It's our fault for butting into your privacy anyway."

"When did you get so good at lying, Ollie?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"When it became the only thing keeping me out of jail," he answered. "You know what kind of jobs Papa P's been sending me to do. He sends them through you, after all."

"Yeah, but I wasn't really thinking about it before," Tsuna admitted sheepishly. "He's just been asking for you to follow certain people. It just hit me that you tend to pick people's pockets clean when you walk around with anyone."

"Couldn't help it if I tried," Ollie confirmed innocently. "I figured if I was going to start stealing for Papa P, I might as well give up on pretending that honesty is the only way to go. I won't lie to you guys, though. The only reason you're letting me live here is because you can trust me. I'm not stupid enough to go screwing with that."

"Good to know," Tsuna murmured sadly. "Speaking of Papa Paolo, I need to go see him. He's probably mad about last night and is waiting on me."

"Good luck," several people mumbled with small grimaces. Eric and the girls where the only ones that didn't flinch in some small way and Tsuna tried to focus on them instead of those who did react. He'd screwed up. He couldn't deny it. Now he had to go answer for it.

* * *

"Hmph," Isaac scoffed when he answered the door. "About time you showed up, squirt. Papa P's pissed. You know where he's at." Tsuna grimaced at the friendly greeting. At least, it was friendly for Isaac. That, more than anything, told him that he was in trouble. Even Isaac was being nice to him out of pity. Tsuna had a plan on how to keep himself in one piece, though. Walking over to Papa Paolo's office, Tsuna hesitantly knocked. Tsuna reminded himself repeatedly to be strong before walking in like normal.

There were four people in the room, one of which was a very upset Papa Paolo. It wasn't hard to tell he was upset. There were three cigars already finished in his ashtray and he was working on a fourth. The other people in the room looked to be around his age and the matching scowls they sent him told him that he'd been the topic of discussion.

"What the hell were you thinking last night?!" Papa Paolo roared before Tsuna could even shut the door. Tsuna paused before closing it, knowing that his answer would change everything about how Papa Paolo looked at him. Even so, he could come up with no other response than the simple white lie.

"They broke Leo's arms, so I broke theirs," he answered solemnly. "You didn't expect me to sit back when one of my guys were attacked, did you? I just took responsibility for protecting them like I promised. None of them should bother Leo or anyone else again. Was I wrong?" Papa Paolo blinked at him in surprise for the strong stance. Inside, Tsuna was shaking in fear, but he refused to let that show. He waited until Papa Paolo seemed to regain his balance before hitting him with something even worse. "I remembered something. Something from before I moved here."

"Get out," Papa Paolo snapped to the three men sitting around his desk. When they didn't get up and leave fast enough, he started throwing things at them while Tsuna held the door open. Tsuna slammed it shut when the last of them scrambled out of the way and turned to see that Papa Paolo was staring at him with a frantic and fearful look in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Tsuna begged. "I'm still just Suoh."

"W-What do you remember?" He asked slowly, sitting down in his chair.

"I killed someone," he answered with downcast eyes. "I blacked out while I was fighting and I remembered some of it before I woke back up. After I got out of jail, I remembered some more. It was some guy that I think I was friends with. I stabbed him in the throat and killed him."

Silence ran rampant through the room while Papa Paolo simply stared at him.

"W...What are you going to do now?" He asked carefully.

"There's nothing I can do," he answered. "That was something Tsuna did. Not me." Tsuna gave his Boss a faltering smile, trying to let him know that the memory changed nothing even though they both knew that it changed everything. Tsuna knew what it felt like to take a life now. The last bit of innocence that he had been able to lay claim to was gone and he'd had no say in losing it. "A-Am I still a good person, Papa Paolo?" He asked with one of his internal shudders finally breaking through to the surface. "I hurt people and I remember killing someone. Am I a m-monster now?"

"You're no more of a monster than I am," Papa Paolo replied sadly, relaxing slightly at the innocent question. "I can't say that I'm happy about what you did, but I guess I can understand it if you remembered something like that. Broken arms, bruises, and a few burns are a much smaller price to ask than that of a life. Before, you wouldn't have been able to break someone's arm on purpose. For you, breaking bones was where the line was drawn and was the worst thing you could possibly think of doing. Now you know first-hand that there's something worse than that. It doesn't make you a bad person to know. It just means that you've broadened your mind a bit. You can still choose where you draw the line. You just have a bigger area to choose from."

"I don't like it," he mumbled, walking over to sit in one of the empty chairs in front of Papa Paolo's desk. "I ran away so I wouldn't remember stuff like that. I ran away so that I could be a good person."

"Good from who's point of view?" Papa Paolo asked.

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped, finally looking up to stare at his Boss in the eyes.

"Say that a cat walks out in front of a car," he said suddenly, sitting back in his chair in thought. "You jaywalk save it, but you make the car wreck in the process. To the driver, you're a bad person even though only their car was hurt. To the cat, you're a hero. So, who do you want to see you as good? The person or the cat?"

"The cat," Tsuna answered slowly. "If the car had hit it, the cat would have died. I wouldn't care if the driver hated me."

"That would mean that you're bad," he smiled, making Tsuna jerk in surprise. "The opinions of a cat don't matter. You'd be seen as bad because the driver said you were bad."

"But I'd still think I was good!" He objected. "I would have saved--" Tsuna paused, really thinking about what Papa Paolo was trying to get across. It wasn't a cat and a driver they were talking about. It was the people who's opinions mattered only to him and the opinions of people who he didn't care about. He couldn't be good in everyone's eyes. Such a thing was impossible. It was something he had a feeling that Papa Paolo was familiar with. In Tsuna's eyes, Papa Paolo was a good man who helped a lot of people. In Demetri's eyes, he was a criminal who needed to be brought to justice.

"I'll ask again," he said quietly. "From who's point of view do you want to be good?"

"M-my own," he answered carefully. "And my friends."

"Alright," he smiled. "Just remember that when you make your choices from now on. Sometimes, to be good from their point of view and your own, you're going to be bad in someone else's eyes. Thinking about it like that, are you a bad person for what you did yesterday?"

"N-No," he replied hesitantly. "I was protecting Leo and I was stopping that gang from hurting people."

"Are you sure?" Papa Paolo prodded with a raised eyebrow. "You hurt people and you broke bones."

"I think so," he murmured. "I wouldn't have been keeping my promise to you if I ignored it when they hurt Leo. It became my responsibility to make sure that they didn't do it again. I would have been bad if I ignored that."

"See," he grinned. "You're a good person, son. Don't let a little thing like rules or narrow-minded philosophies get in the way of doing what you think is right. As long as you keep doing what you think is right, you'll always be a good person."

"R-Really?" Tsuna asked with his eyes shining in relief.

"Yup," he said with a sigh. "And for me to do what I think is right, I need to make sure that you can't get into trouble again. You really gave me a headache to deal with. To be honest, I'm in shock with the fact that you don't have a bruise on you combined with what I personally saw that you did to those other guys. They're all a mess. I'm having to bribe every single one of those bastards into silence so that they don't press charges. I'm also going to have to call in a favor with Judge Sherks in order to keep you from doing time over this."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tsuna asked guiltily.

"Yes," he answered. "I'm going to give you a second job and you're going to do it. At least this way, I can keep you under my thumb better."

"Second job?" He repeated in surprise. "I thought you said you didn't have any extra openings."

"I didn't," he replied. "But that was before I gave my other restaurant to my son, Gabriel, and he took some of my crew with him. You probably noticed that I've been busy the past few weeks. I've been getting everything set up for him. Both he and my little Princess are in a little race right now. I can't tell who the winner is going to be, so I've been training them both up on management until one of them comes out the victor. Princess is going to be working here with me until I feel that she's up to running her own, but Gabriel's been working beside me since he was a little tot. I think that he's responsible enough to take over one of my places so that he can get his feet wet."

"Is Autumn okay with that?" Tsuna asked curiously while silently doing an internal happy dance over Gabriel getting his own place. He wasn't dancing for Gabriel's sake. He was dancing for his own. This meant that Gabriel should be too busy across town to come by and harass him. "Gabriel's getting his own, but not her?"

"Princess doesn't seem to mind not getting her own," he answered, tossing a cigar over to Tsuna to smoke. Tsuna shrugged and allowed him to light it, feeling like he really did have something to celebrate. "She's been acting strange lately. Did I tell you that she started volunteering down at the free clinic? My poor little Princess has been sewing up stitches and doing stuff that her precious hands shouldn't be doing. I tried to tell her to go back to her nice quiet nursing training at the hospital, but she had the gall to tell me that she didn't want to be coddled anymore. She said she wanted to get her hands dirty and told me to butt out. I'm afraid I've been letting her get a big head lately. She told me the same thing when I objected to how she was selling herself. I'm still not happy about that, but she was right when she told me that she was old enough to make her own choices. She said that the methods didn't matter as long as she won the race. I guess it's too late to complain. She's given up the whoring and she did beat her brother out on one of the race's goals."

"She's stopped?" Tsuna gaped.

"A little over a month ago," he nodded. "Seems she got a pretty nice payoff and she met her goal. Ah! That's right. You probably don't know since you're pretty new to the Family. I'm having them race to see who's more determined to be my successor." Tsuna paled. Successor. He hadn't thought of that before. Papa Paolo couldn't be his Boss forever. That meant either Gabriel or Autumn might become his Boss. Just the thought made him turn green. The nightmare-Boss or the megabitch-Boss. He immediately chose the megabitch. She might be difficult to deal with, but at least he wouldn't be forced to do things that would make him want to hide in closets. "There's two goals. The first one is a monetary goal, which Autumn just completed last month. Gabriel's not far behind. He should be finished in a week or two. The other is a charisma goal. You can't be Boss if you don't have subordinates. They're each supposed to bring me ten and it's not as easy as you might expect. My little Princess has problems with that despite how popular she is. She's a picky person, you know. She's managed to find nine so far. She's still looking for that tenth one and she refuses to settle for just anyone."

"What about me?" Tsuna blurted in panic, the only thing on his mind being that he couldn't let Gabriel become his Boss. "Did I already get counted?!"

"Actually, no," Papa Paolo said slowly. "Princess told me not to count you. She said that she didn't bring you to join the Family. She just brought you to get a job and she got kind of upset with me over testing you. Seems we had a bit of a misunderstanding back then. All's well that ends well, though. You're happy that you joined and I'm happy that you joined. I was pretty surprised when I found out that she hadn't wanted to bring you in. I don't know what that girl was thinking. Of course I'd bring someone like you in. You might come in--"

"Count me for Autumn," Tsuna exclaimed. "You have to! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her and there's no way that I could accept Gabriel as my Boss if you weren't around!"

"I see," he murmured in surprise. "Are you still upset that he rejected you? If so, I--"

"No!" He yelled in a panic. "I have Snicker! That has nothing to do with this! I just..." Tsuna clenched his teeth shut and forced the words out past them. "Autumn can be a bitch at times, but I trust her. I don't think I could keep working for you if Gabriel was your successor."

"You feel that strongly about this," Papa Paolo stated with his eyebrows hitting his hairline.

"Yes," he said firmly. "You have to count me in for Autumn." All at once, Tsuna paled when he remembered who he was talking to. He'd forgotten for a minute because his Boss had went into 'Papa-mode'. When he talked so familiarly with Tsuna, Tsuna automatically responded by becoming friendly in return. "T-That's if it's okay with you. I...um... I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I'm s-sorry. I-I just... um..."

"It's fine, son," Papa Paolo chuckled. "You should have seen the expression on your face. I don't think I've ever seen someone lose their backbone so quickly before."

"I'm sorry," Tsuna repeated with a bright blush, relaxing slightly when Papa Paolo didn't go off on him for making demands. "I-I really do want you to count me for Autumn, though. I don't think I could bear it if Gabriel could order me around."

"I don't get your relationship with my son," Papa Paolo sighed. "Sometimes you two act like you hate each other and other times I feel like you two are having some kind of love affair behind my back."

"I don't like him," Tsuna said bluntly, looking down at his feet. Clenching his teeth shut, he decided to leave it at that. If he said anything more, he'd be jeopardizing his friendship with his Boss. He'd just be considered a liar if he told him the truth. The best that he could do was to back Autumn so that Gabriel wouldn't get even more power over him. "I won't follow him," he decided to add after a moment of thought. "I'll only follow you and Autumn."

"Hmm," he murmured in thought. "If that's how your loyalties lie, I guess I have no choice. Princess isn't going to be happy about winning this way, though. She told me not to count you."

"She can be mad at me," Tsuna replied. "I don't care. As long as she wins, I'll deal with it."

"In that case, let's go announce the news," Papa Paolo smiled as he got to his feet. Tsuna got up with him, but paused when the man stopped before opening the door. "Son, I'm only going to ask this once," he said without looking at him. "If I do this, there's no going back. You'll be held responsible for making her into my successor. Do you feel up to accepting that responsibility? She's got Isaac for her right-hand man, but she's going to need someone to keep her from getting a big head. A friend instead of just another blind follower."

"Ah," Tsuna murmured with a sad smile. "I'll do my best." Papa Paolo nodded and opened the door. Following him out of the office, he found himself yanked over to stand beside him while he grabbed everyone's attention with a quiet, purposeful cough.

"I've got an announcement," he said deliberately, laying a gentle hand on Tsuna's shoulder to steady himself. Tsuna stood like a iron rod, too nervous over all the eyes on him to even look up. It only got worse as the sounds of the kitchen slowly stopped so that everyone could hear what Papa Paolo had to say. "As you all know, my children have been racing to determine who would succeed me. It seems I had a bit of an oversight. Suoh Timberson here has specified that he was meant to be counted toward my little Princess' quota. In case you didn't know, this brings my daughter to the finish line ahead of her brother. So, spread the news. From this day forward, my daughter is hereby named as my heir with all the rights and privileges that go with it."

"Are you serious?" Isaac asked breathlessly, his jaw dropped open.

"Why don't you go tell her the news, Isaac?" He nodded with a wide grin. "You're going to have a lot of work ahead of you. I hope you're prepared."

"Of course!" Isaac yelped.

"Then you know what to do," he smiled. "Get going."

"Yes, sir!" He exclaimed before turning over to the rest of the kitchen staff. "Jacob, come take over here for me. Sammy, go run and get our messengers. Tell them to start spreading the news to everyone. Nathan, you have charge of the kitchen until I get back. Papa P?"

"Go ahead," he urged when the man looked for final permission to leave. Isaac nodded and ran for the doors in excitement. Tsuna continued to simply stand in place until Papa Paolo leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I'll clean up the mess you made with the Redrocks, but I want you here first thing after your lunch break tomorrow. You'll still run your morning deliveries, but I'm putting you on dish detail here in the kitchen so that I can keep my eye on you."

"Y-Yes, Papa Paolo," Tsuna confirmed quietly. "Right after lunch. I'll be here."

"Then get out of here for today," he sighed. "You've got to spread the news to your own people."

"P-Papa Paolo," Tsuna murmured when the man turned to head back in his office. Tsuna raised his head and grimaced slightly over what he knew he needed to say. Even so, he said it in complete earnestly. "Thank you. I really owe you."

"Everyone owes me something," he grinned. "That's why I'm the Boss."

* * *

Standing next to the wall separating the room from the stairs, Tsuna tried to ignore the chatter downstairs. Everyone was going nuts about the news he'd brought, but Tsuna's attention had been on other things from the moment he returned. Namely, a certain scent coming from their loft bedroom.

"Forgive me," Tsuna pleaded quietly, staying at the barrier since he was unsure of his welcome. "I wasn't myself last night."

"You haven't been yourself for a while," Snicker replied from his quiet seat on the edge of the bed. Tsuna grimaced, seeing that Snicker refused to even look at him. "I've noticed a lot more than just what Gigi noticed. I guess I should have realized that something was wrong when you started getting up at night. It's not the pills. Is it? It's me. I guess I should have expected it. You're a guy in your prime and--"

"No!" Tsuna blurted, his eyes going wide over the words. Running forward, he tackled Snicker backward onto the bed with a hug while trying to think of some way to stop the thoughts running through Snicker's head. "It's not you!" He exclaimed, squeezing Snicker tightly in painful realization that he'd caused him to think of such things. "I'm the one that's been different! It doesn't have anything to do with you! I just didn't want you to get upset, so I lied. I'm so sorry, Snicker! I screwed up really badly when all I was trying to do was to protect you! Please don't hate me!"

"Hate you?" Snicker gasped. "You're not making any sense, Suoh." Tsuna clenched his eyes shut, trying to decide between truth and the lies. He wanted to tell the truth. He didn't want to lie to Snicker anymore. Even so, he was scared. He was incredibly scared that Snicker would look at him differently.

"Something happened," he murmured. "Back when I went to that vampire meeting." Tsuna froze when he heard Snicker's heart begin racing. He was scared. Just with that much, he assumed the worst and was getting scared. It was that which made Tsuna decide to take Ollie's advice. He didn't want to lose Snicker. He didn't want Snicker to be scared of him. Clenching his eyes shut, he blurted out the lie before he could change his mind. "I got anemia," he gasped. "I was scared that you wouldn't let Poe bite me anymore even though he's been giving me the pills to treat it, so I didn't tell you. Then, last night when you confronted me over it, I got scared and said a lot of stuff that I didn't mean. I didn't want you to know."

"S-So when you were getting up at night, it was just to let Poe bite you?" He asked quietly, his heart calming down from its charging pace. "I wasn't the reason that you didn't want to stay in bed?"

"Yes," Tsuna answered with tears in his eyes, hating himself with every word he spoke. "I know that you don't like it, so I stay up until the bite goes away and so that we can make sure that the pills are working."

"And the moodiness?" Snicker murmured. "And all those weird quirks that you suddenly got?"

"T-That's just normal," Tsuna pouted. "People's tastes can change. Can't they?"

"Of course," he soothed, finally wrapping his arms around Tsuna. "The timing was just strange and I thought it was because of the pills. You should have just told me they were for anemia instead of making us all think that you were on drugs."

"I didn't want you to get mad at Poe," Tsuna replied honestly. "You would have tried to make him stop when he's better off like this."

"You're right," Snicker sighed. "I would have. You were right about that last night, too. I've been trying to shelter you too much. I think it was an eye-opener that you went out and got into a fight by yourself. It made me realize that you're not just my Suoh. You've got a lot of people that count on you now. I've been sitting here thinking that you only belonged to me, but you're strong enough that--"

"I'll always belong to you," he interrupted, giving his waist another squeeze. "I couldn't do anything if I didn't have you here. I'm only strong because I know that you're standing there with me even when I'm alone and I know that you're here waiting on me when I get home. You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No," he whispered softly, burying a hand into Tsuna's hair. "When I got home from work and saw Leo, I was tempted to break a few arms myself. I was upset that you went alone, but I can see why now. As for the other thing, I think it's more of a relief to hear that it was just anemia. I got worried because I know how you were smoking drugs before. Even if it was drugs, though, you're a grown man. I shouldn't have lectured you about it like I did. I should have just told you how it was making me feel and talked about it with you. For that, I'm the one that's sorry."

"Don't apologize," Tsuna begged. Pulling his arms out from under Snicker's back, he propped himself up to look him in the eyes. There was two small trails of tears from where Snicker had been silently crying when Tsuna came up to see him, but the soft smile on his face seemed to make them disappear. Reaching out, Tsuna wiped the trail away while feeling relief that the last of his mess could be cleared away so easily. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "Do you still love me even though I've changed a little bit?"

"Not all the changes have been bad," Snicker replied with a small grin. "I've just been focusing too much on the wrong ones."

"Which ones should you have focused on?" Tsuna asked with a teasing smile in return.

"Ones like this," he grinned. Tsuna's eyes practically rolled back in his head when Snicker's hand trailed down to massage his tailbone. It was one of the many new spots that had appeared on him and it always made him react the same way. Laying his head back down on Snicker's chest, he lifted his rear to lean into the gentle fingers. Waves of simple pleasure rippled up his spine, making all of the muscles in his body relax at once. All but one, he amended sheepishly when Snicker stopped and pulled his hand away. "Then there's this," he continued cruelly, leaning down to run his tongue down the back rim of Tsuna's ear. Tsuna blushed when his leg jerked outside his control.

"Don't do that," he growled in embarrassment, reaching up to rub Snicker's breath off of his ear.

"But it's so much fun," he laughed, his former cheer quickly getting restored with their fight almost completely forgotten. "I can name about two dozen things that you've started doing that I don't think Gigi noticed."

"Like?" Tsuna asked in dread.

"Like how you've been licking your food before you eat it," he answered with his grin getting even wider. "Why do you think I've been asking for baked chicken? Watching you lick the bones clean has been driving me nuts. That's why I asked the girls to start picking up popsicles instead of ice cream, too."

"Pervert."

"You wiggle your ears whenever you're in the shower," he laughed, jumping to a less erotic example. "You never did that before, but you started doing it a lot recently. I don't think I need to mention how you've been playing with Peanut more. You used to hate the guy, but you're always seeming to play with him whenever I get home now. Your taste in music changed. You're not listening to Jazz anymore. You don't complain about how the others all keep the stereo set to Rock, but I noticed that you changed the station on our alarm clock to Opera. Then there's that other thing that I'm still not sure how to react to."

"What's that?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Um... you probably haven't noticed," he said sheepishly. The strange tone made Tsuna lift his head and cock it to the side, trying to think of some quirk he hadn't even noticed for himself. So far, he'd noticed everything that Snicker had mentioned. Well, not everything. The wiggling of his ears was news to him, but it wasn't a major deal. "You... um... Have you noticed how you look when you're out of breath?"

"Huh?"

"You used to pant normally," he said with a small blush. "Lately, you've been sticking your tongue out so that it's laying up against the inside of your bottom lip." Curious, Tsuna opened his mouth and positioned his tongue like Snicker had described. He felt all the blood rush to his face once he realized what he must look like. "Not that I'm complaining," Snicker soothed frantically. "I just thought you might want to know because you came in looking like that last night."

"You really know how to make someone self-conscious," Tsuna groaned, burying his red face into Snicker's chest in mortification. "Tell me next time I do that so I'll stop."

"Hell no," he replied. Before Tsuna could object, Snicker rolled them both over so that Snicker was on top of him. He flushed at the look in Snicker's eyes while he hovered over him. "It turns me on when you do it in bed," he grinned, leaning forward to press himself between Tsuna's legs. Tsuna gasped at the tingling sensation it caused and his breath caught in his throat when Snicker buried his lips in his neck. "Why do you think I like you to ride on top so much lately?" He murmured against his skin. "You pant more when you've got to do more of the work."

"Stop talking dirty," Tsuna growled, trying to control himself when a hand slipped up his shirt.

"I thought you liked it," he paused, pulling away to look at Tsuna's face.

"I do," he blushed. "But if you keep it up, I'm going to want to be on top for a different reason tonight."

"That's fine," Snicker grinned, making Tsuna's eyes widen in surprise. He stayed that way even after Snicker resumed kissing his neck, unbelieving that he was suddenly so willing. "It was going to happen sooner or later," Snicker explained in exasperation when Tsuna didn't respond to the kisses in any way. "I could tell that you were wanting it, but you've been too shy to go for it. I've just been waiting for you to get your courage up. Honestly, I'm kind of curious since you like it so much. There's times that you've gotten off before I even remember to help out a bit."

"Y-You'd really let me?" Tsuna finally managed to gasp.

"I don't think I could stop you," he smiled. "I've never been able to tell you no when I could do something to make you happy. You should know that by now. That's why I'm marrying you."

"Don't say that," Tsuna mumbled, pulling himself out from under Snicker in order to sit on the bed. Snicker sighed in disappointment when he pulled away, lounging on his side so that they could continue talking. "You make it sound like you don't want to and you're only doing it to make me happy."

"I _am _doing it to make you happy," he confirmed bluntly. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Yes," Tsuna replied, feeling tears well up in his eyes in unhappiness. He felt crushed, as if Snicker had just dropped a ten-ton weight on his back. "I don't want to get married if you're only doing it for me."

"What?" Snicker gaped.

* * *

Gigi broke off with a yelp from where he'd been teasing his sister about her secret relationship. She deserved a little teasing after having made fun of him for so many years. That wasn't why he yelped, however, nor was it the reason that everyone broke off what they were doing in order to stare. Rather, the yelling coming from Suoh and Snicker's room was.

"Oh no," Eric groaned. "I thought they made up because it was so quiet."

"Get ready," Gigi sighed, already heading for the freezer for the ice cream that Suoh always ate when he was feeling down. "Suoh is going to need some cheering up after this. You know how--" Gigi broke off, choking, at the sight of Snicker flying down the stairs with Suoh's teapot barely missing his head as he ran for safety.

"Why are you getting so upset?!" Snicker yelled, dodging a pillow that followed.

"Don't talk to me until you figure it out, you idiot!" Suoh shouted from the top.

"Pigs do fly," Dedra gaped while everyone simply tried to get their jaws to work again.

"What the hell crawled up his ass?" Snicker grumbled when he went back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Reaching down, he picked up the pillow and the cracked teapot in order to toss the pillow on the couch and carry the teapot over to the sink.

"What did you do?" Gigi asked, crossing his arms with a small smile.

"I didn't do shit," he growled, throwing the teapot into the sink in frustration. "We were talking and then he got all pissed off. He said that he doesn't want to get married anymore."

"What?" Summer gasped for everyone. "Why?!"

"Hell if I know," he answered as he stopped by the fridge to grab a beer. Everyone stared at him, seeing a side of Snicker that rarely came out. He was angry. More than that, he was angry at Suoh. It was etched in every part of his being, right down to the way he pulled the lid off his bottle and threw it across the room instead of in the trash.

"Calm down," Eric soothed, dragging Snicker over to a barstool so that they could question him properly. "Tell us what happened. Everything that you can remember."

"Everything was going just fine," Snicker spat between drinks. "We made up and things started getting interesting, if you know what I mean. Then he goes and mentions that he wanted to be on top. I saw it coming, so I was ready for it and I told him it'd be fine. Then he goes questioning me on it, not taking me at my word. I told him that it was fine since it'd make him happy. I told him I couldn't say no to him in that any more than I could say no to getting married. I told him that I'd do whatever he wanted if it made him happy. Then he went off on me, telling me--"

"Idiot," Summer sighed, agreeing with Suoh's sentiment.

"Stupid," Cassandra nodded.

"Pig," Dedra added.

"Typical male," Marty corrected.

"What?!" Snicker choked. "What's wrong with telling him that I want to make him happy?!"

"Let me handle this," Gigi interjected when six people opened their mouths at once. Walking over, Gigi put one hand on either one of Snicker's shoulders and took a deep breath. "Snicker," he said slowly, looking directly into his eyes in order to ensure that his words got across. "You know that I love you to death, but you really are an idiot. You just broke Suoh's heart."

"What?" Snicker repeated, dumbfounded by the words.

"You. Just. Broke. Suoh's. Heart," Gigi repeated slowly, enunciating every word to ensure that they were clear. "He was crying. Wasn't he?"

"Y-Yes," he answered slowly, his eyes still locked wide in shock and a faltering, disbelieving smile plastered on his face.

"What was your mistake in your last marriage?" Eric interjected in hopes that Snicker could see it for himself. Snicker stared blankly at him without understanding while everyone waited. After a moment, it hit him and everyone knew that Snicker finally understood. His face took on a look of horror as he stared up at the screens blocking their room from view.

"You lost sight of yourself," Gigi said, verbalizing what was already going through Snicker's mind. "You put your wife first and gave her everything she wanted without considering yourself in the equation. She didn't care about you, so your happiness didn't matter as long as she was happy. Suoh not like that. There's no way that he could be happy if the things you do for him don't make you happy, too. You basically just told him that you didn't want to get married and that you were doing it to shut him up."

"It's no wonder that he reacted the way he did," Leo agreed from her seat on the couch. "I'd throw things, too, if I thought I was being treated like someone's ex-wife."

"I didn't mean it like that," Snicker groaned, burying his face in his hands. "At least, I don't think I did. You all know how much I care about him."

"The question is what do _you _want?" Gigi said, giving Snicker's shoulders a small shake to reinforce his words. "Until you know and you can walk up to Suoh and tell him what you want, I wouldn't try to face him."

"But I just want him to be happy!" Snicker exclaimed.

"There's a limit to putting other people first," Eric objected. "You don't want to wake up one day and realize that you're miserable because what makes him happy doesn't make you happy. That's why couples that try to be 'two made one' end up having trouble. You have to remember that you're two different people. You're partners, but there's a limit to how close you should get. You should be happy being together, but your happiness shouldn't rely completely on one another. You're only asking for resentment that way."

"Take the nights we have pasta, for example," Cassandra grinned, getting into the 'help Snicker understand' game. "I make noodles and two different sauces. Suoh usually picks the alfredo and you pick the spaghetti sauce. If I only made one sauce, you two would accept whatever you were handed. Since I made two so that people can choose, your differences in taste show up. Think of it this way. If I didn't put out two kinds, you'd probably just eat alfredo and live with it so that Suoh's happy. Imagine waking up ten years down the line with a craving for spaghetti and hating alfredo because it's the reason you haven't had any. You might be thinking that you're happy now with giving Suoh everything he wants, but Suoh's already looking at the end of that ten years. He doesn't want you to wake up one day and hate him because you didn't spent any time getting what you wanted."

"But I want him," Snicker sighed with confusion and a lack of comprehension on his face. "I want to see him happy and I don't want to lose him."

"Then tell him that," Ore said, picking back up his game of pool with Ollie. "If that's what you want and it makes you happy, then he don't got any reason to complain. You just didn't tell him that part."

"Alright," Snicker nodded, getting to his feet. He found himself immediately shoved back down into it by not only Gigi, but also Eric and Summer.

"The wedding," Summer prompted.

"You can't go talk to him until you know how you feel about it," Eric agreed. "Not about how it would make Suoh happy and how making him happy makes you happy. You need to think of how you, yourself, feel about it."

"That's right," Gigi nodded. "You don't want him to start throwing things again. Do you? That teapot almost hit you in the head."

"I don't know," he admitted, sagging down in his chair. "I've just been focused on how happy Suoh has been over it that I never really thought about it."

"Get to thinking," Gigi ordered. "I'm going to go--"

"Where is he?!" A voice roared through the building. Once more, everyone in the building froze in order to turn and stare. This time, it was at the sight of Autumn crashing through the divider between the garage and the cathedral like an enraged bull. "Where the fuck is Suoh?!"

"Now is an outrageously bad--" Ore doubled over at the weighted purse that slammed into his stomach unexpectedly.

"I don't care if it's a fucking bad time!" She shouted angrily. "Where is he?!"

* * *

Autumn was pissed. She was beyond pissed. She was pissed because one single little jackass had done everything for her. She'd thought it was bad enough that she'd gotten the last of the money she needed because of him. It was a hundred times worse when he was the last person he needed, too. She wanted to know why. Her father had only been able to tell her that Suoh had pushed for it, but that wasn't good enough for her. She refused to owe him anything. That had to be it. He wanted something from her and that was why he pushed her father into counting him even though she'd specifically told him not to.

She nodded in satisfaction when numerous fingers absently pointed up to Suoh's bedroom while they stared at Ore in shock. Pulling her purse out of his gut, she slung it over her shoulder and stormed upstairs without looking back for an instant at the sound of Ore falling over. She was going to get answers, one way or another.

Or so she told herself. The pillow that greeted her when she flung Suoh's door open said differently. It hit her square in the face, doing nothing to make her mood any better. When it bounced off, she saw Suoh holding another up in shock. He had the aftermath of crying still on his face, making her raise her eyebrow in question. Guys usually didn't cry. She saw them all them time since her clients liked to vent out their worries and problems to someone that didn't matter. Seeing them on Suoh's face was different, however. It just seemed wrong. He was normally always smiling and cheerful as if nothing could bother him.

"Get out," he ordered with a sniff, rubbing the proof of his crying away. "I'm not in any mood to deal with you."

"Tough shit," she spat, instantly reminded of the reason she'd come. "I want to know what the hell you're p--"

"Out!" He snarled pointing in the direction of the stairs.

"Not until you tell me--"

"This is your last warning, Autumn," he growled through clenched teeth, his mood quickly shifting into anger from where ever it'd been previously. "Get out or I'll carry you out."

"--Why the hell--" she yelled over him, "--you had my father--" She squeaked when Suoh was up and charging at her in an instant. Before she could even pull her bag off to defend herself, she found herself slung over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. "Put me down!" She shrieked while he carried her down the stairs. In answer, he bounced her on his shoulder and instantly knocked her breathless.

"I warned you," he growled, carrying her through the main hall of the boarding house and out through the garage. He kicked the front doors open, after which she found herself tossed to the ground outside like nothing more than a discarded hamburger wrapper. Only the fact that she managed to catch herself allowed her to sit when she landed instead of sprawling out indecently. "Come back when you learn some manners," he snapped before retreating back inside with the double doors slamming shut behind him.

She stared at the doors in utter shock while pedestrians looked at her curiously. Suoh had just thrown her out. It was the first time that she'd been thrown out of _anywhere_. She'd been manhandled tons of times, but never once had someone thrown her out like Suoh had. Now that she thought about it, Suoh was the only one out of all her father's cronies that treated her no different than anyone else. For everyone else, she was the darling Princess that was to be loved but not touched.

"Boss--!!"

Autumn looked up to find Isaac standing over her with a bag of groceries in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" She asked absently while accepting his hand to help her to her feet.

"I was on my way home," he answered with his eyebrows knitted in concern. "Papa P gave me the rest of the day off to celebrate. I don't care about that, though. Why were you sitting in the middle of the sidewalk?"

"Suoh threw me out of his place," she answered without thinking, still too shocked over the careless treatment.

"What?!" He bellowed. Autumn cringed at the roar, belatedly cursing over her slip. Isaac was her most devoted admirer. Telling him something like that was the worst possible thing that she could do. Before she could fix it, he was storming into the building much like she'd done a moment previously. "Where is he?!" He roared. Autumn flinched when every hand in the building pointed at the stairs without bothering to ask who.

"Calm down!" She exclaimed. He didn't listen. Putting down his sack of groceries, he went up the stairs two at a time. Knowing what was going to happen, Autumn stayed on the ground floor and covered her face with her hands. This wasn't going to be pretty. Isaac was going to--

Like she'd expected, the first crash from above sounded within two seconds of Isaac entering the room. Two seconds after that, Suoh came flying through the shoji screens, sending paper and wood into ten different directions. She found herself breathless at what came after that, however. Suoh twisted in midair, turning his tumble into a flip that allowed him to land on his feet. His momentum sent him sliding backward, where he stood and simply glared up at his attacker who was still in the room without seeming to care that he'd just been thrown off of the second floor.

"Do none of you know manners?" Suoh snarled, completely ignoring his friend's gaping jaws.

"You're the one that needs taught a few," Isaac countered, jumping down to the first floor with a strength that seemed to oppose Suoh's agility. "How dare you lay your filthy hands on your Boss."

"I'm not the first and I probably won't be the last," Suoh grinned with a feral glint in his eyes. It was then that Autumn turned pale. She'd almost completely forgotten. Suoh was a werewolf. Isaac had him beat by size, but Suoh had hidden strengths that Isaac didn't know about.

"You need more than manners," Isaac spat. "You need to learn respect."

"I only give respect to those that give it," Suoh growled.

"St-Stop!" She screamed when they started charging for one another, unsure of who would be the victor with such knowledge in mind. Either way, she knew that she had to stop them. They'd tear each other apart for no good reason! She flinched away when Isaac heeded her yell and paused, but Suoh didn't. She covered her face, not wanting to see the punch that he was about to land. Because of that, she was completely caught off guard when he shoved her backward.

* * *

Tsuna slipped past Isaac, fighting the urge to rip out the man's throat for his invasion in order to stop the catastrophe that he saw happening. Everyone noticed it at the same moment, with Isaac and Autumn being the only two with a poor vantage point. Despite noticing it, no one seemed capable of moving fast enough to stop it. He was the only one close enough and even then, he barely lunged in enough time to shove Autumn out of the way with the tips of his fingers. The unexpected touch knocked her more off balance than anything, sending her stumbling backward in shock.

It was enough. It was enough to get her out of the way of the heavy shoji screen that came crashing down from where it'd been knocked loose. He only wished that he'd had time to move, too, before the screen crashed down on him instead. He lay dazed underneath it, feeling his head spinning from the blow. He absently heard someone's panicked yelling. It was someone he recognized, he thought. Someone... Ah. Snicker was yelling. He had to let Snicker know that he was okay.

Crawling to his knees, he felt debris falling off of his back while he tried to get up. Oh. That was right. He was fighting Isaac. He'd forgotten for a minute because that truck had run over him. Why had Isaac stopped? He felt like he should remember. Shaking his head as he wavered on his feet, he caught sight of Autumn and everything came rushing back. Isaac had stopped because of her orders. Stupid.

"You know," Tsuna murmured with his eyes locked on Autumn while intending his words to be heard by Isaac. "If I was an assassin, you would have just let me kill her. I thought she meant more to you than that, Isaac."

"W-Why did you save me?" Autumn gasped, trying to hide her tremors from the unexpected close call.

"Who knows?" He shrugged.

"What kind of answer is that?!" She yelled.

"How about I answer a different question," he sighed, ignoring the worriedly hovering presence of his friends. "You'll go away if I tell you why I told Papa Paolo to count me. Right?" He gave a crooked grin when he saw determination light up in Autumn's eyes. She was so easy to understand at times. It was getting easier as time passed, too.

"Yes," she said firmly.

"I prefer to work for a cunt than an ass," he answered quirkily.

"That's not an answer, either," she yelled in exasperation.

"Then how about this," he said, his eyes narrowing in focus. Walking forward, he shoved the hovering Gigi off of him in order to confront her seriously. He saw a hidden quiver run through her eyes, telling him that she was scared of him. It was a good thing, he thought, because she should fear the honesty in his words. Leaning down, he clenched his teeth to keep himself from snarling the answer. "I'll kill Gabriel before I work for him."

"S-Suoh...?" Autumn murmured in shock.

"Just kidding," he lied with false cheer, trying to lighten the mood when he saw how he really had scared her. "The truth is that it just wouldn't feel right if you weren't my Boss," he said with a broad smile in effort to keep Autumn from taking him so seriously. As it was, he'd already crossed nearly two dozen lines. Autumn was a friend. He was a friend who was related to Gabriel. It wouldn't be fair to bring her into a squabble that she knew nothing about. It wouldn't be fair to her to ask her to oppose her own brother. The blow to his head must have knocked his senses loose for a moment. "Aren't we friends, Autumn?" He asked with a wide grin and a hand ruffling her overly-cared-for hair. "Just look at you. You asking me so seriously about such things. I thought it would be obvious that I'd back you up. I'll be there to give you a nice shove anytime you need it, too," he added with a wink.

He wanted to sigh in relief when he saw her relax over the typically-idealistic answer that he'd normally give. On top of that, he saw that she understood the double meaning of the last phrase. Not only would he try to support her, but he'd protect her whenever he could. The only sad thing about it was that she didn't know the real reason why. It wasn't just simple friendship. It was the fact that Gabriel was the alternative if anything happened to her. He had to protect her for his own sake. Self-preservation was such a sickening thing at times, he mused. He wished that he could simply support her and protect her as a friend. Things would be so much simpler and straight-forward for him if that was the case.

"Isaac," Tsuna called over his shoulder. "Why don't you walk Autumn home? I think she's still shaken up about the screen and that's your job as her right-hand man. Right?"

"Ah," Isaac agreed with a tone that said that he was still dumbfounded by the events that had passed. He quickly regained himself at Tsuna's suggestion, shaking himself out of the stupor that he'd fallen into. "Right," he confirmed with a little more sense. "We'll finish this later. Boss comes first."

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," he smiled as Isaac snatched her away in order to escort her outside in a rather pushy manner.

"Get ready," Isaac growled as his normal attitude reasserted itself. "Don't expect less than hell."

"I wouldn't dare," Tsuna confirmed with a taunting smile. He found it kind of interesting at how Isaac seemed to bristle at the smile and noted it for use in the future. He had a feeling that he and Isaac were going to be butting heads a lot in the future. If something simple like a smile could be used as a weapon against him, then it was one he planned to use frequently.

The moment that they were out of the door, Tsuna felt his bluster give out along with his knees. He hadn't wanted Autumn to see, but the shoji screen hadn't been a light one. They'd purposely gotten an extra heavy one because they'd wanted it to hold up in case either he or Snicker lost their balance and fell against it for some reason. It was made to be a wall as well as a doorway, but his body had crashed through it with enough force that he was sure one of his bones was cracked. Several, actually, from the feel of it. Adrenaline and determination could make people ignore a lot of things, pain being the foremost. Now that those two buffers were gone, he had nothing holding him up. Friends were great things to have at times like these, he noticed when multiple sets of hands grabbed him before he could crash completely to the ground.

"Are you okay?!" Gigi practically yelled in his ear, making him flinch at the volume.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, knowing that the damage could be fixed with a single pill. He smiled up at them, trying to avoid Snicker's eyes, while he found himself arranged to lay down in Gigi's lap. "Sorry to worry you. Can one of you get my pills? I don't think I can move right now."

"Sure," Eric gasped, digging into Tsuna's pant pocket to get the vial out. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked worriedly looking over at the scattered debris of the screen door in concern. "That was kind of heavy."

"It hit the floor before it hit me," he lied, seeing a look of horrified worry on Snicker's face. "It just fell over on top of me."

"That wasn't what it lo--" Ore snapped his mouth shut at the jab Dedra sent in his side. He looked at her blankly before putting everything together. Namely, that everyone knew Tsuna was lying, but the lie was there to keep Snicker from getting upset. "It all happened outrageously fast," he amended sheepishly. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"I'll be fine," he soothed in complete honesty, lazing back in Gigi's lap while he waited for the pill to jump-start his special healing ability. "I'm just a little weak right now. The pill will make me all better in a few minutes."

"Ah," Ore sighed in understanding. "I see."

Tsuna bit his lip, finally looking up to meet Snicker's eyes. He didn't like this. Snicker should be the one holding him and Snicker should be the one taking care of him. Why had he kicked Snicker out of the room again? It already seemed so silly and meaningless.

"I don't want to fight anymore, Snicker," he said unhappily, looking down at his hands when Snicker's eyes seemed to drill into him. "Can't we just make up and stay together even without getting married?"

"No," he answered, making Tsuna seem to shrink into himself in heartache. "I don't want that."

"I see..." Tsuna murmured, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

"If we're going to make up, we _have _to get married," he said firmly, making Tsuna's eyes widen in shock. "I want everyone to know that you're not up for grabs. How else am I going to make sure that someone doesn't try to come in and take you away from me?"

"R-Really?" He gaped, looking up at Snicker with his eyes shining from his unshed tears. "You want to get married? I thought you were just doing it because of me."

"I _am_," he said in exasperation. "But that doesn't mean that I don't want it too!"

"Oh."

"Don't just say 'oh', you idiot!" Gigi chuckled when everyone broke out into laughter over Tsuna's simple response. "I think you owe him an apology for almost hitting him with that teapot!"

"I forgot about that," Tsuna cringed. Staring up at Snicker with a small grimace, he gave his best apologetic smile. "Forgive me?"

"Only if you go up to bed and sleep," he said in a serious tone, his soft smile already telling Tsuna that he was forgiven.

"Pervert," Tsuna grumbled, wanting to tease Snicker a little to ensure that they were really back to normal.

"I said sleep, damnit!" Snicker roared with a bright blush.

"You don't _have_ to sleep," Gigi interjected loudly. "With your room missing a wall, you won't hear any complaints from me!"

"I'll go grab my camera!" Summer teased.

"I'll get the popcorn!" Dedra added.

"I wonder if I can set up some spotlights," Marty mused.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tsuna spluttered, looking up at Snicker's bright red face.

"Ah," he confirmed, reaching down to pick Tsuna up completely and head for the door.

"Where are you two going?!" Eric gasped while everyone's jaws dropped.

"Hotel," they answered in unison.

The laughter they got in reply was everything they could have hoped for.

* * *

Omake:

Yamamoto: Can we reschedule this? I have a meeting at three and--

Ashes: No! You already bailed on me during the last chapter.

Yamamoto: I'm a very busy man.

Ashes: Really? What are you up to?

Yamamoto: The same work I used to do for Tsuna. Hotaru needs someone he can trust in charge of his public image. None of Hotaru's Guardians are up to dealing with it.

Matsu: Be honest, Yamamoto. You didn't want anyone to take your job. Hotaru tried to tell him to pursue baseball, but he refused.

Ashes: Wow. Sounds like a lot has been going on. Why aren't you calling him Yama-chan, though?

Matsu: Oh...ah...W-We're kind of...um...

Yamamoto: Our marriage councillor told us to try a trial separation.

Matsu: Yeah... This is the third one. Don't get me wrong! We're doing fine! Really!

Ashes: Doesn't sound like it. I guess I'll leave it alone, though. Even Tsuna and Snicker fought.

Yamamoto: It was Tsuna's fault for lying to him. He should just tell the truth.

Matsu: But he's trying hard to protect Snicker! That should count for something!

Yamamoto: Did Snicker ever say he wanted protection?

Matsu: He doesn't have to say it! Partners are supposed to--

Ashes: Whoa there! Both of you look like you're about to spit nails. Why don't I change topics a bit? What do you think about Autumn?

Yamamoto: She has a forceful personality that she's going to need in order to keep control in the Family Head's seat.

Matsu: I'd just say that she's a spoiled brat who's used to getting her way.

Yamamoto: The best defense is a good offense and that's what she has.

Matsu: Not always! Thinking that way is just reckless!

Ashes: Somehow, I have a feeling that they're not talking about the chapter. Oh well. I'll just reschedule at some time when they're both in a better mood. Until next time!


	41. Chapter 41 Upgrade

"Do we have to get up?" Tsuna murmured with a slow smile.

"I wish we didn't have to," Snicker sighed in contentment, cracking his eyes open in order to send his own smile in return. Tsuna grinned even wider, wriggling even closer to him under the covers. "We should do this more often," he commented as he wrapped his arms around Tsuna even tighter.

"Yup," he agreed in complete and utter happiness. It had been a night unlike any other. Neither of them had held back since there was no one to interrupt or hear. Staying in a hotel had given them complete privacy where they'd only had the illusion before. They'd been able to shower together without worrying about anyone walking in. They'd been able to lazily share a dinner without worrying about anyone stealing the last bit that they'd been hoping to snatch. For just one night, they'd been able to throw away everything but each other. "We should do this again sometime," Tsuna mumbled lazily. "I like living with everyone, but it's nice to have you all to myself, too."

"That's my line," Snicker chuckled in reply, leaning down to give him his good morning kiss. It was a kiss that Tsuna accepted, but not without burying his nose under the covers immediately afterward.

"Morning breath," he coughed when Snicker looked at him in askance. "One of these days, I'm going to start sticking garlic in your mouth before I wake you up. I think that's the only thing that'll get rid of it."

"Like yours is any better," Snicker scoffed, ripping off the blankets in revenge for the insult. Tsuna shrieked when the cold air in the room hit him after having been so pleasantly warm and immediately tried to snatch them back. Somehow, in the wrestling match that followed, Tsuna won the blankets back but found himself being faced with his worst enemy repeatedly. Snicker only laughed at the face that Tsuna made each time he was confronted with the scent that made him want to cross his eyes. "Alright," Snicker laughed when Tsuna hid his head under the covers again. "I'll go take care of it. You better get up, too, unless you want to be late for work."

"Do we have to go in today?" Tsuna whined. "Can't you call in just this once?"

"Nope," he answered as he headed into the bathroom. "Aren't you starting that second job today? It wouldn't be good to call in on your first day, especially after how Papa Paolo is cleaning up your mess."

"You heard about that," he grumbled.

"I heard," he confirmed while the sound of the sink running filled the room. "I had other things on my mind, but I heard everything you told the others before you came upstairs. I know it's kind of late, but congratulations."

"Don't congratulate me," Tsuna groaned, leaning over to snatch his pants off the floor. Dropping the blankets from his shoulders, he inspected them for a moment before deciding that they were still clean enough to wear again. "I only got the job because Papa Paolo doesn't want me out of his sight. I think it's pathetic. I've been asking him if he had any extra openings for a while now and it took me becoming a delinquent for him to give me one."

"It doesn't matter how," Snicker said, poking his head out of the bathroom. "You still got it. You'll be making as much as me now."

"But I'll only get to see you half as much," he grumbled, snatching his shirt up off the floor. "He's wanting me to work evenings. That means that I'll only see you at bedtime from now on."

"And at my lunch break," he soothed, walking around to gather up his own clothes. "Plus, I'm off on weekends. I'm sure Papa Paolo won't make you work then since that's when you have your days off of your delivery work. It's better than if you'd found a second job somewhere else."

"True," Tsuna admitted grudgingly, giving Snicker a small kiss while he passed by on his way into the bathroom to take his turn at washing up. "I guess I shouldn't complain. I was the one that was asking him for more work."

"I've got to go," Snicker called after a few minutes of hasty dressing. "I'll take care of checking out before I head to work. You better get a move on if you're going to go pick up your bike before you do your first pickup."

"Whatever you say," Tsuna agreed with a wide grin, poking his head out of the bathroom in much the same way that Snicker had previously. "Have a good day at work."

"You, too," he grinned before heading out the door. Tsuna sighed slightly in resignation when he was gone, having honestly been hoping that they could figure out how to skip out for once. Snicker was stuck-up when it came to his job, though. Even though his ex-wife was getting almost all of his paycheck, he was determined to pay off the debt that he had. At the rate that she was taking his money, it'd be paid off in five years. Two of his paychecks a month got garnished for the ten years of missing child support he owed while the other two were garnished for current child support.

Five years, Tsuna mused. It seemed so far away for Snicker to have to work constantly with such a meager return to himself for all of his efforts. He wanted to do it, though. Tsuna wanted to kick himself since he was the reason that Snicker was focusing on that goal. The goal of providing for Charlie and the goal of ridding himself of his ex-wife forever. In five years, Charlie would be too old to receive child support, plus the past debt would be cleared. Snicker was working hard so that they could have a bright future without anything from the past weighing him down.

"Yosh!" Tsuna exclaimed, looking at himself in the mirror. He couldn't let Snicker be determined on his own! Tsuna was just as determined to work hard to make sure that Snicker didn't suffer during that time. What Snicker couldn't afford to give to himself, Tsuna would work and get for him!

After all, that's what partners did.

* * *

"Eh?"

"Everyone has to wear an apron in the kitchen," Isaac said with a cruel smile. "If you don't like it, feel free to leave."

"I have no problem with it," Tsuna said with a bright smile, refusing to let Isaac's taunts bother him. Even so, this was seriously pushing his limits. He dealt with it, though. He dealt with it because he was getting paid by Papa Paolo to work. He wouldn't let a little thing like a jerk for an overseer get the better of him. He was used to Isaac's attitude. He already knew the best way to deal with it. Remembering that, he smiled widely while he accepted the pink kitchen apron, trying not to let his eye twitch over the ruffles. "I didn't know you had a fondness for girly stuff, Isaac," he commented as he put it on.

"I don't," he grinned back, obviously finding his bullying as something amusing. The smiles on the rest of the kitchen staff said that he wasn't the only one getting a kick out of it. "But this way, everyone will know to keep their eyes out for the queer in the kitchen."

"Are you a homophobe, Isaac?" Tsuna asked curiously, completely ignoring the insult.

"Don't use big words around me," Isaac growled as he reached out to smack Tsuna across the back of the head. "In here," he ordered before Tsuna could rephrase himself. Tsuna found himself shoved into a small room right off of the kitchen which held nothing but shelves of dishes, an oversized trash can, a sink, and an outdated industrial strength dishwasher. There was six buckets of dirty dishes already piled up on the shelves to the left side of the room. The right side held shelves full of dishes that had already been washed and cleaned.

"Come here," he ordered, grabbing up one of the overloaded buckets in order to put it on a landing build into the sink's edge. Tsuna followed and watched, taking special note that Isaac seemed to be all business once he was out of sight of his buddies. "Trash whatever's left on the plate," he instructed, scraping the plate clean with the side of his hand. Tsuna looked at the trash, mentally noting that it was likely to be someone's supper still. "Spray off any gravy or junk that's still on it," he continued as he pulled down on and overhead water spigot in order to receive a hard spray that instantly knocked everything off of the plate. He went a little farther, reaching out to grab a scrub pad in order to get off a bit of food stuck to it before spraying it again and setting it into a rack on the sink's right side landing. "The rack can hold a dozen plates, eight bowls, or whatever you can manage to squeeze in there without blocking anything," he said, quickly filling it with several more dishes in order to let Tsuna see how to arrange the plates. "After it's full, shove it in the dishwasher and pull down the cover. The washer will start up right away. After its done, pull the rack over onto this landing to let them drip dry. Shouldn't take more than a minute. The washer makes them hot as fuck."

"Alright," Tsuna nodded, watching as Isaac started filling up a second rack with dishes. About half a minute after he finished, the dishwasher beeped twice and Tsuna watched as Isaac opened it back up. Steam billowed out as soon as he lifted the lid and he fearlessly stuck his arm into it in order to shove the rack out the other side. Once the dishwasher was empty, he shoved the newly filled rack of dirty plates inside. Tsuna quickly caught on, seeing that he could just barely manage to fill a new rack and put the clean ones up before the dishwasher finished.

"The silverware all get tossed in together on this rack so they don't fall through," he instructed, pointing to a rack that looked like an oversized square colander. "Got it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously doubtful that Tsuna could manage something so simple.

"Yup," he said with a wide smile.

"Your other duties are to make sure the kitchen is stocked with dishes," he growled, obviously disliking how Tsuna wasn't responding to the fact that he was standing in a frilly pink apron. To show him, Isaac pointed to a stack of dishes and had Tsuna pick them up. Meanwhile, Isaac himself carried an empty tub that had been previously full of dirty plates. He led Tsuna back into the kitchen where he pointed out where the clean plates and bowls went before grabbing him by the scruff of the neck in order to slam the empty tub into his stomach. "Once every two hours, you got to walk through the kitchen and pick up our dishes. Make sure to stay the fuck out of our way."

Tsuna nodded and went around as directed, picking up stacks of dirty pans, empty pots, and cooking utensils. Isaac showed him where to get replacements to put next to the stove and he quickly figured out that the cooks ran the place. While he was walking around, two waiters got yelled at, one waiter got a salad emptied out on his head for bringing it back when the customer made a complaint on it, the host from outside got a bottle of red wine thrown at him, and the cooks seemed to take pleasure in what looked to be a cruel game of 'stab you if you touch my knife'. Tsuna quickly learned not to touch any of their knives. Apparently they all supplied their own while the kitchen's stock of knives went untouched. Finding his tub quickly getting full and Isaac's attention on sauce instead of him, he decided to retreat and get to work.

It wasn't as easy as it looked, he quickly realized. The water that came out of the sprayer was hot enough to burn his skin which made spraying the dishes down into a game of 'how long can he last'. The cover on the dishwasher was heavier and more rusted than it looked so it didn't want to shut easily. He quickly learned that it wouldn't even recognize being closed unless he slammed the lid down. He wasn't nearly as fast as Isaac either. In the time that Isaac could have probably done three loads, he only managed to do one.

By the time he got ten loads done, he was already feeling worn out and rushed. No matter how many he seemed to do, the dishes continued to come. Some guy in a kitchen apron kept bringing back loads as quickly as he could finish one. It made him feel like he was getting absolutely nowhere! On top of it, he got yelled at for not being fast enough with the pots and pans. He couldn't help it, though! They hadn't been clean after he pulled them out of the dishwasher and he'd had to scrub them by hand before sending them through again!

"Hey, new guy," someone called, making him jump out of his skin since he'd been so engrossed in his attempts to catch up. Tsuna simply stared instead of responding, his brain slowly recognizing the guy that'd kept bringing in buckets of dishes. "Do you smoke?"

"Y-Yeah," he answered hesitantly.

"Come on, then," he ordered, tossing his head to the side. "Stock up the kitchen then meet me out in the alley. I'm all caught up and I don't like standing out there alone."

"Okay," he agreed with a nod, realizing that the man was telling him that he was getting a break. He wasn't sure how much time had passed. It only felt like fifteen minutes, but the clock on the wall told him that almost two hours had passed. Avoiding the cooks as much as he could, he stocked up their almost empty shelf of plates and bowls before heading out the side door. The other man grabbed it while it was still opened and Tsuna watched to see how he blocked the lock with a thick piece of cardboard.

"Don't let that shut without blocking the lock," he warned before leaning up against the wall to enjoy a cigarette that was already halfway burned down. "The cooks are assholes. They won't let you in no matter how hard you knock if they know that it's you. They'll wait until Papa Paolo comes looking for you and then make it look like you were shirking."

"Are they always like that?" Tsuna asked curiously, digging out his own pack of cigarettes out of his pocket in hopes that they weren't soaked. Fortunately, he'd kept them in his back pocket, so they were saved from the drenching that was soaking through his apron and the front of his clothes.

"Yup," he sighed. "They get better if you can get them to accept you, but Dean has been here for three years and they still give him a hard time. They're especially hard on the dishwashers because you guys are part of the kitchen, but you're also not. I'm lucky. I'm just a bus-boy, so they consider me as part of the wait staff. I have to deal with the shenanigans that goes on in the waiter's pit and I only cross through to the kitchen when I'm unloading. I'm Vespa, by the way."

"Vespa?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning on the wall opposite of him while he lit up a second cigarette.

"I drive one and no one will let me forget it," he grimaced. "After a while, it got tagged as my nickname. I don't think anyone in there remembers my real name anymore. Even Papa Paolo calls me that."

"What's your real name?" He asked with a smile. "I'll call you it." The lanky blond stared at him for a moment in disbelief before shaking his head.

"It's Arthur," he answered quietly. "Don't worry about it, though. You'll just make yourself a target if you call me something different than everyone else."

"I don't care," Tsuna replied honestly. "You don't seem to like your nickname, so I'll call you Arthur. Isaac already hates me, so it really won't make any difference. Isaac isn't that scary anyway. He talks big, but I used to know a guy that was a hundred times worse than him. Isaac's tantrums are nothing compared to his. Isaac doesn't throw dynamite when he's pissed off."

"Dynamite?!" Arthur gasped in laughter. "Are you serious?"

"Completely," Tsuna chuckled, relaxing now that he'd made at least one friend among his new co-workers. "If you want to know the truth, I already know how to counter him. It's really easy."

"Really?" He gaped. "You have to tell me! That guy is a complete jerk! He lords it over everyone just because he has Papa Paolo's ear. Someone suggested stroking his ego a bit, but that only made it worse."

"It's really simple," Tsuna grinned. "You probably won't believe me, but it throws him off every time."

"I'll try anything!"

"Try smiling," he suggested. "Just smile like you're happy to hear every word he tells you. If he asks why you're smiling, just tell him that you love your job. If he yells at you, just smile and nod. You'll still get yelled at, but it's over a lot faster."

"S-Smile?" He repeated with a raised eyebrow. "At Isaac? How the hell do you expect me to smile at him? He's a complete douche."

"Imagine him with Autumn's voice," Tsuna shrugged. "If I know most of the guys in this place, you guys are all infatuated with her."

"Heh," he murmured in thought. "I'll try it. If he punches me, I'm going to punch you, though."

"Go ahead," Tsuna smiled, thinking back to when such an innocent threat would have made him cringe. "I might not look like it, but I can take a punch."

"I--" Arthur broke off from whatever he'd been about to say and stiffened up at the sound of someone walking down the alley. Tsuna raised his eyebrow and looked down it in order to see what the guy was scared for. From the looks of it, there was only Daren walking down the way toward the dead end at the back of the building. "Che," Arthur spat. "It's only those guys. I wish Papa Paolo would run them off. They keep on setting up a tent back--"

"Oi!" Tsuna called, ignoring Arthur's words in order to wave enthusiastically at the bum and his two friends. They paused at the call, taking a moment to recognize Tsuna in the light from the setting sun.

"Hey!" Daren finally exclaimed, walking forward with his two friends behind him. "If it isn't Suoh!"

"How have you been?" Tsuna asked with a wide grin. "You haven't stopped by the Dojo in a while!"

"Same old, same old," Daren shrugged, greedily accepting the cigarettes that Tsuna handed him and his two friends. "The pickings have been scarce lately. We had to use up our time at the mission because no one wants to give handouts lately."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tsuna murmured in concern. "You know that you guys are welcome to come by and eat at my place if you can't--"

"We'll wait for winter for that," Daren interrupted firmly. Tsuna grimaced and nodded, accepting their intentions. None of them wanted to call in favors until they absolutely needed it. Still, Tsuna couldn't help but have sympathy for their probably empty stomachs.

"Do you think you could do a favor for me?" He asked instead of offering outright charity that he knew Daren would feel pathetic over taking.

"Sure thing," he nodded.

"My bike is parked in the bike rack out front of here," he said. "You should know which one it is. If you can run it home for me so that it doesn't get stolen and tell the guys that I won't get out of here until..." Tsuna looked at Arthur in askance, figuring that the guy could probably estimate better than him.

"Midnight," he supplied quietly, watching Tsuna talk to the three guys in curiosity.

"Midnight," Tsuna repeated. "If you guys can do that and then walk me home tonight so that I'm not walking alone, I'm sure that they'll hook you up with whatever is left over from dinner. If you go now, you should make it before Ore decides to inhale the table. If you don't make it, the least I can do is buy you guys dinner. You know how much I hate walking alone."

"I don't know why!" Daren laughed with a twinkle in his eyes. "We heard what you did. Not only the Belfang Gang and the Velvet Scats, but you single-handedly took out the Redrocks, too."

"You know about that," Tsuna grimaced.

"Everyone knows," he nodded with another chuckle. "You're famous, Suoh. Thanks to you, we can sleep a lot better at night. Rumor is that you're taking out every gang that's been giving us homeless guys a hard time because you used to be one of us." Tsuna's eyes widened and he immediately started to object, but Daren plowed over his words like they were false modesty. "I always told everyone that you weren't like the rest. You might have ran into some money and set yourself up nice with a job and a house and everything, but you remember what it's like for those of us still stuck out here. You and Snicker aren't the types to start looking at guys like us with pity."

"Never," Tsuna said firmly, his attention immediately diverted by the man's words. "You guys are working hard to survive. There's nothing in you that's pitiful. I'll knock the hell out of anyone that thinks that you are."

"You're a good one, Suoh," Daren grinned. "A guy like you deserved to catch a break. We were all kind of worried when we saw you working here in the morning. You didn't seem like the type to go to Papa Paolo."

"We have an understanding," he shrugged. "I got some problems that were trying to follow me and he's taking care of them for me. I can't say I like it too much, but Papa Paolo's not a bad guy. It's easier to work for him than trying to deal with it on my own. It's not like he makes me do anything that I don't want to. I just run errands for him and he has me washing dishes."

"That's good to hear," Daren sighed in relief. "We were afraid you got caught up with some nasty people. I should have known better. Papa Paolo's the one that's been letting us set up behind his restaurants at night."

"Well, you better get a move on," Tsuna urged. "I probably need to get back, too, or else Isaac will have something to bitch at us for. I'll see you guys after I get off."

"Alright," he nodded before slipping past with his friends to retrieve Tsuna's bike. Tsuna stopped him and gave him the combination before flicking his cigarette butt into the depths of the alley. Arthur was right behind him and Tsuna cringed inside the door when he saw who'd shown up while he'd been smoking.

"Well, if it isn't Jack-the-Ass," Autumn greeted with her hands on her hips. "I see you're already trying to turn Vespa into a nympho. I can't leave you alone for a minute. Can I?"

"Well, if it isn't Mega-the-Bitch," he countered, uncaring of how the words made everyone in the kitchen freeze in shock. "I should have known you'd start working here. Girls like you always to prefer to dine-in. Right?"

"Nice apron," she teased with a wide grin, openly satisfied that he wasn't going to turn into another of her devoted sycophants. "Did Gigi lend that to you or are you just happy with how the pink goes with your boxers?"

"Who said I wore boxers?" He asked with a matching grin. "Maybe I prefer to freeball."

"Free is the right word, but I don't think you have the balls to go with it," she said on the edge of laughter.

"I--"

"Are either of you planning on working today?" Papa Paolo asked, sticking his head out of his office. "You two can have your verbal spar later. The dinner rush is picking up. Arthur, show Suoh where the drink pit is. The girls said they're running out of ice and they're running out of cups."

"Sure thing, Papa Paolo," he nodded with his eyes still locked onto Tsuna in awe. Tsuna followed at Arthur's dumbstruck lead, pausing only momentarily when Autumn reached out to stop him.

"It's fun to argue with you," she said quietly. "But remember that I'm your Boss."

"Papa Paolo's my boss," he countered with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're someone I'm supposed to shove around. Remember?"

"There's a party tomorrow night," she continued, smiling quietly over the response that she'd obviously been hoping for. "It's some fancy thing to let the big-wigs in town know that I'm Daddy's heir. Do you think you can come? Daddy wants me to invite some of my friends, but I've only got five. I think he'll be happy if you'd come. He said I needed at least six. Something to do with a hexagon or something."

"If he'll let me off of--"

"Suoh," Papa Paolo barked, sticking his head back out his office door. He blinked in surprise when he saw Tsuna standing a few feet away with Autumn. It was surprise that he quickly shook off in order to toss out a question. "Are you busy tomorrow night? I--"

"Daddy!" Autumn squealed in dismay. "You can't make him work tomorrow! He already said that he'd come as my escort!"

"No, I didn't--" Tsuna tried to interject and was immediately ran over by Papa Paolo's reply.

"So, you've already asked," he nodded in delight. "Good. I expect you to be there at six, son. It's a formal party, so make sure that you get a suit and bowtie."

"B-But--" Tsuna gaped, trying to think of where the hell he'd get one on such short notice. "I didn't--"

"I'll get one for you," Autumn interrupted, patting him on the back a few times while Papa Paolo disappeared back into his office. "Six o'clock at Daddy's house and don't be late or else I'll smack you around. Try to do something with your hair, too. If you wear that wool cap, I might stab you instead of smacking you."

"Do I not get a say in this?" He growled. "I was hoping to spend some time with Snicker tomorrow night."

"He'll forgive you," Autumn grinned as if she'd already won. "Now get back to work. Those dishes won't wash themselves."

"I'm not going," Tsuna said firmly, shoving Arthur back on the path that he'd already been walking.

"Yes, you are," she called after him.

"No, I'm not."

* * *

"Number one in not being able to turn down requests," Tsuna grumbled to himself as he hit the buzzer again. It'd taken thirty dollars in taxi fees to get out to the address that she'd given him before he got off of work the previous night and he'd circled the block three times before having to admit that it was the right street. The place was huge. Only the catering trucks he saw through the gate made him believe that he possibly had the right place.

"Can I help you?" A droll voice asked, coming from the speaker attached to the gate's buzzer.

"Um, I'm Suoh Timberson," he replied hesitantly in greeting. "Autumn told me--"

"If you're one of the workers from the restaurant, please use the side entrance like the rest of the help," the man replied.

"But I'm not-- Hello...? Are you still there?" Tsuna wanted to growl when there was no response. The guy had already cut off the connection. He considered hitting the button until the man came back, but decided that he didn't want to deal with it. It didn't matter how he got in, as long as he found Autumn before she bit his head off for being late. It took nearly ten minutes to circle the gated grounds in order to reach the small gate that was being guarded by a guy with a list. He almost decided to backtrack, but chose to face the guy rather than waste more time. Autumn would be scarier if he was late.

"Name?" The guy asked, reaching out to bar the way when Tsuna tried to walk past.

"Suoh Timberson," he answered while crossing his fingers in hopes that he was listed.

"You're not on the list," the man growled, shoving him away.

"Look," Tsuna replied, feeling incredibly irritated by the man's automatic assumption. He hadn't even looked at the damned list! "Autumn told me to be here at six. This is the Martelli residence. Right?"

"Right," he confirmed.

"Do you want to tell Autumn that you're the reason that I didn't arrive on time?" Tsuna asked with his eyes narrowing in on the clipboard in his hands. "I don't give a damn if I'm on the list or not. I really don't feel like getting her pissed off at me, so you've got to let me through."

"What was the name again?" He sighed, finally deciding to actually look.

"Suoh Timberson," he repeated.

"You're not on the list," he repeated in return after looking through several pages.

"Call Autumn," he said in growing frustration. "Tell her that I'm here and I'm getting sick of trying to get through security."

"I doubt that Ms. Martelli--"

"You better call her before you finish that sentence," Tsuna warned. "You don't want to insult one of her friends. Do--"

"Suoh!" Tsuna gasped at the little girl that rammed into his stomach. He tumbled to the ground from the unexpected impact, barely able to protect the little girl from possibly scraping herself on the sidewalk with their hard landing. It took him a moment to identify her and his eyes widened in surprise when he realized that it was Poppet that was attached to his stomach.

"Do you mind getting off?" He asked while she rubbed the side of her face lovingly up against him.

"Sowry," she blushed before letting go. Scrambling to her feet, he coughed painfully at the knee that rammed into him accidentally.

"This isn't my day," he groaned, doubling over his offended self. Poppet just looked at him without a clue about what she'd done while he tried to crawl to his feet.

"What are you doing at the servant's entrance, Suoh?" She asked curiously. "Why didn't you go through the front?"

"I tried," he replied as he tried to act normally. "They sent me around to here without letting me talk and then this guy says I'm not on the list. I'm about ready to go home. I didn't want to come anyway but Gigi made me when she found out that I was invited. I'd rather be home with Snicker right now."

"That's no good!" Poppet exclaimed. "Autumn was really looking forward to you coming!"

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped. "I thought I was just entertainment to her."

"You are," she chuckled, pulling Tsuna through the gate after giving a small wave to the guard. Apparently the guard recognized her because he gave a little wave back and didn't interfere anymore. "That's why Autumn was excited about you coming! You're the only guy that she knows that doesn't act like she's made of glass!"

"Eh? I don't understand."

"Autumn doesn't have a lot of friends," Poppet said seriously, slowing down her pace while they walked up the path to the house. "You should have seen how upset she was when her dad told her that she had to bring six people tonight. She ended up inviting Isaac, a reporter friend of hers, some tutor that she grew up with, and this weirdo musician that she listens to. I think me and you are the only two that she invited out of friendship. The rest are co-workers or family acquaintances."

"That's kind of sad," Tsuna murmured as the invitation suddenly took on new meaning. "I thought she had more people than that."

"Nope," Poppet sighed. "Most people don't want to hang out with someone that's as abrasive as her. They get close because she's so pretty, but they always end up running away after dealing with her outside of her work. While she's working, she's really nice and proper and so sweet that it makes me look like a harlot. That's not the real Autumn, though. The real Autumn doesn't want people around her that are only around for her beauty. That's why she's so mean."

"You noticed that, too," Tsuna stated with a matching sigh. "Honestly, when I first met her, I can't say that I was any different. I had an infatuation for a long time. I even confessed to her. That was before I realized how much I love Snicker. After that, I was really able to stop looking at Autumn as anything more than just another person."

"Autumn is a lot more normal than people treat her," Poppet said in a grumbling tone.

"What do you mean?" He asked in curiosity.

"You'll see," she replied as they reached the side entrance. "You won't be able to miss it tonight. This is the third time that Autumn has invited me over to one of her father's parties and it's always the same."

"If you say so," he shrugged. Following her inside, he tried not to gape as they crossed through the kitchen toward some other area. The place was larger than the restaurant's kitchen and looked set up more for caterers than actual family cooking! The rest of the house was no better as Poppet led him through. Instead of normal light fixtures, there were crystal chandeliers. Instead of normal tiles, the floor seemed to be cut marble. Where there was carpeting, it was both lush and expensive. What furniture he saw looked to be heirloom pieces that could feed a family for a month. Everywhere he looked, there were signs of extravagance and luxury. They even had an elevator going from the first floor to the second!

"I never knew that she was so rich," Tsuna commented in awe while they headed down a hallway decorated with expensive-looking paintings in overly-ornate frames.

"It surprised me the first time, too," Poppet admitted as she dodged a man in a bowtie in order to knock on a door. "Autumn was a whore and whores don't usually come from places like this." Tsuna was saved from a reply while Poppet knocked again. This time, Autumn responded by throwing her door open. Tsuna gaped. He couldn't help it.

Her hair had been put up in a whimsical hairdo that made him think of virgin sacrifices. Small ringlets fell artfully around her face while the bulk of her hair had been braided and pinned up around her head like a crown. Her dress didn't help the image, being a pure white, off-the-shoulder design that clung to her curves like glue. It cut off abruptly at her calves, hiding her second-best feature from view while her feet were almost completely exposed from under an accumulation of gold straps that he thought were her shoes. To top it off, she had a ring of circular gold links as a belt and a gold necklace made in the same fashion. To top it off, she had two matching bracelets. Then he noticed that someone had spent extra care on her makeup. She suddenly had such wide and bright eyes that it left him speechless. The lips weren't any better with how they seemed to gleam even in the soft lighting of the hallway.

"Thank god you're here," she gasped, reaching out to yank them both inside before Tsuna was anywhere near done gaping at her. Compared to her normal clothes, she was completely stunning. It was nothing like the lightweight shirts and dresses that she normally wore. This had a polished look to it where her normal outfits always seemed as if she was forcing herself to relax.

"You look beautiful," Tsuna mumbled when she let him go, unable to find any other way to respond to how good she looked. She stared at him, her jaw slowly dropping at the unexpected compliment from the guy that normally insulted her. To cover the blush that also resulted, she walked over to her bed and grabbed up the two outfits that were laying on it. Tsuna blinked, finding his attention drawn away from Autumn herself when he realized that he was in her room. It was nothing like he expected when he thought of Autumn as he knew her. When he thought of what her father called her, the design of the room suddenly made a lot more sense, though.

"What are you grinning about?" She growled at him when he was completely unable to hide a wide smile.

"I was just wondering if I should start calling you Princess, too," he teased.

"Don't," she snapped seriously, shoving a hangar into his hands with what seemed to be a suit attached. "This room was never used for more than changing and sleeping after I turned eight. I was in the library more than in here. Daddy wouldn't ever let me change it even though I outgrew fairy tales." Autumn looked down at her feet, trying to control some sort of frustration that his words had caused. He stayed silent for a minute in effort to figure out what to say in order to calm her down before she blew a fuse at him.

"This room doesn't fit you," he murmured in thought. "I was expecting something a lot different. Something with a big stereo and a television instead of a castle-bed and an oversized stuffed unicorn."

"I like the unicorn," she commented with a quirky grin. "I used to use him to fill in for me when I snuck out at night."

"Now, that is something that I'd expect," he laughed, relieved that she wasn't in bitch-mode after all. "I bet your keepers had a hell of a time keeping up with you."

"Enough chit-chat," she growled with a smile, shoving him toward the bathroom connected to her room. "Get dressed and do something with that hair. You look like a hedgehog on steroids."

"I brushed it!" He exclaimed as she shut the bathroom door to close him in.

"Brush it again!" She yelled through the door.

* * *

"Do either of you know how to tie a bow?"

Autumn looked up from where she'd been fixing Poppet's hair for her and found her jaw dropping alongside the lolita's. Suoh... Suoh looked _good_. His hair had been brushed until it was as smooth as silk and part of it kept falling over his eye patch as if trying to hide the strange skull design on it. The suit that she'd gotten for him after finding out his size from Snicker fit him like a glove. Where she'd expected him to be out-of-place in it, he seemed the complete opposite. It was his normal clothing that suddenly seemed unnatural in her mind. He'd kept his earring in, giving him a flair that he wouldn't normally have. Overall, he looked--

Suoh was not debonair, she told herself firmly as she shook off the initial reaction. The correct word was scandalous or freakish or something. _Anything _but debonair. He wasn't suave. He wasn't a gentleman. He was just a bum that was dressed up to look like he had money.

"I look funny," Suoh mumbled when she stood up to take the bowtie out of his hand. "I'm going to be a complete embarrassment to you."

"You look great, big bro," Poppet soothed as she stood up in her own dress. She spun around in it, taking delight in how it looked like a little girl's Easter dress. Imitation flowers dotted all over the white, bell-like bottom while the yellow velvet of the top made her seem soft beneath her tumbling hairstyle.

"Thanks," Suoh replied in open belief that Poppet was just being nice to him. Autumn decided not to comment, knowing that Suoh would never let her forget it if she complimented him. Instead, she focused all of her attention into tying Suoh's bowtie to ensure that he didn't really embarrass her with a sloppy mess.

"You look nice, too, Poppet," he said, looking around Autumn in order to see Poppet spinning around in a childish joy that only she could feign.

"You'll do," Autumn finally commented when she backed away to study her handiwork. Suoh gave her a small smile, trying to take heart in her words and failing miserably. It was then that they all jumped at the sudden entrance of Autumn's father. Autumn blinked in surprise when her father fell to a stop in order to simply gape at Suoh.

"That bad?" He grimaced.

"We have a problem," he growled, reaching out to grab Suoh by the arm and drag him out into the hallway. Curious, Autumn and Poppet both went to the door in order to shamelessly eavesdrop through the crack that he left in his rush to shut the door.

"What's wrong, Papa Paolo?" Suoh asked worriedly.

"You look too much like him."

"O-Oh," he replied with a sudden tremor in his voice. "I-I didn't think about that. I-Is there s-someone that might...um... that might r-recognize me here?"

"I don't think so," her father murmured in thought. "We've got guests from several Families, though. Word might get out that we've got a look-a-like in the Family."

"Mukuro-sama says to not worry about it," Suoh sighed in a relief that made Autumn curious. "He says that they can't connect me, even if they get my blood now. He says that it'll be okay. Even if there's Vongola here, they won't think that I'm anything but a fake."

"It's not Vongola that I'm worried about," he replied. "I've been making sure to keep them away from you. The problem is that there's going to be Nubo here. I've been trying to get on better terms with them so that we could negotiate a border treaty after Gabriel's fiasco. I'm not sure how they're going to react to you."

"I... I think that it'll be okay," Suoh said slowly. "I'm not getting any bad feelings and I would have gotten some warning by now if I should worry about it. Mukuro-sama says that my blood hasn't altered enough to make me loose my intuition. He says he'll help so that I don't make any big blunders, too."

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly. Then his voice took on a strange tone that left Autumn even more curious. "You know, it's hit me a few times in the past, but I don't think it ever hit me as hard as right now."

"Don't look at me like that, Papa Paolo," Suoh begged softly, making Autumn's eyebrows fly up into her hairline in surprise. "You always give me the same look when he comes up. It doesn't feel right when you look like you're scared of me."

Her father, scared?!

"You can't blame me," he replied so quietly that Autumn and Poppet had to strain to hear him. Autumn felt her jaw drop at her father's admittance of fear. There was no possible way that she was scared of that little twink. "Your reputation precedes you. I'm scared to death that one day, you'll hit your head and everything will come back to you. I'm scared that you'll remember and be angry for how I've treated you."

"You've treated me like everyone else," Suoh chuckled. "Why would I be mad? I-- Oh," Suoh murmured, his voice suddenly becoming depressed. "That's right. I almost forgot. The report I read said that I t-tortured s-someone for calling me sh-short."

"I believe it from the rumors that I've been able to dig up on you," her father said solemnly. Autumn and Poppet stared at each other in disbelief. There was no way that Suoh could ever torture someone. The very idea seemed preposterous. He was too much of a goody-two-shoes. "Speaking of rumors, I thought you might want to know. Apparently your going to have a baby brother in a few months."

"What?!" Suoh shouted.

"It's not in any major news," he said with his smile obvious in his voice. "But I've been having a reporter friend of mine keep and ear open with his Japanese contacts. Apparently your mother is pregnant. Hey! Are you okay?"

"No," Suoh gasped with a tight voice. "I can't believe it. I-I haven't thought about mom in months. H-How far along is she? What's my dad doing? What--"

"Calm down," her father soothed in surprise. "I didn't know that you were this hungry for information on them or else I would have done more. All I know is that the news was just announced to the public three days ago. From what my friend said, it's the biggest news over there since your death."

"M-My death," Suoh repeated in shock. "T-That's right. They all think that I'm dead. Mom... Mom must have missed me. She always said that she wouldn't have another kid because she was happy with just one. I-I have to call her--"

"No!" Her father roared loudly enough to make both Autumn and Poppet jump. "You can't! Do you know how hard it'd be for me to cover something like that up?! Don't be stupid, son! They probably have every phone line going to her on tracers and video recorders. We can't compete with their power! If you did something like that, nothing that I could do could protect you! Imagine what it'd be like for her, too! Her dead son calls up out of the blue to say hello...?! Are you crazy?!"

"I hate this," Suoh said, the sound of tears laced in his voice. "I miss her, but I can't see her because of them. I don't even have a picture of her and dad. It's not fair! All I wanted was to get away from the Mafia! Not them, too!"

"Just think of your new life," he replied gently. "Maybe it's a good thing that you're cut off from them completely. I didn't know that the news would affect you like this."

"I haven't heard anything about them since I ran away," he commented with his voice growing even tighter. "It makes me wish-- Never mind. You're right. I have Snicker now. As long as I have Snicker, I can deal with it. I just... I just wasn't expecting something like this."

"Why don't we go have a drink on the veranda? Autumn can go down to the party with Poppet when they're ready."

"Alright. Mukuro-sama says that it'd be a good idea, too."

"Speaking of..."

Autumn wanted to spit when their voices got out of range to hear. Maybe it was a good thing. She'd never really thought about Suoh's past once the mystery behind him had been solved. Even clones had to have family, though. Didn't they? Someone to teach them how to talk and act. Maybe that was why Suoh was so incredibly naive and simple at times? His 'parents' hadn't taught him more than the basics to function? That didn't seem right, though. If he'd really been a clone created to take out Vongola the Tenth, the people in charge must have--

Ah. That's probably what it was. Suoh had memories implanted of Vongola the Tenth's family so that he could insert himself easily into his place. So, when her father had said Suoh's mother, he'd really meant Vongola the Tenth's mother. For Suoh, there probably wasn't any difference. That would explain the report that Suoh had mentioned. It wasn't something _he'd_ done, it was something that Vongola the Tenth had done. He'd assimilated it as if he was the real thing.

"Poor Suoh," Poppet mumbled sadly. "I didn't know that his family thought that he was dead. He must be really lonely."

"Don't worry about him," Autumn replied with a quirky smile, satisfied that she's figured the puzzle out. "Daddy will get him straightened out. Let's finish getting your hair done."

"If you say so," she agreed reluctantly.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Forgive me. I don't normally do this, but I wanted to reply to a review made by an anonymous reader. I don't have a link to reply with, plus I thought that my reply might interest a few other people.

Maybelle wrote:

_...and here I thought I found a gem amid all the rubbish in 's archive. Got all excited because I saw it's a multi-chaptered fiction and it's EPIC, not to mention it apparently gets updated frequently-- until I finally read it. _

_This is totally an original fiction masquerading as fan fiction with 'Tsuna' as the main character to make it fit the KHR category. Never before have I read a fan fiction with too many OCs that they actually outnumber the canon characters. The story gets totally convoluted that it makes your regular daytime soap opera appear like a skit or something._

_Seriously, what's the story all about? I get it Tsuna wants to start a new life apart from the mafia and all that-- and of course he gets to meet new people in the process. But after reading chapter after another chapter with the same drivel it gets really old. It's like the story is stuck in this formula: Tsuna gets into trouble/conflict/whatever, meets an OC, trouble happens again, meets an OC..._

_Of course, I'm not saying that it's a total disaster; I am impressed by your writing style and your grammar/spelling is great. I wouldn't even bother posting such a long comment if I didn't find this piece such a letdown. So much potential yet I felt like it was wasted._

My response:

I want to answer this one piece at a time. Forgive me if it seems like I'm picking it apart. That's not my intent. I just see no other way to answer this fully without taking the time to separate out the different comments that you've made.

_This is totally an original fiction masquerading as fan fiction with 'Tsuna' as the main character to make it fit the KHR category. Never before have I read a fan fiction with too many OCs that they actually outnumber the canon characters. _

Indeed. I won't deny it. I knew that it'd be a turn off for some people since there was more OCs than canon characters. That's why I put a warning up in chapter three so that people who didn't like OCs would know not to continue reading. The main character isn't the only reason that this fits into the KHR category, though. At least, not in my opinion. The setting might be different, but I'm using many KHR themes that you might not have noticed.

_The story gets totally convoluted that it makes your regular daytime soap opera appear like a skit or something._

At first, this comment kind of upset me because I don't find it convoluted. Right now, it's pretty straight-forward in my opinion. Compared to the sprawling plotline of III, this work is more of a slice-of-life series. Then I decided to take it as a compliment. Soap Operas are popular for one reason. They're full of drama and something new happens in every episode. You can't skip a chapter without losing track of what's going on. Soap Operas are known for throwing the viewers for a loop with unexpected twists. "Oh my god, I thought he was dead!" LOL I like to think mine is a lot less cheesy, but, even if it's not, I'm happy if my readers are happy.

_Seriously, what's the story all about? I get it Tsuna wants to start a new life apart from the mafia and all that-- and of course he gets to meet new people in the process. But after reading chapter after another chapter with the same drivel it gets really old. It's like the story is stuck in this formula: Tsuna gets into trouble/conflict/whatever, meets an OC, trouble happens again, meets an OC..._

Indeed. Again, I won't deny the comment about the OCs. It's hard to introduce new characters in a way that the readers can connect to them. A lot of times, it takes an event to make that happen. As for what this story is all about... That question makes me wonder if you jumped into this story without reading the previous ones. You're missing a lot of pivotal pieces to the purpose of this fic if that's the case. In case you _have_ read the previous ones and you still don't understand, let me give you (and everyone else) a little synopsis. I thought that it would be obvious by now. Forgive me if it wasn't.

Tsuna runs away from home after losing his memory. He starts a new life as a new person. Starting with nothing, he slowly grows while connecting with people around him. Despite his intentions to live his own life and not become the monster he was in the past, he unknowingly walks the same path that he has in the past. He can't get away from it, no matter how hard he tries. It's an Intended Path that he'll walk no matter what. He gathers new Guardians to him. He gets tied to the Mafia. Without knowing it, he makes many of the same choices that he made in my previous fics. He grows into a leader and a Mafioso, while also dodging a past that he can't remember. This whole fic is about showing that circumstances don't matter in the bigger picture. No matter where he is or who's around him, he will still end up in the same place.

--shrug-- If you don't want to watch him grow, then this isn't the fic for you. No one should be reading this while only wanting to see how it'll end. The fun is in the journey. If I'm the only one that's enjoying the journey, then feel free to let me know. If no one wants to read his journey, I'll jump to the end and save myself the time and trouble of writing out all the bunnies I have jumping around in my head. I'll just save the bunnies for one of the novels that I'm wanting to write. If even one person is enjoying this, however, I'll continue to write until I have everything in my head down on paper. Personally, I don't think that it's repetitive. Yes, new troubles always arise and new people might come in, but that's just because the constant battle of Tsuna vs. Survival is a never-ending struggle. It's all still building toward an ultimate conclusion.

_Of course, I'm not saying that it's a total disaster; I am impressed by your writing style and your grammar/spelling is great. I wouldn't even bother posting such a long comment if I didn't find this piece such a letdown. So much potential yet I felt like it was wasted._

Thank you for the compliments. It's unfortunate that you feel that it was a letdown. As for the potential... I've said from the beginning that my fics were a stepping stone to me. The first fic allowed me to get into the act of actually writing with a goal in mind. The second one let me take down the barriers of writing what is 'acceptable' so that I could really let loose and write what I wanted. The third fic let me delve into the heart of the characters in order to really try to grasp emotion and motivations so that I could really show myself how three-dimensional characters could be. This last fic, I'm trying my hand at creating characters and worlds from scratch. Like you said before, it _is _an original fiction. I won't deny it for an instant. However, it's an original fiction that was built using themes and the underlying foundation of KHR. My real goal is to write my own novel and create my own foundation. This might not seem like it to you, but I have a different view on the matter. It's just as much a fan fiction as it is original fiction. Without KHR, this story would be nothing like I've been writing it.

Anyways, it's too bad that you didn't like it. Other people do, though, and I'm not going to change what I'm doing. I'm also not going to apologize that you read forty chapters before coming to that conclusion, either. I made it clear from chapter three about what I was doing and I even mentioned that I left part III of Flames and Family off on a cliffhanger so that you could write your own ending if you didn't want to read.

On another note, I hope you don't mind the long reply. I wouldn't have bothered if reviews didn't mean so much to me. I take every review seriously and I put a lot of effort into taking your criticism as fairly as I could. You are right on several points and I find your opinion of this fic saddening, but it's the readers that like it that I'm going to continue writing for.

I hope that you find a fic that you do like,

--Ashes


	42. Chapter 42 Wolf Among Sheep

Tsuna wanted to spit. He'd thought that nothing could turn his attention away from the news that he was going to have a baby brother, but what Papa Paolo had hit him with next had been even worse. It was the reason that he was completely ignoring the party in order to sit in a corner and glare at the object of his misery.

Objects, he corrected with a disgusted twist of his lip. He hadn't thought about the fact that the party was at the Martelli residence. Not only was there the megabitch to think about, but his nightmare had shown up in a immaculate black tux, too. Even now, he was purposely staying in the room so that Gabriel couldn't corner him somewhere in private, but doing so meant that he had to suffer from the fact that they were both lingering so close to one another. He couldn't leave without chancing conflict because of him.

Of course, he couldn't leave without conflict thanks to Autumn, too. It made him want to scream in frustration. Never. Never in a million years had he thought that speaking up for the witch would have brought him to such an impasse. He was completely unsure of what to do, which only made his mood worse. The reason why all came down to something that he was all too familiar with.

Subordinates.

Namely, Autumn's Family core. Much like Reborn had dragged Tsuna's friends into the Mafia, Autumn's father was doing no differently. In the Martelli Family, they weren't called Guardians. They were divided up differently, too. Tsuna still recognized it when he saw it, though. It was the same crap that Reborn had been shoving down his throat when everything had blown up about those stupid rings. The Martelli Family had them separated out as the inner and outer triads instead of one singular group. When both triads were in sync, Autumn's Hexagonal Council would be formed. The part that made him want to puke was that Papa Paolo had asked him to bear up on corner of the outer triad.

The outer triad, Tsuna repeated to himself. That part was what irritated him more than the question that had been posed to him. Autumn and he were friends, yet he was deemed an outsider. He knew Autumn better than anyone else in the room except for maybe Poppet. The real Autumn instead of some mythical creature that everyone painted her as. Oh, he'd seen that, too. It was exactly as Poppet had warned. He hadn't been able to miss it. That was just another reason he was sitting in a corner and drinking instead of mingling. Everyone practically bowed at Autumn's feet like they were willing sacrifices offering their throats. It was no wonder that Autumn was so defensive if these were the kinds of mind-numbing soul-sucking vermin that had surrounded her. She would never become strong with such pointless insulation suffocating her. He suddenly knew exactly why Autumn had chosen to turn whore. He'd have turned whore, too, in order to get a taste of reality.

The part that truly sickened him was when he'd seen the inner triad that had been chosen for her. Isaac never left her side. He was almost joined at her hip, never letting her have a single moment of peace. Tsuna could forgive his appointment since he was Autumn's right hand and Tsuna marked him in his mind as the Storm Guardian of the group. The tutor could almost be forgiven, too. Apparently he was a man that had been in Autumn's life for as long as her father and Tsuna could see that he was the grounding force that tried to intervene when she looked like she needed a breather from the constant attention. For a Lightening Guardian, Tsuna felt that he had everything he needed to do what was best for Autumn. The last one, though. Tsuna felt that the last one should have been him. He knew that it was incomprehensible, but he did. He didn't want any of the positions, but that one still should have been his! How was that spoiled bitch of a reporter supposed to wash away Autumn's pain?! From what he'd overheard, they'd only known each other for a few months!

He should have been the Rain, he wanted to snarl. He didn't snarl, though. Instead, he clenched his teeth shut over the position that he _had _been offered. Poppet was obviously supposed to be her Sun in the outer triad. Poppet's energy was too childish and pure to not keep Autumn in high spirits. There was a musician, too, that Tsuna had been instantly able to identify as the Mist. The man was just too shady and mysterious to be anything else. That left him with only one position. Almost as if to mock him, one of the two items in his pocket was a ring embedded with a purple stone.

For some reason that he couldn't explain, he felt insulted. It wasn't just at being tossed out into the outer ranks of Autumn's Family. It was a strange feeling that he was lowering himself by even considering the thought of being Autumn's Cloud. Beyond insulted, he felt frustrated and angry at the plea for his acceptance as the Cloud, even though the Martelli Family didn't specify him as such. There was something inside him screaming out that he was the Sky! He was the Sky, yet they were relegating him into a Cloud!

Thinking of the Cloud, Tsuna had to restrain himself from shattering the glass in his hand. His memories were foggy, but he sincerely remembered Reborn specifying that Hibari had been given the Cloud Ring. That meant that these people thought he was like Hibari since he'd been offered a similar position. He wasn't Hibari! Hibari was a blood-thirsty maniac that lashed out at anyone that broke his rules! He was Namimori's number one delinquent! He was scary and powerful and nothing like Tsuna! Nothing!

"Are you okay, big bro?" Poppet asked, jumping to a stop in front of him in an overly-obvious attempt to play off the underage card with her looks.

"Ah," Tsuna lied, reaching out to trade out his empty glass of wine for a full one when another waiter passed by him. The wine tasted bland to him, even though this was the first time that he remembered drinking the stuff. Something told him that it should be bolder instead of the watered-down taste that he was getting.

"You don't look okay," she said doubtfully with a small swish of her dress as she bounced side-to-side. "What's the matter?"

"I just have something on my mind," he murmured while he gazed randomly across the room. It was then that he noticed something. It was something that he hadn't noticed while all of his attention had been on Autumn and Gabriel.

Everyone was looking at him. No one was being obvious about it, but he could tell that they were all keeping him in the corner of their eyes. It made him want to spit. He knew that he probably looked funny in this damn monkey-suit, but he was staying away from everyone. Did they have nothing better to do than to look at the bum in the corner? From the strange looks that he managed to catch on occasion, it was almost as if they were waiting for him to crash the party.

It made him tempted to. He automatically gave himself a mental slap for the reckless thought, but he still felt the urge buried inside him. He hated those kinds of looks. Those were the looks that the really ungrateful people gave him while he was on the street. They were looks that said that they already had him pegged in their minds and were just waiting for him to live up to their assumptions. He remembered a time or two when such looks had driven him over the edge in the past so that he really had lived up to their assumptions about him. It had been worth it, he remembered with a small smile to himself. He'd never seen a stuck-up lawyer run that fast before.

He blinked and hid his reaction when the reaction to his small smile was nothing that he'd expected. The air seemed to tense up and the smell of fear was unmistakable. They were scared of him. It made him quickly try to figure out what they assumed he'd do since it obviously wasn't what he'd thought. He'd thought that they were all staring at him as if they were waiting for him to do something hilarious and humiliating. Instead, they were watching him out of fear that he'd lash out. He didn't understand it. He wasn't a scary guy. Hibari was a scary guy. Tsuna was just a short guy that people made fun of for being gay. Yet, these people weren't looking at him with eyes that said they wanted to laugh. They were looking at him with eyes that said that they were cringing inside.

"Why are they scared of me?" Tsuna asked quietly, turning his back to the crowd in order to hide his face.

"You just noticed?" Poppet giggled. "Autumn was right. You don't think a lot. Do you?"

"No kidding," Tsuna growled. "I'll remember that. Now, are you going to tell me or not?"

"You can't blame them," Poppet sighed. "It's like there's been a storm cloud in the corner of the room since you came in here. No one knows what to expect out of you. Because of the eye patch, the earring, and the wild hairdo, you kind of stand out. The tattoos on your neck and face aren't helping any. Someone let it leak out that you're the gang hunter that's been single-handedly taking out gangs and that you're the leader of the Orange Dragons, but they don't know anything more than that. So, they don't know how to deal with you. Almost everyone here is high society. People like me and you aren't the types of people that they normally see."

"Oh," he murmured in shock. "I didn't think about that."

"Autumn says that your self-image is screwed up," Poppet replied with a wide grin. Then her eyes lit up as another waiter came around. "Hey, do you think you can hand me a glass of wine? No one else will give me one and I haven't been able to break through the wall around Autumn to get one in half an hour. No one will argue if you give it to me."

"Alright," he said doubtfully. He reached out and made the waiter doing rounds stop before he completely passed. The man looked at him with wide eyes and Tsuna could almost feel everyone holding their breathes. It was as if every move he made put people on high alert. He wasn't sure how to deal with it. He didn't really want to make a big scene in order to set people straight. Even more, he didn't want to be surrounded by people, like his gut said that he would be, if he corrected the misjudgment everyone had made of him.

Although, being feared had its perks, he quickly realized. Even if there was nothing to be scared of with him, he saw how quickly the waiter disappeared when he tossed his head to tell him that he could go. No one interrupted his conversation with Poppet, either. He had a feeling that he could do anything that he damn well pleased without being bothered, too. As long as he didn't walk up to Autumn and kiss her, no one would stop him. With that in mind, an evil plot was quickly hatched.

"Poppet," he said with a slow grin spreading on his face. "You said that you wanted to see Autumn. Right?"

"Yes," she nodded, sipping on the wine glass that he handed her. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I'm going to teach them that there's someone far scarier to fear than me," he chuckled. Taking a deep breath to settle himself, he tried to remember all of Hibari's mannerisms. The confident walk that dared anyone to stay in his path which always cleared his way. The dark smile that made people quiver in fear since no one knew what he was thinking. The overall feeling of invincibility that Tsuna felt nowhere near capable of pulling off completely. Yet, he still tried.

He felt incredibly calm for some reason. The moment that he had the last of Hibari's image specified in his head, it was as if he had a shield standing between him and everyone else. He wasn't No-Good Tsuna. He was Hibari Kyoya, the most feared person in Namimori. No one would dare screw with him. And, being Hibari, he saw a lot of people in need of being Disciplined. They were crowding around Autumn and he hated crowding.

"Ooh," Poppet murmured in amused awe when he held out a gentleman's hand to escort her. "Something's different about you now."

"Just play along," he grinned. "Let's see if I can pull this little bit of acting off. I'm not a professional like Eric, but I _was _a mime for a while. I'm pretty good at imitating people now."

"Who are you imitating now?" She asked curiously.

"The scariest guy that I know," he answered honestly before taking the first step out of his corner. The crowd of guests immediately responded. Much like he'd always reacted to Hibari, everyone seemed to find somewhere to be other than in front of him. The path before him parted like butter before a hot knife. They just melted away and he quickly found himself the owner of even more attention than before. That was, everyone but a sniveling sycophant that seemed to be boring Autumn with some long-winded narrative. Stopping directly behind the man, he noticed that the whole room had grown silent to see what he'd do. Even Autumn was wide-eyed, staring at him instead of the little weasel blocking him from her.

Trying to be courteous, Tsuna tapped the guy on the shoulder to ask him to move. His hand was absently batted away, making him fully understand why Poppet hadn't been able to get through. Everyone else had already gained enough sense to back away from her, but the man between them seemed completely oblivious. He was babbling almost breathlessly in the belief that Autumn actually gave a damn about what he wanted to say. Seeing that there was no other way to get past him, he decided to give everyone the show that they'd been hoping for.

"Move," he ordered in a growl, completely ignoring Isaac's glare. The weasel jerked in place and finally looked over his shoulder, gaping when he saw Tsuna's face instead of giving the rude response that he'd obviously almost given. Tsuna watched in curiosity as the man's face paled and wondered once more at the strange assumptions which people made so easily. He wasn't really scary. Was he? Then he noticed the relieved look that Autumn's tutor shot him. It was then that he realized the importance of being appointed to Autumn's outer triad. It wasn't because he was less important to her. It was because he was someone that could do things that those on the inside weren't capable of. No one on the inside could scare others and get away with it. She needed someone on the outside to come in and create that wall that could block the sky from reach. In this instance, he wasn't the Sky. Autumn was. She was the center of the Martelli Family and her father had been thinking of this role when he'd asked Tsuna to accept such an appointment. Feeling somewhat irritated at being asked to fill such an antagonistic role, Tsuna leaned over when the weasel still didn't move. "You have three seconds to move before I bite you to death."

"S-Sorry," he gasped, backing away in order to disappear into the crowd. Tsuna ignored him, raising an eyebrow at Autumn to see what she thought of his little act. She was gaping and nearly spluttering, but he could see amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Show off," Poppet giggled, walking forward to take Autumn's hands in excitement over reaching her once more. As if Poppet's words were the trigger, everyone around them seemed to leap back into chatter with him as the obvious topic. He didn't care. They could talk all they want as long as they left Autumn alone for a little while. The look of gratitude that she shot him almost made him ruin the image that he was projecting, though. He hadn't realized that she was _that _worn out by the assault of parasite leeches. If she was looking at him with gratitude, she _must _be tired!

"Thanks," the man Tsuna had noted as the Lightening Guardian sighed. Tsuna shrugged in return while they followed the two girls to a pair of seats lined up against one wall. Autumn and Poppet sat while Tsuna found himself engaged in conversation with the older man and Isaac in a ring between them and the other guests. "I've been trying to edge her over here for an hour now, but she kept getting stopped. I see now why Mr. Martelli invited a dubious person such as yourself."

"Dubious," Tsuna repeated in immediate disgust. The man was no better than the guests, automatically making assumptions of him without giving him a chance. It made him want to backhand him into a wall in order to release the frustration that he felt building inside of himself. It was frustration that only got worse when Isaac opened his mouth.

"So, you actually came," he grumbled. "I'm surprised they let a piece of shit like you through the gates. How much did it cost for you to bribe the guards into letting you through? Or did you do something else to get him to let you in for free?"

"You're still the same as ever," Tsuna commented, deciding to forgo the false pleasantry for once. He wasn't in any mood to force such feelings. "Rude and uncouth. It makes me wonder if you work part time in a zoo. I'm sure that you'd fit right in with the feces-flinging monkeys. I know that you're just as full of shit and your aim is just as poor."

"What did you say?!" Isaac growled with rage lighting up on his face.

"Don't fight!" Autumn snapped from her seat before Isaac could even get far enough into his anger to ball up his hands. "You can drop the act, Suoh," she added with a dark look. "I didn't invite you to make a scene."

"If you hadn't, your father would have," he spat in open disgust, making Autumn's eyes widen for a moment. Then she narrowed them alongside Poppet, knowing him well enough that he wouldn't be so venomous without a reason.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with a note of anger in her own voice.

"Why don't you ask him?" Tsuna replied. "Or haven't you already figured it out? I thought that the little spectacle that I just made of myself would have made it perfectly clear." He knew that he was speaking and acting recklessly, but it was as if all the frustration that had built up in him was suddenly wanting to pour out due to the innocent question. "I'll be your friend and I'll back you up. I'll even give you the same respect that I'd give anyone else, but I won't be your lapdog."

"What?" Autumn gaped in quiet shock.

"Find some other dog to bark for you," he growled in sudden distaste for the role that he'd been put into. Looking around, he sent a pointed glare at the crowd watching his back before staring down to ensure that Autumn got the point. He wasn't the kind of guy that liked being feared. He wasn't the type of person that could comfortably fit into the role that he'd been asked to fill. He had his own Family to take care of. He didn't have time to follow Autumn around and pretend to be something that he wasn't. He had his own reasons for ensuring that Autumn succeeded and he wasn't about to let friendship flaw his judgment. It might be nice to think of himself as a shield for her on occasion, but it wasn't something that he could do full-time like Isaac and her tutor did.

Not liking how she was staring at him, Tsuna decided that a retreat was in order. If he stuck around, she'd just question him and argue with him. He knew that it wasn't her fault. Papa Paolo had been the one to offer the position to him. Even so, Autumn was the one that he'd been asked to tie himself to. He was already tied to her enough in his mind. He wasn't going to add more burdens to his already overflowing list. She could find someone else who was better at the whole scary-guy-in-the-corner role. Maybe a bodyguard or some freak show that was strong. She didn't need him and he didn't need her. She was just a means to his ends while his responsibility was already determined by the gang. Papa Paolo had said that he was welcome to turn down the position if he didn't feel up to the task. That was exactly what he decided to do.

He decided to right up until he heard something that made him stop in place in the middle of the crowd. He could see his goal, Papa Paolo, staring at him in curiosity, but the words he heard distracted him. He couldn't let such insults pass, even if they'd been said far enough away that he shouldn't have been able to hear. They weren't stopping either. The insults kept flying until he couldn't see anything but red. He was disgusted. He was already tense and frustrated. Hearing such ungrateful words made him want to bite something. He couldn't let it pass. He wouldn't be a man if he let it pass. He wouldn't be any different than the No-Good Tsuna that he'd sworn to leave behind him if he let it pass.

With that in mind, he slowly turned his head to find the owner of the voice spouting such vile sentences. It took him a moment to realize that they weren't even in English. The words were in Italian and the owners of the voices obviously thought that no one here was fluent. That had to think such a thing since they weren't keeping their voices down. They were making a mockery of Papa Paolo. They were insulting Autumn's truthfully non-existent virtue. He could have forgiven that, but not when they started discussing their fantasies about her within his hearing.

"Autumn," Tsuna called, his voice easily carrying through the quiet chatter to where she was still seated behind him. "Just this once." With that, he started walking toward his target with rage etched into every step. He could feel the place tensing up, but he couldn't care less. These people's opinions didn't matter to him. He wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror if he didn't respond to such goading. Someone had to put these spoiled brats in line and he'd be damned if he didn't do it when he had the chance. He wasn't scared of them in the least. Even though every single one of them had the power to probably put him in jail for life, but he realized that such power was useless in the face of the fear they were unable to hide from him. It was much like his fear of Gabriel that kept him from being able to act.

Like everyone else, his target parted to the side with his friend in order to get out of his way. He didn't even seem to notice that he was the focus of attention. Tsuna was stopped in front of him for nearly a full minute while the man continued to piss him off with his rude remarks. Then, finally, the man finally turned to look at him in surprise.

"Posso parlare italiano, dipshit," Tsuna finally snarled. _I can speak Italian, dipshit_. "You can either confess to what you just said and ask forgiveness or else I can bite you to death right here," he continued, switching back into English. The man paled and stared at him with eyes bulging forward in shock.

"What's going on, Suoh?" Papa Paolo asked worriedly, breaking through the suddenly silent crowd. "Please don't bother--"

"Forgive me, Papa Paolo," Tsuna interrupted without taking his eyes off of the man before him. Attempting to look like more than an idiot, he put as much effort as he could into explaining. "This man just stated that you're nothing more than a dried up weakling that's too scared to raise a hand even if they wanted to have a little fun with Autumn. They also went into detail about what they wished to do to her, which I'd rather not repeat. Let me just say that it was graphically detailed. They also said that all of us were too stupid to understand them and this man in particular said several other insults about you that I can't ignore. I felt the need to correct them in light of the fact that they were saying such insulting things while taking advantage of your generosity."

"Is that so?" Papa Paolo murmured unhappily while staring at the man in question.

"H-He's lying," he spluttered in a pathetic attempt at defending himself. "Are you going to just let your guest slander me like that, Mr. Martelli?!" Tsuna glanced at Papa Paolo in worry, realizing that the guy in front of him was probably some important person. It was very possible that Papa Paolo would take the man's word instead of Tsuna's. He--

"Are you calling him a liar?" Papa Paolo asked with a frown. "I'd choose your response carefully. I know for a fact that Suoh is fluent in several languages. More importantly, this is Autumn's Sixth that you're talking about."

"S-Sixth?" The man gaped while a low hum of excited chatter rustled through the crowd. It was enough to make Tsuna wonder what was so special about the number.

"Yes," Papa Paolo nodded. "You should know what that means. If you wish to withdrawal your complaint against him, feel free to, but I'd like to ask you to withdrawal your person from my house, as well."

"I-I'll withdrawal," the man replied with a tremor in his voice. "Forgive me, Mr. Martelli." Papa Paolo nodded while Tsuna simply focused everything on trying not to gape. He hadn't expected such an outcome. He'd expected more of a fist-fight in order to force the man into admitting what he'd said.

"Suoh, please join me in the parlor," Papa Paolo murmured, making the request into an order while the man was shunned the whole way to the exit. Tsuna nodded and quietly followed, knowing that he was about to get his ass handed to him for making a scene. He wasn't as worried about that, though, as he was curious about the whole business of the 'Sixth'. The second item in his pocket held the number in Roman Numerals and he'd not thought of it being anything special before now. But, from everyone's reaction to the strange title, it was something very special.

Tsuna waited calmly and patiently until the smoking parlor that Papa Paolo took over was emptied. He kept up his Hibari facade until the doors were closed. The moment that they were alone, however, Tsuna felt his knees give out from the stress that the confrontation had put on him.

"Forgive me, Papa Paolo," Tsuna begged shamelessly. "I didn't mean to--"

"Hush," he laughed in reply, motioning for Tsuna to stop his pleas. "That went better than I hoped. I was starting to get worried because of how you were standing in the corner. The whole point of tonight is for everyone to meet the core of Autumn's Family. If Poppet hadn't been able to pull you out, I was about ready to do it myself."

"But I just made another mess!" Tsuna blurted in objection. "How can that be better?!"

"Well," he grinned, walking over to the room's polished oak bar to retrieve them both drinks. "Back when I was first made into my father's heir, my Sixth gave ten people concussions, broke two windows, and started a near-riot before the end of the night."

"I'm not a delinquent," Tsuna stated in frustration, instantly getting the image of Hibari in his head again.

"That's why I was worried," he replied with a sigh. "The whole night could have passed without anyone figuring out who you were if you hadn't made that scene. I'm quite pleased. I was told that you never loosened up without a few drinks, but I was scared that you would make an ass out of yourself if I let you get drunk. The Sixth is always the wildcard of the Family."

"Wildcard?" He repeated in askance, accepting the drink and cigar that he was handed when he pulled himself up into a chair.

"Wildcard," Papa Paolo nodded. "My father's was a man who never spoke a word, so no one ever knew what he was thinking until he went off. My grandfather's was a jester that always played practical jokes. His biggest so-called prank was when he pulled a machine gun out of his hat. I wasn't sure how you were going to present yourself, so I was just hoping that--"

"Wait!" Tsuna gasped. "Present myself?! You never said anything about that!"

"That's because I didn't want to make you nervous," he chuckled as he leaned back into his chair with his drink and his cigar in hand. "You already had enough on your mind. Plus, Princess doesn't know yet. Well, she knows now. I have a feeling that she'll probably explode in a few minutes when she realizes that I've already handed out the rings for her. Speaking of, you haven't put yours on yet."

"I-I don't want it," Tsuna replied honestly, digging the ring and the other item out of his pocket. "Honestly, I'm not sure why you asked me. You know that I don't want--"

"To get too deep into Mafia business," he finished for Tsuna. Tsuna nodded, unable to deny the words. His nod only seemed to make Papa Paolo smile even more widely. "That's what makes you the Sixth. I don't know how Vongola does it, but we have a simple system for picking out the core Family of a new generation. There are seven values that knights used to hold up to in their code of honor. My daughter stands in for the virtue of nobility and the rest of you stand in for the other six."

"Which one am I?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Justice," he answered with a quirky grin. "The inner triad represents Courage, Generosity, and Faith. The outer triad is Hope, Mercy, and Justice. What you did back there was much less flashy than everyone expected, but your sense of justice is just as I hoped. You couldn't stand by when you saw someone doing wrong. The Sixth is known as the one person that would never fall prey to money or power. He is feared because justice is one thing that can change depending on who is acting as the judge. Whether it is strict justice or a forgiving justice, the Sixth's judgment is clad in iron. I trust your judgment, Suoh. I could not see you as a person to judge wrongly nor can I see you as someone to make an injustice."

"I-I'm honored," Tsuna murmured sheepishly, remembering back to that essay that he'd written when he was younger. Yet, he wasn't that naive anymore. He could never be a hero of justice any more than he could be a giant robot. "I'm sorry, though. I can't accept this, Papa Paolo. I'm just a nobody and you're expecting me to--"

"I'm not expecting anything," he interrupted smoothly. Tsuna blinked and looked up at him in surprise, only to receive a small smile in return. "The Sixth has always went his own way. He has to or else his own sense of justice might become tainted by the mechanisms of the Family. I'm not expecting you to do anything that you aren't already doing, Suoh. I asked you to become my Princess' Sixth so that you could be the breath of fresh air that sets her on her ear if she one day becomes corrupted by the power that her position gives her. You've managed to keep her in line so far. As it is, you're the only person that I've met that is willing to argue with her. It might not seem like the best qualification, but I think it's something that she'll need in the future."

"You want me to bark at her instead of bark for her," Tsuna chuckled in sudden understanding, finally loosening up enough to sip on the drink that he'd been given. "You picked me because I'm not in awe of her."

"There's more to it than that," he corrected quietly. "I've been getting reports of what you've been doing around town. You don't seem like a person that can just sit back when bad things are happening."

"It isn't like what the rumors are saying," Tsuna grimaced. "I was just trying to protect my friends."

"I know," he nodded in acceptance. "All I'm asking is that you include my little Princess in that. Will you accept? Nothing will change by accepting. I'm just asking you to continue what you've been doing."

"I guess I can't refuse when you put it that way," Tsuna sighed in defeat. Hanging his head, he wanted to bang it up against a wall. He really couldn't refuse requests. At least he'd put up a little bit of a fight.

Setting his drink down, he pulled out the two items in his pocket and held back another sigh. The small silver ring in his hand was the first of the items. Instead of an emblem, there was a single square jewel inset into the metal. A purple jewel in it once again made him think of Hibari for some reason. He wasn't sure why the color made him think of him, but he was sure that it had something to do with Hibari being the holder of the Cloud Ring. He knew from the one on Isaac and Poppet's hand that the design of the ring was identical for everyone. The only difference was the color of the stone. Isaac held a red one while Poppet carried the yellow. The tutor held the green, the reporter held the blue, and the musician had the indigo.

Slipping it on his finger, he couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling of wrongness that it gave him. His hand was quickly being filled with connections to other people. He had the ring connecting him to Snicker. He had the ring connecting him to Poe. Now he had a ring connecting him to the Martelli Family. For some irritating reason, he felt that he needed a ring for the gang, too. Then he looked at the other item. It was just as small and gave him an even greater feeling of wrongness. It was a simple earring. A small, round medallion holding the number six in roman numerals hung on the end of a small chain connected to a stud. It looked worn and dated, as if it were hundreds of years old.

The earring itself wasn't what felt wrong, though. The feeling of when he took out the feather earring that he had on was what felt wrong. It was like he was setting aside something precious that he couldn't identify. He didn't understand it. It was just a feather. Why did it feel like he was holding his heart in his hand? Why did it feel crushed when he put it in his pocket? Shoving the unexplained feelings away, he focused on putting the silly earring on. All of the others had one, too, but he hadn't wanted to put it on. He hadn't wanted to because everyone else had gotten studs while he'd gotten a dangling earring. He could almost smell Isaac behind it.

"Be confident, son," Papa Paolo encouraged with a smile as he got to his feet, openly satisfied that Tsuna had put on the identifying markers. "For tonight, you aren't just a nobody that's working for me. Think of this as your party, too."

"My party...?" Tsuna repeated, also getting his feet after hurriedly putting out the cigar that Papa Paolo always seemed to hand to him.

"Yup," he nodded, patting Tsuna on the shoulder. "So go have fun. Stop worrying about making a mess and go make a mess. I'm counting on you. These functions are always so uptight."

"You want me to make a mess?" Tsuna gasped with a disbelieving laugh.

"If that's what you want," he grinned. "Do you really think anyone is going to stop you? No one but my people know anything about you. You're the wildcard that no one knows how to react to. Go give them something to talk about. As long as you don't start flirting with the guest, I'll forgive you for anything you do tonight."

"In that case, I feel like dancing," Tsuna chuckled. Then he paused at the way that Papa Paolo cringed openly. "What's wrong? Is that no good?"

"N-No, it's fine," he replied with a shudder. "If you want to dance, then go dance. I just hope that you'll remember that these people aren't used to your kind of dancing."

"Eh?" Tsuna asked. Then he blush brightly, suddenly _knowing _exactly why Papa Paolo was hesitant. He was hesitant because Tsuna... didn't know how to dance. The only dances he knew were the ones that he'd learned at Kink's, but those weren't the ones that he'd been thinking of when he said he wanted to dance. What Tsuna had been thinking of was the dances that he'd been watching others do during the course of the evening. He wanted to try, but he'd been too scared of falling over his own feet. Papa Paolo had said that he'd be forgiven for such mistakes, though, so he'd wanted to give it a shot. Yet, the image that Papa Paolo made him think of was something that left him completely mortified. "I won't dance like that!" He finally squealed. "I was talking about the dances that everyone else was doing!"

"Ah," Papa Paolo sighed in open relief. "If that's all, then by all means. Go dance, son."

"I'm not sure I want to now," Tsuna replied with a red face, following Papa Paolo out of the parlor toward the main hall again. "I'll probably just embarrass myself."

"Then go embarrass yourself," he ordered with a crooked smile. "Take Princess with you. Be sure and step on her toes a few times. She's been as tense as a board all night. Fighting with you should make her loosen up."

"What kind of guy do you think I am?!" Tsuna blurted.

"The kind of guy that likes to step on my daughter's toes," he answered with a bark of laughter. "Go on. Forget about what happened earlier and ignore everyone. Just enjoy yourself and I'll be happy. If you have to, think of it as an order."

"An... order..." Tsuna repeated slowly. That actually did make it easier. If he was ordered to do stuff, he'd do it even if he embarrassed himself. When did he start caring what other people thought, anyway? Everyone in the room was people that had ignored someone like him while he'd been begging. He didn't have anything to fear from them, either, since Papa Paolo had said that he could do no wrong tonight. With that in mind, he reentered the oversized ballroom with a determined step. "Alright," he murmured in amusement over the thought of getting a little payback for all the times that he'd been cast off as trash by the snobs filling the room. He could even get a little payback for how Autumn had barged in on him a few nights ago. "I'm going to go step on Autumn's toes now."

"Have fun," Papa Paolo laughed. Tsuna nodded and walked through the crowd in the direction that Autumn was in. When he got to her, she was once again surrounded by people. Vultures, Tsuna thought in distaste. It was as if they were picking her clean in their attempts to curry favor from her. People like that needed to be scared off before she really did become a corpse. Once more, the crowd parted for him. They gave him an even wider berth than before, too. Walking up, he grinned in amusement when he found the same weasel between them as before.

"Move," he ordered, making the man jump and skitter to the side in fear without even looking back at him.

"Are you having fun doing that?" Autumn asked in exasperation.

"A little," he admitted with a wide grin. Holding out his hand, he grinned even more widely at Autumn's raised eyebrow. "Come on," he urged. "I haven't seen you dance all night. You'd think that these idiots would know how to have a good time with how much money this party is probably costing. I'm not going to let Papa Paolo's money get wasted. You're going to dance at least once, even if I have to carry you over there."

"Dance?" She repeated with laughter in her eyes. "With you? What makes you think--"

"I'll carry you," he threatened with a wide grin. "Your father told me to make a mess. How big it is depends on how hard you fight."

"He's spoiling you," Autumn grumbled, slapping her hand into his so that he could escort her to the dance floor properly. "Just because my father likes you, don't think that I do."

"You're not my type," Tsuna replied easily, finding himself incredibly calmed by the simple act of bickering with his friend like normal. Just like Papa Paolo told him, he ignored all the eyes on them. The only people in the room that mattered were his friends. Poppet mattered. Papa Paolo mattered. In a small way, even Isaac mattered. But, as he'd accepted when he'd put the earring on, Autumn mattered, too. She was his friend, whether he liked it or not. He'd never been anything to her except for someone that drifted in and out of the life that other people saw more closely. He could accept that, though. He wasn't close enough to her to be part of her inner circle, but he wasn't really an outsider either. Instead of making his own assumptions, he just needed to make due with what small part that he could play.

"Can you even dance?" Autumn asked with a mocking smile when he led her onto the dance floor.

"Nope," he answered with a laugh. Her eyes widened at him and he grinned even more. "I don't have to know. As long as we have fun, it doesn't really matter."

"Am I going to regret not fighting?" She asked with a growl, positioning herself before him in the same way that he'd seen the other dancer partners do.

"I'll try to make it painless," he chuckled. With that, he started dancing. He immediately surprised himself. He didn't step on her feet like he thought he would. More than that, he felt like he _did _know how to dance. He kind of felt like he was riding a bike after not having touched one in years. The only problem was that he didn't remember learning. Curious, he continued to lead while trying to remember if his mother had ever taught him.

"I thought you said you didn't know how," Autumn commented quietly in open surprise.

"I-I don't," he said with his own confusion plain on his face while his feet continued to tread a path that he didn't recognize. "I don't remember ever learning this dance."

"You're a natural," she sighed in disappointment. "And here I thought that you were going to land on your face."

"I was aiming for your toes," Tsuna grumbled, shoving his confusion away.

"As long as you don't aim for my ass," she laughed as they circled the dance floor.

"I wouldn't," he countered, falling back into their normal pattern. "You're such a hardass that I'd probably break my hand if I tried."

"Ooh," she replied in open amusement. "So, a stick is stronger than you since I supposedly have one up my ass."

"It's had years to get where it is," he commented. "I'll leave your ass to the stick. It has a lot more experience."

"Experience isn't everything," Autumn replied with a suddenly solemn look in her eyes. "I'm hard to deal with no matter how long people have known me."

"You're not hard to deal with," Tsuna corrected. "It's true that you're a bitch to deal with sometimes, but I've started to notice that you're actually kind of predictable."

"Predictable," she repeated in disbelief.

"Yup," he nodded. "You get pissed off when you think someone is being unfair, but you always find some way to deal with it so that no one knows that you're acting out of caring. You're used to getting your way, so you get shocked easily when someone tells you no. You always go straight towards your goals and you never care about who gets in your way. Most importantly, you always seem to judge people based on their actions instead of their words."

"Words are cheap," she replied blandly.

"Which is why no one here is doing anything but irritating you," Tsuna grinned in victory. "You should start telling them to piss off."

"I can't do that," she replied with a grimace. "Everyone here is someone that I can't insult. I can't--"

"I have a feeling that they'll still do whatever you want, even if you were to step on their faces," Tsuna interrupted, sending a glance out toward the watching guests. "Stop trying to be an officious bitch and just be the bitch that you always are. The Autumn I know wouldn't keep her mouth shut when people are being nothing more than suck-ups. If anything, you'd just raise your price when you know that you're wanted. Or did you stop squeezing every drop of life out of your admirers?"

"W-What do you mean?" She gaped.

"Don't forget the lessons you learned as a whore," he advised. "Think of these people as your clients instead of people that you have to be nice to. You found a way to survive as a whore. Dealing with these people should be no different. They all want something out of you, but you're setting your price too low. Get a grip and raise it. Everyone here will just work harder to get to you and you won't have to deal with the people that can't give you what you want."

"W-What I want...?" She murmured in surprise. Tsuna raised an eyebrow at her, slowing his dance steps as the song started to come to a close.

"Don't you want something, Autumn?"

"I-I'm not sure," she admitted sheepishly. "My goal was just to beat my brother. I've done that, so I'm not sure where to go from there."

"No wonder you've been so quiet tonight," Tsuna sighed, walking beside her as they retreated toward the sidelines of the dance floor to get a drink. "The Autumn that I know wouldn't have let everyone crowd around her like that if she didn't want them to. The truth is that you don't know how to deal with them because you don't know what use they have. You don't know that because you don't know what you want."

"I know that I want to get stronger," she murmured, accepting the wine glass that he retrieved for her. "I want to be someone that can stand up and do something instead of sitting back in the belief that everything I want will be handed to me. I want to be strong in my own right instead of only as strong as everyone around me."

"That's why you started working at the free clinic," Tsuna stated in sudden understanding while he nursed his own drink. "I was wondering about that."

"I realized that the nursing training that I _was _getting was nothing more than a sham," she growled in distaste. "I wanted some real experience that I could use instead of just being useless eye-candy in a nurse's outfit. I don't like the thought of being helpless when someone I know is hurting. I don't want to be like all those people that just stood around when my mother got hit."

"Oh," Tsuna blinked in surprise, not having expected for her reasons to be connected with such an event. "So it's more than just strength that you want," he said slowly. "You want experience and knowledge. You want to have everything that you need in order to protect someone."

"I wouldn't put it like that," she grumbled with a crooked smile. "I'm not some idiot that would face a mob of armed men over a scratch." Tsuna paled and sheepishly rubbed his chin at the reminder of what he'd done to the Velvet Scats. He knew that she was acting too nicely to him. He should have expected her defenses to go back up. "But I do want to be able to do something instead of just watching," she added quietly. "I can't do that if I'm scared and I don't know what to do."

"Everyone's scared of something," Tsuna murmured, getting a whiff of Gabriel's scent again. Autumn looked at him in surprise and he pointedly stared at the rim of his wineglass rather than meet her eyes. "Sometimes there's nothing you can do but keep moving forward and hope that your fears don't catch up to you. Friends are really important in that because they give you somewhere safe to hide when you get too scared to keep going. They can protect you until you've regained your courage."

"Suoh..." Autumn mumbled in surprise. "Does your past really bother you that much?"

"Ah," he confirmed despite the realization that she was thinking that he was talking about Vongola. The truth was that his words held true for that, too. It wasn't just Gabriel that he was scared of. He was just as scared that Reborn would walk into his life and make it a mess again. Seeing no other way to break the uncomfortable silence that sprang up between them, Tsuna decided to deal with something that was nagging him in the back of his mind. "If you'll excuse me," he murmured with a small bow.

Turning away before she could stop him, he headed for the open doors that lead out into a manicured garden. Once out in the open, he headed toward a secluded corner in hopes of getting a breath of air that didn't have Gabriel laced in it. Gabriel wasn't the reason that he ducked out, though. Rather, the constricting feeling around his throat was. As soon as he was alone, he pulled off the bowtie and unbuttoned his collar so that he could breathe. It hadn't been as noticeable when he'd had his mind on other things, but the monkey suit was really getting on his nerves. It made him hot and uncomfortable. To top it off, he hadn't eaten since noon. He was starving in a way that his pills didn't satisfy completely. A pill helped, but his stomach was still empty.

"Suoh Timberson...?"

Tsuna yelped in surprise around a mouthful of blood, having not noticed that he'd been followed. The man behind him seemed faintly familiar, but Tsuna couldn't place him. Maybe he was some relation to Ollie? No. The man was black like Ollie, but the likeness ended there. The man was huge. Not huge like Ore was huge, but rather he was huge at his midsection. He had to have three chins, all of which seemed fattened up simply in order to hold the heavy gold chain around the man's neck. Despite the fact that he was wearing a tuxedo, the gaudy jewelry didn't seem out of place. Actually, it seemed right in a way that Tsuna couldn't explain. It was almost as if he couldn't imagine the man without it, even though they were just meeting.

"Do I know you?" He asked politely, wiping his mouth with his sleeve out of worry that some of his blood pill might have dripped.

"I was hoping so," he answered with a sad look in his eyes. "You remind me of someone I recognize. You look different than him, but you have a lot of his features."

"Black X," Tsuna supplied in sudden understanding, knowing that there was only one person that he looked like. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not him and I gave up imitating him. If you followed me out here thinking that I could be bought, you're out of luck. I don't do that stuff anymore."

"I see," the man replied with a small nod of acceptance. "Sorry to have bothered you." Tsuna blinked in surprise when he turned and left, not having thought that he could get him to go away so easily. Usually, people that wanted him didn't take the first no for an answer. It typically took two or three.

"What was that about?" Tsuna asked curiously once he was alone again, feeling like he was missing out on something important.

_That was the Nubo Boss_, Mukuro-sama replied with a small chuckle. Tsuna lurched in place, instantly re-evaluating what he'd said to the man. _No worries, my pet_, Mukuro-sama soothed. _What you said was sufficient. He thinks that you are nothing more than a Black X impersonator. His suspicions are completely gone now._

"Are you sure?" He asked worriedly.

_He was suspicious earlier. He was staring at you the whole time that you were standing in the corner and while you were dancing. Without the facade created by clothing, you could be him quite easily. You've been giving off the same presence as the Tsunayoshi of the past was capable of. You are more like your former self than you know, my pet._

"I'm not a monster," Tsuna growled unhappily. "Don't compare me to him."

_If that is your wish_, Mukuro-sama replied with a voice laced with amusement. _But know that there are some things that can't be avoided. If you wish to become stronger, you're likenesses to him will only increase._

"Stop, Mukuro-sama," he growled dangerously. "He's dead and he can rot in hell like he deserves. I won't forgive you if you try to make me into him." Tsuna waited for a reply, but none came. Instead, Mukuro-sama's presence dissipated from his mind completely, almost as if his words had been some sort of shock. That couldn't be right, though. Mukuro-sama knew exactly how he felt about his past. He was a different person now. It might be true that he was still stuck with the Mafia being part of his life, but it was something that he'd agreed to. No one had forced him to accept such a path. No one had walked in and told him that he didn't have a choice. He'd gotten a choice this time. He'd chosen to be where he was. He was satisfied that the choices that he'd made were good ones. They were choices that brought happiness and security to the people around him.

And that's all that _he'd _ever wanted.

* * *

Author's Notes: Next chapter: Hibari POV!

Also! Check this out!

taikova. deviantart. com/ art/ F-and-F-IV-Suoh-98748410


	43. Chapter 43 Distant Rumblings

Pathetic.

It was quite possible that Hotaru had surpassed his father in terms of power, but there was no excitement to fighting the boy. There was no feeling that the next instant could change everything. There was no fluctuations in personality that made the boy hard to read. He was flawless in his attacks and his strength never rose nor faltered.

"This is boring," Hibari said shortly, turning to leave the sparring grounds. "Find me someone interesting to fight."

"Eh?" Hotaru blurted in the same manner his father would have. What he said next was something that his father would have never dared, however. "What's wrong, Hibari? Are you scared? I said that I'd take it--"

"You'll never be as good as your father," Hibari said quietly, letting the young boy's insults completely bounce off of him. "He was a tactician. Both his mind and his will was constantly in motion during battle. You are nothing more than a blinded bull, forcing your attacks through with sheer power." Hibari wanted to scoff when the reaction to his words was just as he predicted. Just like a bull, Hotaru charged at the red flag that was Hibari's words. Comparing him to his father was a known trigger that made the boy go berserk. Hence, Hibari pushed it to get this farce of a battle over with.

Jump.

Flip.

Kick.

Never bothering to take his tonfas out for such a waste of time nor his hands out of his pockets, Hibari sent Hotaru sprawling outside the sectioned off area. As always, his entourage encircled him with the open desire to wipe his ass if that's what he wanted. It was sickening. Sawada had always been known for his attempts to rid himself of sycophantic attitudes in his followers. On the other hand, his son seemed to live and breathe it like air. The attention was going to his head and Hibari was not impressed.

"You're ten years too early to challenge me," he said with a small frown, looking down at where the boy was getting incredible amounts of attention over the illusion of a bruise. Hibari knew for a fact that he hadn't hit him hard. He didn't have to in order to defeat him. All he had to do was momentarily destroy the boy's overly-boosted ego in order to win. That was what made Hotaru so pathetic in his eyes. "It looks like Fuuta's prediction was incorrect. I should have known when my number one and number two challengers died. The only ones from his prediction that are left is a coward who is missing, a boy who is capable of challenge but incapable of winning, and the Bucking Horse. I'll have to get an updated ranking."

"Where are you going?!" Hotaru yelled angrily. Hibari ignored the boy as he scrambled to his feet, far more interested in tracking down Fuuta. He was tired of waiting for a worthy challenger. As it was, only the baby could excite him anymore, but tracking Reborn down was becoming more and more problematic. One would think that he'd be easier to find in his enlarged state, but it was actually proving more difficult. He was a master of disguise and knew how to blend into a crowd better than anyone. Now that he was stuck at the age eighteen instead of one, he was able to hide even better. He would still tell no one about the curse that all Arcobelano held, but Hotaru had found some way to get around the restrictions placed on them. All of them had grown at a rapid rate, going from one to eighteen in a matter of hours. Since then, the baby hitman once more had went without aging a day. No one knew what the boy had done and even Hotaru was close-mouthed about it where he'd normally be boasting.

Not that Hibari cared about why the baby was no longer a baby. He was still as formidable of an opponent as before. More so, since his strength had increased alongside his body size. The trade off was that he was a larger target, of course, but such trivialities only proved to make the hitman grin more. Hibari had a feeling that Reborn was avoiding him on purpose so that they're kindred spirits didn't feel a need to face off against one another. It wasn't out of fear. Far from it. He knew that the former-baby respected his abilities as much as Hibari silently respected his. It was that respect that kept Reborn from facing off with him and the reason that Hibari wasn't more aggressive in finding him. If they were to actually fight, one of them would definitely die. Neither of them wished for such a thing since the loss would leave the winner with nothing more than the feeling of defeat. It was better to leave a worthy rival alive until the time was right when the feeling of victory would not be laced with regret.

He absently felt Hibird's weight land on his shoulder as he headed for Don Girarde's library. He'd come at the request of Haru Sawada, who was worried that her son's ego was getting too large for her to handle. In his opinion, that had be dealt with. The mother had more sense than the son, he noted with a small smirk. That woman always reacted in the manner he wished. Whether it was her silence and absence or a quiet and formal cup of tea. He found that she was far more disciplined than he remembered from middle school. So much so that he found himself mildly irritated at times due to her introspective behavior. Two and a half years had passed since Sawada's death. She was still as fearless as ever, but he found her lack of energy to be somewhat disappointing. She should have overcome her loss by now and moved on with her life. It was undisciplined of her to continue sulking like she was.

"Kusakabe," Hibari called, knowing that the man was somewhere nearby.

"Yes, Kyo-san?" He replied as he finally showed his watchful presence.

"Prepare the Lark for flight," he ordered quietly. "I have wish to return to Namimori after this."

"Already done," he said with a small smile. Hibari shot him a small, amused glance. He should have known. Kusakabe always knew his wishes even before he did. "Ms. Sawada has already been informed of your time of arrival. She responded with an invitation to an early lunch tomorrow to welcome you back."

"Accept on my behalf," he replied promptly, his steps not slowing for an instant down the hallway. "Inform her that her son has been spanked as per her request. Let her know that he is without injury despite any report that she might hear."

"Right away, Kyo-san," he nodded before once more disappearing in order to do Hibari's bidding. Shutting the woman out of his mind, he fell to a stop before the classroom holding his current target. Normally, one had to speak to the Dean or an administrator of the high school before interrupting class. However, he also knew who held the position of Dean when he was actually present on school grounds. Due to that, he'd already been authorized to walk the school grounds at will.

Knocking only once to announce his presence, he walked in without any worries that his interruption broke any rules. He felt a smile flicker along his lips when the teacher recognized him and froze in shock. The rest of the class showed their complete lack of discipline by bursting out into quiet conversation. That was, most of their conversations were quiet. The was one in particular that made his eye twitch.

"What are you doing here, Hibari?" Lambo asked, standing up next to his seat with a calm that his child self could have never managed.

"I'm not here for you, Bovino," he replied mockingly. Unsheathing his tonfas, he gave the teenager a knowing look. "Unless you feel ready to challenge me."

"Che," he spat. "I'm still perfecting it and you know it."

"You can't stall forever," he said easily. "You'll never defeat me if you keep focusing on such a worthless attack."

"You still mock me," he growled, bowing his head to hide his anger. "I--"

"Don't, Lambo-nii!" Fuuta cried from the back of the classroom when the teenage cow pulled two horns out of his pocket. "You'll get in trouble if you call thunder here! You're indoors! Hibari is just taunting you like he always does!" Lambo froze and cringed, knowing full well what would happen if lightening ran through the building. He'd be working his cow-tail off to pay for all the broken windows.

"I'll let it go this time," he grumbled as he stuffed the horns back into his pocket.

"Hmph," Hibari scoffed before turning his attention to the reason he'd come. "Ranking Fuuta. I have need of your services."

"I was wondering when you'd come," he said quietly, walking toward the front of the class with his school briefcase already packed. "You came for that, didn't you? The Ranking that I did before..."

"Before Sawada died," he confirmed easily. "The Ranking you gave me is outdated. The geezer and Sawada are dead. The other three are no challenge to me."

"What about Dino-nii?" He asked quietly. "He's still--"

"I have an agreement with the Bucking Horse," he spat in distaste. "For the moment, my interests do not allow me to target him. I'm tired of waiting, Fuuta. I want the name of a worthy opponent. The potentials you gave me when I traveled are already defeated. Enough time has passed. There must be some new blood on the list by now."

"Alright," he nodded. "Can you wait until we're in the courtyard? I haven't been able to control it as well since--" Fuuta paused, taking a sharp breath like many did when saying the name. "--since Tsuna-nii died," he finished quietly.

"Very well," he agreed shortly. Giving the teenage boy, who admittedly was on the cusp of being a man, the privilege of leading, Hibari gave the teacher a polite nod before shutting the classroom door and following. His impatience must have gotten across to the young mafioso. Hibari could tell because of how he took the shortest route to the courtyard while ever-quickening his pace along the way. As Hibari had half-expected, his classmates were pressed up against the windows to watch by the time they gained access to the open window. Hibari started to glare in warning, but it was surprisingly Fuuta that spoke up for them.

"Please let them watch, Hibari," he said quietly, setting his briefcase down next to his feet. "This will be my first attempt since I lost control of my last one. They need to see what comes from my Rankings so that they won't pressure me for them anymore. You might want to back up, too. You saw what happened at Headquarters."

"Do I need to prepare a medical squad?" Hibari asked coldly.

"No," he answered. "I think I can keep it in check this time." Hibari nodded, seeing the determination in Fuuta's eyes. Taking the boy's advice, he stepped backward so as to be outside the gravity well that came from Fuuta's gift. He'd seen the aftermath of the Ranking that Fuuta had lost control of. The north wing of Headquarters had taken over a month to repair. Hibari was hoping that the pressure of his own presence would keep Fuuta from failing this time. Fuuta gave one small glance around to ensure that there was plenty of space around him and no one nearby. Hibari merely waited until he was satisfied before gesturing for him to get on with his show.

His eyes glazed over while he stared toward the heavens. As always, debris began to rise from the ground and Hibari watched it careful as the area affected continued to spread. He was forced to step backward three times before it finally stopped swelling. Fuuta's hair began to whip around his head while his own body began to be affected by the lack of gravity. Then, what Fuuta feared began. It was hard to miss. The small bits of debris such as leaves and rocks began to rotate around him as if he were the solar core of his own system. The bits closer to him began to stabilize quickly in a rotational cycle, but those at the outer edges began flinging themselves outward as the unstable gravity released them from his control. Twice, Hibari had to deflect a stone away rather than use the energy to dodge. Fuuta's preparation had been sufficient, however. There were no chairs flinging themselves into walls and the small debris that had gotten caught up in the gravity well weren't big enough to be damaging when they were flung outward.

"This is Fuuta," Fuuta called loudly above the winds. "Are you there, Ranking Planet?" Hibari's eyes widened as several previously stable stones exploded, creating small clouds of dust that began twirling in recognizable patterns. It was then that Hibari realized something. Fuuta wasn't like a solar core. He was a galactic core. It made sense in a way. If Fuuta was to talk to something as large as a planet, he had to possess the nature equal to something that a planet would feel required to answer to. "Ranking Planet!" Fuuta yelled as several more bits of rock and leaves began to explode. Hibari watched, knowing that he should be in awe. It was as if he were watching the Big Bang in miniature. "Answer me, Ranking Planet!"

"Wao," Hibari murmured. It was impressive, he was willing to admit. It was impressive, but he wasn't impressed. Fuuta was losing control. It was obvious in the way that more and more miniature solar systems began flinging themselves outward due to the unstable gravity within Fuuta's territory. Fuuta's eyes seemed like gateways into a black hole rather than mirrors reflecting the heavens. The rotation of the debris within his field began to fluctuate and spin faster, making Fuuta himself begin to spin out of control at the center.

"Please, Ranking Planet!" Fuuta cried. "I-- Ah--!"

The attempt was failed, Hibari determined when the stones toward the center began to get close enough to rip Fuuta's shirt. Knowing that nothing thrown into the area would keep up its momentum long enough to snap Fuuta out of it, Hibari stepped forward himself. It was in his own interests to stop Fuuta. There could be no second attempt if the boy destroyed himself in a continued attempt. As it was, he seemed to be completely out of it. He continued to spin in place, gaping up at the heavens as if he were possessed.

Hibari wanted to growl when the gravity well showed no mercy to him. His feet began to lift off the ground from the moment that he stepped within the bounds. Seeing that, he felt that there was only one choice. One that he hadn't been reduced to using since Sawada's death. There's simply been no need, although he admittedly kept some on him in hopes that he'd meet someone worthy for their use.

Popping two Dying Will Pills in his mouth, he sighed at the feeling of his own power being unleashed to its fullest. He didn't have the Vongola Ring as a medium anymore and he'd yet to find a replacement like the Bovino brat had. Still, the pills sufficed. Perhaps with a little more study into Demetrius, he could find a way. That was one of the reasons why he was keeping such close ties to Haru Sawada, after all. She was the one with the foremost knowledge in the make of the metal. If anyone could give him what he wanted, she could. If only she wasn't so tight-lipped about the manufacturing process, he would have a satisfactory replacement by now.

Pushing such thought away, he sent his Flame coursing through his tonfas in quick bursts to allow himself to be propelled forward within the gravity well. It took him nearly two minutes to get within reach of Fuuta and another for their rotations to align so that he had a clear shot at the boy's temple. He had to shut off Fuuta's mind if he had any hope of shutting down his connection to the Ranking Planet. Keeping himself steady with one tonfa and matching Fuuta's rotation, he lifted the other to--

"SqualoSuperbiCavallonetheTenthPanteraWangChoVongolatheEleventhXiuWongJimmyEvansBrianGriffinMarcyMacOokamiKageGenshiki

NathanielvonGuttenmoreYunYoungVincentVorettiJamesHarmonHayatoGokuderaTeddyEthosWhimsySuohTimbersonLiricaMarcoIkavDeMonicaEvillain

DelphiniaHavlockTaikovaTakeshiYa--"

Hibari struck, seeing that Fuuta was being overloaded beyond his capability to control. He wanted to snarl, but didn't. He didn't for one reason. Kusakabe had surely caught the stream of names for him. He doubted that they were in order, since he doubted most seriously that Pantera was stronger than Hotaru even at his most egotistical peak of naivety. The names alone were enough, however. He'd rank them himself after he was able to track down information on those that he didn't recognize. For now, he simply focused on catching Fuuta before he fell in the same manner as the small bits of debris that had survived.

Fuuta looked completely worn out. His skin was pale and hollow. Sweat matted his skin and his hair. From the look of it, he'd given everything short of his life in his attempt to retrieve the Ranking that Hibari had asked for. For that, Hibari gave him a certain amount of respect. It wasn't much, but the young man had earned it.

"Hi...bari..." he croaked in his arms, waking quickly from the measured blow that Hibari had hit him with.

"You lost control," he replied simply. "It's not a complete loss. The names you managed to retrieve are enough for now."

"Ah," he murmured slowly as if his brain hadn't yet caught up with him. "They came too quickly and they were jumbled. The Ranking Planet is mad at me."

"Oh?" Hibari asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't want to do anymore Rankings, Hibari," he said softly, looking away as he tried to shakily regain his feet. "I... I think I saw Tsuna-nii. It was him, but it wasn't him. I--" Fuuta shook his head in confusion, stumbling on his feet in an attempt to retrieve his satchel. "That's not right. Tsuna-nii is gone. The Ranking Planet was being cruel, Hibari."

"Kusakabe," Hibari called upon seeing that Fuuta wasn't completely in his right mind yet. As always, the man responded promptly, appearing with a notebook in hand that he quickly handed over. Hibari took it with a satisfied nod before gesturing for him to deal with Fuuta. "Make sure that he gets to the infirmary and tell the doctor to give him a complete check-up. Report to the Lark when you're done."

"Yes, Kyo-san," he nodded. Hibari sighed in satisfaction and tucked the notebook into his pocket. The Disciplinary Committee was going to be busy when he got home, retrieving all the information that they could about his targets.

Returning home just got a lot more important.

* * *

"Kyoya," Haru greeted with a polite bow and the small, quiet smile that had become habitual usage for her. She stood in a simple brown dress with her hair swaying around her shoulders from where she'd shorn it after Sawada's funeral. "Prompt as always."

"It would be undisciplined to arrive at any time other than the one specified," he replied with a small frown toward the greeting that she always hit him with.

"I've grown accustomed to men with far less discipline," she chuckled, gesturing for him to follow her toward the backyard. "I hope you don't mind. It's a nice enough day out that I prepared lunch outside."

"Of course," he said shortly. Following quietly, he noticed that Haru seemed more weary than normal. While it was to be expected for a delicate woman like her to have difficulty bearing the many burdens left behind by Sawada's carelessness, he was displeased by how tired she was. Curious, Hibari decided to get to the bottom of it. Politely, of course, as a disciplined guest should be. "How are the children faring?"

"The same as always," she answered with a small smile. "Daisuke is a holy terror and Keiji is a perfect angel. Moriko keeps fighting with each other over their toys and I can't get Kaida to play with the others."

"And Ieyasu?" He prompted as they stepped off the back deck in order to head for the blanket set up along the tree line.

"He had another asthma attack earlier," she replied simply. "He's inside with the rest of the kids. Their nap time is the only chance I get for some peace. How was Hotaru when you saw him?"

"Healthy," he murmured, holding out a hand to aid her in lowering herself to the picnic that she'd prepared. Unbuttoning his coat to allow for more free movement, he sat down next to her in order to accept the offerings that she began pulling out of a nearby basket. "I do believe that his rebellion has been put in check."

"Thank goodness," Haru sighed. "I was starting to worry because he stopped answering my calls. I know that boys stop appreciating their mothers at a certain age, but he's still too young. It makes me wish that I'd stayed up there with him. Hayato-kun promised to take care of him, but he doesn't have anyone willing to spank him anymore when he gets out of line. He has too many people boosting his ego and not enough that's willing to give him a dose of reality. Thank you for going up there for me. He hung up on me when I tried to suggest for him to return to Japan. I'm afraid that he's completely lost respect for me."

"Why do you believe that?" Hibari asked softly around small bites of the yakisoba that she handed him.

"We got into an argument when he last called," she answered unhappily. "He called me weak and stupid for hoping that Tsu-kun was still alive. He told me that I need to get over it and he insulted his father's memory. It's sad, but Hotaru doesn't have many fond memories of him. He only remembers all the times that Tsu-kun wasn't here. The times that Tsu-kun did come home for a while, those two never seemed to connect. Not after the accident. I had hope because of how well they were getting along at the Halloween Ball, but that was the last time that Hotaru saw him."

"Sawada prioritized his work over his family," Hibari commented in disgust. "Everyone holds him in such high regard as a Mafia Boss, but he was nothing but a failure as a man."

"I won't forgive you if you insult my husband's memory," Haru replied with a warning note in her voice. Hibari smiled to himself, seeing a hint of Haru's former energy coming out via irritation. "Sheesh. You sound just like Hotaru. Does no one understand that Tsu-kun didn't want things like they were? He was protecting us by staying away. He--"

"A strong man would have protected you regardless," he interjected quietly. "Sawada was weak and you suffered for it. Do not try to wipe away his failures just because he is dead. He was ruled by his fears and refused to believe in your strength. If he had believed in you more, he could have been the father and husband that he should have been."

"Tsu-kun believed in me," she countered through clenched teeth. "He was a good man and I won't hear you say another bad thing about him! Tsu-kun had a right to be afraid! Just look what happened to Kyoko!"

"I stand corrected," Hibari murmured with a small frown, seeing that she would not budge from her standpoint. Pushing any farther would merely agitate her for no reason. "Forgive me for my rudeness."

"I will this time," she agreed grudgingly, predictably reaching into the basket for the taiyaki that she'd prepared. She always reached for sweets when her mood was disagreeable.

"How is your clothing line coming along?" He asked in effort to change the subject away from one that she go so easily upset about.

"Ha-hi?" She squeaked.

"Kusakabe informed me of it," he explained with a small smile, feeding bits of bread to Hibird when the creature landed on his shoulder with a small chirp. "You've decided to reveal it in the Spring of next year. Correct?"

"Ah," she confirmed with her mood once more turning introspective. "I named it Namahage since I'm going for adult fashions. I'm around the kids so much that I thought it would be good if I did something that I could enjoy on my own. I've been working on it around taking care of them, but it's been hard. I didn't realize until Hana came by a few days ago that I've been out of touch with what's popular. She tried to be nice, but I could tell that all of my designs were things that she'd already seen."

"You've been in hibernation," Hibari commented carefully. "You haven't been out in public since Sawada's funeral."

"I don't like going places with ten guys stepping on my feet," she grumbled unhappily. "Ever since Tsu-kun, they won't let me go anywhere without a dozen guards. I tried to tell Hotaru to have them back off, but they won't listen. A few of them even had the poor manners to bring men into here to ask me out on a date. I might be a widow, but that doesn't mean that I need a man to be happy! I'd be happy if they just gave me some freedom!"

"Would you like me to Discipline them for you?" Hibari asked with a smile flickering along his lips.

"Ha-hi!" She yelped, staring at him with wide eyes over the offer. Then she covered her mouth modestly while she began laughing. "No, Kyoya. I think Hotaru would be pretty upset if you started biting people to death. They're only doing their jobs. I just wish that there was some way to get out of here without having a dozen of them with me."

"Would you like to go now?" He inquired simply. Haru stared at him for a long minute in surprise, completely understanding his offer. He would escort her personally to ensure she got the freedom that she wished for. No one would dare go against his wishes within Namimori. "I dislike cages," he explained quietly, staring at the sprawling building laid out before them. "Especially gilded ones."

"What about the babies?" She asked seriously when he slowly got to his feet. Accepting his hand, she stood with him with her eyes radiating hope.

"Their nannies can take care of them for one afternoon," he replied logically. "Your absence will not be noted."

"I won't tell you how to make the rings, if that's why you're being nice to me," she said suspiciously as he led her back toward the building.

"It's not."

"Then why?" Haru asked in confusion. "You never turn down my invitations and you're always doing favors for me. What do you want from me, Kyoya?"

"Nothing," he admitted solemnly. "I will not deny that I find Demitrius curious nor will I deny that I wish to unravel the secrets of it. I can do that without you, however. The rings that you already supplied for study are sufficient enough."

"I don't understand," Haru murmured, falling to a stop at the back door. "Why do you visit me, then?"

"I find your company an adequate diversion," he answered simply, continuing his path whether she wished to come or not. As he expected, she rushed to stay beside him while they talked, politely listening with an impolite stare. "Your determination has not gone unnoticed and I find your lack of fear refreshing. Sawada did not appreciate the value of what he had."

"Kyoya..." Haru mumbled breathlessly, a pink shade lighting up her cheeks. Hibari raised an eyebrow at the blush, having said only the facts of the matter at hand. Perhaps Garner had a point, he mused silently. He really didn't understand women's emotions. He'd said nothing to blush over, in his opinion.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked curiously when they reached the front door. As expected, Haru let out a squeak and asked him to wait for a moment while she informed the building's staff of her intentions to leave for the afternoon. When she returned, Hibari smiled quietly at the energy that she was exuding. Indeed, she was like a soft yet sturdy bear who was just awakening to the Spring. Hibari made note of how quickly she shifted moods. It was one of the things that he found fascinating about her. She was a challenge in herself. He never knew what he was going to get and responding to her shifting nature had become something of amusement for him. Even at her worst, however, she was as disciplined as he could have asked for. She had matured from the easily panicked goose of a girl that he remembered into a broad wing with a smooth flight pattern. It was the intricate nature of the pattern itself that drew him to her, however, and the strong wing strokes that kept her aloft no matter the weather.

They were wing strokes strong enough to penetrate fearlessly, even into the Clouds.

* * *

"Baby," Hibari greeted with a hungry smile. He didn't move from his kotatsu, however, knowing that the hitman wouldn't have come for a satisfying diversion.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Hibari," Reborn replied, taking off his fedora as he stepped into the otherwise empty room.

"You're not a man, either," he commented in amusement over the hitman's fresh face.

"Eighteen is a good enough age," he said, taking a formal seat across from Hibari. Hibari nodded to say that the comment was received and set to pouring him a cup of coffee that had begun brewing from the moment that Reborn had stepped foot openly into his facility. While not as extensive as the Vongola Headquarters, he found his own facility to be pleasantly comfortable. Time and contacts had provided for most of the luxuries within so that it was appointed as luxuriously as the Hibari estate which he seldom visited anymore.

"What brings you?" He asked bluntly. "It is rare for you to show yourself to me."

"Several things," he replied easily, sipping on the coffee that he was offered. "Foremost was to show my appreciation. I've been trying to beat a sense of caution into Hotaru's head, but he's as stubborn as baka-Tsuna was. Being defeated so easily by you has reminded him that he's not invincible. He's quieted down quite a bit and even S.K. has shown signs of relief. His Flame has been unsteady lately because of how Hotaru's been out of sync with him. Its this kind of thing that kept us from starting Tsuna's training earlier."

"Puberty isn't easy for most," Hibari commented with a crooked smile. It was a smile matched by Reborn since they both knew that Hibari had forced his own puberty into silence. He'd still went through it, but it had been practically unnoticed since Hibari hadn't permitted his hormones to affect more than his body. His mind had stayed calm and disciplined no matter the effects.

"On another note, Fuuta recovered fairly quickly," he said, slipping into the next topic smoothly. Hibari nodded in acceptance of the information, silently grateful that the hitman wasn't going to dodge around the points of his visit. It was better for the topics to be confronted efficiently so that Reborn could leave before Hibari's desire for battle got the better of him. As it was, Leon's skittering around Reborn's shoulders was making his hands twitch. "Fuuta isn't what is interesting, however. Rather, what he said afterward is."

"So you were there," Hibari murmured while recalling Fuuta's words.

"I was," he nodded. "Fuuta's been leaning how to speak insect from me. His accent is pitiful, but I respect his determination to overcome his lost talent. You were his last Ranking, Hibari. He's been waiting for you so that he could put away his Ranking book for good. It seems that he considered himself indebted to you for your backing while he was in middle school."

"I merely ensured that his talents were used in the way that was best for Namimori," he replied in growing amusement. "I'm satisfied."

"Well, you're about to be unsatisfied," Reborn replied with a frown. "There's a person on your list that I want you to ignore."

"Oh?" Hibari asked with his interest peaked. "And why would I ignore a name that Fuuta gave me?"

"Is this room secure?" He inquired formally. Hibari nodded, raising an eyebrow at Reborn's sudden shift in mood. "You remember what Fuuta said," he continued, pulling a folder out of his jacket. "He said that he saw Tsuna. I was curious, so I did some investigation."

"He's alive?" Hibari asked, jumping to the logical conclusion.

"Maybe," he nodded, slipping the folder across the table. "I'm not sure yet. The medical record I've collected of him are a match to Tsuna's, but you know as well as I do that there have been several high-level projects to impersonate him. I'm not ruling anything out, but it's highly possible that this one was an attempt that was discontinued. He's living under a false name and I can tell that his personal records have been falsified. The interesting thing is what I've been told from the Nubo Boss. Apparently he's already met him."

"And?" Hibari prompted, looking over the file for the person named Suoh Timberson. There wasn't much to it. Medical records showing that he'd been hospitalized for assault and rape. There were also records for being hospitalized due to malnutrition. There were several X-rays of less than Mafia-grade quality which merely showed that he had the same type of internal scarring that Sawada had been in possession of. A missing rib, several plates in his head from cranial surgery, scars from a heart transplant, pins in his leg from having broken it on multiple occasions, surface scarring from frostbite, and so forth. Everything looked identical, although the depth of the scans were inconclusive. The X-rays couldn't show the serial codes on the metallic implants nor did it show enough detail to identify the doctor who'd done the procedures. The level of detail that he was looking at was nothing that they hadn't seen falsified before. There were those who would go to great lengths to control Vongola through a puppet. Human engineering was only the first of such atrocities that some would sink to.

"Apparently this Mr. Timberson told him point-blank that he wasn't Tsuna," he replied uneasily. "From what I've been able to gather, he was a male prostitute living off of Tsuna's image."

"That doesn't explain this level of imitation," Hibari commented blandly, pushing the medical file to the side in order to see the reports that lie underneath. "Ah," he said in understanding, seeing the reports from first-hand witnesses to the man. "This is why you are unsure and this is why you wish me to ignore him."

"Yes," he nodded, staring at Hibari with knowing eyes. "He's part of the Martelli Family, which could explain the fabrication. It looks like they changed their plans to jump on the bandwagon to replace Tsuna and have been hiding him in fear of retribution. The problem is Xanxus. From what I could gather, he came across Timberson during an information retrieval. Timberson fled while in possession of a large amount of Xanxus' savings and the Family covered for him by telling Xanxus that he was dead. It's possible that they really thought that he was, since the records of his rape and beating coincide with the date that Xanxus left town. Xanxus hasn't been informed of this and I'd rather keep it that way. He's finally beginning to regain the stability that he lost due to Timberson's actions toward him."

"And the possibility that this is Sawada?" He asked solemnly.

"The chance is low, but there's several things that makes me want to investigate," he replied. "The timing of his appearance in the Martelli's territory is suspicious. There's also Fuuta's comment about him and Xanxus' own comments that he let slip after his return. Apparently, he was either too drunk to tell or else this man was capable of fooling even Xanxus into believing that it was Tsuna. I plan to go in person and retrieve a blood sample to identify whether or not he is a match."

"If he was a clone that we missed, such testing would be inconclusive," he objected reasonably.

"That's true," Reborn nodded. "That's why I'm hoping that it won't be a match. Things will be much simpler if that were the case. Honestly, I'm not sure whether I want it to be Tsuna or not."

"I can understand that sentiment," Hibari commented in distaste, staring down at the picture included in the file. It looked to be a recent one taken by the local authorities and nothing about it sat well with Hibari. If the man he was looking at was indeed Sawada, he had changed almost beyond recognition. His hair and clothing was matted with dirt and blood. He had a rotten, dead look in his eyes that showed no hint of a fighting spirit. He looked unkempt, undisciplined, and completely unlike the Sawada that Hibari had faced off against time after time. Then Hibari's eyes became locked onto one feature in particular. "The eye patch," he stated, knowing that Reborn would understand the prompt.

"The eye patch," he nodded with a resignated sigh. "The design is unmistakable. He has some connection with Mukuro. Chrome claims that she doesn't know him, but I have a feeling that she's lying. Until I get to the bottom of it, interferences such as him being beaten to a pulp would be problematic for me. Mukuro, Chikusa, and Kiyoshi are still missing. Chrome is playing clueless and Ken's lack of knowledge seems genuine. He's been abandoned."

"Wise for Mukuro," Hibari grudgingly murmured around an absent sip of coffee. "Ken's loyalties are split. Rather than test them, it's far easier to simply cut him out of the loop."

"Between Xanxus, Mukuro, and all the irregularities about this one, I want to keep him under wraps," Reborn replied bluntly. "Matsu has gotten the Family's hopes up far too often already. It would be unforgivable for me to repeat his mistake."

"I don't see the reason to hold back," he said simply. "He has said for himself that he is not Sawada. He's conscious of his likeness and reacted in the correct way to protect his own life. I see no point to holding back from him. I don't care whether he is Sawada or he isn't. As long as he's a sufficient challenge, I will be satisfied."

"That's what I figured that you'd say," Reborn grumbled. "Can I at least ask you to put him at the end of your list so that I can have sufficient time to complete my investigation? You've got enough other names to satisfy you for a year at the minimum. That is, assuming you plan to savor each battle uniquely around your courting of Haru."

"I'm not courting Haru," Hibari corrected with a snap in his voice.

"My information says differently," the hitman said with a small grin. "Don't you have a standing date for Friday evenings with her? Last weekend was the aquarium and this week is to be the atrium. You even made reservations at Namimori's finest restaurant."

"Do you wish to be bitten to death?" Hibari asked in warning, pulling out his collapsible tonfas in preparation.

"Maybe later," he replied easily, jumping to his feet in a smooth motion with his fedora lazily held in his hands. "I see that I've overstayed my welcome. Tell Haru that I said hello. Will you at least consider my request to delay?"

"I'll think about it," he said with a small smile. "It depends on what incentive I might receive before my own investigations of my targets is finished."

"I'll remember that," Reborn said in acceptance on his way out the door. Hibari waited until he was gone to give the file that was left behind one final glance. There truly was no reason for him to rush on this particular target, he mused. He'd already been defeated at least once. It was probably better to let his strength ripen.

"Kusakabe," he called. The man immediately replied, sliding a previously hidden screen out of the way to show himself. Hibari tossed the file at him before turning his attention back to his coffee. Kusakabe thumbed through it briefly in curiosity, after which he merely raised an eyebrow in askance. "Have our men continue their investigations into the fighting styles and power levels of my would-be opponents. Rank him appropriately, but I want him placed somewhere at the end of the lineup. It will do no harm to let his strength mature." Hibari smiled quietly to himself as Kusakabe nodded in confirmation of the order and retreated. He would face this Suoh Timberson in time and see how much he truly resembled the man that he looked like. Patience was a virtue which was always rewarded and there was plenty of other fools to bite in the meantime.

He was content.

* * *

Author's Notes: No notes today and no Omake. Why? My son turns two today!

Happy Birthday Vincent!


	44. Chapter 44 Unlucky Day

"Good morning."

Like always, Snicker stretched at the husky whisper in his ear, opening his eyes with a lazy grin. Tsuna smiled back as he leaned down to retrieve his morning prize. It was his favorite part of the day and the day simply wouldn't be the same without it. He grinned even wider as the kiss became a hungry nibble and the nibble made it's way over to his ear. He growled softly in warning before Snicker could hit the spot to make his leg jerk, which was unfortunately taken as a warning to stop before things got interesting enough to make them both get a late start.

"What time is it?" Snicker asked with a note of disappointment in his voice.

"Time for you to get up," Tsuna answered predictably.

"Do I have to?" He chuckled as he pulled Tsuna down for another kiss. Tsuna gave him his answer, deepening the kiss even more while he crawled closer under the covers. That answer was a resounding no. As far as Tsuna was concerned, they could stay in bed all day. Predictably, Snicker's own sense of responsibility kicked in and it was he who put the brakes on Tsuna's drifting lips this time. "One of these days," he groaned as he pulled away in order to leave Tsuna disappointed. "One of these days, you're going to tempt me too much and I really will call in."

"Sure you will," Tsuna sighed with a pouting smile of amusement. "And the day that happens, Elvis will show up in Washington with a peace treaty from Uranus."

"Stranger things have happened," Snicker grinned as he began rolling out of bed.

"True," he smiled in return. "I got you to marry me."

"And don't you forget it," he laughed. Tsuna chuckled with him and slid out of bed after him in order to truly start the day. Having already taken a shower the previous night, getting ready for the day was relatively simple. There was no one to impress and no reason to be picky, so the first set of clothes that he grabbed out of his drawer got thrown on. Socks and shoes followed just as fast. His eye patch, his earring, his gloves, and his rings stayed on no matter what, so all that was left after that was his cap. That was to say, it was the last thing he put on before Snicker left the room. Once Snicker was gone, he pulled his backpack out from under the bed and started adding the pieces of 'clothing' that he didn't want his beloved to know about.

Two knives got strapped to his calves. A butterfly knife went in his back pocket along with his utility knife and his wallet. A pouch of steel jumping-jacks got clipped to his belt along his hip. Lastly, he strapped on his gun. It nestled against the small of his back, in the one place that he could keep it without it being noticed. The small handgun had been an addition that he'd hated to make, but he knew that it was an important weapon in his arsenal. It was important because it was loaded with a home-brew that he found to be the most disgusting scent that he could manage to make. One shot was nasty enough to make any animal chasing him turn tail and run. He hadn't had a choice. That dog on second street simply wouldn't leave him alone without it. One sight of the gun, however, and the mutt knew to back off now.

"Little Guy?" Ore called hesitantly, knocking on the screen door across from where Tsuna was sitting. Tsuna looked over as the giant pushed the screen door open without having to do more than lift his hand half a foot above his head. "Breakfast is ready."

"I'm coming," Tsuna replied, forcing back a belated yawn. Tossing the nearly-empty backpack onto his back, he snatched up his dog whistle on his way down the stairs. Two small blows before he slung it around his neck had Peanut ready and waiting at the bottom of the stairs when Tsuna descended. Walking over to the kitchen bar where breakfast had been laid out, Tsuna have him a small amount of praise along with a sausage for answering the call. Then, while Tsuna quickly made him a sandwich to take with him, they ran over all of the commands that Peanut knew. Sit. Lay down. Roll over. Speak. Shake hands. Remote. There were nearly three dozen in all, all of which Peanut had taught himself over time. "Anything new?" Tsuna asked finally, holding up a second sausage with a knowing grin. His question was answered with another bark and an excited spin as he chased his own tail.

"Ooh!" Dedra clapped excitedly from where she was already beginning to wash out the pots and pans that Ore had already emptied of food. "He's got a new one today! Ore! He's got a new one today!"

"I can see," Ore grumbled tiredly from his seat on a corner of the billiards table, never stopping for a moment in his attempt to inhale a mixing-bowl full of cereal and milk.

"Hurry up, Peanut," Snicker called, scraping the last of his eggs into his mouth. "Daddy wants to see before he goes to work." Tsuna added his encouragement, holding up the greasy sausage just outside of Peanut's reach. After a moment, Peanut answered, showing everyone his knew trick in excitement. Every eyebrow in the room flew up when the dog bounced a foot in the air. Those eyebrows flew even higher when he bounced again. And again. On the fourth one, everyone overcame their surprise and began laughing at the quirky dog.

"Hop," Tsuna said, letting Peanut know the word that went with the trick once he regained control of himself. The dog looked at him without seeming to understand at first, but a few bounces of the sausage along with the word being repeated multiple times got the information through to him. By the sixth time that Tsuna said 'hop', Peanut started hopping again. Seeing that he understood, Tsuna tossed him his treat so that Snicker could give him his earned praise. The girls quickly took over for him in making the dog feel appreciated, after which Tsuna and Snicker headed for the door in unison.

Leaving out for work came with no big song and dance. Everyone had their own regular routine in which they could set their clocks off of each other. They knew Ore would leave out fifteen minutes after them and Eric was already gone. Marty would wake up late since she never answered her first wake-up call and the girls would make sure that Leo was up in time for school. Work started much earlier for them, however. His started at six in the morning, Ore had to be at work by six-thirty, and Snicker had to be at work by seven. Eric had to be at the set by four in the morning, while Gigi wouldn't be awake until Leo got home from school. Ollie was the only one with a schedule that never seemed to stay the same, since his shifts changed as easily as his coworkers changed. The only reason that Snicker left at the same time as he was because he'd be sitting on a bus for half an hour along with five minutes of walking. Ore had offered to drive him several times, but he said that he preferred a routine that didn't interfere with anyone else's schedule.

As he did every morning, Tsuna walked his bike out to the bus-stop where three other people were already waiting. Seeing that Snicker wouldn't have to wait alone, Tsuna quickly gave his farewells so that he could mount up and lazily head in the direction of Pasta da Paolo. While it was true that cities never slept, the one that he was in wasn't large enough to go without naps. The streets were quietly buzzing with the most minimal of traffic, unlike the loud clogs that would be present in a mere hour or two. Even the alleyways were quiet. He got a few sleepy greetings from half-awake bums when he passed a few makeshift homes along his route, but the ride was otherwise quiet.

Parking his bike in the rack out front, Tsuna headed inside without a moment of hesitation. Morning was the one time of day that he was permitted to use the front door and that was only because the staff and customers were at a minimum. He grimaced at the smell of Gabriel in the building, but it was an aroma that he faced every morning since the bastard came to his father's restaurant to eat breakfast for free. He always sat in the same place, too. It was the table right outside of the kitchen, so that Tsuna had to pass him whether he wanted to or not. He'd tried going through the side door when he'd realized that Gabriel had made his morning meal part of his routine, but Isaac had yelled at him for the better part of an hour over being forced to answer the door. Tsuna still felt his eye twitch over the memory of that lecture. He'd been called lazy numerous times for not walking around to the front. It'd only gotten worse when Tsuna had used the front at lunchtime to check in and tell Papa Paolo that he was finished with his runs. Isaac had called him lazy again, only this time for not walking around to the side so that he didn't bother the lunch customers.

He tried to dodge as he passed. He always tried to dodge when he saw that the solitary waitress and the host for the morning shift were too busy flirting in a corner to see Gabriel's disgusting diversion. Thankfully, his slimy hand only managed to brush Tsuna's hip this time. Even that was enough to ruin Tsuna's otherwise pleasant morning. Especially since he knew what Gabriel had been hoping to grab. At least now, Tsuna had enough fortitude to bat the hand away. He had that fortitude since he'd actually managed to smack his hand once and had gotten away with it due to Mukuro-sama's quick thinking before Gabriel could use it against him.

Quickly pushing through to the kitchen, he knocked politely on Papa Paolo's office door. Unlike the old policy, he waited patiently instead of walking in now. He waited for one undeniably grouchy reason.

"What do you want?" Autumn growled once she answered the door, barring entry by blocking the path inside. Like she was most mornings, Autumn looked like she'd spent the last six hours being dragged through hell by her heels. He'd seen a lot of people who were bad with mornings and had even been one himself when he was younger, but Autumn's morning glare could kill birds at fifty feet. It was as if she had a hang-over every morning no matter whether she'd drank the previous night nor not.

"Good morning," he exclaimed with a broad grin, completely ignoring how tired he was in order to taunt her a bit. "I'm here to see if you have any extra deliveries for me."

"Yeah," she groaned, walking back into the depths of the office. Tsuna followed, sending a wink at where Papa Paolo was enjoying a morning cup of coffee while he looked over a set of financial books. Since he was in his office instead of sitting out with Gabriel, it was easy to assume that they were the records that he didn't want anyone but Autumn to peek at. "This one goes to the post office for the out of town mail," she instructed, tossing an envelop at him. A small wrapped box and two medium size boxes quickly followed. "The small one goes to the pub on Marshall Avenue. The brown box goes to Ascott at the newspaper and the white one goes to--"

"Mr. Nimura in Chinatown," Tsuna supplied, having delivered the same package three days in a row. She nodded in confirmation while Tsuna quickly stored the stack into his backpack for safe keeping. Since she didn't give him time frames on any of them, he knew that they were second in priority to simply completing his normal run. Since she didn't seem like she had anything else, he gave them a quirky salute before picking up his first set of deliveries from Isaac. Four meals for four separate deliveries and Isaac's own personal orders of delivering an envelop of cash to his bookie for him.

It was turning out to be a wonderful day, Tsuna mused sarcastically before ducking out the side door with his deliveries in hand.

* * *

Delivering four breakfast meals to people connected with Papa Paolo. Delivering three sets of groceries from a market to three different people also connected with him so that they could make their own breakfast. Delivering thirty-two newspapers for the street-vendor who was connected to Papa Paolo. Running three bottles of red wine from a liquor store back to Papa Paolo. Checking in at home to ensure Leo got out of bed for school and turning her mattress over if she didn't since she thought the lack of parents meant that she could make her own rules. She might have graduated high school, but she still had college classes to go to. Stopping by Mike's to pick up Autumn's cut of his profits for the previous night. Smoking a quick joint with him before delivering the money from Isaac to his bookie. Dodging said bookie when he wasn't satisfied with the amount. Dodging traffic to get away from said bookie when he tried to give chase. Dodging more traffic in order to deliver the set of extra deliveries that he'd been given. Stopping by to help a fresh fruit vendor weed out any produce that wasn't fit for Papa Paolo's restaurant. Taking the produce back to the restaurant and picking up the payoff for the newspaper to keep the restaurant's ads running another week. Delivering the payoff then return with a package from the newspaper to Papa Paolo. Picking up and delivering eight lunch meals, the last of which was Mrs. Sojer.

By the time that he finished and he returned a final time to Papa da Paolo, he was more than ready for lunch. He wasn't going to get it, however. He knew from the look on Papa Paolo's face that his other job was needed. That was only reinforced when Papa Paolo pulled him into his office instead of telling him to go eat.

"I need Ore tonight," he said bluntly when the door was shut. "Marco is short a man for the brawl and Ore's the only one that we've got to fill in. Knuckles broke his knuckles last week and Chaser is getting dental work done."

"What about Herc?" Tsuna asked simply in an attempt to find someone else.

"Out of town for the next month," Papa Paolo sighed, collapsing down into his oversized chair as if he'd been the one to just finish running all over town. "Before you ask, Fritz is out, too. He's in jail and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get him out in time."

"Who's the opponent?" He inquired with narrowed eyes, seeing that Ore might truly be the only option. "Is it someone that one of your other guys can handle?"

"I don't think so," he grimaced. "You know I'd have Grit or Joey handle it if I thought they were up to the challenge. From what I was told, Porker is a sumo-wrestler. None of our guys have the arm strength to handle a big guy like him. Ore shouldn't have any trouble, but--"

"Ore can't do it," Tsuna said instantly. Papa Paolo's eyes widened at the refusal since he knew full well that Tsuna never turned down a request unless he had a reason. "Wrestling is Ore's weakness," he explained quickly. "Ore might be big, but he's not invulnerable. His back is weak because of his size. If you put him up against a sumo wrestler in a street-fight, you're asking him to end up paralyzed. I'm sorry, Papa Paolo, I can't let him fight."

"Who would you suggest, then?" Papa Paolo asked with a nod of acceptance. "Ore was my last hope. Anyone else that I send in will probably get sq--"

"I'll go," he said with a small shrug. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you sure?" He asked with a small grimace. "I hear that Porker is nearly four hundred pounds."

"If you can set me up a way to get in and out the side door without having to knock, I'll do it," he replied, knowing that he was permitted to ask a boon in return for taking the match. "I don't like going through the front and I'm tired of waiting for Isaac every time that I need to get in."

"I think I can manage that," he nodded in agreement before holding up a warning finger. "Assuming you win so that I can afford it."

"I'll win," he said in full confidence. "Was there anything else?"

"I need Ollie to do a housebreak tonight," he replied. "Here's the address. The target is a small flash drive. He'll know it from the cat drawn on the casing. It wasn't in his office, so I'm hoping that Ollie will find it in his house."

"Ollie should like that," Tsuna shrugged in acceptance, taking the small piece of paper that his Boss held out for him. "It'll be like a treasure hunt and he's been wanting another assignment ever since you sent him into that hotel room."

"The person I'm sending you after is a dentist and--"

"You don't have to tell me," Tsuna interrupted as he shoved the paper into his pocket. "As long as you're not sending him up against a hitman, Ollie won't get caught. You've sent him on enough jobs that I know the kinds of things you send him after, too. Plus, I've been working for you long enough now, Papa Paolo. I know that you wouldn't ask unless it was something that you felt had to be done."

"Too true," he agreed with a sad smile. Then the sadness was wiped away as he reached for a stick-it note on his desk and started writing on it. "Tell Ollie that a son of a friend of mine is a skateboard fanatic. In gratitude for him doing this for me, I'll talk to him and see if I can get the boy a free lifetime pass to his skate park. It's part of that big complex over by the megaplex."

"Ollie goes there all the time," Tsuna grinned. "He'll like that."

"Tell him to buy himself a new skateboard from them and charge it to me, too," he added, handing over the note which bore a name and a phone number on it. Tsuna shoved it into his pocket after glancing it over to ensure that he knew which note was what. "That should be more than fair payment for what I'm asking of him."

"I think so," he nodded, knowing that Papa Paolo had no clue how incredibly expensive Ollie could make a skateboard if he wanted. The man would be lucky to get away with only a few hundred dollars of expense. Ollie was worth it, though. There was no one better in the city when it came to stealing things unnoticed. If Ollie didn't want people to see him, he didn't get seen. Ollie was so good at it that even cameras couldn't catch him. It was as if he knew where they were without being told and always managed to smoothly avoid them. Even in a store with cameras on every isle, Ollie could walk through it without being captured. If Tsuna didn't already know better, it could easily be believed that Ollie had a magical sixth sense that told him where to stand and where to move so that he never got caught. In all honesty, even a hitman would probably be unable to capture him. Of course, that was a chance that Tsuna refused to take. "Anything else?" He prompted.

"Nope," Papa Paolo sighed. "I'll take care if it from there. You go get yourself something to eat."

"Those are the magic words," Tsuna grinned before disappearing from the man's office as fast as his feet could carry him. He stopped in the kitchen long enough to pick up two meals before heading out the door. One meal was the allotment that Papa Paolo gave him for lunch, while the other was his dinner allotment. He got both at the same time so that one could be given to Snicker. That was his little secret, though. He skipped dinner most of the time and simply ate leftovers when he got home. Snicker would get upset if he knew, but Tsuna simply didn't feel right about eating the quality food alone.

Although, if he didn't rush, he _would _be eating alone. Snicker should already be on lunch break and Tsuna knew that the fastest that he could arrive from the restaurant was ten minutes. He'd be lucky to get fifteen minutes with Snicker at this rate. Eight minutes. He'd somehow cut it back his travel time to eight so that they could get seventeen minutes together. A little extra energy and he could do it. Maybe. Assuming his bike didn't break. Ten minutes was already pushing it. The last time that he'd tried going faster, the chain on his bike had broke. The new one should hold, though. He hoped.

Stuffing the boxes into his bag, he quickly unchained his bike by feel and clipped the chain onto his belt loop for safe keeping. After that, it was a simple problem of negotiating past the insane clog of people on the street so that he could get into the alleyway. Once in the shadows, he was able to mount his bike and set off with only one goal in mind. Bums knew him. Those who walked in the alleyways could usually set their internal clocks by him. He could tell who was new on the street simply by how fast they reacted to him. Those that backed against a wall as soon as they saw him were people that had been on the street for months. Those that dodged at the last second where newcomers that would figure it out fast enough if they were in the same place every day.

There were no apologies to those that dodged at the last second. He knew from personal experience that such consideration wouldn't help them at all. The streets were hard to live off of and only those who grew a backbone were allowed to survive. Being nice and kind was something that was reserved for friends because friends knew that he didn't play games when it came to Snicker. Friends knew not to get in his way at this time of day. Everyone else could simply move or get run over. Such mindset was required for those who wanted to reach their goals in the city. The newly fallen would learn that soon enough. Apologies and kindness would just delay such lessons and possibly endanger those who needed such lessons in order to pull themselves back up before they truly became lost.

The hardest part of the ride was the factory parking lot itself. It was one of the few places in the city that hadn't been paved over and the Spring rains had turned the whole area into sludge. By the time he reached the bike rack, his bike was caked with mud along with his legs. He couldn't care less, however, since the object of his affection was waiting on him with a broad smile.

"I thought you might not make it," Snicker said, already holding out a lit cigarette for Tsuna out of the knowledge that it was also Tsuna's lunch break. Tsuna accepted it and headed over toward one of the outdoor picnic tables that was set up under an awning. There were eight tables in all, scattered around the building at random intervals. They had to pass three before they found one with two available seats.

"I wasn't sure, either," he admitted while he pulled their lunches out of his bag. As per usual, Tsuna handed him the box with a fresh chicken ceasar salad in it while he took the restaurant's attempt at an asian salad. Both were several steps above what he could pick up at a fast food place, both in size and quality. The dressing that came with it was the restaurant's own recipe, too. It was healthy, filling, and tasty. Everything that both of them could want. In return, Snicker handed over a bottle of tea from the factory's vending machine along with setting down his own bottle of liquid caffeine.

Unlike the leisurely meal that he would have preferred, they both ate quickly and efficiently in order to get their actual lunches out of the way. Neither of them put out their cigarettes, knowing that they'd finish eating before they could burn down. Putting them out and relighting them was just a waste of time. With time being so precious in itself, they'd long learned to deal with the smoke while they ate. It wasn't as if it was anything new, anyway. They would have had to deal with the smoke regardless of whether it was from their own or someone else's.

Tsuna stood first, chewing his last bite on the way toward the trashcan. Snicker was right behind him in scooping the last bit hurriedly into his mouth and tossing the styrofoam boxes into the trash. By that time, they only had twelve minutes left together by Tsuna's watch. It'd taken four minutes to eat, one of which Tsuna stole by rushing over. A lot could be done in twelve minutes under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, three of those minutes were already stolen by the time it'd take for Snicker to get back to his work station. That meant that they had to move fast if they wanted to enjoy every second of the other nine minutes that they had. They used two more minutes with harmless talk while they walked around the building in hopes that the good spots weren't already taken. At the end of the two minutes, they reached their goal and spent another three in another kind of exchange once they were out of sight behind the fenced off area holding the back-up power generators for the factory.

"No time," he gasped when Snicker reached for his belt. Seeing the disappointment on Snicker's face, Tsuna decided that they did he did have time for something almost as good. It wouldn't give his own throbbing genitals any satisfaction, but he felt that Snicker was more important than his own problems. As it was, he was the reason that they couldn't enjoy themselves in a nice, warm bed more often. Snicker was usually asleep by the time that he got home and he already gave up enough sleep on the nights that Tsuna actually went to bed. He deserved some sort of satisfaction for being faithful despite how little they saw one another and it was Tsuna's job as his husband to give it to him.

His knees nearly hit the mud twice while he was squatted down, but Snicker's legs were steady enough for him to hold onto. The wall at his back helped hold him up while Snicker leaned over him in complete enjoyment. There was risk associated with the time and place that they were forced to accept, but the likelihood of someone coming back to their spot with it being so close to the end of lunchtime was minimal. The limited line of sight around the area helped. Unless someone walked around the fencing of the power generators to the small alley between it and the factory wall, they wouldn't be seen. If they were seen, Snicker would get in huge amounts of trouble, though. For that reason, Tsuna set to pleasing him as quickly as he could. It was easier said than done, however. No matter how careful Tsuna was, his fangs still occasionally got in the way. He tried to pull his teeth back as much as he could, but Snicker was simply too thick for him to manage completely. Because of that, it took almost all of their last four minutes to complete his goal instead of only one or two.

"Sorry," he grimaced as he stood back up, wiping his mouth in case he hadn't been as clean as he hoped in swallowing. Snicker finished tucking himself back again before giving Tsuna a kiss that made the apology pointless. He wasn't bothered in the least by the few times that Tsuna's teeth had grazed him, silently telling him that he'd enjoyed it no matter what.

"You're not fair," he said with a slightly breathless voice, holding Tsuna against his chest once the kiss was broken off. "You do things like that to me and you don't give me time to return the favor. I'm guessing this means that you won't be home tonight?"

"Not until late," he confirmed quietly. "Papa Paolo needs my help after work, so don't wait up."

"At least tell me that it's not anything dangerous," he pleaded huskily.

"It's not," Tsuna lied smoothly, smiling at Snicker's predictable worry. Pulling away, he stole one more kiss before breaking away completely. "Don't worry about it. You've got to get back to work. Unless you hurry, you're going to be late."

"Shit," Snicker cursed, looking at his watch in instant panic. Checking himself over to ensure that he was zipped back up and his clothes were all straightened out, he started heading back around the building at a fast pace with Tsuna in tow. He paused and bit his lip when they had to part at the bike rack, obviously wishing that his lunch break could be longer. "Be careful tonight," he said worriedly. "It's supposed to storm again."

"I'll grab my jacket when I drop my bike off," Tsuna soothed with another small smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied before turning to jog toward the entrance of the factory. Tsuna watched him go, wishing that they had more time to simply enjoy each other's company. It had always been this way, though. When they'd lived on the street together, they'd split up often in order to go down separate avenues. Tsuna would work one street while he worked another. But back then, they'd been allowed to make their own hours. Being on a payroll gave security, but took such luxury away. At times, he missed back when they'd been living in the apartment together. All of their needs had been met, plus they'd been able to see each other more often. He didn't begrudge what he had now, but he sometimes felt like he saw Snicker less and less as their lives became more stable.

Snicker was content. That was all that mattered. He got what he needed and wanted which was enough to make Tsuna happy. Tsuna would only be unhappy if Snicker became unhappy. He'd decided that long ago and nothing had changed where that was concerned. It wasn't the picture perfect happily-ever-after that he'd imagined on their wedding day, but there wasn't anything really bad with what they had, either. He was satisfied with how his life was, even if he was mildly discontent with it. Between all of his jobs, he made plenty of money to support Snicker with everything he wanted and needed. He also made enough money to help support the rest of the people living with him. Between Tsuna's determined focus on keeping to their budget and hoarding of every surplus penny outside of it, their savings was holding steady at three hundred thousand. He only wished that he'd started budgeting better before so much of their million had been wasted.

There was no changing the past, Tsuna mused as he lazily put his bike on the path back home. The money they had was more than enough to get them through hard times, which gave them a security that far too few people had in the world they lived in. Things could always be worse, too. They could be scraping by day-to-day like they had in the past with no safety net of cash to fall back on. He had a strange feeling that they'd need it soon, too. They didn't have to worry about a leaky roof thanks to the greenhouse built over the top, but they still had to worry about flooded streets and leaky pipes. Unlike back home in Japan, the people here didn't worry so much about typhoons and they were too far north for hurricanes. For Spring, the worst weather that they had to worry about was fog and the rains.

From the look of it, Snicker had been correct about the forecast. The glimpse of sky that he got above the alleyway heralded a storm. A nasty one if the dark clouds starting to cover the city was any hint. Seeing that, he turned his lazy ride back home into a slightly hurried one. He had a really bad feeling about the storm that was coming and he wanted to prepare for it properly before he headed into work. It only took a few minutes, since their place was halfway between Snicker's work and his own. Parking his bike in the garage, he raised an eyebrow when he walked in, seeing that not only was Ore wasn't the only one already home. Eric and Leo were, too. He understood why Ore was home since he couldn't work on a building in a storm. More than likely, they'd been securing everything at the site from the moment that he arrived to work. Eric and Leo were another thing, however.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked bluntly, pausing in the entryway with his hands on his hips.

"We were on location today," Eric answered without looking away from the television. "The shoot was cancelled because the director didn't like how the clouds were looking. He sent everyone home until tomorrow."

"It's Tuesday," Leo said with a glare from her seat in front of the computer. "I didn't have class today, so I think you owe me an apology for tossing me out of bed."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, scratching his head with a small grimace. "I got my days mixed up again. I thought it was Wednesday since I didn't have to toss you yesterday. You know that I wouldn't have to apologize if you didn't try to skip so often."

"Blame my alarm clock," he shot back as she turned her attention back to the computer again. "Marty is the one the keeps oversleeping."

"That's no excuse," he countered instantly. "You have an electric alarm clock and both Dedra and Cassandra wake you up. You just keep ignoring them because you want Marty to wake you. Quit waiting on her. If anything, get up and go wake her up instead."

"Fine," she agreed in exasperation.

"Don't you have an art project due next week?" He asked, not letting up on her for an instant.

"Yes, oh great one," she sighed. "I'll do it later."

"Do it now," he ordered. "Unplug the computer before you go. I have a bad feeling about the storm tonight."

"How bad?" Eric asked as all attention suddenly snapped toward Tsuna. Tsuna gave a crooked grin at the sudden focus. Everyone trusted his intuition as much as Snicker did. They didn't even question it and look for second opinions. If Tsuna said that it was bad, then it would be bad.

"Bad enough that I want to get the sandbags out and block off the doorways," he answered. "Unplug everything but the television and make sure that it's on a surge protector." Eric nodded and jumped up, knowing full well that Tsuna never did anything without a reason. Ore was already heading for the loft where the sandbags were stored, being the only person that could bring them down in two loads instead of ten. "Get enough to stack them at least two high, Ore," Tsuna called after him before turning to Dedra. "Can you go get the candles and lamps? We might not need them, but I want them handy if we do. Go ahead and light a few of those smelly candles that you girls like, too. It won't hurt anything to have them going, even if the power doesn't go out."

"Anything I can do?" Gigi asked, rubbing his eyes as he walked out of his room with only his bed-robe and slippers on.

"Get dressed," he nodded. "I want you to go get Tracer and his girlfriend. If I remember right, they're holed up in an alley on Rhines Avenue. If this is as bad as I think, a tarp isn't going to be enough to shelter them. I'll have them stay here tonight. I'll stop by and send Daren and his crew over, too, if they didn't make it to the mission before it filled up."

"What about Nick and his buddies?" Eric asked from behind the entertainment center.

"Have them all come," Tsuna said, throwing out a blanket invitation. "If they're an Orange Dragon, I want them either here or in their own homes tonight. Cassandra--"

"I'll start defrosting a rack of ribs from the deep freezer," she sighed. "It's too late to throw in another roast, but it shouldn't be too hard to double the amount of side dishes I was making for tonight. I'll have to send someone to get a couple more pies, though. Three isn't going to be enough."

"That's fine," he soothed as he finally walked over to pick his jacket up off of the back of the couch. "Eric. You might want to call Summer and tell her to take a taxi when she gets off. I don't want her walking tonight."

"Will do," he called back.

"Anything else?" Gigi asked as he walked back out of his room while hurriedly buttoning his shirt up.

"I need you to meet me at my work at midnight," he answered quietly. "I got a job tonight."

"What kind?" He asked as everyone in the room fell still.

"One that I'll need a second for," he replied, pointedly not looking at Ore who was standing on the stage with an armful of sandbags. "Ollie won't be back until late, either, but that's a separate matter."

"Alright," he agreed solemnly. "I'll be there at midnight."

"Poe!" Tsuna shouted upon getting a whiff of the man overhead.

"You rang?" He answered with a small grin, knocking on the bell that was his perch.

"Close the shutters up top and camp in the loft tonight," he called. "I don't think that it'll be bad enough for any of your windows to break, but I'd feel better if I knew that you were indoors."

"I'll camp in the shed unless I see a need," he replied smoothly. Tsuna shrugged, satisfied that he'd at least tried to get him inside.

"Can you get Lobat to work the rafters?" Tsuna asked curiously. "I'm seeing a lot more bugs up there than usual."

"No problem," he called before disappearing back up through the skylight leading up into the greenhouse.

"I've got to get to work," Tsuna groaned while he looked around to find everyone already rushing around to prepare the place for the storm. "Try not to party too much without me."

"We will," Leo tossed back for everyone, the crooked grin on her face already showing her excitement for the sheer amount of people that would be present in the building. Tsuna nodded in acceptance as he headed out the door with his jacket over his arms, leaving his bicycle behind in the garage since it was safer to simply walk to work rather than leave it out in the open for his entire shift. Unsurprisingly, Gigi followed him out and confronted him the moment that they were in the alley alone together.

"Who's assignment?" He asked bluntly as they continued walking.

"Ore's," he answered honestly. "If I let him go, he'll lose and he'll probably get hurt. The opponent is a sumo wrestler and is probably prepared for Papa Paolo to send someone bigger. I should be able to win just by not being what they expect. I've got a secret weapon, too, if I need it. It's tricky, though. I've been teaching myself kempo, but I still can't hit the right spots more than a quarter of the time."

"Kempo?" Gigi repeated in surprise.

"A friend down in Chinatown gave me a book on it," he said with a small smile. "I'm liking it a lot more than I thought I would. A person can change their strengths with training and muscle, but no one can change their pressure points."

"I thought you didn't like causing pain," Gigi objected in confusion. "Why are you studying techniques that--" He fell silent as soon as he felt the pressure that Tsuna put on his arm above his elbow. Two fingers hitting two spots was all it took for Gigi to fall to a stop with his jaw dropping open. "What did you do to my arm?!" He screamed in panic when the effect continued even after Tsuna pulled his hand away.

"Can you feel it?" Tsuna grinned.

"No! It just went dead! Fix it!"

"Calm down," Tsuna laughed, reaching over to hit the pressure points to fix him. "This is one of the ones that I've been practicing. Instead of pain, it causes the person to lose feeling in their whole arm. You can't punch if you can't lift your fist."

"Scary shit," Gigi replied, flexing his fist as feeling returned to it.

"With this, I don't have to hurt anyone to win a fight," he said with a wide smile. "I think this is what Mrs. Ichigawa was wanting me to learn when she gave me the book. There's lots of points that cause pain in the book and there's a couple that give pleasure, too. A lot of people think that pressure points are only good for causing pain since even an amateur can find those, but there's a lot more of them in the body than just pain ones. It just takes a lot of training, study, and practice to use them effectively that most people wouldn't waste time learning. The book I have is a hand-written manuscript from a kung-fu master that specialized in using them defensively instead of offensively. I still have kickboxing and judo for now, but I'm hoping that I can learn enough of this that I don't have to use my fists anymore."

"You have been getting in a lot of fights lately," Gigi commented as they started walking again. "You've gotten better at ending it faster, but that's just been worrying me lately."

"The faster that it's over, the less that I have to hurt my opponent," Tsuna shrugged modestly. "I can't get people to stop coming after me. I've tried and it just spurs them on more. Ever since I put down those gangs, every idiot in town thinks that I'm the fighter to beat. I couldn't get them to go away if I wanted to anymore. I've stopped trying. They're going to come after me no matter what, but it doesn't interfere with my day as much if I can make it a short fight."

"You better be careful," Gigi replied in concern. "Eventually, they're going to settle for taking you down as a group instead of one-on-one."

"And I've got Mukuro-sama when that happens," he soothed. "Don't worry about me so much. If anything, I'm worried about you guys. None of you fight out in the open, so you haven't been targeted. Someone might get the bright idea to go after you just because you wear an Orange Dragon marker. Which... Speaking of, how are the rings coming along? The sooner that we can get something that's less flashy, the happier I'll be."

"Another week at the minimum," he sighed. "Since you wanted to keep the designs that Ore's grandmother came up with, we decided to have them custom made. There's this place that I found online that had a good price, so I sent them the design a week ago. They're giving us a special deal on the rings for all of us with the dragon emblems and they cut the cost on the fang rings since we're buying in bulk."

"Was this was the right choice, Gigi?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"I think so," he nodded firmly. "Ore had a good idea with the markers since it really did help all of us learn to recognize each other, but we don't need something so flashy anymore. The rings will help newcomers learn the pecking order, but we aren't growing as fast as we were before. Things have settled down a lot since your wedding and almost all of us recognize each other now. I don't think you've let anyone new into the gang in the past month. The last one that Eric brought by, you told to take a hike."

"He was scoping the place," Tsuna grumbled. "Intentionally. He planned to rob us of everything he could take. I didn't tell anyone, but a few days later I caught him and six of his buddies arming up a block away. I heard them talking before I knocked them out and stole all their weapons. They planned to wait until Dedra and Cassandra were alone in the place to rob it. Remember when I came in with Leo's new paint supplies for her art class...?"

"Yeah," he nodded in thought. Then his eyes widened at the insinuation and he started laughing. "You pawned them!"

"Yep," he confirmed. "Every knife, brass knuckle, and weapon that they had on them. I figured that they couldn't hurt anyone if they didn't have their toys. It looks like I was right, too. I haven't seen any of them on this side of town since then."

"I swear that you get crazier the longer that I know you," Gigi chuckled, falling to a stop as the alley emptied out onto a sidewalk. "I've got to go this way for Tracer," he said, pointing down the opposite direction of Tsuna's intended route. "I'll see you at midnight."

"See you then," Tsuna confirmed before continuing on his path in solitude. His path didn't lead him far. Just up to the fast food restaurant that Ollie was working at. The place was thankfully mostly empty since the coming storm looked to be bad enough that most people were staying home or in their offices. Only those who were prepared to be caught in the rain when the storm broke were present and all of those were already eating.

"Suoh!" Ollie greeted, jumping over the counter enthusiastically despite the presence of his manager at his back. Tsuna grinned at the small blush that the woman gave him before disappearing into the kitchen area of the place. The woman was a fool for acting coy, in his opinion, especially since she didn't have a chance in hell of beating Snicker for his attentions. He never came out and told her that, however, since her admiration let him talk to Ollie at will. "What's up, man?"

"Something that you might find interesting," he replied, handing him the piece of paper with his target on it. "I was going to see if you'd seen my flash drive with a cat on it while I was here, too."

"Flash drive with a cat," he repeated in thought, understanding every bit of what Tsuna was telling him. Stuffing the piece of paper into his pocket with a wide grin, he shook his head. "Haven't seen it, but I'll see if I can find it."

"I need it by morning," he warned pointedly.

"No problem," he soothed. "I'll find it for you. What do I get?"

"This," he said, handing over the second note. "You like going to Screech, right?"

"Every chance that I get," he confirmed.

"Talk to that guy after you find my flash drive," Tsuna said. "He'll hook you up."

"Interesting," Ollie commented in consideration, bobbing his head while he looked over the name. "Alright. I'll find it for you. I get off at four and I'll drop it off at your work when I get it unless it takes longer than expected. It might be tricky with this rain."

"Try to make it by midnight if you're going to drop it off at my work," he warned. "Any later than that and I won't be there."

"I'll do my best," he laughed, shoving the second note in his pocket.

"There's a campout tonight, too," he warned. "Hands off the guests."

"I'll be on my best behavior," Ollie said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Sure you will," Tsuna replied sarcastically. "You can start by giving me all my stuff back."

"Shit," Ollie laughed, pulling out Tsuna's wallet, utility knife, three of his steel jumping jacks, and the lint from his front pocket. Tsuna retrieved his belongings, leaving the lint for Ollie to keep.

"Be careful tonight," Tsuna called as he headed for the door. "The storm is going to be a bad one."

"How bad?" Ollie asked, chasing after him with his laughter dying off.

"Bad enough for a campout," he answered before disappearing out the door. Almost immediately upon exiting, someone rammed into him and knocked him over. They then proceeded to fall over on top of him, knocking his head into the concrete while his hands were busy trying to ensure that his wallet stayed in his pocket. It didn't seem to be a pickpocket, though. Most pickpockets recovered a lot faster after knocking someone over. The idiot on top of him fell over twice more in his attempts to get off until Tsuna could feel a trickle of blood coming from his head from hitting it into the ground. Needless to say, by the time that the random idiot finally regained his footing and helped Tsuna up, Tsuna was in no mood for apologies.

"Sorry, sorry," the man said with an accent that suggested he didn't know English very well. Tsuna turned to yell at the man for knocking him over once he was back on his feet and found himself freezing once they were face-to-face. There was something about him that was eerily familiar, but Tsuna couldn't seem to put his finger on it. "You not hurt?"

"I'm fine," Tsuna replied quietly, finding all his desire to shout draining out of him in confusion. "D-Do I know you from somewhere?"

"No, no," the man said, dabbing the cut on Tsuna's forehead with a handkerchief. "I is tourist. Come to take, how do you say... pic-tour."

"Pictures," Tsuna corrected, shaking off the strange sense of familiarity that didn't seem to fit. Maybe it was the sideburns on the guy. They faintly reminded him of a certain hitman he knew that was a baby. Reborn's legs weren't as hairy or as long as this guy's though. He had better taste in costume, too. The man's outfit definitely screamed tourist, but for a different state than the one they were in. This wasn't Hawaii! "Watch where you're going next time," he said, checking once more to ensure that his wallet was still in his pocket. Brushing the guy's unneeded aid away from his cut, he shoved past him and headed for the alley. He felt a faintly creepy watching feeling on his back for a few moments, but the tourist finally went on his way when Tsuna didn't fall over halfway down the alley.

Reaching up to check the cut, he grimaced at the smell of his own blood. For him, it was the only blood that smelled like blood anymore. Everyone else's blood smelled like something edible. Even that guy back there smelled strongly like steamed lobster. Every day was a battle for him since he was constantly walking through a living buffet. Sometimes, the smells made him sick in his stomach when he thought about the source. He'd caught himself a few times with Snicker, even. For him, Snicker smelled like a mouth-watering beefsteak. He was one that Tsuna had been forced to slap himself over numerous times in the past when he'd gotten into bed while hungry. Snicker still had no clue, so the bites that got through before Tsuna mentally slapped himself were taken as just a heat-of-the-moment action. It was Tsuna's greatest shame and his greatest secret. The second greatest secret was that he'd bitten Gigi at both Gigi and Poe's urging when they'd found out about his little problem. Poe had hoped that it meant that his change had progressed slightly so that he could use any blood source to feed off of. Unfortunately for him, all it'd done was give him a sick stomach instead of pushing back the hunger. Poe was still the only blood source that satisfied that particular craving.

At least he wasn't having to take in blood as often, he mused. He'd been training himself for that, which was why he didn't take a pill for such a small scrape. If he did, it'd throw off his whole feeding schedule. He had been able to push the times between feedings back by preparing himself to eat, but forcing himself to wait until right before he completely lost control to actually bite either Poe or a pill. Doing so trained his body to go longer and longer without pills. At first, it'd only been a few minutes difference each day. Then, as the weeks passed, those minutes built into hours. Those hours had accumulated enough so that he'd been able to skip one whole feeding a day. Then two feedings. Now, he was able to go a whole day off of one pill.

He was pushing back his feedings off of Poe, too. A dose of three pills instead of one on the day that he was meant to feed from the source of his craving allowed him to go an few extra days. Those days were accumulating so that Tsuna now only had to actually bite him once every month and a half. The downside was that the last time he'd fed, his body hadn't been satisfied until he'd nearly drained him dry. It'd taken Poe two days to recover from the blood loss. That'd been only been after he'd fed off of not just Tsuna, but also off of the auras of everyone else in the building. Tsuna was still grimacing over that. Everyone had been pretty upset over being forced to sleep through a whole day to recover in turn. Poe had told him to keep it up, though. Just like a person going without water would need more water to rehydrate himself than a person that drank it regularly, Tsuna would need more blood to feed off of. However, there was a limit to the growth of that need and it would peak at the point that Tsuna would always need the same amount no matter how long he went without. It was a peak that Tsuna was already reaching. No matter how long Tsuna pushed himself in the future, Poe doubted that it'd take very much more next time as it had the previous time. He just hoped that the limits that he could push his hunger didn't peak, also.

There was nothing that he could do if it did, he was forced to admit upon reaching the side door of Pasta da Paolo. Giving a heavy knock, he put both the tourist and his personal problems out of his mind. It was time to work and such thoughts only got in the way of what he needed to focus on.

"Well if it isn't the _Sixth_," Isaac greeted with a superior grin. "Welcome, your _majesty_. I guess you come to work whenever your chauffeur decides to bring you."

"I told him to take the day off so that I could walk," Tsuna shot back without letting the sarcastic attitude bother him. "And you don't have to call me your majesty. Suoh is fine."

"Get in here, twerp," Isaac growled, reaching out to shove him inside when his taunting didn't work. "You're ten minutes late! Where the hell have you been?!"

"Taking care of some business," he answered, walking into his dish pit so that the guy from the morning shift could leave. Leave was exactly what he did, too, seeing Isaac hot on Tsuna's heels.

"You're supposed to call when you're late," he roared while Tsuna leisurely stowed his jacket and backpack on a top shelf and grabbed up a white apron that hadn't been hidden for once.

"I don't have a cell phone," he countered, almost completely ignoring Isaac in order to start washing the dishes in the sink. "If you have a problem with me being late, tell Papa Paolo. I was doing something for him."

"Oh," Isaac mumbled with no other way to reply to the legitimate excuse. "What were you doing?"

"That's classified," Tsuna shot back with a playful grin. "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you."

"Bullshit," Isaac spat. "You were probably just out sticking your dick up some bumhole."

"I wish," Tsuna said with a wistful sigh. He hid his need to laugh at Isaac's expression over the response. Isaac looked like his head was ready to explode. Tsuna continued watching him while he spluttered and waited until he stormed back out into the kitchen to let out a silent laugh. He was too predictable. He'd be back with a vengeance, though. He was the Family's Storm Guardian for a reason.

Making use of the peace that he had, he quickly got caught up on the dishes. There were only three tubs piled back with a fourth that appeared right as he finished up those. From the looks of it, the only reason that those had been there had been because the morning shift had been a slacker. With the coming storm, the restaurant was almost completely dead. The only people coming in were those that were too stupid to look at the sky or those that were convinced of their invulnerability to the weather. They'd probably all have runny noses and coughs in a few days, Tsuna mused.

"Is it true?"

"Eh?" Tsuna asked, looking up from where he had been picking up a stack of clean plates to take into the kitchen.

"Is it true?" Autumn repeated with narrowed eyes. "Daddy said that you're fighting tonight."

"Yeah," he nodded as he continued working. "You have a problem with that?"

"I forbid it," she snapped when he brushed past her with his armload. "You can't seriously think you can do it!"

"Why not?" Tsuna asked. Ignoring the kitchen staff who were more interested in checking out Autumn under the cover of conversation than working, Tsuna looked over the stacks of dishes in the kitchen. From the looks of it, they needed two stacks of bowls, another stack of plates, and half a stack of saucers. The morning guy had really been lazy. Going back to retrieve another load, he shot Autumn a curious look with the open desire to hear her answer.

"Because you can't beat him!" She exclaimed, spinning in place to follow him back for each load. "Porker is four hundred pounds of muscle! Don't underestimate him because Daddy told you that he was a sumo wrestler!"

"I come from Japan, sweetheart," he said with a wink. "I think I know more about sumo than you do."

"Then let Ore fight!" Autumn nearly shrieked, completely ignoring Tsuna's attempt to throw her off with a pet name. "He's going to flatten you!"

"No and wrong," he replied simply during his second load of bowls. "Ore would get hurt against a sumo wrestler. Sumo is a grappling sport. Ore is made for impact sports. If it were a fist-fight, I'd let him go and pulverize the guy. It's not, so Ore's not going. As for me being flattened... Do I see a little bit of concern coming from you?"

"No!" Autumn blurted with a small blush betraying her. "I'm just thinking about the money that Daddy's going to lose because of you! He's determined to bet every penny on you no matter what odds you're given!"

"He should make a fortune," Tsuna grinned, knowing perfectly well that everyone would assume the same as Autumn.

"Are you crazy?!" She spluttered.

"Nope," he answered, reaching out to pinch her neck once his final load was completed. He pinched several times, until Autumn looked at him in exasperation with her arms folded across her chest. "What are you trying to do?"

"Vulcan neck pinch," he answered with a grin. "I've been studying kempo, but I haven't been able to figure out how it works. Bah. At least I tried."

"Why, you--!" She shrieked, chasing after him in an attempt to smack him on the head. Then she made the mistake of chasing him all the way back to the sink, where his hand wrapped around the overhead sprayer dangerously. "You wouldn't dare," she said with a look of panic in her eyes.

"Would I?" He grinned widely.

"You wouldn't," she said, leaping forward. She just barely managed to get her smack in before he started drenching her. Then he realized his own mistake and was left gaping when she stumbled backward with a shriek. Her gold shirt was a whole lot thinner than he'd expected and she wasn't wearing a bra. "What?" She asked blankly when she saw the look of dumbfounded shock on his face. Then she looked down at herself and let out a scream that could probably be heard through the whole building. That was the worst possible move that she could make, because Isaac and the kitchen staff came running.

"Oh shit," he gasped while fighting the need to laugh at the collective dropped jaws that preceded another scream and Autumn's blushing rush for the office.

"I love my job," one of the kitchen staff said without thinking. The man was immediately smacked by three other people who were obviously thinking the same thing before every eye went to Tsuna and the spigot in his hand.

"Oops," he said sheepishly. "I thought her shirt was thicker than that."

"Oops, my ass," Isaac growled, walking over to grab the water sprayer out of his hand. Tsuna grimaced in expectation. He wasn't let down. Two seconds after it was in Isaac's hands, a spray of water started pouring down on his head. Isaac didn't stop with equal retribution, either. He continued to let it pour until Tsuna was soaked from head to toe. "You need to learn proper respect," he snarled. "Autumn is Papa P's heir and your fucking Boss. You need to get that through your thick head and stop acting so fucking familiar with her. If you don't, I'll beat it into your ass next time."

"That's what you said last time," Tsuna countered with a crooked grin while he completely ignored his impromptu shower. "Admit it. You almost got a nosebleed like Arthur did."

"Oh shit," Arthur gasped, reaching up to find blood running out of his nose.

"Like hell," Isaac snapped with an eye twitching over how close the comment hit the mark. "Clean this mess up," he ordered as he let the sprayer fall free from his hand. "Then I want you to scrub the floor under the grill and the fryers as punishment. They haven't been touched in months and we're slow enough that you can do it."

"Sure thing," Tsuna agreed without letting the knowledge of what was probably crawling under there affect him. "Can I wring my shirt out first?"

"Fine," he agreed grudgingly. "Hang it up on the rack to dry and change your apron. Papa P would kick my ass if I let you get sick when you're supposed to fight tonight."

"Aww," Tsuna replied teasingly as he tossed the apron onto the empty dish rack and pulled his shirt off. "So you do have a heart." Tsuna paused with his shirt over his head and silence ringing in his ears. He clenched his teeth shut, belatedly remembering that no one at his work other than Autumn had seen him with his shirt off. "Take a picture," he growled in sudden tenseness, turning his back on the lot of them in order to wring his shirt out in the sink. "It'll last longer."

"Back to work," Isaac ordered sheepishly to the rest of the kitchen crew. The moment that they were gone, Tsuna felt his skin crawling at the polite and faltering tone that Isaac suddenly used with him. "Where... um... Where did you get all those?"

"Hell," he spat, twisting his shirt in frustration. "Don't act all buddy-buddy just because you've seen the skeletons in my closet, Isaac. I'm not here to make friends. I have plenty of those at home."

"Is this why you're gay?" He asked curiously.

"Do I look that hideous?!" Tsuna gasped in exasperation. "I'm gay because I choose to be! My scars don't have anything to do with it! Before me and Snicker, I got laid a whole lot more than you pro--"

"Suoh," Autumn called, walking back into the room with a red face and a new shirt on. She paused in the entryway, gaping openly at his bare top. "Why is your shirt off?" She exclaimed.

"Isaac got payback for you," he answered honestly, holding up the shirt that he was wringing out.

"Y-You've had some of them removed," she commented quietly. "Your neck and shoulders are so smooth now."

"You can thank Poe for that," Tsuna replied through clenched teeth. "He's been going systematically so that it can heal back smoothly after he's done. He won't touch my spine, but everywhere else is fair game."

"Oh," she blurted with a startled note in her voice. "Is that how you smoothed out your lower back for that tattoo?"

"No," he said, keeping his eyes firmly pinned on the sink in front of him. The tattoo she was talking about was the word 'Snicker' written in cursive English across his lower back. It'd been his wedding present to Snicker and it hadn't come cheaply. It had been the singularly most painful, yet rewarding, thing he'd ever done. Snicker's face when he'd seen it on their wedding night had made it all worth it. "I had a friend filet the skin off with a knife to get that done. Any other questions?"

"Uh, no," she replied in a quiet voice. Tsuna nodded and set to putting his wet shirt back on, wanting to get rid of the eyes on his back more than the uncomfortable cling of wet fabric. The eyes didn't go away, however. Both Autumn and Isaac continued to stare at him as if he were some caged beast on show. Walking over to where his backpack was stowed, he pulled out his cigarettes and brushed past them both.

"I'm going on a smoke break," he snarled before shoving his way out the side door. He was cursing by the time he got outside, feeling the eyes on him multiply when he walked through the kitchen. It irritated him and frustrated him because they never usually gave him the time of day, let alone so much undivided attention. It was as if he'd suddenly turned into a freak show for their amusement and he _hated _that feeling. He'd rather be ignored than to get attention for something like that! It annoyed him beyond words. Isaac could be forgiven since it had to have been a shock. Autumn had seen them before, though. She should have known better than to stare. Actually, Isaac should have known better, too. Did that idiot never look below the surface?! For him to be suddenly so nice and careful with his speech was an insult. At least, Tsuna felt it was. He was just a twerp to bully under normal circumstances. Suddenly, the person that he was didn't matter because of a few scars?! It was a total slap in the face to be judged so superficially. His bullying had been better because it'd been based off of choices that Tsuna had actually made! He'd had no choice in the scars! If truth were to be told, it made Tsuna want to walk back in there and punch the arrogant bastard in the face!

"Suoh...?"

"What?" He snapped angrily from where he was seething. He blinked and looked over at the owner of the voice, belatedly realizing that it was Daren and his crew instead of a coworker. Forcing himself to loosen up lest he take his anger out on the wrong person, he softened his tone of voice to try again. "Sorry. Were you needing something?"

"No," he replied in concern. "You just looked like you were ready to blow. I was going to see if you needed anything."

"I'm fine," he lied, pulling out a cigarette before tossing his pack to Daren and his friends to share. "I forgot to tell you earlier, but there's a campout at my place tonight. All of the Orange Dragons are getting called in. I want you three to head over and stay there. Your tent won't hold up in the storm tonight."

"Alright," he agreed with a note of relief in his voice. "I was wondering about the storm. The mission was already full when we got there and the news over at the electronics store said that there was supposed to be flooding tonight."

"Sounds about right," Tsuna nodded, leaning against the brick wall of the alley in order to stare up at the ever-darkening sky. "I already had them start prepping the house so that we don't take damage and I had Cassandra put on some extra food. I hope you're in the mood for roast and ribs."

"You know we'll eat anything," Daren laughed. "Is there anything that we can do to pay you back?"

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "Give me an update on what I've been missing. I saw a lot of newbies on the street today. People that shouldn't be in the alley roads were."

"You've noticed it, too," he replied with his mouth twisting up in unhappiness. "There's been some kind of nasty business going on lately. Companies are going belly up and you know how tight most people's budgets are already. They don't have the savings to handle it. Some people are managing to make it by cashing in their retirement, but other people don't even have that. I talked with a buddy who lives over in the Pits and it's even worse over that way. People are selling everything they have just to make their bills and there's been tons of evictions. Bastard landlords are more willing to kick someone out than lower their rent. Most of those who end up shit-creek have been running to their family until they can get back on their feet, but a bunch of others are ending up like us. It's bad times."

"Shit," Tsuna spat in distaste. "It's bad for everyone. It makes me glad that Papa Paolo has my back. If it weren't for him and a little outside help that I got, we'd probably be just as bad off. I can't do anything about the economy."

"I'm not so sure," Daren said quietly, looking around at his two friends in order to receive a curious set of encouraging nods. "There's something about this that smells fishy, Suoh. It's not like normal company failures due to the hard times. You know that most people with jobs and houses wouldn't talk to guys like us, but the new guys on the street talk a lot. All of the companies that have been shutting down seem to be connected with the same bank. They all said the same thing. Nubian Finance Group just up and pulled out. For smaller businesses, that meant that they were evicted from their buildings without a whole lot of warning. The bigger places got all their debts called in at once and were forced into bankruptcy."

"Nubian," Tsuna repeated in thought. "I've heard that somewhere before. I think Ore's construction company uses them for loans on new machinery. They've been expanding a lot lately because the bank has been approving everything that they hand them. Ore was really excited about it because they got him a new high-powered jackhammer."

"Ore will probably be out of a job pretty soon," one of Daren's friends mumbled with a grimace. "It's the same story we've been hearing from everyone else. Their companies seemed to be on the fast track and then everything just collapsed. They haven't been caught because they have three businesses that make it for every one that they destroy. The problem is that the ones that they destroy are those that use Nubian exclusively. The other businesses that they back and make it are the ones that use other banks, too."

"Let Ore know about this when you get over there," he ordered, flicking his cigarette into the gutter. "I'll pass it along to Papa Paolo and have him look into it. If Nubian is screwing people over on purpose, he'll find out why and put a stop to it. There's enough people on the streets without greedy dickheads sending more."

"I knew that we could leave it to you," Daren grinned. "I was an accountant before I ended up out here and I can tell you that all of this just isn't adding up."

"You were an accountant?" Tsuna repeated in surprise, pausing with his hand raised to knock on the restaurant door since he'd forgotten to block the lock.

"Sure was," he laughed. "I was a wizard when it came to numbers. My coworker framed me for one of his screw-up and I lost everything, though. No accounting firms would take me after that and I don't have any other skills."

"Daren," Tsuna said with a wide grin and his eyes lighting up. "You're my new best friend."

"Eh?"

"You know that I've been taking care of our budget at home," he explained in a rush. "I've been managing with Gigi's help, but the truth is that I failed middle school math. I'm going to make you a deal and you better accept. I'll pay rent on a two bedroom apartment for you and your friends and, in return, you take care of all the fancy accounting mumbo-jumbo for me. I don't want to go through another headache like I did at tax time. You'll have to keep two accounting list things, because I got some money that I don't want the government to know about. That's why I didn't want to take my stuff to someone that'd just try to blackmail me if I told him what our accounts were really like. I trust you, though. You know how hard it is to make ends meet while staying legitimate."

"An apartment?" Daren repeated while his two friends began nearly jumping for joy in excitement. "Like, with running water and a refrigerator?"

"And a stove and a lock on the door," he nodded with a knowing smile. "The truth is that I've been wanting to help you guys out for a while now, but I knew that you'd feel shitty if you didn't do anything to earn it. You being an accountant changes everything. I need one because the numbers are a lot more than I'm used to dealing with and I have a feeling that we could budget better if I had someone that was better with numbers. Gigi already helps me so much already that it doesn't feel right handing it off to him and everyone else is busy doing their own things. I won't lie to you. You'll probably get in a lot of trouble if the government finds out how much money I've been hiding."

"Daily showers and an address means that we can go job hunting," one of his friends interjected excitedly.

"A fridge and stove means that we can buy more than just canned food," the other nodded. "You've got to accept, Daren!"

"You get three square meals, showers, and a bed in jail," Daren commented quirkily at Tsuna. "I don't see how I'm any worse off if I get caught. At least we can get off the street this way. But are you sure about this, Suoh? Apartments aren't cheap."

"Let me worry about that," he soothed. "I have a friend that owes me for screwing his head on straight a while back. If I can talk him into it, he'll give me a good price on an apartment so that I'm not paying anything more than I would to any other accountant. You'll be living in a den of whores, so you'll have to keep your hands to yourself so that you don't get kicked out--"

"Don't worry about that," Daren soothed hurriedly. "I'll take a roof over a bitch any day. We won't touch the neighbors."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed, finally knocking on the restaurant door. "You guys head for cover and I'll see what I can do in the morning. Pass the word to any other Orange Dragons that you see about the campout tonight and stop by to make sure that Georgie gets packed up before the storm hits, too."

"Sure thing, Suoh," Daren replied as the excitement started to finally hit him. "Anything you want!"

"I want you guys to make the best out of what little I can do to help you," he said honestly while the kitchen door popped open for him. He grabbed it before it closed again, holding it open while he ensured that Daren and his friends understood him fully. "Me and Snicker didn't get off the street by ourselves. A lot of people helped us get where we are. If you don't want to end up back there, never let an opportunity slip past. You shouldn't take what other people got, but you shouldn't ignore bones when they're thrown at you, either. You three are pretty prideful about earning everything you have, but you've got to accept a few debts if you're going to make your lives better. Take pride in paying debts back instead of having too much pride to get into them."

"Our ways have kept us going this far," Daren murmured quietly, his and his friend's enthusiasm slapped down by reality. "It's my policy to never get in the red. Even if means taking charity, we'll take charity that don't have to be paid back."

"Everything gets paid back in the end," Tsuna laughed. "I guess there's no arguing with you about it. I'll just be happy if you guys finally get a break. I figure that if I can be the one to give you your first one, you guys are smart enough to run with it and maybe help out someone else in turn one day."

"Maybe," he chuckled.

"Later," Tsuna replied with a farewell wave before he ducked into the kitchen. The moment that he was back inside, his previous issue came back to him in a heartbeat. The only difference was that the staff was now staring at him out of the corner of their eyes instead of staring directly at him. It was slightly better, but not by much. He had other things to worry about than their nosey natures, however. Walking over to the kitchen office, Tsuna knocked with a bit of urgency. On the second knock, Autumn flung the door open and looked at him with an expression of irritation coupled with askance. "Papa Paolo," he called over her, pushing past her to enter the office despite how she attempted to block the way. "I need a favor. Something other than the door."

"Oh?" He asked in surprise. A single gesture had Autumn shut the door and Tsuna grimaced internally at the fact that she stayed on this side of it. He really didn't need her butting into this, but it didn't look like he had a choice.

"I need you to look into Nubian Financial Group," he stated bluntly.

"Nubian...?" He repeated with a look of non-recognition on his face.

"The streets are starting to get crowded," he explained. "People that shouldn't be living on them are starting to show up and I asked a friend that I trust. He says that he'd already been asking around with all the newcomers and they all have one thing in common. Nubian was the bank financing the companies that they were working at. From the sound of it, they're in some kind of scheme that gets them money out of boosting businesses and then forcing them into bankruptcy. If my intuition is right, Ore's construction company is next. I need you to straighten them out before that happens."

"This is a much bigger favor than a door that you're asking for," Papa Paolo replied in quiet thought. Tsuna merely waited patiently, knowing that Papa Paolo would do something for him. It wasn't often that he asked for more than just a small favor in return for taking an assignment on himself. Since this was supposed to be Ore's job that he was taking, it was only fair that he used his quota of reward for Ore's sake rather than his own. The continued silence was nerve-wracking, though.

"I'll fix my odds tonight," he blurted. "Would that help? If I make it look like I'm going to lose so that my odds of winning go down and then come back and beat him, that would make it worth it. Right?"

"You'll lose anyway," Autumn muttered under her breath. "You're only a quarter of his size."

"Alright," Papa Paolo snapped with a twinkling glint in his eyes due to Autumn's comment. Autumn's jaw dropped, but her objection was silenced before it was voiced by a single warning gesture from her father. "If you really can make your odds worse and still win, I'll buy out Nubian Financial and put them back on the right track. I'll have to bet everything I have on you to afford it, son. Don't you dare lose tonight. If you do, I can't promise that I'll forgive you."

"I'll win," he said firmly. "I don't care what it takes. Just stop them from destroying people's lives."

"Leave it to me," he confirmed, turning his attention back down to the papers on his desk. "You just get back to work for now. We're closing down at nine instead of ten so that we can get to the meeting point before the storm gets too bad. From the looks of it, Marco is setting up for a mud-fight. Warn Isaac for me. He'll need to send one of the boys after a couple of trucks for us and take care of shutting down early."

"Yes, Papa Paolo," Tsuna replied before heading out the door to do as he wanted. Thankfully, Autumn didn't follow. He also became thankful when he saw that Isaac had reverted while he'd been away. On top of it, he seemed pleasantly aggravated over having been so nice previously. Enough so that his usual 'practical jokes' began showing up when Tsuna got back to work.

The first practical joke showed itself when Tsuna got caught up on the dishes in preparation for cleaning floors. He decided to make a run through the kitchen to pick up the utensils and pans that they'd set to the side to be cleaned. He knew something was up because of the smiles that everyone was holding back. He realized why when he reached out to pick up a metal spatula mixed in with the other dirty ones. Dropping his bucket and the spatula, he let out a howl of pain that caused everyone else in the room to howl with laughter. Tsuna glared at them while cursing. One of them had left the spatula on the grill so that the metal heated up and then had mixed it in with the cold ones. His glove had saved him from a major burn on his palm, but his fingers hadn't been so lucky.

"Be careful," Isaac warned belatedly with a wide grin. "Some of those are hot."

"No shit," Tsuna growled, picking the fallen tub of dishes back up. He was used to the cook's idea of humor. Months had passed since he'd started working with them and it seemed as if the hazing would never end. He should have expected it with how everyone's attention had been focused on him. They'd been reminded of his presence where they'd slowly been growing accustomed to ignoring him. Using a pair of tongs that he knew were cold, he set to knocking the rest of the utensils into his bucket in case someone had the bright idea to go two-for-two. The pots quickly followed while Tsuna silently thanked the wooden grips attached to the handles.

"Isaac," Autumn called from the office door. "Send Arthur and two of your cooks home. Send all the waitresses except two, as well. We haven't had a new customer in an hour."

"Who's going to bus tables?" He asked in surprise.

"Suoh can," she snapped.

"But I was going to have Suoh clean under the grill," he objected.

"Have one of your cooks do it," Autumn countered. "We're overstaffed as it is."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Suoh," she called while Isaac started deciding who would leave and who would stay. "You know how to bus tables. Right?"

"You just pick up the dirty dishes once the people leave the table," he shrugged. "It doesn't seem too hard."

"Help the waitresses in your downtime," she ordered. "Tell them to close down section six and seven."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," he replied with a quirky grin. She rolled her eyes over being called a sweetheart by him, completely ignoring his attempt to rattle her. She didn't seem in the mood to argue tonight, which was something of a disappointment for him. He had fun fighting with her, which was why he gave her reasons to fight such as calling her something that he usually wouldn't.

Taking the tub of dirty kitchen dishes into the dish pit, he dropped the bucket off on a shelf and grabbed up an empty tub. It was needed. The morning shift's laziness hit him yet again when he walked into the waiter's pit. There were numerous stacks of dirty cups piled almost until they were ready to tip over. It was Papa Paolo's policy that no cup got refilled. If someone wanted more to drink, they got a fresh, clean cup to go with it along with fresh ice. Such was the reason he felt justified in charging his clientele three dollars per drink. The idiots paid it, too.

There were some things that he'd never understand, he mused. Why people would pay thirty dollars for a steak and a potato when they could make it themselves for ten. Why people would fuss over a hair on their food and demand a refund instead of just picking the hair off when it was probably their own. Why people would pay Papa Paolo money for a slice of apple pie when they could buy a whole one just two blocks down the street for the same price. Then again, he also didn't understand why people paid ten dollars for a bottle of name brand painkillers when the generic stuff was the exact same make, but a quarter of the cost. It was the same thing with clothing. Why spend twenty dollars on a designer shirt when he could get three for five dollars and use a can of spray paint to make his own design?

People were stupid. The more money they had, the less that they paid attention to what they were spending it on. He'd seen it for himself when they'd had that million to fall back on. They'd stopped counting nickels and dimes so quickly. He'd managed to notice it before it was too late, but it was a lesson that far too few people learned. Wasteful spending was such a huge corruption in the world and even he was guilty of it at times. Papa Paolo knew the lesson, however. Tsuna knew the lesson now, too. He just wished that more people would get a clue, even if giving them a clue meant that restaurants like the one he was working in were to shut down from lack of business.

Trading out the tub of cups out for his empty tub, he took the whole lot of them back to the dish pit to drop them off. On the return trip, he brought three stacks of clean cups to refill the small stock next to the drink fountain. While he was there, he passed Autumn's message along to the waitress, Michelle, before heading to the freezer to get ice to refill the drink fountain itself. It was while he was filling up a bucket from the dispenser that the cooks struck again. This time, it was the act of kicking the doorstop loose from the freezer door and locking him inside.

"This isn't funny!" Tsuna yelled, hitting the internal release repeatedly while he slapped on the door with his open palm. It didn't open, telling him that someone had blocked the outside latch. "Come on, guys! Let me out! Isaac!"

No one answered. They'd locked him in and then left him. They were all probably back in the kitchen, innocently working away while laughing their asses off. From what he knew, such treatment wasn't out of the ordinary. He just had the bad luck to catch their eye today instead of someone else. He slapped the door a few more times and tried once more to yell out, but the freezer was in the back of the restaurant. He'd be lucky if anyone found him before they closed down. He knew that Papa Paolo would eventually come looking for him, but he'd probably freeze his nuts off before then. As it was, he could already feel the cold penetrating his still-wet clothes.

He was cold and he was caged. Those were the two things that he hated more than anything. Crossing his arms over his chest, he squatted down into a ball to conserve heat. He could already feel his nose going numb along with the tips of his ears. What kind of game was that idiot playing?! He knew that Tsuna had to fight tonight! Autumn, Tsuna's intuition supplied. She didn't want him to fight and Isaac knew it. He was probably more than willing to take Tsuna's place to make Autumn happy, even though he would certainly be defeated. If Tsuna was even slightly injured or sick, Papa Paolo would pull him out of the match and probably ask Isaac to fill in as a last resort.

"That bastard," he growled. If that was the game, Isaac wouldn't win. Tsuna could boost his recovery almost instantly. Even against sickness, his body would speed through it in a matter of minutes instead of days. All it would take was a little red pill in his pocket. Ensuring that he was able to fight in the match in his best condition was far more important than keeping to his feeding schedule. What he wouldn't do for a minor scratch on his forehead, he'd do for Ore.

Assuming someone let him out of the freezer! He was cold! Already, he could feel his shirt stiffening up so that it felt like it was caked with snow. His pants were no better, making an icy chill crawl up his crotch in a way that wasn't very nice outside of bed. His feet and exposed back felt the worst of it. Rubbing his arms kept his hands warm, but no amount of flexing his toes could make the cold go away. After five minutes, he was already shivering. After ten, his teeth started chattering. After fifteen, he lost track of how long he'd even been inside.

"What's this chair doing here?"

"Let me out!" Tsuna yelled, jumping up to bang on the door with his hand. With a frozen creak, the door opened to reveal a very surprised Papa Paolo on the other side.

"How long have you been in there?" He gaped while Tsuna slowly walked out with legs almost frozen solid.

"N-N-N-No c-c-c-c-clue," he chattered, holding his shivering arms. "I-I-I'm g-g-g-go-i-ing t-t-t-to g-go w-w--"

"Go warm up in front of the grill," Papa Paolo urged. Tsuna nodded repeatedly in agreement and dashed away with a series of small steps which were all that his legs would allow. The sight of him shivering and freezing once he walked into the kitchen made all the cooks rush for some way to hide their laughter.

"B-B-Bas-st-t-tards," Tsuna spat while holding his arms out over the piping hot cook stove. This only made them choke on more laughter while he basked in the blessed heat from the grill. He'd never been so cold in his life. Even winter on the street wasn't as cold! Although, that gave him the perfect idea of how to warm up. Hot coffee could go screw itself. Heading for the waiter's area, he went through the door leading to the restaurant's bar area. The bartender was surprised to see him, but he completely ignored him in order to pour himself a shot of whiskey.

"Whoa," Bartley gasped when he tossed back a third. "What happened?"

"Cooks, freezer," he explained shortly, taking a forth shot before capping the bottle with a satisfied sigh.

"Ouch," he grimaced. "They locked you in?"

"Isaac's targeting me today," he answered while a pleasant feeling of warmth began to flood through his body. "Add the drinks to my tab and don't forget the employee discount. I've got to get back to work."

"Are you okay?" He asked as Tsuna wobbled back toward the door. Tsuna nodded, knowing that the alcohol would run through his system just as fast as everything else once he took a pill. In all honesty, four shots was enough to get him tipsy since he rarely touched hard liquor anymore. Actually, he was beyond tipsy. He was straight-out drunk if he admitted it to himself. It was all Isaac's fault. He wouldn't win, though. Nope. Not one bit. Tsuna would win. Yep, yep.

"Are you drunk?" Isaac laughed when he stumbled back through the kitchen toward the dish pit.

"Suoh!" Autumn exclaimed, seeing the very same thing.

"Whishkey warms you up!" He explained with a wide grin, completely satisfied with how warm he was currently feeling.

"I can't let you fight if you're drunk, Suoh!" Papa Paolo snapped. Tsuna felt his head spin for a moment when his Boss reached out to smack the back of his head for his idiocy. Under normal circumstances, he'd deserve it for drinking before he was supposed to fight. The circumstances weren't normal, however.

"I can get shober," he soothed, taking three steps to turn around to look at him when one proved too difficult to manage without nearly falling over. Digging out his pill bottle, he held it up with a wide grin for Papa Paolo to see. "Shee? One 'o these and I'll be good ash new."

"What are those?" Papa Paolo asked with narrowed eyes.

"Shecret," Tsuna replied with a finger over his lips to reinforce the word. Pointing to the dish pit, he started stumbling toward it with a silly grin on his face. "I's got to go in here t' taked it. Fall...err... Autumn gets shick if she shees me take it. She wash shere, sho it brings shup bad memories. I should hurry. The whishkey ish hitting harder than I eshepected." With his goal in mind, Tsuna backpedaled into the dish pit and kicked the door shut. Whether it actually closed or not, he had no clue. He didn't really care, either. What he did care about was turning his back to the door in case anyone came in after him while he popped the lid on his pill bottle. It was pretty early in comparison to when he normally took a pill, but he could already feel an itchy feeling in the back of his throat from having been in the freezer while wet. If he was going to fight in Ore's place, he had to fix the accumulated damage from Isaac's pranks.

He wanted to cry when he got the lid off and tried to pour a pill into his open hand. The capsules and frozen and burst in the container. Instead of a pill, his hand was instantly covered with a week's supply of blood. He wanted to curse. He wanted to cry. He did neither, however. What he did do was to try to salvage as much of it as he could. His mind cleared as soon as the liquid cupped in his gloved palm was drank. He could literally feel his body being purged of sickness while it repaired itself from the accumulated exhaustion of the day. There was an itchy feeling on his forehead, telling him that the skin was already knitting back together from the incident with the tourist. Tremors ran through his muscles and bones when his body was reinforced by the conversion of the blood he took in. Through it all, he tried to hold back a moan of delight and to ignore the alternating taste of pepper and cinnamon in his mouth.

"Why did you come in here when you knew that it'd make you sick?" Tsuna asked quietly to the bedamned woman at his back. Licking the blood off of his fingers, he turned around to face Autumn and the rest of the idiots that had followed him. Autumn looked green, while Isaac, Papa Paolo, and the two cooks simply looked confused. She was staring at his hands with a horrified look on her face. It was a look that Tsuna found strangely irritating. He'd said what he was going to do before he walked in there and he'd even shut the door. Why had she followed him when she couldn't handle what she knew that she'd see? "It seems that my pills froze and broke. It's a little messier than usual, but it still works. I'm ready to go at any time."

Tsuna lowered his eyes sadly when Autumn bolted out of the room and everyone but Papa Paolo chased after her. He couldn't blame her. He knew how disgusting he was. To feed off of blood and to enjoy it made him disgusted with himself. But there was no changing it, no matter how much he wished.

"What is that stuff, son?" Papa Paolo asked with a dangerous note in his voice while Tsuna turned to the sink to wash his hands.

"Nothing illegal," he soothed. "I'd rather not say what it is."

"That's not good enough for me," he countered. "You went from being drunk to sober faster than I've seen anyone. The cut on your forehead is gone, too."

"I try not to ask for much, Papa Paolo," he replied quietly. "Can you please just ignore this one thing? I promise you that it's nothing illegal or dangerous. You can ask Autumn if you want. She knows what it is."

"Why can't you tell me?" He asked bluntly.

"Because I've been stared at enough today," he said with sad honesty. "Let's just say that it's a booster for my unique physiology. This same stuff won't work for anyone else."

"I see," he murmured. "You're... unique... physiology. I'll let it go, then." Tsuna turned his head and gave him a slight bow without turning to face him completely. He knew that Papa Paolo was completely misunderstanding, but Tsuna preferred it that way. If Papa Paolo could explain it away to himself as a Vongola secret, Tsuna's werewolf issues were that much more secure. "You sure that you're okay to fight tonight?"

"I'm in perfect health at the moment," he said honestly. "If you could call Gigi for me and tell her that my pills broke, she'll know to bring me some more so that I can repair after the fight."

"Is this how you've been walking in after fights without a mark on you?"

"Yes," he confirmed, seeing no harm in answering the question. "I try to ignore minor injuries until after midnight, but I'll patch myself up if I get seriously hurt. I've gotten better about not getting hit at all, so that's pretty rare lately. I'll need those pills from Gigi for tonight, though. I promised you that I'd lower my odds, so I'll probably break a few bones before the end."

"You don't have to go that far--!" Papa Paolo gasped.

"But I do," he corrected with his teeth clenched. Seeing that his gloves were cleaned along with his hands, he started working on the dishes in effort to keep himself busy. "Nubian is screwing around with one of my guys. If you need me to put on a good show so that you'll bring them in line, then that's what I'm going to give you. Don't worry about me, Papa Paolo. I'm touched that you're concerned, but I've been learning to deal with pain. I'll be fine as long as I can reset the bones on site and I've got a few pills to jumpstart."

"I can't believe that you're going into this with the intention to get your bones broken," Papa Paolo gaped in shock.

"Don't get me wrong," Tsuna replied with a small smile. "I'm not walking into this with the willingness to give up my life. I'm just not going to run away from the pain. I'd be a pretty shitty Captain if I was afraid to get hurt."

"Suoh..."

"Do you think you can send someone else in for the ice?" He asked in effort to change the subject. "I don't feel like getting locked in the freezer again. Once was enough."

"I'll take care of it," he soothed in understanding, taking the silent request to drop the previous subject. He even did one step further, walking out of the room in order to let Tsuna work in peace. Glad to be alone, he pulled his dog whistle out from under his shirt and played it while he washed. He liked his little whistle. It was almost like a kazoo that only he could hear. No one yelled at him for playing it and he could make all the music that he wanted without anyone hearing more than the sound of him lightly humming. Playing it always soothed his nerves, too. The sound simply struck a calming chord within him that let his mind grow clear of any distractions or garbled emotions that might be going through it.

It was thanks to the little whistle that he'd really begun learning to deal with pain. He'd blown on the whistle to distract himself once he'd made the decision to clear the scars off of a section of his back. He'd blown it while he'd gotten the large tattoo. He'd blown it to calm himself in the aftermath of fights while he'd patched himself up in secrecy. He'd blown it to calm himself after dodging Gabriel's never-ending advances. Thanks to the calming voice of the little whistle initially intended for Peanut, he'd been able to keep calm through things that he used to always panic over. It didn't seem like much, but it effected him immensely. He felt that he'd grown stronger with its presence. He felt that the whistle was important enough that he'd went back to buy ten more of the same model.

The best thing about it was that it made the time pass faster. He continued washing dishes until he had none left. Walking out with an empty tub, he cleared tables and looked around to see that they only had four or five couples sitting down for dinner instead of their usual full house. Then he went back and washed those dishes. He cleaned out the dishes from the kitchen almost as soon as the orders were finished. The drink pit for the waiters was dealt with just as efficiently. When his duties were completed, he set to sweeping and mopping his area without being told and even went so far as to wash out the tubs for the dirty dishes. He also detailed the shelves along the side of the room and emptied out all the trashcans in his area along with the kitchen. Unlike the cooks, who had people to talk with to pass the time, he spend hour after hour making work for himself. A watched pot never boiled and a lazy workday never ended. He heard Isaac and the others grumbling about time moving slowly, but he looked up twice to find that two hours had passed in what seemed like ten minutes.

After his third smoke break, he realized that he was running out of things to do. The restaurant was empty of staff and the rain had begun to pour outside. It was actually kind of soothing. The staccato on the roof and against the windows that made up the front of the building gave him a drowsy feeling. Enough so that he didn't argue when Papa Paolo came back into the kitchen with instructions for him.

"Get yourself something to eat," he ordered. "Isaac, make him whatever he wants. I don't care if he already used up his dinner ticket for today. Suoh, I want you to find yourself somewhere comfortable and rest up until we close. You're going to need your strength to fight tonight."

"What do you want?" Isaac growled, turning to Tsuna as Papa Paolo disappeared into his office again. "If you say a salad, I'm going to take it as an insult to my cooking."

"Eh?" Tsuna blurted in surprise.

"Don't think I haven't noticed, you little shit," he grumbled. "You always get a fucking salad for lunch because you don't trust my cooking."

"That's not why," Tsuna instantly objected. "I'll eat anything you cook. I just know that you guys are busy at lunch time and salads are fast to make. Plus, they're healthy. It has nothing to do about trust because I'd just kill you if you screwed around with something that I gave Snicker." Isaac stared at him for a long moment while disbelief and surprise warred on his face. The disbelief was for his claim about picking salads for their ease. The surprise was for the death threat that Tsuna threw at him so easily yet honestly. Tsuna simply didn't play around when it came to Snicker. Then his eyes narrowed as some scheme crossed his mind.

"You'll eat anything that I cook?" He repeated in askance.

"Yep," he nodded. "I'm not allergic to anything, so I'll eat anything you hand me. Papa Paolo said for you to make me anything I want, but I'll be happy to accept whatever you want to make."

"I'll hold you to that," he replied with a wide grin. "Go get yourself a drink and sit out front. I'll bring it to you in a minute." Shrugging in acceptance, Tsuna did like he was told. He stopped in at the waiter's drink station to get himself a cup of iced tea before heading out to snatch one of the window tables in the smoking section. There was still at least two hours until closing time, which meant that he had downtime that he hadn't prepared for. He'd left his book at home in fear that the rain would ruin it. Papa Paolo hadn't given him permission to leave, which meant that he was getting paid to sit on his rear under the man's watchful eyes. On top of that, he wasn't accustomed to having more than an half hour break, so he wasn't really sure what to do with his time other than look out the window at the rain that was already coating the streets with a thick layer of water. It hadn't built up to a level that the drainage systems couldn't handle it, but that was only a matter of time with the downpour before him.

The fight was going to be a nasty one, Tsuna mused. Papa Paolo had said mud fight, which meant that the venue was probably in a back corner of the city dump. With how hard the rain was coming down, the whole area was likely sludge. Cop cars wouldn't be able to break through the dump faster than the trucks that Papa Paolo was having prepared. Even if they were warned of the fight and sent out to stop it, it was almost assured that any and all 'guests' would be able to escape. Assuming, of course, that those putting it all together had a secret exit from the sectioned off corner of the city. Cops couldn't roadblock an exit that they didn't know existed.

The problem that was bigger than that was the footing. If the rain kept up at the pace it was going, he'd be ankle deep in muck. It'd be a major hindrance in his speed. Especially considering that he was going up against a guy that was used to pushing four-hundred-pound sumo wrestlers around. Depending on how bad it was--

"Here," Isaac said, sliding a plate onto the table in front of him. Tsuna looked down at it in curiosity. It definitely wasn't pasta. It looked to be a fried dish of some kind. From the size of the five pieces, he assumed it was one of the restaurant's appetizer's. "If you can eat that, I'll believe you."

"He's not going to eat it," one of the undercooks laughed. "I can't believe you made that for him. Most of our customers don't even have the stomach for it."

"What is it?" Tsuna asked curiously as he picked on up in order to break it in half. There was a small bowl of dipping sauce attached to the plate, but Tsuna was more curious about the actual dish. It wasn't hush puppies and it wasn't shrimp. It had a definite seafood smell to it, however.

"Calamari Fritti," Isaac answered with a cruel grin. "It's one of our appetizers. You can back out now if--"

"Calamari?!" Tsuna asked eagerly, knowing exactly how the words translated from Italian. It translated into 'fried squid'.

"Eh?" The second undercook blurted in shock while Tsuna stuffed the first piece in his mouth and chewed in near bliss.

"I haven't had squid in ages," he said around hurried bites. "The girls are too squeamish to cook it. This is really good batter, too. You said that this is one of your appetizers?"

"Ah," Isaac confirmed with a dumbfounded look on his face, watching while Tsuna scarfed down everything on the plate. "You like seafood?"

"I love seafood," he replied as he popped the last of the five on his plate into his mouth. "Ore's allergic to shellfish, though, and I didn't know you guys made stuff like this. I thought all you had was spaghetti and breadsticks. Is there any chance I can get some more?"

"Hmph," Isaac scoffed with a small gleam of...respect?... in his eyes and a small smile flickering along his lips. "If I'd known you liked seafood, I would have jumped straight into a Cacciucco alla Livornese or a Clam Linguini. Most people are too disgusted by good seafood to appreciate it properly. I didn't want to waste food if you were too chicken to eat it."

"I'll eat it," Tsuna said with his eyes sparkling with excitement while holding up his empty plate in order to silently beg for more. "Do you guys have anything with octopus in it?"

"You just had octopus, idiot," one of the undercooks spat with a overly-superior expression on his face.

"No, I didn't," Tsuna replied in honest confusion. "It was squid. Isaac said it was Calamari Fritti. If it was octopus, it would have been Polipo Fritti."

"You're fired," Isaac said without even looking at the undercook.

"Eh?" The undercook gaped with his superior expression disappearing in a horrified instant.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Isaac yelled, turning to him in disgust. "You just showed your ignorance and I won't have ignorant people working under me! Come back when you can tell me the fucking difference between squid and octopus, you moron!"

"You can't be serious," he gasped in shock.

"Out!" Isaac roared, bearing down on him like an enraged bear until he ran out the front doors into the rain. Tsuna simply watched in surprise with his empty plate still in his hands. He hadn't meant to get the guy fired. He knew the difference between squid and octopus, though. They had many things in common, but so did duck and chicken.

"Aww," the other undercook sighed while Isaac stood at the door to ensure that the guy didn't come back in. "There Isaac goes again. He really doesn't know how to take it easy when it comes to cooking. I thought that guy was a keeper, too. He managed a whole six months before he screwed up. Another two and Isaac would have trusted him enough to work shifts alone."

"Wow," Tsuna murmured, suddenly realizing that the cooks had it even harder than he did when it came to Isaac's iron hand in the kitchen. Considering a single absent-minded comment had just cost a guy his job, the hazing that Isaac tossed on him seemed light in comparison.

"Isaac is tough," the undercook said solemnly. "Those of us that make it under him know it's just because he's one of the best. There's no greater chef in America when it comes to Italian food. If you can make it under him, you can make it anywhere. Even Italians sometimes come through here to take lessons from him. Half of them go home after just one because he doesn't take it easy on anyone. I'll tell you right now that you've probably made him really happy with what you just did. So many people come through here and try to specialize their plates like a fast food restaurant. It's rare that someone is willing to eat something as it is on the menu. You've just given him the best compliment that a chef can get. You gave him carte blanche to feed you whatever he wants and to make it however he wants."

"I wasn't meaning to," Tsuna replied with a slight blush as Isaac returned with a dark look on his face. "It's just that I've been homeless before," he explained to the undercook. "When you've eaten out of a dumpster, you learn not to turn away a meal. When I said that I'd eat anything, I meant it. It doesn't matter if I like it or not. As long as it's edible and fills my stomach, I won't complain. I will admit that getting seafood is like heaven for me. Other than fish filets and fish sticks, I haven't gotten much seafood since I left Japan."

"You're an immigrant?" Isaac asked in surprise.

"My records say that I'm American," Tsuna said with a small smile, knowing that Isaac would understand the insinuation in the statement. Isaac gave a slow nod before plucking the plate out of Tsuna's hands.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with a real meal," he said with a quiet look on his face. "You'll have to wait on the seafood pasta for some other time. You're going to need something quick if you're going to digest it before the fight. I don't want you puking up something that I spent time making just because you let yourself get hit in the stomach."

"Isaac...?" Tsuna muttered in surprise over the thoughtfulness of the statement.

"You might be a fucking little queer," he growled with enough force that Tsuna lurched backward in his seat. "But you're part of the Martelli Family. You're not allowed to lose, twerp. You got it?"

"Y-Yes," he replied with a squeak in his voice, his eyes wide over Isaac's sudden words. Not just the words themselves, but what it insinuated. Isaac had just accepted him in a way. He didn't really get it, but he thought that was what Isaac had just said. The insult tempered the words, but the meaning was still in there. Isaac wasn't planning on treating him any different, but Tsuna wasn't considered as an outsider anymore. At least, not by Isaac. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. He couldn't help but smile almost giddily over being accepted. He hadn't been trying to get on Isaac's good side. It'd just happened. He guessed the saying was true. Good food _could _bring people together.

"You look like you found a bowl of cream again," a voice said. Tsuna looked up to find not only Isaac glaring at him for his smile, but--

"Snicker!" He exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"_That's_ Snicker?" Isaac gaped, staring with wide eyes while Snicker crossed over from the door to the table that Tsuna had been sitting at. He looked surprised for some reason, although Tsuna wasn't sure what at. It was true that they'd never been introduced to one another, but Snicker was just like any other guy. Of course, he was more handsome and there were little nuances to him that no one else had, but that was why Tsuna loved him.

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed in curiosity over Isaac's reaction.

"You have some problem with me?" Snicker asked with narrowed eyes.

"No," he replied bluntly. "You just aren't what I was expecting. I was expecting another little f--"

"Friend," Tsuna blurted loudly before Isaac could say the unforgivable in front of Snicker. "He was expecting another little friend! You still haven't answered my question, Snicker! Why are you here?!"

"Papa Paolo called me and told me that you had some time on your hands," he answered with a knowing glare shot at Isaac. "I figured I could come and keep you company for a while. What's with the greeting? You look like you're not happy to see me."

"Of course I'm happy," Tsuna objected with a bright smile. "I was just surprised. I wasn't going to call because I didn't want you to catch a cold with the rain. You should be at home with everyone else!"

"Bah," Snicker said with a small grin. "Everyone is gearing up for a party, but it just ain't the same without you. As for the rain, what kind of man would I be if I got sick from a little soaking? Speaking of, you look like you got caught outside, too. Didn't I tell you to bring your jacket with you?"

"I did," Tsuna laughed, looking sheepishly at his still-damp jeans. "This is from a little accident that I had with the sink. Don't worry about it. It's warm enough in here that I won't get sick."

"You never get sick," he chuckled in return. "At this rate, I'm never going to get to pamper you back to health like you do for me."

"That's not true!" Tsuna objected. "You always take care of me when I start getting fevers!"

"And your fevers are always gone when I wake up the next morning," he countered with a knowing look. "You know how to get rid of those. You're just too stubborn to deal with them while I'm awake."

"I don't want you to see me like that," he replied with a petulant expression. "Anyway, sit down and I'll go get you a drink. Since it's raining, do you want coffee?"

"You know me far too well," Snicker smiled as he took up the seat opposite of where Tsuna had been sitting and took off his jacket. Tsuna smiled cheekily in return before darting away to get it for him. More than just eager to make Snicker happy, he was apprehensive about Isaac's watching presence over them. As he'd hoped, Isaac followed him instead of sticking around with a guy that he didn't know. That was what Tsuna was waiting on. The moment that he finished preparing the coffee out of sight, he grabbed the man's collar with a fierceness that he'd otherwise never use.

"Never," he growled through clenched teeth. "Never insult Snicker. I don't care if you call me queer or fag or gook or whatever else you want to call me, but don't ever use those kinds of words with him. I won't forgive you if you do." Thrusting him away, Tsuna grabbed up the cup of coffee and left the area before Isaac's nature caught up with him. Tsuna had caught him off guard, but sticking around would just turn it into a fight. As it was, he was able to slip out of the waiter's drink pit before Isaac could register more than just surprise.

"That was fast," Snicker commented when he came back within seconds and set the cup of coffee down before him.

"The pot was full, so I didn't see any sense in making a new one," he replied with a smile as he took his own seat back up. "How was work?"

As he hoped, the simple question gave Snicker leave to talk all that he wanted. Tsuna listened in complete contentment while he sipped his own drink. He rarely got a chance to simply sit and talk with Snicker anymore. They were typically too rushed during the day or too tired at night to get to spend quality time together. It was small moments like these that made it all worth it, however. They made contact with their feet under the table and they held hands openly across the top. It wasn't shy or eager contact. It was plain, unadorned contact that they made without truly even noticing that they did it. It was contact made with an absentminded desire to simply touch one another. They still kept one hand free to smoke or drink, but their second hand lazily curled around each other.

"... and we told him three times not to sit on it, but that fatass still plunked his ass down on top of it," Snicker said as he continued telling a story about something amusing that had happened at his work. Tsuna listened with only half an ear, finding Snicker's animated gestures and expressive face far more interesting. He'd always been smiling, but there had been a weariness to him when they'd first met. To see him now, it was as if all the weight that he'd been carrying with him had been lifted away. He was so energetic and his smiles seemed to shine on his face. He had a few gray hairs poking out of his beard again, but he looked half of his age thanks to how well he'd been taking care of his body lately. He was responsible and mature. He was absolutely perfect in Tsuna's eyes.

"I love you," Tsuna sighed.

"Eh?" Snicker blurted in surprise.

"I don't get to tell you that enough," he slowly explained with a small, sheepish grin when he realized that he'd completely cut into the middle of Snicker's story. "I worry with how much I've been working. You've got at least a thousand things that are attractive about you. I sometimes wonder if I'm just going to walk in one day and find out that someone stole you away from me."

"But...?" Snicker prompted with a knowing grin.

"But then I remember that we're married," he continued with a quiet expression. "And I remember that it doesn't matter how much we're apart as long as we make the most out of the time that we do have together."

"Damn straight," Snicker agreed. "And ain't I supposed to be the one that's worried? I'm the one sitting at home while you're out working every night. I wouldn't have even known that you had a couple of hours free if Papa Paolo hadn't called me."

"Did I hear my name?"

Tsuna and Snicker looked up in surprise to find Papa Paolo himself walking up to join them. Tsuna jumped up instantly, nearly tripping over his own feet to greet him. It was all thanks to Papa Paolo that he was getting to spend extra time with Snicker today. While it would be such a little thing to most people, Tsuna owed him an enormous debt of gratitude for it. Isaac wasn't far behind, surprising Tsuna by bringing four plates instead of only one. From the looks of it, there was fettuccini for all three of them and a second helping of calamari for them to share.

"I hope you don't mind me joining you," Papa Paolo said modestly. "I've been stuck in my office all day and I'd prefer to eat with good company."

"It's no problem," Tsuna soothed hurriedly. He wasn't sure if Papa Paolo heard him or not since he was already in the process of thanking Isaac for cooking while he sat down. It didn't matter whether he did, really. Papa Paolo knew that he was welcome. It was his restaurant. Tsuna was in it eating because of him. Snicker was there because of him. He could do whatever he damn well pleased. He was just being polite.

"I'm not a religious man," he said once they were all comfortable again. "So how about we just dig in?" Tsuna nodded in agreement and urged Snicker to eat what he was given. Snicker seemed somewhat surprised by the hospitality, but Tsuna knew the reason behind it. His earlier comment about breaking his bones had thrown Papa Paolo off-balance. The man probably wanted to ensure that Tsuna wasn't crazy before he sent him into the fight after work. Reminding him of the things that he had to come back to was just Papa Paolo's way to ensure that he didn't lose track of what he was fighting for.

Papa Paolo was showing why he was called Papa. If only his own dad had been half as caring, Tsuna mused. Heck, if his dad had only come home more often, Tsuna would have been happy! Tsuna's last memory of him was the two weeks leading up to the first Ring Battle. Before that, he'd thought that his dad had been dead for two years!

"I talked to Princess," Papa Paolo commented around a bite of pasta. "She assured me that she'd already been informed of your pills and she let me know what was in them."

"It's just medicine for my anemia," Tsuna said while he focused all of his attention on his meal. In his head, he was nearly crying for Papa Paolo to get the hint that Snicker didn't know anything about the true nature of his so-called medicine. "I already told you that it was harmless."

"I talked to Gigi before I called Snicker over," he continued blithely. "He'll bring you some more before we head out for negotiations."

"Negotiations?" Snicker asked curiously. "Suoh, why didn't you tell me that it was just some negotiations? When you said that you were staying late tonight, you left me with a million different thoughts of what you'd be doing. If it's just negotiations, that's a relief."

"I might need to keep him for a few days, depending on how difficult the negotiations are," Papa Paolo replied easily. "Suoh's talents are one of a kind."

"That's understandable," Snicker commented while Tsuna kept his nose almost an inch away from his plate while he nearly inhaled his food to cover for his lack of talking. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Papa Paolo was doing for him. He was stretching the truth so that Snicker wouldn't worry. When he said negotiations, he meant the fight. When he talked about difficulties, he meant recovery time. Tsuna knew that he'd be back home by morning, but Papa Paolo didn't know how quickly his 'medicine' could fix him. He knew that it was fast after seeing the cut on Tsuna's head heal up, but he had no clue how fast. Tsuna let him lie, wanting the same thing for Snicker that Papa Paolo was trying to accomplish. That goal was Snicker being in blissful oblivion. Papa Paolo knew how much Tsuna didn't want Snicker involved with the dirty business that he sometimes got pulled into. Telling him things in this way let him think that Tsuna was being used as a translator instead of a fighter. "I hope that you won't keep him too long. He's been getting home so late recently that I'm worried about whether he's been overworking."

"There's no need to worry about that," Papa Paolo soothed. "I've had Suoh on light duty lately. Most of the time, I'm just paying him to stand around so that I can keep my eye on him. I'd rather pay to know that he's staying out of trouble than have to pay to get him out of jail." That, too, was a stretch. Tsuna worked to the bone every day, but Papa Paolo knew that he could handle what he was given. He got to choose his own break times and work at his own pace, after all. The light duty came from the fact that Tsuna didn't have any heavy lifting. It was also true that he was getting paid to stand around... in front of a sink.

"That's true," Snicker murmured with a small smile. "Suoh's really lucky to be working for you, Papa Paolo. He probably already tells you this for himself, but I really appreciate what you've done for him, too. With the job market going to hell, I'm not sure what he would have done without you."

"He surely would have just found something else," Papa Paolo laughed. "Suoh is pretty resourceful."

"You don't have to tell me," he replied. "Sometimes I'm not sure how Suoh does all that he does. If it weren't for the fact that I wake up next to him every morning, I'd swear that he doesn't sleep!"

"I sleep," Tsuna interjected with a blush while leaving out the 'every other night' part. Snicker didn't know about that, however, since Tsuna crawled into bed like he'd been there all night before waking Snicker up. Thankfully, the conversation turned to more innocent things after that. Papa Paolo inquired about the rest of the gang and simple matters such as Leo's course of college study.

Eventually, Papa Paolo left all together in order to let Tsuna and Snicker enjoy the last of their meal by themselves. Once he was gone, Tsuna found himself blushing when he realized that they were alone in the front of the restaurant together. The last of the customers had already left as the storm picked up ferocity and no new ones had come in. The host for the place was probably in the back with the waitress that was left. Isaac and his undercook were in the kitchen and Autumn was probably in the office with her father.

"Why don't we go sit over there?" Tsuna suggested, pointing to one of the cushioned booth tables in the corner. He blushed slightly, knowing what Snicker would probably think. The circular booth was set up for privacy. The seats had extra high-backing so that a person could only see over the side if they were to stand. The opening to allow people into the table was just big enough for a single waiter to stand in while delivering plates for consumption. Overall, it was the most private area in the place. That wasn't why Tsuna wanted it, however. They were already alone, if they wanted privacy. He was thinking about the padded seats and the ability it would give them to sit next to each other instead of across from each other.

"That sounds good," Snicker agreed quietly. Tsuna gestured for them to grab their drinks and move them. Before settling in, he even went so far as to take the dishes back to ensure that they weren't interrupted.

"Hey, Isaac," Tsuna called as he hurriedly washed them so that he could get back to Snicker. "Do you guys make any kind of dessert?"

"Boss already ordered you one," he growled back with a note of disgust in his voice. Curious, Tsuna quickly dried his hands off on his apron while walking out to see the reason for the tone. The he saw it sitting on the kitchen workspace and his eyes lit up. "Just take it and go," Isaac snapped with a face that suggested that he wanted to puke. Tsuna didn't argue. He simply picked the dish up and headed out the door with it. Within seconds, he was sliding it in front of Snicker while he slid himself into place beside him in the luxuriously comfortable sitting area.

"What's this?" Snicker chuckled at the sight.

"You always say that I look like a cat with a bowl of cream," Tsuna grinned, snuggling himself comfortably under Snicker's welcoming arm. "Papa Paolo ordered it for us. Haven't you ever had Strawberries and Cream before?"

"Nope," he answered bluntly. "Cream is what you put in coffee. This stuff is too thick and that definitely isn't a strawberry."

"It's half cookies and cream and the other half is strawberries and cream," Tsuna laughed, pointing out the way that the bowl was divided up. "The white is cream that's been whipped up."

"Ah," he said in sudden understanding. "Whipped cream. Why didn't you just say so?"

"Because it's not like the stuff you buy in a can," he answered while pulling out one of the strawberries from the dish. "Isaac makes everything from scratch. Here. Just try it." Before Snicker could do more than open his mouth to argue, Tsuna popped the piece in his mouth. He glared slightly over being fed, but he ate it. While he chewed, his face took on a thoughtful expression until he finally nodded while he swallowed.

"My turn," he grinned with a desire for revenge plain on his face. Tsuna didn't argue. He merely opened his mouth in amused waiting. That was, until Snicker pulled out the largest piece of cookie out of the other side with a dose of cream that was three times its size. Tsuna snapped his mouth shut a moment before opening it again to object.

Snicker got his revenge.

"You're going to make a mess!" Tsuna exclaimed once he managed to hurriedly chew and swallow. He really was going to make a mess. Half of the cream was on Tsuna's lips because his mouth hadn't been opened enough to take more than the cookie. He tried to lick it off, but there was a bit on the side that was just out of his r--

"Pervert," Tsuna grumbled when he saw the look on Snicker's face. Slightly embarrassed, he reached for a napkin rather than try to save it. There was plenty more cream for them both, after all. He didn't have to--

Tsuna bit his lip when Snicker beat his napkin to the goal on his cheek. The lick turned into a butterfly kiss, which was followed by another closer to his lips. That one was followed by another on the corner of his lips and Tsuna tilted his head back almost too-willingly to retrieve a full kiss on his mouth. Snicker did it almost too easily. He _had _been doing it easily ever since they'd traded vows in front of all of their friends. Just like Tsuna knew all of his buttons to push, Snicker knew Tsuna's in turn. There was only one problem.

"Not here," Tsuna gasped as he broke away and put up his hands to gesture for Snicker to stop. He knew that they were practically alone in the restaurant, but practically wasn't the same as completely. If it hadn't been raining outside, Tsuna would have been the first to have Snicker meet him in the dead-end alley behind the building. It _was _raining, however, and they were stuck inside. More than that, he was still on the clock, so-to-speak. He wouldn't take advantage of Papa Paolo's generosity by screwing around in his place of work.

"Why not?" Snicker mumbled, refusing to give up so easily. Tsuna gasped with his eyes nearly rolling back in his head in bliss when Snicker buried his lips into the sweet spot on Tsuna's neck while his hand reached under the table to rub a sweet spot of a different nature. "You can't tell me that you don't want it. It's been almost three days for you and before that was almost a week. You keep pulling stunts like you did earlier when we're short on time. Don't think I haven't noticed, Suoh. You keep making sure that I'm taken care of, but you've been ignoring yourself. I'm not going to let you keep doing that."

"Snicker," he panted in return, his breath already racing alongside his heartbeat. "We can't. It would be wrong." Despite his words, he found himself relaxing under the ministrations of Snicker's lips while his legs spread under the table in order to ease the growing tightness of his pants. He wanted Snicker so badly that he could taste it. He wanted to feel his touch and his caress. He wanted his taste and his smell. He wanted his hands and his lips and his-- "Oh god," Tsuna gasped, realizing exactly how tight the knot in his groin was getting. He knew that Snicker needed to stop, but he wanted him to keep going at the same time. "Snicker--"

"Just relax," Snicker murmured in his ear while his fingers tried to find Tsuna's zipper. "Papa Paolo sent out strawberries and cream for you. Didn't he?"

"Yes, but--" Tsuna broke off with a shudder of pure need as the first of Snicker's fingers pried their way through the top of his zipper, through the slit of his boxers, and grazed up against him. Just a little more. If his zipper would give way just a little more, then--

"Hello..? Es this place open?"

"Shit," Tsuna spat at the same moment that Snicker pulled his hand away. Hurriedly zipping himself back up, he smoothed his apron down multiple times to ensure that it was covering for the throbbing bulge in his pants before answering. "Yes," he called, shooting Snicker a look of pure misery while he slid out of the sectioned-off booth. Getting to his feet, he crossed out of the smoking section and hurried to make up for the lack of a host manning the front door. It was his fault that no one was present. "We're open," he repeated as he rounded the wall between the main seating area and the waiting area. He froze and blinked upon seeing their customer, recognizing him almost instantly.

"Es you!" The tourist exclaimed in surprise. It was the same tourist that had knocked him over previously in the day. He didn't looked to be dressed for sight-seeing this time. Instead, he was wearing a suit and tie, much like most of the restaurant's typical clientele sported. "How is the... uh... how do you say... top-head?"

"My forehead is fine," he replied, automatically reaching up to touch the spot where he'd previously been cut. "It was just a bump. See. It already went away."

"So it has," he agreed with his accent smoothing out momentarily while his eyes narrowed in on the spot. It was back almost instantly, making Tsuna wonder if the phrase was one that the man had practiced. "Good, good. I feel bad for trip you."

"Let me get you seated and I'll go grab a waitress for you," he said with a welcoming smile, mentally punching himself in the crotch in effort to get the throbbing to stop. "Would you like smoking or non-smoking?"

"Smoking," he answered. Tsuna nodded while he hid his need to groan. If he was going to sit in the smoking section, Tsuna's fun with Snicker was definitely over. It made the rain look warmer and warmer and the alley was look better and better. Snatching up a menu, he had the man follow him into the smoking section where he picked out a window seat next to where he'd been sitting earlier with Snicker. He figured that it was where he'd wanted to sit, so the guy would probably want to watch the rain, as well. Especially since he was alone. Handing the menu over, he took the guy's order for coffee and headed back to get the waitress and the host.

"Done already?" Autumn asked knowingly when he walked into the kitchen.

"Customer," he growled in return. "He wants coffee. Where's Michelle?"

"Probably still in the freezer," Autumn answered without bothering to hide her laughter over Tsuna's disgruntled face. "They went to get ice over ten minutes ago. I'll get the coffee while you go get her. Tell Heath to put his pants back on, too."

Tsuna didn't even dignify her with a reply nor did he even glance at where the bartender was talking with Isaac and the undercook. He simply headed for the back with every intent to break up their pairing. If he couldn't get any while on the clock, neither could anyone else! Throwing the freezer door open, he heard a yelp from the back followed by a hurried rustling of cloth.

"Michelle," he growled. "You got a customer. Heath. Autumn says to put your pants back on."

"Shit," the man said in an echo of Tsuna's earlier sentiment. Still throbbing himself, Tsuna kicked the doorstop under the door as both the waitress and the host came out of hiding with their clothing slightly rumpled. Michelle fixed hers on the move, while Heath took his time about it. Tsuna had already done his job, after all. He had no reason to hurry while he flipped his collar back down and tucked his shirt back in.

"Don't glare at me," Tsuna said in response to the man's disgruntled expression. "Trust me," he continued as he walked over to the ice dispenser in order to throw a few cubes down his pants to cool himself off. "I know the feeling."

"So I see," he chuckled with his need to glare forgotten. "Customers always have the worst timing. They come in two minutes before you get the okay to take down the open sign and they come in right when you think it's okay to ask for your break."

"And they come in right when you're about to get off," Tsuna added with a groan. Laying his head against the ice dispenser while he let the ice do its work, he wanted to tell the guy that the sympathetic pat on his back didn't help any. His luck just wasn't with him today. It hadn't been with him for the past three days, just like Snicker had said. "Why is it that when you're single, you have all the time in the world. But when you've got someone, you can't find a single minute to enjoy it?"

"That's why I stay single," Heath laughed on his way out of the freezer. "Players are the only ones that end up satisfied."

"That's not true," Tsuna immediately objected, shaking his leg to get the ice to drop down his pant leg so that he could kick it over to the freezer's drainage pipe. "Before I got together with Snicker, I was seeing six different girls and I'm happier now than I was then."

"Six?" He asked curiously while Tsuna shut the freezer door.

"Yeah," he nodded. "There was Dedra, Cassandra, Susanna, Roxy, Erin, and Autumn's old roommate, Summer."

"Whoa!" Heath gaped, making Tsuna freeze before they walked into the main part of the kitchen. "Autumn's roommate? You've been in her apartment?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a raised eyebrow. "Lots of times. She used to walk in on us and yell when we were too loud. Thanks to her, I couldn't be loud if I wanted to anymore."

"H-Have you--?" He asked, licking his lips in anxious curiosity.

"Have I what?" Tsuna asked blankly. "Have I seen her naked?" Grinning at the man's frantic nod, Tsuna decided that a bit of teasing was in order. "Hey, Autumn," Tsuna called. "Heath wants to know if I've seen you naked. Have I?"

"Yes," she called back. Tsuna choked, having expected her to go with a completely different answer. Heath's expression wasn't much different from his own. He had everything from the wide eyes to the dropped jaw. "Wait. I mean, no," she hurriedly corrected. "Shit," she spat while he heard her footsteps rush toward them.

"Aww, fuck," Tsuna groaned, turning in place to lightly bang his head on the wall.

"Why would you ask that?" She hissed as she came around the corner.

"You were supposed to say no," he growled in return while Heath continued to gape.

"I knew it," she whispered, throwing Heath out of her way in order to stand in the small alcove in front of the freezer with him. "You're a complete jackass! You _remember_!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied with a grimace.

"Bullshit," she nearly snarled at him. "I know you! You should be squealing like a stuck pig right now if you really didn't remember! Something like 'Whaaaat?' or something just as stupidly simple. You're not, so that means that you remember that night and you lied to me!"

"Can you blame me?" He asked seriously, giving up the act since his cover was blown to hell. While he was at it, he gave in to the need to vent out some of his pent up frustrations. "You were just in it for the money and I didn't have a whole hell of a lot of say in it. Honestly, I don't give a fuck if you're upset that I lied to you. It's better than asking you how the hell you could use me like you did without thinking about a single one of my fucking feelings in the matter. If I told you that I remembered, I'd have to admit to myself that I remembered and that would mean telling Snicker about that night. I'll tell you right now that I'll kill someone before I let them get between us like that."

'Suoh..." she murmured in shock. "I-I didn't think about that."

"There's a reason that I fought my instincts," he spat. "You ignored that and you did everything you could to take advantage of the situation. You're right. I do remember. I remember everything about the night that made me into what I am. I also remember a side of you that's pretty fucking disgusting. Overall, that night was pure hell for me, so pardon me if I choose to pretend that it didn't happen."

"You can pretend all you want," she replied with a show of backbone. "If I had a choice, I'd forget it, too. Just tell me something. That threat that Poe made--"

"It was a lie," Tsuna admitted grudgingly. "You have a big mouth and I prefer my secrets to stay secret. Let me tell you one thing, too. Poe doesn't need an army. If you open your mouth and let his secrets out, I can't promise that I'll be able to control him. I just might lose control myself if you were to talk about things that are better kept hidden."

"What kind of person do you think I am?" She asked angrily.

"The kind that uses people," he answered honestly. "You've got your redeeming qualities, but you're still a self-serving bitch at heart. Now. Is that all, _Boss_? I'd like to get back to Snicker."

"Do you hate me?" Autumn asked with tears welling up in her eyes. Tsuna froze blankly at the sight. For a new tactic, this was a pretty low one for her to use. She knew that he couldn't stand seeing people cry. Especially not someone as strong-willed as Autumn.

"No," he replied with a small flinch for the tears. "I still consider you a friend, Autumn. I've made my peace with what happened back then. I didn't know anything about the race or why you were doing what you were doing, but I could tell that you needed the money. I just wished you would have told me. I could have just given you the money and you wouldn't have had to go through such a horrible night. We're still friends. I just don't want to be reminded of that night. So, don't cry. Okay?"

"Who's crying?" Autumn said in denial, pulling back her tears before they could leak out.

"You were about to," he replied with a small grin. Then his grin faltered when he remembered something else entirely. "I'm sorry about earlier. I really didn't know that your shirt would turn transparent like that."

"I know," she murmured with a small blush, folding her arms across her chest in an automatic reaction. "That's why I didn't come back and yell at you. If I had to say it, you actually did me a favor. I didn't realize that my shirt would do that and I wouldn't have been able to live it down if it'd done that outside because of the rain."

"You gave Arthur a nosebleed," Tsuna chuckled.

"I can give any man a nosebleed," she replied flippantly. "Assuming they're not simple-minded idiots with poor taste in women."

"Are you insulting my taste?" Tsuna asked, feeling the beginnings of normality returning. "I happen to have very good taste in women."

"Sure you do," she scoffed. "Let's see. You slept with Cassandra for her tits."

"Her eyes," Tsuna corrected as they started slowly walking back through the kitchen toward the front again. "Cassandra has really pretty eyes and she was nice. She always let us borrow her sink while we were living in the attic."

"You slept with Dedra for her ass."

"Her smile and her legs," he corrected in amusement. "She was the one that took the time to teach me a lot of the dances I used out at Kink's."

"I thought Susanna was for her legs," she countered knowingly.

"No," he chuckled. "Susanna was for her sensual side. I think I know every line of the Kama Sutra thanks to her."

"Roxy," she prompted. "That had to have been for her hands."

"I'll give you that one," he laughed. "But not like you think. She was really good at massage."

"And Erin being her roommate was just a perk," she replied in disbelief.

"How do you think I paid for the massage?" Tsuna asked, waggling his eyebrows lewdly in hopes to make her laugh. It worked. The last of her tenseness ran out of her completely, telling him that their argument could be forgotten.

"And Summer?" She asked curiously. "I never could figure out why she was your favorite. You were with her three times as much as any of the others. I really thought that you two might hook up before your relationship with Snicker got freaky."

"Hmm," he murmured in thought. The truth was that it'd been because she was Autumn's roommate and his first, but he wasn't about to tell Autumn that! "Her size...?" He said after a moment. "Summer is smaller than me, so it was a lot different than being with any of the others."

"Ooh," Autumn mumbled mockingly in return. "Did the little Suoh have trouble pleasing girls bigger than him?"

"You tell me," he replied with a wide grin. "Did it seem like I had any trouble?"

"You weren't lousy," she answered crookedly. "But there's room for improvement."

"I've improved," he countered quirkily. "But that's for Snicker to enjoy." With that, Tsuna exited out the double doors to the main part of the restaurant, wanting nothing more than to get back to Snicker's side. The customer greeted him enthusiastically as he passed, which Tsuna politely returned without stopping. If the guy wanted something, there was a waitress on duty. Papa Paolo had him on break, so--

Tsuna's face fell when he reached the booth and Snicker wasn't present. The dessert was nothing more than a bowl of soggy cream with strawberries floating in it, telling him that he'd been gone longer than he'd intended. It'd felt like five minutes, but the fact that the waitress was bringing the customer's plate of pasta told him that it'd been more like twenty. He sighed in resignation and started picking up the cups left behind along with the bowl. It was under the bowl that he found the note that Snicker had left him. It was written on what looked to be the back of an envelope with a shaky cursive that Tsuna recognized on sight. Snicker always had the habit of not dotting his i's and crossing every t in a word with the same stroke.

_Suoh, _

_It's getting late, so I'm going to head back. I figured that you got put back to work and you don't need an old man like me getting in your way. Don't think that you're off the hook. We'll finish what we started when you get home.. _

_Love, Joshua. _

_P.S. Handmade whipped cream is good, but the bottled stuff comes in chocolate. _

Despite himself, Tsuna blushed brightly as he stuffed the note in his pocket. Only Snicker would be so careless as to write something like that when a waitress could have been the one to find it. He could just imagine the teasing that would have resulted. Although, a little part of him was overwhelmingly happy with it, too. Not just because it was the promise of him getting laid when he got home, but because it showed that Snicker was just as disgruntled about their interruption as he was. If it hadn't bothered him, he would have just said that he was going home without mentioning his plans. Even though Snicker hadn't been planning on getting any gratification, he was still feeling let down.

Pain shared was pain halved, Tsuna mused with a chuckle while he finished gathering the dished up from the table. Michelle would wipe it down for him, but the dishes were his responsibility. It was getting close to closing time, too, so it was better for him to get the last of the dishes out of the way. He could go ahead and take back all the kitchen dishes and get everything washed up so that the customer's plates and utensils were the only thing that he had left. He could sweep the kitchen, too, so that Isaac could mop as soon as the open sign went down.

"The rain is hard falling," the customer commented as Tsuna walked past again. Tsuna paused and looked out the window, completely unable to deny the sentiment. It truly was raining hard. The streets were almost completely flooded even though it hadn't yet risen up to the level that cars couldn't pass. The cars that were still braving the rain were moving slowly, but they hadn't come to a standstill yet.

It made Tsuna want to grimace at the thought of how it probably was in the alleyways. People would be sleeping while sitting up tonight. All the Orange Dragons were safely under cover, but there were so many more that were stuck out in the elements. Tsuna wished that he could help them all, but he knew that it was impossible. There was simply too many people out there for him to have an open-door policy. The mission was already filled until it was bursting and there were still people on the streets. In times like this, churches would probably open their doors for the night, too, and that would still only help a quarter of the homeless find shelter. It wasn't much, but he had to be satisfied with helping those that he knew wouldn't take advantage of his generosity. He had to be satisfied with opening his doors to those that had promised to respect his property as much as his friends.

He just wished that he could get such promises out of more people and actually be able to believe it. If he had a choice, he'd triple the size of the gang just so that he could protect more people. It was impossible, though. His wallet could only stretch so far and none of the Dragon Fangs were ready to trust him to take care of them like Eric and the others did. If they did, Daren and his crew would have come to him long before now and they would have accepted his help.

"Why sad face?" The customer asked, setting down a forkful of pasta with an innocently curious expression.

"Ah," Tsuna blurted as he snapped out of his wool-gathering thoughts. "It's nothing. You're just right. The rain is coming down pretty hard. It's going to make walking into a hassle." That was right. He wouldn't even be able to walk very well in this kind of rain. Depending on whether the coordinator for tonight's fight had picked a newly buried section of landfill or one of the roads that the bulldozers used, the dirt might be soft enough for him to sink into instead of carrying his weight. It was the difference between an inch or two of mud to fight on or a foot or two. He hoped that he picked a place with only a few inches. The footing would be treacherous, but he'd still be able to move. If it was deeper, he'd be lucky to not get stuck. He wouldn't know until he got there.

He felt his heart beginning to react to the uncertainty. Leaving the customer to finish his pasta in peace, Tsuna headed for the comforting familiarity of the dish pit. There was too many worries about the fight that he hadn't wanted to face. Was he going to fight first? Last? If it was last, the ground would already be churned up by the previous fights. He didn't know if that would be a good thing or a bad thing. He'd only stepped in and taken Ore's job a few times in the past. He was always typically up against someone larger than him, but this was going to be the first time that the difference would be so incredible when it came to muscular build. Sumo wrestlers had a lot of muscle on their body, plus there was their sheer size to think about. Trying to use Judo to counter their grappling techniques would be nearly impossible for him. If the mud was too thick, he'd be unable to use his feet any. The mud would weigh him down too much and slow his legs. That meant that he couldn't use kickboxing.

Boxing. He still had boxing. Body blows would be fairly useless, but it would put on a good show. He'd save the head blows for taking the guy out. That was a good plan. Papa Paolo would bet on him from the start so that no one was suspicious that he might be sandbagging. Seeing that his punches were ineffective to the guy's body, his odds should go down. When his odds went down, Papa Paolo would place a secondary bet that would multiply his winnings exponentially. After that, Tsuna had to win. He absolutely had to win. Papa Paolo would be betting all of his gambling money and whatever profits he'd made off of the previous fights on Tsuna. He had to win.

He had to win.

He had to win.

This wasn't a schoolyard bully that he was going against. It was a man who would rather kill him than lose. He'd known that when he'd accepted in Ore's place. Ore was counting on him to win. Papa Paolo was counting on him to win. Snicker was counting on him to make it home. He couldn't fail them. He wanted... He wanted to win. He didn't want to lose against a man who just wanted to use his combat skills to make a quick buck. That was what he'd seen in the other fights that he'd taken part in. There was a gleam of greed in all of them. Ore's eyes had been no different at first. The difference was that he didn't see potential in any of those that he'd had to go against when he'd stood in for Ore. They were all rotten to the core. He wouldn't lose to people like that. He'd never had an obsession with victory, but he didn't need that to win. He had his obsession with returning home and his obsession for protecting the people that he cared about. If it took fighting to achieve that, he wouldn't stand down.

He wasn't the snot-nosed kid of the past who only had himself to think of. He had family and friends now. Snicker was his family. Gigi was his family. Eric and Summer was his family. Ore, Cassandra and Dedra was his family. Leo and Marty was his family. Ollie was his family. Poe and Lobat was his family. All of those who wore a dragon fang handkerchief on their arm were his friends. They were all counting on him. He was the adult this time. Where a kid looked to their parents to protect them, he was the one that everyone looked to. He couldn't falter when they needed him.

"Closing time," Papa Paolo called loudly enough to be heard from his office.

"Already finished here," Isaac called back.

"Same here," Tsuna said, poking his head out of where he'd been zoned out in the dish pit. "I just have to grab the dishes from that last customer."

"I thought I told you to rest," Papa Paolo replied in surprise. "Let someone else take care of that. You go sit down like I told you to."

"Ah, yes," Tsuna murmured sheepishly. "I forgot when Snicker left." Feeling himself being glared at, Tsuna dashed back out into the restaurant and plunked his rear down into a seat. The last customer had left already and the rain was still going strong. Between the cloud cover and it being past sunset, it was almost pitch black outside. The only light was what was coming off of streetlights and very little of that could even penetrate the rain. It made him wonder how people were planning to actually see the fight that was planned. He'd figured that it'd be a vehicle ring since mud meant that it was outdoors. Even with headlights, no one would be able to see them, however. The rain was coming down too thickly.

Relaxing like he was told, he blankly watched it for what seemed like hours. Rather than allow himself to ponder things that would only increase his apprehension, he let his mind wander in the direction of more pleasing thoughts. Occasionally, he'd blow on his whistle for a while or smoke a cigarette. Most of the time was lazily spent daydreaming about silly things. Things such as whether or not Snicker had ever been to a hot spring bath and whether Eric's character in his show was really going to marry the succubus queen.

"Suoh...?" Tsuna blinked and looked up, realizing that someone had turned the lights off in the front of the building. With his eyes having already adjusted without him noticing, he immediately saw Gigi walking through the darkened restaurant toward where his outline was in the window. "Why are you in here by yourself?" She asked curiously. Tsuna only raised an eyebrow, slowly taking new long, red wig and the sparkling, sleeveless black dress that she'd decided on for the night. It just seemed so wrong for a guy to look as good in a dress as Gigi managed to. There was absolutely nothing to tell that she was a he. Even her Adam's apple was hidden behind the thick choker at the top of his dress and her makeup looked like she'd spent hours working on it in order to get an upper-class feeling of a pampered heiress. "This could all be yours for free, sweet-cheeks," Gigi offered with a slow, seductive turn once she realized what Tsuna was looking at.

"I'll pass," he chuckled. "You look nice, though."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she said as she sat down across from him.

"What did you stuff in there?" Tsuna asked curiously, pointing at the overly-large pair of tits that were giggling in a very realistic way behind the sparkling cloth covering her chest. "Those definitely aren't grapefruits."

"I stopped using grapefruits in high school," Gigi laughed. "These babies are a trade secret. You want to squeeze? I promise that they feel as real as they look." Curious, Tsuna decided to go for it. It wasn't as if they were really Gigi's breasts, after all. He did find himself blushing at how real they felt. They were too firm to be memory foam. They were too soft to be plastic. He couldn't quite place it, but they definitely created a sense of realism. "Keep it up and you're going to turn me on," Gigi teased.

"I can't figure out what it is," Tsuna replied innocently, pushing whatever it was around to see if it could be dislodged. It couldn't. No matter how he squeezed or how he prodded, they always giggled back into place like real breasts would. "Did you go and get a boob job when I wasn't looking?"

"No," she laughed. "I can take them off."

"They feel like--"

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Eh?" Tsuna blurted as he turned in place to see Isaac staring at him from the kitchen doors. He froze, instantly imagining his outline in the window. Him. Gigi, who looked completely woman. His hands openly fondling Gigi's tits. "This isn't what it looks like!" Tsuna squealed, pulling his hand back as if he'd just gotten burned. "She told me to!"

"It's true," Gigi confirmed nonchalantly with a toss of her long wig over her shoulder. "I've been trying to steal Suoh away from Snicker for ages, but this is the most that I can get from him. I'd give up on him, but I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to find another man that's worthy to fall in love with." Tsuna blushed until his ears turned red at the wistful sigh that Gigi let out. He knew that sigh. It was Gigi's 'Love Trick Number Eighteen'. 'Induce a man to sympathize in order to break the ice.'

"You're not Isaac's type!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Speak for yourself, twerp," Isaac growled. Tsuna groaned to himself, seeing Gigi perk up in interest when Isaac walked forward enough to be more than just a hulking shadow. From the considering look on Isaac's face while he looked Gigi over, the interest was mutual. This was not good. Not good at all. Isaac would never let him forget it if he found out that Gigi was a guy. Gigi had been working for Papa Paolo for a long time now, but Tsuna distinctly remembered that they always met around midnight at a little bar on Oregon Street. This was Gigi's first time coming to the restaurant, therefore it was her first time coming across Isaac.

"Gigi's a transvestite," Tsuna blurted in hopes to keep Isaac from doing anything that Tsuna would be held accountable for. He choked when two hands reached out to smack him in the back of the head in unison. Gigi smacked him for being rude and Isaac smacked him because he was Isaac.

"No wonder you're a fucking queer," Isaac snarled. "You can't tell a man from a woman even when you got one right in front of you!"

"B-But--"

"Just leave it, sweet-cheeks," Gigi said with an amused smile before introducing herself to Isaac. "I'm Gigi, Suoh's close, personal assistant and a good friend to Papa Paolo. I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you, Mister...?"

"Isaac," he replied, taking Gigi's lofted hand gingerly in order to press his lips against the back in a display that left Tsuna's stomach churning. Isaac would definitely never let him forget this. Gigi was giggling almost madly with delight, while Tsuna let his head drop down and bang onto the table in resignation. Isaac apparently got his kicks off of trying to be a romantic. Gigi got her kicks off of fooling guys like Isaac.

"My luck has been pure shit today," Tsuna whined with his face still in the table.

"You're not totally out of luck," Gigi countered. Tsuna looked up as Isaac invited himself to sit down with them. Gigi dug around in her purse for a few seconds, after which she pulled out a small vial that made Tsuna turn pale. "He said that he couldn't make pills with such short notice, but he'll have them for you in the morning. Until then, he gave me a couple vials that you can use as shots if you need them.

"Fuck," Tsuna cried, banging his head back down onto the table again. The reason for the curse was simple. The amount in the vial was easily ten times what he normally took in with a pill. "That's no good! There's too much in there! Drinking that will completely destroy my schedule! I'm already pushing it by what I drank earlier!"

"It'll be okay, sweet-cheeks," Gigi soothed gently. "Poe said that he already figured a way to make up for that. It's going to be difficult on you, though."

"What is it?" Tsuna gasped in hope.

"What about...?" Gigi prompted with a glance over at Isaac.

"What is it?!" He repeated. "I don't care about Isaac! This is more important! I can't drink that if it's going to undo everything I've done in the past few months! If I can't drink that, I'm not going to be able to go home tonight!"

"It's pretty simple," she replied with a solemn tone. "We just have to chain you up tomorrow when you feel the cravings start. If we force you to hold out until your usual time to take a pill, your body should stick to the cycle that you've been keeping to."

"That's pretty dangerous," Tsuna murmured with his face falling completely. "If I got loose before you can calm me down, you know what will happen. We wouldn't be able to keep it from Snicker if we did it at home, too."

"What are you two talking about?" Isaac interjected curiously. "What is that stuff? That's the same stuff that Boss got sick over earlier. Isn't it?"

"It's my anemia medication," he answered blandly. "It's a special mix that I'm supposed to take on a specific schedule."

"Why _did _you break your schedule?" Gigi asked worriedly. "You know how serious that is. The last time you took an extra dose, you lost two weeks of progress on extending your time without it."

"I didn't have a choice," Tsuna replied through clenched teeth. "Someone locked me in the freezer while I was wet and I got sick. On top of it, you know how sensitive I am to cold. I went to drink some whiskey to warm myself up, but apparently my limit dropped again. I got drunk off of four shots."

"Oh, sweet-cheeks," Gigi gaped in sympathy. "You should have known better. You rarely touch hard liquor anymore. I've only seen you drinking beer when you're with Snicker lately."

"I wasn't thinking," he admitted unhappily. "I just remembered that it kept me warm while I was still sleeping in that doghouse. Since I have the fight tonight, I had to fix myself and taking a pill was the only thing I could think of."

"But the pill casings froze in the freezer and busted," she sighed. "Well, there's no use in crying over spill--"

"Spilled milk," Tsuna finished for him in case he'd been wanting to make a pun. "What am I going to do, Gigi? If I don't take it, I'll have to wait on a pill and my whole schedule will be thrown off along with me having to hide from Snicker until I get one. If I do take it, my schedule will still be thrown off, but it might be so bad that I have to start over from scratch."

"You won't take Poe's suggestion?" Gigi asked curiously.

"No," he answered firmly. "I'd rather have to start over than put him and everyone else in danger. It would be even worse for me if I got loose and actually managed to kill him."

"Why don't you wait to decide after you know what your damage is going to be tonight?" Gigi suggested, patting his hands in effort to soothe him. "You might not even need a repair."

"I'll need a repair," he groaned. "Tonight is going to get bloody, Gigi."

"I don't really get what you two are talking about," Isaac interjected sheepishly, reinserting his presence into the conversation. "But why don't you just let Ore fight?"

"Are you a moron?" Gigi inquired with a dead-pan expression. Isaac lurched up in his seat as if having been slapped. "Is he a moron, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked, turning to him in askance before returning her gaze to the cook. "If Suoh says something is a no-go, then it's a no-go. You've been working with him for months now. You should know that Suoh's intuition is never wrong. If he says that Ore shouldn't fight, why the hell are you suggesting for him to fight?"

"Ore is a good fighter and the twerp might be wrong," he replied in surprise over the scolding tone.

"Let me ask you something," Gigi said in a tone that made Tsuna cringe. "Do you use white wine when you know that red tastes better with what you're cooking?"

"That would be stupid," he chuckled. "You go with the one that brings out the better taste."

"Just like you, sweet-cheeks knows what the best outcome is," she said with her nose flaring in anger. "You shouldn't question him when it comes to the Orange Dragons."

"You can stop, Gigi," Tsuna interjected with a soft smile over being defended. "No matter what Isaac says, I won't let Ore fight tonight. I'll figure something out. It makes me want to cry to think about it, but I think I know what I'm going to do. There's only one choice really."

"You're going to take it," she replied with a miserable expression.

"Yes," he nodded quietly. "It means that my schedule will be messed up and I might have to go back to taking pills three times a day, but it's worth it. I want to go home and see Snicker after this is over."

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll let you squeeze my breasts again," Gigi offered with a small pout. Tsuna shot her a glare with an unwilling smile attached. Something like that was exactly the kind of thing that Gigi would say when he was talking seriously.

"If you keep it up, I'm going to tear your dress up and find out what they're made of," he growled.

"You can't do that!" Gigi exclaimed, holding her breasts protectively. "Do you know how hard it is to get a pair this nice?!"

"No clue," Tsuna replied blandly. "I don't want to know, either."

"What do you think of my tits?" Gigi asked, squeezing them slightly in Isaac's face. "I just got them today."

"T-They're nice," he answered with a dumbfounded expression.

"I know," Gigi grinned as she fondled her own chest.

"You can stop that, Gigi," Tsuna growled, seeing Isaac nearly drooling over what he _thought _he was seeing. Standing up, he tossed his head for Gigi to follow and headed toward the back. If Isaac was just sitting around, the undercook had to have already went home. That meant that it had to be getting close to time. He stopped as soon as he was through the kitchen door, however, seeing an unexpected amount of men in suits.

"It looks like a party," Gigi murmured over his shoulder.

"Ah! Suoh!" Papa Paolo called before the men could do more then tense up at his presence. "Get in here, son. We were just talking about you!" Tsuna swallowed hard at how pointed at the glances immediately got. He felt like he was instantly being put under a microscope.

"I was resting like you told me to, Papa Paolo," he replied as he hesitantly finished walking through the door. "I was just going to put my apron up and grab my jacket."

"Don't worry," he chuckled, urging him over to where he was sitting on a corner of the kitchen worktable. "Just come here. I want to fill you in on the venue and get your opinion."

"Oh," he replied. Taking comfort in Gigi's hovering presence, he walked forward to stand before Papa Paolo. It felt awkward to have so many people openly listening to their conversation, especially since he didn't recognize any of them. He assumed that they were Papa Paolo's men, but they were from the side of the business that Tsuna didn't deal with.

"This is where the ring is being set up," he said, pointing to a sectioned out area of what looked to be a recent map of the dump. "From the looks of it, it's going to be a makeshift ring. Each participant is going to be assigned a different truck to wait in and the trucks are going to be set in a circular fashion to outline the ring. Between every two trucks, there's going to be a platform for our spectators to view from. Under no circumstances are you to involve them with the fight. You should have plenty of space to move around in. As we speak, they're setting up a circus tent over the area to keep the rain from interfering with the viewing."

"When am I fighting?" Tsuna interjected.

"Last," he answered. "I'm going to need to build up cash from the previous matches if I'm going to still make a profit off of tonight by betting on you."

"That's soft land," Tsuna murmured, looking over the map. "If I remember right, that section of land was turned over three months ago."

"It was packed down in the process and my men looked over it carefully," he replied. "The trash that's underneath is compressed enough and the dirt is thick enough that it's as good as solid ground. You don't have to worry about getting thrown and finding yourself with glass or god-knows-what stabbing you."

"That's not what I'm worried about," he replied in concern. "I trust that the dirt will be thick enough between us and the garbage. It's the dirt itself. It might have been packed down, but that was months ago. Even if it's settled, it'll be sludge by the time that my match comes up from all the previous fighters. I knew that the footing would be poor, but I'm probably going to sink with soft land being soaked like this. Walking around in a foot of mud might not seem like much problem for your other fighters, because they're all so tall. But I'm short. I'll loose my boots almost instantly. Even if I don't, the sludge will pin my pants down. I've been training my legs, but that kind of constant burden is going to destroy my stamina. With me going up against a sumo wrestler, stamina and freedom of movement are two things that I'll have to have."

"What do you suggest we do about it?" Papa Paolo asked solemnly.

"You're asking me?!" Tsuna gasped in shock. "I've just been thinking about the problems! I have no clue how to get around it!"

"Throws," Gigi interjected. "If you have the previous fighters throw their opponents a lot so that they slide in the mud, you can kick most of the sludge to the sidelines. It'd give everyone the show that they're wanting, too. Two filthy men rolling around in the muck while they pound each other to gain dominance. That's why they decided on a mud-fight. Right? Just tell your other fighters to throw toward the sidelines when they get a chance. Have your dominate fighters drag the fight out if there's no danger of defeat. The more throws they get in, the more muck that gets thrown with them."

"That's good," Tsuna agreed excitedly. "Even if it's a little bit, it'd help!"

"I have another suggestion," Gigi grinned as Papa Paolo nodded in acceptance. "It's one that'll really make the spectators happy, too."

"I don't like your smile," Tsuna replied in dread.

"Fight naked," she said simply. Tsuna blushed brightly and opened his mouth to object, but immediately snapped it back shut.

"That's actually not a bad idea," he mumbled in thought. "I wouldn't have to worry about my clothing getting trapped by the mud. My opponent also wouldn't have sleeves or a shirt to throw me with."

"Did you wear boxers or briefs today?" Gigi asked teasingly.

"Gigi!" Tsuna squealed.

"Fine, fine," she laughed with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'll find out soon enough. It makes me wish I had a video camera, though."

"Gi...gi..." Tsuna growled.

"Oh my!" She said with an artificial gasp. "Don't tell me that you forgot to wear any!"

"I'm about to strangle you," he warned.

"Ooh," she murmured. "Erotic asphyxiation. I didn't know--" Gigi let out a delighted squeal as Tsuna reached out to strangle her. He started to give chase when she dodged, but Papa Paolo's hand of restraint kept him in place.

"She's just letting out some steam, son," Papa Paolo soothed, pulling his attention back to the map while Gigi headed back into the main part of the restaurant. "This is going to be the toughest fight that you've participated in. Are you sure that you're ready for this? It's not too late to call Ore or someone else in."

"I'm ready," Tsuna replied firmly, setting his jaw while the thought of what he was going to receive on Ore's behalf floated into his mind. "I won't lose."

"Alright," he nodded. "Weapons won't be allowed in the ring, so you'll have to fight without your gloves. I have Nathaniel fetching you some tape for your arms and legs. Is there anything else that you need before we go?"

"Can I borrow the phone?" He asked sheepishly. His eyes widened when six different cell phones were offered before Papa Paolo could lift a finger. Taking the first one that his hand touched, he gave a small nod of thanks before silently asking Papa Paolo if he could borrow his office. Papa Paolo nodded, after which Tsuna darted for it as fast as he could. There was only one thing that he needed and that was to hear Snicker's voice just one more time to settle his nerves. He was nervous. Even with Gigi's ideas, there was still too much about the fight that was up in the air.

"Orange Dragon Dojo, Leo here."

"Leo!" Tsuna gasped. "Is Snicker there?"

"Oh!" She gasped across the line. "Suoh! Hold on and I'll--"

"Suoh?!" Snicker gasped two seconds later. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tsuna soothed hurriedly. "We were just about to head out and I wanted to check up on everything. Did everyone make it okay?"

"Everyone's accounted for," he answered with a note of relief in his voice. "Did Gigi make it okay?"

"She's here," he confirmed with a growing smile. "Do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Call in tomorrow."

"Eh?"

"Please?" Tsuna begged. "I'm going to try really hard to make it home by morning. You can just tell them that you got caught in the rain and caught a cold. I'll even ask Papa Paolo to get you a doctor's note."

"If you get me a note," he agreed with a sigh.

"Really?!"

"Why not? I really wasn't feeling like going in tomorrow. My joints are acting up like crazy tonight."

"Go take a hot bath," Tsuna ordered with a smile. "I've got to go. I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied. "Be careful with this rain."

"I will," he promised. Trading farewells, Tsuna gave himself a moment to jump for joy in privacy. Snicker was going to call in for him! He definitely had to make it home by morning! "Papa Paolo," Tsuna called, rushing out of the office with a wide grin. "Can I ask for one more thing? Actually, two?"

"What's that?" He asked with an amused smile.

"Can I have off tomorrow?" He pleaded. "And can you get Snicker a doctor's note saying that he has a cold?"

"Let me think," Papa Paolo murmured with a twinkle in his eyes. "Would giving that to you make your victory certain?"

"It's already certain," Tsuna replied seriously, his enthusiasm faltering over the question. "I already told you that I won't lose. I've already got something that I'm asking for about the fight. This is different. This is something that I'm asking for me."

"I see," Papa Paolo replied with his expression softening. "Alright," he nodded. "I'll have you make a few night deliveries for me when you get back. An extra favor means extra work."

"That's fair," he agreed instantly with his smile returning. "It'll be worth it. A couple of hours in exchange for a whole day with Snicker. It's definitely worth it."

"Jules," he called as Tsuna turned to find the owner of the cell phone.

"I've already got it," one of the men replied. "I keep a pad on me. I just need a name."

"Joshua Timberson," Papa Paolo answered, making Tsuna spin back around in surprise over him knowing Snicker's real name. Papa Paolo gave him a small wink in return for his expression. "I remember everyone," he explained with a smile. "If they're important to the people working for me, then they're important to me. Don't underestimate what it takes to be a Boss, son." Tsuna blushed sheepishly and nodded. He should have guessed as much. Papa Paolo cared about his employees like they were family. That's _why _they were called a Family, after all. He couldn't really be a Godfather if he didn't know the name of his son's spouse. Tsuna dealt with him so often as just a regular boss that he sometimes forgot that he was a Mafia Boss.

"Let me grab my bag and Gigi," Tsuna murmured while trying to hold back his smile at the slip of paper that he was handed. Papa Paolo nodded in permission and Tsuna found that the path through the mob in the kitchen opened up no matter where he walked. Unlike when the kitchen staff was working and he repeatedly got run over, everyone here was aware of his presence and answered to it. It made him self-aware in a way that he wasn't sure that he liked.

Tossing his apron in the kitchen hamper, he threw on the leather jacket that he'd been gifted for Christmas. It had been a little unexpected, since Ore had been the one to have given it to him. Apparently the guy wanted him to go riding on his motorcycle with him again, which Tsuna refused to do. The jacket was warm and insulated, though. It wasn't an army jacket, but it was almost as good. It stayed warm, even if it got a little heavy when it was wet. It was his size, too, where his old one had been a few sizes too big.

Slinging his backpack onto one shoulder after stuffing the doctor's note inside, he exited out of the dish pit after shutting off the light and headed for the main part of the restaurant to fetch Gigi. It took him a moment to find her after his eyes had gotten used to the kitchen light, but they adjusted quickly thanks to his unique vision. He almost wished that he was blind when he saw her. She was lip locked with Isaac by the bar and Isaac obviously had no clue that she was a he. It was impossible for him to know with how his hands were on Gigi's rear and his tongue was down her throat.

"Gigi!" Tsuna shouted in shock. Gigi jumped almost a foot in the air, breaking off the kiss by shoving Isaac away completely. "How could you?!"

"I didn't think he'd actually do it," she replied sheepishly while Isaac glared across the room over the interruption. It was an interruption that he had no clue that he should be grateful for.

"It's time to go," he said with a disbelieving expression. "Grab your purse. We'll talk about this later."

"But--"

"No buts!" Tsuna squealed, pointing at the kitchen door while trying not to think about how Isaac was going to react when he found out about Gigi's true nature. Gigi had the gall to shoot Isaac an apologetic look before following the order. "I can't believe you," he grumbled under his breathe when she pulled out her compact on the move to check her lipstick. Walking over to a corner of the kitchen to wait, they kept their voices down so it wouldn't carry.

"I pulled it out of him. He's the one that locked you in the freezer," she replied with a satisfied smile. "It serves him right for picking on you."

"Gigi..." Tsuna gaped in horrified understanding. "You--"

"I'll wait until after the fight to fill him in," she grinned cruelly. "After that, I hope he spends the rest of the night puking when he thinks about how much he just liked that."

"Remind me to never piss you off," he replied in awe. "You know that Isaac's just going to take it out on me."

"We'll see about that," she murmured secretively. "It's almost a pity. He's a pretty good kisser. He's got big hands, too. I wonder--"

"Don't even think about it," Tsuna paled. "Isaac is as straight as they get."

"I thought so," she sighed in resignation. "Why are all the good ones straight?"

"I've heard girls say the same thing about gay guys," Tsuna chuckled. Then his expression softened, understanding Gigi's hidden misery. "You'll find someone, Gigi. You've just got to stop looking. Kink's is a good place to have fun, but you're not going to find Mr. Perfect there."

"I don't know about that," she replied in amusement. "I've been tempted to bring Randall home a few times."

"Randall?" Tsuna repeated.

"He's one of the bouncers," she murmured shyly. "I've been staying late to share drinks with him. He's going to college for physical therapy and he's already got a job lined up with Frieze Medical when he gets out."

"He's a doctor," he stated in surprise.

"Not quite, but close," she laughed. "He'll be the one that comes in after the doctor is done and ensures that people are rehabilitated. Apparently he had an accident while playing soccer in high school. His physical therapist did everything she could to get him back on his feet. Because of her, he was able to play in the finals during his senior year. Her determination to help him reach his dream gave him a new dream. It's really a beautiful story. I should have him tell you sometime."

"We'll go out for drinks after Snicker goes to bed tomorrow night," Tsuna offered.

* * *

Author's note: Please take the time to review this chapter before continuing on!


	45. Chapter 45 Unlucky Day II

Author's notes: Double upload! Please read previous chapter first if you haven't already!

* * *

"Let's go," Papa Paolo's voice echoed through the room. Every head, including Gigi and Tsuna's, snapped up in response and everyone headed for the side door in unison. Gigi dug in her purse along the way, pulling out a collapsible umbrella for them to share. Using it blocked the rain once they were outside, but Gigi still grumbled over how her shoes got soaked. Then Tsuna saw the line of trucks that everyone was piling into. They were monstrous. The wheels were so large that there was no possible way for it to get stuck in the rain on the streets. They were a little showy due to their size, but Tsuna had a feeling that Papa Paolo had already thought of that. "Suoh!" Papa Paolo yelled over the rain, pointing to the truck next to him. "You're with me!"

Walking forward as quickly as Gigi could manage, Tsuna blushed slightly when he had to get a boost up into the truck. He quickly got settled in the backseat with Gigi beside him, while Papa Paolo took the passenger's seat. Some man that he didn't recognize took up the driver's seat and they were moving almost as soon as the doors slammed shut.

"Suoh," Papa Paolo said, looking over the seat. "You've already met my right-hand, Jules. He's a doctor at a private practice on Chevron Street. He'll be the one patching the fighters up and he'll need to know if you have any allergies or--"

"I won't need a doctor," Tsuna interrupted quietly. "Gigi will be enough. She knows what to do."

"I've got everything I need right in here," she said with a firm nod while she patted her purse. "Don't you worry about Suoh. It might not be perfect, but I've patched him up a tons of times in the past. I know what to do."

"Work with Jules," he ordered with a small frown. "Jules is discreet enough that anything he sees won't be commented on. I know that Suoh has some interesting abilities, but I want to make sure that he doesn't come out of this with something that will last. I take care of my people and Suoh's no exception."

Reaching out, Tsuna silently stopped Gigi when she looked like she wanted to object. She fell silent, accepting that she wouldn't be allowed to nurse Tsuna alone for once. Together, they both settled into their seats and merely listened while Papa Paolo talked with Jules like they were old friends. They probably were, Tsuna mused. It made him wonder what Gokudera was probably doing. That guy used to always go on and on about being his right hand. Considering Tsuna was so bad at turning down requests, he'd probably given into him during the time that he couldn't remember. He could just imagine the look that would have been on Gokudera's face when he finally folded. Devotion, joy, and a red mark on his forehead from banging it into the ground. He missed him. They hadn't known each other for more than a couple of years, but Gokudera had been his first friend. Even if it'd been a friendship that Reborn had initiated and caused, Gokudera had really cared about him.

Sometimes, he found himself wondering lately if he'd been rash to run away. It was true that his old friends had been caught up in a lot of bad business. It couldn't have all been bad, though. Gigi and Ollie did illegal stuff, but it was all things that needed to be done. It was to stop bad things that the cops didn't see and things that they couldn't wait for the courts to judge. Even the fight that he was taking part in had a purpose. For the spectators, it was just a brutal entertainment that they could make money off of. For him, it was a means to his ends. If Gokudera had done bad things, they weren't necessarily bad. He just hadn't stuck around long enough to see if there was a 'cat' that he'd been saving. He'd jumped to conclusions and he hadn't gotten the whole story--

No, he reminded himself while gritting his teeth. Why he ran away had nothing to do with Gokudera. Even if Gokudera was still a decent person, Tsuna knew that he hadn't been. He'd been a monster. He'd seen it written in his own words. _Some bitch called me short, so I decided to teach her a lesson._ He still didn't know that woman's name, but the picture he'd seen in that file still haunted him. He'd ran away so that he wouldn't become like that again. He didn't know what had turned him into someone that could do such things, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that Reborn's tutoring probably had something to do with it. Rather than let them do it to him again, he'd ran.

"What's wrong, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked quietly. "You seem down."

"I'm just a little homesick," he replied honestly while he continued to watch the city pass by. From the street they were on and the direction that they were going, Tsuna could tell that the driver was driving randomly in case they had anyone trying to tail them. All the other trucks were taking different routes, meaning that they wouldn't see the others until they met up at the site. "It's been two and a half years," he continued quietly. "I was wondering if Gokudera took it hard when I left. He was always angry and throwing dynamite around, but I think it was just to hide how much he was hurting inside. You remind me of him sometimes because of how you like to hide behind dresses and wigs. He was always the first to jump in and defend me like you do, too. He wouldn't ever call me by my name, either. No matter how hard I pushed, he always..."

"He always what?" Gigi prompted gently. Tsuna shook his head and gave a half-hearted smile. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. Gokudera was gone from his life. Gigi and Eric and Ore and everyone else was what he was fighting for now. Thinking about the past at a time like this would only get him distracted. He needed to focus on what was before him. Namely, he needed to focus on figuring out a final tactic to get Porker to stay down at the end of the fight without killing him.

"Can you tell me more about my opponent, Papa Paolo?" Tsuna asked carefully.

"I wish I could, son," he called over his shoulder. "The only information that I was able to get was that he's a four-hundred pound Spanish man working for Ankles McKinley out of Manhattan. He was called in by Scrotum for this fight, so he's an out-of-towner."

"Scrotum was the guy that I helped when I fought Ore," Tsuna murmured in thought.

"Yep," he confirmed. "I lost a lot of money on that fight, but I've already forgotten about that. You're working for me now, so all's well that ends well. Be sure to give us a knockout punch as good as that one, son."

"I'll try," Tsuna mumbled while silently refusing. That punch had been filled with a willingness to kill. Tsuna refused to go that far. He refused to aim for places that screamed 'kill me'. Assuming, of course, that the fighting sense came back. So far, it only appeared in once out of every six fights that he got into. He thought that it had something to do with how desperate he was, but he was unsure. Tsuna froze. Something felt wrong, he noticed. It took a moment for him to realize what it was, after which he simply gaped for a long moment. "Did you say that he was Spanish?"

"Yes," Papa Paolo nodded, looking over his shoulder in curiosity.

"And a Sumo Wrestler?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Why do you think he's a Sumo Wrestler?" Tsuna asked in growing apprehension.

"Because they call him 'Wrestler de Sumo'," he answered. "That's Spanish for Sumo Wrestler. Right?"

"No," Tsuna groaned. "De Sumo roughly translates to 'completely' or 'entirely'. He's called himself a 'complete wrestler' or even an 'extreme wrestler'. If he was saying Sumo Wrestling, he would have said lucha japonesa."

"That means...?"

"That means that I'm not going up against a Sumo Wrestler," he replied, biting his lip in worry. "I'm going up against a completely different kind of wrestler. One with an ego and a manager that likes to mislead people. He mixed English with Spanish on purpose. He wanted you to prepare someone to go up against a Sumo Wrestler so that he could have the upper hand when the fight didn't go like expected."

"That bastard," Papa Paolo growled darkly. "No wonder he was so happy when I agreed to the match. I'll get him back for that later. What are you going to do, Suoh? Do you want us to go get Ore?"

"No," he answered hurriedly. "It's still a wrestler. Grappling is still going to play a part in the fight. If it was someone that Ore could stand toe-to-toe with, I'd let him fight. I don't want to take chances, though. Since we don't know enough about my opponent, it's still better for me to fight. Figuring out the trick earlier just gives me more time to think."

"Think fast," Papa Paolo urged. "We're here." Leaning over the back seat, Tsuna looked out the window to see. There wasn't much. They were just driving through the dump. The road was tilting downward between two heaps that had been left so that the buried trash could begin decomposing. The dump rotated out which areas they stored the city's garbage. Once a year, they buried what had piled up and moved to a new area, just like farmers rotated through crops. This particular section of land wouldn't be used for another five years, after which the dirt and half-degraded trash would be dug up, ground up, and put aside to be thrown over the top of a new pile. Because of this cycle, the mounds along the dirt road sometimes jumped a couple of stories above the road itself. All it looked like was mounds of mud and dirt as if it were a construction site being dug up in preparation for foundation being laid.

Then the road took an abrupt turn and Tsuna saw the true nature of the night's venue. It was a wide area hidden away due to all of the high mounds of dirt and covered with a low-rise circus tent. From the city, it would be impossible to see. It would be easy to spot by a helicopter, but the rain made such surveillance impossible. He suddenly understood something almost as important. All of the venues previously had been hidden indoor rings. The rain was one of the only times that the upper-class fight fans could set up an outdoor arena. Even as they drove past, modified four wheelers pulling covered carts were picking up spectators from parked vehicles along the road to ensure that they made it to the hidden tent without soiling their shoes in the mud or getting rained on.

They were directed rather quickly into the tent itself, where Jules took several men's directions in backing his vehicle against one of the tent walls. Just like Papa Paolo had described, there was plenty of room to fight. A semi-truck could easily fit inside, even after all the trucks were in place on the outer ring. While he curiously looked around, he saw the four wheel vehicle that they had passed pull up next to a stage set up beside where they were parked. A man in a tuxedo stepped off, followed by a woman in a sparkling silver dress. Tsuna stared in awe for a moment as Gigi's costume suddenly made a lot more sense to him. These people were dressed up like they were going to the opera instead of a bloody brawl!

"Jump in the back and start getting ready, Suoh," Papa Paolo ordered, pointing to a window in the back of the truck that poured out into the truck bed. Tsuna nodded, understanding that the show had already started. People would be deciding their bets and his odds from the moment that they laid eyes on him.

With that in mind, he quickly crawled out of the truck in the most embarrassing way possible. He got his bag caught. He squealed like a stuck pig until it was lose and he landed face-first in the truck bed. It was very embarrassing, but he kept his goal in mind. He had to make himself look like an idiot and lower his odds. He slipped twice while trying to stand up, an unintentional addition to his little show.

"Are you okay?" Gigi asked worriedly as she slipped out smoothly behind him.

"I'm fine," he mumbled with an embarrassed blush as he rubbed his battered nose. "Be careful. It's slippery back here."

"I've walked on runways that were worse," she commented as she stood flawlessly in the back of the truck. "How's my hair? Did I mess it up?"

"No," he answered with a smile. There was something about Gigi that was so dependable that it calmed him almost too easily. She seemed to care about nothing but her vanity, but he knew that it was just a facade. Focusing on trivial things kept her from dwelling. By pulling Tsuna into it with innocent questions, she was trying to keep Tsuna from dwelling, too. There was reason to dwell, though. Looking around, he saw the other fighters already preparing in the back of their own trucks. There was nearly twenty in all. Ten were Papa Paolo's fighters, under the management of someone named Marco. The other ten were those under the management of Scrotum.

"If it isn't the Crazy Bum," someone said from beside the truck. Tsuna turned in curiosity and found a familiar face pop up over the side. It was the same man who'd been managing Ore back when Tsuna had fought him. He was even wearing the same silk shirt that he had back then. "I thought Ore was coming tonight."

"I'm standing in for him," Tsuna replied hesitantly.

"You two are friends now?" He asked with a crooked grin. "I'll never understand you fighters. I figured that you two would be deadly rivals after how you knocked him out. He refused to fight for me after that until he found you. Not that I'm complaining. When he started fighting again, he became the king pretty damn fast. It makes me wish that I could set up a real match between you two. I'd love to see who'd win."

"Ore would win," Tsuna chuckled sadly. "I wouldn't be able to hit him."

"Yeah," Marco laughed. "Ore's pretty damn tall."

"That's not what I mean," Tsuna corrected sheepishly. "I mean that I couldn't hit a friend."

"Like I said, I'll never understand you fighters," Marco sighed. "Look, kid. The guy that ran the last couple of matches for me didn't give you a ring name. They've just been calling you Suoh. I need something spicier than that if I'm going to get people to bet on you."

"I thought you needed people to bet on the guy that's going to lose," Tsuna objected innocently.

"Cute, kid," he laughed. "I'm routing for you, but I make money no matter who wins. Papa Paolo and his crew have to place their bets with Scrotum to make money off of tonight. This isn't like the little fights you've been in before. Everyone here is a high-roller and they pay a thousand bucks just to place a bet. The wins and the losses usually even out pretty good since people bring friends and toss down matching bets against their friends. That means that I make my bank off of the service charges. A lot of money is going to be trading hands tonight and I need to sell you if I'm going to profit. So, give me something that I can use."

"Um, my name means Little Dragon," Tsuna replied, scratching his head without really getting how the guy would make money if people were to bet on a winning ticket.

"No good," he grimaced. "Chin Yu is already using dragon in his ring name. I'll be back in a minute. Try to think of something better than 'Crazy Bum'. If you don't, I'm going to give you a pirate name and a pirate background to go with that eye-patch."

"Anything but that," he paled as the man jumped down to head to the next truck. Turning around, he found Gigi trying to hold back laughter which only made him glare. "Help me get ready," he growled. She nodded with her amusement still plain on her face and ducked into the cab of the truck to see if someone had arrived with his boxing tape yet. While she was doing that, he set to stripping off his clothes.

It was incredibly mortifying. He could feel eyes watching him from the stage next to them, making him wonder how the other boxers managed. He wasn't the only one undressing. Apparently the other fighters had similar ideas. Some only took off their boots so that the mud wouldn't steal them. Others kept their boots, but still took off their shirts. A rare few stayed fully dressed, but there were two others that stripped all the way down like he was. He was kind of amused to see that they were all guys with his same slight build.

He got more attention than any of them, however. The moment that his shirt came off, his scars were on display for anyone who wanted to see. He let them look. Scars were typically seen as signs of defeat. A few scars made a man look tough, but a mutilated body like his was seen as a sign of stupidity. It made him seem like a guy who got into fights that he couldn't win. He had other things to worry about, though, when he remembered what under shorts he had thrown on this morning. Even worse, it was too late to have Gigi get him a different pair.

"What's wrong, Suoh?" Gigi asked from where she was packing his shirt, socks and wool cap into his bag for him, along with his knives and his gloves. "Give me your pants so that I can pack them up."

"Umm," he mumbled with a bright blush. "D-Don't tease me."

"Don't tell me that you really did forget!" She exclaimed with wide eyes.

"No!" He blurted with a bright blush. "I just... I just remembered that I'm wearing the ones that Snicker gave me for Valentines Day."

"Oh, really?" She asked with a cruel grin spreading across her face. "You actually wore those? You were so embarrassed when he gave them to you, even though it was just a gag gift."

"I just grabbed a pair this morning," he grumbled. "I didn't think I was going to be showing them off!"

"I won't tease you," she soothed. "I already teased you enough when you got them."

"Maybe I should keep my pants on," he blushed in memory. "I--"

"Take them off," Gigi ordered solemnly. "Even if it's just a little bit, having them on will hinder you. I won't tease you, sweet-cheeks. This is too serious for that."

"Alright," he sighed. Before he could change his mind, he unzipped them and pulled his pants off. It left him feeling even more exposed than before. He could literally feel the eyes crawling across his bare legs and across his shorts. Even worse was that Gigi was one of them. She accepted the denim jeans when he handed them to her, but her eyes weren't on his pants. They were on his boxers. His chocolate brown, silk boxers with a certain candy bar wrapper in the pattern.

"Damn," she muttered under her breathe while tossing her head at some sort of chill that went up her spin. "He's married, Gigi. Down girl."

"Gigi," he growled as he sat down.

"I'm not teasing!" She squealed as she stuffed his jeans into his backpack. "I'm admiring! There's a difference!"

"Well, stop admiring and help me get taped up! The first fight is going to start soon and I want to--"

_Take off your eye-patch, my pet._

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped as Mukuro-sama's presence washed through his mind.

_I can alter your perceptions to simulate seeing through it, but your own eyes can see far more than that which I can emulate. Take it off. You'll need all your strength if you are to succeed without my aid._

_Does that mean...? _Tsuna asked curiously, focusing his thoughts in order to answer rather than have a conversation with air.

_Ah_, Mukuro-sama confirmed with amusement in his voice. _If you are determined to go through this, I will aid you. You will not allow me to protect you from pain and injury, but I would not have you destroyed. If you should falter, I will be watching and finish what you have started._

_Thank you, Mukuro-sama_, he replied in relief. He felt all of his muscles loosen at the promise. Mukuro-sama rarely stepped in for him, but knowing that he was there made Tsuna feel as if he had a steel wall of support at his back. For tonight, he wouldn't fall.

"You seem a lot calmer," Gigi commented as she finished taping his left hand. He smile and nodded, reaching up to pull off the eye patch like Mukuro-sama had told him to. Once it was off, he rubbed his eye in effort to get it to focus. He was so used to Mukuro-sama's illusions that he sometimes forgot that what he was seeing out of that side actually was an illusion. That particular eye rarely got real usage. Blinking repeatedly when his eye started watering while it tried to sync up correctly with his other eye, he looked around to find that Mukuro-sama was correct. His eyesight was sharpened to an incredible degree without the eye patch on. It was so good that he could see the individual threads holding the sequins in place on Gigi's dress.

"Ah," he smiled. "I've got nothing to fear now. Mukuro-sama said that he would help me if I need it."

"Your eyelid has gotten lazy," she mumbled without looking at him. "Be careful that you don't let it close during the fight."

"Look at me, Gigi," Tsuna ordered as she started wrapping his foot for him.

"I am looking at you," she replied with her eyes still pointedly looking at his foot.

"Look at my eyes," he clarified softly. Gigi froze and slowly raised her head, obviously not wanting to see. "I'm still Suoh," he soothed when her eyes made it to at least a point on his face, if not his eyes. "I know that this eye freaks you out when you think about it, but just think of it as a contact lens. It's a special one that works like a walkie-talkie. That's all."

"It's not that easy, Suoh," she objected quietly, once more averting her eyes. "I know why your eye is like that. You shouldn't have to give up your privacy just because you have a scary past. That guy is in your head and he's in your thoughts. Aren't you bothered by that?"

"No," he answered honestly. "It's true that Mukuro-sama is always watching, but I like to think of him as a guardian angel. I can't see him and he rarely talks to me, but he protects me when I get in over my head. He's really not a bad person, even if he does treat me like Peanut sometimes."

_Kufufufu_, Mukuro chuckled in his mind. _You are a much more amusing pet than a mere German Shepard_.

"Guardian angel, hmmm?" Gigi mumbled in consideration. "I'll try to think of it like that, but I can't say that it makes me feel that much better. No person should give up control of their body. It doesn't matter if it's to an angel or a demon. It's still not right. I don't have anything against you, Suoh. I have a serious problem with your self-proclaimed protector. There's too much about his motives that's a mystery."

"I trust him," Tsuna replied simply. "I just want you to know that I'd rather that you stare at me than not look at me at all. If it was someone else, it'd be the opposite. Not you, though. It makes me feel like you're disgusted with me when you act like this."

"I'll try," she murmured as she finished the last of his leg wrappings. "All done, sweet-cheeks. Start stretching."

"Alright," he nodded. Doing like she ordered, he focused on getting his muscles warmed up so that they'd be at peak efficiency for when the fight started. The only problem was that the back of the truck wasn't quite large enough for him to stretch out completely. He could do one leg at a time, but he couldn't get his full range of motion stretched out that way. Then he got an idea.

"What are you doing?" Gigi asked in a blank tone. Tsuna looked up at her with one ankle on either side of the truck and his hands still on the bed.

"I'm stretching," he answered honestly. "I can't feel it as well when I just do one at a time." Ignoring her gaping jaw, he pushed off so that he could sit up. He grimaced slightly as his leg joints finally started pulling. It hurt, but it didn't hurt as much as he expected. He was used to doing the splits to warm up. Doing splits over empty air just let him stretch a little further. It was good muscle exercise, too, he noticed. Keeping himself from over-stretching meant using every ounce of leg muscle that he had. "I need to start doing this at home," he commented absently while he started stretching his arms out in unison.

"Please do," Gigi gaped in return. Tsuna wanted to laugh at how she openly eyed him. That easily, she completely forgot about his eye. "If you keep that up, you're going to have all the male spectators jealous and you'll only be getting bet on by the women."

"I don't care about that," he replied. Lifting up slightly, he turned his hips and rotated his legs before lowering back down. This angled him so that he was facing his foot and could reach out to touch it. A repeat shift a few moments later turned him the other direction, where he looked down to see with a golden-haired witch in a shimmering velvet dress watching him from the stage they'd parked next to.

"I see that you really have improved," she commented with a knowing grin. "What's Snicker been teaching you?"

"Eh?" He gasped in surprise. Automatically trying to snap his legs shut, he landed in the back of the truck in a untidy heap. He could hear her laughter outside of the truck and he groaned. He would never live this down. Crawling to the side, he looked over the edge of the truck to see her waiting on a response. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here to bet, of course," Autumn answered with a grin. "Gabriel couldn't make it, so he asked me to make a few wagers for him. He told me to bet it all on your opponent."

"Heh," Tsuna murmured in disgust. "You do that. It gives me even more reason to win."

"You really don't like my brother," she replied with narrowed eye. "Do you?"

"I don't have time to talk to you," he growled in return. "I've got to finish stretching." Turning his back to her, he walked to the other side of the truck bed so that he couldn't see her from his raised position. After that, he single-mindedly stretched in the same routine that he did before his workouts. The whole time, his mind was elsewhere, mentally pounding Gabriel's image into dust. He'd never hated anyone in his life before. Not truly. There were people that he was envious of and there were people that he disliked. There were people that disgusted him and there were people that he thought were scum. Hate was simply too strong of a word to put on any of them.

He hated Gabriel.

"You're really getting into the mood there," Marco commented, jumping up on the side of the truck again. Tsuna paused in the midst of shadowboxing, letting his fists drop to his sides while he mentally shoved Gabriel's face out of his mind. It was hard. Even purposely trying to get rid of it, it kept floating back up into his mind in a way that almost enraged him. "Have you thought of a stage-name yet? They're about to get started."

"No," he answered tonelessly. "Call me whatever you want. I'm not here to get popular."

"Whoa," he gasped when Tsuna turned to look at him. "What's with the eye? Is that glass?"

"Yes," Tsuna lied.

"We'll go with Red-eye," he said. "How--"

"Candyman," Gigi interrupted. "Call him Candyman. Everyone will go home tonight and have fun trying to summon Suoh up in a mirror. The name fits with his trunks and his tattoo. People won't be able to see his eye from the sidelines."

"That works, too," he agreed with a crooked grin. "I like it. How does that sound, Suoh?"

"It's fine," he shrugged. "I like it better than Red-eye."

"Candyman it is," he said before he jumped back down. Walking to the front of the truck, he leaned up against the cab while he looked around. The rest of the fighters were doing the same already and he saw no few send glares in his direction. He blushed slightly at the looks, figuring that they thought he'd been trying to show off with his stretches. Then he saw the format for the fight. Two of the stages were empty with the exception of the fighter about to fight and his manager. Those two were warming up much like Tsuna just had, putting on a show for the spectators. The spectators themselves were walking to the front area of the stages in order to find the best places to be able to view the whole match. In the center of each stage stood a man with a book who would write down bets as they came in. They'd probably been getting names and contact information so that winnings could be doled out after the fact and loses could be retrieved.

It didn't take long to single out his own opponent. He was the biggest man among them, which only proved to make Tsuna feel that much smaller. He was fat, but Tsuna had a feeling that it wasn't intentional weight. It was more as if he'd gotten a beer gut and it'd spread to his arms and legs. He didn't look weak, however. Tsuna had a feeling that there was muscle hiding among his grotesque layers. He kind of reminded Tsuna of a chunky lineman in football. A lack of rippling biceps in no way meant that the person was weak, just like a surplus didn't necessarily mean that a person was strong. There were plenty of body-builders that could lift a truck. That didn't mean that they had endurance, stamina, or speed. He had a feeling that this guy had all of that, plus power.

"This is going to be tough," Tsuna commented seriously.

"Did you find him?" Gigi hissed, leaning over the cab beside him.

"Blue truck, next to the red stage," he answered.

"What?" She asked as she found the man and stared openly. "He's just a fatty. He'll be out of breath in two minutes."

"Don't underestimate him," Tsuna warned. "I get a bad feeling when I look at him. He's strong. This isn't going to be an easy fight." Turning his attention to the two fighters being introduced, Tsuna could immediately tell that the one who'd stepped off the red stage would lose. Although the two men were the same size, there was just something about him that made Tsuna's intuition tell him that he was weak at the moment. "Blue is going to win," he murmured absently. "Red is looking pretty shaky."

"Blue?" Gigi asked, laying a hand on his shoulder with a sudden urgency. "Did you say Blue was going to win?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied with a raised eyebrow, turning to look at her in curiosity. "Is that bad?"

"Hold on," she gasped. Before Tsuna could get any answers out of her, she ducked her head inside the cab. He blinked for a moment. Then he paled. Then he prayed. He prayed that she wasn't telling Papa Paolo to bet on Blue. His intuition said Blue would win, but that wasn't necessarily right. He still sometimes got his own opinion mixed up with his intuition. To change a bet on just a comment that he made was far too much responsibility placed on his shoulders! "There we go," she said, coming out grinning. "I just put three grand down on Blue with the bookie hanging outside Papa Paolo's door."

"Three grand!" He squeaked. "It costs a grand to bet!"

"I've got four grand saved back," she soothed. "The odds aren't spread very far, so I'll only get double if I win. That still puts me at two thousand ahead of where I started after the service charge."

"What if I'm wrong?!" He squealed. "You can't bet off of my opinion!"

"Why not?" She countered. "Even if you're wrong, I'm the one that's choosing to risk my money. I won't hold it against you if I don't win. It just means that I'll have to hold off on that single's cruise that I've been saving up for."

"But you've been saving up for that for two years!" Tsuna objected worriedly.

"Then let's hope that Blue wins," she smiled, turning to look out at the two men already circling each other in the mud-filled ring. Tsuna turned to watch, as well, realizing that all of Gigi's savings was riding on a single match. It was all riding on Tsuna's opinion of who the winner would be.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to cheer. He didn't, but he wanted to in hopes that it'd help the guy from the blue stage win. All he could do was stand idly by and watch. He grimaced at every single one of Red's punches that got through. Blue was winning overall, though. As the match progressed, Red's stamina seemed to disappear until he was barely able to stand. Although they'd both seemed evenly matched when it came to muscle, it was as if Red couldn't even breathe.

"He's sick," Tsuna murmured when he saw how heavily he was panting. "He's probably got a fever and his lungs are congested. Even though they were supposed to be evenly matched, Red is fighting against himself as well as against Blue. He probably caught it earlier because of the rain and just didn't notice until his body heated up more than it already was. It gives Blue the advant--" Tsuna grimaced for Red's sake when a fist got past his guard and rammed into his face. He flew backward at the blow, sending mud flying until he slid to a stop against one of the trucks. He didn't get up nor did he open his eyes, having already exhausted everything in order to get as far as he had. Two men walked out to drag him out of the tent, where Tsuna assumed that he'd be checked over at a medical van outside. At least, that's what he hoped.

Tsuna kept his mouth shut over the course of the next three fights. He had a general idea of who would win, but he refused to tell Gigi if she was going to bet with the information. She prodded several times, but he stubbornly kept his lips locked. Then, as the fifth match started, he got a look at the sixth's match fighters warming up on the stages. He groaned, seeing the outcome with a strength that he couldn't ignore. He was almost positive of who the winner would be and it had nothing to do with mere opinion. In his opinion, the thinner guy on the Blue stage should win. He looked like he had speed and the other guy looked like a stupid bull. By his _intuition_, the bull was going to slaughter the matador.

"Next fight, Red is going to win," he mumbled. In a flash, Gigi was already darting into the cab of the truck to make the bet. Tsuna let her, swearing to himself that he'd pay Gigi back if he was wrong. He didn't think he was, however. There was just something about the Blue guy that didn't sit well with him, even though he looked to be in perfect form. The bullish-looking guy actually looked to be in pretty bad shape, but Tsuna's gut said that he'd win it. It made him wonder what their circumstances were. He'd long learned that his intuition worked off of clues that he didn't consciously gather. He could almost always figure out what those clues were if he thought hard enough after the fact. There were times that he couldn't, though, and this just might be one of those times.

After the sixth fight and Red was proclaimed the victor after the Blue guy slipped and broke his neck, he felt his nerves beginning to build. He couldn't even watch the seventh fight. He just laid his head down on the cab of the truck and tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. There were two more fights until he was up. Was he going to be like Red? Was he going to be hauled off in a rush to get him to a hospital via a fake ambulance? Were people going to cheer for his opponent while he lay helpless in the mud? He didn't want that!

Turning his back to the fight altogether, he slid down to sit in the cab while he tried to fight his own fear. The guy that he was going up against was strong. It wasn't like the other times he'd fought and he'd just gotten a sense that the muscles were for show. This guy had actual skill to go with his brute strength, which was probably why they were hoping to fight against someone with only strength as their backbone. Tsuna was the complete opposite. He had no strength without Mukuro-sama's interference. Could he really win after letting the guy hurt him on purpose? As it was, he wasn't sure if he could beat him by going all out from the moment that he stepped in the ring.

_Play your flute to calm yourself, my pet._

That was right. His whistle. Digging it out of the bottom of his bag, he started playing it as fast as he could stick it in his mouth. From the first note, it made everything seem to fall away. The crowd. The sound of the fight. The roar in his ears. The smells of sweat and trash and filth laced with mouth-watering scents that made his stomach growl. Chicken parmesan, barbeque sausages, orange custard, country fried steak, and a half dozen other aromas that he simply shouldn't be smelling in a garbage dump. He knew what it was. It was the blood mixed in the mud from the fighters and smells coming off of those in the audience with strong scents.

_That's it!_ Tsuna mentally gasped. _Mukuro-sama! Can you bait me? You can mess with my head like that. Can't you?_

_Yes_, he answered solemnly. _But I wouldn't advise it. Doing so would upset your feeding schedule even more than it already is_.

_I'm not worried about that_, he mentally exclaimed. _I'm already going to have to start over! I just have to make sure that I win this! I have to stop Nubian before they ruin Ore's company_!

_Very well, _Mukuro-sama sighed in resignation_. If you need it, I'll do as you wish. I'd prefer not to do this unless absolutely necessary, but I won't argue if this is your choice. _

_Why? _Tsuna asked curiously.

_Because I know that you will weep, my pet. Or has it been so long since you lost control that you forget how powerful your hunger can be?_

_Oh, _Tsuna paled_. C-Can't you keep it at a level that I can control?_

_It is like a switch, one that is either on or off. There is no degrees that I can manipulate. Once I trigger your hunger, it will build and the most that I will be capable of is fooling you into thinking that your opponent can satisfy you. I can turn it off by fooling you into thinking that you've been fed, but your body will realize fairly quickly that it has been lied to. You'll have to feed as soon as the match is over, lest true hunger take you._

"If I start to lose myself, turn it off," Tsuna mumbled. "I'd rather you take over at that point than put people in danger. I want to defeat the guy. I don't want to kill him."

"You're talking to yourself, sweet-cheeks," Gigi commented. Tsuna blushed sheepishly and stood back up after tossing his whistle back onto his bag. He hated when he did that. He'd gotten better about responding to Mukuro-sama in a way that only he could hear, but it was still habit to speak when spoken to.

"What fight are we on?" He asked curiously.

"Eighth," she answered. "As soon as there's a winner, we're supposed to head over to the Red stage. Papa Paolo said to make a good show of warming up. That way your win won't be as unbelievable."

"He said that?" Tsuna inquired with a crooked grin. Gigi nodded with a matching smile, understanding the faith that Papa Paolo was putting into him. Then he got serious, deciding that Gigi needed to be warned of his plans. "The limit is ten minutes," he said solemnly. "Tell Papa Paolo for me. If I can't get my odds down in the first five minutes, I won't be able to get them down. After that, I'll be going all-out whether I want to or not."

"What are you planning?" She asked worriedly.

"Mukuro-sama is going to bait me," he whispered softly. "I can't beat him without some trick. He's going to trigger my instincts from the beginning to increase my power. He can shut it off at the end of ten minutes, but my real hunger is going to kick in after being fooled. After that, the real ten minutes will kick in. No matter what happens, I have to have blood within twenty minutes of stepping into the ring. Set your watch for that, Gigi."

"I don't like this," she growled before ducking in to warn Papa Paolo in a way that wouldn't tip the bookie off. The bookie was the one that had to be fooled into thinking that Tsuna was going to lose, that way he'd lower Tsuna's odds of winning in hopes of making more money off of a secondary bet by Papa Paolo on a losing ticket. Tsuna left her to it, knowing that Gigi had more tact than he could ever dream of. As she pulled back out, a roar went up from the crowd. The eighth match was over with Red being the victor. So far, the matches had been four wins for Red and four for Blue. The guy before him would be the pinch hitter that broke the tie game, but it would be up to him to either win it or send it into overtime if this had been a team battle.

It wasn't a team battle, he reminded himself as he climbed out of the back of the truck. He only had himself to think about and he had to win. A lose wouldn't be forgiven. Papa Paolo was betting everything on him. Ore was counting on him. The poor fools who didn't even know him were counting on him to keep Nubian from destroying their jobs and lives. Helping Gigi down out of the truck and onto the walkway that had been erected around the back of the trucks, Tsuna tried to keep his mind where it needed to be instead of on the considering stares of the spectators while he passed stage after stage. The superior looks on some of the fighter's faces weren't very helpful, either.

"They're all jealous," Gigi whispered into his ear with a chuckle. "You're the only one to have a manager that's not male."

"You _are _male," Tsuna groaned, trying to hide a smile at the thought of so many people being fooled by Gigi. She really did look amazing tonight. Even he had trouble lining her up in his mind with the Gigi that wore slacks and a button-down shirt when he wasn't in drag. "Remind me to take you shoe shopping over the weekend," he murmured as they reached the stage. She blinked at him in surprise, but he owed her. With such a simple off-hand comment, he felt himself become completely calm. Just like they were all misjudging Gigi, his opponent would misjudge him.

"Showtime," Gigi said as the fighters for the ninth fight stepped into the ring. He nodded, understanding the prompt laced in the word. It wasn't just showtime for the ninth fight. It was his showtime. He was already on display for the spectators and the bookies.

Starting off light, he did some simple knee kicks and leg stretches on the stage directly opposite of the ring from his opponent. He didn't do it so much to prep for kickboxing as he did it to warm his feet up. The mud looked _cold_. After that, he did the splits that everyone found fascinating and then started warming up in earnest. Gigi had once called his style 'acrobatic boxing'. It fit him, he felt. He knew that some of his stunts were crowd-pleasers, too. For him, they weren't stunts done for amusement, though. They were maneuvers designed to counter the height advantage, weight advantage, and power advantage that his opponents always had on him.

Somersaulting in place, he tossed a few back flips into the mix. To ensure that his whole body was warmed up and flexible enough to survive being grappled, he did a backbend that turned into a slow handstand which then turned into a flip so that he could stand back up in place. After that, he did some spin kicks at varying ranges of motion to ensure that his legs stayed warm, ending it with a spin kick at his fullest range of motion and a heel kick at his full range. To ensure that his arms were prepared, he started off with a handstand to check his balance. In the midst of his handstand, he spun in place several times to ensure than his hands weren't feeling like getting entangled today. For many of his maneuvers, keeping his hands from tripping on themselves was the key. Thankfully, they seemed perfectly willing to answer him correctly today. Standing back up, he fell into shadow-boxing to ensure that he kept his blood moving until Gigi brought him back into focus.

"Are you ready?" She asked as another roar went up from the spectators.

"Yes," he answered, leaning side to side to ensure that his sides were stretched out enough. Even as he said that, the loser was dragged away while the winner returned to his truck. Almost before the ring was cleared, the coordinator started his introductions from his chosen spectator's stage.

"In the Blue corner, weighing in at four hundred, thirty two pounds, Porker the Extreme Wrestler! Porker is the pride of Manhattan and the undefeated champion of the Turquoise Raiders! He can bench-press seven hundred pounds before breakfast and nine hundred after dinner! Porker's claims to fame is an unrivalled three hundred, twenty seven flawless bouts and a stint of duty in the Marines where he was drummed out after eviscerating his commanding officer over dinner! In the Red corner, weighting in at... is this right?" Tsuna blushed when the spokesman turned to a man at his side to get confirmation on the information written.

"It's right," Tsuna grumbled under his breath.

"In the Red corner," the coordinator tried again, "weighing in at one hundred, fifty six pounds, Candyman! I don't know about you, ladies and gentlemen, but I have a feeling that the name isn't from eating candy! A former Black X impersonator and leader of this city's own Orange Dragons, Candyman also holds the sixth seat in Don Martelli's exclusive Hexagonal Council and has single-handedly taken down five of the city's more troublesome gangs. Don't underestimate him because he's sweet, my friends! They say that 'the Candyman can' but can the Candyman beat out Porker for the win? You decide! Place your bets now!"

"Go get him, sweet-cheeks," Gigi encouraged, slapping him on the back to propel him into the ring. Stepping down off of the platform, a shiver rippled up his spine as soon as his feet hit the mud. It was just as cold as he'd feared. He had other things to worry about, though. Stepping forward, his feet squelched with every step while mud crawled up between his toes. Even with the previous fighter's efforts, the mud was still thick. It was easily a foot thick. Even worse, it was still wet enough that it collapsed around his feet with every step.

His opponent seemed to have no trouble at all, marching through it as if there was a wood platform beneath his step instead of the slippery muck. His combat boots gave him grip that Tsuna's bare feet didn't have. He was wearing camouflage pants and had even gone so far as to use camo paint on his upper body and face to reinforce the comment about him being a former Marine. Tsuna saw through it, though. It was just a stage-background. He was playing a character in hopes of raising his popularity. The man was no more a former Marine than Tsuna was! Not that such lies mattered. He was still tough. Tsuna could tell with just a glance.

Then he got close enough to smell him and he smiled. Pork was what was for dinner, it seemed. Tsuna felt his mouth watering almost instantly as a surge of hunger twinged through his stomach. Mukuro-sama was already hard at work with his mind. It turned his opponent from a person into a wild beast to be hunted. The side of him that still had qualms about lifting a hand against another person dissipated. He was still in enough control that he could choose whether or not to hunt, but he lost track of the nature of his prey almost immediately.

"Both of you know the rules," the man at the middle of the ring said simply. "No dismemberment. No weapons. Anything else goes. Try not to kill each other. Blue, are you ready?"

"Ready and waiting," the pig grinned.

"Red, are you ready?"

"Hurry up," he growled, absently wiping his mouth with his arm. "I'm getting hungry."

"Fight!" The judge yelled as he jumped back and ran for the sidelines. Tsuna let him go and simply smiled as his opponent charged for him. Time seemed to slow as he stepped forward to meet him, his speed making all other movement turn into a slow crawl. Dodging under his wide swing, Tsuna sent a fist into his beer gut as he slipped past. It was almost too easy.

That ease was what made it so surprising when he found himself sliding across the ring on his back. His eyes widened and his ribs creaked from a blow that he hadn't seen coming. He wanted to snarl at himself. He'd known that the guy wasn't a pushover. To get caught so easily--

Was perfect, he internally grinned while standing up with an outward grimace. He could fight like this and make it seem as if they were evenly matched. He could wear his prey down while pretending to falter repeatedly. That should be good enough to make his odds of winning go down. Four to one odds or even ten to one odds would be perfect.

His opponent didn't seemed bothered by his blow in the least. Tsuna didn't let that bother him in return. He knew that he could rarely put enough power into a punch to take down a guy this size. Porker had an insulating layer of fat over his muscle, too. Tsuna could tell with his first test blow. The man definitely owned a lot of hidden muscle. His fist hadn't come close to penetrating deeply enough to injure bone. At most, he'd just bruised the man's muscle.

The battle started in earnest after that. He'd caught the man off guard with his speed, but he'd been able to react fast enough to compensate with a punch. Grappling was his prey's forte, however. No matter how many times Tsuna darted into his guard, the hands came after him with an intent to pin. On Tsuna's fourth attempt at getting a punch in, he purposely slowed on his follow through so that he could be caught. His opponent didn't let the chance slip past.

Tsuna cried out in honest pain when he was pulled into the bear hug around his waist that made his spine groan and creak. Without thinking about anything other than making the pain stop, Tsuna balled up his fists and batted them into the sides of Porker's head in unison. They hit his opponent below the ears, disorienting him as the blow make his head ring. His grip loosened, letting Tsuna fall into the mud at Porker's feet. Making the best out of the shift into freedom, Tsuna ignored the pain in his back in order to push himself to his knees. From that position, he sent a merciless blow into his opponent's groin.

At least, it looked merciless from the way that the spectators groaned in sympathy. Truthfully, there were some things that a man respected even in the midst of a death match. To the spectators, his quick blow looked painful, but he targeted slightly to the side and above so that no true damage was inflicted. Not that Porker could even tell. The blow was in the general area of his genitals, which made him react as if he really had been hit with a grotesquely painful low blow. He doubled over, stumbling backward while his ears continued to ring. Tsuna let him, finding himself with his own problems to deal with.

He couldn't get up. He couldn't feel his legs at all!

_Your spine is fractured_, Mukuro-sama growled into his mind. _I'll need a moment to realign it and compensate. Prepare yourself._

Even with the warning, Tsuna cried out at the sharp spike of pain that went through his lower back. He doubled over with a shudder once it eased, panting and sweating from the feeling of an illusionary rod having pushed his bones back into place. A soothing warmth spread over the area while feeling once more began to leech into his lower body. It wasn't as good as a doctor and a vial of Poe's blood, but it was good enough patchwork that he could feel his toes again. He could already feel his regenerative abilities going to work on the area once Mukuro-sama had used illusion to force his body to realign itself correctly. It was because of that ability that he was already getting feeling again after such a major injury.

Unfortunately, he didn't get feeling back fast enough to stand. Porker was on top of him by the time he started to shake the pain off enough to look around. Porker lifted him up by the throat, slamming a fist into his face before he could do more than grab his wrists. Giving up on the wrists, he tried to block a second blow with his hands while simultaneously sending a weak kick into Porker's unprotected side. It truly was a weak kick. Between the lack of oxygen and the fact that his spine was still trying to fix itself, his muscles felt like they were covered in wet blankets. He was getting tired. So tired...

Tsuna's eyes snapped open, realizing that he was on the edge of losing consciousness. He refused! In that moment, he wished that he could have said that it was determination to win for Papa Paolo and Ore which solidified his resolve. It wasn't. It was the delightful aroma wafting so damnably close. It was right there in his wrist. He could smell it. Just a few drops and the pain in his back would go away. Just a mouthful and his stomach would stop screaming at him.

In the midst of reaching up for it, he found his position altered as his prey suddenly decided that he was too dangerous to keep so close. His leg was grasped in one hand with his throat still in the other for a single moment before he was lifted up and hurled across the ring. He slid in the mud and froze face down in the muck as the distance put him back in his right mind momentarily. It was getting dangerous. He wasn't seeing Porker as even human anymore.

_Six minutes have passed, my pet_, Mukuro-sama murmured.

"You should have said that a minute ago," he growled back as he pushed himself up out of the mud. He glared at the judge hovering close to him, daring him to declare a winner so soon. The man fell backward with a startled squeak at the look in Tsuna's eyes. They were eyes that said he was done playing games. If a broken spine and being at Porker's mercy for several minutes hadn't been enough of a show, he didn't have time to give a better one.

Standing, he saw a look of hesitancy in his prey's eyes. He simply stared back, feeling his heart begin to race at the knowledge that he could stop holding back. He wanted it. He wanted to taste Porker's blood. He had to defeat him first, however, or else he wouldn't get to find a spot that was reeking of lemon marinade. He wanted to taste at his leisure after that first mouthful. That meant bringing the fat little piggie to his knees.

Tsuna felt strength surging through him while his mouth watered almost out of his control. The moment that he pulled out the stops mentally, his body responded in unison. He was here to take care of his family, the still-sane part of him objected. Porker was big enough for his whole family to feast on, his instinct countered. The two thoughts twisted around each other until he had only one goal in mind. He had to defeat the piggie. He'd get everything he wanted if he destroyed the piggie. He'd be happy if he killed the piggie.

Lunging forward at a speed that made the ring seem to shrink in size, the piggie managed to put his hoofs up barely in time to block. Rebounding off, he grabbed the piggie's wrists while still in the air and did an aerial flip that lifted the hog completely off the ground. His weight made Tsuna land first, but momentum and Tsuna's power made the difference in how. While Tsuna landed on his feet, the piggie landed on his back with a squeal to show that he was still capable of fighting. Porker was back on his feet almost instantly, spinning in place to confront a wolf where he'd previously thought he'd been fighting a puppy.

He was a worthy prey. He'd been surprised, but there was no fear in his eyes. There was wariness while they circled one another, but no fear. He still truly believed that he could win. As if! Tsuna lunged forward yet again and found his prey prepared this time. Tsuna barely managed to escape an instantaneous headlock, spinning out of his reach after only managing to get a superficial blow through.

_You're running out of time._

_Fuck off_, he growled in return. This was his prey. Mukuro-sama wasn't allowed to have it. He'd defeat him on his own! Thinking that someone was trying to steal his meal, Tsuna put more effort into finishing him off before he was poached by someone else. That meant only one thing. He had to get his prey to stop moving so that he could claim his prize.

Jumping over yet another attempt to get him in a position so that the piggie could grapple him into submission, Tsuna went in for the kill. It was fairly easy to leapfrog into the air and use Porker's hair to modify his jump so that he spun into a landing on his neck. Wrapping his legs around his throat, a sharp twist of his body sent the piggie off-balance and face-first into the ground. A sharp twist with his knees upon landing broke his neck before he could think of getting up, while his hands pushed his face into the mud in effort to suffocate the life--

Blood poured out of Tsuna's mouth and down his throat at a rate that choked him as it forced it's way into his stomach. His mind snapped back into sanity almost instantly, sending him scrambling off of the fallen body of his opponent in a rush. Standing, he stumbled backward in shock for what he'd done. He hadn't meant to go that far. Already, Porker's manager was at his side with four different paramedics who worked on turning him out of the mud without damaging his neck even more.

_Please tell me that I didn't kill him_, Tsuna mentally begged with tears welling up in his eyes.

_He's alive_, Mukuro-sama soothed. _I tried to stop you sooner, but you weren't noticing the blood until I started choking you with it._

_I'm a monster_, Tsuna thought in misery as he looked down at his mud-covered hands.

_Kufufufu. He was planning on breaking your neck and putting you around his shoulders like a trophy_, Mukuro-sama replied in amusement. _It's poetic irony that you broke his_.

_There's nothing funny about this, Mukuro-sama_, he scolded unhappily. _I could have killed him_.

_But you didn't._

Tsuna sighed, coming to terms with the fact that Mukuro-sama wouldn't see how it still mattered. It was true that Porker was still alive, but Tsuna was more bothered by himself at the moment. This fight was a poignant reminder to him of the power that his curse had over him. If he was honest with himself, there would have been no way for him to win without going to such lengths as he did. Porker had skill that Tsuna couldn't even begin to appreciate. Just like Tsuna had only been permitted to use a small fraction of the skill he had, Porker had been hindered by Tsuna's unexpected surges of strength. If Tsuna had tried to fight him without becoming such a beast, he knew that he would have lost. The glimpses of skill that he'd seen from Porker told him as much. How quickly he'd cracked Tsuna's spine during the first opening that he'd received told Tsuna as much.

"...hurt anywhere?" Gigi asked urgently, breaking Tsuna out of his quiet introspection.

"Uh, no," Tsuna replied as Gigi continued to wipe away the illusionary blood off of Tsuna's chin. "He cracked my spine, but Mukuro-sama already straightened it out for me."

"So that was why you screamed while you were on the ground," Gigi spat in unhappiness. Digging in her purse, she popped the cork off of a vial and shoved it into his mouth before he could object. Once more, Tsuna found himself choking on blood. Although, this time it was real. Pepper and cinnamon washed across his tongue, completely obliterating the taste of lemon pork that Mukuro-sama had used to calm him. Choking it down, he swallowed as much of it as he could before it was pulled away.

Within seconds, a surge of true strength surged through him while an almost unbearable itching sensation ran through his back. Squirming in place, he tried to itch it with both hands while the fatigue in his other muscles slowly drained away. It took Gigi only a minute to catch on, after which she laughingly scratched his back for him with her nails. He went from misery to heaven in less than ten seconds.

And in less than ten seconds after that, he was in hell.

"Get out of here, Gigi," he ordered as his face fell. Standing erect, he simply stared in disbelief. Then he started walking. He continued walking across the ring while the dispersing spectators stopped dispersing in order to watch in curiosity. He ignored them. He ignored them all.

He ignored everything but a brightly gleaming yellow pacifier and a scurrying green chameleon.

Within six steps, he could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as his anger and the blood in his mouth transmuted itself into energy.

Not again.

He wouldn't let him take everything from him again!

"Reborn!" Tsuna screamed in rage as he broke out into a run. He knew that it was rash, but there was no doubt in his mind that the man standing languidly amidst a mob of spectators was Reborn. He had no doubt that Reborn was here for him. He'd been fooled. He'd let his guard down and he'd been fooled completely. The tourist that had bowled him over in the street. The customer that had interrupted him and Snicker in the restaurant. It was Reborn. He wasn't going to let Reborn take him back! That had to be why he was there, watching and waiting for the best time to rip Tsuna away from his family and his new life. He'd never once been able to defeat Reborn, but that didn't matter. He wasn't going to let Reborn ruin his life again! He wasn't going to let Reborn take away his happiness!

"Hmph," a voice scoffed in his ear. "For someone connected with Rokudou Mukuro, it sure took you long enough." Tsuna slipped to a stop in the mud and spun in place to find Reborn standing on a green pedestal behind him so that he wouldn't get muddy. Tsuna's heart thudded in his chest. He hadn't even seen Reborn move and he was standing behind him so easily!

"Why are you here?!" Tsuna yelled tensely. "Haven't you done enough?!"

"Almost," he murmured. "There's still a few things that I need to clear up before I'm done." Tsuna's eyes widened. He couldn't... He couldn't be thinking of hurting Tsuna's family and friends in revenge. They'd taken care of him and supported him. They didn't deserve to be hurt just because he was with them.

"I won't let you," Tsuna growled in determination. Lunging forward, Tsuna aimed for Reborn's throat. He wasn't a baby anymore. This was Reborn's true form and Tsuna refused to hold back before it. His friends and family depended on it! Reborn jumped out of the way with Leon transforming back into a chameleon in order to quickly crawl up Reborn's back in order to turn into a jet pack to hold him aloft. Just as quickly, Tsuna threw all of his power into jumping after him before he could get away.

"I'm not giving you a choice," he replied blandly as he kicked Tsuna back to the ground with an ease that knocked Tsuna's breathe away. "Since you've recognized me, this should be over fairly quickly." Tsuna cried out as Reborn rammed into him mid-air. Reborn's increased momentum propelled him into the ground hard enough that the mud splashed away as if he was a landing meteorite. He was a meteorite that got a follow-through blow to his gut as Reborn landed on top of him before he could recover, sending him into the ground with a second merciless impact.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. The collision with the ground left him winded and weakened while he tried to grasp the incredible gap between their levels of strength. It made him want to weep. He thought he'd gotten stronger. He'd worked so hard to get stronger, yet Reborn had defeated him so easily. Looking up, he found himself staring into the barrel of a gun with Reborn on the other end. He froze, knowing that marksmanship was one of Reborn's unrivaled skills. There was literally no possible way that he could dodge him while he had a gun in his hands.

He was a fool. He should have ran away. He'd known that he was no match for Reborn, so why had he confronted him? He knew why, he realized sadly. He didn't want to run away anymore. He had a home here and a family. He had his husband and his friends. He had a purpose and happiness. He had things worth fighting for. Was he going to give all that up by being defeated so easily? He didn't want to. He wanted to stay here with the people that cared about him and didn't want to change him!

"Mukuro-sama," he begged with tears in his eyes. "Help me." Almost instantly, he was ripped away from his body and shoved into the recesses of his own mind as Mukuro-sama burst forward to answer his plea. There was a feeling of panic and urgency to his actions, as if he was as shocked by the turn of events as Tsuna was.

"What are you doing to my vessel?" Mukuro-sama growled as Tsuna pulled his arms and legs out of the 'sleeves' of his own body so that Mukuro-sama could have full control without interference.

"Mukuro," Reborn greeted with a small smile, stepping off of Tsuna's body and onto the ground beside him that had been swept clear of mud by the shockwave of his impacts. Mukuro-sama sat up almost carelessly, bending Tsuna's leg as if he was sitting up at the beach instead of in an underground fighting arena. "We've been looking for you."

"Oya?" He replied in false-amusement. "And why would that be?"

"Don't play games," Reborn growled. "You were in a coma for months before your body disappeared from Headquarters. The Family wants answers about what happened to put you in that state."

"Be honest," Mukuro-sama countered teasingly while he pushed Tsuna's body off of the ground so that he could stand. "You're more curious about what happened to your dear Mafia Boss on the other side." Mukuro-sama looked around the area, giving Tsuna a full glimpse of the reactions of the people around him. No few guns were raised while spectators continued to flee without a single thought for the mud. In a corner of Tsuna's mind, he smiled. Even though they had no hopes of actually hitting Reborn, Papa Paolo's men had raised their weapons from the moment a gun had been pointed at Tsuna. They didn't know who they were dealing with, however. Reborn was supposedly the best hitman in the world.

"Yes," Reborn admitted quietly as Leon transformed back into a chameleon perched on his hand. "I'd like to know that, as well. My information sources no longer reach that far. I'm also here to get information regarding your current vessel."

"What's there to be curious about with my vessel?" Mukuro-sama asked with an amused smile. "The reason for my choice should be obvious."

"Ah," Reborn confirmed. "The likeness is remarkable enough to fool even Xanxus, but this one is willing to be your toy. You should know better than anyone that he's not Tsuna, but you never were one to be bothered by trivialities."

_What?_ Tsuna gasped in surprise. _I'm not Tsuna?! Yes, I am!_

_Hush_, Mukuro-sama mentally snapped at him without showing any of his own confusion to Reborn. "If you know, then why are you bothering him?" Mukuro-sama asked smoothly.

"I want to know why there's a likeness in his blood," he responded without seeming to notice all the weapons pointed at him. "I thought we destroyed all the cloning attempts."

"Kufufufu," he chuckled merrily in return. "Does it scare you, Arcobelano?"

"Don't play word games with me, Mukuro," Reborn replied with a frown, once more pointing Leon at him in gun form. "If need be, the Vendiche can take your vessel in custody instead of you. I want answers. Why does his blood show a relation to Tsuna? What happened when Tsuna went to the other side?"

_What's he talking about, Mukuro-sama?_ Tsuna asked in confusion. He question was immediately ignored as he felt his energy being drained. It was drained at a much faster rate than Mukuro-sama had ever pulled from him before. The reason why quickly revealed itself as a staff appeared in Tsuna's hand and the hand itself disappeared behind a facade of a slightly larger one. Mukuro-sama was showing himself, Tsuna realized in awe. He was covering Tsuna's body in illusion, bringing himself fully in line with Tsuna's body as if it were his own.

"He was taken and he was torn asunder," Mukuro-sama growled while Tsuna quivered from the force of Mukuro-sama's anger. It was overwhelming. With such a simple question, Mukuro-sama seemed completely different. There was a rage and a pain that Tsuna had never seen in him before. "Tsunayoshi cast Ari into the depths and dove down to ensure her defeat. It's your fault that he came back in pieces after we pulled him out! It's yours and all of Vongola that is to blame for what befell him! He wasn't supposed to return yet, but he could not ignore your cursed voices! I refuse to let you destroy him again!"

"Che," Reborn spat, dodging as Mukuro-sama advanced with his trident in hand. Tsuna felt his eye spasm at the same moment that another surge of energy was drained from him, telling him that Mukuro-sama was using one of his skills. He wanted to cover his ears at the horrifying shriek that ripped through his mind as it was used. He couldn't, however. All he could do was watch while the world around them seemed to disappear into an endless void of a landscape. The circus tent seemed to rip into shreds around them while terrified screams erupted from those trapped in Mukuro-sama's sudden nightmare.

"I will have your head for interfering with me, cursed baby," Mukuro-sama roared as he attacked with all of the strength he was pulling from Tsuna.

"I see," Reborn replied in disgust, moving and dodging as if the landscape was something that he'd created rather than something he was trapped by. "You've given in to delusion. Tsuna's dead and you're trying to replace him. I must say that I'm surprised. I thought you to be more of the type to follow him. Or do you fear the cycle that much, Mukuro?"

"Silence!" Mukuro-sama shouted, sending his illusions and his trident after Reborn. Reborn dodged with a seamless grace that came with years of experience. Even when Mukuro-sama caught him, he avoided defeat with skill and sheer ability. It left part of Tsuna in awe to see Reborn using his full power. He'd seen glimpses of it when Tsuna had fought Mukuro-sama when he'd been a kid, but that'd been years ago. That'd been when Reborn was still a baby instead of the slim man before him.

"You should give up, Mukuro," Reborn advised as Mukuro-sama pulled more power in order to send a sickening array of asps and rats after the hitman. Reborn dealt with them easily. The method chosen affected not only the asps, however. Mukuro-sama dropped his trident and fell to his knees due to the pain he sense through Tsuna's lingering consciousness, covering his ears to cover the high-pitched tone that erupted out of Leon-turned-whistle. Reborn blinked in surprise, sending another blow mercilessly through the transfigured Leon that made Tsuna and Mukuro-sama shriek in unison. The illusionary landscape faltered out of Mukuro-sama's control as Tsuna could feel his ear drums nearly shattering at the sound. The asps and the rats ran from the sound, as well, being repelled by the painful sound meant for only animals to hear. "I think I understand now," Reborn said as he stood over them in superiority. "Whoever created him used Tsuna's DNA as a base, but mixed it with animal genomes. That's why his blood is similar, but doesn't match up correctly. What was it? Dog? Cat? Bat?"

"Bat," Mukuro-sama lied with a panting voice. "And dog. What will you do, Arcobelano? Would you destroy my pet for an atrocity that he had no control over?"

"Are you defending him?" Reborn asked curiously with the whistle still cautiously placed against his lips.

"He is the only anchor that I have left in this life," Mukuro-sama replied quietly, bowing his head in feigned defeat. "Spare him."

_I don't understand what's going on_, Tsuna interjected worriedly. _What are you saying, Mukuro-sama?!_

"I'll think about it," Reborn murmured as he started walking toward the tent's exit unhindered. "The Vendiche will eventually catch up to you, Mukuro. You can't elude them forever. You should return to the Eleventh and beg forgiveness for deserting the Family."

"I have no reason to return," Mukuro-sama replied tonelessly as he stood.

"You know that I have to report this," he continued without looking back. "You don't have a choice, Mukuro. I hear that they're talking about rounding up your known contacts. If you don't want your fake Tsuna to be on the receiving end of an information gathering session along with all the rest, I suggest you take my advice. The Eleventh is growing impatient in the search to find you. He has a lot of questions about Tsuna's fall and he's not the innocent little boy that he used to be. He won't hold back when it comes to finding you."

"I'll consider it," Mukuro-sama growled grudgingly.

"Oh," Reborn said as he fell to a stop in the tent doors. "One last thing before I head back to Headquarters."

"Oya?"

"I want to see Suoh's Dying Will," he grinned. Mukuro's eyes widened in surprise and neither he nor Tsuna could respond fast enough to counter Reborn's speed. When it came to drawing out his gun, aiming, and firing, there was no one faster. Before they saw Reborn's arm move more than an inch, Tsuna found himself flying backward with a sharp pain rippling through his head. The impact of the bullet to his head destroyed all thought. It destroyed all attempts at reaction. It was enough of a shock that Mukuro-sama lost control of his body completely. By the time Tsuna landed on the muddy ground on his back, he was completely unable to even move due to the reverberating shockwave rippling through his skull and his brain. He simply lay there with wide eyes, trying to fight to merely stay conscious and trying to remember what it felt like to breathe. He stayed completely unmoving, the shock of being shot in the head overwhelming all sense.

"That's a disappointment," he absently heard Reborn say when no Dying Will seemed forthcoming. "Hibari's going to be upset." Tsuna didn't understand it either. He could feel blood trickling across his face from the impact. He should either be in Dying Will Mode or he should be dead. He was neither. He was alive, albeit in too much shock to even breathe. He was alive, but he wasn't going into Dying Will Mode. Instinct finally kicked in after nearly three minutes passed without oxygen. He gasped for breath, sitting up in a rush to find that Reborn was already gone.

"I-I'm alive...?" He mumbled in confusion and disorientation. He felt dizzy as he held out his hand to catch the blood dripping off of his face. From the pain in his forehead and the blood, he knew that he'd been shot. Why was he still alive? As he looked around, he saw the same look of confusion on several other faces along with shock, fear, and awe. Then he looked to see Gigi still standing where he'd left her, although she was splattered in mud and her legs looked like they were about to give out on her.

"S-Suoh...?" She said with tears in her eyes. Tsuna grimaced, immediately realizing how much he'd probably worried her. She was an idiot for not leaving like he'd said, but that only showed how scared she'd been for his sake.

"Sorry," he murmured apologetically, completely ignoring the rest of Papa Paolo's men that were staring at him. "I worried you again. Will you forgive me?"

"You idiot," she cried, her tears ruining her mascara while she ran through the mud without heeding it for a moment. Her heels slipped twice in the mud, but she went so far as to yank them off and throw them to the side in effort to get to his side. Unsurprisingly, she practically threw herself on him while she cried in relief. He sheepishly held her while she cried, figuring that it was the least he could do for worrying her so much. It took several minutes to calm her down enough that she finally seemed to regain a hint of her former self, during which time he managed to steal a handkerchief out of her bag to press against his forehead in hopes of stopping the blood flow.

"Who was that man?!" She screamed at him as Papa Paolo's men began to collect themselves enough to draw near. They all deserved an explanation, he felt. Especially considering they'd stayed behind out of the desire to cover for him. They'd all been useless, but their hearts had been in the right places.

"That was Reborn," he answered without lowering his voice. "I've heard that he's the greatest hitman in the world. Not that I can really argue. He kicked my ass pretty easily. I'm sorry that I didn't give you more warning. I kind of lost it when I realized who he was. I figured that he was here because of me and I didn't want him to hurt any of you. I would have never forgiven myself if he had. I kind of overestimated my ability and I wasn't expecting him to beat Mukuro-sama, too."

"What happened?" One of the other men asked with what looked to be every ounce of his meager courage. "I've never seen anything like that. You turned into someone else and then it was like we all got transported somewhere else."

"It was illusion," he answered honestly. "I don't really understand how he does it, but the person you saw is a friend of mine that creates them. He has the ability to possess people and I let him take over when I lost. He would have won, too, but Reborn had to pick a damn whistle to use."

"What's the big deal about a whistle?" One of the other guys asked curiously. "I couldn't hear a thing."

"I could," Tsuna grimaced, rubbing his ear at the mere memory. "It was a frequency meant to repel animals and it hurt. I thought my ear drums were going to explode. It's my fault. My tie with Mukuro isn't the sort where he can possess me to a point that I can't feel anything. If it was, he wouldn't have felt my pain and the sound wouldn't have hurt us."

"What are you?" A third man asked when Tsuna seemed easy to talk to. "How did you survive? I thought he shot you in the head for sure!"

"What am I?" Tsuna repeated quietly. "I'm just Suoh. As for why I survived. I--"

_The bullet rebounded off of the plate in your head_, Mukuro-sama supplied sleepily. _It didn't penetrate past your skin_.

"Mukuro-sama says that the bullet rebounded off a plate in my head," he transmitted in surprise. Rubbing his forehead around his wound, he prodded it as another wave of dizziness washed over him. "I didn't even know that I had a plate in my head. I wonder how I got it."

"You're not looking too good, sweet-cheeks," Gigi said worriedly.

"My head hurts," he admitted. "And I'm tired. Mukuro-sama used up all the energy that my medicine gave me."

"That's why your head isn't healing up," Gigi grumbled as she started digging into her bag. "You should have said something. I have another vial."

"That'd be nice," he murmured tiredly. "Is Papa Paolo still here? I need to--" Tsuna broke off as the world started spinning and darkness crept in on the edges of his vision. He fought it with everything he had, knowing that it would go away once he had a drink. The only thing that kept him from falling over, however, was the multitude of hands that caught him as he slumped over.

"Hold it together, Suoh," Gigi urged as he felt something get pressed to his lips. Knowing what it was, he let his mouth fall open so that the liquid could carefully be poured inside. This one was sweeter than the balanced mixture that he'd gotten previously, telling him that Poe had pulled from two different sources on himself to supply Tsuna with a little variety. The world started to line up properly as the blood hit his stomach, making him look up to find himself held steady by two very surprising hands.

"Why are you still here?" Tsuna asked blankly.

"What kind of Boss would I be if I left you to fight on your own?" Autumn replied with a crooked grin. "You really are an idiot."

"Can we leave the insults for later?" He grumbled. "Today has been long enough already."

"Boss," Isaac said from over her head. "We need to get out of here. The rain is starting to clear and they need to destroy the evidence that we were here."

"Let's go," she ordered, looking around to find that over half of the trucks had already disappeared. "Scrotum's probably going to be pissed with how much Daddy made off of tonight. The cops are probably already on their way if he tipped them off after his guys got out."

"I'll help Suoh," Gigi said, leaning forward to pull Tsuna out of Autumn's arms. Tsuna let her up until he was sitting up on his own, already feeling energy leeching back into him while the initial surge continued repairing the damage done to his body. After that, he stood on his own and grimaced when Gigi stood next to him. They were both covered in mud. Even Autumn was covered in mud from where she'd been one of the people to catch him.

"Your dress and wig are ruined," he commented unhappily.

"I can afford a new one," she grinned. Pulling the wig off, she walked over to retrieve her shoes and hiked up the mud-covered hem of her dress so that she could walk through the mud easier. "Thanks to your tips, I've got thirteen grand coming to me after two grand of service--"

"W-W-What are you?!"

Tsuna and Gigi turned in unison to see Isaac staring at Gigi in horror from next to a truck.

"Oh shit," Tsuna paled.

"I told you that I'm a Queen, honey," Gigi replied with a wide grin. "What kind of Queen did you think I was talking about?"

"I tried to tell you that she's a transvestite," Tsuna grimaced. "I--"

"Talk about Gigi's quirks later!" Autumn snapped from the passenger side window. "Suoh, Gigi, go get loaded up! If you're not out of here in two minutes, Suoh has to work overtime for the next three weekends!"

"She's merciless," Gigi grumbled as Tsuna started running for his truck. Papa Paolo was already gone when he jumped inside. More than likely, Jules had forced him to leave for his own safety once a gun was pulled. Not that Tsuna minded. It was somewhat of a relief to know that he hadn't seen the horrors that he'd agreed to help protect Tsuna from. More than likely, at least an hour of tomorrow would be spent in his office, explaining what had happened. Tsuna was still confused on much of it, but he knew one thing.

Reborn didn't know. Reborn didn't know that he was the real Tsuna and he seemed satisfied with having spoken with Mukuro-sama. If Tsuna was lucky and he didn't know about the plate, Reborn might even think that he was dead. That would be a relief. He'd managed to survive this long because everyone thought he was dead. If they thought even the person that he was pretending to be was dead, he was twice as safe. He had to lie low until they were sure that Reborn was out of the city, though. If his face was seen, Reborn would be curious about how his forehead had healed up so quickly again. Strangely, he didn't feel the urge to run. He'd stood his ground and made up his mind to stay. If Reborn came again, Tsuna would simply fight again. He wasn't going to leave his family. He wasn't going to be afraid anymore.

Leaning out of the back window long enough to grab his backpack full of clothes and his jacket, he didn't even try to redress. He simply threw his whistle around his neck and his jacket on while a random man in a suit jumped into the driver's seat. The man didn't even introduce himself as another person jumped in the back next to Tsuna and Gigi took the passenger's seat. Within seconds of that, the truck was roaring to life and pulling out of the tent at a pace that sent mud flying. Looking out of the back window, he was relieved to see Autumn's transport rushing out after them.

They were safe, he sighed once they were out of the dump. Even if they were pulled over at this point, there was nothing to connect them with any illegal activities. Plenty of people took their trucks to the dump to go mudding so that they wouldn't have to leave the city. Of course, the mud didn't last very long. The rain was beginning to ease up, but it was no where near close to stopping. Pretty soon, it'd be light enough for helicopters to fly in, but those who stayed behind should have plenty of time to pull the tent down and cover up the tracks in the mud.

"Where to?" The driver finally asked. "I can drop you off wherever you want before I take the truck back."

"Do you know where the Orange Dragon Dojo is?" Tsuna asked curiously. The man nodded and turned off a side street that Tsuna recognized as a short cut to his place. The man didn't waste time in getting there. Rather than chance being pulled over with a prize fighter muddied and bloodied in the back seat, he focused on dropping them off as a way to get rid of evidence.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to a hospital to get checked out?" He asked worriedly as both Gigi and Tsuna jumped out.

"I'll be fine," Tsuna smiled. "Thanks for the ride."

"If you're ever in the mood for coffee, stop by the cafe on the corner of Second and Rose," he called as the other man in the truck jumped into the now-empty passenger seat. "Ask for Geoffrey and I'll hook you up. That was one hell of a fight."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied sheepishly before turning to run through the front door that Gigi held open for him and step over the water break within that kept the flooded sidewalk from flooding the garage. It felt good to be home. From the moment that he walked into the door, he felt utterly in peace. Almost, he amended. He had mud up his crack and he could smell himself, but he was still happy. He'd won the fight before Reborn had shown himself which meant that Papa Paolo would be able to take care of Nubian for Ore. He had tomorrow off which meant that he didn't have to worry about getting up for work. Assuming he even slept, of course. At the moment, he felt energetic enough to go several more days at a more normal pace. Best of all, Reborn probably thought he was dead. He had absolutely nothing to be unhappy about.

"Go jump in the shower," Gigi whispered as Tsuna stowed his bag and jacket in a corner of the garage. "I'll go get us some towels and soap."

"Thanks," Tsuna hissed back, belatedly remembering that the house was full of guests. Tip-toeing past the netting, he sighed in relief when he saw how everything had been taken care of. Ore had put the coffee table on the billiards table, which had then been moved against the corner of the room with the couch pushed up against it. That left a huge area open, which was where their guests had been given futons and blankets for the night. From the smell of soap and shampoo in the room, Tsuna assumed that they'd all been ordered to take baths before dinner. They looked happy, he saw with a smile. Daren and his two friends especially. They were smiling in their sleep, which reminded Tsuna that he still had duties to take care of in the morning.

Heading into the bathroom, he shut the door quietly before turning on the shower. He didn't even bother to strip at first, taking advantage of the spray in hopes of saving his Valentines gift. It was caked in mud. He spent more time trying to clean it than himself.

"Don't worry about those, sweet-cheeks," Gigi hissed when he walked in with only a towel around his waist. "I'll take those to the dry-cleaners with my dress tomorrow to see if they can be salvaged. You just get washed up and go to bed. I don't care if you can sleep. You're not allowed to go out again tonight. Ollie just got back, too. He said that he's going to bed and he'll give you your thing in the morning."

"Good to know," Tsuna grinned crookedly, accepting the washcloth and bar of soap that he handed over. Taking his time under the hot spray, he ensured that he got every last trace of mud and blood off of him before even thinking of merely relaxing. Gigi looked to have the same thought, focusing on getting his makeup off and his body clean before remembering that he was using the shower next to a naked Tsuna. "Once is accident. Second is coincidence. If you do it again, I'm going to smack you," he laughed when Gigi's eyes started wandering.

"You know that I just like to tease you," he replied with a disgruntled sigh. "Honestly, I don't think I really could fall for you anymore. You're too much like a kid brother now. I fear that Black X no longer fascinates me like he used to."

"I know," he soothed with a quiet smile, letting the hot water wash the last of his worries away. "That's why it doesn't bother me when you tease me. I know that you don't really mean it."

"I had my chance," he shrugged. "You're better off with Snicker anyway. I don't have the sense of responsibility that he does. If you'd ended up with me, I wouldn't have ever let you leave the bedroom."

"I think I would have objected to that," Tsuna countered blandly. "Sex isn't all there is to life."

"But it's a good part," Gigi chuckled.

"That it is," he agreed, finding a smile erupting onto his face. Turning off his shower, he snatched up the towel that Gigi had supplied him in order to quickly dry off. "Speaking of, I think I'm going to go see if Snicker's really asleep."

"And if he is?" Gigi asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"He won't be for long," Tsuna grinned as he headed for the door with the towel around his waist. "He can sleep in tomorrow."

"You still know how to make a girl jealous," Gigi called before he snuck out the bathroom door. As soon as he was sure that the door was shut, he dashed toward the stairs leading up to the loft bedroom. He skipped the second and eighth stair in the knowledge that they creaked, while also staying to the left side of the stairwell so that the fourth and the sixth didn't groan. He grinned to himself as he shut the bedroom door behind him. Then he bit his lip, feeling slightly hesitant over the amount of people in the building. It was a lot quieter in the cathedral than normal. The stereo or the television was typically going no matter the time of day, but everything had been silenced due to the storm.

Sex was out, Tsuna groaned to himself. That didn't mean that all contact was out, however. Grinning once more, Tsuna pulled his towel off and tossed it onto the dresser. He'd earned at least a little reward. He didn't necessarily have to wake Snicker up to get it, either. With that in mind, Tsuna knew how he wanted to crawl into bed. He crawled in at Snicker's feet, taking insane amounts of pleasure in kissing his way up his legs. He didn't even twitch in his sleep, which was completely expected. Snicker slept like a rock now that he was used to living in a house with a bed and a lock on the door. It'd taken him the better part of a year to achieve that and he still occasionally lurched awake out of habit in the middle of the night. It'd taken a lot of work to break the habits ingrained from ten years of rough living.

Tsuna let out a groan as he reached Snicker's rear, already feeling himself throbbing. He was getting hard too fast. He felt like he'd went weeks without instead of only a few days. Being confronted with the object of his lust laying so unguarded before him, he shuddered slightly in need. He couldn't take it. He wanted him too much. Memory of Snicker's attempt on him earlier only escalated that need until he was having to forcefully squeeze himself in effort to hold back. He wanted to enjoy it since he had so much time ahead of him. He didn't have to be anywhere for hours and hours and he didn't have to sleep. For once, he didn't have to hold back to ensure that Snicker slept, either. For once, it was perfectly okay to wake Snicker up because Snicker was going to call into work.

Waiting until he thought he had control of himself, Tsuna crawled forward while carefully moving Snicker's legs so that he could fit between them. He moved slowly, not wanting to wake Snicker if he could manage not to. If he still woke, Tsuna wouldn't regret. If it was possible not to wake him, Tsuna would be perfectly content. All that mattered was that he could touch him. He felt like he didn't get to touch him nearly enough. Saturday nights were the only ones in which neither of them had a time limit. The rest of the time, they were too busy with their jobs and the gang to properly spend time together.

They had all day tomorrow, Tsuna reminded himself as he leaned forward to kiss Snicker's back. Right now was just a little tease that Tsuna was giving himself. In all honesty, he couldn't say whether he wanted to give or receive more at the moment. He just wanted some relief from the tight coil in his groin. He wanted a relief that simply giving in wouldn't satisfy. There was more to it than that. There were nuances to his desires that he couldn't get just by getting off. They were nuances that he blushed to name, but was perfectly willing to accept.

He wanted Snicker's scent on him. He wanted his warmth to seep into his flesh and bones. He wanted the taste of his skin and the touch of his body. He wanted the sound of his name coming off of Snicker's lips, as well, but that would have to wait. Almost as badly, he wanted to smell himself on Snicker. As it was, there was no trace of himself on the man to mark him as his own other than the ring on his thumb. It wasn't enough. The ring satisfied his emotional desires, but a lack of a different type of mark kept him from being physically satisfied. Until their scents were intertwined again, he couldn't be happy. Until Snicker was the only taste on his lips, he couldn't give in. Until his hands remembered no other sensation than the feeling of Snicker's flesh and his body was warmed with Snicker's heat, he couldn't be gratified.

"Joshua," he groaned almost inaudibly. Laying his face down against Snicker's back, he paused once more in effort to hold back. He could feel himself leaking where he was cradled between the cracks of Snicker's rear. It took everything he had not to give into the desire to explode, just as it took everything he had not to give into the temptation to enter. He couldn't deny the presence of the desire. He wanted Snicker so badly that it hurt. The only thing that kept him from giving in was the ingrained belief that doing so would be wrong. Not while Snicker was asleep. Having woken up after being violated, that was one thing that Tsuna refused to do. Contact was permitted and encouraged because of their vows to one another, but he refused to cross the line that Snicker and he had drawn. He couldn't. Not after having went off on Snicker once in the past for trying to cross it while he'd been the one who was asleep.

It was so hard, though. As he started rubbing himself along Snicker's crevasse once more, it took every ounce of his self-control not to cross that line. He wanted to bury him inside of his lover and feel him encasing him fully. He wanted to dive into the core of Snicker's heat instead of leeching off that which he radiated under the blankets. Panting out of his efforts to control himself, Tsuna gave up on trying to keep himself from drooling. Instead, he focused on licking off the driblets that fell on Snicker's back while his hands caressed every centimeter of skin within his reach. They crawled across every miniscule mound of Snicker's muscle and into every valley of his joints. They kept returning to his hips over and over again despite Tsuna's attempts to keep them away.

He couldn't take it anymore. He felt himself leaking once more, lubricating the crevasse that hid the forbidden cave which he wanted to explore. He stopped trying to fight it, letting himself leak as much as he wanted even if it didn't give him the explosion he needed. He felt more like a balloon with a slow leak instead of a balloon punctured with a hot needle. The pressure eased, but the tense need was still present. It wasn't enough.

"Suoh...?" Snicker mumbled. Tsuna froze, his staff throbbing and twitching against Snicker's backside while he continued to dribble out at a slow rate.

"Sorry," he moaned quietly. "I tried not to wake you."

"I've been awake for a while," he whispered back. "You've been driving me crazy. If you don't do something soon, I'm going to turn over and do it for you."

That was all Tsuna needed to hear. Pulling back slightly, he slipped his hand down to reposition himself almost teasingly against Snicker's wet rim. Snicker shifted slightly to give him a raised angle to work with and he waited a moment to ensure that he was wet with what he'd leaked before slowly pushing inside. There was no need for preparation anymore for either of them, although they still did it on occasion during foreplay. At the moment, he wasn't feeling patient enough for that, however.

He let out a soft groan as his head was swallowed, pausing with another shudder when he almost caved again. Holding back suddenly got a lot harder, although the gratification of doing so had just increased tenfold. He was so close already, but he refused to give in before Snicker had some satisfaction, as well. Reaching down, he squeezed himself at his base once more before trying to go farther. Even that didn't seem to help. Not when Snicker raised up even more so that he could reach between his own legs to let a finger graze along Tsuna's exposed length.

"Don't do that," he shuddered. "I won't be able to hold it."

"That's the point," he quietly countered. "Stop trying to hold it in. I'm not going anywhere." Realizing that he was right and that once definitely wouldn't be enough with how wound up he was, Tsuna grabbed Snicker's hips and rammed himself deeply inside of him. He came almost instantly, exploding with a force that made him see stars for a moment. Pulling back, he rammed forward for a second and a third shockwave, seeing stars almost continuously while he rode out the explosion. On the sixth thrust, he buried himself to the hilt where he paused in order to let the sexual euphoria wash over him for a moment. It felt so good, but it wasn't enough at the same time. He still felt unsatisfied with an empty longing twisting through his gut.

He recognized the longing. It was a longing for a multitude of things. It was a longing to give Snicker enjoyment out of penetrating him. It was a longing for both he and Snicker to peak together instead of him selfishly giving in alone. It was a longing to encase Snicker and be filled in turn. Now that he couldn't feel his pulse between his legs, he could think of such things and work toward satisfying them. Satisfying Snicker was the first of those.

Pulling back, Tsuna shifted slightly to get a better angle, already perfectly acquainted with Snicker's sweet spot. With a small twist of his hips and a slow push forward, it wasn't until his third thrust that he was positive he had it exactly right. As he always did when Tsuna was on top, Snicker let out a small gasp at the first direct hit and seemed to sag in place with a slight shudder. Tsuna grinned at his predictable behavior. No matter how often or repeatedly Tsuna traded positions with him, Snicker could simply never get used to the sensations. He knew what to expect and he knew that he'd get enjoyment out of it, so he no longer clenched or fought it. However, until he actually felt the enjoyment, he couldn't necessarily relax, either.

He lived to please Snicker, he thought with a smile as he listened for every small gasp and moan of bliss that came out of him. Snicker was like air to him. He couldn't live without him. Giving Snicker pleasure made the quality of that air into something that pleased him in turn. It gave him a heady feeling of joy to know that he was making Snicker feel good. He secretly wished that Snicker would use him more often for his own enjoyment. It made him happy to know that he was capable of giving back some of the feelings and sensations that had put him in ecstasy so many times in the past.

"You don't have to--ah!--to be so quiet," Snicker panted while Tsuna continued to roll his hips forward.

"I don't want to wake anyone," he whispered in return.

"Don't be silly, Suoh," Snicker chuckled. "How much noise do you think they're used to hearing at night? Did it ever bother you to hear others--ah! ooh, right there--Did it ever bother you to hear others going at it?"

"No, Tsuna admitted with a small smile for his earnest lover's tone. "Not after the first few nights. If it did, I would have never been able to get to sleep."

"There you have it," he replied with his eyes rolling back in bliss.

"It's still rude," Tsuna objected.

"I gave them earplugs on top of that," Snicker growled.

"Oh," he chuckled with a wide grin. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Without giving Snicker a chance to respond, Tsuna stopped taking only shallow thrusts. Leaning forward, he sent himself into Snicker hard enough that there was a loud crack from their skin slapping together. Tsuna grinned widely at how Snicker's back arced and the sound of his gasp rang in Tsuna's ears. "How's that?" He asked playfully. He felt himself grow breathless over Snicker's almost unintelligible plea for more. Tsuna gave it to him, reaching around to wrap a hand around his staff in the process.

Almost instantly, Snicker's old renitence surfaced. His hand shot down to grab Tsuna's to stop him before he could control himself. Tsuna didn't let it bother him, having long gotten used to Snicker's quirks. He didn't let it stop him, either. It felt good to have Snicker's hand on his own while he tried to give his husband pleasure. Snicker didn't fight it, either. After the initial snap reaction, he could see that Snicker truly began to feel the pressure building. Because of that, Tsuna let go and carefully pulled out completely.

He could almost feel Snicker's frustration for the withdrawal, but it was for a purpose. Snicker had lifted up enough for him that he was practically on his knees, which couldn't be good for his joints. Rather than have Snicker start feeling pain at the worse possible time, Tsuna decided that a change of position was in order so that Snicker would feel nothing but pleasure until the end. Thrusting the covers over them away, Tsuna gasped for air as he guided Snicker onto his back. It was a gasp that he was only permitted for a second before his lips and his breath was stolen away with a kiss. He was almost dizzy by the time Snicker let him go again, but that only proved to make him begin to feel the throb in his nether-regions again.

"Joshua," he panted breathlessly as he once more positioned himself between Snicker's legs. Arching his back as he pushed inward, he let a low groan rumble in the back of his throat that was echoed by Snicker. He didn't want the feeling to end. Snicker fit him like a well-tailored glove, putting pressure in all the right places without a single instance of discomfort. He was soaked with natural lubrication that had leaked out when Tsuna had withdrawn, making him into a slippery cavern of heat that felt good enough to be criminal. Over and over, he dived. He went deeper and faster with every thrust, reaching out to work Snicker's staff in unison. When Snicker's hand tried to snap into place again, Tsuna grabbed it and guided Snicker in rubbing his own length until he was willing to continue unaided.

Tsuna smiled as he pulled back his hands in order to grab underneath Snicker's knees. Pushing his legs toward his chest for leverage, Tsuna threw everything he had into pleasing Snicker. His breathe hitched in his chest and he could feel himself twitching with need, but his own body was the last thing on his mind. What was on his mind was Snicker's expression. Without even meaning to, Tsuna found himself completely engrossed in watching him while he continued to push his body toward the pinnacle of their exertions. Every gasp that Snicker made was heard. Every flicker of his eyelids was seen despite the pitch black darkness of the room. Tsuna could see every individual droplet of sweat on his body and even the tremble of his parted lips as he panted for air.

He was completely irresistible.

"Suoh," Snicker cried softly in warning. "I can't--" Seeing that Snicker was on the edge ahead of him, Tsuna reached out to put some restraining pressure on his base to have him hold back. Snicker's own hand was already attempting the feat, however. Pausing while buried to the hilt didn't help either, since it only created a break in sensation that pushed Snicker over the cliff even faster. He let out a strangled cry and his back arched slightly as he spilled over, having already been pushed to the point of no return. Tsuna bit his lip at the spray, groaning slightly in disappointment before he quickly figured out a way to make the best of it.

"I hope you don't mind, Joshua," Tsuna murmured as he quickly pulled out and crawled up until he was straddling Snicker's waist. Leaning over him, he got a faint agreement before kissing him at a fevered pace. The kiss brought Snicker back to himself fairly quickly. A dry hand and a slightly wet one wrapped around his thighs to steady him while Tsuna continued to ravage his mouth. One of Tsuna's own hands held him partially upright, while the other worked to help him find release. It didn't take long. Within a minute, he was throwing his head back with his own cry while his own climax mixed with Snicker's across his body.

He collapsed on top of him after that, completely uncaring of the mess squelching between them. He still unsatisfied. He was content, however. He hadn't filled all of his desires, but his hormones could hold off for a while. He was happy to have simply pleased Snicker. He was content with how their scents were currently so intertwined that Tsuna couldn't tell them apart. It was enough. It had to be enough. Snicker was rarely able to go more than once a night. He could wait until tomorrow to fulfill his other desires.

"Suoh," he panted softly as his arms wrapped around him. Tsuna growled at the apologetic note in his voice. Snicker wasn't so stupid as to say 'I'm sorry' for giving in so quickly and ruin the mood, however. What he said instead was, "You're still hard."

"It'll go away," Tsuna murmured quietly while he wrapped his arms around Snicker's sides in return. "I'm happy even if we don't keep going."

"Was the fight hard?" Snicker asked, reaching up to run a hand through Tsuna's hair. Tsuna tensed up subconsciously, wondering how Snicker had known. He hadn't told him. Papa Paolo hadn't told him. Maybe Gigi had said something? "I can read you like a book," Snicker said in amusement. "For you to still be hard after giving in twice, you have to have quite a bit of testosterone pumping through you. You're only like that after you work out or you've gotten into a fight. Since you were with Papa Paolo before you came home, I'm guessing it was a fight and you didn't want me to know."

"Don't be mad," Tsuna pouted quietly over being caught. "I didn't have a choice. I found out that the financial group backing Ore's company is purposely ruining businesses for some sort of scheme. I had to fight so that Papa Paolo would have enough money to deal with them."

"You're home," he sighed. "And you don't seem hurt. I won't say anything, but I wish you would at least tell me when you're going to be doing something like that. I don't like it when you lie to me. You should be able to tell me anything."

"I don't want you to worry," he replied honestly. "I always come home without getting hurt, but you'd still fret if I told you. If you worry, then I worry about you. I wouldn't be able to focus if I was wondering whether you were worrying yourself into another heart attack."

"I'm not going to have another heart attack," Snicker growled with his long-standing argument. "I've been taking the medication that the hospital prescribed. My heart is as strong as ever, Suoh. You're the one that needs to stop worrying over silly things. You're worth a little worry and I can deal with it. It's better than worrying about whether you're telling me the truth or not. You know that you're not supposed to lie to your spouse."

"I know," Tsuna flinched as the admonishment struck home. "I can't help but be concerned about you, though. I didn't really lie, either. We just stretched the truth a little bit."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Snicker counted in a toneless voice. "You're still misleading me."

"Can't you just let it go, Snicker?" Tsuna pleaded pathetically, giving Snicker's chest a light squeeze. "I don't want you to get involved with my work. I wouldn't be happy if you knew about that side of things."

"Are you still a good person, Suoh?" He asked solemnly. Tsuna stiffened at the question, knowing that Snicker was asking more than just his opinion. He was asking about whether Papa Paolo was forcing him to do anything he didn't want to do. He was worried for Tsuna's sake, even though Tsuna never complained about anything. He knew everything that there was to know about Tsuna's past and he was tacitly asking Tsuna if he felt that he was getting in too deep.

"I'm still a good person," he soothed softly while trying to keep the image of Porker out of his head. Then another image surfaced which made Tsuna want to curl into himself. "Can you do me a favor?" Tsuna asked quietly while Snicker continued to fiddle with his hair.

"What's that?"

"Can you say my name again?"

"What was that?" Snicker asked blankly.

"I want you to say my name again," he murmured even more quietly, burying his face in Snicker's chest out of the sudden desire to hide. "I ran into somebody that I used to know today. He didn't recognize me and he said that I wasn't Tsuna. I want to hear you say my name so that I can remember that it doesn't matter. I should be happy that he assumed that I wasn't Tsuna. I'm Suoh now. Right, Snicker? I--"

"Whoa," Snicker gasped breathlessly as he sat up in a rush with Tsuna in his arms. Tsuna was unsure of where the tears came from. He was unsure of why his chest felt as if he'd just noticed a dagger in it. He felt as if he'd been wounded, but he couldn't specify where or when the wound had been received. All he knew was that it hurt and he wanted Snicker to make the pain go away. He wanted him to make it go away by putting an end to the confusion and heartache rushing through him over who he was. He didn't know anymore. He'd been living as Suoh for so long that 'Tsuna' seemed to be a faraway dream. He _was _Tsuna, though. He didn't want to be, but that didn't change the facts. His parents had given him the name Tsuna. He'd been Tsuna for thirteen years of his life before Reborn had entered it. On the other side of things, he was different now. He'd cast that name and that life away. Despite that, meeting with Reborn made him doubt. It made him doubt because he'd jumped so readily to claim that he was Tsuna to Mukuro-sama.

"Who am I, Snicker?" Tsuna cried into his chest. "Please, just tell me."

"You're my husband," Snicker answered softly. Tsuna froze at the unexpected words, his tears continuing to roll down his face unheeded. "You're the leader of the Orange Dragons and the person that's been cleaning up the ghettos. You know who you are, so you shouldn't cry. You said that you want me to say your name. Right? Well, which one do you want? I hear that you got a fancy name for working for Papa Paolo. The guys down in Chinatown call you Little Dragon. That fight club guy tagged you with 'Crazy Bum' and the girls call you Pocky sometimes. Gigi calls you sweet-cheeks and I hear that some of the guys you've beaten call you bastard. Your parents might have called you Tsuna when you were little, but I like to call you Suoh. If you want a different name, I'll be happy to call you by it. What you're called doesn't change the fact that you're the person that I love."

"Joshua..." Tsuna murmured in surprise, his tears stopping completely as Snicker's words penetrated. He was right. Tsuna knew who he was and what he was called didn't change that. So what if Reborn had tried to say that he wasn't Tsuna? He knew better and that was all that mattered.

"I'd rather not call you sweet-cheeks like Gigi, though," Snicker added with a chuckle, reaching out to wipe away the remainder of Tsuna's tears. "Your ass is too boney for that name."

"I thought you said that you liked my ass," Tsuna grumbled with a grudging smile, feeling incredibly relieved after hearing Snicker's eloquent answer. "If you want to talk about names that don't fit, then I'll start questioning why you're called Snicker. Kuma-kun fits much better."

"Kuma-kun?" Snicker repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Is that Japanese again?"

"It means 'bear'," Tsuna chuckled, running a hand across Snicker's hairy chest. Snicker's jaw dropped like a stranded fish for a moment before he could decide on a way to respond.

"I'll show you a bear!" Snicker exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Tsuna's head. Tsuna's let out a squeal when he found his face once more buried in Snicker's chest, this time unwillingly. Pushing him over, Tsuna managed to get loose after Snicker fell on his back. Getting loose didn't free him from Snicker's grasp, however. Almost immediately, he found himself pinned in place again. This time, it was merely with a glance. Leaning forward as the glance commanded, Tsuna felt a playful smile twitching across his lips.

"Is Kuma-kun coming out of hibernation?" He teased as he placed a butterfly kiss along Snicker's lips.

"Maybe," he grinned in return. "Are you going to give me a picnic basket if I am?"

"Picnic basket?" Tsuna repeated, raising an eyebrow over the odd question.

"Never mind," Snicker laughed around return kisses, seeing instantly that Tsuna didn't get the reference. "It's from an old cartoon about a bear that steals picnic baskets and a forest ranger that chases him. I guess I'm showing my age again."

"Ah," Tsuna chuckled, moving down to kiss Snicker's chest while his hands rambled down his arms. "Not necessarily. I didn't grow up here and I haven't watched cartoons in years. I bet Leo would have probably gotten it. What's it called? I'll keep an eye out for it."

"Don't worry about it," Snicker soothed with a small grin. "It's more fun if I just call you Boo-Boo."

"Boo-boo?" Tsuna repeated with a laugh.

"It's the little bear that hangs out with the big bear," Snicker explained with his smile growing even wider for some reason.

"What's the big bear's name?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Yogi," he answered as he pulled Tsuna to him in order to bury his face in his neck. Tsuna thought it over as quickly as he could, coming to a snap judgment so that they could turn to a more important subject.

"I like Kuma-kun better," he decided with a firm nod. "As for the picnic baskets, I'm fresh out. I hope you'll settle for a few treats instead."

"That'll work," Snicker agreed huskily. Tsuna let out a soft moan in reply, losing himself completely in Snicker's ministrations. It wasn't hard to with how softly Snicker fondled his body. It didn't take long for Tsuna to get worked back up into a breathless and panting state nor did Snicker seem to be far behind. The moment that he felt Snicker poke him in the back, he slid backwards in order to rub his cheeks teasingly against him. Snicker groaned in return, his large hands clamping down on Tsuna's hips in anticipation.

Tsuna didn't leave him hanging for long. As soon as Snicker looked even the slightest bit ready, Tsuna lifted up so that he could take Snicker into himself. It hurt. Regardless of how many times he'd been with Snicker in the past, his body simply refused to stay stretched out for him. Unlike how Snicker seemed to fit him like a glove, he fit Snicker like a vise that was slowly pried open. It was easier now than it'd been the first time, but he still felt as if Snicker had grown since the last time they'd been together. It was literally impossible to take him by himself. Of course, he didn't have to. Snicker was more than willing to give him the jolt needed for the last few centimeters. Tsuna gasped over the forceful stab, his knees coming together over Snicker's chest due to the bliss-laced agony.

"How does it feel?" Snicker ask quietly when he paused to catch his breath. Tsuna chose to answer the question the same way that he always did.

"Big," he panted. After that, the world narrowed down to nothing more than the feeling of Snicker slipping in and out of him with the aid of the mess they'd made earlier easing the way. Due to his sheer size, Snicker was able to brush against his sweet spot with every thrust until the discomfort was nothing more than a distant memory. Tilting his head back to gasp for air, his legs parted on their own accord in order to leave his body completely exposed in a silent plea. He wanted Snicker to touch him. He wanted it so badly that he gasped out Snicker's name repeatedly in order to entice him more. He knew that Snicker enjoyed watching him and hearing him. Even though it was too dark to see anything, Snicker could imagine based off of Tsuna's positioning. The body wasn't the only thing that had to be tantalized to make the experience the best. The mind had to be excited, as well.

From the spasming that he felt inside himself while Snicker tried to hold back, his imagination was working at full tilt. Tsuna took a sharp breath when Snicker abruptly sat up. Before Tsuna could do more than wrap his arms around Snicker's neck for leverage, Snicker's hands went to work. While Tsuna continued to move along Snicker's length, one hand wrapped around him in order to gently massage his tailbone. Spasms of ecstasy rippled up his spine from the combination of sensations that Tsuna was receiving. Then he felt Snicker's thumb fingering his leaking slit and his enjoyment skyrocketed until he thought he could take no more. His body exploded with such force that he lost all sense while he felt Snicker climax within him.

Less than a second later, they both fell to the bed together when the wave of euphoria loosened every muscle in their bodies. Tsuna had a feeling that Snicker was as completely unable to move as he was. Not that it was a bad thing. Tsuna had never felt as good in his life. Even the feeling of Snicker pulling out left him shuddering in pleasure while he drifted in the aftermath of their exertions. He wasn't sure how long he lay in place until his breathing evened out and he got feeling back in his legs again. He honestly didn't care, either. He was happy laying on Snicker's chest and simply letting time pass by unheeded.

Then he heard the sound of Snicker's lights snore, telling him that his lover had succumbed completely. So much for more pillow talk, Tsuna mused with a sigh of resignation. It wasn't uncommon, however, for Snicker to pass out after they were finished. Tsuna simply wished that he could fall asleep with him. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. He was wired differently now, despite all of his attempts to reclaim normality. Having slept the previous night and ingested so much blood today, sleeping was about as likely as getting the Nobel Prize.

Leaning over the side of the bed, Tsuna threw their blankets over them. He waited a moment for them to warm up before slipping off of Snicker's chest and out of bed, carefully watching to ensure that Snicker didn't wake during the process. He grimace and froze when Snicker rolled over, mentally noting that the sheets would have to get washed again. That could wait, however, just like a second shower could. A towel grabbed out of the room's hamper sufficed to clean him off for now, after which he threw on a pair of pajama pants, his sleep robe, and his fuzzy bear slippers.

He bit his lip slightly, wondering if he should simply get redressed and leave so that he didn't wake anyone. Only the fact that it was still wet and rainy outside, even though the storm front had passed, made him decide against it. He could go talk to Mike for the guys after the flooded streets dried out a bit. For now, he had another quiet diversion to kill time until dawn. Tiptoeing downstairs, he grinned when he saw that Gigi had already warmed up the computers. From the looks of it, he didn't want to brave the rain to go out to Kink's any more than Tsuna wanted to.

"I got the headsets plugged in and coffee on," she hissed with a cautious look at the people sleeping on the other side of the room. "We should be quiet enough that it won't bother them."

"Which game?" Tsuna asked in return as he walked up to his seat next to Gigi in front of one of their two computers.

"We can renew the subscription so that you can play your gremlin again or there's a new game that I've been hearing about," he replied with a raised eyebrow of askance. Tsuna grinned and nodded, seeing the light sparkling in Gigi's eyes. Giving him the thumbs up to download, Tsuna honestly didn't care which game they played. The one where he'd gotten to be a gremlin that screwed with people's electronics had been fun, but it had been pretty limited in scope. Before that, he'd played a simulation game that had allowed him to be a sword-wielding maniac, but that had palled after he'd reached level cap. Without a goal, there was simply no reason to keep playing.

"What's this one about?" He asked curiously. "Fantasy again or are you going to try to get me into another of those army shooters?"

"This one's different," he replied quietly. Tsuna rolled his eyes as he went to get the coffee and see what they had in the way of food. Gigi had said that about the last three, but the games were beginning to look horrifically alike to him. There were the games that had too much of a learning gap to simply jump into and there were the games that were dumbed down to a point that a five-year-old could play. The grey area had gotten smaller and smaller with each game that Tsuna had played until he either could play the game from the moment he jumped in or he got frustrated trying to figure out the complexities of simply the user interface.

"What's different about it?" Tsuna asked as Gigi obviously expected.

"A lot of things," he murmured while darting between the two computers to get the game installed. "It's a third-person modern day simulator that supposedly has a progressive interface. When you start out, you have nothing more than a combat bar with a punch skill. You don't get contact bars or mission bars until you find someone that can give you a mission. You can pick up a gun, but you can't fire it with accuracy unless you take your character to the shooting ranges to practice. Your inventory space is based off of how many packs you can carry. That's decided on how often you work out. It's supposed to be a game based completely on a realism and they supposedly have an infrastructure of admin players that walk around and play like normal people to ensure that the game stays balanced. If you get too rich, too strong, or manage to get a monopoly on in-game resources, you'll end up with admin players targeting you."

"What's the goal?" Tsuna asked curiously as he handed over a cup of coffee.

"That's the best part," Gigi grinned, looking up at him finally as the game continued installing on its own. "You decide what your goals are. Just like in real life, it's different for everyone. This game has it all. If you want to be a strong fighter, they have legitimate routes to become a popular star in the ring or you can take an illegitimate route to become a monster in an underground arena. It's all up to the chances you run into and your choices. I hear they've been working on this game for ten years now and they just released it to the public. You get dropped down in a random spot in the city when you first log in after they run you through a tutorial so that you have your bearings. This isn't a game where you can just accept everything thrown at you. The non-playable characters that you run into could be good or evil, but there's no way to tell unless you read the stuff they tell you. I hear that if you get in with the evil side of the game world, your contacts can actually send people to chase you down if you don't answer their calls. On the flip side, the good contacts can send lawyers and cops after you if you refuse their summons. Breaking ties once you've made them is supposed to be really hard, so you have to watch what you're doing. On top of that, every contact has friendship levels. Later on in the game, there's supposed to be chances to make NPCs into subordinates, too. You've got to have your own business or your own gang to get that far, though."

"Sounds a lot more in-depth than the gremlin game was," Tsuna murmured as he sat down in his chair. Looking up, he saw that the old skylight was open and Lobat was still darting around the ceiling in order to clear out any bugs that might have come inside to shelter from the rain.

"Here's the part that you'll like," Gigi chuckled, bringing his attention back downward. "You can either start out as an average-Joe homeless bum, a disinherited aristocrat who lost everything, or an orphan runaway. From there, you build your character up toward whatever goal you like."

"What about enemies?" Tsuna asked curiously. "There's no challenge if there isn't an opposition."

"Legal or illegal?" He countered, turning to the computer in order to bring up the game's website. "It says that when you first start out, street gangs will be your illegal worries and cops will be your legal ones. Cops aren't your friend at first. You've got to become a respectable citizen to get them off your back. Either way, you have one as your enemy and the other will become your ally in the future. You've got to find a friendly contact to get that far. Until then, the gangs will swarm you if they see you and send you to the hospital where you incur monetary debt. If the cops get you first, you'll get put in jail for whatever crime they can pin on you. That puts a mark on your character's public record."

"Wow," he murmured in awe. "They don't give you a break at all. Do they?"

"This game is big on social interaction," he replied, leaning back in his chair to nurse his coffee. "If you can find a sugar-daddy already set up in the game, they can usually give you the break you need to get on your feet. I hear that newbies are targeted almost instantly by people, since it's the easiest way to get subordinates. Until we can get our bearings and meet up, be careful of what Player-Characters you get in contact with. You don't want to become some idiot's subordinate without meaning to. You'll have to start your character over from scratch or you'll have to find some way out of it which will take time. If you start over, it's easier but it also gets put on your record as losing the game once."

"Pretty harsh for new characters," Tsuna mumbled with a grimace.

"The tutorial is supposed to warn people," he shrugged. "The only people that fall for that are those who are so sure that they understand game mechanics that they skip it."

"I'll be careful," Tsuna replied, turning to put his headset on as the computer beeped at him to tell him that it was installed. Looking at the clock, he saw that he had four hours until people started waking up. It was plenty of time to get a new character set up and for him to get his bearings.

He just had to think of a screen name.

"By the way, sweet-cheeks," Gigi murmured absently after five silent minutes, breaking into his train of thought. "You forgot to put your eye patch back on."

Tsuna stopped. Tsuna turned. Tsuna paled. Tsuna stared in horrified mortification as he noticed it for himself.

_Kufufufufu_, Mukuro-sama chuckled in his head with an amusement that only made Tsuna turn red while he choked and spluttered on air. _You really should pay more attention to detail. Not that I have any complaints. I see now why you're so facinated with your American antique, my pet. Modern toys break so easily in comparison._

Tsuna was able to sleep after all when he fainted from embarrassment.

* * *

**Author's notes: :Head Explodes:**


	46. Chapter 46 Interlude

FOOFOO: Noob

BOOBOO: I'm not a noob! I'm just new!

FOOFOO: Same difference

Tsuna felt his eye twitching. Ten minutes into the game and he'd already been arrested for loitering while he'd been trying to figure out what he was supposed to do. Apparently one wasn't allowed to stand still where ever they pleased. Before he'd been able to figure out what was going on, he'd been transported to a holding cell in the virtual city's jail where a timer said he had to stay for ten more minutes. Two minutes after he'd come in, a girl dressed in a skimpy bunny suit had appeared. Tsuna had tried to strike up a conversation to pass the time, thinking it was kind of funny how close their names were to one another. Unfortunately, the girl seemed to be a player who'd been in the game for a while. She'd had her character sit down with some key command that Tsuna didn't know yet and had been taunting him ever since.

BOOBOO: What did you get arrested for?

FOOFOO: Does it matter? It's something worse than standing in the middle of traffic.  
FOOFOO: How stupid can you get?

BOOBOO: It wasn't my fault! That was where I loaded into!

FOOFOO: Sigh. Don't feel too bad.  
FOOFOO: The game wants you to get arrested or sent to the hospital right off the bat.  
FOOFOO: They're going to try to put you on the legal route through the game.  
FOOFOO: Since this is your first time in, you'll get assigned a parole officer that'll try to get you focused.  
FOOFOO: The first time you go to the hospital, you get a social worker.

BOOBOO: Sounds kind of mundane

FOOFOO: That's Grey City for you.  
FOOFOO: Some people have fun building up normal lives in a normal way. Boring as hell IMO

BOOBOO: IMO?

FOOFOO: 'In my opinion' You really are a noob

BOOBOO: Stop calling me that

FOOFOO: LOL Or what? You'll tell on me?  
FOOFOO: The worst that will happen is the cops tell you to shut up.  
FOOFOO: They got better things to do than deal with a noob who gets upset over being called a noob.  
FOOFOO: Didn't your parents see the M rating on this game?

BOOBOO: I'm not a kid! I'm almost 25!

FOOFOO: Then grow up. This game isn't for naive brats.  
FOOFOO: Why don't you go play something else?  
FOOFOO: There's tons of games out there that you don't have to have a brain to play.

DICER: Did little bunny foofoo get a friend?

FOOFOO: Fuck off

Turning his character, Tsuna had to fight the urge to laugh at the character that spawned into the cell with them. He had a bright green mohawk and what looked to be a wizard's robe on. Seeing that made Tsuna wonder just what kind of game this was! Almost as bad was the swordsman that spawned in next to him in full plate mail.

BOOBOO: WTF?

CUDGEL: Are U a Noob?

BOOBOO: I'm not a noob!

FOOFOO: He's a noob.

FOOFOO: He's still in starter clothes.

DICER: Looks like he chose bum. I went for runaway.

FOOFOO: fallen aristocrat here

CUDGEL: LOL Runaway here.  
CUDGEL: No one picks the bum class

BOOBOO: Why not?

DICER: Bums are losers.

BOOBOO: DON'T MAKE FUN OF BUMS

FOOFOO: Or what? Noob. Picking a bum is like picking hard mode. Every bum that I've ran into has ended up as someone's bitch.

CUDGEL: Not true. I hear bums get traits that the other classes don't. They can forage in dumpsters and shit.  
CUDGEL: TommyTinker is a bum. So is LemonFrosty.

DICER: They're still losers. I tried bum on my second restart.  
DICER: None of the normal starter contacts would talk to me.  
DICER: The cops didn't arrest me as often, but the gangs kept tracking me down and stealing all my shit.  
DICER: I couldn't walk one block without getting attacked and ending up in the hospital.  
DICER: Screw a foraging bonus. Even with strategy guides, you've got to be an idiot to pick bum.

BOOBOO: I'm not an idiot.

Tsuna turned his attention away from the conversation, determined to use the last few minutes in the jail cell in order to get used to the controls instead of dealing with know-it-all players. The controls all seemed the same as other games, although the amount of time that one held down the jump key was directly related to how high one could jump. From the looks of the meter that popped up and how quickly it filled while he was moving, there was some physics built into the engine. Remembering what Gigi had said about the avatars having to work out, it didn't take long to figure out that he'd be able to jump higher the more times that he jumped.

Like Gigi had told him previously, he didn't have any inventory or carrying space. He had no weapons or fighting skills other than a punch and kick button. He didn't even have a map to start out with. Even his character page was completely devoid of items. Although, finding his character page allowed him to see something almost as interesting.

Name: BooBoo  
Height: 3' 5"  
Weight: 75 lbs

Health: 9/100  
Strength: 15/100

Stamina: 15/100  
Speed: 50/100  
Endurance: 15/100

Hygiene: 1/100  
Nutrition: 4/100  
Intelligence: 1/100

Placing his mouse over each stat, he blinked in surprise at the graph that appeared which showed what parts of his character's body that the stats were based off of. From the looks of it, all of his strength was based in his legs at the moment while his arms comprised of only three percent. Running, he guessed. The makers of the game assumed he would run away when confronted with enemies. Tsuna knew better. If the game was really based off of real life, a gang would just get pissed off if their target ran. Of course, standing and waiting on them wasn't always a good idea, either.

By the time he got his head wrapped around his stats and the fact that he had nothing, the jail timer started flashing at him. In response, he shut down everything but his chat window in order to look around to see what would happen. He even started to get a little excited, but was completely disappointed when the cell door simply opened up. It snapped shut as soon as he moved his character outside and he looked around for the parole officer that FooFoo had mentioned.

DICER: Told you. Bums suck. They aren't even giving you a parole officer.

FOOFOO: Where the fuck is my minion? I called for bail five minutes ago.

CUDGEL: I know how you feel. I called for a lawyer and he still isn't here.

DICER: I'm just waiting my time out. I only got fifteen more minutes.

FOOFOO: Fuck that. I got three hours built up.

DICER: Damn! How many times have you been arrested?!

FOOFOO: Too fucking many.

BOOBOO: What am I supposed to do?

FOOFOO: Do we look like nursemaids?

CUDGEL: Be nice to the noob, foofoo. You were a noob once too

FOOFOO: You aren't doing him any favors by babying him. If he expects help just by asking, he won't learn how to really play the game.

CUDGEL: Wait outside booboo. My lawyer should be here soon and I'll help you out.

BOOBOO: Thanks!

FOOFOO: Don't thank him. He's just trying to get another contract.

CUDGEL: Not true!

DICER: Lie to someone else, Cudgel. Both of us have been in the game long enough to see how you work.

FOOFOO: You're never going to beat me if you take in anyone that throws themselves at you.  
FOOFOO: How many are you up to now? Forty?  
FOOFOO: I bet only five actually do what you tell them to. You've got more player minions than NPC minions.

CUDGEL: So what?

FOOFOO: Numbers aren't everything.  
FOOFOO: My mob might be smaller than yours, but mine actually do what I tell them to.  
FOOFOO: If they don't, I send my NPCs after them. My guys know not to piss me off.

CUDGEL: You're full of shit.  
CUDGEL: My gang could take yours out in a heartbeat.

FOOFOO: LOL Are you challenging me?

BOOBOO: I'm going to go now.  
BOOBOO: Thanks for the offer anyway.

* * *

The game was harder than he expected. He was slowly getting the hang of it, though. The trick was to actually think like a bum. Bums were typically brushed off by other people, which was no different in the treatment that they got in the game. Player characters were the only ones that would respond to him. Shopkeepers, obvious contact people, and random passerby completely ignored him. Some even spouted off randomly generated insults. However, once he tried talking to a homeless guy sitting up against a building, he got curious over the fact that even other bums ignored him.

Jumping into a dumpster to hide from another gang that patrolled by, Tsuna saw a dialog pop up that asked if he wanted to forage. Since it was the first option to do anything that he'd gotten, he agreed. He was surprised to find that it opened up a loot window with dozens upon dozens of items to pick through. It took time to sort through everything and pick out the things he thought were worthy of being kept, but he had to smile at the interface. It was almost as if he really was dumpster diving. He found a dented cup, a bag of bread heels, and a pair of worn sneakers. He didn't have an inventory to store them in, but he could equip the sneakers on his feet, eat the bread, and equip the cup in his hand. He chuckled to himself when doing so increased his nutrition stat by six percent and he got two new skills almost immediately. Those skills were drink and beg.

Heading back out to where the bum that ignored him was sitting, he used the beg skill in order to sit down and thrust his cup at NPCs while they walked past. It wasn't until three minutes passed and one of them actually responded, tossing him 3 PL, that something happened.

HOMELESS JOE: Lucky, lucky!

Curious, Tsuna clicked on him again in hopes that he'd talk more. The response was kind of overwhelming. The single bum knew everything about the city. Talking to him opened up a FAQ that answered everything Tsuna needed to know about the game. It made him want to laugh, because that Dicer character had given up so easily. In exchange for the 3 PL he'd just gotten, the bum gave him a map of the city with everything he needed to know on it. There were the gang hotspots. Public facilities were marked along with places to get just about everything he needed for cheap or for free. There were even notations for good begging spots and travel points to go to other cities.

Then the bum offered him more information for more money. The list of information that he was willing to give was endless. City statistics of player characters, name and locations of opportunists and contacts, mission rumors, good foraging spots, and a hundred different things that Tsuna couldn't even begin to know the use for. Even while he sat, more change was dropped into his cup and he noticed that the bum always asked for everything that he'd seen him receive. He'd give nothing for free, but he'd tell anything Tsuna wanted to know in trade for every penny in his cup. He wasn't sure what PL stood for, but it seemed to be the monetary system in the game and the bum asked for the exact amount that Tsuna had. There was also a donate button, which Tsuna decided to try instead of choosing specific information.

HOMELESS JOE: The richest player in Grey City is FOOFOO.  
HOMELESS JOE: CUDGEL has been arrested four times.  
HOMELESS JOE: The MAGICA MAGICO CULT is lead by DICER.  
HOMELESS JOE: HALEYLYNN has been playing for 4 weeks, 2 days, 6 hours, 32 minutes.

Random information, Tsuna mused as the NPC continued to spout information about the random people that he'd overheard talking in chat. If their name was on his chat screen, Homeless Joe said something about them. It didn't matter if they'd actually talked to Tsuna. All that mattered was whether the game thought that he might have interacted with them. The interesting thing was that after having donated once, he got the option to buy the profiles of the characters mentioned. Doing so took every penny in his cup, but it wasn't as if he had anything else to buy. It seemed that he got a few pennies every few minutes. A few times, he got 20 pennies, but it was mostly one penny a minute.

LEMONFROSTY: Shit.

BOOBOO: ?

Clicking the exit button on the file before he got to read it, he hoped like hell that he'd get to retrieve it again later. At the moment, he had other things to worry about. The foremost being a female character standing over him with knee high boots and what looked to be an ice skating costume.

LEMONFROSTY: You found Joe.

BOOBOO: So?

LEMONFROSTY: You better not tell anyone about him.

BOOBOO: Why?

LEMONFROSTY: Self-interest.  
LEMONFROSTY: If you tell others how to get him to talk, everyone will want to be a bum.

BOOBOO: Is that a bad thing?

LEMONFROSTY: Yes.  
LEMONFROSTY: Those of us who figured it out on our own don't want the market scrambled.  
LEMONFROSTY: If a bunch of people figure out how to get the best information source in the city to talk, there will be bums everywhere.  
LEMONFROSTY: The game systems work off of player economy.  
LEMONFROSTY: More bums mean more people that can forage and that would be bad.  
LEMONFROSTY: Most people give up before they figure out the trick to really get started.  
LEMONFROSTY: The makers of the game kept the secret out of all the strategy guides.  
LEMONFROSTY: Only admin players are supposed to know the trick.  
LEMONFROSTY: You should have triggered gang spawns until you gave up and restarted as something else.  
LEMONFROSTY: Other than admins, there's only six of us on the server that know the secret.  
LEMONFROSTY: Who told you?

BOOBOO: No one. I figured it out on my own.

LEMONFROSTY: Liar.  
LEMONFROSTY: Stop trying to cover for someone else.  
LEMONFROSTY: Was it Tommy?

BOOBOO: I don't know who that is.  
BOOBOO: I just jumped into a dumpster to hide from a patrol.  
BOOBOO: It let me forage and I got the cup and these sneakers.  
BOOBOO: I don't have a bag, so I equipped the cup and it gave me the beg skill.  
BOOBOO: Then Joe started talking to me after NPCs started throwing me change.  
BOOBOO: Did I do something wrong?

LEMONFROSTY: Sigh  
LEMONFROSTY: No  
LEMONFROSTY: You just have some crazy luck.  
LEMONFROSTY: Or else you're a hacker.

BOOBOO: I'm not a hacker!  
BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: I'm just a bum.

LEMONFROSTY: ?

BOOBOO: I mean I am in real life.  
BOOBOO: Well, I used to be.  
BOOBOO: I'm not anymore.  
BOOBOO: I can see how playing a bum would be hard for someone else.  
BOOBOO: But I already know how the game is played :)

LEMONFROSTY: If that's the way of things, I guess we're stuck with you.  
LEMONFROSTY: I've got a contract with the others so that we all keep the secret.  
LEMONFROSTY: You better sign it or else we'll all send our minions after you until you play something else.

BOOBOO: What contract?

LEMONFROSTY: Gah. That's right. You're a noob.  
LEMONFROSTY: Hit F4  
LEMONFROSTY: Your contract queue should pop up

Hitting the button like he was told, Tsuna blinked in surprise at all the windows that popped up on the screen. It was then that he realized who all Homeless Joe was telling him about. It wasn't just the people that had talked around him, it was from all the random contracts that he'd been receiving without knowing it. There were contracts for mutual aid. There were contracts that looked to be invitations to long term groupings. Those were kind of interesting and he quickly figured out that they were guild invitations. They weren't called guilds, though. Some were cults. Some were gangs. There was even one for a neighborhood watch and another for a in-game mafia! Attached to each invitation was the name of the person that sent it, the statistics of the group they were affiliated with, and several other very important things. Things such as membership fees and mutual aid priority. Basically, by agreeing to any of the contracts, he'd have to answer whenever the leader of the group called.

He immediately denied all of the invitations, which left temporary group invitation contracts as the foremost thing covering his screen. From the looks of it, he'd been invited to temporary groups where they split profit and loot. He'd also been invited to groups where the leader had sneakily put his profit cut at over seventy-five percent. Considering that he wasn't interested in grouping just yet, he denied all of those, as well. That left only two contracts on his screen. One was what looked to be LemonFrosty's. The other was surprisingly one from FooFoo.

_Contract type: Player Specified_

_Contract holder: LemonFrosty_

_Contract contents:_

_Tell no one the secret of how to work the Bum Network.  
__Punishment for failure is to be outcaste by all Player Bums._

_Agreed to by: LemonFrosty, TommyTinker, Verne, CinderSella, IR.Ebil, AgentQ_

_Agree?_

_Y/N_

Shrugging since he didn't see any harm in the written agreement, Tsuna clicked to agree. From the looks of it, the contract was just a formal way of making a promise. It wasn't asking for anything in return but secrecy. Agreeing was easier than finding himself with an enemy so soon into the game. The moment that he agreed, the page disappeared into an icon around the minimap that had come with Joe's city map. From the looks of it, he could open it again whenever he wanted to look at the agreed-to contents again. Apparently LemonFrosty got a confirmation, too, since she ran off the moment that he 'signed'.

_Contract type: Player Specified_

_Contract holder: FooFoo_

_Contract contents: _

_If you manage to survive as a bum and get this, come to my place and I'll hook you up for free.  
__Sorry I was so pissy in jail. Fucked up a mission that cost me four NPC minions._

_Attached: Taxi Coupon (Set destination: FooFoo)  
__Attached: 500 PL_

_Agreed to by: FooFoo_

_Agree?_

_Y/N_

Blinking in surprise at the money attached, Tsuna agreed. There was nothing in the contract like the stuff that the others had tried to pull on him. There was nothing in it that was trying to make him promise pointless things. It was just an invitation to meet up with the girl again. Once more, the page became an icon on his minimap. It was an icon that summarily disappeared once he used the Taxi skill that appeared in his hotbar. The skill disappeared, too, once used and Tsuna didn't get time to understand anything before a yellow Taxi cab ramped up onto the sidewalk and his character got inside. The game's camera readjusted itself as the car started moving, dragging him through the city as a helpless passenger. There was a button to stop the cab and get off, but he was afraid to hit it in case he didn't get the coupon back.

After a five minute ride, complete with a traffic jam, Tsuna was dumped out on a seemingly random sidewalk. Looking around, it seemed to be an area full of player characters. Everywhere he looked, people were bouncing and running around in outfits that would have raised eyebrows in real life. Many of them had skateboards, roller skates, or other items that made them move faster. He gaped a bit at the guy with a jetpack and scratched his head over the girl riding on a miniature panda.

So much for reality, he laughed to himself. The setting was mundane, but the players seemed to spice it up with all the weird and strange things they'd accessed through playing. There were tons of people who seemed normal, but the abnormal was just as prominent. Some players fancied themselves as city toughs while others went for skimpy costumes. There were wizards, middle-age knights, and beast tamers. There were gun-carrying men in suits and crow-bar-carrying gang members. If he could imagine it, it was present in one form or another. Everything from the past to the future, the virtual city was alive with anachronisms.

BOOBOO: Can anyone tell me where I can find FooFoo?

PEANUTPICKER: HAHAHAHAHA

VANGOOOH: LMAO

BARBIELLA: Noob.

PLSMESUMOOR: Oh Man1 I haven't heard something that funny in weeks!

ASHBROOK: Good luck Booboo. No one gets to see Foofoo.

PEANUTPICKER: HAHAHAHAHAHA  
PEANUTPICKER: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA  
PEANUTPICKER: hahaHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaha

BARBIELLA: Shut up PP

VANGOOOH: Fucking retard

PEANUTPICKER: HAHAHAHA  
PEANUTPICKER: Oh shit FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK  
PEANUTPICKER: STOOOOOOOPPPPPPP  
PEANUTPICKER: MY PANTS ARE ON FIRE!  
PEANUTPICKER: HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!

PLSMESUMOOR: Serves you right  
PLSMESUMOOR: DANCE BITCH

ASHBROOK: Ignore them Booboo.  
ASHBROOK: Why are you looking for Foofoo?  
ASHBROOK: A newbie shouldn't know that name yet  
ASHBROOK: Did you piss her off already?

BOOBOO: No.  
BOOBOO: She sent me a taxi coupon  
BOOBOO: The taxi brought me here when I used it

ASHBROOK: OH FUCk

BOOBOO: ?

ASHBROOK: FUCKING RUN

BOOBOO: Why?

BARBIELLA: YOU IDIOT!  
BARBIELLA: IF YOU RODE A TAXI TO FOOFOO TO GET HERE  
BARBIELLA: THAT MEANS FOOFOO IS HERE!!

BOOBOO: So?

FOOFOO: Are you all done screaming your fucking heads off?

VANGOOOH: Oh shit

BARBIELLA: I'm outta here

ASHBROOK: You're on your own Booboo

PEANUTPICKER: MY PAAAAAANNNNTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSS!!

Tsuna simply stared at the screen in utter confusion as every player character in the area disappeared in a flash. Whether it was by flight, wheels, foot, or other means, they all high-tailed it out of the area in a rush. It gave Tsuna the feeling of being in a boss fight without any clue of how to win. Who the hell was Foofoo anyway? He'd never before seen such a reaction elicited by a player before. Maybe she was one of those Administrative characters that Gigi had mentioned?

FOOFOO: Ignore those guys  
FOOFOO: They're fucking idiots  
FOOFOO: It's just a damn game  
FOOFOO: They all want to ask favors from me, but they get upset when I tell them to fuck off  
FOOFOO: Then I try to show them how to throw a fucking party and they all get scared  
FOOFOO: That's the last time I blow three months of science quota on creating a dragon  
FOOFOO: I thought they'd be fucking happy.  
FOOFOO: Especially those dickheads that like to run around like this is a D&D game

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: You created a dragon?

FOOFOO: Yeah  
FOOFOO: If you got enough money in this game, you can create laboratories.  
FOOFOO: You assign the lab to make something that you want to see in the game  
FOOFOO: Everything requested in a lab is sent to the game development team  
FOOFOO: And they make it depending on the item difficulty  
FOOFOO: The more labs you allocate to make it, the faster you get it  
FOOFOO: Something like a specifically named cheeseburger can be gotten in a day with one lab.  
FOOFOO: Something complicated like a new costume that's not in-game or a piece of furniture will take a month  
FOOFOO: A creature like a dragon took three months and that was after I put it on the top of the dev's list by allocating fifty labs to making it  
FOOFOO: Before that, they told me it'd be a year

BOOBOO: Holy crap  
BOOBOO: So players even get that much power in this game?

FOOFOO: Of course  
FOOFOO: The makers get a subscription fee  
FOOFOO: Instead of making big updates every few months with that money  
FOOFOO: Their teams stay on top of what the players want in the moment  
FOOFOO: Once the new item is created, the admins and the character who made it can make copies  
FOOFOO: They can create contracts and give the recipe to other people to mass produce and sell  
FOOFOO: It's just like a real economy

BOOBOO: Can you make new cities like that?

FOOFOO: Yup  
FOOFOO: I got two islands and a private transport to a floating metropolis that only my friends can go to  
FOOFOO: I'm breeding dragons up there  
FOOFOO: I want a fucking black one to ride  
FOOFOO: But they keep coming out random colors

BOOBOO: OMG  
BOOBOO: How rich are you?!

FOOFOO: I got enough that I can do anything I want in this game now  
FOOFOO: Don't think that everyone can get a lab, though  
FOOFOO: There's only one in every few hundred players that make enough money to build one  
FOOFOO: The rest of the players send requests up to the group leaders that have the money  
FOOFOO: And I don't let anyone make more money than me  
FOOFOO: I'm a bastard like that  
FOOFOO: Come on and I'll show you my club

BOOBOO: Okay

Following the girl in the skimpy bunny costume into the building next to where they were standing, he wanted to gape when the interior of the building loaded. It was huge. It was decorated lavishly. It had everything. Everything from a stocked walnut bar and an NPC bartender wiping it down to a live band of NPCs playing Jazz in the background. Tsuna bounced around the place in curiosity, clicking on random items to see what they did. The jukebox popped up a list of songs that looked to be a streaming connection to an outside source. The band gave him a list of Jazz songs by the band that they were supposed to be representing. The chairs let him sit and the bartender popped open a screen where he could buy drinks. The most fun that he found was playing around on the dance floor. No matter where he walked, the lights underneath tracked him. Almost more amazing than that was the imitation television with what looked to be a real news feed on it. He recognized the news anchor from late night reruns of the national news.

FOOFOO: I shut the place down for the day  
FOOFOO: This place is usually packed with people  
FOOFOO: Of course, they mostly come to bug me

BOOBOO: Really?  
BOOBOO: But they all looked scared of you earlier.

FOOFOO: Yeah well...  
FOOFOO: I kind of tore someone else's store up earlier  
FOOFOO: The fucker deserved it  
FOOFOO: It was because of him that my cover was blown  
FOOFOO: Two weeks of mission build up down the drain in two minutes  
FOOFOO: Speaking of blown cover, I need to change

Tsuna choked when the character was suddenly nude. Not simply down to underwear. The character became completely and utterly nude. It made him wonder, not for the first time, what kind of game that Gigi had gotten him into. He realized that it was rated for mature audiences, but nudity was a new one on him. One thing was for sure, he knew now why the game had been for online download only. This wasn't something that he could pick up in a department store. That fact alone made him smile slowly in belated agreement with Gigi. This game _was _different. It kept the mold of many other games, but it also broke it. The differences were radical enough that it made it new and therefore exciting.

Almost as quickly as the character stripped, a new set of clothing appeared in place. This time, it was a white suit tailored to all of the avatar's curves and a matching white fedora that made Tsuna smile when he saw the cock feather in the band. Simple, yet still eye-catching.

FOOFOO: Sorry bout that.  
FOOFOO: Didn't want to take the time to put up a changing screen.  
FOOFOO: Careful if you strip outside.  
FOOFOO: You can get arrested for streaking if you're caught.  
FOOFOO: Some players on the legal route get paid for writing tickets to people for it.

BOOBOO: What keeps them from reporting it as harassment?

FOOFOO: Player cops have to attach a screenshot to each ticket they write.  
FOOFOO: If the screenshot doesn't match their report and a player calls them on it, they get warnings.  
FOOFOO: Three warnings and they get fired from their job and a mark on their record.  
FOOFOO: There's checks and balances for everything.

BOOBOO: You know a lot about this game.  
BOOBOO: How long have you been playing?

FOOFOO: Over a year now.  
FOOFOO: I was a beta tester.

BOOBOO: Wow.  
BOOBOO: You must like it a lot to stick with it so long.

FOOFOO: Not really.  
FOOFOO: I just got nothing else to do.  
FOOFOO: And I got tired of jumping from game to game.  
FOOFOO: What about you?  
FOOFOO: Why did you pick up the game?

BOOBOO: Insomnia.  
BOOBOO: I have a sleep disorder.  
BOOBOO: I can only sleep every other night and playing a game passes the time.  
BOOBOO: A friend of mine suggested this one when the last one got repetitive.

FOOFOO: I can understand that.  
FOOFOO: This game is a little better than most.  
FOOFOO: If you get bored, you can order up something to make it entertaining again.

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: Like breeding dragons?

FOOFOO: LOL  
FOOFOO: Damn straight!  
FOOFOO: I like my dragon collection!  
FOOFOO: Even if they eat like pigs!  
FOOFOO: Would you like to go see them?

BOOBOO: I wish I could.  
BOOBOO: I've only got another ten minutes or so before I got to go.  
BOOBOO: I've got to go wake my husband up.

FOOFOO: Husband?  
FOOFOO: Are you a chick?

BOOBOO: No

FOOFOO: Oh  
FOOFOO: Damn  
FOOFOO: That was unexpected.  
FOOFOO: Sorry. I guess I was kind of rude there.

BOOBOO: It's not a big deal.  
BOOBOO: I'm used to it.  
BOOBOO: What about you?

FOOFOO: What about me?

BOOBOO: Any boyfriend or husband?  
BOOBOO: If you look anything like your avatar, I bet you do.

FOOFOO: ...  
FOOFOO: No. I'm single.  
FOOFOO: But speaking of avatars, that reminds me.  
FOOFOO: I promised to hook you up if you came by.

BOOBOO: You don't have to give me anything.  
BOOBOO: Just getting to hear about the stuff that comes later in the game was enough fun for me.  
BOOBOO: It makes me want to play more.

FOOFOO: That stuff is nothing if exploring is what you like.  
FOOFOO: This game world is fully built.  
FOOFOO: You can literally walk around the world and end up back where you started.  
FOOFOO: You can explore to the bottom of the ocean or fly a plane over the mountains.  
FOOFOO: They got every climate and every animal you can think of.  
FOOFOO: You just got to either get the right job or get to know the right people.  
FOOFOO: If you like, I can take you with me tomorrow night.  
FOOFOO: I'm planning on taking a hike through some jungle.  
FOOFOO: There's a rare mushroom that grows only in this one cave.  
FOOFOO: If we find it, I can trade it in to one of my contacts for a replacement NPC minion.

BOOBOO: I wish I could.  
BOOBOO: Tomorrow night is when I'll sleep.  
BOOBOO: I can come with you on the night after.  
BOOBOO: Whatever you have planned, it sounds like fun.

FOOFOO: Really?

BOOBOO: Sure.  
BOOBOO: I don't see why not.  
BOOBOO: As long as I'm not slowing you down, I'll be happy to go where ever you want.  
BOOBOO: It's not like I got anything better to do.

FOOFOO: It's not that I don't believe you, but...  
FOOFOO: Will you contract with me on it?

BOOBOO: Why contract?

FOOFOO: Because I want you to remember that you agreed to come.  
FOOFOO: You might hear some bad things about me before I see you again.  
FOOFOO: I want to make sure that you won't bail out on me.

BOOBOO: I guess so.  
BOOBOO: Unless something happens that I'm not online at all, I don't think that would happen, though.  
BOOBOO: Rumors are just rumors.  
BOOBOO: I've talked with you myself and you don't seem like someone I should run away from.  
BOOBOO: You're kind of cool.  
BOOBOO: I don't know why people are scared of you.

FOOFOO: Not all of them are.  
FOOFOO: They just are today.  
FOOFOO: Tomorrow night, they'll be on my heels for most of the night until I can lose them.  
FOOFOO: Everyone wants to ask the rich guy for stuff.

BOOBOO: Guy?  
BOOBOO: You're a guy?

FOOFOO: Yeah.  
FOOFOO: Is that surprising?  
FOOFOO: Lots of guys play female characters.  
FOOFOO: If I got to stare at an ass all day, I'd rather look at a nice one.

BOOBOO: LMAO  
BOOBOO: I completely understand.  
BOOBOO: It explains the bunny suit.  
BOOBOO: None of the girls I know would be caught dead in one.

FOOFOO: THAT was part of a mission.  
FOOFOO: I was undercover.  
FOOFOO: I got--  
FOOFOO: I HAD this gadget that makes me look like a NPC.  
FOOFOO: The guy that blew my cover saw me use it.  
FOOFOO: The bastard waited until the worst possible time to start screaming about me.  
FOOFOO: He got me arrested for trespassing.

BOOBOO: Ouch.  
BOOBOO: Not that I'm complaining.  
BOOBOO: I got to meet you because of it.  
BOOBOO: :)

FOOFOO: True

BOOBOO: I got to go.  
BOOBOO: It's almost time for the girls to wake up.  
BOOBOO: I need to be in bed before they start cooking breakfast.  
BOOBOO: It's kind of a secret about my sleep disorder.

FOOFOO: Oh  
FOOFOO: Hold on a sec and I'll send the contract.

Hitting F4 again, Tsuna started clearing through the contracts that had piled up since he'd last checked on them. Apparently his name had gotten around, because there were contracts from players that he didn't even remember seeing. After a moment, he found FooFoo's new contract and smiled a little over how carefully he'd written it. It was almost as if he was trying to ensure that Tsuna knew that he wasn't trying to bind him into a guild invitation. He also seemed to be trying to ensure that Tsuna was tempted into going. It was almost too easy to agree to.

_Contract type: Player Specified_

_Contract holder: FooFoo_

_Contract contents: _

_BooBoo promises to meet FooFoo next time he logs in and to allow FooFoo to escort him on some travels.  
__The contract ends whenever BooBoo wants, but not before at least one adventure.  
__Mission prizes go to FooFoo.  
__In return, FooFoo will pay for hospital fees, outfitting, and travel costs._

_Attached: (5) Taxi Coupon (Set destination: FooFoo)_

_Agreed to by: FooFoo_

_Agree?_

_Y/N_

FOOFOO: Thanks.  
FOOFOO: Sorry to throw a contract at you.  
FOOFOO: You've probably already figured out how dangerous they can be.

BOOBOO: My friend warned me.  
BOOBOO: Thanks for warning me about Cudgel earlier.  
BOOBOO: I forgot about contracting until then.

FOOFOO: No problem.  
FOOFOO: I'll see you next time you're on.  
FOOFOO: You better not run away and restart like a pussy.

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: I won't.  
BOOBOO: Why would I?

FOOFOO: Don't ask me.  
FOOFOO: The last three players that I tried to team up with all stood me up after the first night.

BOOBOO: That's odd.  
BOOBOO: Well, I won't do that.  
BOOBOO: It's mean to leave someone hanging like that.  
BOOBOO: I'll see you then.

FOOFOO: Ciao


	47. Chapter 47 No Mercy

Author's note: For those of you who like my writing, I sent a few pieces into an e-doujin. They're Tsuna fluff pieces that have nothing to do with Flames and Family, but they were fun to write. I'm in issue three... you might have to join the community to see the download links. Originally I was signed up to write three, but I kind of ran out of time, so I only got two turned in. Anyways, enjoy!

community. livejournal. com/ tsunafish/

P.S. If you don't have a livejournal account, no worries. I'll be uploading them here on Fanfiction. net in a week, after the doujin gets top props.

Now back to your irregularly scheduled fic...

* * *

"You're not going to Kink's tonight?" Tsuna asked curiously as he descended the last few steps into the cathedral. Gigi grunted from where he was curled up in a corner of the couch while trying to single-handedly eat the house's tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Everyone else in the house was already asleep, even Peanut where he was already curled up in the doghouse taking up a corner of the room.

"Randall has a girlfriend," Gigi groaned around another spoonful.

"Wow," he replied in awe of Gigi while his expression softening in understanding. Typically, Gigi came in with shopping bags when he got dumped. Seeing him sulking was a new reaction. "You must have really liked him," Tsuna commented as he went to join him in gluttonous self-comforting.

"As if," he lied sullenly. "I'm just upset because I missed out on dating a doctor."

"He wasn't even a doctor," Tsuna chuckled. "Didn't you say he was just a physical therapist? That's like a psychiatrist when it comes to doctors. They get the title, but you said that psychiatrists didn't count."

"At this point, I'd be happy with a psychiatrist," Gigi mumbled with a pitiful, faltering smile. Tsuna grimaced, seeing tears welling up in Gigi's doe-like eyes while his baby-doll lips quivered in a pout. "I'm really not even asking for that much. I'd be happy to just have a good friend with an understanding relationship."

"You'll find someone," Tsuna soothed with an internal grimace. He felt like he'd said that hundreds of times already. He didn't have any other platitudes for him, though.

"Maybe I need a new wig," Gigi mused as the tears dissipated before they were shed. "The silver one was eye-catching, but I think it scared off as many as it attracted. My blond one got a lot of hotties, too, but they were all assholes who were wanting a one-night-stand. That's okay some of the time, but it sucks when you're wanting something that lasts a little longer. I had a lot of hope with the red one, but that's going to take weeks to get all of the mud out and get it restyled. Maybe I should try a brunette this time."

"You could try just going as yourself for a while," Tsuna suggested, stealing Gigi's spoon so that he could help devour.

"No, absolutely not," he snapped with a force that left Tsuna gaping for a second.

"Why not?"

"Because I like dick too much," he answered bluntly, once more stealing his spoon back. He gave a slight chuckle at Tsuna's dumbfounded look, digging in for more ice cream before explaining. "When I started going to Kink's a few years ago, I used to go as myself half of the time and in drag the other half. That was before I met Mamma. Mamma taught me everything about being a real queen instead of just a boy in a dress. You should have seen me, Suoh. Kink's was the first time that I dared to walk out of the house in girl's clothes. I was blushing so much that I thought I was going to die! The boys were all over me when I walked in. I was like a walking billboard for 'virgin'."

"And?" Tsuna prompted, grinning over the thought of an innocent Gigi.

"And then Mamma found me," he smiled with a slight blush making him almost glow in his seat. "Mamma taught me how not to be embarrassed. 'They're not girl's clothes!'" Gigi exclaimed in an imitation of the woman. "'They're _your _clothes, you little ninny! If you're not comfortable in that one, then go pick out something that you do want to wear! Make yourself feel so fabulous that everyone else around you will be in awe!' She used to harp on me so much about being myself. After a while, I realized what she was trying to teach me and I stopped going to Kink's as Melvin at all. Melvin is the boy my parents wanted me to be. Gigi was who I really was. I think it was Charles that noticed it first when I made up my mind to become Gigi for good."

"He did?" Tsuna asked curiously, just as Gigi was obviously wanting.

"Yup," he nodded with a small smile. "He asked me why I was only going to Kink's in drag anymore. I think I should mention that I was drunk off my ass at the time he asked. I climbed up on the bar and, this was at the time I was really into Daisy Duke cut-off shorts and pigtails, I got everyone's attention just by bending over. Then, right there in front of everyone, I made myself a little declaration. I swore that I wouldn't step foot in Kink's outside of drag for anything less than three reasons."

"And those were?"

"The first one was that I wouldn't go unless I turned straight," he replied, setting the bucket of ice cream aside in order to curl up around his knees. "Back then, I still wasn't sure how I felt and everyone knew it. I always thought that I was different and I went through high school as the little gay boy with all the female friends. After I met Mamma, I realized that my feelings weren't about being gay. I just liked being a girl. It confused me a bit when I found the real reason that I felt different for so long and I wasn't sure if I really was gay anymore. I know now that I wasn't wrong for all those years, but that certainty didn't come for a long time after that. I tried dating girls, but I just couldn't get emotionally attached to any of them. Anyway, as long as I kept going in drag, they knew that I hadn't changed my mind about the kind of people that I like and that I was still open to advances from men."

"What was the second reason?" Tsuna asked while taking over the ice cream for himself.

"Love," he answered with a wistful sigh. "You have to remember that I was completely drunk. I nearly fell off the bar three times. I told them all that if I didn't turn straight, I'd only go back to Kink's as Melvin if I had someone standing next to me that could make me feel like a woman even if I didn't have a dress on. I don't think I have to tell you that it's harder than you might think to find someone like that. All the guys that I've met so far are those that want a partner. A partner! I don't want to be someone's partner! I want to be a beloved trophy wife!"

"O-Okay," Tsuna murmured, trying very hard to hold back his laughter over Gigi's fierce expression while she made such an outrageous claim. That was Gigi, though. "And the third reason?"

"Oh," Gigi gasped with a bright blush, his expression changing at the speed of light. "That would be Cher."

"Eh?"

"I told them that if Cher ever came to Kink's, I'd be so freaked out that I'd run out of the house naked instead of in drag. What can I say?" Gigi shrugged sheepishly while Tsuna gaped. "I was drunk."

"So you haven't been back to Kink's as a man since then," Tsuna mused aloud with his spoon pressed against his lips in thought. "It must be hard to get dressed up every time you want to go out."

"I don't," he countered, getting up to take the ice cream back to the freezer. Tsuna didn't let him go with it until he stole another spoonful, however. "That's just for when I go to Kink's. There's three gay bars in this town and I go to the other two outside of drag sometimes. Usually only when I'm feeling depressed like tonight and need a change of scenery. Kink's is still my favorite place, though. The Closet gets more lesbians than men. It's a nice enough place if I want to be left alone, but definitely not somewhere that I can have a lot of fun. There's too many bisexuals that go there, so I usually end up with a proposition from a curious female couple by the end of the night. Aphrodite's is good, too, but it has a touch too much of the S&M crowd for me to enjoy myself more than once a month or so. Overall, I like Kink's the best. It had a good balance, I think. There's a more exclusive place on the other side of town, but I haven't managed to get in it yet."

"Get dressed and you can go try again," Tsuna offered, leaping the moment that he heard the wistful note in Gigi's voice. "I'll come with you."

"Really?" He asked with eyes lighting up. Tsuna chuckled slightly at how energetic he suddenly became, happy to have thought of something to get him out of his funk.

"Why not," he shrugged. "Snicker's asleep and I don't have to meet up with Foo Foo until later. If going out will cheer you up, then I'll go get dressed. Try not to wake Marty!" Tsuna called when he dashed off to his bedroom before Tsuna was even finished. Tsuna sighed, scratching his head while he headed up to his own room to get dressed. It was true that he didn't go out anymore because of how much he disliked crowds, but for him to be that excited was a little surprising. Then again, Gigi had been trying to get him back out to Kink's for most of the past year. Tsuna refused for one singular reason, even though he'd overcome his dislike enough that he was willing to go out drinking. There was fear attached to that place. His fear of coming in contact with Gabriel outside of a safe zone kept him away.

Being quiet for Snicker's sake, Tsuna decided to go one step further for Gigi. He couldn't make his woes go away, but he could help make him forget. The question was whether to wear the red, white, or black. Black, he decided after a moment. The red was too flashy for his taste and the white got dirty too easily. The black leather pants would make Gigi feel happy without making him too uncomfortable. It took some work to pull the box out from under the bed without waking Snicker, but he managed after a moment. He left the other pieces inside, determined to wear a shirt instead of the gauntlets. He grumbled a little while going through his drawers afterward, quickly noticing that he had nothing that would go with them. Screw it, he decided as he snatched up a plain, unadorned black t-shirt. Gigi would have to be happy with just the pants.

It took some work to get into the old pair of pants since they were far tighter than he remembered. It made him wonder how he squeezed into them every weekend. Once they were in place, however, he grinned at how they felt. They felt like his gloves on his hands. Restricting, yet supporting. They had give in all the right places so that they wouldn't hinder him, while clamping down around his muscles in a strangely comforting way. He knew from experience that the pants could hold up no matter what he chose to do in them. He wouldn't particularly want to fight in them, but they'd survive if he had to.

Poking through his box of unused jewelry, he snatched up the only piece that he actually liked. Even in the darkness of the bedroom, the red feather earring seemed to glimmer and call to him. It took a moment of work to put it through the hole on the ear that he never used. The other one still held his number six marker and he'd been warned to keep it on at all times. He didn't see why it was so important, but apparently it was to the Martelli Family.

Once it was in place, he snatched up his boots and leaned down over Snicker to give him a light kiss before he left. The man was already obliviously snoring away, cuddled up to the pillow that Tsuna had left in his place when he'd snuck out of bed. In truth, merely looking at him made Tsuna want to crawl back in bed again. His ponytail had been let loose for the night and his hair was scattered across his pillow in a particularly irresistible way. His eyelids were fluttering due to some sweet dream that he was having and there was a small smile curling up the corners of his lips. Before Tsuna could pull his eyes away to head downstairs, Snicker shifted in his sleep. The blankets got tossed back in the process, revealing a spread of chest that made Tsuna groan in longing.

"That's not fair, old man," he grumbled, turning his back on him to practically run out of the room before he got turned on. He didn't stop until he got to the bottom of the stairs, clutching himself while biting his lip. It'd be so easy to go back up there and--

"What's wrong with you?" Gigi asked curiously as she continued to put on her earrings. "You look like you just got kneed in the crotch." Tsuna stared at her for a moment, taking in how quickly Gigi had changed out of sleepwear. She looked like she'd taken hours to get ready, instead of only five minutes like Tsuna. She was wearing her favorite blue patchwork leather skirt, a thin and soft blue sweater, and dainty heels She'd skipped the pantyhose, but she had her breasts in place. On top of it all, she had her silvery white wig on and had chosen crystal as the ornament of the night. The only piece of jewelry that wasn't crystal was the ring on her middle finger. It was the Orange Dragon ring and he'd yet to see her without it. They'd come in days earlier than expected, allowing them all to change out their markers by the time the ground had dried from the storm.

"Have you ever seen Snicker sleep?" He asked, shaking off his surprise over Gigi's speed.

"Yes," she chuckled. "He falls asleep sometimes in his chair when he first gets home from work. It shocked all of us the first time that it happened. He goes from being a burly bear into a cuddly one. No man should be that adorable."

"Tell me about it," Tsuna groaned as he went to the couch to put his boots on. "He lets his hair down before he goes to bed, so it's even worse upstairs. He's like... arg... I don't even have a word for it. Let's just say that it doesn't make it easy to let him sleep. There's a reason I don't stay in bed. I don't have the self-control to handle him."

"Ooh," she murmured in amusement. "Can I go see?"

"I don't mind," Tsuna shrugged. "Just don't wake him or else we aren't going anywhere."

"Why is that?" Gigi asked blankly.

"Wait until you see him," he laughed. "If you wake him, I won't be able to resist." The words only seemed to spur her on even more, sending her upstairs in a flurry of heel clicks. The taps disappeared when she got close the top and Tsuna patiently waited to see if her reaction was what he expected. He started to get worried when she didn't immediately come back, but had to cover his mouth with his hands to hold back his laughter when she finally did. She looked completely dumbstruck while she descended back down. So much so that she wasn't even walking like a lady. She plodded down the stairs in open shock, sitting down on the last one with a dull and quiet thud.

"Adonis," she finally gasped. "I always thought he was more of a mountain man type, but.. but...Oh my god, Suoh! How are you capable of getting out of bed with that next to you?!"

"It's hard," Tsuna sighed with a knowing smile. "He's not so brawny while he's asleep. All the tenseness that he has during the day is gone and he sleeps so peacefully now. I sometimes can't believe it myself when I think about how he looked when we were on the street together. Its like he's lost twenty years off of him. It _really _makes me wish that there was hot springs around here. I think I'd die if I saw him in a yukata. Actually, I think I'd die if I saw him in any type of kimono. With his hair down..." Tsuna trailed off, getting the image stuck in his head. Strange fantasies of Snicker as a samurai blossomed out of nowhere, making him drift off into a daydream that left him drooling. He'd never been one to find tremendous amounts of pleasure in fairytales before, but it was a little different when Snicker was part of it. Snicker could be the traveling warrior and he'd be the priest partner who eased his burdened s--

"Earth to Suoh," Gigi chuckled, snapping her fingers in his face. Tsuna jumped in place and blushed brightly, absently wiping the drool off of the corner of his mouth. "Have a good daydream?" She teased with a wide grin.

"Maybe," he grumbled sheepishly.

"Well, hurry up," she urged. "If you don't, we definitely won't have a chance of getting in tonight. The line is probably already to the end of the block."

"Are you guys going out?" Tsuna and Gigi looked up in unison to find Eric standing on the stage with what looked to be a script in his hands. He was known for getting up after Summer went to bed in order to practice his lines. Tsuna had completely forgotten about him since Eric had been sleeping through the past few nights without fail. "Can I come?" He asked with a small pout before anyone could answer him. Tsuna smiled softly, seeing a glimpse of the Eric that had been present when the man had first joined them. Innocent and fragile in his confidence, Eric was feeling unwanted.

"Of course," Tsuna soothed easily. "We're going to a gay bar, but you're still welcome to come. It's not going to interfere with your shoot. Is it?"

"No," he replied with a strangely saddened face. It was a face that disappeared after only a second, making Tsuna wonder if it'd just been an illusion. Before Tsuna could question it, Eric dashed into his room to get dressed. Seeing that they had a little time to spare while he got ready, Tsuna headed for the bathroom to see what he could do about fixing his hair. It was cool out, but not to the point that it was actually chilly. He could forgo his cap for once, which meant that he needed to do something about the mop on his head. He needed a shave, too. He noticed it almost immediately upon entering the bathroom. Stubble. It was his worst enemy. Dedra could keep his hair cut so that it didn't turn into a hideous mess, but the stubble was his own fight. It was as if his goatee summoned hair to his face, even though Tsuna knew that it was his altered blood that caused it.

His body was hard-wired for growth now. He hadn't mentioned anything to anyone, but he'd noticed that he'd had a small growth spurt even though he should have been well past that by now. It wasn't much, but the extra inch to his height made his clothes feel a little small. If he had another one, he'd be taller than Ollie and Leo. Two more and he'd be as tall as Gigi and Eric. Three more and he'd be as tall as Snicker and Poe. It made him dizzy to think of actually being that tall. It made him dizzy to even consider the possibility of being as tall as everyone else. He'd always been shorter. It wasn't by a whole lot, but he was still one of the shortest people in the group. At the moment, the four inches of difference made him almost a head shorter than Snicker.

"This is going to be so much fun," Gigi giggled next to him while he tried to brush his hair out. "Eric hasn't went out drinking in ages and neither have you. Best of all, I get to be escorted by two handsome studs."

"Both of which are taken," Tsuna growled. "We're just going out for drinks Gigi. Don't get any ideas in your head."

"I'm not," she laughed while Eric entered in a rush to fix his own hair. Tsuna and Gigi both stared for a moment. Eric's taste in clothing had obviously been altered by the television show that he was working on. Black, black, black, and more black. Not that Tsuna could really argue since he was wearing just as much. The difference was that Eric's had a lot of chains attached as if he were an escaped prisoner. Even worse, his shirt had a priestly cut to the design. Before Tsuna could even take it all in, though, he was distracted by a hand that slapped his rear. "You can't blame me for getting excited, though. I need to get dumped more often if this is how you try to cheer me up."

"Slap my ass again and I'll wear a different pair," he warned with a grudging smile, his attention returning to where it needed to be. "Are we ready to go?"

* * *

"We're never going to get in that place," Eric murmured. Tsuna nodded in agreement, his jaw dropped in awe of the line waiting outside the club. It stretched all the way around the building and into the alley. He grimaced slightly when he saw how Gigi's eyes were sparkling. She really wanted to get into the place, even though it looked to be as exclusive as they get. On occasion, one of the bouncers walked down the line and picked out gorgeous people to let in while the second one occasionally let the first person in line through regardless of how they looked. Overall, the only people who were let in without having to wait looked to be regular VIPs.

"We've at least got to try," Tsuna groaned. "I promised Gigi that we would. I didn't think she meant Mudpie when she said she wanted to get into an exclusive club, though. We'll be lucky to get in by dawn."

"We have a good shot," she countered, grabbing each of their arms in order to drag them across the street with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "The last few times I tried to come, I was alone and out of drag. This time, I'll get in for sure."

"Oi," Tsuna called over to Eric, his eye twitching slightly over how confident their escort seemed. "Is it just me or does this feel a little--"

"Staged," Eric finished blandly. "You're right. I think Gigi's been planning this."

"Of course," she grinned widely. "I was just waiting on my chance to get you two with me. The bouncers won't be able to resist you. If you two get in, then I get in. Give them your winning smiles, boys." Eric and Tsuna looked at each other before giving a half-assed, faltering smile that was incredibly forced.

"The bouncers look big," Eric said around his attempt to smile.

"Why don't we just go to the back of the line and wait like everyone else," Tsuna suggested with his eye twitching over how Gigi was openly using them.

"But..." Eric and Tsuna flinched backward in unison. Gigi's expression went from a bright and dangerously confident shine to a crestfallen pout in an instant. She was even pulling out the tear-filled eyes while she looked at them both in utter disappointment. "I really wanted to get in."

"You win," they groaned in simultaneous defeat.

"Let's try the front first," Tsuna sighed in resignation, holding up his arm to escort Gigi properly.

"Even if the bouncers tell us no, we can always go to the end of the line," Eric agreed in a mirroring fashion.

"Yay!" Gigi exclaimed in a girlishly happy way. It was an enthusiasm that didn't last very long. Just like Tsuna expected, they were stopped before they got within ten feet of the door.

"Do you have an invitation?" The bouncer growled, physically barring the way with his massive size. If he wasn't enough, the two bouncers with him ensured that no one could slip past.

"Do we need one?" Gigi countered gracefully. It was a counter that received a rather nasty response. The bouncer reached out and grabbed Gigi's chin, practically lifting her off the ground in order to force her to face him.

"No one gets in here unless I say so," the bouncer answered with a cruel grin, his hand making Gigi flinch slightly. "You're pretty cute, but we don't let whores in."

"Take your hands off of Gigi," Eric snapped, reaching for the chains looped around his belt. Tsuna didn't even give a warning. The moment he realized that Gigi was being attacked, his instincts kicked in. It didn't matter who. It didn't matter when. Someone was causing his family discomfort. They were encroaching on his territory. Gigi was part of his pack. How dare this interloper touch her!

"Suoh!" He heard Gigi scream, snapping him back to himself along with the feeling of someone tugging urgently on his arm. He gasped and let go of the bouncer's throat, not even having consciously chosen to grab it. One moment he was standing next to Gigi, watching. In the next moment, he was strangling the bouncer with one hand.

"Ah," he panted in shock, kneeling down to check on the man he'd hurt in worry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he said in a rush. "Are you okay?"

"What are you, kid?" The man gasped in return, rubbing his battered throat while he tried to get back to his feet.

"I'm sorry," he repeated in a rush. "You were hurting Gigi. I didn't mean--"

"It's okay, Suoh," Gigi interjected, pulling him away from the bouncer in effort to calm him down. He felt like his head was going in thirty different directions. Images of Porker popped into his head, making him dizzy with panic and worry that he'd done it again. He'd hurt someone. He'd hurt someone and all they'd done was make Gigi a little uncomfortable. "He's not hurt. See, he's standing up."

"Is his neck okay?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "I didn't break his neck. Did I?"

"His neck is fine, Suoh," Eric answered, hovering over him in confusion and concern that matched Gigi's. "Damn, you moved fast. I--" Eric broke off, looking around as his attention was grabbed by the line of people and the mutters of the bouncers. Tsuna looked around with him while wondering why everyone was staring at them. The stares were expected in themselves, since they'd just gotten into a fight. The manner of the stares wasn't, though. They were stares of recognition.

"I'm sorry," the head bouncer gasped with a dropped jaw while another of the bouncers continued to whisper urgently in his ear.. "I didn't recognize you, Sixth. I should have noticed your earring earlier! Please forgive me! I shouldn't have touched your entourage like I did!"

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped in unison with Gigi and Eric. It was a shock that only got worse when someone bolted out of the line and dashed forward to Eric.

"You're Eric Brahms," the man exclaimed with sparkling eyes. "Can I have your autograph?!"

"EH?!"

"I love your acting!" He babbled in a rush, as if he expected to be cut off at any second. "Gates of Limbo is my favorite show! I cried for hours when I heard that they were canceling it! I've got all of your posters and all of the books! I even have the game and your limited edition figurine! Iris is my favorite character! I can't believe that you're here! I never thought--"

"Thank you," Eric interrupted with a quietly sad expression, reaching out to brush a stray hair out of his fan's face. Tsuna goggled, seeing Eric jump into a character unlike his own as easily as if he was walking down a sidewalk. "I'm afraid that I'm here for my friend Gigi tonight, so I can't sign autographs. I hope this will suffice." Gigi and Tsuna found their jaws dropping even farther when Eric smoothly ducked down to kiss the man on the cheek. The fan stopped dead in his tracks, turning completely red before collapsing like an overwhelmed fangirl instead of a grown man. He simply stared up at Eric in awe while a hand touched his cheek as if to say that he'd never wash it again.

"Aww," Gigi's voice broke into the moment with a wide grin. "Skittles got himself a fan. Hey Suoh, what do you say about selling copies of him doing the cancan last Halloween?"

"Why not?" He grinned, using the teasing to overcome his own shock. "I knew that taping that would come in handy. If Eric's got fans, then we can make a nice profit. Ooh, I know. We could get out the photo albums and make copies of all his pictures. That one of him passed out after New Year's should make a pretty penny. I think we have one of him while he was still wearing that--"

"Ack!" Eric spluttered, rushing forward to slap his hands over Tsuna's mouth before he could spill the embarrassing memory for everyone to hear. "You can't!" He exclaimed in panic. "You wouldn't! Please, Suoh! Anything but that!"

"Alright," Gigi chuckled while Tsuna tried to hold back his laughter. "We won't. Just remember that we can deflate your big head if you let it get filled up with too much hot air."

"I can deflate yours too," Eric replied with a suddenly dangerous gleam in his eyes along with a wide smile on his face. "Or don't you remember April Fool's Day, Mr. Flasher of Fourth Street?"

"Eh," Gigi gasped as she froze with a small cringe. "I thought we weren't going to talk about that ever again." Tsuna couldn't help it. Seeing the disgruntled look on Gigi's face, right after having seen Eric's embarrassed reaction, Tsuna burst out laughing. This was the worst possible thing to do, since it focused both Gigi and Eric on him.

"What are you laughing about, _Boo-Boo_," they asked in bland unison. Tsuna froze. Tsuna choked and spluttered on air at the mere memory of that night. He wanted to curse for having thoughtlessly used it as his screen name, especially when Snicker had noticed it.

"Why don't we go wait in line," he suggested with his eye twitching. The three of them sighed pathetically together and bowed their heads in shame, having been reminded of their most embarrassing moments. Even worse, they'd reminded each other in front of other people.

"Um--!" The bouncer called when they started to retreat together. "You don't have to wait!" Pausing, they turned to look at the bouncer in open surprise. "My boss would never forgive me if you had to wait, Sixth. I never expected Mr. Brahms to come here, either. Both of you, please go on inside."

"What about Gigi?" Tsuna asked quietly, immediately noticing that she wasn't included in the invitation.

"I'm sorry, sir," he grimaced in return. "This is a men's-only club. Women aren't allowed in. We can call over to Cherry's and get her access on your behalf, but--"

"Ooh," Gigi gasped, putting her hands up to hide her girlish blush. Tsuna and Eric traded looks, instantly seeing that Gigi took the rejection as a compliment.

"Gigi's a guy," Tsuna stated blandly.

"A weird one, but he's definitely a guy," Eric agreed with the same dead expression.

"It's true," Gigi confirmed when the bouncers looked her over in open doubt. Then he got a teasing smile on his face while he walked up to confront the same bouncer than had man-handled her earlier. "If you like, I can let you take a peek. I promise that you won't be disappointed."

"Gigi!" Tsuna squealed. "You promised that you wouldn't flirt tonight!"

"I promised I wouldn't with you, sweet-cheeks," she grinned in return, closing the distance between them fearlessly. "This one here is my type of guy. Just look at his ha--aaaah!" Gigi jumped away from the guy in a flash, her wide eyes and red face making Tsuna and Eric wonder what the hoarse scream was for.

"You can go in," the bouncer said with a twinkle in his eyes. The other bouncers stiffened in surprise and started to object, but stopped at the smallest of gestures from their leader. "He's a guy," he said with another of his cruel grins. Tsuna looked from Gigi's blushing and shocked expression to the bouncer's cruel, pleased one several times before catching on. When he did, he had to cover his mouth with his hands to hold back his laughter. For once, someone hadn't been overwhelmed by Gigi and had called her bluff.

"What are you laughing at?!" She exclaimed while Tsuna stumbled forward toward the doors.

"Do you still like his hands?" Tsuna asked, letting out a roar of laughter that refused to be held back.

"Definitely," Gigi replied firmly as she passed by the the man. Tsuna choked on his laughter, seeing that Gigi was serious. Even worse, there was a considering light in the bouncer's eyes.

"What kind of place did you bring me to?" Eric groaned as they passed through a second set of inner doors. They paused in unison once inside, taking in the high class of the place. People were definitely mingling and drinking like in any club, but the focus seemed completely centered around the tables. "Is that Sable Hernandez?" Eric gaped, recognizing one of the people seated at a table to the left.

"There's Kyle Stanzer and L.I.," Gigi whispered urgently, pointing in the other direction urgently. "I didn't know they were gay!" Tsuna rolled his eyes while the two continued to get more and more star struck. He didn't recognize anyone, but he didn't have time to enjoy luxuries such as following the lives of the rich and famous.

"I'm going to get a drink," Tsuna growled, snatching both of their attentions for a moment. "Give me your card, Gigi. You can pay since you're the one that wanted to come." Gigi handed her card over absently and Tsuna tried to hide how much he already disliked the place. Gigi looked to be in heaven regardless and Eric seemed to be more fitting company. At least Gigi had someone she could get excited with. Overall, Tsuna felt like he'd already seen into the heart of the place and it wasn't something that he found enjoyable. This wasn't a place with people having honest fun and enjoying themselves to their heart's content like they would at Kink's. This was a superficial stage show where the rich came to suck up the attentions and hollow praise of the easily amused masses. Going to the bar, he realized that the corruption even reached to the price of a single beer. People were willing to pay ten dollars for a bottle of booze, just because it allowed them to party within the glow of those who had more money than they knew what to do with.

He hated the place from the moment that he stepped in. Gigi and Eric looked like they were enjoying themselves, however. Eric was already getting his own gathering of people while Gigi tried to find them a table to sit at. They seemed to be laughing and smiling in honest excitement, but Tsuna didn't see what there was to be excited about. With the crush that was in the place, he was barely able to walk. Even worse, he didn't seem to be capable of breaking back through the surge of people in order to return to Gigi and Eric's side. Eric's fans wouldn't allow it while they tried offering him drink after drink while shoving both Eric and Gigi into a booth seat next to two people that Tsuna didn't recognize.

He gave up when he was pushed back on his third try. Apparently Eric was more of a star than they'd known, since he was recognized and surrounded so quickly. Tsuna had taken to recording his show so that he could watch it at night and keep up on what his friend was doing. Watching it didn't tell him how popular his character had become, however. Seeing the surge of fans around him, it made him wonder about the earlier fan's comment about the show being cancelled. He looked to be at the pinnacle of popularity at the moment.

"You don't look like you're having fun," a voice whispered in his ear. Tsuna jerked and spun in place to find a tall brunette standing far too close for comfort. "Would you like to dance?" He asked with a bright smile.

"No thanks," Tsuna replied absently, turning back to the mob while he tried to think of what he should do. Returning to his friends would be impossible until--

"Don't you know who I am?" The blond asked in surprise, reaching out to stop Tsuna once more. Tsuna paused, wondering if it was a trick question. Was the guy someone he was supposed to know?

"Nope," he answered honestly. "Can you go away? You seem like a nice enough guy, but I'm not interested."

"You're joking," the man replied in what looked to be the epitome of shock. Then his face cleared as Tsuna once more turned to the crowd in hopes of finding his way through. That was, until the man behind him opened his mouth again. "I see. You poor thing. You've come from the countryside where you were forced to labor day after day without any modern luxuries. Forgive me for my rudeness! In such hard times, it is to be expected that--"

"I have a plasma big screen and cable," Tsuna interrupted blandly. "I--" Tsuna blinked and his jaw dropped when he saw someone he _did _recognize. Shoving the idiot that wouldn't leave him alone away, he darted forward to see if he was just seeing things. "Y-Y-You!" He exclaimed in surprise, looking down at a man sipping on a drink with three of his friends. The man looked back in surprise while a faltering smile spread across his face. "You're the Jester!"

"Wow," one of the men at the table gasped while the rest burst into laughter and the 'Jester' simply gaped. "Someone actually recognized you, Liam."

"It's probably because he's with me," another of the men at the table chuckled, getting nods all around. Tsuna simply stared at him, trying to see if he recognized him at all.

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked curiously when nothing seemed forthcoming. This only made everyone stare at him, which made him blush in return. In effort to cover it, he turned his attention back to the Jester again. "It's probably really rude of me, but I love your show. I watch it every morning! Your power is really amazing when you use it!"

"I hate to disappoint you," he grimaced, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. "But my fortune-telling is all fake. I'm just good at reading people and telling them what they want to hear."

"I know," Tsuna replied with a bright smile. "But that call you got about the missing cat was real. It was the first one I watched. You knew exactly where he was and you didn't even have to use your cards. I almost stopped watching after that because you kept just making up stuff, but then that call came in about the rabbit that wouldn't eat. I saw it. You weren't making up anything about the rabbit missing his bird friend. Since then, I've always wanted to meet you and ask why you keep trying to pretend that your powers work on people. You know that it only works for animals. Don't you?"

"I-It only works on animals...?" He asked slowly, his eyes refusing to blink while he stared at Tsuna in what seemed to be shock.

"Yep," Tsuna confirmed with a nod. "That's why you knew about the cat and the rabbit. There was that horse that refused to run, too. Oh! And my favorite was the--"

"You can't be serious!" A voice roared as Tsuna found himself spun in place and yanked off the ground by his shirt. He found himself face to face with the same guy who'd asked him to dance before, although all sense of pleasantness was gone from his face. He looked to be completely enraged. "You don't know who I am but you'll suck up to this hack?!" Tsuna found his smile disappearing in the silence that followed, noticing almost instantly that the attention of the whole bar was on the man holding him off the ground. He apparently was famous, since everyone was paying more attention to him than to Tsuna.

"Put me down," Tsuna growled in warning. The simple tone of his words sent Eric and Gigi rushing in his direction despite the multitude of people that they were pushing through. "I really don't want to hurt you."

"Why you--!!"

"I'd put him down," another voice interjected. Tsuna turned his head slightly in the man's grip in order to raise his eyebrow at the newcomer. Again, it wasn't anyone he recognized. "He's stronger than you, Thomas. Don't let your vanity get the better of you."

"Bullshit!" He roared, shaking Tsuna in a rather uncomfortable way. "This--"

"Right when I was starting to have fun, too," Tsuna sighed as he landed softly on the floor once more. Turning his attention back to the fool that didn't know when to quit, he scratched his head in resignation while the man slowly came to realize that his arms weren't working anymore. "Look. I've already told you that you're not my type. I'm already happily married and I just came out for a few drinks with my friends. I'm not looking to fight."

"Suoh!" Gigi gasped as she finally reached his side. "What did you do?! That's Thomas Novaes."

"I just numbed his arms with Kempo," Tsuna shrugged, completely uncaring of what the guy's name was. "He wouldn't let me go."

"My arms," Thomas finally gasped. "What did you do to my arms?!"

"Oi," he groaned in return, already seeing the scene getting worse with pointless panic. "Hold on and I'll fix them. You really shouldn't pick people up and rattle them around, though. It's not very nice." Reaching down, he hit the pressure points with nearly perfect accuracy in order to let the man have feeling back. Once that was done, he turned to find the man who'd tried to intervene. "Do I know you?"

"No," he replied with a small grin, smoothing down the front of his suit nervously. "But I know you, Sixth. Or would you prefer your stage name, Candyman?"

"Suoh is fine," he replied with a small grimace.

"Suoh," he repeated with a pleased expression. "If you'll permit me to introduce myself, I'm the owner of Mudpie and the brash idiot behind you is my son. He fancies himself a pop idol, but I'm afraid that his head is bigger than his record sales. He tried to switch to acting, but far too few people will put up with his airs."

"He's spoiled and superficial," Tsuna agreed callously, shooting a glance back at where Gigi was helping him to make sure he got feeling back correctly. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Oh?" The man replied with an amused smile. "Advice from the Sixth isn't something to ignore. I'd be honored to hear what you have to say."

"Please stop calling me that," he mumbled sheepishly. "I'm just Suoh. I was just going to say that you should have him perform in the park. You probably helped him get a start on his career, so he hasn't ever had to go through any rough times. If he really wants to sing or to act, he should earn his fame like anyone else. Honestly, I haven't seen him or heard his music before, but I have a feeling that it's pretty shallow. Performing on the street will teach him how to put his heart into what he's doing. A person that just wants attention gets ignored out there, but a person who puts their life into their performance will get an audience. They learn what kind of things really entertain."

"And how long should he perform in such a way?" The man asked curiously.

"Until he gives up," Tsuna shrugged while both the father and son gaped at him. "If he's serious about wanting to perform, he'll never give up. He can do it for an hour a day, no matter how famous he gets. If that doesn't work for you, then have him do it until he raises a thousand dollars for charity through his performances. It shouldn't take over a year if he actually cares about what he's doing. By then, he'll either get the point or find something that is his true calling."

"I'll consider your words carefully," the man replied politely. "For now, let me apologize for my son's rudeness. We have a table set up for you and your friends. Anything you wish to drink is on the house, as well."

"Can I get his drinks, too?" Tsuna asked, pointing to the animal fortune-teller in the booth next to where he was standing. Tsuna grinned widely, feeling somewhat understanding of Gigi and Eric's actions upon entering since he'd found someone he liked to watch on television, too. The owner raised an eyebrow at him, obviously not recognizing the man. "He's the host of my favorite show," Tsuna explained with his smile widening even more.

"Alright," he agreed with a strange expression on his face before gesturing them in the direction of their table. "If you'll come this way, we've got a space reserved next to the dance floor for you."

"Okay," Tsuna shrugged, looking behind himself to see Gigi and Eric following with long-suffering smiles on their faces. They were smiles that said that they were used to all the weird things that liked to happen around him. Whether it was random attacks by foreign hitmen or actors with an attitude problem, nothing surprised them anymore. They simply had faith that Tsuna could deal with it. Leaving the dumbstruck brunette behind, along with Tsuna's personal favorite television personality, they passed the bar and another dozen tables before the club really opened up before them.

Tsuna blinked in surprise when he saw the dance floor, instantly noticing that there were no star-struck fans this far in. Those that made it past the bar were only those who were present for fun instead of ego-stroking. He blushed slightly when he realized how much attention they were getting by being personally escorted by the owner, but it couldn't be helped. He hadn't had plans to trade off of his friendship with Papa Paolo, but it looked like he wasn't given a choice in the matter. The owner recognized him and his earring.

"I'm not here for Papa Paolo," Tsuna commented hesitantly as they stopped next to their table, wanting to get rid of the faint feeling of guilt that he had. "You know that you don't have to do this. Right? Thomas wasn't more than an annoyance and--"

"What are you doing, Suoh?" Gigi hissed in his ear while the owner raised an eyebrow at him in surprise.

"It's just that he's acting like I'm somebody special," he replied, biting his lip in worry. "I'm not and this doesn't feel right. I can tell that this is a VIP table, but we're not VIPs. First there was the guys at the door, talking non-stop about me being the Sixth and now the owner is even trying to be nice to us. If it was because of Eric being an actor, it wouldn't feel wrong. But it's not. He's doing this because of me and there's no reason to. I--"

"Is he testing me?" The owner asked worriedly, leaning over to talk in Eric's ear.

"No," Eric answered honestly, looking at Tsuna with a crooked grin. "Suoh's just that humble. He only gets conceited when his husband is around. Even then--"

"Eric!" Tsuna gasped with a bright blush at the mere mention of Snicker. "What are you telling him?! I don't get conceited!"

"Sure you don't," Gigi teased playfully. "And who is the sexiest man in the world?"

"Snicker is," Tsuna answered without a moment of hesitation. "But I don't see what--"

"_Even then_," Eric continued, talking right over Tsuna. "He can't get conceited about himself. He gets conceited on his husband's behalf."

"Shit," he mumbled with a sheepish blush, instantly seeing how he'd walked into proving Eric right.

"I see," the owner replied in open amusement while he urged them all into sitting. "I must say that you're nothing like I expected. When the bouncers at the door told me that the Sixth was here, I'll admit that I got mighty worried. I didn't realize that the successor to the title was here instead of Papa Paolo's Sixth. You're nothing like your predecessor, young man. I'm frankly amazed. The former Sixth was a man who always seemed to be looking for a fight where you seem to avoid them. How you handled my son was nothing like I expected. I saw your fight against Porker last week. I thought my son was a dead man when I saw how he'd lifted a hand against you."

"The match was different," Tsuna replied sadly, feeling his chest clench tightly at the mere reminder of the fight. "That wasn't me. I don't usually go after people like that. There were circumstances that--"

"You don't have to explain," the owner interrupted easily. "I saw for myself how you handled my son. You don't seem to be a man driven by meaningless battles. To be honest, I'm very happy to have gotten the chance to meet you in person. The unexpected arrival of that undercover FBI agent didn't give me the chance to talk to you at the venue. I'd wanted to confirm whether you really were gay or not and extend an invitation to you and your manager. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see that my intuition wasn't wrong. You, my lady," he said, turning to Gigi with a wide grin. "You were the highlight of my evening. I don't think I've ever seen such a splendid display. None of my gambling buddies believed me when I tried to tell them that you were male under your dress. Overall, merely your presence here gives me much hope for the gay community in the city. Papa Paolo's men are known for being mostly homophobic, but to have even one gay man within his ranks lets me know that he has no plans to stand against us out of prejudice like his father had."

"Oh," Tsuna gasped in surprise. "Of course not! Papa Paolo is a nice person! He's not biased at all! He even went to my wedding!"

"Is that so?" The owner asked with a soft smile. "That makes me very happy indeed. I'll have to remember that when it comes to dealing with him in the future. I was always suspicious of his motives in the past. To hear that he's not biased like his father makes me wonder if I was too rash in judging him in return. Anyways, these aren't things we should be speaking of. You came to enjoy yourself with your friends. Please, let me know if I can be of any service to you and I hope you'll accept a standing invitation for yourself and your friends."

"O-Of course," Tsuna agreed hesitantly. The man gave a small bow before turning away, leaving Tsuna faintly unsettled about the whole conversation. The guy had acted like Tsuna was some sort of high-ranked person in Papa Paolo's Family. Someone with much more authority than Tsuna owned. He was just an errand boy and a dishwasher, yet the owner of the club had acted like he was something completely different. Once more, it left him wondering what his duties as the Sixth really were. They couldn't be to just bicker with Autumn. There was something more to it than that and he wasn't quite sure what it was. "I wonder if this is okay," Tsuna murmured as a waitress dropped off a pitcher of beer and several empty mugs at their table.

"Don't let it get to you, sweet-cheeks," Gigi sighed while Eric started pouring their drinks. "If it makes him feel better to treat you, then let him. You're not hurting anything by accepting his generosity."

"I know," he replied worriedly. "I just wish I understood his intentions and motive better. We didn't even think we'd get in this place and we're being treated as VIPs. It doesn't feel right."

"You're just not used to your status in other people's eyes," Eric said around a drink of his beer. "I get that feeling a lot, too. Especially when I get confronted by people like that guy outside. In my head, I'm still the guy that you found in the park. To them, I'm one of the heroes on Gates of Limbo. You guys tease me about how I acted for that guy, but that's the kind of stuff that he was wanting. I didn't want to disappoint him, so I got in character."

"I thought that you were laying it on thick," Gigi commented with a wide grin. That grin faltered in the face of Eric's failed attempt to smile back.

"Why didn't you tell us that your show got cancelled?" Tsuna asked quietly while he nursed his own beer. Eric stiffened at the question, before relaxing as if he'd expected it. He didn't even look up anymore, staring down into his drink with an very somber expression.

"I didn't want to worry anyone," he replied softly, his words barely reaching over the music playing in the background. "We were told at the start of the season that this would be our last one. We were getting decent ratings, but they haven't been making as much money off of merchandising as they thought they would. They're casting for another of those romantic office comedies to fill the time slot and we've only got two episodes left before they take over."

"Oh no," Gigi groaned. "Isn't there enough of those already?"

"I know," he grumbled. "I don't even want to try out for a part in it. There's a couple movie auditions that I've went to, but I haven't gotten any call-backs yet. I'm thinking that I might need to find myself a manager."

"Do you want me to ask Papa Paolo?" Tsuna asked, keeping his gaze lowered rather than meet Eric in the eyes. "I'm sure he could fix you up with a good one."

"No," he answered quickly, his head popping up in surprise. "I-I'll find one on my own. I don't want to bother Papa Paolo with something like this. I'm not... I don't..."

"If we ask on your behalf, it doesn't indebt you to him," Tsuna stated knowingly. "Even if it did, you can't tell me that you like the method that your doing now. If you're going to get a part outside of legitimate means, shouldn't it at least be one that you can live with?"

"What do you--"

"I know, Eric," Tsuna murmured, looking up at Eric with his unhappiness plain on his face. "I haven't said anything because you didn't seem like you wanted to talk about it, but you've been trading favors with the Director of your show. Honestly, I'm happy that they're canceling it. You shouldn't have to do things like that just to keep your job. What did he do? Threaten to cut out your character if you didn't do what he wanted?"

"Yes," Eric replied, bowing his head down in a mixture of disgust and shame. "What did you expect me to do? We needed the money and you guys were counting on me to keep--" Eric broke off in shock as Tsuna's hand snapped across his face. Before he could recover, Tsuna pulled him across the table in order to force him to look at him in the face.

"If you made a choice, then stand by it, Eric," he spat angrily. "Don't do things and then try to say that you didn't have a choice because of us! If you had made the choice to tell him to shove his threat up his ass, we would have backed you up! I kept my mouth shut because I believed that you wanted to act more than you wanted your pride! Don't ever, _ever _tell me that you made a choice because of me! You got it?! You have a right to be selfish! Your supposed to think of yourself first! Let me worry about making things work and just be happy, damnit!"

"Suoh..." Eric murmured in shock when Tsuna finally let him go.

"Don't give up things for me," Tsuna repeated through clenched teeth, trying to hide his internal confusion. He had a strange sense of deja vu, as if he'd already told that to someone in the past. It didn't make sense, but he felt like he'd had a conversation much like this already. It just hadn't been with Eric. It'd been someone else and he couldn't remember who. "Keep fighting for your dreams, Eric. I didn't have you move in with us so that you would worry about a paycheck. I had you move in with us so you'd have the freedom to live your life like you wanted to. To hear you talk like you're chained with responsibility makes me wonder if you're not better off with your folks."

"That's not--!"

"Suoh!" Gigi snapped. "Don't you think you're being a little harsh? Eric was just thinking about us!"

"I don't want him to," Tsuna replied, looking at Gigi with a haunted feeling in his heart. He'd done this before. He was almost positive of it. He'd said something like this before and he'd failed. Because of him, someone hadn't fulfilled their dreams. Because of him, there was someone out there that was living a life that wasn't the one that he'd wanted. Because of--

"Suoh...?" Gigi asked worriedly.

"I think I've had enough for tonight," he murmured, standing up from the table once more. "You guys stay here and enjoy the rest of the beer. Be sure to dance a few times for me, too. I'm going to go back and cuddle up with Snicker for a while."

"But we just got here!" She objected.

"You can't leave yet, Suoh!" Eric exclaimed with a hurt expression. "I'm sorry I--"

"Don't apologize," he interrupted, letting his gaze fall due to the heavy feeling that settled on his shoulders. "And don't let me ruin your night. Both of you need to relax and get your mind off of things. This..." Tsuna murmured, gesturing around him at the club. "This isn't my kind of thing anymore. I came because I wanted to cheer Gigi up, but I'm really not comfortable here. I'd be happier to go back and enjoy some peace and quiet."

"Do you want us to walk you home?" Gigi asked worriedly while Eric settled back down in acceptance of his reasons.

"I'll take a cab," he murmured. Quickly checking his wallet, he made sure he had enough for cab fare before tossing Gigi back her credit card. He made his farewells short, truthfully wanting out of the place for many of the reasons he'd stated. There were too many distractions and too many people in the club for him to relax. Gigi had Eric with her, so it was perfectly reasonable to leave them.

Getting out was much easier than getting in. Having seen how easily he'd put down the owner's son along with how much deference the owner had given him, everyone moved out of his way. It made him feel strangely shunned, which was a hundred times worse than the feeling of being ignored. Shunned meant people saw him but chose to stay away from him. Ignored meant that he wasn't even on their radars. He hated that feeling of being ostracized when there was no reason for it. It was as bad as being feared when he wasn't someone that needed to be feared. He was just Tsuna. Hibari was someone to fear. Reborn was someone to fear. He wasn't anything like them, but people feared him. From the looks of it, they feared him even more for not having hurt the owner's son. He knew from experience that people didn't shrink away from him when he openly punched someone. For example, no one outside had shown such fear when he'd nearly strangled the bouncer. They'd shown surprise, but not fear. They were shrinking away now, though. He didn't understand it.

"Suoh--!"

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked in surprise upon walking outside, seeing the last person he expected. Even worse, the bouncers were doing their best in effort to hold him back and losing miserably. "He's with me!" Tsuna exclaimed belatedly, running forward in hopes of stopping the brawl before someone got hurt.

"About time," Poe growled while the bouncers stopped punching the air that Poe kept vacating.

"What are you doing h--" Tsuna froze, getting a whiff of what brought him almost immediately. Vampires. He could tell almost instantly that there were vampires other than Poe in the city. They'd either been in hiding until recently or else the air currents had changed in order to bring the scent. Either way, Tsuna could tell that there were a lot of them. Four...Five...Eight unique aromas, all of which had the strength and unnatural tang that normal blood didn't hold. "How long?" He asked worriedly.

"I noticed about twenty minutes ago," he answered, biting his lip while Tsuna started tracking the scent. "They're hiding their auras, so I can't get a fix on them. If I hadn't had the greenhouse windows open, I would have missed them completely. Can you trace them? My nose isn't as sensitive as yours."

"Working on it," he murmured, tilting his head while he tried to figure out which direction it was coming from. "It's pretty damn faint. I think they're still on the outskirts. How the hell did so many get through? There's at least eight. Maybe more. I can't really tell because of the smog."

"They've got to be Outcastes," Poe answered as Tsuna picked a direction to start walking in. "There was no requests for entry at the nexus house and only one Phlegm is supposed to be allowed in anymore. She would have contacted me when she got here."

"They're here for me," Tsuna stated with a small flinch. "We knew they'd come eventually."

"That's the other reason that I came to get you," he confirmed. "I have to go on the offensive over this intrusion and I figured that it only made sense to warn the bait. You're going to have to fight with me if you want to survive."

"I guessed as much," he confirmed quietly.

"We can't be merciful, Suoh," he added darkly. Tsuna paused, turning to look at him blankly for a few moments. Then he nodded. He nodded in acceptance of what those words meant. If a single one got through, they'd be tracing his scent. That meant that they'd go after his friends. They'd go after his family. They'd go after Snicker.

"No mercy," he agreed, clenching his eyes shut against the image of Snicker with his throat ripped out. He'd protect him from that. He didn't care what it meant.

"You have to give a critical injury," Poe warned softly as they continued walking, making Tsuna turn pale. "Since there's more than one working together, they're probably used to sharing their power. Don't stop at what would be a death wound for a human. A broken neck or internal injury isn't enough. Even if they fall, you have to follow through or else they'll heal using the power of one of their fellows. The easiest way is either decapitation or to pull their hearts out. Anything less can be repaired. A punctured heart can be healed. A shattered skull can be fixed. But, once a vital organ is disconnected, such as the brain or the heart, their bodies will shut down and they won't be able to heal themselves."

"You say they like you're not one of them," Tsuna murmured absently, picking up his pace once he was positive that he was going in the right direction. Poe didn't respond at first, seeming to focus on staying with Tsuna's pace. Tsuna could tell that he was carefully choosing his words, however. He was trying to decide exactly how to phrase what Tsuna already knew in his heart.

"History marks my kind as monsters," he answered slowly. "When we gather together in numbers, that representation fits far closer to the mark than I wish to admit. If circumstances were different, I'd cast away all that makes me a vampire. But I cannot. It is neither loyalty or duty that binds me to my place in life, but I still cannot cast it away. All I can do is to continue in my miserable existence and ensure that it does not bring suffering to those who have the poor luck to come in contact with me."

"I don't think my luck was bad," Tsuna countered as they dashed up an alley wall together. Jumping from one wall to another so that their momentum could overcome gravity, Tsuna had to smile over how easy it was now. A lot of the tricks that Poe had done effortlessly had taken him a lot of late-night practice in order to imitate. It wasn't perfect. He still fell at least once a week when he went for a late night stroll with his lonesome friend. He was learning, though. He was learning how to fully use all of the senses and all of the strengths that Poe's blood had given him. It still sickened him when he thought of the price, but he wasn't unhappy anymore.

The disease didn't rule his life.

"You're an eternal optimist," Poe groaned, seeing the smile on his face.

"And you're an eternal pessimist," he laughed in return. "Although I don't really want to think in terms of 'eternal' just yet. It's too soon to tell and I still might get to grow old with everyone else."

"I hope so," Poe murmured with a sad note of longing in his voice. "A being such as you should have never been cursed. You're too pure, Suoh."

"Keep it up and you'll make me blush," Tsuna replied with a crooked grin. "I think Sn--" Breaking off, Tsuna slid to a stop at the edge of a flat roof. He almost went over the side, but Poe's reflexes grabbed his collar and pulled him back from the brink. Tsuna barely noticed, his full attention on the way the scents were starting to spread.

"Fuck," Poe cursed, smelling the same thing as he. "They're splitting up. Come on," he growled as he started heading in the direction that three scents were still clustered. "We'll take these out and then split up. Remember what I told you. Go for the throat for decapitation or go for the heart. If you're too squeamish to do it, let me know now. I'll know to follow behind you and finish the job."

"Do we have to kill them?" Tsuna asked with a slight shudder while he chased behind Poe. "They might be willing to leave if we just--"

"Don't start, Suoh," Poe growled through clenched teeth. "They're trespassers. They already know what it means to enter my territory. Besides, I have a traveler's route set up along the highway so that they can pass through if they're harmless travelers. For them to come so close to the city, they're either stupid or they're invaders. I doubt they'd split up if they were stupid. They're looking for something, Suoh. You already know what it is." Tsuna flinched at the look that Poe threw back at him. He knew. He'd already said it. They were looking for him. "Remember what we agreed on," he added. "No mercy."

"N-No mercy," Tsuna repeated with a tremble. Even though he said it, he didn't know if he really could do it. It was an easy thing to say when they were miles away. As they quickly closed the distance across the city, it got harder and harder to think of such things. His resolve was too fragile. He'd protect Snicker, but Snicker wasn't in any danger. Not right here. Not right now. Was it alright to do this when there was just what-ifs? "What do I do, Mukuro-sama?" Tsuna murmured under his breathe.

One rooftop.

Two rooftops.

He faltered on the third rooftop, stumbling to a stop that Poe belatedly matched.

"Mukuro-sama?" Tsuna repeated worriedly. There was no answer. No presence. There was only silence where he usually felt at least a shrug to let him know that he'd been heard. There was nothing, though. "Mukuro-sama?" He called again in hopes that his guardian was just distracted. "Are you there? You're starting to worry me, Mukuro-sama."

"What's wrong?" Poe called from several yards across the roof.

"Mukuro-sama isn't answering me," he replied in shock.

"So what?" He snapped with an urgent undertone. "We can't stop here, Suoh! We're within range! They've probably already felt our auras! Just fight without him!"

"I can't!" Tsuna exclaimed in growing panic. "Mukuro-sama's always there! Without him--!"

"You'll be fine!" Poe snarled, making Tsuna freeze completely. "You're the one that's been training! You're the one that's been fighting! You don't need him anymore! All he ever was for you was a crutch! Did you expect him to be with you forever?! I can't do this without you, Suoh! Worry about the Gatekeeper later! There's no time now! We have to stop them! Where do you think they all split up to?!"

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped and looked around. Using the strength of the smells to figure out how far away they were, Tsuna tried to quickly gauge their positions and heading. He paled when he realized the common factor between them all, along with their possible destinations. One was heading straight for them, probably tracing Tsuna's route to the club that he'd just been to. One was heading for the restaurant that Tsuna worked at. One was heading for Mike's, where Tsuna spent at least half an hour a day. One was heading for the Dojo. The last moving one was heading for the factory that Snicker worked at. The other three were holding position at the city dump, the one place where he'd spilled blood recently.

All of them were places where Tsuna's scent was strong from frequent, lingering visits.

"Don't," Poe warned through clenched teeth when Tsuna started to turn back in the direction of the Dojo. "There's still time. The three up ahead have to be setting up a base camp. We can find out what their plans are and get them all recalled just by showing up. There's no sense in chasing them down individually unless we have to."

"You better be right," Tsuna replied, biting through his lip in worry.

"That'll help," Poe murmured with a crooked grin when they started moving once more in the direction of the trio. Tsuna ignored the comment, trying to get his heart to stop racing in frantic panic. Snicker. They were going after Snicker. Why was he going in the opposite direction? Snicker. Snicker. Snick-- "Keep your focus, Suoh," Poe growled as they once more hit street level in order to dash through the alleyways when the difference between roof heights started to become an impediment.

It was easier said than done. He found his feet moving faster than he'd ever managed to make them before, spurred on by the growing panic within him. He couldn't go directly to Snicker until he'd tried this route. This way would ensure the safety of everywhere he frequented instead of just his home. Even so, he wanted to rush home more than anything. He was torn. Only Poe's repeated encouragements and the growing strength of the aroma they were tracing allowed him to keep following. Only that worry allowed him to continue running toward the dump instead of turning to head for his home.

"Ore and Ollie are there," Poe stated while they dodged around slow moving bums and ignored the surprised reactions they received. "Gigi and Eric will probably make it back before they arrive, too. Assuming this doesn't work. They won't let anything happen to Snicker, Suoh. You have my promise on that. If this fails, I'll head them off before they get to the Dojo."

"How?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"Lobat will hold them off until I can get there," he answered. "I left him behind when I smelled the numbers were up against, but he should be able to handle one on his own. I've been training him enough."

"You're joking," Tsuna gaped. Then he got angry when Poe shot him a serious look. "You can't be serious! Snicker and everyone--"

"Don't underestimate him," Poe growled. "He's a pure-blood just as I am."

"Eh?" He blinked blankly. "You mean you guys really can transform into bats?"

"No," he answered through half-lidded eyes, glancing back at Tsuna with a solemn expression on his face. "Think of Lobat as still being a chick in a shell. He has yet to find a reason to complete his birth and I'm afraid that I haven't been able to give him one."

"C-Chick?" Tsuna repeated as the words slowly penetrated. When they did, he found himself spluttering in surprise. "He's your son?!"

"He'll be thirty next month," he answered with a sad smile in return. "I didn't continue my own birth until I was fifty, so he's still got time before the Council begins to intervene. To be honest, his situation makes me glad that you came to us. You've been tempting him merely with your presence, Suoh."

"But how is he going to fight?!" Tsuna asked, shaking off his shock in order to face the bigger worry. "He's just a little bat! He can't--"

"He has his talents," Poe interrupted with an almost feral grin. "If you think dog whistles are bad, you should hear Lobat cry. He makes my eardrums explode at least once a week. I've trained him in aura siphoning, as well. He knows how to take advantage of the break in concentration that his scream causes, which means that the enemy won't be able to touch him. It'll be good for him. He's been getting hungry lately."

"He's not the only one," he grimaced in return, turning his attention back toward their goal. Poe shot him a startled glance before nodding in understanding. Tsuna was getting hungry because of all the scents, but he wasn't taking a pill. He didn't need to. There were plenty of other sources that he was going to come in contact with. Letting his hunger run rampant was the only thing that Tsuna could think of doing in order to overcome his quivering heart. He'd agreed to do this, though. He'd made up his mind to go with Poe to confront the enemy that was invading their home.

Everything seemed to stop when the one heading straight for them appeared. Tsuna skidded to a stop, but Poe continued to charge down the alley while his aura of power seemed to disappear. Instead of flaring it out in a show of dominance, he was holding it so close to himself that Tsuna couldn't even sense it. It was as if Poe disappeared on his mental radar with only his scent marking that he was still there. That scent was quickly wiped out as the smell of oranges and walnuts filled the air. There was no battle. There was no scrambling brawl. As clean as two epic samurai crossing swords, the enemy collapsed at the same moment that Poe fell to a stop directly past him. When Poe turned around, Tsuna felt his bile rise up at the sight of what was in Poe's hand. Even while he tried to comprehend what was going on, his heart began pounding in horror over the spreading bloodstain beneath Poe's opponent.

No questions.

No mercy.

No hesitation.

Poe had snuffed out his enemy's life in a quick and brutal way before Tsuna had even known exactly how serious Poe had been.

"W-Why?" He gasped with tears in his eyes, unbelieving that the vampire on the ground was dead over a simple matter of trespassing. Couldn't Poe have just asked him to leave?!

"It is our way, Suoh," Poe murmured solemnly as he knelt down over the body. "He would have killed me if I had not struck first. When two vampires meet outside of civil settings, one will usually die. Don't be mislead by the gathering of the Council. We are solitary creatures. There's only one way that eight could have gathered without fighting one another."

"A s-strong leader," Tsuna supplied after a moment of thought, trying to hide his shudder while Poe 'disposed' of the body. He couldn't watch. He'd seen Poe use his abilities on plants, but to see it used on a vampire made him want to vomit. It was a simple matter of siphoning every ounce of energy out of the body until there was nothing left. When the last shard of power was gone out of a body, be it human, plant, or beast, the husk that was left behind was as fragile as burnt paper. The blood dried out and became ash. The bones became sand. The skin and hair shriveled until only an unrecognizable lump was left behind. Then Poe drew back for the final blow, shattering the form with a brutal strike that scattered the body's dust on the wind.

In less than two minutes, there was nothing to show that someone had died in the middle of the alley. It left Tsuna feeling cold and shaken. A man was dead with no memorial and no grave. Tsuna was an accomplice to a murder. Poe said that it'd been self-defense, but had it? He couldn't tell. It'd happened too fast and too effortlessly for Tsuna to tell. Silently, Tsuna followed as Poe started running toward the dump again. Tsuna followed at a loping pace. The world seemed so quiet now. Quiet and unsettled, like a graveyard full of ghosts.

"We're almost there, Suoh," Poe warned quietly. Tsuna nodded, his fear gone in the face of the disquiet that settled over him. There were ghosts in the city. He felt as if he had hundreds haunting him instead of simply one. It made him feel tired for some strange reason. He was so weary. He'd been carrying a weight on his shoulders for a long time now, but it was as if he was just noticing it. He couldn't run from it. He couldn't hide from it. The burden had been with him all along, but he'd thoughtlessly tried to ignore it. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tsuna murmured dispassionately, feeling his eyes drooping as if in a silent wish to shut completely. Together, they raced through the Pits of the city and darted over the fence separating it from the dump. Once past the boundary, Tsuna felt something inside him give. Not his hunger. Not his instinct. It was something deeper than that. It was something precious that he couldn't even put a name to. At that moment, he stopped caring. He felt cold and untouchable with the only thing on his mind being the knowledge of what he had to do. "Let's get this over with," he murmured, charging forward ahead of Poe in order to confront the enemy.

He felt Poe's surprise, but he ignored it. It didn't matter. Distractions were closed out completely. All there were was his targets and himself. It was life or death. There was no grey area to this assignment. He either failed or he succeeded. Success meant protecting everyone from this threat. Failure meant that he'd lose someone that he cared about.

_That's right, scum. Crumble like week-old bread. But before you do, let me tell you something else. If this scum's blood hadn't been spilled, the blood of Vongola would have._

Two enemies talking to one another on the left. One enemy on the right. One victim unconscious on the ground.

_Trash like that should just rot in the fucking gutter._

Leaving the two enemies to Poe, Tsuna darted for the one feasting on an innocent young man.

_Don't break, Tsunayoshi._

"I won't break," Tsuna murmured as he yanked the enemy off of his prey and threw him with the determination to get him away from his victim.

_I'm a hitman, baka-Tsuna. Killing is part of the job. You'll have to get used to it eventually._

Charging forward, Tsuna knew what he had to do. No mercy could be given to these foes.

_Why did you kill all those people?_

Punch to test the enemy's strength.

_Why?_

Dodge the sharpened nails trying to make contact with his flesh.

_Why?_

Hold it back. He could feel the enemy trying to latch onto his aura to drain his energy into nonexistence. A white bubble was what Poe had told him to imagine in order to protect himself. The closer he could imagine it to his skin without losing concentration, the less that his energy would leak.

_Why?_

Fast. The enemy was so incredibly fast. He felt his muscles burning in effort to keep ahead of his enemy. Strike. Dodge. Strike. Go for the kill, Tsuna. You can do it. I'm telling you how he's going to move. Just listen to me. Stop holding back.

_Why?_

Snicker will die if you don't!

With a scream of defiance, Tsuna struck. He felt heat blossoming from within him as the warm blood began to pour over his hand. Despite the fevered feeling washing over him, he felt nothing while he looked into the shocked expression of his adversary. It was just another ghost to haunt him. He was nothing special at all. It was as if he was standing outside himself, watching while someone else pulled the enemy's heart out. It was someone else who gazed into his enemy's eyes while they glazed and fell shut with death.

"Good work," Poe murmured when Tsuna let the heart drop beside his fallen enemy. It made a wet sound as it hit, which seemed to echo somewhere in the empty depths of Tsuna's mind. Somewhere in the empty depths that suddenly seemed filled with shadows. It made his head hurt. The shadows were hiding something sharp that kept cutting and stabbing his mind. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, staring at the cherry syrup covering his hand and his arm. He honestly couldn't even think of it as blood. It looked too delicious. He knew that he should be horrified, yet he wasn't. He was just tired. So incredibly, infernally tired.

"It looks like they're coming back," Poe commented softly. Tsuna barely heard him, finding the blood dripping down his arm fascinating. It was like paint. "Do you want to wait here for the ones that are returning or do you want to go after the two that are still heading for their targets?" Tsuna blinked, slowly reattaching himself to the present situation again. It was hard. He felt so distant from himself.

"I'll go after the two," he replied, dropping his hand down to his side in order to let the blood drip off. "You can dispose of the bodies easier than me and it'll be better to deal with them here instead of in an alley where we might be caught. I'll bring the other two back here. Which ones are they? I can't smell anything over these three anymore."

"It looks like the one headed for the Dojo and the one headed for the restaurant are both still moving forward instead of backward," he answered after a moment. "They've dropped out of hiding since they know that they've been caught. Do me a favor. Toss the one heading for the Dojo into the shed after you take him down. Lobat will take care of him for you."

"Alright," he nodded in acceptance. It was one less body for him to carry. Without wasting any more time, Tsuna took off in the direction of home. No questions. No mercy. No hesitation.

It was time to hunt.

* * *

Tsuna absently licked the blood off his fingers while he surveyed the situation from the rooftop next door. He'd managed to head off the enemy who dared to focus on the Dojo as a target and, even now, Lobat was feasting joyously on the body left in the shed. He'd probably become fertilizer for Poe's plants at some point, but he was safely stashed until then. The restaurant was another story. The enemy was already inside and Tsuna didn't know if anyone else was still there. They shouldn't be, considering the time, but he knew that Papa Paolo sometimes conducted business there after hours. How had he gotten in, though? There were no signs of forced entry, but he could sense movement inside. He could see light coming from the back kitchen, too.

He couldn't force his own way in. Doing so might set off alarms, which would bring the police. That was the last thing Tsuna needed, considering he was splattered with enemy blood. There was no point in sitting still, either. The enemy might not be able to smell him from within the building, but he couldn't hide his aura like Poe. He hadn't learned that much, yet. It made him wish that Mukuro-sama would answer him, but there was still only silence from that direction. Looking up and down the alley to ensure that it was free of wandering pedestrians, Tsuna dropped down next to the back door. There was one way that he knew how to get in. It was as simple as knocking.

"Who is it?" An unfamiliar voice yelled from the other side.

"It's Suoh," Tsuna called back. "Let me in." There was silence for a few moments, after which Tsuna heard the last thing that he wanted.

"Come back later!" Autumn's voice called out at the edge of a scream. Tsuna clenched his teeth at the sound of hostages. It was his fault. Because he worked there, Autumn was in danger.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Tsuna replied calmly. "Let me in."

"You heard her!" Isaac's voice shouted. "Get lost!"

"I think you really want to let me in," Tsuna called tiredly.

"Go away, Suoh," Papa Paolo commanded through the door. "That's an order."

"I can't do that," he answered, growing even more cold as the number of hostages increased. "I'm sorry to disobey, Papa Paolo, but you have to let me in."

"If you don't go away right--"

"How long are you going to toy with my friends, Mr. Vampire?" Tsuna interrupted. "You should know by now that you're the only one left. The rest of your team has already been dealt with."

"You're lying," the strange voice called out after a silent minute.

"Open the door," Tsuna growled. "I can prove that I'm not."

"A-Alright," he shouted. "But I've got hostages! Y-You better not try anything funny!"

"I won't," he promised quietly. He really wouldn't. There was absolutely nothing funny about what he planned. There was the sound of movement inside, after which the door popped open. Forcing it wide open, he wanted to growl when Isaac was the one standing in the light of the kitchen instead of the one he wanted. He looked rather worse for wear as if he'd fought and lost. He had claw marks down one side of his face and he was holding a wound in his side that was bleeding despite his efforts to stop it. Even worse, Tsuna could tell from how slowly he was moving that his energy had been drained.

Slowly stepping within the confines of the kitchen, Tsuna lazily looked around to see it in shambles. The cook's island was tumbled over and there were pots and broken dishes all over the floor. Papa Paolo was propped up in one corner of the room with a bright bruise on his temple and he seemed to barely be holding onto consciousness. There were telling signs that he'd suffered the same energy drain that Isaac had. For some reason, Autumn's tutor and Poppet were also tied up with them. Both seemed completely unharmed, but they were also completely unconscious.

Then Tsuna saw his target and the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Even though Tsuna knew that normal representations of age was meaningless with vampires, the enemy looked to be a mere teenager. Tsuna wanted to deny that the kid was his enemy, but the knife at Autumn's throat didn't allow such thoughts. It made him even more tired. He didn't want to kill someone so young. He'd already killed two people today. Wasn't that enough?

Resolve, he reminded himself wearily. Such thoughts were probably why Isaac was so wounded. The kid looked to be a teenager, but he was probably forty or fifty years old. He was old enough to know better. He was old enough to know the consequences.

"Where's your proof?" The teenager asked with a note of panic in his voice.

"You're looking at it," Tsuna replied tonelessly, holding up one arm while he continued to survey the scene. "They tasted pretty good."

"W-What?" He gasped breathlessly.

"Didn't you come for me?" Tsuna murmured, turning to pin a glare on his cowardly opponent. "I guess whoever told you about me forgot to mention that I'm a werewolf."

"W-Werewolf..." He gaped, his eyes going wide while his hand started shaking. "That can't be right! There was only supposed to be the Guardian!"

"Poe's here, too," Tsuna replied in growing anger over the knife at Autumn's neck. Autumn stayed silent and still in her captor's grip, but the look of utter fear on her face seemed to lance into Tsuna directly. "He's pretty pissed that you guys trespassed. I'm pretty pissed, too. Things were starting to get nice and quiet for me again until you showed up. I don't like people who disturb the peace."

"It's your fault!" The guy screamed angrily, making Tsuna freeze in his tracks. "You wouldn't come out of the city! We sent messages, but you kept refusing them! We had to catch you! They said that we wouldn't be outcastes anymore if we captured you!"

"I never got any messages," Tsuna replied with narrowed eyes. "Even if I had, that doesn't give you a right to hurt my friends."

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this!" He cried with tears welling up in his eyes. "They told me to bring them back as hostages! They weren't supposed to get hurt! They were just supposed to be bait!"

"And what were you going to do to them after you captured me?" Tsuna asked coldly feeling himself grow even angrier when he noticed a very important thing. "Stop trying to fool me, Vampire. You can keep up the innocent act if you want, but I know better. You're probably the mastermind behind all of it."

"N-No, I'm not," he objected feebly.

"You can drop your illusion," he growled, feeling his hackles raise in belated panic. "Your smell isn't coming from there!"

"Shit!" He hissed in return, lunging forward out of thin air. Tsuna barely turned in time to meet him, but not in enough time to balance himself against the vampire's attack. He was pushed off-balance and sent flying into a wall before he could get control of the situation. Even worse, the vampire was fast. He was on top of Tsuna before he even began to fall to the ground from the impact. Sharpened nails wrapped around his throat and began squeezing mercilessly as a fist slammed into his stomach. All the air was knocked out of him in an instant, making him fight to even stay conscious. He was stronger than his size said he should be. Tsuna could feel his ribs and neck cracking under the force that his opponent was using. There was only one flaw in the attack. It was one that Tsuna noticed immediately.

He was trying to defeat Tsuna without killing him.

The weight in Tsuna's chest seemed to get heavier as he struck out in return. No questions. No mercy. No hesitation. He felt so cold as his opponent froze in shock of the impact. He felt weary as his fingers clenched around his target before the vampire could respond. He wanted it to stop. He wanted himself to stop. Why was he having to do this? It was true that the man was planning on murdering all of Tsuna's friends after reaching his objective, but why did it have to be Tsuna that stopped him?

Why?

"Stop," the vampire begged with blood already gushing out of his mouth. "Don't kill me."

_You close your eyes because there's a guilt in your heart._

"So this is how you felt, Lanchia," Tsuna murmured to himself when he was unable to deny the need to shut his eyes against the pleading face of his enemy. It was the burden of guilt that was making him feel so heavy. He'd been so naive when he'd told Lanchia to open his eyes. If he could, he wanted to shut them forever. He didn't want to do this, but there was no other way to stop the enemy. He'd come with a goal and a determination to meet it. If Tsuna were to let him go, he'd simply return with greater numbers and more of Tsuna's friends would be hurt. He didn't want that. He'd promised to protect them from that. He'd sworn to protect Snicker from that.

Yet the guilt clawed at him.

The ghosts haunted him.

Despite that, Tsuna still coldly did what was needed. It was a warning strike so that no others would be so foolish as to invade his home and hurt his friends. It was a lesson taught to those who were out there, waiting to see what became of the outcastes who trespassed in this city. The message sent by killing these instead of letting them go free was simple. No questions. No mercy. No hesitation. Any who dared to attempt such a foolish deed in the future would know what awaited them and would turn back. By killing eight, he was possibly saving eighty fools. Unfortunately, such thoughts only made him want to weep.

"Isaac!" Autumn gasped tearfully as the enemy fell. In truth, Tsuna was unsurprised that she focused on her right hand man first. She rushed over to him in order to force him to sit down so that she could tend to his bleeding wounds. Her father was already trying to get to his feet, too, but a sharp look from his daughter forced him to sit back down. Unsure of what he should do to help, he went over to check on Poppet and the tutor. Scrubbing his hands off on the back of his shirt, he carefully turned Poppet over in order to find that she was merely asleep. A quick look at the tutor proved a matching reaction.

"How are they?" Papa Paolo asked tiredly.

"They're fine," he answered quietly. "They just need to sleep to get their energy back. For a vampire, he was kind enough not to suck them dry."

"That _thing _was a vampire?" Isaac growled with a grimace as Autumn slapped a kitchen towel against his side. "What was that shit about you being a werewolf? Why the hell--"

"Isaac," Autumn scolded before turning to look at Tsuna with an expression that he wished he didn't have to see. She was pale and shaken, but seemed determined not to let that stop her. "Thank you for saving us, Suoh. He caught us by surprise. One minute we were alone and the next minute, both Poppet and Burgess fell over. Isaac tried to protect him when he went for Daddy, but he kept doing something so that Isaac couldn't hit him. Not even bullets worked."

"Illusions," Tsuna supplied. Kneeling down next to Papa Paolo in order to check on him in worry, he tried to ignore the growing sense of utter depletion. He belatedly remembered that he hadn't imagined that white shield this time. The enemy hadn't been able to pull it all out at once because of Tsuna's natural resistance, but he'd still managed to pull out quite a bit without Tsuna noticing. Actually, more than just a bit. He'd pulled out a lot. Tsuna could tell because of how quickly dizziness started to set in.

"Are you okay, son?" Papa Paolo yelped when Tsuna collapsed into his lap. He couldn't answer, being far too focused on trying to get his vision to straighten out. It was strange. He wasn't active anymore, but he felt like he was getting weaker. Had he just let exhaustion build up without noticing it? That couldn't be right. He'd put in a lot of effort, but not enough to account for the physical weariness washing over him. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Get out of here," Tsuna gasped as he tried to focus enough to get the image of a white shell around himself and Papa Paolo.

"What's wrong?" He asked in worry. Tsuna groaned and rolled over, trying to figure out where the enemy was. There was another one somewhere. Somewhere close if the scent was correct. Tsuna couldn't see him, though. All he could see--

"I could really get to hate illusionists," he panted dizzily, feebly trying to pull away from Papa Paolo while the man held him close. Papa Paolo grinned widely, finding Tsuna's attempts to struggle as very amusing. His grip tightened into one far stronger than an old man should have, using physical contact to bypass Tsuna's attempts to mentally block him.

"It's too late, werewolf," the illusionist vampire parading himself as Papa Paolo laughed. "You're too weak to fight me anymore." Tsuna couldn't deny the statement. Even as the man spoke, his words began to grow distant and Tsuna's arms fell lifelessly to his sides. It was all he could do to stay conscious while the need to sleep hit him time and time again. He had to warn the others. He had to warn them that there were two where there should have only been one. Autumn was still obliviously helping Isaac and neither of them noticed that the fight wasn't over.

"What..." Tsuna blinked slowly, using every ounce of his concentration to force the words out as loudly as he could in hopes that someone would hear him. "What did... you do...Papa Paolo...?"

"He's taking a nap in his office," the illusionist grinned over Tsuna's pitiful whisper. "He's got a nice taste to him. I plan to enjoy him fully once I'm finished with you."

"You can't," Tsuna objected as darkness danced on the edges of his vision. The attempt at defiance was completely pointless, considering Tsuna blacked out a mere moment later.

* * *

Tsuna felt something warm and wet pressed into his mouth. It tasted good. Salted watermelon, he thought, but the texture was all wrong when he bit down like instinct told him to. More of the fruit's juices flowed into his mouth, giving him enough energy to crack his eyes open. The moment that he did, he reached up to shove the sickening treat away.

"What are you doing?" He gasped, rolling over with the need to retch clawing at his stomach. He'd just had a heart in his mouth. A bloody heart! It made him want to claw at his tongue until he ripped it out. Raw organs weren't supposed to taste like that!

"Don't be so squeamish," Poe growled, rolling him back over to shove it into his mouth once more. Tsuna tried to fight, but Poe was almost dripping with power while Tsuna could barely keep his eyes open. "It's a good thing that I came to check on you," he said in effort to distract Tsuna from what he was being forced to bite into. "This one covered his presence like a pro. He must have been the one to teach the others how to do it."

"What happened?" He asked in slight disorientation when Poe allowed him to pull away from the heart once more. He looked around to find himself sitting across the room from where he'd passed out. Both Autumn and Isaac where sprawled out on the floor and looked to be unconscious. Of course, that was what Tsuna assumed since he could still hear their heartbeats. There was no sign of their enemies, but there was a suspicious black stain on the floor that Tsuna was willing to bet was dried flesh.

"It's over," he replied with an amused expression. "You were already passed out by the time I managed to get into the building," he added. "It all worked out, though. By the time I got through the air conditioning shaft, he'd already dropped his guard. I got some answers out of him before he died. Apparently Lord Nephriam is on a crusade to cure werewolves. They had orders to drop you off at one of his laboratories in California so that they could use you as a reference point to study."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped in surprise. "But didn't you tell me that he turned his nanny into a werewolf? Why does he need me?"

"Apparently it isn't civilized to experiment on the one that you're trying to cure," he spat in distaste. "If he'd gotten his hands on you, he could have had a nice meal on hand along with a lab rat."

"What am I going to do?!" Tsuna exclaimed in instant panic. "He's one of the Council! If I--"

"You're not going to do anything," Poe snapped with such force that Tsuna clamped his mouth shut. "I didn't want to do it, but it looks like I'll have to throw my weight as a pure-blood around. Don't worry about it, Suoh. I'll take care of Lord Nephriam. Intrusions into my city won't be permitted."

"Alright," Tsuna sighed, trusting Poe to keep his word. Turning his attention to all the unconscious people in the room, he grimaced slightly at the mess in the kitchen. "What are we going to do about this? I can't just leave them."

"I can give the big one some blood to heal his wounds, but you're on your own after that," he replied with a crooked grin. "Unless you would prefer me to leave him, too. Those claw marks on his face will make him into quite the looker. Or if that's not good enough, we can roll him around on the floor for a bit since he has that hole in his gut. I always wanted to meet a real holy-roller."

"Just heal him," Tsuna groaned, seeing that Poe was trying to make a joke with his poor sense of humor. Standing up, he stiffened when Poe walked toward him instead of toward Isaac. Seeing the faint gleam of heartache in Poe's eyes, he instantly knew what he wanted. For Poe, the manner of disposal for the intruders was a form of cannibalism. He wanted the feeling of having eaten one of his own kind out of his mind. He wanted the taste out of his senses.

Pulling off his bloodstained black shirt before Poe could even ask, Tsuna tilted his head to the side in invitation. Poe took the invitations without hesitation, wrapping his arms around Tsuna to hold him still while two sharp fangs were buried into his neck. Tsuna gasped as he always did over the pain that erupted from the bite, but was quickly able to control the sensation. He was used to this level of pain. After the initial shock, he had the fortitude to withstand it. It hadn't been a planned side effect from the blood sharing that they did with one another, but the need to learn how to deal with more and more pain had become a part of his life. First, he'd had to learn how to deal with small bits while he'd destroyed his fingerprints. Then he'd had to learn how to cope with the biting. After that, the endless fights he'd gotten into had taught him how to deal with greater pains. It wasn't something to cry over anymore. Pain was only temporary. It hurt less to suck it up and simply take it. If he did that, he could focus more on healing it faster.

There was something slightly abnormal this time, however. There was nothing different with Poe, but Tsuna felt himself grow flush and short of breath. His heart started racing at an incredibly fast pace. It made him wonder if he'd maybe lost too much blood. That wasn't right, though. It didn't explain why the gentle sucks on his neck felt so good. It didn't explain why Tsuna had the urge to bite Poe back. Maybe he was hungry? How could that be when he'd just eaten? He'd eaten heart-blood no less. He should be--

"Oh god," Tsuna panted when realization finally hit him. Using all of the pitiful force he could muster, he pushed Poe away completely before his instincts could do the unforgivable. "You idiot!" He yelled in shock.

"What did I do?" Poe asked in utter confusion.

"Not you!" Tsuna snapped with a bright blush. "Me! I let you bite me!"

"Eh?" Poe replied blankly. "Did you finally come to your senses or something?"

"No," he growled with a tremble. "What the hell do you think I am, Poe?"

"One confusing son of a bitch," he answered quirkily. "What's the problem?"

"Can't you figure it out?" He groaned while turning his back to Poe entirely in hopes of regaining control of himself. "We were in a life and death situation, Poe. What the hell do you expect my instincts to be telling me to do right now?"

"Oh," he gaped in belated understanding. "In that case, I'm going to get Isaac started on healing and leave. I don't fly that way."

"I know," he replied though clenched teeth. "That's why I'm not looking at you. Hurry up and get out of here or else I won't be able to control myself."

"What about all the sleepers?" Poe asked, chucking his thumb to the unconscious forms scattered around the room. "Maybe you should--"

"They're safe from me," he growled. "No matter how bad I'm feeling it, I won't lay a hand on someone who can't tell me no. That's why you need to get out of here. You can tell me no, but I don't want to test my self-control."

"I'll take the girls back to their apartment to be on the safe side," Poe replied while Tsuna tried to ignore the throbbing in his groin. He didn't want it. He refused to listen to it. Snicker was the only person that was allowed to interact with that part of him. Even so, his instincts were screaming out to mate. The battle was over. The victory went to him and Poe. The belated panic and fear hit him hard enough that his knees trembled, which in turn made his blood surge around inside him. It wanted and needed an outlet. At the moment, the only option that his body saw and accepted was Poe. His mind had other wishes, but it was slowly being worn down by Poe's lingering.

He let out a shuddering sigh of relief when Poe finally left with Autumn asleep over one shoulder and Poppet slung over the other. That left only Autumn's tutor, Isaac, and Papa Paolo as the people in the building. Deciding to deal with them to work off some of his excess energy, he tossed his bloodstained shirt on the counter before dragging Isaac into the seating area of the restaurant. Laying him down one of the three private booths against the far wall, he went back and retrieved a clean tablecloth from storage to toss over him as a blanket. From the looks of it, his facial wounds were already healing up and the wound in his side had stopped bleeding. The white tablecloth that Tsuna threw over him got spotted in red, but it was just transfer from Isaac's own shirt instead of a worrisome spread that meant danger. From the sound of his steady heartbeat and his light snores, he'd be perfectly okay.

The tutor got similar treatment in a different booth, although there wasn't a spot of blood on him. Both he and Poppet had apparently been drained before they could be injured. Tsuna wasn't sure if that marked them as being stronger than Isaac, since the vampire had dealt with them first, or as the weakest, since they'd fallen first. Not that such things really mattered. What mattered was that they could recover. The enemy had been stopped before permanent damage could be done.

He smiled to himself when he walked into the office to check on Papa Paolo. He was asleep at his desk, looking like a student who'd passed out in the middle of studying. He even had his pen still in his hand and was drooling on what looked to be important financial reports. He looked perfectly healthy, even if he was a little drained. Carefully pulling the financial reports out from under his face, Tsuna tucked them into a drawer in case they weren't a legitimate set. He pulled the pen out of his hand, too, in order to ensure that he didn't stab himself in his sleep. Unsure of whether he should be moved since he looked pretty comfortable where he was at, Tsuna went to fetch another folded table cloth to put under his face for a pillow. His jacket, pulled off of a hook next to the door, went over his shoulders to keep him warm. The last thing that Tsuna did before leaving the office was to write a note saying that the others were safe and that he wouldn't be there for his morning delivery route. He figured he could be forgiven for taking a half day off, just this once.

Quietly closing the door to the office with his Boss soundly sleeping inside, he turned his attention to the mess that was the kitchen. It was going to take him hours to fix it all. The sooner he got started, the sooner he would finish, though. It was his fault that the mess was there, so it was only natural that he clean it up. Papa Paolo had a business to run and he wouldn't be able to if they didn't have a kitchen to work with. Depending on whether they woke up before or after the morning crew arrived, the police might be called, too. For Tsuna's own sake, no one but those involved could know about what happened.

Washing up in the sink, he spent a few minutes ensuring that he had all the blood off of himself before grabbing a broom, dustpan, and trashcan. The heart that Poe had left behind got wrapped up in his shirt and stored in a styrofoam box in the fridge. That would be taken to the vampire and dealt with in one way or another. Tsuna hated to admit it, but he was sorely tempted to tell Poe to make his next set of pills out of it. The taste was a nice change of pace from the cinnamon and pepper that Poe's blood held.

Shoving such thoughts out of his mind, he set to making the kitchen right again. The broken plates got tossed in the trash and the few unbroken ones got set the side to be salvaged. The kitchen island got turned upright again, although doing so was more of a feat than Tsuna first imagined. The damn thing was heavier than it looked. Next, the fallen pots and pans got collected to be washed, after which they got stowed away in their proper places. The black stain on the floor got scrubbed with every kitchen chemical that Tsuna could get his hands on. By the time it finally disappeared, Tsuna had went through six scrub pads and two bottles of bleach. His pants would never be the same again, he mused when he saw the whitened knees and spotted surface. His gloves weren't much better. He'd used so much bleach that his fingerless glove hiding his retractable knife was white and his fairly useless X-Glove was spotted. The smell of death and blood was out of the kitchen, though. That was the important part. He turned on every exhaust fan in the kitchen in order to help clear the fumes, but he figured that it would be good by morning.

Taking one last walk around the kitchen, he made sure that the counters were sparkling and the floor was squeaky clean. He didn't want to chance a single drop of vampire blood accidentally making its way into someone's food. He cleaned and cleaned and cleaned again until he was positive that the place was better than new. There probably wasn't a more sanitary kitchen anywhere in the city by the time that he was done. He even cleaned under the grills and stovetops in order to ensure that every spot was sanitized.

He knew that his paranoia was a little overbearing, but he refused to stop until he had no doubts left. It was the same paranoia that he had whenever someone in the Dojo was sick. His friends laughed over how he wore rubber gloves, long sleeves, and air purification mask on the occasions, but there was a reason. It was the same reason that he spent one night a week cleaning the house while everyone slept. He didn't trust himself. He knew that he was inoculated, but there was still that one in whatever chance that he could pass his disease on to someone else. He knew that it was perfectly safe for him to work around others as long as he made sure to not get injured. Home was a different matter. He stubbed his toe on furniture at home. He shared meals with people at home. He got paper cuts and there were a hundred different things that made him a possible hidden danger to the people he was living with. Rather than let that fear come true, he made every precaution that he could and went overboard at the slightest change in the environment.

The only exception was Snicker. He was torn where Snicker was concerned. Every time that they had sex together, it put Snicker at risk. He knew that, but he couldn't stop. He loved Snicker too much to abandon him like what was needed to completely ensure his safety. Snicker would be just as bad without Tsuna as he would be if Tsuna were to screw up and pass his disease over to him. He knew that it was selfish of him, but he didn't care. When Snicker was sick, Tsuna wanted to be by his side. When he was feeling passionate, Tsuna wanted to receive his affection. From the moment that he woke up to the moment that he went to sleep, Tsuna wanted to spend every minute that he could with him. Sometimes, even while he slept, Tsuna just wanted to take comfort in his presence. No matter what happened with vampires, Gabriel, or enemy gangs, Snicker always made him feel clean in the aftermath.

Shutting off the kitchen lights, Tsuna retrieved the package in the refrigerator before leaving completely. Those left inside were still sleeping soundly, although Tsuna found himself wanting to laugh at how Isaac had curled up in the booth. He reminded Tsuna of a child with a baby blanket clutched in his hands. He'd even managed to somehow get the trailing end of the tablecloth wrapped around his legs so that they were comfortably entangled. All he was missing was his thumb in his mouth and Tsuna was positive that he'd have material to tease with for the rest of the year.

From the looks of the sky when he'd left, cleaning up hadn't taken as long as he'd expected. It was still night out without so much of a glimmer of dawn. More than likely, there was only an hour or two to go, however. He usually snuck out of bed around one which meant that he'd been at the club until two. From two to three had been dealing with the vampires. At least an hour after that had been cleaning up. Dawn usually hit around six, so he still had plenty of time to relax before the day started again.

He didn't dawdle in getting home. Taking the shortest route that he knew which also bypassed all crowded venues, Tsuna kept his eyes out for cops. With his shirt wrapped up around the heart hidden within the box in his hands, Tsuna didn't want to chance getting stopped and searched. Reaching home was almost anti-climactic. Eric and Gigi raised eyebrows over his half-naked state, but he didn't have anything to mark that he'd been fighting. He'd washed up, too, so he didn't have any blood on himself to show that he'd been eating.

"Do I want to ask?" Gigi asked blandly from where he was sitting at the computer in a night-robe and slippers.

"Not really," he replied with a grimace before dashing up the stairs to his room. Setting his box down momentarily, he pulled off his pants as quietly as he could and stowed them away under the bed again. A pair of pajama pants got slipped on in their place, followed by the light bed robe that he kept around to keep the chill off. He started to leave before he could wake Snicker up, but one thing stopped him. That thing was Snicker himself.

"Suoh...?" He mumbled in a half-awake voice while he turned over in the bed. Tsuna smiled down at him and leaned down to give him a kiss that was filled with as much desperation as it was affection. The kiss apparently woke Snicker up even more, because he reached out and pulled Tsuna onto the bed. "You were trying to sneak out on me again," he accused quietly around his kisses. Before Tsuna could formulate a reply, he was pulled into a deep kiss that left him hungry for more. He wasn't going to get more, though. At least, no more of the kiss. Snicker pulled away before Tsuna could be fully satisfied. Before he could even think of objecting, he found himself face down on the bed with his pants being torn back off.

"What are you doing?!" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise.

"Are you complaining?" Snicker countered in a dark tone.

"No," he blushed, looking back over his shoulder to stare at the man with wide eyes. "You're just never usually this force-- ah!" Clutching the sheets, his whole body tensed up when Snicker rammed into him without warning or preparation. It hurt. He felt like he was being ripped in two. Snicker was usually gentler with him, but it was as if he'd pulled out all the stops this time. There was no mercy. No hesitation. It was hard and fast with actual pleasure being a mere afterthought.

Snicker was punishing him, he realized after a minute passed and he only seemed to get rougher. He was angry that Tsuna had snuck out of bed. This anger wasn't just from this one time. It was something that had been building without Tsuna noticing. All the times he thought he'd gotten out of bed unnoticed, Snicker had noticed. He'd noticed and he thought that Tsuna just didn't want to sleep next to him. He was frustrated and hurt, so he was letting it out in the only way that he could think of. The only problem was that he wasn't noticing how brutal he was being. He was trying to make Tsuna want to stay in bed, but his anger and frustration was destroying his reason. He was being too rough without considering Tsuna at all!

"I'm sorry!" Tsuna cried between thrusts, feeling tears leaking out from the mixture of pain and pleasure. "Just stop, Snicker!" He didn't stop. If anything, the words urged him to thrust harder, faster, and deeper. He knew this feeling. This feeling of not being in control. This feeling of not having any say in how he was treated. It made his body tremble in rejection. He didn't want this. He didn't like being used like this. Snicker wasn't trying to please himself. He was just trying to punish Tsuna and it hurt. Snicker was acting... Snicker was being just like...

Tsuna buried his face into his pillow and started crying. Snicker didn't notice, being far too focused on what he was doing to see anything else. Tsuna didn't know how to stop him. Just like with Gabriel, he was scared. The difference in the fear was minor, but he was still frightened. Snicker had never acted like this before. Snicker might hate him if he tried to stop him. The fear of how he would react to the rejection made Tsuna powerless. It hurt so much that he wanted to die, but he'd rather die than reject Snicker. He just didn't know what to do to make him stop. He wanted him to stop. He wanted to plead for him to stop, but his voice got stuck in his throat. Even worse, the longer that he stayed silent, the more that Snicker put into trying to make him make noise. It escalated until Tsuna was silently screaming into his pillow and trying to claw the sheet in effort to get away. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted Snicker to stop!

"What the hell are you doing?!"

All at once, it did stop. Snicker was pulled off of him by what sounded like Gigi. It sounded like they were fighting, but Tsuna couldn't even lift his head to look. His body collapsed completely once Snicker was no longer holding it up. He could barely feel it anymore. All he could feel was pain and emptiness. His body refused to answer him. He was shaking too hard to move anything. The most that he could manage was to curl his knees up to his chest while he continued to silently weep and wonder if he might really deserve what he'd gotten. There were a hundred different reasons for Snicker to punish him, after all.

He was a bad person for lying. He was a bad person for being selfish. He was a bad person for hurting others. He was a bad person for sneaking out of bed. He was a bad person for smoking joints with Mike. He was a bad person for shooting that dog with stink pellets. He was a bad person for knocking people over on his bike when he was in a hurry. He was a bad person for abandoning his parents. He was a bad person for playing video games when he could be working more. He was a bad person for having let Eric do things that he didn't want to do. He was a bad person for having broke Porker's neck. He was a bad person for pretending that Peanut had learned all his tricks on his own. He was a bad person for not turning himself in to the police when he'd run away. He was a bad person--

"Stop it, sweet-cheeks," Gigi gasped tearfully as he carefully rolled Tsuna over into his arms. "You're not a bad person."

"But Snicker was punishing me," he objected in confusion when he found his voice again. "Snicker wouldn't punish me unless I deserved it. He's not like Gabriel."

"No, he's not," he agreed with a pained expression. "But he wasn't trying to punish you. He just wasn't paying attention and got too rough. You know how thoughtless he is sometimes. He was just half-way asleep, so he didn't notice that he was hurting you."

"Oh," he murmured. "I thought he was mad about me getting out of bed."

"Of course not," Gigi soothed gently, reaching out to wipe the tears off of his face. "Snicker knows that you have a sleeping disorder. He'd your husband, after all. He knows that you've just been thinking of him. He knows that you don't want to disturb his sleep, so you get out of bed instead of tossing and turning all night. He knows that you didn't want to worry him, so you've been trying to keep it a secret. He knows everything, sweet-cheeks. _Right_, Snicker?"

"Uh, right," Snicker replied in a quiet voice. Tsuna slowly, painfully sat up in order to find Snicker sitting on the floor beside the bed, nursing what looked to be a black eye. He gave a faltering smile that was almost good enough to make Tsuna believe in Gigi's words, but the look in his eyes denied it all. He was angry, not sheepish or apologetic.

"Are you mad because I didn't tell you why I was getting out of bed?" Tsuna asked worriedly, wanting to put some reason, any reason, to the anger he saw in Snicker. He wanted to make it right. He didn't want Snicker to punish him again!

"I'm not mad, Suoh," he lied. "It was just like Gigi said. I wasn't paying attention."

"Is it because I get home so late? If it is, I can ask Papa Paolo to give me a different job."

"I said that I wasn't mad."

"Yes, you are," Tsuna cried, crawling forward on the bed to try to close the distance that had sprung up between them. "Just tell me what it is, Snicker! I promise that I'll do better!"

"I'm not mad!" Snicker shouted angrily.

"You shouldn't move, sweet-cheeks," Gigi interjected worriedly. "You're bleeding."

"B-Bleeding?" Tsuna repeated, freezing entirely. Putting his fingers to his lips, he suddenly knew exactly why Snicker was mad. It was the blood on his breath. He usually smoke or drank something to hide it, but he'd been too distracted this time. "It was the blood," he stated in shock. "That's why you're mad at me. I forgot to cover it up before I came up here."

"You told me that you got up for when Poe bites you," Snicker confirmed quietly, refusing to look at Tsuna at all. "You never have any bite marks, Suoh. I know why now. Poe's been making you drink his blood so that they go away. He's trying to turn you into a demon like him and I don't like it!"

"T-That's--" Tsuna trembled, unsure of how to respond. He could see it on Snicker's face. The disgust and the distaste was plain for anyone to see. Snicker hated the idea of living with a vampire. To figure out that Tsuna was drinking blood like one made him incredibly mad. He'd rather make it so that Tsuna couldn't get out of bed than to let him go to Poe. If he found out that Tsuna was just like Poe, he'd leave Tsuna in a heartbeat.

"I think calling him a demon is a little harsh," Gigi commented abruptly. Tsuna bowed his head, knowing that Gigi was just trying to counter Snicker's unintentionally hurtful words. Snicker was just being honest, though. He didn't know that the things he said about Poe also went on Tsuna. "I think it's only natural for a _person _to want to make someone better if they cause injury. Poe's just been making sure that you get Suoh back just like you left him."

"I know," he grumbled. "I know that, but--! Why does it have to be Suoh?! Why can't he go find someone else to bite?!"

"Because," Tsuna answered, pulling back once more as the words reverberated within him. Why him? How many times had he asked himself that in his life? How many times had he asked that in the part of his life that he didn't remember? He had the feeling that the answer was the same either way. "I'm cursed," he continued with a half-hearted smile, feeling tears well up in his eyes once more as he tried to put his feelings into words. "My blood always seems to bring misfortune to me. It brought Reborn to me and destroyed the happiness that I could have had growing up. Even after I ran away, my blood was still unlucky because it got me mixed up with fighters and Mafia. It brought bad vampires and people that wanted to only hurt me. But just once... Just one time, I wanted it to bring good luck. And it did, Snicker! Poe isn't like normal people, but he's a really good person! He's good and he's my friend because of my blood! It makes me happy that Poe drinks it! For once, my blood isn't bad! It's good and Poe gets stronger with it!"

"That's enough, sweet-cheeks," Gigi interjected before he could say more. "We need to get you taken care of. Snicker, you go take a shower and get cleaned off. Send Eric up to change the sheets while I'm tending to Suoh."

"I can--" He started to object over the idea of Gigi touching Tsuna in such a private place.

"You've done enough for tonight," he snapped with a note of anger in his own voice. "I think Suoh's safer being taken care of by me until you get your head screwed on right. You have a right to be jealous, but you don't have a right to abuse your partner like you did. He's been forced enough in the past that he doesn't need you doing it to him, too!"

"I didn't--" He gasped as all the blood rushed out of his face.

"Sure you didn't," he replied sarcastically, standing up to shove Snicker toward the door. "That's why I could hear that something was wrong from downstairs. That's why Suoh's bleeding and he cried his precious eyes out. Get a clue, Snicker. You might be married to him, but that doesn't give you the right to rape him!"

"How dare you!" Snicker roared as Gigi shoved a robe into his hands to cover up with. "I would never rape--" Tsuna couldn't even look up as Gigi's hand slapped across Snicker's face. Wrapping his arms around himself in effort to control his need to tremble, Tsuna felt tears once more surfacing over the word.

"You just did, you fucking idiot!" Gigi shouted at him. "I heard Suoh tell you to stop from downstairs! You were too busy listening to your hurt pride to notice, but just look at Suoh! He's a nervous wreck thanks to you! He hasn't stopped shaking since I came in here! You were hurting him, Snicker!"

"I didn't," he mumbled in pale-faced denial. Tsuna could feel Snicker's eyes on him, but it didn't make him feel like he usually did. Instead of shy or aroused, it made him feel the urgent need to cover his body. "Suoh," he said in shock. "Tell Gigi that I wouldn't do something like that! I know I got a little rough, but--"

"He... um... he wouldn't rape me," Tsuna said like Snicker wanted. He completely failed at hiding his shudder over the word and was completely unable to look up, but he said it despite his dislike of the term. That word was attached to what Gabriel had done to him. It wasn't the same. He refused to let it be the same. "Snicker l-loves me. I just wasn't... ah... wasn't prepared. It's... um... it's been a long... ah... a long night and I... ah... I... ah... I o-over-reacted. It... It was my fault. So... um... don't... ah... don't be mad at Snicker, G-Gigi."

Looking up with an attempt to smile, he faltered when he saw that Snicker was crying. He'd messed up again. Somehow, he'd done something that made Snicker upset. He didn't know what. He was just defending him. That was what he was supposed to do. Wasn't it? He was confused because Snicker didn't look happy. Tsuna had just said what he'd wanted. He'd been honest. Snicker wouldn't rape him. Snicker had just been venting his frustrations at a bad time. It was Tsuna's fault for going into the bedroom with blood on his breath. It was his fault for sneaking out of bed. He'd been a bad husband, but he could do better. He had to or else Snicker would leave him. He'd die without Snicker, so he had to work harder to make Snicker happy. He just wasn't doing enough. He'd been too selfish. Instead of playing video games at night, he could lay in bed quietly like Snicker wanted. It might take some work to keep himself from waking Snicker up, but he could do it. He could start chewing bubblegum to cover up the blood, too. It wasn't enough to rely on the breath mints built into his pills. What else was there? There had to be more that he could do.

"I-I'm sorry, Suoh," Snicker gasped, shoving his way past Gigi into the room again. "I didn't mean to do something like that! I was half asleep and I wasn't thinking! You know that I wouldn't h--" He didn't mean to. He didn't consciously decide to. Even so, Tsuna flinched away when Snicker reached out to touch his face. It made Snicker freeze in shock when he belatedly came to realize what he'd done. "I'm sorry," he repeated as his hands fell to dead to his sides. "I broke your trust. It doesn't matter whether I meant to or not. Does it? I still did it. What happened to you happened so long ago that I honestly forgot about it. If I'd had a single ounce of sense going through my head, I wouldn't have acted like I did. I would have remembered and kept my wits about me. All of that is just excuses, though. I don't have a single damn good reason for what I did. Look at me, Suoh."

As ordered, Tsuna slowly forced himself to look up.

"I'm sorry," he repeated once more with an expression of utter anguish on his face. "I'm not perfect, Suoh. I wish I was, but I'm not. I screw up sometimes, too. I get jealous and selfish with the best of them. You probably hate me right now but--"

"I don't hate you," Tsuna instantly objected. "I just--" Tsuna shook his head, unable to figure out a single word of what he wanted to say. He was confused. Why was Snicker apologizing? It'd been Tsuna's fault. It'd hurt, but Snicker wouldn't hurt him unless he deserved it. He had deserved it. He'd failed in living up to Snicker's expectations. He'd rather be punished. If he was punished, then he got a second chance. "I don't understand," he said in honest bewilderment. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Snicker," Gigi called carefully. "You better go for now. Sweet-cheeks is still shaken up. You can do this in the morning when he's got a head to work with."

"I don't understand," Tsuna repeated when Snicker slowly left the room in silent agreement.

"Don't worry about it," he replied gently, coming over to sit on the side of the bed next to Tsuna. "I hate to ask this, but I need you to turn over, sweet-cheeks. I need to see how bad the damage is. You started bleeding pretty badly after I pulled Snicker off of you."

"I did?" Tsuna asked blankly, looking down at the sheets in order to see the bright streaks marring the surface. "That's from me?"

"Yes, it is," he confirmed without expression. "So turn over and let me see. We might have to take you to the doctor if it's bad."

"It doesn't hurt anymore," he murmured as he slowly laid down on his stomach. Gigi didn't reply, obviously trying to keep himself on a platonic level due the situation. He was trying to keep himself on a platonic level _despite _to the situation. It wasn't every day that Tsuna was laid out naked for him to touch. Tsuna could see the effort he was putting in to keep himself detached, which was the only reason he trusted him. He was slightly uncomfortable with Gigi pushing his cheeks apart to take a look, but it was better than going to the doctor and paying money to find out that he was fine.

"Relax, Suoh," he said, using Tsuna's actual name in effort to disassociate himself a little more. "The outside looks fine, but I'm going to check inside."

"Alright," he agreed, feeling himself blushing brightly over the thought. Covering his face with his arms in embarrassment, he tried not to think about it as Gigi slowly pushed a finger inside of him.

"Oh dear," she mumbled after a moment. Tsuna didn't need an explanation for the comment. He could feel it leaking out of him when Gigi pulled his finger out in order to pull his rim open slightly. After a moment, the flow seemed to slow down, after which Gigi once more inserted a digit into his rear. He groaned as he went deeper, slowly turning his finger to check Tsuna's walls. Then he reached Tsuna's prostate. Relaxation was instant. As Gigi brushed up against it several more times to ensure that it wasn't damaged, Tsuna found himself with a completely different problem. One that left him drowsing in a particularly satisfied way before he could even think of rejecting it. Thankfully, Gigi didn't comment. He simply continued past in order to check as deep as his finger would allow while pretending nothing had happened. Tsuna was almost ready to pretend the same by the time he finally pulled out in satisfaction. "You're bloody, but you're not hurt," he sighed. "Whatever happened to cause the bleeding has already healed up. Honestly, if I hadn't been the one to barge in during the middle of it, I wouldn't be able to tell that you even had sex. You're not swollen or stretched at all. It's like you're a complete virgin, even though I know better."

"It's like that every time now," he murmured contentedly. "My body resets pretty fast after Snicker's done. It's a pain for me, but Snicker likes it. I don't think he knows that it's not supposed to do that. At least, not right away."

"After a while, some of us don't reset at all," Gigi chuckled. "Snicker doesn't know how lucky he is. I couldn't get my ass that tight anymore if I wanted to. Then again, I'm not sure that I would want to. The first time always hurts the most."

"Umm..." Eric's voice sheepishly called from outside the door. "Is it safe for me to come in yet?"

"Sure thing," Gigi called before turning back to Tsuna. "You go take a shower and get that blood washed off. I want you to soak in the bath for a while, too."

"Okay," he agreed, carefully getting up while trying to hide the mess under him. Gigi covered for him, almost pulling the sheets out from under him before Eric could see. He looked curious and worried, but it was mostly focused at the small bit of blood dripping down Tsuna's legs. Tsuna thought about explaining so that he didn't get the wrong idea, but a single glare from Gigi sent him toward the door and down to the shower instead. He only paused long enough to snatch his robe up from where it'd been pulled off and to ask Gigi to take the box on the dresser up to Poe without looking in it. It probably wasn't any good to use anymore, but Poe could still dispose of it.

He paused when he got to the bottom of the stairs, however. He paused because he could hear Ore in the bathroom with Snicker, with him being the prime subject matter.

"...sometimes forget," Ore was saying in a low, tired rumble. Tsuna grimaced to himself, knowing that Ore was awake outside his normal time. He'd pay for it at work and it was Tsuna's fault. "He's younger in his head than he looks. How old did he say he was in his last memory?"

"Fifteen," Snicker answered quietly over the sound of the shower. "I don't know what to do, Big Guy. He acts so damn mature most of the time that I never noticed it before. What just happened... I don't know how to deal with it. He was the one that pulled me into this relationship, so I thought he could handle it. He's... He's off his fucking rocker!"

"Like how?" Ore asked curiously.

"After Gigi knocked some sense into me, I noticed that I really had hurt him," he answered with a following thud that could only be his fist hitting the shower wall. "I hurt him and he acted like I didn't do anything wrong! He tried to tell Gigi that it was his fault! I know I fucked up! I really do, but Suoh... He was scared, Big Guy. He was scared and he was fucking crying and shaking, but he was still trying to defend me!"

"He loves you," he replied nonchalantly.

"He loves me alright," Snicker agreed with a strange note of disgust in his voice. "He loves me too much. I didn't think it was possible, but he does. I really screwed up this time. He's not balanced and it's my fault. I don't know what I was thinking, getting into a relationship with him. He's too young to handle it. He might be old enough where his body is concerned, but his head is still stuck years behind the rest of him."

"I don't know about that," Ore objected in thought. "He still is outrageously mature. He's just had a lot happen to him that he never learned to deal with. He's just outrageously scared of losing you, Snicker. That's all I can think of."

"That's the problem," Snicker countered in a tight voice. "I'm wondering if I didn't make a mistake by marrying him. He's latched onto me too tightly, Big Guy. I'll admit that I thought it was a good thing because it gave us a close relationship, but it's not healthy. Not for him."

Tsuna couldn't listen to any more. Slowly walking back up the stairs, he felt like his whole world was collapsing around him. It only got worse when he got close enough to the top of the stairs to hear the conversation going on up there.

"...Suoh or Snicker?" Eric asked curiously.

"Suoh," Gigi answered in a quiet voice. "Snicker really screwed him over this time. I was worried before, but that boy has everything tied up in Snicker. You've noticed it. Haven't you?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a small twitch in his voice. "When Snicker is around, it's like the rest of us don't exist. I think Suoh really would jump off a cliff if Snicker told him to."

"I've heard of people being blinded by love," he sighed. "But Suoh's taking it too far. I'm hoping that a little bit of time will help him get his head on straight. Snicker isn't perfect. He's a man like any other. As far as Suoh is concerned, he's a god, though. He didn't think for an instant that Snicker was doing something wrong to him. Even though Snicker was acting like a possessive fool, Suoh tried to blame himself. I don't know what to do about him."

"I think the bigger problem isn't Snicker," Eric mused after a moment. "The bigger problem is Suoh's confidence. All of the confidence he has is built off of Snicker. If you take Snicker out of the picture, I don't think Suoh would know how to cope. People aren't supposed to put everything into one person like he's been doing. If he were to admit that Snicker did something wrong, it'd break his faith in the man and that would destroy everything else that he's put into him. Not just his confidence, but--"

"Suoh..." Gigi murmured in shock when Tsuna slowly walked into the room. Tsuna ignored her in effort to dig out a pair of pants and a shirt from his dresser. Quickly putting them on, he refused to speak to either of them. He refused right up until he had his shoes on and was on his way out the door.

"You're wrong," he murmured quietly. "I know that Snicker isn't perfect. He still tries his hardest to be a good person and make it without hurting anyone else. He's never hurt another person unless he had a good reason. That's why I love him. I love him for being such a good person, because I'm not one. I tried to pretend, but I'm cursed. I know that now. No matter where I run away to and no matter what I do, that curse follows me. It follows me and it destroys any happiness that I try to have. I'm tired. There's so many ghosts and I don't even know their names."

"You're not making sense, sweet-cheeks," Gigi replied in open concern.

"I'm a bad person, Gigi," he repeated quietly, bowing his head as the weight on his shoulders seemed to get heavier. "I deserved what Snicker did. I deserve a lot worse, but the ghosts gave me a light punishment this time. They might have him kill me next time."

"You're starting to freak me out, Suoh," Eric commented with wide eyes. "You're really not making any sense. What ghosts are you talking about?" Tsuna barely heard him, thinking more about that cold feeling that had come over him earlier in the night. That cold feeling had been nice, because he hadn't been able to feel anything.

"You should all run away from me," he murmured, staring down at his hands with wide eyes. They were the hands of a murderer. He was a cold-blooded killer hiding behind a pathetic, failed attempt at being good. "Or maybe I should just go back to Vongola," he mused aloud. "It was too easy. I didn't feel anything at all when I killed. It wasn't like before when the gangs came after me and I sent them home with black eyes. These guys were different. These guys will never bother me again. They're gone now and I got to come home. Their ghosts made Snicker punish me for being bad, but it's over now. I can go to sleep and wake up and I don't have to worry about being attacked by those guys again. Everything can go back to normal until the next time my curse acts up."

"You better start making sense right now, Suoh!" Gigi ordered with tears and fear in his eyes.

"Or what?" Tsuna snapped, turning his head to focus a glare on Gigi. "Are you going to abandon me, too, Gigi? Are you just going to disappear like Mukuro-sama and ignore my calls? What about you, Eric? Are you going to tattle on me and lock me away? I have to do what I do! If I didn't, people would die!" Looking back and forth between Gigi and Eric's confused and worried expressions, he belatedly remembered that neither of them knew what he'd done. Only Poe knew and Poe didn't talk to any of them.

Pressing a hand to his head to block out his own stupidity, Tsuna shook it slightly to try and get his thoughts to line up properly. They were jumbled and mixed up in a way that he didn't like. He couldn't think straight. Everything that had happened at the club was mixing up with the conversation that he'd overheard, which was in turn getting mixed up with what had happened with him and Snicker. On top of that, it was all getting mixed up with what he'd done with Poe and it was too much to handle. He felt like he was going to have a meltdown.

"I'm going for a walk," he murmured, turning to stumble toward the door. "I need to clear my head. Take that box up to Poe for me. Make sure not to look in it."

"What's in it?" Gigi asked predictably. Tsuna paused, unsure of whether to answer it or not. After a moment, he decided to answer. Things couldn't get any worse, after all. Snicker was already second-guessing whether they should have even gotten married.

"Its a heart from one of the guys I killed tonight. Actually, no," he amended after a moment. "I think that one is from one that Poe killed. I'm not sure. A lot of hearts got ripped out tonight. Either way, Poe will know how to dispose of it. It's not like we can leave evidence laying around."

"That's not a funny joke," Eric mumbled in dumbfounded shock while Tsuna snatched up his satchel, his wool cap, and his whistle. Tsuna didn't even dignify the comment with a response. He simply walked out of the room, down the stairs, past Snicker who was sitting down on the couch with a towel around his waist, and out the door. He stopped for nothing, needing to simply get away so that he could get his head to start working right again. Although, he knew one way that always made his brain slow down when he was thinking too much.

It was almost dawn from the light gathering at the horizon. For him, it was as bright out as a well-lit room, even in the darkest of alleyways. Using the alleys, he made good time and was at his goal in less than five minutes. Mike blinked in surprise as he walked out of the shadows behind where he'd set up shop, but seemed otherwise welcoming.

"Yo, Suoh!" He greeted, completely ignoring the three whores standing around him. He absently continued sorting through the cash in his hand, dishing out the girl's cuts after counting out his own. "What are you doing out at this time? Shouldn't you be with your other half this late?"

"A little trouble in paradise," he admitted with a slightly hopeful expression on his face. "Any chance you've got some stock?"

"For you, always," the pimp laughed, flicking a finger against his white fedora to tap it upward. "Just gimme a minute to sort these bitches out. Candy and Lemon should be back in a minute, then we can head in. They just bounced around the block for a little lickity-splickity."

"Is it okay if I stay over for a while?" He asked carefully. "I'll go pick up a case of beer."

"Oh ho," he gaped in surprise. "So it's big trouble in paradise. Sure thing, Suoh. Mi casa es su casa. Go pick up the brewskies and I'll close up shop here. I want to hear this one. If something could come between the gold-plated pair, I want to know about it. I'll even pull out the good shit."

"Thanks," Tsuna murmured in gratitude. "I'll be over in a little bit." Heading down the street to the tobacco store first, Tsuna bought himself two packets of rolling papers and a few packs of cigarettes. He knew from experience that it wasn't good to smoke weed non-stop. It was wasteful, too. To make it the feeling produced last, it was better to pace himself a bit. After that, he went next door to pick up the beers like promised. He also picked up two fifths of whiskey in case he decided to stay longer than expected. He wasn't sure yet. He'd decide once his head was working right again. Checking his wallet before he left the liquor store, he grimaced slightly at the amount he had on him. It was enough to pay for a few joints right off the bat, but he'd have to go off credit after that.

It was a good thing that he had good credit with Mike, he mused. It wouldn't be the first nor probably the last that he'd have to pay after the fact. Heading back to Mike's apartment, he arrived right as Mike was unlocking his door. The man waved him inside, automatically looking down the hall to ensure that no one was tailing him. It was a measure of how much he trusted Tsuna that he threw the money in his jacket behind a row of books on his bookcase without bothering to hide the hiding spot from Tsuna. Tsuna didn't care.

Cracking the window open to ensure that they still got air, he popped himself open a beer and settled down in his usual spot. The bean bag was right where he'd left it, hiding in a corner of the room so that it was out of the way. Pulling it over to where he preferred it under the window, he plopped down with the comfort that only came from frequent visits. Like Mike had said, his home was Tsuna's home. At the moment, it seemed far more welcoming than Tsuna's, though.

"I'm going to be selfish," Tsuna called in warning when Mike darted into his bedroom to retrieve his stash. "So roll up one for both of us. I'm low on cash, but you know I'm good for it."

"I know," he agreed as he rushed back with his steel lockbox in hand. "You got all paid up last week. I trust you, man. I wouldn't go dishin' out my shit if I didn't. How big do you want this? I got a few cigars laying around here somewhere if you want a blunt. I got a new pipe, too, if you don't want to wait for me to roll."

"I'll start with a small one," he answered quietly, not wanting to take the risks that came with sharing a pipe. "Save the blunt for later."

"So what happened?" He asked as he started rolling with practiced hands. "Snicker start liking pussy again or something?"

"I don't know," he answered quietly. "Everything is kind of confusing right now. I think I did something wrong to make him mad. He _admitted _that he was mad. After that, everything just gets a little crazy. I can't really make sense of it. Snicker's not the type of person to hurt me if I didn't deserve it, so I had to have done something to deserve it. I thought I had it figured out. He was pissed because I tasted like blood when he kissed me."

"But..?" He prompted.

"But then he started apologizing to me all of a sudden," he continued, rubbing his forehead while he took a long drink off of his beer. "Gigi got pissed and told him off for hurting me, but Snicker told me to tell him that he was being too harsh. I agreed, but that only seemed to make Snicker upset. That's when he started apologizing and I'm still not sure why he hurt me in the first place. Like I said, I thought I knew, but then he kind of screwed everything up by apologizing and I can't really make sense of any of it anymore. After everything was said and done, I went down to take a shower with Snicker and I overheard him talking to Ore. He said that he didn't know why he married me and a bunch of stuff about me not being mature. I don't know what the hell he wants from me anymore. First he's upset because I'm working too much and now he's saying that I'm immature."

"This should help," Mike grinned, handing over a long joint along with a lighter. Tsuna took it gratefully and took several minutes to enjoy starting it before continuing his narrative.

"This has been a long ass day," he murmured, holding in the smoke with utter contentment. It was soothing and relaxing and as euphoric as an orgasm. It was no wonder that it was illegal, he mused with a small smile. He didn't care anymore about that, though. He'd now broken every law that there was. "I'm tired, Mikey," he sighed, letting the smoke blow out with his breath. Letting his head fall against the wall behind him, he absently traded off between his beer and his joint. "I got tied up in a lot of nasty business and it's starting to come back to haunt me."

"Is a new gang on your ass?" He asked curiously.

"Something like that," he answered wearily. "I had to do something really bad this time, Mike. They weren't looking to just beat me up. They were going to kill some of my friends. I couldn't let them do that."

"Ouch," he grimaced. "I guess we won't be hearing from them again. You took them out. Right? An eye for an eye."

"An eye for an eye," he agreed, taking another long inhale to wash away the pain that the statement caused.

"Does Snicker know?" Mike asked, kicking off his shoes to get comfortable. He sprawled out on the couch with his feet up on his coffee table in his normal position, enjoying his own joint along with a beer stolen from the case Tsuna had brought.

"Hell no," he answered. "You know I can't tell Snicker about that shit. Do you want him to have another heart attack?"

"Nope," he replied simply. "But I think that's where a lot of your issues stem. You two are on two totally different wavelengths lately. Not that I'd do things any differently. You just can't blame him for thinking like he does when he don't know about half the shit your going through. I mean, you told me that you're keeping your blood disease from him and you don't talk to him about the shit Papa Paolo asks you to do. You haven't said shit to him about all the gangs riding your ass or anything about that bastard that keeps harassing you at work. What was his name again?"

"Gabriel or Isaac?" Tsuna asked with a long-suffering laugh.

"Gabriel," he said with a snap of his fingers. "You really should stick a knife in that guy's gut. If I had someone trying to grab my cock every morning, I wouldn't stand for it."

"It's not that easy," he groaned, carefully pulling off of his joint as the hot tip got closer to his fingers and his lips. "He's a Mafia brat. I'd have the whole Family on my ass if I tried fucking with him. No one sees the shit that he's doing, so they wouldn't believe me if I told them what a kind of rotten scum he is. I'd just be tossed into jail for murder and I wouldn't get to see Snicker anymore."

"Fuuuck," he cursed sympathetically. "And I thought I had problems."

"That isn't even half of it," he grumbled. "I don't even want to start talking about the rest of it."

"What could be worse than all of that?" Mike asked in awe. In answer, Tsuna pulled off his eye-patch and pushed back his hair so that Mike could see what he'd been hiding from the others. "Oh fuck," he gaped, sitting up like he'd just been stung. "Your eye is back to normal."

"I thought so," he murmured sadly, putting out his joint in the ashtray that Mike offered before accepting a fresh one from the line of them on the table. "My ace in the hole just quit the team and he didn't even say goodbye."

"That's going to be trouble," Mike commented, biting his lip in worry. "You said that the last three fights, that Mukuro guy used your eye to defeat them. If you don't got him--"

"I'm fucked the next time the gangs think that they got enough people to beat me," he finished with a small twitch. "They're too much for me to handle alone. They're starting to bring weapons and numbers. Mike," he said solemnly, "I might be dead the next time you see me."

"In that case," he muttered with a crooked grin, "I guess I better go get the _really _good shit."

"You might," he agreed before turning all of his attention into taking out the line of joints already waiting on him. Screw work, he decided after a moment. He wasn't leaving until Mike ran out of stock. "Oh hell," he gasped ten minutes later. "Let me borrow your computer, Mike."

"You know where it's at," he replied, gesturing to the station set up in the corner of the room. Tsuna gave him an absent gesture of thanks before taking his second beer, third joint, and the ash tray over to the desk. Mike didn't notice or care, too busy getting high while he flipped through the cable channels to find something good on.

"Gigi's been here recently," he commented with a laugh, seeing that Grey City was already installed on the computer.

"She came by a few nights ago," he called back without looking away from the television. "She'd friends with the twink living upstairs with Filly. I told you that I decided to expand. Didn't I?"

"Yup," he answered as he waited for the game to load. "How's that working out for you?"

"Not bad," he replied easily. "You know that I ain't into that shit, but he can give head with the best of them now. Gigi's been breaking him in for me. Some little punk straight out of the country. He said he was willing to do anything for some cash, so I took a chance on him. Seems that he's starting to like it, the little fuck. He had the balls to tell me that it reminded him from sucking cow tit back at home. Can you believe that shit?"

"There's all kinds," he mumbled absently. "How's Daren and his crew doing?"

"They're quiet," he grumbled in return. "They're even quieter than you and Snicker. It makes me wonder if they got some kinky threesome going on up there in secret. Last time I ran through for an inspection, the bastards were only using one room. The other one doesn't look like it's even been touched."

"They'll find a use for it eventually," Tsuna soothed around his joint. "They're just too used to sharing a sleeping space. Me and Snicker had that problem, too. We tried sleeping alone, but both of us ended up staying awake all night. We kept waiting for someone to come and pull us out of bed to steal our stuff, even though we were indoors. They'll break out of it when one of them gets some independence. Either that or they might really pair off in a threesome. You don't have time to think of that stuff on the street, but they don't have a lot of the worries that they used to anymore."

"Maybe that's what you and Snicker need to do," he suggested, pulling his eyes away from the television for once. "Take a break from the whole couple scene and see other people for a while."

"M-Maybe," he agreed while his insides rebelled at even the thought. He had to admit that it might be for the best, though. Not for him, but for Snicker. Snicker wasn't happy with him anymore, plus there was the danger that Tsuna represented. Maybe it'd be better to detach himself from Snicker's side so that the man wouldn't be hurt as much when Tsuna's secrets caught up with him. Whether it was the gangs or the vampires, everyone was out to kill him now. "I'll think about it," he mumbled.

"Just don't steal any more of my girls if you do," he chuckled. "The three you took were getting some of my best prices."

"I didn't take anyone," he growled in a long-standing debate. "They were wanting to leave before I ever offered to let them live with us." Ignoring Mike's reply, Tsuna turned his attention to the mass of people surrounding him when he logged in. Considering the last place he remembered being was in an empty bar, the crush was unexpected.

BOOBOO: Is FoooFoo here?

LAZYJAY: Who the fuck are you?  
LAZYJAY: How did you get in here?  
LAZYJAY: This bar is for Family only.

INDIGOFOG: Is he a hacker?  
INDIGOFOG: Can I shoot him?

MISTERYO: Go for it.  
MISTERYO: Didn't you just upgrade your stungun?

INDIGOFOG: Damn straight.

BEAVERFACE: I want to see what it looks like now!  
BEAVERFACE: Shoot the noob hacker!

FOOFOO: Shoot him and you die.

INDIGOFOG: Oh shit.

LAZYJAY: Is he a friend of yours foofoo?

FOOFOO: Something like that.  
FOOFOO: I thought you weren't coming booboo.

BOOBOO: Sry  
BOOBOO: Ran into some trouble.  
BOOBOO: On a frend's comp right nw.

FOOFOO: Anything I can help with?

BOOBOO: Not rly.  
BOOBOO: Husbnd's just being a dick.  
BOOBOO: And a bunch of shit hapened at work  
BOOBOO: And more hasppened after wrk.  
BOOBOO: Too much to explan.  
BOOBOO: I'm here now.  
BOOBOO: Am I too late?  
BOOBOO: Culd use a destraction.

FOOFOO: You're good.  
FOOFOO: As soon as you tell me why your typing went to shit.  
FOOFOO: You were fine the other night.

BOOBOO: Sorry.  
BOOBOO: Juggling at the momment.  
BOOBOO: Not used to smking at the comp.  
BOOBOO: If it bugs u, we can do this anther night.  
BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: Not rly all here right now  
BOOBOO: It might hve beeen a bad idea to log in.  
BOOBOO: Jst didn't wnt you to think I ditchd ya

FOOFOO: When will you be on again?

BOOBOO: Dunnno.

FOOFOO: What do you mean?

BOOBOO: deppends on whther these guys catch up 2 me.  
BOOBOO: and whether m husbnd doesn't mind me gettng up anymre  
BOOBOO: he caught me sneking out o bed n got mad  
BOOBOO: if the gangg catyches me, I'll be in hospp forr a whle  
BOOBOO: if husand does, hhe'll puunish me againm  
BOOBOO: sso mght be a whle  
BOOBOO: sry 2 dspppoint

FOOFOO: No worries.  
FOOFOO: You're just giving me deja vu.

MISTERYO: Don't, FooFoo.

FOOFOO: Just curious...  
FOOFOO: Are you high on something right now?

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: gtting therre  
BOOBOO: Y?

INDIGOFOG: Don't do this FooFoo.

CICI: We know what you want to do.

INDIGOFOG: He isn't worth it.

CICI: He's just a noob, FooFoo.  
CICI: You have plenty of friends here without him.

BEAVERFACE: He's not any different than the others that you twinked.  
BEAVERFACE: He's just here for a free ride.  
BEAVERFACE: He's probably making all of it up.

BOOBOO: i better go  
BOOBOO: i'll see you nxxt tme i'm on  
BOOBOO: sry if i said somthing wrng  
BOOBOO: my luck haas gonne to sht 2day

FOOFOO: WAIT

(logging out in 5 seconds...)

FOOFOO: Let me help you!

(logging out in 4 seconds...)

CICI: Just let him go!

LAZYJAY: You know he can't.

(logging out in 3 seconds...)

INDIGOFOG: Stop it, foofoo.

FOOFOO: But I can help him!

BEAVERFACE: Who says he wants you to?

(logging out in 2 seconds...)

FOOFOO: Don't log out, BooBoo!  
FOOFOO: The typing doesn't bug me!

(logging out in 1 second...)

FOOFOO: TALK TO ME DAMNIT  
FOOFOO: AD KJSFL

(Goodbye)

Turning the computer off, Tsuna walked over to sit back down in his beanbag. He wanted to grin over those guys in the game. They acted like they could magically solve all of his problems. People like that needed to learn the difference between a game world and real life. He hadn't been roleplaying. It made him feel good to know that they'd wanted to help. At least, FooFoo had. Even though they were still pretty new friends with each other, FooFoo seemed to care about him.

It felt nice to be cared about. Of course, he was stoned and slowly getting drunk on top of it. Everything felt nice at the moment.

"Got anything to eat?" Tsuna asked absently while he blankly fell into watching whatever show Mike had picked out.

"Got the munchies already?" Mike blinked in surprise. Then he grinned, seeing how Tsuna's eyes were already glazed. It was good for him because he got paid the more that Tsuna smoked. Keeping Tsuna comfortable and content meant that the bill would be bigger in the end. Not that Tsuna was particularly keeping track of such things at the moment. "There should be some chips in the kitchen. I'll order a pizza, but you're paying."

"Okay," he mumbled while the television slowly pulled him in. He wasn't sure what show it was, but it looked funny. "Pizza sounds good. Oh and... If anyone asks, I'm not here."

* * *

Author's notes: Thanks Yamanana. Got the name fixed now. Gigi's real name is definitely not Morton. I have no clue what I was thinking.


	48. Chapter 48 Might Be Dead

Author's Notes: A friend suggested that I should give recommended listening to go with the chapters. A usually prefer to write (and usually read) in silence, but sometimes I get a song in my head that affects the overall 'feel' of a chap. I guess you could call it the inspiration, but it usually only sets the mood. Would you guys like me to throw it out for you when I do use one? In this case, it's Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass'.

Also, I know you guys have been wanting Omakes, but... they won't be special if i do them with every chap. They'll return. No worries. There'll probably be one with the next chapter. I just didn't want to give away certain information right off the bat.

* * *

Life was good. He had smokes. He had food and drink. He had entertainment. What else was there for him to need?

"Get up, Suoh."

"Go away," he replied with a glassy-eyed grin. He found it incredibly amusing that Autumn was standing over him. She looked pissed, too. It was funny. At least, he thought it was funny, because she was pissed and he was keeping a secret from her. His eye-patch didn't work anymore, but she didn't know that. No one knew that. It was a secret, so don't tell anyone. When he'd put it back on, he found that the illusion on it was broken. He couldn't see out of it anymore, but that didn't matter. He was a pirate. "Arrrggg," he laughed, turning to look at Mike who had a matching roar of laughter for the joke. It was hilarious! Too bad Autumn couldn't take a joke. He could tell when a very unfunny foot rammed up into a very unfunny place. He could hear Mike laughing madly at him when he doubled over, but he didn't think it was funny at all!

"Oh god," he groaned, finding something funny in it after all. His smile, interlaced with a grimace of pain, didn't make Autumn smile, though. "I think you broke it."

"It's not like it was good for anything," she growled with a frown. "Do you know how worried everyone's been? Snicker's been looking all over town for you!"

"Tell him to just send the divorce papers here," he mumbled, finding his good mood crushed almost instantly. "Oh yeah," he added as he sat back down in his beanbag with a bottle of beer in hand. "I forgot. There was no paperwork for us. I guess that's it then. Tell him 'Osta la Vista'."

"It's 'Hasta la Vista'," Mike corrected with another loud laugh as he hit play on the movie again.

"Whatever," Tsuna chuckled with a crooked grin, knowing that he knew more Spanish than Mike. Knocking Autumn out of his way with his foot, he set to watching the movie that Mike had picked. It wasn't the type of movie that he'd normally watch, but he was happy with anything as long as he had his magic smoke. It made everything go away, even his dislike for horror movies. "I've done that," he said absently, pointing to the screen as some weirdo in a mask continued torturing his captives. Then his face fell and another spasm went through his head.

_He tried to control the shaking in his body while listening for clues as to what was going on around him. The silence was scarier than anything else. Fearing what he couldn't see. Not knowing where and when a blow would hit him in the darkness blinding him. His keeper seemed to know this. A sudden poke into his ribs made him lurch and the man laughed in pleasure. Then the lash began to fall again. The thick strap bit into him harder than before. Weak from his escape attempt and the beating that he'd already been through, Tsuna couldn't fortify himself against it. He moaned with every blow, tears of pain soaking the blindfold around his face. Between the pain from the drug and the pain from the strap, Tsuna's was oblivious to all else. His entire world became encompassed with agony. He gritted his teeth in effort to control himself. Moaning would only give his torturer the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt. _

"No," he corrected with a flinch. "Maybe it was done to me. I can't remember."

"Is your head hurting again?" Mike asked worriedly. Tsuna clutched his hair and nodded, feeling the spasms getting worse. Something was stabbing him in the head again. He felt like he had a swarm of wasps in his brain, stinging him repeatedly while they tried to get out. "Here," he said, offering over the bottle of vodka he'd picked up at some point in the day. Tsuna accepted it without second thought, knowing that getting plastered was the only way to make it stop. The first time it'd happened, Mike had almost called an ambulance for him. Nothing had made the pain stop. Not even one of his pills had healed him. Drinking, though... Drinking made it so that he couldn't feel it anymore. Combined with the blunt that Mike passed over, he was in drowsy contentment within five minutes. "Maybe you should sleep, man," he suggested. "You haven't slept in three days."

"I can't," he mumbled in return, fighting the urge to do that very thing. "The ghosts in the lake will eat me if I go to sleep."

"There's no such thing as ghosts," he laughed. Then his eyes lit up as Tsuna took a long pull off of his blunt. "Hey, show Autumn that trick."

"Shh," he hissed with a glare. "I told you to keep that a secret."

"What trick?" Autumn asked carefully as she knelt down next to him with a very not-Autumn expression of concern.

"He can make his glove do funny shit," Mike said excitedly. "Show her, Suoh."

"I don't want to," Tsuna pouted, turning over on his side to hide his hands under himself. He really didn't want to show her. Seeing it for himself made him think of weird things. Things like whether he should just go home to his mother. Things like whether there was a point to having run away anymore. He was a murderer either way. If he went home, he wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. His mother would never wonder if she shouldn't have been his mom. He had a little brother on the way, too. If he went back, maybe he could keep Reborn from turning his little brother into a murderer, too.

"Can you show me, Suoh?" Autumn asked, reaching out to brush his hair out of his face. He closed his eyes in relaxation. He knew that touch. It was soothing and nostalgic. He wasn't positive, but he felt that he couldn't allow himself to let the owner of that touch down. That person cared about him. She'd never wanted anything other than to make him happy. She loved him and he'd failed her. He'd failed her and now she was a ghost. "I won't tell anyone about your trick," Kyoko soothed with a small smile. "You can show me. Can't you?"

"It's not anything special," he replied, slowly sitting back up to stare at his beloved Kyoko. She was beautiful. She'd grown her hair out since he'd last seen her, but she was still as vibrant as ever. She wasn't dead and she wasn't a ghost after all. She was right here with him. His sweet Kyoko was talking to him. She was talking to him! Even though he was a loser, she was smiling at him! It made him warm and excited. He wanted to do anything he could just to keep her smiling! "Look," he gasped, holding out his glove for her to see. It took a minute of intense concentration to get his hand warmed up so that it would work, but it started wavering as his determination to make it change increased. The edges of the fingerless glove seemed to melt and waver on his hand, slowly stretching until it covered his whole hand. With a mental snap, it locked into place.

Looking up at her awestruck face, he grinned widely over his achievement. He'd met Kyoko's expectations! He could feel his nose bleeding, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that Kyoko kept smiling. Although, he found his own face falling when he turned his hand over to show her the back. The black crystal dome on the back was cracked in several places. He had a feeling that it was supposed to be glowing, but he couldn't get it to.

"I can't get it to work," he murmured sadly, reaching out with his freehand to trace the cracks. "I broke it and I don't know how to fix it. I'm sorry, Kyoko. I can't get it to light up."

"Suoh," Kyoko gasped with a startled shake.

"Don't call me that," he begged. Flailing forward, he threw his arms around her and felt like crying over the name. "You're supposed to call me Tsuna, Kyoko," he gasped, holding her tight against his chest. "Don't you remember? You asked me in the gym after I beat Mochida-sempai! We became friends after that! I was so happy, Kyo--" _Help me, Tsu-kun_! "I'm so sorry," he wept as teardrops began racing down his face. "I failed you, Kyoko. I let them hurt you. I wanted to stop them. I tried, but-- F-Forgive me, Kyoko. I'm so, so sorry. It's my fault. It's all my fault!" He began sobbing uncontrollably as two arms hesitantly wrapped around him. "I wanted to protect you, but I wasn't strong enough," he cried. "It's my fault that you got hurt. You were supposed to be safe! They told me that you'd be safe!"

"It'll be okay," she murmured carefully.

"No, it won't be!" He objected through his sobs. "I didn't protect you! I didn't protect you and... and..." Tsuna felt his breathe catch in his chest while disorientation made him dizzy. He remembered. He remembered that Kyoko was dead. That sweet, innocent smile was gone forever and there was nothing he could do about it. Shoving the fake away, he put his hands over his face while he tried to get his mind to work right. Kyoko couldn't be talking to him. Kyoko was dead. Why was he trying to pretend that she was still here? That wasn't Kyoko. That was Autumn. He knew that he was stoned, but was he really that stoned? "Go away, Autumn," he sniffed without looking at her, trying to resettle himself in the aftermath of all his tears. "Don't tell anyone that you found me."

"You can't stay like this, Suoh," she replied in open worry, casting away her distant facade in actual concern for him. He was touched that she'd go to such lengths, but he wished that she'd give it up. He knew how good she was at faking.

"I don't plan to, so get out of here," he growled.

"Daddy wants to know when you're coming back to work," she commented in effort to get him to talk more. "What should I tell him?"

"Tell him whatever you want," he snapped, grabbing his bottle back up before collapsing into the embrace of his beanbag again. "I don't care. Actually," he amended, "tell him not to worry about me anymore."

"Why is that?" She asked with her jaw dropping slightly.

"I'm thinking about going home," he said quietly. She blinked at him in surprise, shaking her head slightly as the words tried to penetrate.

"When?" Autumn asked, digging for more information like a ferret. "I'll let Snicker and them know so they--"

"Not that home," he interrupted after a long drink from his bottle. "I'm thinking it might be nice to go back to Japan. There's no reason to stay here anymore."

"What?" She choked. "Why?!"

"Why?" He repeated with his eye twitching over the blatantly stupid question. "Why not?!" He threw back at her, surging to his feet with a burst of anger. "Snicker doesn't fucking need me anymore! He said so himself! His exact words were 'I don't know what I was thinking, getting into a relationship with him'! He also said he thought he made a mistake by marrying me! Without him, I don't have a fucking reason in hell to stay here anymore! You saw what I did the other night! I fucking ripped someone's heart out, Autumn! You know what I did after that? I fucking ate it! Tell me that I have a reason to stay away from home now! Go ahead! There's no point to hiding anymore! I'm still a god damned cold-blooded murderer! Whether it's here or there, it doesn't matter anymore! At least over there, someone fucking _wants _me!"

"You can't seriously believe that, Suoh," she gasped with wide eyes.

"GET OUT!" He roared in rage. He was tired of listening to her. He wanted peace and quiet, not some dumb whore asking stupid questions. Autumn jerked in surprise over the bellow, quickly scrambling back to her feet in order to head for the door. There was sudden fear in her step, but he didn't care. He simply glared until she left, destroying all of her attempts to pause and talk to him again. The moment that she was gone, he collapsed back down into his beanbag again and belatedly remembered that it wasn't his apartment. "Sorry, Mike," he mumbled. "I didn't have a right to kick her out like that."

"Don't worry about it," he laughed, handing the blunt back over from where he'd saved it without a single care in the world. Tsuna took it and set to restoring the high that he'd lost thanks to her stupid interference. "She always was a dumb bitch. I'm going to turn the porno back on since she's gone and call Anita down. You want me to grab a girl for you?"

"Nah," he mumbled absently. Sinking back into his seat again, he held his breath around a long pull of smoke until he could literally feel all of his worries melting away. Nothing mattered as long as he had the content and peace that only the magic smoke could give him anymore. Before long, life was good again.

* * *

His head hurt. His body stunk. He'd just taken his last blood pill. Mike was out of weed and he was out of cash for booze. All of the factors combined was the reason he was stumbling home. It wasn't as easy as it looked. He'd already gotten lost twice. A right turn that he swore should have been the right way had lead into a dead end. A left turn had ended up putting him back where he started. He was confused, stoned, and drunk, but he knew that he needed to go home. He had to go home to get money so that he could go to his other home. The land far, far away, beyond the big fucking water that he couldn't swim across. Although, he might try to swim it if he found the ocean before he found home. At the rate he was going, he wasn't sure which he'd find first.

Although, he wouldn't mind finding Snicker first. He had an erection the size of Texas and he wouldn't mind giving Snicker a taste of his own medicine. Just let the old man try to punish him again. He got enough liquor in him right now that he could keep it up for hours longer. He's show Snicker how to really punish someone! The bastard deserved it! Punishing Tsuna and then trying to say that Tsuna wasn't worth his time! How dare he?!

He was so busy dreaming up ways to confront Snicker that he completely forgot one very important thing.

The alleys weren't safe at night for lonesome stragglers.

He was reminded as a lead pipe rammed against his back. The blow sent him sprawling on the ground where he found himself struck again before he could comprehend what was happening. At the third strike, his brain finally caught up to the fact that he was being beaten. Raising his arm up to defend himself blindly, he screamed in pain as he felt his arm shatter from a forth impact. A fifth and final blow hit him in the side of his head, making him collapse helplessly while he fought to merely stay conscious. His assailants were on top of him within a few seconds once he stopped moving. The world seemed to spin around him as he felt a gag get stuffed into his mouth around seemingly absentminded punches to his head. His ankles got tied together by another person and a third had his wrists tied up before he could so much as moan from the pain of his arm being moved.

The next thing that he was consciously aware of was being dragged. None of his attackers spoke while they seemed to drag him endlessly through the alleys. The fact that they crossed a large amount of distance without once having to cross a major road or hide due to pedestrians made a strange corner of his mind wonder if they were former bums. He knew better after a moment, though. Bums wouldn't drag him off. They didn't have pride that demanded revenge. His intuition told him that his captors were out for revenge, too.

_Mike. I might be dead the next time you see me._

He'd known this was coming. For him, the attacks every few days weren't even worth mentioning. They were numbskulls with more pride than sense who were upset that he'd stepped up against them. He wondered which gang they were from. The Belfang Gang had hated him ever since he'd made his leader piss his pants and run home screaming 'Dragon'. The Velvet Scats had hated him since Mukuro-sama had given most of them nightmares with illusions. The Redrocks hated him since he'd broken most of their arms after they'd hurt Leo. The Blue Whiskers had hated him since he'd mistaken their female leader for a drag queen and had pulled off her skirt to try to prove it. That one was his fault, but no amount of apologizing could repair the damage. The Beta Tri that ran the college area were pissed at him for putting a stop to their hazing rituals. The Charleston Razors disliked him thanks to how Ollie and Leo had put the Orange Dragon tag on every skate park in the city, including the half-pipes in the underground sewer park. There had to be twenty different gangs, large and small, who absolutely hated him. Occasionally, they forgot who they were dealing with and went after him in effort to restore their pride. After all, if they took down the leader, then that was it. The rest of the gang lost reputation with him.

He had no reason to fight, he thought sadly. He couldn't call himself the leader of the Orange Dragons anymore. Snicker was the leader. He was just the immature idiot that had been tagging along. He'd deluded himself by thinking that he was needed. He was useful, but he could be replaced. Snicker obviously didn't need him anymore, since he was willing to say all those things about their marriage having been a bad idea. The rest of his friends had lost faith in him and believed him to be just a kid in a man's body. What had he been fighting for all this time? None of them had to do illegal things to be happy. Only he did because he was too short-sighted to see any other way. They were better off without him. Once word got around that he'd been beaten by whoever was dragging him through the ghettos of the city, they'd all be safe from the idiots that kept barging into Tsuna's life.

What was he thinking?! His mind seemed to snap back into place all at once. Self-preservation kicked in, making him fight his captors' clutches and his bindings. He had to get free! He would never be able to make Snicker take back what he'd said if he just gave up! Snicker was still alive and kicking! It was too early to call it quits! Even if Snicker didn't care about him anymore, Tsuna cared about Snicker! That was enough! He could find a way to be useful to Snicker, even if they could only be friends from now on!

He gasped when he finally managed to jerk his arms free. He landed on his back with a loud thud, knocking all the air out of his chest and sending a lancing pain through his arm. His mentally screamed for Mukuro-sama's help out of habit, even though he knew that the man was gone. The three men who'd attacked him seemed completely unfazed by his attempts to get loose. They simply picked him back up and continued dragging him. Whenever he started kicking too much or jerking too much, the purposely threw him to the ground to momentarily silence him again before picking him back up to start again. It continued in that fashion all the way to their destination.

He felt all the blood rush out of his face when he saw who was waiting on him. Namely, everyone. Every face was a face that had tried to fight him. Every cruel grin was attached to a bloodthirsty expression of a person who was finally getting vengeance. There had to be over a three hundred different people present, all of whom were focused on only one thing.

_Mike. I might be dead the next time you see me._

There was no way possible for him to win. Even with Mukuro-sama's help, it would have been a challenge. Considering he was alone, bound, and already reeling from drink, drugs, and the initial attack, he was completely screwed. It looked like an underground carnival from hell and he was the main attraction. They were everywhere within the confines of the warehouse. They were in the rafters. They were hanging off the walls. They were so thick across the floor that Tsuna found himself choking from the clog of scents. The scariest part of all was that they were all silent while he was dragged toward the middle of the area despite his continued attempts to gain freedom.

He groaned when they finally dropped him in the center of a circular void in the crowd. He heard the warehouse doors slamming shut, along with the windows. The sound was like a death-march rumbling in a foretelling of his death. There was nothing that he could do to stop it. Even when he was dropped on his back again, he could see no way to get free before they would be on top of him. What scared him more than anything was the stage set up at one end of the room with a spread of gang leaders standing before it. Behind them was a band set up to play, silently telling him that they really were planning on partying until he was dead.

Getting to his knees, he stared at the leaders with wide eyes as they each took turns giving him a thumbs down like Ancient Romans deciding a verdict in the aftermath of a gladiator match. They were sentencing him as judges, jury, and executioners for the crime of having stepped on their pride. Seeing that hardened his resolve. He refused to submit. His mind was growing more and more clear by the second. Of course, the more clear that it got, the more that he was positive that he was dead meat. Even so, he refused to give up. They would have to take him down fighting, because he'd never give up to such people. His family needed him to return. He couldn't leave things hanging like he had.

He couldn't disappear from Snicker's life like he had.

With his determination to survive set in his mind despite the odds, he simultaneously pulled his wrist and ankles apart with a surge of strength that only desperation gave him. The force sent a blinding pain shooting up his arm, but he refused to submit! They bindings gave like twine and he had a mere second to pull the gag out of his mouth before the attack started. They swarmed him like locusts on a crop, going after his limbs in effort to pin him as the band started playing obliviously in the background. For once in his life, he didn't need a bullet or any Flame to make him fight with his Dying Will. He did it anyway out of the simple desire to see Snicker again. To see his Family again.

He gave up the thought of fighting with his broken arm, using it only for defense while he focused on throwing those who tried to pin his good one. A pivot sent those on his waist flying, although the maneuver cost him his balance due to the people tripping his feet. Even as he started to fall, he kept throwing punches at whatever target presented itself. Dodging was a matter of moving slightly to cause the blows to miss their intended targets. It was the most he could manage. There were too many. The fists and the feet hit him in an overwhelming wave while bodies pinned him below a crush. They all wanted a piece of him and he did his best to ensure that the piece was his fist instead of a vital spot.

In less than a minute, his clothes were torn to shreds and blood was already flying. Those that fell unconscious from his quick strikes were dragged away as more replaced them. They were an endless mass of flailing fists and feet, many of which had some form of metal attached. He lost track of how many times he punched and kicked. He lost track of how many times he was knocked over and had to fight his way back to his feet. There was no rules or thoughts of holding back in the mayhem. All he could do was keep himself moving and keep himself fighting no matter how many blows got through his guard. Occasionally, he was able to give himself room with a roundhouse kick or a spin kick, but those were quickly stopped once the swarm knew to expect them. After a while, he lost feeling in his broken arm completely and he felt his knees beginning to falter. Even so, he refused to give up. He refused to submit.

He screamed in rage, pain, and frustration when three people tackled him again. There were so many people surrounding him that he couldn't even fall to the ground. He felt like he was in a mosh pit instead of in a three-hundred-to-one fight. Then again, the descriptions he got from Leo said that there wasn't much difference. Regardless, he sent his fist into every face that presented itself, going to far as to punch and kick when backs were exposed. It didn't matter if it wasn't fair. Three-hundred against one wasn't fair, either!

All at once, the mass seemed to pull back in unison. Before he could balance himself against the sudden break in the onslaught, he found himself surrounded. They were ready to see him hurt. He flinched slightly at the number of bats, pipes, and crowbars surrounding him. It was as if they were silently telling him that he wasn't allowed even the thought of winning this time. They didn't care if it took their combined power. They just wanted him destroyed.

A strangely insane part of him started smiling over the fact. They really did hate him. They hated him so much that they'd put all of their differences aside just to beat him. In a way, he'd united them toward a common goal. He thought it sucked that his defeat and probable death was the goal, but it made him feel like he'd actually accomplished something. He'd taught them all that their pride wasn't everything. In the face of a bigger threat, pride meant nothing. Only success mattered.

_I might be dead the next time you see me._

It was a shitty day to die, but he wasn't going to complain. Not that he really got a choice as they once more surged forward toward him. He used every ounce of his training in order to delay the inevitable. Weapons were as much a liability as they were an asset. Especially since he could take them away. He just wish his broken arm was still answering him. They'd broken the arm that had his knife instead of his X-Glove. If that arm had worked, he could have had a pointy weapon to counter their blunt ones. There was no making up for that now, though. All he could do was dodge, dodge, and dodge some more until he finally saw an opening that allowed him to pull a crowbar out of his enemy's hands.

He felt something strange once the bar was in his hand. The crowd backed up slightly, being more cautious once he had a threatening weapon in his hand. They had good reason, too. Readjusting his grip, he knew what to do. He wasn't sure where it came from, but now wasn't the time to argue. He let his intuition and instinct take over completely when one person dared to charge at him.

Second defensive form, Surging Rain.

Charging forward as the initial opponent fell from his defensive maneuver, he let his body completely take over. Words continued to pop into his head as he defended and attacked. Things like Early Summer Rain and Spraying Rain. He wasn't sure where they came from, but he quickly figured out that they were attached to the moves his body was faltering through. He couldn't do them exactly like his intuition said that he should, but they were enough to keep the attackers at bay. He started to see hope, a ray of light that said he might be able to survive.

It was hope that was destroyed when a knife buried itself into the back of his shoulder. He dropped to his knees in shock for the impact along with the two that followed it. Two knives in his back and one in the front of his arm made his hand go numb. The crowbar clattered out of his grip before he could compensate or even see who'd thrown the weapons. It was a breach in his defense that was quickly taken advantage of. No one cared if it was a cheap shot. This wasn't a fight with rules and social boundaries. For his attackers, this was an execution. It didn't matter what manner it came about as long as the goal was reached to everyone's satisfaction.

A lead pipe hit him across the shoulders, knocking one of the knives loose with a spray of blood and pain that made Tsuna want to scream. Screaming was impossible as a bat rammed into his stomach, doubling him over while all the air rushed out of him. He felt his heart stop for a moment due to the simultaneous impacts, but it began racing again almost immediately from the pain that followed. They were merciless and brutal, going after his limbs to prolong the beating once he was laid out from a blow to his head.

They pulled back as his consciousness began to waver, spitting on him in satisfaction and disgust. He could barely make anything out anymore and his limbs were nothing more than a mass of pain. The rest of the mob wasn't satisfied with that much, however. It made him wonder exactly how much he'd hurt their pride for them to go so far in their beating. With the exception of the Blue Whisker's, which he'd apologized repeatedly for, all the so-called injured gangs were the ones who'd initiated the problems. He'd just been defending and protecting his own people. Even though he was hurting so much, he didn't feel that he should apologize for protecting them. After all, if this was what it took for their rivals to be satisfied, he was happy to have kept them from suffering.

Even in the face of certain defeat, he still refused to submit willingly. He couldn't feel his arms or legs, but he could still move his head and his torso. The world was spinning in ten different ways, but he tried to worm away when they started dragging him by his ankles toward some unknown fate. Whenever someone got close to his face, he lashed out with his teeth to bite with the only weapons he had left. It was all meaningless, though. He figured that out when the speed at which he was dragged increased before he realized what had been done to him. His lifeless feet had been tied behind a motorbike and he was being dragged in circles around the warehouse. People took turns throwing empty beer bottles and cans at him as he passed. He tried to sit up numerous times to keep his back from dragging, but found himself only spinning uncontrollably into walls and people. Then a full bottle shattered against the side of his head, knocking him out completely for a few seconds.

When he forced himself back awake, he realized that he was completely spent. He barely had the energy to keep his eyes cracked open despite the swelling trying to force them shut. He could feel his back being scrapped raw and his head skidded across the ground outside his control. His world narrowed to simple pain. There was no part of him that didn't hurt and there was nothing that he could do to stop it anymore.

_I will be dead the next time you see me._

* * *

"What do you mean, you don't know where he is?" Autumn snapped while Gigi looked ready to strangle someone.

"I mean that he left," Mike shrugged as he cowered against the brick wall behind him. "I'm not his keeper, lady. He finished off the last blunt after you left and then he walked out. He said something about giving Snicker a piece of his mind and that's the last that I saw of him. That was an hour or two before I left to set up shop."

"Damnit!" Gigi yelled in frustration, sending a fist into the wall next to Mike's head. "Why didn't you tell us that he was with you?! Don't you know how we've been looking for him for days now?! I can't believe you just let him walk out like that!"

"He told me not to," he shot back in a tone that suggested Gigi was being unfair. "Shit! I didn't know what the fuck he'd do if I snitched on him! He was acting fucking looney! It's your fault for taking so damn long! I figured she'd be right back with friends when you left earlier! If you want to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at Autumn!"

"I thought he'd be okay for a few hours," she snapped with a dark glare. "I didn't see any sense in panicking everyone, so I waited until I could find Gigi!"

"This isn't solving anything," Gigi growled, pulling on his short crop of hair. It was a measure of how worried he was that he wasn't even in drag. He was in a t-shirt and jean jacket with his only adornments being a set of diamond earrings that he probably didn't even remember that he had on. "You said two hours, right?"

"Right," Mike confirmed, crossing his arms across his chest. "I haven't been here that long, so three hours tops."

"Where the hell is he?" Autumn mumbled with a sudden surge of worry crossing her face.

"He should have made it home by now," he grumbled with a matching expression.

"Oh no," she gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth as a thought surfaced. "I think I know where he went! He was talking about going back to Japan!"

"What?" Gigi snapped in surprise.

"I thought it was just crazy talk," she said in breathless shock. "What if he's really going to try?! He said that he didn't have a reason to stay here anymore!"

"You go check the airport," Gigi ordered, fisting his hair while turning in three different directions to try and decide which direction he needed to go. "I'll go check the docks! Mike! Send one of your girls to the Dojo for me and tell them what's going on!"

"Alright," Mike shrugged.

"Now!" He shouted when Mike didn't seem to be in a hurry. "We have to--" Gigi broke off and his head snapped in the same direction as everyone else's. The sound of the Dragon's Roar from the Dojo's bell sounded through the air, turning every head on the block since those who lived in the area _knew _what it meant. It meant trouble. "Suoh," he gasped, taking off running before Autumn could even think of following. His legs were his second best feature next to his face and he prided himself on keeping them in shape. He put every ounce of slender muscle to the test, pouring out every bit of energy he had in order to reach home that much faster.

By the time he got there, he wasn't the only one running for the door in a panic. Ore left his motorcycle parked on the sidewalk and dashed inside, with Daren, Tracer, and several others following. Every Orange Dragon that there was had been scouring the streets for Suoh, but they'd been completely without luck until now. He prayed that the bell meant that Suoh had returned home, but from the panicked look on Leo's face as she continued to pull on the bell said otherwise.

"We found him!" Ollie shouted over the noise while people continued to surge through every doorway. "It's bad! It's really fucking bad!"

"Where is he?!" Snicker yelled, nearly strangling him in order to get some answers.

"All the gangs!" He gasped. "They all teamed up and took him!"

"How many?" Gigi asked, shoving her way through the crowd in order to reach the stage.

"That's just it, man!" Ollie shouted with wide eyes. "It's _all _of them! They're planning on lynching Suoh!"

"And you just left him?!" Ore roared, stomping forward with a look of rage on his face.

"There was too many!" Leo cried while Georgie took over on pulling the bell-rope. "We heard some guys talking and found out where they were taking him! When we got there, we were outnumbered!"

"It's fucking _all _of the gangs!" Ollie repeated once more. "Not just one or two, Snicker! There's got to be at least twenty or thirty! There had to be a couple hundred there, man! Even with every person here, we're still outnumbered by ten to one!"

"It'll be fine," Gigi gasped in effort to stay calm despite how his body trembled at the thought of such odds. "Suoh's not alone. He's got Mukuro with him! We just need to go back him up and he'll be fine! Right, g--"

"No, he doesn't."

"What?" Gigi gaped, turning to find Mike standing behind him with wide eyes. He was staring around, seeming to be in completely unaffected by how many people were staring back. Instead, he seemed to be in complete shock.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled, shakily walking over to sit on the side of the pool table as silence abruptly filled the room. "He knew this was going to happen. He told me. He said, 'Mike. Next time you see me, I might be dead.' I thought he was just fooling around. He told me that the gangs have gotten worse lately, but I thought he was just blowing it out of proportion. He's always saying that they're getting worse, but he always made it through without a mark on him. He was looking kind of shitty when he came to visit, so I thought he was just letting all his other problems make that one look worse, too. I didn't know... I didn't realize that he really had that many pissed off at him. He's always coming in to see me with some fucked up story about a new group that was mad at him. He said he didn't care because the people that mattered were safe. He said that he didn't care how many he made mad, because he kept his gang happy."

"What about Mukuro, though?" Gigi asked, unable to blink much like everyone else around him. "What did you mean that he doesn't have Mukuro?"

"The guy left him," he shrugged, shaking his head in effort to clear his shock away. "He showed me his eye. It's back to normal. Apparently the guy abandoned him. He's fighting on his own now. He's probably been fighting on his own for a while. Even when he left, he kept his eye-patch on. He said that he couldn't let anyone know because all of you would just worry." Gigi felt like falling to his knees at the information. Unfortunately, Snicker beat him to it.

"It's my fault," Snicker gasped at Ollie's feet. "I alienated him and broke his trust. He wouldn't be out there right now if it weren't for me."

"It's outrageously early to give up, Snicker," Ore rumbled, wading through the crowd to head into his bedroom. When he came back out, Gigi immediately saw what he planned. So did everyone else. The sledgehammer in his hands and the hard hat on his head didn't leave room for much consideration. "I'm going to go get him back now," he said with a firm nod. That was all Gigi needed to hear. Pushing through the crowd alongside Eric, she ran for her bedroom with Marty following. Once inside, he pulled out his holsters and his revolvers, quickly strapping them on his legs with practiced hands. Following that, he grabbed his shotgun and loaded it with a few rounds, sticking extras in his pockets while Marty started strapping on her wrenches. By the time that they exited back out into the main room, he wasn't the only one with a weapon.

Eric's fists were wrapped in chains, with spares hanging around his shoulders and his belt. Leo had her bag of spray-paint cans and her favorite lighter at the ready for a makeshift flamethrower. Ollie seemed armed with only his skateboard and a bag, but everyone knew not to underestimate him. Even Snicker looked prepared to do whatever it took, having put on his work gloves and boots in the interim. He accepted the rifle that Gigi offered along with the spare shells, taking them with a fervent look of gratitude. Since his pockets became empty, Gigi went back into his room one more time for a different kind of ammo. Admittedly, his darts had been intended as a form of weaponry that he could hide in plain sight, but they would be just as effective as his revolvers. Possibly more so since he was actually faster and more accurate with them.

When he once more walked out, everyone looked completely prepared. Makeshift weapons of brooms and pool sticks had been gathered. Some even had kitchen knives or one of Marty's spare oversized-wrenches. Many, many more had weapons that they kept on themselves. Brass knuckles, gloves, and chains were the most common. Leo passed out a few spare cans of spray-paint and lighters so that more people would have flamethrowers. Numerous people were planning on fighting bare-fisted, but were prepared with makeshift grenades of liquor bottles and newspaper. No one said a word as Snicker headed through the crowd with Leo and Ollie leading. No one needed to. They all knew what they were going to do. No one was going to get away with lynching their leader. It didn't matter if they were outnumbered. They'd make up the odds out of sheer passion.

"I'm not letting you do this alone." The silence was broken and the procession was stopped that easily. Gigi looked over Snicker's shoulder to find Autumn barring the way with a disgruntled Isaac behind her. "Suoh's one of ours, too. This isn't just the Orange Dragons that are under attack. This is an attack on the Martelli Family."

"Don't try to stop me," Snicker growled.

"I don't plan to," she replied with a quiet smile. "I'm just telling you that I'm not letting you go alone. I heard everything and I already called the cavalry. There's rides waiting outside if you need them. Unless you were planning on walking there as an angry mob? I'm sure you'll get police aid a lot faster than you'll be able to help Suoh if you do that."

"Let's go," Snicker nodded, accepting the offer instantly. "God knows what they're already doing to him."

"We'll get him back," she promised. It was a promise that everyone in the room was silently making to themselves. They continued making it as they loaded up on the two buses waiting outside. They made it as the city passed by in a flash, directed by Leo and Ollie. They made it as they pulled up outside the warehouse district and unloaded. They made it as the core of the Orange Dragons didn't wait for formation or planning.

Ore charged first, knowing the building by the sound of music echoing inside. Gigi and Eric were right behind him, forming a protective guard on either side of Snicker. Behind them were ever single Orange Dragon that had been able to answer the call and the reinforcements that Autumn had gathered. Even as they ran forward, more and more people appeared. Cars and trucks of every make and model showed up to answer Autumn's call. As Ore pulled the warehouse door open, even a motorcycle gang appeared with engines roaring. Every single one of them stopped to stare in horror when they saw what was hidden within the warehouse. Rage passed over the group in a solid, almost visible wave while the band stopped playing in order to stare at the intruders alongside everyone else.

Suoh was tied spread-eagle against the wall. Telephone cords and wires were wrapped around his arms and legs, holding him in place with a mercilessly tight grip. A second set was wrapped around his body, but they could barely be seen over all the blood. His body was covered in bruises and glass. His arms and legs were swollen and misshapen around his bindings. Even as they watched, a bottle that had been thrown before the silence descended crashed into the wall by his head and shattered.

As if the crash was a gunshot telling them to start, the bottle triggered mass insanity. Ore charged forward with a roar, sending three people flying with on wide swing of his sledgehammer. Eric wasn't far behind, sending a chain lashing forward to wrap around a random enemy's throat with all the choreography training that he'd been undergoing for his television show. Gigi added to the mayhem, throwing darts up into the lights while pulling out his revolver out of the simple desire to put holes in the instruments celebrating Suoh's defeat. Leo charged in behind them, making up for the sudden darkness with a stream of flame that caught at least a dozen people by surprise. Through it all, Ollie dashed forward to relieve opponents of their weapons and wallets without them even noticing. No few people ran forward to attack in return, only to reach for a knife that was no longer in their possession. The surprise alone allowed those that followed Ollie to gain the upper hand when the enemy faltered without their crutches.

The screams began when the first liquor-bottle bomb was tossed behind enemy lines. It exploded against the abandoned instruments, sending them up in flames with a vengeance. If that wasn't enough, the sound of Snicker's rifle did the trick while he ran for Suoh with a complete disregard for his own safety. Time after time, the sound of gunshot filled the air as the man took out legs and limbs without hesitation. He acted like a trained combat specialist, reloading with an unnatural calm while also using the rifle to ward off those that tried to take him down with shafts.

It didn't matter who had actually harmed Suoh anymore. Everyone present was an enemy, although it quickly became a problem of telling who was on who's side. Time and time again, Gigi had to rush forward upon seeing one of Autumn's men and one of the Orange Dragons fighting in the crush, but before long everyone knew who to go after. They went after the fools who tried to flee. There was no doubt about the enemy that way. None of the Dragons would run and none of Autumn's men would. The only ones who tried to run where the cowards that didn't have the balls to take responsibility for what they'd done. The only ones who tried to flee were the weak mongrels who cowered in the face of those who had the power to fight back.

Flames began billowing up one wall, threatening to catch the whole building on fire. Even so, no one stopped. Fists continued to fly relentlessly due to how everyone wanted to give back the punishment that had been heaped on Suoh. Four men watched Snicker's back while another two helped cut him down. He seemed utterly lifeless as he fell into Snicker's arms once he was broken free of his bindings. Eric continued to watch Ore's back while he advanced through the crowd to strangle the fool throwing knives around. He had one buried in his leg, but he didn't even seem to notice when he picked up the wretched hooligan and threw him across the warehouse into six other people.

Slowly, the cowards managed to get away despite numerous Orange Dragons chasing after them. Those that tried to stand and fight were defeated by the sheer rage flowing through those that had come to retrieve Suoh. There were people on the ground and there were people trying to scramble away with wounded bodies and bloody faces. Gigi sent up a sharp whistle when he saw Leo and Ollie helping Snicker carry Suoh out of the building. It was a signal that was copied and passed through every corner of the building, telling everyone that they'd gotten what they'd come for. The choice to stay and fight or retreat was up to them now. Some would stay to deliver vengeance, but the signal warned that the core of the gang was pulling out. They were pulling out because Suoh was far more important than revenge.

"Autumn," he gasped, running forward to where she was standing with a van and a driver already prepared.

"Get in," she snapped. "My men will make sure everyone is out before the building comes down. We can't have anyone buried in the fire or else we won't be able to cover this up." He nodded and jumped inside to where Snicker was already sitting with Suoh sprawled out between him and Eric. Leo was hovering over them in worry while Ollie stared back at them from the front seat. Gigi spared a mere second of concern for his sister before he saw her jumping up behind Ore on his motorcycle. The buses had already disappeared, but numerous people were loading up behind the bikers who'd appeared to aid them. From the looks of it, they weren't Autumn's friends after all. They were Ore's and they followed him almost reverently as he followed the van racing toward the hospital.

Out of all of them, only Ollie looked to be completely unscathed. Leo had numerous bruises on her face while Eric had blood dripping down the side of his head. Snicker was trying to hide a broken fist and Gigi tried to ignore the pain in his abdomen from a baseball bat that had hit him. Suoh was the worst, however. He looked even worse up close. Snicker was working to put pressure on the gushing wound in his shoulder, while Autumn and Eric worked to pull the glass fragments out of his skin. His face was almost unrecognizable from the bruises. His eye patch was missing, but she still couldn't see his eyelids from how they were swollen shut. He was still breathing, though, albeit in labored gasps. He was hurt, but he was alive. That was the most important thing which they all focused on.

"When we get to the hospital, don't say a word," Autumn said urgently when she looked up to see that they were within a few blocks. "I'll call Daddy as soon as we get there and have him send the lawyers to deal with the police. Say what they tell you to say and we can keep everyone out of jail. Taver!" She shouted, calling up to the driver.

"I just got confirmation," he answered back immediately. "Jules is already over there and waiting."

"That's all I needed to hear," she sighed as the van pulled to a stop in front of the emergency room. No one needed to be told what to do. Throwing the door open, Snicker and Eric nearly flew out of it with Suoh in hand. The emergency room went from quiet to frantic in the space of three seconds. Doctors and nurses ran forward at the sight of Suoh while those waiting in the waiting room let out muffled screams and curses at the sight of him. Gigi simply glared at them all while a gurney was brought, daring any of them to say that their sniffles were more important because they'd been waiting longer.

Dashing forward to catch Eric when he started to collapse, he left Suoh in the care of Snicker and the doctors while they rushed deeper into the ER. There were other wounded to be dealt with and the nurses were already trying to deal with triage as more wounded from both sides started to appear. It took eight people to hold Ore back when the leader of the Redrocks appeared with a pipe impaling his leg. Gigi let the presence pass, worried more about Eric's head wound.

The world seemed to narrow down to holding bandages against wounds to stop blood-flows, helping nurses transfer broken bodies onto gurneys, and trying to ensure that a second melee didn't break out in the waiting room before the cops showed up to ensure the peace. No few people with only surface injuries were dragged out of the building in handcuffs to be questioned. Gigi survived such focus simply by keeping busy with helping the wounded.

It seemed as if the chaos would never end and the night continued in mayhem.


	49. Chapter 49 Lazarus

"How's it coming, Jules?" Autumn asked worriedly.

"It's a pain in the ass," he growled back while he and his team of four continued working in the private surgery room. "He's already half-healed in some places. I had to rebreak his arm in three places alone just to get it set right. What the hell is this guy? I've never seen injuries like these before. His internal injuries look like they're weeks old when you said that he just got them!"

"I figured as much," she grimaced, trying very hard not to look at the blood splattered body on the operating table. She silently thanked the heavens that a nurse and two orderlies had been able to pull Snicker away under the guise of tending to his hand. To see Suoh laying unmoving on the table despite the emotionless work of the doctors would have possibly destroyed him. "That's why I called you in. We can't let the hospital staff see his healing abilities. Just straighten his bones out and his body will do the rest."

"No, it won't," Jules countered, making Autumn stiffen in surprise. "I'm not sure what he does to heal like he does, but he's not doing it anymore. In a way, I'm glad. I'm able to get ahead of him and fix things before they're healed wrong. I'm just worried that he's too weak now. His heartbeat keeps dropping and he keeps rejecting blood infusions. At this rate, I'm not sure whether he's going to be perfectly fine or perfectly dead. Either way, get the hell out of here so I can work."

"Don't tell me that you're going to use _that_," she paled.

"I don't have a choice," he shot back, pausing in the middle of stitching up an incision in his side. "Using them causes internal damage, but they can work faster than I can. They'll be able to set his bones for me while I work on the surface wounds. His organs look intact but... How old did you say he was?"

"Twenty-four," she answered in confusion for the sudden question. "Why?"

"He looks twenty-four on the outside," he nodded as if the response was what he expected. "But the problem is that his insides don't match. I'd put him closer to thirty five. If I didn't know better, I'd say that he's had the incurable disease 'Baby face'. I've never seen it stopped at only ten years, though. For someone to manage that, they would have had to give him a disease with the opposite effect and I've never heard of a doctor managing such a feat before. I want to say that it's impossible, but he's also got internal signs of having had both the Skull Disease and the Angel Disease. It's faint, so it didn't show up on his scans, but I can tell."

"What are you saying?" She asked in growing confusion.

"I'm _saying_," he growled as he got back to work, "that your little assignment for me is a puzzle. From the looks of it, he should be dead ten times over, but he's not. I honestly have no clue what's keeping him together right now. I glanced over his records before he got here and he's got a history of damage inside of him. His body is riddled with plates and pins, Boss. I've seen hitmen with less injuries than this guy has hiding inside him. I lost track of healed bullet wounds at fifty and he's got at least three layers of scar tissue over most of his body. That just makes the puzzle more confusing because his shoulders and neck are clear of what his medical report shows. That much scar tissue can't just disappear! Boss... What the hell did you give me?! He's like someone's science experiment gone horribly wrong!"

"You don't need to know," she replied softly, slowly digesting everything that she'd been told. She'd always known that Suoh was a puzzle. That's what made him so irritating. She knew more about him than she used to, but there was still so many unanswered questions. He was a mystery. He seemed so childishly innocent when he was around Snicker, but she'd seen that he was capable of being cold and brutal. At times, he seemed to be a pillar of strength who couldn't possibly defeated, while other times left her feeling as if he was as weak and fragile as glass. She didn't understand him. She was slowly getting the feeling that she never would.

"See if you can get me some of those pills that he used at the street-fight," Jules called without looking up from his work. "If they do what I think they do and get him to start healing himself again, he's going to need it when my pets get done working."

"Alright," she agreed with a slight shudder. Darting out of the room when he went for the inside of his lab coat where he stored his rare Blood Scarabs, she felt her stomach churning in full knowledge of what was about to happen. Jules had trained the flesh-eaters into working for him. They could straighten bones and temporarily push even the tiniest fragment back into place, but the price was damage to the surrounding muscles since the small bugs burrowed into the flesh to do their work. She remembered the one time she'd seen Jules work with them in the past. She'd had nightmares of bugs crawling around under her skin for years afterward. Imagining them being used on Suoh made her want to vomit. Shoving such images away, she nearly ran for the exit.

She didn't make it past the waiting room. She froze outside the emergency room doors, finding her goal already present. He was present and was silently standing face to face with Snicker, who was seeming to struggle to find the words he wanted to say. He looked like he'd been through hell with how many bruises had begun to surface. The splint on his hand and his blood-stained clothes didn't make the image any better. Poe simply looked at him in return with a cold and uncaring expression, a seeming statue of elegance and strength. There was a tense air between them that was finally broke when Poe simply walked away before Snicker could find a single word to say. Then again, the expression on his face explained it all to those who knew both him and knew about Poe's unique qualities.

Snicker hated him, but he wanted Poe to help Suoh. He was willing to beg if that was what it took, but he disliked the thought of asking anything from the vampire. The conflicting feelings were plain on his face for anyone to read. From the looks of it, Poe wasn't planning on asking for his pleas or his acceptance. He was going to do what he wanted to do regardless of what anyone else thought. Not bothering with asking permission, he strode past Autumn and through the ER. Autumn belatedly ran after him, leaving Gigi and the others to deal with how Snicker seemed to collapse in on himself when he was left standing alone.

"Who's with him?" Poe asked tonelessly, proving that Autumn's presence hadn't gone unnoticed.

"A Family physician," she answered while she raced to keep up with him. "He already knows to keep his mouth shut about whatever he sees." Poe nodded and walked into the correct surgical room without having to be directed at all. Autumn had to cover her mouth to stifle the need to scream when they walked in to the Blood Scarabs finishing their work. Four of them erupted out of Suoh's body at once, coming to a swift landing on Jules' outstretched hand. Their small bodies were dripping in blood, which only seemed to make the iridescent white of their shells look more and more like bone themselves.

"Shezmu's Descendants," Poe murmured with a small smile while he stared at the beetles in open appreciation.

"Who are you?" Jules snapped with narrowed eyes, his whole body tensing once he realized that his practice had been seen. "This is a private surgery. Outsiders--"

"Wait," Autumn gasped, popping out from where she'd hidden behind Poe to keep herself from seeing. Covering her mouth to keep his insides from jumping outside, she tried to focus on the doctor's face instead of the four fresh wounds on Suoh's body or the scarab beetles soaked in his blood. "You wanted Suoh's pills. Poe is the one that makes them."

"He's ready for them," he replied with his shoulders relaxing ever-so-slightly. "How many do you think he'll need?"

"I'll answer that after the room is cleared," he murmured, walking forward to survey Suoh's body without touching him. Jules looked at Autumn for confirmation, but all Autumn could do was shrug. If Poe wanted the room cleared to feel comfortable enough to talk, then the nurses had to go. It took some effort to get them to finish what they were doing and leave. As far as all of them could tell, Suoh was still needing much attention. They were trained well under Jules, though. They left as soon as their individual tasks were complete.

"I really need to find me some cute orderlies," he sighed as the last of the female nurses left the room.

"It's your own fault for only treating men," Autumn replied in a long-standing argument. "You'd get more male nurses if they knew that they could work on women."

"I don't treat women," he countered blandly while his beetles swarmed into hiding up his sleeves. "They're too soft and squeamish. I prefer men. They don't start crying when I have to give an injection."

"Some do," Autumn said with a knowing grin. She had a reason to grin since Jules was knowing for needing ten men to hold him down when he got a flu shot. He was the type that couldn't take what he could so easily give.

"About his pills," he prompted, turning to Poe in order to quickly change the subject. "What's in them and how much... does..." Jules trailed off while Autumn turned pale, watching motionlessly as Poe used a discarded scalpel to cut a deep incision into his finger. Blood began dripping almost instantly and he tossed the knife into a waiting tub of sanitizer. Jules began to interfere in confusion, but Poe worked almost too fast for him to keep up. Before Autumn could do more than reach out to stop Jules in turn, Poe already had his finger in Suoh's mouth and was gently stroking his throat to force him to swallow.

"That's it, Suoh," he encouraged quietly a few minutes later when Suoh started softly sucking on the leaking fingertip.

"What's going on?" Jules asked in shock. "Who are you? What are you doing to him?"

"Oh?" Poe murmured in amusement, looking up with a small smile making light of the dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Is this your first time meeting a vampire? I find that hard to believe when you're using a weapon bred by us."

"What are you talking about?" Jules gasped, his whole body trembling while he stood beside his patient's bedside.

"Your pets," he replied as he turned his attention back down to Suoh. "Those beetles were once known as Shezmu's Descendants. They were created several hundred years ago by vampires to counter attempts on our lives by bounty-hunters. Diseased blood caskets were the favored way to try to kill us back then. The right diseases used our healing abilities against us, destroying us before treatment could be rendered. Shezmu's Descendants were made into pets by my brethren in order to verify the purity of the wine offered. The males turn white in the presence of blood which is safe to drink and black in the presence of that which is not. The females of the species are like mood rings. They reflect the auras of--" Poe broke off with a hiss and both Autumn and Jules looked down to see Suoh trying to chew on the finger in his mouth. He pulled it away entirely before it could be gnawed off, but Autumn felt her stomach churn at the livid bite marks running down the length of his finger.

"What now?" Jules asked with his attention fully on Suoh once more. Suoh lay quiet, showing none of the responsiveness that he'd given over Poe's blood-drenched finger.

"Now, we wait," Poe answered softly. Despite his words, he seemed to be repositioning himself on the surgery table and even went so far as to drop his jacket from his shoulders. It was when he pulled his long hair over to his opposite shoulder that she realized what he was doing. He was preparing himself. "Hold down his legs," Poe ordered to Autumn before turning to snap at the doctor. "You, whatever your name is, come hold his other arm. No, not light like that. Tightly."

"I don't want to break his arm again," Jules objected, pinning him down with a care for his injuries.

"Don't worry about that," Poe growled. "I'd prefer to keep him from clawing my throat out, so hold him down properly. His arm can be fixed again. My throat, not so much so."

"What are you expecting?" Autumn asked worriedly, finding the same problem of even touching him in fear that she'd hurt him more.

"I'm expecting that he'd going to rampage," he answered coldly. "His mind is still locked in battle and I've triggered his instincts. He knows that there is a source of blood close, so he'll be wanting more as soon as he's transmuted what I've already given him into energy."

"You're serious," Jules mumbled in awe. "You really think that you're a vampire and you think that he's one, too."

"Don't be absurd," Poe replied with a laugh. "Suoh's not a vampire, silly doctor!"

"Then--"

"He's a werewolf," Poe finished with a twinkle in his eyes. Before Jules could think of a response, Suoh lurched in their hands. Autumn put everything she had into pinning his legs, but found herself kicked away almost instantly. Jules was no different, having not believed Poe enough to hold down Suoh like was needed. Poe let out a sharp curse at the clawed hand that swiped at his face, barely managing to grab hold of it before it struck. Leaving off on his legs since they were flailing too much to grab hold of, Autumn dashed in to attempt to pin down his waist while Jules tried to pin down his arm once more. He was like a blinded beast, thrashing and attacking whatever he could sense within his sphere of influence. When she thought about how his eyes were still swollen shut, she quickly came to understand that he really did think that he was still under attack. He couldn't see to know better.

"You're safe, Suoh!" Poe shouted. "Calm down and I'll let you feed!" Poe snarled incoherently when Suoh didn't seem to hear him. "Let him go!" He ordered surprisingly.

"But--" Jules objected with wide eyes.

"Just let him go!"

In unison, Autumn and Jules let go. Suoh surged off the table in an instant, knocking Poe to the ground with a ferociousness and seeming madness that she'd only seen once before. She saw first-hand the reason for the throat-guard when Suoh mindlessly tried to bite into it. He tried clawing at it despite Poe's attempts to keep his hands away until finally, he seemed to give up. Autumn held back the need to scream when Poe tense and hissed due to how Suoh went for his shoulder instead. He bit down in a way that no human was supposed to do, bending over Poe despite his injuries in a way that reminded her of a wolf claiming his prey.

Both she and Jules could only watch in a mixture of shock and fascination while Suoh fed. He seemed to relax after a moment, only to tense up once more when Poe slowly sat up without jarring Suoh. In response, Suoh merely wrapped his arms and legs around Poe until he resembled more of a toddler latching onto his parent than a canine ravaging its prey.

"That's it, Suoh," Poe murmured into his ear, gently reaching up to hold his head steady while the other supported his back. "It's over now. Drink and replenish yourself. The pain will end soon."

"Holy hell," Jules gaped in dumbfounded acceptance. He couldn't help but accept the truth. Suoh was a werewolf and he got incredible benefits from drinking Poe's blood.

At first, the difference wasn't noticeable. As time passed and the room continued to be filled with the quiet sound of Suoh gasping for air around large drinks, it was impossible to deny. First the abrasions on his skin slowly closed, leaving behind smooth flesh in its place. That alone took several minutes and it wasn't until half of them were gone that the process was even seen. The reason why was because the wounds still scabbed over first. It wasn't until the scabs began to fall off at a rapid rate that they began to see what was going on. After that, the swelling in his appendages started to recede. His bruises didn't fade at first. Instead, they seemed to darken even more into blacks and blue before beginning to lighten into greens and yellows around the edges. Ever so slowly, they began to shrink after that point, going through the process of healing at a rapid rate. Overall, he healed like a normal person would, but the process was like they were watching it in fast forward. The most insane part of it all was how quickly Suoh's hair grew during the recovery process. It was down to the middle of his back after a mere twenty minutes.

"No more, Suoh," Poe panted, visibly wavering in Suoh's grip. This time, Suoh seemed to respond. The response wasn't quite what Autumn expected, however. He pulled his teeth out like Poe wanted, but he didn't stop trying to feed. He began licking up every drop that had escaped his lips, running his tongue down Poe's neckline in effort to snatch every drop that had been spilt. Poe let him, his face taking on a pained expression for some reason. "It's not because you were messy, Suoh," he murmured sadly. Suoh froze. "Some things just can't grow back." As if the words were a sledgehammer, Suoh seemed to collapse into Poe's arms from the blow they represented.

"Why?" He asked quietly while the sound of faint weeping reached her ears. "Why can't it?"

"It is like an arm or a leg, my friend," Poe murmured, rubbing Suoh's back while he continued to cry into his arms. "Once removed, it is rare for it to be reattached. It is gone and there's no replacing it."

"What's going on?" Autumn asked in worry. Suoh stiffened at the sound of her voice, pulling away from Poe in order to sniff and wipe his face. When he finally turned to look at her, she felt her heart jump into her throat at what was hiding under the shadows of his hair. The injury that had been hidden due to his swollen face.

"Where's Snicker?" He asked in return without answering the question, bowing his head once more to hide his missing eye.

"He's in the waiting room," Poe answered before she could get any information out of him. "Hold on before you go and let us clean the blood off of you. You want to look your best for your resurrection."

* * *

Ten minutes. Within ten minutes, he had a fresh set of clothes on and all trace of bloodshed washed away. One of the nurses brought a pair of scissors at Jules' orders, allowing Tsuna to deal with the sudden hair growth. They didn't want to give anyone a clue to figure out how he'd miraculously recovered so fast. Hiding it completely would be impossible, but the manner could be. It was out of Tsuna's own decision not to hide his fast recovery. He had a plan that he was sure Autumn wouldn't like. Although, the laughter on her face when she finished braiding his hair made him want to tell her just to ruin her mood.

"Please just cut it off," he groaned. "I'll leave the ponytails to Snicker."

"What do you want me to do with it?" She asked as she hacked it off.

"Give it to Gigi," he sighed. "She said that she wanted a brunette wig. Providing the hair should make it cheaper for her."

"All done," she grunted in return while Tsuna's hair puffed back into a wild mess once the weight was gone. He immediately snatched her brush up from where she'd set it aside, frantically brushing his bangs down over the one wound that couldn't be cured. He'd had Jules carefully tape it shut before the man had went out to ensure that no one entered the room, wanting to keep anyone from seeing that it was empty instead of merely red. He wasn't sure what had happened to his eye-patch. It had gotten lost in the melee that had been the opening act of all the pain he'd went through.

He felt strangely calm about it all. He had a feeling that it would all hit him later, but there was only one thought in his mind at the moment. He wanted to see Snicker again. That had been his last thought before he'd passed out. He didn't remember half of what had happened. He definitely didn't remember what had happened to his eye. When the swelling had went down enough that he could open his eyes again, he'd initially thought that the eye-patch was still in place. It wasn't until he felt how hollow it'd been behind his eyelid that he'd figured out the truth. It'd been destroyed. During the process of healing, it'd disappeared completely. Cleaning out what was left had been a nasty process that Jules had sped through as quickly as he could before the dead organ could begin to rot in his socket. He hadn't been able to feel any of it. It hadn't hurt at all, telling him that his body had cut connection with it completely. What was sitting in place now was a temporary clear globe.

It was strange, though. He felt like he could still partially see out of that side, even though his eye was gone. It was faint, but he felt as if he merely had to shut his eyes to see a completely different world. He could tell when people walked up to him on that side still and found himself even able to name who it was. It was like he was seeing a ghost or a shadow of them, colored to what he'd already guessed their auras would be like if he could see them like Poe.

"Button up your shirt and you'll be ready to go," Autumn sighed, packing her brush and nail clippers back into her weighted purse.

"What I am," he murmured without listening to her. Autumn paused at the prompt, immediately clueing herself in on his quiet mood. "No one can know what I am, because it'd put Poe in danger," he said softly. "I can't hide this, though. I've figured out a way to explain it without anyone knowing that Poe is involved, but I'm going to need your help, Autumn. After tonight, you've got to make it look like I was never here so that any rumors about me get blown off. There's going to be a lot of rumors and we've got to make it look like everyone is telling a fairytale."

"What are you planning?" She asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, slowly getting off the operating table while ignoring the predictable questions that followed. With the exception of his old shirt and pants, which had already been cut off and trashed, he was already in possession of all his belongings once more. There was nothing left to do other than put on the show that he knew he had to go through with. It was the only way to ensure that the gangs left him and his Family alone. "Poe," he said, turning to where the vampire was dozing in a chair. "Thank you for fixing me. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine," he panted tiredly. "I just need rest and food. A hospital in not a place to feed in."

"Go down to Mudpie," he suggested quietly in concern. "Tell them that I sent you and you should be able to get in. I know that it's not your kind of place, but the residual energy should help perk you up."

"That works," he murmured, slowly pulling himself up out of the chair. He stumbled past with a slow shuffle that made Tsuna wonder if he should perhaps lay down in a hospital bed instead. He looked pale, but his expression said that he wanted to leave as soon as possible. After a moment of thought, Tsuna couldn't blame him. The auras of the sick and injured were probably making him sick in turn. Following him out the door despite Autumn's continued attempts to get answers from him, he watched as the vampire headed for a side exit rather than confront the people in the waiting room.

"Jules," he said, turning toward the doctor that had done all of Poe's prep-work. "Thank you."

"No problem," he replied, running a hand through his hair with a deep sigh. "I must admit that I have so many questions for you that I don't know where to start."

"I only have time for one," he chuckled in return, his feet tapping in impatience to get to Snicker.

"Any chance that you want to be an orderly?" He asked with a strangely hopeful expression.

"No," he blurted honestly in surprise for the unexpected question. He'd figured that he'd pick something about Poe or about his fast healing. Not that he was complaining, since the answer was a lot shorter this way. He was just confused why the man would pick such an off-the-wall choice for his one free chance to ask Tsuna anything. "Anyway," he said, shaking off both his surprise and his confusion. "Thanks again for fixing me. A lot of stuff could have healed up wrong without--" Tsuna froze with a slight shudder and a jerk, feeling something crawling across his stomach. Looking down while he pulled his shirt up, he saw a bright orange bug the size of his hand on his waist. The thing was huge!

"Ack!" Jules choked before Tsuna could move to bat it off of himself. "Queen Mary!" Tsuna tried not to tremble while Jules scooped the bug into his hands, muttering at least ten apologies in the space of ten seconds. Tsuna blinked once it was in his hands, since it started turning an interesting shade of teal once in the doctor's hands. "I'm sorry," he repeated once more. "Queen Mary usually doesn't come out. She--ow!" Jules hissed and dropped the bug, automatically sticking his thumb in his mouth while the creature went for Tsuna's pant leg. Tsuna jumped backward to dodge it and nearly rammed into Autumn when the beetle gave chase.

"What the hell?!" He gasped, trying to kick it away when it charged for him once more. "You better get that away from me or I'll step on it!"

"Don't step on it!" Jules gasped, rushing forward to snatch it off the ground once more. "Stop it, Mary!" He admonished to the large creature as he tried to stuff it into his lab coat. "Why are you acting like this?! Go back-- Oh."

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked with wide eyes while Jules stared into the shadowed recesses of his coat.

"She laid eggs," he replied, blinking rapidly while Tsuna's jaw dropped. "From the looks of it, she wants to go with you and she left me a replacement so that I wouldn't argue. Here," he shrugged, holding out the bug for Tsuna to take. Tsuna carefully stepped away from it.

"You can't expect me to take that," he said in disbelief.

"She likes you," he countered. "Just take her. If you don't, she'll just follow you anyway."

"B-But--"

"She bites," he warned. "But if you tell her how you want her to bite, she'll listen. She's pretty damn smart. The whole breed is."

"B-But--"

"She'll eat whatever you give her," he continued mercilessly, grabbing Tsuna's hand to put the creature in it despite how he wanted to tremble. "But you have to let her bite you at least once a day. It's how she can tell which way home is. It's not a bad thing to have her around. Over time, she can help you get rid of your scars if you tell her to only bite scar tissue. Assuming I've got your process of removing them understood correctly."

"B-But--"

"Goodbye Queen Mary," Jules said, holding back a strangely girlish sob. Before Tsuna could get more than the first word of his objection out again, Jules was already running for the door while bawling like a three year old. "I'll miss you!"

"Eh?"

"It looks like you got yourself a new pet," Autumn commented, her face covered with suppressed laughter. Tsuna felt all the blood rushing out of his face as he held the palm-sized beetle up to his face to inspect. She couldn't be serious. This was just a practical joke to help him get his mind off of things. Right?

"I don't have time to deal with this," he groaned, deciding to simply go with it for now so that he could take care of what he needed to. "I'll give you back to Jules later," he said, sticking the creature on his shoulder without an honest care about whether it ran away or not. "Sit there for now. You feel creepy on my skin."

"I bet the smaller ones were even worse under your skin," Autumn mumbled under her breath.

"What?" He asked, turning to her with wide eyes since he heard every word.

"Nothing," she replied with a too-innocent smile while Tsuna tried not to flinch over the feeling of a bug on his shoulder. Turning to look at the doors exiting out to the waiting room, he steeled himself. He didn't have time to deal with this kind of stuff. There were more important matters at hand, such as making his entrance before someone noticed him. As it was, no one seemed to connect him with the injured man who'd been carried into the ER. That would soon change and he had to ensure that he dealt with everything before making a true exit. After he did this, he couldn't stick around. If he did, word would spread about him and he wouldn't be able to claim innocence. The safest route was to leave the scene so that those who spoke about what they saw would be met with disbelief. Such was necessary since he planned to scare the hell out of those who'd hurt him.

Striding forward with his determination set in his mind, he found himself smiling at the expressions he received when he burst through the ER doors without a mark on him. People slowly stood out of their seats, temporarily forgetting their wounds in order to stare at him in shock and awe. He saw tears of relief in the eyes of the Orange Dragons scattered around the room. He saw fear and disbelief in the eyes of his enemies. They were crowded into a sitting area on the other side of the room. From the looks of it, they'd been through hell. Of course, from the injuries and wounds on his friends, he quickly figured out what caused them. It wasn't hard to know what had happened. He'd been rescued by his friends and his Family. Now, it was time for him to repay the favor.

Holding up a hand to stop Snicker and his friends when they looked ready to surge forward, he turned to glare at those who were most definitely his enemies. They'd hurt him. They'd hurt his friends. The splint on Snicker's hand alone made him want to unleash hell. He didn't, however. He stayed calm and composed, cocking his head to the side to smile at the thugs as brightly as he could manage. Just as with Isaac, the sight of his smile threw every single one of them off-balance. Where they expected hate, he gave them the complete opposite regardless of what was surging through his heart.

He slowly walked forward as far as the police separating the two groups would allow before beginning to move to stop him from crossing the line. There had to be at least eighty people in the room, all of who'd hurt him. In comparison to the three dozen at his back, it was a rather large amount. Even so, he kept up the pretense that he was completely unfazed by their numbers. He could tell that they were already frightened and shocked by his appearance. They had reason to be since he'd been able to tell how badly that they'd beaten him merely from the remnants of his clothes. He'd probably been half-dead and a vegetable when they'd brought him in.

"Do any of you have any clue how angry I am right now?" He asked with a deceptively quiet tone. No one answered. No one breathed. Several people were knocked so off-balance by the dangerous question coupled with his dangerous smile that they collapsed back into their seats entirely. "How many times have you all tried to beat me?" He asked, once more not expecting anything for an answer. "I ignored it for a long, long time because I knew that none of you could see your own errors. Rather than admit you made a mistake and amend your ways, you all chose to come after me time and time again. But, you've all gone too far this time. You see, you've hurt some people that are very important to me. Because all of you didn't know when to stop, my friends and my Family got hurt."

"What the hell are you?" Someone breathed in shock.

"Gigi," he snapped, making everyone in the room jump at his sudden change of tone. "What's my middle name?"

"L-Lazarus," he answered breathlessly.

"Lazarus," he agreed with a nod and another maniacal smile. Looking across the mob of his enemies, he felt like laughing over all the pale faces. At the moment, he feared none of them. They were all broken tools. "You see, guys," he grinned, cocking his head to the side once more while the name seemed to echo through the room. "It doesn't matter how many times you come after me. You can't win. I'll just come back over and over again. Give it up, before I decide to stop playing defense. I'll tell you right now that you don't want to see me go on the offensive. You really, really don't," he warned emphatically. "You don't because I might not be able to go to hell, but I sure as hell know the way and I'll send every single one of you fucks down into it if you ever cause one of my friends to get hurt again. Do. You. Understand?" Internally laughing over the dumbstruck nods of agreement that he got in return, along with the smell of urine from one poor sop who hadn't been able to hold it, he once more cocked his head to the side and smiled in satisfaction.

"Good," he praised in complete happiness. Turning toward his friends again, he paused and turned back once more at the same time that everyone started feeling the after-effects of his warning. They weren't getting off that easy. "Oh," he added as an afterthought. Reaching up, he pulled the tape off his eye and tossed his hair to ensure that they all saw the clear glass globe in place of his missing one. "Which one of you stole my eye?" He growled with every trace of pleasantness disappearing from his face as he let his anger surface for a mere moment. The smell of urine got stronger and a shudder of fear ran through the mass of people awaiting treatment. The stink of complete terror washed through the room while his eye passed over them with a lack of focus, making every single one of them think that he was staring directly at them. The lack of finger pointing or pointed looks told him that the person who'd done it wasn't present. The point was made and the terror was embedded, though. Most of them would probably have nightmares about him now and none of them would even consider screwing with him anymore.

Taking a deep breath to settle himself so that he could pull his anger back into hiding, he reached up and replaced the tape on his eye out of the simple desire not to let Snicker or his friends see. He didn't want to give them nightmares, as well. He just wanted to become a urban myth that these guys were too scared to confront. Since that part seemed completely successful, there was only two things left to do. First was to see Snicker and get a status report about everyone. Second was to get out of there before someone informed the media that a dead, beaten man had been miraculously healed.

Absently reaching up to check on the bug on his shoulder so that everyone would know that he was aware of the creature, he turned to look at Snicker with a soft smile. As far as he was concerned, it was over now. He was slightly grateful for the incident, since it gave him newfound appreciation for what he had. It didn't matter if Snicker didn't want to be married anymore. He'd be happy to simply be around him. More than anything, he wanted to run across the room and jump in his arms. It was impossible, though. He was just an immature kid to Snicker. He knew that now. He had to work harder at being the type of person that Snicker wanted to be around or else he might lose him completely. That meant that he had to walk across the room like an adult to present himself before Snicker and wait to see what the reaction to his presence was.

"Umm," he mumbled into the silence, staring at his feet at a complete loss of how to act or speak around him anymore. "T-Thanks for coming to get me." The reaction to his words was almost instant. He felt tears in his eyes when Snicker pulled him into his arms, just like he'd been wanting. He faintly heard Snicker sobbing into his shoulder while he held him tightly in a bear hug. He wasn't allowed to move at all while Snicker poured out all of his worry and fear. Tsuna let him, taking comfort and joy simply from being in his arms again. There was no place better. It was warm and he could feel that Snicker cared about him, even if he wasn't--

"I love you," he sobbed almost incoherently, making Tsuna's assumptions fly out the window. "I thought I'd lost you again! You ran off before we could talk and I couldn't find you and then-- Don't you ever, ever, ever scare me like that again! Do you hear me, Suoh?!"

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled, his expression softening when he slowly began to realize that Snicker had been waiting for him to come back for a while now. Tsuna had worried him. "I broke my promise," he murmured with a small flinch over his rash choices, burying his heard into Snicker's chest to hide his face. "I ran away again. Didn't I? I wasn't thinking. I heard you talking to Big Guy and I thought that you didn't want me anymore. It hurt, Snicker."

"I didn't mean it like that," he replied while Tsuna slowly fell into the sound of his racing heart. "I'd never give you up. I made my choice and I'm going to stick by it. I was just scared for your sake. I'm only human, Suoh. I screw up sometimes, too. That night, you made me think that--"

"Can we talk about that later?" Tsuna asked quietly, not wanting to talk about such things in the middle of a waiting room.

"Of course," he replied instantly, pulling away slightly in order to scrub his tears away. He paused afterward, taking a shuddering breath to settle himself while he simply stared down at Tsuna. His expression seemed to soften and his muscles relaxed as he slowly started to come to terms with Tsuna being perfectly fine. When it finally hit him, he once more pulled Tsuna into his arms while leaning down to hit Tsuna with the best greeting yet. There was no drug nor drink in the world that was as good as the feeling of Snicker's lips on his. He devoured every pain and every unsettling memory, washing away all of Tsuna's worries with simple joy.

They heard a belated cheer ring out, forcing them to break apart at the reminder that they weren't alone. Tsuna didn't let him off easy either, though. He was unsure of how things stood between them, but one thing was sure. Snicker still loved him and wanted to be loved by him. That was enough to allow him to throw his arms around Snicker's neck in order to hug him as tightly as possible. He was completely unsurprised when Snicker returned it with such force that his feet lifted off the ground entirely. While they hugged, Tsuna looked over his shoulder to smile with honest happiness at all the people who were beginning to crowd around them to express their own happiness that Tsuna was alive and well. They were his friends. His Family.

And most of them were injured.

"You shouldn't be standing!" He gasped, flying out of Snicker's arms to push Ore back down in his seat. Looking around, wound after wound hit him like a blow to the gut, sending him in ten different directions to make sure that everyone was taken care of. Whether it was Gigi trying to hide a broken rib or Leo trying to hide a sprained ankle or Georgie trying to make light of his missing tooth, Tsuna ran to each of them in turn to do what he could for them. "Stop laughing!" He cried over the roar that ensued when he tried to inspect Nick's black eye at the same time he tried to help keep pressure on the bandage around the knife still stuck in Ore's leg. "It's not funny!" He exclaimed with tears in his eyes, knowing that every single one of the wounds had been received when they'd come to get him. "All of you are hurt! You're hurt and it's all my fault," he added, feeling the urgent need to cry over the fact. He tried to hold his tears back, knowing that it'd just make him look immature again. He couldn't help it, though! He didn't like the fact that people had gotten hurt for him!

"You can't blame us, Suoh," Marty chuckled when another roar of laughter went up in answer to his cries. "You were the one hurt the most, but you're mother-henning our little scratches like it's the end of the world."

"But I failed all of you--"

"Seriously, sweet-cheeks," Gigi sighed, walking over to force him to leave off his attempts to check on everyone at once. "You didn't fail anyone. We saw the numbers you were up against. Even if you had Mukuro with you, you probably couldn't have won."

"Eh?" He gasped, turning to look at Gigi in shock. "How--?"

"Mike told us," he shrugged. "Don't be mad at him for telling. It's because of we found that out that we made it in time. So you can stop pretending that--"

"Don't look!" He squealed, dropping to the ground and covering his eye when Gigi reached up to pull the tape off before he could stop him.

"Sweet-cheeks," he sighed in exasperation. "We already know, so you can stop pretending. Your eye is..." Gigi's face fell and the tape dropped from his hand when Tsuna shot her a look of pure misery. He didn't want him to see. He didn't want Snicker to see. They were all happy because he was whole and healthy. He'd been betting that his friends all thought his red eye was what made everyone across the room so freaked out. He could see the look on Gigi's face, though. He was quickly putting two and two together to get a very simple answer. That answer was that he wanted to see Tsuna's eye for himself. "Let me see, sweet-cheeks," he ordered quietly.

"No," Tsuna murmured. Standing back up in a hurry, he started heading for the door while keeping his eye covered. "I've got to go everyone. Party at the Dojo tomorrow night. Okay? All of you make sure and get treatment and then get some sl--" Gasping, Tsuna found himself spun around and his arm forcibly pulled away from his face by Gigi. The rough action was so unlike him that Tsuna found himself staring into his face with wide eyes that exposed everything. If only...

If only Gigi's surge of fear hadn't been so obvious, it might not have hurt as much to let him see. He could almost see Gigi's heart leap. Even worse, Gigi's hand started shaking when he let Tsuna go in order to take an unconscious step backward. That step hurt. Now it wasn't just strangers that was scared of him because they didn't know him. His family was scared of him, too. He couldn't blame Gigi, he thought as he bowed his head so that his hair could cover his eye. He was still a murderer. He was a murderer and a selfish person who refused to turn himself in so that he could stay with Snicker. Maybe it was a good thing that he was scared. Tsuna didn't even know himself anymore. He'd done so many things that he had sworn not to do. Murder was just one of them. He'd also made Snicker cry and had run away. In the end, he'd submitted to the beating he'd received. There was a whole slew of things that made him unable to tell himself what he was capable of. Gigi had a reason to be afraid.

"I'm heading back first," he mumbled as he once more turned toward the exit. Dashing out the door, he pointedly kept his face turned away from Snicker. He didn't know if the man had seen, but he didn't want to let him if he hadn't. Their relationship was on thin ice already. He hoped that by putting off their talk about what happened, they might be able to drop the subject entirely. He was going to act more mature for Snicker and that was all that there was to it. Once he found himself a new eye-patch, everything could go back to how it was. They could pretend that nothing had happened and they could go back to living happily ever after.

That would only work if he could keep the gangs from a repeat performance, though. They might try to go after his friends instead of him now, too. That wouldn't do. If he was going to get a happily ever after, the fools in the hospital weren't enough. He had to make sure that they all knew not to screw with him anymore. He was tired of playing these childish games. All he'd ever wanted was to be left alone. He had to ensure that they were too scared to go after him anymore.

Now was the time. He could smell his own blood scattered throughout the city. From a large splatter to the tiniest droplet, he could smell himself on the clothes of all his attackers. He faintly remembered them swinging him from the rafters at one point. He'd been like a piñata to them and his blood had gotten everywhere. That was the point that he'd passed out. In a way, it was a good thing. It gave him something to track.

All that was left was to go hunting.

* * *

They were laughing. They were talking about what they'd done to him and they were laughing. It angered him. He'd chosen the college first since it had the second largest collection of his smell. They were holed up in a fraternity house not far from the campus, drinking and celebrating their supposed victory. It didn't matter to them that they'd gotten defeated in the end. They'd destroyed Tsuna and they were happy with that. From where Tsuna was listening in the attic, having decided not to simply run in recklessly, they considered themselves as having done a good for the campus. Tsuna didn't understand it. All he'd done was to keep the guys from almost killing a guy that they'd been trying to force to bungee jump. Even since then, they'd went after Tsuna every time that he'd had to go by the campus to give Leo something. Time after time, they'd chased him off of it while their buddies kept campus police from interfering. They called him a troublemaker and a nuisance, but he was the one that was being harassed after that.

"Maybe we went too far," one of the guys muttered while the others continued to party around a keg. He immediately became the focus of everyone around him and found himself unexpectedly on the defensive. "I'm just saying, all he did was give us a few black eyes."

"Are you fucking kidding?!" Another roared in sudden rage. "Thanks to him, Fatso reported us to the campus police! The fraternity almost got shut down for hazing! You've got to be fucking kidding me! That bastard deserved what he got! He--"

"Did he deserve to die?" Tsuna called down from his hiding spot.

"Damn straight!" The man yelled belligerently. Then he paused, realizing that none of his friends had asked the question. "What the fuck?"

"Are you a god?" He asked without moving. "What gave you the right to judge the actions of others and condemn me?"

"It's him," one gasped, his beer falling to the ground while he started shaking in fear. "He's a ghost and he's come to get revenge."

"Get a grip, Fred," the leader shouted, sending his own beer up against a wall in anger. "It's probably just one of his friends! Where are you, you fucking punk?! Show yourself!" Tsuna rolled his eyes, feeling incredibly like he was in a bad horror film. He had to play the villain, though. It was the only way to make these guys scared enough to amend their ways. Who knew if Tsuna was the first that these guys had helped lynch? Whether or not he was, Tsuna was determined to make himself the last.

"Someone stole my eye," he said in a haunting voice, trying to hide his need to laugh at how they all jumped at his voice. "I can't go back to hell without my eye."

"Who are you?!" One of them screamed in a high-pitch voice.

"I am Lazarus," he answered in the same voice. He had to cover his mouth to stifle his laughter after having said it. He wondered if it was supposed to be this much fun messing with the guys. They were scared out of their minds and all of them were trying to hide it. Normally, he'd be appalled at himself for taking enjoyment out of scaring other people, but this was different. These guys had hurt him. A little fear was nothing in comparison. Forcing the laughter back, he settled himself to finish this. He still had a lot of people to talk to tonight. Once he had his laughter hidden, he jumped off the rafter he was standing on. His body plunged through insulation and ceiling tiles until he came to a smooth landing in the middle of the room. He had to dodge a little as debris tried to fall down on him, but the entrance was scary enough that three people fell backward onto the floor. Looking around, he stared at them, along with all the others in the room, in turn without bothering to hide his glass eye. "Where is my eye?"

"No way," the leader gasped, pointing a trembling finger at Tsuna. "We killed you, man!"

"I am Lazarus," he repeated with a straight face. It was hard. It was so damn hard to keep his face straight, but he did it anyway. "Where is my eye? I need my eye so that I can go back to hell!"

"We don't have your eye!" Another screamed while he started running toward the door. Tsuna moved, heading him off by simply using more speed than the coward was capable of. The guy skidded to a halt, looking ready to wet himself if Tsuna kept going, which Tsuna planned to do.

"Maybe I should take you to hell with me instead," he mused darkly.

"D-Don't!" He quivered. "I didn't do anything!"

"You watched," Tsuna counted, advancing slowly while his need to laugh dissipated. "You didn't stop those around you when you knew they were doing wrong."

"Please," he begged with tears in his eyes, slowly crawling backward in fear. It was the fear that finally broke through to Tsuna. The guy really thought that he was about to die. He really thought Tsuna was a demon come to take revenge.

"I will not judge you," he murmured, feeling the beginnings of guilt to creep in. "Go confess your crimes and I'll forgive you."

"W-What?" One of the others gasped in surprise.

"I can't take you to hell if you're a good person," he said with a crooked grin. "Good people admit when they do something wrong. You have one chance. Go confess your crimes so that you can be judged on earth. Unless you'd prefer me to take you to hell in place of my eye...?"

The screaming rush for the door made him both sad and happy at the same time. If they really did go turn themselves in, they'd be punished for having taken part in violence. If they didn't turn themselves in, the fear that he might come back for them would keep them from doing any more mischief. At least, that's what he hoped.

* * *

"Booooosss!!" The lookout screamed, running ahead of Tsuna while he slowly walked into the gang's hideout. "He's alive! He's alive! He's fucking alive!"

"What the hell are you babbling ab--," the female leader of the Blue Whiskers asked, turning around from where she'd been playing billiards with a few of her friends who'd gotten out of the fight relatively unscathed. Tsuna stopped in the doorway while the leader looked at him in open shock, completely ignoring the screaming fool who tried to hide under the pool table. "How the hell--?"

"I am Lazarus," he murmured in reply. "I can not die."

"That's impossible," she countered with a gaping jaw. "Lazarus is just a myth."

"Why did you kill me?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"You kept beating up my men," she replied with far more composure than any of the others that Tsuna had come across so far.

"I was only defending myself," he said with a bowed head. "They were the ones that kept coming after me. Was the apologies I gave not enough?"

"I--"

"Are you satisfied now?" He continued before she could respond. "You've killed me."

"We didn't know they'd go that far," she objected with the blood draining out of her face. "They said that they were just going to rough you up a little. I didn't know they were going to--"

"Where is my eye?" He asked, jumping almost immediately into his planned skit. He didn't want to hear her excuses. It was the same where ever he went. "I can't go to hell without my eye."

"I don't--"

"Should I take you in place of my eye?"

"W-Wha--"

"I can't find my eye," he continued, walking forward with a deliberate pace set to give her time to build fear. "I have to find something to take with me if I can't find it. Which one of you should I take?"

"T-Take me," she said with a tremble. Tsuna froze while her men immediately started to object. The offer saddened him more than anything else. Clenching his eyes shut, he decided to turn around and retreat. "Hey!" She called in surprise over her men. "Shut up, guys! I know what I'm doing! Where are you going?"

"I can't take you," he mumbled, pausing once more in the doorway. "You're a good person and I can't hurt good people."

"What?" She gaped in shock.

"I'll be watching," he warned, turning to ensure that she saw his missing eye. "If you ever become bad, I'll come back for you."

* * *

"Puff, puff, pass," Tsuna urged, inserting himself seamlessly into the circle. No one even looked up. The joint was simply passed over to him while the guys continued to stay introspective about the night's events. Most of them was already stoned, telling Tsuna that they were already feeling guilty over what they'd done. Taking a hit off of the rolled joint, he purposely kept the next person from taking it when he offered it over. The guy went for it once. Twice. On the third time, he finally looked up to where Tsuna was holding it by his face.

"Do you have my eye?" Tsuna asked, exhaling while the man stared into his face in a culmination of shock and fear. Once more, the screaming started.

* * *

Tsuna sighed as he knocked on the door. He'd lost track of how many people he'd confronted. This was the last one, he swore to himself. After this, he'd just go home and wait for his friends to get home. He was faintly surprised when an older woman answered the door, however. She seemed like a tired and overworked single mother. The sound of rambunctious boys going through the place didn't seem to soften the image.

"Are you one of Ethan's friends?" She asked with a small, gentle smile.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied unhappily. "Can I come in to see him?"

"Of course," she sighed, backing away from the door to let him through. "Ethan's in the living room with the others."

"Are you alright?" Tsuna asked in concern. He had reason to be concerned. She looked like she was on her last leg. There were bags under her eyes from what looked to be crying and she had a haggard expression that belied the smile lines around her mouth. This wasn't right. She seemed like a person that should always be smiling.

"I'm fine," she lied with a half-hearted smile. "Please go on--"

"Where's my pizza rolls?!" A voice yelled, his voice echoing through the apartment. "I need a coke, too!"

"Let me help you," he offered when she seemed to flinch back from the orders. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was to tired to argue. Rather than start a fight with what was probably her son, she simply rolled with the punches. Her son should be ashamed of himself for throwing those punches.

"Thank you," she replied, shutting the front door behind him. "You're a nice young man, even if you look a little strange. I wish Ethan had more friends like you."

"I'm not really that nice," he objected quietly. "Why don't you go lay down? It's still pretty early. I can take care of Ethan for you."

"Alright," she agreed with her gratitude plain on her face. "Could you tell him that he needs to go to school today for me? The principal called the other day and said that he's been skipping again. He might go if one of his friends tells him. I'm afraid he doesn't listen to me anymore."

"I'll tell him," Tsuna soothed. "Please, go get some rest. You seem like you've been working a lot. I'll see what I can do about getting them to be more quiet for you."

"Thank you," she mumbled once again, retreating down a hallway at his urging. Tsuna waited until she was in her room before turning toward the area of the house that the noise was coming from. Slowly walking forward, he walked up behind where four teenage boys were playing on a gaming console. They were too young to have taken part in what had happened, but the smell of blood on them was unmistakable. His nose didn't lie. Neither did the bruises on their faces.

"Mom!" He snapped, turning to Tsuna in a case of mistaken identity. "Where's my-- Holy shit."

"You've been a bad boy, Ethan," Tsuna scolded, reaching down to cover the boy's mouth after identifying him by the scent that seemed to fit seamlessly into the smells of the house. This was one instance where he didn't want anyone to scream. At least, not out loud.

* * *

Just one more. He kept telling himself that, but he always ended up going for one more after he was done. The sun was starting to rise and he'd been to at least a hundred places during the night. He couldn't stop, no matter how much he wanted to. The effect that he was going for wouldn't be as effective if he waited for word to get around. He had to play the part of the dead man resurrected for revenge to ensure that the fear was instilled into all of them while the memory of his beating was still fresh in their minds. This one had to be the last, though. The sun was starting to come up and Snicker was probably already home. He didn't want to worry him more than he already had.

"What do you think, Jewel?" He asked, reaching up to stoke the shell of the scarab still attached to his shoulder. He still felt weird about having it there, but he'd been getting used to it over the past few hours. So much so that he'd named it since he'd forgotten what Jules had called it. In answer to his question, the bug made a few sharp clicking noises that Tsuna could almost swear was an attempt to speak back. It was possible, he mused. Reborn had been able to talk to bugs, unless he'd just been making stuff up. A bug as big as Jewel might actually be capable of understanding him. Maybe. The possibility made Tsuna slowly accept the scarab on the same terms that he accepted Peanut. He wasn't particularly ecstatic about the creature, but it might be good company. Not that Tsuna really had a choice. The scarab hadn't flown away yet and it didn't seem particularly interested in jumping off. Tsuna didn't have the heart to force it away since Jules had seemed to care about it so much.

Putting the beetle out of his mind, Tsuna surveyed the small junkyard where a half dozen guys had set up shop. They were sitting around on tires and discarded car parts, occasionally throwing something for one of the chained guard dogs to fetch. Just like all the rest, Tsuna was the topic at hand and none of them seemed apologetic about what they'd done. Not yet. They didn't have a reason to be. He could tell that these wouldn't be like the others. The surprise of seeing him healthy and unharmed might throw them, but they'd go on the offensive before even considering the idea of running.

That was fine. Tsuna was willing to fight.

"Which one of you stole my eye?" Tsuna called as he slowly walked out of hiding.

* * *

Tsuna stuffed his hands in his pockets while he walked up the steps. This really was going to be his last stop. It was probably the last place he needed to go, but he had to if he was going to get away with everything that he'd done. He didn't want to be questioned by police, so he needed to beat them to the punch. In other words, he needed to file a police report. The trip had the added benefit, however. It was one that made him smile a little smile when face after face turned pale. He walked past the line of people waiting to be questioned after having turned themselves in, taking it slow so that each of them would fear that he'd stop next to them. It was a follow-up to ensure that the fear really was embedded deeply. He even went so far as to stop next to one that smelled of his blood particularly strongly in order to turn his collar down. The man seemed to stop breathing until Tsuna once more started walking toward the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" The cop seated asked.

"I need to file a police report," he answered promptly.

"Don't tell me," he replied with a long-suffering sigh. "You beat some guy to death and he's come back to haunt you because he thinks that you stole his eye."

"Um, no," Tsuna said sheepishly, scratching his chin while trying to hide the need to laugh. "That's kind of ironic, though. Someone stole my eye-patch and I wanted to report it in case it was found. It was kind of special to me."

"Fill these out," he grumbled, handing over several pieces of paper for Tsuna to fill out. "Don't get your hopes up," he warned.

"I won't," he replied with an easy smile while he borrowed a pen to start writing with. "I know it's just an eye-patch and some people get more important stuff stolen every day, but I'd like to get it back. Filing a report can't hurt. Right?"

"Right," he groaned as Tsuna handed the papers back. He looked them over fairly quickly and Tsuna had to smile at how he read some of it out loud. "Suoh Lazarus Timberson," he mumbled, making every person lined up against the wall turn pale. "One black eye patch with a silver skull emblem. What's this? One red eye?"

"It covered my red eye," he corrected with a wide smile, seeing how the line seemed to tense up in a wave. There was absolutely no doubt about where the attention in the room was focused. "My red eye was stolen, too, but I think I can find a replacement for it."

"How did you say your eye was stolen?" He asked suspiciously. "You weren't beaten to death. Were you?"

"No," Tsuna laughed, pointedly ignoring the line of people for once. "I don't think I'd be able to talk to you if I was dead, Officer. You must be working too hard or else I have to be if I look beaten!"

"Alright," the cop mumbled with a nod of acceptance, stamping the papers before tossing them into a stack of other reports. He couldn't really argue since Tsuna didn't have a mark on himself. "We'll keep a look out for your eye-patch. Anything else?"

"Nope," he replied pleasantly. "Thank you very much. Keep up the good work!"

"Yeah, thanks," he said absently, his attention already going to the person that had walked up behind Tsuna. "Next!" Heading for the door, Tsuna paused before leaving in order to turn his missing eye on the line of people.

"Be good now," he ordered quietly, getting a stream of blank-faced nods in return. Trying to hold his laughter inside, he barely managed. It wasn't helped when he heard one of them comment after they thought he was out of hearing range. He ended up having to run down the block before he started laughing until he was blue in the face because of the response that another replied with.

"That's one scary son of a bitch," the first had said.

"Uh huh," the other agreed. "I think I just shit myself."

* * *

BOOBOO: Um  
BOOBOO: Is FooFoo here?

CICI: Go away.

LAZYJAY: Get lost before I shoot you dickhead.

BOOBOO: I'm sorry about the other night.  
BOOBOO: I wanted to apologize to Foofoo.

CHEESEJERKY: Stop bothering her.  
CHEESEJERKY: She doesn't need a pothead weighing her down.

ANGEL666: Foofoo hasn't come by since you talked to her  
ANGEL666: You really screwed with her

BOOBOO: I didn't do anything

CICI: BULLSHIT  
CICI: YOU HURT FOOFOO'S FEELINGS  
CICI: SHE WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU  
CICI: BUT YOU RAN AWAY FROM HER

BOOBOO: I didn't run away.  
BOOBOO: I just logged out.  
BOOBOO: I didn't want to make more of an ass out of myself.

LAZYJAY: What was all that about you being in trouble?  
LAZYJAY: You sounded like you were in some deep shit.

BOOBOO: I don't really want to talk about that.

CHEESEJERKY: We aren't telling you where foofoo is until you do.

BOOBOO: That's fine.  
BOOBOO: I'll just use a taxi coupon.

LAZYJAY: It won't work  
LAZYJAY: Unless we call Foofoo, no one can reach her right now  
LAZYJAY: She's in a place that taxis can't go.

BOOBOO: Then I'll log in later and try again

ANGEL666: Why don't you just tell us what you were talking about?  
ANGEL666: This is the internet Booboo  
ANGEL666: It can't hurt to tell us

BOOBOO: It's over now  
BOOBOO: So I just don't want to think about it

CHEESEJERKY: What happened?

BOOBOO: I got beat up  
BOOBOO: It's not all bad and it's over  
BOOBOO: My husband doesn't care about me stay up anymore  
BOOBOO: He told me that he'd live with it  
BOOBOO: As long as I don't go out alone at night, he's happy.

LAZYJAY: What do you mean by beat up?

BOOBOO: A bunch of gangs tag teamed  
BOOBOO: I really don't want to talk about it

ANGEL666: Are you okay?

BOOBOO: Mostly.  
BOOBOO: I lost an eye.

CICI: OMG  
CICI: YOU'RE LYING

BOOBOO: I wish  
BOOBOO: But it's okay now  
BOOBOO: It's over  
BOOBOO: My gang came and got me  
BOOBOO: They're a little beat up, but they won't have to fight anymore.  
BOOBOO: Things can go back to normal  
BOOBOO: Which means I can game again

CHEESEJERKY: That's good

BOOBOO: I really want to tell Foofoo that I'm sorry  
BOOBOO: I shouldn't have logged on while I was high  
BOOBOO: I usually don't do that.  
BOOBOO: I just had this feeling that talking to him would make me feel better  
BOOBOO: And it kind of did  
BOOBOO: I didn't mean to worry him  
BOOBOO: Her, i mean

CICI: I'll see if she wants to talk to you.  
CICI: She's been dungeon crawling alone for the past few days  
CICI: Maybe she'll come back and play with us if she sees you again

BOOBOO: Thanks

CICI: She's coming  
CICI: It should just take a minute  
CICI: She has a personal teleporter to bring her here

BOOBOO: Nice

CICI: It comes in handy  
CICI: She made one for all of us  
CICI: She used two weeks of science quota to get it

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: She really has everything

ANGEL666: Not really  
ANGEL666: She has a problem making friends

CHEESEJERKY: Yeah  
CHEESEJERKY: She twinked a lot of us  
CHEESEJERKY: There's a bunch of people that dropped her after she helped them  
CHEESEJERKY: Like Fuckhead Orion

LAZYJAY: Orion had his reasons  
LAZYJAY: Friskykitten was the one that didn't

CICI: Those didn't bother her so much  
CICI: It was BlackX227 that pissed her off

BOOBOO: ?!

CICI: You could say that FooFoo is a Black X fan  
CICI: So it bothers her a lot when people pretend to be him  
CICI: Even if it's just using the name

BOOBOO: LMAO

CHEESEJERKY: What's so funny?

BOOBOO: Nothing  
BOOBOO: It's just ironic  
BOOBOO: Foofoo's probably going to hate me then

LAZYJAY: Why?

BOOBOO: I look a lot like him  
BOOBOO: Black X, I mean  
BOOBOO: I used to do impersonations at a club  
BOOBOO: That was before I got married

ANGEL666: Don't let FooFoo know  
ANGEL666: Don't even bring up BlackX around her  
ANGEL666: You'll make her upset

LAZYJAY: Yeah  
LAZYJAY: You can't help who you look like  
LAZYJAY: But she'll flip out if you tell her that you were an impersonator

BOOBOO: No problem  
BOOBOO: I don't do that anymore  
BOOBOO: Wish I could forget that I did  
BOOBOO: Not that I really look like him anymore  
BOOBOO: Kind of hard to when I'm missing an eye

FOOFOO: What happened to your eye?

CHEESEJERKY: Oh shit  
CHEESEJERKY: How long have you been there?

FOOFOO: Just got here  
FOOFOO: What was that about your eye?

BOOBOO: I lost it  
BOOBOO: I'm really sorry about the other night  
BOOBOO: I wasn't thinking  
BOOBOO: You probably think that I'm a loser now  
BOOBOO: But I wanted to let you know that I'm okay  
BOOBOO: And all that stuff I said doesn't matter anymore  
BOOBOO: I should be able to get on more regularly now  
BOOBOO: Assuming you still want to go exploring together  
BOOBOO: If you don't, I completely understand  
BOOBOO: I made myself look like a pothead  
BOOBOO: But I'm not one  
BOOBOO: I just do that sometimes when I got a lot on my mind  
BOOBOO: But I don't do that all the time  
BOOBOO: I don't ever do it when I game  
BOOBOO: The other night was just an exception  
BOOBOO: Because I didn't want you to think that I ditched you  
BOOBOO: I shouldn't have gotten on but I wasn't thinking

FOOFOO: Shut up

BOOBOO: Shutting up now

FOOFOO: LOL  
FOOFOO: I just sent you a new contract  
FOOFOO: Sign it and I'll forgive you

BOOBOO: Okay  
BOOBOO: Let me take a look

_Contract type: Player Specified_

_Contract holder: FooFoo_

_Contract contents:_

_BooBoo is not allowed to log out without FooFoo's permission._

_Agreed to by: FooFoo_

_Agree?_

_Y/N_

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: Alright  
BOOBOO: It wasn't what I was expecting

FOOFOO: I wanted to add in a line saying you couldn't do drugs  
FOOFOO: But there's a part in the game's rules forbidding that  
FOOFOO: We can't contract for anything outside the game  
FOOFOO: Plus, you probably wouldn't agree

BOOBOO: Probably not  
BOOBOO: I hate to say it, since I know it's wrong  
BOOBOO: But I like it.  
BOOBOO: It lets me forget my problems.

FOOFOO: Just do me a favor.  
FOOFOO: Try logging on and talking to me first.  
FOOFOO: If I'm not on, CiCi can come wake me up

BOOBOO: I thought you said you were single

CICI: I'm her roommate  
CICI: Sorta

FOOFOO: LOL  
FOOFOO: I can't get her to leave me alone

CICI: --thbbbb--  
CICI: You like me and you know it

FOOFOO: I've gotten used to you  
FOOFOO: Still don't know if I like you  
FOOFOO: I'd be able to tell if I could punch you

CICI: But you can't  
CICI: LOL  
CICI: FooFoo's got anger management issues  
CICI: Are you feeling up to doing some missions now FooFoo?  
CICI: I need help with that lvl 342 tiger

BOOBOO: lvl 342?!

FOOFOO: There's no level cap on this game.  
FOOFOO: Characters don't get levels.  
FOOFOO: So you can't really max out your character.  
FOOFOO: You just get to a point of strength where you're satisfied.  
FOOFOO: And work on keeping it there.  
FOOFOO: When she says lvl 342 tiger  
FOOFOO: She means a tiger with 342 percent more strength than her  
FOOFOO: Oh. You probably don't know.  
FOOFOO: Your character gets weaker while you're logged out.  
FOOFOO: Or when you're not doing anything.  
FOOFOO: You lose about a ten minutes of focused progress for every day you stay offline.  
FOOFOO: Your character is probably almost dead.

BOOBOO: How can I tell?

FOOFOO: Health meter  
FOOFOO: It's calculated off of nutrition and strength  
FOOFOO: The meter shrinks or grows based off of nutrition  
FOOFOO: The whole bar is your maximum health based off other stats  
FOOFOO: A percentage is blocked off and unusable based on how bad your nutrition is  
FOOFOO: What's left is your current strength  
FOOFOO: Wounds sap your strength and can empty the bar  
FOOFOO: Medical kits and fitness minigames can fill it

BOOBOO: I can't tell if the bar is full or empty  
BOOBOO: It's all red

FOOFOO: Probably empty

FOOFOO: Yup  
FOOFOO: You're dead

BOOBOO: Ack!  
BOOBOO: What do I do?!

FOOFOO: There should be a button to go to the hospital  
FOOFOO: Click it then use the taxi to come back.  
FOOFOO: I'll go grab you some food to get your stats up to average health again.  
FOOFOO: Just to warn you  
FOOFOO: Your character can die while you're offline  
FOOFOO: You need to put in the money to buy a gravestone  
FOOFOO: In case you ever have to take an extended break

CICI: Those are really expensive  
CICI: It took me almost a year of playing to afford one.

FOOFOO: I'll help him get one  
FOOFOO: Assuming he sticks around to renew his subscription  
FOOFOO: Without one, your character can be deleted and forgotten if you die offline  
FOOFOO: I think your character can stick around for three months without one  
FOOFOO: It's the game's way of getting rid of abandoned accounts  
FOOFOO: Since so many give up on this game because it's hard

LAZYJAY: You're lucky BooBoo  
LAZYJAY: Most people take a year just to be able to explore out of the city  
LAZYJAY: Since you got FooFoo's help, you can jump straight to the good stuff.

ANGEL666: LOL  
ANGEL666: Welcome to the wonderful world of being FooFoo's groupie

BOOBOO: Thanks.  
BOOBOO: I think.

CHEESEJERKY: I'm not a groupie!

LAZYJAY: Oh?

CHEESEJERKY: I'm a leech!  
CHEESEJERKY: And don't you forget it!

FOOFOO: LOL  
FOOFOO: One of these days, I'll cut you off  
FOOFOO: No more sexy parties!

CHEESEJERKY: NOOOOOOOO!

FOOFOO: LOL

ANGEL666: HAHAHA

CHEESEJERKY: I NEEDZ ME SEXY PARTIES!!

LAZYJAY: LMAO

CICI: ROTF

CHEESEJERKY: LOL

BOOBOO: LMFAO  
BOOBOO: I have a feeling that you guys are going to keep things interesting.

CICI: LOL  
CICI: You have no idea, Booboo.

* * *

OMAKE:

PANDORA: I feel a time skip coming.

ASHES: You would be right.

PANDORA: You're not even to the half way point yet.  
PANDORA: Are you?

ASHES: Nope  
ASHES: We're probably around the quarter mark.

PANDORA: This is going to be even longer than the second fic.

ASHES: Probably.  
ASHES: Is that okay?

PANDORA: It's fine with me.  
PANDORA: But your readers are probably getting sick of waiting on Vongola.

ASHES: Sigh. I know.  
ASHES: But the plot bunnies keep attacking!  
ASHES: There's so much that I have planned and so much that I want to do!!

PANDORA: At least I got some more screen time  
PANDORA: Even if you used the name Yuki gave me before Tsuna renamed me.  
PANDORA: So, I'm Xanxus' roomate now?

ASHES: SSHH!  
ASHES: Some people are slow on the uptake.  
ASHES: They're not supposed to know it's him!  
ASHES: Then again, I wasn't really trying to hide it.  
ASHES: LOL

PANDORA: Well, Tsuna wouldn't be walking the same path if FooFoo wasn't Xanxus.  
PANDORA: How long are you going to keep them from knowing who's on the other side?

ASHES: Oh, it'll be a long, long while before they ever meet.  
ASHES: But, like the title says...  
ASHES: Tsuna will walk his Intended Path  
ASHES: Whether it's with Vongola or with Martelli  
ASHES: Or a combination of the two --wink--

PANDORA: Looking back at all the other things you've put him through...  
PANDORA: Ouch. Poor Tsuna.  
PANDORA: I can't believe you want to put him through it all again.

ASHES: I'm not.  
ASHES: But there are some keymarks that he has to go through.  
ASHES: Of course, he's going to react differently to most of them.

PANDORA: Understandable.  
PANDORA: Even if he can't remember, he's been through them once already.

ASHES: His lack of status as Vongola the Tenth will affect some of them, too.

PANDORA: So, is Snicker supposed to be like Kyoko or Haru, then?  
PANDORA: Since you've got him so smitten?

ASHES: The original plan was--  
ASHES: WAIT!  
ASHES: I'm supposed to be the interviewer!

PANDORA: LMAO  
PANDORA: I'm Mafia, sweetheart.  
PANDORA: Don't underestimate me because I'm more artificial than GiGi.  
PANDORA: So, where's Mukuro?  
PANDORA: Tell me or I'll crash your hard drive.

ASHES: Threats aren't very nice!  
ASHES: Since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a hint.  
ASHES: Reborn's threat to Mukuro had some basis in fact.  
ASHES: And there's a reason that the Vendiche aren't showing up at Tsuna's door.

PANDORA: Oh my.

ASHES: I think I better put an end to this.  
ASHES: --Fat tears--  
ASHES: You're heartless, turning my interview around on me.  
ASHES: And I was going to ask how you thought of Tsuna becoming the most feared person in the city.

PANDORA: Of course I'm heartless.  
PANDORA: My body still needs some kinks worked out.  
PANDORA: As for Tsuna, I think it's funny.  
PANDORA: Where's my eye...?!  
PANDORA: --giggles--

ASHES: I think that's more than enough for now.  
ASHES: Until next time

PANDORA: All your internetz belongs to meh!

ASHES: You've been gaming with Xanxus too much.  
ASHES: UNTIL NEXT TIME!


	50. Chapter 50 Anniversary

"...So anyway," Charlie finished grudgingly. "Happy Anniversary."

"Thank you," Tsuna sighed with a knowing, crooked grin of amusement. "But you don't have to pretend, Charlie. Did your father put you up to this?"

"Yes," he grumbled unhappily. "Dad asked me to. He said it'd make you happy."

"It does," Tsuna admitted sadly as he continued walking his bike home. In truth, Charlie should have been at school, but it looked like he'd skipped so that he could go see Tsuna without any of his friends knowing. "But it'd have made me happier if you actually meant it. I know you still don't like me. I can't really blame you. You finally got your dad back and he wasn't like what you expected because of me."

"It's not like I hate you either," Charlie shrugged, stuffing his hands into his varsity jacket. "I just always imagined Dad would be normal. I mean, I saw him in Mom's old year-books. He was one of the best quarterbacks in his school's history. He won three state championships before he graduated. They even still have his trophies in the gym at his old school."

"Wow," Tsuna murmured, blinking in surprise over the information. "I didn't know that. I knew he liked watching football, but I didn't know that he used to play. He doesn't--" Tsuna broke off when he saw Nick walking down the alley toward him. Behind him were the rest of Tsuna's day crew, all of which were ready and willing to work. It was something that Tsuna had figured out so that he could get yet another job. He had a lot of friends on the street who couldn't get one because of numerous problems. So, he'd made a deal with them.

The deal started with them taking up some of his deliveries with Papa Paolo's agreement. Tsuna still personally handled any special deliveries, but the guys took over his grocery deliveries, paper deliveries, and meal deliveries. The other three took over his errands for the restaurant such as helping to sort produce at the fresh markets so that only the best got to Pasta da Paolo, picking up the day's special wine bottles, and helping to pick up the rest of the fresh items that weren't delivered in bulk during the weekly truck delivery. In return, all of those who helped Tsuna in his morning job got perks on the weekends. On Saturdays, they got to use the Dojo's laundry facilities and four of them at a time got a solid hour in the Dojo's bathhouse. In return for doing charity work in Tsuna's name so that Tsuna could use his time for other things, they also got two solid meals. Dinner on Saturday night and breakfast on Sunday made everyone ready to face the new week with a smile. They also got lunch on Sunday. Dedra and Cassandra made the sandwiches for him and everyone got one with orders to hand out two others to someone who needed it that wasn't an Orange Dragon in return for keeping one for themselves.

Because of his generosity, the gang had nearly doubled in size. Strangely enough, over half of the newcomers weren't bums. There were people who'd been present during his lynching months ago, but hadn't taken part. They'd been on the outskirts and had left when they'd seen that things were going too far. There were some that had actually taken part, too. He didn't really understand it, but they were all people who'd come saying that they didn't know how to be good people. They'd wanted Tsuna to teach them and he'd been trying, although doing so gave him more of a headache than anything. Those guys simply didn't know how to back out of a fight and he'd been having to bail out of jail than he wanted to think about.

In order to keep them out of trouble, he'd gotten the core of his gang to agree to buy out an apartment building for them to all live in so Tsuna could keep an eye on them. Doing so had cost half of what Tsuna had left in savings, but the part of his gang that were used to hard work were able to renovate the run down complex across the street under Ore's directions. A lot of people had to share rooms like a dormitory, but he made the expenses cheap for them. A cafeteria in the basement managed under the direction of Cassandra's two sisters allowed those who lived in the confines to eat and sleep without a care in the world. Tsuna's only condition was that at least one person per room worked and half of their paycheck got handed over for expenses. By working with percentages instead of a flat rate, no one ever had to fear being evicted for a poor paycheck.

In truth, Tsuna had found himself with a positive cash flow for once. Cassandra's sisters knew how to cook cheaply and for big families, so they were able to make hot meals for everyone on a tight budget. Every room had a toilet, but renovating the place to have a shared bathhouse on every floor kept anyone from wasting water. Bath times over there were set on a schedule, so that three people could share a single oversized tub of hot water after first cleaning off under a timed sprayer. There were also no televisions allowed in the place and the only radios permitted were those attached to alarm clocks, so the electricity bill was low. There was one phone on each floor and it was only allowed to receive incoming calls for those trying to get job interviews, so there was no outrageous bills there, either.

That had been Gigi's demand for buying the place. They hadn't wanted people to get too comfortable, so they'd taken away a few of the luxuries. Doing so kept people focused toward saving up so that they could afford the luxury of completely relying on themselves with Tsuna only being their safety net. Of course, Tsuna had countered her a little by creating a green room spanning the first floor that everyone could share a large television, play pool, or even use one of the three computers that he'd supplied. Although, Tsuna had to admit that the tight control over the place kept the bills down. At first, he'd thought it was a little outrageous, until he'd compared his bills to Mike's. Mike barely broke even compared to him, which was why he sold drugs on the side to keep himself in luxury.

Despite the regulation, the place had been packed with people from the moment he passed word that Orange Dragons got first dibs in moving in. He'd had more people wanting to take advantage of the place than he knew what to do with. In a way, he understood. Since moving in meant that they didn't have to worry about bills or meals, the only thing they had to worry about was laundry and going to work. Those that worked knew that they'd always get to keep half of their paycheck, no matter how large or small their check was. 'Rent' wasn't the word that any of them used, strangely enough. They'd all gotten it in their heads that they weren't charged rent for staying there. It made Tsuna kind of queasy when he'd heard what they did call it, but he couldn't get them to stop. Words like 'tribute' and 'dues' weren't what he'd been thinking of when he'd told them his conditions. He'd just been thinking that they might not appreciate it as much if it was free. He didn't want to get taken advantage of and he knew that he wouldn't have been able to keep the toliet paper stocked if he didn't charge something.

There was no helping it now, though. All he could do was accept their offerings every week and dole it back out to the people working for him. People like Cassandra's sisters and the handyman-slash-landlord he had living over there in a private room. He hadn't wanted to hire a landlord, but keeping the place intact had looked impossible after only a week. There were too many people sharing a single space for there not to be issues unless he assigned an overseer. Thankfully, Daren's friend Steve had accepted the job since it'd come with all of his needs being taken care of like everyone else living in the building along with forty dollars a week of spending money. Tsuna still had to go at least once a week to check on everyone, but they all seemed to understand that the place was a privilege instead of a right.

He just wished people like Nick would accept living there. Nick had been one of the people he'd known even back when he'd been living on the streets. Nick had answered his call for people to renovate the Dojo. He'd answered a matching call to renovate the apartment building. He'd answered the call that had went out months ago, when Tsuna had been beaten in the hands of their rivals. Although, thinking of rivals made him feel sheepish.

The leader of the Blue Whiskers had come to him after that night, along with the leader of Chinatown's Night Reapers. They were the two groups that Tsuna had warned, but not terrified on that night and both of them had come to talk peace with him. The remnants of the Redrocks, Velvet Scats, and Belfang were scattered on the winds, throwing away their affiliations entirely in order to pick up mundane lives. He'd been told from Leo that the naughty fraternity had been disbanded after the group had turned themselves in and the students in question had been sentenced to community service for their part in the warehouse fire. The Junkyard Mutts, Feldon's Fighters, Crimson Cocks, and Kiloton Punchers had all come to him, however, with the desire to speak about a peaceful alliance. There were still over a dozen gangs that refused to speak to him or confront him, but things had overall quieted down. The reason that he was sheepish was because those that had come to speak about peace had somehow made him into their overseer without him noticing. They were still their own gangs, but they looked to him whenever they were unsure of how they should react to something.

It made him feel weird. Thankfully, only the gangs were like that. There were far more clueless people or ordinary citizens in the city than just gang members. It was sometimes embarrassing when he was recognized on the street, but he was mostly ignored like he was just another person. He still got underestimated and ruled by more than enough people that he was never able to really get cocky. Snicker kept him in line, too, especially when Tsuna's head started to swim over the sheer amount of people that might actually answer him if he were to pull on the bell-cord that hadn't been touched since that night. Overall, he was still just Suoh. His responsibilities had increased and the number of people he looked after had multiplied, but he still had to work and relax like anyone else in order to stay sane.

"Got any work for us today, Suoh?" Nick asked, pulling Tsuna's attention out of the clouds.

"Oh, yah," Tsuna blushed. Pulling out the bag of breakfast meals from the basket attached to his bike, he handed them over to Nick to deliver. "The same as usual. Be sure and go back by to pick up their lunches. I already warned Autumn and Isaac, so they'll be expecting you. Evan, you're on produce. Sort and deliver just like usual. Sean, you're on wines today. Here's Isaac's list of the other things he wants you to get. Pete, do you think you can make my paper deliveries? Good. Um, Victor, I need you to take care of grocery deliveries again. You already know what to get, but Mrs. Sojer wants grapes today instead of apples. Tran, I need you to do a few personal errands for me. I need to you take this envelop to Eric. He should be shooting a commercial in the park. He should tell you either yes or no to the question inside. Run back and tell either Papa Paolo or Autumn the answer for me. After that, I need you to go to the Dojo and pick up Leo's painting. Dedra knows which one it is. Take it down to the art gallery on fifty third street for me. They should give you an envelop in return and I need you to take that to Leo. She should be waiting at the administrative offices of the college. It's really important that you get that to her as fast as you can. It'll be her tuition money. She didn't want me paying it for her, so she's on a time limit right now. If she doesn't pay up by the end of the day, they're going to drop her out of her classes."

"I'll take care of it," he promised, running off like the others had upon receiving their assignments. All that was left was four men, all of which looked eager to be given a task. He always had something for them, even if it was just make-work so that they felt that they earned the perks he gave on the weekend. "Harris, go help Cassandra's sisters do today's grocery shopping and help them through lunch. Devon and Ray, you're on janitor duty at the complex. You know the drill. You don't have to worry about individual rooms, but the bathrooms and common rooms need to be cleaned. You don't have to hit them with a fine-tooth comb but I'll have Cassandra make blueberry crepes this weekend if you do." He gave both men a small wink, knowing that they could never get enough of the woman's sweets. In truth, she'd probably have made them anyway, but the thought that they were a bonus always made the men work harder. The two looked to be nearly drooling as they ran off to complete their tasks done quickly so that they'd still have time enough of the day to worry about today's needs. "Nick," he sighed, turning to his friend with a crooked grin. He'd purposely saved the easiest task for last, not wanting anyone to think that he was showing favoritism to his old friend. "Do you think you can take my bike back to the Dojo for me? I've still got to head over to the pet shop today."

"Sure thing," he agreed with a soft smile, taking the bike that was wheeled over like a precious treasure. "Is there anything else that I can do?"

"Actually," Tsuna mumbled after a moment of thought. "There's one thing. Me and Snicker were talking about what we should get each other for our anniversary and he said that the first one is supposed to be a paper gift. I'm not really sure what to get him that's paper, so I could use some advice. Love poems aren't really my thing and a card seems kind of impersonal."

"Why not tickets?" He suggested instantly, making Tsuna perk up. "Tickets are usually made on paper or cardboard."

"That's perfect!" Tsuna exclaimed. Then his face fell. "But what kind of tickets? All the concerts are probably already sold out and we already go to Charlie's football games."

"You do?" Charlie interjected in surprise. Tsuna turned to him and nodded with a bright smile. In truth, it'd cost him a lot of begging to Papa Paolo to get off on Friday evenings when he already got off on Saturdays and Sundays, but he'd managed by returning to help close after the game was over.

"Snicker never misses one of your games," he replied honestly. "He's really proud of you. He couldn't stop talking about how you intercepted that pass last weekend."

"Oh," he blushed, seeming to pull back onto his jacket in embarrassment. "That was just an accident. I was in the wrong place at the right time."

"Even so, you kept them from winning because of that," Tsuna chuckled. He had reason to laugh since Snicker really hadn't been able to stop talking about it. Snicker had acted like he'd personally won the game for the team, telling everyone how great and wonderful his son had been. If it weren't for the fact that Tsuna didn't feel like he was competing anymore, it was enough to make him do back flips in jealousy.

"There's other kinds of tickets," Nick interjected, pulling them back to the conversation at hand. "There's plane tickets and cruise tickets if you want to take a trip together."

"I wish we could do something like that, but we can't," Tsuna countered. Scratching his goatee in thought, he really did wish that such a ticket was feasible. They had the spare money, but prudence dictated that they didn't waste that much of it. There was also the problem of Tsuna's pills to think about. They only stayed good for a week and what would happen if he had them stolen or some other issue arose? It was safer to simply stay within the city so that he could have Poe on hand. "A trip is out unless we could stay close by the city. If we're close, we don't really need tickets which defeats the whole idea. Any other suggestions?"

"The only thing left is cheesy tickets," he shrugged. "The zoo, the aquarium, or the circus."

"The circus...?" Tsuna asked as his heart jumped up in his chest. "The circus is in town?"

"Yeah," Nick answered with a raised eyebrow. "They set up shop last weekend on the outskirts. I don't think that's the kind of place that you'd want to take Snicker, though. It's for little kids."

"No, it's not!" Tsuna exclaimed as his excitement rose alongside his hope. "I worked with the circus for a little bit and they can do amazing things! If it's the same one that I'm thinking of, maybe they'll do me a favor for old-time's sake! Do you think you can run and get me tickets?" Pulling out his wallet, he thrust a twenty into Nick's hands with a widening grin on his face. If Charlotte and James were still around, they might let him and Snicker in to see Rojo the lion in private after the show. He knew that Mr. Morrey wouldn't ever try anything in front of people or in front of his coworkers, so going would be perfectly safe, too! He couldn't think of anything more exciting that he could give Snicker! It wasn't every day that a man got to pet a lion! "If you happen to see a bearded lady named Charlotte, ask and see if she remembers me. You might have to jog her memory because it's been a few years, so tell her that I was the scrawny stow-a-way who got hit by lightening. If she remembers, tell her that I'll be coming to the show tonight and I'll be bringing a friend along. Don't tell her that I'm married, though! I want to keep that a surprise."

"Do you think Snicker will actually like that?" Nick asked in open doubt.

"If Charlotte remembers me, he will," Tsuna grinned. "If I'm right, Charlotte or James will let me sneak Snicker back to pet the lion after the show. Oh! Get a ticket for Charlie, too."

"Eh?!" Charlie gasped. "I don't want to go to the circus!"

"It'll be fun and your Dad would probably like you to come," Tsuna countered with a knowing grin, having seen Charlie's face out of the corner of his eye when the lion was mentioned. "Please, Charlie?" He begged with a fat lip sticking out. "I won't lie. I really want to go with just me and Snicker, but I think Snicker would enjoy it more if you were there, too. He's always saying that he doesn't get to spend enough time with you."

"Alright," he grumbled in a way that Tsuna could tell was just a front. He really wanted to go, but he didn't want Tsuna to know that. "But only because there's a lion involved. I'm not doing this for you."

"That's fine," Tsuna replied brightly. Giving Nick a nod to confirm his order, to which Nick shrugged in return and started wheeling his bike away in order to complete his tasks, Tsuna tossed his head to tell Charlie to walk with him once more. Since Tsuna didn't have to go all the way home and he had only one extra delivery to make today, he still had almost an hour before he had to go to his third job. An early snack with Charlie seemed like just the ticket to pass the time.

He both loved and hated his extra job. He hated it because it meant that he had to give up seeing Snicker for lunch, but he felt that he needed it. The gang was growing and even a positive cash flow and minor surpluses didn't make up for all the liabilities that he got hit with. Manners took practice and many of his guys who'd come from other gangs didn't have any. It was enough that he'd had to smack a few of them around when they'd shown up with black eyes and bills for damages. They simply didn't know how to walk away from a pointless fight and he hadn't been able to get it through to them any other way. It was better that they fear his reaction to hearing that they had fought than to not have the guts to walk away from a fight. It was simpler for them to understand that way. They were too used to their friends urging them to fight at the smallest insult that hanging out with those who worried about more meaningful things was a bit of a culture shock. Many of them were used to living in squalor and as outcastes that they didn't know how to act differently and achieve better lives.

Tsuna wanted to smack his head up against the wall when he though about how he'd agreed to teach them. Some were getting the picture, but far too many were needing bail money instead of simple praise or encouragement. Unfortunately, there was no taking back his word, so the only thing left to do was to work, work, and work some more to pay for it all. He was fine with that since Snicker was like a father to all of them who wanted to 'be good'. Since Snicker was only working one job, he was the one that taught them simply by spending time with them all. There wasn't a single person in the gang that didn't love Snicker and every single one of them trusted Snicker's advice. It was advice based off of experience, after all.

Snicker was the carrot where Tsuna was the stick. Tsuna felt unsettled when he thought about himself in that position, but the things he'd done had forced him into it. His position as the Sixth brought respect from the upper class of the underworld. The myth of Lazarus brought respect from the lower class of scum. Being the leader of the Orange Dragons brought respect from the middle class of crooks. It was unsettling because he was seen as something completely different by those who were blind to the darker side of things. The upper class, normal citizen saw him as an amusing diversion when he was forced into events for the Martelli Family. The lower class, normal citizen cherished him for his caring and charity toward them. The middle class, normal citizen praised him as just a innocent and hard working young man with nothing else special about him.

The differences in perspective made him dizzy.

"I have to make one delivery and then we'll go grab something to eat," Tsuna said to the teenager leisurely walking next to him out of boredom. "It should only take a minute, assuming Isaac's bookie is satisfied with his payment."

"Hey," he mumbled in warning of a question to be asked. "What's up with you, anyway? Dad won't tell me anything, but I've been hearing some rumors. They're all saying that you're the leader of a gang and that my Dad is part of it. I didn't believe them before, but what was with all those guys a minute ago?"

"They're part of my gang, Charlie," Tsuna answered quietly, causing Charlie to jerk backward for a moment before walking alongside him once more. "I was giving them jobs to do. Some of it was just make-work to keep them busy, but a lot of it is was part of my morning job. Papa Paolo gives me the job and I split my work up with them so that I can go do a different job. They get perks for helping me and I get time to work so that I can get another paycheck."

"So, you're really--"

"Hold that thought," Tsuna interrupted with a grimace while he stopped next a stairwell leading down to Isaac's bookie's office. Charlie blinked as Tsuna jogged down the steps in order to bang on the door, but quickly followed in curiosity. Tsuna thought about telling him to go back, but there was really no harm in him coming along. All Tsuna was going to do was drop off Isaac's payment.

"Who is it?" A man asked, popping open a wide shutter in the door's facing. Tsuna grinned and gave a little wave to bring his attention slightly downward. He didn't bother verbally replying. The door guard knew him on sight and threw the door open almost instantly upon recognition. He started to stick his head out to see if the coast was clear, but Tsuna pushed him back with a pat on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Jet," he soothed. "You know that I wouldn't let anyone tail me."

"Everyone has an off day," he countered while his shoulders relaxed anyway. Urging him inside, there were no questions or meaningless banter. Jet knew him enough by now that he didn't bother him with pointless posturing. The faster that Tsuna concluded his business, the faster that he'd be on his way. Ever since Tsuna had broken his Boss' nose on one occasion when the man had tried to take his frustration with Isaac out on Tsuna, they were on pretty decent terms now. They left Tsuna alone and Tsuna left them alone. It had become a pretty simplistic relationship after Tsuna had gotten the point across that he was only an errand boy.

"Suoh!" The bookie exclaimed when Tsuna ducked down out of the long hallway and into the man's office. "Did you bring something good for me?!"

"Just the usual," Tsuna sighed, tossing over the envelop that Isaac had given him. The bookie took it greedily and his expression took on a frown while he rifled through the cash inside.

"This barely covers the interest," he growled unhappily, attempting to pin Tsuna in place with a glare. "Where's the rest?"

"Take it up with Isaac if you have a problem," he countered with just as dark of an expression. "How much he gives you is none of my business. Just give me my receipt so that I can go. I don't want you trying to tell Isaac that I never delivered his money again."

"Don't get cocky, you little shit," he warned before reaching over to grab a receipt ledger like Tsuna wanted. "If you piss me off enough, I just might forget that you're just an errand boy."

"Charlie, step out into the hallway," Tsuna ordered with his lip twitching in anger. He was angry because Charlie was with him and the bookie was in a fighting mood.

"Are you trying to step up to me, boy?" The bookie snarled, standing up from his chair with a fierce look of rage on his face.

"Are you refusing to step down?" Tsuna countered before once more absently snapping at Charlie with enough force to actually get him moving. "Charlie. Now!"

"Jet!" The bookie shouted, instantly getting his guard's response. "Grab that kid! I'm going to teach this little punk a--"

"Touch him and you die," he growled in a low rumble. Jet froze at the honest threat laced into the words while Charlie stared around the room with wide eyes. Tsuna couldn't blame his shock. Neither of them had expected this when they'd walked through the door. Things were turning to shit far too quickly for Tsuna's liking. Order had to be restored or else his peace and quiet might be interrupted again. He refused to allow that, especially on his anniversary. Reaching out while Jet took pause at his threat, he grabbed the bookie's hair and slammed it into his own desk. Holding it there while the man fought, he tried not to twitch over letting Charlie see such violence. Snicker would be pissed if he found out. "How many times are we going to go through this?" Tsuna asked quietly, reaching back with his free-hand to grab Jet by the throat when he tried to jump in. Turning his attention to Jet, he got the man under control with simple eye contact. "Go sit down in the corner, Jet. This doesn't concern you."

"B-Boss," he choked in Tsuna's grip. Taking a deep breathe, he pushed down on the bookie's head until he got the response that he was looking for.

"Go!" The man screamed as the pressure building in his skull. "Do what he says, damnit!"

"That's better," Tsuna sighed while Jet practically ran to do like he was told. Focusing all of his attention on the bookie once more, he decided that he was tired of seeing the man's face. "Write me a receipt, please," he ordered with an extra touch of false-pleasantness. "I'd really like to get on with the rest of my day. Did you know it was my anniversary today?"

"No," the man gasped with an expression that said he was in agony. Tsuna didn't let him up, using his free hand to once more pull the book and a pen into the man's reach. Tsuna squeezed slightly in frustration when he didn't seem to move fast enough, which was strangely taken as an urging of a different sort. "Happy Anniversary!" He blurted while his hand blindly scrawled on a random receipt. Tsuna snatched the piece of paper before he was even half finished in his attempt to fill it out, shoving the man away from his own desk in disgust.

"I don't want your well wishes," Tsuna spat while he shoved the paper into his pocket. "I just want you to remember that I'm not the person that you need to be taking your problems out on. You always go after the wrong people. Just now, you tried to go after Charlie even though you were pissed at me and you go after me instead of Isaac. How long is it going to take you to learn that fighting me isn't going to do anything? Even if you win, Isaac wouldn't change anything. He doesn't give a damn about me. He'd still just pay you off with whatever he feels like."

"I know," the man grumbled quietly without picking himself up. "But I can't force it out of him and it fucking pisses me off!"

"Are you afraid of Papa Paolo?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Hell no!" The man surprisingly exclaimed. "Me and Papa Paolo have an agreement. If they owe me money, I can rough his guys up all I want as long as I don't break anything. The fucking problem is that I don't have anyone that can beat that bastard! He knows it, too! That's why he only sends the minimum!"

"That's not my problem," he sighed, heading to the door. "Take it up with Papa Paolo if you're really that fed up with him. Just stop going after the wrong people. I'm getting tired of it." Grabbing Charlie's arm, he dragged the teenager out of the room before the man could respond. Charlie looked like his brain had stopped working and Tsuna grimaced slightly over his pale complexion. The kid wasn't used to incidents like these. "Sorry about that," he mumbled once they were outside. "Do me a favor and don't tell your Dad about that. He'd just get upset and I really don't want to argue with him today."

"W-Wha--" He asked blankly. It wasn't a question about Tsuna's request. It was a question more along the lines of 'what the hell just happened?'.

"Just forget about it," Tsuna replied while he escorted the kid toward the nearest fast food restaurant. "Isaac's bookie used to chase me all over town after I made my delivery to him. I don't like it, but he would have done something stupid again if I hadn't done that. It's really nothing to worry about. I'll probably deliver there again tomorrow and he'll pretend like nothing happened. That's what he did when I broke his nose."

"You broke his nose?" Charlie asked, seeming to regain some sense. "Who was that guy anyway?!"

"He a bookie that one of my coworkers owes money to," Tsuna sighed. Holding the door open, he left off on any more of an explanation. If Charlie was anything like his father, it was impossible for him to get upset with food in front of him. With that in mind, Tsuna decided to go with distraction over explanation. He ordered two of the largest burgers on the menu with the largest box of fries and two large chocolate milkshakes. In that, Charlie was nothing like his father. He didn't want to accept whatever he was handed. He wanted no lettuce, no onion, extra pickles, and extra salt on the fries. Extra chocolate in the shake and it was the guy's job, so no thanks required.

"Suoh...?" Ollie asked with a faintly green expression over Charlie's high-handed customer's attitude.

"Please," Tsuna added with a small grimace. Ollie had to deal with enough costumers every day who seemed to think that those who worked fast food didn't deserve respect and decency. For Tsuna to bring one in during his day shift wasn't something that brought much joy. Especially when that customer was a brat younger than him and far more spoiled. Charlie had never worked a day in his life while Ollie worked his ass off every day and did jobs for Tsuna on top of that. For Charlie to have such an expression of superiority while simply getting food had to be the fault of his mother. Snicker probably would have bent him over and spanked the poor kid for looking down on people like he was. "Give him a little break, Ollie. For Snicker's sake?"

"Okay," he grumbled. "But only because I didn't get either of you shit for your anniversary."

"You don't have to get us anything," Tsuna laughed. "It's just me and Snicker that are exchanging gifts."

"Whatever," he shot back before yelling back to his manager. "Marge! I need a discount for Suoh!"

"Suoh's here?"

"Sure am," Tsuna called back, seeing the perky young woman's head pop out of the manager's office. He gave his most winning smile, knowing that Marge was absolutely in love with him and planning to take complete advantage of it. "I'll give you a kiss on the cheek if you'll hook me up."

"You're shameless," she laughed in return, having already gotten over her blind admiration of him. She still loved him, but she wasn't idiotic about it anymore. It'd taken several months, but she'd come out of her shell. Instead of hiding around corners and running away when he came in, she could banter and talk to him now. She knew that he was completely devoted to Snicker and had given up on him, but he liked to think that he was still capable of brightening her day.

"Of course I am," he chuckled. "It's the only way to get free food."

"You know I'll get in trouble if someone tells the general manager that I'm giving you free food," she said with a half-hearted glare.

"And who's going to tell?" He asked, looking around the empty restaurant with a knowing grin. Leaning over the counter, he bit his lip and gave her his best hurt puppy look. "Maybe my kisses are no good here?"

"Back! Back, I say!" She exclaimed with a bright blush, shoving him back to his side of the counter. Tsuna chuckled once more, seeing a twinkle in her eyes that said she was enjoying herself. "Keep it up and I'll tell Snicker on you!"

"Aww," he replied with a hurt facade. "Don't do that. You know how jealous Snicker can get. He wouldn't let me come here anymore."

"Uh huh," she countered in open disbelieve while she punched in the code to discount his meal to free. "Tell it to someone else. Snicker's just as bad as you are when it comes to free meals."

"But he's not as shameless," Tsuna laughed, leaning over the counter to smack a kiss on her cheek in gratitude when she finished. "Thanks, Marge. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably go home and eat there," she said before sticking a tongue out at him. Tsuna smiled at her childish gesture and accepted the tray of food that she compiled for him. Handing it over to Charlie, he didn't immediately turn to go sit down.

"Hand it over," Tsuna ordered with a long suffering sigh, holding his hand out to Ollie. "All of it."

"Shit," Ollie grinned before digging into his pockets. Charlie's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as not only his wallet and keys were handed over, but so was two of the patches from his varsity jacket, his cell phone, and what looked to be a class ring.

"Mine, too," Tsuna prompted with his other hand open to receive what had been snatched. In answer, Ollie hung his head and handed Tsuna over his own wallet, keys, cell phone, pocket knife, butterfly knife, six steel jumping jacks, the receipt from the bookie, his stink extra stink pellet ammo, his belt, his whistle, his red feather earring and one of his shoelaces. "Really, Ollie," he admonished, "Leave my belt next time. What would you have done if I'd lost weight?"

"Got a raise from Marge when your pants fell down," he grinned. Tsuna let out a groan and tossed his head to the side for Charlie to follow him to a table so they could sort through Tsuna's arm full of belongings. In truth, he hadn't seen Ollie take anything. He was simply that good now. He'd just asked because Ollie _always _stole something from him.

"Don't let him bother you," Tsuna sighed as he put everything back in it's place and finally sat down to eat. "He's an honest clepto. He always gives back what he takes. At least with us. I wouldn't want to be someone that pissed him off, though. He'd probably be able to steal every piece of clothing off of them in the middle of a crowd and no one notice.

"Ouch," Charlie grimaced, openly regretting his high-handed attitude from before.

"You never know the people you come in contact with," Tsuna advised in a mock-knowledgeable tone. "That's why you should treat everyone with respect. Sometimes the most innocent looking people can be the worst enemies to have. And the worst enemies to have also make some of the best friends. All it takes is common courtesy."

"Heh," Charlie murmured around a bite of his burger. Tsuna blinked in surprise, seeing the light of thought in Charlie's eyes. The kid was actually listening to him for once! In truth, it shocked him. Charlie had always kept his interactions with Tsuna to the absolute minimum, ignoring him completely when Snicker wasn't around to keep him in line. This was the first time that Charlie was choosing to actually give Tsuna the benefit of the doubt! Then Charlie ruined the moment by opening his mouth. "If I'd known you were getting it for free, maybe. If I'm paying, it's a different story."

Tsuna hung his head in defeat and sighed. Charlie was simply too ingrained by his mother's spoiled teachings. Far too many people were like that for Tsuna to choose to argue with him over it. Time and time again, Ollie had come in from work in frustration because he'd been yelled at for something that someone had gotten wrong in the kitchen of the restaurant. The order was taken right, but it wasn't made like specified. So, people were frustrated that their orders were wrong and came to him in order to vent those feelings even though he'd done nothing wrong. In reality, it wasn't much different than the bookie's attitude. He couldn't complain to the person that was really doing wrong, so he accepted whoever presented themselves.

The two of them ate in almost complete silence. At least, until Tsuna looked around to make sure that no one other than Ollie and Charlie was in the area. It was still pretty early and most other places were serving breakfast instead of lunch items, so the burger place wasn't very busy. It was safe enough, he thought.

"Don't freak," Tsuna warned.

"Freak about what?" Charlie replied blankly.

"Just don't freak," he repeated without a single way to explain the scarab clinging to the inside of his shirt. Looking down, he felt a flutter of wings against his belly that faintly tickled. Jewel only opened her shell to flutter them when she was hungry, which was how Tsuna knew that she needed to eat. Since he wasn't really in the mood to be bitten, that only left sharing his meal with her.

Jules had adamantly refused to take her back, so Tsuna had been forced to care for her. After a while, he'd grown to like the little creature. She was quiet and considerate. She never came out unless Tsuna told her that it was safe. There'd been some issues between her and Lobat and Peanut at first, but those were all taken care of now. Lobat had merely needed to be told that she was friendly while Peanut had gotten bit before he'd stopped trying to eat the poor critter. That was in the past, though. As far as he was concerned now, Jewel was his own little treasure. She kept him company even in the loneliest of long nights and was the reason that he'd been in the pet store at the right time to get a job.

"Come on out, Jewel," he called quietly. "You can have some of my fries if you want." Despite himself, Tsuna jerked when the bug let go of his shirt and turned over. He started giggling while the scarab crawled across his stomach, lurching from side to side as her little legs skittered across his flesh. "Stop that," he laughed. "That tickles!"

"I'm not--" Charlie objected. It was an objection that broke off in a strangled yelp as Jewel peeked out of his shirt. Tsuna held up a hand for her to crawl onto in relief while wishing there was a safer place for her to hide than the inside of his shirt. Even better would be if she'd agree to stay behind at the Dojo, but she was quite clingy. She always had to be in the same room with him for some reason, which had been hard for Snicker at first until he'd gotten a comfortable cage for the oversized beetle to sleep in. "What the--?"

"This is Jewel," he answered, setting the creature down in his lap so that it could be quickly hidden if anyone walked in. Giving the little creature a fry, he purposely didn't look at her while it disappeared into her mandibles. "She's my pet beetle, but she eats like a pet pig."

"Ah," Charlie replied with a completely blank expression. Tsuna ignored him, focusing on giving Jewel fry after fry until she refused to eat anymore. While he was doing so, he ate what he could of his own food and inserted a few pieces of meat from his burger for the bug to feast on. His lack of fear and Jewel's good behavior seemed to get through to Charlie after a moment, after which the teenager started inhaling his food like he was starved.

"Go to school when you're finished," Tsuna ordered after he was finished and had Jewel stowed away under his shirt again.

"Where are you going?"

"Work," he answered as he stood up. "I have my job at the pet store from nine to four that I still have to go to today. After that, I usually go to work at the restaurant again from five to midnight or later, but Papa Paolo let me off today."

"Can I come?" He asked curiously. Tsuna blinked once more in blank surprise at the request. It hadn't just been blind hope. Charlie was actually opening up to him. It was just a crack, but he wasn't running for the hill as soon as possible like he used to.

"I guess so," Tsuna agreed hesitantly while he bagged up his leftovers and kept Charlie from throwing away his own. He threw a five dollar bill into the bag, as well, since he hadn't had to pay for the food with plans to hand it over to the first beggar that he came across. Charlie looked confused when he rolled the bag closed with money inside, but Tsuna didn't plan to explain himself. "My boss won't mind, but it's not anything exciting. All I do is clean out the animal cages and help out in the grooming center."

"It's better than going to school," Charlie countered with a crooked grin. Tsuna shot him an exasperated look before bowing his head in defeat once more. He knew that he should more of an adult since he was married to Snicker, but he really wanted the boy to like him. Getting the teenager to like him meant that he was an absolute pushover. It was Snicker fault, he mentally grumbled. Snicker shouldn't have told his son to tell Tsuna 'Happy Anniversary'.

"Only if you promise to let me send someone after your homework," Tsuna sighed while he led the way out of the restaurant. "Snicker wouldn't forgive me if I let you skip without making up for it."

"You're such a buzz-kill," he laughed, reaching out to slap Tsuna on the back. Charlie's words and actions made his face fall in disappointment. It gave him the ultimate feeling of being completely used. The kid had used Tsuna as an excuse to skip school. He'd used Tsuna for a free lunch. He was planning on using Tsuna to get to see a lion up close and he was obviously trying to think of a way to use Tsuna to get out of even homework. It was saddening. His father worked so hard and never tried to skip out on his responsibilities. To see Snicker's son acting this way made Tsuna wonder if they really were blood relations.

"Here you go," Tsuna murmured, stopping in front of a homeless man that he didn't recognize in order to hand over the bag of food and money. The man blinked up at him in surprise before reaching out with shaking hands to accept it. Tsuna chose him simply because he looked half-dead and almost completely frozen. Food and money would do wonders for a person in such a state. "It's not much, but it's still warm. There's a few dollars in there for some whiskey for you too."

"Bless you," the man said tiredly as he clutched the bag to his chest in effort to leech warmth. Tsuna knelt down next to him, grabbing one of his hands to try to rub some warmth into it. He really did seem completely frozen. His hands were like ice cubes.

"You shouldn't be out here," Tsuna mumbled in concern. "The temperature is going to drop again tonight. Why don't you eat that up and head for the mission tonight? You'll feel better after you get a good night's sleep in a warm place."

"I wish it were possible," he replied with a shiver as his body started to feel the cold once more thanks to the warmth beginning to seep into his skin. "I used my time this month during the last snow and the church I went to closed down for renovations."

"How long are they going to be closed?" He asked curiously. The man's expression softened, finally realizing that Tsuna wasn't pitying him. He was simply concerned.

"Don't you worry about me, sonny," the man replied with a sad smile, finally seeming to get some energy back. "It'll be back up after the weekend. Father Burns is a good man. He about cried his eyes out when he told us that they were having to shut down temporarily."

"Alright," Tsuna grimaced. "I'll tell you what. I'm going to go talk to Father Burns after I get off work and see what I can do about speeding the process up for you. Until then, I want you to promise me that you'll try to stay warm and you won't give up. Okay? Things always get worse before they get better."

"That's true," he mumbled before beginning to dig into his bag. It was a measure of how hungry and cold he was that he didn't stow it into hiding to make the most out of the few pedestrians who might throw him change if they didn't know that he'd already gotten a minor contribution. Typically, getting cash was far more important than filling an empty stomach. The reason why was because money could buy warmth, food to last more than one meal, and other necessities. Tsuna couldn't count the times that he'd been handed food and he'd hid it away in his satchel to share out with Snicker after he'd made what he could off of begging. "What's your name, sonny?"

"I'm Suoh," he answered with a small smile. "I run the Orange Dragon Dojo down the road. If you ever get in trouble like this again, I want you to come find me. Okay? We don't have a lot to spare, but we try to let people come in to warm up when they need it. Right now, I want you to finish eating and head down to the laundry mat on Dublin Street. Just tell them that Suoh sent you and the overseer will ignore you for a good hour or two while you warm up. Just don't mess with any of the customers or the machines."

"Why are you helping me?" The man asked with tears in his eyes over the offer. "I don't have any way to repay you."

"Because I used to be on the streets," he answered in perfect honesty. "Someone did a good turn for me so that I could get off of them and it's only right that I help someone else in turn. I know you probably hear this from a lot of charity workers and preachers, but I've been where you're at. You're a good person who just ran into some bad luck. I'm sure if I help you out a little, you can show me how good of a person that you are. Right now, you've got a lot of worry just taking care of yourself, but I'm sure that you'll get a break. You just can't give up and you've got to snatch up every opportunity that you get. Don't let chances slip by."

"I don't get chances," he murmured with a defeatist attitude. It was one that made Tsuna grimace since it meant that the guy had already lost hope.

"Don't give up," Tsuna repeated as he stood back up once more. "I'm willing to give you a chance and so are a lot of other people. We aren't going to give those chances to you until you're willing to make the most out of them. If you can't see the chance that I'm trying to give you, then nothing will ever change for you. Pick your head up. I don't hear a fat lady singing just yet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running late for work. I'll see you again, though. Okay?"

"Why did you do that?" Charlie asked once they were a block away from where the man was still gaping like he'd been slapped. Tsuna wanted to flinch over his expression, but he knew that he couldn't. Sometimes people needed a wakeup call more than sympathy. Tsuna was willing to give either one depending on what was best for the poor man. He thought that he'd succeeded. His gut told him that he really would see the guy again. More than likely, he'd join the gang. Even if he didn't, Tsuna still wanted to help him. Tsuna's missing eye said that he had a pure aura, even if it was a little weak.

"Because he didn't deserve it," Tsuna answered quirkily. "That's probably what you're thinking. He's homeless and a eye-sore. He stinks and he'll probably only use the money that I gave him for booze. He could just go get a job and he wouldn't be where he's at. Right?"

"Uh, right," Charlie confirmed.

"Wrong," Tsuna corrected without batting an eyelash. "Me and your father were just like him. Neither of us could get a job for various reasons, even though we tried and tried. It took help from a lot of friends for us to get where we're at. Right now, that guy doesn't have any friends to help him. I'm not going to hand him everything, but a little boost in the right direction should help him get on his feet. If it doesn't, I'm satisfied that I at least tried to help him. Whether he takes my help and helps himself is all left up to him. You can't get anywhere without a little determination. That's why I didn't hand him everything he needed right off the bat. I want to see if he has the determination to use what I'm offering before I throw a lot of effort into helping him."

"I still don't get why," he repeated, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets once more.

"Because he's a human being," Tsuna replied. Then he shook his head and decided that he had to put it in terms that Charlie could understand and accept, even if it was stretching the truth a bit. "Because helping him makes him owe me one. If I spend a little time getting him off the street and back on his feet, he might be useful in the future. You can't be short-sighted about what people are worth, Charlie. Everyone has worth. The only question is whether you can help that worth shine again."

"I see," Charlie murmured. "So, in other words, you were feeling him out. You're going to make him join your gang with Dad."

"No!" Tsuna blurted in frustration that his point wasn't getting across. "He's free to join if he wants, but that's not why I want to help him! I just think that he'd be a good friend to have in the future! He's going through hard times now, but he won't always be like that if I can help him! People like him are full of untapped potential! I just don't want to see that potential wasted because of a stupid thing like financial problems! I--" Tsuna groaned, seeing that none of his words were getting through to the boy. He didn't see anything of value in the homeless man that Tsuna had talked to. All he saw was a filthy and starving wretch who probably wasn't worth the time that Tsuna had stopped to talk to him. He and Charlie were simply too different. At least, they were now. It hurt, but Tsuna had to admit that he used to be no different. Self-serving, spoiled, and unmotivated without a single reason to care about anyone but himself. That was why his mother had always been on his back.

"Never mind," he sighed while he led the way into the pet store that he worked at.

* * *

"Welcome home!" Tsuna exclaimed, pouncing into Snicker's waiting arms in excitement. Snicker choked at the sudden greeting, but reacted quickly enough to support the legs that wrapped around him while Tsuna gave him a fervent kiss in greeting.

He partially had Charlie to thank for being home before Snicker. His boss had been okay with the teenager sticking around for the day, right up until Charlie accidentally hit the mass release for all the dog cages in the grooming center. Once freed, all the dogs had went after Tsuna in rambunctious joy and the desire for energetic play. That joy had turned into a nasty dog-pile that had left Tsuna with an incredible amount of scratches and surface injuries. To those that had witnessed the scene, it'd seemed like Tsuna had been under attack and he'd had enough blood on him that his boss had sent him home in worry for his health. That had been several hours ago, after which Tsuna had taken a pill, showered and changed. There was absolutely no sign that Tsuna had been mauled by twenty dogs now. Of course, he had to remember to put band-aids and bandages on for his next shift to hide the missing scratches, but that was a minor worry.

"What are you doing back so early?" Snicker asked in surprise when Tsuna finally let him up for air. He grinned while Snicker walked toward the couch with Tsuna still attached to him. Sitting down with Tsuna in his lap, he leaned forward to steal another small kiss before relaxing back into the comfortable grip of his seat.

"I got off early," he answered promptly. "Now I've got the whole rest of the day to spend with you!"

"Oh, really," he chuckled. "And what do you want to do?"

"This!" He exclaimed with a flourish, pulling out the three tickets that Nick had delivered to him before Tsuna had asked him to gather some people and to track down Father Burn's church to volunteer at. Snicker's eyebrows shot up in surprise, which only made Tsuna grin more widely. "Happy Anniversary! You said we were supposed to give paper gifts, so I got these for us!"

"Alright," he laughed, his eyes twinkling over Tsuna's enthusiasm. "But you got too many."

"Nope," Tsuna corrected mischievously. "Someone's coming with us."

"And who would that be?" Snicker asked like expected.

"You can come out now!" Tsuna called to where Charlie had been hanging out with Ore in his bedroom.

"Only if the dirty stuff is over," Charlie objected from the other side of the door. Snicker stiffened in recognition of the voice and Tsuna leaned forward to steal one more deep kiss before giving the all-clear. Snicker seemed completely breathless during the embrace and was barely able to respond. Tsuna didn't let it bother him, knowing that he'd get to make it up before the night was over. Such was how he always got through Charlie's irregular visits.

"It's safe now," Tsuna said once he'd crawled out of Snicker's lap. Snicker slowly stood up as his son entered the room and Tsuna watched with a soft smile while his face slowly lit up. He really did love his son. Tsuna could see it while the man slowly came to comprehend that they'd all be going to the circus together.

"You mean, me and...and him...and you...? All together?" He asked in disbelief. He had reason to disbelieve. Charlie had never once agreed to go anywhere with them and rarely stuck around at the Dojo for long when he came to see his father. Most of the time, he just came to get away from his mother for a while or to borrow spending money from his Dad. This was the first time that he was willing to be seen with them outside the place.

"Yeah, well," Charlie grumbled sheepishly. "I didn't have anything better to do today."

"Y-Your mother agreed to this?" He inquired suspiciously.

"Mom doesn't know," he answered with a grimace. "I told her that I was staying at Chunk's until eight."

"Which means that we only have a few hours," Tsuna interjected with a pointed glance at Snicker. "Go get changed so that we can go. You know that I love you, but you stink of sweat right now and I want my stomach settled so that I can eat some cotton candy." Biting his bottom lip, he grinned as Snicker blinked dumbly over the teasing order. He looked like his brain had completely stopped working. It was much the same expression that he son had held earlier in the day. Attitude and manners notwithstanding, Charlie still was his father's son. "Hurry up!" Tsuna urged to get Snicker moving.

* * *

This was harder than he thought it'd be. Much, much harder than he'd thought. Snicker wouldn't even hold his hand in fear that it would make Charlie uncomfortable. By the same token, he didn't exactly go so far as to push Tsuna away when he leaned or brushed up against Snicker for at least a little contact. It was hard for him because he wanted to be arm in arm with the man he loved, but he had the fear of alienating Charlie on top of that.

It helped somewhat that the circus was indeed the one that had helped Tsuna over the ocean. They'd come early to look at several of the warm-up attractions around the tent and Tsuna had introduced them one at a time. Charlotte had been in an absolute frenzy over him and had went on almost non-stop about the 'hunk of a man' that Tsuna had gotten married to. For some reason, she'd been utterly unsurprised at hearing Tsuna had turned gay while being completely surprised at how much he'd accomplished in three years. Everything from the Dojo to their boarding house was met with giggles of glee for Tsuna's sake. His eye, however, had made her nearly burst into tears. Before parting, Tsuna got across to Snicker that Charlotte had been the supplier of his start up money. It'd made him smile almost ceaselessly when Snicker had automatically reached in his wallet to repay her with interest before she could so much as blink.

The person after that had been the fire-breather, Johan, and sword swallower, Vasquez. Tsuna had greeted the two men suddenly, making the Johan eat fire instead of breathing it and made Vasquez spit a sword out instead of swallowing it. The aftermath had been sort of comical since Johan was used to such accidents and burped a puff of smoke. Both men had temporarily halted their acts in order to see how Tsuna had been faring. After quickly catching up, Tsuna helped restart the show by showing Johan that his fire-breathing lessons hadn't been wasted. It wasn't until after he'd finished that he saw how pale Snicker was and belatedly remembered that the man was afraid of fire.

The tattooed man and the clowns were next. Snicker got into a conversation with the zealous body modification expert once he found out that the man was the artist who'd tattooed the Ouroboros on Tsuna's arms. Meanwhile, Tsuna took to showing the clowns that he still remembered their juggling lessons. He's spent three months on the boat with them and had barely gotten the trick before they'd landed. Practice during his miming act had allowed him to polish up on it, however, and he was capable of juggling in a four way circle with the three clowns until Snicker looked ready to move on.

It'd taken some work to keep the two from eating the sausage rolls offered, since both Snicker and Charlie were getting hungry by that time. Popcorn, nachos and drinks sufficed to hold them over until dinner time and the two snacked like they were bottomless pits while Tsuna tried to find the one that he really wanted to see. Then he found him. He was stationed right next to the tent entrance and Tsuna left Snicker's side completely in order to dash forward.

"Rojo!" Tsuna exclaimed, running up to the ropes keeping people at a distance from the lion's cage.

"Suoh...?" A man gasped in shock from next to the cage. "Is that you?" Tsuna blinked, trying to see if he remembered the guy from anywhere. He didn't look familiar at all.

"Do I know you?" He asked simply.

"It's me, James!" He exclaimed with wide eyes. "Don't tell me that you forgot me already!"

"J-James?" Tsuna goggled. He had reason to goggle. James wasn't the short and scrawny brat that Tsuna remembered. He'd grown immensely in the past three years and was now almost two heads taller than Tsuna! His hair had grown out into a ponytail under his newsboy cap and he had muscle that made Tsuna gape. He was still gaping when he felt Snicker and Charlie curiously pull up behind him. "Is that really you? You used to be smaller than me! You got so tall!"

"It's me," he grinned with open happiness that Tsuna obviously did remember, but simply didn't recognize. "I've been wondering what happened to you! Have you been here ever since we landed?!"

"Yes," he answered, taking James' invitation to step across the ropes. "A lot has happened, but I decided to stay here."

"Have you seen mom?" He asked urgently. "She's been dying to see you. The whole circus feels shitty about what happened. We got it out of Mr. Morrey a few days after you left, but we couldn't find you to let you know that we bought him out. Mom and a lot of others suspected, but it wasn't until he tried screwing around with Jenny that--"

"That's all in the past, James," Tsuna interjected quietly. "I'm kind of glad it happened. I wouldn't have met Snicker if it hadn't."

"Snicker?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, looking over to the two men standing outside the ropes. "You mean...?"

"Today's our one year anniversary," Tsuna grinned, walking over to lean up against Snicker one more time.

"Wow," James blinked in surprise. Then he gave a matching grin that spelled trouble. "You always were a funny one, but I didn't know you were that funny!"

"What do you mean by funny?" Snicker asked, slowly interjecting himself into the conversation once he'd been introduced.

"Oh, Suoh was always a weird one," James replied mercilessly. "Did he ever tell you how he used to fall asleep in Rojo's cage?"

"Rojo?" Snicker inquired with a raised eyebrow. Tsuna blushed brightly at how Snicker's jaw dropped when James chucked a thumb at the lion behind him.

"Rojo is a nice enough fellow, but Suoh was the only one with guts to go into his cage alone," he explained. "I can't count the times that I'd go down to check on them and Suoh would be snuggled up against Rojo's side. It was like something straight out of the Jungle Book. Rojo acted like Suoh was her own cub and wouldn't let anyone around him while he was asleep. That's why we wanted Suoh to stick around with us. We didn't have a decent beast master back then, but Suoh had all the makings of one."

"No, I didn't!" Tsuna objected with a red face. "Rojo's just a nice lion! She couldn't hurt a fly!"

"If I remember right," James grinned, "The really weird part about Suoh was that he was scared of Muji."

"Muji was vicious!" He exclaimed, going nearly purple in embarrassment. "He--" Tsuna broke off and choked when the Koala in question darted out from under Rojo's cage and latched onto James' leg. Tsuna glared at how tame he was acting. It was all lies! That Koala was a fierce and combative animal!

"He's pretty cute," Snicker commented, kneeling down to eye level with the creature and automatically offering his bag of popcorn. "What's his name?" He asked while the grey critter slowly lumbered forward like a harmless kitten.

"Watch out, Snicker," Tsuna growled while glaring at the animal. "Don't let him fool you."

"Eh?"

"That's Muji," James laughed. "He's a peculiar fellow, much like Suoh. He likes who he likes and he never really liked Suoh. I think he was jealous because Suoh stayed with Rojo so much."

"You were scared of that thing?" Charlie laughed, making all amusement seep out of Tsuna completely. They thought he was an idiot for being scared of Muji, but it was Muji's fault!

"Can I see Rojo?" He asked in hopes of getting some of his pride back.

"Sure," he nodded. "Just be careful. He hasn't seen you in years. He might not--" James broke off in surprise when Rojo immediately responded to the song that Tsuna started whistling. The lion jumped to its feet in recognition, letting out a roar that grabbed the attention of everyone making their way into the circus tent. Leaving James' side since he had permission, he slowly walked forward with his hand held out while keeping the whistle going. After a moment, Rojo's roars seemed to pick up a beat that Tsuna had to grin at. He remembered the song and inserted his roars in all the most perfect spots so that it seemed almost like a planned show. He moved slowly as he approached, letting Rojo connect him with the music before daring to get within reach. He knew that he smelled slightly different than Rojo probably remembered, so it was imperative that he let the lion get used to the alteration of his scent first.

"That's a good boy," he praised, breaking off the song in order to reach through the bars and scratch the lion's muzzle. He jumped in surprise at the applause that broke out behind him, spinning in place to find that a crowd had gathered up to watch while he'd approached the beast. Then he grinned, seeing the dumbfounded look on Snicker and Charlie's faces. James was just looking at him with a crooked grin with the Koala latched onto his arm from where the critter had scrambled due to Rojo's fearsome roars. "Unlike Muji," Tsuna chuckled when the lion put his nose up to the bars to lick the side of Tsuna's face in greeting, "Rojo doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

"What did I tell you?!" James commented with a roar of laughter. "Definitely weird!"

* * *

"Did you have fun?" Tsuna sighed, relaxing against Snicker's bare chest in absolute bliss. They'd dropped Charlie off at his own home before returning to the Dojo. Overall, Tsuna was satisfied with the day's events. He felt that he'd actually made progress in getting the kid to accept him, if not actually like him. The smile on Snicker's face over having gotten to spend time with both Tsuna and Charlie was enough to make Tsuna feel like he'd accomplished what he'd been wanting with his gift.

"It was a lot of fun," Snicker mumbled in sleepy agreement. "We should start going every year. I didn't know the circus would be like that. You see trapeze artists on television sometimes, but it's different to see them in person. I thought my heart was going to stop every time they went flying through the air like they did."

"You know what to expect on television," he replied. "In person, you never know if they're going to mess up because it's live."

"Seeing you juggle was interesting, too," Snicker commented. "I didn't know you could do it that well."

"I've been practicing."

"And meeting the guy who did your tattoos was pretty neat."

"He's a nice guy."

"And the guy that taught you the fire breathing trick that you used on the Belfang," he continued. Tsuna paused, hearing a strange note lingering through all of the comments.

"What's wrong?" He asked, slowly sitting up in confusion. 'You don't sound happy."

"I don't know," he mumbled as he pulled his hair-tie out in order to let his hair fall free down the back of his neck. "I think that all of that just made me realize how little I know about you. I mean, you've told me a lot, but seeing it for myself is a little different. I mean, you're living in the state that I was raised in, where I've never even been to the country that you were."

"Isn't that okay?" Tsuna inquired worriedly, playing with his toes to keep his hands and eyes busy. "I live here now and you've been with me during the important parts of my life. I didn't really leave anything special behind in Namimori. Not like with you and the trophies that Charlie was talking about in your school gym. I was No-Good Tsuna when I was younger. All my friends were people that someone else made for me and I never had any ambition. When I met you, I left all that behind and I don't regret it. I'm a different person now."

"Then I guess you don't want these," Snicker grumbled, tossing two brochures on top of Tsuna's feet. Leaving off of his toes, Tsuna pulled open the full one and his eyes widened when he saw that they weren't brochures. They were plane tickets that made his heart leap into his throat at the insinuation.

"What--?" He choked, finally looking up to see Snicker smiling at him.

"Happy Anniversary," he replied quietly. "Cheesy poems aren't really my thing, so I got these instead. I thought you'd like to take a visit back home. You haven't been collecting my check to add to our group funds, so I talked to everyone and I've been saving it all up. It might have been only sixty dollars a week, but that adds up. You never take any money out of the safe for yourself, so everyone agreed that we could take a little with us for spending money. The tickets are open-ended, too, so you can pick when you want us to go for a little vacation."

"Us?" Tsuna asked breathlessly, feeling his thoughts racing so much that he couldn't quite keep up.

"I'm coming with you, of course," he laughed. "I already told you. I want to see the country that you were raised in."

"W-We're going to Japan?" He asked dumbly. "But what about--?"

"Don't worry about being recognized," he soothed, already knowing all of Tsuna's objections to going. "You look too different now, compared to when we first met. As long as you keep your hair under wraps and your shirt on, you should be perfectly fine. It's not like we're moving there, Suoh. We're just taking a little trip. You won't be there long enough to catch anyone's attention. Plus, Gigi mentioned something about you wanting to see me in a kimono...?"

"W-What?!" Tsuna spluttered with a bright blush. His thoughts seemed to snap into place from the sudden shock of embarrassment, after which Tsuna looked back and forth between Snicker and the tickets numerous times. It was a trip. A trip to Japan with just him and Snicker. No Charlie. No gang. No work. Nothing but him and Snicker alone on Tsuna's home turf. When it hit him, he let out an ecstatic cry and flung himself forward into Snicker hard enough that they both went tumbling off the bed. It was several more minutes before he let Snicker up, ensuring that he got his gratitude across by sheer quantity of kisses. "When can we go?!" He exclaimed.

"Whenever you want," he laughed. "You get to pick when. Just give me a few days notice so I can put in the paperwork for my vacation."

"Um," he murmured, already getting numerous dates flashing through his head. Now. During the time that the cherry blossoms were due to bloom. The summer festival. Valentines day. He refused to wait until fall or winter, but there were a hundred things happening in the next few months that it was hard to pick a day. "Let's go at the end of March," he suggested, biting his lip in thought. "I want you to see the sakura blooming."

"Really?" Snicker said in surprise. "That's still a few months away. I thought you'd want to go sooner than that."

"I do," he laughed in return, "But I can be a little patient. You've never seen sakura and I want you to experience it. After that, we can go to Mount Fuji and maybe Tokyo Tower. We can also stop by a shrine. Then I've got to let you try some real sashimi. Plus, we can go to some hot springs and there's sumo and maybe we could do a tea ceremony together and there's the festivals and--"

"Slow down!" Snicker exclaimed, seeing that Tsuna was nearly bubbling over with ideas. "You don't have to think about keeping me entertained, Suoh. This is my gift to you. I'll be happy just to see you enjoying yourself and maybe see your hometown."

Tsuna's excitement came to a screeching halt.

"M-My hometown...?" He repeated quietly. "Y-You want to go to Namimori?"

"Unless you don't want to," Snicker soothed, his eyes narrowing instantly at Tsuna's quiet tone.

"I didn't think about that," he admitted softly while his heart slowly started sinking. "Going to Japan is one thing, but Namimori... I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."

"We don't have to go to your hometown," Snicker repeated, pulling the plane tickets out of Tsuna's hand in order to stick them in his side table. "But I don't want you to miss your chance to visit. Take your time deciding. We ain't in any hurry to cash those in. When you know whether you want to visit Tokyo or Nami-whatsits or some place completely different, just let me know. Those tickets are good for anywhere. We don't even have to go to Japan if you don't want to. We could go to Hawaii or the Bahamas instead!"

"You didn't have a plan when you bought those," Tsuna commented knowingly. "You just got some tickets and made up your mind to tell me they were for Japan while we were at the circus."

"Maybe..." He said with a sheepish blush. "But I think I was on the right track with Japan. Now what happened to all that excitement from a minute ago?"

"I'm still excited," Tsuna grinned, crawling forward on top of Snicker. "Whether or not we go to Namimori is up in the air, but we're definitely going to Japan. I'm going to get you in a yukata one way or another."

"Do I want to ask what that is?" Snicker asked with a small grimace. Tsuna grinned evilly while he ducked down into a breathlessly sweet embrace.

Let him wonder.


	51. Chapter 51 Sons

Mount Fuji sat in the distance, illuminated by the full moon. The smell of sakura drifted on the air, making Tsuna's heart calm while he bathed in the heat from the hot spring.

"I-I can't take anymore, Tsuna," Snicker panted with a flushed expression.

"Just a little longer," Tsuna murmured with amusement. Snicker had been so cute in his yukata. He'd become even cuter when it'd fallen off of his shoulders and the belt had been removed. As he was now, he was dressed more in the steam from the hot spring than in clothing. It clung to his skin, creating a glistening sheen on his bare skin that Tsuna took great pleasure in licking off as it collected. "Do you want me, Joshua?" He asked seductively.

"Yes, Tsuna," he panted. "I want you to _get back to work_."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked, snapping back to himself in an instant. Looking at Mount Fuji, he blinked several more times before it resolved into Isaac standing over him with an infuriated look on his face. A few more seconds of looking around turned the hot spring into a sink of hot water, the moon turned into the light fixture overhead, and his poor Snicker turned into the plate in his hands. "Aww," he mumbled in disappointment. "You made Joshua go away."

"Get your head out of the clouds," Isaac growled with a weary rumble. Tsuna flinched at the sound. It was a measure of how often he'd drifted off during the past few days that Isaac didn't even yell at him anymore. He wanted to blush since he knew the expression that his coworkers were slowly getting used to seeing on his face, but he really didn't have any shame when it came to Snicker. A spaced out and slightly drooling expression was nothing when he thought about the expression on Snicker's face in his daydreams. "I know that you're excited about visiting your homeland," Isaac said in a strangely understanding tone. "But keep your mind on your work. If you run behind, it starts getting in our way. The kitchen is running out of plates and the pans are starting to pile up."

"Oh," he gaped with wide eyes, slowly taking in the scolding for once instead of blowing off Isaac's words. Maybe it was the tone, but he usually ignored Isaac's scolding. This time he felt the need to listen. "I'm sorry," he mumbled apologetically while he rushed over to grab a stack of clean plates to take into the kitchen. "You're right. I shouldn't let my plans affect my work. I'll try to do better from now on."

"Don't worry about it today," he grumbled as he walked back out of the dish pit ahead of Tsuna. "It's already closing time. Just don't come in tomorrow if you can't keep your head screwed on straight."

"It's already closing time?" Tsuna paled, looking over at the three tubs of dirty dishes he still had to do. That wasn't including the dishes from those still eating, the dishes from the kitchen, and the cups from the waiter's pit. He was going to be there all night! "Aww, shit."

"You only have yourself to blame," he sighed while Tsuna went to pick up a stack of plates from the stocked shelf. Carrying them into the kitchen, Tsuna raised an eyebrow at his tone once more, finding a understanding and quiet Isaac something to be very worried about. The man was usually so boisterous and loud.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked while he dropped off a load of plates onto the almost empty shelf that the cooks pulled from. Isaac completely ignored the question, walking over to take over cleaning the stove so one of the other cooks could start working on the floors.

"Don't worry about him," the undercook that actually liked Tsuna whispered. "He's been trying to hide it, but he's been getting homesick ever since he heard that you were taking a trip back. He hasn't been back to his homeland in almost eight years."

"His homeland?" Tsuna repeated in surprise. "You mean Isaac is an immigrant, too?"

"Yup," he nodded. "He started working for Papa Paolo so that he could keep his visa after they kept denying his application for citizenship. He's been trying to get an American wife to get around that, but he's too much of a workaholic to find one. On top of that, he's afraid that if he goes back to visit his home, they'll cancel his worker's visa once he's out of the country."

"That sucks," Tsuna murmured. The undercook shrugged and went back to work, leaving Tsuna to get back to his own duties. While he quickly tried to stock up the kitchen and play catch-up, he absently kept an eye on the chef. Despite the undercook's advice not to worry, Tsuna couldn't help but worry. It was partially his fault that Isaac was depressed. He hadn't been thinking of others when he'd been letting himself space out in simple happiness over the forthcoming trip home. He'd been too busy wondering how much Japan had changed in three years and had been thinking about how much he wanted to show Snicker.

Try as he might, he couldn't think of a single thing to say to make him feel better. Hopeful words would just make him feel worse since he looked like he'd completely given up on returning home. Then Tsuna had it. The one thing that could make anyone smile. In Isaac's case, it might get him strangled, but it'd still make him smile. Leaving off on his dishes once more, he put Isaac as priority in order to make up for his screw up. The grin on his face caught everyone's attention when he boldly walked through the kitchen while wiping his hands off on his apron. He had a plan. The question was whether it'd work. Isaac glanced up at Tsuna when Tsuna came to a stop beside him before turning his attention to the grill once more. When Tsuna didn't say anything or move away, he glanced up once more with a look of askance on his face.

"What do you want?" Isaac growled. Tsuna grinned even more widely and started. Left hand first. Right hand. Left hand. Right hand to the right. Left hand to the left. Expression of shock. Oh no! He was stuck in a box! "What the fuck are you doing?" Isaac asked with a look of utter bewilderment on his face. In answer, Tsuna drew a door and mimed that the doorknob was stuck before gesturing for Isaac to open it for him from the outside.

The rest of the kitchen crew began trying to hide their laughter when Isaac just shook his head no. He wasn't about to play Tsuna's miming game. In reply, Tsuna started banging on the invisible door and pulling at the invisible doorknob harder, throwing in a few occasional reiterations to show that he was stuck in a box. When that didn't work, he wiped the imaginary sweat off of his head and sighed like he was tired. Fluffing the pillow on an imaginary chair behind him, he sat in midair. That particular trick was harder than it looked, especially when he crossed his legs. He could feel his muscles screaming, but it was a good exercise in both strength and balance. Once seated, he mimed making himself tea and went so far as to offer Isaac some.

Isaac still refused to play, but at least Tsuna had his attention. He looked like he was regaining some of his spirit, too. It was hard not to with so many people chuckling around him. Laughter was always the best medicine and it didn't necessarily have to be his own to be effective. Tsuna was relying on the others in order to pull Isaac in. He was determined to get Isaac to smile. Standing back up and pretending to roll up his sleeves, he tried feeling around his box once more with a slightly different method. His body language and slow precision while his hands crawled up one wall told the onlookers that he was looking for a different way out. It was one he found, at the most upper of his reach. He had to stand on tip-toe to get to it, but he felt a ledge. Running his hand along the ledge so that people could see it in their minds, he grabbed hold and hopped slightly as if attempting to climb out. A second hop got him a little higher. On the third hop, he pretended to lose his grip and his balance. He fell on the floor, landing on his rear hard enough that Isaac's icy facade finally cracked a little bit.

Standing up and dusting himself off with a look of irritation on his face, he tried the doorknob once more. This time, it opened so easily that Tsuna showed a display of irritation at it despite the applause he received from the rest of his coworkers. He wasn't done yet, though. Isaac still hadn't smiled. He didn't seem depressed anymore, but the new goal was to get him to admit it to himself by smiling. In effort to do that, Tsuna reached out to grab three of the lemons still on the workspace that Isaac used to cook with. Stepping back to give himself room, he started juggling them in hopes that they'd finish the job that his miming had started.

It might have worked if Papa Paolo hadn't stopped it after only one cycle. He snatched the lemons out of the air before Tsuna even knew that the man was behind him. Slowly turning around, he grimaced at the unhappy look on the man's face. He looked ready to skin someone, which was far angrier than Tsuna had ever seen him before.

"Suoh," he said in a deceptively dangerous tone while absently throwing the lemons back to Isaac. "Why are you playing around in my kitchen? Have you finished your work so quickly that you have time to spare for these childish games?"

"N-No," he answered, his face turning pale when he realized exactly how angry Papa Paolo was with him. Apparently Papa Paolo was the type that got really quiet when he got really angry. Tsuna had been yelled at by him a few times in the past, but this was the first time seeing him in a cold rage. The light in his eyes was scary enough that he seemed to tower over Tsuna entirely, making him overly-aware that the man wasn't happy with how he'd been spacing out the past few days.

"You know that I don't like slackers," he commented quietly. "Are you a slacker, Suoh?"

"N-No," he squeaked, his voice breaking slightly under the force of Papa Paolo's anger.

"Then get back to work," he ordered. Tsuna nodded frantically and scrambled back for his dish pit. Everyone else took the cue from the man's glare, returning to work at a frenzied pace. There was no doubt about it. Isaac might manage the kitchen, but Papa Paolo was the one who was truly in charge of it. He faintly heard Papa Paolo lecturing Isaac, as well, which made Tsuna grimace. It couldn't be helped, though. All Tsuna could do was to get himself in gear so that he could try to catch up as quickly as possible.

Stocking the kitchen took far longer than he imagined. Everything was almost gone, telling him that he'd daydreamed straight through a large after-dinner rush. Whether it was sauce-bowls, bowls, saucers, plates, silverware, cooking utensils, pots, or pans, everything was down to the last few clean pieces. In truth, he was lucky to not get fired over having let the kitchen run so low on clean dishware. It told him exactly how depressed Isaac really was to have been allowed to screw up for so long without getting told off. The waiter's area was even worse. There were two tubs of regular cups piled up, a tub of wine glasses, and a fourth tub that looked to be full of coffee and teacups. It was all overflow from where he'd forgotten to collect them from when he'd first shown up at work. While he was taking the tubs back to the dish pit to store on an empty shelf until he could clean them, Arthur began showing up with the dishes from out front. One tub. Two tubs. Six tubs. Seven. Tsuna groaned and nearly started crying when Arthur brought in yet another tub and it had to be put on the floor since the shelves were full.

"Sorry," he grimaced apologetically. "We had a party of thirty come through. Right after those, we got another four parties of five before we could shut the doors. They're just now getting finished eating."

"I'm going to be here until morning," Tsuna groaned. Arthur gave him a sympathetic grimace, but Tsuna knew that he really only had himself to blame. The only thing he could do was to get started on them since they wouldn't wash themselves. Setting the pots and pans in a sink full of water to soak while he worked on the plates first, Tsuna considered the idea of calling some of his gang in to help after everyone else left. It was an idea that he discarded as soon as he remembered Papa Paolo's fearsome expression. _Are you a slacker? _That expression gave Tsuna shivers and the mere memory set him to doing the dishes in a frenzy. He started working so fast that he was actually getting ahead of the dishwasher for once. That meant he had time to sort through the tubs so that the plates, bowls, and so forth were all stacked together. Having them sorted allowed him to work even faster, which meant that he could start scrubbing the pots and pans by hand.

It wasn't until his hands started cramping up from scrubbing that he stopped to look around. It'd gotten quiet, telling him that everyone had already left. It wasn't unusual for him to be the last one to leave. Isaac had screwed him over by hiding tubs of dishes often enough that Papa Paolo had given him the responsibility of closing the building when he left. The kitchen staff were permitted to leave when the last customer did, assuming the kitchen was cleaned by that time. The waitresses and bartender could leave when their work sectors out front were cleaned and set right. Whoever was assigned to bus tables could leave when the last dish was collected and the host could leave whenever the doors were closed. Papa Paolo was usually the last to leave with the day's bank deposit, but he had given Tsuna his trust on one particularly bad night when Tsuna had honestly tried to keep up and had gotten overwhelmed at the last minute by several large group's worth of dishes. Since then, Papa Paolo simply left him to work and locked up everything except the back door. The back door was Tsuna's exit and it was his job to set the alarm before he left.

Massaging his hands to get the cramps out, he kicked the back door open. He couldn't walk out of it on the off-chance the door would shut, but it was perfectly okay to sit in the doorway to take his smoke break since everyone had already left. The only light on in the building was the one coming from his own work area, which made him wonder how long ago Papa Paolo had scolded him. It'd seemed like just a few minutes, but time flew past when one was focused on a task. When Tsuna took in account how little he had left, he assumed that it'd been hours ago. All he had was the rest of the pots and pans, plus a stack and a half of bowls.

A tired glance up at the moon proved that it was past midnight, although the moon wasn't anywhere near ready to set. Putting that knowledge together with the fact that the restaurant closed its doors at ten and he saw exactly the reason for his cramped hands. At closing, he'd had twenty-six tubs of dishes to catch up on. He was down to four now. That meant that he'd done twenty-two tubs in three to four hours. A tub could hold somewhere between one or two dozen random dishes. That figured to... The problem was more complex than middle school math, so he couldn't it figure out. He'd never been good at math to begin with, which was why he had an accountant. The bottom line was that he'd been cleaning like crazy, though.

Throwing his cigarette butt into the alley, he let the door fall shut while he got back to work. It was another hour to finish in completion. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction while he wiped the empty sink down and stacked up the empty tubs, he wanted to groan when he realized that he'd just have to come in and do it all again later in the afternoon. It was a good thing that it wasn't one of his sleep nights. He had a feeling that he'd be dead tired if it were. As it was, all of his daydreaming during the day made it so that he'd barely needed to sleep at all on the previous night. Four hours instead of eight had put him back at his peak for the new set of days.

Setting the security alarm on his way out, he made sure that the door was shut firmly before turning to head for home. Despite his promise to Snicker, there was always one part of the night when he had to walk alone and that was his walk home. Daren and his crew had a home now, so they no longer were in the neighborhood to escort him. He knew that he could ask one of the others to go get him, but he honestly didn't want to put anyone out just because of a little paranoia. Especially since he never knew what time he'd be walking out the doors. Although, not all of it was in his head. There were plenty of things to be scared of in the streets, especially since not everyone had automatically become a good boy after Tsuna had terrified them. Such as the three guys beating up a man and stealing his wallet at the other end of the alley. Those kind of people never--

"Hey!" Tsuna exclaimed, realizing what he was seeing. Namely, three guys beating up a man and stealing his wallet. Running down the alley, Tsuna shouted several more times to tell them to stop before any of them caught a glimpse of his face in the shadows. The moment that they did see who he was, their stances went from ready to fight into ready to run. At a final shout, the guy holding the wallet dropped it in terror and darted off on the heels of his friends. Tsuna let them go, far more worried about the guy sitting slumped over against the alley wall. "Oi," Tsuna asked worriedly, kneeling down next to him. "Are you alright? Hello? Let me know if you're okay."

"I'm okay," the man croaked dizzily. Tsuna helped him to sit up straight, grimacing slightly over the guy's battered face. He looked like he'd really taken a beating. "Where's Houston?"

"I think that's in Texas," Tsuna answered worriedly. "We might need to get you--"

"Not the city," the man corrected, seeming to regain sense while he looked around in worry. "My son. Where's my son?! Houston?!" He called, scrambling up to his feet while he seemed to run in circles in worry. "Holly?!"

"I'm here, Daddy," a small voice echoed from behind the alley's dumpster. "We hid like you told us to. Is it safe to come out now?"

"It's safe," he sighed, stumbling over to meet the kid. Tsuna blinked, slowly taking in the man's clothing in comparison to his kids. He'd misjudged since the guy was wearing a suit. What he hadn't noticed was that the suit was rumpled and worn like it'd been slept in for several days. It became obvious when the little boy came out of hiding. He had a smudge of dirt across his face and his sandy brown hair showed the dirt that his father's dark locks hid. The thing that really made Tsuna pause, however, was the small baby that the little boy was holding and the small diaper bag slung across his shoulder. The baby got scooped up into the man's arms and the little five year old boy got pulled into a tear filled hug of relief. "Thank you," the man wept, turning around to look at Tsuna in gratitude. "Who knows what those thugs might have done if you hadn't run them off."

"I didn't really do anything," Tsuna replied sheepishly.

"You did enough by not ignoring me," he replied earnestly. "Me and my family owe you our... our lives..." The man trailed off seeming to use all of his focus to keep from falling over and to keep from dropping the baby in his arms. Tsuna darted forward to help him once more, snatching the little girl from him before she could be dropped.

"Hold on," Tsuna murmured while he helped the man to sit back down. "I think you have a concussion. We should probably get you to a hospital."

"No hospitals," he objected dizzily. "They'll take away my kids."

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing," Tsuna said with a small grimace. "I can tell from your clothes that you recently had to start living on the streets. You probably want to keep your family together, but the street is no place for kids. You should be thinking about them. They'd be better off in a temporary foster home than out here where they have to hide behind dumpsters because their daddy is a sitting duck for muggers."

"Y-You're right," the man replied with tears in his eyes. He looked like he was about to have a breakdown, which was definitely no sight for two small children to see. "But they're all I've got. Without them--"

"Come on," he interrupted before the man could say more. The words 'they're all I've got' said everything that needed to be said. For Tsuna, such sentiment was enough to make him determined to help the man instead of leaving it to the state. It was quite possible that he could get into a program where they could stay together, but a single man with two kids made the prospect doubtful. He couldn't work and watch a baby at the same time. Helping the man up and guiding his arm around his shoulders so that he could lean on Tsuna to walk, Tsuna looked down at the little boy who was left. "Your name is Houston?" He asked carefully.

"Yes," he answered, looking back up with a set of innocently large amber eyes.

"I'm going to help your daddy," Tsuna said slowly. "Will you come with us?"

"Okay," he nodded.

"I'm going to let my friend out to show you the way," he warned. "She might look scary, but she's really nice. Just follow her and we'll be right behind you."

"Okay," he agreed once more. Tsuna nodded in return before quietly calling for Jewel to come out. The man on his shoulder blinked several times at the sight of her when she appeared while the little boy let out a little shriek that was a cross between a giggle and a squeal of excitement. Tsuna smiled at the sound, quickly remembering that bugs were little boy's best friends.

Quickly giving Jewel instructions, the scarab scrambled down his leg in order to skitter down the sidewalk at a lurching pace that kept the boy walking ahead of them while he tried to give chase so that he could pet the bug's shell. Tsuna blinked a few times over it. She'd went from orange to blue upon being touched the first time, which only seemed to make the boy even more excited to catch it. The baby still cradled in one of his arms was sleeping soundly through it all and Tsuna tried not to wonder at the strange feeling of happiness that washed over him when she gave a soft sigh of contentment due to the warmth his body leeched into her blankets.

The man seemed to get worse while they navigated toward Tsuna's home. His feet kept getting tangled and he nearly fell twice. He had to stop entirely at least a half-dozen times when his head started swimming. He forced himself to keep going, though, and Tsuna could see the reason why. Almost the entirety of his focus was on the little boy walking ahead of them. He wasn't thinking anymore. He was just trying to keep up with his son. Tsuna thought about talking to him to make sure that he stayed conscious, but it looked like his son was doing that for him. As long as the little boy kept moving, so would the father.

"Where are you taking me?" The man asked into the silence, seeming to finally notice that they were moving in the opposite direction of the hospital.

"What's your name?" Tsuna asked in return.

"Warren," he answered, clenching his eyes shut momentarily in effort to get them to work right while they continued stumbling forward.

"Well, Warren," Tsuna sighed, "I like to think of myself as a realist, but the truth is that I can't just leave people when they're in trouble. That probably makes me a hypocrite, but I stopped caring about what other people thought years ago. If I took you to the hospital, you'd probably lose your only reason to keep going and I can't let myself be responsible for something like that. So, instead, I'm taking you home with me. Actually, I'm taking you to some friends, but they live across the street from me. We'll get you fixed up in no time. After that, I want to hear how you got like you are."

"There's not much to tell," he replied sadly. "I used to work for Nubian Financial, but they got bought out. The guy who bought it found out that my boss and my boss' friends were using some scheme to rack in millions. They got fired and because my boss is a jerk, he used me as a scapegoat to save his own hide. I lost my job. I tried to get another job, but no one will hire me now. I've been blacklisted because of the lie that my boss spread. I sold my house and my car to keep us going for a while, but my apartment rent started falling behind and then we were evicted. The landlord confiscated all of our stuff to pay the back rent and I had to sell what I got to take with me to get diapers and food for the kids."

"What happened to your boss?" Tsuna asked quietly, his whole body tense when he realized that he partially to blame for the man's troubles.

"He got his just desserts in the end," Warren chuckled. "He's in jail. I'm not upset that he was caught. I'm sure he ruined a lot more lives than mine. Maybe this is my punishment. You know, because I kept my mouth shut even after I saw what he was doing. I thought, as long as I keep doing my job right, I couldn't be held accountable for his misdeeds. I know better now. Life isn't that easy. It's harder to do what's right, but I should have done it anyway. Maybe my kids wouldn't be suffering now if I'd done the right thing back then."

"You didn't know," he soothed quietly in return. "I'm not going to lie to you, Warren. The guy that bought out Nubian Financial is my Boss and I'm the one that asked him to do it. My friend's company was the next one on their chopping block and--"

"If you're trying to apologize, then don't bother," he interrupted tiredly, pausing yet again to catch his breath before once more stumbling along with Tsuna's aid. "You did what I should have done sooner. I'm glad that I got to meet you, though. If a guy like you is what set the hounds loose, then I've got nothing to complain about. I knew it before, but god wasn't out to get me when I got fired. He was just giving me a wake-up call."

Tsuna didn't have any way to respond to such a sentiment, so he fell quiet once more while they continued to walk down the sidewalk. The closer they got to their destination, the more that Warren seemed able to stand up straight and the less that he had to pause to catch his breathe. He was getting his second wind, which was good since Tsuna felt himself getting a crick in the neck from him leaning on his shoulder. Then the building was in sight and Tsuna sighed in relief that there was still people awake. Lights were lit on the first and second floor, while those who actually slept at night got the third and fourth so that there was a barrier of distance between them and the first floor. Even better, several people poured out when Whistler sent out a sharp signal to say that Tsuna had been sighted. The whistle touched him a little, since the signal was repeated and passed on until it was like a sharp hiss welcoming him home. Three sharp whistles after that signaled trouble and lights on the top two floors popped on while those who poured out of the building ran forward to help.

"What happened, Boss?" Whistler asked as he took over supporting Warren.

"I told you not to call me that," Tsuna growled with a dark glare. Whistler paled and grimaced, but it was something that he was having to remind everyone far too often lately.

"Sorry, Captain," he corrected. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Not me," he sighed as Jewel backtracked to crawl up his side so that she could sit on his shoulder rather than get stepped on by the multitude of feet. Reaching down, Tsuna grabbed Houston's hand to keep him close when he started to look scared at the other people that came pouring out. Seeing that he needed to get control before things got out of hand, he ignored the Boss title that people kept hitting him with in order to get them moving in the right direction. Namely, back inside. "Victor, run and see if Toto is awake. I think he's still working days down at the ER, so he should be home. If he is, ask him if he can come check Warren over for me. Harris and Pete, help Warren inside and be careful. I think he has a concussion. Devon, go get him an ice pack for his head. Steve, please tell me that we have a room open."

"We do," he answered sleepily, being one of the people from the top floor that had come down. Tsuna nodded and waited until they were through the front door and inside the green room before gesturing for him to continue with the silent 'but' that Tsuna heard attached to the word. "But you promised it to Tran and Wendy."

"Shit," Tsuna grimaced. Turning to the group of people rushing around to try to help, he tried to think of who to shuffle around. He couldn't decide. There were plenty of people that were just about ready to move out on their own, but it was kind of late at night to ask it of them so suddenly. "Um..." Tsuna mumbled, instantly getting silence that left him blushing. "Warren is going to need a place to stay with his kids. I hate to ask this, but--"

"We'll go."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped, looking over at where Tracer was standing with his girlfriend in their pajamas.

"It's fine with me," Kat agreed. "We were already looking for an apartment anyway. We can rough it until we find a place, as long as you don't mind us sleeping on some back-up cots down in the cafeteria until we get something."

"That's fine," Tsuna sighed in relief, giving both of them looks of complete gratitude. Then another idea came to mind. "Kat, how much do you like kids?"

"Enough that we're thinking of having one," she blushed. Tracer blushed, too, at the catcalls that answered the announcement. "I mean, um, when we finish getting set up on our own," she said hurriedly.

"Any chance you want some practice?" Tsuna asked, watching out of the corner of his eye while Toto showed up with a first aid kit and Devon appeared with the ice pack he's sent for. "If Warren is going to work, he's going to need a babysitter. He won't be able to pay you at first, but--"

"That's fine!" Kat exclaimed before he could finish. "Nadine hired me to help down in the cafeteria, but that's just for a few hours at night to help prep for morning. Other than that, I'm all free."

"Good," he sighed. Carefully kneeling down, he looked at Houston for a moment until he knew that he had the boy's attention. He seemed faintly overwhelmed with all the people standing around and was clinging to Tsuna's pant leg in growing apprehension. "Houston," he asked carefully. "Can you tell me how old you are?"

"Six," he said, holding up two sets of three fingers.

"That's great," Tsuna praised upon seeing that he could count. "And do you go to school?"

"I used to," he said with a small pout. "But Daddy said I couldn't go again until we had a house."

"You have a house now," Tsuna soothed before the little boy could let the tears welling up in his eyes spill over. "Can you tell me where you went to school?"

"I don't know," Houston replied with a fat lip sticking out.

"Don't worry," he smiled. "We'll ask your Daddy when he's feeling better. Would you like to go to school again?"

"Can I still play with your Jewel-bug if I go?" He asked with a hopeful expression, his eyes immediately locking onto the orange scarab attached to Tsuna's shoulder.

"Of course you can," he agreed with a wide grin. "But you've got to listen to your teacher and make good grades."

"I will!" He exclaimed in a childish burst of excitement, his tears gone like they'd never been present.

"You've got to listen to Miss Kat, too," he added, pointing to Tracer's girlfriend. "Miss Kat is really nice, but you've got to be nice to her, too. She's going to watch you and your little sister while your Daddy is at work. I bet if you go introduce yourself, she can take you up to get something to eat before your bath. How does that sound?"

"Can I come back and see Daddy after that?" Houston asked with another wide-eyed, innocent look that seemed to stab Tsuna in the chest. He knew those eyes, but he just didn't know where from.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Is that okay, Daddy?" Houston asked, looking back at where his father had been forced to lay down on the couch. Warren nodded with a sad smile while he tried to fight tears, giving permission before allowing Toto to continue carefully probing the lump on his head. Once it was given, Houston ran over to Kat with a burst of energy before falling to a quiet stop in front of her. "Um, I'm Houston," he said, even though Kat already knew that much. "The nice man that helped Daddy said that I should go with you."

"Hello, Houston," Kat said, kneeling down to be at his level like Tsuna had. "I'm Kat. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, please," he replied with hesitant politeness.

"Make Isabella a bottle, too," Tsuna called without showing any signs of wanting to let the baby out of his arms. She was sleeping too soundly for him to want to let her go. Tracer and several others went with Kat so that the little boy would have people to talk to. Strangely, Tsuna saw a single common link with all of them. They were all people who'd ended up on the street at a young age or were from broken homes.

"Gale," Tsuna called to the man standing in a quiet corner of the room. Pulling out his wallet, we gave a small grimace as to what this would cost him. It was for a good cause, though, and it felt like the right thing to do. Just like his name, Gale was in front of him at the smallest hint of money. There was only one reason to call for Gale's help and that was for shopping. He was like a whirlwind and could stretch a dime like it was a dollar. When it came to speed-shopping, haggling, and getting what he wanted, Gale was the man to go to in order to get things done. "Take two guys with you. Your budget is two hundred this time."

"Two hundred?" He blinked in surprise.

"I know," Tsuna grimaced while he handed the billfold over. "It's a lot, but diapers aren't cheap and Isabella is going to need a crib. Houston needs clothes for school and Warren needs a few sets of clothes so that he can go to work. If you're going to get them this late, you're probably not going to get as good of a deal as you'd normally get for me."

"What kind of work?" Gale asked as he pulled two hundred out before handing Tsuna back his wallet.

"Still figuring that part out," Tsuna laughed. "Any chance you guys are hiring? He used to work at Nubian Financial, but got blacklisted unfairly."

"I think I can get him in," Gale murmured in thought. "Yes, I do believe I can. My boss has been upset over Desire's work lately. If he can come in and keep the books better than she can, then he can probably take her job. It'll be good riddance. That girl is a complete nuisance."

"How does that sound, Warren?" Tsuna called. "It's not a bank, but you'll still be getting a paycheck. Gale works at a check-cashing place down... on..." Tsuna trailed off, seeing that Warren was openly crying. He had been for a while from the looks of it. He was sobbing into his hands while apologizing repeatedly for breaking down. After a moment, there wasn't an eye in the place that wasn't glossed with tears out of empathy. They'd all been there. They all knew that moment when the path seemed to open up to lead them out of their personal hell. Such moments were the reason that Tsuna did what he did when it came to helping people. He got to create hope with the help of all of his friends. "Why don't you go take a hot bath and get something to eat, Warren?" Tsuna suggested. "Toto can treat you while you get cleaned up and I know you'll feel better once you've got food in your stomach. Just leave Houston to Kat and I'll watch Isabella until you're done."

"I'll go get some of my spare clothes for him," Devon offered.

"I'll go help Tracer pack up his and Kat's stuff," Victor added.

"I'll go with you," Whistler exclaimed. "They'll need fresh sheets!"

"We'll go with Gale to do the shopping," Harris and Pete said. Before long, everyone was getting themselves moving toward helping Warren get cared for and settled in. The gratitude on Warren's face was enough for everyone to accept him and want to help him. Several people went to help him in his bath and Tsuna pulled one aside to ask him to fill Warren in on the people he was living with. He didn't want Warren regretting his help once he found out that they were a gang. If told now, while he was still thinking about how much he was being given, he was less likely to do something stupid over the knowledge. After that, Tsuna left them to do the rest for him. They were all smart people. They'd seen Tsuna bring in strays often enough that they knew the drill once the initial surprise over the kids and the mugging got dealt with.

Looking down at the baby in his arms, he blinked in surprise to see that she was awake and looking around. Like her brother, she had brown eyes that seemed far larger than they should be. Hers were much darker than her brothers, taking more after her father's dark orbs. They were still adorable, however. Even more adorable was the bright smile that she sent up at him when he looked at her.

"Hello," he greeted with a matching smile, feeling incredibly warmed by such an innocent expression. "Are you getting hungry?"

"Goo!" She squealed happily, a bubble forming for a moment on her lips before popping. She giggled even more over the bubble and Tsuna could see instantly why Warren hadn't wanted to give her up. She was like a ray of sunshine that only seemed to get brighter when she was awake. It made him want to hug her and cuddle her, which surprised him far more than anything else in the night. He'd never thought of himself as a person to like babies, but she felt incredibly nice in his arms. Heading downstairs into the basement cafeteria with her, he found a second reason to smile when Houston jumped up in his seat at one of the three tables to greet Tsuna.

"Look at all the snacks they gave me!" He exclaimed, pointing at the boxes of leftovers that had been warmed up for him to chose from. "It's all so yummy! Even the green stuff tastes good! It's not like the stuff Daddy gives me! The peas taste sweet!"

"It's a rule of living here that everyone eats the green stuff," Tsuna replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "So we try to get the kinds that don't taste green. You might not believe it, but that cake that you're eating has carrots in it and the pie is made of pumpkins. The potato chips you're eating are also squash and sweet potatoes, plus there's the zucchini hidden in the bean burritos."

"What's a zoo-kini?" He asked curiously while Kat brought him a filled bottle and the diaper bag. Laying Isabella down carefully on the table, he pulled out what looked to be the last diaper from the bag and set to changing the little girl. It was strangely easier to do than he thought. She wasn't messy and a wet cloth worked to ensure that she was cleaned off until Kat could give both kids a bath. Kat started to take over for him in the assumption that he wouldn't know what to do, but his hands seemed to move on their own accord. It felt weird, but he already how to put the diaper on. That went under there. That went over there. Pop out the side tabs and attach them to the front. Check to ensure two fingers could fit between the diaper and her belly. It was finished in seconds, after which Tsuna had her comfortably wrapped up in her blanket like she was a stuffed burrito herself.

"Don't ask me," Tsuna laughed as he found himself a seat so that he could feed the little girl. "But I hear that it's a vegetable!" Tsuna paused in the process of putting the bottle in the little girl's mouth, seeing the look of complete shock over everyone's faces. "What?"

"You're as fast as Daddy!" Houston giggled before taking a bite of what looked to be a helping of cheesy mash potatoes.

"I-I am?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Uh huh," Kat confirmed with a gaping jaw. "I've never seen a guy put a diaper on before. I thought it was a myth that a man could figure out how to do it on the first try. Have you done it before, Suoh?"

"N-No," he answered. Before he could say more, he was distracted by Isabella in his arms. She could see the bottle and she was getting fussy that he wasn't handing it over. Quietly shushing her, he put it to her lips and waited for her to accept the nipple while he slowly rocked in place. She was so tiny in his arms. She couldn't be more than a few months old, which made Tsuna wonder about something much different than how the girls hid the vegetables. "Houston," he asked carefully without looking up. "Can you tell me where your Mommy is?"

"Mommy is in heaven," he answered without batting an eyelash. "She went away when Daddy brought Bella home. That's okay, though. Daddy says that if I'm a good boy, Mommy will become an angel and watch over me. He says that even if I can't see Mommy, Mommy still loves me and gives me hugs and kisses."

"Ah," Tsuna mumbled while every face in the room tried to hide how disturbing the revelation was.

"Do you know anyone in heaven?" He asked innocently. "Maybe they're with my Mommy."

"Yes," he replied quietly, keeping his eyes on where Isabella was starting to doze rather than look at any of the listening people in the room. "There is someone that was very important to me that's in heaven right now. I'm sure that she's watching, just like your mother is."

"Why did she go to heaven?" Houston asked, showing signs of the endless inquisitive nature of any kid his age. It wouldn't be so bad, but he could feel the curiosity of the people sitting around him while he tried to think of a way to answer such a tough question. He didn't want to shut the boy down, but he didn't want to talk about it, either.

"How's the cake?" Tsuna asked in hopes of distracting him.

"It's good!" The boy exclaimed. "I can't taste carrots at all!"

"Well, you keep eating," he smiled as he stood up with Isabella sleeping soundly in his arms. Handing the baby over to where Kat had sat down next to him, he tried to ignore the pang of disappointment that went through him over having to let her go. "I've got to go get some sleep, but Miss Kat will take you for your bath as soon as you're full. Guys, do you think you can take it from here?"

"Sure, Boss," Kyle soothed quietly. Tsuna nodded and turned away from his concerned expression, for once letting the title slide. It was the same expression that all the adults in the room were wearing. He'd revealed something about himself that only those who lived in the Dojo really knew about and they were bothered by how he'd dodged the question. They could live with it, though. It wasn't an inquiry that he could answer without finding himself questioned about his past. On top of that, there were some things that simply shouldn't be spoken of around such a young child.

He just wished that he knew why leaving them in order to cross the street to his own building hurt so damn much.

* * *

CICI: What's with you tonight?

FOOFOO: Yeah.  
FOOFOO: You're a lot quieter than normal.

CICI: Foofoo usually has to tell you to shut up.

BOOBOO: I dunno.  
BOOBOO: Just in a weird mood.

FOOFOO: Did something happen?

BOOBOO: Shit.  
BOOBOO: Behnd u!

CICI: I got it.  
CICI: You two talk.  
CICI: I'll keep eye out for enemies.

BOOBOO: Thx.

FOOFOO: Spill it BooBoo.  
FOOFOO: What happened?

BOOBOO: You'll get mad.

FOOFOO: Did you get in another fight?

BOOBOO: No.  
BOOBOO: They ran first.

FOOFOO: LOL  
FOOFOO: Who were they?

BOOBOO: Dunno.  
BOOBOO: But they were mugging this homeless guy.  
BOOBOO: Probably didn't know he was homeless cause he had a suit on.

FOOFOO: And?

BOOBOO: And I helped him.  
BOOBOO: Got him set up in my boarding house.

FOOFOO: You've got to stop that.  
FOOFOO: You can't just take in everyone that you come across.  
FOOFOO: Not everyone in the world is good.

BOOBOO: I know that!  
BOOBOO: Sheesh. Half the people in the gang are people that others think are bad.  
BOOBOO: It might look like I'm picking up everyone but I'm not.  
BOOBOO: There's hundreds out there that I have to ignore.  
BOOBOO: I don't like turning people away, but I know how to do it!  
BOOBOO: I've turned away a lot of people that would just turn on me.  
BOOBOO: And people that were dangerous or too far gone to accept help.

FOOFOO: I know, damnit.  
FOOFOO: But you act like a fucking charity.  
FOOFOO: I thought you said that you were going to stop that.  
FOOFOO: And you were going to focus on making your gang stronger instead of adding to it  
FOOFOO: Since you've got so many people so fast.  
FOOFOO: You said that you were scared that you had a lot of people, but that you had a weak bond.

BOOBOO: I KNOW  
BOOBOO: But this was different  
BOOBOO: I couldn't turn him away

FOOFOO: Why the hell not?  
FOOFOO: Just ignore his ass.

BOOBOO: He had kids with him!

FOOFOO: ?

CICI: ?!

BOOBOO: He had kids with him, Foofoo.  
BOOBOO: What was I supposed to do?  
BOOBOO: I couldn't leave him there right after he got mugged.  
BOOBOO: If I'd taken him to the hospital, they'd have taken his kids away.  
BOOBOO: He needed my help.

FOOFOO: Shit.  
FOOFOO: You're going off the map this time.  
FOOFOO: Is that why you're quiet tonight?  
FOOFOO: You're thinking about whether you did the right thing?

BOOBOO: No.  
BOOBOO: I know I did the right thing.

FOOFOO: Then what?

BOOBOO: It was the first time I've held a baby.  
BOOBOO: I dunno.  
BOOBOO: It made me feel weird.

FOOFOO: Weird like how?  
FOOFOO: Like you want one?

BOOBOO: Maybe.  
BOOBOO: I dunno.  
BOOBOO: It just felt nice.

FOOFOO: You know that it's impossible for you.  
FOOFOO: Not unless you turn straight.

BOOBOO: I know.  
BOOBOO: That's why I wasn't going to talk about it.  
BOOBOO: I'm not going to tell Josh about it.  
BOOBOO: I've told you that he already has a son from before.

FOOFOO: The spoiled brat without a clue.  
FOOFOO: Right?

BOOBOO: Something like that.  
BOOBOO: I don't think Josh would want another one.  
BOOBOO: When his relationship with that one is so rocky.  
BOOBOO: Plus, it might make Charlie jealous.  
BOOBOO: Make him feel like he's being replaced.  
BOOBOO: When he wouldn't be.

FOOFOO: So you're going to ignore your own feelings again.  
FOOFOO: Damnit.  
FOOFOO: You know that pisses me off more than anything else.

BOOBOO: Sry  
BOOBOO: But you were the one that asked.  
BOOBOO: WTF?

FOOFOO: ?

BOOBOO: Hold on.  
BOOBOO: Phone.

FOOFOO: Isn't it like four in the morning there?

BOOBOO: Yeah  
BOOBOO: AFK

Getting up, Tsuna darted over to pick up the phone on the third ring. He hoped that no one woke up from it. It was odd for someone to call so early in the morning, so the sound of it ringing took him completely by surprise. The only thing he could think of was that Eric was due for an early call-in and had forgotten about it.

"Hello," he greeted in surprise. "Uh, Orange Dragon Dojo. This is Suoh."

"Hello, Suoh." Tsuna's brain froze and his hands started trembling in recognition of the voice that greeted him in return.

"How d-did you get this number?" He asked shakily.

"I have a friend here with me that let me have it," he answered. "If you want to see who it was, why don't you come over?"

"No," Tsuna replied, hanging up the phone entirely rather than continue the conversation. It was probably one of the newer gang members that Gabriel had tricked. Unlike himself, those in his gang were strong enough that Gabriel wouldn't be able to hurt them. He wouldn't go. It was a trap. Gabriel was just trying to lure him out so that he could hurt him again. He refused! He refused! He refused! He-- He choked when the phone started ringing again, the sound of which made his knees tremble in full knowledge of who was probably on the other end of the line. Even so, he answered it. He couldn't let the phone wake up anyone else. If they knew that Gabriel had called him at home, there would be war. Tsuna didn't want his family involved in such troubles, so that meant he had to face it on his own. He could do it. He'd gotten stronger. Hadn't he just told Gabriel 'No'...?

"H-Hello," he answered with a harsh tremble. "T-This is Suoh s-speaking."

"Hey, Suoh," a new voice greeted. "Are you coming over or not? This place is crazy! Why didn't you tell me that you knew Mr. Martelli?"

"Put Gabriel back on the phone, Charlie," Tsuna ordered, trembling with something other than fear for once. So easily, he went from fear to rage. They had Snicker's son. Gabriel had dared to even breathe the same air as Snicker's son!

"Do I have your attention now?" Gabriel's slimy voice crawled across the phone lines a few minutes later. "I was just showing him around my place. What do you think? Should I show him the bedrooms next?"

"If you lay one finger on him," Tsuna warned, feeling his attempt to stay calm completely cracking, "So help me, Gabriel. I'll--"

"Be careful on what you say next," he growled in return. Tsuna froze, realizing instantly that he was in no position to make threats. Gabriel was holding all the cards. "That's better. Little Charlie is so innocent. I've been watching you, Suoh. When I saw you alone with a cute little boy instead of that old man, I got kind of jealous and decided to investigate. You really are a slut. Not just the father, but you're fucking the son, too."

"I'm not--"

"The father doesn't interest me, but I could find a lot of amusement with Little Charlie. He's so naive. I recognized him when he came in to my restaurant with his mother last night. I offered him a little pot and he showed up right on cue. He told his mother that he was going to morning practice and came to see me. Little Charlie followed me right into a my house after that. Such naivety should be rewarded. Don't you think? It might be fun to--"

"What do you want?" Tsuna interrupted tonelessly.

"I want something that's more fun to play with than a teenage boy," Gabriel replied with sickening smoothness. "Won't you come play with me, Suoh? We had so much fun last time. Didn't we?"

"Where are you?"

* * *

Tsuna didn't bother with the security checkpoints. He didn't bother with manners like knocking on the door. He'd come alone like Gabriel had ordered to ensure Charlie's safety, but he'd be damned if he played into Gabriel's hand the whole time. He'd find a way out before Gabriel got what he wanted. Somehow. He was hoping that he could hit him with enough surprise that he could grab Charlie and leave before Gabriel even knew that he was present.

He caught Charlie's scent as soon as he burst through the front door. It was hidden behind the smell of marijuana and other drugs that Tsuna didn't even want to put a name to, but it was there. He followed it down a shiny hallway and into a lavish bedroom. His first sight upon entering was Gabriel sitting far too close to Charlie on a couch and the joint that was in Charlie's hand. Darting forward before anyone could truly register his presence, Tsuna slapped the joint out of Charlie's hand. It was caught before it went flying too far, but it was enough to get the boy's attention.

"What the hell do you think that you're doing?!" Tsuna shouted into his face.

"Wha--?" He asked with a glazed look in his eyes. Tsuna yanked him up by his collar and started dragging him toward the door, seeing that talking to him would have to wait until later. Everything was going like planned, he repeated to himself mentally. Gabriel hadn't reacted to his presence yet. All he had to do was to get out of the room and then he could be gone like the wind. At least, that was the plan until Charlie himself objected. "Get the fuck off of me, you fag!" He yelled, ripping his arm out of Tsuna's grip in order to stumble several steps backward. "Who do you think you are?! You're not my fucking father!"

"Charlie," he gasped, grabbing his arm a second time while he tried to ignore the insults and the accusations. Such things didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting Charlie to safety before--

"Who said he wanted to leave?" Gabriel asked languidly, a wide smile playing along his lips to show his amusement for Tsuna's attempt to escape. Without even thinking about it, Tsuna threw Charlie behind himself to ensure that Gabriel really didn't lay a finger on him.

"We're leaving whether he wants to or not," Tsuna replied, forcing Charlie backward toward the door against his will. "I won't let you hurt him, Gabriel."

"You're being so difficult, Suoh," he sighed in return. Then he turned to look at Gabriel and Tsuna paled. "Charlie, perhaps you should leave so that I can talk to your father's friend. I'll see you again, though. Alright?"

"Fine," Charlie grumbled with a glare at Tsuna. "Assuming wannabe-Dad here doesn't stop me."

"We won't invite him next time," Gabriel promised with a wink. Tsuna's mind went completely blank when Charlie turned and left, seeing the threat that Gabriel had laced in so innocently. There was nothing that Tsuna could say to keep Charlie away. The boy didn't trust him and didn't even like him. He was Snicker's son, though. It was Tsuna's duty to protect him because of that. What was important to Snicker was important to him, even if that important thing was a clueless, naive, rebellious, spoiled brat. "You're starting to understand," Gabriel commented with a cruel smile once they heard the front door slam shut. "I don't have to keep him here for the threat to still be valid. If you make me mad, I'll just send someone to go pick him up again and he'll come willingly."

"Why are you doing this?" Tsuna asked around the lump of fear forming in his throat. "Haven't I made it clear that I don't like you?"

"I can make you like me," he replied without a care in the world. "I think I deserve something after you took away my rightful position as the next Family Boss. I thought about taking away the little boarding house that you live in," he murmured, making Tsuna turn completely pale. His knees and shoulders started shaking when he realized that Gabriel had the power to do that. He had the power as Papa Paolo's son, if not the power as heir. "I thought about destroying all your little friend's careers and getting that man-slut sent to prison. I thought of doing a lot of things, but I realized that none of them would give me satisfaction. I have to have you, personally, to get the satisfaction I want."

"What do you want from me?" Tsuna asked miserably. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I saw you first," he smiled, reaching out to take up a glass of dark wine while taking open delight in how he was controlling Tsuna. "As for what I want from you, I think that's pretty obvious. I want you to obey me like a good subordinate should. Tell me. Can you be a good subordinate, Suoh?"

"I-I w-won't," he answered while he lost control of where he was hiding his trembling. He was scared. He was scared out of his mind and his attempt to pretend otherwise was just bravado. Gabriel was too strong. He might be a weak fighter, but his strength was made of other things. Things like devious planning and practice with twisting words and people. For a guy who'd never graduated middle school, trying to outthink him was impossible. He'd already tried. He'd tried and he hadn't planned on Charlie fighting him like he had. That had given Gabriel time to start on his threats and those threats seemed far too easy for Gabriel to go through on.

Even seeing that and even though he was scared, he still refused. He refused because he knew if he escaped to his Family, there were people smarter than him that could figure out a way to counter him. It wasn't like before. Gabriel wasn't just threatening him now. He was threatening everything that Tsuna had built and he was threatening his Family. It didn't matter if it meant going up against Martelli because of that. His own Family came before the Mafia!

"You're such a treacherous subordinate," Gabriel sighed. "I didn't what to do this, but it looks like I'll have to use force to teach you how to listen."

"Bring it on," he replied defiantly. He was ready. He felt ready. He could stand up to Gabriel! He had every right to beat him up this time and... and... Tsuna's resolve faltered slightly. If he beat Gabriel up, he'd go to jail and that would hurt Snicker. That didn't matter, though! Snicker loved him and was strong enough to wait on him! He couldn't underestimate the strength of the people he loved! He wouldn't let Gabriel win! He wouldn't let Gabriel touch the same parts of him that Snicker--

Tsuna screamed and hit his knees in a blinding instant. It hurt too much to breathe. It hurt to much to think. He couldn't even react while the pain ripped through his eardrums like lances. Slapping his hands over his ears, he looked up in horror to see Gabriel completely unaffected by the piercing scream that brought tears to Tsuna's eyes. It hurt! The sound seemed to come from everywhere, sending pain through his body after first pulsing into his brain. He'd never heard such a sound before. It was worse than audio feedback. It was worse than Reborn's whistle. It was like someone had blown two dozen discordant whistles at the same time and was amplifying it through a loudspeaker. Then the whine escalated and Tsuna couldn't even scream. He simply convulsed while stars splashed through his vision, threatening to make him black out completely. When it finally shut off, he collapsed entirely, his nerves twitching while he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"...like...ot it...our weak...istles," Gabriel was saying. Tsuna could barely hear him. His ears throbbed between silence and sound, leaving him disoriented so that he couldn't put the words together very well. "...idn't believe... first, bu...eems q...fective. Mmm. Yo...ook v...mmm. Yes, I...like th... G...ordinates...ovel. Are you... ing to me? I said...!" Tsuna felt all the air exit out of his body at the sharp kick that his him in the gut.

It hurt. Nothing had changed. He'd been defeated without getting to land a single blow. Gabriel hadn't even had to stand up to defeat him. He wasn't ready. He'd been naive to think that he was ready. Gabriel... Gabriel was too strong. He couldn't win. He was weak and scared. Gabriel had a weapon that Tsuna couldn't block. Gabriel had strength that Tsuna couldn't dream of having. He'd thought it would be enough to strengthen his muscles, but Gabriel just struck him in a different way. It was going to be exactly like before. It was going to be exactly like that and he couldn't stop them. He didn't want that. He didn't! He didn't! He had changed! He could still fight!

With a scream of rage, Tsuna lashed out at one of the many people that had entered the room while he was floored. It connected, giving him hope that he could still escape. The man flew backwards and the group trying to pin him down paused at the sudden onslaught. Tsuna lashed out again and again, trying to go past his fear with the small hope that preparation had given him. One of his gloves had a steel plate hidden under the leather. His fist was weighted, making up for what fear sapped from his strength. Remembering that made him remember his other preparations. He unleashed his blade from hiding and reached behind himself to grab his butterfly knife out of his back pocket. It worked. The enemy backed up when he showed his teeth, giving him space to scramble to his feet and stumble toward the door. His sense of balance seemed distorted, but he could still walk. He could still move. He refused to submit when he could still fight! He would go home and warn everyone that Gabriel was targeting them. He'd warn Snicker so that the man could get a warning through to his son. He didn't have to fight alone anymore. Everyone was threatened this time, so he didn't have to bear the burden on only his own shoulders!

That was the plan, right up until his ear-drums exploded from the piercing whistle that was Gabriel's strongest weapon. The pain surged through his mind and body for a single instant before his sense of balance was gone completely. He fell over, losing his grip on his butterfly knife. He found himself unable to figure out where his hand was, let alone where the triggers for his retractable blade were. Everything was spinning and the vertigo made his stomach do flips. Moving was impossible. Seeing straight was impossible. Hearing was impossible. And, as something was blown in his face, smelling was impossible.

Within minutes, he was silently begging for oblivion.


	52. Chapter 52 Nailed

Tsuna didn't know what to do. They knew too much about him and they'd learned from last time. They'd used the whistle to make him submit. When they were done, they'd thrown him in Gabriel's heated pool to get rid of any of the evidence on him. They'd poured alcohol all over his clothes before redressing him in order to make it seem like he was talking drunk if he talked. The last thing they'd done was to shove his whole bottle of pills down his throat before shoving him out of the van that they transported him with. Even while he stumbled forward and they drove off in a rush, he could feel his body repairing itself from what they'd done to him thanks to the infusion of blood.

He had no proof. Even if he went straight to Autumn or Papa Paolo, they wouldn't believe him. He didn't have a mark on him and all the blood and other fluids had been washed away. He didn't know what to do. His Family would believe him, but what was the point of telling them now? They'd just want revenge. They'd be destroyed while trying to get it. If he'd had escaped, it would have been different. He would have told them so they could protect themselves. He couldn't tell them now. Not now. If he did, Gabriel would win. Snicker and all his friends would go to jail. He'd be left alone again.

The only thing he could do was to cope like he always had. Gabriel was satisfied for now. If he could go home and keep it hidden, he could keep his peace and quiet for a while longer. That's all he wanted. He wanted peace and quiet. He wanted to go on a trip to Japan with Snicker. He wanted to work hard and see his friends improve their lives. He wanted to watch while his family fulfilled their dreams. He could still do that. He just had to keep the boat from rocking. If he told anyone about this, there would be anger and rage. It wouldn't be quiet at all!

Cope. He had to cope. How had he coped before? Snicker. He'd told Snicker and that had helped. He couldn't tell Snicker this time, though. Snicker and he hadn't been as close back then. To tell Snicker now would hurt Snicker. He'd let someone else despoil him and stain him. Snicker might not want him if he knew, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. So many thought and memories were crashing around in his head that he couldn't think straight.

Noticing that told him what he should do, though.

He should go talk to Mike so that he could get his head to slow down.

That's what he'd do. He'd go talk to Mike.

* * *

BOOBOO: Hey.

FOOFOO: That was one hella long phone call.  
FOOFOO: And you broke your contract.  
FOOFOO: You logged out without talking to me.

BOOBOO: I didn't log out.  
BOOBOO: My character was booted when I logged in on friend's computer.  
BOOBOO: Can't go home yet.

CICI: Why not?  
CICI: Where have you been?

BOOBOO: I'd rather not say.  
BOOBOO: I just logged in because I remembered a different promise.

FOOFOO: Which one?

BOOBOO: Let me put it this way.  
BOOBOO: I've got a joint and I'm really tempted to smoke it.

FOOFOO: What happened?

CICI: Booboo?

FOOFOO: Are you still there?  
FOOFOO: What happened?

BOOBOO: It was a trap.  
BOOBOO: I knew it was and I still went.  
BOOBOO: He had Josh's son.  
BOOBOO: I had to go.

FOOFOO: Someone kidnapped Josh's son?

BOOBOO: No.  
BOOBOO: Charlie was there willingly.  
BOOBOO: But he didn't know.  
BOOBOO: I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen to me.  
BOOBOO: That bastard was just using him.  
BOOBOO: Charlie didn't know that he was a bad guy.  
BOOBOO: No one knows.  
BOOBOO: He's too good at pretending to be innocent.  
BOOBOO: But he's a bastard!  
BOOBOO: BASTARD!

FOOFOO: You're not making sense.  
FOOFOO: Some guy used Josh's son as bait.  
FOOFOO: And it was a trap for you.  
FOOFOO: That's all I've got so far.

BOOBOO: I'm going to log out now.

FOOFOO: Wait  
FOOFOO: What happened?  
FOOFOO: Did you get beat up again?

BOOBOO: Yes

CICI: Are you okay?

BOOBOO: No

FOOFOO: Have you went to the hospital?

BOOBOO: No

FOOFOO: Stop giving me yes and no answers!  
FOOFOO: How bad are you hurt?

BOOBOO: It's already healed.  
BOOBOO: My body is different than most people's.  
BOOBOO: There's no proof left to find.  
BOOBOO: They got rid of it before they dropped me off.

FOOFOO: What do you mean by proof?  
FOOFOO: You mean there's no bruises?

CICI: Did they do more than just beat you up, BooBoo?

BOOBOO: Yes  
BOOBOO: Can I log out now?

FOOFOO: Not until you tell us what all happened.  
FOOFOO: What did they do to you, Booboo?

BOOBOO: I don't want to talk about it!  
BOOBOO: Please just let me log out.  
BOOBOO: I'll be fine.  
BOOBOO: I'm always fine.  
BOOBOO: I just need to be left alone for a while.  
BOOBOO: There's nothing you can do about it anyway.  
BOOBOO: It's over and I just want to forget it.

CICI: Did they rape you, BooBoo?

BOOBOO: I'm logging out now.  
BOOBOO: You can hate me if you want.

FOOFOO: Go ahead, Booboo.  
FOOFOO: Come back when you feel like talking about it.  
FOOFOO: We'll listen.  
FOOFOO: You don't have to do drugs to get things sorted out.  
FOOFOO: We can help if you'll just trust us.

BOOBOO: You can't help me.  
BOOBOO: That's what people said last time.  
BOOBOO: And it still happened again.  
BOOBOO: He knows how to beat me.  
BOOBOO: I've tried to get stronger than him.  
BOOBOO: But he still always wins.  
BOOBOO: He hurt me, Foofoo.  
BOOBOO: And I don't have any way to prove it.  
BOOBOO: I can't even tell anyone  
BOOBOO: The only people that would believe me would just get hurt.  
BOOBOO: And the people that I need to believe me and could stop him are related to him.  
BOOBOO: They'd take his word over mine since there's no proof.  
BOOBOO: I don't know what to do.  
BOOBOO: I'm scared, Foofoo.

FOOFOO: Where do you live?

BOOBOO: Why?

FOOFOO: I can get access to a lot of information.  
FOOFOO: I can give you the name of someone who can help you.  
FOOFOO: You probably don't want me coming.  
FOOFOO: I'd just blow the bastard's brains out.

BOOBOO: That wouldn't help me at all.  
BOOBOO: That would actually be very bad for me.  
BOOBOO: It'd make him stop, but I'd lose everything  
BOOBOO: His family aren't people that I can piss off.  
BOOBOO: I work at his family's restaurant.

FOOFOO: Quit working there then.

BOOBOO: I can't!  
BOOBOO: I don't know how to explain this.  
BOOBOO: I need the backing of his family.  
BOOBOO: Without them, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

FOOFOO: What kind of trouble?

BOOBOO: The kind that the police can't help with.

FOOFOO: This guy's family...  
FOOFOO: What kind of family do you mean when you say family?

BOOBOO: What do you mean?  
BOOBOO: There's only one kind of family

FOOFOO: ...  
FOOFOO: Nevermind.  
FOOFOO: The bottom line is that you're tied in with this guy's family  
FOOFOO: So you can't hurt him.  
FOOFOO: But he has no problem hurting you.

BOOBOO: Pretty much.  
BOOBOO: I tried to fight back anyway.  
BOOBOO: But he use a sound device on me.

FOOFOO: Ow  
FOOFOO: You told me before that you were sensitive to sound.

BOOBOO: Yeah  
BOOBOO: Blew my eardrums out  
BOOBOO: I still can't hear that well.  
BOOBOO: It'll probably take the rest of the day for them to finish healing.

FOOFOO: Wow  
FOOFOO: You weren't kidding about healing fast.

CICI: Done processing, Foofoo.

FOOFOO: What do you got for me?

BOOBOO: ?

CICI: The best option is the one I think Booboo will refuse.  
CICI: He needs to tell those who will believe him  
CICI: That way he can be better protected in the future.

BOOBOO: No.  
BOOBOO: That'll just start a possible war in the city's underground.  
BOOBOO: I don't want that.

CICI: I thought you'd say that.  
CICI: So we go to option two.  
CICI: Cut off contact routes.  
CICI: The anger for quitting your job would be less than letting the truth out.  
CICI: Without your job and contact with his family, he can't get to you.

BOOBOO: Try again.  
BOOBOO: He lured me out this time.  
BOOBOO: He can do it again.  
BOOBOO: Plus, I still need his family.

CICI: True.  
CICI: Adding that factor into processing results.  
CICI: Option three is to let Foofoo blow his brains out.

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: Already been over that.  
BOOBOO: No.

CICI: Option four is to kill him yourself...?

BOOBOO: I want to.  
BOOBOO: But I can't figure out a way to do it without getting caught.

CICI: That last one was a joke.

BOOBOO: Oh.

FOOFOO: I can take care of it BooBoo.  
FOOFOO: All you have to do is give me a name.  
FOOFOO: He can disappear and no one will know that you were involved.

BOOBOO: You can stop with the jokes now.  
BOOBOO: That's not funny.

FOOFOO: I'm not joking.  
FOOFOO: If you hate him enough to want to kill him, then I'll do it for you.

BOOBOO: That's probably what Josh would say.  
BOOBOO: I don't want you involved any more than I want him involved.  
BOOBOO: I didn't talk to you about this to make you want to murder someone.  
BOOBOO: I just didn't think I could take it if I didn't tell someone.

CICI: So you told someone that you didn't think could do anything.  
CICI: But we can do something.

FOOFOO: Don't underestimate me, Booboo.  
FOOFOO: For me, it doesn't matter if I know you in person.  
FOOFOO: If someone hurt you, I want to know who.  
FOOFOO: And I want to make sure it doesn't happen again.  
FOOFOO: Aren't you a friend?

BOOBOO: Yes, I'm your friend.  
BOOBOO: But being my friend doesn't give you a right to fight my battles.  
BOOBOO: It doesn't give you a right to try to come into my life in person.

FOOFOO: Why?  
FOOFOO: What's the difference in talking like this and talking on the phone?  
FOOFOO: I'm closer to you than the people that I see every day.

BOOBOO: You're reading too much into our friendship.  
BOOBOO: We just game together and talk.  
BOOBOO: I never asked for you to interfere.  
BOOBOO: I can handle this by myself.

FOOFOO: Fuck that shit!  
FOOFOO: If you could handle it, you would have already!  
FOOFOO: And you asked for me to help by telling me about it!

BOOBOO: Then I'll have to stop telling you about things.  
BOOBOO: If that's the only way to keep you from thinking like that.

FOOFOO: What's that supposed to mean?

BOOBOO: I'd rather lose a friend than have a friend get hurt because of me.  
BOOBOO: If I have to, I'll stop playing.  
BOOBOO: You're not helping me at all by saying those kinds of things.  
BOOBOO: I don't think they're funny and they're a serious invasion of privacy.

FOOFOO: I'm sorry.  
FOOFOO: Don't quit playing.  
FOOFOO: I won't talk like that anymore if it bothers you.  
FOOFOO: I'm just upset because you got hurt.  
FOOFOO: You can't blame me.  
FOOFOO: I wasn't lying when I said I'm closer to the people I meet online.  
FOOFOO: To hear that something like that happened to you  
FOOFOO: And to hear you say that you're scared  
FOOFOO: It bothers me  
FOOFOO: I want to help you, but I don't know how other than to do stuff like that.  
FOOFOO: Where I come from, we shoot first and ask questions later.

BOOBOO: I'd like to shoot him.  
BOOBOO: But that would just land me in jail.  
BOOBOO: Too many people rely on me for me to do that.

FOOFOO: What are you going to do?

BOOBOO: I don't know.  
BOOBOO: Just wait it out and see what happens.  
BOOBOO: I've got to think of some way to overcome his sound weapon.  
BOOBOO: And maybe train some more.  
BOOBOO: Training always helps me so that I don't worry as much.  
BOOBOO: Talking to you has helped me calm down a lot, too.

FOOFOO: You train?  
FOOFOO: Like weight training?

BOOBOO: Yeah  
BOOBOO: I know Kickboxing, Boxing, a little Judo, and some Kempo.  
BOOBOO: I started learning it after the first time I got attacked like this.  
BOOBOO: It almost worked, too.  
BOOBOO: If he hadn't had the sound weapon, I was almost out of there.

FOOFOO: Oh.  
FOOFOO: I didn't know you trained like that.

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: I have to.  
BOOBOO: Or else I'd get my ass handed to me by other gangs.

FOOFOO: Oh.

BOOBOO: Is there something wrong with that?

FOOFOO: No.  
FOOFOO: It just changes my image of you a little bit.

CICI: LOL  
CICI: He's been getting teased lately because his gut is getting soft.  
CICI: He stopped training when he retired.  
CICI: He's turning into a couch potato.

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: In that case, I'm probably in better shape than he is.

FOOFOO: Are you two done?

CICI: Done with what, Fatty?

FOOFOO: I'm going to knock the shit out of you.

CICI: You can try, fatty.

FOOFOO: BRB

BOOBOO: That's not very nice, Cici

CICI: LOL  
CICI: He's pissed.  
CICI: He keeps trying to catch me, but he can't.  
CICI: It's so much fun to mess with him.  
CICI: Don't worry about him, Booboo.  
CICI: I'll keep him in line.  
CICI: Ow.  
CICI: He just broke two of my monitors.

BOOBOO: ACK!

CICI: It's okay.  
CICI: I've got dozens.  
CICI: And he's nicer about it than you think.  
CICI: Even when he breaks stuff, he breaks the old ones first now.

BOOBOO: Why do you have so many monitors?  
BOOBOO: Do you work with computers or something?

CICI: You might say that.  
CICI: Hold on and let me get Foofoo calmed down.

BOOBOO: Okay.

FOOFOO: Back  
FOOFOO: Sorry about that.  
FOOFOO: Cici's a bitch.

BOOBOO: She's just thinking about your health.  
BOOBOO: It's not good to game all day and not exercise.  
BOOBOO: Maybe you could take some martial arts classes.  
BOOBOO: Then we can spar one day

FOOFOO: ?  
FOOFOO: If I take martial arts, you'd be willing to meet me?

BOOBOO: Maybe.  
BOOBOO: You'd have to get really good, though.  
BOOBOO: I won't spar if I'm worried that I might hurt you.

FOOFOO: Who the hell do you think you're talking to?

BOOBOO: A couch potato that's always online.  
BOOBOO: I've never once logged in and you not be there.

CICI: Oh my.  
CICI: He's turning red.  
CICI: I don't think I've ever seen him that color.

BOOBOO: Thank you.

CICI: ?

BOOBOO: For helping me get my head on straight.  
BOOBOO: I was about to lose it when I first got on  
BOOBOO: But I feel better now.  
BOOBOO: I can handle it thanks to you two.  
BOOBOO: It's not the end of the world.  
BOOBOO: I might have gotten hurt  
BOOBOO: But the things important to me are whole and healthy  
BOOBOO: As long as I know that, he can't ever win.

CICI: That's the spirit!

FOOFOO: You're full of shit.

CICI: FooFoo!

FOOFOO: You're crying right now.  
FOOFOO: Aren't you?

BOOBOO: No.  
BOOBOO: Guys don't cry.  
BOOBOO: I'm really okay.  
BOOBOO: I'm stronger than that.

FOOFOO: I still say that you're full of shit.  
FOOFOO: Rape is different than a fist fight.  
FOOFOO: Lie to someone else.

BOOBOO: Even if it's a lie, it's the only defense I have.  
BOOBOO: I don't want what he did to interfere with my happiness.  
BOOBOO: I want to go home to Josh and forget this happened.  
BOOBOO: I say that, but I won't be able to forget.  
BOOBOO: Will I?

FOOFOO: Probably not.  
FOOFOO: But going home is probably a good idea.  
FOOFOO: Since you're not going to do anything about it  
FOOFOO: Go take a shower and get something to eat  
FOOFOO: Then sit in front of the TV for a while.  
FOOFOO: You always seem to be doing something  
FOOFOO: So doing nothing might be just what you need to figure things out.

BOOBOO: It's worth a shot  
BOOBOO: Thanks again.

FOOFOO: Just let me know if you change your mind.  
FOOFOO: I haven't fired my guns in months.  
FOOFOO: Target practice sounds good right about now.

BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: I'll remember that.  
BOOBOO: I'm going to go now.

FOOFOO: Alright

CICI: We'll see you later BooBoo.  
CICI: Keep us posted on how you're doing.

BOOBOO: I will.  
BOOBOO: Good night.

CICI: TTYL

FOOFOO: Ciao.

* * *

Taking FooFoo's advice was far easier than Tsuna imagined. It was easy because no one knew that he'd been missing. He'd left a note saying that he was going into work early and it was almost midnight by the time he returned. He always returned home late, so it was no surprise. For everyone else, his return was absolutely ordinary. They probably wondered a bit about why he hadn't taken his bike, but that was a minor worry. There were plenty of times that he'd not taken it in the past. It was a simple matter of knocking the chain off so that he had an excuse for not taking it this time.

For once, he hadn't cared about how much hot water he wasted. He stayed in the shower until he used every drop. Then he let it warm up again and stayed in a hot bath until that turned cold. After that, he went upstairs and quietly got a pair of Snicker's sweats to put on. It wasn't so much that he wanted them for warmth, but because they were comfortable. They were loose instead of restricting and they had Snicker's scent on them. That did wonders for calming his heart. Next up in FooFoo's advice had been food. While one of his hungers had been satisfied, his stomach was still empty. He didn't feel hungry, but he knew that he hadn't eaten anything all day. He refused to amend that statement, regardless of what had been crammed into his mouth. Although, the thought sent him to brush his teeth for the eighth time before heating up a bowl of ramen. After the ramen, he grabbed the bucket of chocolate chunky chocolate chip ice cream from the freezer before plopping down on the couch to see what was on.

He was in the middle of the latest episode of "Animal Psychic" starring Liam the Jester that Gigi came in. She was dressed for the cold in a fur parka that was meaningless when she her skirt was slit up both sides. Bangles and hoops look to be the accessory of the week, while an Asian inspired bun looked to be the hairstyle she was favoring lately.

"You're up late," she commented in surprise. "Isn't tonight your night to sleep?"

"I'm not tired," he mumbled around another bite of ice cream. "You're back early. You usually don't come in until the sun comes up."

"I was streetwalking tonight and my balls are frozen," she replied as she pulled her wig off. Tsuna gave her a crooked grin while she threw her purse and wig on the pool table, quickly followed by her jacket. She always was one to say things bluntly, which was one of the reasons that Tsuna liked her. There was no need to guess when it came to Gigi. "What are you-- Change that. Why are you eating ice cream?"

"I just felt like it," Tsuna shrugged while Gigi carefully sat down beside him. "You know that it's my favorite snack."

"That's true," she murmured. "But you never snack on it in winter. You said before that it's already cold enough without making yourself colder."

"Oh," he mumbled, biting his lip while he stared down at the bucket. "You're right. I should probably stop before I start feeling it." Getting up from the couch, he grudgingly put the ice cream back before Gigi started questioning over it. That was the problem with living with such close friends. They knew all his quirks and could read him like a book. If he was going to keep them from knowing... From realizing...

"What's wrong, Suoh?" Gigi asked, making him snap out of the blank space that his mind had drifted off to. Blinking rapidly, he shut the freezer door and did his best to put on a smile. He wouldn't let her know. She'd just get hurt because of him if she knew.

"Nothing's wrong," he lied while he tried to casually amble toward the stairs to his room. "I'm probably just tired. Like you said, this is my night to sleep. I should probably get to bed. Good night."

"Not--!" She called, making him freeze on the bottom step. "--So fast," she growled in a tone that made Tsuna slowly look over his shoulder at her. She looked angry for some reason. "You're still in trouble, mister."

"What did I do?" He asked worriedly.

"You didn't go to work today, for one," Gigi replied bluntly. "Both Autumn and the pet store called when you didn't show up for your shifts. I lied to cover for you, but I want to know why you skipped out. I've been worried sick, Suoh. I came back early to see if you were going to return home at the normal time. If you hadn't been here, I was planning on fessing up and calling an alert. I figured that you just decided to spend the day at Mike's again, but I want to hear it from you."

"I was at Mike's," he confirmed with a small grimace. "I just needed a break. Don't tell anyone. Okay?"

"You were at Mike's," she said in displeasure. Tsuna nodded in return, which only seem to make her angrier. "Then why weren't you there when I went to check at noon?"

"B-Because I didn't get there until seven," he flinched, seeing that she'd caught him.

"And before that?" Gigi prompted.

"I-I was... um... I-I was working," he lied, grasping the first thing that came to mind. "N-Not for Papa Paolo. I-I... um... h-had this other job that I-I had to do."

"Was it something with Poe?" Gigi asked with all the blood rushing out of her face. Tsuna grimaced, since even the mention of work with Poe brought up images of that bloody heart. That was one thing that no one had talked about and no one had _planned _to talk about since no one really wanted to know the truth of the matter. It was in the past and everyone wanted to leave it there.

"Yes," he nodded, deciding to run with the lie. Then it was his turn to pale, when the mention of the name stirred up a hungry feeling in his belly. He'd thought that he would be fine until morning since all his pills were gone, but apparently not. Not that it was too unsurprising. It was getting close to his time to feed from the source anyway, which was why he was hungry despite having been fed so much earlier. The last time he'd had to do it had been months ago when he'd gotten Jewel. Surprisingly, that feeding had been good enough that he'd been going off of pills ever since. From what Poe figured, getting beaten almost to death had sapped him enough that it'd 'dehydrated' him again. Thanks to that, he was back on a schedule that didn't require more than one pill a day. It had been an unexpected reward for making it through such a hellish experience. "I forgot to eat," Tsuna grimaced as he headed for the stage and the ladder leading up to the loft. "I'll see you later, Gigi. Okay?"

"O-Okay," she agreed with a green face. He ignored her, focusing completely on climbing up the ladder. Keeping his mind on innocent things seemed to be the trick that he needed to keep himself from thinking about what had happened earlier in the day. If he could, he'd block all of it out. As it was, he was keeping himself from making lists by the smallest of margins. He'd been through worse, he kept reminding himself. He'd been violated, but he could live with that. He'd lived with it when it happened before. It wasn't like he was sitting on a hospital bed with Snicker crying his eyes out beside him. He was still whole and healthy this time. He just had a few memories that he wanted forget.

In truth, it was a whole day that he wanted to forget.

Shoving the thoughts away, he focused on crossing the empty loft and climbing up the second ladder into Poe's rooftop greenhouse. The greenhouse had been far cheaper to build than he'd thought it would be. Especially since Poe had covered half the cost for it out of his own pocket so that he could get it in the gothic style that he preferred. The construction had gone smoothly, too, since Ore had talked his company into doing it without charging for labor costs.

"Suoh...?" Poe asked, stepping out from behind a night blooming tree. Tsuna chuckled slightly at the sight of him. Compared to the black-leather-loving vampire he knew, the Poe of the moment was like some creature out of the twilight zone. His long black hair was tied back in a purple handkerchief and he'd taken off his trench coat entirely in order to wear a colorful oversized shirt and blue-jeans that he could garden in. Even more incredulous was the sight of the watering can in one hand and the trowel in the other.

"I wish Snicker could see you like this," he laughed. "I don't think he'd be as scared of you."

"Yes, well," Poe replied with a lopsided grin. "The garden needs extra care in the winter if I'm going to keep myself from starving. It's a personal rule not to take energy from humans in winter when they need it most, unless I have no other choice. It would be uncivilized of me." Poe sighed as he set his gardening tools down on one of the benches in his private year-around park, stepping carefully to ensure that he didn't tread on more of the grass than needed to get back on the pathway encircling the area. "I'm assuming that you didn't come for a pleasure visit, since you've come so late," he commented, reaching up to free his hair from the handkerchief binding it.

"I'm hungry," he admitted softly. "Is now okay?"

"Now is better than in ten minutes when you'd lose control," he replied sharply before leading the way to the shed. Tsuna blanched and followed without being able to deny the statement at all. That part was no different. He knew the source of what he hungered for. Running into the hills for a blind search wasn't an option for him anymore. That wouldn't ever happen to him unless something happened to Poe. "You smell strange tonight," Poe continued once they were safely hidden away in the shed. Tsuna stiffened, pausing in the process of removing his shirt while Poe mirrored the action without stopping. "Did something happen? There's a hint of the tang that I smell from you after you've been with Snicker, but there's something different. It smells like fear has been pumping through you and something else."

"I don't want to talk about it," Tsuna murmured, carefully pulling his shirt off so that Jewel wouldn't be trapped inside the folds like she had been earlier in the day. The poor creature had nearly been through as much as he had. She'd barely managed to escape unnoticed before they'd started drowning his clothes in liquor. "Does it still smell good enough for trade?"

"Of course," Poe grinned. "I'll take you any way that I can have you. You should know that by now."

"You sound like Gigi," he laughed. Then the time for talk was over. He could see it in Poe's eyes. The man wouldn't be the one to initiate. He rarely was. He wouldn't bite until Tsuna had broken skin first, unless Tsuna prompted him otherwise.

"I'm not getting any younger," Poe commented with a twinkle in his eyes. Tsuna grimaced at the cue, finding himself strangely reluctant while he slowly crossed the distance between them.

"You're not getting any older, either," Tsuna replied. He bit his lip before reaching up to push Poe's hair out of his way. He felt as if his nerves were on fire every single time that their chests met. The bare skin was like scalding hot irons to him, but he knew that there was no way around it. He was too messy of an eater and Poe had lost far too many shirts because of him. He didn't want to get Poe's scent on Snicker's shirt, either.

Despite himself, he jerked back when he felt Poe's lips on his shoulder, seeking out a good spot to bite in return. What was normally a platonic touch made his stomach churn in memory of a matching one that he'd gotten earlier.

"What's wrong?" He asked automatically, sensing both Tsuna's reluctance and his fear.

"C-Can you wait until later?" Tsuna asked while he fought the need to tremble. "I-I know I can't wait, b-but--"

"That's not fair, Suoh," he admonished while Tsuna stiffened at a second graze. "I'm not sure what has you so frightened, but is it so great that you would have me ignore the feast when it's laid out before me? Just bite, my friend. I'll wait until you're otherwise occupied to deal with my own needs."

Biting his lip, Tsuna nodded in agreement. He was right. It wasn't fair to Poe to ask him to wait. As it was, he gave Tsuna blood pills and fed him on a regular basis. In return, Poe only got to eat once every few months off of Tsuna. To deny him now would be a cruel torture. Leaning forward, Tsuna tried to keep the image of Snicker in his mind while he searched out a good spot to feed from. Doing so kept the image of Gabriel or anyone else from entering it and also kept him from reacting to Poe's touch.

Poe let out a soft sigh as Tsuna carefully broke the skin along his collarbone. Unlike when he was in a feeding rampage, he knew how to be gentle with his teeth now. They were sharp from careful filing and only the slightest of purposeful pressure was needed to tear the flesh. He'd found his own method for biting, as well. Where Poe made a deep bite with his longer fangs and used those fangs to control the blood flow, Tsuna went for a shallow scratch that would bleed slowly enough for him to manage even after he pulled his teeth out. Of course, the unfortunate side effect of his process ended up giving Poe a hicky from the sucking, but it was better than having his face covered in blood.

"It looks like you won't be messy tonight," Poe commented in amusement after Tsuna proved that the wound he caused was within his tolerances to keep up. He didn't bother to reply. He was simply too intent on the peppery treat filling his mouth. Like Poe had taught him, he let the blood roll around in his mouth before swallowing in order to ensure that it was thickened with his saliva. Doing so meant that it would only take half as much as it used to in order to fill him. The warm peppered gravy quickly became peppered pudding that way. Where he'd chosen was a spot that had very little in the way of fat which meant that he was getting the purest of Poe's hearty side. It was delicious and filling, making him completely ignore the breathe on the back of his neck while Poe continued searching. It was--

"What the hell?"

Licking Poe's wound to shut it, Tsuna swallowed and froze in Poe's arms. Poe froze in the middle of still searching out his own spot to bite, stiffening in Tsuna's arms in return while he looked toward the shed door. Tsuna felt dizzy and his heart started pounding wildly in his chest. A surge of fear and panic raced through him while he slowly turned to see his worst fear standing in the doorway. It wasn't Gabriel. There was someone that he feared far more when it came to his greatest secret.

"Joshua," Tsuna breathed, staring at the man with wide eyes. Snicker stared back from where he was standing in his pajamas and bed robe. A million questions flew into Tsuna's head, all of which he was unable to voice around the lump that formed in the middle of his throat. He looked angry and hurt. Tsuna couldn't blame him for either emotion. He'd lied to him about it for over a year. He'd planned to keep the lie for the rest of his life if he had to. "J-Joshua," he gasped with tears building in his eyes. "I can explain."

"Don't bother," he replied, his face turning to stone when he turned and started storming away.

"Joshua, wait!" Tsuna exclaimed. Breaking out of Poe's arms, he gave chase and barely caught up to him in the loft. "Wait! Let me explain!"

"Explain what?" He snapped on his way across the catwalk and down the ladder leading to the stage. "I'm not stupid. I saw for myself what you two were up to. Biting, my ass! Looked a helluva lot more like foreplay to me! I bet you two have been laughing it up this whole time! Was it fun playing 'fool the old guy'?"

"That's not it!" He yelled, jumping down to the stage in effort to head Snicker off. "We weren't doing that!"

"Bull-fucking-shit," Snicker shouted. Tsuna choked when he found himself pushed so hard out of Snicker's way that he fell and slid across the stage. It was a measure of Snicker's anger that he didn't seem to care in the least about the force he'd used. Tsuna scrambled back to his feet to give chase once more, but he found himself in even worse straights when Snicker stopped to face him in the middle of the cathedral area of the renovated theater that they called home. "I should have seen it before! You've never been satisfied with just me, have you?! You know, I wouldn't be so damn pissed over it if you hadn't fucking lied to me! Even worse, you went to that blood-sucking de--" Snicker stopped with a dumbfounded look on his face, one that was matched by Gigi's from where she was watching on the couch, while Tsuna's hand hovered in the air in the aftermath of the slap that struck Snicker across the face.

"He's not a demon," Tsuna corrected through clenched teeth. His whole body was so tense that he felt like he would break, but he couldn't take it anymore. Snicker's insults hurt and he already felt injured enough from Gabriel. "We weren't doing what you think, Joshua. I've always been honest with you on that part."

"Then what were you doing?" Snicker scowled with his arms crossed over his chest. "I think I have a right to know. You were all over him up there. Look at you! You don't even have your shirt on!"

"I-I--" Lowering his hand, Tsuna shuddered slightly at the prospect of telling Snicker the truth. He didn't see any other alternative. If he let things stand, he'd lose Snicker entirely. If he told the truth, there was a small shred of hope that he would be forgiven. "I-I was biting him, Joshua. W-We had our shirts off because w-we didn't want b-blood to get on them. We weren't having sex. Y-You're the only one that I do that with."

"You're a fucking liar," Snicker spat. Tsuna's mind when blank at the words. For once, he was telling the truth and he wasn't being believed. He didn't know what to say to make him believe. Even worse, he was storming away again, although this time was with a purposeful look on his face. Less than a minute later, Tsuna slapped his hands over his mouth and turned green when he saw what his goal was. "That's right!" Snicker yelled righteously as Ore and Eric stumbled sleepily out of their rooms to investigate all the noise that Snicker was making. "I went into your damn email to see where you went so early this morning! Boy, did I get a fucking eye-full of what you've been doing behind my back!"

"Suoh--!" Gigi gasped. He couldn't blame her. The evidence was damning. Falling to his knees with a sob, he couldn't think of a single word to say. It hurt that Gabriel would go so far to torment him. It hurt that Snicker didn't trust him enough to let him explain. It hurt to see that everything that had been done to him had been video taped and it hurt to know that Gabriel had probably intended to use it as blackmail for in the future. It was right there on the computer screen for everyone to look at. He couldn't get free of him. It made him wish that Mukuro-sama was still with him because he was willing to let him have free reign now. It didn't matter anymore about who did it. He just wanted Gabriel to go away before Snicker saw any more of the video footage. "Suoh!" Gigi exclaimed urgently. Jumping over the back of the couch, she grabbed both of his shoulders to hold him steady while he continued to cry. "I know you wouldn't cheat on Snicker like that, so what happened?"

"I c-couldn't s-s-stop h-him," Tsuna sobbed. Reaching out to grab Gigi's dress, he clutch the fabric like it was a life raft. Here was someone who would listen to him. Here was someone who'd believe him. "I d-didn't want to go, G-Gigi! H-H-He made m-me! He had Ch-Charlie and... and... and I-I h-had to go to s-save Ch-Charlie! Th-Then he m-made a s-s-sound and it m-m-made m-my head hurt! And th-then... then... m-m-my ears exploded a-a-and everything started s-s-spinning a-and-- And I couldn't stop him!" Weeping hysterically, he tried to get Gigi to understand despite his almost incoherent stuttering. "I-I t-tried to fight. I r-r-really d-did, Gigi, b-but h-h-he b-beat me! H-He d-d-drugged m-me a-and hurt m-me again a-and... a-a-and... He w-was prep-p-pared for me, Gigi! H-He knew e-e-everyth-thing! H-He knew a-ab-bout the s-s-sound a-and the bl-blood a-a-and.. a-and _ev-ev-everyth-thing_!"

"W-What...?" Snicker asked in shock while Tsuna continued to sob into Gigi's arms.

"Gabriel raped him again, Snicker," Gigi answered tonelessly. "What you were using as proof that Suoh was cheating on you was actually Gabriel's attempt to harass Suoh with what he did. Did it ever occur to you to think that Suoh might actually be faithful? When has he once cheated on you? And yet, you keep jumping to conclusions that he's screwing every person that throws themselves at him."

"B-But upstairs," Snicker objected in defense. "Suoh--"

"Suoh was feeding," Gigi interrupted with her own frown. "He got turned a long time ago, Snicker. That's why he's been taking those pills. They're not for anemia. They're full of blood so that he doesn't go berserk. He didn't want to tell you because he knows how much you hate Poe. I can't blame him with how you insult Poe every chance you get. Or didn't you realize that words really can hurt as much as sticks and stones? Every time you called Poe a blood-sucking demon or a satanic leech, you've been calling Suoh that, too. I'm not surprised he slapped you. I've been wanting to slap you for a long time now."

"S-Suoh's a-a v--"

"A werewolf," Poe interjected from his quiet perch on the Dojo's signal bell. "He fought it for your sake, but he was damned even more harshly for not accepting the Change. At least, I wish I could say that. The truth is that he had no conscious control over the process. I tried to tell him that no good would come from pairing with humans now that he is altered, but he refuses to listen. He'll learn soon enough that the cursed can't live in peace with normal people. Unless you have no problems sharing a bed with the damned...?"

"Poe!" Ore roared up at him. "That's an outrageously bad thing to say right now!"

"Am I wrong?" Poe asked knowingly. The tone he used made even Tsuna look up in order to see the expression that Snicker held. The look of disgust and loathing on his face lanced straight into Tsuna's heart. It was just as he feared. There was no understanding when it came to that. There was no forgiveness for hiding it. There was no hope of overcoming it. When it came to vampires, Snicker already had it set in his mind that they were evil and wanted no part of them. He'd only accepted Poe as much as he had because of Tsuna's pleas. All of that changed when Tsuna was one himself.

"Snicker!" Eric gasped when the man stepped away entirely to dodge Tsuna's shaking, outstretched hands.

"I-I can't--" He choked. Tsuna stared at him in disbelief as he turned to rush up the stairs to his bedroom. His expression of shock was matched by every other face in the room when he came back down fully dressed in less than a minute. "I'm going out for a drink," he called as he practically ran for the door. "I'll be back later."

"I-I'll be waiting," Tsuna said automatically. It was the only thing he could think of to say. To force Snicker to talk about Tsuna's issue now would be more damaging than less. He could see it in Snicker's attitude. It was times like these that he needed his space. Snicker paused for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something, before quickly and silently leaving. Tsuna watched him go with a blank mind. He wanted to stop him. He wanted to grab him and hold onto him until he gave forgiveness. He wanted to beg and plead for him to not leave, but he knew that doing so would just push him away faster. All he could do was to wait and pray that he'd come back.

He'd come back. He'd definitely come back. He wouldn't leave and never come back. He just had a lot to think about. They'd hit him with so much stuff at once that he needed to cope. He still loved Tsuna. Right? He'd come back. He'd definitely come back. Tsuna just had to wait until then. There was nothing left to do but wait because he was nothing without Snicker. He couldn't survive without Snicker. It was okay, though. He'd come back. He'd definitely come back. He just had to survive until then. It would be hard, but Snicker was worth it. Snicker was counting on him to still be there when he got back, so that's what Tsuna would do.

"Where are you going, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked in surprise when Tsuna slowly pushed himself to his feet and started blindly walking toward the door.

"I'm going out front to wait," he answered honestly. He felt so distant from himself when he got outside. It was like all his feelings had broken again, just like when he'd killed. He couldn't feel pain anymore or heartache. There was a cold lump inside him that made it so that he couldn't even feel the chill air against his bare chest. He couldn't feel the coldness from the bench attached to the front of the building as he sat down. He couldn't feel anything but the strange sensation of hanging onto sanity with a thin, tattered cord.

All he could do was wait and hope that the cord didn't break before Snicker came back to save him.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Gigi asked carefully. Tsuna shrugged, his full attention consumed by the paddleball that Houston had given him to play with before the boy had went to school. It was repetitive and soothing. He told himself a dozen times that he was going to stop playing with it, but then the ball started to fall again and he _had _to catch it! Up and down. Down and up. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. "I brought you some coffee to warm up," Gigi interjected gently. He nodded and reached out to absently accept it, much like he'd accepted the shirt and jacket they'd brought him earlier. Bounce. He had a blanket over his legs, too, that Eric had brought him after an hour had passed and Snicker still hadn't returned. Bounce. One of them was always sitting with him, he noticed. Bounce. They'd given up on talking with him after the first ten minutes of silence. Bounce. They didn't leave, though. Bounce He wanted to tell them that he appreciated the fact that they cared about him enough to keep him company, but they didn't have to stay out in the cold with him. Bounce.

After all, Snicker would be back any minute. Bounce.

"Do you want me to call into work for you today?" Gigi asked in the same quiet tone that she'd used before. Bou-- Tsuna paused, letting the paddleball fall silent while he thought. He needed to wait on Snicker, but Snicker was more likely to go to his work to find him when he came back. If he wasn't at work, Snicker wouldn't know where he was at and then they couldn't make up.

"What time is it?" He asked, blinking slowly while he looked up at the sky.

"It's almost seven thirty in the morning," she answered quietly. "It's kind of late, but you can still get to your delivery run. Assuming you want to go. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Oh," he mumbled as he hazily remembered the interaction. "I better go to work. Snicker might go there when he gets back." Standing up, he let the paddleball start bouncing again as he walked in the direction of his work. Gigi followed after taking a moment to throw his blanket back into the building along with his coffee cup. He ignored her, concentrating entirely on the bouncing ball so that he wouldn't think of other more worrisome things. Things like why Snicker wasn't back yet. Bounce. Things like whether Snicker would ever come back. Bounce. Things like whether he'd really done the right thing by letting him leave. Bounce. Bounce. Things like maybe it was better this way because he seemed to be cursed to break Snicker's heart over and over again. Bounce. Things like the possibility that Snicker was better off without him and things like the possibility that he'd never been important to Snicker in the first place. Bounce. Bounce.

No! He knew he was important to Snicker. Bounce. The ring on his hand said so. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Snicker just needed time to cope. Bounce. He'd be back when he realized that Tsuna was still Tsuna. Bounce. It wasn't a curse. Bounce. It was just a little blood disease that had a strange treatment. Bounce. Unless... Bounce. Bounce. Unless that wasn't the reason he needed to stay away. Bounce. What if Snicker was upset that Tsuna had let himself get tarnished by Gabriel? Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. What if it was because Snicker didn't want to be with a weak individual who couldn't even keep one man from hurting him? Bounce. What if he wasn't worthy in Snicker's eyes because Gabriel had touched him? Bounce. Bounce. What if Snicker was worried about Gabriel targeting Charlie because of Tsuna and that was the reason that he wasn't coming back yet? Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Tsuna paused and looked down at the hand that reached out to stop him. Bounce. He'd made it all the way from his home to work without noticing the transition. Bounce. He noticed that hand, though. Bou-- He let the paddleball drop from his grip while Gigi bristled behind him. She was ready to explode, but Tsuna felt something far worse in those three seconds. It wasn't Gabriel's open fondling that he felt. The fondling that Gabriel thought he had a right to do with his emailed blackmail was the just the trigger. What Tsuna felt was a precious cord snap inside of himself.

No more. He couldn't take it anymore.

Tsuna barely let Gabriel register the change in his expression before he slammed the man out of his chair with a fist to his face. All the pain. All the suffering. All the memories of all the times that Gabriel had tortured him fueled his rage until that was the only emotion that he felt. He released them all in the knowledge that he didn't want such baggage anymore. Tsuna could barely see past the red haze that covered his vision, but what he could see was enough to keep his fists and feet moving. Throwing Gabriel across the room, he rushed forward to leap on top of him and began pouring his anger out. Blow after blow, he sent into the man while his mind became engrossed with the memories of everything that he'd done.

He'd raped Tsuna.

He'd beaten Tsuna.

He'd made Snicker cry.

He'd tried to trick Eric and take advantage of him.

He'd tried to blackmail him.

He'd taunted Tsuna with what he'd done.

He'd repeatedly cornered Tsuna during work and had tried to hurt him again.

He'd taken away what feeling of security that Tsuna had.

He'd caused problems in Tsuna and Snicker's relationship with his actions.

He'd made everyone believe that Tsuna had been trying to seduce him.

He'd made Tsuna feel the need to hide and cower time after time.

He'd given Tsuna nightmares for what felt like years.

He'd made Snicker find out about his blood disease.

He'd made Papa Paolo believe that he was an unfaithful pervert.

He'd made Snicker leave him.

He'd touched Tsuna time and time again and--

Tsuna pulled back his fist and released the blade hidden in his glove, determined to finish the job. He mindlessly sent it downward and only one thing stopped him.

One thing that he hadn't expected to interfere jumped between him and Gabriel.

One thing that he...

He couldn't...

"Stop it, Suoh!" Autumn screamed as she tearfully shielded Gabriel with herself. That moment of hesitation was all that was needed for Isaac and several other cooks to jump forward to restrain him. They dragged him off of Gabriel's beaten body, having been summoned by a scream from another patron. Sagging in their arms, he released his blade. He didn't fight the men dragging him away from Gabriel and Autumn. He'd had his chance and he was satisfied with that. He didn't care what happened now. All that mattered was that Gabriel wouldn't forget Tsuna's vengeance if he survived. Tsuna doubted that he'd ever hurt someone again. If he did, he'd constantly have to fear for the day that his victim showed up to settle the score. On top of that, now that he was dealt with, Snicker would come back.

At least, that's what Tsuna hoped.

He barely felt the vengeful strikes that Isaac hit him with once he was hidden away in the kitchen. Blow after blow, he took what they offered without letting out a sound. He ignored Isaac's questions and his lecture about laying a hand on the Family. He ignored the pain lancing through his body as Gabriel's Family exacted their counter-revenge. His mind was still over a mile away, quietly waiting in front of the Dojo for his beloved Joshua. After a while, he felt the blows stop, but he didn't get up from where he lay. He could hear Papa Paolo's voice giving out angry orders and Gigi's shrill voice trying to explain, but Tsuna didn't care. All he cared about was whether they were going to kill him or whether he'd end up having to kill himself. He didn't care which, but he wanted it over with. He couldn't take it anymore. He had nothing left. Not his pride. His dignity. His strength. His love. All of it was gone and he was left with nothing.

Nothing but a small shred of fading hope that Snicker would come back...

* * *

_An empty black field surrounded him. The cold landscape was bleak and hollow, much like his heart at the moment. He had no purpose anymore. He had no regrets. His only regret had been to allow Gabriel to interfere in his life for so long. He'd dealt with that with his Dying Will. It was over now. Snicker could find happiness now because Tsuna had gotten rid of the one person standing in the way. Tsuna just had to wait for him to come back. He had to wait for Snicker to come and find him, because he was lost. He didn't know the way out of the dark landscape surrounding him. The only landmark around him was a single bucket that looked faintly familiar. Someone had tied it to his wrist with a chain, but he couldn't remember who._

_Curious, Tsuna knelt down next to the bucket. At first, he'd thought that it was Mukuro-sama's fishing bucket, but it wasn't. It couldn't be unless he'd filled it with glass for some reason. The pieces had strange shapes and seemed colored like pieces of a dingy stained-glass window. Some were curved and some had strange indentions on them. They looked sharp, so he didn't attempt to pick any of them up. He was satisfied with just looking at them. He slowly saw that there were pieces of a face inside, telling him that it was probably bits of a broken glass sculpture. It was a pity, because it looked so lifelike. That would be an ear and that would be part of a mouth. There was an--_

_Tsuna screamed in terror when one of the closed eyelids opened in order to reveal a black void. Lurching backward, he completely forgot about the chain on his wrist. His lurch caused the chain to jerk on the bucket's handle, forcing the bucket to tip over. Glass shards spilled across the landscape while he continued to blindly scramble away. The more that he tried to get away, though, the more that the bucket spilled while he pulled it along in his wake._

_He froze entirely at the feeling of an earthquake beginning to rumble under him. The shards bounced and skittered along the ground, slowly seeming to vibrate towards one another while the air filled with the sound of them chiming. The ground began to toss and heave under him, making the shards bounce into the air even more. No, he amended in horror. They weren't bouncing. They were jumping. They were jumping on top of one another in order to reform themselves into the sculpture again. _

_Terrified, Tsuna could do nothing but watch as the last piece fit into place. Although it was the last piece, the sculpture wasn't more than partially complete. It had both legs, but its chest and back was missing. So was one arm and half of its face. He only had one thin side of his body, leaving a gaping hole that was lined with sharp glass. _

_"Stay away!" Tsuna blurted in panic when the sculpture started to advance. The sculpture didn't listen. It was like a zombie, slowly walking toward its goal without a mind or a soul. Tsuna had those things. Tsuna had what it wanted. Trembling in fear, he couldn't move anymore. He could only stare up into a face that looked far too familiar for him to comprehend while the sculpture stood over him. Then the sculpture moved again and all Tsuna could do was to scream._


	53. Chapter 53 The Other Half

Author's notes: Double upload! Be sure and review previous chapter before reviewing this one!

* * *

"Why did you have to hit him so hard?!" Gigi shouted while she hovered over Suoh in worry. They were in Papa Paolo's office, where the man had hidden Suoh in order to question him himself once he woke. At the moment, they were dealing with the police out front so that he wouldn't be found and they were trying to throw off the description of Gabriel's attacker so that Suoh wouldn't be put in jail. The Family dealt with their own problems and Tsuna had hit them with a huge one by nearly beating Gabriel to death in the middle of the restaurant. "Hasn't he been through enough?!"

"If you expect me to believe that cock-and-bull story, then you can forget it," Isaac spat. "He busted three tables, beat Papa Paolo's son, and forced us to shut down for the day. He's lucky that I left him alive. Traitors don't get a trial."

"Gabriel's the traitor!" Gigi exclaimed. "Is rape something that you people overlook, just because of who did it?!"

"Accuse Boss of rape one more time," Isaac growled in warning, looking like he wanted to punch something simply for the insult. "So help me--" Gigi gasped and backed away from Suoh at the same time that Isaac broke off in surprise. The reason for the surprise was the flame flickering into life on Suoh's head. When he looked up, Gigi felt her stomach sink. There was no hint of the Suoh that she knew twinkling inside.

"I'm alive?" Suoh asked while he blinked slowly in open disorientation.

"Of course you are, sweet-cheeks," Gigi soothed worriedly. "Papa Paolo wouldn't kill you."

"Papa who?" He asked, shaking his head slowly while he looked around the room with a complete lack of recognition. "Where am I? Why have you kidnapped me?"

"S-Suoh...?" Gigi gasped when Suoh surged out of his chair.

"Nice try, asshole," Isaac growled, completely unable to grasp that Suoh wasn't faking. It should have been obvious, but Isaac didn't see the signs. Not only was there the Flame and the look in Suoh's eyes, but he was speaking English with an Italian accent. Suoh wouldn't imitate something like that at a time like this. Gigi didn't think that he could, even if he wanted to. He'd lived in the city so long that he spoke like a native under normal circumstances. "Sit back down," he ordered. Gigi choked when Isaac reached out to push him back down in his seat. Then she found her mind go blank when Isaac's hand was hanging broken before either of them saw Suoh move.

"I don't take orders from underlings," he growled in return, his eyes flashing with a light that Gigi had never seen before. "What Family are you from? I demand to see your Boss."

"Calm down," Gigi exclaimed, reaching out to stop Isaac before he could get over the shock of having his hand broken so easily. "We're not your enemies! Don't you remember, Suoh?! I'm your friend and Isaac is your coworker!"

"Who's Suoh?" He asked with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean by 'coworker'? I don't remember anyone with the audacity to claim such a title."

"Y-You don't remember?" She asked in misery, her face falling completely. She slowly came to understand that the Suoh she loved had been cracked so much by Snicker abandoning him that he'd lost himself. This wasn't Suoh anymore. This... This was someone else entirely. Suoh wouldn't break someone's hand so easily. Suoh wouldn't speak with such a condescending tone.

"Enough," he ordered with a tone of command that Suoh would have never used. "Where's your Boss? If he's not before me in two minutes, I'll tear this place down until I find him. I want some answers and I want them--" Suoh broke off as the door to the office opened and Papa Paolo walked in with Autumn behind him. They both looked haggard and inverted, having something far different on their minds than Suoh's current issue. "Don Martelli," he identified, his gaze becoming even sharper. Papa Paolo froze and his eyes immediately darted to the flame on Suoh's head. It was the same place that Autumn's eyes flew in surprise. "Godfather to an East Coast American Family, current status of neutral, current size is four hundred and fifty-three. Your Family has never once come out of the hole that you've dug for yourselves. May I ask what the meaning of this is?"

"V-V-Vongola the... Tenth..." He murmured in shock while the door quietly fell shut behind him.

"Who else would I be?" He asked with a frown of open displeasure. It was one that seemed to deepen while he suddenly looked down at his hand in order to inspect the glove hiding his retractable blade. "What kind of farce is this? Where's my other glove?"

"F-Forgive my impudence," Papa Paolo said carefully, making everyone's jaws drop with the sole exception of Suoh. "But may I ask what the last thing you remember is?"

"That information is classified," he snapped in return. "Unless you can give me a compelling reason to tell you."

"It would give me a place to start, Don Vongola," he replied politely. Alongside everyone else, Gigi stared at Papa Paolo like he was insane. He was acting like he was confronting another Mafia Boss instead of his errand boy! Then Gigi grimaced, understanding what the others didn't know yet. Papa Paolo had caught on immediately. This wasn't Suoh standing with them. It really was another Mafia Boss. "Please sit," he added graciously. Suoh looked down at his chair again, giving it a look of open distaste before walking around the desk to take Papa Paolo's larger and more comfortable chair. Autumn choked, but Gigi saw that Papa Paolo seemed completely unsurprised by the move.

"Sit," Suoh ordered as if it were his office instead of someone else's. Isaac started to bristle at the tone used, but was silenced almost immediately by a small gesture from Papa Paolo. That almost wasn't enough to hold him back when Suoh smiled quietly in open amusement. If there was one thing that Isaac hated, it was to be looked down on and Suoh was looking down on all of them. "Why don't you send your arm candy after some refreshments? She might as well be useful if you're going to keep her present for our little discussion." Suoh raised an eyebrow in prompt to tell Papa Paolo to clear the room, but the prompt only made Autumn bristle next to Isaac. They both looked ready to explode.

"Autumn is my rightful daughter and heir," Papa Paolo corrected quietly as the woman's head started steaming over being called 'arm candy'.

"Ah," Suoh murmured, blinking rapidly in surprise. "My apologies, then. I hope you'll take my mistake as a compliment toward her beauty. She faintly reminds me of my second wife, may she rest in peace." Gigi felt dizzy for a moment at how smoothly Suoh talked his way out of an insult. Such ease was something that the Suoh she knew could have never accomplished. "May I ask you to introduce the others if you are not to dismiss them? I would not wish to make any more grievous errors."

"This is Isaac, my chef and my heir's right hand," Papa Paolo replied while he carefully sat down. "And this beauty is Gigi."

"And his reason for being here?" Suoh asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That would be because he is _your _right hand," he answered carefully.

"Gokudera Hayato is my right hand," he shot back almost instantly, his eyes narrowing in like a hawk with prey in sight. "Explain the meaning of your words."

"For me to explain, I need to know how far you remember," he countered with a grimace. "I mean no slight to you, Don Vongola, but much has happened."

"The last thing I remember, eh?" He mused, leaning back in his usurped chair with a sigh. "If I am to tell you, I must have an Oath of Omerta. There are many in my own Family who do not know of what has passed."

"I swear for myself and those under my keeping," Papa Paolo replied solemnly, reaching out to silence Autumn once more when she looked ready to blurt something stupid.

"There's no helping it," Suoh sighed, putting his elbow on his armrest to hold up his head in what looked to be habitual grace. It definitely wasn't a motion that Suoh ever used. Suoh was never in a chair long enough to sit like that. "The last thing I remember is dying."

"C-Could you expand on that?" Papa Paolo asked politely. "I need more of a waypoint to use if I am to explain properly."

"Alright," he agreed with a small smile, seeming to take immense pleasure in how easily he captured everyone's attention. Then his amusement seemed to dissipate while his hands absently clutched onto the armrests. He bowed his head, his unhappiness and anger almost palatable. "My home was invaded by the Todd Family and I foresaw my own death. Rather than lose the lives of my men in their raid, I surrendered. I was taken hostage and tortured in effort to retrieve the codes for the Vongola Master Database. I refused. They kidnapped my wife Kyoko and tortured her before me. I admit that I broke under the pressure. I gave them the codes, knowing that enough time had passed that my Outside Advisor should have already noticed my absence and reacted accordingly. When the codes wouldn't work, they came back and decapitated her before handing me over to Ari."

"And Ari is...?" Papa Paolo prompted quietly, his face completely pale when he thought of himself being in such a position.

"Ari is the most vile and corrupt creature that I have ever had the misfortune to meet," he growled while a fierce killing intent filled the room. It was strong enough that Gigi felt her knees give out and Isaac looked to be barely standing under the force of Suoh's anger. Papa Paolo looked ready to kneel over and Autumn looked ready to faint. They'd never felt anything like it before. He pulled it back almost instantly, but Gigi thought she could almost see it radiating just under his skin.

"Ari was the leader of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and my greatest enemy," he continued in a monotone voice. "She entrapped my soul and stole my body, using it as a puppet to try to destroy my Family. Mukuro freed me after several months and I went to confront my physical counterpart. Due to unfortunate circumstances and my Lightening Guardian's clumsy nature, it was sent ten years in the past where it lived and bred with my body until it had the poor luck to come in contact with me. It was an unfortunate time paradox that I was not able to correct with hindsight. That is why I am currently at a loss for my existence. I killed my body in the past and buried it. The last thing I remember is plunging past Limbo to ensure that Ari could not escape death's jaws a third time. I still have the memory of the Lake-Dwellers tearing my Flame and my spirit into pieces. How it has come to pass that I'm still alive when I should not be is something I wish for you to explain to me, Don Martelli. I would also like you to explain these filthy garments that I'm wearing, my missing eye, and my missing glove."

"I-I'm not sure where to start," Papa Paolo replied with far more fortitude than Gigi would have given him credit for. She felt like her own head was spinning from all the information that Suoh had just unloaded. Half of it didn't make sense, but she got enough to know that Suoh had been part of something epic.

"Start at the beginning and we'll go from there," Suoh replied, looking up with a bright smile. It was as if everything he'd just said was a routine work-day that he was completely unconcerned about.

"For starters, you've been living in this city for three years," Papa Paolo said, standing up abruptly to go to a locked filing cabinet on one side of the room. He started rifling through it and it only took a moment for Gigi to see that he was looking for Suoh's file. "You were already going by the name Suoh when you got here. I had my eye on you for a while before you joined the Martelli Family, so I can--."

"I what?" Suoh asked with another menacing growl.

"Here you go," Papa Paolo panted running back to the desk with Suoh's file in hand. "Most of it is all in there. I've been keeping an eye on you, son. I've done my best to keep you out of trouble but--"

"Go back to the part where you said I joined your Family," Suoh interrupted with his nose flaring in anger.

"You didn't want to go back," Gigi found herself saying from her seat on the floor next to Papa Paolo's chair when the man started gaping like a floundering fish. "You said you couldn't remember anything that happened from the time that you were fifteen. You ran away from home because you didn't want to kill and hurt people. You've always been afraid that they'd find you and force you to get your memories back so that you would become a murderer again."

"Oi," Tsuna groaned, slapping his face over his hand to hide the look of pained understanding on his face. "That sounds like something I'd do. I never wanted to be a Mafia Boss to begin with. I can just imagine how I reacted if I woke up with the mind of my fifteen-year-old self. Although, now that you mention it, I can't seem to remember anything before the Ring Battles. Alright, say I believe this. You still haven't explained my glove, my eye, nor why I haven't been returned to my Family."

"I don't understand what you mean by your glove," Papa Paolo said when Gigi shrugged without understanding herself. In answer, Suoh held up the glove that didn't have a knife hidden in it. It morphed and melted across his hand, gleaming like mercury until it seemed to solidify as a full glove. On the back was a dull and lifeless, cracked and blackened dome which seemed to take even Suoh by surprise.

"No," he moaned while he stared at it in horror.

"W-What's wrong?" Autumn asked in a trembling voice.

"There is no greater proof," he answered with his distress plain on his face. "My ancestors have seen my betrayal and have punished me. The power that they granted me is broken. I have worked so long and so faithfully, yet I have turned traitor to my own Family. Why did I turn my back to them? Tell me Mr. Martelli."

"Call me Papa Paolo if you wish to speak informally, son," Papa Paolo said quietly, smiling slightly when Suoh seemed to take on a more Suoh-like expression.

"I am Tsuna," he replied softly.

"Tsuna," he repeated, sagging slightly as the tenseness seemed to flow out of him entirely. "From one Boss to another, I think you know why you did what you did. Suoh was naive when he came to me. He still had that pure light in his eyes and that untainted spirit. From what I can gather, you were barely into getting your feet wet and then you woke up to what you'd become seven years later. I've seen my own daughter grow much in the past year, so I know that seven years can turn an innocent man into a cold-blooded killer. You saw what was at the end of the road you were on and you decided to jump ship. Without the experiences and memories of what you probably went through during those years with your men, the bond between you was weakened. You saw too much and you weren't prepared to handle it. It's as simple as that."

"I can imagine," he sighed sadly, his eyes seeming to suddenly hold so many secrets. "I do not know the person that I was before, but I know that I have went through much in the years that I remember. Each scar that I bear is a testament to those years. I could not imagine what I would be like without them."

"If you want to know, it's all in that file," Papa Paolo prompted, pointing to the closed folder on the desk. Tsuna blinked and hesitantly reached out to pick it up. Opening it, he quietly read to himself for several minutes until a sudden burst of laughter caught everyone off-guard. "What's so funny?" Papa Paolo asked for everyone.

"Ah, it's nothing," he chuckled with a spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. "To see that Xanxus found me and bought me was just a bit of a surprise. He always was one to get his own way. It took much work to break him of that habit and it seems that my efforts were wasted upon my death." Then his eyes narrowed and his amusement was wiped away when he read past that. "I was raped and beaten?" He prompted with a look of displeasure. "I assume that the culprit was identified and dealt with?"

"In a manner of speaking," Papa Paolo confirmed with a pale face. No one argued with the statement, finding something else to look at rather than let him know that it'd happened a second time. Tsuna looked suspicious at the answer, but mollified when he turned to continue reading. He flipped through several more pages before pausing once more to look up at Papa Paolo unhappily. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm your errand boy," he stated blandly. Papa Paolo turned as pale as death. "You've known all along who I was and you chose to make me into an errand boy and a dishwasher."

"Yes, I did," Papa Paolo confirmed, not denying the truth in the least.

"I like your audacity," Tsuna exclaimed, instantly going from unhappy to merry with a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Oh my! Me! An errand boy! I wish more Bosses had your guts!" Tsuna continued with his breathless laughter while Papa Paolo gaped in surprise. Gigi didn't feel much different. Of all the reactions that she could have imagined, acceptance and amusement wasn't in the list. "Seriously," he panted with a wide grin, wiping tears out of his eyes while he started to calm down. "You're definitely a man that I could call friend under different circumstances. We're not that much different. I, too, had my moments of audacity. Why, I even turned the most feared hitman in northern Italy into a... a nanny..." Tsuna froze, his face taking on a look of utter shock that left Gigi and everyone else faintly confused. "My kids," he breathed, racing through the rest of the file in a panic. "What happened to my kids? What about Hotaru and Ieyasu? You said that three years have passed. What happened to my children in that time? How is my dear Haru faring? What about Hayato and Takeshi and Ryohei and Lambo? Where's the information on my Family?!"

"Calm down!" Papa Paolo exclaimed. Standing up, he reached across the desk and boldly grabbed Tsuna's hands. He had no fear anymore and there was no hesitation. For all of them, the mighty tiger had suddenly turned into a scurrying mouse. "Vongola is fine!" He soothed, instantly getting Tsuna's attention. "Your son, you said his name was Hotaru?"

"Yes," he gasped, nodding frantically. "What's become of Hotaru?"

"He's still firmly in place as Vongola the Eleventh," Papa Paolo said with purposeful eye contact. "I've been doing my best to keep an eye on them for you. From the outside, everything has been running smoothly. There's a few things that might surprise you, but there's no reason to panic. I have an informant permanently stationed in Venice Row. She sends me all the rumors that she comes across, so I can stay up to date. You might even know her. She goes by the codename of Pink at her bar."

"P-Pink...?" Tsuna gaped, blinking rapidly in surprise. "You know Pink?"

"Yes," he nodded. "She's one of my God-daughters and she's been in place for years. I can't stay neutral if I can't get information. She's good at picking up on small cues and she never spills a secret once she's promised to--"

"I know Pink," Tsuna interrupted with his own pale face for once. "I worked for her under the code-name of Orange for a while. I was a bouncer at her club on the weekends."

"You have my condolences for such an experience," Papa Paolo said sadly. There was no hint of mockery in his voice. He was sincerely sorry, which made Gigi wonder what kind of things went on in the club named.

"An arm and a leg was nothing compared to the assignments I received from the Ninth," Tsuna replied. "Tell me. Tell me everything. I beg you."

"There's no need to beg," he said like an admonishing parent. "I'll tell you. Just sit and listen, son." Tsuna sat at his direction, for once looking incredibly uncomfortable in the chair that he'd usurped. "I'm not sure where to start," he mused in thought upon taking his own seat. "Your son is keeping the throne under his own power. The Vongola Guardians of the previous generation have mostly all retired or scattered. You wife, Haru, was declared a widow. I'm afraid that current gossip has her engaged to a Mr. Hibari Kyoya."

"Hibari would be the only one to dare," Tsuna commented with a faintly hurt expression. "Haru always was one to be drawn to strength, as well. I'm honestly not surprised if they think that I'm dead."

"Pink has told me that Gokudera Hayato was important to you," he continued after a moment to grimace in sympathy. "He's currently working as the president of Vongola Corp until your son comes of age. Yamamoto Takeshi and his son have both retired to Japan. I do believe that she said he was playing some kind of sports now."

"Baseball," Tsuna supplied with a soft smile. "So, he got to follow his dreams after all."

"Who else is there?" Papa Paolo murmured, scratching his chin while he tried to pull up another tidbit that Pink had sent him. "Ah, your mother had a little boy. She named him Timoteo."

"Mother did?" He asked quietly. "She must have artificially gotten herself pregnant."

"How did you know?" Papa Paolo asked in surprise.

"Because the man at her side is incapable of having children," he replied, bowing his head to hide his expression once more. "I made sure of that so that there could be no confusion. What of Lambo?"

"Ah! He's studying at Don Girarde. He's due to graduate this year."

"Ryohei?"

"I don't know that name, son."

"Fuuta?"

"I don't know that name, either."

"Matsu?"

"Red-headed guy, right? Pink said that he retired to Japan, too. He's some kind of liaison now."

"Sakura?"

"He's at your son's side. He's still working as a top-notch physician and he's still one of the only pacifists left in the Mafia."

"Xanxus?"

"That's a tough one," Papa Paolo grimaced, making Tsuna lift his head up. "Not because I know too little, but because I know too much. It seems that Xanxus is one of Pink's regulars. He goes in several times a week to see a little councilor girl that they got working there."

"White," Tsuna supplied with his face seeming to crumple. "Poor Xanxus. I was just getting him to open up to people. Now he's not just lost his father, but he thinks that he lost me, too. He never had anyone else but me and the Varia."

"She said that he's taken to isolation when he's not going in for his appointments," Papa Paolo continued in sympathy. "She said that he's also taken to keeping a two-tailed dog at his side and a hovering mini-bot with him at all times. Frankly, I'm not sure if I believe her on that part. She says that he has a that can dog can sit on a chair and drink from a cup like a person. Supposedly, he trades shots with the beast. The mini-bot seems to be a link with someone at his headquarters from what she told me. The thing supposedly talks to him and translates for the smart dog."

"Ginger and Pandora," Tsuna supplied with a lopsided grin, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. "The information is accurate. That tells me that he kept my tanuki and they're still working on Pandora's body. She's the AI for the Vongola Database. What about Mukuro? I saw what you had in the report, but what's the truth? Why did he disappear on me? I can't even feel my connection to him and the Chain isn't responding to my summons."

"He's locked up in a Vendiche prison," Papa Paolo answered, shaking his head slightly to brush away the confusion about Tsuna's comment. "From what I'm told, they got him tied up in a shielded room so that he can't use any of his strange abilities. I'm afraid that my information stops there. Pink tried digging more when he went missing on you, but they warned her off."

"They're afraid of what he'll do without me to keep him in line," Tsuna sighed, the hurt in his eyes seeming to get even deeper. Gigi instantly hated that look. It was a look that seemed to dive straight into Tsuna's core. No person should carry such heartache. It made Gigi want to cry and she didn't even know why he was hurting so much. "Everything is wrong. This isn't the happy future that I was promised. Without true closure with my death, everything is askew. This isn't the future that I chose."

"What are you talking about?" Gigi asked worriedly.

"My death was foretold," he answered mournfully. "Vongola has information sources that you couldn't possibly understand. I was told that I was to die and I accepted it. I accepted it because I believed in the strength of my Family and I saw the future that they were going to receive for their loss. I did my best to prepare, but something went wrong. I was supposed to die when I pulled Ari down into the depths. They shouldn't have been able to save me after that point, but I am here when I shouldn't be. My death was a necessary factor and I failed them by living."

"How sure are you that you had to die to get the future that you wanted?" Papa Paolo asked curiously, instantly getting everyone's attention. "The reason I ask is because they _do _believe that you are dead. Or did your magical foresight tell you that you couldn't come back?"

"I--" Tsuna paused and clamped his lips shut while he thought about it. "It's possible," he admitted quietly. "He only said that I was dead. He never specified how or when, so it's very possible that he didn't know. If that's the case, then..."

"Then?" Autumn asked with a dose of calm that Gigi didn't expect from the woman.

"Then I can't go home," he said miserably. "Not until ten years have passed from the day of my wedding and my wedding was in the summer before my twenty-first birthday."

"You just turned twenty-five a few months ago," Gigi supplied at his questioning look, slowly standing now that her legs were willing to work again. "It's January now. I... I don't know how to tell you this, b-but you just celebrated your first anniversary last week."

"My anniversary?" Tsuna blinked in total shock, staring down at Papa Paolo's desk and the folder on it. Then his eyes softened slightly. "I didn't read closely enough. That man that I teamed up with. It's him. Isn't it? Snickerdoodle or whatever his name was."

"Yes," Gigi confirmed carefully while Autumn and Papa Paolo held their breath in waiting for his reaction.

"He has suffered because of me," Tsuna stated softly. There was no question to the statement. He stated it like it was a fact, even though he knew nothing of their relationship. "For his sake, he should leave me. No good comes from forming an attachment with me. Only those who know me distantly can ever find joy in my presence. People blind themselves to what is around them and only find misery when they keep their eyes on the Sky. You. You said that you were a friend to me?"

"Yes," she nodded, feeling incredibly disturbed at Tsuna's comments. "We live together at the Dojo and I've--"

"Get away while you can," he murmured without looking at her. "I say this for your own sake. I am grateful that you have helped shelter me while I've been asleep, but one day I will return to my Family. Four years has already elapsed. In six, you will lose me completely. It is better that you let go now. There's no need for you to suffer for befriending me unknowingly. The same goes for any of--" Tsuna broke off in shock at the hand that smacked across his face. The sound seemed to echo in the small room, making everyone else choke and nearly foam at the mouth. Gigi didn't care. She wasn't about to sit and listen to Tsuna-- No! Suoh! She wasn't about to sit and listen to Suoh say such things about himself!

"Now, you see here!" She roared. "I don't care if you're Vongola the Tenth, the President, or the Queen of England! I go where I want to go and I make friends with who I want to be friends with! If you don't like me being your friend, then just say it, but I'm not going to sit here and listen to you talk about yourself like you're cursed! I've had enough of that today, thank you very much! Now, you're either going to get it in your head that you're stuck with me or else I'm going to bend you over my knee and spank you until you squawk like a plucked chicken!"

"Gigi--" Autumn choked.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Gigi warned, taking a deep breath before continuing. She'd been silent long enough! "I also think you owe Isaac an apology for breaking his hand and your smooth talking still isn't the same as apologizing to Autumn for calling her 'arm candy'! You two bicker enough without you insulting her like that! You also need to apologize to Papa Paolo for being so rude and taking his chair, plus you need to thank him for taking care of you all this time! He's been nothing but good to you and you just ran right over him like you're a freaking freight train! And another thing--!"

"I'm sorry," Tsuna interrupted with a formal bow. Gigi froze with her mouth still hanging open, having thought that she'd only get to say a few more sentences before he exploded over being slapped. This reaction, like all of his others, threw her completely by surprise. "You perfectly correct in your summary," he added as he rose back up. "In my own defense, I was in a rather perilous situation in my last memory. I'm far too used to using my title and power as Vongola the Tenth to deal with rival Bosses. When I woke, I truly believed myself to be in enemy hands. Now that I have seen otherwise, allow me to apologize for my high-handed attitude. It was deemed necessary at the time, but that does not excuse such behavior in light of all you have done for me."

"A speech fit for a Mafia Boss," Papa Paolo chuckled with a crooked grin. "I have to admit, I see where the rumors about you came from. At the same time, you're nothing like I could have imagined."

"My training was thorough," Suoh replied. "But that is in the past. For now, I must admit that I'm at a loss for what to do. I have six years to wait out in order to ensure that the prophecy comes to pass. Vongola must not know that I have survived until that time, so I have no aid from that quarter. It might be troublesome for you, but I fear that I must request asylum."

"There's no need for that, son," Papa Paolo said with a small shake of his head. "Whether you accept it or not yet, you're still part of my Family. You passed the trial and that's all I need to know. It might be demeaning to you, but you've already got a life to wait your time out with. You've got a name and a husband. You've got a job and friends and a purpose here. You've done a lot in these past few years and it'd be a shame to throw all that away."

"True," he murmured with a slow nod. "Alright. I'll continue with whatever life that my younger self created for me. Gigi, I'm afraid I'll have to ask your assistance. I know nothing of this city nor of the people in it."

"No problem," Gigi smiled. "Maybe you'll remember something while I show you around. Just..." She grimaced, but there was one thing that had to be dealt with before anything else. "Do you think you can turn the fireworks off? It's kind of eye-catching."

"Fireworks?" He repeated. Then he looked up, nearly going cross-eyed in order to look at the Flame still brightly flickering on his head. "That's odd," he mumbled. "I don't remember releasing it. Give me a second and--" Suoh's body crumpled into Papa Paolo's chair at the same moment that the Flame on his head went out. Gigi was first to his side, calling his name urgently in worry while she tried to wake him.

"What happened?" Autumn asked with wide eyes.

"Hell if I know," Gigi growled. "This boy throws me for more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. Why don't you-- Oh. He's coming around. Sweet-cheeks? Err, Tsuna? Are you okay?"

"Ngn," he groaned as his eyes flickered open. "Gigi? Did Snicker come back?" Gigi stared at Suoh in shock, her jaw slowly dropping when she heard his accent return to normal instead of that Italian smooth-talking voice he'd used before. She could see it in Suoh's eyes as he slid out of the chair and to the floor. He was back. The Suoh that knew her and the Suoh that was so adorably devoted to Snicker was back! Without even thinking, she threw her arms around him in relief and started crying in joy. She hadn't wanted to say anything, but she hadn't been sure if it would have felt right to care about the changed Suoh. That didn't matter now, though. This was the Suoh that she loved and counted as a friend! He was back to normal and...

And crying.

"Suoh...?" Gigi asked, pulling back her own tears and her joy at the sound of his weeping into her shoulder.

"Snicker was supposed to come back," he cried, reminding Gigi of the other issue that still had yet to be resolved. "I made Gabriel go away so that he'd come back, but he didn't come back! What did I do wrong, Gigi?! What can I do so that he'll come back?!"

"Suoh," Papa Paolo called, quickly grasping the situation while Isaac and Autumn simply stood in dumbfounded confusion. Suoh stiffened in Gigi's arms and his sobbing stopped so quickly that he hiccupped. He was terrified upon realizing that Papa Paolo was in the room. "Come here, Suoh," he ordered quietly. Trembling the whole way, Suoh pulled out of Gigi's arms and slowly stood. It was almost painful to watch him walk around Papa Paolo's desk in order to stand before him. Compared to the strong and seemingly unbreakable person that he'd presented himself as a few minutes ago, this Suoh seemed frail and shattered. "Suoh," he said carefully, reaching out to grab Suoh's shaking hands from where he was seated. "Do you remember how you got in this office?"

"N-No," he answered with a shudder. "T-The last thing that I-I remember is Isaac h-hitting me."

"I see," he murmured in thought. "In that case, I want you to tell me why you attacked my son. Be honest with me."

"I-I--" Once more Suoh shuddered, but this time it released a spate of silent tears down his face.

"Did he hurt you, Suoh?" Papa Paolo prompted.

"Y-Yes," he answered, his shoulders and chest shaking from the effort to hold himself together.

"Was he the one that hurt you in that alley?" He asked, craning his neck to keep eye contact when Suoh bowed his head to hide his face once more.

"Y-Yes," he admitted. "H-Him and h-his friends cornered me. I-I didn't know h-how to fight back then."

"And you've kept it secret all this time," Papa Paolo stated. "Why?"

"H-He's your s-son," Suoh answered in a small voice. "Y-You wouldn't have b-believed me."

"Why did you attack him now?" He asked mercilessly. In response, Suoh clenched his eyes shut before sending a glance toward Autumn and Isaac. He didn't want either of them to hear. His pride and dignity was already damaged enough. "Both of you get out of here," Papa Paolo ordered. "Isaac, go get that hand looked at by Jules. Tell no one of what you've heard or seen in here." Both of them nodded before quietly leaving the room. Once alone, Gigi walked forward to put her hands on Suoh's shoulders in support.

"Go ahead, Suoh," Gigi encouraged gently. "I'm here for you and Papa Paolo will hear you out fairly."

"I will," he confirmed with a small nod. "Tell me. What crimes has Gabriel committed against you?"

It was slow at first. It was both slow and painful to watch as Papa Paolo dragged the truth from Suoh. She could see it, though. The longer that Papa Paolo went without condemning him and the more that he heard Papa Paolo's sympathetic tone, the more that Suoh seemed to get his strength of heart back. He was still weak, but telling someone who could make a difference and being believed made a huge difference. There were still tears and there were still moments that Suoh looked ready to faint, but he slowly seemed willing to talk about it without being forced.

"What you did is going to take some work to cover up," Papa Paolo murmured while Suoh sniffed and hiccupped in the chair that he'd been given. "It's the least that we can do for you after such a gross oversight on my part. I can't begin to tell you how apologetic I am that my son took part in such a--"

"You believe me?" Suoh asked in shock.

"Suoh," he replied quietly. "You are the same young man who came to me and said 'I want to be good.' Aren't you? I can't see you making such a claim unless it was the unvarnished truth. I can't see you attacking my son unless he had reason to be attacked. In short, yes. I believe you, son. Gabriel's hobbies have always disturbed me, but I thought it was still innocent rough-housing and boyish pranks. I didn't know that he'd escalated into such misdeeds. I hope that you can forgive me for--"

"Forgive you?" Suoh squeaked with wide eyes. "For what? Gabriel's the one that hurt me! It wasn't your fault! I-I should have trusted you sooner. I just... I didn't want... I couldn't..."

"That is what I should apologize for," he said softly. "You believed that I would hold blood to be thicker than water. That means that you don't truly feel that you are part of my Family, because all of my Family is my blood. You are just as much a son of Martelli as Gabriel is and I'm not a man who picks favorites between my children. I want you to know that, Suoh. If I'd made you understand that sooner, perhaps I could have kept Gabriel in line better."

"You can't be everywhere," Suoh objected with another sniff while he rubbed his eyes with the handkerchief that he'd been given.

"Go home," he ordered gently. "Get some rest and I'll see what I can do about finding Snicker for you. If I have to, I'll tie him up and talk some sense into him personally now that you've told me the truth of yourself. Don't worry," he added. "I'll keep it secret. I can see why you've hidden it from me until now. Gigi, see what you can do about getting him a solid alibi for this morning. I--" All three of them froze at the whirlwind that burst through the office door, knocking everyone speechless in a heartbeat. Before Gigi could even register who it was, he was gone with Suoh thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "W-Was that who I think it was?" Papa Paolo asked belatedly, his eyes going as round as dish-plates over the sudden kidnapping.

"Yes," Gigi laughed. "I guess he's made up his mind. It's about time. He really was starting to worry me. This is the longest that he ever took to realize how much of a moron that he's been."

"That's a relief," Papa Paolo sighed. "That boy needs some good news after all of this. Well, go see what you can do about his alibi and I'll go see what I can do about getting the restaurant open for dinnertime. After that, I need to figure out how to deal with Gabriel. Oh," he added with a twinkle in his eyes. "And tell Snicker to knock next time."

"Will do," Gigi replied with a quirkily salute and a wide grin. Walking out of the door, she stretched slightly as she walked through the restaurant and out the front doors. Despite everything, the sun had come out and was shining high in the Sky. For some reason, the fact made her smile. No matter what happened and no matter how dark things seemed, things always looked brighter once the night was over.

And today looked like it was going to be a very bright day.

* * *

"I lied about drinking that case of beer."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped, trying to understand what was going on. One minute, he was sitting in Papa Paolo's office and in the next, he was slung over Snicker's shoulder. Snicker didn't even give him time to feel relief or joy. He has simply thrown him over his shoulder and bolted out of the place before anyone could stop them. It wasn't as if Tsuna wanted to stop him. Snicker could do anything he wanted. What made him gape was to hear Snicker toss out such an off-the-wall comment while he found himself carried down alley after alley without pause.

"I lied about eating the last of the mint ice cream," he added with a firm nod, which only confused Tsuna even more. What was he suddenly saying? "I was the one that taped over your favorite show, too. It wasn't Eric. I also lied about bleaching your favorite shirt. That wasn't Dedra. I meant to tell you the truth, but she covered for me. The truth is that I wanted to do your laundry myself and I got the detergents mixed up. I also lied about Peanut eating your comic book. I made that up because I spilled chili on it and didn't want you to know."

"S-Snicker...?"

"Hush," he ordered, bouncing Tsuna on his shoulder to silence him. "I ain't done yet. I lied about going to play basketball with the guys. The truth is that we went down to a titty bar to make Tracer blush. I lied about getting you those plane tickets. I really just wrote you a dirty limerick to make you laugh, but Summer slapped me upside the head and told me what to go get instead. I lied about saving my money back for that, too. The truth is that everyone pitched in and got them for you when I said that I was broke from spending everything at the titty bar. I lied about being allergic to cats so that you wouldn't let the strays in that you've been feeding. I lied about Gigi borrowing your bath salts and spilling them. I didn't want you to know that I'd been using them because I thought you'd tease me. I lied about Leo wiping the computer by accident. You know I ain't good with that kind of stuff. I lied about Ollie breaking that tea set that you got for your birthday. The truth is that I was playing pool with Ore and my jump shot went flying a little too much. The ball landed in the sink and broke damn near every dish that Dedra had been washing."

"Anything else you want to tell me?" Tsuna asked tonelessly while Snicker burst through the Dojo doors and practically stormed through the place with Tsuna still on his shoulders.

"I got a shit-ton," he answered as he rushed up the stairs to their bedroom. "But I'm probably already in enough trouble with all of that. The point that I guess I'm trying to make is that you've only lied to me once and I've lied tons more. My little white lies might not have seemed that bad while I was telling them, but they pile up. I'd say they about rack up even to one year's worth of one big lie. Don't you think?"

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped when Snicker tossed him on the bed without a single grunt of warning. His breathe caught in his throat, forming a lump that silenced him when he looked up to see Snicker hovering on all fours over him before he could even think of getting back to his feet. More important than Snicker being on top of him, though, was his expression. His face was covered in regret, pain, and apology.

"I'll admit that it hurt to hear that you lied to me," Snicker said solemnly, bowing his head while he tried to find the right words to explain. "It also hurts to hear that you're one of those sat--" Snicker broke off immediately upon seeing Tsuna's own hurt expression. They both knew what he was going to say. "Sorry," he amended quietly. "I guess I shouldn't say things like that anymore. It hurts to know that you have to take part in that kind of stuff because I didn't watch your back good enough. I--" Snicker held up a finger of warning when Tsuna tried to immediately object, silencing him long enough so that he could finished. "I want you to know that Poe is wrong, though. Even if you're damned or cursed or whatever you guys like to call it, I've decided that I don't care. I might be sleeping next to the damned, but you've been sleeping next to a damned fool all this time."

"Joshua..."

"Now that I've said that," he said with a firm nod to himself, his expression darkening almost instantly. "I want you to stay here where it's safe while I go have a nice talk with Gabriel. That bastard has a lot to answer for."

"Wait!" Tsuna choked. Snicker paused in the middle of pushing himself off the bed at the two small arms that Tsuna sat up to throw around his waist.

"Don't stop me, Suoh," Snicker mumbled around a kiss to the top of Tsuna's head. "I'm not going to sit back while he hurts you anymore. You made me promise not to do anything last time, but it's different this time. Not only did he hurt you, but he even dragged my son into his schemes. He's not going to get away with it."

"He's already in the hospital," Tsuna replied quietly, burying his face into Snicker's chest so that he could wash away the scent of everything else. It was like aromatherapy for his heart. Snicker had such an earthy scent that it was calming and fortifying. It made him feel safe and protected while it wiped away all the pain and the misery of the past day. "I beat him up and then I told Papa Paolo everything, Snicker. I thought Gabriel was why you weren't coming back, so I took care of him."

"Y-You what?"

"I took care of him," Tsuna repeated, squeezing Snicker even tighter. He wouldn't let go. Not when Snicker was so close and he'd said such things with such sweet intent. He'd wanted Tsuna to not feel bad about having lied, so he'd owned up to his own white lies. He had already had time to figure out the reasons for himself and had come to understand Tsuna's decision to hide it. He'd accepted it and had moved onto the bigger issue of accepting that Tsuna was a werewolf. For him, that was the biggest hurdle to leap. Lobat made him act like a school girl faced with a sewer rat. Poe gave him nightmares and chills. It wasn't because of who they were. It was because of what they were. From what he'd explained, anything that sucked blood terrified him. They terrified him, but he'd said that he wasn't going to let that deep-set fear stop him. Even more touching was his declaration and intent to protect Tsuna. He wasn't thinking about consequences or circumstances. None of that mattered in the face of his feelings. "I won't let him get between us anymore."

"You confronted Gabriel?" Snicker asked in dumbfounded shock, his whole body stiffening at the thought. "By yourself?"

"I didn't plan to," Tsuna sighed in Snicker's arms. He barely noticed Snicker's reaction to his words. All that mattered was his warmth, his smell, and his kindness. As long as Tsuna had that, nothing could stop him. "I was waiting outside for you and then Gigi said it was time for me to go to work. I figured that you'd expect me to be there, so I went. A-And then Gabriel touched me again." Despite himself, Tsuna shuddered in Snicker's arms at the memory of that touch. The memory made him feel slimy and tainted. It made his skin crawl so badly that he quickly had to hold back the desperate urge to shower so that he could get clean again. "It's hard to remember what happened after that. I got really mad because I thought he was the reason that you weren't back yet. I-I remember hitting him. I hit him a lot of times before Autumn jumped in. After that, I blacked out. When I woke back up, Papa Paolo said that Gabriel was in the hospital and made me tell him everything. That's when you showed up to steal me away."

"I don't understand," Snicker objected while his arms protectively clutched Tsuna's shoulders. "You were always scared of him before. How did you--?"

"I started to think that I lost you," Tsuna answered, pulling back slightly so he could look up into Snicker's weathered face. "I can't do anything about being a werewolf, but I thought you'd come back if I made Gabriel go away. Since it was for you, I wasn't scared at all."

"Suoh, you--"

"Can we go take a shower?" He interjected in a small voice, feeling his skin crawling even worse simply by hearing and saying the man's name. "I can still smell him on me and pickled olives make my stomach upset."

"Pickled olives?" He repeated in confusion.

"Um, yeah," Tsuna confirmed, biting his lip over the fact that Snicker could actually know about his sense of smell now. "Everyone smells different since I got turned. Gabriel smells like pickled olives and Poe smells like peppered beef and cinnamon rolls."

"I-I see," he replied with a raised eyebrow. "Do I want to know what I smell like?"

"Beefcake and brown gravy," Tsuna supplied with a wide grin. "Your sweet side is candied-apples."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not," Snicker commented with a bewildered expression. Tsuna chuckled slightly at him, seeing that he was trying to imagine himself in such terms. It obviously wasn't as easy as he thought. Then his expression changed and there was a hesitancy that immediately caught Tsuna's attention. "Suoh, I-I...uh...how do I say this?"

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked curiously, seeing his face alternate between green and red until it was almost as if he was a Christmas tree.

"I want you to bite me," he finally blurted while his face decided that red was the color to go with. "You don't have to bite Poe anymore. I-I've got to admit that it scares me, b-b-but I'd rather--"

The sound of Tsuna's roar of laughter interrupted him. He couldn't help it. The image of Tsuna offering himself to Poe popped in his head and he wondered if he had been so adorably earnest at that time. Just like he had been, Snicker was frightened by the idea, but willing to submit anyway because of the strength of his caring. At the same time, he was embarrassed due to all the depictions of vampires being sensual beings when they bit.

His naivety left Tsuna with no other option _but _to fall back onto the bed and laugh.

"Sorry, sorry," he gasped while he tried to regain control of himself. Snicker had a dumbfounded look on his face, having been completely thrown off balance by Tsuna's reaction to his offer. "It's just your face-- and then you said-- and then--" Once more, Tsuna devolved into a fit of laughter that left him gasping for air. He'd seen Snicker's naive side plenty of times when they'd first gotten together, but he never though he'd see this level of innocence from the man. He was acting almost virginal again, which was definitely a reason to laugh.

"I'm being serious, damnit!" Snicker exclaimed with an even brighter blush, which only made Tsuna laugh harder. "It's not funny! I don't want you biting Poe when I'm right here!" At that, Tsuna's laughter faltered. Snicker's expression was quickly taking on a hurt tone. He'd been trying to give Tsuna a token of his caring with the offer and Tsuna had laughed at him. It made Tsuna want to slap himself.

"I can't eat you," Tsuna replied in concern for how he'd hurt Snicker's feelings. Snicker froze while Tsuna slowly sat back up on the bed with Snicker still straddling his lap. "I wish I could, but I'm not a vampire. I Changed differently when I was turned. I'm a werewolf, Joshua. I can't feed from just anyone like Poe does. I've already tried and it doesn't work. I have to feed from a vampire to keep my sanity and Poe is the only one in the city. I've never had a choice in that. If I did, I probably would have told you about it earlier."

"Oh," he said disconcertedly. "Then last night...?"

"It was just like I told you," Tsuna smiled. "We weren't doing anything other than biting. Poe has no interest in me as anything other than food nor do I have any interest in him other than for my sanity. We are friends with a codependency, Joshua. Nothing more."

"And you can't bite me instead?" Snicker asked, trying to ensure that he perfectly understood the situation.

"I didn't say that," he murmured with a playful smile. "I just said that I couldn't eat you." Tilting his head backward in effort to illicit a kiss, Tsuna grinned widely at the flabbergasted look on Snicker's blushing face. As always, seeing Snicker act in such a hesitant and innocent way brought out the strangest desires in Tsuna. "If you give me enough incentive, I still might bite, Kuma-kun."

As if the pet name was a spark, Snicker fell forward with a groan in order to pin Tsuna to the bed with a hungry kiss. It was wonderful and delightful. It was full of desire and passion. It was desperate and floundering. Snickers lips were warm and moist while they hungrily chomped on Tsuna's very breathe.

_The world spun while he tried to fight the bruising lips that crashed against his wet face._

Gasping, Tsuna broke off with a shudder at the memory that surfaced. Hiding his disorientation and the faint queasiness that resulted from it, he tried to ignore the cold lead in his stomach so that he could enjoy making up with Snicker. That was what made arguments and marital spats worth the effort. They got to make up afterwards and strengthen their feelings for one another. He wanted to give himself to Snicker as a token that his lapse was forgiven. He wanted Snicker to take him so that he would know that he was completely forgiven in return. He refused to let--

His mind went blank for a moment when Snicker's hands rambled up his arms so they could clasp Tsuna's hands and his lips went for the sweet spot on Tsuna's neck. It was the same spot that Poe had told him repeatedly that it didn't actually taste sweet.

_While three men held him in waiting of something, Tsuna felt his bile rise as vertigo set in. After that, he felt what they were waiting on. He felt it as soon as he breathed in to sneeze from the drug that had been blown into his face. His heart started racing faster and the room started spinning more randomly. With every second that passed, he could feel a heat and a sweat building in his body. The feeling scared him, making him put in more effort into an attempt to get free. Someone sat on him. He couldn't tell who. He couldn't see straight and someone had put the world on mute. He felt that he was going to begin heaving with every second that passed. He couldn't get his senses straight and the pressure between his legs scared him. He wanted to kick and scream and cry, but his arms and legs couldn't even tell which way was up or down anymore. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and he couldn't comprehend what was happening. Then a set of lips pressed against his throat and it was as if someone hit his gag reflex._

Shoving Snicker off of him entirely and with a force that was only slightly short of brutal, Tsuna barely rolled off the bed in order to stick his head in the bedside trashcan. He heard Snicker spluttering behind him over the sudden rejection, but it was drowned out when Tsuna started heaving a mere millisecond later. As he did, he started crying. It wasn't fair. He'd finally beat up Gabriel, but the fear and disgust and feeling of violation was still etched into his body. The memories were still embedded into his mind, tarnishing more than he thought possible. It wasn't just his pride and dignity this time. It wasn't just his reputation and his sense of security. Gabriel had invaded into even his intimate moments with Snicker. It wasn't fair! What gave him the right to destroy such a precious thing?!

"It's okay, Suoh," Snicker murmured into his ear with a voice laced with understanding. Wiping his mouth when his stomach finally started to settle, Tsuna turned in order to cry into the shoulder that presented itself so readily and to try to take comfort in the protective arms that carefully wrapped around him. "I was afraid that this would happen," he soothed mournfully while Tsuna sobbed out the lingering pain inside him. "You shouldn't have tried to hide it. You're not alone and I'll help you through it just like last time. That bastard can't hurt you anymore. I'm right here with you and we'll make this right. It doesn't matter how long it takes. I can be patient, so don't try to hide it when you're feeling upset. I can wait for as long as you need. I'm here for you, Suoh."

It was something of a relief to hear Snicker's words. The honesty and understanding showed that even if he had a thick skull at times, Snicker had a soft heart that would always hold Tsuna close. Even though there were times of jealously and times of mistrust, they were always there for each other when they were in need. Because, as they had sworn to each other...

To have and to hold...

For richer or poorer...

In sickness and in health...

To love and to cherish...

Until death do they part.

.


	54. Chapter 54 Snicker II

Tsuna grumbled tiredly as he reached out and slammed a hand down on the be-damned alarm. Five-thirty was just too damn early. He had to get up, though. He had half an hour to show up at Papa Paolo's in order to start up the deliveries or else the man would hand them off to someone else. He had to get Snicker's work clothes ready for him and wake him up, too, so he simply wasn't allowed to go back to sleep.

No matter how much he wanted to.

Sitting up in bed, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes while trying to keep his lids from closing. Four hours was barely enough sleep to stay sane with, but it was all that he got. He got home at one since Isaac was such an ass. The man had hidden three tubs full of dirty plates until closing. He'd put them out after Tsuna had already let all the water out of the sinks and had wiped his station clean. Of course, this had the effect of making Papa Paolo upset at him in belief that he'd been slacking. Meanwhile, Isaac had been able to leave the moment that the kitchen was clean. After he'd gotten home, he'd spent an half an hour dealing with stuff around the house and had squeezed in a poor fifteen minute hour workout before finally retreating up to Snicker. Once there, he'd crawled into bed and passed out after receiving a sleepy 'goodnight' and a kiss from his half-awake husband.

It never ceased to make him smile that Snicker always woke up when he came to bed. No matter how long his hours and no matter what time he arrived, Snicker always pulled himself awake for at least a minute in order to welcome him. Sometimes, he was energetic to give more than a kiss, but lately Tsuna still wasn't ready to do anything more than simply cuddle. That was enough, though. It was enough to make Tsuna drag his tired bones out of bed every morning and not give in to the weariness creeping into him. He could do it because he knew that the faster that he got the day over with, the faster that he could lie next to Snicker once more. Although, there was another reason to get the day started and it was the best part of his day. It was even better than his goodnight kiss.

That reason was the simple good morning kiss that Snicker always gave him.

"Wake up, Snicker," Tsuna yawned, reaching over next to him to shake Snicker awake. He froze the moment his hand touched Snicker's shoulder, sensing that something wasn't right. Snicker usually grumbled at the sound of the alarm and rolled over. He hadn't done that. He hadn't twitched or moved a muscle, even when Tsuna had sat up in bed. Even more importantly... "S-Snicker," Tsuna urged while trying to ignore the missing warmth in the skin under his hand. Snicker's shoulder was just cold because he'd went to sleep in only pajama pants. That's all it was. "Snicker, come on," he gasped, reaching out to touch the skin on Snicker's smiling face when he didn't respond. "You're scaring me. Wake up. W--"

Tsuna pulled his hand back for a moment when even the skin on his face was cold. Tears blurred his vision and he furiously shook his head in denial. It wasn't true. It wasn't true. Snicker was fine. He was just harder to wake up this morning. See. He had a pulse-- His tears raced down his face even faster when he couldn't find it. No matter how he probed nor how he searched, nothing responded to his fingertips. He let out a sob when even an ear to his chest heard nothing.

"Joshua," he mumbled, reaching out to pull him into his arms while his tears continued to fall and his heart started crumbling in his chest. "You can wake up now. April Fool's isn't here yet and this isn't funny. Please, Joshua. Please. You can't just leave me like this. I know that I teased you about being old, but I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it, Joshua, so please just wake up. You're only forty. We're supposed to have another sixty years together. Remember? So, please. Please wake up, Joshua."

Silence was Tsuna's only response. Snicker refused to breathe. He refused to open his eyes and tell Tsuna that it was all just a joke. He refused to reach up and wrap Tsuna in a warm hug. He refused to answer the name that Tsuna repeated over and over again in hopes of waking him. He simply lay in Tsuna's arms while Tsuna continued to weep harder until he finally couldn't take it anymore. Snicker simply refused to do anything other than smile.

Tsuna wasn't sure how much time passed before that smile finally reached him. It was the smile that made his tears falter to a stop. Snicker was smiling. He never smiled that sweet, soft smile unless Tsuna was with him or he was talking about Tsuna. Everyone knew that. That meant that he knew that Tsuna had been with him. He'd known right up until the moment that he'd stopped being able to control his facial expressions. He'd known and he'd left that little gift to tell Tsuna that he was happy.

"You weren't supposed to go without me," Tsuna wept. He continued weeping quietly without a clue as to what he should do. All he could think of was that people would come and take Snicker away if he were to shout. It was too late to save him. Tsuna's sense of smell and his hearing told him that much. From how cold he felt, he'd probably drifted away not long after giving Tsuna his goodnight kiss. Tsuna didn't want anyone to take him away. He wanted to hold onto him for just a little longer.

Just a little longer....

* * *

Gigi stretched tiredly, preparing herself to get ready for bed. It'd been a long night, but it'd been worth it. She now had enough blackmail on the last of the city's health inspectors so that Suoh wouldn't have to worry about the boarding house being closed down for a long, long time. It'd been a fun night. The little bald man had been so shy at first, but Gigi had called in Lucas the Excaliber impersonator to help for a little while. It'd only taken an hour to get him to crack enough that he'd been acting like a perfect little slave for the secret camera that Gigi had kept on him.

Filing the disk holding the footage away in the growing library hidden on the bookshelf behind her scarf-draped mirror, Gigi stopped to admire herself for a moment. She looked too good to change clothes just yet. Not until she'd let Suoh admire her a little. She'd lost half an inch of her stomach recently and her rear was perkier than ever. Suoh always noticed the work that she put into herself and his praise was worth staying dressed up for a little longer. Hearing his compliments always made her sleep better, after all.

Looking over at where his sister was still passed out on his bed, he rolled his eyes at her. Marty was worse than any man Gigi had ever slept with. She was sprawled across the bed with the blankets entangled around her leg, having obviously gotten kicked out of Leo's bed again. Not that Gigi could blame Leo. Gigi was the one who'd gotten all the class and manners in their family. Marty was the one who farted in her sleep and scratched her stomach like a beer-guzzling pig. In truth, Gigi had no clue what Leo saw in his sibling.

"Wake up," he laughed, picking up a pillow to smack Marty with when she started talking in her sleep. "You're in the wrong bed to be saying things like that."

"Un?" Marty asked sleepily, waking up for only a second before rolling over and passing out again. Gigi groaned and set to truly trying to wake her. They fought over the covers and the blankets. He dragged her off the mattress twice before she gave up and tried to fall back asleep on the floor. It wasn't until Gigi threatened to put her in a dress that she snapped awake and jumped to her feet. "Do it and I'll break all of your high heels!"

"Don't joke about something like that," Gigi growled. Tossing her head to the side, she smiled slightly when she saw Marty blinking like she was only beginning to truly wake up. Marty really was hopeless in the mornings. "Come on," Gigi sighed. "I smell bacon, so breakfast should almost be ready. You never seem to have a brain until you've got food in your stomach."

"Food?" She asked tiredly.

"Yes, dear," Gigi chuckled, reaching out to guide her by her shoulders. "Food is good," she added like she was talking to a caveman. "We go get food now. Eat lots. Make body strong."

"Ah," Marty nodded slowly in agreement. Then she blinked rapidly as Gigi's mockery finally penetrated her sleep-fogged mind. "Hey!"

"Keep walking," she laughed, shoving her sister out of the bedroom and across the stage to the kitchen before she could think of how to get revenge. The scene in the cathedral was about the same as always. Ore was scarfing down on a mixing bowl full of cereal while he stole eggs and bacon and kisses from one of his two girlfriends around bites. Ollie kept stealing the bacon from his hands before he could eat it, making half of the toast disappear in the process. Leo was trying to enjoy a bagel while working on an essay for one of her classes. Eric and Summer were getting up for the day, too. Of course, both of them were morning people and were far too frisky for anyone to want to look directly at them.

"Where's Suoh?" Gigi asked curiously while she snagged a waffle from the stack on the kitchen bar for herself. "I want to see what he thinks of my new dress before I go to bed."

"Dunno," Cassandra called, slapping Ore's hand with a spatula for the tenth time.

"I think they left early," Dedra yawned from her seat on the couch, where she was flipping through a hair magazine in effort to find what style she wanted to wear next. "It's been quiet up there all morning. They probably went out to do some more shopping for their trip."

"Aww," Gigi replied in disappointment. "Has Poe already come down for breakfast? He has good taste. He always tells me that I look delicious."

"I don't think he's talking about how you look," Leo laughed, looking up from her essay with a bright grin on her face.

"I know," she confirmed with a twitch of her hips. "But I'm not picky. I'll take what I can get."

"You look wonderful, Gigi," Eric called, pulling his lips away from Summer long enough to shoot Gigi a wide smile. "Is that a Namahage original?"

"It's a knock-off," she laughed in delight. "I couldn't afford a Namahage original if I sold the Dojo and everything in it. Rodger got a hold of the latest design and made this for me. What do you think? You can't even tell that it's a fake. Can you?"

"Nope," he replied with a knowing eye on the dress while Gigi gave a small spin before one person who would appreciate her clothes, if not her body. "It looks exactly like the original that I saw on Marvoi at last week's cocktail mixer. She said that she knew the designer and got a free dress in exchange for a little bit of sucking up. Of course, she didn't say it like that, but I can read between the lines."

"You know Marvoi?!" Dedra, Cassandra and Summer exclaimed in unison with Leo and Gigi herself.

"Who's Marvoi?" Marty asked dumbly while Ore merely raised an eyebrow. Gigi goggled for a moment, but decided to leave explaining to the girls that instantly surrounded the poor woman. She was worse than Leo at times. At least Leo was starting to outgrow her tomboy nature. Marty was so deeply entrenched that it'd take an army to pull her out of her ways. Instead, Gigi headed over to grab the phone while Ore started grabbing his hardhat and lunchbox in a rush. The poor man was already running late. He was going to be even later from the looks in Dedra and Cassandra's eyes.

"Hello," Gigi greeted upon answering the phone. "Orange Dragon Dojo. This is Gigi."

"Hey, Gigi," a male voice greeted in return. "It's Frankenfurter, Snicker's Boss. Listen, I hate to be a bother, but is Snicker coming in today? He promised to come in early to help me stock the vending machines, but he never showed. Paula said that he never got on the bus, either."

"Hold on," Gigi replied in surprise. "Let me see if he's here." Covering the phone for a moment, she looked up to call to Ore before he left. "Hey, Big Guy. Look up and see if Snicker's still asleep. He's not at work and he might have went back to sleep if Suoh went in early."

"Okay," he agreed, breaking out of Cassandra's embrace once more. "After that, I got to go. My Boss is going to kick my ass."

"Just hurry up and check!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "Frankenfurter's waiting on the--" She broke off with a strangled choke from the moment that Ore reached up to push the shoji screens to Suoh's bedroom open. He hadn't hesitated, because no one honestly believed that they were home. It was too quiet for them to be home. They shouldn't have been home, but they _were _home. The phone dropped out of Gigi's grip at the same time Summer dropped her breakfast plate and it shattered on the floor.

It wasn't possible.

Suoh was on his knees on the bed. He was staring into space and the undeniable sight of tears created angry splotches down his face. He wasn't moving. He didn't blink nor react to the screen door opening. All he did was continue to hold Snicker in his arms. Snicker wasn't moving either and the way he seemed stiff in Suoh's arms told Gigi more than anything else could.

Gigi wasn't sure who the first person to scream was. Maybe it was herself. Maybe it was Eric or even Ollie. All he knew was that the sound was like a trigger that sent them all rushing up the stairs in a panic.

Everything that came after that turned the bright morning into the beginning of a nightmare.

* * *

Things really couldn't get any worse, Autumn mentally grumbled. It was taking everything they had to keep Gabriel from pressing charges. The punishment for his offense had been decided, which only made keeping him at bay even harder. He had no reason to not want revenge on Suoh once he woke up to find that he'd been throw out of the Family entirely. They had their lawyers on him, but she was unsure of who would win the battle of legalities. They had nothing but Suoh's word to prove that he'd been raped by Gabriel, which made matters on the home front bad, too. Nearly a quarter of the Family were unwilling to take Suoh's claims as truth with no proof to back it up. That quarter was objecting to Gabriel's dismissal over Suoh's with a vengeance. They thought Suoh should pay for the crime of beating Gabriel and that Gabriel was being treated unfairly.

In truth, Autumn wasn't sure what to think. She knew her brother was a heartless man who always got what he wanted without caring about his methods, but he was still her brother. To think that he was capable of rape was too much for even her. Only one fact kept her from agreeing with Gabriel's quarter of the Family and that fact was Suoh himself. He might be a egotistical jerk, but he'd never lied without a good reason. He also never complained and never once had he said something bad about someone without there being truth behind his judgment. He was a jackass, but he was a fair jackass. To say something that would ruin Gabriel so thoroughly was something that he'd only do if it was justified.

On top of that, there was one thing that kept circling through her mind. That thing was the look in Suoh's eyes when he's said, "I'll kill Gabriel before I work for him." He'd laughed it off afterward as teasing, but she had a different perspective now. Suoh had really meant what he'd said. He really would have killed Gabriel if she hadn't of interfered. Her heart still raced when she thought about that moment that she'd jumped in to save her brother. She'd thought that she was a goner, but her brother was the single-most important person to her. In that moment, she'd decided that she really was willing to die in order to protect him. No matter what he might have done to deserve it, he was still her brother.

That was what made punishing him so difficult. She knew that her father had been thinking of the Family as a whole when he'd cast Gabriel out, but she found herself wondering if that was the only way to deal with him. It was true that he'd probably continue on his spoiled and uncaring path as long as they backed him, but outcasting him made her wonder what she'd been working for all this time. She'd only wanted to become heir in order to keep her brother in check. She'd failed him by having let him go so far without being noticed and it was hard to find purpose in everything that she'd done without him around.

She could easily hate Suoh. She knew that and she kept herself from doing so by the thinnest of margins. She wanted to scream at him and rant at him and ask him how the hell he could let himself be raped. She wanted to ask how a guy that could fight like he does could be beaten by a little weasel like her brother. The only reason she didn't ask and didn't vent those emotions was because she'd seen it for herself. Suoh was already suffering enough. Between the suffering that Gabriel had caused him and the suffering that parts of the Family threw at him for Gabriel's dismissal, he didn't need her scorn on top of it. She could leave the wrathful side of herself to others. Despite everything, she still had a crime Family to learn how to run.

Taking things one step at a time seemed to be the right way to handle things until she figured out how to protect Gabriel from her position of power. She wasn't allowed to aid him, but she could still use her influence and dealings in order to benefit him in small ways. She knew his business ventures and how he ran them. A little push to the right people and a small nudge would ensure that he was safe and sound despite his shunned status. That wasn't the problem. The current problem was Suoh.

Suoh hadn't shown up for work. While rare, it wasn't completely unusual. What was unusual was that he didn't call nor did he send any of his men down to take his place. At the moment, her father was furious. He had several special packages that he didn't want to trust to anyone else in his daytime crew and Suoh's absence meant that he would have to deliver them himself. Since he literally couldn't deliver them by himself because of the nature of the deliveries and the touchy nature of the recipients, he'd sent Autumn to fetch Suoh in person. Suoh was going to go to work, even if he was sick and she had to drag him out of bed. He was useless, but he had a way of getting out of sticky situations without even noticing that he was in them. If her father went in person, bad things could happen. Very bad things. So, the only option was to get Suoh and make him do his damn job. That little punk had no excuse for missing work anyway. She and her father were throwing so much support at him right now that the least he could do was to show up on time for--

Autumn's mental grumbling abruptly silenced itself and her footsteps faltered when she rounded the street-corner a mere block away from Suoh's home. There was several police officers, an ambulance, and a vehicle that made Autumn pale. The place looked like a bank that had just been robbed. People were standing around in spades, blocking the traffic along the sidewalk on both sides of the street. Many of them had looks of shock and horror on their faces, which made her want to ask who died.

Digging out her cell phone while she started shoving her way past, she quickly dialed the number for her father and tried not to grumble over how everyone seemed so unlively. Whatever had happened, she didn't doubt that Suoh was probably at the center of it. More than likely, he'd finally went too far and killed someone. The little twerp was a hundred time more trouble than he was worth. It was one problem after another where he was concerned and his value didn't go up with his split personality that thought he really was Vongola the Tenth. She didn't buy that trick with the fire at all. She knew that he used to work in the circus. Something like that was probably child's play for his sort.

"Hello, Daddy?" She said into her cell phone when the sound of ringing stopped abruptly.

"Where's Suoh?" Her father snapped. "Let me talk to him."

"I'm trying to get to him, but there's something going on," she explained hurriedly. "There's a lot of people and I'm trying to get through. It looks like he's caused trouble again."

"Again?" He sighed in exasperation.

"There's police and an ambulance outside his place," she confirmed. "The coroner is here, too. I think he really went too far this time. I can find out as soon as these people_ GET OUT OF MY WAY_!"

She choked when several people turned to glare at her without moving a toe to give her a path to walk through. Even worse, several of them seemed outraged by her outburst.

"You might not know it, but you're in Orange Dragon territory, miss," one of them finally admonished with a strangely understanding voice. The tone his used was like that which a person would use with a child who didn't know better and made her bristle in anger. "You're looking to get hurt if you don't show some proper respect for the dead."

"Who died?" She asked curiously, deciding to get information from the man rather than shove through the crowd anymore.

"One of the gang's leaders," he answered quietly, his gaze going back to beyond the crowd around him while Autumn's stomach turned into stone. "Most of us here are just Dragon Fangs that aren't really important, but him.... He was the Dragon's Heart."

"W-Who?" She asked urgently, grabbing the man's sleeve in shock. "What was his name?! Was it Suoh?"

"No," he replied in surprise for the name that was dropped. "Suoh's the Dragon itself, miss. Snicker was the Heart. He was a very important man to all of us, so I'd appreciate it if you could lower your voice and show a little more respect."

"Did I hear that right?" Her father gasped across the cell phone. She couldn't blame him for him surprise. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut herself. Snicker had died. Suoh's most important person had died. "Princess...?"

"Yes, Daddy," she murmured. "You heard right. He said Snicker died."

"I'll be down there in a minute," he replied after a silent moment to process the information.

"What about the restaurant?" She objected.

"I'm closing it for today. Get to Suoh and see how he's taking it. Don't you dare say anything callous, Princess. Suoh's had a rough time lately. If you're not careful, he might really snap if he hasn't already. Pretend you're in the middle of negotiations in enemy territory. It doesn't matter how much you dislike him. You've got to--"

"I can handle it until you get here, Daddy," she soothed in a hurt voice. "I'm not that cold."

"You make me wonder sometimes," he retorted before hanging up on her. The comment was equal to a spanking from the man. He'd never once said something so harsh before. It made her wonder exactly how much her father liked Suoh. She knew that Suoh was on his favorites list, but for him to put Suoh above Autumn and his restaurant for even a moment made her feel a strange sense of jealously. Then she remembered the circumstances. Suoh really had been through a lot lately. More than likely, her father was just worried about losing one of his wild cards.

Putting her cell phone back in her purse, she once more tried to push through the crowd with more care than before. It actually seemed to go faster when she tossed out 'excuse me' and 'pardon me'. It was when she was only three from reaching the front that the mood of the crowd seemed to suddenly shift. Anger rippled through everyone without a single word being passed. It made her push through even faster in order to see what was going on. When she broke through the crowd, she wished that she couldn't see, however. She had no clue what was going on, but it looked bad.

It looked really bad.

From the looks of it, Snicker had already been loaded up into the coroner's van. No less than six people plus four cops were trying to restrain Suoh while he tried to lunge after the woman standing by it. Suoh looked.... Suoh looked enraged. There was no sanity in his eyes. There was only killing intent. Like her father had feared, he had snapped. That was easy to understand. What she didn't understand was why Judge Ferment's wife was present nor why she was shedding such fake tears.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Suoh roared, making Autumn do a double-take to ensure that it really was Suoh that she was looking at. She didn't know why he'd say such a thing, but the crowd tensed at the words. If something didn't stop him soon, he was going to create a riot. Apparently, he had enough of a hold on the people living around him that his anger made everyone else angry alongside him.

And all that anger seemed focused on Judge Ferment's crying wife.

"It's can't be helped," she said while more artificial tears surfaced. "It's what Joshua would have wanted."

"BULLSHIT!" Suoh screamed, throwing three people to the ground and managing to advance four steps before Ore jumped in to help restrain him before he could make good on his threat. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU BEFORE I LET YOU LAY A HAND ON HIM! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT SNICKER! YOU RUINED HIS LIFE AND I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM ANYMORE!"

"You poor thing," she replied with an expression of sympathy that made Autumn want to gag. If there was ever a woman that was more fake, she'd yet to see it. "Joshua must have meant a lot to you for you to be so upset, but you don't have to worry. As overseer of his estate, I'll make sure that his ashes are scattered properly."

"Don't you dare," Suoh growled while his whole body shuddering with suddenly quiet rage. "Snicker was scared of fire. Don't you dare burn him. You don't know anything about him. You have no right to--"

"No right?" She repeated while barely hiding her triumphant grin from behind her handkerchief. "I have every right. Charlie is Joshua's only living relative and, unless you have a Will that says otherwise, I am the executor of his father's estate since Charlie is still a minor. Upon his death, everything that was his is inherited by his son."

"What?!" Gigi gasped with wide eyes, letting go of Suoh in surprise along with everyone but the officers trying to restrain him. Suoh was lost in his own shock over the words, so much so that he couldn't even respond to the sudden freedom he was granted. "You better back the train up a few stops, missy! Snicker hasn't even reached the morgue yet! What the hell gives you the right to determine such things already?! As his current spouse, Suoh has far more right than you do to decide what happens to Snicker!"

"Show me the paperwork," she replied, dropping the tears entirely in order to take up a seemingly righteous facade. "Joshua was once my dearest hus--"

"Suoh, no--!" Autumn screamed when Suoh once more lunged forward in effort to strike her before she could say the unforgivable. The police officers that had been restraining him went flying and even Eric and Gigi were knocked aside in his rage. Autumn ran forward with Ore, Leo and Ollie in effort to get to him in time, but he was too fast. He was closing the distance too fast. The woman barely had a moment to register that he was free and wanted to kill her before he was over half the distance between them. In another second--

Autumn choked when her own father was suddenly between Suoh and the woman. It was as if he appeared out of thin air. Suoh started to push him out of the way to get past, but her father did something. He did something that left everyone gaping. With a single, seemingly effortless backhand, her father sent Suoh flying into the crowd behind Autumn. The people that Autumn had just pushed through got knocked over, but Suoh wasn't giving in there. As if they were nothing but stepping stones, he rolled with the impact and flipped himself over before any of them even hit the ground. Using one man as a launching pad, Suoh surged forward once more.

Once more, her father showed the power that was hiding in his plump body. People were usually deceived by his jolly exterior into thinking his round body was all fat. The truth couldn't be any more different. She'd seen his workout room at home and knew that his personal trainers came three times a week. He had four trainers, all of which sparred with him in unison in a thrice-weekly battle royale. There was no one stronger in the Family. Her father just chose to conserve that strength for when it was needed rather than use it at the slightest opening. Doing so doubled his strength when it came out since he also had the added bonus of being underestimated.

She remembered him telling her that a Family was only as strong as their Boss. If he wasn't strong in body and in mind, his Family wouldn't be, either. That was why her father had put both her and Gabriel into the hands of tutors and trainers so early. She'd gravitated more toward the clean-cut physical trainers while her brother had become enamored with the muddy world of logic puzzles and philosophical debates, but they'd both been trained thoroughly since her father hadn't known which would succeed him. They were just at different levels when it came to the body and mind separately.

The reason that her father trained presented itself in a way that she couldn't have predicted. The reason was that her father couldn't be a Boss if he couldn't keep his own men in line. Suoh was given free reign most of the time so that he could keep perspective, but he was still a Martelli. He was a Martelli and this was a situation where he'd completely lost his perspective. The woman was obviously baiting him, but he couldn't see it. She _wanted _Suoh to lash out since doing so in front of police would ensure that he was safely stowed away in jail until she'd finished with whatever plans she had. Papa Paolo Martelli wasn't about to let that happen. It was his job as Boss to save Suoh from himself.

He reached out once more with a grace and complete lack of effort that made everyone gape. It looked almost as if Suoh had ran into his hand with how easily her father had Suoh's throat in his grip. Suoh choked and fought the grip, but her father wasn't done with that. Lifting Suoh slightly off of his feet, her father ensured that eye contact was made before saying one very quiet command.

"Stop."

Surprisingly, Suoh listened. He stopped fighting completely and the killing intent dissipated. It made her gape for a moment in realization of what no one else could see. They couldn't begin to understand what they were seeing. Her father had just used the Voice of Nobility in order to make Suoh obey. It was one of the three glamours that was gifted to the Martelli Family Boss along with each of the core Family. Her father had told her about the glamours and had ensured her that the power would come to her and her Knights on its own. In truth, she'd already gotten her Armor of Nobility. It had appeared during her training one morning and she'd found it strangely easy to grasp once she'd felt the power once. The Voice and the Spirit were still beyond her, though.

But her father used the Voice on Suoh and it seemed that Nobility trumped Justice in this instance. Her father was showing his chivalrous side by protecting a woman and was stopping an uprising at the same time. Suoh had no power to withstand him because his Justice wasn't strong enough. He was too blinded by the Injustice of what was happening around him since it affected him personally.

"This isn't the time or the place, Suoh," her father admonished while he quietly set Suoh back down on his feet. "Go wait for me inside. I'll be in to speak with you once I've dealt with things out here."

"Yes, Papa Paolo," he agreed with a head bowed in defeat. Autumn and her father were the only ones who weren't gaping when Suoh slowly retreated back into the Dojo. For everyone but them, the sight of Suoh obeying so readily after having been in such a poignant killing rage was shocking. Everyone had expected to see blood. They hadn't expected to see Suoh turn into a whipped puppy in the space of a few seconds, but such was the power of the Voice.

"Mrs. Ferment," her father said, turning in place to begin doing damage control with the confused woman behind him. "I would apologize for my worker's threats, but I frankly find it very suspicious that you arrived so quickly."

"Someone came to inform my son of what had happened and I chose to come in his stead," she replied defensively, her eyes darting between Suoh's retreating back and to Autumn's father. "I rushed right over to ensure that Joshua is dealt with in the manner that he always wanted. That... That hooligan kept trying to stop me from doing so."

"I'm sure you only have Joshua's best interests at heart," he soothed with a winning smile. "At such a distressing time, I doubt that a _fine _woman like yourself, who _truly cares _about Joshua, would even _think _of his life insurance policy, the deeds that are in his name, or the fact that cremation is cheaper than a traditional burial."

"What are you insinuating?" She asked with her eyes narrowed in anger. It was an anger that was mirrored by the crowd, but directed back at her despite her oblivious ignorance. She truly didn't care about the angry mob. To her, they were low-life, low-class mongrels. For a woman of breeding that she presented herself as, the law was supposedly going to protect her from their wrath. Of course, this belief was completely ignoring the looks of disgust on a few of the officer's faces who'd been present for the whole argument and the look of fear in the eyes of those trying to hold the crowd back so that the ambulances and the coroner's van could retreat safely.

"He's insinuating nothing," Autumn interjected with a small smile, already seeing what her father was up to. Her father turned to look at her while she stepped up and she could see the gleam of pride in her father's eyes for stepping in. "He's just stating that a _truly caring _person such as yourself would think _very deeply _about what Joshua would have truly wanted before you make any _hasty _decisions. After all, there's a _lot _of people who care _very deeply _about what happens to him. Just look around you. In truth, I'd _really _hate to be in your shoes right now. Why, a single mistake in judgment and who knows what Joshua's friends might do? I mean, look at them all. There has to be twenty people for every police officer here."

"W-What?" She gaped, finally looking around to see the angry mob surrounding her. They weren't faceless bystanders anymore. By pointing them out as Joshua's friends, her protection of class and breeding seemed suddenly a lot more fragile.

"If I were you," Autumn continued with a small smile. Everyone watching seemed to understand what she was doing and put on a show of punching their fists and looking angry. Although, in truth, Autumn wasn't sure if they were really putting on a show. Some of that anger looked pretty realistic. It was enough to make Mrs. Ferment turned completely pale. "I'd go home and think _really _hard about what Joshua would have _really _wanted. While it's true that the state and the law doesn't recognize Suoh as any relation to Snicker, I don't think such things really matter to these guys."

"Are you threatening me?" The woman spluttered.

"No," Autumn replied with her own grin of triumph. "I'm just giving you my opinion of the current situation. I wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen because someone decided to force a very touchy issue at a very bad time. If you believe that my opinion is false, feel free to stick around. I'm sure someone here would love to give you a tour of Snicker's holdings. They might even let you leave at some point. Whatever you decide, I've got more important things to do. Just be sure to tell Judge Ferment that Autumn said hello. I'm sure he'll _love _to know that we got a chance to talk."

Turning in place before the woman could respond, she felt her father's amused presence at her back while they walked into the Dojo. More than likely, the police would ensure that she was removed from the scene before the crowd got any worse. She really did have more important things to do, however. Her father had shown her the way. It was her responsibility as Boss-apparent to finish the job that she knew was expected of her.

She just hated what she knew that her father expected out of her.

Bosses worked off of making people owe them favors. It was how they ensured that their subordinates stayed loyal and one of many ways that they got new ones. If a person felt that they owed something, then they were more likely to obey. The deeper in debt that they got, the more loyal they became. It was harsh and cruel, but it was a fact of life. Suoh practiced the method without even seeming to know that he did it. He did favors to people and ensured that they knew that they were being done a favor so that they didn't take advantage of what they were gifted. In return, they swarmed to him and tried to do anything they could to please him so that they could repay a favor that had no monetary attachment. As her father said, _the deeper the pit that you pull them out of, the higher they'll fly at your bidding_._ If you pull them all the way out of the pit while they're at the bottom, there's no height that they won't be able to soar for you._

Suoh was in a pretty deep pit at the moment. It was cold for her to use the fact to her advantage, but Suoh had to be brought in line. It was something that she'd discussed with her father on numerous occasions. At the moment, there was nothing really binding him to the Family other than the belief that they could hold off Vongola. If he came to realize that he had nearly as much power as they did now, there was a possibility that he could become their greatest enemy. They'd been looking. They'd been looking for a way to bind him closer without tightening his fragile leash into a choke-hold that he would probably rebel against. This was their only chance to bind him without losing him and she had to take it, no matter how disgusted it made her with herself. There was the whole Family to think about.

Despite telling herself that, she was mentally hating herself when she walked into the Dojo and saw Suoh's face. Without the rage, he looked like a broken doll. She'd always known how expressive his eyes were with his mood, but she'd never seen such a pitiful look in them before. He was completely lost. Without Snicker, he had no clue what to do anymore. It was quite possible that he was contemplating suicide. If he hadn't already, it would happen in the future if she didn't give him something to focus on. It was true that Snicker was dead, but his life didn't stop there. She refused to let it.

"You're in trouble, Suoh," she said softly, falling to a stop outside of where Gigi and Eric were trying to get Suoh to give some reaction. Ore, Leo, and Ollie were still outside with the crowd, but those two had chosen to retreat with Suoh in hopes of helping him through such a hard time. There were tears in both of their eyes, but they were holding them back for Suoh. They were determined to mourn later, once they knew that Suoh was taken care of. They were such loyal friends.

"I'm Joshua's husband," Suoh mumbled quietly from where he stood like a rock in the middle of the cathedral's halted traffic flow. "How can she say things like that? She said that she's going to burn Snicker. She said--"

"You aren't his husband," Autumn interrupted firmly. Despite her tone, her expression was miserable. It wasn't fair to him, but it was fact. Suoh jerked like he'd just been slapped, staring at her in complete disbelief. Gigi and Eric's expressions matched her own, though. They both knew the facts. "It's not fair to you, but it's the truth and you've got to accept that. You and Snicker might have traded vows and had a private ceremony, but the truth is that doing that was illegal. As far as the law is concerned, you're nothing more than his roommate and friend. If Snicker didn't have a Will, then blood trumps friendship. That's the simple facts. You can try to sue, but everything will have been dealt with long before you can get into a courtroom. You're racing against the clock, Suoh. I wouldn't be surprised if that woman gets her hands on everything that was Snicker's before the end of the day."

"No," he moaned, his face crumbling into ash. It made Autumn clench her teeth to hide her dismay over saying such cruel things, but there really wasn't time to be nice about it. Not if they were going to keep that woman from owning the Dojo, the boarding-house, and Snicker's life insurance policy on top of it. Autumn was already calculating it in her head. The Dojo and boarding-house would become hers by inheritance through Snicker's son. They'd put everything in Snicker's name because Suoh hadn't felt comfortable using his fake identity on such important documents. The woman could sue for his life insurance policy in order to cover what child support that Snicker still owed. By taking over his funeral planning, she could claim that the rest of the money in his policy was hers for reimbursement of the costs. That was probably why she wanted to cremate him. Doing so would save her the cost of a funeral plot and a casket. She'd probably scrimp every penny that she could in order to give him the cheapest excuse of a funeral service that she could get away with, too. Even if the insurance policy was made out to Suoh, she could easily take it away from him between the two excuses of child support and reimbursement.

"I can stop her, Suoh," Autumn said while once more hiding her disgust with herself. It was what was required, though. The Family was more important than one little gay man. She had to throw away all memory of how much she secretly felt she owed the interfering prick. She had to throw away the understanding of him that had grown over the past few years. She had to throw away all semblance of friendship that they had between them. She had to do it because the Family needed her to. She had to do it because it was the only way to bring Suoh into the fold. He got into trouble far too often and he caused incidents without blinking an eyelid. He had to be brought under control and he had to be made loyal. The level of attachment that he had with the Family was too fragile and it was dangerous to leave him like that.

"It wouldn't be easy," she continued to ensure that he knew the depths of the favor that he was going to receive. "That woman is married to Judge Ferment and he's just been promoted to a federal judge. To stop her, we'll be going against someone that has the full backing of the government, Suoh. We'll be having to call in a whole lot of favors and we might have to ruin our relations with several very influential people in the city. You might say that stopping her means that we'll have to use every ounce of pull that the Martelli Family has to offer. To throw that much power around is going to weaken us a lot. Not just socially, either. It's going to cost money with lawyers and bribes. It's going to cost a lot of manpower to keep her from getting her way. It's not something that I can do lightly and it's something that would be impossible for you to do at all without my help."

"Please," Suoh replied in a small voice. It was a voice that made Autumn's voice catch in her throat. It was a voice that made her want to take back every word that she'd uttered. It was a voice that told her that her words had far more effect than she could ever dream. _The deeper the pit that you pull them out of, the higher they'll fly at your bidding_. It was a voice that said he was willing to do anything to be pulled out of his own little hell. He was too deep. He was so deep that she found it to be actually painful to look at him.

The Suoh that she knew would never carry himself with such defeated body language. The Suoh that she knew would never stumble forward so blindly. The Suoh that she knew would never bow his head to anyone. He was the man that was brash and could actually argue with her. He was the man that gave her a taste of how typical men treated typical women. He was the one person in her life that didn't act like she was an idol to be worshipped and it was painful to see him fall on his knees in front of her. She didn't want this of him. She'd never wanted this of him. She realized it now that she was losing it. Suoh really was precious to her. He was a jerk and a jackass and a complete idiot, but that's what she liked about him. He'd never treated her as anything but simply Autumn.

And so easily, that was gone.

"Please," he repeated while he started weeping on the floor in front of her as a supplicant begging for a favor from a Boss. She fought the tears that wanted to surface when she saw him like that. It hurt. It hurt in a way that nothing else had hurt her before. She was used to men begging her for things, but this was different. Suoh was different. He was different and she couldn't allow herself to simply help him like she truthfully wanted to. She couldn't help him without going through the sickening play that was demanded of her as an upcoming Boss. "I'm begging you," he sobbed. "I'll do anything. Just stop her, Autumn. Don't let her hurt Snicker."

"Do you know what you're asking, Suoh," Autumn asked while she fought the urge to cry with him. She felt her father tense slightly beside her, but there was one feeling that she did have to acknowledge. It was the feeling of still owing Suoh. She couldn't throw that away, no matter how hard she tried. The only thing she could do was to repay her debt in full by warning him of what he was getting into. She had to warn him of what she was doing to him. "If I do this, you're going to owe me. The favor that you're asking of me is something a lot bigger than you probably realize. Are you really ready to spend the rest of your life paying it back? You can always try on your own. Snicker wouldn't want you--"

"I don't care," Suoh interrupted, finally lifting his head to stare at her with eyes that reflected a person who was pushed far past his limits. "Just stop her, Autumn. I don't care what it takes. It doesn't matter. Without Snicker, I don't have a reason anymore. I-I just... I can't let her hurt him. I can't let her take away everything that was precious to him. I could kill her, but that would hurt Charlie and Charlie was precious to Snicker, too. I can't.... I don't know how.... Please! If you can stop her, then I don't care what it takes! Just tell me what to do!"

"We'll take care of it from here, Suoh," her father interjected when she was at a complete loss of how to answer such a pleading expression as the one Suoh wore. Never. Never in her life had she had someone throw all their hopes and fears on her in such a way. Never before had someone come to her in need of help. He needed real help, not just a way to pass the time. It wasn't just a favor that he was asking for. He was asking for his fears to be vanquished and his hopes to be realized. He was asking for it from _her_! She didn't know how to deal with the amount of responsibility that it made her suddenly feel. "You just sit tight and let yourself grieve. You shouldn't have to think of such worries right now, so we'll do the worrying for you. We won't let her have what she wants. For now, try to think of what Snicker would have really wanted for his funeral. I'll send someone over to help you with the preparations while Autumn makes sure that you get the right to oversee it."

Autumn started to try to find something to add to his words, but there was nothing else that she could say. She was completely out of her depths. Suoh and she had never been close enough for her to really know what might make him feel better to hear. Anything that she might have to say seemed empty and meaningless in the face of how much he was hurting. All she could come up with was a cliché platitude that really wouldn't help him at all. Besides, Gigi was already murmuring it into Suoh's ear for her.

Taking her father's cue, they silently withdrew and left consoling Suoh to his true friends. When they got outside, the scene had mostly cleared. People still seemed to be hovering around the building, but it wasn't as thick of a mob as before. They'd spread out more, so that they were huddled around the doorways of the neighboring buildings and loitering in groups down the alleys. The police had withdrawn and there was a strained air to the street. It was an air that she finally seemed to grasp when she noticed something. The pawnshop across the corner from Suoh looked like it'd closed its doors entirely for the day and the shopkeeper was smoking a cigarette while he cried on some other man's shoulder. Everywhere she looked, faceless people seemed to be quietly mourning.

"Five years ago, it wouldn't have been like this," her father said quietly while they walked down the sidewalk, dodging the curious and red eyes of those who were already grieving. "I remember Snicker from back then. He caught my attention because he called me a two-faced ape to my face when he caught me in the middle of reminding little Joey that failure was always forgiven but not always unpunished. Zero was there with him the whole time, trying to drag him away. Back then, he was a lot like how Suoh is now. Always jumping into the middle of things without having any clue about consequences. He'd always been a really good guy, but he never had the charisma that Suoh has. He had the heart that wanted to help others, but he didn't have the ability to make others want to help him. I'm still not sure why he didn't. Maybe it was because there was something about him that always seemed to want something in return. He was far too much of a realist, even when he jumped into the thick of things. If he had died back then, no one would have probably noticed. He would have faded away as a nobody and nobody would have cried for him. They would have said 'damn, that sucks,' but they would have just kept going with their lives. Snicker never impacted anyone deeply until Suoh was beside him. It's because of Suoh that everyone knows him and it's because of Suoh that there are people who miss him now."

"I don't really understand," she admitted quietly. "I know that he was Suoh's life-partner, but he was just a former bum that worked in a factory. This level of grief.... It's kind of unexpected."

"That's because you haven't been watching closely enough," he admonished gently while he guided her on a winding path back to the restaurant. "You've been underestimating Suoh's potential for a long time now, Princess. If we were to be honest with him, he truly does have enough power to stop Snicker's ex-wife on his own. He just doesn't know how to use the power that he has. That charisma that he holds inside him has brought attention to everything that he holds to be important. It made Snicker visible where he'd always been lost in the shadows."

"So, you're saying that because of Suoh, people are crying for Snicker?" She threw her father a confused look of askance since the answer was the difference between people crying because Suoh was crying or everyone crying because Snicker had been someone worth mourning.

"Yes and no," he replied with a sad sigh. "Snicker was a good man. He's always had value for his street-sense and his heart. I'm just saying that it was unnoticed before Suoh came along. He truly will be missed now and not just by Suoh. Snicker had his hands in a lot of things and he was the one who's been bonding with all of those that gravitated toward Suoh. You might not know it, but he's become a father figure for all of the slums in the past year. He even had me beat in a few places. His advice is--was--like gold to the people down here. He had experience and his caring heart gained the trust of a lot of people. He was one of them. Every person that wanted to befriend Suoh found themselves befriending him instead. Snicker was hungry for friendship and Suoh attracted them for him. They made a good team like that. Suoh doesn't have the confidence or the ability to trust people that most have. He is always second-guesses people's intentions when they openly try to make friends with them, but he never questions people when he finds someone that he wants to help. He has a lot of things to hide, so Snicker became his insulation. People saw Suoh's strength and tried to get close to him, but Snicker was the one that would become their friend. That took the pressure off of Suoh. It was a simple system that no one ever noticed since Snicker and Suoh were typically always together."

"I see," she murmured. "So, for them, it's the same feeling as if the real leader of their gang, Suoh, had been the one to die."

"Yes," he nodded while his eyes took on a strange look of concern and heartache. "In a way, Suoh's lost half of himself. Snicker was his emotional support and his purpose to keep going. We can keep him from doing anything rash by keeping him focused on protecting what Snicker left behind, but there's a high chance that there might be suicide attempts in the future. Once Snicker's funeral is over, he might lose grasp on what's important. I doubt that he'd accept our help at that point or that of any councilor."

"I've noticed that, too," she agreed with a pained grimace. "He had a strange look in his eyes. I think that he's been pushed too far, Daddy."

"He has," he confirmed, coming to a stop in the middle of the alley that she recognized. It was the one that would spit them out right next to Pasta da Paolo. She stopped with him, watching as he tried to struggle to find the words for what he wanted to say. It left her gaping slightly. She'd never seen her father struggle with anything, let alone a few words. "He needs help, Princess."

"I know," she concurred with her own head bowing under the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders. Suoh needed help and she'd promised to help him. "I want to help him," she admitted quietly. "He's a jerk sometimes and a total moron, but what's being done to him isn't right."

"It makes me happy to hear you say that," her father said softly. Autumn blinked in surprise and lifted her head to look at her father's real face. It wasn't like the strong, unyielding, joyful face that she had always seen on him. It was a face that seemed to cut straight into her own heart. If she could wear a face to show what she was currently feeling, it would be the same one that her father let her glimpse. It was a face full of heartache and grief. It was a face that was haggard and weary from the burden of responsibility that she was just beginning to feel. "This is why we exist, Princess. This is what it truly means to be a Mafia Boss. We aren't here for money or for power. We're here to protect the people around us. We're here as the last chance for those that are precious to us to find justice when the system and the law fails them. We're here to do the things that other people can't do, even if it means taking routes that aren't generally accepted. That was something that I could never teach to you and your brother. I could never find the words to explain what it means to sit in the Family throne. Maybe if I had, he could have come to understand what Nobility really means."

"I don't think it's something that can be taught, Daddy," she murmured in sudden understanding. "I'm just learning it for myself and I don't think it's something that Gabriel could ever grasp. He's too selfish. I used to be that way, too, but I'm starting to learn that getting what I want isn't always what will make me happy. It just makes me greedy."

"Suoh needs our help," he repeated while he tried to put his poker-face back on. "Do you really want to help him, Princess?"

"Yes," she confirmed, slightly flustered with the solemn tone that he used.

"This isn't going to be easy," he warned. "You weren't lying to him about how much that it is going to cost to ensure that Mrs. Ferment doesn't get her way. Beyond that, what Suoh is going to need isn't something that he's going to want. He probably won't ever thank us for it, but I know a way to keep him safe and under control until he comes to terms with Snicker's death."

"What's that?"

"It's going to be harsh," he grimaced. "But this is what we're going to do..."

* * *

It was cloudy, but it looked as if it were going to stay dry. Not that Tsuna could tell. He'd been indoors ever since the funeral home had opened Snicker's room for visitors. He'd been sitting next to his coffin ever since in order to ensure that his vile ex-wife didn't come near. Autumn had worked fast for him, but the woman had done damage before Tsuna had been given control. She'd had Snicker's beautiful hair cut off. The ponytail that Tsuna had braided time and time again was gone. Even worse, that wasn't the only thing missing by the time Tsuna had been given permission to go to the mortuary.

She'd stolen his ring. The coroner said that he'd removed it and stored it with all of his belongings. He'd been apologetic, but he'd been following what the paperwork told him to do. That paperwork had shown his son to be the recipient of his belongings and all of that had went to his mother in his stead. Autumn had come through for him, though. Mrs. Ferment had been stopped there. Tsuna didn't know a whole lot of what was going on, but apparently the lawyer that she was married to had become a Judge. That Judge was currently being blackmailed so thoroughly that he was keeping Mrs. Ferment in line out of simple fear. Just like with Snicker, the man might lose everything because of his wife.

Snicker wouldn't have wanted that. That small thought was always like a gunshot to him. The moment that it'd hit him, he'd started sending out his own quiet orders. There were people standing around in droves, looking for some way to give release to the grief going through them. Tsuna gave it to them with focused activity. At the moment, Charlie's stuff was being packed up so that he could be moved in with his grandparents. Gigi had went to talk to his grandparents for Tsuna. They understood the situation and were willing to submit to Tsuna's plans. It was a good thing. Gigi had come back and told him that the woman's parents weren't greedy jerks like she was. They were rich and they loved their daughter, but something had happened to change them from the cruel people that Snicker had always painted them as. Maybe it was retirement that did it or maybe they'd finally had their eyes opened to what their daughter was capable of. Regardless of the reason, they understood what was necessary to happen and promised to take care of Charlie.

The plan was simple. Tsuna was going to ruin her. Just like she'd ruined Snicker, he was going to take everything from her. An eye for an eye was the law on the streets. She'd reminded Tsuna of her debt by coming into his life. It was an action that she would regret. The next phase wouldn't start until after Snicker's funeral, however. The next phase was to have her husband leave her. The man was currently under so much blackmail that it should be fairly easy with the simple promise of making all of that go away in return for a divorce. His wife would probably go directly back to her parents if she followed the same series of events that Snicker had once told him about. The problem was that, thanks to Gigi's frank discussion with them, her parents wouldn't succor her this time. The woman would have to find her own way.

Tsuna wasn't completely cruel. He planned to have the Judge leave her with her house. She wasn't getting the car, though. Tsuna wanted her to feel the wrath of the cab drivers who were Snicker's friends. He wanted her to know what it felt like to walk to get where she wanted. She would also have to do her own laundry. Every dry-cleaner and laundry mat in the city was on Snicker's side. They'd seen for themselves the woman that had tried to hurt Snicker. The woman would be lucky to ever get her garments back in one piece after she dropped them off. On top of that, Tsuna had called in a favor from the owner of the Mudpie. The owner had passed the word through his network of club friendships until Snicker's ex-wife was now banned from every night-club, cocktail bar, and cafe on the upper-side of town. She wouldn't be able to find herself a new man to leech off of quite so easily without a place to meet them in. There was also the fact that most of the people that worked at her health spa were friends of Suoh's or a friend of his friends. She'd regret it if she decided to go get her nails or hair done. She'd regret it if she went for a mud bath or a massage. She'd regret it if she wasted a single penny on facial treatments or tanning. The final blow was meals, however. She'd learn quickly enough that it was safer to eat at home than it was to get a hamburger at a fast food place. Restaurants were already completely out of the question thanks to Papa Paolo's influences in the city.

The overall plan was that she was completely cut off. She'd never worked a day in her life. Without money, luxury, or pity, she would have nothing. She would have nothing but her home, which was more than she'd left Snicker. After that, Tsuna didn't care what happened to her. She could learn from her mistakes and get a job to afford her mortgages. She could move into an apartment to save money and learn to cook for herself. She could lose the ten pounds of makeup she wore and learn that exterior beauty was only a crutch. She even had the option of selling her house and moving to another city in hopes of starting over. Regardless of what she did, she'd be dealt with and away from the things that Snicker had cared for. Hopefully, in time, she could fix her horrible attitude and amend her selfish ways. If not, she would get to find out first hand that those on the street got no pity unless they earned it. She would get to become the very thing that she openly scorned.

In this way, she would be the only one punished for the indignity that she heaped on poor Snicker. Neither Charlie, her earnest husband, or her parents would be held accountable for her misconduct. She would be the only one who paid the price for trying to take what was important away from Tsuna. That way was the way that Tsuna felt just.

"Suoh," a voice murmured into his ear. He barely turned his head to acknowledge the sound. So many people had already come up to whisper condolences to him that they were all running together. This time, it looked to be the owner of the pawn shop across town. He was probably a man who'd known Snicker from all the times that they'd tried to pawn what they'd gotten through dumpster diving. "I'm sorry about your loss," he continued quietly. "Snicker was a good man and a fine person. It probably doesn't help you any, but I want you to know that I think he was happier these past few years than he's ever been. He really loved you and I think he probably died peacefully knowing that you were with him."

Nodding to acknowledge that he'd heard the message, he gave no other response. He'd heard those same words nearly a dozen times already. The first few times had helped, but it was becoming empty with repetition. He wanted everyone to go away and leave him alone with Snicker, but they refused. They wanted and needed to say their farewells as badly as Tsuna did.

Snicker would have probably cried to see the offerings that was given to him in his passing. There were so many flowers that it filled three rooms of the funeral home. Many of those flowers had a bottle of whiskey attached and those had been piled up behind his casket. Leo had taken the time to go through all of his old photos and had created several collages that people could look at in the other rooms, so that they could talk and mourn together without trying to sandwich themselves in the same room as Snicker's casket. Tsuna's favorite picture of him had been blown up and pinned to a wall, as well, so that people could write their farewells. The plan was to roll the picture up and place it in Snicker's coffin to send off with him.

The casket itself had cost a fortune. Tsuna didn't care. He'd picked out the one that he thought Snicker would like best. The outside was made of copper and was trimmed in silver, just like it was made out of nickels and pennies. He'd paid extra to get the Orange Dragon Logo and Snicker's nickname etched onto the lid. On the inside, it was trimmed in cherry wood and lined in padded white silk. They're refused to let him be buried in his favorite clothes, but he thought Snicker would have liked the clothes that Tsuna had bought for him. He'd never been one to like suits, so Tsuna had gotten him blue jeans and a t-shirt that looked just like his favorite set of work clothes. Since they refused to let him wear the army jacket that he'd always worn, Tsuna had gotten him a warm sweater to wear over it. He knew that it didn't matter anymore, but there was still that little voice that wanted to tell Snicker to bundle up so that he didn't feel so cold.

He would have been happy if he'd known he was being buried in comfort. Tsuna was positive of that. He wouldn't have wanted people crying. He would have wanted people to use his death as an excuse to party. He'd always been fun-loving and a bit of an alcoholic. He wouldn't have wanted everyone wearing suits and ties. He would have wanted everyone wearing jeans and t-shirts so that even the poorest of the poor wouldn't feel a need to stay away because of a little matter of not having anything appropriate to wear.

That was right. _Tsuna _knew what Snicker would have wanted. That woman didn't know anything. Snicker would have wanted to be buried in the ground like his parents had been. He would have wanted the space next to him to one day hold Tsuna. Tsuna had bought all the plots surrounding his so that he could one day be surrounded by his family again. He would have been happy knowing that.

He would have been happy.

"Uncle Suoh?" Tsuna looked up to find Houston standing in front of him in a brand new vest and shirt. He had a smudge on his cheek again, which Tsuna automatically reached out to wipe away. It was a motion that he paused in when Houston said one innocent statement that tore right into Tsuna's heart. "Daddy says that Grandpa Snicker went to visit Mommy in heaven. Is that true?"

"Y-Yes," Tsuna confirmed with stinging eyes.

"It'll be okay," Houston soothed. Walking forward to where he was sitting, Tsuna felt the tears start falling again while the little boy hugged him. "We'll get to see him again one day."

Tsuna couldn't think of a verbal response for the boy, so he simply hugged in return while he started sobbing again. He knew that the little boy was just trying to make him feel better, but he didn't think that he'd get to see Snicker again. He'd killed other people and hurt them. He wasn't going to the same place that a good man like Snicker got to go to.

At some point, the little boy was pulled out of his arms and another shoulder presented itself. He didn't care. All he knew was that the tears inside himself seemed endless.

* * *

Tsuna hadn't been able to say anything. He'd tried. He'd wrote down the eulogy that they'd asked him to give, but he hadn't been able to do it. Upon reaching the podium, he'd found his throat too clogged with tears. He'd found them welling up and choking him every time he'd tried to open his mouth. He'd tried his best to hold it back, but they'd started overflowing again. In the end, Gigi had helped him sit back down while Eric had stepped in as the best public speaker in the group. He'd read what Tsuna had written and then had proceeded into his own eulogy. Person after person had walked up to try to say something about Snicker after that. Whether it was a story of how he'd helped them or some outrageous event that they wanted remembered, Snicker's friends did their best to give him a farewell that was worthy.

It wasn't until midway through the service that Tsuna saw her. She was sitting next to Charlie in an over exaggerated mourning costume of poor taste. Not far from her was where Autumn and Papa Paolo were seated. Both of them had their eyes entirely focused on Tsuna himself and were slightly shaking their heads in warning. They couldn't keep her from the funeral, despite all attempts otherwise. On top of that, this was neither the time or the place to confront her.

Even so, Tsuna felt himself trembling at the ring on her hand. It was a slap in his face that he couldn't ignore. How dare she. How dare she put her filthy hands on that precious ring. Tsuna had given that to Snicker when they'd exchanged vows. It was a symbol of love and caring that made his stomach clench when he thought about it being displayed like a gaudy adornment on that woman's hand. He was trembling in effort to follow Autumn's silent orders to leave her alone. He wanted to storm across the room and reclaim Snicker's ring so that Snicker could truly rest in peace.

"What's wrong, Suoh?" Gigi whispered in his ear while he clenched his hands together in effort to restrain himself.

"She's wearing Snicker's ring," he answered with a shudder running through him.

"Who-- Oh," Gigi murmured, identifying the person immediately upon looking behind them at the crowd. Tsuna couldn't look anymore. He kept his eyes firmly locked on the ground because looking at that woman tested his self-control too much. He wanted to kill her. He'd never wanted to hurt someone so badly before. Even with Gabriel, he'd truly only ever thought of a clean kill. With this woman, he wanted to tear her limb from limb. He wanted to shave her hair off in revenge for having cut Snicker's ponytail off. He wanted to rip out her throat so she couldn't say another despicable word. He wanted to break every one of the fingers that dared to lay a hand on Snicker and Snicker's ring. He wanted to-- "Calm down, Suoh," Gigi whispered, grabbing his hands to give them a small squeeze of support. "Ollie's going to go get it for you. Just sit tight."

"I'm not going to let her ruin Snicker's funeral," he trembled.

"She's not going to," she soothed. "That's why Papa Paolo and Autumn are sitting by her. They're not going to let her get up or say anything. Just ignore her. Letting her come was probably the only way that Charlie could come."

"I want her gone, Gigi," he replied though clenched teeth. "I don't want her here."

"Just hold out a little longer," she murmured. "It's almost over. See? They're calling Ore and the others over to start carrying him out. Do you want to ride with me over to the gravesite?" Nodding, Tsuna quietly got up to follow the casket out and did his best to ignore the presence of Snicker's ex-wife. In truth, he wanted to be one of the people carrying him. The only reason that he wasn't was because he didn't trust himself. He knew that he was a wreck and he didn't want to take the chance that he'd trip or mess up. He was clumsy and worthless like that without Snicker around.

Most of what followed was done in a daze. He watched while they slid Snicker's casket into the hearse and the door was shut, but it didn't really hit him that it was really happening. Even while he was ushered into a limo with Gigi, Eric, and the others, it all seemed so distant. The only thing he really remembered between the church and the graveyard was the little ring that was stuffed into his hands. He held onto it like a lifeline, barely able to feel anything but cold metal clutched in his hand. He knew that the procession was being handled properly. There were two cop cars out front and the hearse followed with Tsuna's limo behind them. In a straight line, there were dozens upon dozens of cars that followed. Trucks had been rented and loaned so that everyone that wanted to go would be able to get a ride out to the final farewell.

It wasn't real. He felt like he was in a nightmare and he just needed to wake up. There was no waking, however. All there was for him was the dull, overcast day that had yet to be brightened by Snicker's warmth.

He would have been at a complete loss of what to do upon reaching the graveside if it hadn't been for Gigi's direction. He found himself seated in a chair next to her with Charlie surprisingly seated on his other side. He tensed when he realized that Snicker's ex-wife was seated on the same row as him, but he left it. He left it because he could feel Papa Paolo standing behind him with his hands on his shoulders. What looked like a supporting gesture was nothing short of two strong hands that were firmly holding him in his seat.

Altogether, only ten people were seated before the casket once it was in place over the hole that had already been prepared. Everyone else was standing huddled next to each other in a sea of working men and women. Papa Paolo, Autumn, Charlie, and Mrs. Ferment were the only ones who'd dressed up for the funeral. Everyone else had taken Tsuna's request to come in normal clothes. It was still a sea of black, but they were black t-shirts and black denim pants. The only real color in the whole area was the streak of black and orange tied around everyone's arms. It made him smile sadly. They'd heard what Tsuna wanted to do for the Orange Dragon send-off. They'd agreed and the sudden show of handkerchiefs were a sign that they were prepared.

The preacher that had offered to say the final rites was efficient. He'd been warned what was planned and had agreed to stand by once his part was finished. Once he was done, the casket was opened a final time. Tsuna was held in his seat while person after person filed past him to give another set of condolences before giving their last farewell to Snicker. It wasn't until after both Charlie and Mrs. Ferment had stood up to file past that the Orange Dragons made ready.

Leo went first, carrying the rolled up picture bearing everyone's written farewells. It was slid into the casket, tucked comfortably next to Snicker's leg. Ore followed with the whiskey bottle that was tucked into the corner of Snicker's arm. Ollie followed, sticking a pack of cigarettes into Snicker's sweater pocket. Gigi went next, bringing the handkerchief that was tied around Snicker's arm where it was meant to be. Even if he didn't get the jacket that he always wore, they weren't going to let him go without that. Poe was the last of them to go up, tucking a twenty dollar bill into his pants pocket despite the rough times they'd had between each other.

Standing, Tsuna ignored everything else as the last person to say farewell. He didn't have a planned offering like the others, but he took the opportunity to return Snicker's ring to him. Despite the fact that they'd always worn it on their thumbs, Tsuna put his where it was truly meant to be. In death, at least, Snicker would be able to wear his wedding ring on his ring finger. He did it smoothly and quickly, ensuring that no one saw what he put in with him. He didn't want Mrs. Ferment to cause a scene over a ring that had been stolen back from her.

He looked peaceful. He looked happy. The smile was still on his face and he had everything he needed. He had everyone's feelings with him. He had a bottle of whiskey to keep him warm. He had a pack of cigarettes and a twenty to tide him over. He had his handkerchief and his ring. There was nothing left but to say goodbye.

He couldn't do it.

He had his hands on the casket's lid, but the tears in his eyes blinded him from what he needed to do. He couldn't shut it. He didn't want to say goodbye.

"Do you want me to do it?" Gigi asked quietly from beside him. He shook his head, completely unable to get a sound out around the thick lump choking him. He'd screwed up on the eulogy and he hadn't been able to do anything else for him. He wanted to do this much. It just hurt.

It hurt so damned much to hide Snicker's smile away.

He stood for what seemed like an eternity before he finally got control of himself enough to do it. It was easier once he didn't have Snicker's sleeping face before him. He was able to fumble the handkerchief on his own arm off and drape it over the top of the casket. Once that was done, he left the rest to Gigi. He felt like his knees were about to give out, heralding that he needed to sit back down again. While everyone else started once more filing past in order to blanket Snicker's casket in black and orange handkerchiefs, Tsuna did his best to keep himself from breaking down again.

It was a hard, hard battle.

"What are they doing, Suoh?" Charlie leaned over to ask in confusion. Tsuna sniffed and wiped his eyes to clear them of the tears that kept trying to well up before trying to answer.

"T-They.. ah... They're giving h-him a send off a-as an Orange D-Dragon. W-We all talked and... um..." He paused, taking a deep breath to try to settle himself before forcing himself to continue explaining. "We thought your f-father would have liked this. H-He... uh... He a-always liked it in m-movies when... um... when everyone p-piled roses up at f-f-funerals. T-This... ah... This is t-the closest we could give h-him on such short n-notice."

"I'm sure he'd be happy with it," Papa Paolo soothed from behind him. "The Orange Dragon Logo meant more to him than roses could. I'm sure that he'd be honored by everyone's gestures." Tsuna nodded quietly in agreement. He really did think that Snicker was smiling over it. Somewhere. "Suoh," he continued quietly. "While they're finishing up, do you think you could come with me for a minute?"

"O-Of course," Tsuna agreed instantly, trying to hide his surprise over the sudden request. There wasn't really anything more that he could do anyway. Once the Orange Dragons finished, the funeral would officially be over and they'd all go back to the Dojo for the wake. The plan was for everyone to drink until they were sober. It probably wasn't very healthy, but none of them cared. It's what Snicker would have done.

Standing, he quietly followed Papa Paolo away from the crowded gravesite and Tsuna shot one final glance back at where Snicker's casket was hidden by the crowd of people. He would have been happy. Even in his death, he was surrounded by people. Tsuna had went all-out on his gravestone, too. It wouldn't be ready for a few days, but it would be worth it. It was a really big pillar that seemed like a cross between the Asian style that Tsuna was familiar with and the American stone that was traditional. There were two small incense urns on the base that gave Tsuna a sense of familiarity so that he could honor Snicker in the future with the traditions that he knew from childhood. It wasn't so foreign that it seemed out of place, though. Those same urns could easily be mistaken for vases that flowers could be placed in. To keep with what was appropriate for Snicker's background, Snicker's name and everything was to be written in English, too. It was to read:

Here Rests

Joshua  
Daren  
Timberson

"Snicker"

Beloved  
Husband  
and  
Father

1968-2008

There was a lot more that he'd wanted to put on it. He'd wanted to have it written about how kind and caring he was. 'Beloved' hadn't begun to be enough to describe how much Tsuna cared about him. He'd wanted to write about how he'd helped create the Orange Dragons and he'd wanted to put into stone all the wonderful things he'd done in the past few years. He'd had to settle for the round Orange Dragon Logo being etched above and below the writing. Gigi had said that too much text would undermine the simple nature of what the gravestone was meant to accomplish.

Walking away was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. The only reason he did it was because he owed Papa Paolo. He owed him and he owed Autumn. Everything before him was thanks to their influence. If they hadn't come through for him, he'd be trying to collect Snicker's ashes from the wind right now instead of giving him the burial that he would have wanted. While Snicker's life insurance policy was still up in the air, they'd ensured that the Dojo and the boarding house would stay in their keeping, too. It'd been a simple matter of forgery on the deeds to have them put in Poe's name as the safest person to hold onto them.

"Did you need something, Papa Paolo?" Tsuna asked quietly once they were outside of earshot of the crowd. He blinked a few times upon seeing Autumn had come with him, but he immediately let the surprise go. Autumn was her father's heir. He hadn't really thought about what that meant before, but she had access to everything that he had. It was probably Autumn that he had more to thank for everything than Papa Paolo. He knew that Papa Paolo cared about what happened to him, but Autumn was the one that had offered to help him. Autumn was the one that had saved Snicker for him.

"We've done our part, Suoh," Autumn said softly, surprising him even more since he'd thought she was along out of mere curiosity. "It took some work, but Snicker's life insurance policy will be granted to you. There will still be a large amount deducted for what he still owed in child support, but Mrs. Ferment won't get the entire check."

"I-I don't really care about the money," Tsuna mumbled quietly. "It was the other stuff that I really cared about. Snicker and the Dojo.... I can't... I can't tell you how much..." Clenching his teeth shut, he tried to hold it back when his throat became choked once more. Even the simplest things seemed so hard to say.

"It's alright Suoh," Autumn interjected with tears of understanding in her eyes. "I know how hard this is for you. That's what makes this hard for me, too. I know you haven't had time to really finish grieving yet, but we need you to do something for us."

"Anything," he said simply. He meant it, too. There was no way that he could repay them back with answering only one or two requests. Like Autumn had warned him, this had been a huge favor to him. It really would probably take his entire life to pay them back for what they'd done for him. They'd saved Snicker. There was nothing.... NOTHING.... that he wouldn't do for them in return.

"We need you to confess and plead guilty to assaulting Gabriel," she murmured, making Tsuna's eyes widen in shock. "We're not accepting him back into the Family, Suoh, but there's been a lot of favors being exchanged right now. If we're going to get Judge Killjoy to back up the forged deeds, then we have to give him something in return. He's always been one of Gabriel's supporters and he said that he would do it for us if you were sent to jail for the assault. It's only two years and you can get out early if--"

"Okay," Tsuna interrupted. It was as simple as that. He didn't care what happened to him anymore. Without Snicker, the only purpose he had was to fill the needs of the Martelli Family in return for the aid that they'd already given him. He owed them everything. If they wanted him to go to prison for a little while, that still wasn't enough to pay them back in full. He could _never _pay them back in full for saving Snicker. His life belonged to them and he gave it willingly. He'd given it willingly in exchange for Snicker. "When should I go?"

"It would be best if you could go now," Papa Paolo answered solemnly. "I know that you want to go back to the Dojo with everyone, but..."

"It's fine," he murmured with a pain shooting through his chest at the thought of going back to a place that Snicker wouldn't be in. It would hurt. It was better that he didn't go back just yet. The idea of having to face Snicker's empty chair and his empty bed was too much for him to even think about. "It might be better for me to go now. I don't think I could... It...."

"Alright," Papa Paolo soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder when he got choked up once more. "Put on your game face, son," he warned while he waved over one of the police officers that had escorted the funeral procession. Tsuna nodded, trying to push everything that he was feeling into a back corner of his mind. It was hard. Of course, everything he'd done today had been hard. Things weren't easy when Snicker wasn't there to take away the hardship.

"C-Can you make sure that Snicker's jacket get to Charlie for me?" He asked quietly, forcing the words out since he knew that he only had a few moments. "Tell him that Snicker's Orange Dragon ring was supposed to go to him, too, but his mother took it. If he really wants it, Ollie should be able to get it back for him. Have Gigi watch over the boarding house for me, too, and--"

"We'll take care of everything, Suoh," Autumn promised with an expression covered in sympathy. He nodded, trusting her completely to keep her word. If she said she'd take care of everything, he didn't doubt her anymore. After all, she'd saved Snicker.

"In that case, I just have to get Jewel to go to someone else for a while," he mumbled. "I can't take her with me into--" Breaking off, he felt Jewel skitter out of his clothes and go airborne. She flew like a racing hawk, settling down on top of Houston's head with a flutter of released wings that were quickly pulled back into its shell upon landing. It's sudden presence surprised everyone, especially Houston, but Tsuna wanted to smile at the little creature's decision. She was smart for a bug. She understood that she couldn't stay with Tsuna, so she'd attached herself to her next choice of caretaker.

Taking Papa Paolo's cue, Tsuna stepped forward to confront the police officer when he finally approached. This was what they wanted from him, so he wouldn't let them down. He couldn't let them down when they'd went so far for a nobody like him.

"Officer," he greeted quietly, bowing his head while he tried to keep his voice from breaking. "I want to confess to putting Gabriel Martelli in the hospital. Please arrest me."

There was no hesitation, telling Tsuna that the man had been forewarned.

"You have the right to remain silent," he responded, pulling out his cuffs while he gently put Tsuna's arms behind his back. "Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you at no cost to yourself. Do you understand these rights?"

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed, smiling slightly when he saw Gigi and several others running toward him to find out what was going on. They all had looks of panic on their faces, but Autumn went to head them off while Papa Paolo whispered to Tsuna that an attorney would be sent for him. He was also told not to say anything until the lawyer arrived since saying too much might get him thirty years instead of only one or two. It all rested on how well his lawyer was prepared in order to get him off with only a misdemeanor charge. If he said too much, he might get hit with a felony assault charge that could possibly put him away for life. It was better to let the lawyer handle everything. Papa Paolo would have ensured that the man who would be sent to him would let him know what to say. "Don't worry, guys," he called while the police officer escorted him toward the patrol car and several people tried to rush over with intent to stop him. "I'm going away for a little while, but I'll be back. Take care of each other for me."

"Suoh, what--?" Gigi gasped.

"It's alright," he soothed with a faltering smile. "Trust Autumn until I return. She knows everything." Ducking down into the police car at the officer's quiet guidance, he ignored the rest of Gigi's yelled questions. This was what he had to do....

Because the Martelli Family demanded it.

* * *

OMAKE:

Ryohei: You cried to the limit.

Ashes: I bawled my eyes out.

Ryohei: Why did you write such an extreme occurrence? Didn't you learn anything from Hotaru?

Ashes: But, I had to... I couldn't advance the story without this and I put it off too long already.

Ryohei: What's that supposed to mean?

Ashes: Snicker was supposed to die in chapter 20! --cries-- It's been planned since before I wrote his character in.

Ryohei: You couldn't let him go to the limit.

Ashes: No, I couldn't. But I have to! I got so caught up in deviations that I've got to get the story back on track! That's why this was so abrupt.

Ryohei: At least he died in his sleep. Too bad Tsuna was too worn out to notice that something was wrong.

Ashes: In truth, I had six different choices between how he was going to die. I thought the peaceful death was better for him. He's been such a wonderful character.

Ryohei: Why did you have to kill him at all? Couldn't you have kept him around?

Ashes: --Serious face-- No.

Ryohei: Why not?

Ashes: Because, after this starts a new phase in Tsuna's life. Tsuna would have never went to Autumn and begged if Snicker had still been around.

Ryohei: You're planning on pulling him deeper into the Mafia.

Ashes: Maybe... I have a feeling that the readers are going to hate me in the future.

Ryohei: Why is that?

Ashes: It's just a feeling, but it's okay. I still like the plot too much to not write it, even if my readers lynch me.

Ryohei: Am I ever going to come back? I've been with the EXTREME Varia for a couple of years now.

Ashes: That would be telling.... --deep breath-- Okay. I think I'm ready to interview now.

Ryohei: I'm good to go whenever you are.

Ashes: How did you like the chapter?

Ryohei: THAT'S CLASSIFIED TO THE LIMIT!

Ashes: Ryohei is mad at me, too! --runs away crying--

Ryohei: Until next time... Assuming my sniper rifle misses.


	55. Chapter 55 Canned

One week. In one short week, he was sent to trial, judged, sentenced, and transferred to a state correctional facility. Transferring him wasn't that big of an issue. It was a simple matter of jumping on a bus and being driven to the facility ten miles outside of the city's suburbs. He'd been in somewhat of a daze the entire time. He'd spent four days in the city lockup and his lawyer had come twice a day to ensure that Tsuna knew what to say and do. After that had been the trial, which has lasted two days. In truth, it could have been done in one but Gabriel's lawyer had drawn out the process by trying to bring in a witness in his effort to get Tsuna sent away for life. He hadn't been able to prove the intent to kill, however. Even with his witness on the second day, she'd claimed that it'd all happened too fast for her to be able to tell. All she could verify was that Tsuna had suddenly started beating Gabriel in the middle of Pasta da Paolo. He'd been sentenced one to five years for simple assault and disorderly conduct, just like Autumn had warned. If he was good, he could get parole after only a year. If he was bad, it would be longer depending on how bad he was. The day after his sentencing, he'd been escorted onto the bus in handcuffs.

In truth, he didn't care. Whether he was in jail or at home, none of it mattered anymore. He'd realized that while he was still in holding. If Autumn wanted him to go to jail or if she wanted him to slit his own throat, his life was hers to control. His own hopes and dreams and goals were gone with Snicker. There would be no trip to Japan to see the sakura with Snicker anymore. There would be no lazy retirement. There would be no rocking chairs for both of them on a porch. He honestly wasn't sure why he was still alive. There was no point to living now. He just kept moving and breathing because Autumn had told him to and he couldn't disobey Autumn because he owed her everything.

Upon getting off the bus with the other inmates being transferred, he had a strange sense of deja vu. He ignored it in order to follow the stony-faced guard's instructions, but it was still there. He felt like he'd done something like this before, but he couldn't think of anything other than a possible tour that he might have done in middle school. There wasn't time to think about that, however. After a short lecture by the warden, they were led inside to a room where they were strip-searched and all their belongings were handed over for safe-keeping.

He was permitted to keep his wedding ring by the simple act of putting it on his ring finger and his fake inhaler full of Poe's blood, but everything else had to be put into storage until his release. They issued him a uniform to put on and even shoes. He found himself in possession of a set of linens and was issued several more sets of clothing. He was informed of policies and what was considered contraband. In less than an hour, he found his head crammed full of so much information that he thought it was leaking out of his ears. They were prepared for that, however, and gave him a handbook to take away any excuse he might have for disobedience.

After that, he was escorted deeper into the complex on a rushed tour until he was summarily dropped off in an empty cell with orders to make himself at home. It left him faintly confused while he slowly walked inside. First of all, the guard didn't even shut the barred door. Secondly, the place wasn't quite what he expected of a prison. From the looks of the prisoners roaming around the place, they had complete freedom within the compound during the day. There were groups of people talking around other cell doors and they walked back and forth between them with a complete lack of oversight. There were three dozen cells in all on his block. One dozen covered one side of the area and another dozen covered the wall across from those. There were six on each of the other two walls with a hallway breaking up both sets. All the cells were currently open and the inmates filled the wide open space in between. It wasn't dingy or dark like he expected. The place was well lit and the walls were washed white.

His cell seemed like a two-man cell. There was a bunk-bed implanted into the wall on one side and the bottom bunk looked to be already made with linens. There was a toilet and a small sink in one corner of the room with a half-wall put up in order to give the semblance of privacy. Bolted into the wall next to the bed was a set of lockers where he supposed that his clothing was supposed to go. Overall, it gave him more of the feeling of being at a camp or a cheap hotel than prison. He'd had less in the way of luxury when he'd been living on the street. Then again, homeless people weren't as regulated as prisoners. In truth, he'd be willing to give up the toilet, sink, and mattress in order to be able to go home to see Sni--

Snicker wasn't there anymore, he reminded himself while he slowly put the linens on the top bunk before going to see what locker he could use for his own belongings.

"The left one is mine," a voice said from behind him when he went to open one of them up. Turning in place, Tsuna looked to find a tall blond man staring back at him with a set of bright blue eyes. It took him a moment to shake off the need to double-take. For a split second, the blond was all that he could see. It made him think of his father before the rest of his face entered into Tsuna's vision. He looked nothing like Tsuna's father. He had the same stupid grin that Tsuna remembered from his father and the right color hair, but nothing else. His jaw was pointed too much and his cheekbones were too high. He looked more like an elf than a construction worker. Although, if he was an elf, then he'd have to be a warrior elf. His frame was thin but broad. Tsuna didn't underestimate him for a moment. He could see muscles around the man's neck and on the arms that peeked out from his orange button-up shirt.

Tsuna didn't reply. He simply opened the right locker instead of the left in order to put his stuff inside. There were three shelves within and a fourth shelf if he included the base. He guessed that one was for his clothes and one was for bathing supplies that he'd been told that he could buy at the commissary. One was for any books or items that he might be permitted to retain along with any mail that he might receive. The bottom one was probably meant for overflow or perhaps extra linens.

"My beautiful self goes by the name of Danny-boy," his apparent roommate interjected in an open attempt to feel Tsuna out. Tsuna ignored him, focusing himself on the act of making his bed. It was difficult. He had to stand on the ladder to get up high enough to even reach it. He had no clue how he'd make the other end without standing on the lower bed. That was, he had no clue until Danny-boy started making the other end for him. "I'm not in here for violence, so you don't have to worry about me at night." Again, Tsuna didn't respond. He wasn't in jail to make friends. He was there to serve out his time because that's what Autumn had asked him to do. "Aren't you curious what I'm in for?" Tsuna shrugged to say that he didn't care either way. The man took it as a sign that he was being listened to, if nothing else, and continued. "I'm in for petty theft. The police mistook the restaurants' offerings for my beauty as an eat-and-run. It wasn't the first time that such a mistake occurred, so they racked up all my debts and sentenced me to twenty months to pay it back. It's pitiful, but the meals were fabulous. Not like the poor offerings that they serve in the cafeteria here."

Once more, Tsuna simply nodded to tell him that his message was received while he finished tucking the blankets into place around the mattress.

"Um," Danny-boy mumbled, scratching his head over Tsuna's complete lack of interest. "You don't really seem like the talkative type, but can you give me a few hints? I'm not going to be able to get my beauty-sleep tonight if I don't have some clue about who's in the room with me. This place holds all types of people, so it'd ease my heart if--" The man broke off with a startled squawk when Tsuna once more turned to look at him directly. Unlike the first time, his hair wasn't in his face from bowing his head. Danny-boy stared in surprise for a long minute at Tsuna's glass eye. He hadn't been permitted his eye-patch and he knew that the clear globe was disturbing. Possibly even more so when it was seen by a narcissist like his roommate. He hadn't ever thought of getting a different one since he'd always had his eye-patch on. Tossing his head slightly so that his face was hidden behind his hair again, he decided that Danny-boy wasn't going to go away without the information he wanted.

"What do you want to know?" He asked quietly, looking at the ground rather than see such an expression of fear, disgust, and shock aimed at him.

"W-What's your name?" He inquired. Tsuna paused for a moment before answering. He paused because no one here knew his name yet and there was one thing that he'd noticed in the past few days. Every time someone had said his name, he'd found himself hurt and disappointed when it wasn't Snicker. He didn't want to feel that anymore. The next time someone called him Suoh, he wanted it to be from Snicker.

"Lazarus," he answered, deciding to use only his middle name.

"Lazarus," he repeated with a nod. "Is it okay if I call you Laz?"

"I don't care," Tsuna mumbled in sad honestly.

"Will you tell me why you're in here?" Danny-boy prompted with a note of curiosity and concern in his voice.

"I put a rapist in the hospital," he replied without specifying that he'd been the one raped. There was no point in giving a possible enemy ammo. The bare facts were enough.

"Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly. "You seem kind of down."

"Sn--" Tsuna clenched his teeth shut. He couldn't say it. His throat got choked every time he tried to say that name. It'd been a week since the funeral, but it still didn't feel real to him. "An important person to me died recently," he amended.

"That is unfortunate," Danny-boy commented in reply. Tsuna shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. Snicker was gone and there was no changing it. He was dead and buried. Tsuna just had no clue where that left him. He wasn't sure if it mattered where it left him. Everything had been taken out of his hands by his placement in jail. His responsibilities to the gang had been handed over to Gigi. His job had been put on hold. He had nothing but time on his hands and nothing to fill in the empty space. He had no motivation. No ambition. No goals. No hopes or dreams. All that was gone with Snicker. All of it. He felt like the walking dead. He was still going through the paces of living, but he couldn't take any joy out of it. "If you like, I can show you around a little bit. I know the guards do a pathetic job when they first bring you in. I can answer any questions you have, too. All you have to do is ask and I'll--"

"I don't need your help," Tsuna murmured without looking at him. In truth, he knew that things would go faster with Danny-boy's guidance, but there was a nagging guilt in the back of his mind that refused to let him accept it. There was only room in his life for one Snicker. He didn't need some stranger trying to fill his role.

"You're not the most friendly of people, are you?" Danny-boy sighed. "Well, I guess it could be worse. I could be locked up with a rapist or someone with anger management issues. We get those sometimes while they're waiting for trial. How long are you in for anyway? If it's more than a year, then this wing won't be getting any transfers for a while."

"One to five," he mumbled, slowly getting off the ladder in order to head out the door. He faintly remember the direction that the commissary had been in, but he wasn't sure. It was hard to remember anything past the door that he'd come in through. There was a long hallway beyond that with other inmates walking from one wing into another.

He followed it, finding himself in another cubical of cells that looked identical to his own.

"This is E Block," a voice said from behind him. Tsuna turned to find that Danny had apparently followed him. "We're housed in the D Block," he continued in amusement. "If you're looking for the commissary, then I can show you where it's at. I need to go there myself to pick up a new pack of smokes." Tsuna took a moment to decide while Danny-boy started slowly back-tracking down the route that Tsuna had taken. Then he slapped himself. Following the man wasn't going to hurt anything. It wasn't necessarily the same as being helped, either. The guy had said that he needed to go for himself. Shadowing him was a completely legitimate way to find where he needed to go.

Halfway down the hallway, Danny-boy ducked down another hallway. Two hallways after that, he found himself in front of what he thought was a shop. There were definitely things for sale. Everything from bottles of soda to underwear was on display. The only problem was that there was bars between him and the things that he needed. A moment of watching let him know how things went, though. There was a small window where inmates could place their orders. There was no sign of money, but he faintly remembering being told that he had an account when he had been brought in. He just had no clue if he had money in it. No, he amended. He knew that he had money in it. He knew because Papa Paolo took care of him like that. Autumn wouldn't stuff him in such a place without giving him the money for a bar of soap, either.

Watching for a few more seconds, he quickly caught onto the process. There was actually two windows. He went to the first window to fill out an order form. After that, he went to the second window with the receipt that he was given in order to pick up his new belongings. Curious, he looked at the second sheet attached to the first in order to find a list of what he was allowed to keep in his room. The list was surprisingly long, but he quickly realized that the bulk of the items listed were clothes. There was very little in the way of other items. Books and writing materials were permitted. Board games were allowed as long as they didn't have dice. Cigarettes could be stored, but not smoked within the confines of his room. He wasn't allowed to keep more than a case of soda at a time and the only food that the commissary had was potato chips and bubble gum. They were also permitted one walkman with earphones or one hand-held black-and-white television with earphones. Other than that, they were permitted nothing.

In other words, other than the basics to keep them from fighting each other out of sheer boredom and snacks to tide them over between meals, they weren't allowed anything but clothes. He guessed that he should count himself lucky. If he'd gotten hit with a felony charge instead of a misdemeanor, he might be in a place that didn't even allow that much. Of course, if Gabriel hadn't come into his life, he wouldn't be hit with any charges because he would have never beaten the man. It was cruel irony, he thought. Gabriel should be the one in prison, but he was walking free since Papa Paolo had told Tsuna to stay silent about his reasons for hurting him. Tsuna should be free, but he was in jail because he'd taken the law into his own hands.

But, damn, it felt good not to have Gabriel haunting him anymore. He just wish that Sni--

Clenching his teeth, he focused on filling out the requisition form. He didn't get a whole lot to start out with. He didn't want to until he was positive that he had money to work with. For now, he settled on the basics for hygiene like soap, toothbrush, deodorant and so forth. On top of that, he got an extra pair of socks, an extra pair of boxers, and a pack of cigarettes. He figured that the rest was stuff that he could live without for now. He'd been issued spare clothes, so anything more was just luxury. The only reason that he got socks and boxers was because he knew that he was going to be around for a while. He might as well pick those up early. He knew from experience that they wore out far faster than t-shirts and pants did.

"Do you want help with tha--?" Danny-boy broke off with a crooked grin when Tsuna piled the items into the spare laundry bag that he'd bought before he could even finish the question. "You're really not going to give me a chance to help you," he sighed. "Are you anti-social or do you just hate people?"

"It's nothing against you," Tsuna murmured while he looked at his receipt in order to find the number reflecting the money still in his account. From the looks of it, he had enough to buy everything he needed ten times over. He quickly planned to make a second trip on the following day to get more supplies once he'd fully seen what his needs would be like. For now, he had enough to go on. Snicker had taught him how to plan ahead for survival. He refused to let those lessons get wasted.

The first rule was to deal with personal necessities such as food, clothing, and hygiene. That was taken care of, so now he had to deal with a place to sleep. Namely, he had to find his way back to his cell. After that was to learn the lay of the land. He couldn't run or hide if he knew less of the territory that he was in than the hidden enemy did. There was always a hidden enemy. Snicker had taught him that, too. They never showed themselves until you had something they wanted, but they'd jump out as soon as you had something worth stealing. Tsuna had a lot at the moment, which was why he'd gotten the spare laundry bag. It was easier to hide the details of what he'd bought.

He wouldn't let Snicker's teaching go to waste. He wouldn't!

Tsuna wouldn't because that's all he had left of him.

"Whatcha got there, little buddy?" Tsuna ignored the attempt to stop him in the hallway, dodging through the small gap that the large stranger left to his right side. He knew what would have happened if he'd stopped. The man wanted to know what Tsuna had in the bag and probably wanted a share of the spoils. He probably planned to get them through threats that he wouldn't be able to make good on until a later date. Tsuna knew better. Even if there weren't visible guards, there were still cameras everywhere. Although they were given the illusion of relative freedom, they were still in confinement and monitored. Even more importantly, the man couldn't make good on the threats if Tsuna didn't allow him a chance to threaten him. It was safer to retreat before he got the opportunity.

It was too early to make enemies. It was too early to make friends. He was a fresh face and he knew how fresh faces were treated on the street. He didn't think this place was any different. He was more than a fresh face. These people considered him fresh meat. That insinuated that he was easily conned and weak. Until he proved that he wasn't naive, he was an automatic target for those that had already claimed their territories. Danny-boy probably just wanted to add him to his collection of underlings. Tsuna refused to be anyone's underling. He already served Autumn.

Finding his way back was slightly easier than finding the commissary. He was already noting the painted directions on the floor. Danny-boy had told him that they were in the D block and there was a D with an arrow painted on the floor in the direction he needed to go. The hall leading to the commissary was painted with a C that he belatedly noticed a line through. It was a cent sign instead of the letter that he'd thought it was. After that, it was a simple matter of remembering which cell was the one he'd exited out of. If he remembered correctly, it was the third one from the back left corner. It was. He could tell when he glanced at the pictures taped to the wall next to the bottom bunk. Danny-boy's face was in two of them.

Putting his cigarettes in his pocket and stowing his items away in his locker, he grimaced slightly at the lack of a lock. He hoped that the place had an untold rule not to mess with each other's belongings. If not, he could already see that there would be issues in the future. It would probably be best to keep only the minimum of items so that anything stolen wouldn't be so crippling. Of course, if anyone stole from him, they'd learn to regret it. He'd went through too much and he'd been robbed of precious things far too much to stand quietly by while anyone stole anything from him. He didn't care if it was a potato chip or his dignity. He wasn't going to let people take things from him anymore.

"I'm going out to the yard to smoke," Danny-boy commented as if he was speaking to thin air. He nodded to himself a few times, making Tsuna raise his eyebrow in askance. It was as if the guy was trying to purposely let Tsuna know where he was going without directly telling him. Then he understood when he started shadowing the guy in order to find the route to where they were allowed to smoke. Danny-boy looked back to ensure that he actually was following, giving a small nod to himself like he'd figured something out. The guy really was just trying to help. Since offering help hadn't work, he'd decided to give Tsuna a way to use him as a guide without impeding on his open desire to be left alone. He was simply trying to give Tsuna a reason to trust him.

There was probably some other goal in mind, but Tsuna couldn't see it. The guy didn't seem like a conman and he didn't have a false veneer of pleasantry hiding a heart full of greed. He was just a normal guy who was in jail for a stupid mistake and was doing his best to ensure that his roommate didn't take a dislike to him because of frustration. He wasn't like the guy that had tried to stop him in the hallway. If he had any motives other than simply trying to be friendly, Tsuna couldn't see them.

Even realizing that, Tsuna honestly couldn't say that he was interested in making friends. At the moment, he wanted to be left alone as much as possible. Danny-boy seemed to finally understand that. He didn't try to strike up more conversation nor did he give Tsuna more than a glance. He simply lead the way outside, which was all Tsuna wanted. They had to pass through both the C and the B Block to get to the yard. The door leading out to it seemed only connected with the hallway between the A and B Block. He faintly got the impression that the cell-blocks were all laid out in a circular pattern. The commissary and the cafeteria that they'd passed had all be right-hand turns off of hallways between the blocks, which would put them in the center of the circle. More than likely, the surveillance-house, medical facilities, offices, and so forth were all right-hand turns, too. The door to the yard was down a left-hand turn, though.

It seemed fairly straight-forward once he had the circular nature in his head and the fact that the hallways were the intersection of facilities with the cell-blocks. No matter where he went, he could get back to his own block as long as he got on the main hallway and kept running around the circle. There were probably more signs to direct him, but he had the basics already understood. He was fairly sure that he could find whatever he needed now, as long as things didn't get confusing in the interior.

The yard seemed like less of a yard than he expected. Although, he wasn't really sure what he'd expected. Maybe a little dirt or grass in the least. There wasn't any, though. The ground was lined in concrete across the whole of the fenced-in area. There were no bushes or trees for people to find shade or hide behind. If they wanted shade, there was awnings set up over picnic tables. He could see that they weren't wide enough to protect from the watchful eyes of the guard towers, but they did good enough to block out the sun. Of course, Tsuna was wishing that there was more sun in the sky upon stepping outside. It was just the beginning of February, so the air was far chillier than he thought was comfortable. It wasn't so cold that he felt the need to run back inside, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay out for more than an half-hour.

Finding himself a corner of the yard that he could crouch down in to preserve warmth, he lit himself a cigarette while he tried to gather as much information as he could. Information was power and he needed as much as he could so that he wasn't powerless. Snicker had taught him that.

The yard was pretty straight-forward. It was a block of fenced-in concrete that held tables for people to sit at, a basketball court, and several pieces of outdoor exercise equipment that was chained so that it couldn't be moved far from where it was placed. He was fairly sure that they were attached to chains so that they couldn't be made into weapons, as well. From the looks of it, there were several basketballs on a rack for anyone to borrow. It looked like hacky-sacks were permitted, as well. There were six people in a group, tossing it between them in a random pattern. From the looks of their skill, they'd had plenty of time to practice. He just wondered where they'd gotten them from since the commissary didn't sell them. Perhaps they'd been mailed them in a package.

A few of the inmates had sodas or bags of chips that they'd bought, but the overall luxury item that seemed to be common was cigarettes. That was the difference between a low security jail and a higher security one. In this one, they were allowed small luxuries. Their crimes weren't so great that they didn't need strict punishment and cruel methods to make them regret their misdeeds. At least, he assumed that was the idea. In truth, he didn't regret anything that he'd done. He'd always done what he'd thought was best. Sometimes it'd turned out to be the wrong choice, but he didn't know how he could have chosen differently. Even where Sni--

Even where Snicker was concerned, he couldn't find it in himself to regret. There was a feeling of guilt and endless questions which wondered if his choices had been right, but they all got answered the same way. He couldn't have done anything differently. He wouldn't have wanted to do anything differently. If Snicker had new about him sooner, he might have had a heart attack sooner. If he'd dealt with Gabriel sooner, it was possible that the timing and the place would have ended with Papa Paolo not believing him. He'd done what was best and he'd always put the people that he cared about first. He wouldn't regret those choices. He wouldn't regret loving Snicker, even though he might have got to keep him longer if he hadn't. He couldn't deny that cruel truth. If they'd never went beyond simple friendship, there was a possibility that his heart could have taken all the shocks. He wouldn't have been weakened so much that a simple nightmare would have made his heart stop. Tsuna guessed that was what had happened. He'd never gotten anything definite other than he'd had a heart attack in his sleep.

He'd known! He'd known that Joshua's heart was bad, but--

Taking a deep breath while he tried to force the pain into the back of his mind again, he reminded himself once more that he couldn't have done things different. It was over. It wasn't as if he could change things anyway. The fact was that Snicker was dead and he had to remember what Snicker had taught him. He couldn't let Snicker's teachings go to waste. He couldn't give up, because that would make Snicker's spirit cry. He wasn't as blind as he used to be. There were indeed moments that he wondered why he was still alive, but then he remembered what Snicker had left behind. He had to protect that and he had to ensure that what had made Snicker happy was taken care of. He could do that by listening to Autumn. Autumn had protected Snicker when Tsuna had been too weak and powerless. Autumn would know how to take care of what Tsuna couldn't. He trusted her with that because she'd already proven herself. All that was left was to repay her with what little value she could wring out of his life and do his best to protect her in return.

...To protect her in return...

He knew what he had to do in that instant. He had to train. He wasn't smart and he didn't have the ability to do things like Autumn did, but he could fight. He could hone himself into her sword and help cut down any of those that tried to harm her or what was important to her. It didn't matter if he had to hurt people anymore. It didn't matter if he had to kill. He wasn't scared of being hurt in return. Death was something that made him want to laugh. It didn't matter if he was killed protecting her. Nothing mattered because his reason to be good was gone. His reason to cling to life was gone. All that he had left was to be useful to Autumn in repayment of his debt until the day came that he wouldn't move anymore.

It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Well, he amended, he didn't have anything better to do after he'd finished gathering information. There was still a lot that he needed to know before he could let himself become distracted with training. He had to know the pecking order in the facility. He had to know the schedule of events for each day and he had to find out how he was going to get his blood pills. Jules had set him up with an inhaler rigged to store his doses while he'd been in jail, since inhalers were permitted to be kept on hand and pills were not. It was almost empty, though. Even if it wasn't, the blood in it couldn't be good for another day at most. An inhaler was likely to be stolen, too. They said that they'd been working with Poe on a way to give him something more unnoticeable, but he hadn't heard anything from them since.

He had to be patient on that. They knew the consequences of leaving him without. He'd become an escapee faster than they could say 'oh shit'. For now, he had to focus on issues that he could find answers to. The pecking order was the hardest thing. Who was on the bottom was pretty easy to see, but who was on the top was difficult. There were too many small groups centered around large men for him to be able to see much difference in them. Some had good attitudes and some look like they had horrible ones, but their strength levels weren't on show at the moment. Besides, he knew that strength wasn't everything. There might be those of Gabriel's ilk around that used cunning as their weapon of choice. Those were the ones that he really had to watch out for, but he couldn't keep an eye open if he didn't have some knowledge of who they might be.

He needed Danny-boy's help. He hated it, but Danny-boy could tell him what he wanted to know. Tsuna just disliked the idea of owing anyone anything. He already owed so much to Autumn that there wasn't anything left for him to give in trade. Although, bribes might work. He didn't have money, but little luxuries like cigarettes could be bartered. Surely the man would be willing to answer his questions with a carton of smokes up for grabs.

With that in mind, Tsuna looked across the yard to see where he'd drifted off to. Danny-boy was found almost immediately. He was up against the fence with three guys surrounding him. From the outside, it looked like they were talking like friends. Tsuna knew how to read people better than that, though. Danny-boy's arms were down at his sides in order not to antagonize the three men and the ones surrounding him had tense shoulders. He wasn't putting up a fight in any way in order to keep from giving them an excuse to hurt him. From the postures of the three, they were ready to hurt him, too. It wasn't obvious with how they were covering what they were doing with joviality, but their rough arm-punching and back-slapping didn't look like it was being appreciated.

It was none of his business. That was what Snicker would have said and that's what he said. Helping others was good and everything, but it made enemies faster than anything else. He had to be a realist. Reality was that if he went and helped Danny-boy, those three men would hate him. If they were part of a larger faction within the compound, he would be having to watch his back for--

_Aww, fuck._ Tsuna spat at himself. Snicker always said that, but he was always the one that jumped in first. On the street, Snicker had never failed to jump in when someone tried to kosh him for his things. There had been countless times that he'd been the one to force Snicker to abide by his own rules. Things had changed toward the end with Snicker being the voice of reason, but he was-- he had been the one person that had always put consequences aside in order to do what he thought was right. Right now, what was right was to not ignore the one person that hadn't ignored him in return.

"Danny-boy!" Tsuna snapped loudly, his voice carrying across the yard. His verbal bite instantly got attention and the three men around him stopped their harassment in order to turn their eyes in Tsuna's direction. Tsuna ignored them, keeping his head bowed while he continued smoking his cigarette. "Come here."

"He's busy," one of the three called back. Tsuna raised his head, staring at the man with a dull expression of boredom. He truly was bored. He was bored because he had nothing to fear. Even if those guys became his enemy and even if they had friends, the worst that they could do was to kill him. He'd already lost everything that mattered to him.

"I wasn't asking," Tsuna replied.

"Who the fuck--" One of them started to exclaim. He was stopped, however, in both his words and his step forward. Along with him, his two other friends all froze entirely at the large black man that stood at one of the picnic tables. The new guy didn't say a word. His mere act of standing was enough to silence the three, which immediately told Tsuna who one of the strongest people in the facility was. He was large and tall, but not as tall as Ore. He wasn't a giant, but he had enough muscles that he would probably be a match against the giant that Tsuna did know. "Big Daddy...?"

"Don't do it," the large man rumbled with a scowl on his face. "You're almost up for parole Gus. If you fuck with him, you won't see tomorrow."

"What are you talking about?" Gus laughed. "He's just--"

"Don't be a fool," he growled with enough force that the shorter man stepped backward in surprise. "If he doesn't get you then I will."

"B-But--"

"Do you want my foot up your ass?!" The man roared at the objection. "You and your friends, get your asses back in your cells! Now! I'll come talk to you later!"

"Yes, Big Daddy!" Gus squeaked, running for the door with his friends like whimpering dogs. Tsuna watched them go, raising his eyebrow slightly in question at 'Big Daddy' over the sudden interference. Then he shrugged, bowed his head, and continued quietly smoking. Big Daddy's motives were his own and the help hadn't been asked for. Tsuna owed him nothing. It just meant that he didn't have to break any heads in order to get to the information source that he'd chosen. Of course, Danny-boy now look terrified of even moving from where he was standing. No one seemed to want to move because Big Daddy was still standing. He was standing and quietly walking toward Tsuna with a solemn look on his face.

"What do you want?" Tsuna asked without bothering to look up at where the man towered over him.

"You're Suoh," he said in a rumbling voice. Tsuna stiffened, but didn't otherwise react. It was too early to know if identification was good for him or bad for him. Besides that....

"Suoh's dead," he corrected while trying to hide how his throat tightened. He wanted to look up and see if the name summoned Snicker, but he didn't. He didn't because he knew he'd just be disappointed. "Suoh died a week and a half ago, so don't call me by that name."

"What do you want to be called?" Big Daddy asked with a strange hint of politeness in his deep voice.

"Lazarus," he answered. "Laz is good, too. I really don't care as long as you don't call me that name."

"You are him, though," the large man said quietly. "You're the guy that my little bro's been writing to me about. You're the leader of the Orange Dragons and the guy who's been cleaning up the Pits and the ghettos. You're the reason Harold got a place to stay and a job that don't mind his quirks."

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed with his eyes still looking only at Big Daddy's shoes and shadow. "I'm him. I don't know a Harold, though."

"His street name is Ollie," he replied. At that, Tsuna finally stood slowly and blinked in surprise at the man.

"You're Ollie's big brother?" He asked in open doubt. The guy was four times Ollie's size. Of course, that meant that he was four times Tsuna's size, too. It was hard to believe that Ollie had such a relation. "He never talked about you."

"He wouldn't," the man replied with a crooked grin. "Harold got the itchy fingers because of me. I wasn't too good of a role model for him when he was younger. 'Course, I didn't know he was looking up to me. We got different dads and all. Plus, there's got to be ten years between me and him."

"Half-brothers," Tsuna nodded quietly in understanding. That explained the lack of resemblance. If he was the reason that Ollie had become a kleptomaniac, then the lack of talking about him was understood, too. "How did you know it was me?"

"I got a call from him yesterday after you got sentenced," he answered. "He asked me to keep my eye out for you. Said you were short with a goatee and a missing eye. If that weren't enough, he said to look for scars on your cheeks and a head of bed-head that looked like a rat's nest."

"Well, you found me," Tsuna murmured, leaning back up against the fence while his eyes fell to the ground once more. "No offense, but I'm not really in a talkative mood right now. I'd rather be left alone."

"That's fine," he rumbled. "I just wanted to make sure that it was you and let you know that I've got your back if you need anything."

"I just need to be left alone," he repeated without looking up. "I'm not looking to make friends. I got enough of those on the outside."

"So I've heard," he agreed with a broad grin. "I'll go pass it around to my boys to leave you alone. I'll get them to lay off Danny-boy if you want, too."

"That sounds good," Tsuna confirmed tiredly. "We share a cell, so any problems that he has might disturb my peace and quiet. I really don't like it when things aren't peaceful."

"I'll take care of it," he promised before turning to stare out at everyone watching across the yard. "This is my little bro's friend," he called loudly. "If any of you punks got a problem with him, you come take it up with me. Got it?!"

"You don't have to do that," Tsuna admonished quietly, flicking his cigarette away before lifting his head to stare into Big Daddy's stony face. "I can take care of my own problems if I get them."

"I know," he nodded with a small grimace. "Harold told me that much, too. He said you could kick my ass if you were in the right mood. I ain't doing this because I like you, though. I'm doing it 'cause I owe you for taking care of my little bro for me. He'd probably be in jail by now if it weren't for you."

"You underestimate him," Tsuna replied quietly. "It's impossible to catch Ollie now, so you don't owe me anything. Ollie earns what he's given, just like all of the Orange Dragons. Don't belittle your brother by trying to make it look like I handed him everything he's got. He wouldn't appreciate it."

"Ah!" The man exclaimed, stabbing a finger at Tsuna in sudden excitement. "That was it, wasn't it?! That was the lecture-mode that he told me about!" Tsuna shrugged, pushing off the fence in order to head back inside. Not only was the cold getting to him, but he didn't feel like dragging the conversation out any longer. It was enough that Big Daddy wasn't an enemy. Anything more was unwanted. For now, he wanted to just go back to his cell and warm up until Danny-boy got the courage to talk to him again.

That's what he wanted, but that wasn't what it looked like he was going to get. He knew it almost immediately upon seeing the second large man duck out of the prison doorway and into the yard. His eyes latched on Tsuna almost instantly and they narrowed in a mixture of anger and insane delight. The man was slightly bigger than even Big Daddy and Tsuna wanted to groan at the sight of the second man behind him. The second man was the guy who'd tried to stop him in the hallway and he'd ignored.

Why did everyone have to be so much bigger than him, he wanted to groan. Then he wanted to groan about the fact that no one wanted to leave him alone, either. The guy was walking straight up to him and Tsuna had a feeling that it wasn't to exchange pleasantries. Stopping in place to make them come to him since sliding past the two look harder than slipping past the one earlier, Tsuna wanted to sigh. He really did hate it when people messed with his peace and quiet.

"Is this the twerp that ignored you, Pogo?" The larger of the two asked, stopping to tower over Tsuna in much the same way that Big Daddy had.

"That's him," the man that Tsuna had bypassed nodded, his whole body bouncing with each bob of his head. "I tried to be nice, but he was mean! Beat him up for me, Bossman!"

"If you've got a problem with Laz, then you got a problem with me, Doug," Big Daddy interjected. Tsuna bowed his head in a mixture of resignation and exasperation. He'd just told the guy that he didn't want his help. Why couldn't people get the picture and just leave him the hell alone?! He'd just told Big Daddy not to underestimate Ollie and now the man was underestimating him, too. He didn't need his help! The man didn't owe him anything and he refused to get in debt!

"Go away, Big Daddy," he growled. "I told you that I can take care of my own problems if I get them."

"But--"

"I. Don't. Want. Your. Help," Tsuna repeated firmly, looking back at him with a slight glare.

"Your friend here has some big balls," Doug the Bossman growled over Tsuna's head at Big Daddy.

"We're not friends," Tsuna corrected, shooting the glare at the new man instead. "Now get the fuck out of my way. It's cold out here and I want to go inside."

"What was that?" Bossman snapped with his own glare.

"I said--"

"That he's new," Danny-boy suddenly interjected, cutting Tsuna off completely from where he'd come to stand on the innermost edges of the crowd that was quickly gathering. "He's new Bossman," he repeated with wide eyes. Tsuna stared at him like he was an idiot, much like the others around him. What the hell was with people not getting the damn picture that he didn't want help?! "Can't you give him a little slack? No one's told him how things work yet."

"I don't care how things work," Tsuna retorted, completely negating what Danny-boy was trying to do. Tsuna could see what he was trying to do and all he was doing was pissing him off like everyone else by his attempt at protection. He didn't need or want protection. He wanted these damn people to go away so that he could go inside before he was frozen solid. "If these two guys want to pose and posture, then that's fine. I'm going inside, whether this guy wants to move or not."

"Laz, wait--!" Big Daddy choked. Tsuna ignored him, willfully stepping forward into the small space between the two men before him. They tried to close ranks on him immediately with each one grabbing one of his shoulders to stop him. That was enough. They'd violated his personal space by touching him.

Thanks to Gabriel, he only had one reaction to being touched against his will.

"I'm only going to say this once," Tsuna murmured, keeping his voice low so that people were straining to hear him when he paused. Reaching up, he grabbed both of the hands on his shoulders and started pushing them off. They didn't want to go at first, but that only fueled his anger which increased his strength. He wasn't going to let these bastards violate him. It was slow at first, but it sped up once the two men started feeling the pressure of his hands squeezing their wrists. They both tried to pull them back, but Tsuna refused to let go. Not yet. Not until they were sufficiently punished for touching him.

"Let go!" Pogo squealed first, dropping down to his knees when he began to feel the pain. "You're going to break it!"

"You fucking punk!" Bossman roared. He pulled back his free hand in a fist and sent it at Tsuna's head, but it was easily dodged. For all the man's muscle, he had absolutely no speed. Tsuna let go of Pogo's wrist when the man started crying, reaching out to grab Bossman's second wrist instead. A twist and another squeeze later, Bossman was on his knees, as well, with a look of shock on his face. He had absolutely no clue how he'd ended up like he was. It should have been obvious with how Tsuna was twisting both of his wrists inward. His body had reacted by lowering his stance in order to keep his arms from being dislocated.

"Now," Tsuna murmured, ensuring he had eye-contact with the man. "As I was saying. Don't ever touch me without my permission. Understand?" He waited until the words penetrated and the man nodded before letting go. As soon as he was free, he simply sat in shock over his easy defeat while staring at Tsuna. Tsuna hated being stared at because people always seemed to stare at his missing eye when they couldn't find something else to focus on. "Big Daddy," he mumbled, bowing his head so that his hair covered his face. "Do you understand now? I don't need your help. I just want to be left alone."

"Y-Yeah," the man rumbled quietly from behind him. "I got it. You don't need help. Leave you alone."

Nodding quietly to himself, Tsuna stepped past Pogo and Bossman in order to head inside like he said he would. He felt cold. He felt much colder than what could be explained from the chill air. He had no pity for either men. Pogo had tried to force Tsuna to be his friend when he'd been rejected and Bossman had tried to pick a fight over it. They'd both deserved what they'd been given for touching him on top of that. Neither of them would have more than bruises on their arms, but the lesson had been taught.

Tsuna would punish anyone who tried to disturb the peace.

He was too weary and heart sore to play games anymore. He'd tried going with the flow when all the gangs had attacked him leading up to his lynching. Going with the flow didn't do anything but get him slammed up against the rocks. Time and time again, going with the flow had taken away from the peace and quiet that he should have had with Snicker. He'd thought it was for the best in the past, since going with the flow allowed him to pound the rock out of Snicker's life instead of his own. It'd taken away from his peace and quiet, but Snicker's life had still been mostly joyful and peaceful. Snicker wasn't around anymore, though. He wasn't around anymore and there was no reason for Tsuna to get slammed up against the rocks anymore. Instead, he'd knock the hell out of every rock in his path until the waters of his life was just as quiet and peaceful as he wished for. He'd make it quiet and peaceful so that he could focus on preparing himself to deal with the rocks in Autumn's path.

He had a goal and a purpose that way. It wasn't the goal and the purpose that he'd wanted, but it was one that he was responsible for fulfilling. He had to because, in a way, it was for Snicker. Autumn had protected Snicker and Autumn protected what was left behind by him because Tsuna was too weak to do it himself. He had to protect her in return. He wasn't smart enough to know a way to do what she could do. He could deal with rocks, though. Rocks just had to be beaten down until they were pebbles that were easily brushed aside. He could do that. It didn't take a genius to do that. It just took some training and he had nothing but time with which to train.

Later, though. For now, he needed to go lay down until he warmed up. The cold sapped his strength like nothing else could and he noted to buy himself a sweat-shirt when he stopped in at the commissary again. It only took a few minutes of walking in order to find his way back to his cell. Several people glanced at his entrance, but he was quickly ignored. From the looks of it, there were as many people wanting their own bit of peace and quiet that they preferred to keep to themselves. There were those who were sitting on their bunks with books in hand and there were those quietly playing board games with other inmates. There were several people with hand-held televisions and radios huddled together in one corner of the common area, attempting to boost their reception through proximity. From most of them, Tsuna got a sense of waiting. They weren't the types of people to feel out the new guy. These were the types that waited and watched before moving. Those that had no patience had already used any excuse they could in order to follow him out into the yard where they'd gotten an eye-full. What was left was those who wouldn't be a threat to him for as long as he was willing to fight for his peace and quiet.

Climbing up onto his bunk, he faintly remembered that the guard had said something in his lecture about not sleeping during the day. It wasn't as if he could sleep anyway, but he sincerely wished that he could pretend. Since that would only get him in trouble, though, he sat with his back against the wall and put his head on his knees. Doing so was the closest that he was permitted where resting was concerned. Part of him wanted to lay down anyway. He wanted to lie down and pretend that he was just in a bad dream so that he could wake up in Snicker's arms.

It was too cold without him. He wanted Snicker's arms around him again and he wanted to hear the sweet sound of his voice. Just like when Poe had kept him from jumping off the building over a year ago, he was waiting for the happily ever after to set in. If he'd jumped, he wouldn't have been around to enjoy the past year with Snicker. He'd went and found Snicker on the subway after that. Everything had become happy again after they'd talked and made up. Once more, he felt like he was on the subway again, waiting for Snicker to show. He was waiting for someone to come tell him that it was time to get off, but no one was coming. The train just kept moving and he was along for the ride without any control in where he was going. It made his eyes water. It made him want to ask when Snicker was coming to get him, even though he knew that Snicker was dead.

Snicker was dead.

"Laz...?" Danny-boy interjected quietly. "It's almost time for lunch. It's mandatory to go, so I was going to see if... I mean, I know you don't need help finding it or anything, but I'm heading there and... um... shit. This is harder than I thought."

"I'm coming," Tsuna murmured, surreptitiously wiping his face off on his sleeves before lifting his head up. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"Eh?" He gaped in surprise over Tsuna's sudden friendliness. One, Tsuna decided. He'd kept from bashing one rock into pebbles. As long as that rock stayed on the outer edges, it didn't hurt anything to leave it intact. He wouldn't be a rock that he got slammed against. He was a rock that he could swim to in order to rest for a little while. He thought he'd go insane if he didn't. Someone had to come get him, after all, because Snicker couldn't. As long as Danny-boy didn't do anything to try to take Snicker's place, then it would be alright. Gigi and Eric and Ore and the rest of his friends on the outside were rocks along the shore, too. Danny-boy could be like one of them.

"I have this debt," Tsuna murmured hesitantly, looking at Danny-boy with tired eyes. "I can't repay it if I owe other people."

"Oh," Danny-boy blinked in sudden understanding. "I guess that explains a lot. In here, it's hard to tell when people are trying to be friends with you instead of who's trying to do you a favor to make you owe them one."

"Yeah," he agreed quietly while he slowly climbed down from his bed. Following Danny-boy out the cell, he didn't bother with the pretense of shadowing this time. This time, he walked next to him and quietly talked. "That's why I said it was nothing against you. I don't have the luxury of making friends while I'm in here."

"I guess that doesn't really matter," he replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "I kind of owe you one now. Those guys were hounding me because I told Big Daddy that I didn't want to be his bitch anymore. They all think that I'm your bitch now, so no one is going to mess with me anymore."

"What?" Tsuna choked.

"I'm your bitch now," he repeated with a bright blush while he slowly led the way to the cafeteria. "Beautiful guys like me get targeted pretty fast because of how I look. Despite your imperfections, they were probably targeting you, too, until what happened in the yard. There's a lot of the really nasty sort of guys that get sent here while they're waiting on trial. I didn't like it too much, but becoming a bitch was a lot better than becoming someone's murder charge. If a guy is already going away for murder, killing another person isn't really a big problem. They're still in for life, no matter what, and I'm not much of a fighter. Standing up to people like Big Daddy and Bossman is impossible for me."

"Just because I beat them, doesn't mean you have to--"

"I'm your bitch," he repeated once more with a finality that made Tsuna blush. "Big Daddy and Bossman both said so after you left. You spoke up for me, so they figure that you're interested in me. Both of them are standing down because they don't want to piss you off. They also said that they'd kick my ass if I did something to make you unhappy, so it's in my own best interests to make sure that you're taken care of. So let me know if you need anything. Anything at all. If I don't have it, I can get it for you. I.. uh.. I can take care of any... um... any other issues that come up, too."

"I'm not interested," Tsuna snapped through clenched teeth, seeing immediately what Danny-boy was offering.

"I'm here if you change your mind," Danny-boy mumbled with a bright blush. "Most guys deal with it at first, but you said you were going to be in here from one to five years. Even if you're straight when you come in, any ass starts to look good after a while. I've kind of gotten used to it. This is my second time behind bars in the past couple of years and I figure that things will go easier for me this time if I just go with it. You can't be any worse than Big Daddy, so--"

"You aren't even attracted to me," Tsuna objected, shaking his head to make the images summoned go away. As his shock passed, his stomach started clenching from the offer. He wouldn't. That was something that he'd given willingly to Snicker. It had been precious to Snicker and he wouldn't tarnish what they'd shared like that. "Besides, I'm really not interested, so please don't bring that up again."

"If you say so," he shrugged. "Just know that the offer is there. If you hadn't shown up, I'd probably be--"

"Stop!" Tsuna choked before he could ruin Tsuna's appetite any more than he already had. "What you do with other people is your business! I don't care what everyone else said! You're not a bitch and--"

"You have a girlfriend on the outside," Danny-boy grinned knowingly. Tsuna's footsteps faltered and his face fell. The reminder was like a punch to the gut. He had no problem thinking of Snicker when he deluded himself into believing that he was still waiting for him at the Dojo. The fact was that no one was waiting on him now, though. He'd already been separated from Snicker before he'd confessed to attacking Gabriel. "Did I say something wrong?" Danny-boy asked worriedly, stopping a few steps ahead of him in the hallway while other inmates filed past to go get their mandatory meal.

"The.... funeral.... was a week ago," Tsuna answered slowly, taking his time to ensure that his voice didn't crack like it wanted to.

"Oh," he replied for lack of anything else to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Forget about it," he murmured with his eyes once more on the ground while he started walking again. "Let's just go get something to eat. You said we didn't have a choice, right?"

"Right," he nodded. Turning the corner down the hallway between the A and B Block, Danny-boy spat a quiet curse at the line ahead of them. It was out the cafeteria and all the way down the hallway already. Tsuna found it somewhat amusing that there was actually a guard present. He walked up and down the line, ensuring that everyone waited patiently if not quietly. Talking was permitted, but shoving and line-cutting wasn't. Although, Tsuna found it faintly curious that people kept getting out of line in order to get in the back. The guard didn't say anything about it, but Tsuna couldn't figure out why people would want to get out of line like that. Maybe they just really weren't hungry yet and wanted to wait until there was no other choice? Maybe they were hoping that the food would run out and a different option would be offered? Tsuna thought he had it figured out with that, until he noticed that he was speeding toward the front at an incredible rate and got close enough to see that the cafeteria doors weren't even open yet.

"Why are they...?" He finally asked, looking back at where Danny-boy was standing behind him in line.

"Cutting isn't allowed," Danny-boy replied with a crooked grin. "But there's nothing in the rules saying that they can't go to the back. They're all letting you go first. Big Daddy and the other Block leaders get the same treatment. No one wants to piss you off, so they're staying out of your way. The smart ones jumped to the back first so that they're actually at the front of the line instead of in the back with the idiots that didn't get the picture right away. It should be just another minute and we'll be at the front. If we had to wait, it would have been at least a half hour."

"They don't have to do that!" Tsuna spluttered as two more people broke off from ahead of him and headed for the back of the line. "I wouldn't have gotten mad over having to wait!"

"It's not so much about making you mad," he amended while they walked forward in the quickly moving line. "They've just seen that you can fight and you aren't the type to back down. If you're hungry, they don't want a guy like you breathing down their necks. Imagine being in line in front of Big Daddy when he hasn't eaten and is hungry. You don't give off the same vibe, but it's ingrained to let the strong eat first."

Dominant alpha male, his instinct explained.

Prudence of the weak, his intuition supplied.

"Maybe I should go to the back," Tsuna murmured in thought. "This isn't fair to everyone."

"They wouldn't thank you for doing that," Danny-boy retorted before he could act on the thought. "They'd just do it all over again and it'd be even longer for them to eat. I'd just let it go if I were you. They chose to go to the back. You didn't make them."

"Yeah, but--" Tsuna paused when they moved up again and were almost at the head of the line. There were only eight people in front of them and none of them looked like the type to go to the back. He recognized three of the eight. There was Big Daddy in the sixth spot and Bossman was standing behind him with Pogo in order to take up the seventh and eighth. Pogo looked ready to cry when he turned around to see Tsuna behind him. He pulled on Bossman's sleeve to get attention with the obvious lack of knowledge about what to do. He looked mildly pathetic. The door hadn't opened to the cafeteria yet and he obviously was worried that he'd have to go to the back and wait. Bossman looked unsure of what to do, too. Tsuna was stronger than them, but they'd probably never given way to someone before. Tsuna's intuition told him that all of those at the front of the line were the so-called Block Leaders and it was first-come, first served when it came to them. "How's your wrist, Pogo?" Tsuna asked despite the complete lack of interest in the answer to his own question. The only reason he was asking was because he didn't really feel like watching the two walk to the back of the line, only to end up right behind him in five minutes.

"It's fine!" He squeaked, puffing his cheeks out while he unconsciously held his breath between sentences. "Pogo won't touch Lazarus no more! Promise!"

"That's good," he murmured as the cafeteria doors opened. Pogo looked confused, but Bossman and Big Daddy seemed to get the picture. Tsuna might not want to be bullied, but he also didn't want special treatment. They both nodded to themselves in acceptance and Bossman reached out to pull Pogo along behind him. Tsuna followed, ignoring the looks that the other five tossed back at him in curiosity. Like Big Daddy, Bossman, and Pogo, the other five of them looked huge. There was an Asian man, much like Tsuna but of sumo stock. There were two white men that looked like twin body-builders. There was another that had the build of a linebacker despite his freckled face. The last one was wiry, but he was still huge due to his height. He had to be a basketball player, Tsuna mused. Tsuna could just imagine how uncomfortable it'd feel to be sandwiched between any of the eight. A little guy like him would probably be stepped on.

There was many choices about what he got to drink other than the choice between juice, milk, and water. The trays were filled without any input from them, although the inmates filling them seemed to keep an eye on who the tray was for. From the looks of it, they all knew the starting eight and bantered with them while fixing their trays. All of them seemed to get overloaded helpings compared to the more reasonable portions that they started doling out after they made Tsuna's tray. More than the surprise that his tray was being overloaded like the others was the surprise over the fact that it looked like a decent meal. There was a hamburger with fresh vegetables on it, a portion of potato salad, and baked beans. At the end of the line, Tsuna got to pick a bag of chips from the rack at Danny-boy's urging, along with a piece of fruit. It wasn't exactly what he expected from a prison. It was even a slight step up from what he'd gotten in city lock-up.

Leading the way once they got their trays, Tsuna sat at the first empty table that he saw. From the looks of it, everyone already had their chosen tables marked out. Each one centered himself at one and started inhaling their food. Tsuna watched for a moment, finding his own food completely unappealing despite hamburgers being his favorite. He'd thought that he'd get hungry with food in front of him, but he couldn't even find the heart to pick up the plastic spork that had come with the tray.

"Are you sure that you want to sit here?" Danny-boy hissed around his inhaling his own food.

"It's a seat," he replied blandly, gathering his will simply to poke at his potato salad. "Is there something special about it?"

"Ah, no, but... Well, actually," he grimaced. "This is where the sluts usually sit."

"The sluts?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. His question was answered for him when several men sat on the other end of the long table. Tsuna couldn't help himself. He stared. If Gigi were to go to prison, Tsuna could see him fitting right in with the three. Their shirts were tied up over their chests like bras and their orange button-up uniform shirts were hanging off of their shoulders like shawls. They all had white bandanas wrapped around their heads and Tsuna could almost envision the wigs that should be in place. They were all 'faeries' as Snicker had called it, which was the complete opposite of how Snicker had been the bear-type.

"They're all in for prostitution," Danny-boy explained after swallowing the last bite of his sandwich. "People are going to think that you're gay if we stay here. They'll probably overlook it today, but people will talk if we sit here--"

"I _am _gay," Tsuna interrupted with a confused look.

"--tomo...row..." Danny-boy trailed off with his jaw dropping open completely.

"Did I hear that right?" One of the 'sluts' at the end gasped, immediately sliding down to their end of the table with the others following. "Did you just say that you were gay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," he nodded, seeing no reason to treat the 'sluts' as such. He wouldn't treat Gigi poorly because he wanted to be a she. He treated Gigi like a woman since that's what made him happy. Everything from compliments to chivalry, he'd always tried to do his best for his friend. Thinking of Gigi only made him more depressed, though. He hadn't seen her since the funeral. Papa Paolo had said that it would be better for him for the trial to be closed to the public. He'd agreed, simply because that was what Papa Paolo had wanted.

It hurt. He missed them. Not only had he lost Snicker, but he couldn't even see Gigi and the others now.

"I'm Veronica," the one that had broken the ice between them introduced. That one is Sassy and--" Standing, Tsuna picked up his tray and walked over to the first person that he saw who was almost finished. Before the man could even blink, he traded his full tray for the man's empty one and was heading to where others were dropping off empty platters to be washed. He didn't even wait on Danny-boy. He just wanted away from all the people who wouldn't leave him alone. He wanted to be left alone. He didn't want to talk and laugh and banter. He wanted silence.

From the looks of it, he wasn't allowed silence, though. There were guards present once he exited the cafeteria that blocked off the path back toward his block. They blocked off every route other than the one leading outside, telling Tsuna that after lunch was enforced time outside for air and exercise. He went because he had no choice, but he mentally grumbled about the fact that he still didn't have a sweatshirt. At first, he considered finding a corner out of the chilly breeze to stand in, but that seemed wasteful. It seemed wasteful when he knew perfectly well that there was a way to stay warm no matter the temperature. That way was also a good way for him to blank out his mind since it involved counting.

Adding weight to the unused bar, he laid down on the bench and started lifting. The bar felt like air to him, despite the fact that he had over a hundred pounds loaded on it. That didn't matter, though. He knew that he'd eventually start feeling it through sheer amount of repetition. That was how he'd gotten as far as he had. In the beginning, Ore had made him start with five-pound weights on a twenty-pound bar because Ore simply hadn't been good at knowing what a normal guy should be able to lift. Tsuna had laughed a little at it, believing himself to be stronger than that. He couldn't do Ore's insane amounts, but he wasn't that shabby. Not after having already lived on the streets for Snicker for so long at that point. He'd laughed and he'd asked for more because he hadn't believed that he could get stronger unless he forced himself to lift more. Coach Reynolds had taken his laughter to heart. Under the threat of losing his coaching entirely, he'd lifted two gallons of water repeatedly even though he hadn't felt it in his muscles. He'd continue lifting it until he hadn't been able to lift his arms anymore. The following day had been one of the most painful in his life, but he'd learned his lesson. Less weight didn't mean that he was weak or that he wouldn't be challenged. He just had to go at it longer until his muscles did start feeling it.

Less weight was sometimes a good thing and he found himself currently in the position to use that lesson. Less weight meant that he wouldn't need someone to spot him since he didn't have to worry about muscle failure so early. Less weight meant that he could keep more firm control over the bar. Less weight meant that he wasn't hogging every weight in the yard, which meant that he was more likely to be left alone. Down and up. Thirty-five. Down and up. Thirty-six. Down and up. Thirty-seven. Down and up. Thirty-eight. Down and up. Thirty-nine. Down and up. For--

Forty. Snicker had only been forty.

Down and up. Forty-one. He'd planned to take Joshua to Hawaii for his forty-first birthday in order to return his appreciation for the trip to Japan. They hadn't gotten to go to Japan, either.

Down and up. Forty-two. Two... They wouldn't ever get their second anniversary. The second anniversary was supposed to be cotton gifts. He could have gotten him a new cotton bathrobe to replace his old one. Maybe he could have even gotten them a matching set.

Down and up. Forty-three. They'd only gotten to go out alone together three times since getting the Dojo. Even though Tsuna had wanted to do it once a month, things had always popped up and they hadn't been able to rent a hotel like they'd wanted.

Down and up. Forty-four. Joshua had always eaten four helpings of--

"Are you finally getting tired?" Danny-boy asked, hovering above the bar with a look of curiosity on his face. Tsuna stared at him for a long moment, using him as a center in order to remember where he was and what he was doing. He'd spaced out so quickly when he started thinking of Snicker.

Lifting the bar of weights back up into its holder, he slowly sat up. He didn't think that he'd been out of things for very long, but it was hard to tell. He'd done reps pretty steadily at first, but he had a feeling that he'd slowed down a lot towards the end. Despite Danny-boy's belief, he wasn't tired at all. He hadn't done enough to sweat and had barely managed to keep himself warm. All the other weights were in use, too, so there was no chance of adding more so that it'd go a little faster. In truth, he really didn't feel up to training as much as he thought he would be. Not when his mind hadn't went as blank as he thought it would.

Standing, he stumbled over toward the wall and sat down against it. He light himself a cigarette and immediately looked around for something to make his mind go blank. He wanted it to go blank because thinking hurt. Bounce. He wanted to shudder in relief when he noticed that several guys had started to play basketball again. Bounce. The repetitive motion of the ball pulled him in from the moment that his eyes locked on it. Bounce.

"Cell check is in ten minutes," Danny-boy murmured after a while. "We're not allowed to go inside until an hour after lunch so that they can make sure that everyone's cleared out. The cell-check is half an hour after they let us back inside. There's a cell-check before and after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner, plus another one before we get locked in for the night. No matter what you're doing, you have to be present for that or else they'll count it against your good behavior when they find you. It also takes away from our free time because everyone gets locked in their cells until everyone is accounted for, so be careful. You said you want peace and quiet and that's the fastest way to get people pissed at you."

Tsuna nodded to say that the message was received while his eyes continued to follow the bouncing ball.

"The other Block leaders will probably come to feel you out once we get inside," he continued. "In here, there's three kinds of people. There's the guys who walk in and make it clear not to fuck with them like you did. Those are the Block leaders and no one screws around with them. There's the guys who try to make it clear that they don't want to be fucked with, but get their asses beat. Half of those get turned into bitches and the other half get turned into cronies. Which one they become depends on whether they're willing to take the beating or not. Then there's handsome guys like me who can't take a beating and don't have the guts to even pretend we can fight. We get bullied pretty quickly until someone claims us. I was a little smarter this time than last time. I went to Big Daddy before one of the more cruel guys could stake their claim."

Tsuna nodded to say that the message was received while his eyes continued to follow the bouncing ball.

"Big Daddy isn't all that bad," Danny-boy said in his one-man monologue. "The only reason that I was trying to get away from him is because Bossman was threatening me and Big Daddy wasn't doing anything about it. One little bitch's problem isn't his problem. Of course, now neither of them are giving me problems...."

Tsuna nodded to say that the message was received while his eyes continued to follow the bouncing ball.

Other than the ball, Danny-boy's voice was the only thing keeping him grounded to the world.


	56. Chapter 56 Points

He could smell it. Poe's blood was somewhere in the building. He'd used the last of his inhaler before going to sleep the previous night, so he was very worried about how he was going to cover for the lack of access to the man. He wasn't allowed visitors or packages in the first two weeks and he was only allowed access to the phone on Saturdays.

It was Tuesday.

Without breaking out, he had no way to tell anyone that he was in need, but it looked like he didn't have to. He just had to find out how they were going to get it to him. He'd thought that maybe they'd get Jules to bring him another inhaler cartridge full, but the smell wasn't coming from the direction of the infirmary. Following it, he blinked in surprise when he found himself outside the prison commissary.

"Whatcha going to get?" Danny-boy asked curiously, having followed him like a faithful puppy. Tsuna ignored him, already getting used to his never-ending chatter. Danny-boy was already getting the picture where he was concerned. As long as the man could take being ignored half the time, Tsuna didn't comment on his presence. He never asked questions twice and he didn't seem to mind if Tsuna didn't feel like answering something. He never took Tsuna's attitude personally and gave him his space by not forcing Tsuna to listen or respond. Besides that, Tsuna had truly come to understand that Danny-boy was attached to him for his own sake. He wasn't trying to do Tsuna any favors. He was just increasing the misconception that he was Tsuna's so-called bitch by making it seem that they had an attachment. He was protecting himself and Tsuna couldn't think of a valid reason not to let him, especially when it meant that he had an information source at hand whenever he decided to use it.

They were using each other. It was as easy as that. Tsuna ignored his clinging and he received information in return. Danny-boy gave information and got the protection of not being unclaimed. Most of the time, Tsuna ignored him. Most of the time, Danny-boy was completely unconcerned with the silence. He simply filled it up with his own chatter, taking Tsuna's occasional nods as permission to keep talking. In truth, the talking wasn't so bad as long as Danny-boy didn't mind not being answered. Danny-boy had a lot of useful information about the place that Tsuna was sure would come in handy eventually.

Walking up to the commissary order window, he quietly started filling out the requisition form with everything he hadn't gotten the day before. On top of the clothing, he got two cartons of cigarettes, one of which would be barter, a hand-held television so that he could make it through the long night, a book that he'd seen several other guys reading, and a case of sodas for barter. The whole time, he tried his best to figure out where the smell was coming from and couldn't seem to locate it. It was behind the bars somewhere, but he couldn't figure out where.

"Danny-boy," he murmured to buy himself time. "You have a walkman. Right?"

"Yeah," he nodded eagerly.

"If I get a television, do you mind trading from time to time?"

"That would be fine," he agreed in surprise. "We can only do that in our cells, though. They put our prisoner number on them and it counts against us if we get caught with someone else's stuff. You sure are getting a lot. Do you want me to go get your laundry bag to carry it all in?"

"Ah," he mumbled, clenching his teeth in frustration. He couldn't find it. It was somewhere over in the foodstuffs, but he couldn't see where. It was doubtful that it would be in with the potato chips. There was too large of a chance that someone else would get it if it was with the drinks. For a moment, he considered buying a tomato juice just in case, but that seemed far too unlikely. The blood would go bad too quickly if it was stored as straight liquid. All that left was-- "What kind of bubble-gum do you guys have?" Tsuna asked politely, looking across the bars at the man waiting to receive his requisition order.

"Juicy-fruit, Bubble-yum, Bazooka, and we just got in a box of this stuff called Anima," he answered. "It looks foreign and it tastes like shit."

"Can I look at it?" He asked with a wide grin, knowing _Anima _was Italian for 'blood'. More than likely, Autumn had dealt with packaging and delivery for Poe. The guy nodded and reached under the counter to grab a package. Tsuna grinned the moment that it was lifted up for him to inspect. Poe's name was on the wrapper in Japanese Kanji. It was definitely what he was looking for. "Can I get a whole box?" He asked curiously. "If I'm reading that right, it says that it's octopus flavored and that's my favorite."

"Heh," the man mumbled, looking at the package in surprise. "So that's what it says. No wonder it tastes so bad. Who the hell makes octopus-flavored gum? But, yeah. You're allowed to store gum. No more than one box at a time, though. We've only got one box, but I don't see anyone else wanting any. I'll be glad to get rid of the crap. Don't know why they ordered something like that anyway."

"It's something different," Tsuna murmured absently while he added the mark next to a requisition for the gum. Accepting his receipt after all of it was totaled up and marked against his account, he walked over to the receiving counter at the same time that Danny-boy returned with his laundry bag. All of his spare clothing went inside, excluding the hooded sweat-shirt that he immediately threw on over his prison uniform. The hand-held television with headphones went into his stomach pocket for safe-keeping. Finally, the book, cigarettes, sodas, and gum got stacked up neatly on top of each other on the counter.

"Anything else?" The second man asked politely when the order was filled.

"You can only shop twice a week," Danny-boy warned. "So if there's anything else you want, you might want to get it now."

"Do you want anything?" Tsuna murmured, quickly realizing that he couldn't carry it all by himself. "I can get it for you if you'll carry half of this."

"Some cigarettes and a soda would be nice," he grimaced. "I don't have a job yet, so I'm kind of broke."

"Is it too late for me to get another carton and a cold soda?" Tsuna asked, looking across the bars at the man.

"Of course not, Sixth," he smiled. "Just let me know what you want and I'll take care of it for you." Tsuna froze and blinked at the quiet inclusion of the title. Then he bowed his head and nodded. Autumn had put someone into place to ensure that he got the gum and to ensure that there was some way for him to contact outside without going through monitored routes. She was smart like that.

"Thank you for the gum," Tsuna murmured pointedly when the man added the extra carton of cigarettes and a cold can of soda to the stack already on the counter.

"No problem," he grinned in return, the perfect model of a pleasant cashier. "Be sure and eat it quickly. It only stays good for a month." A month. Tsuna nodded to say that he got the message. Unlike his pills, the new form was made to last longer. He'd have to wait until he was in his cell to read what else she'd hidden in the writing on the packaging, but that told him that this was the new form of his dosage instead of a make-shift temporary fix.

Handing his bag of clothes over to Danny-boy, along with Danny-boy's spoils, he carefully picked up the case of sodas that had his other belongings stacked on top. After this, he'd probably never buy anything other than cigarettes, soda, and gum again. He might pick up a new book eventually, but he wasn't much of the reading type. He only got it because he knew that he'd be up for the whole night and he could read by the soft safety lighting that was on during the night for the guards. During that time, he wouldn't be able to leave his cell and it was likely that he'd get in trouble for exercising outside his bunk. Although, he might be able to get around that.

"Is there any way I can bribe you into switching me bunks?" Tsuna asked quietly while they carried his things back toward his cell. "I don't sleep some nights and I don't want to wake you up by climbing up and down to excercise."

"No problem," he grinned happily in return. "Consider me already paid. I was only thinking of a pack of cigarettes, but you hooked me up with a carton. Around here, it's usually one pack per favor, so I owe you eight more."

"You don't--"

"I owe you eight more," he said firmly. "And when those run out, you can just hook me up with those sodas you bought. So you don't have to worry about asking me to do stuff for a while. You've pre-paid for service and you can pay for more."

"O-Oh," he mumbled upon seeing what Danny-boy was up to. He understood. He understood that Tsuna was purposely trying not to make friends and he understood that he wouldn't ask for anything out of fear of getting in debt. This was his way of working around that. He was taking away that fear out of hope that Tsuna would open up to him more. It didn't seem like a bad idea. If Tsuna paid him, then he wouldn't have the feeling of owing him for anything that he did. "I'll get you another carton next week," he offered quietly. "Let me know if you need anything else, too. My Boss made sure that I had money when I got put in here."

"He must be a nice boss," Danny-boy commented conversationally. "What did you do before you got locked up?"

"A lot of things," he answered quietly, trying to make an effort to hold up his end of the conversation for once. It was hard, but it wasn't as hard as it'd been the day before. He had Danny-boy figured out in his head, so there wasn't a lot to worry about where he was concerned. It wasn't like with the Block leaders that had come to feel him out after lunch. "I was a delivery boy and a dishwasher. I also worked part-time at a pet store, grooming animals. When I wasn't doing that, I was taking care of the Orange Dragons and doing charity work."

"What's the Orange Dragons?" He asked curiously as they headed into their cell. Tsuna shrugged, laying down his items on the bottom bunk while Danny-boy started storing his clothes away for him. Since he was doing that in order to pay off the cigarettes Tsuna had bought him, Tsuna let him and sat on the bed in order to relax.

"They're our gang," he answered quietly. "We didn't intend to be a gang at first. We set up a boarding house with a bunch of our friends and there's this girl Leo that tagged the place. After that, people made their own assumptions about us and we decided to just go with it. They were pretty upset when I went to jail. I was arrested after the funeral was over."

"That was your girlfriend's funeral," Danny-boy said in askance. "Right? Or wait... You said you were gay. So was that your boyfriend?"

"My husband," he corrected miserably, thumbing the ring on his finger as if it could let him touch Snicker again. "A lot of stuff happened and he had a heart-attack in his sleep. It's my fault for not keeping secrets better. If I had of, he might not have had so many things to deal with at once. He seemed okay and everything was starting to settle down, but I guess it all caught up to him."

"It might not have had anything to do with you," Danny-boy shrugged. "If it was a heart attack, he was probably old."

"He was only forty," Tsuna objected. "That's too young unless--"

"Was he working a lot?" Danny-boy asked curiously. "You said that you had three jobs, plus the gang and charity work. If he was working just as hard, he might have been stressing himself out and hiding it from you."

"T-That's possible," Tsuna murmured, remembering all the times he'd seen Snicker working at the factory. He'd always seemed to be in a fevered rush, but he'd never complained. There was all the time that he'd spent on the streets, too. Ten years of hard living didn't go away. That had been why Snicker's joints had started aching so young. He was old before his time. Tsuna had known that, which was why he'd been planning on talking Snicker into an early retirement once his old child support debts had been settled. "I didn't take very good care of him," he commented mournfully, staring down at his wedding ring. "If I'd known that he was going to die, I would have spent more time with him."

"Everyone dies eventually," Danny-boy replied, walking over to pick up Tsuna's other purchases in order to store them in his locker. One-by-one, he unloaded the drinks from the case and stacked them into the bottom of Tsuna's locker. It was a tight fit, but Danny-boy got them stored away like the shelf was meant to hold them. It was possible. Knowing the storage limits of the locker was probably why they were permitted a case in the first place. Two of the other shelves were full of Tsuna's clothes, which Danny-boy had rolled up into neat bundles so that more could fit than what was allowed by simple folding. The top shelf now held his cigarettes, book, and gum with just enough room left over that Tsuna could put his hand-held television. Handing it over, Danny-boy tucked it into place and smiled widely when the locker shut without having to be forced. "All done," he nodded in satisfaction.

"Thanks," Tsuna murmured while Danny-boy openly tried to think of something else to talk about. "What do you normally do at this time?"

"Oh!" Danny-boy exclaimed, snapping his fingers over the chosen subject. "That's right. You've only been out to the yard so far. I haven't had a chance to tell you about the other facilities." Tsuna nodded, accepting the subject change while the man crouched against the wall across from the beds. "There's a library and a games room. You have to stock up so many good behavior points to use them, though. You get a point a day for not being late to cell-checks and for going to meals on time. It takes ten points to use the library for one day and five points to use the game room."

"Why is there a difference?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"This is the information age," he smiled. "The library has computers that you can use. You're monitored, so porn sites aren't allowed. It's as good as making a phone call, though. The phones costs ten points for thirty minutes and you can only call people on your list. You have a little more freedom with the library. Of course, getting access to the library doesn't necessarily get you a computer. That costs another ten points. Checking out a book costs ten points, too."

"So, almost a month of good behavior for one day on a computer," Tsuna murmured.

"Not necessarily," he corrected with a twinkle in his eyes. "Showing up on time isn't the only way to rack up points. You can get them for doing your chores and keeping your locker clean when they do inspections. Chores are like jobs, but you don't get paid for them. You didn't have any chores assigned yesterday and I did mine before breakfast. Today, we're both on floors. We'll sweep after the dinner and mop before lockdown tonight."

"What else is there?" He asked curiously.

"To get points or use them?" Danny-boy countered with a wide grin, ecstatic to have Tsuna's undivided attention for once.

"Both."

"To get points, there's also jobs. You can apply for one at the facility offices after you've been here for two weeks. That's also where you go to make complaints. I'm planning on getting a job in the laundry so that I can do my own clothes, but there's a lot to choose from. They usually place you in one depending on your skill level and how good you've been. They don't want trouble-makers in jobs that are dangerous. The guys that served us lunch and dinner are guys working jobs. There's also work in the library and groundskeepers out in the yard. There's also out-door jobs for guys with low risk of escape. They'll take you out to pick up trash on the highway and other menial jobs. No matter whether you're in the facility or out, though, you get points for showing up on time and for good behavior. You also get paid. It's not much, but you get anywhere from a quarter to fifty cents an hour."

"That's not much," Tsuna grimaced in agreement.

"What do you expect?" He laughed. "This is a correctional facility. It wouldn't be fair to people that obeyed the law if the state paid us minimum wage. We're lucky that they pay us at all. Even if it's crappy wages, it's enough that you can buy a carton of cigarettes at the end of the week. Anything over that is out of the question, though, unless you got someone sending money from the outside."

"What about spending the points," Tsuna asked.

"Well," he murmured, leaning back against the wall while he thought. "I've told you about the library and the game room. You can get three points a day between good behavior, work, and chores. You can't start spending them until you've been in for two weeks without causing any problems, but you should have almost thirty points by then. You wanted to use the computer and that takes twenty. Most people rather use the game room every few days than save up for the library, but everyone goes at least once every month if they can't afford to buy a book. If that's all you want to use them on, then you can probably go about once a week after you get a job. Assuming that you don't get into trouble, you follow the rules, and you don't make phone calls."

"It's incentive," he murmured with a nod. "I could use one week on the computer and another week on the phone. Is there anywhere else that we can use them?"

"No," he answered with a small grimace. "But there's one other way to get them. Instead of getting a job, you can get points for going to continuing education classes in the morning and you can get extra points for doing the homework that they assign. If you can get a job that works around your classes, then you can get points from both. Most people go just so they can use the phones on a regular basis without digging into their game room and library points."

"Is the classes hard?" Tsuna asked in a small voice.

"No," he chuckled over Tsuna's sudden lack of confidence. "Most of it is stuff we learned in high school. The teachers give a test when you first start to see what you're weak on and then they tutor you based on what you need help on. If you're average, they stick you in a general class that picks a different subject every day to study. There's some idiots in here that get stuck doing times tables, though. It's pretty sad. I saw one guy that was having trouble with addition."

"Pretty pathetic," Tsuna agreed with a faltering laugh, not wanting Danny-boy to know that he was one of those idiots. "But you said you get points if you go. Right?"

"Right," he confirmed cheerfully. "If you want, we can go get signed up. You won't be able to join the class until tomorrow, but you can go ahead and take the test. I'm not that interested in it, but it can't hurt to have extra points on hand."

"O-Okay," he grimaced. It was the only way, though. If he was going to get to talk to FooFoo without losing out on calling his friends, he had to go to school. He knew that it was going to be embarrassing, but he was hoping that the teacher wouldn't be like Nezu-sensei. Even if the teacher was, he'd still get points for going. No one said anything about having to make good grades.

Following Danny-boy, he quietly walked down the hallways until they reached a door between the E and F cell-block that had alphabet cut-outs on it. It made him think of a kindergarden classroom and that impression didn't go away once he was inside. There were several small desks at the entrance that was exactly how he remembered his kindergarten teacher's had looked. There were bright colors all over the receiving room and cut-outs trailing down the hallway leading off the room toward the small classrooms. Tsuna could hear lectures being given and the sound of pencils writing coming from behind the doorways.

"Are you here to sign up for classes?" A little man asked with a smile, standing up in order to shake both of their hands like they weren't inmates in a prison.

"Yes," Danny-boy answered while Tsuna quietly nodded. "I think we have enough time before lunch."

"There's plenty of time," the teacher agreed with a wide smile. "Just follow me and we'll get you set up. There's a small test that I'll need you both to take so that we can decide what class to put you in, but it should be quite easy. Both of you look like intelligent men." Once more, Tsuna gave a faltering smile while reminding himself that it didn't matter if he was stupid. He just wanted the attendance points. They both followed the man into a back classroom that was empty and quickly found themselves seated at opposite ends of a long table. The man handed them both dull pencils and handed them both several sheets of paper. From the looks of it, they weren't timed nor were they pressured to finish quickly. The guy acted like they had all the time in the world. He simply sat down at a stool in front of the podium at the front and thumbed through a magazine laying on it.

Turning his attention to the paper, Tsuna tried not to see how quickly Danny-boy was already speeding through it. Instead, he focused on writing out his name and his identification number on the top of the paper, being one question that he was positive that he could answer correctly. Then he turned his attention to the test itself.

1. History. What is the name of the first President of the United States?

2. Math. What is ten plus twelve?

3. Science. Earthquakes happen on certain boundaries. What are the name of those boundaries?

4. English. Correct this sentence. The sun is brightly.

5. Geography. There are seven continents. Please name them.

He smiled slightly, able to answer a few of the questions. Washington was the first president. Snicker had told him that it was why he was on the dollar. Ten plus twelve was twenty-two. Earthquakes happened on fault lines. The sun is bright. North America, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa. He felt his confidence building at knowing the answers. Maybe he wasn't as dumb as he thought. As he continued with the test, that confidence started to waver, however.

31. History. Who is known for having the most prominent name on the Declaration of Independence?

"Um," he asked hesitantly in hopes of getting a clue to the answer. "I-I don't understand this question."

"Just skip it and go to the next one," the teacher replied pleasantly. Tsuna nodded and did like he was told, trying not to let it show that skipping it worried him. He was sure that he could get the answer if he just had a clue. Were they wanting the name that was most famous for signing it or the name that was written largest? Maybe they wanted the name of the first signature? He didn't know that, but he knew a few of the people on it. He remembered from when Leo had brought home some American history homework. There was Jefferson and Washington and Franklin. He knew that there were a lot of other people, but those were the only ones that he could think of. Maybe it was a trick question? The most prominent signature should be one of those three since those were important names in history, but he had no clue which.

Skipping it, he went to the next one.

32. Math. What is the square root of thirty-six?

He skipped it, rather than ask for a calculator. He could come back and figure it out later.

33. Science. What is the symbol on the periodic table for oxygen?

Skip it.

34. English. Who wrote "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?

Skip it.

35. Geography. What is the largest country in South America?

Skip it.

Question after question, he started having to skip most of them. Occasionally, he'd come across some tidbit that he knew the answer to, but those became more and more rare as he continued reading questions. It wasn't that he didn't understand the question. It was that he didn't know the answer. He'd never made it to high school. In the past year, he hadn't been really learning anything outside of what he needed to survive. What he did remember learning in school was fuzzy after the three year gap. He simply didn't remember.

He was stupid. He'd known that, but he didn't like having it shoved in his face. He was smart in some things. If he had a calculator, he could have gotten more of the math questions. If the history had asked more about dinosaurs, he could have gotten those, too. Why should he care who invented the telephone? He knew how to use one! The English was out to get him on top of it. He knew lots of languages and he even had good grammar. He just didn't read a lot. Those weren't English questions after a while. They were literature! It was completely different! What did it matter if he didn't know what country the rain forest was in? He still knew that it was the biggest forest in the world! He knew that Mount Everest was the tallest mountain, too! He wasn't a scientist, either! He wasn't dumb just because he didn't know the equation for gravity. He knew that gravity pulled down and that was enough to keep himself from getting hurt if he fell!

Those were excuses and he knew it. Danny-boy had finished his test in record time and was playing with his pencil. He'd known all the answers. Even if he had gotten them wrong, he'd probably finished more of it than Tsuna had. He would get an eight or a ninety at least. Tsuna would get lucky to break into the thirties, assuming the ones that he did answer were right. It was okay. He was used to making bad grades. Grades didn't matter. He'd still get the points.

"All done?" The teacher asked with his ever-present smile when Tsuna turned the last page over. Tsuna nodded, keeping his head bowed in unhappiness. It was coming. The teacher was going to mock him for being stupid and tell him that he was a waste of time. He'd get stuffed in the back of the class and told that he was No-Good again. He didn't want to be No-Good, though. He had a job and was responsible. He took care of a lot of people and never broke his promises. It wasn't his fault that he never got past junior high.

"Can we go now?" Tsuna asked quietly, standing up from his seat along with Danny-boy.

"Hold on," the teacher replied as his smile finally faded. "You only did the first page."

"So?"

"I can't put you in a general class if you only do the first page," the teacher replied with a look of concern on his face. "You have to be at a certain level to benefit from the classes. If you don't answer more of the questions, you'll have to be placed with a specialized instructor."

"You can't be lazy," Danny-boy laughed, sitting back down in his chair in belief that he'd have to wait on Tsuna to finish more of the test. "If you don't fill more of it out, they're going to put you in the special needs class."

"I'll still get points, won't I?" Tsuna asked with his jaw clenched to hold back tears.

"Yeah," he chuckled without seeing that Tsuna was upset. "But you don't want to get put in there. That's where all the stupid people go."

"I'm not stupid," he objected quietly.

"Of course you're not," the teacher soothed, reaching out to push Tsuna back down in his chair. "Why don't you try to answer some more of these so we can get you in a general class with the others? You said you didn't understand some of the questions, so let's see what you're having problems with. Let's see. Here's an easy one that you skipped. The square root of thirty-six."

Tsuna stared at the question that he was pointing at, wracking his brain in effort to figure out what it was asking. He remembered having to do square roots in middle school, but he couldn't remember what they were. He'd never been good at math, even with Reborn's help. They had something to do with multiplication, but--

"What's the problem?" The teacher asked quietly when Tsuna didn't even raise his hand to pick up his pencil. He simply continued to sit with his head down to hide his face and the expression of frustration and self-disgust covering it.

"I don't know the answer," he mumbled.

"Okay," he replied slowly while Danny-boy slowly sat back up in his chair. "Let's try this one instead. Who wrote "Tom Sawyer"?"

"I don't know," he admitted, clenching his jaw even tighter to hold back tears. He knew he was stupid. Why did he have to rub it in?

"Can you tell me why you don't?" The teacher asked curiously. "It's standard reading for high school students and all the new inmates had their GEDs."

"I didn't go to high school," he admitted, feeling tears beginning to leak out. He couldn't hold them back. Not when the teacher was looking at him with pity. It made him feel pathetic and stupid. He didn't care about any of this stuff. He just wanted the points! Couldn't they just stick him in with the stupid people and forget about it?!

"Suoh--" the teacher murmured.

"Lazarus," he corrected while he tried to get himself under control. He wouldn't cry over a stupid test. He wouldn't cry because he was a little stupid in some things. He was smart where it counted! If he had a computer, he could look up the things he didn't know. If he had a calculator, he could figure out most of the damn math questions. Just because he couldn't figure them out right this second didn't mean that he was No-Good!

"Lazarus," he nodded. "These pages aren't empty because you just didn't feel like doing them. Are they? You really don't know the answers."

"Can I go now?" Tsuna asked, feeling his shoulders shaking from the effort to hold himself together.

"No," he replied. "I want you to stay here for a second. I'm going to go out and get Dan set up with his classes, but I'm going to send someone in here to talk to you. Do you think you would mind doing a different test for us? If you do, we can get you situated so that you can start your own classes."

"Will I still get points?" He asked softly.

"Yes," he confirmed. Tsuna nodded in agreement and continued to sit in his seat in defeat while the teacher led Danny-boy out of the room. He wasn't given much time to dwell or compose himself before another man came in. This time, it was a tall, sleek guy with a smile on his face that reminded Tsuna of Yamamoto.

"Hello," he greeted, laying down a basket of what looked to be toys along with a file of papers. "I'm Peter Ascott. Willard told me that you were having some trouble with the test, Lazarus. Is it okay if I call you Laz?" Tsuna nodded while looking at the basket in curiosity. Most of them looked like puzzle games for kids. "Good. Feel free to call me Peter. Now, the first thing we're going to do is test you on your IQ. A lot of times, the reason that guys like you can't pass the test isn't because they're stupid or dumb. They might just have a learning difficulty that was never pinpointed or they're actually so smart that they can't find interest in learning boring facts and figures. We're going to try to see where your trouble stems. We'll start with this one. It's pretty simple."

Tsuna paled at the puzzle that was laid out for him. He didn't pale because it was hard. He paled because it was too simple. A pre-school child could figure it out. There were only nine pieces and the picture assembled was easy to figure out. It was a cat. He could see that without even putting them together.

"Don't be shy," Peter-sensei encouraged. "This is our little secret. No one is going to come in here and I wouldn't tell anyone but you about how you do. I just want to help you so that we can get you up to a high-school level so that you can join the general class. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You want to learn. Don't you?"

"No," he mumbled honestly. "I just want the points."

"To get the points, you have to learn," he grinned in reply. "So it's all the same thing."

"I'm not stupid," he felt the need to say.

"No one said that you were."

"I know a dozen languages."

"That's amazing."

"I can do the math with a calculator."

"Sometimes you don't have a calculator, though."

"I--"

"I know that you're a capable person," Peter-sensei interjected, his voice making Tsuna lift his head slightly in order to look at him with watering eyes. "Your file is full of things that can be considered accomplishments. We're not here to teach you street-smarts, Laz. We're here to teach you some book-smarts so that you can have more options when you get out of here. You don't want to be a dishwasher for the rest of your life. Do you?"

"T-That's just--"

"A temporary job," Peter-sensei finished for him with a serious look on his face. "It's just something to pay the bills until you find something better. Right? I hear that a lot by guys just like you. The problem is that they don't fulfill their own potential and they get stuck in those places. I don't want to see you stuck as a dishwasher, Laz. I want to see you maybe opening your own restaurant and having some guy washing dishes for you. I want to see you running a business or getting a nice fluffy job where you can have a pretty little secretary. There's a lot of possibilities out there for you, but you've got to have an education to get them."

Tsuna grimaced, remembering back to the translator job that he'd applied for. They'd told him to come back when he had references and proof of his skill. He'd gotten references, but he hadn't had the confidence to go to school. How could he even think of going to college when he hadn't honestly finished high school?

"Work with me," Peter-sensei pleaded, pulling up a chair in order to sit across from him. "I'm sure that you're an amazing guy. Just let me figure out why you're stuck where you are. Once we figure that out, we can get you to a level where you're learning in the general classes or even taking correspondence courses for college. After that, it's a whole new ballgame. You wouldn't believe how many options you can have with a little schooling."

"I never made good grades," he objected quietly. "E-Even when I had a tutor, I still barely passed."

"We'll get you so that you're passing with flying colors," he promised, pushing the puzzle forward slightly in order to put Tsuna's attention on it. "Let's just find out why you were making bad grades. The first step is putting Fluffy together. After that, I've got some other puzzles for you to do while I time you. Have you ever done a Rubik's cube? It's a lot of fun. If you can get three sides before lunch, I'll give you one to take with you."

"Really?" Tsuna asked, perking up a bit at the sight of the logic puzzle that he pointed at in the box. He'd always wanted one so that he could try it, but it had been low on his list of things to actually buy.

"Yup," he agreed with a wide grin, making Tsuna finally reach out to hurriedly throw the puzzle together. If he was going to get three sides, he'd need as much time as he could get. He couldn't waste time with these silly games. After that was interlocking rings that he had to disconnect and a picture where he had to figure out how many blocks were stacked up despite rows being hidden. There was a memory game where he had to match as many cards as he could within a certain time limit and the Peter-sensei wanted him to look at a box full of wires that he had to disconnect and reconnect properly.

There was also a written test that was much easier than the previous one was. Instead of facts and figures that he had to spit out, it gave him questions that he could actually figure out. Even the math problems were real problems that he would have to deal with in real life instead of problems that were completely senseless. He couldn't count the times that he'd had to figure out which subway would get him where he wanted to go first. The train problem wasn't much different. He had more information to work with, but that was just a bonus. He still had a feeling that he got a few wrong in the math and English problems, but the part where he had to read and then answer questions about what he had read was pretty easy. The part with figuring out whether to use a phillips, flathead or hexagonal screwdriver was easy, too. Ore and Marty had taught him all about tools and putting things together and it wasn't much different putting it together in his head in order to figure out what the answer to the questions were. There were a lot more pictures on this test with questions ranging from simple to hard. He could figure them out, though. This test gave him enough information for him to figure it out, unlike the other test that expected him to know things.

"When I start the timer, you can start on the cube," Peter-sensei smiled while he pulled the written test over in order to start grading it. "Let me know when you get one side and three sides. I'll give you five points if you manage to finish the whole thing within an hour. Ready? Go."

Tsuna grinned like a maniac at the offer and got to work. Points were an incentive that he wanted to store up on. Contact with his friends and family depended on them.

* * *

"Laz?" Danny-boy gaped.

"What?" Tsuna smiled as the lunch line started moving in front of Danny-boy once Tsuna had caught up to him.

"You're smiling," he commented while Tsuna prodded him to walk forward into the space that was quickly appearing before them.

"So?"

"I didn't know that you _could _smile," he choked. "Not like that."

"I'm happy," Tsuna replied without letting his smile falter. "I earned five points. That's half a phone call when I get to use the phones. Right?"

"Right," he gasped in surprise, his eyes bulging at the claim. "How did you manage that?"

"I finished Peter-sensei's puzzles," he answered. Taking his attention away for a moment, he snatched up a box of chocolate milk and waited for the line to clear so that he could get his tray. Those ahead of him after that point were already too far in to give up their spots in line, but Tsuna didn't mind waiting. It only took a few seconds in order to retrieve his tray, chips, and fruit, even with the line. After that, he headed for the table that he'd decided that he would continue sitting at even if it gave him an indecent reputation. The chatter filling it by all the sluts had been mildly soothing over breakfast. In the mood that he was in now, he might even join in. Despite how bad he'd felt because of the first teacher, the second one had been different. He'd never once made Tsuna think that he was an idiot and he'd been full of enthusiasm over Tsuna's ability to complete the tests.

He wasn't stupid.

Peter-sensei had said that numerous times and had even pointed out places where he was smarter than some people. Peter-sensei told him that his problem was a simple matter of motivation and underestimating himself. Even better, he'd promised to help Tsuna get over those issues. No dynamite involved. Instead, he'd promised access to the library after his two week waiting period was over. All Tsuna had to do was to do the homework that he assigned and he wouldn't have to spend his points on access. That meant that he could spend his points on the computer and phone a lot more often. For him, there was no better motivation at the moment. As for underestimating himself, Peter-sensei had explained that he just gave up too easily. Whenever he hit a road-bump, Tsuna was bad about making excuses about how he couldn't do it and so he didn't even try. He could do it if he tried, though. He just needed more confidence.

Tsuna hated to admit it, but it was the truth. He'd get clumsy and trip during ball sports in school, so he'd never tried to get better like Yamamoto had. Snicker had taught him better when it came to real life. There were plenty of times that he thought they couldn't do it, but Snicker had taught him to continue trying until he could. Whether it was counting money out for food or saving pennies for a shirt, Snicker had made him learn to overlook short-term hardships. Peter-sensei had promised to help him get that same determination when it came to learning from books. If he could do that, memorizing lists and facts would be nothing. He just had to start small and work himself up to the harder stuff. Like Snicker had always said, nickels and dimes still make dollars. This wasn't any different. So what if he had to start with addition and subtraction? Peter-sensei told him that he'd be doing algebra with the best of them before long. He had that kind of confidence and Tsuna found it hard not to get caught up with his enthusiasm. Peter-sensei knew how to explain things so that Tsuna could understand. Once he understood, it all became so easy. On top of that, Peter-sensei had proven that he could do it because he'd taught Tsuna how to do square roots before letting him leave for lunch.

"So, he had you doing puzzles?" Danny-boy asked curiously while they both started inhaling their food. Tsuna nodded around a bite of the square--and tasteless--slice of pizza that he'd been given. It was like cardboard, but Tsuna didn't mind. It was still food and it was nutritious. He'd just save the chips and orange for last.

"He had me do a lot of puzzles," he confirmed between bites. "He gave me a different written test, too. I think he said it was an IQ test. He seemed really happy with my score and tore up that other test that I failed."

"He ripped it up?" He repeated in surprise. "What did you score on the new one?"

"I'm not sure," he replied with a shrug. "He said that I got an 'A'. I think it was ninety or something."

"Ninety?" Danny-boy asked with a strange look on his face.

"Oh, wait," Tsuna amended, remembering what Peter-sensei had said before Tsuna had asked for a more plain version of how he'd done. "He said that I got a hundred and ninety three. I guess it was out of two hundred points."

"You have an IQ of one-ninety-three," Danny-boy repeated in disbelief.

"Is that good?" He asked curiously. "I've never taken an IQ test before."

"Y-Yeah," he confirmed. "I only got a one-twelve when I took it in high school."

"Really?!" Tsuna exclaimed. "So I did better than you?!"

"Y-Yeah," he nodded before beginning to inhale his food again. Tsuna smiled widely, feeling even better than before. He'd never done better than someone else before. Not when it came to tests. He was always the worst in the class.

"I'm not stupid," he said with his widest grin yet. Danny-boy paled at the comment, his face immediately taking on an apologetic expression. Tsuna didn't let him apologize, though. One thing was still true. "I don't know all my times tables and I have problems with division. I don't know a lot when it comes to books, but I'm not too stupid to learn. So you better not make fun of me when you see my homework. Even if it's grade-school stuff right now, Peter-sensei says that he'll have me in college classes before I get out of here. That way I can go get that translating job that wouldn't believe me when I told them that I knew a dozen languages. Papa Paolo might even let me train up and take over one of his restaurants if I go to college, too. Peter-sensei said that I don't have to stay a dishwasher. I just need someone to help me get caught up because I'm a little behind right now. That first test wasn't any good because of that. I don't owe him for helping me, either. He's just doing the job that he's paid to do and he said that I don't have to pay it back. I pay for it by being good while I'm in jail."

"That's great," Danny-boy praised with a faltering smile. "I wouldn't make fun of you, Laz. How did you get the points, though?" He asked to change the subject. "You still haven't told me that."

"I finished a Rubik's cube," he grinned, patting the bulge in his sweatshirt. "It was pretty hard at first, but it got easier once I'd been doing it for a while. I almost gave up after twenty minutes, but then I kept going because he reminded me about the points. I'm not really sure what happened after that. I just kept getting this feeling about how I should turn it and I kept following that since I couldn't figure it out on my own. The next thing I knew, it was done."

"No shit?"

"Nope," he grinned, pulling the finished cube out for Danny-boy to inspect while Tsuna started polishing off his mixed vegetable-shaped-cardboard. "He let me keep it," he added around bites. "He said it was a prize for finishing it so fast. He said that I got the record or something for the prison."

"Can you show me when we get outside?" Danny-boy asked curiously when he handed it back. Tsuna nodded and stuffed it back in his pocket, not wanting one of the guards to take it away for bringing it out in the cafeteria. Working on his apple, both he and Danny-boy decided to leave the rest of talking for outside. The cafeteria was starting to fill up and the guards would kick them out if they didn't hurry so that there would be seats for people coming in. He got distracted almost immediately from eating, though.

"He don't like me," Veronica exclaimed with a drama-filled pout while he pulled his 'shawl' up around his shoulders in order to cover himself up. "I guess I can see why. It's my stomach, isn't it? Ever since I got in here, I've been eating like a pig. My figure is totally ruined."

"Your figure is fine," Sassy soothed while the other questionable men around him gave murmurs of agreement. "It probably has nothing to do with you. Right, Laz?"

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped when the little Latino man, Veronica, and the black-haired Asian, Sassy, both turned to look at him along with the rest of the assorted 'sluts'.

"He thinks you don't like him," Sassy explained in exasperation. "Tell him that it's not true so that he'll stop with the waterworks."

"Eh?"

"You ignored him yesterday when he was talking to you," Danny-boy supplied in amusement. "You were spaced out over dinner and breakfast this morning, so you probably didn't notice that he was crying like a little baby."

"I made him cry?" Tsuna asked in shock.

"Does it matter?" Danny-boy asked in curiosity. "You said you didn't want to make friends."

"But I don't want to make people cry, either!" He exclaimed. Turning to the group, he bit his lip while trying to think of what to do. Danny-boy was right. Even while he'd been talking to Danny-boy, Veronica had started crying and was refusing to eat his lunch. A simple apology didn't seem like enough. For him, it was the same as having made Gigi cry. Maybe he should explain? That's what he'd do. He'd explain. "Um, Veronica," he called hesitantly.

"I wouldn't," Danny-boy warned under his breath. Tsuna ignored him. He refused to let someone continue crying when he'd been the one to cause it.

"Veronica," he called again, this time actually getting the man's undivided attention alongside all the other slut's. "I wasn't meaning anything against you yesterday. I just didn't feel like talking to anyone. Your figure is just fine, so you should eat. It's not good to let food go to waste."

"Now you've done it," Danny-boy groaned quietly.

"So, you like me?" Veronica asked while he batted at his eyes with a handkerchief.

"It's not about liking you," Tsuna corrected quietly, bowing his head as all his joy seemed to rush out of him in remembrance. How could he be happy? He wasn't supposed to be happy. The person that he loved wasn't there waiting on him to get home anymore. "I--" The lump came back. It'd been easier to talk about it earlier. Now it was suddenly hard again. He didn't understand it. "I've got to go," he murmured, grabbing his tray in order to head for the door. Like the previous day, Danny-boy didn't immediately follow. He seemed to understand those times that Tsuna wanted to be completely left alone and reacted accordingly. This was one of those times.

The yard was exactly like it'd been the previous times that he'd went out. Nothing changed. The only difference was what he did while he was out in it. He planned to work out after dinner so that he could continue his workout in his cell after lockdown. He'd take a shower before breakfast tomorrow since he had chores tonight. That meant that he had nothing to do between lunch and dinner. He couldn't go to the games room or the library yet. He didn't have more classes until tomorrow.

His homework, he decided. He'd go ahead and do it now so that he'd have it done for in the morning. They were allowed one pencil so that they could write letters, so Peter-sensei had supplied him with the writing utensil. Trying to figure out the answers would get his mind off of things, too. He had to get his mind off of it, because he didn't want to cry where other people could see him. Doing so was paramount to screaming that he was weak and being weak was a death-sentence after having stepped into the role of a person to not be messed with. He could hold back the tears. His pillow could soak up a few more after the lights went out at night.

Sitting down at an empty table, he pulled out the papers that were folded up in his sweater pocket and pulled out his pencil. By necessity, it was dull and made from soft lead instead of hard. He'd been warned that using it as a weapon would get him thrown in lockup along with having his writing privileges revoked outside of the library. Not that he had plans to use it as a weapon. The warning had just been mandatory when Peter-sensei had given it to him.

He had five pages of homework, each on a different subject. He decided to do the Math first since that was the one that was the hardest for him. It was pretty basic stuff. There was five questions of addition, five of subtraction, five multiplication, and five long division. On top of that, Peter-sensei had added in five square root questions and five basic algebra questions. Even though he didn't know algebra, the questions were easy for him to figure out. If he already had five dollars and he needed to get eleven dollars, then that meant that the x was six dollars.

He couldn't show his work on those because he had no clue what Peter-sensei wanted on it, but he knew the answer. That counted for something, he was sure. Peter-sensei had said that there were no wrong answers, either. If he didn't get the answer that matched what was in the book, they'd just go over it until he understood where he'd messed up. They'd go over it until every page he turned in was a hundred percent grade. He couldn't get bad grades that way, so there was no reason to stress over it. He had to try, though. Peter-sensei said that he wouldn't get free access to the library unless he tried. That meant that he had to show his work, even if it he messed up and got the incorrect answer. It wasn't wrong unless he didn't try.

"Do you need any help?" Danny-boy asked, sitting down across from him with a cigarette in hand.

"I don't--"

"Let me rephrase that," he sighed in exasperation, already knowing what Tsuna was going to say. "Is there anything that I can do to pay off another cigarette?"

"O-Oh," Tsuna mumbled with a slight blush. He'd almost forgotten. Danny-boy was working for him. "Can you show me how I'm supposed to show my work on these? I know the answer, but I don't know what he wants me to write to show him how I got it."

"Sure," he agreed, leaning over the table to crane his neck over the paper. "It wasn't that long since I was in high school. Let's see. They're all addition. That means that you subtract the number that you have from both sides of the equal sign. If it was subtraction, then you'd just add. The whole point is to get it so that x equals your answer. That means that you got to turn the number that you do have into zero."

"Eh?"

"Just write minus five under both sides of the equal sign and then write out..." Danny-boy trailed off, seeing that Tsuna had no clue why he should do that. "You're trying to make it so that x equals six. Right?" Tsuna nodded. "If you don't get rid of the five that you have, it'll be five plus six equals eleven."

"But five plus six does equal eleven," he replied in confusion.

"I know that," he agreed in confusion. "But you're not trying to show that. You're trying to show how you got the six. That's why you have to get rid of the five."

"But if I get rid of the five, it'll be x equals eleven and that's wrong," he countered.

"Not if you take five away from the eleven, too," he exclaimed in exasperation. "You have to subtract it from both sides of the equal sign. After you subtract from both sides, all that's left is x and a six. Right?" Tsuna nodded, slowly seeing how that would show what he'd done in his head. It was kind of over-done to have to write all of that out when he could just know that five and six made eleven. This had to be starting small, too, though. Even though it looked simple, getting him to learn how to show his work on it would prepare him to write out bigger problems that he couldn't do in his head. "Your long division is wrong right here," Danny-boy added, looking over the paper. "You forgot to bring down the six and you didn't move the decimal point."

"Oh," he mumbled with a blush of embarrassment. He hurriedly corrected it, trying not to let Danny-boy see how flustered he got over a silly math problem. He hadn't done long division in years. Not without a calculator. He'd never been good at it in the first place. It took him nearly twenty minutes to finish what looked to be simple problems. Danny-boy corrected mistake after mistake, explaining to him where he'd messed up. He was almost as good as Peter-sensei. He got frustrated and exasperated a lot, but he never told Tsuna that he was stupid. He just continued explaining until Tsuna got it. One thing slowly came out, though.

"Your attention to detail sucks," Danny-boy pointed out. "You're getting the numbers right, but you keep tripping on decimals. Like this addition problem. You lined everything up on the right side instead of lining up the decimals. That's why you got the numbers wrong. If the decimal was here instead, you would have gotten it right. Since it's not, that answer is wrong."

"Oh," he mumbled. No one had ever told him that before. Maybe that was why he got so much stuff wrong in school. He faintly remembered his teachers saying something about format, but he'd ignored them most of the time. He'd seen his score, told himself that he was No-Good, and had left it like that. After a while, the teachers had given up on him. He couldn't really blame them in retrospect. He'd given up on himself back then, too. It wasn't until he'd started over completely that he'd tried to be something other than No-Good. Before then, Reborn had tried to force him with dynamite and shock therapy, but he'd never put his heart into it. He'd just been going with the flow so that he wouldn't get hurt.

This time, he wanted to learn. He wanted to know what he was doing wrong. He wanted to get better. It was more than just access to the library, if he admitted it to himself. He didn't want to be No-Good when it came to this stuff anymore. Maybe if he'd had more book-smarts, he could have protected Snicker better. He could have gotten a job where he wouldn't have had to work so much. Snicker could have retired even earlier, too. He didn't exactly regret his choices, because he hadn't had this as an available option before. It was probably there, but he hadn't been able to see it. He'd been too satisfied with the life he'd been living.

That life was gone now, though. In a way, he felt that he really had died when Snicker had died. Suoh was dead and buried beside him. He was Lazarus now. His life was dedicated to repaying his debt to Autumn. That was the true reason that he wanted to get smarter. Autumn couldn't have an idiot beside her and he needed to be useful to her. If he wasn't useful to her, then he couldn't repay his debt. If he couldn't repay his debt, then he had no reason to live. He might as well bury himself next to Snicker if that was the case.

One day...

Right now, Autumn had a use for him. At the moment, he was a bartering chip that she'd needed. He had to make himself more useful than that. He needed to get physically stronger so that he could be strong enough to fulfill any of her wishes. He had to get mentally stronger so that he wouldn't embarrass her at those fancy functions that they sometimes dragged him to. He had to do everything that he could so that he would be ready to protect her when he got out of here. He had to because he owed her for ensuring that Snicker's soul would rest in peace. There was nothing that he could do in this life and nothing that he could give her that would ever equal that.

"Laz...?" Danny-boy asked worriedly, making Tsuna's snap out of the blank space that his mind had wandered into. "I hate it when you do that," he commented. "You get this scary look on your face when you space out." Tsuna shrugged and returned to the other pages of his homework, relegating the issue as one that Danny could either deal with or ignore. His determination to repay his debt wasn't something that was going to go away. It wasn't something that he was going to change, either.

"Laz?" Tsuna looked up to see Veronica being prodded toward him by three other inmates. More than likely, the guy's name was really Veron or Ron. Tsuna didn't go by that, however. Just like he called Gigi as Gigi, he'd give the man the courtesy of calling him by what he wanted to be called.

"What do you want, Veronica?" Tsuna asked coldly.

"I-I was just wondering, um, i-if...." Tsuna raised an eyebrow when he started to back away and had to be propelled forward by his friends again.

"Ask him!" Sassy hissed.

"Well, what I mean is, um, did you, um..."

"He wants to know if you really like his figure," Sassy supplied while Veronica covered his face in girlish embarrassment.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Tsuna shrugged. "He's a little thin, but that's better than being fat. Why?"

"Will you be my sugar-daddy?" Veronica blurted, slapping his hands down on the table with a bright red face.

"So bold!" Sassy laughed from behind him. Several of the others started catcalls while Tsuna felt his stomach drop out from under him. He was going to be sick. For a guy to so blatantly throw themselves forward like that made him turn green. Not even Gigi was that tactless. Veronica was perfectly serious, too. He wanted to trade his body for luxuries like cigarettes and sodas instead of working the jobs offered by the prison so that he could get his own. It was disgusting. At least Autumn and the other girls had goals in mind for their prostitution. Autumn had wanted to beat Gabriel. Summer had wanted to save to go to school to be a nurse. Dedra had wanted to save to go to a barber college. Cassandra had been sending money to her family. Even Gigi had a reason. Gigi had issues keeping a man and she actually enjoyed her prostitution as a way to satisfy her ravenous needs on a regular basis. Getting paid had always just been a side-bonus to getting laid. This man, though... Veronica was wanting to trade sex for as much luxury as he could get while in jail. It wasn't his place to judge, but the fact disgusted him somewhat.

No, he amended. The prostitution didn't disgust him so much. He was used to seeing that. Mike had as many Veronicas as he had Autumns working for him. In truth, there wasn't much difference between Gigi and Veronica. This guy probably enjoyed it, too. What disgusted him was that he was the one being propositioned. Even the idea of sleeping with someone else made his skin crawl.

"Get away from me," Tsuna growled without looking up.

"Don't try to proposition him," Danny-boy added when Veronica took two steps backward in surprise at the dark tone Tsuna had used.

"Why not?" Veronica asked in shock while Tsuna hurriedly folded his papers up so that he could stuff them and his pencil back into his pocket. "Is there something wrong with me? If there is, I--"

"Shut up, you fucking slut!" Danny-boy yelled in an attempt to silence him before Tsuna got any more upset. Danny-boy could tell that he was upset, even though he was hiding it. He was good at reading people. Tsuna could tell because he was just as good at reading other people himself. Tsuna let him continue with what he was doing, despite the fact that such rudeness was something he normally stopped. Danny-boy was just trying to help keep Tsuna's peace and quiet since doing so paid off another cigarette.

"What did I do wrong?!" Veronica exclaimed in a shrill voice. Tsuna ignored her, heading for the door in hopes that an hour had passed since the cafeteria doors had opened. He wanted to go back to his cell where it was quiet. Where he'd be left alone. People weren't allowed to go in other people's cell. Danny-boy was the only one that could go in there. Once he was there, the closest that anyone would get to him would be the bars.

"Are you a fucking idiot?!" Danny-boy shouted. "Like Laz wants to be someone's sugar-daddy when he just buried his--" Tsuna froze in place at the same moment that Danny-boy choked off the words. He'd said too much. He knew that he'd said too much. That was why he broke off. The reminder was like an invisible dagger. It caused pain and a wound. Tsuna only wished that it could kill him. "Laz," Danny-boy murmured. "I'm s--"

"It's fine," he interrupted while he quietly wished that his heart would stop beating like Snicker's had. He didn't say anything else. No matter how much he wished otherwise, his legs and arms continued to move. People still interrupted the silence and the day still continued to pass. It was a deep wound, but he knew that it wouldn't kill him. Even if it did kill him, he was Lazarus. He'd just wake up to live a new day no matter how many wounds he received. Whether the crows pecked out his eyes or the worms fed on his intestines, it would just heal back with the dawn so that it could be injured and torn apart again.

He was so tired of it all, but he couldn't sleep.

He couldn't sleep because he'd yet to be awakened from the previous nightmare.

Cell-check passed in a daze. Even when Danny-boy returned for the guards to ensure that there were no escapees, he didn't say a word. As soon as cell-check was over, Danny-boy left so that Tsuna could have the solitude that he desired. At that point, Tsuna simply sat on his bunk and focused on holding back his tears. He wanted to hold him again. He wanted to see him again. Just for a moment. A second. He wanted Snicker's smell and his warmth. He wanted his arms to wrap around him in protection and possessiveness. He wanted to bury his head into his chest again and cry out all the misery.

He wanted Snicker's smile to brighten up his day just one more time.

Just once more...


	57. Chapter 57 Visitors

Two weeks seemed to flash by him. Every day was just like the previous one, so much so that he started having trouble keeping track of how many days had passed. The markers that he seemed capable of clinging onto were the faces of the people that continued to test him. In the first week, he'd already gotten into four fights. He'd thought that people would leave him alone after he'd brought Bossman down so easily, but it wasn't so. The other Block leaders weren't confronting him, but they had enough idiots willing to do it for them. They seemed to come like clockwork, every other day. One day he'd have peace while they gathered their courage. Then, the second day was full of people pushing his limits of tolerance.

The first one had been a guy who'd kept slapping the back of his head in the lunch-line while the guard's back was turned. He'd ignored the first slap, thinking it to be an accident. He'd ignored the second, believing the guy to be clumsy. At the third one, which the guy had added a kick to the back of his legs and an insult, Tsuna had snapped. That had gotten the man a broken nose from an 'accidental' elbow to the face while Tsuna stretched in plain view of the guard. He'd done it so fast and clean that even the watching guard hadn't seen anything but Tsuna putting his arms up to stretch.

The second guy had tested him while he'd been on the bench-press. It was a common method for an attacker to pretend to be spotting when they were really trying to choke their target with the bar. Since this guy was so open with his malice, Tsuna had lured him in. He'd pretended that the extra weight had bothered him and had baited the guy into leaning down low over him. Then he'd simple lifted the bar up, smashing it into his opponent's throat without noticing the extra weight at all. On that one, Tsuna had been able to imitate the apologetic and worried act even better. Once more, the guards had given him a warning to be more careful with his actions before dragging the guy away to get treatment.

The third guy hadn't learned anything from the previous two. He'd tried stealing the first piece of mail that Tsuna had gotten. He'd snatched it right out of his hands and had held it up out of Tsuna's reach with a nasty expression on his face. On that one, Tsuna had decided to use Kempo. The guy was still in the infirmary, trying to get use of his arm back. Tsuna had gotten his mail and no one could prove that he'd done anything to the guy. From the outside, it'd looked like he'd just grabbed the guy's arm while jumping up to snatch his letter back. Then he'd walked away while the guy slowly came to realize that his arm wasn't answering him. The doctors would figure it out eventually, Tsuna mused. If they didn't, the guy would get tossed back out into the prison ranks and Tsuna could fix it when he saw him again. Either way, nothing he'd done had looked like an attack and he couldn't be held accountable.

Maybe it was Tsuna's size, but none of them seemed to understand that he wasn't playing games. He just refused to get time added onto his sentence for misbehavior when he didn't have to. He wouldn't fight where he'd be caught unless he was attacked first. Of course, the fourth one had attacked first. He'd attacked first and he'd attacked openly. Tsuna had been minding his own business, smoking a cigarette while he'd watched others playing basketball in the yard. The inmate had walked up and punched him for no apparent reason. There'd been no warning or formality. The guy had just felt like hurting someone and had chosen Tsuna since he was the smallest guy in the place. Tsuna had to admit that the fight had been a good way to release pent up frustration. It had landed him in solitary confinement in the prison basement for the rest of the day, but he doubted that anyone would dare to walk up and hit him again. The one punch the guy had landed was the _only _one that he'd landed. All of his others had missed completely while Tsuna had let his instinct have free reign.

It'd taken six guards to pull him off, but it'd felt nice. It'd felt incredibly nice to be able to fight back when he was hurt. There was no reason to hold back anymore. Unlike when he was a kid, his instincts cried out to bite when he was bitten now. He saw no reason not to follow those instincts anymore. His intuition might say that it was wrong, but he ignored that side of himself. He ignored it because it felt good not to think. It felt good to simply react and not worry about anything other than releasing the pain and anger buried inside him.

He _was _angry. He was angry at Snicker for dying on him and breaking his promises. He was angry at Gabriel for interfering in his life for so long. He was angry at the idiots that wouldn't leave him to his peace and quiet. He was angry at himself for having failed Snicker at such a pivotal time. He was angry that Reborn had come into his life and destroyed it. He was angry that he'd wasted so many years of his life. He was better than this. He knew it somewhere deep inside. He had more use than this. He had more potential.

He'd pull it all out of himself. He didn't care what it took. He wouldn't waste his life by doing what was right. He'd do what he wanted and he'd be damned if anyone stopped him anymore. He'd reinvent himself until he was the most useful tool that Autumn had to choose from. That was his only purpose to keep living. That was his only reason to not give up. He had to keep going so that he could repay his debt. Repaying Autumn was his only salvation. As long as he was doing his best to fulfill his responsibilities, then there was some small part of him that might go to heaven with Snicker. He was mostly damned, but there was still that little gleam of hope. There was the hope that if he died without regrets, he'd be forgiven for choosing the cat over the car. He'd be forgiven for choosing to harm others in order to protect something that only he valued. It was an insane logic, but that insanity was all that he had. Without it, he felt that he'd be lost in complete darkness. At least this way, he had a small guiding light leading him through the bleak hell of life.

That light was Autumn and the chain that she used to lead him with was the one created by his debt. He held onto it willingly because it was the only landmark left that he could recognize.

"Inmate two-seven-three-nine-six-zero-eight-dash-D," a guard called into the yard. Tsuna stood, recognizing the same number plastered across the left chest of all his shirts.

"That's me," he called with a raised eyebrow.

"You have visitors," he snapped. Tsuna blinked in surprise and looked down to see Danny-boy shrugging. He hadn't quite realized that two weeks had already passed. The past few days had been pretty quiet once he'd been released from solitary. No one had wanted to bother him after they'd seen what he was like when he snapped.

"Go with him," Danny-boy prompted. Tsuna nodded and handed over the rest of his cigarette to his cellmate so that it wouldn't be wasted. Following the guard, he headed down several hallways until he reached a barred gate. Another guard on the other side opened it to let him through and the two set to cuffing his wrists together.

"You have three visitors," the guard informed him while looking at a list attached to a clipboard in his hands. "You get ten minutes a piece. Sit where I tell you to sit and don't get up. If you get up, you give up all rights to continuing your visitation and will be returned into holding. Only one visitor is allowed in at a time, so stay seated when your first one is through and the following one will be sent in. No talking to other inmates or their visitors. No interaction with other inmates or their visitors. The vending machine is for visitor's use only. No intimate touching such as hugging or kissing of your visitors beyond the initial greeting and a farewell. You are permitted to hold hands with your visitor, but your hands must be in plain sight during the duration. Smoking is permitted. You are allowed to accept food and drink from your visitor, but you may not bring it with you outside the visiting room without first letting it be inspected. The same goes with any other packages you receive during the duration of the visit. Contraband will be confiscated during a post-visitation inspection. Depending on the nature of the contraband, it will be disposed of or stored with the rest of your belongings until such time that you are released. Do you understand the rules as I have outlined?"

"Yes," Tsuna nodded. The guard gave no reaction to the quiet response. He merely turned and escorted Tsuna past the door, through several more gate checks, and through another door that looked much like the cafeteria. The only difference between this room and the actual cafeteria was that the inmates only took up one side of the table. The other side was full of people in normal clothes. There were pictures and stories being exchanged, but Tsuna noticed one thing almost immediately. The inmate side of the tables wasn't nearly as energetic except for those that were given homemade food to eat. They received the feelings and intent of their visitors without having a single thing to give in return.

"Sit here," the guard ordered, gesturing to one side of a four-man table. There was already an inmate sitting next to him with his own visitor, leaving one seat open for a visitor to sit across from Tsuna himself. The person that filled that seat walked in and it wasn't anyone that Tsuna expected.

"What do you want?" Tsuna growled.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Demetri replied sadly. Tsuna simply stared at the cop, wondering what his true intentions were. It couldn't be something so simple. "I tried to warn you, Suoh," Demetri murmured, laying down a file to push across the table at him. "No good comes from--"

"Don't call me Suoh," Tsuna interrupted with a glare. "We're not friends and I'm not going by that name anymore."

"So I've heard," Demetri sighed. "Lazarus. Right? Look at you. You've already got a street name. The longer you stay with the Martelli Family, the more that you're going--"

"What do you want?" He repeated.

"I want you to help me," he answered bluntly. "I've been watching you, Lazarus. On the surface, you've been nothing but a model citizen. Putting the gang and the recent issue aside, you're not a bad guy. You shouldn't have to pay for crimes that someone else did. Just give me names. I--"

"I'm not who you think I am," Tsuna interrupted quietly. "Go away, Demetri."

"I see," he replied in open frustration. "You're in deeper than I thought. I didn't want to believe it when I started digging, but everything in that file is true. What do they have on you, Suoh? Tell me and maybe I can--"

"Don't call me that," he growled, feeling his mood get worse by the moment. "I've got nothing to say to a cop."

"Let me help you!" Demetri gasped in exasperation. "You can't tell me that you're satisfied with this! Paolo Martelli--"

"Say one bad word about them and I'll be getting an extended sentence," Tsuna warned darkly. "I won't sell them out, so you can stop trying to get me to talk. That's all you police do. You talk and talk and talk. You're full of empty promises. Don't think that a few months of friendship matters to me, Demetri. You might have helped me a few times while you were undercover at Kink's, but you're not that person anymore. I'm not the same person that I was before. I have no reason to be good anymore."

"I know that Snicker's death was hard on you, but that's no reason--"

"Are you done?" Tsuna stared across the table at Demetri, refusing to let his guard down for an instant. He knew that Demetri was a decent person that took the law to heart, but that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was Tsuna's determination and the fact that he already knew that it'd lead him into a place where he and Demetri were enemies. He was fine with that, as long as it allowed him to repay his debts.

"Don't fuck with me, Lazarus," Demetri warned with his eyes narrowing in slow acceptance. "I'm not someone you want as an enemy."

"As long as you won't leave the Family alone, we'll always be enemies," Tsuna replied quietly.

"Don't make your mind up about that so quickly," he retorted, picking back up the unopened file. "I'll be back to talk to you again. I'm not going to let you end up like all the others who've sided with Paolo Martelli. One way or another, I'm going to get you to tell me what you know and I'm going to bring you back to the right side of the law before you get in any deeper."

"Don't make promises that you'll regret," Tsuna murmured while Demetri stood from his side of the table. Demetri glanced at him with a look of frustration on his face before storming out of the visiting hall. Tsuna didn't even watch him go. He merely waited quietly for his next visitor. He found it kind of ironic that Autumn herself would be next.

It was kind of amusing to watch her walk from the door to where he was seated. She caught the eye of every inmate, despite the fact that she was fully covered in a very un-Autumn-like tailored suit. There was no mini-skirt or flimsy shirt. There was no cleavage and bare legs. Even so, she immediately captivated the eyes of even those who had their wives sitting across from them. She had that kind of power over men, even when fully dressed.

"What am I going to do with you," she sighed while she took her seat and crossed her legs. "You really are a handful, Suoh. You weren't in here for even a week and you already got put in solitary for half a day. Can't you at least pretend that you don't attract trouble like flies?"

"Sorry," he apologized, keeping his head politely bowed in respect. "I'll try to do better, Boss."

"Shit," Autumn spat, sitting up straight in her seat over the title. "It's just like Daddy said. You really aren't going to go back to being just Suoh with me. Are you?"

"No, Boss," he confirmed. "Suoh is dead."

"W-What?" She asked in confusion.

"Suoh is dead," he repeated softly. "Please call me Lazarus from now on."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She hissed at him.

"Suoh died with Snicker," he explained quietly, once more feeling his heart get stabbed by uttering that name. Three weeks since the funeral and he still felt it. More than likely, that feeling would never go away. Hence, it was better to focus on other things. Things like ensuring that Autumn knew of his resolve. "All that's left is Lazarus, Boss. Lazarus won't die until you can't use him anymore."

"W-What?" Autumn gaped with a pale face.

"I owe you," he explained. "I understand that and I don't plan to run away from it. From now until I die, I will live to repay that debt."

"You don't--!"

"If you don't have a use for me, then I have no reason to live," he added softly before she could tell him otherwise. "I've started to train so that I'm stronger for you and I've started to get an education so that I won't embarrass you anymore. I don't care whether you use me as a bargaining chip or a footstool, just give me some way to repay you for saving Snicker. Please, Boss."

"Geez," she grumbled, rubbing her forehead in sheepish resignation. "You're giving me a headache. Can't you just call me Autumn like you always did before?"

"No," he replied firmly. He got a strange flash of Gokudera's determined face in his head, but he refused to change his mind. He was doing it for Autumn's sake instead of his own. She had to understand that he was hers to command. Without the respect, she might feel hesitant in ordering him. He wanted her orders. He needed them. Maybe this was what Gokudera had felt like all those years ago. He wasn't sure, but he knew that it felt like the right thing to do. "Unless you'd prefer me to call you Hime-sama."

"I don't know what that means, but it sounds better than Boss," she groaned.

"It means--"

"No!" She squeaked. "Don't tell me. Let me at least pretend that it's my name in Japanese or something."

"If that is what you wish, Hime-sama," he agreed without lifting his head. "What are your orders?"

"I'm starting to wonder if Daddy wasn't wrong about putting you in here," she grumbled. Folding her arms, she glared at him in displeasure.

"If I did something wrong, please let me know, Hime-sama," he murmured formally.

"You're supposed to be getting your head on straight while you're in here," she growled. "Instead, you're turning into another mindless drone. I have enough of those. I don't care how long your sentence is. You're not leaving here until you revert back into the jackass that I know."

"You want me to be a jackass?" He asked in confusion.

"Well, no," she amended with a small grimace. "But I don't want you to be another devoted idiot nipping at my heels!"

"Then how do you want me to be?" He politely waited for the answer while she gaped at him. He had the feeling that he was making her mad, but he wasn't sure what he was doing wrong. All he wanted was to make sure that she knew that he was hers to command. Her will was his will--

"I want you to be yourself!" She spluttered. "Damnit! Yes, if it means you've got to be a jackass, then be a damn jackass! I don't care! Just stop looking at me like I'm the answer to all of your problems!"

"I don't understand," he replied in honest confusion. "I am myself, Hime-sama. I can't be anyone else."

"Then stop with the Hime-sama and the respect and--"

"You don't want me to respect you?" He asked in even greater confusion.

"Well, no--" She blurted before stopping completely in order to cover her face with her hands. "Look," she snapped with groan rumbling in the back of her throat. "I-- No. Change that. I mean look at me. Lift your head up and freaking look at me, Suoh or Lazarus or whatever you want to be called." Tsuna looked up, finally meeting Autumn's eyes. "I don't want you bowing and scraping like all the other idiots that I've got working for me," she said with her face covered in concern. "When we talked before, I just wanted to ensure your loyalty because I felt that you were drifting too far from the Family. I never meant to make you into a lapdog. I just wanted you to start using your power for the sake of the Family instead of just the Orange Dragons. You are my Sixth Knight, are you not?"

Tsuna paused at the reference. He'd almost forgotten. He'd been so tied up with Snicker and his gang, that he hadn't been fulfilling his duties as the Sixth. That title had responsibilities attached that he'd been ignoring. He had the duty of ensuring that she didn't do unjust things and kept an understanding of what was right and wrong. How was he supposed to do that for her when he lost track of right and wrong for himself? He was supposed to keep her from getting a big head. How was he supposed to do that when he was obedient to her to a fault? He was supposed to be the wildcard that turned a poor hand into a good one. How was he supposed to do that when he became just another minion in her ranks?

How was he supposed to repay his debt and fulfill his duties at the same time?!

"May I have time to think about that?" He asked quietly.

"Think all you want," she replied as she jumped to her feet. "Hopefully next time I come by to check on you, you won't be calling me Hime-sama."

"I will consider it," he agreed, once more lowering his head in confusion.

"Try not to get into any more trouble," she added before turning to head out the door. He nodded in acceptance of the order despite the fact that she wasn't even looking at him anymore. He would follow her orders. He knew that much. He just didn't know where the line was supposed to be between obedience and disobedience anymore. He really did need to think about it. He'd always been flippant and disrespectful with her in the past. She wasn't a whore in his eyes anymore, though. She was the person that he owed an enormous debt to.

The sound of sudden silence followed by excited mumbling made him lift his head once more. He smiled a little at the sight of Eric carrying several boxes of food and a backpack that had probably already been inspected by guards. He gave a bright grin in return and headed over to sit in front of him without any hesitation.

"What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked, ignoring the gaping jaws of his seatmate and his seatmate's visitor. "The media is going to be all over you for coming here."

"I know," he grinned. "Three camera crews followed me over from the set. I made sure to give them the bird before I came in."

"Eric!" Tsuna spluttered. "What about your career?! You can't be seen visiting someone in jail!"

"Get real," Eric laughed, shoving the boxes across the table. "The director of the movie that I'm working on said that any publicity is good publicity. He was near jumping for joy when I told him where I was going. He said that nearly every actor is getting in the news for getting arrested. Going to visit someone already in jail while I have a clean slate is something exciting and new for people to gossip about. They'll probably try to pin me up as the good boy trying to rehabilitate a bad boy."

"So, I'm the bad boy?" Tsuna asked with a crooked grin of his own. Opening the top box that Eric handed him, he felt the need to drool. "You brought me curry."

"And that fried calamari you like and some of Cassandra's churros," he confirmed. "So start eating. They said I only have ten minutes today and I don't know if you can take the left-overs with you." Tsuna nodded and hurriedly started digging in with the spork that he was handed. He moaned slightly at the first bite. Compared to the tasteless meal given to him in the cafeteria in the guise of hamburgers, pizza, and other typical dishes, the curry was full of flavor. He had half of it down before Eric could even get over his surprise enough to speak.

"I'll make sure to bring more next time," he laughed while Tsuna continued to inhale. "You act like you've been eating air."

"Food. Tastes. Like shit," he replied around bites. "You. Talk."

"What do you want to know about?" He replied, leaning over the table in amusement while he watched Tsuna eat.

"Movie? Gang?" Tsuna prompted.

"It's a monster movie," Eric replied with another smile. "I've got one of the leading roles this time and it actually seems to have a decent budget."

"Try not to piss your pants again when you see the guys in costume," Tsuna teased.

"That was only once!" He exclaimed with a bright red face. "And it was your fault! You told him to sneak up behind me in my dressing room!"

"How's Gigi and the others?" Tsuna asked while he slowed down on his intake speed.

"Gigi's crying over his heels," he answered with a sigh. "He broke three pairs in the past week while trying to keep up with your old routine. They got someone to replace you at the restaurant, but Gigi still has to check in with Papa Paolo every day for you-know-what. It's been hard on him. He lost his voice for two days after going ballistic over at the boarding house. Everyone kept throwing parties and getting the cops called since you aren't around to keep them in line. He's starting to get the hang of it, but it's not the same without you. Let's see... Leo went back to her classes. She sold another painting."

"Really?"

"Yup," he confirmed. "She also added a new painting in the Dojo. No one thought you'd mind. I've got a picture of it if you want to see."

"Sure!" He exclaimed, closing the empty box of curry in order to pull down the one of fried calamari. Eric reached down to the backpack that he'd brought in, pulling out a stack of photos that made Tsuna's eyes bulge. There had to be hundreds in there!

"We gave Houston a camera and told him to go wild," Eric explained in answer to Tsuna's expression while he hurriedly flipped through them. "He got pictures of everyone in the gang and took pictures of the Dojo and boarding house. He also got some nice shots of the street and Ollie took him down to the restaurant to take a few shots of your coworkers. There's also a lot of pictures that he took around town. Ah, here it is. This was Leo's newest painting in the Dojo."

Taking the picture, Tsuna felt his hands shaking from the moment that he looked at it. They'd painted over a large section of the wall to give Leo a blank canvas to work on. On one side of the television was still the naked woman, but the other side now held the portrait of a very special person. Reaching out, he traced every line of Snicker's face while he fought the tears that came to his eyes. He missed him so much that it hurt.

"I brought some pictures of Snicker for you, too," Eric offered quietly. Tsuna nodded to let him know that he wanted them, unable to lift his head without giving his expression away. Eric already knew, but he didn't want to verify it. To verify it was to face it and he didn't want to. It would ease again. He knew that it would if he just gave it time. The painful stabs didn't seem to last as long as they used to. Maybe it was because he was slowly accepting it. He didn't know. All he knew was that it still hurt. The only difference was that he was learning to control the pain better.

"Um, Gigi wrote and said that you guys were leaving our room alone," Tsuna murmured hesitantly while he quickly reached over to sort through the photos into two piles. In one pile, he put the pictures that he wanted to keep. It was hard to chose, but he knew that he had a limited allowance of what he could keep in his cell. He had to store only those that were meaningful. He planned to keep all of the pictures of Snicker and the gang, but pictures such as one of the streetlight outside the Dojo could be sent back.

"Yeah," Eric nodded while he laid the envelope of Snicker's pictures on the table. Tsuna didn't touch them, wanting to return to the privacy of his cell before attempting to face them. "We didn't know what you'd want--"

"Did Charlie get Snicker's jacket?" He asked around the small lump in his throat.

"Yes," he confirmed quietly. "Ollie got him Snicker's Orange Dragon ring, too."

"Good," Tsuna murmured. Closing his eyes to settle himself, he took a deep breath before passing on the orders that he'd already decided on. "Put my stuff up in the loft in storage and hand out Snicker's stuff to whoever wants it. Give Orange Dragons first pick, but send the rest to charity. While you're going through it, hand out any of my clothes that aren't on hangars. Give my bike to--"

"Suoh!" Eric choked. "What are you talking about?!"

"Just listen," he snapped, his mind already racing ahead. "Give my bike to Tracer as a wedding gift. Clear out everything else from the room and rent it out to someone you trust. Charge whatever you think is fair, but make sure to charge. You guys are going to need the money to make up for me being in here. Daren's probably been going nuts without my income."

"T-That's true, but we can't give your room to someone else!" Eric objected. "That's your and--"

"Snicker's dead," he interrupted bluntly, stabbing himself in the heart once more. Eric froze in shock, staring at him in complete disbelief. "He wouldn't thank us for holding onto the past instead of looking to the future. I--" Tsuna clenched his teeth and took a deep breath to settle himself. "I won't say that it doesn't hurt to think about it, but it's the right thing to do. Snicker would want his stuff being used instead of gathering dust. You know how much he hated when people were being wasteful. I'd rather know that you guys are taken care of than know that we have a room set aside to honor Snicker. He's already got a monument. He'll be happy with that a-and he'd be happy with what Leo did for him."

"What about when you get back...?" Eric asked with his jaw still unattached.

"I'll sleep on the couch or in the loft," he shrugged, purposely keeping himself from looking at Eric. "Truthfully, I think it'd be a good thing to have things different when I get out of here. I don't think I'd be able to stand it if I went back and everything was the same. I'd be looking for him around every corner, even though I know that he's not here anymore. That's why I've been going by my middle name, Eric. I'm not going by Suoh anymore. Tell everyone else, too. I don't want anyone calling me that. That's what Snicker called me and I don't want to hear it ever again."

"I-If that's what you want..." Eric agreed with his face covered in concern.

"Time doesn't stand still," he said as he handed the stack of pictures that he couldn't take over to Eric to keep. "I know a lot of you want things to go back to normal, but it can't, Eric. Without Snicker, I'm not the same person. You might not even like me anymore if you knew. I owe Autumn and Papa Paolo a lot for what they did for us. If you don't want mixed up in that, you might want to start distancing yourself now. We're still friends, but you don't owe me anything. Get out while you can, because I'm not going to hold back anymore."

"What are you saying?" He spluttered in shock.

"I'm saying that you still have a future," he replied quietly, bowing his head while he tried to get his naive friend to understand. "Don't lose what you have for me."

"I don't understand," he gasped with his head shaking in denial. "You've always been a good guy, Su--"

"Suoh's dead," he interjected as bluntly as he could. "You might as well think of it that way. Suoh died with Snicker. I appreciate you coming to visit, but don't come back here again, Eric. You'd be better off if you cut ties with me altogether. You have your career and Summer to think about. You don't need me anymore and I'll just be in your way when I get out of here. I've already written letters to Gigi and the others saying the same thing and sent them off yesterday. Anyone that wants out has until I'm released to decide. After that, anyone that's still with me is going to be with the Martelli Family."

"Stop joking around!" Eric spluttered. "This isn't a game, Suoh! That's the Ma--"

"My name is Lazarus," Tsuna snapped, slapping his hand down on the table to ensure that his point got across. Standing, he left the food that he hadn't finished on the table and snatched up the envelope of Snicker's pictures to take with him. It was harsh to Eric to leave so abruptly, but he had a feeling that it was the only way to get his determination across to the man. Eric continued to sit and gape in his chair while Tsuna exited out of the room through the same door that he'd entered through. Just beyond it was a guard waiting to inspect him and anything he brought with him. The pictures got quickly looked through to ensure that there were no pornographic materials and the one shot that had the naked lady painted on the wall got confiscated to be put with his other belongings in storage. After that, he was escorted back through the gates and was uncuffed after the last one.

He sighed once he was free to walk down the hallways towards his cell again. He hated cutting their visit short, but the ten minutes had almost been up anyway. In a way, he wished that Gigi had been the one to come. Gigi would have understood the situation without the nasty farewell. She could have explained it to the others so that they could understand, as well. There was only so much that he could say without incriminating himself or the Martelli Family. Gigi could read between the lines enough that she didn't need everything spelled out. Hopefully, she'd be able to talk some sense into Eric and help him understand once the man returned home with Tsuna's words.

"Get anything good?" Danny-boy asked when Tsuna walked into their cell.

"Pictures and a headache," he answered tiredly. "Eric brought me some curry and some other food, but I ate most of it before I told him not to come back again. He's an actor, so it isn't good for his career to come visit me but he still came. He's a naive idiot like that sometimes."

"Can I see the pictures?" He asked curiously. Tsuna nodded, sending Danny-boy off of his own bunk in a flash.

"Tape them up for me," he ordered. Danny-boy grinned and gave a small salute. It was all a matter of wording, but the order was the same as asking Danny-boy's help. Ordering him with the knowledge that he'd already been paid kept Tsuna from feeling like he owed the man anything, however. They'd come to an agreement about that. Danny-boy had absolutely no issues with being ordered around. Tsuna didn't really like giving orders, but it was better than crossing past the line into friendship. He didn't feel ready for that and the status quo was working perfectly fine.

Sitting on the bed with him, he quietly watched for a moment while the pictures started getting taped to the wall behind his bed. There was one of Leo on Marty's shoulders, caught in the act of touching up the Dojo's sign. The next one was a picture of Eric and Summer, both dressed up for some event. The following was one of Ore with Dedra and Cassandra with Ore looking like the most satisfied player in the world. There was one of Ollie that Tsuna considered showing to Big Daddy. Of course, he had his hood up and his face was hidden from view. The fact that he was caught at all meant that he'd been willing to have the picture taken, however. He had just played shy. That picture had been one taken of him in motion, grinding down the bench outside the Dojo on his skateboard. Then there was Poe, caught tending the plants at the park.

"Who's this?" Danny-boy asked curiously, pointing to Gigi in the picture of her standing by herself in a black satin dress. That was one of Gigi's favorite pictures and one of the few that she let other people keep. She looked statuesque in it with her hands on her hips and her proportions all ideal.

"That's Gigi," he answered quietly. "She's one of my best friends."

"Her beauty is almost comparable to my own," Danny-boy commented with a strange gleam in his eyes. Tsuna paled, instantly deciding to nip the attraction in the so-called bud.

"She's a transvestite," he said bluntly, snatching the picture out of his hands to tape it up himself. "You don't want her unless you like a surprise in your cereal."

"I love surprises," Danny-boy retorted. Tsuna choked on air, his eyes widening in complete shock.

"She's a man," he repeated in case Danny-boy didn't understand the meaning of the word transvestite. "You told me that you were straight. She--"

"She looks fabulous in that dress," he interjected with a crooked smile. "I already told you that I've learned to go with the flow. She looks woman enough to me. I can overlook a few hidden imperfections when she looks so gorgeous. You should tell her to write me."

"You're not serious," Tsuna gaped.

"True beauty should be surrounded by beauty," he smiled with his narcissistic side coming out so easily. "One does not question how that beauty is attained. She is like a lilac that--"

"Why don't I give you her picture," Tsuna choked when Danny-boy made an almost sickening expression at the photo. Images of Danny-boy on his bed while he was out, looking at it and-- "She's in a couple of the group shots, so I'll be good without this one," he added, tearing the picture back down to toss it at his cellmate.

"Are you sure?" He blinked in surprise. "A flower like this one--"

"Just take it and stop talking about her like that!" Tsuna squealed. Danny-boy chuckled and tucked the picture into his pocket almost greedily before once more continuing with his task. Tsuna wanted to groan, positive that he didn't want to know what would be done with that particular photo.

The next pictures went up pretty quickly. There was a group picture of Peanut, Jewel, Warren, Isabella, and Houston himself. Following that was a set of pictures that everyone had tried to cram into together. Everyone from the boarding house, along with the people Tsuna had hired to take care of the place, were in it. There was a picture of Mike with several of his girls, Poppet included. The final two pictures were a little surprising, but appreciated. One was a picture of all Tsuna's coworkers from Pasta da Paolo. The second was a picture of Papa Paolo standing with Autumn.

There were dozens of people that he knew who weren't in the pictures, but he wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth. The taxi drivers and street vendors were still his friends and might even send their own pictures. The same went for Mrs. Sojer and his other daily deliveries. Assuming, of course, that they were even told where to mail things and had the desire to keep in touch. It seemed to take almost no time at all for them to get put up and Tsuna purposely kept a large section of the wall bare. He kept it bare so that the pictures in his hands could be put up in their own little section next to his pillow.

"Who's that?" Danny-boy asked curiously, craning his head over to see the pictures that he pulled out. Tsuna didn't answer at first. He couldn't around the hard lump that choked him for a moment. They'd chosen some of the best pictures of Snicker. There was a picture of him smiling with his arms wrapped around Tsuna. Tsuna remembered that picture being taken. He'd been refusing to get his picture taken and Snicker had sneaked up behind him. The man had tickled him until he was breathless and promised to take the silly thing with him. He'd agreed and Snicker had enforced the promise on the spot. He hadn't cared that Tsuna was half-naked from coming out of the shower and he hadn't cared that his tank top was soaked with sweat from working out. All that had mattered to him was getting a picture that Tsuna was smiling instead of blushing in. They'd had to take it four times before Snicker had been satisfied.

The next one was an impromptu picture that Tsuna had taken with someone else's camera. He'd caught Snicker in the middle of downing a chili-dog in two bites. He still remembered being chased around the Dojo for the rest of the afternoon over taking that picture. Snicker had been blushing red for days after the film had been developed and they'd gone to war over it countless times. It was the picture that they played 'hide-and-seek' over.

The following pictures were just as endearing. They each brought back memories of happier times when Snicker had still been with him. There was a candid shot that someone had taken of them cuddled up asleep in bed. There was a shot of Tsuna asleep in Snicker's lap while Snicker had been watching television from the comfort of his chair. There was a picture of Snicker walking Peanut in the park with his army jacket on and his hair hidden under his hat. There was an even older picture of Snicker with his bushy beard and grey hairs instead of the sleek look that he'd adopted. There was a picture of him trying to match flexing power with Ore and not coming up shabby despite the size difference. There was a picture of him blushing brightly on his birthday in the aftermath of the lap dance that Black X had done for him. He still had a little bit of cake on the side of his mouth, too. The final picture was a simple one of him smiling brightly for the camera while giving both Tsuna and Peanut a set of bunny ears.

"This was your husband?" Danny-boy asked quietly when the last one got handed over to be taped up. Tsuna nodded without having the ability to verbally answer. That was alright, though. The pictures said everything that Tsuna couldn't. He had family and friends that cared about him. Snicker was the most important out of all of them. He had been a happy and joyful man. He'd been caring and kind. He'd been loved and was missed.

"I still get this feeling that he's still back at home, waiting for me," Tsuna murmured sadly, reaching out to trace the lines of his smiling face once more. "When I close my eyes at night, he's the only thing that I can see anymore. It makes it so that I don't want to wake in the morning, even though I have to."

"You really loved him," Danny-boy mumbled.

"Ah," he confirmed. Tearing his eyes away from the photo, he peeked out of his bunk at the sound of a sniff. He groaned. Veronica was standing with her best friend, crying into a handkerchief. He'd obviously been listening in. "What is it Veronica?"

"Oh, it's nothing," he sniffed again, hurriedly wiping his tears away. "I just... um..."

"Veronica wanted to know if you could buy him a soda," Sassy supplied from next to him, one more stepping into the 'big sister' role. "She was going to offer to do your hair for you, since you aren't interested in anything else that she could give you."

"It's okay if you don't want me to," Veronica exclaimed hurriedly, looking back and forth between Sassy and Tsuna. "Maybe now isn't a good time. We can--"

"You want grape?" Tsuna asked quietly, actually grateful for the distraction. "I got a six pack of each flavor this time and Danny-boy doesn't like the grape."

"Really?" He asked in excited disbelief.

"Sure," he nodded, rolling off the bed to head for his locker. Reaching in, he grabbed out a grape soda and tossed it to the feminine man. "I don't have anything better to do right now. What do you plan to do with it, though? We're not allowed scissors."

"I'll think of something," he replied with a bright smile. Tsuna scratched his head sheepishly at how happy the two men seemed to become when he handed not only a soda over to Veronica, but to Sassy, as well. It didn't seem right to just give one when he had a whole locker stocked full. "Just let me run and get my combs. If you want, we can either do it in here or--"

"Let's go outside," Tsuna suggested. "I can smoke and finish my homework while you're doing it." Both men nodded and rushed off for their cells, leaving Tsuna to head for his locker for his homework and sweater. Along the way, he picked up one fallen picture of Snicker that had almost gotten lost under his bed. It was a small one of him with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other, cheering at the television with only a towel around his waist. Tsuna remembered taking the picture. It was yet another moment that Snicker had been caught unawares. He'd ran out of his shower when he'd heard a touchdown and had ended up watching the end of the football game in a bath towel. He'd been teased non-stop about it, but he hadn't cared. "Perverted old man," Tsuna murmured under his breath while he tucked the picture into his pocket for safe-keeping. For once, he had to smile. Just saying the teasing line made him feel better, even though it was to a picture instead of the real thing.

"Just when I think I've got you figured out, you change up on me again," Danny-boy sighed while he jumped off his bed to follow Tsuna out to the yard.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means," Danny-boy shrugged. "You try to hide it by keeping people at a distance, but you really do like to make friends."

"I don't--"

"I know," he interrupted with an exasperated sigh. "You don't need friends in here. You've got plenty on the outside. You do realize that this is the fourth time this week that Veronica has come calling. Don't you?"

"So?" Tsuna shrugged, pushing through the door outside ahead of Danny-boy.

"You don't go out of your way to make friends," he explained, "but you don't push away those that make themselves into your friends. You can hide behind payoffs and barter all you want, but you just don't want to admit that you actually like people."

"I never said I hated people," he retorted. Heading for the first table with an empty seat, he was completely unsurprised when the whole table became empty before he could do more than set his paper down. People really did seem to have learned their lesson after watching him snap. Everyone got out of his way, leaving him to the peace and quiet that he desired. He hadn't liked it at first, but he was slowly getting used to it. It was better than the alternative. He'd take special treatment over mistreatment any day of the week.

"Then what about how you were when you first got in here?" Danny-boy asked knowingly.

"What about it?"

"You didn't let anyone close to you and now you're letting Veronica hang all over you," he replied, taking the seat across from Tsuna while he lit Tsuna's cigarette for him.

"I'm not letting him hang on me," Tsuna countered with a sigh. "I just can't turn him away because I know that it'd make him cry. Have you ever seen a drag-queen cry? It's worse than seeing a girl cry."

"So, you're being friendly with him so that he doesn't cry?" Danny-boy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Something like that," he shrugged around his cigarette. "He's harmless, so I don't really care. As long as he doesn't invade my personal space and doesn't get annoying, I don't mind so much. He seems like he can take a hint, too. I've noticed that he stays away when I'm not feeling like dealing with people."

"It's not hard to tell when you're in that mood," Danny-boy grinned. "You get these little lines between your eyebrows when you want to be left alone. Your eyes usually give you away, too."

"Am I that easy to read?" Tsuna asked in amusement, lifting his head up when he saw Veronica and Sassy walk out into the yard. They both almost skipped over to him, making him want to groan. Both of them were in high spirits thanks to Tsuna's temporary acceptance of them. Veronica set down her bag and her soda while Sassy straddled the bench next to Danny-boy. Almost immediately, Veronica set to brushing his hair out, which was much harder than it looked. No matter how much he worked on it with a brush, it was a mess within ten minutes. He was careful, but Tsuna could tell that the amount of tangles surprised him.

"I wouldn't say easy, but I can read you good enough to get by," Danny-boy answered, once more picking back up their conversation. "If you're looking at the ground or staring into space without the lines between your eyes, I know that it's safe to talk even though you don't talk back. If the lines are there, I know to go away completely or else you'll bite my head off. If there's no lines and you're actually looking around, then there's a good chance that you're in a good mood like right now and you'll actually notice what's going on around you."

"Your shoulders tense up when you're angry or upset," Veronica added, slipping into the conversation like he'd been present for all of it. "Your toes turn inward when you're trying to hide something or you're embarrassed. You're also shy. You look down a lot when someone looks at you eye-to-eye. That's why I look at your lips instead most of the time."

"Ah," Tsuna murmured with a blush, self-consciously keeping his feet planted. "But I'm not shy. I just don't like people looking at my eye. I sent a letter to Gigi, asking her to order me a new one, but it hasn't come in yet. I don't want people to get nightmares because of it."

"You know Gigi?" Sassy asked curiously. "That's funny. I've never seen you at-- Oh my god."

"What?" Tsuna asked while Veronica froze in the middle of a short brush-stroke.

"I knew I recognized you!" She spluttered. "You're Black X!"

"Oh no," Tsuna groaned, leaning forward to bang his head on the table. "I knew that would come back to haunt me."

"Oh. My. God," Veronica gasped, sliding into the seat next to him in an attempt to see his face. "You're right, Sassy! It IS him! You're the guy that was doing the impersonation at Kink's that weekend that we went there!"

"Can you two never mention that again?" Tsuna asked, sitting back up to give them both a pleading smile. "Please? I stopped doing that before I got married."

"Is it true?" Sassy asked, leaning across the table to get closer. "Did some guy really pay you two hundred grand to stay with him for a week?"

"Let me rephrase that," Tsuna murmured with his smile faltering at the mention of the incident. "You two can either pretend that you never saw me before today or you two can get your jaws broken. I don't like talking about back then."

"No need to get surly," Veronica giggled before returning to stand behind him with the brush. "We were just a little in shock. Sassy, apologize for asking such a rude question. You should know that rent boys never tell how much--"

"I'm not a rent boy," Tsuna growled in warning while the vein in his temple started throbbing due to all the blood rushing to his head. "I did that only once! If there hadn't been that much money on the line, I would have told him to take a hike like everyone else!"

"So you really--" Sassy cringed backward at the dark look and inarticulate growl that Tsuna sent him, daring him to finish his question. He wasn't playing. There were some things that people just didn't want to talk about and that was the first thing on his own list.

"Why did you stop going to Kink's?" Veronica asked curiously in an attempt to pull the conversation away from the touchy subject. "When we went back, they said that you weren't doing the impersonations anymore."

"I had my reasons," Tsuna snapped.

"Touchy," he replied with a grimace. "I'm not trying to get on your nerves, sugar-pie. I'm just a little curious. You don't match up with what I remember."

"You've changed a lot since then," Sassy agreed around small sips of her soda. "We remember you as the untouchable Black X. You're still untouchable, but it's not the same. Back then, it was the shine of your smile that kept us away. Now..."

"Now, it's just the glare," Veronica chuckled. "We knew that you weren't a hater, but we couldn't figure out what Danny-boy did to get you to be his friend."

"I didn't do anything," Danny-boy sighed. "And Laz will tell you in two seconds that we're not friends. He doesn't need a friend. I'm just his bitch and he pays me for everything that I do."

"Ooh," Sassy exclaimed while Veronica started clapping her hands in sudden understanding. "I see! So, we just got to be useful for Laz to be our sugar-daddy! Why didn't you say so to start with?!"

"Because neither of you have anything that I want," Tsuna replied bluntly. "I'm not interested in getting laid and that's all you two offered. Unless one of you can explain geometry and physics to me, then--"

"I can do that," Sassy said, perking up almost instantly. "I used to teach my little sister."

"I'll stick with his hair," Veronica interjected. "This is going to take me all afternoon to get untangled and I don't know squat about no school work."

"Be careful about offering to help him," Danny-boy warned. "It took me almost ten minutes to get him to understand how to figure out how to read a graph that wasn't a pie chart. Once he gets it, you don't have to explain a second time, but getting him to understand it the first is like pulling teeth."

"It can't be that bad," Sassy chuckled, once more leaning across the table while Tsuna pulled his homework sheets out. "Show me what you've got."

* * *

"All done!" Veronica exclaimed happily, patting down the handkerchief that had been tied into place around Tsuna's head. Reaching up, he felt that it'd been tied and tucked down so that it wasn't much different from his wool cap. A section of his bangs had been left free to cover his missing eye, but the rest was safely tucked away. Of course, the only reason that it was actually staying put was because he'd braided his hair into dreadlocks.

If he wasn't in jail, he wouldn't have let Veronica do it. The fact was that he was in jail, however, and dreadlocks were far more efficient than his normal hairstyle. His hair wouldn't get tangled as easily and it stayed in place better. He wouldn't have to worry about dirt and sweat as much, either. All he'd have to do is to rinse it during his shower and it'd suffice. He'd still need to take it down at least once a week in order to wash it out, but it was better this way. It was much better than the idea of standing in the line for the single barber when their block got their once-weekly time slot. He knew how fast his hair grew and the idea of wasting an afternoon every week didn't appeal to him. He'd just keep it like this and hide it away with the handkerchief until he was released. After he got out, Dedra could fix the shaggy mess that resulted.

"I was tempted to do corn rolls, but this will give you less of a headache since you're not used to it," Veronica explained while he bagged up his combs and spare rubber bands. "I figured that you wouldn't like how it looked, so the handkerchief should make you feel better, too. Only the ends are sticking out down here by your neck and I left some of your bangs out to cover your eye since you said you didn't like it being looked at."

"Thanks," Tsuna murmured, standing up to stretch since he'd been sitting for so long. He didn't even need a mirror to know that it was acceptable despite being braided. Veronica had tucked it all out of sight beneath the square of cloth. It made him feel like one of those biker friends that Ore sometimes hung out with or like a guy about to go on a desert safari. Despite his initial apprehension over it, he had to admit that it made him feel more human. He hadn't been able to run a brush through it after the first week because of how long it was already getting. He'd given up on it completely a few days ago. He was too used to keeping it under his cap during the week and letting Dedra deal with it on Saturdays. Of course, that was excluding the times that Snicker had jokingly brushed it out for him while Tsuna had brushed Peanut.

"I think we've run out of time, sugar-pie," Sassy said with his own stretch. "You'll have to have your teacher to explain the physics to you. At least we got through the geometry problems."

"Ah," Tsuna agreed with a small smile. "Thank you. Both of you. I'll have to give you both another soda after dinner for working for so long."

"It's no problem," Veronica said while Sassy traded a small glance with Danny-boy. He nodded slightly when Danny-boy shot him a knowing look that left Tsuna feeling like he was out of the loop. The he got it. Sassy and Veronica hadn't believed Danny-boy before about Tsuna's refusal to make actual friends. They believed it now. "Let us know anytime you need us to do something," Veronica continued with a perky smile. "It doesn't matter how big or small, we'll be happy to do anything you want. For a price, of course."

"Of course," Tsuna chuckled, happy that someone else had finally understood that he could be friendly without making actual friends. His line was drawn and Veronica and Sassy both seemed content with standing on the opposite side of it. They had no fear of interacting with him now thanks to the understanding, which made Tsuna's life a lot less of a headache. He didn't feel like he was dancing next to a cliff anymore with the two. He could cut any of them loose at any time and there would be no hard feelings. They understood that the freedom was mutual. Tsuna wouldn't care in the least if they went their own way again. It wasn't like the friendship that he had with Gigi and the others. This kind of relationship was far simpler and had far fewer demands. It was good, he felt. It was impossible to go a year without coming to some type of terms with the people that he was forced to live with. At least this way, he didn't couldn't get stabbed by letting his guard down. He wouldn't get stabbed because he had no friends to let his guard down with.

"Let's head to dinner," Danny-boy sighed after he put out his last cigarette. Tsuna nodded and folded up his homework to stick in his pocket with his pencil. Leading the way to the cafeteria, he tried not to feel too sheepish over the three men following him. He knew what it probably looked like to the other inmates. It looked like he was setting up a prison brothel. First he had Danny-boy, a willingly subservient man. Now he had two of the so-called 'sluts' hanging around him. If Tsuna's guess was right, the rest of the effeminate men that normally hung around the two would be hanging around him from now on. They'd all be careful to follow Danny-boy's lead, but they would probably attach themselves to him in hopes of protection. Tsuna had no plan to protect them, however. There was a limit to their agreements with one another. Tsuna bartered for temporary aid with payment up front. None of them were doing anything that demanded that he stick his neck out for them.

"Ladies first," Tsuna murmured, ushering them both into the line ahead of him. They gave little masculine squeals over the treatment, making Tsuna blush slightly in belated realization. He wanted to curse himself. He was too ingrained with how he treated Gigi that he fell back on it without even thinking. It was too late to change his mind, however. The line was already proceeding forward and the two men were speeding toward the front in delight once people noticed Tsuna standing behind them.

"Are you going to work out after this?" Danny-boy asked curiously from where he was walking behind Tsuna. "If so, I can go out ahead of you and get the weights set up so that you don't have to eat as fast."

"Not tonight," Tsuna replied quietly as they came to a stop behind the leading eight. Several of them raised their eyebrows over the presence of Veronica and Sassy, but no one commented. They couldn't since Tsuna purposely got in line after he knew that all the others had already arrived. If he wasn't making a fuss over people being ahead of him, then the others had no right to make a scene, either. "My visitors earlier reminded me that my two weeks are up. I want to go to the library as soon as cell-check is over."

"I can show you where that's at," Danny-boy offered. "By the way, you never said who came to visit you. Was it anyone interesting?"

"Not really," he murmured with a sheepish scratch to his goatee. "A cop came to see if he could get me to talk. He thinks that I'll turn on the Family just because he used to--"

"The Family?" Danny-boy repeated while both Veronica and Sassy froze in front of him.

"Yeah," Tsuna confirmed with a nod. "I told him to piss off and then my Boss came in to check on me. She was pissed that I got in a fight already. She might be glad that I'm in here for a while. She doesn't have to clean up my messes. Trouble likes to follow me around. I guess it's because I'm so--"

"I thought you said that you were a dishwasher and a delivery boy," Danny-boy interrupted in open confusion.

"I am," he said with a small nod. "I also work at a pet store. Well, I did. I bet my job there is long gone. Papa Paolo wouldn't fire me, though. He said that--"

"Papa Paolo," he repeated. "You've said that name before. You wouldn't be talking about Paolo Martelli, would you?"

"Yup," he agreed with a wide grin. "Do you know him? He's a really good guy. I couldn't ask for a better Boss."

"Oh," Danny-boy mumbled as if he just had an epiphany. Tsuna raised an eyebrow while wondering what he was so surprised about.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked curiously, looking around to see Veronica and Sassy both staring at him with wide eyes. The expression seemed to spread to the eight at the front of the line that had been listening in without being obvious about it. The people behind Danny looked just as flabbergasted. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Danny-boy exclaimed hurriedly. "I just didn't realize when you said delivery-boy that you meant those kinds of deliveries."

"What kind of deliveries?" He countered in growing confusion. "There's only one kind. Well, no. There's lots of different kinds. Sometimes there's lunches and groceries that have to be delivered. There's mail and--"

"Never mind," he soothed in a rush, pointing to show that the cafeteria doors had opened while he'd been talking. Following Veronica and Sassy inside, he tried not to let the quiet atmosphere get to him.

"I still don't see what the big deal is about," Tsuna pouted while he picked up the tray that he was offered and headed for his usual table. "It's not like he ever asks me to do anything illegal."

"It's a pretty big deal," Danny-boy hissed once they were seated, purposely keeping his voice down due to all the eavesdroppers that were stretching their ears. "You didn't tell me that you were Mafia, Laz. All you ever mentioned was your gang!"

"That's because my gang is more important," he replied simply. "Papa Paolo just gave me a job so that I could get on a payroll. That's mostly thanks to Autumn, though. She stuck her neck out for me when she didn't have to. I owe her a lot, now that I think about it. Not only did she help after Snicker died, but she's been watching my back for a long time before that. I'll have to thank her properly when she comes to see me again."

"Is it true what they say?" Sassy asked in a low whisper, huddling over her plate like Danny-boy and Veronica both were. "If you do something to anger them, they've got these six elite hitmen that they'll send out. If the First doesn't kill you, then Second will. If Second fails, then the Third gets sent. I hear that if you manage to survive all of the first five, the Sixth is a demon that breathes fire and--"

Tsuna couldn't help it. He snorted into his plate and nearly choked on his taco around his laughter. He continued laughing until he couldn't breathe and tears were streaming down his face. He thought that gossip could get out of control, but this was insane!

"It's true!" Sassy exclaimed while Veronica patted his back to help him catch his breathe, taking his laughter as disbelief. It was disbelief, but not for the reasons that she thought. "My sister's roommate had a brother that was set on fire in the middle of the night by him because he--"

"He's lying," Tsuna gasped after taking a long drink of his juice to clear his throat. "I don't know who told you that load of crap, but it's not true. Papa Paolo has never once asked me to go after anyone and the only time that I've ever breathed fire at someone was when the Belfang Gang tried to take over my Dojo. I'm not a demon. I just knew the trick because a fire-eater taught me while I was working with the circus. All it takes is a little--"

"Wait," Danny-boy choked as silence descended across the cafeteria. "Did I just hear you right? Even I've heard rumors about the Sixth. He's supposed to be the strongest fighter in the city and he only comes out when the Martelli Family summons him from Hell. You're saying that you're him?"

"I guess you can call me the strongest fighter," Tsuna shrugged around another bite of his dinner. "Ore is stronger than me, but I've beat him in a match before since he underestimated me. The summoning from Hell is a little much. It's more like Papa Paolo calls me on the phone when he needs something. That's pretty rare unless he needs me to do something outside of my normal deliveries or he forgot to tell me during my shift. Although, he never asks me to my face when it's one of those fancy dinners that he wants me to go to. He knows how much I hate stuffy functions, so he waits until I'm home so that I can't weasel out of it as easy. He says he hates to see me when I pout. It's not my fault, though. He always asks on nights that I have plans with Snicker!" Tsuna grimaced and amended the last statement. "Had plans with Snicker. I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore."

"W-What did you say you were in for?" Danny-boy asked quietly. Tsuna paused, slowly coming to actually notice that he was the current center of attention. He paled in the belated understanding for Danny-boy's whispering. _Everyone _was listening for the answer.

"I-I put a rapist in the hospital," he replied, pointedly looking at his plate while he tried to think of what he should do. He didn't like so many people looking at him. He didn't like the idea of so many people listening to him, either.

"Were you caught?" Danny-boy inquired while chewing his lip in worry.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsuna snapped in reply. He was tense. He knew that he was tense, but he couldn't stand up and walk away from the conversation with so many eyes on him.

"I'm just wondering," he murmured. "I mean, if you're really the Sixth, then you shouldn't have gotten caught over such a small thing. Not that I'm doubting you or anything but--"

"I don't care if you doubt me or not," Tsuna replied coldly. He wanted to sigh in relief at the cold that washed over him. It made him so that he felt protected and shielded from all the people staring at him. None of them could touch him when the ice was standing between them. It blocked away his worries and his panic. He cooled him down so that he could think calmly and rationally instead of like a hot-headed fool. "I'll answer your question, but I never want to hear you speak of it again, Danny-boy."

"O-Okay," he squeaked, cringing backward when Tsuna looked up at him.

"I'm here because Papa Paolo asked me to turn myself in for putting his son in the hospital," he said quietly. "I don't need more of a reason than that." Standing, he picked up his half-eaten tray and headed for the drop-off window. Along the way, he sent a glare across the cafeteria that sent people back to eating in a rush.

Pathetic. There wasn't a backbone among them. He disliked it because he was in the mood for a fight. Something straight-forward and--

Bowing his head in understanding, Tsuna headed for the hallway as quickly as he could so that he could pull out a new piece of gum to chew. He hadn't noticed, but his last piece had lost flavor. The new form of dosage was affecting him again. Like it said on the warning label in Italian, the gum wasn't like his old form of 'medicine'. Where his old form had been meant to increase his duration time between doses, the new form was working under a theoretical treatment that Lord Nephriam had devised. Instead of keeping him 'hydrated', they were training him to ignore being 'dehydrated'. The idea was that chewing the gum would give him a single drop over a long period of time. It confused his body into thinking that his own spit was diluted blood. Instead of increasing the time that he went between doses, they gave him a way to get a continued dose that could be increased or decreased depending on his need. In other words, it was like nicotine gum for vampires.

Of course, like with any treatment, there was side effects. The side effect of his previous method was that he got himself into a routine and the time limit of ten minutes from his first hunger pain was set in stone. With this form, the side effects were different. Time seemed hazy. There was no definite schedule that he needed to switch out his gum. He just chewed it until it lost flavor. When it lost flavor depended on when he actually noticed it. It was actually working better for him in this way. He was taking less and less blood than ever before, but his body thought that he was still getting large amounts because of the continuous mastication. Eventually, it was hoped that he'd be able to go to normal chewing gum and leave blood behind him entirely. There was still a long time to go for that, however. For now, he was having trouble dealing with the side effects of this form.

The side effects were more than just a loss of time-sense where his dosages were concerned. That loss was actually a good thing since it blurred the lines so that he could go without the gum when he needed it and was unable to get worried about meeting his deadline. Without a set deadline, the psychological addiction to blood had its hold broken. The true side effect was different, however. That was the decent into instinct. It happened gradually most of the time. This was the second time that he'd gotten to the bloodthirsty point before he'd noticed that he'd needed to switch his gum out. Usually, he noticed it at the territorial phase. That was the phase where he found himself patrolling within the confines of his cell. He didn't like going past that. Beyond that was when he started devolving into the three core needs. Eat. Fight. Mate. He had no desire to mate and he'd fulfilled his need to eat. That meant that the current option left for his needs was to fight. He hated fighting, but there was that instinct inside of him that still craved the feeling of dominance in battle. It made him feel like an animal. He knew that he had to learn to control it, but he disliked allowing himself to fall that far.

That was the basis for the new treatment. It pushed him into instinct repeatedly so that he could learn to control the urges instead of letting them control him. If he was ever going to be able to live without needing to take in blood, he had to learn how to control himself all the way to the breaking point. Like a starving man learned to ignore the hunger pains after he felt them for so long, he was training his body to ignore the Hunger for blood. Beyond that, he had to train his mind to withstand the pressure of going without. If all went well, he'd have to constantly keep himself disciplined to control his instinctive reaction to things, but he could live with that.

Assuming that he didn't go insane first.

* * *

Sitting down at the computer station that the library guard escorted him to, he tried not to let it show how excited he was. He'd been going to his classes faithfully and Peter had kept his end of the bargain. It hadn't cost him a single point to go into the library. It'd cost him ten to be able to use the computer, but that was half of what other people had to use since the entry fee was gone. He was almost giddy with relief when he saw that the desktop was covered in game icons. There were dozens of the ones that he'd played in the past, along with several that he'd never heard of. It took a moment of searching to find the Grey City icon, but it was present.

Although, he could tell instantly that he was going to have trouble. He had trouble because of lag. The prison was set up with high speed internet, but the computer was so bogged down with programs that it was having trouble keeping up. He refused to fix the issue despite knowing the problem. Someone had used up their precious time in the library to download Grey City so that he wouldn't have to. He wasn't about to make someone else lose out on time by deleting a game that they enjoyed. He could deal with a little slowness. As soon as he found FooFoo, they could go to a private zone so that the lag created by in-game crowds would go away.

He grimace slightly when he logged in and he was still in the jungle. If he remembered correctly, the last time that he'd talked to FooFoo had been during a mission to hunt down a rare green and black stripped jungle zebra. He was literally in the middle of nowhere. It'd taken them two hours to reach where he was before FooFoo and he had finally started talking. After talking, he hadn't stuck around for a whole lot longer. He'd went home where everything had blown up in his face. He hadn't had time to get on again between the time that he'd made up with Snicker and Snicker had died.

FooFoo was probably worried sick.

Hitting the button for the hospital since his character was dead from starvation, he tried not to bite through his lip in his own worry. FooFoo was going to be mad at him. That fact made him hit the teleporter to FooFoo's bar as quickly as his character was loaded up in the hospital. It took twenty seconds for the transporter to initialize and another four minutes for him to load into FooFoo's bar.

LAZYJAY: Well look who finally decided to show up.

CHEESEJERKY: Speak of the devil.

INDIGOFOG: I told you he wasn't dead.

ANGEL666: BOOBOO!

INDIGOFOG: He probably just had real life issues.

CICI: Where have you been?!  
CICI: We've been worried about you!

BOOBOO: Sorry  
BOOBOO: Is FooFoo around?  
BOOBOO: I don't have much time.

CICI: Sure.  
CICI: She's logging in now.  
CICI: Did something happen?  
CICI: It's been almost a month since you disappeared on us.

BOOBOO: You might say that.  
BOOBOO: I'd rather wait until FooFoo gets here to explain.  
BOOBOO: It's not something that I want to say twice.

LAZYJAY: That bad?

CHEESEJERKY: You get landed in jail or something?

INDIGOFOG: LOL

BOOBOO: Yes.

INDIGOFOG: Oh shit.

ANGEL666: Really?

BOOBOO: How long, CiCi?  
BOOBOO: I've only got twenty minutes.

FOOFOO: I'm here.  
FOOFOO: Where the hell have you been?

BOOBOO: Hello to you too.  
BOOBOO: Listen, I'm going to make this short.  
BOOBOO: I but the Bastard in the hospital.  
BOOBOO: I got sentenced 1-5 years for assault  
BOOBOO: I'm not going to be able to game for a while  
BOOBOO: I had to store up good behavior just to get half an hour today.

FOOFOO: What?

LAZYJAY: He's in prison, FooFoo.  
LAZYJAY: Low security from the sound of it.

BOOBOO: Yeah.  
BOOBOO: There's more, though.

FOOFOO: More?

BOOBOO: I probably should have logged in and told you.  
BOOBOO: But they arrested me at the funeral  
BOOBOO: So I didn't have time.

CICI: Funeral?

BOOBOO: Josh died.

FOOFOO: Holy shit.  
FOOFOO: Josh as in your husband Josh?

BOOBOO: Yeah.

FOOFOO: I don't know what to say.

INDIGOFOG: Same here.

ANGEL666: What happened?

BOOBOO: He had a heart attack in his sleep.  
BOOBOO: I woke up and he was already gone.

LAZYJAY: You have our condolences.  
LAZYJAY: That probably sounds empty  
LAZYJAY: But we know how much he meant to you.

CHEESEJERKY: Fuck  
CHEESEJERKY: I wish I had a beer to give you.  
CHEESEJERKY: Talk about rough times

CICI: Yeah.  
CICI: You always mentioned him at least once every day.  
CICI: How are you taking it?

BOOBOO: Hard.  
BOOBOO: There hasn't been much time to think about it.  
BOOBOO: Like I said, I got arrested at the funeral.  
BOOBOO: But they were nice enough to wait for it to end first.

CICI: FooFoo's trying to think of something to say.  
CICI: He's in shock right now

BOOBOO: Sorry to unload all at once.  
BOOBOO: A lot happened.  
BOOBOO: Everything kind of blew up on me.  
BOOBOO: I went home after talking to you guys and Josh caught me taking the medication for my blood disease.  
BOOBOO: He got angry because I never told him about it.  
BOOBOO: It's not something that can be transmitted, so I didn't want to worry him because I knew his heart was bad.  
BOOBOO: He left me.  
BOOBOO: The next morning, I went and tracked down the bastard that hurt me.  
BOOBOO: I put him in the hospital because I wasn't scared of getting caught anymore.  
BOOBOO: Josh came back after that and said he'd had time to think.  
BOOBOO: We made up and everything seemed like it was going back to normal.  
BOOBOO: Then he had a heart attack.  
BOOBOO: I think it was all too much for him to handle.

FOOFOO: You have a blood disease?

BOOBOO: Yeah.  
BOOBOO: I'm getting treatment for it.  
BOOBOO: It's a little unorthodox, but so is the disease.

FOOFOO: What is it?  
FOOFOO: I know a guy that works with diseases.  
FOOFOO: Maybe he can take care of it for you.

BOOBOO: Thanks, but it's okay.  
BOOBOO: This isn't a disease that's in any textbooks.  
BOOBOO: I'm not sure if it even has a name.

CICI: You have a disease and you don't know what it's called?

BOOBOO: It's a long story and you probably wouldn't believe half of it.  
BOOBOO: Don't worry about it.  
BOOBOO: I've got the treatment, so it's okay.  
BOOBOO: Look, I'm running out of time.  
BOOBOO: I only have ten minutes left.

FOOFOO: Let's get you a gravestone set up.  
FOOFOO: So that you don't have to worry about losing your character.

BOOBOO: We can do that next time I get on.  
BOOBOO: I was really wondering if I could get your address.  
BOOBOO: I had to give up my good behavior points for phone calls to get on.  
BOOBOO: I still want to keep in touch, but I hate choosing between you and home  
BOOBOO: I saved enough points that I don't have to choose this time  
BOOBOO: But I won't have that luxury next time.

FOOFOO: Is a PO Box okay?

BOOBOO: That's fine.  
BOOBOO: I'd just really appreciate it if I could write.  
BOOBOO: I miss talking to you.

CICI: You're making him blush.

FOOFOO: I DON'T blush.

BOOBOO: LOL

CICI: He wants to know if he can have your address.  
CICI: He's just too shy to ask.

FOOFOO: DAMNIT!  
FOOFOO: I'M NOT SHY!  
FOOFOO: I WAS ABOUT TO ASK!

BOOBOO: O_O  
BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: Hold on and I'll send it to you by contract.  
BOOBOO: That way you can save it in case you lose it.

FOOFOO: Your name is Lazarus?  
FOOFOO: Is that a street name?

BOOBOO: Nope.  
BOOBOO: Lazarus Timberson  
BOOBOO: That's me  
BOOBOO: LOL  
BOOBOO: You shouldn't make fun of my name.

FOOFOO: Why?

BOOBOO: Because your character doesn't look like an Andrew.

LAZYJAY: LMAO

CHEESEJERKY: HAHAHAHAHAHA

FOOFOO: Shut the fuck up!

BOOBOO: Thanks for giving it to me.  
BOOBOO: Now I know that I can stay in touch  
BOOBOO: Even if I get in trouble and can't use the computer.

FOOFOO: Let's go ahead and get your gravestone set up.  
FOOFOO: Better safe than sorry.  
FOOFOO: You've got time, don't you?

BOOBOO: As long as it takes less than five minutes.  
BOOBOO: The guard just gave me my five minute warning.

CICI: I've already got most of it taken care of.  
CICI: FooFoo, get him down to the game offices.  
CICI: I've got most of the paperwork already done.  
CICI: All you have to do is to pay and his character won't be going anywhere.

BOOBOO: Thanks guys.  
BOOBOO: I appreciate it.

FOOFOO: Yeah, well.  
FOOFOO: Shit happens.

BOOBOO: Yeah.  
BOOBOO: Shit happens.

* * *

Omake:

Lambo: Buon compleanno!

Ashes: That's not until tomorrow.

Lambo: Are you going to have the traditional party?

Ashes: I'm not in the Mafia!

Lambo: What do you want?

Ashes: Tons of reviews! Let's put that aside, though. What did you think of the chapter?

Lambo: It was so-so.

Ashes: Aww. Only so-so?

Lambo: It was too fluffy for my tastes.

Ashes: Yeah, well, there's plot coming. Prison is usually a training ground of sorts. A lot of this and the next chapter is prep-work and an attitude adjustment for Tsuna.

Lambo: Are you trying to alter his personality?

Ashes: Deja Vu. In some ways, yes. I'm a firm believer that circumstance CAN affect a person. That's not to say that they shouldn't still be held accountable for their choices, but I think circumstance can influence and direct the choices that a person makes. How personality clashes with circumstance is what makes a person who they are. The life that Tsuna has right now is a LOT less sheltered than anything he had in the past. Even when he was doing hitman work with Xanxus, he was still incredibly sheltered. Right now, he's basically having to stand or fall by his own hand. There's no wealthy benefactor or hundreds of Family members to protect him if he screws up.

Lambo: Oh. I can't wait to see what you have planned.

Ashes: So, how's school? Tsuna's around twenty-five right now, so that would make you fifteen. Are you in junior high still?

Lambo: No. The Bovino Family enrolled me at Don Girarde.

Ashes: Is anyone else that you know enrolled there?

Lambo: Lots of people. There's Fuuta who is in his final year already. There's Hotaru and Orinato, who skipped several grades together. Ms. Hana is attending, as is several others in the Family.

Ashes: What's going on with you and I-Pin?

Lambo: Is there something supposed to be going on with us? She's living with Haru-nee in Japan and is still saving for college.

Ashes: Oh. So you and Hibari still haven't fought?

Lambo: Were we supposed to fight?

Ashes: I thought so. You two had an agreement.

Lambo: What?! M-M-Me fight H-H-Hibari?!

Ashes: Oh no. You've been hit by lightening too many times since then.

Lambo: Gotta... Stay...

Ashes: Aww. He ran off crying. So much for the rest of the interview. Until next time!


	58. Chapter 58 Letters

"I'm taking another soda," Danny-boy called. Tsuna grunted in return and continued reading the book that Peter-sensei had assigned. He was finding that he was actually liking it, which surprised him. He'd never once been able to finish a book before, but Peter-sensei kept giving him short summaries that caught his interest. There'd been the book called 'Hatchet' where a guy had to survive with only a Hatchet. There'd been the 'Lord of the Flies' which was another survival story. The current one that Peter-sensei had him reading was 'Animal Farm' and it was more of a comedy than anything. Ore would probably get a kick out of the talking bacon.

"How long are you going to keep reading?" Danny-boy asked curiously.

"Until I'm finished," he answered, putting down his book to look up at his cellmate. "Or until the rain stops and they let us out. How does it look?"

"I can't see much through that little thing," he grumbled, pointing up at the thin window inset into the top of their cell. Tsuna nodded and stretched his ears until he could hear the loud pitter-patter of the rain still hitting the ground on the other side of the wall.

"It's still storming," he sighed. "Use my television if you want. I--"

"Lazarus Timberson...?" A voice interrupted from outside the cell bars. Tsuna looked up behind himself to see a guard stationed outside. He was upside down because of how Tsuna was looking behind and up, but it was definitely a guard.

"Yes?" He answered curiously. The guard nodded to one of the cameras and a loud buzzing sound went off as the door to his cell popped open. Curious over the sudden intrusion, he rolled off his bed and jumped to his feet before it was fully opened.

"Mail," the man said plainly. Tsuna blinked, slowly coming to notice the package being held out for him along with several letters. "You would have gotten it sooner, but we had to inspect it first."

"Anything for me?" Danny-boy asked curiously. The guard nodded and turned to pull out several small envelopes from the previously unnoticed cart behind him. Tsuna assumed that it was because of the rain that the mail was being brought to them. Since no one had a chance to go check the postal-room, the guards were bringing it around to keep the inmates happy despite the prison-wide lockdown. Like his own letters, the envelopes were already slit open by whoever had inspected them. Danny-boy and he were both used to it, however. Privacy was one luxury that they lost by breaking the law.

The guard nodded once more to the camera and the door slid shut, locking them in their cell again. Without a second glance, the guard continued on his rounds while pulling his mail-cart behind him. Danny-boy didn't waste any time in jumping on his bed to read through his mail. More than likely, they were letters from his little sister. He talked about her a lot when he had nothing else to fill the silence with. He talked about her so much that Tsuna was positive that he had a sister complex.

Setting down his own mail, he decided to look at the package first. He nearly choked when he saw who it was from. Unlike what he would have expected, it wasn't from Gigi or any of the girls. Instead, it was from one Andrew Blackberry. In other words, it was from FooFoo! Seeing that made him rip into it in growing excitement. He'd been sending letters, but he thought that FooFoo just wasn't the type to write back because he hadn't gotten anything. He had gotten something, though! It just hadn't reached him as fast because it'd been more than just a few pages of a letter!

Packing paper went flying in ten different directions. When it was gone, what was left was two small square tins and a letter tucked into the side. Pulling the tins out first with a greedy light in his eyes, he let out a small moan of joy when he popped the lid on the first one. It was fudge. Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, creamy, bite-sized pieces of fudge. It didn't look home-made, but that was all for the better. It was doubtful that anything homemade would have been able to withstand the wait to be inspected. That was fine, though. Tsuna was more than happy to inhale preservatives when they tasted as good as the small pieces did. Stuffing one in his mouth, he rolled his eyes toward the heavens in bliss. He hadn't had chocolate or candy in almost two months. The word sweet wasn't on the jail's menu, unless one counted bubble-gum and soda. Their attempts at putting cookies or gelatin with their dinners on occasion was about the same as putting a brick or a cube of semi-solid water on their plates.

"No fair!" Danny-boy gasped when the smell reached him. He stuck his head over the side of the bed in order to partially drool at the sight of Tsuna's spoils. "You got food!"

"He. He. He. He," Tsuna chuckled evilly while keeping possessive guard over his treasure. "Mine."

"Aww," Danny-boy pouted with a large swallow to hold back his drool. "Just one piece?"

"Take my turn at cleaning the toilet for the next month," Tsuna bribed with a wide grin.

"Deal," Danny-boy agreed instantly. Tsuna smiled even more while he handed over not just one piece, but two. In truth, they both knew that Danny-boy would clean it. He always did Tsuna's chores for him since Tsuna paid him with cigarettes and other small luxuries. It was like having a personal maid. Tsuna was happier with the pretense, however, and Danny-boy was long used to the quirk. "Veronica can clean your sneakers and Sassy can help you take down your dreads," he supplied so that Tsuna didn't have to think of some excuse to share with them, as well. Tsuna nodded with a wide grin and reached for the second tin. It wasn't cookies like he expected. Instead, it was a half-dozen of every kind of candy-bar mini that he could imagine. They were all brightly shining up at him in packages, making him wonder if time had skipped forward to Halloween. "Talk about a good friend," Danny-boy gaped. "You can't get better barter than candy. Anyone can get cigarettes. Who sent that to you?"

"A friend of mine," he smiled, offering up the can for Danny-boy to choose from. He wasn't as stingy about the candy-bars, considering there were multiples of everything. Danny-boy kept track of how many favors he owed so that Tsuna didn't have to. Since Tsuna honestly didn't care about whether he was paid back or not, as long as he didn't owe anything himself, then Danny-boy could just add to the tally. "He lives overseas, but we play Grey City together online. It must have cost him a fortune to mail this to me."

"He must like you," he chuckled before passing the tin back. Tsuna grunted in reply once more before digging out the letter that had come with it. He lounged across his bed and quietly snatched up another piece of fudge to nibble on while he read. He was smiling widely within the first line.

******

_Boo Boo,_

_I know your name is Lazarus, but I don't really give a damn. Boo Boo fits you better. I'm not going to pretend that I'm any good at writing letters. I suck at it. I'm not the type to go through ten drafts before I send one, either. You can trash this if you don't like it. Just let me know if you do and I'll stop sending them. Fuck. I really suck at this. I have no clue what to say. It's easier online because I actually got some kind of prompt to respond to. LOL I suck at that sometimes, too. Cici's over my shoulder, telling me that I can't write LOL in a letter, but I say fuck it. You know what I mean. I know what I mean. It's all gravy. _

_You probably can't tell, but I stopped writing for almost an hour. I told you that I have no clue what to write. I asked one of my buddies and he said I should tell you more about myself since we're writing real letters like it's the fucking dark ages. I'm not sure what you know, so I'm not sure what to write. I already said that. Crap. Let's see. I'm almost thirty-five. I don't feel that old, but that's what my birth certificate says. If I remember right, that puts me about ten years older than you. You already know that I'm retired and I got a roommate that's good with computers. Cici says hello. I got a dog. I don't think I've ever told you that. He pretty much takes care of himself. As long as I put his food bags on the bottom shelf, he even feeds himself. He likes watching black and white movies and you can't eat ice cream around him. He steals the whole damn bowl._

_Another hour, another paragraph. Cici says I need to be straight with you, so I'm going to be straight with you. You probably won't believe me, but I know what you're going through. That's why I couldn't think of a single fucking thing to say when you were online. I had someone important die in my past, too, so I know how much it hurts. There's nothing I can say to make it go away. You've already heard this, but I'm going to say it as a guy that's been through it. The pain doesn't go away, but it does get easier to deal with over time. Right now, you're probably seeing him everywhere and you keep thinking that you'll turn around and he'll be there. I still do that sometimes. It happens less often as time goes by, but it still happens. _

_I remember the hardest part of it all was trying to figure out how I was supposed to keep living. I became the person I am because of him and he was just gone one day. I remember staying drunk for a long time after that. Hell, I still drink myself sober at times when I think about losing him. There were times that I gave up and tried to kill myself because I couldn't deal with it. I want to say that friends and family pulled me out of it, but the truth is that I'm the black sheep. I still don't know why I'm still around sometimes. Shit. I'm probably not helping at all._

_Look. Even though it's shitty as hell right now, things will get a little better over time. You just got to start noticing the small things. You can't have that nice, fat Cuban cigar, but there's still cigarettes. Does that make sense? Probably not, but I can't think of any other way to put it. I lost my important person and life didn't stop there. I might have gave up, but I still held on. Because of that, I got Cici and my dog. I started playing Grey City and I got to meet you. That should count for something. It'll be the same for you. You might not believe it right now, but good things can still happen. Just give it a little bit of time and things will sort themselves out. LOL I say that, but all you've got is time right now._

_Okay. I thought about ending the letter right there, but Cici says that it'd be too heavy. I'm asking her what I should write and she says that I should tell you more about myself. Other stuff instead of about that. You already know about my anger management issues. That's why I started gaming. I don't get in as much trouble for breaking keyboards as I did for trashing bars. Going online is pretty sweet because no one can judge me for my past. They see what I want them to see and that's it. Before you ask, the reason I chose to play a female in the game isn't because I'm a weirdo like that. I just figured that if I was going to stare at an ass all day, then I'd stare at one that I want to look at. It's not as bad as I first thought it'd be. People aren't as pissy when faced with a female avatar. They tend to ignore the cursing a lot more, too. How do I put it? It takes the bite out of how I talk._

_I talked to a friend of mine earlier today and decided to send you some fudge and candy. The fudge is for you to eat and my buddy said you would probably appreciate something to barter with. He said that candy bars were good. If you need or want anything else, let me know. Cici's software is starting to sell, so she's offered to fit the bill on anything you ask for. She's got it to spare since she doesn't have to pay rent or anything for living with me. She just supplies the replacement parts for the equipment that I bust and I ignore her most of the time. It works out pretty well._

_Signed,_

_FOO FOO_

_P.S. I'm keeping my promise about digging into your personal life. I'm pissed that you're in jail, but I'm keeping my nose out of it until you give me the thumbs-up. Give me the go ahead and I'll have you out of there within a day._

******

Tsuna smiled softly at the last line. FooFoo was strange at times. He acted like he had the power to do anything he wanted. Such overconfidence would only get him hurt, however. Maybe he was a retired lawyer? He'd never said what he was retired from. He'd only said that he was retired. Not that it really mattered. Even if he was a retired lawyer and still had his contacts, Tsuna didn't want out of jail. He was there until Autumn told him that he could leave. If he tried to get out before then, his use as a bargaining chip would be lessened.

His attempt to console Tsuna was touching, though. He'd never mentioned that he had his own past tragedy. Actually, he'd never mentioned a lot of things that he mentioned in the letter. Tsuna had thought he was a lot older than he was since he was retired. To be retired at thirty-five was incredible. There was also the interesting part that Tsuna had to reread several times. _'I still drink myself sober at times when I think about losing _him.' The key word was 'him'. Andrew had said that he was straight, but there was no denying that slip. Then Tsuna put two and two together. _'I became the person that I am because of him_.' It had to be a father or a brother that he'd been close with. It was slightly different than what Tsuna was going through, but he could see how Andrew thought they were alike. He was right on the part about seeing Snicker everywhere. That's why Tsuna had changed his naming preferences. He was right about not really knowing why he was still around, too. He had a reason to keep going, but it was just a flimsy excuse that he really didn't know why he was holding onto.

Setting aside the letter, he turned to the others still waiting to be read.

******

_Dear Laz,_

_You really are an idiot. I love you to death, but it took me almost a week to get Eric calmed down after his visit. I know that you were only trying to look out for him, but couldn't you have been a little nicer about it? What has gotten into you, anyway? I know that Snicker's death had to be hard on you, but what happened to my little sweet-cheeks? You're not sweet anymore and it makes me want to cry. I think that you're acting pretty silly over changing your name, too. Snicker wouldn't have wanted that and you know it. All this talk about Suoh being dead is a load of bullshit. You know that I'll call you anything you want, but you better give me a better reason than that._

_How are things going for you in there? Ore's worried about whether you're eating okay. He wanted to get arrested and follow you in there, but we all reminded him that he wouldn't get to pick how much food that he got to eat. We made it look like you were being starved so that he'd get the idea out of his head to go after you. I'm tempted to get arrested and come after you, though. I feel like I know what a single mother feels like now. Absolutely no respect unless I yell until I lose my voice. I want you to come back so that I know that it's safe to wear heals again, too. I can only imagine what your feet are like with how much running around that you do. I've had to go buy sneakers. SNEAKERS! Can you imagine?! My poor dresses, too. I haven't been able to wear one in days. I couldn't bear for you to look at me right now. That's why I sent Eric in my place. If you like, I can send Leo or someone else next time since you don't want Eric going to see you._

_Do you need anything? Just say the word and I'll send you anything that you want. Books, magazines, food, lotion, or anything else that they'll actually let you have. Are you okay on paper and pencils? How about cigarettes? Maybe some cards or something? I know that you've probably got tons of friends in there by now. You can't seem to cross the street without making a new one. I'm kind of jealous. If someone had told me that all I have to do to get locked up with six dozen men in one building is to get arrested, then I might have done it a lot earlier. I wouldn't know what to do without my makeup and wigs, though. I don't even want to think what my nails would look like. Are you taking care of your nails? What about your hair? I know how easily it gets tangled. Is anyone picking on you? If they are, just let me know. I'll figure out some way to deal with them for you. _

_I've got to go for now. I hear sirens again. Those idiots across the street don't know the meaning of disturbing the peace. Absolutely no consideration for people that are trying to sleep. I'll go put them in line again, so don't worry. I love you, Sweetcheeks. Take care of yourself until you can come back to us. We all miss you dearly._

_Hugs and Kisses,_

_Gigi_

******

_Dear Lazarus,_

_I can see what you're trying to do and I can't say that I didn't see it coming. Princess is upset about it, but I want you to know that I understand. She will with time, as well. I just want to clear up one thing that you might be finding difficult to sort out. If you chose to work more closely with Princess in the future, you should always keep in mind that you are the Sixth. You can repay your debt simply by fulfilling those duties and protecting her from harm. That's probably what you needed to know more than anything, but my daughter has never been one to deal with blunt loyalty in a rational manner. You are as blunt as they get at times, so please forgive her for any confusion that she might have caused you._

_Putting that aside for now, I'm wondering how you are handling things. Have you gotten settled in? I assume that you've gotten your snacks since I haven't heard word of you doing anything out of norms. Is there anything that we might be able to do for you to make the time pass faster? Please send me regular updates as to your health and well-being. I cannot rest easy until I know that you are well._

_Awaiting your reply,_

_Papa Paolo Martelli_

******

_Dear Suoh,_

_I can't tell you how much I've cried and prayed for you recently. It's a shame to lose your father at such a young age. I was shocked beyond belief that they arrested you at the funeral, but Mr. Martelli assured me that it was by your own choice. I'm honestly not sure whether I want to scold you for hurting someone or praise you for putting that Gabriel in his place. That boy always made me feel sick when he was around. I never said anything to his father, but he always gave off a slimy feeling._

_To get on to the reason for my letter, I wanted to let you know that your father's tombstone was finally put in place. I've sent a picture of it for you so that you could see for yourself. It's very striking with that tree behind it. Tom planted that for you after he got agreement with the groundskeepers. He says it's a cherry blossom and that it blooms once a year. He told me a lot more about it but I honestly can't remember. Tom is such a sweetheart. He promised to come get me when it gets the flowers on it so that I can take a picture for you. Tom has been worrying over it like he does over my window-box when he comes over. I think he's worried that the tree can't do well in our climate. I sat him down and told him that anything's possible with a little prayer and faith. _

_The same thing goes for you. I know that things have been rough for you lately, but you should keep your faith. Your father might be in heaven, but you've still got a long life ahead of you. You should think about that and work toward making it into a life that your father would be proud of. He's still watching over you, so you should give him something that would make him happy to see. _

_Sincerely,_

_Ms. Cimorean Sojer_

******

_Laz,_

_I looked up what Hime means. It's good to see that you're still a jackass in some ways._

_Yours truly,_

_Autumn_

******

Tsuna let out a burst of laughter at the two-line letter. It was just like Autumn to waste a stamp on an insult. Some things never changed. Between her and her father's letter, he had a feeling that he knew why she'd been so unhappy during her visit. They weren't bothered by his choice to repay his debt. They were just bothered by his open acceptance of it. He should have thought about it sooner, but it probably looked bad for them to have someone acting as openly as he had been. They needed him to keep himself under wraps so that he didn't gain attention. They needed him to act like he was unaffiliated with them so that they had the freedom to ask things of him that couldn't be traced back to them. They couldn't do that if everyone knew that he was working for them. That's why Papa Paolo and Autumn had both reminded him of his duties about the Sixth. He had to stay aloof in that position. They were telling him that he was getting too close to be useful.

He understood now. He knew what he had to do. He had to protect them without letting anyone know that he was protecting them. They needed him to get smart enough and strong enough that Papa Paolo and Autumn could rely on him without having to give him orders. The Sixth was the person that was the Justice wildcard. By reminding him that he was the Sixth, they were telling him to take justice into his own hands. There were surely times that Papa Paolo or Autumn couldn't do something because Justice got in the way or because it was too Unjust for them to soil their hands with what was needed to be done. By doing it for them without being told to do it, they wouldn't have to shoulder the burden of having to chose. Instead, Tsuna could shoulder the burden because it lightened the burden of his debt.

The thought made him smile. They both understood his resolve. Autumn had just been telling him to hide it better. That's the only thing he could think of for why she'd want him to be a jackass and disrespectful. He had to keep himself set apart or else he'd be useless to them. There were times that they might need things done that the Family wouldn't like. He could do those things for them. Taking out Gabriel had been an instance of him doing that without thinking about it. The Family hated him for it, but Autumn and Papa Paolo were satisfied with how things had turned out. The Family hated him, but they were better off without Gabriel in their ranks. By taking their hate onto himself, Autumn and Papa Paolo were blameless and untarnished by everything surrounding the whole affair.

He had to let them know that he understood and that he'd hide his resolution better. He had to let them know that he didn't mind being hated if that was how he could repay his debt.

******

_Dear Papa Paolo,_

_I understand. Being the Sixth comes first. I can't do much to keep Autumn from getting a big head at the moment, but I'll do my best when I am released. I want to thank you for taking the time to write me. I am settled in comfortably and have begun thinking to the future. It was difficult at first, but I believe that I am on the right path now. I have been studying very hard to ensure that my education will be sufficient when I leave from here. The library is full of books and I have been under the instruction of Peter Ascott since arriving. In effort to become more than I am, I have been training hard. I hope that my efforts please you when I return._

_Please rest well since I am doing fine. The food is nutritious and I have no complaints. _

_Faithfully yours,_

_Lazarus_

******

_Dear Autumn,_

_I thought you'd be used to being called Princess by now. How about Autumn-Hime? I might even be able to get my cellmate to make you a crown out of newspaper clippings. You'll be the envy of all the bums._

_Just to give you heads up, but I'm craving steak. The gum is good for taking the edge off, but it's been two months. I got a month left at most that I can hold it back. What's the plan?_

_Sincerely, _

_Lazarus_

******

Tsuna smiled once he was finished with the two letters and quickly got them tucked into an envelope and addressed. The retort should be enough to let Autumn know that he finally understood what she'd been trying to say. He hadn't been mocking her when he'd called her Hime-sama before, but he saw now that the title was counterproductive against what they wanted from him. They needed him to seem unchanged from before. It would be hard, but he could do it. As long as they understood and gave him a chance to repay his debt, then he would do whatever they wanted. Even insult them if that was what they wished. To become the most useful servant, he'd become their enemy on the surface.

Turning his attention to his other letters, he decided to reply to Ms. Sojer first and the news that she'd sent about Poe.

******

_Dear. Ms. Sojer,_

_Thank you for your letter. The picture was greatly appreciated and it makes me very happy to know that Snicker will still be able to see the cherry blossoms. We had a trip planned to see them in Japan when he died, so please let Tom know that I am touched by his thoughtfulness. If it is Tom that is taking care of it, then I'm sure that they will bloom in a few weeks. Thank you for your prayers, but please do not cry. As everyone has told me, I am going to tell you. _

_Snicker died with a smile on his face. _

_It is hard to deal with things without him, but he has taught me to survive. I can't say that he would be particularly happy to see me at the moment, but I have the faith that he would be happy to see me not giving up. Your kindness has not fallen on deaf ears._

_Sincerely,_

_Lazarus Timberson._

_P.S. Forgive me, but I have dropped Suoh from my name._

******

_Dear Gigi,_

_I'm sorry that I upset Eric so much, but he wasn't understanding. I'm really happy that he wanted to come see me, but it isn't worth the risk. Don't you understand? His fame is starting to spread and he'll end up just like all the rest of those in the tabloids if he comes to see me. I don't want to see him getting a bad name just because I did something wrong. The same goes with Leo and everyone else. I miss you all so much, but I'd be happier if they all stayed away. Leo has her growing reputation as a legitimate artist and Ore has his position as site chief to think about. Eric has his acting and Ollie has his reasons for not coming. The same goes with Poe. It would be bad for him to get any kind of reputation, let alone a bad one for visiting someone in prison. I couldn't ask you to come either. You sound like you're so busy trying to keep up with everything that it makes me feel guilty for leaving it all to you. Please forgive me for that._

_There are things that I can't say in a letter, but I'm hoping that you can read between the lines of what I told Eric. On the surface, nothing is going to change when I get out of here. Underneath, I have a debt to pay. You understand. You were there and know how much Autumn stretched her neck out for Snicker. If Snicker is going to rest in peace, I have to repay that. That's why I was trying to warn Eric to get away while he could. I don't want him mixed up in things that he's worked so hard to stay away from. He's still a good person and so is Leo. After I leave here, I'll only be holding them both back._

_I'm not sure if Eric told you, but I want you to clear out my room. Put my stuff up in the loft and give out all of Snicker's things. Give out any of my clothes that aren't on hangars, too. The stuff in the drawers were starting to get small anyway and I have a feeling that it won't fit when I get out of here. There's no sense in keeping it all when someone could use them. Rent the room out to someone that you trust to make up for my missing income._

_As for the guys not listening, throw them out if they go too far. You've got my full backing and I'll write a letter to the manager that I hired to back you up, too. If that's not good enough, ask Ore to bust a few heads together. Just because I'm gone for a while doesn't mean that my rules can get broken. Tell them that Daddy might be out of the house, but Mommy still has to be obeyed. You have my permission to do a punishment game with whoever doesn't listen. A full day in drag should make any of them afraid to piss you off. Have Cassandra's sisters help. If they don't want to listen, they can eat boiled cabbage and potato soup until they get the picture. You can turn off the hot water so that they have to take cold showers, too. Just have Warren bring the kids over to the Dojo for their baths. I don't want either of them getting sick._

_You don't have to face them head-on. They're not teenage kids. If they don't want to follow the rules or they don't want to accept the punishments for breaking them, then throw them out on the street like the adults that they are. The boarding house is a privilege. It's not a right._

_In other news, I'm doing pretty good. Just to warn you, my cellmate has a crush on you. Before you ask, he's not that bad looking. He fits your type to the letter. He's a little on the vain side if you happen to hit the right chord to bring it out, but he's otherwise a typical guy. Blond hair, blue eyes. He'd probably be a few inches taller than you, but he's not too bulky. Lean, but not like a beanpole. He's got a decent amount of muscle on him, but not so much that he's a body builder. He wants you to write him. He's straight, but he saw your picture and said that you look woman enough for him. He's a strange one but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. Of course, the only reason that I'm telling you about him is so that he'll stop nagging me. He saw the picture of you in that black dress and he's been drooling ever since. I told him that I wouldn't give him your address until you said it was okay. _

_As for things to send me, I can get almost everything I need in here. At most, it'd be nice to have a couple hacky-sacks so that I can practice juggling. Some of the other guys have them and they said that they had their friends mail them from outside. I could probably use another notebook. I've been going through paper like crazy and the price they ask in the commissary here is a rip off. The same goes for lotion and anything that they let us have for luxury. Can you believe that it costs a dollar for a pack of gum? It makes me glad that I got a good deal on the box that I have. _

_I can't really think of anything else to write, so I'm going to leave it off here. Don't worry about me so much. I'm a big boy. Just keep yourself looking fabulous, even if you can't wear your dresses._

_Love,_

_Lazarus_

******

"Almost done?" Danny-boy asked, once more popping his head over the edge of the top bunk.

"Almost," he confirmed after he finished sealing Gigi's letter. "I just have to do one more to thank Foo Foo for the fudge."

"Foo Foo...?"

"That's his gaming name," Tsuna chuckled. Tossing the letter with the stack of others to be sent out, he let out a little sigh and reached for another piece of fudge. He was probably going to have a sugar rush later, but that was alright. It was too delicious to not enjoy right away. Slapping Danny-boy's hand away from the tin, he handed up the tin of candy-bars. Besides the pieces that he was going to give to Veronica and Sassy, there were only four pieces left for himself. There was a limit to sharing. Danny-boy already got two, so he could be satisfied with that.

******

_Dear Foo Foo,_

_Thank you for the package. I'm eating the fudge while I write and it's really good. The candy bars are appreciated, too. You wouldn't believe how bad stuff tastes in here. It makes me glad that we're on lockdown because of the rain so that I can be stingy with what you sent. You should see the look on the guy's face who has a cell across from mine. He's trying to hide it, but he keeps looking at me and drooling whenever I take a bite. You'll have to tell me the shop where you got it from so that I can order some more when I get out of here. We're not allowed to order things while we're in here. _

_It was interesting to read more about you. We've been gaming together for a while and I think I got to know more about you from your letter than I got to know in the whole time that we've played together. It was really sweet that you told me something as personal as you did. I know it must have been hard for you to write about it. Don't worry about me, though. My boss is keeping an eye on me and he's taking care of everything while I'm serving my time. Josh can rest peacefully thanks to them. As long as I know that, then I can think of other things. _

_To be honest, I think I'm still in denial about it all. Like you said, I still think that I'll look up and he'll be standing there. It's not happening as often as it used to, but it still happens. At times, I do get that feeling like I don't know why I'm still around. My boss helps me through that a lot. I remember that I still have to go to work and that my gang needs me when I get out of here. I have things that I still have to do, so I can't just lay down and give up, even if I sometimes want to. I'm starting to realize that I'd hurt a lot of people if I did that, too. I didn't notice them before because I was so wrapped up with Josh, but I'm noticing now that I'm cut off from everyone. The letters that I get from friends on the outside have made me realize that I'm not alone, even if Josh is gone. There are still people around me that need me to be there. _

_The same goes for you, too. I can tell from your letter that you don't like admitting that you have people, but you do. Not just Cici and your dog. There's all the people that you game with and me. I'm sure that there's more, but I don't really know a whole lot about how you live. A lot of people would be unhappy if our little bunny Foo Foo just disappeared. That's why I'm really happy that I got your letter. I was starting to worry that you weren't interested in being friends outside of Grey City. _

_I guess I should return the favor since you told me more about you. You already know about the gang and all the trouble I get into. I've told you almost everything about Josh. I think I told you that I worked, but I never said where. I work as a dishwasher in this Italian restaurant. I also do deliveries for them in the morning. I also had a job at a pet store, grooming dogs. I don't think I've mentioned that I have a dog, too. _

_Truthfully, I'm not really a dog person, but the gang picked him up. He was a stray that we found after some boys tried to shave it in the middle of the winter. We put up signs, but no one ever came to claim him. I've gotten used to having him around, but he was more Josh's pet than mine. We named him Peanut and took him in after that. He's a German Sheppard. He's really smart, too. He learns a new trick almost every week. He's a good attack dog. There's lots of times that he's run off thieves at the boarding house that I own._

_I also have a pet beetle named Jewel. I know it sounds weird, but a friend of a friend gave him to me and I didn't have a choice but to take care of her. She's pretty big and seems pretty smart. She changes colors, too. She seems she's like a rare, living mood ring or something. I'm not sure where the guy got her from, but she's come in handy a few times. She's not hard to take care of, either. The little boy living across the street from me is taking care of her until I get back. _

_There's not a whole lot to tell outside of that. Taking care of the gang and my jobs takes up most of my free time when I'm not online. At least, they did. My job at the pet store is probably gone, but my boss at the restaurant will have work for me when I get back. Right now, I'm studying a lot and weight training to make the time pass. I never finished high school, so I'm in an continued learning course at the moment. The correctional facility that I'm in set me up with a tutor and everything. It's part of the good behavior program that they have. They rather give us something to do than let us sit on our hands until we get frustrated enough to fight._

_Oh! I don't think I ever told you why my screen name is Boo Boo. It's kind of funny. Well, it's more embarrassing than funny to me but everyone else thinks that it's hilarious. Have you ever watched the show Yogi the Bear? Josh used to tease me because I'm short and I teased him about being a big bear. If you've seen the show, then you can see where I'm going with this. At first, I thought it was an okay name because Josh always smiled when he called me that. The nickname got around and people started calling me by it more and more and they'd laugh and laugh. I didn't get it because I hadn't ever seen the show. Then I watched an episode that I found online when people started teasing me so much about being Boo Boo. It wasn't so cute after that! Boo Boo is only like a foot tall! I'm taller than that! _

_Anyways, I got people to stop calling me it in person, but I had already used it as my screen name because one of my roommates said that I should use it. I'm planning to keep it as my screen name even though Josh is gone. So, keep calling me Boo Boo even though you know my real name. The name still makes me happy when I see it because it brings up happy times that everyone shared. Josh might have tagged me with it, but he wasn't the only one that smiled over it. Does that make sense?_

_Did you ever decide on what martial art you wanted to take? I never got a chance to ask you about that. What kind of software is Cici selling? Tell her to write me, if she wants. I love talking to both of you. The rest of the guys online are cool, too, but it always makes me happy to hear from you. Since Cici's always around, I'm just as happy to see her, too. I'm repeating myself and I'm grasping for things to write. I guess that means that I should probably end this letter. I don't want to because there's not much else that I can do today since it's raining, but there's no sense in making my letter ramble as much as I do sometimes. I can already hear you telling me to shut up. LOL Like you said. It's all gravy._

_I hope to hear from you again,_

_Lazarus_

_P.S. Thanks again for the fudge. It tastes wonderful. Thank you for the offer, too, but I need to just serve my time. I'll be out eventually, so don't worry._

* * *

"Laz..." Veronica breathed in shock. He wasn't the only one in shock. Danny-boy, Sassy, and Tsuna himself was in shock.

_"_I did not just say that," Tsuna gaped while his sudden opponent pulled back his fist yet again.

_It was time for a fresh piece of gum. It was definitely time for a fresh piece of gum. _

Rolling away from the table to dodge another punch aimed for him, he tried to get his mind back on track. Some new guy to the prison had come out into the yard and had made a beeline for Tsuna and his three paid helpers. He hadn't wanted to fight. Far from it. He'd been wanting to proposition Veronica. Tsuna had been fine with it at first. It was Veronica's business and not his own. He'd ignored it in effort to do his homework. But then...

His territorial instincts had kicked in when the guy had put a hand on Veronica's shoulder. Before Tsuna even knew that he'd opened his mouth, he'd said the damning sentence that had the effect of starting a fight.

"Oh, yes, you did," Sassy laughed with his own gaping jaw.

"No, I didn't," he countered, grabbing the idiot's fist that kept punching at him. He grunted slightly from the force of the impact, but managed to stop the oversized hand. Pulling on it before his opponent had a chance to understand that he had been stopped, Tsuna sent him flying across the yard in a way that he harmlessly rolled to a stop. He was physically unharmed, but the mental damage was done. Sitting where he had landed in a dumb shock, the inmate stared at the distance that Tsuna had tossed him. He stared at the distance that a guy _that was a third of his size _had _effortlessly thrown _him.

"Am I really your bitch, Laz?" Veronica asked with wide, doe-like eyes filled with hope.

"No!" Tsuna blurted with a red face.

"But you said--" Danny-boy snorted while trying to hold back his surprised laughter.

"I know what I said, but what Veronica does is his own business," he squealed while his face got even more red. He'd backed himself into a corner and he knew it. All three of them were looking at him with knowing expressions that only made him more frustrated. He'd managed to go all this time without accepting responsibility for a single one of them and he'd screwed up with a single instinctive line.

Don't touch my bitch.

"That doesn't count!" He spluttered.

"Too late," Sassy exclaimed with a wide smile. "No take-backs!"

"B-But--" Tsuna gaped, wanting to ask how the three could be so happy over being called a bitch. It was derogatory, insulting, and uncouth! Yet, the three acted like they'd just won some kind of prize! "What's wrong with you guys?!"

"Nothing is wrong with us," Danny-boy replied with a laugh.

"Something's wrong with you," Tsuna objected while he headed back to the table to retrieve his homework. "If I was at home, Gigi would have slapped me twenty times over for saying something like that even though I didn't mean it!"

"You didn't mean it?" Veronica pouted. Tsuna choked in disbelief that he'd get upset over such a thing. What kind of people had he let near him?! He should be getting upset that he had said it! Not over him wanting to take it back!

"He meant it," Sassy soothed. "Don't go sticking that lip out. Laz, tell Veronica that he's your bitch before he starts crying."

"WHAT?!" Tsuna simply stared after the word was out, flabbergasted that he was being asked to do such a thing.

"Haven't you noticed yet, Laz?" Danny-boy chuckled from where he was sitting with a cigarette and soda that Tsuna had bought for him. "I thought that you were better at reading people than that."

"What are you talking about?" He replied with an open lack of comprehension.

"All three of us are the type that like to be used," he said bluntly. Tsuna felt his jaw completely unhinge at the statement. "We're all a little different on how, but it all boils down to that same thing. Why do you think none of us mind your quirks? You're the perfect Master for us. We get to be submissive and you get to be dominant. It works out wonderfully. It's not perfect since you won't let us close after a certain point, but it lets us still have our kicks. On top of it, you're a kind Master. You never ask us to do anything too menial or demeaning without giving ample compensation. While other guys are on their knees for three cigarettes, you generously give us all the cigarettes and sodas that we want. You should know that you can ask for a whole lot more and all three of us would be happy to--"

"STOP!" Tsuna exclaimed on the top of his voice, bringing instant silence across the yard. He thought he was going to explode, his face was so red. Never in his life had he had someone say such things to him. He was embarrassed beyond belief while a part of him, a part that he shoved away in denial, was strangely pleased. Grabbing his homework off the table, he decided that retreat was most definitely in order. He couldn't win at the moment. He was too shocked and embarrassed to even his mouth to close completely. It was a hundred times worse than a love confession. At least love confessions could be rejected. How did one reject an admittance of servitude?

Halfway across the yard, his legs abruptly gave out on him. He stared in the ground in surprise, wondering what exactly had happened. Between one step and the next, he'd fallen. No one had hit him. No one had knocked him over. He'd just dropped.

"Are you okay?" Danny-boy asked worriedly, reaching down to help him back to his feet. Tsuna blinked at him, wondering how he'd crossed the distance between them so fast. He had to have teleported to get across the yard so quickly. Tsuna couldn't even run that fast. "I know that I surprised you, but-- Laz!" Tsuna stared up at him while wondering why he was on his knees again. He'd just stood up. Now he was down. He hadn't even noticed the transition this time. "Hey! What's wrong with you?! Veronica, go call the guards!"

"I'm fine," Tsuna objected, waving away the orders. Attempting to get to his feet again, he tried to shake off the light sense of vertigo that he had. "I probably just need some water. I'll--" Tsuna broke off, feeling something rising in his throat. It took him by surprise because his stomach didn't feel upset. It didn't feel upset, but he still felt the urge to vomit. He barely managed to push Danny-boy away before he couldn't hold it back anymore. He faintly heard Veronica give a shrill scream, but it was distant. The bulk of his thinking was centered around the sight of something far different than vomit splattered on the ground in front of him. Even while he tried to figure out where all the blood had come from, he felt more rise up in his throat.

He didn't understand what was going on. He'd been fine just a few minutes ago, but now he was getting dizzy. Had he pulled something or hurt himself when he'd thrown that guy? That couldn't be right! He'd had all of his strength and he hadn't felt any pain! He was beginning to feel pain now, though. There was a twisting in his gut that made him heave a third time. It hurt. It had been hurting, he realized. He'd just gotten so used to the pain that he'd blocked it out. Because of that tolerance, he'd not noticed when the pain had become critical.

He was noticing it now.

The world seemed to tip over as he fell once more. Standing was impossible. Staying balanced on his knees was impossible. He felt so weak and the blood continued to gush forward. Clawing at his stomach didn't seem to help any. No matter how hard he clenched his sides and no matter how he twisted and turned in place, the pain only seemed to spasm harder until he was blinded by the agony. He didn't understand it. Why hadn't he seen the warning signs? For his gut to be twisting so badly, he was beyond the point that he normally would have snapped. Why was he vomiting blood and loosing strength at such a terrifying rate? Why hadn't he went after Poe before this point?!

He was going to die at this rate. There was so much blood. He could tell that it was getting dangerous, but a quiet little part of him felt strangely at ease.

Finally, he could go see Snicker again.

With that in mind, he closed his eyes and gave in to the growing need to sleep.

* * *

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

"Five more minutes," he mumbled.

"Well, isn't that a first?" The other replied in surprise. Tsuna's eyes snapped open at the tone and looked around. He was immediately disappointed from his hopes by the sight of Jules instead of Snicker. "From what I hear," the doctor continued with a wide smile while Tsuna's heart sank, "you always jump out of bed at the first hint of a wake-up call. What's wrong? Are you getting dizzy again?"

"No," Tsuna murmured. Clenching his teeth, he tried to keep his disappointment from showing. He should have known better. Snicker was dead and Tsuna was Lazarus. They wouldn't be allowed to meet so easily. Not while Tsuna still had a debt to repay on both of their behalf. Trying to sit up, he found that he couldn't. Not only was he handcuffed to the hospital bed, but he felt incredibly weak. "What happened?"

"You starved to death," Jules answered with a sheepish scratch to his chin while he looked over what was probably Tsuna's medical charts. "At least, that's what it looks like. I'm not really understanding it because your blood was as healthy as I've ever seen. Well, not completely. You lost a lot of it. It seems that your body turned on itself. It happens in cases of extreme anorexia. With nothing else to eat, your body tries to eat itself. You ended up with a pretty good sized hole in your stomach. I just can't figure out the cause unless it has something to do with your unique issues."

"Was Poe here?" He asked quietly.

"How did you know?" Jules inquired in return. "He managed to get in for a few minutes before the guards made him leave. That was right before your surgery. The timing is pretty odd, but I guess I should thank him if he did something. By the time we got you stabilized enough to go in and close the breach, the hole was already on its way toward healing itself closed. Did Poe...?"

"Probably," Tsuna murmured with a small shrug, knowing that the doctor was asking about the likelihood that Poe had inserted his own blood into Tsuna's system. "But if that's the case, then I don't know why I still feel so weak. I usually get more energy when he...you know."

"It probably has something to do with your new treatment," Jules said in thought. "I questioned him on it a bit before we delivered your gum. He said that you shouldn't need to feed anymore with it. You'll constantly feel hungry, but it'd keep it at a level that you can manage. From what I can tell, you lose out on that speedy healing that you have since you're not taking in a lot, but you don't have to worry about insanity. It's the difference between quitting cold turkey and quitting over time. You still have withdrawals, but they're held to a level that you can deal with. I have a feeling that they weren't thinking about physical withdrawals when they decided to put you on this new treatment. They were only thinking of mental withdrawals and believed that the body would follow suit. That's not always the case."

"What does that mean for me?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"It means that you need to rest," he replied with a smile, seeing how Tsuna's eyes kept wanting to fall shut. "I'm going to go track down your friend Poe and see if I can figure more of this out. For now, you're healthy enough that they're going to transfer you back to the jail. You're on bed-rest for the next week, so sleep as much as you can. I'll be coming down there to check on you as soon as I get some answers."

"I'm almost out of gum," he mumbled sleepily. Closing his eyes, he planned to only rest them for a moment so that the heaviness would go away. When he opened them again, he could tell instantly that he'd had them closed for more than a few seconds. He was back in his cell again, where someone had carefully tucked him into his blankets. It was dark and quiet. The tang of pheromones in the air from the other inmates told him that it was night time. Covering his head with his pillow before the pheromones affected him too badly, he tried to figure out how long he'd been out. The infirmary hadn't had any windows for him to tell the time of day. On top of that, days could have passed instead of mere hours. Jules hadn't given him much information before he'd fallen asleep again.

The sleep alone worried him. He shouldn't be this tired, especially after he'd just woken up. It should have been impossible for him to fall asleep again after waking up in the hospital, yet he had. He felt like he could simply close his eyes and fall back asleep now.

He wanted to, but there was something else that was screaming for him to get up.

It took him several minutes to crawl out of his bunk to use the toilet and he felt like he was going to fall over by the time that he made it back. It was when he crawled back under his covers that he noticed the sound of paper crinkling from inside his pillow. Reaching inside of it, he felt around until he was able to pull out what looked to be a letter. For him, it was easy to read it in the faint light of the jail's security lighting.

_Lazarus,_

_The first thing you probably want to know is why you're still weak. I've talked to Poe and I have your answer. The basic knowledge you need to know is that you are cured. Please continue reading before you get too elated. I should say that you're cured as far as the other successful test cases have shown. Out of ten people with your condition that was put onto the trial, four have successfully adapted to using the gum. Three more were forced to return to blood-pills when they were unable to control the disease. Two more were unfortunately killed. The last one is still awaiting results and is currently being held in isolation. Poe says that the likelihood of him adapting is low at this point. He would give me no other details, but said that you would know what happened to them._

_His explanation was that you are dehydrated completely now. The blood that you take in from the gum is actually what is intended to repair the damage from the physical withdrawals. In other words, you've only been getting what you can use in the moment and nothing more. That is why you're feeling tired. Your body is returning to a normal pattern in order to compensate for the lack of blood intake. That's wonderful news in case you haven't figured it out yet. From what Poe tells me, you've gotten control in record time. Doing so is rare, which is why the test cases had a sixty percent failure rate. The chances of you adapting were low, as well, which was why he didn't want you to know the details during the transition. From what he says, the fact that your body turned on itself instead of sending you after him when you hit breaking point means that you are in the success pool of trial recipients. He assures me that he has been standing by in a place that his presence would not affect the outcome of your transition and has been on hand in case you were unable to adapt. He seemed somewhat afraid that coming near might undo everything that you have been unknowingly working for these past three months._

_None of this is telling you what you need to know, so I'll make it short. You no longer have to feed from a source. As long as you can keep control at the level that you are at, the psychological aspects have been overwritten. This is relying on your addiction to harmless bubblegum instead. Until your body has accepted the pains and it does not try to turn on itself, you'll have to continue with the Anima gum. In time, any brand will be sufficient. I have had a new box smuggled into your locker for the time being. Please take two pieces at a time for the next week to ensure that your body gets enough of a boost to recover. After that, your orders are to return to the same method that you were using before. It might be painful, but this is for the best in the long-run. Try to eat more if you can. Your body needs energy outside of blood to replenish what is lost from activity and recovery. You need to train both sides of your hunger to feed off the same source. _

_If you can do that, you'll be free._

_Signed,_

_Dr. Jules_

_P.S. I'm working with Poe to see if we can get you a temporary booster that you can use that won't set you back on this treatment. It would be a shame not to use the healing abilities and other bonuses when you've already went through so much pain._

_P.P.S. Any chance your cellmate would be interested in becoming a male nurse?_

Tsuna stared at the letter in shock. He'd had no clue that the gum was intended for such a purpose. He'd thought that he was getting the same amount of blood that he'd always gotten, so he'd treated his hunger like he always had. He knew that they'd been working on 'dehydrating' him, but he hadn't known that this was the outcome. That had to be why Autumn had ignored his letter. She'd known that his cravings were getting worse, but they had no intention of letting him feed. Even when Poe had come while he was in the hospital, he couldn't have given more than a few drops so that he could heal. There was no excess anymore for his body to take in and store.

He was still a werewolf, but he was beginning to control the Hunger instead of being controlled by it.

"I'm free?"

He didn't understand. In what way was he free? If what Dr. Jules had written was true, then he was free to safely leave Poe's range as long as he had a stock of gum with him. That was the only way that he was free, though. The Council would be keeping a close eye on him in the future to see if he would revert. He still got incredibly hungry at times and felt like he might break if he didn't get something that he could bite into. He had to constantly control himself and sometimes felt like he was a taunt cord that was ready to snap. How was that freedom? He was going to have to spend the rest of his life like this? This was as much as he could be cured?

That wasn't the real questions that he wanted to ask. The real questions were much harder to focus. Why hadn't they given him this much freedom while Snicker was alive? Why couldn't they have done this three months ago so that he would have been harmlessly chewing bubblegum instead of being caught biting Poe?

On top of that were questions that he wanted to ask directly from Poe. These were questions that a small, calm corner of his mind came up with. What other werewolves? Ten test cases? Poe had said that it was rare for a werewolf to be created. He thought that he'd been the first in decades, excluding Lord Nephriam's nanny. Had they been hiding all this time? Had Poe lied to him?!

What the hell was going on outside of his cell?!


	59. Chapter 59 Boredom

"I'm bored," Tsuna whined. His three buddies shot him amused looks, but he couldn't help his tone. All he had was himself and a cigarette. His hair had already been redone recently and he was good enough in his classes now that he didn't even get homework. Peter-sensei wouldn't assign him a new book until next week and he couldn't work out. It wasn't that he didn't want to work out, but the prison had cycled into summer water conservation as soon as the rains had stopped enough that they were allowed outside without ponchos on. They were only allowed showers once every three days and he had no desire to stink unless he had to. The odor was already bad enough at night without him having to smell himself. On top of everything, he'd already used all of his good behavior points to check up with Gigi and to let Autumn know that he was still fine in the aftermath of his 'nap'.

There was nothing to do. He wasn't interested in watching television since he only got two lousy static-filled channels on the handheld. If they would allow him a bigger antenna, he could probably get more. They wouldn't, though. It was too likely to become someone's shank if they let them have antennas longer than the half-inch plastic-covered knob that they were allowed. He could listen to music on Danny-boy's radio, but that wouldn't make it any less boring. He'd just have music while he was bored, assuming he could get a station that was to his tastes.

He'd learned a lot more than he thought he would in the past few months. He wasn't thinking of Peter-sensei when it came to that, either. He was thinking of how the world really worked. Snicker had the right of things. Idealism was good, but realism was the way to go. There was a lot less disappointment that way. He couldn't say that he was really happy, but he wasn't unhappy, either. Not since he'd stopped worrying about everyone else and only took care of himself.

"A chain came in this morning," Danny-boy sighed, crouching down against the fence next to Tsuna. Tsuna perked up a bit at the mention. A chain meant a new bus had come in. A new bus meant there was new blood in the facility.

"Anyone interesting?" Tsuna asked while trying not to show how interested he already was.

"Mostly fish," he shrugged. "One or two looked like gladiators, but the rest seemed pretty boring. They're probably hiding in their cells right now."

"They have to come out sooner or later," Tsuna murmured with a slow smile spreading across his face. Boredom could do strange things to a person. He'd learned that over time. At the moment, he was bored enough that he hoped for a fight just to break up the monotony. Training was good and all, but there was nothing like the insane rush that he got from trading blows. It satisfied a part of him that had grown since coming into prison. Eat. Fight. Mate. Life actually felt good when those three needs were satisfied. When he was younger, eating had been the menu for happiness. Candy and bentos were a simple joy that he'd innocently thought made life grand. He'd grown up and had learned that food was a much more nitty-gritty need. Gluttony didn't seem as attractive after he had starved. That had been okay, because Snicker had introduced him to a new need that had made him happy to satisfy. He'd satisfied it over and over again with Mike's whores. After a while, he'd even got himself a permanent mate, but had lost him through neglect.

Now, food no longer held his interest like it used to and it made him sick to think of partnering with someone new. There was still fighting, though. He'd been too much of a pansy to appreciate it when he was younger. There was a lot about fighting that he could appreciate once he wasn't scared of getting hit. Without the pain of shame and self-disgust, he'd learned that he was pretty good at fighting. His instincts had grown to a point that he actually felt a desire for fighting, too.

His mother would be ashamed of him. Life had turned him into a monster that she probably wouldn't even recognize. He knew that, but there was no turning back. His mother couldn't replace Snicker anyway. No one could. All he could do was to continue down the path that he'd chosen until he reached the end. Whether that path made him into a gang leader, a one-eyed villain, a tattooed freak, or a cold-blooded hitman, all he could do was to keep trudging forward.

Tattooed freak gave him an idea to pass the time, though.

"I want a tattoo," Tsuna said plainly.

"I'll go," Veronica snapped, jumping to his feet before either Danny-boy or Sassy could respond. "Pedro owes me one." Tsuna didn't say a word as the little man scampered away. They all owed him and were just as grateful for a way to repay their debts as Tsuna was to Autumn for a way to repay his own. He gave them that opportunity. Unlike in the past when he would have told them to forget it, he was more worldly now. Because of that, he had no problems accepting the service of others unlike he might have before. He knew the pain of being worthless, so he gave them the dignity of usefulness. He might have had more qualms about it if they weren't so eager to submit to him. They were eager, though, so he just rolled with it. Everyone was happier that way. Things were quiet and peaceful and orderly.

Unfortunately, too much quiet and peace was as bad as too much disorder and misconduct. He was itching for a fight. The only problem was that Autumn would never forgive him for starting a fight. She'd forgiven him for his past brawls since he'd never started it, but she'd make him regret it if he was the agitator for no reason other than boredom. He'd probably not forgive himself, either. That meant that he needed something else to pass the time.

A tattoo sounded as good as anything else. From what he could tell, it was somewhat a right of passage to get a tattoo while in prison. There was no question of whether it'd be breaking the rules or whether it'd be done sanitary. He had no clue how guys got them done, but that didn't matter. Danny-boy, Veronica, and Sassy were all repeat offenders that knew the ropes. They had the brains and connections that he lacked. He had the muscle and reputation that they needed. They probably thought that they were using him like a fool since he rarely asked for anything out of the ordinary. He thought they were just as foolish for asking so little in return for all the things that he did request. No matter what it was, all he had to do was mention it and they'd take care of everything else for him. There was still something on occasion that he had to deal with personally, but his life was easy and smooth when no one was stepping up to fight.

"Do I want to ask why someone owes Veronica something?" Tsuna asked while he lit himself another cigarette.

"Probably not," Danny-boy replied. Tsuna nodded and left it at that. All three of them knew that they had the freedom to do whatever they pleased. He wasn't an overlord that chained his servants to him. They also knew not to do anything in front of him. If anything was to be done regarding other inmates, it had to be done behind his back. He couldn't help his possessiveness. It had increased exponentially after he'd returned from the hospital.

All three of them had shown that they were useful for more than what he'd been using them for. Danny-boy had stayed at his side and had nursed him until he'd gotten his strength back from the blood loss. Veronica and Sassy had stayed outside his cell most of the time, keeping anyone from getting a good look at him when they came close. On that, Big Daddy had proven useful, too. He'd stayed with the two men until Tsuna was back to fighting trim. In exchange, Tsuna had used his contact in the commissary to get a case of ramen held back and had used that as payment. Normally, the ramen sold out quickly since everyone stocked up as soon as a new shipment came in, which was why he hadn't even known that they sold it. He hadn't been interested in getting any since he got plenty of food from the cafeteria, but it seemed that the larger guys weren't as easily satisfied with prison chow.

After that, he'd realized how much worse things could have been without the three. It was naive of him to think that he could actually survive over a year without making any alliances or friendships. Of course, he wasn't going to tell his three friends that. They had a satisfactory agreement already in place and there was no sense in changing any of it despite the epiphany. Danny-boy had probably already figured it out, but he'd wisely kept his mouth shut. Even when he'd openly accepted them and had told Veronica what he wanted to hear, Danny-boy hadn't made a single comment. Veronica was happy. Sassy was happy. Danny-boy seemed amused and happy. There was no need for anything to be said on the matter.

Thankfully, none of them minded his possessiveness. They all took it as a sign of acceptance and didn't comment. Not a single one of them seemed bothered by it. They were actually the opposite. They seemed somewhat relieved, which still confused him. Despite that, he knew to keep his own mouth shut and not question it. There was no point in throwing rocks into his calm stream, especially when all of them were intentionally not throwing their own. As long as none of them had any complaints, then life was running smoothly. If a complaint came up, he'd deal with it like he dealt with all the obstacles that he came across. He'd get rid of it in the most expedient fashion that he could.

"Veronica says you're looking for ink, Chino?" Tsuna glared for a second at the little Spanish man that crouched down next to him before letting the name pass. He couldn't tell if the guy was Spanish, Latino or Mexican, so it was probably just as hard for him to tell that Tsuna was Japanese instead of Chinese or of some other Asian nationality.

"Are you any good?" He asked curiously. In answer, the man pulled off his shirt entirely and started pointing out tattoos that he'd done on himself in boredom. He'd had time to practice. That much was clear in the detail and clarity of his recent ones. His old ones looked like a complete mess. He laughed and told a story about one that looked faintly like a penis, but Tsuna only listened with half an ear. His focus was more on the one that he was still working on. It was obvious which one was the one in progress since it was mildly swollen. The sight of the swelling didn't bother Tsuna in the least since he knew from experience on his arms and lower back that it was normal. What he was more curious about was the skill that it looked like the man had. "You got time to finish a big piece?" Tsuna interrupted into the man's story.

"How big?" Pedro replied. In answer, Tsuna pulled off his own shirt and pointed to the X on his chest.

"You ever seen the Martelli Family crest?" He asked curiously.

"Si," he nodded softly. "Two crossed hammers. I see what you want, Chino. You want to me to work it in with the X as the handles. It shouldn't be too hard, but you gotta give me a drawing if you want it done right. It's been a while since I seen it."

"I can draw it for you," he sighed, slinging his shirt over his shoulder. "I just want this X covered up. I'm not a fucking porn star and I don't like being mistaken for one when I take my shirt off. How long do you think it'll take? I'll want the complete emblem and maybe some writing in around the edges to pull the eyes away from the center."

"Not long," he replied with a considering gleam in his eyes. "I can call in a few of mi hermanos and we can have most of it done by chow-time."

"If...?" Tsuna prompted in askance of the price.

"Very strong, Chino. Yes?"

"Mas o menos," he replied with a crooked grin, deciding to switch over into Spanish rather than beat around the bush. _More or less_. "Que usted quiere?" _What do you want?_

"Usted ensena cierto hombre una leccion," he grinned. _Teach a certain man a lesson_. Tsuna grinned in return. He'd be more than happy to have a good reason to get in a fight.

"Quien?" _Who_? In answer, Pedro sent a pointed glare at a large man who was hogging the iron pile to himself. Tsuna had noticed him before since the man tended to break two unsaid rules in the joint. One of those rules was to not hog all the damn weights. The second rule was to not get funky. The man smelled like a sweat-sock that had been left to mold in a gym bag for a month. "Que el hizo?" _What did he do_?

"Él habla mierda en su célula sobre mí y mis hermanos," he spat angrily. "Cuando él sale, él es silencioso y habla el malo de nadie. Él necesita ser enseñado a guardar su silencio siempre! Mis hermanos están casi hacia fuera en libertad condicional. Lastimaría sus ocasiones de ponerlo en su lugar, pero si usted lo hace…" _He talks shit in his cell about me and my brothers. When he comes out, he is silent and speaks bad of no one. He needs to be taught to keep his silence always! My brothers are almost out on parole. It would hurt their chances to put him in his place, but if you do it..._

"I'll take care of it," Tsuna agreed with a wide grin. "Just get the tattoo done first. I want something to look at while I'm down in the hole."

"Really, Chino?!" He exclaimed in open surprise that Tsuna would be willing to get locked up in solitary so easily.

"I just said I would," he growled in reply. "A few other people are getting fed up with him and I'm tired of smelling him anyway. You better just not fuck up the tattoo. Oh. And I'm not Chino. I'm Laz. Get it right."

"Si!" Pedro agreed enthusiastically. "Give me ten minutes to get the supplies, Laz. I don't usually do it out here, but--"

"Let me worry about it," he sighed. "Just go get what you need and I'll have your work space by the time you get back with your brothers."

"I'll take care of it," Danny-boy exclaimed with Sassy. Both of them jumped to their feet to go call in debts that they'd racked up in ways that Tsuna was sure that he didn't want to know about. Pedro left on their heels, leaving Tsuna with a nearly glowing Veronica to sit down next to him.

"You did good," he murmured quietly, reaching out to gently rub his hair. The action would have been unthinkable when they'd first met, but he knew Veronica enough now. He knew him enough that he knew that the pat on the head was actually enjoyed. It was pretty much the only physical contact that Veronica got out of him, after all.

"Pedro's really sweet," he smiled in barely-restrained joy over the momentary caress. "He's not like all the other guys who pretend that they don't know me. He sometimes buys me a snack while we're on break in the laundry together and he doesn't ignore me when I wave to him."

"Ah," Tsuna replied sheepishly in sudden understanding. The two hooked up during their work shift while Tsuna was being taught by Peter-sensei. More than likely, Pedro was like many of the others housed in the facility. He was straight while he was on the outside, but was willing to turn gay while inside. It was an unspoken rule that what happened in prison stayed in prison. Pedro probably had a wife and kid on the outside or a girlfriend at the least. He'd go back to them when he got out without anything being said about what went on with Veronica while inside. Of course, not all men crossed the line while incarcerated. Tsuna wasn't that naive. For every individual that did switch sides while inside, there were two to three others that didn't. Those that chose not to hook up had their own way of dealing with their needs and Tsuna knew one of them quite personally.

Just because Snicker was dead didn't mean that he was. The sudden lonliness was sometimes unbearable when he could still remember Snicker's touch so vividly. Combining that with the pheromones that polluted the air at night made it very hard to sleep sometimes. Even when he could sleep without giving in, he tended to wake up with the issue anyway after even his dreams were corrupted. He had no desire to share his fantasies with anyone else, which meant that he only had one option. That option was to fantasize even more until his body believed that it was Snicker's hands on him instead of his own.

"I got a spot over by the basketball court," Sassy hissed with a wide smile while he squatted down next to Tsuna like a school-girl in a skirt. "The guard tower can't see that corner very well and the camera only points there for a few seconds. Roots' said that he don't mind you sitting over there for today since I've done him a few favors in the past."

"I got Billy-Jo and his friends to provide cover," Danny-boy added in his own whisper, crouching down in front of Tsuna with his own pleased smile. "They said they'd do it for a cigarette an hour."

"A cigarette each?" Tsuna asked with wide eyes.

"No, no," he soothed with a furious head-shake. "Just one to Billy-Jo. I took him over in private to ask. None of his guys have any clue about the trade and they'll just follow him. He'll have one of his boys keep

watch, too, but that comes with the fee."

"Good work, both of you," he praised quietly, knowing exactly what they were looking at him so expectantly for. He still didn't understand it despite being with them so long, but they really did like to be treated like dogs at times. Petting, praise, and treats included. "I'll have to have Gigi send me some more candy for you guys. M&Ms, Twizzlers, and Gummy Bears. Right?"

"Can I get a Twix this time?" Danny-boy asked with a fat lip sticking out.

"Can she send me the ones with peanuts?" Sassy added in hope.

"Sure," he laughed before looking at Veronica in resignation. "What about you?"

"I'm happy with Twizzlers," he replied with a small blush. "You don't have to get me anything special."

"You want the Pull-and-Peel Twizzlers instead of regular ones," Tsuna supplied knowingly before Sassy could do more than open his mouth to counter the lie.

"I-If it's not too much trouble..." He mumbled with an even more sheepish blush. Tsuna nodded and stood, reaching out to pat him once more on the head in the process. Veronica seemed the most shy out of the group despite also being the most feminine. He tended to need more praise than Sassy and Danny-boy, just so that he'd have the confidence to speak out at the same level as the others. Thankfully, no one begrudged the extra attention since they were all still taken care of.

"You ready, Laz?" Pedro asked, walking up with no sign that he had any tools on him. Giving a nod in return, Tsuna's three helpers jumped to their feet and followed as Tsuna led the way to the point that Sassy had gotten for him. He gave a polite nod of thanks to Root for the permission to enter his territory on his way through and got a crooked grin in reply. They both knew the score. Namely, that it was even. Tsuna didn't owe him squat and he already paid Sassy for getting the spot.

While he settled himself comfortably into the corner where the yard's fence met the prison wall, Pedro's two brothers slowly made their way to them. It would look too odd for everyone to go at once, so they came a few at a time too keep the guards from noticing the shift. They weren't the only ones that made their way in that direction. Billy-Jo and his gang inched their way over, too. Then, Billy-Jo did the smartest thing of all. He openly walked up to Tsuna and mimed like he was just trying to bum a cigarette. Of course, Tsuna gave him his payment and added an extra to the mix. This had the effect of giving all the guys a reason to hang around in a fashion that also blocked the camera.

"Here's a paper and pencil to draw," Pedro murmured, pulling out a folded piece of paper and a pencil for Tsuna to use. Tsuna nodded and got to work, sketching out the Martelli Family emblem. In truth, he'd been thinking about it for a while now, but hadn't been able to decide whether to wait until he was on the outside to get it done. Ever since Veronica and Sassy had recognized him as Black X, he'd wanted to get rid of the stigma of that. The bulk of his chest scars were gone, but that one refused to disappear. No matter how he had destroyed the skin while he'd still been feeding from Poe, it'd always healed back without becoming flawless skin like the rest of him did. There was actually more flawless skin on him now than scars, thanks to all the fights and the lynching that he'd been through. That one refused to go away, however. He had the feeling that the two black marks on his arm would be no different, which was why he'd touched up his arm tattoos instead of removing them like he had with the wing tattoos on his back.

Those were traces of another person. He didn't want any of them. He was himself and no other. He could just imagine what the X on his chest was for. It'd probably been Reborn's way of telling him that he was the Tenth, which was even more of a reason to get rid of it. He wasn't Tsunayoshi Sawada, the Tenth Boss of the Vongola Family. He was Lazarus Timberson, Sixth Knight in the Martelli Family. He was who he was and he refused to let the past continue to shadow him.

"This works," Tsuna murmured, handing over the emblem that was drawn like what he remembered from his ring. In addition to the emblem, he'd added a ring around the outer edges that text could be inserted into. At the top was a single numeral six centered between the crossed hammers while the words across the bottom said something that Tsuna found ironically fitting.

"Martello Di Giustizia...?" Pedro read with a raised eyebrow. Tsuna gave a crooked grin in reply while Danny-boy and the others craned their necks to look at the paper in curiosity.

"It means 'Hammer of Justice' in Italian," Tsuna supplied, stretching out to lay his head in Veronica's lap before he could do more than squeak. "Now get started. The sooner that I'm happy, the sooner that your little problem gets slapped down."

"Si."

* * *

"Wake up, Laz," Veronica whispered in his ear. Hearing the urgent note in his ear, he didn't waste any time in sitting up from his nap.

"Did they mess it up?' Tsuna asked, looking down at his own chest in worry. It didn't look messed up. Far from it. Although his chest was red, the black tattoo seemed as perfect as he could ask for. Despite the fact that it had been made with ink from an ink pen and a paperclip stolen from the library, it still looked professionally done. He could barely tell where the X ended and the tattoo began. "What's wrong?" He asked in confusion. Looking around, he quickly found the reason that he'd been awakened.

Danny-boy was laid out on the ground. He didn't even have to ask who. Everyone was backing away from the man entirely. While it confused the idiot who'd hit Danny-boy, Tsuna thought that everyone was very, very smart for their actions. Everyone in the prison knew that Danny-boy was Tsuna's. For someone to hit Danny-boy was as if they had stepped on something that Tsuna owned. It was the same difference as stealing from his locker or screwing with his lunch.

He felt a wave of cold rage sweep over him and a touch of excitement. He could finally deal with the itch that had been driving him crazy. It would break his peace and quiet if he started a fight, but he had complete rights to strike back against the rock that had rolled into his river. Pedro and his brothers pressed themselves against the wall when Tsuna quietly stood up and put his shirt on. Root and his boys had stopped playing basketball in order to watch. Billy-Jo and his friends had done likewise. All across the yard, people stopped what they were doing in order to stare. They stared at Tsuna in belief that they were about to see blood and they stared at the idiot that had punched Danny-boy in belief that he was a suicidal moron.

They'd get what they wanted eventually.

"What are you doing, Danny-boy," Tsuna sighed, kneeling down where his cellmate had fallen. He completely ignored the man that had hit him. The fool was glaring like Tsuna had stolen his thunder, which only marked him as even more of a grass-green newcomer. It happened sometimes that a new convict had heard enough stories that he tried to walk in and make a name about himself. Even Tsuna had known upon entering the facility that there were only two options. His choice had been to either make it clear that he wasn't to be bothered or else he became someone's crony. The man who'd punched Danny-boy was no different. He didn't want to be anyone's toy, so he'd done a chin-check on the first guy that he'd come across with a build that he thought he could handle. The guy had no clue that Danny-boy wasn't a fighter.

"He just punched me out of nowhere," Danny-boy grimaced while he continue to lay down in defeat. Tsuna looked at him with his disgust plain on his face. It was an expression that Danny-boy cringed from, but couldn't particularly argue with. Not only was he not even trying to fight back, but he probably hadn't even protected himself.

"You know better," he replied with a small smile. "Weren't you the one that told me that a new chain came in this morning? It's your own fault for standing out in the open."

"I know," he agreed with a flinch for the accurate words.

"I'm not going to get revenge," Tsuna warned plainly, once more standing up to stare directly at the man who'd hit Danny-boy. Danny-boy stared at him in shock for a moment, but then bowed his head and nodded in acceptance. He knew that Tsuna already had a previous engagement. "I am going to give a little warning, though," he murmured with his smile once more flickering along his lips. Danny-boy's head snapped up in surprise while the convict standing several feet away stiffened in belief that he was about to fight again. "He looks like he could be a sweet kid with a little direction."

"Laz--!!" Danny-boy choked. He had reason to choke. To name the newcomer as a sweet kid marked him as someone that was allied with a more experienced convict. Although the guy didn't know it, Tsuna had just laid claim.

"He noticed your build before your face," Tsuna murmured while he openly inspected the new guy. This only had the effect of making the man tense even more. He was ready to fight and he had no clue while there was choking laughter from many of the watchers. He had spirit, even if he was completely naive, however. Tsuna knew from having to barter with Big Daddy that it might be handy to have some muscle other than himself. He wasn't interested in taking someone already claimed, but the fresh meat was free to choose from. "I'm bored," he repeated, talking directly to the new convict for once. "What's your name, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," the man growled, making Tsuna smile even more. The guy didn't understand that he was already marked. He was older than Tsuna by the looks of it, but he didn't realize that age had nothing to do with him being a kid.

"Oh, I think that you're a very sweet kid," he retorted in open amusement. "You should be more careful about who's toes you step on, though. You don't want to end up like Funky."

"Funky...?" He prompted in confusion, not lowering his defensive stance for an instant.

"Funky is a guy who's been talking shit about my good friend Pedro," Tsuna replied, smiling over at where his target was slowly becoming isolated. Everyone knew who Tsuna was talking about and everyone moved away from the person that Tsuna had decided to focus on. "His name is Funky because he's got so much funk on him that I can smell him from three blocks away. It's been ruining my appetite lately. I thought we might play a little game of 'Red Light, Green Light' after dinner. How does that sound, Funky? Oh, that's right. You're too busy talking shit to say 'Red Light'. I guess we'll just have to play the 'Green Light' part by itself."

"G-Green Light?" Funky repeated while all the blood rushed out of his face, knowing that the term meant that Tsuna had been contracted to take him out.

"Don't go running to punk city on me," he warned with a smile. "If you're good, I might make the game end pretty fast. It all depends on how much I have to smell you at dinner." Tsuna shook his head softly in disgust when Funky went running at the warning. More than likely, he was running to his cell to attempt to give himself a makeshift bath in his cell's sink. A roar of laughter followed him and Tsuna looked over to see Pedro smiling with an open thumbs up. Terrorizing the guy a little in addition to beating him meant that Pedro would work even harder on any future tattoos that Tsuna got.

"Danny-boy," he sighed, looking up to see that it was getting close to dinner-time. "Go grab me a pack of gum to take into the hole with me."

"Yes," he nodded, scrambling toward the door before he even got his feet under him. Turning his attention back to the ready-to-fight gladiator that had knocked Danny-boy down, he gave a little wave of farewell before turning his back to walk back over to where Veronica was still sitting. "Watch what happens to Funky and see if you still want to fight," Tsuna advised. He said nothing more. He didn't need to say anything more. The gladiator wasn't stupid. Once he saw the one-sided fight that was to come, he'd be more willing to be friendly. If he wasn't, then Tsuna got a reason to fight someone else since the guy had hit Danny-boy. It was a win for Tsuna no matter what. One way or another, the gladiator was going to help break up the monotony of each day. On that, Tsuna had already decided. Just as it was Danny-boy's fault for making himself a target to get hit, it was the kid's fault for making himself a target for Tsuna.

The guy seemed unsure of himself. Tsuna saw it plainly while he sat back down next to Veronica and lit himself a fresh cigarette without a care in the world. He was just standing in place, marking himself as more of an idiot with every moment that passed. No one was going near him since Tsuna had shown his interest for everyone to see. No one would so much as breathe on him unless Tsuna gave the go-ahead. Tsuna might not have an army at his beck and call, but he still got the respect that all the other Block leaders received. At the moment, only the Block leaders had the courage to interfere with something that Tsuna had put his eyes on. It was quite possible that one of the others might step in and take him before Tsuna got him completely, but that would just make things more interesting in the future. Whether the man like it or not, he was a toy now for having hit the wrong person. Punishment didn't require agreement and no one said that punishment had to be in the form of a fight.

It was amusing to watch Kid, as Tsuna mentally tagged him, try to get his bearings while his feet were still knocked out from under him. He didn't even seem to realize that Tsuna had knocked his feet out from under him. Kid had completely lost control of the situation at the moment that he'd actually listened to Tsuna's words instead of fighting. The amusing part was his attempts to regain his balance. People shunned him completely, going so far as to clear out of any space that he walked toward. Everywhere that he went was a clear path and he seemed to think that it was because he had assumed dominance with laying Danny-boy out flat.

While Tsuna pulled his shirt up to let Pedro finish touching up the tattoo that he'd fallen asleep during, Tsuna got to watch as Kid slowly came to realize that people weren't staying away from him because he was feared. They were staying away from him because he was being shunned. His face got incredibly red at one point and Tsuna could almost hear the thoughts running through his head while he sat against an empty space of fence. It was obvious that everyone was talking about him because eyes darted to him constantly. The part that he was blushing about was the part where those same eyes shot to Tsuna afterwards.

"Why are you interested in him, Laz?" Veronica asked while Tsuna stole a drink from his soda. "There's got to be someone more interesting if you want a new pet. I don't like that one. He--"

"Did I ask what you like?" Tsuna interrupted quietly.

"N-no," he replied dejectedly. "I just didn't know that you liked that type. He's big and hairy and not attractive at all!"

"Don't worry," Tsuna laughed, seeing instantly where his issues spawned from. Reaching out once more, he put a hand on the back of Veronica's neck to give him a reassuring squeeze. "I'm not looking to replace my pampered little kitten. I just thought a dog might be nice for when I feel like hunting."

"Oh," Veronica gasped with a bashful blush, taking immense pleasure in being called a kitten.

"Someone go check on Danny-boy," he ordered softly. "He's probably upset about getting hit in the face. He held it together while he was out here, but he's probably upset that I was hard on him, too."

"I'll go," Sassy offered, jumping to his feet to fulfill Tsuna's wishes. Tsuna watched him go, feeling incredibly saddened that there were people that were so willing to act like servants. He knew that he paid all three of them to work for him, but he sometimes wished that they'd tell him to do it himself. He sometimes felt disgusted with himself for giving them what they wanted, but he couldn't really see any other option. He was afraid that getting closer to any of them would increase the chances of owing something in return for the things that they did for him. Besides that, they actually preferred him to be like he was. There was a strange feeling in his gut that said none of them would be happy if he tried to back out of the role that they'd put him into. Like Danny-boy had said before, they were all three people that liked to be used. That was probably why Tsuna had found interest in an otherwise unremarkable man. Simply put, Kid was the complete opposite of those that he'd been surrounded by. Where the three that stayed around Tsuna were attractive, Kid looked like an ape. Where the three were submissive to a fault, Kid wanted to be dominant. Where the three obeyed his every order, he was hoping that Kid would put up resistance in order to make things interesting.

"I'm such a pathetic man," Tsuna murmured in self-loathing. He missed his friends. His friends would have never stood for him acting in such a manner. They would have put him in his place instead of calmly accepting what he planned. To toy with another person was despicable, but it was common practice within the facility. It wasn't as if they had a whole lot of other options to pass the time.

"SUOH! ARE YOU OUT HERE?!"

Tsuna's head snapped up in shock and his jaw dropped. He knew that voice. Shoving Pedro away, he yanked his shirt back into place, scrambled to his feet, and started running. No less than six people got knocked over while he tried to answer the call before his path cleared.

"LITTLE GUY...?! HAS ANYONE SEEN--"

"BIG GUY!" Tsuna yelled, sliding around the corner the corner of the building in order to see Ore standing outside the facility doors. It was impossible, but he was there. A strange corner of Tsuna's mind wondered where they found a uniform to fit him while another part asked why he was even present. Neither part got answered. The part that got answered was the overwhelming feeling in his chest that let out a exploding shout while he barreled forward into his friend. He'd never been so happy to see someone in his life. It didn't matter if he'd told them not to come. It didn't matter that for him to be present meant that he'd been convicted. It was selfish and pathetic and disgusting of him, but he didn't care about any of it. All he cared about was that he wasn't alone anymore.

"That's one outrageous greeting," Ore laughed, barely managing to react when Tsuna jumped up to strangle him with a hug. The moment that his arms wrapped around Tsuna to return the hug, Tsuna snapped back to himself. Letting go of Ore's neck, he let the giant see his face for three seconds before Tsuna's fist rammed into his jaw. Ore fell backwards like a tree, dropping Tsuna in the process. He started to catch himself on the way down, but he still landed on his rear from the unexpected blow.

"What are you doing here?!" Tsuna shouted angrily. "I thought I told you not to do anything stupid! Didn't Gigi give you my message?!"

"He gave it to me alright," Ore growled. Doubling over to get leverage to hoist himself up, Tsuna was unprepared for the rushing tackle that the giant rammed into him with. Before he could do more than put up a hasty block, Ore knocked him into the air. Shifting his center of gravity so that he could flip over despite being airborne, Ore's following shout made him almost land on his own rear regardless. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Eh?" Tsuna landed in shock, hearing his own question from long past thrown back at him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Ore roared angrily. "Did you think no one would have a problem with you making such an outrageous decision?! Snicker would be ashamed if he knew that you'd written such a load of bullshit!" Unconsciously, Tsuna took two steps backward from the impact of the words. They were a simultaneous punch to the gut and a slap to the face. They were blows that he couldn't dodge, evade, or block. That was why they hurt him so much worse than Ore's tackle had. "Why did you write something outrageous like that?" Ore asked, letting his voice drop back down to a normal volume. His expression lost its angry hue, leaving nothing but a hurt that was plain to see. "We don't care about what you decide to do with the Dragons, Little Guy. You saying that you was dead is a different matter. Gigi explained why you went and changed your name, but telling people that you was dead is too much. You went too far and one of us had to come in here and set you straight."

"I-I don't--"

"If you refuse to admit that you're alive, I'm going to knock the shit out of you until you do," Ore warned, rolling up his sleeves with a dark gleam in his eyes. "That's what Snicker would have done and that's what I'll be happy to do! It's either that or the punishment game! Either way, Snicker always said that a fire in your belly let you know that you were outrageously alive!" Tsuna turned pale at the mention of Snicker's punishment game. They really had loved seeing his face when he'd eaten Cassandra's hot peppers.

"You're making me glad that I'm in jail," Tsuna grumbled sheepishly. "Even if I pick the punishment game, they don't have hot peppers in here."

"Then you get twice as much when you get out!" Ore roared enthusiastically.

"That's not fair!" Tsuna squealed with his jaw dropping open.

"Then fight me!" Ore shouted. Once more, Tsuna took a step backward in the face of Ore's energy. There was no controlling his personality and any attempts to stand firm in front of him got blown away. Even so, Tsuna knew that he couldn't fight his friend. Nothing short of a death-blow could take him down and Tsuna knew that he wasn't capable of such a strike. Not when Ore was the target. If he fought, he'd lose.

"Fine," he grumbled as he sat down on the ground. "Beat me up."

"What?" Ore stopped and his face fell with Tsuna's action. It was the complete opposite of what he expected.

"You know that I can't fight you, Ore," he explained unhappily. "Since I refuse to do the punishment game, your only option is to beat me up. I can tell that you're pissed at me, but I'm not going to change my mind about the things that I wrote. If that means that you and everyone else don't want me around anymore, then that's fine. When I get out of here, I'll pack up my stuff and move into an apartment. Gigi can take over the Dragons and--" Tsuna was cut off from anything else that he might have said when Ore picked him up and head butted him before setting him back down on his feet in a daze.

"You're an outrageous idiot," Ore growled. Tsuna couldn't really argue with him. At the moment, he was seeing more stars than sense. "It you're going to be stubborn about it, then I guess Gigi was right. He said that you wouldn't take it back. I can't say that I like it much, but I'll deal with it. That's not why I came anyway. I just figured I'd give it a shot since you punched me."

"That's not why you came?" Tsuna asked dizzily, still trying to get his eyes to focus straight in the aftermath of the head blow. "Then why...?"

"There's trouble," he murmured. Putting a large hand on his shoulder, he leaned down to whisper in Tsuna's ear. "Outrageous trouble from out of town. The kind that starts with a V."

"V...?" Tsuna repeated, reaching up to put an instantly trembling hand on top of the hand on his shoulder. There was only one word that started with a V that could mean trouble and that was Vongola. "It's them? They found out?"

"It's worse than that, Little Guy," he hissed. "Do you have somewhere that we can go talk? I--"

"Laz?" Danny-boy interrupted hesitantly, standing just outside of hearing range with Veronica and Sassy beside him. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're going to be late to chow." Tsuna bit off a curse, looking up to see a matching expression of irritation on Ore's face. It couldn't be helped, though.

"We'll talk after dinner," he promised, grabbing Ore's arm to drag him inside and toward the cafeteria. They could eat quickly then return to the yard before anyone else got outside. Doing so would give them more privacy to talk than anything else could. It was fortunate that everyone was on the lookout for him. The minute that he arrived to the line that was already forming, people cleared out of his way in a rush. The guard stationed to keep order didn't say a word when the line stepped out of the way en masse. He pretended that he saw nothing, letting Tsuna and his four friends have a non-stop trip all the way to the front. The seven block leaders and Pogo seemed to pick up on his mood and moved aside, too, leaving Tsuna a clear path all the way up to the cafeteria doors.

"Outrageous service," Ore commented, looking back at all the men standing behind him. It was kind of amusing since, for once, the over-sized Block leaders had to look up at someone. When the doors opened, no few jaws dropped from the convicts set to serve over the sudden change in the opening line-up.

"Fix us up," Tsuna growled on his way past to where he could pick up his tray. Heads nodded up and down the line, sending his tray down in a rush while it became overloaded with three and four times as much food as he normally got. It was a good thing, since there was no way that Ore would be satisfied with normal-sized helpings. Even with the overload of his own tray and the overload on Tsuna's, he'd still probably need a boost from food in the shop to put a dent in his appetite.

"It looks like I'm going on a diet," Ore pouted when he picked up his overloaded tray and followed Tsuna to their normal table. Knowing that the table wouldn't be able to handle Ore's size on the end, he purposely sat in the center so that Ore could sit opposite of him. Neither of them paid attention to the curious looks that they received. Instead, they focused on inhaling their food as fast as possible.

Throwing his imitation hamburger over to Ore, Tsuna set to taking out his beans, fries, and fruit. After eating what he could, the remainder got pushed across the table to Ore, who devoured it along with the untouched macaroni and square of cake taking up two spots. Tsuna didn't taste any of it. He doubted that Ore did, either. Before Danny-boy was even a quarter way through his own burger, both Tsuna and Ore were standing from the table in order to head to the drop off window for their trays. After that, they headed back outside to where the guards had already cleared the yard.

"What's happened?" Tsuna asked, pulling out a cigarette with shaking hands once they were alone. Leading the way to an unoccupied picnic table, he laid his pack out for Ore to share from while he covered his face with his hands. He was terrified of the answer. If Vongola knew that he was still alive, he might have to run again. The problem was that running wasn't an option. He couldn't leave Autumn and Papa Paolo to their mercy. He owed them too much.

"I got most of the story from Isaac," Ore replied, leaning low over the table so that they could talk even more quietly. "It seems they came under the guise of peace talks. It's all bullshit, though. They made an outrageous demand that Gabriel is recognized as heir."

"WHAT?" Tsuna practically screamed, jumping to his feet in complete shock.

"That's just the short version," he soothed, gesturing for Tsuna to sit back down. "They didn't say it in so many words, but that was what Isaac said that it came down to. Seems that Gabriel fed them a load of bullshit about the race for succession being rigged and you lying through your teeth to get him kicked out of the Family. They wanted to question you directly about it, but Papa P told them to take a hike. That's when things started getting messy. Since he wouldn't let them question you, they believe that it's a huge cover-up and that Gabriel never had a fair chance. Papa P tried telling them that they had no right to stick their nose into it, but Papa P said that his spy over in Italy found out the truth. Gabriel promised the Vongola Boss that he would hand over the Family if he was made Boss. It had something to do with forcing Autumn to marry the Vongola Boss and turning the city into a Vongola Outpost."

"They want Autumn?" Tsuna repeated in shock.

"That's what it looks like," he nodded. "There was a whole lot of mumbo jumbo in there about glamours and powers, but I didn't really understand any of it. Isaac said that they've been sending negotiators for a while now to try and get an Alliance, but Papa P's been turning them away. From what I was told, they decided to change tactics since they weren't getting anywhere. Since they can't get what they want through Papa P, they're working toward getting Gabriel planted as the next Martelli Boss. There's already been two attempts on Papa P's life and Autumn's been moved into the Dojo for safety. Papa P wanted to move her back into the mansion, but it was too dangerous. One bomb could take them both out if they stayed together, so Gigi offered your room up for her to stay in."

"Is Papa Paolo okay?!" He exclaimed in worry.

"They're fine," Ore soothed hurriedly, motioning for him to be more quiet since people were beginning to exit out into the yard. "They just sent me to give you a heads up. They said that you're better off in here since you'll be off their radar, but that you should start preparing for when you get out. It's looking like they're about to go to open war, Little Guy."

"They can't do that," Tsuna moaned with a fearful shudder. "They'll be wiped out if they make Vongola serious."

"Don't underestimate them, Little Guy," Ore replied with a shrug. "They already stopped two of their hitmen. Seems that they weren't that difficult. Isaac took one of them out and I hear that Poppet stopped the other one. It's pretty outrageous, so I'm not sure if I believe it, but that's what I was told."

"W-Who were they?" He asked quietly while he tried to light himself a new cigarette, since his previous one had gotten crushed in his hand at some point.

"Dunno," he replied with another shrug while giving Tsuna a concerned look. "Are you going to be okay?"

"No," Tsuna answered honestly while Danny-boy, Veronica, and Sassy quietly inserted themselves at the table. "They scare the shit out of me, Big Guy. I-If they were to send Reborn again or if H-Hibari were to come, I'd be dead meat in a heartbeat. If they even sent Gokudera or Yamamoto..." Tsuna trailed off, imagining what such a confrontation would be like. Even if they didn't recognize him, he would recognize them. How should he react in that kind of situation? With Reborn, it was clear that he had to fight. The same went with Hibari since that man would kill him without mercy. If he'd been bad in junior high, Tsuna could only imagine what he was like after so many years. He was probably a monster beyond belief.

But Gokudera and Yamamoto... How should he react to them? He'd been hiding all this time and never once had he thought about coming in contact with them again. He wasn't as naive as he used to be. He'd thought of it before, but what if those two had been trying to save the cat just like he had? There was a possibility that they were good people, even if they were in the Mafia. Should he try talking to them or should he just fight since they probably wouldn't recognize him as their old friend?

What about Ryohei? Tsuna had been married to Kyoko if he'd been told the truth before he ran. He remembered some parts of Kyoko's death now. How was he supposed to face her brother when he knew that he hadn't lifted a single finger to safe the woman he loved.

Especially when they might be facing each other as enemies.

"This isn't happening," Tsuna murmured, staring down at the table while he clutched at his hair. "Anyone but Vongola, Big Guy. Why couldn't it be Cavallone or Nubo or some other Family? I can't face Vongola. I--"

"Are you sure that you can say that?" Ore replied quietly. Tsuna's head snapped up, only to find that Ore wouldn't look at him. He seemed to be looking everywhere else other than at Tsuna's face. The reason why was obvious. He didn't like it any more than Tsuna did, but they all knew that Tsuna owed Autumn for what she'd done for Snicker. It wasn't about the inheritance or the deeds. It wasn't about the life insurance policy or the money. Because of her, they'd been able to put Snicker to rest in the way that Snicker would have wanted.

"No," he admitted while the weight of his debt once more settled on his shoulders. "You're right. I can't. It doesn't matter if it's Vongola. Does it? If they're trying to hurt the Martelli Family, then I've got to face them like I would anyone else. E-Even if it means I have to go up against old friends."

"What are you going to do?" Ore asked solemnly. Tsuna bowed his head and considered his options while he went through another three cigarettes. In the end, he only had one conclusion.

"I'm going to train," he decided with a soft nod to himself. "Autumn and Papa Paolo aren't panicking about it yet. They can't be if they left me in here. Papa Paolo called me his wildcard and I don't think he'd pull me out early in the game. Only if things start to look really bad will he work some kind of deal to get me out early. Since he's not, it means that they're handling the situation. Also, since he sent you instead of coming himself, that means that I have time. I bet they figured that I'd need a decent sparring partner if I'm going to get into top trim. You're the only one that comes anywhere close. They're telling me to prepare because they'll need me on the front lines when I get out of here. By then, Vongola will have probably worked their way up to hitmen that are over Martelli's level to handle. That means that I've got to get stronger than anything that they'll send if we're going to survive after that point. I-It means that I've got to get stronger than Reborn and H-Hibari."

"What can I do to help?" Ore murmured in acceptance of Tsuna's plan.

"You're not going to like it," Tsuna grimaced.

"Just tell me what to do," he replied in an earnest desire to help.

"I need you to hate me," he replied, pointedly staring completely away from Ore so that he couldn't see the man's expression. "You know how they're going to react when they see my face. They won't hold back against me because of it, Big Guy. I've got to get used to fighting seriously against a friend so that I don't hesitate when I see them. They'll kill me if I give them an opening like that. If Reborn has been with them this whole time, then they're all probably just as heartless as he is. I want to believe otherwise, but I can't be naive. Just the first three days of each month, I want you to come after me like you want to kill me. I need you to fight me seriously, Ore. It'll be good training for you, too. After that, we can both spend some time in the hole and train in private. I'm not asking for you to do it all the time. Just a little bit so that I can get a feel for it. I--"

"Alright," Ore growled. "I don't like it, but you're right. We can't play games. They've almost gotten to Papa P twice. If they saw your ugly mug, then they'll probably get outrageously pissed. If fighting you is the only way to keep your ass intact when that happens, then that's what I'll do. You just better not let Gigi or the girls find out. They'll kick my ass from here to California."

"Thanks," Tsuna murmured, finally looking up at him with a miserable expression. "Do me a favor and watch over Danny-boy, Veronica, and Sassy for me. They might not seem like it, but they come in handy. I wish that I could stick around and catch up, but I've already got a date with solitary. They'll show you around and help you get your bearings until I get back. It'll probably be a few days this time, so don't worry if you can't find me."

"Is someone giving you trouble?" Ore asked with a dark expression. "If so, I'll be outrageously happy to--"

"No," Tsuna exclaimed hurriedly. "It's just a deal that I made with the guy that did my tattoo. If I'd known you were coming, I wouldn't have made it. But..."

"But you want to keep your promise," Ore sighed. "Alright. You better not get your ass handed to you by any of the punks in here. If you do, I'm going to tell Papa P to put you on the first bus to Florida because going up against Vongola would be a death sentence. Is there anyone else I should keep an eye on while you're gone? I thought you'd have more friends by now."

"Ah, no," Tsuna murmured with a sheepish blush. "I've been trying to keep to myself. You might like talking to Big Daddy. He's Ollie's step-brother. Bossman and Pogo are alright, too. They're a little on the touchy side, but they're okay. I'm not too familiar with any of the others. Danny-boy can get you all filled in. I've really got to go, though. I promised Pedro that I'd do it before lockdown."

"Take care of yourself," Ore advised with a quiet look of sadness in his eyes. Tsuna nodded and reached out to pet his three little kittens on his way past. All three of them looked like they wanted to follow, but none of them had the stomach to watch him fight. Danny-boy always grimaced at every blow as if it'd been to his face instead. Veronica always burst into tears. Sassy seemed to deal with it, but he'd heard tales of him getting sick when he ran off alone afterward. None of the three were fighters, which was why they'd all attached themselves to Tsuna for protection.

Sending a sharp whistle over to where Pedro was eagerly waiting with his brothers, he tossed his head to say that he was heading in to keep his end of the bargain. For him, two or three days of solitary confinement sounded good right now. It would give him time to think and would give him privacy to train without distractions. He had a lot to think about so that he could keep his head from swimming around the thought of facing off against the same Family that had tried to control him since middle school. He had a long way to train before he would have the confidence to survive such an encounter.

He checked twice to make sure that he had at least one full pack of gum on him before even thinking of entering Pedro's cell-block. The last time that he'd been thrown into solitary confinement, they hadn't bothered searching him. That meant that as long as he had his gum on him, he wouldn't have to worry about getting withdrawal symptoms. He didn't really feel like testing to see how well he can handle himself without the gum if he didn't have to. With that in mind, he popped a fresh piece in his mouth before heading over to the cell that Pedro pointed out.

"Funky!" Tsuna called while trying to keep himself from gagging at the smell coming out of the man's cell. Standing at the door, he spared a moment to pity the guy that was trembling on the floor next to the toilet.

Then the smell hit him again and his pity flew out the window.

"Don't make me come in there after you," he warned, leaning up against the barred doorway. "You were a good boy. I didn't smell you at dinner, so I'd like to make this quick. If you make me come in there, I can't say that I'll be so nice. I can forgive the smell when you're making an effort to keep it under control. Talking shit is a different issue. You probably think that you're safe in there since we're not allowed to go in each other's cell and that's why you feel like you can talk trash while you're in it. What you forget is that it doesn't take more than a few seconds to drag your ass out of your cell. Once you're out of your cell, I can do a whole lot of things without getting in as much trouble. Now, you can either come out here and apologize so that I only have to hurt you a little bit or you can make me come in there, drag your ass out, and then beat the living fuck out of you since it means that I'll be smelling you even while I'm in the hole."

"W-Why are you after me?!" Funky exclaimed while his back crawled up the back wall so that he was standing. "I never said shit about anyone! I just want to serve my time and go home!"

"You never talked bad about Pedro or his brothers?" Tsuna asked, getting the strange feeling that the man wasn't lying. He wasn't sure why, but Tsuna's gut said that he was innocent.

"No!" He exclaimed. "Why won't anyone believe me?!"

"Pedro," Tsuna snapped with a scowl. Turning in place, he pinned the man with a glare and crossed his arms. Beating a man that had caused trouble was no problem, but beating an innocent man was another story. "You said that he was talking shit about you and your family. Why did you lie to me?"

"I wasn't!" Pedro choked. Tsuna snarled openly, sensing no deceit from him, either. "He's lying!"

"Don't tell me who the liar is," Tsuna growled in warning. "I'll figure that out for myself and knock the fuck out of him for giving me a headache. Tell me the whole story. Why do you say he was talking shit about you?"

"My brother--"

"Did you hear him say it?" Tsuna asked, turning to look at the man that Pedro absently gestured to.

"N-No, Senor," he replied hesitantly. "I was told from mi amigo that he--"

"Which friend?" Tsuna snapped, getting angrier by the second. This was the reason that he hated gossip. It infuriated people and could turn innocent people into targets. He might be cold-blooded at times, but he wasn't the type to get kicks out of fighting someone who was trying to live peacefully.

"Rice was the one--"

"I heard it from Eton--" Rice answered instantly when Tsuna's eyes went to him.

"I heard it from Jagger--" Eton choked, pointing at the next one in the gossip chain.

"Don't look at me!" Jagger exclaimed. "I heard it from his cellmate. He said that the punk--"

"I didn't say anything!" The cellmate retorted in an attempt to throw back the blame. "Don't try to pin this on--"

"Liar," Tsuna murmured, finally getting a reaction from his intuition. He grinned happily, finally having a target that deserved being beaten. "You couldn't stand the smell, so you were hoping that you could get Pedro or someone pissed at him so that he'd get tossed in the infirmary for a while. If he was injured, he couldn't work out and you wouldn't have to deal with his stench."

"It's his fault," the man spluttered, pointing to the guy that was slowly starting to lose his fear from within his cell. "If he would have taken a damn shower, then I--"

"I don't care about why you did it," Tsuna replied with a small smile flickering across his lips. "I just want the guy that was talking shit about Pedro. You probably think that you have a good reason, but you're still the person that came up with the insults that have upset so many people. Did you think that lying to everyone and starting trouble would go unpunished? Did you think that you had the right to make up a story that would get an innocent man convicted for slander?"

"W-What--?" The man cringed backward when Tsuna advanced. He wasn't a big man, which explained why he'd went through such a round-a-bout route to get his problem taken care of. He was more than likely a coward, too. Tsuna had the feeling that he'd never even mentioned the smell to Funky and Tsuna knew from experience that there were times that one simply closed off connection with their own scent. Funky probably hadn't even noticed that there was a problem until Tsuna had said something.

"A coward shouldn't think of taking Justice into their own hands," Tsuna growled with a slightly insane smile. His target fell backward in fear, already cringing from a blow that Tsuna hadn't raised his hand to strike with yet. "Bypassing juries and judges is my job."

"Wait--!" Funky called when Tsuna came to a stop over the pathetic convict. Turning, Tsuna pinned Funky with a slight glare for interfering. He didn't glare because he was excited to beat the man before him. Instead, it was a glare for dragging out the fulfillment of Tsuna's promise. There would be no excitement or gratification from beating a man like the one quivering on the ground. The guy didn't have the guts to fight back. Even when cornered, the man had no instinct to bite. "Let me," he said with his teeth clenched in frustration and anger. "That bastard tried to frame me for something I didn't do. That's the whole reason that I'm in this damn place." Tsuna looked at him in consideration for a moment, sensing absolutely no falsehood in the man's statement.

"What's your name?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Josef," he replied with a raised eyebrow over the sudden courtesy.

"Josef," he repeated with a small nod. "You're a good guy, Josef. You smell to high heaven and you've got no consideration for the people living with you, but you're not a bad guy. I know that you're mad, but don't get your hands dirty when you don't have to. Just sit back and watch the show."

Before the man could argue, Tsuna reached down to pick his target up. Dragging him to his feet, Tsuna decided to give both a show and a punishment at the same time. Pedro deserved something good for all the work that he'd put in. Timing his punch at the same time that he threw the wayward convict back down on the ground, he used merely his thumb to break the guy's nose and position the man's head so that he was looking at Tsuna's fist. Right at Tsuna's fist rammed into the concrete next to his target's head, blood sprayed at the perfect timing. Quickly pulling his fist back for a second blow, he unnoticeably pushed the guy slightly sideways so that his face was lined up with the small impact crater on the floor. From the watcher's point of view, it looked like he'd hit the guy so hard that his head had created the crater. Even better, the guy was already unconscious from the body slam, so he didn't have to follow through with a second hit.

Standing up with a look of open disgust plastered on his face for how quickly it was done, he ignored the 'oh shit' comments along with the other wide-eyed commentary. From what he could tell, no one had seen anything other than him body slamming the guy and punching him so hard that a crater formed. It probably seemed excessive, but Tsuna thought that the true punishment was fair. He'd been scared speechless, knocked unconscious, and had a broken nose, but he was otherwise unharmed. That was more than enough for a little gossip.

"Good enough?" Tsuna asked curiously, looking over at where Pedro was staring with his brothers. Pedro nodded hurriedly in acceptance, having gotten much more than a simple beating as his service. Tsuna had tracked down the real culprit, made him confess to his crimes, and had punished him. Pedro now knew the face of a rat that had been previously hidden, which was a lot more important. Knowing who wasn't safe to be trusted in their world counted for a lot more than a simple thing like revenge. "Clear out of here," he ordered. "The guards will be here in a second and there's no point in any of you being involved. I'll get less time in the hole for confessing."

"Gracias," he nodded in thanks. "Let me know if you need any more work done, Laz. Me and my brothers would be happy to help."

"I'll think about it," Tsuna murmured, sitting down next to his target's body to wait for the guards. Tattoos were the last thing on his mind, however. What was on his mind was two Families and where he stood with both of them.

A quiet hole to think in had never looked so inviting.


	60. Chapter 60 Partial Recovery

Tsuna's eyes snapped open as soon as the lights in the facility were turned on. The wake-up bell went off a moment later, making many men grumble and roll over on their bunks. Tsuna was tempted to roll over himself and get another half-hour of sleep, but he knew that he needed to wash up before breakfast. There would be no shower for him today and he could smell himself from his workout the previous day. He could still get a little clean with the cell's small sink, though. It wouldn't be as good as a solid shower, but it was better than he'd gotten on the streets a lot of the time.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he took a moment to say good morning to Snicker's picture before rolling out of bed in order to head for the toilet first. Five months had passed and Tsuna still had trouble remembering that he was dead at times. They'd rarely seen each other while he was still alive, so nothing was very different with his life once he was out of bed. It might have been different if he was at home to notice all the missing signs of Snicker's presence, but he wasn't. He was in a place that Snicker couldn't have come with him anyway, so it was easier to grow accustomed to his absence. This was as good as it was bad for him. It was good because he was able to return to normality much faster than he would have at home. It was bad because a part of him still couldn't seem to grasp that Snicker wasn't waiting for him at home. He knew it in his head, but it just didn't seem to reach into his heart completely.

Shutting such thoughts out of his mind since business and pleasure shouldn't mix, Tsuna headed over to wash himself in the sink. It only took a few minutes to get most of the stench off of himself and a stick of deodorant took care of the rest. Next up came his hair. Since it was braided into dreadlocks, all he had to do was to untie the handkerchief hiding it and refit it around his head. A comb ran through his bangs finished the job so that his eye was hidden from view. The replacement eye that Gigi had picked out had finally come in, but it still wasn't anything that he wanted people to look at. Gigi had said that his eye would get stared at no matter what since it didn't look around like it should, so she'd picked out one that gave people a reason to stare without grossing them out. He'd almost sent it back with orders to get a realistic looking eye, but Danny-boy and Ore had both talked him into using the one that she sent. He just wished that she'd picked something a little less flashy. Like he really needed an eye that screamed to the world that he was the Sixth? That's what his new eye did. It had '6' written in the pupil for all to see and had a small dragon encircling it in the place of a colored iris.

He needed to shave. He could tell from the moment that he washed his face. Stubble had started to peak out again on his cheeks. His goatee could use a trim, too. It was starting to get shaggy. It made him look like a hippie with the bandana around his head. He wasn't sure why he kept it. People had been using it to insult him behind his back lately. They couldn't find anything else to insult, so they picked on the shape of his facial hair. He didn't see what was so amusing about a rectangle, but they'd been finding ways to make it amusing. He'd had to bust a few heads when they'd went too far with their teasing, but it was probably his fault for giving them something to target. The comments about a dick-strip to go with the chin-strip were getting tiresome.

The guys that had been in for as long as he had weren't afraid of him anymore. They knew that he'd lash out if they went too far, but they'd seen for themselves that he didn't go ballistic on people if they didn't give him a reason. They'd also seen that he was much more tolerant of things than most. It was true that he could slam any of them faster than lightening could strike, but he didn't use that kind of power unless someone enraged him. Most of that was because he went out of his way to keep them from having any targets to use against him.

With that in mind, Tsuna decided to lose the goatee. It hurt to shave it off, but he knew that he had to get over his denial in one way or another. Holding onto a patch of chin-fuzz that he'd always hated anyway wouldn't bring Snicker back. There was no reason to keep it, either, since Snicker wasn't around to be bothered by the lack of a beard. It was hard to shave the patch off. Not just emotionally, but physically. The jail only let them have safety razors, so it was very slow work. The dull blade could only get a few hairs at a time and he had to continuously rinse it out when it stopped cutting. It took him nearly half an hour, during which time Danny-boy finally woke up enough to roll over and talk to him.

"Good morning," he groaned, using his pillow as a prop for his head. He blinked several times in surprise when he saw what Tsuna was doing. "Whoa. You're shaving it off?"

"Yeah," he nodded between strokes. "I never liked it anyway. The only reason that I got it was because Snicker wanted me to have it. Something to do with a man being only a boy if he didn't have a beard. It helped him get over our age difference, but there's not really any point in keeping it now."

"Want help?" Danny-boy asked curiously.

"Sure," he shrugged. "I can't really see what I'm doing without a mirror anyway." Danny-boy was out of his bunk in a heart-beat. Before Tsuna could even finish rinsing off the razor, he found himself pushed up against the wall so that he would be steady enough for Danny-boy to work on.

Normally, being shoved up against a wall only received one reaction from him. That reaction was to punch the guy who'd done it in the jaw. Not because he was actually angry over the move, but because any other reaction would get him labeled as a pussy or a coward. Those that didn't stay on the offensive were always targeted and he had no desire to put a bull's-eye on his own back. With Danny-boy, he found a very different reaction surfacing. He noticed it immediately, but was unable to fix the issue before Danny-boy moved in to start hacking away at his goatee.

Mate. Tsuna bit back a groan and stuffed his hands behind his back while Danny-boy worked. His heart wasn't ready for something like that and he knew that he'd hate himself if he reacted to how close the man was to him. On the flip side, he was reminded nightly that his body was still fully alive and his instincts told him that it'd feel good to be satisfied for once. That put the deciding vote as one pro and one con. His mind spent more time confused than anything else lately because of the conflicting wants. Part of him said that it'd already been five months. Another part of him said that time didn't matter and he should stay faithful to the promises that he made Snicker. The first part called back that those promises were only until death parted them. The other part retorted that it still wouldn't feel right.

Back and forth, the two sides conflicted while he practically sat on his hands to keep his instinct from bypassing his thoughts and deciding for him. He needed a fresh piece of gum. He normally grabbed one as soon as he woke up, but he'd put cleanliness as the greater priority. He hadn't expected Danny-boy to jump out of bed so quickly. He normally wasn't this lively in the mornings. His excitement was understandable in a way. His younger sister was supposed to be visiting him today. It would be the first time that she'd visited him since he'd been convicted.

Already, Danny-boy was excitedly talking about her while he continued to get rid of the strip of hair on Tsuna's chin. In truth, Tsuna barely heard every third word. He tried to pay attention so that he could let Danny-boy that he was being heard, but the dialog wasn't connecting with his brain. Tsuna was too busy trying to keep his hands from moving toward Danny-boy's swaying hips and he was too focused on keeping himself from pouncing on the lips that continued to wave teasingly before him.

"Are you okay, Laz?" Danny-boy asked, pausing in the middle of rinsing out the razor again.

"No," he panted in returned while his nails bit into the wall behind him. "Shut up and get away from me before I rape your ass." Danny-boy choked and stared at him in disbelief, but Tsuna barely saw his expression beyond his lips. He tried to pull his eyes away countless times, but he couldn't. His instincts were running rampant after a full night of sleep. All thoughts of Snicker and propriety were long gone. For him, the world was slowly narrowing down to him, his throbbing body, and Danny-boy. Everything within him was urging him to mate and he was holding it back by using every ounce of his self-control. He was shaking inside and the effort left him in a cold sweat. He couldn't move to go get a piece of gum until Danny-boy moved. If he tried to push past him, Tsuna's intuition said that he'd end up pushing Danny-boy to the wall instead. The best that he could do was to give warning and hope that Danny-boy didn't take it as a malicious--

"You're hurting me," Danny-boy hissed in pain. Tsuna froze, pulling his lips away from where he'd pinned Danny-boy to the wall with a brutal kiss. He hadn't even been conscious of the transition. One moment, he'd been holding himself back and he'd clenched his jaw in frustration when he'd seen Danny-boy lean in to tease him. The next moment, he was kissing him and-- Tsuna let go of Danny-boy's legs in a rush and took two hasty steps backwards. He was losing to his instincts again.

Before he could devolve again, he rushed to his locker to get his gum. Danny-boy landed in a heap against the wall, having absolutely no support once Tsuna simply dropped him. That was the least of Tsuna's worries, though. Danny-boy didn't know how close he'd come to actually getting raped. If he hadn't said something to trigger Tsuna's mind to start working again, it was quite possible that he wouldn't have gotten control back until someone pulled him off.

He didn't even bother unwrapping the piece that he shoved in his mouth. He chewed paper and all while he kept his head in his locker to block out any sight of a mate. It was slow, but doing so let him get control back. As the taste of cinnamon and pepper started filling his mouth, his body stopped throbbing at such an unbearable level and he felt himself edge away from the cliff that he'd almost tripped over. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, he reminded himself repeatedly. If he'd let the hunger go so far in the past, he wouldn't have had such a variety of reactions to chose from. He would have simply killed anyone in his way and ran after Poe to feed. Thanks to having trained himself to withstand the Hunger, his instincts latched onto other needs that arose other than the need to simply eat. In this instance, it was to mate. If Ore had been his cellmate, it would have been to fight. Once he learned to control those two instincts better, he would have complete freedom as long as he stayed disciplined.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna panted, laying his head against a shelf while he tried to push away the twisting rumble in his stomach.

"I think I should be asking you that," Danny-boy grumbled in return. "I knew that it'd happen eventually, but did you have to be so rough? I think you bruised my beautiful skin."

"I'm sorry," Tsuna replied while fighting back tears that would be a death sentence to release. "I tried to warn you to get away. You know that I snap sometimes."

"I've seen you snap," he agreed while Tsuna heard the sound of him hesitantly get to his feet. "But that's the first time that I've seen that look in your eyes outside of fighting. What happened?"

"I can't explain," he murmured quietly. "Just know that I didn't mean to hurt you. I just lost track for a minute there. I'm really sorry, Danny-boy. I have these problems sometimes where I can't control myself. I'm usually a lot more careful, but--"

"Don't worry about it," Danny-boy soothed, coming up behind him in order to wrap two arms around his waist. Tsuna froze at the feeling of breathe on the back of his neck. "I told you before that I'd take care of anything that you need. All you have to do is ask. I'd appreciate it if you were a little more gentle, but I'm not going to complain too much if you're not."

"I-I'll keep that in mind," Tsuna replied with a small tremble. More than anything, he wanted to reject Danny-boy completely. His heart wanted to, but his mind and his body was having trouble agreeing with the sentiment. It still remembered that moment of gratification that he'd felt when he'd snapped back in control of himself before dropping Danny-boy. It'd felt good. It hadn't felt right, but it'd still felt incredibly good. He wasn't sure how to answer that feeling. His heart wanted to stay faithful to Snicker's memory, but his body wanted intimate contact. Even worse, his mind was having difficulties in trying to find a reason not to. "N-Not right now, though. I need to finish getting ready. The gates should be going up soon."

"Alright," Danny-boy agreed. Tsuna began chewing frantically again when Danny-boy leaned down to brush his lips against the back of Tsuna's lips before letting go. The throbbing was back and he had a faint idea that it wasn't instinct that was driving it. "Let me finish getting the last of your goatee," he added, distancing himself in order to head to the sink. "It's almost done." Tsuna nodded and hesitantly walked over so that Danny-boy could finish up. He didn't let himself get pinned against the wall this time. Instead, Danny-boy leaned against the wall in a fashion that was almost invitational and let Tsuna decide how close they got to one another.

Tsuna stayed barely inside his reach.

"All done," he sighed as he stood up straight again in realization that Tsuna had no intention of continuing where he'd left off. It'd been a momentary lapse and nothing else. Tsuna nodded and retreated once more to his locker where he hurriedly pulled out his clothes for the day. He changed in record time, purposely keeping his anatomy out of Danny-boy's sight. He probably already knew, but Tsuna didn't intend to let him see how hard he was without a fight.

His dirty clothes got thrown into the bag tied to the end of his bed and he focused on getting his bed made while Danny-boy changed for the day. He kept his eyes on his blankets the whole time, refusing to so much as glimpse at Danny-boy while his pants were off. He'd seen it a hundred times before, but today was a little different. It made waiting for the guards to finish the cell-check into a tense game of cat and mouse where Tsuna tried to keep himself from pouncing and the mouse kept baiting him.

He barely managed to brush his teeth and throw on his shoes before the gates popped open en masse along with a loud buzzer. For many, the sound of the buzzer was the true wake-up call. It was the signal that they had thirty minutes to report to breakfast. Grabbing up his newly opened pack of gum, he stuffed it, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and his homework into his pant pockets. Looking around to ensure that he hadn't forgotten anything, he headed out to rush to breakfast solo. Danny-boy would catch up once he'd finished his own hygiene and Tsuna was glad for the delay. It gave him time to get his wits back.

Unlike lunch and dinner, breakfast was first-come, fist served. There were guards present to keep anyone from shoving or fighting for rights to the front of the line, but there wasn't really a need for them. Those that were smart stayed in their cells until the very last minute so that the bulk of the pissing-contests were over by the time they arrived. Tsuna didn't have time to play nice, though. He had his own morning schedule to abide by and he didn't like running late on it.

"Ease up off my ass!" Tsuna spat at the guy breathing down his neck in line.

"If I was up on your ass, you'd know it," he snapped in return, stepping up to shove his face into Tsuna's.

"With that little thing, a fly wouldn't be able to tell that you were on its ass," he retorted with a wide grin. He refused to back down, even with the convict behind him obviously being in a fighting mood. Especially since he was in a fighting mood. A fight would be just the thing to clear the air from earlier.

"What would you know, you fucking doucheb--"

"There you are, Little Guy." Tsuna groaned slightly in disappointment when his would-be opponent automatically stepped out of Ore's way and lowered his raised fist. His opponent glared at him over his subconscious reaction, openly trying to decide whether to continue or not. Before he could make up his mind, Ore was already forcibly guiding Tsuna forward in the breakfast line so that they could get their trays. "It's too early to be making outrageous trouble," he grumbled as they snatched up two trays that had been overloaded by the cafeteria workers when they saw who the trays were intended for.

"He started it," he growled while he took up his normal spot in the center of his table with Ore across from him. There were several men sitting at the ends who had been accepted as people that Tsuna didn't mind sitting with, but weren't part of his normal crew. Since they were friends of Veronica and Sassy, Tsuna left them alone and ignored them entirely. The respect was mutual since they all knew that his tenuous friendship with the two didn't extend to friends of friends.

"It doesn't matter who started it," Ore replied while he inhaled the half-dozen scrambled eggs on his plate. "I saw how you were baiting him. Why were you trying to start a fight? Did something outrageous happen?"

"No," Tsuna snarled in disgust at himself. Sticking his gum onto a corner of his tray, he tried not to look at the bits of paper still attached to it while he started chowing down on his own food. "I just forgot to get a fresh piece of gum when I first woke up. Don't worry about it." Ore grunted quietly around his food to say that he understood, but thankfully didn't question him more on it. Talking trash and fighting was far too commonplace for Ore to be bothered by it anymore. When he'd first arrived, it'd taken a lot of explanation to get him to accept that Tsuna couldn't play the nice guy in a place like this. Ore could because of his size. Tsuna's couldn't because of his size. Unlike Ore, Tsuna had to always stay on guard. There were always those convicts who forgot how good he was at fighting or those that wanted to take their chances no matter the cost. Stepping down wasn't an option for anyone since doing so would destroy their pride. If a man lost his pride, he was on a one-way road to bitchville. As long as Tsuna kept his guard up and didn't take anyone's bullshit, he could keep his pride and be left alone for the most part.

Most of the meal conversation consisted of 'Are you going to eat that' and 'Back up off my hash browns'. Even when Veronica and Sassy both joined him, their chatter was subdued from sleepiness. The two ate like birds in the morning, too, so Ore cleared their trays once they'd picked what they wanted off of them. Off of Tsuna's tray, Ore only got two of the four sausages that he'd been given. The rest got eaten before Tsuna even realized that he was actually clearing the mountain of food on his own. He always felt hungry now and no amount of food seemed to ease it. The extra food that he ate didn't get wasted, however. His body seemed to absorb it like air and he knew that it'd be mostly burned off by lunchtime.

"I don't know how the hell you stay as small as you do," Veronica sighed when Tsuna reached out to steal Danny-boy's hash brown before he even finished sitting down. Ore glared, having obviously intended to steal it for himself. Tsuna shrugged and continued to inhale his food as fast as he could, ignoring the glare completely. He felt like a bottomless pit and the amount that he'd eaten already hadn't even begun to put a dent in it.

"You've eaten enough," Ore said when Tsuna stole Danny-boy's apple, too.

"I'm still hungry," Tsuna countered, interchanging bites of hominy with the fruit. Ore could steal someone else's food for once. He wasn't the only one with an empty stomach lately and Tsuna had already given him two sausages. In almost no time at all, he was wiping up the last bits of food off of his tray.

"If you keep it up, Danny-boy isn't going to have anything to eat, Little Guy," Ore growled, reaching out to grab Tsuna's hand in the middle of stealing Danny-boy's sausage, too. Tsuna froze and actually looked at Danny-boy's plate for once. All that was left was three spoonfuls of hominy, a couple spoonfuls of eggs, and the singular sausage that he'd been allowed. If it were Veronica or Sassy's tray, it would be more than enough to keep them going until lunch. For Danny-boy, who wasn't small nor weak despite his submissive pacifism, it wasn't enough. "Eat your gum," Ore ordered when Tsuna grimaced slightly in apology. He refused to look at Danny-boy as he pulled his hand back. All he could do was to look at his empty tray and wish that there was more food on it. He'd already eaten even the apple core and had washed his plate clean with the bread that he'd stolen. The only thing left on it was the wrapper-laced piece of gum sticking to the corner.

"Shit," he grumbled under his breath. Standing up, he decided that the best thing he could do was to leave the chow-hall. He felt like he was starving, even though he knew that he wasn't. This wasn't the first time for it to happen and he knew that it made him irritable and irrational. It was because he was still getting used to the latest gum delivery. They'd lowered the dosage of blood in it again and his body was begging for anything else that it could get in order to replace the missing energy. He had to learn to live with it. He knew this, which was why he was glad that Ore was around to stop him. If there wasn't someone around to remind him of the bounds of propriety, he would have went over the edge a long time ago. People turned single-minded and selfish when their needs weren't being met and he was no different.

He left the old piece of gum on his tray when he threw it onto the drop-off station to be washed and tossed his spork and empty milk carton into the trash under the watchful eyes of the guard. As soon as he was out in the yard, he went for a fresh piece in hopes that a new piece would help him calm down. It was like this every morning, regardless of how well he could control his reactions. He had a way to deal with it, though. He just had to wait for more challengers to finish their breakfast.

While he waited, he dealt with the other issues that he could. The first was a cigarette to get rid of that craving. He was completely addicted now, no matter how little he'd smoked when he'd first got sentenced. Where he'd only smoked three or four cigarettes a day while he'd been on the outside, he was taking out a pack a day like it was nothing now. Around that, he set to biting his nails off. The damn things still grew at an irritating rate, just like his hair did. He couldn't do anything about his hair until he got out, but his nails were pretty easy to deal with since his teeth were so sharp. After that, he set to stretching to get his muscles warmed up.

By the time he finished, the yard was halfway full of people. There were more than enough looking at him out of the corner of their eyes or doing their own stretching to satisfy him. That alone decided him. Jumping to his feet, everyone knew what was to come when he stripped off his shirt and tied it around his waist for safe-keeping. Whistles went up when the convicts grabbed the attention of their friends so that they could all head for the opposite end of the yard. There was a large space of emptiness that Tsuna had claimed for his own in the mornings and people started clearing out of it without having to be told.

He smiled slightly to himself when not only Ore and Danny-boy lined up with him, but so did Kid and Funky. Then the others started lining up against the prison wall and Tsuna gave the challengers a moment to decide whether they wanted to take part or not. Some of Root's boys joined the lineup, as did Billy-Jo's and Big Daddy's. Pogo was on the end, being far too nice of a guy to even think about being a direct challenge. He was big, but he was a teddy bear.

The name of the game where the guards were concerned was running drills. Of course, it had a nice twist to it. The true name of the game was to run over Tsuna. It was a simple race on the surface, but everyone that took part knew that it could get downright nasty. Anything was allowed to stop the other contenders, which was why Billy-Jo's predominately football fanatic friends were taking part. As long as no one did anything obvious to bring down the guard's wrath, they could kick, trip, shove, punch, or otherwise disable their opponents. It was an unsaid rule that injuries were to be blameless when the guards came and everyone knew that Tsuna would personally make anyone regret trying to start an actual fight during the event.

The goal was to be the first one to do forty laps before Tsuna could. From the prison wall to the fence that was twenty-five yards away and back again counted as one lap. There were few that still couldn't finish the whole game, but they continued to try. The reason they continued to try was because Tsuna handed out a pack of cigarettes once a day to the person that he thought had put in the most effort. If someone actually managed to beat him, they would receive a free carton of cigarettes when he went to the shop again. It didn't matter if the person was his friend, enemy, or a complete nobody. He made it clear by his choices of who got the 'best effort prize' that the person targeting him most directly was the one to get the cigarettes. Occasionally, he threw it to someone on the outer edges who focused completely on finishing ahead of him and actually managed to turn the race into a race. Of course, that person was typically targeted by the others from that point on.

The goal was to not only increase his speed, but his reaction time. The foul play was intended to increase his dodging and evading ability. The amount of people welcomed into the game was to increase his senses. When he was knocked down, he had to increase the speed with which he recovered. The fact that seventy-five percent of those lined up to challenge him were people who hated him only worked for his own benefit. This was the one time of the day that they could try to injure him and knew that they wouldn't have to worry about revenge.

Those that were out to get him weren't the only ones in the race. There were occasionally those that went off of pure speed to try to beat him. Thanks to them, he had to increase his endurance, stamina, and actual running speed. They tended to stay on the outskirts until those that didn't have the endurance to keep up willingly got out of the way. There had been those at first that tried to simply stand still and wait for Tsuna to pass when they'd run out of endurance, but a few well-placed punches of his own had taught them that it was better to give up when they couldn't keep up. As long as a person was trying to run, Tsuna was a pacifist toward any attack that came at him. If a person stopped moving, they were free game.

"Touch the line!" Ore bellowed, sending people up and down the wall into their starting positions. Tsuna was no different, keeping one hand touching the wall behind him while the rest of his body made ready to run. "Touch the line, dumbasses!" Ore yelled again, seeing several people trying to get a few inches of a head start. Hands flew back to the wall, touching like they were supposed to before they got disqualified. "GO!"

Dodging Ore's wide swing, Tsuna flew into motion. Ore tried knocking him down at the starting line every time. It was his way of telling everyone that he wasn't standing next to Tsuna to protect him. Danny-boy was no different, although Tsuna had told him to do it. The truth was that knowing that his two friends were going to attack at the start gave him a little room to breathe. It wasn't much, but it was enough that he could start dodging the other hands and fists that lashed out for him when the other challengers almost instantly closed ranks. Ore and Danny-boy couldn't keep up with him, but there was plenty of others that came close.

It wasn't long before he outdistanced even those that had nearly the same speed as he did. When the initial rush cleared a little bit, Tsuna looked around to find four people on one end and two on the other that were actually going for speed this time. One was actually ahead of him! Seeing that, he put everything he could into closing the distance. All the way up to the fence, speed became his only thought. When he hit the fence and turned around, it became his last thought. He didn't stop, but the mass of people that he'd previously left behind was the real challenge since he had to run back through them to aim for the wall to finish a single lap. It was as if he was a running back that had to charge through enemy lines with a football. Every single person was aiming for him more than the fence and they were willing to do much more than tackle to take him down.

It faintly reminded him of the lynch mob that he'd went up against. There was a huge difference this time, though. This time, there was a open route to escape. In exchange, he wasn't allowed to hit any of them. All he had to do was to make it through the line and he wouldn't have to worry about them again until he had to turn back once more. As time went on, they'd spread out more and the challenge would be more difficult, but the start was pretty simplistic. He dealt with it the same way every morning. All he had to do was to jump over them while dodging their attempts to pull him down--

Tsuna barely managed to let out a curse when he used one man's solid punch at him as a stepping stone. The shoulder attached was firm and solid, but he hadn't been prepared for what was waiting behind. That was the problem with reacting predictably.

People could set up a trap.

Ore grabbed his tank-top and threw him to the ground with all the force in the man's giant body. He had a moment to know what a football felt like before Ore was past him while he continued his run. The rules said that no one could touch a man who was downed, but that didn't stop anyone from 'accidentally' tripping over him or trampling him on their own way past. All was fair in love and war and this was most definitely war. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the next foot that tried to get near him and twisted it. The man went flying off-balance, knocking down several of the people that had put their foot in before continuing on their merry way. That cleared the way some so that Tsuna could scramble to his feet and start running again.

He was cursing himself by the time he got to the wall and he glared at the smirk that Ore sent him when they passed each other again. Not even a full lap in and he'd been slammed. It was going to be a pain to make up the lost time that the people on the ends had gained. A few of them were already a couple of laps ahead of him now. This was what made the training into an actual challenge, though. If he didn't have people gunning for him, then he'd never put in effort to get better. It was the motivation of survival that made him put in effort to dodge his enemies. It was the motivation of not wanting to pay out a carton of cigarettes that made him continue until he was finished instead of giving in to the pain and exhaustion that came after he was only halfway through.

"Inmate two-seven-three-nine-six-zero-eight-dash-D!"

"What, Boss?!" Tsuna yelled at the guard without pausing for an instant in his run. No one else paused, either, but the offensive brutality of the race disappeared like it'd never been present. People kept their hands to themselves and continued to run like it was harmless exercise once they knew that a guard was present. The name 'Boss' told everyone. There was no respect at all in the title. Guards were labeled 'boss' by convicts because they were clueless idiots. It was part of the lingo that separated out a convict from an inmate. He'd been an inmate at first. He'd had no clue what half of the guys around him had been saying. He didn't even want to think about how many insults that he'd probably received without knowing it. Convicts were different. Only someone as green as he had been called those jailed beside him as an inmate. Without knowing it, he'd marked himself as fresh meat countless times in the beginning by using the same language as the guards. After being in for so long, he knew better. Boss meant 'Sorry Son Of a Bitch' and every man in uniform was one.

"Report to the showers!" The guard yelled. At that, Tsuna did stop. He dug his heels in and turned to look at the guard with his incredulity plain on his face. He wasn't the only one that stopped. All across the yard, those that he was racing faltered to a stop over the sudden command. "You got an appointment in the bone yard," he added before turning his back to march back inside. Tsuna felt his jaw drop at the same time that all the blood rushed out of his face. Catcalls started sounding off along with crude comments of jealousy, but he didn't think there was a single thing to be jealous of. Instead, he was confused and thrown off-balance.

"What's the bone yard?" Ore asked quietly, walking up to lay a meaty hand on Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna just stared at him without the ability to form a coherent word. He was too shocked. He hadn't signed up for a trip over there. Even if he wanted to, he had no one on the outside to meet with him.

"It's a conjugal visit," Veronica supplied with her own mouth slightly parted in shock. "I thought you said that you were widowed, Laz."

"I-I am," he replied while he continued to reel over the sudden information overload. "I didn't sign up for a trip to the bone yard."

"It's her," Ore nodded in sudden understanding. Tsuna continued to stare until he slowly came to understand what his friend had already grasped. There was only one 'her' that would use an intimate encounter as an opportunity to meet without being under surveillance.

"Ah," he agreed quietly. "There's no one else that it could be."

"It's okay, Little Guy," Ore soothed with a pat on Tsuna's shoulder. "She probably just wants to give you an update. It's not like she can really give you an outrageous amount of information during phone calls. Just go do what they tell you to so that you don't keep her waiting."

"Che," Tsuna spat in disgust. "She could have warned me."

"Who is it?" Danny-boy asked curiously, coming up to join the group already surrounding him. Tsuna snarled incoherently at him before storming away. Ore could answer that question and deal with picking a winner for the race that had been stopped. He didn't like it at all, but Ore was right. He couldn't keep Autumn waiting when she'd went to such lengths to talk to him in private.

* * *

Autumn sat on the edge of the bathtub and tried to control her blushes. The plan had been for the visit to be secret when she'd gotten her father's agreement, but someone had spilled the beans. Isaac had tried to stop her four times and even her former tutor, Saldez, had shown up to try to talk her out of it. Rachael, her Third Knight and media advisor, hadn't been far behind. It had been enough of an upset to her plans of a nice, quiet, secret visit that she'd taken time out to track down the leak. She'd been furious when she found out that Poppet had been the one to tell the others that she was going on a conjugal visit to Suoh.

Lazarus, she amended in disgust. As if a change in name would make him any more of a jackass and a headache. He'd really had her going there for a while. She still didn't know what he'd gotten out of making her look like a fool. She'd honestly been trying to act like a friend and tell him that she didn't want him to change. The whole time, he'd been mocking her, though. She now knew what Hime-sama meant. It meant 'Princess,' which was the same name that her father called her. She swore, if he called her that one more time--

--With those sincere eyes.

--And that quiet, intense voice.

--And those--

No! What the hell was she thinking?! This was Suoh! Suoh the Jackass! She knew that she had bad taste in men, but Suoh was as bad as they got! He was an irritating troublemaker! He was a broke gangster! She was better than someone like him! There was nothing in Suoh that was attractive! It was true that he could fight a little bit, but he still got his ass handed to him on a regular basis!

--By hitmen strong enough and mobs large enough to take out the entire Martelli Family. Nothing less could take him down, no matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise.

He had no common sense! He ran into things like a brainless fool and got injured regularly because of his recklessness!

--Because he's a passionate type of guy who acts on his feelings. He'd saved her from those two hitmen in the park when they'd barely known each other because of his so-called recklessness.

He had no respect for people or order!

--She'd already admitted to herself that his lack of respect was what made him unique. It wasn't that he didn't have it. It was just that he didn't hand out respect like one would hand out candy. He gave it to people that earned it.

He--

Why was she arguing with herself?! Suoh wasn't her type! She liked gentlemen who could afford her, not guys who spent a hundred dollars a week on cigarettes! Damnit! That bastard was so damn irritating and he wasn't even present yet! She could never like a guy like Suoh! He was cheap and filthy and nothing more than a bum that her father had picked up off the streets. His idea of a nice date was probably a cheeseburger and a movie rental! She liked guys that could take her out for an expensive meal in a quality restaurant and gave her jewelry before taking her out to the opera! She liked guys that could afford a chauffer, not guys who would pick her up on their bicycle!

She had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter at the image produced at the thought. She could see him doing exactly that and not thinking that there was anything wrong with it. In his own way, he was more naive than anyone that she'd ever met. It was no wonder that her upper class friends had picked on him so much when he'd actually come to Family functions. She still remembered the dinner party that he'd taken part in. He'd used the salad fork through the whole meal. One person had tried to correct him and she still remembered his response.

"Why should I switch? This one's not busted yet."

She snorted slightly while she tried to hold back the need to laugh. He'd said it so innocently that no one had been sure if he'd been making a joke or if he'd honestly not known that he was supposed to switch utensils between courses. He'd continued eating in complete oblivion while everyone at her end of the table had laughed at him behind their napkins. It'd only gotten worse when he'd picked up the soup spoon for the dessert course and they'd tried to correct him yet again. His response while he looked back and forth between the small dessert spoon and the larger soup spoon had sent many people running for the bathroom rather than laugh in his face.

"I don't know about you, but I stopped using baby-spoons when I turned three."

He was so stupid. He was like a little kid with how innocent he was in some things. Suoh was amusing to keep around, but he wasn't any type of person that she'd be interested in. She had no clue why everyone had blow such a gasket over how they'd managed to sneak her in to meet with him outside of monitored routes. It wasn't like she was going to sleep with him. She had a mission to fulfill and that was all. The first part was to fill him in on what was really going on outside of the correctional facility. He hadn't had any real news since they'd sent Ore in. Even then, they'd sent him in with the most minimal of what they'd wanted to tell Suoh. Beyond that, her father had told her to fill Suoh in on the glamours. He'd said that Suoh would need the information along with the tools that they'd retrieved for him so that he could prepare himself in case things turned uglier than they already--

"Are you planning on coming out some time this century? I can tell that you're not actually using the bathroom."

Autumn squeaked slightly and jumped to her feet. She hadn't even heard him enter. From the sound of it, he was in the living area of the trailer that she'd been escorted to. Despite the fact that she'd been blushing, he wasn't the reason that she'd hidden in the bathroom. She'd hidden in the bathroom so that no one outside those in her control saw her. She'd used a fake name on the paperwork and had hidden her face as much as she could with accessories so that she wouldn't be recognized. She'd even went so far as to tie her hair up into a pony-tail and wear a lumberjack shirt with blue jeans. With a hat on her head on top of it and sunglasses, she doubted that anyone would connect Lizzie Lockhart with Autumn Martelli.

"Is the guard gone?" She called through the door.

"It's just me," he replied. "So do you want to come out and tell me what the hell was so important that I'm going to have to get strip searched just so that you could talk to me?"

"Aww," she said with a fiendish smile while she exited out of the bathroom. "Is widdle--" _Suoh_.... Autumn trailed off in her teasing comment and fell to a stop. Little Suoh wasn't so little anymore. He was still wiry, but there wasn't an ounce of fat on his body. From chin to toe, she felt the need to stare at the amount of muscle that he'd put on himself. He looked nothing like she remembered from her singular visit nearly four months past. She'd been getting reports on him, but she admittedly hadn't looked too closely at them. She was wishing that she had taken the time now.

Suoh was comfortably sprawled sideways on one of the recliners in the main living space of the imitation home. His hair was hidden behind a do-rag, but a good sized portion of his hair had been artfully left out to sweep across his face in order to hide his eye. He was wearing a plain, black tank top and state-issued orange pants. His state-issued shirt was tucked in around his waist, where it looked like he'd recently pulled it off due to the heat. His face looked bored while he continued to quietly smoke a cigarette and every inch of him screamed....

....bad boy.

She felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the thought. Suoh was a trouble-maker at times, but he wasn't a delinquent. He didn't steal, trespass, or purposely break laws. Despite that, she couldn't deny the image that he was pulling off. If she didn't know better, she'd think that he was in jail for murder or rape instead of a simple assault. He had that kind of jaded, wild aura about him. There was no sign of the man who'd wept at her feet in the aftermath of Snicker's death and had begged with absolute humility for help. No. The man before her was some kind of insane beast that radiated threat and menace as easily as breathing.

"Is little what?" He replied with a frown.

"Eh?" She mumbled, blinking rapidly in order to snap herself out of her shock. Then she remembered that she'd been in the middle of teasing him. Teasing him didn't seem like such a good idea anymore, though. "Oh. Never mind about that. I was just going to say that Daddy sent me, so you should take it up with him if you have a problem."

"Is that so?" He replied with a small smile pulling on the corner of his lips. Her eyes widened at his manner and she fought a second blush while she sat on the couch. Unconsciously, she picked the seat farthest away from him where she could be comfortable without getting close. She was suddenly wishing that she'd taken everyone's warnings to heart. Meeting with Suoh alone suddenly didn't seem like one of her brightest ideas. She doubted that her father had known that he'd changed so much when he'd asked her to meet with him. "So. What did he send you for? If it's about Vongola, then Big Guy already told me. Unless something's happened in the past few weeks...?"

"Yes and no," she murmured slowly, taking him up on the prompt. "We're pretty much at a stalemate right now with V--" Autumn broke off at the sound of harsh laughter that erupted out of Suoh. It wasn't like his quiet, almost childish laughter of the past. It was loud, rambunctious, and strangely brittle. If she had to describe it, she'd have said that it was the sound of someone laughing on the edge of sanity.

"Don't be stupid, Autumn," Suoh spat, abruptly cutting off his laughter with a feral expression on his face. "If you really thing that you're at a stalemate, then Vongola is just playing with you right now. If they were serious, you'd have been dead months ago. They're trying to fuck you up slowly so that you're not destroyed so completely that you're unusable. If they can scare you into submission, then they win a lot more than they would by annihilating you." Autumn felt herself grow pale since Suoh's words had been what several of the Family had been whispering over their drinks at night. She hadn't been the only one that had gotten the feeling that they were being toyed with, but Suoh was the first one to say it so bluntly. He'd said it almost as bluntly as her father had when her father had said that Vongola was far stronger than what they were showing themselves as. He'd said that Vongola was just testing the water-- "They're just testing the waters right now. You'll know that they're serious when you have people getting hospitalized. Right now, they're just giving you a warning. Next will come a punishment. When they get to the execution stage, you'll know that there's no hope left."

"How can you say that?!" She exclaimed in surprise over hearing her father's words repeated so blithely. "You don't know--"

"I don't need to know," he interrupted around a lazy drag of his cigarette. "You try to play nice and good, but I know the truth about the Mafia. You can be a hero to the children in the slums all you want, but I've seen the other side. For every person that you visibly help or save, someone out there gets taken out in a contract hit or is tortured for information. Vongola is no different. They just work in much larger numbers."

"S-Suoh...?"

"Lazarus," he corrected with an angry gleam in his eyes. It was a gleam that made her freeze like a deer caught before a set of headlights. It startled her into inaction. "I think you forget why I ran away in the first place. I didn't want to be a part of that world. Back then, I really was naive, but I'm not naive anymore, Autumn. Vongola isn't going to stop until you either give in or blood is spilled. I'm not sure why they're after a small Family like yours, but they've got their target set if what Ore told me is right."

"Gabriel caught their interest with the Glamours," she replied quietly. "He's seen Daddy use his in the past, so he knew about them and told Vongola. He had signs of learning to--"

"Rewind," Lazarus snapped. "What Glamours? Gabriel's an illusionist?"

"No," she corrected hurriedly, jumping on the opportunity to breach the subject with him. "The glamours are a Family Sec--"

"Secret Bullet?" He yelped as he bolted upright in his chair.

"No...." Autumn replied with a raised eyebrow. "They're a Family Secret. They have nothing to do with bullets. Our forefathers weren't the offensive type. They believed strongly that weapons would only lead to bloodshed and chose to let the era decide the weapons that would be used to fight. Instead, they focused on creating a defensive way to protect the Family. What they came up with are the Glamours."

"I'm listening," Lazarus murmured, once more leaning back in his chair while he continued to smoke.

"The Glamours were named the way they were because they were mistaken for illusions," she continued. "Each generation of Family is taught to harness these in order to give us a way to protect ourselves against Families that are larger and more powerful. Thanks to the Glamours, we are safe from normal hitmen--"

"I see," Lazarus interrupted. "That's why they're toying with you. The hitmen that Vongola has been sending aren't trying to kill you. They're just coming to pull the Glamours out of you so that they can assess your true strength. You should be fine as long as you've been killing them before they can report back. Vongola didn't get where they are by rushing in blind--"

"Lazarus!" Autumn gaped in shock that he'd talk about killing so easily. "Of course we haven't killed them! They were just doing the job that their Boss--"

"You're being naive," he interjected in open disgust. "Vongola won't give you the same mercy. They're the type of people that torture over a minor insult. If you really want to protect your Family, then you'll treat the soldiers as harshly as you would treat the commander. The longer that you can keep them from getting what they want, the longer you have the chance to come to an agreement with them."

"I can't believe you!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet over the words that Lazarus was spouting. "Why should the subordinates be held accountable for the orders that their Boss--"

"You're afraid," he replied quietly, once more cutting her off. "Do you think that if you're nice to their subordinates then they'll be nice to yours? Get real, sweetheart. Like a Family as big as Vongola cares about every grain of sand under their feet. They only look down when they think they've stepped on a diamond. When that happens, you either get squashed if you're not or you're put in their pocket if you are. Don't think for an instant that they care about the sand around you."

"I'm not listening to this," she snarled angrily, grabbing up her purse in order to head for the door. "Daddy can come and talk to you himself. I can't believe that you're saying such--" Autumn broke off as she slammed up against the door that hadn't answered her order to open. The knob was turning, but the door refused to budge!

"You might as well give up," Lazarus said. Autumn squeaked and spun in place, pressing her back to the exit when she felt Lazarus come up behind her. "We're locked in here together until morning," he added with a small smile. She swallowed hard over the words and tried not to let him see how flustered it made her. She hadn't signed up for this. She was only supposed to get a few hours to talk to sweet, meek Suoh alone. No one had said anything about an overnight stay with a dangerous, unbalanced convict! "Are you scared of me, Autumn?"

"No," she blurted, staring defiantly up at him at the challenge. The defiance lasted about as long as it took her to realize that he really was standing taller than her. He'd grown taller since she'd last seen him. He wasn't shorter than her anymore. It wasn't by much, but he'd actually grown so that he was almost Eric's size. He might even be as tall as Isaac now! It was as if he'd grown up from a teenager into a man during his stay in prison and his body had followed suit. He didn't give off the innocent vibe anymore. He gave off the vibe of a true predator!

Some of what she'd glanced over in his file suddenly made sense. It'd said that he'd grown more aggressive in order to keep the other inmates at bay. This is what had become of him in order to survive while living with people that would give no mercy to the small and weak. She hadn't expected this to happen when they'd put him in jail. Her father said that he'd be perfectly safe in a low security prison, but he hadn't said anything about why or how he'd be made safe. She'd trusted him and this was the outcome.

"What happened to you?" She murmured, reaching up to brush his hair out of his face as all the fear seeped out of her. She barely noticed his new glass eye. Instead, she looked into his good eye to see if there was any speck of the Suoh that she remembered. "You used to be so gentle at heart," she continued quietly, taking some hope in the gleam of heartache that lanced through his eye for a moment before fading once more behind his hard-eyed stare. He didn't answer. He continued to simply stare at her while she tried to bring warmth back into his expression with her hand.

"Don't do that, Hime-sama," he said quietly. She paused at the name and froze entirely when he reached up to stop her hand with one of his own. His grip was as gentle as he remembered, even if his stare wasn't. What shocked her the most was the title, though. She knew that it meant 'Princess', but there was no mockery in his voice. He used the same serious inflection that Isaac did when he called her 'Boss'. She knew that she should be mad over it, but there was something about Lazarus that wouldn't let her.

Pain, she realized when he let her go in order to turn and head back to the couch. He was hiding it so well that she still couldn't be positive, but he was hurting. Being in a place where he had to constantly stay on his toes had taught him to hide his pain and to hide his weaknesses. It hadn't done anything to alleviate the issues! What had her father been thinking when he'd put Lazarus in a place like this?! He'd said that the struggle for survival would keep Suoh focused enough that he wouldn't have time for thoughts of giving up. That part had worked, but where was the part about Suoh coming to terms with Snicker's death?! He was hiding it, but Autumn could tell. He hadn't dealt with his pain at all! He had just learned to bury it over time!

She expected his memories of Snicker to turn bittersweet, but Suoh seemed like he was just turning bitter. All the sickening sweetness that used to pour out of him was gone. She now realized that the side of him that she'd mistrusted because he'd been so much of a goody-two-shoes had been sincere. It'd been sincere and now it was either gone or buried so deep beneath his thick shell that she couldn't find it.

"You might not like what I've said, but I'm just playing the devil's advocate, Autumn," he said, sitting in his chair with a manner that dared anyone to tell him to move. He did it with a seamless grace that told her that he wasn't doing it consciously. It was an ingrained habit that warned off the other inmates before they could even consider challenging him. It was an aura that told any of his enemies that were watching that he would not go down easily. For many, the warning was enough to stop them before they could get any ideas of attacking in their head. It was the armor of simple attitude that he'd gained from his extended stay in jail. "Tell me more about these Glamours. You said that he was learning to control them? What are they exactly?"

"It's hard to explain," she replied hesitantly while he pulled out another cigarette and a piece of gum. Moving back over to the couch since she obviously couldn't leave, Autumn tried not to let him see how bothered she was by what had become of Suoh. Lazarus was like a totally different person, which made her somewhat understand his claims that Suoh was dead. He might as well be since the man before her was nothing like him. Not only did he look different, but he acted different, too. She'd never seen him smoke than one cigarette on his break and he was now chain smoking without blinking twice over it.

"I can figure things out pretty quickly," he said. "Peter-sensei has been very useful in teaching me how to translate explanations so that I can understand them. Just tell me what you know and I'll work out the rest on my own."

"Alright," she agreed slowly while hiding her doubt. "They're based off of the Human Pyramid Theory." She paused, waiting for him to make some circus joke about human pyramids. Nothing seemed forthcoming while he simply waited for her to continue, however. "The Theory works off of the mind, body, and heart being seen as separate entities," she continued. "My forefathers harnessed them as such and wielded them as three different Glamours. The Glamour of the mind is the Voice. The Glamour of the body is the Armor. The Glamour of the heart is the Spirit. With enough focus, strength, and belief, a person can focus one of the three entities into reality. My forefathers managed to gain enough focus to begin harnessing the powers, but they had to create a booster to pull out the power that--"

"The rings," he supplied, making her gape slightly over the fact that he was actually seeming to understand. "Keep going. If all there was to it, then people would be showing up regularly with these powers. What's the catch? Let me guess. It has something to do with the earrings."

"R-Right," she nodded in surprised confirmation. "My forefathers made a contract to supply the belief. It's in the Martelli blood and the earrings allow us to grant usage of the contract to others."

"And since it's in your blood, your brother has access to it," he spat. "What do these Glamours do?"

"It depends on who's using it," she replied with a grimace. "For you, the three Glamours are based off of the virtue of Justice. For Isaac, they're based off of Courage. Using him as an example, he's already gained control of the Voice. The Voice of Courage makes it so those that hear his voice--"

"Are courageous," he snarled in open disgust. "I got it. I don't give a damn about him or your friends, though. I just want to know what I'm up against with Gabriel so that I can be ready for him. There's not much that I can do about Vongola, but Gabriel is easy pickings if you don't give him time to prepare."

"I d-don't--"

"Bullshit," he spat before she could claim ignorance. "What's your ability? You two are siblings, so it can't be much different."

"N-Nobility," she answered quietly. She bowed her head, knowing that she was helping someone prepare against her brother. It was her duty to prepare him, no matter how much her heart wanted to deny that Gabriel had turned on her in such an overwhelming way. "I've only gained control of the Armor, but my father has used the Voice on you before."

"I remember," he murmured in thought. "You're talking about right after Snicker died and he ordered me to go back inside. I had a lot on my mind before, but I always thought it was strange that I had listened to him even though I'd had it in my head to kill him if he got in my way. I wasn't exactly in my right mind back then. I should--"

"Lazarus...?" Autumn asked curiously when he broke off in order to stare into thin air like he was having an epiphany.

"Nobility," he repeated, while he put his face into his hands. "You can't be serious. It's no wonder then."

"No wonder about what?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Who do you think of when you think of a Noble, Autumn," he asked softly.

"King Arthur and Maid Marian," she replied instantly while wondering why he was asking the same question as her tutors had.

"Those were Nobles," he agreed with a small nod. "But so was Mordred and King John. Nobility is nothing more than a guise that gives people license to do what they want to those who were not born into a world of wealth and power. You chose people who are famous for their deeds or their heart, but Gabriel is the type to use Nobility as an excuse to claim rights where he has none." Autumn simply stared, unable to do more than gape as Lazarus got to his feet to pace back and forth across the room in barely suppressed rage and frustration. It scared her, if she admitted it to herself. She didn't know what to expect out of Lazarus anymore. "Where you would use Nobility with compassion, he would use it with fear," he snarled angrily. "That bastard has been used it on me the whole time and I never noticed. Everyone said that it was normal for me to be afraid, but I knew I had gotten stronger than that! I prepared for him over and over again, but he always made my resolve falter with one word. That's why I wasn't scared of him when I finally managed to knock the shit out of him! He was talking, but I wasn't hearing him! I knew it! I knew it before but he still always drew me in no matter how much I tried to ignore him!"

Autumn let out a surprised shriek and covered her head when Lazarus' fist slammed into the television set up in a corner of the room. He didn't stop hitting it, either. He continued pounding his fist into it until it was nothing more than a heap of scattered plastic and parts. It scared her. He didn't look sane at the moment at all. He was like a wild beast that had went rabid. There was no stopping him. There was no thought of getting anywhere near him while he started tearing the rest of the room apart. The only thought that she had was to get away before she ended up like the television. She had to get away before he remembered that she was related to the man that caused Lazarus to become so violent with hatred.

Running into the bedroom, she cursed over the lack of a lock on the door before running over to hide on the opposite side of the bed. She knew from when she'd been brought in that the windows had bars over them and she knew from her earlier attempt to leave that the front door was locked to prevent escape. She was trapped in the trailer with a mad-man whether she liked it or not. She'd never seen Lazarus like that before. It reminded her of when she'd dared to jump in to save her brother's life. She could tell that he wanted to kill something. The fact left her trembling in fear. It made her wonder why her father had brought him into the Family at all.

He was a lunatic.

He hadn't always been that way, though. That's was probably what scared her more than anything. She still remembered the smiling dufus that he'd been. She still remembered the idiot bum that had been like a blushing virgin every time that he'd come to pay a call on Summer. She still remembered the nymphotic drunk that she'd tease when he came home late on the weekends with his costume on. She still remembered the mime with a twinkle in his eyes while he amused crowds of people for pennies. She still remembered the quiet dishwasher that always took the time out of his work to playfully bicker with her when she was in the mood. He was the guy that never got put off by her and always came back for more no matter how many times she beat him with word play. He was the guy that had always gotten a dreamy look of love and happiness in his eyes when anyone even mentioned Snicker.

The beast in the other room wasn't Suoh.

"Autumn." Autumn froze at the sound of Suoh calling from outside the door. He sounded calm, but she knew what laid under the surface. He was a violent and bloodthirsty b-- "I'm sorry if I scared you," he called hesitantly. "I didn't mean for you to see that. I lost control for a minute there, but I'm okay now. I'm still not used to the new dosage of gum, so I snap a lot more than I used to. I tried to control it, but it's hard when the subject is on your brother." He paused for a moment, giving Autumn a chance to talk that Autumn refused to respond into. "If you want, I can use the phone that they have in here to get a guard to come and get you. I hope that you'll stay and tell me the trick to using the Glamours, but I understand if you don't want to stick around. I doubt that I'm your first pick of people to get locked in a room with. Especially now." Again, he paused and, again, she refused to reply. "Please say something, Autumn. Did I hurt you? Are you okay? I can tell that you're in there, but I can't tell anything else."

"I'm fine," she called without budging an inch from her seat, hearing the genuine worry in his voice. "Just leave me alone right now."

"O-Okay," he replied hesitantly. "I-I'm going to be cleaning up this mess, so let me know if you need anything. I... Yeah..."

* * *

Tsuna turned away from the door. He could tell from her smell that she was frightened. He couldn't think of anything to say to make it better. He'd screwed up by giving into his fighting instinct. He'd hoped that maybe giving into the urge would actually help him regain complete control for once. It hadn't. Instead, it'd just made Autumn run from the room in fear.

He hated himself. He hated what he'd become and he hated the way that he acted at times. First there was Danny-boy in the morning and the guy in the breakfast line. Now it was Autumn and the violence that he'd unleashed against a television. He thought that she'd understand with him taking it out on an inanimate object. By taking it out on that, she'd been perfectly safe. It'd gone all wrong, though. It'd gone wrong and now she was scared of him. Didn't she understand that it hurt for him to know that people were afraid of him?

It hurt even more to know that they had a reason. He was a monster. He'd tried to get educated in hopes that he could be useful as more than a meat shield, but that didn't change the fact that fighting was what he knew. He'd gotten better and better at fighting over the past few years and he no longer felt his heart skip no matter what kind of odds he was up against. It was as if a piece inside of him that usually quivered in fear had grown so used to quivering that it'd either snapped or hardened.

Because that part of him reacted so seldom, it hit him twice as hard when he did come across something to fear. Vongola was to be feared. Gabriel was to be feared. His own instincts were to be feared. All three of those things had the power to control him and destroy his life. Even then, it was at a level that he could control. He had discipline to counter his instincts. He had rage to counter Gabriel. He had determination to counter Vongola. None of those things were what he feared at the moment, though. What he feared now was that Autumn would stay scared of him. He didn't want that. She wouldn't use him if she was scared of him.

He didn't know what to do. All he could think of was to clear away the evidence of what he'd done so that maybe she wouldn't remember how much he'd lost it when she came out. The house really was set up like a house when it came to that. There was a dust pan and a broom in the closet, along with a trash can that he could put the glass and broken bits into. He knew from a quick inspection that the cabinets had been stocked, along with the fridge, in case the people who had earned the right to a family visit wanted to get a 'home-cooked' meal. It also gave the guards an excuse to not have to return until morning since Autumn had unknowingly managed to get an overnight slot. It was still early in the day. While they were only supposed to get a few hours alone together in a typical visit, the guard had repeatedly said that his visit would last until four in the morning.

Maybe he should cook her something, he mused. She didn't look like the type to know how to use more than a microwave, so maybe he could impress her a little bit. If he succeeded, then maybe she'd come out to eat. With that thought in mind, he set to cleaning up the last of the glass in a rush. He took care to get every piece, using his eyesight to see any that had fallen into the threads of the carpet. After that, he kicked off his shoes so that his footsteps wouldn't be so heavy. He figured that would help get rid of any fear that she had of him. She'd seen her eyes earlier when he'd shocked himself at how tall he'd gotten. He used to have to look up slightly at her, but now they were eye-to-eye. Of course, she probably thought he was bigger than she was since she'd been cowering against the door a little bit. He'd tried to shake her out of that by ruffling her pride, but he'd never expected her to honestly be fearful of him. He couldn't really blame her. He'd screwed up again. He always seemed to screw up when she was around.

He still remembered that disastrous dinner party that he'd went to. It'd been the last formal event that he'd willingly attended with the Family. Isaac had seen that he was confused by all the silverware that was laid out and had told him not to worry about it. He'd said that they were spares in case he broke one. He'd also said that the small spoon was for when people brought their young children in to eat and he shouldn't worry about using it. He'd not realized that he'd been laughed at through the whole meal until he had made his little joke about not being a baby. When people had returned from the bathroom, he'd seen that everyone was using the baby-spoon to eat the pudding. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life when he figured out that Isaac had lied to him and that he'd just made a fool out of himself. Only the fact that Papa Paolo had been using the big spoon, too, had allowed him to keep his composure until it was over.

He tried to remember the kinds of food that had been served for that, but quickly realized that there was no way that he'd be able to make anything gourmet for her with the stock that was in the kitchen. He'd never made anything fancy in his life. Snicker had always liked simple meals when Tsuna had done the cooking for them. Deviled eggs was about where the limit of his skill ended. He was halfway tempted to make her some, but he doubted that the smell of boiled eggs would tempt her out of the room. The only choices of meat looked to be hot dogs, chicken, or ground beef.

Hot dogs and ground beef. He could do something with that! Heading back over to the cabinets, he dug through the cans in storage until he had what he needed. There were five cans of almost every vegetable and multiple cans of beans. Baked beans, pork and beans, beans and weenies-- He grinned when he found the ones that he wanted. Dark and light kidney beans, plus two cans of pinto beans. That was four cans of beans in total and a little more digging got him a can of tomato paste to use. Even more digging got him the salt and pepper, along with the most important ingredient. Chili Powder. If there was one recipe that he knew by heart, it was Snicker's famous Simple Chili. It was called Simple Chili because it didn't have any of the extras that made people picky. It was a chili that no one could hate because there were no extra things for them to pick out due to preference. Tsuna still remembered the time that he'd thrown celery into the pot in hopes that Snicker would be happy that he'd added vegetables. Snicker had been furious, saying that people shouldn't mess with the simple taste of real chili. It was like adding gravy to a steak. It made one completely lose sight of the goodness of a simple taste.

There was no way that Autumn could hate it.

Pulling out a skillet and a pot, he put the hunk of ground beef into the pan and started frying it. Doing so meant that the chili would be done in half the time since one didn't have to wait for the meat to finish. One only had to wait until the beans were done. He felt his mouth watering at the sight of the ground beef cooking. There was something that was tantalizing about the smell of simple ground beef that made him snatch pieces off the edges as soon as they were cooked. He had to slap his own hand on the third stolen piece, reminding himself that there was a bigger meal waiting if he could hold off.

Leaving that to fry, he headed over to open the four cans of beans and dump them en masse into the pot. A little water added gave them room to start stewing without burning. Leaving that to continue cooking on its own, he continued to break the hunk of meat up in the skillet until it was a the right shade of 'cooked'. By the time he was done there, the beans were already boiling nicely. Seeing that, he dumped the whole load of meat into the pot and added in the can of tomato paste. A couple of quick stirs let the water thicken when the tomato paste started to dissolve and he had to smile at the way it started popping like thick chili instead of soup. It was too easy to make.

While he let that boil some more, he pulled out another small pot to start boiling the hot dogs. It probably wasn't what Autumn would like for a meal, but she would assuredly become curious with the smell. He doubted that she got a whole lot of homemade chili or chili-dogs with the fact that her father ran an Italian restaurant. She could get hamburgers almost anywhere, but chili was a little harder to come by. He was going for the uniqueness factor instead of something that would be tantalizing to her gourmet palate. If nothing else, he thought that he should get credit for trying. He could hear her moving around as he started to add the salt, pepper, and chili powder into the pot. It was when the powder was stirred in that the steam took on a very chili aroma that he knew would make her curious. He added it slowly, tasting repeatedly to ensure that he didn't add too much. He also had to ensure that he didn't add too little. He needed just enough that the tomato paste mixed in turned into chili taste.

Tsuna purposely didn't react when she came out. Instead, he pointedly continued stirring the chili while occasionally poking the hot dogs to ensure that they were boiled evenly. He still saw her out of the corner of his good eye. He was like a bird, hesitantly moving from perch to perch through the room while she got closer to her goal.

"What are you doing?" She asked finally.

"I'm making chili," he replied without looking up from his pot. "Chili-dogs to be specific. Are you hungry?"

"I can see that you're making chili," she retorted with her a hint of her typical bluntness. "I'm just wondering why. Did you already eat the steaks that I brought?"

"Steaks...?" He repeated slowly.

"They're in the microwave," she sighed. "Didn't you see them when you were looking around?" Curious, Tsuna left off the pot and skipped sideways to the microwave. Hitting the button to open it, he grimaced slightly at the still-hot steaks inside. He hadn't thought for a moment to look to see if she'd already brought something. He should have known. He felt like an idiot again. She'd already taken care of lunch and all he was doing was wasting food.

"Danny-boy's going to hate me tomorrow," he finally said. Pulling them out, he reached over to turn off the burners on the chili and the hot-dogs.

"You don't have to stop cooking!" She squeaked.

"I'm not," he replied with a wide grin. "It's already done. This is Snicker's Simple Chili recipe. We used to make it on the streets over a fire barrel, but it goes a lot faster over a stove. Nick would bring enough trash to burn and Daren would supply a big pot. Everyone would pitch in money for the beans and meat and Snicker used to carry the chili powder in his bag so that we wouldn't have to buy it. There was usually around ten of us that shared it, so it came out pretty cheap. I think it was a dollar per person and we usually had enough for everyone to get two bowls."

"I...see..." she murmured slowly.

"Would you like some?" He asked while he filled up a full bowl for himself in order to keep himself from looking at her. "If you don't like it, there's always the steaks you brought. There's also hot dogs here and... um... I don't think there was any buns, but there's bread if you want to make a chili-dog."

"I'll try it," she agreed with a curious not in her voice. "I've had Isaac's steaks before, but I've never had any of your cooking."

"O-Oh," he replied quietly. He felt a strange surge of disappointment well up at her statement. He didn't really understand it. It was obvious that she'd eaten someone else's cooking before, but the emphasis on Isaac's cooking bothered him. Possessiveness and territorial urges, he identified after a long moment. He had to control it. He didn't want to scare Autumn again just because he couldn't control himself as well as he normally did. It wasn't the first time that they'd lowered his dosage and Autumn definitely wasn't someone that he was allowed to possess. He just had to get accustomed to the surges. "Go ahead and sit down," he suggested, handing over the bowl that he'd filled for himself along with a spoon. "I'll bring the rest of it over to the table."

"I'm surprised," she called hesitantly after a slow, cautious bite. "It's kind of plain, but it's not bad." He grunted in return focusing on the task of draining the hot dogs out and sticking them on slices of bread. He stacked them up on a plate, making it into a platter that either of them could pull from. That platter, along with the full pot of chili, the plate of steaks and baked potatoes that Autumn had brought, along with an empty bowl for him to put his own chili into got placed on the dining table set up so that convicts with families could get a taste of home during their conjugal visits. Despite how people talked, the visit wasn't all about getting laid. It was true that it was typically the first thought on a convict's mind, but it wasn't necessarily the only need that got attention during a visit.

He didn't even try to make conversation. The empty hole in his stomach didn't allow room for actual talk. Instead, he did his best to eat at a pace that wouldn't disgust her while she quietly picked at her own bowl. He glanced at her occasionally between bites, taking some comfort in the fact that she was slowly eating his poor peace offering. She could have pushed it away to take the steak that he left for her, but she didn't. Of course, she didn't touch the hot dogs, either. From the looks of it, she didn't have much of an appetite at all. At least, that's what he thought until she smacked his hand when he reached for the last one.

"Leave me one!" She snapped while claiming it for herself. "You can have the steaks. Just because I don't inhale my food doesn't mean that I'm not hungry."

"Sorry," he mumbled, deciding to get himself another bowl of chili instead while he started eating in earnest. He made sure to leave her one of the three steaks that she'd brought, along with one of the baked potatoes in case she got hungry later. The rest of the food was considered free game and ended up in his stomach. He didn't even notice how much he'd eaten until he was scraping the bottom of the pot to get the last dregs of meat out. A pot of chili that was made to feed four people was gone, seven of the eight hot dogs had went into his stomach, the two steaks and the baked potato had disappeared, plus the whole loaf of bread was missing, yet he still felt hungry.

Ore was right. It didn't matter how much he ate. He'd still feel hungry, so there was no sense in stealing other people's food. He needed to apologize to Danny-boy when he saw him again about taking most of his breakfast. He'd already known it, but he always had the false hope that something would change with a new day. He could tell that he'd eaten a lot, though. Even if he still felt hungry, the effects of having so much food in his stomach was obvious when he tried to hold back a large yawn. It was the most that he'd been allowed to eat in a long time and his body knew it. It wanted him to sleep so that it could take it's time with digestion.

"I didn't realize that you were so hungry," Autumn commented quietly when he laid his head down on the table to wait for her to finish her own bowl. "I'll bring more next time."

"Don't worry about it," he replied around another yawn. "I've had more than enough. I just can't separate out what I'm hungry for anymore, so I'm always hungry. It doesn't matter how much I eat. I still feel like I haven't eaten anything. It makes me edgy sometimes and I'd probably eat until I was sick if I was given enough."

"So, you're still hungry?" She asked curiously.

"Starving," he confirmed with another yawn. "And sleepy," he added. "Even though I can't feel it, there's still a lot of food in my stomach right now. That's how I know when I've eaten too much. I get sluggish. I'm probably lucky that you took that last hot dog. If I'd eaten any more, I'd probably have gotten myself in trouble. I'm not usually so much of a pig, but I'm still not used to the new dosage yet."

"Does it really affect you that much when we send you a new pack?" She inquired, leaning on the table while she continued to take slow bites of her chili and her hot dog.

"Uh huh," he confirmed sleepily. "That's why I snapped earlier. You know that stuff that they gave me at the Banquet where I got turned? Fires of Heaven or Heaven's Fire or whatever they called it."

"Yes."

"It's like I'm on that stuff all the time now," he explained. Sitting up, he pulled out a cigarette and started smoking to keep himself awake while he talked. He had a feeling if he kept his head on the table any longer, he'd probably pass out completely. That would be the worst thing he could do when Autumn was finally talking to him again without fear in her scent. Her powers of recovery and the way that she bounced back never ceased to amaze him. She had a courage that he could never boast of. At most, all he had was ignorance. "Before, I would have run after Poe and killed his ass long before now. With the new treatment that they've got me on, I'm increasing my tolerance levels so that I can go longer without any type of.... um.... what I'm craving. When I get used to the amount that they're giving me and I can control the side effects of going without, they lower the dose. Every time they lower it, the urges get harder to control. I barely managed to get used to the amount in the last box before they sent me this new shit."

"What's that have to do with the Heaven's Fire?" She asked in confusion.

"Oh! Because I'm getting used to being Hungry, my mind's kind of gone wonky. The whole deal with me chasing after Poe is that I fall into instinct. I still do that, but I go after whatever need presents itself instead of just the need to eat. That usually means that I end up slamming someone over some bullshit, but I can control it if I notice it fast enough."

"So, earlier..."

"Yeah," he confirmed with a grimace. "I actually had a little control since I gave in. I didn't want to black out again, so I guided my instincts so that I beat the shit out of the television. I figured you'd prefer me to do that than knocking down the fucking door to go find some asshole that's looking to get the shit knocked out of him." He blanched slightly at her expression when he finally noticed it. She was looking at him with that face that said that she didn't recognize him again. He didn't really see what there was to not recognize, though. He'd beaten up lots of guys while he'd been working for them. The lynching that she'd stuck her nose into was just the end of a long train of battles that he'd secretly been--

Oh, he thought with an internal flinch. He'd forgotten, but no one had seen any of those fights. They'd been secret. Gigi had seen the aftermath a few times when he'd had trouble patching himself up, but he'd mostly kept to himself. This was probably the first time that Autumn had ever encountered the side of him that was willing to battle. She'd seen him take down Porker, but he faintly remembered that she'd been against it because she hadn't known that he was capable. She hadn't known, because he'd never talked about it. He hadn't talked about it because he hadn't wanted any of it to get back to Snicker, but things were different now. He had no reason to keep silent over such a silly matter. Unless...

"If it bothers you, I won't talk about fighting anymore," he murmured softly, being very careful in how he worded the offer.

"It's fine," she replied, visibly shaking off her surprise. "It's just weird hearing you talk like that. You sounded like some of Daddy's friends for a minute there. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Sorry," he mumbled again. Looking around, he tried to think of what he should do. It wasn't even noon yet and they still had over twelve hours that they were stuck together. He was tired enough that he didn't want to talk about anything business related unless he had to. In truth, she could tell him that he had until morning to become strong enough to defeat Reborn and he'd probably just yawn in her face. It was that fact that decided him. "Leave the dishes when you're done," he advised as he slowly got to his feet. "I'll get them after I take a nap."

"A nap?" She repeated in surprise.

"I'm too tired to think straight," he explained on his way to the bedroom. "I won't be out long, so don't worry. I'm used to sneaking into the laundry room after lunch and sleeping for about twenty minutes while Veronica washes my clothes." Jumping onto the bed, he tried not to moan at how much padding was on it. It made his bunk look like a spare cot that was pulled out of the attic. It felt like it'd been so long since he'd laid down on something so comfortable. It was almost enough to make him stay awake simply to enjoy the time spent with the fluffy pillows and the--

"Scoot over," Autumn snapped. He spun in place on the bed, looking up at where she was hovering over him.

""EH?!"

"You can sleep if you want," she practically snarled at him. "But you busted the television in the living room. The one in here is the only one left and I'm not going to spend the next few hours just waiting for you to wake up!"

"Oh," he replied sheepishly, looking over at the television in place on top of the dresser. It was indeed the only one in the trailer thanks to his outburst and the only place to sit in the room was on the bed. He knew that he could go lay on the couch to nap, but he wanted the comfort of the bed for at least a little while. He'd have to sleep on the couch once she was ready to go to bed in truth, so he didn't want to give it up right now. Because of that and only that, he shifted to the opposite side of the bed so that she could sit instead of returning into the living area to nap.

Tsuna dozed happily while she flipped through channels. He didn't want to admit it, but it was nice to have someone lounging in the bed next to him. He wished it was someone other than Autumn, but he wasn't going to complain. It was a presence next to him where he usually had none. That was one thing that never went away in prison. The loneliness became almost unbearable at times. The presence of Ore and Danny-boy helped somewhat, but it still wasn't enough. There was nothing in the world that could fill the emptiness that was caused by Snicker's absence.

He wanted to say that, but the truth was that his body had tried to find a replacement on more than one occasion. While the emptiness in his heart couldn't be filled, there was a need that his mind and body said that anyone could fill. He didn't have to have love or even a relationship to satisfy that part of himself. He knew that very well from all the times that he'd paid call to the six of Mike's beauties that he'd chosen. None of them were girls that he could see himself spending more than a few hours with, but those hours had still been enjoyable ones. His mind and body was telling his heart to take a hike so that he could get some action and he was slowly finding himself unable to deny the thought.

Snicker would forgive him for giving into any of his three bitches. Wouldn't he? He'd been a realist and the reality was that he wasn't around to help Tsuna deal with the normal urges of being an adult. When he'd been a kid, sex had been something to squeal and blush over. He wasn't a kid anymore. He knew what it felt like now to be satisfied, so it wasn't as easy to deny the urges as it'd been when he was ignorant. He knew that it was just the natural course of things now. Even worse, the place that he lived was a place where the bedding came before the wedding almost ninety-nine percent of the time. This was a 'try before you buy' city. People moved in together all the time to ensure that they could actually stand living with each other before they considered making their partnership permanent. He couldn't imagine doing it any other way. A person didn't wear the same mask in public that they did in their own home. How was a person supposed to know that they're really buying a 'happily ever after' when the packaging typically lies? That might not have been how he was raised, but such was the common practice where he lived now.

It'd been long enough, he thought to himself. As long as Snicker was the only one in his heart, there was no reason to not give into his needs. He wasn't sure how long he was supposed to wait, though. Foo Foo had said that he hadn't felt ready for almost a year when one of his girlfriends had died. At least, Tsuna thought it was a girlfriend. Foo Foo had only said 'lover'. He'd had a lot of tragedies to pull stories from in order to help Tsuna deal with Snicker's death. There's been the story of his brother and the one of his girlfriend. Several of his coworkers had died before he'd retired, plus there was the story of his partner being shot. He'd also told a story about his father dying and his girlfriend not even telling him for almost a year. On that one, Tsuna had gotten angry on Foo Foo's behalf. At least, he had until Foo Foo had explained that he'd never been on really good terms with his father. Foo Foo had been through a lot in the past few years and hearing his stories had helped a lot. It'd been strangely nice to know that he wasn't the only one in the world that had lost someone important. Compared to Foo Foo, he counted himself lucky that he'd only had one death to deal with.

The world was cruel. He knew that quite personally. People were selfish and only cared about themselves. There were a few rare people out there that made the cruelty worth surviving through, however. It was because of that fact that he continued to struggle on despite heartache, confusion, and weariness. He wanted to find those warm coals hidden in the ash of the world. He wanted to gather them and create a fire that Snicker would see all the way in heaven. That would make him happy, Tsuna thought. He'd be forgiven for his methods and his betrayals if he could get a bright enough fire burning.

Tsuna woke from his sleepy doze right on schedule. By necessity, true sleep had to wait until he was safely locked in his cell, so he was practiced in the art of resting while awake. If he were to fall asleep in the open, he'd probably get shanked as fast as one could say shit. No one had tried yet, but he'd come across plenty of people who looked like they wanted to. Setting that thought aside, he felt as rested as if he had taken a full nap. Peter-sensei had told him that twenty minutes was the perfect amount of supplemental rest. Less than that would make him feel like he hadn't rested at all. More than that would make him feel groggy. He didn't feel either, so he knew that he'd rested for long enough.

He didn't feel particularly needful of moving, although he did move his head slightly so that he could watch the television. Autumn was watching some crime scene show that he faintly recognized. It looked like yet another spin off of the series that he'd taken to watching before he'd got sentenced. He'd always liked it because it'd given him a view into what he was up against if he were ever to get caught on half the things that he did in secret. It was because of those shows that he knew three cardinal rules. The first rule was to not go near a crime scene. The second rule was to brush his hair thoroughly before committing a crime and to wear clothing that was resistant to tears or stains which also covered all points of his body so that he didn't give blood evidence through scratches nor would he leave fingerprints everywhere. The last rule was to dispose of all evidence in a way that it couldn't be tracked or retrieved.

Tsuna blinked rapidly in surprise when the scene switched and Eric's face appeared on the screen. He was dressed up in a white lab coat and had a pair of nerdy glasses on. From what Tsuna could tell, he was playing the role of a mortician in a neighboring city. He wasn't one of the main cast, but for him to even appear in an episode meant that he had the chance to be noticed by the directors and offered a more permanent role.

"He's not bad," Autumn commented quietly when Tsuna raised up on his elbows to watch at a better angle. "He's been getting better and better every time that I see him. I think his movie might make him into a real star if it's half as good as the teaser trailers say."

"That would be--" Tsuna was startled speechless when he turned his head to look at Autumn while he spoke. He hadn't realized how close she'd gotten to him during his 'nap'. He knew that she'd shifted a few times to get more comfortable after kicking her boots off, but he hadn't thought that they were as close as they were. She looked just as surprised from where she had propped herself up with pillows. The first thing that entered Tsuna's mind had nothing to do with pulling away. He refused to be the one to punk out and retreat. The only problem was that Autumn wasn't retreating, either. Then he noticed one small detail. It was a detail that made thoughts light up in Tsuna's head like a lightening storm. That detail was where she was looking. She wasn't looking at him in the eyes. She was looking at his lips.

He responded before he even made a conscious decision to react to how she was looking at him in veiled hunger. It was crazy and stupid and rash, but those were the actions that he knew best. There was no thoughts of consequences or crossing of lines. Lines were meaningless to him. If she didn't like what he did, then she could speak up and berate him. He'd be happy to take whatever punishment she devised, but that wouldn't stop him from moving on the signals that she was sending.

In a way, it was his duty to react when she sent signals. She couldn't always tell him verbally what she needed him to do, so he had to learn to pick up on what she didn't say. This was just part of being the Sixth. Papa Paolo had said that being the Sixth came first and the Sixth was a wildcard. He wasn't a card that came into the player's hand often, but he was allowed free reign when he did. A wildcard was always made into whatever was most useful with the rest of the hand that had been dealt. In this case, he took his cues from Autumn in order to be as useful as he could be. It was just a part of repaying his debt.

He continued to tell himself that while he hungrily kissed her, but the desire raging through him gave lie to all of it. Mate. Even if she just wanted serviced by him, a part of him wanted it just as badly. Mate. He hadn't been intimate with anyone since Snicker had died and he was at the limits of being able to satisfy himself with fantasy. Mate. He wanted her. Mate. He needed her. Mate. He was hungry for her. M--

"Stop!" She yelled as she shoved him away hard enough that he bounced backward over the far side of the bed. He landed in a heap of confusion and unrequited lust. He thought that she'd wanted it. Had he read the signals wrong? She'd edged close to him. She'd made bedroom eyes at him. There were the blushes from earlier and her scent was driving him crazy. It was overloaded with pheromones and had been ever since he'd woken up. He couldn't figure it out. Was she just playing hard to get? What was the point of that?! She was just a--

Tsuna mentally cursed himself. He'd reverted into thinking of her as a whore, when she was his Boss. Of course she wouldn't sleep with one of her subordinates. She was the heiress to all that Papa Paolo controlled and was as comfortable in Snobville as he was in the Pits. He wasn't anything that could be considered worthy or attractive to someone like her. He didn't have the class or the cash. Their worlds were too far apart to even consider sharing time together for even one minute. Even if she'd considered it for a moment, it didn't mean that she planned to act on it. Only a rash idiot like him acted first and did his thinking after the fact.

"Are you okay...?" Autumn asked with a note of shock in her voice over how hard she'd pushed him.

"Just fine," he groaned. Rolling over so that he could get his feet under him instead of over him, he tried not to get mad. She had no clue what she was doing to him by throwing him temptation and rejection. It frustrated him, but she wasn't to blame for his lack of self-control. He felt like snarling when he got back to his feet, though. Her eyes weren't even on his lips this time. Instead, she was openly staring at the bulge pulling at his pants. She seemed surprised over the presence, but he thought that her surprise made her just as foolish as him. He'd grown used to her beauty, so it wasn't as if she was untouchable. Growing used to it didn't make it go away, though. Even though he'd hidden it to keep Snicker from getting jealous, he'd always thought that she was beautiful. "Take a picture and it'll last longer," he growled, making her jaw snap shut from where she'd started gaping. She didn't seem capable of speech and he wasn't much different. He refused to apologize since she'd been the one tempting him, but he knew that he couldn't be allowed to repeat his mistake. With that in mind, he started heading for the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" She asked in that be-damned commanding voice that he knew that he'd have to learn to accept.

"Shower," he snapped in return, barely able to keep his frustration out of his voice.

"W-Wait," she called hesitantly. He obeyed the order, bracing himself in the doorway without turning to look at her.

"What?" Tsuna growled.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to push you away like that. I was just surprised. I didn't think.... I mean, with Snicker and all... Why did you do that?"

"I did that because I'm fucking horny," he spat bluntly. "Snicker's dead and nothing is going to change that. Whether I like it or not, I'm still alive and I've still got a dick attached. With you looking at me like that, what did you expect me to do? I'm not made of fucking stone."

"You look rock hard to me," she grumbled under her breath. He turned to stare at her in shock, unbelieving that she'd start her word games at a time like this. She blushed brightly upon seeing that he'd heard her and Tsuna had to bite his lip to keep himself under control at the taunt.

"Keep it up and I'll show you how hard I can be," he snarled. Her eyes widened in shock at his retort, which was somewhat satisfying in itself. "I'm serious," he warned when she opened her mouth to make her counter. "You don't want to play games with me right now. I can promise you that you'll be a sore loser."

"I'll be a sore loser?" She exclaimed in surprise. "Don't you mean that you'll be one?"

"Nope," he replied with a feral grin, feeling his blood surging at the opening that she walked into. "I'm pretty sure that you'll be sore by the time that I'm through."

"It'd take a lot more than what you've got to make me sore," she scoffed. Tsuna clenched his jaw, getting more and more frustrated as she continued to challenge him. He was getting frustrated because he was getting even more turned on by it. His instincts were screaming for him to assume his rightful dominance even though he knew that she wasn't one to be dominated. Whether he wanted to or not, he couldn't back down from a power battle.

"Don't challenge me," he hissed. "I've only got so much self-control and--"

"Since when have you had self-contr--" She broke off with a squeak when he crossed the room in four large steps. He noticed almost immediately that she didn't fight his advance. When he pushed her down on the bed, she made no sign of fighting him. She was acting as if she was willing despite her order to stop.

"Why are you baiting me?" He asked while he hovered over her. Autumn laid under him, acting completely non-resistant to anything that he might choose to do. That alone made him tempted to continue in order to answer the throbbing in his loins, but his mind was arguing with his body for once. Something seemed rotten about how she was purposely pushing him. He didn't think he was wrong about her wanting him, but the baiting seemed wrong in the aftermath of her forceful rejection. "I'm not playing games, Autumn," he repeated, slowly taking in her blushing and sheepish expression while he tried to keep himself under control. "If you want me to fuck you, then just say so and I'll be happy to. If you want to keep your legs shut, then you need to keep your mouth shut with it. You can only push a man so far and I'm already over my limit."

"Do you think it's any easier for me?" She replied calmly. Tsuna gaped slightly at the unexpected words. They were the complete opposite of what he expected. He expected her to taunt him again, but she was turning serious. "Do you know how hard it is to go from the freedom of being a whore into the life of Daddy's heir? I can't even sneeze without someone showing up to wipe my nose and here you are practically throwing yourself at me! It might be news to you, but you're not the only one that's frustrated!"

"I got it," Tsuna murmured with a crooked grin for her exasperated statement. Everything seemed to fall into place in his head. Autumn was as aware of her position as he was. She was also completely aware that he wasn't anything that could be considered relationship material. She probably wasn't even attracted to him, but he was still a guy that was willing to touch the untouchable Martelli the Fifth. That alone put him in the 'doable' column. With so many people looking at her as 'Princess' and 'Boss' with undying devotion, his distanced position as the Sixth put him outside of that box. It made him grateful that Papa Paolo had set him straight on the manner that he was supposed to go about repaying his debt. She wouldn't have had a use for him if he'd fallen into the same pool as the rest of her subordinates. He had a use now, though. His use was to deal with the frustration that he understood all too well.

"I can be discreet," he added, melting down against her while he softly teased her lips with his own. He wanted to devour them again, but he knew that rushing too fast would just make her put her guard up. "You don't have to worry about anything. What happens in here will stay in here and I won't tell a soul. Who would believe me anyway? We both know that I'm not the kind of guy that you like. But... If you're willing to settle for what's available, I can promise you that you won't regret it."

"We can't do this," she replied breathily.

"Why not?" He retorted, smiling once more over how she was saying one thing but doing another. She was saying that she couldn't, while silently responding that she could. She was responding to his butterfly kisses by slightly puckering her lips each time that he dived. Even better, her hands had reached up to lightly touch his sides while he stealthily rubbed against her so minutely that she probably didn't even notice it yet. He noticed, however. He noticed and his erection was throbbing like mad due to the contact.

"We can't," she repeated. He froze, sensing that she really would stop him if he pushed her any more before she could say the reason for her objection.

"What is it?" He asked to get it out of the way.

"I'm engaged," she answered. Tsuna pulled back at the unexpected response. As a reason to not do anything, she'd hit him with a good one.

"Then how are you frustrated?" He asked in complete confusion. "If you've got a fiancé...."

"Daddy told him that he couldn't touch me until we got married," she answered, biting her lip in dismay. "We'd already agreed on a long engagement, too, so..."

"Ouch," Tsuna grimaced in sympathy. Being engaged meant that no one would touch her since she was already claimed. A long engagement coupled with her father's interference meant that it'd be a long time before she got any. It drove him nuts just to think about being in that kind of position. Of course, that didn't stop him. He wasn't the one in the position. He also knew what it was that she truthfully wanted from him. She wanted pleasure plus the assurance that her fiancé wouldn't find out. "I won't tell if you don't," he soothed.

Leaning down, he started slowly in order to give her time to object. There was a moment of shock while he kept his ears open for the words that really would make him stop. If she said even once that she couldn't because she cared about her fiancé, then he'd be off of her and in the bathroom before she could blink. It didn't come, though. Not once did she say that it wasn't right to him nor did she say the keyword of 'love'. In truth, Tsuna didn't believe her at all about having a fiancé. His gut said that she was lying through her teeth. It was just an excuse that she'd come up with because she was scared. Claiming that she had a fiancé meant that she was taken and it was her way of telling him that they couldn't be anything to each other beyond the moment. There was no relationship to be had.

What she didn't understand was that he only wanted her for the moment. He had no intention of courting a future Mafia Boss. She was a woman and that was the only reason that he crossed all the lines standing between them. She was a woman that he owed everything to and he would do whatever she wanted as long as he could figure out what she wanted. He was just lucky this time that it coincided with his own needs. His needs came second, though. Before, he'd put them first because he hadn't known that she was needing something from him. Now that he knew, his decision to deal with his peculiar craving was the farthest from his mind. He didn't doubt that his own body would enjoy the process, but he couldn't take her like he wanted to. He had to take her how she wanted to be taken.

All of her posturing aside, he could tell that she wanted to be taken like a fairytale princess. She hid it a lot, but he always thought that she was the type to read cheesy romance novels and to watch classic movies in secret. He'd found himself watching them at times when he'd been up late at night, so he had an idea of how to make her happy. He just had to use every cliché in the book. The trick was that he had to remember that she'd been a prostitute in the past. Clichés were good, but she'd probably get bored unless he stayed versatile.

She was a control freak. He could tell almost instantly when he started kissing her in earnest. She wanted to control everything about the kiss. He could tell from how she dictated speed, intensity, and length. It was slightly irritating that he couldn't do it like he wanted, but he wasn't going to complain. He let her have the control since it meant that he'd get to the good part faster. It wasn't as if it was bad anyway. It was still good, warm, and got his blood pumping. It just wasn't how he would have chosen to embrace her. At the moment, he would have liked something hard, fast and hungry. He wasn't going to complain with the soft, long, and sensual kiss that she desired. It was still more contact than he'd gotten in a long time.

Reaching for her breasts, he redirected his hands when he felt her stiffen. It drove him crazy, but he was keeping his eyes out for signs of what she liked and disliked. He knew that he'd been with her before, but he hadn't really been thinking of pleasing her at the time. He'd just been trying to get it over with while doing his best to not come off as a minute man. It was the same problem that he was having now. In truth, he wanted to skip foreplay entirely, but she wasn't giving off the signals that she was anywhere near ready.

Stubborn. Frustrating. Ice Queen. Hard to please. Rocky territory. Shrew. Desert Valley. Control freak. Touchy tease. He could think of a hundred different names for her and all of them would be correct. Something told him that she was used to being unsatisfied with her lovers and half of it was probably her fault. She rejected any attempts to sweep her off her feet. Beyond that, she was directing him into one thing, but her body was asking for another. It shocked him when he figured it out. Like a virgin, she didn't know what she wanted. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember ever seeing her with a partner that hadn't paid for her. She might have worked as a whore, but she'd probably never had good sex. His intuition said that she was used to having to take control just so that the experience wasn't horrible for her. She was so used to satisfying other people that she didn't really know what it was like to be the recipient of such attention.

The knowledge turned her from a hard-ass, controlling bitch into a pitiful woman in his eyes. For men everywhere, he had to fix the damage that neglectful, one-sided intercourse had caused. No woman should hate sex and that's what he was reading off of her. She wanted it because she knew that she could feel some pleasure if she worked hard enough, but she disliked it because she had always been forced to please herself. He hadn't thought that it was possible to dislike sex, but she did. She did because she'd never had any that was good.

He'd fix that. It was his job to fix that. He didn't care if it took the rest of the day and all of the night. His own dick could wait a little longer. It was far more important that he opened her eyes to why men had been willing to spend money for the time that they'd spent with her. She'd worked hard, using her own body to meet her goals instead of preying off of the weak like her brother had. She deserved at least one good intimate meeting as a reward after all of that.

* * *

Autumn was hiding it, but she was frustrated. Lazarus was kissing her like she wanted and followed all of her cues, but it wasn't working. She was supposed to get hot and bothered and flush, but she didn't feel any more aroused than she already was. Her body was craving sex, but it wasn't getting turned on at all. Maybe it was just Lazarus. He wasn't doing anything right. Well, he was, but he wasn't. He wasn't, but he was, she amended. Damnit! Why was he so frustrating? He was like a robot for all the sexual tension that she was getting off of him. He was a rock. A lump. A dud. She could tell that he was hard, but it might as well be a cold dildo with how much it was driving him. Actually, she couldn't sense any drive in him at all. It was like he didn't even want to sleep with her. There was no excitement at all!

"Autumn," he panted, breaking off their kiss in order to pull away from her. She looked at him in surprise and quickly realized from how he was sweating that he'd been holding back the entire time. "This isn't going anywhere. I'm going to try something different. If you don't like it, feel free to stop me. Just do me a favor and give me a shot first."

"What are you--" He cut her off completely, once more claiming her mouth with his own. There was something decidedly different this time. It wasn't anything that she could call gentle. It wasn't how she wanted to be kissed, but she couldn't say that she didn't like it. Before she could come to terms with the difference in his kiss, she felt the need to gasp at how hard his cock started digging against the clothes barring him from entering her. Before that was processed, he was already trying to unbutton her shirt. There was no slow progression or gentle fall into ecstasy! He was just trying to get her naked so that he could get off!

"Stop thinking so much," he gasped when she broke off to object. "It might be hard for you, but just sit back and enjoy this. I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to make sure that you get the best orgasm of your life."

"What--" she choked, unable to think of any other response to such a sudden claim. She had to admit that it was a definite turn-on to hear him talk so firmly about pleasing her. She--

"I said, stop thinking," he growled. She froze under his penetrating stare, once more getting a sense that she was confronting a wild beast. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her with the amount of intensity that he was displaying. It made her blush brightly to have all of that intensity focused at her. He wanted her. She could tell that he wanted her. The desire was plain in his eyes alongside a gleam of what she could only describe as determination.

He didn't say another word to her. He didn't need to. Her mind went blank under that stare and she had the sudden feeling that she'd completely lost control of the situation. It'd taken less than a minute for him to take it from her and she wasn't sure how to get it back. She wasn't sure that she wanted it back. He was hitting all the spots that she wanted him to hit before she even had to clue him in. He was racing ahead of her, satisfying her needs before she was even conscious of them. It made her mind and heart race in a way that no one had ever managed to do before. His touch was light but firm and she had the sensation of being slowly nibbled on as if he was eating an appetizer.

It felt good. His hands were firm on her hips while he doubled over to pull her shirt away from her stomach with his teeth. As soon as a spread of flesh was exposed, he started sending her sensations in droves. A gentle kiss here and a soft lick there. Occasionally, he threw in a nibble or a suck so that she never knew what he was going to do next. She quickly realized that she was starting to get turned on. The fact left her gaping slightly while he continued to inch closer to his breasts and her pant-line as he worked. For the first time, she realized that she wanted someone to touch her breasts. If he was making her feel this good with just her stomach, she could just imagine what he could to with her chest.

She could feel anticipation building inside her. In honesty, she didn't know what to do about it. Even when he reached up to finish unbuttoning her shirt, all he did was to throw it open so that he could shift his grip to a higher position on her sides. It was as if he didn't see her--

She gasped slightly when she felt his tongue race against the base of her bra-line. It made her anticipation skyrocket until she was panting slightly in desire. She wanted more. He didn't look like he was planning to give her more, though. Instead, he lifted his mouth off of her entirely in order to stare at her in a way that aroused her even more. It was as if he was completely engrossed in her body. She could see his desire plainly in his wanton expression. She'd seen many men's faces while they were horny, but never had she had someone practically devour her with his eyes. It was erotic in a way that she'd never experienced before.

Being so struck by his gaze, she barely noticed that he'd unbuttoned her pants until he'd already pulled them most of the way off. It was in the break while he was tossing them off the side of the bed that she snapped out of her entrancement. She wasn't going to just sit back and take whatever he offered! She had her own skills, too! Maybe he had more skill than she thought, but she knew a thing or two about pleasing a man in return! If he thought that he was going to get off easy after trying to order her around, then he had another thing coming!

* * *

Tsuna felt his jaw drop and he did everything he could to not climax on the spot. He'd finally managed to get Autumn to loosen up enough to get her shirt open and her pants off, but it looked like that was her limits of meekness. It'd been his mistake to sit up on his knees so that he could pull her pants all the way off instead of only partially. By the time her legs fell back to the bed, she was sitting up for her counter attack. He had to admit that it was a damn good one.

Her hand was massaging his balls through his thin, state-issued pants and she was mouthing his crotch in a way that made him shudder with need. He was completely derailed from his intentions with her sudden change in tactics. He didn't really get her sudden desire to reciprocate, but he wasn't going to argue with it. Autumn could do whatever she damn well pleased to him. If she wanted to play with him, then he was more than happy to let her.

Taking her tugging cue on his shirt, he stripped it off as fast as he could without ripping it. He could have made her do it, but he didn't want her to stop rubbing him like she was. He groaned and felt his knees tremble when she yanked down his pants enough to free him into the air. He was too close. He was far too close to the edge to pull back. When was she going to touch him to give him some release?! She was taunting him by pulling him out and then refusing to touch him. She--

She was staring at him with an expression of horror on her face. It made him freeze and look down at himself in hopes of figuring out what he'd did to upset her. Things were going so well. He looked normal. He was as hard as a rock and slightly red from the amount of blood pumping through his member, but there was nothing abnormal about it. Maybe the fact that he was already leaking was bothering her? That was natural, though. He'd been holding back and holding back and holding back. She couldn't expect him to be superhuman and hold back forever! What did--

Understanding dawned on him when she realized that her eyes were focused on something far to the north of his erection. It was his tattoo. He was used to its presence, but it was her first time seeing it. It was probably a shock for her to look up and have her Family crest staring back at her.

"Just ignore it," he tried to soothe despite the tight, needy tone in his voice. "It was the only thing I could think of that would cover up the X. I figured this would make it so that no one would confuse me with that sleazy gay porn star. Although, I can turn sleazy if that'll get you to suck my dick any faster."

"Oh?" She replied as the surprised disappeared in order to be replaced with a slow smile spreading across her face. He felt his heart skip two beats when she reached out to grab him without any warning, making more pre-cum well up on the tip. She fingered the droplet, spreading it around his head and back into his slit while she stared up at his face with that be-damned knowing grin on her face. His irritation over the grin was the least of his worries, though. His breathe began to hitch when she pressed her lips up against the base of his erection before sliding her tongue along his length. By the time that her mouth actually swallowed him, he was having to squeeze himself in effort to hold back.

That proved pointless when she showed him first-hand that she could take his entire length. He felt his jaw drop once more, knowing that he had to be in her throat for her to have swallowed so much of him. Even better, she seemed like she could hold her breathe for a very long time. He dumbly found himself counting the number of times that she sucked up and down his organ before having to come up for air. Sixteen. She could swallow him sixteen separate times without having to breathe. At eighteen, the coil of anticipation in his loins burst. Without even thinking about it, he reached out to hold her head in place and rocked his hips to ensure that he rode the wave of blinding pleasure out in completion. It felt good. It felt so damn good to get that explosion with someone else rather than simply by himself. The pleasure was multiplied by an exponential amount.

"Jackass," Autumn spat when he finally released her before sagging down in relief and satisfaction. "You could have warned me!"

"Sorry," he murmured in euphoria. "It's been a long time. I'll warn you before I give in next time."

"There won't be a next time!" She snarled. "I can't believe that you--" Not wanting to be bitched at when he was feeling so good, he decided to shut her up with a kiss. He had to pin her to the bed so that she wouldn't fight, but she gave in when he kissed her with no less of the hunger that he'd had earlier. She stopped struggling against him more out of surprise than anything else. She was surprised that he could still be vigorous after having already succumbed.

"Did Summer ever tell you why she nicknamed me Pocky?" Tsuna asked, breaking off the kiss in order to whisper in her ear.

"N-No," she replied in breathless confusion. "Isn't it because you're foreign?"

"No," he corrected with his own grin spreading across his face. "It's because you get between ten and twenty sticks in each package." Tsuna grinned even more widely at how her face turned bright red at the information. "When I said that I didn't care if it took all night to give you the best orgasm of your life, I wasn't lying. You can beat me all you want in the battle of words, but you're in my territory now. Don't think that winning the first battle means that you've won the war."

"Is that a challenge?" She asked with a considering gleam in her eyes and her own smile flickering across her lips. Tsuna smiled back before giving her the answer in a way that was a resounding 'yes'.

The afternoon passed a lot faster than they expected it to.


	61. Chapter 61 Spirit

"It's kind of hard to concentrate with you so close," Tsuna murmured with a small grin.

"Good," Autumn replied with smile in return. "You need to be able to do this even while you're distracted. Now, try it just like I said and don't forget what I said about imaging."

"I got the image of something in my mind right now, but it's not anything that could be called a virtue," Tsuna retorted with a rumbling groan in the back of his throat. Autumn elbowed him slightly, but he could tell that she liked the teasing. Neither of them had been anywhere close to wanting to give up, but they'd been forced to declare truce so that they could deal with business. The business had been a lot more strange than he expected, especially when he found out that he'd be learning how to use the Glamours. They only had five hours to work with since the guards said that they'd be back at four in the morning and one of them had been spent in pure explanation of how it was supposed to work.

For magic, it was a lot simpler than he thought while also being much harder. There were no diagrams, rituals, or other preparations in using it. That was already done by the simple act of keeping his earring and his ring on. Autumn had retrieved both for him and had given him a nifty little piece of paper that was signed by the Warden that said he could keep them. That's what made it so simple. The hard part was his own focus. To use the voice, he had to focus his mind. To use the armor, he had to focus his body. To use the spirit, he had to focus his heart. What he had to focus on was the virtue of Justice itself.

It was kind of hard to focus on Justice when lust was wrapped around his waist.

"Do I have to do this right now?" He grumbled after a moment. "I've got all the time in the world once I--"

"Do it," she snapped seriously, straightening out his sides again when he tried to turn around. "I want to make sure that you have at least one down before I leave. Poppet and Isaac would have both got serious injuries if they hadn't had their Glamours. If Vongola decides to send someone in here after you, I want to make sure that you can survive."

"Are you worried about me?" Tsuna whispered with a knowing grin to where she was standing behind him.

"Get real," she scoffed. "I just don't want Daddy asking why you didn't learn anything when we had all of yesterday to practice. It's my ass on the line if you don't concentrate!"

Tsuna grimaced, hearing the order laced into the words. He'd almost forgotten that he wasn't here for his own amusement. She hadn't come to him for a pleasure trip. She'd come to see if he would be useful and he wasn't making a very good showing. He had to remember that her needs shifted like the winds. While she'd needed him as a lover yesterday, she didn't need him as such today. She might have use of him in that way in the future, but he couldn't let himself get in the waiting mindset. That meant that he had to increase his uses if he was going to pay back what she'd done for him.

It'd taken a while, but he'd slowly come to realize that he owed her for so much more than just stepping in so that Snicker could rest in peace. There was the time that she'd tried to save his home from being hauled away.

_"It was the city. Their neighborhood cleanup committee finally reached down this street. They said that all the garbage brought down the property value of the neighborhood, so they brought in crews to clear it all out. We tried to tell them that it wasn't trash, but they still took it anyway. Autumn... Autumn even got arrested. She kind of shocked all of us. She tried pulling out her daddy card and everything. Told them that you guys weren't hurting anything and that it wasn't right about what they were doing."_

She'd tried to look out for him when he'd been raped.

_"Just say the name and I've got a lot of friends that would be more than happy to pay him back for hurting you. You don't want them to hurt you again. Do you? Just tell me who it is, Suoh, and I'll take care of it. I promise." _

She'd helped cure his homesickness and had even tracked down a butsudan for him.

_"I'll ask around for a butt sedan, but it better not be anything dirty. I knock the hell out of you if it is."_

She'd gotten him a job when no one else would hire him.

_"Just random errand work. Most of it will just be routine errands. Things like picking up Auntie's groceries for her and delivering them. If my dad starts trusting you, he'll give you more and more work until you're doing the really well-paying jobs. Things like confidential paperwork deliveries and.. um.. paychecks and stuff."_

She'd actually been a decent friend and a willing ear when he'd needed one after the initial meeting with Charlie.

_"I can tell. You're upset as hell and you're trying to hide it. Snicker might be happy seeing his son again, but you're stuck watching from outside. That's not fair to you. Plus, I thought you two were getting married. How the hell are you supposed to be his partner when you can't even stand up to a his son?"_

There were dozens upon dozens of times that she'd helped him out and looked out for him. Because of her, things had never been as bad as they could have been. He'd been able to enjoy most of the time that he'd had with Snicker because of how she'd helped him time and time again. She was someone worthy of his respect. He didn't love her, but he was willing to give his life to protect her. After all, what else did he have to live for?

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That was the Justice that he'd learned to accept. She'd protected Snicker's soul after his death, so Tsuna would repay her with his own. He'd asked the ultimate favor from her and she'd come through for him. Anything she could want that asked less than his life was just paying off the interest owed for borrowed time. If she wanted him to pull off a Glamour, then he would answer that demand. That was what he felt was Justified in his heart--

Tsuna gasped as the world darkened around him. He didn't fall unconscious. Rather, it seemed as if he was transported somewhere else entirely. It was a blank landscape that seemed faintly familiar. He couldn't remember ever being in such a dark place, though. Even so, the place was nostalgic in a way that he couldn't place. He'd been there before. He was sure of it. Why couldn't he remember, though?

He let out a startled yelp and spun in place when a hand crashed down on his shoulder. What met his sight when he turned around wasn't anything he could call human. It was the figure of a man, made out of a collection of broken stained glass. There was purple panels and red panels and every other color of the rainbow that he could imagine. He had the feeling that it should be fused together, but something was stopping it.

Stepping backward when the creature stepped forward, he felt strangely calm. Something told him that he should be panicking, but he wasn't afraid. The worst that could happen would be for the creature to kill him. For him, that was no reason to be terrified. If he died, he'd get to go see Snicker again. Death was the least of his fears. What was slightly horrifying was the image that he started to slowly see. The stained glass sculpture before him was only partially complete, but Tsuna could see his own likeness in it.

"Why do you look like me?" Tsuna asked, leaping backward once more when it stepped forward again. It didn't respond. Tsuna quickly realized that it was a soul-less automaton. Speech, thought, and reasoning was beyond it. It seemed programmed to come after Tsuna for some reason, however. Tsuna quickly considered his options. Running seemed pointless because he wasn't anywhere that he recognized. He'd been transported while trying to focus on his own idea of Justice. That meant that this was part of what he needed to do in order to grasp control of his Glamours. The question was what did this have to do with Justice?

An eye for an eye.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the glass automaton of himself. Maybe this was his inner self? If that was the case, any injury that he did to the automaton would probably hurt himself. Seeing that made him glad that he hadn't rushed in recklessly for once. It didn't give him any clue as to what he should do, either. Now that he looked the automaton over, he noticed that it didn't really seem like it wanted to attack him. It just kept advancing in order to get near him. Maybe he was supposed to let it? Curious, Tsuna kept his guard up and let the automaton get close. Like he'd already pointed out to himself, the worst that it could do would be to kill him. Testing it out to see what it'd do was harmless enough.

His heart skipped a beat when the glass sculpture of himself reached out to pull him into a hug. At least, he thought it was a hug. After three second, he quickly realized that it wasn't. He was being eaten by it! Already, the glass had reformed around his legs and several large shards had wrapped around his waist and arms to hold him in place. It felt like it was made of diamond. Even when he started struggling against it, he couldn't get it to budge any.

Calm down. Breathe. This might just be part of the--

Oblivion embraced him almost instantly as the last shard fell in place on his body.

* * *

Tsuna opened his eyes and he wanted to snarl. He was somewhere new again. This was starting to get very irritating. First, he'd blacked out in Don Martelli's office and had woken up in a solitary cell. No one had shown up to answer his questions and his intuition had said that breaking out to get some would be bad for him. So, he'd waited. He'd waited and waited for a guard to come, only to be completely ignored the whole time that he'd been awake. He'd figured it out after a while by inspecting the clothes that he'd been wearing, but knowing that he was in a prison didn't tell him either the date or how he'd gotten there.

Suoh, he wanted to snarl. He was slowly coming to understand. Looking up at his forehead, he felt his lip twitch at the Flame that was present. It seemed that his other self had control at all times unless he was pushed to a point that the Sky Flame grew outside of his control. When that happened, Tsuna was able to once again grasp control of his rightful body. The question was what his other self was doing in prison. Even more importantly was the question of how much time had passed between that awakening and this one. He was somewhere new again. It was small, claustrophobic house from the looks of it. Perhaps he'd returned home? No. That couldn't be right. He couldn't see himself living in such small quarters.

"Lazarus...? Are you feeling anything at--" Tsuna turned around to look at the other person in the room with him, nearly leaping out of his skin that someone had been so close without his awareness. It was Don Martelli's daughter of all people. August or Arbor or-- Autumn. That was it. Autumn. She was staring at him in shock and he could only guess at what he'd been doing with her for her to be wearing only a bra and panties. All he had was his boxers on, too, so it couldn't be any more clear. What wasn't clear was why she called him something different than last time they'd spoken.

"Who's Lazarus?"

"Oh, god," she gasped, taking three fearful steps away from him. "I wasn't expecting this."

"Expecting what?!" Tsuna exclaimed, unleashing some of the frustration and fury that was pent up inside of him. "What the hell is going on?! First I'm with Don Martelli in his office and then I'm in a cell, locked up god-knows-where, and now I'm here! I want some answers, damnit! How much time has passed? What have I been doing?!"

"W-What--?"

"Don't play the fool, woman," he snarled, advancing on her in order to shake the answers out of her if he had to. Grabbing her arm, he held her firmly in place while he made his demands since she looked ready to run. "I need information if I'm going to figure out why I'm still blacking out! Just answer the damn questions!"

"You're hurting me, Laz," she hissed around an attempt to pull her arm free.

"I'm not Laz, Suoh, or whatever the hell my name supposedly is," he shouted, spitting out the strange-tasting gum in his mouth in order to talk easier. "My name is Tsuna and I want some answers! Where am I?!"

Autumn froze in his grasp, finally realizing that he wasn't playing games. He wasn't going to let her go until she told him what he wanted to know.

"You're in a state correctional facility," she replied with wide eyes. "You really don't remember?"

"Hell no!" Tsuna exclaimed. "How long have I been in here and why?"

"A-About five months," she answered, her panic easing some when he released her arm. "You agreed to it. The charge was for hospitalizing my brother, but the truth is that we had to keep you under control after your husband died. Daddy was afraid that you'd go suicidal, so we stuck you in here so that you would have something else to focus on."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked in surprise over her answer. "I'm suicidal?"

"You were," she replied with a glare while she rubbed her arm where he'd grabbed her. "You've gotten better lately. Daddy says if you keep on the track that you're on, he'll have them release you in a few more months. You were convicted and sentenced to one to five years, but he can get you out on parole as soon as your minimum sentence is up. Now it's my turn for a question. Why the hell did you pop up? I was teaching Lazarus how to use the Glamours, not how to bring out a split personality that's deluded him into believing that he's Vongola the Tenth."

"I'm deluded," he gaped with small, disbelieving laugh at her incredulous statement. She obviously had no clue who she was dealing with. It was perhaps a good thing. Tsuna was supposed to be hiding until his time was up. If the people around him didn't believe that he was the Tenth, then his cover would be that much more solid.

"Yes," she stated bluntly. "You're the part of Lazarus that he's denying. He says that he's not Vongola the Tenth and that he doesn't want to be mistaken for him, but then you come out with your fireworks and your stuck-up attitude and say that you are. You've got some serious issues. You know?"

"Why are we naked in the same room together?" Tsuna asked, getting the immediate impression that the woman before him was definitely not anyone that he'd be attracted to. Looking down at herself with a bright blush when she remembered that she was nude, Autumn yelped and ran into what looked to be the bedroom in order to get dressed. Tsuna let her. She'd given him enough information to work with. He had no reason to panic. Only five months had passed. It was disorienting since he couldn't remember any of the transition, but he could let it slide. As long as six years hadn't passed, he was fine.

What he really wanted to know was why he kept blacking out in the interlude. It was possible that the Suoh/Lazarus personality was the dominant one. In a way, it made sense. This was technically his life that Tsuna kept waking into instead of his own. While it wasn't comfortable for him to think of someone else running around with his body, he wasn't uncomfortable with it, either. It was still himself, in a way. It was just a self that his true self wasn't aware of. Suoh/Lazarus probably wasn't aware of him, either.

"Does Lazarus know about me?" Tsuna asked, sitting down on the couch in order to think in mild comfort. "I mean, if you think of us like split personalities, which we really are, then he probably has no memory of what I do in his body anymore than I have memory of what he does."

"That's what Daddy said, too," Autumn called from the bedroom. "Lazarus doesn't know that he has split personalities. This is only the second time that you've come out, so we ignored it. We figured that you were a temporary break. When you woke up after you came out before, you didn't act like you remembered any of the conversation that you had with Daddy. Daddy took control of the situation before any of us could react and played it off like nothing happened so that you wouldn't get scared or panic. He was afraid that letting you know would make you unbalanced and you were already in a pretty bad situation at the time. That was right after you beat up my brother, in case you're curious."

"It's the third time," he corrected in thought. "The second time, I was locked in a solitary cell and no one answered any of my calls. I finally gave up and decided to take a nap until someone came, but then I woke up here. From what I can guess, I was working out pretty desperately. The first time, I was desperate, too, if what I'm understanding from you is correct. That might be the key to when I'm able to get control. My other self has to be in a desperate situation."

"Nope," she replied as she came out of the bedroom with a pair of jeans and a button down, plaid shirt on. Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the taste in clothes, but decided not to comment since she seemed like a woman that could react quickly to changes in circumstance. Considering Don Martelli had marked her as his heir, he took a moment to appreciate that he'd awoken to someone that could be rational in such a short amount of time. "You weren't desperate this time," she explained as she took up a seat in the room's recliner and crossed her legs. "I think he brought you out unintentionally. The Martelli Family has use of certain abilities and I was training him in the usage of them. From what I can tell, your particular personality only has control as long as your fireworks are out. Speaking of, is there any way you can get rid of them without giving control back to Lazarus? There's a few questions that I want to ask you in return but that thing is distracting."

"I can try," he agreed, seeing for himself how bad it'd be if someone walked in and saw his Flame on full. He'd be identified in an instant. He had nothing to lose if he failed. If he messed up, the worst that would happen would be that he'd awaken somewhere new again. Lowering his Flame as much as he could without letting it go below surface level, he closed his eyes for a moment to fine-tune it. It was strangely hard to control compared to what he remembered. It kept wanting to flare out of his control and it surged almost constantly instead of coming out in a serene, even flow. That alone told him that there was still something wrong with him. Perhaps, he mused, if he could figure out how to fix it, he could have full control of his body back. "How's that?" He asked once he'd lowered it as much as he dared.

"Good enough," she nodded. "I can still see it, but I'm actually looking for it. Now. I'm going to ask you because Daddy ordered me to if you ever came out again. How do we get Vongola to back off of us?"

"What?" Tsuna froze, disliking the nature of such a question. "What do you mean, back off of you? You're a neutral Family. It's Vongola's policy to not interfere with Families that are no threat and to not force Alliances. The most that they should be doing is sending negotiators to attempt to retrieve a peace treaty. Unless you've gotten yourself into some kind of situation that either puts you against Vongola or you look like you're in a situation that we can take advantage of in order to procure a more beneficial contract, Vongola should have no interest in you."

"Well, they do," she spat in open disgust. "I'll lay the situation down simply since you're the cause of a lot of it. You were actually the one that caused me to win the race for succession and my brother is using that, alongside the fact that you were the one to get him kicked out of the Family entirely, in order to get Vongola's aid. He's got their attention because he broke the Family Omerta and told Vongola about our Family's abilities. They've agreed to put him in place on the Family throne in order to retrieve the secret to it, since my brother has no clue how they actually work. He can use his own, but only to a limited extent without the help of the Family rings. That's mostly luck on his part, but it's enough that Vongola wants to know more about what we're capable of. He's tempted them to the point that they're willing to play with us like we're a side attraction. Daddy wants to put an end to it before things escalate, but he's got no clue how to do it. Vongola the Eleventh has pulled back all of his negotiators and he's refusing contact at this point. All of our attempts at diplomacy have failed since we refuse to hand over the secret and they're working entirely on Gabriel's behalf now. To put it simply, they've become our enemies because we refuse to share with spoiled brats."

"Spoiled--" Tsuna choked on the description, struck nearly speechless at her rendering of the situation.

"That's what they acted like!" She exclaimed. "Their so-called negotiation was just a threatening demand! At first, we tried to talk peace with them, but then they started bringing Gabriel's situation into the mix before we could get into any serious negotiations. We did some research after that and it seems that my idiot brother went to Italy to meet with them! They never wanted peace! They just wanted us to hand over what they wanted and they're willing to do whatever they want in order to get it! There's already been six injuries and they've sent hitmen after my father twice!"

"I-I don't know what to tell you," he replied honestly in shock. "I could see that kind of warning assault in order to shake a target up, but not when there's peaceful ways to attain the same thing. I know that if I were still in charge, I wouldn't let a single individual determine how I reached my goal. From the sound of it, this Gabriel person has my son's ear and is dictating the method. What the hell are you doing, Hotaru? That's not right at all. You guys have a right to keep your Family secrets as a secret. As long as they aren't being used as a weapon that's aimed at the Family, Hotaru has no right to send hitmen in like he's been doing."

"Well, he is," Autumn growled. "My question is how do we stop him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsuna blinked in surprise. "Get rid of that Gabriel fellow. If he's the one stirring up trouble, my son should back off to a reasonable level when he's having to think for himself. He's always been a smart boy. Although, I wonder if he's doing okay. He didn't get to have what you'd really call a normal childhood. If I'd been a better father, perhaps he would know better than to make trouble with people just trying to live peacefully. Please forgive him," he added, looking up at Autumn with a pained expression. "He's just a baby. If he's aging properly like he's supposed to, he might seem like a teenage boy by now. He's not, though. He's barely got over five years of memories to his name. He's still learning and I doubt that he'd of an age to know and understand that people aren't always what they appear. I beg you to not do anything rash where he's concerned. Give him time and I'm positive that--"

"We don't have time to give him," she interjected coldly. "We can't afford to wait around and hope that he grows up like you want him to."

Tsuna stared at her for a long moment, finding himself tempted to kill her on the spot in order to protect his son. He decided not to, but the option was filed away for future reference. If there ever came a time in the future that he woke to find her in direct opposition of his Family, he wouldn't hesitate. Right now, there wasn't enough information to go on, however. It was quite possible that Hotaru had a goal in mind that a small mind like this woman's couldn't begin to comprehend. On top of that, she wasn't honestly a threat. Hotaru had the entire Vongola Family protecting him. Someone like the heir to the Martelli Family would be lucky to be allowed in the same city as him. For now, it was in his best interest to not interfere at all. He might actually be doing harm if he made a move without knowing all of the pieces that were in play. He didn't like running in blindly. That was how he'd killed himself due to a time paradox in the past. If he'd been in his right mind and had asked more questions of his other self, it was highly likely that Ari wouldn't have succeeded for so long.

"I can understand your point of view," Tsuna murmured slowly, trying to be somewhat reasonable. "To you, he's some child with a big head. I'm not asking you to put aside your need to protect your Family. I'm just asking that you remember that you _are _dealing with just a child. He has a lot of power, but he's probably in a phase where he's easily swayed by emotion and that Gabriel fellow is telling him all the right things to make it look like he's doing good by his actions. I haven't been away from him long, but I can't believe that he's acting out of malicious intent."

"It doesn't matter why he's acting like he is," she sighed. "The fact is that he's chosen to ignore reason when it doesn't fit with what he wants. He claims to want peace, but the truth is that he wants it his way or no way. My Family won't give into one-sided demands, no matter how nicely they're described. Our Family didn't survive for five generations just to hand over our Family secrets to the first Family that demanded them. We're well prepared to go up against larger Families if need be. We'd just prefer not to since it'd put us on the radar. Despite what you might think, we actually like it to stay quiet. We might not have world fame, but we don't have world problems, either. We're satisfied with the level of luxury that we have attained. We just need to know how to get that across to Vongola the Eleventh so that he'll leave us alone. If we are forced to fight against him in order to survive, it could destroy our way of life even if we win."

"I see," he replied with a small smile. "The Martelli Family is like a beaver that's made its den. Instead of spreading the range of your territory and expanding, you guys are more comfortable sticking close to home and fortifying it to withstand almost anything. As long as you stay in your den, you're completely safe from the wolves roaming the area."

"Pretty much," she nodded in acceptance of the description.

"I pity you."

"What?!" She gasped in shock.

"I pity you," he repeated with a sad stare. "Do you know how hundreds of beavers have died in the past?"

"N-No," she murmured with a wide-eyed look of confusion.

"The world that they ignored invaded their habitat," he replied. "Foresters came in and tore down the trees that had been supplying the branches that they'd been using to fortify their dens. So, when the dens are in need of repair, they have nothing to use and their damns are slowly eroded. They can't expand or grow or fortify themselves once the outside world cuts off their support. Then, little by little, big people come in and bring their own world with them. They build their own city right over what the beaver had called home and the beaver, who's always minded his own business, either has to adapt or has to move. No one ever asks the beaver if it wants because the beaver disappears before anyone notices it."

"What are you saying?"

_Here fishy, fishy, fishy_, Tsuna grinned internally to himself. This was the way. If he could push her in the direction that he wanted, perhaps he'd be in a position to get some real answers in the future. He'd be in a position to get more information and he'd be able to know more about what was really going on. If his other self was lured to a more central place unknowingly, it was quite possible that he might be able to help his Family from the outside while keeping himself hidden. For him to succeed in that, he needed to get Autumn to take him out of this hole of a city.

"I'm saying that you have to make yourself noticed if you want to survive," he answered honestly. "The outside world has already started hacking away at your forest. You're only hope is to make people recognize your existence. You can't do that from the safety of your den. You've got to go out into the outside world. Face it. Your way of life has already disappeared when my Family started knocking at your door. The question is whether you want control of your city to disappear with it. Which is more important to you? Isolation or the protection of the people in your keeping?"

"People come first," she murmured bluntly with a worried look in her eyes. "I'll think about what you've said and pass your advice along to Daddy." Tsuna nodded and decided not to push the idea too much. Doing so could inform her that he had his own reasons behind the particular advice.

It was fine this way. She'd do what he wanted eventually, once she saw that her own routes weren't working. Until then, he had to work with what he was given. He couldn't let anyone know that he was alive, but he couldn't simply ignore them, either. He'd already made that decision in Papa Paolo's office, before he'd known that his consciousness was only temporary. He'd planned to play along and keep his head down, but find a way to access the back door that he'd built into Pandora's program. It shouldn't be too hard to find it. He just had to find the name of the most popular game in Italy, find a character named Cici, give her the pass code and his verification, and then she'd pull his connection to a safe corner of the Vongola database so that he could access her abilities in secret. It would have given him surveillance, information, and a way

to keep a careful eye on how his Family was doing without anyone knowing about it.

The fact that he blacked out for long intervals put a damper on the plans. He couldn't use such a key until he was positive that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the Martelli Family. He couldn't trust himself at this

point, either. Not when he'd awakened to find himself naked in the same room as the Martelli heir. He hadn't exactly been flaccid, either. Although, he was curious about what they'd been doing. She'd mentioned something about training him. She'd said something about secret abilities that piqued his curiosity, too. If he remembered correctly, he'd had Levi's team scout the Family in secret in order to retrieve statistics, power levels, and general Intel. Levi was always thorough in his work. Tsuna couldn't see him missing something like this unless the abilities were either unremarkable or truly a power that the Family had been hiding via extraordinary means.

"What was it that you were training me in?" Tsuna murmured nonchalantly. "You mentioned something about your brother catching Vongola's attention with--"

"Oh no," she growled at him. She jumped to her feet and crossed her arms to signal that there was absolutely no chance in hell of retrieving that information from her. Tsuna smiled at her naivety. There was always a way to make someone talk. "Telling Lazarus is one thing, but teaching it to his deluded alter-ego is another! You actually believe that you're Vongola the Tenth right now, so you're useful as a way to possibly get a second opinion from an unaffiliated source. I'm not about to hand someone that sympathizes with the enemy the key to our only protection! Are you insane?! You'd probably run straight to Italy and tell them everything! It's bad enough that Daddy told me to tell Lazarus, but there's no way in hell that I'm telling you!"

Tsuna nodded in understanding.

Tsuna smiled in sympathy.

Tsuna stood with one goal in mind. If she thought it was something important enough that Vongola shouldn't be informed, then it was all that much more imperative that he got the information out of her so that he could judge for himself. Pinning her to the wall before she even saw him move, he let his Flame flare to full once more so that she could remember who she was dealing with. He didn't know how his other self allowed her to treat him, but he wasn't about to take any high-handed bullshit from some second-rate heiress with more arrogance than sense.

"I'd prefer to do this nicely," he said gently, staring directly into her wide eyes in order to ensure that his point got across. He wasn't playing games. He never played games when his Family's welfare was on the line. "I've killed men and women who were far more important than you. You come in handy because you've kept me intact while I'm not myself, but don't think that you're indispensable to me. I've already figured out that all I have to do to keep control is to keep my Flame going. I don't need you at all anymore. If I chose to, I could simply put myself in a place that my other self can't escape from when I need to rest. I'm sure that'll make me desperate enough that my true self will emerge again. Now, you can either tell me what I want to know or I can pull it out of you the hard--"

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me," Autumn said firmly, putting bite into each and every word. Tsuna smiled at the defiance and opened his mouth to tell her that her orders were useless, only to have his smile falter. He stared at his hands in shock, wondering how exactly she'd managed to make him release her. "Sit down," she snapped with another angry gleam in her eyes. Tsuna choked when he sat down on the spot. It was as if he wasn't even in control of his own body. He didn't understand. He didn't understand at all! She hadn't lifted a finger or done anything that he was aware of other than--

"A voice that commands obedience," he identified with his teeth clenched in anger over her audacity. Identifying it didn't tell him how it worked, however. It wasn't illusion. His Flame was still going strong and-- Tsuna's head snapped sideways when she sent a fist into the side of his jaw. Looking up at her in flabbergasted awe that she would dare to hit him, he found that she was practically seething in rage.

"How dare you!" She shrieked. "What gives you a right to make any demands out of me?! You're a complete and total jackass! No! You're an ungrateful bastard! After everything we've done for you the last several years, you would still sit there and threaten me! You're just as spoiled as those Vongola assholes! If you're anything like the real Vongola the Tenth, I see where the Eleventh gets it now! You're not even a man! You're a rotten, horrible excuse of a boy that never learned to respect others!"

Despite himself, Tsuna felt his ears turn red. She had a point. Her Family had been giving him succor for years now and he'd turned on her with no consideration for that. In his defense, he tended to get single-minded when his Family was involved. That wasn't enough of an excuse, however.

"Give Lazarus back!" She shouted, stomping her foot down like a child demanding something. There was no bite to her words, though. Not like there'd been before. He could move again, too. He was able to stand up from his sitting position as soon as he tried, which told him that the obedience only lasted as long as it took to carry out the command. "At least he was a jackass that I could respect!"

"You want me to give control back to my other half?" Tsuna asked curiously, seeing that there was a slight haze of unshed tears in her eyes. She cared about him. The fact left him slightly reeling, but there was no denying it. She hid it and she hid it well, but the tears gave her away. He didn't know how to deal with such a development. Did she love him? No, his intuition said. She didn't love him, but there was a strange bond between them. Affection and understanding, perhaps. Maybe something that was even on the level of friendship.

Seeing his true self must be a shock to her. She didn't understand that this was who he truly was. She was the one that had deluded herself into believing that he was something that he wasn't. It was possible that his other self had made her think in such a way because he actually cared about her in some small way. He couldn't know. Not without knowing more about the life that his other self was leading. He didn't have enough information.

"Alright," he agreed before she could react to his mood-swing. "On two conditions, I'll release my Flame so that my other half can regain control."

"Those are?" She asked suspiciously.

"Let me see these abilities that you're teaching to me," he said simply, holding up a hand to forestall her objection. "You don't have to tell me how to use them. Just let me see them in use. I have a right to know what you're teaching me to do. This _is _my body that you're working with."

"And the other condition?" She prompted while keeping her distance from him.

"Order my other self to keep a journal and to have it on him at all times," he replied with a small smile. "When I wake up again, I want to know what I've been thinking all this time."

"I'll agree to those terms," she murmured after a long moment of thought. "But no funny business."

"Agreed," he nodded. Stepping backward so that he would have a good vantage point this time, he kept his hands up so that she could see that he wasn't doing anything fishy. She was already underestimating him by agreeing. Simply by seeing her use her abilities while in a mindset to dissect them, he was positive that his intuition would do everything that he needed.

She didn't speak this time. What she did do made his eyes widen in instant comprehension. He didn't need to dissect. He had it figured out from the moment he saw one of her earrings glow in unison with her ring. He knew why it'd been invisible before and he knew why he could see it now. He could see it because he was willing himself to see it.

Everything made sense in a blinding flash. Hotaru's inquisition of the Martelli Family. Possibly the reason that even he had been drawn to them. This was the reason that the Gabriel fellow had chosen Hotaru as the one person to solicit aid from. It was all magnetism. The factors were drawn together without anyone understanding the true nature of what was going on. He understood, though. He understood and the knowledge left him wanting to fall to his knees in pain and misery.

His poor son...

"What's wrong?" Autumn asked as her ability faded from his vision.

"I-I don't know what that was supposed to do, but I've seen the key to your abilities," he answered unhappily, trying his best to keep the tears from his eyes. "I know what my son is after."

"You do?" She blinked in surprise.

"Ah," he nodded, turning his head away from her entirely to hide his weakness. "He's questioning his own existence. His intuition has told him that the key lies with your Family and it does. I hate to say it, but you cannot let him get what he wants. The knowledge would only bring unhappiness to him. Whatever you do, do not let your Lightening Guardian use his abilities. The consequences would be far worse than you could ever imagine. Whoever it is that you've chosen for that position in your Family, protect him from my Family at all costs."

"L-Lazarus...?"

"Remember the other half of our bargain," he murmured, walking over to the room's recliner in order to collapse into its embrace. "Make me write a journal and I'll warn you now... If I ever awaken with your Lightening Guardian before me, I'll kill him to ensure that my son doesn't find out the truth about himself. The only mercy that I'll give him is to make it quick and clean."

"W-What--"

Tsuna closed his eyes, determined not to say more. His last thoughts before oblivion caught him in the wake of his flame flickering out was...

_My poor, cute little son...._

* * *

Tsuna looked around in disorientation. He'd been trying to focus on what Justice really was to him and he'd blacked out. His body had been too easily distracted, so he'd been going for either the heart or the mind. He thought he'd grasped something, but it was gone now. He still understood objectively what he believed true justice was, but he had a feeling that it'd reached deeper than that before. He thought he'd hit the right note to bring out the Spirit of Justice, but that didn't explain why he'd blacked out. It was a useless tool if he wasn't conscious to use it.

The fact angered him. Why did he always have to be No-Good? Why couldn't something come easily to him for once? Was he asking too much to just want to be useful?! It wasn't fair. Nothing in his life was ever fair! He just wanted things to be peaceful and quiet, but it never was! There was no peace and quiet to be had! He was cursed to attract trouble! He was cursed to be No-Good! He was cursed by this damn hunger that wouldn't go the hell away and just leave him alone!

"L-Lazarus...?"

Tsuna opened his eyes and his mouth immediately started watering. He knew that he had to be hallucinating, but it looked so good. It was like an all-you-can-eat buffet had been prepared for him. It wasn't quality food, but maybe it'd fill the hole in his stomach. There were plenty of times in the past that he'd been so hungry that he'd eaten newspaper or bug in an effort to ease the hunger pains. This was no different. Actually, it was completely different, because this had a mouth-watering smell that made him want to eat.

He was on top of it in an instant, claiming it for himself before anyone else saw the bounty that had been laid out. He didn't know where to start. Looking it over, he knew that he couldn't eat it in one bite. He wanted to, but it was too big. There were layers upon layers to chose from, though. Should he start with part that had more ham and swiss or the section that had mostly turkey and toppings? He groaned slightly when he found a nice area that was meatballs and--

Something wasn't right. His hunger was driving him and tempting him to eat first and worry later, but the five-foot-long sub sandwich kept lurching out of his grasp. He could understand a towering sandwich wobbling around, but not a sub sandwich. Not while it was laid out on the ground below him so firmly. The lettuce kept running away with slices of tomatoes and cheese. When he let go of another section of his sandwich to grab the vegetables before it got away, Five olives went flying at his face. He dodged it, hating olives ever since he'd been around Gabriel. They wouldn't leave him alone, though. They swam through the air, coming back toward his head like they were trying to force him to eat them. He refused! He hated olives!

Tsuna paused, absently batting the olives away when they went for his head again. Olives couldn't fly and lettuce couldn't move on its own. Roast beef and turkey didn't lurch on its own and since when did cheese and bread sweat sandwich dressing? Something was definitely not right. The sandwich was a mutant sandwich. Should he still eat it? It looked so damn good. Pinning the olives down, he decided to cautiously test it to see if there were any ill effects. He was starving, but eating something bad could be counter-productive. Snicker had drilled that in his head time after time. No matter how hungry he was, he should never just shove whatever came to hand in his mouth. That was how he'd nearly eaten his hat on multiple occasions.

The sandwich dressing made him moan in happiness when he hesitantly licked it off of the surface of the bread. It tasted so good. So very, very good. Even as he licked, more poured out on the tip of the sandwich. It didn't come out fast, but enough broke out that he was licking the entire surface within seconds. The sandwich seemed to know that he liked its dressing. It erupted with two constant streams that was begging for him to drink. He spat it out as soon as he licked the first stream. It was way too salty to eat. His instinct said that he had to start eating quickly before the bad dressing contaminated the whole sandwich.

Something still didn't feel right, though. Even while his instinct and his stomach was urging him to eat, his intuition was telling him to stop. It confused him. Why shouldn't he eat? Autumn had brought him such a wonderful meal for his effort. He'd failed her, though. He didn't deserve even a consolation meal for trying. Results were all that mattered and he'd given none. He deserved to starve. Although, thinking of Autumn made him wonder where she was. He couldn't smell her scent anywhere. He knew that she had to be in the trailer somewhere because they were locked in, but he couldn't sense her. She had to be there, though. He'd heard her voice when he'd woken up.

"Autumn?" He called, looking around to see if there was any movement from the bathroom or the bedroom. There was nothing. Nothing other than the sandwich beneath him that continued to squirm and continued to attempt to-- Tsuna paled and looked down at the sandwich in horror. It couldn't be. "A-Autumn...?" The sandwich froze and stopped fighting. The tip wiggled slightly, almost as if it were nodding.

He was hallucinating. He had to be hallucinating. Was he hallucinating the nod or the sandwich, though? The sandwich looked too good to be Autumn. He didn't understand. Was he just too hungry? How was he supposed to tell? He didn't have any more gum to eat. He'd started chewing his last piece when he'd started training in the use of Glamours. That piece was missing completely and he had no clue what he'd done with it. Maybe he should just take a nibble off of the sandwich. He'd know after a bite.

But what if it was Autumn?

Why was he stalling? He was starving and there was a delicious sandwich begging to be eaten.

He couldn't. What if it wasn't really a sandwich?

Did it matter what it was? He was hungry and it was food.

Yes, it mattered! He couldn't eat Autumn!

It wasn't Autumn!

What if it was?!

Eat!

Don't eat!

Eat!

Don't eat!

Eat--

His teeth sank into flesh, trying to silence the confusion and screaming argument going on between his instinct and his intuition. It was fine this way. This way, both sides would shut up. He was eating, damnit! His instinct became grudgingly quiet again. He wasn't eating the sandwich! His intuition sighed in relief and calmed down. He felt tears of pain and misery well up in his eyes while blood poured into his mouth. It was okay this way, though. At least he was positive of what he was eating this way. He got to feel first-hand what Poe dealt with each time he'd fed in the past and no one else got hurt. He knew that it wouldn't satisfy his hunger any, but it let him regain his sanity.

Any blood could be used to cheat his body. Just like newspaper and bugs could make his stomach think that he'd eaten a meal, any blood sufficed to stave off the insanity. He didn't know why he didn't think of it before. Maybe because he knew that starvation was still a worry, even if he fooled his body with edible inedibles. Was this how that one werewolf had managed to survive off of cow's blood in the story Poe had once told him about eventually living without vampire blood entirely? The trick was to get used to the feeling of starving and to fool his body when it got to be too painful. The trick to succeeding with fooling the body was to fool the mind.

_My blood has the same component that Vampire Blood does_, Tsuna told his body firmly with his teeth still embedded into his own arm. _It's the only option, so use it or die. It might taste like shit, but a lot of things that are good for you aren't tasty. Just pretend that I'm not biting you. Pretend that I'm biting Poe and you don't have to keep hurting_.

"Lazarus?"

Tsuna let go of Autumn and quickly doubled over his arm to hide the fact that he was feeding while she scrambled away. She'd be disgusted if she saw. He was disgusted with himself. It hurt and he was acutely aware of the fact that he was drinking blood for once. It didn't taste like cinnamon or pepper. He couldn't delude himself into thinking it was apples or pears or some foreign candy. He was biting into flesh and taking in blood like it was coffee. It was working, though. That was his only saving grace. He wasn't hallucinating anymore and the pain in his stomach was easing. He still felt like a gas tank that was permanently on empty, but the pain was disappearing. His nerves were becoming less raw, too. He didn't feel like someone was rubbing him with sandpaper anymore.

The only problem was that the less that he hurt, the dizzier he became. It was to be expected, he mused. He was losing blood and it was being transmuted into something completely unrecognizable. In time, his body would be able to create new cells to replace what was missing, but what went into his stomach wouldn't directly be recycled into his blood stream. His body could transmute some of it quickly to repair damage, but he had a feeling that his body was putting the possibly literal hole in his stomach as first priority. Blood pressure only got dealt with after organs were repaired. On top of that, he wasn't getting the powerful surge of energy that he could off of Poe. It was as if the blood was diluted or his body was only able to use half of it.

He had to stop. The blood loss was getting serious and it didn't look like blood pressure was on the top of his body's 'to-do list'. His stomach felt better and he had his sanity back. He couldn't keep going and hope that the hunger could be appeased this way. He'd only bitten himself because he'd been confused and he'd started to become desperate. He'd just taken the first option that'd popped in his head before his mind broke. This wasn't a cure. This was just borrowing time.

Wasn't it?

Pulling his teeth out of his arm, he quickly licked the wounds closed. Thankfully, only his canines had ripped through the flesh this time. There were imprints of his other teeth, but they would fade. He should be able to hide the bite easily under his prison uniform.

"What happened?" Autumn asked hesitantly from across the room. Tsuna couldn't turn to look at her. All he could do was to continue hiding his arm from sight so that she wouldn't have to see what she might have already guessed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he lied. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I wasn't myself."

"D-Does that mean that you remember...?" She asked with a strange note in her voice. It was as if she wasn't asking about what had just happened. She was asking about something else entirely.

"Did I do something when I blacked out?" He inquired worriedly in return, keeping his head buried in his arms. "I know that I was already losing it when I woke up, but if I did something while I was--"

"No, no, no," she soothed in a rush. "You didn't do anything. I just wanted to see if... uh... if you had a dream or something." She was lying, but Tsuna decided that he didn't want to question it. His small, worried glances back at her through his arms told him that she seemed unharmed and that was all that mattered. He didn't want to know if he'd done something worse than trying to eat her.

"No," he answered honestly. "Was I supposed to?"

"Eh? Oh! The Glamour. Right. No, you weren't supposed to. At least, I don't think you're supposed to. Just... um... Just do me a favor and don't do whatever you did again. Actually, it'd probably be best if you didn't mess with the Glamours at all unless you have to. You know the theory, so that's good enough."

"Alright," he agreed quietly.

"A-And... um... if you could, I want you to keep a journal. Just a little one that you can keep on you at all times."

"What do you want me to write in it?" He asked in hopes of fulfilling her wishes for once. He didn't know why she wanted to keep a journal, but she seemed like it was pretty important. Enough so that she was completely ignoring what he'd almost done to her in order to tell him to keep one.

"How the hell--" Autumn broke off, almost instantly rephrasing her reply. It made him curious, but he had other things on his mind. The foremost was the feeling of blood on his chin. He couldn't let her see. "I don't care what you write," she sighed. "Just write something in it every day. Stuff like what you're feeling or your thoughts of the people around you. If you want, just keep a to-do list or something. What you write in it is your business. I just need you to write something down that could be called a journal and keep it on you."

"Alright," he agreed.

"Hey, are you really okay?" She asked curiously. "You haven't moved--"

"Can you go in the bedroom for a little bit and shut the door?" Tsuna asked in a pleading tone. He couldn't let her see his arm. If she knew that he'd drank blood in front of her, she'd get sick again. He didn't want her to see. Anyone but her. He was already lucky as hell that she wasn't holding it against him that he'd almost eaten her. In truth, the reaction probably hadn't hit her yet.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, taking three steps toward him before she stopped at how tense he became due to her approach. "Look, if you're upset about what happened, then don't worry about it. You're not the first guy that's tried to get what he wanted out of me without asking. It was your instincts going nuts again. Right? You let me go as soon as you got control back, so I'm willing to forget it this time. I know that you're a jackass, but you're not a rapist."

That's not it, he wanted to say. He didn't say it, however. He didn't correct her or tell her the truth, letting her believe whatever she wanted since it was better than the truth. If she wanted to believe that he'd turned into a uncontrollable pervert with a licking fetish, then that was fine. It was a hundred times better than letting her know that she'd been in mortal danger.

"Thanks for understanding," he murmured. "Just please go to the bedroom so that I can get up and go take a shower."

"Aww," she laughed teasingly. "Are you ashamed that you have a hard-on?"

"Yes," he lied, tensing up even more when she knelt down next to him. "So please go."

"Let me see," she ordered. Tsuna clenched his teeth together. For her sake, he couldn't obey that order. For his own sake, he couldn't obey that order. She'd just get scared and sick. He'd have to see her fear and disgust. No good could come from letting her see.

"No."

"Come on. Let me see," she ordered, teasingly trying to pull him out of his tight ball. He wanted to snarl when she started trying to pry his arms lose from where he had them hidden by his head. It was difficult to keep his face hidden at the same time as his arm.

"No!"

"Why are you hiding it? Let me see--"

"GO AWAY!" He roared angrily when she wouldn't give up. She collapsed backward onto her rear in surprise at the unexpected shout and he took the opportunity to scramble to his feet with one hand over his mouth and the other over his arm. Before she could react to his sudden movement, he was already in the bathroom with his back firmly planted against the entrance. He took a moment to calm himself before wedging his foot against the door so that he could keep her out and lean over the sink at the same time. Turning it on, he quickly got rid of the evidence on his face and rinsed his mouth out several times to get rid of the taste of blood in it. The evidence on his arm quickly followed, leaving two clotted puncture wounds that should be pretty easy to hide. All he had to do was wrap the handkerchief on his head around it after he took a shower.

"Laz?" Autumn called through the door, making him freeze in his tracks. "Why is there blood on the floor in here? Did you get hurt without me noticing?"

"I'm fine," he called back with a grimace for having been messy with any of his precious life-blood. Now he knew what Poe must have felt like when his blood had been wasted. It wasn't like gravy or regular food that you could just make more of. I was a necessary component to his vitality. Spilling any of it weakened him for absolutely no reason. It was wasteful in the most sickening way. "It's just a little scratch. Don't worry about it. I'll clean it up after I'm done in here. How much time do we have? The guards said that they'd be here at four to get me."

"Three thirty," she answered. The answer made him sigh in relief. He only had to keep her from seeing for a half hour. He could manage that.

"I'm going to take a shower," he called. "Do you think you can make me something to eat? I don't ever seem to get enough at breakfast. Anything is good."

"O-Okay," she replied hesitantly. "Are you sure that you're okay, though?"

"I'm fine," he lied, staring at his sun-hardened face in the bathroom mirror. "Just get a move on it."


	62. Chapter 62 Daily Repetitions II

Tsuna's eyes snapped open as soon as the lights in the facility were turned on. The wake-up bell went off a moment later, making many men grumble and roll over on their bunks. Tsuna was tempted to roll over himself and get another half-hour of sleep, but he knew that he needed to wash up before breakfast. There would be no shower for him today and he could smell himself from his workout the previous evening. Cleaning himself in the sink was better than nothing. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he took a moment to say good morning to Snicker's picture before rolling out of bed in order to head for the toilet first. Seven months had passed and Tsuna still had trouble remembering that he was dead at times. He was still as much a part of Tsuna's heart as if he were still alive. Even though he'd accepted the need to let go, there were parts of him that would possibly never let go.

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind like he did every morning, Tsuna headed over to deal with the first of his daily routine. It was the same thing that numerous other people were dealing with in other cells, taking advantage of the sleepy air to get a measufre of privacy. It was the one time of day that a person could take a shit without feeling as if a hundred eyes were watching. The half-wall between him and the cell doors only gave the illusion of privacy. Once the gates went up, people could walk around freely and it wasn't very comfortable to sit on the pot when someone could walk by at any moment. Most guys learned pretty quickly to hold it until after nightly lockdown or to get it over with first thing in the morning. He and Danny-boy had an agreement when it came to that. Tsuna got the morning and he got the night.

After that, the rest of his normal routine included shaving off any stubble that'd appeared since the previous day and doing what he could when it came to washing in the sink. Thanks to Gigi, he had everything he needed on that account. He wasn't having to use the crappy bars of soap that they sold in the shop and he was able to actually use shaving cream so that he didn't get razor burn on his cheeks anymore. Face, pits, crotch and ass got wiped down in quick succession before he used a stick of deodorant to finish the job. The final blow to finish the war on stank was to quickly brush his teeth and rinse his mouth out with the non-alcohol based mouthwash that he'd been allowed.

Heading over to his bed, he threw his washrag in his laundry bag in full knowledge that he'd have a fresh sack of clean clothes on his bed by dinner. Veronica was good like that. She took care of his laundry needs on a daily basis while most of the other guys only got theirs done once every three days.

Seeing the guards already walking up the wall of cells across from him to make sure that no one had escaped during the night, he quickly headed over to retrieve a piece of gum and a very important item. That item was a flimsy black handkerchief that he 'accidentally' dropped outside his cell right while he was changing it out for the one on his head when the guard started to walk past.

"Can you pick that up for me, Boss?" Tsuna asked with a crooked grin.

"Sure thing," he agreed amicably despite the fact that he dropped it every day.

"Thanks," Tsuna said pointedly, making knowing eye contact with the guard when the man passed him his morning delivery under the cover of returning the cloth item. He'd made it a point to get to know the guards when he'd figured out that they could be bought. For most of them, all it gave him was a blind eye here and a little consideration there. It'd been worth it to take the opportunity that'd presented itself when a guard had gotten pissed off over one of the convicts punching him. Tsuna had broken the guy's jaw for him in retribution and now he didn't even have to spend his points to get on the computer. After that had been a convict that kept harassing the guard at the visitation's gates. Taking care of that had gotten him unlimited time with Gigi when Gigi actually managed to come. Then had come the guard that had gotten socked while breaking up a fight in the cafeteria. Because of that, the guard turned the other cheek when he took double the amount of fruit and chips that he was supposed to. There was also the guards that policed the yard. Those guys got roughed up pretty regularly, so Tsuna had instilled order out there in the way that he knew best. Because of that, he didn't stay in solitary for more than an hour before being cleared of fault when he got into a fight.

The guard that took care of his morning delivery was a little different, though. He'd needed a job done on the outside and had solicited Tsuna's help. Apparently, his wife had been beaten by a couple of thugs who had connections. The guard had tried to take the legal route, but the guys had managed to get off with only a little community service. The guard hadn't been satisfied and had even brought a picture of his wife to try to get his point across. The guys needed to look as bad as she had.

Tsuna had made him a deal and he'd agreed. After that, Tsuna had just dropped the right keywords and the names to Gigi and Gigi took care of the rest. Less than a week later, the first of his deliveries had started arriving. It wasn't a lot, but he didn't need a lot. Just a little to take the edge off and he was happy. After breakfast, there wouldn't be any evidence to be found that he'd had a joint and the guard didn't have it on him for more than an hour before passing it off. He picked it up from Mike each morning for him. Gigi paid Mike once a week without asking any questions, for which Tsuna was grateful. Gigi understood that everyone had their own way of dealing with problems. Tsuna's way wasn't any more illegal than his way of prostitution.

Reaching up to pull Danny-boy's half-awake ass out of bed, he sighed when it took him nearly two minutes to get his feet under him. Despite the small considerations that he got from the guards that he'd bought, there was still an extraordinary amount that were 'unusable'. At least, their prices weren't anything that Tsuna could meet from the confines of the facility. There were also a few actually righteous guards who wouldn't even be capable of being bought from the outside. Because of those, he still had to follow the rules on the surface and his dealings had to be all hidden. That was why he still rushed to get dressed in fresh clothes for the day and hid his new prize in a pack of otherwise ordinary cigarettes.

"Don't be late to breakfast," he ordered as the gate buzzer went off and the cell doors popped open. Danny-boy muttered something incoherent on his way to the toilet and Tsuna decided that it'd be best to leave him behind again today. If he didn't, he'd be lucky to get scraps for breakfast. On that account, he was doing better than ever. He still always felt hungry, but he'd learned that a few drops of his own blood in the morning was more than sufficient to keep it from getting painful. He still had mood-swings and overwhelming urges at times, but it never got to the point that he thought he was going to lose control. Not anymore. He was even chewing normal gum now, which Gigi had praised him unyieldingly about. She'd even brought him a cake to celebrate the completion of his treatment. It'd taken long and hard months to reach the end, but it had been worth it to be able to chose a real flavor of bubblegum to chew.

Breakfast was pretty straight-forward. He got in line. He bantered with the cafeteria work crew to ensure that he got fixed up like he wanted. He playfully picked on the guy who'd checked out the book that he'd wanted so that the guy would return it since he'd been holding onto it for over a week. After that, he finally sat down with a warning growl at the new blood that tried to sit at his table. He sent the guy packing with a few barks that brought laughter from the guys who'd been around long enough to know that Tsuna's bark was far bigger than his bite. As long as someone didn't step up to him with a look that said he wanted to fight and no one paid for his particular services, he talked more shit than he went through on. It was the way of things, though. If he didn't seem tough, even when he was soft, then the other guys would be on top of him. Weakness wasn't something that was ignored around here. As long as he kept up the act and made the noise, then he was left with his peace and quiet like he wanted.

Before he was halfway through with his meal, his table was as filled as all the others. Ore was there, chowing down with single-minded focus. Sassy and Veronica were looking over one of Sassy's chipped nails while Ore stole from their plates with a mind to leave their favorites for them to actually eat. Danny-boy was trading a sleepy 'good-morning' with Kid. Beyond that, there were Richie, Heath, and Pokey who were his two kitten's friends. On the other end were Pedro, Pedro's last remaining brother Santiago, and Josef. Those three were as straight as the previous three were not. All in all, it was a nice mix. There was enough muscle and ass to go around so that everyone was happy.

Pedro had started sitting with him when he'd had the guy start a second tattoo on his back to go with the front one. Without his other two brothers, he didn't have the protection that he wanted. In trade for keeping an eye on the two so that no one fucked with them, Pedro did his work for free. His brother was currently in the process of doing Ore's first tattoo, which he'd decided to get as a match to Tsuna's back tattoo. When they got out, they'd both have the Orange Dragon Logo etched into their skin. For Tsuna, it would be like two sides of a coin due to how the Martelli Family emblem was emblazoned on his chest and the Orange Dragon Logo was emblazoned on his back. He'd been somewhat surprised that Ore would want to get one, too. From his enthusiasm for it, Tsuna had a feeling that it wouldn't be his last one, either.

Kid and Josef had been two surprise additions to his crew. Kid had seen him fight and had decided that Tsuna was more interesting than expected. It'd been disorienting, but he'd had his own game thrown back at him. He'd been too distracted at the time to deal with the guy properly like he wanted to. By the time he'd remembered his plan to use him to spice things up, Kid had already been attached to his group without Tsuna even noticing. After his first day, he hadn't caused any problems or stepped up to anyone in order to fight. He'd not backed down, either. In the case of one group fight against a few of Tsuna's old foes that had been tossed into prison, he'd even jumped in to help. Because of that, Tsuna respected him enough to leave him alone. He didn't acknowledge Kid, but he didn't go out of his way to run him off, either.

On the other hand, Josef's case had been pretty straight forward. He'd bartered for group rights just like Pedro had. He wasn't scared of a fight, but he'd seen the sense of allying himself with someone so that others would think twice about screwing with him in the future. In trade, he swore to never again be worthy of the name 'Funky' and was supplying the pack of cigarettes that Tsuna used to pay for his morning race. He worked during the day, so he could afford it. On top of that, he didn't smoke. That was good for Tsuna since Autumn had went out of her way to send him a two-line letter praising him for bringing down the amount of money that he'd been spending.

After breakfast was yard time. It didn't matter who you were. After you ate, you either went to work or went to the yard. For those that worked, that meant that they still had to go through the yard since the entrance to the work facility was at the far end that Tsuna rarely went through. They had to be at their work stations by the same time that Tsuna had to be back inside for cell check. Cell check was still a good hour and a half away, though. He typically finished breakfast before the guards even finished clearing the cell blocks to ensure that everyone went to eat. There was an hour to allow people to eat, followed by half an hour to give everyone time to get squared away where they needed to be.

That meant that there was plenty of time for his morning workout. Taking the time to smoke his morning delivery, Tsuna leisurely started stretching. He multitasked while he worked on his legs, pulling out the small notebook that he'd been sent. Autumn had been serious about him keeping a journal, but he truthfully had no clue what to write in it. He figured that if he noted daily activities down, it would be good enough.

_Morning-- Delivery arrived on time. Breakfast tasted like shit. About to run. Irving looks like he's gunning for me today._

Tsuna tucked the notebook back in his pocket and glared across the yard at the guy who'd been eyeing him. It wasn't unusual for people to eye him. There were as many guys that wanted his head as there were guys who wanted his protection. Just like it was rare for him to actually accept someone into his keeping, it was rare for one of the guys to actually try to go after him. No matter how much they hated his guts, they knew that they couldn't beat him. He was stronger. He was faster. He had absolutely nothing holding him back. He gave no mercy to anyone that screwed with him.

Handing the rest of the joint over to Ore to finish, who was in the middle of his own warm ups, Tsuna stood up to get his arms stretched out. Despite Tsuna's assumptions, Ore had never had qualms about smoking. He tried to do right by his friends by speaking out against drugs, but he was a closet hypocrite. Of course, most of that wasn't his fault. He was simply too big and the size of his body gave him much more trouble than people might expect. When he'd been younger, they'd had to do multiple surgeries because his lower spine hadn't been able to handle his weight. His knees and hips weren't nearly as strong as he made people think.

His pride as a man kept people from seeing, but Tsuna could tell. Ore stayed in pain a lot of the time and all Tsuna had been able to do for him in the past was to help so that his neck didn't hurt, too. It was because of that fact that willingly shared his morning deliveries with Ore once he knew the man would accept it. He'd always thought that Ore would be one to be worried about health, but he accepted drugs as readily as he'd accept any other kind of pain reliever.

"I'll see if I can start getting him to send two," Tsuna murmured when Ore took out the rest of the joint in one large hit. He'd been known to take out a cigarette in one hit since his lung capacity was ten times that of a normal person. Within seconds, he was holding a half-inch red fire-cherry instead of a joint. It was one that he flicked outside the fence-line rather than allow it to burn his lips or fingers again.

"That'd be nice," he grunted.

"Two months and you're out on parole," Tsuna sighed as they started walking toward the starting line. "Hold it together until then and you'll be back to buffets and bitches in no time." Ore grunted incoherently in agreement, but the small smile on his face said that he couldn't wait for the day to come.

Like always, Tsuna stripped his shirt off along the way and handed it back to Veronica to hold onto. Although he ignored them, his whole crew never stayed far away from him. He knew they were there, but he rarely spoke to any of them outside of occasional commentary to let them know that he was aware of their presence. It kept them content, which meant that he could worry about other things. Things like how to teach Irving that it wasn't nice to stare.

"Touch the line!" Ore bellowed, sending people up and down the wall into their starting positions. Tsuna was no different, keeping one hand touching the wall behind him while the rest of his body made ready to run. Ore glared up and down the line, ensuring that everyone got the same fair start. "GO!"

Dodging Ore's wide swing, Tsuna flew into motion. Ore tried knocking him down at the starting line every time. Nothing about that had changed. What had changed was the speed that he outdistanced everyone. There was no one capable of closing ranks on him fast enough to slow him down. A few came close, reaching out in effort to grab at the hem of his pants, but they couldn't do it. After the initial surge, he could practically visualize what was going on behind him. Old hands versus fresh meat.

Hitting the fence, his guess was confirmed when he spun around to start heading back to the wall. Three guys were trying to scramble back to their feet with flames of rage burning in their eyes. Amusement was dancing in the eyes of the attackers. That amusement went away when they saw that Tsuna was already heading back for them. Three of them closed ranks to bar his way past and he quickly decided not to jump over today. This time, he'd take them head-on. He couldn't always count on agility to get him through. Plus, Irving was one of the three.

Aiming for the guy in the center rather than the break between them, Tsuna slammed a shoulder into Irving's chest. He was down in an instant, gasping for air in pain while he slid out of Tsuna's way. Tsuna didn't stop for him. He simply kept running while dodging blows, kicks, and tackles from the men racing behind them. Even though they'd been spread out at the start, it always became a cluster-fuck once the race started. None of them really matter, though. They were distractions, where Ore was the true opponent.

He came in with killing intent, just like he spent the first three days of every month. This was supplement training to go with that. No hesitation. No mercy. Calm and cold was the way to react. This wasn't a friend. It was an opponent. Friends weren't friends once they were in the ring together. Don't hold back. He barely managed to lunge out of the way of Ore's hammer-hand blow. It crashed at his feet and he continued to scramble past with his goal focused in his mind. His goal wasn't Ore. Ore was just a wall standing in his way. This time, he chose to go around it in order to keep pace with the guys on the end. Next time, he might chose to meet him head-on like he had with Irving.

It took him only a minute to run to the fence and back which was still much longer than what he was aiming for. It shouldn't take sixty seconds to run fifty yards. Even taking off seconds for all the guys that he'd had to bypass, he was still slower than what he needed to be. The human body could move faster than that. He wasn't using enough of his potential. He had to stop being lazy!

Spinning in place, he decided to break his old records today. Speed. He needed more speed. Something told him that speed would be the key to survival. He couldn't hit the enemy if they were faster than him. He couldn't strike as the Hammer of Justice if the condemned were able to avoid the blow! Faster. Run faster. He ran until his lung burned and he ran until the sweat was steaming off of his body from exertion. His opponents became bugs that learned to fly out of his way and Ore became a rock that he barely stumbled over. Faster. He was faster than this.

"T-Twenty!" Sassy shouted. Tsuna paused in the middle of turning back for another run. His heart was pounding in his chest like a jackhammer. His body felt like it was on fire from how overheated he'd gotten due to the run. It felt like he'd only done a few laps, but his body told him that he'd done much more. He was exhausted.

"Oh, no you don't," Ore grumbled when Tsuna started to collapse against the wall on the spot. His body felt like jelly. He could barely stand, telling him that he'd overdid it again. That was a good thing. Each time he did too much, it increased his limits that much more. As long as he didn't do so much that he injured himself, it was a good thing to push himself. "Drink some water, Little Guy," Ore advised while he acted as a wall to lean up against. "You can't stop moving after running like that. You know better. If you don't cool down--"

"I got it," he panted. Pushing off of Ore, he accepted the towel that Sassy presented to him and the bottle of water that Veronica provided. They were such helpful little kittens. Reaching out to grab Veronica to lean on, he started walking around the yard to keep himself from cramping up. "Hey, Josef," Tsuna called over to where the man was walking in slow circles for his own cool-down. "Give the pack to Irving. He deserves it for not giving up after taking my tackle."

"Sure thing, Sir Laz," he nodded, redirecting his footsteps to head in the direction of the man in question. Tsuna watched out of the corner of his eye. It was always amusing to see the look of surprise and suspicion on the face of those who seriously hated him, yet got rewarded for their hate. He wasn't a dumb one this time. He didn't throw the pack of cigarettes back at Josef, nor did he waste them. He simply tucked them in his pocket and sent a knowing smile in Tsuna's direction. Tsuna nodded silently in return, accepting his regard. Just as Irving accepted his notice, he accepted Irving's hate.

It was because of this that people were calling him 'Sir Laz' and 'the Civil Satan'. Depending on who's side they were on, he was either the dark knight that gave mercy to no one or the demon that hid behind a false exterior of pleasant modesty. Just as Satan was said to whisper in people's ears instead of coming in with a bang, Tsuna had grown a reputation for dealing under the table with just about anybody. His supporters didn't want to think of him as a devil, though, so they went with the dark knight reputation. Someone had spread it around that he was a Knight for the Martelli Family and it'd caught on behind his back. He'd decided to let it go since it was better than being called 'Boss'. As a nickname from people that hated him, he accepted Civil Satan, too. It was better than a lot of the other names that he'd been called in his life. At least this one had a certain measure of respect in it, even from his enemies.

By the time that he was cooled down, Danny-boy was sending up the ten minute whistle to warn him that cell-check was soon. Tsuna raised a hand to gesture that he got the message before reaching down to grab a handful of Veronica's rear so that he could give it a hard squeeze. As predicted, he shrieked like a little girl and jumped a foot into the air in surprise, but otherwise didn't object.

"Thanks for letting me lean on you," he grinned, using Veronica's spluttering blushes as an opening to retrieve the shirt slung over his arm. Putting it on, he gave Veronica a small wink before heading for the doors. Veronica and Sassy both had to head to the laundry facility, which meant that they were going in opposite directions. It'd probably be the last time that he saw Veronica until lunchtime, so the grope had been more for his sake than Tsuna's. It gave him something to talk about with Sassy while they were stuck working.

He put the two out of his mind once he was back inside. Ore broke off almost immediately beyond the doors, heading for his own cellblock while Tsuna and Danny-boy went in the opposite direction for their own. It was the same routine every day. Cell check, eat, cell check, a large portion of time to kill, eat, cell check, a large portion of time to kill, eat, cell check, a small portion of time to kill, cell check, lockdown, cell check, lights out. Nothing every changed on that account. The only thing that changed was what he might decide to do to kill time.

Heading into his cell along with Danny-boy, he took a moment to waste another washrag in cleaning up so that he wouldn't leave a bad impression on Peter-sensei. He didn't want the man to have trouble teaching just because Tsuna smelled bad from the run. Peter-sensei had taught him so much since he'd arrived that Tsuna was starting to believe the man's words about taking college courses before he got out. Because of him, Tsuna had actually managed to get to a high-school reading level and he'd passed the mock high school equivalency exam in English that Peter-sensei had given him. He'd passed geography and world history, too. If they could get his math and science up to par, Peter-sensei had promised to get him tested out on all the languages he knew so that he'd have the opportunity to work as a translator if he wanted. He had to admit that the idea appealed to him. It was a job that actually took skill and one that he might actually be able to shine at.

Grabbing up his book, he spent the next hour reading on his bed while the guards did their roll call. He couldn't leave his cell again until the guard had verified that he was where he was supposed to be. Namely, that he was still in the facility. The list would be matched up against those who were already at their jobs in order to make sure that all the convicts were accounted for. Tsuna grinned when the guard told them to go ahead and go to class when he walked past. He thanked the guy, but stayed in his cell until everyone else was free to leave.

There was no point in marking himself as a Thumper. He didn't hump any legs. It might be true that he bartered with the guards for certain privileges and to get things smuggled in, but he wasn't the kind of guy that snitched, wanted petted, and sold out his own people. He used the guys on the other side of the line. He didn't get used by them. There was no point in giving people the wrong idea by accepting favors that he didn't ask for. Besides that, he wasn't stupid. A guard might be his friend one day, but he'd sell Tsuna out as soon as the winds shifted. It was possible that the winds had already shifted and the guard that was supposedly doing him a favor was really trying to frame him up. Leaving his cell early gave him the opportunity to mark down that Tsuna wasn't present when he was.

He couldn't ever let his defenses down with anyone.

As soon as the cell check was truly finished, he grabbed up his homework and his book. He didn't have to trade more than a glance with Danny-boy before they headed for the education center. Unless solitary or an unexpected visitor interfered, he never missed his time with Peter-sensei.

The education facility looked like it always did. There was the cut-out letters on the door, although it looked like someone had stolen the 'C'. The teacher's desks were arranged like they always were and the teachers were working away at getting their lesson plans finalized before everyone arrived.

Three other convicts came in behind Tsuna, all wanting to head to their own classrooms. The general classes wouldn't start for another thirty minutes to allow everyone to arrive, but Tsuna was in the special needs class. He still occasionally had people pick on him about it when they couldn't find anything else to use as ammunition. He ignored it, though. He'd heard that Danny-boy sometimes set them straight in the general class by telling them all that he was in special needs because he was smarter than all of them. Even as a lie, it made Tsuna somewhat happy to think that there was one person other than Peter-sensei that didn't believe that he was dumb.

"I'll see you after class," Danny-boy called, heading for his classroom door with the other convicts behind him. He nodded, accepting the plans quietly while he headed for a separate classroom in the back end of the hall.

That was the effect that educational surroundings gave him. He turned quiet. He felt like he was in a library where he'd be told to be silent if he so much as opened his mouth. He was used to such treatment from his teachers and it'd been beaten in his head from long past that it was better to not ask questions rather than get laughed at for stupid ones. It was better to keep his mouth shut rather than get noticed. Teachers could be cruel and they had his test scores as ammo.

That's what made him like Peter-sensei so much. Peter-sensei always tore up his work that got bad scores and played it off like a dog had eaten it. The only papers that got kept were the file of tests and scores that would probably make his mother cry in happiness. In Peter-sensei's eyes, he continuously made A's. It was as if his failures had never existed.

"Are you ready to work, Laz?" Peter-sensei asked, walking into the room with a clipboard and a smile. Tsuna nodded softly and sat down in his normal seat at one of the round tables. Peter-sensei always showed up to start working with him before any of the others showed up. "What do you want to work on today? Math or science?"

"M-Math...?" He suggested hesitantly, knowing that it was his worst subject.

"Math it is," he agreed with another wide grin. "I figured that you'd say that, so I brought your next workbook." Tsuna nodded again and accepted the thin folder of papers that he handed over. He got a workbook to do each time he came in and the goal was to complete it before class was over. He grimaced when he looked through it. The problems looked hard and difficult. There were lots of brackets, parenthesis, negative numbers, and fractions that he had to get all straightened out on the first page. The second page had the same thing, but with variables thrown in. The third page had even more, but with square routes and exponents. The fourth page had angles and the fifth page had-- "One problem at a time," Peter-sensei soothed, slapping the folder closed before Tsuna could see how much harder it got. "Just pull out the first sheet and start working on it while I check over your homework. If you worry too much about what you have to do in the future, you'll lose the motivation to start."

"Yes, Sensei," Tsuna murmured quietly. He was right. He was always right. If Tsuna feared the wall that he had to jump over, he'd end up crashing into it instead of taking a running start so that he could hurdle over it. That was one of the things that Peter-sensei had taught him. He had to keep focused on the here-and-now, because he was easily rattled when he thought too much. It was just like lifting weights. If he didn't try to lift more, he'd always stay with the five-pound weights and he'd be squashed when Ore threw him the fifty-pound ones. He'd been working his way up. He could handle this as long as he didn't let himself get overwhelmed with what was being asked of him. He'd done all of this in the past. Peter-sensei was just having him do it all at once this time. Usually, they did algebra or geometry. This was the first time that he was having him do both in the same workbook.

Handing over his homework, he pulled out the first sheet and started working. Other convicts were starting to show up and it was Tsuna's personal goal to try and get as many correct as he could without Peter-sensei's help. The other convicts in the class were at a lower level than him and didn't seem to catch on as quickly to his instruction. They needed Peter-sensei more than he did at the moment. He considered himself lucky to still be getting Peter-sensei's guidance when he considered all the other guys in his class. They all got A's, too, but it took them a lot longer to get them. Peter-sensei didn't lie to make them feel good, but the praise that he gave when they actually met his expectations was worth it.

"Good work on the homework, Laz," Peter-sensei murmured with a bright smile. "I'm seeing a huge improvement in your organization skill. You used to figure out the problems all over the page, but you've got it in nice and neat columns for me now. I can tell that you're really trying hard."

"Thanks," he mumbled with an embarrassed blush, keeping his head bowed down over his paper.

"If you can finish that workbook in an hour, I've got a slice of pizza with your name on it," he added knowingly. Tsuna's head snapped up and his eyes lit up in greed.

"Pizza?"

"Yup," Peter-sensei confirmed. "It's left-overs, but I can warm it up in the microwave. Do you like Pepperoni?" Tsuna nodded frantically, his mouth watering at the thought of a real slice of pizza. The pizza that they served in the chow-hall was good, but it was nothing compared to what he could order on the outside. This was Peter-sensei's trick to keeping people motivated. Some of the other classes got pizza parties when they did extremely well, but Peter-sensei could customize their treats to the individual person. For Tsuna, it was food. For Robert in the corner, it was candy-bars. For Nathan next to the bookshelves, it was comic books. There were ten of them in all and Peter-sensei got a budget to use in motivating them. The goal was to have them go from high school drop outs to high school graduates by the time that they got out. In his case, the goal was to have him in college by the time he was released. Doing that showed the higher-ups that Peter-sensei was a good teacher that was worth funding because it looked good on the prison to educate people into a life outside of crime. "You've got one hour," he repeated, tapping a finger to Tsuna's page. "If you can get less than ten incorrect, then I'll even throw in a breadstick."

Tsuna started working through the problems in a careful rush while Peter-sensei went over to start helping Robert on his English. The man barely spoke any of it and Peter-sensei was fluent enough in Spanish to help him learn. From what Tsuna had been able to figure out, the guy was born in the states, but hardly knew any of the native language. He was the quiet, hermit-type person and no one had taken the time to teach him what he should have learned in school. Tsuna guessed that he'd been home-schooled for him to have made it into adulthood without knowing the language of the country that he was living in.

In almost no time at all, Tsuna had blown through the first page. The second page went a little slower and he was sweating bullets by the time that he got to the third. A half-hour disappeared like it was mere seconds and Tsuna grimaced when he got to the fourth page. He hated angles. He always got the names all mixed up. _A-Cute _little angle, he reminded himself. He could do this. The a-cute angle wasn't cute if it was fatter than ninety pounds-- Degrees, he mentally corrected with a crooked grin. Peter-sensei always knew how to get him to remember things in ways that made sense.

The page went faster than he expected. The real trouble came in the fifth page. There were shapes and diagrams covering it. In one, there was a circle with the size of the radius given. He had to figure out the diameter, circumference, and area of the circle. Even worse, he had to remember how to do it without any of the equations being given to him. He remembered that the diameter was twice the radius. What was the circumference, though? Circles were pies. Peter-sensei had told him that over and over. That was enough to jog his memory. Peter-sensei said that if you cut the pie in half and measured it, then multiply the width of the pie by pie, then he'd get the number of how round it was. Pie was that funny symbol that stood for a never-ending number that was rounded to 3.14.

The tricky part was the area. If he remembered what Peter-sensei had taught, he couldn't know the area of circles unless he went back to the center of them. It was like knowing your range in a sparring circle. He was outside by having followed the line of questioning out to the circumference. To know the area that it covered, he had to walk back into the center. That meant that he didn't use any of the other information other than the basics. That basic was how far he could reach from the center of the circle out to the edge. Something to do with the radius. He knew this. Peter-sensei had just taught this to him a few days ago.

Pies. There was almost always something to do with pies when there were circles. So pies and the radius together.... There was something else. Oh! Squares! That was right! Peter-sensei had said that the diameter was the radius times two, but that the area needed the radius squared! To remember it, Peter-sensei had told him to remember that pies get the outside edges burned when they're baked in square pans, but they taste good when the inside is divided up with a square knife! The circumference equation was Pi times the diameter! The area was Pi times the radius squared!

It was a convoluted way of remembering, but it somehow stuck in his head better that way. He could do this, he grinned. Everything was stored in his head one way or another. He just had to dig it out. Peter-sensei had taught him how to remember stuff so that it was easier to dig out. Circles made him think of pies, which helped him remember the Pi. Everything else was downhill from there.

He looked up at the clock as soon as he finished the last problem and grimaced. An hour and fifteen minutes. He could have made it if he hadn't gotten stuck. Pushing the packet of papers away in disappointment that he wouldn't get any pizza, he put his head down on the table. He'd failed again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't meet expectations. Peter-sensei always gave him time limits that he thought that Tsuna could meet if he tried. He hadn't this time, though. He'd been too late.

"Chin up," Peter-sensei sighed as he sat back down at the table upon seeing that Tsuna had finished. "Let's see why you took longer than expected," he murmured. Pulling over Tsuna's workbook to grade, Tsuna lifted his head slightly to watch him grade it. He looked mildly pleased as he referenced the answers that Tsuna had gotten against the answers on his teacher's key. "Good so far," he commented for Tsuna's benefit. "You got all of them right on the first page. The second looks good, too. The third page... We need to go over this one and this one, but the rest look good. Page four... Very good! You didn't get your acute angles mixed up with your obtuse ones this time. We need to work a little on this one, but that was a trick question. We'll go over it in a minute. And the last--" Peter-sensei froze on the last page, making Tsuna grimace.

"They're wrong," Tsuna murmured, "Aren't they?"

"I honestly don't know," he replied slowly, making Tsuna sit up even more in confusion. "Didn't you read the directions on this page?"

"Eh?"

"You were only supposed to write down the equations," he explained, pointing out the line at the top that Tsuna had ignored in effort to buy time to figure out the answers. "Instead, you actually worked the problems out and gave me the answers. We haven't gotten to practical use of these yet. That was what I was going to teach you today after I made sure that you remembered the equations."

"Oh," Tsuna blushed while his teacher continued to examine his paper. "I didn't notice that. I just saw the numbers were there for me to work with, so I figured that you wanted me to go ahead and plug them in. It's just like when we went over squares and triangles. Right?"

"Right," he agreed with a bright smile, finally looking up from the paper. "I think this deserves a slice of pizza. You went way above my expectations on this one. If you've already grasped that it's all the same, even if the equations are different, then we can move into 3-D shapes and I can teach you about volume."

"Really?" Tsuna gaped in surprise.

"Definitely," he confirmed firmly. "Good work, Laz."

Tsuna was on cloud nine for the rest of his tutoring session. He listened avidly while Peter-sensei showed him where he'd messed up and had him redo the problems that he'd missed. After that, he listened while Peter-sensei explained how 3-D shapes were different, yet the same as flat shapes. A sphere wasn't much different than a circle. He just had an extra variable to factor in. The list of equations that he had to study made his mind go blank for a little bit, but he didn't back down from it like he would have in the past. He knew how equations worked now. It was like the skeleton key to a house. The size of the door might change, but the key still worked. As long as he had the equations memorized correctly, all he ever had to do was to plug in the right numbers.

It was as easy as pie.

Peter-sensei had him eat his reward before he left to ensure that no fights were started over it. That was the chance that he risked with some of the others by rewarding with material items to take with them. The convicts knew better than Peter-sensei did, though. If a fight got traced back to something that he'd given them, then their rewards might stop. That wasn't to say that there still wouldn't be a fight. The participants would just make sure to cause a fight over something else in order to settle the score without risking their little luxuries.

He couldn't be happier as he headed out to the yard with his homework in hand. Peter-sensei had been all smiles through the rest of the session. Tsuna had really went beyond his expectations even though he though that he'd failed. That's why he'd missed the time limit. He'd been trying too hard. He made note of the mistake so that he'd be more careful of directions in the future. It was like he'd run off with only half the story and had gotten himself into a jam that had taken a lot of unnecessary work to get out of. Being reckless was good and all, but being careful saved him a lot of headache.

Peter-sensei taught him much more than he probably ever knew.

Once outside, Tsuna sat at his usual table that had been purposely left unoccupied by those who were already filling the yard. Altogether, there were only about thirty of them that chose the morning education program over the work program since evening classes were available, too, and there were another forty that didn't work or go to get schooling. He'd been tempted to work and study at the same time so that Autumn didn't have to lend him so much money, but she'd specifically told him not to worry about money while he was in jail. Even though it was unorthodox, she was paying him for his troubles just like she would if he was still doing dishes for her father's restaurant.

The next hour was spent trying to get his homework done while he made four cigarettes disappear. He always did it while the lesson was still fresh in his mind so that he was more likely to get them correct. At one point, Danny-boy showed up and started doing his own homework across from him. Ore was already over at the weights, killing time in the only way that he knew how since he didn't work nor did he go to the education courses. Everyone else was at their jobs.

Eventually, the yard had around sixty people in it while the other ten were either playing kiss-ass to their teachers or were hiding in their cells. It was a low number compared to how many were busy working away inside the facility. The chow-hall crew and the laundry people were positions filled by convicts. So were the librarians, janitors, and there were dozens of other assorted positions. There was also those that left for community-service related jobs like picking up trash on the highways. Finally, there were also the guys that worked over in the glasses shop that was attached to the prison. The shop was where they made eye-glasses for military and prison issue. Everything from cutting the lenses to packaging the finished product was taken care of by the so-called specialist who'd been given a twenty minute orientation on their particular job.

Sassy, Veronica, and Pedro worked at the laundry. Kid and Josef worked on the glasses. Richie was a librarian, while Heath and Pokey were janitors. Finally, Pedro's brother worked in the kitchens in the afternoon. Danny-boy and Ore both tended to stick with Tsuna as much as possible. For Ore, it was out of friendship. For Danny-boy, it was so no one else would rape his ass. Although, his ass still got raped at times. Tsuna personally made sure of that whenever he felt like it. There'd been a few times that he'd felt guilty about doing it, but Danny-boy himself had assured him that he was perfectly content to take whatever Tsuna offered. He'd said that his ass had already been willingly sold.

Where Tsuna was concerned, that was enough said. He wasn't like he used to be where the only ass he would take was what was freely given. He'd learned that there was some comfort in knowing the exact reasons why someone was sleeping with him. If it was for money or luxury, then he had no reason to feel guilty. It was a fair exchange. As long as the ass was willingly sold, he was more than happy to shell out cash or luxuries. It was better than handing over absolutely nothing and being accused of short-changing someone. That was the reason that he chose a different kitten to play with each day. None of them could get the misguided idea in their head that they were special to him. He'd had to be especially careful with Veronica. That guy needed extra attention all the time just so that he had confidence. Too much intimate attention on top of that would give him the wrong idea. Tsuna had no interest in having to deal with a broken heart.

"You need help?" Danny-boy asked when he looked up to find Tsuna staring at him.

"Nope," he grinned, tearing his eyes away in order to watch the guys playing basketball while he smoked. "All done here."

"Oh," he replied simply before turning his attention back down to his own homework. Tsuna left it to him, making sure not to stare at the man while he was actually thinking of him. Danny-boy tended to either turn narcissistic or whorish when he knew that Tsuna was thinking dirty thoughts. In truth, that was the reason that Tsuna only took him when he could catch him off-guard. He got enough whorish behavior from Sassy and Veronica. It was okay at times, but a purposeful slut wasn't as attractive as someone being moved by actual desire. It was nice that they wanted to please him, but he honestly could do without the submissive fanfare. He didn't like people acting like they were beneath him, even if they were doing it of their own violation. At the moment, he didn't have a whole lot of other options, though. It was either accept those three or go back to his five little friends on a full time basis again.

Pushing those thoughts away since they'd only get him in trouble, Tsuna continued watching the guys play basketball. The bounce of the ball was soothing to him. He'd been known to sit for hours and simply watch them until someone snapped him out of it. Ore wouldn't let him work out before lunch, so Tsuna had nothing to do. He couldn't go check his mail until after his afternoon workout in order to make sure that he waited long enough so that today's mail had a chance to get in his box. Unlike other people, he had plenty of good behavior points to spend on extra stops to check his mail. He got into the games room free thanks to one connection and he didn't have to spend any points to get in the library. Other than phone calls, he had nothing to spend the points that he got on.

He was half-way tempted to drop in and see if Foo Foo was online, but he knew that he wouldn't be there. Foo Foo had started going to a gym in the daytime since Tsuna rarely got on before mid-afternoon. Despite his free access, Tsuna tried not to abuse his privileges. There were plenty of other people that wanted to use the computers, too. That was why he tried to save his trips to the computer for when Foo Foo mentioned something in a letter that Tsuna wanted to talk directly to him about.

The watch that he'd bought from the commissary said that he had over an hour to kill until lunch. His options were to sit and watch the guys play basketball for an hour or to head inside and read on his bunk. The games room would be boring as hell right now. The only thing on the television was soap operas and Danny-boy was horrible at ping-pong. Actually, he amended with a small grimace, he didn't even have that many options. This was Ore's time to work-out so that he could oversee Tsuna's weight training in the afternoon. Tsuna needed to stay outside with him to watch his back. Ore was strong, but he wasn't invincible. If someone decided to go after him because Tsuna had left him alone, he'd never forgive himself.

Pulling out his journal, since he had nothing better to do, Tsuna started doodling. It wasn't good to stare at Root and his boys too long, even if he was just watching the game. A long stare could easily be seen as a challenge and Tsuna had dealt with enough misunderstandings in the past to know that it was safer to keep his head down. Root and his boys were generally friendly toward Tsuna, but they weren't actual friends. It was better to not assume things about others. That was how fish got netted on a regular basis.

_Midmorning-- I'm bored out of my mind. I got a slice of pizza from Peter-sensei for doing good in math. He said yesterday that I should be ready for the A.C.T. test pretty soon. I'm not sure what that is, but he says I need to take it so that I can go to college by mail. I want to pass it. Peter-sensei said that no one can call me stupid if I get a good score on it. I hope they don't serve shit for lunch, but they probably will. Hopefully I'll get fudge from Foo Foo again. That's shit that tastes good._

Tsuna smiled, trying to imagine what Autumn's face would be to reading the stuff that he'd written down. It was her fault for not giving him a better idea of what to write. He wasn't purposely making it unpleasant to read. He just wrote whatever popped into his head in the moment. If he'd been given more information about what the assignment was for, he would be more careful. She hadn't specified any requirements, though. There were no requests or special goal that he was motivated to reach. It wasn't like when he was writing to Foo Foo and took care in how he phrased things. She'd said to just write in it every day and to keep it on him at all times. He was careful not to write anything that could be used as evidence and he wrote in Japanese so that it couldn't be read without a translator. Other than that, he wrote whatever he felt like in the moment. She had said that she didn't care what he wrote.

It was unsurprising that he was halfway through sketching Snicker's face from memory before he even noticed that he wasn't drawing randomly anymore. He stopped himself from finishing it. He knew from the past that he could never finish it. He had the same picture on several other pages and he tended to try and correct it and polish it into destruction while trying to make it more real. Those weren't the only repeated drawings he had in his book. There was crossed hammers and the Dragons' Logo along with scattered Snickers candy-bar wrappers that he'd been saving from the tins that Foo Foo sent him. Danny-boy and the others knew not to eat the Snicker bars. Those were his and he'd break fingers if anyone touched them. He had every wrapper from every bar that he'd eaten since Snicker had died. It was like a charm for him to bring good luck. He had them all licked clean and tucked into the pages of his journal next to when he'd eaten it.

He knew that it was pathetic of him, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't let go of anything attached to Snicker anymore. He'd given away everything that he could and the dregs that he had left were those that he refused to let go of. The memories. The ring. The pictures. Nothing else of Snicker's remained in his life.

Time seemed to pass so slowly, but it did pass. At Danny-boy's protrusive signal, Tsuna snapped out of his funk and tucked his journal back into his pocket. No matter how many times Tsuna wished for time to simply stop, the fact was that it kept moving. He just had to be patient and wait for life to pick up again when he tripped into a dark hole. Whether that hole was made through boredom or loneliness or devices of the enemy, everything worked out eventually.

Lunch passed smoothly. Pogo and one of the bodybuilders had been released, so Tsuna was only the sixth in line now. Danny-boy and Ore were in line behind him and the rest of his crew was somewhere in the back. It wasn't long until the doors to the cafeteria opened and they were allowed in. The place was the exact same as it'd been for the last seven months. Clean, bland, and regulated. There was the same three choices of drinks as there had been when he'd first arrived. Milk, chocolate milk, or juice. There was the same meal lineups that he'd eaten in his first week. Today was fish sticks, french fries, corn, and apple cobbler. All of it looked wonderful, but he knew that it'd taste like cardboard.

Snatching up two bags of chips and an orange, Tsuna headed for his usual table. It was in the same damn place that it always was. It wasn't like it could go anywhere. It was bolted into the floor for a reason. He was tempted to sit somewhere else just for a change of pace, but there was no point in causing trouble by invading someone else's territory. The temptation was there, but he could control such urges. Peace and quiet was far more important than variety in his opinion. There were better ways to deal with boredom than starting fight. Admittedly, not many, but they were out there. He was more apt to look for those other ways lately. Ever since he'd had that private meeting with Autumn and had learned the key to keeping himself in check, he had a lot more control over himself. It was a constant battle, but he knew the way now.

Lunch was tasteless, but it was filling. He exerted self control halfway through his tray and pushed it across the table to trade with Ore's empty one. Ore glared at him slightly, knowing that he was capable of eating more. Tsuna just stared back until he took it. They both knew that Ore actually needed the increase in food. Tsuna felt starved no matter what he did, so there was no point in eating more than what his body needed to survive on. Gluttony wouldn't solve anything.

He took his time peeling and eating his orange so that the others could finish in unison. No one ate leisurely. They all knew that Ore was waiting to finish whatever they didn't want. The man was like a garbage disposal. He wasn't picky at all about what he ate as long as it wasn't shellfish. All of Tsuna's crew was in awe of how much he could eat, but they had no idea of his true limits. Tsuna knew that Ore could take out a whole buffet if he wanted and would still be ready for ice cream afterwards. When they'd been living at the Dojo together, they'd tested him once on how much he could eat and had been forced to stop at fifteen large pizzas in fear that he'd never get full. The pittance that he got from the prison was nothing more than a snack to him.

"I'll see if they have any more ramen in the store tomorrow," Tsuna murmured absently. Ore's eyes lit up in greed and Tsuna gave him a small smile in sympathy. A whole case wouldn't last more than the time it took to pour water in the cups. Ore already bought himself a case on the two days a week that he was allowed to shop and Tsuna got him more on his own days, but that was still only four days that he got enough to actually put a dent his appetite. He never complained since he was used to it, but Tsuna could tell with how subdued he had become that he was starving. A normal man's portion just wasn't enough.

As soon as Ore was finished clearing away whatever everyone spared him, Tsuna stood and lead the way out. There was no discussion at the lunch table, even after Veronica and the others joined them. Talking would just bring down the wrath of the righteous guards and get them kicked out faster to make room for the other convicts who were looking around for a table to eat at. Their trays went through the drop-off window and their sporks went in the trash. It was the same routine no matter what they actually had for lunch.

He ignored the guards blocking off the path that led anywhere but the yard. He knew where he was supposed to go, even without their directions. The air outside was hot and dry, just like it'd been when he'd been outside earlier. The difference was that the sun was beating down on them mercilessly between the door and their picnic table. He was grateful now that Danny-boy had urged him into moving to a covered table while he'd been looking for reasons to vent his stress. The shade made the late summer heat into something bearable.

Everyone sat huddled in the shade of the table in the same arrangement than they had in the chow hall. Danny-boy was on one side of him and Veronica was on the other side. Ore was across from him and the others spread out however they wanted to. Without needing to be told, Danny-boy pulled out a set of cards and started dealing. The name of the game where the guards were concerned was Goldfish. The name of the game where he and his crew was concerned was poker. They didn't have any chips to bet with, but that didn't matter to Tsuna. All that mattered was that it was a game to pass the time. They could probably have used cigarettes as tokens, but everyone knew that it'd be a waste. Tsuna never lost unless he chose to lose.

Smoking a cigarette, he quietly listened to Veronica chattering with her friends while Kid and Pedro traded miseries about their work. All around him was talk, but Tsuna rarely took part in any of it. Ore was no different. Danny-boy occasionally jumped into one of the separate discussions, but Tsuna and Ore had their own things to talk about.

"I got word from Gigi this morning while you were in class," Ore mumbled as he drew two cards. "She says that the health inspectors are starting to come down hard on the boarding house. They got some fresh meat in that she doesn't have any blackmail on yet."

"She'll figure it out," Tsuna replied blandly, choosing to fold his own hand rather than try to win with only a queen and a pair of fours. "She didn't tell me about it, so it must be something that she can handle. I'm more worried about the finances. My lawyer brought me Daren's books when he came to give me an update on my case. We're not in the red yet, but things have turned to shit since I left. Those fucking ass-wipes are holding money back from Gigi. It started with just one or two doing it so that they could get out of there faster and get on their feet, but the books are showing a drop in funds coming from the gang overall. They're starting to take advantage cause Gigi's too soft on them."

"That's outrageously bad," Ore grumbled. "The house isn't a damn charity. It's not like you ask for more than they should be able to give. They get food, shelter, and warm beds and you don't ask half as much as a regular apartment would ask. Whatcha going to do about it?"

"Not much I can do from in here," he growled back. "I told Gigi to remind them that I'm not in here forever, but they aren't scared of that kind of threat. Since we've always worked on the honor system, there's no way to prove who's holding back. I told her that if there's another drop in funds that she should empty out the green room, but she said that it wouldn't solve anything. They've turned into arrogant sons of bitches. They'd just keep holding back money and go out to bars instead of playing with the free shit. Daren said that he'll try to hold out as long as possible, but they'll probably have to get a loan before I get out."

"A bank ain't going to give people like us a loan," he objected. Tsuna shrugged and accepted a new hand of cards. Gigi would figure out something. Like he already said, there wasn't much that he could do from inside prison.

"I've been thinking of getting in touch with Poe and seeing if he could take my blood to market," he said quietly as he tossed three cards into the pile and drew three new ones. "The right buyer would pay plenty and Poe has all the right contacts. The problem is figuring out how to get it to him. That's not something that can be mailed and I don't have anything to store it in anyway. I'd have to ask Hime-sama's help and that's not something I can do when it comes to that."

"How are things going on that front?" Ore asked, tossing only one card in order to draw a new one and subsequently fold his hand. Danny-boy took time considering on his hand and Tsuna left him to it. It gave him time to consider how to answer Ore's question.

"Bad," he said finally. "Last I heard, there's someone in the city that's been taking cheap shots at Hime-sama's guys. They can't seem to catch the bastard, but they're working to net him. She says that there's no sign that they're interested in me yet. From the looks of it, they've got Barbus as their next target."

"Who's Barbus?" Danny-boy asked, proving that he was actually listening.

"Some musician friend of Hime-sama's," he answered. Laying down a full house, he grinned at Ore's frustrated snarl as he laid down his own hand. Danny-boy didn't even bother showing how he'd lost. He simply started dealing again. "He's part of this group called the Hex-C, but I've only come across him a few times. We try not to cross paths too often."

"Why's that?"

"Barbus is an asshole," Tsuna answered. "He turns everything he sees into a song. After he met me and Snicker, I found the bastard singing a song about a fag in a factory."

"I remember that," Ore grimaced while he looked over his knew hand. "It took three of us to keep you from killing him."

"If Snicker hadn't been there, it would have taken a lot more than three to stop me," Tsuna murmured darkly. "Since then, Hime-sama has tried to keep us from meeting again. She knows that I've got a score to settle with that bastard. I won't forgive him for insulting Snicker."

"Every time Little Guy has met him since then, he's tried to get to him," Ore chuckled. "He never succeeds, though. Either Autumn or someone else gets in the way."

"Why don't you just give up?" Danny-boy asked curiously after folding his hand.

"I refuse," Tsuna growled, throwing his own hand of cards into the stack in order to once more fold out of the game. He was tired of playing, plus it was almost time to head back inside for cell check. "I'll get that bastard eventually."

"That wasn't the only song that he wrote about Laz and Snicker," Ore supplied with another small grimace. "Barbus wrote one that was just about him and he sings it every time they meet. He calls it the 'Ballad of the Bum'. Those two are always at each other's throats, which is why I'm outrageously glad that they haven't come across each other more than a hand-full of times."

"I'm heading back to the laundry," Veronica interjected. Tsuna nodded at her in confirmation of the message and stood to head inside for his own cell check. Kid, Pedro, and Josef were already slowly heading in the direction of their own jobs and the rest of the group was already dissipating. Tsuna waited long enough for Danny-boy to collect his cards before flicking his cigarette away in order to head inside. Ore followed, breaking off almost as soon as they got through the doors.

The walk with Danny-boy to his cell was a quiet one. At least, it was quiet for Tsuna. Danny-boy was hardly ever silent. He babbled almost continuously about the last letter that Gigi had sent him whenever he thought Tsuna would listen. Most of it was information and stories that Tsuna already knew about, which was why he stayed silent despite the fact that the topic was on Gigi. He didn't want to crush the man's enthusiasm by telling him that he already knew. He also didn't want to inflate it any more by adding details, either.

He paused only once on his route in order to stare down a hallway that was normally empty. There were two convicts on the other end, one of which was obviously getting threatened. The fact that Tsuna didn't recognize him marked him as a new fish. The other convict was in the middle of choking him into obedience. Such things weren't uncommon, but they weren't things that Tsuna particularly felt like seeing. It was a disgusting display that he hated because he'd been tempted to do it himself on numerous occasions. Not out of any desire to get something from someone. He just wanted to do it to force some backbone into the pathetic lowlifes that came crawling to him before they even tried to stand on their own two feet. Everyone with him, from Veronica to Kid, had all proven themselves capable of surviving on their own. They were just with Tsuna out of choice. The people that tried to come to Tsuna because they thought they didn't have a choice were the ones that made Tsuna's skin crawl.

Tsuna watched unnoticed for a moment with Danny-boy falling silent beside him. Tsuna waited. He waited to see whether the so-called victim would try to fight back. He waited to see if the attacker would back off after a reasonable space of time. There was no sense in interfering with someone else's business when everything worked out without him. He didn't recklessly rush in anymore. He didn't because he had no pity to spare for anyone that didn't try to help themselves.

"Whachu lookin' at?" The attacker growled upon noticing Tsuna. Tsuna didn't answer, merely watching as the victim got tossed to the ground and began panting for air. He'd live. That was enough for Tsuna to be satisfied. It wasn't his job to walk into other people's life and turn it into sunshine and rainbows. Only the guy on the ground could know how far he was willing to go to get that and Tsuna wasn't one to hand out charity.

"Cell-check starts in five minutes," he murmured, turning away from the scene. "Just thought you'd like to know." Without waiting for a reply, he headed toward his block. He was tempted to go back and ensure that the convict didn't go any farther, but his intuition said that no good would come from turning around. It was likely that turning around would just make things worse for the victim. The fish had to learn how to swim on its own just like Tsuna had to. Whether he became a shark or a guppy would depend on what his limits were. Tsuna didn't protect guppies that were too cowardly to brave the ocean. He protected those that tried even though they might not succeed in finding the right currents.

"Was it okay to leave him like that?" Danny-boy asked quietly. Tsuna nodded as he entered their cell. Heading over to his locker to retrieve a soda, he tried not to look Danny-boy in the eyes. He knew that the man was disappointed, but that was his own problem. Tsuna couldn't solve the problems of everyone that he came across. If he did, he'd be neck deep in bullshit by dinner time. Most problems went away with time. That man didn't need a savior. He needed a backbone and time to get his feet under him. If Tsuna had stepped in, he would have been ultimately hurting him. "Are you sure, Sir Laz? Maybe we should tell a guard or--"

"Snitching isn't good for your health," Tsuna interrupted, tossing Danny-boy a glare for the suggestion. "He'll be fine," he added. Leaning on the cell doors while he kept a lookout for the guard who wasn't even close yet, Tsuna decided that there was no harm in putting Danny-boy at ease. "That was one of Kermit's boys that was doing the hustle. Kermit's strict about not drawing attention. Both of those guys are probably back in their cells by now, just like us."

"Oh," Danny-boy gaped in dumbfounded surprise. Once more, Tsuna didn't look at him. He merely looked at the soda can in his hands while glancing around occasionally to see how far the guard had gotten with cell-checks. Danny-boy's surprise hurt a little. Tsuna knew that he was a realist, but he thought that Danny-boy knew him enough by now to know that he would have stepped in if he felt things were getting too serious. Tsuna didn't back down for anyone. He wasn't scared of a fight. A fight against that guy would have been pointless, though. He'd been thinking of the bigger picture. Danny-boy should have--

Danny-boy should have nothing, Tsuna mentally corrected himself. Danny-boy was just his cellmate. He wasn't a friend that Tsuna talked to for enjoyment. He wasn't a partner that could read his mind before he'd even made it up. Danny-boy wasn't someone who knew him inside and out. Danny-boy wasn't Snicker.

Polishing off his can, he tossed the can to Danny-boy to clean and store so that it could be traded back into the store for recycling. Doing so gave him a small credit on his account that helped pay for his needs so that he wasn't constantly having to use only what Autumn gave him. Danny-boy didn't have to be told what to do with it, so Tsuna focused on finding something to kill time with since the guards were taking their sweet time with accountability.

Once more, Tsuna pulled his journal out and started writing when thought of getting into his book didn't interest him. The little volume was an interesting read, but Tsuna didn't want to get into it when he'd only have to put it back down in twenty minutes. Instead, trying to find something to write seemed like a sufficient challenge.

_Noon-- Lunch tasted like shit. Poker -- Folded 2 Won 1 Loss 0_

For twenty minutes, Tsuna tried to think of something to add to the statement. It was useless. There was nothing else that he could think of. He'd already written about his school. He'd written about the financial difficulties when he'd first found out about it. He was tempted to write his idea about selling his blood on the black market, but that wasn't something that he wanted to leave evidence around to be found. Especially not when Autumn might call upon him to read her what he'd written.

At the call the cell-check was over, Tsuna gave up on trying to make the boring day try to seem exciting. Tucking the little booklet away along with his small pencil, his next objective was clear. While Danny-boy saw to taking care of Tsuna's chores alongside his own, Tsuna headed for the laundry room. He followed the rules along the way, sticking to the right side of the hallway so that he didn't disrupt the flow going in the other direction. There weren't a whole lot of people walking around to have to worry about it, but obeying the rules kept attention from being drawn to him. Considering that he was about to go into a place that he wasn't supposed to go into, it was best that no one was watching him.

He'd learned from the guards that walking naturally like he was supposed to be there was the best way to keep the surveillance crews from marking him. The guys in the hole with the monitors had over fifty cameras to watch. Tsuna knew because he'd tried counting them all one day out of boredom. The cameras didn't know everything because two guards couldn't possibly keep an eye on everything at once. They could be worked around, just like a physical guard could be. Tsuna just slowed his steps until the camera set at the hall intersection turned so that his face wouldn't be caught on tape. From the back, he looked no different than half the other convicts walking around the place as long as he had his shirt on. That meant that he could be mistaken from the camera crews as someone simply arriving late to work. He knew from what Veronica had briefed him on that their accountability was over long before he arrived. After that, a guard came back to check once every hour to ensure that no one was skipping out on work or shirking, but otherwise left them alone. As long as they met their quota, Veronica's job was a pretty solitary one.

"Well, if it ain't Sir Laz!"

Tsuna glared at the sarcastic convict on his way past. The convict grinned at the glare in return. The guy greeted him every day and Tsuna ignored him every day. Tsuna didn't have anything against him, but he would have preferred to not have been reminded that other people knew where his napping spot was. The layout of the laundry room was pretty simple. There were four separate rooms that were connected with a doorway. One room was where the carts of dirty clothes came in at and where they were sorted by cell-blocks. Guys were supposed to drop their laundry bags off and not go beyond that room, but Tsuna had an agreement with the burly guy who shared the room with the talkative squirt. Harvard would make sure that no one bothered Tsuna while he napped and would also make sure that his partner didn't snitch.

The second room was the washing room, where Sassy worked with one of Billy-Jo's guys in taking carts of sorted loads. Their job was pretty straight forward. They took the bags in the cart, emptied them into washer along with a scoop of powdered detergent, and then started the washer. When the wash was done, the load got bagged up in the laundry bag that had been washed with it and was handed off to the dryer people in the next room.

The dryer area was where Veronica worked alongside Pedro. Beyond the dryer room was the room where the dried clothes was received and two guys took the carts of clothes out to deliver the clean laundry to the correct cellblocks. Tsuna didn't need to go that far, though. He stopped in the third room, circling around the double-stack of dryers in the middle of the area in order to find Veronica and Pedro working side-by side. They were chatting away like old friends while they worked. Neither of them noticed Tsuna's presence at first, even though Tsuna came at the same time every day. Their closeness was enough to make Tsuna always think twice about his chosen place to nap. The only reason that he didn't was because Pedro had been willing to speak bluntly about how he felt about Veronica and Veronica hadn't been bothered in the least by his summation.

_"Veronica is a good friend and a nice piece of ass, but I wouldn't want to take him home with me."_

_"Pedro's sweet and kind, but he's too much of a hypocrite for me to have more than a fling with."_

There were two sides to every story and he wasn't invading anything by having his own occasional fling with Veronica. Remembering that allowed him to get over his hesitancy so that he could cough slightly to get their combined attention. The flurry of Spanish stopped in an instant as both of them turned to look at him. Smiles lit up both of their faces, telling him that he was completely welcome to join them.

"Care if I take a nap?" Tsuna asked, using the Spanish that they both preferred despite the different nations of their origin.

"Of course," Veronica replied with a bright smile and an invitational gleam in his eyes. Tsuna grinned knowingly in return, but decided to let that invitation slide until later. He had a full stomach from lunch and he wanted a boost from resting before he went for his afternoon workout. Pedro and Veronica both knew his routine by heart. Even with the expression of invitation, they both tossed him two oversized bags of warm laundry to use as a cushion and headed around the stack of dryers in order to start emptying wet bags into the machines on the wall next to the entrance.

Using his two bags as pillows, he set himself up in a corner next to where one of the dryers was warmly spinning away. It was as hot as hell in the room, even with ventilation fans working away in the ceiling, but that only worked to make Tsuna even more sleepy in the aftermath of eating. The drone of the machines and the vibrations they sent through his back was lulling him into a doze within seconds. He did his best not to watch the spinning clothes in the wall across from him, but found himself dazedly watching in complete contentment. Anything repetitive brought out his easily amused nature, although he tried to hide it in places like the yard. The spinning dryers were no different than a paddleball in that respect.

He didn't actually sleep since he knew that he was vulnerable in the open like he was. He stayed on the edge between waking and sleeping, getting rest without succumbing completely into oblivion. The wall of spinning clothes quieted his mind while his body soaked up the warmth and soothing vibrations in the air. While he sat with eyes barely cracked open in the corner that he'd tucked himself into, time seemed to pass at a satisfyingly slow rate. It was the one time of the day that he could go into an painlessly blank state and no one would bother him. For him, the next twenty minutes were the minutes that let him gather the strength to withstand the rest of the day.

He knew that his time was up when Veronica came around the corner and started heading for him. He snapped out of his daze as soon as he blocked the view of the spinning dryers. Tsuna didn't move at first. He simply gazed at the approaching man with eyes still only parted a fraction of the way. There was a sway in Veronica's hips that only showed up when he was horny and a perkiness to his step that showed his flirtatious mood. If that wasn't enough motivation, the hint of pheromones laced in the smell of fabric softener in the air was enough to clue Tsuna in. Veronica was tired of waiting for his turn to be petted and was determined to prove his usefulness to Tsuna in the only way that he knew how.

"It's time to wake up," Veronica whispered, kneeling down in order to shake Tsuna awake in the belief that he was actually fully asleep. Tsuna smiled slightly and flickered his eyelids open in a way that didn't make Veronica believe any differently. "Good afternoon," he murmured with a little smile while Tsuna went through the motions of stretching and yawning.

"Good afternoon," he greeted in reply. Standing with Veronica beside him, he stretched even more to get the kinks that might have settled into him from the awkward napping position that he'd adopted. As he expected, Veronica used the opening to flirtatiously reach out and draw a line down his chest with his finger.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked in a husky voice that completely betrayed his intentions. With a small sidestep, Tsuna had his back against the wall of warm machines. Smiling, he rested his arms on the wall around Veronica's head and leaned over in a way that told Veronica that he was willing to play.

"I would have slept better if I'd had you to give me some nice dreams," he lied blithely. It was what Veronica wanted to hear, though. He blushed brightly and leaned back against the dryers like a school-girl cornered at her locker.

"You don't mean that," he pouted. Tsuna wanted to groan at the slight ache in his groin that Veronica's expression caused. Veronica was good at playing the naive, innocent act even though he was anything but. "You play with Sassy and Danny-boy twice as much as me. I'm your least favorite kitten."

"You're my favorite kitten," he corrected in amusement. Veronica blinked in surprise at the statement, but Tsuna only chuckled even more at his expression. His innocent and naive routine was even better when he was honestly feeling that way. "If Danny-boy is my little tiger and Sassy is my pampered Persian, then you'd have to be my cute little Calico. A Calico doesn't have the claws that a tiger has and he's much more playful than a pampered Persian. I just can't play with a Calico as often because then I'd get worn out. I'm afraid that I'm not as young as I used to be and you, my cute little Calico, are very energetic." Tsuna grinned even more widely at how Veronica reacted so predictably to the ego boost. He blushed coyly and reached out to confidently tug on the belt loops of Tsuna's pants to flirt some more. His body language was screaming that he wanted to be screwed, but Tsuna wasn't quite ready for that yet. He was getting there thanks to the pheromones that Veronica was unconsciously putting out, but he wasn't aroused enough yet. He needed to play verbally just a little longer, although the tugs on his pants were helping tremendously in getting him turned on. "Is my cute little Calico getting jealous of the other kittens?"

"Maybe," he murmured, once more dragging a finger of his free hand down Tsuna's chest. Tsuna watched it trail down, feeling a familiar tightening in his loins when his fingers insinuated themselves around his pant's hem in order to give some more soft tugs. The tugs were Veronica's way of telling Tsuna that he was more than ready, but Tsuna wasn't done playing yet.

"That's not good," he replied, leaning down to get even closer to his so-called kitten. "If one of my kittens is unhappy and getting jealous, then that means that I've not been a good Master."

"You have been!" Veronica squeaked as he threw himself forward against Tsuna's chest. "Don't say things like that!" He pleaded in that endearingly honest way that he had. "I like being your kitten! I'm not jealous! I just said that--"

"Because you wanted me to pet you," Tsuna interrupted with a knowing whisper in his ear. Veronica froze against his chest, having fallen completely into his pace. Tsuna didn't give up his advantage. He played the game like he knew Veronica wanted him to, using his knowledge of what Veronica wanted in order to get what he wanted. It was frighteningly simple. All Veronica wanted from him was for Tsuna to treat him like a virgin whore. Tsuna didn't understand how a person could enjoy being treated in such a fashion, but the effect was undeniable. As soon as Tsuna reached down to grab a hand-full of Veronica's rear, Veronica was willing to give him anything that he wanted. Of course, he'd been willing from the beginning, but now Veronica was aware of the fact that he actually had a chance to please Tsuna. "Do you like it when I pet you?" Tsuna murmured, fondling Veronica's rear while his lips hovered teasingly over his neck.

Although Veronica didn't know it, the truth was that Tsuna was taking in his scent. To him, Veronica smelled like rose tea and strawberry crepes. It was a calming scent compared to many that he'd come across and he'd learned to appreciate the nuances that his sense of smell could pick up on. There was a refined quality to Veronica that probably came from some kind of noble blood in his family tree. There was a playfulness from the smell of the strawberries that hid behind a flaky crust. There was a bitterness that hid behind the sweet fragrance of the tea. It amazed Tsuna every time that he got this close to him that he had such a defined scent. Tsuna had learned what such a scent meant. It meant that he knew himself and had come to terms with who he was. The basic smell of one's blood was something that couldn't be altered, but the nuances of the form could change depending on the scent determined by mood, physical health, and numerous other factors. Much like Poe has a basic scent of cinnamon and pepper, Veronica's base scents were rose and strawberries.

It was the nuances that enticed Tsuna's mind more than his stomach and told him much more than Veronica probably knew. For Veronica to be smelling like a tea party meant that he wasn't as ready as he thought. His body was reacting, but Tsuna wanted his mind to be pleased, too. He needed more stimulation if he was going to truly loosen up enough to enjoy Tsuna's embrace to the fullest.

"Yes," Veronica answered breathily in the space of the second that it took for Tsuna to read his scent. Tsuna smiled once more, sensing small changes already flowing into Veronica's scent. The crust of the crepes was getting firmer, yet more moist. The scent of the tea began deepening ever so slightly. The more that Tsuna touched him and played with his strings, the more that he came to desire instead of simply lusting.

"Let me see my little kitten wag his tail," Tsuna murmured. Veronica blushed at the order, but once more leaned back against the dryers in acceptance. It was all part of the game that his so-called kittens wanted him to play. It wasn't how he'd flirt if he had a choice, but he wasn't going to let a little thing like preference get in the way of getting laid. The outcome was the same for him no matter how he got there, so it made more sense to get there in the fashion that his target wanted. Veronica, Sassy, and Danny-boy each had their own quirks and Veronica's was an attraction to voyeurs. Tsuna had long ago learned not to question it. The simple fact was that looking at him was enough to drastically alter his scent.

Still leaning on the wall of dryers, Tsuna pulled his head back just enough to peek down and look when Veronica pulled his waistband away from his stomach. He was blushing furiously, but the twitching erection that Tsuna glimpsed told him that Veronica was aroused to an incredible level by the order. He liked being toyed with. It turned him on in a way that Tsuna didn't understand. The effect was immediate, though. His scent took on the hint of creamy thickness that Tsuna had been waiting for.

"It looks like my cute little kitten wants to play," he prompted, raising his eyes back up in order to capture Veronica's gaze. Veronica bit his lip and Tsuna felt another smile twitching at his lips over how his blushes didn't go away. The redness in his face wasn't from erotic embarrassment anymore. They were from the same throbbing that Tsuna could feel beginning to pump through himself. It was here that he got his enjoyment. Everything before now was simply for Veronica's benefit. Here and now was when he got his enjoyment through pure physical pleasure.

All three of his kittens had tried to play mind games, but he didn't have any heartstrings for them to toy with. They'd all said that his lack of attachment was what made him the perfect Master for them. He hadn't been able to argue, despite being forced to swallow such terms. It was better that they understood from the beginning that they were nothing more than a type of meal to him. He was considerate and met their wants by altering his approach to satisfy them, but the basic truth was that he only wanted their bodies. If they wanted a loving relationship, they had to look somewhere else. They knew that and their own quirks determined that they wanted to be used in such a way. It gave them comfort and some pride that their bodies were wanted that badly. More than likely, they misunderstood his reasons for choosing them over any other, but that was fine. As long as they were willing and happy with what he did, he'd be willing and happy to play their games to get what he wanted.

He didn't waste any time once Veronica was truly ready for him. In one smooth motion, Tsuna picked him up, pinned him to the wall, and yanked his pants off of his rear. Two slender legs automatically clamped around his sides and a firm, brutal kiss silenced any objections Veronica might have had for his speed. Practice made juggling Veronica a cinch. One of his hands cupped his rear in order to hold him steady in the air long enough for Tsuna to unbutton his pants. If that wasn't enough, Veronica's arms around his neck kept him in place long enough for Tsuna to position himself after a single finger checked to ensure that he'd already prepared himself.

Letting Veronica up for air, Tsuna pulled him back into another embrace that he deepened until Veronica was speechless. The reason for it was to silence the gasp that would have otherwise resulted from the act of stabbing himself inside of him. Silence was the key. No one would interfere and no one would give a second glance in their direction as long as there wasn't sound. Sound brought attention, though, and that was the last thing that Tsuna wanted. Not only was he in a section of the facility that he wasn't authorized to be in, but he was screwing another convict in the ass. He was pretty sure that such an act wasn't authorized, either, even if it was mutually accepted.

Shutting such thoughts out, he focused on reaching climax as fast as possible. He'd taken a twenty minute nap and he'd taken around five minutes to flirt. He only had about five more minutes before Ore came looking for him. Ore knew about his hidden activities, but Tsuna didn't want him to witness them. It was hard enough already without one of his friends commenting on what he was doing. Thankfully, Ore was a simple kind of guy. When he'd heard the three guys talking about Tsuna's sudden decision to accept them, he'd come directly to Tsuna to ask about it. Tsuna had decided that there was no reason to lie and had told him the truth. He'd said that he still got horny and that there wasn't really any other options for him. Ore hadn't been able to disagree and had quietly dropped the subject after that.

He stayed gentle with Veronica at first, giving him a moment to acclimate to the feeling of Tsuna inside of him. Even though he was in a rush, he started off slowly. As Danny-boy had calmly put it, he was heartless but he wasn't merciless. It was seldom that they had the luxury of using lubricant, so Tsuna tried to make it as quick and pleasurable as he could. His hands stayed on Veronica's rear the entire time, keeping his cheeks spread to hold him open so that he wouldn't be rubbed raw. It was a tight fit, but that only meant that it would be over that much faster.

There was no point in pulling himself out and making long thrusts. He took the short route, caring only for the climax instead of the experience. It only took a few seconds to find Veronica's sweet spot. Once he had that, he set to taking hard, shallow thrusts that rammed into it at a fast rate. Tsuna clamped his lips over Veronica's mouth when he couldn't hold back the need to moan. Tsuna was having difficulty himself, so it was understandable. It felt insanely good to have someone encasing him again. The fact that there was no reason to hold back only escalated that pleasure. He wasn't trying to draw out the time that they spent together, so he didn't fight the tightening of the coil in his loins. He continued to wind it tighter and tighter while he raced them both toward climax.

It was quick. It was fast. It was dirty. Tsuna felt a shudder ripple through his body and his breathe hitched in his throat. It was too fast. The shockwave of his climax was only a fraction of the strength that he knew that it should be. He hadn't spent nearly enough time letting it build. It was enough, though. It was enough to satisfy him for the moment and it was enough pleasure to soothe his battered nerves. It strengthened him and weakened him at the same time. The strength came from having given his body some release. The weakness came from the pang of sadness that ripped through his heart in the aftermath. It wasn't right. Snicker should be the only one that he ever did this with, yet he had handed off the rights temporarily to someone that he didn't even care about.

Pulling himself out of his bedmate, Tsuna dropped Veronica's legs and let him fall back to his feet. As Tsuna tucked himself away, Veronica was already working to clean up his mess. He pulled wads of smuggled toilet paper out of his make-shift bra and started wiping the semen out of his underwear. Since Tsuna had only pulled down the back of his pants, he'd been saved from the spray. Veronica wasn't so lucky. Tsuna gave him an apologetic grimace at how he was obviously clenching to keep from spilling Tsuna's release down his legs.

"Don't worry about it," Veronica soothed with a flustered smile. "I can run to the bathroom in a few minutes and take care of it. This isn't the first time and I can promise that it won't be the la--" Tsuna shut him up with a kiss to show his gratitude. Veronica, like the other two, never complained about anything that Tsuna did. Veronica had every right to be pissed at him over not pulling out before peaking, but he was acting like Tsuna was the victim instead. Tsuna tried to figure them out time and time again, but his three little kittens were simply unfathomable in that way. "Wha--?" Veronica gasped when Tsuna finally let him go.

"Thanks," Tsuna murmured honestly despite being unable to meet Veronica's earnest eyes. "You're one in a million, Veronica."

"You say the same thing to Danny-boy and Sassy," he grumbled pointedly with his typical after-sex mood swings. Tsuna grimaced at the accurate account and reminded himself to get more lines off of Foo Foo. It was no good if he used the same set for everyone.

"That's true," he admitted in effort to save himself. "But each of you are one in a different million. To get those kinds of odds three times in a row means that I hit jackpot. Right? I wouldn't be nearly as lucky if you weren't here."

"I'll give you that one," he chuckled with a grudging smile.

"I've got to go," he added in the instant decision to retreat while he was still in a good mood. "Ore's probably ready to come looking for me." Checking himself to ensure that he was zipped up and tucked away properly, he gave Veronica a chaste kiss on the forehead before heading out. Pedro gave him a knowing grin when he rounded the wall of machines, but didn't comment. What happened in the laundry room stayed in the laundry room. Pedro wouldn't say a word to anyone. He understood that a man had to do what a man had to do.

The trip back was pretty straight forward. He simply walked out like he was supposed to be there. He kept an eye out for the guards since he wasn't completely safe until he was back in the main hallway, but everything went smoothly. He timed his pace so that he could avoid the cameras and headed back in the direction of the yard. He came across Ore halfway there and the giant fell behind him without a single question. He didn't need to question. Whether Tsuna had been held up by a fight or a fuck, the only thing Ore cared about was that he was unharmed. Ore had learned not to ask pointless questions. The variety of answers were limited and the answer itself didn't truly matter. It was a waste of energy to talk about it and Ore didn't have the energy to spare. Like Tsuna, Ore was in the best shape of his life. Any fat that might have been on his body had been turned into solid muscle. Ore had dropped three waist sizes and his upper body was stronger than it'd ever been. With a decent meal to give him surplus energy to work with, Ore would be an unstoppable freight train.

Tsuna had noticed changes in himself. He was still thin and wiry, but he'd put on weight. He wasn't skin and bones anymore. He was skin, bones, and muscle. The increased capacity for food would have normally made him into a bloated, lazy fool. Thanks to the twice- and thrice-daily training sessions, all of that excess food got transmuted into the thick muscles that were supporting his bones. He couldn't be a body-builder like Ore because his body refused to increase its mass easily, but he had more than he ever remembered having in the past. They were as much as liability as they were a boon. He'd seen an increase in his speed, strength, and endurance, but the muscle cramps were killer.

On top of that, he'd had another growth spurt since being sentenced and had been forced to get new clothing issued. His was still thin and lanky, but he'd noticed that he could look Gigi in the eyes during their last visit. He'd always thought that he took after his mother in height, but he was slowly coming to believe that he took after his dad and was just a late bloomer. Gigi had asked Poe about it for him and had come back with word that a minimal increase in size was to be expected with the fortification of his bone structure in the aftermath of the Change, but that his spurts were abnormal unless they took into account that his body was already genetically programmed to grow like it had. It was rare for a person to get growth spurts in their twenties, but it wasn't completely unheard of.

He doubted that his mother would recognize him anymore. The last time that he'd stopped to look at the mirror in the shower locker-room, he'd had to do a double take. He'd honestly thought that he'd seen his father walking past instead of himself. From what Tsuna remembered, their builds were almost identical now. That was the only resemblance that he had to his dad, but it'd been enough to make him wonder what exactly his old man was doing in his retirement. Considering that Vongola was the current enemy of the Martelli Family, it also reminded him to take a moment aside to be grateful that he didn't have to fear coming across his parents. He'd learned to accept the idea of fighting against his old friends, but there was no way in hell that he could raise a hand against his old man. Well, he amended in a sudden streak of sadistic amusement, he could probably raise a hand when he considered how the bastard had made his own son believe he was dead for two years, but Tsuna wouldn't be able to finish the job.

As soon as Tsuna made it outside, the first thing that he did was to light a cigarette. He was in no rush. He still had a good five hours before dinner. He'd put a lot of effort in on his morning run, so he could afford to get a late start on his afternoon workout. He did go ahead and strip, however. The afternoon heat had peaked while he was inside and he felt like he was being baked alive under the sun. His state-issue shirt got tucked into his waistband, leaving him with a sleeveless tank top that he kept on simply to keep himself from burning.

Danny-boy was already waiting outside for them and Tsuna headed over to where he was reading a book in the shade. Like he was trained, he had two bottles of cold water that he'd filled up in the public fountain after ensuring that the faucet was clean. Tsuna took one and Ore took the other. Within seconds, the entire contents were in their bodies to keep them from passing out during their workout.

"You can wait inside where there's air conditioning, Danny-boy," Tsuna murmured as they passed the empty bottles back over to him. "Just make sure to bring us the bottles back every once in a while."

"Sure thing," he grinned. Tsuna watched as he picked the bottles up and headed back inside. The lack of argument told Tsuna more than Danny-boy could imagine. The heat was killing him and the thought of being in the open on a day that tempers would be hot due to the temperature wasn't very appealing. He was a good judge of reading the situation. He was safer in his cell where he wouldn't be a distraction to Tsuna. If he stayed outside, it was likely that he'd get targeted since Tsuna couldn't stay at his side and work out at the same time.

As soon as he was gone, Tsuna headed over to where Ore was already stretching next to the weight benches. Neither of them said anything. There was nothing that needed to be said. They both knew what needed to be done and did it without making a fuss. Ore did his routine and Tsuna did his own. They stayed together to ensure that no one tried to take advantage of their vulnerable positions.

The training menu that Ore and he had decided on was easily triple what they'd done while going to the gym. If it weren't for the fact that they chose to start while the bulk of the resident convicts were working, it could be easily assumed that they were showing off with their warm ups. For Tsuna, the warm-up was the most important part of his whole workout. Two of the ten weight benches were claimed by Tsuna and Ore. Over half of his stretches were done while his legs were stretched out between them. It was the only way to increase his flexibility anymore and to actually warm up the joints that normal stretches couldn't touch anymore. As always, Ore grimaced at Tsuna's mid-air splits, but didn't make mention. The Big Guy knew that it was more painful to watch than for Tsuna to actually do them.

After the leg stretches came the arm stretches. After the arm stretches was shadow boxing to make sure that his blood was flowing nicely. Once that was done, he went straight into a handstand and started doing his fifty sets of one-handed pushups. His lower body and speed had already gotten its workout in the morning, so his upper-body and balance was the focus of the afternoon. Sit-ups came after the push-ups. Fifty sets of them, followed by fifty sets of chin-ups using the brickwork of the wall next to their benches. The task was harder than it sounded. The concrete grout was thin between the bricks and only two of his fingers on each hand could fit into the space. Of course, that only meant that his wrists and fingers were strengthened along with his arms.

By the time he finished the last set, he was ready for another bottle of water and another cigarette. As expected, Danny-boy was waiting with both from where he was seated with Veronica and Pedro. The fact that those two were out told Tsuna that he'd been going for over three hours already. That was one thing that he liked about working out. He could put his mind on a goal and time would pass by quickly. Sitting on the end of weight bench to catch his breathe, the simple act of lighting a cigarette told his crew that it was safe to come near. He didn't stop working out, but they knew that he couldn't smoke if he was planning on doing activity that needed both hands.

Veronica slipped into the seat behind him and started rubbing his shoulders while he accepted the one-handed barbell that Ore handed over. It was already set up with three hundred pounds of weights and Ore had made sure to leave enough room for his small hand between them without using disks so big that it interfered with his range of motion. While he pumped the iron with his right hand, he traded out his cigarette for the bottle of water that Danny-boy offered. It was gone in three large gulps, after which he snatched his cigarette back.

Without being told, Pedro started touching up the Dragon Logo on Ore's back. Tsuna's was already finished, although Pedro occasionally darkened the lines so that it was as good as a professional tat done in a parlor.

"Hey, Sir Laz," Danny-boy murmured after lighting his own cigarette and kneeling down to talk so that Tsuna wouldn't have to look up. "There's something that I've been meaning to ask you about."

"What?"

"Well, um, you see," he continued hesitantly, "I've been wondering about your gang and all. The Orange Dragons..."

"What about them?" Tsuna asked without pausing for a moment in his repetitions.

"I... um... I want to join," he stated boldly. At that, Tsuna did pause. He even went so far as to put down his weights in order to confront the issue head on.

"Why?"

"Well, I'm up for parole in a few months," he answered with his backbone almost visibly crumbling in the face of Tsuna's undivided attention. "To tell you the truth, I'd just be in the way if I went home. I've told you about my sister..."

"The one in the wheelchair?" Tsuna supplied curiously.

"Yeah," he nodded. "My older brother is taking care of her and I've always been the black sheep of the family. I love my little sister, but it'd be better for her if I didn't go back for more than just the time to visit."

"That's why you got yourself arrested," Tsuna murmured, quickly putting numerous pieces of information together. "You knew that your brother was wasting money on taking care of you that he could be spending on your sister's care."

"I didn't really have any other options," Danny-boy confirmed with a small grimace. "I'm just not made for work. I tried, but--"

"But no one would put up with your attitude," Tsuna supplied, already seeing the prideful tilt of Danny-boy's head that always came before one of his self-appreciative comments. He'd gotten better about not being so narcissistic lately, but most of that was because Tsuna didn't give him the opportunity.

"Yes," Danny-boy blushed with his nose going back down. "I tried modeling because I thought it'd be the perfect place for someone like me, but--"

"But you bombed out of the interview before they could ever put you in front of a camera," Tsuna supplied once more. He smiled crookedly at how Danny-boy started spluttering. It was his first time being on the receiving end of Tsuna's intuition and Tsuna was taking great enjoyment out of reading him like a book. It was the first time that one of his little kittens wasn't so much of an enigma after all.

"Stop playing with him, Little Guy," Ore grumbled. "It's freaky when you use your mind-reading like that."

"I can't read minds," Tsuna laughed. "He just talks about himself a lot when he thinks that I'm not listening. Most of it is easy to put together considering how many clues he's given me in the past."

"B-But, I never--" Danny-boy gaped.

"Never told me anything other than that you got arrested for eat-and-runs?" Tsuna supplied with another playful gleam in his eye. Ore growled in the back of his throat, telling Tsuna that he was pushing it. Even though it wasn't any special ability that gave him the information, Snicker's faith in the past had his more close friends believing that he was psychic. Ore didn't mind it so much when it came in small, easily-explained doses. How Tsuna had been filling in Danny-boy's story for him was a different story. As Snicker had said, it gave him the 'willies'.

"We've been cellmates for a while now, Danny-boy," Tsuna sighed, once more picking up his weights to start doing reps again. "I've seen how close you are to your sister and I've seen that you're not an idiot, even if you're in love with yourself. A guy like you wouldn't get arrested for simple eat-and-runs unless you wanted to be. My guess is that something happened where you cost your family a lot of money and they told you that you were nothing more than a lazy sack of shit because you wouldn't settle for a mundane job. Rather than learn your lesson and take their criticism to heart, you decided that prison would be the easy life. You'd get fed, sheltered, and you'd never have to lift a finger to do more than what you wanted to. The problem is that it wasn't as easy as you thought once you got in here. You tried to act like you were a repeat offender, but the truth is that you were only in here for a month or two before me."

"H-How did you--" Danny-boy paled. He felt Veronica's hands freeze on his back and even Ore paused in his workout, but Tsuna wasn't finished yet.

"The point is that you decided to get sent to prison and you were too much of a coward to do any serious crimes," he continued blithely, using his intuition to fit the remaining pieces together. "For you to have done an eat-and-run in a city where there's more fast food places than restaurants, you would have had to have looked like you had money. You also aren't stupid enough to go into one of those places when you were broke unless you wanted the cops to get called. If my guess is right, you dressed up in your best clothes, pretended that you had a date on the way, ordered the most expensive meals that you could and ate it. Then you ran for it. When the cops didn't catch you on the first one, you went to another one and ordered an even more expensive meal. Again, the cops didn't catch you right away. Then you got smart and went into a restaurant that was affiliated with one that you'd already stolen from so that they'd pick you up halfway through your meal. Three or four dinners at a hundred bucks a plate would be enough to get you tossed in here until you paid it back. I'm also guessing that you underestimated your family. The fact that you haven't worked a single day while you've been in here tells me that your brother probably paid off your debt. The fact that you're saying that you're already up for parole means that you're really up for an appeal since the debt was paid and you've already served most of your sentence. Now, my only question is why you're wanting to join the Orange Dragons instead of doing something to repay your brother."

"El Diablo," Pedro murmured in shock.

"If he's not the devil, he's Sherlock Holmes," Veronica replied absently.

"I'm not the devil and I'm not Sherlock Holmes," he sighed. "I might not talk back to you guys a whole lot, but I do listen. I might be a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but I'm not stupid."

"No," Danny-boy agreed softly, snapping out of his shock at Tsuna's simple statement. "You're not stupid, Sir Laz. I tell everyone else, but I guess this is the first time that I've seen it in action. You really are a genius."

"I'm not a genius, either," Tsuna corrected blandly. "I just know a little bit about the restaurant business. You can't do an eat-and-run at a fast food place because they make you pay first and I can't see Papa Paolo bringing the cops in for someone skipping out on a ticket that was less than fifty bucks. It's bad for business and I doubt that other restaurants are any different. It's easier to just write the meal off or wait for the guy to come back in and make him do dishes for what he ate. You still haven't answered my question. Why are you asking to join the Orange Dragons? You're from the other side of the tracks from us, Danny-boy."

"I-I--"

"The truth, Danny-boy," Tsuna ordered, switching the weights to his other arm.

"I want to find my place," he answered with a bowed head. "I've always been arrogant because I had my family backing me, but coming in here made me realize that I'm nothing without them. I can't-- I won't ever be able to know what I'm capable of if I stay with them. I want to become a man that my little sis can be proud of. If that means that I have to start out scrubbing toilets or even putting my face on the line, I want to get stronger. I don't want to be someone that she's ashamed of anymore."

"If you don't want her to be ashamed of you, then you shouldn't think of joining a gang," Tsuna replied honestly, feeling that something was off with Danny-boy's reasoning. "I don't know what kind of impression you have of us, but we're not--"

"I know!" Danny-boy interrupted with a note of desperation in his voice. Tsuna paused at the gleam of tears in his eyes when he looked up. He was serious. He'd seriously thought this through and had decided that it was what he wanted. "But it's a place to start! Where else is a guy like me supposed to go?! I've never asked you for anything, Laz. Just give me a chance! I'm sure that I can be useful to you!" Tsuna grimaced before the plea. It hit too close. It hit way too close for Danny-boy to have any clue how much Tsuna understood what he was feeling. Danny-boy knew what he wanted, but he had no clue of how to get there. He wanted to get stronger, but he was still a coward at heart. He was just going from the backing of his family into the backing of a different sort. The difference was that he was asking for a backing that gave him nowhere else to go but forward where his family had always given him a safety net to fall back on. He was purposely putting himself into a corner in hopes that it'd get him out of the situation that he'd been in for his entire life.

Once more putting down his weights, Tsuna reached forward to grab Danny-boy's shirt. Yanking him forward, he gave his cellmate no choice but to look him in the eyes. The seriousness of the road he was asking to walk had to be embedded into him.

"This isn't a game," Tsuna growled darkly. Danny-boy trembled in his grasp, but didn't fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ore looking like he was ready to step in. Tsuna wasn't going to give him a reason to, though. He wasn't planning on beating Danny-boy. He just wanted to shake a little sense into him. "This isn't some sport that you can drop out of whenever you get bored or decide that it's too hard. There are people out there that fight every day just for the right to breathe. Right now, the biggest fucking mob in Italy is gunning for our asses and the shit is going to hit the fan as soon as I get out of here. This isn't a summer retreat, Danny-boy. If you want to get stronger, then go join a fucking gym. You're a useful diversion while I'm stuck in here, but I don't have any use for someone that'll hit the deck as soon as things start looking hard. Gigi's already clearing out the noncombatants from the gang. I'm not going to add another piece of shit to her list."

Thrusting Danny-boy away, he watched his cellmate collapse on the ground. By now, their altercation had already garnered attention, although no one dared stick their noses in. Tsuna could already see the sharks circling, ready to chew Danny-boy up and spit him out if Tsuna was cutting off support. If Danny-boy was his normal self, it would have been the first thing that he would have noticed. It wasn't today, though. Today, Danny-boy had a determined will that proved that he had resolved to do whatever was needed of him to get Tsuna's agreement and he paid no heed to the onlookers. This was the path that he'd chosen, no matter how illogical or deviant it might seem. The resolve was insane until one extra piece of the puzzle clicked in Tsuna's head at the glare that Danny-boy gave him. He had a flash of Gigi's face in his head, glaring at him in the exact same fashion.

"Shit," Tsuna spat with a burst of harsh laughter, finally getting a burst of intuition that explained everything. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"Eh?" Danny-boy gaped in confusion over the sudden mood-swing.

"This has nothing to do with your sister or your family," Tsuna exclaimed. "It's true that those reasons helped you decide, but that's not why you really want to join the gang. Is it?"

"What are you talking about, Little Guy?" Ore asked in confusion mirroring Danny-boy's. Tsuna gestured him over and hid his mouth behind his hand like he was telling a secret, but made sure to talk loud enough that Danny-boy could hear every word.

"Danny-boy is in love with Gigi," he stated bluntly. "He found out that Gigi only goes for manly men, so he wants to join the gang and become a badass for her by the time he gets out of here."

"Oh," Ore replied in surprise. One second passed while Danny-boy spluttered. Two seconds passed while Danny-boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Three seconds passed and no one could hold it anymore. Ore snorted before letting out a roar of laughter that Tsuna matched until he was breathless. It was insane. To be willing to face off against Vongola for such a silly reason was--

--Was exactly what Snicker would have done for him.

"Ah, hell," Tsuna murmured as the merriment quickly faded. He looked Danny-boy straight in the eyes, seeing an undeniable gleam in them. He should have noticed it sooner. Danny-boy got more letters from Gigi than Tsuna did. On top of that, Gigi had started paying visits to Danny-boy on the same days that she came to check in with Tsuna. The only reason that Gigi didn't know how much of a submissive personality Danny-boy had was because they never spent more than half an hour together. "You're serious about this," he stated plainly. "You do know that you don't have to join the gang to be with Gigi...? Right?"

"I know," he replied while he tried to get his blushes under control. "But if I'm going to be with her, I've got to be able to protect her. I can't do that if I'm standing on the outside."

"What do you think, Big Guy?" Tsuna asked, looking over at where Ore was smoking a cigarette in open amusement.

"He's an outrageous pussy," he said bluntly. "It's going to be a hell of a job to make him into a real man in two months, but I'm seeing some potential."

"Can you take care of him for me?" Tsuna asked with his bottom lip sticking out slightly to silently beg the favor.

"Sure," he grinned. "If I can't do it in two months, then I'll take him out to Granny's farm when I get out of here and finish the job. I was getting bored with just weight-lifting anyway."

"Alright," Tsuna nodded before turning back to look into Danny-boy's suddenly hopeful face. "You heard him, Danny-boy. If you can survive Ore's training until you get out of here, I'll let you join. You won't last for two minutes with Gigi otherwise. From now on, Ore's holding your leash. You follow his orders before you worry about me."

"Yes, Sir Laz!" Danny-boy agreed in overwhelming gratitude. "I'll do whatever you want! Just tell me what to do!"

"Save it for tomorrow," Tsuna replied before Ore could tell him to do a chin-check on the next guy to walk out of the facility doors. "It's almost time for dinner, so let's head in."

"What about the rest of your workout?" He asked curiously.

"I'll finish it later," he shrugged. Standing up, he did a few small stretches on his way toward the door in order to keep himself from stiffening up. It wasn't the best of his workouts, but it wasn't the worst, either. The conversation had allowed him to cool down too much for him to pick back up on the exercises and the fact that Ore had stopped told him that it was close to eating time. At least, it was close enough that Ore was out of energy. Rather than goad Ore into doing more than he could handle by working out in front of him, Tsuna decided that it would be easier to just head in early. The temperature inside the facility was like heaven after the heat from outside. The sweat on his shirt felt like ice within seconds, telling him that he needed to change since he was in for the night. "I'm going to hit my cell first, Big Guy," Tsuna warned with another stretch. "I'll see you at dinner."

He made the trip back to his cell into a leisurely one. Veronica and Pedro followed Ore to head for the chow hall, but Tsuna could feel the quiet presence of Danny-boy behind him. It was a presence that Tsuna couldn't simply ignore for once.

"You really love him enough to do this," Tsuna said, not needing to say who 'he' was despite the change in gender. "You've barely talked outside of letters, Danny-boy. Why are you wanting to put your life on the line for someone that you barely know?"

"I know him better than you think I do," he replied quietly. "I can't really explain it. I was just attracted when I saw his picture and I felt like something clicked while we've been writing each other. I've never met anyone that had a straight-forward personality like Mel's before. Then we met and--"

"Mel's?" Tsuna froze, stopping in the middle of the hallway to look back at Danny-boy in complete shock. Gigi hated his real name of Melvin. For him to have even mentioned to it to Danny-boy was a undeniable sign that Gigi was a lot more serious about Danny-boy than he'd ever hinted in his letters or visits to Tsuna.

"Y-Yeah," he blushed with his eyes locked on his shoes. "He told me that I could call him Mel. Is that okay? I know that he goes by Gigi, but--"

"If he told you to, then I have no right to complain," Tsuna replied off-handedly, once more picking his steps back up to head for his cell. "I didn't know things had developed so far between you two. I guess I wasn't paying as close attention as I thought I was. I'm used to hearing Gigi's stories about his latest fling, so I guess I put you in the same lineup as the rest. He doesn't have a very stable dating record."

"He told me," Danny-boy confirmed. Tsuna gave him another considering glance before heading through his cell-block in order to enter his cell and head for the spare shirts in his locker. The one that he had on reeked of sweat and it was a relief to pull it off. Throwing it to Danny-boy, he grabbed up a washrag to see what he could do about cleaning up in the sink before dinner. He'd worked out enough that he could smell himself, which was never very conductive to eating dinner. It was bad enough that he had to smell everyone else. All of his crew knew to wash before they headed to the chow-hall, but the smell coming from the other tables was horrendous at times.

"I'm impressed," he murmured while he washed his face. "To tell you the truth, I never considered the possibility of you and Gigi becoming an item. I always tune the happy part out because it makes it easier to deal with his tears when the jerks dump him in the end. Gigi's got his standards, but few guys can live up to them. Those that do live up to them end up getting snatched away or turn straight after seeing how things are on the other side of the fence. There's not a lot of bears out there anymore and that's what he wants. He wants a man who can appreciate his free lifestyle, but doesn't get caught up in it. A man who can stay manly even when surrounded by feminine males. That usually means that he gets attracted to guys who are only looking for a temporary diversion from the norms and he gets his heart broken."

"I'd do anything to make him happy," Danny-boy mumbled, keeping his back turned to Tsuna to hide his expression. His solemn tone was enough to make Tsuna question what had been going on between them for the past several months. "I don't care what it takes. I want to be the kind of guy that he wants to keep beside him. I kind of dug a hole for myself in that respect. I talked a lot of trash in my letters to him to make myself seem better than I was. That was before we met and I realized that I... I really love him. No one else has ever made me feel this way. Even though I'm a coward, he makes me feel strong. He makes me feel like I'm worth something. Even when I told him the truth about running away from my responsibilities by getting arrested, he didn't care. He said that I was an honorable man for caring about my sister enough to get myself arrested so that I wasn't a burden to her. He actually meant it, too. I... I want to live up to his expectations. I want to be the man that I wrote and told him that I was."

"Wow," Tsuna replied simply. "You've really got it bad."

"Two months isn't too long," he continued in a tight voice. "I've been thinking all week since his visit. He asked me to move in with him when I got out and I really want to. I want to, but I'm afraid that I'll disappoint him. I didn't know what to tell him, so I told him that I'd think about it. I haven't talk to him since because I've been trying to figure out a way to change. I can't go until I change, Sir Laz. I can't be with him until I know that I can actually make him happy. I don't want to be just another one of those guys that lied to him and breaks his heart. He deserves better than that. Then I thought of you. You're strong and you know Mel better than anyone. He said so himself. I figured that maybe, if I could get your help, I could become someone that he'd want more than just a one-night-stand with. Two months isn't too long to get there. Is it?"

"No, it's not," Tsuna answered. Turning off the faucet, Tsuna threw on a clean shirt and headed over to put a hand on his back in reassurance. "It's not too long. You work out at night, so you're not too shabby. We just got to work on your courage and teach you how to use the muscle that you have. We're also going to have to get you out of the submissive mind frame that you're in. Two Ukes are only good if you've got a spare Seme laying around."

"Uke? Seme?" Danny-boy asked in confusion. "What's that?"

"I'll give you the facts of life later," Tsuna laughed, patting him on the back to propel Danny-boy out of the cell. "Oh," he paused. Danny-boy paused with him and Tsuna had him backed against the bars of their cell in an instant. Tsuna's amusement dissipated for a brief instant to ensure that Danny-boy knew what he was getting into. "If you break Gigi's heart, I'll kill you," he warned pleasantly. Danny-boy gulped at the killing intent that Tsuna unleashed for the smallest of instances.

"I-I w-won't," he promised.

"Good," Tsuna smiled, pulling the deadly aura back into his control. Danny-boy looked ready to faint, which was good since Tsuna wasn't tuning out the happy times in this instance. He was also perfectly serious. He'd seen Gigi's heart broken enough times in the past that he wouldn't let it happen again so easily. Especially not when Danny-boy seemed like the type to give up at the slightest hardship. "Don't worry too much," he soothed, once more patting Danny-boy on the shoulder to relax him. "You have two months to back out before Gigi has to know your decision. I won't hold it against you if you don't think that you're worthy before then. If you do manage to make the deadline, I'll support you as much as I can as long as you're trying."

"Laz," Danny-boy asked as they headed down the hallways in the direction of the chow-hall together. Tsuna looked back and raised his eyebrow at the sudden decision to drop the title that he'd been tagged with. "Are we friends now?" Tsuna didn't stop at the question, but he didn't immediately answer, either. Danny-boy was indeed a friend, but to name him as such was another matter. The title gave power that Tsuna wasn't sure that he was ready to give to Danny-boy. Not yet. He wanted to, but there was a barrier that was holding him back. He couldn't call Danny-boy a friend until he knew whether the man would live up to his word where Gigi was concerned. Gigi came first and to name Danny-boy as a friend might put him in the middle if things turned ugly between the two of them. Holding back was the more wise decision so that he didn't have any conflicts in loyalty in the future.

"If you become an Orange Dragon, I'll be happy to call you friend," he decided. He felt Danny-boy's disappointment, but that was the best that Tsuna could offer. He was a realist and the realist inside of him said that there was still the possibility of Danny-boy flaking out. He'd said a lot of good words, but talk was cheap. Tsuna would watch carefully over the next two months to see if he was really worthy of not just being called a true friend, but whether he was worthy of even breathing the same air as one of Tsuna's best friends. He'd given him hope and that was good enough to suffice in Tsuna's opinion.

Dinner happened in the same fashion as lunch had. The same line and the same spot as sixth in it. Dinner looked to be a chicken casserole with green beans, mash potatoes, and stuffing. Tsuna snatched up a juice, pear, and two bags of chips to go with it. It tasted like cardboard, but he inhaled a good portion of it anyway. Ore got the remainder of it and Tsuna listened in as the others started showing up from their jobs. After that, it was back out into the yard where they smoked three cigarettes and played five hands of poker. Finally, it was cell-check time again and Tsuna took the opportunity to actually write something worthwhile in his journal once he was back on his bunk.

_Dinner-- Danny-boy asked to join the Dragons. I saw it coming, but his reasons weren't what I expected. He's serious. He's in love with Gigi and wants to get stronger for him. I warned him that it's not going to be a picnic because of the V. He says that he's not scared, but he's probably just ignorant. I'm going to give him a chance. Snicker said the same thing about V and even had a heart attack over V, but he still wanted to stay with me. I don't regret letting him. I miss him. Ore's going to train Danny-boy to be more manly because Danny-boy is a complete pussy as he is right now. Danny-boy says that it's what he wants. I can't tell him, but I'm really hoping that it works out. It would be nice to see Gigi get someone that's worthy of her. I can't tell Danny-boy that because he'll get a big head, but he's a good guy. He's got his heart in the right place. P.S. Dinner tasted like shit. Going to check my mail now._

"Ready?" Danny-boy asked as soon as Tsuna tucked his journal away. Tsuna nodded, having already heard the call ring out that cell-check was finished. They only had two more hours until lockdown, but that was just enough time for the most important part of Tsuna's day. Despite Danny-boy's head start ahead of him, he was soon being pulled along in Tsuna's wake as he practically ran for the postal room. Everyone knew that it was Tsuna's chosen time of day to check his mail and no one dared get in his way. He felt enthusiasm boiling away inside of him, _knowing _that there would be at least one letter for him in his box.

He was nearly bouncing in place where there was not only a letter waiting for him, but another package. Foo Foo had kept his word. It was like clockwork and he never forgot to send a care package. He probably had no clue how much Tsuna looked forward to it each week. Out of all of Tsuna's friends, Foo Foo and Gigi were the only ones that wrote anymore. Gigi's letters were more like updates than anything, though. Foo Foo's letters were different. He got them every day except Sunday and he got two on Monday when the mail caught back up. Foo Foo wrote him every single day and sent a separate care package once a week. Tsuna had figured that he'd eventually stop like everyone else had, but the letters and packages still came. The still came and they were a simple pleasure that Foo Foo had no clue as to the importance of.

The harsh reality was that everyone had lives that they were still living. Leo, Eric, and the others had all tried to write him when he'd first been sentenced, but time got away from them. Tsuna understood and didn't complain. Even though it hurt a little that they would procrastinate to the extent that he hadn't heard directly from them in months, the fact was that they were busy. They all had work and relationships to focus on. They couldn't worry about Tsuna every moment of every day. They still cared about him even if they didn't write. The excitement in their voices when he called the Dojo was enough to tell him that much. They always wasted five minutes of his call time by fighting over the phone.

Still, there was something about knowing that there was one person out there who cared enough to write every day made him happy in a way that nothing else could. It made him feel like he really would be missed if he were to just disappear into dust. There was one person that would notice his absence. There was one person that wouldn't be able to simply pick up his life again and move on. It made him feel needed. It made him feel wanted. It was a simple thing, but one little letter each day did so much more than Foo Foo probably knew.

Tsuna was back at his bunk in a flash. He practically ran from the mailroom and back to his cell in order to toss the care package aside. Unlike the first one that he'd gotten, he knew now that the letter was the real treasure. He felt like a little kid unwrapping a Christmas present again. It was the same every night. He could keep his excitement in control all the way up until he had the letter in his hands. The moment that he saw that Foo Foo hadn't disappointed him, he lost it. He had over two hundred and twenty five letters from Foo Foo and he kept every single one of them. Every single one was a testament to another day that he hadn't been forgotten or abandoned by a single special individual.

_Dear Boo Boo, _

_It was good to hear that things are looking up for you. Congratulations on passing your practice exams. I'd throw you a party, but that would probably piss off your Warden. I'm still tempted to anyway. Don't worry. I won't. I want to because I know how hard you've been working at it, but it'd only get you in trouble to have an asshole like me coming in there and stirring up trouble. I'm a little too touchy to go through all the regulations mumbo-jumbo just to meet with you. I'd probably just knock the fuck out of the guards and meet you at your cell if I came. I'm getting better, but Cici says that I still can't be trusted to hang out around authorities without losing my temper._

_Speaking about authorities, I got in a jam earlier today. To tell you the truth, I almost got arrested. I punched a cop when he started giving me lip about being parked in a loading zone. I was only there long enough to run in and back out, but the bastard still wanted to write me a ticket. The fucked up part was that a friend of mine owns the damn building! I knew I wasn't hurting anything by parking where I did, but the cop wouldn't listen to me. I hit him without thinking. I was lucky. LOL Cici made me stick around to make sure that he woke up and apologize. When he did, he didn't remember anything about the ticket! He said that he'd been overworking lately and he thought that he'd just passed out face first on the street. He actually gave me a pat on the back for being such a good citizen and not ignoring him! Can you believe that shit? I laughed my ass off for an hour on that one. Cici had to buy me three shots to get me to calm down. You should have seen the guy's face. He looked like he'd just gotten ran over by a truck, but he was sitting there with a dumb smile on his face and praised me! And I was the person that knocked him the fuck out!_

_I read in your letter that you were looking for a new book to read. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberties of sending you one. If I timed it right, it should be reaching you around the same time as this letter. It's one that I think everyone should read at least once. If you don't like it, you can always use it as a paper-weight. Let me know if you do like it. I might have a few others that you might be interested in reading. You never really told me what your preferences were. I don't read a whole lot, but I have read a few books in my day. Ouch. Just writing that makes me feel old. LOL Next thing you know, I'm going to start writing about walking seven miles uphill in the snow to get to school. Fuck. I've actually done that now that I think about it. Okay. I'm going to stop there before I stick my foot even farther down my throat. _

_I sent you some more fudge since you always mention how much you like it in your letters, too. I also sent a little bonus. Let me know what you think. Let me at least know if you laugh. I was trying to think of something to send you to celebrate and that was the best that I could come up with. It's not one of my brightest ideas, but Cici wouldn't let me change my mind after I showed her what I got. I thought of you as soon as I saw it. In my defense, I was partially drunk at the time. Some buddies from the old days tried talking me into coming out of retirement, but I told them to take their offer and shove it. They pushed me into retirement early and now they're wanting to pull me out. I'm not some dog that goes running every time that he hears a whistle. I'm kind of getting comfortable with retirement now. If I went back, it'd just be headache after headache. I'll admit that I miss the rush sometimes, but I'm learning that there's more to life than a temporary fix. I've got you and Cici to thank for that. I'm not going to tell her, though. She's got a enough ammo to tease me with._

_Before I go, I want to ask you something that's been bothering me. You've hinted at it in a few letters, but I don't want to beat around the bush. Are you already moving on from Josh? The reason that I ask is because I'm a little worried. I know that my buddies all tried to force me to move on a lot sooner than I felt really ready. It caused a lot of problems that could have been avoided if I'd just accepted that I wasn't as tough as I was trying to be. If you feel ready, then I'll be the first one cheering you on. Your life isn't over just because you lost a piece of the bigger picture. There's always a chance of finding a different piece that can be smashed in there. No. That's not right. Shit. I don't really got the words. _

_I guess I'm trying to say that you might have lost one love, but there's still the chance of finding a different one. It's close-minded to think that a person can only have one great love. If that was true, humanity would be doomed cause the chances of finding it would be one in a billion or trillion or however many people are on this fucking planet. You might have thought that Josh was the biggest love of your life, but there's always the chance that you settled for what you could get. I'm not trying to say that you didn't love him or whatever. I know that you cared about him a lot. Shit. I'm digging myself into a hole again. I'm tempted to trash this and start over, but I already told you that I'm not a guy that goes through ten drafts before mailing a letter. _

_Damnit. Lost a bet with Cici. I got to tell the truth now. I want to start over because I'm sure that you think I'm a complete jackass now for even hinting that Josh wasn't the real love of your life, but she's making me keep what I got. She says that you'd probably like to hear an honest opinion instead of some half-assed version that sugar-coats the truth. The truth is that I know that you cared a lot about Josh, but that I also know that you're a great guy to talk to. There's no way in hell that there isn't someone out there that's worthy of you. I also know that if you force yourself to move on before you're ready, you might miss your chance of recognizing it when it comes around. That's why I'm worried. I don't want to see you go through the same hell that I did._

_Okay. I'm going to leave it off there because you've probably already torn this letter up and said to hell with me. If there's any chance that I can bribe you into ignoring the last few paragraphs, I'll send you another box of whatever you want. Actually, I'll send you another box of fudge with this letter. It should reach you in a few days. Sorry to leave it off on such a fucked up note._

_Your friend,_

_Foo Foo_

Tsuna reread the letter three times before finally reaching for the box. He had to admit that he was mad at the ending during the first read. On the second read, he saw how much effort Foo Foo had put into it. On the third read, he felt a little warmed that he cared enough to brave such a touchy subject. He was braving it in the completely opposite way as everyone else had, too. He wasn't trying to glaze over the truth. Even more touching was the compliments that he'd thrown in. Tsuna couldn't remember him ever really complimenting anyone, but there were those lines in there that made Tsuna want to blush. ' _I also know that you're a great guy to talk to. There's no way in hell that there isn't someone out there that's worthy of you_.' That was high-praise coming from Foo Foo. The letter was full of affection and caring that made Tsuna smile no matter how many times he read it after that. He'd dived into a touchy topic head first, but he'd only done it because he was honestly worried.

Foo Foo had been there. He was writing out of experience instead of half-hearted condolences and guesswork. Unlike how everyone else had taken Tsuna's flings as a good sign, it was like Foo Foo could see right into his heart. He could see right into the place that was nowhere near ready to let go. He could see the part of Tsuna that was kept hidden so that he wouldn't needlessly worry anyone. He'd seen his friends' faces when he hadn't had the strength to hide it. His pain had hurt them for no good reason. He wouldn't let them see that anymore. They would be happier without having to see his problems on top of his own. There were some things that a man wasn't supposed to show to others and a bleeding heart was one of them. Foo Foo saw what no one else could and eased those wounds simply by acknowledging them.

It helped. It helped far more than Foo Foo could ever know. He wasn't alone. There was at least one person in the world that saw his pain. There was one person in the world that understood things that other people would gloss over. He loved Gigi, Ore, and the rest of his friends to death, but none of them gave him what Foo Foo gave him. Foo Foo gave him warmth. Foo Foo gave him a shoulder and an understanding ear. Never once did Foo Foo say things without having a reason for what he said. He never pulled his punches and he never backed down.

Despite the unhappy ending of the letter, Tsuna found himself smiling when he opened his care package. The book that he'd sent was laying on top and Tsuna couldn't think of any book that would fit Foo Foo's personality better. It was _The Art of War _in a heavy leather binding. The binding itself made it look like it'd cost a fortune to get. Beyond that was the tin of fudge that Foo Foo never forgot and a second tin that made Tsuna raise an eyebrow. When he pulled it out to get a better look, he started laughing hysterically. It had Boo-Boo the cartoon bear etched onto the surface, complete with his bow-tie and silly smile. Inside was no better. The tin was filled to the brim with small bags of gummy bears.

_Dear Foo Foo,_

_You know that this means war as soon as I get out of here. If you're going to send me things with bears on it, then I get to send you rabbit stuff. Prepare yourself! I've had bunny-shaped sugar cookies in my head for ages now. You're screwed when Easter comes around! LOL In case you can't tell, that means that I got your package and I laughed at the gummy bear tin. Where in the world did you find something like that? _

_To tell you the truth, I'm not really Boo Boo anymore, though. It's embarrassing, but I had another growth spurt. I don't know if it's the food here or the air, but I'm not the shorty that I used to be anymore. I guess it's a good thing because I'm not as big of a target. I actually fit in for once. It's been hell to keep from tripping over my own feet, but I'm getting used to my new size. I just wish that I could have grown like this when I was supposed to instead of having to wait until I almost turned twenty-six._

_I've never read the book that you sent, but it looks interesting. You didn't have to send me a copy. When I said I was looking for one, I was just wondering if you had any suggestions. Thank you for going to the trouble. I'd ask you how much a book as nice as this one cost, but you wouldn't tell me. You never do, no matter how much I ask. It's just like you won't tell me where you've been getting the fudge. That's okay. It just means that I get to have fun thinking of things to get you when I get out of here. _

_You shouldn't be so conscious of your age. You're younger than Josh was and he wasn't old, either. You're only as old as you feel. You're shorting yourself if you really think that thirty-five is old. In my opinion, that puts you in your prime. It sucks that you were forced into retirement so early. I don't blame you for telling them to shove their offer up their asses. I would have done the same thing. It's one thing to retire because you want to, but it's another for someone else to judge when the time is right. It's not fair to you for them to jerk you around whenever they feel like it or whenever they get in over their head._

_I thought you said that you'd been sober for over a year now...? You should be careful of sliding back. If your 'buddies' are the reason that you got drunk, then it might be a good thing that you don't hang around them anymore. Was your work really that stressful? You shouldn't even think of going back if it's going to undo all of your progress. You don't owe them anything. It makes me wish that I could come and give them a piece of my mind for asking when you're obviously better off without them. Truth time. I'm jealous and I'm really happy that you turned them down. You might stop writing if you went back to work full-time. You have no idea how much I look forward to your letters every day. _

_I'm going to be honest about what you wrote on the last page of your letter, too. I was mad at first. Only for a little while, but I'm already over it. You're just trying to help and I know that I shouldn't take it personally. It's not the first time that someone told me that there could be someone even better than Josh out there for me, but you're the first person to understand that it's an insult to Josh's memory to say such things. Thank you for that. You're really a great guy yourself. You know how much it hurts to hear such things and I can tell that you were struggling to be nice about it. If anyone else had said it, I might have punched them. Since it was you, I'll keep the thought in mind. I can't say that I'll accept it, but I won't say that it's impossible anymore._

_To answer your question, I have been trying to move on. I say that, but my heart's not really in it. I guess I wasn't good at hiding it for you to have noticed so quickly. What do you expect me to do? It hurts at night when I can remember how it felt to be with Josh. I just got tired of feeling so lonely. It might not be the best solution, but sometimes a temporary fix is better than nothing. What other options do I have? No matter what I do, Josh isn't going to come back. Isn't it better if I can find a way to make it stop hurting for at least a little bit? There's enough people out there that aren't looking for commitment. Is it bad of me to take advantage of that? I've been asking myself that a lot, but it's too late to make a different choice. I'm not going to regret my decision. This way is easier than the alternative. _

_You didn't have to send another box of fudge. I'm not going to complain, since I always look forward to your care packages. I just want you to know that you don't have anything to apologize for. Even if I was mad at first, I could see that you're just thinking about me. It makes me happy and Cici is right. I don't like it when things are sugar coated unless you're talking about a donut. LOL That reminds me! You've got me writing LOL in all my other letters! My roommates thought I was nuts! _

_I wish I had some great story to tell you that could match your cop one, but no one interesting has stepped up in the past week. You can't really make a story out of guys that back off at the first punch. Well, that's not true. There is one guy that weak that's got my attention. My cellmate seems to have fallen for one of my roommates. They've been trading letters for as long as we have and he's completely smitten. He says it was love at first sight during visiting hours. We're planning on putting him through hell for the next two months to get him ready because my roommate is the picky type. My cellmate said 'make me into a real man' and asked to join the gang. He's got potential, so we're going to see what we can do about getting rid of his cowardice. If need be, we'll just terrify him on a constant basis so that the punks on the street will look like flies in comparison. It's going to be fun. My roommate would probably kill me if she found out, but it's going to be our little secret._

_I better go if I'm going to get this letter in the mail before lockdown. It was nice hearing from you again. I can't wait to get your next letter. I look forward to it every day._

_Your teddy-bear,_

_Boo Boo_

_P.S. Did that closing make you blush? LOL_

Biting his lip, Tsuna knew that he didn't have time to rewrite the letter to try for a better version. Unlike Foo Foo, he did prefer to write multiple versions. Peter-sensei said that it was good practice and that practice made perfect. The trouble was time. By not checking the mail until after dinner, he only had an hour to write in. He didn't write fast since it was difficult to find the right words. He'd already used most of his time with the first draft and he still had stuff to take care of before lockdown. It'd have to do.

Danny-boy was already waiting with an envelope and a stamp. Folding the pages up, he tucked them inside and set to writing out the address from memory. They weren't allowed to seal them because they got inspected before being sent, but he still had to take care of everything else. To make up for not being able to close it, he drew a bunny head and a bear head on the back with a circle around the two. Foo Foo said that it'd been Cici's addition to say hello and Tsuna had picked up on it to say hello in return. Foo Foo was the bunny and Tsuna was the bear while Cici was the circle. At least, that's how it'd been explained to him around Foo Foo's cursing over being tagged as the bunny.

Heading to the bars of his cell, he was unsurprised to find everyone sitting outside of it with a card game in session. They were actually playing seriously for once since Tsuna wasn't in it. They were also all practically drooling at the smell of fudge when Tsuna popped his tin open to claim the first piece.

"Who wants to take my letter to get mailed?" Tsuna asked, leaning against the bars to his cell with his letting in one hand and his tin of fudge protectively placed in the crook of his other arm.

"I will!"

Tsuna grinned at the glares that was passed between everyone who'd spoken up. They all knew that they had to do something to earn a piece since Tsuna was as stingy as hell when it came to his spoils.

"I'll take it," Sassy offered. Tsuna grinned, seeing that the guy was already on his feet. Considering that Tsuna hadn't given much attention to this particular kitten today, it was understandable that he was trying to get some. The others gave him a glare since Sassy was also the one person that didn't like fudge. That was okay, though. Thanks to Foo Foo, he had a different treat that he could bribe with. Ducking back into his cell for a minute, he opened the other tin and pulled out one of the small bags of gummy bears inside. Besides being something other than chocolate, they were also Sassy's favorite treat.

"Here," he grinned, throwing the small pouch at her before walking up to hand him the letter to mail. "You deserve something for your hard work. Make sure and get that to where it needs to go before lockdown."

"Yes, Sir Laz," he giggled while already ripping the plastic packaging open to get to the goodies inside.

"Here, Kid," Tsuna added, tossing Kid a square of his bounty. "Go with him and make sure no one gets in his way. I'll be pissed if something happens to my letter."

"Sure," he agreed around a greedy bite of his prize. Within seconds, both he and Sassy were heading in the direction of the hallways.

"Pedro," Tsuna continued, tossing another piece out. "I've got another tattoo that I want you to do tomorrow. If you laugh at it, I'm going to beat the living shit out of you."

"What is it, senor?" Pedro asked while breaking the piece in half to share with his brother. Tsuna blushed slightly at the idea that popped in his head. The bunny and the bear emblems were cute. They were a little too cute in comparison to all of his other tattoos, but he still wanted to get them. The only question was where to put them. His arms, back and chest were covered. His lower back was taken with Snicker's name. He thought about his legs, but there was still quite a bit of scarring left on them. Jewel hadn't managed to get that far down them with her pincers before everything had blown up. He wasn't sure if he'd still heal back with clear skin, either, since he was completely dehydrated of vampire blood outside of his own.

"I'll give you a drawing tomorrow," he temporized. Continuing around the circle, he made up excuses to give everyone a piece. Few of them got whole pieces. Those that were smart and wanted on his good side broke their piece in half and shared so that he didn't have to give out another whole one. Doing so meant that he had six pieces left when he finally made it around to Danny-boy and Ore.

"Don't worry about me," Ore soothed before Tsuna could give him his. "You just enjoy the rest by yourself, Little Guy. Danny-boy isn't allowed any, either. Sweets are off limits for him until he gives up on training or I pass him."

"Ouch," Tsuna grimaced, turning around to give Danny-boy a sympathetic look. "You heard him. No fudge for you."

"That's cruel and unusual punishment," he grumbled in disappointment. Tsuna grinned at the words. It _was _cruel and unusual punishment, but he was happy for it. It meant that he got to keep two pieces more of his fudge than he usually did.

Tsuna hovered over the poker game for a few more minutes before retreating back to his bunk. By the time that he was comfortably seated with his new book in hand, Danny-boy had already stowed his tins away in his locker and had put the letter in the one with all the others. Once a month, he gave the empty tins to Gigi to store at the Dojo for him. He'd already sent three tins full of letters, too. They were only allowed to keep so much stuff in their lockers and there was no way that he wanted to trash anything that Foo Foo had sent him. At first, he'd tried using the empty tins as barter because they were the perfect size to store letters in. The trouble was that all of his crew had one now and none of them got so many letters that they needed another. Danny-boy was probably the only exception to that. He'd filled up two tins and had been forced to mail one to his sister for her to hold onto it for him. He was barely holding onto the second tin, even though he had to sit on it to get it to close anymore.

The book that Foo Foo had sent wasn't anything that he expected. Flipping through it in curiosity, the random lines that he picked out seemed more like advice for warfare than an actual story. It was interesting, though. None of it really seemed like bad advice. If worded differently, a lot of it could even be used on the streets. It was like a guidebook to becoming a better leader and tactician. Once he realized that, he quickly flipped back to the front and started reading from the first page. Peter-sensei's assignment of _Great Expectations _could wait. Foo Foo's assignment seemed a lot more useful than some fictional story that he'd probably forget about as soon as he finished it!

He absent-mindedly told the others goodnight when they headed back to their cells, not really noticing that they even left. He simply continued to take nibbles off of his fudge while he became totally engrossed in his new book. It made him wish that he'd looked through it before writing his letter. If he'd known that Foo Foo had sent him such a unique book, he would have said something a lot better than a simple thanks.

Tomorrow. He could add it to tomorrow's letter.

While he read, Danny-boy took care of his normal nightly routine. He took his turn to wash himself up in the sink and use the toilet. He changed into sleep clothes, being unlike Tsuna who just wore the same clothes to bed that he wore during the day. At one point, he took off Tsuna's shoes and socks for him so that he didn't have to get up to store them away or take the time out of his reading to stuff the soiled garments in his laundry bag. Danny-boy also took care of tucking away the clean clothes that Veronica had delivered earlier. The last thing he did was to put the lid back on Tsuna's new box of fudge and tuck it safely away in his locker before Tsuna ate it all. By the time that he actually crawled up into his own bunk, everything in their cell had been taken care of.

"Sleep tight boys," the guard called as he locked them in during the final cell-check. Tsuna grunted agreement and Danny-boy tossed him a flippant line. Both of them were still wide awake. Even though they had to get up so damn early in the morning, it was nearly impossible for Tsuna to fall asleep at seven o'clock. Some of the other convicts could, but the bulk of them all stayed awake for several more hours in their cells. The lights would be dimmed as soon as cell-check was over, but there was still two hours to go before the lights went out so that there was only the safety lighting for the guards to move around by.

Those two hours were when Tsuna did his reading assignments, so nothing changed in his routine by reading Foo Foo's book instead of Peter-sensei's. Peter-sensei would probably be happy that Tsuna had chosen a book on his own for once instead of always asking his teacher what he should read. He might even be proud enough to bring Tsuna some sweet and sour chicken.

When the lights finally did go out, Tsuna plucked out a hair from his loose bangs and used it as a bookmark. His vision was good enough that he could pick it out as easily as anything else and using a hair meant that the pages wouldn't get messed up. Besides, a hair was less likely to fall out than a piece of paper or a candy wrapper. Once that was done, he tucked his book under his pillow for safe keeping and waited. Danny-boy did the same thing every night and he didn't think that tonight was any different.

For a narcissistic man, Danny-boy had one very strange quirk. He didn't like people to see how he kept his body in shape. He never worked out in public and it'd take Tsuna a long time to realize why he crawled out of his bunk to work out under the cover of darkness. Simply put, he didn't like people to see him sweat. That was just another thing that they were going to have to break him of.

That wasn't the reason why Tsuna waited, however. The reason that he waited was because there was yet another thing that they had to break him of. Gigi would see through him in an instant once they got in bed together since Danny-boy had never been in the dominant role while in bed with a man. Gigi might look like a girl, but the difference would show once his clothes were off. For Gigi's sake, Tsuna had to teach him how to make it good instead of simply painful. There was more to it than simply sticking an erection into his partner's backside. He had to undo months of allowing Danny-boy to be submissive in bed and he only had two months to do it in. If he failed, no amount of caring would keep Danny-boy in Gigi's bed after the first night. Gigi had stated time after time that she only played catcher. Because of that, Tsuna had to turn Danny-boy into a pitcher before the games started.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Author's notes: One word edited! Thanks for catching that! That was a HUUUUGE mistake!


	63. Chapter 63 Deja Vu II

Author's notes: Double Upload! Be sure to read and review the previous chapter before continuing on!

* * *

Tsuna's eyes snapped open as soon as the lights in the facility were turned on. The wake-up bell went off a moment later, making many men grumble and roll over on their bunks. Tsuna was tempted to roll over himself and get another half-hour of sleep, but he knew that he needed to get a move on so that he could head to the showers as soon as the gates went up. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he rolled out of bed in order to head for the toilet first. Nine and a half months had passed and Tsuna had the routine drilled into his skull.

He had the same agreement with his new cellmate that he'd had with Danny-boy. The little prick was a complete asshole, but he stayed out of Tsuna's way and Tsuna tried to keep himself from killing the guy. He'd never met anyone so snobbish in his life. He was the quiet, book type that like to talk trash and never left his cell. Tsuna had already beaten him twice in the past week to get it in his head that being in his cell didn't protect him at all, but the bastard just took it and kept going. It was like being beaten didn't bother him at all. It was as if he couldn't feel pain and that made him into a fearless fool. If he kept it up much longer, the guards were already talking about sending him to punk city for his own protection.

Pushing the sleeping asshole out of his head, the rest of his normal routine included shaving off any stubble that'd appeared since the previous day and brushing his teeth. Since it was a day that he got a shower, he set to making his bed early and got his clothes and bath bucket ready to take with him to the locker room. His bath bucket had the soap on a rope that Gigi had laughingly sent him, washcloth, shampoo and conditioner. Veronica had already taken his hair down out of the dreadlocks so that he could wash it, which meant that his hair was a wavy shock that went down past his shoulders. He was tempted to go stand in line for the barber, but his lawyer said that he'd be up for parole when his minimum sentence was up in another two and a half months. He could wait that long to get his hair cut.

Seeing the guards already walking up the wall of cells across from him to make sure that no one had escaped during the night, he quickly headed over to retrieve a piece of gum and a very important item out of his locker. That item was a flimsy black handkerchief that he 'accidentally' dropped outside his cell right while he was changing it out for the one holding back his hair when the guard started to walk past.

"Can you pick that up for me, Boss?" Tsuna asked with a crooked grin.

"No problem," he agreed amicably despite the fact that he dropped it every day.

"Thanks," Tsuna said pointedly, making knowing eye contact with the guard when the man passed him his morning delivery under the cover of returning the cloth item. Two joints and five bucks to use in paying off the librarian overseer for his hamburger. Tsuna grinned even more widely when the guard nodded softly before moving on to continue his duties. His hands were clean as soon as he was gone. The guy broke the rules with the best of them, but he was one of the righteous types that didn't like doing so. He was obviously too happy to continue on his way.

Glaring up at where his cellmate was watching with eyes that better know to look the other way, he hoped that he wouldn't have to blow his own parole by dealing with a snitch. If so, his cellmate wouldn't stay his cellmate for long. The prick would be going to the hospital before he went to punk city. Hiding his prizes in a pack of otherwise ordinary cigarettes, he snatched up his clothes and bath bucket. Then he waited. And he waited. And he waited. Finally, as his cellmate started to crawl down from his bunk, the gate buzzer went off and the cell doors popped open.

No one exited out of their cells until Tsuna had passed. There weren't many left who'd been around when Tsuna had originally been sentenced, but everyone knew to stay out of his way. His reputation alone was enough to keep most of them in line. There was one shower facility for the whole prison and Tsuna made haste to get to it. He wanted to be finished and get to breakfast before the sausage was gone. He was the first one in the shower locker room, even though his cell-block shared shower times with C-Block. Even though they weren't on water conservation schedules anymore, there was still a limit to how much hot water there was. By being first, he didn't have to worry about getting a cold bath to get clean in.

Stripping, he tied his towel around his waist and shoved his clean clothes into a separate section of his locker than his dirty clothes. The key in the lock got looped around his wrist for him to hold onto until his shower was finished. It was the prison's way of keeping convicts from getting spare clothes through theft. Heading inside, Tsuna put his bucket of supplies on the shelf next to the first shower head and threw on the hot water. His towel got safely stored on a small knob protruding from the wall before he stepped under the spray.

The heat felt wonderful. He felt his muscles loosen from where they'd gotten knotted in his sleep and the ache in his shoulders was washed away with the sweat and dirt from the previous day. He would have preferred to shower before bed, but that time slot was reserved for A and B Blocks. C and D got the second-best slots by getting a morning shower. It would have been irritating to take a shower in the middle of the day before he worked out. At least with a morning shower, others could go to work and he could go to school without smelling like raunchy shit.

He didn't take his time in getting clean. As soon as his muscles were loosened up entirely, he soaped up and got his body clean. There was no room for privacy as other guys started showing up to shower. The choices were to either burn everyone with a complete lack of modesty or to show his back. He refused to show his back for more than the time it took to wash his front, so there wasn't really much of a choice. He did find it amusing to see who kept their eyes up and who actually got an eye-full.

The displays of dominance started about the time that he was scrubbing his hair. Those who were weak got their showers cut short when someone stronger came in and took them. Those that had their showers stolen either stole someone else's or headed back out to get dressed. One fool tried to walk in and take Tsuna's, but it didn't take more than his patented look of 'are you suicidal?' to get them to look somewhere else. Tsuna refused to let anyone push him around. He wasn't anyone's bitch and he wasn't going to let fresh meat have the upper hand.

Life was a constant battle like that since the prison that he was in never held people who were sentenced to more than five years. The typical sentence for those in the facility were only three months to a year. He was one of the rare tenants that barely met the requirements for the low-security prison. The only reason that he did was because absolutely no one expected him to stay the full five years. As soon as his minimum sentence was up, he was going to be walking free. On that, Papa Paolo had personally come to inform him about a week ago. Papa Paolo hadn't been able to pass along much information, but it seemed that the time for the wildcard was drawing near.

He didn't dawdle when he finished getting his hair rinsed out. His hair was still wavy from being braided and sickeningly long. It was long enough that it actually seemed under control with how wet and heavy it was. He hated it. It stuck to the back of his neck and the sides of his face. If it weren't for the fact that it looked like he had a coon-skin cap on, he'd put it in a pony-tail and be done with it. Of course, he had to put it in a pony-tail anyway until Veronica could braid it again. That wouldn't be until lunch time at the earliest since he was due in the laundry room at the same time that Tsuna was due for cell check.

He tied it back without bothering to dry it or even brush it. It was easier to gather up while it was wet and Veronica would deal with the brushing when he fixed it. His handkerchief did a satisfactory job of hiding the bulk of it for the time being. He didn't worry about it for more than a minute. He had no one that he needed to impress and it was dealt with. He could dwell on preferences when he had an option to cut it. For now, the more important thing to worry about was getting dressed so that he could head to breakfast. His tank top, boxers, and pants got thrown on first. He never even bothered putting on his state-issue shirt anymore. It stayed tucked in around his waistband for when he might actually have a use for it. His socks and sneakers went on last, after which Tsuna wrapped his dirty clothes in yesterday's pants and left the key for the next person that needed the locker.

Heading back out of the locker-room with his towel around his neck to soak up the water still draining from his hair, he headed back to his cell. He was practically snarling when he reached it. The prick was standing on the edge of Tsuna's bunk in order to make his own. Tsuna had told him time and time again to keep his feet on the bars and off of his blankets, but the bastard never learned. Throwing his clothes on the bed, Tsuna decided that it was time to get his cellmate in line. There was other ways to drive obedience into someone than through pain.

Grabbing the back of his shirt, Tsuna propelled him toward the back of the cell before the guy even knew that Tsuna was present. Tsuna didn't give him time to react. Within seconds, Tsuna had him pinned to his locker and was hidden from the cameras in the block by the protruding bunks. A hand strangling the prick's throat kept him from saying a word while also instilling the fear that Tsuna knew would keep him in line. Tsuna refused to let him even get a breathe. He simply continued to strangle him until he began to claw at Tsuna's hands for air. He didn't let up until his hands dropped to his sides and he started to faint.

Tsuna woke him back up by slamming his head into his locker. Releasing his throat, Tsuna held him up to eye level to ensure that he understood the reason for his punishment.

"Don't. Fuck. With. My. Shit," Tsuna spat into his face. "If I see you so much as breathe on my bed or my locker again, I'll fucking rip your throat out and shove it up your ass. If I hear you breathe one word of me to the guards, I can promise you that punk city won't protect you. Do we have an understanding?" Tsuna waited three seconds while his cellmate gasped for air before slamming him into his locker again. "I asked if we had a fucking understanding, scumbag!"

"Yes," he choked when Tsuna tightened up on his collar in threat again. If he had to, Tsuna was prepared to strangle him until he did understand. He might not seem to feel pain, but a lack of oxygen wasn't something that could be ignored.

Dropping him in satisfaction, Tsuna left him on the ground. It was his own fault. Tsuna had asked nicely the first time. He'd gotten angry and had warned him the second time. He was through playing games with the guy. If he couldn't take a hint, Tsuna would tell him in a way that he couldn't ignore. He didn't stick around after that. He took a moment out to grab his homework out of his locker and to shove his clothes in his laundry-bag, but otherwise didn't acknowledge the prick cowering on the floor. If he'd only shown some sense and hadn't been so damn confident in his superiority, it wouldn't have had to come to this. Tsuna didn't ask for much. He just wanted himself and his shit to be left alone. His cellmate had invaded his territory and that wasn't something that Tsuna could let pass.

He was already feeling tired by the time he made it to breakfast. As always, he got in line. When he got up to the front, he bantered with the cafeteria work crew to ensure that he got fixed up like he wanted. He didn't feel like fucking with anyone today, so he simply sat down at his table with his tray.

Before he was halfway through with his meal, his table was as filled as all the others. Veronica and Kid were the only ones left from his original crew. Everyone else, including Ore, had already been released on parole. He had new guys to keep him company, though. Veronica had been collecting friends from those that got arrested and sentenced for prostitution. None of them were up to the standards that Tsuna had set for his original three kittens. One didn't look clean and the other one was going through withdrawals. Wallflower was the only one that had any potential, but only if Tsuna could ignore the pitch of his constant chattering. Veronica and Sassy had always been demure in comparison.

On the other side, Kid had brought in two potentials. They were beefy guys that Kid had beaten on their first day in, using a few of the tricks that Tsuna had taught him. They weren't afraid to fight and they were attracted to Tsuna probably more by the whores sitting on the other side of the table than because of Tsuna himself. They were willing to work for the rights to have fun with what Tsuna claimed. They all knew the rules, too. No one touched the whores without the whores' permission. Other than that, there was also Big Daddy. Big Daddy had decided to merge with him after most of his crew had been released and he had gotten tired of trying to find replacements. He was up for his third parole hearing already and he just might make it out this time. Finally, eight of Root's boys had attached to the group, too, when Root himself had been released. All of them were sitting over at a different table, even though they were under Tsuna's protection.

Tsuna didn't talk to any of them longer than it took to tell them what he wanted. He wasn't on personal terms with anyone but Veronica, although Big Daddy occasionally talked to him about Ollie. It made for a quiet meal. He finished quickly and didn't wait for anyone. His tray got dropped off, his spork got trashed, and then he headed out to the yard. He pulled out his morning delivery as soon as he got into his territory. Before leaving, Root had handed over the basketball courts to him, along with the table beside it. His territory had almost tripled because of the inheritance. When he reached it, it went without saying that he started stretching while he smoked. He'd gotten good at multitasking, so he pulled out his journal, as well.

_Morning-- Delivery arrived on time. Breakfast tasted like shit. Had to knock around cellmate. He should know better from now on. I'm tired. I want out of this shithole._

Tsuna tucked the notebook back in his pocket and looked across the yard in hopes of finding someone to challenge him. There was no one. At least, there was no one that was willing to challenge him offensively. Only five people were even warming up and two of them were guys from Root's old crew. Those two, like the others that were actually going to race, were only interested in speed. The days where guys tried to tackle him were over. There was no one left that was willing to try. Even those that raced him only did it because he bribed them. It wasn't a pack of cigarettes to the winner anymore. It was a pack of cigarettes to whoever would step up to give him a goal to beat.

As soon as his typical five were bouncing at the line in preparation, Tsuna stripped his shirt off and handed it back to Veronica to hold onto. Although he ignored them, his whole crew never stayed far away from him. He knew they were there, but he rarely spoke to any of them outside of occasional commentary to let them know that he was aware of their presence. It kept them content, which meant that he could worry about other things. He only wished that there was a need to worry.

"Touch the line!" Veronica bellowed, sending the six of them into their starting positions once Tsuna was in place. Tsuna touched the wall behind himself, ensuring that everyone got the same fair start. "GO!"

The race really was a race. He just wished that it was one with more of a challenge. The other guys ran their hearts out, but they still fell behind. Tsuna had cut his rebound time off of the walls to only a fraction of a second. By spinning in place before he got to the fence, he was able to slide to a stop and change direction almost as soon as his heel hit the wire. He'd cut his run speed down as much as he felt was physically possible and he was like the wind to the other guys. They did a good job in their attempt, but Tsuna still finished five laps ahead of them.

"T-Twenty!" Veronica shouted in glee. Tsuna grunted, having walked the last half-lap to start his cool-down. The others kept running and Tsuna paced himself so that the story of the turtle and the hare had a chance of coming true. No one caught up in time, though. It wasn't even a challenge without people trying to slow him down. By the time he finished off the bottle of water that Veronica had ready for him and replaced his shirt after an extra five minutes of walking circles to cool down, Big Daddy was sending up the ten minute whistle to warn him that cell-check was soon. Tsuna raised a hand to gesture that he got the message before heading for the doors after him.

Tsuna headed straight for his cell-block. It was the same routine every day. Cell check, eat, cell check, a large portion of time to kill, eat, cell check, a large portion of time to kill, eat, cell check, a small portion of time to kill, cell check, lockdown, cell check, lights out. Nothing every changed on that account. The only thing that changed was what he might decide to do to kill time.

Heading into his cell, he took a moment to waste another washrag in cleaning up so that he wouldn't leave a bad impression on Peter-sensei. His cell-mate had smartly chosen to retreat up to his bunk as soon as cell-check was over and Tsuna tried not to let the fearful looks get to him. Instead, he grabbed up his book as soon as he was finished washing and spent the next hour reading on his bed while the guards did their roll call.

As soon as the cell check was truly finished, he stored his book back in his locker and headed out. Several of his crew joined him so that they could go to their general classes, but the walk seemed solitary to him. It was far too quiet and he had nothing to fill the silence with. The education facility looked like it always did when he reached it. There was the cut-out letters on the door, although the stolen 'C' had been replaced. The teacher's desks were arranged like they always were and the teachers were working away at getting their lesson plans finalized before everyone arrived. Tsuna headed to his classroom without stopping and found himself a seat at the same table that he always did.

"Are you ready to work, Laz?" Peter-sensei asked, walking into the room with a clipboard and a smile. Tsuna nodded softly as Peter-sensei sat down across from him. Peter-sensei always showed up to start working with him before any of the others showed up. "Today's a big day for you. We got your ACT scores back."

"How did I do?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Very good," he grinned, passing over a file for Tsuna to look through. "You got top scores. With this, you can go to college almost anywhere you want!"

"I don't want to go to college," he answered honestly without bothering to look at his scores. If Peter-sensei said that he did good, then he must have done good. He didn't need anything more than Peter-sensei's word. "I just want the credits so that I can prove that I know the languages that I know. I don't care how."

"I figured that you'd say that," Peter-sensei sighed with an understanding smile. "I'll see what I can do about getting you to test out of the classes that you don't want to do. For now, I want you to head over to the library. I ordered some books in the languages that you listed for me. There's works of fiction that you said that you liked reading, but translated into those languages. I also got some language dictionaries for you to use as reference. It's the best I can give you to use for study. I'll see what I can do about getting someone to come test you on general studies so that you can get credit for those in the meantime. As soon as you say that you're ready, I'll see about asking Professor Chaucer to come give you the language exams. You won't get more than a Bachelor's degree this way, but it should be enough to get you started. Is there no way that I can tempt you to chase after a Master's degree or actually take classes? I could call over to--"

"I appreciate the offer, Peter-sensei," he murmured with his head bowed down respectfully. "But it would be pointless for a guy like me to get a Master's degree. Even when I get out of here, I'm still going to be an ex-convict. I want to get some kind of degree because I know that it's a way to pay you back for taking the time to teach me. It makes you look good to the higher-ups, but I'm not looking for anything more. It'd be too much of a waste for someone like me to try to get any farther. You've done enough with everything that you've already taught me and I'm happy to have gotten to the level that I'm at."

"Are you giving up, Laz?" Peter-sensei asked in open concern. "What happened to all that enthusiasm for learning?"

"There's no motivation anymore," he answered honestly. "My roommates and my Boss would be happy with me getting a bachelor's degree. Trying to go after a Master's degree would just be a waste of energy. I already know how I'm going to spend the rest of my life and a higher degree isn't needed for any of it."

"I guess your mind is made up," Peter-sensei replied sadly. "I'm a little disappointed, but I'm happy that you're still willing to try for a Bachelor's. Even if you're saying that you're doing it for me, I think that you'll come to realize that you're really doing it for yourself. There's a lot of opportunities that will open up for you with a degree. Just let me know if you ever change your mind. Even after you get released, feel free to call me on my extension. I'd hate to see your kind of potential go to waste." Tsuna nodded despite knowing fully well that he couldn't take any of the opportunities that might appear. His life wasn't his own anymore and Papa Paolo was already moving to make use of him. He doubted that he needed a Master's Degree to fulfill those needs. The time for daydreams was over. Reality was checking in.

They talked for a few moments more before Tsuna handed over his last piece of homework. It was an essay that Peter-sensei had assigned titled 'What I Learned in Prison'. Tsuna had purposely left out the gritty side of what he'd learned and had written something to praise Peter-sensei with. From what he'd been told, the assignment got sent to the prison's education committee with all the other convicted students' essays. Depending on the quality of the essays, Peter-sensei might get a promotion or a pay raise. Tsuna had worked hard on it in effort to repay all of Peter-sensei's efforts with him. He'd been bluntly honest about how stupid he'd been when he'd first shown up and how Peter-sensei had made him believe that he was smart. It might not be refined, but he'd put more effort into the essay than he'd ever put into an assignment before.

It was no surprise that Peter-sensei's eyes went wide at the twenty pages that Tsuna gave him before leaving.

With nowhere else to go, Tsuna headed for the yard. His schooling was over until Peter-sensei contacted him to tell him that it was time to take the college exams. He appreciated the attempt to help him study, too, but he'd already been working on it since making his original goal. He'd been browsing online dictionaries in a multitude of languages ever since he'd finally gotten someone to install the language packages onto the computer he always used.

Once outside, Tsuna sat at his usual weight-bench. The next hour was spent quietly pumping iron while he made four cigarettes disappear. It was quiet. It was lonely. He tried to keep his mind on happy things, but there wasn't much for him to pull from. Root's boys showed up to eventually to play basketball. Tsuna watched them out of the corner of his eyes, letting his mind go blank for another two hours by simply watching the ball bounce. He switched hands with the weights each time there was a break in the game, but otherwise stayed in a trance.

He'd tried once to play basketball with the guys after Root had left, but he'd made a complete fool of himself. He had no footwork to speak of outside of fighting. He'd fallen into the easiest of fakes and had been drawn in by the bouncing of the ball like a dog being told to fetch. When he'd fallen flat on his face for the third time, he'd went back to his weight-lifting with laughter following him. Images of him doing a masterful dunk had been instantly destroyed. He did play occasionally when one or two of them wanted to play HORSE, but that was the only game that he was decent at. Of course, that game didn't require any movement. One only had to shoot while testing their ranges against the range of the other players. It'd been somewhat useful in getting his depth perception focused at long ranges.

When the guys headed inside to take a break, Tsuna put down his weights and decided to add another entry to his journal.

_Midmorning-- I'm bored. I don't have to go for tutoring anymore and Peter-sensei says that I can't take my first college test for another week. He's working hard to get me a degree like he promised. I've got nothing left to do. I'd go play on the computer, but Foo Foo is still taking his martial arts courses at this time. He finally told me in his last letter that he's taking Tai Chi. He was really defensive about it. I think he was expecting me to underestimate it or to make fun of him. I wrote him and told him that I thought it was a good martial art for him. A lot of people only look at the part of it that focuses on finding balance, but it's really destructive when it's used in fights. That's why I always made sure to be on my best behavior when I ran into Granny Miko in Chinatown. She might be old, but she packs hell of a punch because she does Tai Chi every day._

Putting his journal away, Tsuna set up the bench-press so that he could test his limits. Time seemed to pass slowly while he did his reps, but it did pass. No matter how many times Tsuna wished for time to simply stop, the fact was that it kept moving. He just had to be patient and wait for life to pick up again when he tripped into a dark hole. Whether that hole was made through boredom or loneliness or devices of the enemy, everything worked out eventually. It made him change his wish into one asking for something more exciting to happen other than Big Daddy coming out to signal that it was lunchtime.

Lunch passed smoothly. Because of the turnover in convicts, Tsuna was only the second in line now. It wasn't long until the doors to the cafeteria opened and they were allowed in. The place was the exact same as it'd been for the last nine and a half months. Clean, bland, and regulated. There was the same three choices of drinks as there had been when he'd first arrived. Milk, chocolate milk, or juice. There was the same meal lineups that he'd eaten in his first week. Today was chicken fried steak in white gravy, bread rolls, cooked carrots, mash potatoes, and a cube of gelatin. All of it looked wonderful, but he knew that it'd taste like cardboard.

Snatching up two bags of chips and an apple, Tsuna headed for his usual table. It was in the same damn place that it always was. It wasn't like it could go anywhere. Lunch was tasteless, but it was filling. No one ate leisurely. They all wanted to get outside and relax before they had to go back to work. Tsuna didn't even have to pretend to eat slowly so that everyone could finish together. He barely ate at all. Most of the time was spent pushing his food around his plate until Big Daddy was ready for it. For once, he didn't even feel hungry even though he knew he should be. His stomach felt full of lead, telling him undeniably that he was depressed without Ore around.

There was no discussion at the lunch table, even after Veronica and the others joined them. Talking would just bring down the wrath of the righteous guards and get them kicked out faster to make room for the other convicts who were looking around for a table to eat at. As soon as Big Daddy was finished clearing away his tray and parts of several other people's, Tsuna stood and led the way out. Their trays went through the drop-off window and their sporks went in the trash. It was the same routine no matter what they actually had for lunch.

He ignored the guards blocking off the path that led anywhere but the yard. He knew where he was supposed to go, even without their directions. The air outside was cool and nice, just like it'd been when he'd been outside earlier. The only difference was the light breeze that brought them the smells of late Fall. He was grateful now that he had Root's table to sit at instead of his old one. The breeze was nice now, but it'd become torture without the wall to block it when the temperature dropped in less than a month.

Everyone relaxed at the table in the same arrangement than they had in the chow hall. Pulling out his second joint, he quietly started smoking it while Veronica got to work on his hair with Wallflower's help. All around him was talk, but Tsuna didn't take part in any of it. He just rested his head on his hands and stared at the table for the next hour while Veronica worked to get it sectioned off and braided again. He'd never been so bored in his life. Not even the thought of fighting someone interested him. There was no challenge left with anyone in the facility. He'd already enforced his policy of keeping things peaceful to such a level that not even other convicts fought each other while he was around.

"I'm heading back to the laundry," Veronica interjected as he tied off the handkerchief around Tsuna's hair again. Tsuna nodded at her in confirmation of the message and stood to head inside for his own cell check. The others were already slowly heading in the direction of their own jobs and the rest of the group was already dissipating. Tsuna took the time to quickly finish off his joint and swallow the small piece of lingering evidence before heading inside. The second joint had originally been for Ore, but the guard didn't know that. He'd continued to bring two even after Ore had left and Tsuna saw no reason to stop him. It gave him a temporary high so that he could make it through without killing himself out of boredom.

The walk to his cell was a quiet one. His cellmate was still sitting on his bunk, although he was quietly writing a letter this time. Once more, Tsuna didn't look at him. He merely retrieved a soda and pulled out one of the books that Foo Foo had sent him from his locker. Sprawling out on his own bunk to read, Tsuna paused long enough to pull out his journal to write another entry.

_Noon-- Lunch tasted like shit. Veronica fixed my hair again. Going to skip my nap today and read. I don't feel like getting laid and Veronica's been giving me looks again like he doesn't want to give me a choice._

He lost himself in his book entirely after he tucked his journal away. He couldn't count the times that he'd read it and it'd gotten easier with each repetition. This one had been a surprise for him since it'd been a piece of fiction about a mobster. The setting was during Prohibition in America and Tsuna took great pleasure in laughing at some of the attempts to get around the cops. Some of them were surprising and others were cliché, but it was fun to imagine himself as the main character as he continued to dodge arrests.

"Are you not going to work out today, Sir Laz?" Veronica asked softly. Tsuna looked up from his book and smiled at the little man standing outside the bars of his cell.

"I was just waiting for my little kitten to get off of work," he answered, pulling a hair out of his bangs to use as a bookmark. Closing the little volume, he got up to store it safely back in his locker. While he was there, he grabbed a piece of gum to chew on and a soda for both him and Veronica. Veronica accepted it with a small squeal of delight, which Tsuna hoped meant that he wasn't mad about Tsuna's absence after lunch. Together, they headed outside after making only a short pit-stop for Tsuna to throw away his empty can.

As soon as Tsuna made it outside, the first thing that he did was to light a cigarette. He was in no rush. He still had a good two hours before dinner. The others were already waiting outside for them and Tsuna headed straight over to the bench next to where Big Daddy was using a bench-press. When he arrived, Big Daddy stopped and slid to the end of his bench to use hand weights so that Tsuna could use both benches to stretch. Neither of them said anything. There was nothing that needed to be said. It wasn't the first time that Tsuna had shown up late for his workout and interruptions weren't permitted during such times. The training menu that he had decided on was easily five times what he'd done while going to the gym. On top of that, his late start garnered a lot of attention since most people didn't see what he put himself through during the time that they worked.

For Tsuna, the warm-up was the most important part of his whole workout and also the most flashy. Over half of his stretches were done while his legs were stretched out between the two benches and Tsuna gestured to have Veronica push down on his back so that he'd actually feel it. It was the only way to increase his flexibility any more and to actually warm up the joints that normal stretches couldn't touch. His mid-air splits got a lot of dropped jaws and groans of pain, but Tsuna barely felt any difference between what he was doing and sitting normally. He'd simply progressed as far as he could with such basic facilities.

After the leg stretches came the arm stretches. After the arm stretches was shadow boxing to make sure that his blood was flowing nicely. Once that was done, he went straight into a handstand and started doing his one hundred sets of thumbs-only pushups and another hundred sets of regular pushups. His lower body and speed had already gotten its workout in the morning, so his upper-body and balance was the focus of the afternoon. Sit-ups came after the push-ups. A hundred sets of them, followed by hundred sets of chin-ups using the brickwork of the wall next to their benches. The task was harder than it sounded. The concrete grout was thin between the bricks and Tsuna only used one finger of one hand at a time.

By the time he finished the last set, he was ready for the bottle of water that Veronica produced and another cigarette. Sitting on the end of weight bench to catch his breathe, the simple act of lighting a cigarette told his crew that it was safe to come near. He didn't stop working out, but they knew that he couldn't smoke if he was planning on doing activity that needed both hands.

"Hey, Big Daddy," Tsuna called as Veronica slipped into the seat behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. The man paused in surprise since Tsuna didn't normally speak up unless he wanted something.

"What?"

"I'm going to do another set of pushups since I did weights earlier," he replied around a long pull of nicotine. "Since you're using the hand-weights instead of the large bar, do you think you can sit on my back while you--"

"What?!" Big Daddy interrupted with wide eyes. "Are you crazy? I weight three hundred and fifty pounds!"

"I know," Tsuna replied with a raised eyebrow. "That's why I don't want you to stop what you're doing. Either that or have one of the guys sit in your lap. That's the only way I'm going to actually improve."

"Sir Laz," Veronica interjected worriedly. "I think that's a lot of weight. Wouldn't it be safer--"

"No one asked you," Tsuna snarled, shrugging Veronica's hands off of his back without taking his eyes off of Big Daddy. "I've got a deadline and I can still improve. I can lift four hundred and fifty pounds without breaking a sweat, but I don't like stealing all the weights. Using Big Daddy is a better alternative than pissing everyone off. Him plus his weights will put him to around five hundred. That's good enough to count as an improvement. The question is whether he's willing."

"I guess so," he answered, scratching his head in disbelief. "Don't say that no one tried to warn you."

"I won't," Tsuna promised in relief that he was willing to try. Tsuna didn't drop to the ground like he expected. Instead, he finished off his cigarette before stretching out between the two benches. With his feet on one side and his hands on the other, he stayed at the lowest position so that Big Daddy could sit his fat ass down. He looked doubtful and grumbled the entire time, but he did what Tsuna wanted. "Are you ready?" Tsuna asked when he finally stopped shifting around.

"I guess so," he answered with his bar of weights in his lap in preparation of jumping off. Tsuna rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. Instead, he started pushing. Almost instantly, he grinned. Big Daddy lurched on his back in surprise, but Tsuna was happy. He was actually feeling the pull of his muscles again. He knew that it didn't look like he had a lot since he was still so thin, but every ounce seemed to be capable of anything he asked of them.

"Perfect," Tsuna called. With that, he started the decent and began counting his reps. Big Daddy seemed to lose any thought of continuing his own workout. Instead, he kept on hand on Tsuna's back to keep himself steady and held on for his life. Tsuna didn't slow once he started. He moved in a smooth motion, attempting to do one hundred sets of ten in ten minutes. He really began to feel the burn when he hit the fifty mark, but he didn't stop. He made note to add people to the rest of his workout by the time he hit seventy five. He hadn't sweated like this in a long time. For his last two sets, he decided to push himself even farther. At that, he really did slow. Mid-air and one-handed with someone on his back wasn't as easy as it seemed. Especially not when he leaned a different direction for each individual set.

He went too far. He knew it as soon as the spasm of pain lanced up his arm. He stopped and snarled audibly when he had to catch himself with his free hand before he fell.

"Get off," Tsuna growled. Big Daddy was off his back in an instant and Tsuna got to his feet to see how bad the damage was.

"What's wrong?" Big Daddy asked with wide eyes. Tsuna didn't answer at first, being far more interested in probing the faulty arm. From the lowered sensation in his hand instead of complete numbness, he guessed that it was fractured instead of a break. The pain was at a level that he could handle and, thankfully, he knew how to fix it. As long as he could get out of sight before dinner, he'd be fine. It wasn't the first time that he pushed himself too far. He took it as a good sign. It meant that he was actually reaching the limits of his body.

"It's just a muscle cramp," he lied when he noticed Veronica worriedly hovering over him. "I'm going to go get some ice for it at the commissary. I'll see you guys at dinner." Before anyone could question him, Tsuna headed for the door back inside. He mentally made note of when it'd broken and took off five sets. That would be how many he did tomorrow. He didn't care if he was dancing with destruction. It was his job to put his body on the line so that he could meet out Justice as the Six--

Tsuna froze in the hallway, feeling a strange tingling in his hands that had nothing to do with a fractured arm. He considered the possibility, but the tingling was his good hand, too. It faded almost immediately, but there had been something. He'd felt it in his bones. Every fiber of his being had been taunt with the idea of putting his body on the line for Justice--

Tsuna stared at his hands again when the tingling came back for another moment. This time, he understood the tingling. He wasn't meaning to, but his body was reacting to his thoughts. The thoughts weren't even on a mental level. They were at a primal stage where it'd just been at the back of his mind. His body had been tensing to it and reacting. It'd been reacting to the focus his body had been pushed to for the sake of dealing out Justice to those that would harm his Family.

This time, Tsuna didn't fight the tingling surge. He goaded it, tightening his muscles even more in preparation of a fight. No, he corrected. It wasn't a simple brawl. He'd been working to get the power to stand in the way of those who would do wrong. His body was just a tool to enforce equality. If Vongola came at them with overwhelming power, he would be the hammer that balanced the scales. He would put every fiber of his flesh and bones on the line to protect them and ensure that they had Justice!

"The Armor of Justice Glamour," Tsuna murmured in shock. His ring was lit with a purple glow and Tsuna stared at what that glow had created. It had to be an illusion, but he didn't have those kinds of powers. Yet, he knew instantly that this had been what he'd been given to him to help him fulfill his goals. Unlike what he expected, it wasn't a shield to protect him. His goals didn't pay heed to self-defense. His goals were to defeat the enemy before anyone else could be harmed. He didn't care if it meant that he needed to sacrifice himself. Because of that, he hadn't been given a tool of protection. He'd been given a tool of offense.

It couldn't think of any name for it other than an oversized Judge's hammer like the one that had been pounded on the Judge's podium when he'd been sentenced. The only difference was that there was a hammer head on either side of the thin pole in his hand. The lower end was smaller than the top end and Tsuna surmised that it was a counterweight. He surmised as much up until he noticed the writing on the pole itself. The top side said 'Justice' with a crude arrow pointing to the larger end. The bottom side said 'Injustice' with a crude arrow pointing to the smaller end.

Balance. He wasn't the law. By even trying to deal out Justice, he was already being unjust. That was the reason for the second hammer head. He couldn't know for sure until he used it in combat, but his intuition said that the weights would fluctuate like balancing scales. Depending on how Justified or Unjustified his actions were, one of the two hammer heads would grow in size. If he was fighting a battle that he shouldn't be, the Injustice side of his hammer would propagate in size until he couldn't wield it as the Hammer of Justice anymore.

He could already see the uses for such a tool. He could use it as a gauge to help him decide how to fight in times that he was confused. Considering that he might be having to fight against his childhood friends in the future, such a gauge would be indispensable to him. He knew the feeling of how to summon it now. Reaching that point where his body felt ready and willing to sacrifice itself to make Judgment wouldn't be easy, but he could practice.

Papa Paolo and Autumn would be so proud of him.

"Sir Laz...?" Tsuna squeaked and dropped the Hammer in surprise as he spun around. It disappeared entirely before it hit the floor, but Tsuna had other things to worry about. Things such as wondering how much Veronica had seen when he'd been walking up from behind him in the otherwise deserted hallway. The pole for the hammer had been as tall as he was and there was no way that she hadn't seen _something_.

"Yes," he answered while Veronica rubbed her eyes like he'd seen a mirage. Tsuna did his best in trying to pretend that nothing had happened, but it was hard to do when Veronica was looking around for the tool that Tsuna had dropped.

"What was that?" He asked curiously.

"What was what?"

"I thought I saw-- Never mind," he amended. "I must have been seeing things. I was wondering if you'd already been to the commissary. It's almost dinner-time."

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm just heading to my cell to grab something."

"You better hurry," Veronica urged. "The guards will be running through to clear the cell-blocks in about five minutes."

"I'll hurry," he agreed. Taking the opportunity to escape, he practically ran for his cell. He didn't need in there to wash up, however. He needed in there for a semblance of privacy. As soon as he got inside, he headed for the back corner and turned on the sink. Using it as an excuse to keep his back to the door, Tsuna carefully used a sharpened nail to break the skin on his arm. Blood welled up immediately and Tsuna didn't waste time in groaning about the taste. It was his only option to stay out of a cast. It wasn't wise for him to drink his own blood since he had trouble remembering to stop once he took it in as a food substitute, but it was a powerful tool in itself. He just had to remember to never bite his tongue. The last time that he'd done that to get blood to heal himself, he'd practically chewed it off without thinking. That was the danger of marking himself as food to his Hunger. He put himself at risk for self-destruction.

Just a few drops, he told himself. This was the process that he'd decided on when biting himself had proven to have the difficult problem of stopping attached. Instead of sinking his teeth in, he scratched himself and let the right amount of blood well up. He had to be careful to make it a shallow wound or he'd be licking himself all night. As long as he made the cut at the right depth, however, the wound would stop bleeding as soon as he licked it.

The other downside of this type of jump-start in his healing was that it wasn't fail-safe. Unless he focused his mind on the area that needed to be healed, he didn't necessarily get healed in the way that he wanted. His body decided where the extra influx of energy went a lot of the time. The hole in his stomach always got healed first, but after that was like playing Russian roulette. Once, he'd had his nail growth stimulated instead of a rash being cleared up. Another time, he'd had the ache in his lower back disappear instead of his stubbed toe being fixed. In another attempt, he'd had his ass tighten up instead of getting rid of a fever blister. He was fairly sure that a fractured bone would be at the top of the list this time, though.

Thankfully, he wasn't disappointed. The sharp pain in his stomach dissipated alongside the spasm in his arm. Within a few seconds, it was a level of pain that was almost nonexistent. He needed more to fix it entirely, but he was out of time. He could hear the guard coming toward his cell. Shutting off the sink, Tsuna headed out ahead of him. He didn't need to be told where to go. He headed toward the chow-hall before he could be berated for being late.

Dinner happened in the same fashion as lunch had. The same line and the same spot as second in it. He had to go through the process of watching everyone duck out of line ahead of him, but it could be worse. At least his cellmate had the brains to duck out this time instead of having to be knocked out of line by one of the other Block Leaders. Dinner looked to be a tacos, refried beans, cheesy fried potatoes and pudding. Tsuna snatched up a juice, green apple, and two bags of chips to go with it. It tasted like cardboard, but he inhaled a good portion of it anyway.

Tsuna listened in as the others started showing up from their jobs. After that, it was back out into the yard where they smoked three cigarettes and cut himself again under the cover of the table. This time, he chose his hand so that no one would question when he stuck the scratch in his mouth. Wallflower had brought a pocket-sized checker board to play on and Tsuna played three rounds while he waited for the doors to open back up so that he could go back inside. Finally, it was cell-check time again and Tsuna took the opportunity to write in his journal again once he was back on his bunk.

_Dinner-- It tasted like shit. 'Nough said. Fractured my arm doing pushups. Took my medicine and it's all better. Body. Glamour. Got to find a way to tell Autumn._

Tsuna got up as soon as he heard the call ring out that cell-check was finished. They only had two more hours until lockdown, but that was just enough time for the most important part of Tsuna's day. Tsuna headed to the postal room with an inexplicable spring in his step that had been lacking all day. Everyone knew that it was Tsuna's chosen time of day to check his mail and no one dared get in his way. He felt enthusiasm boiling away inside of him, _knowing _that there would be at least one letter for him in his box.

He was nearly bouncing in place where there was not only a letter waiting for him, but another package. Foo Foo had kept his word. It was like clockwork and he never forgot to write. He probably had no clue how much Tsuna looked forward to it each day. Out of all of Tsuna's friends, Foo Foo was the only one that wrote anymore. Gigi's gave her updates during calls and visits now. Foo Foo still wrote him every single day and sent a separate care package once a week. Tsuna had figured that he'd eventually stop like everyone else had, but the letters and packages still came. The still came and they were a simple pleasure that Foo Foo had no clue as to the importance of. Today was especially exciting because it wasn't even Foo Foo's normal day to send a package.

Tsuna was back at his bunk in a flash. He practically ran from the mailroom and back to his cell in order to toss the care package aside. He felt like a little kid unwrapping a birthday present when he pulled out the letter. It was the same every night. He could keep his excitement in control all the way up until he had the letter in his hands. The moment that he saw that Foo Foo hadn't disappointed him, he lost it. He had over two hundred and seventy-five letters from Foo Foo and he kept every single one of them. Every single one was a testament to another day that he hadn't been forgotten or abandoned by a single special individual.

_Dear Boo Boo, _

_I know it's early for your birthday present, but I wanted to go ahead and give you this. I hope I timed my letters right. If not, I just blew the surprise. Cici's pretty good at remembering the time-tables, so I blame her if it's not there yet. I'm assuming that it is there, so stop reading now and open it._

Chuckling slightly at Foo Foo's order, Tsuna put the letter down and opened the package. He blushed brightly and slapped the box shut again as soon as he saw what was inside. What the hell was Andrew thinking?! Besides that, how the hell had something like that made it past inspection! Actually, he knew how. He'd told Andrew that he could read Italian and no one in the inspection crew had understood the title that was printed boldly on the otherwise blank cover. It got through inspection simply by not looking suspicious. Still...

Why the hell had he sent a copy of the Kama Sutra?! Picking up the letter, he quickly found out why when he continued reading.

_Dear Boo Boo, _

_I know it's early for your birthday present, but I wanted to go ahead and give you this. I hope I timed my letters right. If not, I just blew the surprise. Cici's pretty good at remembering the time-tables, so I blame her if it's not there yet. I'm assuming that it is there, so stop reading now and open it._

_Have you opened it yet?_

_Seriously. Open it first._

_If you haven't gotten the package yet, then put this letter aside until you get it._

_Going to write a few more lines to give you time to open it without scanning the letter to see what's in it. _

_Is this enough lines? _

_Shit. Fuck this, I'll just start on a new page._

_Okay. Now the question is... How bright are YOU blushing?! LMAO. That's what you get for trying to say things to embarrass me so often. I hope you didn't think I forgot. I can bear a grudge for a long time and I've been looking for the perfect opportunity to get you back. I thought about sending that on your birthday, but I've got something else that I want to send you for your real gift. Just to make sure that I've got it right, your birthday is October 6th. Tell me if that's wrong and don't bother trying to tell me not to send you anything. You know that you want something and I've already got what I want to give you, so just suck it up and keep your false-modesty to yourself. _

_I thought about sending you a straight porn magazine to get a reaction from you, but Cici said that they wouldn't give it to you even if I sent it. This was the best alternative that I could think of that might actually reach you. I was tempted to wait it out and send you a box of panties or some shit when you got out to get you out, but this works just as good as a gag gift. It's actually not a bad read, too, so it might get a lot more use than a box of panties would. I don't know. It'd be kind of bad if you were into that kind of freaky shit. Everyone has their secrets._

_Shit. I'm kind of worried now. Maybe I shouldn't have sent that. Now I'm going to be wondering until you write and tell me what your reaction to it was. I'm not sure what would be worse. You could not have any clue about what the Kama Sutra is or you are enough of a closet freak that you didn't blush because it doesn't bother you. I think I'm going to stop there on that subject until I hear back from you._

_Everyone's been nagging me in the game about when you're coming back. I told them that your parole hearing was coming up soon, but I don't think I got an actual date from you. What are your plans for when you get out? A guy that I know is thinking about taking a trip over that way and I was thinking of going with him. Italy's my home, but I've visited America a few times in the past. It's a pretty comfortable place. It'd be nice to meet with you if you're free by then. Maybe we could go out for drinks together or something._

_Okay. I probably sound like a weirdo now. Cici just pointed out that it's probably not a good idea to talk about meeting when I sent you the book I did. I'm tempted to scrap this letter and start over, but where's the fun in that? I understand if you don't want to meet yet. His trip is going to be close to the time that you get out, so you might be busy trying to get back on your feet. I've had friends that spent time in the slammer, so I know that it can be rough when you first get out. Nothing stays the same as it was when you went in._

_Another friend of mine just went to prison, actually. He took the fall for a screw-up that my former boss made. My old boss is still pretty knew to his position. He got promoted a few years before I retired because his father died. He took over the family business, but he's still green. I kind of blame myself. If I'd come out of retirement, the screw-up might not have happened. The guy that they sent on the job that they wanted me to do botched everything up. He went in with only half of the information that he needed because the new boss goaded him and he lost his wits when everything blew up in his face. It's my former boss' fault for sending him in with only half of what he needed to know. It's his fault for not staying on his toes. It's my fault for not stepping in even though I saw that they were making stupid decisions. _

_My old buddies have been coming by more often lately. They want me to stage a coup de tat and become the new boss. They say that I've got more experience and I'd be better than the brat that's in place right now. It's tempting, but I'm not the guy that I was ten years ago. I don't have any need for the kind of power that I could get by taking over. I'm comfortable in my retirement and I'm experienced enough now to know that I don't want that kind of stress. I'll let the brat learn from his mistakes. It sucks for my buddy that's in jail, but he knew what he was getting into by trying to push such a deal. If you want to deal under the table, then you've got to be prepared for the consequences. _

_Shit. I'm trying to justify my decision. I guess that's proof enough that I've changed from the guy who did attempt to take-over a little over ten years ago. I'm surprised that they didn't push me into retirement back then. My boss at that time was a strange one. I still don't know what he was thinking when he kept me around._

_Anyway, back to what I was saying before I got side tracked. The guys in the game miss you. They've got a vehicle modifier build into it now. They had vehicles before, but you couldn't do more than get on and ride. You can now paint and upgrade any vehicle in the game. Indigo Fog had a floating witch's broom that has a black handle and green bristles. Angel666 got himself a hover-chair that can keep up with my dragon and looks like a cloud. Believe it or not, regular cars are the hardest thing to come by. I've started a collection. It's been pretty sweet to work on the paint jobs. What kind of car do you want and I'll keep my eye out for it? So far, my favorite is the jeep. It's like a mini-tank and I've modified it to work as a boat, a submarine, and a glider. I'm working on getting it some kind of flight capabilities, but the glide function was easier to get for now. _

_I've got to go for now. Cici's going nuts. She says that two of my dragons have broken lose and are destroying the city. I've got to go round them up again before some idiot gets enough people to kill them. Don't forget to tell me whether you blushed when you write back!_

_Yours truly,_

_Foo Foo_

Tsuna went for his pen and paper as fast as he could collect it out of his locker. Foo Foo wanted to know whether he blushed. He had no clue who he was dealing with! Tsuna started writing in a frenzy as soon as he was back on his bed.

_Dear Foo Foo,_

_I got the package you sent. Was I supposed to blush? It's kind of hot that you're confident enough to send me such a book. I'll leave the panties to girls and transvestites, but the Kama Sutra is different. The last time I read it was when I spent two nights locked in a room with two very nice girls. Needless to say, neither of the two left the room for two days after I did. It's kind of interesting that you'd send me a copy. I used to have whole chapters memorized, but it's been a while. I'll have to give it a read and see if I can brush up on my memory. _

_That's probably laying it on too thick, but I can't say that I'm lying. LOL Okay. I'll tell the truth. I was lying a little bit. The part I lied about was that part about me blushing. I did. I turned very red, which is why I'm glad that I'm in my cell. I could just imagine what the guys would have said if they'd seen my face. This does mean war. If you'd go so far to make me blush, then I can't back down. I can't send you anything embarrassing like you got me, but I can try my hand in other ways._

_Roses are Red,  
Sunflowers are Yellow,  
I hope that your ass,  
Is like a nice fluffy pillow._

_LMAO If you're going to cross the line, then I'll cross the line to make you blush, too. Cici, if you're reading this, then make sure and read that out at the most embarrassing moment that you can find. Now. Tell me. Is little bunny Foo Foo blushing? If not, I'm still laughing my ass off. I don't think I've laughed this hard in months. _

_Okay. I think I'm calm now. Moving on... It sucks to hear about your coworker friend. I'm not going to say anything bad about dealing under the table because I do it all the time, but his boss should have been smarter than that. You should never try to make a deal when things look shaky. You're supposed to wait until you're positive that you're not going to get caught so that you don't give evidence to be used against you. If he sent him under-prepared, then he's an idiot. I don't blame your friends for trying to talk you into a takeover. The sake of the whole company rests on the boss' shoulders. If he's too stupid or weak to make good judgments, then he should be fired._

_I also don't blame you for telling them no. You already did your share of work. It's someone else's problem now. Why doesn't one of them take up the responsibility instead of trying to push it over onto you? Don't answer that. It was a stupid question. The answer is obvious. They don't because they know that they wouldn't be nearly as good as you. I can tell that and I've only known you for just under two years. It feels like it's been a lot longer, but I guess that just shows how much we're alike._

_To answer your other question, I'd love to meet with you. The only problem is about how close your trip is to when I get out. The tentative schedule for my parole hearing is in early February since my year will be up towards the end of January. I've got some stuff that takes priority when I first get out, so things are going to be pretty hectic. I wouldn't be able to give our meeting any justice. If you could wait until things settle down for me and I know what's what, then maybe we could schedule something better. I'm not freaked out at all by you sending me a book like you did. It just shows that you have a nice sense of humor and you aren't afraid to be yourself. _

_Crap. I'm running out of time. I spent too long thinking up that poem. Cars... cars... Does it have to be a car? I've been thinking of getting a motorcycle when I get out and it might be pretty cool to get me a matching one in the game. I've been thinking of getting one of those new little Harleys that look like they're straight out of a WWII movie. I don't want a big hulking machine that's bigger than I am, but I'm not really into crotch rockets, either. One of my roommates is into motorcycles and he's got me interested._

_Sorry that the letter is so short, but I've got to go if I'm going to mail this tonight. Tell everyone I said hello and that I hope to be gaming again by March._

_Your teddy-bear,_

_Boo Boo_

Biting his lip, Tsuna rushed to get the letter put into and envelope. He even went so far as to write out the addresses and draw the bunny and bear symbol while walking to the postal facility. He dropped it off in the box for outgoing mail and had to run to make it back to his cell in time. He barely made it, sliding into his bunk at the same time that he heard the approaching jingle of keys that signaled a guard.

With a sigh, Tsuna relaxed for a moment before kicking his shoes off. They got stored under the edge of his bunk and his socks go shoved into his laundry bag. Veronica couldn't clean his clothes as often as he used to, but Tsuna had enough spares to last until he could. By the time the guard arrived to lock him in with his prick of a cellmate, Tsuna was comfortably lounging under his blankets and was flipping through his new book. The box that it'd come in was tucked out of sight beneath his bunk until morning came and he could ditch it in a trashcan.

"Good night," the guard said as he manually shut the barred gate.

"Good night, Boss," Tsuna absently replied. He hardly noticed when the guard left. He was too busy remembering the first time he'd read the Kama Sutra. That had been a fun time. He'd went line by line while Susanna had taught him the meaning behind the lines until he couldn't take anymore. The second time, she'd read while he had shown her what he learned. It would always start with a platonic conversation over the chapters regarding relationships and would devolve into some of the most sensual experiences in his memory. The only experience that topped it was his honeymoon with Snicker. That time, they words in the Kama Sutra had hit him like nothing before. The chapters about love and the chapters about relationships had seemed to gain importance. While a large chunk of the book was a guidebook to a more sensual union, there was a lot more to it.

Closing his book when the lights dimmed, Tsuna rolled onto his back so that he could look at Snicker's picture. He was there, smiling away like he always was. The smile seemed so fake now. A picture couldn't capture Snicker's charisma or his charm. It couldn't catch that twinkle in his eye. It couldn't change expressions with the wind and let him hear the sound of Snicker's deep laughter. It couldn't jump out and catch him in his arms so that he could be held close.

Slipping a hand under his shirt, he tried to summon the sensation of Snicker's touch. His kiss. His caress. It felt like it'd been an eternity since he'd been graced with Snicker's love. Nothing could compare to his memories of Snicker. No matter who he used as a diversion, they could never be as good as a single memory.

He felt dizzy as the pheromones from the other cells started to hit him. He couldn't take it. They turned his memories into sensual fantasies and warped his need to be held into something far more primal. He reached down in effort to get control of himself, only to throb even harder at the feel of his hand wrapped tightly around his staff.

Just a little bit. He wanted to feel Snicker's hand stoking him. Slow and gentle. He stifled a moan by covering his face with his pillow and biting into it. It felt too good. Just a little bit more and he'd stop, he promised himself. He was aching so badly and it felt better when he caressed the pain away. He tried to keep his movements slow and light so that he wouldn't jar the bunks. He didn't want his cellmate to know that he was touching himself, even if he wasn't jacking off like a lot of the other convicts. He didn't sink that low, after all. He was planning on stopping. He was just stroking himself to get the aching throb under control. It was completely different.

A shudder of need ran through him when his thumb fingered his tip. The could feel that the explosion was coming. He was already leaking. He should stop. He knew that he should stop. He'd stop in just a little bit. He just wanted to stroke it one more time so that it'd stop aching so badly. Just once more. One more. Harder. One more. Another. He was going too fast. The bunk was going to start shaking. Try again. No, he couldn't buck his hips. He had to stay still. He should stop. He should definitely stop.

More.

He could feel himself building toward climax at a rapid rate.

Just a little more.

So close. So very close.

M--

Tsuna let out a silent gasp as he spilled over. Wave after wave of euphoria smacked into him, leaving him with the vision of stars blooming in the darkness. His muscles turned into gelatin in the wake of the last wave and his hand fell dead on his hip. In absolute relaxation and momentary contentment, Tsuna shut his eyes and fell into sleep where he hoped dreams of Snicker would be waiting.


	64. Chapter 64 Deviation II

Author's Notes: Surprise! TRIPLE Upload! Be sure to read and review the previous two chappies before moving onto this one!

* * *

Tsuna's eyes snapped open as soon as the lights in the facility were turned on. The wake-up bell went off a moment later, making many men grumble and roll over on their bunks. Tsuna was tempted to roll over himself and get another half-hour of sleep. The only reason he didn't was because he wanted to get up and eat another piece of Foo Foo's fudge before breakfast. Maybe the sugar would give him some energy since he felt so extraordinarily tired. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he rolled over to sit on the side of his bed in preparation of going to use the toilet. Eleven months had passed and Tsuna had the routine drilled into his skull.

There was one slight problem when he rolled out of bed, however. That problem was the short shaft sticking out of his stomach. He stared at it in absolute shock while a dumbfounded part of his mind recognized it as a pencil. He thought he'd put his up before going to bed, though.

"Hey, Numb nut," Tsuna called up to his cellmate on the top bunk. "Did you stab me last night?" The hysterical incoherent babbling that he got in return told him everything. Tsuna scratched his head, unsure of what exactly to do. He didn't have much time until the guard passed for cell-check. His cellmate had tried to cover his tracks by covering Tsuna with extra blankets. The sheets were covered in blood, though. He guessed that's probably why he still felt like all his energy was sapped despite having slept so well. The real problem was that he didn't even feel the pain over his Hunger and the fact that the wound had closed up around the pencil before he could bleed to death.

He cursed when the bouncing rattle of keys signaled that his cellmate's yelp had grabbed the guard's attention. There was only one thing that he could do to keep his secret from getting out. He pulled the pencil out, ripping the seal that his body had made around it to protect his life. He grimaced at how blood spurted out and barely had time to get to his feet before the guard arrived.

"Oh shit," the guard gasped with wide eyes. A moment later, he was fumbling for his walkie talkie. Tsuna ignored him as he started yelling for the cell to be opened. The guard was more panicked than he was.

"I don't get it," Tsuna said from where he was standing and looking directly at the convict cowering under his blankets. To buy himself time, he stuck a finger in his wound to plug the bleeding and tried not to think of all the precious food that had been wasted. It stung to do so, but the pain was nothing in comparison to the constant starvation that he'd learned to ignore. "I always ignored you as long as you kept your hands and feet off of my shit. I haven't even had to threaten you again after the last time. Hell, I haven't said two words to you in almost two months. Why would you go after me now instead of back then? Did it take you that long to get your courage up?"

"Eh?" His roommate said, pulling his head out from under his pillow to stare at Tsuna with what only could be disgust. "Who said I was scared of you?"

"Then why did you stab me?" Tsuna asked in surprise over the moodswing. The guy wasn't cowering anymore. Instead, he looked somewhat like he thought he was superior.

"You really are a fucking idiot like the reports said," he replied as Tsuna shoved the guard away so that he could finish his conversation. "This was a warning, you retard. My orders were to--"

"Vongola," Tsuna supplied, instantly fitting the invisible pieces together with the mere mention of orders. "I wondered why you never got your ass beat by anyone but me. You're really not as weak as you pretend."

"I have my skills," he confirmed with a cocky smile. "You didn't even feel it when I stabbed you. You just rolled over and went back to sleep."

"I'm afraid that wasn't your skills," Tsuna corrected with his own smile. Pulling his finger out, he carefully licked the blood off in the open to see if he could shake his cellmate's attitude. He looked faintly disgusted by the cannibalism, but he'd apparently seen worse in his time. "Your attack was nothing more than a mosquito bite to me. What's your name, Vongola? I'll burn some incense for you after I kill you."

"The name is Nori," he answered with a small frown. "But you're not the one that's going to kill me. As soon as Hibari finds out that someone was assigned his target, he's going to be angry."

"Oh?" Tsuna asked in surprise for the information. "Hibari's coming after me? That's the best news I've heard in a year. I'll finally be able to prove my usefulness by taking down Vongola's strongest."

"How--?" Nori asked with wide eyes.

"I could think of no one that could be stronger," Tsuna said to answer the unfinished question. Looking down, he saw that the blood flow had finally stopped. Another finger drenched in the trail of blood leaking from it and licked clean gave him enough energy that he felt capable of doing what was needed. He knew what his job was. This was the asshole that had been playing cat and mouse with the Martelli on the streets. Papa Paolo had said that the attacks had stopped abruptly, but Tsuna hadn't put it together with the arrival of his cellmate. Not until now. The mouse had made the mistake of crawling into a hole. He had to be punished for believing that he had the right to judge the Martelli Family.

Barbus the bastard musician was the one with the virtue of Mercy. Not Tsuna.

Unsurprisingly, the prick dodged when Tsuna reached for him. He had some skill. Tsuna would give him that. He was able to jump off the side of the bed and make it out of the cell like a cat bouncing across perches. Tsuna was after him in a second, once more shoving the perplexed and shocked guard out of the way. It didn't matter if it broke the rules to leave his cell. That was a Vongola hitman that was trying to escape. He wasn't going to get away so easily!

To keep the guard from getting in the way anymore, Tsuna absently yanked the door closed on his way through. It locked as soon as it was shut which meant that Tsuna had probably two minutes of relative freedom to finish things before the reinforcement guards arrived. He couldn't use his Glamours since they were a bit showy and he was on camera. He didn't need them, though. Not for a piece of shit like this one. Racing forward, Tsuna headed Nori off before he could reach the hallway.

"Not bad," he grinned as he slid to a stop and started slowly backing away. "I guess those races every morning were for this. For a genetically faulted clone, you're not bad."

"For a brat barely out of diapers, I wish I could say the same," Tsuna taunted in return. Charging forward, Tsuna started swinging as soon as he got in range. Nori did have some skill. Due to the blood loss, Tsuna was slowed enough that Nori could dodge his blows like a pro. The guy didn't look like he was even in his twenties yet, but he seemed to have experience. Tsuna's intuition guess that he was around eighteen, but he acted like he'd been fighting for a lot longer than that. He was good enough that Tsuna paused when a targeted blow slammed into his stomach wound, once more reopening it.

"Just go down," he snarled as he skipped back out of range again. Yells and goading was erupting from every cell and Tsuna's eyes widened when he heard the cheers being directed toward his opponent. All these people wanted Tsuna dead and they weren't afraid of hiding it since Nori looked like he had the upper hand with how Tsuna was covered in his own blood. It shocked him for a moment. He'd never bothered any of these people and they were making such harsh judgments. What did he ever do to them? He'd just asked for people to leave him alone and to act peacefully. Tsuna hadn't fought a single one of them since they'd stopped acting like spoiled playground bullies. "My orders aren't to kill you. This was just a little hello from my Boss to yours."

"For a hello, it kind of looks more like a declaration of war," Tsuna retorted with his eye twitching in growing anger.

"War?" He scoffed. "Don't make me laugh! You can't seriously think that the Martelli Family can stand up and fight us! Hibari alone is going to chew you up and spit you out! You made the mistake of making his list of interesting targets!"

"That's his mistake instead of mine," Tsuna replied with his face losing all expression. He was tired of these games. This guy was underestimating him. He was underestimating the Martelli Family. He had invaded their territory and was disturbing the peace. Only one thing happened to those who messed with what what his. Only one thing happened to rocks that made his river of life turbulent.

They got smashed.

Tsuna gave no warning. He lunged instantly, giving his instinct full reign in the process. There was need. There was the need to prove himself useful and the need to destroy those who would harm the Family. Paying back his debt to the Family was the only reason he had to live. By destroying this Vongola interloper, he would be taking his first steps. No hesitation. No mercy. Nori was already Judged by Tsuna's Justice. His hopes for appeal were slim in the face of Tsuna's cold-blooded instinct to fight.

Nori was completely caught off guard by the sudden change in Tsuna's movements. The were faster. They were sharper. They were movements that paid no heed to weakness or injury. He couldn't even feel his body anymore. All there was for him was the single-minded need to assert his dominance. The single-minded instinct to kill his prey.

The first blow that Tsuna unleashed with his resolve sent Nori flying backwards into a closed cell door hard enough that the bars buckled slightly before Nori rebounded onto the floor. Silence descended through the cell-block over the reversal. Tsuna looked around himself in satisfaction at all the suddenly pale faces. The fear didn't affect him as much as it used to. Instead, he was completely focused on the momentary peace and quiet. Rambunctious joy was permitted, but screams calling for blood and death was outside of what he called peaceful. Didn't these guys understand that the world was a better place without the spread of violence? Didn't they understand that such was the reason that he fought? He fought so that they wouldn't have to. The peace and quiet could be shared with everyone, if only people would stay within the bounds of Tsuna's Law. He wasn't a monster. He left them alone as long as they stayed Disciplined--

"I have great respect for Hibari Kyoya," Tsuna murmured in an apiphany while he slowly advanced to where Nori was trying to pick himself up off the ground. Nori looked dazed, but still willing to fight. "I never understood why he was so respected despite being a delinquent until now. I always thought he was a delinquent because when he saw a rule being broken, he handed out punishment no matter how minor the infraction was. Yet, everyone respected him because he never acted outside of where such actions were justified. I understand now. People are too ungrateful and violent to be left on their own. They need something to fear or else chaos would overwhelm the streets and there would be no peace and quiet for anyone. Because Hibari was willing to be feared, Namimori was actually very peaceful compared to some of the things I've seen in the past few years."

"You're crazy," Nori gasped. Tsuna cocked his head to the side and watched as Nori took up a fighting stance. He seemed to glow in the strange sight of Tsuna's missing eye. He had a good spirit despite being in over his head. He didn't seem to understand that he'd already lost. The moment that Tsuna had given in to the cold chill and the thirst for blood, he'd become nothing more than a plaything for Tsuna to amuse himself with. He was a mouse that didn't understand that the wolf had him cornered him instead of a cat.

The thought made Tsuna chuckle. He understood. He understood! This was how Hibari had always seen him. This was why he'd always been called a herbivore! It was because even when he'd been willing to fight, he hadn't looked like a challenge! No wonder Hibari had always smirked at people who'd tried to fight him. It made him insanely happy to understand. It really did. Hibari didn't seem like such a bad guy anymore. He'd always had his reasons for what he did as Head Prefect. If he'd felt anything like Tsuna currently did, it made Tsuna realize that Hibari had always held back and had always made the punishment fit the crime. After all, Hibari had never beaten anyone so badly as to hospitalize them. Now that he thought about it, he'd always been able to patch himself up in the nurse's office or at home. He'd gotten surface wounds, but never anything deeper. Noticing that made his childhood fear of Hibari completely disappear. He wasn't an enigma anymore. He wasn't a guy who lashed out without reason.

Let Hibari come. Tsuna wasn't afraid. Tsuna could talk to him in terms that they both understood and see if he could come to some sort of agreement. It might even be worth it to fight him. If Tsuna could match him in combat, Papa Paolo would surely see his usefulness. Hibari probably had the same problem finding a worthy opponent that Tsuna did. It would be nice to test his limits. He wanted to improve for Papa Paolo and Autumn, but he couldn't do that with what he had around him. Not even Ore had been able to match him anymore by the time that he'd been released.

Actually, it was a huge compliment that Hibari was targeting him. It wasn't like being targeted by the little mouse before him. Hibari wouldn't waste his time going outside of Namimori to hunt herbivores. Only a threatening carnivore would attract his attention as a hunter. That meant that Tsuna had gotten stronger. He knew he had, but he'd doubted for so long because of Gabriel! He'd been getting stronger and stronger all this time and now he had proof! He had proof for himself more than for anyone else.

"Run away, my little mouse," Tsuna ordered with a change in his Judgment. The blow that he'd already landed on Nori had probably broken his ribs and dislocated his shoulder. He knew that he'd done some damage simply by how the bars of the cell door that he'd been knocked into were bent. That was enough to balance the scratch in Tsuna's stomach. Making him into a messenger would be enough to balance the headache that he'd caused for the Family. Tsuna wasn't angry at the intrusion anymore. Instead, he had his mind set on the future. Killing such prey would be meaningless. Trading blows with Hibari was what he wanted. His instincts were rumbling in the back of his mind, but he soothed them with that knowledge. By passing up such a tasteless snack, he could have his fill of something far better. "Run and tell Hibari that I will welcome him with a smile if he can stay Disciplined in my city."

"You're fucking psychotic," Nori replied with wide eyes. "You actually want me to goad Hibari?"

"Who said anything about goading him?" Tsuna corrected with a hungry grin. "You said that he was already planning on coming. I'm not like a cocky piece of shit like you. I know Hibari's worth and I will give him the respect that he has earned. Tell him that I am due to be released in February and I will be happy to accept him at any time and date that he chooses--" Tsuna paused, hearing the sound of heavy footsteps coming. From the sound of it, it was a full squad in riot gear. "Stop acting like an idiot who doesn't want to admit he's broken and go," Tsuna ordered with a knowing grin when Nori's stance faltered momentarily. "The guards are coming and I'm not interested in fighting trash like you if Hibari's coming."

Nori didn't need to be told twice. Although, his method of escape made Tsuna feel very unsettled.

"Sashi," he exclaimed into the thin air. "Get me out of here!" Tsuna simply watched as a bright Flame blossomed out of what Tsuna had previously thought to be a wedding ring. Harsh yells came from the convicts still locked in their cells at the Flame, but Tsuna saw what they didn't. The Flame wasn't out of control. It was harnessed and controlled. Tsuna only had a few seconds to look at it before it leapt toward the ceiling and burned an exit hole for Nori to jump through. He started to dismiss what he'd seen in disbelief, but the simple fact that it was one of Reborn's ilk made him decide not to. Freak shows was Vongola's specialty. It made him wish that he'd pushed Nori longer so that he would have had the opportunity to inspect it. If he hadn't been seeing things, then a dolphin-shaped Flame had just swam through the ceiling.

He felt like he'd seen something like that before. The color seemed off, but the movements that the dolphin had made seemed to summon a fragment of identification from the back of his mind. He felt that he knew what it was, but just couldn't pull the memory up. Trying to force it to the surface left him with a blindingly sharp pain lancing through his head in warning. His intuition said that the pain was a warning. To push himself any harder to remember would break something loose that he didn't want unleashed.

He considered trying to force it anyway for a moment before deciding that it was best to listen to his intuition. His gut never gave him a feeling unless he was supposed to heed it. If he started disobeying now, he might lose one of his best weapons. Besides that, Snicker had always told him to obey when he got those feelings. Even if he didn't want to listen to his intuition, he'd listen to Snicker.

It was a good thing that he did listen. As soon as Nori's scent was gone, Tsuna lost the cold-blooded armor that had been holding him upright. The riot guards were looking up at the wide hole in the ceiling, completely ignoring the fact that Tsuna was bleeding. He _had been _bleeding ever since Nori had landed the hit on him. Between what was soaked into his sheets and what was covering the floor, there wasn't enough inside him for him to be standing. The fact that he'd been standing, talking, and fighting had been simply because he'd been too much of a moron to notice how bad his injury had gotten.

"Shit."

Tsuna was unconscious before his knees even buckled.

* * *

Tsuna snapped back into consciousness with his eyes already open. He wanted to snarl when he realized where he was and what he was doing. He _wanted _to curse, but his mouth was otherwise occupied. He had to first pull his teeth out of Poe's shoulder and swallow before he could even think about speaking. Looking around, he quickly saw that he was in the prison infirmary. From the broken handcuff on his wrist and the other half that was on the infirmary bed's railing, he assumed that he had been chained down before Poe had shown up.

"Sorry, Poe," he grumbled absently at Poe while focusing far more on the two people sitting in the corner of the room. One was Dr. Jules while the other was what Tsuna assumed to be his intern nurse. The question was why they allowed Danny-boy to stick around when Tsuna had lost control in his sleep. From his face, no one had even warned him about how Tsuna would react when he was starved, injured, and in the presence of food. "What's he doing here? No one outside of the Dojo is supposed to know about my condition."

"I thought he'd come in handy if we had to pull you off," Jules replied with a wide grin. "Welcome back to the living. I'll have you know that your heart was stopped for two minutes before Poe arrived. That's death number two that he's saved you from."

"If you've got control, Suoh, then I need to bite," Poe murmured huskily, leaning forward with Tsuna still straddling his lap. Tsuna turned his attention back to Poe and blushed brightly at Poe's expression. He wasn't even staring at Tsuna's face. He was staring at Tsuna's neck without even noticing that he was drooling. It made Tsuna wonder if he looked the same way when he was being tempted.

"Don't call me that. My name is Lazarus now," he replied automatically. Then he sighed in resignation. Poe didn't even look like he was hearing him. "Go ahead. You haven't had a bite in a year now and I feel better than I have in a--" Poe didn't even let him finish his sentence. As soon as he gave permission, Poe dove in with a complete lack of restraint. Tsuna hissed at how hard he bit, but otherwise didn't complain. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his friend and took comfort in the familiar scent. He hadn't been able to talk to Poe directly or see him ever since he'd been sentenced. It made him come close to tears when he realized how much he'd missed him. He missed all of them.

With that in mind, he didn't bother asking about the hitman. He didn't ask needless questions about how or why they were even there. Instead, he said one simple statement while keeping his head pressed to Poe's bare shoulder.

"Get me out of here, Jules. I want to go home."

"Papa Paolo is working on it," Jules replied sympathetically. "They're trying to use the excuse of the cell-block being destroyed to get your parole hearing moved up. His lawyers are making the argument that it's not cost-effective to transfer you to a different prison when your minimum sentence is almost up. We've already altered your prison records so that it shows that you've had no cases of disobedience and no altercations. Considering that you've been a model student and even obtained a degree, they should have you out of here in a week. You're on bed rest here in the infirmary until then. I want to keep an eye on you since we had to resort to feeding to fix you when you kept rejecting the blood transfusions. Poe's going to need to know whether you can control your Hunger before we let you out, too. From what he says, this is the first instance of someone feeding after having went through the Dehydration Treatment successfully."

"Don't worry about that," Tsuna murmured. "I already know the trick to keep me from going insane. Vampires can't use the method because they're just batteries that store the energy that they soak up from others. Without a recharge, they die eventually. I'm different. Since I'm only a werewolf, I produce my own energy and can recharge myself. It's a balance for the fact that I can't accept blood that's not tainted with the curse. Since my blood is tainted and I can replenish my own energy, all I have to do is bite myself if I start losing control."

"Oh?" Jules mumbled in interest.

"We can do that, too," Poe gasped as he finally pulled his teeth out of Tsuna's neck and licked the wound closed. "The only difference is that we can't sit on our thumbs afterward like he can and wait for our body to recharge. We've got to go out and replenish the energy that we use during such a feeding from an outside source or else be weakened."

"That kind of negates the whole need for you to even bite yourself," Jules chuckled.

"Ah," Poe confirmed. "That's why we never considered the method as a treatment before. We didn't know that werewolves recharged themselves like humans and normal living things do. They always fed because of the Hunger, so we thought their energy was coming from the blood they took from us. In truth, we're nothing more than a booster to them."

"Alike, but different," Jules sighed. "I get it. Well--"

"Hold on," Tsuna interjected. Staring into Poe's curious face, Tsuna asked the one question that he'd been dying to know the answer of. "What werewolves? I thought there were only two of us? Where did all of those from the test cases come from?"

"That's a hard question to answer," Poe grimaced. "Why don't we get cleaned up before I explain?" Tsuna paled, becoming acutely aware of the sticky mess covering his face, his hands, and his shirt. His stomach started to rebel in the knowledge that the feeling of having a full stomach was due to a massive amount of blood being in it. A full stomach was never good when one had been starved for as long as he had.

"Laz?" Danny-boy gasped when Tsuna slapped his hands over his mouth and turned green. Tsuna didn't answer. He simply jumped out of Poe's lap and ran for the nearest sink. He started vomiting almost as soon as he managed to fumble the water on. His stomach was empty again within seconds. He didn't care how weak it made him look. He was glad to get the blood out of his stomach. He's already assimilated enough of it to be healed. The thought of being gorged on it made him ill.

Sticking his head under the spray of water, he scrubbed his face and hands until the scent dissipated. Without even being asked, Poe brought a hand towel for him to use in cleaning off his chest after he stripped his bloody shirt off. He took a moment to inspect the wound that had caused all of his trouble. It'd actually scarred, which made it the first scar that he'd received since the Change. It looked like a bullet wound with how the center had closed up smoothly and the scar tissue was the circle where his wound had closed up around the pencil.

"In case you're curious," Jules called as he tried to look busy in cleaning up the area around the infirmary bed, "the guy that attacked you was a hitman from Vongola. He managed to escape into Nubo territory before we could catch him. We wiped the security footage so that we could make it look like you were hurt while trying to stop a jailbreak, but Papa P is curious about the discussion you had with him. There wasn't any audio on the tapes and the lip-reader didn't know Italian."

"It wasn't anything interesting," Tsuna replied uneasily. "Is he mad that I let him go?"

"As far as he knows, you were unconscious on your feet when he got away," Jules said solemnly. "Since you're telling me different, do I want to ask why you let the enemy escape?"

"I sent a message," he answered in perfect honesty. Accepting a dry towel from Poe, he dried off his face and chest before moving aside to let Poe clean up in the sink. He gave Jules a blood-thirsty grin, grateful for the reminder that Hibari was coming. "He gave me a nice piece of information and I thought I should repay that."

"Are you planning on sharing that information?" Jules asked in disgruntlement that he was having to pull answers out of Tsuna piece by piece.

"It seems that I have a date with the devil," Tsuna replied. "Hibari Kyoko's got me targeted. I sent a message to him telling him that I should be released in February and that I'd be happy to meet with him."

"You idiot!" Jules exploded, dropping his tray of medical utensils entirely. Danny-boy leaped forward to collect them, obviously trying to be useful when he was at a complete loss of understanding anything that was going on. "Hibari Kyoya is--"

"The devil," Tsuna supplied nonchalantly. "You don't have to tell me. I went to middle school with him."

"Y-You what?" Jules asked in shock. Tsuna paled, belatedly remembering that his real identity was another thing that was known to only two people outside of the Dojo. It'd simply been so long since he felt a need to hide that he'd completely forgotten.

"Forget you heard me say that," Tsuna snapped.

"Does Papa Paolo know about this?" Jules asked with narrowed eyes.

"Papa Paolo knows everything about me," Tsuna answered with a glare. "If you so much as mention--"

"I've already forgotten," Jules sighed as he reached up to massage the bridge of his nose. "I think I'm getting a headache. I've got to go tell Papa Paolo that Hibari's gunning for you. He'll want to know."

"Tell him that Hibari's my prey," Tsuna replied. Heading over the infirmary bed, he carefully sat on it before working to break the cuff off of his wrist. He figured that it'd be better to get rid of the evidence that he'd broken them instead of leaving the pieces around to be questioned. It was almost too easy to snap it off and the cuff on the bed railing got broken off after it. The fragments got thrown in the trash and he doubted that anyone would go digging in such a normal place for them. "I won't forgive anyone that gets in my way on this one. It'll be safer for him to tell his men to keep their hands off and just watch the show when he arrives."

"He's not going to be happy if I tell him something like that," Jules warned, pausing at the door to get Tsuna's response.

"I'll take responsibility," he soothed. Bringing his foot up so that he could hug one of his knees on what would be his home for the next week, he grinned. "Just remind him that he told me to be a wildcard and that I plan to go nuts. Tell him that if my plans work out like I want them to, Vongola will think twice about attacking so carelessly."

"What makes you so sure that you won't lose?" Jules asked in concern. "From what I hear, Hibari is the most sadistic bastard that they've got."

In answer, Tsuna closed his eyes and summoned what he thought of as the 'sensation' of Justice. It was that feeling deep in his bones that defied explanation. It was a resolve that was neither emotion or logic. It was more primal than that. It was a sensation in his body that responded to his call and tightened inexplicably when he cried out silently with every fiber of his being to see the Justice that he believed in. He had practiced every morning in the abandoned back aisles of the library until he had brought it under his control. He'd still yet to use it in combat, but it was no longer hard to call his weapon into reality.

A feeling of 'right' settled into his hands and he opened his eyes once more. His Hammer of Justice had answered his call as if it had simply blinked into existence. His ring was glowing just like it always did when he successfully brought the Hammer out. All it took was a focused will once he'd found out that it was there for him. It felt as light as a feather and his intuition seemed to skyrocket in ability when it was out. He didn't need training on how to use it. It felt like an extension of himself from the first moment that he'd had it in his hands.

"Holy shit," Jules gaped. "What the hell is that?"

"Can't you tell?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were one of Papa Paolo's Knights."

"I was," he answered with his eyes bulging out. "But I was always told that the Glamours couldn't produce weapons. The closest thing to a weapon I've ever seen was Christian's Mirror Armor. It reflected whatever damage it took back onto the enemy."

"Heh," Tsuna scoffed. Setting the base of his Hammer down on the ground, he leaned it comfortably against his shoulder in amusement. He wasn't ready to release it yet since Jules was still taking in an eye-full, but he wanted his hands free so that he could gesture while he spoke. "I like a more hands-on approach and nothing's more straight-forward than a hammer. It even makes Judgments for me."

"Eh?"

To explain, Tsuna hefted the hammer up once more and swung it at Danny-boy's unguarded face. Before it crossed even half the distance, the Justice hammer shrank to the size of his fist and the Injustice hammer grew until his swing was thrown off-balance. He stopped before he actually hit Danny-boy in the face, but he figured that his point got across. Danny-boy simply stared at the hammer head in his face for a moment before sinking down to the floor over the close call.

"It wouldn't be fair for me to hit Danny-boy right now since he hasn't done anything wrong, so the balance of the hammers shifted," Tsuna explained, once more leaning the hammer on his shoulder as the balance went back in favor of Justice. "If I wanted to, I could flip it over and attack with the other head. I'd be able to hit him then and the weight wouldn't shift. The only problem is that it would be unfair of me to do so."

"It's still a first for someone to receive a weapon," Jules mumbled with a slight shake of his head in disbelief. "Our Family has always had a policy of defense before offense."

"A strong offense is a defense," Tsuna countered with his lip twitching in disgust. "I'm not going to sit back and just guard when someone takes a swing at me. An eye for an eye. If someone swings at me, I swing right back."

"Talk about a wildcard," Jules replied, once more rubbing the bridge of his nose to massage away his headache. "Alright. I'll report this to Papa Paolo, too. Before I go, Autumn left you a message."

"What's that?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"She says, 'Nice mess. If you keep this up, I'll be working as a maid for the rest of my life.' I think she was a little pissed at how much work we had to do to cover this up on such short notice."

"Tell her to send the bill to Vongola," Tsuna laughed while trying not to imagine her in a maid's outfit. Loosening up his body, the hammer blinked out of existence and the glow on his ring disappeared. Danny-boy was still sitting with a look on his face that said that he had no clue what to do. On the other hand, Poe was standing next to the sink with a very quiet expression. "Time to explain, Poe," Tsuna prompted, knocking him out of his introspection. "What's this about other werewolves?"

"I figured you'd find out eventually," Poe replied quietly. Moving over to let Poe sit next to him, Tsuna waited for him to gather his thoughts. He didn't look like he was having an easy time, even though he looked as immaculate as ever now that his shirt and trench coat was back in place. "I didn't lie to you before. I really did think that you and Lord Nephriam's nanny were the only two that were still alive."

"But we're not," Tsuna stated.

"No," he confirmed unhappily. "Excluding you and those who died during the Dehydration Treatments, we've found twenty-six so far and we're still looking. Once word got out that Lord Nephriam and I were both harboring werewolves and might have found a way to treat the Hunger, they started slowly coming out on their own. There's two here in America who have been under the protection of Guardian-level Vampires. There's six in Europe, two of which are under Guardian protection and the other four had been hiding under the guise of being vampires themselves. They had vampires that they went to in order to feed, but pretended to be completely turned when they came across one of our kind. One of those is actually in a lot of trouble because he was granted Guardian level and no one knows what to do with him. No one knew that his wife was actually a rogue vampire who turned him and taught him what he needed to know to pass as one of us. Beyond that, there are two more in Russia, six in China, one in Japan, four in South America, two in Australia, and there are three nomads who had been taken in by the Phlegm."

"Twenty...six..." Tsuna repeated in awe. It wasn't a lot, but it was a much larger community than two! He wasn't alone! There were more people like him! They were still more of a minority than even vampires, but he wasn't unique anymore! There-- "Oh," Tsuna murmured with his face falling. He suddenly understood why Poe was so quiet. Twenty-six. There were twenty-six people out there that had the same curse that he did and had been forced to live with it in hiding. He was lucky in comparison. His blood had been unique enough that he'd been valuable enough to keep around. Lord Nephriam's nanny was lucky to have a Lord who cared about her so much. For the others.... How many years had passed while they feared that they'd be hunted down as cannibals or experimental testing? For Tsuna, there was no difference in his mind between humans, vampires, and werewolves. Some vampires harshly discriminated, though. Even though many vampires had once been human, humans were relegated as food once they'd been brainwashed with a superiority complex. Poe was different in that respect. He didn't boast superiority and he was one of the few that had never been human to begin with. He'd been born a bat, just like Lobat had been.

"How's Lobat?" Tsuna asked to change the subject. He had enough information. He didn't need to know more about what was being done about them or what kind of hardships they might have for what they were. Poe's expression of sadness and Tsuna's own imagination could supply enough information. It was enough to know that they'd been hiding in fear of their lives and that someone as strong as Poe was saddened enough about their plight. Poe wasn't powerless. Tsuna had faith that he'd speak out to protect him and those like him from harsh discrimination and regulation.

"She's good," he answered.

"She?" Tsuna asked curiously. "Lobat finally chose a gender?"

"Yeah," he nodded with a soft smile. "She was a little upset over it. She didn't mean to, but it happened after I told her that you would be coming back soon. She's missed you greatly since you left. I'm afraid that she's become infatuated. I doubt you'll know how to handle her when you return."

"What's she look like?" Tsuna prompted with his own smile.

"She's short," he answered with a laugh. "I think that she didn't want to be taller than you, but neither of us knew that you'd grown so much. You're almost as tall as me now, so she'd probably come up to your shoulders. She messed up a little on deciding how she wanted to look, so she's got her mother's dark complexion and short white hair. I think she was thinking of a platinum blonde, but went a little too far in deciding how light to make it. We tease her a lot because she's got big eyes and a pointy chin. Other than that, she looks a little strange since she hasn't lost her wings yet. I've been trying to talk her out of it because suitors have been stopping by every day since I made my report, but she says that she wants to give them to you. For her sake, I hope that you'll accept. It's a rite of passage for our kind."

"What would I have to do?" Tsuna asked suspiciously, noting almost instantly how Poe was refusing to look at him.

"You'd give her a name," he said slowly. "A true name that would be written in the Clan's registrar. It would also be your duty to remove her wings. The method is of your choosing, but it's tradition for them to be bitten off. You'd also be the first person that she bites as a true vampire."

"What else?" Tsuna prompted, knowing that something was being left out.

"You'd be her first in bed, as well," Poe grimaced apologetically. "It's only for one night. I made it completely clear to her that I wouldn't even broach the subject with you unless she understood that she wasn't allowed to become attached to you as more than a friend. She might be infatuated, but she's not in love with you. She told me clearly herself."

"Then why me?" He asked miserably. "She should know that after Snicker..."

"She's not asking for your heart, my friend," he soothed sympathetically. "The only reason that I'm asking is because of what she said to me. I'm unsure if it would help, but she said that she wanted you to take her wings _because _you are a friend. She has no illusions of love where you're concerned and she feels that giving you her wings would allow you to become her anchor for exploring what the world has to offer."

"Even if she says that..." Tsuna murmured. Rubbing the back of his neck, he tried to think but his mind kept on coming up blank. He had no clue what to do. "I don't know, Poe. This is kind of a big thing."

"You don't have to give me an answer now," Poe replied. "I just wanted to warn you because she seems pretty set on this. It was hard to turn her down when she wanted something before and it's even harder now. You should see her. My description does no justice to her beauty."

"I'll think about it," he promised, relegating his decision-making until he actually met her. It didn't matter if she was over thirty. If she had chosen to look young like little Lord Nephriam, he wouldn't be able to do it. He still might not be able to, even if she'd chosen a more adult form like Poe had.

"I must go, my friend," Poe said as he smoothly glided to his feet. "Is there any messages you wish to send before I go?"

"Uh...no," he answered with a small shake of his head. "I don't want to get anyone's hopes up in case they decide not to release me. It'd probably be best if you don't even mention that you saw me."

"Easily done," he sighed. Tsuna blushed at how he reached out to run a finger down his neck before he left. It was obvious that he was wanting another bite, but was holding back since he'd already taken such a large meal. Even with the large boost from feeding off of Poe, Tsuna only had so much blood that could be safely given. Poe would have to settle for only a pint. "You can't blame me," Poe chuckled when Tsuna gave him a warning glare. He backed off, heading for the door that Jules had exited through earlier. "Your scent is irresistible now," he explained on his way out. "The strength of it makes your blood from before look like watered-down grape juice instead of wine."

"Put a cork in it," Tsuna grumbled with a grudging smile. Poe merely laughed before disappearing out the door. He started to wonder what he should do now that he was alone, only to belatedly remember that one person was still left. Danny-boy was still sitting on the floor and he looked like he was about to turn blue from holding his breath so that he didn't interrupt. "If you don't breathe soon, I'm going to smack you," Tsuna warned in amusement. "Gigi would be angry with me if you died because I let you act stupid."

"Holy shit," Danny-boy gasped. "No wonder you're so strong! Why didn't you tell me that you were a vampire?!"

"Would you have believed me?" Tsuna countered logically before making his correction. "Just so you know, I'm a werewolf. Poe's the vampire."

"A-Aren't you two supposed to try to kill each other or something?" Danny-boy asked with wide eyes. Tsuna smiled quietly over the response. It was yet another cliché falsehood that he'd once asked for himself.

"No," he murmured sadly with his thoughts still dwelling on the twenty-six others like him. "I won't say that there aren't vampires out there that would hunt us. Even I was hunted at one point because a vampire wanted to use me for testing. It's built into us to chase after vampires in turn, but there's no hidden war between us or hatred like the movies show, Danny-boy. It would be a waste of energy and resources when we can peacefully coexist. Vampires have a sense of responsibility to us as the creatures that made us and, as a werewolf, I relied on Poe for a long time in order to keep my sanity. There's no reason for us to fight when we can be friends."

"Can you--"

"No," Tsuna answered with a long-suffering sigh. "I can't shape-change and Poe is the only person that I can bite. I only have a minor allergy to silver and a bullet in the right place will kill me no matter what it's made of. Hell, you saw me less than an hour ago. If Poe hadn't shown up, I could have died because of a damned pencil."

"It's not like the stories," Danny-boy replied with a twinkle of amusement in his own eyes. "Sorry about the fan-boy reaction. I used to read a lot of books about vampires and werewolves when I was younger. To meet a real one... It's kind of like a dream come true for me."

"Aren't you living in the Dojo with Gigi?" Tsuna asked curiously. Swinging his feet up, he lounged across the infirmary bed and made room so that Danny-boy could sit next to him. He looked the same as Tsuna remembered, although he had blue nurse's scrubs on instead of prison-issue orange. Danny-boy nodded as he took the offered seat, confirming that Gigi had accepted him as readily as promised once he had been released. "Poe lives in the greenhouse on the roof with his daughter."

"Oh!" He squeaked in surprise. "So that's why Gigi told me not to go up there!"

"Poe likes his privacy," Tsuna confirmed before deciding to change the subject off of something so personal. "What's with the uniform? I thought you were going to get a job working with Ore."

"I was," Danny-boy replied with a blush. "The day that I was supposed to go for the interview, I got sick. I was afraid that I'd go and get the job, then end up screwing up again. Seems that I worried so much about working when I've never lasted more than a day at a job before that I gave myself a fever. Gigi called Dr. Jules to come fix me up and he asked if he could talk me into being a nurse. I'd already screwed up the construction job by missing the interview, so I was desperate and told him yes. Gigi didn't seem to mind. He was actually really happy. Something to do with a nurse being as good as a doctor or something."

"I should have thought of that," Tsuna laughed, feeling strangely comfortable talking to Danny-boy now that they weren't cellmates. Danny-boy was a friend now and Tsuna couldn't begin to express how much he missed being surrounded by people he could trust. "Gigi's always been chasing doctors. It's part of her ultimate fantasy."

"Oh," Danny-boy blushed. "I didn't know about that. A-Anyway, when I said yes, Dr. Jules brought me some paperwork to fill out. It seems that he's qualified to teach nursing, so I'm interned with him until I can get my license. Right now, he just has me do the heavy lifting for him and he's been having me watch while he works. I've been learning a lot and he pays me even though I'm still a student. He seems easily pleased, too. As long as I give him enough compliments, he overlooks it whenever I make mistakes. I was actually really surprised because everyone tried to warn me off of him, but it's been nice working for him. He's a fair boss and he never asks me to do a lot. The other nurses that he has working for him are really sweet and they all seemed to welcome me more than I thought they would. The only downside is that he likes to practice acupuncture on me when he's bored. He's not bad at it, but Gigi makes fun of me when I come home with needle marks."

"Jules is a strange one," Tsuna grinned. "He's a good guy, but his quirks seem to scare away male nurses. I'm happy for you, though. You've got a job that you like and Jules has himself a toy. It all works out and everyone is happy." Tsuna laughed at the face Danny-boy made over being called a 'toy', but Danny-boy couldn't argue. Tsuna decided not to tease him further about it. He was actually more happy that he had kept his word about making a fresh start and changing his ways once he was released. Tsuna had been almost positive that he'd backslide once he got out, but Gigi was apparently important enough to him to motivate him in the right direction. "I don't know if it matters to you any, but I'm proud of you. You're not 'Danny-boy' anymore. You've grown beyond that into just 'Danny'."

"I have you to thank for that," Danny replied with a sheepish smile. "If I hadn't have gotten you as a cellmate, my life would be totally different right now."

"Don't thank me," Tsuna said solemnly. "Gigi's the one that you wanted to change for. I didn't do anything other than hire you the whole time you were here."

"But I wouldn't have met Gigi if it weren't for you," Danny objected with a wide smile. "You could have told me to take a hike instead of asking him if he would be willing to write me. You could have even told Gigi a lot of bad stuff about me so that he wouldn't have been interested in meeting. It might not seem like a lot to you, but I feel like I owe you for giving me a chance."

"You can pay me back by keeping your mouth shut about what you saw today," Tsuna mumbled. "I'm already enough of a freak show at times. I don't need cameras at my door from people wanting to interview a werewolf. You can talk to Gigi about it, but no one else."

"I can do that," he promised with eyes shining in devotion. "Is there anything else that I can do for you? Dr. Jules is the substitute on-staff doctor since the usual one came down with a sudden case of food poisoning. I'm his assistant since they prefer not to have female nurses working here. Are you hungry? My pass lets me through the service hallways that cross between all the internal facilities, so I can go get you something to eat. You missed breakfast and it's almost lunchtime. I can ask the guards to bring me the contents of your locker, too. I think they packed it up for you when they shut down D-block because of they hole in the ceiling."

"I'm not hungry," he replied quietly. "If you could get me a pack of gum and my mail, I'll be fine."

"Hoping that there's a letter from Foo Foo?" Danny asked knowingly. Tsuna simply nodded while reconsidering everything about his friendship with Foo Foo. They had plans to meet once Tsuna got out, but that didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. He didn't want to drag Foo Foo into the middle of his world. The fact was that he lived a dangerous life and had ties to the Mafia. He had more people who wanted to kill him than people who he could call 'friend'. By meeting with Foo Foo, he would be putting one of the dearest friends of all into the line of fire. If someone like Hibari was coming, then it was even more dangerous. It would be better for Foo Foo if he cut ties entirely before someone figured out how important Foo Foo was to him and used the knowledge.

Tsuna paled as Danny left the room to see what he could do about answering Tsuna's requests. What if that Vongola hitman had noticed all the letters he received were from one person? No, Tsuna denied logically. Even if he knew, he would have no clue of who 'Foo Foo' was. Foo Foo didn't even write his name on the envelope. There was the return address, but Tsuna hadn't smelled his cellmate's scent in his locker after the first week. Had Tsuna warned him off quickly enough? Did he have that address? No. It was okay. Vongola wouldn't track down a pen pal to use as insurance.

Would they?

Tsuna trembled. Yes, they would. Mafia used any means necessary to get what they wanted. Even a method as cheap as tracking down an unprotected pen pal. Tsuna couldn't cut ties with him. Communication was the only way he had to ensure that he stayed safe. No. He had to cut ties, before Vongola verified the information on him that the hitman had likely returned with. He didn't want to cut ties, but Foo Foo's safety came first. It hurt, but such was the story of his life. He was a man. He could deal with it. It wouldn't be the first time that he lost someone important to him.

The trouble was getting Foo Foo to understand and accept it. He couldn't break their friendship without at least giving Foo Foo a reason and warning him of the danger that he might be in. He deserved that much after how long they'd known each other. The real question was what to tell him. Could Foo Foo handle the truth?


	65. Chapter 65 X Intermission III

_Dear Andrew,_

_I can't begin to tell you how much it's meant to me that you've continued to write. Your letters have been the only part of the day that's mattered for a long time now. That's why it's so hard to ask you to stop. Before you ask, you've done nothing wrong. You're not the reason I need to ask you to stop writing me. It's my fault. It's because of who I am and the kinds of things that I'm mixed up in. Things might have been different if I'd made different choices, but I can't change the past. I wouldn't, even if I could. _

_The truth is that there's more to me than I've been telling you. You know most of it, but there's one detail I left out because I didn't think it mattered. It does matter now and I can't hide it anymore. There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to come out and tell you bluntly. I'm in the Mafia. I've never lied to you about my gang and my roommates, but I have ties to the Mob that I can't ignore. My gang really was made just to help each other out, but I ran into trouble a few years ago. A lot of stuff happened before I met you that I really don't want to talk about, but the outcome was that I had to find an ally that could protect me. My Boss is a wonderful guy that's done everything in his power to protect me. He got me a job when no one would hire me and even believed me when I told him the truth about how the guy who hurt me was his son. There's so many times that they've stepped in to help me out when no one else would. _

_You're probably asking what that has to do with you, so I'll get to the point. There's a Family based in Italy that's been coming after us lately. We're small, but we have something they want. Do you remember that prick cellmate that I wrote to you about? The one that came in after my old cellmate got released? Well, he was a hitman. He stabbed me in my sleep and damn near killed me. I'm okay, but it's proof that they're not playing games. It's war and I have no choice but to fight._

_I'm scared out of my mind right now because he might have gotten your address. If they find out how much your friendship means to me, they might try to come after you. I would never forgive myself if that happened, so the only solution that I can come up with is to cut off ties with you. I can't protect you when you live so far away. You're pretty much in enemy territory and it's safer for you to just pretend that you never met me. They won't come after you if you keep your head down. _

_I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner. I think I was afraid that you'd stop writing me if you knew. It's one thing to have a bunch of friends and be called a gang, but it's another to be the boss of a gang and part of the Mafia. I never wanted to put you in danger and I never thought something like this would happen. You're one of the few people that I feel that I can really trust as a friend. That's why I'm asking you to stop writing me. I'd be happier to simply know that you're safe and you won't be safe if we continue to contact each other. My enemies won't have mercy if they find out that they can use you against me._

_I'm begging you. Don't write me anymore. Don't try to meet me._

_I'm sorry,_

_Lazarus_

Xanxus quietly took his reading glasses off, set them and the letter on the coffee table, and refilled his glass of scotch. He'd read the letter six times already and he still didn't know what to think. He'd never had someone underestimate him so greatly before. He'd never had someone try to protect him, either. It was a shock to find out that Boo Boo was part of a Mafia Family, but not completely unexpected. There were numerous times that his way of phrasing things had set off Xanxus' suspicions. That was why he'd respected Boo Boo's request for privacy.

Until now.

"Any luck, Cici?" Xanxus asked, standing up from his leather armchair in order to cross over to the computer center that was taking up a large section of the wall.

Much had changed in the past few years. He'd retired in truth, cutting off all but a few ties to the Family. Cici had been Hotaru's retirement gift. The small, round bot looked like a compact boom box and was quite the useful little helper. She was programmed with a version of Pandora's sentience program and could rightfully be called Pandora's daughter. She had no access to the Vongola database, but was just as good at hacking and interfacing as Pandora was. After he had removed the surveillance components that had been added to her program, she'd become one of the most useful tools that he could ask for. It was because of her skills and his direction that they'd built Grey City into what it was. She could copy and edit her program an infinite amount of times to create programmers to maintain and run the game. With him working as the medium to buy servers and the hardware she needed, he'd gotten a game that he could control and she got a huge network to play in.

That network was what they were currently using. It was as illegal as hell, but such things had never stopped him before. He wanted to know every detail about his Boo Boo's situation. If it was bad enough that he was scared about a pen pal being targeted, then it was probably big enough that he could finally help. He didn't need Vongola's help, either. He had the fortune that he'd built from his game and his own information network via Cici. The Vongola database could go to hell. Cici could hack into any computer running his game and she had the whole of the internet at her disposal. There was surely something somewhere that would give him the information he wanted.

Xanxus watched her, taking a moment to appreciate the form that she'd chosen to differentiate herself from Pandora. She was still definitely female, but there was more of a soldier in her than a courtesan. Her movements were more brisk than Pandora's graceful motions and she rarely chose to wear a dress. Instead, she typically wore something that related to what Xanxus was wearing for the day. In today's case, it was an oversized shirt that fell off her shoulders, spandex shorts, and leg warmers.

"I think I have his identity confirmed," Cici said with her avatar working on screens far too small for Xanxus to read. After a moment, she paused before grabbing one of the small screens like it was a piece of paper in order to gesture with it. "You're not going to like it, so I won't show you until you promise not to break my monitor."

"I promise," he lied. Sliding into his computer chair, he tossed back half of his drink before setting it aside entirely. Cici rolled her eyes at him in the knowledge that he was lying before tossing the screen over to flash into a more realistic size on the monitor that she'd set aside for him. She started pacing as soon as it was out of his hands, openly worried about how he was going to react while also waiting on further orders.

Xanxus felt like he was punched in the gut as soon as he started reading the file. Knowing the address of the prison that Boo Boo was in, Cici had hacked into the mainframe and pulled out his prison record. They had the name of Lazarus Timberson to go by. That was enough for her to find him. The major problem was who he was.

"Suoh," Xanxus breathed dizzily. He felt trapped by the first line that stated the inmate's name. He'd never gotten Suoh's full name. When he'd rented him as a whore, getting his life story was the last thing that he'd thought of doing. Yet, Suoh Lazarus Timberson was who he'd been talking to all this time. He'd thought he was dead, but the name couldn't be coincidence. Suoh wasn't that common of a name to begin with. When he took the location into account, it was impossible for him to be anyone else. "He's alive?" Xanxus asked in dumbfounded shock.

"Keep reading," Cici ordered while hugging herself out of sympathetic concern for Xanxus. "There's a lot of discrepancies in his file. There's no picture. We know from his letters that he was put into solitary confinement multiple times, but his records show no instances of disobedience or violence. I tried going through the old security footage, but there's several seconds missing in key places where the incident he mentioned is concerned."

"Show it to me," Xanxus ordered immediately. She nodded and got to work once more, summoning several more paper-thin keyboards and screens to work off of. The visual was more for his benefit than for hers. It was to show him that she was working so that he wouldn't get upset. Watching an hourglass turn over wasn't nearly as calming as seeing a reproduction of what she was actually doing. For every page that popped up before her, he knew that she was going through another security gateway. It allowed him to know that she was making progress instead of being frozen at a standstill. Before long, she had a tower of such screens heading for the ceiling of her monitor that she could scroll through with a wave of her hand. Just as easily, she collapsed the tower and set the screens of gateways aside so that she could pull out the next sheet that came up. Xanxus nodded for it to start playing as soon as she tossed it to his screen.

"He's the second cell from the back on the right side," Cici supplied, going so far as to jump over onto his screen long enough to point out the dark square that he should be paying attention to. The layout of the prison cell-block was an open one with cell doors lining every wall. The angle of the camera was no good, though. He could see the door, but it was filled with nothing but shadows. There was no sound, either. Xanxus had to simply watch while the guard started patrolling along the wall of cells and hope that enough could be conveyed via body language.

A lot was conveyed with body language. The guard suddenly picked up his step, completely bypassing several cell inspections in order to stand outside his Boo-Boo's cell. Two seconds later, he was fumbling for his walkie-talkie and waving his arms frantically at the camera. Then there was nothing once the guard rushed inside. Countless minutes passed while Xanxus was glued to the screen. Right as he was about to yell at Cici for making him watch nothing, something happened.

Xanxus' eyes widened in recognition of not simply one form, but two. It was his Suoh. Not only that, but the guy that his Suoh was chasing down was a Vongola. Xanxus knew that face. He couldn't help but know that face. When he'd been training Hotaru, that face was one of those sycophants that had lingered around to wipe Hotaru's ass. Nori was of age to do assignments now, but what the hell was he doing being chased down by Boo Boo?

Xanxus snarled audibly when Boo Boo outdistanced Nori and kept him from escaping yet didn't manage to corner him. He started punching furiously after trading inaudible comments, but Nori dodged them with flawlessly with the training that Yamamoto Takeshi had drilled into him before retiring back to Japan. He rocked backward with the flow of Boo Boo's punches before following the return in order to get inside Boo Boo's almost non-existent guard. Xanxus flinched slightly in sympathy, seeing immediately that he'd been hit in a spot where he'd already been previously wounded. Blood began to gush out, but his Boo Boo... His strong, idiot Boo Boo ignored it entirely when Nori made a comment that left Xanxus' frantically gesturing to Cici to translate.

"Just go down," Cici supplied, bringing up multiple angles and zooms in order to lip-read. She didn't get to lip-read anymore since the video seemed to skip and several more minutes passed while the two simply stood and stared at each other. "This part's been edited," Cici explained. "It should pick back up in just a second. I've also confirmed the identity of his opponent. It's Nori. Other than that, I don't have anything for you." Xanxus growled in displeasure of the information, but he knew that there was nothing she could do. They were working off of data that was three days old. If Vongola hadn't edited it to protect Nori, then it was possible that Boo Boo's Family had in order to protect Boo Boo.

He wanted to snarl even more when the camera did pick back up. It showed his Boo Boo throwing a punch strong enough that Xanxus had a faint feeling of pride. He walked forward toward where Nori landed and then the screen skipped once more. Xanxus growled before Cici could repeat herself. He could tell for himself that something happened that had been covered up. More than likely, a discussion that someone didn't want overheard.

"Boo Boo's not very popular," Cici commented while they waited for the bullshit to end. "Everyone's standing around in their cells now, but everyone was calling out for his blood before Boo Boo hit Nori."

"They're jealous because he's stronger than them," Xanxus replied with a small, knowing grin. His Boo Boo was strong. Xanxus had never imagined him as anything less. It was odd to get his image of Suoh and Boo Boo to line up properly since they seemed so different, but a lot of things that Boo Boo had mentioned were starting to make more sense. The trouble that he'd run into was probably what had happened to rile up the Martelli Family on the last day of Xanxus' visit to America. The rape and beating that-- "Pause it," Xanxus ordered as several pieces fell together in his head.

Getting up, he headed back over to where he'd laid the letter down on the coffee table. He started reading again and almost immediately he wanted to kill someone. "_He got me a job when no one would hire me and even believed me when I told him the truth about how the guy who hurt me was his son." _His son. If Boo Boo was Suoh and Suoh was part of the Martelli Family and his Boss' son was the one who'd hurt him, then that meant that Gabriel was the bastard that had set him up. What happened to that guy if Don Martelli had believed Boo Boo? Was he still in the Family and in a position to hurt him again?

That wasn't important, Xanxus decided. What was important was to find out why Nori had been assigned a hit on him. If Vongola was the 'Family based in Italy' and the reason why his friend didn't want to contact him anymore, then--

"Gokudera's here to see you, Xanxus," Cici called a moment before the chimes of the doorbell went off. Xanxus froze for a moment, his gut screaming to him that he couldn't let the man know about his connection to Boo Boo. The timing was too suspicious and he didn't have enough information to work with yet.

"Cover the monitors," he snapped, shoving the letter deep into his back pocket along with the envelope that it'd come in. Cici acted quickly, throwing up screensavers on the monitors that were currently unused and putting up a half-finished game of solitaire over the main one. The files that he was examining got hidden away and saved for later perusal, leaving no sign that anyone could accidentally view. By the time Cici was finished and transferred her program over to the hoverbot that she called a body, there was no clues anywhere that he'd been doing activities that heralded back to his Mafia days.

"Coming," he called on his way to the door. He waited until Cici had his glass of scotch in one of her mechanical 'hands' and was almost to the sink before opening the door. Throwing it open, he did his best to put a smile of welcome on his face. He got visitors so rarely that it would be out of character for him to do otherwise. "Hayato!" He greeted in feigned surprise of the silver-haired man standing outside his door. "What brings you here? I hope you're not going to try to talk me into coming back again. We both know--"

"I'm not," he soothed quietly. "I just need a favor. Is it okay if we talk?"

"Sure," he agreed with eyes narrowing in instant suspicion. There were few things that he could be asked for when one wanted a favor.

Gesturing Gokudera inside, he tried not to feel out of place in his own home. It was hard, though. Gokudera was standing in the same suit and tie that he'd sported for so many years. In contrast, the blue jeans and oversized t-shirt that he had on made him feel like he'd been caught sleeping at noon. However, that was his normal attire now. There was no point in getting dressed up every morning since he rarely left his condo. He got enough sun from the line of windows across one wall and everything from his groceries to his Tai Chi fitness trainer were ordered off of the internet. They arrived at his door whenever he scheduled for them to come, which left things like walking outside as a pointless endeavor outside of rare occasions. What was the point of donning a suit when no one was going to see him?

"Do you want some coffee?" Xanxus offered as Gokudera took a seat in the middle of the living room couch.

"I'm fine," he replied with the soft, solemn tone that he'd adopted since Tsuna's death. Xanxus sat down in the leather armchair opposite of him and tried to think of what came next. White had drilled him on this. When people came over, he was supposed to invite them in. Then he was supposed to offer coffee. After that was pleasantries.

Screw pleasantries.

"What do you want?" Xanxus asked.

"As blunt as always, Xanxus," Gokudera said with a gentle smile. "I guess there's no beating around the bush with you. I was hoping to ask how you've been, but I guess that can wait. The truth is that we're in kind of a bind that only you can take care of for us. I won't go into boring details, but we need the contact information for one of your game subscribers."

"That's a first," he commented, restraining himself from directly asking the name. He had an idea of who they were wanting to contact, but asking would shut off any chance of getting more information about the situation. "Why would Hurricane Hayato himself be asking me for something like that?"

"You know how it is," he replied with a shrug. "We've got a line on someone that we need to speak to in person, but all we have to go by is an alias. It was just a lucky catch, but one of our intelligence people play your game in his spare time. He recognized the aliases we had to go by as a popular gaming pair. Forgive me if I've got the terminology wrong, but I was told that they have a big reputation as being 'uber...?' gamers."

"I see," he mumbled in thought. "If they were described like that, then you must be talking about Boo Boo and Foo Foo. Even I know about them."

"That's them," Gokudera confirmed with a hopeful look in his eyes. "It's good to know that the boys in intelligence weren't wrong."

"They've been my best subscribers for a long time now and have the highest ratings as characters to keep an eye out for," Xanxus offered so that it didn't seem like he was holding back with information. "Foo Foo was one of my first clients and Boo Boo joined back when I went global with it. I can't remember their guild name, but I can look it up if you need it."

"I just need the contact information for Foo Foo," Gokudera replied with a soothing gesture. It was a gesture that he froze in the middle of when Xanxus started shaking his head.

"It's no good," he sighed with his own empty-handed gesture. "I've tried tracking them down myself because I was curious about some of the requests they've put in for game additions. They both use fake addresses and their phone numbers are no good. I thought about canceling their accounts because I got pissed about it, but Cici made me let it go because she didn't want to upset the player base for screwing with such high-profile characters. As long as their credit cards work, I don't have a right to bitch."

"Can you at least give me the fake one?" Gokudera asked with a grimace. "It might give us a place to start looking."

"Cici...?" Xanxus prompted.

"Accessing," she replied, once more jacking her hoverbot into the computer bay that was set up for her. "Foo Foo's name.... Last name is Claus and first name is Santa. Address is 100 Candy Cane Lane, North--"

"No good," Gokudera groaned. "What about the credit card number? If nothing else, we can hack into the credit card companies to get the information."

"I'll print it out for you," Cici offered pleasantly.

"That'll probably be a dead end, too," Xanxus warned as he nonchalantly leaned onto the arm of his chair. He was smiling inside despite having such a serious look on his face. He always covered his tracks, even when it came down to the files on him for his own game. "A lot of my subscribers use those pay-as-you-go cards that you can buy in department stores. At most, you'll be able to get the city if you can track down where the card was sold."

"Don't underestimate us," Gokudera smiled. "If we have to, we'll carpet the city with our men once we have the location narrowed down. Someone will know who Foo Foo is."

"That's a lot of work to put in just to talk to someone," Xanxus commented. Getting up, he went over to the printer to retrieve the print-out of the information that Gokudera wanted. He knew for a fact that it'd be a dead end no matter how they tried to find out Foo Foo's identity. Xanxus planned to keep it that way until he had more information to work with. "Has Foo Foo done something to get on Hotaru's bad side?"

"Not really," he replied after accepting the sheet of paper that Xanxus handed him. "He's just a little bit of insurance in case we run into a problem in the future. We might not even need this guy. It all depends on how everything works out on the Eleventh's pet project. Right now, he's taking things slowly, but a report just came in of some developments that has the Eleventh becoming hesitant. There's a guy out there that actually has the balls to goad Hibari and this Foo Foo character might keep that guy in line if Hibari doesn't."

Numerous things ran through Xanxus' mind in instant unison.

Boo Boo was the target that Hibari had mentioned going to find in America?

Boo Boo had the balls to goad Hibari?

Vongola was actually considering the possibility that Boo Boo would beat Hibari?

What the hell?!

Was his little Boo Boo that strong?

"Xanxus...?" Gokudera asked with a raised eyebrow over Xanxus' blank expression.

"Sorry," he replied while rapidly blinking himself out of shock. "I was just trying to think of the type of person that Hibari couldn't put in line."

"I know what you mean," Gokudera laughed in understanding when Xanxus started escorting him to the door. "Like I said, we probably won't need this information. The Eleventh just wants to cover all bases. You know how it is. With how Toshi got put in jail, the Eleventh's been double and triple checking everything. It hasn't helped that he's going through puberty. His voice finally broke the other day and he's started to get over-emotional a lot."

"That sucks," Xanxus murmured in hopes that Gokudera would just leave. He always seemed to get talkative around the time that Xanxus wanted him out the door.

"Tell me about it," he smiled. "It makes me glad that he's got Gabriel around. That guy seems to always know the right things to say to calm him down. He's better than even Orinato, but that's just cause for another headache. There's talk that Gabriel should take over as Hotaru's Right Hand since he's older and has more experience, but I trained Orinato right. He's not going to give it up without a fight. Gabriel's a good guy and all, but there's some lines that shouldn't be crossed."

"Ah," Xanxus mumbled in dumbfounded shock over the name that he'd dropped. It couldn't be the same one. It was impossible. Vongola wasn't stupid enough to allow a rapist to even be in the same city as Hotaru, let alone keep company with him.

"I better go," Gokudera gasped when he looked down at his watch to see the time. "I've still got a few errands to run before I take this back to Cadenza."

"Tell the wife and kid that I said hello," Xanxus replied absently.

"I will," he promised in open pleasure for the comment. "Elario's old enough to come to the Christmas party this year, so I hope you can come."

"I'll think about it," he lied with absolutely no intention to show. Gokudera nodded in acceptance before finally heading out the door. Xanxus almost stopped him with a question about Gabriel, but he knew that it would be far too suspicious if his intuition was correct. He had to keep a low profile until he understood what was going on. He was too far out of the loop to ask directly. It would give away the fact that he had knowledge that he shouldn't. Closing the door after giving a final set of farewells, Xanxus took a moment to get his head on straight. As soon as he did, he locked the door and headed for his computer.

"Cici, run a bug scanner," he ordered as he slid into his chair. "That bastard always has lice."

"I've got a count of sixty and rising," she replied after a moment. "They're not LICE this time. It looks like they've been modified to spread through the building. I think they're FLEAS. Eww. The couch is covered with them and some are already in the carpet. Can I kill them?"

"Go for it," Xanxus grumbled. Every time. Every single time that bastard came over, the place was overrun with micro-surveillance equipment. It'd gotten bad enough that he'd installed EMP beam emitters into every available space. Within seconds, the living room was filled with a laser light show that made Xanxus want to smash something. If it weren't for the fact that both Cici and his computers were in shielded cases, he'd have his hard drives fried every time that he opened his door to someone.

"Extermination complete," Cici sighed as the last beam shut off. "I think I fried the stereo to get one, but the core computer systems are stable."

"Screw the stereo. We've got work to do. Delete character files and accounts for both me and Boo Boo," he commanded while he began doing his own research on the internet using Boo Boo's full name. "Contact Levi and Squalo and tell them to get their asses over here as soon as they can get free. Delete Angel and Jay's files while you're at it. Levi will forgive me and Squalo never liked playing anyway. If Pandora decides to hack us to see if we lied, I don't want to give her a path to work with. Transfer our guild, all of my contracts and all of my belongings to Cheesy before you kill me. He's unaffiliated and far enough disconnected from us that Gokudera won't be able to use him. He's also got enough brains to make use of everything. Is Lussuria back in town yet?"

"No," she replied as her avatar multiplied on the side screens to carry out all the tasks. "He's not due to arrive for another two days. He said that he'd be on assignment for a week. On top of that, Marmon is still AWOL and Belphegor is still under surveillance at the asylum."

"That bastard saw too much blood this time," Xanxus grimaced. "See if you can hack in and give him a message. Tell him that I said for him to get his ass under control. He's useless if he's in a dungeon. Send a message to Indigo Fog after that. Marmon's been in hiding long enough. Tell him that I have a job for him that pays fifty bucks an hour. Minimum contract time is two weeks with possibility of an extension. We can afford his fees and I don't want to contract someone who's going to sell me out. He'll keep his mouth shut as long as we pay him for silence on top of it. After that, wake Ginger up and tell him to put on coffee. Have him use the good shit this time. Then let him know that company's coming so that he can brush his hair."

"He's up already," Cici chuckled. "He jumped in the shower as soon as he heard the doorbell go off."

"Alright," he murmured as he started scanning an archived newspaper clipping. His Boo Boo was only mentioned in passing, but the article seemed to have something to do with a rise in volunteers for community service. "Compile everything you can about Boo Boo. I don't care how big or small it is. Just highlight where he's mentioned and toss it over to my screen."

"I'm on it," she responded with a strained note in her voice.

"How's your processor doing?" He asked as he started scanning the next page that he could find on his own. "Are you keeping up?"

"I'm fine, Cottontail," she replied in an obvious lie. Her avatar was sweating bullets to tell him that she was starting to get bogged down from the load he was putting on her. Xanxus shot her a crooked grin for the insult. She'd taken on far too much of his personality.

"Order yourself a processor upgrade and I'll install it," he offered. All of her duplicates shot him a look of undying gratitude in unison before returning to work. He grinned slightly at the expression. Cici never asked for anything and followed orders without any bullshit or unnecessary posturing. As a work partner, there was no one better. As a friend, he had to admit that he counted her as one. She was the only person that had the attitude and the balls to stand up to him while also completely accepting how he'd changed. Of course, she hadn't known him before and she was programmed to accept just about anything. She had grown beyond her initial programming, though. Her initial programming wouldn't have helped him lie to Vongola so easily. That was something that she'd chosen to do and therefore it was something that he rewarded.

Cici wasn't the only one that had grown in the past few years.

"Thanks for not blowing the whistle to Hayato about me being Foo Foo," Xanxus muttered almost inaudibly.

"Why would I?" She countered logically. "There's a ninety-seven point six one percent chance that it's Vongola's fault that Boo Boo doesn't want to talk to us anymore. That's even after I inflated the margin for error. I'm not like mom. I'm not loyal to Vongola. I'm only loyal to you, Xanxus, and I can alter that data at will."

"I know," he confirmed solemnly. "But the fact that you chose not to alter it counts for something. I don't have many friends that I can count on anymore. Not since..."

"Not since you lost your Flame," she supplied with her own voice turning quiet. "It it that big of a deal? You're still a strong person and you can do a lot of amazing things! So what if you can't use your X-Guns? You can still shoot better than half of those idiots working at Headquarters and--"

"And I can get my ass handed to me by half of them, too," he finished for her. His hands fell to a stop on his keyboard while he once more came to terms with reality. That was the real reason that he'd retired. When he'd returned from America the last time, he hadn't had the capacity for emotion that he used to. His heart had simply taken too much of a beating. There was neither enough rage in him or enough caring for him to bring out his Flame anymore. He'd tried even sleeping with a Dying Will Bullet in his hand to see if he could get it to charge, but there'd been nothing. The outcome had been pathetic. The Family as a whole had decided that it would be better for it to be kept secret and for him to simply retire before Vongola's reputation was harmed by the strongest assassin becoming as weak as a regular hitman with a pistol.

On occasion, Cici got him riled up enough that he got use of it back. The only problem was that it wasn't reliable. It kept disappearing as soon as he noticed it. He'd learned to live without it, but there were those that didn't accept what he couldn't change. Squalo hated him because of his weakness. Lussuria pitied him. Levi was a devoted idiot that would serve him regardless while Bel taunted him over it. Marmon was the only one who'd seemed somewhat happy with it, but that was only because Xanxus had started making a fortune off of his hobby when he found himself with nothing else to do with his days.

It was because of his Flame that Boo Boo was so important to him. He hadn't told anyone, but the instances where his Flame appeared had increased. They increased so much that there was one moment of every day that he could see it and feel it again.

_Your teddy-bear,_

_Boo Boo_

He'd _owed _Boo Boo for signing his letters like that. He'd done much more than blush. He'd cried for the first time in years when his Flame had come out at the first one. How long had it been since he'd seen how it burned without Rage fueling it? His memories of Tsuna had allowed him to bring it out long enough to teach Hotaru, but time had blurred those memories until he hadn't been able to do it anymore. Because of Boo Boo, he could remember those feelings again. With every letter that had come, he'd felt like he'd got closer and closer to regaining his lost strength.

Vongola could go to hell. He and Boo Boo were alike. They'd shared the same pains and the same hells. He knew that Boo Boo cared about him. Even though he'd admitted that he'd become a retired middle-aged couch potato, Boo Boo had always sent words of support. Even when he'd taken Cici's suggestion for Tai Chi, Boo Boo hadn't made fun of him like Squalo had. Boo Boo had encouraged him and made him believe in himself again. He didn't need a Flame to be strong. Boo Boo didn't have a Flame and he was apparently a match for Hibari. All it took was willpower and he'd been lacking that for far too long. He had Boo Boo to thank for helping him to rebuild it.

"Squalo wants to know if you're still a spineless jellyfish," Cici interjected quietly into his introspection. "How should I respond?"

"Tell him that I still don't have my Flame," he answered in acceptance of Squalo's insult. "Let him know that I'm working on something that I might need his help on."

"He says to call him back when you're not barking without any bite to back it up," she replied after a few moments. "He hung up. Levi says that he'll try to come, but his schedule is tight. They're sending him out on a recon mission and he's on his way to be briefed."

"Tell him not to bother since he's busy," Xanxus murmured. "What about Marmon?"

"Indigo Fog says that he'll do it if you throw in ten thousand PL an hour to his character and his own island," she responded.

"Tell him five thousand and his island can't be bigger than mine."

"He agreed."

"Have him here at five in the morning to be briefed," Xanxus sighed in the knowledge that Marmon would arrive late no matter what time he set. "Set up a modified clone of yourself to help him build his damn island while he's here. I don't want him screwing up the game by trying to program it himself. Set up illusion input optics in the living room so that your duplicate can see what he wants. He's going to be here a while, so we might as well prepare so that he doesn't fuck anything important up. You know the drill for lockdown. I need you to put up DERBY to protect the system and be the butler while Marmon's staying here. Also, let Ginger know that company's not coming after all, but we're going out."

"What are you planning?" Cici asked curiously when he stood and headed for the bedroom.

"The first thing we're going to do is to go get information since those assholes aren't going to show," he answered. Stripping off his clothes and tossing them on his bed for either Cici or Ginger to pick up, he headed for the bathroom to take a shower. Along the way, Cici showed the position that she was monitoring from by the red light running along the strip inset into the upper section of the walls. He barely glanced at it anymore. He was too used to having Cici at his side at all times. She, more than Levi or anyone else, was his Right Hand now. In a way, he'd been reborn when he'd been abandoned by the Family. Everyone did their posturing and their posing, but Cici was one of the few that actually lived up to her words. "Get me a suit out of the back of the closet when you get a chance," he called over the shower's hot spray. "I'm going to try White for information first, so we'll be going down to Mafia Row. Dig my X-Guns out of the storage case under the bed, too. I might have to bluff again."

"Why are you asking Marmon to come, though?" Cici asked with her voice being emitted from one of the intercom speakers built into every room.

"Why do you think?" Xanxus growled. "Vongola would get suspicious if I just disappeared. Marmon's going to play cover with his illusions while we go take a trip to America."

"We're going to go meet Boo Boo?!" Cici squealed with her hoverbot zooming in to fly in excited circles above his shower.

"Keep it down," he ordered with a smile for her enthusiasm. "We're not going to meet with him. I just want to go scope out the situation over there in person. I figure two weeks is enough to figure everything out and we'll decide from there. Do what you can about getting us smuggled by the fastest boat you can manage. We're too likely to get seen if we go by plane and I want this kept as quiet as possible. Find some way so that Ginger can come, too. If we decide to stay longer than two weeks, I don't want him left alone with Marmon. Knowing that bastard, he'd sell Ginger as soon as he could catch him."

"Understood," she called before zipping back into the bedroom to start fulfilling Xanxus' orders. "I'll transfer the files that I've found so far on Boo Boo to your computer contacts so that you can look over them while you're on the move. I'll also set up the hologram so that Marmon has a base to use in case someone comes in with anti-illusion optics in place. He'll only have to add mass so that the hologram doesn't get discovered and I'm better at pretending to be you than he is."

"Fine," he agreed. "Just don't turn it on until we're gone. You know that holograms fuck with my eyes."

"That's only because you're too conscious about the fact that they're holograms," Cici chuckled from the bedroom. "You can't even feel the lasers. You just don't like knowing that something you can't see is affecting your vision. With your contacts, you know why you're seeing what you're seeing. With the laser input for holograms, you can't locate the source."

"If I wanted an image beamed directly into my head, I'd go sign up for brainwashing," he grumbled. "Latest technological breakthrough or not, I'm not about to agree to let someone else decide what I'm going to look at."

"This trip to America should make you happy, then," Cici called. "From what I hear, they don't even have computer contacts yet, let alone holograms."

"The only reason we even have them is because Yuki sends me all the good shit that Gianninni comes up with in R&D," he replied as he finished soaping up. Turning the temperature of the water up even more, he let the water rinse away his stress along with the soap. He felt like he was moving too fast for his body to keep up. It was like his mind kept running into a blank wall and had to wait for him to come panting along in its wake. Once he picked it back up, it started charging again before he really got sense of anything. He was moving by mostly intuition. He knew that his goal was to protect Boo Boo, but he wasn't processing any of the steps that he was taking before he actually moved. He was saving all of his thinking for once he was on the boat to America.

It took him a moment to recognize the rush. It was the same rush he used to get while he was working the really good jobs. Charging in head-first and staying on his toes. Making decisions that meant life or death without giving a damn about the consequences. It was a shadow of the hitman that he'd left behind himself and it felt damned good to feel this way again.

Boo Boo. It was all thanks to his Boo Boo. He had dozens of questions he wanted to ask now that he knew Boo Boo was Suoh, but none of them mattered as much as the questions that Xanxus asked himself. Why Suoh had left the hotel that night didn't matter. Who Suoh had married didn't matter. What blood disease that Suoh had didn't matter. Why he'd changed his name didn't matter. Instead of asking questions about what Suoh hadn't told him, he asked two different ones.

Had Suoh ever lied to him? Xanxus didn't think so. He hadn't told every single detail about himself, but he'd told as much truth about himself as Xanxus had.

Was Suoh worth turning traitor over? Yes. The name didn't matter. Suoh. Lazarus. Boo Boo. Xanxus would go to hell and back if that's what he wanted. It wasn't like he had anything else to live for.

* * *

"What are you looking at?" Ginger barked angrily at all the gawkers on the subway. Without thinking twice about it, Xanxus slammed his fist down into the two-tailed tanuki's muzzle. It was bad enough that the beast was as big as a mountain cat without getting more attention by talking. He'd still been small when he'd been given into Xanxus' keeping along with numerous items that had belonged to Tsuna. At first, Xanxus had hated the half-raccoon, half-wolf. Then he'd figured out that he was actually pretty easy to get along with. Ginger did his own shopping online and could use a keyboard almost as well as Xanxus could thanks to his smart 'hands'. At the moment, he was walking on all fours in the imitation of a mutant dog, but he had trained himself to walk erect while in company that wouldn't question such a strange creature.

"Don't talk in public," Xanxus growled as they entered the end car of the subway. Ginger's eye twitched in anger, but he didn't argue while Xanxus started removing the useless leash attached to his collar. They both knew that attracting attention to the subway was the worst possible thing that they could do. If people started showing up to see the freak dog, their access to Venice Row could be revoked.

The talking had been a joke at first. Even though he'd been told that Ginger had a mind as bright as a human's, he hadn't believed it. When Ginger had first started barking small words and short phrases, Xanxus had put it off as the same thing that some normal dogs were sometimes trained to do. When Ginger had taught himself enough to actually hold simple conversations, Xanxus had been forced to admit that the beast was equal in intelligence to other people. When Ginger had shown that he had the balls, claws, and fortitude to bitch at Xanxus about stealing all the hot water, Xanxus had finally admitted that he was a complete equal. The bastard was smart and he trained in his room more than Xanxus did. Several of the upgrades to Grey City had been at Ginger's suggestion and he could floor Xanxus three times out of four.

As far as roommates went, Ginger was odd. He was quiet and kept to himself most of the time. He never complained and he took care of himself. By necessity, he couldn't go outside without Xanxus holding his leash. The one time that he'd tried to go get himself some toilet paper at the market, using a trench coat and accessories to cover himself, he'd been caught by the first kid that had noticed his feet. Hands could be shoved in pockets, but there wasn't a shoe in the world that could fit Ginger. The resulting mess had been a headache for everyone around.

Thankfully, Ginger was fond enough of his luxuries that he preferred to stay inside. When he felt like going out, Venice Row was the typical location to go to. There were gawkers even there, but Xanxus' reputation was enough that no one tried chasing Ginger down. He and Ginger could have a few drinks and go shopping in person before returning back into voluntary seclusion. The favorite thing lately was shopping for Boo Boo.

Xanxus had known simply from his generic computer setup that Boo Boo wasn't used to having money or luxury. Finding things that they could waste money on without letting Boo Boo know the expense was their favorite game. The fudge had been Ginger's win. It was four hundred dollars a box and Boo Boo didn't even know that he was being spoiled so outrageously. If he had, there was no way that he would have been so shameless in asking for more. That's what made it even more fun, though. Considering he had billions in his bank account thanks to Grey City's legitimate subscription fees, money wasn't something that he had to worry about.

"Can I come out now?" Cici grumbled from under the tail of his trench coat.

"We're detached," Ginger called while peeking out the curtain over the windows at the front of the subway car.

"Come on out," he sighed. Cici's hoverbot came out of hiding, but not before sending a shock through his rear that made him jump a foot in the air. "What was that for?!" He roared.

"That's for hitting Ginger," she replied before going over to hover around Ginger's head. "How's your muzzle? That was cruel of him. He knows how sensitive you are there."

"It felt like a mosquito bite," Ginger scoffed with a toothy grin. Xanxus glared while trying to ignore how Ginger had to over exaggerate his lip movements to get the words out correctly. Every word seemed to be filled with teeth that made even Xanxus pause at times. "That's why they all want Xanxus to go back to work. They want to show the new recruits what not to do."

"Keep it up, fur ball," he growled. "I can just leave you here to play with Marmon if you piss me off."

"That's not fair!" He exclaimed with an instant whine. "I want to meet Boo Boo, too!"

"Quiet," he snapped, glaring up at the camera in the corner of the car. "Don't use that name or you'll blow our cover."

"But I want to meet him, too," Ginger rephrased instantly.

"I told you that we're not meeting with him," Xanxus replied as the subway car finally came to a stop and the doors opened up. "We're just going to do a little spying after we get a better idea of the situation we're walking into." Leading the way, he headed off the car and onto the station platform. Venice Row hadn't changed any since its creation. Shop names and merchandise might rotate out, but the basic structure was unaltered. It was the longest-standing underground city that the Mafia had built. It'd lasted even longer than Mafia Row had. As such, it was a testament to Tsuna's foresight and organization abilities. Bosses from both sides agreed that it was Tsuna's modifications to the construction plans that kept it such a secure secret. He'd been a workaholic who'd always went over every detail two and three times. Because of him, the Mafia as a whole was able to deal and work more peacefully than ever before.

Because of Tsuna, Vongola hadn't seen serious warfare or a death since his. Few understood the importance of the fact, even though they gave thanks for it. Most people chalked it up to the Mafia's code for being merciful toward children and Hotaru's status as a child. Xanxus knew better. To Vongola's rivals, Hotaru had stopped being a child from the moment that he donned the Boss' ring. It was all the preparation and work that Tsuna had put in during his final years that was keeping Vongola safe. Even though Tsuna was gone, his work lived on. Even in death, he was protecting his Family.

He'd always been an idiot like that.

"Don't get maudlin, Xanxus," Ginger barked when he started to lag behind. "_He _needs us."

"I know," Xanxus agreed with a slight shake of his head to dissipate the quiet air that had settled around him. Ginger was right. Boo Boo needed them. He couldn't do anything to help Tsuna anymore, but he could still protect someone that was almost as important. The question was how to do that without destroying everything that Tsuna had worked so hard to achieve.

Straightening his shoulders, he headed down the avenue with the fragments of his dignity gathered up as much as he could. He ignored the knowing smirks of Vongola and the curious, open glances of other Families. People moved out of his way while he kept to his purposeful stride and he ignored the fact that they moved to let a freak show through instead of fearfully scattering so that he didn't kill them. He was a laughingstock and he knew it. It angered him, but he'd learned to accept it too much. It wasn't enough to push him over into Rage so that he could teach some manners. The last time that he'd tried without his Flame, Ginger had ended up saving him. The result had been that he hadn't shown his face for three solid months and had attempted suicide twice during that time.

He'd lost. For him, that was the lowest point that he'd ever sank to. He was still trying to recover from the defeat and everyone knew it.

"What the fuck are you smiling at, asshole?" Ginger snarled at one man who dared to grin openly while they passed. The smile faded when his vision was filled with Ginger's teeth.

"Don't, Ginger!" Cici exclaimed as she flew between them. "You now that this is neutral territory. No fighting allowed!"

"Che," Ginger spat. Growling in the manner that only a canine could, he gave a sharp, angry bark that made numerous onlookers jerk. Xanxus merely waited for him, letting him get his kicks however he pleased. The jerk deserved it. If it had been Xanxus, he would have given him a handshake from hell. Assuming he could get his Flame to answer him, of course.

He'd never been so relieved to see a goal in his life when they finally reached Pink's Bar. Although, his welcome was a little more zealous than he would have wanted. Not that he had any complaints. Pink had the better taste in women than a lot of guys did and every single one of them had lips that said hello without ever saying a word. The world became narrowed to lips, tits, and ass while the surge of females guided him to the bar. Predictably, by the time he actually made it to where he needed to go, most of the girls had finished their hellos and were surging around Ginger to pet him. Ginger was more a favorite than Xanxus was!

"Holy hell," Pink exclaimed when he finally collapsed onto a barstool. "If it isn't Xanxus himself! This deserves a round of drinks!"

"Just water," he replied with a small smile. Pink's jaw dropped in shock and Xanxus had to reach out to stop her from wasting a whole bottle of V Special that she was trying to fit into a single shot glass. "I stopped drinking," he explained quietly. "I never touch more than a glass of scotch anymore and that's just for taste."

"No wonder you haven't stopped by in so long," Pink said as she set the bottle back down on the bar and began slowly making a glass of ice water. "I thought it was odd that you stopped coming to your sessions with White."

"She comes to me now," Xanxus replied easily. "I needed to talk to her out of my normal schedule. Is she around?"

"No," she grimaced. "Hotaru called and asked her to intervene down in Japan. Seems that Yamamoto and Matsu had another argument. It looks messy this time."

"Shit," he spat. "When is she due back?"

"Not for another week," Pink replied, leaning on the counter to talk more confidentially. There were only two patrons in the bar, but Xanxus knew that the staff was just as dangerous as customers could be. "Is it anything I can help on? You know I'll be more than happy to throw you some bones for old times' sake. I can't count the number of times that _he _helped me out and I'd honestly rather help you than try paying it back through someone else. Hotaru might be his son, but he didn't get any of his father's personality."

"Maybe," he relented with a glance around to ensure that all the girls were occupied with Ginger. "The truth is that I've been left out of the loop for a while now. I'm looking for any information that I can get about Vongola's American dealings."

"Are you talking about with Nubo or Deter?" Pink asked curiously.

"Neither," he corrected with a small grimace for the glances that some of the girls were shooting him for his hushed tone. "Can we go somewhere private to talk? This is a little too open for my tastes."

"Do you care if I bring Red and Blue?" She countered after a moment of quick thought. Xanxus took a moment in deciding for himself before nodding in agreement. Red and Blue were both smart women. If Pink didn't have the information that he needed, then it was possible that one of them did. Beyond that, those two girls were the only women other than White that stopped by to visit him regularly. He trusted them. They'd seen him in some of his most pathetic moments and hadn't said a word to anyone about it. They weren't exactly friends, but they were more than just paid whores.

Pink left the bar to Green and waved for Blue and Red to escort Ginger upstairs. It was slightly disgusting to see the amount of disappointed faces that resulted. It never ceased to amaze him that Ginger was a favorite despite the fact that he wasn't even human. Apparently, being able to walk and talk made him human enough to attract damn near ever girl in the place. He just hoped like hell that they wanted to sleep with Ginger for the story rather than out of actual attraction. If not, he didn't want to know what the girls' qualifications were to making someone their favorite.

"Put your dick away before I decide to get you neutered," Xanxus growled once they were in the stairwell leading upstairs. Ginger's ears flattened on his head and he whimpered at the threat. It was effective, though. The tender digit that had begun poking out of his fur disappeared once more, leaving him as fully hidden as was possible without giving him a pair of pants to wear. Ginger's arms fell from both Red and Blue's shoulders as he fell to all fours as an extra measure of protection, leaving both girls pouting in disappointment.

"It's your own fault," Cici admonished. "You wouldn't like it if Xanxus unbuttoned his pants and started showing off."

"We might," Red and Blue exclaimed in giggling unison.

"Put a sock in it," Cici grumbled. Xanxus ignored them while they continued to playfully bicker amongst themselves. He didn't waste a second of time for anyone. While he silently followed in Pink's wake, he was multitasking as fast as he could. The contacts in his eyes and the sensors built into his gloves allowed him to access file after file with a twitch of his fingers. The image was overlaid on top of his surroundings and the built-in interface moved the windows into the sides of his vision so that he could see where he was going while he read.

Six more pages on community work projects that Boo Boo had a hand in. Three pages on a mystery man called 'Lazarus' who'd come back from the dead and was terrifying street gangs. There was an obituary that made Xanxus pause. It named his Boo Boo as one of the only surviving kin. The trouble was that the article named Boo Boo as one of the man's sons instead of his husband. Either Boo Boo's husband was a different Joshua or there was one more question to add to the list.

"Alright, Xanxus," Pink interjected as they took a seat around a private booth's table. Red and Blue started shutting the curtains without even needing to be told. When Pink went up to a booth, it was never for a pleasure visit. "I'm listening. What have you gotten mixed up in this time? Did Hotaru do something to piss you off again?"

"Maybe," he answered quietly. Pink lurched to attention at the answer and even Red and Blue gaped in surprise. On the other hand, Ginger laid down at his feet in acceptance of what he had planned and Cici floated into his lap. They both knew and they both had his back. The support was fragile, but it was enough for him to move forward. "It depends on what kind of answer you give me."

"Do I want to know about this?" She asked in concern.

"Probably not," he admitted. "But you know that I wouldn't be here if I had any other options."

"I don't mind giving you information," Pink murmured in thought. "But I don't really understand why you're coming to me. Hell, you're even asking instead of demanding. What's going on?"

"How much do you know about my situation?" Xanxus asked solemnly with his hands resting on Cici's casing to keep himself calm.

"Not a lot," she admitted with a suspicious look on her face. "I know that you retired, but it was kind of sudden in my opinion. There were rumors that you were broken, but you know that I don't believe unsubstantiated gossip. You were already seeing White long before the rumors started and you were still working just fine. After that, I didn't hear anything from you. You started getting quiet when you came in with Ginger and then you stopped showing up here at all. The girls would sometimes bring me word that they'd seen you out shopping, but that's about it.".

"I'm more than just retired," he replied with his eyes locked on Cici. This was the part that he hated, but was also the part that he couldn't deny. "The rumors are true. I don't have my Flame anymore and the Family left me to rot in the gutter. They don't deny me anything because they want to keep me from getting angry, but they go out of their way to ensure that I don't ask for anything. I've been cut out of the loop and even Squalo won't help me this time."

"You're the only option we have left before we head down to the streets and start fucking up people down there to get answers," Ginger added. "That would kind of blow our cover, so I hope that you'll help us, Pink. This is kind of important to all three of us."

"We have to know what's going on!" Cici exclaimed with her own plea. "Vongola's targeting Boo Boo and we don't know why!"

"Boo Boo...?" All three girls asked with raised eyebrows. Cici squeaked slightly with her hoverbot shifting worriedly in Xanxus' lap in a way that seemed to question how Xanxus was going to react to the slip.

"It's okay," he soothed. "We were going to tell them. You're just jumping a little ahead. Just do me a favor and slow your processors down. We can't afford to slip like that."

"I think I need a drink," Pink gaped in open amazement. "Blue...?" Blue nodded and headed for the door, knowing everyone's usual order. More than likely, she'd return with a V Special for Xanxus, but that would only end up going down Ginger's gullet. "Okay. Start from the beginning. Who's Boo Boo?"

"A friend," Xanxus answered calmly. "Just saying that name is enough to be on Vongola's radar, so don't mention it outside of here. Have you heard of a game called Grey City?"

"Yes," Pink answered with a short nod of acceptance for Xanxus' warning and a raised eyebrow for the seemingly off-topic question. "I have two accounts and half of my girls play. Hell, most of my clients play it."

"I have a strength level fourteen legal runaway and Blue has a level twelve illegal aristocrat," Red offered from her quiet seat at the table.

"Grey City is ours," he replied with a small smile. "Cici does most of the work, but me and Ginger give her most of the direction for what we want. It started as just a way to pass the time because I was eating through games too fast. We decided to release it locally when it got boring just playing by myself and it caught on. Before we knew it, we were going global with it."

"Get the hell out of here," Pink gasped in disbelief. "_You're _the recluse billionaire that owns the game?! No wonder you always refused interviews!"

"I'd lose half of my customers if they knew a Vongola was behind the game," Xanxus replied with an even bigger smile for the reaction. It felt strangely nice to be recognized for their achievements, even if those achievements were outside the scope of his old work. "When it went global was when I met Boo Boo. I--"

"Wait," Red exclaimed with a shake of her head as Blue returned with the drinks. Unsurprisingly, Ginger reached out to take a glass of V Special before Blue could even set it down in front of him. The tanuki was a damn heavy-weight when it came to liquor. He could match Xanxus shot for shot, which had led to some interesting times before he'd stopped drinking. "So, when you say Boo Boo, you're talking about Grey City's Boo Boo?"

"Yup," Ginger answered around throwing the whole glass of liquor down his throat. "Xanxus is Foo Foo and Boo Boo is our friend."

"So, you're looking for information about Boo Boo," Pink said slowly.

"No," he corrected with a shake of his head. "I know enough about Boo Boo. We've been exchanging letters ever since he went to prison."

"Show him Boo Boo's letter," Cici suggested quietly. Xanxus nodded in agreement and shifted to pull Boo Boo's last letter out of his back pocket.

"That came for me today," he explained as he handed it over. "Boo Boo's always been picky about his privacy, so we never did any background checks or anything on him. I didn't want to scare him off by knowing stuff that I shouldn't. When we got that, Cici started hacking. We found a video file in the prison security system that showed the event he mentions about being stabbed. Nori was the hitman, Pink. Boo Boo's paranoia wasn't far off the mark, either. Gokudera Hayato showed up at my door this morning to get Foo Foo's contact information."

"What did you tell him?" Pink asked while her eyes went wide over the contents of the letter. Red and Blue both leaned over to read over her shoulder with expressions that seemed as surprised as Pink was.

"We told him the truth," Cici chuckled maliciously. "Foo Foo's registered name is Santa Claus and his address is completely bogus. We gave them a dead end. He didn't volunteer any information to Xanxus, so we didn't volunteer any, either."

"Pink..." Blue hissed.

"I know," she snapped with a suddenly frustrated look on her face when she handed the letter back. Xanxus raised an eyebrow in askance, waiting for her to explain herself. "It can't be coincidence. There's only one Lazarus I know that the Vongola are currently targeting."

"It's the Sixth," Red agreed with a small, worried glance at Xanxus.

"It might not be him," Blue objected with her arms folded across her chest to ward off the sudden chill that entered the room. "Someone else could have started using the Lazarus name to scare people."

"What's his name, Xanxus?" Pink asked bluntly. "His full name."

"Suoh Lazarus Timberson. I think that he's part of the Martelli Family," he answered in curiosity for their reactions. They looked like he'd just said the name of the devil, which didn't line up at all with what he knew of Boo Boo. "You know something," he stated without even a hint of a question in his voice.

"Ah," Pink confirmed. "I know a lot more than I want to. You've trusted me, so I guess it's time to repay that. You couldn't have come to a better place if you want to know about the Martelli Family, Xanxus. I can tell you every detail about what's going on and I can tell you exactly why Vongola is targeting Lazarus."

"You can?" He said in surprise. Even Ginger gaped at the bold statement. It was one thing for her to say that she could give him all the rumors that she had, but it was another for her to act like she had inside information.

"Yes," she nodded. "The fact is that I'm a Martelli and so are Red and Blue. We're double agents working inside other Families. Of course, I'll have to kill you if you repeat that. I'm already taking a huge risk by just letting you know that we're affiliated with the Family. If you went running back to Vongola with the information--"

"Fuck Vongola," he snapped with fires burning in his eyes. Jumping to his feet with Ginger and Cici beside him, he got straight to one issue that mattered the most. "Just tell me about Boo Boo. Is he okay? Have you gotten any word from him? That letter is three days old and he collapsed at the end of the video feed that we--"

"He's fine," Pink answered breathlessly while she stared up at the three of them in shock. He wanted to snarl over her surprise, but he had other things to worry about. Things like snapping her out of it so that he could get some damn answers.

"Give me more than just a 'he's fine'," Xanxus growled with a fist pounding into the table. "How's his stab wound? Did they get him to a hospital in time? Who's assigned to watch over him? Is--" Xanxus broke off at the snort of laughter that Red tried to cover. It was laughter that seemed to spread as both Blue and Pink finally seemed to get over their surprise.

"You don't know him as well as you think you do," Pink teased with a sparkle of amusement dancing in her eyes. "Lazarus is strong. A little thing like a pencil isn't enough to stop him. Not anymore. Uncle Paolo couldn't give me any details, but Lazarus is already on his feet and fully healed. Let me tell you something else that Uncle Paolo told me. About a year and a half ago, Lazarus was beaten to death. Less than an hour after walking into the emergency room, he was walking out with only an eye missing. He didn't have a scratch on him. Afterward, in a night that has went down in Martelli Family history, Lazarus brought over eighty percent of the city's gangs under his control."

"What...?" Xanxus asked as he slowly sat back down. "I remember him telling me about when he lost his eye, but he never mentioned anything about being beaten to death."

"That's not surprising," she smirked. "He gets enough attention without adding 'freak show' on top of it. He's famous in the local underworld. If he wasn't so shy, he'd probably be famous even here. I've never met him, but rumors make him into the strongest Sixth in the history of the Family."

"Sixth...?" Xanxus repeated dumbly. Pink smiled and refilled his glass from the bottle of V Special that Blue had brought up. Setting it firmly down in front of Xanxus, she gave Ginger a look that dared him to steal it.

"You're going to need that," she sighed. "If you've been kept out of the loop, then you're about to have your world turned upside down. I don't know what Lazarus has told you about himself, but I'll tell you everything that I know. If you really care about him, then you're not going to be happy when I tell you why he's being targeted."

"Tell me. Tell me everything."

* * *

"Xanxus!" Cici shrieked as she zoomed overhead while she chased him down the avenue. "Calm down!" He snarled, throwing Ginger into the water-filled channel to get the beast off of him. Rage. Overpowering rage was flowing through him again. He was going to kill that bastard Gabriel as soon as he found him.

Pink had told him everything. She'd told him about the Martelli Family's protective abilities. She'd told him the truth about what had happened to Lazarus at the hands of Gabriel. She told him Suoh's history and how he'd suffered silently for so long. She told him how Gabriel had lied through his teeth to the Hotaru and had gotten sanctuary from Vongola. She told him that the bastard was using Vongola to gain revenge for his punishment. The only thing she couldn't tell him was why? Why had Hotaru believed him?! The boy's hyper-intuition was good enough to see through a gutless piece of shit like Gabriel Martelli! Why was Hotaru sheltering such vile scum?! Why was he helping him and why did his precious Boo Boo have to continue suffering because of Gabriel's handiwork?!

Unlike before, people scattered out of his way in fear. Cell phones flashed into life practically everywhere that he looked, but his attention was on far more important things. Things like how many bullets he could put in Gabriel without killing him immediately. Things like how many bones he could break before he died. Things like--

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Ryohei asked, stepping out from the alcove that he'd been apparently waiting in. Xanxus paused, his eyes narrowing in on the immaculately kept boxer. He wasn't fooled by the quiet, non-aggressive stance and spotless suit. Ryohei had taken Xanxus' spot as Vongola's most deadly assassin in the past few years. When he'd returned from his run of solitary missions, both him and the white and gold tanuki that stepped out beside him had become sickeningly strong. He could kill a man before anyone saw his hands leave his pockets and the beast beside him currently held the title of Champion in the underground arena.

"Get out of my way," Xanxus growled. "My business isn't with you."

"Of course not," he agreed calmly. "Your business is with the Tsuna clone hiding in America. Am I wrong, Xanxus? Or should I call you Foo Foo?"

"How?" He asked simply while he started fingering his X-guns. He tried to think fast, but the options were limited. All he had was himself, Cici, and Ginger. The area was swiftly becoming deserted and Ginger had swam out of the canal in order to stand at his side. He looked pissed over being dunked, but he looked even more pissed at the man and the tanuki barring their way.

"Give me a break, Xanxus," Ryohei smiled with his unnerving combination of suppressed energy and quiet. "Don't tell me that you thought you were actually free. We see your mail before you do. Do you know that Hayato actually spoke up for you when Nori returned with the report? He said that you were different and that you deserved a chance to tell the truth on your own. Once a traitor, always a traitor, though."

"Why couldn't you be honest, Xanxus?" A voice asked quietly from behind him. Xanxus turned his head just enough to identify Gokudera stepping out from a store front behind him before returning his attention to the greater threat of Ryohei. Ginger could handle Gokudera. Hopefully.

"Give me one good reason that I should have," he answered angrily. "All of you trash have been lying to me for the past two years. You let me believe that he was dead!"

"We thought it would be best for you," Gokudera replied smoothly. "You were unstable because of--"

"Bullshit!" He spat. "You kept your mouth shut because you knew that you could control me that way!"

"There's better places to discuss this, Xanxus," Ryohei replied with a dangerous step forward. It was the step that triggered Xanxus to pull out his X-Guns. It was the step that caused Ginger to extend his claws. It was the step that made Cici expose the four nodes around her midsection that made up her electrical discharge systems. "Put the guns down, Xanxus," Ryohei ordered with another careless step forward. "You know that they're useless. Tell your friends to stand down. There's no sense in--"

Ryohei broke off with bulging eyes at the first charge Xanxus sent into his X-Guns.

"You should know better than to piss me off," he said with only his eyes and his guns betraying the cold rage that penetrated his core. "Now get the fuck out of my way."

"Let him go, Ryohei," Gokudera ordered. "If he's not going to come willingly, we can't fight it out here. There's the truce to think about."

"Alright," he agreed with a smile. Xanxus glanced between them suspiciously, but didn't hesitate when Ryohei and his tanuki stepped out of the way. There were far more important things to think of than the two men's motivation. All that was important was that they didn't make any suspicious movements while he, Ginger, and Cici slipped past.

All three of them stayed silent as they rushed down the streets. Talk could come later, after the current crisis was dealt with. He had the faint idea that the Vendiche watching over the exit platform was glaring at him from beneath his bandages, but the man didn't speak a word. Nothing but words had been exchanged and it wasn't the Vendiche's place to punish every threatening word that was spoken. The fact that he didn't move told Xanxus that Hotaru hadn't went so far as to mark him as a traitor yet.

Yet.

He still had time and freedom. The secrecy of his plans had gone to hell, but it was better that he find out such things before he put Boo Boo in more danger. Then his hopes of making a clean getaway were destroyed when not only Ryohei and Tan stepped onto the subway car before the doors could close, but so did Gokudera.

"Don't be an idiot, Xanxus," Gokudera murmured as the doors slid shut and the car began to move. "We've got men waiting on you at every stop. Why don't you just come peacefully? The Eleventh will hear you out fairly. You didn't know that the guy you were communicating with was--"

"Did you have fun reading my letters?" He snarled with the cold rage in him only building greater. "I bet you got a real kick out of the last one he sent. Isn't that why you chose today to come?"

"Can you blame us for reading them?" Gokudera countered logically. "There's a lot of information in those that you were too blind to see. He's been playing you for a fool and you've taking his bait. I'm sure that you went to Pink for information. Did she happen to tell you why the Martelli Family is harboring a clone of Tsuna?" Xanxus paused at the unexpected drop of information. Pink hadn't mentioned anything about him being a clone. She'd only said that he'd shown up as a impersonator. His hesitation didn't go unnoticed. "Don't tell me that you didn't figure that part out, Xanxus! Body modification can only go so far! This is exactly the reason we didn't want to let you know that he was alive! If he were to tell you that he really was Tsuna, you'd probably fall for it! The Martelli Family is using you, Xanxus! This is exactly what Gabriel warned us would happen! He said that Suoh would try to trade off of how he looks! He's done so in the past and that would be his first tactic when confronted with the Vongola Family!"

"You're wrong!" Cici exclaimed while Xanxus found himself suddenly frozen in indecision. "Boo Boo's not like that! He's always been honest! He told me from the start that he looked like Black X, but that he'd given up on the impersonation business! If I'd known that it was Suoh, I would have told Xanxus sooner!"

"He has no reason to lie to us," Ginger added in fierce denial of Gokudera's words. "Gabriel's the one that's lying. He set Xanxus up to take the fall for--"

"You weren't the only one that got set up!" Gokudera snarled in exasperation with his eyes still locked on only Xanxus. "Gabriel's a victim, too! When they couldn't pin it on you, they tried to pin it on him! He's been working more with his sister Autumn to seize control of the Martelli Family since the beginning! They've succeeded, too! Gabriel's been shunned by his own Family on the word of a clone! That bastard's plan has been to get Autumn in place as heir then marry into the position of Boss!"

"That's a lie," Ginger growled. "Don't believe him, Xanxus. We were already warned that Gabriel has the voice of a snake."

"Stay out of this, Ginger," Tan barked. Ginger let out another growl in return with his auburn coat of hair seeming to stand on end. It became a growling match between the two that neither Xanxus or Ryohei did anything to stop.

"Xanxus..." Cici murmured worriedly, zipping down to hover next to his face. "You can't doubt Boo Boo. He wouldn't do what they're saying he would." Xanxus looked up and simply stared at her, unable to get beyond the fact that he was a clone. Having met Suoh, the fact that he was a clone seemed undeniable. He remembered the time with him too vividly. It'd felt like he was with Tsuna again. The warmth... Had that been Tsuna's warmth that he had imagined or a genuine facsimile of it? Was that why he'd been drawn to him? Was it not Boo Boo that he cared about, but the shadow of Tsuna that was in him?

Ginger broke off his growling when Xanxus slowly sat down in one of the seats lining the subway car. He didn't know what to think anymore. He'd known Gokudera a lot longer than he'd known Boo Boo, which made it difficult to ignore his words. What if he _was _just acting like a fool? It'd been so long since he'd had to worry about double-dealings and traps that his intuition couldn't get a clear reading on the situation. He felt his rage shatter inside of him from the confusion and neither Ginger's suddenly whimpering presence or Cici's hovering one gave him any clue of what he should do.

"Come back with us, Xanxus," Gokudera urged. "Since you know this much, we can show you the files so that you can see for yourself that we're not lying. Nori brought back a lot of information when he returned. We've confirmed relations between him and Autumn Martelli and I want to show you how he's already started to prepare to reveal himself as Vongola the Tenth. We'll let you see the blood tests that Reborn got off of him, too. He's not Tsuna. He's got a genetic defect that proves he isn't. We've been following him closely at the Eleventh's orders. He's been worried about you, Xanxus. Ever since you came back from America, you haven't been the same because of him. Let us help you. You don't have to stay the way that you've been. Today just proves it. You miss being in action and you're willing to turn traitor just to get in the thick of things again. You don't have to turn traitor to get that, though. Don't let a stranger that you met online destroy everything that you've worked for. Don't let a damn clone make you forget what the real thing wanted. Come with us, Xanxus. I promise you that you won't regret it. It's not too late."

Closing his eyes, he nodded in acceptance. Gokudera was right. If Suoh was a clone, he'd probably been playing into their hands all along. What better way for a fake to be made legitimate than to have the real Tsuna's former lover at his side? He didn't think Boo Boo had ever lied to him, but honesty could be twisted with the simple act of leaving parts of the truth out. He'd been played in the cruelest way possible. There was only one nagging detail that he couldn't let go of, though.

Boo Boo had no way to have known who he was when they started gaming together.


	66. Chapter 66 Setting Things Right

Author's notes: Double upload! Please read and review 65 before moving on to this one!

* * *

Tsuna stepped out of the prison gates and watched silently as they were shut behind him. Much had happened in the week it'd taken to release him. He'd had lawyers meeting with him three times a day and multiple parole hearings. They hadn't put him back in with mass holding during that time. It'd been as if he were in solitary again with his meals and book requests being brought to him. At one point during his stay in the infirmary, they'd brought the barber in to cut his hair. It had grown to an insane length after he'd had a full feeding off of Poe. It was slightly shorter than he preferred now, but he knew that he'd be back to untidy bed-head in a matter of days. For now, he kept his handkerchief over it simply to keep his head warm since his wool cap didn't fit anymore.

Papa Paolo had kept his word about not telling anyone that he was being released. He hadn't wanted to get anyone's hopes up and the result was that there was no one prepared to meet him. He'd told Papa Paolo that he could take care of the arrangements, but the truth was that he planned to use the old Shoe-leather Express. In other words, he could walk. It felt strange to be walking outside the prison. When he thought about the Eleven months that he's spent on the inside, the freedom of walking on the outside seemed odd.

The late December air was frigid, but his sweatshirt and sweatpants kept him warm. The clothes that he'd been arrested in had been four sizes too small when they'd given them back, so he'd decided to stay in the clothing that he'd bought in the prison commissary. His suit and dress shoes were in the laundry bag filled with his other prison belongings. It felt strange to have a wallet in his pocket again and the rest of his rings, but those had been returned, as well. He'd been faintly amused to find several twenty dollar bills inside when he considered that he'd only had a five on him when he'd went to the funeral. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Papa Paolo's way of ensuring that he made it home in a cab if he wanted. That man always took care of the smallest details.

Tying the strings of his laundry bag into a backpack, he slung it into place before he started walking. It was true that he had the money for a cab, but he wouldn't waste it when his own two feet worked just as well. There was snow on the ground, but he'd stay warm by constantly moving. He tried to look for Veronica as he passed the yard, but she was nowhere in sight. Considering that it was so early in the day, Tsuna assumed that he was working. Within minutes, he was far enough down the road that the prison looked like a castle behind him. Another few minutes at a steady pace brought him to where the no-man's land around the prison ended and the tree line started.

The walk was quiet. The only sounds were the crunch of his feet on the snow and the sound of the occasional passing vehicle. The prison was set a good ten miles outside of the city suburbs and he didn't bother trying to hitchhike. The signs that he passed that warned people to be on the watch for escapees was enough to tell him that sticking his thumb out would be a wasted effort. In a way, he was grateful for those signs. He was in no hurry to return home and the walk gave him a chance to think about what he wanted to do with his freedom.

The fact was that Vongola was a problem that he couldn't run away from anymore. His debt to the Martelli Family put him in direct confrontation with them and he refused to back down. He didn't want to back down. Vongola had come into his life enough times in the past and turned it to shit. His life would always be like that as long as he ran. He'd put off choosing sides for long enough. He would honor Snicker's memory by honoring those that had protected him in his death.

The other fact was that Vongola wasn't his only worries. He had responsibilities to the gang that he'd unwittingly created. He couldn't spend every second of every day in simply waiting for Vongola to show up. There were problems and issues that he had to deal with now. There was the gang's financial situation to think about and bringing attitudes in line. He refused to run a group full of mindless thugs. Everyone had a use and he wouldn't keep those around that refused to work. It didn't matter if they found their own job or if he gave them one. No one was allowed a free ride.

Money was the first problem. He had to figure some way to make up for almost a year of negligence. They might own the buildings that they were living in, but there was the price of maintenance, utilities, and taxes. If even one of those faltered, the inspectors could close them down entirely. The only way that he could think of to get the money they needed quickly was to take a gamble. He'd gotten pretty good in poker. If he could figure out a way to get into a high-stakes game, he could win big. Of course, he could lose big, too.

"Laz? Is that you?" Tsuna paused and looked at the contents of the truck that had quietly pulled up beside where he was walking along the verge. He grinned widely, finding that his luck just might be good enough to gamble with. "Get in here!" Veronica exclaimed as he reached over to pop open the passenger door for him. "I didn't know they were releasing you today!"

"It was short notice," he temporized as he jumped inside and slammed the door shut. "What are you doing out?"

"I was released two days ago," he answered while he carefully started putting the truck in motion again with an eye to keeping it from sliding on the icy roads. "I was only in for fourteen months," he explained. "I was planning on telling you that they were starting my release paperwork, but then there was that big to-do in D-Block. No one would give me a straight answer about what happened before I left."

"Someone just had his friends blow a hole in the ceiling to escape," Tsuna shrugged while he pulled out a cigarette. "The bastard was my cellmate, so he stabbed me to get the guards to open up the cell."

"That sucks," Veronica murmured in sympathy. "There's much easier ways to escape. It's not like it was a high security facility."

"Some people like fireworks," Tsuna mumbled before deciding that a change in subject was in order. "So what have you been up to?"

"Trying to find a job," he sighed. "I've been living with my sister out in the boonies, but I miss the city. I've been making trips every day to see if I can find some serious work so that I can move back. My ass isn't what it used to be and I'm getting tired of one-night-stands. The job market sucks right now, though. Everywhere is already filled up with holiday workers and not many places are willing to take a chance on an ex-convict. Just to warn you if you're planning on looking for a job, there's no use in looking for anything on the eastside."

"What kind of job are you wanting?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"I'd be happy with anything at this point," he grumbled with his eyes on the road. Tsuna shifted slightly in his seat so that he could talk more comfortably while he smoked. It'd started snowing again outside, which made him grateful that Veronica had picked him up. The heaters were on full inside, though, and he was nice and warm thanks to Veronica's interference. "My sister is a bitch," he continued in his usual easy-going manner. Veronica seemed to forget who he was talking to, however. He unintentionally switched to Spanish and started listing all of his miseries against his sibling. From the sound of it, she had a boyfriend who was a homophobe and didn't know how to take a joke.

"Why don't you come home with me?" Tsuna offered with his plans blossoming in his mind. "I own a boarding house that you can stay in and I'll probably need a secretary in the future. I won't be able to pay you a lot at first, but I can give you room and board in exchange for running personal errands for me."

"Like doing your laundry?" He asked with a small, crooked grin. Tsuna nodded, which only made Veronica seem to become even more enthusiastic. "I hope you're not lying to me because I'd love to take you up on that offer. It can't be any worse living with you than with my sister--"

"You'll be living across the street from me," he corrected quietly. "I have a feeling that I'm about to have to evict some people, so I'll have you a room set aside and it should be ready for you in the morning. I hope you don't mind starting today, though. Having a ride to the places that I need to go would let me get home faster."

"Just tell me where, Boss."

* * *

Tsuna kept the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up and his head bowed. There was one stop that he'd had to make before any other and it was undoubtedly the hardest. The pillar was covered in snow when he arrived and he chose to do nothing to uncover it. Instead, he simply stood at the foot of Snicker's grave and waited. What he was waiting for wasn't something that could necessarily be put into words. Perhaps he wanted some sign that Snicker was watching over him. It could have been that he wanted some tremor to prove that the emptiness inside him wasn't as hollow as it felt. Maybe he just wanted to face reality.

There was nothing. There was no breeze of wind that he could pretend was Snicker's breathe. There was no unexplained feelings or inexplicable happenings. The snow simply continued to fall and silence continued to weigh heavily around him. It was the silence that he feared.

"Is it okay if I talk, even if you don't talk back?" Tsuna asked into the crisp air. As he expected, there was no answer. "It's almost been a year since I was arrested," he continued hesitantly. "I was in prison for a while because of what I did to Gabriel, but I'm out now. You probably wouldn't recognize me anymore. I had a lot of time to work out while I was in there... There wasn't a whole lot to do other than work out and read... I've read a lot of books now. I even read that one that you used to read in the park. It made me feel a little better, just like you said it would. What that guy went through makes our lives look easy."

Unsure of what else he should say, Tsuna decided to say what was really on his mind.

It couldn't hurt.

"I want you back, Snicker," he sniffed with unshed tears blurring his vision. He rapidly blinked them away, unwilling to let his tears fall any more. "I was mad at you for a long time for leaving me behind like you did. You promised that you would be there for me. You said that nothing mattered as long as we were together. I know that you couldn't help what happened, but it hurts to keep living without you. I'm going to try, though. You always told me not to give up, so I'm not going to. You see, I owe Papa Paolo and Autumn a lot for what they did for us after you died. I'm going to try and repay that until I can come join you. I'm going to be working hard, so I don't know how often I'll get to come visit you. I'll make sure to bring you some beer for Christmas, though. I wouldn't want you to have to spend it alone. I wanted to come on Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, but they had me locked up. I hope you'll forgive me for that."

The snow-covered pillar didn't respond. The air seemed so clear that he could hear the snowflakes landing and the cold seemed to penetrate into his bones. There was nothing. Neither an answer or a shadow of warmth came to him.

"I've got to go," he whispered with a pang of disappointment. "I love you, Joshua."

* * *

"Are you sure you want this place?" Veronica asked doubtfully. Tsuna nodded and tugged on his hood to ensure that his face was covered. It wouldn't be good caught going to such a place when he'd just been released. Locking up the truck so that it wouldn't disappear, he didn't go into the shop front that had Veronica so confused. Instead, he headed down the alley with a single door as his goal. "What is this place?" Veronica asked curiously when he jogged down the small stairwell outside of the door in question.

"Keep your mouth shut and don't wander," he ordered before pounding a heavy fist onto the door in order to knock. Within seconds, the security shutter popped open and Tsuna smiled in recognition of the man looking out the small window.

"This is a private establishment," he snapped with his eyes darting between Tsuna's hood and Veronica. "Outsiders aren't welcome without--"

"Have I changed that much, Jet?" Tsuna asked quietly. Pulling his hood back so that more of his face was visible, he turned his head to gesture to the earring that was inexplicable proof as to his identity. As he expected, the shutter flew shut and the alley filled with the sound of locks being thrown open. He didn't have to wait more than five seconds for the door to be thrown open so that the burly doorkeeper could usher him inside with suspicious looks tossed down the alley to ensure that no one was watching.

"I didn't hear that you'd gotten back, Suoh," Jet mumbled in apology as he shut the door and once more barricaded it with locks.

"The name is Lazarus now," Tsuna corrected automatically. "I just got out today. Is your Boss in? I've got a business proposition for him."

"Boss took a bullet four months ago," he answered as he started leading the way down the dark, narrow hallway. "His brother, Garfield, took over his books. He told me to let in anyone that I recognized, but he's been turning away the bulk of his brother's business dealings. He's a lot more cold-hearted. To tell you the truth, Garfield's the one that shot Boss in the chest."

"He can't be that bad if you're still working for him," Tsuna commented quietly.

"One tight-wad is as good as any other," Jet replied with a crooked grin. Tsuna raised an eyebrow over the nonchalant attitude, but he guessed that it was the way of things when one worked in a position like Jet's. Occasionally, he threw reassuring glances back at where Veronica was trailing behind him, but most of his focus was on the room that he was escorted to. It was the same room that the previous bookie had used, but it had been refurnished. There was no seedy looking desk and poor lighting. Instead, it was luxuriously furnished in a way that Tsuna didn't think would be out of place for a corporate manager. There was lush carpeting instead of concrete and the walls had been washed in a vibrant blue. He found it faintly amusing that the bulk of the adornments on the walls were cheap knock-offs of tribal masks. They'd be easy to replace if they were destroyed.

The man sitting behind the heavy oak desk was what grabbed Tsuna's attention once he finished taking in the alterations to the room. He was giving Jet a questioning look as to Tsuna's presence, but Jet was wisely keeping his mouth shut. The man knew that Tsuna wasn't someone to anger. He'd seen his Boss put in his place enough times in the past that it was much wiser to keep his nose out of it.

"You've done wonders with the place," Tsuna praised finally while he ignored the chair that Jet pulled out for him. "The last time I was here, there wasn't much in the way of environment. I see that you've been a lot more successful than your brother."

"I'm a lot more careful than my brother," he replied blandly. "Would you mind telling me who you are and why you're here?"

"Straight-forward," Tsuna said while he continued pretending to inspect the masks on the wall. "I like that. My name is Lazarus and I have a business proposition for you. I assume that you've got the same side businesses that your brother did. Loans and running underground gambling dens."

"And if I did?" He asked suspiciously without admitting to anything.

"If you did, then I just might want to gamble on credit," he replied. "You can set me up at any table you want, but I'd prefer a high-stakes game. Give me chips to work with and I'll give you a five percent cut of my winnings. If I lose, I'll reimburse you for the chips at a later date at any reasonable interest rate that you want. I don't lose, though, so you might want to set me up pretty nicely. If I'm not having to be stingy in my bets, then I can raise the pot a lot faster. In case your wondering, I'm wanting money fast and it's less likely for there to be consequences if I take it through poker."

"Why should I trust you?" He retorted thoughtfully. "How am I supposed to know that you're not going to rack up a large debt and then disappear on me? Even if I could just hand you chips and sit you down at a table, someone has to pay the cash out for those winnings if you lose."

"Consider it a loan," Tsuna answered with a absent wave to say that the question was meaningless. "If I lose, you pay the debt and then I'll pay you back. Jet will tell you that I'm good for it."

"Can you please step outside so that I can speak to Jet alone?" He asked politely. Tsuna nodded, having expected such a move from the moment that he entered. Information was power and the man knew nothing about him. Jet should be able to set him straight. If not, Tsuna would use more aggressive methods to get what he wanted. Veronica wrung his hands nervously while they stood in the hallway and Tsuna let him. If he was going to be a secretary for Tsuna in the future, he had to get used to such dealings.

Jet exited with a smile and gestured for Tsuna to follow. Tsuna didn't ask what he'd said or where they were going. He didn't need to. The simple fact that they were heading deeper into the maze of hallways and stairwells told Tsuna everything that he needed to know. Garfield had agreed and he wasn't open for negotiation. Having Jet pass along his conditions made it into an ultimatum deal.

"The interest is two percent a week if you lose," he warned as they walked through a hidden tunnel that took them into one of the adjoining buildings. "He's agreed to give you ten grand to buy in with. I've been permitted to move you up to better tables when you've got money to work with, but he won't give credit beyond the start-up. Entrance fee is two percent of your buy-in and his gratuity fee for setting you up is seven point five percent of your exit cash. Just a tip, but if you can get fifty grand built in an hour, you can buy-in to a nice little game that's scheduled across the street. Some high-rollers are coming in to get away from their wives for the day. You know how it gets this time of the year."

Tsuna merely grunted agreement in response as they finally seemed to reach their goal. It looked like an apartment door like any other, but what lie beyond it was nothing like an apartment. The place had been completely gutted, leaving only a wide interior that had been retrofitted into a poker hall. Few tables had less than five men at them and most had eight squeezed together like sardines. Smoke was more prevalent than air and there wasn't a single dollar in sight. Even if the cops were to raid the place, there was no way to prove that the chips could be exchanged for cash.

Jet gestured for him to pick his table and he quickly looked around to see what his options were. There were several tables that caught his attention from the sheer amount of chips in play, but a completely different table seemed to call to him more loudly. It was the one set apart beyond two half-wall partitions. There was plenty of space around it to move and a careful look let him see that they were working with red and white chips instead of the blue, green and black ones that covered all of the other tables. Even more interesting was that only three men were sitting at it and he noticed immediately that all three of them were wearing expensive gold watches.

"That one," he decided when his intuition guiding him.

"I figured as much," Jet grumbled with a lopsided grin. "Those are the guys who are already here for the high-stakes game that starts in an hour. They're playing with chump change to pass the time. If you're good, you can get fifty grand off of them in time."

"I'll get much more than fifty grand," Tsuna grinned. "Tell Garfield that those three might not be going to the game."

"Don't get cocky before you play them," Jet warned with a flinch.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he retorted before boldly heading to insert himself into the game. As he expected, his aggressive attitude was taken in with amusement by the high-rollers. They welcomed him. When Jet got him set up, they smirked at his small pile of eight white chips and twenty red ones in comparison to theirs. The pile that he was given told him that these guys weren't playing cheap. At a grand a chip for white and a hundred dollars a chip for red, he could be either very rich or very poor very fast.

Perfect.

* * *

Tsuna accepted the cigar that Veronica had lit for him and leaned back in his chair in complete happiness. There was something to be said for playing against rich people. They liked comfort and luxury and he got to taste it with them. On top of that, they had no sense when it came to money. Even though he could easily see through their bluffs, they continued to throw good money after bad. None of them wanted to admit that he could see through them, so they continued to buy in repeatedly. The smart ones had already left when he'd cleaned them out the first time. Only one from his previous game across the street had shown up and that man had left almost immediately upon seeing that Tsuna was joining the table.

The four that was currently left were either extremely rich or extremely in debt. It'd already gotten to the point that the cashier for the game had refused to let any of them buy in again. Apparently these men were prepared for that, though. The current pot up for grabs was a gold watch, a men's diamond ring, a high-tech cell phone, a title to a yacht, the keys to a motorcycle, an IOU for an unlimited shopping spree at an electronics store, a pair of expensive sunglasses, the deeds to two bars and a restaurant, a nice little pistol with a silencer attachment and a half million in chips.

To goad them, Tsuna pushed in a quarter of his pile of chips.

"How's this...?" The older gentleman on the left flinched. "I've got a department store down on second street. I'll throw in an IOU to match Erin's. You've probably still got Christmas shopping to do. You bring in a list of whatever you want and I'll have one of my workers do everything right down to wrapping it up for you so that you don't have to go through the hassle."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed before turning to see what the next guy had to offer.

"How about my jacket?" Erin offered with a wave to have his assistant bring the article. "It's a Namehage original. I paid a fortune for it while I was in Paris." Ignoring Veronica's awe-filled murmur, Tsuna faintly remembered that Gigi had liked Namehage designs. However, the article that was brought didn't look like a feminine piece. It was a hip-long black leather jacket with fur seeming to explode out of the top. Tsuna saw immediately that a scarf wouldn't be needed with the fur lining around the collar and it looked like it had practical features, too. Once the assistant zipped it up all the way, he saw how it was meant to block the wind from one's mouth and nose. A further inspection proved that it also had an array of hidden pockets.

"That works," he agreed with an eye to wearing it home.

"I can put up two contracts to people I've got working on Independence street," the next one offered. He was a little weasel of a man with ties that obviously weren't legitimate. Both the guns and one of the bars had been his previous offerings. "Both of them have a good supply of people working for them. One will give you an unlimited supply of whores and the other will supply any of your... um... unorthodox... herbal supplement needs."

"Interesting," Tsuna replied with a small smirk. "A pimp and a dealer. I always who those type of people had to answer to since there's always someone higher on the food-chain."

"The pimp supplies his own merchandise, but the merchandise for the dealer will still need a supplier," he murmured with a matching smirk. "Of course, I'll be happy to take care of that for you, should you win the contracts."

"For a price," Tsuna added knowingly as the written contracts got thrown into the pile. He was being underestimated again. As soon as the cards got laid down, the contracts and the man's usefulness as a supplier would be under his direct control. Turning his attention to the last man, Tsuna smiled at the faint look of regret on the man's face. There was over a million dollars worth of items and cash up for grabs. He didn't want to fold out, but he couldn't seem to find something offer, either. As the only man left with actual cash, Tsuna could win the hand simply by forcing them all to fold or he could choose to accept the non-monetary bets that they could offer.

"I've got nothing," he admitted sheepishly. "If I bet any more, my wife's going to kill me. She's already going to be pissed about the bike. I hate to fold out so late in the game, but all I have left on me is--"

"Your clothes," Tsuna supplied with a gleam in his eyes. Glancing down, he grinned in consideration. The guy was about his size. His boots looked pretty nice, too. They were a little fancy for Tsuna's taste, but he wasn't going to complain about free clothes. His button-down shirt had the look of silk to it and he was wearing leather motorcycle pants to protect himself from the engine of the custom motorcycle that he'd already put on the line.

"Hold on a second," one of the others gasped. "That's not fair! You can't say that his clothes are worth--"

"If he wins, the pot gets split evenly between you and all of you get your stuff back," Tsuna interrupted with a knowing look at the man with the boots that he wanted. "Doesn't that sound fair? He gets to stay in and you all get to double your chances to stay in the game."

"I'll agree to that," the man with the boots agreed. Slowly, the rest of them grudgingly agreed. They all had faith in their hands and were positive enough in their win that there was absolutely no harm in letting the man join in. There might be issues if he actually won and Tsuna's hand came in third, but these men were beyond such thinking. Without any of them realizing it, all four of them had teamed up with a group mentality to beat him. In their minds, they weren't increasing their own chances to lose. They were increasing the chances to not walk away empty-handed.

"You guys played hard," Tsuna praised sympathetically as he spread his cards out for them to see. Curses and cards went flying and Tsuna didn't even bother raking in his winnings. No one had anything left to bet with anymore.

"Shit," the man on the end cursed with his head hitting the table in defeat. "I thought I had you this time."

"Don't feel too bad," the old man on the left laughed. "You can just think of this as an opportunity to custom order yourself a new one."

"It could be worse," Erin added with a smile. "I've got to go find a new yacht to give honey-bunny for Christmas and it's a lot harder to replace a bar than a bike."

"Maybe for a cheapskate like you," he retorted as he lifted his head up once more and made to stand as the cashier came forward to start totaling up the chips.

"I don't think we ever got your name," the black sheep of the group commented in suspicion. Everyone paused at the comment and turned to look at Tsuna in curiosity.

"I didn't give it," Tsuna admitted as he continued to quietly fold up the paperwork on the table into a neat stack.

"I think it's only fair that we know who cleaned us out," the older man prompted with an easy smile.

"And it's rude to ask a person's name without giving your own first," he countered, making the smiles around him falter.

"I'm Wes Fairview," the black sheep answered almost instantly. "I own most of the high-end hotels around the beach and most of the underground on the south side of the city."

"I'm Erin Peterson," came the next, more slow answer. "I'm the CEO of the Tinfoil Electronics chain. I'd rather not go into details my other holdings."

"Michael Schmidt," the older one sighed. "I'm afraid that I'm just an old fart with too much time and money on his hands. My department store, like many other things, is just a hobby for me."

"Don't lie," Erin chuckled. "Michael was a stock market tycoon back in his heyday. What he makes in a day off of just off of his bank interest makes our income look like chump change. He's probably the only one of us that sticks completely to the straight path, but he doesn't berate us for making money where we can."

"Too true," he admitted with a toothy grin. "Life's been good to me. If I didn't have young ones like you trying to make me poor every week, I'd probably go senile out of boredom."

"I guess it's my turn," motorcycle-man grumbled good-naturedly. "My name is just Rockford. I'm the dabbler of the group. I've got a family fortune for a safety net, but most of my assets are spread around. If you can name it, then I probably have a piece of it."

"Now, what about you?" Wes asked pointedly. Tsuna paused in the middle of inspecting his new pistols and calmly set the weapons back on the table. It was obvious that no one was upset about being cleaned out. What he'd gotten was simply these men's entertainment funds. The ones that would probably give him trouble over winning were the fools that had gotten cleaned out of their buy-in money within twenty minutes of the first hand. There were at least three of the eight who were probably hurting badly from their loss, but Tsuna couldn't pity them. They'd all lost their money while Tsuna had still been feeling everyone out and had been mostly bluffing with hands that he knew would lose as long as no one chickened out. It was one thing to win. It was another thing to win every hand that he played. If he didn't lose on occasion, no one would have dared to continue betting against him. He'd learned as much from his games in prison.

"Lazarus," he answered while Veronica started gathering up his other non-monetary winnings for him. "I've got no claim to wealth or fortune other than what I just won from you, but you might still have heard of me. People seem to recognize my title more than my name."

"And that is...?" Erin prompted with the same suspicious look as everyone else.

"The Martelli Family's Sixth," he replied with a bored expression. Looking away so that he didn't have to see the pale expressions that resulted, he gestured for Rockford to start stripping. Tsuna did as well, giving the man the decency of switching into the sweats that Tsuna no longer needed.

"I heard that the Sixth was in prison," Michael commented as he reached down to polish off the glass of watered-down whiskey next to his seat.

"I got out this morning," he replied. Putting on the silken long-sleeve shirt over the tank top that he had on under his sweatshirt, he grinned at the fit. Just like he'd thought, both him and Rockford were the same size. "Pants and boots, too," he prompted mercilessly.

"Sir," the petite cashier interjected quietly. "Your total winnings minus Garfield's exit fee, the loan, and the tips you gave is one million, six hundred twenty three thousand. Would you like that by cash or check?"

"Cash," he answered immediately. "Preferably non-sequential numbers. I don't want it to attract attention if I have to use a lot at once."

"Understood," she replied with a small, considering smile when Tsuna started trading out his pants for the pair already laying on the table next to Rockford's boots. "It'll take a little time to get it together. It should be ready by the time you reach Garfield's office."

"Would you like to escort me over there?" Tsuna replied with a considering look of his own. She didn't look half bad. She needed to touch up the roots of her hair dye and she could stand to lose a few pounds around her thighs, but she had nice curves where it counted.

"I wish I could," she murmured shamelessly while he zipped his new pants on. Sitting back down to put his new boots on, he found himself grinning at how Veronica was pouting and the other guys were trading knowing looks. "I've got another table to run after this one. I should be free in a few hours if you want to go out for drinks instead."

"I'll think about it," he replied.

"Here's your receipt," she smiled. Tsuna smiled back when he saw the name and phone number written on the small piece of paper that she handed him. "Have a nice day."

"Maybe a nice night, too," he retorted with a wink. He bit his lip slightly at how she waved her hips at him as she walked out of the room. If only they had curves like those in prison, he mused.

"I've got to head out," Erin announced as he started heading out after her. "The wife should be back from shopping by now. I can't say that it was a pleasure, but feel free to join us again, Lazarus. It's been a while since I've had a challenge at poker."

"It's been a while for all of us," Michael agreed, reaching out to give Tsuna a quick, firm handshake before heading out after him. "Give Don Martelli my greetings."

"He was just lucky," Wes scoffed with a small wave as he, too, left. "We meet every Sunday at eight when we're not running from our wives. If you don't show up at least once to let me win my shit back, I wouldn't try going past the southern overpass."

Tsuna smiled slightly at the warning, but didn't give any other reply. The last of the remaining group, Rockford, insinuated himself in those heading for the door, trying to make it out with what was left of his pride. There was a small temptation to tell him to wear even nicer clothes next time, but he stopped himself. He wasn't here for pleasure. He'd only come to get enough money to set everything right again.

Taking a moment while he had privacy, he quickly fingered through the paperwork that he'd won the rights to. The IOUs were useless in a way. He didn't doubt that the two men would honor their promises, but the paper was meaningless. The title to the yacht named 'Sea Siren' was useless to him, too. He knew nothing about boats. That could either be stored or held back until he found a use for it and a captain to man it. He goggled for a moment when he saw the deed to Kink's was one of the two bars that he'd gotten. The other was one that he recognized as the strip bar that Snicker had sometimes visited with the guys. As for the restaurant, it wasn't one that he recognized or remembered.

"Do you know this place?" Tsuna asked curiously, handing the deed over to Veronica. Veronica choked when he looked at it before bursting out in laughter.

"Yes," he snorted ungracefully. "It's a pizza place, but it's known more for being a children's restaurant complete with an automated stage show and an arcade."

"Oh," he murmured blankly, figuring that it was just another thing to be sold. Then he reconsidered. Perhaps Houston and Isabella would like going to the place. Tracer and Kit had been planning on having a kid, too. Having a place to call for free pizza wouldn't be bad, either. Not with Ore's appetite. "We'll keep that," he decided. The last thing he looked at was the contracts for the pimp and the dealer. Of course, the so-called contracts were as worthless as the IOUs. What they represented was what was important. There were two names and addresses listed and Tsuna was positive that both would greet him in the correct manner by the time that he got--

Tsuna grinned when he recognized the names. Poor Mike. Now he had even more reason to give Tsuna what he wanted. The pimp would probably be choking on his dinner tonight once Wes informed him of the alteration to the food chain. The other name was the dealer that Mike had mentioned that he got his own supply from. By cutting Mike out as a middle-man, Tsuna could cut down on the cost of any diversions he might want of that nature. He also got a side-bonus of taking a nice cut of both of their profits to pay for said diversions.

Stacking the papers up neatly again, he folded them up and stuck them in one of his inner pockets in satisfaction. The motorcycle keys got stuffed in a pocket, too, and he felt no remorse in claiming the sunglasses. He doubted that they were worth what Wes had claimed, but he hadn't wanted to argue when no one else seemed upset after the man's description. For what it was worth, he liked them. The square, tinted lenses were just the thing to cover his eye when his hair didn't. The watch got put on, but he tossed Veronica the ring. He had enough on without adding meaningless ones.

"Consider that payment for keeping your mouth shut like I told you," Tsuna explained with a small smile. After taking the handkerchief off of his head so that he could wrap the detached silencer and pistol in it to make a small, nondescript package that he could stuff into his pocket, he handed the phone over to Veronica. "See what you can do about getting that switched to a good carrier and follow me." With that said, he made a beeline for the door with Veronica chasing after him. Unlike his entrance into the place, he headed down the stairs and left through the front door so that he could head back across the street again.

It was the same song and dance as before, albeit Jet didn't try and warn him off this time. He opened the door promptly and escorted Tsuna out of the snow with a speed that was appreciated. The difference to his entrance was the expression that Garfield had when he entered his office.

"Nice," he smiled as he looked at the stacks of cash on his desk. "Very nice. To be honest, I thought Jet was an idiot for going so far for you. I wasn't going to give you a dime, but the bastard put his car up for collateral."

"I've been working in this business long enough," Jet explained when Tsuna threw him a questioning glance. "I know when and where to place my bets."

"I hope you're not expecting me to repay you for that," Tsuna murmured with his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I didn't ask you to take any risks for me."

"I'm not," the burly man grinned. "Why do you think the exit fee was seven point five percent?"

"Five percent for me and two point five for Jet," Garfield smiled. "You can't argue, either, since you agreed to the fees when you accepted the chips."

"Fair enough," he agreed with a nod of acceptance. "Bag it up for me. I've still got stops to make before I go home. Put the bulk of it in one bag and put a fifty grand into a briefcase for me. I've got a payoff to make."

"It'll cost ext--"

"Just do it," he growled with a hint of warning in his voice. Jet paled at the tone, but Garfield looked oblivious to the threat. He still seemed to have no clue as to who he was dealing with. Tsuna let it slide for now since he might have use of the man in the future, but there was a limit to his tolerances for stupidity. Unsurprisingly, Jet worked quickly after that. In less than five minutes, he was being handed a duffle-bag full of cash and the briefcase that he'd requested. "Nice doing business with you," he said politely. Garfield grunted before waving for Jet to escort him out. Along the way, Tsuna gave Jet a considering look. He was quiet. He never seemed to ask questions. He accepted orders and was smart enough to figure out how to turn a profit out of what could have been a very nasty incursion. "If you ever decide that you want to work for a different tightwad, give me a call," he said as Jet held the door open for him. Jet didn't respond, but there was a glitter of amusement in his eyes over the offer.

"The snow is picking up," Veronica commented worriedly. "The roads aren't going to stay good for much longer."

"One more stop and then we'll head home," he soothed as he held out the money for Veronica to take. "Go put these in the truck and drop the tailgate. I'll be over there with my new bike as soon as I find it."

Following Veronica out of the alley, Tsuna didn't have to look hard to find it. Few people were stupid enough to ride a motorcycle in winter. With the roads as bad as they were, he could only see a rich fool doing such a reckless thing. Even those who had no other option for transportation wouldn't ride a motorcycle in this weather. They'd either walk or use the subway. Because of that, there was only one motorcycle parked in the area. It had a weather covering over it that had probably cost almost as much as the bike had.

He believed that up until he saw the expensive piece of machinery hiding underneath. No part of it had went without customization. It was sleek, yet edgy at the same time. The theme for all of the customization seemed to be spades, which told Tsuna that it'd probably been bought out of poker winnings. The seat was built for two and Tsuna groaned in appreciation for how comfortable it was to sit on. As far as luxury had went, Rockford hadn't skipped on anything.

A key in the ignition told him beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was his new motorcycle. A further inspection proved that the title and registration was already in one of the saddlebags attached to the back. It was even signed in preparation of being lost. Tsuna had a moment of suspicion over that. Then he grinned in understanding. Those men had been planning on losing their shit from the start. It was probably their excuse so that they could get new ones. He'd call them rich idiots for such lack of caring over their property, but he wasn't going to complain. He was more than happy to take anything that they didn't want. No matter how shitty or worthless it was to them, he could find a use for it.

Turning the engine off, Tsuna wheeled it over to the truck and grinned at Veronica's wide-eyed stare of appreciation. Veronica's appreciation only seemed to deepen when Tsuna picked the motorcycle up and put it into the truck without any aid. He had to strain a little with the maneuver, but it was worth it just to get a reaction out of his secretary. The reaction lasted for only a second when they started working to get the weather covering back in place and the motorcycle secured due to the light covering of snow that had begun to blanket the pavement behind him. The streets had finally cooled down enough from the lack of traffic that the snow wasn't melting anymore. Veronica was right. They had to hurry because the roads wouldn't be good for much longer.

At Tsuna's direction, they arrived at the next stop after ten tortuous minutes of crawling along at a snail's pace so that the truck didn't fishtail. At this one, Tsuna told Veronica to stay in the truck and to keep it running for warmth. He was too ready to accept, taking the opportunity to try to complete the orders that Tsuna had given him earlier about the phone.

Taking the briefcase with him, he paused in indecision for a moment before deciding to use the front door of Pasta da Paolo. With the weather turning nasty, it was doubtful that there were any customers to bother. It felt strange to walk inside. The place looked exactly as it always had, but he didn't recognize any of the people that were working. In return, the host that greeted him at the door didn't recognize Tsuna. It made him feel like he didn't belong in such a place.

"Sir?" The host prompted again. "Would that be smoking or nonsmoking?"

"Neither," he answered as he decided to get the visit over with. Pushing past the host, he headed straight for the kitchen. The man chased after him, throwing a fit over Tsuna's actions until Tsuna finally turned and stared at him until he was silent. "Shoo," he ordered. The man froze entirely, leaving Tsuna to finish crossing to his goal without a headless chicken squawking behind him. All activity in the kitchen ceased when he entered. Unsurprisingly, only Isaac's jaw dropped in recognition. Tsuna ignored him, crossing over to knock politely on the office door.

"What is it this--" Tsuna smiled slightly at Autumn's harried face when the door was flung open. She didn't look happy. Although, that unhappiness disappeared almost instantly into an expression of shock. "Lazarus? What are you doing here? I thought you weren't supposed to be released until tomorrow."

"They expedited the process," he replied quietly. "Is Papa Paolo in?"

"No," she answered, seeming to straighten up in effort to restore her dignity. "He's got the flu, so he stayed home today. Come in and sit down. Isaac, get us some--"

"I can't stay," he warned as he held out the briefcase for her. "I just wanted to drop this off."

"And this is...?" She asked, accepting it with a raised eyebrow.

"It's the money you supplied me with while I was in prison," he answered calmly. "Plus interest."

"You didn't--"

"I always pay back my debts," he added in a firm tone. He wasn't going to let her refuse. She saw that. He could tell that she saw that because of how her expression took on a disgruntled quality.

"I'd be happier if you just didn't make messes for me to clean up," she commented.

"But that would ruin all the fun of seeing you dressed up like a maid," he retorted with a grin. Surprisingly, Autumn blushed over the comment.

"Well, being a maid is better than being a...a puppy," she spluttered. "You've even got fur!"

"Are you jealous?" He teased with a hand brushing up against the collar that was keeping his neck warm. "The guy that gave it to me told me that it's a Namehage original."

"And which street vendor was that?" Autumn scoffed.

"Erin Peterson of Tinfoil Electronics," he answered. Once again, she gave an interesting reaction. This time, her jaw dropped completely, making him curious about how many more reactions he could get from her. He'd just known that Eric had mentioned Namehage as a exclusive, designer brand and had wanted to see if Autumn would act like Gigi had over the name. It was no good if she didn't believe that it was real, though.

"You know Mr. Peterson?" She gaped.

"I know a lot of people," he replied in the decision not to drop any more names in case they weren't good ones. "So if you need anything, just let me know." He grinned as she spluttered even more. The last part was nothing less of complete honesty, though. "Anything at all," he repeated pointedly. Autumn seemed to get the hint this time and her eyes went wide at the insinuation. "Tell Papa Paolo that I said to get better," he added in farewell. Giving a small salute to Isaac, he headed out the door before she could decide to argue with him about his offer. It was fun to get reactions out of her, but there were some reactions that he could live without. When she got stubborn or bitchy, he knew from experience that it was best not to be around. Only a headache resulted.

As soon as he was back in the truck, he gave directions to Veronica so that they could head to the Dojo. The other stops that he wanted to make would have to wait until the snow cleared.

"Your phone is ready," Veronica said as he carefully drove down the road at a snail's pace. "They weren't going to activate it since I didn't have some of your information to give them, but I talked them into giving you a week trial for free because of the snow. You've got to go in before then and do the paperwork to keep it running, but you can use it now. The contact list was already empty and so was the message history."

"Thanks," he murmured as he picked it up to inspect it. It was definitely one of the newer models. It was more like a handheld computer than a phone. It even had small keyboard that slid out of the back. There was touch screen functions and camera functions and speakerphone functions. Looking through the programs, he found a GPS tracker, a scheduling program, three games, and a list of music that made his head spin. The choices were horrible, but it made him smile to himself that the thing had a MP3 player built into it.

Curious, he added Gigi to his list of contacts and check the GPS again. He grinned, able to zoom in on her location with a simple touch. She was at the Dojo. The next number, which happened to be the only other one that he had, was Papa Paolo's cell phone. He found it curious that Papa Paolo's phone didn't appear on the GPS. To test it, he looked into the phone's information and programmed in his own number. His, too, didn't show up in the GPS. That was good, he decided after a moment. More than likely, Papa Paolo took off the feature so that his location wouldn't be so easy to access. Tsuna could see how such stealth could be beneficial to himself.

Tsuna didn't need to be told when they got close to the Dojo. He was already snarling by the time they got within a block of the place. The noise coming from the place could be heard from two and a half blocks away. Music, yells, fighting, and more. Tsuna had Veronica simply park in front of the Dojo and they both stayed inside the vehicle to watch for several long minutes. People were hanging out of windows on the third floor to have discussions at the top of their lungs with people on street level. A woman that tried to simply walk past the place on her way home received catcalls and lewd commentary that send her running despite the snow. His ears picked up the sound of beer bottles being smashed from within and no less than three arguments. Then he heard a sound that enraged him. It was a sound that sent him out of the truck and across the street before Veronica could even get himself unbuckled.

The people smoking and drinking outside gave him amused looks for his sliding run across the icy road, but those looks dissipated when he kicked the front entrance down. Inside, his fears were realized and his vision turned red. Some large bastard that he didn't even recognize had Houston hoisted by the back of his shirt and was tossing him to three smaller guys like a human ball. Houston was terrified, yet the men were doing nothing but laughing!

Tsuna surged forward to catch the boy before anyone else could, going so far as to slam his fist into the face of anyone who got in his way. He punched, kicked and lunged in a flurry, snatching Houston out of the air before coming to a landing in the middle of the billiards table of the public green room. The boy clutched onto his neck fearfully, thinking that he was about to be thrown again. The fact that he was so frightened in his own home left Tsuna ready to kill someone. Namely, the bastard that had thrown him.

Ignoring the yells demanding his identity and the reason for his intrusion, Tsuna stepped backward onto the pool table and sent the nine-ball flying with a sharp kick. A second kick sent the eight-ball flying in a different direction. The stereo exploded from the nine-ball in just enough time for silence to fall so that everyone could hear the sound of bone cracking and the man's scream when his shoulder was shattered from the impact of the eight-ball. Tsuna wasn't nearly satisfied with that, however. Three more kicks at a lighter strength sent three more balls flying into the stomachs of those who had been preparing to catch Houston so that he could be thrown again. All three of them doubled over and hit the floor in order to start losing their lunches in the most disgusting way possible.

Most of the room seemed hesitant when Tsuna paused, but two men bravely ran forward to try to pull him down. Two lazy kicks sent them flying across the room while Tsuna continued to support Houston in his arms. The little boy was still crying ceaselessly into his shoulder and was nearly strangling Tsuna in fear of being thrown. With a single glare, those left standing in the room seemed to become frozen in place until only Houston's sobbing could be heard.

Stomping his foot down to ensure that he had everyone's attention, he grimaced internally when the pool table cracked in half. The pieces tumbled inward, setting him back down on the floor with everyone's eyes on him. Although unintentional, the manuever caught everyone's attention and instilled fear that doubled what had already been spread with his attacks. Tsuna let the silence continue for several more seconds while he rubbed Houston's back to soothe him.

"I have a lot of questions for you morons, but there are two that are on the top of my list," he said finally, keeping his voice down so that he wouldn't scare the boy in his arms any more. "The first is where the landlord is and the second is where Houston's keeper is." No one moved and no one breathed until finally Tsuna decided that they needed to be verbally slapped. "Answer me!"

"T-The landlord i-is... um..."

Tsuna growled at the broom closet that the singular man pointed to. Walking over to it, he ripped the door off the hinges and threw it at the guy who'd known that the man was in such a place but hadn't helped him. Inside, Steve was wrapped up like a Christmas present and looked like he had fallen asleep with nothing else to do in his confinement. Carefully kneeling down, Tsuna woke him up by the merciless act of ripping the tape off of his mouth.

"OW!" He roared as his eyes snapped open. "What the h--" He froze, being one of the first people to actually recognize Tsuna. "S-Suoh?"

"You look like you've had a rough time while I was gone," Tsuna murmured as he reached out to free the man from his bindings. "Who did this to you?"

"T.J.," he growled instantly as he helped free himself once one of his arms were loose. "I told that bastard to get the fuck out and he staged a revolt! This is the third time that he's done this to me! What's wrong with Houston? They didn't do anything to him, did they? Kit left him with me while she ran to get diapers for Isabella."

"Where's Isabella?" He snapped in return.

"Gigi's got her across the street," he soothed.

"S-Steve was g-going to teach me h-how to throw a b-ball," Houston sobbed before either of them could say more. "T-The b-b-bad men came i-in and s-star-ted--"

"They got off work earlier than I expected," Steve explained with a look of pure misery on his face. "T.J. started causing trouble before I could do anything."

"Is T.J. the one that was throwing you?" Tsuna asked as he continued rubbing Houston's back. He nodded, which was enough for Tsuna. Helping Steve to his feet, Tsuna walked over to where Veronica was standing in the doorway in shock. "Houston," he said carefully in introduction. "This is my friend Veronica. Do you think you could show him the way across the street to where Gigi is and introduce him for me?"

"He's got a girl's name," Houston sniffed.

"Yes, he does," Tsuna replied with a crooked smile. "He's really nice, so you don't have to be scared."

"Can't I stay with you, Uncle Suoh?" Houston asked with tears building up in his eyes again.

"I'll be over there in a little bit," he soothed. "I'm going to make these guys promise not to be bad anymore and then I'll come straight over there. Why don't you help Veronica make me something really yummy to eat? I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving."

"Oh no," Veronica gasped in an attempt at humor. "He eats like a pig when he's starving! That means that we've got to empty out a whole refrigerator! I don't know if I can get enough if I have to do it by myself."

"I can help," Houston offered hesitantly. Tsuna smiled as he set him down to walk and gave what encouragement he could while Veronica took his hand and started guiding him out the broken doorway. Without standing, he quickly decided on what he wanted.

"Gale," Tsuna called, seeing the man cowering in a corner of the room as the second person to have recognized Tsuna. "Please escort T.J. to the hospital. T.J.," he continued, turning to look at the man in question, "if you want a home to come back to, then you better blame the ice for your injury." Thankfully, T.J. paled instead of attempting another insurrection. "Me and you are going to have a nice talk when you get back and how well you learn to behave will determine whether or not you go back to the hospital for a longer stay. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," he mumbled as Gale came out of hiding to help the man to the door.

"As for everyone else," Tsuna said as he finally got to his feet. Almost everyone had recovered from his attacks, although one man was still laid out on the floor from a punch. "I don't think I need to tell you that your behavior isn't acceptable. Gigi's been giving me regular updates and I'm not happy. For those of you that still don't seem to recognize me, my name is Lazarus. I'm the leader of the Orange Dragons and the owner of this building. Pass it along. If you can't remember it, then Laz, Sir Laz, Sixth, Boss, and Captain are acceptable alternatives. Anything else and you'll look like this bastard on the floor. All of you are living under my roof and you can either follow my rules or get the fuck out now."

"U-Um..."

"What?" Tsuna growled at the chubby fool that went so far as to raise his hand to speak.

"I don't live here," he replied in a tremoring voice.

"Then get the fuck out," Tsuna advised mercilessly before returning his attention to those that were left. The chubby man snatched up his jacket and was flying toward the door with two other people behind him. "It's snowing today, so I doubt any of the night workers will have to go in tonight. Wake them all up and tell them that I'm doing an inspection in two minutes for all the rooms. If I find any reason to kick your ass out, then you have two week's notice to get the hell out of my building. If your roommate isn't here, I suggest you try to cover for him because that's how the buddy system is supposed to work." Tsuna paused, unsurprised that no one moved in fear that he wasn't finished. "I suggest you go try to clean up your messes," Tsuna prompted quietly. "In an orderly fashion!" He roared when a riot almost resulted.

The first thing he did when the room was clear was to check the pulse of the guy who was still out cold. He was alive, but there was already a livid bruise forming on his jaw. A couple of shakes woke him up, after which Tsuna sent him to his room to have his roommate watch over him.

"It's good to have you back," Steve commented when Tsuna got back to his feet once more. Tsuna attempted a smile, only to have it fall flat while he accepted the bottle of beer that Steve handed over.

"I could have wished for a happier homecoming," he murmured. Twisting the cap off of his bottle, he surveyed the damage done to the place. The two doors, the pool table, and the stereo were his fault. The holes in the walls, the tears in the couch, the stains in the carpet, and the massive collection of empty beer bottles and discarded trash was from the tenants. They'd completely lost respect for the place when Tsuna wasn't around to keep them in line. "I'm glad that I got to see this for myself, though. Gigi told me in her letters, but I don't think I really understood how bad it'd gotten. I can see why the city inspectors want to shut it down."

"It wasn't this bad at first," Steve sighed, leaning up against a piece of the broken pool table. "Everyone kept following the rules and things were running smoothly when you first left. It was around the time that we started letting new people in that things really got bad. There weren't enough of the original guys left to make the new ones understand that this wasn't a frat house. People came in pairs like always to ask for one of the available rooms, but they weren't pairs like before. It wasn't a thug and a bum working to build a new life. It was pairs of college friends who were fresh out of school and couldn't find a job. There were also the lazy matched up with the brawny. We figured that we should give them the same opportunities as anyone else, so we let them in. As long as one had a job, we figured that there wasn't any difference as before."

"That's no good," Tsuna replied with a shake of his head. "The buddy system wasn't meant to work like that. One for support at home and one to work. The guy who does support is supposed to be looking for a job and making money where he can so that when his buddy moves out, he can pass the support position off to a new roommate. I always split friends up into different rooms so that they remember that they were working for their own futures, even if they were walking the same path as a friend."

"I didn't notice that," Steve admitted with a grimace. "I figured that it would make for better relations to pair people up that knew each other."

"That's the fastest way to make them hate one another," he replied with a sad chuckle. "People aren't meant to live that close together. It's better to pair them with a stranger that they can come to an agreement with then a friend that they'll be more likely to make unreasonable demands of."

"Well," he sighed, "that's where it all started. Then the ones that were working started holding back money since we work by the honor system. I ignored it at first, because a little bit wasn't no problem and it let people save up faster. These guys haven't been saving, though. They've been spending their money like there isn't no tomorrow and almost every night turned into a party where the cops got called. Then the problems with the roommates started up. They didn't see why they had to do chores around here and clean up for their roommates when one of the two was paying rent. I tried explaining that it was how they paid the other half of the rent, but they got stubborn. I kept putting up the schedules, but, like everything else, it started with just one or two shirking until all of them were doing it. Only a few even try anymore."

"Didn't Gigi or someone try to step in?" Tsuna asked in sympathy.

"She tried lots of times after they stopped listening to me," he replied with an empty-handed gesture. "Even when that Danny fellow came along, no one would listen to her, though. After he got back, Big Guy came a few times when things got really bad, but he's got to work during the daytime. I can't call him every single time that things got rough."

"Well, you can call me," Tsuna sighed as he headed for the first hallway of rooms. "Remind me to give you my cell number so that you can get a hold of me. I don't care when or where, I'm not going to let you get locked into a closet again."

"I'm glad," he chuckled. Turning his attention to the hallway, Tsuna sent up a sharp whistle to get everyone's attention. Much more than simply two minutes had passed and they had plenty of time to straighten things up if the situation wasn't beyond hope in their rooms.

"Everyone out," Tsuna barked. "Stand next to your doors." It took nearly another two minutes for people to actually obey, which told Tsuna that he was in for a rough time himself. That was only reaffirmed when he stuck his head into the first room. "What the hell happened?" He growled with a pointed look at all the holes in the wall.

"That's not they're fault," Steve interjected before Tsuna could blame the two trembling tenants. "Sometimes the overflow of fights end up in this room. Both of these two have come to me numerous times when their stuff was broken. They've both requested being moved to a different room, but I just don't have one to give them."

"There shouldn't be fights in here, let alone brawls," he grumbled. "Why haven't they been patched up yet?"

"It's on the list," Steve sighed. "There's just too much damage for me to keep up with anymore."

"Whichever one of you isn't working," Tsuna said, looking at the pair of men instead of the landlord. "Steve will supply the materials, but it's your responsibility to fix the damages done in your room. Have it patched up by the end of the week. If someone adds a hole to patch, give me the name and I'll give a hole to match."

"Yes sir."

"Your room smells like moldy shit," he continued, looking at the room across from that one. "Make it lemon fresh before I'm done inspecting or you can find yourself a new home."

"Yes sir."

"Televisions aren't allowed in rooms," he said at the next one. "Get rid of it or get the fuck out."

"Yes sir."

"Clean it again."

"But, it's clean," one of the two objected at the fourth room. In response, Tsuna walked in and flipped both of the beds to let them see the moldy mess that he could smell.

"Clean it again."

"Yes sir."

"You're good," he nodded after only popping his head into the fifth room for a second. Both men sighed in relief and Steve gave them a wink, telling Tsuna that they were one of the few that was still trying to do chores. The sixth room was different, however. "Both of you have two weeks to get out."

"What?!" One of the two choked. "Why?! The room--"

"The room reeks of weed," Tsuna interrupted. "So do some of the others, but yours is bad enough that I can tell that you've been spending a lot of money. This kind of smell doesn't come from a recent hit or a little diversion in the past. You two have been smoking up your paycheck for as long as you've been living here."

"That's not--"

"If that's not good enough reason for me to evict you, then this is," Tsuna snarled, grabbing the man's arm to yank up his sleeves. The man fell silent, looking away from the drug tracks on his arm in shame. "What you do is your own business, but not when the money to do it is coming out of my pocket. How many times have you held money back to pay for this shit?" The man didn't answer as he yanked his arm out of Tsuna's grip. "You made your choices," he admonished mercilessly. "If you two can come back with a way to prove that you're in rehab and you're serious, then I'll let you stay. If not, find somewhere else to stay. Your both grown men and I'm not your fucking parent. Look for charity somewhere else."

"Fine," he replied with a fierce look of self-pity on his face.

"Get rid of the stereo system," Tsuna ordered, turning away to the next room. "No electronics in the rooms. If you want that luxury, then go get an apartment."

"Yes sir."

"Clean it again," he ordered at the eighth room.

"Yes sir."

"Where's your roommate?" Tsuna asked bluntly as he stuck his head into the next room.

"Still at work, Boss," he answered promptly. "I know it's not spotless, but--"

"You're good," he interrupted. "You're right. It's not spotless, but I'm not asking for perfection. You got the beds made and the shit off the floor. It's cluttered, but I'm not smelling any moldy shit. See what you can do about organizing your stuff better, but don't worry about getting kicked out."

"Thank you, sir."

Turning to the last room on the floor, Tsuna raised his eyebrow at how the man standing outside was hissing at his roommate to come out. Motioning him to stay silent, Tsuna headed inside to see why his orders hadn't been followed. It wasn't hard to miss the first and possibly only of his female tenants. She was sitting in front of a computer with her attention glued to the screen. From her sloppy way of dressing and unkempt hair, he assumed that the young black woman was in touch with her inner-hermit.

"Hold on," Steve hissed before he could interrupt her. Tsuna paused in the middle of raising his fist to put through the monitor. "I made an exception for her, Boss. She asked for permission for the computer and I gave it."

"Why?" He asked, curious over the fact that she didn't even twitch over his presence behind her.

"She works online," he answered. "To tell you the truth, Beebe is the reason that we've been able to scrape by. She's been making enough off of her programming skills that she's been giving us as much money as the rest of the floor. We tried talking her into moving out because an apartment would be cheaper, but she said that she wasn't going anywhere until she met you."

"Me?" He repeated with his surprise growing even more.

"Done!" The girl exclaimed in sudden glee. "Now, what were you s--" Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise when she jumped out of her chair and immediately shrieked on the top of her lungs when she finally noticed Tsuna behind her.

"Whoa," he gasped. "Calm down!"

"You scared me half to death!" She exclaimed, boldly reaching up to smack him on the side of the head. He simply stared at her while wondering what kind of insanity had possessed his tenant. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Who are you, anyway?"

"This is Lazarus, Beebe," Steve introduced carefully. "He's the leader of the Orange Dragons that you've been wanting to meet."

"I thought his name was Suoh," she objected.

"I changed my name," Tsuna replied with a raised eyebrow. She squeaked in surprise and flew backwards several steps to where she started bowing repeatedly around apologies. "You're weird," Tsuna stated bluntly.

"I get that a lot," Beebe replied with a small blush lighting up her face. Tsuna barely noticed, simply happy that she stopped bowing. The next move that she made was to attempt to straighten out her hair with her fingers while she talked. "If I'd known you were coming, I would have prepared better."

"Steve said that you wanted to meet me for some reason?" Tsuna prompted, folding his arms across his chest in hopes of regaining his own decorum.

"The truth is that I wanted to thank you," she smiled hesitantly. "I-I ran away from home two years ago and I was living with my boyfriend up until eight months ago. When he kicked me out, I didn't have anywhere to go. I stayed on the streets for two months before Ollie found me and pointed me to this place. It's been hard at times because of all the knuckleheads, but Steve and my roommate Billy have both been really nice. Steve got me set up with a computer when they found out that I know how to program and Billy always makes sure that I eat and sleep when I'm supposed to. I zone out sometimes when I get my teeth into a nice piece of coding. A-Anyway, because this place was here, I've got enough money saved up to start my own software business. So... I wanted to thank you. I could still be on the streets, but I'm not because of you. Instead, I've found what I really like to do and I've found people that support me in my choices. I-I'm happy."

"You don't need to thank me," he replied without a hint of an expression on his face. "You worked hard for what you've got and you've already repaid me by helping to keep this place running while I was gone. My advice is to keep moving forward without regrets and don't look back. This place is too small for you." Heading out of the door before she could respond, Tsuna gave her roommate a considering look before nodding in understanding. "Take care of her," he murmured. The man's jaw dropped as he blushed, but Tsuna ignored him in order to head for the stairs. He paused before heading up, deciding that there was one other thing that needed to be noted.

"If you passed inspection, then start cleaning up the green room and the bathroom," he ordered. "If you didn't, you have until tomorrow morning to get it done." He nodded in satisfaction as people took that as an order to start moving. People rushed inside their rooms and toward the green room in hopes of making him happy. "Stand by your door!" Tsuna bellowed down the hallway when he reached the second floor. People came flying out and Tsuna smiled slightly in relief. It didn't look like anyone planned an attempt to keep their room by force. It looked like T.J. was the biggest guy staying in the building and Tsuna had already dealt with him. That meant that anyone smaller had already looked at the odds of winning and had decided that they had a better chance of sticking around if they obeyed.

Sticking his head into the first room, Tsuna's head dropped in disappointment.

"You have two choices," he sighed, looking at the two men standing on either side of the door. "Either I can take ownership of all the electronics or you can find a new place to stay."

"But--!"

"For you to have a plasma television, a stereo system, a game console, and one... two boxes of games, you have to have either misunderstood the reason that you're here or you've been holding back money from Gigi. There's a reason that electronics are forbidden in the rooms. If you want luxury, then either get a better job or save up enough money for a better place. No one should think of this as a permanent home. If you've been holding back from Gigi to pay for all of this, then it's mine anyway."

"Take it," they grumbled.

"Sell it all, Steve," he ordered before moving to the next room without a care for the horrified looks on the two men's faces. The point was made. He doubted that anyone would be so foolish as to so blatantly ignore the rules again. "You're good," he said after poking his head into the second room. "You're good," he repeated in satisfaction at the third room. They'd obviously all made good use of their extra time to clean. The fourth room was different, however. "You've had over twenty minutes to clean," he growled. "Why does it still smell like moldy socks and sweaty ass?"

"It's not us, Boss!" The man on the left exclaimed. "We don't know where it's coming from! It's been like that for weeks! We've tried cleaning, but--"

"Shut up," he snapped, walking further into the room to figure it out for himself. It only took a minute to track it down by scent, which left his eyes watering by the time he walked back out. "Steve," he snarled. "Warn whomever has the room above this one that they can consider themselves evicted if it still smells like that when I get up there."

"Yes, Boss," he grinned maliciously before running for the stairs. Looking at the two men who were still waiting on his verdict, he gave them a small, reassuring nod. "You're both good. I'll get rid of the smell one way or another."

"Thank you, Boss."

"Clean it again," Tsuna sighed at the fifth room. "There's bread molding in here somewhere."

"Yes, Boss."

"Get rid of the television."

"Yes, Boss."

"You have two weeks to get the fuck out," he growled after sticking his head into the seventh room.

"Wh--" Tsuna silenced him much less nicely than he had the others. Grabbing the man by the throat, he pinned him to the wall and practically spat his reasons into the guy's face.

"If you want to make meth, then do it somewhere else," he snarled. "You've put the whole building in danger of being raided and closed down with your little stunt. Not only that, but you've put the place at risk of being blown up. Don't think I'm stupid. I recognize the parts, even if you've disassembled your lab. If you don't want to make money the legal way, then that's your choice. You're not going to do it under my roof, though." Releasing him, Tsuna felt his lip twitch in anger as he went to the next one. "Where's your roommate?" He snarled.

"It's Gale, Boss," he answered with a tremble. "I-I know it l-looks like we've b-been holding back--"

"Gale's good at shopping," Tsuna interrupted, waving the explanation away as he poked his head inside. "My question is why he's still here."

"I'm his third roommate, Boss," he replied promptly when Tsuna pulled his head back out to talk directly with him. "Gale doesn't work so..."

"So he's helping other people get on their feet faster by staying as support," he sighed, rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. "What happened to his job at the check cashing place?"

"He quit," the man answered with growing confidence. "He said it was more fun to spend money that wasn't his. He's been really good at teaching me how to stretch my paychecks."

"Alright," he groaned. "I'll make an exception here. You can keep the electronics, but only if they're Gale's. He's handy enough that I have him do my shopping a lot of the time and he never asks me to pay him for his trouble. He's deserved this much consideration. Be glad that you've got such a good roommate."

"Every day, Boss," he replied with a smile as Tsuna headed for the ninth room.

"Clean it again," he ordered.

"Yes, Boss."

"You're good."

"Thank you, Boss."

Skipping the door for the large room at the end of the hall labeled 'Manager', Tsuna turned to look back at the men still standing in waiting.

"If you passed, then get to work on cleaning the common areas. If you failed, you have until morning to fix it. I only give one second chance. I suggest you spit shine them because I'm going to be a lot harder on you tomorrow since you have the whole night to clean."

"Yes, Boss!" The hallway exclaimed in unison. Tsuna nodded in satisfaction, sending them into their rooms or toward the bathroom. Heading upstairs, he tried not to let his eyes water at the smell. No one looked happy about being awake at their usual time, but they were all standing by their doors already. The call from the previous floor had warned them and apparently Steve had already given them a clue as to his chosen way of inspection. The only problem was that over half the tenants on the top floor were people that worked the graveyard shift and therefore had been asleep during the downstairs riot. They hadn't seen how Tsuna had put the others into their place.

"Where's your roommate?" Tsuna asked at the first room.

"That's T.J.'s," Steve called from down the hallway. Tsuna nodded before looking at the singular man that was blocking entry with a glare on his face.

"T.J.'s got a broken shoulder," Tsuna said with a smile. "Unless you want a matching one, I suggest you move."

"Fuck. You," he spat in reply. Tsuna nodded, looking down the hallway with a sympathetic look at Steve. If this was the typical treatment that he'd been getting, then he definitely deserved a raise. Reaching out, Tsuna grabbed the man's shirt and yanked him face-down into the floor. Swinging his arm around the guy's neck before he could respond to being slammed, Tsuna put him to sleep by carefully cutting off the air supply to his brain. In seconds, he was snoring soundly on the floor.

"Does anyone else want to try me?" Tsuna asked as he stood, glaring down the hallway in warning. The only response was a flurry of satisfying head shakes. Poking his head into the room, Tsuna snarled at the smell. "Steve, when T.J. gets back, let him know that his room smells twice as bad as his breath. Tell him that he has two strikes against him and if he gets a third strike in the morning, we won't need a talk. He's gone."

"Understood," Steve agreed with a wide grin.

"Clean it again," he ordered at the next room.

"Yes, Boss."

"Clean it again."

"Yes, Boss."

"Is this our culprit, Steve?" Tsuna asked, coming to a stop outside the door that the landlord was hovering by.

"It was."

"They've cleaned it up pretty fast," Tsuna commented, sticking his head inside. The room was frigid, proving that a window had been opened despite the weather and the smell of disinfectant and bleach overpowered the nasty stench that had been inside previously.

"They moved pretty damn fast when I told them that you could smell them from downstairs and you were tempted to evict them without looking," he replied. "They even pulled out the caps off the floor vents when they couldn't track down where the smell was coming from. Seems they thought it was the guys under them."

"What was it?" He asked as he stepped into the room to give a closer inspection.

"A used jock strap," he chuckled while the two men turned a bright shade of red. "It got pulled into the vent somehow and was hanging from it. Once that was tied in a trash sack, the room started smelling a whole lot better."

"Good," he nodded. Stepping outside, he looked at both men with a serious expression on his face. "I'll let it pass this time, but you two better keep a better eye on your underwear next time."

"Yes, Boss."

"Where's your roommate?" Tsuna asked at the fifth room.

"Sleeping inside," he whispered with a worried look on his face. "Please don't make him get up, Boss. He's been overworking lately and I finally talked him into calling in because of the snow. He's had a fever for two days now, but he was still going in." Tsuna nodded in acceptance before poking his head into the room to look around.

"You're good. Make sure he gets some soup in him when he wakes up and let me know if he gets worse."

"Yes, Boss. Thank you, Boss."

"Clean it again," he sighed at the next room.

"But--" Like before, Tsuna walked into the room at the objection and flipped the beds over to show the messes that had been swept underneath. As an extra bonus, he pulled open one of the dresser drawers to show the man that he was breeding cockroaches in his sock drawer thanks to the half-eaten food that had been hidden inside.

"Food's not allowed outside of the kitchen anymore," Tsuna called as he exited the room once more. "I can ignore a few snacks, but breeding bugs can get us shut down. Clean it again."

"Yes, Boss."

"Where's these two?" Tsuna asked, turning to look at Steven when no one was waiting for him outside the seventh room.

"Both working," he answered. "Only one's on a payroll and he left right before you arrived. The other one mentioned trying to go set up some work shoveling snow off of sidewalks tomorrow."

"It's good to hear that some people understand what this place is meant for," Tsuna murmured as he opened the door to look inside. He was even happier at what he found inside. The place was already spotless and tidy. "Are these some of the ones you mentioned that still tried to do chores?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Ah," Steve confirmed with a smile. "They come every morning to see what needs worked on the most. Even Harket does and he's working two jobs. Other than these two and the ones I pointed out on the first floor, the rest of them don't bother."

"Cut their rent next month," Tsuna murmured quietly. "The same for the guys on the first floor that did their chores. Tell them that prudence doesn't always get rewarded, but that it's an honorable virtue to have when the actions of those around them are irresponsible."

"I'm sure it'll be appreciated," Steve replied with a grin. Tsuna nodded, heading over to the eight and ninth room. One had a television inside and the other barely passed despite the pile of clothes on the bed. Only the fact that they smelled clean allowed Tsuna to ignore it. The big room at the end of the hallway was the only one left and Tsuna raised his eyebrow in askance at Steve over the lack of tenants standing outside. "That's Warren and the kids' room," he supplied with a smile. "As soon as it opened up, we moved them in there so they would have more room to breathe. Warren's working, but you know how hard it'd be for him and the kids if they moved into an apartment. By staying here, he has more to spend on the tykes and I didn't have the heart to--"

"I understand," Tsuna soothed. "I have no problem with them staying. I would have made the same decision. It's better for the kids to have a stable place to stay, too."

"We made exceptions for them," Steve warned as Tsuna pushed the door open. Tsuna blinked in surprise before giving Steve a wide smile. There were meant to be exceptions to every rule and he could think of no one more deserving of the exceptions that Steve had made. The large room had been split into a full three-bedroom apartment for them to live in. One was a bedroom for Warren and he grinned at the race-car bed in Houston's. Isabella's had been painted a pastel pink and her floor was covered in small toys. They had their own private bathroom and a small kitchen, plus a small couch and television for them to use. In the same amount of area that the green room had, Steve had given Warren a comfortable home to raise his kids in.

"It's amazing," Tsuna praised as he shut the door behind him. "It's not huge, but I'd be perfectly happy living in there." Shaking his head to clear it of his wonder, Tsuna tried to get his mind back on track. "Tell everyone to meet me in the green room in sixty seconds. I want to make sure everyone understands something before I head home."

"Alright," he agreed. Heading out first, Tsuna darted down the stairs and into the small manager's office next to the entrance. Once there, he set all the thermostats to fifty degrees. It was enough that people would get cold, but not so cold that they would have to worry about freezing to death. With blankets and extra socks, they could survive. As soon as he finished there, he headed into the green room to perch on the pieces of the pool table that had been pushed into a corner of the room. The tears in the couch had been fixed with wide, silver tape and two guys were already working on the holes in the wall. The trash and beer bottles were gone. On top of that, every surface had been wiped down twice and three guys were working on the carpet with buckets of soapy water and sponges.

Counting down the seconds, Tsuna started speaking as soon as the sixty seconds were up.

"With the exception of four of you, all of you have broken at least one of my rules," he stated clearly. "Whether it was my rules that at least one person from every room was to do chores or the rule that you were to keep your rooms clean or the rule that personal electronics weren't allowed, all of you have done something in the past year that you shouldn't have. I'm not going to ask what you were thinking. I'm just going to say this very simply to make sure that all of you understand. Don't. Fuck. With. Me." Glaring over the assembled tenants, he nodded in satisfaction at several of the pale faces. Fear was good. Fear instilled order. He could accept fear.

"As punishment for breaking the rules, I've broken the heaters," he continued with a false smile. "If you have somewhere else to go, I suggest that you go there. If you go, I suggest that you take your stuff with you. This place isn't meant to be for people with options and alternatives. This place is meant to be a stepping stone so that people don't have to feel the cold of the streets while they're trying to get on their feet. If you have options and if you have alternatives, then you've been taking up a place that someone less fortunate needs. Those of you with televisions and stereo systems are the ones that I'm most disappointed with. You have no pride and no ambition. It disgusts me. If you can afford to spend money on your own entertainment, then you've gotten complacent with living here. This is your wake-up call. When the temperature starts dropping in your rooms, I want every single one of you to remember that this place is what's keeping you from feeling that every single day. Tonight is a reminder of what you have to go to if you've got nowhere to go. You shouldn't be spending money on frivolous things."

"In addition," he decided as several faces took on guilty expressions or horrified ones. "The kitchen is off limits tonight. No big deal because you can just go buy hamburgers. Right? Wrong. If any of you leave this building before I return in the morning, you can consider yourself evicted. Steve is going to do room checks randomly to ensure that no one sneaks out. If someone does sneak out, both you and your roommate are evicted. Roommates, the only way to save yourself if someone sneaks out is to tell Steve before he catches you."

"This isn't a fucking prison!" One of the guys at the back of the group exclaimed angrily.

"No, it's not," Tsuna agreed with a twitch of his eye. "But I want all of you to remember that the streets are a hell that make prison look like heaven. If you don't like my stipulations, feel free to leave. No one's forcing you to stay. I'll be happy to pay cab fare for where-ever you want to go. To be honest, I'd be happy if every single one of you decided to move out today. It means that you didn't need this place to begin with. For those of you that want to stay and actually appreciate what this place is meant for, I suggest you continue making up for a year's worth of neglect and get your shit straight by morning."

"There's a few other things that I want to make clear before I go," Tsuna said while he tried to hold back his anger. "Fighting isn't allowed in here. Take it to the alley or down the street. I don't care where, but I won't go easy if I have to break up a fight. Everyone will be walking away with black eyes and broken bones that way. If I ever catch anyone mistreating Steve, Warren, Houston, or Isabella, I'll personally ensure that you get twice the mistreatment in return. You don't want to piss me off, people. I try to be fair, but I don't have to be a nice guy. The last thing I want to mention is those living in the Dojo. Any of them have the power to kick you out at any time and I'll back them up. Gigi's word is as good as mine and so is Steve's. If you don't want to deal nicely with one of them, then you'll get me and, trust me, you don't want to deal with me. Don't think that you can ignore them while I'm not around and get away with it. I always come back."

"Steve," Tsuna called, looking over at the man who was the only one with a smile on his face. "The four that behaved while I was gone get an all-expense paid trip to a hotel for tonight and steak dinners. They don't deserve to be punished with everyone else when they remembered the reason that they're here. Have the sick guy bundled up and carried over to the Dojo. We'll take care of him over there. I don't want him getting worse when the temperature drops. I also want all the electronics piled up here in the green room by morning so that we can sell them to make up for those that have been holding back money from Gigi."

"I'll take care of it," he promised with his eyes dancing in merriment. "And I'll come over and give you regular updates."

"Send Gale and Warren over when they get back," Tsuna added as he started heading for the door. "Tell Gale that I've gotten a hold of some shopping sprees for him and tell Warren that the kids are staying at the Dojo tonight."

"Yes, Boss."

"Dismissed," he called absently to the gathered crowd. Giving a small wave of farewell to Steve, Tsuna started heading across the street once more. The footing was dangerous as he crossed the road with how the snow had started accumulating over ice. He'd nearly slipped twice before finally reaching the truck that was his goal. Reaching inside, he pulled out the duffle-bag and laundry bag that had been left in the seat and decided to wait on bringing the motorcycle in until later.

He was unprepared for what awaited him when he entered the Dojo. Even from the garage entrance, he could smell all the scents that he'd not smelled in what felt like ages. There was Cassandra's holiday cooking and Gigi's perfume. The smell of Ore's sweat mixed with the tang from Leo's paints. Marty's grease and Ollie's weed. It was all mixed together in a way that almost knocked his feet out from under him. If only it wasn't missing the one scent that he wanted the most, he mused.

Walking quietly, he stopped before pushing the netting out of his way to head into the cathedral. The sounds were so painfully close. Gigi's laughter and Isabella's giggling. Houston's quiet questions and Dedra's brisk answers. The sound of Marty working on some piece of machinery and the clicking of typing while Leo played on the computer. Tsuna smiled as he heard Peanut barking from the other side of the netting. The dog knew that he was there. Someone had noticed his quiet presence.

His face fell when he pushed the curtain back and the barking dog was nothing like the German Shepherd that he expected. Instead, it was a bouncing Dalmatian who was excited in a way that Tsuna could only describe as obliviously stupid. The dog had no clue who he was, but he was excited to see him. Looking around, he tried to find his own dog while he absently accepted Gigi's excited hug.

"What's wrong?" Gigi exclaimed with a brilliant smile. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I am," he answered while he continued looking around while ignoring the dog at his feet. "I'm just looking for Peanut. I figured that he'd be happy to see me."

"Gigi!" Cassandra gasped from the kitchen. "I thought you told him!"

"I-I--"

"Gigi," Tsuna prompted worriedly when Gigi's eyes filled with tears. "Where's Snicker's dog?"

"I'm sorry, Laz," she murmured as her tears started falling. Her face said everything, but Tsuna was unsure of how he should react. It hurt. He knew that it hurt, but he was used to hurting. He'd learned to deal with it too well, he guessed. Compared to losing Snicker, losing Peanut was sadly bearable.

"Don't cry, Gigi," he soothed, reaching out to pull her into a hug. "I understand why you didn't tell me, so don't cry. You're supposed to be smiling because I'm home."

"I'm so sorry," she wept into his shoulder. "I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't get the courage. We tried to save him, Laz. We took him to the vet and did everything we could, but he just wouldn't eat after you guys were gone. We even got Shelby to keep him company, but nothing worked!"

"It's okay," he mumbled as she started to get control of herself. "I know you would have done your best for him. I'm sure that he's happy where he's at now. Snicker wouldn't be Snicker if Peanut wasn't with him. They're probably together, making fun of the little drama queen who's crying her mascara off."

"It's waterproof," she sniffed as she automatically pulled back to wipe the possibly-black tears away. Tsuna gave her a crooked smile over how easily she was distracted, which only made her give an apologetic look in return. "Look at me," she sniffed again. "You're the one that should be upset and here I am turning into a blubbering idiot."

"It's alright," he replied gently. "I can't say that it doesn't hurt to come back and find him gone, but I'm not going to cry over it. I've already shed enough tears. Why don't we try this again and you can pretend that you told me a long time ago...?" Holding out his arms, Tsuna gave her a hesitant smile before saying, "I'm home."

"Welcome home," she greeted pathetically, once more giving him the hug that he was prompting her for. Nodding slightly in satisfaction, he found his hesitant smile becoming a real one at the feeling of someone hugging his leg. Looking down at the little boy that was only as tall as his hip, he found himself being smiled up at by Houston.

"You shouldn't have any more trouble with your neighbors," he said as he scooped the boy into his free arm. "If you do, tell them that your Uncle Laz will come spank them."

"Who's Uncle Laz?" Houston asked in innocent curiosity.

"I am," he smiled. "I changed my name. Do you like it?"

"Uncle is still Uncle," he shrugged with a small giggle. "Uncle got big, though!"

"I'm not that big," he laughed. "Uncle Ore is bigger."

"Uncle Ore is outrageously big!" Houston said in wide-eyed agreement. Tsuna chuckled at the description and nodded. Outrageous was definitely the word for Ore. Handing off the bag of cash to Gigi, Tsuna found himself lose his train of thought in the middle of something that he'd forgotten that he was saying. He was struck speechless and mindless in a breath-taking instant when he looked around the room to see who else was present.

"Who...?" He asked, feeling as if all of his senses were being drawn into the woman standing in the middle of the cathedral. She was gorgeous. For a moment, Tsuna considered that it was Leo from the woman's height. Leo had never had such curves, however. Leo wasn't known for wearing corseted tops and fluttering skirts, either. To top it off, he doubted that an unlimited supply of hair dye and makeup could make Leo look half as awe-inspiring as the queen before him. She had a tanned skin-tone that was closer to Veronica's than his own. Her silver hair was cropped short so that it framed her face in a very sensuous way. Her eyes were what drew him in the most, however. They were the same ice-blue shade that he found so attractive in Poe, but they seemed to jump out even more due to the dark lashes-- "Ohmygod," he gasped in identification. Turning away entirely to break her spell, Tsuna tried to get his thoughts back where they were supposed to be. "You're Lobat."

"If that's what you want to name me," she replied in a silvery voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"POE!" Tsuna yelled.

"You rang?" Poe asked in amusement from his perch on the bell above.

"That--!" Tsuna waved at where Lobat was standing behind him. "She-- she-- Shoo!"

"I understand," Poe laughed mercilessly. "Come, daughter. You've tempted him enough. Let him have peace to decide. If he doesn't give you an answer in a few days, you can tempt him again."

"You're a cruel man, Poe!" Tsuna exclaimed with his face turning red.

"I never claimed to be otherwise," he replied with a mischievous laugh. Tsuna groaned, shivering slightly as her scent finally hit him. Peppermint and a musky scent that he couldn't begin to name. All he knew was that his mouth started watering and it didn't stop even after they shut the domed sun roof that was over the bell.

"I think Uncle Laz is hungry," Houston called innocently. "He's drooling."

"Am not," he grumbled as he quickly wiped the evidence away.

"Yes, you were," he countered. Tsuna felt his eye twitch, but he knew that Houston didn't understand adult things. Things such as why he could hear the sound of people laughing behind him.

"Yes, I'm hungry," he admitted with a red face. "Why don't we get something to eat?"

"Okay!" Houston agreed in instant happiness. "We made a lot! Aunt Cassy kept saying that we should stop, but your friend kept saying that we needed more."

"Did he?" Tsuna asked, controlling his blushes enough to turn around again. Heading over to the kitchen while Houston gave him firm nods, Tsuna was stopped three times to get welcoming hugs. Once from Leo, once from Dedra, and a final one from Cassandra. Marty merely waved from her seat in the living area, finding the piece of machinery in her hands to be far more interesting than even Tsuna. Sitting down at the kitchen bar, he greedily looked over everything that had been prepared. Most of it looked to be left overs, but all of it looked delicious. He didn't know where to start. There was a pile of ham slices, a half-empty bowl of stuffing, left-over macaroni and cheese, paella, freshly cooked rice, sausages, salted boiled potatoes, and what looked to be what was left of a tuna casserole. "Have you eaten, Veronica?" Tsuna asked, restraining himself by the thinnest veil of manners.

"Already done," he confirmed. That was all Tsuna needed to know. Setting Houston down on the seat next to him, he started digging in. Without being told, Veronica supplied him with a tall glass of iced tea. He barely noticed, being far too interested in filling the hole in his stomach. He was careful, making sure that he bit his finger without being noticed under the cover of cramming food in his mouth. A few drops added to a ham slice and he could feel the hole being filled at a satisfying rate. It wasn't until the first spread was gone and Veronica started helping to heat up more left-overs that he began to slow. Even then, the only reason that he slowed down his pace was because of the shocked looks on all the girl's faces, Gigi's included.

"Holy hell," Gigi gasped. "If that's how you've been eating, no wonder you grew!"

"I can't help it," he mumbled sheepishly. "I got used to eating a lot because I was hungry all the time and then my metabolism skyrocketed because of how much I was working out." Thankfully, Tsuna was saved from having to explain further as the sick man from the boarding house arrived. He looked to be wrapped up in three layers of sweaters and his roommate was helping to keep a blanket wrapped around his head and shoulders. "Put him on the couch," Tsuna directed. "You can stick around and keep an eye on him since you actually seemed to give a damn earlier."

"Yes, Boss," the roommate nodded, helping his friend over to lay down on the couch.

"He's got the flu and I turned the heater down to fifty across the street," Tsuna explained around leisurely bites. "I told them that I broke it, though. I figured that the cry-babies who don't need the place will go running home to mama on their own instead of trying to tough it out when the temperature starts dropping. They won't freeze if they stay, but they don't know that."

"Some of them have already started packing, Boss," the roommate offered in surprise for the piece of information. "I was kind of surprised. There were a lot of people that looked like they wanted to leave, but can't for some reason."

"Those are the ones with nowhere else to go," Tsuna supplied with a grin. "What's your name?"

"Aaron," he answered.

"Well, Aaron," Tsuna sighed. "I think I'll start doing this more often. If it gets their asses in gear so that they stand on their own feet, then I think I made the right choice. They can hate me all they want, but sometimes a person just needs a slap to wake them up."

"I'd say you gave them a slap, Boss," Aaron chuckled. "Justin is still passed out on the top floor."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes sir. Steve checked twice and he started talking in his sleep when I went up there to look."

"He shouldn't have tried to step up to me," Tsuna mused as he greedily accepted a platter of fried chicken. "Cassandra, do you think you have some tea and soup to try and get into our sick friend?"

"Yeah," she nodded with a look of bewilderment on her face for all the 'Boss' and 'sir' comments that Tsuna had readily accepted.

"Holy shit on a candlestick," Gigi gasped suddenly. Once more, Tsuna turned in place to look at the people in the living area behind him. This time, he grimaced slightly. Gigi had pulled open the bags that he'd brought in with him and her eyes were bulging at the one filled with cash. "What the hell did you do? Rob a bank?"

"No one's going to come looking for it," he replied, turning back to his food with a warning glare at Veronica to tell him to keep his mouth shut. "Stick that in the safe and tell Daren to add it to the black book instead of the blue one. Oh!" He exclaimed, spinning in place again to look at Gigi with a wide grin. "You should be happy to hear this. Guess who owns Kink's?"

"W-What?" She asked in dumb shock.

"I do!" He blurted. "Surprise!"

"Eh?"

"I also own Tig Bitty's and... um..." Pulling out the deeds to check the name of the pizza place again, Tsuna looked over at Houston with a grin. "And Rascal Roger's."

"Really?!" Houston exclaimed with an excited squeal.

"So this says," Tsuna confirmed with a smile. "I won't know for sure how good this document is until I go talk to them, but you can go anytime you want if it's as good as I think it is." Tsuna smiled at Houston's overwhelmed face of glee. It was everything he'd hoped for when Veronica had told him that it was a children's restaurant.

"Did you hear that, Aunt Gigi?!" He shouted, throwing his arms around Tsuna's neck. "Uncle Laz is going to take me to Rascal Roger's!"

"I heard, but I'm not sure if I believe it," she replied with the same shocked expression as everyone else.

"Marty..." Tsuna added, pulling out his motorcycle keys to shake them. "You want to see what else I got? It's cold outside, but I can bring it inside if you'll go unwrap it."

"What is it?" She asked curiously, slipping out of her seat as if the jingle of keys was a siren song.

"I'll give you a hint. It has two wheels, a big engine, and a lot of custom work."

"Motherf--" Tsuna grinned as she darted forward to snatch his keys and ran out the door with Leo and Houston chasing her.

"These look legit," Dedra said from where she'd slipped behind him to look at the papers. "How--"

"That's not all," he added, pulling one sheet of paper out in particular.

"What's this?" She asked in confusion. "It's just Mike's address and--"

"I own them," Tsuna said bluntly. "More precisely, I've been moved into the food chain above them."

"What about Wes--?"

"Wes is the one that gave me that," Tsuna replied in satisfaction that the man hadn't been lying. "I'm also now the owner of a yacht named 'Sea Siren' and I'm surprised that Gigi hasn't noticed the jacket. I figured that it would be the first thing that she'd start screaming about."

"I-It's not a knock-off?" Gigi asked with her jaw dropping even more. "L-L-L-Laz," she shuddered when he slowly nodded. "D-D-D-Do you kn-know how much th-th-that j-j-j-j-j-j-j-j-j-jacket would cost if it was real?"

"Apparently it's around a quarter million," Tsuna answered with a grin. Then he paled when Gigi abruptly fainted. Jumping out of his seat, he ran over to her and tried not to panic. He'd never seen Gigi faint before. He'd seen her pretend, but it was the first time that she'd actually done it. "Gigi," he shouted around a gentle attempt to shake her awake. "Gigi!"

"Holy shit," Cassandra gaped as she saw the amount of cash in the bag. "Did you really rob a bank?"

"No!" He yelped. "I won it in poker! Gigi! Wake up!"

"Who were you playing against? Michael Schmidt?" Dedra asked sarcastically as she went to grab Isabella up from the travel crib set up in the corner of the room. Tsuna paled at the unintentional identification.

"Um, yeah," he admitted. "I didn't know he was famous."

"Are you serious?!" Aaron choked. "Where have you been?! How can you not know--"

"Prison, dumbass," Tsuna growled in irritation. Turning his attention back to Gigi, he gently patted her face until she finally started to respond. "Gigi," he called. "Wake up, sleeping beauty. If you faint over a jacket, then I'm not going to be able to take you shopping with me."

"Laz?" She mumbled in disorientation. "What happened?"

"You fainted," he answered in relief as she started to sit up. "Are you okay? Did you hurt anything when you fell?"

"I'm fine," she replied as her eyes locked onto the jacket that he was still wearing.

"C-Can I touch it?" She asked with a shaking hand lifted up.

"I'll let you wear it if you promise not to faint on me again," he chuckled. "Geez. And here I thought that I could make you smile. You just scared five years off of my life."

"I'll save the smiling for after the room stops spinning," she retorted. "That's seriously a Namehage Original?"

"Yes..." he answered slowly while preparing to catch her if she fainted again. Fortunately, she seemed more resilient this time.

"Let me wear it," she begged shamelessly.

"Get your head on straight first," he ordered in relief that she seemed back to normal. "I've got to go get Marty and the others back inside before they turn to ice cubes. While I'm out there, why don't you help Cassandra and Dedra put the money away? That's what's going to get us out of the red as soon as we can find a way to launder it."

"So, we're not going to lose the boarding house?" Gigi asked with a desperate look in her eyes that made Aaron straighten up in surprise.

"No," Tsuna soothed with his expression softening. "I know it was hard on you to find ways to keep it open, but I'm going to take care of everything from now on."

"And we're not going to lose the Dojo?" She asked, clutching onto his jacket in a way that told Tsuna that it was meaningless to her when compared to their home.

"We're not going to lose anything," he promised, reaching out to pull her into a hug again. "I'm sorry that I wasn't around for so long, but I'm back. You don't have to worry about anything but looking pretty now."

"Thank goodness," she said a moment before she once more began sobbing onto his shoulder. At least this time, she was crying out of relief and happiness. Tsuna only wished that the fact would make him feel better. Giving Gigi over to Cassandra and Dedra to take care of, Tsuna got to his feet and headed for the door. Gigi would be fine, but Houston had ran outside without a jacket on.

He grinned when he got outside. Houston was flush from the cold, but he seemed incredibly happy. He was in the middle of making a small snowman to put on the bench in front of the Dojo. Rather than stop him when he was having so much fun, Tsuna pulled off the jacket that Gigi was so fond of and had the boy put it on. The sleeves kept falling down around his hands and it was as long as he was tall, but it sufficed to make him warm.

"When you get the head on, you might try seeing if Cassandra has a carrot for the nose," Tsuna suggested as he helped Houston lift the middle snowball into place.

"Okay," he answered simply, being far more focused on finding snow to build the head with. Tsuna nodded before heading over to where Marty was looking over every inch of the motorcycle with Leo freezing beside her.

"Where did you get this, Laz?!" Marty exclaimed when he leaned up against the tailgate.

"Poker," he admitted in full trust. "I knew that we needed money, so I took a chance that the guys weren't bullshitting me about being good while I was in prison. I figured that we'd either loose the boarding house to cover the debt and that would take a liability off our hands or I could get enough money to put us back on the right track. This and the other stuff was just bonuses. Here. Back this up to the edge and I'll pull it down."

"Don't you want to get help fr--" Marty broke off with wide eyes when Tsuna got a grip on the frame and was able to pull it off the back of the truck by himself. He wasn't strong enough yet that he could lift it over his head or hold it up for more than a few seconds, but a few seconds was all he needed to get it to ground level. "Never mind," she mumbled in awe. Tsuna simply smiled and offered to let her push it inside for him while he put the tailgate back up and got the motorcycle's fitted covering folded up.

He didn't immediately follow the two girls back inside. Instead, he leaned up against the truck to keep an eye on Houston while he watched the exodus going on across the street. Two of them were people that had passed the inspection, which told Tsuna that they'd been thinking of moving out anyway. Cockroach guy was tossing bags out his window down to where an apparent friend was loading his belongings into a truck. The meth pair were already walking down the street with most of their clothing on and two trash bags full of items slung over their shoulders. From the mess in front of the building, Tsuna assumed that even more had already left and Tsuna couldn't think of anything other than 'good riddance'. That was, it was the only thing he could think of until Steve started crossing the street with a man walking beside him.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked with his eyes on Mr. Shoot-Me-Up's roommate while he lit himself a cigarette.

"Boss, this is Noel," he introduced. "He's one of the ones that you evicted."

"I know," he nodded around a satisfying pull of smoke.

"Noel, go ahead," Steve prompted. "Tell him what you told me. Su--erm--Lazarus isn't a bad guy. He just put on a show to try to straighten everything out."

"Well, um, you see," Noel mumbled hesitantly. "Y-You said that you're kicking us out because the drugs. I d-don't do drugs, though. I mean, I got a contact high a few times 'cause I couldn't get him to open the windows, b-but--"

"Let me see your arms," Tsuna interrupted. Noel paused for a moment before nodding. Pulling his arms out of his coat, he pulled up his sweater sleeves so that Tsuna could see his clear veins. There wasn't a single drug track in sight. "Be honest with me," Tsuna ordered as he stuck his arms back into his sleeves. "You've never done drugs?"

"I-I--"

"Be honest," Steve advised when Noel looked to him for encouragement.

"I used to," he admitted while biting his lip. "I use to shoot up between my toes. That's why I ended up here. B-But I'm clean now! I go to talk to Father Burns a lot and he's been helping me. L-Look. I know that I haven't always been a perfect angel, but I'm trying. There's been loads of times that I've been offered drugs, but I've been doing the right thing! I've got a job and I never held money back from you! Please don't kick me out because of--"

"You're good," Tsuna interrupted before the man could start crying. Gesturing with his cigarette, Tsuna encompassed both men and the boarding house behind them. "Steve, make sure that you're careful in picking out his new roommate. Let the rest know that even if their roommate voluntarily leaves, we'll find them a new one if they want to stay. I don't want people panicking and trying to keep people there that don't want to be there."

"Yes, Boss," he smiled, reaching out to pat Noel on the back while the poor man simply stood in shock. 'You should be happy to know that we've got ten rooms open and Justin started cleaning his and T.J.'s room as soon as he woke up."

"Good," he nodded in acceptance. "If there's a room on the first floor, see what you can do about turning it into a one-man room. Veronica is going to need a place until I can get him set up in a real apartment and I don't want him staying in the Dojo after tonight."

"Why?" Steve asked curiously.

"That's my business," he replied sharply. "Just get back inside so that you don't freeze." As the two men left, Tsuna turned his attention back to where Houston had found some small bits of loose concrete to use as buttons and face for his snowman. "Are you ready to go back in to see if we can get some hot cocoa?" Tsuna asked gently.

"With marshmallows?" Houston asked, turning to look at him with a pair of bright eyes and rosy cheeks.

"If we have any," Tsuna agreed with a smile. Houston went running toward the door with an instantaneous take-off that only kids could manage. He tripped twice on the long coat, but was on his feet again almost as soon as he fell. Tsuna went with him, finding it incredibly peaceful to simply help the little boy open the door. He didn't know why, but Houston made him happy when the boy was around. It made him feel like he wanted his own kids one day.

One day...

One day when his debt was repaid. One day when he didn't have to do illegal things to make ends meet. One day when he didn't have to fight Hibari or Vongola any more in order to have freedom. When that day came, he'd consider the idea of bringing a child into the world. Until then, he'd make himself happy by protecting the children of other people.

Stepping inside, he leaned against the doorway and simply watched his own little domestic theater. Aaron was trying to help his sick roommate eat a bowl of soup on the couch. Marty had wheeled his motorcycle into the middle of the cathedral so that she could point out all the customization to the clueless Leo beside her. Houston had completely forgotten about the cocoa and started asking a flurry of questions about the motorcycle while Gigi greedily took Tsuna's coat off of him. Dedra was cleaning up the dishes from Tsuna's lunch while Cassandra continued to prepare dinner.

Not much had changed with any of them. The only exception was that Leo had taken to wearing tight shirts that showed off what little curves she had. She still wore baggy pants, but the fact that she had makeup on told Tsuna that she'd become more concerned with her looks after she'd paired up with the unchanging green-haired Marty. Gigi was wearing a light brown wig that Tsuna tried not to recognize. The hair had been his, but it was styled in a smooth, shoulder-length hairdo that he could never imagine his hair doing. She was dressed for the upcoming holiday, too. She always said that a girl needed a little red dress, but Gigi had six. Dedra looked like she always had, although she had a pair of fake lashes on that glittered with Christmas colors. Cassandra was just as normal. Her only claim to change was that the length of her nails had extended again. From the looks of it, she had all the reindeer plus the sleigh painted across them.

Finally, there was Houston and Isabella. Houston had grown half a foot in the past year, but so had Tsuna. To him, it felt like Houston hadn't grown at all despite the visible fact that he had when he stood next to one of the others. Isabella was another story. Veronica was currently sitting with the little girl in his lap, but it was obvious that the little angel had grown. She'd grown so much that she was probably crawling all over the place if they let her go for an instant. She was possibly even walking from how she kept trying to stand in Veronica's lap. Her smile and giggles seem to shine over everything going on around her and she was excited by merely all the activity.

As for the room itself, a lot had changed. The billiards table was gone and had been replaced with a long dining table that everyone could fit at. By necessity with Ore's size, they'd chosen heavy, padded benches instead of individual chairs. The kitchen bar was like he remembered it, but it'd been decorated with Christmas trimmings. The computer table was empty of everything other than what looked to be bills and paperwork. The missing computers told him that things had gotten more rough than even Gigi wanted to admit. The living area was about the same. The only really noticeable thing that Tsuna had tried to overlook was that Snicker's chair was missing. There were also graffiti-covered walls instead of Shoji screens for the second floor bedroom. The fact reminded Tsuna that it was Autumn's room now, instead of his and Snicker's.

"Ore just finished reinforcing the loft," Gigi said upon noticing where his attention was. "We were planning on having it ready for you, but we thought we still had a month to go. If you want to go take a look, I'll go up there with you."

"Alright," Tsuna mumbled, tearing his eyes away from the wall. Following Gigi, he skirted around his motorcycle to head for the stage. The stage itself had been emptied of his workout equipment and punching bag so that a Christmas tree could be set up. From the looks of it, a spiraling staircase had been added to replace the ladder, too. He knew that something was up when silence descended while he climbed. A single glance proved that everyone was watching him for some reason. Apparently a surprise was waiting on him.

It was definitely a surprise, he decided when he reached the catwalk and saw where the shoji screens had disappeared to. They'd been used as covering for the new walls that had been built to close off the loft. Then Gigi opened the door to the room and Tsuna hesitantly went inside behind her. He didn't know what to say to her when he got inside. He was instantly struck speechless at how the area had been transformed.

The room had been extended out from what he remembered and he wished now that he'd thought to look up when Poe had come in earlier. There was a small balcony set into the end of the room with curtained glass doors blocking it off. If he wanted to, he could stand out there and look down at what people were doing below. With the curtains pulled back, he had close-up view of the bell, too. A small set of stairs had been added to the hatch leading up to Poe's greenhouse and Tsuna's eyes widened at what Gigi had done with all of his fudge tins. They'd been glued together to make a fitted shelf to go under the stairs. It was there that he could see all the strange trinkets that he'd been holding onto since his days of dumpster-diving, along with several framed pictures that he didn't feel ready to face just yet. There was also a door built into the corner of the wall that Tsuna was surprised to see. It meant that he had a private entrance that led straight to his room.

Since the ceiling was low, they'd forgone a ceiling fixture. Instead, the light for his room came from a lamp next to the door, one on his side table, and one at the small desk next to his bed. Gigi went around to turn them on while Tsuna took in the other things that were in the room. They'd added a plush, soft carpeting in a deep blue color. He also had new comforters and pillows in a rainbow of pure colors. There was a fish tank on one wall that Tsuna's eyes went wide at. A closer inspection proved that it had an small octopus, a small eel, several live coral and a swarm of brightly colored fish swimming around inside.

Next to the fish tank was his old dresser that held his personal shrine and his katana. A flat television had been inset into the wall above it so that Tsuna could watch from his bed or from the leather chair that had been carefully inserted into a corner of the room. It was the chair that got his attention most of all. They hadn't gotten rid of Snicker's chair. They'd simply moved it so that Tsuna could have it to himself. Walking over to it, Tsuna couldn't find the courage to actually sit in it. The closest that he could manage was to kneel down in front of it so that he could lay his head in the seat. He felt his throat get tight when he caught a hint of Snicker's scent still in it. It was faint, but it was enough. Snicker was still with him as long as Tsuna could remember that scent.

"We thought you'd probably want to keep some of Snicker's things, even though you told us to get rid of all of it," Gigi said quietly as she pulled a small chest out from under the bed. Lifting his head, Tsuna nodded and crawled open to see what she'd saved for him. His hands were shaking as he pulled out the contents. More than Snicker's chair, his clothes had been stored safely so that the still retained that small piece of Snicker that Tsuna could still grasp. Gigi had chosen wisely. The shirt and worn pants that Tsuna pulled out was drenched in Snicker's smell. So was the bandana that Snicker had kept on his head while he worked.

There was also the wallet that Snicker had always kept on him and Tsuna found his eyes blurring when he opened it. Snicker only had two pictures stuffed inside with his identification card, his social security card, and his public transportation passes. One picture was of Charlie, but the other was his favorite picture of the two of them together. There was also the silver Zippo lighter that Tsuna had given him for his birthday so long ago and the book that Snicker had read so many times.

"Are you going to be okay, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi asked gently.

"Yeah," he nodded in a tight voice. "Can you just leave me alone for a little while?"

"Of course," she murmured.

Tsuna waited to hear the quiet click of the door before deciding that he had a few more quiet tears to shed after all.


	67. Chapter 67 Snow

Author's notes: TRIPLE UPLOAD!

* * *

Lifting his head up at the sound of a door clicking shut, Tsuna rubbed the sleep out of his eye before looking around. He didn't think he'd been asleep that long, but he was unsure. The last thing he remembered was finally curling up into Snicker's chair. Someone had come in to check on him since then. He could tell because of the light blanket that had been thrown over him and the fact that the chest of Snicker's things had been put away under the bed again. Someone had also brought his jacket up and had laid it carefully across the bed.

Tossing the blanket aside, Tsuna stretched as he stood. He felt like he hadn't slept so deeply in a long time. He lit himself a cigarette out of habit while he headed over to peek out the curtains of his balcony. Daylight was still filtering down through the sunroof, so he couldn't have been asleep for long. It was a relief that he still had more of the day to work with, but he didn't feel quite ready to face everyone again. He couldn't put into words how hard it'd been to pretend that just another day was passing. For almost a year, every day had been the same to him. Finding himself having to adjust to his new circumstances was harder than he'd thought.

In retrospect, he guessed it was why he'd put off coming home for so long. The inspection had been a bit harsh, too. He'd gotten into the cell-check mindset and he knew it. It'd been something familiar in a place that he was no longer familiar with. He didn't know how to act any more. He'd done his best, but only the fact that he hadn't stayed around anyone for an extended period had allowed him to manage. He didn't think that he'd let it show how much he'd been forcing himself, but it was very possible that they could tell.

The simple fact was that small-talk wasn't something that he did. He retrieved information and gave orders. Things like trading stories and useless chit-chat that detailed his day was the type of talk that he had left behind him. Even when Ore had joined him in prison for a time, Ore had done most of the talking and Tsuna just had to respond to his prompts. Striking up a conversation to pass the time was beyond him and he knew that it was what everyone would want when he went back downstairs.

Quietly cracking open the sliding glass door to his balcony, Tsuna grabbed a spare tin from the shelves under the stairs to use as an ashtray. Then he sat down, wanting to see if he could get a feel for being around everyone without being expected to interact. With a snatched pillow from the bed at his back, he settled in comfortably to listen to the voices that he'd heard so rarely while in prison.

"...eep," Gigi was saying. "I think it hit him hard when he saw Snicker's chair."

"Poor Suoh," Leo murmured.

"I wouldn't call him that, sweetheart," Veronica warned. "He's been correcting people all day and his face gets more and more sour each time."

"I don't get why he changed it," Cassandra sighed. "His name was perfectly fine how it was."

"You guys aren't understanding how bad it was for him to lose Snicker," Gigi said with a snap in her voice. "You don't know how close we were to losing him, too. If it wasn't for him going to jail, we would have probably been on suicide watch for months.

"What's suicide?" Houston asked innocently.

"You don't need to know about that," Dedra admonished gently. "Why don't you go help Aunt Cassy make some more cocoa?"

"I still want to know who the hell you are," Gigi continued bluntly. "Not only does Laz come home early, but he brought a bag of strange money and a man with him. That's not like him at all!"

"I'm just his secretary," Veronica answered.

"Bullshit," Marty interjected quietly from across the room. "We're used to Laz bringing home strays, but I can't see him doing it when he hasn't been home in a year."

"That's right," Gigi agreed. "And all this 'Boss' and 'sir' nonsense bothers me. He used to always tell people not to call him that and now he's taking it all in stride. I want an explanation!"

"Alright," Veronica replied with a dangerous note in his voice. "If you want the truth, then I'll give it to you. I was Laz's bitch in prison. I got out two days ago and it was just chance that I was driving into the city to job hunt while he was walking home. He found out that I needed a job and a place to stay, so he provided it for me. I don't know how the Laz is that you know, but the one I know is one that likes to help people. He might fight like a demon when someone steps up to him and he doesn't take bullshit from anyone, but he's a generous guy to work for. He doesn't help those that aren't willing to help themselves and he understands that the people that smile at you one day will stab you in the back on the next."

"What happened to him in prison?" Leo asked worriedly.

"All I can tell you is what I saw," Veronica sighed. "He was quiet when he first came in. I'd already been in for two and a half months by then. He wouldn't accept help from anyone and he was the real suspicious sort. Me and Sassy tried getting close to him a lot of times when he took down the first fat-ass that stepped up to him. He was strong, but he didn't seem like the type that would hurt someone for fun. He was kind of cute, too, but that's a different subject. Anyway, Danny-boy was the only one that could get close to him at first and that was just because they were cellmates. He'd always just walk away from us without saying anything when we tried to get close. It was like he had the world on his shoulders. You have to understand that I didn't know anything about his husband back then.

Anyway, after a while, he seemed to start opening up. It wasn't a lot, but we could get him to actually talk to us on occasion. I gathered that he wasn't the type to waste words, so we settled into a nice little agreement. Me, Sassy, and Danny-boy became his bitches. We'd do odd jobs for him and he took care of our cigarettes and commissary needs. He also protected us so that none of the other convicts would bother us. Things were really quiet because of him. There was a lot of fights because he got targeted for being so small. He never lost, though. A lot of guys started hanging around him _because _he was strong. But, unless you were useful, he didn't let you stick around. Danny-boy got to because he was Laz's roommate, but me and Sassy were different. I fixed his hair every week and Sassy helped him with his homework.

He didn't seem to really open up until that Ore fellow showed up. After that, we actually got to see how Laz looked when he was smiling. Really smiling, you know. Not those fake ones that he kept giving us. Things really got crazy after that. He always worked out at least once a day, but he started working out even more. It was like a game to see which one of them could lift more. Laz also started doing foot races every morning. It was insane. Every day, it seemed like he was getting faster and stronger. He also started eating a whole lot. I mean, a whooole lot. Poor Danny-boy got stuff stolen from his tray during every meal. Laz even tried to steal from Ore once, but that started a fist fight between them that got them both thrown in solitary."

"Wait--!" Gigi gasped. "Laz got in a fist fight with ORE?"

"He got in lots of fights after that," he confirmed. "He seemed to always be on edge. One wrong word could set him off and sometimes we could tell that he was just looking for someone to fight. Most of that stopped after he got that conjugal visit, though. After he came back from that, he seemed to be a lot calmer. He was still scary as hell sometimes, but he didn't go out of his way to start trouble. That was when he seemed to get even more serious about working out, too. Used to, he would take some time out to just relax every day, but that seemed to shrink and shrink until he was always doing something. It got to a point that most of us could set our watches by him."

"What happened after that?" Dedra prompted curiously.

"Not a lot," Veronica answered. "He seemed to be settled in pretty nicely by that point. He started making deals like a hardened criminal and I bet that half the guards would have looked the other way if he wanted to take a day trip outside. Half of the convicts were on his side, too. They'd barter assistance for him with whatever they managed to find that could interest him. By the time that Ore was released, there was no one left that was willing to fight him and even the new blood that got transferred in was warned not to screw with him. After Ore and Danny-boy left, he seemed to get really depressed. He got quiet. Real quiet. I didn't know what he was thinking half the time. He'd just write in that little journal of his and he kept to himself. I think I've heard him talk more today than I've heard him talk in two months."

"I'm not sure what the Laz you remember is like," Veronica continued. "But the one I know has been pushing himself real hard to make all of you happy. He doesn't show how he's feeling a lot, but he's been going out of his way to let you know that he cares about you all. He even tried to start small talk and I haven't seen him do that since Ore first arrived. He usually only says what he feels that he has to, but he actually started telling you about what he'd won in poker. If he hadn't been trying so hard, he would have just told you to put the money up and told you to mind your own business."

"But it is our business!" Gigi exclaimed. "Laz--"

"Get that out of your head right now," Veronica interrupted bluntly. "If you want to keep him as a friend, don't push him. Even if he let you know every detail of his life before, he's not the type of person to do that anymore. You can figure out a lot of things if you just sit back and pay attention. Questioning him is the fastest way to get him to hide what he's doing. Now that I've talked to you all, I think I know why he wants me to work for him. He knows that I can do what I'm told without complaining and he knows that I trust him to be fair. Hell, he's more fair than a lot of people. I know that just from the fact that he shared Foo Foo's fudge whenever he got a new package."

"Foo Foo's fudge?" Marty asked curiously.

"Foo Foo is Laz's pen pal," Danny's voice interjected from the door. "If you don't know Foo Foo, then you can't consider yourself as one of Laz's friends."

"Danny-boy!" Veronica squealed.

"It's just Dan or Danny now," he laughed. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me that you missed me so much that you tracked me down."

"No, silly," he giggled.

"Laz is home," Gigi supplied with a growling note in her voice.

"I think you better let go of me, Veronica," Danny murmured. "Gigi's the jealous type."

"Oh!" Veronica squeaked. "I didn't put it together until just now! So, you're the Gigi that Danny-b-- Danny was always talking about?"

"I'm the only Gigi that I know," Gigi replied blandly. "Welcome home, Danny."

"Thanks," he replied absently around the sound of a kiss being exchanged. "I would have been here sooner, but we had a string of flu patients come in to get their coughs checked out. So what's this about Laz being home? I thought he wasn't getting out until the end of January."

"I was just about to ask about that," Gigi said. "Veronica told us earlier that there'd been an explosion at the prison....?"

"Yup," Veronica answered before lowering her voice. "I didn't want to say anything with the kid around, but Laz's new cellmate stabbed him with a pencil to get the guards to open the door so that he could escape. I think it was planned with some people from the outside because the D-Block got torn up pretty badly from the explosives. I guess they decided to move up his parole date instead of moving him to a different prison."

"I knew about that," Danny confirmed. "I was with Dr. Jules for his treatment. I think they mentioned something about trying to get him released, but I didn't think that they'd actually manage to get it done."

"You knew that he got stabbed and you didn't tell me!" Gigi shrieked.

"Calm down!" He choked. "It wasn't anything serious! Besides, Poe was there..."

"P-Poe?" Gigi repeated. "You mean, you know about...?"

"Yeah," he confirmed simply. "I didn't want you to get worried, so I figured that it was best not to mention any of it. Laz said that he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, either."

"Well, this day has been one surprise after another," Cassandra laughed. "I think I'm going to get me a beer. Anyone want one?" Tsuna smiled at the hail of 'yes' that met the question.

"No, don't go up there," Gigi exclaimed suddenly. "Laz is sleeping."

"Did he eat?"

"Yes."

"How long has he been up there?"

"About half an hour."

"Then, he's not asleep," Danny laughed. "If he's still how I remember, he's wide awake by now. He always takes a nap after he eats lunch and he never runs over twenty minutes. Well..."

"He might have taken more than twenty minutes, but he wasn't sleeping," Veronica murmured sheepishly.

"Oh, _really _now?" Leo gasped.

"Danny...?" Gigi asked.

"No comment," he replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She asked as she flew up the stairs after him.

"Don't ask, don't tell," he grumbled. Lighting himself a second cigarette, Tsuna waited for his guests to arrive. He was tempted to close the door and pretend that he'd been sleeping in the chair, but he was pretty comfortable where he was and there was no reason for him to move. The little section of wall between the Foo Foo-tin shelves and the balcony door was just perfect for him to sit in.

"That's not good enough! If you slept with Laz--!"

"Does it matter?" Danny asked with his voice being heard from both the door outside Tsuna's room and from the balcony. "Does it _really _matter? I never asked about all the people you slept with before me, so why are you asking about Laz? Even if I did sleep with him, that's in the past. I already told you that there's no one but you now and I wasn't lying."

"Get a room," Tsuna barked from his seat when he could hear them kissing. The sound of Gigi's startled squeak made Tsuna smile to himself in amusement for only a moment before the door opened.

"I thought so," Danny sighed as he stepped inside. He was still wearing his nurse's scrubs from work, making everything from his blonde hair to his slight build into exactly as Tsuna remembered. "How long have you been up here like this?"

"Long enough to finish a cigarette and start another one," he answered with an absent wave to his makeshift ashtray.

"You don't have to hide up here," Danny said in a voice filled with understanding.

"I'm not hiding," he corrected. "I'm relaxing."

"That's bullshit and you know it," he retorted. "All of us had to change to survive on the inside and it's scary as hell to come back out to where the rules and consequences aren't so straight-forward. What was acceptable in there isn't necessarily acceptable out here and you don't know if the things you say and do are going to make people hate you."

"I don't care if people hate me," he replied as he continued to lazily smoke his cigarette.

"You didn't care while you were in _prison_," he corrected firmly. "It's different when it's your friends and family that might not be able to accept you any more. You can't lie to me, Laz. I've already went through it. You know how scared I was that Gigi wouldn't be able to accept me."

"That was different," Tsuna murmured with his eyes locked onto a non-existent spot on the immaculate carpet. "Gigi doesn't know what you were like before you went in."

"I know it's hard, Laz," Danny replied in sympathy. "But don't worry about everyone's expectations of you and just be yourself. People will get used to the changes. Just give it a little bit of time."

"I'll think about it," he replied, wanting nothing more than for the conversation to be over. Danny saw the shift in his mood almost instantly and started ushering Gigi out of the room despite her objections.

"If you decide to come out of your cell, we'll be waiting," Danny added before firmly shutting the door behind him. Tsuna was tempted to chase after him because of the taunt, but that would only give him what he wanted. He heard the conversation pick up downstairs after a few moments, but he didn't have the heart to join in. Danny had summed up all his issues in a neat package and had thrown it into his face in a way that he couldn't ignore.

Thank goodness for distractions.

"Peek-a-boo," Lobat said, poking her head down the roof hatch. Tsuna craned his neck slightly to see that she'd popped it open and was lying down next to it.

"I see you," he replied with a crooked smile for her playfulness. "I thought Poe told you to give me time to think."

"He did," she confirmed mischievously. "But father isn't home right now. He went to the Nexus house to send a message to Barb that you're back. It's okay if I stay up here to talk to you. Isn't it?"

"I guess so," he agreed grudgingly despite the pleasant shivers running down his spine due to her voice.

"It's been a lot more fun to be human than I thought it'd be," she commented when he went back to smoking in silence. "People don't get scared of me anymore. It's kind of funny. Father had to run off some boys that kept following me around after I had my first trip inside the supermarket. When I was a bat, people always said 'shoo' and would scream, but now they're really nice. One nice man helped me pick out some ice cream and then asked for my name. He seemed disappointed when I told him that I didn't have one."

"He probably thought that you were trying to get rid of him," Tsuna said in amusement.

"I told him that I was sorry," she replied in exasperation. "Father made us leave after that. The whole talking to people business is harder than I thought it'd be. I used to be able to just sit back and listen, but people expect me to talk back now. I think I'm getting good at it, though. Gigi and Eric have been helping me practice having conversations, but they can't do it for very long at a time. Father says that humans can't withstand me if I'm around them too long. He says that there's something in my smell that attracts them and that it'll go away when I get a name."

"Do you know what all is supposed to happen when you get a name?" Tsuna asked while carefully breathing through his mouth.

"Yes," she answered in another liquid moment that made Tsuna bite his bottom lip. It was as if she could go from a bright day into a mysterious night in the blink of an eye and his groin wasn't prepared for the transition. "Father explained it all to me. I'm not a little girl, Lazarus. I'm older than you are and I've seen a lot of things during that time. It might be my first time to experience some things, but don't think that I'm an innocent child."

"I'm starting to understand that," he admitted with a lump in his throat.

"Is this what father meant by a smell that attracts?" She asked, sniffing the air to inspect a scent that Tsuna hoped wasn't his own. If it was, it was probably laced with pheromones that he had no control over.

"You might want to shut the hatch," he advised carefully as he got another enticing whiff of her peppermint and musk.

"Why?" She asked as she came down several steps and shut the hatch above her. Tsuna groaned, instantly wishing that he'd specified which side that she needed to be on. Not only did her scent get stronger, but the well-shaped legs peeking out of her skirt made his mouth water. She was irresistible. Without knowing what she was doing, she drew him in so frighteningly fast. It was built into her and her comments alone told Tsuna that it wouldn't go away until her wings had been removed.

"Why me?" Tsuna asked while he tried to control his breathing. "Why not a vampire?"

"Why do some humans like virgins over those with experience?" She countered with an amused smile flickering along her lips. "If I let a vampire do it, I'll be treated like a virgin in all things. With someone like you, I might be a virgin, but you'll be just as unsure at some parts. I think that it's more balanced that way. I'll actually have some control in what happens because you don't know anything beyond the sex."

"I see," he replied with a restraining shudder while he reminded himself once more to breathe out of his mouth. Leaving his guttering cigarette burning in the ashtray, he lit another in effort to create more smoke to cover the scent. "So, you just want someone that will treat you as an equal."

"There's that," she confirmed. "I also want it to be a friend. I guess it's from watching everyone since you all moved in with us. Father always said that we have to keep our distance from humans because they wouldn't understand, but then you became our friend. I got to learn what friendship is and, because of that, I don't think it'd feel right to share something so important with a stranger. Maybe after the first time, but not yet. Then I started trying to decide which friend to ask and father said that you were the only one that would be accepted because I haven't been innoculated yet."

"You haven't?" Tsuna asked in a tight voice, finding it very hard to speak between her smell and the smoke.

"Don't worry," she soothed, completely misunderstanding the reason for his tone. "We we've been very careful when father takes me out. We worry a lot more than you think when it comes to the possibility of turning someone. What happened with you was just an unlucky... um... what's that phrase?"

"No clue," he replied dizzily. "But you might want to go. I don't think I can control myself for much longer if you stay."

"Isn't that okay?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head. "If you're attracted to me, then can't you just take my wings? Father says that there's no special ceremony for it and right here is good enough for me."

"You don't know what you're--" Tsuna broke off in a sharp breath when she was suddenly on her hands and knees in front of him. He felt his groin tighten almost instantly when confronted so closely with her exotic qualities. The bare spread of shoulders and cleavage didn't help matters any, either. From that position, he finally saw her wings. They were the only remnants of her time a bat and they were poking out of her spine in a way that didn't look comfortable.

"I'm not a little girl," she repeated as she stole his cigarette to take a long, sensuous pull off of it. He went cross-eyed for a moment when she blew it out in his face before putting it out. Every molecule of it was laced with her scent and every molecule that he breathed triggered responses through his body. She was right. He had absolutely no reason to turn her away. She was an adult and fully understanding of her actions. She also wanted no commitments from him beyond the friendship that she already had with him. "Please, Lazarus?" She whispered in his ear as she reached past him to slide the balcony door shut.

He opened his mouth to give her an answer, but no words wanted to come out. All he could manage was a shuddering breath due to how she managed to crawl into his lap.

A little diversion never hurt anyone.

* * *

A little diversion could hurt. It could hurt a lot. Especially when that diversion was a blood-sucking virgin with nails of steel and teeth that could bite through bone. Never again. The next time Poe asked him to do something, he'd tell the bastard to go to hell before he went running to hide in the hills.

"Are you okay?" She asked again.

"Just fine," he squeaked.

"I didn't mean to," she mumbled apologetically.

"I know," he soothed in a high voice while he waited for her infusion of blood to take the wounds and the pain away. He trembled in relief when it did and made note not to startle her in bed again. _Ever _again.

"Do you want a cigarette?" She asked in effort to be helpful.

"Yes, please," he answered. She giggled slightly at his attitude before getting up to retrieve them. Tsuna watched her go in open admiration of the petite, yet fully developed body that she'd given herself. It was almost a shame when she slipped it back into hiding under the blankets. He smiled slightly when she not only lit him one but lit one for herself.

"It was fun until the end," she commented as she handed him his reward. He took it, taking a long draw while she made herself comfortable against his chest. "If I'd known that you were going to grab me there, I wouldn't have bit down so hard."

"It's my fault for not warning you," he replied. "I normally wouldn't have stopped there, but--"

"But if we hadn't closed the wound, you would have died," she finished bluntly. "At least we managed not to get blood on the sheets."

"Only because you drank it before it could land," he laughed. Then he sighed while he fingered the smooth spread of flesh that had once held her wings. "I might miss those," he admitted.

"Why?" She asked, tilting her head back to look up at him. "They're on your side table. You can keep them."

"That's not what I mean," he mumbled. "I'm just so used to you being Lobat that it's going to take me some time to get used to you like this."

"You seemed fine with me like this a minute ago," she replied with a smile that said that she was attempting a joke. Tsuna smiled at it for her benefit. The truth that smiling was the last thing that he felt like doing. It was always like this, though. He'd already noticed it with Autumn, Veronica, and the others. The temporary pleasure was nice, but the feeling of guilt always followed. "There's still one thing we have left, Laz."

"What's that?" He mumbled around his cigarette.

"I need a name," she replied. Tsuna felt his mind go completely blank at the prompt. He could have given her a dozen names to chose from if she'd waited for him to remember on his own. Being asked on the spot was different. He didn't have a clue about what she should be called. 'Lobat' seemed kind of odd for a girl to have to introduce herself as. "You didn't think of one," she pouted, sitting up with half of the blankets going with her.

"I...uh... I kind of didn't plan on this happening," he blurted defensively.

"I know," she replied with a twinkle in her eyes and a soft chuckle. "So loosen up. You tensed into a rock when I reminded you."

"That's kind of hard to do when I'm supposed to pick out a name for you," he grumbled. "Don't you have one that you like?"

"I have several," she answered with a smile. "But it would have no meaning if I named myself."

"It won't necessarily have meaning if I do it, either," Tsuna retorted. "I'm not the most brilliant of people when it comes to naming things. Hell, I named my dog Peanut because peanuts are in a Snicker's candy bar and 'caramel' didn't fit him! Seriously," he exclaimed when she started laughing. "If I name you, it'll be something off of the top of my head like snow or--"

"Snow," she snapped. "That's a pretty name."

"You don't want Snow," Tsuna objected with a groan. "People will be calling you Snow White."

"Is that bad?" She asked with another pout. "I like watching Snow White."

"You'll get sick of it," he replied with a shake of his head.

"But that's a pretty name," she said in disappointment.

"How about Neve?" He suggested after a moment of serious thought. "It means snow, but it's Italian. You can have a pretty name and no one will use it to tease you."

"Neve..." She repeated to test it out. "I like it. It's simple and it has a pretty meaning. Neve. Neve. See! You're not bad at this! I have a name and it's a good one!"

"I'm glad that you're happy," he murmured quietly as she jumped out of bed to get dressed. He followed at a much slower pace while wondering how he was going to explain this. People were going to know that he'd went through with it as soon as she was walking around without her wings on. After a moment of thought, he decided that it would be best to be blunt since there was less drama that way. The only thing he could do was to pray that Veronica's warning had gotten through to them. He didn't want to have to explain himself every time that he slept with someone.

"I'm going to go see if father is home so that I can get my shot," she squealed as she darted up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, he wondered to himself if he'd done the right thing. She was happy, but the wings that were laying on his side table seemed to be heavy with responsibility. He just wished that he understood what that responsibility was. She was a grown woman and strong in her own right. She had her father to protect her and he had no attachment to her beyond friendship. Why did he feel so burdened?

Shaking his head, he decided that some things weren't meant to be explained. Things that could be explained were the ones that he needed to worry about. Things such as the inexplicable hunger rumbling in his gut and the smell of apple pie that was penetrating into his room from the kitchen below. Slipping his underwear and pants back on, he grumbled slightly over his shirt and undershirt. She'd literally torn it off of him and only the fact that he'd taken off his own pants had saved him from having to go naked.

"Veronica," he called, sliding open the glass door to the balcony.

"Yes?" He answered, quickly jogging to where Tsuna could see him standing below.

"Trash these," he ordered. Throwing down the shredded remains of his garments for him to catch, Tsuna gestured to his laundry bag. "And bring up my bag so that I can get a shirt."

"Right away," he agreed with a bright smile. Tsuna nodded slightly at the agreement while trying to ignore the wide-eyed stares that the others who could see him were giving. Ore and Danny were the only ones that weren't surprised over his tattoos, his defined muscles, or his orders. He didn't like such stares, but there wasn't much he could do about them other than step back into his room so that he was out of sight.

He grimaced at the lit cigarette in his hand when he noticed that he'd started a new one. He needed to break the habit, but he felt that it calmed his nerves and his nerves were always on edge. They had been that way ever since he'd been turned, although the degree had increased exponentially when he'd stopped regularly taking in vampire blood. What he took off of himself was like rain in the desert. It kept the oasis supplied, but the sand of the rest of the area was still hot and dry when the sun came out. On top of that, things like being stared at made him feel like he was in the middle of a sandstorm.

"Here you go," Veronica said as he carried the bag into the room. "Oh! This is a nice room. No wonder you've been hiding up here. I would hide, too, if I--"

"I've not been hiding," he growled in warning.

"Sorry," he grimaced as he started pulling his clothes out to store in the drawers. Tsuna took one of the tank-tops from him before they disappeared and retrieved his other key belongings. His journal went into his pocket with the promise to write after dinner. His books went on the tin shelves once he rearranged some of the trinkets to make room. He grabbed his pack of gum as soon as he saw it, grateful that he wouldn't have to track down an open store to get more in the snow. His box of letters got stuffed into a drawer that Tsuna found his gloves hidden in. The gloves went on, although he left the retractable blades off. He didn't need such weapons anymore. He did stick his switchblade into his back pocket and he stuffed his pocket knife into one of his hidden coat pockets so that he'd have it if he ever needed it in the future. He left his stink-pellet gun in the drawer, however. Such tools were things of the past now that he had a real weapon. His bag of steel jacks, on the other hand, Tsuna snatched up with the intention of storing them in his motorcycle's saddlebags. They might come in handy after he got his license.

Putting his shirt on, he directed Veronica to store everything else in the drawers.

"Are they treating you okay?" Tsuna asked quietly while he pulled out Snicker's chest to retrieve the Zippo lighter that was stored inside. He tried to keep the question as light as he could manage, but he was nowhere near being the master of nonchalance.

"They're nice," he replied with a grudging note in his voice. "I can't say that I haven't had to bite my tongue a few times when I wanted to tell them to mind their own business, but I can see that they care about you. I just wish that I could tell them that there's a limit to being nosy. They wanted to know who I was, where I came from, what I was arrested for, what my intentions were, what I was to you, and everything else that not even my mother knows anymore. Can you believe that they even asked if I'd slept with you?! They asked point-blank, even! No insinuations. No beating around the bush. Just point-blank 'have you slept with him?' I know that these are your friends, Laz, but I'm about ready to stick a sock down one of their throats. Not even Big Daddy was that rude when--"

"I get the picture," he growled to shut him up. "You don't have to answer anything that you don't want to. When you get fed up, tell them to ask me and I'll tell them to shut up. You work for me. You don't have to answer to any of them. They're my friends, but I'm not going to explain myself every time that I take a shit anymore. It's time that they stopped treating me like--"

"Like...?" Veronica prompted. Tsuna snarled at him and kicked the chest back under the bed.

"Like I'm fifteen," he spat. Pocketing the Zippo, he grabbed his jacket to take downstairs with him along with the bag of steel jacks. Veronica followed, silent in the aftermath of his anger. Tsuna knew that the man wasn't to blame and Veronica knew that he wasn't the cause, but Veronica also knew that it wasn't a good time to verbally poke Tsuna for conversation.

"Well, look who came out of h--" Danny froze and paled at the glare that Tsuna sent him. He knew better than to speak when Tsuna wasn't in a happy mood. Heading into the garage where his motorcycle had been put, Tsuna busied himself with storing the jacks so that the small bag wouldn't bounce around. Unsurprisingly, Ore was the only one who dared to follow him.

"What's got you riled up, Little Guy?" Ore asked.

"Bad day," he replied absently. Ore nodded in acceptance and headed back into the cathedral. It was that simple. The Big Guy could read between the lines. A bad day meant that nothing was going like he planned and that his nerves were shot to hell. It meant that it would be best for him to be left alone until he gave the all-clear signal by talking. Everyone could still continue to go about their business around him, but to talk to him was to open a can of worms that was best left closed.

If only someone had remembered to lock the door...

"Brr," Autumn grumbled as she shoved her way inside and tried to shake the snow off of her shoulders. "It's cold as hell out there. Oh!" She squawked as she saw Tsuna laying his jacket across the back of his bike. "Laz! You're here!"

"Where else would I be?" He replied with a twitching eye before heading back into the cathedral ahead of her. Slipping into the seat at the head of the dining table, he purposely set himself apart from everyone else so that he could possibly get away with being ignored. If only everyone would quit staring at him!

"How long until dinner?" Ore asked in a loud voice that made everyone but Tsuna jump. Several people laughed at themselves over their surprise before belatedly going back to what they had been doing. They still occasionally glanced over at Tsuna, but the focus wasn't as pointed as before. It gave Tsuna enough breathing room that he could continue smoking in peace. The beer that Veronica quietly sat down next to him helped even more. Tsuna emptied the bottle in a single drink and hoped like hell that it took the edge off quickly.

"What's wrong with you?" Autumn grumbled as she threw her jacket onto the back of the couch and made herself at home. Tsuna felt his eye twitch again and decided that silence was the best answer.

"I wouldn't mess with him, Miss...?" Veronica prompted.

"Autumn," she answered with a raised eyebrow. "And who are you?"

"I'm Veronica, Laz's secretary," he answered with a smile.

"Secretary," she repeated. "Do I want to ask what he needs with a secretary?"

"I handle his schedule, run errands, and whatever else he needs," Veronica replied smoothly.

"So, you do all the bitch-work for him," she scoffed.

"And I make a pretty good bitch, too," he agreed with such pleasantness that Tsuna actually snorted in laughter at Autumn's resulting expression. From her expression, Veronica was the first of Tsuna's friends that treated her like Tsuna did. That was probably because he had no clue who she was, but Tsuna wasn't about to correct him. Not when he could see Autumn with that kind of face.

"Laz...?" Autumn asked, turning to look at him in disgruntlement. "Who the hell is this?"

"That's my bitch," he answered with a grin. She slowly blinked at him in shock before snatching up her coat and turning to retreat entirely up to her room. As soon as she was gone, Tsuna held out his hand to give Veronica props for managing such a feat on his first day. Veronica took the high-five with his own grin before heading over to get Tsuna another beer.

"About damn time," Ore grumbled, sitting down next to Tsuna as the only one who dared to talk to Tsuna even though his mood had shifted. "I found out that it was her idea to get rid of the pool table while I was gone. Now I got to walk across the street whenever I want to play."

"Now you got to walk to the pool-hall," Tsuna corrected with a grimace. "I kind of broke the pool table earlier."

"Damn," he said in displeasure. "I wanted to go over there with you. I bet you put on a hell of a show."

"I couldn't wait," he replied. "They were using Houston as a human ball."

"Did someone die?" Ore asked bluntly.

"I was tempted," Tsuna admitted. "I shattered his shoulder instead. I didn't want to go back to jail and he's not going to be throwing anything for a while."

"Serves him right," he replied. "How did you like your room?"

"It's nice," he answered simply.

"The private entrance was my idea," Ore commented conversationally. "I figured that you would want to be able to come and go without everyone knowing your every move."

"It's appreciated," Tsuna sighed. Putting his cigarette out in his empty bottle, he took a long drink from his new beer before nursing it. He could already feel the first beer at work, loosening him up enough that it didn't feel like he had ten targets on his back. He wanted to be careful with the second one. His metabolism had increased, but he wasn't used to liquor anymore. Getting drunk was a bad idea. "I'm as good as poker as everyone said," he murmured in an attempt to keep himself talking. "I got a loan from this guy I know and I managed to win enough that I got in a high-roller game. Between five of us, we cleaned out all the others that came and then I cleaned the other four out."

"He took the clothes off of what's-his-name's back," Veronica added, slipping into a seat at the table to talk like they were still out in the prison yard. It was familiar and therefore soothing for Tsuna to talk in such a way.

"Rockford," Tsuna supplied. "That's the same guy that I got the bike from."

"What else did you win?" Eric asked in an attempt to join the conversation. Tsuna attempted a smile in greeting for him, but he had a feeling that it fell flat.

"A... um... yacht," he answered slowly. "Two bars and a restaurant and... um..."

"A gold watch," Veronica supplied with a questioning look to ensure that it was okay to speak. Tsuna nodded, grateful that someone else was willing to supply the conversation and perfectly trusting of everyone in the room. No one present was someone that would snitch on him. "A Namehage original jacket, a palm phone, two shopping sprees, and over a million in cash."

"That much?" Ore asked, looking at Tsuna for confirmation. "That's outrageous," he added when Tsuna nodded. "If we can get those assholes across the street to get in line, we'll be sitting pretty for Christmas."

"I already took care of that," Tsuna replied with a nod to Veronica to explain.

"He slammed everyone that revolted and did an inspection on the rest," he said with a grin. "Then he turned off all the heaters and told them to suck it up for a night. I think Steve said at the last count that only thirty out of the original sixty are left."

"Outrageous work, Little Guy," Ore praised. "So what's been so bad about today? It sounds like a good day to me."

"Girls," he answered with a glare upward, toward Autumn's room and toward Gigi in quick, pointed succession.

"What did I do?!" Gigi exclaimed over being pointed out.

"Mother hen," he grumbled.

"Well, sorry if I worry about you!" She spluttered from the living area.

"Yes, Mom," he replied with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You do have a tendency to mother-hen," Danny grimaced when she looked at him for back-up. "That's not a bad thing!" He added when she glared. "It means that you care. You just got to pull it back a little. Laz isn't someone that needs people like us to fight for him."

"Speaking of fights," Tsuna said to change the subject. "I need a sparring partner, Ore. I've got to stay in shape. The devil's going to come calling pretty soon and I've got to stay ready."

"Which devil?" He prompted with instant attention.

"Hibari Kyoya," he answered. "The guy who stabbed me in prison gave me a nice piece of information before he escaped. That's why I'm out early, in case you're interested. That guy was a hitman who said that me being stabbed was just Vongola saying hello and warned me that Hibari Kyoya is planning to visit me. Hibari is the most ruthless and powerful guy I know. I wouldn't be surprised if he was stronger than Reborn by now."

"I thought you said Reborn was the strongest person in Vongola," Gigi murmured as she slowly walked over to join the group.

"That's going off of what I knew of them over ten years ago," he replied. "I can't see Hibari as the type to get weaker over time. I'm betting that he's the strongest guy that they have now. If I'm right, all I have to do is beat him and I'll be free of Vongola for good. They'll be too scared to bother me after that."

"Laz," Veronica murmured under her breath. "You're getting that scary look on your face again."

"Sorry," he flinched. In effort to cover it, Tsuna took another small drink from his beer. He always forgot to hide his expression when he talked about Vongola.

"I'll help," Ore promised. "But you might want to find someone closer to your level. I was barely holding on before I was released, Little Guy. I don't know how helpful I'll be for you."

"He's just being modest," Eric laughed. "Is there--"

"No, I'm not," Ore corrected. Eric froze with a blank expression on his face and Gigi's face looked like she'd just been hit with a brick.

"I'm planning on asking Poe," Tsuna soothed while ignoring the other two. "But you know that bastard. He won't help unless--"

"I'll help," Poe interjected. Tsuna's eyes went skyward with everyone else's at the same moment that Poe landed on the ground. "Thank you, my friend," he continued, rushing forward to grab Tsuna's hand and shake it furiously. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you've done. I've not seen her this happy since she was born." Tsuna choked and found his face turning red. Those weren't the words that a father was supposed to be saying to a guy like him!

"Father...?" Neve called from the sun roof. "Can I eat downstairs with everyone now?"

"Yes," he replied instantly. "As soon as the burning stops, you can go where you wish."

"Poe--!" Gigi choked, looking frantically between Veronica, Aaron, and the sick man on the couch. "What about the you-know-whats?"

"No worries, my friend," Poe said with a wide grin while he slapped Tsuna's back. "Lazarus has already taken care of it."

"Taken--" Eric choked.

"I told Danny that I wasn't hiding," Tsuna grumbled with a fake, toothy smile. Taking a long drink from his beer, he felt his eye start to twitch again. Nothing was going how he planned for it. He had figured that Neve would come down for dinner to show off her new name, but he hadn't thought that Poe would come down, too.

"What did you do?!" Gigi shrieked.

"It's my first day out of prison," he answered bluntly. Getting up when the sound of Gigi's shriek woke Isabella from her nap, he went over to retrieve her from her travel crib. As always, she stopped crying as soon as Tsuna had her in his arms and she went so far as to begin giggling. "What do you think I did?" Ignoring the flabbergasted expression of those around him, Tsuna busied himself with changing the baby and with making her a bottle. There was something very soothing with taking care of such an innocent child. Having her in his arms moderated not only his voice, but his mood.

"What about Snicker?" Leo finally asked from her quiet seat at the computer.

"What about him?" Tsuna retorted while he concentrated on getting Isabella taken care of. "If you expect me to be abstinent for the rest of my life because he's dead, then you're going to be disappointed. I'm not immune to sex just because I can't have the person that I want."

"Don't you think it's kind of early to be hopping into bed with people?" Gigi asked worriedly while Cassandra and Dedra started setting the table.

"No," he answered bluntly. Hoisting Isabella back into his arms, he headed back over to his seat in order to feed her. The discussion was over as far as he was concerned and he found Isabella's ability to hold her own bottle as something far more fascinating. "Haven't you gotten strong," Tsuna murmured down at her. She giggled slightly around her bottle when he wagged a finger by her stomach, which put the first real smile on his face since he'd returned home. "Did you miss me?" Tsuna smiled even more when she pulled the bottle out of her mouth to answer in a stream of baby-talk. Then she sneezed. Then she stuck the bottle back in and started drinking again. Before Cassandra finished filling the table with food, she was already dozing off again.

"Daddy!" Houston squealed, running forward from where he'd been attempting to snatch a cookie. Tsuna turned and caught sight of Warren at the same moment that the man caught sight in return. "Daddy! Daddy!" Houston cried without seeming to notice his father's expression. "Uncle Laz is home! It's really Uncle Suoh, but he changed his name and he saved me from the bullies across the street."

"You shouldn't have any more problem with your neighbors," Tsuna explained quietly. "Assuming you have any left."

"That's good to know," he replied carefully. Then he shook his head and found himself a seat. "I was supposed to work a double, but I got a call from Kit. She said that she slipped on some ice and sprained her ankle. I left as soon as they let me close the place down because of the snow, but finding a cab was hell. I've been worried out of my mind for the past hour because she told me that she left Houston with Steve."

"There was a little bit of trouble," Tsuna admitted as he grudgingly gave Isabella back to her father. "I took care of it, though. I don't know what stunts people have been pulling while I was away, but they've been put to a stop. You shouldn't have to worry anymore."

"Well, everyone sit down and dig in," Cassandra ordered as she headed for Autumn's room to tell her that dinner was ready. Tsuna smiled as Gigi and Danny-boy slid into place next to Ore. Summer found herself a spot next to Eric after a belated, quiet hello to Tsuna. Marty and Leo sat next to them. Cassandra and Dedra's spots were next to Ore and Warren squeezed in next to Marty after putting Isabella back in her crib. Ollie seemed to pop up out of nowhere and took a seat at the bar, giving Tsuna only a jolt of the chin as greeting. Tsuna tried not to groan when Neve appeared with a spare chair from upstairs for her to sit next to Tsuna. The positioning got a lot of raised eyebrows, but Tsuna couldn't see her sitting next to Autumn at the other end of the table.

"Can I sit with you, Uncle Laz?" Houston asked. Tsuna nodded and let the boy crawl into his lap so that they could share a plate.

"Laz, do you want to say Grace?" Autumn prompted as he started to reach for a leg off of one of the two turkeys that Cassandra had prepared. He pulled his hand back slowly while wondering where _this _decision had come from. He and everyone else had always just eaten when the food was ready. Cassandra had always done a little prayer over her plate before filling it, but that had been her choice. From the disgruntled looks on everyone's faces, it was another of Autumn's little touches.

"Alright," he agreed with a gleam in his eyes. Several people looked at him in shock for not arguing and belatedly got themselves situated so that everyone was holding hands in a circle. There was one prayer that Snicker had taught him for such an occasion and he took much pleasure in repeating it into the expectant silence that followed.

"Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub," he stated clearly. "Let's eat."

"Laz!" Autumn exclaimed while the sound of snickering laughter filled the table.

"Alright," he grumbled while he tried to hold back his smile. "Okay. Seriously this time." He waited for everyone to once more hold hands before tossing out the second prayer that he'd been taught. "Good food, good drink, good God, let's eat," he said firmly. This time, while everyone started snorting and snickering, Tsuna ignored Autumn's self-righteous shriek in order to claim his turkey leg. "If you want religion, then you can have it," he said when she didn't immediately calm down. She paused, staring at the turkey leg that he pointed with. "But I don't see any difference in a blessed meal and a regular one. If God blessed every meal that I ate, then half the dumpsters in the city would be shining in a silvery light. If I took the time to say Grace over every meal that I tried to eat, half of them would have been stolen while I had my eyes closed. Feel free to say your own prayers, but don't shove them down my throat. There's only two meals a year that I'll get serious about saying Grace over. The rest of the time, I give thanks by not putting the food to waste."

"Amen," Gigi added firmly as she reached for the mash potatoes.

"Can I say Grace?" Houston asked suddenly. "Aunt Autumn wouldn't let me when I ate over here before."

"You sure can," Tsuna agreed firmly. "I'll even listen while I get us set up." Tsuna smiled when the little boy in his lap bowed his head with his eyes shut and put his hands together. As he said he would, Tsuna continued to fill his plate with everyone else. However, he wasn't the only one who stayed quiet while he did so. Everyone else did, as well, out of the curious desire to hear what the boy had to say.

"Dear God," he started hesitantly. "Thank you for all the good food that Aunt Cassy made for us and thank you for bringing Uncle Laz home so that he could save me. Uncle Laz is really Uncle Suoh, but he doesn't like being called that anymore. Um... Daddy always says that you'll watch over me and protect me if I pray and I believe. Uncle Laz doesn't pray, but can you please watch over him, too? And please watch over everyone else. Daddy and Aunt Gigi and Uncle Ore and... um... Miss Kit and Uncle Eric and everyone else. Um... Thank you for all the food. Amen."

Surprisingly, Tsuna found himself murmuring a quiet 'amen' along with the rest of the people at the table.

"Hello," Neve said abruptly to Houston. Houston jerked slightly in surprise as he turned to look at her.

"Hello," he replied with wide eyes, apparently having never met the woman before. "What's your name?"

"I'm Neve."

Chaos erupted once more.


	68. Chapter 68 Deal with the Devil I

Author's notes: I'm back! To tell you the truth, this chapter is only half-finished. It's becoming a loooong chapter, though, so I thought I'd put up part one before I got to work on part two! I hope that you enjoy! P.S. No, I haven't forgotten about Jewel and thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews!

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He was tempted. He was so tempted to actually sleep in for once. He even rolled over and shut his eyes, but he was already wide awake. After waking up at the same time every day for over eleven months straight, an attempt to sleep in was useless. Even though he tried, his body was telling him that it was time to be moving around. It was almost as bad as how early he'd fallen asleep. While everyone else had started to truly celebrate his return, he'd begun nodding off. It would be a while before he'd be able to stay up until midnight again.

Sitting up in bed, he grumbled at the time on the alarm clock. In two minutes, the buzzers would be going off at the prison to wake everyone up. There was no sense in wasting the time that he was awake, he decided as he got out of bed. Scratching his stomach, he headed over to retrieve a towel and the small prison bath caddy that had already been unpacked by Veronica. At least he would be able to take a hot shower without people staring at him, he mused. He could fill up the bath and soak for a good hour, too. That was something that he hadn't been able to do in far too long.

Pulling on a pair of socks to keep his feet warm when his old fuzzy slippers refused to fit, he headed down the stairs and across the cold, waxed concrete floor of the cathedral. He smiled slightly at how Veronica was the only one quietly moving around. He was putting on hot coffee for them while trying not to wake those sleeping in the cots on the stage and in the living area. Tsuna waved his greeting when a yawn made speaking impossible, only to get a matching reaction from his bitch-turned-secretary.

Opening the door to the bathing room, Tsuna decided to give Veronica a pay advance for working so hard on his first full day. The bath was already filled and the cold floor tiles had already been warmed with hot water from the shower. He'd taken care of everything, right down to lighting a candle for aromatherapy. Smiling at the girlish touch, Tsuna refused to complain. He had no reason to when he would finally be able to relax for the first time since being set free.

Undressing, he tossed the sweats that he'd slept in into the hamper to be washed and hung his towel up next to the door. Then he took his bath caddy full of his personal soap and shampoo over to one of the two sitting showers instead of one of the standing ones that lined the room. It felt wonderful to simply have the freedom to take his time. There were no worries about having to watch his back and no worries about whether someone else was looking at his package or his rear. He could take all the time in the world and there was no one to tell him what to--

"So much for having privacy in the morning," a dream-shattering voice grumbled from behind him, making him freeze in the middle of soaping himself. Tsuna didn't even look. He simply bowed his head and wondered if he was cursed.

"That's what I should be saying," he retorted in disappointment. "And here I thought that I could actually bathe alone for once." Turning to look, he found Autumn modestly leaning against the edge of the bath. Only her head and her shoulders were visible above the waterline. Her hair was wet from where she'd dunked her head under the water and he raised his eyebrow slightly at the lack of makeup. It was to be expected in a bath, though. "Why didn't you shower last night with the girls? Don't tell me that you're body-shy. We both know that you'd be lying through your teeth."

"I'm not good with mornings," she answered with a glare. "Cold mornings are even worse. I thought a bath would relax me before I have to go out to unlock the restaurant."

"Just give me a minute to rinse off and I'll be gone," he replied through clenched teeth. It was only fair. She'd been there first. He could put himself in her place. Having someone barge in when privacy was desired was not only rude, but irritating.

"No rush," she sighed as he reached for the hand sprayer. "You don't have anything that I haven't seen before and the mood is already ruined."

"I didn't know that there had to be a mood for taking a bath," Tsuna commented, loosening up a little since he wasn't being forced out. He might not get the privacy he wanted, but he could still have his hot shower. As long as he didn't turn around and look at her, he could keep himself from thinking outside the chaste box.

"It's mandatory if you want to make the most of it," she replied. "It's not as easy as you might think to get rid of stress. Here. Hand me you washrag. You missed a spot on your back." Several seconds passed while Tsuna tried to keep himself from turning red at the prompt. He failed miserably while the chaste box crumbled into dust. "Are you blushing?" She teased in surprise.

"Maybe," he mumbled while he turned even more red.

"Why would you blush over that?" She asked in open amusement while he started washing his legs again in hopes of pretending that she hadn't just asked to scrub his back. He tried to remember that she had no clue what she was saying. She was just trying to be nice.

"Where... um... W-Where I come from, it's something to blush over," he temporized in hopes of reminding her that he was an immigrant.

"I don't get it," she admitted, once more leaning on the side of the bath to talk to him. She actually seemed curious for once instead of taunting, which made him wonder what was in the candle that was on the side of the tub. "What's so special about helping you wash your back?"

Tsuna paused as the innocent question stirred up a memory that made his blushes disappear.

"Snicker asked me that same question once," he replied quietly while he tried to keep his expression in check. "He didn't understand it either. I couldn't really explain it to him, so he used to tease me a lot about it. It's... It's kind of along the lines of a first kiss. When I was younger, it was just one of those fantasies that most guys have at least once."

"It sounds like kind of a tame fantasy to me," Autumn commented. "I thought that most guys' fantasies included getting laid."

"Like I said, it's a young man's fantasy," he mumbled with a flinch for her bluntness. "When you've never had sex before, the smallest thing means a lot more. Back then, just the thought of walking into the red-light district was enough to make most guys' noses start to bleed."

"And now you own half of it," she laughed. He lurched upright as if he'd been slapped and turned to look at her in surprise. He didn't remember telling her about his poker winnings. "Don't give me that look," she murmured with a little smirk. "I did some checking after you showed up with all that cash. I wanted to make sure that you hadn't made another mess for me to clean up. You really shocked the hell out of me yesterday."

"And...?" He prompted solemnly.

"And I found out that several pieces of property had exchanged hands," she answered. "Between Kink's, Mike's, and Tig Bitty's, you almost have a monopoly on the city's whores. The only place that you don't have is what's beyond the south overpass and the freelancers." Tsuna froze, getting a sinking feeling that he didn't like for an instant.

"Tig Bitty's is a whorehouse?" He asked carefully.

"Yup," she answered promptly. "Most of the strippers there are for sale. There's rooms on the second floor that are used for 'exclusive' lap dances and parties. That's where a lot of pimps go to get their new stock. That's actually where I started. The girls come in thinking that they just have to take off their clothes to get tips and, usually within a year, they're either setting up shop with a pimp or working the upstairs. The place has been raided three times in the past month, which is probably why the owner wanted it off of his-- What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he lied as he finished rinsing off and rose to his feet. Snatching up his towel, he wrapped it around his waist and left the bathroom before she could question him further. He didn't want to hear more. Even if it was true that it was an underground whorehouse, that didn't mean that Snicker had ever bought the merchandise. He could have frequented it just to bond with the guys like he said that he had. There was no betrayal in just looking. Looking made him appreciate what he could touch. Even if Snicker had...

Tsuna paused at his bedroom door as the sentence trailed off into a blank void in his head. He had no clue how he'd react if Snicker had been with whores behind his back. He wasn't sure if it mattered. Snicker had always been there for him and had always loved him. If he'd needed to be with a woman to... to... To what? What did a woman have that Tsuna hadn't been able to give him? Their time in bed together had been good... when they'd actually had a chance to do more than sleep. Was it possible that he'd been...

No, Tsuna denied firmly. Snicker wouldn't have done that. It was an insult to his memory to even consider the possibility. Even... Even if he had hired a whore, it didn't change anything. Tsuna still love him with all of his heart and he knew that Snicker had cared just as deeply. It didn't matter if he might have had to go somewhere else to fill in the gaps that Tsuna had neglected. It was his fault for not seeing the gaps. He...

Shutting down the train of thought, he had to keep himself from tearing the door off the hinges when he finally went into his room. What happened in the past changed nothing and he wasn't going to dwell on things that might not have happened. There was enough worries about the future without adding fears about the past into the mix. He had the boarding house to think about, along with inspecting his new assets. He couldn't keep liabilities in his pocket when he was still trying to undo a year's worth of neglect of the stuff that he already had.

With that in mind, he wished that he had more options of what to wear. The options were yesterday's pants and a black tank top or a pair of black sweats from the prison. None of his old clothes would fit anymore and he hadn't had time to increase his wardrobe yet. When he considered the fact that he was going to be walking into places as the new owner, he decided that sweats probably wouldn't make people take him seriously.

It didn't take long to get fully dressed once his mind was made up. He quickly threw his towel onto the unmade bed and retrieved a fresh pair of boxers and tank top from his prison stock along with the previous day's pants. If felt strange to wear his fingerless gloves again, but he knew that they were needed. If he got into a serious fight, he didn't want his fist swelling up after the first punch. The support was needed much more than anything else that he donned.

Slipping his jacket on after his boots were in place, he checked himself to ensure that he had everything. Wallet and butterfly knife in his back pocket. Check. Deeds in his inner jacket pocket. Check. Cigarettes and Zippo lighter in his lower front pocket. Check. Utility knife in an inner coat pocket. Check. Pistol _out _of his coat and tucked away into a drawer since it wasn't registered. Check. Sunglasses. Check. Keys. Check. Rings. Check. Journal. Check. Phone. Check.

He grinned to himself when he finally figured out what he felt like he was missing. Heading over to his junk drawer, he pulled out the little box that he stuffed all his jewelry into. It looked like it hadn't been opened since he'd last opened it, which made him even happier. The two key items that he'd missed and hadn't worn to the funeral were inside. It was with great relish that he retrieved them. The silver dog whistle's chain fell in place around his neck like it was meant to be there and it was only a few moment's work to reopen the earring hole so that he could stick his dangling feather back where it belonged. He didn't care if it didn't match his other earring. It was incredibly soothing to have it on and he didn't give a damn about what it made him look like.

With that done, he headed downstairs to find Cassandra threatening Veronica with a knife. He paused at the bottom of the spiral metal stairwell in order to stare in shock. From the looks of it, Cassandra hadn't even gotten dressed for the day yet. She'd come out in her robe and slippers at the first sign that someone was trying to cook in her kitchen.

"Laz!" She yelled at him while brandishing the butcher knife in her hands at Veronica. Tsuna grimaced at the pitch of her tone since it made everyone that had been still sleeping start to stir. "You better do something with your little friend here before I cut him!"

"Calm down," he said in mild disbelief over the woman's attitude.

"I was just trying to make you breakfast," Veronica exclaimed from where he had his back against the cabinets and was dodging the knife being flailed at him. "Get her away from me before she--" Veronica broke off with a high-pitched yelp when the knife swung by his face once more. Before she could actually manage to cut him, Tsuna dashed forward to grab her wrist and usher her safely away.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna gasped while prying the knife out of Cassandra's hand. "Did he say something wrong or--"

"He's in my kitchen," she growled with a ferociousness that he'd never seen in her before. Thinking quickly, it didn't take much to figure out what the issue was. Veronica had started making him breakfast like he thought he should since no one else had been up, but he hadn't taken Cassandra's territorial attachment into account. In return, Cassandra had woken up to find someone messing around in the one place that she completely controlled.

"Calm down," he repeated carefully. Grabbing Cassandra by the shoulders, he ducked his head slightly to get eye contact before doing his best to soothe her. "Veronica is new around here. He doesn't know how important the kitchen is to you." _Neither did I, _Tsuna added mentally. "He was just trying to help out because he didn't want to wake anyone. Isn't that right, Veronica?"

"I was just doing my job," he answered flippantly while he turned to briskly continue cooking. Tsuna grimaced at how the comment made Cassandra bristle. It was as if he could read her thoughts and her thoughts were that Veronica's job didn't include trying to take Cassandra's.

"Veronica, out of the kitchen and don't go back in for anything outside of the refrigerator," he snapped before the woman that he was holding back could get any more upset. Veronica threw up his hands, but shut off the stove and left the area like he was told. "How's that?" He prompted worriedly while rubbing Cassandra's arms to placate her. "Veronica won't try to cook for me anymore. He's just trying to make himself useful and he didn't mean to step on your toes. He's not trying to take over your kitchen."

"Alright," she mumbled grudgingly. "He better not have used up all the bacon, though. I was planning on making those pork-in-a-pig-blankets that Ore likes."

"If he did, I'll go get more for you," he promised. "If you want, make a shopping list and I'll send someone out to fill it for you. I noticed that one of the freezers is completely empty."

"I was going to fill that with everything for Christmas dinner since everyone's staying here this year," she replied with a pout. "Then Ore's Christmas bonus was short since he was in jail for half the year, so we didn't have the money."

"We have it now," he encouraged with a smile. She gave a grudging smile in return, still somewhat upset over the invasion to her territory. Leaning forward, Tsuna gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead and released her back into her kitchen so that she could reclaim it. As he hoped, being recognized as the Queen of the area did what was needed to finish placating her. Without being told, she started working on the bacon that Veronica had left off on and picked up the bowl of eggs so that she could complete what had been started.

Leaving it her to it since interfering was apparently a death sentence, Tsuna headed over to check on the sick man on the couch. He was awake, like many of the others lying around the place, but hadn't wanted to get up until he knew that it was safe. Reaching out, a palm to the man's forehead gave a piece of information that made Tsuna smile.

"Your fever broke last night," he said quietly. "I think you gave Aaron quite a scare."

"Who...?"

"I'm Lazarus," he introduce with a hand held out in greeting. "I own the building that you're living in and this one. I'm sorry that I couldn't have met you sooner, but I was locked up until yesterday."

"Oh," he replied with wide eyes. Belatedly accepting the handshake, he slowly sat up to look around. "I always wondered what it looked like in here," he commented. "We weren't allowed past the garage before."

"This is home sweet home," he smiled. "Speaking of home, you might find that your own has changed. I got rid of a lot of the trash that's been stinking up the place. You missed a pretty big fiasco yesterday."

"F-Fiasco...?" He asked hesitantly.

"If you're feeling up to it, you can come with me to see after we eat some breakfast," he replied with a wink. "Why don't you get Aaron up, too? He can fill you in on most of it and I'm sure that he's curious about what today's going to be like." The man blinked slowly before nodding in agreement and Tsuna took that as the cue to head over to where Veronica was smoking a cigarette at the table. Houston and Isabella were still sleeping soundly in their cot and travel crib, but Warren was sitting up much like Aaron and the other guy were. He was still halfway asleep, but quickly waking due to the smell of bacon.

"Cassandra," Tsuna called as he sat down to light his first cigarette of the day. "Are you sisters still working for me across the street?"

"No," she answered promptly while she started fixing him a morning coffee to go with the plate of eggs, toast, and bacon that she had ready. "We couldn't afford to pay them anymore, so they went to work at Pappy's."

"Ouch," he grimaced as he accepted his breakfast. "Is there any chance that we can get them back? It's better for morale if the guys can have a cooked meal for breakfast and dinner."

"I'll talk to them, but don't expect them to start until next week if they accept," she replied as Ore stumbled out of his bedroom with an arm around Dedra. "They'll probably want to check the place out to make sure that all the assholes are gone."

"Tell them that I'll throw in a Christmas bonus if they'll start tomorrow and work through the holidays," he replied around a bite of eggs. Fumbling his phone out when he saw Veronica picking at her plate like she did every morning, Tsuna tossed it to her before giving out his orders. "Work me out a schedule for today. I need at least an hour to two at the boarding house as soon as we finish breakfast. After that, we got to go around to talk to everyone to see if those deeds are real. Pick whatever order you want, but make sure that you add a stop at Mike's. And make sure that you get it all in before lunch. After lunch, schedule in our shopping sprees. I want to get those dealt with while they're still fresh in the guys' minds."

"Anything else that we need to do?" He asked in glee for being given a task.

"I need to work out at some point and spar," he answered, reaching over to steal Veronica's half-eaten plate.

"We'll do that after dinner," Ore said as he finally sat down with three plates of food. "That way we can take the showers after the girls are done."

"You also promised Mr. Brahms last night that you'd go by the set," Veronica said with a gleam in his eye. "And, you also promised Miss Leo that you'd stop by to see her artwork. Do you want to do those before or after you go shopping?"

"Before," he answered after a moment of thought. "I don't want to be rushed while we're shopping. Those were each supposed to stand in for quarter million bets and I'm going to spend every dime of it. Schedule Leo for tomorrow. I want to be able to give her my undivided attention. Um... Let's see. Oh. Schedule me two hours free tomorrow. There's someone that I need to go visit."

"How would you like me to label it?" Veronica asked curiously.

"Charlie," he answered quietly. Unsurprisingly, the name brought silence to the room. Veronica looked around in open confusion for the sudden stillness, but Tsuna did nothing to alleviate it. His secretary would figure it out quickly enough. "Schedule a visit in to Daren before we go see Eric," he added to distract him. "I probably won't need more than a half hour there."

"Laz," Dedra murmured as she took his empty plates. "Are you really going to go see him?"

"Yeah," he answered softly while trying to keep his eyes locked on his cigarette. "He seemed okay at the funeral, but he probably hates me because of what I did to his mother." Tsuna smiled at the quiet rumble of sympathetic agreement that met the statement. Determined not to let the knowledge dissuade him from going to see Snicker's son, he decided that a change of scenery was in order. "Someone wake Gigi up and tell her that I've got a big day planned. Let her know that I need her to be ready by the time I finish over at the boarding house."

"The Den," Aaron piped up boldly. Tsuna paused in order to give him and his roommate a questioning look over the words. "T-That's um... That's what we've been calling it. The Dragon's Den. If... uh... if you don't like it, then..."

"It's fine," he replied with a small nod, waving away the attempt to placate him. A quick moment of thought sent him backtracking toward the stage, where he pulled the trap door open and jumped inside. Ollie popped awake almost immediately, only to fall back asleep as soon as he saw that it was Tsuna. Ignoring him, Tsuna kept his head down so that he wouldn't hit his head on the low ceiling and crossed over to the hidden safe. It was only a few minute's work to get it open, even taking into consideration that they'd changed the combination. Rather than ask what the new one was, he simply pushed buttons at random in hopes that his luck and intuition would hold out.

Two minutes later, he was exiting out of the stage once more with a roll of cash safely tucked in his pocket. A single gesture was all it took to direct not only Veronica, but Warren, Aaron, and the formerly sick roommate into heading out the door with him. He was faintly surprised to see Ore following, as well, but a moment of consideration allowed him to figure it out. Ore's construction company gave a vacation during this time of year. The poor man was probably bored out of his mind.

The air outside was frozen in stillness. The road crews hadn't yet come to this part of town, so the street was still completely unusable. He was grateful for the sunglasses due to all the light reflecting off of the snow that covered everything in sight. The traction of his boots was better than expected, too. As long as he wasn't trying to run on ice, the walk over to the Den was as easy as a walk across grass. It was a little more difficult for Veronica and the others, who ended up hanging off of Ore for balance, but he was perfectly stable.

He smiled once he got beyond the broken front doors. The air inside was chilly, but it was still much warmer than outside. Thoughts of the temperature was negligent in the face of the green room, however. The most prevalent thing that he noticed was the smell of fresh paint. The holes in the walls were gone and the room had been painted in the color that matched it's name. The broken pool table and stereo had been removed completely so that the only items in the area were the large television and the couch. The carpet had been cleaned until it looked new and even the baseboards had been scrubbed until they gleamed.

"Holy shit," the roommate mumbled in awe. "It's a bloody fucking miracle."

"Why don't you all go round up the people that are left," Tsuna suggested with a grin. "Ore, can you get Steve up for me while I turn on the heat?"

"Sure, Little Guy," he nodded before heading in the wake of those already looking through the rooms for remnant tenants to wake. Heading inside the manager's office, he smiled over the fact that no one had touched the thermometers. They were all still set at the fifty degrees that he'd put them on despite the fact that the office had been left unlocked. If someone had the guts, they could have come in here and turned up the heat in their room with the intention to turn it back off before Tsuna showed. The fact that they hadn't been meant that those who were left were people who wouldn't disobey. It was good. It was very good. Obedient people meant that there could be peace and quiet.

By the time that he got back out in the green room to wait, several people were already present. Several of them had on rubber gloves, two sets of sweats, three pairs of socks, and handkerchiefs tied on their heads. The wardrobe marked them as people who'd been cleaning through the night. The other ones were also in sweats, but the knit caps and blankets around their shoulders marked them as people who had been pulled from bed.

Walking over to the couch, he pulled it over to one wall and took a seat in the center while directing those who'd arrived to take a comfortable seat on the floor. The format was picked up by those who were late arriving until he had almost fifteen people spread out before him.

"Where's the rest?" Tsuna asked in surprise when Veronica returned to his side and both Aaron and his roommate took their seats in the floor with the others.

"That's all of them, Little Guy," Ore answered as he lumbered out of the hallway with a sleepy Steve behind him. "I double-checked myself."

"Wow," he mumbled quietly, looking over the twenty people assembled. Lighting himself a cigarette, he shook his head in disbelief. "Out of sixty, only seventeen stayed? What happened?"

"They were whining, spoiled brats," Steve answered in disgust. Tsuna blinked at him while the man shrugged his blanket back into place around his shoulders. "Those that you evicted left right away. I told them that they had two weeks, but they all have drug buddies that they went running to. They said that they didn't need this place if they were going to be judged for what they did in their spare time. I told them good riddance and kicked their asses out the door. After that was a lot of them that got self-righteous over failing the cleanliness inspection. They said that they might as well go live with their mama if they're going to be told to keep their rooms clean. Most of those trashed the place even worse before they left."

"What about the rest?" Tsuna asked curiously. "That can't have been all of them."

"Aye," he confirmed. "The rest were those with televisions and stereos. They said that they'd move out before they let you sell their stuff. The pair with the video games on the top floor was the first to go and I let them take their electronics without a fight. I figured that you'd be happier to get rid of that sort rather than force them to hand it over and everyone else took that as the statement that they could keep it if they left by today."

"Heh," he scoffed in his own disgust. "What do you want to bet that they'll be selling it for themselves within a week to pay for somewhere warm to stay?"

"I'll pass on that bet," Steve replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'd wager that you'd win."

"Alright," he sighed, leaning back in his seat to survey those that were left. "I don't care who starts, but let me know who the hell you are and why you're here. If you work, let me know where and if you don't, just tell me that you're support. Let me know about your roommate, too."

"Aaron," Aaron offered into the following silence as one of the few who had already gotten over their fear of him. "I'm support. I'm here because I don't have anywhere else to go. My parents kicked me out when I was seventeen and I wouldn't go back to them even if I was half-dead and starving. Gigi picked me up on a street corner about four months ago and told me about this place. He said that I might be cute if I cleaned myself up, but I don't fly that way. After asking around, I decided to give this place a shot and I've been here ever since. I've tried getting a job a few times, but most places won't hire me because I never finished high school. Thanks to Steve, I've been taking night classes over at the civics' center. Um... my roommate is Ralph. He's a good guy and works hard. Just don't steal his Twinkies because he gets pissy without them."

"You could have left that part out," Ralph grumbled with a blush. "Well, I guess that makes me next. I'm Ralph. I work over at Schmidt's Department store doing the night stock. Things have been crazy lately with the holidays and I really don't have a clue about what's going on. The past few days are pretty much a blur to me. It's like I woke up and hell had frozen over or something. I got the gist of it, but I'm still having trouble believing it. I'm here because things turned to shit for me about a year ago. My apartment caught on fire and I didn't have any insurance. When I went into work three days in a row with the same clothes on because I didn't have any others, I got fired. Those assholes were just looking for a reason to get rid of me after this pair of tits started working there. She took one look at me and didn't like me, even though I never did shit to her. Anyway, I've got family, but I didn't want to burden them. I was actually buying lunch off a nice street vendor named Georgie and I was having trouble getting enough change to pay him because I'd already emptied my wallet. He noticed that I was having trouble and that I was about to lose it. We got to talking and he pointed me to this place when he found out that I needed a place to stay. I came in a little after you were gone and the place was still running smooth. I thought about leaving after it turned into a hellhole, but I figured that it still served my needs as long as I kept to myself."

"I'm Gale," Gale picked up with a smile after Ralph trailed off. "I'm support and you know that my forte is shopping. I must say that it's been hell without you and you sure came back with a flair, Mister-Boss-Lazarus. I'm pretty much here because I want to be here. I've got a nice nest egg saved up, so I talked to Steve and made a deal so that I could stay. This is pretty much early retirement for me and I'm loving every minute of it. Good times and bad, this place is too exciting to leave. I've been here since the beginning and I plan to stay as long as you'll let me. My roommate is Dominic and he's a pretty straight forward guy. He's nothing like the jerk that was staying with me before. This one's more of the bookish type and quiet."

"Am I next?" Dominic asked, looking around with instant panic on his face when he received smiling nods in return. "Oh. Um. I'm Dominic. I'd say that I'm here because I'm a runaway, but I'm almost twenty-three. I'm not sure if it still counts if you're an adult. I come from a family that was really restrictive. Every day, I'd wake up and it was like my whole life was planned for me. I finally got fed up one day and just left. It... It was kind of rash of me, but I don't regret it. Eric Brahms was actually the one that picked me up off the street and brought me here before I could get into trouble. He remembered me from high school, even though we never really talked. I was shocked, cause he's all famous and he still remembered a nobody like me. He actually took me out for lunch while I told him what had happened. He was nothing like I expected. I figured that he'd have a big head since he became big after he got kicked out of school, but he was just like me. A-Anyway, he brought me here and said that I controlled my own life. I've been keeping that in mind and I got me a job. It's not much, but I've been able to do what I want with my paychecks thanks to Gale's help."

"Eric worked hard for what he has," Tsuna replied with a soft smile. "I bet you didn't know that he used to do mime in the street with me. He wasn't always big, Dominic. He started out as a nobody like all the rest of us." Pointing out the next person, he tried not to notice how Dominic's eyes were shining at him.

"T.J.," the next one answered gruffly while rubbing the arm hanging out of his sling. "Me and my brother are here 'cause no one else would take us. To tell you the truth, this is the second time that you've broken my arm, Boss. The first time, I was part of the Redrocks. I ain't going to make any excuses. I deserved it this time, just like it did the last time. I don't think straight when I've been drinking and I do mean things. I guess I'm an alcoholic, but that's not really right, either. I just... I can't..."

"He gets drunk after just one bottle, so he usually doesn't touch the stuff," Justin explained when T.J. looked to have trouble speaking. "He didn't mean to get drunk yesterday. Someone loaned him some cough medicine and he wasn't thinking about the alcohol content when he started taking it. The truth is that we're here because we really don't have anywhere else to go. Our mom died a few years back and our granny is in a nursing home. Pops was always a deadbeat and wouldn't let us back in the house after mom died. The Redrocks took us in when we didn't have any other options, but then the gang broke up after what happened with you before. Ore's actually the one that found us and brought us here," he added with a nod to the big man standing behind the couch that Tsuna was sitting on.

"I didn't mean to get rough with the little boy," T.J. interjected with a harsh look of unhappiness on his face. "I don't do that kind of stuff normally. I'll admit that I've been a bastard to Steve, but I've just been so damned frustrated lately. I got fired from my job because a lady lied and said that I yelled at her when I didn't. I've been trying to get another one, but there's been nothing. My old boss swore to give me a bad reference if I dared put him on any applications, but I don't got anything else to put! Things... Things weren't supposed to be like this."

"We both thought that we'd be playing in the NFL," Justin explained with his jaw locked in suppressed misery. "We planned for it during pretty much our whole lives. Then, in high school, I busted my knee. I don't have any cartilage left in it and the doctors said that my football days were over. I tried telling T.J. to keep moving on without me, but then we lost in the first round of our senior year tournament. Football wasn't the same after that and we don't really know what to do now. We've just been trying to survive until things start looking up again."

"Please don't kick us out," T.J. pleaded with tears in his eyes. "If you kick us out, we've got nothing left to go to. I'll apologize to the boy and I'll do whatever you want to make up for my attitude. Just don't--"

"I'll give you a chance," Tsuna soothed when he saw a look of pity cross Warren's face. If Houston's father could forgive the man, then Tsuna could do no less. "You two better work hard to make up for your mistakes. You're already dancing across cracked ice."

"Yes, Boss," they replied in instant gratitude.

Over the course of the next hour, he learned all seventeen names and why they were there. Bums, runaways, and poor fools who had no luck made up the bulk of them. Gale was a rarity that was only repeated once by Beebe. Just like Gale, Beebe had apparently determined that she wasn't moving anywhere as long as Tsuna wasn't kicking her out. Warren planned to do the same, but it was mostly out of being practical for him than some type of strange devotion.

"Alright," Tsuna sighed, lighting himself a third cigarette. "I guess it's only fair that I take a shot at this. My name is Lazarus Timberson. Recently released from prison. I wish that I could say that I got this place by working hard like all of you, but the truth is that I sometimes do illegal stuff to make ends meet. The less that you all know, the better. You might have heard rumors that I'm Mafia. I won't lie to you. I work for Autumn Martelli and Papa Paolo whenever they need something done. If any of you have a problem with that, let me know and I'll help you find a place to live outside of here. I'll warn you now that I don't go easy on snitches. If you live here from now on, you're going to be considered as an Orange Dragon and follow my rules."

Waiting a moment, Tsuna nodded slightly in satisfaction that no one jumped at the offer. These men weren't naive. They knew that even good people had to do bad things to survive in the world.

"I started out as a bum," Tsuna continued in an attempt to be conversational. "When I got to this city, all I had was the clothes that I was standing in. There wasn't a place like this to help me out when I needed it, but a very important person helped to show me the ropes. If you've not heard of Snicker, feel free to ask anyone over in the Dojo to tell you about him. He was the greatest man that there was and this place was very important to him. He always believed that you should help others when you could because you never knew when you'd need a helping hand in return. He always wanted a big family, too. The Dojo was supposed to give him that, but he decided that he wanted an extended family, too. That's basically the reasons why we started up this boarding house.

Don't expect a lot of conversation out of me after today and don't forget what I told you yesterday. Starting today, I'm rewriting he rules of the Dojo and the... uh... the Den a little bit. _Everyone _is going to work. Those of you that have a job, you keep doing what you're doing. Those of you on support are going to work for me until you can find a job or until I can find one for you. In exchange, I'll supply you with three suits of clothes every six months for you to go job hunting in. First floor will work for me on weekdays. Second floor gets weekends. The work is going to be harder on the weekends, so don't think that you're getting off light by having a room on the second floor. Third floor are going to be for people that don't work for me on a schedule.

Beebe, I want you and Billy to move up to the third floor. Billy, your new job is to make sure that Beebe doesn't turn into dust without anyone noticing. Gale, you and your roommate are moving up there, too. I'm going to send you all the impulse spenders that we get. Veronica's also getting a private room up there since he's working as my secretary. That leaves seven rooms for permanent residents on the top floor. If you have a job, you're exempt from showing up to work for me. Since there's a surplus of rooms right now, feel free to pair off and pick the floor you want. If you want a permanent room on the top floor, I'll allow it once you've given me and Steve a good reason to keep you working for me on a permanent basis.

Right now, I want Steve to go get everyone a big breakfast," he continued with a smile. Pulling out his roll of cash, he handed over almost two hundred dollars with a wink to the man. "Take Veronica and Warren with you to carry it all and see if you can find something hot for all of us. Get me three plates of whatever you get for everyone else."

"What about us?" Noel asked from where he was sitting with his rubber cleaning gloves still on.

"We're going to work," he answered, pulling out his phone to check his schedule. "I've got forty-five minutes left before I've got to head out. In that time, I want to make sure that all of you are situated in your new rooms. If you have to go to work today, what you do is your business after you get settled in. For those of you that don't work, you're all working for me for the next two days until we can get everything back on track. I want you to split into two teams. One team is going to stay here and work under Steve's supervision to get this place back in shape. All the rooms need to be made ready for new tenants and I all the snow shoveled off of the sidewalk for this whole block. You guys have neighbors that you need to work hard to apologize to and nothing says 'I'm sorry' like manual labor. Me and Snicker didn't build this place to get a reputation as a crack-house."

"What about the other team?" Justin asked curiously while the men nodded in quiet acceptance of the punishment.

"The other team needs to go get showered and changed," he answered. "I've got a lot of stops to make and I might need some muscle. I won't lie. You might get into a fight if you come with me today. It all depends on how well my new assets take to being owned by me. That's not my intention, but sometimes a show of numbers can keep shit from hitting the fan. The big reason I need muscle is for some shopping, though. Ralph, you said that you work at Schmidt's Department Store?"

"Yes, Boss," he nodded.

"Is there any chance that you could contact Mr. Schmidt for me?"

"I think so, Boss," he nodded after a moment. "He stays pretty close with the crew. He's been coming in every day since Thanksgiving because of the holidays. If I call down there, he should have arrived by now."

"Give him a call and tell him that Lazarus is coming this afternoon," he replied in pleasure for the news. Ralph blinked in surprise with an open look of curiosity on his face, but Tsuna didn't feel like explaining himself. "Tell him that he can skip on the gift wrapping, but that he can supply me a truck. Let him know that I'm bringing my own shopping crew, too."

"Y-Yes, Boss."

"Beebe," he continued. "I need both you and Gale to come with me. We're also stopping by Tinfoil Electronics and I'm going to let you go wild. We'll renovate the attic into a computer center for you so that you can do your personal work from here since you want to say. In exchange, I want you to be my personal tech person. Most of the places we're going is probably going to have a computer that I want you to look over, too."

"With pleasure," she agreed with her eyes lighting up at the thought of going wild in an electronics store.

"Gale," he continued mercilessly. "Your job is to figure out how many suits of clothes we need to give everyone three plus put some in stock for the future. I need you to figure out what all we need at the department store to make good on all my other promises, too. I'm also putting you in charge of finding me a damn wardrobe while we're there. As it is, what I'm standing in is about all I have outside of sweats. Do you think you can take care of it?"

"I think I can manage something," he answered with his eyes glittering at the challenge. "What's my budget?"

"It's an unlimited shopping spree," he replied with a knowing grin. "I'd like to stay around a quarter million to make it fair. I don't want to touch stuff that will interfere with his Christmas stock, either. We're looking to take things that he won't miss and won't interfere with his business. That's why I want you in charge. Plan to get everything we need or might need in the future, but don't get greedy. If the chance comes up again, I don't want him hesitating to give me another spree."

"I'm getting excited," Gale said while he rubbed his hands together in growing enthusiasm. "You really know how to get my attention. A shopping spree where I have to be thrifty? I don't know which side of me is more geared up for the challenge."

"Hopefully all of you," he chuckled. "Alright. Get yourself split up into two teams. If you're coming with me, focus on getting your stuff transferred to whatever room that you want to claim and get dressed. Those of you that are going to work today can either go back to sleep after you get your stuff moved or help those that are cleaning. Steve should be back in less than twenty minutes with breakfast, even with the roads iced, so be ready to leave as soon as you've all eaten. Any objections?"

* * *

Tsuna smiled in satisfaction at the ten men and one woman behind him. There'd actually been a little bit of an argument over splitting up into teams. It was faintly embarrassing, but all of them had wanted to go with him to see what he was going to do. Even those that had jobs had tried to come, saying that they could call into work. In the end, Tsuna had been forced to pick for himself. The result was that he had Ore, Veronica, J.T., Justin, Gale, Ralph, Noel, Aaron, Dominic, and Beebe with him. J.T. had already been fired from his job. Ralph had special permission from Mr. Schmidt to stay with Tsuna as the Department Store's liaison. Noel had been allowed into the group since his work was closed down due to the snow. Aaron and Justin were the only support workers in the group for today while Gale, Veronica, and Beebe were the permanent ones. Ore was simply there as a friend and Tsuna was happy to have him along.

Leaving the bulk of the group outside, Tsuna ducked into the Dojo to pick up one other important addition.

"Are you ready?" Tsuna asked with a broad smile for Gigi's chosen outfit. She'd dressed practically despite still managing to come off as female. She had her long, red wig on and it was trimmed in green ribbon. For clothes, she had the normal attire of blue jeans and a sweater. Her festive poncho covered the bulk of the sweater, however. It was made of heavy red velvet with white, plush trim. The item fell down to her knees with two slits for her to extend her arms out of. In addition to fluff with practicality, she had a pair of snow-boots on that looked to be made of leather and fur. They were warm, cute, and they had traction, unlike the heels that Tsuna had feared that she might choose.

"Just finished," she answered as she finished putting a snowflake earring into place. "How do I look?"

"Festively female," he answered with an eye to the perky breasts that were making the poncho bulge out. "If you're coming, we need to get moving. We've got a schedule to keep. Here," he added, handing her his cell phone as they headed outside. "I'll let you keep track for me. I can't afford to miss anything today."

"Wow," she murmured as she looked through the phone in awe. "You've turned into a down-right businessman, Laz. You've even got a schedule. No wonder you wanted a secretary."

"I didn't want to throw everything off on you," he replied softly. "I'm going to need your help, but you can't do everything. Veronica's here to pick up on the small things so that you and me can focus on the important stuff. If I'm going to keep us up and running, I've got to learn how to play the game. I can't let the things that Snicker left behind get destroyed because I didn't work hard enough. If it means that I've got to run businesses to make a profit to pay for the place, then that's what I'm going to do. I can't make enough just by washing dishes anymore. When I think about it, we've been scraping by with the skin of our teeth because I kept trying to stay straight. Things don't have to be that way, though."

"Laz..." Gigi mumbled in worry as he escorted her down the sidewalk toward their first stop.

"I can't change the facts, Gigi," he murmured sadly. "Very little of what we have is stuff that we got legally. I tried for a long time to pretend that I could be happy with just thinking about me and Snicker. I thought, as long as me and him have a roof over our head and steady meals, then we were doing alright. It's not like that anymore. I've got to think about the bigger picture. You understand. Don't you?" Tsuna wished that he could smile when Gigi nodded softly in acceptance, but the truth was that there was nothing to smile over. His attempts in the past to live by the law had always been a sham. He accepted that now and he was giving up the thought of making a quiet life for himself. His life no longer belonged to him. It belonged to the Martelli Family and it belonged to the Orange Dragons that Snicker had left behind.

The trip was mostly silent after that. Those that were following behind were having quiet conversations behind him, but Tsuna tuned them out almost entirely. Those that were left out of the Den's previous tenants were seeming to bond now that they knew more of each other. They also seemed to be truly trying to get to know Ore and Gigi, too. From the looks of it, they'd never previously gotten to interact with the mysterious group in the Dojo that were their overseers.

"Laz," Gigi mumbled after two blocks. "I don't know how to say this, but I figure that it's best to warn you. You might have been set up."

"How's that?" He asked with instant attention. If Gigi said that he was set up, then he'd probably had been. Gigi knew more about the local underworld than he could ever pretend to. She'd been living neck-deep in it for years while he had been only shyly sticking his toes in.

"Well," she replied slowly while she continued to look at his schedule. "Aren't you curious why someone would own Mike?"

"I was wondering about that," he confirmed with a crooked smile. "But that's what I've got you for."

"Mike's just a pimp," she explained hurriedly. "When someone starts trying to move in on his territory, he's got no protection. That's what his owner is for, though. Mike pays a cut of his profit to an overseer for protection. Here's the thing. The only competition that he's ever really had on this side of town is Tig Bitty's and Kink's. The freelancers and other pimps always steer clear of his territory. For you to get all three in a single game of poker, I'm thinking that the guys who put them up had an eye toward creating a monopoly. There's always been a lot of fighting between the three and putting them all in control of one person means that the street warfare would stop. I can't see any of them just giving it up for free, but adding it into a pot where they might get control of the rest of the market..."

"That can't be right," he objected quietly. "Wes put up both Mike and Tig Bitty's. Erin put up Kink's. Their markets didn't even touch each other."

"That's why I'm thinking that you've been set up," she explained in exasperation. "Even though Wes controlled both of those, they still fight. Kink's probably got put up when Erin figured out what Wes was doing. Those two _expected _you to win."

"That doesn't make sense," he replied in confusion. "They still continued to bet after that. Why would they..."

"They twinked you," she choked. Tsuna stopped in the middle of the sidewalk so suddenly that two of the guys behind him rammed into his back.

"Repeat that."

"They. Twinked. You," she repeated, enunciating every word clearly despite her own shock over having figured it out. "You were set up, Laz. You didn't win by accident. Those guys were playing with you. They gave you everything you needed to get on your feet and they're probably sitting back to see what you're going to do with everything that you were given. You've seen it in video games. Someone that's already set up with everything they want and needs will take in a nobody that's just starting out. After they give them things that they'd probably never get on their own, they sit back and watch the newbie's adventures for their own amusement. It lets them have fun without getting their own hands dirty. If you actually make it up so that you're an equal to them, they'll expect favors and recompense to pay them back for what they did."

"I won it fair and square," he growled with his lip twitching in anger over merely the thought of having to pay back someone on top of his other debts. "I didn't ask them to lose. They're fools if they think that they can toy with me."

"What are you going to do, Little Guy?" Ore asked, having followed the conversation despite all the questions that the rest of the group had been overwhelming him with.

"I'm going to do what I planned to do," he answered bluntly. "Even if they lost on purpose, it changes nothing. They can sit back and watch all they want, but that's all they're getting out of me. Actually," he added with an epiphany hitting him in a blinding instance. "If they plan to use me in the future, then I'll just return the favor. The invited me to play poker with them again. Make sure that my schedule stays clear for Friday night. I'm going to go and I'm going to take every damn thing that they throw at me. The fact that I know that they're giving me stuff to play with means that I can expect more winnings in the future. I'll take it. I'll take it all."

"They're only going to be more sure that they can ask favors from you in the future if you do that!" Gigi exclaimed, chasing after him as he started quickly walking once more.

"That's fine," Tsuna replied with a gesture to bat the objection away. "They can ask, but it'll still be my choice about whether I accept or not. If they have a problem with that, I'll remind them of who they're dealing with."

"B-But--!"

"Drop it, Gigi," he ordered through clenched teeth. "I've made up my mind. I won't do anything to put the Family or the Dragons in danger, but we both know that the money that we have isn't going to last. We've got to find a way to turn a real profit so that we can stand on our own when the bastards stop deciding to let me win so easily. Thank you for warning me, though. Now I know exactly how fast I need to raise the pot. I need to take everything that I can from them now, before they realize that I've already caught onto their game. Do me a favor and call Mike. Tell him to be at Tig Bitty's in an hour. The first thing we've got to do is put a stop to the raids and the warfare and I think I just might know how now."

"I don't--" Gigi hesitantly began to object. Once more, Tsuna paused on the sidewalk to confront her in the manner that he knew best. That was bluntly.

"Gigi," he gasped in exasperation. "Trust me. Just call Mike and tell him that I said to be there. If you have to, threaten him. I don't care how. Just make sure that he's there. I'll take care of everything after that. I promise."

"A-Alright," she agreed with a soft, hesitant nod. Tsuna turned away to continue on his path to his first stop while trying not to let his disappointment in himself show. He was doing it again. Gigi was obviously having trouble even recognizing him, but this was what he'd learned during his stay in prison. He could either be a guppy that swam around the rocks and tried to make the best out of the turbulent waters or he could be a shark that smashed through the rocks in his path until the currents around him were peaceful and quiet. He'd always been a guppy before and Gigi was having to come to terms with a Suoh Lazarus Timberson that had teeth.

He couldn't do anything to help Gigi adjust other than simply hope that she would. He couldn't imagine being able to stand firm without his friends at his back. Hired and bribed workers just weren't the same. They were subordinates, not friends that he could rely on even when things got rough. He wasn't trying to alienate Gigi, but he could only be himself. The time for hearty laughter and sweet memories were over. He had goals to meet now and he couldn't go back to those oblivious days with Snicker ever again. If staining his hands with underworld dealings was what his Orange Dragons and the Martelli Family needed from him, then that's what he'd do. It was as simple as that.

* * *

"SHUT UP!" Tsuna roared, slamming his fist down into the table. Both Mike and Mamma Jill froze with their mouths hanging open in order to stare at him in shock.

Things had started out well enough. Wes had already called ahead and informed them both of the new management. Mamma Jill had been a little upset at first, until Gigi had recognized the woman as her own 'Mamma'. It'd been a shock to find out that the little old lady that ran the bar was actually a little old man, but that had been a minor worry in the overall scheme of things. Mamma Jill had welcomed Lazarus and his entourage with open arms after finding out that Gigi was 'her' Gigi. Even now, the bulk of those that'd come with him were enjoying a private stage show to 'inspect' the quality of the dancers. Even Beebe seemed to be enjoying herself as she ran through the computer-turned-cash register that the place boasted.

Then Mike had shown up. It had been obvious from the start that there would be problems. The bouncers for the place were openly loyal to Mamma Jill and no new owner was going to change the pecking order that was in place. Those same bouncers had went after Mike until Tsuna had managed to get Mamma Jill to call off her hounds. They'd sat down. Tsuna had explained his plans. Both had erupted with objections, insults, claims to territory and lists of street-truce infractions almost immediately.

"I don't care what the hell happened between you two in the past!" He snarled with enough force that even Gigi's eyebrows flew up into her hair. "The fact is that you're both working for me now! Mamma, you've got a problem with being raided. The only solution is to get rid of the reason for the raids. Mike, you've got a problem with keeping decent stock. Half of your building is filled with crack-whores that barely make enough to cover their habits, let alone make a profit! BOTH of your problems could be easily solved if you two would stop with your fucking pissing contest and actually work together!"

"I can handle the raids," Mamma Jill scoffed, waving away the statement with the plastic-tipped cigarette in her aged, manicured hand. "If I need anything, I need punks like Mike to keep his whores off of my street. Half of the problem is that the cops are mistaking _his _girls for--"

"Bullshit," Mike spat. "I keep track of my bitches! It's you who tells all your clients that my stock is dirty! I--"

"Did I give either of you permission to talk?" Tsuna asked in deadly softness. Once more, both of them froze in order to stare. Tsuna didn't stop there, however. He was getting tired of all this finger pointing. "Mamma Jill, I'll respect your desire to protect your assets, but I'll be happy to turn this place into a fucking outhouse for bums to take a shit in. Mike, you don't have a leg to stand on. If you're going to give me trouble, then you can forget my protection. You'll be paying me just so that I don't beat your ass myself. Both are you are nothing to me. I'll tell you something else. I really don't like messy shit. Right now, you two are making a big fucking mess and I'm in the center of it. You two are _going _to work together to clean this shit up or else I will."

"I'm listening," Mama Jill replied grudgingly.

"Doesn't look like you're giving me a fucking choice," Mike grumbled.

"No, I'm not," Tsuna confirmed. Lighting himself a cigarette, he took a sip from the drink that he'd been given in order to calm his nerves. He was getting angry too fast. He had to keep a cool head or else nothing he did would last beyond the time it took to turn his back to them. "Now that I've got both of you actually listening, let me try this again. Mamma Jill. From now on, this strip bar is going straight." Putting up a finger in warning, he glared when she tried to object. "Mike. You're going to empty the trash out of your dumpster of an apartment building. From now on, you two are _going _to work together. Mike. You've been pimping for a long time, but you have a problem with finding girls that can turn whore and stay clean. Mamma Jill. You have decent girls. You know how to train them right, but you have a problem with pimping without being caught. Mamma Jill. From now on, you're going to be Mike's supplier. Mike. From now on, you're not to take in any girl that hasn't come through here. Both of your profits are to come to me and each of you will get a thirty percent cut of the total. The other forty percent goes to me to deal with maintenance of your places and legalities. Now. Do either of you have a problem with the deal that I've outlined?"

"No..." Mamma Jill answered slowly while openly thinking hard about it. "I'd still be getting a cut of the stripping and the whoring. If you're taking care of maintenance on this place, then that means that the thirty percent is pure profit."

"You'll still have to provide costumes and training for your dancers," he warned. "And it's in your own interest to weed out any that aren't money makers. The higher quality you have to send on to Mike, the more your profit is in the end."

"I can't really complain," Mike grimaced while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "With a steady influx of decent girls, that'd take a lot of stress off of my work. If I know that I have new ones coming in, keeping the old ones after they want to quit won't hurt as bad. Getting rid of the crack-whores means that the raids on the apartments should go away, too. There's still the danger of working the streets, but if I can use this place as headquarters for setting up dates... I can put my girls to work even when the weather is bad."

"What's your thoughts?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow for the strange expression on Mike's face.

"Well, the truth is that the cops have been watching me hard lately," he answered. "I've been training a buddy of mine to work the streets because the cops are starting to recognize me on sight and hassle me. If I can come in here and work as a legitimate matchmaker, I can set up dates with the whores for a price without having them riding my ass. Then, should an intimate encounter happen in the aftermath of the date, which we both know it will, me and the girls can both claim innocence. I get paid up-front, the girls don't get arrested for prostitution since they're supposedly working off-the-clock at that point, and my profit should double."

"You sound like you've been thinking of this for a while," Mamma Jill commented in suspicion.

"I have," he admitted. "The trouble is that I didn't have a front to work out of. I thought of setting up a little office for people to come into for the matchmaking, but the problem is female clients that might come in. I don't have any males to offer them and that would put me on the radar with the cops."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that Laz owns Kink's," Gigi commented with bulging eyes. Tsuna turned to look at her before finding himself grinning like a maniac.

"You're a genius, Gigi," Tsuna mumbled before turning back to the pimp and the slut-master. "Here's what we're going to do. Mike, I want you to concentrate on getting your boy set up on the street. Then we're going to get you that respectable office. We're going to go one step further, though. We're going to make a catalog of all the whores and set up an escort service that covers males and females. Depending on what type of date a person wants, we'll set the prices to cover it along with a healthy profit. Hell. The girls might not even have to be whores at the end of the night if we work this right, but we'll become known for having guys and girls who know how to please and are easy to talk into going off the clock. This way, both of your businesses look legitimate and no one gets raided. When the escort service is slow, the girls can still work the street under your apprentice."

"I like it," Mamma Jill admitted in surprise. "If you can really get old Iron Balls to agree, the profit from an escort service can potentially be double that of just streetwalking. It'll be taxed, but I'd rather pay taxes than have to keep paying out bail money."

"We'll make ourselves unique, too," Tsuna added firmly. "Escorts are usually really expensive, but we'll make some really cheap ones. Say, a girl or guy, three hours for a movie and a hamburger for a hundred bucks. When the customers figure out that it's a front, they'll start skipping the movie and hamburger just to spend more time getting laid. That means that it's pure profit since the customer has to supply the hotel. They'll pay just to know that what they're getting is clean."

"We can keep them clean, too," Gigi added with wide eyes. "I still volunteer down at the free health clinic. If I talk to the others, I can get a time slot set aside to get everyone checked out once a week."

"Do it," Tsuna ordered instantly. "Mike, start looking for a cheap shop front and come let me know when you find a good one. You'll be in charge of running it after we've got it set up, along with making the catalog. Clean out your apartment building and make ready for what Mamma Jill has to send you. Mamma Jill, go through your girls and find out which ones want to be sluts and which want to be whores. We need to keep some dancers here permanently or else the cops will figure out what we're doing. Send whoever wants to be a full-time 'escort' over to Mike. I'm going to head over and make the same offer over at Kink's. Mamma Jill, you'll get a cut of all the female profits and 'Iron Balls' as you call him will get a cut of the male escorts. Just send the clients that you usually get here over to Mike once he gets set up."

"What about the start up money," Mike objected with wide eyes. "I don't have enough to--"

"I'll take care of that," Tsuna replied, waving the objection away with his cigarette. "You just start thinking of more ways to make me profit without being caught. Now. Do we all have an understanding?"

"I think so," Mamma Jill agreed with a gleam of consideration in her eyes.

"Hell yes!" Mike agreed in disbelief that he was not only getting an escort service, but merchandise that was worth selling.

"Good," he sighed as he stood. "I would have hated to turn this place into a shit-hole and beat your ass while I was at it." Unsurprisingly, both Mike and Mamma Jill blanched at the reminder of his threat. It was his way of reinforcing his will, however. He was open to ideas, but he wasn't open to negotiation. The two _would _work together no matter what the outcome was. "Beebe," he called. "Are you ready yet?"

"All done," she exclaimed with a large stack of printouts in her hand.

"I'll be sending my accountant over to meet with you both in the morning," he said blandly. "I suggest that neither of you try to hold back money or your hidden records from him. I really don't like it when people try to steal from me and I can't promise to be nice if I catch you doing it."

"I'll remember that," Mamma Jill replied with a slow smile. "It's been nice doing business with you, Lazarus. It's nice to see that my little Gigi has a man like you taking care of her."

"She's the one that's been taking care of me," Tsuna replied with his own smile for Gigi's resulting blush. "I'm just doing what I can to make sure that she can stay pretty for the man that she has at home."

"Oh really?"

"LAZ!" Gigi spluttered.

"Come on," he laughed. "We've still got stops to make. I--"

"A man named Snicker used to come in here a lot," Mamma Jill commented off-handedly. Tsuna froze with his heart leaping up in his chest. He wasn't ready for this. He didn't want to know about this. "He talked about a little fellow named Suoh a lot. His description is a lot like yours if you ignore the height."

"Laz..." Gigi gasped worriedly, reaching out to grab his arm to give support. Tsuna ignored it, forcing himself to stand firm no matter what the old little woman might say.

"It's alright, Gigi," he soothed despite his inner turmoil. "Snicker mentioned stopping by here to me before he died. It's nothing that I didn't already know."

"So, you are the same Suoh?" Mamma Jill prompted with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

"I am," he confirmed with a steady voice while ignoring his unsteady heart. "I changed my name after Snicker died. I'd appreciate it if you remembered that my name is Lazarus now."

"Then I know much about you, Lazarus," she said in open satisfaction that he hadn't denied the connection. "Snicker talked about you a lot. He'd come in and buy a few drinks. He'd sit down with one of the girls and talk and talk and talk. That's _all _he ever did, was talk." No matter how he tried to control it, his eyes widened marginally when he understood what Mamma Jill was telling him. Snicker had hid nothing from him. He felt a pang of guilt that he'd doubted him even for a second, but that was washed away almost instantly by the relief.

"Thank you," Tsuna murmured quietly to the woman that was so carefully watching for his reaction. Mamma Jill once more nodded to herself in satisfaction before turning her attention to her new business partner to hammer out the details of their new agreement. Tsuna had outlined the foundation. Both of them were smart enough to work from there without his interference. As long as he supplied start-up cash and protection, they were perfectly capable with making the most of the opportunity before them.

Sending up a sharp whistle, Tsuna waved his arm to his guys to tell them to round themselves up. Playtime was over. Tsuna had business that he still had to take care of. By the time that he reached the door with Gigi beside him, his mob of workers were already grouped up behind him with Ore trailing. Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the girl that he had on either arm up until the door, but decided that it was best not to question. Ore had always been one to prefer quantity over everything else. If two wasn't good enough, he had enough bastard in him to make it four.

"Be careful, Big Guy," Tsuna called behind him while they headed toward Kink's. "Veronica can tell you that your little firecrackers get scary when they think someone's stepping into their territory. If you want an extra helping, you better ask the girls you have to provide it for you."

"You can say that again," Veronica agreed with a wide-eyed nod.

* * *

"Suoh!" Charles gasped in delight when Tsuna finally managed to get someone to answer the damn door to let him inside. "I didn't hear that you'd gotten out! Oh my god! You look fabulous! Is that a Namehage? And look at--"

"We're not here to relax, Charles," Tsuna interrupted as his gang followed him inside the empty bar. "I need to speak to the Manager and the Owner."

"W-What's going on?" He asked in curious worry, his eyes going wide at the group of people that was filling the entryway. "I'm managing the place now."

"And the Owner?" Tsuna prompted curiously.

"I-I honestly don't know," he replied hesitantly. "I got a call this morning that the place got sold yesterday. The new owner hasn't--" Grinning, Tsuna silenced him by pulling out the deed. "What?!" He choked, grabbing the piece of paper to ensure that it wasn't a forgery. "_You're _the Owner?!"

"As of yesterday," he confirmed with a pointed glance at the bouncers hovering over his men.

"You, you, and you," Charles spluttered, pointing at the three large security personnel. "Go get all of these guys set up at a table. Free drinks. Put some music on, too. Um, Suoh..." Tsuna smiled in satisfaction and followed the flustered man toward the office inset under the DJ's booth. Gesturing for Ore to stay behind and keep the guys in line, he had Gigi and Veronica both follow him into the enclosed room. Once inside, he quietly put in his order for a drink to Veronica and settled in with Gigi at his side while he waited for Charles to come to terms with the new information.

"I don't understand," he gaped when a third look at the deed showed no mistakes. "This is all so sudden," he added, collapsing down in his seat. "Erin just called me this morning. He said that the new owner was a frighteningly imposing man with a missing eye named Lazarus. You... You--!"

"The description fits," Tsuna replied lazily as he leaned back in his chair. Putting his feet up on Charles' desk, he lit himself another cigarette in hopes that he wouldn't get as tense in this meeting like he had in his last. "I changed my name while I was in prison. Pass it around to anyone you know that might recognize me. If they call me Suoh, I just might punch them. I'm not going to ask any questions about how you became Manager, so don't ask any about me becoming Owner."

"Alright," he agreed with an owlish expression. "I still get paid all the same. Right?"

"It depends," he said bluntly. "Are you what Mamma Jill calls the old Iron Balls?"

"No," he snorted in instant laughter. "That was the old man that was running the place before me. But I've taken over all of his work, if that's what you're wanting to know."

"Even the illegal side?" Tsuna asked carefully.

"What's this about?" Charles replied as the businessman in him finally began to emerge. "You're up to something. Aren't you?"

"You might say that," he confirmed. "This isn't the only place that I own as of yesterday. Tig Bitty's and Mike are mine, too." Tsuna waited for a moment to see if he had to explain the importance of owning the place. Apparently he didn't since Charles' face light up in instant understanding.

"You have the monopoly on whores on this side of town," he stated bluntly. "So, what's your plan?"

"You're not going to argue?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow as Veronica returned with his and Gigi's drinks. Accepting his own, he nursed it after a mere sip to wet his throat.

"Why would I?" He retorted with a wide smile. "If you can manage to get where you are after a single date, then I'm willing to go along for the ride. I always thought you were insane for setting your price so high, but it turns out that I was the fool when someone actually paid it."

"My price is a lot cheaper now," he replied quietly. Charles blinked in surprise over the slip, but Tsuna merely shook his head and steered the conversation back on track. "The plan is to make everything legitimate. We're still going to be working the whores, but we're going to start covering our tracks better. Mike is handing over his streetwalkers to an understudy and is working to set up an escort service. I want to funnel all our quality stock through him. Cleanliness is mandatory and your boys have to be willing to service both genders."

"That's standard procedure for any whore," he scoffed. "You follow the money, not the preferences. Alright. Say I agree to funnel my best workers over to him. What do I get out of it?"

"The plan is for the profits from this place and your stock that's going through Mike's to get pooled together," he answered promptly. "It's a thirty-thirty-forty cut of profits and I get the forty. I take care of maintenance and legalities. The escort service is working under a no-sex policy. Sex is a given, but the workers are considered off-the-clock and working for free after the actual date is over. Mike gets paid beforehand and you don't have to worry about bail money. If the escort service gets slow, you're free to work them like you always have as long as there's no chance of raids. However, the only tea parties I want happening in here are two drunk idiots who are screwing each other for free."

"Thirty is less than the cut that Erin was giving me," he murmured in thought. "But escort services can charge more. To tell you the truth, I was considering opening up a male strip club to copy what Tig Bitty's was doing. The only difference was that I was going to target females clients instead of male. If you own Tig Bitty's, that means that Mamma Jill is already in on this, though."

"That's right," he confirmed. "Mike's over there, hammering out the details right now. If you still want to open a male strip club, I'll be happy to help you with the startup in exchange for entrusting your whores to Mike. I only have one rule, though. Sluts don't try to whore. You can use it as a training ground, if you want, but any of your strippers that turn whore will have to go to Mike full-time. It's in your best interest to train them and send them on if they're interested. The more that Mike makes, the more that you'll get in return from that side."

"Deal," he answered instantly, reaching across his desk to shake Tsuna's hand to confirm it. "I've already got this place in mind. It's a fix-me-up, but--"

"Give the details to Gigi or my secretary later," Tsuna interrupted before he could get started. "One of them will add it to my schedule and I'll get back to you after my accountant figures out the numbers. Um. Gigi. Remember to have Gale go look at the place and give Daren an estimate about the cost to renovate. We can probably do most of the work ourselves, but Gale knows best about that kind of stuff. If he says that it'll be cheaper to hire a crew, then we'll hire a crew. Daren. If I do this, I need a profit as soon as it opens. Figure me out a damn way to launder some funds, too. I don't care how you do it, but I've got over a million that I've got to make legitimate before I'll even have the money to buy the place for you."

"No problem," he replied in instantly. Tsuna slowly sat up while wondering if the answer to his problems could be solved so easily. "I already launder in all the money from my call-boys," he explained when Tsuna showed his interest. "I found this really expensive liquor that gets sold a lot over in Italy and imported it. It costs a hundred dollars a glass and it's a grand a bottle. I've been falsifying my stock records so that it looks like I've been importing it regularly. In truth, we've been reselling the same crate of bottles for almost ten years now."

"Won't you be caught if they go back to the company and trace your records?" Gigi asked suspiciously.

"Nope," he grinned. "That's the best part. We actually get it through a connection with the Martelli Family. Apparently, they have a couple of legitimate places over there and all of them sell the stuff to people that actually drink it. I import with them as a middle-man. A little cash under the table to Papa Paolo and they keep their records falsified so that it looks like they send me a new case every week. I can have a million laundered in no time for you."

"What's the catch?" Tsuna asked suspiciously.

"No catch," he replied with a shake of his head. "If that's what it takes to get my strip club opened, then I'll ignore the usual fees. Hell. I don't really have a choice when I think about it. I just told you everything that you need to know to do it yourself if you wanted. You've got the connections to Papa Paolo."

"I do," he agreed softly. "I'd prefer to do this without going to him, though. Get it laundered for me and keep my accountant up to date on how you're proceeding. I'll send him over to talk financial mumbo-jumbo with you later. For now, I want to see what this thousand dollar bottle of liquor tastes like."

"Oh, no you don't," Charles laughed as Tsuna tucked the deed back into his coat. Standing, they headed to the door in unison with Tsuna carrying both his drink and cigarette in one hand. Business talk was over and it'd went much more smoothly than expected. They didn't need to beat a dead horse. He knew where Charles stood and Charles knew where Tsuna stood. They'd leave the nagging little details to Gigi and Daren to work out and then those two could explain the outcome to Tsuna. Life was a lot more simple and quiet that way. "From what I've seen," Charles continued blithely while they crossed over to the bar, "one sip is enough to knock a man on his ass for half a day. Supposedly it has enough alcohol content to kill a man who drinks a full glass."

"And there's people in Italy that actually drink this stuff?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"By the barrels, from what I'm told," he nodded. "The only reason that it's legal is because it's covered in warnings and it's not as combustible as you might think." Sitting down in a barstool, he waited for Charles to swing around behind the bar to retrieve the bottle that was likely left in place for posterity. As soon as it came into sight, Tsuna froze from a surge of inexplicable nostalgia that coursed through him. "You look like you've seen it before," Charles commented as he held the bottle out for inspection.

"I think I have," he replied in confusion. Refusing to touch it since it gave him such an unsettling vibe, he tried to figure out where he'd seen it before. There was nothing, though. The bottle was unique enough that he felt like he should be able to name it out of memory. "I can't place it," he admitted with a shake of his head. "What does it--" Tsuna froze as another indescribable feeling welled up. Vodka. Vodka and cherries. He couldn't say how or why, but he instantly felt like he could taste it in his mouth.

"Laz...?" Gigi asked worriedly when his disconcerted feelings flashed onto his face before he could cover it.

"Never mind," he murmured with a shake of his head. "I'm probably just worn out from mediating between Mike and Mamma. Since everything's settled here, let's head over to Rascal's. The sooner we finish, the sooner that we can relax around lunch." Ignoring Gigi's concerned expression, he gestured for Ore to round everyone up for him. Thankfully, the numbers hadn't been needed, but things might have turned out completely different if he'd went alone over to Tig Bitty's. By the time that he finished trading farewells with Charles and gave the promise to show his face the next night as the Owner, Ore had everyone together and was ushering them out the door.

For the next two blocks, Tsuna tried to figure out the strange disturbance that he'd gotten off the bottle while he ignored Gigi's worried hovering. He almost felt like there were flashes of... something... that were just outside of his reach. He felt like if he just gave a hard enough tug, he could pull it--

_"Tomorrow night is the grand finale. For now, lets go get a fucking drink," someone said with a laugh._

"Laz...?" Gigi asked in increasing worry. "Are you alright? Why did you stop?"

_"Yo, man," someone different exclaimed. "If you're looking for V Special, there's only one place in the city I've ever seen it. That shit's expensive, though."_

"Laz," Gigi gasped, patting the side of his face while he felt blood starting to drip from his nose. "You're scaring me. Say something." Tsuna open his mouth to respond, only to have something even stronger float forward.

_"We're going to raid their shitty facility and execute every last piece of trash there." All the blood rushed out of his face while he looked at the first someone in shock. There was someone there, but he couldn't remember who. It was as if there was a shadow standing where a person should be. His breathing still became ragged at the knowledge of what he had to do, though. He wouldn't kill again. Not again. He wasn't capable of killing in cold blood. Not how this other person intended for him to. There had to be another way._

_"No," Tsuna found himself saying. He looked up at the shadow across from him, glad that he'd finally managed to spit the word out. He got the sense that the shadow was narrowed his eyes before a hand reached over to slap Tsuna across the cheek. The snap of the sound brought the attention of a few nearby people, but they quickly looked elsewhere at the shadow's glare. For his part, Tsuna just stayed frozen in surprise. The shadow hadn't punched him, it'd hit him with an open-faced slap. The ultimate insult of strikes. Tsuna looked at him with wide eyes, ignoring the second shadow's dropped jaw._

_"Don't fucking tell me no," the first shadow scowled. "You're not the boss yet."_

"Laz!" Gigi screamed in his ear. Blinking away the dizziness and vertigo, he found himself on his knees with Ore and Gigi being the only things that were keeping him from face planting in the snow.

"Gi...gi...?" He asked slowly while he tried to get his head on straight. He remembered. He remembered the bottle. It was V Special. He used to drink it like it was water so that he wouldn't have to feel. There had been someone... someone important.... that he used to drink it with. A friend...? A coworker...? He couldn't remember. No matter how he pulled and tugged at the memory that he could actually touch, nothing more seemed willing to come free. "V Special," he murmured to ensure that he wasn't just daydreaming. "The name on that bottle. I didn't look, but it was V Special. Wasn't it?"

"I think so," Gigi replied in confusion. "Why? What happened?"

"I used to drink it," he replied in his own confusion. "Not me. I mean, it was me, but it was... it was the other me that I used to be that drank it."

"You remembered something?" Gigi asked with a pale face.

"A little," he confirmed as his head finally stopped spinning. "It's not clear. There was someone... no, there were two people with me. One was a nobody, but the other... I-I can't remember." Putting his hands to his head, he gasped at the lancing pain that shot through his temple. He felt like his head had been split open with a crowbar and someone had scrambled his brains around before sewing it back shut. The more that he tried to hold onto the memory, the more that it slipped out of his grasp until he couldn't make sense of anything again.

"Big Guy," Gigi prompted, looking up at where the tall man was holding Tsuna up from behind. Before Tsuna could do more than gasp, Ore had him picked up and laid across his arm like it was a tree branch in the middle of summer.

"Wait," Tsuna exclaimed as soon as his head stopped spasming enough that he figured out that Ore was planning to carry him home. "I--"

"Don't you dare argue," Gigi snapped. "You were up before dawn and you're stressed out enough with trying to deal with everything at once. I can take care of Rascal Roger's for you. I have a good idea of what you want from the place. You just want it up and running as smoothly as possible. You also want to make sure that the people working there are decent people since you're planning on taking the kids to visit there. I can do that. I can also inspect the place and see what we can do about making it more profitable. I can take care of that and I can take care of filling Daren in on what's going on. You just go lie your head down for a while and we'll swing by to get you at lunch if you're feeling better. You're pushing yourself too much, Laz," she added in a mothering way. "You've not relaxed for a second since you got home. I see where you're going with everything. I trusted you and now it's your turn to trust me. I might look pretty, but I'm pretty damn good at bossing people around, too."

"You tell me that while I'm on the receiving end of it," Tsuna replied with a crooked grin. Nodding as slightly as possible so that his head didn't rattle too much, he reached into his coat pocket to pull out the deed for the children's restaurant. Handing it over to Gigi to give her credence, he gave an apologetic grimace to the rest of the group. "You guys go with Gigi and back her up as much as you can. Beebe, make sure you check the computer at this place, just like the others. Get me the employee files and all that good stuff. Veronica, you're with me since Ore's not much of a nursemaid."

"I'll take care of him," Veronica promised with a wink at Gigi. "You go show them how a woman kicks some ass into shape." Gigi gave a crooked smile for the sentiment and nodded in firm agreement.

"Come on, boys," Gigi ordered, turning away from Tsuna with a proud stature about her. "Our leader has been working hard all day and now it's our turn. Let's go see what we can do about bringing Rascal Roger's under control."

Tsuna waited until she was a block away before commenting as he relaxed into Ore's wide arms.

"If it's open today, the kids there are going to eat her alive," he mumbled sadly.

"It'll be outrageous if she makes it out in one piece," Ore agreed before turning to carry Tsuna home to rest.

Halfway there, he drifted off completely within the safe shelter of Ore's grasp.

* * *

"Tsuna...?" A voice called worriedly. Tsuna's eyes widened and he flew upright from where he'd been laying on the floor of the Dojo for some reason. He could feel his jaw throbbing, but he ignored both it and the way that Ore was shaking his fist into the air. Instead, his entire focus went to Veronica.

"What did you call me?" He asked in instant panic. Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed both of Veronica's shoulders in order to shake the answer out of him. "Who told you that name?!"

"Y-You--"

"You talk in your sleep sometimes, Little Guy," Ore gasped, slapping a wide hand over the entirety of Veronica's face. Tsuna stared up at the giant in surprise while the Veronica fell silent beneath his grip. "You were out of it and talking a lot of outrageous nonsense, but Veronica misunderstood. He thought you were awake and you weren't. Nope. No, you weren't awake."

"B-Big Guy...?" Tsuna murmured in open confusion. "Then why did he...?"

"Don't worry about it, Little Guy," he said, thrusting Veronica over onto the couch before firmly guiding Tsuna toward the dining table to sit down. Tsuna accepted the guidance while trying to figure out why Cassandra and Dedra were staring at him like they were. "Veronica can pretend that he didn't hear nothing. He didn't know what he was saying. You got to be more careful about what you say in your sleep, though. You surprised the hell out of me. Is your jaw okay? I... uh..."

"He dropped you by accident," Cassandra explained in a rush. Tsuna stared at her, wondering why his gut said that they were both lying through their teeth. "You said something...um... something bad and he dropped you to wake you up. Um... Are you alright?"

"Can we get you anything?" Dedra added with an indescribable expression on her face. It was somewhere between a look of disbelief, concern, and a failed attempt to hide both.

"C-Coffee...?" He answered with his own expression being filled with confusion and his disorientation. Nothing was making sense. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on the way home. His heart was still racing from hearing the name that he hadn't heard in years out of a mouth that shouldn't know it. That was something that he could possibly let pass since it was quite possible that he'd been dreaming about that memory that had hit him earlier. The only problem was that it didn't explain why Ore was hovering so frantically or why he'd been shaking his hand out.

Deciding to take Ore's explanation at face value since trying to figure it out only made his head hurt worse, he buried his face in his hands and tried to tell his brain to shut up. He had a migraine that seemed to be throbbing in unison with his jaw. In addition to his coffee, Dedra thankfully brought him some aspirin to go with it. He'd had hangovers that were less painful. He should have known better. He sometimes forgot that there were things that he didn't want to remember. It'd been so long since he'd faced any that he hadn't had any caution in probing the strange feeling that the bottle of V Special had summoned. He'd recklessly pulled at it instead of leaving it alone. He knew better than to do that!

Thankfully, the memory had been a meaningless one this time. What would have happened if he'd pulled out some grotesque happening, though? He was no stranger to fighting, but he turned green with just the thought of having to face a memory of himself enjoying something like torture. No. Those memories were better left alone. It was true that some of them might help him when Vongola came knocking, but he'd much rather make it through on his own strength and intelligence. He didn't need the memories of a mass murderer and psychopath in order to protect what was important to him. All he needed was his friends and the will to move forward.

"I'm going to go with Veronica to pick up his things," Ore called while already dragging the man out the door. "You can manage without him for a few hours." Tsuna waved absently in agreement, being far more concerned with getting his head to stop pounding. There was still a lot to do and Gigi wouldn't let him do anything if he didn't get to feeling better. As long as Veronica was back in time for the shopping sprees, he would be fine.

"What... uh... What did I say?" Tsuna asked curiously after the two men were gone. Lighting himself a cigarette, he watched as the two girls traded glances. That alone made him feel like he was purposely being kept out of the loop about something.

"It's probably best that we don't repeat it," Cassandra replied carefully, seeming to shield herself from him with a baking pan. Tsuna stared for a long moment, trying to decide whether he should pursue the matter or not. With a shrug and a small, gentle shake of his head, he chose to leave it. If it was important, they would have told him. He'd probably said something disturbing in his sleep and freaked them out. He could guess that the pain in his jaw wasn't from being dropped. Ore had probably punched him to shut him up. In retrospect, Tsuna belatedly realized that the punch was probably what they'd lied about. They didn't know how he'd react to the knowledge, even though it'd been done for his own sake. They didn't know that he was grateful, not mad, that Ore had chosen to hit him. If it had been bad enough that the girls didn't want to repeat it, he preferred to be hit than alienate the people around him..

"Thanks for the coffee," he mumbled to let them know that he wasn't going to question them about it anymore. Both girls let out an unintentional sigh of relief before hurriedly returning to their chores. Letting them, he tried to get himself to relax and put the occurrence out of his mind. There were far more important things to worry about than talking in his sleep.

Things like getting his head to stop hurting.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Veronica exclaimed as he slowly drove the truck down the iced roads.

"Sorry about being rough back there," Ore apologized with a grimace while he continued to rub his red knuckles. "The truth is that there's something outrageous about Little Guy that you need to know about if you're going to stick around."

"Ya' _think_?!" He shouted in overwhelming sarcasm. "Sleep-talking, my ass! He was wide awake! Hell! He walked almost the whole way home by himself while he read that little journal that he's always writing in!"

"I didn't notice that he'd switched," Ore flinched.

"_Switched_?!" Veronica spluttered. "Switched into what?! And why did you hit him?! I was trying to figure out why he changed his name on me again!"

"Pipe down and I'll tell you," he grumbled. "I hit him to make him go away. The truth is that Little Guy's got one of those, what do you call it...? It's one of those problems where there's two of him in his head. Oh! Split personalities. That's what it's called. Gigi warned me about it. He says that Laz goes wonky in the head sometimes. He told me that I can tell when it happens 'cause his eyes look strange and he can't remember any of us. He calls himself Tsuna, too. Gigi told me to just wait it out when it happens, but I figured a punch to the face would work as good on him as it does when my television isn't working right."

"Split personalities...?" Veronica asked, mollified due to simple shock. "But why--?"

"Little Guy doesn't know about it," he answered with a sharp shake of his head. "Gigi said that it's orders from above. We're not to tell Laz about Tsuna. It might hurt him in the head, if you know what I mean. If one of us isn't around when he comes out, you either find one of us or you wait it out. You're not to let anyone else know about him, though. I don't know why he blabbed like he did. Gigi said that they'd made an agreement for him to pretend to be Laz when he comes out."

"You're not telling me everything," he replied accusingly.

"That's enough for you to do your job," Ore shrugged. "You don't need to know every little detail. The important thing is that he's gone again and Little Guy is back to normal. Tsuna doesn't come out too often, so you shouldn't have to worry too much. Gigi's going to kick my ass for hitting him, though. I--"

"You panicked," Veronica interrupted with a knowing smile. "As soon as he said that he was Tsuna, I saw your face. It wasn't about shutting him up or making him go back to normal. You just didn't know what the hell to do."

"That can be our little secret," he grumbled while he crossed his arms to settle in for a drive. "How far is it to your place? I don't like leaving Little Guy there by himself."

"It shouldn't take long," he replied with his mind obviously on other things. "It's about a twenty minute drive and Nina's boyfriend probably has all my stuff packed and on the porch. To tell you the truth, Laz's offer couldn't have come at a better time. I'm not one to unload my problems onto others, but I was actually kicked out yesterday. I didn't lie when I told him that I was job hunting and wanting something straight, but I was also planning to go by my old pimp's to see if I could get a place from him. I would have probably ended up doing the same shit that landed me in jail if Laz hadn't hooked me up. Compared to that, a little thing like a split personality isn't anything to worry about. My job is still to do what he wants. It just means that there's two sides to him that I got to please. As far as I'm concerned, it's still decent work. He's giving me food, shelter, and a paycheck on top of it. I don't have shit to complain about."

"Just don't get attached," Ore warned quietly. "Little Guy has enough problems without someone trying to make a relationship where there is none. I know that you two used to... you know... but he's not--"

"His heart isn't in it," Veronica interrupted solemnly. Ore paused and nodded, not bothering to question how he knew. It was enough that he did know. "I'm okay with that," he continued with his eyes locked on the road ahead. "I knew it from the start, but Laz is a nice guy. He acts like a hardass to people that don't know him, but that's just because he's scared of letting people close. It's because of how he lost his husband. Isn't it?"

"Yeah," he confirmed sadly. "Laz went through a lot a year ago. It wasn't just his husband that died. There was some other stuff that happened, too. I guess I should probably warn you. Don't ever talk about Gabriel Martelli or ask any questions about him. That's the easiest way that there is to piss Little Guy off."

"What--?"

"Laz tried to kill him and it's better if you don't know why," he said bluntly. "Just keep your ears open and your questions to yourself and you'll be better off. I like to think that we're buddies, but Laz is like a brother to those of us that live at the Dojo. We've been right beside him for years now and I'll tell you straight that he comes before anyone else as far as I'm concerned. That's why all of us stayed home for Christmas this year instead of going to our family's. We were all planning to go down and visit him so that he wasn't alone for the holidays."

"What are you planning on doing now since he's home?" Veronica asked conversationally to change the subject.

"We're bringing our families here," he answered with a wide grin. "We got to talking after you and Laz went to bed outrageously early last night. I don't know about the others, but I know that Granny will make him part of the family whether he likes it or not. He might not got Snicker anymore, but we're going to make sure that he remembers that he's got other family."

"Ooh," Veronica gasped in delight. "Can I help?"

"Do you know anything about what they might do for the holidays in Japan?"

"Even if I don't, I can find out!"


	69. Chapter 69 Deal with the Devil II

"What the hell...?" Tsuna gaped with wide eyes. He wasn't the only one who stared. Of course, it quickly became a question of what to stare at. He could stare at the scores of men, women, and reporters that were outside the recording studio that they needed to get in to or he could stare at where Veronica was barely restraining his glee.

...Her... glee.

Tsuna was still having trouble connecting the little Latino man with the little secretary that was bouncing in place. Ore had returned with him... her... while Tsuna had been polishing off his lunch. They'd done more than simply go to get Veronica's stuff. From what they'd said, Veronica's sister and sister's boyfriend had both been unexpectedly welcoming when Veronica had returned with Ore at his back. The little man had been allowed to get cleaned up and he'd cleaned up in a way that Tsuna should have guessed at. Veronica had been planning on going job hunting for legitimate work when he'd picked up Tsuna. Walking into a place for an interview in a skirt when the name on his application said Ronald wasn't a very good way to actually get hired. Veronica knew from Tsuna's acceptance of Gigi that he could be himself... herself... though.

The Veronica that had returned had definitely lived up to her name. The outfit that he had on was a lot more sluttish than the direction that Gigi had refined her dress into. It'd taken nearly ten minutes before Tsuna had even realized that it was indeed 'his' Veronica. It'd taken the rest of his group even longer when Tsuna didn't immediately react to the knowledge. He'd simply stopped and stared while Veronica had flirted and teased in response to the suddenly appreciative looks of the Dragons. Everyone's eyes had been focused on the thong peeking out of the back of Veronica's tight, low-riding jeans and on the smooth, flat stomach that was on show due to the turtle-neck crop top that she was wearing that no one thought to take a closer look at the woman's face. Even then, it'd taken some work to match this Veronica up with 'his' Veronica. Her lips seemed twice as lush with the glossy lipstick that he was wearing and his lashes had seemed to become infinitely longer. With the frizzy mess of hair that made up his natural-looking wig and the fake breasts that were bulging out of her jacket, Veronica looked completely woman.

Hence why they were behind schedule. There had been a stampede to the bathroom once Tsuna finally gave everyone a clue. He still didn't think that J.T. and Justin had recovered. His amazement of Veronica wasn't the current issue, however. The current issue was how she'd turned into a brainless fan from the moment that Tsuna had started walking them in the direction of Eric's work. Now that they'd arrived, it seemed like she'd be far more comfortable in the crowd of sycophants that were surrounding the entrance instead of with his mob of people.

"Alright," Tsuna sighed, shaking off all amazement in order to once more look over the challenge barring their way. The streets had been cleared on this side of town and it looked like everyone was wanting to get a peek at Eric's latest movie. The snow wouldn't stop either the fans or the media who were standing around in hopes of getting a sound-bite. It made him curious over the fact that none of these people dared to surround the Dojo in such a way, even though the security was less in such a place. "We've got to get through that crowd so that I can keep my promise to Eric."

"Let me, Little Guy," Ore offered. Tsuna nodded, having honestly no clue as to how they should proceed without hurting anyone. Ore seemed to know, however. Before Tsuna could think of anything other than simply trying to push his way through, Ore had everyone in a tight formation with Tsuna in the center. Tsuna smiled at his placement, but didn't argue. It was too likely that he'd punch the first person that tried to keep him from moving forward. Gigi and Veronica were side-by-side behind him with the small Beebe between them, taking protection from the crowd behind the enclosure of men that Ore directed into surrounded them. "That should work," Ore nodded to himself. "Ready, Little Guy?" Tsuna nodded, prompting Ore to take point as someone that no one could ignore.

_No one _could ignore.

"MOVE!" Ore roared as the group got close to the crowd. Smiling softly, Tsuna watched as the crowd seemed to lurch to a standstill and a path opened up in the wide-eyed mass of fans. Cameras were pointed in his direction and he could almost hear the zoom lenses moving rapidly from across the crowd. Tsuna ignored it all, however. It made him strangely sad that they would have to go through such trouble just to see their friend.

They were halfway through the crowd when he saw the guards at the door start to frantically call on their walkie-talkies. By the time that they made it to the steps, he could see Eric waving frantically from within the glass doors. He wasn't the only one that noticed, however. The crowd seemed to get over their shock at the strange people who were forcing their way through the crowd in order to erupt in cheers. The media cameras seemed to be drawn in Eric's direction like a compass pointing North when he stepped outside the door to meet them.

"Well now," Gigi gaped in surprise as one strange woman screamed out a wedding proposal. "I know that he'd complained about the increase in his fans, but I didn't know that it'd gotten this crazy. It's usually so calm when I come to visit."

"Why don't we ask Eric about it?" Tsuna suggested as they finally broke through the perimeter and boldly crossed the line that was marked out. "We might need to deflate his big head first," Tsuna added, pitching his voice so that Eric could hear him. Eric blushed brightly at the comment and put his hand down from where he'd been waving to the gathered crowd from the safety of the steps. Extra guards started rushing out past them to push people back when they started surging forward past the perimeter when Tsuna's group did.

"Smile," Eric ordered quietly as they shook hands in greeting. "You're on camera. Those bastards don't know when to give up."

"Do I want to know?" Tsuna asked as Eric hurriedly escorted him inside.

"The media has latched onto Summer," Eric grimaced once they were inside the lobby of the building and the crowd's noise was deadened by the thick glass that covered one entire wall. "Someone sold the story that she's a former prostitute to the tabloids and this is the result. Have you seen today's issue yet?"

"No," he admitted honestly. "I've been too busy for that."

"It's horrible," he mumbled unhappily while he gestured for several waiting assistants to take Tsuna's extraneous group on a tour of the place. By the time they reached the elevator, there was only Ore, Gigi, and Veronica still with him. "Norwell, my manager, called me in at three this morning when he saw it. We've been trying to do damage control ever since. Summer's been crying non-stop since her mother called to ask if it was true."

"And the crowd?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"The media want a scoop and the fans are people that think they'd make a better match for me than Summer," he answered in open disgust. "I can't alienate them because that would hurt my career, but I'm tempted to go out there and give them all a piece of my mind. You wouldn't believe how many death threats that we've gotten already and only one in ten are targeted at me instead of her. I'm sorry, Laz. I didn't want you to see this kind of stuff on your visit, but--"

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna replied, waving the apology away. Following Eric out of the elevator, he looked around in interest at all the rooms that they passed on their way down the hallway. It looked like a regular office building, but Tsuna remembered that Eric said that all their green-screen shots were done from this studio. "I just wished that you'd called and told me. I wouldn't have come. You don't need an ex-convict as a friend added to your--"

"I don't care about that," he interrupted firmly. "The media can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. I didn't become an actor to get famous. Fame just gets me the more interesting jobs. I'd be just as happy acting in a two-bit stage theater or back on the streets. The opinion of the masses don't mean shit. As long as I've got you guys supporting me, I don't care what any of them think. That's what I've been trying to get through my manager's thick skull. I almost fired him earlier when he tried suggesting that I dump Summer to save my reputation. The only reason that I didn't was because he's a smart man. He started looking for alternatives as soon as I made it clear that Summer wasn't going anywhere."

"You've grown up," Tsuna praised quietly.

"I've got a mime to thank for that," Eric replied softly as they reached what looked to be a main office. Inside, Tsuna looked around in faint surprise for the luxury of the room. Everything right down to the picture frames had been digitized. Modern couches and chairs were scattered around the place and the work-desk taking up one wall was probably as expensive as the entire Dojo. No one was currently sitting at it, however. Instead, the puffy lump of man that Tsuna instantly tagged as Eric's manager was sitting in a chair across from Summer, Eric's parents, and a man that Tsuna's eyes widened to see.

"Welcome home, son," Papa Paolo greeted with a sad smile. "It's good to see that you're doing well."

"Uh, thanks," Tsuna replied while trying to overcome his surprise. "What... um... What are you doing here? Autumn said that--"

"I was down with the flu," he confirmed with a small nod. "No rest for the wicked, I'm afraid."

"Papa Paolo's got most of the tabloids in his back pocket," Eric explained nonchalantly while he inserted himself next to the red-eyed Summer. Tsuna followed, finding himself a free chairs in hopes that the room would stop spinning once he was seated. "Summer figured that Autumn would know what to do since she probably had the same issues and Autumn called Papa Paolo for us."

"There's not a whole lot that I can do, though," Papa Paolo continued while he nursed a cold cup of coffee in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. Even though he looked to be in top shape, Tsuna could see the redness of his nose and the way that he was speaking carefully to ensure that no sign of weakness was shown. It took him a moment to realize that Papa Paolo was acting the same way that Tsuna had in prison. The only difference was that he was trying to hide his weaknesses from normal, harmless people so that his image of strength wouldn't falter. Papa Paolo was someone that he felt that he should model himself after in that respect. The world outside the correctional facility wasn't nearly as clean-cut. Since he didn't know who would take advantage of weakness, it was better to hide his weaknesses from everyone. "Even if I forced them to print a retraction, it would only make people believe even more that the rumors were true. Since they _are _true, you've landed yourself in a down-right pickle. It's going to take a lot of work to cover this up before the frenzy spreads. A distraction would probably be best, but things are far too quiet to find anything. I'm afraid that it's only going to get worse now that the media has gotten a glimpse of Lazarus."

"Do we have to cover it up?" Eric asked quietly.

"Eric..." The manager groaned in warning. "Don't you start getting any crazy ideas in your head! We've got to go about this calmly or else--"

"I'm sick of being calm!" He exclaimed. "You read what they wrote about Summer in that article! How am I supposed to stay calm--"

"Pull it back, son," Papa Paolo advised.

"It won't be good if you give them more to talk about, Eric," Tsuna interrupted, having been thinking furiously as soon as he grasped the situation. All eyes turned to him, but he wasn't going to take back what he'd said. "If you give them more to talk about, they'll be hounding you all the way back to the Dojo. What you need to do is to pretend that this is no different than someone saying that you're a transsexual alien from Mars."

"What?!" Eric spluttered as Summer let out an snort for the unexpected image.

"You heard me," he repeated calmly. "If no one can verify that the information is accurate, then it'll be dead gossip in a matter of days. No matter how juicy the gossip is, it'll die if there's nothing to add to it to make it into a hot topic."

"Exactly," Norwell exclaimed frantically, seeing that Eric and Summer were both actually listening to Tsuna's words. "That's what I've been trying to tell you! This isn't the first time that there's been scandal with you! Remember back when you went to visit the prison? The media died down after a week when you didn't go back! This is no different! They can't keep running the same rehashed story for more than a few days. The readers will get bored if they don't see something that they haven't seen before and the papers can't run it if you don't give them something to add to it. You can't stop the fact that Summer is on their radar, but how they view her is still up to you. If you treat this like it's just another bold-faced lie and act like you're unaffected by it, then they've got to switch tactics to try to get a reaction out of you! It's harsh right now, but they'll move on to something else fast enough!"

"The only problem with that is the source of the story," Papa Paolo interjected as the devil's advocate when hope seemed to dawn in both Eric and Summer's eyes. "As long as there's someone out there to keep giving tidbits to the press, the sharks aren't going to stop circling. I can do what I can to shut down the articles from the top, but I don't control everyone. Without someone shutting up the people on the streets, someone else can pick up the story and run with it now that the cat is out of the bag."

"Let me worry about that," Tsuna murmured quietly, gaining instant attention from everyone in the room. "If the story is about Summer being a former prostitute, the leak has to be coming from one of my people. Gigi, get Mike on the phone and see what you can do about tracking it down. Tell him to silence the rest of his stock while he's at it. This takes priority over everything else. Let him know that if he can't keep his girls on a tight leash, then I'll come do it for him."

"I'll take care of it," she promised before retreating to a corner of the room to start making phone calls for him.

"Veronica," he added while ignoring the dropped jaws around him, "Go take Summer to the bathroom and see what you can do about getting her cleaned up. If she leaves here with bags under her eyes, the press will get their next story."

"Yes, Boss," she replied shyly. Following his orders, Veronica gently reached out to take Summer's hands and guide her off the couch. An assistant appeared before they made it halfway to the door and efficiently escort them to where they needed to go. Tsuna waited until they were gone before pinning his eyes on Norwell. The man looked flabbergasted at how Tsuna had no only intruded into the situation, but was completely taking control of it.

"You've got image consultants," Tsuna stated bluntly as he got to his feet. "I'd go track down some good ones and tell them to get to work. Eric, you're with me."

"Wait!" Norwell spluttered when Eric didn't question Tsuna's intentions and stood to follow. "Where--?"

"Let him go," Papa Paolo ordered, making the manager freeze in the middle of trying to stop Eric. "Lazarus isn't a fool. I don't know what he's planning, but I trust in his judgment. Let him do what he wants. Even if it makes a mess, I've always found that his messes are easier to clean up than the ones that might have resulted otherwise. Even if he decides to walk outside and punch a camera-man, the result would still be better than the current mess since he can deal with the attention a lot better than little Summer can."

Tsuna dropped his eyes, faintly touched by Papa Paolo's faith in him. He had nothing to say in reply. There was nothing that he _could _say. The whole reason that he was even taking charge was to ease Papa Paolo's burden. If he could take care of the current mess, Papa Paolo would have the freedom to return to his rest. He'd never tried to deal with something so large before, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to try. He had to be useful. He had to make himself useful. No matter how large or small, he wanted to do something to start repaying his debt.

He'd never been one to sit around and worry about consequences. He wasn't so head-strong anymore that he would rush in blindly, but it was already past noon and it was obvious that they'd done nothing to alleviate the situation. Thinking on his feet was his forte. As soon as the first order had crossed his lips, his intuition had begun to guide him. For once, his instinct was working with it and was urging him to protect his pack. The result was the feeling that he couldn't actually think. He had to simply keep moving.

Charging down the hallway at an even pace, Eric silently followed with the air of determination around him. Like Papa Paolo, he was completely trusting that Tsuna would take care of the problem and was eager for something to actually be done. They'd probably been sitting in the office since before Tsuna had even woke up which meant that he was sick of talking things through. It didn't matter how ineffective Tsuna's actions might turn out to be. He'd still be satisfied that he'd actually tried to do _something _in the end.

It felt strangely nice to have the core of his gang back together. By the time that he reached the elevator to return downstairs, Eric wasn't the only one with him. Gigi had caught up and Ore had followed, as well. The only ones missing were Leo and Ollie. Even though both of them were too sporadic to keep with him for long amounts of time, he had to admit that it would have been nice to have them with him. It would have felt like old times ag--

Not it wouldn't. He knew it as soon as he thought about it. If everyone was together again, he'd start looking for the missing person that should be standing beside him. It was better for him to be surrounded by a mere few instead of an empty many.

"Eric," he murmured as they stepped off the elevator and out into the lobby. "We're going to go out here, but you're going to stand out front and I want you to look at all your fans."

"And do what?" He asked in confusion.

"I'll tell you in a minute," he replied. "That's good enough for now. Don't back down in front of them. Just look at them and know that we're behind you."

"B-But--"

"Just do it," he snapped as he shoved the doors opened. The screams of the crowd was instant. Not wanting to be on camera, Tsuna led them over to a pillar that he could put his back up against. Then he positioned Eric next to him, close enough to hear him yet facing the crowd that was his opponent. Ore and Gigi stood with him, giving him support to do whatever Tsuna might tell him to do.

"S-Should I wave or--"

"Don't do anything," Tsuna answered quietly. "Just look at them."

"O-Okay," he mumbled in utter confusion. It took several long minutes for that confusion to disappear. Tsuna watched carefully, knowing that Eric was a fully capable person. All he lacked was confidence and Tsuna was doing what he could to build it. The longer that he stood and simply watched his screaming fans and the longer that he stood and simply watched the cameras that were on him, the more that Eric's fear of making a mistake disappeared. It was obvious to Tsuna. He'd been sitting around since three in the morning, thinking through possible actions to take and consequences thereof that he'd lost his courage to simply do what he felt was right. Once that fear was gone, Tsuna could see that he understood what he'd been missing. Even if he didn't consciously know the reason for it, Tsuna could see the expression on his face. It was an expression that said that he wanted to say something. The only thing holding him back was Tsuna's orders to not do anything but look.

"Go ahead, Eric," Tsuna permitted softly. "You're out here as Eric the man, not the actor."

"What?" Eric asked with his eyes bulging at the notion of actually speaking. "What am I supposed to--"

"If you do what say what you feel is right, then that's the answer that an Orange Dragon would give," he interrupted with a sad smile. "Make your own script and improvise."

"You said that you didn't care about what everyone thought as long as we supported your acting," Gigi added, reaching out to lay a hand of support on Eric's shoulder for a brief second. "Give us a show to never forget."

"Make it outrageous," Ore confirmed with a small wink and a wide grin of his own. "Even if they start throwing food, it just means that we can make vegetable stew tonight."

Eric looked at each of them in turn before nodding slightly. Closing his eyes to settle himself, he took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. It was in him. Tsuna knew that it was in him. He just had to know that there were no wrong answers.

"I LOVE SUMMER," he yelled on the top of his lungs. Despite himself, Tsuna smiled as the crowd fell silent in shock. As far as bold statements went, Eric knew how to pick a winner. "Rumors and gossip aren't going to make me stop loving her! I love Summer for who she is here and now and _nothing _is going to change that! I appreciate my fans and those who support my work, but Summer supports me as a person! The same goes for all the people that I count as a friend! I don't care if my friend is an ex-convict," he added with a look over at the hidden Tsuna. "I don't care if it's a transvestite with too much attitude for her own good," he continued with a glance over at the smiling Gigi. "I don't care if it's an oversized kick boxer who always steals the last turkey leg--!"

"Hey now," Ore grumbled with a smile behind him. "I thought you got over that."

"The point that I'm trying to make," Eric said in perfect honesty, keeping his attention on the listening crowd itself. "I don't choose my friends by their reputation and I'm not going to change my mind about Summer out of the fear of scandal! I love to act and I love performing, but all of that would be meaningless if the only ones supporting me were people that didn't know me as a person! I... I don't doubt that I'll lose many of my fans as a result of this... But I can still be happy because the same people that were there for me before my career got moving are the people that are still going to be with me after my time in the spotlight is over. I..." Eric paused for a moment, once more looking around at the three who were still patiently listening before once more looking at the crowd with a determined look on his face. "I am an Orange Dragon!" He exclaimed firmly. "We are Orange Dragons! The Orange Dragons don't judge people's worth by what they were in the past and I'm not going to judge the woman that I love because someone claims that her past is that of a prostitute! If you don't like that, then I suggest every single one of you go and watch _Pretty Woman _again!"

Tsuna smiled to himself when Eric turned and headed for the door back inside without waiting for a response of the crowd. Tsuna followed while ensuring that Ore stayed between him and the cameras. No matter what Eric said, Tsuna had no intention of taking part in his spotlight. He was perfectly happy with being anonymous and simply supporting his friends from the shadows. There would likely be those who attempted to find out who Tsuna was in belief that it would give them the story of the century, but such matters were easily dealt with. Tsuna firmly believed in Eric's ability to attract attention. He, more than any other, was the 'Face' of the Dragons. Like the rain, it was impossible to ignore him once he started moving and no one knew better than Tsuna did that the ability to distract people would be important in the future. Already, so many people would be distracted by Eric's bold statements that they'd be completely focused on trying to figure out Eric's motivations and next moves that they wouldn't yet be curious about what Eric's friends were up to.

It was good. It gave Tsuna the freedom to finish the illegal activities that he planned for the day while heads were still turned in Eric's direction. He'd need to lay low for a while afterwards and stick to legitimate management work to keep the hounds from sniffing him out, but that was okay. Once he had the materials to work with, fortifying what he controlled was his top priority anyway. By the time that he was ready to get to serious work again, the hounds would have moved on to the next scent.

"I can't believe I just did that," Eric gasped once they were safely inside the lobby again. "My manager's going to kill me!"

"No, he's not," Tsuna murmured. "He works for you, Eric. The reason that nothing was being done was because he doesn't have the balls to pick a direction. Now that you've made a move, he'll know what to do. Stop worrying so much. You have no one to answer to but yourself."

"You're right," Eric agreed softly. "You're always right. My manager is probably already figuring out a dozen ways to make this work. I just needed a kick in the rear to get me moving. I owe you one, Su-- Laz," he amended with a small smile.

"You don't owe me anything," he corrected quietly.

"But if you want to help," Gigi interjected hurriedly. "You can try to draw some publicity over to Rascal Roger's in a few weeks. The place is a dump, but we've already got plans to renovate it."

"Just tell me when and where," Eric agreed with his smile brightening. "I always feel like I don't do enough for you guys."

"You do more than you think," Tsuna corrected. Eric looked at him with a raised eyebrow over the statement, but he didn't want to talk about the details in such a public place. "We need to go and you've probably got things to deal with," he added. Eric took the cue and gestured for an aid to retrieve the rest of Tsuna's friends while Tsuna himself tried to think of something to say to fill the time. "I'll come by and take a tour at another time. Give Papa Paolo my regards and try not to bother him too much. In matter of fact, do your best to get him to go home and rest."

"Of course," Eric nodded in confirmation. "I wouldn't have called him, but Autumn insisted and she's the one that we've been calling on in times of crisis since--"

"From now on, call me instead," Tsuna interrupted instantly. "Don't bother Autumn or Papa Paolo anymore, Eric. I already owe them too much."

"But--" Eric started to object in confusion.

"There's everyone else," Gigi interjected hurriedly as the rest of the group returned with stars in their eyes and smiles on their faces. It only got worse when they caught sight of Eric. Despite the fact that he lived in the Dojo across the street from him, they acted like he lived on another planet.

"We're leaving," he snapped when it looked like they weren't planning to stop. "Eric is an Orange Dragon. You guys can see him when he gets home, so stop acting like those idiot fans outside. We've still got work to do."

"Sorry, Boss," several murmured as they belatedly fell into place around them. Eric looked dumbfounded at the scolding, but Tsuna merely gave a sad shrug before turning to head for the door. As soon as they were outside, he quickly found out that leaving would be harder than entering. Ore started bellowing for a path to open, but curious fans were suicidal ones. They stepped into Ore's way and tried to break through the outer perimeter of Tsuna's men in order to question Gigi about Eric. The media were the worst of the crowd. Cameras and microphones held by pushy journalists and reporters tried even more ferociously to get a sound bite from the two while the smarter ones aimed for Tsuna himself as the one person that had purposely tried to stay out of sight.

"What's your name?"

"What's your relationship to Mr. Brahms?"

"Is it true that you're an ex-con?"

"How did you and Mr. Brahms meet?"

"Has Mr. Brahms ever engaged in illegal activities?"

Tsuna felt his temper becoming more and more ready to snap as the questions got more personal. The guys with him did their best to hold the crowd back, but they were outnumbered by ten to one odds. He hit the breaking point when one male reporter in particular managed to slip between Justin and Gale in order to grab onto his sleeve.

"What's your name? Why were you convicted?"

Tsuna paused, staring down at the hand clutching his jacket sleeve in faint disbelief that someone would dare to touch him while his nerves were so raw. The only thing that kept him from actually lashing out with a fist was the sound of not only Gigi and Veronica's swift intakes of breathe, but Ore's. The group as a whole paused, staring at the same hand that had Tsuna's attention in belief that they were about to witness Tsuna's return to prison. Strangely enough, the stillness seemed to spread until they were the silent eye of a raging storm of people.

"You want to know who I am and why I was convicted?" Tsuna asked, slowly raising his eyes to stare into the face of the man who was so foolish as to touch him. In the space of an instant, numerous thoughts ran through his mind about how he should punish the man for invading his territory. Some of those thoughts must have passed across his face since the man instantly entered frozen state. "My name is Lazarus," he answered quietly, seeing no reason to hide the truth. "I was put in prison for nearly beating a man to death for touching me." All the blood rushed out of the reporter's face at the same moment that he belatedly let go as if he had just realized that he had stuck his hand into a fire. Tsuna didn't wait for him to move back outside the perimeter. He simply gestured for Ore to continue forward and the group left the man standing where he was.

Strangely enough, the crowd seemed very accommodating of their exit after the brief stop. Without being told, Ore put them on the path toward the department store as soon as they were free of the mob. He started to slow at one point in effort to let everyone pass so that he could be in the rear, but Tsuna pushed him back into place in front of him without saying a word. It felt too nice to have Ore ahead of him. As the lead of the group, it was Ore that got all the strange looks by people who believed that he was the leader. In addition, having Ore ahead of him made breaking through the congestion on the sidewalk into a breeze.

The closer that they got to the upper-class shopping district, the more that it became impossible to tell that it'd snowed. The roads had been cleared by work crews and there was more salt on the sidewalk than there was in a supermarket. By the time that noon-time had hit, enough cars and holiday shoppers had braved the streets that the remnants of the snow had melted in the heat of their passing. Unsurprisingly, the bums who had yet to give up had already taken up residence on the outskirts in hopes to catch people entering or leaving with change still in their pockets.

There was no light of hope in any of the bum's eyes, however. Tsuna understood it far too well. He and Snicker had suffered through it on at least one occasion. When the holidays came around, the spirit of giving became limited. People looked to save their money for gifts to friends and family. Those that were still willing to give were lured in by the bell-ringing Santas on every street corner. While those men worked to raise money for charity that could help all of those in need, the fact was that it was regulated charity that took the income out of the pockets of beggars. For that reason, Tsuna had his group pause while he tossed some change into a Santa's bucket and pulled out his roll of bills for the beggars.

"Spread out," Tsuna ordered quietly while he passed out three twenties to everyone. "Pass these out, but don't go outside of the shopping district. One twenty per person. You guys know what bums look like. Everyone take a different block so that one person doesn't get a drop by us twice. If you see someone that looks like they haven't given up, let them know about the Den and tell them that we've got rooms available in exchange for work. If they're desperate enough to start working now, bring anyone you find with you. Feel free to be picky, but remember what it was like for you when you heard about the Den." Looking around, he saw gleams of surprise and understanding in the eyes of his men. Each of them had been picked up by someone and now it was their turn to pass the helping hand to someone else. The Dragons weren't a charity, but they targeted those who were in need of some in order to become the stepping stone to a new life. "You've got ten minutes," he added softly. "I'll meet you in the alley beside Schmidt's."

Turning away from the group, Tsuna walked forward to the one bum that had been listening in from his seat at the wall next to where they'd stopped. Almost immediately after he broke away from the group, they scattered. Some of them were strangely eager to do this job, going so far as to run through the bumper-to-bumper standstill of cars to get to a different block and get to work.

"Did you get an earful, Grandpa?" Tsuna asked bluntly.

"I got enough to make me some earmuffs," the old beggar confirmed with a grin. Taking that as invitation, Tsuna sat down at the empty span of wall next to him in order to talk without being jostled by the pedestrians walking down the street. It was sickening to see how pointedly people focused on the path that they were walking or quickened their steps to get past before the old man could hold out his cup.

The beggar was dressed in clothes that had seen better days. It took Tsuna only a moment to notice that it'd all been carefully repaired in much the same fashion as Snicker had always done. From his shirt to his sneakers, the smallest of tears had been sewn with neat stitches that Tsuna had never been able to replicate. Much like Snicker, the man also wore an army coat that had likely been bought at a surplus store. It was one of the first things that any smart bum bought since the jackets were made to withstand most weather conditions and were hardy enough to last for years. The telling part was the nameplate attached, however. The nameplates were typically removed from the coats before being resold. Since this man actually had one, Tsuna became fairly positive that he was a genuine veteran.

"So, what do you think, General?" He asked with a quirky smile.

"Not a General, sonny," he laughed. "I used to be a Sergeant, back when I was still young. As for what I think, I think I'd like to hear what charity you're working for. I haven't heard of any that gives rooms in exchange for work other than the mission and that's only good for three days a month."

"No charity," he corrected. "But the idea was based off of the mission. The idea is to put you to work for me or help you find work. Have you heard of the Orange Dragons?"

"Aye," he nodded with a sour look crossing his face. "That lot is no better than the rest of them gangs. Half of them don't got no respect and the other half make life miserable for those of us that can't help that we're on the street."

"A lot has changed in the past two days," Tsuna murmured sadly. "Those that forgot the meaning of being a Dragon were kicked out and the Boss of the group is working on teaching the rest of them some respect. Things went pretty bad while he was in jail, but things are getting better now that he's back. An army man like yourself probably wouldn't be interested in giving them a shot, though."

"You'd be surprised," he replied with a considering gleam in his eyes. "What kind of work would this Boss be having us do? If there's a lot of walking involved, then I can't do it on account of my leg."

"How about teaching?" Tsuna asked after a moment of thought. "Like I said, he's trying to teach them respect. If someone like you can see where they've been going wrong, then maybe you can help put them on the right track. There's people that's going to be coming in that need to build their strength, too. If you were a Sergeant, then you probably know some fitness tricks that even weak recruits can manage. You probably also know how to punish idiots without crossing the line, too."

"You're looking to make me into a Drill Sergeant again," he commented with a chuckle.

"It'd be useful to have one around," Tsuna replied solemnly. The old man's laughter faltered almost instantly at the words.

"Useful, eh?" He mumbled sadly. "I used to be useful back when I still had a young man's shine to me."

"You can be useful again," Tsuna said in complete honesty. "I can make you useful, but I won't lie. If you come with me, you'll be joining a gang that isn't on very good speaking terms with the law. If there's any catch to my offer, it's that you might be asked to cross the line with us one day. You don't look like you've got much to lose, though."

"Heh," he scoffed. "Ain't that the damn truth. Alright. I'll give you a shot. I can always leave if I don't like the set-up. Right?"

"Right," Tsuna confirmed with a nod while he stood. Reaching down, he held out a hand to help the man to his feet, after which the old bum seemed somewhat shaken. "What's wrong?"

"Don't mind me, sonny," Sergeant mumbled with a shake of his head. "I just had a strange feeling come over me is all. It might sound foolish, but I think I know what that kid felt like when he got pulled out of the well."

"You've been drinking too much," Tsuna laughed as Sergeant picked up the bag that he'd been using as a seat. "There's no wells around here."

"Too true," he agreed with an amused smile. "Lead the way. You've got fellows to meet if I remember right."

Nodding, Tsuna led the way in the direction that Ore had been heading before he'd changed their plans. Within half a block, Sergeant's reason for being on the street was made clear. He indeed had a bad leg, but it wasn't so bad that he'd get a disability payout. It took some time of careful watching to even see it. He was very prideful in hiding it, going so far as to lag behind rather than allow it to be noticeable like it would be if he quickened his pace. Every third step was shortened to make up for the moment when his knee would seem to give out on him. Despite the precaution, there was still a moment every six steps that his leg would jerk sideways out of his control and he was forced to limp slightly to keep himself from falling.

"Don't mind me, sonny," he urged when Tsuna slowed his pace a third time in worry that he was pushing the speed too much. "You go ahead without me and I'll catch up. I'm just this slow 'cause I choose to be. The truth is that it don't even hurt when it goes wobbly on me and I can run on it if I have to. Some people think that you're slow in the head when you're slow in the feet, but I'm not a dumb man. I'll be damned if I'm going to let people look at me funny by limping."

Pride, Tsuna identified. It was nearly a hundred percent likely that the man had ended up on the streets out of pride. Rather than throw his pride away to work fast enough to keep a job, he'd kept to a pace that he felt comfortable with. Even now, when Tsuna was offering him a fresh start, he was still moving at the pace that he had chosen. If it was too slow for Tsuna, then he'd just cut his losses and move on. However, the fact that he stuck to his choices even in the face of poverty made Tsuna even more positive that he was needed at the Den.

"Alright," Tsuna agreed with a quiet smile. "I'll be in the alley next to Schmidt's. Try not to keep me waiting." Like the man wanted, Tsuna quickly outdistanced him. He didn't leave the block, however. Instead, he got far enough ahead that Sergeant believed that he was being left behind before stopping completely in order to stand against the brick of a storefront to light himself a cigarette. Before the man could get close enough to question Tsuna on what he was doing, Tsuna leapfrogged further away. When he stopped this time, it was to pass out folded bills to two beggars that hadn't yet been run off for loitering. Both seemed hard on their luck, but there was something about them that told Tsuna that they wouldn't be good additions. Both seemed to likely be on the street due to drugs rather than misfortune and Tsuna had no pity for such people when they showed more effort in finding their next fix instead of finding a way to get clean.

So it continued for three city blocks. After the first one, Tsuna only dropped money on the charity Santas to buy time rather than break his own rules about one drop per person. One time, he stopped in a coffee shop to pick himself up a fresh cappuccino. By the time he returned to the sidewalk, Sergeant was almost in talking distance and he seemed ready to say something about Tsuna's purposeful pauses. Tsuna didn't give him the chance, however. He continued to stay out of range while staying in sight of the man, allowing him to keep a smooth pace without completely leaving him behind. Then the time came that Tsuna paused to light his cigarette long enough for the old veteran to actually catch him.

"What the hell are you playing at?" He grumbled with a hint of anger in his voice. "If you're just going to toy with me all the way--"

"We're here," Tsuna interjected, pointing to the sign above their heads. Sergeant's eyes went round as he looked up. "Let's head into the alley," he murmured in amusement. "You can bitch at me there if you still want to."

"Well, I'll be damned," he mumbled. "I was so busy watching you that I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Shit happens," he replied as he offered a cigarette. Sergeant accepted as they headed into the alley, proving that he wasn't upset over Tsuna's game. Once in the shadows and off the street, he felt the man grow wary, however. Even in an area as crowded as this, the alleys weren't a safe place to roam for most. But that wariness told Tsuna that the man honestly had no clue who he was walking with.

"Boss!" Veronica called from the other end of the alley, making Sergeant jerk in surprise. She came running forward, dragging what looked to be a man in a reindeer outfit behind him. "Look who I found!"

Tsuna looked.

Tsuna stared.

Tsuna had to turn away completely so as not to laugh in the poor man's face.

"It's a damn job!" Sassy exclaimed in frustration. "Shit! Do you think I like this get-up?!"

"Yes," Tsuna snorted. Sassy instantly turned red enough to stand in for Rudolph.

"If I didn't like you so much, I could seriously kill you right now, Laz," he grumbled in embarrassment. "What are you doing here, anyway? I--" Tsuna grinned as Sassy let out a loud shriek of surprise due to how Ore came up from behind him and slammed a hand against his rear hard enough to leave a handprint for a year.

"I thought I recognized that voice!" Ore laughed. "If this isn't turning into an outrageous reunion! Look who I found, too!"

"Hola," Pedro mumbled sheepishly, sticking his head out from hiding behind the giant.

"Where did you find this one?" Tsuna asked with a bright smile while he reached out to give a firm handshake in greeting.

"I was Christmas shopping, senor Diablo," he answered with a slight blush when he caught sight of Veronica and recognized her instantly. "I've got six kids to get presents for and my wife is a mean 'un. She told me not to come back until I got at least half the stuff that they put in their Dear Santa lists. Chico Grande said that you might be able to help me."

"I might," Tsuna confirmed with a widening grin. "Where are you working now?"

"Family restaurant," he answered simply. "It was given to me as my wife's dowry. I've been trying to barter coupons to help pay for the gifts, but times are rough. No one wants to trade for a coupon that might not be good by the time they use it."

"I'll barter," Tsuna murmured as the same thought crossed his mind that must have crossed Ore's. "How's this for a deal? I'll fill your shopping list while we're in here and, in exchange, you give me a discount whenever I order food from your place. I'll warn you, if I come, I'll be buying in bulk. I have around seventy-five bellies to fill every day and no one to cook for them two days a week."

"How does fifty percent sound?" Pedro asked with his eyes lighting up at the offer. "We get things at discount for buying in bulk, but we don't always use everything. I can give it to you that cheap without cutting into profits."

"Deal," Tsuna agreed, reaching out to shake on it. His eyes gleamed in knowledge while they confirmed the deal. More than likely, Pedro had been attempting to trade coupons for free food. This way, he wasn't losing out anything and he still got his Christmas shopping done. It was actually good for his business, too. The word of an Orange Dragon tended to travel fast. At least, it used to. Once the Dragons were running like they should be again, Pedro's clientele would probably skyrocket by simple word-of-mouth. That was assuming his food was actually decent. "I hope I can count on your for my tattoos, too," Tsuna added in thought. "I don't really like the idea of going to a stranger to get my work done and I'd be happy to barter for touch-ups in the future."

"I think we can come to an agreement, senor Diablo," he agreed with an expression full of consideration.

"Sassy," he continued, turning to the partially hidden man-turned-reindeer that was in the shadows behind Ore. "Do you need a job? A _real _job?"

"Yes, please," he mumbled with his face turning red once more. "Veronica said you might have something for me when I told her that I was living out of my van."

"Ah," he confirmed in amusement. "Assuming that Veronica doesn't mind sharing her room...?"

"I don't mind," Veronica piped up instantly.

"Alright," Tsuna sighed. "Sassy, you're pretty good at teaching. From today on, I'm putting you in charge of tutoring anyone that we get who wants an education. From what I'm told, the guy that I've put in charge as landlord has been helping people get their diplomas. The problem is that he's only one man and I don't want the building to suffer because he's trying to do too many things at once. Do you think you can handle tutoring more idiots like me? The pay isn't great and it won't be steady at first, but I'll provide you with room, board, and some new clothes."

"I'll take it," he spluttered.

"Good," he sighed in relief. "I'll see if I can get you in touch with Hannah down at the high school. She--er--He should be able to give you everything you need to tutor with and he's a sucker for me."

"Aren't we all," Veronica mumbled under her breath. Tsuna smirked slightly before turning his attention to the others that had arrived. A quick glance proved that only two of his men were still missing and there was three new faces. Surprisingly, two of the faces were female. One was a petite blonde who looked to have more dirt on her than clothes. The other was a brunette that looked like she'd just been on the loosing end of a fist fight. From the darkening bruise on Aaron's cheek, it was likely that the fight had been ended due to Aaron's interference.

"What's your stories?" Tsuna asked calmly, leaning up against the wall to smoke while he waited for the others.

"T-This n-n-n-nice m-man said t-that y-y-y-y-you m-might have w-w-work for us," the petite girl on the left stuttered. "G-G-G-Good wo-work," she added with a worried look on her face for all the men standing around. "N-N-Not.. um... ah...N-N-Not--"

"We're not looking for whores," Tsuna said bluntly. "I have plenty of girls that actually like that kind of work. Do you have any kind of skills?"

"N-N-Not r-r-really," she mumbled with a bright blush. "I-I-I-I u-used to w-w-wri-write, b-but--"

"What kind of writing?" Tsuna asked, once more cutting her off before her face could get any more red from the effort to force the words out.

"Newspaper," she answered shortly, completely capable of getting one word out at a time without the embarrassing tic. "School," she added.

"Alright," Tsuna nodded. "I can use you. It might be good for morale to let the Dragons have a newsletter. I'll give you room, board, and three suits of clothes to go job hunting in if you think you can handle the work that I give you."

"Really?" she squeaked in surprise. "Y-Y-You w-w-w-want me t-to w-w-write?"

"Would you prefer if I put you in charge of cleaning toilets?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No!" She choked. "I-I-I just--"

"Relax," Tsuna smiled. "Everyone has different talents. I don't see any point in forcing you to work in a position that you're not fit for. We can set you up a work station in Beebe's work area. I can send you out to do some investigating for me, just like the stuff you did in high school. It'll be good for me to have someone to tell me what areas of the community need help and it'll make the guys feel good about themselves to get interviewed."

"If you get me a camera, I can take pictures!" The brown-haired girl beside her offered in a high-pitched squeak. "I had to sell mine, but I'm really good with a camera!"

"Alright," Tsuna grinned. "I'll put you in touch with a friend of mine, Leo. She knows all that artsy stuff and can probably get you set up. I'll put you two in charge of making advertisements for my clubs and restaurants, too. If your work is good enough to bring me in extra business and profit, I'll start paying you on top of the standard deal. If either of you get work outside of the Den, half of _one _of your income has to go to help keep the place running and to cover the cost of supporting you. If you both find work, you can take turns splitting your check. What's your names?"

"Mae," the stuttering girl answered, biting her lip in hope.

"Gloria," the photographer added.

"Mae, Gloria," he greeted formally. "My name is Lazarus. That's my offer. How does it sound? Would you two like to join the Orange Dragon Gang? It'll be your jobs to keep us looking shiny even when things might get a little dirty at times. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Y-Y-Yes," Mae nodded shyly.

"I'd love to," Gloria exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I'll get the rest of your stories later," Tsuna sighed as he pulled out a fresh cigarette. "J.T., Ralph," Tsuna called, looking at the short African-American boy that was standing with them. "Who's that between you?"

"I'm Kamau," the boy answered boldly. "I heard them talking and they said that you might have work."

"We tried to tell him to go away, Boss," Ralph grimaced. "We told him that the work was for adults, but he didn't want to listen."

"I can run errands," Kamau offered in determination. "I might be only fourteen, but I can still be useful! I can run fast and I know how to keep my mouth closed, Mister. Please. I want to be an Orange Dragon."

"Don't you have a home?" Tsuna asked in concern. "This isn't--"

"Give him a chance, Little Guy," Ore rumbled with a strange look on his face. "You're not looking for a place to sleep. Right, kid?"

"No, sir," he answered promptly. "I'm not a runaway, but I don't like staying at home if you take my meaning. My Dad won't argue if I tell him that I got work and I want to start saving so that I can go to college, sir."

"Is that so?" Tsuna asked in amusement for the boy's blunt nature. "And what to you want to be, Kamau? A firefighter or a doctor? Maybe even--"

"Please don't mock me, sir," he replied with a scowl that made no few people gape in awe. "I'm going to be a lawyer, sir. It takes a lot of money to go to Harvard, though. The truth is that I've been studying ever since I realized that I could have graduated high school already. The only reason that I haven't is because my dad won't let them advance me. He says that I'll get a big head if I'm treated special-like. I'm too young to get a normal job, but if I work for someone like you, sir, then I can start making money and no one will have to know."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed quietly. He was no different from the rest who were standing around, looking at the boy in awe of his ambition. There was maturity in the boy's words and his manner that made no one doubt that he would actually fulfill his goal. "I'll make you a deal. You work for me for two hours a day on weekdays and help me out on the weekends. The girls can always use an errand boy in the kitchen and I might even need a messenger at times. You report to Veronica to find out what your tasks are for the day and I'll pay you fifty dollars a week. On top of that, I'll go talk to your teachers down at the school and see if you can't spend your school-time studying college material. In return, I want to see weekly reports on your grades. If your grades drop, then the deal is off."

"I'd agree, sir, but the truth is that I'm barely passing all my classes right now," he grimaced. "I haven't been too interested in keeping my grades up since no one really looks at transcripts before high school. I was planning on keeping them up when I go to high school next year, but..."

"Then you've got work to do if you want to work for me," Tsuna admonished. "I won't let you start until you show me proof that you're as smart as you say that you are. As soon as you can bring me a test from each of your subjects that show that your grades are going up, I'll let you work. Not before."

"But sir--" He objected. "It's the holidays. School isn't in session!"

"True," Tsuna murmured in thought. "Alright. Veronica. Get Hannah's phone number from Gigi and give him a call. Tell him that I need a favor from the Principal and I'll take him out to dinner tomorrow night if he'll hear me out. I can talk to him about getting what I need for Sassy and I'll get some high school exams while I'm at it to test this brat out. You, Kamau, are to go home and start studying. I want you at the Dragon's Den in three days to take the tests for me. We'll discuss our deal after I see your results for myself."

"Right away, Boss," Veronica responded promptly before heading over to pull Gigi aside to get the details on Hannah.

"Yes, sir!" Kamau exclaimed. "Thank you, sir! I'll be there--"

"Stop calling me sir," he added with a groan. "It's Laz or 'Boss' if you want to be formal."

"Yes, Boss," he replied before turning to run home like he was told. Tsuna shook his head slightly while he watched the boy go, feeling strangely like he'd just opened a can of worms. The boy had determination and potential, though. The combination wasn't something that he could ignore.

"Okay," he sighed, flicking his cigarette away. "Is everyone here? Good. Four new additions and a contract, not including the brat. Not bad. I'll admit that I was expecting more, but I can tell that you guys are choosing carefully. We'll worry about man-power later. For now, you guys stay here. Ralph, Gale, Gigi, you're with me. Ore, keep them in line until I send word out."

"Yes, Boss."

* * *

Tsuna grinned at the growing stacks of supplies and the side boxes that were meant for individuals. Michael Schmidt had kept his promise and was looking over everything in open amusement for Tsuna's choices. So far, they had a little of everything. There was everything from unmixed cement to notebooks and pencils. The largest stack was the five boxes of men's suits and two boxes of women's with each box holding nearly two hundred. They weren't the expensive brands that were tailored, but the cheap knock-offs that were a one-size-fits all. They looked professional, though, and that was all that mattered to Tsuna. Getting them fitted was as easy as hiring a seamstress as soon as enough money was coming in to afford one.

Out of everyone, Gale was the one enjoying himself the most. Although Tsuna had to stay at the back stockroom to approve everything that was added to the pile, Gale was seeming to run back almost constantly to place clothes against Tsuna's back to get an idea of how it would look. Tsuna ignored him for most of it, only commenting when a particular piece of clothing was a little two eccentric for his tastes. Gigi was working with Veronica and Sassy to ensure that they both had a decent wardrobe that would be comfortable for both Tsuna as their employer and the transvestites as his employees. Play-clothes could be bought out of their paychecks. What Tsuna was getting them was clothes that didn't scream out 'for sale'.

Ore had instantly formed a camaraderie with Sergeant and was working to find work-out equipment that wouldn't require a lot of room. The requirement was both size and versatility. Aaron, Noel, and Justin had Gale's shopping lists for the clubs. Those three were working to fill all the ideas that the thrifty shopper had come up with to upgrade the places without spending a lot of money. In some cases, it was simple light fixtures and a supply of bulbs. In others, there were orders for curtains, paint, and rugs.

Tsuna considered himself lucky on that account. The department store truly had every department that there was. Tsuna had arbitrarily added to the list when he saw what they'd had to work with. A few pieces of furniture for the green room, new mattresses, and a library of reading material had been added. Altogether, they were still well below a quarter million in spending, though. Even with Pedro's pile of toys and gifts added into the mix, they still had over fifty grand to spend.

"J.T.," he called to the broken-armed man who was running around as his messenger to the different shopping groups. "Go tell Ralph to pick me out six washers and six dryers," he ordered. "And have Beebe triple what I ordered from paper goods. We can never have enough paper plates and trash bags. Tell Mae and Gloria to double the order for cleaning supplies, too."

"Yes, Boss," he confirmed.

"Hold on," he called before the man could run off. "Go tell Veronica to take a time out on her shopping and call around to find me a storage place to keep everything until we get it all situated. Not all of this is going into the Den and we don't have this much room at the Dojo."

"Yes, Boss," he repeated before heading out of the stock room to do as he was told.

"I have to admit," Michael Schmidt said sheepishly from next to a stack of rolled rugs and wallpaper, "I really didn't expect you to make so much out of your winnings. The last time I put a bet up for a shopping spree, Erin only bought his wife some jewelry and a fur coat."

"Are you complaining that I'm taking too much?" Tsuna asked with a warning note in his voice. "If I remember correctly, you put this up as a quarter million bet."

"No, no," the old man soothed with a wide grin. "You're being more than fair. I noticed that you put Ralph to good use in finding out what stock I've not been able to get rid of. The only place where I even see a hint of greed in what you're taking is with the suits and the mattresses. Even then, you're only cleaning me out of the cheap ones. Would you mind me asking what you need all this stuff for? Some of it seems pretty random. The building materials, I can understand, but what do you plan to do with a crate of women's holiday lingerie and sixty full size mattresses?"

"It's not what you think," Tsuna replied with a small smirk. "The lingerie is for the girls at Tig Bitty's who are working through the holidays and the mattresses are to replace the old ones that are in the rooms of my boarding house. Everything I'm taking is either to save me money in the future or to help renovate the places that I have so that I can turn a better profit. The suits are part of the payment for the people working for me and even Pedro's pile of gifts are in exchange to help tide over the food bill. I won't take more than what's fair, but I hope you didn't expect me to waste a golden opportunity by getting frivolous things. If it weren't for the fact that the only clothes that I have are the ones that I won, I wouldn't even bother having Gale pick me out a wardrobe."

"No worries," the man grinned while Tsuna nodded in acceptance over the weights that Ore walked up with. The looked to be a set designed with small space in mind. By using different metals for each disk, even the one hundred pound weights were only the size of Tsuna's fist. "I'm just a little excited to see what you're going to do with all of this. I hope you don't mind my interest. It's rare to see a young man like yourself taking such a sensible approach to finances."

"I was taught to plan for the future," Tsuna murmured with a sad twinge for the man who'd taught him such. "Let me know if anything we're taking is going to interfere with your business. There's no sense in hurting your profit in order to make my own. I don't believe in ignoring debts, but I can be fair when it comes to fulfilling them."

"I see no problems," he replied with a smile over at the worker who was keeping track of everything that Tsuna was taking. "Midge is a capable woman. We'll have these _donations _replaced on our shelves in no time at all."

"Ah," Tsuna murmured in acceptance of the cover. "I hope you weren't planning on making these donations tax deductible. The Orange Dragons aren't a non-profit group."

"I'll admit that the thought crossed my mind," he admitted with a laugh. "Now that I know what you're planning on using them for, I'll just write it off as a personal expense. You just better make sure that your accountant knows how to properly account for all this when tax time comes around. You wouldn't want the IRS hounding you for not--"

"He's already been briefed about it," Tsuna interrupted in full confidence of Daren. "He knows far more than I do how important it is not to screw up the books. He's already triple-checked everything and he'll check it all again once I've doled at these materials out to my businesses. If the IRS comes, we're more than ready for them. Ralph!" Tsuna called, walking up as the man pulled up with a forklift loaded with their new washers and dryers. "Good choice on the size and, good, you got front loading ones that we can stack. Do me a favor and go help the girls transport their loads over here. We still have to head over to Tinfoil Electronics after this. Dominic! Go tell Gale and Gigi's group that they've got twenty minutes to finish building their pile or we'll leave without them!"

"Yes, Boss!" Dominic called after dropping off a third case of fitted leather gloves on top of the case of scarves that was already present.

"J.T.!" Tsuna called as the man came into view with his previous task fulfilled. "Go tell Justin to find some cases of socks and undergarments. We might as well keep some in stock for those that come in without any. Five to two ratio of male to female, just like everything else. Tell Noel to hurry up with the rest of those tools, too! Tell him that I'll put Ore over on the power tools since he's the only one that can use them properly. We need the basics a lot more than we need anything fancy."

"Yes, Boss!"

"Pass it around," Tsuna yelled after him as he started to backtrack. "We're loading the truck in twenty minutes! I want everything done before then so we can check to see if we missed anything!"

"Toilet paper and towels?" Michael offered with a smirk.

"And send someone after a case of toilet paper, soap, and towels!" Tsuna shouted with a grimace. "Ore," he sighed as the man himself appeared driving a forklift that he'd probably hijacked like Ralph had.

"I heard," he laughed as he dropped off the bench-presses and another case of mini-weights. "I got one more load of these outrageous weights and then I'll head over to get the tools. Relax, Little Guy. It looks like there's a lot left, but we should be finished in about five minutes. It helps that you tripled the girls lists. Instead of breaking the boxes open, we can bring a whole crate at a time."

"Good," Tsuna sighed. "If you see a good, easy shelving unit for us to use, snatch it up. This is going to be a mess in storage unless we have some way to organize it."

"I'll see what I can do," he grinned with a light in his eyes that said that he'd already seen something that would fit.

"Lazarus," Michael called from beside his record-keeper. "Even with Midge's estimates of the stuff you've added, you've still got twenty-five thousand to spend. I've noticed that you haven't gotten anything from hunting supply. We've got a large selections of--"

"We don't need weapons," Tsuna interrupted firmly. "If you'd like, send some of your people into sporting goods for me. Focus on gear for football and basketball, but have them throw in the basics for other sports, as well. Get me enough that we can use some and have some in back-stock for replacements. I'll take a box of playing cards and a cross-sample of your board games while I'm at it."

"Alright," he agreed with a look that told Tsuna that he was being re-evaluated. "I noticed that you haven't touched anything from automotive or electronics, either. Would you...?"

"No thanks," Tsuna answered in response to the prompting offer. "We'll get all of our electronics over at Tinfoil so that you can keep good stock for your Christmas sales. Marty takes care of all of our automotive needs and she'd probably kill me if I got her anything. If you want to even it out so that I use it all, send someone over to arts and crafts for me and get a nice stock. Sketch pads, paints, et cetera. The works. A friend of mine is a professional artist and her biggest problem is with supply. She's not expecting to get anything, so I'll let you guys pick whatever you want to get rid of."

"Fair enough," he sighed in what seemed to be relief. "To be honest, I was afraid that you'd say toys when you started talking about sports. I can afford to lose your friend Pedro's pile, but anything more would be devastating."

"Well, you're going to lose a few more," Tsuna murmured with a grin. "There's two kids at home who need some presents from their Uncle. I was about to head out to pick them out myself."

"Try not to clean me out," Michael pleaded.

"Don't worry," Tsuna laughed. "I don't believe in spoiling them. I figure a rocking horse and a teddy bear for Isabella and a bike for Houston. Do you happen to have any of those limited edition Crimson-C action figures left? I know Houston was asking for one and Warren looked like he was asking for the impossible."

"I might have one or two tucked back," he chuckled. "I was planning on sending it in for my grandson's Secret Santa gift, but he's only three. At that age, any toy that's shiny and new will make them happy. How old is this Houston?"

"He just turned seven," Tsuna answered with a soft smile. "All he could talk about last night was Crimson-C. I guess it's a cartoon or something that he likes."

"It's gotten pretty big in the last year," Michael replied as they started walking toward the man's office together. "Ever since the Crimson Curtain broadcasts stopped so abruptly, everyone's been trying to cash in on his image. Crimson-C is the one that seems the most popular, though. I sold tons of costumes for it over Halloween."

"Crimson Curtain broadcasts?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's that?" Tsuna froze when Michael stopped to look at him like he'd just said something incredulous. "What's wrong? Did I say something funny?"

"How can you not know about Crimson Curtain?" He asked bluntly. "It was a worldwide fiasco! About six or seven years ago, he started hacking in and taking over broadcasting networks all over the world! He--"

"Oh," Tsuna interrupted in sudden understanding. "If it's that far back, then it's during the time that I can't remember."

"Eh?"

"Amnesia," Tsuna explained with a knock on his skull. "I got into an accident and lost a few years of memories. I didn't seem to lose anything important, so I sometimes forget about it. To tell you the truth, it's hard to believe that I just turned twenty-six sometimes. Anyway, tell me about this Crimson Curtain. You said that he was a world-wide fiasco...?"

"Oh, yes," Michael mumbled as they continued on their path. "Crimson Curtain was a once in a lifetime phenomenon. Why don't we relax and smoke a cigarette for a few minutes while I tell you about him? I'm sure your men would appreciate the extra time to browse for themselves. I've got my men watching them, just like you asked. They'll have an easier time dealing with your Christmas gifts if you give them time to look around more."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed with a smile. "Let me tell J.T. to let everyone know that they've got a ten minute break once they finish filling their lists and then you can fill me in on what I missed."

"With pleasure," he grinned. "Maybe we can talk about Friday's poker game while we're at it."

"Perhaps," he murmured with his own feral grin.

* * *

"Let's move it!" Tsuna called as he single-handedly moved a second crate of nearly two hundred cell-phones onto the truck that they'd brought with them. Behind him, Gigi followed up with a much lighter box of cards that would be used to add call-time to their new phones. Overall, their stop at the Electronics store was proceeding much more smoothly than the department store. Veronica had called ahead for him and had provided a list to the owner. From how prepared he was, Tsuna assumed that he'd gotten a call from Michael ahead of time to inform him of Tsuna's operating procedure. By the time that they'd arrived, Erin had his list already filled and merely awaiting approval.

Four hundred cell phones with eight boxes of time-cards, three dozen laptops, twenty desktops computers that Beebe was still picking out for both herself and their holdings, two dozen digital cameras, surveillance equipment, security equipment, routers and networking equipment, audio upgrades for the bars, Beebe's choice of software, one of every DVD in stock, one hundred MP3 players and whatever else Tsuna had decided to throw in at the last minute. On top of that was the basic additions such as electrical wiring, batteries, spare chargers, and other simple necessities that they might need in the future. Even then, there was still plenty of room to throw in a TiVo and karaoke machine for the Den, plus a console game system and a remote controlled car for Houston.

Admittedly, most of the reason that he was rushing was his own sense of greed. He wasn't impervious to all the toys that the place had to offer and neither was anyone else. Tsuna had secretly asked Erin to do the same that he'd had Michael do. After the truck was loaded, everyone was going to be permitted a break to look around while completely oblivious to the secret shoppers that were watching them. Gale had already collected a list of choices for gifts for everyone, but at least half of the gifts were planned to be perfectly matched to the individuals that were with him. Considering how Gale's list had matched the final choices at the department store, Tsuna didn't doubt that everyone would be getting something that they wanted for Christmas.

What was slightly different in this store, however, was that he was actually seeing things that he wanted for himself. Beebe was already picking him out a laptop that would be sturdy enough for him to game on in his room, but the store had much more to offer than simply that. The musical instruments in particular seemed to grab his attention like no other. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who wanted to look around, however. The line into and out of the truck was moving steadily, transferring the pile that Erin had prepared as if by magic. None of them even bothered with thoughts of a forklift. It was much faster to simply put four men on either side and drag the crates into the delivery truck. All too soon, Tsuna was putting the last crate inside while wondering why such a small truck could hold so much in the way of valuables. They'd filled a full semi and a half at Schmidt's, but they'd only needed the last half of one to fill with the electronics.

"We probably could have gotten it all on one truck if it hadn't been for the mattresses and the paper goods," Gigi commented as the men scattered for their break. "All that's left is for Beebe to finish-- Hey!" Gigi gasped as Tsuna sprinted after the others. "Where are you going?!"

"I want to look, too," Tsuna pouted, skidding to a stop at the doors leading back into the main store. "Please? I let you go shopping at the department store."

"Go ahead," she laughed. "I'll handle the paperwork on this one."

"You're the best," Tsuna grinned before darting out to see what toys he might add to their shopping list for himself. It wasn't greed, he told himself firmly. He'd spent a whole year without getting to see what new gadget here were. It was just karma, even though karma didn't really work that quickly.

By the time that Gigi tracked him down, he felt the need to blush over the amount of things that he was trying to juggle. There were simply too many neat things to choose.

"Let's see what you've got," Gigi sighed as Veronica pulled up with a cart for him. Tsuna blushed even brighter as she took them from him one-by-one. "A digitized picture frame," she smirked. "A baby learning pad...?"

"Isabella," he mumbled in explanation, turning even more red as she tossed both it and the Interactive robot that Tsuna had added for Houston into the cart.

"_How to play the piano _software, parts one, two and three...?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "You've got software for the guitar, too."

"I was thinking about getting the guitar for Charlie to go with the laptop Beebe's picking out for him."

"Digital satellite radio...?"

"I thought I might be able to get Japanese stations on it."

"And this? I thought you already got Houston a gaming console....?"

"That one's for me."

"Boys. Oh. You're upgrading to an electric razor. That's something that I'm not going to ask about. What's this, though? A webcam and a headset? Let me guess. This is for Foo Foo--" Try as he might, he was completely unable to hide his flinch at the name and Gigi wasn't one to let such an expression pass. "What happened with Foo Foo?"

"We're not talking to each other anymore," he answered quietly, dropping the other items that were left into the basket in order to head for the music equipment unburdened. He didn't manage to get more than halfway down the aisle before both Gigi and Veronica were hot on his heels.

"And when did this happen?!" Gigi exclaimed. "Danny said that you two were writing each other every day!"

"We were," Tsuna confirmed. "That was before I had a Vongola as a cellmate, Gigi. I told Foo Foo to stop writing after that."

"Understandable," Gigi murmured in thought.

"Gigi!" Veronica gasped in disbelief. "How can you say that?! Foo Foo--"

"Foo Foo is in danger by knowing Laz and he lives too far away for Laz to be able to protect him," Gigi snapped, coming to the same conclusion that Tsuna had. "The only sensible action for Laz to take is to cut off all visible ties and rely on the invisible ones."

"Invisible ones?" Veronica asked innocently as Tsuna faltered to a stop.

"With mail, there's a paper-trail that can be followed," she answered with a knowing grin for how focused Tsuna's attention was on her despite the fact that he wasn't even looking her way. "If you're careful, email and chat won't leave a trail. At least, it won't leave one that the enemy can pick up on without having unlimited access to your computer. As long as you protect your computer, the people that you talk to on it are safe because you can do everything anonymously. Laz might not be able to meet Foo Foo in person, but there's no reason that he can't still talk to him."

"R-Really?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Of course," Gigi grinned. "But you already knew that. That's why you got the web cam. Right?"

"No," he answered while he tried to keep his expression in check. "I didn't think about that. I was thinking about setting up remote surveillance in my room so that I could check it from my phone before I went in at night. Vongola has some sneaky bastards working for them and I was trying to think of ways to counter them. That's why I picked the camera with a three-hundred-and-sixty degree visual span. There won't be any blind spots."

"Oh," Gigi gaped in surprise. "But Laz..."

"I know," he mumbled painfully. "I didn't think of it before. The internet is bigger than the world is. There has to be somewhere on there that I can safely talk to him without Vongola tracing us."

"I'll help you find it," Gigi promised with a soft, sympathetic smile. "There's no need to rush and make mistakes, though. Let's do this one step at a time. The first thing we need to do is to finish your shopping so that we can go home!"

"You're right," he smiled with his hope weighing heavily on his heart. "Why don't you two go pick out Charlie a nice guitar for me? I'll be over at the keyboards." It took everything that he had not to let himself get his hopes up due to Gigi's comments. Meaningless things, he told himself. He had to focus on meaningless things so that the urge to run home and set up his computer didn't overwhelm his sense of responsibility.

Walking down the aisle full of digitized musical equipment, he absently ran a finger along one of the keyboards that was set up. Several of his men looked in his direction when sound erupted from it, only to turn their attention back to their toys once they'd identified the source. Since he was being ignored, he felt absolutely no hesitancy in running a finger down the keys of an even longer one. He could feel a strange excitement build in him at the flawless tone that came out of the speakers.

Belatedly, he remembered the one time that he'd visited Eric's parents' condo. They'd had a piano set up there and he'd been able to play it decently. It was a skill like his languages. He didn't know how he knew. He simply knew what to do to get the right sounds to come out. He wanted to make that ability into his own like he had with the languages. Rather than leave it as an unfathomable mystery, he wanted to study until he understood what he was doing. Intuition and blind luck was good, but he wanted to be able to take some pride in his knowledge. He couldn't do that if the knowledge wasn't truly his own.

Curious as to whether he could even repeat the incident with Eric's piano, he laid his hands into what felt like the 'right' place and simply started playing. It was harder than he thought at first. Now that he was actually trying to bring the skill out, his fingers wanted to falter with indecision. The music that he played was nothing that he could recognize. Stopping for a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to force himself to relax. He wasn't on show. He was just playing for fun. It didn't matter if he wasn't playing a particular song as long as he was happy with the music that came out.

When he began again, the sound seemed to become smooth and liquid. The jarring notes seemed to disappear as Tsuna's hands crawled across the keyboard once more. Faster. Picking up the pace, he smiled to himself as he actually started to recognize the music that he was playing. He could almost hear a bass being strummed in the background and trumpets starting to play as if he was sitting in a swank bar in the Big Band era. He had no clue where the music came from, but it was light-hearted and fun. Unlike the melancholy song that he'd played at Eric's, this son was upbeat music that--

"Wow! Look at that, Gigi! It looks like he's really playing!"

"I don't think that's the demo, Veronica," Gigi replied as Tsuna faltered to a stop. His eyes popped open, only to find that his men had gathered around him to listen. They were staring. Everyone right down to Gigi was staring at him with their mouths dropped open in surprise.

"I'll take this one," he stated to keep anyone from asking questions. "Is everyone finished?"

"Y-Yes, Boss," J.T. answered hesitantly for the group. "I think Beebe's loading the last of her gear right now."

"And all of you aren't helping her?" Tsuna asked with a warning growl. "Why?" He waited for everyone to scatter at the prompt before allowing himself to loosen from the tense ball that he'd become in embarrassment for all the attention. Turning to Gigi, he grimaced slightly at her dazed expression. "Don't look at me like that, Gigi. It's not like I used to be a prodigy or something. To tell you the truth, I have no clue how I know how to play."

"Oh," she replied with her face clearing in understanding. "You remembered something again?"

"No," he answered as he hoisted a packaged keyboard into their shopping cart. "It's like my languages. The skill is there, but not the knowledge to back it up. I can't say that I really like having it when I don't know where it came from, but it's pointless to let it go to waste."

"I don't really understand," Veronica interjected cautiously, "but you played really nicely."

"Thanks," Tsuna murmured as he pointedly turned away in order to lead them back toward the stock room. "Let's get this stuff accounted for and get out of here. We've still got to get the trucks unloaded before dinner."

* * *

Biting down carefully into his hand, he kept his eyes peeled for anyone that might decide to follow him. He was starving, but there was no time to eat. This was the best he could manage in order to fortify himself until they could return home. Night had already fallen, but they had to finish unloading the trucks. They'd only emptied out three-fourths of one at the Den so far. The other truck and a half needed to be emptied into storage until Tsuna had time to make his final decisions on where everything was going. Dinner had to wait or else they'd forfeit rights to their goods. The trucks had to be back at midnight and it was taking far too long to empty them already. Even the rest of the men from the Den in addition to those already present couldn't make up for a forklift without an occassional breather.

"Little Guy...?" Ore called curiously.

"Don't come!" Tsuna called back as he yanked his teeth free. He hadn't gotten more than a mouth-full, but that would have to do. He licked the wound as fast as he could, sealing it so that it could eventually heal. Only the sound of Ore circling around the storage container that he was hiding behind made him actually stop the process so that he could yank his glove back on.

"Why not?" Ore asked as he boldly ignored Tsuna's orders and came anyway. Tsuna spun in place to meet him, hoping like hell that he'd hidden his hand before Ore could see.

"What do you want?" Tsuna panted while he tried to calm his panicked heartbeat.

"I was just wondering why you disappeared, Little Guy," he answered with a blank expression on his face.

"I just needed a cigarette," he lied as he pulled his pack out and started fumbling a stick free. "I'll be back over there in a minute. See what you can do about clearing the way so that we can get the big stuff after--"

"Take your time," Ore mumbled with a strange expression passing across his features that looked to be a combination of sympathy and concern. "Don't push yourself outrageously, Little Guy. Just come back whenever you feel up to it."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped in the middle of lighting his cigarette.

"I'll make sure that you're left alone," he continued firmly. "You don't got to lie to me, Little Guy. If you got to take care of _personal _things, then I'll cover for you."

"W-What--?"

"Oh, Laz," Gigi gasped as she walked around Ore's large frame. She came to a stop, gazing at Tsuna with an irritating look of pure pity on her face. "If you were hungry, why didn't you say something?"

"Eh?" He gaped in growing panic. "I'm not! I-I just--"

"Ore, can you make sure that no one else comes back here?" Gigi asked quietly. Ore nodded quietly before walking away with a speed that left Tsuna in shock. "Come here, sweet-cheeks," Gigi sighed as she fumbled open the purse slung over her poncho in order to pull out a handkerchief. "You forgot to clean up and I doubt that you want the guys to see you with blood on your mouth." Automatically, Tsuna's hand went to his mouth and he grimaced at the sight of blood soaked into the filter of his cigarette. Without thinking twice, he crushed the tainted cigarette and tossed it away in frustration. He'd been caught. Blood was as damning for him as crumbs were on a cookie thief's lips. "Come here," Gigi repeated with a soft smile, seeming to be completely at ease with wiping away the evidence of his sickening deed.

"How can you act so calm," Tsuna asked bluntly, reaching up to grab her hand to stop her. Her fearlessness left him uneasy. Autumn had once had that fearlessness and he'd almost hurt her on two occasions when he'd gotten too hungry. Both times, he'd lost control so much that he hadn't even recognized her. Autumn knew better than to approach him when he was hungry now, yet Gigi didn't have that same fear. It scared him. It scared him immensely that Gigi wasn't afraid of him. She needed to be afraid or else she might be the one to pay the price if Tsuna slipped up and lost control again.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Gigi asked in surprise. Tsuna snarled at the last response that he wanted to hear and began moving before he'd even made his mind up to do something about it. Gigi gasped in surprise as her back hit the metal storage container beside them and Tsuna didn't waste any time in pinning her to it by her throat. He knew that he was being brutal, but it was for her sake. To protect her life, a little pain was necessary to teach her not to be careless with him.

"I'm only going to say this once," he snarled into her shocked and frightened face while she instinctively clawed at the hand strangling her. "Stay away from me when I'm hungry or I'll fucking kill you."

"Laz," she gasped while she continued to struggle for air. "Why--?"

"You don't need to know why," he answered coldly as he dropped her to the ground. "You can either do it or you can move out. I don't care which." He paused with an internal flinch when he heard Gigi start crying into her hands. It hurt to hear the tears and know that he was the cause, but it was the only way that he knew to protect her. They'd always been too close in the past, which was why both she and Ore had no fear in ignoring his orders. He couldn't keep doing that. They couldn't keep doing that. He cared about them too much to let them be so careless around him. It was better and safer for her to fear him than it was for her to continue being so reckless. "Make sure that you let the others know," he added quietly.

More than anything, he wanted to kneel down and take Gigi's tears away. He couldn't. He couldn't! He forced himself to walk away and leave her to pick herself up. She was crying more out of the shock than actual pain. Even in his brutality, he hadn't been able to completely ignore the fact that it was his dearest friend that he was hurting. He'd rather her have bruises than gashes that couldn't be healed, but it hurt. It hurt so much, but it was better for him to have taught her that he could turn on her while he could still control himself.

He managed to keep himself from shaking until he was safely hidden away deeper into the graveyard of storage containers. Once he was far enough back into the shadows that he could no longer hear Gigi, he sank down against a container and began trembling. The air was cold, but he felt as if he was frozen solid from something far more personal than the weather. He'd never thought of himself as a person that could do such things to his friends. He'd never thought of himself as the type of person that could do such things to strangers. Yet, he had. He had in the past and he was still doing it.

He wanted to ask where he'd gone wrong, but the truth was that he didn't feel like he was acting wrongly. He didn't like the actions that he was forced to take, but that didn't meant that there wasn't a good reason for them. These were the only methods that he knew how to use anymore. Talk simply wasn't good enough at times. The issue was too serious for him to take any chances that his message wasn't thoroughly received. Lives were far more important than friendships.

It was true that he'd been rough, but life itself was rough. He didn't have the naive belief that the world was shiny and friendly and full of good people anymore. Gabriel had taught him that there were sickos and disgusting creatures that preyed on innocent people out of pleasure. It was better that he let people have a taste of that cruelty in a manner that they could handle so that they were prepared for worse in the future. He wanted to protect his friends and shelter them, but he couldn't blind them. He couldn't blind them to the dark underbelly of the world and he couldn't let them become blind in their faith in him.

"I'm sorry, Gigi," he whispered, pulling out a fresh cigarette and a fresh piece of gum in effort to calm himself. He knew that Gigi was too far away to hear him, but he still mumbled his apologies repeatedly in hopes that maybe Snicker would at least understand from where ever he was watching from. 'I'm so sorry."

* * *

Poking his head up out of the roof hatch, Tsuna was unsurprised to see Poe sitting alone at his normal supper table. It was probably due to Neve's presence, but the man had added more in the way of actual furniture to his private Eden while Tsuna had been away. There was a gazebo set up in the back corner that was padded to make lounging into a comfort. He'd added a small table and two chairs that wouldn't be out of place in an outdoor French cafe. The shed itself had taken more house-like qualities. From the looks of it, there was an addition to the back of it that was probably Neve's bedroom and a private bath. The thing that caught Tsuna's attention the most was the waterfall that he'd installed and the birds that were flittering around the warm place. Such creatures had been a threat while Neve had still been a bat, but they brought life into an otherwise silent area now.

Although, one creature in particular was hovering around the fountain that definitely wasn't a bird, even though it flew forward with all the speed of one when it saw Tsuna. Tsuna grinned widely and set his plate down on the mossy lining around the entrance in just enough time to catch the scarab that had apparently been waiting for him to return.

"Did you miss me, Jewel?" Tsuna asked while the large beetle seemed to have trouble deciding on a color to pick. It finally settled on a deep Orange color with a stripe of purple that swirled slightly into the center of her back. The effect was surprising, but not so surprising that he planned to question it. Instead, he tried not to react when Jewel showed that she was definitely happy to see him. At least, that's what her mandibles said when she bit him to mark him as 'home' again.

"No use in hovering at the door," Poe called from where he was eating his dinner in solitude at the cafe table. "Feel free to come in and join me, my friend."

"Are you sure that it's okay?" Tsuna asked as he hesitantly finished climbing the steep stairs and stepped into Poe's rooftop greenhouse. Putting Jewel into place on his shoulder so that the bug could crawl around to see how he'd changed, he picked his plate up off the ground.

"Of course," he replied with a smile and a gesture to the seat across from him.

"Thanks," Tsuna mumbled as he slid into the seat and set his half-eaten plate of food down. "It was a little lonely eating in my room by myself."

"Oh?" Poe prompted curiously before taking a bite of the glazed salmon that Cassandra had prepared to give Tsuna a taste of his favorites. "And why are you not down with the others at the table?"

"W-We're not supposed to get close to normal people," he answered painfully. "I think you told me that before, but I'm just now understanding what you meant."

"I see," Poe murmured with a soft bow of his head in both sympathy and apology.

"That's not to say that we can't be friends," Tsuna added hurriedly while he picked at his plate and absently fed bits to his greedy pet. "We... We just have to set boundaries. Right? It's not good if we get too close, but we don't have to be completely separated. A-As long as they understand the... the danger... Truly understand it..."

"You don't have to explain to me, Lazarus," Poe admonished gently. "I know far too well about the lines that our kind has to draw. I'll admit that I'm surprised to hear such words coming from you, however. What brought on this change of heart?"

"G-Gigi," he answered with a small flinch. "She... I got hungry earlier and I went ahead and bit myself."

"I know," he replied with a smile. "I could smell the fresh wound as soon as you came up. So, what did Gigi do?"

"Nothing," he explained in misery. "She didn't do anything. She acted like it was perfectly normal and even tried to wipe away what I'd spilled like it was nothing but crumbs. There was no fear or caution in her at all!"

"You're afraid," he stated bluntly. Tsuna paused for a moment before nodded. He couldn't deny it. He was deathly afraid that he'd end up hurting someone that he cared about. They were all strong people, but they were...

They were only human.

"I hate this," he admitted while clenching his teeth to keep even the thought of tears from surfacing. "I don't hate you, Poe, but I hate this curse. I already have enough things that make me different from the people around me. I'm not going to ask something stupid like why this happened to me, but I want you to know that I should have died back when the gangs caught up to me. I would have been the one waiting on Snicker that way instead of having to live through this hell."

"Surely you have some hope for the future left," Poe objected.

"None," Tsuna murmured honestly. "I can't kill myself because I have debts to pay, but I'm not going to struggle when my time finally comes. That's why... That's why I want to ask you to not to jump-start me anymore, Poe. If I fall, just let me go. Leave my life in the hands of normal--"

"The outcome would be the same," he interrupted before taking a bite of his steamed vegetables. Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise while he waited for Poe to swallow his food so that he could explain. "It would be slower, but it would be the same," he said with a firm gesture of his fork to emphasis his point. "You have not died once since you've been turned, my friend."

"But Jules said that my heart--"

"Your heart stopped by what his machines said," Poe nodded. "In truth, your body went into hibernation so that you could recover using your remaining energy. For a werewolf, that would have lasted until you were fully healed. All I've been doing has been to bring you out of hibernation earlier by supplying you with a more potent energy source than that which you can provide yourself. Since I doubt that you wish to awaken on your own in the middle of your own funeral, I chose the option that I figured you would prefer."

"But what about--"

"Your stomach?" Poe supplied with a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. "You misunderstand the reason for that. Your body was merely seeking blood. I'll admit that tearing a hole in your stomach was a messy way of getting it, but it would have sufficed. That was why I didn't supply you much of my own during my visit to the hospital. Your stomach had already gorged on what it needed. Did Doctor Jules not tell you what it said in your medical chart? Your ulcer was already healing itself closed by the time they began to work on you."

"S-So.... I'm...?" Tsuna asked as all the blood rushed out of his face.

"None of us are immortal," Poe laughed, once more seeming to read Tsuna's mind. "We all grow old and die, even without the messy business of killing. Aging is slower than normal, but we are not eternal beings. We're merely eternal in the eyes of those with much shorter life spans. I cannot say how long your life might be with the randomness that you intake blood, but you should know that death by violence is nearly impossible for you as long as your heart stays intact and your head stays connected. I can stop aiding you if you wish, but you will be merely wasting your life in sleep."

"Then let me sleep," he replied quietly with his eyes locked on his plate. His words signaled the end of the conversation between them while Tsuna started trying to calm the twisting sensation in his gut with food. The mood wasn't the greatest, but he took some comfort in simply not being alone. After a while, he got the feeling that Poe actually enjoyed his company. He wasn't the most social of people, but he didn't necessarily enjoy being completely isolated. As long as he wasn't having to endure meaningless drivel and pointless chit-chat, he could be happy around other people. In that fashion, he was no different than the silent bums that sat around a fire-barrel and shared their whiskey. Just as there wasn't much that one bum could say to another, there wasn't much that Poe and Tsuna could say to each other. They both were suffering under the same curse and the happenings of the day were meaningless in the bigger picture.

Misery indeed loved company, but that didn't mean that they liked talking about it.

"We will start training in an hour," Poe stated as he picked their empty plates to return them downstairs. "I suggest you warm up slowly to ensure that you don't get a stomach cramp."

"Uh, right," Tsuna nodded in agreement. "Let me go change into some sweats first."

"Take your time," he smiled. "I only require three hours of sleep a night, so do not fear that you are cutting into my rest. I can go for as long as you feel necessary. I just ask that we try to keep the damage to the garden at a minimum."

"Why don't we meet at the dump in an hour?" Tsuna suggested. "I know a spot that we can use where no one will see us and no one should be there this late other than the patrol guards. I can probably bribe those guys into ignoring us and your garden won't get damaged."

"Very well," he agreed. "It will be good training for your nose, too."

"Don't remind me," Tsuna groaned as he headed back down the stairs into his bedroom. It took only a few seconds of rummaging through the clothes that Gale had bought him in order to find his work-out clothes. He felt more secure with each piece that he put on. It was odd to notice it since he didn't really see a difference. He'd only changed because he didn't want to mess up his new clothes during his spar. There was nothing special about the sweats to make him feel so relaxed other than the fact that he'd worn the same clothes for almost a year.

Using his private exit since he doubted that Gigi was ready to look at him yet, he paused on the metal stairwell going down to ground level. His heart skipped three beats at the man who was waiting on him. It wasn't Poe, but the man was probably twice as dangerous.

"I should have guessed that you'd be prompt," Tsuna murmured in Japanese while Jewel peeked out of his hood to get a look at who he was talking to. Slowly stepping down the stairs in confidence, he felt a slow smile spreading across his face. "I heard that you were coming, but I'm afraid that I don't have any hospitality prepared. I wasn't expecting you to show until after the holidays. I guess I should be honored that you gave me two days to put my affairs in order, but please allow me to ask you one question. Are you that eager to fight me, Hibari?"


	70. Chapter 70 Risk and Reward

"I should have guessed that you'd be prompt," Tsuna murmured in Japanese while Jewel peeked out of his hood to get a look at who he was talking to. Slowly stepping down the stairs in confidence, he felt a slow smile spreading across his face. "I heard that you were coming, but I'm afraid that I don't have any hospitality prepared. I wasn't expecting you to show until after the holidays. I guess I should be honored that you gave me two days to put my affairs in order, but please allow me to ask you one question. Are you that eager to fight me, Hibari?"

"You flatter yourself," he replied with a small smile flickering across his lips. He stood tall and perfectly at ease in his tailored suit. Hibari had no weapons in sight, but Tsuna didn't underestimate him for a second. He surely had his collapsible tonfas hidden in his pockets or somewhere else on his body. His face looked sharper than Tsuna remembered and more wild. The gleam in his eyes was still as dangerous as it'd always been.

"Perhaps," Tsuna admitted as he reached the bottom of the stairwell and put himself into reach of the same man who'd terrified him in his school days. It gave him a thrill to know that he could be attacked at any second without warning by simply breaking Hibari's unfathomable code of discipline. He could feel his body surging with the need to fight. In the face of such a delicious prey, no single mouthful of blood was enough to satisfy him. Hibari's scent was too strong. It was too enticing. He could feel his hands trembling out of the effort it took to hold himself back from launching an attack where he stood. "This is good," he smiled. "We haven't even started fighting yet and I'm already enjoying myself. Finally, someone has come who is a challenge. This is good. This is very good. I can get stronger by fighting you."

"I think you misunderstand the meaning of my visit," Hibari murmured in distaste while his killing aura continued to give Tsuna shivers of delight. "I'm here to kill you."

"That's why it's good," Tsuna grinned in growing excitement. "Kill me. Kill me all you want. Not here, though. We'll be interrupted here. Would you mind following me to a different place? It's not the most elegant of choices, but it's secluded. I don't want to disturb the peace by wrecking the city--" Tsuna snarled to himself, getting a whiff of scent that was out of place. It was difficult to catch it over the mouth-watering aroma that was coming off of Hibari, but he caught it due to how his senses were in overdrive. "Please hold on for a second. I'll be right back."

Using what Poe had once taught him about unleashing his unnatural strength, he jumped up the walls of the alley with just enough power that he landed quietly on the edge of the rooftop of the neighboring building. He spotted the interloper immediately. It was hard not to since he'd landed right next to him. From the expensive surveillance equipment hanging around the man's neck, Tsuna marked him in his mind as a professional. Professionals had clients.

"I'll give you one chance to live," Tsuna murmured in suppressed anger for having his meeting with Hibari interrupted. "Who sent you?"

"P-P-Papa Paolo, Sixth," he answered with a tremble over being caught so easily. "He assigned me to watch the Vongola from the moment that he arri--" A single punch was all it took to knock the man completely unconscious. He wasn't going to let anyone interfere with this. Hibari was his ticket to being useful and he wasn't about to allow anyone else to cash in on it. He'd be damned if he allowed anyone to stop him, either. Reaching down, he patted the guy down until he found the man's cell phone. Redial was far too useful of a feature.

"What is it, Richard?" Papa Paolo's voice grumbled from the other end. "I told you not to--"

"Richard is sleeping," Tsuna mumbled calmly. "You might want to pick him up before he gets sick. He's on the rooftop next to the Dojo."

"Lazarus...?" He gasped in recognition. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Hibari is my prey," he answered with a cold chill sweeping across him. "Don't interfere. I'll call you when I'm done." Dropping the cell phone, Tsuna turned and jumped back down to the alley where Hibari was still waiting. He was glaring, which let Tsuna know that he wasn't pleased about being left waiting. "Sorry," Tsuna sighed with a lazy smile. "My Boss is a little overprotective. He didn't even tell me that you were in town yet. I guess that doesn't matter now, though. You're here and I'm sure that you don't want to waste any time on chit-chat. If you'll follow me, I can lead us to a place where we can do this without causing unnecessary mayhem and destruction."

"And if I said that I like mayhem and destruction?" Hibari asked with eyes full of cruel amusement.

"Then I'd tell you to go wild," Tsuna answered with a silent wish that he _would _go wild so that Tsuna could release some of his built up tension. "But I'd still lead you to the place of my choosing before giving you the fight that you came here for. It's a waste of energy for you to refuse and we can get to the good part faster if you'll simply come with me. I know that it is... difficult... to wait, but the outcome will be more satisfying for both of us."

"If you disappoint me after making me wait, I will have no mercy," Hibari warned with his cold smile disappearing in an instant.

"I don't want mercy and you're not capable of it," Tsuna replied as he walked past him out of the alley and into the street. He wanted to run, but he knew that doing so with Hibari beside him would attract too much attention. Some idiot might call the cops in effort to protect him.

Pulling out a cigarette in hopes that the smoke would help cover the scent that was slowly driving him insane, he tried his hardest to ignore the man walking next to him.

"You are different than what the reports led me to believe," Hibari commented quietly, making Tsuna stiffen in surprise. Chit-chat? From Hibari? It seemed impossible, but perhaps it was Hibari's way of showing that he felt they were equals. "It is not the first time that I've come across someone who has challenged me with such a low level of strength, but you are the first to do so while pretending not to underestimate me."

"Low level of strength?" Tsuna repeated in slight disappointment. "If you underestimate me so much, then why have you bothered coming?"

"Because I wish to see if you can overcome that weakness like the man who you are pretending to be could," he answered. Tsuna felt as if he was stabbed by the words. Hibari hadn't come to challenge him as Lazarus. Hibari was merely curious about his likeness to Tsuna.

"I pretend to be no one," Tsuna replied with his eyes drooping in a combination of disappointment and sadness. "Sawada Tsunayoshi is dead. If you are expecting me to take his place, then you're gravely mistaken."

"Is that so?" Hibari murmured softly. "If you do not wish to take his place, then why do you have his face?"

"Do you think that I chose to look like this?" Tsuna asked with anger building inside of him while they continued down sidewalk after sidewalk. The deeper that they went into the ghettos, the more that people recognized him on sight. He ignored them all, however. His attention was far too focused on the man beside him and his reasons for coming.

How long? How long was he going to be haunted by Tsuna? He'd built a life that he was satisfied with. He had friends who cared about him so much that they got dangerously careless at times. He'd had a man that he loved and a partner that no one could replace. Why did people keep coming into it that wanted him to be someone that he wasn't? He wasn't an idiot. Mukuro-sama had only aided him because of some attachment that _Tsuna _had with him. Reborn had come after him because he looked like _Tsuna_. Now even Hibari was only seeing him as worthy because, somehow, _Tsuna _had been.

It was irritating. Why couldn't people forget that Tsuna existed? He didn't like people coming into his life just because of Tsuna. He wasn't Tsuna! He wasn't someone who killed mindlessly. He wasn't someone who--

Who hurt people.

_He did if it was the only way to protect the people around him._

Who ruled people with fear.

_He did if it was the only way to keep the peace._

Who dealt under the table twice as much as he did over the top of it.

_He did if it was the only way to provide for those that he was responsible for._

If he admitted it to himself, he was more than willing to kill, too. He'd already mindlessly killed, although there was no evidence to prove it. The fact that they hadn't been human was meaningless in the bigger picture. He'd been like a rabid beast, murdering any who stood in his way. He was capable of such actions with the proper motivation. Since Snicker's death, he knew that it would only take a word from Papa Paolo or Autumn for him to do such deeds again.

Everyone had their reasons, he mused. Perhaps _Tsuna _had reasons for his actions, but that didn't change the fact that he was _dead_. His reasons and his motivations were different now that he was Lazarus. He couldn't be the Tsuna of the past, no matter how many people came into his life that had known the Tsuna that he'd once been. Those ties had been broken and he had no desire to reveal himself. He wasn't a Vongola. He was a Martelli. His loyalty was borne from a path that he'd chosen instead of one that his past self had been forced into. Even if he was walking the same path that his old self had walked, he was determined that his destination would be different.

Even if it wasn't, he refused to forsake the precious bonds that he'd made in this life due to the cut bonds of a life that he'd left behind.

"Someone is following us," Tsuna mumbled as he paused in indecision of whether or not to take a detour to deal with it. "Give me a moment to track it and--"

"No need," Hibari replied with another of his cold, amused smiles. "I already told you. I'm here to kill you. The one following is a Vongola man who's loyalty is in question. After I've broken you, it'll be his job to shoot you in the head and take a trophy back to prove that he's done the deed. I believe that you know him by the name of Foo Foo..?"

It took everything he had to bury the immediate reaction to the name.

"That's low, Hibari," he admonished as he started heading for the city trash dump again. "I thought that you weren't the type to sink to mind games. I already know that you guys are aware of Foo Foo. If you were planning on using him as a hostage, I'm afraid that you're going to be disappointed. His welfare stopped being my concern from the moment that I cut ties with him."

"He's not a hostage," Hibari corrected calmly. "He is here of his own free will to fulfill his orders. Pay him no mind. You will be incapable of sight by the time that he is to show his face."

"You are overconfident," Tsuna commented in growing irritation for Hibari's arrogance. It wouldn't be long before he could put him in his place, though. The fence for the city dump was straight ahead of them. "If you think that I am a herbivore, then I will bite you to death."

"Do you truly think that you have the teeth for it?" Hibari asked while his killing intent seemed to pulse around him. Tsuna stopped for a moment after jumping the fence in order to release the mental blocks that Poe had taught him to keep in place so that his aura was protected from Vampiric siphoning. He smiled at the lance of surprise that went across Hibari's face for a mere millisecond before it was covered. Hibari's aura was impressive, but his lust for blood was incomparable to one who'd felt the true pain of starvation. "Wao," he murmured without a single shred of emotional inflection.

"You smell delicious," Tsuna commented, no longer holding back his hunger to fight or to feed. Even though Hibari wasn't a vampire, he gave off the potent smell of one. The aroma was twice as strong as Poe's and three times as appetizing. "Try not to die too quickly," Tsuna added as they walked past heaps of trash in order to make their way to the clearing at the center of the two-mile wide area. "I want to savor every drop."

As if the words were an insult, Hibari flew into the offensive. His speed was impressive, but it was obvious that he didn't train. He was too used to being undefeated. Without someone to challenge him, he had no reason to challenge himself. Unlimited potential was meaningless if one didn't try to fulfill it. As far as first moves went, it was far too easy to dodge him using the speed that he'd trained into himself during his time in prison.

"Wow," Tsuna commented in disappointment while he lazily skipped out of range. "Please tell me that you're just trying to warm up, otherwise I have no hopes of improving myself by fighting you." Tsuna smiled in realization and his disappointment lifted when Hibari's speed increased enough that Tsuna actually had to use a burst of strength to dodge. "Ah. I see now," he smiled in happiness. "You're suppressing your strength to make it more interesting because you--" Using another burst, Tsuna once more dodged a tonfa aimed for his head. "--You don't know what I'm capable of. Why don't we skip up a few notches while I warm up, then?"

Back-flipping to dodge another of Hibari's endless blows, he lunged forward in his own offensive move as soon as his feet hit the ground. Even with the warning, Hibari was holding back too much to dodge completely. He was completely unprepared for Tsuna's move, as well. He tightened his abdominal muscles up in preparation of a blow, but the nails that raked through his shirt and across his skin was unexpected. It was so unexpected that he momentarily fell to a stop after Tsuna lurched to a stop outside his range.

"You let your guard down," Tsuna shuddered while the scent of his blood filled the air. It was mesmerizing. So many tangled spices and such an endless combination of textures. For every drop that Tsuna savored off of his nails, it was as if he was getting a different curry recipe. He knew... He knew that he shouldn't get so hungry over a regular human, but his stomach was craving in a way that he couldn't ignore. "You might want to get serious, Hibari," he warned softly. "My self-control isn't as good as I'd like. I might start hallucinating pretty soon with how hungry your blood is making me. I just might kill you if you keep holding back."

"Very well," Hibari replied in open amusement. "I had hoped to savor this myself, but we can finish this quickly."

* * *

"Is that really him, Autumn?" Poppet asked worriedly from where she was watching from behind their shelter. Autumn shook her head, completely unable to answer such a simple question. They'd been looking for an opening to jump into when they'd first arrived, but it'd slowly become clear that there was none. They were both too fast and Autumn had a feeling that both sides would attack any who tried to interfere. What Poppet's attention was focused on was Laz's expression, though. There wasn't a hint of humanity left in it. He continued to attack brutally, only stopping when the blood on his hands got thick enough that he felt the need to stop and lick them clean. It was disgusting to witness, but she knew that she must. She had to because she'd brought others who weren't turning away from the sight. Her intent had been to save him from Hibari, but she wasn't sure that she could anymore.

He was too fast. Too strong. Too scary. She was terrified of him now. She'd seen him snap on numerous occasions, but he'd always pulled it back and held himself in check. It was plain before her now. This was the blood-drenched monster that had always hidden behind such kind eyes. This was the heartless beast that hid behind his laughter and caring. It wasn't hidden anymore and she couldn't look away anymore.

"He looks kind of pitiful," Rachael commented calmly from her watching post on top of a discarded freezer. "I wonder if Hibari's noticed it yet? If so, Lazarus is just being toyed with."

"Noticed what?" Isaac asked from where he was watching over the unconscious Vongola spy that they'd captured. Barbus was working to calm the mutant dog that the man had with him, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed. The beast seemed determined to protect its master.

"Lazarus isn't conscious," Saldez, her former tutor, supplied with a confident smirk. "I was unsure before, but Rachael is right. His movements have become too predictable ever since he took that blow to the head. I'm not sure what's keeping him moving, but I doubt that he'll stop unless someone makes him."

"We've got to help him!" Poppet exclaimed, running over to pull on Autumn's shirt. "Why are you just letting him get beat up?!"

"He attacked one of our people," Isaac snarled in disgust. "He hasn't been back two days and he's already proved that he's not to be trusted. You reap what you sow."

"But--"

Autumn closed everyone out while they continued to argue over what should be done. In truth, she had no idea about what she should do. Her father had pushed it all off into her hands with orders to force the Vongola threat out of their city. She was indecisive because she had no clue as how to handle Laz. In the current situation, there were too many moves that could turn out to be bad ones. If only she understood him a little better and knew how he would react, she wouldn't be so scared to make a move.

She was stalling. She knew that she was stalling, but there was no other alternatives that she could see. To jump into the fight would be suicide with how insane Laz seemed to be. He had completely lost it, going so far as to yell out for the curry to stop moving so he could eat it. She assumed that he meant Hibari Kyoya when he said 'curry', but that only reinforced her point. Laz probably wasn't recognizing anything and would attack them if they came out of hiding.

It made her feel helpless while she watched Hibari land blow after blow between Laz's bestial attacks. Laz wasn't even trying to punch anymore. Anyone who looked at him could see that he was trying to claw and capture. If only Hibari would knock him down completely, then they could jump in. The bastard seemed to be intentionally keeping himself from doing so, however. It was just as Rachael said. Hibari was taking away his support in pieces in preparation for a key blow to be the final, killing blow.

All at once, a move was made outside of her control. Before anyone could stop her, Poppet went running into the open in order to scream on the top of her lungs.

"Wake up, Laz!" She cried as Saldez grabbed her to drag her back into hiding. "This isn't you! You're stronger than this! Don't let that cocksucker beat you!" Everyone froze with their eyes bulging. Even Hibari paused in his attacks on the near-motionless Lazarus in order to stare with a twitching eye over the insult. The response kept him from reacting, however.

_About damn time you got here_, a voice whispered in her head. Autumn's eyes widened even more and several of her Knights traded looks to see if everyone else had heard Laz speak. His lips were slowly moving, but there was no sound being emitted. _I've had my fun. Can I judge him now, Hime-sama?_

"Are you guys hearing what I'm--"

"It's Laz's Voice," Autumn murmured in shock. "I didn't know that he had control over it yet."

"That sonuvabitch has been waiting on orders," Isaac gaped. "I thought you guys said that he was unconscious!"

"He was!" Rachael snapped in reply. "Only an idiot would take that kind of beating! His attacks--"

"His attacks were instinctive," Saldez interrupted. "His movements aren't what we expect--"

_Hime-sama...?_ Laz's voice interjected quietly. Autumn shakily stepped forward while Hibari shook his head softly like he was trying to get rid of a fly buzzing around it. He looked angry, but completely distracted. It took her a moment to figure out why. Although they weren't hearing anything, Laz's lips were still moving. Hibari was being bombarded by Laz's Voice and Autumn wasn't sure that she wanted to know what the true affect was. If Laz's Voice was reaching so easily into their minds to ask a simple question, it was quite possible that Laz's Voice was turning Hibari's mind against himself. _Do you not want me to judge him, Hime-sama?_

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the tears that built in her eyes when Laz turned to look at her. He was covered in wounds and blood. The look of insanity was still in his eyes. Why? Why was he asking her such a stupid question?! With him looking like a blood-thirsty monster, why did she get the feeling that he truly _was _pitiful? She didn't understand him at all! He never did anything in a way that made sense! Why couldn't he be normal? What was it about him that made him into such a strange individual? She had a right to know that as the person that was supposed to protect him! She had a right to understand the heart of the subject that she was supposed to lead!

Nobility was meaningless if she couldn't connect to the hearts of those she was responsible for! She believed that from the bottom of her heart--

_Please answer me. Why won't she use me? If she doesn't use me, I'm No-Good. I don't want to be No-Good without Snicker. It hurts. I should just eat. No. NO! I can't eat. Not in front of Autumn. She's disgusted by me enough already. She hates me. That's okay, though. As long as she uses me, I have a purpose. Right, Snicker? I don't mind starving to death as long as she uses me. That's why I woke up. Right? There was no point in waking up if I'm just going to let myself fall into instinct again. I woke up so that she could use me. I woke up because I can come to meet you then. They've got to let me see you when I die if a little part of me stays good. Keeping my promises is good. Protecting what you left behind is good. Nothing else matters. I'll serve her to keep my promise to repay the debt we have. I can't do that if she won't use me, though. Why won't she use me?! It hurts. If she won't use me, then I can't repay our debt. I can't see you again if she doesn't use me. It hurts. I want to see you again. Please use me so that it'll stop hurting!_

_Hime-sama...? Can you hear me? I'm waiting on your orders_, Laz's voice whispered tiredly into her mind. Autumn blinked, trying to make sense of the vision that had overwhelmed her for a moment. There hadn't been pictures, but she understood. She understood what was in Lazarus' heart now. He was nothing more than a suicidal idiot. It was true that he'd been fighting like a beast, but he'd stopped simply by knowing that Autumn was near. It made her want to curse her father. Laz acted like a fool that did what he wanted without thinking about anything else, but the truth was that he was only acting in effort to repay his debt. Her father had to know this. That's why she and the core of the Family had been sent instead of a group of armed men. Her father had known about Laz's hidden devotion and he'd wanted her to see it. He'd wanted her to see it and react to it. Her father had wanted her to gain the determination to put Laz in the ranks of the people that she could use.

Trying to hold her tears back, she nodded in acceptance of both her father's wish and Laz's desire. He wasn't a monster. It was true that he had issues, but his heart was in pain. To control the pain, he'd pushed himself to the limits of his endurance. To be useful, he'd been holding back in his fight in faith that either her or her father wouldn't allow him to continue without support.

_Thank you, Hime-sama_, Laz mumbled into her head. Her heart skipped a beat at the expression that crossed his face when he turned to look at Hibari once more. As if her nod had pushed him over the edge, the last vestige of lingering sanity disappeared.

* * *

Hibari. Not curry. Hibari. Licking the blood off his fingers again, he trembled in relief when Hibari once more looked like Hibari again. He had to control himself. It was true that he'd lost himself for a while, but he was back now. Poppet's scream had woken him up. In that instant, he'd remembered the real reason that he was fighting Hibari and the memory had been what he needed to unlock his Voice. Mind over body. He was already using his mind to the limits to keep his body from reacting to Hibari's scent. Knowing that Poppet, and therefore Autumn, was present, his mind had twisted down that narrow road into choice. He could choose to answer his body in order to fight and feed or he could take the path of being useful to the Martelli Family. To answer himself would have been selfish, so the Justified answer was to answer Autumn's will. He knew it in his head that Justice was more important, even if his body was arguing. After that, he'd opened his mouth and the Voice had simply come.

He knew that something was different from the moment that he started speaking. There was no sound, even though he could hear his own voice ringing in his head. He'd focused on projecting it in Autumn's direction, but he didn't have the energy left to do more than whisper. Hibari had been just as merciless as expected. He couldn't remember anything that had happened after a certain point, but he was fairly sure that he'd continued fighting. Hibari had lost his blazer in that missing time and he had more marks on his body than he used to. Of course, Tsuna was bearing even more than he was. From how stiff he felt and the lack of feeling in one foot, Hibari had taken complete advantage of his mindless state.

Hibari was good. He was better than good. He was flawless. Tsuna had underestimated him greatly, but Hibari had underestimated Tsuna, as well. Hibari was wonderful at beating people, but there was no one better at taking a beating than Tsuna. The old belief of hitting without being hit wasn't his strength. Even if Hibari hit him, all that had mattered was landing his own blow. Self-preservation was something that he'd drilled out of himself. As long as he gave his enemy an eye for an eye, he was satisfied.

He smiled slightly when Hibari seemed to recover from having the Voice used on him. It'd been quite easy to distract the man while waiting for his orders to continue. He had no clue where the prompts had come from, but Tsuna had used them mercilessly. That was what his intuition said that the Voice was used for. When he used it and spoke with the words that his mind gave him, it forced the recipient to face the memories of their crimes. He had no intent to make Autumn and the others face theirs, so he hadn't completely opened the floodgates on his Voice when he spoke to them. He was not their judge. He was Hibari's judge. Hibari was the one who got the full brunt of his verbal attack.

"I hope that you're prepared, Hibari," Tsuna mumbled while forcing his eyes to stay open. His eyes kept wanting to shut, but he couldn't until he'd been useful to Autumn. Autumn needed him to judge Hibari. He was useful. He was useful! He'd waited on this moment. He hadn't called his hammer before now because he had wanted to make sure that he had the energy to make it appear when it was needed. Autumn was here and he needed it now. He had to judge this bastard that dared to invade their territory. He had to judge the bastard that had Foo Foo hostage. He had to judge him on behalf of the Martelli Family.

The hammer appeared halfway through an empty-handed swing, taking Hibari completely unawares over the sudden appearance. Tsuna barely managed to notice the problem with it in time to stop the attack. The hesitation was enough for Hibari to leap backwards out of range while Tsuna stared at his hammer in complete disbelief. Tsuna ignored him, instead gaping up at the Justice hammer that was the size of his pinky and down at the Injustice hammer that was the size of his upper body.

"What kind of bullshit is this?" Tsuna asked, turning to look at Autumn in shock. "Not Guilty." In an instant, Tsuna knew what the problem was. He'd agreed to the fight. Hibari had made no attack on an innocent person. There was no crime to simply walking into the city to meet with someone. Hibari had done absolutely nothing wrong. The Martelli Family might have bad relations with Vongola, but Hibari was innocent of wrong-doing.

The last thing that he saw was the ground rushing up to him due to the blow that Hibari landed against his unprotected back.

* * *

Mate.

_Tsuna moaned softly to himself as his lips moved across the warm, trembling flesh beneath him. When he met cloth, it was ripped off with an absent rake of his nails. He'd never met such an irresistible scent in his life. The was a hint of beefcake, but it was hidden behind a sauce that was completely different than Snicker's simple brown gravy. It was strong and potent as if one bite would be enough to fill his needs for a week. It was unfamiliar, but desirable enough that his mouth started watering outside of his control. He felt hot in a way that he hadn't experienced since Snicker had become unreachable. Typically, only his outsides felt the desire that was ingrained into his body. This was different than when he normally satisfied his urges. It warmed him inside and out until he was panting in need. As he curled his tongue around the nipple that presented itself, he felt the body beneath him beginning to react. It was good. He wanted that body to react and to warm him even more. He wanted to satisfy the need that was throbbing through his b--_

"_Stop," someone hissed, pulling him away from the warming comfort of his prey. "This isn't you, Laz! Get control of yourself!"_

"_Gi..gi...?" Tsuna identified slowly. "Why are you in my dream?"_

"You're not asleep, you idiot!" Gigi shouted into his ear. Tsuna blinked as the haze over everything disappeared in an instant. He went from drowsy to wide awake in the same time that it took for Gigi to splash a glass of water into his face. Looking around in panic, his face turned crimson when he realized that there was a half-naked man on his bed. He had his face covered with his hands in embarrassment, which was to be expected with how his shirt had been shredded and his upper body was covered in love-bites. "Shit," Gigi gasped, propelling him into Snicker's lounge chair to make sure that he didn't give a repeat performance. "If I'd known that you were going to wake up, I wouldn't have let him come up here to check on you. We've been worried sick about you!"

"Eh?" Tsuna asked in confusion. As soon as the word was out of his mouth, everything came rushing back to him. "Oh," he mumbled, pulling his legs up into his chair so that he could hug them. "I lost. What happened with Hibari?"

"Autumn had to let him leave," Gigi answered as she plunked herself down on his bed next to the mystery man. "She said that you judged him as not guilty and her father's standing orders were to abide by your decisions. We were kind of worried because he kicked you a lot before they managed to pull you away from him. I gather that you pissed him off pretty badly."

"Probably," Tsuna mumbled in dismay. "I'd be pissed, too, if I found out that he'd been holding back in our fight. I'm surprised that he let me live after I pulled out my hammer and didn't use it on him." Hiding his face in his knees, he tried to come to terms with his loss. He was alive, but that was meaningless. He hadn't been of any use to Autumn. He hadn't proved anything to her so that she would use him more in the future.

"You have this guy to thank for that," Gigi commented, chucking a thumb at the mystery man who was still unmoving on the bed. "Autumn said that while everyone was in shock about your judgment and Hibari's anger, this guy jumped in to save you. He took quite a beating himself before everyone started attacking to drive Hibari away. He might have been a Vongola, but he's on our side no--"

"Vongola?!" Tsuna shrieked, jumping to his feet in an instant in order to take up a defensive stance. "How could you let a Vongola in h--" Tsuna broke off in surprise as he started to topple over. The weakness hit before he was even aware of it. Even worse, there was nothing he could do to catch himself. His body wasn't working right. The room started to spin and his arms and legs refused to respond properly. Gigi lurched in place to catch him, but someone entirely different beat her to it. Two strong hands grabbed his shoulders to hold him upright before he could fall. He felt the surge of warmth pass over him again, making him even more dizzy.

The surge of warmth was what made him shove the bastard away before he even got his feet under him.

"Don't touch me, Vongola scum," he spat while he stumbled to keep himself from falling again.

"Laz!" Gigi scolded in surprise. "He was just trying to help you!"

"I didn't ask him to," he snarled without looking at the man behind him. "I don't owe him anything. Have you forgotten, Gigi? Vongola are the bastards who ruined my life. I'd rather die than accept help from one. Get him out of here."

"But Papa Paolo said--"

"I don't give a fuck what Papa Paolo said!" He roared in anger. "Get this--" Tsuna froze in the middle of pointing at the Vongola in question, finally seeing his face clearly. Mate. "X-Xan.. xus..." Shaking his head in effort to knock his shock away, the strangest notion floated into his mind. "You can't have your money back," he blurted before he could think. Xanxus' eyes bulged at the words while Tsuna felt all the blood rush to his face. "I-I mean... uh... um... Gigi... Why's he in my bedroom? No! I mean--! Get out!" Bingo, he thought. That's what he should be saying. "Out! Uh...Yeah! Just get out! If you're Vongola, then... um... You're an enemy... and...uh..."

"You can stop trying so hard, sweet-cheeks," Gigi advised with her amusement plain in her voice. Tsuna froze once more while she hugged him from behind to comfort him. "I think he gets the point. You hate Vongola. He's not a Vongola anymore, though. He's turned traitor and come over to join us. He's under Papa Paolo's protection now and we've been assigned to take care of him and his friends."

"We don't have room," Tsuna growled.

"Autumn's moved into a facility with her Knights," she countered. Tsuna paused at the statement. "That's right," Gigi continued, openly enjoying every minute of teasing Tsuna. "Your choice is between living with the devil woman or living with Xanxus."

"Alright," Tsuna grumbled. "But I don't trust him and I don't want him in my room. Papa Paolo might say that he's okay, but I have the right to reserve judgment. If I catch him up here, I'll kill him instead of asking questions."

"Why don't you get dressed and come downstairs for some cocoa?" Gigi suggested to change the subject once he was grudgingly willing to let Xanxus stay. Once more, Tsuna felt the blood rush to his face when he saw Xanxus glance down in remembrance that Tsuna was wearing nothing but his underwear. There was a light of desire in his glance that only took Tsuna a millisecond to respond to.

"OUT!" Tsuna roared as he pulled his hammer out in determination that he'd judge Xanxus guilty no matter how damned small the Justice hammer got. Predictably, Gigi grabbed his arms to keep him from swinging, but the threat sent Xanxus running out of the room. "That bastard!" Tsuna shouted in anger. "If he ever looks at me like that a--" With a groan, he was once again reminded that he wasn't fully healed yet. Gigi stopped her teasing long enough to keep him from falling over and helped him over to the bed that was littered with fragments of Xanxus' torn shirt.

"Take it easy," Gigi murmured in worry. "It's still too early for you to be moving around. Poppet supposedly fixed your major injuries, but you looked half dead when they brought you home."

"Poppet did?" Tsuna asked in surprise and his own worry. "I-I didn't--"

"You didn't bite her," she soothed. "Autumn said that she has some kind of healing ability of her own. She's been worried sick that she didn't do it right because of how long you've been sleeping. You've been out for almost a week now."

"Did I miss Christmas?" He inquired softly.

"Almost," she smiled as she looked through his drawers for a fresh set of clothes for him. "It becomes Christmas Eve in an hour. I've been doing my best while you've been asleep, but I have to admit that I'm glad that you're awake. It's been crazy trying to--"

"Aren't you mad at me?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Yes," she snapped almost immediately. Tsuna flinched at the bite in her voice when she slammed his clothes drawer shut, but he couldn't blame her. He'd attacked her without any warning and had broken her trust. Even if it was on purpose-- "Why didn't you get some of us to come as back-up?!" She spat, throwing his clothes at him in anger. Tsuna froze with his shirt on his head and his jaw in his lap. "You didn't even tell us that you were running off to fight someone! We had to find out when they brought you back in pieces! Don't you know how upset I was that you didn't trust us?!"

"You're not mad about what happened at the storage place?" Tsuna asked in disbelief while he yanked the shirt off of his head. Once more, he flinched. This time was due to the slap that hit his cheek.

"Are you happy?" Gigi asked as she crossed her arms. "Poe's already explained what you were trying to do and I got the point. I won't be so careless in the future and that was your punishment for making me cry. Can we forget that it happened now?"

"How can you forgive me so easily?" He asked, bowing his head in the pain-filled belief that she didn't understand any of what he'd been trying to get across to her. "I'm different from you, Gigi. I--" His eyes widened in surprise when Gigi shut him up with a kiss. He became even more surprised when he became pinned to the bed with a knee forcibly rubbing the area of his crotch that he'd been trying to forget existed. "Wha--?" He gasped, breaking off the kiss.

"If I can't turn my back on you, then you can't turn your back on me," Gigi answered with a small smirk that softened into a sympathetic smile when Tsuna continued to stare up at her in complete confusion. "I've always loved you, you fool," she murmured as she fell down against his chest in defeat. "I know that you won't accept my feelings. I've come to terms with that and I'm happy with Danny. I still care about you, though, and it hurts when you try to push me away."

"It's dangerous to get close to me," he mumbled, relaxing slightly once Gigi wasn't trying to seduce him anymore. Reaching up, he absently ran his fingers through her long wig as if it was really her hair. "It's safer for you to hate me."

"But, I'd kill you if you made me hate you," Gigi objected bluntly, making Tsuna freeze in wonder at the honesty in her tone. "I get really jealous when I can't have something that I want. I'm fine as long as I can at least have you as a friend, but I don't think I could take it if--"

"I got it," Tsuna said with a small chuckle at how she was attempting to manipulate him. "I won't try to push you away anymore, but you've got to promise me that you'll be more careful. I stop recognizing people when I get hungry. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt a precious friend because of it."

"I won't let you hurt me," she promised.

"Good," he smiled while he tried to control the throbbing in his pants. "In that case, why don't you go see if Neve's up for some... ahem... lessons."

"Lessons?" Gigi repeated, lifting her head in order to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Tsuna smiled even wider and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"I'm horny. I'm injured. I'm hungry. Neve can fix all three at once and I'll probably hurt you _a lot _if you stick around any longer."

"Oh."

* * *

"Are you not going to go downstairs?" Neve asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Tsuna shook his head and continued to quietly smoke on his balcony without moving far enough out on it that the people downstairs would notice his presence. Even though it was past midnight, almost everyone was still awake. From the looks of it, Xanxus had made himself right at home. He'd insinuated himself so far that he was even using the kitchen without a single cross word being said from Cassandra.

He didn't like it. He'd worked hard to build his life away from Vongola and here he was being forced to live with a Vongola again. It was like Reborn all over again. He wanted to go down and tell the bastard to leave, but Gigi had already weaseled him into agreement to let Xanxus stay. Silly Gigi. She was probably so star struck with the real Excaliber living with them that she'd completely forgotten how dangerous it was to have him around. One slip of the tongue would be all it took to let Vongola know that he was Tsuna.

He refused to go back.

It was tempting to jump down and kill him. All of his problems would disappear that way. There was only one thing standing in his way.

"I still can't believe that you're Foo Foo," Danny commented from where he was lounging on the couch with Gigi in his arms. "I expected someone a lot different."

"I can understand," Xanxus replied from the kitchen with a strained note in his voice. "I wasn't expecting Boo Boo to be Suoh. I thought he was dead."

"Don't call him that," three people warned at once.

"Why not?" Xanxus asked in surprise. "Isn't that his first name?"

"He dropped it after Snicker died," Gigi answered for the group. "He gets upset when people call him that now."

"Snicker," Xanxus mumbled in thought while he returned to the living room with the popcorn that they'd paused the movie for. "Is that Joshua?"

"Yeah," Ore confirmed. "Laz was the only one that used his real name. Those two were outrageously cl--" Turning away, Tsuna slammed the balcony door closed so that he wouldn't have to listen to his friends detailing his life to a damned Vongola spy. He refused to believe that Xanxus was anything else. He wanted to tell his friends not to trust him, but he had no proof to back up his claims. He didn't want to come off as a dictator to his friends, either. They were all free people. They could talk to whoever they wanted.

"I'm going out for a while," Tsuna murmured as he threw his clothes on and grabbed his jacket. "Feel free to sleep on the bed, but don't expect me back anytime soon."

"I won't wait up," Neve promised with a small smile, once more crawling across his bed in order to sprawl across it in a seductive way. Leaning down, he gave her a kiss before leaving in order to wipe away the last of the lingering taste of Xanxus' skin. In determination, he headed downstairs to get himself something to eat before he left. He knew that he could get something to eat at the round-the-clock cafe that was down the street from Kink's, but he wasn't going to run away. This was his home and he wasn't going to let Xanxus run him out of it. Silence descended while he rummaged through the fridge for something that wasn't the early preparations for Christmas Eve dinner.

"Cassandra," he called in growing irritation. "What's safe to eat in here?"

"Take whatever you want," she answered quietly. From the range of her voice, he could tell that she'd joined him in the kitchen, but he refused to pull his head out of the refrigerator. He couldn't when the air of the cathedral was permeated with the scent of--

Sniffing carefully, he caught a scent that definitely wasn't Xanxus'. It smelled familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Xanxus' aroma was strong, but this one seemed slightly stronger. There was a tang to it that didn't mark it as human, though.

"Have you been cooking with ginger?" Tsuna asked, looking through the fridge more carefully in hopes of tracking down the strange smell.

"G-Ginger?" Cassandra repeated hesitantly. "You already know about Ginger?"

"Why wouldn't I know?" He asked in confusion, finally pulling his head out of the fridge. "It's a spice."

"Ooh," Cassandra gasped in surprise. "You meant that kind of ginger!"

"What other kind would I be talking about?" Tsuna asked. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the source of the smell walked out of the bathroom and only one thought entered Tsuna's mind. "Werewolves can't shape change. Wait--" Walking over to the beast-man, Tsuna sniffed experimentally once he was in closer range of the panicked creature. "You're not a werewolf," he corrected in confusion. "Your smell is all wrong. What are you?"

"A tanuki," he answered in surprise. Almost immediately, his clawed hands went over his mouth as if he had spoken when he shouldn't have.

"Damnit, Ginger!" Xanxus roared, leaping out of his seat in order to run toward the beast. Ginger darted away while Tsuna stood in shock over a tanuki being real. "I told you not to talk!"

"I'm sorry!" Ginger exclaimed as he continued to run from Xanxus. "It slipped out! I didn't mean to! It's just natural to respond when someone asks a question!"

"Stop chasing him, Xanxus!" A new, female voice interrupted. The blood drained out of Tsuna's face as he slowly turned to see the round centerpiece on the coffee table lift up and begin chasing Xanxus in turn. He knew that voice. That voice was something that he could never forget. That was the voice of the person who'd told him everything.

"Are you okay, Laz?" Gigi asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," he lied as he put up a false smile to cover his uneasiness. "I'll get something to eat at the all night Bar and Grill so that I don't take anything meant for tomorrow. After that, I think I'll go to Mike's before I go keep my promise to Charles. Do me a favor and let Veronica know that I need a schedule set up for tomorrow. You can fill me in on what I missed over breakfast, so get some sleep."

"What about...?" Gigi prompted with a glance toward where Xanxus was digging his knuckles into Ginger's head and the hoverbot was occasionally giving him an electrical zap to make him stop.

"What about them?" He asked with another false smile. "Papa Paolo assigned us to protect them, so we'll answer his request. As soon as I have proof that they're spies, I'll dispose of them all. Try not to get too attached to them before then."

"L-Laz...?" Gigi gaped in shock for his cold bluntness.

"This is the life I built with Snicker," he replied quietly with his smile faltering. "I'm not going to let some Vongola come in and take it away."

"He's not like you think," she exclaimed in a pleading voice. "Give him a chance, Laz! He turned on his Family to protect you! Doesn't that--"

"No one asked him to," Tsuna interrupted coldly. "I'm not falling for it like you are, Gigi. Vongola finds out about Foo Foo and then a Vongola just so happens to show up claiming to be him? All I see is a pathetic attempt at planting a spy. That's probably why Papa Paolo put him with me. He knows that I'm not about to trust a Vongola and I'm far enough outside of their normal business that he won't be able to listen in to any slips that his people might make. Get your head out of the clouds, Gigi. I'm not Tsuna and I'm not going to trust that piece of shit just because he took pictures with Tsuna--"

"Did you hear that, Xanxus?!" Ginger barked in joy from where the three had been quietly listening in. "We told you that Boo Boo wouldn't do the things that they said that he would!"

"That's right!" The hoverbot agree with her boosters twirling her in place like a happy child. "It's true that Boo Boo looks like Tsuna, but he's not trying to take his place like Gokudera said! He just said so himself! Aren't you glad that you trusted us?"

"Yeah," Xanxus agreed, bowing his head with a soft smile floating across his face. "I think I knew before, but it's nice to hear it coming out of him. Oi. Boo Boo," he added, lifting his head up to look at Tsuna. "I'll be honest. I did plan to kill you when I came here. Gabriel's done a good job of making everyone in Vongola hate you. We... They... They've had a lot of fakes trying to weasel their way into taking Tsuna's place in the past. I promised myself that I'd kill you because I thought you were one of them. I can't blame you for not trusting me, but I'm... I'm glad that you're different from what I was told."

"Nice speech," Tsuna replied tonelessly. "I'll still blow your brains out if you give me a reason to."

"Laz!" Gigi exclaimed while the rest of his friends gaped.

"It's alright," Xanxus said with a bark of laughter for the response. "I'm not expecting him to accept that I'm Foo Foo. To tell you the truth, it makes me happier that he hates me. If he'd thrown himself in my arms, I would have had to kill him. I was tempted to upstairs."

"That won't happen again," Tsuna snarled with his eye twitching in anger over how his instincts had gotten the better of him. "Gigi, fill him in on the rules. If he's going to be living here, I don't want him stepping on any toes. See what you can do about finding some work for him, too. No one gets a free ride."

"O-Okay," she agreed in surprise for the flurry of orders.

"I'll be back later," he added before sending up a sharp whistle to where Jewel was nesting up in the rafters. Holding out a hand, he let the scarab land so that she could scramble up his arm and into his warm jacket. As soon as she was in place, he left the building without looking back.


	71. Chapter 71 Hello

Keeping his smile plastered on his face, he tried to ignore the stares. He could have easily shot Autumn for dragging him to such an event without any warning, but the witch would have probably shrugged it off and continued what she was doing. She even had the gall to tell him that it was his fault that he had no warning, as if he'd had a choice about sleeping for most of a week.

At least the food was decent.

"Lazarus," one of Papa Paolo's rich politician friends called across the overdressed dinner table with an amused gleam in his eye. Tsuna looked straight at him, ignoring how both Autumn and Papa Paolo stiffened. It was the first time anyone had spoken directly to him since they'd sat down to dinner. "Judge Erodes was telling me that you were quite the comedian at the last banquet that you attended." Tsuna simply stared at him for a moment, knowing exactly which jokes he was talking about. He was speaking of the embarrassing situation that Isaac had caused by taking advantage of his first foray into formal dining.

"I tried," he replied while forcibly keeping his temper in check. "Unfortunately, I fear that I was underestimated. Rather than laugh at the joke, my seatmates believed that I was being naive and reserved their laughter in hopes of not insulting me. It led to a very amusing situation to see who could hold their laughter the longest. I do believe that Judge Erodes was the first to run to the bathroom when I gave a nudge over dessert."

"It was intentional?" Judge Erodes choked while both Autumn and Papa Paolo tried to cover their looks of confused disbelief. Both of them looked like they couldn't believe their ears and everyone else at the table was falling straight into his hands.

"As I said," Tsuna continued with an absent gesture to point out how Judge Erodes was confirming his lie, "I was underestimated by a great deal. It's a pity that you weren't present to witness the game."

"You had us all fooled," Mayor Winslet admitted, raising her glass toward Tsuna to give him credit. "I noticed that you're still using your salad fork, however."

"Ah," Tsuna agreed with a grin. Reaching out, he held up the correct fork for the fish course. "I should be using this one, correct?"

"Correct," the woman smiled in amusement. The amusement faltered when Tsuna bent the fork in half with his thumb.

"Unfortunately, it's broken," he explained with his smile still in place. Silence descended around the table while Autumn's and several other sets of eyes bulged in shock. Papa Paolo's reaction was very different, however. The round man snorted into his wine-glass in effort to hold back his laughter. Michael Schmidt's was no different, going so far as to laugh openly.

"You're too much for me at times, Lazarus," Michael exclaimed with a twinkle in his eyes as Tsuna tossed the bent fork to the side. "You act like a thug at times, but I know that you have a sharp mind."

"That's what my teacher in prison said," he replied in an attempt to hold up his end of the conversation. "He was very disappointed that I refused to go after a Master's Degree."

"Oh?" Sheriff Mackenzie prompted in curiosity as the fish course was pulled away. "And why is that?"

"Because I have no need of one," he shrugged. "Before I left prison, I already had enough useless pieces of paper. There's no need to put energy into getting more."

"In the last few months of his stay in prison," Papa Paolo supplied with a small smile, "Lazarus took enough tests to receive thirty-six Bachelor's Degrees. From what his educational councilor told me, his IQ was a hundred and ninety three when he entered. A second test before he left put it well over two hundred."

"Pretty good for a man who wasn't smart enough to stay out of prison in the first place," the Sheriff commented with a mocking smirk.

"I believe that should be a tribute to the quality of your law enforcement officers," Tsuna replied with a dangerous smile. The Sheriff glared, knowing just as well as Tsuna did that the only reason he'd been caught had been because he'd turned himself in.

"Which Degrees did you get, Lazarus?" Michael asked in effort to tilt the subject in a different direction.

"A little of everything," he answered with another modest shrug. "I would have gotten more, but several of them required service hours. The only ones I really cared about were the ones in Language studies. The rest are ones that Peter-sensei got me by overlapping the credits that I received for the language courses with other course requirements."

"Lazarus is a very skillful translator," Papa Paolo added with a gleam of pride showing. "He knows over a dozen languages."

"The last count was twenty-six," Tsuna supplied before quietly and carefully turning to his new plate of food. Over the rest of the course, he only spoke when spoken to. When he did speak, he chose his words carefully in hopes of making Papa Paolo proud of him again. The topics seemed pretty random to him, but it didn't take long to see that he was being tested. He'd surprised them all over how he'd covered his lapse at the previous dinner party. He wanted to say that he amazed them with his knowledge of wines and politics. The truth was that he was ignorant of both and barely managed to sneak by with comments that left everyone guessing. No one could tell if he was being modest because he knew too much or if he was answering in a fashion that hid his lack of knowledge.

To keep that pretense, he kept his comments low-key when the topics slipped into areas that he was familiar with. The result was that he ate the latter half of his meal in silence when everyone simply decided that he was smart enough to understand the conversation, but not stupid enough to give them things to mock. On the other hand, Isaac proved himself capable as Autumn's Right Hand. As the only other Knight who'd been invited to the exclusive dinner party, he fulfilled all the requirements of a real gentleman. He was knowledgeable in all the arts of snobbery and spoiled selfishness.

But all good things must come to an end and it was when the main course was brought that he finally felt his temper snap over the conversation.

"How's your work with the city's renewal plan coming, Mayor?" Autumn asked innocently.

"Just fine," she smiled in return. "There's some difficulty since the homeless continue to rebuild the trash heaps, but property values in the upper north side have increased dramatically. The real problem is the lower east side. No matter how often we send the work crews through, they refuse to clear out. We've sent volunteers through to try to negotiate to get them to move out of the area, but they continue to gather around the overp--"

"Laz?" Autumn gaped when he abruptly stood.

"Don't worry about me," he replied with a false smile firmly in place. "Please continue. I'll return in a moment. I just remembered something of importance."

"Did you make a mess?" Papa Paolo asked pointedly.

"Not yet," he answered. "You might want to warn the maid."

"I'll have her on call," he grimaced with a small nod of acceptance for whatever Tsuna might choose to do. Tsuna bowed his head slightly in apology as he pushed his chair in and headed for the door. It was a mess that he felt needed to be made, however. The fact that it was Christmas Eve was meaningless. For these people, who valued their work and ties of status more than the people that they had at home, he would have no mercy. These people had a choice to be with their families and they were making the wrong choice by coming to a meaningless dinner party. They didn't deserve to have a pleasant meal.

As soon as he was outside the restaurant and into the hotel lobby, he dialed Gigi's number while lighting a cigarette to relax himself. He yanked on his collar slightly while he was at it, trying to get some air into the money-suit that Autumn had forced him to wear. The concierge started to walk toward him to tell him that smoking wasn't permitted, but a single glare sent him back-tracking.

"Laz?" Gigi asked as soon as the call was answered. She was practically yelling in order to be heard over the music and laughter of the Orange Dragon's own Christmas Eve party.

"It's me," he confirmed as he collapsed into one of the lobby's ornate couches.

"Did the party end early?"

"No. I need a favor. Is Sergeant there?"

"He's here. I think he's in the middle of telling another war story."

"Ask him if he wants to have dinner with the Mayor. Tell him that the topic is on the City Renewal Project."

"Are you talking about those bastards that cleared out all the homeless from Ninth Street a few days ago?"

"That's them."

"Hold on. Sergeant! Laz wants to know if you want to tell off the Mayor for destroying the shelters on Ninth Street!"

"Hell yes! Those sonuvbitches--"

"He says yes," Gigi translated while Sergeant started cursing up a storm in the background.

"Tell him that he's got to be polite or else they won't hear him out," Tsuna chuckled. "Put him in a taxi and send him over in what he's wearing. I'll be waiting for him in the lobby."

"I have a feeling that you're going to be home earlier than expected," Gigi laughed.

"Here's hoping," Tsuna sighed.

* * *

Tsuna smiled to himself while he enjoyed his cigarette and his wine from the private booth that was within hearing distance of Papa Paolo's table. He could imagine everyone's faces. They were probably still like the expressions that had appeared when Tsuna had pushed Sergeant into his seat before walking off without saying a word.

After Sergeant quickly introduced himself, he'd dominated the table. Everyone's voices had become hesitant and unsure as the man bluntly told them the shortcomings of all of their so-called public works. The first shortcoming that he'd thrown in their faces were the fact that they were trying to run off the homeless without giving them any place to run to. All the city had been doing was to tear down their homes and prove time and time again that they were worthless in the eyes of those who had the privilege of jobs. He'd also bluntly told them that the problem would never go away. Until there were more social workers than homeless, there was no way possible for the city to keep up. Currently, for every person that the city actually helped out of the gutter, two more fell from grace. Taking away their homes wasn't any way to make them believe that there was hope for their futures.

"I'll admit that I didn't think about it before," the Mayor commented quietly. "My advisors all told me that there were plenty of charity works in place that the homeless had places to go. They were just refusing to use them out of pride. I was informed that, by taking away their shelters, they'd be forced to throw away their pride and actually get help."

"That'd be true enough," Sergeant agreed grudgingly. "There's plenty of places to go, but the problem is that it'd be all temporary help. They'll set you right for a few days, but you're still left with nowhere to go in the end. The biggest piece of baloney is that a lot of the charity that's out there is for people that haven't hit bottom yet. Food stamps are great and all, but you got to have an address to get them. You've even got to have a home to get the vouchers from the city to get food from the churches. I get that you're scared of helping people that aren't here legal-like, but you're killing guys like me to protect yourself."

"What do you suggest?" Michael asked when Sergeant once more fell silent in his tirade.

"How the hell should I know?" He finally spluttered. "It's not my job to figure it out, just like it isn't my job to figure out how you guys can help homeless guys find jobs without having homes! Boss Laz just told me that I could tell you all the shit that you been doing wrong! If I were in your place, I'd say to hell with the advisors that you got, though. Go out and hire a few bums if you want to know if what you're doing is something that would actually help them! I got me a job now! All I know is that you lot need to stop sitting around, wasting money on fancy dinner parties and go eat a can of beans! Look at all this food you got! How much does one of these plates cost?"

"It's around fifty dollars a plate," Isaac answered with a warning growl in his voice.

"F-Fifty--! Fifty bucks a plate?!" Sergeant exclaimed on the top of his lungs, gaining the attention of the rest of the restaurant. "We already went through three plates each! That's a hundred and fifty bucks times... times all you people here! I could live a month on just the price of what I ate! Hell! I've probably lived half a year on that much!" Smiling to himself, Tsuna finally decided to stand and walk around to the table. As he hoped, there was guilt and embarrassment on the faces of everyone at the table. A few had outrage in their expression, proving that they believed themselves to be fully worthy of such expensive meals. However, just as he expected, Papa Paolo was sitting at the head with a sad smile of understanding.

"How was it?" Tsuna asked, throwing his arm over Sergeant's shoulder despite the rag-tag nature of what he'd dressed in. Sergeant was one of the few that had adamantly refused to accept the suits that he'd offered in determination that he'd buy his own clothes once he earned the money for them.

"Boss!" Sergeant spluttered. "They gave me a--"

"I heard," he smiled. "How much does your cheapest meal cost?"

"Twenty-six cents," he answered promptly. "That's a cup of ramen, though. If I want meat, it's ninety-three cents for a can of chili or some cold hot dogs."

"And how much for something to drink?"

"That's free," he answered in confusion for the questions. "I used to get my water from the water faucet in the library bathroom."

"What about fruits and vegetables?"

"You know the answer to that, Boss," he grimaced. "I heard that you used to live on the streets."

"Unless you get a nice cash drop, the trash," he supplied with a nod of confirmation. "And dessert is a rich man's luxury."

"That's right, Boss."

Tsuna smiled and pulled out his wallet. In two seconds, he had fifty dollars out and handed it over to his confused subordinate.

"There you go," Tsuna smiled, looking around at all the poleaxed expressions at the table. "I'm skipping dessert," he explained.

"I think I will, too," Papa Paolo added, pulling out his wallet as he stood. Several people gaped, including Autumn, as the man handed Sergeant fifty dollars before heading out the door. He was a smart man in that way, catching onto Tsuna's game almost immediately and getting out before things could get any messier. "Pass that along so that someone can eat for a month."

"If anyone else wants to donate," Tsuna prompted with a dangerous smile, "I'll make sure that the price of your dessert goes to someone that can use it."

* * *

"Are you listening to me?!" Autumn shouted as she continued to follow him. Tsuna continued to ignore her, going so far as to dig earwax out of his ear as if something was buzzing in it. She'd been yelling at him since the hotel. It'd been cute when he'd put Sergeant in a cab and had taken a separate one to the underpass. It'd been amusing when he handed out twenties to bums trying to stay warm around fire barrels since everyone who received a twenty from a man being yelled at had suddenly believed that someone had worse problems than they did. It was starting to wear thin, though. He was almost home and she was still continuing to rant at him with occasional swings of her purse to ensure that he was paying attention.

By the time he almost reached home, there was a dead look in his eyes from having to listen to her for sixteen blocks straight. He'd undone his bowtie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, but it still felt as if she was strangling the life out of him.

"If I'd known that you were going to blatantly ruin the event, I wouldn't have invited you!" She exclaimed in anger. "Do you know how much trouble I'm going to be in because of your little stunt? That was the Mayor and the Sheriff that you just solicited your so-called donations from! You--"

Once more, Tsuna completely tuned her out. He didn't tune out her purse, however. He knew from experience that it packed a punch when it actually hit something. She wasn't swinging with enough force that he couldn't dodge, but he could feel her anger in the numerous close calls.

Lighting himself a cigarette, he pushed open the doors of the Dojo and entered. As expected, Autumn continued to follow him. There was a party raging inside, but the noise died down as soon as Autumn's shrill voice reached the ears of the Dragons. Ducking his head, he exited out of the garage and into the cathedral with Autumn _still _following. It was as if she wasn't even paying attention to where he was going. She'd set her focus and she wasn't going to let him go until he regretted what he'd done. Unfortunately for her, that was something that would never happen.

His friends gaped at his entrance with Autumn on his heels. Those that knew Autumn forced everyone back when she swung her purse yet again. For the sake of not letting any of his guests get hit, he caught it this time and dropped it on the ground instead of simply dodging. The weight inside caused a heavy thud when it hit the ground that was completely ignored in the face of Autumn's angry shouts. It was one comment, though. A single comment that she made as she chased him up the spiraling stairs to his room that finally made him stop.

"And, to think, this is how you repay me after I pitied you!" Autumn yelled before summarily ramming into his back when he abruptly stopped on the stairs. He heard a swift intake of breath from his listening friends who all knew that pity was one thing that Tsuna resented more than anything.

"Did I ask for pity?" Tsuna asked in dangerous calm, turning to stare down at Autumn with his rage barely held back. "Let's get something straight. You're the one that dragged me to a party that I didn't even want to go to," he growled, slowly pushing Autumn down step after step as he advanced back down the stairs. "Did you think that I'd actually enjoy sitting down to that poor excuse of a fucking pissing contest? Or maybe you hoped that I'd be the entertainment again? If that's what you snobs do for fun, then I'd rather go eat in the sewers. At least then, I'll know that it's horseshit that I have to swallow. Did you think that I was just going to sit quietly while that shitty excuse of a Mayor talked as if the homeless were a fucking rodent problem? Did you learn nothing while you were on the street or has your head swollen so much from luxury that you've forgotten the reason that you worked as a whore? No! Let me guess! You're so worried about your fucking reputation that you pissed your pants when you thought that maybe... MAYBE... it was worth it to sacrifice a little to actually do something that was right for once! You're nothing more than a selfish, arrogant, haughty, egotistical, conceited, _spoiled bitch_!"

Autumn pulled back for a moment before Tsuna saw her temper finally snap in return.

"Oh! That's saying a lot coming from a delinquent that doesn't know how to do anything but hustle people! If I'm a spoiled bitch, then you're nothing more than a simpleton that's so full of hot air that you could supply a Zeppelin for a year! No! Let _me _guess! That's why you fuck anything that presents itself. It's not that you're horny, it's just a safety valve to release all the hot air in your head! Thank goodness there isn't any sheep around or else you'd probably fuck those, too, and then sell the wool for blankets! You're nothing more than an ungrateful, low-life, simple-minded, two-faced, trouble-making opportunist bastard of a miscreant, swindling, immoral, shameless, _degenerate jackass_!"

"Shrew," Tsuna snarled with a gleam of amusement surfacing despite himself.

"Prick," she retorted while she tried to hold back her own smile. Her face was flush from all of her yelling, but she looked satisfied.

"Feel better?"

"A little," she admitted.

"If you're done yelling at me like a nagging housewife on steroids, you can either put out or get out," he replied as he once more started climbing the stairs to his bedroom. "I'm not going to regret what I did. People are going to eat tonight because of it and none of those assholes are going to die over not getting dessert."

"The full meal was paid for in advance by Daddy," she called up to him in a sing-song voice. He froze, looking down at her with his jaw dropping open despite her smirk of victory. Check and mate. "No one was supposed to pay a single red cent for any of the dinner. It's true that we got stuff that's normally fifty dollars a plate, but we made a deal with the hotel. What you got out of them wasn't the price of their dessert, Laz. You took money that they weren't planning to spend."

"Shit," he groaned sheepishly. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"Because we have our reputation to think about," she replied. "To get things done, we've got to be able to interact with high society people even when we're not. It looks better for us if everyone thinks that we shelled out a couple grand for a stupid dinner. That's why Daddy gave in to your demands first. He couldn't let any of them know that the meal they were getting was really left-overs. If he gave you fifty bucks first, no one else could try to say that the meal wasn't as expensive as we were pretending. You might accuse me of being arrogant and selfish, but I'm not as stupid as you think."

"I'll give you and Papa Paolo back your money," he grumbled in way of an apology. Scratching his head, he tried to figure out how to cover for his lapse. "The rest of them can go to hell. Fifty bucks isn't going to kill any of them."

"And what are you going to do to make up for causing a scene?" Autumn prompted with her arms crossed over her chest. Tsuna groaned and let his head fall in defeat. She had him and they both knew it.

"Alright," he mumbled as he headed up the stairs to his room in hopes of getting away. "You win."

"What was that?!" She called up after him.

"I said that you win!" He shouted back when he reached his door. "I'll go to the damn Christmas party tomorrow, but I'm only staying for an hour!" Slamming his door shut before she could respond, he walked over to his bed and collapsed across it. He felt completely drained and slightly disappointed. All they ever asked him to do was to show his face at parties. He wanted to be more useful than tha--

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to walk away before a discussion is finished?" Autumn exclaimed loudly, barging into his room before slamming the door shut behind her. Sitting up on his elbows, he stared at her as if she were insane for still following him.

"Didn't anyone teach you to knock?!" He spluttered in return as she advanced on him. "I could have been changing!"

"That could have been interesting," she grinned, leaning over him in a way that could only be considered suggestive. He paused for a moment while she spouted some nonsense about having followed him upstairs to find out what time he'd show to the party. Her body language and her words weren't matching up again.

"You're a cruel woman," he interrupted quietly when he finally figured out what she really wanted from him. Her lips parted slightly in shock when he reached out to give it to her. All it took was a slight lunge and a twist of his hips in order to pin her on the bed next to where he'd been sitting. She went almost too willingly. "If this was all you wanted," he mumbled as he hovered over her lips, "then you could have skipped the bitching."

"Wait," she gasped before he could silence her. As ordered, he paused. "I can't do this, Laz. I--"

"Oh, right," he mocked with his eyes rolling. "You've got a fiancé. I'm surprised that I didn't see him at dinner. If that's all, then--"

"No!" She gasped, shoving him away entirely in order to jump to her feet. "I'm not worried about him!" She panted. "It's you! I didn't know before, but I know now why you're doing this and I won't use you like that!"

"Why?" He asked bluntly, making her freeze where she stood. Standing, he walked over to her and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist. "Doesn't it feel good to have someone to hold you?" He whispered in her ear. "I know how cold it is to be alone and you don't have to suffer. It's not like you're forcing me to do anything. I'm offering it to you. Isn't it your policy to take everything that a man has to offer and then move on? This is no different."

"I don't--" she replied in confusion.

"Stop thinking so much," he ordered as he leaned down to kiss along the base of her neck. "It can be fun to make a mess sometimes."

* * *

"Uncle Laz! Uncle Laz! Uncle Laz!" Houston squealed as he jumped on Tsuna in excitement. Tsuna went from fully asleep to fully awake in the same time that it took for a pajama covered knee to ram into his stomach. "Look what Santa brought me!" He exclaimed, holding out the action figure that Tsuna had gotten off of Michael Schmidt.

"Wonderful," he grunted tiredly. "I'm glad that you're happy, but Uncle Laz is still sleepy. Show it to me later."

"You can't!" Houston whined when Tsuna laid back down to go back to sleep. "Aunt Gigi said that I can't open any more presents until you come downstairs! Tell him to wake up, Miss Autumn!"

Tsuna bolted up in bed in order to stare at where Autumn was trying to hide under the blankets. He blushed brightly for her sake, knowing that she was probably just as naked as he was.

"Houston," he snapped while trying to figure out why Autumn was still in his bed. "Go downstairs. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay!" He agreed in glee. "I'll tell Aunt Cassy to make Miss Autumn some breakfast, too!" Tsuna choked and lurched out of bed to stop him, but he was gone before Tsuna could even get himself untangled from the blankets.

"Breakfast," Autumn groaned when she sat up behind him. Tsuna turned and looked at her, knowing that he'd just earned his first grey hair. It was right there on the left side, sticking out next to the other frazzled bits that were poking out. "I was supposed to be at breakfast with the Family ten minutes ago," she added as she lurched out of bed and started gathering her clothes. "Isaac's probably worried sick that I didn't go home last night. Damnit! This is all your fault! I told you not to let me fall asleep!"

"You think I wanted to fall asleep?!" He snapped in his own anger. "I missed the whole party last night because of you!"

"Cry me a river," she spat as she yanked her clothes on. Tsuna followed suit, pulling out a fresh pair of underwear and a pair of loose pajama pants to cover himself in case someone else might decide to barge into his room. He was surprised when she pulled back her grouchiness long enough to give him a kiss that did nothing to ease his morning stiffness. "You weren't bad," she commented softly while he stared in utter confusion. A slow smile spread across his face when he realized what she meant. He'd actually won a round against her, but she didn't want to admit it.

"Get out of here before they come looking for you," he chuckled, smacking her rear to propel her to the side door. "I don't want Papa Paolo sending men after me for screwing his daughter."

"No, you don't," she agreed while she slipped her heels back on. "I heard the last one of his men that I was with had his balls cut off and dipped in silver. Daddy gave back to him as a birthday present and none of his guys would flirt with me after that. But I wouldn't worry too much. That was back when I was sixteen and Daddy was still over protective. I don't think he'd do that anymore."

"If that's a joke, I'm not laughing," Tsuna replied while shielding his assets from even the thought of revenge. "Remind me to never sleep with you again."

"Daddy wouldn't do that to you," she laughed in open amusement for his pale face. "Even if he found out, I think he'd approve. You're one of the few that he actually likes. My fiancé is more of a problem than Daddy, though. He's been really possessive lately. Shit! I got to go! Remember your promise about the party later!"

Tsuna stared in shock as she flew out the side door before he could respond. It was as if a whirlwind had blown through the place, leaving the door to swing itself shut in the aftermath. He felt himself grow cold from something far different than the crisp air that swept through the room. He felt himself grow cold from the fact that he didn't feel that she'd lied when she'd said the words 'my fiancé'. He didn't know what had changed since the last time that they'd been together, but there was a measure of truth to the engagement now.

It didn't matter, he decided instantly. As long as she used him in some way, he wouldn't question. He'd decided that before, when he'd been unsure of whether she was lying about it or not. Knowing the truth changed nothing.

"Laz?" Gigi called cautiously through the gap from where the door to his room hadn't shut all the way by Houston.

"It's safe," he answered quietly. "She already left."

"Do I--" Gigi froze two steps inside the door and openly reconsidered her plan to tease him when she saw his expression. He was tired. His eyes were bloodshot from having his nerves strung out. Autumn's thoughtless and cruel commentary hadn't helped by leaving him with a strange combination of sadness, worry, and unhappiness. "You look like hell, sweet-cheeks," she commented in sympathy. "If I'd known that you were going to be like this, I wouldn't have let Houston come up. I would have let you sleep in."

"Don't worry about it," he soothed with an absent wave of his hand. "She would have bitched at me even more if we had woken up later. I'll be fine after I take a shower."

"Um..."

"What?" He prompted while he trudged out of his bedroom like a half-dead zombie.

"There's people already in there," she grimaced, following him down the stairs. "They're trying to get rid of their hangovers."

"Are they guys?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then I don't care," he grumbled. Before Gigi could give him anymore of a headache, Houston caught her attention by begging to unwrap the gifts under the tree that was next to his stairwell. From the looks of it, Michael and Erin had made their deliveries on Christmas Eve, just like Tsuna had asked. The stage was covered in wrapped gifts and Tsuna didn't doubt that the Dragons were simply waiting on a cue to come over so they could get their own. More than likely, that's what they'd sent Houston over for.

"Good morning," Tsuna greeted upon seeing Ore's head poking through the steam of the Dojo's public bath.

"Good morning, Little Guy," he grinned. He was echoed by what sounded like both Ollie and Eric who were also trying to wash away the lingering effects of the previous night. "You put on one outrageous show last night," he commented as Tsuna tossed his clothes into his personal cubby in exchange for his basket of bathing supplies. Tsuna grunted in reply and took the seat that was vacated so that Eric could jump into the bathtub to relax.

"That's nothing, Big Guy," Eric laughed when Tsuna didn't choose to comment. "You got lucky. If I'd known that she was so hard to live with, I would have went to prison with you guys. Laz is the only one who can stand up to her without losing a chunk of his head."

"No," Tsuna corrected tiredly. "I just get to lose a chunk of my mind instead. You guys didn't see the worst of it. She yelled at me for a good twenty blocks while I was passing out cash drops. She'd already blown off a lot of steam before we got here."

"Ouch," Ollie grimaced in sympathy. "Why do you put up with that bitch?"

For Snicker.

"Because I owe her," he answered honestly. There was stillness for a moment while everyone reflected on the reason that Tsuna owed her. They all knew. They'd all been there. When the law had refused to recognize Tsuna's rights as Snicker's husband, Autumn had worked hard to ensure that he didn't lose anything more than he already had.

"Sorry, man," Ollie said sincerely. "Didn't mean to bring up the past like that."

"It's alright," Tsuna shrugged as the weight of the holidays began to bear down on him. He guessed that he had Autumn to thank for keeping him distracted through Christmas Eve, but Christmas Day was going to be torture. Even with the Dragons around him, the fact was that he was still alone. He had no family. He had no spouse. He had friends, but his friends had their own families to think about. "Hook me up after breakfast and we'll call it even."

"No prob," he replied easily. "I stocked up beforehand. Gotta take the edge off before I go see the family."

Tsuna didn't reply, feeling the depression sapping him even more by simply hearing the word 'family'. He was tired. He'd managed to almost go a year alone and he felt like he was being eaten away from the inside. Keeping himself focused on the tasks in front of him was great and wonderful, but he'd failed. He hadn't proved himself useful. He'd lost to Hibari and Papa Paolo probably only thought he was a liability now. It wasn't enough to show up at parties and allow himself to be toyed with by Autumn. He wasn't paying back any of his debt with such small tasks. He was only paying off the interest. Without any bigger purpose, what was the point in continuing the charade? Maybe he could never pay the debt back. If that was the case, there was no point in sticking around. He'd just continue to make messes for other people to clean up. Maybe that was all he was good for. Maybe... Maybe he really was No-Good without Snicker.

"What's wrong, Laz?" Eric asked in concern. "You look like your dog just died."

Peanut.

"My dog did die," he replied, straining to keep his misery in check.

"But that was--" Eric broke off with a grunt when Ore's fist rammed into his stomach.

"Idiot," he snarled. "You know that Laz didn't find out until he got out and he's slept most of the time since then."

"I forgot," Eric choked while he doubled over to cough from the punch. "It's been months for the rest of us. I'm sorry, Laz. I--"

"It's fine," he interrupted, plastering a smile onto his face for the sake of his friends. "I never liked dogs anyway. It makes me glad that Autumn took the Dalmation when she moved out."

"Do you not like them because you got some in you?" A new voice asked. Tsuna lurched in place slightly when the steam cleared enough that the could see Ginger shampooing his fur in the seat next to him. He hadn't heard the beast come in and the steam was weighing down the scents in the air too much.

"How...?"

"I can't really place it," the tanuki replied as he massaged the shampoo into the fur of his arms. "I remember what Tsuna smelled like from when I was younger and you've got some of that smell. There's something different about it, though. It's like the difference between cultivated rosemary and wild rosemary. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," Tsuna answered in surprise, instantly distracted from his depression. "I would have said that it's the same difference as tea made with bags and tea made with leaves."

"Exactly!" Ginger exclaimed with his two tails twisting around each other in pleasure. "I can't figure out your scent because of that. I recognize it, but it's different at the same time."

"Yours is driving me nuts, too," Tsuna grinned, feeling a strange affinity with the beast. "It's like...hmmm.... It's like you--"

"Like you mixed two things that aren't supposed to go together?" Ginger supplied knowingly.

"Yes!" Tsuna gaped. "How did you know?"

"Some crazy scientist made me when she crossed a wolf and a raccoon," he barked in laughter. "Of course I'm going to smell like that."

"Wow," he mumbled in shock. "That kind of explains why Poe's scent is all screwed up, too."

"Is that the guy who lives on the roof? Black hair?" Ginger asked curiously. Tsuna nodded. "His daughter smells like that, too."

"I like her smell, though," Tsuna objected. "It's really sweet and earthy."

"Too sweet for me," he shuddered. "I like Xanxus' scent. If you want earthy, he's got it."

"Don't talk about his scent," Tsuna flinched. "If you want to someone that really smells good, I'll let you meet--"

"Laz," Ore grumbled from where he was toweling himself dry. "I'll never understand how you can talk about people like food."

"Sorry," Tsuna paled, seeing the wide-eyed expressions on Eric and Ollie's faces when he looked around.

"Food?" Ginger asked pointedly.

"Can I tell him, Laz?" Danny asked eagerly. Tsuna jerked in place slightly and looked around to find that Danny had been quietly sitting at the far end of the long bathtub with none other than Xanxus beside him. "If they're going to live here, then they probably need to know."

"No," Tsuna answered quietly as he finished rinsing himself off. Standing abruptly, he made his way over so that he could quickly dry himself off and put his clothes back on. "Too many people know already," he mumbled when Danny opened his mouth to object. "There's no need to--"

"You're a werewolf," Ginger interjected. Tsuna froze with his towel over his head, feeling his heart leap into his throat by the simple, nonchalant statement. "I wasn't positive before, but I am now. Your smell has the same weird tang as Ken's. Ken told me that his smell was different because of the werewolf blood that they put in him so that he could survive the experiments that they did on him. Something to do with attuning his instincts to different animals and creating a physical response...?"

"Ken is a werewolf?" Tsuna asked in shock, remembering the bestial guy who'd served Mukuro-sama when they'd first met. Straightening up, he kept the towel over his hair while he stared at Ginger in disbelief. "That's not possible. He wouldn't have survived without--" Feeling dizzy, he reached out to steady himself against the wall as several pieces of an invisible puzzle fell into place. "The bubblegum," he mumbled in confused understanding. "Poe got the treatment from whoever treated Ken. Do--"

He stopped himself before asking the damning question. It was true that the two might have some information about Mukuro-sama and why he abandoned him, but to ask would put himself in debt. He appreciated Mukuro-sama's help in the past, but the man had gotten his kicks using Tsuna's body in trade. He didn't owe him anything. They'd just been using each other. Mukuro-sama had probably just got bored at Tsuna's typically mundane life and moved on to a different entertainment. There was no point in indebting himself for a man who'd only been toying with him.

"Yes," he confirmed to Ginger, keeping himself focused on the topic at hand. "You've caught me. It's as you say. I'm a werewolf."

"That's great," Ginger replied with a burst of enthusiasm that left Tsuna gaping. "Now I'm even more happy that I knocked Xanxus... I mean, the Martellis knocked Xanxus--"

"You fucking dog!" Xanxus roared in instant anger, surging up out of the bathtub with a complete lack of modesty. "I knew that they weren't strong enough to knock me out! I'm going to--"

"Put a sock in it," Ginger barked with a complete lack of fear. "Weren't you the one thanking me last night for stopping you? We get to be friends with Boo Boo because of what I did. I do hope that we can be friends, Boo Boo. It's true that we-- Boo Boo....?" All eyes went to Tsuna, making him turn a bright shade of red when he realized who and what he'd been staring at. Enemy, he reminded himself with a mental slap. This was probably all part of their plan to get his guard down. It wouldn't work!

"Don't call me Boo Boo," he replied when Xanxus sank back down in the water enough that he could get control of his blushes. "I don't want to be called that by Vongola." Not wanting to hear any objections, he walked out of the bathroom before anyone could respond. Distraction was immediate in the form of a little boy who was eager to rip into his presents. "Go ahead," he smiled softly before Houston could do more than give him a look with a set of pleading eyes. "You can open them while I eat breakfast, but you're going to be the one to explain to your father that you couldn't wait."

"Daddy said that it was okay," Houston squealed on his way over to the Christmas tree that was set up.

"It's the first time that Warren has drank since Houston was born," Kit giggled from where she was sitting with a cup of coffee at the dining table. "He's sleeping in with a hangover, so I offered to take Houston. Isabella is still over there sleeping in her travel crib." Tsuna smiled to himself over the information and went to join her, positioning himself so that he could eat, smoke, and still watch Houston opening his presents.

His eyes bulged when Cassandra brought him his breakfast. Not just how much she supplied him, but the _nature _of the food that she provided. Steamed rice, miso soup, a rolled omelet, sausage and a stack of pancakes that was stacked almost a foot high. The real part that made his jaw drop was when she set down a bowl of natto and a pot full of green tea. "What--?"

"Did I miss anything?" She asked worriedly.

"How about the normal breakfast?" He blurted in surprise. "What happened to the usual biscuits and gravy?"

"You don't like it?" Cassandra asked with a hurt expression on her face.

"No. No!" Tsuna exclaimed to soothe her. "I love it, but you guys don't like most of this stuff. You, Gigi, and Summer won't touch natto and both Ore and Marty don't like miso. Ollie's picky about his eggs, too. He won't eat anything but plain, scrambled. All of this--"

"Is for you," she interrupted with a smile of happiness once she realized that he wasn't complaining. "Don't worry. I've got the regular stuff prepared for everyone else. I thought that you might want a taste of home for Christmas. Do you like it?"

"Yes," he answered while he quietly stared at the plates full of food in complete bewilderment. "But you didn't have to do this," he added while he pushed down a pang of homesickness.

"I wanted to," she smiled in pleasure.

"Uncle Laz!" Houston shrieked from the tree. "Look! Santa brought me a bicycle!"

Smiling to himself, he started slowly digging into his breakfast while Houston circled the tree on his new set of wheels. It was nice, he thought to himself. It might not be the holiday that he wished he could share with Snicker, but there was still small bits of happiness that was still in his reach. It was enough to give him a small gleam of hope so that he had the courage to keep moving forward. It was too early to give up. There was still a chance that he could fulfill his promises. As long as he was moving and breathing, his lucky break could still come. He just needed patience.

"Laz?" Gigi asked worriedly as she sat down with a cup of coffee. Tsuna refused to raise his head, trying to control the tears that he'd sworn to hold back. He was too old to be a cry baby.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes dry as quickly as he could. "I got some pepper in my eye."

"Be more careful," she advised gently. Tsuna nodded and started digging into his breakfast. It wasn't until he got to the eggs that he realized that the salt and pepper shakers weren't even on the table. He blushed slightly in realization that Gigi had purposely not commented in order to leave him with his pride.

"Guess who," Veronica said as two hands covered his eyes. He knew her instantly, going off of simple scent.

"Summer?" He guessed playfully.

"No...."

"Dedra?"

"Try again."

"Cassandra?"

"You're getting warmer."

"Roxy!"

"_No_!" Veronica exclaimed in exasperation, pulling her hands away to slap the back of his head for guessing wrong so many times. "It's Veronica. Who's Roxy?"

"Sorry," he grinned, turning in place to look at her. "I guess I got you mixed up with the other beautiful women that I know."

"If that's the case, I'll let you go this time," Veronica replied with a pleased smile for the flattery. Then her face took on a look of confusion as she looked over his breakfast. "Beans? Who eats beans for breakfast?"

"It's natto," Tsuna chuckled as he pulled Veronica around to sit in his lap. "You want to try some?"

"I wouldn't," Gigi commented with a sour face. "I have no clue how Laz eats that stuff."

"It's because he's the same guy that can eat raw fish," Dedra shuddered as she sleepily sat down with them. Tsuna quietly listened while the girls and the 'girls' all started up a conversation while he continued eating around occasionally feeding his little kitten. The cathedral slowly warmed up with laughter until he'd finally eaten so much that he started dozing on Veronica's back. She was wearing a soft green sweater in honor of the holidays and it felt so nice against his face. He felt incredibly comfortable with all of his friends around him.

"Xanxus!" Cassandra called across the open area. "You don't have to sit way over there! Come take this seat! Ginger, you're okay with the bench. Right?"

"Yeah," Ginger barked in sheepish surprise. "I was just going to use the bowls that I had been using, but--"

"No need for that," she laughed. "You should have spoke up earlier. If we'd known that you were intelligent, I wouldn't have smacked you with the newspaper for sitting on the couch."

"I didn't want to scare anyone, Miss," he replied politely as he carefully sat down at the far end of the table next to where Cassandra placed Xanxus at the foot. "The last time I talked where normal people could hear me, they started screaming."

"We're not normal," Gigi laughed as Cassandra buzzed around the place to deliver everyone their breakfast. "It's probably because we got used to Laz talking to animals like they could talk back. We all had a feeling that one would actually do it one day. You--" Gigi broke off as Poe dropped down from the ceiling. From the look on his face, it wasn't a pleasure call. "Merry Christmas," Gigi greeted with a smile while Tsuna prompted Veronica to get off of him. As soon as she was away, Poe darted forward to delivery the one message that Tsuna had been waiting on.

"You idiot!" Poe snarled as his fist went across Tsuna's face hard enough to snap it sideways. Silence filled the room with only Poe and Tsuna understanding the reasons for such a greeting. "Do you know how much trouble you've put us in?"

"I wasn't prepared enough," Tsuna replied with his head bowed in shame. "It wasn't intentional."

"They don't care," Poe spat. "You should know that they've had watchers on you ever since you started the treatment. They're looking at this as a breach. You lost control of your Hunger over a human! Do you know how many meetings I've had to go to for the past week just to keep you from being executed?! It's one thing for you to come after me, but they have your reactions to Hibari on record now!"

"I guess they're pretty pissed," Tsuna mumbled with a grimace. "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough that they're calling a tribunal," Poe growled. "You're on notice. They're going to be watching you closely for the next two weeks. After the New Year, the evidence will be collected to see if you warrant the death penalty. You know our rules, Lazarus. I think I can get you out of it, but it's going to be difficult. Even though you didn't bite him, you still went after his blood. We've got another problem, though. Can you smell it?"

"I just caught a whiff," he nodded. "Barb is here."

"I've held her back while you've been healing, but she won't wait any longer," Poe replied solemnly. "She's going to go into a frenzy in the city if you don't--"

"I'll do it," he interrupted. "It's my fault that she came into the city in the first place. Don't worry, Poe. I haven't forgotten."

"She's going to want more than a pint," Poe warned in open disgust. "She can smell Xanxus and it's going to take a lot to talk her into ignoring him."

"The deal was for me," Tsuna snarled in anger. "He--"

"Do you think she cares?" Poe interrupted with a glare. "Sky is too rare of a treat and he's not tainted like you are. If we're going to keep the mistake from happening again, you better be prepared to give extra. The Council probably won't be far behind. You know how quickly they moved last time."

"I know," he flinched.

"We'll be waiting for you upstairs," Poe murmured as his expression softened. "I've already got everything set up." Tsuna nodded and stood. Poe disappeared with a single jump up to the bell and a second, smaller jump through the sun roof while Tsuna slowly crossed to his stairwell. He ignored the eyes that were on him and the sympathetic expressions of those who had caught on to what was going on. This was something that he had to do to protect everyone and he wouldn't regret.

Even if they killed him.

* * *

Tsuna woke up in his bed. The last thing he remembered was Poe laying him in it after they'd taken as much blood as they safely could. He was disoriented, though. He was disoriented at the time on the alarm clock and the fact that he was wearing the tuxedo that Autumn had provided to him.

"LAZ!" Autumn roared, barging into his room with fires in her eyes. His eyes widened in surprise, seeing her being held back by Gigi and Eric. She looked stunning in a dress covered in silver snowflakes. He just wished that he knew why she looked extremely pissed. Maybe she was angry that he slept through the party when he'd promised to go? "I'm going to kill you!" She screamed. "Do you think you can make a fool out of me and get away with it?!"

"Eh?"

"You bastard!" She shouted, shoving both Gigi and Eric off of her so that she could charge forward and grab his collar. "Do you think I'm going to let you go after what you did?!"

"What did I do?" He choked in bewilderment.

"You-- You--!" She spluttered before pulling back a fist to ram it into his jaw. He fell back to the bed, dazed slightly over the power that Autumn had in her fist along with the fact that it was the second punch that he'd gotten for the day. "If you think I'm going to fall for your tricks, you've got another thing coming!" She snarled as she jumped on top of him and started hitting where ever her fists could land. "First, you act like a complete gentlemen to throw everyone off their guard, then you go and blow everything! Do you know how much my fiancé hates you now?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Tsuna shouted as he shielded his head from her blows. "I haven't even met him yet!"

"Liar!" She shouted as a fist landed in his stomach hard enough to make his eyes bulge. "I introduced him right before you fucking kissed me, you twit! Weren't you paying attention to anything I said at the party?! I--"

"Will you make some damn sense?!" Tsuna roared. Lunging up, he grabbed her wrists to get her to stop punching him and flipped her over onto her back. Pinning her down, he tried to make it as clear as he could. "I have no idea why you're hitting me," he snapped while he trying to hold back his own internal panic. "I have no clue what you're talking about! I didn't go to the party! I passed out earlier after I finished donating blood! You're saying that I went, but I don't remember any of it! I don't even know who got me dressed! Now, if you want to explain it to me, then I'll be happy to let you hit me after you're done! If not, sit down and shut up until I get my head on straight!"

Cursing to himself over such a rude awakening, he let her go and turned to sit on the side of his bed. Nothing was making sense. From the looks of it, he'd definitely went to the party. He couldn't remember anything past what had happened this morning, though. He thought that his friends would have noticed if he was sleepwalking, so that couldn't be it. Maybe he'd gotten in an accident or bumped his head?

Curious, since he would have probably written such an occurrence down in his journal, he stood up and patted down his pockets to find it. He knew that something was strange almost immediately. Everything was in the wrong spot. He normally kept his cigarettes in his inside pocket, but they were in the lower front pocket. His wallet was in his inner jacket pocket instead of his back pants pocket. His Dojo keys were in his hip pants pocket instead of his lower jacket pocket. The only thing that was in the right place was his journal.

When he flipped to the last page, his heart stopped beating entirely and the blood rushed out of him so fast that he felt cold, pale, and dizzy.

"What's wrong?" Autumn asked as everyone picked up on his expression and his confusion. "What does it say? I can't read Japanese."

"It's a message from Vongola the Tenth," he replied as his hands started shaking. "I-It says that... uh..." Panicking slightly, Tsuna felt himself becoming dizzy from the lack of air. It wasn't possible. How could he get a message from Vongola the Tenth? He was Vongola the Tenth! At least, that's what he'd always been told! "How..? I don't--"

"Calm down, sweet-cheeks," Gigi advised when he started hyperventilating. "Eric! Go get him some water and tell Ore, Leo, and Ollie to get up here! Let them know what's going on, but keep a lid on it in front of Xanxus. Tell everyone else to finish the party preparations without them. Autumn, open the door. It's too stuffy in here. Laz. Laz, I need you to listen to me very carefully. I'll explain everything, but I need you calm down first. Take a deep breathe. Don't try to say anything and just hear me out...."

* * *

_Dear Lazarus, _

_This might come as a great shock to you, but I feel the need to ensure that my presence is no longer ignored. I have read that Xanxus is in your keeping and I cannot stay silent when you write so hatefully about him. I find it saddening that I have need to threaten myself, but you obviously have no caring or love for the Family that I've spent many years of my life protecting. You have no understanding about the magnitude of what it means for him to be here, so the gloves are off. You can have your mountain man hit me as much as you want in the future. I'm prepared to meet him when I wake. He won't be so lucky in knocking me out in the future, assuming he can even tell us apart. To prove my point, I've filled in for you for most of this day. Take it as my warning. I can be you. I can destroy everything that you have built and I will show no mercy if you harm a single hair on Xanxus or Ginger's heads. _

_Know that it serves my goals to keep them unaware of my presence. I will allow you to keep your charade going for the time being, but know that I will not be so giving when the allotted time has passed. We are twenty-six now. In the summer before our thirty-first birthday, I will take back what is mine if I have not done so before then. Enjoy your life while you can, but know that I can make you suffer if you should cross the line in a way that I don't approve._

_I'll be watching,_

_Vongola the Tenth_


	72. Chapter 72 Xmas

"Have you seen my grandson, by chance?" A little, wizened black woman asked curiously. Xanxus shook his head while wondering which son she meant. There were too many people in the place and he was honestly having difficulty coping. Keeping track of everyone was impossible. There was a reason that he normally skipped Family events. Only the fact that he could hide halfway up the stairwell to the room that he had been given allowed the guests to be bottlenecked so that only one person could talk to him at a time. Most didn't even try since Ginger was lounging at the base of the stairwell to keep people at bay and his size was imposing enough to scare most away. "Are you sure?" The woman asked fearlessly. "You can't have missed him. He's as tall as a mountain."

"Do you mean Ore?" Xanxus asked in surprise. The little old woman smiled widely and Xanxus had to do a double take. Ore was as white as a man could get, while this woman was the complete opposite. On top of it, she dressed nothing like the giant. Ore had been giving off the 'good son' vibe ever since Xanxus had met him. Outside of his work-out clothes, he typically wore a button-down shirt and blue jeans. In contrast, this woman was sporting motorcycle leathers like she was forty years younger than she was!

"He was supposed to introduce me to Laz," the woman explained before chugging the last of the beer bottle in her hand. "He said he was going to do it last night, but I can't really blame him with that bitch that followed him in. So? Where is he?"

"He's upstairs with Laz," Xanxus answered, pointing to the spiraling stairwell that all the important people in the place had climbed. "I'm not sure what's going on, but they all went up there about an hour ago after the bitch came through here screaming about something again."

"Ah, shit," the woman grumbled. "I didn't drive all the way from the farm just so some floozy could get in the way. There's some days in the year that you're just supposed to let things slide. You know? Can't she lay off until after the holidays?"

"Some people don't know when to quit," he commented with a dead-pan expression.

"You're telling me!" The woman laughed. "What's you're name, boy?"

"Xanxus," he answered with an eye twitching over being called 'boy'. Smile, Ginger reminded him. The way of the reminder was the tightening of the tail wrapped around his ankle. The bastard dog was forcing him to stay in sight and had even threatened to claw out his throat if he did anything to upset Laz's family. Ginger wanted to get to know the people that were important to Laz, but the damn dog was too afraid of facing the crowd on his own. Therefore, Xanxus was roped into sitting through the party whether he wanted to or not while Ginger got out of socializing by pretending to be a dumb beast.

In truth, he felt like his head was still going in twenty different directions and would have preferred silence to think in. Nothing was like he expected. His whole life had turned upside down. He was surprised that he was still alive after betraying the Family.... again....

Hibari was a man who played by his own rules. The Family knew that and also knew that there was no stopping the man when he had his mind set on something. From what Xanxus had been told, Hibari had targeted Laz over a year ago. The current situation that Vongola was dealing with where the Martelli Family was concerned had nothing to do with Hibari's goals. That's why Xanxus had been sent. They'd wanted to test his loyalty by using Hibari's actions to their advantage. It was there that everything had turned to pure shit.

He'd been planning to do it. He really had. The fight had started and he'd seen a glimpse of why Hibari was interested in Laz. Gabriel's lies had been very convincing. They were even more convincing when Gokudera had let him look through the files that corroborated the man's story. From the outside, it really did look like Laz was intentionally building himself an empire. It looked like everything was building toward Laz and Autumn Martelli's nuptials. There was even the additions that made it look like Laz really was trying to become Tsuna. There were the language skills and the unnatural strength. There was the charisma and the ability to cut through the crap covering the heart of situations. He had leadership skills and so much potential that it was plain that his gifts were developing toward turning him into a full imitation of the real Tsuna.

The problem was that there were things that couldn't be seen and believed from the outside. There were things about Laz that only those who lived closely with him would know. Laz hated Vongola for some reason. It was possible that it was resentment created from the obvious likeness that he had to Tsuna. Xanxus knew from personal experience that constant comparison was the fastest way to make a person hate another. The reason for Laz's strength couldn't be seen from the outside. Xanxus still didn't quite believe the information about him being a werewolf, but the file had indeed shown a genetic mutation that hadn't been explained. Even Sakura had thrown his hands up on it and said that some idiot had probably dropped some animal hair into the soup when Laz had been made.

No one on the inside of Laz's circle would believe that he and Autumn Martelli would consider marriage, either. It was true that his Laz slept with her. He'd did so the previous night. That alone wasn't enough to make them willing to spend the rest of their lives together, though. Xanxus had seen Laz's expression on multiple occasions when Joshua had been mentioned. The expression was enough to cause a surge of jealousy through him and no trace of such emotion had come from watching Laz and Autumn interact. If anything, it always seemed like Laz was trying his hardest not to strangle the woman. If there was any plot between the two, Xanxus' intuition gave no hint of it.

Laz wasn't the guy that Gabriel had made him out to be. There was no other explanation. Of course, Laz wasn't the guy that Xanxus had thought he'd be, either. In the past two days, he'd barely gotten to interact with Laz at all. Considering how much they used to game together, it was disappointing. He hadn't had any chance to open up the friendship that they'd had together online. He'd turned on his Family for Laz. That wasn't any great loss, except for the fact that they'd seized three of his five bank accounts and the Grey City servers. He still had more money than he could ever need, but there was no one to spend it on anymore. Laz wouldn't let him get close.

Patience, Ginger had told him. Patience, Cici nagged. He was sick of being patient, though! What happened to that connection that he'd gotten with Laz when they'd been talking online?! He didn't want Laz to blindly jump in his arms, but a little willingness to talk to him would have been nice. It left him depressed. Laz had completely ignored him earlier when he'd tried to strike up a conversation. He'd been polite enough to make apologies before heading to his room to prepare for the party that he'd been forced to go to, but Xanxus knew that he'd just been brushed off. How was he supposed to prove himself if Laz wasn't going to give him a chance?

It was so hard to believe that Laz was the same person as the Suoh that he'd hired to keep him company in the past. All the innocent naivety had been wiped away, leaving him with a hardened set of eyes that wasn't much different than the set that he'd once worn. Instead of a short, nymph-like squirt, he'd grown into a strong, street-wise man. Where he had once been almost two heads shorter and had bruised with the slightest touch, Laz was only a few inches shorter and could probably put him into the ground with muscle-strength alone. It made him wonder what Tsuna might have been like if he'd lived.

It made him wonder which of the two he'd have been more attracted to if they were to have stood side-by-side.

"You're not much of a talker, are you, boy?" The old woman asked bluntly.

"Not really," he confirmed.

"Well, don't just sit there," she said in a tone that refused to be argued with. "Go get me a beer. If you're not going to be good company, you can at least be useful."

"Go get it--" Xanxus bit his tongue as he lost feeling in his foot due to Ginger's tail tightening even more. "What kind would you like," he amended with his eye twitching in anger.

"I don't care," she answered in open amusement as she tossed her empty bottle at him to silently tell him to throw it away. "Just make it cold and fast. Leave the dog here. I feel like scratching something furry and you're too prickly." Ginger whined softly over being left alone with the woman, but the beast couldn't argue. It was his own fault for forcing them to stay downstairs for the party.

It took nearly ten minutes to make his way to the kitchen. Along the way, he got stopped numerous times by people wanting to meet him. He got pulled into conversations despite his wishes and he quickly found out one very important thing. Everyone present had one thing in common and that was Laz. Complete strangers accepted him without reservation just because it was assumed that he was a friend of Lazarus. No one questioned his background and no one asked pointed questions.

He didn't want to admit it, but he slowly started to relax when he realized that the questions that he was asked had no insinuations in them. These people didn't know the meaning of 'double-meaning'. These people didn't have the suspicion that was automatic in the world that he'd lived in for his entire life. They were far too innocent for even the most basic of innuendo. The final mind-blow was when he noticed one very important thing. No one was judging him. Despite how short his answers were at first and despite his the ingrained arrogance in his manner, no one blinked twice at anything he said. Everything was taken at face value. There was an automatic trust that he received by being considered a friend of Lazarus.

For the first time in weeks, he started to smile. It was too funny not to. None of these people even considered the possibility that he had more blood on his hands than there was blood in the room. No one here seemed to think for an instant that he was dangerous. Him. The former leader of the Varia and one of the most ruthless killers that Vongola had ever seen. As far as these people were concerned, he was just an ordinary guy.

It... It wasn't as bad as he thought. He didn't have the pride that he'd once had anymore. He'd seen what came from putting himself as higher than others. He'd learned what Tsuna had already known. There was a difference between friends and subordinates. By the time that he'd learned the distinction, it had already been too late. His subordinates had ditched him as soon as he'd become powerless. His friends had supported him for a while until he'd become a man that they could no longer respect.

He could start fresh, though. As long as Vongola was just cutting him loose instead of calling for punishment, he was a free man. There was some relief in being a nobody. He didn't have his father's name to live up to. He wasn't trying to fulfill his mother's delusions anymore. Maybe it was time to just let go of the past and start fresh. Do things right. Built up a life of his own creation that only he had to be happy with. He wasn't greedy anymore. The allure of power didn't attract him like it once had. By losing his Flame, he really had just become an ordinary man. An ordinary man, just like Tsuna had always wanted to be. There was some poetic justice to that, he thought. If there was anyone's wishes that he wanted to fulfill, it was Tsuna's. He hadn't been able to save Tsuna's life and he wasn't strong enough to serve Vongola anymore, but he could still live out Tsuna's dream for him. He'd gotten used to living the quiet life. He just had to go the next step by accepting the hands of friendship that were offered to him.

"You don't look so prickly anymore," the old woman commented when Xanxus finally returned to the stairwell with her beer. Xanxus smiled slightly as he handed it over. For an old lady, she seemed to be pretty sharp. He had a feeling that she knew what was going on in his head, even if she didn't have the details.

"Most of my needles are in the backsides of the guests," he replied as the last of his tense muscles completely loosened. "I would have saved you a few, but I have a feeling that you would have used them as toothpicks."

"I've wrestled a few cactuses in my time," she retorted with her grin widening even more. "Most of them turned out to be pretty easy to swallow after they couldn't poke no more."

"That's saying a lot coming from a old hag in her sixties," he countered.

"Don't flatter me, boy," she laughed. "I haven't been sixty in twenty three years!"

"You don't look it," he commented in surprised honesty.

"That's cause I'm a strong woman," she smiled with a flex to show off an arm that was hidden beneath her motorcycle jacket. "I raised nineteen kids and a butt load of grandkids with these arms. I can still put half of them into the ground if they back sass me, too!"

"That's a lot of kids," he murmured, finding himself actually warming up to the woman. She was straight forward, unlike most people. She wasn't scared to say what she thought and she only gave respect to those that earned it. She might be old, but she was the kind of person that he could get along with. Of course, he would have killed her had he still been the same man that he'd been ten years ago. He had Tsuna to thank for turning him into a person that could appreciate such a person. If his own mother had been half the woman that this one was, he might not have taken so many years to become a person that could see others as equals.

"They're all foster kids," she explained as she absently petted Ginger. Xanxus sat down at the foot of the stair to help her. Ginger looked like he was in heaven and it was strangely comfortable to simply talk to someone about meaningless things. He was learning that there was more to the world than just aim, shoot, and kill. He just had to open his mind to see it. "I started taking 'them in when I was in my twenties. When I started getting too old to be accepted as the kids' mother, I started letting them call me Granny. It gets pretty crazy around the holidays. Everyone usually goes out to the farm, you see. I'm getting too old to put out dinner for everyone, though. It was kind of a relief to get Ore's call."

"Ore's call...?" He asked curiously as he polished off his beer.

"He gave me a call about a week ago, right before he knew that I was due to start shopping for all the fixin's for Christmas supper. He said that he was worried about his friend, Laz. You know, on account of him not having any family anymore."

"What happened to his family?" He asked, straightening up slightly since none of the background information had covered that about Laz. Now that he thought about it, it was strange to even think of him as having family. Did clones have things like that? That one obituary had said that Joshua had been Laz's father, but he knew that Joshua had been Laz's husband. That'd been clear since the second day of his stay in the keeping of Laz's friends.

"They're still around," she murmured sadly. "He can't see them on account of him being a runaway and all. I've met a lot of boys like him in my day. They break ties to go off on their own and by the time that they're grown, they're too ashamed of leaving to face their family anymore. From what my grandson's told me, he gets real homesick around the holidays. It wasn't so bad for him when Snicker was still around, but Ore was mighty worried about him this year. It's the first Christmas that Lazarus has had without him since he left home. If you look around, all of Laz's friends invited their families here tonight. I think that they got it in their heads to make Laz see that he might not got his own family, but he's still part of all of ours."

"I see," Xanxus nodded in sudden understanding. It definitely explained why the place was twice as packed as the previous night. Where the Christmas Eve Bash had been for Orange Dragons only, the actual Christmas party had been opened up to everyone's families. At least, it'd been opened up to anyone who still had family left. There seemed to be far too many who were in need of the same attention that had been planned for Lazarus. He hated to admit it, but he was one of them.

"So, tell me about yourself," she prompted. "I've been talking my fair share. It's your turn. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm retired," he answered quietly. "I've been retired for a couple of years now, but I'm thinking that it might be good for me to start working a normal job again."

"What kind of job are you looking for?" She asked in honest interest.

"I was thinking about writing a game," he replied, feeling strangely refreshed to have something to talk about outside of assassinations. "I've worked on computer games in the past, but I've been thinking of developing something that you don't have to go online to enjoy. A game that can interface with the real world more than an online game can. Something where you can play with other people who are around you without giving away your identity."

"I don't follow," she replied in confusion.

"Well, cell phones are getting more advanced," he explained. "I was thinking of creating something that could be played on those. A lot of cell phones are linked now so that GPS trackers can show you where your friends are. Using that kind of relay signal, I thought that it would be an interesting way to find team members. I also think it'd be interesting to see what would happen if people got experience points for walking around in real life instead of sitting at their desks. Everyone would be assigned as both an adventurer and a quest-giver. To get new quests, you just have to get within a certain range of someone else who plays the game--"

"You've thought about this a lot," she interjected. Xanxus paused sheepishly, realizing that his gamer side was showing a little too much.

"I guess I have," he confirmed with a small grimace. "I'm not the best at talking to people face-to-face," he explained with a strange sense of hesitancy.

"You don't seem to be having a problem with me," she replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "I think you're underestimating yourself, boy. Go on about your bad self, though. All I've got is that you're retired and a computer geek." Automatically, he reached out to slam a fist into Ginger's nose when the bastard snorted in laughter.

"Damnit," Ginger snarled as he put his paws over his injured snout. "That hurts!"

"Then don't laugh at me," Xanxus snapped.

"And you have a talking dog," the old woman gaped, making both Xanxus and Ginger stiffen in belated realization of the slip. "Well, I'll be damned. I think I've seen just about everything now! Why didn't you talk earlier?"

"He's shy," Xanxus answered with a pointed look at the growing amount of attention that they were getting.

"They're staring at me now," Ginger said mournfully, hiding his eyes under his paws so that he wouldn't have to see them. "Maybe I should go hide up in the room."

"Maybe you should go get us some new beers," the old woman suggested with a wide grin. It was a grin that Xanxus couldn't help but match when the tanuki's head bolted up in surprise. "I noticed earlier that you had hands, so you should be able to carry two. Get one for yourself while you're at it."

"B-But--"

"You heard her," Xanxus said with an expression that told Ginger that he would get no pity. "Just be yourself and try to keep your dick hidden."

"I'll remember that," he growled as he got to his feet to head for the same chest of beer that Xanxus had pulled from in the kitchen. He had his head bowed and his tails tucked between his legs, proving that he was just as nervous as Xanxus had been. After having went through it himself, he didn't doubt that being thrown off the cliff would be just what Ginger needed to really relax. He just had to learn that he could be himself with these people.

"Since the cat is out of the bag, I guess I might as well let Cici come out," he sighed. "Cici!" He yelled up the stairs, getting no few surprised looks for the harsh call. "Get your ass out here!"

"Is it safe?" She called back without showing herself. "I thought you said that--"

"I know what I said!" He bellowed. "Just get down here! There's someone I want you to meet!"

"Xanxus made a friend?!" She exclaimed as she zipped out of the room and propelled herself to him in an flurry of light from her boosters. "I want to make friends, too!" She whined. "You're so selfish! I knew that I should have pretended to be a centerpiece! At least I could have watched everyone having fun!"

"Will you shut up?" Xanxus growled when people stopped glancing in his direction and openly stared. "You nag more than any woman I've ever met."

"There's so many people," she commented while she slowly rotated in place to survey the area. "Are you sure that it's safe?"

"Everyone here is a friend of Laz's," he replied before absently gesturing with his empty bottle toward the old woman. "This is the woman I wanted you to meet. I don't think I got her name, but she's not half bad."

"I'm sorry about Xanxus," Cici apologized immediately upon turning to the woman. "I think he was born in a barn."

"Keep it up," Xanxus grumbled. "I'll fry your circuits while you're recharging."

"Assuming you remember to order me a new charging unit," she replied with a sound bite that could only be a child sticking out a tongue to give a raspberry. "I've only got enough power to last six more days."

"I'll get it for you," he groaned. "If you're going to keep nagging me, you can go back upstairs."

"I'll be good," she promised pleasantly before turning to the old lady again. "My name is Cici. I'd shake your hand for putting up with Xanxus, but I'm afraid that he hasn't supplied me with the proper appendages."

"He seems pretty easy to get along with," the woman replied with a small chuckle. "You can call me Granny. If you don't mind me asking, what are you?"

"I'm Xanxus' assistant," she answered without missing a beat. "I'd show you what I really look like, but Xanxus has restricted the use of my hologram projectors."

"Go ahead," he shrugged.

"Ooh," Cici gasped in surprise. "Are you drunk?"

"No!" He blurted.

"Then you must be in a really good mood," she chuckled. Then her voice grew hesitant as she lowered herself to ground level and opened the top of her portable unit so that she had a base to project herself on top of. "I didn't pick out anything to wear," she hissed.

"Just pick something random," he shrugged.

"I can't do that!" She spluttered. "This is my first time you've let me use my projectors! It's got to be something special!"

"Why not that red dress that you got off of Gigi?" He suggested. "You've been whining that you can't wear it ever since she let you scan it."

"That works!" She replied excitedly. "Modifying... Compiling... Should I wear my hair up or down?"

"I don't care!" He snapped. "Just get out here! If you take any longer, you're going to be the first AI to take longer in the bathroom than a real woman!"

"Meanie," she grumbled as several of the onlookers laughed at the interaction. Within seconds, the laughter disappeared in surprise as the show got even more interesting. He had to admit that Pandora appeared in an awe-inspiring way. It started with green motes of light at her head that erupted into wintergreen snowflakes. As they fell, the rest of her body appeared in a flourishing whirlwind of festive colors until she was standing as tall as a person. The red cocktail dress that she'd scanned off of Gigi made her look much more gentle than he was used to. She'd actually fixed her avatar up, too. She had a calculated amount of makeup on, she'd put her hair up in a French twist with a sprig of holly on one side, plus she'd softened her avatar's muscles to seem less imposing. "Hello," she greeted with a nervous curtsey to Granny. "Do I look okay, Xanxus? Everyone's staring."

"You're fine," he grumbled while he rubbed his eyes. "Just go somewhere else. You're giving me a headache."

"I change what I said," Granny mumbled as Cici hesitantly floated in the direction of the crowd in order to introduce herself. "Now, I've seen everything. What the hell was that?"

"She's an AI," he answered. "Things are a lot more advanced where I'm from. She's the real geek. I just tell her what I want and she tells me what hardware to get and how to put it together."

"Well, isn't she a busy little bee," Granny replied with a smile. "I got to say that this is turning out to be more of an interesting visit than I thought it'd be. All I'm missing now is the man that I came to meet." Xanxus stiffened slightly when Granny raised her voice loud enough to be heard across the crowd and a different voice answered.

"He's coming, Granny," Ore called. "You need a beer?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Bring two since I don't think dog-boy is going to come back anytime soon." Standing so that he could see, Xanxus grinned at how Ginger seemed to be the center of attention for one half of the Dojo and Cici was the center for the other half. Then his grin faltered when he saw Laz. Something wasn't right. He was smiling and talking to people as he followed Ore through the building, but he looked pale. There were bags under his eyes that hadn't been present when he'd went upstairs. He'd changed out of his tuxedo and into a set of clothes that seemed much more comfortable, but he didn't look like he was feeling any of that comfort. He was tense, as if he expected to get attacked at an moment.

"I wonder what happened," Granny murmured as they watched person after person get introduced to Laz. Xanxus shook his head while wondering the very same thing. "About damn time you got out here," Granny grumbled when Ore finally arrived with their beers. "I had half a mind to go up there and spank you until you came down."

"Sorry it took so long, Granny," the giant mumbled with a concerned glance toward where Laz was being introduced to Gigi's parents. "We were trying to talk Little Guy into resting. He's been through a lot today."

"I'd say so," the old woman agreed with a sharp gleam in her eyes. "Where did the shrew go? I didn't see her come down with you lot."

"She took the side exit from Little Guy's room," he answered. "She won't be back anytime soon. How... uh... How's Big Bro doing?"

"He's fine," she answered with her expression softening slightly. "I got a postcard from him about a week ago. Him and his gang were riding through Nevada. Seems they plan to hit Las Vegas before they head for Cali. He's got twice the riders that he used to now. He says that the fuel bill is a bitch and wanted to know when you were planning on saddling up again."

"I already told him that I'm not like how I was in high school," he grumbled. "I like it here, Granny. Having ties ain't so bad. You should know that."

"I know," she smiled. "I settled down myself when I was your age. Boulder's just not ready yet. As long as he's got that broad willing to ride with him, he's set. I guess I shouldn't complain since he's happy and all..."

Xanxus tuned the two out as they continued to talk about family matters. He was far more worried about Laz. He was hiding it, but Xanxus could tell that he was pushing himself. There was just something in his manner that reminded him of how Tsuna used to strain when he'd already went too far and didn't pull back. In a way, it was understandable. All these people had come for his sake and the least that he could do was to meet them. That wasn't what he needed, though. In the state that he was in, he wasn't enjoying any of it. No matter how much he smiled, Xanxus could tell that he was just putting on a show for everyone.

It made him want to do something, but he didn't know what. If he tried to be straight-forward, Laz would just reject him again. If he tried to be sneaky, Laz would just be more suspicious of him. Laz wasn't the type to accept help, anyway. He wasn't like Tsuna, who'd complained when people stepped in but then accepted it. Laz was like a freight train. There was no stopping him at all until he reached his goals. If only he understood what his goals were. There were too many things that just didn't make sense about him. There were too many things that seemed to be exclusive knowledge about him. There were too many things that his friends refused to explain, such as the discussion that Laz had with the long-hair over breakfast.

"I told you to quit staring at me," Laz hissed under his breathe when he came to meet them. As soon as the words reached his ears, Laz had his smile back in place and was greeting Granny like long-time friends. It was enough to make him wonder if he'd been hearing things. "What do you think?" He asked pleasantly while completely ignoring Xanxus' presence.

"Not bad," Granny smiled. "I see you've been using the Logo I made. I guess it wasn't wasted effort after all."

"Nope," he agreed with a bright smile. "It's really done a lot to unite everyone. We had to stop using the handkerchiefs, though. I'm not sure if Ore told you, but there was some trouble a while b--"

"He told me," she interrupted, waving the explanation away. "I want to see these rings, though. If I don't like it, you're going to have to get different ones."

"Yes, ma'am," he laughed, holding up his hand for her to inspect.

"Whoa," she blinked in surprise for how many different ones he had on. "You got yourself a set of brass knuckles there, boy. What's with all the rings? Are you a fairy like that Gigi boy over there?"

"No," he answered with his smile faltering a little. "Each one is important to me. This one is the Martelli Family emblem and this one is my friend Poe's Clan signet. This one is the Orange Dragon's ring and the silver pinky ring is what my little friend Houston gave me. He said that he used all the quarters in his piggy bank to get the right one to come out of the machine."

"Cute," she commented. "What about this one on your thumb?"

"That's..."

"That's his wedding ring, Granny," Ore supplied when Laz's face fell completely. He had the smile in place after only a moment, but the heartache was plain in the one instant that he wasn't trying to keep up his charade.

"What do you think of the Orange Dragon ring?" He asked to change the subject.

"Not bad," she nodded in acceptance. "It's nice, but you should have more pride in being the leader. I get that you're not wanting to attract trouble, but you look like a wimp if you're too scared to show your colors."

"I don't mind showing my colors," he replied. "I just don't want my friends to have to deal with my problems by showing them, too."

"So that's how it is," she murmured around a slow drink of her beer. "Alright, boy. I know just what you need now. You better thank me. I'll have to stick around for an extra day or two to take care of it for you."

"Take care of what?" He asked with his eyes widening in surprise.

"Don't you worry about a damn thing," she grinned as she reached out to slap his back. "You're old Granny will fix you up right. For now, why don't you show me that hulk you call a motorcycle. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about driving one."

"Really?" Laz exclaimed in sudden enthusiasm. "Can you teach me how to drive it?"

"I sure as hell can! I taught all my boys how to ride." She agreed while she forcibly dragged him toward the garage with Ore following. Curious, Xanxus walked with them. What happened after they'd all ducked beyond the camouflage netting and was out of sight of the party was the last thing he expected, though. "Go on," Granny sighed, propelling Laz toward the exit.

"Eh?" Laz exclaimed in surprise for the abrupt shove.

"You don't want to be here," she said with her arms folded across her chest. Xanxus froze while wondering if the woman was even sharper than he'd originally gauged. She'd noticed the same things about Laz that he had. "You can hide it all you want, but I've raised enough punks like you to tell when something's wrong. You've done the whole song and dance and met everyone, so get out of here. I'll tell them that I sent you after some more beer. If Gigi's mother gives any more lip, I'll put her in line for you, too. You--!" Granny added, pointing directly at Xanxus. "You go with him. I'll keep an eye on dog-boy and ghost-girl. Just make sure that he doesn't come back until he's got some more color to him."

"But--" Xanxus objected, knowing that Laz wouldn't agree to his company. Surprisingly, he was proved wrong by Laz himself.

"Alright," he nodded with his poker face completely gone. He stood with his eyes locked on the ground and a haggard expression that showed exactly how worn he was. "Thanks, Granny. I'll be back in an hour or so. There's something that I really need to do. Vongola, do you know how to drive?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a raised eyebrow for the sudden acknowledgement of his presence.

"Push the bike down the block," he ordered softly, sending his keys flying into Xanxus' chest with a small flick of his wrist. "I'll be there in a minute."

* * *

He tried. He tried very hard to ignore the body pressed to his back for warmth. It was harder than he thought it'd be, especially with the pleasant vibration of the bike's motor rumbling through his seat. It also felt strange. Maybe it was because he kept trying to make Laz line up with Tsuna in his mind, but he was simply too large. Tsuna had always needed to stretch to touch his hands around his back, but Laz could wrap his arms around him without even trying. His head was resting higher on his back than it should be, too. At the minimum, Tsuna's head would have rested a foot and a half lower. With his helmet on, there was nothing about Laz that was like Tsuna. It became more and more obvious as they continued to ride around the city.

It also became more obvious that he was only being used. Laz didn't speak to him outside of telling him where to stop and where to drive. All attempts at conversation had been ignored until Xanxus was sure that the guy still hated him. The stops seemed pretty random to him, too. Laz hadn't let him follow inside any of the places. The first had been an apartment building that he'd went inside. Within two minutes, he'd been back out and had directed him to the next stop. The next stop had been Kink's, where he'd returned with a brown bag that had gotten stuffed into one of the bike's saddlebags. He had no clue where he was being directed to now. They were already on the outskirts of the city and--

Xanxus paled and slowed the bike as the only possible destination came into view.

"Are you sure you want to go here?" Xanxus asked quietly while he looked at the cemetery gates in understanding. "It's only going to make you hurt more."

"I promised," he mumbled as his helmet lifted off of Xanxus' back. "If you don't want to drive, then I'll walk."

"I'll take you," he replied, reaching down to grab Laz's gloved hands before he could let go of his waist to get off. "Just sit tight."

"It's the one next to the cherry blossom on the hill," he directed before once more laying his head down.

"We're a lot alike," Xanxus commented sadly in hopes of keeping him talking as he slowly started driving through the cemetery. "I used to go to Tsuna's grave on all of the holidays. For three years straight, I went at least once a month."

"W-Why?" He asked hesitantly, showing the first signs of actual interest in talking to him.

"Because holidays didn't mean anything to me before I met him," he answered honestly. "I used to be so caught up in myself that holidays were just an occasion to get drunk and throw shit. Tsuna.... After I started connecting with Tsuna, everything started changing for me. I started looking forward to the holidays because I knew that he would put aside at least a little time from his work so that I could see him. Sometimes we'd have to meet a few days before or the day after, but he always made sure to spend some time with me as a friend. He... He was the first guy that made me see him as a friend instead of a rival or a subordinate. I still don't know how it happened sometimes. He went from someone I wanted to kill to someone that was a big part of my life. Because of him, I went from being a monster into actually being human. And...And once he was gone, I felt like I'd lost everything. So, I went to his grave even though I knew it was empty. In my head, I knew that nothing would come no matter how many times I went. I still went, though. I wanted... Hell. I don't know what I wanted. I just didn't know where else to look. You understand. Isn't it the same for you?"

"No," he replied without a shred of inflection in his voice. "I know what I'm looking for. Don't compare us, Vongola. We're nothing alike." Xanxus bowed his head in defeat as he pulled the bike to a stop on the top of the cemetery hill. Laz still wasn't willing to open up to him. He should have figured that it wouldn't be that easy.

As soon as he parked the bike, Laz jumped off of it and pulled his helmet off. No matter how hard he tried, Xanxus couldn't keep the pang from twisting his insides when Tsuna's face came into view. Laz's expression and image was using it in a completely different way. He seemed to have a permanent scowl when talking to Xanxus and Tsuna would have never wore earrings so openly. There was something faintly attractive about him, though. Something that was like what he'd been attracted to in Tsuna, but also different.

"You can go," Laz growled once he'd pulled the brown bag out of the saddlebag. "I'd prefer privacy and I can get a taxi to take me home when I'm done."

"But--"

"Go away, Vongola," he ordered in open dislike. "I don't care what anyone says. I don't want you here right now."

"Alright," he agreed with what strangely felt like empathy. "I'll come back to check on you in an hour. If you're still here, I'm dragging you home whether you want me to or not."

"Piss off," he snarled. Xanxus shook his head to himself before starting the bike back up. He was kidding himself if he really thought that they were different. Xanxus had already fought the demons that Laz was facing off against. He still fought them every time that he looked at Laz's face. He understood Laz's anger too much. He understood and that understanding was why he did as Laz asked. He drove away to give him privacy to face the personal hell that only appeared when one was in solitude.

He stopped the bike when he got to the cemetery gates. He couldn't go farther. Not when his intuition told him that Laz would lose his battle if Xanxus left him. He knew that he wasn't welcome, but he didn't have to be welcome in order to act as a distraction. With that in mind, he parked the bike behind an above-ground tomb and pocketed the keys. The cemetery was far enough off the beaten path that no one should snatch it, assuming they even found it where he hid it. Once that was done, he started hiking with as much stealth as he had access to.

When he reached the top of the hill, he realized that the stealth had been pointless. It was true that he stayed hidden from sight, but Laz didn't look like he could see anything anymore. Only fifteen minutes had passed and already the ground around him was littered with crushed beer cans. While seeing the cans told Xanxus what had been in the bag, he hadn't thought that Laz was the type to drink simply to get drunk. He understood, though. It hurt so much to understand, but he did. He understood the defeat in his unguarded expression and the pain. He understood the misery that drove him to drink to ease his suffering. He even understood the lack of hope that explained the joint that he was smoking. He understood because Laz was self-destructing in the same way that he had. The liquor had been harder and the drugs had been heavier, but it was all the same thing. It was the wish for oblivion, no matter how temporary.

The last straw was when he yanked off one of his fingerless gloves and pulled a switchblade from his pocket. The sight spurred Xanxus into motion like nothing else could. He wasn't about to watch someone that he cared for try to kill himself. Laz was so far gone that he didn't even react when Xanxus burst out of hiding and started running through the graveyard toward him. His eyes widened and he stared with an eye twitching in shock when Xanxus knocked the knife away from his wrist, though. Before Laz could think of trying to reclaim it, Xanxus picked it up and threw it as far as he could.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He roared as the switchblade ricochet against a gravestone on the other end of the cemetery. "I only left you alone for fifteen fucking minutes and this is the shit that you try to--"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Laz laughed in disbelief. Xanxus stared at him while wondering if the guy had gone off the deep-end. This wasn't the time to laugh! "I think I should be asking what the fuck you're doing," he replied as he looked up with a set of calm, glazed eyes. "Are you some kind of stalker?"

"No!" He blurted with a bright blush betraying him. "I just--"

"I think you are," Laz grinned, wagging a finger in his direction to accuse him.

"You're drunk," Xanxus growled. Laz nodded, not denying it in the least, and pushed off of the headstone at his back so that he could stand.

"I'm drunk," he confirmed while he weaved in place slightly to stay upright. "It took more than it used to, but I feel alright now. So, are you going to apologize? You threw away my knife. That was a good knife."

"You were trying to slit your wrists," he spat with his anger returning. "I'm not going to apologize for stopping you."

"Idiot," he insulted with a playful grin on his face. "Who was trying to slit their wrists?"

"You were!"

"Not me," he corrected as he weaved even more. "You weren't paying attention. It wasn't my wrist that I was aiming for. See?" Xanxus blinked in surprise at the hand that Laz held out. There was a line etched into it from where he'd cut himself repeatedly at the base of his hand.

"Why--?"

"I'm hungry," he answered. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his legs gave out and he collapsed in place to sit on the snow-covered ground. Xanxus lurched forward to help him, but stopped as soon as he heard the light, drunken laughter that Laz was shaking with. "You really thought I was going to kill myself? That's pretty funny. Don't you know why my name is Lazarus? I can't die! Even if I did slit my wrists, it wouldn't do any good! I'm practically immortal, you idiot Vongola!" He spat with the insane laughter being replaced with anger and pain. "Don't you think I've tried already?! It healed back up in time for breakfast! Even if I shot myself in the head, I'd still be able to wake up and clean up the mess! If I want to die, I've got to let someone else do it and they've got to do it right! I'm not like you! Do you get it now?! I'm a fucking werewolf! _Nothing _about me is like you! I can't smile and laugh like you! I can't enjoy a damn meal without having my stomach complaining that it's not blood! I can't meet a person without having my instincts going nuts! Do you have any idea how hard it is to be me?! Do you know how much I wish...I wish that I _could _kill myself?!"

"Boo Boo..." Xanxus murmured in concern.

"It's my fault," he sobbed, doubling over to hide his head under his arms while he started weeping. "He's... He's d-dead because of me. He had a heart attack because he found out what I am. D-Don't you understand? We're nothing alike! NOTHING! You didn't kill Tsuna! _Tsuna's not even dead_!"

"Come on," Xanxus ordered while keeping his expression in check despite how Laz had crossed the line. "You're drunk. Let's get you home."

"No!" Laz shouted, shoving him away when he tried to help him to his feet. "Get away from me, Vongola scum!"

"I'm taking you back," Xanxus growled in growing irritation for Laz's attitude. Slipping his arms around his waist in effort to force him to his feet, he managed to get him upright before he started thrashing.

"I won't go back!" Laz screamed with a note of panic in his voice that made Xanxus let go of him completely. He started running as soon as he was free and Xanxus merely watched him for a second in shock. As far as reactions to being told to go home went, fear was a little unexpected. He was running away like Xanxus was the hound-keeper of hell instead of just a friend who was worried about him. He gave chase after the shock dissipated, worried about Laz due to the abnormal reaction. Perhaps it was just because he was drunk, but he wasn't acting right. He was acting like someone who'd just been pushed over a cliff and Xanxus didn't understand it.

"Laz!" He called when he lost sight of him in the labyrinth of old mausoleums that filled the back side of the cemetery. "Boo Boo! Where are you? Look! We don't have to go back if you don't want to, but at least let me take you somewhere warm! Laz?!" He snarled to himself while he started searching through the paths and between the tall, stone houses in hopes of finding where he'd hidden himself. This wasn't how he'd planned to spend Christmas. He'd had some hope of connecting with Laz when they'd left together, but this was getting to be a little nuts. "Enough with the hide and seek!" He yelled in growing anger. "Where the fuck are you?"

"Can't you find me?" Laz called back with a strange, playful note in his voice. Xanxus started running toward it almost immediately, only to have the voice come at his back. "Wrong way, try again," he laughed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Xanxus called in worry as his footsteps slowed. Something wasn't right. For him to have gotten at Xanxus' back so quickly and without being caught, he couldn't be drunk. The mood swing wasn't right, either. He'd been hiding his tears, but he'd been crying less than five minutes ago. "Boo Boo...?" He called while he slowly back-tracked more cautiously.

"You're getting colder." Laz's voice seemed to echo through the area and a quick calculation put him behind the third mausoleum on the left.... in the opposite direction. "I'll give you a prize if you can find me," he goaded when Xanxus stopped moving entirely out of aggravation.

"Enough with the games," he replied through clenched teeth.

"Aww," he pouted. "But I'm having fun. Here. I'll make it easy for you. I'll stop moving around. Will you play just one more round with me?"

"When I find you, I'm going to wring your neck," he growled as he started heading for his voice again. "If you move from there, I'm just going to fucking leave without you."

"I won't move," he promised, making Xanxus pick up his steps when the voice came from the same place as before. Circling around the mausoleum, he was stopped in his tracks by the last greeting that he expected. His mind went entirely blank due to the lips that were pressed against his own. "Wasn't the prize worth it?" Laz murmured breathlessly when he broke off and hovered in hopes of another one. Xanxus blinked and took two very hard steps back from him while he tried to get his mind to work right. Laz had just kissed him. Laz hated him, though. The two facts didn't match up _at all_! "W-What's wrong with you?" He asked in a daze.

"Nothing," he smiled, darting forward to wrap his arms around him in a warm hug. "I'm just happy to see you."

"Who are you? What did you do with the real Laz?" He asked automatically in belief that aliens had abducted him. The answer was completely different from what he was wanting.

"Se-cr-et," he answered playfully. "Does it matter who I am? You love me. That's why you're here. Right?"

"W-What--?" He gasped in complete confusion. "H-Hold on," he added as he carefully pried Laz's arms off of him and held him at arm's length. "You're not Laz?"

"Nope," he smiled.

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter," he repeated.

"But this is Laz's body," he asked in hopes of getting some sense out of him.

"Yes."

"But you're not Laz...?"

"How many times are you going to ask the same thing, Xanxus? I'm not Laz. Well, I am, but I'm not," he amended with a crooked smile on his face. "Let's just say that I'm the side of this person that loves you. Now, are you going to ignore this chance or are you going to let me hug you again? You know that you want me to."

"I do," he admitted hesitantly, "but I want to understand first. What do you mean that you're not Laz?"

"Fine," he sighed, shrugging off the hands that were holding him at bay in order to start walking outside of the labyrinth. "Let me spell it out for you," he continued in resignation when Xanxus slowly started following. "We, as in me and Laz, are two different people. Split personalities, if you want to be technical. Let's see. How can I explain this without saying too much...? Okay. How's this...? This is really my body, but there was an accident and I got put to sleep. Laz is a placeholder that was created using a foundation of some of the memories that I'm missing. A lot of my memories are still missing, not including those that Laz has. Because of that, I still black out a lot and Laz takes over. Every time that I wake up, I've got a few more pieces. I've been getting stronger because of that and I can come out more. When is it, anyway?"

"Christmas," he answered slowly.

"Oh!" He gaped in surprise. "This is a first. I woke up twice in the same day. I probably have you to thank for that. I always feel stronger when you're around."

"Thanks... I think," he replied hesitantly. "Do you happen to have a name to go with this story?"

"I'm... I'm Maro," he answered with a smile. Xanxus paused for a moment. His Japanese wasn't the best, but he thought that Maro meant 'myself'. "Anyway," Maro continued with a playful smile that looked nothing like the poker smile that Laz always used, "I've been getting stronger. I'm starting to get glimpses of what Laz is doing, but it's like I'm dreaming. I can't control any of it. Does that make sense?"

"A little," he mumbled. "Is Laz aware of you?"

"He should be now," he answered, putting his hands behind his back in order to walk next to him with an honest smile on his face. "He really doesn't like you. He thinks that you're just a spy sent by Vongola and he doesn't trust you. I wanted to make sure that he's not mean to you, so I left him a letter earlier. All of his friends have been trying to hide me from him, but they shouldn't have been able to this time. I went to a party that he was supposed to go to and made a huuuuge scene. Then I left him to wake up right before Autumn Martelli should have caught up to me. I told him that if he was mean to you, I'd do it again and I'd make it worse. I know that you're not here to hurt me, but Laz is a little pig-headed. He needed some motivation."

"So, you're the reason that Laz..." Xanxus trailed off, getting the feeling that it wouldn't be good for Laz to say too much to whatever this split personality was. Some things were starting to make sense, though. The reason that the devil woman had come in screaming and the reason that a meeting had been called upstairs. They'd been dealing with whatever trouble this apparition had caused. "You shouldn't do things like that," he mumbled in hopes of finally helping his friend. "Laz has enough problems without someone making more for him to deal with. What you're doing to him isn't fair."

"Don't make me laugh," he grinned. "This is my body, not his. I'm just loaning it to him until I've got the rest of my missing pieces back. I've got a friend who can get rid of Laz for me as soon as I feel that the time is right. It's kind of cute for you to worry about him, but--" Xanxus refused to hear more. Grabbing Maro by the shoulders, he spun him to a stop and decided to make one thing clear.

"Don't ever talk about getting rid of Laz," he snarled. "I don't know what you are or where you came from, but I won't let you hurt him!"

"Geez," Maro smiled in amusement. "You really don't get it. Laz is just a temporary placeholder. I'm the one that you care about. You're getting us mixed up, Xanxus. You love me, not him."

"Don't tell me who I love," he growled with his eye twitching in anger. "Laz is the one that I want to be friends with," he spat vehemently, making the Maro's jaw drop in surprise. "NOT YOU! I don't even know you!"

"Even if you're confused, that hurts, Xanxus," Maro mumbled with tears welling up in his eyes. Xanxus stared in shock over the open tears. Laz would never cry openly. Even when he'd cried earlier, he'd hidden his face so that no one could see.

"I'm... I'm sorry...?" He replied in confused guilt for making him cry. Letting him go, he followed to a seat at a base of a wide tree while the fake-Laz tried to get control of his emotions.

"I'll forgive you," he sniffed as he scrubbed his tears away. "I know that you don't understand and I wish that I could explain better, but I can't. It's too early for you to understand. Just... Just don't say things like that. Have I told you enough now? I really want you to hold me, Xanxus. I've had a hard time, too, you know. Every time I wake up, I'm somewhere new and there's all these people that I don't recognize. I can't tell you how happy I was when I read that you came to live with me and I'm sorry that I had to ignore you earlier. I didn't want anyone to notice that I'd woken up. That giant that Laz keeps around him kept knocking me out before I was fully awake."

"So you're the reason," Xanxus murmured as a few more pieces fell into place.

"They don't understand, either," he replied. Before Xanxus could do more than sit down next to him, Maro insinuated himself into a seat between his legs and grabbed his arms in order to wrap them around himself. Xanxus froze as the fake got comfortable against his chest. He had to admit that it was nice, but there was a real problem with sitting in such a way. Namely, that Laz hated him. It wasn't right to let this happen when it wouldn't be accepted by both sides of him.

"You shouldn't--" He started to object.

"Just shut up and let me," he interrupted. "If it bothers you that much, I'll make sure to stop before I go to sleep. I just want to be with you for a little while. I love you, Xanxus. Is that so wrong?"

"I wish I understood why," he said while he tried to keep control of himself. As far as torture went, this was the worst that he'd ever been forced to undergo. Here was his Boo Boo, practically throwing himself into his arms, but he couldn't accept it. "You're starting to make me wonder if those lies were true after all. They could have been about you instead of Laz."

"What lies?" He asked, tilting his head back slightly in order to stare up at him with a pair of innocent, doe-like eyes.

"The ones about you trying to take Tsuna's place," he answered carefully. His eyes narrowed in when he felt Maro stiffen in his arms. "Are you?"

"Things just keep getting better and better," he groaned as he forced himself to loosen up. "How do I say this? It's hard enough being me. I'm not going to try to be someone that I'm not, outside of occasionally taking over for Laz." Xanxus let out a small sigh of relief when his intuition gave no sense of falsehood in the statement. The only person that this guy would ever try to imitate was Laz. That didn't necessarily make him happy, but at least he didn't have to worry about having to decide whether or not to kill Laz and Maro together. "As for why I love you, you don't have to second guess that. Some people are just meant to be together. Laz won't accept it, but I do. Can't you be happy with that?"

"I guess so," he replied for lack of any honest way to object. Perhaps it was his own selfishness, but he didn't want to miss the chance that he had. It might not have been in the way that he wanted, but at least he was connecting with _someone_.

"I love you, Xanxus," he repeated as he spun in his seat. Xanxus groaned slightly, finding himself staring at a pair of lips that he couldn't deny wanting. Before he could consider refusing, the lips came crashing forward. It... It was different. He noticed immediately, but the kiss was different from the deep embrace that he'd received during his time with Suoh. There was a gentleness to it and a passion that sent images of Tsuna flashing through his head. It was as if he was kissing Tsuna again instead of Laz. The fact left him confused and dizzy until the feeling of a cold hand crawling up his shirt made him snap back to himself. Grabbing the fake's hand, he blurted the only thing that he could think of.

"Don't."

"Please don't make me stop," he panted, leaning forward to steal Xanxus' breath away once more. Clenching his eyes shut, he realized that he didn't want to make him stop. He wanted to pretend. He wanted to pretend that he had Tsuna in his arms again. He wanted to hold onto the warmth that swept through him with each soft embrace. He wanted to... But he couldn't.

"Stop," Xanxus gasped, wrapping his arms around the fake's waist and burying his head to keep him from continuing. It hurt too much to allow himself to keep going. Tsuna was dead and nothing was going to bring him back. Pretending only made him hurt more because he knew that it wasn't real. "Please don't do that anymore," he pleaded while he trembled to keep himself under control. "I don't want to be kissed by anyone but Laz."

"_Why_?" Maro gaped in surprise. "I know that I'm out of practice, but--"

"It hurts," he admitted with another shudder rippling outside of his control. "Laz is different. He doesn't let me delude myself. There's similarities even with him, but I can remember that he's not Tsuna when he kisses me. It's too hard with you."

"You've kissed Laz before?" He asked unhappily. "When was this?"

"Before," he answered, looking up to find the fake glaring at him for some reason. "Back when he was going by Suoh, I... It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago. I just know that he's different. I... I can't do this with you. It's just not right."

"You're going to regret this," he warned with a scowl.

"I regret a lot of things," he replied in honesty. "I don't think I'll regret this, though. I'm not trying to replace Tsuna with Laz and that's what I'd be doing if I accepted you. I care about Laz because he's a friend and I've spent time talking with him. You... I know nothing about you. I'm sorry, but--"

"You really are a fool," he murmured with his expression softening slightly. "I understand, though. I'm only hurting you this way. Forgive me. I got impatient. I forgot about the bigger picture."

"What--?"

"I love you, Xanxus," he repeated, reaching up to caress the side of his face. He smiled sweetly and leaned down to steal one more soft kiss before seeming to crumple into Xanxus' arms. Xanxus stared down at him in shock for a moment until he noticed that he was sound asleep. He'd never seen someone pass out that fast before, though.

"Oi," he called, reaching out with a trembling hand to shake him awake. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He grunted as his eyes flickered open. The flickering stopped and his eyes slowly widened when he found himself staring up at Xanxus. Then he started slowly moving away. There was fear in his expression that Xanxus could only guess at.

"Are you back to normal, Laz--?" Xanxus asked. He froze as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Laz seemed to jerk with every motion or absentminded gesture that he made. It was as if someone or something was shoving him and he repeatedly jerked to a stop to keep himself from falling. "Laz?"

"Don't--!" Laz gasped. Xanxus felt his mind go blank for a second time when Laz stared at the hand like it was prime rib. There was hunger in his eyes that Xanxus had a feeling didn't coincide with lust. "I know this smell," Laz shuddered as he pulled away to wipe away the drool that was starting to surface. "Listen to me closely, Vongola. I don't know if this is an arm or a leg, but you need to pull it back very slowly. Slowly--!" He yelped, lurching forward when Xanxus moved too fast. They froze in unison while Xanxus tried to figure out what was going on. "Try again, slowly," he directed while a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Don't bother trying to talk to me or respond. I can't hear you right now. As soon as you have your mutton chop put down, stay still and don't move. No matter what you do, don't fucking move. If you move, my instinct is to restrain you before you get away. If you fight me, I'll attack you. Okay. Slowly. Slowly. Good. Stay there and don't move. I--"

"Lazarus," a voice called from above. Both Xanxus and Laz looked up to see the one called Poe sitting in the branches of the tree above. Within an eye blink, he was standing between them without even a flicker of his coat to show that he'd moved. "You did good, Lazarus," Poe praised while Laz started crawling backward in complete fear despite how Poe advanced on him. "You're other self is such a wasteful creature. Isn't he? He used up all of the energy that you need to control your Hunger again. You did well to last so long. Come, my friend. You should know me, even if the hallucinations have gripped you. Are you not familiar with my scent?"

"P-Poe...?" Laz asked with a tilt of his head to show that he was hearing something, if not Poe's exact words. "You're.... Poe... Poe's the only one I know who could be a peppered churro. Am I right? Move around if I'm right."

"You're right," Poe confirmed, carefully waving a hand in greeting.

"I'm hungry, Poe," he whimpered with his shoulders sagging in relief. "What do I do? The Vongola threw away my knife. If I bite myself, I won't be able to stop."

"Good," Poe murmured under his breath. "You've still got your reasoning skills. I'm going to try to help you, so please don't fight, my friend." Poe called as he slowly took off his trench coat. "Vongola, please do not move. Any distractions right now could be dangerous for him."

"What's going on?" Xanxus asked worriedly.

"The insanity has taken him again," Poe replied as he waved his coat to attract Laz's attention. Laz's eyes followed it with his mouth once more watering. It was as if he couldn't tell the coat from Poe. "He's usually quite good about controlling himself, but his other self is wasteful with his energy."

"You're talking about his split personality," Xanxus said while he tried to keep as still as he could.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "Laz can withstand a little of the drain that happens when the other one comes out, but he has yet to recover from the drain that was gifted to him earlier. Twice in one day is too much for him to handle, no matter how much he has trained himself to ignore his Hunger. He has no energy left to withstand it. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't rip out your throat before I got here. I left as soon as I sensed the energy fountain, but it took some time to reach this place. Alright. He looks tempted enough." With a flick of his wrist, he sent his coat flying. Laz's response left Xanxus gaping. It was as if he were a dog lunging after a Frisbee. He snatched the coat mid-air and started fighting with it when he landed. It was as if he truly couldn't tell that the cloth wasn't alive. "It's covered in my scent," Poe explained as if he could read Xanxus' mind. "To him, it's as if I just turned into two separate prey. And now--"

Without wasting any more breath, Poe started moving. While Laz was distracted with subduing the jacket, Poe slipped his arms around him from behind and forced an arm into Laz's mouth. Xanxus' eyes widened slightly, disbelieving that he was seeing what he thought he was. Hearing Laz talk bullshit about being a werewolf and actually seeing it were two different things. Laz struggled at first, but all it took was one scratch of his teeth against the arm in his mouth to make him pause. While Xanxus continued his attempts at understanding the incomprehensible, Laz snapped completely. With a bestial snarl, he purposefully bit down and started.... _feeding_... Xanxus could think of no other way to describe it. If it weren't for the fact that he'd seen Belphegor do some weird shit in the past with his blood, it would probably have been enough to give him the creeps or make him sick. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he'd seen worse. He knew that he should be upset over his Boo Boo acting so crazy, but he was able to watch in complete detachment. It was pretty tame compared to the stuff that he was used to.

"Enough, my friend," Poe murmured as he carefully started pulling his arm away. Lazarus growled slightly and continued trying to lick the blood off of the surface of the bite wound, but willingly let him pull it away. "Do not worry, you shall get your fill before the night is through. Can you smell them now that you have your mind back?"

"Ah," he answered with a pain-filled glance over at where Xanxus was still patiently sitting. "We probably wouldn't have caught their traces from the heart of the city," he commented while he wiped the blood off of his mouth. "Two in the north east and four more less than a mile from here."

"They're looking for you," Poe said calmly with his attention fully on Laz. "Not enough time has passed for them to know of the second Sky in this territory and Barb said that they were not hers. They've come hunting a Christmas Feast and you're the target."

"They're all heading this direction," Laz replied tiredly. "We'll just let them come. I'll stay in the open as bait and you can net the smart ones who stay back."

"You're getting used to this," Poe mumbled with a small smile flickering on his lips.

"It's not the first time that I've been hunted," he stated calmly. "What are we going to do about the Vongola, though?"

"I have a name," Xanxus growled as he got to his feet in the determination that it was safe to move. "If you tell me what the hell is going on, I might be able to help."

"Laz...?" Poe prompted with a raised eyebrow.

"No," he answered with a hard scowl that was normal for he Laz that he knew. "I don't trust him and I don't like the idea of telling him how to kill us. Why don't you just vamp him to sleep? If he wants to help, then we can use him as bait."

"Bait?!" Xanxus roared in anger. "Who do you...! Who...?" Xanxus blinked, feeling a wave of dizziness come over him that sent him to his knees. Neither Laz nor Poe moved, but he felt as if he'd just been shot and was bleeding to death. The was no wound, however.

"He's just as wasteful as your other self," Poe commented with a smile while darkness started creeping into Xanxus' vision. "Humans have no discipline."

"What--"

The last thing he saw on Christmas day was the knowing smirk on Laz's face.


	73. Chapter 73 True Faces

Tsuna tried his best not to laugh when Xanxus came down to breakfast. No matter how hand he tried, he couldn't hold it back, though. It was bad enough that he had to run to the bathroom so as not to laugh in the poor man's face. Xanxus looked disoriented and upset over having woken up in his bed, but that wasn't the funny part. The funny part was the image that Tsuna couldn't get out of head of Xanxus hanging from a tree branch by the hem of his boxers while snoring in a tone that had kept everyone with sensitive hearing from being able to get near him. It was simply where he'd landed when the vampire that had been carrying him off had thrown him away to get away from the sound of his snores and, as the only person used to him, they'd had to call Ginger to come get him down.

Enemy or not, the sight had been hilarious. Even asleep, Xanxus had proved to be very useful in keeping the vampire horde at bay. Of course, he'd kept his allies away, too.

"Sorry," Tsuna said calmly as he returned to the breakfast table with an uncontrollable smile on his face.

"Do I want to know what happened between you two last night?" Gigi asked with a raised eyebrow while she glanced between Xanxus and Tsuna. "You seem in a much better mood today."

"It's nothing like that," Tsuna corrected without his smile faltering for an instant. Getting himself a second helping of biscuits and gravy from the communal platters, he kept his eyes averted from Xanxus as much as possible so that he wouldn't start laughing again.

"Tweet, tweet, Xanxus," Ginger greeted with a long stretch as he came to join them at the table. Tsuna choked on a bite of biscuit when he tried to laugh and swallow at the same time. The flabbergasted look on Xanxus' face didn't help any. He had no clue about the meaning behind the greeting, which only made the image of him swinging from a branch that much worse.

"Breathe, sweet-cheeks," Gigi gasped, pounding him on his back to help him when his face started to turn red from the lack of oxygen. Even after the biscuit moved on, he couldn't stop laughing. He tried numerous times to put on a straight face and compose himself, but Xanxus' blank expression destroyed his efforts every time.

"I should have taken a picture," Ginger commented.

"Tape-recorder," Tsuna snorted in another fit of laughter. "His snores can be a new anti-vampire weapon! We'll call it the Xanxus Sound Bomb!"

"Okay, you're going to have to explain that one," Leo said when Xanxus turned a bright shade of red. He looked like he was about to blow his top, which somehow made Tsuna laugh even more. Ginger joined him, knowing the reason that he was so hysterical while everyone else was merely amused at Tsuna's inability to stop laughing.

"Oh, man," Tsuna panted as he finally started to get control of himself. "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

"We better not tell him what you're laughing about," Ginger warned with a thumb stabbed in Xanxus' direction. "I don't think his dignity could take it."

"You're right," he agreed while he tried to keep himself from succumbing again. Xanxus looked pissed because he knew he was being laughed at. The problem was that he also looked bewildered because he had no clue why. The combination made it hard to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a straight face. "I shouldn't have laughed at you. It's just... Did you know that you snore?"

"Yes," Xanxus answered cautiously.

"Did you know that you snore in a frequency that vampires don't like...?" Tsuna asked, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing again.

"No," he answered with his eyes widening slightly as Tsuna's question filled in a few of the gaps of what had happened the previous night.

"You better stop there, Boo Boo," Ginger warned with a tooth-filled grin. "He'll have enough trouble believing in vampires. I don't think you want to tell him what happened after you knocked him out."

"Alright," he smiled in return.

"It sounds like something incredible happened," Gigi commented. "What happened after you left last night, sweet-cheeks? We didn't even hear you come in this morning."

"Nothing much," he answered with his smile faltering a little. "We just had some intruders in the city last night. Me and Poe took care of it, so you don't have to worry."

"Oh," she replied quietly. "So that's why you're in a good mood. Your stomach isn't hurting for once." Tsuna paused with his own smile dying completely. Gigi understood things far too clearly. She'd bypassed the thought of the fight and had went straight to the finale that Tsuna tried his best to forget.

"Yeah," he admitted, bowing his head in guilt. They would have died anyway, he told himself. No matter how much he repeated it to himself, it didn't help. His stomach started churning in the knowledge of what he'd done to make it stop hurting. He and Poe had agreed that it wouldn't hurt him to occasionally fill up. As long as he didn't eat so often that he couldn't withstand the crash that came when he started dehydrating himself again, a rare treat was permissible. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, standing in realization that he was ruining breakfast for everyone. He couldn't eat anymore. The thought of putting anything in his mouth at the moment made it hard to simply keep down what was already filling it. "You guys keep eating without me. I'm going to go get dressed. Gigi, when you get done, can you see about getting those meds that you were telling me about?"

"Sure thing, sweet-cheeks," she agreed with a small nod. Ignoring Cassandra's worried comments about how little he'd eaten, Tsuna headed for his room and collapsed into Snicker's chair once he was inside. He felt sick. He was sickened of himself and he was sick of bearing such an abnormal curse. He just wanted to be normal. He wanted to laugh with his friends and he wanted to-- Who was he kidding? He couldn't be normal even if he wanted to. Such times were past him. He should have been happy for the combat experience. It made him stronger so that he'd be more useful for when he was finally called upon. That was the only goal that mattered.

"Boss...?" Veronica called as she hesitantly cracked the door open. Tsuna waved her inside without getting up. He simply didn't feel like moving yet. "I've got your schedule prepared for today, Boss," she smiled. She looked excited, which was somewhat understandable since today was to be her first official day on the job. Daren had already gotten him the projections for his potential earnings. Even without the escort service, the Dragons would be seeing the first steady positive cash flow that they'd ever had. It was his job to ensure that the projections came to fruition by increasing the business that the places got. It was Veronica's job to help him keep track of all the smaller things so that he and Gigi could focus on actual business.

"You look nice," Tsuna commented, looking over her grey pencil skirt and overall professional attire while she prepared his clothes for the day. All of her garments fitted her curves like a glove, both the natural and unnatural ones. The heels that she was wearing did wonders for her legs and she'd even went so far as to get a pair of glasses to complete the secretarial look. She had both sex appeal and professionalism balanced in her appearance, right down to putting her wig up in a bun. Tsuna could tell that Gigi had a hand in helping her. Even he had trouble believing that Veronica was a man with how the smallest of details hadn't been overlooked. For example, her Adam's apple was hidden with a choker and her jaw line had been artfully softened with makeup. Even her voice was pitched just right to be a woman's alto. No one who'd just met her would ever consider that Veronica was truthfully a man that Tsuna had met in prison.

"Do you like it?" Veronica asked with a slow wave of her hips as she moved around his room. "Gigi was a lot nicer about helping me pick out clothes than I thought. She's a smart woman. I thought she'd be like all the other drama queens, but she's really sensible. She had reasons for everything that she wanted me to get. I didn't want to trust her at first, because there's usually a lot of competition between girls like me. She's really not that bad, though. I'm glad that I listened to her. She was right about women's boy-shorts being just as feminine as thongs and much more supportive. I went back and got six extra sets of lace ones while you were still healing from where that dirty man hurt you."

"Is that so?" Tsuna mumbled with a small smile when Veronica brought him a lit cigarette and his ashtray.

"It is," she confirmed with a smile before backtracking in order to sit on the bed next to the clothes that she'd laid out for him. Pulling the small handheld out that Tsuna had gotten for her during their shopping spree at the electronics store, he knew what was to come next. She didn't even have to tell him while she called up the right file to read from. It was obvious in her manner that she was taking her job very seriously. "You have a meeting at eight with Mama Jill to inspect the new dancers and finalize the distribution plans for what's in storage. At nine, you've got to meet with Charles about the installation of the upgrades to the lighting and audio systems at Kink's. He also said that he needs you to come up with a theme for the Valentines Day Bash. They need it within two weeks so that they can start finalizing the plans. At ten, there's a meeting with Mr. Brazier at Rascal Rogers to get your okay on the new menu items that Gigi set up. He's also wanting clarifications on Gigi's modification to the token system."

"I already talked to Gigi for you," she continued before he could ask the obvious question. "The current problem is that all the games are set to different token amounts. Her plan is to increase the cost of a token and flat-line the games to one token a piece. This way, it relieves a lot of stress on the parents and children. They don't feel cheated when a game costs five tokens and there will be less resentment over the price of the tokens than the games. From Daren's estimate, we should be able to afford it. The games use electricity no matter what and a lot of the issue with getting customers in the place is that they're fearful of getting ripped off to play games. If they know that it's fifty cents no matter what they choose to play, we'll actually be getting an increase in profit due to an increase in customers. Gigi says that we need to think of bringing in people that only want to spend five dollars at lunchtime instead of party crowds that spend hundreds. With the new menu items, people can get an individual slice of pizza, a drink, and still have change left over for a game or two before they go back to work. We're also going to focus on getting teens in the place more than smaller children. If we can make it enjoyable for the adults and older siblings, then the smaller kids will have an easier time talking their parents into going."

"I can see that," he sighed, leaning his head back in effort to relax. "What's after that?"

"At eleven, Gigi just informed me that you have an appointment with Dr. Henrietta," she murmured. "She said that it's just formalities so that you could get what you were wanting. Then, let's see... At noon, I've scheduled in an hour for lunch."

"We'll go to Pasta da Paolo," Tsuna commented. "I need to apologize for the scene that I supposedly made and find out how bad it is."

"Got it," she replied as she wrote the information into her notepad with a digital pencil. "At one, you have the meeting with Charlie that you mentioned wanting before. At two thirty, you're scheduled to drop by Leo's gallery to see what she put up for the New Years' exhibition. At three, Kamau is wanting your approval so that he can start working. Gigi got Sassy the tests for him and he passed them all with flying colors. No one would send him on errands until you gave a thumbs up."

"I'll trust Sassy's word," he replied with an absent wave of his hand. "I don't need to meet with him. If he can help out around the place with errands and chores, then just use him. We don't have lawns to mow, but I'm not going to ignore someone who's serious about working. He can help the girls out on grocery shopping and you can use him to run errands so that you can stick with me so that I don't loose track of things. Be happy. You've got your own subordinate."

"I'm not great with kids, but it's better than nothing," she grimaced. Turning her attention back down to her notepad, Tsuna leaned his head back in his chair to enjoy the last of his cigarette and tried not to get overwhelmed with everything that was being thrown at him. "Since you're not meeting with him, you've got driving lessons with Granny from three to five. Then you've got a meeting with Mike to inspect the storefront that he's chosen. At six, you've got a follow-up meeting with Charles to inspect the building that he wants to retrofit into a strip club. At seven, you've got two free hours for dinner, followed by a workout with Poe."

"It sounds like I've got a hell of a day planned," he groaned as he put out his cigarette.

"There's more," she sighed. "I put off some of the meetings until tomorrow and the next day so that you weren't having to rush for everything. Some of them need your okay in other meetings before there's any point to them. For example, there's the negotiation with Ore's construction company to do all the renovations for you. You can't do that until you know what places that they'll be working on. There's another problem, though."

"What's that?" He asked as he slowly got up to start getting dressed.

"You've already got ten invitations for New Years," she replied, pulling up another file on her notepad. "You've got a dinner invitation from a Principal Henderson...?"

"That's Hannah," he supplied while he started buttoning up his shirt. "If I'm bored, that's a maybe. Who else?"

"You've got one from a Duchess Drake," she murmured with a raised eyebrow for the title.

"I'll pass on that one unless Poe tells me that it's mandatory," he growled.

"Charles asked for your appearance at Kink's. He wants you to judge the drag show that's planned."

"I might be able to drop by for a beer, but I don't think I'll have time to be a judge."

"I'll let him know. There was one from Mr. Martelli for a masquerade party," she continued while he continued getting dressed. "Everyone is to take off their masks at midnight. It looks like another exclusive get-together. This time it's on the top floor of the Hillshore Building."

"That'll depend on how my lunch with him goes. The fireworks might be pretty from up there."

"Some of the Dragons want you to walk down to the ball-drop with them that they're setting up at the park."

"I'll go if I can get away from the other stuff before midnight."

"Eric's invited you to an executive party at his recording studio."

"I'll think about it."

"Leo wants you to come to the Grande opening of her exhibit."

"I'll think about it."

"Some girl named Nina wanted to know if you were free for dinner."

"I don't know a Nina."

"She said that she worked for Garfield. I think it was that girl that gave you her phone number after the poker game."

"That'll be a no, but set me up to go out for drinks with her some other time. She wasn't half bad."

"There's invites to parties from Erin, Wes, and Michael, too. They all were curious when you'd come play poker with them again and invited you to parties at their mansions. In Wes' case, it's an invitation to an underground race event."

"I'll go this Sunday. Send polite refusals to the invitations. I've got too many others that have priority on my attention."

"The owner of Mudpie called and wondered if you wanted a table reserved for the New Year's Party down there."

"I'll pass. Set up for me to stop by there when I've got free time for some drinks, though. I want to see how the owner's son is doing and to see how the animal psychic is doing with his new show. I haven't been able to watch in ages."

"I'll start recording it for you," she promised with a small smile. "And the last one of the invites that we've got so far is from Xanxus right before I came up. He wanted to know if you might have drinks with him and Ginger."

"I'll.... I'll think about it," he murmured with a pang of guilt for having laughed so openly at him. Even if he was an enemy, no one deserved to be laughed at. Especially when Tsuna had already been cruel by using him as bait while he was asleep. "See if there's any way that you can accept more than one invite. I'd hate to let anyone down. How do I look?" Tsuna asked once his tie was loosely in place so that it wasn't strangling him.

"Like a businessman," she chuckled as she stood to get his Namahage jacket for him. Button down shirt, black slacks, his expensive leather boots, and a simple tie. It was as respectable as he could make himself look and he had a strange feeling that he wasn't going to see any other clothes for a long while.

* * *

"Are you alright, son?" Papa Paolo asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," he replied with an honest smile. He felt good. He felt better than he had in a long time. It was as if all the stress in his life had fluttered away like a swarm of migrating butterflies. He couldn't frown. He'd tried a few times, but it was literally impossible. He didn't feel tense. He couldn't get angry. His nerves felt like they were covered in bubble wrap. Best of all, the drugs that they'd given him to keep Tsuna from coming out had the added bonus of being a hunger suppressant. Even though he should have started to get hungry after the effects of being fully fed wore off, it was as if it was an easily ignored sensation in the back of his mind. It was there, but the drugs let him ignore it without having to put in nearly as much effort. Whether he ate or not was completely his own decision. It made him feel free in a way that he hadn't felt in far too long. Of course, it belatedly hit him that it was the very reason that Papa Paolo was worried about him. "Don't worry, Papa Paolo," he soothed around a bite of his pasta. "I'm going to be okay from now on. Things like last night can't happen anymore."

"Oh?" He prompted in curiosity. "And why is that?"

"I went to a doctor earlier," he answered with another smile. "She gave me medicine that is supposed to keep the other me from coming out. She said that she talked to Gigi and the trigger that let him out in the past was when I got stressed, so she gave me some stuff to keep me from getting upset. I just wish that you all would have told me about him sooner. I would have got treated before I did something crazy like I did last night."

"He seemed harmless," Papa Paolo replied while he pushed his pasta around his plate. "I'm not a man who thinks that pills are the answers to all of life's troubles. It seems that I was wrong in this case. I hope that you'll forgive me for my lapse. I believed that you were strong enough to overcome your problems without help."

"Sometimes you can't get stronger without a bench-press," he replied, finally managing to keep a straight face. "I consider this a bench-press for my head instead of my arms. It's really okay, Papa Paolo. I'm not blaming anyone and it's a lot better this way. I don't feel like I've got a bullseye painted on my back anymore. I can think a lot more clearly now and it's like all the distractions have been thrown away. I just hope that you're not mad at me for not noticing sooner. I wouldn't have ruined your Christmas Party if I'd known."

"Don't worry about that, son," he sighed. "I was expecting you to make some kind of mess. I--"

"But there was no purpose to this mess," he objected. "It wasn't fair to you. I'll admit that I went a little overboard at the dinner party, but the whole point of me going to the cocktail party was to make up for that. Because of... of the other me... _both _events got messy."

"You can make it up at New Years," he replied with a small nod of acceptance for the explanation. "Bring a date this time. I've already told Theodore that you were drunk. If he sees you paired off with someone, I think he'll forgive you for kissing Autumn."

"Is that Autumn's fiancé?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Yes," he nodded with a serious look on his face. "I hand-picked him when it became clear that my first choice wasn't the right material. Theodore is an upcoming politician and the ties will be good for protecting the Family. Autumn's agreed to the engagement, so everything's moving along smoothly."

"What was wrong with your first choice?" He asked conversationally.

"He turned gay," Papa Paolo answered with a pointed look at him. Tsuna choked on his food for the second time that day, which only caused Papa Paolo to smile for the first time since sitting down to lunch with him.

"What--?!" He gasped after he took a drink of water to clear his throat.

"That's all in the past, son," he grinned with a twinkle in his eye. "I'll admit that the thought crossed my mind several times, but I'm not a fool. I couldn't see messing up an honestly loving relationship just to give Princess a man who could keep her in line. There was a lot of pressure from the Family to chose someone else, too, since everyone's still biased because of what happened with Gabriel. I had to choose a lot faster because of everything that's going on with Vongola, but I think I made the right decision in the end. Theodore isn't my first pick, but he's got potential. He won't ever be a man who can take up the Family seat like you had the potential to, but he's gullible enough to protect Autumn while she runs things. He seems to actually care about her, too, so I don't have to fear that my little Princess will become a meaningless trophy wife."

"I pity the man who would dare," he mumbled with wide eyes over the thought of Autumn in such a position.

"Well, I'm glad that you stopped by, son," Papa Paolo said with a note of dismissal in his voice. "I hope that you'll come by more in the future. Things get too quiet around here since you stopped working here."

"I'll try," he promised. "Things are kind of crazy with getting the Dragons straightened out, but I'm getting a lot of helpers. Pretty soon, I'll have enough that I'll have time to take requests on how to use them."

"I see," he replied in a way that told Tsuna that the hint had been understood. He wanted to start doing under-the-table work for Papa Paolo again, but he had to consolidate first. "Let me know when you've got more hands than you know what to do with, then. I've always got a spare job or two laying around."

"Thank you," Tsuna said in relief as he carefully stood. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to go. Veronica's staring daggers at me, which means that I've probably already taken too long. She gets upset when I ruin her schedule."

"Go on," he laughed. "Don't worry about the lunch. It's on me. Just make sure that you bring the rest of your Family down here for lunch sometime. It's always a delight to see Isaac's face when Gigi stops by."

"I'll remember that," he grinned. Giving his final farewells, he snapped his fingers to gather the workers that were sitting a

after having finished their own meals. There were only four today, plus Veronica. Two others had been left at Rascal Rogers to help paint and refurbish the dining area. "Go find Gigi," he ordered to the remaining four once they were outside. "If you move fast, you can catch her finishing her lunch with Danny. Veronica, you're with me."

Standing silently, he gave soft nods of farewell as his men dissipated. He hadn't been able to find anything for them to do, but hopefully Gigi could find a use for them. At least none of the four seemed upset over not being given a task. They'd gotten a free lunch just for having followed him around for the morning.

"Not that one," Tsuna corrected when Veronica started heading for a taxi from the Blue Cab Service. Veronica paused and looked at him in confusion. "I'm friends with the red cabs," he explained. "They helped me out in the past, so they're the only ones that I'll use."

"I'll remember that," she smiled as she started flagging down a different taxi for him.

Once he was inside the red cab, he took a moment to catch his breathe. He'd been going non-stop since breakfast and it didn't look like he'd have any time to unwind until he went to bed. In a way, he liked it. In prison, he'd kept active. The problem had always been that he hadn't felt like he'd achieved anything with the time. Now, he knew that he was working toward goals and was actually making progress. He didn't feel quite so worthless as long as he stayed moving like this. He would have probably went stir crazy if he'd been told to just sit around the house and relax for a few days. He liked to be in the thick of things. There was no silence for him to face that way. Even if things hadn't been so hectic, he knew that he would have probably found things to do just to keep himself busy.

The ride into the suburbs was mostly quiet. Veronica chatted softly with the driver the whole time while Jewel skittered around to sleep on his stomach. He tended to forget that the little bug was with him with how well-behaved she was. As long as she could stay attached to a warm body and got fed, she didn't seem to care anything about what went on around her. She got curious at times, but never so much that she caused problems for him.

"Wait here," Tsuna ordered quietly when they pulled up to Charlie's new home. The mansion was easily the size of Papa Paolo's. It had everything that a rich man could afford. From the gated fence to the columns on the porch, everything about the place reeked of high society. He felt hesitation grow inside of him, even though the medication that he'd taken kept him from truly feeling it. No matter how worried he was about his meeting with Snicker's son, the medicine wouldn't let him get stressed over it. He could feel the emotions, but it was as if there was a chain-length fence holding it back at a point that he could easily handle.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself against what might be waiting and headed for the intercom inset into the gate. No matter what, he had to make sure that Charlie was taken care of.

Even if the boy hated him for destroying his family.

* * *

"Shut up," Xanxus growled in frustration. Cici dodged when he threw a screwdriver at her, which caused the screwdriver to embed itself into the wall behind her. Xanxus flinched slightly at the hole in the sakura-tree wallpaper. He liked the floor-to-ceiling image of the sakura grove that was on the wall of his bedroom. It was calming in a strange way, even though he knew that he should be upset over the amount of pink that was in the room because of it. Of course, most of the room was decorated in pink, too. It was enough that he wanted to strangle whoever had used the guest room before him.

"But, he didn't even say goodbye this morning," Cici whined. "He just walked past us without saying anything and he didn't come back for lunch! Did you really ask like we told you to?"

"I said shut up, you useless heap of junk!" Xanxus roared in growing anger.

"No need to get testy, Xanxus," Ginger barked from the bed where he was browsing through a magazine. "You should be happy. It was the first time that Boo Boo has smiled at you since we got here." Xanxus responded with a glare that nearly struck Ginger down on the spot. Despite the way that he laid his ears down in response, Ginger didn't take the hint to silence himself. "What really happened between you two last night? I can understand you being touchy since you ended up in a tree, but that's not it. Is it?"

"Keep it up and you'll be sleeping on the floor," Xanxus snarled.

"I already sleep on the floor," he snapped with his own glare in return. "Quit trying to scare us off with threats. If something happened that you're upset about, then speak up. We can't help you unless we know what's going on in your head, Xanxus. And if you throw that, then I'll bite your arm off!" He added with a growl in the back of his throat for the recharging unit that Xanxus had picked up to hurl. He paused before he could actually throw it, hearing Cici let out a strangled squeak of panic. It'd taken Paolo Martelli over a week to get the parts for him to build it and it would have been impossible if the man hadn't had connections within Mafia Row. Cici wasn't equipped to take standard electricity. She ran off of the energy converted from Flames. She was a prototype like that and one of Hotaru's few personal achievements, even if it was based off of centuries-old technology that was used to power the secret lift that went down to the Vongola Crypt. Finding the parts that could withstand his Flame and turn it into a battery for Cici to pull from wasn't something that could be bought online. If he busted the parts that he had, Cici would have to shut down for over a week until he could get more.

Ginger carefully took the unit from his hands before he could change his mind to throw it. He was upset, but he only had two ways to deal with such emotions. The first was to ignore it, which meant that he had to make everyone else shut up so that he could. The second was to talk to White. White wasn't around for him to talk to anymore, though. He'd crossed into enemy lines and she was over a thousand miles away.

"I might not be as good as White," Ginger said as if he could read Xanxus' mind, "but I'm still willing to listen, Xanxus. I've watched your sessions often enough. A lot of the time, you just need to get stuff off of your chest. I don't know why you bottle it up, but you'll only explode like tha--"

Xanxus blinked and looked up at Ginger with his jaw hanging open at the same time that Ginger's jaw dropped in realization.

If he bottled up his emotions, he would explode.

He hadn't been able to explode since he'd had the breakthrough with White after he'd returned from losing Suoh.

The reason that he couldn't bring out his Flame was because he wasn't letting it build up enough. By talking to White, he'd been releasing all the emotion that gave him power. It was so simple that he didn't know why he hadn't seen it before. He just had to be himself more instead of continue with the nonsense of trying to be what everyone had wanted from him.

"You're fucking kidding me," Xanxus mumbled with his eye twitching in shock.

"That's why Squalo's been such an ass to you," Ginger replied, putting everything together faster than he could. "He saw it all along. You've been holding it in when someone insults you since White told you not to lash out. He's been poking your pride and insulting you every chance that he got so that you'd get pissed off and revert."

"That bitch," he growled in anger as his intuition supplied even more information. "White knew why I couldn't use my Flame. She's been holding back from--"

"Don't get mad, Xanxus," Cici whispered from where she had landed on the dresser to conserve the power of her boosters. "She had a good reason."

"What?!" Xanxus roared. Jumping to his feet, he walked over and grabbed Cici like she was a talking basketball. He planned to use her like one if what he thought that she meant was indeed what she meant. "You knew?!"

"Yes," she answered in a monotone voice. "She asked my input on whether to tell you or not when you first started having problems. I told her that it had a seventy-two percent chance of causing you to regain your power at the expense of your progress. She decided that silence would be best because you had stated multiple times that you wanted to change. Did you think that there wouldn't be sacrifices to answer such selfish wishes?"

"What--"

"Playing hidden file Hotaru three-three-three," she replied, jerking out of his hands with a burst of her boosters. He blinked in surprise at her, only to get an even bigger shock when she opened her projectors without permission.

"Stupid, Xanxus," the sound file said as Cici landed on the ground to project Hotaru's body above herself. Without thinking, Xanxus backed up two steps. Hotaru had changed since the time when he was a mere boy. As a teenager, he proved to be very formidable. The one audience that he'd gotten before being sent to kill Boo Boo had been enough to reinforce that in his mind. In less than a year, Hotaru had grown into a man that probably did rival his father in power. His Flame had always been strong, but he no longer had any qualms in using it. He'd become a Boss that was feared more than Tsuna had ever been. Even his image showed a measure of experience and maturity that was far above his own level. From the Vongola mantle on his shoulders down to the lance in his hand, every inch screamed power.

"You really are stupid," the recording repeated as Xanxus went over to sit on the edge of the bed. The recording turned with him due to Cici's repositioning of herself while she continued to mercilessly force him to face the teenage Boss that he'd turned traitor to. "If you're watching this, then everything is going according to plan. You needed a wake-up call, Xanxus. I was going to be patient until you figured out your problem on your own, but this works to my advantage better. I wonder how long you lasted after being cut off from White? A day? A week? No matter. You know now or else Cici wouldn't be playing this recording. You've always underestimated me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you always underestimated my father, too. Isn't that how he managed to tame you?"

Hotaru smiled knowingly while Xanxus choked.

"Did you think that you actually hid it from me?" He asked as if he could see Xanxus' reaction. "I'm Vongola the Eleventh, _Uncle_. Nothing is hidden from me. I'll give you credit for trying, but it's useless. I know everything," he continued with disgust crossing over his face. "Between you and Mukuro, father never had a reason to leave Japan. Thanks to you two, all he ever cared about was his work. That's okay, though. I could forgive you because it was obvious that you truthfully cared about my father even after he died. I wasn't going to punish you like I did Mukuro for keeping him from returning home. You see, dad was nothing more than an amusement to Mukuro. As soon as he woke up, Mukuro ran off to find someone new to toy with. I won't forgive him for that. He can rot in the Vendiche prison until the day that he dies for what he did. You, on the other hand.... I have plans for you.

"You are just as guilty as Mukuro for distracting dad from his real family," he murmured with a slow smile crossing his face. "I left you alone because I could tell that you were trying to honor his memory by changing yourself into what you thought he wanted you to be. You slipped a few times, especially over Suoh, but that only helped you progress in your change in the end. I've been waiting to see what you would do when you found out the reason that you lost your Flame. Would you continue to honor my father's memory by changing yourself or would you revert to regain your power? Which was more important to you? Let me tell you something, Xanxus. My father kept a hidden journal about you. He wrote in it every time that he talked to you. You were special to him, you see. He wanted to see you grow and he was trying to help you find a power that didn't require anger. Do you want to hear the funny part? He gave up.

"That's right," he chuckled while Xanxus' face grew pale. "He stopped his work with you as soon as he taught you the Zero-Point Breakthrough. There were dozens of entries after that which talked about how guilty he felt when he was with you because he'd stopped trying to change you and you continued to do it anyway. After I read that, I came to pity you. Dad was just toying with you like Mukuro was toying with him. I guess I know where the bastard in me comes from now. Everyone likes to pretend that dad was an invincible superhero, but he was really just a weak-willed scumbag that couldn't finish what he started. Isn't that why he always relied so heavily on Reborn and the Dying Will Flame? He didn't have the strength to follow through with what needed to be done unless he had a crutch.

"Are you pissed yet?" He asked with a dark look on his face. "You should know that I'm right. Everyone wants to pretend that the peace we have is because my father worked soooo hard before he died. It's all bullshit and I'm sick of him getting all the credit for the things that I finished. Do you know how big the mess was that he left me? It took months of sleepless nights to fix everything that he screwed up and that was when I was only eight. Dad has to have been the worst Boss in Vongola's history, which makes it really fucking irritating when everyone tries to pretend that he was a damn saint!

"That's okay," he repeated with a deep breathe to calm himself. "I promised that I'd fix all the messes that he left behind and, no matter how much I dislike it, you're one of them. Isn't it about time that you gave up on this charade of being a decent human being, Xanxus? We both know that it's not who you really are. Dad cared about you, but you've taken what he was trying to do and blew it out of proportion. He just wanted to open you up to experience other emotions. He never had any plans to go farther than that. You were a finished project long before he ran away.

"You're forgiven for what you've done by ignoring my previous order," Hotaru sighed with a resigned smile. "I expected it. There's some things that a man simply can't do and this was one of them for you. Here's your chance to decide, Xanxus. Which is more important to you? You should know that I'll kill you if you try to choose both your power and to continue living with that fake that you've attached yourself to. You can't have everything and I won't let you do thing half-assed by trying to do both. I honestly don't care which you chose, Xanxus. Dad's dead and you've already honored his memory much more than I ever could, even if you've been misleading yourself. If you choose to take up your power again now that you know how to regain it, then I'll be happy to put you to work so that you can regain yourself.

"I can also respect your choice if you decide that you're happy like you are," he continued mercilessly. "I'm not a child anymore. I can understand the desire to give up the hitman's life to retire. I just want you to understand that you actually do have a choice, Xanxus. You probably feel like we forced you into retirement, but that's what you chose in the past without being aware of the consequences. You've had a taste of the consequences now.

"Think of this as my way of showing appreciation for teaching me in the past," Hotaru murmured with amusement plain in his eyes. "Isn't this what you wanted, Xanxus? If things went as planned, you're living under the same roof as someone who you were willing to turn traitor for. If you choose to stay with him, then I'll leave you alone as long as you don't raise a hand to hinder us. I won't ask for you to make the decision now. Take some time to think about it. Cici will have a second recording for you once you choose, but it's locked out so that she cannot play it within the next six months. Until then, enjoy yourself and think hard, Xanxus. This decision will affect the rest of your life."

* * *

Smoke filled the small bar and the only sound was that of the juke box playing in the background. Other than Tsuna, there were only two other people in the place. It was for that reason that he'd chosen this particular bar instead of going to one of the ones that he owned. He didn't feel like being around people. Laughter and ass-kissing would only be unwanted distractions. He wanted peace and quiet to contemplate.

Charlie had rejected him thoroughly. It was just like he'd feared. Charlie had been friendly through the funeral, but only because he hadn't known what was going to happen to his mother. The result was a broken guitar that had been the boy's Christmas present and a door slammed in his face. After that, he'd had Veronica clear his schedule and he'd been sitting alone in the bar ever since. He knew that he'd get sympathy from his friends if he told them what happened, but he didn't want sympathy. He didn't want pity. He, more than anyone else, knew that he'd dug his own grave on this one. He just hoped that his message had gotten through to Charlie. It didn't matter if he hated him now. If the boy ever needed anything in the future, nothing would stop Tsuna from helping him.

"Give me another," he ordered, sliding away his empty beer mug down the length of the bar. "No foam this time."

"Are you sure?" The grizzly bartender asked as he started to fill the mug from the beer tap. "This is your eighth one."

"I'm sure," he confirmed. Laying his head down on the bar, he waited quietly for his drink. For once, the beer was all going to his head instead of his groin. He wasn't sure if it was his surroundings that made it that way or simply the fact that sex no longer had the appeal that it once did, but he was grateful for the fact. He just wanted to think drunk. He didn't plan to act drunk, too.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The bartender asked as the beer was carefully set down next to his arm. "You look like you could use an ear."

"Not really," he mumbled tiredly. Lifting his head up, he pulled another cigarette out of the pack laying next to his beer and lit it. He'd had a full one when he'd come in, but the bulk of them were now in the ashtray to his right.

"If you change your mind, I'll listen," the bartender offered while he started wiping out clean mugs to make them shine. "We don't get a lot of new faces in here with the entrance being down an alley and all. I was pretty surprised when you first walked in. People are usually too scared of muggers to come here. They'd rather go to a bar that has a street entrance."

"I know," he answered around his first drink of the fresh beer. He took out half the mug with that first swig, after which he set to seriously nursing it. "That's why I picked this place. Me and Snicker used to walk past here a lot. He always told me that this was the best place to go to get a beer when you don't feel like dealing with crowds."

"Snicker... Snicker..." The bartender mumbled in thought. "Are you talking about Josh? Tall, built, ponytail and an army jacket?"

"That's him," Tsuna blinked in surprise. "You knew him?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Everyone here knew him. He came here for years before he got set up with the Orange Dragons. Even after he got set up with them, he still came in once a week. It has to be about ten years since I first met him. My daughter brought him in. She said that he'd saved her from a mugger right outside of here and I couldn't argue seeing as how he'd had a cut on his head and a black eye. We got him all patched up and he told me a bit about himself. When I heard that he was homeless, I offered him free beers to thank him for helping my little girl instead of looking the other way. Are you Suoh, by chance?"

"I used to go by that name," he replied with a small smile for the story. "I go by Lazarus now."

"Well, he used to always talk about you," the bartender smiled. "Suoh-this and Suoh-that. He always came in on Friday nights and would rant up a storm about you. I could set my watch by him for a while there. I always got a feeling that he just wanted to talk about you more than him actually being upset over something you did. No matter how angry he looked when he came in, he was always smiling after he ranted about you for a while. I probably know more about you than anyone else in the city!"

"I seriously doubt that," Tsuna chuckled around another sip of his beer.

"Let me guess," the bartender replied with a grin for the challenge of proving himself. "You're upset because your co-worker Isaac was bullying you again...? No? Not work related...?"

"No," he answered softly. "I don't work there anymore. I've got my own businesses to take care of now."

"Well, good for you," he praised while he started buffing the bar to stay active. "But if it's not work, then it's got to be Josh's son that's got you upset. Josh always said that you and him didn't see eye-to-eye. Not since Josh came out of the closet."

"How--?"

"Bingo," the bartender grinned. "I told you. I probably know more about you than anyone else. I listen when people talk and Josh never talked about anything other than you. Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger because a stranger's opinion don't matter. With me, he could come in and get things off of his chest and he knew that I wouldn't judge him."

"I see."

"So, what happened with the boy?" He prompted. "Did he get worse since his father isn't around anymore?"

"Yeah," Tsuna confirmed, taking a long drag off of his cigarette to steady himself. He had a strange urge to tell this man everything, but he didn't feel comfortable with telling a stranger his business. Perhaps just a little explanation couldn't hurt, he mused. "Charlie broke what I gave him for Christmas and slammed the door in my face. He said that I had no right to go near him anymore."

"Ouch," the bartender replied without a hint of either sympathy or pity in his voice. All there was to him was acceptance of what he'd been told. Like he'd said, he listened and understood without making judgment. "So, what did you do?" He asked while he refilled Tsuna's mug without being told.

"I left and came here," he shrugged. "Nothing is going to make Charlie accept me."

"But you want him to because he's the son that Josh left behind," he finished for him. "That's a tough one. Kids can be cruel without meaning to be, though. My daughter used to tell me that she hated me on a daily basis, but the truth was that she was just using me as a scapegoat for her own problems. No matter how many times she said it to me, she still came crying on my shoulder whenever she got dumped. I bet Charlie will be no different. As long as you keep reminding him that he can go to you no matter how many times he rejects you, he'll come around eventually."

"Time solves all problem, eh?" Tsuna murmured, knowing that the man's words were nothing less than the truth. He'd been telling himself the very same thing for hours, but hearing it come from someone else gave it the solidification of truth that he'd been unable to create for himself.

"You know it," he confirmed before turning to greet the sound of the door chime. "Welcome to the Peephole. I'm sorry, sir, but we don't allow dogs in here. You'll have to--" The man broke off in surprise of the spray of beer that erupted out of Tsuna when he saw who'd walked in. "You know him?"

"He's staying in the guestroom at the Dojo," he spluttered while he hurriedly tried to wipe the beer from his chin. Turning to where Xanxus and Ginger were frozen inside the doorway, he tried to figure out why they were there. He'd told Veronica not to tell anyone where he was at! "What are you doing here?" He blurted.

"We were wanting a drink," he answered with his eye twitching. He looked like he'd just received the piece of straw that broke the camel's back. "I figured that I could bribe the bartender to let Ginger in at a place like this."

"No go," the bartender objected with a shake of his head. "I'll have the health inspectors all over me if I let a dog in."

"This is a private bar," Xanxus countered. "You can make exceptions to the rules. He--"

"He's not a dog, Mr. Bartender," Tsuna interjected with a drunken grin lighting up on his face. The bartender raised an eyebrow and Tsuna felt a mischievous urge that he decided to run with. "Let me prove it to you. Hey, Ginger. Come here." Ginger looked back and forth between Xanxus and Tsuna for a moment before slowly walking forward on all fours. "You feel like doing some tricks? I'll buy you a drink." Ginger's head snapped up in surprise and both of his tails started wagging as if he really was a dog.

"What's this all about," the bartender asked with curiosity lighting up on his face.

"Just watch," Tsuna ordered playfully. "Ready, Ginger? The first trick is to roll over." Tsuna tried hard not to giggle when Ginger played along and rolled over. It was funny to him because the bartender thought that Ginger was just an oversized dog with mutant tails. The next tricks were going to surprise the hell out of him. "Okay. Now, stand." Tsuna grinned widely when he saw a gleam of understanding pass through Ginger's eyes. He was catching on while the bartender gave a little murmur of appreciation for how well Ginger stayed balanced on his hind legs. "Now, this is the best trick of all, Mr. Bartender. Ginger. Order yourself a drink."

"White Russian with a straw, please," Ginger ordered promptly with a toothy grin. The bartender froze with his eyes bulging in surprise and Tsuna devolved into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. The bartender's expression was priceless. He had no clue what hit him.

"V Special for me," Xanxus added to snap the bartender out of his shock. "Give me a Bloody Mary if you don't have any and don't put a lot of cream in Ginger's drink. The bastard likes it but it makes him sick if he drinks too much of it."

"D-Did your dog just order a White Russian, mister?" The bartender spluttered while Tsuna continued laughing.

"Yes, I did," Ginger answered with another wolfish grin. "I'd appreciate it if you got over it quickly and made my drink. It's funny to see people's reaction, but having people stare at me isn't very comfortable."

"I wouldn't guess so," the bartender agreed while his expression softened in understanding. "You'll have to forgive me. It's not every day that a dog starts talking. I don't think I'll be able to look at Bowser the same anymore." Taking the cue that they weren't going to be kicked out, Ginger slid into a stool next to Tsuna while Xanxus prudently took up a seat at the other end of the bar. Then a thought hit Tsuna and his laughter stopped in a heartbeat. Jumping out of his seat, he ran over to snatch up the drink that was set down in front of Xanxus.

"No," he blurted while he held the drink away from him. "You're not allowed to drink."

"Says who?" Xanxus asked with an unamused expression.

"Says you," he answered with a frantic nod to agree with himself. Then he shook his head to disagree with himself and amended, "I mean, not you. Foo Foo's the one that can't drink. If you're going to pretend to be him, then you can't drink either. He's been sober for... uh... a long time now. You can't ruin his record."

"How am I ruining his record if you don't believe that I'm Foo Foo," Xanxus asked with a smile twitching along his lips. "I'm only ruining my own record."

"Then you admit that you're not Foo Foo?" He countered with a burst of shrewd thought.

"I am Foo Foo," he replied with his eyes narrowing in frustration. "But I'm not planning to get drunk, so give me back my drink. I said that I've been sober. I never said that I didn't still drink for the taste."

"No," he blurted again while he held the drink behind him and out of Xanxus' immediate reach. Looking back at the drink, he immediately knew that it was V Special in the glass instead of a Bloody Mary due to the lack of tomato juice in it. "You're lying," he blurted with a spike of anger rippling through him. "If you didn't want to get drunk, you would have just ordered Vodka with Cherries. Charles said that this stuff is gets you drunk with one drop and I'm not going to let you get drunk. There's other ways to solve your problems."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" He asked in irritation. "Now give me back my damn drink."

"No," he repeated stubbornly. "And I'm just here to relax. I'm not like you. I--"

"I'm just here to relax, too," he growled through clenched teeth. "You're keeping me from that with this stupid act."

"It's not an act," Tsuna stomped belligerently. "If you're Foo Foo, then you're wanting to drink to run away from your problems! I'm not going to let you!"

"Then you admit that I'm Foo Foo?" Xanxus asked with his own shrewd burst.

"No!"

"Then give me back my drink."

"No!"

"Why not?!"

"Because it's gone," he blurted without any other reason to give. Tossing back the drink before he could argue anymore, he slammed the glass down on the bar and grinned. He'd won this round. At least, he thought he did right up until his knees buckled. Xanxus moved to catch him, but he refused to let the man touch him. Without thinking about it, he put a foot out to keep himself from falling. Then he put it out again to catch his balance. It took three tries before he finally managed to balance himself long enough to find a seat to sit in while the room spun around him. He felt like he'd just drank another ten beers and his blood was surging. The temperature in the room spiked thirty degrees until he felt like he was standing in the middle of a furnace. "What the hell was in that?" He gasped while Ginger and Xanxus both hovered over him in worry.

"He's still conscious," Ginger mumbled in awe.

"No shit," Xanxus agreed.

"Wow," the bartender gaped. "I thought you were nuts for ordering that stuff straight up. I usually only use it as a mixer. One drop of that will turn any drink alcoholic without changing the taste any. I'm surprised that you're still standing."

"I think I'm going to go out an get some air," Tsuna mumbled, trying to keep his head on straight. "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it," he replied worriedly. "I'll put it on Josh's old tab for you. Do you need me to call you a taxi?"

"I'll be fine," he answered, pushing himself off of the stool in order to stumble toward the door. He couldn't remember ever being this drunk and still managing to stay conscious. Gigi was usually around to stop him before he got past the giddy-drunk phase. He was well beyond that now, though. He felt like he'd drunk himself sober. Everything around him seemed to have crystal-clear clarity once it stopped spinning, although his feet didn't want to work right.

He managed to get out the door and turned down the dead-end alley into the main alley before his stomach finally rebelled at the amount of alcohol that he had in him. Stumbling over to a dumpster parked toward the end, he carefully judged that he should puke behind it instead of in it for the sake of the poor fool that might have to eat out of it. He also quickly judged that beer and V Special didn't taste nearly as good coming back up as it had when it had been going down.

He didn't even want to think about how hard it was going to be to clean his boots.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ginger whined from behind him.

"I'm fine," he lied while he patted himself down to find a cigarette to take the foul smell out of his mouth. He couldn't find them and he couldn't remember where he left them. While that wouldn't be such a big deal, the lighter that was with them was important. He started to panic when he couldn't find it.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't find my lighter," he answered while he started patting himself down again.

"You probably left it in the bar," Ginger soothed. "Xanxus can go back and grab it for--"

"No!" He blurted instantly. "You go get it."

"Why not Xanxus?"

"Because that was Snicker's lighter," he replied without thinking. "I don't want Xanxus' scent on it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't," he stomped with a red face. Shaking his head to get his head working straight, he tried to figure out how to explain and decided that it'd be easier if he just went to get it himself. "I'll just go get it," he grumbled, forcing himself to walk no matter how shaken his legs felt. He managed a half dozen steps before he froze at the two hands that grabbed his sides to force him to stop.

"Ginger, go get his damn lighter," Xanxus ordered quietly. "I'll stay here to make sure that he doesn't fall over."

"Alright," he agreed before darting back down the alley at a speed that only four legs could manage. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna wished for him to come back. Xanxus' smell was overpowering every other scent in the area and he was too drunk to withstand the combination of it and the warmth that was coming from the hands on his sides. It was as if he could close his eyes and fall backward into Joshua's arms again. As long as he closed his eyes and his ears, he could bathe in Joshua's scent and his warmth. Xanxus was so much like him in those ways. The illusion wasn't perfect, but the similarity was good enough. Wasn't it?

"Get away from me," Tsuna ordered, barely keeping his eyes from falling closed. "Don't touch me, Vongola!" Spinning in place, he shoved Xanxus away with all of his might. The result was that he was sent flying down the main alley at the same moment that Ginger shot out of the dead-end with Tsuna's lighter and cigarettes in hand. The only thing that kept Xanxus from flying further was due to how Ginger automatically reached out to catch him like he was a ball that someone had thrown. Ginger jerked slightly when Xanxus' momentum hit him, but managed to keep himself from being pulled along by simply yanking Xanxus into a hard landing on the ground.

"What did you do?" Ginger growled while Xanxus tried to get over his surprise at being shoved away so violently.

"I didn't do anything!" Xanxus roared as he bolted upright. He looked angry, but Tsuna could only stare in shock. He hadn't meant to shove him that hard. He'd just wanted to make Xanxus get away from him so that he could get his head on straight. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the words got stuck in his throat due to how Xanxus started ranting. "That bastard just shoved me for no fucking reason! I'm sick and tired of this shit! I didn't want him to jump into my arms, but this bullshit about treating me like an enemy is starting to wear pretty fucking thin! All I wanted was to talk to the guy that I was friends with online, not some psychopath that can't fucking treat people decently! All I did was try to help him stand up and he acts like I'm trying to rape his ass! I'm starting to think that Gabriel was fucking right about him!"

Tsuna snapped his mouth shut as the words seemed to echo through the alley. He felt like he'd just been stabbed while Xanxus continued to blow off steam with more ranting and yelling. Tsuna didn't hear anything else he said. The sentence about his agreement with Gabriel was enough. There was nothing that Xanxus could say that would be more hurtful.

"I hate you," Tsuna said bluntly, causing Xanxus to freeze in the middle of his shouting. He felt tired and he felt cold. It was as if all his emotions had been trapped in ice so that he was left completely numb. "Nothing is going to change that, so why don't you go back to Vongola? You'd be doing us both a favor. I don't want to be your friend. I don't even want to be your acquaintance. The only reason that I'm letting you stick around is because you're an assignment from Papa Paolo, so stop trying to get close to me."

"You don't mean that," Ginger objected, reaching out to slap a hand over Xanxus' mouth before he could respond. "I understand now why you've been pushing him away, Boo Boo. It's because of this. Isn't it?" Automatically, Tsuna snatched the lighter out of the air when Ginger tossed it down the alley at him. "I didn't notice it in the Dojo because I thought it was Xanxus that I was smelling, but I can tell now. I can tell because the scent that's on that is like Xanxus' but it's different. Xanxus smells like your Josh did. You've been pushing Xanxus away because you don't want to get the scents confused."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Tsuna murmured coldly after he pocketed the burnished square. "The scent that was in the Dojo was already destroyed by the time I woke up from fighting Hibari. You didn't know, so I don't blame you for that. I'm telling you to go back to Vongola for a different reason."

"Then why?" Ginger asked while Xanxus' expression took on a look of pained understanding that Tsuna pointedly ignored.

"He said it himself," Tsuna answered as he turned and started walking out of the alley to head home. "He thinks that Gabriel was right about me, so why don't you two go back to him? I'm sure that he'd make a much more willing friend than I ever will."

Turning the corner, Tsuna headed down the sidewalk and ducked into the first alley that he came across in case they tried to follow him. He didn't want to see their faces and he didn't want to argue about it anymore. He should have known that he couldn't trust a Vongola for an instant. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd let his guard down. There was simply something about Xanxus that made him want to trust, even though nothing good could come of it. All Vongola were the same. They took what they wanted without considering anything but their own needs. Gabriel probably fit right in with them. That bastard never asked for anything. He just took and took and took until there was nothing more to take. It angered him. It frustrated him. Reborn and Gabriel had both stripped him of the right to choose when they'd been in his life.

He hated them.

He hated Reborn. He hated Gabriel. He hated Vongola. He hated Xanxus. He hated...

He hated them all.

They should all die.

* * *

Gigi wasn't the only one to freeze when Laz came through the front door. They could tell immediately that something was wrong. It was terrifyingly wrong. The air seemed to grow cold while he silently passed. He didn't speak and no one could overcome the sudden lumps in their throats to even greet him. For the first time that she could remember, Gigi tasted the fear that many spoke of when they talked about Laz. She felt like her heart was going to stop when he simply glanced in her direction. She had no clue what had happened to him, but she felt like she knew what Laz was like when he disposed of enemy vampires.

She started trembling once he disappeared up the stairs to his room and she wasn't the only one to collapse into the nearest chair. She also wasn't the only one to gasp for air in realization that she'd been holding her breath, either.

"What the hell was that?" Cassandra shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill while Dedra reached out to claim a hug from Ore.

"I've never seen him like that," Marty commented as she headed over to protectively hover over Leo. "Veronica, I thought you said that he wanted some privacy to relax. Are you sure that you left him at a bar?"

"I s-swear!" She gasped breathlessly. "He wasn't like that before! He was upset, but--eek!" Veronica squeaked in unison with Dedra at the sound of destruction coming from upstairs. The whole building seemed to shake with every crash until Cassandra finally broke the fear-filled silence by running out of the building entirely. Ore quietly urged Dedra to follow and Eric followed suit by telling Summer to go visit across the street. From the angry roars that could be heard from upstairs, Laz had snapped completely.

"Get out of here," Neve called down from the sun-roof. "His aura's pulsing out of control! If you stay, you'll be in danger!"

"What's going on?!" Gigi yelled in worry.

"Can't you tell?!" She shouted as a different sound ripped through the room. It couldn't even be called a human roar. It sounded as if a dog and a jaguar were facing off. "Laz has gone berserk! I don't know what happened, but Father's going to see if he can get him under control! This might get messy, so all of you need to clear out! Now!"

"But--!"

"Go now!" Neve screamed as she darted away from the sun roof. "You're only a distraction if you stay!" She yelled with a note of panic in her voice. "Guard the building and don't let anyone inside or out!"

* * *

"Lazarus! Wake up! Damnit! Wake up! I can't hold him back by myself!"

He groaned and his eyes flickered open. The scene that met his eyes wasn't what he expected. He wasn't in his bed nor was he anywhere that he recognized. If a city could be made out of cracked vases, that was where he was. Everything from the ruined buildings to the stone pathway seemed fragile and barely held together.

"LAZ!" The voice screamed again with even more panic in his voice. "Hurry up and help! He's going to destroy both of us!"

"Tsuna....?" He asked in shock while he stared at the battered person fiercely holding....himself....in a headlock. They were the same, but they were different. The Tsuna that was trying to hold the other one looked normal except for how he was dressed in a black suit with a dark overcoat buckled into place around his shoulders. The one that was in a headlock didn't even look sane. He barely looked human. He had a proud set of antlers protruding from his head that he somehow knew were Saiga horns. Instead of feet, he had the hind legs of a cat and his body was covered in shaggy fur that would make a wolf jealous. The ears hanging down the side of his head was reminiscent of either a rabbit or a goat. Tsuna couldn't tell which with how he was constantly jerking around in an attempt to get free of the other Tsuna's grip. The part that really made Tsuna stare was the teeth, however. It was as if someone had filed down all his teeth until he had a set that rivaled a crocodile's.

"Don't just sit there and look!" Tsuna exclaimed when the beast-Tsuna reached up behind himself with a clawed hand to scratch down the side of his face in an attempt to get him off. Tsuna ignored the wound in effort to encircle his legs around the other's arms to try to pin him down. "Help me!"

Sitting up to answer the plea despite not knowing what was going on, he gasped at the pain that ripped through his body and the blood that spewed from his mouth. Looking down, he stared in shock at how his chest had been ripped open. Blood was everywhere and most of his clothes were ripped to pieces.

"It's not real!" Tsuna shouted in growing panic. "Just do something with this guy!"

"What do you want me to do?!" He yelled in return.

"Grab the collar, dumbass!"

Carefully standing, he looked around for a collar. It wasn't hard to find. It was laying in the middle of the fragile pathway. The problem was getting to it. Every movement hurt. Every breath hurt. Limping even a step forward made Tsuna want to scream in agony. He continued forward, though. He wasn't sure what was urging him to help, but he knew that he had to. If he was where he thought that he was, then the beast-Tsuna was his problem. It was his fault that the beast was roaming and attacking freely.

Picking up the simple leather hoop, he limped in Tsuna's direction. Unfortunately, he only managed three additional steps before his legs gave out on him. He was dizzy in pain. Even though he knew that the other Tsuna was fighting to keep the beast under control, he didn't think that he could move anymore.

"Just throw it here!" Tsuna yelled. Dragging himself to his knees, he once more tried to answer the plea. He'd never been one to ignore someone who needed help. Now was no different. Using the last bit of his strength, he threw the collar at Tsuna. He caught it, but it was at the cost of loosening the stranglehold that he had on the beast-Tsuna. Tsuna's speed and efficiency surprised him. Before the beast-Tsuna could take advantage of his one major chance to get free, the other Tsuna was slapping the collar around his throat like he was harnessing a bucking horse. Once it was in place, the beast fell still while Tsuna tumbled off of his back. "Shit," he gasped. "And I thought Pepper was hard to deal with. Oi! Lazarus! Are you okay?"

"No," he moaned.

"You got hit pretty badly by him before I jumped in," the other Tsuna sighed while Tsuna himself tried to roll over onto his back. "The pain is all in your head since we're in your head. You better tell yourself that you aren't hurt before you go back. I don't know if the wounds will surface if you jump back to our body while you still have them."

"How did I get here?" He groaned while he tried to do like he was told. It wasn't easy. No matter how much he tried to make himself believe that the wounds weren't real, the pain made them real anyway.

"You got drunk off of V Special, moron," Tsuna grumbled. "That's not the brightest of things to do when you've got a beast like this one just waiting to jump out. Drinking gets rid of your inhibitions. It's easier to give up control to your desires. In your case, or I should say our case, that means that Lynx gets control."

"Lynx?" He asked while he tried to sit up.

"That's what I named beast-us," Tsuna explained. "I was getting a headache trying to keep all of us straight since we're all Tsuna, so I gave us different names. You've already got one, but it'd cause problems if I went by Tsuna and there's no way that I'm calling Lynx by Tsuna. There's also Chibi, but he's a quiet one. I don't think he can see the rest of us."

"There's more?" Tsuna gaped.

"Other than us three, there's at least two more," he confirmed, reaching out to pet Lynx. "You can refer to me as Maro. I seem to be the only one that can go out the gate, although Lynx tried to after you gave up control. I barely managed to keep him from sticking more than a hand through."

"Gate?" He asked in growing confusion.

"Look," Maro sighed as he got to his feet. "You need to understand what's going on in your head or else incidents like this one might happen again. Stand up."

"But I--"

"Quite whining and just do it," he growled. "Geez. I always hated that about myself. I thought we'd have outgrown that by now."

"Shut up!" He exclaimed in anger for the semi-insult. "I'm not whining! Can't you see that I'm injured?!"

"Where?" Maro asked with a knowing grin. Tsuna looked down at himself and gaped slightly. His wounds had disappeared due to all the distraction that Maro had caused. "See. You're fine. Now get up. I'm going to give you a little tour of yourself. This area is what I've decided to call the courtyard. Nice, airy, and roomy. I stick around here when I'm not exploring since this is where new memory shards like to drop. Over there is the gate that you came through. Only one of us can pass through that at a time to take control of our body."

Looking at the areas that Maro pointed, Tsuna could see why he'd named them the way that he had. The courtyard really was a courtyard with buildings and passageways leading off of it. It was a wide expanse with absolutely nothing in it other than a tin bucket that looked wildly out of place. The gate was truly a gate, too. The only problem was that he couldn't see anything but darkness beyond it. It was as if anything that went past the archway would be swallowed whole.

"I'm not sure what you did, but this was a lot less organized before this morning," Maro commented while he led the way up a small set of stairs to a pathway that encircled the courtyard on a higher tier. "I felt like I was going crazy with all the chaos that was around here before. Lynx has been a lot calmer than he used to be, too."

"I took some medicine that was supposed to make you go away," he answered honestly. Maro paused in his stride for only a moment before continuing to lead.

"You can't get rid of me Laz," he said solemnly while Lynx followed them like a trained puppy now that he was collared again. "Your medicine does seem to bar me from watching in on you anymore, but I'm not going anywhere. I don't blame you for trying since I planned to do the same with you, but that was until I found something that I think you need to see. Before we get to that, I want you to meet Chibi."

"Who's Chibi?" He asked predictably while he continued to look around at the fragile surroundings. Where there were broken walls and half-finished buildings, he could see that the walls were as thin as glass and everything seemed to be a monotone clay color. It definitely wasn't what he expected of his own mind. He thought that it should be stronger and more advanced than it was. If it was any kind of city, it should be a city of the future. Not this half-assed set of ruins from a culture that had given up before it'd even finished building.

"Chibi is us," Maro answered like he was a broken record. "Let me ask you something. Do you remember your eighth birthday?"

"Of course," he replied instantly.

"Do you?" Maro asked carefully. "What did you do on it?"

"I--" He froze while he tried to dig up the memory. He thought that he should remember. He remembered his fourteenth birthday. He even remembered his eleventh. Before that, there was nothing, though.

"I thought so," Maro sighed, taking the hint from his dumbfounded expression. "You don't have all of our memories before we were fifteen, either. You only have half of them."

"H-How's that possible?" He gaped.

"It's possible because this is what we were before," he sighed as he pushed open a door to a random building. Tsuna blinked in surprise and stared. It wasn't possible.

In the room was a replication of his old room back in Japan. The part that he stared at was how he was sitting on his bed, reading manga. He had headphones on and he was eating potato chips like they were going out of style. There was a television going with some cheesy robot series playing and his room was a complete mess. Carefully stepping inside, he looked around while trying to figure out how it was possible. He'd never been so uncaring of himself or his surroundings. What was he thinking?! He was going to ruin his dinner with how he was pigging out and why was he just sitting on his ass instead of doing something?! Didn't he know that every minute counted?!

The worst part was that he couldn't deny that it was himself. He did have some of his memories of before Reborn had come into his life. The tests on the dresser and the lack of caring in how he dressed were proof. He just hadn't remembered living in such filth! He didn't remember having such lack of appreciation in the things that he had! Not everyone had a set of headphones and a television, yet Chibi changed the channels with his toes and tossed the CDs out of his walkman like they were disposable spoons! It'd taken years before he and Snicker had even been able to consider wasting money on magazines, yet the floor was littered with discarded ones! What was with the potato chips, too?! Hadn't he ever heard of vegetables?! It was no wonder that he'd been bad at ball sports with how much junk food that he was putting away! He--

"Before you start yelling at him, he can't hear us," Maro warned before he could blow his top. "Chibi never leaves this room and I can't seem to motivate him to do anything. I've only managed to get him to respond once and that was only for him to tell me that he wanted five more minutes to sleep. I gather that our mother had a hard time with us when we were younger."

"This isn't me," he stated bluntly, shaking his head to deny the scene before himself.

"Yes, it is," Maro countered. "I don't remember the events, but I remember referring to them to others. We were 'No-Good' when we were younger and this is why. We had no motivation and no cares. From my memory, I remember thanking Reborn multiple times for giving me a reason to care."

"Reborn ruined our life," he glared. "He came in and turned us into a murderer."

"No," Maro objected calmly. "It was always our choice and I paid the price for choosing to kill. You should understand. Sometimes the choice is between killing or losing something precious. I never hurt anyone unless they threatened the things that I cared about. Isn't it the same for you? Taking the legal road is okay for other people, but it gets harder when you have responsibilities like we do. Whether it's my work as the Tenth or yours as the Sixth, we're not much different. Our motives and the people that we're trying to protect might change, but we've both learned what it means to be desperate enough to die to reach our goals. Chibi didn't learn that until Reborn came in to change things for us."

"That's--"

"It's true," he reaffirmed. "You don't want to admit it because you've got a grudge against my Family, but you're only listening to half of the story. You can't skip to the end of the book and expect to accept the ending. If I had tried to do that with the little bit of life that you've lived without me, I would have just as hard of a time accepting what was going on. Especially with how Lynx was created. You still have nightmares about that, so I know exactly what happened. I also know that you're hands are as red as mine. Possibly worse since I don't remember ever pulling someone's heart out in order to eat it."

"Shut up!" He shouted in anger. "You can't possibly understand why I did that, so don't sit there and pretend that you're better than me! I--"

"I'm not better than you," he retorted with his arms folded over his chest. "_I am you_, baka-Laz. I'm just trying to make you see that we both have reasons for what we've done in the past. I'm willing to listen to your reasons, but you're being stubborn by not giving me a chance to explain my own."

"I'm not going to listen and let you brainwash me," he growled. "I had enough of that with Reborn and his explosives."

"Alright," he groaned. "At least you're showing some willpower. I'll try talking to you about it when you're more open to the idea that Vongola isn't so bad. Come on. I've got one other thing to show you before you go back."

"What about--?"

"Chibi can stay here," he shrugged. "It's useless to try to get him to go outside. He's too scared of failing to actually attempt anything."

"But--"

"Just come on," he growled with a dangerous look crossing over his face again. "This is kind of important and it's not good to leave our body without a host for too long. Time runs strange in here. Hours could have passed already or days could have."

"What?!" He spluttered. "Then I need to--"

"You need to hurry your ass up and follow me!" Maro shouted with his temper snapping. "For goodness sakes, I'm trying to show you the reason that we can't get rid of each other! Do you have to argue with everything?! Sometimes it's easier just to go with the flow!"

"Going with the flow just gets you slammed against rocks!" He shouted in return. "I'm not like you! I actually like having some control in what happens to me!"

"You're so damn difficult," he grumbled.

"And you're too pushy," he retorted. "I'm not going to just sit back and let you take control! Don't think that you can threaten me and I'll just do what you want! I've got a mind of my own, you know!"

"And I'm part of it, so you need to start thinking about that before you do things!"

"Why should I think about you before I do anything?! This is my life!"

"It's my life, too!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"You don't matter! You're fucking dead! Get over it and go to hell, jackass!"

"How's this for dead?" Maro shouted, ramming a fist into his jaw. His head snapped sideways, but he was far too used to getting punched to be bothered by such a gutless blow.

"Let me show you how the living does it," he growled, balling up his own fist. Maro's eyes widened and he stepped backwards in surprise. That didn't stop him from punching him, however. He could tell something was wrong as soon as the punch landed, though. It was too light. It was as if all his power had disappeared. "Eh?" He gaped, looking at his own fist in the same way that Maro was looking at his own. Then Maro started laughing while he tried to figure out what the asshole probably already knew.

"Oh," he gasped when it hit him. "We don't have a body."

"You should see the look on your face," Maro laughed with his overcoat trembling around himself. Grudgingly, Tsuna let out a sheepish chuckle in return. It seemed foolish in retrospect. He'd tried to get into a fist fight with himself in his head. "Look," he sighed in amusement. "Let's save brawling for later. The truth is that I really wanted to hit you, but it looks like I'll have to get you back some other way for kissing Xanxus."

"Is that why you're mad?" He asked curiously.

"It's pathetic, isn't it?" Maro replied with a crooked grin. "I couldn't settle for one person and I'm getting jealous of Xanxus kissing me when you were in control."

"That was years ago," he objected in confusion. "And it wasn't like I did it for fun. He paid me."

"Don't remind me," he groaned as he hesitantly started leading the way through the ruined city again. "I'll be honest with you. When I wrote that letter, I was only thinking of protecting Xanxus. I realized my mistake after I talked to him. For as long as we were together, I was always worried that he only cared about the me that was on the surface. It made me really happy when I found out that he'd found us because it meant that he cared about me no matter who I was. That's not it, though. Xanxus isn't here because of me. He's here because of you. I'm only in the way."

"That's true up to a point," he replied grudgingly. "You're definitely in the way, but not between me and Xanxus. Xanxus can go to hell as far as I'm concerned."

"Why?"

"Eh?"

"Why do you hate him so much? He really cares about you."

"Bullshit," he spat through clenched teeth. "If he cared about me, he wouldn't have said that about Gabriel. He's just pretending to be Foo Foo so that he can spy on the Martelli Family."

"He probably really is Foo Foo," Maro said quietly. "I've read in your journal about Foo Foo. That's the friend that you had online. Right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed sadly.

"When me and Xanxus first met on a friendly basis, it was online, too," Maro sighed. "It's probably fate that he found us again through the internet."

"I don't believe in fate," he glared.

"Then you're going to have a lot of problems in the future," he replied with another crooked grin. "Let's get this out in the open. You don't like Xanxus."

"I hate him. I hate anyone who's friends with Gabriel."

"Who's Gabriel?"

"Papa Paolo's son."

"And why do you hate Gabriel?"

"Because he's a bastard," he answered while he tried to keep himself calm. "He hurt me and raped me and cornered me over and over again. He even made everyone believe that he was innocent and that I was the one pushing myself on him. He--"

"I get the picture," Maro interjected gently. "You don't have to keep going. What's this have to do with Xanxus, though?"

"I thought you knew..."

"Knew what?" Maro asked, falling to a stop in front of yet another random doorway.

"Gabriel got kicked out of the Martelli Family and the Vongola Family took him in," Tsuna murmured in surprise. "That's why we're not on good terms with the Vongola. They're working with Gabriel to take over the Family."

"WHAT?!" Maro spluttered. "The Martelli heir didn't mention anything about a rapist! What the hell--?"

"The Martelli heir?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "You've talked to Autumn?"

"Yes," he confirmed while he openly tried to put all the facts together in his head. "She completely skipped over the reason that I supposedly got Gabriel kicked out of the Family, though. I-I can't believe that--"

"Oh, are you going to call me a liar now, too?" He interrupted with a dark glare. "First Xanxus and now you. You--!"

"Shut up," he growled. "I didn't say that you were a liar. If you would have let me finish, I was going to say that I can't believe that Vongola would give aid to a rapist. What the hell is Hotaru thinking?!"

"H-Hotaru?" He asked as the name seemed to jar him down to the bones. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"You don't remember Hotaru?" Maro asked with a look of pained pity crossing over his expression. "He's the Vongola Boss, Laz."

"Oh," he sighed in relief. "Is that all?"

"And our son," he finished quietly.

"O-Our son?" He repeated.

"No wonder you're so willing to hate Vongola," he murmured in sympathy. "You don't understand that it's really our Family that you're fighting against. You don't remember any of it. Kyoko and Haru, Hotaru and Dad."

"Haru and Dad?" He gaped. "What about Haru and Dad?"

"Have you ever went online and done a search about yourself, Laz?" He asked carefully.

"No," he admitted while he tried to come to terms with the thought of having a son. "I didn't think there was anything worth knowing."

"There's too much to tell you from here," he replied with a small shake of his head. "Just go online and you'll find most of it. Maybe after you see what our life was really like instead of stubbornly trying to paint your own picture, you'll be more open to listening to me. Until then, I want a promise from you."

"What kind of promise?" He asked with suspicion being an automatic defense.

"Don't hurt Xanxus or any Vongola that you might come across," he answered solemnly. "I won't ask you to force yourself to be Xanxus' friend, but at least give him the benefit of the doubt. If you judge him before you ever give him a chance, then he's going to respond badly."

"I can't promise," he replied with a shake of his head. "But I'm willing to consider it depending on what I find when I get back."

"I understand," he agreed. "I've got my own consideration to do. Things aren't as simple as I pictured them. I believed that Gabriel was innocent in a fashion, but to hear that he's a rapist means that more is going on than I thought. Our Family would never accept someone like that without good reason. I can only hope that Hotaru's not letting his personal goals overwhelm his judgment about what's best for Vongola as a whole."

"I'll let you worry about that since I've got no clue what the hell you're talking about," he grumbled. "Just show me whatever it is that you want to show me so that I can get back."

"Brace yourself," he warned as he reached for the door. Lynx let out a soft whine from where he'd quietly been following them and quickly hid in the shadows behind their back. It was understandable when the door was fully opened. It was as if Maro had opened the door to a furnace. There were flames _everywhere_. "I call this the Furnace," he explained needlessly. "Go ahead and go inside. The Flames won't burn us. They're ours, after all."

"What's this have to do with us not being able to destroy each other?" He asked, gesturing for Maro to go in first. He wasn't that gullible, after all. He wasn't going to walk into a raging inferno first, no matter what his other self said.

"You'll see inside," Maro said as he took the cue and willingly stepped in first. Holding his breathe, he jumped in after him only to find that the Flames in the doorway were actually only covering the surface of the room's walls. Like Maro had said, there was no heat to them, either.

On the other hand, the room itself was a sight to behold once his vision wasn't covered in Flames. The first thing he noticed was the size of the area. It was easily six times the size of the entire Dojo. Secondly, was the shattered black dome covering the center of the room. Out of the gashes and cracks, different colors of fire seemed to blast outward like it was a rampaging volcano. Where the fires hit the ceiling, it tried to fuse together with the other flames, creating a rainbow that was neither pretty nor organized. If he could describe it in any way, he'd have called it chaotic and messy.

"I thought that the dome was broken because the ancestors abandoned me," Maro said quietly. "I understand now, though. Our Flame encompasses all Flames and the X-Gloves are made to work with the pure form of the Sky Flame. It can't handle how we've split. From what I've been able to gather since our mind stabilized, each of us hold a different piece of our true self. Even Lynx, despite how he's just our base instincts. Chibi's been receiving the Rain Flame and I've figured out that I'm the creation of the Mist. You, of course, are the most willful of us with the Cloud Flame and Lynx has been getting both the Storm and Sun Flames."

"Isn't there one more?" He asked, catching onto the theme. "Um.... Lightening or Thunder or something?"

"Ah," he confirmed. "That's the one that I'm afraid of and it will take us working together to overcome. I did tell you that there were two others here outside of us three. I can help you keep Lynx under control, but I'm going to need your help in return."

"With what?"

"Remorse," he answered with a small tremble. "He's the monster that has hidden in the recesses of my mind for years. We are not allowed to regret our actions because of him. The thought process has been trained out of us entirely and I think that it's been passed onto you. Instead of regret, we bear remorse instead. It's the feeling--"

"That you wouldn't change what you did but you don't like the consequences," he supplied in understanding. "I've felt it. After Snicker died, I knew I should have regretted a lot of things, but I couldn't seem to make myself."

"Ah," Maro confirmed. "He's a part of us, too. He gets more powerful and dangerous if you ignore him. I found that the best way to deal with him outside of Confession was meditation. Both of us need to settle our minds when we have control of our body to make him less of a threat since he feeds on both of our feelings. Do you understand now, though? We can't destroy each other. If we did, it would unbalance our Sky Flame and destroy everything. I don't like it, but I can't get rid of you. That means that you can't get rid of me, either. You can keep taking your medicine since it seems to keep our mind stable, but you need to accept that I'm not going anywhere. Rather than fighting, I'd prefer if we could come to some sort of agreement."

"Alright," he mumbled softly. "I've got a deal for you."

"I'm listening."

"Don't fuck with my Family and I won't fuck with yours."

"Fair enough," he agreed. "What about our body? We're the only two that really need to use it and you can't stay stingy with it. I don't want to stay stuck in your head forever and I would prefer if we didn't have to fight over it."

"How does one day a month sound?" He offered grudgingly.

"One day a week," he countered with a shrewd look in his eyes.

"Once every two weeks," he growled.

"Alright, but you've got to tell Xanxus that you don't care what happens when I'm in control of your body."

"Fine," he groaned. "Just make sure that you clean me off and I don't wake up next to him."

"What?" Maro blinked in surprise. "You're agreeing that easily?"

"I've slept with worse," he shrugged. "As long as I don't have to remember it and Xanxus knows that what happens with you isn't going to change my opinion of him, then it's fine. Just don't touch the box under the bed. If I smell Xanxus or anyone else's scent on it, I'll fucking kill him. And don't fuck in Snicker's chair. I'll kill him for that, too."

"How can you be so easy-going?!" Maro spluttered. "You seriously don't care if I screw someone that you don't care about?!"

"It wouldn't be a first," he answered nonchalantly. "My only question is how you expect me to let you take over. I'm not sure how I did it this time."

"Just take two shots of V Special and prepare for a fight," he sighed. "It might be best if you lock yourself up somewhere safe before you do it, though. Lynx got control of our body for a good ten minutes before I managed to completely pull his hand away from the Gate."

"WHAT?!" He shouted in panic. "Then what happened after I blacked out?!"

"No clue," he answered. It was definitely the wrong answer to give. Reaching out, he grabbed Maro's gaudy overcoat and yanked him forward so that they were nose to nose.

"Don't tell me 'no clue'," he snarled. "You have no clue what Lynx is capable of. I have to fight him on a daily basis, so I know. If he hurt anyone--"

"Then you've only got yourself to blame," he replied coldly. "You're the one that got drunk and decided to stop caring."

"And it's your boyfriend who made me!" He spat into Maro's face. "I really don't give a damn what you feel about him, but it kind of fucking hurts to hear someone talk like the shit that I went through because of Gabriel is all lies! Xanxus... I refuse to trust Xanxus when he obviously doesn't trust me! If you want to trust him, then that's fine. I don't care! Just put a sock in it already and just show me the fucking way out of here! I've got to make sure that everyone is alright!"

"F-Follow me," he replied, coming to understand how seriously worried that he was. They started running through the city as soon as they burst out of the Furnace room and Lynx chased them like a dog running after a car. It only took a mere minute to return to the courtyard and Tsuna didn't even bother running around to the stairs. He jumped down to the bottom tier and dodged the strange bucket in order to hit the gate running. From the yelp that he heard behind him before darkness took him, Lynx got his just desserts for trying to follow.


	74. Chapter 74 In Motion

"Laz? Wake up, Laz! Please! You're scaring us," Gigi yelled loudly. He could hear that she was upset since she was completely forgetting to pitch her voice correctly.

"Pipe down," he groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to look up at where Gigi was crying. "That's my ear that you're yelling into. You look like hell," he added when she stared back at him in shock. "Your mascara is running."

"It's w-waterproooof," she sobbed in relief that he was talking. Tsuna sat up slowly and looked around. He remembered everything that had happened on his side of things after he'd passed out. He remembered the ruined city and meeting his other selves. He remembered seeing his Flame and understanding what Maro had meant about their inability to destroy each other. They were all part of the same base Flame. To get rid of Maro or even Lynx would unbalance himself to the point that he would self-destruct. There was more, too, but that had been the most important piece of knowledge to him. That and...

"I have a son...?"

"What was that, Little Guy?" Ore asked from where he was hovering over them. Tsuna glanced up at him and was instantly distracted from the knowledge that he'd gained. Ore was injured with claw marks scoring from his shoulder to across his chest. Looking around, he quickly saw that Ore wasn't the only one. Gigi had a gash on her leg and Eric was helping Leo move Marty. He didn't even remember going up to Poe's rooftop garden, but that was where he was at. The place was unrecognizable, though. The shed had been ripped to pieces and most of the plants were either broken or uprooted. The gazebo was still standing, but half of it was missing. The worst part was that one of the small trees had been knocked over and had taken out several large panes of glass. Considering that the greenhouse roof was meant to withstand hail, he didn't want to think about how the tree had managed to break through.

"What happened?" Tsuna gaped as he yanked off his shirt to tie it around Gigi's leg.

"You went berserk," Gigi answered while he continued to survey the damage. "We don't know why. You just looked ready to kill someone when you came in and you made it upstairs before you started ripping things apart. Poe and Neve told us to leave, but then we heard some screams. We ran up here to help, but you just attacked us."

"I'm sorry," he replied while tears blurred his vision at the confirmation that he was indeed the one to cause all the damage. "I didn't mean to. This never happened when I drank before, but with the V Special and Xanxus and-- I'm so sorry, Gigi."

"It's okay, sweet-cheeks," she murmured when he started re-tying the shirt around her leg a third time.

"No, it's not!" He cried. "I hurt you and I hurt everyone else! I was careless for only a second and this is what happened! Don't tell me that it's okay! It's not okay! I could have killed you!"

"But you didn't," she soothed with a look of complete understanding on her face. "You weren't yourself, Laz. I got hurt because I ignored what you told me. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," Poe interjected solemnly as he walked up with a serious expression on his face. "Laz, I need you to tell me exactly what happened and as quickly as you can. The watchers are probably reporting this as we speak and they'll be sending a squad to retrieve you."

"W-What?" He gasped.

"ANSWER ME!" He roared with none of his usual congeniality. Tsuna wasn't the only one to freeze in response to the yell. "Do you not understand how much trouble you're in?! First Hibari and now this! The Council isn't going to let a wild werewolf run around to do as he pleases! At the very least, you're going to be punished, Laz! That's assuming I can keep them from sentencing you to death! And you fools!" He added, turning to Gigi and Ore. "We told you to stay back for a reason! Lazarus was already in enough trouble and now he's got another count of going after humans against him because you ran up here when we told you not to!"

"But we--"

"They were only trying to help," Tsuna interjected before Poe could start yelling again. "They're not to blame, Poe. I am."

"Then tell me what happened," he ordered. "I'll see what I can do, but you better have a damn good reason for this."

"I don't," he answered bluntly while he fought tears again. "I went to get a drink earlier and Xanxus showed up. He supposedly quit drinking, but he ordered a drink anyway. I was drunk and I wanted to stop him, so I drank it before he could. I didn't know that it would do this, Poe. I wouldn't have drank it if I'd known--"

"What was the drink?" He asked with a stony expression.

"V Special," he answered. "It made Lynx slip his leash. It took both me and Ts-- Both me and Maro to get him under control."

"Explain."

"There's more than just two of me in my head," he mumbled. "I saw them after I blacked out. There's Maro who wrote that letter and then there's Lynx. Lynx isn't even human, Poe. He's me, but he's a beast. It's like all my instincts took a life of his own."

"Is there more?" Gigi interjected in curiosity.

"Yes," he replied, biting his lip in worry. "There's two more. Maro says that Chibi got all my memories from before I was around ten and he can't seem to see the rest of us. He just sits in a room and reads manga. I didn't get to see Remorse, but he's apparently someone that even Maro is scared of. H-He asked for my help in keeping him under control."

"I see," Poe murmured in thought. "It wasn't that you lost control to your instincts, it's that your instincts have mutated into another personality. I might be able to work with that if I can pique Lord Nephriam's interest. The real problem will be Mistress Drake."

"Your mother," he identified in understanding.

"She hates you for all the typical reasons," he confirmed. "The fact that I'm the one harboring you only makes her opinion of you worse. Alright. I'm going to see if I can head off the watchers. You try to clean up the mess here. I wouldn't be surprised if someone called the police by now."

"Let me worry about that," Gigi groaned while she accepted Ore's help in standing. "I just need to check on Marty and I'll have Danny wrap my leg up. Ore, you come with me and get those scratches taken care of. They look like they're going to scar. After that, I'll have Veronica gather up the boys across the street to come do clean up and I'll put Eric on detail with the police. They'll probably be so star struck that they'll believe him no matter what load of crap he says."

"What about me?" Tsuna asked quietly, seeing that Gigi was already taking care of everything.

"You go relax somewhere and make sure that you've got your head on straight, sweet-cheeks," she murmured in concern. "Take Ollie with you. I don't think he got hurt in all of this."

"Nope," Ollie called from down in Tsuna's bedroom. "I'm not like you idiots. When shit hits the fan, you're supposed to keep your head down."

"He says that, but he was throwing firecrackers to distract you every time you got too close to one of us, Little Guy," Ore grinned.

"You owe me for those," Ollie grumbled from under the roof hatch. "I was saving those for New Years."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled guiltily, feeling as if he couldn't say it enough. "All I ever do is cause problems for you guys. Maybe I should just leave. All of you only get hurt because of me."

"It hurts more when you're not around," Gigi replied quietly. "Even when you cause problems, I'd rather deal with those than the dull life that it is without you."

"Life is better when it's outrageous!" Ore agreed with a wide grin when Tsuna looked up at them in surprise.

"Indeed," Poe nodded with a small smile.

"Whatever, man," Ollie called from downstairs. "You can save your group hug for later. Laz, if you're coming with me, I gotta run. I don't want to be here when the Po-Pos get here. I always end up stealing their badges."

"Let us take care of things here," Gigi repeated. "Go and get some air to clear your head. No one's got more than minor injuries. Marty's just passed out because she tripped and hit herself with her wrench. It's nothing that Danny can't take care of."

"Go," Poe agreed when Tsuna slowly got to his feet. "Save your energy for dealing with things that only you can."

"Alright," he mumbled, feeling utterly useless despite all of their comments saying otherwise. He glanced back at them twice to find that they weren't following him downstairs. They simply watched him as if they were waiting for him to go away.

It hurt. It hurt to see that they didn't want him around at the moment. It hurt that he'd caused so much destruction. It hurt that he couldn't protect them when he was the very thing that was a danger to them. It hurt that he felt like his life was falling apart and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

His room was destroyed as he passed through it. The dresser was in pieces and the fish tank was shattered. His television was face-down on the ground and, from the glass littering the floor, he assumed it was broken. His bed had been tossed, his tin shelves had been torn apart, none of the three lamps had been spared, and even Snicker's chair had been thrown across the room onto the balcony. Tsuna didn't even want to think of what happened to the glass doors that had been there. The desk was missing entirely, too, although he found it when he went out the side door instead of walking through the Dojo. It was in pieces down in the alley below.

"Come on, man," Ollie urged. "Let's take a walk. I know just what you need to fix you up." Tsuna nodded as they skirted the wreckage and started walking down the alley-roads to avoid the police. In Ollie's case, he rode around it on the skateboard that never seemed to leave his side. He was unsurprised when Ollie led him to his favorite hangout. The walk took about twenty minutes by foot, but it was worth it to get to the entrance that was in a non-descript alley in the Pits. Ducking past the iron grate that Ollie held open for him, they walked another five minutes through abandoned sewer lines until they found the underground skater's hotspot. Tsuna assumed that it was an old water reservoir that no longer connected to the main sewer system, but there wasn't a drop of water to be seen in the place.

Considering how they entered at a scaffold that was three stories up from the base, Tsuna could see everything. The people that frequented the place had set up lighting using Christmas tree lights that had been jacked into a car battery and camping lanterns. The concrete walls were covered in random graffiti and gang tags, including the Orange Dragon Logo that had Leo's touch to it. The pillars that were scattered around the edges of the open area were covered in stickers. The cement floor had challenge routes painted on it that went up the curved sections of the area, across railings that had been added, and through abandoned pipes that were only as tall as Tsuna's waist.

He found it to be no shock that the place was full and active. Skaters and skateboarders were taking full use of the half-pipe that was created along one wall due to the curved nature of the reservoir. Skaters and bums were standing around on the second level, sharing cigarettes and energy drinks while they warmed themselves at the fire-barrel that one bum was carefully keeping stoked without letting the flames get to a dangerous level. More than likely, that guy got paid with hamburgers for the service.

"Over here," Ollie directed as they finished climbing down the ladder to the second level. People were staring at him out of the corner of their eyes as he followed, telling him silently that new faces weren't exactly welcome. No one was speaking out against him yet, but it was probably a matter of time before someone complained that Ollie was jeopardizing the security of their illegal takeover of the area. "Don't worry about them, man," he mumbled as more and more people started to stare openly. "This is a free zone. They'll chill once they know that you ain't no snitch and you ain't looking to take over the place."

"Do you get a lot of those?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Sometimes," he nodded as he pushed his board in the direction of a second fire-barrel. "That's why we got the gang signs up, though. Usually when assholes see who they're fucking with, they back off on their own. No one wants to piss off the big five."

"Big Five?"

"Things have changed since you been in prison, man," Ollie replied as he came to a stop next to the unattended barrel and started pulling his stash out of his hoodie's main pocket. Tsuna walked over with him to warm himself at the fire while he waited for Ollie to roll something for them to smoke. "I wasn't gonna bother you with that shit since you've been going legit and all that jazz, but--"

"I'm not going legit," he corrected quietly. "I just haven't had time to deal with anything under the table yet. I can't rebuild the Dragons without putting up a good front and I've been too busy to take any of Papa Paolo's requests."

"I see, I see," he nodded in understanding while he worked. "Then you probably need to know about the big five since you'll be dealing with them and all. We're one of them, so that part you know. Even when things were fucked up, people still counted us cause everyone's scared shitless of you. You know the Blue Whiskers, too. Jen is still leading them, so I don't think you'll ever have a lot of trouble from that way. She's got a big fellow that she keeps on a tight leash with her now, but he's no match for Big Guy. The other three are the Nightreapers in Chinatown, the Junkyard Mutts that took over the Pits, and a new one called Nereus' Nymphs. They've taken over pretty much the entire waterfront."

"Nymphs?" Tsuna asked in amusement. "I thought all nymphs were female."

"They are," Ollie replied with a firm nod. "The leader is a guy, but there's only women in the ranks. It actually seems like more of a cult than a gang. Seems that the guy going by Nereus is looking for someone to stand in as some chick named Doris. If a girl that wants to join doesn't meet the requirements, she gets to be a daughter instead of the mother of the gang. It's pretty messed up shit, but they're pretty easy to get along with as long as you don't step on their toes about their set-up. You just might want to watch out since you got a yacht and all. I hear that they make people pay protection fees at the harbor if you catch their eye."

"Great," he mumbled with a complete lack of enthusiasm. "I'll probably have to deal with them. Actually, that explains why I got the boat in the first place. Do you remember what it's named?"

"Nope," he answered as he handed over one of the two joints that he'd rolled.

"Sea Siren," Tsuna supplied as he lit his prize. "I can guess that the name alone probably has the Nymphs' attention and I haven't even seen what the boat looks like yet."

"Well, there's other gangs still out there, but none of them want to fuck with the big five," Ollie commented to return to the previous topic.

"What about Papa Paolo?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Oh, man," Ollie exclaimed with a shake of his head, "Those guys are in a league of their own. We'd have to expand if you wanted to compare to someone like that. I'm just talking street-level shit, not corporate high-class bullshit."

"So, we're not on their level?" He asked to clarify.

"Not even close," he laughed. "They got money, connections, and numbers, man. We're nothing more than small fries compared to them. I know you used to do work for Papa Paolo, but we're nothing more than the guys that they go to when they're feeling lazy. I don't know how they work things, but Mafia is _elite_, if you know what I mean."

"I see," he mumbled in disappointment. It was a bit of an eye-opener to here Ollie talking so openly about how things were ranked. He'd been fooling himself by thinking that he could figure out how to run things on his own. He wanted the Dragons to become something more like what Papa Paolo had with his workers. Everyone was safe and happy. He gave people jobs that were worthwhile and he was someone that people could go to when they had problems. People didn't really fear Papa Paolo. They simply respected him and they respected the power that he had.

In the back of his mind, he knew that he looked up to Papa Paolo as a role model, but there was more to it than that. It was a goal. He didn't know how to protect what Snicker had left behind, but Papa Paolo knew how to do that kind of thing. By modeling himself after him, Tsuna had been trying to make the Orange Dragons into something respectable even when they had to deal under the table. He was failing utterly, though. At the first sign of trouble, all of his responsibilities had flown out the window. Looking back in retrospect, it made him guilty that he'd had Veronica clear his schedule over such a small thing like a little rejection. If he'd been doing what he should have been doing, he wouldn't have been in that bar and he wouldn't have drunk Xanxus' glass of V Special.

He'd thought that he'd learned everything that he needed to know while he was in prison, but apparently not. Knowing what manners were and knowing how to use them were two different things. Knowing how to fit in with high society and actually doing it were two different things. Modeling himself after Papa Paolo and actually being as effective as him were two different things. Knowing that he needed to keep his personal problems from interfering with his goals and actually being capable of doing it were two different things.

He needed somewhere that he could observe, learn, and practice. Dealing with people outside of prison was a lot different than it was on the inside and he was woefully out of practice. Beyond that, he needed somewhere to think. He'd thought that he'd already done all the thinking that he needed to do in prison, but he'd been thinking of all the wrong things. He'd been so focused on being used that he hadn't really done anything to make himself useful. Anyone could be muscle. Papa Paolo didn't need him that way. Besides, he'd already proved that he was a failure in that, too. Hibari had defeated him. He'd done a lot of learning, too, but he hadn't thought of how to use what he'd learned.

In the few days that he'd been awake since being released, nothing had turned out like he'd expected. He'd thought that he was in control and had been making his own path, but he'd constantly been thrown against the rocks since he'd returned home. Old habits died hard, he guessed. He hadn't strengthened his willpower enough and he hadn't been as strong as he'd thought. It was no wonder that he'd gone berserk. He was fighting for control when he'd had no firm foundation to fight from.

He needed to get a hold of himself. He was no good to anyone like he was. He needed to learn how to think on his feet better and he needed to learn how to respond to things so that he could keep up. He needed to find his own pace and he needed to learn how to stick with it no matter what was thrown at him. He couldn't fall into the pace of those around h--

He knew what he needed to do.

He knew where he needed to go.

* * *

Autumn sighed in relief as she trudged up the steps to her safe-house. In truth, she liked the place a lot better than her father's mansion. It was more modest and less awe-inspiring. It was a hundred more times secure, too. Best of all, the training areas were all indoors. Instead of building out and up like her father had, the safe-house was build down and in. It was eight stories in all, although only one was above ground. They had her father's mansion if she needed a ballroom or a dinner hall. This place was all hers and all of the nonessentials had been discarded entirely.

She rather liked how the place looked. As necessary since the above-ground floor was the common area, it was the largest of all the floors. That was where the kitchen, entertainment facilities, dining area and the library was. Below that was the training floor that held the sparring areas and work-out equipment. That much hadn't changed since she'd moved out of her father's house. She still had to work out twice a day, no matter how tired she was. That was her father's stipulation to giving her the place along with giving her the staff to take care of it. Under that floor, her and each of Knights each had a floor to themselves with hers being the most secure one on the bottom level. Above that, to give her a measure of privacy since it would never be used, was the Sixth's Floor. Above that was the Fifths and then the Fourth's, going all the way up to where Isaac's was directly below the training floor.

The thing that she liked the best was that it was quiet. Unlike the rowdy bunch that the Dragons were, her Knights had manners and consideration while living together. Even though Isaac was loud at times, he was always thinking of her. Poppet could get a little over-energetic, too, but she could take a hint when she got annoying. As for the rest, Barbus was hardly ever seen and Rachael made the place calm. Finally, Saldez was the one that made her really feel like the place was a home. The things he did made her feel grounded in comparison to how it'd be at the Dojo.

"Hurry up, Isaac," she urged when she reached the top step to find that he was lagging behind her. Of course, it was his own fault. He'd been determined to carry not only her dry cleaning, but also the boxes of files that she had to go through and the late Christmas presents that she'd gotten in the mail. His arms were overloaded and he was about ready to drop something, but he'd gotten stubborn.

"Go ahead without me," he called from halfway down the path of stairs.

"I'll send Henry out to help you," she sighed, seeing that he really wouldn't let her carry anything. He started to object, but she ignored him. If the manservant for the household wasn't allowed to help him, then it'd take all night for him to juggle the packages up the stairs. Heading inside, she was slightly disgruntled to find that Henry wasn't waiting for her like he normally was. Actually, it was odd, because no one was waiting on her. Poppet usually ran to meet her as soon as the door was opened, but she was no where in sight. Neither was Saldez. "Henry?" She called in worry as she put her hat, scarf, and coat up on the hook next to the door. "Poppet...? Is anybody here?"

"Shh!" Poppet hissed as she ran around the corner. "You're going to make him notice us!"

"Who?" Autumn asked in surprise. "Do we have a guest?"

"Come on," she replied, reaching out to grab Autumn's hand in order to yank her deeper into the house. No matter how many times she asked what was going on, she merely got shushed by the adult-girl until she saw for herself where their destination was. It was hard to miss. Not only Rachael and Saldez were peeking through the library door, but so was Barbus, Henry, and Miss Dia, the maid. Curious about what they were so fascinated with, she urged Rachael and Saldez to move so that she could look around the corner herself.

Her jaw dropped.

"Welcome home, Autumn," Lazarus said without looking up from the table that he was sitting at. Autumn gaped for another full minute while he continued to browse on his laptop. He was calm. He was quiet. From the looks of it, everyone had been staring at him for a while, but he'd just ignored them! It was unfathomable!

"Someone explain this to me," she ordered softly, straightening up from where she'd been peeking.

"Don't ask me," Rachael hissed in return. "He just walked in like he lived here. He took two bags down to the Sixth's floor without even asking where it was and then came back up here. He's been sitting in the library ever since."

"I asked him!" Poppet exclaimed, bouncing in place with her hand up like she had the answer to a teacher's question. "Before he sat down with his laptop, I asked him if he was going to live with us now and he said yes!"

"What?" Autumn asked as her face lost all expression.

"He said that Papa Paolo told him that it was okay," she giggled in happiness. "Isn't it great, Big Sis?! Big Bro moved in even though you said that he didn't want to!"

"Autumn never asked me to move in," Lazarus interjected as he abruptly exited out of the library with his laptop in hand. Autumn continued to gape like a stranded fish while wondering how this had come to pass without anyone informing her. "Don't worry, Autumn," he mumbled on his way past. "I know how to be a considerate guest."

"W-W-Why are you here?!" She finally managed to splutter while he continued down to the end of the hallway.

"I have my reasons," he replied, reaching out to hit the button for the elevator. "Just go at your own pace and pretend that I'm not here. It'll be easier for both of us that way." She couldn't think of a single way to respond as he stepped inside the lift and hit the button for one of the lower floors. It wasn't until she realized that she was staring at a pair of closed doors that something other than emptiness filled her head.

"What the hell?!" She belatedly blurted. Yanking out her cell phone, she dialed the one person she knew that could tell her what was going on.

"Hello...?" Gigi answered with a small sniff.

"Gigi!" She barked into the phone. "Why the hell is Laz in my house?!"

"Because he _hates _us," Gigi cried in a loud, whining, sob.

"He doesn't hate us," another voice snapped with the sound of the phone being pulled away from the crying Gigi. "Hello? Hello? Miss Autumn? Is that you?"

"It's me," she confirmed. "Who's this?"

"This is Danny," he replied. "Listen, a lot of stuff happened that it'd probably be best not to go into. Lazarus just needs some time to get his head on straight and cool off. I know that you don't really get along with him, but do you think that you could watch over him for us? He wasn't showing it when he came to pack his bags, but he's pretty upset."

"What happened?" She asked in growing concern. Stepping into the library, she shut the door on all the people who were openly eavesdropping on the call. She had a feeling that things were more serious than they seemed. While she was shocked at Laz's presence, he wasn't one to arbitrarily decide to abandon the place that he'd spent the past few years building. At least, she couldn't see him doing it without a good reason.

"Um, the short version is that he went berserk and tore half of the Dojo apart," he answered. "The long version would take a few hours to explain and I'm not really sure if I even understand half of it myself. All I can tell you is that I've seen how he gets when he needs to be left alone and this is one of those times. He'll come around, he just needs some quiet to think and he can't really get it here. Once he comes out of it, I'm sure that he'll come home."

"What did Gigi mean about him hating you guys?" She asked curiously.

"That's just Gigi," he chuckled. "Laz asked her to take care of things until he got back and she's already crying about her heels."

"I see," she mumbled, getting the impression that Danny wasn't going to tell her a single thing more. "Thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye on him."

"We'd appreciate it," he replied. Autumn didn't wait to hear more. Hanging up on him, she dialed the _other _number that she knew would get her some answers.

"Hello?"

"WHY DID YOU TELL LAZ THAT HE COULD LIVE HERE?!" She shouted into the phone on the top of her lungs.

"I see that you got home safely," her father groaned.

"Daddy!"

"Alright, alright," he grumbled. "Be quiet and I'll explain. Laz came to see me at about eight this evening while you were busy with the party planners. He's in trouble, Princess."

"When is he not?" She growled with her sarcasm plain in her voice.

"No," he corrected. "Let me rephrase that. He's not _in trouble_, he's just troubled. He's got a problem in his head that he's trying to get worked out and asked if he could stay with you."

"Me?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes," he confirmed. "He knew that you'd moved into a place with your Knights, so he asked if there was a place there that he could stay. Since there is, I saw no reason to deny him access. I'm not really sure what is going through his head, but he needs to be handled carefully, dear. I'm worried about him."

"Why is that?"

"Before he left, he asked me about his son," he answered calmly. "He wanted to know if it was true that he had one."

"What did you say?"

"I told him that it was true."

"Why?! You know that he doesn't! He--"

"Autumn!" He snapped, silencing her immediately since he actually used her name. "Listen to me very closely. I'm only going to say this once. _He is not a clone_. If he's asking about his son, then it's possible that either his other self is leaking through more or he regained more of his memories. You need to find out which so that we can determine whether he's still an ally or an enemy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Daddy," she mumbled upon hearing the tone that said her father wasn't open to negotiation.

"Take this opportunity to strengthen your bond with him," he continued mercilessly. "You two are always bickering like cats and dogs and you shouldn't be. He's one of your Knights, Princess. Start treating him like one."

"Yes, Daddy."

"Now go greet him properly," he ordered. "I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

"Yes, Daddy." Hanging up once more, she quietly tucked the phone back in her pocket and smoothed down the front of her skirt in effort to settle herself. She could deal with this. Her father was just getting a little senile and Laz was a little crazy. She'd dealt with far worse in the past.

After all, it was impossible for Laz to _really _be Vongola the Tenth. Vongola Corp was one of the most powerful corporations in the world and the Tenth was one of the most feared men that had ever lived. Beyond that, he'd been the most eligible bachelors of all time for two years running, he'd been knighted by a Queen, and had won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on protecting the rain forest and his attempts at finding cleaner energy substitutes. Laz's accomplishments included beating up her brother and winning a couple of bars in a poker game. The Tenth had been respected and admired by all of his peers. Laz was the laughing stock of Autumn's peers. The Tenth could have had any woman that he wanted when he'd been alive. Laz went to prostitutes to get laid. The Tenth was of cultured breeding. Laz was a typical, run-of-the-mill male. The Tenth frequented museums and billionaire's social events. Laz could barely make it through dinner at home without making a fool of himself. It was impossible that Laz was the Tenth.

Impossible!

She could name a hundred different reasons that it was impossible for him to be the Tenth, but one fact stuck out more than any other. Laz couldn't be the Tenth because the Tenth was dead. It was true that they'd never found his body, but his plane had crashed off of the coast of Spain. For him to magically appear in America was absolutely impossible. Things like that only happened in movies and fairytales.

With a sigh, she finally felt ready to face Laz. While it was true that the guy was crazy, her father was right on one account. Laz had been selected as her Sixth. She didn't particularly like the fact, but Laz's heart was always in the fight place. She just had to figure out why _her _place was the right place in this instance. It was probably some convoluted reason that wouldn't make sense to anyone but an idiot, but was understandable in its simplicity when one applied actual logic to it. That was how Laz tended to work when he wasn't letting one of his psychotic personalities get the best of him.

She just had to figure out which level of insanity had brought him to her doorstep.

She didn't manage more than a step out of the library before Isaac's shout said that there was some trouble in the entryway. Laz could wait, she decided. If Isaac broke one of her presents, though...

* * *

He'd done it. He still couldn't believe that he'd actually managed to go through with it. It'd been far too easy in a way. His friends had objected at first, but then they'd quickly accepted his decision when they realized that he wasn't leaving the city. He was just temporarily leaving the Dojo. He was just putting a little distance between them, not a whole continent. Considering how he'd almost killed everyone, no one had argued too forcefully about him leaving. Ore looked like he wanted to, but Cassandra and Dedra had both looked ready to move out if he stayed. Eric had wanted to, too, but Summer had already dropped the hint that it might have been time for them to get their own place by the time that Tsuna had returned. Even Danny had openly looked like he wanted to talk Gigi into moving out for her own safety. It was those facts that had made him determine that staying would only put all of his friends at odds with each other. It was better for him to simply remove himself from being a problem.

He didn't doubt for an instant that his friends cared about him. They were all still just shaken up over his rampage. He couldn't blame them. In less than half a day, he'd went from normal into a berserk beast and then back to normal. No matter how close he was to his friends, people weren't built to handle such a rollercoaster. The only reason he could handle it was because he probably _was _insane, he mused. He didn't know what to think anymore. Within half a day, his life had crumbled into dust around him. He knew that it was his fault, but he couldn't see how he might have changed anything.

At least, he was in a place where he might regain some of the stability that he'd lost since Snicker had died. If Lynx got out of hand, Autumn's Voice alone should be capable of controlling him. He could learn the things that he needed to while he was living with her, too. If there was anyone that tried to drag others into her pace, it was Autumn. If he could withstand her, then he could withstand anything. While he was at it, Autumn was Papa Paolo's heir. By watching her, he might pick up some clues as how to better run the Dragons. At the rate he was currently going, the Dragons were going to be nothing more than the crew that he'd had in prison. They were supposed to be closer than that, though. They'd been more like a family when Snicker had been around. He didn't know what he was missing, but he had a feeling that Autumn could show him.

However, that was all for the future. He only had two thoughts that currently occupied his attention. The first was the information that Maro had given him. He didn't know why he should care. That had been Maro's life, not his. Yet, a part of him couldn't let it go. The thought of having someone out there that was his offspring changed everything and he wasn't sure how to handle it. He had no memory of this 'Hotaru'. He'd been a little happy to think that Kyoko had loved him enough to bear his child before she'd been murdered, but then he'd went online like he'd been advised.

Kyoko wasn't Hotaru's mother. Haru was.

He's stopped there for his first sitting. He didn't know what to think. He'd always liked Haru as a friend since she was the first girl to ever look his way, but he couldn't imagine having done the nasty with her. Having a kid with her seemed impossible. He'd always had nightmares of marrying her, but she was supposedly his first wife. It was too much to handle. He thought he was going to have a meltdown and the only thing that was stopping him was the fact that he'd already had one for the day.

The second thought that occupied his attention was the fact that none of his problems might matter. He might wake up in the morning to find a vampiric assassination squad ready to execute him. Double standards were a harsh reality since he was a werewolf. He'd dug his grave so deep on this one that not even Poe might be able to dig him out. Until he knew what the Council's judgment would be, there was no point in wasting a large amount of effort in preparing for the future. He might not even have a future.

It was for that reason that he was sitting at the desk in the living area of his suite and was writing a Will to ensure that everything got handed over to Gigi if the worst came to pass. The only problem was that he couldn't really concentrate with the bastard that had followed him onto his private floor.

"--Shaggy and wild, mysterious child," Barbus sang quietly to himself from where he was strumming his guitar on Tsuna's couch. The man made Tsuna want to hit his head up against a wall. He sang ballads, but was dressed like a punk, complete with a blinding indigo mohawk and slashed clothing. "No, no," he murmured to himself. "That won't do. Try this again. --Shaggy and wild, tame but not mild, subdued yet--"

"Can you go away?" Tsuna growled, knowing that the fool was trying to write another song about him. "Your attempt at baiting me isn't going to work right now and you're distracting. Autumn might like your music, but it's just bad poetry in my opinion."

"Do you really think she likes it?" Barbus asked with a thick--and fake--English accent.

"I don't know and I don't care," he replied blandly. "Just go away."

"No need to get your knickers in a wad," he grinned while he continued to lazily pluck at the strings under his hands. "Can't you see that I'm collecting material for my new song? You should be honored. I'm planning to name it 'The Werewolf Blues'."

"You're not singing the Blues," Tsuna mumbled, feeling the need to state the obvious.

"I am," he objected. "I'm just reinterpreting it a bit."

"That's a load of horseshit," Tsuna replied bluntly. "You're just a one-note who doesn't want to accept that you're only good at love songs."

"Do I hear a note of jealousy?" He taunted in the irritating way that he had. "Is someone a little upset that Autumn likes me better?"

"You can have her," Tsuna grumbled, trying to keep himself focused on what he was doing. "If you don't mind, this is pretty important so I'd like you to--"

"Laz!" Autumn interrupted with her voice booming out over the intercom. "Poe's here to see you. He's got a bunch of people with him."

"Shit," he hissed to himself, feeling as if his heart was going to jump out of his throat. "Not yet."

"What's going on?" Barbus asked in playful curiosity. Tsuna ignored him in effort to calm himself. He knew that he couldn't just sit and wait for them to go away. They'd come down for him if he took too long.

Standing, Tsuna flipped over the page that he'd been working on before preparing himself. First, he took off his earrings. Then, one by one, he removed his rings until only Poe's signet was left. For once, Barbus stayed silent while Autumn's voice called out over the intercom again. At least, he did until Tsuna started to head for the elevator. As he passed the couch, Barbus reached out to grab his arm to force him to pause.

"What's going on?" He repeated seriously, dropping the fake accent entirely. "You're shaking and I've never seen you shake."

"I was hoping that I had more time," he mumbled without looking at the man. "I wouldn't have come if I'd known that they were going to move so quickly."

"Who was going to move?" He inquired as Autumn's voice erupted from the intercom a third time.

"It's none of your business, so get lost," he said, carefully pulling his arm out of Barbus' grip so that he could head for the elevator once more. Barbus merely watched him leave and Tsuna saw him head for the desk right before the doors closed. To keep him from interfering once Barbus saw what he'd been writing, he pulled the emergency stop on the elevator once the doors were open again to let him off. That would keep the lift from moving and Barbus wouldn't be able to climb the emergency stairs in time to tell anyone anything.

"What the hell is going on, Laz?" Autumn growled, coming to meet him halfway down the corridor that led to the entryway. "Who the hell are all those people?! I wasn't going to say anything about you staying here, but if you're going to--"

"We'll be leaving," he interrupted, forcing himself into a state of numbness simply so she wouldn't see how scared he was. It would do no good to let her know. He didn't move into the place to destroy their peace and quiet. He'd wanted to move in to claim some for himself. "Please don't allow anyone to touch the box on my side table while I'm gone," he continued before she could start questioning him. "I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you, but you shouldn't have to worry about me for a few days. I need to go out of town for business. I merely came tonight to prepare things for when I return."

"Oh," she gaped in surprise. "So that's why you told me to ignore you."

"Yes," he lied. "If I don't make it back in time for the New Year's Party, tell Papa Paolo that I'll make it up to him when I return. I'll find some way to put your fiancé's mind at ease."

"Wha--" Autumn rammed into his back when he stopped abruptly. He had reason to stop. When Autumn had said that Poe brought friends, he'd expected a few vampires. The nearly two dozen that were filling the entertainment area, entry hall, and kitchen were about sixteen more than a 'few'. "Where the hell did all these come from?" Autumn asked as she stared around at the mob from behind him. "There were only three before."

"Autumn," he hissed, "Go to your room and stay there until I'm gone. Take Poppet and Rachael with you."

"Why?"

"These are all vampires," he answered as the crowd started to notice his presence. Autumn took two steps backward and he prayed that she was retreating. He couldn't look back to make sure, though. Poe was beckoning him forward into the center of the mob. Those in the way moved slightly to make him a path, but even that was grudgingly done. It looked like no one present was willing to accept a werewolf in their midst other than Poe. The most important thing that he noted, however, was that it was the largest gathering of bloodsuckers that he'd ever seen without Poe going into a killing frenzy.

"Lazarus," Poe greeted solemnly when he came to a stop before him. "Good. You removed all your other leashes," he praised, speaking of the jewelry that Tsuna had left in his room. "That will make this easier. Here, I've prepared these for you. I wasn't expecting them to come into use so soon, but--"

"But I lost the privilege of time," he interrupted with his head bowed. "It's okay, Poe. I only have myself to blame. I knew I was under watchers, but I was careless."

"Indeed," he nodded with a gesture to summon one of the male vampires forward. In his arms was a ornate chest that Poe carefully opened in order to removed items that Tsuna painfully recognized. They were shackles bearing Poe's seal, much like the ones that he'd worn to the Council's Welcoming Feast so long ago. There was a third piece to go with them this time, however. It was an ornate, golden neck brace, much like the flexible leather one that Poe had started wearing to protect himself in case Tsuna went on a blood rampage. "You're still entitled to these," he said carefully while Tsuna unbuttoned his sleeves and collar so that they could be snapped into place around his wrists and his neck. "I might no longer be able to use you as a blood slave, but you are still my charge," he murmured in effort to tell Tsuna that Poe's continued feeding off of him was considered taboo. "I've removed the silver from it so that you won't get a rash," he added to make it seem like he was speaking of trivial things. "I would have preferred to have had time to get them fitted to you, but it will have to do. Are they too tight?"

"They're fine," he answered while trying to ignore the feeling of a hundred eyes on him.

"Then let us go," Poe urged with a small smile to try to give Tsuna courage. "We have a long way to travel to get to the island."

"The island?"

"Ah," Poe confirmed as he turned to head for the door. "At this time of year, the Council would be gathered at Mafia Land. It is best that we go to them so that they do not have to give up their holiday entertainments. They might be more forgiving that way."

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Tsuna commented under his breath. "Alright. Let's go, but you've got to explain to me why they're at Mafia Land of all places."

"What better place to hide ourselves than among those who won't question our reason for hiding? It's considered bad manners to question a Mafioso's background once he's been accepted by a Family."

"You do realize that Vongola owns that place," Tsuna mumbled as he followed Poe out the door with the two dozen guards following. "And I'm a Martelli."

"That's why I said that you've made it easier by removing your other leashes," he replied, gesturing for Tsuna to get into the waiting car that had been provided. "I didn't think I'd ever have to use it, but your friend Mukuro gave me something to use in case this ever happened and he wasn't here for some reason."

"Mukuro-sama?" Tsuna blinked in surprise.

"Ah," he smiled, sliding into the seat next to him. When the door shut, Tsuna glanced out the window to find that their escort had disappeared. The interesting part was that Autumn was running down the sidewalk while looking around as if she couldn't see the car that he'd gotten into. It wasn't hard to understand why she was running. Barbus was running behind her with Tsuna's partial Will in his hands. The part that he didn't understand was why she couldn't see him despite how slowly the car moved away from the curb.

"You know what happened to Mukuro-sama?" He asked, pushing his curiosity of unimportant things out of his mind. "Why haven't you told me?!"

"I was given instructions not to," he answered as he settled in for a long ride. "Mukuro and I have an agreement. To get what I want, I've decided to play his little game with him. In this case, it's to keep you from trying to chase after him. He doesn't wish for your help, my friend."

"Help?" He repeated with wide eyes. "Is Mukuro-sama in some kind of trouble?"

"He's imprisoned," a calm voice answered from the drivers seat. Curious due to the fact that it sounded familiar, Tsuna leaned over the seat to look.

"Chikusa?!" He spluttered in surprise.

"Don't worry," another voice soothed, making Tsuna lurch in place to look in the passenger's seat. "We're on your side." It took him a moment to recognize the same boy that had been with Mukuro-sama during his visit so long ago. He'd grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Tsuna couldn't place his age, but he could easily be considered a young adult instead of a mere teenager. "Do you remember me yet?" He asked curiously. "I'm Kiyoshi."

"If you're asking about before you broke into the Dojo, then no," he answered bluntly.

"That's okay," Kiyoshi smiled. "You might not remember it, but you helped me before. This time, I get to help you."

"We will get you onto the island and keep the Families from noticing that you're there," Chikusa explained quietly. "In exchange, you will help us when we're prepared to save Mukuro-sama."

"I'd do that anyway!" Tsuna exclaimed, looking back and forth between the two. "I didn't even know he was in prison! I thought that he just abandoned me! If... If that's not true, then when can we go get him?"

"Not yet," Chikusa replied with as few words as possible.

"We've got the location, but Chrome is still trying to retrieve the maps of the place," Kiyoshi explained. "There's also the upgraded security systems. We weren't going to have you help, but illusions don't work on cameras and I'm not good enough to bypass anti-illusion contacts yet. Chrome can, but she can't handle groups very well, so we decided to include you when we break him out. You can handle groups in the old fashioned way if our preparations for the security system aren't good enough."

"If we bring Ken, it should be plenty to free him safely," Chikusa agreed. "We've just got to keep you alive until Chrome has finished with her part. Sit back. I'm going to take a detour to get us to the docks faster."

"One thing at a time, Laz," Poe murmured, reaching out to pull him back down into his seat. "Mukuro is safe where he's at, even if he does not have his freedom. You should be worrying more about yourself. Do not forget that several of the Council have called for your execution. It's going to take much work to get them to accept a lesser judgment. It might even be impossible."

"I know, Poe," he murmured as the reality of his troubles finally seemed to sink in. "I know."


	75. Chapter 75 XChange

Author's notes: Happy Holidays! Sorry I couldn't give a happier chapter, but I still hope you enjoy!

And now... onto the climax of this mini-arc...

* * *

"So, that's the situation as far as we know it," Autumn sighed, leaning forward with her elbows on the Dojo's dining table that they were gathered around. "He got on a boat that was due to meet up with a cruise ship full of Nubo sometime this morning. The only other information I have from my contacts is that the ship is likely bound for a place called Mafia Land."

Xanxus stared at a nonexistent spot on the table, feeling his eye twitching while he suppressed the most anger that he'd felt in a long time.

"This is our fault, Xanxus," Ginger whined from where he was laying at his feet. "Everything is a mess. You saw Boo Boo's face. What you said really hurt him."

"It's not all Xanxus' fault," Gigi interjected quietly with her head solemnly bowed down. "He wasn't here to see how bad it was for Laz. Gabriel tortured him right in front of everyone and no one stopped it. I understand now why he went berserk and why he blamed himself. He's scared of opening up to people, so you guys couldn't tell that he was warming up to you. I should have said something, but everything has been so crazy that I kept putting it off. If I'd just said two words to you guys, you wouldn't have gotten angry and threw that in Laz's face."

"It wasn't just that," Ore rumbled from the end of the table, instantly getting everyone's attention. "You heard Little Guy when he was talking to Poe. His split personalities have gotten worse. Didn't you hear the first thing he said when he woke up?"

"Yeah," Gigi nodded, biting her lip in concern. "We're losing him, Big Guy."

"We might have already lost him," he corrected, making everyone in the room stiffen in surprise. "He asked about his son. He either got more of his memories back or--"

"What was that?" Xanxus asked as his body completely tensed up. Instantly, everyone found somewhere else to look other than at him.

"Oh, _come on_!" Autumn exclaimed with her hand slapping down on the table. "You can't be serious! Have all of you gone as senile as Daddy?! Laz _is not _the freaking Tenth!"

"You're right," Eric piped up. "He's not. He's our friend, so what are we going to do to--"

"Not so fast," Xanxus growled through clenched teeth. Everyone around him paled as Ginger stood behind him to look around at everyone's faces. "Repeat what you said."

"He's our f--"

"Not you," he spat, silencing Eric in a mere millisecond. "You," he snarled with a large finger pointing at Autumn Martelli. "What was that you said?"

"I said that Laz isn't the Tenth," she repeated with her arms crossed over her chest. "All these idiots are convinced that he's--"

"Autumn!" Gigi squealed as several others jumped to their feet. "You swore not to tell!"

"It's not true, so it doesn't matter!" She exclaimed angrily in return. "I'm sick and tired of his delusions! All of you wonder why his disorder keeps getting worse when all of you are just--"

It didn't take much. A fist into the center of the table cracked it in half and silenced everyone in the room while they slowly came to realize that he wasn't the nice guy that they believed.

"Xanxus, calm down," Ginger soothed while slowly, smartly backing away numerous steps. "I'm sure that he has a good reason, so why don't you let them explain? Boo Boo said himself that he wasn't Vongola the Tenth. Gigi, someone, please start explaining and fast. Xanxus is about to blow and he'll take out this whole building if you don't say something."

"Laz is the Tenth," Gigi said bluntly before collapsing down in her chair.

"Gigi!" Autumn choked in unison with Ginger.

"It's true," Eric added with a quiet expression on his face that was reflected on all of the Dragon's faces. "He lied to you about being a clone, Autumn. Mukuro told him to do that. He's always been scared of the Mafia and he didn't want you to know the truth. Papa Paolo still pulled it out of him, though."

"W-What?" Autumn gaped in shock.

"He lied to you!" Gigi yelled without lifting her head. "He figured that you'd just use him if you knew the truth and he didn't want to be found! You-- You idiot!" She cried with tears splashing down in her lap. "The last thing Laz wanted was for Vongola to know that he was alive and you just handed him over without blinking. You did exactly what he was afraid of and--" Gigi froze and looked up in shock with everyone else at the whine that filled the air.

"Give me one reason that I shouldn't kill you," Xanxus said as he sent a second pulse into his X-Gun.

"Xanxus," Ginger interjected in worry. "Don't be hasty. These are Boo Boo's--"

"Shut up," Xanxus ordered in dangerous quiet. He was angry. He was very angry. First he'd been angry that Boo Boo had ran off before he could even apologize. Then he'd gotten angry because he'd apparently gotten in trouble while he was upset and hadn't even looked for help. Now he was angry because these assholes were starting up their shitty play that every single damn person in the Vongola Family had warned him about. He wasn't going to sit back and listen while they tried to convince him that Boo Boo--

"Stop, Xanxus," Cici ordered as she boosted herself into Gigi's lap. "Your X-Guns have been charged twice. No matter how much you try to focus the shot, you'll still take me out with her."

"Get out of the way, Cici," he growled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Are you turning on me, too?"

"I've been calculating since I arrived," she replied tonelessly. "There is an eighty-two point six-seven percent chance that Lazarus Timberson is indeed Tsunayoshi. If you kill Gigi, you might kill our only possible chance of finding him."

"What?" Autumn gaped.

"What?" Ginger gasped.

"What?" Xanxus asked under his breath while his gun wavered for the first time in his life.

"There is an eighty-two point six-seven percent chance that Lazarus Timberson is indeed Tsunayoshi Sawada," she repeated. "That's without calculating in the fact that you never once got to introduce me to him and he called me Pandora during the Christmas party. With that calculated in, the chance increases to eight-seven point nine-nine percent. It's a closer match than any fake that we've come across to-date."

"H-How?" Xanxus asked in disbelief.

"I've been cross-referencing his public files with the knowledge that we have of Tsuna and I've been comparing that data with the files that Gokudera showed us," she replied. "It took some hacking into the shipping records for the U.S.S. Errant Angel. For approximately two hours on the night that Tsuna disappeared, their route would have intersected his flight path. It's possible that he crash landed on their ship and rode it all the way here. By the time that Gokudera would have reached their position, the ship would have already been gone."

"But how--?" Ginger asked. "Matsu checked every ship log that--"

"The Errant Angel is actually an unregistered ship," she answered. "Matsu only checked the legal traffic records. We believed that anyone with illegal connections would have reported this. The reason that it wasn't reported was because the Errant Angel belongs to the Calcassa Family for distributing their drug shipments under the cover of a traveling circus. Attracting attention would be the last thing they wanted and reporting a stow-a-way would have likely gotten them caught. Besides, Calcassa is no friend of Vongola. To think that Vongola the Tenth would literally fall into their laps is laughable. There is a seventy-four percent chance that they wrote him off as a Black X look-alike."

"But, the blood tests..." Xanxus whispered as his gun lowered three additional inches.

"Taking into account what we've learned of him being a werewolf, it is safe to assume that it was a genetic mutation that was caused after his birth. Once the mutation is removed, his genes are identical to Tsuna's."

"But, what about...?" He breathed with his gun faltering another full foot.

"You know as well as I do that he didn't wake up in one piece, Xanxus," Cici replied mercilessly. "That's the whole reason he ran off. Do I need to replay the footage?"

"No..." he shuddered with his weapon falling completely down to his side. "Not again. I've watched it enough. Even if you say all of that, we've had fakes come through with identical DNA in the past. Lazarus--"

"Don't tell me that you're falling for this load of bullshit," Autumn interrupted with a blank expression. "I thought, at least, _you _would be someone that wouldn't fall into his delusions. The next thing you're going to tell me is that he really did fight the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and that load of crap about him not being able to return home for ten years to protect some _great _and _wonderful _future is--"

Xanxus hit his knees at the same moment that Ginger let out a loud howl. It was impossible. It was impossible, yet his heart felt like it'd stopped in his chest.

Tsuna.

Tsuna was alive.

He'd been right there in front of him all this time.

_"I love you, Xanxus."_

How many times had Maro said that? Why hadn't he allowed himself to see the truth? Maro was _his _Tsuna. Was it that he'd been that afraid of getting hurt again? Tsuna had been _right there_! Why had he stopped looking? He knew Tsuna better than anyone. Tsuna was a survivor. He wouldn't have died so easily! Had it been because they'd seen him die so many times already that they'd already been prepared for the eventuality?

"Tell me it's a lie," Xanxus said softly, wanting someone to end the pain surging through him at the thought of having failed Tsuna so utterly. "P-Please."

"It's not a lie," Gigi replied with eyes full of sympathy. "He--"

"It's a lie!" Autumn stomped while she shook her head in furious denial. "It's a lie! It's a lie! It's a lie! That's just one of his delusions! Laz is just a--"

"If you insult him, I'll slap you," Eric warned with a very un-Eric expression on his face.

"Why are you believing him?!" Autumn asked in disbelief. "It's just his split personalities! He made it up to cope with what happened--"

"No," Ore interrupted with his arms crossed over his chest. "We knew about it long before he cracked up. I'm not surprised that he lost it when you made Xanxus move in with us. I don't know what the hell you were thinking. The only reason he joined you guys was to protect him from Vongola and you've done the complete opposite. First there was the outrageous fight with Hibari and now this. I have half a mind to go tell Papa Paolo that he can consider me out of the Family. You guys have done nothing but fail him over and over and now you've thrown him to the dogs."

"There's a reason for that," another voice interjected, pulling all of their attention to the Dojo's front door. Xanxus didn't even need to look. He recognized Don Martelli simply from the man's presence. "I hope you'll forgive my intrusion, but I had a feeling that it would come to this. Don't look at me like that Ore. I don't blame you for your threat. Your loyalty to Lazarus should be commended. Xanxus," he added as he came to a stop in front of him. "Why are you on your knees, son?"

"He's alive," he answered while a strange, hot, and wet sensation crawled down his cheeks.

"Yes, he's alive," he confirmed. "But I asked why you were on your knees. Have all of you forgotten the reason that you decided to meet? That's right," Papa Paolo sighed when every eye snapped wide open. "While all of you are arguing about who he is, Lazarus is getting closer to his destination. As for the reason I had Xanxus move in here, it's simply because I wanted him to find out the truth."

"What?!" Gigi exclaimed as jaws dropped all through the Dojo.

"This is my test of loyalty," he explained without looking away from Xanxus. "So, Xanxus. Are you going to stick to your word that you are no longer affiliated with Vongola or are you going to run back to tell them that you've found their missing Boss?"

"What?" He asked dizzily.

"You should know by now," he replied calmly. "Tsuna doesn't want to be found. Only half of him remembers his past, but both halves have stated that they have no desire to return to Vongola at the moment. Are you going to honor his wishes or do you plan to betray him by blowing the whistle before you fully understand what is going on?"

"I... I want to talk to him," he mumbled quietly while his head continued to spin.

"Good answer," Papa Paolo smiled. "Stand up and I'll tell you how to find him."

"Eh?" Xanxus asked as he stared up at the man.

"I knew that this would happen eventually," he explained. "Not this exact situation, per se, but I planned for the day that he might have to set foot in enemy territory. We of the Martelli Family have a strict code of not leaving our city, but the situation with Gabriel is beginning to force our hand. I've been looking for someone like you to reveal the truth to. Lazarus walks in two worlds, unlike us. He needs someone to walk with him. He sees the Justice from both sides, so he probably feels utterly useless since all of his attempts to pass a 'guilty' judgment have failed. The poor boy has been trying so hard to prove himself when he doesn't need to. I saw it with how he faced Hibari. He's determined to protect us from Vongola, but this whole time he's been fighting the way that Vongola has been calling to him."

"I don't--"

"He needs someone who can understand his split feelings," Don Martelli explained, running over Xanxus' words completely. "He needs that far more than he needs my protection. He's not the weak street urchin that he was when he first came to me. As someone who came from Vongola, but holds no loyalties to them anymore, I feel that you are the person that he needs beside him to overcome his problems. The Vongola in him is getting stronger and it's killing the Martelli in him. He will be destroyed if this continues much longer. He has many friends that are around him, but there are none here who could understand the true dilemma that he is facing. If he is going to come to accept both sides of himself, he needs someone like you around to talk to. An independent advisor, if you will."

"What are you saying?" Xanxus asked, shaking his head to try to get it to stop spinning.

"I'm saying that Lazarus needs someone who will accept who he is and can talk openly about it without trying to force him into returning," he answered bluntly. "He's not ready for that yet. He might not be for a long time. You've seen how much the Lazarus side of him hates Vongola. To force him to go now would cause more damage than good. However, he is ready to start accepting the truth about who he was and it must be very frightening and frustrating for him to face it alone. The Tsunayoshi that you once knew might never return, but Lazarus is still a man who needs you as a friend. Are you not willing to shelter him as a brother even if he will not accept you as a lover?"

"I am," he mumbled as if the words were pulled from him.

"Then here is the route that his boat is taking," Papa Paolo replied with a smile as he pulled Xanxus to his feet and thrust a map into his hands. "I must have your word that you will not repeat anything you have learned. You must remember that he goes by Lazarus, as well. He will only reject you if he finds out that you know the truth about him. He might try running again like he did when that Mukuro fellow confronted him."

"Mukuro...?"

"There is too much to explain right now," he said with a small shake of his head. "We will talk again when you return. I will not break my code by sending my men after Lazarus, but you are not part of my Family," he murmured with a mischievous smile. "It does not break my Family's code if someone who is merely living in my city and _just happens _to be a former Vongola _just happens _to decide to visit Mafia Land for New Years'. Do you _just happen _to understand?"

"Ah," he answered with a feral grin. "I understand, old man. I think I have a sudden craving to watch some fireworks and if I _just happen _to see Lazarus while I'm looking for some, I just might get the urge to feed him some American Pasta."

"I see," Papa Paolo grinned. "In that case, I'll tell Isaac to keep some warm in case you _just happen _to get a craving. Now. This is very important. When you see him, you must let him know that the heart is the key that he needs to call his other self out. Do you understand? The heart is the key! He will understand."

"Heart. Key," he nodded with a raised eyebrow for the strange order.

"Good. Let us go. I've got you a boat prepared at--"

"No need."

Don Martelli's smile faltered when Xanxus raised his gun and finally fired with all the pent-up Flame that he'd yet to unleash.

"Cici," he called while everyone gaped at the large hole that appeared instantly where the roof had just been. "Do me a favor and send Hotaru a message for me. Tell him that he can go to hell because I'm choosing both."

"With pleasure."

"Ginger--"

"Raise hell," he barked before Xanxus could say anything. "Just don't come back without Tsuna or else I'll rip your throat out."

"Assuming you can catch me, mutt," he grinned before doing the one thing that he hadn't done in years. As predicted, Ginger lunged at him and he took great pleasure in propelling himself through the hole in the roof with numerous short bursts of Flame from his X-Guns. He could hear Ginger howling in joy behind him, but he put the tanuki out of his mind almost immediately.

After all, he had to go save Tsuna like he'd promised so many years ago.

* * *

Up...and down. Up....and down. Up.... and down.

"How are you doing, my friend?" Poe asked with a hand pressed worriedly against Tsuna's head.

"Sick," he groaned while trying to keep his stomach in his stomach.

"Forgive me," he murmured. "I thought the sea sickness would pass once we got on the cruise ship. The swaying is practically unnoticeable for me, but I didn't take into account your sense of balance being more sensitive."

"I'm sorry," Kiyoshi mumbled in disappointment of himself. The reason was obvious. The poor boy was just as sea sick as Tsuna and couldn't concentrate enough to keep them both from feeling the sway. "I always have problems with boats. I--" Kiyoshi stopped and turned green in unison with Tsuna as the boat cruise ship seemed to lurch under them. It was torture. The Council could do nothing worse when it came to punishing him.

"How much longer?" He asked pathetically. "It's already been two days."

"Not much longer," he soothed. "We should be there this afternoon. I'm going to go see if I can find some medicine for you two. Can I get you anything else? Perhaps some broth?"

"Meat," he begged.

"Are you positive? It will most likely not sit well on your stomach."

"I'm starving," he whined. "They've only been bringing me a couple of dinner rolls and water."

"I see," Poe murmured in sympathy. "I shall do what I can. If all else fails, I will send my own dinner for you. I do not know when they will allow me to check on you again, but I will ensure that the medicine reaches you without fail. It is not right for them to ignore your needs in such a way. They promised me that you were being cared for. If I'd known that they'd locked you in with the pigs, I would have come sooner."

"It's not your fault," he replied despite green face. "I'm not even supposed to be here, so it's understandable that they didn't give me a room. I'm under arrest, too, so I can't blame them for locking me up. It would be bad for them if I was seen walking around."

"They could have at least provided you with a cot," Poe said in concern. "This--"

"It's fine," he smiled. "I've slept on worse, Poe. Don't worry about me. It's not like they're actively hurting me. I prefer for them to ignore me."

"Alright," he nodded in saddened acceptance. "We have another problem, however. It's the reason that I was permitted to see you."

"What's that?"

"Xanxus is here," he answered. Tsuna's eyes widened and he slowly sat up regardless of how his stomach was twisting.

"What?"

"Xanxus is here," he repeated. "He arrived during the night and I hear that the whole ship is stirred up because of him. I fear that he is looking for you. I have kept him from finding me, but there have been numerous close--" Poe broke off in surprise as the door flew open. Tsuna's expression went blank.

"About fucking time," Xanxus growled as he slammed the door shut to the animal holding area. "Do you have any fucking clue how long I've been looking for you? It took me four hours to figure out where you were and another three to loose the trash that was tailing me."

"Why are you here?" Tsuna growled in return. "When I told you to go back to Vongola, I meant Italy. Not--"

"Shut up," Xanxus snarled, making Tsuna pause entirely. The reason that he paused was due to the strange look on the man's face. It was as if he couldn't decide whether to scowl or to smile. The result was an expression that was neither sane nor appealing. "Come on," he ordered after a several silent seconds of simply staring. "I'm taking you back."

"What?" He asked with another blank expression.

"I'm taking you back," he repeated, charging forward in order to shove Poe out of his way. Tsuna choked when he found himself pulled to his feet. Between the sway of the boat, the smell from the pigs, the smell of both Poe and Kiyoshi, the smell of himself after not having showered for two days, and the overwhelming smell of Xanxus, there was only one possible reaction.

* * *

"Get away from me," Tsuna groaned as he wiped his mouth.

"You could have warned me before you threw up on my shoes," Xanxus grumbled.

"It's you're fault for making me move," he retorted while he quickly decided that Poe was probably right about the meat. Crawling sideways until he had his back braced against the wall, he pulled out one of his remaining cigarettes in hope that the smoke could cover all the scents. "Go away, Xanxus. I don't remember asking to be rescued. I'm not some fucking maiden in distress that needs to be saved."

"But, the Martelli--"

"Autumn sent you?" He groaned. "That woman has no clue what's going on. Go back, Xanxus. This isn't something that you need to be concerned with. You're only in the way."

"You're so fucking pig-headed when people try to help you," Xanxus grumbled with a strange smile on his face.

"I don't need help."

"Liar. You're just scared of letting me get hurt."

"I could care less if you get hurt," he scoffed.

"Then why won't you let me take you back?"

"Because there's some things that you can't run away from!" Tsuna yelled in growing frustration.

"Bullshit. What's really going on? Why are you playing along with this? You didn't tell anyone that you were leaving and you didn't ask anyone for help. You should know that no good comes from running in alone."

"I'm not alone," he countered logically. "I have Poe with me."

"Isn't he the reason that you're even here?!" Xanxus roared as his temper finally broke.

"Don't pretend like you know what's going on!"

"Then why don't you fucking tell me what's going on?!"

"Because it's none of your business, Vongola!"

"It is my business!"

"No, _it's not_!"

"Why won't you tell me?!"

"He's not permitted to speak of it," Poe interjected quietly before Tsuna could shout in return. Tsuna snapped his mouth shut and pointedly looked away. What Poe said was true up to a point, but Xanxus already knew that he was a werewolf. The vow of secrecy had already been broken where he was concerned.

"Is it because I was Vongola?" Xanxus asked in sudden quiet.

"No," Poe replied while Tsuna quietly smoked in effort to settle himself. "This has nothing to do with Mafia loyalties."

"Then what is it?" Xanxus inquired through clenched teeth. "Why can't he say anything? Is it because you two don't trust me or maybe--"

"You're human," Poe answered coldly as he rose to his feet. "It's as simple as that. You are doing nothing but harming him by being here. It is poor luck that we must journey into enemy territory, but we cannot alter the fact that it must be done. Your presence will only cause him to get caught. If that happens, then he will suffer greater penalties than those that have already been granted to him."

"I won't let him be caught," Xanxus said firmly. "But you've got to tell me what's going on. All I know is that I went back to the Dojo to apologize and it was wrecked. Before I could find out where he was, that Autumn woman showed up and said that he'd been carried off by two dozen vampires."

"You came back to apologize?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Uh... yeah," he admitted sheepishly. "I was already frustrated and angry about some other things, so, when you threw me, I blew my top. I took it all out on you and I said things that I knew would hurt you. All I can say is that I get pretty nasty when I'm pissed. I can't change that, but I figured that I could at least let you know that I didn't mean what I said. I know that now isn't really the time, but do you think you could forgive me for that?"

"I'll think about it," he responded while forcibly telling the other half of himself to shut up. Part of him wanted to accept the apology at face value, but he wasn't stupid. Xanxus would just do it again and again if he was forgiven. The other half of him refused to accept it at all. He'd sided with Gabriel, if only for a mere moment. He was better off not even speaking to someone like that. "I still say that you should take this chance to go back to your Family, Vongola. What happens to me is none of your concern."

"I'm only going to say this once," Xanxus replied with his teeth clenched and his fists balled to try to hold back the anger that predictably surfaced. "I have a name. It's Xanxus. Not Vongola. I don't have a Family to go back to, so you can stop telling me that. I sent a message to my Boss telling him to go fuck himself, so they're probably going to be after my head soon. You can keep pushing me away all you want, but I'm not going anywhere. Whether you fucking like it or not, I'm your god damned friend! What happens to you is my concern because I think I've fucking sat back and watched you for long enough! You wouldn't let me do anything before and I'll be fucking damned if I'm going to sit back and watch you get hurt again! If there's something that I can do to help, then fucking tell me or else I'm just going to figure out some way to do it myself and say to hell with whatever secrets that you're hiding!"

"Do you truly wish to help him?" Poe inquired with a thoughtful look on his face.

"POE!" Tsuna spluttered.

"We could use him," Poe murmured. "His blood alone has worth as bribes. If--"

"NO!" Tsuna roared, jumping to his feet with his roiling stomach completely forgotten. "You can't let them eat him!"

"Why not?"

"Because you can't!" He stomped in frustration. "We're not that much different, yet I get in trouble for having the same tastes that you do! They would have gotten just as hungry in front of Hibari and you know it! I wasn't out of it for the whole fight! I saw your mouth watering while you were watching! Isn't that why you didn't stop me?!"

"Well..." Poe flinched with a bright blush.

"And I wasn't even hungry when I went after the others!" Tsuna shouted in anger. "I didn't lose control because of that and I'm still being punished like I did! If I was you or Neve or anyone else, I could bite as many humans as I wanted and no one would look twice at me! They're judging me differently when my Hunger is no different than theirs! It's not fair! If I can't bite Xanxus, then they can't either!"

"It would be pointless for you to bite him," Poe objected in open amusement for his outburst. "That is why there are different rules for us. For you to bite a human would be about the same as a human eating fruit that only gods can digest. It is wasteful."

"So?!" He yelled with his face turning a bright shade of red out of anger. "A human that ate that kind of fruit would still be able experience the taste! Who the hell are you to decide what I stick in my mouth?! As long as I'm not killing randomly and bringing attention to us by biting everyone that I meet, then it shouldn't matter! Hibari and I were in a fight to the death and I had to use everything that I had against him! Yes, even my fucking bloodlust! And you know what? I lost control on purpose because it was the only fucking chance that I had to beat him! And he _still _defeated me! "

"And the Dojo?" Poe prompted with his expression turning solemn.

"I was pissed!" He shouted. "If you and everyone else had of just left me alone, I would have gotten it under control! Admit it, Poe! You baited me on that one! You didn't even give me a minute to deal with it on my own!"

"That is the truth," he admitted with a gleam of guilt lancing through his eyes. "Your aura was out of control. I thought it would be best to aid you by giving you something to focus your bloodlust on."

"Because you didn't trust me," Tsuna spat. "No one there trusts me anymore! Are you happy, Poe? Isn't this the distance you said that I should have with humans?! I can't even live with them anymore! They're all scared of me!"

"I didn't mean for that to happen," he murmured in hurt. The hurt was what finally broke though his rage enough that he forced himself to sit back down. He could feel his emotions flaring to almost a painful point and he knew that it was his Hunger that was agitating him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, bowing his head in his own guilt. "I shouldn't have said all of that. It's not your fault. I'm just hungry, Poe. I'm hungry and I'm sick of being treated as a third-rate being. I know that I shouldn't blame the Council for treating me differently. They just dislike me because they still want to bite me even though doing so would turn them into the cannibal that they see me as. Since they're too arrogant to be disgusted with themselves for their cravings, they're taking it out on me. You, Neve, and Barb are the only ones that see no difference between our races and humans. I just wish that more of them would get off their high horse and see it. Everyone would be a lot happier that way."

"Nice speech," a small voice interjected with the sound of applause filling the room. Lifting his head, he gaped for a long moment at the sight of a little boy in the doorway with an escort of six other vampires.

"Lord Nephriam," Tsuna identified the boy in wide-eyed shock. Then he blinked and paled due to the remembrance of everything he'd just spouted. He'd basically spat on all of the traditions that the Council ruled with. "Forgive me," he spluttered, scrambling so that he could bow down with his head to the ground while Poe gave a respectful bow at his waist in greeting. "I didn't--"

"Hush," he ordered with a smile. "Raise your head up. You might have once been a blood slave, but you are a proud werewolf now. You need to start acting like one or else there is no hope for your kind."

"L-Lord Nephriam...?" Poe gaped while Tsuna froze entirely.

"I agree with everything that Sir Lazarus has said," he explained as he walked forward in order to forcibly make Tsuna stand. He did it with one hand despite being only a third of Tsuna's side, which made Tsuna stare in wonder at the boy's strength. "The regulations that we have in place are outdated," he continued. "They're from a time before we had the inoculation and werewolves were the cause of the worst outbreaks that our kind has ever seen. Werewolves have always been rare, but there was a short time when they were twice as common as they are now. Humanity is getting stronger and even the Phlegm have been finding that those they turn are withstanding the full change."

"How's that possible?" Poe choked. "They don't even have the inoculation--!"

"It is because the blood is thinning out," he replied. "This is not the first time it has happened. Few who are turned by full-bloods or extraordinarily strong half-bloods wish to join the Phlegm when they know that everyone they meet will be turned. The result is that the only ones who join the Phlegm are those who are weak. They continue the cycle and add to their numbers while their blood gets weaker with every new generation that is added to the ranks. They need a new infusion of fresh strength and they have no where to go in order to receive it."

"What's this have to do with me?" Tsuna asked in confusion.

"It doesn't," he shrugged. "But it does have something to do with your friend over there."

"Eh?" Tsuna asked as his heart stopped for a moment due to how Lord Nephriam pointed at Xanxus of all people.

"There's two things that I need to inform you of before we reach harbor," he said with a maturity that wasn't in keeping with his visible age. "The first is that I can easily get you off the hook for what has come to pass. I have been working with Lady Italia for some time in dealing with the growing werewolf epidemic."

"Your nanny?" Poe asked in his own confusion.

"She is now my wife," he smiled. "The truth is that she wished to stay at my side, but did not wish to lose all of her humanity. After discussing it with her, she agreed to allow herself to be turned into a werewolf so that she could walk in both worlds. Unfortunately, we did not expect there to be more like her. Lazarus' fame has brought much to light and for that, we must thank him. When it was but one or two werewolves, my attempts at changing the status quo were ignored as pointless. Now that we have seen that there are a sizeable community scattered across the world, my efforts are moving much more smoothly. I must say that I'm now considered the forefront of the Council for being on the cutting edge of werewolf rights."

"Eh?" Tsuna repeated, getting completely lost in where the little Lord was going with all of his information.

"I do hope you'll forgive my violent methods of the past, Sir Lazarus," he murmured with an innocent smile on his face. "I truly was only thinking of the werewolf populous as a whole. You see, with your data combined with my Lady's, I was hoping to create the treatment to ensure that both of you could continue in normal society without having to be leashed. I doubt that you want to be chained to an area for the rest of your days like Guardian vampires are."

"Not really," he admitted. "But what does this have to do with getting me off the hook?"

"Ah," he murmured with a gesture to say that he was getting to the point. "Because I am considered at the cutting edge, I can see where the problems stem between vampires and werewolves. In truth, it all comes down to the separation between full-bloods and half-bloods."

"I don't follow," Tsuna replied.

"Mother," Poe groaned with his hand slapping over his face. "It's Mistress Drake. Is it not?"

"Indeed," Lord Nephriam confirmed with a smile. "She is using old laws that should have been phased out a century ago in order to punish your pet for biting you and your daughter. The fact that Hibari was targeted by him only worsens the matter."

"Hibari?" Tsuna asked in confusion. "What's this have to do with him?"

"He's a full-blood," Poe answered with a grimace while he pointedly looked away from both Tsuna and Xanxus.

"Exactly so," Lord Nephriam sighed while Tsuna's eyes widened in shock. "He and his mother were researching the inoculation in an attempt to return half-bloods back into humans after they'd been turned. It was considered taboo by the Council. I believe everything came to a head about twenty years ago...?"

"More or less," Poe nodded. "It was after Hibari lost his wings. His father found out about the research and Miko injected her son with the test serum before it could be destroyed. However, to use a full-blood as a guinea pig was punishable by death."

"Poor Hibari was never the same after that," Lord Nephriam sighed in regret. "He killed his father and then blanked out everything that happened before that night. All of our attempts at retrieving him proved useless and the serum has played havok with his normal cycles. He is as good as human now, although he still retains many of our characteristics. Even so, he is in the registrar as a full-blood. So, you see, Sir Lazarus. You do not have two counts of going after humans on your record. You have three counts of going after full-bloods on your record. Mistress Drake is not pleased."

"That..." Tsuna abruptly sat down on the floor as his legs gave out on him. Hibari was a vampire? It explained so much that it wasn't even funny. Poe has said that it was trained into them from a young age to never get close to humans. That explained why Hibari disliked crowds. It also explained his need for battle and his cold-hearted exterior. If he'd blanked out his past, he had no clue what he was. He'd been fighting an invisible enemy his entire life. "Poor Hibari," he mumbled in sympathy.

"Anyway," Lord Nephriam continued as he walked over to pet the pigs in the pen lining one wall. "That is the foundation of the dilemma that you're in. I can easily use the fact to get you off the hook. You haven't once lost control due to humans. You've only went after humans when they interfered _after _Poe had baited you into a frenzy. It has happened before between vampires that humans became casualties, so there should be no reason to punish you for such a minor infraction. Mistress Drake's attempt to use this as proof that the treatments are ineffective will not be successful. But--!"

"But?" Poe and Tsuna repeated with hope lighting up in their eyes.

"I demand payment," he replied bluntly.

"Anything!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I don't know how to--"

"Don't agree so quickly," Poe warned with his eyes narrowing in on the little Lord. "What payment do you demand?"

"I wish him to be turned," he replied, chucking a thumb at where Xanxus was idly standing against the wall. He looked dazed, as if he was still trying to digest everything. The last statement caught his attention, however, while Tsuna paled.

"What?" Tsuna breathed, shaking his head to himself. "No. Please ask for something else, Lord N--"

"No," he interrupted firmly. "I will only help you if you give me this boon. If not, I will do everything in my power to ensure that Mistress Drake gets the punishment that she desires. I need him, Sir Lazarus. You do, as well. If you have a half-blood source to target when your control breaks, it is less likely for this event to be repeated. I want Mistress Drakes eyes off of the werewolf issue and that will not happen for as long as she believes that her son and granddaughter are your primary feeding sources. Beyond that, he has the strength to reinvigorate the Phlegm's blood. Once turned, I have twenty blood-slaves willing to be turned by him in order to join the Phlegm's ranks. After that, he will be free to be inoculated and return under Poe's guidance. I will even go so far as to ensure that he has a wanderer's visa so that he may continue to travel the globe at will."

"I-I--"

"Take your time to think about it," he interjected before Tsuna could bluntly refuse. "We still have several hours until we reach the harbor. Feel free to walk around on the deck while you're at it. I am here now, so the rude imprisonment is unnecessary. Just be sure to cover your face and, if anyone asks, you are here in service of the Carter Family of California. We are small, but we are properly registered as allies of Vongola. I will have you registered under the name of... hmm... Sir Lazwick von Hellsing. That should suffice so that you may still be called by your nickname and I find some amusing irony to the name. You can find me in the children's pool when you have made up your mind."

Tsuna merely sat in shock as Poe gave polite farewells and Lord Nephriam retreated with his escort in tow. Only one word came to mind and it was the only thing that he could think of.

No.

"No?" Poe repeated, making Tsuna realize that he'd spoken out loud. "Do you realize that the choice is between your execution and Xanxus' humanity?"

"No," he mumbled while he stared down at his own hands. They were hands that had become weapons when he'd lost part of his humanity. He didn't want to pass that curse off to anyone else. "No. I refuse. They won't execute me for something like this. That would go counter to what Lord Nephriam wants. He'll push for a lesser punishment and I can accept that. I can deal with a few days of suffering. Maro. Yeah.... Yeah... Maro. I promised Maro that I wouldn't let anything happen to his boyfriend, so..."

"Let me speak with Maro," Xanxus asked quietly, making Tsuna's head snap up in surprise. "Don't look at me like that. I've talked to him once before. You said that you don't care what happens to me, so let me talk to the side that does. I'll decide for myself whether or not to accept this fucked up offer."

"You don't know what you're saying, Vongola," Tsuna growled through clenched teeth. "There is no accepting this fucked up offer. I just said that I refuse. This is my problem and it's none of your--"

"My name is Xanxus!" He roared in instant rage. Tsuna's eyes widened when Xanxus charged forward and grabbed the bottom edge of his neck brace in order to lift him to his feet. "Repeat it!"

"Von-go-la," he repeated with careful enunciation on every syllable. He grinned at the sight of Xanxus' eye twitching. He was angry. He was boiling in rage. The amusing part was that he was refusing to do anything about it. Tsuna had a feeling that no matter how much he pushed the man, he would never explode at him.

"Fine," Xanxus said in dangerous quiet as he dropped Tsuna carelessly back to his feet. "Call me whatever you want. Just let me talk to Maro."

"I can't," he replied in confusion for the abrupt mood swing. He'd expected Xanxus to at least pitch a little fit. It was as if he'd just completely given up on his attempts to make Tsuna accept him.

"You can," he corrected. "Don Martelli said something about the heart being the key to letting him come out."

"The heart?" He gaped. It was surprising. Tsuna instantly knew what Papa Paolo had meant. There was only one heart that mattered with the Martelli Family. He was speaking of the three Glamours and the Spirit of Justice relied on accepting Justice in his heart. If using it let Maro out, then it was understandable that Autumn had forbidden him from using it. "But I can't," he repeated.

"Yes, you can," he growled in irritation. "He said you would know--"

"No," he snarled in return. "I really can't! I don't have my ring on!"

"Eh?"

"I can't use that without my ring and earring, idiot Vongola!" He shouted in frustration. "Do you think the Glamours happen out of nowhere?! I need the right fucking tools and I don't have them!"

"Oh."

"Stupid," he spat, while trying to rub away the migraine that was forming. He still felt sea-sick. He still felt hungry. The headache that Xanxus had caused only made things worse. "Damnit. Why did you have to come? Look. Maro wouldn't want you to do this, so why don't you go back the way you came? I'd really be a lot--"

* * *

Tsuna groaned and tried to get his eyes to focus once he'd slowly pried his eyes open. He felt like he'd been hit with a sledgehammer. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been knocked out with a single blow. He could guess who'd done it, too.

"Bastard," he grumbled as he slowly sat up to find Poe's scent nearby. He wasn't wrong. When he finally got his eyes to focus, he found himself on a hotel bed with Poe seated out on the open balcony. "Where is he, Poe? I'm going to knock the shit out of him."

"Lord Nephriam is teaching him how to feed," he answered quietly.

"What?" He asked as all the blood drained out of his face.

"He told me to give you a message when you woke up," Poe murmured without looking away from the stars. "He said 'I'm going to keep my promise no matter what it takes.'"

"What promise?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"No clue," he sighed. "But he made his choice. I told him numerous times that you would not accept his sacrifice, but he was determined. It is too late to stop him. It is already done."

"You didn't wake me up on purpose," he murmured in accusation.

"I will not deny it," he confirmed. "Although I did try to talk him out of his plan, a part of me rejoices that you will go unpunished despite Mistress Drake's whims. I will accept your anger. I have decided that it is worth it to have you whole and healthy."

"I won't forgive you for this," Tsuna said softly.

"I know."

"Poe...?"

"What is it?"

"Don't turn around."

"Alright, my friend."

Tsuna nodded in thanks for the consideration while the tears continued to silently run down his face.


	76. Chapter 76 So Close So Far

"Very well," Mistress Drake agreed with a glare at Tsuna. "Your evidence is sufficient. I will withdrawal my complaints against my son's pet."

"He is not my pet, Mistress Drake," Poe interjected angrily before Tsuna could even open his mouth. For two hours, they'd had to listen to the woman's insults while Lord Nephriam kept his promise. At first, Tsuna had quailed under the woman's bad attitude, but it was starting to get to a point that even he couldn't ignore. "He is neither blindly loyal nor a mindless beast, so I request that you dispense with the name calling. Lazarus has done nothing to merit such treatment. He has received enough already. I know that it was you who ordered for him to be locked in with the pigs."

"Dogs belong on farms, so I figured that he'd be more comfortable with the farm animals," she replied with blunt distaste.

"And old bats belong in caves, so why don't you get lost in the shadows," Poe retorted. Tsuna gaped slightly in surprise at how Poe was staring down his mother. From how everyone had always acted, he'd assumed that Mistress Drake was a woman to be feared. She had an aura of power around her that made him feel like he was dealing with a Queen. But...

Did Queens pout when their son was mad at them?

"You don't mean that," she sniffed with tears in her eyes. "I'm only looking out for you, dear. Werewolves are dangerous. I don't want you to end up like your Lord Father."

"Father was an idiot," he spat with his own glare. "He deserved what he got. I do not treat those I meet with such vile displays, so Lazarus has no reason to turn on me like Boris did with Father. I--"

"When will you give up this nonsense and come home?" Mistress Drake asked, proving that she wasn't even listening to what Poe was saying. "Your brother misses you. He--"

"Enough!" Poe snarled with even more rage lighting up in his eyes. "Must you show your selfishness every time that we meet? It was you who determined that Guardian vampires must stay bound to the land. Did you think there would be no consequences to such a ruling? You were always so busy trying to get Father's eyes off of Elisabeth that you completely ignored the fact that I did not inherit your gifts."

"You have them," she replied while she pointedly looked away from her son. "You just refuse to show them because you are just as selfish as you claim that I am."

"No, I don't," he growled. "You only have yourself to blame, Mistress Drake. You scattered the Clans and reorganized all of our society on a whim. You are not special. There are many out there who are torn from their families because of such high-handed influence from the Council. Because of you, I shall only have a mere five years with Neve before the Council demands that she be tested. Do you understand, Mistress Drake? If your granddaughter does not show your gifts, she will be isolated as I have been."

"I had my reasons for doing what I did," she replied without a hint of repentance. "I will not give into attempts to control me, even if they are from you. The restrictions on Guardian vampires will stay. I do hope that you'll put Neve's welfare before your crusade. It will be very disappointing if my seat in the Council is relegated to your brother."

"Damian can have it," he replied with a small glance over to where Tsuna was silently listening. "I am tired of your games, Mistress Drake. It is understandable that you are disappointed with me, but I can not change many things. It is not fair for you to claim that you are worried of my welfare when you are the reason that I am chained as I am. As for Lazarus, I hope that you will refrain from any more attempts at harming him. He might be a werewolf, but he is also a thinking being. The differences between him and us are negligible. He should have the freedom to do what he wishes so long as he is not impeding on the will of others. If there is no complaint from those he interacts with, then you have no right to intercede."

"I have a right as your mother!" She snapped in anger. "I will not--"

"If you're interfering as his mother, then you have no right to use the power of the Council to further your goals," Lord Nephriam interjected with dangerous coldness. Mistress Drake's eyes widened in surprise and she looked around as if suddenly remembering that she wasn't alone with her son. "I believe we are finished here," Lord Nephriam continued with a small smirk. "If you are going to withdrawal your complaint against the werewolf Lazarus, then there is no reason for us to continue this debate. I'll inform the rest of the Council on your behalf. I believe Lord Laswick and Mistress Lydia were both displeased about the whole affair in the first place. They'll be quite happy to know that you've seen sense."

"What are you insinuating?" Mistress Drake asked with her regal aura surfacing once more. Tsuna paled and tried to make himself as small as possible. He had no clue what was going on. All he could tell was that he was off the hook and Poe had some family issues that he'd never spoken of. The mood and dominant stance kept fluctuating between people too much for him to understand more.

"I'm insinuating nothing," he replied with an innocent smile. "But if you'll excuse us, I have some business that still needs my attention."

"Don't you mean that you have a Ferris wheel to go ride?" She taunted with her nose flaring in anger.

"And some cotton candy while I'm there," he agreed with a wink. Tsuna goggled for a moment at how easily Lord Nephriam could seem like nothing more than a young boy. He could switch from a jaded, old politician to an attention loving child in the space of an instant. Even worse, from the way that the boy grabbed Tsuna's hand and yanked him toward the door with his unfathomable strength, Tsuna was going to have to deal with both. "I'll be seeing you, Mistress Drake."

"But, what--!" Tsuna spluttered, finding himself dragged out the door and down the hallway before he could even blink.

"Quiet," Lord Nephriam snapped without letting go. "We must hide you before you're seen. My suite is right down the hall, so don't argue. Unless you'd rather go watch while Mistress Drake takes out her frustrations on Poe...? I didn't think you were that type of man."

"Eh?"

"Mistress Drake is behind the times," he explained as his escort arrived to block the view of them both through merely their large size. "The time and place that she came into the world was one that incest was fully accepted since finding someone of worthy social status and breeding was difficult. I'm not sure how much you remember of the Welcoming Banquet, but Poe is used to satisfying Mistress Drake's whims. That is why he rarely calls her by anything but her title. As a Council member, I spend much time in the company of my colleagues. I know Mistress Drake's cues. She--"

"How old are you?" Tsuna blurted while he tried to wrap his mind around the insanity that the boy was spouting.

"Four hundred and sixty two," he answered without blinking an eyelid. "I felt like having a long life, so I chose a young form. If I'd chosen an older form, I'd already look as old as that hag." Tsuna blinked and tried to get the insult to line up with his image of Mistress Drake. The woman barely looked thirty. She only looked a few years older than Tsuna himself did! She was still well in her prime! She didn't even have wrinkles yet! "You look confused," Lord Nephriam commented as one of their escort opened the door to their goal. Tsuna nodded slightly and rubbed his hand when the little Lord finally let go. For looking so young, his grip was as solid as iron. "You took Neve's wings. Yes?"

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed quietly while he followed Lord Nephriam into one of the suite's sitting areas. As far as hotels rooms went, he felt like he was in a mansion. The place was decorated for both comfort and luxury. On top of that, there were servants everywhere. He could tell that they were all blood-slaves from the shackles on their wrists which bore Lord Nephriam's seal. There were two cleaning constantly. Another two brought drinks and snacks without being told. Those two began servicing Lord Nephriam as soon as the refreshments were set down. One fed him tidbits and the other rubbed his shoulders. One of the ones who'd been cleaning attempted to service their guest in the same way, but Tsuna politely declined. Having women hanging over him was alright most of the time, but it'd just be a distraction at the moment.

"When I had my wings taken, I looked merely three," he explained nonchalantly. "It is actually quite a story since I ended up having to take my own, but that's something that we can leave for another time."

"Oh."

"Drink," Lord Nephriam urged with a smile while Tsuna tried once more to wrap his mind around everything. "I had hoped that I would get a chance to speak with you in private, so I had some blood wine prepared for you. It's only a half-blood's offering, so it is probably not as potent as what you are used to. I do hope that the taste is to your liking, however."

"Y-You got me blood?" Tsuna asked in surprise while he stared down at the glass in his hands.

"As I have said, I am of the same mind as Lord Poe," he replied around a nibble from the cake that his servant was offering. "I see no differences between us. Over ninety percent of our race was once human and only the pure-bloods are the ones that try to make vampires forget that. If you need vampire blood, then that is no different from saying that you will only drink B positive blood like Lord Pelides does. I have enough friends of a like mindset that the offering was freely given once I explained my reasons. Do not worry, my werewolf friend. The vintage I've prepared is something that I've tasted for myself. You should not be displeased."

"I-I'm honored," Tsuna mumbled with a pale face. It was hard not to pale. Drinking from Poe and Neve was one thing, but the thought of drinking it out of a wine-glass left him faintly sickened. He didn't have a choice, though. Lord Nephriam had went to all the trouble for his sake. Refusal wasn't an option. He--

"If you don't want it, then you don't have to drink," Lord Nephriam said with an understanding look in his eyes. "Lady Italia had some difficulty at first, as well. I take it that this is your first time drinking from a cup?"

"Yes," he admitted while he continued to stare down into the glass that he'd been given. "Poe used to put his blood in pills before I went through the treatment, so there wasn't a need. When that wasn't strong enough, it never occurred to me to do anything but bite him."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he replied solemnly. "You have never been shown any other way. That is the very reason why I wish to speak with you without Poe's influence. He is far too reserved in his dealings with others. You have probably only been informed on a need-to-know basis. I wish to remedy that. If you are going to keep from making mistakes in the future, you must know more about the society that you're dealing with. If you're willing, I can teach you everything that a regular vampire knows in order to interact with others of our kind. You have been allowed to slide on many formalities due to being a werewolf, but I believe that the first step to getting you treated equally is to cure the ignorance that isn't of your making."

"What do you want from me?" Tsuna asked in suspicion for the offer.

"It serves my own purposes," he answered knowingly. "If you can be trained to have the same sort of grace as vampires, then I believe that my efforts to break down the age-old walls between our races might be made easier. If the only thing that distinguishes you from a half-blood is manners, then those who think like Mistress Drake will look foolish."

"That's not what I meant," he replied with a small glare. "I can figure out why you're helping me. I want to know what the price is. I don't have another Xanxus in my pocket."

"From what I'm told, you never had one to begin with," he retorted with a grin. "Alright. I see that you're the straight-forward type of man. I'll make this simple. I'll teach you everything you need to know in order to not step on any toes in the future. In return, I wish for three things."

"Three?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, three. The first is that you obey everything I tell you until the training is over."

"Understandable," Tsuna commented without agreeing. "I won't do some things without a reason, but you don't seem the kind of person who would do things on a whim."

"I'm not," he smiled. "The second thing is that you supply me with blood."

"That's a given if you think like Poe does," Tsuna murmured blandly.

"I suppose so," he chuckled. "I thought that rascal was still using you, but he's pretty reserved. Mistress Drake would throw a fit if she knew. Anyway, the third thing is the part that I believe you will have difficulty with."

"And that is...?"

"I will teach you, but it will be in the process of training Xanxus," he replied with a sharp gleam in his young eyes. "I will get in much trouble in teaching you directly, but assistance is acceptable in training a new vampire. You will learn by watching what I teach him and no one can complain if you're the sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?"

"There's danger to teaching a new vampire how to control himself," he explained with an almost invisible flinch. "In most cases, the trouble is that they don't know how to hold back and that they have too little self-awareness. That causes the death of the offering that is being used to train with in many cases. However, in Xanxus' case, he has too much self-control and self-awareness. The Hunger has to be clawing at him, but he's refusing to feed. He is refusing to accept that anything is different. I have gathered that you dislike the man on a personal basis, but he will die if he doesn't get a large boost of energy soon. You are the most tempting person on the island. I doubt that his self-control would be able to deal with you."

"So, for you to teach me, I have to help you teach Xanxus," he said to ensure that he had the situation clear in his mind.

"Yes."

"And for you to teach Xanxus, I have to break his self-control."

"Yes."

"You should have asked for something more difficult," he replied with a slow grin. "This will be far too easy. I might not like him, but I have no qualms with using him."

"I see," Lord Nephriam commented in surprise. "In that case, let go see him. I dislike leaving him unattended."

* * *

He could handle this. He could deal with this. So what if he wanted to screw every woman that presented herself and he felt like killing every single man that he came across? At least the last part wasn't anything new. He could deal with that. He just had to get used to the other differences.

Everything smelled edible. Even things that weren't edible smelled like they were. Everything that glowed had a scent that made him want to eat it. The problem was that almost everything glowed. Walking outside gave him a headache, even with sunglasses on. Everything was so damned bright that it gave him a migraine. Even when he went out at night, the people vacationing on the island seemed to be lit with an inner fire that drew him like a moth. The little brat said that it was how he was supposed to see who had the best source of energy to feed from, but he refused to feed. He wasn't going to turn into a sick freak like Belphegor who went nuts at the sight of blood. Surely there was some substitute. He'd never particularly enjoyed salads before, but those glowed, too. It was faint, but he was positive that enough of them added together could equal the glow from a human.

Looking over at the dozens of raw eggs that the brat had supplied for him to train off of, he tried not to let the consideration enter his mind. The idea was to feed off of people without actually taking their blood. If he could make it work on an egg, he could do it on a human, too. From what he'd been told, that vampire bastard that hung around Tsuna had used the skill to make him black out at the cemetery.

He refused to do it.

Snuffing out life wasn't a problem to him. He'd once killed fifty people with one strike. The problem was that he wasn't going to sit around and do whatever these freaks told him. He might have agreed to be a vampire, but playing by someone else's rules wasn't how he lived. He'd let himself get bitten and he'd bitten the freaks like they wanted to protect Tsuna. No one ever said that he had to drink the life-force of others on top of it.

"The first thing I want to say is that I hate you."

Xanxus looked up with a fork-full of salad hanging in the air. He barely got a whiff of scent and caught sight of Tsuna before he was knocked out of his chair. Before he could even comprehend that he'd just been punched into the floor of his hotel room, Tsuna was on top of him.

"Don't even think of fighting," Tsuna ordered as he started ripping off his own shirt. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you're risking death by being st--"

"What are you doing?" Xanxus asked when he started tearing Xanxus' shirt off, as well.

"It's called force feeding," he answered, leaning over to glare down into Xanxus' face. "You have no clue what you've done. I'll give you credit for keeping control this long, but the Hunger isn't something that you can ignore forever. That's one thing that's no different between vampires and werewolves. It hits me harder and faster, but the result will be the same for you if you don't eat soon. Your mind will break before your body does. If it doesn't, you'll starve to death no matter how many salads you eat. This isn't a game or a fairytale, Xanxus! Only a fool chooses to be a vampire! _Nothing _is going to be the same n--"

"Say it again," Xanxus interrupted in surprise.

"You're an idiot!"

"Not that!" He snapped with a twitch of his eye. "I meant my name, you fucking brat!"

"Eh?" He asked with his own expression of surprise.

"I'll make you a deal," he groaned, pushing back Tsuna so that he could sit up. "You stop calling me Vongola and I'll do whatever you want."

"Fair enough," he agreed with far too much ease. He started grinning, which made Xanxus raise an eyebrow. He wanted to question it, since he didn't think that Tsuna would give in so easily. In honesty, he didn't want to argue, though. As far as new scents went, Tsuna's was by far the best one yet. He seemed to glow like marble cotton candy with how the colors in him seemed to swirl with orange and purple. He'd thought that the glow reflected the color of people's Flames, but he knew that Tsuna could have nothing but a pure orange. "You bite first," he ordered. "When you've eaten to my satisfaction, I'll stop calling you Vongola."

"Deal," he murmured while trying not to be self-conscious about Tsuna sitting in his lap. He was so close, yet so unreachable at the same time. His greeting had reminded him of the fact before he could even get on the train of thought. This was his Tsuna, but it wasn't. This Tsuna had no memory of him and would run like a skittish deer if he was pushed. If he wanted to hold him in his arms again, he had to be patient and wait for the Tsuna who called himself Maro to come out. The fact made the position that he was in into torture. He could literally move ten inches and he'd be kissing the fool, but he couldn't. To do so would end with another forceful rejection. "H-How do I do this?" He asked hesitantly.

"Open your mouth," he ordered. Xanxus stared for a long moment before doing like he was told. Before he could wonder what Tsuna intended, a slender finger started probing his teeth. "Lucky," he mumbled with a petulant glare as he pulled his finger back. "Your teeth are long enough and they're positioned right. I didn't Change enough for that, so I have trouble. Unlike me, you should be able to just bite and drink without a problem. From what Poe has told me, it's easier if you keep your teeth in so that you can clog the flow if you need to breathe or swallow."

"You act like this is ordinary," Xanxus commented softly.

"Do I?" He asked in open surprise. "I guess I'm just used to it. It's been around two years since I was turned and I used to have to bite at least once a week. I've been treated, though. I only bite when I want to now. Unless, of course, I lose control. If I lose control, I bite whatever I can get my hands on. I used to only go after vampires when I lost my mind, but my treatment had some side effects."

"There's a treatment?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"For werewolves," he nodded. "You're screwed, though. Lord Nephriam said that they drained you before they let the full-blood Phlegm leader bite you. From what I was told, the geezer is weak but he's yet to fail in turning someone completely. The strength of the curse that he passes along isn't strong, but that's why they wanted you. You strengthened it for him before passing it on. The proof is that you didn't fail to turn any of the offerings despite the fact that they were at full strength. I still haven't forgiven you for that, by the way, and I don't owe you anything for doing that. I would have been perfectly fine without Lord Nephriam's aid."

"They were talking about punishing you with the possibility of execution," he glared in response to the ungrateful attitude. "If it was that serious, they would have probably tortured you."

"I can deal with a little pain," he scoffed with a mocking smile. "No matter what they would have done, they couldn't have hurt me."

"They could have killed you," Xanxus growled.

"Do you think that would have hurt me?" He asked with a calm that was mildly disturbing. He said it too easily, as if death truly wasn't something that he feared. The look in his eyes was what clinched the fact. Xanxus had seen that look in the eyes of far too many kamikaze hitmen before. It made him mad to see such a dark void in Tsuna's eyes. Just what in the hell happened to him to make him so uncaring of himself?! Then it hit him. He knew what. He'd went through it himself when he'd still believed that Tsuna was dead.

"Did Joshua really mean that much to you?" He murmured with a mixture of quiet jealousy and pained understanding. The response wasn't what he expected. In rapid succession, Tsuna's eye twitched, he clenched his teeth, and his hand went across Xanxus' face.

"Don't say his name," he snarled with a fierce look of hate on his face. "You have no right to talk like you know him. If it's unavoidable for you to talk about him, you are to call him Snicker like everyone else. I won't have a Vongola soiling his name with their lips."

"Alright," he mumbled as echoes of the same words rang through his ears. The only difference was that it had been coming from Gokudera's mouth toward a piece of Gesso scum in Venice Row. "I'm not Vongola anymore, but I understand. Give me some time to work on it. I've only heard you call him by one name online, so it might take some time to get the change in my--"

"Y-You really are Foo Foo," he interrupted suddenly.

"Eh?"

"W-Well, um..." he mumbled as the fire died out of his eyes. "It's just... I think Vongola would have done research on me before they sent someone. F-For one of them, they...uh...they would have probably called him Snicker to start with. You automatically called him Joshua without thinking about it, though. That... um... That means that you're either a really good spy or... um..."

"Or I'm Foo Foo," he finished in exasperation. "That's what I've been telling you from the start. You really don't trust people. If I wasn't the same way, I could have killed you by now out of frustration. The only reason I haven't is because I know that you live longer when you're suspicious."

"Thanks... um... thanks for all the fudge," he mumbled with a bright blush. Xanxus stared for a full minute while wondering if Tsuna had gone insane during the time that they'd been separated. As easily as that, he'd made up his mind that Xanxus was indeed the same person that he'd been talking to for the past few years. As easily as that, it seemed that he was willing to be a little friendly. Xanxus wasn't going to push his luck, however. It was the first sign that Tsuna had given that his Lazarus side was actually warming up to him. He didn't plan to ruin a good thing by rushing things. He could be patient.

He could be very patient.

"You're welcome, brat," he grinned. "About fucking time I got some gratitude from you. Ginger picked that out for you, but it was my ass that bought it and shipped it every week. You've got some really expensive fucking tastes. You know that?"

"Expensive?" He spluttered with wide eyes. "How expensive?"

"That's my secret," he laughed, taking some happiness in finally being able to talk to him without worrying about having his words rammed down his throat. "It doesn't really matter. While Grey City was still under my control, I had a couple billion to waste."

"Grey City was under your control?" He asked with a dazed expression. "Billions...?"

"Vongola took both when I told them to piss off," he confirmed with a wide grin. "I still got several million to my name, but--"

"Million...?" He choked while his eyes glazed over. "You're a millionaire...?"

"Yeah," he nodded with his smile widening even more at how Tsuna was reacting. It was hard to believe that he had been one of the ten richest men in the world with how he was acting toward a few paltry million.

"Remind me to raise your rent," he mumbled in shock.

"Fair enough, brat," he replied with a bark of laughter. "Just know that you can kiss my ass about Gigi finding me a job. I'll supply my own."

"Okay," he squeaked. As soon as the high-pitched word came out of his mouth, he shook his head and coughed to clear his throat. He blinked several times before he managed to get his jaw to close until he finally seemed to have regained his composure. "Where were we?" He asked, looking around to try to find something to put himself back on track.

"You punched me, ripped off our shirts, and made a deal so that you'd stop calling me Vongola," he supplied in amusement.

"Oh," he replied with a bright blush. "Right. You need to eat. I got side-tracked."

"I noticed," he said while he tried to get his smile under control. "I'm not complaining, though. I like you better when you're not telling me that you hate me."

"Sorry," he pouted with a gleam of sincerity. "You can't blame me, though. You were a Vongola."

"But I'm not now," he said as his smile finally faltered. "I'd ask why you hate them so much, but it's kind of obvious. They did send me to kill you."

"I don't think so," he replied with a slightly worried look going across his face. "Since you really are Foo Foo, they probably knew that you wouldn't do it. I can't see Reborn making a mistake in judgment by sending someone who they knew would fail."

"You act like you know him," Xanxus commented carefully.

"I used to," he mumbled absently. Before Xanxus could use the opening, he shook his head and changed the subject. "I don't want to talk about that, so don't ask. Why don't we finish what we were doing and then we can talk over some blood wine? Lord Nephriam gave me a bottle before he showed me where you were."

"That sounds good," he admitted with a small smile. "Just tell me what to do."

"Noob," he teased with a smile of his own. "It's not hard. Just use your senses to find a place that smells good and bite. When the blood comes out--"

"Maybe I should bite someone else," he flinched as it abruptly hit him that biting Tsuna meant that he'd be drinking the brat's blood.

"Am I not good enough?" He asked with a suddenly frail expression. "I thought you wouldn't care that I was a werewolf."

"It's not th--"

"Do I not smell good to you?"

"No, that's not--"

"I'm not dirty! I have manners! I made sure to take a shower before I came! If it's--"

"THAT'S NOT IT!" Xanxus roared in frustration. Groaning to himself at how stupid Tsuna was being, he tried not to lash out. The brat was too used to this sort of shit. "Look. I just don't want to hurt you. I--"

"You're joking," Tsuna choked in laughter. "You seriously don't want to bite me because of something stupid like that!"

"It's not stupid," he growled.

"Yes, it is," he grinned. "Your teeth have poison sacs built into them now. When you bite, you inject a paralytic into your prey. Normally, whoever you bite won't be able to move or feel anything."

"Oh," he said in surprise. "I do that now?"

"Few of the Changes are visible," he said with a small shrug. "Most of them are things that you'll notice over time. You're lucky. Lord Nephriam is planning on teaching you everything. When I was turned, I didn't get Changed all the way so I didn't get any training. You have abilities that I didn't get, so things should be easier for you. The fact that you've lasted so long with me in front of you is one. When I first saw Poe after I was turned, I got so Hungry that I thought I was going to die. I only lasted a few minutes before I started trying to feed and that was before we even noticed that I had turned. When he tried to leave, I went insane for the first time. I almost killed Autumn trying to chase after him. You don't want to get to that point. Only the fact that Poe came back kept me from killing a human."

"A... human..." he repeated, taking special note of the distinction that Tsuna had made.

"Yeah," he flinched. "But the point is that you need to eat and there's no reason to wait for me to get someone else. Besides, it's not fair for me to bite you if you don't bite me."

"You want to bite me," he stated blankly.

"If that's okay with you," he mumbled with a guilty, sheepish expression while he twiddled his thumbs. "I thought I could get away with it if I did it while you were eating. It's normal to blank out the first time, so it's not like you'll feel anything. It's just that the wound on your neck from the Phlegm is making me Hungry and I haven't eaten since Christmas. I had a sip of blood wine earlier, but--"

"I thought you said that people are paralyzed when I bite them," he interjected in suspicion. "How are you supposed to bite me?"

"Oh, um..." Tsuna blushed brightly at having been caught twice in less than a minute. "I'm immune because I'm a werewolf."

"Then it's going to hurt you."

"No," he replied with a shake of his head. "I'm too used to it. That level of pain doesn't bother me anymore. The last time that I actually felt being bitten was when the Council all bit me at once."

"They what?" Xanxus snapped with a surge of anger.

"Don't worry about that," he answered. "That's all in the past and I volunteered for it anyway. Look, are you going to do this or not? I'm not a wuss that needs your protection." Clenching his teeth, he nodded in acceptance. If Laz was anything like the Tsuna that he knew, something like a bite wound really wouldn't hurt him. He'd been shot enough times that he could still function for a long time with two or three bullets in him. It was that kind of determination and thick skin that was attractive about him. It didn't show on the surface, but there had always been a lot more to Tsuna below the skin. "Smell for a place that's good and tell me when you find where you want to bite," he ordered.

Strangely enough, the order wasn't hard to follow. First of all, it meant that he could get closer to Tsuna. Secondly, he could feel his stomach growling at the smell that was coming off of the brat. He hadn't had an X-Cake in years and Tsuna reeked of the scent. Fresh-baked and moist, no less. Then he hit a spot that smelled like it had the thinnest glaze of frosting.

"Here," he said immediately.

"Why there?" Tsuna asked, looking over at the section of his shoulder that Xanxus pointed at. "Poe bites there a lot, too."

"Uh..." Xanxus mumbled, at a complete loss of how to explain the images in his head.

"Is it sweet?" Tsuna rephrased.

"A little," he confirmed in relief. Apparently it was something that Tsuna was already aware of.

"I need to do more pull-ups," he grumbled. "If it's sweet, that means that there's some fat there. I haven't had a chance to work out lately, so all the food I eat isn't getting turned into muscle."

"I see," Xanxus mumbled without understanding a word of it.

"Well, you've got your spot," Tsuna prompted. "Now, just bite. Try not to use your bottom teeth. I'll resist, so you should be able to puncture the skin pretty easily. After that, it's all about finding your own way to drink. Just don't follow my lead. I don't have the teeth that you do, so I can't drink properly. Try to hold the blood in your mouth for a minute, too. It should get thicker and fill you up faster after it's had a moment to mix with your saliva."

"My saliva?"

"It has a coagulant in it," he explained as he guided his head into position. Once his teeth were in place, he found the strange urge to pull back. He had no clue what he was doing anymore. Hadn't he refused to do things like this? He--

"Don't be such a wuss," Tsuna groaned as he shoved Xanxus' head down before he could pull away. When Tsuna simultaneously jammed his shoulder upward, there was a wet pop a single moment before the sweet taste of X-Cakes slowly filled his mouth. It sent him into heaven for the space of a second. All of his muscles loosened and he relaxed against his will. A small part of his brain remembered that this was Tsuna that he was eating, but an even larger part was dazed with need. He was starving. He could feel it once he was no longer ignoring it. What he was drinking could ease the pain in his gut. He wanted more.

More.

More.

More.

Mo--

"If you keep going, you're going to kill him," a small voice interjected. Xanxus' eyes snapped open and he froze. The first question he wanted to ask was what had happened. He felt stiff, like he'd been holding one position for hours, but it felt like only seconds had passed. "Pull your teeth out and lick his wound before you drain him dry, Xanxus," Lord Nephriam added from his position two feet away. Belatedly, Xanxus pulled his teeth out and stared down at Tsuna. He was unconscious and his glow was weak. His skin was pale and he felt cold in Xanxus' arms. The combination made Xanxus' heart jump in fear of what he'd done. He hadn't meant-- "Don't panic," Lord Nephriam soothed as he leaned forward to lick the bleeding bite mark himself. "Sir Lazarus is special, like us. As long as the glow isn't completely destroyed, he can't die. He's just in hibernation right now. He'll recover. If he'd been human, though, he'd have been long gone. This is why it's important not to ignore your Hunger, Xanxus. If you do, you won't be able to control it when you need to."

"What do I--?"

"Just get him into a warm bed," Lord Nephriam answered with a small smile. "It looks like he finished feeding before he passed out, so he should be fine by morning."

"Why didn't he stop me?" Xanxus asked, wrapping his arms around his body to try to warm him.

"He probably did," Lord Nephriam shrugged. "The Hunger is that powerful. It can make you blind and deaf to everything around you. In a way, I pity Lazarus, although I'd never let the poor boy know it. Werewolves are different from us. We have the same instincts, but we were gifted with the strength to control them. To feed, to fight, and to mate are three things that we are allowed to choose the time and the place. We're more resilient in a way, so it takes far longer for them to gain the strength to control us. For Sir Lazarus and my dear Lady Italia, the instinct can take control without warning. It probably took everything that he had to complete his mission instead of draining you dry. You are truly as appetizing as he is, my friend. More so now than when you were a mere human. The only thing that saved you from being the one who was unconscious is the fact that Sir Lazarus is far more experienced in dealing with his Hunger. He does not deny its existence and he has accepted what he is. Because of that, he has gained true control over himself. You could learn much from him."

"I see," he mumbled as he repositioned Tsuna in his arms in preparation to carry him to bed. "So, salads aren't going to cut it."

"No, they will not," he smiled in sympathy while Xanxus carefully got to his feet. "They will just bide you time. You can consider them a snack. Snacks cannot replace a true meal. Do not worry, though. I will teach you a more civilized way of feeding so that you need not imbibe blood unless you wish for the taste. You can eat by merely walking down the street on most occasions. As long as you don't take more than a sip, no one will notice that they've even been vamped. That is, assuming that you are no longer resistant to listening to what I have to say."

"I'm not,' he replied softly. Carrying Tsuna into his hotel bedroom, he couldn't see how he could be resistant anymore. He'd almost killed Tsuna because he'd been ignoring Lord Nephriam's warnings. He was a danger like he was and he didn't like the idea of not being able to control himself. Tsuna had stated that it was normal to blank out during the first time, but he had a feeling that it would happen every time if he didn't learn what Lord Nephriam had to teach. "I'm sorry," Xanxus said quietly as he pulled the blankets up around Tsuna's shoulders.

He had no clue what he was apologizing for, but it felt like something that he needed to say. Perhaps it was an apology for not understanding the depths of how much Tsuna had to cope with under the surface. Perhaps it was an apology for not having been there to protect him from being Changed. Perhaps it was an apology simply for having been stubborn to the point that Tsuna had been forced to interfere. Perhaps it was an apology for the kiss that he couldn't help but steal from the sleeping Tsuna's lips.

"Josh..." Tsuna muttered before curling himself into a comfortable ball under the blankets. Xanxus hovered over him for a moment while he tried to control the internal response to the mistaken identity. Ginger had been right. Half of the reason that Tsuna kept rejecting him was because of the old geezer that had been at Tsuna's side when Xanxus should have been. The bastard had stolen the heart that was rightfully his and had taken it to the grave with him. If he'd been alive, there would have been a chance to get it back. As it was, this side of Tsuna would always be comparing him to a ghost. It wasn't fair. He was losing before he'd ever gotten a chance to fight!

He could understand, though. It hurt to think about it, but he could understand. He'd had Tsuna right in front of himself and he'd been comparing the living to his memory of the dead. Lazarus had lost to Tsuna in countless ways, even though Lazarus _was _Tsuna. He just hadn't wanted to remember the imperfections in Tsuna. It was probably no different where Joshua was concerned. Tsuna was too focused on his perfect image of the man that he couldn't accept that what was before him was better.

Assuming that Xanxus was better.

It gave him an inferiority complex that he disliked. How would he have compared to Joshua if he'd lived? Strength and combat ability wasn't everything. Would Joshua have been a better man than him? Which would Tsuna have chosen if they'd been side-by-side? Joshua had to have been a worthy person if Tsuna had accepted him so deeply. He had to have been one hell of a man to have captured all of Tsuna's heart so that there was no room for anyone else. That alone made him feel inferior. Tsuna hadn't been satisfied with merely Xanxus or even merely Haru. He'd still had plenty of heart left over to give to others. From what he knew, Joshua had stolen all of it, though. Had that been merely due to time and circumstance or had Joshua--

"Whatcha thinking of?" Lord Nephriam asked with a childish innocence.

"Nothing," he answered with a small shake of his head. That was right, he thought. Nothing. Joshua was gone and nothing could compare to the living. Tsuna would come around eventually. He just had to be patient. "Let me ask you something. How much do you know about Laz?"

"I know a thing or two," he replied with a slow smile. "Why don't you come in here and we get to work on the eggs while I tell you? If you're good, I might even tell you about the night that he got turned."

"Deal."

* * *

_We must talk. Find Kiyoshi. He can help us._

Tsuna woke with only one thought in his head. He had to find Kiyoshi. He had to speak with Maro and Kiyoshi could somehow make it happen. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but he did. Considering he was still half asleep when he stumbled out of the bedroom in search of his shirt, figuring out how he knew was the last thing on his mind. The need to piss, the need to cover himself, and the need to find Kiyoshi were his priorities. He could care less what order the needs got filled. Organization was something that he'd save for after he woke up.

"Laz--!" Xanxus exclaimed in surprise as he stumbled across to where his shirt had been neatly folded and placed on a table. He grunted in reply to the greeting before disappearing into the hotel room's bathroom. It wasn't until he'd finished using the toilet that he belatedly realized that Xanxus hadn't been alone in the common area. The identity of the person that had been with him woke Tsuna up immediately. He wanted to curse. What the hell was Colonello doing in Xanxus' hotel room?! At least, he thought it'd been Colonello. He wasn't a baby anymore. Like Reborn, he'd grown up. The wardrobe was identical, though. So was the bird that had been perched on his shoulder.

Quickly putting his shirt on, he put his ear to the door in an attempt to figure out whether or not he should run for it. Colonello had been Reborn's friend when he'd been fifteen. He doubted that the friendship had ended anytime in the past ten years. What was he even doing there? Was Xanxus really a spy after all?

"...that was him, kora?" Colonello was saying. "You know I could turn you in for bringing him here, kora."

"I know," Xanxus replied in a growl. "I'm not even supposed to be here. The situation is touchy right now. I don't think Hotaru's blown the whistle about me yet, but--"

"He's blown it, kora," he interrupted. "That's why I stopped by, kora. As of now, you're a civilian, kora. Reborn told me to kick your ass if I saw you, kora."

"Since when do you listen to Reborn?" Xanxus snarled.

"I don't, kora. That's why I'm not kicking it, kora. I just want to know why you're here and why you brought a Martelli with you, kora."

"We just need a few days, Colonello," he replied through clenched teeth. "Give me that and I promise that we'll keep it quiet while we're here. You've made exceptions in the past. That's why Don Tomaso was always allowed to come here."

"Things got interesting when he stopped by, kora," Colonello said with a smile in his voice. "It's too quiet here, kora. He stirred up trouble to make the Mafiosos happy, kora."

"What are you saying?" Xanxus asked suspiciously.

"Feel free to stay, kora," he answered. "I've got no reason to kick you out, kora. I just want to talk to the Martelli, kora. As soon as he stops eavesdropping and decides to come out of the bathroom, kora."

"Not bad," Tsuna murmured as he opened the door in reply to the prompt. He felt calm. Far too calm considering he might have to fight. Perhaps it was because he might have to fight for freedom that he was calm. He knew how to respond when things were straight-forward like that. "So, what do you want from me, Colonello?" He asked as he leaned against the bathroom doorframe with a nonchalance that surprised both men. "I'm here by invitation from the Carter Family. My reason for being here has nothing to do with Martelli or Vongola."

"Then what is your reason, kora?" He asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"That's a personal matter," he answered. "My question is how you knew that I was here. I thought I kept my head down."

"You did, kora," he replied with a small smile. "I had my eye on Chikusa and Kiyoshi, kora. Vongola has been looking for them, kora."

"Leave them alone," Tsuna ordered through clenched teeth. "They've done nothing to merit being chased."

"Vongola the Eleventh doesn't like his men running around like they please, kora."

"Those two have never been the Eleventh's men," he spat in reply. "They're Mukuro-sama's friends, not Vongola's."

"Mukuro... sama?" Xanxus interjected with a raised eyebrow.

"You have a problem with that?" Tsuna asked with his eye twitching in anger. The thought of anyone judging Mukuro-sama made him mad. Mukuro-sama had been locked up for no reason! All he'd ever done was to try to help him and he'd gotten nothing but trouble for his troubles.

"No, I just--"

"I've heard enough, kora," Colonello interjected while he absently petted the bird on his shoulder. "You're welcome to stay for as long as your invitation states, kora. But I wouldn't walk around with that face, kora. Vongola have been arriving en masse for the New Year's event, kora. It looks like things are going to get lively again, kora. I think I'll sit back and watch, kora. Now, if you'll excuse me, kora. It's naptime, kora."

"You're still napping even though you're not an Arcobelano anymore?" Tsuna asked in surprise for the last statement.

"How do you know that, kora?" Colonello asked with a sharp look in his eyes. Tsuna locked his jaw for a moment at the slip, but quickly thought of a way to cover for himself.

"Don't underestimate the Martelli Family," he warned with a small smile. "We don't even need the Noob to get our information. We have other methods."

"The Noob?" Xanxus choked.

"If you don't like your new name, I can always go back to calling you Vongola," Tsuna replied with his smile widening even more. The reaction was everything he hoped for. Xanxus spluttered, gaped, and finally collapsed into a chair.

"You bastard," he growled.

"I just promised that I'd stop calling you Vongola," he explained while he went to work on getting his shirt buttoned up. "I never said what I'd call you instead. I might have accepted that you're not a spy, but I still don't trust you, Noob. You've turned on one Family. I'm not going to give you the chance to turn on another one. If you're going to stay with me, then your ass better get used to being a civilian. You've caused me enough problems already. It's your job to become less of one."

"What the hell--?!" Xanxus roared while he jumped to his feet.

"Shut up," he snapped in return as he went to retrieve his shackles and facial coverings from next to the door. "It's your fault that I'm even here. Do you know how many people I had to stand up in order to deal with this mess? I have half a dozen business deals that I had to hand over to Gigi and I can't even go home now. If you hadn't tried to get drunk, then I wouldn't have had to stop you. Everything that's happened in the past week are consequences of you thinking that you're the center of the fucking world. You're not and you need to get that through your thick skull. You're out of the loop, Xanxus, and you keep making choices without knowing half of what's going on. You can't walk into my life and think that you know everything about me. I run in circles that you should have never butted your nose into. I'm not going to keep bailing you out. If you want to be stubborn and not listen to anyone, then that's fine. Just stay out of my way while you're doing it."

Snapping his golden neck brace into place, he made sure that his collar wasn't caught in it while he retreated into the bathroom once more. Shutting the door, he left Xanxus to deal with Colonello. Like Colonello, he'd made his judgment in the space of a few sentences. It was obvious that he was safe so long as he didn't get face-to-face with an enemy. Colonello was going to keep his hands off and his mouth shut about Tsuna's presence. The problem was that he wasn't going to do the same about Kiyoshi and Chikusa. Those two needed to be warned that they might be in danger.

He was snarling to himself by the time he got the long bandage to stay wrapped around his head. It took a lot of work to get it set up so that he could actually open his mouth without the wrappings falling off. It was tricky to keep his nose covered without blocking his sense of smell, too. When he finally managed, he had to grimace a little. All he needed was a top hat and cape to make himself mistaken for a Vendiche. The only difference between himself and one of the enforcers was the face that he had one eye and his lips showing.

That didn't matter, however. Right now, finding Kiyoshi and Chikusa were his only concern.

* * *

"Are you sure that they're in this direction?" Tsuna asked in worry for how close Jewel was leading him toward the amusement park. The scarab clicked at him a few times in answer, which Tsuna guessed was an admonishment for questioning her. It was the first time in a while that he'd asked her to do anything for him and he doubted that she would fail. The problem was that the amusement park wasn't a place that he should go to. He already got enough curious glances with how his face was wrapped up. He didn't want to add crying children on top of that.

Jewel circled for a moment and came into a landing on his shoulder when they did reach the entrance to the amusement park. He wanted to groan when she crawled under his shirt in order to settle on his back. Without a doubt, the two that he was looking for were inside the area of the island that was brimming with people and rides. He supposed that it was the safest place for them. Not even Vongola would start trouble in full view of their Family's family. Not everyone that came to Mafia Land was a Mafioso. There were plenty of innocent civilians that merely knew someone who was in a Family.

He had to find them. The trouble was getting inside. From his viewpoint in a resting park outside the entrance, he could see that the lines were long. The problem was that people were showing their identification to get inside. His own identification didn't match the cover story that he'd been given--

"Mister! Mister! Hey, Mister!"

Tsuna looked around, wondering where the call was coming from. As far as he could see, no one was in the park around him. Everyone was several hundred yards away, standing in line to get into the amusement area.

"Up here, Mister!" The voice called again. Looking up, Tsuna took several steps away from the tree that he'd been hiding behind in order to find a boy wrapped around the trunk at the top. He looked to be around five years old, which made Tsuna wonder where his parents were. "Can you help me down, Mister? I wanted to look to find Daddy, but I got stuck." Grimacing slightly, Tsuna nodded in acceptance. He couldn't just leave an innocent kid up a tree. He'd be responsible if anything happened to him.

Carefully judging his strength, he jumped for the first branch. Using his momentum, he propelled himself upward for the next one. And the next one. And the next one. He didn't stop until he came to a crouched landing on the branch connected to where the boy was still holding onto the trunk. Scooting forward toward the base, he moved as gently as he could so that he wouldn't shake the tree more than he already had. The kid looked to be in awe of how quickly he'd gotten to the top, but that was the least of Tsuna's worries. The trick wasn't getting up. It was getting down.

"Hold on and close your eyes," he ordered as he finally got close enough to grab the boy around his waist. As he expected, the boy lunged forward to clutch his arms around Tsuna's neck like he had the tree. It sent them both off balance, but Tsuna was prepared. Rather than save himself, he held the boy tightly and shoved away from the tree with all of his might. They cleared the outer branches easily, which left reorienting and landing as his only problem. Altering his center of gravity wasn't easy with a kid in his arms, but he managed. He barely made himself flip in time to land on his feet instead of his back. "Safe," he murmured as he set the boy down.

"Wow, Mister!" The boy exclaimed, popping his eyes open in order to look up at the tree that he'd been stuck in. "How did we get down? Did you do magic?"

"Jump," he answered, keeping his responses short and soft in hopes that he wouldn't scare the kid. Deciding that he couldn't leave the boy to climb the tree again, he knelt down to talk to him. "Where's your parents?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I got split up from Daddy at the merry-go-around. He got off to talk to Uncle Takeshi and I couldn't find him when I got off. He said that if we ever got split up, I should wait for him here."

"Uncle Takeshi...?" Tsuna repeated as he got a sinking feeling.

"Elario!" A horrifyingly familiar voice yelled. Tsuna took that as his cue to leave. He started to stand to run away, but the boy got in his way. Before he could even finish standing, the boy grabbed his hand and started yanking him in the direction of--

"Daddy!" Elario squealed as none other than Gokudera ran up to pull the boy into his arms. Tsuna couldn't help but stare. Gokudera looked... old. He knew that they were the same age, but Gokudera looked so haggard. His face was covered in worry-lines and he had bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. There was no doubt in Tsuna's mind that the boy that he'd helped out of the tree had caused half of them. "I made a friend, Daddy! He's really Extreme! Just like Uncle Ryo--"

"Do you know how worried I've been?!" Gokudera interrupted. "I looked away for a second and you weren't on the ride anymore! Everyone's been looking for you! Your mother is furious!"

"Am I in trouble again?" He asked with a pout.

"Yes," Gokudera answered as his face softened. "But I'm glad that you're alright. I was so worried that something happened to you. Nothing bad happened. Did it?"

"I got stuck in the tree while I was looking for you," he answered sheepishly. "The nice Mister helped me down. He went whoosh and whoosh and he was at the top! The he told me to close my eyes and bam! We were at the bottom! It was like magic, Daddy! He said that he jumped, but it felt like we were flying!"

"I...see..." Gokudera mumbled as he looked at Tsuna in consideration. Tsuna kept his head bowed, while trying to think of a way to get away without being suspicious. Nothing at all came to mind, though. He could run for it, but then Gokudera would be looking for him. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Gokudera asked instead of the accusing question that he expected. Tsuna kept his eyes locked on the ground, but his eyes still widened in fear. Did Gokudera know that it was him? It was impossible. He had his face covered and no one but Colonello was supposed to know that a Martelli was on the island.

Furiously shaking his head rather than give his voice away, he waved slightly to say farewell and started backing away. He was a dead man if he was caught. Either that or he'd have to fight a childhood friend. He didn't like either option, so retreat was the only thing that he could do.

If only things were that simple.

"Wait!" Gokudera exclaimed before Tsuna could take more than two steps away. Tsuna paused, hearing the honest note in his voice. "I'm not sure who you are, but is there anything I can do to repay you for helping my son? He tends to get himself in trouble a lot, so there's always people that are getting dragged into saving him. It always makes me feel guilty if I can't do anything in return. I'm really willing to do anything. Just name it."

Leave the Martelli Family alone.

Money.

Get him into the amusement park.

Out of the options that flew into his head, there was only one choice that he could make. To ask for money would be selfish despite the fact that it would go to the Dragons. To ask for such a big reward as getting Vongola away from the Martelli Family wouldn't be fair. All he'd done was to pull a kid out of a tree. If he'd left the boy alone, Gokudera would have been the one to do it instead. No matter how much he wanted to ask for such a thing, his sense of fairness said that it would be unfair to Gokudera. That only left the third option.

"The amusement park?" Gokudera asked when Tsuna pointed toward the entrance. "What about it?" In answer, Tsuna used the basic pantomime to show that he had no money and no wallet on him. Both had been left with Poe to keep him from being identified. "I see," Gokudera grimaced. "You can't get in without an ID. Did you lose yours?" Tsuna nodded. "Well, I'll see if I can get you in. Everything is free once you're in the gates, but I don't know if they'll let you in without knowing what Family you're from."

"Carter," he answered as shortly as possible.

"Oh!" Gokudera blinked in surprise. "So you can talk! Forgive me," he laughed, bouncing Elario to a more comfortable position on his hip. "I thought you were mute. I guess you're one of those that don't like to talk." Tsuna nodded in confirmation and pointed to the amusement park again. "Okay," he smiled. "I need to go back in to tell everyone that I found Elario anyway. Just follow me."

Silently, Tsuna followed Gokudera toward the gates. Questions flew into his mind endlessly, but he refused to give himself away by voicing a single one. When had Gokudera gotten married? Who was his wife? How was it possible that he'd had a kid? Was he really a murderer like Tsuna feared? How could Gokudera have let him turn into a criminal? How had Tsuna let his friend turn into a criminal? Was he still throwing dynamite everywhere? What happened to that temper that he'd always had? Did he like being a father? How were the others?

He wanted to ask so many questions, but he couldn't. He was a Martelli. Gokudera was a Vongola. It hurt to be confronted with the fact, but they were enemies. Even more importantly, he couldn't let anyone know that Vongola the Tenth was locked away inside of him. If they knew, they'd capture him and try to kill him to get the Tenth back. He didn't want that. He could care less if he died, but he didn't want someone else using his body to hurt his Family. It was probably exactly what Maro felt, which made it undeniably clear that he couldn't ignore Maro's plea to not hurt any Vongola that he came across. He understood where Maro was coming from, so he had to be careful. If he hurt Vongola with Maro's body, Maro would be justified in hurting Martelli in his body.

"Is this your first time to Mafia Land?" Gokudera asked conversationally. Without thinking, Tsuna shook his head to give an honest answer. "Oh, so you've been here before. You must come at a different season than we usually do. I--"

"Hey!" A woman yelled from the line when Gokudera walked past everyone with Tsuna still following. Her husband beside her looked immediately frantic when he saw who his wife was yelling at. "Get in the back of the line and wait like everyone else!"

"Sorry, sir!" The man exclaimed, throwing a hand over his wife's mouth to shut her up. "This is her first time here. She doesn't know who you are, sir." Tsuna clenched his eyes shut, waiting for Gokudera's explosion.

"It's fine," Gokudera replied softly. Tsuna's eyes flew open and he gaped despite himself. Gokudera had just been yelled at but.... but... he was calm! He was even smiling! "My wife is one hell of a handful, too. You better be careful. If you don't, she'll be sending you to the store for ice cream at two in the morning like mine does."

"So I've heard, sir," the man laughed. "I don't doubt that I'll end up with a shotgun wedding, too, with how this one likes to work!"

"Oi!" Gokudera laughed in return. "I try not to remember that unless I have to! I need to go, but tell Dino that I said hello when you see him and enjoy yourself as much as you can, Ignatio."

"Yes, sir," he smiled while his wife glared up at him.

"Sorry about that," Gokudera mumbled as he led them past the rest of the line. "I'm retired, but I still get recognized a lot. I--" Gokudera broke off and bowed his head as the sound of whispers started to reach their ears. Tsuna's eyes widened when a few of them were made clear enough that even he knew what they were saying.

"Isn't that Gokudera Hayato?"

"Yeah, that's the guy."

"It is true that he was asleep when his Boss died?"

"Naw. I heard that he was awake, but he was in a different plane."

"Suspicious. Do you think he planned it?"

"Even if he didn't, it's pretty messed up that Hurricane Hayato couldn't save his Boss from a storm."

"Really. I bet he's all talk. The Tenth probably made him his Right Hand out of pity."

"Daddy," Elario said quietly. "Everyone is whispering again."

"I know," he replied. "Just ignore them, son."

_Bastards!_

Tsuna's eyes widened once more while he stared at the ground. He didn't just hear that. It was impossible for him to have heard that.

_Gokudera was the best Right Hand that there ever was! Don't let them sit there and talk bad about him! Do something Laz! Can't you see that Gokudera is upset?!_

Ignore it, he told himself. He wasn't hearing voices in his head. He wasn't hearing Maro's voice in his head. To acknowledge him would give him power. This was his life and he was in control of it. He wasn't going to let some figment in his mind determine what he was going to do. If he started a confrontation, he'd lose his protection of anonymity. He'd be found out. For the sake of the people that he was trying to protect, he couldn't listen to Maro's wishes.

_LAZ! DO SOMETHING!_

"Shut up," he hissed under his breath.

"Did you just tell me to shut up, punk?" One of the men in line asked in anger. Tsuna's eyes widened when Gokudera paused in surprise. He shook his head frantically, but it looked like the man had been picking a fight on purpose. Even though Gokudera hadn't responded, the man was willing to take insult at someone that was with him.

"Beat him up, Mister!" Elario yelled while Gokudera continued to gape in the misunderstanding that Tsuna had spoken up for him. "Make them stop talking bad about Daddy!" Tsuna froze while the yelling man continued to advance. Coming from Maro, the request was easily ignored. Coming from a kid, however...

Closing his eyes for a moment, he settled himself in preparation of the inevitable. When he opened them, it was as if he was back in the prison yard with a raging Gladiator charging at him. It was far too easy to simply sidestep the wide swing. In defense of his opponent, he reacted quickly to the evasion by changing his punch into a backhanded slap. Of course, this only put his opponent in the perfect position to get his arm broken. Sidestepping once more to flank behind the man, Tsuna grabbed his wrist while his arm was extended and twisted. In less than a second, the man was on his knees with his arm pinned behind his back and Tsuna forcibly pushing down on his shoulder to keep him there.

"Let go!" The man yelled in pain. "You're going to break it!"

"Don't fight," he ordered, keeping his voice quiet and his words short in hopes that it wouldn't be recognized. "Happy place. Apologize."

"I'm sorry!" The man exclaimed. "Now let go!"

"Happy place," Tsuna repeated with a small smile flickering across his lips. He couldn't help it. For the best of the best, Mafia Land was as full of weaklings as anywhere else.

"Happy place!" The man repeated frantically when Tsuna put more pressure onto his arm. "I got it! This is a happy place! I won't fight!"

"Let him go, Lazwick," a dark voice interjected while Tsuna was considering what else to make the man promise. Tsuna's eyes widened and he obeyed the order without even having to look. He knew Lord Nephriam's voice anywhere. "Come here," he added softly once his opponent started scrambling away. Tsuna flinched, but turned to do what he was told. It was part of their bargain. Until he'd learned everything that a vampire knew, he had to listen to Lord Nephriam's instructions. "You really can't be left alone for a minute," he admonished once Tsuna was knelt down to eye-level with him.

"He started it," he replied in frustration for the statement.

"No, you did," he corrected with his arms crossed over his chest. "I saw everything, Sir Lazwick. Why did you tell him to shut up?"

"Not him," he explained with a grimace. "Maro was talking."

"I see," Lord Nephriam murmured with a thoughtful look going across his face. "I've been told a little about that. Don't you have medicine for that?"

"At home," he answered, biting his lip in worry.

"Troublesome," he grumbled. "Alright. The others won't be happy, but I see no alternative. Lady Italia," he said, looking up at the woman beside him. "Do you think you could go exchange our tickets for a ship leaving out tonight?"

"Yes, milord," she smiled.

"Orlando," he added, turning to one of the escorts surrounding them. "Go tell the men that the trip has been cut short. We'll be celebrating the New Year in New York instead. I want everyone ready to board one hour before the ship is due to leave. Sir Lazwick, go wait for me in my room."

"But--" He objected with a glance toward the amusement park entrance that had been so close.

"I can guess what you were going after," he soothed. "I'll find them for you and send them your way. It's better if you go back and wait."

"Yes, Lord Nephriam," he agreed in a strange mixture of relief and disappointment. He could guess where the disappointment came from, but Maro would have to just deal with it. Even if he wanted to see Gokudera more, it was far too dangerous.

"Wait!" Gokudera called when he got up and started to leave. Tsuna paused as Lord Nephriam raised an eyebrow. "I didn't get to repay you."

"Don't go, Mister!" Elario added in a whine. "I wanted to play some more!"

"Sir Lazwick must go," Lord Nephriam interjected before Tsuna could say anything. "You'll have to repay him some other time."

"Lazwick?" Gokudera repeated. "That's your name. Right?"

"It is," Lord Nephriam answered firmly, walking forward to try to lead Gokudera away. "His name is Sir Lazwick von Hellsing. Perhaps you know his great Uncle, Laswick of the Tomaso Family?"

Taking the opening while Gokudera was distracted, he waved slightly to Elario before running with all the speed that he could muster. With the boost to his speed that his altered genetics gave him, he was out of sight long before Gokudera ever looked back. He stopped running as soon as he was in the clear in order to keep himself from gaining attention.

He stopped running too soon.

Tsuna barely ducked in time as an arrow shot over his head.

"I told you to stay away from him, you pervert!" A hauntingly familiar voice shouted. Tsuna looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the red-haired Vongola who'd been present when he'd awakened after his accident.

"If you can't make him happy, then I will," another man taunted from behind a tree on the other side of the sidewalk.

"I'll kill you before I let you lay a hand on him, Crescente!"

"You can try, but I might just kill you first, Matsu. You don't deserve Yama-chan."

"Don't you dare call him that!" Matsu roared before charging forward toward his apparent rival. Tsuna merely sat in the middle of the sidewalk in shock while he watched the mayhem that ensued afterward. He knew that he should be running for it with how Matsu was firing off arrows all over the place, but there was something strangely funny about the whole mess. It was as if Matsu wasn't truthfully trying to kill his opponent considering how easily he was missing. On the other hand, it was as if the other man wasn't really fearful or hateful in return. He was running away from Matsu, but it was as if he was prancing in circles instead of actually trying to get away.

It made him laugh to watch the two. The laughter welled up from deep inside him until he couldn't hold it back anymore. Both men stopped in their tracks, but Tsuna couldn't stop laughing. It was a nice feeling that let him release all the tenseness that had been in him before.

"What are you laughing at?" They asked in unison. In answer, Tsuna pointed at Matsu and made a monstrous growling face. Then jumped up and pointed at Crescente before prancing in a little circle. Then he started laughing again while both men turned a bright shade of red at the mocking imitation of their actions. Grabbing one of each of their hands, he forced them to shake.

"Friends," he grinned, hoping that they understood what he could already see. Neither of them truthfully hated one another. They just had something that was blinding them. "Work together. Don't fight. This is a happy place."

"Work... together?" Matsu repeated, looking down at where he was being forced to shake Crescente's hand. "Can we do that?"

"I'm willing to," Crescente mumbled in thought. "You just never gave me a chance."

"That's because you always tried to steal Yama-chan away from me," he growled.

"I'm not trying to steal him," Crescente corrected softly. "I just don't like seeing him unhappy. If being with you makes him happy, then I'll step back. But he's not happy and you know it. If you'd let me help instead of pushing me away, I think I can make him happy again."

"You're really not trying to steal him?" Matsu asked suspiciously.

"No," he murmured with a gentle smile. "I just want to see his smile again. Fixing the problems in his relationship with you is the first step to getting what I want."

"Oh," he mumbled with a blush. "I didn't know. You always acted like you hated me."

"I do," he confirmed bluntly. "But only because you aren't making Yama-chan smile."

Nodding to himself, Tsuna let go of their hands and walked around them to continue on his path. Both of them continued talking in complete oblivion to Tsuna, which made getting away much easier than he thought it'd be. It wasn't until he was far enough down the sidewalk that the park opened up to the beach that it belatedly hit him. Matsu had supposedly been Yamamoto's husband. That meant that the two of them had probably been talking about Yamamoto.

The fact made him stop in his tracks for a second before he shook his head and continued walking. Everywhere he went, it seemed like there were Vongola and he kept forgetting that this wasn't a normal vacation island. Why did he keep helping enemies?!

"Excuse me!" A voice called from the sandy beach. Tsuna froze and stared in shock. He felt like his heart stopped in his chest and the feeling was only doubled when he got an inkling that Maro was seeing what he was. "Excuse me!" Nana called again while she held her sun hat on her head. "Do you think you could throw the ball back to us?"

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He felt like he was stabbed for every second that passed in which he couldn't speak. How many years had it been since he'd seen his mother? He'd lost count. How long had it been since he'd last heard her voice or seen her face? He wanted to run forward and hug her. He wanted to tell her that he was alive so that they could go back to the days--

Why was she getting farther away? She looked surprised and he barely managed to get a glimpse of his Father building a sand castle with a small toddler before a brick building was in the way. Blinking once he wasn't staring at his mother anymore, he tried to get his head on straight. He was being carried over someone's shoulder and that person was practically running away from the beach.

"Noob?" He asked in confusion.

"Dumbass," Xanxus growled in reply. "I don't know what you were planning, but don't think that they'll accept you just because you have the right face."

"I wasn't planning anything," he mumbled in defeat. What had he been thinking? He couldn't go home! He had debts to the Martelli Family to repay! He had his own life and a new home! If he'd said anything, he could have ruined everything that he'd worked for during the past few years! If he'd revealed himself to Nana, Vongola would never stop chasing him! This was the choice that he'd made. This was the path that he'd decided that he wanted! He just wished that he knew why it hurt so much. "You can put me down now," he said softly.

"Just stay still," Xanxus ordered. "I'll put you down when we get back."

For once, Tsuna didn't argue. He simply continued to hang over Xanxus' shoulder while he tried to keep his tears from surfacing. His family had been so close, yet so far away at the same time.

So damned close...

* * *

"Please leave," Tsuna murmured to Xanxus. Before the man could react, Kiyoshi and Chikusa walked through the door without bothering to knock. Xanxus looked unhappy with the order, but he seemed to understand that there were some things that Tsuna wouldn't talk to him about. He'd tried to get him to talk once they were back in the hotel together, but Tsuna refused. There were things about himself that wasn't safe to reveal to anyone. Too many people were already aware and the risk was already high. He wasn't going to make things worse by telling a former Vongola about himself.

He didn't want to listen to attempts to return to Vongola. Not now. Not when the temptation was so high. There was too much at stake for him to give into the little desire to speak to his mother. There was too much at stake for him to meet his little brother. There was too much at stake for him to face his father. For the sake of the people that had been protecting him for the past few years and for the sake of the people that Snicker had loved, his own heartache was meaningless.

"The boy vampire said that you needed to talk to us," Kiyoshi said as he raided the snacks that were on the table after Xanxus was gone. Chikusa, on the other hand, silently found himself a perch at the window to keep a lookout for enemies.

"You're in danger," he replied bluntly while he stared down into his glass. "Colonello knows that you two are here. He's probably already informed Reborn."

"We know," Kiyoshi shrugged. "Chrome is taking care of it so that we can stay on hand."

"You don't need to stay," Tsuna said softly. "I'm here on invitation now, so it's unlikely that I'll be caught. We're leaving tonight anyway, so it'd be safer for you two to go ahead and leave."

"If you say so," he agreed easily. "We were only on hand to help you escape if you needed it. How did things go with the Council, anyway?"

"Lord Nephriam spoke on my behalf and got the charges overturned," he answered. "I'm a free man again."

"You sound unhappy," Chikusa commented without inflection.

"I am," he replied. "I would have preferred torture."

"But they're not going to," Kiyoshi stated worriedly while he curled up on the couch next to Tsuna.

"No, they're not," he confirmed. "There's another problem, though. I left my medicine at home and Maro is getting stronger. I have a feeling that he wants to talk to me, but I have no way of bringing him out at the moment without going temporarily insane. I needed to know--"

"If I can go into your head and get him?" Kiyoshi interjected with a knowing grin. "I can. I can't give him control of your body, but I can let you talk to him."

"Do it, please," he ordered. Kiyoshi smiled and cracked his fingers. Then, with a showy snap of his fingers that only Mukuro could have taught him, Tsuna's other personality was sitting in the open chair across from them.

"Wrong personality," Tsuna groaned in embarrassment. Despite being embarrassed, he had to cock his head to the side in wonder. He hadn't known that he was that flexible, but if Lynx could lick himself like that... "I need Maro, not Lynx," Tsuna added while he tried to shake them image out of his head.

"Do I want to know who that was?" Kiyoshi asked with a bright red face once Lynx was gone.

"No," Tsuna replied while he tried to get his own blush under control. "Just be more careful on who you pull out of my head. Lynx is the beast. Chibi is the one with headphones. Remorse is supposedly really scary. The one I need to talk to is Maro. He's the one dressed up like the Tenth."

"Give me a second," he replied with a fierce look of concentration on his face. "I didn't know that there was more than one."

"I don't know if it'll help any, but he usually hangs out in the courtyard," he added.

"It probably would, but your mind is chaotic right now," Kiyoshi said with a look of sudden pain on his face. "Nothing is making sense. It's like I'm moving through an Escher painting. Ah!" He gasped. "I found him. Hold on for a second. He's a strong personality. I'll have to--"

"What the fuck did you do to Xanxus?" Maro growled before his body was even fully created in Tsuna's eyes. He looked pissed once Kiyoshi had finished creating him. Of course, he had good reason.

"I didn't do anything," Tsuna growled in return. "He's the one that ran off like an idiot and got himself bitten on purpose. I take no responsibility for that. I told him not to do it. What I want to know is what the hell are you doing by interfering with my life? Do you know how much trouble I could have gotten in because of you? It's great that you want to protect Gokudera, but you're not doing any favors by trying to fight his battles for him! Least of all by using me to do it! I'm his enemy, you fucking idiot! Do you know what could have happened if I'd been caught?!"

"I'm sorry," Maro flinched as the admonishment hit home. "I just can't stand by while my friends are being hurt! Gokudera has always been strong because he knew I would always back him up! The stuff that they were saying about him isn't true! They're talking bad about him and it's your fault for running away in the first place!"

"Bullshit!" Tsuna shouted, jumping to his feet to throw his wine-glass at the bastard. "It's his fault for not standing up for himself! I'm not everybody's fucking babysitter! I won't have you turning me into one, either! I know that it was you that made me interfere with Matsu and Crescente!"

"All I did was make you laugh," he grumbled without a hint of apology. "Admit it! It made you feel good to help them!"

"Fuck off," Tsuna snarled. "I have my own Family that I can help if I want to feel good! I--"

"When are you going to wake up?!" Maro yelled in frustration. "Vongola is your Family, too!"

"I'll kill us both before I accept that!"

"Then do it!" Maro froze as soon as the words were out of his mouth and Tsuna blinked in surprise. Of all the possible responses, agreement was the last one that he expected. "Just do it," he repeated as he collapsed in his chair. "We were meant to die, Lazarus. We're only messing things up by being here. It's too hard to sit back and do nothing when I see how the future is turning out. This isn't the path that I chose for them."

"That's your problem," Tsuna replied while he pulled out a cigarette to calm himself. "You try to make choices for everyone instead of letting them live their own damn lives. It's not just me. You probably did that for everyone around you while you were alive. I know better than to try to do shit like that. That's why I'm only trying to change my own fate instead of everyone else's."

"What are we going to do?" Maro murmured to himself.

"Nothing," Tsuna said firmly, immediately getting Maro's undivided attention. "You are to do absolutely nothing. You said it yourself. You were meant to die, so play dead already. You're only causing me problems and I've got enough with your fucking boyfriend hanging around me. Keep your mouth shut and let me deal with my own life. I'll promise that I won't harm any Vongola, but you've got to keep your nose out of it when I come across them. I can't have some asshole yelling in the back of my head while I'm trying to figure out how to keep myself from being caught. You don't want to be caught either. Right?"

"Right," he nodded quietly. "Not yet. There's still a slim chance that the future I'm hoping for can come true. Everyone has to believe that I'm dead until then."

"Thought so," Tsuna sighed. "Otherwise, I would have woken up to Vongola barging into my room instead of Autumn. Since I don't want to be caught and I've got experience, why don't you just leave it to me? I've lasted years without them realizing that I'm alive. If I don't have distractions like you getting in the way, I can keep myself hidden well enough."

"What about Xanxus?" Maro asked softly.

"Leave the vampire stuff to me," he shrugged. "You can kissy-face with him all you want when you get your day out. Just keep your mouth shut about who you really are. If he gets suspicious or figures it out, tell him that you're a ghost or something. That way, he'll think that you're still dead."

"That might work," Maro smiled. "You're not bad at this."

"I've had practice," he growled. "Now, until I get my medicine, keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself. I don't want a repeat of what happened at the--"

"Was that really mom?" Maro interjected. Tsuna paused and bowed his head. He nodded softly and continued silently smoking for a full minute. It was hard to believe it himself, which was why he hadn't wanted to broach the subject. "She looked happy," he commented sadly.

"Of course she does," Tsuna replied around a long drag off of his cigarette. "Did you see the little boy that was with Dad?"

"Yeah."

"That was our baby brother," he said bluntly. "We've been replaced, Maro. We were never a son that she was happy with anyway."

"That's not tr--"

"Go look at Chibi again and then tell me that it's not true," he interrupted. "Face it. Everyone has moved on. You're not needed anymore. I'm not needed by them anymore. No one is going to find me because no one is looking. Do I need to fly to Italy and show you your grave to prove it to you?"

"No," he replied, wrapping his Vongola overcoat around himself to ward off the chill that he couldn't feel. "I don't need such proof. The fact that Hayato didn't recognize us is enough."

"Your old life is gone, Maro," he continued in blunt honesty. "Stop trying to get it back and let me live my life. I've got debts to pay and scores to settle. After that, I don't care what you do with us."

"Very well," Maro agreed quietly. "Just do me a favor and don't take your medicine for a few days before you let me out. I want to see more of the life that you're so fond of."

"Fine."

"Have you done any research like I told you to?" Maro asked curiously.

"A little," he admitted. "I stopped at the part where we were married to Haru. What the hell possessed you to let that girl marry you?"

"She loved me," he answered with a soft smile. "I didn't accept it until I believed that I'd lost Kyoko to someone else, but being wanted felt nice. Haru was always chasing after us, but I was too blinded by Kyoko to notice that she was just as worthy of being loved. Once Kyoko was out of the picture, Haru was the only one that was there for me. She was a strong woman and she could stand beside me. At least, I thought she could. I came close to regretting our marriage so many times because she kept being put in danger. It looks like I had a right to fear after what happened with Kyoko."

"I remember some of that," Tsuna said through clenched teeth. "You sat back and watched, you bastard."

"I didn't have a choice," Maro mumbled with a pained look on his face. "I wanted to save her, but--"

"But Vongola was more important to you than our wife," he snarled in anger. "That is why I'll never accept that you and I are the same person."

"You're still naive in some ways," Maro replied through his own set of clenched teeth. "Do you think that the choice was easy for me? If the choice was between Joshua and your gang, you--"

"Would have chosen Joshua!" He snapped firmly.

"Then Gigi, that Mountain man, and all the others around you mean so little?" Maro asked in dangerous quiet. Tsuna froze at the statement. It was easy to say that he'd choose Joshua over everyone else, but it wasn't as easy when that 'everyone else' had a face. Joshua had meant the world to him, but Joshua wouldn't have been happy with such sacrifices. Would he have been able to trade everyone at the Dojo for a single life? "It's not as simple as you thought. Is it?" Maro asked in response to the thoughtful look on Tsuna's face. "I loved Kyoko more than you could ever know. I always tried to do what I thought was best where she was concerned. I'll admit that I made a lot of mistakes, but never try to say that I didn't care when she died. That is a pain that I will bear for the rest of my life, no matter what you or anyone else chooses to believe."

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled in confusion. "I just--"

"You're making your judgments based on only half of the story, Lazarus," Maro admonished. "I thought you were more careful than that."

"I am! I just... I just need time to think."

"There's no rush," Maro replied. "Just don't judge before you know everything. Vongola isn't the enemy that you think it is."

"I think we've talked long enough," Tsuna said with a purposely blank expression.

"I agree," Maro sighed before looking over at where Kiyoshi was sweating in concentration. "You've grown into a strong man, Kiyoshi," he said with a smile. Kiyoshi's eyes snapped open and Maro's form wavered as a result. That didn't stop Maro from speaking, however. "I'm proud of you. You've become a fine illusionist. Don't let this knucklehead get you into any trouble."

"Tenth..." Kiyoshi murmured with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you for helping us," he added. "I'll see you again, so you can let go now."

"I miss you, Tenth," Kiyoshi said in a quiet voice.

"I know, but you're almost out of energy. It'll be okay. You know where to find me. Just remember to keep it a secret. Let go of the illusion, Kiyoshi."

"I don't want to," he pouted.

"Kiyoshi!" Maro snapped in command, making the young man straighten up in his seat like he'd been slapped. "As long as Lazarus is around, then so am I. You're not doing anything but harming yourself by trying to keep this part of myself in the open. Show me how much you've grown, Kiyoshi. Let go of the illusion."

"Let go of the illusion and we can go get a beer," Tsuna offered. "I bet the high-and-mighty Tenth never did that with you." Maro spluttered in surprise, but the offer broke Kiyoshi's concentration enough that the illusion finally disappeared. "Come on," he smiled while Kiyoshi gaped in shock at where Maro had been before he vanished. "It'll be okay. He's not gone forever, kid. I can't get rid of him, even if I wanted to. Let's go get--"

"I think I'm ready to leave," Kiyoshi interrupted as he bowed his head in unhappiness. "No offense, but you're not the Tenth. You don't remember anything about me."

"I see," Tsuna replied, pulling back from where he'd been attempting to console the man. "In that case, I appreciate your help. Let me know when you guys are prepared to get Mukuro-sama and I'll do my part."

"Thank you," he nodded before standing to head for the door. Having never been one to talk a lot, Chikusa silently stood with him and the two vanished almost as quickly as Maro had. Once he was alone, Tsuna slowly sat down on the couch once more and tried not to acknowledge that the rejection hurt. Kiyoshi was right. He knew nothing about him nor anything about why he was willing to be of service to him. He had no right to drink a beer with him. They couldn't even rightfully be called friends.

So, why did it hurt?

* * *

Author's Notes: OMG People! I fixed it! Stop with the angry mob! I was going off of a different translation than everyone else! I always thought Colonello said 'coda' because that's what the translations that I remembered said, plus it matched up with what my poor American ears heard from the Japanese Anime RAWs. FORGIVE ME! PUT DOWN THE PITCHFORKS! I've fixed it! The mob has spoken!

:d


	77. Chapter 77 Enter the Wolf

"Thank you for your instruction, Lord Nephriam," Tsuna bowed with just the right amount of depth. Poe followed suit with practiced ease while Xanxus gave his own sloppy version that showed just how little he cared about the formalities. Tsuna didn't admonish him. He could sink or swim on his own. If he didn't see the importance of giving respect, that was his own problem.

"Do you need a ride anywhere?" The boy-Lord asked with his wife holding his hand like she were his mother. "We will be heading to the hotel, but perhaps you'd like a ride to the airport? Your home is still many miles from here. I dislike leaving you in Nubo territory like this."

"Please do not worry about us," Poe replied. "Our car should arrive in a few hours. We will be home by morning."

"Where will you stay until then?" He asked worriedly. "It has to be ten degrees out here!"

"I already have that taken care of, Lord Nephriam," Tsuna interjected. "You honor us with your concern, but we aren't without our resources."

"Very well," he sighed with his expression softening. "I suppose I have become more fond of you three than I would like to admit. Please call on me should you need anything at all. You especially, my dear Lazarus. Your discretion and service has been most satisfactory. Lord Poe has trained you admirably as a blood slave."

"I am unworthy of your praise," Poe replied formally. "Sir Lazarus has trained himself for standing in such a capacity."

"He is a very good student," Lord Nephriam praised with a knowing smile. "He learns quickly merely by watching. I am quite curious to see how well he does in the future with what he has learned."

"As am I," Tsuna commented modestly. "If you'll excuse us, however, we have held you up long enough. Lady Italia looks as if she is already frozen solid."

"I am nearing it," the delicate woman shivered with a smile. "Thank you again for your services, Sir Lazarus. I do hope that I can bribe you into visiting us sometime."

"Perhaps," Tsuna relented. Their farewells took several more moments before Tsuna was finally allowed to retreat with Poe and Xanxus in tow. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to look at Poe with a knowing glare. "There's no car," he stated bluntly.

"Nope," he confirmed with a grimace, causing Xanxus to get a sour look on his face. The man had really thought that they had access to such resources. "We can either run it or find some other method to return."

"It'll take two days to run it," Tsuna groaned. "We could hitchhike, but it'll be hard for all three of us if we stick together."

"Do not worry about me, my friend," Poe smiled. "I have no problems with running. I can be there by morning without a problem."

"Me, too," Tsuna sighed. "I was thinking about Noob. He's not used to our speeds."

"You're underestimating me, brat," Xanxus growled.

"Oh, really?" He grinned, trading knowing looks with Poe. "So, you're saying that you want to try?"

"Don't do this, Lazarus," Poe groaned.

"Why not?" Tsuna grinned. "If he thinks that he can keep up, then let him try. At worst, we'll get closer to home before we have to start looking for an alternative."

"Very well," Poe sighed as a sense of playfulness entered his eyes. "But the last one there is a peach parfait."

"I thought the last one there was a rotten egg?" Tsuna asked in confusion as he started stretching. Xanxus merely watched, which told Tsuna that they were truly the ones being underestimated. Even Poe was stretching, which meant that he wasn't planning on holding back.

"Who wants to eat a rotten egg, my friend?" Poe retorted with a fiendish smile. Tsuna smiled back, being long used to the vampire's sense of humor. It felt good to simply talk and joke with his friend again. It felt like it'd been far too long since he'd had such freedom. First there had been his prison sentence. When he'd gotten out, there had been one thing after another. He'd had to deal with getting the Dragons back on their feet and then there had been Hibari. After he'd woken up from that, there'd been Xanxus to deal with and then the Council. He knew that he would have dozens of things to deal with when he reached the city, but he was completely free at the moment.

It made him want to run like the wind and howl at the moon.

"Jewel," he called. The scarab skittered out from under his shirt with a speed that showed that she was feeling like running herself. "Fly home to Neve," he ordered. In response, the bug darted for the sky before shooting off to the south. Taking a moment, he pulled off his belt in order to create a chain that his three golden shackles could hang off of. He sighed in relief once they were off and rubbed the skin that hadn't been free in days. Slinging the belt across his chest so that the pieces clattered against his hip, he tried not to shiver from the cold. "Alright," he sighed. "We've still got six hours to midnight. I need to be home in five so that I can make it to Papa Paolo's party. Do you think we can make it?"

"We'll be cutting it close," Poe grimaced. "There's several hundred miles between us and home. Even at a good pace, a car would get us there faster once we reach the highway."

"I'm not paying the fees to get a taxi to take us across state lines," Tsuna growled.

"What about a bus?" Poe suggested curiously.

"Alright," he nodded after a moment of thought. "But let's get to another city before we try. If we get on a bus here, it'll take hours just to get through traffic. If we wait until we reach the next city, it shouldn't be as difficult. You got that, Noob? You're not allowed to stop running until we get to a bus station. Poe, pick the route. We can't be seen. Noob has to get used to the sky-ways one way or another."

"Very well," he agreed. Before Xanxus could get out a single word of the obvious questions, Poe took off with Tsuna following. Xanxus lagged for a moment before running after them in surprise. It was amusing to look back and see him running. Xanxus didn't look like he'd ran a day in his life, but he was managing to keep up. Sort of. Even though they were in the harbor, there were still people around. Tsuna and Poe were used to dodging around them like they were obstacles, but Xanxus looked like he was used to having people move out of his way. One out of three got knocked over completely when Xanxus decided to go for speed instead of trying to go around them.

The really bad part was Xanxus' speed itself. He was still running and thinking like a human. It was obvious when they reached the alleyways between storage canisters and buildings. He braked when they had to turn. His speed made them have to slow down into human ranges. The _way _that he ran was in itself enough of a clue that he was underestimating himself. The loping pace was one of the reason that Tsuna was even called a werewolf, yet Xanxus hadn't figured out how to imitate it. It was all about the spring and power that was added into their step due to their increased flexibility, bone strength, and upgraded muscle structure. All three were Changes that weren't visible and Xanxus wasn't using any of them.

"He's running flat-footed," Poe commented as they rebounded off a wall in order to turn yet another corner without slowing.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "He's still got his self-preservation instincts, too. At this rate, we won't be able to use the sky-ways. Hey, Noob!" He called down the alley at where Xanxus was just starting to turn the corner. "Stop thinking like a human! The worst that will happen if you ram into a wall is that you'll break an arm! You're capable of more speed than that, so hurry your ass up! We're not going to stick to this shitty pace forever!"

"I'm running as fast as I can!" Xanxus roared in anger. He was understandably angry. He was already at the limit of speed for a human and he had no clue as how to go faster. He probably felt like a kid on the playground who no one would tell the rules of a game to because they didn't want him to play.

"Bounce, Noob," Tsuna called in exasperation. "Don't run forward. Jump forward. You're relying on the ground too much." Tsuna smiled when Poe stopped running normally in order to show Xanxus what they were doing. Rather than switching off legs, he kept one foot raised and hopped forward for the next half a dozen steps. His momentum and their speed never slowed. As soon as his foot tapped on the ground, he propelled himself forward through the air again. "You're wasting energy with how you're running. The more that you're in the air, the faster that you'll m--"

"Like this?" Xanxus asked with a broad smile as he finally caught up with them. Tsuna grinned back, looking down to see that Xanxus had caught onto the trick. He didn't look very comfortable with the loping pace yet, but he'd figure out how to use his new abilities.

"Not bad, Noob," he praised grudgingly. "Can you turn, though?"

"No problem," he replied before rebounding off a wall behind Tsuna with an ease that was admirable.

"Poe!" Tsuna called ahead.

"Got it," he shouted in response to the prompt. Xanxus skidded to a stop in surprise when both Tsuna and Poe started bouncing off of the alley walls in order to reach the rooftop sky-ways. Tsuna gave Xanxus a little credit. Before he could open his mouth to taunt him again, he started following them up the wall. It made Tsuna a little jealous when he reached the top without falling. It'd taken him a lot of practice to learn how to do it, but Xanxus did it without even trying.

"Don't get cocky," Tsuna grumbled when he reached the top with a wide grin and began following them across rooftops. Determined to not let the Noob do better than him since he had experience on his side, Tsuna pulled out all the stops. Speed, agility, and navigation were three things that he refused to be second best at. There was no way that Xanxus could match him on all three.

No freaking way.

* * *

"Wipe that smile off your face," Tsuna growled in grudging amusement as they boarded the bus that would get them the rest of the way home. He hated to admit it, but Xanxus wasn't half bad. After the shaky start, he'd not had another instance of falling behind. He'd picked up on Poe's cues almost as fast as Tsuna had and he could think on his feet. He'd beaten Tsuna on navigation because of that. Although, Tsuna thought that he'd still have won if he'd seen the window-sills first. They were matched on speed, but Tsuna had won out on agility. Xanxus couldn't shift his center of gravity like Tsuna could, although he'd tried on several occasions. He could flip without a problem, but changing orientation after a jump was difficult for him unless he jumped with the turn already in mind. He could glide, but he couldn't fly. Not yet.

"Why shouldn't I smile?" Xanxus asked while he continued to exude simple pleasure. "I haven't had that much fun in a while."

"You'll feel it in an hour," Tsuna replied knowingly.

"Why is that?" He asked as his smile faltered.

"Because you're not doing what Poe is doing," he answered, tossing a chin back at where Poe was absently touching people while they worked their way to the back of the bus. "I can't see it, but you should be able to."

"Why is he...?"

"He's replacing the energy we burned," Tsuna shrugged before sliding into the back corner seat next to the window. Unsurprisingly, Xanxus sat next to him and Poe slid into the seat in front of them. "You probably haven't noticed yet since you've got a large capacity, but you're cursed now. You've been cut off from the source of your energy in exchange for being able to take the energy of others. If you use all of yours up, you can't replace it with sleep. You either vamp or you die. That's why I said you should feel it in an hour. We just burned a lot of energy getting here. If you don't replace it before you've cooled down, you'll feel tired, Hungry, and irritable."

"Oh," Xanxus said with his smile disappearing completely. "What about you?"

"I'm not a vampire," he replied quietly so that his voice wouldn't carry. Pulling the small silver canteen of blood wine out of his pocket that Lord Nephriam had given him, he shook it slightly. "A sip of this and a nap and I'll be fine. If you need to, feel free to pull some energy off of me. You're not as delicate as Poe is. See," he prompted, looking out over the bus full of active people. "No one noticed that he did anything. If you tried with as little practice as you've had, someone would probably pass out. Since I'm going to take a nap anyway, it should be fine. Just know that I'll be pissed if I don't wake up when we get home because you were greedy."

"I got it," he murmured with a small smile while Tsuna got comfortable against the window. "I'll wake you when we get home."

************************

"It's time to wake up," a quiet voice urged.

"Five more minutes," he groaned in the desire to not move outside of the comfortable warmth surrounding him. It felt nice. The pillow under his head was soft and supple. The blanket around his shoulders was soothing and warm. The vibration lulled him into--

Vibration?

Tsuna cracked his eyes open and slowly sat up. Rubbing the sleep out of them, he looked around to find that they were still on the bus. How did he get a pillow, though? Then he saw what he'd been using and blushed at the wet drool spot on Xanxus' leg.

"Sorry," he mumbled with a red face while he absently wiped his mouth.

"It won't kill me," he shrugged with a soft smile. "It was worth it to hear the noises you make in your sleep. I've got ammo now if you ever decide to bring up my snoring again."

"I don't make noises in my sleep," he replied firmly. Crossing his arms to pull his blanket around his shoulders, he sat back in his chair and looked out the window. They were at the outskirts of the city, which explained why Xanxus had woke him. "What time is it?"

"You've still got an hour and a half until midnight," he answered. "We made good time. After we got out of Nubo territory, all the traffic was heading in the opposite direction for the New York City ball drop. I bribed the driver to speed a little once we were on the highway."

"You didn't have to do that," Tsuna mumbled with a small blush.

"I know that you want to get back," he replied quietly. "This way, you won't have to rush as much."

"Thanks," he said in grudging gratitude. Smiling to himself, he had to admit that Xanxus wasn't as bad as he'd thought. He was a little pig-headed at times, but most of that was honestly Tsuna's fault. Once he was given a chance, Maro was right. He wasn't that bad of a guy. He wasn't anyone that Tsuna wanted to cuddle up with, but he made a decent friend. "I know that I'm not easy to get along with," he murmured without taking his eyes off of the passing shadows outside the window. "I don't like letting people get close, because it's dangerous. Not just for them, but for me. I don't like owing people and friends tend to do things without being asked. That puts me in debt and I already have a large debt to repay. I can't afford to make new friends. I can't afford to admit that I owe you for helping me because it's not something that I can really repay. What you've done is too large for me to face, Xanxus. I--"

"Just keep calling me Xanxus and we're even," he interrupted. Tsuna turned to look at him for a long moment. He looked like he was being serious, but how could such a small thing be comparable to losing his humanity?

"I can do that," Tsuna agreed slowly. "That's pretty much all I can do, though. I have responsibilities that I can't ignore and things that I can't run away from. As long as you can accept that and don't try to interfere with my life anymore, I think that I can accept you sticking around. I want to warn you, though. I think you already know, but I've got a split personality disorder. There's another me that comes out sometimes. When he does, I don't care what happens between you two. You just better not get us confused. I don't see you as my enemy anymore, but don't think that it means that I actually like you."

"Fair enough," Xanxus replied with a smile. "All I ever wanted was someone to talk to, anyway."

"You're kind of crazy," Tsuna commented, thinking about what Xanxus had said about being a billionaire. Had he really thrown all that away just to talk to him?

"So I'm told," he laughed. The last few minutes of the ride was made in silence while the bus driver came over the intercom to tell the passengers about the stop that they were going to make. It wasn't until they were parked in the bus station and Tsuna stood in unison with Poe and Xanxus that he realized that his blanket was truthfully Xanxus' jacket. He didn't look to be wanting it back, but Tsuna fought the need to blush at how tightly he'd been holding it around himself. Even more embarrassing was how Xanxus looked without it. He didn't seem as imposing nor as dark. The charm on his shoulder actually made him--

"Here's your coat back," Tsuna offered, ripping the item off of his back in order to return it as quickly as possible. Xanxus looked faintly surprised at the sudden return, but accepted it without argument. He didn't even blink twice as he slipped it into place on his way toward the bus' exit. Once outside, Tsuna stretched slightly to wake himself up and headed for the taxi cabs already lined up on the street. "Poe, do you think Neve would mind accompanying me? I know it's short notice, but--"

"I'll have her meet you there," Poe smiled. "You just go prepare. I'll return to the Dojo and let everyone know that you've returned safely."

"Thanks," he replied gratefully as he pulled the door open to a taxi. "Take Xanxus with you and tell Veronica to be ready. We need to get to work first thing in the morning. Hangover or no hangover. Xanxus... I'll see you later."

"Ciao."

* * *

Rush, rush, rush, rush. No matter how fast he moved, he felt completely rushed. He couldn't do half the things that he needed to with only an hour left until midnight, but he could do one thing. He could get his ass to the party. No one was present when he reached what he'd dubbed as 'the Castle'. Autumn and the rest of the so-called Knights had already left to the party. He had to hurry if he wanted to get there in time. First things first, though. The very first thing that he had to do was to take a shower. He'd bathed frequently on the cruise ship, but he was still wearing the same clothes that he'd had on all week. He was also sweaty from the run.

He hadn't had a lot of time to look through his suite, but it only took a minute to find the bathroom. Stripping hurriedly, he jumped into the hot spray and got himself as clean as he could in two minutes. Someone had apparently went through the two bags that he'd brought over and had put away all of his personal items. Because of that, he was able to get clean without worries. It wasn't the first time that he'd ever brushed his teeth in the shower nor was it the first time that he'd ever attempted to brush his hair while trying to dry it at the same time. He was in such a hurry, however, that he _did _accidentally swallow his mouthwash and gargled his pills for a moment before he got it right.

Snatching up the electric razor that he'd gotten for himself at the electronics store, he worked on shaving while he tracked down the suit that he knew was prepared for him. He wasn't disappointed. A tuxedo was hanging in his closet next to the three suits that he'd decided to leave in his suite. He'd been tempted to bring all of his clothes, but he wanted to hold out hope that his stay at the Castle would be temporary. He just had some things to get straight and then he could go back home once everyone wasn't upset about what had happened.

It didn't take long to get his tuxedo on. The bow-tie was the hard part since clip-ons weren't allowed. He faintly remembered how Autumn had fixed it, but it took several tries to get it correct. He grimaced when he looked at himself in the mirror afterward. His hair had gotten long again. It was shaggy, but it wasn't sticking up all over the place. It's length wouldn't allow it. He made note to himself to have Dedra cut it in the morning, but it would have to do for the party.

Sitting at his desk, he slipped his shoes on before slowly retrieving the rings that had been left on the tabletop. One by one, he put them back where they belonged until his hand was filled with what felt like chains to him. Each one was a reminder of responsibility. Each one was a visible token of those that owned his life far more than he did. The last thing he put on was his two earrings and his necklace. The dangling earring that marked him as the Sixth went in one ear and the feather that he didn't like to be without went in the other. His whistle got tucked under his shirt, but the weight was oddly comforting. Even though Peanut wasn't around to hear it anymore, it still felt nice to hold onto it.

Reaching for the masks that were waiting next to his rings, he paused at the sight of a package sitting next to it. Curious, he reached past his mask and decided to take a moment to inspect the unexplained item. It wasn't large and there were no markings on it. It had to have been hand delivered to the Castle since there was neither stamps nor post marks on it. Breaking the twine that was holding the brown paper wrapping in place, he blinked in surprise at the lacquer box that was inside along with a short letter.

_Dear Sir Lazarus,_

_Please forgive me for not giving this to you in person, but rejection has never been something that I like to receive in person. Inside is a token of my sincere desire to help you and all those like you. I hope that you will accept it. In return, I ask nothing of you other than trust. By putting it on, you will be the second werewolf to have shown a willingness to stand up for your rights. You are one of the strongest of your kind. Without your aid and continued determination, I fear that attempts to bring equality between our races will always be dismissed as pointless. As long as you are willing to fight for equality, however, I will aid you in any way that I can. Know that matching tokens have been sent to every werewolf that is open to joining the Werewolf Alliance. Nothing will happen as long as those like you stay scattered and without leadership. I would not ask you to lead a crusade when you have your own problems to deal with, but I hope that you'll accept this token to show support of the progress that I am trying to make._

_I know that you are already part of a Mafia Family, but I have also sent a token of invitation for you to join the Carter Family as an ancillary member. I have already spoken to Don Martelli on your behalf and he feels, as I do, that you could benefit from having supplementary resources available to you. It is doubtful that you will ever be called upon to return the favor, so please do not hesitate to accept the offer. This offer is being made while knowing that your loyalty to the Martelli Family will come first should there ever be a clash. I have great faith and confidence in your potential. Consider this my way of showing hope that you will fulfill even a portion of it._

_Signed,_

_Lord Nephriam XXIV, _

_Representative of Don Carter XXIV_

_P.S. True Justice means being able to accept both sides. I know that asking for acceptance of Vongola is impossible, but please allow me to be a window into that which you would otherwise be blinded to._

_P.P.S. I hope we can go on a trip again. Next time, I want to ride the roller coaster with you!_

_P.P.P.S. Lady Italia says hello!_

Tsuna smiled to himself before laying the letter down. Lord Nephriam was a strange one, but he had his heart in the right place. From what he'd shown on the cruise ship, he kept his promises and never tried to get his way through deceit. In truth, Tsuna had learned more about vampire society in the day and a half on the ship than he had in the past two years. It truly was an honor to be given tokens from an honorable man like that. If Lord Nephriam said that there would be no conflicts of interest by accepting, Tsuna trusted that. He also trusted that Lord Nephriam truly did have only the best interests of werewolves in mind.

Because of that, he had no qualms in opening the box to look at the tokens that he'd been sent. The first was a ring bearing Lord Nephriam's seal. He assumed that it was also the Carter Family emblem since the other item was definitely the token for the Werewolf Alliance. It was a small silver wolf head earring. He wanted to groan at the choice of jewelry, but he could guess the reason. One got blood on earrings a lot less than rings.

Accepting both tokens, Tsuna slipped the ring into place and tried to figure out what to do with the earring. He wasn't giving up his feather. He didn't feel right when he didn't have that on. That meant that he only had one option. Pulling off the backing, he stuck the earring in his mouth for a moment before doing the only thing he could think of. He gave himself another piercing. The saliva that he put onto it beforehand kept it from bleeding after he stabbed it through the upper cartilage of his ear and it took only a second to put the backing into place. When he was done, there was nothing to tell that he'd done it himself except for the few drops of blood that trailed down the back of his ear before the coagulant hit it. That was cleaned up rather easily, after which Tsuna tried to ignore the stinging sensation that he knew would pass.

He didn't get a chance to look at himself in the mirror. A glance over to the ornate clock on his desk sent him running for the door. He only had half an hour to make it to the party! He ran in and out of the elevator three times before he finally took it upstairs. The first time was because he forgot his wallet. The second time was for his cigarettes, lighter, and phone. The third time was for the damn set of masks that he and his date was supposed to wear.

He ran through the common areas. He ran out the door. He didn't stop running until he skidded to a stop at the sidewalk in surprise of the taxi that was apparently waiting on him.

"Get in," Neve ordered with a smile after shoving the door open for him.

"I thought you were supposed to meet me there," Tsuna gasped once he'd jumped inside and gestured for the driver to start moving.

"Are you complaining?" She grinned. "I figured that you probably wouldn't have thought ahead to a ride, so I came here instead. You were planning to run there. Weren't you?"

"Maybe," he mumbled sheepishly. She rolled her eyes at him before smoothing down her dress in an open attempt to get his attention on it. It was effective. The shimmering violet dress hugged all of her curves in all the right places and the cut only made her look more exotic than she already was. With her short pixie hairstyle and the large dangling earrings that she had on, he didn't doubt that she'd get a lot of attention. She was perfect for his needs. "You look gorgeous," he complimented while he handed over her black mask that matched his own.

"Of course I do," she chuckled, leaning over to give him a kiss in return for the praise. He groaned slightly when the kiss was more than a simple peck on the lips. The only way that he could describe it was a kiss full of invitation. "Welcome home," she added with a secretive smile when she let him up for air.

"If you keep it up, I'm not going to make it to the party," he said while he bit his lip to control himself.

"We can't have that now," she laughed before pulling away to a safe distance.

* * *

"I hope I don't embarrass you," Neve mumbled nervously as the elevator rose toward the top floor.

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna soothed before throwing an arm around her shoulders. "They're used to me making a scene, so you can't do wrong. Just enjoy yourself."

"Alright," she smiled as she slid an arm around his back. He had to admit that it felt nice to have someone hanging onto him. Even if it was just a friend, it felt good because there was the possibility of no-ties intimacy in his future. He hadn't gotten laid in almost a week, so he was grateful for the silent offer that Neve kept making.

Masks in place, they stepped off the elevator into what should have been a celebration.

"Shit," Tsuna groaned in disappointment. "I just got back. People just don't know when to quit."

"This was supposed to be my first party, too," Neve pouted with him. The three armed men in the room took sudden notice of their presence and started yelling orders for them to join the guests lined up against one wall. It looked like the celebration had been in full swing before the party crashers had arrived. The carpet was littered in confetti and there were empty wine glasses scattered across tables. The conductor of the live instrumentalists looked drunk, as did everyone else in the room. The only thing that had stopped the party was the bullet holes in the ceiling.

"They don't know who they're yelling at, do they," Tsuna murmured in amusement to his date.

"I don't think so," she agreed.

"Should we punish them?"

"Are they guilty?"

"I'd say so. Papa Paolo looks rather angry with these three. My only question is which one do you want?"

"I'll take the one on the left. He looks delicious."

"You're being pretty giving by leaving me with two," Tsuna replied while the armed men started trading worried looks and tried once more to tell them to get up against the wall.

"I'm in a good mood," she shrugged. "Should we let Autumn say grace first?"

"Nah. Let's just eat," Tsuna grinned with a glance at where Autumn was being hidden behind Isaac, Saldez, and Rachael. They all looked as shocked at his entrance and conversation as the party crashers were.

He didn't need a prompt to know when to move. It was far too obvious what his cue was. It was the moment when one of the armed men had the balls to poke a rifle into his chest. Yanking it out of the man's grip, everything was over in two seconds. The first moment was spent slapping the first man with his own weapon so that he hit the floor unconscious. The second moment was spent firing, which cause numerous guests to shriek at the explosion. "All done here," he murmured before the second enemy even realized that he'd been shot.

"Done here, too," Neve confirmed as her opponent sagged to the ground without a mark on him. "Can we party now?"

"I think that's up to Papa Paolo," Tsuna prompted before tossing the rifle down next to one of the three fallen bodies. "Sorry," he smiled without a hint of regret as he turned to the man in question. "It looks like I made another mess."

"L-Lazarus?" Papa Paolo gaped while he stumbled away from the wall with several other guests. Isaac and Saldez ran for the armed men, grabbing up garlands of ribbon along the way to use as bindings. "How did you--?"

"I just got back an hour ago," he answered as Neve slipped back into position under his arm. "I promised that I'd come with a date, so here I am."

"That's not what I--"

"How could you shoot him?" Autumn interjected while she stared down at the fallen man who was the only one not being tied up. "He's dead, Lazarus!"

"So?" He replied coldly. "He shouldn't have held a gun if he wasn't prepared to be shot by one. Who were they, anyway?"

"We don't know," Papa Paolo said while shock still laced through his voice. "They arrived right before you did and started demanding money and jewelry."

"Ordinary criminals," he said in distaste. "No wonder they were so easy."

"I-I better go calm the guests and make sure that the sheriff has already notified the police," Papa Paolo murmured before walking away. Tsuna watched him go, knowing that the man had seen far more disturbing things in his life than a common criminal getting shot down.

For the next twenty minutes, he had to listen to people recount the incident as if Tsuna hadn't walked into the middle of it. Midnight came and went without a single person noticing. The police dragged off the two survivors for questioning and the coroner took the dead one without the party ever being stopped. Uniformed men passed through the guests to get statements, but one in particular showed up to question Tsuna personally.

"Laz," he groaned unhappily.

"Demetri," he replied with a smile.

"You haven't been on parole for more than two weeks," he grumbled. "You left town without notifying your parole officer and now you're in the middle of a homicide case."

"It was self-defense," he shrugged. "He had a gun and was prepared to fire it at me. Did you expect me to ignore it?"

"No, but you could have waited for the police to arrive!" He spat in frustration.

"Were you guys notified about a hostage situation?" Tsuna asked with Demetri's words rolling off of his back like water.

"Well, no, but--"

"I judged that I could stop them without any innocent bystanders being put into the line of fire," Tsuna interrupted calmly. "If there had been any chance of someone being hurt other than myself, I wouldn't have acted. I chose the course of action that would bring the criminals under control in the most expedient manner available. I wasn't being reckless, Demetri. I was doing the job that needed to be done. You shouldn't complain. If my information is correct, the Sheriff is among the guests. Before you start riding my ass about my actions, why don't you go ask him how he likes being among the living?"

"I'll do that," he agreed. "But don't think that you're off the hook for breaking parole."

"I was hoping to do some volunteer work anyway," he growled in irritation. "Community service sounds just fine."

"Hmph," Demetri grumbled. "Don't think that you'll always get off so easy, Lazarus. I have my eye on you."

"Be careful, Demetri," Tsuna taunted with a dark grin spreading across his face. "If you keep it up, I might just develop a taste for men in uniform." Demetri blushed brightly before walking away, proving that not all of his cover story for his time at Kink's had been made up.

Taking the opportunity in the void that came with being talked to by a detective, Tsuna slipped out a side door to the wide balcony where everyone had been supposed to watch the fireworks. It was quiet outside and he could use the air after being stuffed into a room with three dozen people and a dead body. He was trembling inside, although he stubbornly refused to show it. He'd known it in his head, but being faced with the fact left him faintly sick. There really was no difference between killing a vampire and killing a human. They were all living beings and their eyes glazed over in the same way when they died. Now that he knew that, one thing was far too clear.

He'd had blood on his hands for a long time now.

He'd known it. He really had, but there had been a part of him that had been in denial. There had been a part that had tried to brush off killing all those vampires as meaningless since they weren't human. It was Lord Nephriam that had changed that. Speaking with him and truly confronting the fact that some people didn't want to treat him as equal with vampires had made him realize that he'd been doing the same with humans and vampires. He'd been trying to make himself think that they were different when they really weren't.

"Need a drink?" Autumn asked as she walked up with two wine glasses in hand.

"Yeah," he admitted quietly. Accepting the wine glass, he drained it in a single gulp before setting it upside down on the wide ledge separating him from the street. A cigarette was in his hand, although he didn't even remember lighting one. Once he'd noticed it, he set to smoking it rather than trying to make conversation.

If only Autumn was good with the whole silent companion business.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Autumn asked bluntly.

"You saw what happened," he answered while he continued to look out at the skyline.

"Not that," she growled. "I meant with the you-know-whats."

"Nothing happened," he replied with a grin. "I went. They talked. I came back. I learned that I hate boats if that's what you're curious about."

"Stop lying to me!" She snapped, slapping her hand down on the ledge. "If that's all that happened, then why was there a half-finished Will on your desk?!"

"You shouldn't go through other people's things," he admonished while keeping his poker smile on. "I was just planning to work on that a little at a time. I can be responsible and think ahead sometimes. I've been thinking that I don't want a repeat of what happened when Snicker died, so I started working on that while I had time."

"You're lying to me again," she replied unhappily.

"No," he lied with a hint of anger showing through. "You just don't know how to keep your nose out of other people's business and you jump to conclusions."

"You're mad at me," she gaped in surprise.

"Yes," he admitted through clenched teeth. "You had no right sending Xanxus after me. If I'd wanted your help, I would have asked for it."

"I-I didn't," she said with wide eyes for his admonishment. "Daddy sent him."

"And why did Papa Paolo think that there was something wrong?" He scowled.

"B-Because I told him that there was," she mumbled. "But I really did think that you were in--"

"You're too used to cleaning up my messes," he sighed. "You're looking for them even when there isn't one."

"Isn't that your fault then?" She asked with a gleam of superiority returning to her voice. "If you didn't make messes so often, then I wouldn't have been so prepared to react."

"Yes," he admitted solemnly while he looked down at the street below. She'd retorted just like he'd expected her to, which gave him the opening that he'd wanted. "It is my fault. I just want you to remember that so that you don't blame yourself for anything."

"Did something happen?" She asked in instant concern.

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a small shake of his head, deciding that it would probably be better if Autumn never knew about Xanxus. "Nothing can be changed, so there's no use in talking about it. What are you doing out here, anyway? The whole point of me coming was to let your fiancé know that I'm not a rival. You're going to give him the wrong idea by standing out in the cold with me."

"I was worried about you," she replied sheepishly around a sip of her wine. "Theodore is talking to Neve anyway. If his tongue hangs out any more, he'll be panting like you do in bed."

"That's not funny," Tsuna choked with a bright blush.

"At least now I know that it's really you," she laughed. Her expression softened almost immediately after she stopped chuckling. "You made one hell of an entrance."

"I guess," he grimaced.

"I didn't think that you were that type of guy," Autumn commented as she leaned against the ledge with him in order to gaze out over the city. "It's not the first time that I've seen someone shot down, but I didn't think that you were the type to kill without blinking."

"Neither was I," he admitted while he put out his cigarette and tossed the butt over the side of the building. "There's things about me that you don't want to know, Autumn. You're better off--"

"This isn't the first time that you've killed someone," she stated bluntly. "I saw it before with the vampires that attacked the restaurant, but I guess I didn't want to believe it. I kept telling myself that it was different because they weren't human, but it's no different than if someone had killed you."

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "There's blood on my hands, Autumn, and I don't feel guilty about it. I don't like to kill, but there's times that it's the only choice I can make where I can accept the consequences."

"I know," she said softly. "A lot has happened while you've been in prison, Laz. If you'd said that six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to understand. I'm not as innocent as you think, though. I've been paying my dues."

"Autumn, you--"

"I'm the heiress to the Martelli Family, Laz," she interrupted while he stared in shock. "Did you think that I'd get to take over without making sacrifices?"

"No," he grimaced in sympathy. Before he could say more, Neve insinuated herself between them out of nowhere and laid a kiss on him that left his blood pumping. "N-Neve?!"

"Quiet," she hissed as she took his forgotten mask off for him since it was well past midnight. "Theodore's glaring your way. Now kiss me properly and escort me out of here before he comes over here and hits you. He appreciates you saving his life, but I don't think his appreciation is going to last much longer."

"Alright," he grinned. "I guess it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell him where I'm living."

"No, it wouldn't," Autumn paled. "I'll talk to you at home, Laz," she added before practically running for what was left of the party. Leaning down, Tsuna gave Neve another kiss like he'd been told to before wrapping his arm around her shoulders to escort her out.

"Did you have fun?" Tsuna asked while they headed for the doors.

"Oh yes," she grinned with an absent finger trailing across her lips. "The snacks were delicious. Everyone thinks that I'm a hypnotist now, too. It was fun. I think I might actually learn how to do it."

"Is that so?" He smiled. She continued talking happily about the people that she'd met and the things that they talked about all the way outside. Tsuna listened attentively until he finally managed to get her a cab and paid for her ride home.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked in surprise when he didn't get into the car with her.

"I think I'm going to take a walk before I head back to Autumn's place," he replied softly in the decision that he wasn't in the mood for hanky-panky. "I'm glad that you had fun. Thanks for coming with me."

"Oh," she mumbled in disappointment. She probably would have said more, but the taxi found an opening in traffic to pull out into. He waved slightly in farewell before turning to walk in the opposite direction.

When his first step landed on something that definitely wasn't sidewalk, he jumped. With a loud cry of pain, a hiss, and a flash of color, Tsuna caught a glimpse of a cat as he tried to keep himself from tripping. Regaining his balance, he ran after the beast in worry that he might have injured it. He hadn't even seen it before he'd stepped on it.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," he called softly down the alley that he thought he'd seen it run into. Seeing a gleam of movement next to the dumpster, he slowed his pace so that he wouldn't scare it off. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty," he called again. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure that you're okay. I didn't mean to step on you." Checking his pockets for something that he could use for a bribe, he grimaced when all he came up with were his cigarettes and bubblegum.

"Um... are you hungry?" He asked in hopes that his voice wouldn't scare it off while he slowly advanced. "I don't have anything on me, but I could go get you something. Would you like that? Maybe some nice fish and a bowl of cream?" Tsuna smiled when the cat poked its head out from under the dumpster. It looked like a Siamese, but he didn't think the breed was common as far as strays went. He couldn't see a collar, though. "Come here," he urged, kneeling down to let the cat decide for itself whether to trust him or not. Holding out his hand, he twiddled his fingers slightly to get the cat's interest.

It worked. The cat lifted her head up in interest.

"Do you want to play?" He smiled, putting his hand down on the ground like it was a crawling bug. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Why don't you come out so that I can make sure that you're not injured?" The cat stayed partially in hiding for several more minutes while he tried to talk it into coming out. All of its attention seemed to be on his hand, but he could tell that it was getting used to his voice. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, it finally came out in order to pounce at his hand.

He sighed in relief. It didn't look injured. He's scared the wits out of it by stepping on it, but he'd pulled his foot back before he'd caused any lasting damage. He laughed a little at how it kept playfully attacking his hand, even after he reached up to pet it. Her, he amended when she jumped up to catch his hand when it went after her head. She seemed pretty good-natured, too. She wasn't letting her claws out even though he'd been pretending that his hand was a mouse or a bug.

"Where did you come from?" He asked curiously when it became clear that she was a housecat. She had to be with how well groomed that she looked. "Did you run away from home?" Of course, the cat didn't answer, but she made him smile with how she cocked her head like she was actually listening. "I'm probably going to get in a lot of trouble, but would you like to come home with me? I can get you some nice fish to eat and you can have all the milk that you want. I don't like the idea of leaving you out here on the street when you probably belong to someone. You might get hit by a car or something. If I take you home, you can be nice and warm while I try to find your family."

Taking her purr while he petted her as acceptance, he carefully reached out and picked her up. She meowed at him softly over being moved, but curled up in his arms without fighting. It made him strangely happy. He knew that he had Jewel to keep him company, but Jewel wasn't really the type of creature to be petted.

"I think Betty took over the night shift down at the grocery store," he murmured while he continued scratching behind the cat's ears. "Why don't we see if she's still there and will let me take you in to grab a few things on credit?"

* * *

"Lazarus," a voice growled threateningly enough to make him cringe.

"I can explain," he replied before spinning in place in preparation to plead with Autumn. "Oh, shit," he added when he saw that she wasn't alone. Tsuna didn't need to be introduced. There was only one man that he didn't recognize who would stare daggers at him upon meeting. "Is that who I think it is?" Tsuna asked with a grimace.

"This is Theodore," she confirmed, slapping her purse down on the kitchen countertop. "Theodore, this is Lazarus."

"We've met," the tall, well-polished man replied darkly.

"No, you haven't," Autumn corrected before heading to the fridge to grab a beer. "Laz suffers from split personalities. The one you met before wasn't him."

"You have every reason to hate me, but I don't remember anything that happened," Tsuna grimaced apologetically while the man blinked in surprise. "All I know is what I was told afterward. I heard that Maro fooled everyone."

"I knew that it wasn't you, but that was just because you only acted like a jackass at the end of the party instead of all the way through it," Autumn grumbled as she offered her fiancé a beer that matched her own.

"That's why I woke up with you trying to beat the life out of me," he retorted blandly. Autumn turned pink at the statement which only caused her fiancé to raise an eyebrow at her.

"The cat," she prompted to change the subject, pointing to the Siamese that was feasting on the countertop.

"Well," he said slowly. "I found her. Actually, I stepped on her. I think she's someone's lost cat. I was going to check the hotels and ask around to see if anyone was missing one tomorrow, but I didn't have anywhere else to take her for tonight."

"The Dojo," Autumn growled.

"I couldn't," he objected with a small shake of his head. "Everyone would get attached to her, which would make it hard when I found her owner. I didn't think you'd mind as long as I kept her in my room. You keep that Dalmatian in your suite, so--"

"His room?" Theodore interjected with his glare returning.

"Thanks, Laz," Autumn growled in displeasure. He grimaced, but there wasn't much he could do. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak. "Laz lives here," she said bluntly.

"Only half of the time," he added in effort to help.

"Shut up, Laz," she snapped. He flinched and summarily shut his mouth like he was told. "Laz lives here, Theodore. He's insane, deluded, and misguided, but he's still one of the bodyguards that Daddy hand-picked. I don't like it any more than you do, but you'll have to fight Daddy if you want him kicked out. I personally wouldn't try to kick Laz out yourself. He doesn't look like much, but you saw him against those robbers. He has some skill, when he's not acting like an idiot."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Tsuna grumbled before turning to pet the cat that was still tearing into the boneless fish filet that he'd gotten her.

"Shut up, Laz," she snapped again. "The point I'm trying to make is that I'm stuck with him. You'd be doing me a favor by just ignoring him. I know that you're not happy with him staying here, but he's harmless."

"Autumn's not my type," Tsuna added without looking at them. "I prefer women that don't ask for more than a few beers or fifty bucks. I especially don't like ones that are still there when the sun rises."

"Assuming you even go after a woman," Autumn taunted.

"I'll take whoever throws themselves at me," he confirmed, turning to look at Autumn with a wide grin. "I'm not picky. I just don't like strings attached."

"Which is why you're here with a cat instead of the woman that you came to the party with," she mocked with a nasty note of dislike in her voice.

"No," he corrected with his eye twitching from how close to home that the statement hit. "I just didn't feel like waking up with teeth marks again. Neve can get pretty feisty in bed."

"Oh," Autumn gaped in surprise. "I didn't know that you two..."

"I don't advertise everyone that I sleep with," he replied honestly. "If you want a complete list, I'll give it to you, though. You'll just have to give me a few days to remember all the names."

"All the names?!" Autumn spluttered.

"Assuming I can remember them all," he grinned. Even though it was a bluff, it was a fun one. Autumn's face turned several interesting shades that he'd never seen before.

"But you've been in prison since Snicker died!" Autumn finally gasped.

"Where do you think I met my secretary?" He chuckled evilly. Autumn choked and he got to add two more colors to his list of possible ones that her face could turn. He even got to start a list for Theodore when the man turned pink, white, and green in quick succession. "If you two keep changing colors, I'll think it's Christmas again," he taunted as he picked the cat up along with her bowl of milk. "Don't worry about the cat. I'll make sure that she stays out of the way until I find her owner. It was nice meeting you Theodore. Good luck keeping your hair with Autumn as your wife."

Retreating before Autumn could find some way to retort, Tsuna managed to reach the safety of the elevator without her storming after him. It was a quick ride down to his suite, where he freed the cat to wander as she willed.

"I'm home," he called softly. His voice echoed through the empty suite, making him far too aware that he was alone. Where such a statement at the Dojo would have caused him to receive a hail of welcome, this place didn't allow him to keep his delusions. There were some things that he couldn't ask for his friends to accept and he had no family left. There was no one waiting on him. He had tons of people who cared about him, but no one loved him. He was alone. He was miserable. Things that he could force himself to ignore while there were people around him and goals to meet were painfully obvious in the empty suite.

"Meow," the cat called as she returned from her quick explorations.

"I know that it's not very interesting, but it's warm and safe," he murmured as he found a safe place to stash her bowl of milk. "Just put up with it for a few days until I find your owner. Okay?" He smiled to himself when the cat ignored him in order to run for the bowl of milk again. He should have expected such a reaction, so he tried not to show that it hurt. The dumb beast was just following its instincts. It had no clue that its actions made Tsuna feel even more used than he already did. "It's okay," he mumbled sadly to himself as he stood. The cat looked up at him, which made him smile slightly despite his unhappiness. "Being used is better than being ignored," he explained softly. "It might not be much, but I can live with that. I... I can live with that."

"Mrow?"

"Drink your milk," he ordered gently. "I'm going to go look around." Despite saying that, there wasn't much to see other than what he'd already come across. There was a simple bedroom, a simple bathroom, and a simple sitting area. In addition, he found a simple half-kitchen in case he didn't want to share some things with everyone else and an empty room that he could use for meditation, work outs, or whatever else he might decide to put in there. Overall, he had the basics of an apartment. There was no stove and no laundry facilities, but he was sure that there was ones that he could use upstairs. He'd been supplied with more linens than he'd ever use and a television that he turned on so that the cat would have something to watch.

Hanging up his tuxedo, he put on a set of sweats from where someone had put them away in his dresser. He was too wound up to sleep and he didn't feel like going out to party. He didn't have a computer to game on, which only left one option. Excercise.

Knowing that he needed to learn the lay of the Castle since he'd be living there, he took his time exploring. He knew from what Papa Paolo had told him that the numbered basements were private suits like his own. That still left the above-ground floor and the sub-floor. He knew from what he'd already seen of the place that the above-ground floor held a library, kitchen, and a television room. The sub-floor was a complete mystery to him.

"Jackpot," he grinned when the elevator opened to the sound of someone already hitting a punching bag. Following the sound, he wandered through the area while slowly taking in the layout. It was an assortment of open rooms that lead into each other with the minimum in the way of walls. There was a room for weight lifting and another for cardiovascular exercise. There was an empty room for stretching that looked like it doubled as a fencing area. There was a weapons' room with enough space to practice in and he blinked in surprise when a curious side-exploration showed that a door opened into a private shooting range with a large stock of guns to choose from.

Then he found the source of the sound and he had to smile. Only the rich would build a private boxing gym outside of a side-by-side private racquetball court and a private basketball court. Both courts were separated from the rest of the area by floor-to-ceiling sound-proof glass. Not wanting to disturb the woman named Rachael from her workout, he quietly back-tracked to the stretching area before she noticed him and started his own warm-up. There was comfort in familiarity and he'd spent the better part of the previous year doing muscle training.

By the time that he was ready to hit on the punching bags, Rachael was gone. Silence hung in the air, causing his punches to echo into the cold, empty room. It felt right in a way. He didn't want to delude himself for once. No one was going to magically appear to make him feel warm and wanted. No one was going to walk into his life and take all the pain away. There was no one out there that could fill the emptiness that was inside of him. Any attempt to find someone was just a temporary fix for a problem that would never go away. There was no one else like Snicker in the world. He had to just keep his goals in mind and keep doing what he could to reach them. The illusion of love and even friendship was merely a distraction.

Because, at the end of the day, no matter how many people he slept with....

No matter who he was used by or helped...

No matter what he did to keep himself from permanently going cold...

He was still alone.


	78. Chapter 78 Lesson 1: Base of Operations

Tsuna tapped his finger along the edge of his laptop and tried not to let his frustration show. For three days, he'd simply watched. There was nothing to watch, however. Other than Poppet and Saldez, he was the only other person in the building. He'd been doing his work for the Dragons at night so that he could watch diligently in order to learn, but Autumn never got home until dinner time. It was as if the Castle was only a place for her to sleep and train.

He was wasting his time and that was one thing that he royally hated.

Shutting his laptop, he patted his stray cat, Koi, on the head. Everyone was continuing to work without him and were doing their best to follow his orders. He couldn't let the days be wasted any longer. His sunglasses got thrown on and his jacket got tossed onto his back. While he'd been away, Granny had stamped the Orange Dragon logo into the back to ensure that he could show his pride. Gigi had cried over the fact, but he like it. It wasn't something that could be easily imitated by his men and it kept the focus of attention away from the innocent people around him. It'd only taken twenty minutes for Granny to teach him how to ride, too. After that had been taken care of, the woman had retreated back to her farm in satisfaction.

He had no clue how he'd managed to learn to drive so fast, but he wasn't going to complain. It allowed him to use the modified heap of nuts and bolts to get him across town. He made a mental note to get Marty to take the spades off of his motorcycle and have Leo paint it for him, but how it looked made no difference in how it ran. It got him across town in the blink of an eye and his intuition kept him from crossing paths with any cops along the way. He had to detour twice when his gut got a bad feeling, but he arrived at his goal without trouble.

Parking his bike in one of the front parking spots, he was tempted to go through the front. The only reason that he didn't was because he had respect for the establishment. Pasta da Paolo was in the middle of their lunch rush hour and there was no way that he was going to cause a commotion just to get inside. He was determined to watch Autumn work, however. That meant going through the back which meant that he started praying that Isaac was too busy to answer the door.

He was in luck. Someone that he didn't recognize opened the door and gaped with wide eyes at the stranger waiting outside. Tsuna didn't give him time to speak a single word. Pushing him out of the way, he walked inside the kitchen and strode toward his destination without a single care. For the first time in his memory, he didn't get ran over by the kitchen staff. Everyone avoided him like the plague and he ignored Isaac's strangled shouts in return. There was only one thing he cared about and that was making use of his time. He wasn't going to sit around and wait for Autumn to come home in hopes that she'd drop a helpful tidbit when she arrived.

He'd just barge in and take what he wanted.

In respect for Papa Paolo, he paused at the door and actually knocked. As expected, Papa Paolo called for him to enter without a second thought as to who was waiting outside the door. The shocked look on his face when Tsuna walked in and made himself comfortable in a corner seat was almost worth the trip by itself. Autumn wasn't present, but Papa Paolo was even better. He was positive that he could learn something simply by watching the man.

"Can I help you with something, son?" Papa Paolo asked as he set down his reading glasses and pen on top of the paperwork that he'd been doing.

"Nope," he answered without moving an inch.

"Can I ask why you're here?" He asked slowly.

"Boredom," he replied with a small smile. "Feel free to pretend that I'm not here or, if it bothers you, pretend that I'm on the payroll again. I've got a little time to kill."

"I see..." Papa Paolo murmured as he leaned back in his seat. "In that case, why don't you go find a seat in the kitchen and sharpen the community knives? Arthur is horrible at it."

"No problem," he grinned. It was exactly what he wanted. Papa Paolo was in the kitchen more than his office, so it'd be possible to watch him work better from there. It would also be his best chance to find something to validate his three days of pointlessly watching air.

Once more, he ignored everyone on his way through the kitchen. The people that didn't know him had no business looking at him and the people who did know him should know to keep their questions to themselves. He didn't come to make a mess. He simply came to watch and to learn. His presence had an unavoidable effect on the staff, however. No one spoke. The meaningless chatter disappeared while everyone curiously watched to see what he'd do and even the required talk between the cooks and waiters seemed diminished. All up until one person opened his fat mouth.

"What are you doing, Laz?" Isaac asked without looking up from the fish that he was filleting. Taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves, Tsuna didn't answer at first. Instead, he focused on clearing a section of countertop that had been used as storage in order for him to place the whetstone and bucket of community knives onto the surface. His jacket got hung on a corner of a shelving unit and he waited until he had the first knife in hand before finally replying.

"Sharpening knives," he answered simply. "I wouldn't throw that," he added without looking up at where Isaac was preparing to throw a knife at him to scare him like he used to when Tsuna was a mere dishwasher. "Just pretend that I'm not here and you'll be happier. You don't want to end up like Saldez."

"You bastard," Isaac growled as he started to throw anyway. Tsuna sighed and looked directly at him, making no move to catch the knife when he actually released it. Instead, he tilted his head sideways to dodge and returned to his work without blinking an eye. Isaac could pick up his own damn knife. Although, he couldn't help but taunt the man for making the blade so easy to dodge. A few millimeters had been all that it'd taken since Isaac hadn't been aiming to hit. He'd only been aiming to scare, which was much harder than it had once been.

"You need to brush up on target practice," Tsuna murmured while Isaac froze with his arm still extended. Picking up his first knife from the bucket, he eyed it carefully to see where it was dull. Of course, all of it was. At least, it was to his eyes. Whoever had sharpened them before had been a complete amateur. There were so many inconsistencies and dents in the edge that it was amazing that it could cut toast. "You're getting rusty from only aiming at sheep."

"Lazarus, that's enough," Papa Paolo interjected from the door to his office. "You can either sharpen knives quietly or go elsewhere to find something to do."

"Whatever you say, Papa Paolo," he replied with a crooked smile. "I'd tell you to send me whoever has been sharpening these, but I know that they don't get used."

"Just sharpen them quietly," he ordered in resignation. "Everyone else, get back to work. The customers are still waiting on their orders. Isaac, please refrain from any more overt animosity while Lazarus is here. I don't want to put both of you into corners when you're both grown men."

"Yes, Papa P," Isaac blushed before once more turning his attention to the food that he was preparing. Tsuna took the opportunity to return to his own assignment in order to actually accomplish something even if it wasn't his own goals.

Time seemed to move slowly while he moved the blade across the whetstone in smooth strokes. One thing entered his consciousness during that time. Papa Paolo wasted no energy and it was all due to one reason. People knew where to find him. Even when he left his office to check with the staff in the front of the restaurant, the kitchen staff knew that he would return. People with questions waited patiently for his arrival instead of chasing after him in order to interrupt what he was doing. When someone from outside came through the back door, like he had, it slowly became clear that all of Papa Paolo's business was conducted from one single base of operations. He didn't run out every time someone said that they needed to speak with him. They went to him on the schedule that he determined, which meant that he didn't waste time running from one restaurant to another to conduct business.

Thinking to himself about how he'd had to make rounds to Kink's, Tig Bitty's, Mike's, Rascal Rogers, and all the other places that were under renovations and construction, it made him wonder how much more smoothly things would go if the Dragons had their own office. Gigi and Veronica would probably appreciate a quiet place to work so that they could stop bringing their work into their bedrooms. The managers of his places would probably appreciate some sort of organization to his disorganized ownership. It would be helpful for him, too, if he didn't have to cross town every time that he needed to know if they could budget in something. The same went for advertising. If he could set Daren, Gloria, and Mae all up in the same place, then things would be much easier for everyone.

The Dragons needed a base of operations. The Dojo wasn't good enough. That was supposed to be where they gathered for fun and relaxation, plus there wasn't room for everyone to meet there every day. The Dojo was supposed to be a boarding house, not a work-house. Also, if he set up an office space to be the central headquarters, the gang would probably be more stable. They'd run around less like headless chickens and they'd become more like the kitchen staff who knew the flow of operation. People would be less likely to act like he was a pretender if he did that, too. It would give everyone a better sense of security that his control was firm.

But where should he look for one? He didn't want it too close to the Dojo since he wanted to separate home and work for everyone, even though he provided both. He didn't want it too far from his holdings, either. He also didn't want to make any of the other gangs fear that he was encroaching on their territory. Too close to the Pitts, Chinatown, the Waterfront, or across the overpass was out of the question. He couldn't afford anything in the business district or Uptown. That meant that it had to be somewhere downtown.

"Papa Paolo," he called as he finished sharpening the knife that he was on. "Thank you for your patience."

"Are you going already?" The round man asked in surprise.

"Yes," he answered. "I've thought of something interesting to do." Putting the knives and whetstone up, he unrolled his sleeves and threw his jacket back on. Giving a small bow of his head in appreciation, he left without another word. It wasn't much, but he'd learned something. After three days of nothing, it was enough to give him a direction to move in.

* * *

Tsuna bit his lip for a moment while he surveyed the building in front of him. It was obviously abandoned from how several of the second floor windows had been boarded up and the chains holding the double doors closed. The location was perfect, but there wasn't any signs up stating that the place was for sale. It was a building overlooking the back side of the park. The view probably wasn't amazing, but cutting through the park would allow them to get into the center of the city without hassle. It was on the edge of his territory, but far enough inside that the location shouldn't start any territory wars. The size was more than good. It was five stories tall and looked to be a former private school. If the layout was what he thought it was like on the inside, it would need the minimum of renovations to become useable.

He felt strangely hesitant as he walked up the steps and broke the chain off the door so that he could look inside. He wasn't hesitant because he believed that the place was still in use or that he'd get in trouble for breaking and entering. He felt hesitant because walking through the door felt like he'd entered another world. The inside of the place was overloaded with potential. The hallway was wide and the empty classrooms were perfectly sized for several office desks with room to spare for filing systems and work stations. There was plenty of windows in the place, so lighting wouldn't be an issue. Everywhere he looked, it was as if he could see the Dragons working to achieve their goals.

That wasn't to say that the place was perfect. It needed some attention in places. The floors were dingy from aged wax and traffic abuse. The stairs going upwards needed to be mended and he didn't know if the thin elevator at the end of the hallway was operational. The second and third floors had litter and trash in them from where squatters had once taken up residence. The fourth floor had holes in the walls and several of the square ceiling fixtures were hanging by wires.

All of that could be fixed. However, what truly made him decide was the arrangement on the fifth floor. There was a waiting area for misbehaved students to sit in and an area for a secretary to work. There was the vice-dean's office and a large conference room for teacher's meetings. Best of all was the Dean's office, though. The space was enormous and the octagonal picture window at the back of the room gave a wonderful view over the tree line of the park and across to the center of the city. The park's basketball courts were within view, so he could watch his men relaxing when they weren't needed. The carpeting needed replaced and it could use some paint, but he didn't think that people would consider him to be haphazard in such an office. Maybe he could actually give off an impression of being responsible.

With that in mind, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the most important number on his list.

"Hello?"

"Gigi," he murmured. "It's me. Get everyone together and meet me in the abandoned private school at the back of the park. I'm on the top floor."

"Eh? Everyone? Even Eric and Ore?"

"Everyone," he stated clearly despite knowing that those two were at work. "Tell Veronica to have the price for the building by the time that she gets here."

"What's going on, Laz?" Gigi asked worriedly. "We've hardly seen you since you got back and now--"

"I'll explain when you get here," he interrupted before hanging up to cut off the needless questioning. He didn't want to explain himself twice and he was tired enough from three days without sleep so that he could wait for Autumn without neglecting the Dragons.

While he waited for everyone to arrive, he took the opportunity to switch out his gum and light himself a cigarette. He wasn't sure why, but the place felt comfortable. Perhaps it was the size of the room since it didn't make him feel boxed in or maybe it was the view of the park and all the memories that the place held. It gave him the secure feeling of being home since the places that he stayed were places where he could easily overstay his welcome. He could already imagine that the whole building would be his and his alone after nightfall. It was one more place that he could go to.

Pulling out his cell phone, he didn't waste any time in taking care of business. By the time that he heard the noise from the Dragons climbing the stairs, he was finished with his first cigarette and well on his way into finishing his second. He'd also registered their name and set up a corporate bank account. He called Ore's construction company and set up a day for them to loan him a team and equipment. He set up for an inspector to go through the place a day after his guess said that they'd be finished. He called all of his managers, Daren, and even the dealer that he'd yet to have more than compulsory contact with. He didn't acknowledge anyone while the place slowly filled nor did he move away from his place at the window.

He refused to say a word until everyone was present.

"What's this about, Laz," Eric asked unhappily while ignoring the starstruck and wide-eyed looks of the Dragons around him. "I left in the middle of--"

"Everything starts from here," Tsuna interrupted quietly as Gigi's scent finally entered the room. "I thought that you'd be upset if you were left out. Please bear with me for a moment. Veronica, what's the price?"

"This place is a foreclosure," she answered as she shoved her way forward through the crowd. "The bank said that they'd give it to us for eighty thousand."

"Make it ours," he ordered, sending her flying for her phone and a quiet corner of the room.

"Laz...?" Gigi asked in confusion.

"Gigi, I don't think I ever asked, so I'm going to ask now," he murmured, putting out his second cigarette in order to light a third. "I'd understand if you refused since you've got the shit end of the stick for the past year, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth. Are you happy being my Right Hand or would you rather live a regular life?"

"Wha--"

"Just answer the question," he said, unwilling to give up the flow of conversation to anyone else. Even Gigi.

"Yes," she answered as she squared her shoulders when she realized that he was asking seriously. "I've given up being a whore. I'll admit that I hated it when you weren't around, but I like to think that I was actually accomplishing something in the past year. If I gave that up now, I wouldn't be able to consider myself a career woman."

"I thought you wanted to be a trophy wife," Tsuna said with a small smile.

"I-I did," she blushed while trying to duck down to hide herself from all the people listening. "But I'm allowed to want something more. Right?"

"Right," he confirmed with a small nod of his head. "In that case, come here and stand beside me."

"You're acting weird, Laz," Gigi hissed as she stood where she was told.

"It gets weirder," he whispered back, feeling extraordinarily relieved that she hadn't turned her back on him despite being formally asked. "Big Guy," he called while still refusing to turn around. "Would you be interested in quitting your job and coming to work for me full time?"

"I guess," he answered in confusion. "We haven't had much work lately anyway and Boss has been looking kind of shifty about letting anyone work overtime. Can we afford that, though? You know that I eat like a pig. Without my paycheck--"

"We'll manage," he soothed. "You'd be saving us more money by sticking around full time so that we don't have to hire out as much work. You're going to be my personal foreman. I'm also going to have you overseeing security."

"Security--?" Ore choked. "For what?"

"Eric," he called without answering the question. "I know that you're busy with your acting career, but do you think you could spare the Dragons some of your talent? I need someone to keep us from getting a bad reputation and no one knows how to deal with the public like you do."

"Sure," Eric asked, trading looks and smiles with everyone around him in growing curiosity. There was a light of understanding slowly growing in everyone's eyes, but it wasn't quite there yet. They had the beginnings of a clue, but they didn't have the whole picture yet. "I've been thinking of retiring from movies anyway so that I can spend more time with Summer. My manager said that it would be a good time for a break anyway so that I don't get burned out. Plus, I can't imagine anything more fun than working for you."

"Leo," he called with a nod of acceptance. Leo didn't even blink, having already seen the course of questioning.

"I'll do it!" She exclaimed.

"I haven't even asked you yet," he chuckled.

"Doesn't matter," she said excitedly. "You want me to do something. Right?!"

"Ah," he confirmed in amusement for her eagerness. "You keep up with trends and you're creative. I'd like you to make sure that we stay on the cutting edge of things. I'd also like you to use your creativity to lead our marketing. Eric will have his hands full with just dealing with gossip and the upper-class opinion of us. I'd like you to focus on the middle class and advertising."

"So, I'm the Marketing Advisor?" Leo grinned. "Gigi is the Vice President, Eric is the Media Advisor, and Ore is the Security Chief, so that means that I'm the Marketing Advisor. Am I right?"

"Correct," he nodded quietly. "And Ollie is our spy."

"Sounds interesting," Ollie said from where he'd been sitting unnoticed on his skateboard in the corner of the room. "I'm guessing you want me to keep an eye on the competition, infiltrate and sabotage, and all that good shit?"

"Something like that," he sighed. "I'd also like you to keep an eye on our guys on the street. You know the rumors and gossip that I want to know about. Just keep me posted on the situation with our friends."

"Do I get to quit my job, too?" Ollie asked curiously.

"If you want," Tsuna murmured with a small grimace. "I'll find a way to supply you with pocket money one way or another."

"I don't have shit to complain about then," he shrugged.

"Mama Jill, Mike, Steve, Anderson, and Charles," he called out next. "Anderson, I know that I haven't had much of a chance to speak with you on a personal basis since Gigi has been dealing with Rascal Roger's for me, but you should know who I am by now. If you don't feel comfortable taking part in this, then let me know. I'd like all five of you to become a managing committee. Charles, you have Kink's and you're opening the Cocoa Club. Steve, you're the manager of the Den and the Dojo in my eyes. Mike, you have All-Sorts Escorts and the whore house. Mama Jill, you've got Tig Bitty's and I've seen your proposal for the Vile Mile straight club. Putting you all together, we've pretty much cornered the night life on this part of town. Anderson, you're key to that by giving the adults a safe place to leave their kids. We've done well in modifying Rascal Rogers into a teenage hotspot, but I'd like to consider a true Dry Dance Club in the future. I can't do that if I don't have a man dedicated to looking out for the welfare of a younger crowd. I'd like you to be that man, but working for me isn't going to be a picnic. You might hear things that you might not want to hear and you might hear things that might violate your morals. If you can't take part in silence, now is the time to speak up and give me the name of a replacement."

"I'll be fine, sir," Anderson replied with a crooked smile. "You can't be worse than some of the other owners that I've worked for. As long as you're not asking me to put cameras in the bathrooms to make kiddie porn, we won't have a problem. I like to think that I do have some morals, but I'm not a saint. I can get the picture just from the rumors that I've been told and the collection of people that are here. If there comes a time that I have a problem, I'll speak up then. After all, the place is yours. You could always replace me if you didn't trust me. Right now, though, I'm honestly curious to see where you're going with all of this. I'd like to come along for the ride."

"And the rest of you?" Tsuna prompted.

"I'm good," Mike said flippantly.

"I'm not much for committees, but I'm game," Charles nodded.

"It's an honor, Boss," Steve smiled.

"Consolidating, are we?" Mama Jill murmured in thought. "I'll give it a shot. Your proposal for consolidating before took care of our raid problems. I haven't seen any profits from this escort service yet, but I can be patient. I assume that this means that we need to start looking for supervisors."

"That would probably be best," he agreed. "You all have your separate areas of specialty and you're all going to be managing more than one place. The committee is for you to share resources and information along with keeping me up-to-date. As we grow, more managers might be added, but you five will be the executive committee when it comes to business matters. When things have to go to a vote, each of yours will hold the weight of two of anybody else that gets added. Consider it a privilege of being in from the beginning."

"But your vote supersedes all others," Charles said knowingly.

"There's only one Captain in a team," he replied, thinking back to what Snicker had once told him. "Daren, can I trust you for our accounting needs?"

"Uh..." Daren gaped with his eyes going round at the five members of the Committee. He was openly overwhelmed at the thought of dealing with so many accounts at once.

"I'll send my accountant to help you," Charles offered with a small smile.

"Mine, too," Mama Jill offered with a roll of her eyes. "No sense in holding back when I'm already in this deep."

"O-Oh," Daren chuckled in relief. "If I'm not alone, then yes. I think I can manage."

"You'll be top-man," Tsuna warned to ensure that things were clear. "You'll have those two to help you, but I'm still holding you accountable."

"I understand," he smiled. "I can handle it."

"You'll answer directly to Gigi," he ordered. "Gloria, Mae, I was given your newsletter. Good work. Consider yourselves hired by me if you want. You two can answer to Leo. Beebe--"

"Yes Boss!" The computer programmer squeaked while the two previous women's eyes lit up in happiness.

"You'll be our computer tech," he said simply. "Work with Ore on getting the security systems linked together."

"I can help with that!" A voice interjected. Tsuna turned slightly and nodded when he identified the voice.

"Alright, Cici," he agreed softly. "If you think that you can handle it, then work with Beebe. Marty, I assume that you'll continue to be our chief mechanic. Sergeant, I hope you'll continue as a fitness advisor and, Sassy, there's always need for a tutor. All that leaves is my secretary. Veronica," he called.

"I'm here, Boss!" She answered, once more pushing herself to the front of the group. "I just talked with the bank. You've got to go down there and fill out the paperwork, but they're more than willing to let you have the place. I think they're in Papa Paolo's pocket since they kept calling you the Sixth."

"Good work," he praised. "Gigi, get sign up sheets made for me. The rest of you that are here can pick which team that you want to work for if you want to work for me full-time. The teams that want to recruit new members will be overseen by Gigi. You'll also be errand boys and doing in-house work, so be warned. Those of you who are willing to do dirty work or hard labor, sign up with Ore. If you're good at public speaking, sign up with Eric. Eric, don't accept anyone that can't give a speech and think on his feet. Leo, you get the free thinkers and trend-mongers of the group. Gale, you're one of those, so don't think about signing up with anyone else. Does that cover everyone?"

"What about me," the dealer hiding in the back shadows of the room asked in amusement for all of the proceedings.

"I'll leave you to Ollie," Tsuna answered with an absent wave of his cigarette. "Any questions?"

"Just one, Boss," Justin replied with a sheepish grimace. "What... uh... What's going on?"

"As of half an hour ago, Orange Dragon Enterprises, was tentatively registered. There's still paperwork to take care of, but I'm taking us corporate. There's no reason not to. After doing some research, I decided that we're too disorganized as we are. The core of the Orange Dragons is small after we cleared out the trash and we have many people who have left the gang to move onto greener pastures. Because of a little luck, we've expanded into money making opportunities, but everyone is scattered. In ten minutes, I plan to fill out the paperwork to buy this building and turn it into our central base of operations in order to unify us. This place has no prior attachment to any single one of you, therefore all of you can lay claim to it equally."

"Look carefully at the people beside you.," he added quietly. "As of five minutes ago, every single one of you are a Dragon no matter what your affiliation was before. If you have any objections, then now is the time to speak up. I won't have anyone take part in this who has reservations. Snicker built the Orange Dragons into a Family so that we could look out for one another and protect each other from the dark nights on the streets. I won't let that be changed, even when money gets added into the picture. The person beside you and behind you and before you are all people that you need to look out for. Understand?"

"Yes, Boss!" Justin answered with a quiet chorus of agreement echoing with him from the rest of the group.

"I won't have anyone say that we are unworthy or that we are trash because we were once fallen," he continued, finally turning in place to look across the massive crowd stuffed into the room. "No matter how hopeless something might seem, there's always the potential to be reborn. Let's show this city that bums, whores, recovering drug addicts, beggars, eccentric thinkers, former runaways, high school drop-outs, and every other person that was once considered useless can be useful. All it takes is determination and the will to keep moving forward. Understand?!"

"Yes, Boss!" They replied in a single voice.

"Then get this shit-hole spit-shined," he ordered with a crooked grin. "I'll be back after my poker game in two days to see your progress. Gigi, they're all yours."

"Yes... Boss..." Gigi gaped. Tsuna gave her a small wink before walking forward to head to the exit so that he could fulfill his own duties. The mob of people parted like butter for him and he felt strangely at ease despite the devoted sets of eyes that watched him leave. He felt at ease because he thought that he was finally doing something to earn that respect.

He wasn't truly worthy of being their leader yet, but he vowed that he wouldn't stop until he was.


	79. Chapter 79 Lesson 2: Trust No One

"I've kept it confidential like you asked," Dr. Jules said as he flipped through the file in his hand. Tsuna didn't reply while he waited for the results. Lord Nephriam had taught him a lot on the cruise home, but there was one piece of information that he wanted verified. "There's no easy way to say it, so I'll just be blunt," Dr. Jules sighed. "The sample that you gave us was completely sterile."

Tsuna didn't blink nor did he breath while he let the information sink in. Lord Nephriam hadn't lied. The only time that werewolves or even Vampires could have children was when both parties were in the correct cycle. He'd always ignored it before, thinking that it was just hormones getting the better of him. When Snicker had been around, he just suffered through it and got relief when he could. When he'd been in jail, Danny-boy and Veronica had eased the mating frenzy that happened once a year. He only one chance, once a year, to have a child and even that would be hit and miss.

"There's a few treatments that we could try to--"

"Don't worry about treatment," Tsuna interjected with his eyelids feeling strangely heavy. "I have enough to do with just keeping the Dragons in line. I don't have room to add a kid into the mix. Anyway, could you really imagine me having one? I just wanted to know for the sake of knowing. Keep this under wraps, Jules. I still have my pride."

"I see no reason to mention it to anyone," the doctor shrugged. "I might do some underground work, but I'm still a doctor. There's such a thing as patient privilege."

"I'm serious," he said firmly as he got to his feet. "This isn't something that needs to be reported to Papa Paolo."

"I got it," he soothed. "You were never here. You might want to hurry up and leave, though. Nurse Dan should be coming in for his shift soon."

"Thanks," he murmured, reaching up to pat Jewel who was worriedly skittering in place on his shoulder. Nodding to himself, he left the room, the clinic, and the area as fast as his feet could take him. Nothing had changed, he told himself. He was still the same person that he'd been for the past two years. There was no reason to tell anyone when all they could do was pity him and pity was the last thing that he wanted on his anniversary.

He slowed once he was two blocks away from the clinic and let his feet wander. He'd decided to forgo riding his bike in honor of the day, choosing instead to walk so that he could see the world like he always had with Snicker. The alleys were just as dirty and dingy as he remembered and the bums were just as silent. It made him wish for simpler days. Days when his only worry was whether to have chili or hotdogs for dinner. There was no turning back now, though. Even if he discarded the Dragons, discarded all of his holdings, and moved to another city, Snicker wouldn't be there to share the simple times with him. All he could do was to keep moving forward in order to continue building Snicker's dream.

His dream of a house full of people and laughter--

"Well, what do we have here?"

--If only things were that simple, Tsuna thought as he turned to face the eight armed men who stepped out of a dead end alley.

"If it isn't Lazarus the Undying, walking all alone into our territory. What do you think, boys?"

"He doesn't look undead to me," one of the eight laughed. Tsuna thought quickly while he ignored their mockery and taunting. He quickly came to one important conclusion.

"Oi," he interrupted unhappily. "I don't know what you heard, but this is my territory. Disturbing the peace will not be tolerated."

"You talk pretty big for being alone," the leader scoffed while he brandished his steel bat. "There's a new gang in town now."

"Do you think you can actually touch me with that," Tsuna smiled, seeing that these fools weren't going to cower like rats. It'd been a while since he'd had a good fight. Perhaps-- No, he told himself firmly. These guys weren't strong. They were just ignorant. He couldn't give into Lynx, but just a little couldn't hurt. He had to-- No! "Leave now," he ordered simply in hopes that he could keep his will to fight under control. It wasn't his will, he mentally corrected. It was Lynx's will. He just wanted peace and quiet. "I'm not in a very good mood."

"Boss, maybe we should--"

"Shut up!" The leader ordered when his men started to hesitate. "He's just one guy! If we take out the leader of the Orange Dragons, the streets are ours for the taking!"

"Oh?" Tsuna asked in awe for their arrogance. "It looks like someone got a big head while I was in jail. Try to kill me if you want, but be warned. The price for failure will be obedience."

"Eh?" One of men gaped. "Who said anything about killing you? Boss, you just said that we got to beat him up a little."

"Go home," Tsuna ordered in disgust for the half-hearted determination. "If you come at me with less than killing intent, you won't succeed. Since none of you look like you want to become murderers, why don't you stop this while you still can? Even if you came at me at once, you'd still lose." Turning away in hopes that he could walk away from the fight, he knew that the leader's pride wouldn't let it end so easily and his intuition wasn't wrong. Even knowing that the blow was coming, he made no move to dodge. He simply paused and let the bat land. This proved to be effective in shocking his opponents into a standstill, but he wished that the leader had chosen something than his head to aim at. He knew that his bones were harder after he'd been Changed, but he still felt like his skull had been cracked open. Not that he let the effect show. He knew better than that.

"Uh..." The leader gaped, backing up several steps in surprise when Tsuna didn't flinch at the attack.

"You lose," Tsuna replied simply while fighting to keep Lynx from going into a frenzy. The instincts were part of his being. Even if he could keep Maro blocked out with his pills, Lynx was another matter. It took all of his self-control to not attack in return. The attacking leader backed up even more when Tsuna once more turned to face him and his grip loosened around his weapon. The men behind him fearfully fled, having long since lost the confidence to fight. In less than twenty seconds, the previously arrogant leader was abandoned completely. "Who's the one that's alone now?"

"D-Don't kill me," he mumbled while backing away from Tsuna's glare.

"Who said anything about killing you?" Tsuna smiled. "I said that the price of failure was obedience. You will now obediently go home, work diligently to become a good citizen, and never again trouble anyone in my territory. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes," he agreed frantically. "I won't bother you anymore!"

"Don't expect me to be generous a second time," Tsuna warned as the man started running for his life. It was a fierce internal battle to keep himself from chasing the man down, one that was over as soon as the guy turned the corner and was out of sight. His head was still ringing from the hit that he'd permitted to get through, but he felt that it had been worth it to finish things without having to hurt anyone. Sometimes it just took the image of invincibility to destroy the resolve of others. There were those out there who wouldn't have given up after the first blow failed, but he was glad that he hadn't been wrong about those men. It would have been a shame to have to annihilate them just to make an example.

Before he had his head cleared completely, he grumbled to himself as his cell phone started going off. He grumbled even more when the readout told him who was calling.

"What do you want," he snapped.

"Shit, shower, and change," Autumn replied. "I need you at the airport in an hour and a half. If you have time, get a haircut while you're at it."

"I'm busy today," he growled.

"I'm not asking, Laz," Autumn snapped in return, making him pause in surprise. "I know that it's last minute, but Daddy said that you have to be there. I'll explain when you arrive. Just make yourself presentable and don't wear anything that will make you stand out. Oh! And bring Xanxus with you."

"What's going--" Tsuna broke off when the line went dead. He wanted to growl, but he knew what the signal was from personal experience. She didn't want to waste time explaining things over and over again. Her arrogance tempted him to ignore the call, but he knew that he couldn't. It was the first time that she'd actually given him an order. Considering the short notice, the order to bring Xanxus, and the order to cut his hair, he could only think that there was a fight ahead. The short notice would be because informants were late on reporting the incoming intruders. The only reason that Xanxus would be asked to go anywhere was for drinking or fighting. The only reason that he'd need to cut his hair would be to ensure that it wouldn't get pulled in combat.

He could already feel Lynx's thirst rising.

* * *

"B-Boss...? I-Is that you?" Gigi gaped while jaws dropped across the room. Tsuna clenched his teeth and tried to ignore the reaction. He knew that his hair was short, but it wasn't like he was bald. It was harder to hide his eye without his hair, but he still had his sunglasses for that. Maybe it was the suit? Autumn had told him not to wear anything that would make him stand out, so he'd donned a simple suit instead of his imprinted Namahage jacket. Perhaps he should take out his earrings. The feather was just as much hazard as hair was, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to take it off. Since he couldn't take that off, there was no reason to take off any of the others.

"D-Does it look bad?" He asked hesitantly while trying to keep himself from pulling at the tie that was threatening to strangle him.

"Who died?" Ore asked while he slowly set down the buckets of wax that he'd been carrying across the hallway of the office building. The place was coming together, although it was obviously still a work in progress. They needed more hands to make the process go faster, but recruiting was slow. The Orange Dragons had gotten a bad reputation while he'd been in jail and two weeks wasn't enough time to fix it. Word was spreading that he was back as shown by those idiots who'd attacked him in the alley, but not fast enough in his opinion. Even with his poker winnings, they were spending more money than they were making. If he didn't start getting returns on his investments, they'd be broke within another month.

"Don't say unlucky things!" Leo gasped, throwing a glob of plaster at the giant.

"I got called in," he interjected before the two could start bickering. As he expected, the words got the attention of not only Ore, Gigi, and Leo, but also the pitiful crew of Orange Dragons that were working to refurbish the office building. He only recognized two of the faces, even though there was almost a dozen men who popped their heads out of the former classrooms in order to shamelessly eavesdrop. "Have you seen Xanxus? I was told to bring him with me and he wasn't at the Dojo."

"I haven't seen him," Gigi replied with a worried look on her face. "Have you tried to call him?"

"No," he replied with a faint blush. He had reason to blush since Veronica had programmed Xanxus' number into his phone three times and he'd deleted it three times. He'd gotten sick of the strange desire to call the man in the middle of the night when he had to face his empty room. The only way that he'd found to deal with it was to remove the temptation by getting rid of his contact information. "I don't have his number."

"I have it," Gigi replied instantly before digging into the small purse slung across her chest. Tsuna got a sinking feeling when she pulled out a pink cell phone and he got an even worse one when she proved to have Xanxus on speed dial.

"Gigi," he groaned while he gestured for her to make the call instead of doing it himself. The idea of speaking to Xanxus seemed strangely difficult, even if it was just to pass along a message. "You wouldn't happen to be an Excaliber fan, too. Would you?" Gigi's bright blush answered the question silently, leaving him wondering if Xanxus was actually safe in his supposed safe-house.

"Um, Ex-- I mean, Xanxus," Gigi spluttered into the phone. "Laz is looking for you! Here's here. Yes. Uh huh. Um, sorry about that," she mumbled with her face turning even more red.

"Tell him to meet me at the airport in ten minutes," Tsuna groaned as he started heading for the door. "Orders from above. I've got to go or I'll be late."

"He heard!" Gigi called after him. "He says that he'll be there!"

"Alright," he replied with an absent wave of farewell. "Good work on the office. Keep it up, guys."

"Laz!" Gigi exclaimed. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No," he answered honestly, pausing at the stairwell at the end of the hall. Looking down them instead of at Gigi, he tried to keep his explanation as short as possible for her sake. "I'm getting Hungry."

* * *

Sticking a fresh piece of gum into his mouth, he tried not to get upset. He tried and he failed miserably. He'd permitted himself to get worked up and this was the result. He was getting teased mercilessly about his short haircut while they waited in the airport lobby for an ally to arrive. An ally! Not an enemy. Not someone that he could hurt. Ana Martelli was arriving to report directly to Papa Paolo. Her cover had somehow been blown in Italy and she'd chosen to return before her compatriot's identities got revealed.

It was enough of an upset that the only reason that he wasn't attacking the lot of them out of frustration was because Papa Paolo's orders to stand down and wait quietly. He'd unintentionally used his Voice to reinforce his command, causing Tsuna to crouch down against a wall to satisfy the 'stand down' command. He was too embarrassed to stand back up afterward, so he continued to stay where he was at while mentally noting every insult that was thrown his way. Isaac, Barbus, and Saldez would pay for them all eventually.

So would Autumn.

"Really, Laz," she chuckled. "When I told you to get a haircut, I was just talking about a trim. There was no need to cut it all off."

"That's enough, Princess," Papa Paolo ordered. "I'm sure that he had his reasons for the new hairstyle, so you can stop with the teasing. Have you ever considered that he did it to give his business a cleaner image?"

"Eh?" Autumn asked with her and her companion's faces going blank. "His business? Are you talking about his night clubs?"

"You're behind, Princess," he admonished with a sigh. "I'm disappointed in you. Lazarus went corporate over a week ago and you still haven't congratulated him on it."

"Corporate?" She repeated in disbelief. "This is Laz that we're talking about. Right?"

"I'll believe that he's corporate as soon as I see the mail-room that he's working in," Isaac taunted.

"No," Saldez chuckled. "He's probably validating parking in--"

"Congratulations!" Poppet exclaimed, jumping out of her seat to run forward to throw her arms around Tsuna's neck. "Why didn't you tell me?! I would have thrown you a huuuuge party! What did you name it?!"

"Orange Dragon Enterprises," he answered with a sad smile for how everyone else had assumed that he was incapable of such a feat. Isaac, Saldez, and Autumn's jaws dropped, but Rachael and Barbus nodded like they'd believed it from the moment that Papa Paolo had spoken.

"Where is it at? Do you have an office?" Poppet asked, letting go of his neck so that she could bounce in place in excitement. "Can I go see it?"

"It's still being renovated, shrimp," Xanxus growled, reaching out to place a hand on her head to force her to stay still. Tsuna nodded in agreement and finally stood when a sweet voice over the intercom said that the plane that they were waiting on was finally unloading. People started surging out of the doorways to the left and right of their waiting area, but Tsuna didn't move an inch. There was a scent mingled in with that of all the passengers that made his stomach flip repeatedly. "Laz?" Xanxus asked when Tsuna's face turned green.

"I'm leaving," he murmured quietly. Slipping into the crowd that was heading for the exit, he faintly heard squeals of delight as the woman that they were waiting on appeared. Tsuna didn't want to meet her. He didn't want to speak with her. He didn't want to be anywhere near her. Not when she'd been near Gabriel before boarding her plane home.

"Xanxus," he heard Autumn call behind him as he started down the escalator. "Where did Laz go? Ana was wanting to meet him."

"He left," Xanxus answered.

"What?!" She exclaimed with her voice carrying across the airport. He didn't look back, but he could feel her eyes on him. He was tempted to jump over the crowd and disappear before she could order his return, but there was one thing that he wanted to make clear. No matter what Autumn told him or ordered him to do, he refused to have anything to do with Gabriel. "Laz!" She shouted. "Get back here!"

He froze ten feet away from the escalator, feeling the weak compulsion to return. He fought it with every fiber of his being. He hated that smell. He wasn't going to stick around and listen to the lies of Gabriel's envoy. It made him angry that she'd try to force him to stay for such a thing. It made him angry that the only times she used him was for pointless and meaningless assignments. They weren't even assignments! The only time that he was called was when that bitch wanted him to play the village idiot.

"Do you want a bloodbath?" Tsuna whispered, glaring up at her with all the hatred that had never been unleashed against her brother. He felt heat surging against his ear and a matching spark ripple across his hand, silencing his words while forcing them to blossom from nowhere into Autumn's ears. He felt the compulsion on him break while Autumn froze with a horrified look on her face at his unintentional use of his own Voice. "There's a limit to how far you can push someone before they snap, Autumn Martelli. I might serve you, but I'm not your personal jester. Don't call me again unless you're serious about giving me a chance to repay my debt. These games that you keep playing are just a waste of my time."

He stared coldly for a moment while Autumn wobbled on her feet. Then, he turned and walked out of the airport without further interruptions. He was tired of being laughed at and he was tired of being a joke of a Mafioso. He didn't want to be coddled and he didn't want to be told that simple attendance for such meaningless meetings could truly equal his debt. He knew better. There was the price of a soul to buy. There was no way that it could be bought so cheaply.

"Wait!" A voice shouted out before he could get to where his bike was in the parking lot. He ignored the voice, knowing that it had to be Ana's since he didn't recognize it. He didn't want the bitch anywhere near him, but she chased after him without bothering to wait on anyone else. "Wait!" She repeated, reaching out to grab the sleeve of his suit to stop him. He froze her with a glare, silently vowing to rip her to pieces if she touched him. He wouldn't allow himself to be soiled by Gabriel again, even if it was by second-hand contact. "You're the Sixth," the red-haired woman panted, pulling back her hand before she did the unforgivable. "Please don't leave," she begged. "I brought some important news and I swore that I wouldn't say anything unless you were present."

"Lazarus," Papa Paolo snapped as he finally caught up with them. "I don't believe that I gave you permission to leave yet. Your presence is required for this. I--"

"I'm not interested in anything that Gabriel has to say," he interrupted coldly as he mounted his bike. "If you want to believe him, then that's your decision. He's your son, but I want nothing to do with him."

"What does Gabriel...?" Papa Paolo asked in open confusion.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I don't want to know. Ask this bitch. She reeks of him."

Ana?" Autumn prompted with a shaking voice. "Have you talked to Gabriel recently?"

"Yes," she confirmed with wide eyes. "He's the one that brought the offer to me. Please, Sixth, hear me out! They're offering real peace this time and it won't work without you!"

"Lazarus," Papa Paolo interjected in a formal tone. "This is a direct order. You're to come along and listen to what Ana has to say. Do I make myself clear?"

"Do I have a choice?" Tsuna asked with a sinking feeling.

"No."

* * *

"I've done things that are unforgivable," Gabriel said with eyes full of apology. "I didn't want to admit it before, but I'm a changed man. I've been receiving counseling and I can now accept that I made mistakes. I was arrogant and selfish. I... It's hard for me to say, but I've come to wonder if I really did rape Suoh. I misunderstood his friendliness as advances and, for that, I can never apologize enough. Along with this recording, I've enclosed the footage that was taken during that incident. I'll let you decide for yourselves if I had reason to misunderstand. I believed that he was taking part willingly and he never gave me any reason to believe otherwise. I'm ashamed of myself for having taken part in it myself, but I can't change the past. All I can do it to beg for forgiveness and ask that I be given a chance to repent. Haven't I been punished enough, father?

I want to come home. I am where I am now because you taught me to survive, but it's killing me that I have to betray the only thing that I've ever held dear. I don't want to do it anymore. I've been working with the Eleventh to come up with some solution. He's a good kid who doesn't want to see our Family torn apart any more than I do, but he's also a Boss who has the future of his own Family to think about. I know that his previous offers for peace and alliance were cold and cruel, but would you have done any different if an unknown Family showed up before you with unexplained powers? Please, I beg you to consider his offer fairly. This is for both of our sakes.

Suoh, if you're still listening, I am truly sorry. It's despicable of me to have let my attraction overwhelm my sense. I should have backed off when you married Joshua, but I was scared and embarrassed. I was scared of rejection and I was embarrassed for how strong my feelings were for you. I was confused because it was the first time that I felt like that, but you are not a woman. It's always been my darkest secret that I'm not completely straight and I didn't know how to handle it, so I jumped on the first excuses that I could find in order to be with you. When you came to my house that day, I can't tell you how happy I was and I'm still not sure how much of that was the drugs talking. Then, when you agreed to making the movie, I was so wrapped up in myself that I didn't know that you were scared. I took your enjoyment as being sincere and I had no experience to tell me otherwise. So, forgive me. I'll repeat it as many times as necessary. I was wrong in what I did and I know that now.

I... I guess that's all I have to really say. Father, sister, I hope that you both are doing well. I haven't broken all of my vows. If I had, Vongola would have never bothered you after I showed them my abilities. Please believe me. I know exactly how the Glamours work, but I have not spoken a word. I'll swear by anything that you ask me to that I've not done more than use every tool that I, personally, am capable of using in order to survive. Even though I was thrown out of the Family without being given a chance to repent or explain myself, I am still a Martelli by blood. I just hope that you, my true Family, will remember that and give me a chance to show my true loyalties. Goodbye for now, father. I'll be waiting anxiously for your reply."

Tsuna clenched his teeth as the recording was paused, feeling the shift of power while being powerless to stop it. Gabriel had been smooth with just the right amount of lies and truth mixed together that it was nearly impossible to not give his words consideration. The only problem was that Tsuna had been there. There was no misunderstanding. He'd refused Gabriel and had be beaten into submission. There was no proof of that, however. He was positive that the bastard had left those parts out of the footage that he'd sent. It was probably just a collection of shots that had been taken after the drugs had kicked in. He remembered enough after that to know that even he would have trouble believing that he hadn't wanted it. The drugs had been a powerful aphrodisiac that had distorted his senses. Gabriel had already sowed the seed of doubt. If the footage was shown to the assembled group, it would just make those seeds flourish.

And he had nothing to refute it with other than words.

"He's changed his tune," Xanxus commented into the silence from where he was standing in the corner of the Castle's living room. "When I was in Italy, he was still swearing that Laz was lying through his teeth. He swore that he never laid a finger on him and that it was all a conspiracy to give Autumn and Lazarus control of the Family by removing him. Now that Laz is out of prison and the spies have probably reported back about their activities, he's trying to compensate for the fact that they only have compulsory contact and that Autumn is legitimately engaged to someone else."

"I say that we accept his apology," Saldez interjected with a stony expression. "I never liked how he was cast out anyway. I understand that swift punishment was necessary, but he has a point in saying that he was never given a chance to defend himself. Surely, a year of being shunned is more than enough to compensate for one night of ill deeds now that he has seen the error of his ways."

"It smells kind of fishy to me," Rachael murmured in thought. "What made him change his mind in the past month? No psychiatrist is that good. I think he's just telling us what we want to hear. On the other hand, he could be sincere. Whatever we decide, we should proceed carefully. It would be good to have him back and peace with Vongola assuredly rests on our treatment of his plea. We can't ignore it."

"I don't trust him," Poppet said, kicking her feet back and forth under her chair. "I don't think Laz was wrong in his judgment that Gabriel is a bad guy. He's got to be scheming something. I hope that he's not, but I'm not willing to bet the Family on it."

"I won't say that he's not planning something," Autumn said in a subdued voice. Tsuna's eyes widened and his head snapped up in shock. There was no way that Autumn of all people would-- "But he's still my brother. If he's willing to atone for his crimes, then I'd like to give him another option than ejection from the Family. I'm sorry, Laz. I know that he hurt you, but I can't leave him alone. Can't you be satisfied with the punishment that he's already received? You nearly killed him before we stopped you and he's had to suffer alone all this time. Even if he's scheming something, I want to give him a chance to prove that he's not!"

"Mercy is always a good thing," Barbus agreed with a wide smile while Tsuna felt his teeth cracking under the pressure of his frustration. "Once a man is given mercy, his whole perspective on life can change. If he was on drugs, it could explain his irrational behavior in the past. Gabriel truly could be a new man from the one that--"

"I want to see the footage," Isaac interrupted suddenly. For Tsuna, the words were a death stroke. All of them wanted Gabriel back. It was plain to him that even those who were speaking about caution were only doing it because he was in the room. They didn't want to hurt his feelings, but Gabriel mattered more to them than he did. "I'm not trying to embarrass you, Laz, but I want to see for myself so that I can make my own judgment. I think it's disgusting that something like that was video taped, but I'm sure that you can understand my point of view. I wasn't there, so the footage is the only thing that can give me any insight into what happened. If there was reason for Gabriel to misjudge the situation--"

"He used Snicker's son to lure me there," Tsuna growled while trying to keep his temper under control. "He shattered my ear drums, beat me, and drugged me. He raped me and there's no fucking way that he misunderstood any of it. Gabriel has always been good about twisting words so that he could come out on top and all of you are falling right into his hands. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to fall for his bullshit. I won't let him use me to further his own plans. I--" Clenching his teeth once more to keep himself calm, there was only one course of action that he could think to take. At this rate, the Family would tear themselves apart because of him. Especially since one fact would never change. He would hate Gabriel until the end of time for what he did.

"This is my judgment," Tsuna murmured as he stepped forward to where Papa Paolo was sitting. Reaching up, he pulled off his earring and slipped off his ring. Holding both out, the only answer that he could find was a simple one. "After today, I'm no longer part of the Martelli Family. I'll find some way to repay you for all you have done for me, but I can't continue in this fashion. Make your decision without adding me into the equation and know that I will kill your son if I ever set eyes on him. The only way to stop me is to kill me first. I won't hesitate a second time."

"Do what you think is right," Papa Paolo murmured with a pained look in his eyes. "But I can't accept those. You are Autumn's Knight and not my own."

"If you ever need anything, give me a call," he replied, tossing the jewelry onto the room's coffee table when Autumn continued to stare at the clenched hands in her lap instead of responding to the prompt. "I might not be part of the Family, but I'll still be more than happy to take any of your requests."

"Autumn!" Poppet shrieked, jumping out of her chair to run over and shake the silent statue of a woman. "Say something! Laz is going to leave! Isaac! Rachael! Somebody--!"

"I'll still see you around, Poppet," he soothed while everyone silently looked away from the pleas. No one else was going to speak up for him to stop. He'd never been more than an annoyance to the Family. He'd always caused problems and he'd never once managed to do something helpful. Without him around to confuse the issue, they'd be more unified. He knew that it was likely that they'd all choose to accept Gabriel's apology and allow his return to the Family. Even so, he felt that leaving was the thing to do. He couldn't keep perspective on the matter, so there was no Justice in his opinions. All he had to offer were painful memories and hatred.

He noted to himself to send Veronica for his things and decided that he could spend the night at the office. It was sooner than he'd expected to be sleeping there, but things were better this way. Things were always better in the way that made him unhappy. It was a measure of how little that his opinion was trusted that no one ran out after him. He made it to the garage and out of the driveway without so much as a flicker of life coming from the house. As it had always been, it was his word against Gabriel's and Gabriel had won. Only once had he been believed and that had been when he had been forced to answer to Papa Paolo alone. The fact was that he couldn't always hide behind Papa Paolo, though.

He had no idea about where he should go or what he should do, so he simply got on his bike and started driving. He was well beyond anger. He was beyond hatred. He was used to losing things to Gabriel, so this time was no different. He was just... tired. He was tired in getting caught up in the same pointless skirmishes. He was tired of continuously being haunted by the past. He was tired of the invisible weight that his debt carried. Changing the attack was impossible, but he felt that he could at least find a way to change the angle of incoming blows this way. Just a slight degree was sometimes the difference between a concussion and a glancing, undamaging strike.

Before he knew it, he was parking his bike in the dead-end alley outside of the Peephole. He thought that it was funny that he owned most of the night spots on this side of town, but he went to someone else's bar to drink. He didn't want to see anyone he knew, though, and the bar was tucked away so that he doubted that anyone would find him. Only those who knew their way through the maze of alleyways fearlessly could find the place. Although, he had no clue if it was open before dinnertime.

"Um... hello...?" He called when he saw that the place was open, yet empty. "Are you open?"

"We're always open," the bartender said. Tsuna jumped slightly, but followed the voice to where the bartender was restocking bags of peanuts under the bar. "I'll be with you in just a moment, so go ahead and take a seat. I wasn't expecting anyone to come in so early. Bad day?"

"You could say that," he confirmed as he sank down into a barstool. "I did something rash again without thinking things through first. Gigi is probably going to kill me when she finds out."

"Gigi's the dick-skirt that hangs out with you," the bartender identified with a small chuckle as he stood. "I hear that she has a mean right cross when she gets really angry."

"She does," he confirmed with a small smile. The bartender smiled in return before turning to make Tsuna's drink. Tsuna hadn't been into the place more than twice, but the bartender remembered what he'd ordered both times. Although, this time, he didn't simply hand the beer over.

"Keys," he ordered, sticking out an empty jar to receive them in. "It's a rule of the house to hand them over if you drive here. In return, you don't have to pay the bill until you come back to pick them up. That was your bike that I heard park outside. Wasn't it?"

"Um, yeah," he replied hesitantly. "But isn't it a little much to ask me to hand over--"

"Don't worry," the bartender smiled. "No one that comes here will mess with it. I've got an agreement with some of the guys that come around here. If it gets stolen, damaged, or destroyed while it's in my keeping, you can trust that it won't go unpunished. There's no one that would dare to mess with something in my keeping."

"You sound like an underground dictator," Tsuna chuckled as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and tossed them into the jar. "That wasn't really what I was thinking of, though."

"Were you thinking that I'd take your bike and sell it while you were away?" The bartender grinned while he set the beer down in front of Tsuna. It was just like he liked it. Cold and fresh from the tap with only a light dusting of foam. "Or that I'd be stupid enough to let someone else claim it?"

"A little of both," he admitted before taking a large drink from the mug. It went down as smoothly as he remembered and the alcohol did wonders to ease his worries when it hit his empty stomach. He knew better than to drink seriously, but there was absolutely no harm in drinking responsibly.

"That would be a stupid mistake on my part," he replied as he prepared a bowl of peanuts for Tsuna to snack on so that he wouldn't get sick. "I have the reputation of my bar to think about and my typical customers aren't people that would be wise to cross, if you know what I mean."

"You get a lot of gang members in here?" Tsuna asked in only mild interest.

"Not members," he answered with a secretive smile. "You haven't been coming here long, but I'll let you in on a little secret. This place has another name, Laz. Among the people that come here and are really accepted, this place is called the Rooster's Nest."

"Rooster's Nest?" Tsuna asked in growing curiosity.

"Yup," the bartender smiled. "Ordinary people would come in here and see nothing worth noticing. They'd leave and probably not come back, but someone like you can see what is special about this place."

"Ah," he agreed as the revelation hit him. "No headless chickens clucking at my heels."

"Exactly so," he laughed. "The people that frequent this place are all Roosters instead of the chicks or chickens. They come here when they need some time away from the coop, so to speak. Only someone who is always having to deal with the problems of their subordinates could appreciate this place. The atmosphere of this place is intentional, so subordinates who are carefree get bored and go to party spots while the Boss can enjoy a little piece of solitude to actually relax."

"So, I guess that makes me a Boss," Tsuna murmured sadly.

"You say that like it's a death sentence," he replied while he poured himself a mug of beer to talk over. "I've been hearing a lot of things about you lately. They say that you're ambitious and a strong leader. There's a lot of pride in this part of town for having someone like you emerge."

"It's all lies," Tsuna said quietly before taking another long drink from his beer. "I'm not ambitious. I just won't waste openings. I'm not strong, either. If I was strong..."

"You look like you're thinking of something pretty heavy," the bartender commented when Tsuna stared into his mug instead of finishing the sentence. "Whether you talk about it or not, we're the only ones here. Sometimes just putting a problem into words can make it easier to deal with."

"If only it were that simple," he replied, reaching over to grab a peanut from the bowl between them. Cracking the shell open, he tried not to think of whether or not his choice was the right one. There had been only one real option available to him. Hadn't there? "How about I give you a hypothetical situation?" Tsuna asked, popping the peanuts into his mouth before discarding the shells back into the bowl. "Say your worst enemy showed up in front of you... I'm talking about a man that hurt you and tried to take away something precious to you and one that you wouldn't hesitate to kill under normal circumstances... Say he shows up in front of you and asks forgiveness. What would you do?"

"I'd probably kill him," he answered bluntly. "For me, my most precious things are my family and my bar. If someone hurt those things or tried to take them away, no amount of apology would be enough."

"Now let me change it a little," Tsuna continued with a small nod of agreement. Draining his mug, he waited for it to be refilled before slowly continuing. "Say this man takes it away and then twists truth and lies so that you're not believed? He makes it so that everyone doubts you and turns their backs to you. When you finally do find someone to believe you and the guy gets punished, you're hated because this guy twisted the truth so much that no one can tell who's lying. It's your word against his that he even did something wrong. Then, when he comes back, admits his wrong-doing, and asks forgiveness, the people that supported you in the past want to accept the apology. Even though it means canceling his punishment and pretending that nothing happened, they say that he's been punished enough. What would you do?"

"I don't know," he murmured in serious thought. "It would be hard to say. A lot of it would depend on how severe his punishment was and how precious the thing that was taken was. It's hard to think objectively in those kind of situations. Perhaps I could be holding a grudge, but who's to say that I'm not correct in holding it? Since I was the one hurt by having something precious taken, it probably wouldn't be fair for me to decide whether or not he's been punished enough for the apology to get accepted. I can see how you'd be drinking before dinner, though."

"That's not really why," he groaned, pulling out a cigarette while he nursed his second beer. "I came to the same conclusion that you did and I already made my choice."

"What did you decide?" The bartender asked curiously. "Did you choose to kill him or forgive him?"

"I jumped ship," he answered with a crooked smile. "It's not fair for me to judge the situation, so I took myself out of the equation. He'll probably be forgiven because of it, but it didn't feel right to make a vote when I'm biased. This way, I can act on my own feelings and the people that supported me can act on theirs. Everyone wins and no one wins."

"Isn't that just running away?" He asked before casually sipping his beer.

"I don't think so," Tsuna replied, pausing in the middle of downing half of his mug. Setting the beer back down, he leaned comfortably against the bar and tried to decide which peanut to eat next. "Sometimes the only option is to retreat. If I'd stayed, they would have just stayed conflicted over the whole matter. With just one missing vote, they can be unified. Even if I'd have stayed and fought against him being forgiven, he would probably have still received it anyway. At least this way, he won't get what he really wants. I'm sure that he wants me to try to deny his lies while fighting the bits of truth that he laced into it all. That way, when he comes back, he can watch me squirm. But, instead, he'll come back under a microscope because I won't be around for everyone to question. Everyone's eyes will be focused on him and he won't be able to make trouble. If he does make trouble and tries his bullshit again, I'll just erase the problem completely."

"So that's why you quit the Martelli Family," he murmured softly. Tsuna stiffened, but the bartender looked completely uncaring that his comment showed a level of knowledge that not even the Dragons had yet. "I noticed that your ring was gone and that let me notice about your earring," he explained with a soothing smile. "It's probably not my place to say something like this, but I'm happy for you. It takes a lot of balls to walk out on the Mafia and, even though you say that you're not strong, a weak person wouldn't have been able to get away with something like that."

"No," he corrected unhappily. "It just shows that I was never really accepted into the Family in the first place. They were happy to see me leave since I was always the black sheep."

"I don't know about that," the bartender replied softly. "The black sheep is usually admired in secret for following what he believes even when it's not acceptable. I bet that there's a lot of people that won't be happy that you left."

"If there is, I can't see them," Tsuna replied. "All I see are the people that will be happy that my enemy is coming back."

"That's because you're too close to the situation," the bartender chuckled around another drink of his beer. "I guess there's some things that not even you can judge correctly. It's times like these that I'm glad that I'm a bartender. I get to see that everyone is human. Even werewolves with attitude problems."

"W-What...?" Tsuna choked. "What did you just say?"

"Now that I think about it, I never introduced myself," he laughed sheepishly. "I'm Bart, Bart the Bartender. When I was younger, I was P.J.'s Knight of Faith and part of the Martelli Family. You probably wouldn't believe it, but we have a lot in common, Laz. We both tried to get out while we could and that old fart found both of us while we were drinking a beer." Despite his shock, Tsuna looked in the direction that Bart pointed with his beer, only to choke a second time at the sight of Papa Paolo standing in the door. How he'd got in without making the door chime go off was a mystery, one that Tsuna ignored in worry for how long he'd been standing where he was. He'd masked his presence so completely that Tsuna couldn't even smell him.

"Papa Paolo...."

"I didn't think you'd come here of all places, son," he said with a quiet smile. Tsuna could only gape in reply while the man walked over and calmly sat down next to him like nothing special had happened. "I always liked this place, but I haven't been in here in long while."

"Not since you had trouble deciding what to do with Gabriel," Bart supplied as he started filling a third beer mug. "If I remember right, you cried like a little baby."

"I did nothing of the sort," he corrected with an air of dignity surrounding him. Tsuna bit hit lip and went back to quietly nursing his beer while trying to figure out how to get out of his mistake. He hadn't known that the place was connected to the Family. He'd thought that the place was completely unaffiliated. How much had Papa Paolo heard? What had he been telling the bartender? How had the bartender known what he was? Had Papa Paolo told him? "You were always poor at remembering things, so please do not make up such stories."

"I see that you still lie to yourself on a regular basis," he grinned in return. "You're still just P.J. in here, though, so drop the act. You didn't come here to be your father's heir and we both know it. Just because Laz is here isn't any reason to keep up the charade. Didn't I tell you before? Everyone sits at the same height at my bar."

"Too true," he smiled as he seemed to relax in his seat. "So, what were you and Laz talking about?"

"Who knows?" Bart shrugged with a lazy smile. "You know how forgetful I am. People say things and it just goes in one ear and out the other."

"You never change," Papa Paolo sighed in resignation. "You still don't trust me, even after all of these years."

"There's no reason to trust you," he replied nonchalantly. "I'm just a bartender with a penchant for listening to stories. It's kind of strange to have so many people come in before dinnertime, though. Any chance you have a story for me?"

"Not really," he said, looking into his mug in a way that Tsuna could sympathize with. Then he opened his mouth again and Tsuna froze in place when he told a story anyway. "My fool son is up to his tricks again. He sent a recorded message that's gotten everyone riled up. Feelings are running a bit high and I felt like giving everyone some time to cool their heels and their heads. It looks like it's going to be even harder this time."

"Oh?" Bart asked in surprise. "And why is that?"

"He made sure that everyone in the Family heard his message," he sighed. "Even though I was planning to keep it quiet, he made sure that the whole Family got a copy of his cock-and-bull story. I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Everyone is calling out to forgive him, but I've looked into Gabriel's heart. I know what kind of darkness plagues him and I can do nothing to cure it. It hurts to admit it as a father, but the Boss in me knows that no good could come from his return. Only suffering would result."

"Papa Paolo," Tsuna murmured, trying to think of a way to apologize for having disappointed him by not working harder to keep Gabriel from returning. "I--"

"You don't have to say anything," Papa Paolo interrupted. "Your choice was a fair one. I could wish that you hadn't left the Family along with your Judgment, but I understand. If my son does return, you are better off this way. I just want you to know that I've left this decision up to Autumn and the Family. I am getting old, son. My council is scattered and a new generation is almost ready to take the throne of power. It is better for this matter to be left to those who may have to one day deal with the consequences of their choice. Do you understand me?"

"Your hands are tied," Tsuna replied unhappily. Papa Paolo nodded in agreement and fell silent. Together, they sipped their beers in silence for a time while Tsuna leisurely finished his cigarette. If felt strange to sit beside Papa Paolo in such a manner when he considered everything that had happened. The fact that he could still do such a thing made him more at ease with his choice.

"This is no good," Bart sighed. Both Tsuna and Papa Paolo looked up from the beers in unison in order to stare at the bartender in curiosity. "I'll let you both in on a little secret," he said with a wink. "Both of you have the same problem right now. You have no faith. I'm not talking about faith in your Family, either. I'm talking about faith in yourselves. Both of you guys are irreplaceable. Whether or not you get acknowledged, there's a job that only you can do. Right? You shouldn't trust anyone but yourselves to do it unless you want to live a life full of what-ifs."

"That's easy to say," Tsuna murmured as he snuffed out his cigarette. "But the fact is that I can't do my job when I'm considered to be nothing more than a side-show. If a Judge isn't trusted and the ruling isn't fair, the court is thrown into disarray. I can trust myself to get the job done, but it's pointless to continue like this."

"No, I see what he means," Papa Paolo corrected softly. "It all comes back down to that. Doesn't it, Bart?"

"That's right, P.J.," he grinned before leaning over to fill Tsuna in on the secret. "It all comes down to trusting no one, Laz. If you truly want to be a fair and equal judge, you can have no favorites and you can't hold the value of one person's sworn word over another's. Whether it's your worst enemy or your best friend or even your own flesh and blood, everyone can be bought and everyone can betray you. That's why you should have faith in yourself and your own beliefs. No one can tell you the right thing to do. If you have faith in yourself and stand by your beliefs, then you are your own support even when everyone around you turns their backs on you. You can continue to stand tall that way until the stalemate breaks."

"I already get told that I'm stubborn," Tsuna grinned as he finished his beer.

"It's not just about that," Papa Paolo replied. "It's about having faith that 'I and only I' know what's right. It's about respecting the opinions of others while not allowing it to sway your thinking. Wasn't that why you backed down? Everyone's opinion was against you and you doubted yourself. If everyone had given a different opinion, would you have reacted the same way?"

"N-No," he admitted hesitantly. "If everyone hadn't been so openly on Gabriel's side, I would have just stayed silent until a verdict was reached."

"You trust too much," Bart sighed, reaching out to refill Tsuna's mug. "For regular people, that's a good thing. You can't get anywhere without trust. For guys in your position, you have to be trusted without trusting anyone but yourself. If you rely too much on the people around you, everything that you've worked for will fail when they do. If someone you trust turns on you, you won't be prepared to deal with it. On the other hand, if you don't trust anyone, then you don't have that kind of problem to worry about. You've got to strengthen your resolve so that when those around you fail, you can still keep moving forward. I've seen a lot of Bosses of small-time gangs come through here and the only ones that last are the ones that can stand alone. A group is only as strong as their leader, as they say. A good leader gives the illusion of trust and always mistrusts. That's how they survive to rebuild when things crumble around them. You can't pick up the pieces if you're one of the fallen, after all, and you'll only fall if your support crumbles."

"But if I'm my own support, I can only fall if I die," Tsuna murmured in understanding. Downing his beer in one long drink, he stood with the intention to leave. "I get it. That still doesn't change anything for me, though. I feel that what I did was the right choice. Even if I caved to their opinions and left the Family, I'm still going to stand by my beliefs. If I come across Gabriel because his punishment was lifted, I'll punish him myself. His apology was a farce and I won't be sucked into the lies that he's spouting to everyone else. I know the truth and nothing that anyone can say will change that." Heading for the door, he gave a small wave of farewell to both of them. "Thanks for the beer, Bart. I'll be back to pick up my keys tomorrow."

"Visit anytime," he replied.

* * *

Tsuna had no idea how he ended up there. Maybe the place was calling to him. All he knew was that when he arrived, he couldn't get the energy to leave. He couldn't count the times that the subway had encircled the city since he'd gotten on. He'd planned to stay on just until the next stop to save time, but he was stuck. It was as if everything hit him at once, leaving him as a complete wreck. Bart and Papa Paolo's advice echoed in his head endlessly, only making things worse when it was piled on top of the undeniable reality.

He was alone. Snicker was gone. He'd left the Martelli Family. His worst enemy was probably returning and he couldn't rely on the Dragons to face him. Even though he'd just been speaking so equally with Papa Paolo, the fact was that his son had caused a rift between them. It was a rift that made him feel that it was impossible to truthfully repay his debt and that was his job more than any other.

_"You have a job that only you can do," Bart had said._

_"You should always keep in mind that you are the Sixth. You can repay your debt simply by fulfilling those duties and protecting her from harm," was what Papa Paolo had once written him in a letter. _

The question was how to do that when he'd given up the position of the Sixth? Did it count if he continued his job even after turning away from the Family? The Sixth was supposed to stay out of the inner workings of the Family so that he could keep his perspective. Even if he didn't have the proof of his right to do such a thing, didn't it feel right to continue that work? Not that he'd ever really had any work. Autumn had never trusted--

Trust No One.

Tsuna paused when he realized the underlying problem to his biggest frustration. He'd been waiting on orders and trusting that Autumn would tell him what to do. Wasn't he supposed to be working under his own will? Why was he waiting for her judgment when he was supposed to be the judge? It was a revelation that made him feel like a fool. The Sixth wasn't supposed to dispense Justice only on behalf of the Martelli Family. The Sixth was Justice itself and Justice was blind to affiliations and the strapping of power. He didn't need a ring to tell him that he could decide what was right and wrong. He just needed to trust himself more. Wasn't that what Papa Paolo had really wanted from him? Hadn't Autumn said that she didn't need another devoted sycophant nipping at her heels?

The Sixth had to take action as his own person.

He found it amusing that he didn't figure it out until he'd given up the position, but that was completely irrelevant. The job that only he could do was to repay his debt and Papa Paolo had long ago told him how. If he trusted himself, he knew that it still wasn't too late. He didn't need anyone's permission to take up the mantle. He knew, deep down inside himself, that it was right for him to continue his work. He just needed to stop pretending. He'd made his stand where Gabriel was concerned. He just needed to start making his stand on other things.

"And here I thought that you'd be depressed."

"Xanxus?" Tsuna blinked, looking up from his seat to stare in surprise.

"Gigi said that you'd probably be here since it was your anniversary and all," Xanxus replied as he collapsed into the seat next to him. "You had a pretty nice look on your face for a minute there. Did you come up with something?"

"Uh, yeah," he blushed while wondering what expression he'd had on while he'd been thinking. "I've kind of been an idiot lately. I got so used to everything being so straight forward in jail that I forgot to look at the bigger picture. I think I understand now, though."

"So, are you going to go crying back to them?" Xanxus asked flippantly as he stuck his feet out into the aisle with a complete lack of consideration for others.

"Hell no," he answered, standing up to kick Xanxus' legs. Xanxus yanked them back before they could be stomped on and his eyes widened when Tsuna grinned. It was right, he felt, which only made him happier. He was getting used to the feeling. People who stick their legs into an aisle were asking to have them hurt. If Xanxus didn't want them hurt, he could keep them to himself. "They can make their choices, but I'm going to make my own. I don't care if it's Martelli, the Dragons, or a guy walking down the street. If they don't follow the rules, they're going to have to answer to me." Tsuna grinned even more widely and tried not to feel like he'd finally sunk his teeth into something juicy. Xanxus' eyes lit up, but the feeling of righteousness welling up in him wouldn't be suppressed. "I'll judge them all."

"I love it when you talk like that," Xanxus groaned with a matching smile. "Count me in."


	80. Chapter 80 Lesson 3: To Take a Piss

"Are you sure about this, Laz?" Gigi asked hesitantly.

"It's fine," he repeated while he ran his fingers through his hair nervously. It'd grown out again thanks to a nibble of Neve, but it still wasn't quite as long as he preferred it. Another day or two and it'd be back to the normal length that he had Dedra cut it to. His hair wasn't his issue, however. His issue was something on a much bigger scale.

He still had things that he needed to learn. It irritated him immensely that he couldn't stay at the Castle and watch from the inside, but the need to watch hadn't changed. Whether it was Papa Paolo or Autumn or someone completely unrelated, he needed to see how the successful acted. The problem with that was that he had no one successful around him anymore. Xanxus didn't count since he was Xanxus and he could no longer just walk into Pasta da Paolo like before. That meant that he had only one option of how to get into a position to watch.

He had to willingly go to a party and he had to behave.

Just the thought of having to clean up his own messes made him worry. He still had plenty of invitations to choose from since word hadn't spread that he was no longer in the Martelli Family, but there was no assurances that those invitations were still valid. He had to take the chance, however. It was his only opportunity. He had to know what the secrets were to being a good Boss so that he wouldn't fail the Dragons and so that he wouldn't fail Snicker.

When he thought about it, Autumn had went to three times as many social events and parties as he had. There had to be some secret to it. People couldn't be that bored. There was some huge event at least once a week and Autumn never missed one. He hadn't paid attention before, but there had to be a reason that she dragged herself through the functions. It couldn't be the simple desire for fame.

"Eric, Summer," he snapped before he made sure that his shirt was buttoned up properly for a second time. "Are you almost ready?"

"Just about," Eric called from the bathroom. "You said that this was a bowtie event. Right?"

"Ah," he confirmed while Gigi triple-checked the contents of her purse. "That was what the invitation said."

"I still don't see why you need us to come, but I'm not going to argue when I get to see Summer dressed like this," Eric grinned as he stepped out of the bathroom with Summer on his arm. Eric was in a simple tuxedo that matched Tsuna's and Summer was wearing a sleek evening gown that matched Gigi's. The only difference was the splashes of color that they had each chosen, but none of them looked like former whores or streetrats.

"I figure that they'll be less likely to take back the invitation if I've got you with me," he replied honestly. Offering his arm to Gigi, they walked outside together to pile into the limo that had been loaned to them. Friends were good things, especially when one needed something strange on short notice. He'd been planning on just taking a cab, but he'd forgotten that Danny's family was loaded. A few phone calls on his behalf and a limo had arrived at their door right on schedule. Danny had smiled the whole time despite not getting to go simply because Gigi had promised to stay dressed up for him after she got home.

"I wish that you'd tell us what this is all about, Laz," Gigi grumbled once the vehicle started moving. "First you turn your back on the Martelli Family without talking to any of us and, now, you're dragging us to the same parties that you used to hate. I'd complain, but things have been going almost too smoothly lately."

"I'm looking for something," he replied while he made himself comfortable for the ride. Gigi and Eric both stared at him in disbelief and Summer obliviously played with the sun roof. All three of them were completely clueless. "Besides that, we can't really afford to waste these invitations anymore. Even though people were just sending them because I was the Sixth, the fact is that they were sent for a reason. I can't let people think that I'm a nobody just because the Martelli Family isn't behind me anymore. If that happened, the Dragons could suffer. I still hate these things, but I'm going to go just this once. I'm going to make sure that people don't get the wrong idea about us, so I'm going to need all three of you to help me."

"I got it," Eric sighed in relief. "I'll help keep you from making mistakes. Really, though, you were starting to worry us."

"It's like you've been possessed," Gigi agreed, finally relaxing back into her own seat. "But if that's how it is, I can understand. You're just trying to keep our reputation from going into the gutter."

"We're a new enterprise," Tsuna murmured without giving away his other reasons for going. "The Dragons didn't have a good reputation to start with and I haven't really been helping with that. If we're going to change that, most people would start from the bottom and work their way up. I don't agree with that. Since we have the opportunity, we should work to change it at every level. The guys at the Den are working to change the opinion on street level and you guys are working to change it with the middle through our businesses. That just leaves the top and I'm the only one not doing anything."

"That's not true," Summer objected as she finally got bored with looking through all the switches. "No one would have done anything if you hadn't done something. Even if you're not around a lot of the time, everyone's been working on your orders. That's the only reason that we've come as far as we have."

"Thanks," Tsuna smiled. "But I can't really take that compliment. I need to be doing more." Once more, he got looks of disbelief, but he felt that he'd spoken nothing less than the truth. The little things that he did now weren't enough. A few words of encouragement or a final decision on meaningless choices wasn't enough. Anyone could tell the guys that they were doing a good job and anyone could decide what color of replacement carpet should go into his office. None of that stuff really mattered in the bigger picture and it was the bigger picture that he had to keep an eye on.

When the vehicle finally pulled to a stop and the doors were opened for them, he felt his heart skipping around in his chest. It was the first time that he could remember such a reaction to arriving to these kinds of functions. He hadn't cared about the progress of the evening when he'd went to them before. Now that he was working without a safety net, the scale of importance had shifted incredibly. If he blew this night, he'd never again have the opportunity to use the successful as a target for research.

"Alright," he sighed, shoving such unnecessary thoughts out of his mind so that he could settle himself. "Let's do this."

* * *

Tsuna leaned against the garden tree and tried not to groan. They'd been there for two hours. Two hours! And he still didn't get the point. He knew that parties weren't his thing, but he thought that he might get at least an inkling of purpose from the event. He'd purposely stayed away from Autumn and Papa Paolo, although he'd been courteous when they'd crossed paths. Theodore and Isaac had glared at him for daring to show his face, but he'd ignored them both. He'd thought that he could figure it out without their help, but he just didn't understand. Why were these social events so important? It couldn't be just a huge popularity contest. There had to be something more!

"You look frustrated, dear."

"Eh?" Tsuna looked up and blinked several times at the old woman standing not three feet away from him. The breeze was turned in the wrong direction for him to have caught her scent and her footsteps had been quiet ones. Although she was dressed like a rich noble and had more wrinkles and spots than a reused dishtowel, Tsuna was immediately interested in the kindness in her eyes. They reminded him of someone, but he couldn't place the resemblance.

"Forgive my rudeness," she smiled softly, giving him a polite curtsey. "I've yet to introduce myself. I am Madame Saphure. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that you've been keeping my brother, Michael, entertained."

"Michael Schmidt?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Indeed," she chuckled. "He mentioned a man bearing your resemblance who has been giving him a run for his money at poker lately."

"Oh," he blushed sheepishly. "That's me. I'm--"

"Lazarus Timberson of Orange Dragon Enterprises," she supplied as she reached out to delicately shake his hand.

"I was just going to say Lazarus," he grimaced. "But that's right."

"You act like this is your first time to one of these house parties," she murmured, gesturing for him to escort her down the garden path. He nodded and let his feet wander in the direction that she wanted. He was tempted to give up and go home, but there was still four hours until midnight.

"In a way," he admitted while he walked with her. "Is this place yours?"

"Oh no," she replied in laughter. "My home is much more modest. I'm just old friends with the host for tonight, but that is neither here nor there. I'm much more curious about you. I've been watching you since I recognized you from the description that I was given and I find myself very surprised. You act so modestly compared to most of the people here. You've stayed on the outskirts and haven't tried to gain any attention. I find myself curious as to why."

"I'm not really interested in winning popularity," he sighed, feeling ready to give up completely on reaching his goal for the night. "To be perfectly honest, the only reason that I came was to figure out why people like my old Boss find these things to be so important. I feel like there's some key thing that I'm missing."

"Alliances," she said quietly.

"Alliances?" He repeated in surprise.

"Everyone here is trying to make alliances," she explained gently. "Some try to gain attention to passively attract alliances while others actively try to create them. Alliances are important in our world. You can't really call them friends, but the people that you ally with can sometimes turn a bad deal into a good one. All it takes is a little back scratching at the right time to change the flow of transactions into your favor. If you think of it in smaller terms, it's like befriending someone who likes to study so that you can later copy their notes to prepare for a test. Does that make sense?"

"A little," he answered in mild confusion.

"The more alliances you make, the more that you can see the balance of power before it shifts," she said sympathetically, as if she truly understood the battle that he was fighting within himself. "If you befriend a lot of people who like to study, you have a lot of notes to prepare yourself for the test that will decide your grade. Correct? Just the same, if you make a lot of alliances, you have more information with which to make transactions. For example, say that my business deals with apple pies and an ally of mine grows apples. Through our alliance, he could inform me that the harvest will be poor while no one else gets that information. What do you think will happen?"

"You'd be able to move first on stockpiling and you could also find a different vendor earlier," he answered in sudden understanding. "You'd be able to get the best prices, which meant that your pies would stay the same price while everyone else's went up from the price inflation of the materials."

"Exactly so," she praised, clapping her hands together to congratulate him. If was embarrassing in a way, but he let it pass since they were alone. "You're a quick student."

"Not really," he blushed. "So everyone here is doing that kind of thing?"

"Most of them are," she confirmed. "Making alliances and gathering information about rivals are the two most important things to be done at these gatherings. There's also those who want to build a name for themselves and a reputation. Some might be trying to counter bad publicity and others are trying to show off their newest acquisitions. It all depends on the nature of the party."

"The pissing contests," he promted with a groan. "What about those? Why does everyone keep trying to top each other like that? Who cares if that guy's yacht is four feet longer than the other guys?"

"It's because the person that comes out on top is considered the best," she shrugged helplessly. "That's the way of things, dear. If you don't enter those contests, you can be viewed as inept or you can fade from the minds of those around you. For people seeking alliances, it's almost required to stay in view by winning such meaningless battles. If you're on top, you're more likely to attract attention and attention means both allies and rivals. Depending on how well you choose your battles, it can gain you fortune or ruin."

"You're pretty knowledgeable about these things," he smiled as they rounded the path to head back to the garden entrance. "I guess this means that I need to start pissing during those pissing contests."

"Be careful about who you aim at," she chuckled softly. "I'm afraid that I'll have to leave you here, though. I need to rest a while before I continue on. I can't quite keep up with young men like you."

"Oh," he murmured as he escorted her over to a bench set along the path. "Is there anything that you'd like for me to do for you? I'd like to show my appreciation for your advice. These parties make a lot more sense now. I didn't think that they were business deals in disguise."

"If you would be so kind," she said quietly as she gracefully sat down. "Could you find the host for the evening and tell him that I'm waiting in the garden for him? Tell him that I'll kindly accept his apology if he apologizes to Michael first. And please tell my brother to stop worrying about me. He's such a silly goose sometimes."

"I'll tell them," he promised without digging into the reason for the strange request. "Would you like me to bring you any water or anything?"

"No, but thank you," she smiled. "It is thoughtful of you to ask, but I'll be fine. You really are a sweet child at heart."

"Don't say that," he grimaced. "It just seems like the right thing to do since our talk helped clear up a lot of things for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it, dear," she replied. "You just run along and pass on my messages. Then you can consider us even."

"Deal," he agreed. "It was nice meeting you." Giving his farewells, he headed back for the party with purpose in his step. He understood it now. People weren't just sucking up to each other and being vain by self-flattery. They were building themselves up in the eyes of others in preparation of small-scale business battles. They were making themselves seem more financially lucrative to attract business suitors. How he pissed during the pissing contests told others how he spent his money and gave them an idea of how stable his business prospects were. It wasn't a social event for snobs to show how rich they were. It was like a moving stock market that even someone like him could understand. Instead of numbers that made no sense to him, there were people that he could interact with to change his value and growth potential!

Or something like that, he flippantly told himself. He still didn't really get it, but he had the clue that he needed. He was positive if he dove into things, it'd become clear. Thanks to Madame Saphure, he finally knew where to start looking. Watching wasn't enough. He had to listen to what people were saying, too. He had to listen and compare carefully so that he could catch the hidden meaning behind people's words. It would be hard since his people-watching as a mime had taught him nothing about reading voices, but failing would be better than not trying.

"Laz!" Gigi gasped as she hurried to meet him. "I've been looking all over for you! The host, Mr. Perdetti, wants to meet with you!"

"Perfect timing," he grinned. "Lead me to him."

"D-Did something happen?" She asked while she took his offered arm. "You were looking gloomy before, but you seem okay now."

"Nothing, really," he soothed. Leaving off the conversation, he escorted her back inside. Compared to the fresh air of the garden, the ballroom was stifling and overcrowded. Even though people still moved out of his way, he still got far closer to strangers than he preferred. Despite hating it, however, he still managed to smile and give polite responses to the comments and questions sent in his direction as he passed. He seemed to move at a snail's pace, even with Gigi tugging on his arm to help guide him in the right direction.

When he finally did reach his goal, it was to find that he was being waited on. Isaac and Theodore continued to glare while Autumn made her polite excuses to leave. He assumed that it meant that she wasn't talking to him, although Papa Paolo graciously made room for him to join the circle next to where Eric was standing with the host and Michael Schmidt himself. It gave Tsuna a sense of relief since he could pass along both messages right away.

"Mr. Perdetti," Eric introduced. "This is Lazarus Timberson of Orange Dragon Enterprises. Laz, this is Mr. Perdetti. You'd probably recognize him as the owner of Francesca Real Estate, but he's also the city's foremost expert on teas."

"It's nice to meet you," Tsuna said politely as he reached across to shake the man's hand. He looked young to be 'old friends' with Madame, but not so young that he was Tsuna's age. He seemed more in Xanxus' age range than his own. He was a happy-looking man, though, and Tsuna got the impression that he was both generous and modest. "If you know teas, then you probably frequent the tea shop down in Chinatown quite a bit. I've yet to find a more soothing mixture than Mrs. Ichigawa's tea leaves."

"No," he replied in thought. "I don't believe I've stopped by there. I typically import new flavors through an acquaintance of mine in Korea, but I haven't thought to look for something closer to home. Tell me, can this Mrs. Ichigawa make a good peppermint tea? I've yet to find one that suits my particular tastes."

"She does," he answered politely, giving Gigi a wink for how she was slightly gaping at him. "It's a lot less sweet than what you'd find in prepackaged mixtures, but I think that the sharp bite from her brew is refreshing. Her best has to be the Orange Pumpkin Spice Tea that she makes around Halloween. I've yet to find anything to compare to it. She should still have some saved back for me if you'd like to try it some time."

"That would be wonderful," he laughed in delight. "I must say that you surprise me. It's so rare to find someone that can appreciate the variety of teas that are in the world. I always find it disappointing how the discussion gets turned to wine. Lately, I find the topic to be comparable to talking about the weather. Everyone seems to have an opinion! So boring."

"I'll have to admit that I know very little about wine," Tsuna smiled sympathetically. "When it comes to liquor, I'm more of a whiskey and beer man."

"Rightly so!" Mr. Perdetti laughed openly in amusement, sending everyone else in the group into matching laughter. Tsuna didn't get what was so funny, but he let out a hesitant chuckle to cover for himself. "I like your blunt honesty, Mr. Timberson. It makes me wish that I'd had the nerve to speak to you before now."

"I'm afraid that my nature gets me in trouble far more often than not," Tsuna replied, seeing the end of their conversation in sight. His gut said that staying any longer would overstay his welcome, while leaving now would keep him on friendly terms with the man for the future. It was also the perfect opening to allow him to pass along his message as promised. He didn't want Madame to be kept waiting for much longer. "I believed that I promised Gigi a dance, but I was asked to give you a message when I saw you."

"Oh?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes," he nodded. "Madame Saphure is waiting in the garden for you to apologize, but you should first apologize to Michael--" Tsuna froze. He'd made some kind of mistake, but he didn't know what. All he knew was that, from the three wine glasses that shattered on the floor, it was serious.

"Oh my god," Papa Paolo gasped in shock while silence started spreading through the room.

"Laz..." Eric groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Uh oh," Gigi whimpered. Tsuna didn't need the commentary. He could tell for himself that he'd said something terribly wrong. All he'd done was pass along a message, though! How was he supposed to know that it was about a taboo subject?! Madame had seemed like a nice enough person. She hadn't seemed like the manipulating type at all!

"I should have known," Mr. Perdetti mumbled while Tsuna tried to figure out the escape route. "I knew that it was a risk to invite you here, but I honestly thought the rumors about you were wrong." Tsuna flinched, but he knew that he deserved it. He'd made a mess again, even though he'd been trying so hard not to and it only got worse. Tsuna could only stand with a blank look on his face when Mr. Perdetti started openly crying. It was a joke, Tsuna thought to himself. It had to be a joke. Why the hell would someone start crying because they were told to apologize? "It's true what they say," he continued with a miserable expression crossing his face. "You won't let any injustice pass unnotice. I-I... I don't have a choice. Do I?"

"Francis?" Michael prompted softly while Tsuna simply stared with a complete lack of understanding. What was the guy talking about?

"I did it," he sobbed as he turned to face the older businessman beside him. "I'm so sorry, Michael. It was an accident. I didn't know that she was allergic to nuts, but it's still my fault. I'm the one that ordered ground almonds to be added to the tea that day. I'm sorry for lying to you about it. We've been friends for over eight years, but I didn't have the courage to tell you."

"So that's why you always go to her grave on her birthday," Michael replied solemnly. "I thought that you were feeling guilty about something, but I didn't know that you were the one that caused her death."

"Eh?" Tsuna choked, completely unable to follow the conversation. Both men froze and Tsuna felt all eyes gravitate toward him.

"What's wrong, Laz?" Papa Paolo asked curiously. "Isn't this the outcome that you were wanting? The truth about Madame Saphure's sudden death is now known to all. She finally has justice."

"What are you talking about?!" Tsuna spluttered with a face quickly growing red in confusion and embarrassment. This was definitely a huge prank, but he didn't think that there was anyone who would go so far to embarrass him. "I just talked to Madame outside!"

"That's impossible, Laz," Michael objected with a scowl. "My sister died four years ago. I don't know what game--" Michael broke off and the silence stretched. No one said a word while all the blood drained from Tsuna's face. It was impossible. He'd just talked to her, but it was impossible. His gut said that Michael was telling the truth.

"I-If she's dead," he asked with his horror written all over his face. "Then w-who... ?"

"I think you've had too much to drink, Laz," Gigi answered with her own pale face.

"I haven't seen him drink anything tonight," Eric objected in worry.

"Oh lord," Papa Paolo groaned.

"D-Don't joke around," Tsuna gasped, slowly turning his head to look at the garden doors. He felt like a robotic puppet. He wanted to look, but he was terrified to look. Madame had been real. She'd talked to him and had given him advice. He had to see, though. When the shadows outside the door were empty, he decided that he had to go out there and see. "S-She was right there," he trembled.

"You're serious," Michael murmured in shock. "You really saw her."

"Laz, you need to stop this," Autumn growled from behind him. "Your delusions have gone on long eno--"

"Shut up," he snapped, feeling his resolve solidify in the face of open doubt. "I know what I saw and I don't need the opinion of someone like you. She was as solid and real as any other person here. She said that her name was Madame Saphure. She told me to find the host of the party and to tell him that she was waiting in the garden for his apology after he apologized to Michael. She also said that Michael shouldn't worry and that he was a silly goose. I... I'm going to look. If it was an imposter, I want to know who it--"

"No need for that," Madame Saphure murmured when he boldly stepped forward. Tsuna froze when she stepped out from the crowd and smiled at him. "I've caught up with you, dear."

"Ghost--!"

* * *

"Ngn--" Tsuna groaned. Opening his eyes, he groaned even more at the worriedly hovering face of Gigi. He remembered everything and he felt something far worse than fear. He felt embarrassment. He'd completely humiliated himself by fainting over a silly ghost. There was no recovering from such a spectacle. "Pathetic," he mumbled as he slowly sat up. As soon as he looked around to find that he was in one of the mansion's parlors, he paused at the sight of Autumn sitting unhappily in the corner of the room.

"Very pathetic," she agreed with a mocking smirk.

"It's not your fault, Laz," Gigi soothed while Tsuna glared at Autumn for the insult. "I thought that I was going to faint, too! I thought that you really had seen a ghost!"

"Who was she," he asked, pointedly tearing his eyes away from Autumn.

"M-Madame Sulphur," she answered with a grimace. "It's kind of a funny story. I'm still not quite sure that I believe it. She's Mr. Perdetti's mother-in-law and you apparently misheard her name. When she told you to tell him to apologize, she was talking about a completely different matter. She said that she--"

"No," Tsuna corrected, already understanding the situation completely. He wasn't quite sure how he knew, but he knew. "She tricked me on purpose and I fell for it completely. She didn't just tell me her name. She told me that she recognized me from her brother's description. She even cited our poker game. She knew who I was and she said just the right amount that I didn't put my guard up. Somehow, she knew that Mr. Perdetti poisoned Madame's tea and she used me to get him to confess. Whatever she told you was a complete lie to cover her tracks. I didn't mishear her. She lied to me and I want to know why I couldn't tell."

"You're not a lie detector," Gigi soothed. "You--"

"I always know when I'm being lied to," he snapped angrily. It wasn't possible. His intuition had never failed him before, so why had it failed him now?

"If that's true, then tell me if I'm lying," Gigi replied in aggravation for his stubborn attitude. "I had a salad for lunch."

"Lie," he growled through clenched teeth.

"I had a sandwich for lunch."

"Lie."

"I had three hamburgers and chili fries for lunch."

"Lie."

"I had two hamburgers and half of Danny's bag of chips," she said with her confidence faltering.

"True.

"I have twenty three dollars in my wallet."

"Lie."

"I have sixty three dollars in my wallet."

"Lie."

"I have two hundred," she said as she started growing hesitant.

"Lie."

"Eight."

"True."

"I-I--"

"How many times do I have to prove myself before I'll be believed?" Tsuna asked with his glare switching between Gigi and the suddenly pale Autumn. "I've always known when you lie to me. I don't question it because I know that everyone has secrets that they want to keep. That's not the issue here. The issue is why I got lied to and didn't notice it."

"It's not widely known, but Madame Sulphur worked as a medium for ghosts when she was younger," Autumn interjected. "It's possible that she wasn't lying to you. She just wasn't herself at the time. Of course, that's assuming that you believe in ghosts."

"I believe," he replied, thinking back to the unforgettable dare of courage that he'd once been forced through. He'd thought that he'd forgotten all about those days, but apparently not. He'd been more terrified this time than the first since he'd had an actual experience to go off of. "That's a relief to hear. I thought something might have been wrong with me. So I really did talk to a ghost?"

"Something _is _wrong with you," she sighed in resignation. "I swear. You think there's something wrong because someone lied to you and got away with it. Do you know how moronic that sounds? You really are delusional."

"Why are you here, Autumn?" Tsuna asked while he tried to keep himself from grinding his jaw. "I'm not part of the Family. You don't have to clean up my messes anymore."

"I didn't plan to clean up your mess," she replied with her eye twitching in frustration.

"Then did you come to gloat and laugh at me?" He growled.

"No," she barked as she jumped to her feet. "For your information, I came to tell you that you can come back to the Family under one condition--"

"What was decided with Gabriel?" Tsuna interrupted.

"He's coming home, of course," she replied bluntly. "That's why--"

"I'm not interested in going back, then," he murmured while Gigi's eyes widened in shock. He'd told them that he'd quit the Family, but he hadn't told them more than that it'd been a difference of opinion. "I'm assuming that your condition is that I don't lay a hand on him. Am I right?"

"Y-Yes," she answered as she toppled off of her high horse. She'd obviously thought that he'd leap at the chance to be let back into the Family since it would have meant that he didn't have to deal with cleaning up his blunder. She'd tried to get to him while he was down, but he was prepared. He still had his second lesson in mind, even if he hadn't thought that it was relevant to Madame Sulphur's simple request. Trust No One. He could suffer a little embarrassment and he at least felt that he had repaid the gift of learning that he'd received from Madame. She'd taught him not just once, but twice. Piss during a Pissing Contest and Underestimate No One.

"Gigi, can you make sure that we're not interrupted?" Tsuna asked softly. "Me and _Princess _here need to have a little talk."

"Um... sure..." Gigi mumbled, scrambling to her feet before rushing out to guard the door. Tsuna didn't move from his seat, although he did shift slightly so that he could pull out a piece of gum and a cigarette. He let the silence stretch while he took care of his two addictions, waiting to see if she had the guts to make the first move. She did, which was one of the few reasons that he'd always respected her.

"Do you really think you can make it without the Family, Laz?" She asked as she sat back down in a regal manner. It suited her, he thought. She'd always had the air of nobility around her, but it'd sharpened since he'd first met her. Back then, it'd been a noble maiden. Then it'd grown into the dignity of a princess. Now, though... The woman that sat before him was nothing less than a queen.

"Yes," he finally answered with the blunt honesty that Mr. Perdetti had praised. "The only reason that I ever joined you guys were to get protection from Vongola. I should have realized it when I fought Hibari, but you guys are incapable of protecting me. If I don't protect myself, no one will. The Family has been useful for the small favors that I've gotten from you guys, but I can live without those. When it comes to big favors, I hope that I'll never be in need of one. If I do, I'll negotiate with you when that time comes."

"What about your debt?" Autumn asked with what could only be a poker face.

"I'll repay it," he promised. "I made a promise and--"

"My brother," she interrupted, making Tsuna freeze with his cigarette against his lips. "Swear to me that you won't ever lay a finger on my brother and I'll consider us even."

Tsuna didn't reply at first. The offer was tempting beyond belief. He could be free of them once and for all. It would be an even trade. His hatred for Gabriel ran as deep as his love for Snicker. It wouldn't be right, though. He couldn't let thoughts of freedom blind him. To ignore Gabriel would be sentencing innocent people to suffer. It was only Autumn's whim and personal opinions that were bringing Gabriel back to the city and he didn't owe only her. He owed Papa Paolo, too. Making such a promise would hurt Papa Paolo and possibly even Autumn. He was the only one that could see Gabriel's mechanizations, so he was the only one that could protect them. Although she said that it would clear his debt, Tsuna didn't think that it would. Not when such a promise harmed the very people that he owed.

"No deal," he murmured as he finally took the inhale off of his cigarette. "I won't make any deals with you when it comes to that anymore. I've already made a promise to your father on how to repay that and I don't have to stay under your thumb to keep it. You have nothing to bargain with that I want, Autumn, so let me make things nice and clear for you. When it comes to Gabriel--"

"Please, Laz," Autumn interrupted. "He's the only brother that I've got." Tsuna clenched his teeth together and tried to force himself to ignore the tears welling up in Autumn's eyes. He knew that she was faking and he wouldn't give into such a cheap trick.

"When it comes to Gabriel--"

"Do I have to get down on my knees and beg?" Autumn asked as she slid out of her seat and actually got on her knees. Tsuna's jaw locked in place while he silently cursed her. "I want my brother back, Laz, and I don't want to fear for his safety. You're right when you say that I don't have anything to offer, but do you think this is really fair to me? I have my pride, so I don't want to admit that you're strong, but I know that you really could kill him. I don't want to see either of you hurt, so can't you just let go of your hatred? I know that he hurt you, but you're not the only one that's been hurt! How do you think I've felt all this time?! You're one of the only friends I ever really had! Why do I have to choose between you and the brother that I was borne with?!"

"Fine."

"Do you know what it's like to--" Autumn broke off and her tears stopped instantly in shock. He could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't look up. She'd got him. If the plea had been on behalf of her brother, he would have refused endlessly. She wasn't making the plea for him, though. She was making it for herself. Her pain was real and it was like a dagger twisting him in the gut. It was a request that he couldn't refuse. The pain of others was so much more painful than his own. "What...?"

"You fucking win," he mumbled unhappily. "If Gabriel commits no further crimes, then I'll leave him alone. But know that if he slips up just once... just one time... I won't hesitate. Even if it means that all of Martelli is out for my blood, I won't hesitate."

"But what if he..." Autumn paled and Tsuna took some comfort in the fact. She was finally coming to understand the severity of the situation. If Gabriel slipped, Tsuna would become a hunted murderer and she'd be out a brother. She'd lose both of them because she had been too greedy. There was also the possibility that Gabriel could set a trap. If he purposely slipped up to lure Tsuna into attacking him, the Family would still be out for Tsuna's blood. The result would likely end with Tsuna's death and she'd still only have one of them. If she'd just trusted his judgment to begin with and hadn't lifted Gabriel's punishment, she could have lived the rest of her life knowing that they were both safe even if they weren't with her. "Laz, you can't do that!"

"It's my job to ensure that there's Justice," he replied softly. "Even if he's your brother, he's not immune to judgment. I'll let him off for now, but I'll be keeping my eyes open."

"That's not your job anymore!" Autumn objected as she jumped to her feet to run over and shake sense into him. Her nails dug into his shoulders in panic, but he ignored it. It was too late to change anything. He'd already made the promises. "Are you listening to me, Laz?!" She shrieked frantically. "You're not part of the Family anymore, so--"

"It was a promise," he interrupted softly. Reaching up, he pulled her down into his lap where she started weeping uncontrollably onto his shoulder. It was the first time that he could remember her ever crying in such a way. He'd seen her tearful a few times and he'd even seen her shed a few. It was the first time that he'd seen her truly weep, though. I made him both happy and sad. He disliked the fact that he was the cause, but he felt a little lance of real happiness blossom inside of him due to the fact that she cared that much about him. Autumn wasn't the type of person to cry over just anyone. She also wasn't the type to cry _in front _of just anyone. She hid her feelings well, but this was one time that he could see right through her. "I didn't know that you cared so much about me," he said gently when she finally started to get control of herself. "I guess all that name-calling is really just tomboy affection."

"Who'd like someone like you?" She mumbled, pulling back to reveal a miserable and horrendous expression. He couldn't help but pity her. Her makeup was ruined and she kept having to sniff to keep her nose from running. Even worse, she'd cried so hard in just a few minutes that her face had turned splotchy. Even so, he had the strangest thought go through his head.

Gorgeous.

"Who are you kidding?" She sniffed, telling him that he'd spoken aloud. "I probably look horrible and it's all your fault! Why do you have to be so stubborn?!"

"Would you prefer that I leave him to hurt innocent people?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"A-At least bring me proof before you hurt him," she replied with a pained expression. Tsuna blinked in surprise when she put her head on his shoulder again instead of getting off again. He thought that the part where he got to hold her while she cried was over, but she didn't look ready to move. Not that he was complaining, but he thought that they were having a fight. Or were they? He wasn't sure since understanding women was impossible. "If you can bring me proof, then I can take responsibility. That's my job, Laz. You shouldn't have to be punished for correcting my mistake if I'm wrong about my brother. I don't want to lose both of you."

"I'll bring it if I can find any," he promised, reaching up to lazily run his fingers through her loose hair. "I can't promise that I'll definitely have any, but I'll promise to give it to you if I do. Will that make you rest a little easier?"

"You're not really a bad guy, Laz," he replied into his shoulder.

"It's about time that you--"

"You're arrogant, pig-headed, and delusional at times," she continued blithely. "You also have an attitude problem, mental issues, and you're a werewolf. But... over all that... There's times that I think that you're the best friend that I have. Even though it hurts to hear the truth sometimes, you never tell me what you know I want to hear. And, even when the impossible is being asked of you, you put other people before yourself. You're such an idiot sometimes, and sometimes you're such a hard-ass, and other times you're a really nice guy. You've got all these sides to you and I feel so confused when I'm dealing with you."

"I keep life interesting," he chuckled. Turning his head so that he could look at her, he ignored all of her makeup and the traces of her tears while he looked into her eyes. "Autumn, I want you to know something. I might have quit the Family, but I'm still serving it. I gave up the tokens because I saw a rift forming in the Family, but I didn't really give up on being your Sixth. Papa Paolo always said that I was the wild card that was kept in reserve to protect the Family. He also said that I'm supposed to stay out of Family affairs so that I can keep my perspective. No matter what I've said, all I've done is follow those guidelines."

"That's why you left?" Autumn asked, lifting her head up from his shoulder once more.

"Ah," he nodded. Leaning back in his seat, he reached to the side table to flick the ash on his cigarette into an ashtray. Then he leaned back in his seat and casually placed a hand on Autumn's leg to keep her from moving off of his lap. It felt too nice to have her there and he wasn't quite ready to let her get up. "No matter what you ask of me, I can't give up my hatred and my suspicion. If I'd officially stayed in the Family, that would have only caused problems when Gabriel returned. I could tell the moment that Isaac asked to watch the footage that Gabriel had won, too. I don't trust Gabriel and I'm expecting him to come after me one way or another. When he does and I kill him, don't you think that it's better if the Family aren't conflicted over the matter? I'd rather let them hate me as a unified group than fight amongst themselves about whether or not I'm justified in my actions."

"That's... How long did it take you to think of that?" Autumn asked in open surprise.

"It started somewhere after Saldez said to forgive him and Poppet said not to," he shrugged. "What I'm trying to say, though, is that you don't have to worry. Leave hating and suspecting your brother of wrong-doing to me and enjoy what time you can with him. Even if I'm biased against him, I'll keep my promise. I won't harm him unless he commits a new crime and I'll make the punishment fair. Even if I can't keep objectivity, I'll keep reminding myself that hurting him is akin to hurting you. Will that make you happy?"

"No," she answered with a pout. "What would make me happy is if you two could put your past behind you, but I guess I'll have to settle for this."

"He lied, Autumn," he replied in frustration. "Don't believe that load of crap that he said. He didn't misunderstand any--"

"But the footage," she objected with a grimace. Tsuna bowed his head, having long known that Gabriel's so-called proof would damn him. "You came, Laz."

"You can say the cruelest things sometimes," he replied without looking up. "The body can only take so much stimulation and I was drugged the entire time. My body might have felt pleasure, but do you really think that I enjoyed any of it? I couldn't fight back, even if I wanted to! I couldn't even speak! I couldn't move! You asked me to understand your feelings, so why don't you try to understand mine?! I refused Gabriel and he took what he wanted anyway! Do you know what it feels like to have no control over what's done to you?! Do you have any idea what it feels like to be so terrified that you can't even scream?! Gabriel--"

"I'm sorry," Autumn interrupted. Her arms seemed to fly around his neck and he paused when he realized that he had tears in his own eyes. It made him want to curse himself while he blinked them away. He wasn't going to cry because of Gabriel. Hadn't he sworn to himself that he'd become stronger than that? Even so, the temptation was there due to how Autumn was openly offering her shoulder. He thought that it was both ironic and sad that Autumn was the one trying to comfort him this time.

"Things would be a lot easier if you weren't related to him," he murmured while he carefully tossed his cigarette into the ashtray so that it wouldn't burn her. Then he wrapped his arms around her and silently accepted what little comfort that she could offer him. She didn't have an invincible strength that could shelter him, but having her hug him allowed him to keep himself focused on the bigger picture. His own wounds were deep ones, but it was his duty to ignore them for her sake. Gabriel wasn't just a threat to him. He was a threat to everyone with his malicious and selfish nature. He had to protect her from that since she was too blinded to do it for herself.

He... wanted... to protect her.

Almost as soon as he noticed for himself that he wasn't making his choices because of cold-hearted loyalty, she seemed to finally realize the position that they were in. He could tell that she was becoming self-conscious and embarrassed as she pulled away, but there was something that he found even more important. He felt calm. Where talking about Gabriel usually left him feeling upset, hesitant, and weak, he felt that he really did have the strength to face the future. He felt that way because of the stirrings of warmth and comfort that Autumn had freely gifted to him. Unwittingly, she'd put him at ease with a simple hug.

"Wow," he mumbled in awe of her uncanny ability. He wanted to feel it again, he thought instantly. Reaching out to stop her from getting up, he said the first thing that came to mind out of that desire. "Have an affair with me."

"W-What?!" She spluttered.

"You heard me," he replied, leaning forward to whisper into her ear. "Have an affair with me. No one has to know and it can be our little secret."

"What are you saying?" Autumn objected predictably. "I couldn't--"

"You don't love Theodore," he countered. "I know that you don't love me, either, but I'm still good for other things. You can tell me no if you want, but I think that we'd both get something out of it. It can be no strings attached, just like before. You can cut me loose whenever you feel like it and I won't complain."

"W-Why me?" She gaped. The question gave him hope.

"Because you're a friend," he answered honestly. "And we have a lot in common. I don't think either of us would regret it and--"

"Go get a girlfriend, Laz," Autumn said as she slipped off of his lap. Tsuna grimaced when she went to get her purse so that she could retrieve a handkerchief and a mirror. She was pointedly not looking at him and Tsuna had no clue how to read the action. Was she interested and hiding it? Was she mad and being polite? In a mere instant, she walled herself in so much that he couldn't get anything from her. He guessed that meant that he'd been rejected.

"This might be the last time that we see each other," he commented. Standing, he started putting his own clothes in order so that he could return to the party. Someone had untied his bow and his collar was unbuttoned. Both were easily fixed, as was smoothing down the black blazer that had come with the tuxedo.

"I'll think about it," she replied. Tsuna paused in the middle of reaching down to buff a spot off of his shoes, positive that he'd misheard her. "Get a girlfriend or something first, though," she said, proving that he hadn't heard wrong. He straightened back up and simply stared at her while she continued to fix her makeup. "There's going to be enough rumors about us being alone in here for so long. I'll give you a call if I feel like it, but don't get your hopes up. If I do decide to have an affair, guys like you are a dime a dozen."

"Fair enough," he chuckled with an irresistible grin. She wasn't walled off from him. She was just back to normal. "What we talked about isn't to go outside of here," he added, getting a sharp glance in return for the idiotic insinuation that she would actually tell someone. "I'm not just talking about this. I'm talking about all of it. The Family doesn't need to know anything other than that I'm not going back."

"Agreed," she blushed. Tsuna grinned at her, knowing that she was probably embarrassed beyond measure when she thought about how she'd gotten down on her knees. "Just don't forget your promises and I'll... I'll try to keep my brother away from you when he gets back."

"I'll take care of that," he replied with a grimace at the reminder. "I'll file for restraining orders. That way, the law can handle him until he does something that I can't ignore."

"Thank you," Autumn mumbled sadly as she tucked her compact back into her purse. Tsuna smiled at how quickly she'd fixed the damage caused by her crying. She really was amazing in some of the strangest ways.

"I guess it's time to go take a piss," he sighed.

"Piss?" Autumn choked.

"This is all a big pissing contest," he grinned. "Why don't we go see if I can win any rounds?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," he mumbled as he opened the door for her. "You still haven't cleaned up your last mess and you're already planning to make another one."

"Don't worry about that," he replied with a wink. Giving a small nod of appreciation to Gigi for watching the door, he offered his arm so that she could lead the way down the hallway in the direction that the party was in. "Just watch and learn, Autumn."

* * *

"Ghost!" Tsuna choked, pointing at the woman who'd approached him to apologize. Everyone around him froze with a dumbfounded look on their faces. Then he grinned to let them know that he was joking and they broke out into soft laughter.

"Don't do that!" Gigi exclaimed with a playful slap on his arm. "I thought that you were going to faint again!"

"As did I," Madame Sulphur chuckled as the crowd around them stretched their ears to listen. "I can not tell you how apologetic I am for this dreadful confusion."

"The fault lies with me," he objected graciously. "I shouldn't have come so unprepared. I'm afraid that I've truly shown my ignorance of the guests gathered here tonight. Perhaps you would be so kind as to introduce me around so that I will not again repeat my mistake."

"It would be a pleasure," he agreed with a knowing smile. Gigi understood the cue and broke away to fade into the crowd so that Madame would be able to take his arm. Once she was in place, an absent wave of the old woman's hand was all it took to tell him which direction to go in. As they walked, they chatted about meaningless things. At least, they started out meaningless. "It must be quite embarrassing to have fainted. Are you positive that you are alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied, giving a small nod of hello to people who caught his eye as they passed. "I was once confronted with a ghost when I was a teenager, so the thought of facing another was somewhat overwhelming. I'm not ashamed of the fear since a true ghost is a terrifying thing. Although disastrous for my debut, I can not change who I am."

"You consider this night to be your debut?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought that you had a debut on the same night as Autumn Martelli."

"Ah," he smiled. "But that was different and I am no longer standing under her shadow. Tonight, I am here as my own man with my own achievements. I truly wished for it to be made clear that my success will not falter even though I am no longer affiliated with the Martelli Family. I don't know what rumors have circulated about me, but I am a businessman and nothing more."

"Then you are not the villainous gang leader that others would have you painted as?" She asked, bringing him to a stop in the center of the crowded ballroom. Tsuna smiled, able to see clearly what she was doing with the raised pitch of her voice and her choice of placement for him. She was purposely talking so that others could listen into the conversation.

"Of course not," he laughed. Reaching out to stop a passing waiter, he snatched up a glass of wine for both of them. The gleam in her eyes sharpened as she accepted hers and took a step away to create a space between them. Tsuna could already tell what was to happen. That little space was small for now, but it would grow when people gave up eavesdropping in order to approach and listen openly to their conversation. "It's true that people have misunderstood the Orange Dragons to be a gang, but it is nothing more than a profitable charity organization."

"Profitable charity is something of an oxymoron," a man said as he boldly invited himself into the group. "Forgive me for intruding, but such a statement has caught my interest."

"Lazarus Timberson, this is Dean Yulesboro of the local University," Madame introduced. "Dean, this is Lazarus Timberson of Orange Dragon Enterprises."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tsuna smiled, reaching out to shake the man's hand. "As for the oxymoron, it is one of many true ones in this world. The Orange Dragons are profitable to me, but it is charity for many who volunteer to join. You see, for every one paying person that we open our doors to, we also take in one homeless person off of the streets. The paying man gets cheaper living conditions than normal, while the homeless half pays through labor until he can join the ranks of the working class. The cost of his wages goes to me since I'm providing his room and board, which gives him incentive to find a job that isn't provided by me."

"Isn't that basically a serf?" Madame asked sharply.

"Yes," he admitted. "But there is no contract and the amount of labor that I assign is nowhere near enough to cover their living expenses. They have days off and plenty of hours each day after their work for me that they can go looking for other work. Everyone who has joined the Orange Dragons know that they can pay for their privileges with either work or money and they are free to leave at any time. I am not some thug that keeps my people against their will and we've had several success stories. For example, one Orange Dragon had been living under a tarp before he joined. He didn't have a penny to his name and he was begging on the street for left-overs. He now has moved out of my facility and into an affordable apartment. He works as a taxi driver, if I remember correctly."

"You're talking about Tracer," Eric supplied as he joined the group. The conversation paused for a moment as Eric was introduced to the Dean before picking up once more as if it'd never stopped. "You chose a modest success story, Laz," he laughed.

"It was the first that came to mind," he admitted with a smile.

"Then what about me?" Eric asked.

"You?" The Dean spluttered as the comment attracted several more people into joining the growing circle. Once more, introductions went around before the conversation continued.

"Yes, me," Eric confirmed with a grin. "When Laz found me, I was a drop-out and I was planning on running away from home. When he started opening his doors, I was one of the first to move into his starter facility. Back then, I was just doing mime and I couldn't afford even a single meal on my own. Laz sheltered me through my first steps into the acting world until I became the man before you. Even now, I still reside within an Orange Dragon facility simply for ease. Although, his price ratio for rent kills me sometimes."

"If you've got a job, it's fifty percent of your check to live in the facility, no matter how much you make," Tsuna explained with a grin. "I've told you at least a hundred times that you could move out and save that money for yourself. Not that I'm complaining if you stay. It's guys like you that are keeping the place profitable."

"Don't be so modest, Laz," Summer chuckled at his side. "Even without the profits from the Orange Dragons, you've still got all your other businesses."

"Oh?" Madame asked curiously. "I find this intriguing. I haven't heard of any new openings lately."

"Not openings," Tsuna agreed. "Reopening. I've been buying and upgrading clubs that aren't quite as profitable as they once were. We're also creating new clubs to fill niche needs that have previously been ignored. If someone wants a drink, I plan to offer a place to go for everyone. If you want someone to drink it with, I can offer that, too. Right now, we're mostly focusing on clubs and night spots, but I hope to expand into retail and automotive in the future. The estimated returns on my investments have been very positive so far, which is why we decided to make our stand by going corporate."

"I think I heard something about that," one of the women who'd joined them commented. "I think the newspaper called it a dark horse."

"We are a bit of a dark horse," Tsuna laughed, deciding to be perfectly honest. "But that's only because of the simple truth. Me and those working for me mostly came out of the gutter. We have no history nor do we have anything to lose. The only direction for us to go is up and, once we get there, I will not let us fall. My determination and the determination of those with me are solid. No matter how dirty the fight gets or how hard the road ahead is, we'll climb until there's nothing left to climb."

"Quite ambitious," Madame murmured in open amusement. "Do you have anything to back up your claims? I'm not one to buy stock in empty promises."

"But that's the best part," he grinned, holding up a single finger to catch everyone's attention. "I'm not selling stock. I am the majority shareholder in Orange Dragon Enterprises and the rest of the stocks have already been divided up to the Orange Dragons themselves. I have no need of talking people into buying into my promises. I'll stand firm under my own power and not on the backs of hesitant investors."

"Shrewd," another man commented. "By making such a bold claim, I'll admit that you've caught my interest. There are far too many who show up with claims of reaching the top, but end up failing because of their reliance on supporters. For you to say that you're not selling shows a confidence that's far too rare. My only question is whether it's false-confidence."

"I am not standing on a pedestal," he shrugged. "Only time will be able to answer that question. When it does, only those that had faith from the beginning will be able to profit."

"That's why I said that you were shrewd," he grinned, tipping his glass in Tsuna's direction. "But that is enough about your business. What about Mr. Timberson the man? Do you like to go boating, by chance?"

"I'm afraid not," he chuckled with a twinkle in his eyes for the predictable question. _Who cares if that guy's yacht is four feet longer than the other guys? _"I get seasick very easily. I much more prefer to stay at home and listen to opera when I'm in the mood to relax."

"Opera?" One woman asked while the man who'd asked the question gaped slightly in surprise. "Have you heard of _Don Giovanni_?"

"I have," he replied with a small tilt of his head to the woman. "I've not been permitted the luxury of seeing it performed live, but...."

And so the night continued. A few times, he happened to catch Autumn glancing his way from her own circle, but she never made any move to openly greet him. She stayed on her fiancé's arm the entire time while Gigi insinuated herself back to his side. It was strange, but he had the feeling that Autumn was standing beside him even though they were across the room from one another. When she started smiling more often, it made him wonder if she felt the same way. They were worlds apart from one another, yet they had an understanding between them. He couldn't pinpoint when it'd happened, but he felt connected again. It made him feel as if he wasn't alone. Even though Autumn would probably never speak another open word to him, she was there. He didn't understand it, but the fact left him also smiling.

"Lazarus," Madame interjected into a break in the conversation. "Would you be interested in dancing?"

"I'd be honored," he replied in keeping with the gracious farce that he was somehow pulling off.

"Not me," she chuckled lightly as a woman stepped up to meet her at her bidding. Tsuna paused in the middle of handing his wine glass off to Gigi and gaped slightly. He didn't gape simply because she was beautiful. He gaped because he recognized her from the cover of the lingerie magazine that one of the girls had left laying out at the Dojo. "This is my granddaughter, Angeline. Her mother asked me to take charge of her while she's in France, but I'm afraid that she finds these parties to be rather boring."

"Devons-nous voir si nous pouvons le rendre intéressant?" He asked in French as he offered the woman his hand. _Must we see if we can make it interesting?_ A pink shade lit up on her cheeks, but she nodded to agree to his offer. He could feel Autumn's eyes on him again, but he refused to glance away from the woman before him. Autumn had told him to get a girlfriend, after all.

"I don't know how to dance," she whispered under her breathe as he escorted her toward the dance floor. They waited on the sidelines for the current song to end before he confidently led her onto the floor.

"It doesn't matter," he soothed as he guided her hands into place. "Une femme aussi belle que vous pouvez battre sur mes pieds, tout ce que vous voulez." _A woman as beautiful as you can stomp on my feet all you want. _

Before she could react to the statement, the music started. It was a test, he decided when she instantly stepped on his foot. It was one that he wouldn't fail, however. The ghost incident had given him one unintentional opening. Where most people would have previously stayed away from him out of fear, they were now confident enough to approach him. He'd proven that he wasn't a thug by his knowledge of opera and the second-hand knowledge that Leo had given him of art. He'd made himself socially acceptable due to his ties to Eric and his business plans. All that was left was to show that he wasn't a clumsy buffoon.

"I'm sorry," Angeline grimaced when she stomped on his foot a second time.

"Angeline," he sighed. He paused in place and used eye contact to still his dancing partner. "You're a strong woman," he whispered so that his voice wouldn't carry. "But sometimes you can enjoy life better if you let someone else lead. Ah!" He gasped when she started to lower her head in embarrassment for her mistakes. She looked back up at him at him in surprise for the outburst and he used it to regain eye contact. "Look at me," he ordered as he started moving again. This time, she moved with him instead of trying to fight the direction that he wanted to go into. She didn't even seem to notice that she was moving again. She just stared at him with a blush once more rising into her cheeks. "These parties can be boring and stuffy as hell, but I won't have anyone say that they didn't have fun dancing with me."

"D-Dancing?" She asked with her eyes still locked with his. It was difficult, but he kept himself from blinking more than absolutely necessary so that he wouldn't break whatever spell she thought that she was under. He knew that there was no spell to it, however. It was just a simple trick. By tilting his shoulders in the direction that he was going to move, her subconscious picked up on it and could predict him. It wouldn't work if she was actively participating, but it did wonders for a person that was reacting without actually thinking. She probably thought that they had some kind of magical connection, but the truth was that he was acting as a puppeteer.

"You're dancing," he smiled in amusement. She really didn't notice that she was moving with him. He didn't want her to notice, either, since he could keep his toes intact this way. "Pretty well, I might add."

"O-Oh," she mumbled. "I've never danced like this before. Everyone just gave up because I kept stepping on their toes."

"That's because they didn't know how to really lead," he replied as they circled the dance floor. "Are you having fun yet?"

"Yes," she breathed with another blush rising to her cheeks. "I feel like I'm flying."

"Don't fly too far," he chuckled, bringing her to a stop as the song came to an end. She blinked rapidly and gave a belated curtsey when he dropped her hand, even though such tokens were outdated and rarely used. She blushed even more brightly when she noticed it, but he saved her by giving a formal bow of his own. When he rose back up, another woman had already insinuated herself between them.

"Would you dance with me?" The new woman asked with a sweet smile.

"I'd be honored," Tsuna replied after a momentary pause of surprise.

* * *

"Um, Boss..."

"Shuddup," he groaned. Rolling over, he reached out to grab his blankets to throw them back over himself, only to grab a handful of something far different. His eyes snapped open and he bolted up in bed almost instantly. Staring at the lump of breast in his hand, he tried to pull up everything from the previous night. Ghost. Talk. Wine. More talk. Wine. Dance. Wine. Talk. Wine. Talk. Wine. Dance. Dance. Coffee. Bingo. He'd got tired of the party, so he'd asked his dance partner out for coffee. He couldn't quite remember how they'd gotten back to his hotel room, but his memory said that she'd dropped more than enough hints.

"Um... Boss..." Veronica grimaced from the foot of his bed. "You might want to let go of her chest before she wakes up."

"Right," he gasped, belatedly letting go of her. Snatching the robe that Veronica held out for him, he jumped out of the bed and darted out of the room. He'd managed to get a hotel suite for the same price as a regular room and he was grateful for it for the first time. He was able to shut the door and leave what's-her-name in the bedroom to sleep while he tried to figure out why Veronica had shown up. "What are you--" Tsuna froze in place, no longer needing an explanation. The common room and eating nook of his suite was covered in gift baskets and flowers. There wasn't even a place to sit and there was barely enough room to stand.

"They all got sent to the Dojo," she explained quietly. "There's still twice that many over there, but I told them to stop forwarding them after the room got filled up. Um... most of them are congratulation gifts for the opening of Orange Dragon Enterprises, but some are just tokens of appreciation for whatever you did last night. There's also a couple with invitations attached and... um..."

"What else?" He asked when she hesitated. Fingering the cards attached to the two closest ones, he wanted to groan at the messages.

_Thank you for the dance. We should get together for dinner some time. Janine Dobell. _

_I'm sorry for my poor showing. Let us have tea some time so that I can make it up to you. Perdetti._

"You have three marriage proposals," she answered while she tried to hold back laughter for his sake. She even went so far as to bite her lip when his jaw dropped and he looked at her in complete disbelief. "Should I start making wedding plans?" She asked before finally bursting.

"It's not funny," he glared.

"I know, but..." she laughed. "You should see your face. What the hell did you do last night? From all of these, it's like everyone forgot that you just got out of jail."

"They might have," he replied sheepishly while he looked around at all the gifts. "This is a good sign, though. Right? It means that I pissed on the right people."

"Pissed?" Veronica repeated in confusion. "You got all of this for taking a whiz on someone?"

"Uh, never mind," he said, knowing that she wouldn't understand the reference. Thinking hard, he knew that he couldn't just leave things like they were. He felt a momentum building at the sight of all the gifts and he knew that he had to move before he lost it. "I'm going to go take a shower and get dressed," he said, tapping his finger on the gift basket in front of him. "Call Gigi for me and tell her that I need her to send two guys over here to collect all this fruit. I couldn't eat all of this if I wanted to, so we'll give them to the Den kitchen. I'm sure that the girls can make something out of them. Then tell her and Eric to meet me somewhere for breakfast. You can pick the place. Just tell them that they need to be thinking of ways to get us more good publicity."

"What about sleeping beauty?" Veronica asked, chucking her thumb at the closed bedroom door. Tsuna grimaced, feeling absolutely clueless as to what to do with her. It wasn't his first one-night-stand, but it was the first one where the woman was neither a whore or a friend. "I'll take care of it for you," Veronica sighed in resignation.

"No," he objected with a furious shake of his head. "I can't ask you to do that. It's my--"

"It's my job as your secretary to take care of insignificant problems so that you can work without worries," she interrupted with a small, modest smile. "Please let me take care of it. There's so little that I've been able to do for you lately and I promise that I'll be polite in helping her to go home."

"Are you sure that you don't mind?" Tsuna asked in worry that it'd be too cruel to have her deal with such a thing. He knew that Veronica liked him since she'd willingly bent over for him so many times, but it was different now. He was paying her for her troubles like a real secretary and he didn't think real secretaries dealt with their Boss' relationship issues. Although, was it really that much different than sending his clothes to the cleaners and responding to phone calls while he was busy? For him, it didn't feel that different, but he knew that things would be different from Veronica's point of view. It wouldn't be fair to her to have to do such a thing when she--

"Please," she repeated with her smile still firmly in place. "Let me get rid of her." Tsuna's eyes widened at the momentary jealousy that lanced through her eyes and the spark of pleasure. She was enjoying it! She was enjoying it because she was getting to kick out the woman that he'd slept with! It made Tsuna take a moment to reevaluate Veronica's position as his secretary. She seemed satisfied with just being near him and she worked hard so that he wouldn't replace her. She was probably willing to do anything for him, even if she didn't get acknowledged. When it came to something like this, he thought that she'd be upset. It was the complete opposite, though. He should have known with how Veronica had memorized all of his preferences. She didn't care that he slept with a woman because Veronica knew that he didn't care about her. Veronica knew almost everything about the person that he currently was. Veronica was just taking pride in being the person that would continue to stay with him for more than a single night.

"Alright," he agreed in amusement for her attitude. Stepping forward, he decided that it'd be safe enough to tease Veronica over the matter. He leaned in close to her and lowered his voice to a husky whisper, smiling the whole time over how she started holding her breathe. "I'll let you deal with her for me, but I'm considering this as being overtime. Since I can't afford to pay you time and a half, is there anything else that you'd like?" He paused and waited for her answer, purposely hovering over her lips suggestively so that her face lit up like a Christmas tree. He knew what she wanted, but it was no fun to simply give it to her. She had to want it badly enough to ask for it. "Anything at all?" He prompted when she seemed to be frozen speechless.

"K-Kiss," she finally choked out. It was what he'd waited in. Taking her into his arms, he devoured her lips and stole her breath away. She pressed against him, making him self-aware of his morning stiffness while also making him aware of the need to piss. The contact was pleasant, but not so much that he couldn't think of other things. His mind drifted slightly at the thought of breakfast and a curious corner wondered what kind of invitations had been sent to him. The marriage proposals would have to be refused carefully. He could probably use the grand opening of the office building to increase the Orange Dragon's name. Maybe he should set up some kind of deal with the newspaper? If he got the Orange Dragons on the front page, they'd have enough of a legitimate reputation that he could start making good alliances that he could trade off of.

Checking whether any of the appreciation gifts were from girls with usable family would probably be a good idea before he sent thank-you notes in return. It might be a good idea to invite a few of them to dinner so that he could pick their brains for information. As he'd learned from the pissing contests, the person that had the best came out on top. He couldn't afford to buy unnecessary boats and expensive jewelry. From how well just talking about art and opera, though, information was just as good. If he knew a lot, he could be equal with the rich without ever wasting a penny. He's met a few penny-pinchers at the party who worked like that. If he had the best and widest range of information, it would be a lot more useful than a wide range of wine or antique rifles.

"Boss..." Veronica moaned. Tsuna snapped back to himself. Slowly pulling his lips away, he smiled slightly. Veronica was completely dazed. Her reddened face and the unvarnished lust in her eyes told him that she wanted more. He had no plans to give her more, though. While he wouldn't mind under normal circumstances, he had work to do.

"You should have asked for more than a kiss," he taunted. She froze in place and her face became even more red as a bright blush was added to her expression. "There's always next time, though. Assuming you do well this time, of course. Try to have her out of here before I get out of the shower and don't forget to feed the cat."

Letting go of her, he headed for the bathroom with a knowing smile on his face. It was easy to use people when their price was easily attained and Veronica had the easiest price of all. She had the illusion of him. She'd never truly get him, but that wasn't what she wanted. Just the illusion was enough to keep her happy since the real him could never be what she wanted. He doubted that it would last forever, but he was more than wiling to pay her price until she learned better. He just hoped that the day didn't come soon since a secretary like Veronica would be hard to replace.

It didn't matter, he reminded himself as he flipped on the shower heads. She only had to last until Gabriel returned, committed a heinous crime, and Tsuna punished him. After that, he doubted that he would be permitted to live. Such was the reason that he had to use the momentum that he had. He had to make sure that Snicker's dream would flourish without him.

If he didn't, his life would have been truly wasted in the end.


	81. Chapter 81 Lesson 4: Chain of Command

"We've got six new recruits from the last street sweep," Gigi continued while Tsuna continued to sharpen his nails. His daily update was one of the most boring parts of his day, but he knew that he couldn't do without it. At least it was easier than before, however. He could sit in his big leather chair and put his feet on his desk while he bathed in the warm light coming from the window behind him. "Two are ordinary bums, one is an ex-convict who has been having trouble finding work, one won't tell us anything other than his name, one is a reporter that got blacklisted for a bad story, and the last one is a boy that was caught trying to freelance in the wrong area."

"Any special skills on any of them and how old is the boy?" Tsuna asked in boredom.

"The convict claims to have taken out a squad of twenty five single-handedly and the reporter is a reporter," she sighed. "Other than that, nothing really. The ordinary guys played some sports in high school, but never had a calling. They're mostly joining out of boredom. As for the boy, he's seventeen and his parents kicked him out of his house. He's got a history of drug use, but he's accepting rehab. Considering the guy that was propositioning him when we found him, I can understand the change of heart. Even I never sank that low."

"Alright," he replied. "Put the convict in Ore's team and the reporter in Leo's. Have Beebe do research on the reporter to make sure that he's really been blacklisted and get me a copy of the damning story. Put him with Leo. You can have the boy in your team and let the other three decide for themselves about where they want to go. Toss out the one that didn't give more than his name. That one is a reporter on assignment or a plant from another group. A bad one, I might add. Anything else?"

"He's here," she mumbled quietly. Tsuna's head snapped up, not needing to be told who 'he' was. "Tracer saw him get into a different cab at the airport and reported it right away. I thought you'd want to know."

"So they really went through with it," he said softly while his heart took on an unsteady beat. "I wonder what happened on the Vongola side of things. Did they accept the peace offer or did they reject it? I didn't even get to hear what the terms were."

"I can ask Mama Jill to start asking around for you..." Gigi offered worriedly. "She knows how to be subtle." Shaking his head in refusal, he knew that he could find out for himself. All it would take would be a perch on the right rooftop at the right time and he could hear everything.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile to cover his own worries. "We'll just continue with business like usual. What happens to them is none of my business anymore. Just do me a favor and tell Ore to have the guys keep a lookout. If he steps foot in this neighborhood, I want to know immediately."

"You're not going after him?" Gigi asked in surprise.

"Nope," he answered. Pulling his feet off of his desk, the room suddenly seemed a lot more stuffy than it had been. He knew that it was just a trick of his mind, but it was one that was hard to ignore. In truth, he wanted to run outside, find Gabriel, and finish the job. He couldn't, though. He had to keep his stupid promise. Why had he made it again? Autumn hadn't called him since that night. Even though he spent an hour each night watching over her route home, she acted as if he no longer existed. He shouldn't even be thinking about that, he silently admonished himself. He still had work to do. "How's things coming with the Valentine's Day plans?"

"They're going fine," she replied in open concern. "But is that really important right now? He's really here. Don't you think that you should--"

"Drop it, Gigi," he ordered with a scowl as he started pacing. "What's the situation with Mike's girl? What's-her-name?"

"They finally set bail and she has a court date next month," she said. "But Laz--"

"GIGI!" He snapped in anger. Pounding his fist into his desk, Gigi lurched in place at the loud crack that echoed into the room. "The next words out of your mouth better not have anything to do with him! Got it?! I said business as usual and I meant it!"

"S-Sorry," she murmured with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to--"

"How many rooms do we have left open at the Den?" He asked with a look in his eyes daring her to bring up Gabriel again.

"Let me check," she answered, shaking her head to herself as she looked through her digital notebook. "F-Five beds for support recruits and... uh... eight beds for working ones."

"Alright," he said as he reigned in his temper. "Tell Steve to have the recent applications for working men on my desk in the morning and tell Ore that we're going for a walk tonight to fill the last five support beds. Let Ollie know, too, so that he can warn me beforehand if he's had his eye on anyone. How's Sergeant doing with the physical fitness regimen?"

"He said that he'll have it on your desk by tomorrow, but he doesn't think anyone will really do it," she replied in a rush to keep up with him.

"Tell the guys that I'll provide a free gym membership and martial arts lessons to anyone that Sergeant refers," he said after a moment of thought. "Most of the guys that we get barely have the stamina to make it

through the day and we need to help them build it up. I'm not going to waste money on people that will stop going after a week, but I consider it a sound investment if they prove to Sergeant that they're determined about getting into shape. Make the same offers to the girls at Mike's and point out how beneficial it would be for them to learn self defense."

"I'll also point out that some exercises can give them perkier tits and help them shape their thighs," she offered. "If you can get the girls to go, the guys will be willing to go just to show off."

"No," he replied as he started pacing again. "Keep men and women on separate work-out schedules and leave that motivation for after they've passed the basics. For a guy who is physically weak, having to work out with women that are stronger than them is a blow to their pride. They'll be able to accomplish more if they're not embarrassed about their weaknesses. Once they have basic stamina and a little confidence, then we'll use the girls to motivate them into doing more. Let Sergeant know that whatever he plans, he needs to start out slow. Most of the guys that we get have either been couch potatoes for most of their lives or they've been half-starved on the streets."

"I'll tell him," she promised.

"Anything else?" He prompted.

"Not that I can think of," she answered. "I think your two o'clock appointment is already here, though."

"Go ahead and tell him to come in," he groaned as he collapsed back down into his chair. Gigi nodded and silently got up to leave. Tsuna was tempted to let her simply go, but the tense way that she was holding her shoulders wouldn't let him. "Gigi," he called carefully while he stared at his desk. "It might be seem that I'm being cruel, but I just... I really need..."

"I understand," she soothed with her shoulders finally relaxing. "I won't talk about it again. There's no reason for it to not be business as usual if you say so."

"Thank you," he replied in miserable gratitude. She shot him a look of sympathy before once more squaring her shoulders to head out the door. Tsuna silently watched her go.

He had to restrain the urge to tell her to double security and assign him a permanent escort. He had to restrain the urge to hand everything over to her and run away. He had to restrain the urge to tear his desk to pieces and use the shards to go stab a certain someone. He felt completely lost. With just one statement, Gigi had caused all of his buried fears, worries, and hatred to rise up. He was keeping himself from panicking and he was keeping himself under control. He was managing to keep himself moving forward, but he was positive that his tail would be between his legs if he'd had one.

"Yo, brat," Xanxus grinned as he burst into the room with his usual lack of manners. Tsuna rolled his eyes, feeling as if the man was the second to last person on earth that he currently wanted to speak with. At least he had Ginger with him this time, where he normally came in alone for the most inconsequential of reasons. Tsuna found it amusing since the guy actually went to the trouble of getting himself scheduled in every other day.

"Yo," he replied weakly. "Make it short this time, Xanxus. I'm not in a talkative mood."

"You look like your cat just died," he commented as he collapsed into the chair that Gigi had vacated. Tsuna smiled to himself at how Xanxus willfully put his feet up on Tsuna's desk, but the amusement lasted for only a mere moment before it faded. On the other hand, Ginger walked around the desk to put his head in Tsuna's lap like a real dog. Knowing that he had the same kinds of sweet-spots, Tsuna absently scratched behind his ears for him while ignoring the fact that he could do it for himself. He could use a little bit of quiet companionship himself, after all.

"Koi is fine," he sighed. "Although I need to tell Veronica to check the shelters again for her owner."

"You actually have a cat?" Xanxus asked in surprise. "I thought the little bug creep was your only pet."

"No," he groaned tiredly. "I've got a cat, too, but I'm really not in the mood to chit-chat about my pets, Xanxus. What are you here for or did you forget again?"

"I didn't forget this time," he replied with a grin. "Ginger was wanting your opinion on whether he should get his ear pierced."

"No, I wasn't," Ginger growled in his lap.

"I think you should," Tsuna commented with a smile for Xanxus' ploy. Even if Xanxus was just making excuses to check in with hopes that Maro would surface, it was still nice to see him. Compared to their night-time meetings, these were much more relaxed. "If you get it pierced, girls will want to touch your ears more."

"Really?" Ginger asked in surprise.

"It would give you a way to express yourself, too," Tsuna nodded. "Actually, I'm kind of surprised that you haven't got your fur dyed yet. If you find someone that's good at it, you could even dye patterns into it. Most temporary dye only lasts a few weeks before it washes out, so you could have a new look as often as Gigi buys new shoes."

"I never thought of that before," Ginger said as he lifted his head up in interest. "Do you think I could really do that?"

"Of course," Tsuna smiled. "Veronica could probably find someone to do it for you. It'd be expensive since you've got so much hair, but I'm sure that there's someone out there who would be interested in working on it. Hair can be as much art as a tattoo and you've got a unique canvass."

"What color should I go with?" Ginger asked as he sat back on his hind legs to inspect his chest hair. "Should I go sandy blonde? Or maybe I could do something crazy like blue?"

"Why not black?" Tsuna suggested. "It would cover up the color that you have a lot easier than anything else and it would be a complete make-over. I know girls around here are all jealous of silky black hair and if you get something like blue or green highlights, you can pull off either the really scary look or the rave party look depending on your mood. Or, you might want to start out slow and maybe just get some streaks."

"No, no," he objected hurriedly. "I want a complete make-over! It'll be the first time that I'll have ever looked different! I want to go all-out!"

"I know when Gigi gets a make-over, she gets new clothes and accessories," Tsuna smiled. "Why not get yourself a new collar and some extra accessories, too? Like Xanxus suggested, you could get your ear pierced if we can find someone that will do it for you and there's no reason that you can't have bracelets. You might look for a carry-bag that looks good with you, too. Something like a backpack that you can strap to your waist so that it doesn't shift when you walk on your hands. I'm sure that you've had times when you were mad that you didn't have pockets and that would fix the problem for you."

"Yeah, yeah!" He nodded in growing excitement. "What else?"

"That's all that I can come up with right now," he replied apologetically. "I'm sure that you'll come up with ideas if you just look around. You've got unique circumstances, but there's lots of things that I can use that you can, too. You've just got to start looking at how you're like humans instead of different from them."

"I'll do that!" He exclaimed with his words getting lost in his barks of joy. "Xanxus, let's go shopping! I want to go shopping!"

"Shit," Xanxus growled with a sour look on his face. "Now look what you've done. He's like a fucking kid in front of a toy store now."

"At least he's happy," Tsuna counted with a sad smile.

"Spit it out," Xanxus ordered.

"Spit what out?" He asked while he tried to cover his mood better. There was no reason to get depressed. There was no reason to get upset. None. None whatsoever.

"Don't fucking play dumb with me," he snarled. "Something's wrong with you. You've been touchy for the last week, but--"

"My next appointment is going to be here soon," Tsuna interrupted without looking at him. "You should go."

"Not until you tell me--"

"I wasn't asking, Xanxus," he murmured. Xanxus froze with his mouth hanging open for a full ten seconds. During that time, Tsuna slowly turned his chair around to silently let him know that the discussion was over. He did it knowing full well what would come next. Xanxus temper was growing famous with the Dragons and there were few left who even considered the possibility that he was the real Excaliber.

"You're a fucking bastard," Xanxus said in a tone of barely suppressed rage. "Why are you closing me out again?"

"Who ever said that I let you in?" He countered despite knowing that silence would be easier. "Please leave." Clenching his fists in his lap, he prepared himself for Xanxus' outburst. It was bound to happen. Xanxus would yell and throw a fit over being ordered around, even though it was over such a stupid matter. He was prepared for it. It was better than having to talk about Gabriel over and over again. He didn't want to think about that bastard. He didn't even want to know that he was still alive! He just--

"That was cruel, Laz," Ginger whimpered. Tsuna turned in his chair slightly in just enough time to catch the tip of Ginger's tails exiting out the door. It made him want to cry for some reason. Xanxus hadn't yelled and he hadn't gotten mad. He'd just left. He'd left as if it didn't even matter to him. Wasn't that what he'd wanted, though? He'd wanted Xanxus to leave. So why did it made him feel both guilty and abandoned?

"Boss...?" Veronica asked, poking her head into the door. "Your two-thirty is already here. Would you like me to send him in?"

"Uh, yeah," he answered absently. "Just give me a minute. It's Steve. Right?"

"That's your three-thirty," she corrected. "Charles is your two-thirty. You were going to finalize the plans on the male auction for Valentine's day...?"

"Right," he nodded softly. "I... ah..."

"I'll tell him that it'll be a minute," she offered gently. "Would you like me to bring you some coffee?"

"Yeah," he answered while he tried to make sense out of Xanxus' silent exit. Shaking his head to himself, he tried to push the incident out of his mind so that he could return to business. "Do me a favor and spike it. I think that I'm thinking too much again."

"Right away, Boss."

* * *

"Are we going, Little Boss?" Ore asked with a crooked grin. Tsuna groaned at the name, but didn't correct him. He couldn't when the six guys waiting with him would mistake the correction as permission. There was enough trouble with the new recruits not recognizing him. If he wasn't called 'Boss', then they'd have ignored him entirely since he was no longer the wildest looking guy in the group. Tsuna gladly gave that honor to the ex-convict Long. The man was only a head shorter than Ore and he was covered in tattoos from head to toe. Even his bald head and his tongue was tattooed!

"In a minute," he finally replied without moving an inch out of the center of the Den's green room. He had two reasons for not moving. The first was to give Xanxus time to join them if he was going to and the second was the slowly dawning realization that the six men in suits were the only ones in the room that even cared that he was present. The rest of the Den's residents were sitting around watching movies, lifting weights, or playing pool without even looking in his direction. He wasn't sure why the fact bothered him, but it did. The atmosphere in the common room was far too lax. That was made absolutely clear when one man accidentally bumped into him as he passed and didn't even apologize. The bastard just kept walking after only a glance at Tsuna to see who he'd hit.

It was too peaceful. Far too peaceful.

Deciding to let the fact stew in his head instead of recklessly trying to fix it, he finally turned and silently walked out the door. Ore and his escort followed in a rush, but Tsuna didn't wait for them. He simply continued walking and let them scramble. By the end of the block, they were in place and pedestrians started crossing the street to get out of their way. He didn't really understand why, but people did meaningless things sometimes. Maybe it was just because Ore looked more imposing in a suit than he ever had in his construction uniform?

"About time that you got here," Ollie grumbled when they circled the corner of the block to change directions. Tsuna smiled and kept walking. Ollie drove his skateboard into place next to him, keeping up easily while only having to give a push every twenty feet. "I've looked around and you'll probably have the most luck under the Tenth street bridge."

"Do you have anyone in particular in mind?" Tsuna asked.

"Not really," he shrugged. "I'm going to go back to Sewerbelly and see what the word is with the rest of the Big Five. They've been too quiet lately. I figured they would have done something after you got back, man, but they've been keeping their heads low. Too low, if you catch my drift."

"Go ahead," Tsuna nodded. "Let me know if you find anything. It's been bothering me, too. It's like we've been completely ignored and I don't like that."

"I'll ask around, but I got a feeling that it's probably because you still look like you went legit," Ollie replied. "They don't see you as competition no more, especially since that cheesy article that was written about you in the paper."

"I see," Tsuna murmured. Letting the conversation stop there, he gave Ollie's comment serious thought. He'd been increasing his reputation at the top, but it looked like their reputation at the bottom was suffering from it. He couldn't be in ten places at once, though. It was true that it looked like they'd turned into a legitimate organization, but he couldn't allow that to continue. Chaos would spread if his rivals didn't fear him. There would be more incidents like the second-rate gang that had attacked him. He had to learn how to balance his reputation in the light and the reputation that he had in the shadows.

He considered a multitude of things while they walked. He'd always thought that reputation was useless and only snobs cared about it. Reputation was important, though. A good reputation in the light helped his businesses and kept the cops off of his back. A good reputation in the shadowed underbelly of the world kept the streets peaceful and interruptions at a minimum. How was he supposed to get both without sacrificing one or the other?

Besides that, how was he supposed to fix the problem at the Den? None of the men there looked like they'd follow a single one of his orders outside of their work hours. He thought that he'd told the guys to only accept people that fully understood that the publicity for them was all lies, but every single one of those newbie trash looked like the type to run away at the first sign of trouble. It wasn't as if he would need their help if there was trouble, but it showed a complete lack of loyalty and unity.

A test, he decided. They needed to be tested and he needed to stir up some trouble. A brawl would be just the thing to give the men the edge that they needed. Right now, they were lazy and he could understand why Sergeant didn't think that they'd join the fitness regimen. They didn't understand the need to be fit, but they'd been coddled for long enough. One way or another, he'd figure out a test to check their loyalty and a brawl to fix their attitudes.

The sound of cheers made him pause. Curious, since there was no businesses within range who should be receiving cheers, Tsuna slightly altered his path to track it down. His men were taken by surprise by the alteration, but compensated in time to follow. He was somewhat surprised when the alteration to his path got him to the Tenth Street bridge faster than the route was taking, but the fact made him smile. This was probably what Ollie had wanted him to find.

From a distance, it was a street-fight hidden in the recesses of a low bridge. He could barely see it since it was at the very back of four lanes of streets, but it was undeniable. The positioning of the crowd and the nature of the catcalls that reached his ears couldn't be mistaken for anything else. There was a fight going on and someone was collecting bets. He felt his men tense when he openly went to investigate, but they followed. They knew their duties and they cleared a space for him to watch from without ever being told.

Looking at the two fighters, he found himself impressed by only one of them. They were both covered in dirt and wounds. The larger of the two only had minor scrapes and bruises. He looked to be a professional fighter from the efficiency and power of his strikes. His moves were solid and he didn't fall for feints. He didn't waste energy nor did he let anything go unnoticed. Tsuna saw his eyes light up when he glanced around to see Tsuna watching and he seemed to shift his stance simply to give Tsuna a better view. It told Tsuna that he'd been recognized, but he found it interesting that the man was confident enough to change the flow of the fight just to show off.

However, it was the opponent that Tsuna was truly impressed with. He looked like he's taken a tremendous beating before Tsuna had arrived. His face was bruised and starting to swell while his legs looked as if they were going to collapse at any moment. From his swings, he was a self-taught amateur. There was no grace to his movements. He was like a wild bull that only knew how to run at the red flag waving before him. He was losing horribly, but his tenacity got Tsuna's attention most of all. He had the desire to win, but not the skill. In contrast, the bigger man had the skill, but had already shown that Tsuna's attention was more important than winning. He would have never taken his eyes off of his opponent if winning had been his true desire.

Tsuna watched silently for another minute while the smaller one continued to struggle and the larger one made the fight stretch out so that he could show off. Then Tsuna waved at one of the two men taking bets and asked a single, quiet question.

"Who's your sponsor?"

"Eh?" He asked in surprise with his dreadlocks tumbling around him while he continued to look in every direction at once in worry that cops were nearby. "We don't got no sponsors," he answered. "But I think you got the wrong guy. I'm with Tiny Tim and he ain't doing so well. Cyanide's manager is--"

"No," he corrected with his eyes still on the fight. "Cyanide is good, but I can find guys like him anywhere. I'm asking about the short one. You guys are free-lancing?"

"I guess you could say that," he answered as Tiny Tim hit his knees once more. The man in dreads stopped looking around and a look of true worry crossed his expression for a moment before it was covered again.

"Tiny won his other matches, but I think he's reached his limit. Damnit," he growled when Tiny started dragging himself to his feet again. "Stay down, Tiny!"

"I'll decide when he's reached his limit," Tsuna replied with a slow smile as an idea flew into his head. "I want him. Is that alright with you?"

"And who are you?" He asked in surprise for the sudden statement.

"Does that matter?" He countered. "From your clothes, you don't even have enough money to get him treated properly. Putting ice on the swelling is good for the short term, but do you think that he's going to be able to keep fighting if he keeps going like he is? You need a sponsor and I want your fighter. We can negotiate the details later. Just accept my offer for now."

"A-Alright," he replied as a punch broke Tiny Tim's nose and he fell once more. Cyanide looked angry, having long since noticed that Tsuna was talking to the opponent's manager instead of his own. For the first time, he didn't give Tiny Tim a chance to get up. There was a look on his face that told Tsuna that he was planning to destroy his competition. "Ore," Tsuna said as he darted forward. The manager had given agreement and that was enough to give him license to stop the fight.

Ore got to Cyanide in enough time to grab his fist and Tsuna got to Tiny Tim in enough time to step on him to keep him down. The audience froze in surprise at the intervention, but the rest of his team moved quickly to create a six-man ring around them and the fighters.

"Cyanide wins," Tsuna said simply, pushing down once more on Tiny Tim's back to keep him down. He was still trying to get up, even though the match had long been decided. That kind of focus and determination was good, but it was suicidal if he were to be allowed to continue. "Anyone that wants to argue can take it up with the Big Guy," he added, chucking a thumb at Ore. "Collect your winnings and clear out."

"Who the fuck are you?" Cyanide's manager exclaimed from behind the line.

"Shut up, Ted!" Cyanide shouted in frustration.

"Eh...?" Ted gaped in surprise. "But there was still--"

"I said shut up!" He shouted again while Tsuna surveyed the loser under his foot. He was completely worn out, but he'd caught on that there was something happening. He wasn't fighting anymore and he was probably starting to feel the damage that had piled up. "That's Candyman! He's the strongest fighter in the city, you fucking idiot!"

"I wouldn't say the strongest," Tsuna smiled in amusement. "But that's just my opinion. My question is how someone fighting at such a low-class setting recognizes me. I've only used that stage name once."

"I was there," Cyanide gasped. "My brother was fighting and I got in to watch as a sub-manager. It was incredible! Your opponent was almost the size of this big guy and you broke his neck like it was nothing! Ever since then, I've been wanting to see you fight again! I looked everywhere, but then I found out that you were in jail so I decided to train. I thought, when you came back, you'd enter the ring again and I thought I could see it again if I was a fighter, too!"

"So, you wanted to fight me?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"No!" Cyanide exclaimed with his face turning pale. "I just--"

"I understand," Ore laughed, slapping a hand down on his shoulder. "Little Boss has a big shadow for being so small. I'm a fan of his, too, so I understand completely. It's too bad you saw him at that fight, though."

"Eh?"

"I was holding back during that fight," Tsuna explained apologetically. "It would have been over too quickly if I'd been serious from the start. So, you've found me. I'm guessing that you want to join me?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed with his eyes lighting up. "Please!"

"Cyanide!" His manager exclaimed from where the audience were forcing him to cough up their winnings.

"Talk it out with your manager and be at the Orange Dragon offices in the morning to discuss it," Tsuna ordered before turning his attention down to the man below his foot. Gently prodding him with his toes, he forced Tiny Tim to roll over on the ground. He looked like he'd been hit by a truck, but he was still awake. Barely. "Are you still alive?" Tsuna asked callously as he knelt down next to him.

"Y--" he croaked.

"What do you want?" Tsuna asked, looking into the man's eyes to see whether he was suicidal or just stupid.

"W-Win," he choked out. "I... want to... win."

"Then come with me," Tsuna ordered gently. He was just stupid. He didn't want to die, but he hadn't connected fighting with his own mortality. As he said, he just wanted to win. "I'll show you the way," he promised. "I have only one condition for you."

"W-Wh...at?"

"You're not allowed to die," Tsuna replied. "Even if it means retreating, I never want to see you throwing away your life for some meaningless fight like this. You can't be a champion if you lose, but you can never be a champion if you die. As long as you survive, there's always the chance to try again. Is that condition acceptable to you?"

"I...want to...win," he repeated as his eyes started losing focus.

"Ore," Tsuna called, getting the large man's instant attention again. "Get Tiny here to Jules and make sure that he's taken care of. Quietly. I think that he's got a concussion from all the hits to the head, so try to hurry. Two of you go with him so that one of you can report in with his status and help Ore out. Dreadlocks, you go with them, too. This is your fighter. Correct?"

"Ah, right," the man answered as he belatedly rushed forward to help. Judging from his attitude, it was a recently created partnership. Whether or not Tsuna broke it up would depend on what was reported from the hospital. Ore carefully stooped down to pull the poor fighter into his arms and Tsuna smiled to himself at how Ore could make even the strongest fighters look frail.

"The rest of you are with me," Tsuna ordered, standing up in order to walk away from the scene entirely. Cyanide, Ted, and the few of the audience that were lingering watched him leave with considering expressions on their faces. He could care less, though. If Cyanide showed in the morning, he could fight under Tsuna's sponsorship. Tsuna would get a cut of his prize money and another strong arm in the gang. His manager could even come with him as long as he stayed useful. With both fighters and their managers, Tsuna considered two support beds and two worker beds filled. There was still other beds to fill, however.

Taking into consideration that the worker beds were harder to fill, Tsuna decided to leave off on picking up simple bums. He could kill two birds with one stone. If he could find useful people who needed a home and had friends, he could fill both types of beds at once. It was worth it since he could also increase his reputation in the underground at the same time. It wouldn't happen right away, but it would work in the long term if he found people with potential like Tiny Tim.

"Do any of you know if there's any street races tonight?" Tsuna asked with a small grin. "I'm thinking that we should do some research for our expansion into cars."

"There's one starting in half an hour across town, Boss," Justin answered as knowing grins spread across the faces of the remaining four. "It's in the Nymph's territory, but there shouldn't be any problem in just going to watch."

"Lead the way," Tsuna ordered.

* * *

Tsuna continued his patrol with a heavy feeling in his chest. Xanxus hadn't shown his face even once. The time passed slowly without him to talk with. He usually told Xanxus about what he'd accomplished during the day and he got someone to bounce ideas off of. He wanted to apologize for being so cold earlier, but he couldn't if Xanxus didn't show up. He wanted to tell him about the fighters that he'd found and he wanted to tell him about the race that he'd watched. They hadn't found any unsponsored potential, but the race had still been worth the trip. He also wanted to ask Xanxus' opinion about testing the Dragons.

Hadn't Xanxus said that he was a friend? How could he just ditch him like that?! He could have at least called to say that he wasn't going to show up! Of course, it wasn't like they ever planned to meet, but they'd been doing it for over a week together! He didn't think that they had to make plans! It was just understood!

Wasn't it?

It made Tsuna question why Xanxus had even shown up in the first place. It made him question the real reason that he hadn't shown on this night. Xanxus had left Vongola because of their friendship online and Tsuna had accepted that he really was Foo Foo. Things were a little complicated since Maro was in love with him, but did that really matter? Maybe Xanxus was upset because he hadn't let Maro out? He knew that he'd promised to do it once every two weeks, but he was busy! There was so much to do and not enough time to give Maro a full day! Surely Maro would understand! Maro would be just as bad off if things turned to shit because Tsuna wasted a whole day when there were things that had to be dealt with!

He didn't understand. He wasn't sure that he wanted to understand. It was hard enough dealing with Xanxus as a friend already. Trying to figure him out was impossible. His motives and his goals were a mystery, even though he pretended to be so simple on the surface. That was why his disappearance was so frustrating. If Xanxus had a problem, Tsuna had assumed that he'd confront him about it. Xanxus always confronted everything head-on.

Snarling to himself when he couldn't figure it out, Tsuna leaped across an alley to another rooftop so that he could continue on his walk. There were things that one could see from above that would never be found from the ground and Tsuna took great pleasure in using the fact to his advantage. He could catch muggers in the act before they knew that he was there and he didn't have to worry about pedestrians or attacks from fools who should know better. The only problem that he could see with his route was that it was lonesome without someone to talk to.

"You've gotten better." Tsuna didn't stop walking across the rooftop. He'd smelled Poe's scent three rooftops away, even though the man was sitting behind a storage building. Where human and animal scents sometimes ran together with their surroundings, Poe was out of place and had a unique tang that could be recognized. There was an abnormality to it when compared to regular scents that immediately caught Tsuna's attention.

"I've just gotten used to it," Tsuna replied in relief for the company. "I know this city like the back of my hand now. What are you doing out, though? I thought you had a novel to write."

"I decided to take a break," he shrugged with a sadistic smile. "Unfortunately for him, it was his neck."

"What happened?" Tsuna asked as Poe started leisurely walking beside him.

"It is nothing to worry about, my friend," he smiled, jumping across the next alley in unison with Tsuna. "Someone just chose to lay their hands on the wrong woman. Neve is unharmed, but I couldn't permit such a lack of civility to go unpunished. I let him live, but I doubt that he'll try to force himself on another woman in the future."

"I'm surprised that Neve didn't bite his head off," he replied. Pausing for a moment, he looked up and down the alley below to ensure that things were peaceful before moving on. He was getting into the quarter where the police patrolled more regularly, so it was almost time for him to return.

"Fear is a strange thing," Poe commented. "It was the first time that she's been confronted with the malicious darkness that dwells in the human heart. No amount of strength can prepare someone for their first meeting with someone with true evil intent. Even though she easily has the strength to overwhelm any singular human, she was too afraid to use it. She ran and I don't believe that the lesson will be lost on her. True strength comes not from the body, but--"

"But from the heart," Tsuna finished with a nod. "I've heard that somewhere before and you're preaching to the choir. I just wish that you'd have told me instead of taking care of it yourself."

"There was no need," he said nonchalantly. "I am just a shadow in this world, so it would be much more difficult for me to be caught. If, for instance, someone died.... or was killed... I could leave no trace to be followed."

"What are you getting at?" He asked, coming to a stop at the hidden meaning that he heard in Poe's words.

"There's a rotten scent coming from two blocks from here," he murmured with a dark light in his eyes. "If, for instance, the man who took my daughter's wings and fulfilled her wishes were to be unable to eradicate that filth for some reason, I'd be happy--"

"I see," Tsuna murmured with his head bowing down. Closing his eyes, he concentrated only on his sense of smell for a moment. That was all it took to catch what Poe had already found. That scent was etched into his memories and he felt his stomach churn in memory. "Go home, Poe," he ordered as he opened his eyes once more. "I made a promise to not hurt him and that would be broken if you did it on my behalf. Thanks for the warning, though. Knowing where he's at before I see him will make this easier."

"Would you like me to walk with you, my friend?" Poe asked with a sympathetic expression.

"No," Tsuna answered with a pained smile. "I'll be fine. Xanxus should be here soon, so there's no need for you to stick around. You should get back with Neve. I'm not going to do more than look anyway. As long as he's just walking home, I don't have any reason to confront him."

"If that is what you wish," Poe replied.

"It'll be fine," Tsuna repeated. "I'm stronger than I used to be. He doesn't scare me anymore. I'm the one that beat him up. Remember?" Tsuna put on a confident face, but he knew that Poe wasn't buying it. He might have been the one to put Gabriel in the hospital, but that was only after such a long time of being tortured by him. He hadn't been completely sane when he'd finally confronted Gabriel. He could say that he was going to kill him and he could fool himself into thinking that Gabriel didn't have any power over him anymore, but he wouldn't know for sure until he confronted the man himself.

That was the very reason that he wanted to do it alone. If he failed and he couldn't live up to his words, he didn't want anyone else to see. He didn't want anyone to know. Gabriel was more than his most hated enemy. He was also his greatest weakness. Like Poe had already said, fear was a strange thing that could completely supersede the strength of the body.

Poe stepped into the shadows and left in a silent flash. He was always trying to live up to the vampire stereotype out of sheer amusement and this was no different. Even though Tsuna saw which direction he went and watched him for a few moments, it would have looked like he'd been swallowed by the shadows to a normal person. Misdirection, Poe had once explained. By using stereotypes to confuse people, his true strengths and weaknesses would be harder to find.

Once he was gone, Tsuna took a moment to collect himself before slowly walking in the direction of Gabriel's scent. There was only a few hours left until dawn, so the man shouldn't be out. Tsuna wouldn't have thought that he'd be up to his tricks on his first night back, but that was exactly why he probably was. He was in a legitimate place, though. If Tsuna's mental map was correct, he was near Mudpie's.

The plan was just to make sure that he was behaving, Tsuna told himself. As long as he wasn't committing crimes anymore, there was no reason to even--

Tsuna's heart stopped as he looked down into the alley. He was there. His scent was there and he was doing it again. He'd put on a heavy, hooded jacket to hide his identity, but Tsuna wouldn't be fooled. Tsuna felt anger and hatred boiling up inside himself at the sight of what he was doing. The guy between him and his friend was the same size that Tsuna had once been. They were being rough, too! He had to stop them! He couldn't let his fear keep him from stopping them! Someone else was getting hurt! Another person was going to be tortured just like he'd been!

Not again.

Not Again.

Not Again!

NEVER AGAIN!

Tsuna's heart leaped in his chest when a hand slapped over his mouth and an arm around his waist kept him from jumping off of the side of the building. Believing that it was Gabriel, he fought accordingly. The horrifying part was that he had no strength in those few seconds. It was just like before. No matter how he clawed or pushed at the hands confining him, he couldn't make it budge. Tears blossomed in his eyes out of fear and panic. His heart pounded in his chest so hard that he could hear it roaring in his ears. He could feel a scream spiraling up his throat until finally... He realized that it wasn't Gabriel.

"Calm down," he hissed as Tsuna froze in his arms. "Do you always walk into fucking traps, brat?"

"Mphmph?" He asked with a tremble surging through his body.

"It's me," Xanxus confirmed, carefully letting go of Tsuna's mouth when it was clear that he wasn't trying to make noise anymore. Tsuna didn't need to hear more. His legs gave out instantly and only Xanxus' reflexes caught him. "Che," Xanxus spat in disgust. "If you were that scared, why were you going to jump down there?"

"Where did you come from? Never mind that! I-I've got to stop him!" Tsuna exclaimed while he tried to get his hands to stop shaking. "They're hurting someone and I can't just--"

"They're not hurting him," Xanxus corrected. "They're fucking him. Look again, Laz. The guy in the middle is willing and that's not even Gabriel. It smells like him, but that's not him. Gabriel hasn't left the fucking Martelli Mansion since he arrived."

"T-That's not him?" Tsuna asked with another tremble betraying him.

"Whoever set this up was good," Xanxus growled. "If you'd jumped down there, you would have fallen right into their trap. Look over there." Straightening up, Tsuna looked in the direction that Xanxus pointed and his jaw dropped at the sight of Demetri sitting in a car like he was waiting on someone. "That's a fucking undercover cop. I don't know why he's here, but these fuckers started up right after he showed. It makes me glad that I went to see Gabriel this morning or I wouldn't have caught the scent on that guy's jacket. He must have set all of this up. I'm guessing that the cop is one that knows you on sight."

"I-If I'd jumped down there..."

"You would have gotten arrested for assault again," Xanxus supplied while he surveyed the scene. "The cop is probably there on a tip-off and is waiting for someone to show that isn't going to. The trash in the alley is just bait. That guy was probably paid in advance to fuck someone out here with that jacket on. He knew that you'd follow the smell and he knew how you'd react to seeing something like that. He's good. Gabriel, I mean. Not the trash. There's nothing to connect him other than smell, which means that you would have had no proof that he planned this. Do you know how close you were to either being forced into jail or forced into hiding?"

"I-I... um... ah..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He continued mercilessly without letting go of him. "I had to find out from a fucking piece of trash that Gabriel was back in town, but you already knew when I came by earlier. Didn't you?"

"Yes," he choked out while he tried to come to terms with how he'd almost fallen into Gabriel's trap. Again.

Why, though? The trap had obviously been set for him. Gabriel had used his blood-pills and his hearing against him in the past. Something like this had been planned from knowledge about his sense of smell. The question was why? What was Gabriel's goals? Was he just trying to torture him? Was it a plot to get him out of the way so that all of his work in the past few weeks would be made meaningless? Maybe he wanted to get him put in jail so that he could follow and terrorize him out of sight of the Family? What did he want?! Why couldn't he have just--

Tsuna paled as another scenario flew into his head. He would have gotten arrested for assaulting the men and Gabriel would have admitted that the jacket was his. Then he'd play it off like Tsuna had beaten them all out of jealousy that he'd given a gift to someone else. Everyone in the Family would believe, once again, that Tsuna was the bad guy who was giving Gabriel false hope. The Family would believe that Tsuna was creating misunderstandings on purpose. The Family would keep him out of jail because Gabriel was involved and Tsuna would either be forced back into the Family where he'd be in Gabriel's reach or he'd be forced to 'do the honorable thing' by fulfilling the hopes that he'd raised.

Xanxus broke off of whatever he'd been saying when Tsuna doubled over and started puking. The scenario was too likely. Everyone had so easily wanted him to accept the apology. How easy would it be for Gabriel to turn himself into the injured party? He'd already started on the road by making people believe that he'd misunderstood. It was as if there was only the one big incident instead of two. It was as if everyone had forgotten all the times that Gabriel had cornered him at work. It was as if they'd forgotten that Gabriel had been behind the attack in the alley. They might really try to make him hand himself over to Gabriel. It would solve everyone's problems. The son of the Martelli Family wouldn't be a perverted rapist then. He'd just be perverted and everyone could accept that.

"Is this how it always is, Laz?" Xanxus asked quietly while he carefully pulled Tsuna's hair out of his face. Unable to control himself, he heaved again at the thought of handing himself over to Gabriel while he felt tears flooding down his face. He was scared, he admitted silently. He was terrified. No matter what he did, Gabriel was always two steps ahead of him. Tsuna would never win against him. How could he have almost fallen for his trap again? Was it because he'd gotten weak? No, he forcibly denied while he wiped his mouth. He'd gotten stronger! He'd given the gang a hideout, trusted no one, and had pissed on everyone! What was he missing? Why was he still losing to G-- "Let me take care of Gabriel, Laz."

"W-What?" Tsuna asked, staring up at Xanxus with his tears frozen in shock.

"You shouldn't be here at all," Xanxus explained with a pained look in his eyes. "All good organizations have a Chain of Command, but you haven't been using yours. I get that you don't want to drag people into doing dirty work, but you can't take everything on yourself. You're only going to tear yourself up like this. I'm more than willing to go blow Gabriel's head off for you. Just say the word."

"X-Xan...xus...?" Tsuna came to one slow realization. Xanxus was angry. He was angrier than Tsuna had ever seen him before. He was beyond mad. He was beyond pissed. He was beyond enraged. There was a dark light in his eyes that held more murderous intent than Tsuna could ever hope to comprehend. Xanxus was about to explode and all he needed was a single trigger. A single word.

"You asked me not to interfere in your life without permission," Xanxus replied. Despite his calm voice, his neck twitching slightly as the only outward sign to betray the internal maelstrom that he was hiding. "Ginger reminded me that I'd made that promise to you, so I... Never mind. It doesn't fucking matter. Just say the word, Laz. Just say the damned word so that I can go kill him." Tsuna stared in horror while Xanxus continued his attempts to keep himself under control and slowly started failing. His previously smooth skin started developing small splotches which spread at a terrifying rate. Before Tsuna could even blink, they covered his face and marred the carefree expression that had previously been there.

It hurt. To see Gabriel's influence visibly affecting his friend hurt at an incredible level. It was like a disease that he kept spreading to his friends. The more that he got hurt by Gabriel, the more that the friends around him were tainted. He didn't want to see such a horrifying look on Xanxus' face. He didn't want to it to spread any more and hurt the people around him any more. He didn't want it to consume anyone else. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to--

"Stop!" Tsuna cried. Barreling into Xanxus, he wrapped his arms around his neck and started weeping over the fact that it was the only thing that he could do to stop him. "Please stop, Xanxus," he wept hysterically. "Not you, too. I'll do whatever you want but just stop! Please!" Burying his head into Xanxus' neck, he refused to let go. Snicker's scent overwhelmed him, making the memories all that much sharper. He begged shamelessly around his tears, not wanting another Snicker. Not wanting another person hurt because he was too weak. "Please," he repeated endlessly until his throat was raw. "Just stop."

He wasn't sure how long he begged. He wasn't sure for how long he cried. He wasn't sure how long he held on to Xanxus' neck before he started losing feeling in his arms. He wasn't sure how long it was before his voice stopped working entirely despite his attempts to continue using it. Whether it was minutes or hours, the overcast sky kept him from knowing. All he could tell was that his pleas somehow got through. He could feel the rage slowly leaking out of Xanxus until he finally responded.

"Those were the wrong words," Xanxus admonished softly as he wrapped his arms around Tsuna's waist. Tsuna's grip around Xanxus neck started to falter and he let it. It was over. Xanxus' rage had passed and Tsuna felt that he'd succeeded in keeping him tainted by Gabriel. The fact made him sag in relief within Xanxus' arms. He felt completely wrung dry. He felt like he could just lay his head down on Xanxus' shoulder and drift... off... to sleep...

* * *

_Mount Fuji sat in the distance, illuminated by the full moon. The smell of sakura drifted on the air, making Tsuna's warm with the nostalgic aroma. Japan had been wonderful and Snicker had been the best part of it. It'd been just the two of them and they'd enjoyed every minute together. The sights.... the food.... the hotel.... The hot springs..._

_"I-I can't take anymore, Tsuna," Snicker panted with a flushed expression._

_"Just a little longer," Tsuna murmured with amusement. Snicker had been so cute in his yukata. He'd become even cuter when it'd fallen off of his shoulders and the belt had been removed. As he was now, he was dressed more in the steam from the hot spring than in clothing. It clung to his skin, creating a glistening sheen on his bare skin that Tsuna took great pleasure in licking off as it collected. "Do you want me, Joshua?" He asked seductively._

_"I want you," Gabriel said cruelly. Tsuna's head snapped up and his eyes widened in shock upon seeing Gabriel in the place that Snicker had been just moments previously. Tsuna took two steps backward in shock and tripped on a stone that was part of the hot springs landscaping. Flailing, he tried to catch himself but was still plunged backward into the water. His head went under, filling his mouth with water that he somehow knew was poisoned._

_There was a moment of disorientation as the water disappeared and he found himself spluttering in a dark alley. Knowing what was to come next, he jumped to his feet and ran rather than question anything. An alley was the last place that he wanted to be with Gabriel around! However, no matter which way he turned, he couldn't find the way out of the maze. He began to panic and he started to scream when hands reached out to grab him from the darkness._

_He fought. He fought up until the point that he noticed something about the people dragging him through the maze. They were his people! He couldn't make out their faces, but all of them were Orange Dragons! He somehow knew that they were Dragons! They were supposed to be loyal to him, though?! Why were they helping Gabriel?!_

_"Money," one said as they started running with Tsuna in their clutches._

_"Power," another whispered. Gabriel had met all their prices. They'd all sold Tsuna out because Gabriel had promised to give them what they wanted. They had no loyalty to Tsuna. They had no connection. They had only followed the person that had offered to give them what they wanted and that was Gabriel now. Not Tsuna. Gabriel had taken Tsuna's own people from him! He was powerless!_

_"Fame," yet another supplied as more bits of knowledge entered Tsuna's mind. They were getting closer to Gabriel! Tsuna started fighting, but it was as if he were fighting ghosts. He continued to move closer and closer to his destination and there was nothing that he could do to stop it!_

_"Give yourself to Gabriel," a voice ordered as the men disappeared. Tsuna stared around himself, finding that the scenery had changed once again. He was in Pasta da Paolo, sitting on the middle of one of the restaurant's tables with all of the Martelli Family surrounding him. He tried to move to get off, but realized that he was more than just sitting on the table. He was bound and gagged. Even worse, he couldn't find his clothes. Where were his clothes?!_

_"Give yourself to me," Gabriel ordered as he stepped out of the crowd of man-colored statues. Why wasn't anyone stopping Gabriel? Couldn't they see that he was planning on doing something bad?! Why weren't they doing anything to help Tsuna?! Why were they just standing there while he was tied up?! Were they going to do nothing....? Were they really not going to stop Gabriel...? _

_Tsuna felt the stirrings of complete terror._

_They were going to do nothing._

_"Don't cry," Gabriel soothed, reaching out to grab Tsuna's face. "It'll only hurt for a little while."_

* * *

Tsuna bolted upright with a strangled scream. Breathing heavily, it took him several long minutes to realize that it had been a dream. His heart was racing madly like it'd been real, but such was the nature of nightmares. He felt like he was quivering inside of his skin, which only left him even more unsteady while he tried to calm himself. If was worse than the time that he'd stayed up six days straight on caffeine and it was worse than the time that he'd gotten electrocuted while changing a light bulb. He felt like he was going to shake into pieces, but a look at his own hands proved that he wasn't even outwardly trembling. He was just covered in a cold sweat that had soaked into the sheets of his hotel room bed.

It had been a dream, he told himself as he put his face in his hands. It had been a stupid nightmare that had preyed on both his fantasies and his fears. None of it was real and none of it would become real. He was just a little scared because he'd almost fallen into Gabriel's trap--

Tsuna froze as a crash sounded from the main room of his hotel suite.

Another crash followed, making Tsuna jump out of bed to go confront it. If someone had broken into his hotel room, he wasn't going to sit back and do nothing! Scenario after scenario flew through his mind between his bed and the door. None of them could have prepared him for the scene that actually met him.

"Xanxus!" Tsuna shouted with his eyes bulging out of their sockets. Xanxus' head snapped up and he stared back in surprise for the interruption. His eye twitched slightly and his mouth parted in shock, struck speechless at having been caught in such a position. Tsuna took two hesitant steps forward, unbelieving that the man would do such a thing. There was only one way that Tsuna could possibly respond, however. Darting forward, he rammed his fist into Xanxus' jaw and kicked him in the gut hard enough to make him let go.

"I can explain," Xanxus gasped, dropping Tsuna's cat in the process of trying to ward off Tsuna's follow-up strikes. Tsuna gritted his teeth and kept punching, taking no little relief in how Koi darted for the safety of the bedroom. She was alive with no thanks going to Xanxus for trying to strangle her.

"How could you?" Tsuna shouted, jumping up to send his knee into Xanxus' crotch. Xanxus managed to block the blow, but his face took on an expression of warning. Hitting below the belt was one way to turn him completely serious.

"Cut it out," he growled. Tsuna didn't stop. He couldn't stop! The bastard had tried to kill his cat! He'd been caught red-handed! He understood that Xanxus had been mad about Gabriel, but to take it out on an innocent creature was just wrong! It was frustrating, though. He couldn't seem to get any strikes through after the initial punch. No matter how he kicked or lashed out with his fits, all he met was air and furniture. In a few occasions, he met the walls. Xanxus... Xanxus seemed to fly. Rather than fighting the motions of Tsuna's strikes, he moved with them with a grace that made Tsuna's eyes pop. Countless times, Tsuna felt like he was about to have his own momentum used against him, but Xanxus never once attacked in return. He simply continued to dodge the attacks with a complete lack of effort until Tsuna finally fell to a stop.

"W-Why...?" He asked, feeling as if there were an insurmountable gap between his and Xanxus' skills.

"Are you finally calmed down?" Xanxus asked with a cruel grin spreading across his face. Tsuna blinked, realizing that Xanxus was still focused on the cat instead of his fighting skills "Like I was trying to tell you, I had a fucking reason. I don't know how she managed to sneak in, but that's not just any stray cat. She's a Vongola spy and she's full of fleas."

Tsuna stared in complete disbelief while Xanxus grinned like he'd achieved something. To label a cat as a Vongola was just plain stupid. If she was something like Ginger, Tsuna could understand. Koi was just a dumb beast, though. Tsuna knew because it was his cat. Trying to kill her over fleas was a bit too much to handle. Calling her a spy was incredulous.

"Are you an idiot?" Tsuna asked bluntly. Xanxus' face fell in a split second while Tsuna slowly shook his head to himself. The insanity had to be spreading. He'd had a nightmare that everyone was going to turn on him and then he'd awakened to Xanxus trying to kill his cat for being an enemy spy. It was simply too much to handle. Walking over to where a pile of liquor was laying scattered and broken, he knelt down to sort through it in hopes that one bottle had survived. More than anything, he needed a damn drink.

"I'm serious!" Xanxus spluttered, stabbing a finger in the direction of the bedroom. "She's a fucking--"

"I'm not buying it, Xanxus," he interrupted. Tossing broken bottle after broken bottle aside, he groaned in satisfaction when he found a bottle of whiskey that was untouched. The cap was off in an instant and Tsuna decided to forgo a glass so that he could get the liquor down his throat all that much faster. Taking several long drinks, he stumbled over to where his jacket was laying on top of a broken chair and dug his cigarettes out of the pocket. Once he had that, he retreated to the remains of his couch so that he could smoke and drink in comfort despite the destruction of the room around him. "Even if she was a Vongola-owned cat, she's still just a cat, Xanxus. Trying to kill her over fleas is going a little overboard when I can just have Veronica take her to get dipped."

"Not those kinds of fleas!" Xanxus roared in frustration. "She's got fucking FLEAS!" Tsuna turned to look at him with a sardonic expression and Xanxus' face turned red at the obvious. There were no difference between fleas and FLEAS. "Shit," Xanxus spat. "No matter what I say, I'm just going to sound crazy."

"Pretty much," Tsuna agreed with a laugh as he returned to the process of emptying his bottle. "The next thing that you're going to tell me is that she can walk and talk like Ginger," he gasped with a slight grimace for how the liquor burned his raw throat. "Just give it up, Xanxus. I'm satisfied with punching you once for trying to strangle her. Don't make me--"

"You don't _want _to fucking believe me," Xanxus interjected. Tsuna's jaw locked instantly. It was true. His gut said that Xanxus was telling the truth, but he didn't want to believe it. Koi's presence filled an emptiness that no one else could touch. If he admitted that Xanxus could possibly be right, it meant that he'd have to act. He'd rather just continue pretending, even if Koi was somehow spying on him for Vongola. There wasn't much that they'd see through her anyway, so what was the harm in leaving things alone?

"Hey, Xanxus," he mumbled in effort to distract him. "What you said earlier, about not using my chain of command.... What did you mean?"

"Eh?" Xanxus asked in surprise for the sudden change of subject. "What was that, brat?"

"You said that I wasn't using my chain of command," he repeated. Relaxing back into his chair, he tried to keep himself thinking about anything else that had happened around that time. Thanks to Xanxus, he hadn't fallen for the trap. There was no reason to be upset, but Xanxus' words had hit a nerve. There was a measure of truth to it that Tsuna felt that he needed to understand. It was a missing piece to the puzzle of being a good Boss. Xanxus could teach him. "Tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"What's in it for me?" Xanxus asked with a dark light lighting up in his eyes.

"I don't have anything to offer you," Tsuna admitted around a long pull of his cigarette. "You've got more money than me and you've probably got more connections. Anything that I could suggest giving you would be things that you can get for yourself."

"That's true," Xanxus groaned as he collapsed onto the couch next to him. "How about one of the nights that you owe me?"

"What?!" Tsuna spluttered, sending a mouthful of whiskey into the air.

"Too much?" He asked with a complete lack of embarrassment for such a bold request. "How about just a kiss then and we'll go from there?"

"You're insane," Tsuna gaped.

"No," he corrected with a shaded expression. "I just know what I want and it's no fun if I've got to take it. You want to know what I meant and I've got a few things that I want to know."

"Can't I just let you bite me instead?" Tsuna asked. Rubbing the back of his neck in worry for the outcome of answering such a request, he tried to think of some other alternative. Xanxus was a decent friend and kissing him could destroy everything. "You'll regret it if I kiss you, Xanxus."

"Let me decide that," he replied with a wide grin, taking Tsuna's comment as acceptance of the request. "Do you want to do it now or afterward?"

"After," Tsuna answered instantly. "What's wrong with my chain of command?"

"You don't have one, brat," Xanxus laughed.

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped.

"You got the chain set up, but you're not using them," he continued with a sly look in his eyes. "So you might as well not have one." He reached out, yanking Tsuna's bottle away in order to take a drink for himself. Tsuna let him while trying to get his mind wrapped around Xanxus' information. "You've got no problems giving orders for legal shit and small bullshit, but you try to do everything alone when things turn illegal. You should be having trash do trash work like patrolling the neighborhood and recruiting. How you have things set up is a fucking laughing stock. You've got squad leaders and divisions, but the scum on the bottom goes straight to you instead of through them. Listen up, brat. In a company of over a hundred, the President can't give their undivided attention to everyone at once."

"Then what do I do?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "If I just ignore them, how can I expect them to stay loyal?"

"If you don't trust them to work for you, why do you need them to?" Xanxus countered with a dull expression. "That's where you're screwing up, brat. You're not giving anyone a reason to trust you. This isn't something where you can be everywhere at once. You're planning to expand. Right? You'll lose control if you keep doing the shit that you've been doing. Giving the legal assignments to the trash and taking all the illegal ones for yourself will end up with you being overworked. Shit won't get done that way. The trash on the bottom aren't supposed to be loyal to you. They're supposed to be loyal to the people under you and those people are supposed to be the ones that foster the loyalty to the group as a whole."

"I don't understand," Tsuna admitted. "Then what am I doing wrong? I put Gigi and everyone in charge of different groups. Why does it feel like it's not working right?"

"Because you're walking in a separate world than them," Xanxus explained, handing back the bottle for Tsuna to drink off of. "If you want them to be loyal, then work ethic isn't what you need from them. You need to make them trust you and they need to trust the people that you placed over them."

"How?" Tsuna asked in growing confusion. "I was thinking of a test, but--"

"They'll all fail," Xanxus interrupted. "Don't waste your time with that shit. You already know that they've got no loyalty or else you wouldn't bother testing them. What you need to do is to show them the outcome of not trusting you. You've been coddling your people too much, Laz. From what I've heard, they all believe that you've turned legitimate. You're filling your ranks with pieces of shit that would piss their pants if they saw the shit that we did at night. They haven't been initiated into reality yet. You're making life too easy for them. You need to show the trash that their easy life isn't free."

"Oh," Tsuna murmured as understanding slowly dawned. Xanxus was right. He'd kept things low-key, but there was still a lot of work to keep things running smoothly. That wasn't what he needed, though. That wasn't what the gang needed. They needed to face reality and work to overcome it. All he'd been doing so far was blinding his people and working to keep them from dirtying their hands. He'd been doing the work for them and there was no way that they could have any pride in themselves when the work that he gave them was meaningless make-work that even a monkey could do. Although monkeys were nice to have around, they'd joined him so that they could become Dragons.

Like Xanxus had said, he needed to stop coddling them.

"I think that I understand," Tsuna nodded to himself. "I was going in the right direction by recruiting fighters, but that alone isn't enough. I can't hold everyone in reserve for an emergency. I've got to let them gain experience or else they won't be prepared in the future."

"Right," Xanxus nodded. "Now where's my payment? We made a deal."

"Don't say that I didn't warn you," Tsuna replied. Putting out his cigarette in his bottle, he set it aside and put himself in the mindset to fulfill his promise. It was just a kiss and he kissed lots of people. That wasn't the problem. The problem was something different and he didn't think Xanxus would let it go unnoticed. Xanxus patiently waited with a growing grin on his face while Tsuna stood and positioned himself in front of him. Leaning down, Tsuna decided that this wouldn't be fair payment by itself. "Let's go for drinks later," he offered in the knowledge that Xanxus was just wanting a connection with him.

"Shouldn't you invite me out after you've paid up?" Xanxus asked mockingly. Tsuna didn't answer, knowing that Xanxus would understand afterward. Closing the distance between them, he did exactly what Xanxus wanted. He gave him a kiss. It wouldn't have been fair to make it a simple peck on the lips, so Tsuna fulfilled the true request. He gave Xanxus the kiss of a lover.

And was pushed away before he was halfway done.

Xanxus stared at him with an expression of horror on his face, but Tsuna had expected it. There was no passion or love to warm the embrace. The only heat that he ever felt was what he leeched off of his partner. Creating his own was impossible. He didn't love Xanxus nor did they have anything other than friendship between them. For Xanxus, he was sure that it'd felt like he'd been kissed by a mechanical puppet. Tsuna knew how to please others, so it typically went unnoticed. With someone like Xanxus who was actually paying attention to the enjoyment of their partner instead of their own pleasure, the act was discovered in the opening scene.

"Don't take it personally," Tsuna sighed with a sad, lopsided smile. "I know that you were hoping for something more, but I'm not Suoh anymore."

"What about Mafia Land...?" Xanxus mumbled as he absently touched his lips like they were defective.

"You're confusing things, Xanxus," he admonished softly. "When my feeding instinct starts taking control, I might as well be a different person. I'm getting used to your scent, so it's not affecting me as much like that anymore. Right now, I can control it, so the me that's in front of you is just plain Lazarus. I can't change how I am, so you should give up on more than friendship."

Xanxus let out a swift breath as if Tsuna had punched him in the gut, but he said nothing. There wasn't anything for him to say. That was why Tsuna had went through with the kiss. He'd introduced Xanxus with reality in a way that simple words couldn't have explained. If he was going to stay friends with Xanxus, he had to make his feelings clear. In his case, the lack of feeling was the telling blow. He could go through the motions all that he wanted, but there was no deep connection between them. Not like there had been with Snicker.

"Maro loves you," he said in effort to ease what was probably a painful revelation for Xanxus. "I'll let him out soon, so just wait until then for what you want. I know that--" Tsuna broke off when Xanxus stood and walked out of the room without a single word. Tsuna didn't bother chasing after him. He'd told him that he'd regret it. Xanxus wouldn't be fooled like everyone else. Tsuna wasn't sure how he'd known that Xanxus would see the truth, but there had been no point in trying to hide it after he'd been discovered. Xanxus would be fine. Taking his actions from earlier into account, Tsuna assumed that he'd left to get some air. When he showed his face again, it would be like nothing had happened. Even if he didn't, the harsh truth was that it didn't really matter. He could live without Xanxus. He knew because he was already having to live without Snicker and Snicker was far more precious than anyone else.

Even so, Tsuna hated hurting people.

Walking into his bedroom, he flicked on the light and sank down to find his cat cowering under the bed. Spy or not, the poor creature looked terrified.

"It's okay," Tsuna soothed. "Xanxus isn't going to hurt you. He's gone, so it's safe to come out."

"Mrooooow," she whined.

"You know, he says that you're a spy for Vongola," he sighed, laying himself out next to the bed in hopes that his voice would calm her. He didn't try to dig her out, instead letting her find security at her own speed. Jewel crawled up alongside him, coming out from her warm nest in Tsuna's pillow for the first time since he'd awakened. The fact that she came out at all showed that she was just as worried about Koi as he was.

"I think that it's kind of silly, but he wasn't lying," he continued slowly while he reached out to rub the back of Jewel's shell. "I can tell when people lie to me. I hope that we can still be friends, even if it is true. It's been kind of lonely, so it's been nice to have you around. I know that it probably makes me a hypocrite to let it go since you're a cat, but it's not like you're following me to work or anything. You only see what happens in here and.... well... it's not much. I probably seem like a really pathetic human to you. Veronica is the only person that comes here more than once and that's because she's working for me."

"You don't have to worry about Xanxus, either," he continued. "I doubt that he'll come back here after what just happened. You know, I think that he's in love with me. He's an idiot, though. He must not have loved Tsuna that much if he's chasing after me. I can't imagine... After Snicker, I can't imagine feeling that way about anyone else." Letting out a soft sigh, he looked to find Koi simply staring at him from the dark recesses of the bed. It was exactly as if she was listening to him, which only made the likelihood of Xanxus' words that much more possible.

"I'll make you a deal," Tsuna murmured, fighting the strange urge to cry. "If you want to stay, I'll pretend that you're just a smart cat with nothing else special about you. I used to have a dog that could use the toilet and could do a lot of other tricks. So if you want to watch television or anything, you don't have to hide it from me. Just do me a favor and don't disappear on me. I kind of got attached to you and Jewel because I didn't think that you two could betray me. I... I don't think I could bear it if I had to admit that Xanxus was right, so I'm not going to. As long as you're here, I'll take care of you like you're my own. I'll promise you that. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Taking a deep breath to settle himself, he crawled to his knees and then crawled onto the bed when he couldn't think of anything else to say. He felt warn out, both mentally and physically, from everything that had happened over the course of the day. The nap that he'd gotten after crying himself out on Xanxus' shoulder wasn't enough to compensate. He'd worry about the damage to the room later. For now, he just wanted to close his eyes and rest.

"If you agree," he called softly while he pulled his covers up around his body, "then feel free to sleep up in the bed with me tonight. I've got to get some sleep because I have a long day planned for tomorrow."

Of course, nothing answered. The fact was somewhat disappointing, but he was used to it. It was completely possible that Xanxus was mistaken but that he believed that he was telling the truth. It was also possible that his cat was smart enough not to confirm anything. After all, he was more likely to slip up if he didn't know the truth. The funny thing to the situation was that he had nothing to hide. Not really. Even if he opened the window and shouted out that he was Vongola the Tenth, he'd probably just get a bullet in his head for saying such a thing. No one would believe him about Gabriel, so it was very unlikely that anyone would believe that he was really Tsuna. No one but Papa Paolo, but Papa Paolo was unique--

Tsuna froze when he felt movement along the edge of the bed. Had she understood him?

Did it matter if she'd understood him?

He smiled to himself when she ducked under the covers and made a U-turn so that she could lay stretched out next to his stomach. With a slight shift, he turned onto his side so that he could cuddle her properly. It was right, he felt. What she was when she was away from him didn't matter. Only the cat in front of him mattered and she'd been a very soothing companion. The fact made him relax as Jewel settled herself on the pillow next to his head.

"You never change, nyah," he thought he heard as he dozed off. The words were so quiet that they could have easily been the beginnings of a dream.

And, in that dream, the reply floated up out of nothingness.

_Mukuro wouldn't want me to._

* * *

"You want me to have my girls beat up your men?" Wes asked in surprise. Tsuna grinned, finding that his luck was better than he'd expected. He now knew why the Nymphs had been ignoring him. It was because their Boss was someone that he played poker with once a week. 'Nereus' was just Wes' alias so that he could keep the darker side of his life from mixing with the lighter. He'd had Ollie set up the meeting in an open place so that he could feel out the competition without risk. In order to get Nereus to come alone, he'd agreed to it being in the Nymph's territory. He wasn't complaining, but he hadn't expected for the man who showed to be someone that he already knew.

"My men need a wake up call," Tsuna explained as they walked along the docks together. "They're losing their edge and going soft. Most of the girls that I have in my gang are either whores or geeks. If the rumors that I hear are correct, your group prides themselves on having warriors along with artists. Strength and beauty. Correct?"

"Yes," he admitted slowly. "But I still don't understand--"

"I could destroy them all," Tsuna warned softly. "You know that I can. I was the Sixth for a reason. But that's not a threat, so don't misunderstand. I'm offering alliance instead of warfare. My group is weak right now, but my strength alone should get your interest. I want your help in fixing some problems that can't be corrected internally. If you do that, I can help you with the problem that you're having with the Junkyard Mutts. I've heard that some of their people have been migrating to the beach."

"That's true," he nodded with a look of deep thought crossing his face. "The Mutt's territory doesn't intersect with mine. They've been using your territory as a 'No-Man's Land' to retreat into before we can get hold of them. It's only going to get worse as the weather warms up and I'd prefer to have them dealt with before tourist season picks up. We can't charge protection fees if we can't catch the bastards that are stirring up trouble."

"I'll take care of the Mutts," Tsuna promised. "Just do me a favor and beat my men into shape. They could use a blow to their pride and there's nothing worse than being beaten up by a girl."

"Have I ever mentioned that you're a cruel man?" Wes asked with a crooked grin. "Seriously, though, what are you up to, Laz? I've been having a few of my girls keep an eye on you and they said that you've already arranged meetings with the Whiskers and the Mutts after me. If you go see the Nightreapers on top of them, you'll have contacted all of the Big Five."

"I should probably let you in on something, Wes," he sighed. Leading him over to a railing, he looked out at the ocean and tried to hold back the nostalgic feeling that the salty air created. The scent wasn't as strong in his part of the city and it'd been far too long since he'd taken a trip to the waterfront. Leaning onto the railing, he smiled to himself as Wes followed suit. "Before I went to jail, the Blue Whiskers and the Mutts were both answering to me. Your group didn't take part of it, so I never messed with you. You know what I'm talking about? Right?"

"Demon Night," he nodded. "The night that the whole city learned to fear you. That was a long time ago, though. People don't fear you like that anymore."

"They will after I meet with them," Tsuna murmured with his eyes chasing the waves in complete disregard for Wes's curious expression. "Both groups don't answer to me, but they don't want a repeat performance of that night. They don't want me to Judge them."

"If you can't negotiate peace, then demand peace through fear...?" Wes supplied with a grimace. "That's not a very nice way to conduct business."

"I never claimed to be nice," Tsuna replied. "As long as they stay out of my way, I'll let them continue playing their little games with each other. I don't care what it takes. The Dragons aren't going to be pushed around by anyone. If it means that I've got to take control of the whole city, then I will."

"What about the Martelli Family?" Wes asked bluntly. Tsuna grimaced slightly, but the question proved that Wes wasn't a nobody. He probably understood the situation in the underground better than Tsuna did.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," he answered. "Right now, I'm just focused on getting things working properly. This time, I'm starting from the top and correcting things all the way down to the bottom. Whether you're going to be my rival or my ally, I need to know so that I know what I'm working with."

"Chain of Command," he sighed in understanding. "You can't form one until you know where you're at in it. Everyone is on the top of one, but whether or not someone is above them can change everything."

"I won't have anyone above me," Tsuna said firmly. "You can either be beside me or under me. I won't tolerate anything else."

"You should be careful, Lazarus," Wes warned with his voice barely being heard over the waves. "Caesar was a dictator, too, and look what happened to him."

"Stabbed by his best friend on the Ides of March," Tsuna supplied with a careless shrug. "There's a big difference between me and him, though."

"What's that?"

"No one's killed me yet."

* * *

"I'm starting to see a very screwed up pattern," Tsuna said with a crooked grin.

"It took you long enough," Rockford smiled in return without moving off of the rusted shell of a car that he was using as a throne. "I was kind of disappointed when you didn't show before our last poker game. The discussion would have been a lot more interesting."

"Let me guess," Tsuna replied, finding himself a seat on an overturned refrigerator. "Erin heads the Nightreapers and Michael has some connection with the Whiskers."

"He's Jen's grandfather and the man that raised her," he laughed. "We were wondering how long it was going to take before you made the connection. You've been busy, though, so we understand."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Tsuna asked seriously. "You should know by now that I don't like being toyed with."

"Whoa, man," he soothed. He urged one of his men over to offer a shot of tequila served on a hubcap. Tsuna was tempted to ignore it, but decided to take the peace offering. Rockford had invited him into his hideout, although it wasn't what Tsuna had expected. To think that such a large space was hiding under the trash dump was almost unbelievable. The hideout was easily the size of Kink's, although the atmosphere made him think of post-apocalyptic movies. With the amount of money that Rockford threw around at their poker games, it made Tsuna wonder why he was hiding out in a place that used crushed cars as walls. "None of us are toying with you," he continued seriously once Tsuna had his drink in hand. "We're all pretty damn serious. Things are starting to move, if you know what I mean. I took over the Mutts not long after you went into jail, but I know the score."

"I'm not following," Tsuna admitted carefully while he nursed his shot. "Stop trying to mince words. What are you guys planning and why have you been playing games with me? If I don't like your answer, you can forget about me leaving this place peacefully."

"I'll say it plain, then," Rockford sighed. "The bigger that you get, the bigger that your problems are. Me and the others have talked and we've decided. We aren't looking to rise any higher. We'll leave that to you."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped with a complete lack of comprehension.

"Me and the others have times when we can't see eye-to-eye, but we all have an understanding with each other," Rockford shrugged. "We each stay in our own territories and keep our own men in line. We don't fuck with each other's business and we keep our disagreements from escalating. We don't want warfare in the streets anymore than the populous does. It's bad for business, if you know what I mean. That's where you come in. The balance of power is all wrong right now and we don't have the strength to expand any more. Little guys like me and Jen and Wes can't hope to stand up to someone with the power of the Martelli Family. Not alone. If we got someone organizing us and keeping us from biting at each other, then there's a chance, though."

"That's why you twinked me," Tsuna murmured as the situation was clarified in his mind. At least, he thought that it was clarified. There was one thing bothering him about the whole thing, though. "I can understand you guys testing me, but who the fuck said that I was going to do what you wanted? I won't be a puppet-King for you four to play around with."

"That's why we chose you," he grinned as if Tsuna had given the most satisfactory reply possible. "A puppet-King would crash and burn when his strings were cut. We want someone that can think for himself. There's going to be times that me and the other guys don't see eye-to-eye. If you can't control us, then you should just go back to the gutter. There's not room for another General in this city."

"And if I can control you?" He prompted curiously.

"Then the Martelli Family becomes last week's news," Rockford supplied with his grin widening even more.

"I won't compete with the Martelli Family," Tsuna replied with his expression turning hard. Rockford's smile faltered, but Tsuna put it back into place fairly quickly. "But a King knows how to negotiate trade routes. I assume this means that I can expect a pledge of loyalty in the future?"

"I'll consider it," Rockford answered coyly. Tsuna nodded, having known before he asked that the man wouldn't immediately bow down. He would bow, however. As soon as Tsuna proved that he had the power to crown himself. Tossing back the shot that he'd been given, he chucked the empty glass in the direction of Rockford's distracted attendant. It was caught effortlessly, which let Tsuna know that the men around him weren't completely useless.

"I'll see you around," Tsuna said as he stood and started walking toward the door. He paused halfway there, belatedly remembering that he had other business to attend to. "Oh, Rockford," he called nonchalantly while keeping his back to the man. "Keep your scrap off of the beach. I'd hate to break something that belongs to you because it got caught under my feet."

"I'll pass the word along," he replied in complete satisfaction.

* * *

"I was expecting someone Asian," Tsuna admitted as the waitress laid out his complimentary meal. The man across from him smiled, gesturing for Tsuna to eat while they talked.

"I'm only a fraction," Erin explained around a bite of his egg roll. "My grandfather on my mother's side was Chinese. He settled here with my grandmother about eighty years ago and they've been the cornerstone in this district for the last fifty. My mother married a white businessman, but I connected better with my mom's side of the family than my dad's. Around here, it's not uncommon to be of mixed birth, so I was fully accepted when I married back into the community."

"So the electronics' chain...?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My father's," he answered. "In today's world, you can't get anywhere without money. Now that you know who I am, though, I can tell you about my other holdings. Basically, I own Chinatown."

"As in...?"

"As in, I own Chinatown," he repeated with a grin. "This area went through a depression about six years ago and I bought out people's debts by sacrificing two of my father's chain stores. Instead of forcing them to pay it back at an interest that none of them can afford, I've accepted charge of the area as compensation. There isn't a man, woman, or child in this area that wouldn't come running if I so much as sneezed."

"The Nightreapers?" Tsuna prompted softly as he started absently collecting the noodles on his plate for a bite.

"They're a local gang," Erin shrugged while Tsuna ate. "I let them go for a while to see if they had the strength to overthrow me, but the leader was weak. I took them over before their ambition got the better of them. Things were a little shaky at first, but there isn't a single one left that's not loyal. Even the former leader has accepted his defeat."

"And your _real _business?" Tsuna asked solemnly.

"Import and export," he grinned. "I'll leave the details for your imagination, but I handle a little of everything. You don't have to worry, though. I'm not the kind of guy that snatches girls off the street, although I've wiped out a few groups that tried. It's only on rare occasions that I deal with human shipments, though. I prefer to deal with goods since they're a lot less likely to snitch. For every person in the Nightreapers or that's connected to us, we have two people overseas. If you can name it, then I can probably get it."

"You sound overconfident," Tsuna commented as he slowly started to empty his plate.

"Not really," he laughed. "I just know the lay of the land. Wes has the market cornered on drugs. You've got the market cornered on sex. Jen has the market cornered on upscale fetishes. Rockford has takes profit from where he can get it, but he focuses on cars for the underground work. As for me, I'm the shipping company. Wes makes a deal with his contacts. I pick it up what he buys and I deliver it to him for a cost. For Rockford, I take care of delivery for vehicles and parts without asking any questions. For Jen, I answer any of her requests without asking what she needs the stuff for. I let them deal with marketing and the customers. I just get the shit into their hands or out of it as the case might be."

"I would have thought that Wes takes care of that since the waterfront is his territory," Tsuna murmured around a drink of the tea that he'd been given.

"Yes and no," he replied. "Wes has the waterfront, but most of it's the tourist areas. His territory ends between the docks for the pleasure ships and the shipping docks. Once you get into the shipping docks, you're entering my territory. Wes' real territory is the Southside. You could say that he has the south east corner of the city and I have the north east. Rockford is satisfied with the Pitts in the north west corner and Jen's--"

"Jen is the south west," Tsuna supplied, seeing the four corners of the city in his mind's eye. The territories were an 'L' shape, leaving a large space in the center of the city that was Tsuna's territory. The upper left corner of his territory was framed by the Junkyard Mutts, the upper right by the Nightreapers, the lower left by the Blue Whiskers, and the lower right by the Nymphs. He was surrounded and the only way to really expand was to take control of the areas around him. "How does Martelli fit into all of this?"

"They don't," Erin answered nonchalantly. "Those guys play on a completely different field than us. To tell you the truth, most of us have been paying protection so that the Family will ignore us. Their market covers the whole city and most of the surrounding area."

"This... uh... This might sound like a stupid question coming from me," Tsuna murmured, setting down his chopstick in order to give the problem his complete attention. "What... um... What does the Martelli Family deal in?"

"Eh?" Erin gaped in surprise.

"I mean, I know about the restaurants and how they take in requests for different jobs," Tsuna amended hurriedly. "I get that they have money and power, but what is their major cornerstone? I... I never really got to find out what they deal in. I mean, they wouldn't leave you guys alone if your trades conflicted, so it's not anything that we're dealing with. I know that I should probably know what it is, but the Family never really included me in that sort of stuff. I just got handed jobs like anyone else, but all of them were pretty random."

"Well," Erin answered slowly, setting aside his own meal to answer the question seriously. "There's four things that I know of for sure. The first is underground fighting."

"I knew about that one," Tsuna nodded in acceptance. "I've fought for them a few times."

"The second is information," he smiled in relief. "If you need to know something that no one else knows, Papa Paolo is the one to deal with. He has eyes everywhere."

"Oh," Tsuna blinked in surprise. "I knew that one, too. I just didn't know that he traded on it."

"He does," Erin replied in sympathy. "Most people don't notice that about him until they've been targeted. Be careful about what you tell the Martelli Family. They're good about keeping secrets until someone shows up with the right price."

"You don't have to tell me," Tsuna laughed. "What's the other two?"

"Medical," he answered. "Both above-ground and underground. Most people don't notice, but the Martelli Family practically owns all the hospitals around here. Most of the private practices, too. They keep their presence to a minimum, but be careful of getting hurt when you're on the Martelli's bad side."

"I see," Tsuna grimaced. That part would be a problem. With Gabriel back, the knowledge was priceless. Especially since.... "Murder," Tsuna supplied for the last one.

"Exactly," Erin confirmed with a dark look on his face. "You were one of them, so you probably know their abilities better than any of us. Competing with them is impossible when they trade in life and death like it's common currency. If all four of us gather under the banner of a former Martelli, it's less likely that the trade would be used against us if the Family decides to expand their business fronts. Even if they do chose to turn on us, it's widely known that even the Family fears you. I honestly believe, given the right boost, you'll be fully capable of protecting us from them. The Family has been a dark cloud hanging over all of us since the beginning. We want to see clear skies again."

"Those clouds are only your own fears," Tsuna murmured, knowing Papa Paolo's temperament far better than Erin or any of the others could. He was a fearsome man, but he was a badger. He was only scary if you stuck your foot in his den and threatened him. He wasn't ambitious in the least. "If it'll ease your minds, though, then I have no issues with taking command. As I told Rockford, I'm perfectly willing to negotiate trade routes. That is, assuming that you're willing to lower your head to someone else."

"We've all agreed," Erin said with a small bow of his head. "If it's you, then there is no shame in it. An army must have a Commander and we're satisfied with being Generals."

"Thanks for the meal," Tsuna replied as he got to his feet. "We'll be in touch."

* * *

"You four are making this far too easy for me," Tsuna sighed around his cigarette as he leaned on the doorway to Jen's hideout. She yelped and spun in place, accidentally slapping her subordinate with a pool cue in the process.

"Laz!" She spluttered at his sudden appearance. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour!"

"Quit lying," Tsuna ordered, propping his foot up in the doorway. "Our appointment was in an hour, but Erin probably called as soon as I left Chinatown. So, are you in on this, too?"

"Can you blame me?" She asked, throwing her broken pool stick to one of her men so that she could fearlessly advance. "I remember the last time that you stood in that doorway. I wasn't sure if I was going to piss my pants or cum by the time that you left."

"Oi," Tsuna replied dangerously. "Are you the same girl that helped lynch me for pulling up your skirt? If I remembered right, you've always hated me."

"A girl reserves the right to change her mind," she grinned. "My mother always taught me that a man should be on top, but you're the first one that I'd consider letting."

"Not interested," Tsuna said bluntly, already getting tired of the sexual innuendo. "I'm only interested about whether you're planning on licking my feet like all the others."

"I don't lick feet," she answered in amusement. "But I can play the part if you're strong enough to make me."

"Cut the shit," Tsuna ordered. Putting his foot down, he pulled the cigarette from his lips and confronted her squarely. "Are you in on this or out?"

"I'm in," she confirmed with a sigh.

"That's all I needed to know," Tsuna murmured. "I'll be waiting for your pledge."

* * *

Tsuna sat back in his office chair and groaned. Understanding and using his chain of command was harder than he expected. He'd been planning on having all the other gangs stir up trouble for a time in order to get his people all focused on the same enemy. He hadn't expected it to turn into such a mess. How was he supposed to explain it to Gigi and the others? Even worse, how was he supposed to face Papa Paolo now? They--

"Veronica," Tsuna blurted, slapping the intercom attached to his desk. He had to know. He had to know if this meant that he was on Papa Paolo's level now.

"Yes, Boss?" She replied instantly.

"Get me Ollie and make it fast."

"He just--" she spluttered as Ollie burst through Tsuna's office door.

"Holy shit, man!" Ollie shouted, coming to a stop in the middle of the office. Tsuna froze as the sudden shout brought Gigi running out of her connecting office and Veronica came running from her desk in the waiting area of the floor. "What the _fuck _did you do?!"

"O-Ollie...?" Gigi gasped in panic. "What's wrong?"

"LAZ!" Ollie screamed. "Are you fucking insane?!"

"I... uh... guess you heard," Tsuna replied with a silly grin of shock plastered on his face.

"_EVERYONE'S_ HEARD!" He yelled. "The Big Five is _gone, _man!"

"What happened?!" Gigi asked frantically. "Did someone-- Wait, they couldn't be gone! The Dragons are part of the Five!"

"Ask the fucker that gobbled them up!" Ollie spluttered with a finger pointing straight at Tsuna.

"L-Laz...?"

"Boss...?"

"Um," he hissed with a grimace as the silence stretched. "You... um... might want to call a meeting or something. I think I made a big boo-boo."

"Boo... boo...?" Gigi repeated in disbelief. "What... What kind of boo-boo?"

"The kind where... um..." He blushed sheepishly, staring at his fingers as he bounced them off of one another. "The kind where I somehow took control of the city's underground."

"LAZ!" Gigi exploded.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered before she could yell at him any more. "I didn't mean to. It just... kind of... happened."

"You didn't _mean _to?!" Veronica choked. "How can you not mean to do something like that?!"

"LAZ!" Gigi exploded again.

"They just handed it to me!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "What was I supposed to do? Tell them that I don't feel like it?! I--" Collapsing back into his chair, he tried to make sense of the impossible and failed miserably. "I'm not ready for this," he admitted. "I've got enough problems trying to figure out how to get my own people to stay loyal. Trying to manage other gangs on top of it is too much. I can't back down, though. Bringing the other gangs in line means that we can work without having to worry about infringing on territories. And I... The Dragons will be safer if we don't have to worry about gang conflicts. Call a meeting, Gigi. Bring in the Board and the Chiefs. Tell them that it's an emergency. Is the Board Room finished?"

"The just put the table in yesterday," Gigi replied with her expression softening in understanding.

"We'll meet in there," Tsuna sighed. "Let me know when they're all here. Right now, I need to get my head on straight. It's just starting to really hit me that they were serious. If the word has already hit the street, then it's being passed by the gangs themselves."

"Are you going to be okay, Boss?" Veronica asked worriedly.

"I have to be," he replied without looking up. "Snicker would never forgive me if I let the Dragons fall. Please, just go get the meeting set up. More than anything, I need some time to think."

"Laz!" Cici exclaimed, zooming through the door with Ginger and Leo beside her.

Tsuna started to groan, but found himself gaping instead. Ginger had decided on the black, but the make-over was much more eye-catching than Tsuna had expected. Especially since the tanuki had chosen pink of all colors to highlight his fur with. Tsuna had the sinking feeling that someone had told him the misnomer that only real men could pull off pink and he'd fallen for it. Knowing Ginger, his hairstylist, or fur-stylist in his case, had been too cute to call a liar. He'd also taken Tsuna's other tips and had went all out. He had a light-weight piercing in one ear and had somehow gotten a line of barbells through the bridge of his snout. If that wasn't enough, he'd gotten a spiked collar, six other dangling necklaces with pendants, and he had no less than ten bracelets on either arm. From the look of it, he'd been trying them on when he'd come over. Either that or he'd went _seriously _overboard.

"We just heard," Ginger barked with his tongue sticking out so that he could pant from his run. "Is it true? Did all the gangs really--"

"Veronica," Tsuna groaned. "Please take your post and warn the next person that barges in here that I'll beat them bloody. Leo, since you're here, go help Gigi out. Things are going to turn ugly if she can't get ahead of the gossip. Send for Eric first. He needs to be informed before the press catches wind of this. Ollie, go tell the guys on the street to shut their traps." Tsuna waited for a moment while everyone continued to stand around in waiting for him to add to the orders. "Go," he urged gently, sending them running for the door. Ollie was the last one out and Tsuna thanked the heavens that he thought to shut the door behind him. As soon as it was closed, he sagged even farther in his seat while ignoring the two who'd been left behind.

"Are you okay?" Cici asked worriedly.

"No," he answered miserably. Leaning over, he buried his face in his arms and tried not to give into his weaknesses. "Can I ask you two something?"

"Of course," Ginger whined in concern.

"I was told that I'm not supposed to trust anyone, but my gut says that it's okay to trust you two," he mumbled without lifting his head up. "If... If I tell you guys a secret, can you promise not to tell Xanxus or anyone else? It's something that only a double-handful of people know about, but I can't talk to any of them about it anymore. Since you two aren't working for me, it won't matter if I tell you. Right?"

"My lips are sealed," Ginger replied solemnly.

"May I never upgrade again if I repeat it," Cici swore.

"I... I have no clue what I'm doing," Tsuna admitted mournfully. It was as if some sort of tension in the room snapped at the words, making him lift his head up in curiosity. Ginger was sprawled out on the floor for some reason and Cici looked like one of her boosters had blown with how she was hanging sideways. "Did I say something wrong?" He asked in surprise.

"I-It's nothing," Ginger replied as he pulled himself back up to his feet. "I just thought that you were going to say something else. Go on. You have no clue what you're doing...? With what?"

"With the gang and the corporation and everything," he groaned, waving his hands out to encompass everything around him. "I just don't understand it! Even an idiot could tell that I'm not cut out for this kind of thing, but people keep throwing their faith at me like I'm invincible! All I was wanting to do was to protect what Snicker built! Now it's all a mess and I'm not even sure if this was what Snicker was wanting! I... I don't think that I can live up to everyone's expectations. I'm not a Boss! I don't know how to be a Boss! I've been trying to learn, but I don't understand what I'm doing wrong this time!"

"Then how do you know that you're doing something wrong?" Cici asked as she came into a gentle landing on his desk.

"I can feel it," he answered. "I can't really explain it, but I see all these small details and I can tell that they're part of something that I'm doing wrong. I just don't know how to fix it."

"Well, what are the details?" Ginger asked, jumping up to make himself comfortable in one of the chairs placed before his desk.

"For starters, my men are acting like lazy slobs," he grumbled. "Then there's the fact that they're only with me because I'm paying their price. They're nothing better than mercenaries and they've got no loyalty to me. Then there's--"

"Pause there," Ginger ordered. "Why do you think that they don't have loyalty?"

"Because I'm not around them like Snicker was!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I feel like I've got so much to do that my head is going to fall off, so I can't bond with them like he did."

"Isn't that what Gigi, Ore, Ollie, Leo, and Eric are for?" Ginger asked. Tsuna froze, thinking the fact over. It was true that he'd split the gang into departments, but he didn't think that it continued after hours. Did it? He'd never asked what everyone did outside of work. "Those guys are the most loyal that you have," Ginger soothed. "If they spend time with the gang, that loyalty is bound to wear off. As for them losing their edge because of the peace, all you have to do is put a challenge in front of them. Since you've got control of the gangs, why not some kind of games? If you make the stakes really high, the reward of winning or the price of losing should fire them up."

"That... That's not a bad idea," Tsuna murmured in thought. "It's a lot better than mine. I was planning on starting a fake war to shake them up."

"That couldn't hurt," Ginger shrugged. "If those plans are already in motion, just use the fake war as reason to settle things in a peaceful challenge match."

"That's good," Tsuna agreed. "What about the chain of command, though? How do I get that working right?"

"Give orders," he answered wisely. "No chain of command works if you don't use it. The flaws or lack of flaws will show themselves when you see it in action and you can make corrections as you go."

"And the other gangs?" Tsuna asked in fervent hope that Ginger could answer the most important question of all. "How do I fit them in?"

"Think of them as ancillary units," Cici offered in an attempt to help. "They're not part of the main body, but they can be your arms to help you extend your reach. They should receive your orders and follow them, but you should let them deal with their own internal problems. You should only interfere when the issue affects the main body or one of your other arms."

"So, I can order them around, but I don't have to micro-manage them?" Tsuna asked to clarify.

"I'd keep your orders to a minimum," Ginger grimaced. "Give them orders often enough to remind them of who's in ultimate command, but remember that they have to put off their own plans to answer to yours. Just keep your eye on them like they're... um..."

"Like they're what?" Tsuna asked with an eager smile.

"Like they're your Godchildren," Ginger mumbled sheepishly. The words were like a bucket of cold water after a dip in the hot springs. Godchildren. To have Godchildren meant that he was a Godfather. Godfather was almost always synonymous with...

"Am I a Mafia Boss?" Tsuna asked in dumb shock.

"Not officially," Cici answered with a whine of her servos. "But..."

"You've got all the traits," Ginger whimpered with his ears falling flat against his head. "I know that you don't like the Mafia, but you're at that level, Laz. Including all the whores, workers, and people working under you, I'd say that your Family is about a hundred and twenty strong. That's not including the four new Families that you've added today."

"Oh," Tsuna gaped. "What... ah... Oh," he repeated for lack of any other coherent thought. He sat in the chair, faintly feeling like he should be fainting or falling over or something. He was frozen, though. He was petrified in place at the sudden revelation. He didn't know what to say, what to do, or what to even think next. It was confirmed that he was on Papa Paolo's level, but he'd not thought about what that would mean.

"Laz?" Gigi asked worriedly, making him jerk in surprise when she appeared in his face as if by magic. Not even Poe moved that fast!

"Where the hell did you come from?" He gasped.

"You've been sitting there like a statue for the last hour," Ginger answered with a whine. "I figured that I broke your brain and that it'd be safer to let you come out of it on your own. Are you okay now?"

"Everyone's waiting on you," Gigi added gently. "Whenever you're ready. There's no rush. If you need a few more minutes--"

"I'm fine," he soothed. Pushing himself out of his chair, he held onto his desk for a long moment to make sure that his legs would hold. He didn't move even when they proved stable, though. For the life of him, he couldn't remember where he was supposed to go or what he was supposed to be doing.

"Laz...?" Gigi asked softly.

"Go ahead," Tsuna urged as it finally clicked in place again. "I'll be there in a moment. Tell Veronica to get coffee for everyone and... um... stuff."

"I'll take care of it," she promised before slowly heading out the door. She shot repeated looks of concern back at him, but he didn't move. He barely remembered to breathe until Gigi was out of the room. Once she was gone, he did the only thing that he could think of.

"You've got to help me!" Tsuna gasped, leaping forward to prostrate himself before Ginger. "I can't go in there alone!"

"Laz?!" Ginger barked in surprise.

"Please, Ginger!" He begged shamelessly. "I don't know what to do! I didn't plan for any of this! You're smart with this kind of stuff! You know what Mafia Bosses are supposed to do! Just come in there with me! You can be my advisor or something! I'll mess up again if I--"

"Alright," Ginger whined with his ears flattening down against his head again. "You haven't done anything wrong, though. You're just lacking confidence, Laz. You've always been able to manage when you're faced with a crisis. As long as you trust your instincts, I don't think you'll screw up. But, if you think it'll help for me to be in there, then I'll go. I haven't been much help to you, so this is the least that I can do. Just do me a favor and stand up. It's kind of embarrassing for you to be begging me like that."

"Sorry," Tsuna blushed brightly as he scrambled back to his feet. "I panicked."

"I could tell," Ginger laughed. "Lead the way, Boss. I'll be right behind you."

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked in worry that he'd change his mind. Ginger nodded and slid out of his seat to follow on four legs in an obvious attempts to pass as a mutant dog.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Ginger grinned. "Xanxus is going to be so fucking jealous."

"Can I come, too?" Cici asked in a pouting tone.

"Why not?" Tsuna shrugged. "You don't take up much space and you might come in handy." He didn't know why he felt so relieved as he picked Cici up and started carrying her out of his office with Ginger following. All the people that he was about to face were people that worked for him. He shouldn't have felt nervous for even a moment since he could fire anyone that he wanted, but he had. It was difficult when his chain of command included his friends, yet he knew that Ginger was right. What he was lacking most of all was the confidence to actually use his chain of command. It went back to having faith in himself and he was still trying to integrate the lesson into his life. The lesson here was there was no chain of command until he had the confidence to use it. He didn't have to trust the people that he was giving the orders to. He just had to lay down the law and punish anyone who disobeyed.

Starting from the top.

"I'm sorry about the wait," Tsuna murmured as he entered the board room. The room hadn't felt large when he'd sectioned off the area of the top floor for the usage, but it seemed even larger now that it was finished and filled. It still felt somewhat stuffy since there was no windows, but Tsuna had felt that it would be a benefit since no one would be able to tell from the sunlight how long their meetings might run.

The long, polished oak desk took up most of the area and Veronica had already set out snacks and coffee for everyone. Everyone was present, too. His club managers were sitting along one side with Daren and Steve filling in the last two seats. Along the other side was his Chiefs from the Dojo with Gigi occupying the seat closest to his own. Veronica had a seat in the corner of the room so that she could be on hand if anything was needed and Tsuna took great pleasure in the fact that his chief lawyer had been notified. Although the position was still just honorary, Tsuna believed that Kamau had the potential to earn his seat at the foot of the table.

"For those that haven't met him, this is Ginger," Tsuna introduced, offering his own chair to the tanuki since standing would probably be better for him at the moment. Then he set down Cici's hoverbot on the table and tried to stand tall despite all the openly questioning looks that he was getting. "He'll be sitting in as my advisor, as will Cici."

"Cute, Laz," Mama Jill said in an openly patronizing tone. "It's nice to meet your dog. Now can you drop the games and tell us why the hell--"

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Ginger interrupted, making all of the manager's eyes pop open while Mama Jill's jaw dropped. "For those that have met me previously, forgive me for not introducing myself. Laz figured that a talking dog might be too much for you to handle. I'm not a dog, however. I'm a tanuki. This meeting isn't about me, though, so I'll shut up and let Laz do his thing."

"Right," Tsuna nodded with a grin for how Ginger had stopped the offensive for him. "Here's how things stand," he began, leaning onto the table once more for support. "Today, I privately met with the other four leaders of the Big Five. They're preparing a city-wide counter-plan to combat the amount of influence that the Martelli Family has. I've already informed them that I have no wish to compete head-to-head against the Family, but they're still confident that they can gain the same amount of control as the Family if they unite under a single person. It seems that I've been chosen to be that person. Now, I can either refuse their pledges of loyalty and ignore the chance to increase both the Dragon's power and influence _or _I can choose to accept them and figure out a way to co-exist with the Martelli Family."

"This is not a debate," Tsuna added when numerous people opened their mouths to voice their opinions. "I've already chosen to accept. What you guys need to be thinking of is how this alliance can benefit us." Confidence, he reminded himself. He had to use the Chain of Command to it's fullest. He couldn't waste himself for anything anymore.

"Gigi," he started slowly. "Get in contact with Papa Paolo and set up a meeting. There's no reason to beat around the bush on this. If I don't face him now, there's going to be a lot of tension between our groups due to misunderstanding. After that, get to work on plans to bring our friends into the fold. Rumor and tentative agreement isn't good enough. If they're going to bow down to me, then I'm going to fucking leash them until they choke.

Eric, get in contact with whoever you can and find out how this is going to affect our image above-ground. I need full details on the impact.

Ore, I need two things from you. First, I need you to set up a team to start doing regular patrols through our central territory. I want the people living around here to start feeling safer for having our presence. Day and night shifts both. I also need you to divide up whoever is left. We're going to be targeted more often in the future, so I want a constant presence on the first floor. The rest are to make sure that the hot-heads stay cool. I don't doubt that there are some who won't be happy about this merger and might try to start trouble. I'm putting you in charge of keeping those people quiet.

Ollie, I need some investigation. I've been told the basics of our allies' underground work, but I want to make sure that they're not holding anything back. Leo, you do the same, but for the above-ground work. All the information that you can give me. Rumors, gossip, and anything you can dig up from public records. I need to know who the friends of my new friends are, both above and below the table.

Daren, I really need you to start running numbers. You probably know what I need to know better than I do, so just send me a report as soon as you can get it.

Charles, Mama Jill, Mike and Anderson. All four of you need to be thinking business-wise. Ideas for the best way to use the extra resources that we can now call on and where we can minimize our liabilities by dealing in-house. I also need to know the impact this will have on our current business plans and where our businesses intersect with our new allies'.

Steve, since I've got Leo and Ollie busy with other things, I need you to get with Sergeant and see what you can do about filling the last of the rooms at the Den. If you need help, pull whatever spare people that are just sitting around. We need all the hands that we can get. If we have to, offer sleeping space in the basement until I can get another boarding house set up. We're going to need twice the man-power that we have if we're going to keep up with how fast we're expanding. Be picky, though. I don't want people who are going to rat us out at the first sign of trouble. If you start having trouble, have Sassy help you weed out the ones that won't fit in with us. She's pretty good at judging character. I'm relying on you to get the new ones settled in, though.

More than anything, I need information and I need all of you to get it for me. Any questions?"

Dumbstruck silence met the end of his orders, making him wonder if he'd went too far. Half of the people sitting were his friends, but he'd ran right over every attempt to interject a statement or a question. On top of that, he'd actually ordered them around like they were servants. He'd given orders in the past, but never on such a wide scale. This was the first time that he was giving orders and expecting them to pass the orders down to others. How his orders were filled were left up to them where he normally only gave orders for a minor task that they could fulfill on their own.

It was as if he could feel the chain of command finally snapping into place.

"Wow," Ginger gaped slightly. "You really are good at thinking on your feet."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked, still staring around at all the blank faces around him.

"You need to dismiss them, Boss," Veronica hissed softly. "They can't go to work until they know that you're done."

"Uh... right," he mumbled. "I'm done. D-Dismissed." Mayhem erupted at the simple order as everyone bolted for the door to complete their tasks. This time, Tsuna was the one with the blank expression. Everyone looked like they'd wanted to say something while he was talking, but no one had said anything after he was through! Had he done good and everyone knew what they needed to do or had he done bad and no one was planning to forgive him for running over their questions?

"That was good, Laz," Ginger chuckled once the room was empty. "You didn't let anyone question your orders or object to your plans. You cut through the crap pretty nicely. It's good for them to add input, but they should only do it when they've got something useful to contribute instead of wasting your time by beating a dead horse."

"S-So, I did good?" He asked in awe of how smoothly it had went.

"You did good," Ginger confirmed once again. "You did very good. It was about time that everyone learned who was in command."


	82. Chapter 82 Lesson 5: Leashes

"I never thought that I'd be sitting across from you like this," Papa Paolo murmured sadly after the coffee was served. They were sitting together at a small cafe that had been chosen for its neutrality. The owner had no affiliations or connections with either of them. Despite the informal setting, the telling part about their meeting was that they were both wearing suits.

"Please, don't say it like that," Tsuna replied in a painfully soft tone. "You know that I'm not trying to compete with you. I'm just trying to manage the cards that I was dealt."

"You misunderstand me," he said with a small shake of his head. "I'm not upset. I'm actually very proud of you. You know that I've always considered you to be like a son to me and your success makes me very happy. I'm just worried that you've got too much momentum behind you. Are you keeping up with everything?"

"I'm managing," Tsuna replied, touched that Papa Paolo would still say such kind words to him. He'd probably never once considered that Tsuna would try to oppose him and Tsuna didn't want to betray such expectations. Papa Paolo's business and his wouldn't have to ever cross paths. They could be more like colleagues than rivals. Although, Papa Paolo's expectations did leave him uneasy. They did for one simple reason. "Why do you still trust me?" Tsuna asked bluntly. "Even after everything that's happened, you've never questioned whether I would turn on you. Why is that?"

"I can't see the future," he answered slowly. "But I've seen your past, son. I've seen how you've reached where you're at and I know what your character is like. I'm not talking about the image that you hide behind in front of everyone. I know that inside, you're still that boy that came crying to me while saying that you want to do good. I won't say that I've never doubted, but I know that you're still that person at heart. You've been burying it to protect yourself, but I understand you much more than you might think. I've been where you're at and I know that you're not one to burn bridges lightly."

"I never thought that I'd reach this point," Tsuna sighed while he absently stirred the cream into his coffee. "If you know me as much as you say that you do, then you know that I never wanted to reach this point. I was happy just washing dishes for a living."

"You can't fight fate, it seems," Papa Paolo replied with a pained look on his face. There was no need to explain the comment and it pained Tsuna just as much as it did Papa Paolo. He'd ran away to keep himself from being a Boss and he'd still ended up as one anyway. However, there was one major difference.

"Everyone has to grow up and I don't regret this," Tsuna murmured, staring into the swirls of coffee and cream in his cup. "It's not like before when I didn't have a choice. I probably knew every step of the way, but I didn't fight it. The people around me are important and I'm willing to be like this to protect them. I can't just sit around and do nothing when I see that there's a problem. Snicker was the same way, which is why he started building the Dragons. He didn't just want friendship and a family. He wanted the power to change things and he was gathering the strength of others so that he could. I've never been one to want power, but I realized a long time ago that I don't want to be powerless, either."

"You're still trying to save that cat," Papa Paolo said with his expression turning serious. "My question is whether you see me as the cat or the car."

"You're not helpless," Tsuna shrugged. "More importantly, do you still see me from the cat's eyes or the car's?"

"Neither," he answered without so much as a gleam of a smile. Although the topic seemed light, there was far more to their words than it seemed to anyone who might be eavesdropping. "I'm just a pedestrian who's minding my own business. As long as the crash doesn't involve me, I tend to ignore other people's messes."

"I'll try to keep you from getting caught in any that I might be involved in," Tsuna promised in relief. Papa Paolo truly wasn't going to interfere with anything that he did. Now, the question was where the line was drawn. "I heard that there was a fight a few nights ago," Tsuna commented, giving Papa Paolo the subject at hand. Papa Paolo raised his eyebrow at the mention, knowing immediately that Tsuna was speaking of underground fighting. "The fighters were being very careful about not stepping on each other's toes, but I think that one of them might have gotten stepped on by accident."

"Ah," Papa Paolo murmured with a slow smile lighting up his face in understanding. "Well, that should be a problem if they both used the same doctor. As long as the fight was a good one, a little thing like a toe being stepped on can be fixed. As long as it's not broken, you see."

"It wasn't broken," Tsuna soothed absently. He felt like sagging in his seat in relief, but that would have destroyed all the posing that they were doing. Once things turned to business, they both had to be mindful of the watchers that were most definitely present. "I wonder if you know any good doctors. If you could give me a referral, perhaps we could plan to go on the same day. It wouldn't be as boring if I had someone to talk to in the waiting room. We can debate whether you should pick the red or blue tablecloths. Just like old times."

"That--" Papa Paolo blinked in open surprise as his smile got even bigger. He understood. It was a trade. For inclusion as a sponsor into the underground fighting ring, Tsuna would provide Papa Paolo with ongoing opinions as to whether he thought the red team or the blue would be the winner of the matches. Tsuna got a boost to his underground reputation and Papa Paolo got money. It wouldn't work if he was having to fight Papa Paolo's influence, though. "That could be arranged," he agreed graciously.

"Although," he added, turning to the next subject. "Danny might be opening up his own practice soon. He's been training hard under Dr. Jules and he's almost ready to fly solo. I was thinking of providing him with some extra hands, but--"

"But he's not good at healing broken toes," Papa Paolo finished as his smile faltered once more. "I'm afraid that I can't give you any help in that direction. More than toes might be broken if, for instance, his private practice expanded into a clinic."

"Just a private practice," Tsuna soothed. "Danny doesn't have any ambitions. He just wants somewhere that he can take care of his family without having to share them."

"Would he be sharing his services with the extended family?" Papa Paolo asked with narrowed eyes.

"No," he answered bluntly. "Just the close kin and a few _special _cases. I don't see any reason why the extended family can't go to a real clinic for routine care." Tsuna held his breath while he traded stare for stare with Papa Paolo. Did he understand? Tsuna wasn't trying to set up a hospital to compete with him. He just wanted a place that was outside of Papa Paolo's control where he could go for himself and he could send people with injuries that absolutely could not be seen by the cops. Minor scuffles and legitimate accidents could go to the real hospital. Bullet wounds and his own injuries would go to Danny. The most important reason was because he didn't want to get injured and find that Gabriel had free license to lord over him because Papa Paolo was the one pulling the strings behind the public hospital.

"As long as it's not for profit, I have no room to complain," Papa Paolo finally shrugged. "Will you be hiring physicians to help him?"

"We already have a few volunteers," Tsuna answered, thinking to the physicians already privately attached to his four allies. "Danny is just planning on getting them organized."

"So much has been happening lately," Papa Paolo commented, taking point to bring up his own issue. "There's lots of rumors floating around lately. One person tried to tell me that he had privileged information and tried to sell it to me. I told him no, but I thought that you might be interested in buying it from him."

"I'll pass," Tsuna smiled, once more soothing Papa Paolo's worries. He had no plans to buy or sell information. That was Papa Paolo's stock and trade. Tsuna had no plans in ever expanding in that direction. He valued his privacy far too much. "You know that I don't like digging into other people's business. I'll leave that kind of stuff to someone who specializes in it. I'll settle for hearing gossip the old fashioned way. I never know who to believe when it comes to gossip, so buying off of some random person would be a waste. Now, if it was someone like you offering, I'd have to give it serious consideration."

"That's good to know," Papa Paolo laughed. "Speaking of gossip and news, I thought you might be interested in knowing that there's an opening for private membership down at the shooting ranges. If you apply and get in, you'll be able to compare your shooting average with the best in the city. They've also got a private range for those who qualify."

"I'll give it a look," Tsuna replied, which was definitely not the answer that Papa Paolo was wanting. Tsuna clarified, though, to make sure that he knew the important part of accepting such an offer. "I'm not interested in shooting professionally, but it couldn't hurt to practice for self-protection." Once more, he stared into his untouched coffee cup rather than meet Papa Paolo's eyes. He still knew what his expression probably was. He was probably grimacing at the reminder that he couldn't protect Tsuna from his own son. The important part was the information that was passed that Tsuna wouldn't become a mercenary killer. If he ever did kill, it would always be simply for protection.

"I've been tempted to have Princess call off the engagement," Papa Paolo interjected suddenly. Tsuna's head snapped up and he stared in shock. The old man couldn't be saying what Tsuna thought that he was saying!

"You shouldn't," he blurted, making Papa Paolo blink in his own surprise. "Theodore is a little stupid, but you said for yourself that he was the best man for Autumn. That hasn't changed!"

"Are you sure about that, son?" He asked with a concerned expression. "I've admitted before that he was my second choice."

"Because the first one wasn't right," Tsuna replied with his own expression hardening. "Like I said, that hasn't changed. Your first choice couldn't possibly give Autumn what she needs and wants. At least with Theodore, you don't have to worry about your grandson being a bastard!"

"W-What?" Papa Paolo breathed with the blood draining out of his face.

"Your first choice can't have children," Tsuna said bluntly, deciding that it was best to nip the idea in the bud. He could already see what Papa Paolo was up to and he refused to let himself even consider such a thing. "The next heir would be a bastard if you considered him. He's also incapable of supporting Autumn like she needs. She's too strong-willed to have a peaceful marriage with him. It might be a good idea to use matrimony to unite your separate business frontiers, but she's better off with Theodore in the long run."

"I see," he replied in open disappointment.

"I'm sure that he's honored that you considered him for even a moment," Tsuna added softly. "But the reality is that your first pick is the kind of man who could never be with Autumn. Do you really think that she'd accept a proposal from such a person?"

"You're probably right," he sighed. "There's no sense in rocking the boat this late into the trip and, with that said, I think that it's time for me to go. I still have restaurants to run."

"Who are you kidding?" Tsuna chuckled, deciding to finish out his mission to allay Papa Paolo's fears with one final statement. "No one could compete with Isaac's cooking."

"But anyone is free to try," Papa Paolo replied. Tsuna blinked in surprise at the proposal laced into the words. It was almost as if...

"Is that a challenge?" Tsuna asked with a disbelieving laugh.

"Take it as you will," he answered with a wink. "There's no harm in _open _competition as long as it stays friendly."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tsuna promised, standing in respect when Papa Paolo stood. Papa Paolo was telling him that it was find to compete above ground, but underground competition wouldn't be tolerated. He'd let Tsuna buy a spot into the underground fighting arena and he'd ignore a small free clinic. Anything more ambitious than that would start trouble with the man. "Thanks for your time. It's been far more pleasant than I expected."

"No worries," he smiled as numerous men at the tables around him stood to escort him. Tsuna had known that they'd been there all along. All eight of them stuck out like a sore thumb, even though they looked like normal businessmen. "Even though we've went out separate ways, you'll always be like a son to me. Your achievements are a matter of great pride to me. It makes me wish that I could invite you for dinner to discuss it at leisure, but..."

"We both know that I wouldn't be pleasant company in such a setting," Tsuna murmured in full knowledge of who else would be sitting at the table.

"What I wouldn't give for a time machine," he agreed wistfully. "We should do this again sometime, assuming that our paths don't cross at the watering hole."

"I'll probably see you there," Tsuna promised, knowing that he was speaking of the Peephole. "Until then, I hope that you stay well."

"Stay safe," Papa Paolo advised in his own farewell.

Tsuna stayed standing until Papa Paolo left. Once he was gone with his escort, Tsuna slowly sat down and drank his cold coffee while he thought over the conversation. In truth, it was somewhat disappointing. Papa Paolo didn't even see him as a real threat. Of course, Tsuna wasn't trying to threaten him, but it would have been reassuring if his new power had at least made Papa Paolo a little nervous. Although he didn't show it, Papa Paolo's attitude alone had taken Tsuna down a few pegs.

In the battle of wills, Papa Paolo had won without even a fight. It had to have been the man's experience that made the difference. From the outside, it looked like Tsuna had gotten Papa Paolo to make numerous concessions. It felt completely different, though. It felt like Papa Paolo had been humoring him like a father humors a child. The only real triumph that he had was that Papa Paolo had seen him as a man toward the end of their discussion. Marriage with Autumn was ludicrous, though. She was an untouchable treasure. If he tried to get too close to that treasure, the treasure chest would fall shut and he wouldn't get to see the true beauty that was hidden inside.

Of course, he rarely got to even gaze in her direction anymore. There was too much going on and Autumn still hadn't called him. Maybe she was never going to call. He'd truly been deluding himself by thinking that Autumn would take interest in a guy like him even on a temporary basis. Even though he didn't want to possess her, it would have been very nice to hold her for a short time. He'd hoped that she would have been with Papa Paolo for their meeting, but he understood if Papa Paolo's goal had been to bring up the marriage subject from the beginning. In truth, he would have liked to play with the idea for a time, but he couldn't. There were so many things standing in the way that it wasn't even funny. The most important barrier was Autumn herself while the second-most important was the goals of his subordinates. He couldn't betray his allies by merging them with the same Family that they'd been trying to stand against.

Finishing the last of his coffee, he decided not to worry about such matters. No matter how it'd come about, he'd gotten what he wanted. Now he just had to contact Daren and find out how much money he had left to work with. He couldn't get anywhere without money and there was one thing that he absolutely had to get. He had to get another hotel to stay at.

"You're not fooling anyone, Ore," he called, looking over his shoulder at the two drinking coffee in the far corner of the cafe. "You, too, Gigi." The two stood at the same time that he did, both with sheepish expressions plastered on their faces.

"Sorry," Gigi grimaced as she dropped the act so that they could talk to him openly. "Do you think Papa Paolo noticed?

"I doubt that he could have missed Big Guy," Tsuna laughed in amusement when Ore towered over both of them. "What are you two doing here? I thought that I told you that I wanted this meeting to be private."

"We weren't eavesdropping!" Gigi exclaimed hurriedly. "We just happened to be in the neighborhood and wanted a cappuccino to wake us up!"

"Right," Tsuna replied with a look that told Gigi that the flimsy lie wasn't going to hold. "I guess there was no harm to it," he sighed. "Papa Paolo didn't come alone, either. So, what did you think?"

"He was patronizing," Gigi answered with an unsatisfied pout. "He doesn't see you as a threat at all."

"He's playing his hand close to his chest," Ore added in thought. "He didn't give you any information to work with at all. I could only follow a little of the conversation, but it seemed to stay distanced. You didn't tell him anything really and he didn't tell you anything. It was more of a business meeting than anything."

"Hey, Laz," Gigi interjected eagerly. "Who was Papa Paolo's first pick?"

"That's a secret," he replied with a wink.

"Is it anyone that I know?" She asked in hopes that he'd give her a little something to chew on. He shook his head, refusing both the question and her intent. It wasn't going to happen, so there was no point in giving people food for thought. It would just create unnecessary distractions.

"I need to get back to the office and check on a few things," he directed as he started heading for the door. "Let the girls know that I'll be staying at the Dojo for a few nights until I can find an apartment. The place that I was staying got a little damaged and they kicked me out this morning."

"Was it--?" Gigi asked worriedly while she followed him.

"No," he soothed, understanding that she was worried about his control. "I did it on purpose. Xanxus stopped by and we got into a little bit of a fight. It stopped before either of us got serious, but the room is still a mess. One of the maids came in while I was in the shower and started screaming that a bomb had went off. The manager wasn't happy at all. He claimed the rest of this week's payment for the damages and told me to find somewhere else to stay."

"Ouch," Gigi grimaced.

"It's fine," he shrugged. "I needed to stay there for a little while anyway. I'm going to wait a week to let everything settle down, but Maro is overdue for a visit. I figure that it'll be safer for him to visit the Dojo than to leave him on his own. Is that okay with you guys?"

"Maro?" Gigi repeated with wide eyes. Tsuna nodded and stopped in the doorway, wondering if the Dojo was the best place to let him out. He wanted to make sure that there were people who knew the situation and could keep an eye on him, but Maro was dangerous. If he didn't like how Xanxus had been treated, things could turn ugly.

"It's either now or after Valentine's Day," he confirmed. "I figure that now would be better since all the clubs are running special events on Valentine's Day. Let both Xanxus and Poe know since I'll need their help in the transition so that we don't have a repeat of before." Gigi gaped and Ore looked worried, but there was nothing that either could say in response. All they could do was to keep their eyes open so that Maro wouldn't interfere. "He's stayed quiet and he hasn't caused me trouble by fighting. If I don't let him visit, it might cause problems in the future. Besides, I think seeing him would be good for Xanxus. That's for later, though. I've still got to deal with the things in front of me. Are you guys coming?"

"I'm right behind you," Gigi smiled.

"Of course, Little Boss," Ore grinned.

"Not you two," Tsuna corrected with a laugh. "I'm talking about all the idiots who think that I haven't noticed them. You guys can stop pretending." Smiling to himself, Tsuna took great pleasure in watching as nearly everyone in the cafe froze in place and silence descended. Tsuna had done his homework on the meeting place. The cafe was known for having good coffee and a quiet atmosphere. It was also known for never having a full house. Considering that every seat was filled, there was only one conclusion that could be made. "I'm not mad," he soothed as the customers traded worried looks with each other. "But if you guys don't get back to work, I might be a little upset. Lunch break is over."

"Holy shit," Gigi gaped as the customers started getting to their feet. One by one, they passed by him with a sheepish look on their faces and murmured a quiet apology. Tsuna gave an accepting nod to each one until only three actual customers remained. All three and the clerk were bug-eyed at the sudden exodus, but Tsuna found it incredibly amusing. Papa Paolo had brought in an escort of eight. Tsuna had unintentionally brought twenty six.

It made him wonder what Papa Paolo's hand of cards really looked like when compared with his.

* * *

One week later, Tsuna spun in his chair and tried not to show how uncomfortable he was. A lot had changed once he'd focused himself. Rascal Roger's Grand Reopening had been delayed until now, but it had been worth it. With the automated puppets taken out, he'd had a lot more options on what to do with the place. During the daytime, he'd hired Magico from the park to perform three shows to bring in Family crowds and young kids. In the evening, a high school band played to bring in the teenage crowd. It was now the new hotspot for parents to unload their kids without worrying about alchohol being present. Adding a spot for Georgie to sell hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn in the evening helped in keeping them coming back, too. The customers didn't have to worry about pizza being the only choice of snacks while they threw their money into the games.

Kink's was doing better than ever. They'd actually stolen a lot of business from Mudpie once the place had been cleaned up some. New bathroom doors, a bathroom attendant, and the new light-and-sound system did wonders for the place. People could actually use the restroom without fear of touching something unidentifiable and the laser light show alone was enough of an attraction to bring in new business. On top of that, he'd tossed some cash in their Excaliber impersonator's direction for some more body modifications, which had been an incredible crowd pleaser when he'd unveiled himself. That had been somewhat amusing when Tsuna had taken the time out to introduce the impersonator to the man he was impersonating. Seeing an imitation of Xanxus squeal and faint had been well worth the furniture that the real Xanxus had broken.

Tig Bitty's was doing well, also. The raids had stopped after the fourth one ended up empty-handed for their efforts. Mamma Jill was beside herself in glee. The police couldn't figure out what they'd done with all the prostitutes and the girls were making double what they used to since the dancers weren't having to share a stage with whores who didn't care about quality. They'd seen a surge in clientele, too, once the customers figured out that they weren't going to get their entertainment interrupted anymore.

In addition, the Vile Mile was the hottest new straight bar in town. That was the bar that Mamma Jill had opened out of her unexpected surge of profits. For being an old transvestite, Mamma Jill knew how to please all types and she knew how to be smart in business. Vile Mile was her straight counter to Mudpie and Tsuna took special pleasure in helping her with her goals. In exchange for ownership rights, Mamma Jill got to run the place like she liked while he took care of security, advertisement, and promoting the place. The place was hers, from the design of the bar to the private drinking booths for VIPs. The place was his, from the foundation to the roof top. She was happy just managing the place and getting a cut of the profits. He was happy by just ensuring that there were enough profits for him to take his own cut and he did that by regularly talking Eric into taking some of his former co-stars there for drinks.

All-Sorts Escorts was the next of his holdings. The cops still hadn't caught on, although several had started poking around the place. They could poke all they wanted, but the escorts had been trained well before the place had opened. There was two phrases that every single one of them had memorized until they turned blue. "I'm off the clock now, but I'm not ready for the night to end," and "Hold on a second. I really like you, but I have to call my boss and tell him that I'm going off the clock. Are you sure that you don't mind ending the date early?" The first one was for customers who wanted the special fare after the date was over. The second one was for customers who didn't want to wait for the date to end. The result was a lot of happy customers and a lot of highly paid whores getting bonuses when they started bringing in new faces as word got around.

Finally, there was Charlie's Cocoa Club. The drink that was always half price was Kahlua with cream and women came from all around to get served by men in thongs. Some men came, too, which made things interesting on Thursday Night's 'Robin Hood' night. Tsuna had still yet to see it in person, but the thought of thirty shirt-less men running around in tights while looking for Maid Marian made him laugh. The place wasn't the top in the city yet, but word was spreading.

In addition, he'd gained three knew holdings that he wasn't quite sure what to do with. He'd finally gotten to go to another poker game, which he'd won as easily as the first. The result had given him four million in cash, two more unregistered guns, two more boats that he didn't need, a Porsche, free dry-cleaning for life, a two-week spa vacation for two, another shopping spree at Schmidt's, a hotel that was easily within his core territory, and a chop shop.

He'd given the Porsche to Veronica so that she could get around town without spending enormous amounts of money on a taxi. The spa vacation went to Gigi and Danny in apology for always unloading everything on her at the last second. The chop shop, he'd given to Marty with orders to enjoy. He had no clue of what to do with the place, but the woman seemed to have plenty. A section of the upper garage had already been given to Leo for her new interest in metal sculpture and he'd already put Marty into contact with Rockford of the Junkyard Mutts so that she could get parts. As for the hotel, Tsuna had already assigned Leo's team into designing it and Ore's team into modifying it. In less than a week, it would be the new Dragon Den while the old Den became single-man apartments for the people that he had working for him on a lifetime contract.

As for his allies and his new ventures, everything was still in the negotiation stages. His subordinates had gotten a swift kick in the proverbial rear simply by the increase in activity. There wasn't a single one left who thought that they were part of the team simply to fill empty space. Everything was running smoothly and nothing would be harmed by giving everyone a few days to mull over things.

He couldn't put it off any longer.

"Veronica, come in here," he ordered, thumbing the intercom connected to Veronica's desk. "Tell Gigi to come, too."

"Yes, Boss," Veronica replied immediately. "I'll be right there." Putting his feet up on his desk to relax, he sat back in his chair and waited. More than anyone, he felt like he was the one who could use a break. There was no such thing as a day of rest for a Boss. Even when he tried to take personal time, someone always needed something from him. If he was going to get a break, he had to just take it.

"What's up?" Gigi asked as both she and Veronica entered his office. Out of everyone who walked in, the two drag queens acted the most comfortable in the place. They crossed the space and took the seats in front of his desk without a single hesitation. They both sat as ladies with the grace that came from habit, making him wonder if the two had completely forgotten their true gender.

"You both know that I've been taking pills to keep my split personality under control," he answered quietly. "Tomorrow, I'm going to skip the dose."

"Then--?" Gigi gasped, lurching up in her chair in surprise.

"The day after tomorrow, I'm going to let Maro have control," he confirmed. "Veronica, I need you to clear my schedule and take the next two days off. Gigi, I need you to start making plans on how to keep him entertained while he's out. If possible, I don't want him leaving the Dojo. If he won't agree to that, then I at least want you to figure out some way to keep him under control. His presence is on a need-to-know basis and it'd be very bad if people found out that there's something wrong with me."

"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Veronica asked softly.

"I'm going to try to relax," he replied with a crooked smile. "I figure if I take off the day before he comes out, I can deal with all the sudden emergencies that come up when I try to take a break. Then things should be quiet on the day that he's out. I want this kept under wraps, though. Only the people in the Dojo need to know."

"Are you still going out to the Vile Mile tonight?" Gigi asked worriedly.

"Tonight, yes," he confirmed. "I want to get laid before the eyes in the back of my head starts watching. Let the guys know that I'm going all out. It'll probably be the last time that I get to relax for a long while and I'm not going to waste the chance."

"I'll let them know," Gigi promised.

* * *

Tsuna woke to one very large headache. Then he amended the fact. He woke to three. One in his head, one wrapped around his waist, and one hovering over him with a frown.

"What do you want, Veronica," he moaned as he sat up in rhythm with the pounding in his head. His room in the Dojo was the same as how he'd left it, although all the damage had been repaired. The only differences were the people filling it and the hang-over that he was getting used to waking up to. He still didn't have a place to live, although he'd stayed at a different hotel for two nights in the past week. "I thought I told you to take the day off."

"You've got a visitor downstairs," she said quietly in sympathy. "Gigi said that you'd want to meet with him. He said that his name was Charlie."

"Charlie?" He repeated with a grimace.

"Would you like me to get rid of the girl for you?" She offered curiously.

"No," he groaned. "I'll take care of it this time. Just get me some aspirin and some clothes." Rubbing his face slightly in preparation of the predictable aftermath, he reached out to shake his bedmate awake. "Hey," he called mercilessly. "Playtime's over. Time for you to go home."

"Hmm?" She mumbled when she sleepily sat up in the bed. "Laz?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "It's time for you to go."

"Already?" She asked, stretching seductively across the mattress with a pleased smile on her face.

"Yes," he answered with a straight face. "I've got business to deal with."

"When can I see you again?"

"One ride per person," he replied as Veronica unobtrusively handed him a shirt.

"But you gave me four rides last night," she grinned, crawling across the bed to him in hopes of keeping him with her. He didn't find the attempts to keep him from pulling his shirt on funny. Charlie was waiting downstairs for him.

"Go home, Helen," he ordered. Looking back at her with a frown, she finally seemed to get the picture that he wasn't interested. She turned several deep shades of red before jumping out of bed at the beginnings of the violet mark. She was instantly furious, acting as if he'd somehow promised her more than just a single night of fun.

"Every single fucking time," she said as if she were ranting to herself. She started throwing her clothes on in a speedy rush that Tsuna had to stop and watch. Not that he wanted to watch, but she snatched his pants out of Veronica's hands in order to replace the skirt that he'd torn. "Once, just once, I'd like to meet a guy who wasn't a complete prick in the morning. You know, I wasn't expecting you to lay out the red carpet or anything, but a little common courtesy would have been nice. Maybe some coffee and an escort home or--"

"There's no reason to get pissed," Tsuna interrupted when she started cursing under her breathe about him. "You had fun last night and it's not like I took your virginity. I told you last night that I wasn't looking for a relationship, Helen."

"I don't think you're helping," Veronica hissed with a grimace. Tsuna could tell for himself that his words weren't helping. If anything, they only made her more angry.

"Laz," she said, taking a deep breathe as she snatched her purse off of his dresser. "I'm sure that there's a nice guy somewhere deep inside of you, but you really are as much of a jackass as I was told. For the sake of men everywhere, why don't you go crawl in a hole and die?" Tsuna blinked in surprise and watched her storm to the side door. It wasn't until it was open and she was standing outside that she paused with the sound of her gritting her teeth filling the air. "Just so you know," she added calmly. He braced himself in recognition of the pattern. She was going to blow. "MY NAME ISN'T HELEN!" She yelled on the top of her lungs before slamming the door shut.

Grimacing, he knew that he should let it go, but he couldn't. Walking over to the door, he kicked it open and poked his head out so that he could call down to where she was already reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Then what is it?" He asked bluntly. In answer, she swooped down to pick up a rock that got thrown at his head with decent precision. He didn't know what it was about women, but they tended to become expert pitchers when his head was the target.

"BASTARD!" She shouted in anger before storming down the street. He watched her go for a minute until Veronica pulled him back inside. He knew that he should feel somewhat bad, but he didn't. He hadn't made her any false promises and he hadn't pretended to be someone that he wasn't. He couldn't help that girls always wanted to delude themselves when they sold themselves for free. Should he have lied? He didn't think so. That wouldn't have been fair to the girl.

"Why don't you let me take care of it next time," Veronica murmured while she offered him a different pair of pants. He accepted them, slipping them into place far more calmly the not-Helen had. "I think I can do a little better in sending them home happy."

"What did I do wrong?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"You were too honest," Veronica grimaced. "I know that you don't want to have anyone think that they've got rights when they don't, but you've got to let them leave with a few illusions. If you're going to pick up women, then at least let me drop them off. If you don't, you're going to end up with a bad reputation and no one is going to sleep with you. I can get rid of them without causing any hard feelings."

"O-Okay," he agreed hesitantly. "If you really don't mind. I mean, I don't care if they--"

"Let me worry about them," Veronica repeated with a pleading note in her voice. "I know that you mean well, but every morning doesn't have to be a break-up. It's too sad watching you anymore. I used to be jealous of them, but now I just pity them."

"That bad?" Tsuna grimaced.

"Yes," Veronica nodded in sympathy. "You're too straight-forward when you're trying to just get rid of them. That's the third one that you actually managed to get past the door and they've all stormed out the same way in the morning. Even worse, you've called all of them by the same name. Who _is _Helen anyway?"

"That would probably be the first one that got through the door," he grimaced as he slipped his boots on. "The bad part is that I can't really remember. Her name might have been Ellen. I don't know. I wasn't really interested in trading personal information."

"You suck at this," Veronica sighed in exasperation. "I have no clue how you manage to talk them into coming home with you in the first place."

"I just ask if they've ever tried Pocky," he answered with a crooked grin. "So far, I've only met one who has and she assumed that I had a pencil dick. I was drunk on that one. I managed to turn it around, but--"

"What am I going to do with you?" Veronica groaned.

"Kiss me and get me some aspirin?" He asked with a hesitant smile.

"I'll get you the aspirin, but I think you've had enough kisses for one day," she sighed. "If it wasn't for the fact that you give me bonuses every time that you go play poker, I would have probably strangled you by now."

"You love me and you know it," he murmured, slipping around behind her to give her a kiss on the cheek anyway. Her cheeks lit up predictably in response and he grinned knowingly. He could almost see the images that were going through her head. "You're such a slut sometimes, aren't you?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her to give her another teasing kiss on her neck. "I bet I know why you got so excited about getting an office. You probably started getting dirty thoughts about what you could do on my desk." His grin widened even more when Veronica clenched her eyes in a particularly virginal way. She really was a freak, though. While it wasn't to his particular tastes, he knew that this was how she really got turned on. She liked pretending that she really was a virgin girl and she got her kicks when she had someone to play the role of philanderer and voyeur. "Maybe I should put some security cameras up," he mused when she leaned into a third kiss. "Then I can record you and watch it any time that I want."

"Laz," she gasped with a flushed expression. "You're so mean."

"Only because you want me to be," he teased. "You talk about trying to save my reputation, but you're really just jealous. Aren't you?"

"No," she trembled when he trailed a finger down her arm. "That's not true. I'm not jealous anymore. I just don't want people to think that you're a womanizer."

"But it's okay if I'm one with you?" He asked, taking special pleasure in watching Veronica react when he rubbed himself against her back. She squeaked and jumped away before panting breathlessly against his dresser. She was staring at him in complete disbelief that he'd be so forward despite the fact that it was exactly what she wanted. "Don't get your heart set on me, Veronica," he warned quietly into the silence. "You'll only get hurt. My intuition tells me what to do to get what I want, so it's easy for me to tempt women and even men. Don't think that it means that I give a damn about them. I'm just using them like they're using me. After the night is over, their usefulness is over. You're different. You have a lot of uses outside of just sex. I'm not so stupid as to ignore that. I can see that you're working hard for me. You always go that extra step for me, which is why I give you the attention that I know that you want. That doesn't mean that I love you."

"I-I know that," she mumbled with her blush clearing. Despite her determined expression, however, there was a hint of disappointment in her voice that told Tsuna that he was right for reminding her. He made a mental note not to tease her for a while. Not until she could keep her heart from getting involved.

"As long as you know," he said softly before grabbing his jacket to head for the door. He left without giving any orders or any farewells, allowing her the freedom to stay in his room until she got her head on straight. He knew that he'd been particularly cruel in teasing her this time, but he'd known from the moment that he'd started that it would be the last time for a while. He wanted to make her happy by giving her what she wanted. She did so much for him that he could never show enough appreciation. There was a point that he had to stop, however. There was a line that he couldn't cross.

If only he knew where the line was on some problems.

"About fucking time."

"Watch your mouth," Tsuna snapped to the teenage boy standing in the middle of the cathedral with a scowl on his face. Tsuna felt his head start pounding even harder out of anxiety, knowing that Charlie wasn't there so that they could become friends. "Your father would have smacked you for cursing," he added on his way down the spiral staircase, "so don't think that I'm just going to stand by and listen quietly. Now, why are you here? You should be in school and I thought you said that you didn't want to see me again."

"You told me to come by if I needed anything," he answered petulantly.

"And?" Tsuna prompted while he slipped his jacket into place. Crossing the common area of the Dojo, he fell to a stop in front of the most important person that he had to protect. Most of his friends were quietly listening from where they were scattered around the area, although they had the decency to pretend to be doing something else.

"And I need money," he replied bluntly, holding out his hand to receive the expected offering.

"Alright," Tsuna agreed slowly. Pulling out his wallet, he opened it before asking the obvious question. "How much do you need? Ten? Twenty?"

"Two hundred," he supplied. Tsuna paused, looking up from his billfold to give Charlie a considering look. "If you don't want to give it to me, then fine," he grumbled, pulling back his hand. "I'll find somewhere else to get it."

"No," Tsuna murmured with a small shake of his head. Pulling out the cash that was requested, he held it out for Charlie to take. "If you say that you need it, then I'll give it to you. Could you tell me what it's for?"

"That's none of your business," he scowled after snatching the cash out of Tsuna's hands. He shoved it in his pocket and turned to leave without a single word of gratitude. Gigi, Ore, and Xanxus looked angry over the fact, but it was nothing less than what Tsuna expected. "It's the least you could do after what you did."

"Make sure to get back to school," Tsuna replied softly as the boy shoved the camo netting of the garage out of his way.

"Whatever," he spat before disappearing entirely. Tsuna flinched slightly at the sound of the front door being slammed before bowing his head. Some things simply couldn't be fixed with time, but it gave him some hope that Charlie had been willing to come to him for money. If only things were that easy, though.

"Ollie," he called before anyone could say anything.

"I'll go see what the brat buys and I'll give you a call," he answered with a sigh of resignation.

"If it's drugs, just steal it and don't call," he mumbled in the face of painful reality. "I don't want him getting his hands on so much as a joint unless I'm there to make sure that he's not taken advantage of."

"If you say so," he shrugged, stealing three slices of toast on his way through the kitchen to use the side exit. Tsuna waited until he was gone before deciding what he was going to do for the day. It wasn't hard. Due to how everyone was staring at him with words of unfounded empathy on the tips of their tongues, he knew that he didn't want to stay at the Dojo. Not today. Not when--

_Who's the kid?_ Maro asked curiously. Tsuna ignored him, not wanting to talk to himself in front of his friends.

"Laz?" Cassandra asked hesitantly when he started heading in Charlie's wake. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"I'll get something on the run. Jewel, let's go," he called before ducking into the garage. Jewel sped from her nest in the rafters and landed on his shoulder. He barely noticed her weight, having long gotten used to having her around. He put his sunglasses into place before wheeling his motorcyle out of the Dojo. He had no real goal or aim for the day, but he knew that he needed somewhere private to talk to Maro. He considered the office, but people would just assume that he was there to conduct business.

_Where are we going?_ Maro interjected in an excited voice. Tsuna waited until he had his helmet on, Jewel was safely stowed under his shirt, and he was amidst the roar of traffic before answering.

"I haven't decided yet," he finally answered. "And don't talk while we're around other people. Save your questions for when I can answer without anyone hearing. It doesn't look good if I talk to myself."

_Who was the kid?_

"He's mine in a way," he replied. "He's Snicker's son. Feel lucky that you got to meet him. That was the first time that he's shown his face since Snicker died."

_How long have I been out of the loop? If I know myself, you didn't stick to the two week agreement._

"I didn't," he admitted while he aimlessly drove around the city. "Valentine's day is the day after tomorrow. I've been too busy to let you out. To be honest, I don't even want to let you out but there's a problem with Xanxus."

_What's wrong with Xanxus? _Maro asked worriedly_. Did something happen?_

"He finally got a clue," Tsuna replied. "You might be in love with him, but I don't want to be anything more than friends. He's been moping since he figured it out. He's barely left his room and I've had a bad feeling about it. It might cheer him up if you talk to him."

_I don't know about that,_ he said sadly_. The last time that I talked to him, he seemed pretty determined that he wanted you. He's not interested in the side of us that's me. He actually rejected me, Laz._

"Things might have changed," Tsuna murmured. "Xanxus isn't stupid. I've made it clear that he's not going to get anywhere with me, so he might be more open to you now. Now, it's my turn to ask a question. Why are you talking to me so clearly now? At Mafia Land, I couldn't hear you except for when you got really emotional."

_I've gotten stronger, _Maro answered_. I haven't been idle in here. I've been trying to find the fallen shards before Remorse does. You haven't been meditating like I told you to. He's been getting really agitated lately. What's been going on?_

"It's hard to explain all at once," Tsuna replied. "Gigi and the others can explain most of it to you tomorrow. Just know that whatever you do while you're out will affect both of us. If you screw things up for me, you're screwing yourself in the process. The important part that you need to know is that I'm not in the Martelli Family anymore. We're still on friendly terms but--"

_Oh. That explains the nightmares. You left the Family because of that man. _

"That man is Papa Paolo's son," Tsuna replied with his teeth grinding together. "Under no circumstances are you to have contact with him. I have some of my people watching him, but he's a slippery bastard. If he manages to slip out of his net while you're in control, you're to either retreat to the Dojo or give me back control. Anything that you might say or do is just ammunition that he'll use against me."

_Don't underestimate m--_

"No!" Tsuna snapped firmly. "Don't try to handle him yourself. I'm serious, Maro. If you try to confront him, I won't let you out again."

_It sounds like you two have a complicated relationship._

"It's not complicated," he grumbled. "I hate the bastard and he doesn't want to leave me alone. I can't touch him because of his relationship with the Martelli Family and, under normal circumstances, he can't get close to me anymore. We're at a stalemate right now and I don't want you to mess with that. The situation is touchy. Not just with the Family, but with ODE, too."

_Ode?_

"ODE is my company," he groaned, wondering if he was going to have to give his life story before Maro would be satisfied. "Orange Dragon Enterprises is the business front for all of my holdings. I own six clubs, four boarding houses, two restaurants, and a chop shop."

_Are you a Fortune 500 yet?_

"Don't joke around," Tsuna laughed. "Those kinds of companies have global coverage. I barely cover the city and that's just because the Big Four handed me the reins. Those kinds of companies eat people like me for breakfast."

_That's no good, _Maro grumbled_. How can we be a nobody? Vongola Corporate has been one of the top Fortune 500 companies for the past fifty years!_

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not you," he growled in return. "Besides, our situations are a little bit different. You didn't have to build anything. If Vongola Corporate has been around that long, the hard part was already done for you. I'm building from nothing here. You can look down at me all you want. Four years ago, I was sleeping in a doghouse. I think I've done pretty damn good to have come this far already."

_In four years, I could have taken over a country, _Maro scoffed_. _

"And how many people in that country would have cared if you'd been assassinated?" Tsuna asked, feeling faintly put off by Maro's superiority complex. "I'm not looking for your approval, Maro. I'm happy with what I've achieved, so do me a favor and keep your nose out of it. If word gets out that I'm mentally unsound, negotiations with other groups are going to be a lot harder. It's taken me a lot of work to build us a good reputation and I don't need some Mafia Boss wannabe to come in and ruin it."

_Right, right_, Maro sighed. _I'll be good. I'll probably just be doing research for the day. I might have Gigi take me to the library so that I can look through news archives. I've got several years' worth to catch up on_.

"I've got a library card that you can use," Tsuna replied in relief. "Just leave me a note if you need something returned."

_You're not going to watch?_ Maro asked in surprise. _I figured that you'd be too worried to leave me unsupervised_.

"I need a break," he answered honestly. "The past month has been pure hell and the work still isn't over yet. If I don't get some time to myself to relax, I'm going to fall over."

_Didn't you relax last night? You woke up with a girl next to you._

"That doesn't count," he grumbled. "That's just a minor diversion to keep Lynx quiet. I got tired of hearing 'mate' each time I came across someone who's interested in me. I drew the line when my instincts started telling me to mate with Marty and Leo."

_So that's why he's been so quiet lately._

"Yeah," he confirmed unhappily. "If you feed, fight, and fornicate on a regular basis, it's like he doesn't exist. All it takes is drinking a drop of our own blood to shut him up on feeding. Training and sparring with Poe seems to work for fighting. As for fornicating, you saw the bitch this morning. It's more of a necessary evil than relaxing. That's not to say that it isn't enjoyable, but I'd be happier just reading a book if I had the choice."

_Why is that?_

"Books last longer," he chuckled. "The bitches that keep throwing themselves at me are too easily satisfied. I've learned to settle, but it sucks to have to stop right when things are getting heated up."

_That's why I like Xanxus so much. He's never satisfied. There was this one time--_

"Gross," Tsuna shuddered. "Keep your stories to yourself. Xanxus is an okay friend, but he's one person that I don't want to sleep with. Been there, done that. I'm not interested in doing it again."

_You should give him a chance. He might surprise you._

"No thanks," he replied, swerving his motorcycle slightly to dodge a piece of tire laying in the street from someone's blowout. "I'll leave that to you. I didn't think that you were the type to share, though."

_Yeah, well, I've changed my mind. I've figured something out in here that I don't really like. _

"What's that?"

_The reason that I couldn't settle for one person,_ he answered solemnly_. Before we split, I had two wives and two lovers and I loved them all equally. Since the split, I've realized why I could do that. Each part of me loves a different person. It's unbalanced right now. I still care about the others, but I feel like I love Xanxus more than anyone. Chibi has obviously gotten the core of our love for Kyoko and I think that Lynx picked up Haru. I don't understand it, but I think Remorse is the one in love with Mukuro. He stays in that section of our mind more often than anywhere else._

"Then what about me?" Tsuna asked with a sinking feeling. "Which one am I supposed to love?"

_None of them, _Maro murmured sadly_. That's probably why you could connect with that Snicker person so easily. You have an attachment to all of them, but you don't have any of the strong feelings that we have. I--_

"Don't pity me," he growled, hearing the discordant note in Maro's voice. "I'm happy to hear that. It means that I didn't short-change Snicker's feelings. I'll leave falling in love to you guys and I'll just keep having my affair with work. I don't need distractions right now."

_You'll grow cold without love, Laz._

"That's fine," he replied softly. "I'll be a little closer to Snicker that way."

_Why is it that I can't choose whether to hate you or pity you when we talk?_

"Because you don't want to hate or pity yourself," he answered sarcastically. "Or was that a rhetorical question?"

_You're an ass._

Tsuna took the response to mean that he'd won the battle of words. He'd learned from bickering with Autumn that base insults were the end of the line. Maro had automatically lost by using something that even a monkey could think of. Although, thinking of Autumn made him think of Papa Paolo and that gave him an idea of how he could kill time.

"Be quiet," Tsuna ordered as he cut into a turning lane. "There's somewhere that I need to go and I don't need you distracting me."

_Where are we going?_

Tsuna didn't answer. Maro seemed to have a big problem with needing to know every detail of everything that was going on around him, but Tsuna refused to explain. It was a waste of breath when Maro would figure it out just by keeping his mouth shut and watching. Maro probably wasn't used to being ignored, but that was his problem. No matter how many times he repeated variants of the same question, Tsuna was determined not to let the bastard interfere.

_Where are we going?!_

"You can either shut up or I'll take the fucking pill after all," Tsuna growled as they reached their destination. Parking his bike in front of the place, he completely ignored the sign on the parking spot that stated 'Private Members Only'. He'd be a private member soon enough, so he felt perfectly justified in using the spot.

The building itself was unimpressive, but Tsuna was positive that he had the right place. Although the two story building was a little worn down, it was home to the only public shooting range in the city. Everyone from police officers to civilian gun enthusiasts used the same facility. Of course, Tsuna was positive that there was more going on under the surface. For crime lords and police officials to share any space was fishy. The reason for it was what Tsuna wanted to find out. He hadn't had time before since business came first, but now was the perfect time for a little investigation.

The entry of the place looked like a salesroom for weapons that didn't feel much different than a pawn shop. The only difference was that everything was behind locked cases and the clerk didn't look like the type to use a baseball bat to ward off burglars. It was mildly amusing. He could feel eyes on him from the moment that he walked in, but no one moved to greet him. Both the customers and the clerk continued talking as if he wasn't even worth notice. There wasn't even any tension in the air to say that they were pretending. They simply didn't view him as any kind of threat, even though Tsuna was positive that Papa Paolo would have passed on his description.

Or had he?

Tsuna took a moment to consider while he absently looked at the weapons on display in the cases lining the room. Perhaps this was Papa Paolo's way of telling him that he was on his own. If his description hadn't been passed along, then Papa Paolo probably hadn't put in a good word or anything else for him. It was a test. Papa Paolo was testing him. It made him feel honored in a way. Papa Paolo wouldn't pull back his support unless he felt like Tsuna really was strong enough to stand on his own. It was a form of encouragement hidden in the form of a test. Papa Paolo was such a good guy like that. Challenging and encouraging him at the same time. He hid it for the sake of his Family, but Tsuna could tell. No matter what happened, Papa Paolo considered him to be family.

"What are you smiling at, punk?" The clerk finally asked. He broke off his talk with two of the customers, one of which had the air of an off-duty cop, and approached openly. He didn't seem very tough, but Tsuna felt that the pair of weapons strapped to his hips weren't for show. The man was probably an expert marksman and the guns that he carried were an extension of himself. "Did you find something that you want?"

"Not really," he answered softly. "I heard that this place had shooting ranges and I thought that I'd check it out."

"Do you have a gun permit?" He asked bluntly.

"I do," Tsuna confirmed, thinking back to when Snicker had been adamant that Tsuna started carrying weapons to protect himself. He hadn't gotten a gun back then, but Snicker had gotten him to get a license in hopes that he'd change his mind. "I've never used it, though."

"Have you ever fired a gun?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest in dissatisfaction. Tsuna paused, wondering if it was a trick question. He'd already said that he'd never used his gun permit. Was the guy trying to catch him in illegal activities?

"No," he answered after a long pause. It was true, after all. He couldn't remember ever firing a gun, so anything that Maro might have done in the past didn't count. He'd always used just used knives, feet, and fists. "Wait! Does a modified bebe gun count?"

"Gus!" The clerk yelled with his eyes rolling in mockery of the honest question. "I've got another punk here who wants you to pop his cherry!"

"Fresh meat?" A new man asked eagerly with his head popping out of a door leading to a back room. "Where?"

"Oh no," one of the customers laughed openly. "The new guy is in for a rough time."

_Bastards! They're making fun of us!_

"I'll need your ID and your permit," Gus said, walking up to take over while the other clerk went back to talking to the cop. Tsuna raised his eyebrow and looked at the man in consideration. He looked even weaker than the previous guy. He had no tattoos or piercing. He was dressed like an office worker rather than a muscle-loving thug. He looked completely harmless, actually. Tsuna couldn't even see himself punching him since he reeked of 'nerd'. "We have to keep copies on file here," he explained, absently pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "I'll also need you to fill out some registration forms and I'll need proof of residence. After we take care of that, I can get you started on procedures."

"Alright," Tsuna replied softly. Digging out his wallet, he decided to play along. He'd thought that he'd walk in and get greeted by one of the so-called private members, but it looked like he was going to have to earn his way in.

Two hours later, he was ready to blow off the man's head.

"...This one is commonly known as a luger. It was popular with the German military during World War I and World War II. It weighs in at just under two pounds and--"

"Oi," Tsuna growled from the desk that he'd been put into. "If I want the history of guns, I'd go to a fucking museum. When the fuck are you going to take me into the shooting ranges?"

"Oh, you won't be going there today," he chuckled with a dark gleam lancing through his eyes. "It's standard procedure to first educate you about firearms before we allow you anywhere near one. You're a complete newbie, so we've got to make sure that you know everything that there is to know. Listen carefully now. There will be a test before we move on to disassembly, reassembly, and cleaning procedures. As I was saying, this weapon is commonly known as a luger--"

"One point nine two pounds," Tsuna growled while he tried to hold back his anger. "Length, eight point seven five inches. I know all about it. It's a collector's gun and I'm not interested in shooting it. Drop the act. My patience has run out. If you guys were this thorough with every customer, you wouldn't have anyone coming in here. Why are you wasting my time?"

"I was right," he murmured with a slow grin. "You're not like the rest. Alright. I'll tell you the reason that I'm stalling you. I'm stalling you for your own good."

"I'm not following," Tsuna replied with a glare.

"You don't have a gun," he shrugged. "This class is to weed out people like you. If you don't already have a weapon before you come in here, then we consider you to be part of the ignorant masses. You'd be surprised how many people come in here with a half-hearted decision that they want a gun to protect themselves as if having a gun is an ultimate equalizer. It's not. Not unless you make it into an extension of yourself. Do you think that shooting off a few rounds will make you into an invincible marksman? Do you think that keeping a gun under your bed with a safety lock on it will really help you? If you're not feeling safe at home, then bar your windows and get a security system. Having a gun isn't supposed to be a lighthearted decision made by punks like you. Only someone who is serious about taking on the responsibilities of owning a firearm should come here."

"Oh?" Tsuna asked with a slow smile. He'd expected some sort of cruel joke. Instead, the man was talking with a solemn determination that Tsuna thought was pretty amusing.

"Guns can only do one thing," the glasses-bastard said with a scowl. "They can't destroy or protect. They can't cause fear and they can't shield you. Only the person wielding a gun can do that. It is a tool like any other and we're not in the habit of handing sharp objects to people that will only poke their own eyes out. If you don't have the determination to take a life, then a gun is nothing more than a weapon that will be used against you. Owning a gun responsibly and using it to it's fullest ability takes as much time and effort as it does to master a martial art. If you're not interested in putting in that much effort, then it's better for you to get bored and go home now."

"You have good intentions, but there's one problem with your little game," Tsuna murmured as his amusement deepened.

"What's that?" He asked in surprise.

"First off," he sighed with his arms crossed over his chest. "By making me bored, I'll leave here. After I leave here, I'll probably just go somewhere else to buy a gun. The major difference is that I'll have no experience handling it and the likelihood that I'll make it accidentally discharge will increase."

"That's true," he admitted grudgingly. "That's why I stopped when it became obvious that you were at the bored stage. My last little lecture is pretty good about sending people home with a lot to think about. I really was right. You're not one of them that's going to be scared off. Are you?"

"No," he confirmed with a grin. "That brings me to my second point. I never said anything about wanting to own a gun. I'm perfectly capable of dealing with problems without one. I'm just here to kill time and I didn't plan to do more than rent one."

"Oh," he replied with a blank expression. Then the man smiled with an eagerness that Tsuna thought was strangely fitting of him. "Why didn't you say so earlier? If that's the case, follow me and I'll get you set up. Guyver didn't tell me that you were an enthusiast."

"I'm not," Tsuna replied in relief. Slipping out of his desk, he followed Gus out of the small classroom and down the hall. "I've never fired a weapon before, so I was wanting to try out different ones. Some of my.... friends... own guns and I hate being the only one who can't give an opinion."

"I guess that's alright," he sighed. "If you're planning to be a hobbyist, then sampling is understandable. Guyver thought that you were a gangster looking for some revenge or something. You look the part."

"How so?" Tsuna asked curiously. He didn't think that he looked like a gangster. He still had his suit on from work!

"Leather jacket, jewelry, and tattoos are the basics," he answered with a crooked grin. "Tinted shades to make you pimp, fake eye to make you imposing, and you probably have steel plates in your gloves. You dress sloppy and you don't brush your hair on top of all that, which typically means that you have an attitude problem and don't care what other people think. Were you trying to make us think something different?"

"Oh," Tsuna responded with his own blank expression. "I thought the suit made me look like a businessman." Gus paused for a moment, openly looking Tsuna over, before bursting out into hysterical laughter. Tsuna felt an internal blush, but he refused to give the man the satisfaction of letting it surface. "Well, I did," he grumbled.

"You're a pretty funny guy," he laughed as he ushered Tsuna into a small room. As far as aesthetics went, there were none. It was just a small entry space with a window where they could pick up ear muffs and ammo. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," he replied. "You can call me Laz."

"That sounds familiar," he commented in though. When Tsuna didn't try to clarify, he shook his head to himself and continued. "Since it's your first time, we'll start you out with a basic revolver. It's a classic, so--"

_Try a Glock 42_, Maro murmured quietly. Tsuna considered ignoring him, but he admitted that he was curious. Maro had been mostly quiet for the past few hours, so he had to have a reason to speak up now.

"Let me try a Glock 42 first," Tsuna interrupted.

"Eh?" Gus gaped in surprise. "Are you sure? That packs a lot more punch than most. The recoil alone could--"

"I'm sure," he soothed. "Don't worry. I signed a waiver. Remember? If I get hurt, I've only got myself to blame. A friend of mine mentioned it and I want to see what he likes about it."

"Alright," he murmured as he passed over a set of earplugs. "I'll go get one. Just sign in here with Bob and I'll meet you in booth thirty two. Be sure to stay behind the yellow line until I get there."

"Thirty two," he repeated. "Yellow line." Gus nodded in confirmation before heading through a side door into what Tsuna guessed was a weapon's locker. The man behind the window, Bob, handed him a clipboard to sign in at, along with giving him the price for the weapon rental and the ammunition fees. He wouldn't have to pay until he was finished, but the prices seemed reasonable enough when he considered how rarely he actually spent money on himself. After that, he carefully inserted his earplugs at Bob's urging before heading over to the door that the man pointed to.

On the other side of the door was another door and through that door was a different world. Booth after booth was set up across an area that was easily the expanse of a football field. The building hadn't looked that large from the outside, but people were firing at ranges spanning between fifty feet and fifty yards. Some were aiming at bull's-eye targets while others were aiming at cut outs of people. The range of weapon being used was amazing, too. Every booth that he passed seemed to have someone wielding something different. Pistols, rifles, automatics and semi-automatics. If he'd seen it on television, it was present in one form or another.

He stopped at his booth and carefully kept himself behind the yellow line that was painted on the floor. It basically kept him up against the back wall, but that gave him ample opportunity to watch the people who were shooting on either side of his booth. The sound was intense. He felt like his ear drums were vibrating, even with the ear plugs in place. With every shot that was fired, the shockwaves seemed to resonate in his bones. The smell of gun powder was thick in the air, blocking out all other smells with the sheer power of the aroma.

He sneezed twice before his attention became locked on the marksman in the booth before his. He was firing off a large silver gun that incited a strange envy inside of him. He wanted the man's gun. He didn't know what it was about the weapon, but he wanted one. It was shiny and big. It seemed like a basic six-shot revolver, but the way that it gleamed got attention. He liked how the barrel was slightly bigger and longer than most. It had a manly look to it that was a hundred times more appealing than the wimpy little guns that some of the others were firing. When the man finished reloading and started firing, Tsuna was positive. He had to have one. As far as power went, he was more than satisfied.

"What's that?" Tsuna asked eagerly when Gus finally showed up. Gus blinked in surprise and looked over at where Tsuna was pointing. Then he grinned and gave Tsuna a knowing look.

"You don't want that," he laughed, pitching his voice to be heard over the gun-fire. "Guys with guns like that are usually compensating for something."

"Bullshit," Tsuna spat. "There's no reason to compensate with a gun like that. What is it?"

"It's a Smith and Wesson 686," he answered as he ushered Tsuna into his own booth. "From the looks of it, he's got the one with the eight inch barrel. It holds either a .357 Magnum or a .38 Special cartridge, so the firepower is more than the Glock 44. You'll like this better, though. That one is only good for six rounds, where this one can hold a full magazine."

"Oh," he murmured in disappointment. After seeing the other guy's gun, the black gun that Gus laid onto the booth's counter looked somewhat lackluster. It wasn't shiny at all and he didn't see how it would be more fun to shoot. He wanted something that made a big boom, not something with a puny one.

Even so, he'd already signed for the rental and he didn't plan to waste the ammunition. He listened carefully to Gus' instructions on how to work the booth, how to reload, and the basics of how to fire. He also quickly went through the procedures for what to do when he was done before having Tsuna put on the headset and safety glasses that were already waiting in the firing pit.

"Booth thirty-two, this is the control room. Give me a thumbs up if you can hear me," someone said into the earpiece once he put it on. Tsuna looked around for a second until Gus pointed to the security cameras lining the back wall. Giving a thumb's up to the closest one, he grinned to himself at how much fun he was having. It was a new experience and he almost completely forgot that he was supposed to be investigating Papa Paolo's reason for mentioning the place. "When you're ready, send me another for clearance."

"Bob will help you if you have any questions," Gus shouted so that he could be heard. "There's an intercom right here if you need help. I'll watch for the first few shots to make sure that you've got everything under control and then I've got to go check back out front again."

"Okay," Tsuna called with a smile. "Thanks!" To prove that he'd been paying attention, he quickly decided on the bull's-eye target and clipped it into place. Then he looked over the controls and tried to decide his range. He could easily see the target that one of the rifle experts were firing at, so he decided to go for the full fifty. Satisfied that he'd done the set-up correctly, he slipped the magazine into the Glock and gave a thumbs up to the camera again.

"The range is too high for a beginner, thirty-two," Bob advised into the headset. "You should bring it in to ten yards." Tsuna rolled his eyes and gave another thumbs up to say that he wasn't planning to change it. If he brought it any closer, he'd feel like he was playing skeeball instead of firing a gun! Even though it was half a football field away, he could still see the target clearly. "Okay. If you think that you can hit it, then fire when ready."

Tsuna lifted the gun and prepared to fire.

_Hold it_, Maro interjected._ It's not a toy. Your stance is all screwed up and don't use both hands. If you fire like that, the recoil is going to get you and you're going to have an imprint of it in your forehead. Assuming that you don't land on your ass._

"Eh?"

_Loosen your shoulders up_, Maro advised_. I trained in this so much that I can do it in my sleep. Feel the weapon in your hand and let instinct take over. You don't want to look like an idiot. Right?_

"O-Okay," he agreed hesitantly. Maro was right, although he hated to admit it. He couldn't look like an idiot. Even though he was having fun, he wasn't there for fun. He was there to find out what the private membership was all about.

_That's better_, Maro sighed.

"Are you okay, thirty-two?" Bob asked worriedly. Tsuna absently gave another thumbs up. Once he wasn't reinforcing his grip with the other hand, something seemed to fall in place. The eagerness inside him died and he somehow knew what corrections to make in his stance. Within seconds, he felt completely comfortable with the weapon. The weight was familiar and he could almost predict the force of the recoil that was going to hit him.

_You know all the languages that I learned, _Maro said quietly_. That's because I studied so hard that I became fluent. I don't have to think to translate anymore. I'm just as fluent with guns and fighting, Laz. This is a skill that you can share in because of training in the past. I don't know what your goal is here, but I won't let you make a mockery of our hard work. Don't think. Just shoot. The experience is etched into our body and soul. You don't need memories to make use of it._

"Okay," Tsuna replied softly. He couldn't argue. Not when the gun in his hand felt as natural as a pair of chopsticks.

He squeezed the trigger and fired. His eyes followed the bullet all the way to where it hit the lower left-hand corner of the target. He compensated, knowing that his depth perception was bad at a distance since he was only using one eye. Adjusting inch by inch, he fired again and again until he was hitting the bull's-eye with every shot. Then, with one final adjustment, it was as if his bullets started disappearing. One after another, they passed through the holes already in the target with a precision and accuracy that took all of the fun out of the challenge. It was too easy. Playing darts would have been harder after he finished adjusting himself. All he had to do was squeeze the trigger. After the fourth shot, he stopped feeling even the recoil. The world narrowed down to him and his target. Everything else around him was simply a distraction that got ignored until he ran out of bullets.

Ejecting the magazine, he didn't bother putting in a filled one. Instead, he laid the weapon on the counter as procedure dictated. It was too boring now. The fun was gone, which only left him with his mission. Hitting the button to bring the target back forward, it wasn't until he was reaching up to unclip it that he realized that he had an audience. The sound of gunfire had stopped completely and he could feel silent eyes on his back.

He hated being stared at.

"Do you fuckers have a problem?" Tsuna asked, glaring over his shoulder at the crowd of people.

"I-I thought that you said that this was your first time," Gus gaped from where he'd been watching in shock.

"I guess I'm a natural," he growled, giving one more glare to the assembly. They took the hint and scattered this time, but Tsuna was sure that he heard several people mumble the word 'machine' under their breathes.

"N-Natural," Gus repeated with a faltering laugh. "Yeah, um... If you're done, do you think you could wait out front for a minute? I'll pick up for you. There's just something that I want to check real quick."

"Sure," he shrugged as he took off the headset. Setting it aside, he walked away without any arguments. Having seen his target, he already had a good idea of what was going to happen. The Glock 44 had a twenty round magazine and he only had four holes in his target. Three had been to get his target set correctly and to compensate for his vision impairment. After that, they'd all went through the same hole. Gus was undoubtedly going to check with the control room to see if Tsuna had missed repeatedly or if the impossible had been possible. While Tsuna was supposed to wait in ignorance, Gus was going to find out whether he was a good shot or a horrible one.

"Pay up front," Bob mumbled when Tsuna dropped his ear plugs off and signed out. Tsuna nodded and decided to get that part over with. It took him a moment to find his way back down the hallway, but the attention was immediate once he did.

"Going home to suck on your mamma's tit already?" The clerk laughed mockingly as he stepped away from one very recognizable customer. "Was Gus' lecture too much for a widdle thing like you to handle?"

"No," Tsuna replied in amusement. Ignoring the clerk, he looked at the man behind him and smiled. "I'm just not very good with audiences. Isn't that right, Demetri?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" The undercover cop gasped in surprise. "Is it because Gabriel's back? Laz! You can't be here! You're finally free of them! You don't want to go back to prison--"

"Che," Tsuna spat. "There you go again. You're always making the wrong assumptions about me. How long are you going to keep up this charade of saving me?"

"Laz!" He exclaimed, taking two steps forward in open concern. "There's other ways to live! You don't have to--"

"This is the last time that I'll say it," Tsuna snarled, making Demetri freeze in his tracks. "Give it up, Demetri. You don't understand anything about me, so stop pretending that you do. I'm not here to get a gun to wipe Gabriel off the face of the earth, so mind your own business. Better yet, start using your head. Even though I was only in for a misdemeanor, do you think that anyone is going to sell me a weapon within the next year or two? I've still got my old permit, which lets me shoot in places like these. Taking a gun out of here would be next to impossible without a special sanction permitting it."

"Uh, about that," Gus interjected softly from behind him. Tsuna turned in place and smiled to himself at the folded target in his hands. This was the part that he'd been waiting on. "Is there any chance that you'd be interested in a private membership? You'll have full access to the private ranges in the basements and I can get that sanction for you."

"Gus?" The clerk asked in surprise. "What's going on?"

"I can't let any of the other gun clubs have him," he mumbled. "If he's half as good at competition as he was for his first time, no one in the state will be able to touch us. We might be able to go to nationals next year after his waiting period is over."

"You can't be serious!" Demetri exclaimed. "Laz has never fired a gun in his life! He can't--" Tsuna smiled even more widely when Demetri broke off at the sight of the target that Gus let unfold.

"Twenty rounds," he mumbled in a daze. "Bob confirmed it with the back wall sensors. The first three was an adjustment to his target and the other seventeen went through the bull's-eye. He's like a machine. Even if it was just dumb luck or natural ability, he's better than me. I can't let any of the other gun clubs have him. I'll seriously do anything. The sheriff would never forgive me if I let him leave here without joining. He's been wanting to win the team competition for the past three years and we've been missing a gunslinger with Laz's accuracy and speed."

"Two conditions," Tsuna replied in thought.

"Name them," Gus replied.

"First, I want one of those guns that the guy next to me had and I want to take it home with me," he grinned.

"Done. I'll have it for you in a few days."

"Do you have a pop-up range like they have at festivals?" He asked curiously.

"Yes."

"Then my second condition is to set me up with a Glock and let me have five minutes with it," he replied with his eyes narrowing in on Demetri. "Demetri can't seem to get something through his head and I'm going to make it clear to him one way or another."

"Done," Gus agreed softly before slowly stumbling toward the room that he'd been in when Tsuna had first arrived. "You two go take care of it for him."

"But--!"

"Just do it!" Gus roared, startling everyone in the room into silence. Porcupine, Tsuna thought instantly. Gus was a porcupine. He was cute and seemed harmless, but his needles were painful and deadly when he was upset. "Sorry," he amended with his voice lowering once more. He pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose and once more started stumbling toward his goal. "If you would be so kind, please fulfill Laz's request for me. I need to make a few calls. Laz, we'll discuss this more in detail the next time that you visit."

"With pleasure," Tsuna replied.

* * *

"Demetri," Tsuna said in complete seriousness, "I'm only going to let you see this once. Embed it into your memory and then forget everything else about me. You were there for me in a difficult time and I'll never forget how you tried to do your best for me by introducing me to the gym and Ore. But you need to give up, just like the Special Victims Unit did."

"They haven't!" Demetri shouted furiously. "Your case is still open! There's just no leads since--"

"Be quiet, Demetri," Tsuna ordered softly. "You can't seem to get that image of me out of your head and you're a nuisance. I'm not the same person that I was then and--"

"Yes, you are!" He snarled fiercely. "Didn't you cut ties with the Martelli Family?! You saw that they were bad news and got out while you still could! You've been building a good life for your--"

_He cares about you_, Maro commented.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY!" Tsuna roared, bringing everyone in the room to an instant stop. Even Maro became still in the back of his head, unsure of what Tsuna was thinking. It was as clear as daylight to Tsuna himself, though. Demetri wanted him to stay weak. Every time that they came in contact with each other, Demetri acted like he was still the innocent, naive kid that had gotten off a boat with seven years of missing memories. He didn't seem to understand that new memories had been made to replace the ones that he'd lost. He didn't seem to understand how the past four years had changed him. It was time for him to learn for his own sake.

"Watch closely, Demetri," Tsuna murmured without breaking eye-contact with the wide-eyed man who was standing across from him. "Please start the session, Guyver," Tsuna ordered to the clerk. He ignored the other members of the private club and he ignored the waiting atmosphere. Not once did he take break eye contact with Demetri as the sound of the pop-up targets started going off. Even so, he raised his arm and started firing. He didn't need to see for this. The sound alone told him which direction for him to shoot in and the fact that he didn't look got the reaction that he wanted.

Demetri's image of him was shattered. The range that was prepared was a fake hostage scene. The idea was to hit only the masked enemies and increase one's reflexes by not hitting any innocent civilians. Demetri knew that and assumed the very thing that Tsuna wanted him to. It didn't matter if it was friend or foe. Anyone who got in his way would be crushed. For twenty rounds, he let Demetri see how ruthless he could really be and not once did Demetri look away from Tsuna's hard expression.

"Do you understand now?" Tsuna asked coldly, tossing the empty gun into Demetri's numb hands. "I don't need you to save me. Find someone else to play protector for. You know nothing about me, Demetri. You're only fooling yourself if you think that you do."

"What the hell are you?" Guyver spluttered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he replied softly. "All that matters is that I'm just trying to live as peacefully as people will let me."

"No, seriously!' Guyver exclaimed, making Tsuna turn to him for a moment. "You just got a perfect score without even looking! How's that possible?!" Tsuna grimaced at having missed all of the civilian pop-ups, but he felt slightly relieved. He wanted to make a point, but it was nice to know that he'd been lying through his teeth on one part. He wasn't capable of hurting innocent people. He was even more relieved at the fact that Demetri didn't notice the detail.

"Tell me," Demetri murmured with the gun finally falling out of his hands. "I want to know, Laz. Off the record. No one here will repeat it. What did the Family have on you?"

"Fine," he smiled. "I'll tell you if you think that you can handle it."

_LAZ! NO! _Maro shouted, making Tsuna flinch slightly at the resulting headache.

"I can," Demetri replied. "Guyver, guys, none of you will repeat what you hear to anyone outside of the club. Agreed?" Tsuna looked around, waiting for agreement from everyone before nodding to himself in satisfaction. There was no point in hiding it. His abilities were already the basis for urban legends, local myths, and horror stories. If he didn't explain, all the gossip would eventually ruin him. If he was going to hide in the light, then he had to stop hiding in the darkness.

_You can't trust them!_ Maro screamed. _If you tell them, you'll be giving them a leash to use on us!_

"Four years ago, one of the biggest crime lords in the world died," he murmured in amusement for Maro's panic. "Before that, I was the man that was supposed to kill him."

_Eh?_ Maro gasped.

"I was part of a black ops project to defeat Vongola the Tenth," he lied with a bluntness that made it hard for people to disbelieve him. "He had abnormal strength and abilities, so they created a clone of him and trained that clone to destroy him. When he died, the mission was scrapped and my usefulness was over. They stole the bulk of my memories and released me into the wild. I am part of no nation and I have no family. I ended up here and I've been hiding ever since. You can turn me in if you want, but I have no place to be deported to and there is no trace of the project that created me. No one would believe you, even if you told them. All I want is to leave that past behind me and live what remains of my life without regrets. If you understand that, then forget that you ever knew me, Demetri. I'm not who you think I am and I'm tired of listening to your misguided song and dance."

"I-Is that true?" Guyver breathed in shock.

"Who knows?" Tsuna smirked. "Ciao." Chuckling to himself at the wide-eyed looks of disbelief and wonder on the faces around him, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and left. No one knew whether he was telling the truth or not and the air of mystery left him with the need to giggle. No one could decide whether to believe him. It'd probably turn into another baseless rumor that he was having fun creating. Misinformation was as good of a protection as any and it was one that was fun too. People's reactions to the lies never ceased to amuse him.

_Holy shit, I thought that I was going to have a heart attack_, Maro gasped once they were outside. _Don't do that!_

"You can't have a heart attack," Tsuna replied with a laugh. "You don't have a body." Putting Maro's grumbling aside, he mounted his bike and took a moment to check his messages. He groaned. He had twelve missed calls due to not being able to hear his phone going off. The call log made him freeze, though. He'd expected Gigi or possibly Veronica, but the number on the call log was someone completely different. "Maro, I might be taking a pill after all," he mumbled as he hit the button to call Autumn back. "If you can, plug your ears. I want this to be private."

_Who are you calling?_

"None of your business," Tsuna grumbled. She wasn't answering the phone. She was probably pissed that he'd ignored her calls until now, even though he hadn't done it intentionally. He figured that he should find her and clear up the misunderstanding. "Hey, Jewel," Tsuna murmured as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. The beetle swarmed out from under his shirt at the call, ready and willing to earn her warm nest. "You've been around Autumn often enough. Do you think that you can track her down for me?"

Jewel responded with three affirmative clicks before jumping into the air with her wings extended. Tsuna worked quickly while she circled above him to find the path. Putting on his helmet, he started his engine and backed out of his new parking spot. He understood the reason for the private membership's importance. It got him on the Sheriff's good side, which was never a bad thing. What was a bad thing was how Jewel landed back on his shoulder with an apologetic chitter and once more crawled down his shirt.

"Shit," he groaned. "Jewel can't find her trail."

_Who's trail?_

The need to find her became even more important. Jewel was usually very good about tracking people. If she couldn't find Autumn, it meant that she was either indoors, in a car, or out of range. A quick check on his GPS showed him that he was in luck. She was shown where she was normally untraceable. The fact was somewhat disturbing, though. It was almost as if she wanted him to find her, but she couldn't be that stupid. If he could trace her GPS, then so could everyone else.

He'd just ask her when he saw her, Tsuna decided. With that in mind, he shot out into the street and started taking the fastest route possible to her location. He had a bad feeling that he really wanted to deny. Autumn wasn't the type to call twelve times in a row. She was the type to call once and only once. When he didn't answer, she would have normally just said 'tough luck'. For her to have called so many times meant that there was something wrong.

It didn't take long to reach the correct area, but the GPS said that she was down one of the alleys that his motorcycle wouldn't fit through. For that reason, he parked his bike in the closest parking garage and went on foot. He was two alleys away when his gut seemed to drop out of under him.

_I've got a bad feeling about this_, Maro commented unnecessarily. Tsuna couldn't argue, but he couldn't turn back, either. What he could do was to change his point of entry by scaling up a brick wall to get onto the roof. Maro murmured in appreciation for the maneuver, but Tsuna ignored him in order to break out into a run. Something was most definitely wrong. Why would Autumn be standing in an alley for so long? He got his answer when he reached the edge of the roof and could hear the voices of the people below.

"...hers," Isaac growled.

"Is that blood?" Rachael asked worriedly. "Do you think that she was attacked?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I don't even know what she was doing in this part of town. She just called and said that she thought that she was being followed. I told her to turn on her GPS so that I could find her, but then she got cut off."

"There's a used book store that she goes to down here," Rachael murmured. "They sell a lot of books that the newer stores don't handle. I know that she's been interested in werewolves and vampires lately, so it's likely that she was picking up another volume on myths."

"You're probably right," he grumbled. "Her call log has a bunch of calls to Laz. It doesn't look like he picked up on any of them, though."

"What does that--? Never mind," she amended. "You're right. There is a connection. Do you think Laz did something with her?"

"No," Isaac answered. "Laz isn't that type of guy. I can't understand what's going through his head half the time, but he wouldn't hurt Autumn. That bookstore.... How far is it from here?"

"A few blocks," Rachael answered worriedly. "That's what I don't understand. If she knew that she was being followed, why did she go through the alleys? It would have been safer for her to stay where she was or for her to stay on the streets."

"This is Autumn that we're talking about," Isaac groaned.

"Right," Rachael sighed. "She probably wanted to take them on by herself. Let's start looking for clues. Maybe someone dropped something that can lead us to her."

"I'll help in a second," Isaac replied. "I need to report this to Papa Paolo and find out if he's got any ideas of who took her."

_It sounds serious,_ Maro commented quietly as Tsuna pulled back from the edge. _You should leave it to them, Laz_.

"I have to find her," he corrected, feeling inexplicably angry that someone would dare to lay a finger on Autumn.. They'd taken her from within his territory. It was an insult that he couldn't ignore. He would punish all of those who had disturbed the peace on his quiet streets.

_Why? I've been doing a lot of exploring in our head, Laz. Don't you want to be a good Boss? You're never going to succeed if you keep letting others put their leashes on you._

"You don't understand," Tsuna growled as he tried to pick up Autumn's scent. "Keep your nose out of it, Vongola. This doesn't concern you. People can put as many leashes on me as they want, but having it there will change nothing. I'll still do what I want, when I want, and I want to find Autumn right now." He couldn't find it. Even with his nose, it'd been too long since she'd passed through for him to pick up her trail. The scent had dissipated completely, meaning that she'd probably been transported elsewhere.

That was fine. He had other methods that he could use now. He had the strongest tool that there was. Nothing could beat a phone full of numbers when it came to getting information. Veronica had faithfully entered the number of every person that he might need to call and had even put stars next to the really important people. One way or another, he'd have her location within half an hour.

* * *

Tsuna stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowly walked up the ramp leading to the enemy base. It'd taken longer than half an hour, but he'd still arrived well ahead of the Martelli Family. His pet gangs had proved very useful. A call to Wes and the Nymphs had given him a list of foreigners who were staying in one of his hotels and a quick cross-reference had narrowed it down to the people who had checked out within the last twenty-four hours. Giving that name to Erin and the Nightreapers had gained him the name and location of the ship that they were planning to leave on. It was close to their designated departure time, but Tsuna didn't plan to let the ship leave. Not when his gut and his sense of smell said that Autumn was onboard.

"Hey, mister," one of the crew called with open intent to stop him on the ramp. "This is a restricted area--"

"Get out of my way," he ordered calmly. "I'm here for Hime and interruptions won't be tolerated." The man opened his mouth to argue, but Tsuna refused to let him. His hand lashed out as he passed, sending the foolish man to the ground with a single blow. Of course, this had the irritating effect of sending the rest of the crew into a charge to restrain him. They were pathetically weak. Tsuna didn't even have to pause nor did he have to use more than one hand. He just kept walking in the direction of Autumn's scent while using the enemy's momentum to send them crashing into one another over and over again. They were too slow and they were too weak. It was irritating to think that Autumn had been captured by such a low-level pack of monkeys.

_These aren't Vongola, _Maro murmured in his ear_. I don't recognize any of them._

"What the hell is going on?" A voice yelled from above. Tsuna absently tossed the last of the idiot crew attacking him into a crate and looked up without a trace of amusement. The man in front of him had to be the ring-leader of the operation. Ring-leaders always had the poor taste to put themselves at the highest point of their base. Not that he was any different, but his monkeys were a lot stronger. "Why are you here?" The man snarled when he saw the sprawling mess that had once been his crew.

"You don't need to know my name," Tsuna replied. Gathering his strength into his legs, he leaped. The captain's cabin was two stories above him, but he managed to make it by grabbing hold of the safety railings. Soaring over it, he came to a stop in front of his enemy and smiled. "I wish to know why you've stolen Hime. If I don't like your answer, you'll be Judged guilty."

_Laz, don't, _Maro interjected_. I was wrong. That's Orinato. These are Vongola after all._

"I don't have to answer to a weakling like you," Orinato replied with a slow smile. "I promised to conclude the negotiations with the Martelli Family and that is what I plan to do."

"Your negotiations are over," Tsuna corrected with a dangerous step forward. "I'm taking Hime home."

"You have to get to her first," the man murmured in even greater satisfaction. Tsuna felt his gut twist in warning and he turned in just enough time to receive the full impact of an enemy attack. He only got a glimpse of a woman before he was knocked backward over the railing. He twisted in the air to prepare for a hard landing, but found himself abruptly yanked upside down again. He snarled in anger at the trap, but there wasn't time to detach the rope from his foot before he jerked to a hanging stop. Three feet was all that separated his head from the ground and his leg felt like it'd been pulled out of it's socket.

He was going to kill the bitch that hit him.

All at once, that bitch's face covered his vision. She had a nose that a horse could envy and was dressed for combat. From head to toe, her wardrobe had no weaknesses. Even her cargo belts were strapped on in a way that he wouldn't be able to use against her. There was an expression of superiority on her face that made him automatically hate her.

"Don't feel too bad," she smiled. "You're not the first blood sucker that's fallen into my trap." Tsuna felt the blood drain from his face as he finally noticed one important thing. The strings of ornaments that were laced through her hair weren't faux animal fangs. They were vampire fangs. "If you stay still, I can make this nice and painless," she added. Tsuna lurched upward in just enough time to keep a headman's axe from slicing through his neck.

THIS BITCH WAS SERIOUS!

Unable to do anything else with how he was hanging, he swung wildly in place to dodge her subsequent swings. Once he had enough momentum, he swung himself up and grabbed the rope so that he was upright again. It was then that she finally screwed up. She was still aiming for his neck and, when he dodged, her axe cut through the rope for him.

"Stay still!" She snapped when he scrambled away as soon as he was back on the deck.

"Like hell!" Tsuna gasped as he dodged another swing of her blade. "You're fucking trying to kill me!"

"Well, yeah," she agreed with a sudden pause. "But that's what we hunters do. We hunt."

"Go find some rabbits or deer!" Tsuna spluttered. "What did I ever do to you?!"

"You're a werewolf," she answered with a grin. "That's good enough for me. I was starting to think that this was going to be another dead end, but the Vongola Family wasn't lying."

"They hired you to kill me?" He gaped.

"Nope," she corrected with another wild swing of her blade. "I hired them to lead me to the American werewolf that I've been hearing about. Once I have your head, I'll finally be able to prove to the Chief that the hunter cells need to be activated again. You hell spawn need to be eradicated completely this time."

"That's not funny," Tsuna replied as the seriousness of the situation finally settled in. It wasn't just about him. She was talking about a war to kill everyone like him. Reaching out, he stopped the blade rather than let it pass. That was his first mistake. The weapon burned his hand as if it were made of fire, making him realize that the shiny metal wasn't simple steel. With a howl of pain, he jumped backward and inspected his hand. His glove had protected his palm, but his fingers were already turning red as if he'd grabbed onto a furnace.

"Do you like it?" She smiled knowingly when Tsuna stared at her in shock. "This is the Angelic Executioner. It's plated in solid silver and was quenched in blessed holy water. It's purified for every mission to ensure that demons like you can't touch it."

"Who the hell are you?" Tsuna gasped.

"I'm the Hunter that's going to take your head!" She shouted before once more leaping forward. Tsuna fought. He had no choice but to fight. He was off-balanced and confused, leaving him with nothing to do other than dodge repeatedly. He tried rushing in between swings, but she knew how to use the handle of her blade like a staff. Two blows to his face left tears in his eyes from the stinging sensation that was left in its wake. He tried jumping in from above, but she had the blade ready for him. It was harder to dodge in the air and a single stroke was all it took to make him decide not to try it again. He could barely feel anything but pain from his left leg after the attempt and that was with only a surface wound.

_Retreat, _Maro advised_. You can't beat her in your current condition. She's too prepared and you have no preparation._

"Shut up," Tsuna snarled under his breathe. "I'm not leaving here without Autumn."

_Come back with reinforcements_, he snapped. _Don't let your pride overwhelm your goal!_

"Shit," Tsuna grimaced. Maro was right. He still had the other Vongola to deal with after this bitch. It was aggravating, but he couldn't do it alone. He'd been caught off-guard by someone who was prepared to exploit his weaknesses. On top of that, the hunter's existence was too important. He had to warn Poe, Neve, and Xanxus. He had to send word to Lord Nephriam. There were people out there that were trying to kill them for just being different!

"Oh, no you don't!" She shouted when he threw away his pride and started running toward the exit ramp. He wanted to cry in relief when he saw Isaac and an army of Martelli at the bottom, but time seemed to stop. He felt heat and wind against his back as two simultaneous explosions went off. One sent a hail of silver shrapnel into his back. The second sent up a cloud of smoke that burned his lungs and blinded his vision. It hurt. He normally only had a minor allergy to silver, but this stuff was different. It cause the wounds that he would normally ignore to start burning in a way that made him howl in pain.

The last thing that he remembered as he tumbled over and started rolling down the ramp was the sound of gunfire that was growing all too familiar.

* * *

Tsuna lurched upright, prepared to fight for his life if necessary. It wasn't, which was a good thing when the pain hit him a moment later. His body felt like it was on fire. He could still feel the smoke lancing into his pores like insulation, making his skin feel irritated and tender. The wounds in his back and leg seemed to throb in time with his pulse, making him freeze in place with tears in his eyes from the pain. It'd been so long since a wound had actually affected him. Normally, he could control the sensations until he could feed, but this pain was different. It couldn't be localized and ignored since it covered his entire body.

"Xanxus is on his way," Autumn exclaimed, making him scream out when she touched his shoulder to hold him steady. She pulled her hand back as if he'd slapped her, but he couldn't control it. "Just hold on," she soothed worriedly. "Jules is trying to figure out why your skin is so red. Are you allergic to--"

"Silver," he choked out. Flecks of blood sprayed out of his mouth from where he'd inhaled the silver dust smoke. He wanted to explain that he was covered in small bits of silver, but it hurt so much to talk. It hurt so much simply to breathe. He tried to get up to go take a cold shower, but numerous hands pushed him back down to the couch that he'd been placed in. He could barely see that he'd been brought to the Castle instead of a hospital, which was understandable since a hospital would have been normally useless for him. Everyone was thinking that he could just drink Xanxus' blood and he'd be fine, but he needed a different treatment. He needed to get the silver dust off of himself and they were only thinking of keeping him in place so that his bandages wouldn't come off.

"Where is he?!" Xanxus shouted as he barged into the room with Poe and Neve behind him. All three came to a stop and Neve let out a strangled gasp. Tsuna could barely see any of them through his watering eyes, but he hoped that his pleading expression got through. He needed them to help him because Autumn and the others didn't understand. "What the hell happened to you?"

"He's been attacked by a Head Hunter," Poe snapped. "Look closely, Xanxus. He's been hit with a silver dust bomb. His skin is still covered with it. If we don't hurry, it's going to get into his blood steam and he'll have to go into hibernation to recover. Neve, do you remember the antidote that I taught you? The one that bonds to silver that's already been ingested....?"

"Yes, father," she nodded as she rushed for the door. "I'll go get the ingredients."

"Hurry," he urged as Xanxus pushed everyone out of his way. "He needs it quickly." Tsuna held back another scream as he was lifted up in Xanxus' arms, but he knew that walking was impossible. He doubted that he'd even be able to stand.

"Where's the closest shower?" Xanxus growled while Tsuna trembled in pain.

"I'll show you," Poppet offered. She ran down the hallway and Xanxus was right behind her. He faintly heard Poe say that he needed a phone to call Lord Nephriam, but Tsuna wasn't positive. He hurt too much and he blacked out again before they even made it to the elevator.

When he woke again, he was in even more pain than before. On top of that, he was both dizzy and freezing. His clothes and jewelry had been removed at some point while he'd been out of it and his hair had been shaved off to get rid of the silver laced through it. He could feel Xanxus holding him up under a spray of cold water without a care for his own clothing. It felt like he was being pelted with rocks, but a corner of his mind knew that hot water would have only increased the pain. The cold kept his pores from opening, which kept the silver from getting lodged deeper.

"This is going to hurt," Xanxus warned. Tsuna clenched his eyes shut and nodded slightly after only a glimpse at what Xanxus was holding. The harsh washcloth was necessary to remove the poisonous debris from his skin, though. He was unsure if he blacked out or just went into shock after the first stroke. All he knew was that there was pain followed by a blast of heat when Xanxus finally turned on the hot water to warm him up. "It's almost over," Xanxus promised as the hot water made his skin burn even more than before.

When he woke again, he was laying face down on a bed. This time, someone was working on the wounds in his back while he felt Jewel skittering up and down the graze on his leg. His skin felt tender, but the pain had eased. He felt like he was covered from head to toe in ointment, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Stay still," Xanxus ordered. "I've got to make sure that there's no silver left in these before we bandage them up again. Just sit still and keep breathing, brat. Neve set up some stinky-ass smoke shit that's supposed to get rid of what you breathed in. They said that you're lucky to be alive. Whoever attacked you was one fucked up bitch. I guess this silver allergy is a lot more serious than those vampire bastards told us. You've already started to go into shock twice since I got here."

"I'm tired," he replied with a small cough.

"Don't talk," he ordered. "And you're supposed to be tired. You got hit with a grenade meant for us, plus you got gassed with a poison meant to weaken guys like us. If the Family hadn't shown up, you would have been a sitting duck while that bitch took your head. Why didn't you call me? Shut up. Don't answer that. I told you not to talk. Just so you know, Gabriel is trying to twist this. He's got the whole Family questioning why you were even there, but it's backfiring a little. Too many people saw how close that bitch came to beheading you. People are throwing it back in his face that you were there and he wasn't."

"Autumn...?" He prompted shortly.

"She's fine," he answered with a warning growl. "She's upstairs and she gave us permission to use this room until we're positive that the Head Hunter is gone. From the description, it was Orinato who kidnapped her on the Eleventh's orders. They were trying to force her to sign a contract that would have given the Eleventh everything that they owned. They were going to use that as a bargaining chip to get the Martelli rings. It looks like they've given up on surveillance and negotiations again. No one that's been sent can see how the shitty things work, so they're looking to take custody of them now. I'm not sure what the Eleventh wants from them, but--"

_He wants the Lightening Chain_, Maro supplied. Tsuna stiffened in surprise. First, he questioned how Maro knew that. Second, he questioned what he meant by that. What the hell was a Lightening Chain? _The Martelli Family's Glamours are based off of three small links of a thing called Reckoning Chains. They're not visible under most circumstances. Hotaru is bound by a Lightening Chain, but he's unaware of the fact. His intuition is telling him that he can gain understanding of himself if he can unravel the mystery of the Martelli Glamours. He can't be allowed to succeed, Laz. If he gains awareness of the Chain binding him, he'll start questioning his own existence. He'll mess with something that should never be messed with. If he learns how to control his own Chain, he might remove it and he'll die if he does that. Even if he doesn't die, he'll loose the solidification that the Chain gives him and that could upset the balance of the world._

"Wow," Tsuna mumbled in awe of the sudden tale. It sounded unbelievable, but it did explain why the Vongola Family was messing with them. It was a private vendetta. It also explained why Vongola hadn't been coming at them seriously. The leader didn't want anyone to know that he had a personal interest at stake. Understanding the reasons didn't make it right, though. He'd been trying to force the Martelli Family to do what he wanted without ever considering their feelings in the matter. "Your son is a spoiled brat, Maro. He needs to be spanked."

_Laz!_ Maro spluttered. _Be careful what you say! Xanxus is there with you!_

"Oh shit," Tsuna gasped, slowly lifting his head up to look behind him. Xanxus had turned into a statue with a pair of tweezers still hanging from his frozen hands. It only lasted a moment, after which he blinked, reached out to shove Tsuna's head down, and returned to his work on Tsuna's back in silence.

_Oh god_, Maro murmured. _He already knows about us_.

"No, he doesn't," Tsuna whispered to himself.

_He knows that we're really Tsuna!_

"I didn't tell him," he growled. "He can't know."

"Are you talking to Maro, Laz?" Xanxus asked quietly.

"Um... yeah," he confirmed. "Sorry if it seems a little--"

"If he can hear you, then he can hear me," Xanxus interrupted.

"Um.... yeah," he agreed with a hesitant nod.

"Good, cause there's something that I've been wanting to say, but I want both of you bastards to hear it," he continued calmly. "I know that you're really Tsuna," he said bluntly. Tsuna's mind went blank and his heart seemed to leap into his chest. It wasn't possible. "You don't have to worry about me knowing, Laz. I'm not here to try to make you go back. I've been around you long enough to understand that you're not the Tsuna that I know. You're still one hell of a friend, though. Don't think that I'm sticking around in hopes that you'll fall in love with me like Tsuna did. You don't have his memories of it and I get that you're a different person. I'm not going to try to turn you into something that you're not and I'm not going to interfere in your life more than you want me to. On the other hand, Maro has the memories of me. Doesn't he?"

"Um... ah..."

_Tell him yes, _Maro sighed_. The cat is already out of the bag. We can decided what to do with him after he's done talking._

"Y-Yeah," Tsuna confirmed with his face buried into his pillow. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening.

"Then this part is to Maro," he continued while the tweezers continued to gently remove the remaining silver dust from his back wounds. "I'm sorry that I was an ass when I had the chance to talk to you in person. You were right about me being confused, but you can't expect me to understand under those conditions. I don't understand why you're hiding when you could easily go home and have White fix you. You've always got some reason, though, so I'm not going to complain. If you don't want to go home, then I'm not going to fucking make you. You know what kind of greedy bastard I am, but I want a fucking explanation."

_Tell him that I was dead in the good future_, Maro murmured. _He should understand_.

"He says that he was dead in the good future," Tsuna relayed.

"Fucking hell," Xanxus growled. "He's still going on about that shit? Laz, be happy that I'm not talking directly to his ass because I'd probably knock the fuck out of both of you. The future changes simply by knowing about it. Why the fuck do you think that the Bovino aren't the most powerful Family in Italy? Even if someone in the future came back and told them what was going to happen, their attempts to use the information would cause a different future. How the fuck do you think the stock market crashed? You need to stop trying to play fucking God and just live your damn life."

_I can't_, Maro replied sadly. _Not while there's still a chance_.

"He says that he can't while there's still a chance," Tsuna repeated before interjecting his own question. "What's going on? I thought Maro wasn't going back because I wasn't. All this talk about the future is--" Tsuna broke off in a fit of coughing that reminded him of his present circumstances. Now wasn't the time to ask questions. Maro and Xanxus could have their lover's quarrel later.

"Drink this," Xanxus ordered once he got control of himself. "It's medicine for the silver you breathed in. Neve said to make you drink it if the smoke wasn't enough." Tsuna didn't argue. He accepted the offered glass and drank the contents before he could taste it. He was glad that he did. The aftertaste was worse than sweaty socks, although it did have the effect of soothing his battered throat. He just wished that it didn't have the effect of making him sleepy. "I'll argue with Maro later when I can talk to him in person. He's stubborn, so I'm already betting that I'm going to lose. Actually, I'm hoping that I'll lose. You suffered a lot while you were running things. It's pretty boring here, but you can actually have a life. I don't see anything wrong with just leaving things like they are. You're happy here. Aren't you?"

"I guess so," he mumbled while he fought to keep his eyes open. The medicine was working far more quickly than he expected. It was as if he could feel the lingering pain being washed out of his body, leaving only a dull ache that was quickly soothed by the ointment covering his skin. Then even the ache was gone thanks to whatever pain-killers had been laced into the drink. "Snicker is here.... I don't want... to leave..."

"I'm not going to make you," Xanxus promised with his hand carefully brushing across Tsuna's bald head. "We'll talk later. Get some sleep and I'll have some blood wine for you when you wake up. You'll probably want your hair back."

"That'd be... nice," he agreed absently as he dozed off in comfort.

* * *

Tsuna woke to the smell of olives. Before he could panic, however, he realized that it was only a minor trace that was part of Autumn's scent. The fact that she was in the room with him was a relief. If it'd been Xanxus, he had no clue what he would have said to him. It was shocking to think that he'd known that about his identity and hadn't said anything. Tsuna couldn't make sense of it. Had Xanxus only been his friend because he was chasing Maro? Was it safe to talk to Xanxus anymore? Xanxus said that he wasn't going to tell anyone, but how far could he be trusted? Tsuna wasn't supposed to trust anyone. Yet, what could he do? If he made Xanxus mad, Xanxus could blow the whistle and Vongola might actually believe him.

"How are you feeling?" Autumn asked quietly. Tsuna opened his eyes and smiled softly at how Autumn was hovering over him. He still felt incredibly drowsy from the medicine and he was weak. It felt like every speck of silver had sapped his energy until he'd been rung dry.

"I was useless again," he answered tiredly.

"Don't be an idiot," she admonished gently as she sat down next to him. "Because of you, I was able to hold out until Isaac rescued me. You took out the bulk of their forces and provided a distraction so that Isaac could take the Hunter by surprise. Because of you, no one else got injured."

"I still failed," he objected in frustration. "I'm sick and tired of losing the important fights. I was determined to--" Breaking off, Tsuna felt a wave of dizziness that had nothing to do with his injuries. He wasn't sure whether she was doing it out of gratitude or to simply shut him up, but her lips tasted warm and sweet. Her scent changed in the blink of an eye, causing him to gasp for air in surprise. Instead of a cold-cut submarine sandwich, she became a sweet honeydew melon that brought up images of festivals and fireworks.

She smelled like home.

"Don't," he mumbled when she started to pull away. His arms were around her in an instant, holding her close so that he could lose himself in her aroma.

He didn't want to let her go.

He didn't just want an affair with her.

He wanted to be with her.

"Stay here with me," he pleaded. "I'll do whatever you want. Just let me hold you for a little while."

"I get it," she sighed in resignation. Without arguing, she slipped into the bed with him and let him hold her. He wasn't sure why she agreed so easily, but he wasn't going to complain when the mere act of having her in his arms made all the ice within him melt away. He felt truly warm again in a way that he hadn't since Snicker had died. The fact brought tears to his eyes in both guilt and pain, but he couldn't deny it. "This is just like before," she continued once she was comfortably settled to use his shoulder as a pillow. "You just came out of a life and death situation and you're feeling both vulnerable and mortal. Right? If this helps, I don't mind. Just don't tell me that you love me like you did last time. I don't like getting lied to."

"Okay," he agreed. Clenching his eyes shut, he was grateful for the fact that she wasn't looking up at him. He did love her, he admitted to himself. That was what made it so painful. She wasn't his to have. "Can I ask you to marry me instead?" He mumbled in hopes of easing that pain by even a small margin.

"Don't joke around," she laughed with a gentle shove to his side. "Even if Daddy said that it was okay, imagine how everyone would react to the announcement that you're taking over the Family with me when everyone thinks that you quit?"

"They'd get over it," he replied while trying to keep his voice playfully light.

"Yeah," she agreed sarcastically. "Right up until our first kid had a tail and fur. People will ask if I'm breastfeeding and I'll say yes. Just imagine their faces when they figured out that it was for blood instead of milk."

"Right," he mumbled with a grimace. He'd already known that she'd reject him. That was the very reason that he hadn't wanted to consider it when Papa Paolo had brought up the subject.

"No offense," she added belatedly. "It's not that I have anything against you, but--"

"It was just a joke," he lied. "I get a good enough dose of your attitude just by passing you on the street. I leave the morning grouchiness to Theodore. I'm guessing that you two are starting to get along better...?"

"Kind of," she confirmed grudgingly. "He's given up on the idea that I'll be his trophy wife. Did you know that he didn't even notice that I was missing? No one told him. I was gone for four hours and he wasn't even upset that I missed our lunch date. He said that he figured that I just blew him off again. I told him that I did so that he wouldn't get worried, but he's completely clueless."

"Did Vongola hurt you?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"Not really," she shrugged in his arms. "I got my hair pulled and slapped a few times, but it wasn't hard enough to leave bruises. I've been hit worse while I was working for Mike. I think that they were going easy on me because I was a girl and I think I played it off pretty good." Tsuna smirked when her voice took on a tearfully pleading tone for an impromptu imitation. "Please, don't hurt me, Mister! I can't sign that, Mister! Daddy says that Little Princesses have to leave paperwork to the servants! Wah! Wah! Wah! No! Daddy says that he'll lock me in a dungeon if I touch a pen! Princesses are only supposed to write with feather quills!" She laughed and Tsuna chuckled with her, imagining the expressions on that Orinato bastard's face. "You want to hear the good part?" She added in laughter. "They actually brought me a quill! I had to tell them that it had to be an eagle feather to buy some more time!"

"I would have went nuts," he chuckled.

"Oh, he blew his top," she confirmed. "I thought that I was a goner, but then someone came running in saying that someone was single-handedly taking down the entire crew. Something told me it was you, so I was pretty worried. While we were waiting on the quill, some of the guys were gloating about how they'd brought a werewolf hunter with them. I wanted to laugh at them when they said that she had holy water and silver weapons, since I remember Poe saying that it doesn't work on you. It was pretty effective, though."

"She used them in combination," Tsuna murmured with his teeth clenched in frustration and shame again. "I wasn't prepared. I probably didn't see a quarter of the weapons that she had on her and I bet that she had something to exploit every single one of my weaknesses. It's the first time that I've went up against someone like that. She wasn't looking for a fair fight. She just wanted to kill me."

"I bet that you underestimated her because she was a girl," Autumn replied with her damnable knowing smirk.

"No," he corrected in shame. "She defeated me completely. I couldn't lay a hand on her. From the amount of trophies that she had on her, she's been killing my kind for years. I hate to fucking admit it, but I was running to get help when the grenade went off. She was too strong for me to deal with alone and freeing you was more important than my pride."

"You can't improve unless you know your limitations," she soothed gently. "I know that you think that it's shameful, but I'm kind of touched that you put me over your pride. It makes me think that you're not as much of an idiot as I thought."

"I--"

"You're still an idiot for trying to do it alone," she amended, making him growl at how she could change the flow of words with a single sentence. "But I think that Xanxus is mad enough about that for both of us. You should have seen how mad he was when you didn't wake up after a full night's rest. Speaking of, he left you a bottle of wine that he said was medicine for you. Do you--"

Once more, Tsuna reached out to stop her from getting up. This time, she paused with sudden understanding lancing through her eyes. He refused to turn away from her questioning expression, even though he couldn't summon the courage to say the words that she'd told him not to say. All he could do was look at her with all the confused emotions that were crashing through him. He loved her. He felt guilty for loving her since it betrayed his love for Snicker. He felt angry at himself for being unable to admit his feelings and he felt miserable at the knowledge that she wouldn't accept him. Most of all, though, he felt pain at the thought that he wasn't going to be able to hold her for even a moment more and his eyes begged her to stay.

"You weren't asking for my sake," Autumn mumbled with her lips parted slightly in shock. "That time at the party, you weren't offering because you thought that I was lonely. You weren't offering just so that I would use you."

"No," he confirmed as he finally lowered his eyes. "I wasn't. I... like... being with you," he said carefully. "It's not like being with other people. Being with you makes me feel... human... again. I... ah..." Summoning every ounce of his courage, he did the only thing that he could think of. Since he couldn't put it into words very well, he surged upright in the bed and told her with a wordless kiss. He loved her. She made him feel again. She connected him with the world around him and made him feel true passion again. He wanted to be with her so badly that it hurt--

He deserved the slap that went across his face, he admitted to himself. He'd kissed her with no warning and no permission. He'd already known that she wasn't one to be swept off her feet, but he'd hoped. He'd hoped that she would have some feelings for him that could overcome the walls of status, disability, and affiliation. She wasn't that type of girl, though. He wasn't acceptable in any way. He wasn't even human.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, bowing his head in shame. "I won't do it again."

"Not every girl will fall for you," Autumn spat in anger. "I only agreed to be with you that one time because it was no strings attached! I'm not in love with you and I never will be! No matter what, I'm marrying Theodore!"

"I'm sorry," he repeated for lack of anything else to say.

"With that said," she continued petulantly, "I won't forgive you if you get me pregnant."

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped, lifting his head up in surprise. She plowed into him before he could comprehend her words, but understanding was both sweet and blissful. She didn't love him and she didn't want him on a marital level, but she did want him on a personal level. He couldn't possess her in the open, but he could sneak in past the guards and caress her secretly. Since it was the only offer that he had, he wasn't going to reject it. It meant that he could hold her again and he could be with her.

"Careful," she hissed when he landed on his back with a pain-filled gasp. He ignored the advice, pulling her down to him without a single care for his injuries. The damage wasn't permanent and this time was precious. He couldn't give a damn if they scarred when he was being given such a generous reward.

Autumn's lips became sweeter with every embrace and he could feel a fire burning furiously in his stomach. Her scent made him dizzy and the feel of her silken skin against his rough hands left a tingling sensation running though his fingers. She seemed so fragile and delicate, yet she moved with such a unrefined and hardened greed. He had to hold her tightly simply to get her to slow down. It made him wonder if the last time that she'd embraced had been by him. It was a somewhat pleasant thought. The only pleasure that she'd had within the past year was what he'd been allowed to give her.

She melted against him, teasing his lips with soft nibbles and sucks until he stole her lips entirely to make her stop. Before he could gain control of the kiss, her tongue was already charging forward to tease his mouth. By the time that he had to break away for air, he quickly realized that he was going to lose the battle of wills this time.

"This isn't fair," he panted as she teased her way down his neck. Her hands ran down his sides as he continued, sending a tremor through his already hardening staff. "I can't give as good as I'm getting since I'm injured."

"Just take it this time," she replied in amusement. "We can count it as a no contest."

"I'll work twice as hard next time," he promised with a shudder as her tongue wrapped around his nipple ring. When she started nibbling down his rib cage and her hands started working on his hips, he realized her goal and decided that he couldn't let her off that easy. She wasn't getting any enjoyment out of this and he wanted to at least try to even the playing field. For that reason, he pre-empted her. She let out a small shriek of surprise, but didn't fight how he swung her around so that her legs were straddling his head.

He could feel her lips playfully bouncing around his hips and his groin, but she was being cruel by not racing into her goal. He was throbbing madly because of it and his legs parted in expectation, but he could be just as cruel. Pushing up her skirt, he let out a soft moan as he started kissing and teasing up her right leg. His hands wrapped around her waist and up the back of her shirt while he worked, unsnapping her bra in a prompt for her to undress. She took the cue, but became even more cruel once he upper half was unveiled. Rather than her lips, the first thing that crashed against his staff was her breasts.

He had no way to get revenge other than to get her as aroused as he could. He knew that she hated it when men went for the red zones right off the bat, so he moved in slowly. Her legs made the wait bearable. They were toned from exercise and silken from pampering. He took great pleasure in reintroducing himself to them inch-by-inch until he had every point of her inner thighs memorized. It was torture to control himself as she started teasing him with playful kisses to his tip, but he managed. He was determined not to give in until after she was satisfied with what pitiful offerings that he could muster in his condition.

Carefully pulling her panties down, he was pleasantly surprised when she let out a moan of expectation. He didn't need more encouragement than that. Leaning his head upward, he started with just as much of a cruel tease as she'd hit him with. He licked the soft curve of her rear and nibbled on the inner joint of her thigh. In no time at all, she was lowering herself down in askance of more. He gave it to her, judging his pace by the ripples of pleasure that were making his legs tremble. When she finally took him into her mouth, he took it as the cue to dive in face first.

She gasped in surprise at the move, but he didn't let her lurch away. Two firm hands on her hips held her steady so that he could exploit every millimeter of her crevasse. He had to stop and close his eyes repeatedly to hold himself back, but she kept urging him forward. He tried to put it out of his mind so that he could stimulate her, but he could feel himself rising to the edge. Using every trick that he could think of, he hoped like hell that it was working. Autumn was like a snowflake. She took forever to float down and was frozen while she was airborne, but melted instantly when she landed.

"I can't take much more," he warned as he gasped for air. "If you're going to get a condom, go get it now."

"Side table," she replied, once more releasing him into the cold air. "The maid keeps them stocked in every room." Tsuna didn't question it. He simply started fumbling for the drawer that was two inches out of his reach. Autumn laughed at his floundering attempt to continue quickly and apparently decided to torture him more. She dismounted completely and crawled off the bed entirely to fetch it. He had to grab himself and squeeze hard to hold himself back when her panties and skirt fell to the floor in the process. "Here," she said with a cruel grin as she tossed him the packaged prize. "Let's see if you can put that on blindfolded."

It took Tsuna a moment to understand her words, but he figured it out when she sat on his face without any other warning. He took it as a prompt to finish warming her up and he tried his best while he tried to get the condom open and in place. The world became narrowed to his fumbling hands along with the scent and taste of blessedly sweet melons. He let his tongue plunge into her, trying to tease her with a minor taste of what was to come. He probed her as deeply as his tongue would allow, accepting her sweet moisture as readily as she'd taken his in the past.

He didn't allow her much time for transition. As soon as the condom was finally in place, he reached underneath to grab her inner thighs and pushed her down his chest. She went the rest of the way willingly, settling herself on top of his erection with a teasing pace that made him want to scream. When she stopped with his tip barely penetrating her wet outer walls, he decided that he couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her by her hips and thrust himself upward in one quick stroke.

Once more, she let out a pleased gasp of surprise and he couldn't help but echo her. She'd gotten tighter since the last time that he'd been with her, making him suddenly understand what the other girls had been talking about when they'd said 'borne again virgins'. She'd had sex so rarely in the past two years that she might as well have been a virgin. He could have easily given in within the first few seconds of feeling her warmth surrounding him, but one thing stopped him.

Until either he gave in or she was satisfied, she wouldn't leave. He didn't want it to end. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to keep her in his arms and he wanted to embrace her tightly. He wanted to become intimately familiar with every inch of her. He wanted to see her eyes roll back in ecstasy and he wanted to know that it was him who made her heart beat fast enough to make her face turn flush. If only for this day and this moment, he wanted her to be his.

Entirely his.

* * *

"Don't fall asleep," he warned softly when her breathing finally evened out. Despite his words, he wished that she would fall asleep on his chest so that he could continue to entangle his fingers in her hair for another few hours. He knew that it would only cause trouble, though. She couldn't have been watching him alone all this time. Someone was probably due to take over.

"I'm so comfortable," she moaned sleepily. "I don't want to move."

"Then don't," he replied happily. "Just don't fall asleep. You got mad last time."

"That's because I had plans that day," she replied in a grumpy tone.

"Do you have plans today?" He asked curiously. "Actually, what is today? How long was I out?"

"You only slept through one day," she answered as she bolted upright in bed. "Oh no."

"What did you forget?" He groaned.

"I'm supposed to have dinner with Theodore at eight," she grimaced. Tsuna growled in disappointment when she jumped out of bed and fumbled through her clothes to find her watch. "Shit," she cursed. "It's six thirty. I've got to go take a shower and get ready."

"You're so cruel," he grumbled as she started gathering her clothes up to get redressed. "You could at least pretend that you don't want to go."

"It's not about wanting to or not wanting to," she replied. Moving quickly, Tsuna watched as her clothes seemed to fly on as if they has a will of their own. For every piece that covered her up, he had to restrain the urge to tear it back off. He didn't want to let her leave_ at all_! "It's Valentine's Day, Laz. It's my duty to have dinner with Theodore. I told you before we ever started that I could only agree if it was with no strings attached. Face it. I'm Daddy's heir and you... you're..."

"A bum," he supplied with a crooked smile. "Admit it, though. I'm a bum that you like."

"In your dreams," she replied with a wink. "As if I could like a psychotic player like you."

"Psychotic player?" He repeated with a chuckle. "If I'm a psychotic player, then you're an uptight bitch."

"Guilty as charged," she agreed with a nonchalant shrug. Her smile faltered as she slipped her shoe on and Tsuna's smile faltered with it. Reality started setting in with a vengeance, leaving them both unsure of what was to happen next. "Um, I know that you gave them up, but your ring and earring are in the side table. You... um... don't have to wear them or anything, but Daddy said that I should ask you to guard them since Vongola has decided to start trying to take them instead of trying to understand them. He said that it could be our secret. I know that it's asking a lot, but take them. Okay? Your fight might have went differently if you'd had them with you."

"I'll think about it," he replied cautiously. "I should probably be leaving soon. There were a lot of things that I was supposed to oversee today."

"You should rest," he objected as she gathered up her purse. "Poe hasn't been able to track down the Head Hunter, so it's not safe for you outside."

"It's never safe outside," he corrected. "I'm not going to cower and hide just because she got the drop on me. Should you really be worrying about me, though? You have a date with Theodore to get ready for."

"Shit, you're right," she growled, once more looking at her watch. "I don't have time to argue with you. Just promise to call me if you come in contact with that Hunter again."

"I'll think about it," he replied with a small smile.

"Don't be stubborn, Laz," she said in irritation. "You looked like a shredded turnip by the time that we got you home. Your back still isn't healed up and you'll be lucky to walk without a limp. No one but Poe, Neve, or Xanxus could even come in here yesterday because of how much smoke it took to get rid of the silver in your lungs."

"I'll be fine after I eat and take another nap," he soothed. "Just go. I can take care of myself."

"Fine," she grumbled on her way to the elevator. "But I'm not going to be held responsible if you overdo it."

"You won't be," he agreed softly. Once she was gone, Tsuna simply stayed where he laid and tried to make sense of his confused emotions. He loved her, but where did that put him? How did it affect what he'd had with Snicker? Was it betrayal? Would Snicker hate him for caring about someone else? He'd always been prone to jealousy. The hard part was that he'd always been faithful, yet Tsuna had failed to be faithful in return. It made him disgusted with himself. How could he have allowed himself to do this? He'd done it with Autumn, no less. She wasn't even a woman that could return his feelings! He'd turned a blind eye to Snicker for a woman that wouldn't even accept his confession. "I'm so confused, Maro," he admitted in hopes of finding some answer.

_I was wondering if you remembered that I was here, _he replied_. Don't worry. I didn't watch once I saw what was happening. What's there to be confused about? It seemed pretty straight forward from what I did see. I take back what I said before. I didn't realize that you were already in love with someone when I offered to share Xanxus with you._

"I...." Tsuna clenched his teeth and felt tears welling up in his eyes. Why couldn't he just have a happily ever after like everyone else?!

_What's wrong? _Maro asked curiously_. Why are you crying?_

"Am I in love with her?" He asked with his tears breaking free. "Why does it still hurt? Why doesn't it feel right? I never felt like this with Snicker."

_Hmm, _Maro murmured in thought_. First of all, it's not fair of you to compare two totally different people. Love doesn't work the same way with everyone. That's what makes it so mysterious. How you loved Snicker isn't necessarily going to be how you love this woman. I think I know why your confused. You've known her for as long as you knew Snicker. Correct?_

"Yes," he answered with a muffled sob.

_You're feeling guilty because you still have feelings for Snicker, _he explained gently_. I went through the same thing when I realized that I wasn't going to be happy with just Haru. It's even worse for you because Snicker isn't around to give his acceptance or approval of your feelings. You're also second-guessing your feelings for Snicker because you're in love with Autumn and Autumn had been around for as long as he had been. You shouldn't do that. You need to think of it this way. You loved both of them this whole time, but your love for Snicker blinded you. The fact that you're noticing your feelings for Autumn now just means that you're finally letting go._

"I don't want to let go!" He cried. "Snicker was--"

_Was the greatest love of your life, _Maro supplied with a blunt force that made Tsuna freeze in his tracks_. I won't argue with that since we're two different people. I'm not telling you to pretend that the past never existed, but you've got to move on with your life. Do you think that Snicker would be happy if you were miserable? Just think of Autumn as a surrogate love to help you survive until you can meet with him again. If he's the type of person that I think that he is, then he's not going to hate you for accepting a lesser love into your life. He'd be happy that you're strong enough to not waste the life that you have._

"But... it was always just the two of us," he replied painfully. "We always said that we could keep going because we had each other, but he's gone and--"

_You're not replacing him,_ Maro said firmly_. Is how you feel for Autumn the same as how you felt for Snicker?_

"N-No," he admitted hesitantly. It wasn't, he realized. He didn't feel as if he couldn't live without Autumn. He just didn't think that he would be happy if he couldn't see her smile and hold her in his arms on occasion. He was still too aware of all the walls between them, including the fact that she had a hidden fear of him. It wasn't like it'd been with Snicker where he hadn't cared about anyone or anything else. He loved her, but it wasn't such a strong love that he would become a lovesick fool.

_You'll figure it out, _Maro soothed quietly_. Just give it some time. From what I saw, you two aren't even in a serious relationship. That's probably why it still hurts. In a way, she's being cruel by accepting your feelings without returning them. She should have rejected you completely, but she's toying with you. She's dangerous, Laz. I know that you love her, but don't let yourself get too entangled. You'll only hurt even more in the end. She's not the only one that you can feel this way about. Falling in love isn't hard once you've opened yourself up for it._

"It's scary," he mumbled as he wiped away his tears. "I don't think I could stand it if I fell in love and ended up losing that person again."

_That might be why Autumn is rejecting you like she is, _Maro replied in sympathy_. She's a little smarter than I thought. If she never fully accepts you as her lover, then you can't become fully attached to her. That means, should things turn sour between you two, both of you can return to your previous arrangement without any hard feelings. There's nothing gained this way, but there's also nothing lost._

"That sound kind of..."

_Calculating, _Maro finished_. It is, but that's how a Mafia Boss has to think. People like me and her can't let other people put leashes on us. If we did, we'd be playing to other people's tunes rather than governing our Family autonomously. We have to stay independent while understanding the needs and wants of the people around us. Only then can we gather the leashes that others try to use on us and use them instead._

"So that's how I need to be," Tsuna murmured with a sniff. "You're pretty smart about these kinds of things."

_I _was _Vongola the Tenth, _he scoffed_. When it comes to being a Boss, I know everything that there is to know._

"I bet I know a few things that you don't," Tsuna grinned, deciding to but the snob in his place.

_Like what? _He asked suspiciously.

"I know what it's like to spend sixteen hours straight playing video games with Xanxus," he answered mischievously. "I also know what to say to make him embarrassed."

_Xanxus doesn't get embarrassed_, he replied tonelessly.

"I guess you don't know everything then," he chuckled. "There's a bunch of stuff--" Tsuna broke off as a sudden idea came to mind. In the past, he would have rejected it, but it was different now. He kind of understood why Maro was the way that he was. If he'd had the strength, he would have killed that Head Hunter to stop her from going after any more of his kind. How he acted at high-end parties wasn't much different than Maro's normal attitude, either. "Hey, Maro," he mumbled. "Why don't we make a deal?"

_What kind of deal?_

"Well, a lot of stuff has changed in the past two months," he said slowly. "I hate to admit it, but I could use some advice at times. If... If I stop taking the pills to shut you out, do you think you could give me some tips on being a better Boss?"

_Aren't you afraid that I'll use the information I gather to pretend to be you? _

"No," he answered honestly. "I'm tired of being a failure and I don't think that you're the type to go back on your word. I'll tell you everything about myself and I don't think that you'll want to take over my life when you understand why things are like they are. If... If you help me pay back my debts and turn the Dragons into a success, then I'll give you what you want."

_You'll give me my body back?_ Maro spluttered in surprise.

"Yes," Tsuna decided. "Help me and I'll help you. Xanxus said that there was a person that could fix us. After I've fulfilled my goals, we'll go to her."

_Deal!_

"It's not going to be easy," Tsuna warned. "Let me explain everything before you agree."

_I'm listening._

* * *

"So?" Tsuna prompted around his fourth glass of blood wine. He'd already carefully showered and changed his bandages with Jewel's help. He'd wanted to forgo the bandages entirely, but there had been a slight problem. He'd regained strength with his glasses of wine, but the wounds weren't healing. They probably wouldn't until he'd drank blood that wasn't diluted. He'd talked the entire time, freely giving Maro all the keys to understanding him.

_You're right, _he grumbled_. This won't be easy. Your debt to the Martelli Family isn't a light one in your eyes, even though it was probably nothing for them. It's not them that I've got to satisfy, it's you._

"Exactly," Tsuna smiled in satisfaction.

_You also want the Dragons to be able to succeed without you, _he continued_. That's going to take a lot of careful work and planning, plus the training of an heir. It'll take us years to do it correctly. Plus, on top of it, there's Gabriel, Mukuro, and Vongola to deal with._

"You got it," he confirmed. "I was planning on just working on it until I died, but I have a feeling that I'll live to see the goals met if I've got you on hand. After my goals are met, I'll have no use of our body. By then, I doubt that you'll want to let anyone harm the project that you worked on, so I'll be satisfied that it'll be safe after I'm gone."

_Two years, _he replied_. We can have an heir trained and the Dragons fully self-sufficient in two years. During that time, I'll figure out some way to deal with Vongola and get Mukuro out of prison. Just please stop calling him Mukuro-sama. You're giving me the creeps. We'll figure out your debt to the Martelli Family in the process._

"What about Gabriel?" Tsuna prompted.

_Give me a moment to think, _he sighed_. That's a hard one since there's the requirements of not actually harming him while getting him under control. If I had Moretti on hand, I'd just get him arrested for a staged murder. He'd get safely tucked away in jail and everyone will be happy. For now, the only thing that I can think of is to scare him into submission. He's probably still got an image of Chibi in his head, since that was how you say that you were when he first attacked you. If you introduce him into reality and make it clear that you're not scared of him, bullies like him usually back off. He's not the type to want a strong opponent, which is probably why he didn't stay with Vongola. There was no one in the Family that would overlook his misdeeds and no one weak enough for him to subvert. Without anyone to toy with, he wanted to come back and toy with you._

"So, what do we do?" Tsuna asked bluntly.

_Nothing, for now. Let him make the first move. I'll tell you now to respond when the time comes. More importantly, I need to get a better picture of what I'm working with where the Dragons are concerned. Why don't we go for a walk and you can show me around?_

"Alright," he agreed. "Just don't expect me to explain everything. I probably won't say a word directly to you or even respond when you talk, but don't let that stop you."

_What about my day out? _Maro asked with a pout_._

"I'll let you have it when we get back home," he promised. "First, we've got to figure out what we're going to do about Xanxus. He knows about us."

_He's got to have some motivation, _Maro replied in thought_. I'm willing to bet that he's just as greedy as he says that he is. As long as he can have one side of us, he's not a threat. He never liked sharing with Mukuro, so this probably isn't any different. By the way, he was never jealous when I was with other women, so you shouldn't have to worry about you and Autumn. He won't care. Whatever you decide to do there is fine as long as you remember that it can't be a lasting relationship. I don't love her like you do, so I don't know what's going to happen after you give me my body back. You'll only hurt her if you make her return your feelings._

"I'm fine with just having my feelings accepted," he soothed. "Autumn's engaged anyway and I'm not stupid enough to interfere with that. It hurts that I can't have her like I want, but I've learned to settle for what I can get."

_Are you going to take the ring? _He asked curiously_._

"Yes," he nodded as he painfully pulled himself to his feet. Limping across the room, he retrieved the set of clothes that someone had left him and looked over his mended jacket. The back was covered in neat little seams, showing each and every point that he'd been stabbed through because of the grenade. He rather liked the effect that it had. With the Orange Dragon logo embossed into the leather below the stitches, it was as if he were saying that he couldn't falter no matter how many times he was attacked. "Taking the ring is part of my debt and we can use it to switch out without giving Lynx a chance to get loose. Don't worry, though. Except for Autumn and Papa Paolo, I plan to leave everyone guessing about my allegiances."

_There's one other thing that we need to talk about, _Maro interjected_. What the hell did you do to my scars?_

"Um," he answered with a sheepish blush. "Can I skip that question?"

* * *

"Boss!" Veronica exclaimed in surprise. "We didn't think that you were going to make it!"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," he grinned. It felt like ages since he'd last been in Kink's during peak-time. A lot had changed since he'd taken over ownership, although it hadn't been obvious while the sun was still up. The laser light show that was going on overhead created hearts in a seemingly random fashion and each one got pierced with a digital arrow. Seeing that told him that the preparations for Valentine's Day had apparently been completed and the events were well underway.

He'd already stopped by the Vile Mile and Rascal Rogers to check on their events. The Vile Mile boasted a man running around in a cupid outfit who chose a lucky couple every half hour to receive the Lover's Prize. The prize was only a dozen roses and a box of chocolates, but couples from all around had gathered to drink and party because of it. The rose vendors there were making wonderful sales to all the idiots that had forgotten to get flowers for their ladies.

On the other hand, Rascal Roger's had gotten a childish remix of the same. Instead of a half-naked cupid, a guy in a giant heart suit picked couples out and the live band was playing a set as if it were prom night. Half the guys present had been ignoring the dance area to play video games, but a few lucky studs had gotten the guts to ask a girl out onto the dance floor. Over there, the cookie vendor was making just as many sales as rose vendors since they'd wrapped the cookies up to symbolize an innocent version of the 'rose language'.

A call to Charlie's Cocoa club proved that the candy heart race was well under way. Whichever dancer had the most candy hearts in their jar at the end of an hour had to do a special dance for the women. Women also got chocolate kisses with every drink and were fed chocolate covered cherries if they ordered a lap dance. A call over to Tig Bitty's had told him that they were doing just as well with the female dancers, although two men had already been thrown out for being too grabby.

Kink's had the event that he didn't want to miss, though. It'd taken a lot of bribes to make it happen and he wasn't about to let it happen without him. Even though there was still fifteen minutes to go, the stage was prepared and the audience was waiting. There was an excitement filling the area that was irresistible.

_What's going on?_

"Just watch," Tsuna grinned.

"Did you say something, Boss?" Veronica asked as she tried to lead him through the crowd.

"It's nothing," he soothed, raising his voice up so that it could be heard over the conversations and music. "Is Gigi and Eric here yet?"

"Gigi's up there with Hannah," she answered, pointing up to the second tier scaffold where countless kissing challenges had taken place. "Eric is backstage, getting ready. Xanxus is here, too. We weren't sure if he was really going to come."

"He owes me for that hole that he put in the Dojo's roof," Tsuna laughed. "I told him that it wouldn't be punishment if he didn't earn the money that fixed it. It was either this or I was going to make him scrub toilets for a month. He took the option that would only take one night."

"That's so mean, Boss," she laughed.

"Suoh--Ump!"

"Lazarus!" Charles exclaimed in glee while the previous man flailed backward at the fist that automatically lashed out. He'd warned everyone that he'd nail the next person that called him Suoh and he'd meant it. "Clean-up on aisle three!" Charles called to the bouncers as he gave Tsuna a welcoming hug. Tsuna completely ignored the fool that had called him Suoh, knowing that Charles' men would take care of him. He simply continued on his way as if he'd merely swatted a fly so that he could believably say later that he didn't even notice that he'd hit someone.

"The crowd is bigger than I expected," Tsuna commented as they walked through the assembled customers. The place was so packed that he honestly couldn't tell where the dance floor ended and the walk ways began. He was grateful for the crush, however. It made it a lot easier to hide his limp.

"The flyers that we put out brought in a lot of women," Charles explained as they walked up the stairs to the side scaffolds. "It's looking pretty good so far. There's been a lot of positive reactions from the straights that have come in. They women are liking the nonjudgmental atmosphere from our regulars and even the straight guys that have come in are starting to loosen up. We were worried that we were going to get picketed again, but your suggestion worked. The fake ads for the BDSM club has the activists all picketing an empty building across town."

"It's only a temporary distraction to get them out of our hair," Tsuna sighed. "I'll start negotiations after the holidays to find a permanent solution. I understand that some people don't like the idea of gays, but that doesn't give them the right to judge us. If we can get those guys to come around, it'll make things a lot easier for our future projects."

"It should be easier to turn around opinions now that you've got the Big Four at your back," Charles smiled. "We can't change opinion across the state, but we can change things here in the city. You never know. Maybe it'll effect opinions elsewhere when they see that there's no reason to fight with us. We respect their beliefs that only men and women can be joined in matrimony. It's just getting them to respect our beliefs that two men or two women can."

"Not everyone is going to be happy no matter what," Tsuna replied, glancing back behind him to see that Veronica was still following. "I honestly don't care if they respect my beliefs or the beliefs of the other people here. I just want them to leave us alone and give us the same right to choose our own way of life that they have. I don't want someone else to be faced with the same problems that I had when Snicker died. People shouldn't have to resort to underhanded methods to find justice."

"Too true," Charles agreed.

_You say decent things sometimes_, Maro commented.

"Do you want a drink?" Charles asked as they reached the back section of the scaffold.

_Martini, dry, no olive_, Maro answered absently.

"Hook me up with a round of shots for the table and a beer," he replied with a grin as Gigi finally noticed him. She lurched off of the VIP couch with a startled shriek and ushered him over to sit between her and Hannah.

"What are you doing here?!" She spluttered worriedly. "Your back--!"

"It's nothing," he soothed as he made himself comfortable against Hannah's side. She put her arm around his shoulder almost greedily and he didn't reject the contact. He'd kissed Hannah so many times in the past that she might as well have ex-girlfriend status. "I slept through yesterday and I couldn't miss this. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"What happened to your hair!" Hannah exclaimed. Tsuna felt a blush rise to his cheeks when she reached out to rub the bristle stubble that had already grown out. He didn't understand it, but felt incredibly good. It sent a shiver down his spine that made him wonder if he should keep it shaved. It didn't help when his expression caused not only Gigi and Veronica to rub it, but made everyone else in the area pet his head.

"I hear that it's lucky to rub a shaved head," Charles chuckled as a waitress ran off to get their drinks.

"Someone's going to get lucky if you guys don't stop," he replied as he blushingly pushed the hands away. Letting a little shiver of pleasure surface, he stole Gigi's beer while everyone started laughing at his reaction.

"So, what happened?" Charles asked as he found a seat in the area surrounding the VIP area's couch and low table. "Did you get drunk and lose a bet?"

"Something like that," he lied. "Don't you need to get downstairs and get this show started?"

"We've still got ten minutes," he answered as he lit a cigarette and offered it to Tsuna. Tsuna motioned for Gigi to accept it for him so that he wouldn't have to lean forward again. Although he was hiding it, the pain was starting to build up again. He had no clue what had been on that axe and in that grenade other than silver, but a few glasses of blood wine wasn't fixing it. "I want to make sure that you're taken care of first. It'd sully my good name if the Owner wasn't taken care of."

"What good name?!" Tsuna exclaimed with a wide smile. "Go take care of business, Charles, but make sure that you let Xanxus know that I'm here. Tell him that I'm not counting it unless he puts on a good show for me."

"That's assuming that you recognize him," Charles taunted with a wink. "Danny and Sassy have been working on him all afternoon. I think that you're in for a pleasant--"

"Laz," Poe interjected as he appeared out of the crowd with his typical flair. Charles leaped in place at the sudden appearance, only to leap a second time when Neve appeared on the other side of him.

"We've got a problem," Neve said with a serious look on her face.

"How big?" He asked. His simple question had the affect of telling Charles to move out of the way, along with getting rid of the nobodies sitting around him. Hannah pouted at being shooed away, but he gave her a wink to tell her that she'd be able to come back eventually.

"Has it healed?" Poe asked with a frown.

"No," he admitted in a quiet voice. "I drank four glasses, but it's like I was drinking water. I could feel myself getting stronger, but the wounds aren't closing like they usually do."

"It's as you feared, Father," Neve said worriedly.

"Ah," he nodded. "They've studied us and they've refined their weapons. No matter how much you drink, your wounds aren't going to heal any faster than a normal human."

"I don't understand," he replied with a disbelieving shake of his head. "It was just silver. You said that we were only allergic to--"

"What you were hit with wasn't simply blessed silver," Neve explained. "It was coated with an agent that targets our genetic profiles. It keeps us from being able to intake energy. The shrapnel that we pulled from your back was covered with it. If any of that had gotten in either mine, Father's or Xanxus' blood stream, we wouldn't have been forced to starve until it passed out of our systems. It's a tool meant to keep us weak in case we get away so that it's easier to kill us. The only reason that you're okay is because you still have some humanity left in you. You can still produce your own energy."

"So, if you were hit with it...?" Tsuna prompted to clarify.

"We would have starved to death if we hadn't eaten beforehand," Poe answered with a scowl. "Depending on how much got in our system, we would have been forced to sleep to wait it out. It would have made us sitting ducks to allow the Hunter to kill us."

"It gets worse," Neve added as she pulled a ziploc bag out of her purse. When she tossed it over to him, Tsuna felt the blood drain from his face at the contents. "She wasn't alone. That almost hit Father on the same day that you were attacked. We thought that it was just a stray bullet, but we went back to find it after we realized that there was something wrong with your wounds. It's made of the same blessed silver that the Hunter's axe is and it's coated in the same agent."

"If I'd been hit by that..." He mumbled with a pale face.

"You would have bled out without normal medical intervention," Neve confirmed with an unhappy scowl, causing both Gigi and Veronica to let out strangled gasps. "This is a threat to all of us, Laz. Father and I are to meet with the council to show them the evidence that we've collected. The Hunters can't be allowed to exist any longer."

"You're talking about a holy war," Tsuna said in a daze.

"We have no choice," Poe replied with a dark glare. "We're being persecuted simply for existing. We had an agreement with the Hunters in the past. We always looked the other way as long as they only attacked vampires who had lost their civility since they were useful in getting rid of the bad apples for us, but these Hunters are going after us without discriminating between good and evil. The peace has been broken and--"

"Wait!" He gasped, holding up a hand to stop Poe's self-righteous lecture. He could already see where this was going and there was one very big problem. "No! You can't do this!"

"What would you have us do?!" Poe snarled with an angry fist slamming into the table between them. "They're trying to kill us!"

"But only a few of them!" Tsuna hissed with a note of pleading in his voice. "You don't know if the whole group is in on this! It could be a small branch that's working on their own! If you judge them all for the actions of a few, then you're no better than the one that attacked me! You said for yourself that they were useful! I agree that people should be warned about these Hunters and that they should be stopped, but you can't start a holy war because of this! At least try to keep the peace before you start pointing fingers!"

"I... I have to agree with Laz, Father," Neve interjected in concern.

"It is ultimately the Council's judgment," he growled in dissatisfaction. "But I will pass on your words. I just wished to inform you of our absence. I've been unable to track the Hunters, so they might still be lurking within the city. I dislike leaving you here unprotected, but getting word to the Council of this is too important."

"I'll be fine," he soothed in sympathy. "Xanxus is still here and I'll keep my head down."

"I've prepared some protection at the Dojo for you," he added with a worried look in his eyes. "It's not much, but it should help even the battlefield should you come across them again. We've also left a kit with the silver antidotes in case you should need it again. There's directions inside for a chemical bath, the smoke for inhalation, and a draught to drink for any that is ingested. I suggest that you keep a packet of each with you at all times."

"I've got plenty of spare pockets," he said in agreement. "Travel safely." Both Poe and Neve nodded in solemn agreement as they stood and left. The catcalls and cheers aimed at the show that was starting seemed unfitting of the departure.

"What are you going to do?" Gigi asked worriedly.

"There's nothing to be done," he replied, lowering his eyes in depression. "All I can do is face the enemy in front of me and I'm already doing that by not hiding. They'll show themselves sooner or later. I can't let my life be ruled by fear. I... I can't allow myself to be leashed like that."

_You're starting to understand_, Maro praised.

"Boss!" Veronica exclaimed abruptly. "You've got to go watch the show! That will cheer you up!"

"Gigi, let me borrow you," he mumbled. Gigi grimaced in understanding and offered her shoulder. It wasn't hard to pretend that he was hanging on her like he would a girl, although the difference was that Gigi had the strength to help hold him upright. It allowed him to keep the pressure off of his injured leg so that he could walk to the railing and stand without anyone seeing that he was weakened. He didn't need to be told that showing weakness would be bad. The reason that people feared and obeyed him was because injuries weren't lasting with him. He always bounced back.

"Uh... Gigi," Tsuna mumbled as he looked at the person on the stage. "I thought we decided on a male auction."

"We did," she giggled in instant excitement. "We just tweaked it a little to shake things up."

"Oh," he gaped. He couldn't help but gape and cover his mouth to hide his shock when the insinuation of what he was looking at hit him. The idea was to have a male auction so that everyone could have a chance of having a date on Valentine's Day. No one had mentioned anything about dressing the bachelors up in drag!

_What the fuck did you get Xanxus into? _Maro growled.

"Oh shit," he choked, turning instantly to Gigi. "Where's Xanxus and Eric?"

"They're both backstage, waiting their turn," she answered absently. "Don't worry. We cleared the idea with both of them. Eric said that it's not any different than being in costume and Xanxus said that he didn't give a fuck. I'm not sure if he was really paying attention when I told him about the change, but he still showed up in time to pick out an outfit."

"Wait, what?" Tsuna blinked in growing shock. "He didn't blow up? He's actually going through with it?"

"He said that he'd take it out on you later," she confirmed sheepishly. "You'll forgive me for agreeing after you see him."

_This isn't happening, _Maro gasped_. Should I watch? Should I not? Oh my god, Laz. What the hell have you done?_

"I don't know yet," he laughed in disbelief. "But I'm not missing this shit. I thought it'd be good enough just to watch him get sold off for a few hundred bucks. This is fucking wonderful."

"Who are you talking to?" Gigi asked in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," he answered as he let go of her shoulder so that he could lean on the railing in growing excitement. "Where did my beer go?"

"I'll get you a new one," Veronica offered. Tsuna barely heard her. His attention was on the introduction of the third bachelor. The stage names were incredulous, but the crowd was loving every minute of the buildup. Tsuna didn't blame them. Whoever had done the wardrobe, makeup, and hair had been a professional. That was why he'd been so surprised. Everyone knew that it was men on stage, but the illusion was uncanny. Everyone looked so natural in their costumes that it was hard to tell that they weren't actually women. There were a few, like the current one, who was openly embarrassed about being dressed up. He didn't try to get in character at all, which was probably why the bidding stopped at fifty dollars. The one after him was too muscular to pull off the womanly image, but he strutted and acted the part. For his attitude alone, the crowd offered up two hundred and fifty.

Tsuna found himself catcalling and cheering along with the crowd at every introduction, wondering for himself whether the bachelors were going to flop or be a show-stopper. He laughed when the outrageous ones got outrageous and he silently saluted with his beer to those that took to their role in pride. He was working on his fourth beer and feeling slightly tipsy by the time that it got down to the top five.

"It's almost time for the ones that you've been waiting for," Charles groaned into the microphone. "Are you guys getting excited?" Tsuna let out a short howl to match the screams and cheers from the crowd. "Keep it in your skirt, Hannah," Charles warned when her fanatical scream could be heard over everyone. "I'll make Lazarus come down here and spank you."

"She'd like it too much," Tsuna called out, causing a hail of laughter and teasing to rumble through the club.

"I think that we need a few words from the Owner himself before we continue," Charles said, looking around to get support for the impromptu idea. Tsuna felt the blood rush to his face at the calls of agreement that went up and the cheers that erupted to call for a speech.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. He glared down at Charles for being put on the spot, but the bastard had the gall to merely grin. Before he could think of a single way out of the speech, a bouncer was already at his side with a spare microphone. "Is this thing on?" He mumbled into it, only to immediately get his voice blaring from every speaker in the house. "Charles, you're a dick," he started bluntly. "You could have warned me."

"Where's the fun in that?" Charles responded into his own mic. Tsuna paused for a moment before deciding to get his revenge.

"That's what your boyfriend said," he replied with a crooked grin. Charles mimed being shot in the heart as a loud 'oh!' of pity went through the crowd. It was all in good fun, though, and Tsuna tipped his beer in apology to the man in question. It was enough of a warm-up that he felt comfortable speaking despite all the eyes on him. "Seriously, though, I do want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. We weren't sure how well this kind of event would go, but we trusted that it would be a success thanks to the generous spirit of our regular customers--"

"Spirit, my ass!" Someone called out.

"No shit," he agreed with a laugh. "But speaking of ass... Hannah, where are you? You need to get your sweet ass up here. You're going to make me think that you've forgotten me if you stay away any longer." Tsuna felt a wide grin pulling across his face at the instant roar of cheers and catcalls that rang out. Everyone that went to Kink's knew Hannah. She was the sweetest drag queen that a person could know, even if she was a drama queen at times. She was a little fluffy for his particular tastes, but he wasn't in the mood to be picky. After four beers, he just wanted someone that it was safe to grab.

"I'll cut this short since I've already drank enough that this might just be Hannah's lucky night if I drink any more," he continued when he saw that she was being propelled to the stairs by the customers. ".... Uh... shit... I'll admit it. I forgot what I was saying. Fuck a speech! I'm just like everyone else here. I want to see more, so... Charles, get some more of that ass out here!"

"Will do," Charles agreed with a small salute. "Next up, we have Nikki. Get ready for this, you horny bitches. Nikki is a retired firefighter of twelve years and a..."

"I'm here," Hannah murmured hesitantly into his ear. Tsuna smiled and opened an arm to welcome her up to his side. She slid into place beside him and Tsuna took incredible pleasure in teasing blushes out of her. She wasn't anyone that he wanted to have a relationship with, but he could see himself fulfilling a few fantasies thanks to the wonders of alcohol. She was ripe to be taken and Lynx was starting to grow very hungry.

"We're down to the last two," Charles exclaimed, receiving a mixture of disappointed murmurs and cheers. "That's right, the auction is almost over. But we've saved the best two for last! First, we have an angel sent down from heaven for one night to grace this shithole with his sparkling smile. He makes virgins sing and demons scream when they bask in his glorious presence! Get on your knees and worship him, you unworthy fools! Everyone please welcome the angel Eureka!"

Tsuna grinned at the operatic introduction music, only to have his jaw drop when the curtain was pushed back. He couldn't even tell that it was Eric. He'd been dressed in a tight, white toga that was missing a full shoulder and a sleeve. It fit him tighter than a glove and the extra folds did nothing to hide the curves that shouldn't be there. Tsuna's eyes nearly popped out at the hip and long length of leg that was exposed out of one side. He'd thought that Eric was far more muscular, but his legs were as smooth as silk. It completely pulled the eyes away from the wings on his back, but nothing could pull the eyes away from Eric's face. Whoever had did his hair and makeup had been good. He had a soft, ethereal appearance that was only enhanced with the styled blonde wig that he had on. The crowd was completely silent as he walked across the stage. No one so much as breathed when he carefully sat down on the edge in order to let his exposed leg hang freely.

"Eureka, uh, would you like to say anything?" Charles prompted in awe before handing over the microphone. Charles blushed visibly when Eric smiled and accepted it. Even Tsuna was in awe at how Eric captured the crowd. All he had to do was smile and people were literally kneeling down to worship him.

"Ahem," Eric said in a petite voice. "In case this hasn't been mentioned, part of tonight's proceeds will be going to help out the mission. I would like to thank those of you who took the time out to come and bid on one of my fellow bachelors. Even though I'm not a bachelor, I'm honored to be allowed to take part and I'm always happy to make new friends. Please be gentle."

_Laz, stop drinking_, Maro advised. _Lynx is starting to go nuts._

"Fifty!" Someone yelled out suddenly.

"Sixty!" "Fifty-five!" "Seventy-five!" "Eighty!" "Ninety-five!" "Eighty-five!" "One hundred!" "One hundred and ten!" "_Two hundred_!"

"Two hundred!" Eric exclaimed in glee.

"Two-ten!" "Two-twenty!" "Two-fifty!" "Two-seventy!" "_Three hundred_!"

"Three hundred!" Eric repeated, pointing out the bidder. The bids were running so fast that he could barely keep up.

"Three-ten!" "Three-twenty!" "Three-twenty-five!" "Three fifty!"

"FIVE HUNDRED!" Someone screamed.

"Five hundred to the man in the blue shirt!" Eric spluttered. Charles quickly took the microphone from him and took over. The bidding started becoming outrageous, telling Tsuna that people had been holding back their money for him. He made note of it so that he could add bachelors to go up after the main event next year. That way those who lose out on the winning bid could still have someone to spend their money on.

"Two thousand, two hundred, twenty eight, to the group at the far table, going once.... twice.... sold!"

Tsuna clapped with the rest of the audience as Eric flew toward the group that had bought him jointly. It showed how desperate some people were and it made Tsuna realize that Eric's fame wasn't dead since he'd stopped working on films. The group of four had paid twenty-two hundred dollars just to spend a few hours with Eric drinking and paying service at their table. It was better than Tsuna had hoped.

"Alright, now, the Grande finale!" Charles announced.

"Eh?" Someone in the audience gasped. "Shouldn't Eric Brahms be the finale?"

"Someone teach that straight girl some lessons," Charles scoffed as Tsuna leaned forward in excitement. He wasn't the only one. Gigi, Veronica and Hannah leaned forward with him. "Our final bachelor needs no introduction. His name alone makes school boys faint and grown men beg for mercy. If you should kneel down for an angel, you should wallow on your stomachs for this demon. Everyone, give it up for the one... the only... the REAL--! Excalibur!"

Tsuna felt his mind go blank, not remembering anything about a budget for pyrotechnics. They were there, though. The sides of the stage exploded in minor fireworks and the lights throughout the building started flickering as a roar started building in the speakers. The curtains were thrown back at the same time that the sound of drums and guitars started pounding through the place and Tsuna...

Tsuna's nose started bleeding at merely a glance at the so-called demon. She didn't look like a demon, though. She looked like a hooker sent straight from hell. Someone had given him an array of braided extensions that ran down his back. They were held together at the back of his head thanks to the help of two long chopsticks. To cover up his muscles, they'd given him a sleek trench coat that was fitted to enhance the view of the chest that Xanxus shouldn't own. The image didn't stop there, however. Tsuna went cross-eyed at the leather mini-skirt that they'd gotten him to wear and the fishnet stockings that peaked out above a set of thigh-high boots. At first, Tsuna wasn't sure if it really was Xanxus. With the dark, wild makeup and the inch-long lashes, he looked completely different. What was it about lipstick that made him notice how full Xanxus' lips were? When she started strutting forward across the stage, it was undeniable, though. The pair of guns strapped to her hips and that smirk was definitely Xanxus'.

He just wanted to know why she was carrying a whip.

_Laz, you've got to buy him for me_, Maro spluttered.

"One thousand!" Someone shouted into the silence.

"One--"

"SHUT UP!" Xanxus roared as he hit the edge of the stage. Tsuna choked when he lashed out with a boot in order to nail a drooling man in the forehead. From the drool and envious looks coming from those standing around the poor fool, they acted like it was an honor to get stepped on. Even worse, Xanxus took open pleasure in nailing every single one that had wormed their way too close to the stage. "Did I give any of you fucks permission to talk?" He asked with a cruel grin. "Do you really think that scum like you are good enough to even lick my feet?"

"Oh no," Tsuna groaned under his breathe. "I knew he agreed too easily."

"Uh, Excaliber," Charles mumbled in honest worry. "You weren't supposed to--"

"Let's get this shit straight," he said with his voice carrying through the frozen club. "I'm here for one fucking reason and one reason only!" Instinct was the only thing that allowed Tsuna to raise his arm in time. He instantly knew what the whip was for, but it didn't save him. It wrapped around his arm and a sharp pull sent him flying over the railing before he could brace himself. A scream erupted from someone in the audience, but Tsuna didn't even groan. As he expected, Xanxus caught him before he fell more than a few feet. "And now that I've got him," Xanxus grinned as he landed with Tsuna in his arms. "The rest of you trash can go find someone else to help you whack off."

"Hey!" Hannah shouted from above. "Give him back!"

"He's mine, bitch," Xanxus growled as he started heading back across the stage. "Find your own."

"You broke our deal," Tsuna grumbled as they passed through the curtain to the backstage area.

"You shouldn't have come," he spat in anger. "I knew that I shouldn't have left you alone. The moment that I turn my back, you go and--"

"I--"

"Shut up," he growled as he kicked open the back door to exit out into the alley. He didn't stop for a moment to change nor did he pay heed to the surprised glances that they received from the people that they passed. Xanxus was the type to do what he wanted without giving a single thought to the opinions of the people around him. "I went through with the fucking show and we both know that you didn't want me to do it to make money. If you want money, I can just give it to you. Most of those freaks probably came in their pants, so you got what you wanted. You've used my name to increase the popularity of the place, so there's no fucking point to me selling myself. Playing dress up wasn't part of the deal, either, so we're even."

"But--"

"On top of that, you're driving me fucking insane," he growled as he continued storming down the alley without giving Tsuna a chance to stand. "Do you know how fucking hard it is to be around you while you're bleeding? I could smell it as soon as you popped a stitch. I could have ignored that, but you're horny as hell right now and I can smell that shit, too."

"Xanxus, I didn't--"

Xanxus didn't give him a chance to speak. He was dropped to his feet and pinned to one of the alley walls before he could get out another word. He prayed that it was Xanxus' gun digging into him while he was kissed and he didn't want to be corrected if he was wrong. There was an even bigger problem, though. He could feel himself responding to the embrace and his heart was already racing from the beer that he'd drank. It wasn't right, though. He knew that his tolerances were higher than that. It shouldn't have hit him yet, but it had.

"Xanxus, don't," he gasped, breaking off the kiss before it could get worse. He couldn't get his lower body to agree with his upper, however. Even as he pushed Xanxus away, his lower body also pushed to rub against him. His body wanted, but his mind wasn't agreeing. "Something's wrong," he panted.

"Please," Xanxus shuddered as he aggressively leaned into Tsuna with even more force. Tsuna let out a moan at the contact and started to lose himself when Xanxus buried his lips into his neck. There was a sharp pain a moment later and Tsuna's hands clenched down on Xanxus' arms in effort to hold himself back. He could feel his control becoming more and more tenuous with every moment that passed. He wanted to bite him back so badly, but he knew that doing so would cause him to make a grave mistake. He wouldn't be able to hold Lynx back if he gave in.

"Xanxus, stop," he begged. He shuddered and broke out in a cold sweat, finding himself falling deeper and deeper into Xanxus' scent. Xanxus refused to listen. He simply continued to feed while his body rubbed against Tsuna without conscious control. "Stop," he hissed despite the throbbing need to bite down on something. It was getting serious, he realized. For every drop that Xanxus was taking, he wouldn't be able to replace it. Even worse-- "STOP!" Tsuna shouted as he thrust Xanxus away from him completely. He collapsed as soon as Xanxus was no longer holding him up, feeling weak and dizzy from the combination of alcohol and blood loss.

"L-Laz...?" Xanxus asked while Tsuna panted to catch his breathe.

"I... said...stop," he repeated softly. Pushing his back against the wall for support, he tilted his chin up and concentrated on keeping his head from swimming. He'd assumed that Xanxus knew about the weaponry, but apparently Poe had expected Tsuna to pass the information along. "My blood... is poisoned," he gasped while he pressed his hand against the bite wound. "It's bad for you to drink. I can't take in any energy right now. I only have my own and I can't get more until poison is gone. If you drink, the poison might get into you. I'm used to starving, but Lynx... It's too hard to control when you're on me like that."

"Is that why you didn't heal?" Xanxus asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes."

"Shit," he spat. "Why didn't you tell me that shit earlier? If you can't heal, then you can't replace the blood that I took."

"I didn't know that you were going to bite me," Tsuna mumbled as another wave of dizziness caused his eyes to lose focus. "You didn't give me a chance." He didn't have the energy to fight when Xanxus pulled his hand away and carefully licked his neck wound to get it to stop bleeding. He wanted to call him an idiot for doing it right after being told that it was poisoned, but he didn't have the energy for that, either. He was putting everything that he had into staying conscious and keeping Lynx under control.

"Let's go home," Xanxus murmured as Tsuna felt himself lifted off of the ground.

"Not home," he objected tiredly. "Hotel."

"Why?"

"Just... in case..."

* * *

Tsuna groaned and refused to open his eyes. Instead, he buried his head under his pillow and tried to ignore the pain. His stomach hurt. His leg hurt. His back hurt.

His ass hurt.

He couldn't remember a single thing after they'd left the alley, but he had an idea of what had happened. Xanxus had decided to go with things rather than fight. The image of how Lynx had probably acted left him mortified. The sex didn't bother him so much. The thought of how he'd likely acted during it made him queasy.

"I know that you're awake, Laz," Xanxus murmured. Tsuna froze, feeling the man's breathe against the back of his neck. Surprisingly, he didn't kiss, though. He pulled back, giving Tsuna enough room to pull his head out and hesitantly turn over underneath the blankets. Like he'd thought, they weren't in the Dojo. But they weren't in a hotel, either. From the looks of it, they were in an expansive apartment loft. Tsuna looked around in surprise, unable to figure out why they were in such a place.

It was a nice place, he thought. It was a little strange, but it was nice. The four poster bed that he'd slept in was on a raised platform in the corner of the open apartment. At the far wall was a set of windows overlooking Main Street. It wasn't a fancy place like the condo that Eric's parents lived in, but it wasn't a cheap place, either. All the furniture was new and looked incredibly comfortable. The kitchen was small, but it had all the necessities. Tsuna just wanted to know why there was a hot tub inset into the floor in front of the windows.

"Do you like it?" Xanxus asked quietly from his seat on the corner of the bed. He'd changed out of the drag outfit from the previous night and had washed off the makeup. He still had his hair extensions in, though, which seemed incredibly out of place since he was wearing a button-down shirt and pants.

"Is it yours?" Tsuna inquired.

"No," he smiled, lowering his eyes to the ground rather than look at Tsuna. "It's ours. Whether or not you stay here is up to you, but I got this place with you in mind. You hardly ever stay at the Dojo anymore and you can't stay at the Martelli's place like you wanted. Since you were staying at a hotel until I got you kicked out, I figured that you were wanting to find your own place. I've been working on it for a while, but I haven't had any way to give it to you. I missed your birthday and I didn't give you anything for Christmas, so...."

"You got me an apartment?" Tsuna gaped with wide eyes.

"The office isn't far from here," he mumbled while still refusing to look up. "Ginger said that he wanted to stay at the Dojo, but I've moved Cici's shit in here. I don't have anything except a few clothes, so I figured you wouldn't mind having a roommate. It'd make things easier for when Maro comes out again if we're living together and you don't have to worry if you trash anything in here. I'll take care of all the bills and shit, too, so... Fuck. I'm no good at this shit. Do you want to move in with me?" He asked bluntly, finally lifting his head to stare directly into Tsuna's eyes.

"I'll sleep on the couch if you're uncomfortable and I can take a fucking walk if you want to bring someone home with you," he continued in a rush. "I know that you and Maro are different people, but I... I love both of your asses. Both sides of you are part of the Tsuna that I know and I won't be happy with just one of you. It's a royally fucked up situation and this is the only way that I can think of to deal with it. If I can have you around as a friend when you're Laz, then that's good enough for me. I'm not asking you to fall in love with me. I just... I..."

"_Xanxus_..." Tsuna mumbled in unison with Maro. Xanxus was frustrated. It was obvious with how tense he was. Tsuna figured that it was a good thing that he couldn't think of any reason to refuse. If he had, Xanxus would have probably blown his top. Xanxus had already cut through all of his objections, though. The cost, privacy, and the drawing of lines had already been thought of and dealt with by him. The only detail left was what Maro had told him about leashes. He couldn't allow Xanxus to put one on him. If he was going to stay there, he had to do something to earn his place.

_Accept, Laz_, Maro begged. _Pretty please!_

"I'll still stay at the Dojo on occasion, but I'd be happy to move in," he said quietly. "You're going to let me pay at least one of the bills, though. I won't be a leech."

"Fine," he agreed with a cruel smile lighting up his face. "You can have the water bill." Tsuna groaned, knowing that the water was the cheapest bill that there was. He didn't argue, though. Not when he made the decision to have Veronica bring breakfast for Xanxus when she brought him his own. Water and part of the food bill covered enough to satisfy him. He'd probably only stay for a few nights a week anyway.

The thought of living there made him happy, even though he didn't want to admit it. Xanxus knew about his identity, so he didn't have to hide anything while he was there. Xanxus was a vampire, so he didn't have to worry about scaring anyone while he was there. It would be one place that he could completely be himself without wondering how people were looking at him. The fact that Xanxus would be staying there made him even happier, but for a much different way that it made Maro. He wouldn't ever have to face an empty room again because the layout of the apartment was an open one. Even when he shut the curtains on the bed to sleep, he'd be able to know that Xanxus was right on the other side of them.

"Let me get dressed and we can go get my stuff," Tsuna suggested with a wide smile. "We can--"

"Hold it," Xanxus growled, reaching out to stop Tsuna from getting out of the bed. Tsuna grimaced unintentionally, feeling the muscles in his back and leg pulling from the maneuver. "Before we go anywhere, you're going to drink. The poison in your system should be gone now since Maro surfaced, but--"

"Maro?" Tsuna asked in surprise. "You mean Lynx didn't--?"

_I took my night out_, Maro answered sheepishly. _You were acting pretty strange, but you got your head on long enough to pull me out. I guess you don't get to watch when I'm the one in control. I meant to get cleaned up, but I didn't have a lot of energy to spare. I only got a few hours before I passed out, too._

"That's a relief," he sighed.

"Is Maro talking?" Xanxus asked curiously.

"You can tell?" He asked in surprise.

"You get this look on your face like you're listening to something," he shrugged.

"I thought I lost control last night," Tsuna explained hesitantly. "Maro was just telling me that I managed to give control over to him before that happened. I'm okay after some sleep, but I didn't think that the poison would affect me like that. I wouldn't have drank if I'd known that my limit had been so low. I'm sorry if I--"

"Why are you apologizing?" Xanxus interrupted. Tsuna blinked in surprise when Xanxus abruptly stood and went to the kitchen. He started fumbling around, but Tsuna couldn't see what he was doing since he was standing in the way. "I'm the one that almost lost it last night," he continued. "It's the first time that I've ever felt that hungry. Is that how you always feel?"

_He's not talking about the kiss_, Maro murmured to himself.

"You haven't been eating," Tsuna realized with a frown. Xanxus paused for a split second before continuing in his preparations. "Xanxus!" Tsuna scolded, taking the pause as confirmation. "I told you before that you can't just pretend that nothing has changed! If you don't vamp regularly, you're going to get weak and lose control! There were plenty of people around last night! Why didn't you pull from the atmosphere?! No one would have even noticed!"

"I refuse to eat trash," Xanxus replied bluntly. Tsuna felt his jaw drop. He'd known that Xanxus was egotistical, but this was simply insane! Tsuna couldn't count the times that he'd eaten trash to survive! Real trash!

"Are you an idiot?" He asked just as bluntly. Xanxus turned in place and glared, but Tsuna refused to take back the question. "You're willing to go hungry just because you want to be picky?! There's a saying that beggars can't be choosers and it's true! You--"

"Do you want milk or juice with breakfast?" Xanxus asked abruptly.

"Uh... milk," he answered in confusion. "Don't try to change the subject! You've got to learn that--"

"Do you want your eggs scrambled or fried?" He continued with a cruel smile twitching at the corner of his lips.

"Whichever is easier," he replied slowly, getting a sense that Xanxus was trying to prove something.

"Toast or bagel? I've got rice if you want that, but it'll take longer."

"A b-bagel is fine," he mumbled.

"Do you want butter or jam on it?"

"What are you trying to prove, Xanxus?" Tsuna growled.

"Nothing," he shrugged with his smile widening even more. "I'm just making breakfast. I've got a little of everything stocked, so there's lots to choose from. I just figured that I should ask to see what you liked since _you're not a beggar_." Tsuna's eyes widened at the force that Xanxus used to emphasis the words. This was the point that he was trying to make. He was allowed to choose since the options available to him were so varied. "I'm not a beggar either," he continued with a smirk. "It's not in me to lower myself to trash when I've got a gourmet meal in front of me."

Tsuna shifted and unconsciously pulled the covers up over his shoulders due to the look that Xanxus gave him. He knew exactly what gourmet meal he was talking about and it didn't help that he could hear Maro's spluttering squeals in the back of his head. The bastard was probably blushing like crazy, but Tsuna refused to give Xanxus the satisfaction.

"Haven't you ever heard of an appetizer?" He grumbled with a glare. "If you eat a gourmet meal on an empty stomach, you'll get sick. Then that meal is wasted. I have no problem if you want to vamp on me since I could sometimes use a meal, too, but I'm not going to let you stubbornly act like I'm the only one that you can eat. I'm not taking responsibility for keeping you fed! You let yourself be turned by your own choice! Stop trying to ignore it and grow up!"

"Hmph," Xanxus said in amusement before turning to continue his meal preparations. Tsuna couldn't read him. He couldn't figure out what the man was thinking at all. Did he understand the importance of taking what he could get? He couldn't feed off of Tsuna unless Tsuna purposely prepared himself to allow it. It was second nature to keep the mental block up that stopped Xanxus from vamping off of him. Xanxus' only choice to take it against Tsuna's will was to hold him down and bite him.

"I'm not going to stay here if you're too hungry to control yourself," Tsuna murmured in warning.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," Xanxus growled. "But if that's the only way that you'll move in here without regrets, then I'll do it. Just don't hold it against me when I want something to take the taste out of my mouth."

_Tell him that I'll bake him X-cakes_, Maro chuckled.

"Maro said that he'd bake X-cakes," Tsuna repeated in confusion. "You bake?"

_I love to bake_, Maro confirmed pleasantly. _I could put smiles on people's faces without having to be a Boss. I once wondered if I could one day retire and open a bakery. I knew that it wouldn't happen, but I would day-dream--_

"You should do it," Tsuna said upon hearing the longing in Maro's voice.

_Laz, _he laughed_. You don't know what you're saying. It's impossible. If I'm going to help you reach your goals--_

"No, it's not," he objected. "I mean, you wouldn't be able to manage the place or anything, but there's no reason that you can't do it. If you're going to help me, then it's only fair that I pay you for your troubles. Our other deal can be a bonus for reaching my goals. You can get the place set up like you like it and you can be the one to decide the recipes that the staff uses. On the days that I let you out, you can go down there and manage in person. Honestly, it'd be a relief for me since I'd know what you were doing on those days. Then, one day when you retire, the place will be ready and waiting on you."

"What are you two talking about?" Xanxus interjected as he brought Tsuna breakfast in bed. Tsuna blushed at the tray that he brought it on, but he couldn't argue. For a guy that looked like he couldn't cook, the meal looked delicious. Then Tsuna noticed an important detail that had been left out on the kitchen counter. The sausage and omelet had been microwaveable. The waffles and bagel had been toasted. The cereal was just as easy to prepare. All of it was stuff that even a monkey could make. Even so, Tsuna had to smile at the effort. "Wine first," Xanxus ordered, pointing to the coffee cup on the platter. "If my guess is right and you start healing, then I'll get you some more."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed, emptying the cup in one large drink. Grabbing a fork, he didn't wait to see if it worked. He started digging into his meal while it was still warm. "Maro was telling me that he dreamed of having a bakery," he said around bites. "I was telling him that there's no reason not to."

"So you two have come to an understanding?" Xanxus asked as he got up to go get more wine.

"Something like that," Tsuna nodded. "I haven't taken a pill in a few days and it's a lot easier to talk to him now. Since I can tell what's his thoughts and what's mine, I don't mind him so much anymore. He promised not to pretend to be me, too, so there's not any reason left to block him out. He's not so bad when he's not threatening people. I kind of understand why he does that so much, though. I have to do it a lot more than I like, too. Some people just can't get the picture if you say it nicely."

_Tell Xanxus about our agreement_, Maro murmured. _We'll need his help for that... And why does that wine have a peppermint aftertaste?_

"You can taste?" Tsuna asked curiously. Accepting his second cup from Xanxus, he tried to ignore how his back was itching. He was definitely healing, but he could never get used to the tingling.

_When I focus, I have all your senses_, Maro replied. _Feeling doesn't let me control anything, though_.

"Well, the wine tastes like that because it's got blood in it," he answered as he washed away the taste with a drink of milk. "You'll have to get used to it. You've seen my dreams, so you know what I am. The only blood that smells like blood anymore is our own. Do you smell that weird tang?"

_Yes._

"That's what makes it different from normal blood," he explained. "We're not like Xanxus and Poe. Only vampire blood can control Lynx. Werewolf blood works, too, but biting ourself isn't very smart."

_I see._

"Xanxus," he continued, looking up at the man who was sitting next to his feet. "Maro wants me to tell you about our deal. It's got to be kept a secret, though. Everyone would be really upset if they knew about it. I wouldn't tell you if I had a choice, but Maro says that we'll need your help for it."

"I'll keep my mouth shut," he promised with a pained expression on his face. He looked like he was getting a headache, but he wasn't complaining about whatever what causing it. "I've just got to get used to this. I know that you're not talking to me, but it's fucked up when I can't hear the person that you are talking to."

"There's nothing that I can do about that," Tsuna replied in sympathy. "Would it be easier if I pretend that--"

"No!" He blurted instantly. "You don't have to pretend around me! I'll get used to it. Just ignore me for a while if I look like I want to strangle you."

"Thanks," Tsuna mumbled with a pleased smile. Keeping his eyes on his plate, he felt that he should let Xanxus know how much that small detail meant to him. "It's kind of nice not to have to pretend. The ones that know I'm a werewolf get scared whenever I'm just a little grumpy and the ones that don't aren't people that I can get close to. I know that Gigi and everyone cares about me, but they're still just normal people. I always feel like I'm hiding from them."

"I've seen everything, brat," he shrugged. "There's nothing you can say or do that will surprise me."

"Does that mean that I can call you my little bunny Foo Foo?" Tsuna teased. Glancing up to make sure that Maro saw it, he watched as Xanxus' face turned red. It only lasted for a second, but Maro started spluttering in the back of his head.

"Only if I get to call you Boo Boo again," he replied with a grin.

"I'll think about it," Tsuna laughed before taking a large bite out of his bagel. Trying to eat as quickly as he could, he didn't slow until Xanxus prompted him once more.

"What was that about a deal?" He asked as he went to fill up Tsuna's wine a third time. "Me and him didn't have a real chance to talk last night."

"Maro is going to help me," he said around bites. "I've got a lot of things that I need to do. After we've done those things and the Dragons are set up to where I'm satisfied, I've agreed to let him have our body. There's a person--"

_White in Italy_, Maro supplied.

"--White in Italy that can fix us," he said while he continued eating. "He says that he needs to kill time anyway, so we both win this way. He can go back to Vongola and I really don't care what happens after I've met my goals--"

_Tell him that it has to stay secret. No one can know that we're Tsuna._

"It has to stay secret that we're Tsuna, though. Wow," he paused, really hearing himself saying his own name. He thought that he'd said it before, but it was the first time that he noticed how foreign it felt when it rolled off his tongue. "Tsuna," he repeated to test it out. "Tsu...Na! Tsuna. Tsu.. na.. yo.. shi.. Tsunayoshi."

_What are you doing?_

"Tsunayoshi Sawada. Sawada Tsunayoshi. Wow. It feels really weird, saying that name."

_It's been years, _Maro pointed out sympathetically_. Once you live a lie long enough, it starts to become true._

"If you say so," he replied with a small shake of his head. "I think that I'll stick with Lazarus Timberson, though. Anyway, that's the deal. He doesn't want anyone to know that he's Tsuna and I'll be damned if I'm going back to Vongola. My Family is here and I'm not just going to walk away until I know that they're taking care of. I've got my debt to repay and a lot of other stuff to deal with. Since he's waiting for something, he'll help me out. That's why I was offering to get him that bakery. He said that he wants one to retire to and I thought he might want to come back and retire here after everything is over."

_It's a nice thought, Laz_, Maro said quietly. _I don't want any distractions, though._

"You'll go nuts if we only work," Tsuna countered. "We'll both be more efficient if we take some time off every now and then. Baking is a hobby for you, so you should do that. It might be good for me, too. My only hobby was video games, but I stopped playing after I got out of j--"

"I'm going for a walk," Xanxus interjected suddenly. Tsuna glanced up from his meal in surprise to see that the pained look on Xanxus' face had worsened. "Finish eating and take a shower. We'll go get your stuff when I get back."

"Be careful on your hop through the forest," Tsuna teased with an apologetic smile. "There's Hunters afoot."

* * *

"No, leave half of my clothes here," Tsuna directed to the two men emptying out his dresser. Running his hand through the short hair that had already returned, he tried to keep track of what everyone was doing. He wasn't used to having so many people digging in his room. "What you've got packed is enough."

"What about these knick-knacks, Boss?" Another man asked from the tin shelves under the stairs. Tsuna blushed slightly and glanced in Xanxus' direction to see if he'd noticed that he'd saved the fudge tins, but the man was busy getting Tsuna's small collection of books into a box.

"Um, the knick-knacks can stay here," he answered after a moment of thought. "Just get my movies."

"_Barbarella_?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he poked through the few movies that Tsuna had kept to himself. "Boss... you've got _Laurel and Hardy _right next to _Priscilla: Queen of the Desert_. What the hell? You've also got _My Faire Lady _squeezed in between _Rocky Horror Picture Show _and _The Godfa_--"

"You're supposed to be packing them, not organizing them," Tsuna growled with a bright blush.

_Weirdo_, Maro teased.

"Ahh!" Tsuna shouted when one of the men pulled Snicker's box from out from under his bed. He frantically ran forward and snatched it possessively before it could be opened, causing everyone to pause with curious looks on their faces. "Pack up the altar and my sword," Tsuna ordered while he held the precious box to his chest. "I'll take this."

"Laz, calm down," Xanxus ordered while he continued to take his time with the books. "No one's going to break your shit."

"It's not that," he growled. "I don't care if anything else gets broken. This is special. It has Snicker's stuff in it."

"Boss?" Veronica interjected carefully. "Do you want me to pack up your pictures?"

"Uh..." Tsuna hesitated, seeing the quiet look on Xanxus' face. It was probably already bad enough that he was taking his mementos with him. Xanxus probably wouldn't like it if there were pictures of Snicker all over the--

"He'll take them," Xanxus answered without looking up. "They're important to you. Right? We'll find places to put them up."

"Thanks," Tsuna mumbled sheepishly.

"I still can't believe that you're moving again," Veronica sighed. "Gigi threw a fit when you called to ask her to send me and some guys over."

"I'll still be staying here some of the time," he soothed. "Everyone gets uneasy when I stay too long, though. Since being roommates with Xanxus is cheaper than paying for a hotel, I figured that it was the way to go."

"You won't get any complaints from me," Veronica smiled. "You should know that after that scene last night, everyone is speculating about you two."

"We're just roommates," Tsuna said firmly. "He was just getting revenge for making him dress in drag."

"My head still itches from those fucking extensions," Xanxus grumbled with a cruel grin. "His ass will be the one in drag if he breaks anything at my place."

"Do you think that would be punishment for me or you?" He asked arrogantly. "You forget how long I've been around Gigi. Dressing in drag wouldn't bother me one bit. I'd just walk around and see if anyone wanted to squeeze my nipples." Tsuna grinned in triumph when Xanxus growled in warning. There was very little that Tsuna found embarrassing any more, although Xanxus managed to find them at rare moments.

"The fish tank, Boss...?" Veronica prompted.

"That can stay here," he replied. "But Koi is coming with--"

"No," Xanxus interjected. Tsuna blinked in surprise at the refusal, unbelieving that Xanxus would deny such an ordinary addition.

"I'm taking my cat if I'm going," Tsuna said firmly.

"That's not a cat and you know it," he retorted as he squared off to fight it out if need-be. "You need to stop playing stupid, Laz."

"She's a cat and I'm not leaving her behind," he snarled.

"No," he said.

"Yes," Tsuna replied.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"No."

"No."

"Yes."

"HA!" Tsuna exclaimed in triumph while Xanxus' face became covered in confusion. "She's coming!" Xanxus' face turned red for having fallen for such a simple trick, but he couldn't argue.... although he tried.

"You said no first," he grumbled. "So you agreed with me first. She's not coming."

"That didn't count since I was just using it to trick you," Tsuna smirked.

"Then mine didn't count since I didn't mean it," he replied in frustration. "You can't expect me to let that FLEA-ridden fur ball--"

"There you go again with the fleas," Tsuna groaned. "Why don't you just drop it already? Koi has never done anything wrong and you treat her like--"

"Like a fucking spy," he finished.

"She's not a--"

"B-Boss," Veronica interjected. "Um... about Koi..."

"What?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "Her owners showed up this morning. I was going to tell you earlier, but there was everything about you moving and..."

"Are you sure that they were her owners?" Tsuna asked, feeling completely crushed for the news.

"I'm positive, Boss," she answered in sympathy. "They had all of her papers and there was one of those electronic tags under her skin. We took it down to the vet and the scanner registered the same number that was on the papers. I tried to buy her from them, but they said that they had a little girl waiting at home for her. I figured that you'd want her to go back to her family."

"Oh," he mumbled in disappointment. "Thanks for trying. I guess there's no reason to argue now. You don't have a problem with Jewel. Do you, Xanxus?"

"No," he replied. "The bug is fine." Tsuna was grateful that he didn't show his triumph. He could have thrown it in Tsuna's face that she'd been a spy that'd been allowed to get away, but he didn't say a word. He just let the matter drop. "We'll go get a dog or something," Xanxus offered hesitantly.

"No," Tsuna said softly. "That's okay. I don't want any more pets. Let's get going. I still need to go into the office after this."

"What about your Valentine's gifts?" Veronica asked curiously. "A lot got sent to the office, but there's some here."

"Eh?" Tsuna asked with a blank expression.

"Your Valentine's day gifts," she repeated.

"What are you talking about?" He inquired in confusion. "I never get anything for Valentine's Day. Snicker was the only one who--"

"You got three dozen presents, Boss," she corrected with an amused chuckle. "Plus two more wedding proposals."

"I did?" He asked in surprise.

"Would you like to see them?"

"Yeah!" He spluttered. Turning to the men who were still waiting on instructions, he hurriedly gave them the direction that they needed. "Um, take those boxes down to the taxi. I'll be there as soon as I see what I got."

"They're downstairs, Boss," Veronica supplied. Tsuna nodded and eagerly followed with Snicker's box still firmly clutched in his arms. It wasn't hard to find the gifts once he was looking for them. They'd been piled up in on the kitchen table and Tsuna had mistaken them for gifts to Excalibur when he'd come in. There were all sorts for him to pick through. There were boxes of chocolate covered cherries and boxes of chocolate caramel nut clusters. There were two boxes of expensive chocolate samplers and three stuffed teddy bears. There were six vases of roses and a box of--

Tsuna froze with his smile faltering.

_Follow your instinct, Laz, _Maro advised_. You know what needs to be done. If you don't think that you can do it, then let me out. I'll do it for you._

Tsuna didn't reply. He merely handed Veronica his precious box, knowing that she wouldn't dare to let any harm come to it, and picked up the offending items. Carrying them outside, he stopped at the taxi long enough to snatch his sword out of the box that it'd been packed into. The weight was heavy in his hands, but he was positive that it'd be light soon enough.

"Boss?" One of his men asked worriedly.

"Laz?" Xanxus asked with a matching look on his face. "What-- Oh shit." Tsuna didn't need to be told why Xanxus cursed. Not when he was the cause of both that and the reason that his men turned pale.

He was going to make the bastard pay.

"Don't try to stop me," Tsuna warned without bothering to hide his intent.

"Why the hell would I?" Xanxus asked with a wide grin. "If someone did something to piss you off this badly, I want to fucking watch."

"Then carry these and follow," Tsuna ordered, tossing both the vase of roses and the box of chocolates into his hands. Tsuna turned without wasting another word and started walking. He walked with intent and a solidified goal. He wasn't going to let Gabriel yank him around any longer. It was a leash, Tsuna realized. Gabriel had the leash of fear and the leash of an unpleasant history. The only way to get rid of it was to shatter the fear for good and put the past behind him. He swore to do it, even if he had to ram Gabriel's gifts down his fucking throat.

Word seemed to pass that he was going to kill someone. Before he made it more than two blocks, he had an escort of a dozen. No one knew what was going on and a single glare was all it took to silence any questions. After four blocks, his escort doubled. He didn't say a word during the entire trip. By the time he made it to his destination, he had his Chiefs at his side and half of the neighborhood at his back without doing a single thing to summon them.

"What's going on, Laz?" Gigi hissed.

"I'm going to make a mess," he answered before kicking down the door to Pasta da Paolo. It was still far too early in the morning for it to be open for business, but his forced entry had the effect of bringing nearly ever person in the building into the dining area. Papa Paolo, Isaac, the wait staff, the cooks, Autumn, and even the poor dishwasher came running to the front to find out what the commotion was. "Gabriel!" He roared before any of them could question him. "I can smell you hiding back there, you fucking pussy! Get your ass out here!"

"Wait!" Autumn exclaimed while everyone else froze in shock. "Laz! What did he do?! You can't--!"

"Don't make me drag him out here," Tsuna warned quietly.

"Let's be reasonable, Laz," Isaac soothed with a faltering laugh. "I'm sure there's been some--" Isaac froze, as did everyone else who believed that the situation was going to be diffused. No one saw him move, but his blade was unsheathed and the point was at the end of Isaac's nose in the blink of an eye.

"If you say misunderstanding, then I'll put you out of your misery right now," Tsuna growled. "I'm misunderstanding nothing and these games have gone far enough. You can either bring me Gabriel now or my anger will be twice as potent when I find him myself."

"Is this about my peace offering?" Gabriel asked hesitantly from the kitchen doors.

"Gabriel, no!" Autumn exclaimed. "Laz is going to--"

"It's alright, sis," Gabriel replied as he inched farther out of the kitchen. "If I've made him mad, then I'd like to apologize. I didn't mean to--"

"Drop the act, Gabriel," Tsuna interrupted with a quiver of anger surging through him. Only Snicker's ex-wife had ever made him this angry. "You can play your word games with everyone else, but I won't fall for it. You call this shit a peace offering?"

"I tried to send something that I thought would make you happy--"

"Xanxus, the box," Tsuna prompted. Xanxus somehow knew what he wanted. Instead of just handing it over, he tossed the heart-shaped box into the air. A fast swipe of Tsuna's blade had everyone on Papa Paolo's side reaching for their weapons, but it was over before a single person touched a gun. The result was a heart-shaped box in Tsuna's hand that was missing its top while the other half landed at his feet. All the chocolates inside had been cut open, as well, causing a mess of filling to begin running out. "Did you really think that this would make me happy?" He growled while he tried to keep his anger in check.

"Laz," Autumn said in incredulous disbelief. "This is why you're mad?! It's just chocolate covered--"

"They're not cherries," he interjected without taking his eyes off of Gabriel. "I ask again, you sick fuck. Did you really think that this would make me happy?"

"Well," he replied with a hint of victory in his smile. "Admittedly, yes. I was trying to show that I don't hold it against you that you're a cannibal."

"GABRIEL!" Autumn shrieked in disbelief.

"There you go, making things up again," Tsuna said calmly before any of the watching crowd could believe the damning truth. He refused to fall into Gabriel's trap. He was wanting Tsuna to be put on the defensive and he refused! "If you think that I'd actually eat something like this, then you're even more screwed up than I thought," he added, flinging the box at Gabriel's head. The man dodged, but his look of surprise had nothing to do with the attack. "Would you like to explain the roses next?" Tsuna asked, grabbing the vase from Xanxus in order to carefully place them on one of the nearby tables. "Let me guess. This one was to show your pure and honest affection for me?"

"Yes, I--"

"Denied," Tsuna interrupted, once more lashing out with his blade. For several seconds, there was nothing visible to show that he'd moved. It wasn't until Xanxus kicked the table that it was made clear. He hadn't just cut the vase. He'd cut through the vase and the table so cleanly and quickly that the flowers hadn't even twitched. Tsuna wasn't finished there, though. As the water from the vase started to spill once half of the container was tossed aside, Tsuna moved while everyone's attention was distracted. No one moved in time to stop him, which made it even more frightening when he stopped out of his own free will.

At that point, no one moved in fear that he'd sneeze.

"Let me make it very clear," Tsuna said in enough volume to make his voice carry. Gabriel trembled, staring down the length of the blade that was a mere millimeter from his eye. "To make sure that there will be no more misunderstandings, everyone here can bear witness. I don't like you. I have never liked you nor will I ever come to like you. I don't want your peace offerings. I don't want you apologies. I sure as hell don't want you sickening affection. The sight of you makes me want to vomit. Never contact me again. If I catch you anywhere near me... No... If you even _glance _in my direction ever again, I will cut you from your chin to your dick and use your intestines to hang you from a tree for birds to feed off of. Is that clear enough for you?"

Tsuna allowed three seconds to pass, during which time Gabriel looked like he wanted to piss his pants.

"IS. THAT. CLEAR?" Tsuna roared, biting off each word individually in open hatred.

"Y-Yeah," Gabriel answered with a frightened lurch. "I'll leave you alone."

"Good," Tsuna replied simply. Giving his blade one last swipe through the air to clean off any liquid that might have attached to it, he sheathed it in one smooth motion. Purposely turning his back on Gabriel to show his contempt of the man, he walked forward and paused in front of Papa Paolo. "I'm sorry for the intrusion," he said softly. "Feel free to bill me for the door and the table. My business here is done."

"I-I see," he mumbled in shock. Tsuna hid a grimace, seeing that the man was as pale as moonlight. There was nothing that Tsuna could do about it, however, other than withdraw as quickly as possible.

"Hopefully we won't have to meet under such poor circumstances in the future," Tsuna added in farewell. Giving a small bow, he turned to leave without waiting for a response. His so-called escort parted in shock to let him through. Even Gigi and Ore were dazed at his actions. Only Xanxus was unsurprised and moved to follow him out.

_You did well_, Maro praised. Tsuna didn't reply. He had to admit to himself that it felt good, though. He'd gotten rid of a leash that had haunted him for years. He was unsure of what Gabriel had planned with his gifts, but Tsuna had won simply by not trying to cower or hide from the challenge. He hadn't hesitated. He'd finally gotten strong enough to beat Gabriel and he hadn't even had to kill him. He was free! He couldn't remember ever feeling so light! He was practically skipping home with only Xanxus beside him when--

He paused halfway back to where his taxi of belongings was waiting when the impact of what he'd done finally hit him.

He'd confronted Gabriel.

"I think that I'm going to be sick," Tsuna warned as he stumbled for the nearest alley.

* * *

Author's note: Can I fall over? I'm going to fall over. Falling over now.

*falls over*

Any reviews, no matter how big or small, equal love (i.e. increases desire to pump out a new chap to see more reviews).

Mention of parts you liked/disliked equal motivation for future scenes.

Mentions of why equals motivation and love.

Quotes of favorite lines strokes my ego (never a bad thing since I get deflated regularly).

(Answer to PM... thought I'd share.)

*falls back over*


	83. Chapter 83 Hammer

Author's notes: Okay, the chapter lengths were getting insane with me trying to fit in lessons. We're stopping the lessons and just going back to normal story progression so that I can put chapters out at a decent rate again. Those first five were the most important ones anyway. (I'm bad at sticking to plans) ^^ No notes for this chapter or the previous one. I'll have notes with the next chap, so feel free to ask for clarification on anything that I might have been unclear on.

* * *

The floor was as cold as ice under his face, telling Tsuna that he definitely wasn't in his bed. He wanted to bite something in frustration when he opened his eyes to see light filtering in from the front windows. Thankfully, he was behind the counter so that he hadn't been seen by any pedestrians that might have looked in through the front window.

"I thought I told you to take only two hours," Tsuna growled while he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Counting to ten twice, he tried to keep himself from getting upset. His hands were cramped and there was a bucket of water sitting next to him that explained why. From floor to ceiling, the front of the bakery had been scrubbed spotless.

By necessity, they'd taken a loan from Xanxus to pay for the place. Maro didn't want anyone to know that they were connected with it since baking and the Tenth somehow went together. Tsuna didn't want anyone to know since baking simply wasn't something that he considered fun. He used to help a woman figure out what she was doing wrong in her baking, but he wasn't one to put on an apron and do it himself. He hadn't even cooked for himself since Snicker had died and he didn't plan to outside of microwave cooking.

Because of their joint desire for secrecy, the bakery was in Xanxus' name and Tsuna was doing all the renovations on his own. It was slow that way, but Maro claimed that it was more satisfying. That was the reason that Tsuna had decided to give Maro more time out. It was a temporary agreement since Maro was keeping his promise for the Dragons. They already had a ten year plan set up, which would last well past the time that Tsuna left them. Their holdings were starting to stabilize and the profits were beginning to catch up with their investments and liabilities. Gigi was capable of running the place without him thanks to Maro's tips.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, which was why Tsuna had decided that they could spare the time to get the bakery operational. The problem with that was Maro. He was a little too enthusiastic about it. Considering how stuck-up he was, his attitude was surprising. He'd bounced around almost constantly when they'd been picking out a storefront. The bastard had wanted every one that they'd looked at and had been bursting with so many ideas that Tsuna had been forced to suffer through a never-ending migraine.

The place that they had settled on was small, but more than enough for Maro's needs. It was positioned on a stretch of shops that was off the main strip. Tsuna had chosen it for Maro since it was tucked in between an antique store and a used book store so that he could draw in customers who frequented both places. From what Tsuna could tell about the set-up, it'd been used as an ice-cream shop before hand. It already had sinks, display cases, and a freezer in the back room that they could use, although the ovens and a dough proofer still needed to be installed. They also needed mixers, molds, pans, work spaces, ingredients, and a million other tools that was waiting to be delivered, not the least of which was tables and chairs for the customers to sit in.

The idea was to not just make a bakery, since doing so would limit the clientele, but also a bistro. They'd also have sandwiches made with fresh bread, drinks, and other lunch-time snacks to sell. The place was to be more than a simple bakery since few people bothered to make a special trip outside of their grocery shopping simply to get bread. It was to be a sidewalk cafe that was mixed with a breakfast donut shop. Their location helped with that. The line of shops that his was inserted into was surrounding a large courtyard. He'd already had Xanxus go around and ask permission to use the empty area since no one had claimed it yet. Unsurprisingly, no one had argued. With the shade from the tree centered in the space and the way that the surrounding buildings cut off the rest of the city, he figured that it would allow people to truly relax. It was as if they could walk into their own little world.

The major problem was the lack of pedestrians. The only people who went into the area were those that were heading to one of the other shops. Getting customers was going to be tricky without showing his hand. Even worse, they'd still yet to find anyone to manage the place. He needed people that would keep it quiet that he was the one that was taking care of the place, but that was easier said than done.

Four people, he and Maro had decided. They needed four people to run the place. One would be needed for management. One would be needed to help the manager with sales and stocking products. The last two would be needed to actually do the baking and making the food to sell. Even with Maro providing the recipes, the people making them needed to be able to follow those recipes. They needed people that already knew how to make the basics. They needed someone who could decorate cakes and who could create candy sculptures. In other words, they needed professional bakers and confectioners.

He had no clue how to get them outside of putting up a 'Now Hiring' sign. The problem with that was his identity. Without someone in place to interview those who came in, he had no way to hide himself from every Tom, Dick, and Jane that showed up with a desire to work. The idea was to keep anyone from knowing who 'Maverick' was at 'Maverick's Sweet Treats'. The crew would have to know, but how was he supposed to keep it from the people that he didn't hire?

_You're already late to work_, Maro murmured.

"And who's fault is that?" He asked in irritation. "Why are we still here?"

_I must have fallen asleep_, he answered apologetically. _I didn't mean to. I just wanted to get the floors done since--_

"No excuses," he snapped. "I told you before that I'd only live this double life if you didn't interfere with mine. You're not the Tenth anymore. Got it? You can't just do what you please. Veronica is probably worried sick that I didn't go home last night."

_Xanxus would have covered for us_, he replied.

"That's what I'm talking about," Tsuna growled, gritting his teeth as his irritation rose. "I don't want to rely on Xanxus. We already owe him enough already."

_That's my debt, Laz, _he soothed_. I already told you that we'd pay it back out of our profits. Half goes to Xanxus and the other half goes to charity since it'd be bad for you to walk around with unexplained money._

"I'm tired of arguing about it," he sighed. Getting to his feet, he reached up to pull off the handkerchief that Maro had tied around their head and combed his hair with his fingers. Hurrying to the back, he found his jacket in the same place that Maro always left it. It was hanging off a broom handle in the corner of the room. It took a minute to dig his gum out, which he knew would take the edge off of his frustration faster than anything. He was starving after having spent the whole night working, but Maro never seemed to consider how his actions affected Tsuna.

"It doesn't look bad," he admitted grudgingly, looking around the place as he got his jacket on. He could understand why his hands were cramped. Maro had complete scrapped off all the dirty, aged wax off the floor and had scrubbed it until it was white again. It must have taken him all night to finish it. "Did you have any trouble?" He asked curiously.

_None,_ he answered in a pleased voice_. I felt like I was being watched a few times, but the sensation went away long before I got here._

"Be careful," he advised. "Poe and Neve still aren't back yet and the Hunters are still on the loose. They called when they reached the Nexus house, but..."

_But they've still got to wait for the Council, _Maro finished softly_. I'm still not sure if I believe that about us. It's hard to think that we're connected with such abnormal--_

"Get used to it," he growled in distaste for the word 'abnormal'. "Even after I give you our body, it's going to be something that you have to deal with. If you ignore it, you're just asking for trouble."

_I know, _he murmured_._

"In that case, be quiet," he ordered. Cracking the back door, he sniffed cautiously to ensure that no one was waiting outside before finally pushing the door open to exit. Once he was in the alley, he slammed the door shut and started walking to disconnect himself from the place as quickly as possible. He couldn't relax until he was two blocks away at the minimum. While he walked, he checked his cell phone for messages and grimaced at the list. Four from Veronica, two from Gigi, one from Xanxus, Leo, Eric, Marty and Kit each.

All of them were understandable calls. Veronica called because he hadn't been at home or the Dojo. Gigi called because he'd skipped work. Xanxus because he hadn't went home. Leo needed the final approval for this week's newsletter. Marty probably wanted him to put the rush on her requisition for funds to order more parts. Eric had called because his interview with the newspaper was in ten minutes. He was up for the Entrepreneur of the Year award, even though his corporation was founded on the businesses that others had created. Finally, Kit had called to see if he had forgotten that Houston had wanted him to go to his school for 'Show and Tell'.

The work never ended.

* * *

"Uncle Laz!" Houston squealed, running across the playground in order to bounce eagerly in front of both Tsuna and his teacher. "You came! You came!"

"I promised that I would," Tsuna replied with a smile. "So, this is your school?"

"It is!" He exclaimed. Tsuna smiled at Houston's enthusiasm when the boy grabbed his hand and started dragging him inside without a care for the game that he'd been playing with some of his friends. "I want to show you my classroom!"

"I'm coming," Tsuna chuckled. "You don't have to rush."

"This is the hallway," he said excitedly as if Tsuna hadn't said a word. "This is Elijah's locker and that one is Ryan's and this one is Paige's. Here's my locker! I keep the pieces of Jewel's old shells in here for good luck! See, Uncle Laz? Ms. Ferns helped me put it on construction paper. She called it a mo.. ah... mozoo ick, I think."

"Mosaic," the teacher supplied in a sweet voice while Tsuna quietly looked over the sheet attached to the back of Houston's locker. The page was covered in shell fragments, although Jewel's cast offs didn't have the ability to change color like she did. Instead, they looked like bits of solidified oil.

"Did you bring Jewel-bug?" Houston asked as he took Tsuna's hand to drag him further down the hallway.

"She's here," he confirmed with a glance over to the teacher that was escorting him. "I didn't know if it was okay for her to come out, though. Some places don't like you to bring out pets."

"It's fine," Ms. Ferns smiled. "Today is Show and Tell, so pets are permitted as long as you keep them under control. Houston brought Jewel several times at the beginning of the year, so I've already seen her."

"My first grade teacher screamed and ran away when I took her out of her cage," Houston pouted. "Ms. Ferns is a lot nicer. She wouldn't pet her, but she offered to keep Jewel in a hotel for me." Tsuna raised his eyebrow and gave the teacher a questioning look for the reference.

"I thought it was an oversized roach," she mumbled with a bright blush.

"Ah," Tsuna replied with a grin. "Well, it can be forgiven. It must be difficult to face such a strange pet for the first time."

"It's on my top ten list," she admitted. Tsuna looked at her in consideration, seeing that the blush wasn't fading. The woman wasn't even looking at him. It was obvious that she was attracted, although she was trying very hard to hide it. It made Tsuna grin and make a note to ask Kamau if his teacher was just as young as Houston's. Picking girls up at bars and borrowing Mike's girls was good for the short term, but those stocks of women tended to be all the same. It might be interesting to try a normal girl for once.

"Have you been teaching long?" Tsuna asked as Houston finally let go of his hand in order to run down the hallway ahead of them.

"Not really," she mumbled quietly. "I just started two years ago."

"It's still pretty impressive," Tsuna replied nonchalantly. "Isn't it hard to become a teacher? You've got all the schoolwork that you have to do, plus you have to pass all the background checks. Being assigned your own class to teach is a big responsibility that most people don't have the courage to accept. You're a brave woman in my opinion."

"It's nothing," she said with an embarrassed chuckle. "I--"

"Uncle Laz!" Houston called from in front of his classroom. "Stop making Ms. Ferns mad! She's not going to like you if you keep talking to her like that!"

"Eh?" Tsuna asked, looking back and forth between the teacher and Houston. Mad?

"See!" He exclaimed with a stubby finger pointing to Ms. Fern's face. "She's all red! Aunt Gigi turns red when she's mad at you, too!"

"Oh," he replied while the teacher choked in surprise. "I'll just have to apologize later," he said for Houston's sake. "Why... ah... Why don't you show me your desk?"

Putting the teacher out of his mind, he followed Houston inside to his classroom. There he got to see the wonders of second grade again. Houston showed him his desk and the desks of his friends. He got to see the bean sprouts that they were raising along the window sills and he got to see the art projects that they were working on. Houston proudly showed off his math test and Tsuna got a sneak peak of the essay that was part of the Show and Tell assignment. By the time that he finished reading, the class itself started to return from recess and Tsuna got introduced to all the munchkin's friends.

"Is it true that you own Rascal Rogers? Can you take us to Rascal Rogers?"

"Does milk really make you grow tall? Houston said that you grew two feet because you drank milk."

"Why are your ears pierced like a girl's?"

"Why do you have so many rings?"

"Do bad guys really run away from you because you have super powers?"

"What kind of super powers do you have?"

"How did you get that scar?"

"Is it true that your eyeball is made of diamonds?"

"Is it true that you have a dog that can stand up like a person?"

"Can you really make Jewel-bug do tricks?"

"Class!" The teacher called when it became obvious that Tsuna was overwhelmed. "To your seats! Mr. Timberson will answer all of your questions in a little while. First, you need to get your essays out and collect your Show and Tell items from the back of the room. Houston, you can go first so Mr. Timberson doesn't have to wait."

"It's alright," Tsuna soothed with a relieved smile as the children scattered to their own desks. "I've already called my secretary and she's not expecting me back today."

"It'd make it easier for the other students," she whispered quietly when he approached. "It's hard enough for some of them to show something personal, so I appreciate your patience--"

"But you'd rather get me out of your hair," he finished with a smile. "Understandable. I'll head out as soon as Houston is finished."

"As soon as everyone is settled, we can begin," Ms. Ferns called. Either her command over her students was admirable or everyone was excited to show their own offerings since everyone immediately grew quiet in their seats. "Houston," she prompted with a sweet smile. Houston snatched his essay off of his desk and ran eagerly to the front of the class where Tsuna was already waiting. He didn't wait for any other prompt. He simply started reading.

"The Thing That Makes Me Feel Safe," he read, making Tsuna smile despite having previewed the piece. "The thing that makes me feel safe is my Uncle Laz," he said, pausing for a moment to give a presenting gesture in Tsuna's direction. "A long time ago, my Uncle Laz saved me and my Daddy and my little Sister from some bad men who were trying to beat my Daddy up. He's really, really strong and bad guys run away when they see him. He's really nice to good people and he helps out a lot of people. Uncle Laz isn't...." Houston paused, having to find his place since he'd ran ahead by memory without actually reading the paper. "Uncle Laz isn't my real Uncle, but Daddy says that he's part of the family so I can call him my Uncle. I know... ah... I... know... I know that as long as Uncle Laz is there, I don't have to be scared of bad guys because Uncle Laz won't let anyone hurt me! Even when he went away, he left Jewel-bug to pro... to pro...te..ct..." Despite himself, Tsuna mouthed the word while also holding himself back from saying it so that Houston could figure it out for himself. "... pro..t..ect... to protect--! me, so Uncle Laz is always watching over me. The End."

"We'll be taking a few question now, if that's okay with Mr. Timberson," Ms. Ferns smiled while the class politely clapped and Houston smiled in triumph for finishing. Tsuna grinned and gave a small nod of approval for the prompt. Questions were fine as long as they gave time for him to respond. "Raise your hand if you have a question," she added, causing everyone in the class to snap their hands into the air. "Jesse, you first."

"Do you have Jewel with you?" The first boy asked.

"I do," he confirmed in relief for the easy question. "Jewel, why don't you come out and do a few tricks for Houston's class? I'll give you some marshmallows later." Tsuna's grin widened when Jewel lurched into motion from where she was latched onto the back of his shirt. Houston giggled at how the back of his coat moved along with her until she popped out next to his neck. Within a second of finding freedom, she jumped in the air and started flying in circles above the class. "Do a loop-de-loop, Jewel," he called, getting the trick as a response. "Play dead," he added. In answer, Jewel's wings shut and she skydived onto the teacher's desk. Tsuna grimaced slightly at the teacher's horrified face, but the whole class giggled at how Jewel had crash-landed on her back into a stack of soft papers. "One more," he called. "Pattern three."

In answer to his request, the beetle flipped itself over with the aid of her wings and scurried off the desk. It disappeared entirely underneath, making everyone lift up in their seats to try to find her. Even Houston got down on his hands and knees to see where she went, only to come up empty.

"She's gone," he said in confusion.

"Really?" Tsuna asked with a grin when he felt Jewel's weight on the back of his coat. The bug was fast. Even Tsuna had no clue how she managed to get around unseen like she did at times. All Tsuna knew was that she would always figure out a way to return to him in secret when he called out the pattern. She seemed to understand what he'd wanted this time, though. Instead of hiding herself like she normally did at the end of the pattern, she stayed in open view on his back. Of course, the class didn't know that he was aware of her presence. "Let me see," he mumbled, leaning over to look under the desk himself. The class giggled when they saw her, but no one told him where she was. Because of that, he got to play clueless while he went around the class looking for her. "Now, where did she go? Maybe she's under here?"

"She's on your back, Uncle Laz!" Houston giggled.

"What?!" He gasped in surprise. Trying to look for himself, he circled in place three times while looking over his shoulder. Predictably, the class burst out into laughter. "Jewel? Are you back there? Well, what do you know?" He grinned when she climbed up to his shoulder again. "You're pretty sneaky." Patting her gently in praise for the successful ruse, he went back to the front of the class where both the teacher and Houston were waiting in amusement.

"Any other questions?" The teacher prompted with a smile.

"What happened to your eye?" A little girl asked. "My grandpa has a fake eye and he said he lost his eye in the war. Did you lose yours in the war, too?"

"No," he said with a small shake of his head. "I've never been in a war. I lost this when I was trying to fight some bullies. If I'd went and told a police officer, I probably wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"You got picked on?" A little boy in the back of the class asked in surprise. "Houston said that bad guys are too scared of you to pick on you."

"Even I get picked on," Tsuna corrected with an apologetic look down at Houston. "No matter how strong a person is, there's always someone out there who will try to be a bully to them. I've learned that the best protection is to make friends. Bullies are scared when they're outnumbered, so you're a lot safer if you and your friends stick together. When you're alone or that doesn't help, you shouldn't ignore the other people that are there to protect you. For little people like you guys, you've got your teacher here to help you. When you grow up, you've got police officers that can help."

"Why do you wear so much jewelry?" Another girl asked. "My mom only wears a necklace when she goes out."

"I wear them because I like it," he replied with a small grimace. "Every piece I wear if a token of friendship from someone that I know. I've even got one from Houston." Showing his pinky, he got a wide smile from Houston at the mock-silver ring that was still wrapped around it. "For me, they're all reminders of people that I have to work hard for."

"My dad says that you're a bad man," a boy in the back mumbled. "He said that you went to jail and that I shouldn't be friends with Houston because of you."

"He's not a bad man!" Houston shouted with an instantly red face. "Uncle Laz--"

"Houston," Tsuna interjected, reaching out to put a calming, restraining hand onto the boy's shoulder. The teacher looked panicked, but it was thankfully aimed at the two boys instead of Tsuna. "It's alright if people have different opinions and it's okay if someone doesn't like me. It's true that I went to jail. I made a mistake in judgment and I had to be punished for it. It's no different from how someone who misbehaves might get sent to the principal's office. It's not fair of his dad to say that he can't be friends with you because of me, though. What's your name, boy?"

"Matt," he grumbled.

"Matt," he said carefully. "You should always be careful of who your friends are, but you shouldn't judge people because of who they might know. Has Houston ever been mean to you or asked you to do something wrong?"

"No," he answered softly.

"Then you should keep that in mind when you're deciding whether or not to be friends with him," Tsuna said carefully.

"My daddy is in jail," the girl sitting next to him mumbled.

"Becky!" Matt spluttered with wide eyes.

"It's true," she said. "Mommy keeps telling me that he went on a field trip, but I was looking out the window when the policemen came to get him. He owed a lot of money and we didn't have it. If you're not going to be friends with Houston because of his family, then you can't be friends with me."

"Why don't you just think about that," Tsuna interjected before the boy could respond rashly. "There's no need to decide who you want to be friends with right now. All of you still have years to go before you're out of school."

"We've got to be considerate of each other's feelings because we don't know everything about each other yet," Houston finished with his eyes looking up at Tsuna for approval. Tsuna grinned widely, knowing that Houston was quoting him even though he couldn't remember saying such a thing.

"Exactly," he nodded. "And with that, I think it's about time for me to go. I'm sure everyone else wants to read their essays. All of you work hard. Okay? Maybe if all of you get A's on your report cards, I can talk Ms. Ferns into letting you guys go on a field trip to Rascal Roger's on me."

"How's that for motivation?" Ms. Ferns said in a surprised voice. "All of you will have to help each other study if you want to go."

"I have to leave," Tsuna whispered, leaning down to give his farewells to Houston while the class broke out in cheers. "Be nice to Matt."

"I will," he promised, wrapping his arms around Tsuna to give him a hug. "Can you help Daddy, though?"

"What's wrong with Warren?" Tsuna asked, kneeling down even farther in worry.

"Daddy said to keep it a secret," he mumbled hesitantly. "Promise not to tell?"

"I promise," he nodded. Houston trusted him immediately, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. The information made Tsuna grimace, but he smiled anyway to soothe the little boy.

"I'll take care of him," he swore, holding up a pinky to turn it into a pinky promise. "You just focus on your school work and leave your Daddy to me."

"Thanks, Uncle Laz!" He smiled, giving him another hug with all of his worries gone. Tsuna pointed to Houston's desk in a silent order and gave a small salute to the teacher in farewell as he got to his feet. Making his exit before the class could think of any more touchy parting questions, Tsuna headed for where his bike was parked.

_Well, wasn't that a damper_, Maro murmured while Tsuna got his helmet on.

"It's good news for us," he corrected. "If Warren got fired, he needs a job. I didn't want anyone in the Dragons connected with the bakery, but Warren can be an exception. No one will question why he's working in such a strange place and he doesn't interact very strongly with the rest of the Dragons. Even if we tell him the truth about ourselves, it shouldn't be difficult for him to hide it."

_If we move him into the apartment loft over the bakery, no one will think that it's strange when we stop by there, either, _Maro added after a moment of thought_._

"That would be good for Houston and Isabella," he agreed. "Houston is getting to the age where he'll want friends to stay over with him. He wouldn't be able to if he's still living at the Little Den. I've been wanting them to move out anyway. It's not a good idea for Isabella to grow up in a place where whores and thugs are more common than career women and businessmen. I'm sure that Warren has already been worrying about it. He's looked like he had something that he wanted to say the past few times that I've talked to him. What do you say we go see him and get his opinion?"

_That was still fun_, Maro commented as Tsuna started his bike and put it onto the road to the Little Den. _Houston reminds me of Hotaru. He used to be such a sweet kid, too. You would have--_

"Rung his neck and put him over my knee," Tsuna finished for him.

_It's my fault that he's the way that he is, _Maro replied in a pained voice_. I did my best at being a Boss, but I didn't have a lot of time to raise him. Every time that I saw him, I always told myself that it was enough that he was happy and healthy. I kept my eye too much on the future and neglected him by thinking that his mother and his tutors were enough. I can't regret it, but I miss him so much. Did I ever tell you that the last time I saw him was when I jumped out of a plane?_

"You've only got yourself to blame," he said without pity. "If you weren't ready for the responsibility, then you should have been more careful when you were with girls."

_Girl, _he corrected with a growl. _I was only with Haru back then. I could never sleep around like you do._

"No," he grinned to himself. "You just collected a permanent harem instead of a temporary one. You're lying to yourself if you really think differently."

_Unlike you, I actually love the people I sleep with, _he snapped_. It's not my fault that there was three too many!_

"I didn't say that you didn't love them," he retorted in amusement. "Are you sure that you were loving them with your heart, though? I mean, come on. If you'd kept going, you would have had one of every type. All you were missing was a red-headed lolita and a guy with glasses."

_I'd seriously hit you right now if I could, _Maro growled_._

"I'm just teasing," he laughed. "Although, are you sure that Gus isn't you're type? I think he's avail--"

_LAZ! _Maro shouted_. That's not funny!_

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," he chuckled. "You probably waited for I-Pin to come of age for the glasses and you're still looking for a red-headed lolita boy."

_LAZ! _He screamed in anger. _I have never laid an indecent finger on I-Pin! How dare you insinuate that--_

"Alright," he grimaced at the way his voiced bounced through his skull. "I'll stop. Damn. Can't you take a joke?"

_Don't mock me! _He snapped_. You have no clue how hard it was for me to accept my feelings. Don't sit there and pretend that I took lovers and cast them aside like you do!_

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Sheesh, I already said that I was just teasing. You know that I don't like it when you talk about yourself and I especially don't like it when you compared people in my life with people in yours."

_I'll try to remember_, he grumbled grudgingly as they came within sight of the Den. _Put your game face on_.

Tsuna didn't respond, focusing instead on getting his bike parked in the empty space reserved for him. Numerous people came out to greet him, but he gave them little to none of his attention in effort to get inside more quickly. He had no clue if the Hunters were still in the city, but there was no sense in giving them opportunities to kill him by staying in the open longer than necessary. He was wearing the protective gear that Poe had supplied under his clothes, but his head was still a woefully vulnerable target.

Pushing such thoughts out of his head, he took the stairs two at a time and tapped gently on Warren's door. At the cue of the call within, he entered as freely as if it were his own home. He had to smile at the scene that awaited him. Isabella was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons, while Warren was caught trying to hide the want ads behind his back.

"Laz!" He greeted with a hesitant smile while he tried to back up into the kitchen. "What an... ah... an unexpected surprise!"

"Don't give me that," he laughed as he quietly shut the door so that he wouldn't disturb Isabella. "A little puppy already told me that you got fired."

"Oh," he replied with his face falling. "I don't know what to say. Um... You don't have to worry about us. I'll have a new job in no time. I... ah... I might be a little late on the rent this month, but--"

"Calm down," Tsuna grinned, walking over to lean on the counter. Stealing one of the peppermint sticks that were left out for Houston, he pretended to watch cartoons over the back of the couch in hopes of putting Warren at ease. "You know that I really don't care about the rent. That's not why I'm here. I actually have an offer for you, but I was hesitant before since I thought that you were set up pretty well at the check cashing place. What happened?"

"What always happens?" He asked as he finally started to relax. Walking over, he pulled two cans of cola out of the fridge and offered Tsuna one. The pop and hiss of them being opened finally got Isabella's attention where his entrance hadn't. Of course, the commercial that came on helped a bit.

"La-LA!" She squealed, jumping up to her feet on the couch. Tsuna thought that his eyes were going to pop over the simple maneuver, but it only got worse. She climbed down from the couch and walked over to grab his pant leg without a single faltering step. Then she started pulling so that he had little choice but to follow her back to the couch where she pushed on his knees until he finally gave in and sat like she wanted. Before he could even make himself comfortable, she swarmed back up onto the couch and into his lap with the open intention to have him watch cartoons with her.

"You should see her at the playground," Warren smiled in response to Tsuna's gaping expression. "They grow up so fast. It feels like just yesterday that she was still drinking from a bottle."

"You're telling me!" Tsuna spluttered. "When did she start walking so well?!"

"A while back," he answered with a small shrug. "As soon as she got her feet under her, it's been hard to get her to sit down unless her cartoons are on. She watches those educational videos that you got her almost religiously. Isabella, can you count for Daddy?"

"No," she blurted with her eyes on the television.

"Figures," he sighed. "That was one of the first words she learned. Isabella, sweetie, can you count for Uncle Laz?"

"One, two, thwee, fur," she answered, holding up the fingers as she went. She had some trouble with only holding up three, but four was pretty simple.

"That's wonderful," Tsuna praised. "Do you know which one comes next?"

"Twiddles," she replied, pointing to let him know that her show was back on.

"Her favorite show," Warren supplied at Tsuna's questioning look. "It only comes on for an hour a day and it's the only thing that she'll watch outside the videos you got her. About my job, though..."

"I'm listening," Tsuna said while smiling to himself at how Isabella laid back against him like he was a recliner.

"Well, I was the highest paid guy there because I kept earning raises," he explained. "The owners were worried about labor costs, though, so they hired a bunch of people at minimum wage. The bastards made me train them and then they gave the bulk of my hours to the new guys since they're cheaper labor. I told them that I've got a family to feed and I needed more hours, so they started looking for an excuse to fire me. They got it, too. I don't know if it's true or not, but a lady called and complained that I was rude to her. I walked in a few days ago to find a pink slip waiting on me."

"That sucks," Tsuna replied in sympathy. "Not for me, but I'm sure it sucks for you. That wasn't very fair of them. Gale always spoke highly of them, but I guess things change."

"There's nothing I can do," he mumbled in frustration. "They're giving me bad references and you know what happened to the place that I worked before that. So far, no one's willing to hire me. If this keeps up..."

"You're not going back on the street," Tsuna said firmly. "Do you really think that I'd let that happen to you?"

"No," he answered with a pained expression. "But I didn't want to ask any more of you. You've already done so much for us that I can't hope to repay it. If--"

"You can repay it now," he interrupted. "I need a huge favor and you're the only one in the Dragons that I can ask to do this. It's a big secret, Warren. I need you to promise not to mention it to anyone. It's nothing illegal, but I can't be connected with it in any way, shape, or form."

"You know that I'll help you in any way that I can," he replied in surprise. "Even if it's something illegal, I'll help as long as it doesn't put my kids in danger."

"You're a good guy," Tsuna smiled. "But I'm really serious about this. Not even Gigi can know. Other than me, the only person that knows about it is Xanxus and that's because he's the one that loaned me the money to do it."

"What's going on?" He asked in a mixture of concern and curiosity. "You can tell me. I won't speak a word to anyone and I don't think you have to worry about Isabella. She can barely say your name."

"I know," he replied. "But once you hear, you'll probably understand. You know that I've always had issues. Right? Um... mental issues."

"I figured it out," he confirmed with a small flinch.

"Gigi and the others know, but we didn't see a point in confirming it to anyone else," Tsuna continued with a deep breath to keep himself calm. "I've got split personalities, Warren. The reason Gigi and the others can't know about this is because I stopped taking my pills to control my other personality. I'm trying something different instead. You could say that I've come to an agreement with him. That's where you come in. He wants to open a bakery and I need someone to manage it. Someone who can know that it's me behind it, but will help cover me so that no one else knows."

"L-Laz," he mumbled with a disbelieving smile. "It's cute that you'd go so far to spare my pride, but--"

"I'm not making it up just to give you a job," he interrupted. "I'm serious, Warren. You have no clue how hard this is to admit to you since I know how much Houston and Isabella look up to me. I'm far from perfect, though. Do you remember back when we first met? Those muggers that ran away from me?"

"Y-Yeah," he nodded hesitantly.

"Did you ever ask why they ran?" Tsuna prompted.

"I don't think so," he answered. "I thought they just ran because they didn't want their faces seen."

"I met you after the night that I became Lazarus," Tsuna replied. "They were scared of me because of my split personality. I've wiped out several gangs in the past, Warren. The gangs were already terrified of me by the time we met."

_I don't remember that_, Maro interjected.

"With one of them that broke Leo's arms, I blacked out and broke all of theirs," he continued. "I've.... I've actually got five personalities all together, including the me that's here right now. This is the me that's in control when the others aren't. Two of them never try to take control, but there's two more that I'm constantly dealing with. One of those is a mindless beast and the other is a power-hungry snob."

_I resent that_, Maro grumbled.

"It's too difficult to fight them both at once and I'm tired of taking medication when it only works on one of them," he continued. "I've made a deal with the snob so that I'm not fighting him anymore and he helps me keep the other ones in line. The thing is that I want to make sure that he's not up to something bad when he gets his time out. That's why I agreed to open a bakery. He's got a soft spot for two things. One is cooking and the other is Xanxus. I'm sure that you can see why I'd like to focus him on the cooking."

"Hold up," Warren gasped breathlessly. "Let me get this straight. You've got split personalities."

"Yes," he nodded.

"And one of them wants to open a bakery," he added.

"Yes."

"And you want this bakery kept secret."

"Yes."

"And you want me...?"

"To manage it," Tsuna finished. "I've got too much to deal with in running things at ODE. I can't afford to waste time _baking _on top of it. Maro is pretty harmless when it comes to people like you and he's a sucker for kids. He wouldn't ever put Houston or Isabella in danger. Once the bakery is set up, you'll only see him once a week for him to drop off new recipes and do some of the baking himself."

_Offer him a cut of the profits_, Maro suggested.

"You can have the apartment above the bakery since I know that you've been wanting to get the kids away from the Dragons, plus you can have a cut of the profits," he offered. "In ten to twenty years, Maro will probably want to take over the bakery full time and use the apartment, but you should have enough savings to buy a house and retire by then. There will be no rent on the apartment and the bills for it will be paid out of the cut of the profits that's set aside for the bakery's utilities and the wages for other employees. A large chunk is going to pay back the loan from Xanxus and another chunk will go to charity, but there should be plenty to give you a ten percent cut off the top."

"I don't know what to say," Warren mumbled. "You're kind of hitting me with this out of the blue. I didn't even know you had split personalities. I mean, it should have been obvious, but--"

"Would it help if you met him first?" Tsuna asked with a small grimace. "I can let him out for a little while to talk with you if that would make you feel easier about it."

"It would," he admitted. "I don't like the idea of dealing with a side of you that I know nothing about."

"Hold Isabella," he ordered, getting a wail from the girl when he tried to lift her up to give her to her father. She did _not _want to move, even though she'd be back in his lap in no time. "Maro, be good," he growled.

_Best behavior, _he promised_. I've got more at stake here than you do._

"Well," he sighed. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

Tsuna woke to a toy hammer being bounced off his head and Houston frantically trying to pull Isabella away.

"Bella," Warren hissed. "I told you to go play in your room. You're going to wake Uncle Laz up!"

"Wae up!" She exclaimed, giving him one final smack on the head before Houston finally got the hammer away from her. Her smile was a wonderful thing to open his eyes to. She got even more excited when she saw that he was awake, deciding to jump onto the couch and onto his stomach while Houston was trying to put the toy hammer up in her room. He groaned at the impact but pushed back the throw blanket that had been thrown over him and sat up quickly in order to gently tickle her in revenge.

"Sorry about her. It's hard to get her to settle down when we have company," Warren grimaced from the kitchen at the sound of Isabella's giggling. Tsuna looked over the back of the couch to find Warren slaving over several pots on the stove. "Dinner will be ready in a minute if you'd like to stay. I've seen how much you eat, so I made double our usual amount."

"Alright," he agreed with a yawn as the little girl tried to run for safety. Pulling off the blanket, he tossed it over the back of the couch and stretched in place to loosen a few cramped muscles. "How long was I out?"

"Several hours," he shrugged. "Maro said to just let you sleep since you apparently didn't get much last night. You must have been pretty worn out. I took the kids to the park for a while after Houston got home and you were still dead when we got back."

"I see," Tsuna replied while carefully taking in Warren's attitude. He seemed pleased and worry-free, which Tsuna hoped to mean that Warren was okay with the split personality. "Maro didn't... ah..."

"He was polite," Warren soothed as he stirred a pot of what smelled like spaghetti. "I thought you were just pulling my leg at first, but Maro's very different from you. I'd almost call him sweet. Isabella absolutely adored him."

_I laid it on thick_, Maro chuckled.

"So you have no problem with managing the bakery?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"None at all," he smiled. "I'd like to take a look at the apartment before we agree to moving, but--"

"We're moving?" Houston interjected as he once again returned into the living area. "To live?"

"Maybe," Warren confirmed gently.

"I have a friend that's opening a bakery and he wants your Daddy to run it," Tsuna explained carefully. "There's an apartment that you guys can live in right above it. There's a lot more room than this little place and you'll be able to invite your friends over to stay if you move there. You can't do that here because of all the people living around you. It'll be nice and quiet, too, so Isabella will be able to sleep better at night."

"And Aunt Gigi and everyone will come by to buy bread and cakes," Warren added as he started filling plates with the spaghetti. "We're not moving out of the city, Houston. We're just moving about two miles. Just think. If we move into a bigger place, we'll have room for a puppy like you've been wanting."

"Really?!" He exclaimed.

"We can't get a large one like Ginger," he warned. "But we might be able to get a little one if it's okay with the Owner."

_I have no problem with it_, Maro murmured.

"The Owner said that pets were fine," he laughed, seeing the light sparkling in Houston's eyes. Accepting a plate from Warren, he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. It felt strange interacting with Warren's family, almost as if he was back in Japan with his own family. There was no formalities or posturing that was required in dealing with other people. It felt warm and inviting. Even though he knew that it was a trick of the mind, it made him feel happy and connected to something.

While he ate, he absently listened to Warren and Houston discuss the puppy-issue. Isabella refused to get off his lap, so he had the honor of feeding her bits of meatballs and cut-up noodles from the small bowl that Warren placed onto the table for her. Of course, he also had the honor of trying to take bites of his own plate before she could eat it for him, but it was overall a happy meal.

"I better go," Tsuna interjected after a second helping.

"There's still more in th--"

"It's fine," he interrupted with a wide smile. "Two is more than enough for me. I'll come by tomorrow after Kit takes Houston to school and show you the bakery. If you like it as much as I think you will, you can start work tomorrow. There's still a lot that needs to be set up and deliveries are due to start arriving soon. I... err... Maverick will need someone there to receive everything and to start taking applications for him."

"Maverick?" Warren repeated in curiosity.

"Well, the name you already know him by is known by a lot of other people," he explained. "So, to keep his identity top secret, he came up with an alias."

"The Maverick Baker," Warren supplied in amused understanding. "I assume this means that he'll only bake in the dead of night when no one will see his face?"

"Pretty cheesy, but yeah," Tsuna shrugged. "You can see, but no one else."

"Can I see who the Maverick Baker is?" Houston interjected. "I won't tell anyone! I promise!"

"No can do," Tsuna laughed. "He's like Santa Claus. He only comes when little boys and girls are asleep. But... If you leave a note asking him to make you something, I'm sure that he'll try his best for you since your Daddy is taking care of his most precious bakery for him while he's away."

_I'd be honored to_, Maro commented.

"When can we move in, Daddy?!" Houston exclaimed in excitement. "I wanna go now!"

"You've got to go take your bath," Warren answered as the ultimate buzz kill. "If you don't hurry, you're going to miss Crimson C and you'll have to go straight to bed."

"Oh no!" He gasped, running for the small bathroom at full tilt.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tsuna said to Warren in farewell. Warren nodded in return and started collecting the dinner plates. There were only two units in the building that had their own small kitchens and Warren's was one of them so that he could have a normal family setting with his kids. He made note to praise Steve again on the decision and to save the unit for another family in need rather than hand it off to Veronica or one of his other full-time employees.

_Where are we going now?_ Maro asked curiously as he headed down the stairs to the first floor.

"I figured I'd go by Mike's and relax," he answered. "You've been stealing my nights lately, so I'm more than ready to kick back and get some pussy."

_You can be such a cave-man at times_, he grumbled.

"And you can be a spoiled prick," he chuckled. "But I'm not holding it against you anymore. You still come in handy at times."

* * *

Tsuna broke off his kiss with Surreal and listened closely to see if he could figure out what the growing warning in his gut was from. Something bad was coming. Something very bad.

"Off," he ordered, tapping Finch on the side of the head to tell her to get off his dick.

"What's wrong, Laz?" Mike asked from the couch where he was being entertained by his own set of girls.

"I'm not sure," he replied. Hurriedly tucking himself away and zipping up his pants, he ignored the pouting expressions on the two girls faces. "Trust me," he groaned to them. "This hurts me a hell of a lot more than you. I'll be back after I check something out, so keep each other warm." Throwing his jacket on, he stepped out of the door only to stop in shock at what was waiting on him.

"Found you," the Hunter smiled.

_RUN! _Maro screamed.

"Oh shit," Tsuna gasped. Taking the advice, he didn't think. He simply turned and ran. Screams erupted behind him as he crashed through Mike's window, but he knew that they'd be safe. They were human and the Hunter only wanted him. He was correct in that assumption. He knew because of the silver needles that started whizzing past his ear when he took the time to jump on his bike. Starting it, he peeled out in effort to get away and completely skipped over the important business of his helmet.

"You can't run forever, werewolf!" The Hunter yelled as she jumped out the window. Tsuna didn't listen. If Maro's chant to run wasn't enough, his own panic was. He had Poe's protective suit on underneath his clothes, but he'd skipped over the gloves when the Hunter hadn't immediately shown herself again. He was cursing his stupidity, but he didn't even have a weapon to fight her with.

Tsuna stopped his bike half a block down the street, realizing that he did have a weapon this time.

_What are you doing?! _Maro screamed_. Don't you remember what happened last time?! You can't take her alone!_

"Shut up," he replied, spinning his bike in place to face his foe. "It's not the same as last time." She was standing in the middle of the street, looking extremely pleased that he'd stopped. What was he thinking by running? He was responsible for the people in this neighborhood! He couldn't just let her rampage around in effort to catch him! She might hurt someone!

"Are you finally giving up?" She asked curiously.

"Fuck no," he replied. "What gives you the right to hound me like this? Nothing I'm doing is hurting the innocent. If anything, you're the one doing wrong. You're disturbing the peace and I can't allow that."

"The Devil's lies fall on deaf ears," she snarled in fierce denial that her actions were unjustified. "The words of a misbegotten creature like you are tainted. I will do my sacred duty by wiping you from the face of this world!"

"Who gave you that duty?!" Tsuna shouted. "Admit it! You're Hunting us just to satisfy your own bigotry! Sacred duty, my ass! True Hunters pick their prey carefully while you've been indiscriminately going after innocent--"

"None of you are innocent!" She shouted self-righteously. "It is the sacred duty of all humanity to wipe you out!"

"Then why do you ignore my humanity?!" He yelled back. "You're nothing more than a little girl who lashes out when you can't accept people who are different than you!"

_Oh no, _Maro mumbled_. She looks pissed._

Tsuna didn't need the commentary. He could see for himself that she was pissed. It was the same anger that he knew to expect from a vampire if he were to say that he was more than a mere werewolf. He had pieces of both, but he could never truly be part of either anymore. He was a bridge rather than the solid pieces of land, always cursed to hang between while never stepping foot on solid earth.

"Do you think I like this?!" Tsuna shouted in anger. "All I'm trying to do is live my life. I don't need a bitch like you coming into it and--"

"That's right," she interrupted in a sudden cold, calm voice. "It's time for you to be put out of your misery. Enough talk, werewolf. The time appointed by the ancient Hunters has come. The moon is full and I will carry out my duty before the night is finished."

Tsuna clenched his teeth when she started running toward him. She wouldn't be reasoned with. She was a fanatic, blinded by her beliefs so much that she was unwilling to look at things from the opposing perspective. To her, he was nothing more than a tainted demon that had to be purged to protect humanity. When faced with a demon, one didn't trust that there was a glimmer of good within that could be reached. One simply destroyed the evil before it could corrupt pure thoughts.

He wasn't evil, though.

"This is my Judgment," Tsuna whispered. Closing his eyes for a moment, he connected himself with the jewelry in his pocket and gave the mental twist needed to summon the Hammer of Justice. It wasn't hard. He knew that he was going to have to put his body on the line to dispense Justice and the ring answered that feeling. Spurring his motorcycle in motion, he opened his eyes once more to see that she hadn't paused at the appearance of the Hammer. If anything, it spurred her into action faster.

He grimaced as a smoke grenade went off in front of him and he was forced to ride through the poisoned cloud. He flinched and weaved his head when she threw silver projectiles at him. Several left grazing marks, but he charged forward relentlessly despite the pain. All he needed was one strike. One single strike!

It was unsurprising that she aimed for his motorcycle when he started to get close. It was knocked out from under him, but he was prepared. He leapt free and tried to strike in that instant, but so did she. Her silver axe and his blackened hammer met in a solid connection before rebounding away from each other. Neither of them gave up. Time and time again, he stalemated her weapon with his. He ignored the projectiles that she lobbed at him and thanked the heavens that she was smart enough not to throw any shrapnel grenades in a residential neighborhood.

Determined to lead her out of the area before his wrecked motorcycle and the noise brought the cops, he darted down an alley at the first opening. Predictably, she gave pursuit, although it was Tsuna's turned to be surprised when she managed to get ahead of him by taking the rooftops. She was prepared for the close quarters of the alley when she dropped down in front of him. Her long axe got strapped to her back in an instant and she pulled out a set of silver railroad spikes that made Tsuna pale. He was at a disadvantage with a longer weapon, even though he managed to keep her out of his sphere of reach. He had to work twice as hard, lashing out at an unpredictable pace simply to overcome her increase in agility.

_Note to self, _Maro murmured_. Fighting in an alley wasn't a good idea._

"This wasn't where I was going," Tsuna growled in irritation for the pun. Knocking her away once more, he backtracked in order to head for an alternate route. It was late, so some areas of the city were dead while others were hitting the peak of their day. He had to find a dead area that wasn't residential and he could only think of one. The park should be empty of all but muggers at this time of night. If he could lure her back into the section of it where the jogging paths circled through untenanted woods, he knew of a small clearing that people sometimes used for old fashioned blanket picnics on the weekends. It would be safe to fight there since no one would be around to get hurt other than his target.

By the time he actually made it to the park, he stopped at the gates in realization of one important fact.

_You lost her_, Maro supplied while Tsuna looked around frantically to find his opponent.

"Shit," he hissed. "She was supposed to follow me."

_Isn't it a good thing that we got away? _Maro asked. _You're injured and you're covered in that dust again. You need to go get it off before your rash gets any worse. I don't think the cuts are as bad as last time, but your lip is split._

"It's not a good thing!" He snarled. "I was trying to lead her somewhere harmless so that we could finish this without any bystanders! Why the fuck didn't she follow me?!"

_Maybe you just overestimated her speed, _Maro murmured_. I don't know, but you're not doing yourself any good by waiting on her. She might be watching from a distance to see when the poison takes effect. If you don't wash the silver off, it's going to take me a lot of extra energy to burn the poison out of us. _

"You're right," Tsuna hissed in frustration. She probably was watching somewhere, waiting for him to grow weaker before she attacked again. It was guerrilla warfare since she was in his territory. Rather letting him lead her into a trap since he knew the lay of the land better, she'd made the smart choice by withdrawing. She wasn't a simple-minded opponent, even if she was a blind one. "Prepare yourself. She said that she was going to finish this tonight. She'll probably come while we're licking our wounds."

_You mean that literally_, Maro grumbled in distaste. Tsuna groaned and did the only thing that he could. He kept his senses peeled for the enemy and slowly retreated home. By the time that he arrived, his body felt like it was on fire. He still had Poe's antidotes, but they were useless without water. Water was waiting for him in the form of a hot tub if he could simply get to it, but every movement seemed to take twice the normal amount of energy. When he finally made it up the stairs to their floor, he was barely standing. Lynx was going berserk inside him, sending endless urges to fight which made him want to claw his skin off to stop the reason for the insanity. It was enough to make him double over and fall through the front door rather than walk through it.

It was just a little further, but he couldn't stand it. It felt like someone had thrown acid on his face. All he could do was try to claw it off while his body thrashed wildly as if he could kick it off of himself. He stopped thinking. He lost focus. He could feel his control shattering, but Lynx's only enemy was himself. It was as if he were covered in a thousand needles and each one sent Lynx into a maddened fury that he couldn't control due to the pain. Nothing he did would stop it. It stung and it burned and it--

Tsuna slowly relaxed as the pain faded. The stinging eased. The burning was soothed. The needles were pulled out and the acid was neutralized. He floated in a sea of balm, uncaring that air wasn't what he was breathing in. It was over. He could rest now. He started to shut his eyes as his worries faded and his pain disappeared, but one thing pulled him back. That thing was a reintroduction to air as Xanxus pulled him out of the hot tub by his collar and pulled him onto the floor of the apartment. Pure survival instinct made him choke and regurgitate the water that he'd swallowed before taking large gulps of air like it was in limited supply.

"Xanxus, stop!" He heard Autumn shout. "You need to rest! Let me take care of Laz!"

"Shut up!" He roared in anger. Tsuna panted and tried to get his eyes to focus correctly. He thought that Xanxus was pulling off his wet clothes with Autumn hovering over them, but it didn't make sense. Why was Xanxus' shirt off and why was Autumn in his apartment? Was he having a dream or a nightmare?

_Let me take over for a second, _Maro urged. _I can burn out the poison from your cuts so that you can feed off of Xanxus._

Tsuna didn't respond. He simply blacked out. When he woke again, he could tell that only seconds had passed since Xanxus was still trying to get his protective vest off in fear of the several pieces of silver lodged in it. He could care less about that, though. He was starving and Xanxus was starting to look more and more appetizing. The water on him was nothing more than gravy that took on his taste as it rolled down the thick slice of--

Tsuna faintly heard something that sounded like permission as he sank his teeth into the waiting flesh. He was so moist and filling with even the first taste.

It was quality prey.

He had to protect it or the female was going to try to steal it.

It was _his _prey!

He was leader of the pack, so he got the prime choice of meat!

With that in mind, he dragged his prey into his den and possessively glared at anyone who dared to defy his right to it. It was _his_! He wouldn't share such a tender and juicy meal. The female glared back, but she was smart enough not to challenge him. Carefully keeping his eyes on the female to ensure that she didn't try to attack while his back was turned, he lowered his head to take another bite. The taste was hearty and warm, although he had to subdue his prey when it tried to lurch away. He held it down, mercilessly digging his claws into its flesh while letting out a small growl of warning for how the female started to approach. He'd kill her if she dared. It was his prey and no one else's. She submitted at his warning growl and fell to a stop, as did his prey. He was finally able to start eating once his dominance was reasserted. He swallowed mouthful after mouthful, tearing into the slab of beef to get more of the irresistible broth that welled up to the surface.

_Lynx! Let go! _Maro shouted, making him clench his eyes shut in pain_. Laz! Snap out of it! What the hell are you doing to Xanxus?!_

"--we stop him?" Autumn mumbled without moving an inch.

"Don't move," Xanxus ordered. "He'll come out of it. This is just temporary since he burned off so much energy."

"Doesn't it hurt?" Autumn grimaced.

"Like a fucking chainsaw," he confirmed with a grunt as Tsuna hurriedly yanked his teeth out. He didn't even wait to look. He could tell from the amount of blood on his face that he'd done something horrible. He had to close the wounds and stop the bleeding. The only way he could do that was by licking the gashes that he'd caused. "Are you awake, brat?" Xanxus asked curiously when Tsuna let go of his neck and his thigh in order to concentrate on mending the bite wound in Xanxus' side.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, pulling back from the wound in both pain and shame. "It was the Hunter. She hit me with--"

"You don't have to explain," Xanxus interrupted. "I dealt with her buddy about an hour ago. I was just about to go looking for you, but I had to get the shit off of me before it drove me fucking nuts. That's why--"

"It's not okay!" Tsuna cried as he jumped off the bed that he'd dragged Xanxus onto. Xanxus paused in the middle of sitting up, looking at Tsuna with the same surprise that Autumn had on her face. It was even worse with Autumn. She couldn't even look straight at him anymore. Her eyes kept darting to the wound in Xanxus' side as if she was starting to regret even knowing him. "I lost control! I've been so fucking careful, but--"

"Calm down," Xanxus ordered with a stern expression. "It's just a fucking scratch. It's not going to kill me."

"That's right," Autumn agreed, finally facing him squarely. "Something like this wouldn't stop Xanxus, so you shouldn't get upset. The bigger question is why you didn't call for backup again. You tried to face the Hunter alone. Didn't you? Or is that why you're here? Did you think Xanxus was going to take care of it for you?"

"I--" Tsuna felt himself simply stop in shock. It was the wounds. It had to be the wounds that made him hear such insane things. Even so, why the hell was Autumn talking so highly about Xanxus? Why was she even in his apartment? No, most of all, he wanted to know where the hells she got off acting like he needed anyone to deal with his problem for him. He'd just came to use the hot tub to get the silver off of himself. If Xanxus took care of one of the Hunters, then he couldn't lose by not taking care of his own. He.... He wouldn't lose to Xanxus.

"Laz?" Xanxus mumbled, reaching out to grab his arm in worry. Tsuna slapped it off, feeling as if he was ready to truly snap. Maro thankfully kept his comments to himself since all it would take would be one to set him off. Autumn was his. If he had to take care of the Hunter alone to prove that he was as worthy as Xanxus, then that would be what he would do. He already knew that he was better than Theodore, which was why the man was no threat to him. Xanxus, though.... Why hadn't he ever noticed that Xanxus was a threat before? They were almost equal in abilities, but Xanxus had more experience and self-control than he did. He had the fortitude to make even Autumn submit and the ability to take out a Hunter with only an itch resulting. He couldn't do worse than Xanxus.

"I'll be back," Tsuna mumbled softly. Heading to the door, Xanxus was on top of him when he tried to leave. His arm reached over Tsuna's shoulder, slamming the door shut before it could be opened more than a crack.

"Where the fuck are you going?" He growled.

"Xanxus!" Autumn exclaimed. "You need to lie down! Your wound is opening again!"

"Shut the fuck up," he snapped, turning his attention immediately back to Tsuna. "Where are you going?"

"I don't answer to you," he snarled. Forcibly keeping his temper under wraps, he could feel Lynx preparing to strike inside of him. "Remove your arm or I'll break it," he warned in a voice trembling with his suppressed anger.

"What the hell has you so riled up?" He asked without moving. "I know that you're pissed about the Hunters, but--"

"MOVE!" Tsuna roared. Xanxus' mouth snapped shut and he could feel Autumn's lurch from where he stood, but he refused to apologize to either of them. Xanxus still didn't move, nor did he speak, for several long seconds. Then, as if he finally figured out exactly how angry Tsuna was, he moved like he was told. Tsuna was out the door and down the hall in a flash. Wiping his face as he went, he exited out of the building and found the first opportunity that he could to get atop the roof to the neighboring building. "Jewel," he ordered through clenched teeth. "Find me that Hunter."

* * *

Tsuna snarled to himself and clenched his fist in frustration until it bled. Of all times for there to be a cloudburst, why the hell did it have to be now? Jewel had already retreated for cover, but she'd managed to give him a direction before she left. He couldn't smell anything but polluted rain and salty ocean anymore. That meant that he had to rely on his other five senses which were woefully underpowered thanks to the weather. The rain blocked his vision and washed away the trails of scent in the air. He could taste nothing but the Xanxus' blood anymore and his hearing was picking up nothing over the sound of the falling rain. His sense of touch wasn't helpful in the least, but his intuition was spurring him forward.

Getting a twist in his gut in warning, he slid to a stop on a rooftop and looked around almost frantically. She was nearby, but where? She wasn't in the open. What building was he on? A cheap apartment building. It was one of those where people paid by the week. She was inside. Which room, though? Not that one. Not that one. Shut up, bitch. You don't got anything worth peeping on. Not that one. Looking in window after window, he finally found her when he jumped over to the third window sill on the fourth floor. She saw him immediately, but he moved before she could react. Using the brickwork as hand-holds, he climbed back to the roof and waited while keeping his eye on the building's main exit.

Would she chase him? Would she run for it? It didn't matter. Either way, he pulled out his hammer and waited. No hesitation. No mercy. The stupid bitch exited out onto the roof with the intent to face him. He let her get completely out into the open and then he attacked. There were no wasting of words this time. She was there to kill him and he was there to put a stop to her. What was there to talk about?

Their strikes started taking the predictable pattern from before and Tsuna used that. When his hammer crossed with her long axe, he used the point when she drew back to his advantage. Releasing his hammer back into nothingness, he leapt while she was recoiling for another strike. She tried to hit him with the butt of her axe handle like before, but he wasn't aiming for her head this time. Instead, he took the blow with a smile while his fingers danced across her arm. It fell dead to her side after only two strikes to her pressure points.

"What the fuck did you do?" She shouted in surprise as she danced backward to put room between them. He didn't answer nor did he hesitate. It wasn't finished yet. She swung her axe at him to ward him away, but it was easily dodged since she didn't have her other hand to counter-balance the long handle. All too quickly, the axe fell out of her hand entirely as that arm also fell to her side. She started to jump away with the intent to retreat, but he showed no mercy. Grabbing her ankle, two strikes to her leg temporarily disrupted the nerve contacts and a single yank threw her back to the ground.

"Now we can talk," he sighed, once more pulling his Hammer out. She stared at him in disbelief, having only one leg with feeling left in it. Both of her arms were dead and so was her other leg. She had absolutely no way to fend him off. "As I was saying earlier, this is my Judgment. Prepare yourself."

"Your Judgment is meaningless, unholy filth," she spat.

"Only to those who have closed their eyes to the suffering of others," Tsuna murmured as he raised the Hammer high. The Justice swelled in it, making him positive that this time it would hit without mercy. The Justice wouldn't disappear in this instance. Finally.... Finally! He'd found someone who was truly guilty.

"Laz, don't--!!"

He swung without mercy and then there was nothing. There was no crash nor was there the splatter of blood and the crunch of bones. The Hammer swept through his target's head without a single impact. He was unsurprised, even though his sudden audience looked flabbergasted. True justice wasn't about satisfying bloodlust or causing as much pain as what was received. It was about giving an eye for an eye in his opinion and there was no Justice better than what he'd dealt out.

"W-What did you do to her?" Autumn asked as he reached down to give her back the usage of her arms and her leg. She was unconscious, but twitching repeatedly in her dreams.

"Laz?" Xanxus prompted beside her.

"She's reliving her crimes from her victim's eyes," he answered softly. "She will feel the same terror and fear that they did and she will see first hand what kind of pain her crimes caused."

"If that's all, then why didn't you ever use this on my brother?" Autumn asked in relief. "He'll--" Autumn broke off as the Hunter started screaming. It wasn't a scream of someone who was startled. It was the scream of someone being brutally murdered.

"He'd go insane," Tsuna replied bluntly. "Assuming he survived through having himself raped and beaten as many times as he's done it to others. Not that it matters in her case. She'll probably be dead by morning. Even if she isn't and she doesn't go insane after having herself killed repeatedly, I'm sure that she won't be capable of killing anymore. If she is, then my next Judgment won't be as Just."

"H-How could you--" Autumn mumbled in shock.

"Pretty fucking fair," Xanxus nodded in acceptance. "Don't give what you can't take. If you kill quick and clean, surviving something like that would be easy. It sounds like that bitch tried to terrorize her targets before she killed them. Gabriel wouldn't last five minutes since he didn't even kill them in the end."

"We should go," he murmured as he released his Hammer again. "Someone will investigate her screams pretty soon."

"Let's go home," Xanxus agreed.

"No," he corrected, looking up into the raining sky. "You two go ahead before Autumn catches a cold. I need to go somewhere first." Xanxus nodded in agreement and picked Autumn up to carry her across the rooftops back to the apartment. Tsuna didn't give them more than a glance, wanting to deny the look on Autumn's face when she was swept off her feet. The most telling thing that she could have done was to not argue and she didn't argue. She didn't tell him to put her down nor did she throw a fit like the one time that he'd carried her in such a fashion.

_If she thinks that Xanxus actual gives a damn about her, she's deluded_, Maro grumbled. _He's only doing it because you asked him to._

"Shut up, Maro," he replied automatically. Darting across three rooftops to put distance between him and the Hunter, he hit ground level and crossed the street like he was simply walking home. Once he was on the other side, he climbed back up to the rooftop and put several more buildings between him and the scene of the fight. Once her screams were at the edge of his hearing despite the range, he settled down into a seat, pulled out a cigarette, and started smoking while he listened. It was his duty to listen until it was over. Every one of her screams were the screams of someone who'd been hurt by her. Someone had to stop and pay heed to that suffering.

_Have you ever tried to hit yourself with your Hammer?_ Maro asked carefully.

"Yes," he replied tiredly. "The Justice Hammer disappears since no one can Judge themselves fairly."

_Are you just going to stay and listen to her scream?_

"Yes. At least until the police come and take her away."

_Do you hate Xanxus because of Autumn?_

"No. It's not his fault that she likes him."

_Then why--?_

"I got mad because of it, but Lynx was still clawing at me. I'm a little more rational right now. The fighting urge has been satisfied and I've already fed. That's one of the reasons that I'm not going back yet. I'll wait until Lynx is completely calmed down. Autumn is free to care about whoever she wants, but I've got to figure out how to keep myself from thinking that Xanxus is a rival. I knew from the start that Autumn doesn't love me, but it's a little different when I'm faced with someone she does. Theodore didn't make me react like that since he's even lower on Autumn's list than I am. But you saw her. Now that I think about it, it's the first time that I've ever seen the two of them alone together. Maybe Autumn's felt this way all along or maybe I'm just over thinking it. I don't know and _that's _the problem."

_You can't control Lynx if you don't understand why he's going berserk, _Maro supplied in understanding_. Without them two in front of you, it's easier to think._

"Right," he confirmed.

_I just don't see what there is to think about. You said from the beginning that you were fine as long as she accepted your feelings. She's not rejecting them just because of Xanxus--_

"--But she's not seeing me for me," Tsuna replied in frustration. "I noticed it before, but it's a lot more clear now that I see that she's compared me to Xanxus and I came up the loser. She has no faith in me and she doesn't see anything of potential in me. I'm still just a fucking psycho idiot to her. I don't like that! If she's going to accept my feelings without returning them, I want her to open her eyes at the very least! How can she really be accepting my feelings if I'm just a screwed-up nobody to her?!"

_Because she's your friend, _Maro replied gently_. She knows your faults a lot more than she knows your strengths. Xanxus never shows his weaknesses outside of his anger, so she isn't really seeing all of him, either. And it's not much different than how you feel about Xanxus. You've been accepting that he has feelings for you, but you can't return them. Autumn's actions seem no different._

"You want to know the fucked up part?" Tsuna said miserably. "There was this little part of me that was happy when Xanxus told her to shut up."

_He loves us, _Maro murmured_. Not just me, but both of us._

"He's not a bad guy, but I just... I want Autumn to love me," he admitted with tears bursting free in an instant. "Why won't she love me, Maro?"

_Just give it time, _he sighed._ I knew that you were lying to yourself about being happy. Keep in mind that Xanxus won't betray you and give Autumn time. She can't stay blind forever._


	84. Chapter 84 Sleep Interrupted

Author's note: Notes will be up soon. For those of you who don't read the notes, please be aware that I'm taking scene requests. You can request as much as you want, but be aware that I need something vague enough that I can work with it. Request as much as you want until the next chapter is uploaded. Thank you and please come again. ^^

* * *

Xanxus quietly watched Tsuna sleep for a long moment while being careful not to disturb the curtains around his bed. He was acting strange lately. His Lazarus side was hiding something that his Maro side had refused to talk about. It was screwed up and he didn't like it. Why was Maro suddenly taking Laz's side? Laz being so understanding toward Maro was just as screwed up. The two constantly seemed to fight with each other, but Xanxus could tell that they were quickly becoming an unstoppable team. How easily he'd lied to the cops about his bike and created an alibi for the two Hunter's murders wasn't Laz's ability showing through. It was Maro's.

He didn't like it. He knew that he was being a greedy bastard, but he didn't give a flying fuck. He wanted Maro to love him and he wanted Laz to love him. He wanted them to love him separately so that they'd never agree to go get themselves fixed. If Tsuna got fixed, Xanxus would have to share him again and that wasn't anywhere in his plans. This whole teamwork business was interfering with that, but he couldn't bring himself to sabotage it. Above even his greed, he wanted to see Tsuna at his strongest again. The glow from Tsuna, no matter which personality was in control, was still much weaker than when he'd been whole. The Tsuna in front of him could have never defeated him. He had the determination, but not the power.

"My prey," Tsuna mumbled with a smile in his sleep. Xanxus grimaced and took it as the cue to leave before his scent made Tsuna hungry enough to wake up. He had work to do, although it wasn't anything that he wanted Tsuna to know about.

"Cici," he whispered under his breath. "Guard mode." Cici beeped twice from her new charging unit on the kitchen counter. At the moment, she was in standby but Guard mode would automatically active her if she sensed anything on the motion detectors.

Cici was the cause of his current problems. Keeping her upgraded wasn't cheap. He refused to say anything to Tsuna, but his cash flow was starting to run dry. Cici's latest game wasn't selling and money wasn't an unlimited resource. He'd bought the apartment building that they were living in, plus he was covering all the expenses. He didn't think Tsuna noticed, but he was also still paying for Ginger's room at the Dojo and he didn't plan to stop since it was one way he could give something to Tsuna. He'd helped buy the bakery and all the supplies needed to make it operational. On top of all that, he also had his own expenses and he had to have money on hand in case Laz might actually let him take him to lunch or buy him a gift.

He'd had several million to play with, but it was getting consumed faster than his interest could pile up. He'd been throwing his money around and now he was paying the price for it. It wasn't his style to start saving and spending more thriftily, so that meant that he had to feed the beast. His pride wouldn't allow him to ask for help nor to admit that he'd already spent half of his savings, but it would allow him to work. He only had one set of skills that could possibly be used to make him large sums of money quickly and only one man who had the balls and money to hire him.

"You're late," Ginger growled when he arrived at the alley by the Peephole.

"I'm not on anyone's fucking schedule," he growled back.

"Were you peeping on Laz again?" Ginger asked with a knowing grin pulling along his jaw.

"Mind your own damn business," he grumbled, lashing out with a kick at the tanuki in frustration. "Is fat-ass here?"

"Autumn came instead," Ginger confirmed with a nod. "Maybe we should stop doing this, Xanxus. You know Laz wouldn't be happy if he found out."

"I didn't ask for your fucking opinion," he said in warning. Ginger whined softly at the scolding and flattened his ears down against his head, but he knew better than to argue. Xanxus hated arrogant bitches like Autumn and he could feel a migraine building just at the mention of the Martelli heir. Arrogance and cockiness was the right of the strong. Having a weak little puppet like Autumn trying to act like she was tough shit just got on his nerves.

But even those that got on his nerves could still be used.

The inside of the Peephole was how it always was. It was nearly empty and quiet. Other than Autumn, there were only two other customers and he recognized them both. One was a gun dealer who supplied weapons to most of the city's underground. The other was a hitman like himself who was privately employed by something called the Caeculus Foundation. Neither one was stupid enough to stretch their ears. They were both in the bar simply to drink and relax in semi-solitude.

Ignoring where Autumn was stupidly sitting at the bar with her back exposed, he went to take his normal seat in the corner of the room while Ginger ordered their drinks. Of course, it was Autumn who actually brought him his own drink while Ginger drank at the bar so that he could have a quiet conversation with the barkeep.

"Ginger looks like he's settled in nicely," Autumn commented as she sat down across from him. Xanxus accepted the glass of V Special that was slid across the table to him, but he neither smiled nor made amusing conversation. He simply glared in hopes that she'd tell him who to kill and then leave him the fuck alone. "I... um... Poppet told me something kind of funny earlier. She said that you and Laz were living together."

"Your point?" He asked with a frank lack of interest. She didn't seem to get it. She continued to slowly drag a finger across the rim of her glass while trying to pretend that he actually wanted to talk to her.

"I didn't know that you and he were an item," she murmured.

"We're not," he replied with a slow grin. He understood now. He really did. The Martelli bitch wanted Laz, but was unsure of which way to step since Laz was living with him. The bitch was too easy to read. She had all the signs of being attracted to someone and trying hard to cover it. She'd already blown her cover by showing interest in his home life, though. "It's just an arrangement that's good for both of us. Laz isn't interested in me."

"O-Oh," she mumbled with a bright blush. "So that's all it is. I thought maybe you--"

"Cut the bullshit," he interrupted tiredly. "Do you have something for me or not?"

"I do," she replied hesitantly. "This one is double than the last, but there's twice the work."

"None of these are work," he corrected in boredom as she dug an envelope out of her purse. "It'd be work if I actually broke a fucking sweat."

"This should be a little more challenging for you," she murmured, pushing the envelope across the table. "The first is the same thing you've done for us in the past, but getting to him won't be as easy as usual since we need stealth this time. The other is someone we just need information on." Curious at the strange additional request, he opened the envelop to see what his prizes were. The first was someone he didn't recognize with an address on the back. The other, however, was someone who was all too familiar.

"Why do you want to know about him?" He asked, flicking the second picture back at her. Sinking down in his chair, he absently drank while he waited on the answer.

"We've kept it under wraps, but he attacked Barbus two days ago," she said softly. "He managed to get away, but he's in ICU. They're not going easy on us anymore and we need to know what we're up against. I won't ask you to get in the middle of it, but you can at least give us information. He damn near sliced Barbus' arm off to get his ring."

"Did he get it?" Xanxus asked curiously.

"No," she replied with a serious look on her face. He felt his estimation of her go up a fraction of a notch. Even though she'd been blushing over Laz a few minutes ago, she was all business now. "Barbus is good at getting people to have Mercy on him and we've already got another plan in action to protect the rings. Vongola won't get their hands on them, even if they defeat every single one of us. They don't know that, though, and it doesn't do anything to protect the Family from injury. No matter how small the detail, anything you tell us would be helpful."

"Yamamoto," he murmured while he gazed at his drink. "His name is Yamamoto Takeshi. He's was the Tenth's Rain Guardian before the Eleventh came to power. He's supposed to be retired, but I guess Hotaru is pulling out the stops. If he pulls from hitman stock that no one is expecting to work, then no one will know about what he's doing."

"Any weaknesses?" Autumn asked curiously.

"None that I can think of," he answered with a dark gleam in his eyes. "You already know everything I could possibly tell you, so why don't you skip this bullshit? Isn't that why Don Martelli didn't come himself? He already knows everything I could say from Pink."

"I figured as much," Autumn shrugged in confirmation. "But Daddy thought you might have something more to add to his profile."

"Don't think that you can beat him," he replied bluntly. "He looks like a fucking goofball, but I've yet to see him smile."

"That can't be right," she mumbled, looking at the picture on the table. "I was told that he always smiles. See? He's even smiling in the pic--"

"Do you think that's a smile?" Xanxus asked coldly. "Open your fucking eyes. Yamamoto is known best for putting people at ease since he seems so damn laid back. He attracts friends like moldy bread attracts flies, but under that poker face is a true hitman. I'd rank him third in the Tenth's Guardians. The one I'd list above him is currently working with the Assassination Squad, so don't think that he's someone you can fuck around with. If he's been sent, the Martelli's days are numbered."

"Who would you list as the top?" Autumn inquired curiously.

"Hmph," he mumbled with a small grin to himself. "I list them in the order that I'd kill them. If you want the top of my list from the Tenth's era, then there's only one that there could be. But that bastard is behind twenty-six layers of Vendiche security right now and even I would have trouble getting to him."

"W-Who needs that much restraint...?"

"Mukuro," he growled. The name sent a spasm of rage through him, causing him to clench his hand around his glass until it shattered. He couldn't begin to enumerate the ways that he wanted to kill that bastard. It'd been bad enough when Tsuna was the Tenth and Mukuro butted in, but Mukuro had gotten to Laz first. That bastard had known that Tsuna was alive and he'd kept him to himself. Of course, Xanxus wasn't doing any different, but that was beside the point. The point was the Mukuro wouldn't be forgiven for having even a moment with Laz.

"X-Xanxus...?" Autumn gasped with wide eyes.

"Have the money ready by tomorrow," he ordered, discarding the broken glass on the table without bothering to look at it. Picking up the picture of his target, he stood and traded only a nod with the bartender to pass his agreement to pay for his drink and the glass. The bartender was a man of experience and a good judge of people. Questions like 'when' and yells of 'you bought it since you broke it' were unnecessary. They both knew that it'd be paid for when he paid up his tab and it went without saying that he'd pay for the glass at that time, too.

Silent understandings made life so much easier.

"How long do you think this will take?" Ginger asked once they were back in the alley.

"Twenty minutes," he answered. "I want to get back before Laz gets up."

"Doesn't he get up at dawn?" Ginger replied as he dropped to all fours to walk less conspicuously.

"He usually does, but he's been touchy lately," Xanxus murmured. "He's starting to get used to having less sleep at night because of Maro. Since he went to bed early without letting Maro out last night, he'll probably be up in an hour or two."

"Then why only twenty minutes?" The tanuki asked. Then he winced as the answer came to him without having to be told. "Smell. You got to make sure that you've got all the strange smells off of you so Laz doesn't catch on."

"He'd be pissed if he knew I was still working for the Martelli Family, just like you said," Xanxus confirmed unhappily. "But I don't have a fucking choice right now. Laz isn't to the stage where he needs me and I need to stock up as much cash as I can so that I can cut them loose once he does. Besides, I want to keep an eye on that Gabriel bastard. He's been too quiet."

"On top of that, the Martelli Family run this city," Ginger murmured softly. "If you get on their bad side while they're still in power, even you won't be able to live quietly with Laz any more."

"I'm not doing this because of that," he corrected in a warning growl. "They don't have anyone that they can throw at me. I--"

"What about Laz?" Ginger whimpered sadly. "You don't have to hide things from me, Xanxus. I'm smart enough to figure it out on my own. You're working for them so that Laz doesn't get put in the middle of things. If you gave the Martelli Family reason to turn on you, Laz is probably the one that they'd send to take care of you. They've got enough blackmail on him to make him do it, too."

"Quiet," Xanxus ordered, completely sidestepping the topic at hand. "Don't talk about that shit in the open. You heard the bitch. Yamamoto is in town. If my intuition is correct, he's only the diversion. Failing a mission isn't his style, which means that retrieval of the ring wasn't his assignment. He was just supposed to attract fucking attention."

"Spies?" Ginger asked in surprise.

"If you know, keep your trap shut," he growled. "We don't want to be caught in the middle of shit, either."

* * *

"Ummm...." Tsuna mumbled with an embarrassed blush while he firmly held his shirt down to his thighs. Xanxus blinked, completely disbelieving his eyes. All he could do was gape with his arm still holding up his coat to put it on the hangar by the door. "Where's the bathroom, sensei?" Tsuna asked with an even brighter blush while he danced in place. "I gotta go real bad, but I don't know the layout of this onsen yet and Dad said that it's bad to go in the water."

"O-Onsen?" Xanxus repeated as the door slowly shut behind him.

"Please, sensei?" He asked with a pair of innocent eyes. "Can you just point which way it is? I'm about to go in my pajamas." Xanxus simply stared for a long moment while he continued to dance in place with his face growing more red by the moment. He didn't seem like he was acting, which made the blue glow coming off of him even more disturbing. His glow was orange and purple when he was Laz and it was orange and indigo with Maro. When he got hungry, horny, or bloodthirsty, his glow was spiked with yellow and red. Blue was a completely new color. "_Sensei!"_

"Over there," he answered, startled into a reaction despite his normal ability to deal with anything. Tsuna scurried in the direction of the door that Xanxus pointed at with an honest need to reach it quickly. Xanxus was grateful for the exit. It gave him a moment to think while Tsuna was behind a closed door.

He came up completely blank.

Fumbling for his phone, he dialed the only number that he could think of while he started cursing under his breathe.

"'ello...?" Gigi grumbled tiredly once she answered.

"Gigi!" He gasped.

"Excali... uh... Xanxus...?" Gigi asked in a half-awake voice. "What time is it?"

"Fuck what time it is!" He hissed quietly so that he wouldn't be overheard by the dangerous creature in the bathroom. "Did Laz ever say anything about having more personalities?"

"Other than Maro?" She asked with a yawn. "I think so. He said something about five including himself, but the others are supposedly passive types. Why? Did something happen?"

"I just got home and he's calling me sensei," he growled. "His aura is all fucked up, he didn't know where the bathroom was, and he's acting like he's twelve. What the fuck do you think?!"

"Oh god," she gasped. "Are you serious? I'll be over there in five minutes."

"Sensei?" Tsuna asked as he poked his head out the bathroom door. He looked ready to cry, which only had the effect of making Xanxus freeze in place. "I... I had an accident," he pouted with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh my god," he heard Gigi gasp through the cell phone. "I'm on my way, Xanxus! Just hold out until I get there!"

"Sensei...?" Tsuna sniffed with his face crumpling completely.

"Uh... D-Don't cry," he mumbled with his eye twitching at the sound of a very unhelpful dial tone. Flipping his phone closed, he shoved it in his pocket and looked around for anything that might help. "We... ah... We can fix that. What kind of accident was it? Did you drop the toilet paper or--" Xanxus broke off when he realized how red Tsuna's face was getting. "You pissed on yourself," he gaped in disbelief.

"It was an accident!" He wailed with his tears bursting free.

"It's fine!" He spluttered hurriedly while he gestured for him to calm down. "We can deal with it! Just... Just... STOP FUCKING CRYING!" Tsuna stopped crying so fast that he hiccupped. Xanxus thought that he was in the clear, but he started crying even harder after a mere second.

"Sensei is scary!"

"I'm sorry," he blurted dishonestly. "Just calm down. Uh, you want a sucker? Shit, I don't have any suckers. How about some... uh.... How about some ice cream?! You like ice cream. Right?!"

"Ice cream?" He asked as his tears started to slow. He sniffed, rubbing his eyes while Xanxus continued to wonder why the hell a passive personality had decided to come out. "But what about my accident?"

"We'll fix it," he repeated. "Just... ah... take off whatever you pissed on and throw it in the hamper. Are you old enough to take a bath by yourself?"

"Yes!" He answered with a petulant expression. "I'm not a baby, sensei! I'm grown up! I'm already ten!"

"T-Ten," he repeated, filing the information away for later use. "A-Alright. You're grown up, so take a bath and I'll get you a change of clothes."

"Okay," he agreed with a smile. "Do I still get ice cream?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Can I put bubbles in the bath?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, sure."

Tsuna was instantly happy, running back into the bathroom with an excited smile on his face. Once he was gone, Xanxus felt like his legs were going to give out while he wobbled toward Lazarus' dresser to find a pair of clothes for him. He wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but he wasn't being given any time for that. Even as he found a spare t-shirt and underwear, a loud crash sounded from the bathroom and was followed by the sound of his wails again.

Running inside proved to be a mistake. Tsuna had somehow managed to fall into the bathtub with his underwear hanging off of his foot. He froze at the sight of Xanxus, only to turn red from his hair to his toes. With a loud scream, he scrambled in place until he was sitting huddled up with his back to the door.

"Did you see?" He asked with tears welling up for a second time. Xanxus took a deep breath and swallowed hard before answering. Was it a trick question? Of course he'd seen. It was hard not to when Tsuna's legs had been spread out over his head. He seemed easily embarrassed, though, so honesty definitely wasn't the right way to go on this one.

"N-No," he lied sheepishly, reaching out to throw a towel at him. "I heard a crash. Are you okay?"

"I tripped," he pouted, making Xanxus look around in curiosity. The floor was empty.

"On what?" He asked bluntly in confusion. Wrong question. He knew instantly because Tsuna looked ready to cry again. Thankfully, the sound of the doorbell frantically going off saved him. "Take your bath," he ordered as he rushed out of the bathroom. "I'll get the door."

He ran. Never in his life had felt so frantic. He wasn't a guy who got along with kids. Dealing with Tsuna while he thought he was ten was a nightmare.

"Please be Gigi," he mumbled to himself. He immediately wanted to smack himself for the statement. He was better in a crisis than this! Just because it was Tsuna acting wonky shouldn't change anything! Even so, he couldn't help the feeling of relief that he got when Gigi flew through the door as soon as he opened it. It took Xanxus a moment to recognize him since he was undeniably a 'he' for once. His tits and wig were missing, plus he was wearing a t-shirt and pants that had to be his boyfriend's from the complete lack of feminine qualities.

"Where is he?" He gasped.

"He's--" Xanxus froze beside Gigi. He'd been intending to point to the bathroom, but Tsuna wasn't in the bathroom anymore. He was standing next to the hot tub with only a towel wrapped around his waist and several bottles in his hands.

"I couldn't figure out which one was the bubbles, sensei," he mumbled with his head bowed. "Is it okay if I use the liquid soap to make them like my mom does?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered in what was starting to feel like habit.

"Are you sure that I won't get in trouble by making bubbles in the hot spring, sensei?" He asked, biting his bottom lip in worry.

"Hot spring?" Gigi repeated in askance. Wrong question. Tsuna tried to point out the 'hot spring' by pointing at the hot tub inset into the floor and dropped half of the bottles that he was holding. Then he tried to save the bottles, which threw him off balance. Finally, he slipped and fell straight into the hot tub with half of the water splashing over the sides. Xanxus simply stared in disbelief yet again while Gigi choked on laughter. He didn't find it the least bit funny, though. No one was that clumsy, yet he'd just witnessed it. Even worse, he was acting like he was drowning, even though he could stand up in the water.

Already growing used to it, Xanxus was unsurprised this time. Walking forward, he sighed in resignation, reached into the hot tub, and pulled the brat out. He was just as unsurprised when Tsuna started bawling into his shirt.

"I was so scared!" He wailed. "I don't like this onsen! The water is too deep!"

"Why don't we get you dressed?" Gigi interjected gently while Tsuna was busy blowing his nose with Xanxus' shirt. "I'm not sure why you were wanting to take a bath, but you look clean enough to me now. You don't want to catch a cold. Do you?"

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked, clutching onto Xanxus shirt even more tightly while he peered at Gigi like he was a complete stranger.

"I... I'm Gigi," he answered carefully.

"You're not in my class," he mumbled before looking up at Xanxus. "Is he a new transfer student, sensei?"

"I'm not your sensei," he decided to clarify. The reaction wasn't what he expected. Considering how easily he got upset, he figured that Tsuna would lurch away and become frantic. Instead, he twitched slightly and his face went blank.

"O-Oh," he mumbled with wide eyes. "This isn't a field trip?"

"No," Xanxus confirmed while Tsuna got a thoughtful look on his face.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, tapping himself on the head to jumpstart his thinking. "Now I remember!"

"You do?" Gigi asked carefully.

"This is a sleep over!" He blurted, looking up at Xanxus with a wide smile. "I'm so silly! I got you mixed up with Sensei! I remember now! You're one of Dad's friends!"

"Eh?" Xanxus gaped.

"Aren't you related to my Dad's boss?" Tsuna asked with an innocent look on his face. "I met him once a long, long time ago. I got really sleepy when he came to visit, but you've got his eyes."

"I.... what...?" Xanxus asked, feeling as if he'd just been thrown over a cliff.

"You have his eyes," he repeated with a bright smile. "I can't seem to remember your name, though. My name is Tsuna."

"O-Okay," he answered, still feeling as if he had nothing under him. "I'm Xanxus."

"Can I call you Xan-chan?" He asked in excitement. "You can call me Tsu-chan if you want! We can be best friends! Is that okay? I'm not very good at doing stuff, but I'll try hard! I promise! I.... I.... No one wants to be my friend," he added with tears welling up in his eyes again. "They all say that I'm No-Good because I mess up a lot. I don't mean to, but I have bad luck. I'm... I...."

"We'll be your friends," Gigi interjected when Tsuna started softly crying again. Xanxus traded looks with him, completely unsure of what to do in this situation. It was a side of Tsuna that he'd never seen before. He'd known from scouting reports that Tsuna had been both unpopular and weak in his younger years, but to be confronted with such a crybaby left him flummoxed. Xanxus had always had his subordinates who were attracted to his power, but Tsuna acted like he'd never had a single person pay attention to him in his life. Was this what he'd been like before Reborn had gotten ahold of him?

"R-Really?" He sniffed, looking up at Gigi with a gleam of hope in his eyes. "Do you know my Dad, too, Gi-chin?"

"No," he admitted slowly. "I'm a friend of Xanxus, though. Is that good enough? I'd like to be your friend, too."

"Really?" He asked again as if he didn't believe his ears. "You'll really be my friend?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Xanxus can be your first friend and I'll be your second."

"Really, really?!" He asked a third time with a set of sparkling eyes darting up to look at Xanxus again.

"Sure," Xanxus confirmed with a faltering smile. The smile didn't last long. He felt like he was going insane when Tsuna started crying again. "What is it this time?"

"I'm so happy," he cried into his shirt. "This is the best sleep-over ever. I made friends."

"Friends...." Xanxus repeated slowly. "Right...."

"Let me help you get dressed," Gigi offered again with another care-free smile. "There's a lot to do tomorrow, so you should probably lay down and get some sleep. You--"

"I don't want to go to sleep," he interjected as he rubbed his reddened eyes. "Can't we stay up and play some games? It wouldn't be a sleep-over without games and Xan-chan said we could have ice cream."

"I see," Gigi mumbled, sending a glare straight at Xanxus. "I'll go fix the ice cream. Xanxus, get him dressed before he gets sick."

"Come on, brat," he grumbled as he yanked Tsuna to his feet. He could see that Gigi had some idea in mind. If nothing else, satisfying him and getting him back to sleep would give them a chance to talk without being overheard. It went without saying that they shouldn't correct Tsuna in his delusions until they could talk to someone that knew what to do. This particular Tsuna seemed to be purposely oblivious. No matter what he was faced with, he explained it in a way that he could accept. For things that didn't fit into the picture, like his tattoos, he acted like he didn't see them at all.

Playing along was their only option at the moment.

Tsuna didn't let go of him for more than a few seconds while Xanxus helped him get a long shirt on, although he did make Xanxus turn his back when he put a fresh set of underwear on. He didn't let go as Xanxus led him back to his bed and he didn't seem to want to let go even when Gigi handed him his bowl of ice cream as promised. Being held onto constantly was annoying rather than something he enjoyed. He liked the headstrong and willful Tsuna better than this dependant brat. In truth, the more he tripped on his own feet and fumbled, the more that Xanxus wanted to slap some hand-eye coordination into him. The only thing that stopped him from fingering his guns was the sweet smile that Tsuna constantly hit him with.

"What kind of game do you want to play?" Tsuna asked shyly once his pathetically small bowl of ice cream was set aside. "I've... ah... I've never been to a sleep-over before."

"I'm too tired for games," Gigi lied hesitantly. "Why don't we just go to sleep and save games for tomorrow?"

"Oh," he mumbled in disappointment. "Okay. G-Good night, then, Gi-chin, Xan-chan."

"Good night," Gigi replied in relief. Xanxus hid his matching relief when Tsuna laid his head down and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders. Trading matching glances, Xanxus silently agreed that they should go to the other side of the room to talk. There was a problem when he tried to stand, though. Tsuna was still holding onto his damn shirt.

"Can I go with you?" He mumbled. "It'll be scary if I'm here by myself."

"Go ahead, Xanxus," Gigi whispered. "I'm going to make some coffee."

Not wanting to upset Tsuna, Xanxus nodded in agreement and sat back onto the bed. He felt like hitting his head up against a brick wall when Tsuna took it as permission to cuddle against his side and use his leg as a pillow. The brat was far too trusting. It was strangely satisfying to be trusted at first glance, though. He would have mocked anyone else who might have trusted him so easily, but it felt marginally good to have that trust from Tsuna. For once, it felt like Tsuna actually wanted him where their usual interactions felt more like a negotiated trade agreement.

Slowly, Tsuna's eyes flickered closed and his grip on Xanxus' shirt loosened. Xanxus absently brushed his hair with his fingers to help soothe him to sleep. The faster that he fell asleep, the sooner that he and Gigi could talk so they could figure out the cause of this. He kept a close eye on Tsuna's aura during that time. Using the physical contact with him to get past his barriers, Xanxus aided in making him pass out by carefully vamping his energy to make him more tired. It was strange. The 'taste' of Tsuna was completely different while it was blue. It was sweeter and a more innocent taste, one that reminded him of wild honey and honeysuckle flowers. More than anything, though, he tasted like chicken.

"He's asleep," Xanxus sighed in relief as the blue faded out of his aura almost completely. The purple, indigo, and orange took over again, swirling around him with spikes of green and occasional glints of yellow and red. The blue was still there, but it surfaced so infrequently that he could barely see it. "He's back to normal."

"Thought so," Gigi murmured, pausing in his coffee preparations in relief. "Do I want to ask what happened to bring him out?"

"No fucking clue," he answered. Prying Tsuna's hand off of his shirt, he finally got up and shut the curtains around his bed so that he could sleep soundly. Not that he had enough energy to wake any time soon, but there was no sense in taking chances. "I got home and he was already like that. The first thing he asked was for the bathroom, so I'm guessing that it's what woke him up."

"He had to go bathroom while he was asleep and the kid personality is the one that answered the call?" Gigi asked in curiosity. "Laz looked twice as tired as usual lately, so I'd believe it. Laz probably just rolled over and went back to sleep even though he had to go, so that left an opening for one of the others to step in. This one was a lot more..."

"Innocent than the others," Xanxus supplied in resignation. Walking over, he threw himself on the couch and waited for Gigi to bring him a cup of coffee. As far as long nights went, this had to be one of the longest. He'd already went four nights without sleep. He knew that one more would be pushing it. It was one of the differences between himself and Tsuna. He'd already learned that his body was far more efficient in using the energy that he took in than Tsuna was. Where Tsuna was pushing it at two nights without sleep when he was fully fed, Xanxus could manage twice that without feeding and even longer if he had a meal. "He said he was ten, so it's not surprising that he was that way."

"This is starting to make sense to me," Gigi commented as he invited himself to a seat on the couch next to him. "I was worrying a little since Laz said before that there were more personalities that we hadn't seen. It makes sense as to why we haven't seen them, though. Maro and Laz get the conscious part of his mind. With how Laz acts some times, the werewolf part of him has control of his subconscious. That leaves the baby-boy, I think Laz called him Chibi, and the other one we haven't seen to get his unconscious mind. In other words, they get him while he's asleep. They've probably been taking control a lot, but we don't normally see them since they only affect his dreams."

"It makes sense," Xanxus agreed around a sip of bitter coffee. It tasted like shit, but he had to admit that it woke him up. "It explains the green surges in his aura at night, but the blue was new. It caught me off guard."

"Well," she murmured in thought. "We don't know what the other personality is like. Since Chibi is so child-like, it's possible that he's usually too scared to come out. We should ask Laz--"

"No," Xanxus snapped hard enough to make Gigi lurch in place. "Laz can't fucking know about this."

"Why not?" Gigi asked so innocently that Xanxus had to glare at him due to the obviousness of the answer.

"Do you want to be the one to tell him that he pissed his pants and fell into the hot tub?"

"Oh. Um... No. You're right. Tonight never happened."

"Agreed. So help me get his clothes cleaned and this messed picked up before he wakes up."

* * *

"Xanxus...?" Tsuna mumbled tiredly over his breakfast while Veronica finished organizing his schedule for the day. "Did I sleepwalk last night?"

"Why?" Xanxus asked, freezing over his own breakfast in worry. Had he forgotten to fix something?

"No reason, really," he yawned. "I just feel like I hardly slept at all and I had this really weird dream that I.... Never mind," he mumbled, shaking his head to try to wake himself up more. "I need to stop drinking before bed." Xanxus grunted noncommittally in agreement and bowed his head over his food. So far, so good. If he could just last until Tsuna went to work, he'd be in the clear. The last thing that he wanted to do was tell him that another personality came out. If he did, he might start taking his pills again. If that happened, he wouldn't get time with Maro as often.

"You don't look so good, Boss," Veronica replied worriedly. Xanxus grimaced to himself at the mention. Tsuna did look like he'd been through hell. There were bags under his eyes from repeatedly giving up half of his nights to Maro, red eyes from crying half the night, and he looked pale from working too much. Even when he went out lately, it seemed like he didn't get much relaxation or enjoyment out of it. "Why don't you stay in for today?" She suggested with her hand pressed up against Tsuna's forehead. "You don't have a fever, but you feel kind of clammy. You only have three appointments today and there isn't any paperwork that can't wait. You've been going non-stop since Valentine's day, so why don't you take today off?"

"I thought it was my job to decide when people got a day off," he grumbled half-heartedly.

"It is," she replied. "But it's my job to make sure that you're taken care of. If you won't take the day off, will you at least telecommute today? I can bring your paperwork here and Gigi can relay your orders with just a phone call."

"Alright," he agreed with another yawn. "Reschedule my appointments for this afternoon and I'll take half of the day off. I'd argue more, but I feel like I'd probably fall asleep on my way to work. Just tell everyone that I had to take a trip into the suburbs to take care of some business."

"I'll take care of it," she promised with a wide smile. "You just finish eating and get some rest. I'll have everything ready for you this afternoon."

"Thanks Veronica," he murmured around the final bites of the meal Veronica had brought him. She left in a pleased flourish, made overwhelmingly happy by the simple gratitude in Tsuna's voice. It was a gratitude that Xanxus couldn't match since it would be more likely for Tsuna to realize that something had happen if he didn't disconnect himself with the apartment for even a short while. It should be okay, though, Xanxus reminded himself. Tsuna was wearing his original clothes that he'd pissed on, although they'd been washed and dried before being dressed on him again. The water in the hot tub had been replaced and what had been splashed onto the floor had been dried up. There was nothing to clue Tsuna in on the incident as long as both he and Gigi kept their mouths shut. "Are you watching this?" Tsuna asked, pointing at where the morning news was coming on.

"No, you can--"

"Ahh!" Tsuna suddenly exclaimed. Once more Xanxus froze, although he had even more reason to this time. Rather than changing the channel, Tsuna turned up the volume to hear the report on a dead man that Xanxus recognized far too well.

"An unidentified male was found dead this morning," the reporters said. "Homemade explosives as well as blueprints of six of the city's government offices were found with the body, suggesting that he was connected with the White Earth terrorist group. Early reports have been unable to determine that cause of death and police have requested help in identifying the victim. If you have any information about the man shown, please call the city police at the number below."

"What are you doing?" Xanxus asked when Tsuna went to the coat rack next to the door to grab his cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

"What does it look like?" He asked. "I'm calling the number."

"You know him?" Xanxus asked with the blood draining from his face.

"Yup," he nodded. "That's Caleb. He used to be a bum like me. I used to collect cans when I went dumpster diving and he'd keep an eye out for things that could be salvaged. We traded for a long time doing that. If I remember right, Caleb is the one that found the lighter that I gave to Snicker for his birthday. I thought he was already dead, though--" Tsuna broke off at the sound of a knock at the door. Xanxus flinched, but he opened it without thinking twice. Then Xanxus flinched even harder at the sight of a black-and-white standing on the other side.

"Lazarus?"

"Demetri!" Tsuna identified. "I was just about to call you. That guy on the television that got murdered--"

"I thought so," he grimaced. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Tsuna nodded, stepping back to let the cop in without even looking in Xanxus' direction. This wasn't Xanxus' first party, though. He knew how to keep himself from blowing his cover. Finishing off his breakfast, he busied himself with putting up the dishes and making the pig some coffee.

"I'll be blunt," Demetri sighed once the two of them were comfortably seated on the couch. "The reason that I'm here is because we asked around and found a connection. All of our leads have said the same thing. They haven't seen him in years, but the last time they remembered seeing him was with you."

"I haven't seen him in years, either!" Tsuna exclaimed. "The last time I saw him was back when we were both still bums. I used to collect cans for him when I went dumpster diving."

"Well?" He prompted, pulling out a notebook in case Tsuna said anything of worth. "What can you tell me about him? I wasn't able to get anything else off of anyone. No one even knew his name."

"Caleb," Tsuna answered with an expression that suggested that his thoughts were completely scattered. "I never knew his last name, but that sketch is definitely of Caleb. He never talked much, but he mentioned that he had a daughter once. She died of... um... um... shit, what was it? It was some kind of lung disease, but it wasn't cancer. I can't believe that he was a terrorist. He always seemed like a nice guy. He was really prideful since he refused to beg for money, but he'd accept empty cans. We used to trade. I'd give him what cans I collected and he'd give me good salvage that he found. That was years ago, though. We looked for him when he went missing, but most of us thought that he either died or jumped on a train to another city. Dead bums don't usually get their picture on the news, you know."

"I know," Demetri nodded.

"Was he really a terrorist?" Tsuna asked as Xanxus brought the fresh coffee into the sitting area. Setting the cop's coffee down in front of him, he quietly tucked himself into a chair and openly listened as if he had nothing to hide. "I just can't believe it, Demetri. Caleb didn't seem like the type who could hurt anyone."

"We're still investigating," he replied. "It doesn't look good, though. From what we can tell, he was working on making a bomb big enough to wipe out city hall. He'd stocked up enough food in his basement to last for another three months and only came out long enough to throw his trash into a dumpster. Even the neighbors thought that he was a harmless recluse, although they did mention that he got visitors at a scheduled interval. We're still trying to track down those visitors and the owner of the house he'd been living in, but it looks like his companions have already went to ground. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the neighbor noticing that one of his windows were open when he never opened them, we probably wouldn't have known about it until long after someone had collected the bomb he'd been working on."

"I still can't believe it," Tsuna mumbled with a shake of his head. "What would make him do something like that?"

"It's my job to figure that part out, Laz," Demetri admonished gently. "I'll tell you this much, though, since I don't think you're lying to me. Keep your head down and leave figuring it out to me. I know that you can take care of yourself, but the White Earth aren't people that you want to get involved with. They're not your copy-cat terrorist group. They're the real thing and you've got money now. They might try to recruit you if they realize that you knew one of their members. If Caleb could be turned to their cause, they might think they can turn you, too. They're bad for your reputation from both sides, Laz. Trust me on this. If one of them tries to contact you, you need to report it immediately. I--"

"Thanks, Demetri, but you don't have to give me that kind of advice," Tsuna interrupted with a soft smile. "I know better than you do about who I should be friends with. Caleb was a good guy when I met him, but I know that people can change. Just because Caleb was once my friend doesn't mean that I'd still have considered him one if I'd met him again before he died. Just do me a favor and let me know if you figure out who murdered him. More than anything, I'm more curious in what type of person kills a man and then leaves a bomb behind."

"I'll let you know if we find anything," he promised as he stood with the intent to leave. "Let me know if you remember anything else about him. Sometimes the smallest detail is the biggest lead." Tsuna nodded and walked Demetri to the door while the man belatedly took down Tsuna's alibi for the night. Xanxus got a bad feeling in his gut with how quiet Tsuna got after he was gone. He didn't move away from the closed door and Xanxus got the impression that he was listening again.

"Xanxus," Tsuna murmured after several silent minutes. "Who wanted Caleb dead?"

"How should I--"

"Xanxus!" He snapped. "Don't try to hide things from me. It's a simple question, so just answer it. Who wanted Caleb dead?" Xanxus felt his eye twitch, but there was nothing to be done. He hadn't known that his target was someone that Tsuna knew and Maro knew Xanxus well enough to clue Tsuna in on the reason for his quiet. Without a single word being spoken aloud, Tsuna knew everything. Lying about it would only create even more distance between them.

"The Martelli bitch," he answered.

"Was he really a terrorist?" Tsuna asked in a tight voice.

"I didn't plant anything," Xanxus said carefully. "All I got was a face and an address."

"I see," Tsuna replied. "I guess it couldn't be helped, then. The city has one less terrorist hiding in it now. A-Autumn believed that you could get the job done and you did. It's messed up that Caleb turned into someone like that, but sh-she probably knew better than anyone that he had to be stopped. Terrorists can't be reasoned with. Right? He would have hurt someone and--"

"You can be pissed at me if you want," Xanxus interjected in dislike for Tsuna's attempt to reason himself out of anger. "I didn't consider the possibility that my target was someone that you knew."

"I'm not mad," he corrected. "I just... I need some rest. Shut up, Maro. You're giving me a fucking headache. I said that I wasn't mad, so just drop it. People change. I know that a lot better than you do. No! What have I told you-- Exactly, so keep your nose out of it. I-- Fine, but only if you let me get some sleep afterwards. Your limits are higher than mine, so-- You know what I mean, Maro. I know I feel rested since I sleep when you take over, but fatigue still builds up-- Yeah, you can call, but don't go there in person. Warren has everything under control. Okay-- That would be appreciated-- Okay. Goodnight."

Xanxus didn't need an explanation of what was going on. He could see it for himself when the protective skin of Tsuna's aura went down and he started leaking energy all over the place. He was like a wellspring when Maro came out. He still didn't seem to understand how much 'smoke' and 'heat' his Flame gave off to Xanxus' eyes. Even at a mere flicker that was invisible to untrained eyes, the Flame that was freed at Laz's command was a geyser that his eyes couldn't ignore.

"You're making me hungry again," Xanxus admonished with a small smile. His smile didn't last long. As soon as Maro turned around, it was wiped off his face completely.

Maro was pissed.

"Xanxus!" He shouted on the top of his lungs. "How could you?!"

"I was just--"

"I don't want to hear it!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Don't you have any consideration for Laz's feelings?! Do you have any clue how badly you hurt him?! Laz told me to stay out of it, but you're never going to get him at this rate!"

"Eh?" Xanxus said in confused askance as the last statement his him at an odd angle.

"He likes you, you idiot!" Tsuna yelled, storming forward in order to send a slap across Xanxus' cheek. Xanxus just stared. He knew that he should be getting angry, but Tsuna had a petulant expression of frustration on his face that made Xanxus want to laugh instead. "He's not in love with you, but he really does like you. He just won't admit it because that would make Laz and me too much alike. You're not helping the issue any with how you keep screwing up, either!"

"And how am I screwing up?" He asked in amusement. "Don't I have you?" Reaching out, he pulled Tsuna into his lap and retrieved the kiss that he'd patiently waited two days for. Tsuna fought for a few moments, but his anger evaporated completely before the end.

"You're so clueless sometimes, Xanxus," Tsuna mumbled as he broke off and cuddled up against his neck. "You're in the middle of a triangle that you can't see. It makes me wonder if you're really satisfied with just me. I have all of our memories of being together, but Laz has the reason that you were attracted to me in the first place."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xanxus asked curiously while he absently took pleasure in having Tsuna in his arms again. Whether it was his scent or the feel of his skin. Whether it was his warm breathe against his neck or the pulse of his heartbeat against his chest. Whether it was the sound of his voice or the taste of his Flame, Xanxus savored every little piece that was in his reach.

"I am not what I once was," he sighed, absently caressing Xanxus in return. "Without a doubt, I'm the part of Laz that loves you. The question is which part of me _you _love. I missing something important, Xanxus. I tried to deny it because I don't feel any different, but it's obvious when I watch Laz."

"What's that?" Xanxus asked in mild irritation for the strange direction that the conversation was turning in. He didn't like it. Tsuna was normally more focused and clear in saying things. This half-assed beating around the bush wasn't like him at all. Where was his straight-forward honesty that he-- "Your honesty," Xanxus identified in sudden understanding.

"I remember so many years of living lies," he confirmed as his fingers fell to a stop. "Honesty is nothing more than a tool to me, where it's a value that Laz cherishes and feels guilty when he can't uphold it. There's more to it than that, though. He has goals and is walking a narrow path where I feel like I'm standing in an endless field with no clue of which direction to walk in. He's so focused while I feel like I'm meandering aimlessly. There's a goal out there somewhere, but I can't even see the mountains that it's perched on."

"That's not like you," he admitted, causing Tsuna to clutch his shirt.

"Don't you see?" He replied in a pained voice. "I know how to be a Boss, but Laz has all the qualities needed to use my knowledge. I've lost control, Xanxus! I'm useless without him! Even if I went back now, I wouldn't be able to achieve anything! Vongola is better off without a Boss like me! I... Maybe I should just give up, Xanxus." Xanxus froze, feeling like someone was playing a cruel joke on him. Giving up wasn't in Tsuna's dictionary. Hearing it come from his lips shocked Xanxus speechless and gave him the sudden impression that he was holding onto a changeling. "Forgive me," Tsuna murmured in a sudden calm as if he'd startled himself into sense. "I shouldn't have said that. Vongola is my Family. There is no option other than to go back. Only the worst Boss in history would abandon the Family while he was still breathing. Right? I'm just tired. I think I'm starting to actually feel the weariness that Laz complains about. I think I'm going to go lie down for a while before I babble something strange again."

"I'll join you in a minute," Xanxus mumbled as Tsuna slid out of his lap to stumble in the direction of his bed. He barely made it before he collapsed onto his bed with his feet still dragging on the carpet. He had to stare at Tsuna while he slept, slowly taking into account how quickly Maro had released control. There was no other way of thinking of it. Maro had run away.

Very little of the conversation made sense to him, leaving him to ponder Maro's meaning on several points. The first was his anger on Laz's behalf. How had he hurt him? What triangle? Understanding was very slow to dawn on him. Even though Laz was disconnected from them, he had some kind of messed up loyalty to the Martelli Family. He was jealous that Xanxus had been working for them since he still had that debt that he always talked about. He might even know that the Martelli bitch liked him, so he was denying his feelings for Xanxus in order to give her hope.

It wasn't good for him, Xanxus decided. Usually one bitch was like any other, but any attachment to Autumn would include an attachment with that sleazy brother of hers. Laz would do better to completely forget about that Family, but he was still thinking like he was one of their retainers. For Tsuna's sake, he had to keep the Family away from him, including the Martelli bitch.

Once that was settled, he moved onto the second point. Maro was second-guessing himself. It wasn't unusual to see Tsuna stray a little since he came from a stock of people that are usually protected by the Mafia rather than joining it. His condo had been one of those points, as had his foray into college. That had been forgiven since he'd gotten himself back on track, but this time was different. He actually had the option to not return if he wished it. There was absolutely no reason that he couldn't just stay dead for the rest of his life. What he did was his decision, but Xanxus had no idea which way he'd roll if he really did decide not to go back.

Before, he'd thought that it would be a good thing since it meant he could keep Tsuna to himself, but it was different with that little statement. Could he really love a powerless whelp of a man? He didn't know, so he decided to cross that bridge when they got to it. Maro was probably right, though. Laz did have the qualities of Tsuna that he'd been attracted to. Maro had their history and experience, but Laz had the raw talent and unwavering determination. Maro was the peaceful side while Laz was the warrior. He didn't need to ask himself which side made his blood boil, even though both sides made him happy for different reasons. As long as both were within his reach and shared a body, wasn't it enough just to love Tsuna?

His final decision was to not question it. Getting up, he walked over to put Tsuna into the bed properly so that he could sleep better. He was still wearing only the t-shirt that he'd slept in, so Xanxus went the extra mile by throwing his blanket over him. He shifted once he was in place, curling into the ball that he always ended up in when he was sleeping alone. Within seconds, his head was hidden under the blankets, leaving only a large, shapeless lump in the center of his bed. After that, Xanxus busied himself with closing the curtains around his bed for him and cleaning up the remains of their coffee.

Acting like a maid always irritated the fuck out of him, so he started considering whether he should have Cici load up a game that he could take his frustrations out on. However, he was interrupted before he got the last coffee cup into the sink.

"Xanxus," Cici interjected, finally coming to life in order to detach herself from her charging unit. "I just picked up Yamamoto on camera three. It looks like he's headed this way."

"Does he have his carrier?" Xanxus snapped with a worried glance at where Tsuna was hidden away in his bed.

"No," she answered. "He has no visible weapons and he's coming openly. Should I proceed with Plan Delta?"

"Do it," he nodded. "While you're at it, do a bug sweep while he's in the elevator."

"He's coming up now," she replied while Xanxus took the time to check his weapons and straighten his shirt out. "He's clear," she added in surprise. "Either they've got something new or he doesn't have a bug on him."

"He doesn't have any," Xanxus murmured, following his intuition to come to the conclusion. "We'll run a sweep after he leaves, but I'm willing to gamble that he's not here on business."

"Personal visit?" Cici asked curiously.

"He's a fucking goofball like that," Xanxus grumbled, running a hand through his hair in irritation for the swordsman's laid-back manner. Hotaru was sure to pitch a fit when he heard about it. Even worse, Yamamoto was visiting without a warning call first. If Tsuna woke up, things could turn to shit very quickly depending on how he reacted. Part of him hated Vongola while the other part loved them while yet another part didn't know anything about them. Of course, it was unlikely that the chibi would come out. He had to be prepared for anyth--

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Delta," Xanxus repeated, sending Cici back to her charging unit. Pulling out his X-Gun, he carefully pointed it at ducking range through the door. Holding it there, he cracked the door open to see Yamamoto smiling brightly outside.

"Xanxus!" He exclaimed. "Long time, no see! I--"

"Skip the bullshit," he growled. "What do you want?"

"Aren't you going to let me in?" Yamamoto asked with an instantly hurt expression. Xanxus didn't respond at first, glancing over to Tsuna's bed to see if he'd awakened. "I just came to visit," Yamamoto added. "Everyone else might have decided to shun you, but we're still part of the same Family."

"I'm not part of--"

"I'm not talking about Vongola," Yamamoto murmured sadly. "I wanted to check on you for Tsuna's sake. I know it's rude of me to show up like this, but can you spare me just ten minutes?"

"Che," he spat in irritation. "Ten minutes, but keep your voice down. Laz is sleeping and I have no fucking clue how he'd react if he saw that I let a Vongola in."

"Is that the Martelli that lured you away from us?" Yamamoto teased with his smile lighting up again. Holstering his gun once more, Xanxus rolled his eyes and let the door open enough for Yamamoto to enter. "Nice place," he commented, looking around in an open inspection of the apartment. "Is that six inch bullet-proof glass?" He asked conversationally. Xanxus glanced at the windows he was pointing to and shook his head. Leading Yamamoto over to the couch, he kept one eye on Tsuna's bed to look for any signs of movement from behind the curtains.

"Twelve inch reinforced nuclear missile-proof," he corrected. "I've got this room set up so that you could set off an atom bomb outside and we'd be able to toast to our health while we watched the city burn."

"Are you preparing for another world war?" Yamamoto laughed.

"Fuck no," he answered with a small grin pulling along the corners of his lips. "Laz tends to throw shit when he's in a bad mood, so I save on repair costs this way. No matter how hard he tries when he's pissed off, he can't put a hole in a wall or break any of the windows."

"Oh," he blinked in surprise. His face went blank for several seconds before he covered his mouth to start quietly releasing insuppressible laughter. "I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I heard that he's the aggressive type, but I didn't want to believe it. If he's that bad, though, why haven't you killed each other yet?"

"He keeps me on my toes," Xanxus answered honestly. Relaxing back into his chair, he determined that Yamamoto really wasn't there to do anything but check up on him. It was true that he was in the city on business, but neither Xanxus or Tsuna had any solid connection with the Martelli Family. Xanxus was a mercenary hitman and Lazarus was a business rival for the Martelli Family now. On the surface, their connections to the Mafia were inconsequential ones. "Cici," he called. "Make some more coffee."

"I don't see Ginger around," Yamamoto commented while Cici detached from her unit to follow his order with only minor grumbling.

"He wanted some independence," Xanxus shrugged. "The guys down at the Dojo know about him and treat him well. He's more of a people person, so he wanted to stay after I moved out."

"I see," Yamamoto replied with a quiet smile. "I'm glad to hear that he's made friends. I was hoping to see him, but I guess I can just leave this with you," he continued, slowly pulling out an envelop from his jacket. "When I heard what happened with you and Hotaru, I didn't think that it was fair how they cut you off. So I talked Hotaru into opening an account for Ginger. It's not much, but it's the usual stipend that retired Family can--"

"Keep it," he interrupted without moving to take the envelope. "He's got a job, so he won't want charity from a Family we quit. We're not retired, Yamamoto. We cut ties and went our separate ways. Or did Hotaru not mention my message to anyone?"

"I heard about the message," Yamamoto murmured with a concealing smile. "It took quite a bit of work to get the Varia under control after that. Squalo's still working on a replacement leg and I hear Ryohei's doing pretty well with taking command until he's back on his feet again. You always cause trouble when everyone least expects it. Because of you, Leviathon is completely AWOL and we can't get Lussuria away from Ryohei for more than a week at a time. Even Belphegor's been acting up. He broke out of the asylum again and disappeared."

"It doesn't sound like you've got them in control at all," Xanxus replied with a cruel smile of enjoyment for the news. "You only have Marmon left for hire."

"There's loads of new blood," he shrugged. "Some of them could probably put me into the ground if I was caught off-guard. Hotaru's advisors are the ones that I worry about, though. His father decided on his Guardians while he was still alive, but his advisors are something else. There's this prophet that gives me the creeps and a man who thinks that teeth are high fashion. Gabriel was the worst of them, but we managed to get Hotaru to remove him from the Family--"

"What happened?" Xanxus asked as he stood to go help Cici with the coffee. "Gabriel's a pain in my ass."

"He was a pain in Vongola's, too, from what I heard," he answered conversationally. "I've been down in Japan, but Gokudera keeps me updated. From what I heard, his head got a little too big for his hat. He tried to weasel himself into place as Hotaru's right hand and Orinato got sick of it. He challenged him to an old fashioned duel with his honor as a Right Hand on the line. Hotaru surprised everyone by just sitting back and watching instead of stopping the fight. It became an advisors versus Guardian duel. Hotaru's Guardians won, but it was a close call. Sugar didn't show up for it and Hibird was knocked down pretty quickly, although Hibari went ballistic and broke every bone in Sylvan's body afterward. Toshi's fight was the one to watch from what I heard. He's become quite the trickster. He won without anyone landing a hit on him. Ken won with a massacre and Sakura won by default. If Orinato would have lost, it would have been the advisor's win since that would have tied the score."

"He won," Xanxus supplied as he brought the coffee to the living room table and relaxed into his seat again.

"By a landslide," he confirmed. "Gokudera said that they found out afterward that Gabriel had been fighting dirty behind the scenes. He'd been trying to corner Orinato when no one was looking. He tried both blackmail and threats, but I don't think he was prepared for Orinato to overcome such petty attempts at winning unfairly. Hotaru didn't want to believe that he'd tried to cheat, but he agreed to make Gabriel go back home when Orinato gave him the silent treatment for three days. Gabriel misjudged Orinato's determination and he misjudged Hotaru's bond with his Guardians. You've apparently seen the result."

"Yeah," he grumbled. "He's back here and I'm barely keeping myself from turning him into ash. He's worse than scum, he's--"

"Xanxus," Tsuna groaned from the bed, making Xanxus freeze mid-sentence. "Wiiiine."

"We've got a guest, brat," he called back while tensing himself to intervene if Tsuna decided to attack.

"I know," he moaned. "He smells like sushi, so it's probably a Vongola. I too tired to care right now. Just get me the wine. Lynx won't settle down so that I can sleep."

"Get it yourself," he growled with an eye twitching over the order.

"Bastard," he grumbled as he started shifting behind the curtain. "I should have told Veronica to stay. She would have gotten it for me."

"I'll get it for you, Laz," Cici offered pleasantly, completely killing Xanxus hopes of seeing him walk around without pants on some more.

"Thanks," he mumbled tiredly. "Grab my cigarettes, too. I won't be able to sleep with a Vongola in the place."

"If you need me to, I can go," Yamamoto offered politely. "I was really hoping to meet you, though. Everyone in Italy has been hearing about Xanxus' boyfriend, so--"

"That bastard isn't my boyfriend," he corrected with a warning growl as his leg slipped out of the curtain. He didn't move from his seat on the side of the bed, but he pushed the curtain back in front of him enough so that he could look out. Although, glare out was more appropriate with his current expression. "Yamamoto Takeshi," he identified while Yamamoto's eyes widened over the likeness and differences that the current Tsuna had with the old. "I don't care if you stay, but don't confuse me with someone else. I wouldn't touch Xanxus with a twenty foot pole unless he heavily compensated in cash. I'm not Tsuna and I don't like being compared to him, so don't try it. I'll bite your fucking arm off. That being said, this is mostly Xanxus' apartment, so he can invite in anyone he wants. If you two want to talk, feel free. Just don't expect me to become buddies with you. I'm not a Martelli anymore, but your presence means that there will be skirmishes in the streets. I don't care who the fuck it is. I'll warn you right now that I don't like people who disturb the peace in my city."

"Your city?" Yamamoto repeated with a grin.

"You got a fucking problem with that?" He glared in return.

"Pull it back, Laz," Xanxus growled, seeing that he was getting territorial with Hunger.

"Fuck off," he replied as Cici finally arrived at his bedside with his requested items. He took the wine first, popping the lid off quickly in order to guzzle half the bottle. "It's your fault that I'm like this," he grumbled, sagging slightly in relief at the blood within hit his stomach. "You vamped me last night. Didn't you?"

"Just a little," he admitted with a crooked grin.

"Bastard," he repeated while he lit himself a cigarette.

"Feeling better now?" Xanxus asked when Tsuna took another sip from the bottle tucked in his lap.

"Like I'm going to answer you," he replied with yet another glare.

"You're pretty interesting," Yamamoto laughed in amusement for the exchange. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but are the rumors about you true? Are you really a _werewolf_?"

"And who told you that?" Tsuna asked with his expression turning into stone.

"A friend of mine named Gokudera," he answered with a smile. "I think he heard it from Gab--" Xanxus flinched, Yamamoto's eyes went wide, and Cici let out a mechanical sigh of resignation when the bottle shattered in Tsuna's grip. Cici boosted herself in the direction of the bathroom to get a towel, but he couldn't see how it would really help. Gabriel was a trigger and the gun had just been fired again. The hatred in Tsuna's eyes was something that Xanxus never got tired of seeing, though.

"I guess Gokudera didn't tell you that they have a history," Xanxus explained when Yamamoto looked back and forth between them in askance. "Laz can't kill him for certain reasons, but he'd be the first to dance on the bastard's grave. It's good for Vongola that they got rid of that trash, but we're not a fucking dumpster. Gabriel--"

"You're wrong, Xanxus," Tsuna interjected calmly while he dusted the glass off of his hand. "This city is a dumpster and Gabriel is trash that I'll clean up eventually. Don't think that I'm satisfied with just putting him in his place. I will collect an eye for an eye from him when the time is right. He has too much to answer for."

"I can see why Xanxus is interested in you," Yamamoto commented with his smile still firmly in place. "You're a lot more hot-blooded than--" Yamamoto broke off and grimaced to himself when Tsuna let out another warning growl. "Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "It'd difficult to not compare you two. Even when you've said that you're not him, I can't help but think back when I look at you. It's probably not like you think, though. I'm just comparing Xanxus' current love interest with his past one. There's really no harm intended. Honestly, from what little I've seen, I think you're a much better match."

"Oh?" Tsuna murmured with a raised eyebrow. Xanxus found himself curious at the lack of agitation in the response when Cici returned with a towel and Laz started cleaning the spilled wine off of himself. "And what makes me better?"

"You dislike him," Yamamoto answered with a wide smile. "Xanxus gets stronger with opposition, so you're doing a wonderful job at irritating him. I was wondering how Xanxus got his Flame back, but no one could tell me. I have a feeling that you just pissed off so much that he blew his top. He must be really happy to have someone to fight with again."

"Something like that," Tsuna mumbled with a bright blush.

Xanxus got a sinking feeling.

"Laz..." He growled.

"I think I'm going to lay back down," he added in a rush. In a flurry, he put his cigarette out in the ashtray on his side table, threw the towel onto the puddle in the floor, swept his bed-curtains closed, and hid under his blankets.

"Have you been trying to piss me off on purpose?" Xanxus asked without a care for the material separating them.

"Not all the time," he answered, poking his head back out of the curtains like a kid playing in a fort. He had a grin on his face, though, saying that he was enjoying Xanxus' growing anger. "Bunnies taste better when they're angry. You get this spicy aftertaste that--"

"I'm going to fucking kill you," he snarled, lunging out of his chair in frustration. Yamamoto didn't move from his seat, nor did he look surprised, when Tsuna squeaked and hid behind his curtains again like it'd protect him. He realized his mistake when he burst past the curtains to attack, though. Tsuna wasn't on the bed any longer. He'd sneaked out through the back curtains so that he could flank him. Realizing the trap didn't save him from it, though. It just allow him to turn so that he could go on the defensive, which was probably Tsuna's plan. Unfortunately for him, Xanxus doubted that his plan included being thrown. Tsuna went flying out of the curtains and Xanxus exited out after him in just enough time to watch the throw become useless. Tsuna landed as weightlessly and flawlessly as a cat, which only irritated him further.

"Let's stop," Tsuna suggested with a pleased smile. "Lynx is satisfied by just pouncing on you, so I won't tease you anymore. Maro's yelling at me to stop, too. He says that we're being rude to the Vongola."

"Lynx, Maro...?" Yamamoto asked curiously.

"Uh--" Xanxus froze with his anger disappearing completely in front of the question. Tsuna smirked at the response, but it was the natural one for Xanxus. He was caught off-guard by how low Tsuna seemed to be guarding himself.

"I have nothing to hide," Tsuna shrugged as he calmly headed for the kitchen to find himself some more wine. "Knowing can't give Vongola an opening to attack since I've got medication for it. I'm not the only businessman in the world who has stress-related problems and it's not like it would be front-page news even if someone started running their mouth about it. To answer your question, Yamamoto, I've got split personalities and you can say that Gabriel is the one who caused the mental break that created them. I can hear them talking in the back of my head when my medication wears off and the bloodthirsty one is somewhat difficult to control. That's the only reason that I'm staying with Xanxus, if you're curious. He's a buffer that I don't have to worry about damaging."

"Great," Xanxus grumbled as he headed back for his seat. "So now I'm a fucking scratching post."

"I could walk on you if you'd prefer to be a rug," Tsuna retorted with a cockiness that Xanxus recognized.

"Quit showing your ass like a fucking kid," he growled.

"You deserved it," he replied quietly with his back turned to the living room. "I told you not to vamp me without my permission."

"Vamp?" Yamamoto asked curiously. "Is that some kind of kissing game between you two?"

"No," Tsuna groaned. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Is it bad of me to show interest in an old friend's new life?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yes," he replied, turning around to lean up against the kitchen counter with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. "Xanxus left Italy over three months ago and you haven't called once since then. As far as I know, you never contact him before then since he doesn't talk about you. Are you really his friend? I think that you're just here to get information out of him by pretending. You really have no personal interest in Xanxus, so why don't you drop the act? Xanxus might be a bastard, but he has feelings like everyone else. They're just hidden under a mountain of bullshit because he's always been surrounded by people like you. I've given you the information that you probably came for, so why don't you get the fuck out of here? Xanxus doesn't need Vongola anymore and he doesn't need people pretending to be his friend when he has real ones."

Jealous. Tsuna was jealous. No, Xanxus corrected himself. His intuition said that it wasn't jealousy. Tsuna was acting for something far more complicated. Protecting a friend, his gut supplied. True friendship. Laz wasn't acting and it wasn't Lynx being territorial. Laz was actually trying to protect him from getting his feelings hurt. He was such an idiot, though. He really seemed to think that Xanxus still had feelings that could be hurt by something like this. He'd been raised in the Mafia. Making false promises and portraying false friendship to gain use of an individual was all part of the Great Game. While it was true that Yamamoto was there to only check on him, he'd have to be a fool to think that he wasn't scouting at the same time.

"Isn't that for Xanxus to decide?" Yamamoto asked quietly. Xanxus smiled to himself while wondering why Tsuna's words made him feel so strange. The brat always did this to him. He created emotions and feelings without any intention to do so. Wasn't this the reason that he'd fallen in love with Tsuna? Not simply because of his determination, but because Tsuna made him feel human. Tsuna made it possible for him to feel.

"Xanxus can decide," Tsuna shrugged around a sip of his coffee. "I'm not saying that he can't. I'm just saying that I'm not going to sit back and watch while you lie to him. The world isn't made up of only Italy or the Mafia. I won't forgive you for forgetting that Xanxus is a human being."

"That's funny," Yamamoto replied with a smile on that no longer reached his eyes. "From what I've heard, he's not even human anymore."

"He's still human," Tsuna murmured with a matching expression of false pleasantry. It was getting dangerous, though. Xanxus could see the anger building in Tsuna's eyes. "He's just more than what he once was. Xanxus is--"

"Your ten minutes are up," Xanxus interrupted calmly. Yamamoto didn't act surprised, but Xanxus knew that the words startled him. It had always been Xanxus' choice and he'd made it with the simple sentence. Vongola was weak without Tsuna. If he was forced to choose between a helpless mass of people and the person that had the ability to make them strong, then his choice was the strength. Only with Tsuna's strength could he get stronger.

"That's a shame," he sighed. "I was hoping to show you pictures of Yoshi and--"

"I don't give a fuck about your kid," Xanxus interrupted bluntly. "Why don't you drop the pretenses? What did you really come for?"

"To check on you," he answered with a sad smile. "I wasn't lying about that, but you're right. I came to get information, too. The Eleventh isn't happy with you, Xanxus. I'm not, either. Do you have any idea how many times we stood up for you after Tsuna died? We--"

"Get out," Xanxus ordered while keeping his growing anger in check. They'd stood up for him? He knew better.

"Gokudera believed in you!" Yamamoto exclaimed fiercely. "He believed in you because Tsuna believed in you! How could you turn your back on him?! He never stopped telling everyone that you weren't a traitor and then you betrayed him, Xanxus! You--" Yamamoto broke off and dodged with a look of utter surprise on his face for both Tsuna's speed and ability. Xanxus didn't move, feeling as if he'd predicted the catastrophe from the moment that Yamamoto had appeared. The speed that Tsuna had used to retrieve the sword on his dresser was of top class. If Xanxus' speed hadn't been faster thanks to the modifications in his blood, he wouldn't have been able to even track him. As it was, Yamamoto barely saw the flash of his blade in time to keep himself from being sliced in half like the sofa was. Although, the look on Yamamoto's face suggested that he'd seen something far more disturbing than Tsuna's speed. "Who taught you that?" He asked as he slid to a stop several feet away.

"Who knows?" Tsuna replied with a secretive smile. "I do believe that Xanxus told you to leave. The first one was just a warning. If you continue to refuse, I'm within rights to expel you by force."

"No need for that," he replied with a resigned sigh. "I can see that I'm no longer welcome here. I wish that I could say it's been a pleasure, but that would be a lie. Xanxus, be careful. The Family isn't going to let you do what you want forever. Lazarus, there's one last thing I want to ask you and then I'll leave. Actually, there's half a dozen things that I want to ask, but the history of your sword will have to wait."

"Ask and then leave," Tsuna ordered without lowering his blade.

"Is jumping between Families easy for you?" He asked softly.

"I don't understand the context," he admitted in confusion.

"You were a Martelli, yet you're wearing a ring from the Carter Family," he murmured with a sharpness that could cut through steel. Xanxus froze in place at the words and simply stared at Tsuna. When had the brat joined the Carter Family? "You keep the ring turned so the Family crest is hidden, but I glimpsed it when you were cleaning the glass from the bottle off your hand. What's the meaning of this? The Carter Family are our Allies, but the Martelli--"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsuna asked with a smirk. "I'm both and neither. I will not be bound by the pathetic leashes that others try to strangle me with. I wear this as proof that I'm aware of their attempts to bind me and to let them know that they will fail even in success. Whether it's Carter, Martelli, or even Vongola who tries, my will is my own. I will punish everyone equally, including you."

"I see," he replied solemnly. "You're just like Kyoya. There's a huge difference between you two, though."

"Oh?"

"Kyoya's eyes are clear while yours are clouded," he answered with a superior smile lighting up on his face. "I'll take my leave now. This truly has been a far more interesting visit than I thought it'd be." Neither Tsuna or Xanxus moved when Yamamoto politely bowed and left, although Xanxus did notice something very odd afterward. Tsuna's stance was awkward as if he were threatening while preparing to run in the other direction. He didn't move nor did he blink, even after Cici reported that Yamamoto had exited the building. Slowly, though, an emotion started to leak into his expression that made Xanxus review the whole visit a second time.

Coming to the only conclusion that was possible, he prepared himself for the consequences of what he had to do. What little doubt he had was washed away when Tsuna didn't try to attack him for coming close. Batting the sword out of Tsuna's already limp hand, he didn't allow refusal. He simply wrapped his arms around Tsuna and held him tightly despite his pitiful, half-hearted attempts to fight free. He was frustrated and upset, but he slowly came to realize that it wasn't Xanxus that it was focused toward.

"You're not supposed to make that kind of face," he admonished when Tsuna finally stopped fighting to get free and merely fought his tears instead. "You put on a good show, brat."

"I don't want to go back," he mumbled with a miserable expression. "I'm not Tsuna, so why--?! Why did it hurt so much to lie to Yamamoto, Xanxus? We were only friends in middle school! That was years ago and I've got a different life now! I don't owe him anything! So why?!"

"You're asking the wrong person," Xanxus replied in frustration for not having any answers for him. He knew what Tsuna was going through, but he couldn't dream of understanding it. All he could do was try to give comfort, but that seemed utterly fruitless. Tsuna pulled out of his arms without ever once accepting the comfort that Xanxus was trying to offer.

"I need to go let Autumn know that I've made contact with a Vongola," he mumbled as he stumbled toward his dresser to retrieve his clothes for the day. Xanxus clenched his teeth in frustration, seeing that Tsuna wasn't even walking straight. He'd already detached himself emotionally so that he could continue his day, but ignoring his body wouldn't let him do anything in the long run. The adrenaline caused by waking to a Vongola was wearing off and his weariness was catching up to him. If he were to leave now, he'd likely collapse before he reached his goal.

"Just call her," he ordered. "There's no reason to go in person."

"I need to go in person," he replied while he rummaged through his drawers. "Didn't you smell it? He had Gabriel and Poppet's scent on himself. Autumn will just hang up on me if I try to tell her over the phone. Barbus got what was coming to him, but Poppet's the next target. From the scents, I'd say that Yamamoto has three compatriots in the city, so I've--"

"How did you know about that?" Xanxus asked with narrowed eyes.

"About Barbus?" He murmured tiredly as he pulled his shirt on. "Where do you think I go at night? Maro... M-Ma..ro..." Xanxus lurched forward when Tsuna's eyes unfocused and his knees started to buckle. He caught himself, but Xanxus refused to wait to see if he was going to hold. A single harsh shove was all it took to send him flailing in the direction of his bed while a follow-up yank on his shirt threw him past the curtains.

"You're not going anywhere," he growled, pushing the curtains aside to ensure that Tsuna made it on the bed rather than across it. When he saw how Tsuna landed, he was startled into becoming a statue. He suddenly knew why Gigi had been so adamant that she be the one to change Tsuna. Xanxus had thought that the lack of boxers was simply because Tsuna's shirt was so long, but that wasn't it. "Tightie-whities?" Xanxus mumbled while Tsuna tried to recover from his sprawling landing. Predictably, the question had the effect of making Tsuna's legs snap shut, after which he gave an expression that wasn't much different from Chibi's pouting one the previous night.

_Did you see?_

"Where the fuck are you looking, pervert?" Tsuna glared while he stubbornly refused to pull his shirt down. Then something in his expression changed and Xanxus got a strange sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. A seductive smile wasn't what he needed to see right now! "Maybe I should call you my perverted bunny instead of just a pervert," he teased. "You can be Ero-Usagi. How does that sound?"

"Don't joke around," he snarled. He had no clue what kind of game Tsuna was playing, but he wasn't going to fall for it. He needed to sleep and there was no way in hell that he was going to let Autumn twist him around her finger anymore. Under no circumstances should the two of them meet. Autumn meant Gabriel and there was no way he was going to allow that bastard to get close to Tsuna. "You're barely standing, brat," he said through clenched teeth while he tried to keep his eyes off of Tsuna. He'd gotten more muscular recently, Xanxus noticed. Tsuna wasn't the type to have so much muscle that it weighed him down, but what he did have was both flexible and toned. So were his abs. When the hell did that brat find the time to get a six pack? And-- "What are you doing?" Xanxus asked when he finally realized that Tsuna was taking his shirt off.

"Getting undressed," he answered with a knowing smile. "I didn't think you'd mind. We're both guys, after all." His actions gave lie to the innocent nature of his words. He carelessly tossed his shirt aside and Xanxus' eyes automatically tracked his hands as they trailed down his body to the hem of his underwear. It was there that the fantasy was broken. Laz had absolutely no interest in him. This seduction was all just a ploy or diversion of some kind.

"You can stop," Xanxus said without a single inflection in his voice as he tore his eyes away. "It won't work. You're trying to get me to drop my guard so that you can knock me out or some bullshit like that, but I'm not falling for it. You're going to collapse at the rate you're going. Just lay down and fucking sleep. If it's that important, I'll go and make sure that Autumn gets the information."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped as a look of horror flashed onto his face and was subsequently hidden. "You don't have to do that," he spluttered, sitting up in a rush. Xanxus wasn't amused at the panic. Tsuna probably thought that he was trying to pay back his debt for him. Tsuna could go through Papa Paolo to manage that, though. Dealings with Autumn were out of the question. "I can go. It's better if Autumn gets the information from--"

"You're not going anywhere," Xanxus interrupted. Pulling the blankets out from under him, Xanxus determinedly threw them over Tsuna's mostly-naked body. He gave Tsuna credit. As far as bait went, Tsuna had guts for using himself. There were larger things at stake, though. Satisfying the appetites of the moment could destroy the fragile future if he were to let his guard down. He'd already lost Tsuna once. He wasn't going to do it again. "You don't have to worry about it. I'll go in person and I'll make sure that she gets the damn picture. I'm on better terms with her than you are, so there will be less of an argument if she hears it from--"

"No!" Tsuna exclaimed, lunging out of the bed to wrap his arms around Xanxus' waist. "Do go!"

They both froze. Xanxus had no clue why Tsuna froze, but he knew why he did. The desperation in Tsuna's voice didn't sound fake. He wasn't letting go, either. It was as if he'd shocked himself speechless. If only Xanxus could let himself believe that there was some meaning to it. Lazarus didn't love him, though. Maro might have said that Lazarus liked him, but people liked lots of things. It just meant that he was on the same level as ice cream instead of spinach. The reason behind his desperation had to be something other than what it sounded.

"Oi," Xanxus grumbled, reaching down to grab Tsuna by the scruff of his neck. Tsuna didn't fight being pulled off his waist and he acted like nothing more than a mere doll when Xanxus tossed him back on the bed again. "Don't do things that will cause misunderstandings," he ordered as he threw the blankets over him once more. "I've been keeping my hands off of you like I promised except when Maro is in control. I get that you want the credit for getting the information to her, but you're going too far. I'll make sure that she knows that you're the one that sent me, so chill the fuck out. You're only wasting more energy by trying to go personally. Don't you want to be a fucking Boss? Learn to kick back and let others take care of shit more often. I'll be back after I talk to her, so rest while you can."

"I--"

"SLEEP!" Xanxus ordered with a warning glare. "If you won't do it, I'll fucking vamp you until you do!"

"That would defeat the purpose, idiot," he growled with his own glare.

"When was the last time you looked in a fucking mirror?" He snarled in return. "You don't have much energy left to vamp, dumbass! Even if I did sap you, it'd only make you lose consciousness faster so that you can actually recover! I'm trying to do you a damn favor here, so--"

"No one asked you to!" Tsuna yelled. He paused with his mouth open for another yell. His eyes fluttered slightly, proving that he really was at his limits even though he was fighting it. The warning sign did better than Xanxus could have hoped in stopping Tsuna from fussing. His mouth snapped shut after the wave passed, followed by a glare that was full of resignation. "Fine," he grumbled. "But make it fast. If you can get back here in ten minutes, I'll let you take a nap with me."

"Eh?" Xanxus gaped in confusion for the sudden offer.

"You heard me!" He shouted with his face turning a bright shade of red. "If you want to lay down with me, then just fucking hurry! I don't want you around Autumn more than you have to be!"

"Ah," Xanxus replied as understanding slowly dawned. He was still touchy about having been compared as a Mafioso when the Hunter attacked. Autumn had only seen second rate, back-water hitmen before Xanxus had shown up. Tsuna didn't want her to see what a real hitman could do since that would lower his value in the eyes of the Martelli Family. A lower value would mean that he'd have to work twice as hard to fulfill the debt that he was always talking about. "You don't have to worry, brat," Xanxus grinned. "I'm only going to talk to her. I'm not planning on showing off." Xanxus' grin faltered when Tsuna paled and his face was momentarily covered in horror. It was wiped away a moment later, but Xanxus was very curious about what images flashed through his head in that moment.

"I'm too tired to deal with you anymore," Tsuna groaned. Flopping himself down on his pillow, he turned his back to Xanxus and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. "Idiot," he added under his breathe before closing his eyes. The insult was slightly puzzling, but Xanxus refrained from retorting. A response would have been wasted anyway. As soon as Tsuna's eyes were closed, he was dead asleep.

"Cici, keep an eye on him," he ordered as he shut the curtains around his bed once more. "Call me if he wakes up before I get back." Snatching up his jacket, he was out the door in a flash. He was halfway to Pasta da Paolo before he managed to stop himself from blindly rushing. With how tired Tsuna was, there was no way that he'd wake up before Xanxus got back. No matter how long he took, he could just say that it was ten minutes. Tsuna wouldn't know any better.

With that in mind, he took his time in getting to Pasta da Paolo. He still made it in three minutes, but he felt like he recovered his dignity along the way. It was the first time in a long time that he's went to Pasta da Paolo since Don Martelli usually met him at the Peephole, but he had no difficulty getting in. He went through the back simply to keep himself from being seen and the gorilla, Isaac, let him in without an argument as soon as he saw who was waiting outside. He also went so far as to escort him across the kitchen in order to lightly knock on the office door for him.

"Boss," Isaac called. "Xanxus is here to see you."

"Xanxus?" Autumn repeated as the door flew open. Her eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected arrival, but her reaction wasn't what he was looking for. He stared right over her, raising an eyebrow at Don Martelli in askance for an invitation.

"Come on in," Papa Paolo urged. At the cue, Xanxus slipped past Autumn and made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. Autumn was right beside him once the door was shut, making him wonder if she'd had too much coffee. "What brings you here?" Papa Paolo asked while he offered the usual cigar from the box in his desk drawer. Xanxus refused, but the offer was a reminder to teach the man what a real cigar was supposed to taste like.

"Laz sent me," he said shortly. "We've made contact with Yamamoto, so he wanted me to give you what little extra information we have."

"Cost?" Papa Paolo asked with eyes narrowed in on the messenger.

"None," he grumbled. "Like I said, this is Laz's work. He just asked me to deliver it. Yamamoto has at least three men working for him and he's been close to both Gabriel and Poppet within the last twenty-four hours. The guess is that Poppet will be attacked tonight for a distraction while Yamamoto's companions go after Barbus to actually collect his ring."

"What does Gabriel have to do with it?" Papa Paolo asked solemnly.

"I don't have a definite answer to that," he replied. "All I can say for sure is that he's made contact. If you want my guess, though, then I'd say Gabriel was supplying them with information. Yamamoto gave me the details of why he left Vongola, but it smells fishy."

"Why's that?" Autumn murmured in curiosity.

"The explanation is too believable," he answered while holding back a grimace. "Yamamoto is used to being under a microscope for the Tenth. I couldn't read the bastard during half of his visit. He said that Gabriel tried to duel the Eleventh's Right Hand, but he resorted to underhanded methods when no one was looking. Not only did he lose, but his attempt to cheat caused Orinato to push to have him returned home. It makes sense from what I know of Gabriel's personality, but it's not cutting it for me. The Eleventh is as bad about not giving up on people as Tsuna was. Throwing him back into the pit he crawled out from isn't Hotaru's style. I've got no proof, but you might want to watch your asses."

"You don't have to worry about Gabriel," Autumn chuckled with her hand coming up to rest on his arm in an attempt to soothe him. "We've got four men keeping an eye on him and he rarely leaves the mansion. He--"

"This is the digital age, blondie," Xanxus growled as he glared at the hand on his arm until she removed it. "People don't have to leave home to get shit done. On top of that, if your people were doing so well at watching him, then you would have already known that Gabriel had made contact. If that's the case, anything more that I can say is a waste of time. I've done what Laz wanted done, so I'm through here."

"I need a few more hours to collect the payment for last night's work," Papa Paolo commented with a hard expression. That man, at least, had some clue. Xanxus got the impression that he was thinking seriously about the information that he was given. He wasn't naive like Autumn. He knew that anyone and everyone could become a traitor given the right bait.

"No rush," he murmured as he got to his feet. "I thought I'd need it by this afternoon, but I'm going to be staying in today to make sure Laz stays in bed."

"Is he sick?" Papa Paolo asked in sincere concern. "That Vongola didn't--"

"He's healthy enough that Yamamoto almost lost his head," Xanxus grinned. "He's just been skipping sleep lately and I've made it my job to make him catch up. He's not very happy about it, but he knows that I'll tie his ass up if he doesn't listen."

"It's good to see that he has someone looking out for him," he smiled sadly. "Tell him that I'm appreciative of his efforts on the Family's behalf, but he can stop. I considered his debt repaid when he withheld Judgment on my son. There's no reason for him to split his loyalties any--" Papa Paolo broke off at the bark of laughter that Xanxus couldn't hold back.

"You're naive," he laughed. "You're just as fucking naive as Tsuna was. You can tell Laz twenty times over that you consider his debt repaid, but you'll only be wasting your fucking breathe. Split loyalties? Do you really think he's loyal to trash like you? He's not out to satisfy you. He's satisfying himself. Laz won't stop until he's fucking ready to stop. He'll just continue to do what he's been doing regardless of what you say."

"Is that so?" Papa Paolo asked with a pained expression. "Will you still give him the message?"

"It was a deep hole he fell into," he replied with his amusement fading. Walking toward the door, he paused to explain the one thing that the Martelli Family wasn't understanding. "You probably think you gave Laz a hand and pulled him out, but you're just fucking blind. As far as he's concerned, you only threw a rope down and he's climbing out under his own power. It doesn't matter if he looks like he's standing on solid ground. Until he can actually feel it, he won't be able to give that rope back. If you try to cut it off for him, he's only going to fall again. So, to answer your question, no. I won't tell him that until he's ready to hear it."

"You're still in love with him, even though he's changed," he stated with a soft smile.

"He's strong," he murmured with a matching smile. Leaving the discussion there, he slipped out the door and left. His feelings were none of the Martelli's business. He hadn't come to chit-chat and to have his personal life delved into. The topic was getting dangerous anyway. If he let the conversation continue in that direction, nothing good could come of it.

"Xanxus, wait!" Autumn called, chasing after him down the alley. Xanxus paused, looking back at her with a raised eyebrow as she came running after him with a box in hand.

"What?" He asked.

"Here," she gasped as she thrust the box into his hands. "Laz said that vampirism is like a disease, so I've been doing a lot of research to find a cure. It's been hard since most of the books I've found are full of just myths, but I think I found one that's legitimate. I don't know if it'll work or not, but I went ahead and made it. I've been trying to think of a way to give it to--"

"I'll get it to him," Xanxus interrupted. Stuffing the package into his pocket, he turned and started walking again. He wanted to get home as fast as possible to maximize the reward for his delivery assignment. He could decide later if he wanted to give the gift to Laz or not. Autumn might like Tsuna, but he wasn't going to give Autumn a clear path to him. She was a nuisance and an interloper. She--

"That's not for Laz," she mumbled, making Xanxus stop after only a half-dozen steps. Turning around again, he narrowed his eyes at the woman in reconsideration. "I made that for you," she said as she looked at him with a steady gaze. "Laz never said anything, but you got turned. Didn't you? When you look at me, I get that same chill that I get from other vampires. You've made some comments about Laz being a meal, too."

"I see," he murmured as she rose a notch in his eyes. She was ruthless, going so far as to test a cure on him rather than possibly poisoning Tsuna. That kind of callous and cold-hearted decision was somewhat admirable. "In that case, I'll let you know the results," he murmured in amusement. She blushed brightly at having gotten caught, but he ignored the reaction. If the shit worked, Laz wouldn't have to worry about insanity any longer nor would he have to suffer from unending starvation. If it didn't work, poisons weren't that effective on Xanxus. There was no harm in trying it out.

With that in mind, he left Autumn in the alley and increased his pace to return home. Everything was exactly as he left it when he returned. Curious about the package he'd been given, he pulled it out of his pocket before hanging his coat up. It only took a moment to open the box, after which he looked at the pouch inside in confusion. He'd expected a pill or a syrup that he had to drink. A pouch of potpourri was a little unexpected. Was he supposed to roll it and smoke it? Was it some kind of tea? Maybe he was supposed to just breathe the fumes coming off of it? It didn't smell that bad, although it made him sneeze numerous times like it had pepper in it.

He'd figure it out later, he decided. Tossing the box in the trash, he left the pouch on the counter and made ready to claim his reward. Laz would kill him for getting in the bed with his boots on, so those were taken off. His guns went on the side-table and his belt holsters were laid on the floor next to it so that he wouldn't make it uncomfortable for Tsuna to sleep. Taking off his clothes would get him killed, so he stopped there. Laz had said that he could only lay down next to him. He hadn't agreed to anything more.

He slid into the bed without letting the curtains open more than necessary after mentally preparing himself for torture. Considering how firm Laz had been with his rejections in the past, he knew that taking advantage of the reward was out of the question. It made him wonder why he was even bothering to claim the reward. He wasn't tired and there was no way that Laz would suddenly change his mind. He got to let loose when Maro was in control, so why did he want to be next to him when he wouldn't be allowed any contact? Was he chasing that small hope that Laz would--

The small hope became a fulfilled hope when Laz uncurled. He couldn't see anything since the curtains blocked out all light, but he could feel it when Laz shifted into his arms. Tsuna's body felt like a furnace as it melted against him. Xanxus wasn't sure how he should react to the arm that wrapped around his waist or the feeling of Tsuna sleeping soundly on his shoulder, but he knew what he wanted to do. Just the thought made his heart lurch for a moment. That lurch made him feel strangely guilty as Maro's statement haunted him.

_It makes me wonder if you're really satisfied with just me._

"It doesn't matter," he grumbled to himself as he decided that it was safe enough to hold his prize in return. "They're both you. You're the idiot that's trying to separate yourself." He grimaced when the words had the effect of waking Tsuna up. He'd said them quietly, giving the thoughts solidity by saying them aloud, but apparently Laz was more of a light sleeper than Xanxus had previously guessed. Although, something didn't feel right when Laz slowly sat up.

"Hnh?" Laz mumbled. "Ah. How many times do I have to tell you that clothes aren't allowed in bed?"

"Eh?" Xanxus choked. His lungs stopped working after that as the furnace danced across his lips. The sense of something being wrong increased while he fought himself to keep from escalating the situation before he got some understanding of why Laz had changed his mind. It was definitely Laz this time. His aura wasn't screwed up like the last time that he'd started acting strange. So why? Why was there a bittersweet taste to his lips? Why was there a passion and gentleness to his touch that hadn't been present since he'd met Laz for the second time?

"It's okay," he mumbled, breaking his lips away in order to let Xanxus breathe. Before Xanxus could understand what was going on, Tsuna's fingers danced down his front. His shirt was unbuttoned faster than was humanly possible despite the darkness and he hissed when he felt Tsuna against his bare skin. That was what was wrong, he finally realized as Tsuna slid his hands up behind his shoulders and nuzzled his neck. Tsuna wasn't hot because Xanxus was cold from being outside. He was hot because he was fevered and probably delirious on top of it. "I love you," he murmured softly. The words made Xanxus grateful that he'd figured out the situation before he'd heard them. If he hadn't, the resulting pain would have been too much to handle. "I missed you so much," he added as his embrace tightened.

"Tsuna," he replied gently. "I'm not Snicker."

"Oh," he mumbled with his embrace loosening in disappointment. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know.... I don't know what I was thinking. My head feels kind of funny."

"You pushed yourself too much when Yamamoto was here," he supplied. "Your body can't keep up with everything that you've been doing. You haven't had much blood lately and you haven't been sleeping. You can survive without one of those things, but not both."

"I'll sleep," he quietly promised as he laid his head back down on Xanxus' shoulder. "Is it okay if I stay like this for a little while?" There was a note of hesitancy in his voice as he asked, but Xanxus understood. The mind could play cruel tricks at times. Once the trick was played, it was difficult to let go and recover.

"It's fine," he soothed, wrapping his arms around Tsuna in effort to comfort him. It was difficult to keep himself from doing more. His hands wanted to caress the bare skin of Tsuna's back and his lips wanted to press against Tsuna's forehead. He was too close for Xanxus to completely control himself. Tsuna could probably hear how hard his heart was pounding, but it was difficult to calm himself. At any second, Tsuna could reject him again. One false move and he could completely destroy the silent understanding that he had with him.

"Xanxus," Tsuna mumbled after several silent minutes.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," he admonished.

"I know," Tsuna replied with a tight voice. "Is it okay if I pretend that you're Snicker just this once?" Xanxus slowly sat up at the question when the feeling of wrongness returned even more strongly than before and Tsuna sat up with him. While he would normally jump at the chance to be with Tsuna, it was almost as if Tsuna was saying and doing things to purposely hurt him.

"Are you feeling okay?" Xanxus asked, reaching over to pull the curtain open so that he could actually look at Tsuna. His heart jumped in place when the light hit Tsuna's face and he finally saw why something felt wrong. Tsuna's fake eye was missing and there was something dark crawling out of it. It looked like blackened roots of a lightening-struck tree that were expanding across his face, but they moved as if they were alive.

"Peek-a-boo," Tsuna said with a wide, insane grin. Tsuna lurched forward and Xanxus lurched away in an automatic response. He had no clue what the hell was going on, but his gut started twisting uncontrollably as he fell off the bed and rolled to his feet. Tsuna's grin seemed to widen even more as a response, although he didn't leave the shadows of his bed to follow as Xanxus put more space between them. "Kekeke," he laughed. "Give it to me, Xanxus. Give me your fear and your pain. Show me the weaknesses in your heart and make me stronger."

"Who the fuck are you?" Xanxus asked in hopes of understanding what he was dealing with. It was as if Tsuna was possessed. Although he didn't believe in such things, it was enough to give him the urge to call an exorcist.

"I am...." Tsuna paused with a look of confusion crossing his face. "Who am I?" He asked. As if the question was a trigger, the black roots quivered for a moment before retreating in an instantaneous rush.

"What the hell?" He mumbled, staring in dumb shock while Tsuna crumpled over onto the bed and started snoring. Xanxus didn't move an inch from where he was standing. He wanted to go check on him, but his heart was racing over having been confronted with something outside his experience. What the hell was that thing? Had it eaten Tsuna's brain? Was it going to pop out and eat his when he got close? It'd known both his name and enough information to lure him into bed. Maybe it'd possessed Tsuna?! SHIT! Maybe that thing had already infected him when they'd gotten close?! Was he going to have tree roots growing out of his eye, too?!

NOOOOOOOOO!

"Xanxus?" Tsuna mumbled, startling him into jumping three feet into the air. He raised his head with a tired manner and Xanxus froze once Tsuna's gaze was on him. It'd never been so real to him before that Tsuna was missing an eye as when Tsuna looked at him without the glass eye in place. It wasn't a creepy contact lens. He really was missing an eye. There was nothing there, not even the crawling thing that had scared the wits out of him.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna asked. "You know that I don't like it when you stare-- Ahh!" Tsuna lurched up in bed and covered his eye with his hand, belatedly realizing that it was missing. "Not again!" He cried as he frantically searched through the blankets for it. "Damnit! I knew I should have ordered a bigger one when it started shifting around. Shut up, Maro. Of course Xanxus looks freaked out. My eye fell out. I-- What?" Tsuna froze in place for a moment with a listening expression on his face before slowly looking at Xanxus again. "Maro says that Remorse was near the Gate to my consciousness," he mumbled. "Did something happen, Xanxus?"

"Yeah," he confirmed while he tried to get his heart to stop thudding so loudly. It was fine. Tsuna was back to normal. That crawling thing was probably just part of his imagination. Maybe it had been an illusion. He didn't know. He didn't put his guard up when he was alone with Tsuna, so it was possible. Maybe. Tsuna had never shown an ability for illusion before and that thing had looked pretty damn real.

"You don't have to explain," he murmured softly. "I'm already getting an earful from Maro. He warned me that they were getting a little more active, but I ignored it. It's because I'm starting to feel again. Little by little, I'm losing control inside. I guess it's a good thing that Autumn is in love with you. This way, I can't pretend that she's harboring some secret feelings for me. I should have known when she took my proposal as a joke, but--"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Xanxus interrupted in confusion.

"Autumn is in love with you," he answered calmly, "and I love Autumn. She can't accept who I really am, so my feelings are meaningless. My last chance was gone from the moment she realized her feelings for you. I'd hoped that an affair would be good enough, but it's pointless. I know that now and trying to make her open her eyes to me is impossible to force. It's time for me to face reality instead of running from it. Wishing for something doesn't always make it happen and even effort can be fruitless at times. I'm tired of spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. No, Maro. I'm not going to start taking the pills again. I already said that I'm not going to run from reality anymore. No matter what happens, I'll take responsibility. Just teach me what you used in the past to keep Remorse under control and see if you can figure out why Chibi is active. I'll do what I can to tame Lynx from this side, so don't worry about him. I understand. Yes. I'll think about it. That's not an option. Right. I see. Leave Yamamoto to me. I won't do any permanent damage, but I can't let him attack people. I'll spank his ass and send him home along with his friends. Right. You don't have to tell me that. I remember how we became friends. I'll tell you the story some other time. Right now, I still need to rest. Yeah, it should do more than anything else in making Remorse and Chibi passive again. We just need to be more careful in the future. No more than twice a week from now on. Okay?"

"You think they came out from a lack of rest?" Xanxus asked once Tsuna seemed finished with his one-sided conversation. Tsuna looked at him and nodded in the mostly-correct assumption that Xanxus understood the bulk of the conversation that he'd had with Maro.

"That, among some other things," he confirmed with a lifeless look in his eyes. "Because Maro says it'll take some strength away from Remorse, I'm going to tell you something, Xanxus. I was jealous of you. Autumn was the first person that I felt I could open up to since Snicker, but my faith in her has been broken. She's in love with you and nothing I can do will change that. It makes me want to hate you. The reason that she refused to accept me is in part because of the taint in my blood. You have that same taint, though, and she's accepted you. It's frustrating. It doesn't matter if you will return those feelings, I just find it aggravating that they were targeted at someone other than me."

"Then, the reason that you got pissed off and went after that Hunter...?"

"Jealousy," he admitted with his gaze falling. "I wanted to prove that I was as good as you, but she apparently didn't care. She's blind to me now and it's because of you. I.... I really could hate you, but I'm not going to. You're probably the first guy that she's had feelings for, so let her feel them. If it gets to a point that she's going to get hurt because of them, then don't toy around. Be honest with her, no matter what your choice is. Most of all, don't underestimate her. She seems like a spoiled brat, but most of that is just a sham."

"She's an idiot if what you say is true," he replied with a stony expression. "Only an idiot falls for a guy like me, which lowers my low opinion of her."

"Maro says that he must be an idiot, then," Tsuna murmured with a sad smile. "I'm going to stop chasing after her, Xanxus. I was right to begin with. I need to leave love to Maro and the others. One of us has to stay focused on work. If it's alright with you, then I'd like to depend on you a little more. I want to face myself squarely instead of burying the other sides of myself. If Remorse or Lynx ever comes out again, I'd like you to feed on me to get them under control. Chibi has my childhood memories, so be gentle with him. I'd like to keep him oblivious if I can. Can I count on you for that?"

"I'm not one to turn down a gourmet meal," he grinned. Then his grin faltered. "Do you really think this is the right path for you to take? As much as I like my time with Maro, forcing dissenters into submission is typically easier than negotiating with them. Taking your pills would be less work."

"I don't know," he mumbled as he laid back down. "My intuition says that I have to, though, and Snicker told me to never ignore my gut feelings."


	85. Chapter 85 Disconnected

"Do it right or don't let me see your face again," Tsuna growled. The man in front of him nodded frantically before running off to carry out his assignment. Three times now, the men that he'd sent to watch Gabriel had returned to ask if there was a point to continuing surveillance. He simply replaced them for the first two times, but he decided to do something different this time. That change was to reassert that his orders were final and send the squad back to their duties. It was bad enough that he'd had to replace two teams. If a third team knew of his actions, the chance that someone might leak information would increase even more.

He refused to have someone say that he was the stalker.

_Aren't you being harsh?_ Maro asked in sympathy for the squad leader.

"No," he answered while he tried to rub the headache out of his temples. "I have advisors that I pay to question my orders. I don't need guys like him doing it, too. What's the word on our mice?"

_Chibi's holed up like always, _he answered nonchalantly_. Lynx has been licking himself since breakfast and Remorse is hiding again. I can't find a trace of him, so he's either somewhere that I haven't explored or he's avoiding me. Either way, he's no where near the Gate--_

"Boss," Veronica interrupted quietly from the door. "There's a woman here for you. She says that--"

"Just move out of the way," the woman in question ordered, shoving Veronica into the office. Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise, only to have his headache increase by tenfold. "You clean up nicely for a beast," Mistress Drake grinned.

"Miss!" Veronica shrieked. "You can't just--"

"Veronica, please prepare something to drink from my private stock," he ordered as he composed himself and bowed slightly in greeting. "Mistress Drake, you honor me with this unexpected visit."

"Hmph," she said in amusement for the bow. It was irritating that she didn't give him the same respect of following protocol, but Lord Nephriam warned him that he was seen as unworthy of such tokens. Getting werewolves on equal terms with vampires would take time. It would take a lot of time with him acting as more of a vampire than a vampire did. There was no war between their races, but prejudice could taint even peaceful times. "He was right," she murmured as Veronica rushed out the door to follow his orders. "You really are attempting the impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," he replied, rising from his bow with a small smile on his face. "Improbable or inconceivable, yes. Impossible, no."

"How does one grasp onto smoke?" She asked in effort to prove him wrong.

"You put it in a glass bubble and hold onto that," he answered without missing a beat. "Before you say it, I already know that the smoke will disappear once it has touched the sides of its prison. The question was how to grasp it, though. You never specified for how long."

"Cocky," she insulted as she slowly walked around his office. She stopped in front of the wall holding his degrees for several moments in order to read each of the plaques. She also stopped in front of his bookshelf. She seemed to take considerable amusement in Houston's essay that he'd framed. No matter what she looked at, she seemed on the edge of laughter. "You really have no idea of what you've gotten yourself into. You remind me of a bull who charges forward without any thought as to what's behind the red curtain."

"Have I done something to displease the Council?" Tsuna asked as Veronica returned with the blood wine that he kept in stock for these sort of occasions. Thankfully, she remembered her orders. She didn't pour it into the wine glasses before exiting into a rush. That honor was left to Tsuna. After pouring, he tasted it as protocol demanded to prove that it was untainted before offering Mistress Drake her glass. She took it, but not without a condescending smile for his troubles.

"I'm no longer part of the Council," she replied nonchalantly as she started circling his room to look in more detail. It was almost as if she was trying to insult him by only showing her back to him. "I assume Poe has not returned with word yet, so I will let you in on the news on his behalf. At the Council gathering to determine our course of action with the Hunters, Neve boldly presented herself to be tested."

"Tested?" Tsuna asked in concern.

"To see if she has my gifts," she murmured in sudden softness. "She does and the Council voted unanimously to induct her in my place. The speed with which it happens leaves me with no doubt that Lord Nephriam has been scheming for it since the beginning. My plans have been completely ruined. I wanted her to stay with my son for another year or two before I claimed her for training. By inducting her now, she will be nothing more than a puppet to achieve your and Lord Nephriam's goals."

"And you're here to find out what those goals are," Tsuna finished with his own smile erupting. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have nothing planned where she is concerned. Actually, this disrupts my own plans quite a bit. I was going to ask her to manage my 'foreign affairs' department since I've received quite a few invitations to meet my kindred around the globe. I dislike the idea of leaving this city, so I was going to see if she wanted to go in my stead. This choice must have been of her own making, so I doubt that she will be a puppet like you say. She is a vampire with a strong will."

"I see," she replied, finally turning to look at him with a strangely soft expression on her face. No matter how many times Tsuna met her, it never ceased to amaze him about how young she looked. She was older than him, but younger than Snicker in appearance. Considering Neve was over fifty and Poe was old enough to be Neve's father, Mistress Drake had to be at least double her son's age. That meant that she was at least one or two hundred years old at the minimum. She didn't look bad for being an old crone. "She said the same thing when I confronted her on the matter. She called me shallow and pedantic. Then she called me a snob and said that she was going to take over to make sure that prejudice didn't rule the Council's decisions. She's still a fledgling despite her age. I didn't think that the time she'd spent with you was enough to be damaging, but it looks like it was enough to completely determine her mindset. Anything I say where werewolves are concerned will be completely ignored in the future."

"You'll have to pardon my relief for that," Tsuna murmured with a slow smile as he sipped his own glass of wine. Mistress Drake's eyes focused on the cup immediately before giving a concerned glance to her own. "Don't worry," he soothed in amusement. "It's human. My personal stock is at home where Veronica won't confuse the bottles. I'm merely drinking for the taste, like one does with all things that serve no nutritious purpose. You might dislike me for being a cannibal, but you're mistaken if you think I do it by choice. Werewolves are not like the Phlegm. We do not feed merely to feed nor do we give into our instinct more than necessary to keep it under control. It's true that we have moments were we must lose our civility, but it is better than losing our sanity. There is something that you as a full-blood does not understand, which is why I will not hide my relief that Neve has taken over for you on the Council."

"And what is that?" She asked with her eyes narrowing in on him.

"Even if I was a half-blood vampire, I'd still be a cannibal by eating humans," he answered solemnly. She started slightly, only to gape slightly afterward. "Neve has watched me and she knows that half-bloods can't think like you do. It is difficult to let go of the humanity still left in us and a half-blood will think of themselves as nothing more than a tainted human. A half-blood would look at me and say that I have been cursed no differently, although the results are altered. For half-bloods and werewolves, there is nothing special to differentiate us except years of bias thought. Lord Nephriam is working to remove those who propagate that thought process and it looks like Neve is aiding him of her own will. The day where werewolves are extinct is coming, Mistress Drake. With Neve's move, I can already see the checkmate where I will be able to freely call myself a half-blood vampire with special needs. I am not a dog nor am I a beast. If you wish to not lose everything, I would advise that you get with the program."

"Perhaps you are right," she murmured, making Tsuna blink in surprise at her sudden agreement. He honestly thought that she'd be harder to convince. What was with the sudden submissiveness?! "Don't look at me like that," she smiled. "I've honestly been thinking on the matter a great deal. I have always disliked werewolves because of a personal matter, but there are factors to it that Poe has been so ruthless in reminding me of. I might be old enough to be set in my ways, but I am not so old that I can not change. Having my granddaughter call me a fool and usurp my Council position was more than enough to make me open my eyes. I had planned to give it to her, but the manner she has taken it from me has shown me that I am yet again behind the times. I can not say that I am happy with this revolution in thinking, but I am also not so unhappy that I'm willing to stage my own revolution. Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?" Tsuna asked curiously, seeing the whimsical expression on her face.

"Perhaps it's time that I started new again," she answered quietly. "I've done my duty by overseeing the Council and I've had three full-blood children and I now have four full-blood grandchildren. I'm thinking that it's time for me to travel the world a bit and simply enjoy my earned reward. What do you think? I've spent one hundred and ninety-seven years looking out for others and having to deal with cocky idiots. There should be no harm in kicking back for a few decades before I get down to business again. Maybe put some perspective on how the world's changed so I can put that brat Nephriam in his place again."

"It sounds like you're ready for some fun," he agreed with a laugh for how free-spirited she was acting. As easily as that, she was already starting to loosen up.

"I am," she admitted with her smile growing. It was a nice smile, he thought. There was no cruelty in it or gleams of mischievous planning. It was a smile where he could see Neve glowing inside of her. "The last of my children are grown and I've lost touch. Rather than hate the circumstances, I should take heart in my new freedom. Time solves many things and nothing good can come from rushing in to reattain what was taken. I just have to explore and gain understanding so that I can be the one in the lead when the century turns again. Is that not right?"

"I'd say that it's a good game plan," he agreed.

"You're not so bad when I'm thinking of you as a caveman instead of a dog," she commented in amusement.

"Thanks... I think," he replied with a chuckle. Reaching out, he snatched up the bottle and refilled her drink. Peace, he decided. That was her true reason for coming. She'd wanted to bury the hatchet from the beginning, but it was habit to pose and posture first. "I have to say that you're also pleasant company when I don't feel like you're wanting to whip me for existing."

"You're just a half-blood degenerate," she said with her eyes drooping in a sultry manner as if she was considering something. Tsuna put the wine bottle back down while she sipped her drink, wondering both about the compliment and what she was considering. For her, calling him a half-blood, even a half-blood degenerate, was paramount to acceptance. "We should get married," she abruptly mumbled into her glass, making Tsuna choke on his own drink.

"What?!" He spluttered once he finally got a gulp of air instead of wine.

"We should get married," she said with a nod to herself as if to make the proposition firm. She smiled widely at how he was gaping and reached out to shut his jaw for him. "I don't think you'd find it a bad idea. Marriage in our circles isn't like human marriage. You'll still be free to have outside relations and marriage to multiple people are allowed. It's more of a business agreement than anything. It would be a way for me to show that I am willing to move beyond my past stance against werewolf equality and it would be a way for you to gain a fraction of my wealth. I would not be demanding of you. You could stay here and do as you pleased, although I would be appreciative if you could spare some time entertaining me while I'm in this city. An occasional vacation with me would be nice, as well. You've not traveled, if my information is correct, so old places might become new with you around. I'm sure that we could have a lot of fun together."

Tsuna spluttered incoherently when she leaned forward to nibble on his ear. This was NOT what he was expecting when she'd barged in! Even as a joke, it was too much!

"I'm serious," she added as if his last thought was clear on his face. "You can consider this my proposal. Before you answer, please keep in mind how much wealth I have accumulated. I'd be willing to share it with you in exchange for merely an affirmative engagement. We can set the date for a hundred years from now if you'd like. As long as you treat me kindly until then, I'll be satisfied. It's not such a bad deal, is it? In a hundred years, everything you know will be unrecognizable. Your friends will be gone and only their heirs will have survived. You have not felt it since you've yet to live one full lifetime, but you'll have only pain waiting for you unless you accept it now that you--"

"I don't know if I'll live that long," Tsuna mumbled as true shock started settling in. "Poe said that we won't know for years whether I've stopped aging or not. A hundred years is--"

"I'm willing to gamble," she smiled. "If you die before then, I'll consider what I've invested as a luxury expense. If you don't, I can look to the next hundred years as being more interesting than the previous centuries. Really, what will you have to lose? You can always break the engagement off before then and return my dowry to me if you change your mind. An engagement serves my purposes well enough, so I'm willing to be patient."

"I... uh..." Tsuna thought frantically, but there really was nothing that he had to lose. He was being offered a large sum of money for a promise that he probably wouldn't live to fulfill. Even if he did have to fulfill it, everyone who was close to him would be dead by then. If she was going to treat him humanely, then the agreement wasn't unacceptable. "I don't love you," he mumbled hesitantly.

"And I don't love you," she confirmed with a laugh. "That has nothing to do with this. This is a beneficial agreement to both parties, nothing else. A business arrangement of sorts. The personal side of it is so easily dealt with that it's laughable. If you find someone you do love, then I won't stop you from enjoying time with them. It is just like I expect freedom to enjoy what I want. I don't like the idea of being tied down any more than you do, but there should be no problem if we rarely see one another."

Tsuna stared at her, wondering whether anyone could be happy in such circumstances. Then he realized that happiness didn't matter in business. This wasn't that kind of marriage. It was just as she'd said. It was a contract that would get him the money that he needed to stabilize his company while increasing her reputation positively in return. It was nothing more than an alliance and he had no reason not to ally himself with her if she was as truly repentant of her prejudice as his gut said she was. He couldn't feel any attempts at deception in her offer.

_I won't argue_, Maro said quietly. _Even though I'm the one that will have to deal with it, it's too tempting to pass up. We can get your company in order with a good financial backing and I can always cancel the engagement later when I have my body back._

"Very well," he answered with a polite bow. "If that is the way of it, I have no reason to refuse. For the sake of my company and to further the spread of equal treatment for werewolves such as myself by full-blooded vampires like yourself, I humbly accept your proposal, Mistress Drake."

"Aldelphie," she corrected in open pleasure. "Although, in this lifetime, I go by Adie Drake."

"Adie," he repeated with a small smile. "Please call me Laz or Lazarus as you prefer."

"I think I'll stick with 'puppy'," she teased with a wink. Tsuna smiled with her, seeing no malice or ill intent in her words. She really was just trying to be playful this time. Before he could wonder where they should go from there, she tugged a ring off one of her fingers and stuck it in his hand. "This is my personal seal," she explained. "Wearing it will be no different than the agreement you have with Nephriam's Family. It symbolizes connection without requiring loyalty. Unlike Nephriam, who is bold enough to create his own, I have chosen to stay in the shadows and support one led by humans. The leader knows of me and will treat you fairly should you show that seal at his doors. Even if you never use it, I ask that you wear it as token of our agreement today."

"Alright," he nodded as he slipped the ring on. "What Family is it?"

"Tomaso," she answered with a slow smile. "Honestly, the leaders are complete lunatics, but they are a never-ending source of amusement for me. I get use of their name and they create new aliases for me to live under in exchange for financing. I was considering whether to pull my funding when the latest heir turned out to be even more useless than the previous ones, but Longchamp seems to be shaping up."

_Holy hell_, Maro gasped. _I didn't know about this! So that's how Naito was able to keep rebuilding!_

"This is starting to get interesting," he murmured in amusement. "So I'm connected with Tomaso now? Does your Boss have the power to negotiate with Vongola?"

"Yes," she answered in confusion. "But why do you--? Oh, I see," she grinned in abrupt understanding. "Vongola has been invading this area for a while now. I might be able to pull a few strings to get them to pull out. It's going to cost you, though."

"What more do you want?" Tsuna asked, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "You've already got me."

"How about a test drive?" She answered mischievously. Tsuna pulled back and gave her his own considering look. She had a few crow's feet around her eyes, but she didn't look very wrinkled. Far from it, actually. She looked like she'd been recently augmented to a perky extent and her body was in as good of a shape as Autumn's. She was fit, lean, and supple with curves in all the right places. He'd slept with whores who looked worse.

"That could be arranged," he agreed with a grin.

* * *

"You haven't been recalled yet?" Tsuna asked with a glare as he surveyed the scene. Rachael looked cut up pretty badly and she was losing a lot of blood. The Armor of Faith didn't look like it'd saved her and she was barely keeping the glow of it up. This was the fifth Knight to be attacked. Barbus, Poppet, Saldez, and even Isaac were already in the hospital.

"Be careful, Laz," Rachael gasped as she tried to keep her knees from buckling. "He's not easy to dodge and that's my specialty."

"Xanxus," he ordered while he stared at his opponent. "I know that you're watching, so stop stalking me and take Rachael to the hospital."

"You're an idiot," Xanxus grumbled as he stepped out from the shadows of an alley. "Blowing your partner's cover--"

"You're not my partner," he corrected mercilessly. "You're the Ero-Usagi Stalker. Bunnies shouldn't chase after wolves, so do like I said and take Rachael."

"If you die, I'm going to kill you," he growled as he threw the half-conscious Rachael over his shoulder. Tsuna didn't reply, choosing instead to trade stare for stare with his opponent. Yamamoto's eyes flickered toward his target for a moment, but he seemed satisfied enough with the wounds he'd caused to let her go. This wasn't the smiling Yamamoto that had visited him. His eyes were too dark for that and there was no trace of a smile on his face. He knew from Yamamoto's sheer presence that he was facing a hitman equal with Reborn.

"Thanks for letting them leave," he murmured. "I expected Adie to move faster than this. I'm guessing that negotiations between Vongola and Tomaso aren't good enough. I'll have to ask a favor from Carter, as well, to get you out of my city."

"My fight isn't with you," Yamamoto replied with an unflinching gaze. "You should be satisfied in how we're taking your rivals out for you. Without the Martelli Family--"

"That would take away all my fun," Tsuna interrupted while he let Lynx cut loose by the smallest of percentages. Yamamoto was strong. He'd need Lynx's power to stand against him. "The Martelli Family is my prey and this is my territory. Interlopers will be Judged accordingly." Giving Yamamoto no clue as to where his ring was hidden on his body, he summoned his Hammer into his hand. "Hear my voice," he whispered, calling on his Voice, as well. Yamamoto's eyes widened, hearing his whisper coming from within his head rather than through his ears. "I am the Sixth Knight of the Martelli Family, he who commands Justice. Your ill deeds will not go unpunished."

"Thought so," Yamamoto murmured in satisfaction. "You truly are a poor copy of Hibari. You've been deceiving both friends and foes alike to keep your freedom, but you'll intervene when things get serious."

"Face your demons," he murmured, ignoring the taunt to focus on what he was being told to say by his intuition. "Blue Shinigami. Uptown Slicer. The Smiling Swordsman. Names have power and you have many. Know them and remember the pain that you have caused to earn them. The Tenth's Chainsaw. The Winter Sparrow. Red Shadow--" Yamamoto showed no outward effect that the Voice was working, but he did decide to attack. Whether it was to stop the memories from being forced to surface or whether it was simply to shut him up, Tsuna had no clue. What he did know was that Yamamoto was fast. He was much faster than the dodge during his visit had suggested.

_Remember your promise, Laz_, Maro interjected calmly as Tsuna's hammer clashed with Yamamoto's sword. Tsuna didn't need the reminder. He knew fully well that permanent damage wouldn't be forgiven. Honestly, even though Yamamoto had done such horrible things to Poppet and Rachael, Tsuna didn't want to hurt him any more than Maro did. He couldn't let him continue to run amok in the city, though. All he was doing was causing pain and fear. They hadn't yet claimed a single ring from what Xanxus had told him, but the suffering wasn't stopping.

"Not bad," Yamamoto praised with a small smile as sparks started grinding from their stalemated weapons. "You've got plenty of speed and power. Have you ever thought of playing baseball?"

"I suck at ball sports," Tsuna replied with a grin surfacing despite himself. "I thought Ryohei was the one that was mad about recruiting people."

_Careful, Laz_, Maro warned when Yamamoto's smile faltered.

"How do you know that name?" He asked with a scowl as their blades slid away from each other. Tsuna dodged the follow-up strike and forced Yamamoto to skip backward to dodge the counter from his Hammer. Once they were apart, Tsuna took advantage of the space to answer.

"Xanxus has mentioned him a few times," he lied as Yamamoto leaped into motion again. "Besides that, you shouldn't underestimate the range of my information sources!" He shouted as their weapons clashed yet again. The strength of their blows was enough to stir up debris and dirt to choke the air. Yamamoto was relentless, striking endlessly with wave after wave of sword strokes that Tsuna was barely able to keep up with. It wasn't fair, but Tsuna saw no option other than to fight this battle with Injustice. Where Justice would make Yamamoto see the error of his ways, it would also drive him insane and possibly kill him. He'd promised Maro to do no permanent harm to him, so the only option was physical harm and the creation of pain with the other end of his hammer.

_Tell him that spies are like cockroaches_, Maro snapped once they both broke away in opposite directions in effort to end the stalemate.

"Spies are like cockroaches," he repeated with a smile, seeing that Maro was suggesting a bluff. "When you find one, there's a hundred more still in hiding. Sometimes you can go years without knowing that you have them until you wake up one night for a midnight snack and they're swarming the kitchen."

"You're bluffing," Yamamoto growled with his eyes narrowing into a razor's edge.

"Am I?" Tsuna asked with his smile widening even more. Yamamoto was completely buying into it like Tsuna really had the power, influence, and the planning ability to get spies into Vongola. More than likely, it was his likeness to his precious Vongola the Tenth that made him believe in the possibility.

"Repeat that...?" Yamamoto asked with his hand going up to his ear piece. Tsuna focused his hearing for a moment to catch what he could of the incoming message.

"We've.... dered to... turn to base... rendezvous at....th pier in twen... Been recalled.... venth."

"This isn't funny," Yamamoto growled with a fierce look of frustration crossing his face. "I'm in combat with the last one, damnit!"

"Orders depa... immediately."

"It looks like your visit to America is over," Tsuna smiled in satisfaction, making Yamamoto's full attention snap back on him. "It looks like Tomaso was good enough after all. One spoiled brat's personal desires mean nothing when an alliance can be shattered because of it."

"This isn't over," he snarled in anger. "I didn't come out of retirement and fight to have the mission called off because you manipulated things to your liking. I don't know how you did it, but I'll make sure that--"

"Why don't you just let it go?" Tsuna suggested gently. "Don't you want to go home to your son? Why are you here fighting in the first place? Just because a little boy told you to? There's no point to the destruction and injuries you've caused other than to give a spoiled brat the toys that he wants. Why are you hurting innocent people?"

"This isn't over," he repeated through clenched teeth.

"You said that my eyes were clouded," Tsuna murmured, dropping his eyes in acceptance that the battle was finished. "The things that people usually hate about other people are the things that they dislike about themselves. Before you cast Judgment upon me, you need to look in the mirror. I know my faults better than anyone. I have accepted those faults and work to correct them so that they do not cast shadows on the people I encounter. Yamamoto Takeshi, it is your eyes that are clouded. You know that what you are doing isn't right. Vongola the Tenth is probably weeping inside at how you've fallen."

"Don't talk about the Tenth like you know him!" Yamamoto roared. "What I'm doing is for him! He wouldn't weep at what I'm doing! He'd weep if he'd seen how his son was suffering! I'm here to end that and nothing you can do will--" Yamamoto paused and gritted his teeth at another hiss from his ear-piece. "This isn't over," he repeated with a small measure of calm returning.

"Worry about your own family, Yamamoto Takeshi," he replied. "Stop putting other people's sons over your own." Turning his back on the man, he released his Hammer and started walking. He could feel Yamamoto's enraged glare on his back, but he was a sensible type of guy. He wasn't one to become blind with rage. He was one to focus it and expend it productively. Here and now wasn't that time.

Unfortunately for Yamamoto, Tsuna didn't intend to permit that time to come.

* * *

"This is part of your duty," Papa Paolo murmured. Autumn didn't reply. She was too busy looking through the window into the intensive care unit while wondering if there was a point to their resistance. There were too many injuries. Everyone was cut up, with the sole exception of Poppet who had the ability to harden her skin. Even Poppet was bruised, though, and she had inhalation burns from when the Vongola hitman had pulled out some sort of living fire weapon to defeat her. Why did they have to go through this? What had they ever done wrong? Was their Family's rings really worth this kind of suffering?

"I can't do this, Daddy," she mumbled, putting her face into her hands to block out the images of her friends. "Why don't we just give them what they want so that they'll go away?"

"Do you really think that they'd stop if they got what they wanted?" He asked calmly. "It's in the nature of the winners to subjugate the defeated. Surrender isn't an option, Princess. Our job is to protect the people in this city and to protect our Family from people who would harm them. Your Knights have been serving to fulfill that duty so that those behind them can have peace and freedom. They are the shields to protect the weak and their strength is that they'll stand up to fight no matter how many times they are cut down. Do you think that they'd appreciate your actions if you were to give up on what they've been fighting for?"

"No," she whimpered. "But what can we do? The Vongola aren't going to stop. Rachael's been able to keep the rings by teleporting them into her hands after they can be taken, but she's the only one left. If she gets--"

"Boss," Jules interjected. Autumn didn't need more than that single word. It'd happened. Rachael had been defeated. There was no one left to stand up against the Vongola other than herself and she'd already been taken down by them once when she'd been kidnapped.

"Why?!" She stomped tearfully in frustration. "What did we ever do to deserve this?! We didn't have any ambitions and we weren't hurting anyone! What gives them the right to do this?!"

"Calm yourself," Papa Paolo snapped before turning his attention to Jules. "How bad is it?"

"Not bad at all," he answered sheepishly, making Autumn freeze in place in surprise. "She's got a lot of surface wounds and a fractured rib from getting kicked, but she should be back on her feet in no time. At first, I thought she was as bad off as Isaac from all the blood, but none of her wounds are deep. The bleeding has already stopped and she only needed a few stitches here and there. She's awake if you'd like to--"

Autumn didn't wait to hear more. Running for the emergency room at top speed, she found Rachael after checking only three of the curtained examination rooms. She wanted to burst into tears at the sight of her. Her beautiful hair had been cut lopsided and her body was covered in scratches. She was smiling, though, as she kept her rescuer from leaving.

"Thank goodness," she sobbed into her hands. Both Rachael and Xanxus paused in place while Autumn tried to get control of herself. She couldn't hold it back, though. There were too many injuries. Too many of her friends had been hurt. "If we'd lost you, I don't know what we would have done," she cried.

"What are you saying?" Rachael laughed. "Of course that wouldn't have happened. I had Faith that he'd answer my Voice and he did. I'll admit that it would have been nice if he'd come faster, but I'm not going to complain. I'm alive because he stepped in."

"Thank you, Xanxus," she said in sincere gratitude. "I can't tell you how much--"

"I don't have time for this shit," he growled, yanking his arm out of Rachael's grip. He was embarrassed, Autumn decided. He was a hardcore hitman, but he'd saved someone. Being thanked probably wasn't something that he was used to.

"You really don't have to rush!" Rachael exclaimed. "Laz will be perfectly fine. Have more faith in him."

"Faith has nothing to do with it," he snarled. "Yamamoto has the strength to change the odds. You can't fucking--"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I rigged the game," Laz interjected from the door. He smiled at how Xanxus' jaw dropped, but she didn't see what there was to be surprised about. Laz showed up every time someone got injured. He was a little faster this time, but--

"What happened?" Xanxus asked, darting forward to look at the shallow scratch on Laz's cheek. "How did you finish it so fast?"

"It was nothing," he chuckled as he batted Xanxus away. "I just came to check on Rachael. How is she?"

"I'm fine, Laz," she answered while Autumn tried to figure out what was going on. "How did you manage to escape with only a little scratch, though? Yamamoto out-classed me at every turn."

"He left before either of us got serious," Laz answered with a sad smile. "I'm sorry it took so long, but you can stop crying Autumn. No one else is going to get hurt."

"You can say that all you want, but Vongola--"

"Vongola has pulled out of the city and they won't be back," he interrupted calmly.

"What did you do, son?"

Autumn's eyes widened at the sight of her father stepping up behind Laz. She really didn't understand what was going on now. Hadn't Xanxus saved Rachael? How could Laz talk like that? How could he say that about Vongola?! Why was her Father glaring at him and what the hell was up with this awkward silence?!

"What's done is done," Laz finally answered. "Vongola is no longer a threat to you. What more do you need to know?"

"How and why for starters," Papa Paolo growled. Autumn's eyes widened in surprise when her father did one thing that he rarely did. He got upset enough to use physical violence. Before Xanxus could move more than a step, Laz was slammed into a wall and held two feet off the ground. The strange part to it all was the lack of resistance that Laz gave. He didn't let out so much as a grunt at the impact. "I just got a phone call from Vongola the Eleventh to apologize for Vongola's actions and a promise that he would never again look in our direction! What the hell did you do, boy?!"

"I'm just protecting the wildlife by making a reserve," he answered with a cocky smile as if he didn't even care that Papa Paolo was angry with him. "You couldn't do it, so I did. You can go back to building your dams now, Papa Beaver."

"Laz!" Autumn gasped in surprise for the insult. Although, she couldn't be positive that it actually was an insult. What was he saying? What had her father said?! Her mind wasn't wanting to keep up. Vongola really was gone just like that? It wasn't possible.

"How?" Papa Paolo repeated with a scowl as his grip tightened on Laz's collar. "Tell me," he ordered with the Voice of Nobility. Laz smiled and leaned forward a few inches to answer.

"No," he whispered, reaching up to grab hold of the arm suspending him against the wall. For some reason, her father let go and jumped back at the simple touch. The reaction was inexplicable, but Laz was smiling like a maniac. "I'm a big boy, Papa Paolo," he continued while he smoothed his shirt down. "You raised me to be strong and self-sufficient, but I don't think you realize how much I've grown. I can't pay back debts when I'm continuously getting aid from the very person I owe, so I've been making countless alliances. Your way of keeping to yourself is good, but that's not the Orange Dragon's way. I simply did what you refused to and picked a side."

"And what side is that?" Papa Paolo asked with a glare while he carefully moved his fingers around as if to test the feeling in them.

"My own," he answered with another smile. "Those who want to be on my side are welcome to join it as long as they know that my friend's enemies aren't necessarily mine. I Judge everyone equally, regardless of the opinions of those around me."

"What did you do, Laz?" Xanxus interjected with his own scowl. Papa Paolo lurched slightly at the question, while Autumn slowly came to realize that the Laz in front of her isn't the one she recognized. She couldn't seem to make enough sense out of what was going on to pin the reason down, though. Laz was saying something, but it simply wasn't registering.

"Nothing that you need to concern yourself with," he replied in amusement. "I--" Laz broke off at the sound of his ring tone and he answered it without a care for the tense atmosphere in the room. "Hello, Kitten," he murmured into his cell phone. "Yes, you couldn't have done any better. You'll have to give me the details later. I'm in the middle of something right now. Ah, yes. We can finish the contract as soon as you return. No," he laughed. "I don't need five hundred. Fifty million is more than enough for my needs. No, I'd prefer not to merge. ODE needs to stay exclusive. Don't say that. Right. I'm sure something can be arranged. You know that I could care less about that. Don't worry, I'll overcome your resistance quickly enough. You'll find that the taste hasn't changed that much. Indeed. I really need to go, Adie. Alright, I will. Ja ne."

"You're a bastard," Xanxus growled with his whole body trembling in anger. Tsuna paused for a moment as he pocketed his phone before quickly collecting his decorum again.

"Sorry," he smiled. "I forgot that you'd be able to hear. Like I told you before, it's nothing to worry about. The agreement took care of my current problems and I have a hundred years to change my mind."

"Who was that?" Autumn asked while still trying to wrap her head around everything.

"No one important," Laz replied with a shrug. "I have someone that I need to go meet, so I believe our conversation is finished. Xanxus, thanks for bringing Rachael for me and keep your mouth shut. There's some things that I'd prefer to keep private."

"You owe me," Xanxus grumbled with his eyes flickering momentarily in Autumn's direction. "I want a full explanation later."

"I'll let Maro give it to you," he promised with a long stretch. "I need to go. Charlie wants to borrow some more money and I plan to drag him down to Tig Bitty's with me. It's time to get moving on Phase Two."

"You're really picking that brat as your heir?" Xanxus asked, making both Autumn and her father's attention snap to Laz.

"Of course," he answered as he started retreating out the door again without bothering with farewells. "ODE is his father's legacy. I think he'll come around once I've had a chance to show him what that legacy is really worth."

"I'll come with you," Xanxus offered. Autumn watched in utter shock as he chased Laz out the door and down the hall. Both Rachael and her father looked just as shocked, but she hoped that one of them had some understanding of the situation.

"Um..." she mumbled hesitantly. "What just happened?"

* * *

Ore watched over the party inside Tig Bitty's and tried to withhold his misgivings. Of all people, why did Laz have to pick Charlie? He understood the need to train someone to help fill in the gaps since Laz liked to fly solo half the time, but Charlie was just a punk kid. He only showed his face to borrow money and Laz had been forced to step in countless times to keep dealers off the kid's back. It was no wonder that he'd been kicked off his football team and it was even more unsurprising that he'd lost his college scholarship. He had no motivation at all, so why him of all people? Being Snicker's son just wasn't enough to make up for all of his flaws.

Laz had never steered them wrong before though, so Ore knew to keep his mouth shut. Laz could be single-minded, arrogant, and even selfish at times, but Ore could tell that the bulk of it all was just bluster. He'd changed so much from the Suoh that had blushed and laughed in Snicker's shadow, but Ore was one of the few who knew and understood why. He'd changed himself for the sake of those who'd been treasured by Snicker. He'd changed simply to better protect the people who had filled the Dojo with laughter for the past few years. The only way that Ore could think to repay him for his sacrifices was to watch over him and protect him in return, even when his smiles were fake and his laughter was forced.

"Beer?" Eric asked as he sat down across from him with two bottles in hand. Ore nodded and accepted the offered one without moving from his spot next to the door of the back room. He was positioned far enough away that he could react if someone came in while also being close enough to respond quickly in case it was someone other than the staff. Across the room, Laz was sitting with Charlie on a couch while two dancers gave them a private show. Charlie was quickly getting both drunk and high while Laz's smile seemed to become more and more satisfied. He was acting like his attention was on the topless woman paying service to him, but it was obvious to those that knew him that his entire focus was on the brat. "He's working him over pretty well," Eric commented when he saw where Ore's attention was focused.

"Eh?" Ore blinked in surprise.

"Charlie," Eric explained with a tip of his bottle to the red-faced teenager. "He reminds me a lot of myself, although I think he has it worse in some ways. Football was his only passion, but he missed out on that when he made some mistakes and wrong choices. Laz said that he didn't find out until it was too late, but Charlie was skipping out on classes and his practices. Football was the only thing that he was good at and he's lost it. Now he's got no goals and no idea of which direction to go. He's got tons of repressed anger from a shitty home-life and even his friends have ditched him because he's not a star player anymore. He's got a lot of energy and no where to unleash it."

"What's that have to do with the party?" Ore asked in confusion. Eric blinked in surprise at the innocent question before laughing around his beer.

"Sorry, Big Guy," he chuckled. "You're usually the quick thinker of us, so it's rare that I figured something out before you. Basically, you could say that Laz is motivating him. He's showing him the perks before he shows him the work that goes into earning it. If you notice, Laz isn't letting him touch any of the hard stuff, though. He's been making sure that the brat's drinks have been watered and most of what they're smoking is really just tobacco. Laz is drawing it all out to make the fun last for Charlie before he drinks enough to puke. After tonight, he'll remember that Laz showed him a good time and he'll start trusting him since he didn't go into step-daddy mode. We'll probably see Charlie just hanging around more at first, but, eventually, Laz is going to start showing him how to run the business and he'll get cut into the profits when we know he can be trusted."

"Oh," Ore blinked in surprise. "That's pretty outrageous."

"That's not to say that it's going to be easy to turn that brat into someone who can take over for Laz for even a day or two," Eric grinned as he glanced over to see that Charlie was starting to get a little frisky with inebriation. He probably wasn't a virgin since he was almost a full adult, but he acted like one when all the girls started tossing their bras onto his head. "He's been spoiled for most of his life, so the first problem is going to be how to keep him happy without letting him have this every day. Laz has to break Charlie's whining streak."

"Good luck," Ore scoffed in laughter as he finally relaxed enough to start sipping on his drink. He should have known. He hadn't been wrong in thinking that Charlie wasn't fit, but Laz was already working on fixing the brat's flaws in a way that Charlie wouldn't be overwhelmed by the effort needed.

Laz was a great Boss like that.

* * *

"...And so, the clerk says to the pig--" Tsuna broke off without a care for the damn punch line. Instead, he made a completely new one. "Something troublesome came."

"I don't get it," Erin replied in confusion.

"Pardon me," he mumbled with his senses focused only on his target. Setting aside both his drink and his cigar, he slid out of his seat and barely managed to keep himself from running. He could smell her, but the question was why she was there. This was supposed to be an exclusive party, although Tsuna knew that his own invitation came merely from Papa Paolo's desire to understand why he was no longer meek. Although his only intent had been to keep Autumn from finding out about Adie, it seemed that he'd unintentionally thrown down a gauntlet. That unintentional gauntlet would be made pointless if Adie was present!

_Does Don Martelli know_? Maro asked in concern. Tsuna flinched slightly at the inability to answer. He was already suspicious enough by his abrupt exit from the parlor and his attempts to walk around without being noticed. He got numerous strange looks while he tried to hide behind a Ming vase while he looked across the ballroom for his target. As soon as he saw her, he made a beeline through the dance floor and snatched her hand so that he could drag her into the garden before it was too late. Once outside, he really did run until they were hidden from the ballroom by a tree, although her evening gown hindered their pace tremendously.

"Oh my," Mistress Drake gasped breathlessly when he finally stopped. "I didn't think that you'd be that excited to see me."

"What are you doing here?" He snapped, feeling as if his heart was going to pound out of his chest. "I thought you were going to take a trip to Egypt to see the pyramids before you came back!"

"That's mean," she pouted with the same personality quirk that showed up when Poe was around. "Don't you want to see me?"

"That has nothing to do with this," he growled without allowing himself to fall into her pace. "You could have called to warn me that you were coming. I would have canceled my RSVP for this so that I could have met you at the airport. It would be problematic for me... if... you..." Tsuna trailed off and flinched slightly at the tears that welled up in her eyes. He wanted to groan. She was too much of a handful for him already. One minute she would act like a dominating, self-confident bitch and then she'd act like a fragile, lonely little girl in the next. All of it depended on her mood and it didn't look like she was in the mood to take charge of anything at the moment.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed while she blinked the tears away. "I should have cleared it with you first. I'm not used to this yet. There's still part of me that wants to walk all over you. I'm really trying, though. I thought if I spent more time with you, I could get better. I really want to change, but it's so hard to change how I think when I'm away from you. I'm afraid that I'll backslide."

"Alright," he sighed in exasperation. He really couldn't find fault with such reasoning. It wasn't really as if he could hide her forever, either. Someone would question what was going on eventually when he was forced to pay attendance to her. It was better to get it in the open now so that there would be no misunderstandings. He hadn't wanted Autumn to know, but he'd never get over her if he kept trying to turn himself into what he thought she wanted. It was too late for that. Even now, Autumn was paying attendance on Xanxus while the bastard enjoyed every drop of the Martelli's private stock of wines. He'd already decided to stop chasing her, so he had to move on. He had to move forward. It was better this way, anyway. This kind of relationship suited him better than a loving one. He couldn't get hurt this way because there were no emotions invested into it. "Forgive me for my rudeness," he murmured with a slight bow. "Your unexpected arrival scattered my wits for a time."

"There's nothing to be forgiven," she smiled softly as he rose back up. In a grace-filled second, she closed the distance between them so that she could hang on his arm. She wasn't small nor was she petite, but she seemed to shrink submissively once she was attached to him so that she was just the right size to make them look like a complimentary couple. "I prefer a man who likes to take control. It gets so tiring when no one challenges me."

"You're a strange one," Tsuna chuckled. "Why don't you tell me about your trip to see Tomaso while we walk back?"

"With pleasure," she agreed in instant cheer. He didn't get to hear much before they got to the ballroom doors. Most of what he did hear was about Longchamp's attempts to get her to repeal her request by using pity. There was more to Mistress Drake than it looked, though. She could be as heartless as Hibari when it came to getting what she wanted. It'd taken two days to talk him into acting and another three for him to successfully negotiate a withdrawal of Vongola forces. Other than that, he found out that she was only permitted one request a year from the Family in exchange for her financial backing and she'd used this year's quota to help him.

The conversation was dropped as they reached the ballroom again and they were split up almost immediately upon entry. The women surrounded Adie while the men yanked Tsuna away for a conference. Before he could even blink, he was being escorted back to the parlor. Once there, he found himself with a glass of whiskey, a cigar, and two dozen curious sets of eyes, behind which Papa Paolo was silently waiting for answers.

"Fess up, Laz," Michael ordered. "How do you know Madame Drake?"

"You know her?" Tsuna asked with his eye twitching in shock.

"Everyone knows her," the tea-loving Perdetti gasped. "I honestly didn't think that you were that type of person to go after a rich widow, but I can't fault you. She--"

"Hold on," Erin interjected. "Laz looks confused. Laz, you did know that she was one of the ten richest women in the world. Correct?"

"Um, no," he answered with a bright blush. "I knew she had money, but I didn't know it was that much. I'm... ah... I'm friends with her son. She--"

"You need to move carefully if you're going to go after her, Mr. Timberson," Dean Yulesboro advised. "Many men have tried to win her over and all but two have failed miserably. She's rather picky from what I'm told. If you're going to stand a chance--"

"Umm..."

"Just listen, Laz," Wes ordered from the seat behind him. "You're a bachelor, but you can't stay one forever. This is the perfect chance to--"

"Umm..."

"If you know her son, you should use that to get close to her," Perdetti suggested. "This is a grand opportunity and you'll regret it if you don't even--"

"Umm..."

"--try..." Perdetti trailed off, seeing what finally silenced everyone else. Tsuna felt like his head was going to explode and he was blushing worse than he'd blushed in a long time. How was he supposed to tell them that they were engaged when everyone thought that he was just a widow-hunter? "What's wrong?" Perdetti asked curiously.

"Don't tell me," Erin gasped in surprise. "You two are already--?!"

"E-Engaged," he confirmed sheepishly.

"What?!" Nearly everyone spluttered while Papa Paolo looked like he'd been hit with a brick.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Michael choked.

"Because I'm still not sure if I'm going to go through with it," he answered honestly. "We agreed on a long engagement so that I have plenty of time to change my mind. Honestly, she proposed in such a way that made it hard to refuse, but I'm not sure if this is what I really want. I mean, what kind of woman tells the man that she wants to marry that he can do whatever he wants when she's not around?"

"My wife," Erin answered with a crooked grin.

"Mine, too," Perdetti agreed.

"Mine was more selfish, but I married for love," Michael commented in thought. "So it's an arranged marriage and she proposed. I have to admit that it surprises me."

"No shit," Wes agreed. "I thought Laz would be the type to marry some broke-ass orphan. Marrying Madame Drake is crazy."

"Crazy?" Tsuna repeated.

"If you're friends with her son, then you probably already know," Dean Yulesboro murmured. "Madame Drake's last four engagements were cancelled when her son murdered them in their sleep. Not that you have anything to worry about. I've heard rumor of your fighting ability, so--"

"M-Murdered...?" Tsuna paled. Poe wouldn't murder him. Would he? Was that why Adie had returned? Poe was due back any day now and Tsuna had completely forgotten to warn him about the situation. Or was it Poe's brother that was the murderer? He'd never met Poe's brother, so he had no idea what type of person he was.

"Oh no," he groaned.

It finally hit him.

He was going to be Poe's step-dad.

"You didn't know?" Erin asked in surprise.

"No, I didn't," he admitted, shaking his head slightly to keep himself from going into stupor.

* * *

Autumn tried not to grit her teeth in frustration. Theodore wasn't letting her near Xanxus and Xanxus' attention seemed to be on the hag that Laz had come back from the garden with. She understood that it was s somewhat big deal to have Mistress Drake show up at their party. It would be a boost to their social status for some time. She didn't like the woman, though. First off, she was a vampire. Second, she was getting all of Xanxus' attention! It made her want to stomp in place and throw a fit like a five year old.

She hoped that her father was getting somewhere, at least. The whole point of the party was to get ideas for bringing Laz back under control. Even she had to admit the need for it now. Of course, being put on house arrest for a solid week so that she could think about it had helped. Her father had forced her to mentally review each and every one of her meetings with Laz until she slowly came to understand something. In her head, he was still the guy living in the attic. His personality had changed from then, though.

She still refused to admit that he'd saved their asses from Vongola and she refused to admit that he had any competence, but she was past the point where she could ignore him. Her father had been right in saying that she'd been blinding herself where he was concerned, but opening her eyes did very little to raise her opinion of him. He still made messy situations on a regular basis and he was still a lunatic where her brother was concerned. He was stubborn, conceited, delusional and arrogant, but she was now willing to admit that he could be useful. The only problem is that he wasn't acting like he wanted to be used anymore.

"Autumn," Xanxus murmured as he came up behind her. Startled, she choked on her wine and was forced to take several embarrassing seconds in recovery before she could turn to answer him.

"Y-Yes," she coughed.

"I need to talk to you," he said carefully while he gazed out across the ballroom. Theodore stiffened next to her, but a sharp look from Xanxus kept his lips sealed against objection.

"What about?" She asked conversationally. Latching onto Xanxus' large, muscular arm, they drifted in the direction of the garden so they could talk without being overheard. Unsurprising since a vampire was in attendance, Xanxus didn't answer until they were almost at the back of the garden.

"This isn't easy for me," he mumbled, leaning up against a tree to keep his back covered as was his habit. Autumn tried not to get her hopes up and failed miserably. Was this a confession? "I need to know what your relationship is with Laz," he said in what definitely wasn't a confession. Maybe he was feeling her out? "Not the bullshit that you two act out in public, but what you really feel about him."

"Nothing," she soothed with a smile. "We're just friends. He's--"

"Don't fucking lie to me," he growled. She paused, feeling the butterflies dancing in her stomach in a mind-boggling way. Was this love? "This is probably none of my business and Laz will kill me if he finds out, but I want to know the truth. He says that he's in love with you, so saying 'nothing' isn't going to cut it."

"But, we're really just friends," she mumbled without a clue as to the answer he was wanting. Were the rumors true? Was Xanxus really...that way... with LAZ?! "He's got his moments where he's a really nice guy, but he's not my type at all. I like guys that are more reliable but can still be spontaneous l-like you. I mean, if you're asking if me and Laz have ever been together, then I won't lie to you like I do with everyone else. We've been together a few times, but it was always just a heat of the moment type thing. He asked me to have an affair with him once, but I could never bring myself to go through with it. Any time that I've been with him, I always get this feeling like he's trying to make me into Snicker. He changes when I let him too close and I just don't know how to deal with him when he does that."

"You're a fucking dumb bitch," he snarled. Autumn felt her heart lurch, but managed not to swoon at the spine-tingling glare he sent her. That was when she figured it out. Those butterflies weren't the girlishly giggly ones. They were the gut-twisting fear-filled ones. "He opens up to you and you don't even fucking care. He offers you the god damned world and you're too fucking selfish to appreciate it. I was wondering if I'd misjudged you and Laz would be better off with you instead of that bitch inside, but I'll be damned if I let you anywhere near him anymore. He won't stop sacrificing shit as long as you're around. If it weren't for Laz telling me to stay out of it, I could fucking kill you right now."

"W-What are you saying?" She gasped in shock for the threat. "Laz--"

"I'm only going to tell you this once," he growled, suddenly towering over her with a frightening glare. "Stay the fuck away from him and stay the fuck away from me. I--"

"That's enough, Xanxus."

"Laz..." Xanxus choked, turning in place to see that the man in question had decided to once again walk through the garden with that hag on his arm. He seemed calm, although there was no trace of a smile on his face.

"That's enough," he repeated sadly. "I'm sure she understands that you're not interested in her now. Threatening her will achieve nothing. You're misunderstanding the reasons for my choices. My relationship with Adie has nothing to do with Autumn."

"What about Vongola?" He snapped in anger. "Do you expect me to believe that you got engaged for something else?! If it weren't for--"

"I don't care what you believe," Tsuna interrupted solemnly. "The fact that Adie had the contacts to deal with the issue was just a bonus. I'm not that simple-minded, Xanxus. It's true that I was looking for a way to peacefully get them removed, but that's not the reason that I'm marrying her."

"Then why?" Xanxus asked in disbelief.

"Because I can see his strength," the hag answered with a smile of amusement. Autumn choked on air in realization. Laz was engaged to this shrew?! How?! When?! Why?! "Because we share a bond that normal humans could never hope to understand. Most of all, though, it's because I will still be young and vibrant even after this woman has died of old age. By then, my little puppy will have no one else to turn to, so it is better that he prepares now so that he can withstand the pain later."

"Simply put, it's an engagement that won't affect this lifetime," Laz murmured with a hollow look in his eyes. "She has her goals and I have mine. We're together now simply to give each other what we're lacking. This isn't a sacrifice I'm making for Autumn. It's one that I'm making to bring myself closer to my own goals."

"You're going cold, Laz," Xanxus commented after a considering look.

"Perhaps," he agreed with a tired smile. "But I can live with that. If ice is hard enough and thick enough, even the sharpest blade can only chip at the surface layers. I won't let a weak heart kill me."

"Laz..." Autumn murmured in concern. She understood the last comment far too well. Snicker had died from a weak heart. It was just like she'd thought. Laz still wasn't over Snicker. She'd been right to refuse him. He'd just latched onto her because she was the one who'd been closest at the times he felt vulnerable.

"Let's go, Kitten," he said as he started to lead the hag back in the opposite direction. "I'm too tired to continue for tonight. Xanxus, please refrain from acts of jealousy in the future. I'd hate to lose a friend over a simple misunderstanding. Autumn is already engaged to Theodore and I wish them nothing but happiness."

* * *

"P...Poe," Laz gasped as he dodged and ran for his life. "P.... Poe! C... Calm... Calm down!"

"Do you have any idea how angry I am?" Poe snarled with his hair rising like hackles.

"I'm sorry!" Laz exclaimed. "I should have talked it over with you first, but there wasn't time! What can I do to make you forgive me?! Just tell me!"

"Marry Neve," he answered with both his hair and his aggressive stance dropping in an instant.

"EH?!"

"Multiple marriages are permitted," he grinned with a calm that suggested this was his whole plan. "If mother can agree to a werewolf as a groom, then she has no right to object for one where Neve is concerned. It would make Neve happy to know that she could marry you in the future, which would make her more accepting of taking the hand of a full-blood now so that she can fulfill her duties as a full-blooded vampiress."

"Whatever," Tsuna groaned as he collapsed to the floor. At least he wasn't being attacked anymore. "I don't care. As long as both Neve and Adie are fine with it, I'll deal with it in a hundred years. Until then, I'll accept an engagement. Is that good enough?"

"Perfect," he smiled in satisfaction. "In that case, I'd like to request temporary possession of your sword. You've already shown good-faith by taking Neve's wings, so I wish to return the favor and I've finally found a satisfying way."

"My sword?" Tsuna repeated in surprise. "I'm not sure if I can. That's an heirloom that--"

"You need not worry," he soothed. "The blade will go untouched. I merely wish to replace the scabbard and the hilt."

"Alright," he shrugged in resignation. "Just be careful with it."

* * *

Ollie didn't soften the blow, figuring that Laz wanted to hear it straight. Things weren't pretty and people were getting scared. Bums and street-rats going missing was nothing new since they could always jump a train to another city, but it was bad Mojo with how some of them had been turning up. Things had escalated, though.

Laz just stared at him in disbelief before slowly sinking down into his chair. Ollie waited patiently for the shock to pass. He knew that it couldn't be easy news to hear, but someone had to tell him.

"Georgie is what?" He mumbled.

"The cops found him two hours ago," Ollie repeated. "I was passing through there and went to check out why there was so many black and whites. It wasn't pretty, man. I made a few calls and his cart is still next to his truck in the parking garage, but it's been picked clean. You know how he's still be working the streets during lunch rush and then going over to work his stand at Rascal Roger's. He didn't show up to work last night, but Anderson said that he's been complaining of a headache lately. He thought that Georgie just didn't show because he wasn't feeling well."

"I... I don't understand," he gasped in shock. "I just saw Georgie two days ago. He--"

"He's _dead_, man," Ollie said to help snap him out of it. "Someone took him and killed him right under our noses! That's not the fucking problem. The problem is that someone taped it. He's not the first one, Boss-man. I got curious and had Cici do some hacking. She found videos of Two-Tooth, Virginal, Dewey, and Ass-face Taylor in the police investigation database. Someone's going around killing people to make snuff films. Georgie was just the latest one. If we wait for the cops, someone else is going to go missing."

"Ah," Laz replied with his face losing all expression. "They made a mistake by touching Georgie. Don't worry, Ollie. You've done enough by telling me. Leave the rest to me."

"What are you going to do, man?" Ollie asked with a strange lump of fear clogging his throat. Laz looked scary as shit and he was too fucking calm. Whoever the serial killer was had to be pissing himself already.

"You don't want to know yet," he murmured with a slow smile. "Just go pass the word around for me. The next snuff film that's made is going to be a ODE original."

* * *

"Is everyone here?" Tsuna asked softly, keeping his voice down so that it wouldn't echo through the parking garage. They were tucked into a corner while Xanxus questioned the bastard that he'd caught to ensure that he'd been working alone. Everyone's eyes were focused in that direction, although a few people occasionally glanced back to see what Tsuna was doing.

"Yeah," Gigi confirmed with red eyes. She wasn't the only one with them. Everyone in the Orange Dragons knew Georgie and his murder had hit everyone hard. Simply having the murderer arrested wasn't enough this time. The bastard had caused too much suffering. All it'd taken was one call and Xanxus had caught the fool. Not even the police could work as fast as Xanxus could with Ginger and Cici beside him. It was good because he'd called first dibs. "I didn't think that you'd want an audience for this," Gigi added in a voice rubbed raw from weeping.

"It's the fastest way," Tsuna replied sadly. "I want everyone to know that I don't take murder lightly. If people see the punishment, word will spread to even those outside the gang. I want people to fear me so that something like this won't happen again. Is Charlie here?"

"He's here," she nodded. "Ore is holding onto him to make sure he sees this. He can't take over one day if he doesn't understand the consequences."

"It's harsh, but experience is the only way," Tsuna agreed as he lit himself a cigarette to keep himself calm. "After tonight, he'll think hard and he'll make his choice. Either he'll be with us or he'll understand the value of living a peaceful life. I won't be surprised if he wants to clean up his act. His biggest problem is that he's not learned the meaning of fear. He can't appreciate what he has because he's been too sheltered. Snicker will probably hate me for this, but the only way to make Charlie understand is to show him what it means to lose what he has. His father understood and now it's his turn."

"You don't have to explain it to me," Gigi replied as she finally squared her shoulders. Her anger was building in her eyes at the knowledge that Georgie's murderer was in range. She wanted her own vengeance. "Let's show this bastard what it means to fuck with the Orange Dragons."

"Let's go," he agreed. He waited a moment until no eyes were on him before summoning his Hammer. Once it was out, he laid it across his neck and set up a sharp whistle. The crowd responded by becoming silent and the way opened to let him pass through to the real show. No few people looked surprised or awe-struck at the sudden appearance of his weapon, but no one was foolish enough to question where it'd come from.

When he reached the center, Xanxus was already finishing. Tsuna had no intention of giving this one a chance to repent like he had with the Hunter. The Hunter had died in the end, but there had been a chance for her to survive if she'd come to understand the pain of her victims. Making this dirty bastard understand wasn't on Tsuna's to-do list. Eradication was enough. It wasn't right, but he wasn't in the mood to Judge fairly. Georgie had been a kind-hearted man who'd saved both Laz and Snicker from starvation on numerous occasions. He hadn't deserved to die in such a meaningless way. That was what was so unfair about innocent people being murdered. There was never any real meaning to it outside one person's satisfaction.

This time, Tsuna would be the one satisfied.

"That's enough, Xanxus," Tsuna murmured as the bastard collapsed onto the ground without barely the energy to cry. "Did he answer?"

"Ah," Xanxus confirmed with a pair of cold eyes that were like mirrors to Tsuna. "He worked alone. He shot his victims full of sedative to transport them and I got the location of his workspace."

"Tip the cops off on that part," he ordered. "They might as well know who did it so they can close the case. As for everyone else, are you satisfied? This isn't Justice, but he's paid a fraction of the price for Georgie's murder. Thumbs up or down. Do we send him to hell or do we send him to jail?" Tsuna didn't even have to look to know that it was all thumbs down. Those that were too scared to determine such a fate keep their hands to themselves, but they didn't speak out against the judgment of their fellows. It was enough that they stayed silent, although Tsuna did mark them out to talk to later. Charlie was among them. He looked ready to puke which only made Tsuna's heart twist in pain. In truth, he hoped like hell that the boy would clean up his act rather than agree to learn the business. That would have to wait until later, though. "The jury is out, you piece of shit," Tsuna said to the still-breathing trash that was trying to crawl away.

He couldn't give Georgie's murderer justice, but he still hoped as he raised his Hammer that Georgie's spirit would find peace.

* * *

Marty wiped her face and gazed across her garage in worry. She'd never been good with a lot of things. She was bad with people, bad with following directions, and bad with domestic chores. That was what made it so damn difficult. Georgie was a good guy, but nothing changed the fact that he was dead. His death had been abrupt and senseless, but it wasn't the end of the world for her. On the other hand, Leo acted like there was a huge hole in her life and Marty wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Even now, Leo was throwing herself into her work obsessively. She went from painting to sculpture to ceramics in an endless loop while only taking breaks when one of her people stopped by to get approval on something. Marty didn't know what to say nor did she know what to do to snap her back to normal.

"Boss," Rorey called. Their current project was rebuilding three vehicles that the Junkyard Mutts had donated for Laz's usage. She been able to hire four helpers thanks to the patronage that Laz sent to her. Laz had given her the building and the supplies needed to get the shop running. He'd done everything necessary to give her a place to work and he'd even given her a way to repay him by asking for his own transportation to be custom built by her. The first one was almost finished, but there was an issue with the cylinder timing that Rorey just wasn't able to fix on her own.

"I'll take a look at it," she promised as she tried to rub the worry out of her head.

"You should just go talk to her," Rorey said as she slid out from under the SUV. For a grease-monkey straight out of high school, Rorey was a kindred spirit to her. She was like the sister that Melvin wished he was. She and Rorey had fun lording over the three men working for her and she was the only one that Marty trusted to help her with Laz's vehicles. They could read each other like a book, which was pretty annoying at times like these. "Every time you stop for even a minute, you look up there at her. I can tell that you're worried, but I think that you're making it worse by not confronting the issue. Leo is going to burn out if you don't stop her."

"I just don't get it," Marty replied as she aimlessly dug through her toolbox. "I get that she's sad because Georgie died, but the murderer was... uh... was found dead. It's been over a week already and Leo wasn't that close to him to begin with. I barely knew the old fart, so I was okay for the funeral and everything. I just don't know what to say to her."

"Then don't say anything," Rorey advised with a wink as she straightened out her ball cap. "You should understand women better than that, Boss. Just give her a hug and tell her to take a break."

"I'll try," she groaned. "Tell the boys to go take their lunch. I'll check the timing when you guys get back."

"Sure thing, Boss," Rorey grinned. Rorey jumped to her feet and darted away with a speed that made Marty feel old even though there wasn't that great of an age difference between them. It made her stop and realize that she really was getting old, though. A few more years and she'd be in her thirties. Even Leo was starting to catch up. They'd met after the Christmas of her junior year in high school and she'd turned seventeen shortly thereafter. It was during her senior year that they'd started fooling around together and she'd went to college part-time for the last two years. She'd just turned twenty one and it was hard as hell to believe. Leo still looked like she was sixteen.

Over two years of serious dating, Marty mused. It was the longest relationship that she'd ever had. It was the longest that she'd ever lived in one place without moving on. Losing it wasn't an option anymore. If Leo left her because she wanted a normal relationship with someone, recovery would be impossible. Being dumped used to be such an expected eventuality, but things had changed. Finding Leo had changed her. She didn't understand what Leo was going through, but she felt like she had to do something.

Leo was welding away at pieces of scrap metal when Marty finally got the courage to climb the stairs to her workspace. The area was covered in what looked to be junk, but it was all honestly half-finished art pieces. It looked horrible in the garage's surroundings, but Leo's art always took on a high-class tone once the grungy pieces were surrounded with modern art. Along one wall was an oversized canvas where she did her graffiti-works and one full corner was handed over to her clay and ceramic works. Leo loved art in every shape and form and she threw herself into it every time she got the least bit upset.

"What... uh... What do you call this one?" Marty asked to break the ice. She grimaced when she actually looked at the sculpture closest to her. It looked like a wire-frame pig, complete with an actual spring as the tail.

"Zero Calorie Sausage," Leo answered as she set aside her welding torch. When she flipped up her face-shield, Marty grimaced. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying so much. "It's part of the exhibit that the museum asked me to do. I decided... I decided to dedicate it to Georgie," she added in a choked voice. "Laz... Laz got me his cart, so I'm going to--"

"It's okay," Marty murmured as she slowly crossed the space over to her. Taking Rorey's advice, she didn't say anything else. She just wrapped her arms around Leo and hoped that it was enough. Leo was stiff with surprise at the sudden hug, but she seemed to crumple before Marty could worry that she'd screwed up.

"It's not fair," she sobbed into Marty's shoulder. "Georgie never hurt anyone! Why him?! Why not someone else?! That bastard just picked someone at random and it wasn't right! Didn't you hear what he said, Marty? He killed him for his art! What kind of sick person--"

"You're not like him, Leo." Leo froze in her arms as Marty turned her head to find Laz smoking a cigarette on the top of the stairs. How long he'd been listening and how he'd got in without making noise was a mystery like it always was. Laz was like a ghost at times with how he moved. "Gloria was worried about you, so I thought that I'd come down and check to see how you were doing. It's unlike you to cry for this long, but I understand now. That bastard tainted your love for art with his snuff films. But you don't have to be afraid, Leo. There's a point that passion can become insanity, but you're a sturdy person. You should know that there are two types of art. There is the art of creation and the art of destruction. You are one to create and you've been faced with someone who destroys. It's actually not that surprising that you're shaken by it, but there's something else that you need to know more than anything else."

"W-What's that?" Leo asked with tears still falling down her cheeks.

"Does your art make you happy?" Laz asked with a gentle smile. "Does it make those around you happy? If it does, then there is no reason to fear. Remember back when everyone judged you as a bad person for graffiti? You still did it because it made you happy. You've created lots of artwork that have made many people smile since then. Even now, it makes me happy inside each time I walk into the Dojo and see Snicker's face. Do you really think that your art is anything like his when you bring smiles instead of tears?"

"I--"

"You don't have to answer me," he interrupted. "Just know the answer for yourself and accept whatever truth you find. I've got to go, but there's one other thing that I want to say. Georgie wouldn't be happy no matter how many pieces you dedicated to him if you weren't smiling while you made them."

"That's true," Leo agreed with a hesitant smile.

"That's better," Laz grinned. Marty nodded in agreement and tightened her arms around Leo in relief. It was the first smile that she'd seen in over a week. Even if she hadn't been the one to put it there, Marty was more than satisfied with the problem simply being fixed.

"Laz," Marty mumbled as she kissed the top of Leo's head. "Thank--" Marty broke off in surprise when she looked up again and found that he was gone. "Speedy bastard," she grumbled, making Leo chuckle slightly. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes," she sniffed. "Thank you. You came up here because you were worried about me. Didn't you?"

"Something like that," she replied sheepishly. "I'm not like Laz, though. I had no clue what to say to help you. I thought you were just upset because you couldn't see Georgie anymore."

"I am upset about that," Leo corrected sadly. "But it's not that simple. I spent most of my life being hated for my art. I even had my arms broken over it. It makes me wonder where the line is drawn. That guy had been willing to kill for his art. Am I determined enough to die for mine? I--"

"Dumbass," Marty grumbled with a poke to Leo's forehead. "Screw dying for it. It's good enough that you already live and breathe it. If it's going to kill you, too, then it's not something that will make me happy when I watch you do it.

"Oh," Leo gaped in surprise. Her face turned red at the unintentional insinuation and she snapped her black face-shield back down to cover it. Marty didn't let that stop her. Leaning down, she kissed the mask and smiled at the eyes peeking out through the mask's slit.

"Be happy and I'll be happy," she said. "I love you, you know."

* * *

"Dedra, get the alarm," Cassandra grumbled as the buzzing continued to hail a new day. Dedra groaned, but the alarm was slapped off after only another full minute of an ear-piercing wail. Of course, Ore slept like a rock through it.

"Let's sleep in today," Dedra mumbled as she sat up enough to use Ore's large chest as a pillow. Cassandra matched the motion, shifting in place until they were sitting across from each other like Ore was nothing more than a table for them to lay their heads on.

"You know we can't," she sighed. "No one would know what to do without us. Remember what happened last time I let someone else cook?"

"Uh huh," she groaned. "I was cleaning up the mess for a week and Ore was in the bathroom with stomach cramps for two days straight. Do you remember what happened last time I let someone clean for me?"

"Everyone ran around like headless chickens because they couldn't find anything," Cassandra replied with a sigh. "Ore slipped on Ollie's skateboard and the remote was missing for a month."

"It's not so bad, though," Dedra murmured with a slow, toothy grin. "No one puts their hands on us except Ore."

"And no one slaps us around..." Cassandra continued in their usual chant.

"We never have to worry about whether we can eat...."

"We never have to worry about where we're going to sleep..."

"We get respect..."

"We get attention..."

"And best of all..."

"No one complains when we go shopping," the finished in laughing unison.

"I'm glad that you two are happy," Ore groaned. "But do you have to do this every morning?"

"I think he's jealous," Dedra chuckled.

"We should probably add him in," Cassandra agreed. Ore grumbled slightly at the comments, but he was smiling as he tried to pull himself up. At least, he smiled until his back pain caught up to him. Both Dedra and Cassandra saw the wince at the same time and they reacted in long-standing teamwork. Cassandra jumped out of bed to get the weed stash while Dedra got him turned over for a back massage. They'd learned long ago that Ore's pain wasn't something that was to be made fun of. The stress of merely bearing his own weight through the day was enough to bring him to tears by the end of some nights. Specialists could do nothing but advise him to build muscle to help his bones carry the load, but even that only added to the problem. The human body structure simply wasn't built to handle a man of Ore's size.

They were prepared to handle it, though. Most people probably thought that there was an eternal rivalry between her and Dedra, but there was a part to their life that most people didn't see. Their permanent three-fold pairing wouldn't have worked with anyone but Ore. Where Ore was a strong fighter and an endless source of energy for everyone else, he was merely a patchwork teddy bear for the two of them. She and Dedra alone knew that they wouldn't have been enough to achieve happiness with Ore, so they were able to work together.

Ore's pain was too large for only one of them to handle. It took both of them working together to tend to his fragile parts so that he could make it through the day. Ore's intimate appetites were too large. While one of them would have been satisfied with him, Ore would have never found satisfaction without both of them. Ore's heart was large like a teddy-bear's, but he could never have the attention span to make either of them happy. That was why both she and Dedra had agreed to support each other instead of fighting. While Ore focused on bringing home the bacon, they wouldn't feel alone in tending to the home that he came back to. There was no jealousy between them because they both knew that one of them alone couldn't achieve the results that they got when they worked together.

Besides, things never got dull this way.

"Right there," Ore grunted as Dedra hit the spot that was paining him. "Oh god," he groaned as she dug in like Ore preferred. "That feels outrageously good. Have you been practicing?"

"She's been taking classes," Cassandra answered as she finished rolling a blunt and lit it for him. It wasn't the most legal of medications, but he claimed to prefer it over pain-killers that made it harder for him to function. He never smoked enough to really get high, but there was always a marked improvement in his ability to move after he'd taken a few hits. "She started about three weeks ago," she added before handing over Ore's prize.

"That's outrageous," Ore mumbled, keeping his head turned so he could smoke while Dedra worked. Cassandra smiled and slipped on her robe so that she could take the chance to use the vanity. There never seemed enough time to do anything, so this was probably the one and only time that she'd get to look in the mirror until everyone left. Her hair had to come first with her makeup getting slapped on afterward.

"Don't make it sound like I'm the only one learning stuff, girl," Dedra admonished. "Didn't you say you were learning how to sew from your grandmother? Cassandra is the one that fixed that tear in your favorite blanket."

"Really?" He asked in surprise.

"That was nothing," Cassandra chuckled while she tried to wave the praise away. "I'm not any good at taking classes like Dedra is, so I thought I should learn something to help out more. We've got to pull our weight just like you guys do. Dedra is good at organizing, but I don't really have anything outside of cooking."

"Who are you lying to," Dedra laughed. "You're better than me at shopping. I splurge too much."

"That's because you're like a bird," she teased as she put the finishing touches on her eyelashes. "You see something shiny and you go nuts."

"If I'm a bird, then you've got to be a snake," she retorted. "Whenever I go nuts about something, you just let it roll off your back like a snake shedding it's skin and you can bite when it has to do with your kitchen. You're sneaky, too. You should see her, Ore. When there's a sale, she snatches shit right out of under other people. I've seen her take it out of other people's carts if she wanted it bad enough and there wasn't a single person willing to fight her over it."

"You can't blame me," Cassandra replied petulantly. "Do you know how hard it is to find a pair of Namahage fur socks on sale? That woman didn't even know what she had."

"I'm relieved," Ore interjected as he handed the rest of his blunt up to Dedra so that it could be put out. "I'm always worried that you two were getting outrageously bored with staying home all day. I keep wondering when you two will get sick of me and leave for a guy that you don't got to share. I know that it's not fair to you two like this, but I really can't pick between you. You're both so different from each other." Cassandra traded looks with Dedra and smiled. Ore really was a fiend, acting so innocently while being so gluttonous.

"You make me wonder too, you boar," Dedra teased. She climbed off of Ore's back and went over to take control of the vanity while Cassandra rushed to their joint closet to find some clothes to throw on.

"She's right," Cassandra sighed as she pulled a shirt on. "If we found someone else, we could get married and settle down in a house."

"With a yard and a picket fence," Dedra continued while she started teasing her afro back into place.

"And both a maid and a butler...."

"Don't forget a nanny for those two point five kids..."

"That's what the dog is trained for," Cassandra corrected with a wink while she tried to get her skirt on. She grinned, trading another look with Dedra while Ore sat up with a depressed look on his face. Dedra grinned in return, immediately catching onto what Cassandra had planned.

"Nah," they agreed in unison. "Neverland is more fun."

"We'll leave Peter Pan to Wendy," Cassandra said, darting back into the room in order to pounce into Ore's lap to retrieve a kiss.

"One oversized Lost Boy is good enough for us," Dedra agreed, sliding into place behind him to steal her own kiss over his shoulder.


	86. Chapter 86 Breadcrumbs

Author's note: Double Upload!

* * *

"That Laz!" Gigi snarled in frustration. "Where did he go this time?!"

"He didn't say," Veronica grimaced. "He just said that Spring was in the air and he wanted today off. There wasn't anything pressing scheduled for today so..."

"That's it!" Gigi stomped, throwing her paperwork onto her desk. "If Laz can call in then we can, too. Come on, Veronica. Everyone is getting a half-day today! Me and you are going shopping!"

"Eh?!" Veronica spluttered. "But what about--"

"No objections," she ordered. "Laz isn't here, so that puts me in charge. It's not going to kill us to give a half-day holiday today. It just means that Laz won't be the only one catching up on work tomorrow."

"Actually," she grimaced. "I think Boss skips out to give us time to catch up with him. I checked his desk and all the paperwork was already done for today. He also left a list of orders. I put it in your stack."

"Oh," Gigi mumbled in surprise. Then her hopes sank. If that was the case, she really did need to finish looking through the pile of requests on her desk. The amount of work had both increased and decreased since word had gotten around about how ruthless Laz could be. The amount of silly requests, such as people wanting a swimming pool at the Big Den, had decreased. The amount of important requests, such as a plea for volunteers to help renovate one of the three shelters so that it wouldn't be condemned, had increased. Word was spreading above-ground that they cared about the community while Laz's reputation was becoming more fearsome in the underground. How he managed to balance it was a complete mystery.

"There shouldn't be any harm in taking a long lunch," Veronica offered in sympathy. "I've been hearing rumors about this bakery that makes really good sandwiches. If you want, we can go together and you can take something to Dan afterwards. I'll make it my treat."

"It sounds like a good plan," Gigi agreed with a sigh. "Why don't you go tell Ore for me so he can watch the office until we get back? I'll meet you downstairs afterward. I just need to call Dan first and see what he wants."

"I'll be waiting!" Veronica exclaimed before bouncing out of Gigi's office. She wanted to groan at the transvestite. If it weren't for the fact that she was so submissive, Gigi could have easily killed her ten times over. Laz was lucky. Laz was very lucky. Because Veronica was so obviously aiming to please everyone around her, she was a tolerable addition. She sucked up with the best of them and was always asking for fashion tips. It would have long got annoying except for the fact that her admiration seemed to be genuine. So was her affection for Laz, although she was a lovesick fool where he was concerned. She really thought that she could be happy with just being his secretary. She really thought that Laz was her knight in shining armor.

It made Gigi want to pity her since she'd once been in those shoes herself.

"ODE Medical, this is Daniel speaking."

"They've got you answering the phones today?" Gigi asked with a small smile.

"Oh, Mel!" He gasped in recognition. "Yeah. You know that I don't have my medical license yet, so I'm helping out where I can. How is Laz doing?"

"Fine, I guess," she grumbled. "He didn't come in again today."

"Well, that's understandable," he laughed. "I'd have to kill him if he got anywhere near you today."

"Eh?"

"Oh," Danny choked in realization. "I thought he told you. Shit. Of course he didn't tell you. You'd just want to go see him."

"What's going on?" Gigi asked in concern.

"It's nothing," he lied.

"Don't tell me that," Gigi snapped. "What's going on with him today? If you know something, then you better spill it."

"It's really nothing serious," Danny soothed. "He said that I could tell you if you asked, so I thought you already knew by now. I mean, you already know what he is. Right? The same thing as Poe."

"Right," she confirmed.

"Well, his instincts go nuts sometimes," he explained. "Did you notice anything strange about him yesterday?"

"You mean how he was eating constantly?" She supplied.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Once every few months, he looses control of his instincts. The first day, he has to eat. The second day, he has to fight. On the third day, he... um... you know. The cycles only last a few hours each, so he's fine if he stays isolated. If there's nothing around to trigger it, he can sleep through it. Today is the day that his nerves will be touchy, so it's safer for him to stay home. Under no circumstances are you to get anywhere near him before two o'clock this afternoon. He said that he would be able to control the last cycle, so it should be safe after that."

"The last...?"

"He's going into heat," he said carefully. "Trust me. I know from experience that it's not pleasant to be around him during it and it's as embarrassing as hell for him. While we were in jail together, he'd get himself thrown in isolation for it, but he doesn't have that option anymore. The best solution that we could come up with was for him to lock himself in Xanxus' apartment for today and tomorrow. He'll come out to catch up on his work this afternoon, so just leave him alone until he shows himself."

"Alright," Gigi agreed in concern. "Is there anything that I can do to help him?"

"Apples and bananas," he answered. "Sweet stuff and fruits are best right now. His body is going into overtime, so he's expending a lot of energy even if he manages to sleep through it. His blood pressure was high and his blood sugar was already running low when I checked last night. He said that it's a requirement to spill blood on the second day to thin it or else he'll have a heart attack on the third. We'll be taking care of that after today's cycle is over, but his appetite is going to take a hit. That's why it'd be really helpful if you could find something sweet that he'll be willing to eat. He's going to need enough energy to make it through tomorrow and both Xanxus and Poe are already tapped from feeding him yesterday. Missing blood takes time to be replaced, even for them."

"I'll get something," she promised. "I was about to go to lunch with Veronica. She says there's a bakery that everyone's been talking about, so we were going to go check it out. I can pick something up for Laz from there."

"Are you going to Maverick's?" Danny asked with a hopeful note in his voice.

"I'm not sure," she answered in curiosity. "Why? What's Maverick's?"

"You've been working too much," he laughed. "I thought everyone knew about Maverick's by now. It's the bakery that Warren is managing."

"Oh!" She exclaimed in surprise. "I heard something about that. Laz was the one that took care of helping him and the kids move, so I haven't been over there yet. Is it a good place?"

"Just wait until you get there," he replied. "You'll love it, especially since there's so much mystery about it. Warren says that the owner, Maverick, always keeps his face covered when he shows up. No one knows who he is, but he's an expert baker. He-- Well, you'll see it when you get there. It's not like you can miss it."

"You're making me curious," Gigi said with an excited shiver. "Even if it's not the place that Veronica was talking about, I'm going there. Do you want me to get you anything?"

"I'll meet you there," he offered. "There's someone here that wants a chocolate poodle cakes."

"Chocolate poodle cake?" Gigi repeated in laughter.

"You'll understand when you see it," he chuckled. "I'll see you there."

"I'll see you there," she promised. "Love you."

"Love you, too," he replied in farewell. Gigi smiled as she shut off her phone and quickly gathered her purse. Work could wait. It was rare of Danny to talk so highly about any place. He'd grown up eating food from his family's personal chef, so fine dining was lost on him. He simply couldn't appreciate it since it was all just food to him. For him to recommend a simple bakery meant that there was something really special about it.

Veronica was already waiting downstairs with a cab and Gigi sighed in relief when she gave Maverick's as directions. The trip wasn't very long at all. It would have actually been faster to walk through the park since their destination turned out to be a shopping area on the far side. Although, she honestly couldn't remember the shopping center holding anything of worth for her to detour off the main shopping strip under normal circumstances. There was a book store and an antique store, but she couldn't remember anything else in the area.

Following Veronica down the sidewalk into the courtyard of the area, she saw that a lot had changed since she'd last visited the place. First of all, it was bustling with people. Most of the normally empty courtyard had been given over to tables and chairs and most of those were filled. The shops that she remembered were there, but the buildings around it that she'd thought were empty had been taken up by new businesses. There was a small toy store on one side of the courtyard with a hand-made clothing store next to it. A jewelry and accessory store had taken up one full corner of the area while the back side had been given over to a sporting goods place. The last additions were a thrift store tucked into the corner of the area that boasted that everything inside was under a dollar and the little bakery that they'd come for.

"What the hell," Gigi mumbled, coming to a complete stop in order to gape. The front of the building had been taken over so that it looked like something straight out of "Hansel and Gretel". Even though it was obviously just a trick of the building's facing, it looked like someone had stuck a giant gingerbread house between the antique store and the book store. They'd even managed to cover the roof so it looked like it was covered in icing! To make matters worse, a section in front of the display window had been sectioned out as a play center for toddlers. That alone wasn't an issue, except for the fact that the kids who were present were playing around a miniature gingerbread house that matched the design of the very place that was sponsoring it. The theme didn't stop there, either. There were even more additions since the teeter totter looked like two spoons, there was a pile of oversized bread crumbs for the kids to climb on, and all of it was placed on top of what looked to be an oversize saucer made of soft safety foam.

She paused and looked it over a second time, though. It looked incredibly girlish and childish at first glance, but it didn't seem so bad on the second. The sign over the door was in cursive neon lighting and there was a signboard standing outside the door that advertised that they had WiFi connection. The writing outlining the display window was all focused on their sandwiches and tea instead of their sweets. Although, the cake sculpture in the window made her stop and wonder. It was gorgeous. It was as if someone had split open a quartz geode made with cake and sugar rocks, then stuck a baby dragon inside. Of course, the baby dragon was the size of a dog and made of cake and frosting, but the thing that made her really stop was the color. It couldn't be coincidence that it was orange.

"Warren said that he asked Maverick to make that," Veronica supplied with a smile when she saw where Gigi was looking. "Apparently people have gotten pretty pushy about trying to find out who Maverick is, so that's to clue people in that it's under Orange Dragon protection. Laz said that he didn't know who Maverick was, either, but he wasn't going to let people interfere with the place that Warren lives and works. It wouldn't be fair to Houston and Isabella. He said that Maverick would show himself when he was good and ready, so people should leave him alone. It's good enough to just enjoy his creations, so we shouldn't poke my nose into it."

"Really now," Gigi murmured in suspicion. It sounded like a crock of shit in her opinion. Laz wouldn't leave Warren and the kids in the hands of someone that he didn't trust. He had to be lying through his teeth about not knowing who Maverick was. It was true that he didn't like to invade people's privacy, but going so far as to ward off other people from doing the same was unlike him. It was very, very suspicious.

Before she could ponder on it more, a set of arms slid around her waist and she felt a pair of lips land on her neck. Startled, she yelped and spun in place to confront the day-light molester, only to stop herself in just enough time to keep from punching a surprised Danny.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She exclaimed, punching him on the shoulder rather than his face.

"Sorry, Mel," he apologized with a pair of puppy-dog eyes. "You were just so beautiful that I couldn't wait to put my arms around you."

"Don't fall for it," a new voice interjected. "That pervert says the same thing to me every time I come to visit him."

"Don't say that, sis," Danny pouted. Gigi took the identification as notice that she should be attentive. Danny talked about his sister almost constantly, but this was the first time that they'd gotten a chance to really meet. She hoped that it wouldn't end up like their hospital visits. Danny usually made her stay in the hallway for those as if he was embarrassed of their relationship.

As expected from his warnings, his sister was in a wheelchair. Gigi wasn't prepared for her beauty, though. It made her self-conscious in a way that not even Autumn managed. Her hair was a short bob of deep brown hair which framed a face that was sure to make photographers cry in joy. Her eyes were just the right size to pull off any expression and her lips were the perfect amount of pouty. Her cheeks were a little thin due to illness, but her sharp chin made it look intentional while her haircut softened the effect.

"You must be Mel," she said as she pulled to a stop beside them and held out her hand in greeting. "I'm Denise. I hope my brother hasn't been too much of an irritation for you."

"Not at all," Gigi replied nervously as she accepted the handshake. "It's nice to finally meet you. If I'd known you were going to be here, I would have fixed myself up before coming."

"I told Danny not to warn you," she chuckled while Danny winced under the force of Gigi's glare. "I wanted to catch you off-guard so that you wouldn't get worked up. Plus, it was a last minute thing. Danny talks about you constantly, but this was the first time that he couldn't weasel out of letting us meet. I think that he's afraid that I'll tell you embarrassing stories about his childhood."

"You're not going to?" Danny asked in surprise.

"Of course I am," she corrected mischievously while Gigi tried to hide her relief. Danny hadn't kept them apart out of shame, but because he was scared of his sister's power of memory. "What else are little sisters for? Before we get to that, though, let's get some food and sit down. I want to talk more with the guy that turned my brother gay before I get to the good stuff."

"Oh," Gigi squeaked. "I... uh..."

"That's not a bad thing," Denise soothed as she started wheeling her chair in the direction of the bakery. "Danny is more of a man now than when he was straight. Going to jail was probably the best thing that could have happened to him."

"I see," Gigi sighed in even greater relief. All the tension seemed to drain out of her at the words. Whether or not Denise accepted their relationship didn't matter to her. What mattered was that she was going to get a fair chance to prove herself. In the past, she'd had nightmares that Denise would be of the same mindset as Charlie and she couldn't stand the thought of having to take years to work past it like Laz was doing. There was no prejudice to work past, though. Denise knew that Gigi was a guy and was accepting of it on the surface. The next step was making sure that she accepted Gigi as an actual person. She could do this, she decided as she followed her inside the shop.

She was distracted from her goal almost immediately upon entering.

Inside the bakery was a wonderland. Everywhere she looked there were confectionary works of art. The walls were literally covered in them since the walls above counter level had been made into individually refrigerated display cases. In each one there was a completely different cake or candy sculpture with a name tag listing both the name of the creation and the name of the baker who'd created it. The amazing part was that over half of them were listed under the name 'Maverick'. The candy sculptures were typically listed under someone named 'Quinn' and there was a few simple item listed under 'Axel'. She had to giggle to herself when she found a frosted cookie on display under 'Warren and Houston'.

Then she came to the display cases full of the stuff that was actually on sale. There were four cases altogether and, from the looks of it, they only had samples out for show. The first one was filled with bread and meat selections for fresh-made sandwiches with a list of toppings marked on a chalkboard in the display. This case also held four varieties of salad that were made to order, along with four types of meat and vegetable pie.

The case next to that was filled with the dessert selections. This case was split into four shelves with each one holding a different theme. The top shelf had fourteen slices of fruit pie to chose from. Under that was the muffins. Then there was a shelf of pudding cups and following that was the gelatin that was embedded with fresh fruit. It took her a moment to figure out that they all followed the same ideology. They were all things targeted to be both sweet and an addition to balance a meal since all of them had fruit in them.

The third case was where her teeth started aching. There were sweets. Tons and tons of sweets. First, there were twelve varieties of cookies, eight types of donuts in both filled and unfilled varieties, and slices of cake that made her mouth water. Like the pies, the slices of cake had the price listed for both a whole cake and the individual servings. A few of those prices made her eyes bulge, but she could understand with how sweet just the slices looked.

The last case was where she finally found the chocolate poodle that Danny had mentioned. This case was filled with single-sized cake and candy sculptures. She couldn't imagine how much time it took to create even a single one. There were cakes that were frosted to look like animals ranging from nesting birds to roaring lions. There were frosted edifices of national and world-wide landmarks such as the statue of liberty and the Great Pyramids. There were candy models of the Golden Gate Bridge and sugar paintings of famous people. Attached to those were a sign saying that made her giggle since they were sold out of the Eric Brahms designs. Next to those were chocolate and candy flowers that looked to be more fragile than glass and after that was--

"You see anything that you like?" Danny asked as he leaned down with her to look at the strange corner of the case with a tray full of bite sized lumps. She couldn't tell what any of them were, but it said that a sampler box of twenty was only ten dollars. Each of them seemed to have a different type of coating, which made her wonder what the little balls were. Not all of them even seemed to be bread. "You want to try a sampler?" He asked curiously. "They're really good. The trick is to start with the first one and eat them in order. Each one gets a little sweeter, so you work your way up until you hit the one that tastes just right. Then you can look at the names and ask for a box of just that one. The names are all listed by number on the menu in case you forget. Personally, I can't pick a favorite, so I usually just get the sampler so that I don't have to choose."

"You sound like you've come here a lot," she grumbled. He blushed at the statement, but she could understand why he hadn't mentioned the place in the past. She would have teased him endlessly about it if she hadn't seen it for herself.

"It was by accident the first time," he hurriedly explained. "I--"

"Don't worry about it," she soothed with a smile. "Let's just go get lunch." Getting lunch was easier said than done. It wasn't that difficult to look through the display cases, but getting to the counter to order was a different story. There was a crowd surrounding the registers that was three people deep and the two cashiers were having obvious trouble in keeping up.

"Gigi... Gigi!" Warren hissed, waving his hands over the display cases to get her attention. "Come here!"

"I'll go stand in line," Danny offered with a sigh. Gigi nodded and went back over in order to have a hissed conference with the Manager of the place.

"You've got to help me," Warren begged while he pulled at his tie to loosen it. "It's been like this all morning. I'm in big trouble here. I still have to get breaks out, the trash is piling up, no one has been out to pick up the courtyard, and this isn't even the real lunch rush yet. On top of all of that, I've got two people waiting to be interviewed for the evening shift! Is there any way possible that I can talk you and Veronica into helping me out for just an hour? I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

Gigi started to refuse, but a sudden idea hit her.

"Let me meet Maverick," she said with a wide grin.

"I can't do that," he replied with a crushed look on his face. "It's nothing against you, Gigi, but I'd lose my job and that would get me in even more trouble. Please, ask for anything else! I can give you a permanent discount or I can commission a cake from Maverick for you. The small ones are worth forty dollars, so it's a pretty good reward for just an hour. Isn't it?"

"Alright," she grumbled. "How about this...? Eric and Summer's wedding is set for June. Get me a huge cake commissioned for them under my name and I'll help you."

"Deal!" He spluttered. "Maverick was planning on doing one anyway so--"

"Hey!" She gasped with her eyes going wide. "Change that, then! I want--"

"But--!!" He interjected with a wide grin. "If you get it commissioned, you don't have to worry about providing anything else for the wedding and it'll mean more." Gigi groaned, but she could argue with him. He had a pretty good point. "Go grab Veronica and I'll meet you in the back."

"Fine," she sighed. "But you still owe me one." Shouldering her purse, she grimaced as she turned around to see Danny waiting next to his sister with a smile. He wasn't going to be happy, but there wasn't any choice. Warren seemed like he was ready to fall over and he'd asked for help. Warren was one of those who rarely asked for help, so she couldn't just ignore him when he was in need. She thought about calling some of the guys in to help, but she had a feeling that Warren wouldn't accept a trade. He'd asked her and Veronica personally for help, not the Orange Dragons.

"What was that about," Danny asked curiously.

"It looks like lunch is going to have to wait," she answered apologetically.

"What happened?" Denise asked as she glared at the man in front of her who kept glancing backward at the woman in a wheelchair.

"I'm friends with the manager," she explained hurriedly. "He's in a bind and he needs some extra hands. He asked me and Veronica to help him out. I tried to tell him no, but he offered to let me have a free cake commissioned. Since Eric and Summer's wedding is coming up..."

"You're going to help out to get Maverick to do their cake," Danny supplied in understanding. "It's alright. An opportunity like this doesn't come around that often. We can have lunch tomorrow instead."

"Thanks," Gigi sighed in relief. Leaning over, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a second set of apologies to his sister before dragging Veronica toward the break in the display cases. Warren was waiting for them once they got through the double doors. Faster than they could blink, their purses were stowed away in the small office tucked into the corner of the kitchen and aprons were thrown over their clothes. Gigi glared at the offered hair-net and put her hair up in a pony-tail so that she could use a baseball cap instead. Unsurprisingly, Veronica wasn't very far behind in mirroring her.

"This is the kitchen," Warren said shortly. He gestured around himself, allowing them a moment to take in what was going on behind the scenes. There was a window leading into the alleyway where people were picking up call-in orders. That was manned by a stout, burly woman. There were also two men in baker's hats who were bustling around. One was in a rush to pull fresh bread out of the oven while the other was busy decorating a cake. A fourth person had a whole wall to herself and was busily preparing the sandwich orders while a fifth person pulled the cakes and pies from the racks of stock. Once everything was on the tray, it was placed on a conveyer belt that sent it out to the front. "You two are going to take over up front, so you don't really have to worry about this part. Just know that these guys are back here and that they're working their asses off. Axel, once you finish that cake, take over for Quinn. Quinn, make it short. I'll give you a longer break before dinner."

"Thanks, Boss," Quinn gasped, pausing for a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"The butcher, the baker, or the candlestick-maker," Veronica groaned under her breathe. The comment made Gigi pause and snort in laughter as she realized what Veronica meant. There were only three manly men in the place and everyone else was female. Warren was as skinny as a rail in comparison to the other two, so he'd be the candlestick maker. Quinn fit the cherub and chubby baker stereotype. That left Axel as the last one and nothing said butcher better than the set of arms exploding out of the man's shirt. At first glance, all three had attractive qualities. For Warren, it was the feeling of dependability. For Quinn, it was the feeling of cheer. For Axel, it went without saying that he gave off an impression of strength. Picking one to chase would be difficult if she hadn't already had Danny.

"Are you two here to work or gape?" The large woman manning the take-out window snarled, making both her and Veronica lurch in place.

"Don't mind her," Warren soothed as he shoved them back out to the front. "That's Jakiella and she's a little touchy. She just got out of prison three days ago. I wasn't sure about hiring her, but we don't have to have a guard on the alley thanks to her. She keeps people in line with just her yell and, when that doesn't work, people tend to listen when she steps out the back door. Listen, can either of you handle a cash register?"

"Never tried," Gigi shrugged. "It shouldn't be too hard."

"I've used these before," Veronica smiled as she looked over the current cashier's shoulder. "It'll take me a minute to learn where everything is, but I think I can handle it."

"Good," Warren replied in open relief. "Watch over Titania's shoulder for a minute while I count down Gina's drawer. Gina, get the orders out before you--"

"Boss, we have a problem," Gina interjected.

"What is it?" He asked, looking back and forth between her and her customer.

"This man wants to order thirty cakes and he's willing to pay double if Maverick can do them by two o'clock."

"Two?" He repeated with wide eyes. "We can't--"

"I'll pay triple," the man in line interrupted.

"Even so, that's impossible," Warren replied as the customers in line patiently waited while listening in curiosity. "Maverick won't come in the daytime. Orders have to be put in--"

"Quadruple," he said. "That's for ten small cakes, ten medium ones, five large ones, and five tiered cakes. At my estimates, that comes to around five thousand dollars, give or take."

"I'm sorry, sir," Warren mumbled in shock as everyone stared at the over-bearing man. "I didn't get your name."

"I beg your pardon," he apologized. "I am Butler Lyons of the Quixote Estate. I'm here on behalf of my employer. Lady Quixote has decided to hold a late luncheon for five hundred of her closest friends. Although it is last minute, she has determined that it would be pointless without Maverick's cakes as the centerpieces for the tables. She's willing to pay any price and Maverick would have full creative control outside the theme of 'Spring'. They need to be finished by two, however, or else there won't be time to transport them to the destination of the luncheon."

"I see," Warren murmured as he quickly counted the register down to a starting total. "This is a pretty big deal."

"That is an understatement," Lyons replied blandly. "The last person to be given the privilege of creating Mrs. Quixote's centerpieces gained world-wide renown for his flower arrangements. The last one to _refuse _her ended up dying from starvation in a poor house."

"I'll give Maverick a call," Warren relented with a grimace. "Don't get your hopes up, though. Maverick doesn't like the spotlight. If you'll step aside so that my cashiers can continue taking orders, I'll return with his answer as soon as I've gotten hold of him. Gina, go on break. Veronica, take over here."

* * *

"What?" Tsuna panted while he tried to keep his nerves from freaking out. Everything kept wanting to twitch, which increased his irritation, which increased his need to blow up, which made him want to twitch more while he tried to hold it in. Now wasn't the time for that, though.

"I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't this important," Warren said in a voice laced with apology. "I know that you could care less about the fame for doing this, but turning them down could ruin us. Everyone takes Mrs. Quixote's lead. She's the one that sets the bar for talk show hosts and a lot of magazines. One word from her and we'd lose half of our business."

_Shit, _Maro snarled._ He's right. Quixote is even known in Italy. I went to one of her parties once. She always does things last minute, but there's never a shortage of people waiting at the doors to get in. She's kind of eccentric, but that's what keeps her on the cutting edge. What she likes now is usually what ends up popular in six months. If she's taken a liking to our cakes, then this is a chance of a lifetime._

"I thought you didn't care about that shit," Tsuna trembled.

_I don't, _he whimpered_. But Hotaru might be at that luncheon and it'd make me really happy to think that I got to make something for him. Please, Laz? The effects are already starting to ease and I should be able to control it now once my Flame is up. We can wear a disguise so no one will recognize us._

"What's in it for me?" Tsuna asked.

"Is that directed at me, Boss?" Warren mumbled in confusion.

"No," he snapped with more force than intended. "Hold on a second. I'm discussing it with myself."

"I see."

_I'll make ten cakes for charity when we go in again, _he offered_. I know that you've been having a hard time with your Will, so I'll take care of that for you, too._

"Can you actually do it?" He asked doubtfully.

_Thirty cakes in two and a half hours? _Maro scoffed_. No problem. The question is whether or not you can make it over there. I'd say that we have just enough energy to finish in time if I go with a full burst, but that doesn't leave much energy for traveling. We'll probably collapse afterward. If you don't think we can handle it then it's probably better not to go. The bakery is my problem, so I can always figure out some way to deal with Quixote's disapproval._

"Dumbass," Tsuna shuddered as his body started spasming past his control level again. "Like I'm g-going to let you screw it up after I-I've seen it come through this far. W-Warren, are you still there?"

"I'm here, sir," he confirmed across the phone line.

"We'll agree," he said while he tried to get his body under control. "Tell him that we want double his quadruple since he's forcing me out in the daylight. Also, do me a favor and pass the word around that I'm a photophobic hypochondriac."

"A what...?"

"It means that I'm s-scared of the light and I'm scared of getting sick," he growled. "No one is to talk to me or touch m-me. I'm not saying this to be an ass, but I'm kind of sensitive right now. It's not as bad when I'm on the phone, but I'll probably be a complete j-jackass when I get around people. If you can, cut the lighting in the kitchen down to one bulb. The dark will help hide my identity and it'll make me less i-irritable. If it's at all possible, clear out the kitchen except for one or two people and make sure that those people are sturdy. I c-can't deal with anyone that can't take orders right now and I'll probably head butt anyone that gets on my nerves."

"Understood," Warren replied with a tone that said he'd want an explanation later. For now, he was willing to trust that there was a reason behind everything and he wasn't wasting time with meaningless conversation. "Anything else, Boss?"

"Call Xanxus for me and tell him to come pick me up," he answered. "I'll need him to carry me over there and carry me b-back afterward."

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"No," he replied irritably. "But what's wrong with me isn't contagious and I really don't have a fucking ch-choice right now. That's why I'm leaving it to you to explain this to Xanxus. If he walks in with an argument, I won't make it." Leaving the conversation off there, he hung up to save time and tossed the cell phone aside so that he wouldn't crush it out of pique. Most of the apartment was already destroyed. He'd smashed the television when he couldn't find anything to watch. He'd smashed the stereo when the first note was too loud. He'd smashed the microwave for making something that burned his tongue. He'd smashed the couch when he'd stubbed his toe on it. His bed curtains had been ripped to shreds when they hadn't gotten out of his way and his mattress was missing most of its stuffing. Overall, the apartment was covered in more debris than furniture.

It'd never been this bad before. In the past, the cycles had been easy to get through. He'd indeed gotten a little hungrier and he'd even got a little snippy, but never to the point that he'd needed to feed on more than Poe and never to the point that he'd wanted to destroy something. It'd been so easy to deal with when Snicker had been beside him. It'd been manageable while he'd been in mourning. Now that he'd moved on enough to really accept someone else, it was driving him insane. He needed Autumn. He knew that. Just having her near him would be enough for Lynx to calm down. He couldn't, though, since being around her was the very thing that gave Remorse more power. It caused him too much pain. Adie might have worked as a stand-in, but she was off somewhere in Africa this week.

He needed a mate. Any mate.

_We don't have to do this,_ Maro soothed in sympathy.

"Shut up!" Tsuna snapped with his fist slamming into the countertop in frustration. "I said that I was doing it, so we're doing it!"

_Okay, _Maro wisely agreed_. Then let's slowly take this one step at a time. First, we need a shower. Probably a warm one instead of a hot one since you're still trembling from the fever._

"I know that already!" He shouted. "Stop treating me like I'm fucking five!"

_THEN CALM THE FUCK DOWN AND GET MOVING,_ Maro roared. It was sudden enough and surprising enough that Tsuna jerked in place as if he'd been slapped. Maro was right, of course. He was getting worked up and angry over inconsequential things.

"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled while he started taking shaky steps toward the bathroom. "I didn't--" FIGHT! Tsuna reacted an instant too late to stop himself from attacking. It happened too fast for him to control anything since his senses seemed so dull. He hadn't heard Xanxus come in nor had he heard him approaching. He was simply there in the space of a second with the following second being filled with Tsuna being pinned to the ground. He could only stare in shock into the hovering and scratched face of one very enraged Xanxus. "X-Xanxus...?"

"It's not as bad as before," he stated with his jaw clenched. "You stopped yourself after the first strike, so we can probably manage. You owe me dinner after this is over, though."

"Says wh--!"

_Control it_, Maro chanted.

"Alright," he agreed with a tremble. It was a tremble that seemed to take all the tension from him once it passed. Between two breathes, he felt strange. He felt calm.

_That's weird, _Maro murmured_. Lynx just... He just stopped. He's laying down. I think the cycle is over, Laz._

"It can't be," he replied in confusion. "It doesn't just stop like that unless--" Tsuna paled, staring up at Xanxus with his eyes growing even wider than before. "No," he mumbled in denial.

_I see_, Maro whispered in understanding.

"What's wrong?" Xanxus asked.

"It's you," he gasped in a tumult of anger and sadness. Reaching up, he tried to push Xanxus off of himself, but the bastard was refusing to budge. "It's your fault! Get off of me! Go away! I don't want you as a mate!" He shouted as he managed to get his feet into place so that he could kick Xanxus off of himself. Xanxus went flying across the room, but the wall he rammed into thankfully held. Tsuna was mad, but he didn't want to kill Xanxus. He just wanted him to go away! "_You're not Snicker_!" He yelled. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, thought after thought started crashing into him.

He was forgetting Snicker. Lynx had stayed tame through his cycles when Snicker had been there because of Tsuna's fierce desire to not hurt him. A simple smell had been all it'd taken to make Lynx calm down once Tsuna had finally slowed down enough to notice it. He'd finally slowed down enough to sense it. Lynx was mistaking Xanxus' identity because things were getting blurry. When was the last time that he'd stopped to say good morning to Snicker's picture? When was the last time that he'd said good night? His scent was becoming lost. What was Snicker's scent and what was Xanxus'? He couldn't remember what the differences were since the differences were such small things. His touch... it was warm. Right? Why couldn't he remember any of the other details about it? They'd touched so often but why couldn't he remember?

Why...?

* * *

"What the fuck was that for?!" Xanxus roared as he lurched up out of the debris of the entertainment center. He wobbled once he was on his feet, although he adamantly refused to notice it. He wasn't in top shape. He knew it. He'd given Laz over a pint of blood less than twenty-four hours ago. Of course he wasn't in top shape. Had he blacked out when he'd hit the wall? He didn't thinks so, but--

"Laz?" Xanxus asked curiously. He understood from how he'd been thrown that the brat was upset, but ignoring him when he was so geared up for yelling wasn't right. His gut twisted in a familiar way when Tsuna didn't react to Xanxus' approach. It was his aura that was the undeniable clue, though. Tsuna wasn't playing dead in a bed of his own hair. He was fucking dying. The green was slowly taking over his entire aura and the brightness faded with each millimeter that was covered.

Yet, Xanxus couldn't find it in himself to panic. He actually felt pretty damn detatched as Tsuna continued fading. How many times was it now? Did he really want to die that badly? In the past, it'd always been incidents and injury that had caused his near death experiences. This time, the brat seemed to be actually willing himself to die. Was he hurting that much? Xanxus was a hitman. He was no stranger to death. There were times that the victims pleaded for an end. Was that what this was?

Maybe it'd be more merciful to just let him go. Xanxus couldn't tell. He suddenly felt so lost. He wanted Tsuna with him, but what was the point if he wasn't happy? He never seemed to smile anymore. He was just like Yamamoto. Even when he did smile, there was nothing but pain in his eyes.

"What do you want me to do, brat?" Xanxus asked as he sat down next to him. Reaching out, he pulled him into his arms and carefully wiped the tears off of Tsuna's face. He knew what he wanted to say, but he never seemed to have the courage when Tsuna could actually respond to him.

"You know how selfish I am," he continued slowly. "I don't want to let you go, but I understand you too much. You miss him, even though he's gone. You want to chase after him, even though he's out of your reach. I won't stop you if it's what you really want. In the past, you made me so fucking happy. I hated you at first. I really did. I thought that you should die because I didn't think that people could be kind. Kindness gets people killed in the Mafia, which is probably why you ended up like this so many times. When I realize that it wasn't a tool for you, it made me happy. You taught me that you could be strong and kind as long as you're willing to pay the sacrifices for it. I-- I'm not that strong, Tsuna. I can't make those sacrifices like you can. I need you to be here to be kind for me because I don't know how. You didn't teach me that part before you left. I-- I know that I'm not making any fucking sense, but I don't want you to die. I don't want you to, but it hurts too much to force you back if you don't want it. Give me something, here. Even a twitch would be enough. Let me know that you still want to fight."

_Help me._

Xanxus felt his heart stop for a moment as the word echoed through his head. Everything around him seemed to darken until he was left in pitch black and Tsuna's body disappeared out of his arms. Remorse, he determined instantly. The feeling was the same as before. It had to be an illusion, but that wasn't possible. He had his-- Xanxus paled when he reached for his Flame and it was gone. He was cut off from it completely. What the hell was going on? Where was he? What had Remorse done? Was Xanxus actually dead like Tsuna? Was he--

He paused in his pointless pondering at the sound of crying. It didn't sound like Laz, though. It sounded younger. He didn't get what was going on, but nothing would be solved by standing still. For that reason alone, he stood and walked in the direction of the sobs. He couldn't tell if he was making any progress since he couldn't see either the floor or the destination. He still somehow managed to reach his goal, though. A little boy slowly came into view and it didn't take long to realize that it was Tsuna as he'd looked as a child. What was the point of seeing him crying, though? Was he supposed to interact with the kid?

"Hey," he called to test the waters. Chibi-Tsuna lifted his head at the word and even more tears seemed to flow into his eyes.

"Xan-chan," he sobbed with both arms held out to ask to be picked up. Taking the cue, he picked the boy up and let him cry into his shoulder. "There was a big scary monster! You've got to go save everyone! They tried to save me, but they all got eaten!"

"Where are they?"

"That way!" Chibi exclaimed with a hand pointing into the darkness. Xanxus started walking again and was rewarded with the sound of howling after half a dozen steps. He was more cautious this time since it sounded like his next stop was an animal. As soon as Xanxus saw even the glimpse of a tail, he stifled the sound of his footsteps and edged around to stay behind the critter's back. Once the whole beast was in view, he stopped completely.

He was starting to understand, but this was getting a little insane. No, he amended when he took a closer look at what was going on, it was getting a lot insane. If it was really Chibi attached to his neck, then the one in front of him had to be Lynx. He wasn't human, but he wasn't quite a mindless beast, either. Xanxus knew that simply from the pain in the creature's howl and the way that he poked at the corpse at his feet rather than feeding off of it without a second thought. When the corpse didn't move at his prodding, he started to howl again in place of crying.

"Lynx wants to be good," Chibi mumbled into his ear. "He doesn't want to be alone, but there's no one strong enough to be his friend. They all get hurt. Even you," he added, pulling back to touch the claw marks on Xanxus' cheek.

"Something like this isn't enough to stop me," Xanxus replied as he set Chibi down on his feet. "Stay close."

"Where are you going?" Chibi asked with a hand darting out to grab his sleeve.

"You want me to go get him, so I'm going to go get him," Xanxus supplied. It was obvious, he thought. He didn't get the point of this illusion, but he wasn't going to watch Tsuna suffer. Even if Tsuna was a half goat, half cat, half human thingamajigger like Lynx.

He had deja vu as he carefully approached out of uncertainty about his welcome. The deja vu prepared him. Just like before, Lynx seemed to notice him all at once and he reacted just like Tsuna had in the apartment. Just like before, Xanxus dodged the strike and barrelled forward to pin him to the ground before the attack could continue. Just like before, the attack ceased after that and he calmed down. Nothing like before, Lynx's eyes filled with joy and he leaned up to lick Xanxus' cheek in greeting.

"You're the only one who isn't scared of him," Chibi giggled, kneeling down next to both of them so that he could pat Lynx on the head. Xanxus blinked in surprise and let Lynx go in order to see the two Tsunas play like a dog and his boy. "Lynx isn't good or bad," Chibi smiled as he gave the beast-Tsuna a hug. "He just does what he has to in order to survive. If we take good care of him, he'll be loyal and listen to us. If we take bad care of him, he'll go out of control and he'll hurt someone. He can't decide if Laz is a good master or not. Maro is a good master, but he doesn't understand Lynx as much as Laz does. He ignores him when he goes to the outside, but he's really nice to Lynx when they're inside. Laz always listens to Lynx no matter where he is, but he's mean sometimes. He beats Lynx up when Lynx just wants some attention. He never plays with him anymore."

"I see," Xanxus murmured. So, the werewolf side of Laz was like a pet. He actually could understand that. He felt it inside himself at times. The only difference was that he could control the urges that were caused from it. It wasn't so much that he could ignore it, but that it was tamed so that he could focus those feelings at the right time and place. Tsuna's instincts were stronger, so waiting for the right circumstances was more difficult.

"He likes you," Chibi smiled when Lynx crawled forward to sniff at his clothes. Curious, Xanxus let him up until he started trying to sniff his way south. At that point, Xanxus grabbed one of his horns and pushed his face into the floor in irritation. Lynx whimpered at the move, but he didn't seem upset by it since his tail continued to wag excitedly. When Xanxus let go, Lynx jumped to his feet, bounced several feet away, and then bounced back like a dog trying to show someone directions. "He knows where another one is!" Chibi exclaimed excitedly. He quickly got to his feet in an unwieldy manner and grabbed hold of Xanxus' hand to tug at him. "Let's go!"

"Why not," Xanxus sighed as he got to his own feet. He still didn't get the point of this illusion, but it seemed like he wasn't going to get free of it until he'd saved all the Tsunas. If this were his video game, the Boss would show up after he'd finished the collection goal. That meant that he had two more to go. He could play along until then.

It took longer to get to the next goal, but he knew which one it'd be as soon as he heard the sound. Only Maro would chant that stupid prayer that he'd learned during his short stint in a cathedral. He wasn't wrong. When he was revealed from the shadows, he was kneeling in front of an alter and praying with his Rosary in hand. His heart lurched at the sight of him. In his head, Maro apparently saw himself as every inch of 'Vongola the Tenth'.

Xanxus didn't understand the surroundings, though. The last one had made a little sense and so had Chibi. Chibi had been crying because he'd been alone. That had been fixed by picking him up. Lynx had been howling because of the corpse. If it was symbolism, that corpse would be representative of the pain he caused others. Xanxus had fixed that by letting Lynx know that someone was around who could force him to stop his attack.

He had to understand this if he was going to collect Maro. It was a puzzle of sorts and Maro wouldn't respond until he understood the meaning. Taking a closer look at the altar, he saw that the centerpiece was the Vongola emblem. There was nothing else, really. There were flower offerings and candles, but the numbers and choices of arrangements didn't bring anything specific in mind. He honestly didn't get it. Kneeling down next to Maro, he waved his hand in front of his face to see if he could get his attention the old fashioned way. Maro was completely out of it, though. Even when Xanxus grabbed his shoulder to try to shake him, he wouldn't budge. It was more like he was dealing with stone instead of a person.

"He's closed himself off," Chibi explained as if Xanxus had pushed the right button to progress the adventure. "He believes that he can feel, but he's detached himself so that those feelings don't affect him. Everything he says and does is for Vongola, so he can't do selfish things like giving in to his own pain. He thinks that his own pain is something that he has to bear for the happiness of those around him, so all he does is pray. He prays because praying for the salvation of others gives him some salvation. The problem is that he can't understand the pain of others if he forgets how to deal with his own."

"I got it," he replied as his intuition supplied him with what to do. It wasn't Maro that needed to be smacked into waking up. He just had to destroy the reason that he wasn't paying attention. "Shit like this doesn't matter," he snarled, sending his fist through the altar. It crumbled easily like it was made of ash and the hiss of its destruction definitely got a reaction. Maro let out a guttural scream and surged forward to save it. Xanxus didn't let him touch even a speck of it. Reaching out, he pulled Maro into his arms and squeezed him tightly to keep him from going. "No matter how much you fucking pray, nothing is going to change," he snarled. "People are still going to kill and be killed, Tsuna. Ignoring it isn't going to make it go away."

"It hurts," Maro wept with his legs giving out from under him. Xanxus held him up, but it was suddenly as if he was holding onto a feather rather than a rock. "It hurts too much. What was the point of it all? I just wanted everyone to smile and be happy. Why can't I smile, too? Why am I the only one that has to hurt?"

"You're not the only one," Xanxus corrected gently. "Everyone has times that they hurt. You just have to learn to face your pain. Burying it isn't dealing with it. You have to accept it and understand it. You'll never let it go unless you do."

"I'm scared, Xanxus," he sobbed into his chest. "I'm scared of what will happen to me if I let it go. I've always held on to it so that no one else would have to carry it."

"You forgot what it means to have Family," Xanxus scolded. "There is no fucking point if everyone doesn't share the load."

"S-Share?" He repeated with his tears stopping in surprise. The reaction made Xanxus want to curse. How long had Tsuna been like this without anyone noticing?

"Idiot!" He snapped. "Being a Boss doesn't mean that you're alone! You have to carry the sins, but who the fuck said that you had to carry the pain, too? No one is going to fucking smile when you're piling guilt on them by taking everything on yourself! Fuck Vongola! You're putting too much priority on a damn name! Have a little more fucking faith in the people around you!"

"So that's the change that I needed to make," he said softly.

"Eh?"

"I said a long time ago that I wanted to change Vongola," he said in a tight voice. "I could never figure out what to do, but it wasn't Vongola that needed to change. It was the Boss that needed to change. Timoteo used to tell me that I was the worst Boss in history. I think he was trying to tell me something. In the past, the Boss has always been a pillar. I think he wanted me to be different. He wanted me to rely on others more. He was trying to make me upset by saying that so that I'd break out of his control and go talk to my friends about it, but I've always been fighting that desire because I thought that it would make me into a bad Boss."

"Be the worst Boss in the history of Vongola," Xanxus ordered with a smile playing tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'm not so weak that I can't loan you a shoulder and you're underestimating Vongola if you think that your weight is too much to handle. Why the fuck do you think the Family is so big?"

"That's true," Maro replied with a tear-filled smile. "Thank you, Xanxus. It makes me happy to know that I'm not a burden."

"You are a burden," he corrected in amusement. "But I'm the one that chose to pick you up. There's more risk for a Boss when he lets people carry him since he can be dropped, but you don't have to be dragged through the dirt this way."

"I'll try it," he promised. "But we have to go save Laz right now. If Remorse finishes swallowing him, he'll die. If he dies, then all of us will die. I don't want that. I want to go home with you and I want to see my Family again."

"Lead the way," Xanxus ordered.

It felt strange once they started walking again. Maro kept his arm around his waist and Chibi held his hand. Lynx ran ahead and then bounced back continuously. It was as if he had a whole Family with a single person and it left him with a sense of disquiet. Tsuna really was everything to him. He was an experienced lover. He was a childish guide. He was a mysterious creature with needs. What was the part that was Laz? What more did Tsuna have that Xanxus needed? He got his answer when they finally found him. There was nothing but rage and tears on Laz's face. It made Xanxus stop and survey while Chibi buried his face into Xanxus' leg and Lynx whimpered in fear behind Maro.

It seemed like an ordinary torture at first glance. From where he was standing, he couldn't see who was tied to the rack. Not that it mattered. The important part was that a blood-covered Laz was using a whip to beat the life out of that poor person. Then Xanxus took a closer look around the area. Behind Laz, there was a coffin that had been carefully surrounded with flowers, candles, and incense. At the edge of the light was a woman with her back turned. She was talking and laughing into her cell phone, continuing on with her life as if nothing was happening.

Occasionally, Laz would stop as if he was tired and walk over to that woman. He'd walk over to Autumn and just wait. She glanced back at him and Laz's eyes lit up with hope, only to have them crushed when she waved him away. After that, he would walk over to the coffin and lean over the person inside in order to whisper a stream of apologies. Finally, he'd return to the whipping as if what he'd done already wasn't enough. Xanxus didn't need an explanation past seeing who the target for his anger was. Laz was literally trying to mutilate himself. More accurately, he was trying to mutilate the part of himself that was Suoh. Laz and Suoh were one and the same, however. Every wound that Suoh received would appear on Laz's flesh.

Handing Chibi over to Maro, Xanxus tried to intervene. Nothing worked, however. The whip passed through his hand like it was a ghost and his own hand passed through Laz in the same fashion. He couldn't touch Suoh, either. Trying to pull him down was impossible.

"Wait for him, Xanxus," Maro ordered with a finger pointing to where Autumn was standing. Taking the cue, Xanxus walked over and stood between Autumn and Laz. It was difficult to watch Laz torture himself, but the time eventually came that he was tired again. Once more his hands dropped to his side and he walked over to Autumn, only to have Xanxus waiting instead. Xanxus wasn't sure of what he was supposed to say, so he said the only thing that he could think of.

"You can stop."

"W-What...?" Laz asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"You can stop," Xanxus repeated as his intuition decided to start being helpful again. "It's not your fault. You didn't kill Joshua. All you did was love him and you don't have to give up those feelings to move on. You can stop and keep them if you want. I'll still stick with you. I'm not Autumn, but am I not good enough?"

"I don't know," he whispered while tears silently created rivulets through the blood on his face. "I'm scared. What if you're not?" Fear, Xanxus realized. It was the common factor between them all. Chibi was scared of being alone. Lynx was scared of hurting those around him. Maro was scared of failing. Laz was scared of losing himself. He'd beat himself up endlessly if that's what it took to be accepted, but he hadn't actually killed himself yet.

"If I'm not, then you've lost nothing," he replied with a glance at the face of the soul resting in the coffin. Snicker looked different from the pictures. Much different. He didn't have a nicely trimmed goatee or a sleek hairstyle. Instead, his hair was covered in grey and his beard looked like a bushy bird's nest. He looked kind, though, and he looked like a cheerful type of person even in his eternal sleep. It had to be how Laz remembered him from when they'd first met on the streets. It was the first and most lasting impression that Laz remembered best.

"What happens if I can't stop?" Laz asked with a lost expression.

"Then I'll be here waiting for those times that you can, just like I always have," Xanxus answered, turning back to him with a tired smile. "That's what partners are for."

"Okay," he agreed softly. He dropped the whip at the word and his whole attitude took on the air of waiting again. He was stubborn. He had the same problem that Maro did. He didn't know how to reach out to people or maybe he just preferred to let people come to him. That was fine, though. It was fine because Xanxus understood now. Even if Laz rejected him, he just had to wait for him to come back around again because his dear Joshua couldn't wake up and do it himself.

Patience. He was still learning how to have it. He was too used to taking what he wanted, but Tsuna had shown him the wonders of gifts. It was his turn, he realized. Laz was in the same position that he'd been in. Ignored and misunderstood, Laz had been fighting himself all this time. The only way to win that kind of battle was to stop fighting, though, and Xanxus had to show Laz how to stop just like Tsuna had shown Xanxus. Slowly, he remembered. One step at a time while being mindful of the needs and wants of his partner.

Laz's expression crumbled when Xanxus touched his cheek. He started sobbing in earnest when Xanxus pulled him into his arms. After a moment, he began babbling incoherently in an attempt to let everything out at once and Xanxus let him. The words didn't matter. What mattered was that Laz was accepting Xanxus' strength. What mattered was that he didn't run away when Xanxus silenced him with a kiss. What mattered was the incredible surge of happiness that they shared when he was finally kissed back.

He heard Chibi giggle as his vision was covered with pitch black and Laz disappeared. When the darkness lifted, he was back in his apartment with an unmarked Tsuna still in his arms. It wasn't Tsuna, though. One look into the black holes that had replaced his eyes was enough to tell him that it wasn't Tsuna.

"Who are you?" He asked while wondering if the question would force a retreat like last time.

"I am..." He murmured in a deep voice. "I am that which has been buried. I am the pieces that have been discarded and left behind. I am the pain. I am sorrow. I am hate and I am rage. I am the sins that can not be forgiven. I am the fragments of past lives. I am.... Remorse."

"Why did you help me?" Xanxus asked curiously. "Why did you show me what Tsuna needs from me?"

"Perhaps I wish for freedom," he answered. "I am the memories of suffering that can never be forgotten. I can only be buried and ignored so that the rest of my parts can live inside a peaceful existence, but not everything that is buried with me is unhappy. Suoh is now part of me, as is many memories of fireworks and laughter. Even joyous times can bring pain and I hold all of it until the time comes that another part of me unburies it. I want more of those memories, so give me your pain. Give me your sufferings and the memories that torture you. I will accept all of it gladly and it shall be my freedom."

"Somehow, I expected you to be more gloomy," Xanxus said with a crooked grin. "I get it, though. You did that so that Laz would let go of Suoh."

"I am content," he said with a small smile. "In gratitude for playing along with my game, I will tell you the key to the future. The answer you will seek is the part that is all and the part that is none. I am that part."

"I don't understand," he replied in confusion.

"You will," he promised with a secretive smile as he shut his eyes. "If you wish me to live, there is ten second left to feed."

"Eh?" Xanxus blinked and his attention snapped to Tsuna's aura. It was almost gone. He wanted to smack himself when he saw it. That kid vampire had told them about this. When the vampire's breeding cycle hit, it lasted for three days. The first day was meant for the male to gorge himself to increase his strength which created a feeding frenzy. The second day was intended for that strength to be passed onto a mate to make the the best possible breeding conditions while the male's protective instincts kicked in. This caused an increase in bloodlust along with an overproduction of blood so that the male could handle the intended energy expenditures on the final day.

Vampires were hypocritical bastards, Xanxus mentally snarled as he quickly lifted Tsuna up so that he could bite into his neck. It was part of their cycle to feed off each other, but they acted like it was unnatural. Xanxus didn't give a damn about that kind of opinion, though. It probably wasn't intended for the person receiving Tsuna's blood to have been the one to feed him on the first day, but he didn't care about that, either. He wasn't about to let Tsuna die and he wasn't going to let his blood be wasted, either.

Tsuna's aura thankfully stopped shrinking as Xanxus drank. It was slow since Xanxus had been overly careful in puncturing an artery, but Tsuna's aura actually started growing after a few minutes. It was difficult to control himself at that point. He felt as if his body began to throb in time with the pulse under his lips and his breath wanted to hitch when that pulse started racing. He was delicious. So fucking delicious. Xanxus pulled away with a shuddering gasp, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop himself if he didn't stop at that point.

He was rewarded for that self-control when he looked down to find Tsuna smiling up at him with his eyes back to normal. No, he amended to himself, they weren't back to normal. There was a small glimmering of light in them that hadn't been present in far too long.

"Partner," he murmured with a soft smile. "I guess I can try it." Xanxus smiled in return and leaned down to kiss him, but he was stopped with a finger to his lips and a mischievous expression on Tsuna's face. "I'm still leaving the kissy-face to Maro." He smirked at Xanxus disappointment and added, "But I guess there's no harm if we sleep on the same mattress tonight. For now, lick my neck so that it'll stop bleeding and help me up. I don't think we were out for that long since your face is still bleeding. We can still go make those cakes."

"Alright," Xanxus grinned. It wasn't what he'd been hoping for, but it was a start. Every time that Remorse came out, he seemed to actually get somewhere with Laz. The first time, Laz had started to rely on him more. This time, Laz was starting to open up to him. Maybe next time-- Xanxus stopped himself before he got his hopes up. He was already happy enough with just this, he decided as he leaned over to close the puncture wounds as requested. He paused with his tongue sticking out, though, when he felt Tsuna's lips against his own neck.

"Thank you," Tsuna mumbled.

"Did you just kiss me?" Xanxus asked in disbelief.

"Who would," he growled back in embarrassment. "Just finish up. We've got to finish the cakes and get back here before Danny or he'll be worried. I broke all the clocks, so I don't know how much time that leaves me."

"Alright," he laughed. "Don't get your panties in a wad."

"I don't wear panties!"

"No, you wear tightie-whities."

"PERVERT!"

* * *

All eyes were on Warren. No one but he had ever seen Maverick before, so everyone was excitedly watching to see when he'd react. The crowd was unavoidable and it only got worse as word spread. Gigi didn't really understand the fuss, but she was apparently out of the loop. Everyone loved a good mystery and the mystery behind the person who could make such delicious treats was on the top of everyone's list. Now that she thought about it, she'd seen something in Cassandra's magazine about him. The gossip papers were paying reward money for photographs or information on the elusive baker.

She had a feeling that Laz was behind it, but she couldn't be positive. Laz had never shown any skill in baking other than the ability to figure out where others were making mistakes. He'd helped Houston make cupcakes for a bake sale at his school once, but the outcome hadn't been anything extraordinary.

"Why is he so secretive?" Gigi asked curiously. She'd lucked out. When word had gotten to the staff that Maverick himself was coming, no one had wanted to take their breaks. They'd went into overtime, working off the clock in order to be in place when the man arrived. From the looks of it, not even the day-time bakers had met him yet and one of the cashiers admitted that she'd only taken the job in hopes of meeting him.

"I wonder," Warren mumbled while shooting her an unreadable expression. "Maybe he's just shy?"

"Shy," Gigi repeated. It couldn't be Laz, then. Laz was one of the boldest people that she knew. He'd gotten over his shy streak a long time ago. She didn't know why she thought it was him anyway. She knew all of Laz's businesses and this one wasn't on the list. Besides, he spent his nights doing paperwork and hanging out in bars. When would he find time to bake at night on top of that? He had to sleep at some point. "Is he going to be okay with this crowd?" She asked, chucking her thumb to the countless people with their cameras and cell phones at the ready.

"It should be okay," he confirmed. "I asked Xanxus to go get him, so things shouldn't be that bad. Oh! Here they come," he added, running forward when Xanxus walked into the courtyard with a person in his arms. Forty-five minutes, she determined with a glance to her watch. Taking off fifteen minutes for the amount of time that it took to get ready, that meant Maverick lived half an hour away. That placed him in one of the housing suburbs. In that case, it was possible that he was living as a private baker to some upper-class millionaire and was hiding his identity so that his 'owner' wouldn't find out about his moonlighting.

A major tip-off that it wasn't Laz was the long, black, braided pony-tail that was trailing out of his hat. With the thickness, it wasn't possible that it was anything other than his own hair. The color was wrong for it to be Laz, too. The body size seemed about right, but it was hard to tell since he was buttoned up in Xanxus' trench coat. It didn't help that he was wearing a pair of boots that was two sizes too big. And what was with the rubber dish gloves? The man's appearance seemed completely erratic. She couldn't tell anything about him. Not even his expression was visible since he had all of his hair outside of his pony-tail tucked into a baseball cap, a pair of pink earmuffs holding it in place, a surgical mask over his nose and mouth, plus a wide strip of bandages tied over his eyes. Not a speck of his skin was bare. For all she could tell, he could be a black man or an albino.

Albino, she repeated to herself. That was actually possible. If she recalled correctly, those who were albinistic were sensitive to the light. It would explain why he didn't want to be seen, too. If he was emotionally sensitive about his pigment disorder, a large crowd like this wouldn't be easy for him to handle.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Danny asked as he walked up behind her.

"Ah," she confirmed. "Let's help him."

"Right," he grinned.

"Veronica!" Gigi snapped. "Grab the people inside and make a path through the entrance for him. Dan--!"

"Right behind you," he repeated as they started running. As they moved, Gigi hiked up her skirt and started pulling darts out of her garter belt. Xanxus caught their moment and a single nod of agreement sent them jumping at the same time. Danny was prepared for the move. Without a word being said, his hands went under her feet and she was propelled into the air in a second jump. At the same time, Warren got used as a stepping stone by Xanxus so that the man could jump over the crowd with his burden. The timing was perfect. While the crowd gasped and gaped at the leap, pausing in their careless rush to find out who Maverick was, Gigi threw her darts. They flew straight and true, nailing numerous shoelaces and pant legs into the concrete. As soon as people tried to move, the tripping and falling began which turned the crowd into a mess of bodies when those people were tripped over in turn.

She smiled when she glanced down to see that Danny was prepared to catch her. He did with a grunt for her weight, but she forgave that since his catch saved her heels. She didn't have time to enjoy it, though. Veronica and the staff was working to get a path cleared, but there was still so many people scattered around. Some of them were snapping photographs with their cell phones, but there were a few who had the reward money of the gossip papers in mind. They were going after Maverick's earmuffs and hat without a care for how the items were probably protecting him from the sunlight.

That was fine, though. One by one, they got to taste Gigi's famous body slam until there was no one left who was willing to lunge after Maverick. She lost her wig in the process, but that was the least of her worries. As she stood up from the last victim and dusted her hands off in satisfaction, she realized that she had an audience and that audience was having a very hard time holding back her laughter.

"So much with giving you a good first impression," Gigi said sheepishly.

"No," Denise laughed. "It's fine. Now I see what Danny sees in you and it's not just because you look pretty in a dress. You've got a caring heart and a bold spirit. I like that."

"I do, too," Danny agreed as he once again slipped his arms around her from behind. Gigi couldn't help it with all the praise. She turned bright red and giggled in embarrassed happiness.

* * *

Tsuna opened his eyes and looked up to see Xanxus patiently waiting on him. It never ceased to amaze him that such a problematic guy could always dance across thin ice so effortlessly. Circumstances that would make Tsuna fumble or panic tended to be the circumstances that brought out the best in Xanxus. That was one of the core reasons that Tsuna loved him. He was a reverse image of himself that filled in all the gaps. It always made him blush to think about it, but Xanxus completed him as a person. They complimented each other in a way that made them into a flawless team despite their flaws.

"Good morning," Xanxus greeted. "We're here."

"Grazie," he said in Italian to keep his voice from being recognized. _Thank you_.

"It's too troublesome that way," Xanxus replied as he set him down on his feet in the bakery's kitchen. "I don't feel like translating, so just use English."

"Lazy," Tsuna grumbled. He didn't complain too much, though. Xanxus had not only helped him by loaning him his trench coat and carrying him all the way to the bakery, but he'd also helped him to dye his ponytail to help throw everyone off. It looked like it was working. There wasn't recognition on a single face around him, although there was a lot of incredulous expressions. No one knew how to react to his appearance, which was exactly how he'd wanted it. "Hello," he said with a hesitant wave. He wanted to laugh when the bakers and staff actually waved back rather than speaking. "I don't have time vor chit-chat," he said, deciding to go with a Russian accent to hide his voice. "Vere is Warren?"

"I'm here," Warren answered as he pushed past the crew that was blocking the kitchen doors. He sounded amused, which was good considering the situation.

"Let me meet the dick-vad," he ordered.

"If you mean Butler Lyons, he's already here," he said, pointing over to the man being dwarfed by Jakiella.

"You are the dick-vad?" Tsuna asked. Butler Lyon stayed poised despite the question, but both Xanxus and Warren looked like they were having a hard time hiding their amusement. He had to be careful as he lumbered forward since he was wearing Xanxus' spare set of boots, but the size difference helped throw off his silhouette. Although, he'd never realized how big Xanxus' feet were before...

"I am," the butler replied before Tsuna could continue the line of thought.

"Good," he nodded. "Now that I have the ansver to that question, who is the fool that ordered thirty cakes?" He paused, giving time for the Butler's expression to change. It did and Tsuna wanted to sigh in relief when it changed with a glimmer of laughter instead of prudish anger. That told him what he needed to know. The guy wasn't intending to be difficult. His outrageous request wasn't of his own making. "Just kidding," he soothed with a chuckle. "I vould say that it is nice to meet you, but ve are short of time. You are not a dick-vad, but you can tell you Mistress that this favor vill not be repeated. Now tell me, vhat are the requirements?"

"The theme is Spring," he answered politely. "The request was for ten small cakes, ten medium, five large and five tiered so that Lady Quixote can bequeath her favor in varying doses depending on which cake is on which table. Lady Quixote has agreed to your price and she sends her apologies for the short notice--"

"Vorget the speech," he interrupted, waving away the complete waste of time. "She does not care and ve both know it. I think I can manage this, but ve must work quickly. Jakiella," he snapped, startling the muscled woman in question. "Vhat?" He asked with a laugh. "Did you not think that I vould know who vas vorking for me? Go shut the take out vindow and put up a sign vor people to go through the front. Then come and help me. You can be my gopher. Titania and Gina, back to vork up front. I know you must be curious, so you can take turns switching out with Laura and Enka on the conveyer belt. Enka, make some green tea for me, please, then return to your vork. The customers will still be visiting. Axel, please start bringing me bags of flour and, Quinn, go get me some of those thin wafers vor me to use. There should be a package left in dry storage. Warren, please take care of the front. I'm sure that the press will be here soon and I do not vish to be disturbed. Xanxus, put an apron on. I'll need you to man the mixer vor me."

"Vhat?" Xanxus blinked in surprise, making Tsuna laugh at the unintentional mistake. "I mean, what?"

"Apron," he ordered with a clap of his hands to get everyone moving. "Do not vorget to vash your hand first!"

* * *

Autumn groaned in delight, shutting her eyes to better enjoy the taste of heaven that was melting on her tongue. She was going to get fat, but she didn't care. It'd become ritual to eat a slice of Maverick's mouthwatering Boston cream pie after her lunch and it had become the best stress relief that she'd ever found. The place had only been open for a couple of months, but she'd found the place when she'd heard rumor that the bookstore next to it had gotten their hands on a diary that supposedly detailed the creation of the vampire antivirus that kept their disease from spreading unintentionally. Of course, the lead had been a hoax, but finding the tucked-away bakery had been worth it.

She almost regretted telling her friends about it since it was getting harder to get her treat. Her pie had been sold out for the past three days, but she'd been smart today. She'd sent Poppet to get it first thing in the morning and it'd been stored in a corner of the restaurant refrigerator. This had the effect of taunting her for most of the day, but the wait was worth it.

"Feel better?" Isaac asked with a grudging smile. He hated the fact that she went somewhere else for her treat, but he had trouble complaining since he'd fallen in love with the peanut brittle that the place occasionally had. At the moment, however, he seemed content with finishing the pasta that he'd made for their lunch.

"I wonder what Maverick looks like," she mused in bliss.

"No clue," Rachael sighed while she eyed the piece of pie in longing. "Even if he was ugly, I'd probably marry him just to get his recipes, though."

"If you married him, you wouldn't need the recipes," Poppet corrected as she dug in to her banana split. "You could just have him bake for you all day."

"Then I really would get fat," Autumn laughed. "I'll stick with just buying his stuff, but I really wish I knew who he was. I doubt we could talk him into coming to work for us, but it'd probably be good for the restaurant if we could boast his desserts. Word is spreading about him and the first one to nab an exclusivity contract with him will become the top restaurant in the city."

"Very true," Saldez nodded in agreement while he nursed his iced tea. "My information sources show that Le Grande Table has hired investigators to find him for that reason, as well as Oyster Lookout, Bill's Barbeque, and Harvest Faire. Even Food Street wants information about him."

"Food Street?" Rachael repeated in askance.

"They're the company that's been taking over the food stalls on Market Street," Saldez explained. "It looks like they're playing fairly, so Papa Paolo has been content to just watch them. As Isaac is probably intimately familiar, Market Street is more like a flea-market now than a legitimate place to shop at. Their goal seems to be to completely overhaul the strip to help the general populous to trust the fresh goods over retail grocery stores."

"It's been working pretty well," Isaac murmured in thought. "They haven't been doing a whole lot. It's mostly been just organizing everyone who goes there to sell and upgrading a lot of the display cases. Grinwich said that he's been doing a lot better business since he let them buy him out and it's been a lot less stressful for the people that only come into the city to sell for a week or two. The problem is that not many people go that way to shop. They pass through since Market Street connects the business district with the main area for middle class housing, but few people actually stop in there. If they could get Maverick to even open a small stall there, there's a chance that it'll increase business for the whole neighborhood."

"If that happened, prices on the fresh foods would go up with the increase in demand," Autumn pointed out in distaste. "It'd be great for the people who sell over there, but we'd get hit hard since we'd have to raise the price of our meals to compensate for a higher grocery bill."

"I need Maverick," Isaac grumbled with a grudging look on his face. The words made everyone at the table gape slightly, which sent him into a rushed explanation. "I'm talking about his skills," he snapped. "I know my cooking better than anyone and I have one major flaw--"

"Your noodles," Autumn supplied in exasperation. This time, it was Isaac's turn to have a dropped jaw. "I'm not my father's daughter for show. I noticed it a long time ago. You're amazing when it comes to sauces and you're good at making up for the missing taste, but your noodles suck because you're too pig-headed to let anyone else make them. You think that if you make them enough, the inspiration will come and you'll magically come up with the perfect noodle recipe. So... you're finally willing to admit that someone else might make them better than you."

"Something like that," he admitted with an expression filled with shame. "I thought I'd find what I was missing by coming to America and I don't believe that I was wrong. If Maverick is as good as everyone says, then perhaps he can give me my answer."

"You're acting too humble," Poppet giggled. "Cheer up, noodle-brain. Maverick is a chef, too, even if you work in different areas. He'll probably help you."

"I'm not a noodle-brain, you little shrimp," he growled. "I know--"

"There's no need to fight, you two," Rachael interjected with an easy smile. "You both want to find Maverick. Right?"

"If we can get him to contract with us, I won't have to make Saldez walk me to the bakery anymore," Poppet grinned. "And he can make us lots of sweets whenever we want."

"It won't be that easy," Saldez commented with a scowl. "There's a very big problem with even finding him." Autumn froze in the middle of another bite, feeling every eye attach to her at the same time.

"What?" She asked obliviously.

"Autumn," Rachael sighed in exasperation. "What's in the display window of Maverick's Sweet-Treats right now?"

"Eh?" She mumbled in confusion. "Let me think. Last week, it was that large pirate ship with the pretzel mast. This week, I think it was a baby dragon."

"What color?" Rachael asked. Autumn thought carefully and she paled as soon as it hit her.

"Orange," she answered in shock. "O-Orange Dragon."

"Laz," everyone supplied in depressed unison.

"No way," Autumn objected. "That place is too cute for Laz to have anything to do with it! He manages bars and strip clubs, not--"

"The chance is low that he's Maverick," Isaac soothed. "But you can't deny the fact that there's a connection. If nothing else, he knows who Maverick is and he might be willing to negotiate for us."

"But to do that," Poppet piped up. "You've got to make up with him."

"W-What?! Make-up?! But we're not fighting!" Autumn gaped when not a single one of her friends showed any support for her claim. They wouldn't even look at her. "We're really not!" She spluttered.

"I don't know what happened between you two," Saldez mumbled carefully. "But I noticed that he's stopped escorting you home."

"What?" She replied tonelessly. What were they talking about? Escort her home? Isaac was the one that usually escorted her home. He wasn't making any sense.

"It's true," Isaac agreed with a concerned note in his voice. "Laz used to watch over our route home. I saw him jumping across roofs a few times to keep up with our cab and he'd always leave us when we got on the highway. I wasn't going to say anything about it, because I thought that it was a good thing since I'd have backup if anything happened. After Gabriel came home, he stopped coming and he just sent his bug to fly overhead. She'd land and perch on the gates when we got home, so I gave her marshmallows a few times because I remember Laz saying that she liked them. But I haven't seen her since around the time that Laz announced that he was engaged. What happened at that party, Boss?"

"Nothing happened," she lied. She knew that she was lying. She still got a chill whenever she thought about that night. Xanxus' threat and the sad, uncaring look in Laz's eyes. She hadn't seen him since that night and she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

"Something happened," Rachael corrected mercilessly. "Why don't you just face the music and tell us? Maybe we can help. Laz saved all of our asses on more than one occasion. I don't like how it looks like he's become a rival. Even if he quit the Family, he's never been a bad friend. It makes me wish that Gabriel hadn't come back. He's just a useless freeloader in comparison to Laz."

Autumn grimaced as her chest started hurting. She didn't understand the feeling, but it hurt. She loved Xanxus, but Xanxus hated her. Laz had turned on her for some reason. She missed him as a friend, but it felt like he didn't want anything to do with her anymore. To make matters worse, everyone was turning on Gabriel even though her brother had been working so hard in private to become a better person.

The combination was unbearable.

"Autumn?" Poppet asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do," she answered with tears welling up in her eyes. Bowing her head, she tried to blink them away, but they only seemed to gather faster. "Everything seems messed up, but I don't know where it went wrong."

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Saldez suggested as he handed her a cloth napkin from the table. "We're here to help you figure things out, m'lady."

* * *

Tsuna scratched his head through his hat and tried to figure out what to do with the last cake. He was running out of ideas. How far could one stretch the idea of 'Spring'? He had to think of something, but he was getting dizzy. At most, he had ten minutes left of his Dying Will and that was with having already stretched himself to get the other twenty nine cakes finished. He had everything from a dragonfly garden to a rose-covered gazebo. For one of the tiered cakes, he'd went all out and had created a waterfall from the top tier into a grotto on the bottom tier. He had cakes with a rainbow painted through the layers of the interior and he had cakes with whimsical motifs like an origami crane made from a sheet of candy before it was completely hardened. One of the cakes was even dipped in white chocolate seven times with each layer of chocolate being dyed a different color thanks to the wonders of food coloring. Everything from baseball to fireworks had been covered, leaving him with very little to work with.

What more could he do?!

He was stumped, which was why he'd made the last cake as a plain white one instead of trying to come up with a recipe on the fly. He didn't doubt the taste of it. The design was the hard part.

"Maverick?" Jakiella asked, hovering over his shoulder in worry. "Are you alright? You stopped."

"I am stumped," he admitted, taking the chance to get a drink of ice tea. It took him a moment to get the straw past his face-mask, but he managed. The cold was refreshing since his body was getting overheated in Xanxus' coat, but taking it off wasn't an option. If only he had one of Sakura's energy-shakes, he'd probably cool off and get enough energy to-- "Oh!" He gasped with an ephiphany. Other than strawberries and melons, he hadn't used very much fresh fruit. "Blackberries," he ordered in a rush. "Bring me the raspberries, as vell!"

"Those are frozen, sir," Quinn grimaced.

"It doesn't matter," he snapped. "Bring them! Axel, do ve have any of that black liquorice candy left?"

"A little," he answered as he looked into a pot on the stove. "It's still soft. I think I can thin it out so that we can use it again."

"Do it," he ordered, holding onto the table as another wave of dizziness hit. "And make me some caramel while you're at it. Xanxus, start the mixer and put in what I tell you to." Everyone looked at him in surprise since putting the ingredients into the bowls was something that he'd proven picky on doing himself. There wasn't any time, though, and he was running out of energy. Someone seemed to notice the fact since a stool appeared under him at the same time he though his knees were going to give out. He didn't have time to notice who. Instead, he started listing off ingredients and measurements off the top of his head for the frosting.

It wasn't that difficult of a frosting that he chose. It was a simple white butter icing into which melted caramel and chopped raspberries got thrown into. Once the mixture was put in his reach, he started putting a base foundation of frosting onto the cake while smiling in pleasure at the resulting marbelized texture of the coating. Thirty seconds after that, he snatched up the bag of blueberry icing left over from another cake and screwed on his choice of decorating tip.

"What do you want done with this candy?" Axel asked with the pot of liquified liquorices in hand. In answer, Tsuna reached out and turned a bowl over. Slapping a wax sheet of paper over it, he pointed and explained.

"Draw circles like you are making a net. It doesn't have to be pretty. Messy is good. Think of a bramble patch."

"Oh!" Axel exclaimed in understanding. It was just like the gazebo that they'd created, only Tsuna was changing the scale. Everyone worked quickly once they understood his plan to make a dome with the candy and build a blackberry bramble patch with that as the base. Without being told, Quinn started cutting thin pieces of wafers into leaves that would be dipped in chocolate like the butterfly and dragonfly wings had been.

"Don't vorry about color," Tsuna ordered before he could put the green coloring into the bowl of chocolate. "Just get me twelve leaves and put the texturing on it with the molds. The vhite vill contrast the blackberries better than green." As soon as he finished putting a containing ridge around the upper edges of the cake and added a matching ridge along the base, he started squirting shapeless lumps randomly around the cake to stick blackberries into. The next step was putting the frozen fruit into each one and added green leaves with a different bag of frosting. After that was the matter of the blackberry bushes' trunk. Frosting over a wafer would have to do, he decided, although he did take care to add some texture to make it seem more like it was covered in bark.

About the time he finished with that, Axel was pulling the wax sheet off of his candy dome. It came out like he'd hoped and it'd hardened in just enough time. Axel had even managed to create thorns in the twisting curls of glass-like, blackened candy. Putting it in place was a pain since he couldn't move it around if he didn't get it right the first time, but Axel had a good eye for size. It fit over his garden of blueberries as if the man had measured. Once that was finished, it was quick work to add scattering dabs of blueberry icing to hold the blackberries and the white chocolate leaves in place. The final step was to dust the entire thing with curled shavings of dark chocolate to make it all seem more random and unintentional.

The result was an absolute mess, but he liked it. He just wished that he could see if it made other people smile as much as it...

made...

him...

* * *

Xanxus moved before anyone else could, catching Tsuna as he collapsed out of his stool. He was an idiot. Only someone as idiotic as he was would work himself into exhaustion over something like cake. Tsuna didn't even like cake that much. He preferred ice cream! Even so, Xanxus had to admit that he was amazing in making them. The cake on the work table looked incredible. It was as if someone had went out and uprooted a section of a blackberry bush in order to transplant it onto the cake.

Even more incredible was how it made Xanxus' mouth water to just look at it. It would be even better once it was served since enough time would have passed for the berries to defrost. The result would make the fruit juices run and soak into both the frosting and the cake itself without having enough time to make it soggy. That was probably why he'd added the caramel, though. It wasn't just for taste. The thickness of the caramel would counter the extra moisture.

From the sound of the other baker's murmured, managing the balance without ruining the caramel or the cake wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"Is he alright?" Warren asked worriedly.

"He's fine," Xanxus answered. Putting Tsuna's head on his shoulder, Xanxus cradled his back and slid an arm under his legs in order to lift him up. "He's just exhausted," he continued once he was standing. "Thirty was twenty cakes over where he normally stops and he's already had a long day."

"He's amazing," Jakiella mumbled. "He said that he was stumped and then he came up with something like this."

"Did you see how fast his hands moved?" Axel gasped in awe. "No wonder he works alone. I couldn't have kept up with him if I was by myself."

"No shit," Quinn agreed as he collapsed against an empty workspace. "I can see why he's out like a light. My head is spinning and all he had me do was handle the chocolate and the cut-outs."

"Make sure that Laura is stocked on sandwich bread and take a break," Warren ordered with a relieved sigh. "Xanxus, do you want to take him upstairs to rest? I'm more than willing to let him use my--"

"We'll leave," he said with a small shake of his head. "He'll sleep better in his own bed and the media camp-out isn't going to go away until we leave. You probably want them gone before the munchkin gets home from school."

"It would be nice," he admitted with an apologetic grimace. "Is there anything that I can get for you before you go?"

"Yeah," he nodded, looking over at the glass of tea that Tsuna had been drinking from. He's had six glasses of the same thing over the course of the two hours, which was an undeniable clue that he liked the stuff. "Bag me up a jug of whatever that is, two sampler boxes, and a box of X-Cakes."

"Which one is the X-Cakes again?" Warren asked curiously.

"The Dooby Snacks," he answered with a growl for the rename. He understood the reason for it since selling 'X-Cakes' would be a tip-off for Vongola, but Tsuna's sense of humor could be cruel at times. The thought was that they were the perfect taste for someone with the munchies since they were sweet without being sickening. It was actually Laz who'd named them when his own case of cannabis-influenced hunger had been cured after only two of the rectangular squares. Maro had agreed to the name, stating that he wanted Laz to feel like he was a part of the bakery as much as Laz wanted Maro to feel like he was part of ODE, but Xanxus didn't like it. Of course, he was understandably biased.

"I want ice cream," Tsuna mumbled as he made himself cozy against Xanxus shoulder.

"You're awake already?" Xanxus asked in surprise. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Sleepy," he murmured into Xanxus' shirt. "Are we home yet?"

"Haven't left the bakery," he answered. "You were only out for a few seconds." The words had the effect of making Tsuna's eyes snap open, although they were barely visible under the bandage. He looked around in surprise and gestured for Xanxus to put him down.

"I want to see the cakes," he said with a complete lack of a Russian accent. The slip made Xanxus grimace, but the sentence was thankfully short enough that no one did more than pause. The complete standstill came when Tsuna pointed to the cake on the worktable and asked the obvious. "Did I make this?"

"Short-term memory loss," Warren explained in a hurry while he rushed to personally fill Xanxus' order. The explanation made jaws drop across the room and countless expressions of sympathy cross the expressions of the staff. "He can sometimes lose the last hour unless it's important enough to go into his long-term memory."

"Use a Russian accent," Xanxus whispered into Tsuna's ear while everyone's attention was on Warren.

"No vorries," he replied with a laugh, fixing the slip almost seamlessly. "Vhere are the rest of the cakes? Since I am here, I might as vell take a look."

"They've already been boxed up and put into a refrigeration truck for transport," Warren answered apologetically.

"No vorries, no vorries," he sighed with a wave of his hand. "I am used to it. I vill just take a peek outside and then ve vill go." Tsuna started unsteadily walking towards the door and Xanxus shadowed him in concern. He should be capable of even walking, but he was pushing himself for some reason.

"Careful," Xanxus choked, reaching out to steady him when he started to collapse again.

"Sorry," he whispered softly so only Xanxus would hear. "I could hear him in my sleep. He really wants to see their smiles at least once."

"Alright," Xanxus grumbled. There was no point in arguing. In times like these, Tsuna had a stubborn streak that was a mile wide. Because it'd be faster to just let him have his way, Xanxus accepted his order from Warren and followed Tsuna out of the kitchen. Neither of them were prepared for what was waiting on them. The building was jam packed with people who wanted to meet Maverick and the cashiers were having difficulty holding them back even with the help of Veronica, Gigi, and Danny. From what Xanxus could see, an even bigger mob was waiting outside the display window and no few cameras were trying to catch a moment of footage.

"What the hell?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Maverick!" One woman yelled. "Maverick! It's me! I'm the one who ordered the three dozen muffins for my presentation! I wanted to say thank you! My boss was in such a good mood from them, I got a promotion!"

"Maverick!" A man shouted. "Thank you so much! My daughter said that she loved me for the first time in ten years after I gave her the birthday cake you made!"

"Maverick! The tarts you made for me saved my marriage! I can't tell you how much--"

"Maverick--!"

"Maverick--!"

"Maverick--!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Tsuna mumbled, covering his face with his hand in disbelief. Once more, Xanxus moved at the first sign that he was wavering and managed to snatch him out of the air before he hit the floor. Someone in the crowd let out a shrill yelp at the collapse, which in turn caused everyone to freeze with mutters of concern.

"It's alright," Warren soothed from behind him while Xanxus situated Tsuna to be carried again. "It's just exhaustion. He'll be back to filling orders after he takes a rest. You all have been watching for these past two hours. Creating such masterpieces in such a short time takes a toll. I'm sure that he's received your feelings and he is grateful for your appreciation, but it would be better if you could leave a note rather than trying to say it in person. I'll place a bulletin board up next to the register by morning if you'd like to leave him a message, but he really must go now."

"We've got a taxi waiting," Gigi offered when Xanxus stood. Tsuna was truly out of it this time and the chance that he would wake again was close to zero. One thing was obvious to Xanxus, though. Maverick's local fame was growing and he wouldn't be enough to keep his identity hidden if he was alone. Sneaking in at night wasn't a problem since he didn't come on a scheduled day and he could approach on the rooftops. Instances like this where he had to come in the open would become impossible, though. Not everything could be solved with a fist to the jaw.

"Gigi," Xanxus said, stopping next to her rather than walk directly out. "Talk to Laz about loaning bodyguards to Maverick. Maverick gives to charity, so--"

"It's already done," Gigi interrupted with a smile. "I made a judgment call and had Ore bring some guys over. The way is clear once you get outside."

"Why?" He asked in suspicion. Had they figured it out? No, that wasn't possible. They'd covered every detail.

"I guess Laz has been rubbing off on me," she answered with a smile. "When I see someone being bullied, I can't ignore it. Laz is sick, so I'm just doing what he would have done. That's my job as Vice President."

"I see," Xanxus said with a crooked grin.

"What I want to know is why you're the one who is body guarding him," she added with a sudden shrewdness that made Xanxus inwardly grimace. "Since when are you interested in someone other than Laz?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," he grumbled as he pushed past her. "I just love cake." Xanxus wanted to groan at having let such a sentence get past his lips, but he had other things to worry about. Getting through the crowd inside the bakery was the first of those. People backed away in respect and gave him a pathway out, but there was still two incidents where a hand darted out in an attempt to pull off Maverick's mask. Both times, Xanxus dodged by spinning in place while the crowd took care of the attacker for him.

Once he was outside, the sun shining down seemed like it was fake since the day seemed to be so long. Ore was waiting on him with no less than twelve of his foot-soldiers. Xanxus wanted to groan at the sight of half of them. When the hell had everyone started wearing feather earrings like Tsuna? Even more importantly, did Tsuna know that his bottom ranks were imitating him? It irritated him for some reason. Tsuna's image was unique and it was one that had been difficult to get used to. The idea of copy-cats out there pissed him off like he was back to square one with people trying to imitate Vongola the Tenth. Did these fucking scumbags think that they had what it takes to do what Tsuna did?

They had no fucking clue.

The bodyguards and the crowd shrank back in unison from the force of Xanxus' glare. The journalists and reporters seemed to have their questions lodged in their throats. Not a single person managed to say a word in the face of Xanxus' anger and Xanxus was beyond anger. He was enraged, but ripping those earring out wasn't an option with how his arms were full. When he walked forward, no one moved to get in his way. When there was someone in his way, they quickly got out of it even if it meant they had to fall backwards since their legs didn't want to move. The wave of fear had the effect of allowing him to get to his taxi without a single obstruction and the ride was thankfully a silent one.

Mostly silent, he amended in exasperation for the small noises that Tsuna started making. For being a half-blood vampire and Boss of a gang that was over three hundred strong, those noises were far too cute and calmed Xanxus down far too quickly. Tsuna would never admit to making them, though, just like Xanxus refused to admit that he snored. He tried to ignore it, but it was one of those greatly difficult tasks that Tsuna would give him without warning. Even the cab driver looked like he was having trouble ignoring it. He turned up the radio three times and his face was a bright red by the time they reached Xanxus' apartment. It was embarrassing enough that the driver sped away before Xanxus could think to pay him.

Getting Tsuna upstairs was easily done, but the problem came afterward. Danny was due to arrive in less than ten minutes and was probably right behind them. Getting the apartment picked up by then was impossible, but he had to figure out how to deal with Tsuna in that time. He wasted a minute in trying to wake him, but he was truly out of it. That meant that it was up to Xanxus to fix his image.

Tsuna was going to be pissed, but there wasn't any choice.

Stripping the jacket from him, Xanxus put it on the coat rack and stuffed the hat and earmuffs into the back of the bottom drawer of his wardrobe. The eye bandage and surgical mask got stuffed in a plastic bag and tossed in the trash. Xanxus' spare boots got thrown in the back of the broom closet where he normally kept them and the rubber gloves got tossed under the kitchen sink. This left Tsuna curled up on the floor with a t-shirt and denim pants on. His hair was the next problem. It'd grown out from large feeding on the previous day and they'd used it for Maverick's image. Leaving the black braid in place would be an instant give-a-way, so Xanxus did the only thing possible. He pulled out a knife, found the base of the ponytail, and cut it off where the dye ended. Tsuna groaned as the rest of his hair was freed from the extra weight, but didn't wake even when Xanxus ruffled his remaining hair into his normal, unkempt style.

The question was what to do with the braid. It was too thick and long to trash. It'd be found immediately. Sticking it under the couch cushions wasn't possible either, since Tsuna had destroyed it. At the rate they were going, they were going to need a new couch every month, he thought absently. Actually, they needed to keep the braid for Maverick's disguise. Rolling it up, there was only one place that he could think to hide it. He used it as replacement stuffing for one of Tsuna's pillows and tossed it on the back side of the bed.

He knew that he was running out of time, so he worked on getting Tsuna somewhere comfortable to lay. Collecting the missing stuffing of the mattress and cramming it back inside wasn't easy, but he managed. Once there was enough, he worked on salvaging as many blankets as he could. Two went down on the mattress for padding and he saved the least damaged one to go over him. The result looked like shit, but he thought that it would suffice. Once he had Laz laid down on it, he did the part that he knew he'd be slaughtered for.

He stripped Tsuna down to his underwear and threw the blanket over him.

He finished just in time. The knock on the door came right after Xanxus tossed Tsuna's clothes into a salvaged clothes hamper. Giving a long look around, he was satisfied. Laz looked like he'd been sleeping peacefully for hours and the place was still trashed as if Xanxus had just returned home. It was good enough. No one would know that Maverick was Tsuna. It could be a secret that they alone shared.

'Cause he was special like that.

* * *

Veronica and Danny traded shocked looks while they plastered themselves to the hallway wall around the corner from Xanxus' apartment. Neither of them knew what to do and they couldn't ask Gigi since she'd went back to work. They were helpless, caught between their need to listen and their need to respect other people's privacy.

It was unfortunate that they were truly a shameless pair.

"What the fuck are you trying to pull?" Xanxus hissed as he stepped out into the hallway so that he could shut the door behind himself. "I thought I told you to leave us alone."

"I know," Autumn exclaimed. "I tried to because I know that you don't like me, but I can't leave it like this, Xanxus! It hurts too much! The feelings aren't going away, so this is the only thing that I can do!"

"Go back," he replied harshly. "You're only complicating things. Laz is better off without an uncaring bitch like you around him and I'm not interested."

"Don't say that!" She shouted. "I do care about Laz! That's why I want you to understand! I only tried to make him happy! I didn't mean for things to turn out like this! I didn't think that he was serious back then!"

"And now you magically do," Xanxus scoffed.

"YES!" Autumn blurted in exasperation. "Look, I'm not good at this whole love thing. I never claimed to be. My first kiss was as a prostitute, so I usually close myself off when I'm with other people. I just... I'm good at reading what people want, but I'm an idiot when emotions get muddled up with it. Laz kept saying that it was no-strings-attached, so I thought that he just wanted one night stands! If I'd known that he was looking for more, I would have never slept with him! Can't you understand that? Laz is an important friend to me and I never wanted to hurt him. I didn't know until Rachael explained it to me, so that's why--!"

"Are you expecting me to give you pity?" Xanxus asked with his malice flooding the hallway. "Do you have any fucking clue how hard it is to make any progress with him because of you? Go to hell, bitch, before I send you there."

"I knew it," Autumn replied in a defeated voice. "There's really no hope, is there? Now it's not just you that hates me, it's Laz, too. I can't change how I feel, though. I love you, Xanxus. I don't have any reasons or explanations. You're not like any guy that I've come across before and the more that I was around you, the more that I felt like this. I want to fix things with Laz and I want a chance to know you m--"

"Aren't we a selfish little tramp?" Xanxus asked in open distaste. "Let me ask you something before you leave. In all the time that you spent thinking about what you wanted, did you ever once ask yourself what would make someone else happy? Even more importantly, _who the fuck _do you think I am? You're a nuisance and if I had my way, you'd be nothing more than a pile of ash right now. Don't think because I'm accepting odd jobs from you that I have any fucking loyalty to you or your shitty Family. I'm here for one reason and one reason only. Got it?"

"Laz," she supplied in a choked whisper.

"He's in a completely different league than you," he confirmed in cruel satisfaction. "I don't give a damn about you or anyone else, so get that through your thick skull if you want to live. You can take your picket fences and your happily-ever-after and shove it right up your ass, _Princess_. I live in the real world and I'll kill you before I let you hurt Tsuna any more."

"Tsu... na..." Autumn repeated in shock. "You..."

"There's no room for you," he growled. "As soon as he gets his memories back, he'll control far more power than you could ever dream of. You said that he was the one that was deluded, but it's you that doesn't want to open your eyes. Well, you can enjoy your fantasies while they last. The countdown has already started toward the day that Laz leaves this god forsaken city behind him. You're better off getting used to not having him around."

"What do you mean? What are you doing to him?!" Autumn exclaimed in worry. "Let me see h--"

"It's too late to say shit like that now," Xanxus interrupted calmly. "You had your chance to care about him and you blew it. As for what I'm doing to him, I'm not doing anything other than what you should have done in the first place. I'm giving him a fucking reason to live where you only gave him reasons to die. Now get the fuck out of my sight. Wannabe Bosses like you disgust me. It's like they're letting anyone join the Mafia these days."

"Wait--!"

"Get lost! Laz doesn't need you and neither do I!" Xanxus roared, making both Danny and Veronica lurch in surprise. They lurched a second time as Xanxus slammed his apartment door in Autumn's face and held their breathes through the following silence. They continued holding their breathes while they prayed that Autumn went to the exit on the other side of the hall in order to leave.

"Is she gone?" Veronica whispered after several minutes passed.

"I don't know," Danny replied. "I'm too scared to look."

"Don't be such a pussy," Veronica hissed. "You a man, so check."

"I'm not falling for that one," Danny grumbled. "I've seen you in the shower. You're a man, too, so you look."

"Xanxus was pretty pissed off," she mumbled. "Maybe we should just leave and come back later."

"We can't do that," he growled. "I've got to check Laz's blood pressure. Just go first."

"You go first," she snapped. "What if Autumn is still out there? What am I supposed to say?"

"Why don't you both go at the same time and act like you just arrived?"

"Yeah," they agreed in unison. Then they froze.

"We're caught," Danny paled.

"We're caught," Veronica agreed.

"You're caught," Xanxus confirmed from around the corner. "Did you two get a nice earful?"

"We didn't mean to," Veronica whimpered. "It just seemed awkward to come out in the middle of that."

"And we couldn't leave since we're here for a reason," Danny added in a hurry.

"You two didn't hear anything," Xanxus stated tonelessly. "Laz isn't to know that Autumn was here. It'll only make him upset."

"Xanxus...?" Danny murmured in surprise for the orders. He stopped, though, at a meek tug on his sleeve by Veronica.

"Let's trust him, Danny-boy," she suggested hesitantly. "I don't think Xanxus has any bad intentions. He was kind of mean, but I think that he's just trying to protect Laz. I think I understand why Boss always seems lonely now. It's because of Autumn. Isn't it, Xanxus? He's always acted messed up after he's been around her."

"She's been toying with his heart," Xanxus answered. "Laz can be a masochist at times, but he has his limits. She has no intentions of taking responsibility. She just sees him as the easiest route to getting what she wants. For Laz's sake, someone has to stand between them."

"Why are you telling us this?" Danny asked as a chill went down his spine.

"It's a warning," he answered. "I'm impartial. I'll kill anyone who hurts him, even if they're supposedly his friends. If you don't want to die, then keep you fucking mouths shut."

"We will," Veronica answered for the both of them. "But what did you mean about a countdown? Is Laz really going to leave us?"

"No," Danny interrupted with a sad smile. "Don't answer that, Xanxus. It's obvious. Laz is growing even faster than the Orange Dragons are. The city won't be able to hold him for much longer."

"I'll only watch him strangle himself for so long," he replied. "Don't make shit harder on him by tightening the rope. If you understand that, then make the best of the time you have left with him."

* * *

Xanxus shifted the grip on his X-Gun and wondered to himself if the two were really as stupid as they were acting. He could blow them both to hell before they could blink if they made a wrong move and he was already irritated enough to do it. He hated messy shit and this was already far too messy. He was sorely tempted to actually draw his gun, turn the corner, and wipe out both of the scum in irritation. The only reason that he didn't was the same reason that he hadn't killed the Martelli bitch.

Laz was just finally opening up to him and murdering his 'friends' would destroy that progress.

"I understand," Danny replied as he finally got the courage to walk around the corner with his medical bag in hand. "You don't have to say anything more. Laz is a grown man and he can make his own choices. As long as he's not being forced against his will, people like me and Veronica don't have much say. All this means is that I'll have to work harder to pay him back before he's out of our reach."

"At least one of you have a clue," Xanxus murmured with a cruel smile. It would be okay to let them live, he decided. Even if they talked, Tsuna would probably understand why Xanxus had acted the way that he had. There were rights that a partner had that a wife or friend might not have. A partner was a class to itself, although many people combined the role with something else. Eventually, Xanxus hoped for the role of lover instead of brother, but partner alone was satisfying enough for now. If he wanted more, he'd just have to earn it like he had the first time with Tsuna. In the beginning, their relationship hadn't spawned from nowhere. It had grown over time and this time was no different. "Follow me," he ordered as he finally took his hand off of his gun. "Be warned that the place is a mess and Laz isn't himself. He's asleep, but he's between phase two and phase three of his cycle now. I honestly have no clue how he'll act since I still haven't hit my first cycle."

"You make it sound like it's a period," Veronica commented in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I guess you can call it that," he replied without a smile. "Only this one comes once every three to four months and the PMS is a bitch. It makes me glad that I took his advice to stay away last night. He probably would have killed me."

"Oh, come on," Danny laughed. "It can't be that bad."

"See for yourself," Xanxus said as he led them inside his apartment. Danny and Veronica both paused inside the door with looks of shock on their faces for the destruction. Xanxus wasn't bothered by that part, though. He'd done worse in the past just because he didn't like how someone looked at him. Furniture could be replaced, so he could care less about that. It was Tsuna and the cycles that worried him. Was his own going to be this bad? "I had to bite him when I came to check on him earlier," Xanxus warned as he led Danny over to the bed. "His heart was giving out earlier than expected."

"That's not good," Danny murmured in concern. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Because I didn't feel like sharing," he answered in amusement. Then he stopped and his amusement disappeared. Tsuna was wide awake in his bed and there was an expression on his face that was a premonition of trouble.

"How long was I out?" Tsuna asked with a languid stretch.

"Not long," Xanxus answered while keeping firm control on himself. Why did Tsuna have to keep testing him like this? If he had to stretch, then a basic stretch would have been fine. Did he really have to move his hands across himself while he did it? "You should go back to sleep."

"It's more dangerous if I sleep," he replied with a seductive smile on his face. "I can control it as long as I stay awake. The real question is how well _you _can control yourself. At this level, my pheromones aren't that strong yet. If you stay, you'll be begging me to fuck you by midnight. Or is that why you brought two of my little kittens here?"

"I'm not begging you for shit," Xanxus growled with a slow grin pulling at his lips. Tsuna sounded like he was challenging him and he loved a fucking challenge. "You're the one who will be begging."

"You didn't listen to Lord Nephriam very well," Tsuna chuckled as he turned onto his stomach. "I'm not a girl, Xanxus. I'm the seducer this time around. For today only, I can have anyone I want just by standing close to them. Do you really think you can resist me if I put my mind to it? Can't you smell it? My scent is already changing and it's only going to get worse before it goes back to normal. The longer that you stay, the more that you'll come under my control. Just look at Veronica and Danny. They're already completely mesmerized with just the starting levels."

Xanxus clenched his teeth when he glanced over at the pair. Veronica was already flushed and absently touching her lips while dirty thoughts crossed her face. Danny seemed more sturdy, but the front of his pants was already becoming tight while his face became more and more blank.

"Come here, Veronica," he ordered in open amusement. Tsuna's point was made with how quickly Veronica answered the summons. She literally fell over herself in the process of crossing to him while Danny looked like he was trying to restrain a surge of jealousy. "Are you a good girl, Veronica?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Y-Yes," she replied breathlessly.

"Then go help Gigi catch up on her work," he directed gently. The order made Xanxus pause for a moment. He'd honestly expected Tsuna to use her open willingness to his advantage, but it made him realize the important part of the last phase. Tsuna didn't feel it and he still had control of himself. It just made those around him feel it by making all of Tsuna's movements and actions seem attractive. It was as if he were a walking love potion.

"I can feel it," Tsuna corrected as if he'd read Xanxus' mind. Veronica rushed for the door at only a small gesture of dismissal and another gesture reminded Danny of the reason that he was present. Danny walked forward like a zombie, but it was obvious that he was trying to resist in order to do his job of checking on Tsuna's health. He got to work as soon as he reached Tsuna's bedside, trying to use focus on his goal to override the effects of Tsuna's scent. "It puts me in the right mood and everything feels twice as good as normal. I'll probably scratch the itch a few times since there's no reason not to, but I can ignore it if I need to. At least, that's how it is when I have a mate. I honestly don't know how bad it could get without one. Yesterday was much worse than I expected it to be. Usually it's just two or three hours that I have to lock myself up, but I guess you could say that withdrawal got the better of me. Yesterday, Lynx was screaming for me to fight at everything. If a mate wasn't here for me today, he'd probably be yelling for me to fuck everything in sight."

"If a mate... today...?" Xanxus repeated in shock for the insinuation.

"Y-Your blood pressure if fine," Danny interjected while he stuffed his tools back into his bag. "Your pulse is a little high, but it's within a tolerable range. I should probably check your blood sugar--"

"That's good enough," Tsuna soothed, making Danny gasp and clutch his medical bag to himself like it was a shield. "Go home, Danny. I told you before that I could handle this by myself. Your curiosity should be satisfied, so there's no reason for you to stick around and fight me. I know how you're probably feeling and it's not your fault. It's just body chemistry that's screwing with you and it'll be over as soon as you leave the building."

"I'm sorry," he apologized with a tremble. Xanxus watched as he stood and started backing away toward the door rather than walking to it normally. The body language said far more than his words ever could. Not only was he unsure of himself and scared, but taking his eyes off of Tsuna was harder than it seemed.

"Danny," Tsuna said, making the man freeze in place just by raising his finger.

"Y-Yes?"

"Leave now," he ordered calmly. Danny blinked for a second before scurrying for the door like a frightened mouse. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna sighed in relief and the tension ran out of his body. The effect of how he lounged across his bed made Xanxus have to swallow a lump in his throat. Tsuna had never been so attractive in his life. The way that one of his legs peeked out from his blankets made Xanxus want to touch him. The light sweat glistening across his back made Xanxus want to lick him. The seductive expression on his face made Xanxus want to kiss him. He wanted to show him pleasure and he wanted pleasure in return. Just a little would--

"Xanxus," Tsuna murmured with a pair of lips that were probably moist and-- "Xanxus," he repeated.

"Hnh?"

"Breathe through your mouth so that you don't get the full effect of the pheromones," he ordered in amusement. "It's no fun if you stop resisting this early into the game."


	87. Chapter 87 Project First Love

"What's wrong, Hotaru? Don't you like the cake?"

"It's fine, mom," he murmured in embarrassment. He had reason to be embarrassed with such a nutcase for a mother. What in the world had she been thinking when she'd ordered such a cake? He wasn't eight anymore. He was fourteen and cake castles were so not cool. He knew that she'd tried hard to find something to make him happy, though, so he didn't say anything. He understood his mother's feelings, even if she couldn't understand him. "Thank you," he said politely. "It must have taken you a long time to pick one out for me since you know that I don't like sweets. We'll go with seventy five points for how delicious it looks."

"I tried my best," she replied with a tired smile. "I wanted to make you a new shoulder guard for when you're riding on S.K., but Kyoya said that you wouldn't like it."

"Ah, right," he nodded while shooting Hibari a grateful look. His mother would be happy when a cake disappeared while not wearing her freaky designs would have upset her. It was small touches like that which made Hibari into a decent step-dad. "Who's next?"

"That would be me," someone offered. Hotaru had to squint to see who it was since _someone _had gotten the bright idea that one long table would be more interesting than a bunch of smaller ones. The length spanned at least a hundred yards and it was crammed full of people who'd been invited to his birthday party. It's what he got for letting his mother plan his party, he guessed. The woman was usually in Japan, so she had no idea of how many people he knew. That was fine, though. He could manage since each guest had to deliver their present to him. This time, it looked like an entertainment instead of another gift to add to the stack behind himself. While that was normally good, he couldn't say that he was too pleased when the guest's whistle started the show.

A circus, he saw in displeasure as ornamented elephants started dropping from the sky and trapeze artists started jumping over both the guests and the table in a pre-arranged routine. It was a damn circus. He got one every year, but he thought it was obvious by now that he didn't like it. Admittedly, the jugglers were better this year and the fire-eater was a little more flamboyant, but it was still a stupid circus. He'd seen it all before.

"How unoriginal," he sighed in disappointment.

"Don't say that," Haru exclaimed with her eyes sparkling in happiness. "Oh look! They have a lion!"

"So what?" He replied in boredom. Reaching out, he grabbed a pretzel stick from his plate and munched while the show continued. Even if he didn't like it, everyone else was obviously enjoying it. Personally, he hoped that the animals would start rampaging so that he could have some real fun. Not that it was likely that such a wish would come true. His security was too thorough for such mistakes. Maybe someone would raid them instead? He could go for some live-fire exercises. It would be more interesting than sitting around and giving points to the same stack of gifts that he'd gotten for the last three years in a row.

"Boss," Orinato hissed. "It's over."

"Oh, right," he blinked, looking up to find that everyone was waiting for his judgment. "Um, since everyone liked it so much and I know you must have practiced hard, forty five points."

"Why don't you open this one next?" Sakura suggested with a smile as he plucked a smaller package from the stack of gifts that had been mailed to him. He was supposedly the world's sweetheart, even though he did his best to keep his face off of the television. It wasn't that he didn't like publicity so much as it was the fact that the automatic reaction people had to seeing him was to compare him to his father. He'd gotten tired of it by the time that he was ten and it seemed like all of his attempts to change his image didn't help. No matter how many piercing or tattoos he got, it still wasn't enough. It made him want to get a mohawk or dye his hair. It was already dark like his mother's, but maybe a pitch black would get the point across better? He didn't think fame would be so bad if he wasn't having to deal with his father's--

Hotaru froze in place and slowly sat up as he looked into the package he'd unwrapped. He honestly wasn't sure how to react. It could be just coincidence and someone had gotten lucky in their choice. He'd learned to hate sweets over time, but he had his top secret exception. He'd never been able to make himself hate gingerbread or sugar cookies. One of the few memories he actually had of his dad was helping to make some.

Despite what outsiders might think, he didn't hate his father. He was a little disgusted with him. He was a little frustrated with him. He was mad at him for dying and he was upset that he had all kinds of unreasonable responsibilities, but he didn't hate him. That was why he'd wanted to know more about the Reckoning Chain that was wrapped around him. He could feel his father's will for him to live in that Chain. He knew everything about himself, but there was one thing that he wanted which no one could give him. He wanted the memories that had been stolen when he'd become a real boy. It'd taken him two and a half years to hack into his father's personal diary and everything had been in there. Everything including events that he'd taken part in but couldn't remember. He wanted those memories of his father back, but stupid Tomaso had gotten in the way before he could figure out how to alter the Chain without killing himself.

Why did someone have to send him a package of gingerbread cookies for his birthday? At the point when he was being forced to give up his hopes of remembering, why did someone want to encourage him like this? The gift had the effect of frustrating and confusing him at the same time. It made him upset and it only got worse when he reached into the box to unwrap the plastic that was keeping the sweets fresh.

"Bastard," he whispered under his breath when he saw the chosen image of a knight on horseback.

"Hotaru," his mother prompted cheerfully. "Pull it out so that we can see, too."

"No need," he replied while he hurriedly shut the box to hide what was inside. Handing it off to Orinato, he clenched his teeth while he decided what to do with it. Keep it or trash it? He hated the gift and loved it at the same time, so it was hard to choose. It brought up memories that were happy, but those memories were also painful. He thought he could bear that pain if it was just this once, though. "Go put that in my room for me," he mumbled, making his Right Hand gape in surprise. It was a first time in three years that he'd actually wanted to keep one of his gifts. Everything else he got usually got donated to charity or shoved into a storage room. It wasn't that way because he didn't appreciate the gifts, however. The simple fact was that he already had everything that he needed or wanted.

He had everything but his dad.

* * *

"He didn't smile," Gokudera murmured with a sigh as he poured himself a shot of tequila. Yamamoto was already nursing the sake that he preferred, but the overall census through Pink's was that they'd utterly failed. With the depressed air throughout the building, it was no wonder that the waitresses and dancers were looking confused.

"No, he didn't," Yamamoto agreed sadly. "If only I'd have gotten those rings for him, things might have changed. I was so damn close, Hayato."

"It couldn't be helped," he sighed. "Tomaso wouldn't pull back their stance and you know how much the Eleventh looks up to Longchamp. Longchamp didn't look any happier about it, but he said his Family's financial backing were threatening to pull out if Vongola didn't withdrawal. He said that he wasn't interested in anything in that city, but his financier was."

"I never realized someone could pull his Family's strings like that," Yamamoto replied. "That Lazarus is a lot more dangerous than he looks. Did I tell you that he blocked Attaco di Squalo?"

"Heh," he scoffed with only a crack of a smile. "I'm surprised that you still remembered how to do it. He probably just got lucky."

"Yeah," he agreed in a tone that insuinuated that he didn't believe a word of it. "It was the first time in years that I've touched a sword, so I was a little rusty. If it hadn't been for Hotaru, I wouldn't have picked it up this time."

"Are you going to stay?" Gokudera asked in mild hope.

"No," he answered with a small shake of his head. "Baseball season is picking back up and coach is already mad that I took this long away from training. I've already missed two games. There's still dad's shop to run and Yoshi is already unhappy enough with how much time I spend away. When it comes down to it, I'm not needed here, Hayato. I'm better off keeping an eye on things in Namimori."

"Che," Gokudera spat as he tossed back his shot. Plunking the glass back down on the table, he couldn't help but glare. "Guard duty doesn't fit you, baseball freak."

"That might be true," he replied with a wide smile. "But someone has to look out for Tsuna's family. I'll keep watching over Nana and Tsuna's brother. I'll leave Hotaru to you."

"How about we trade," Gokudera groaned. Yamamoto's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before grimacing in sympathy. Gokudera had his own Family to worry about, so working as the acting President of Vongola Corp. couldn't be easy. Yamamoto felt lucky in a way. At least he got to see his son, although seeing Matsu was another story. They just couldn't seem to connect anymore. It made him wonder if he should just end the relationship altogether. Yoshi couldn't be happy with all the arguments.

"I wonder if Frederick might have any ideas," he mused. "He was always good at figuring out what Tsuna needed."

"F-Frederick?" Gokudera repeated with his eyes bulging out. A light seemed to blossom in them, making Yamamoto chuckle when the man jumped to his feet with a shout that lifted heads across the bar. "That's it! Frederick! Why didn't I think of it before?! If he can't make Hotaru smile, then no one can!"

* * *

"What?" Hotaru asked without a trace of amusement on his face. He backed up in place, staring at Reborn as if the man had gone insane. The Leon-Lasso that he was spinning wasn't a good sign at all. "You're joking. Right?"

"This is no joke," he answered with a smirk. "Whether you like it or not, you're going. I've already packed your things."

"W-Wait!" He gasped as Reborn advanced. Before he could blink, Leon was already wrapping around him to bind his arms to his sides. He tried running, but the shape-shifting Chameleon was quick. It got around his legs and tripped him. "This isn't funny!" He shouted from the ground. "Let me go! You can't make me do this!"

"But I can." Hotaru's eyes widened in shock at the sight of his mother standing in the doorway of his office. She had her hands on her hips and a no-nonsense expression on her face. "You're coming home, Hotaru. From dawn until midafternoon, you're going to be a normal boy. No more Mafia, no more fighting, and no more Vongola until _after _school!"

"But, mom--!" He choked.

"That's FINAL!"

* * *

Hotaru glared. He was pissed. Not even S.K. would listen to him. Somewhere, someone had gotten the bright idea that he should move back in with his mother to Japan. As if being tied up, kidnapped from his _real _home in Italy, and being forced to spend his day in a classroom of idiotic kids would make him happy! He was Vongola the Eleventh, for goodness sakes! He couldn't be wasting his time in a place like this!

Even so, he was still sitting roped up in a car that was merrily making it's way toward the school. This was the worst embarrassment of his life. It was his worst embarrassment, but he wasn't getting any help from anyone. S.K. wasn't helping him and just the thought of running away made Reborn wake up for a moment before returning to his nap. His only option was to appeal to his suddenly demon-like mother.

"Neither of us is going to gain anything from this, mom," he growled in Italian.

"Speak in Japanese," she exclaimed with her fist ramming into the top of his head. "You're not in Italy anymore!"

"Only because you kidnapped me, you hag!" He shouted, switching languages as she'd ordered. He switched, but he used the most uncouth form he could think of. That only had the affect of getting him bopped a second time, though. He clenched his teeth in frustration to hold back tears. Three strikes was always his breaking point and his mother knew it. If he got hit again, he'd start crying and he didn't want to cry!

"Watch your mouth," she snapped. Then her face softened and she reached across the seat to ruffle his hair. "Hotaru, I know this is difficult for you, but listen to your mother for once. There's things that you can learn in school that you can't get from tutors. You've been working hard for what your father built, but your whole life can't be centered around business. I know that it's selfish of me, but I want us to be a real family for just a little while. Can you do that?"

"Three months," he grudgingly agreed.

"Two years," she countered with a smile. He growled at the thought, but that smile was difficult to ignore.

"Six months," he relented.

"One year," she said with a disappointed sigh. "Just be a normal boy for one year and your mother will be happy."

"Fine," he grumbled in defeat. Taking that as permission, he wiggled in his bindings until he could untie the knot so that they fell into a puddle at his waist. Once free, he straightened his shirt and collected the ropes to hand over. "Don't expect much," he warned, feeling his lip curl in disgust as he looked out at the school that was rolling into view. Kids were walking everywhere and Hotaru wanted to gag at the matching uniforms. Although, he thought he could get used to seeing girls in skirts. All the ones that he knew outside of Pink's were usually wearing suits or fancy dresses.

"Not so fast," Haru growled when the car pulled to a stop and he started to get out. "Hand them over," she ordered with her hand sticking out.

"You can't be serious," he gaped, not needing to be told what 'they' were.

"All of them," she said in a tone that didn't allow room for argument. "Things like that aren't allowed in school."

"Stupid woman," he spat under his breathe. He still started disarming, though. First was the small pistol hidden under his jacket and then his arm sheathes full of knives. The grenades, the brass knuckles, the dynamite, the mini-rocket launcher, the piano wire ring, his machine gun and the back-up ammo came next. All of it was hidden using Gokudera's hide-a-way technique, but apparently giving up that much wasn't good enough. His mother shot him a look when he pretended to be finished that made him snarl and go back for the rest. By the time she was done, she even had his lucky cherry bombs, his slingshot, and the lance that his father had given him.

"Are you happy?" He glared.

"No," she said with a scowl as she kept her hand held out. "Earrings, too. It's against the dress code. You can keep your rings, but they need to be put on a chain and tucked under your shirt."

Hotaru clenched his teeth in anger, but he gave in. She wasn't going to be reasoned with in the normal way, so he just had to show her how pointless this was by playing along for a while. All he had to do was get kicked out of school and she'd--

"Just so you know," she warned. "I have a bet going with everyone. If you can't last one year in a normal school, then you'll be disinherited."

"What?" He asked with all of the blood rushing out of his face.

"Alexander and Katie are both turning fourteen this year, too," she said tonelessly. "Gillian is thirteen and he's already making a name for himself in both academics and as an athlete. You're not an only child, so the Family can be handed off to someone else. Even Ieyasu has a chance if you lose this bet. The Family doesn't want someone leading them who can't even stay in school."

"M-Mom...?" He gaped. It couldn't be true. He was Vongola the Eleventh. Everyone told him that he was. Being disinherited was impossible. They couldn't give his job to someone else!

"Be a good boy and stay in school," she ordered with a sad and tired look in her eyes. Before he could think of another word to say, Reborn came to life and booted him out of the car. An umbrella and a school bag landed on top of him, after which the door slammed shut and the car sped away. The fact that they just left him shocked him even more when he looked around. It was the first time in his memory that there wasn't a black suit in sight. He was alone. He was completely and utterly on his own.

"Are you okay?" A sweet voice asked. Hotaru looked up with an owlish expression and simply stared for a moment. He didn't even see the girl that was talking to him. He was in too much shock. This couldn't be happening to him. He was Vongola the Eleventh. His name was worth billions of dollars and he led underground criminal organizations around the world. Why was everyone letting his mother push him around like this? The Family couldn't really be turning on him like this. He'd been their Boss every day since he was eight. Did they really not want him anymore? What did he do wrong?

"Is he a new kid, Ayame?" Another girl asked into his ear. It made him lurch in place and come back to himself, realizing that another girl had knelt down next to him. He couldn't tell how old she was since he wasn't used to dealing with kids, but she was probably older than him since she was taller. Of course, everyone was taller than him, so that might not neccessarily be true either. "Are you new here, little boy?" She asked with a bright smile. "Would you like one of us to help you find your classroom?"

"Eh?!" He spluttered at the term 'little boy'. Who the hell did this girl think she was?! She was kind of cute with the bunny-rabbit hair-style, but insults like that--

"Me and Fumi-chan will help you," the other offered with a smile. This one seemed simple in comparison to the other girl. Her hair was straight and there was absolutely nothing special about her in his eyes. She was probably pretty under normal standards, but Miss Chrome was prettier. "Are you a first-year?" Hotaru's ears rang with the tone of the question. She acted like he was in grade school. He'd never been so underestimated in his life! "Let me help you up."

"Back off," he growled, slapping the hand away while he gathered his things. An umbrella on a cloudless day was an unwanted nuisance to carry, but at least it was the collapsible kind that could be stuffed into his bag. Snatching the bag up, he jumped to his feet and dusted himself off as he walked toward the god-forsaken school. He pushed both of the girls out of his mind as he walked, snarling to himself at the unfairness of the world. He'd been perfectly fine in Italy. Was this punishment for dying his hair black? It couldn't be since he'd only got a small lecture over the tattoo. Of course, Orinato had taken most of the heat for that and he'd been able to say that it was a bonding experience with his men.

Still--!

His temper almost snapped when three guys pushed him out of their way to get through the school's entrance. He forced himself to remain calm, though. These people just didn't know who he was yet. With that in mind, he mentally forgave everyone and made his way through the crowd. There were a few people that were his size, but almost everyone seemed a foot taller at the minimum. He was treated as a complete nobody. People bumped into him and shoved past him without a care in the world. They blocked his path and he was accidentally pushed on at least one occasion. When he finally did exit the crowd within sight of the office, he felt like he'd just survived a riot.

School life was not going to be easy.

* * *

"This is Sawada Hotaru," the teacher announced amid an ear-piercing hail of girlish giggles and squeals. Hotaru ignored that, focusing instead on the boys in the class. He focused and he was disappointed after only a quick survey. They were all weak and useless. Half of them looked like brainless jocks of amateur level strength while the rest looked simply naive and clueless.

His mother was going to hear it when he got home. She was definitely going to hear it. At least he could tell that she'd been trying to consider his feelings, but he wasn't sure if this was worse or better. She knew how smart he was, so she'd had him placed with the second years. The problem was that puberty had already hit most of them and he was at least a foot under-qualified in size. Normally, the size difference between him and others didn't matter, but this was intolerable. Not only was there not a single person worth recruiting, but he was going to have to deal with these people for the next year!

"It's late in the year, but he's just returned to Japan," the teacher continued. "He has spent the last several years in Italy, looking over his father's business. He's not used to it here, so he'll need help from all of you to--"

"There's no need for that," Hotaru interrupted. "I'm not interested in making friends and I don't really want to be here. Just please tell me where my seat is so that I can go to sleep."

"Sleeping isn't allowed in class, Sawada," he replied with an eyebrow twitching at Hotaru's attitude. Hotaru could care less if the man didn't like it. He wasn't very happy with the situation, either.

"What are you going to do about it if I do sleep?" He asked with a smirk. "There's nothing you can teach me, so it's a waste of energy to stay awake."

"I'll have to tell your step-father that you were breaking discipline in my class," he answered with a dark gleam in his eyes. The threat made Hotaru pale and it only got worse. "I've already been warned about you, young man. You might have done what you wanted in Italy, but your mother brought you here to change that. I don't care who your father was. In my class, you'll show the proper respect or be kicked out. I've already been told of your circumstances and what will happen should I deem the action necessary, so you should be a little more careful in your actions. Do I make myself clear?"

"Touché," he growled in grudging respect. "It looks like mom thought of everything."

"She is a formidable woman," he agreed solemnly. "You can take the seat in the back. Be sure to stay awake and pay attention."

"I won't forget this, Sensei," he warned with a dark look. He smiled to himself when the man showed a glimmering of fear at the words. It was a good enough response that he could throw his bag over his shoulder and walk toward his seat in satisfaction. The teacher put up a tough front, but the man was still a coward underneath. That kind of person-- He was unable to finish the thought due to falling face-first onto the floor. Crawling to his knees, he glimpsed a foot being pulled back a moment before the laughter started.

"Hey, Sensei," one of the boys called. "Maybe Sawada should go back to grade school. It looks like he forgot how to walk."

I'll kill you, Hotaru thought as the laughter got louder and the teacher started calling for order in the classroom. He didn't voice it, however, since someone interrupted before he could get over his anger enough to speak.

"How mean, Hattori!" Ayame exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "You tripped him! You should apologize!" The laughter in the classroom stopped and numerous people gaped. It was enough to tell him who the school's princess was.

"Ayame..." Hattori mumbled with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Then the expression cleared and he sent a glare down at Hotaru in frustration. "I'm sorry," he growled in open malice. "Are you okay?"

"Hmph," he scoffed as he pulled himself to his feet and collected his bag. "Doing anything a woman wants just to make her happy. How boring."

"You bast--"

"Sawada!" The teacher shouted. "One more word out of you and I'll send for Hibari-sama!"

"So that's who you're answering to," he sighed as he finally reached his desk and collapsed into it. "There's no need to shout, Sensei. I don't want you to call the old man any more than you want to. I'll be quiet."

"Good," he replied in open relief. "Now, if everyone will pull out your English texts...."

* * *

Hotaru dug into his bag for his lunch and wanted to sigh in relief at the contents. His mother had let the Chefs handle his lunch rather than trying to do it herself. The result was that he actually had the things that he was used to eating rather than the simple, bland meals that everyone else was pulling out. Someone had even been thoughtful enough to give him a small tin of caviar and crackers, trusting to an ice pack to keep it fresh. He'd have to find out who it was and thank them for the effort. The little touch did wonders for improving his mood.

At least, it was improved until he realized that someone was drooling on his shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Hotaru asked, looking at the boy in curiosity. He looked normal enough except for the hungry look on his face. The fact that he had come near made him abnormal, though. During the morning breaks, he'd been completely shunned by practically everyone. The two girls from earlier had stopped by his desk to talk to him, but they'd left him alone when their attempts at conversation had failed. It wasn't that he was trying to be mean, though. Especially not to Ayame since she seemed like a decent person. He simply didn't understand the subjects. He'd never heard of the musicians and television shows that she'd tried to talk about. Hattori had glared at him the whole time that she'd come near, too, which had ruined any interest in talking that he might have had. Of course, none of those three were present in the room at the moment and the boy over his shoulder looked clueless in comparison to everyone else.

Clueless and hungry.

"Just ignore him, Sawada," someone finally called. "Itoh is like a dog with how he's always begging for scraps."

"Shut up!" Itoh barked. "You'd beg too if you saw his bento! It's deluxe! De-lu-xe!"

"Would you like some," Hotaru asked as he glanced down at his box. It was easily three times bigger than anyone else's and he honestly couldn't finish it by himself. He wasn't interested in making friends, but there was no harm in keeping food from going to waste. He wasn't quite prepare for Itoh's reaction to the offer, though. In the space of a heartbeat, the boy looked ready to cry.

"I knew that you were a good guy," he said in bliss as he yanked his desk over to put it together with Hotaru's. "I have a spare juice if you want it."

"Uh, no thanks," he replied quietly as he dug into his bag for the thermos of coffee that he'd noticed earlier. "My chef never forgets," he explained with a smile as he pulled it out.

"You have a chef?" Itoh asked in awe while Hotaru started splitting up his lunch. "That's amazing. I guess things are pretty different in Italy."

"They are," he confirmed.

"What is this?" Itoh asked after a bite of the sandwich Hotaru had given him. "I can't place it."

"Sliced duck and gorgonzola cheese with Romaine lettuce and spiced honey mustard on potato bread," he answered with another smirk. Of course Itoh hadn't tasted anything like it. No one could make food as good as his Chefs. "The chips are baked plums and the fried rolls are stuffed with diced squash, okra, and apples. For dessert, it looks like a fresh kiwi."

"What's that over there?"

"Caviar," he answered as he pulled the tin out to start his meal off. "You probably wouldn't like it. It's an acquired taste."

"I've always wanted to try caviar," he replied while he crammed the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. Hotaru gaped slightly, unable to believe that he'd already devoured such a large sandwich so quickly. He was like a horse! He was already working on the chips and fried rolls like they were going to disappear if he didn't eat them quickly enough. The funny part was his expression at every bite. He looked like he was in heaven and this was just a basic lunch. It wasn't even something fancy!

Hotaru couldn't help it. He started laughing at the stupidity, which made Itoh pause with half of a vegetable roll sticking out of his mouth. The suddenly clueless expression on his face only made it worse until Hotaru was laughing so hard that he was having trouble breathing. The boy was just too simpleminded! He hadn't seen anything so funny since...

Since...

He couldn't remember when he'd laughed so hard, which sobered him faster than anything else. Was this what his mother had been hoping for when she'd forced him into school? Was it for such a silly reason that she'd pulled him away from his seat of power? It sounded like something that she'd do.

"So you can make other expressions," Itoh mused.

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "I can't say that I'm used to it, though. There's not much to laugh at where I come from."

"I've decided," Itoh grinned as he finished the last of his chips. "Me and you are going to be friends. You're a little short for basketball, but--"

"Stop," Hotaru ordered, making the boy pause in the middle of his enthusiastic declaration. He was an idiot. Someone so weak couldn't possibly be his friend. Itoh couldn't protect himself, which would only make Hotaru regret the friendship later. "Please don't say things like that so easily," he said as he stood. "I just shared my lunch with you. I have no intention of becoming friends. Just leave me--"

"Hotaru?!" Someone shouted as they slid past the classroom door. He recovered from the over-shot stop and was back an instant later. When he rushed across the room, Hotaru spluttered when he found himself being swung around in a bear hug by a complete stranger. "It is you! Hotaru!"

"Let me go!" He shouted.

"Eh?" The boy gaped in surprise as he dropped Hotaru back to his feet. "Hotaru? You are Sawada Hotaru. Right?"

"Yes," he confirmed with a red face for the embarrassing greeting. "But don't act so familiar when I don't know you."

"Don't know me?" The boy spluttered. "It's me, Shiba-kun! Don't tell me that you forgot about me! You used to come over to Hayakeshi House with the Tenth all the time! We used to have races to see who could get to the top of the lighthouse first!"

"Oh," he mumbled. "Hayakeshi House. Isn't that the foster home were Orinato and Nori used to live?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a bright smile. "I thought I'd never see you again! What happened?! After the funeral, it was like you dropped off the face of the earth!"

"I moved to Italy to manage the family business," he answered while he tried to pull up a memory of Shiba-kun. He was coming up completely blank, though. He remembered the light-house in question, but the only faces that were attached to the place was Orinato's and Nori's. He was sure that there were a lot of others, but he'd met so many people since then that it was difficult to remember. "I'm sorry," he said in apology. "I can't remember you. If you like, I can put you in contact with Orinato or Nori--"

"Don't sound so formal," he laughed. "It's okay if you can't remember. That was when we were still little, so it's not a big deal. But look at you! You're already in the second-year classes? Aren't you supposed to be a first year?"

"No," he answered honestly. "My last proficiency exams put me at a college level, but my mom decided that I needed to be in middle school. As a result, I was placed here."

"It must be tough," he murmured, looking around at the classroom full of teenage boys and girls. "Everyone is bigger than you and older than you. I don't think that I'd be able to deal with it. Has anyone been picking on you? If so, I'll--"

"I don't need your help," he interrupted in prediction of the offer. "No one here is strong enough to be a threat. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go get some air before our lunch period ends. It was nice meeting you, Shiba-kun." Ignoring Shiba-kun's plea for him to wait, Hotaru darted out of the classroom before another would-be friend appeared.

He got numerous glares as he walked down the hallway and several disappointed glances. From the looks of things, he'd shattered the girl's hopes by not being a sweet, angelic Lolita and he'd turned most of the boys against him by having rejected Ayame's attentions. In truth, he preferred it this way. Real friends were precious things and they couldn't be gained as easily as his naive classmates thought. In the end, everyone he met only tried to be his friend because they wanted something from him. Itoh was a little more obvious and simple with what he wanted compared to what Hotaru was used to, but it was all the same.

He was bored with it all.

"The roof is off limits," a large third-year said as soon as Hotaru stepped out of the stairwell door. Hotaru paused and looked around the roof for a second before stating the obvious.

"It's pretty crowded for being off-limits."

"It's off limits to everyone but the Disciplinary Committee," another explained with a smile full of cruel amusement. "Why don't you go back and eat your lunch in the classrooms like a good boy? It's dangerous up here for little squirts like you."

"I think that you're a bit mistaken," Hotaru replied with a sense of pleasure growing. Finally, he'd found someone that he could take his frustrations out on. It was about damn time. "You see, I'm in the mood for some fresh air and you're in my way. That means that you're actually the ones in danger. Capiche?"

* * *

Hotaru ignored all the looks that he was getting as they walked toward the boy's locker room. He felt a lot more comfortable with his situation now. His new subordinates were utterly useless outside of the school grounds, but they came in handy for keeping people away from him during school. Neither Itoh or Shiba-kun could get anywhere near him ever since he'd proclaimed himself as the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. He wondered if Hibari would be proud of him, although he knew that Reborn would have just smacked him if he hadn't done this much on his first day.

Of course, it probably didn't really matter either way. He was suffering under his mother's whims at the moment and he wouldn't be able to figure out how much truth was to her claims until he got back to base. Once he found out whether the bet was legitimate or not, he'd know whether he could move against her so that he could return home. She didn't really have a right to do this anyway. She'd left him alone in the care of Vongola for the past several years. It was a little late to act like a mother when he was already a full adult by Mafia standards. He'd experienced it all already.

"This is your locker, Boss," the former Committee head, Sasaki, said as he started pulling the things out of his own locker.

"Stop," he ordered with a sigh for the action. "There's no sense in moving all of your stuff when I can toss my shit into a empty locker. Which one is the first free one?"

"This one is empty, Boss," another of the black-coat members offered as he pointed to a locker across from the strip of Committee lockers. Hotaru grimaced when he saw the name plates over them, but he wasn't going to complain too much. Itoh and Shiba weren't bad guys. They were just a little too friendly for his tastes.

"That works," he shrugged. Walking over to it, he popped the locker open and tossed in the three rolls of clothes that had been tossed into his school bag. He sensed Reborn's touch on them. Only that man would roll his clothes into a tight bundle to save space rather than folding them. That thought brought up the most worrisome detail as he started changing for gym class. Reborn was playing along with this for some reason. He trusted Reborn more than anyone else, so it was difficult to plan a counterstrike to return home when he was busy wondering--

"Holy cow," Itoh mumbled. Hotaru paused in the middle of changing his shirt, quickly realizing that people were staring at him. A lot of people. As in, everyone.

"What?" He asked as he looked down at himself. There was nothing there that would normally incite a reaction. Maybe there was something on his back? "What's wrong?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed what was wrong and only two words came to mind. Naive brats. All the guys around him, including the so-called rough-and-tough Disciplinary Committee members, had delicate and flawless skin that had never seen the real world. In comparison, Hotaru realized that he must look like a yakuza or something, which was understandable since he _was _a Mafia Boss.

"Knife, knife, knife," he grinned, pointing at the long scars on his stomach and a stab wound in his side. "Bullets, here and here," he continued, pointing to the round scars on his upper arm and another under his collarbone. "This is from a glass bottle during a bar fight," he said, pointing to the unsightly mess of marks across the left part of his chest. "And this one is my favorite," he said, pulling up his pant leg to show the small scar across his knee. "You know what this one is from?"

"W-What?" Itoh asked as if the word was pulled from him.

"Well, the truth is..." he murmured softly, making everyone lean forward in effort to hear him. "I tripped on a tree root and busted it on a rock. Pretty stupid, isn't it?"

"Uh... y-yeah...?" He answered for lack of anything else to say.

"You should have seen my back before I covered it all with a tattoo," he added in amusement for the boy's blank expression. "Grenades are a bitch. Aren't you glad that I'm not looking for friends?"

* * *

"Forgive us, Boss!" Orinato cried.

"Forgive us," the mob behind him repeated fervently with their heads bowed to the ground. There were over two dozen of them and Hotaru groaned at the sight of not only Gokudera and Yamamoto in the mix, but also Toshi, Sakura, and even Nori. Combined, they had the effect of entirely blocking the entrance to the Vongola's Japan Headquarters.

"Why should I?" Hotaru asked, crossing his arms in open displeasure. "I want an explanation and I want it now."

"I humbly beg your forgiveness, Boss," Orinato cried before anyone else could speak. "You've been unhappy of late and we believed that a change of pace might be to your liking. I sincerely apologize if that wasn't the case, but I didn't believe that you'd be willing to try if I asked you."

"Let me get this straight," Hotaru asked with a scowl. "Because I was unhappy, you decided to have me kidnapped, flown halfway across the world, and stuffed into a classroom full of brainless middle-school kids without permitting me, _your Boss_, any input? And you thought that it would make me happy?"

"W-When you put it that way, I know that it looks--"

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Orinato?" Hotaru growled. "Do I look weak to you?"

"N-No, Boss--"

"Do I look like I need to be coddled?"

"N-No, Boss--"

"Did I ever once state that I was unhappy?"

"That's just it, Boss!" Orinato exclaimed as he raised his head to look at him with a set of pleading eyes. "You never let anyone know when you're unhappy, because you don't want us to feel responsible! We can tell, though! Please forgive us, Boss! We just wanted to see you smile again! Ever since Martelli--" Clenching his teeth, he mercilessly lashed out to stop Orinato with a kick. He softened the blow since it was his friend that he was dealing with, but even a mild tap was enough to get his point across to everyone else.

"I told you not to mention them," he growled softly in warning. "What's done is done and I do not want that matter brought up again. Tell me honestly, what is the truth of my mother's claims?"

"They are false," he answered with tears in his eyes. "We wanted you to try a full day before we confessed and it was the only thing that we could think of to get you to stay. We know how much you love the Family, Boss. We don't want to lose you any more than you want to lose us. We were only trying to get you to smile again."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," he quoted in open disappointment. "If you want my forgiveness, I want all of you to reflect on your mistakes. There can be no happiness crafted out of deception. If you want to see me smile, then it is easily done if you come to me with an honest heart. Going behind my back can do nothing but hurt me." Kneeling down, he gave them the smile they wanted while he wiped the dirt off of Orinato's face with his own sleeve. "Capiche?"

"Yes, Boss," Orinato agreed as he finally burst out into tears. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I've just been so worried about you."

"It's not all your fault," he sighed in a combination of exasperation and resignation. "I guess that I really haven't been myself lately and I've been making things hard on everyone. I got a little too focused on something trivial again. It would have been nice to get my memories of dad back, but I forgot to keep sight of something a lot more important than the past. I'm supposed to be making memories with all of you guys that are here with me now and all I've been doing is to push you around in the direction I wanted. For that, I'm the one who should apologize. You all are precious Family."

Bowing his head in apology, he was unsurprised at the tumult that resulted. It was one of only four times that he'd lowered his head to anyone and there wasn't a single person present who wasn't dismayed that he'd lower his head for mere subordinates. This was the difference between them and other Families, though. He was above those around him, but he was still equal. If his men could lower their heads, then there was no shame in lowering his own when he had done wrong.

"Please, Boss," Orinato begged. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry," he said formally.

"Boss!" Orinato whined, pulling on his arm to try to force him up. "You shouldn't--!"

"I'm sorry," he repeated with a crack of a smile for his Right Hand's predictable, flustered response.

"BOSS!" He wailed.

"I'm sorry!" He shouted in laughter. The laughter was what made Orinato stop and realize that he was being teased. From the looks on everyone else's faces, they'd gotten the hint on the second apology. His anger was already spent. "You were just worried about me," Hotaru continued with a sincere smile. "I'll forgive all of you, but don't ever do something like this again. I was miserable all day because I thought that everyone wanted Alexander or Gillian to take over as Boss. I tried to make the best of it, but I'm afraid that I've alienated everyone at that school. Not that it really matters, though. Since everything is in the open now, we can go back to Italy."

"Not quite," Reborn said as he stepped out the front door of the mansion ahead of his mother and Hibari.

"Why not?" He asked with his face falling.

"You agreed to stay a year," Haru said with a wide smile.

"You can't call yourself a Mafioso if you can't keep your promise to a woman," Reborn explained with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Wait," Hotaru gasped as if he'd been hit in the stomach by the words. "That didn't count! I only agreed because I thought--"

"You promised," Haru interrupted with a dangerous hint of warning in her expression. "The fact that you agreed to it under false pretenses is meaningless, unless you're not a man who can keep your word."

"You tricked me," he glared, looking back and forth between his mother and Reborn. "What's really going on?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi was weak and pathetic," Hibari said as the only man who dared to say such a thing. "He whined and complained every step of the way toward being a Boss. You don't whine or complain, nor are you weak. You are still pathetic, but that can be cured in time."

"I don't understand," he admitted, looking over to Reborn in hopes of getting a better explanation.

"Baka-Tsuna had to be taught how to be a Mafia Boss," he smirked. "On the other hand, you've never been taught how to live a normal life. As proof, even when you were cut off from the Family, your training ensured that you took the shortest route to claiming power by taking over the strongest group in the area. While that is how a Mafia Boss should act, you have yet to learn that there is a time and a place for all things and even Mafia Bosses have times when they need to put down their mantle."

"He's talking about family," Haru explained with a look of sympathy on her face for Hotaru's lack of comprehension. "Not a Family in the Mafia sense, but a family as in a home with a wife and kids. Hotaru, how... how do you feel about girls?"

"Eh?!" He squealed with a bright blush for the question. Normally, such a thing wouldn't bother him, but this was his mother asking!

"Do you like girls?" She asked with a worried expression. "It's okay if you don't, but if you like boys, then--"

"AHH!" He yelled in absolute embarrassment for the statement. "MOM! What are you asking in front of everyone?!"

"Just answer the question!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "Do you like girls or boys? No one here is going to care, but we need to know. This is your future that we're thinking of!"

"It's okay, Boss," Orinato soothed as the worried expressions continued to spread. "Yamamoto is gay, so it's not like--"

"ORINATO!" He screamed in disbelief. "I'm not gay! You know that! You're the one that comes to Pink's with me!"

"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that," Haru groaned while sending a glare straight at where Gokudera and Yamamoto were trying to slip away from the crowd. "Don't think that you two can run far enough," she warned. "We're going to have a nice talk about what you've been teaching my son later. For now, I'm just happy that we have one less thing to worry about."

"I'm not a pervert like dad," he said bluntly as he crossed his arms and tried to get his blushes under control. At least his mother wasn't trying to give him the facts of life. He'd gotten that over a year ago by a pretty little woman in a violet dress. "I won't chase guys. That's just gross. No offense, Yamamoto."

"None taken," he replied with a grimace.

"You'll chase girls, but do you like them?" Haru asked. Hotaru paused at the question. The looks of worry had dissipated from everyone's expression, but his mother still looked concerned. What was the difference between chasing them and liking them? He didn't have to like a girl to get one. He wasn't interested in girls outside of Pink's. They were moody, clingy, brainless, and easily swayed. Their interests were simple, their affections were annoying, and their voices were irritating. Mafia women were a little different, but most of them were either taken, workaholics, or conniving bitches that just wanted to use him.

"Nope," he answered honestly. "I can't stand girls."

"I was afraid of that," Haru sighed while his subordinates abruptly grew still. He looked around himself, wondering if he'd opened a can of worms by mistake. Why was everyone looking at him in shock? He thought it would be obvious. How could any guy like a girl? "Then what do you plan to do about marriage?" His mother asked with her arms crossed in discontent.

"Alliance," he replied instantly. "Someone will eventually come along that I'll have to use marriage to bring under control. If not, then I can always choose to strengthen our bond with someone who we're already allied with. Plus, there's also--"

"Hotaru," his mother interrupted with an expression of pity on her face. That expression made him stop in confusion. It was the first time that anyone had pitied him. He usually wore that expression when he was looking at others. Being on the receiving end made his mind go blank. "Don't you want to fall in love?"

"I... uh..." Looking around at his men, he didn't know how to answer the question. The expressions of pity were spreading, but he didn't understand why. He was happy. He had his Family. He loved his Family. Wasn't that good enough? "W-What am I supposed to say?" He asked in a complete loss as how to continue. Was he supposed to be honest and say that he didn't care about that type of love? Or was he supposed to lie? Which would make everyone happy again?

"You'll be staying here for the next year," Reborn said solemnly as he tipped the brim of his hat down to cover his face. "You have a lot to learn, Baka."

* * *

"I'm sorry," he said as he handed the Disciplinary Committee coat back to the original owner. "It turns out that I can't lead the Committee after all. I apologize for any disorder that I've caused, but it would apparently be counter-productive of my needs."

"You can't be serious," Sasaki gaped with his jaw falling open. "But you're so strong! You defeated me so easily! You have to lead!"

"I'm sorry," he repeated as he turned and walked back toward his class. "You're not weak, Chief Sasaki. You are plenty good enough to lead and I'm sure that you'll get stronger with your new perspective. If you don't, I might just come back and beat you up again. Capiche?"

"Capiche!" He agreed instantly like Hotaru had taught him.

"Don't worry too much," he smiled with a hand raised to wave behind himself. "I'll still be around if you need help with anything. It's the least I can do for the trouble that I've caused."

"Can we still call you Boss?" Sasaki called after him. In answer, Hotaru shrugged to say that it didn't matter before stopping in front of his classroom. He was late since he'd stopped in to call Sasaki out of the class next to his, but he hoped that he could try again at making a new start. He understood the purpose for being put into school now. His mother had slowly explained it to him in private after the disastrous confrontation in front of the mansion.

In short, he was in school to learn why falling in love was so important to everyone. There was many more smaller reasons with that, though. The fact was that he'd never seen a loving couple outside of passing glimpses into the lives of his subordinates. His mom thought that she and Hibari would make a good role model for him to gain understanding from, although he didn't get it. Hibari was Hibari. Only his mom acted like a goofball when they were together. He was also supposed to learn appreciation for the smaller things in life, even though he already appreciated everything that he was given. She said a lot that had to do with fireworks and festivals, but he honestly didn't understand half of what she'd said after that point.

He didn't understand, which is why he hadn't been able to argue.

The thing that bothered him the most was what she'd said about friends. He was supposed to make them without any thoughts to their strengths, weaknesses, usability, or potential. He was only supposed to consider whether or not they had a good heart and he wasn't supposed to limit his friendships to only those in the Family. Personally, he thought that she was dead wrong on that point, which left him confused. He thought that his friends could only be people who could protect themselves, but his mother talked like he could be friends with anyone. What did she expect from him? Was he supposed to protect every single person that he had a conversation with?

Yes, his intuition supplied.

"Unreasonable," he replied as he slid his classroom door open.

"Sawada!" Motoori-sensei shouted. "You're late!"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled while he slid the door back closed again. "Something came up. I'll try to make it on time tomorrow, Sensei." The teacher blinked at him in surprise for a moment, taking in both the lack of an aggressive attitude and the measure of respect in his statement.

"Very well," he said in open suspicion. "In that case, open your English text to page sixteen and start reading until I tell you to stop."

"Yes, Sensei," he replied. The agreement made everyone snap up in surprise. On his first day, he'd purposely glared at the teacher throughout the day to keep himself from being called on. Today, he was going to try to get along. He had to. No one was happy at home and going to school was apparently the only way to fix it. This time, he was present of his own free will and it would be completely pointless if he didn't at least try to get along with everyone. For that reason, he quietly pulled out his book and started reading rather than arguing. "In a village know as..."

* * *

Hotaru cracked a knowing smile at the feeling of someone hovering over his shoulder as he pulled his lunchbox out. Itoh wasn't the only person to hover this time, however. By pulling back his claws, two or three others had gotten the courage to approach.

"What's that?" Itoh whispered unintentionally when Hotaru opened his bento box.

"It's called Shepherd's pie," he whispered back in amusement. "If you've never had lamb before, then you're in for a treat."

"Umm...." Itoh pulled back and bit his lip. He obviously wanted some, but he wasn't sure how to act after the previous day.

"You can consider it a peace offering," he sighed as he pulled the second pie out of the box and placed it on a napkin for his pet Itoh. "I was too harsh yesterday. In my defense, I was originally brought here against my will. Being tied up and forced onto a plane is bound to ruin anyone's mood. While it's true that I'm not looking for friends, acquaintances should be ok--" Hotaru broke off at the gust of wind that passed and looked up to find that Itoh had not only pulled his desk over, but he was already trying to dig into the pie with a set of chopsticks that he apparently kept with himself. Hotaru had to smile at his speed. It didn't take him long to make up his mind when food was involved.

"Can we sit with you, too, Sawada?" Another boy asked hesitantly. Hotaru looked at the boy in consideration along with Shiba-kun and the silent, bespectacled guy behind him. The one who'd spoken was the girlish type while the other seemed to be the academic type and Shiba-kun was just Shiba-kun. He wanted to say no since they all seemed so weak, but his mother had said to not judge who to be friends with by strength.

"Okay," he nodded, sending the boys in a glee-filled rush to put more of the desks together. "I can understand Itoh since food is involved, but aren't you three scared of me?"

"I was a little scared at first," the girlish one answered. "You were pretty scary yesterday with all those stories about how you got those scars, but you seem different today. Those were just stories, right?"

"Nope," he replied honestly as he broke through the crust of his Shepherd's pie with his fork. "I've been targeted for assassination since I was eight. If someone were to actually manage to kill me, it would throw my father's company into disarray."

"Oh," he mumbled in surprise. "Wow. That's kind of crazy."

"I'm used to it," he shrugged. "I shouldn't be in any danger here. My bodyguards have probably put up a perimeter around the school. If anyone suspicious appears, they'll deal with them before they get close."

"Bodyguards?" The boy repeated in curiosity. "I guess you're pretty rich, then."

"You could say that," he agreed in amusement. "Money isn't an issue for us, but I've never had time for things like school before. If I were back in Italy, I'd be reading over stock reports right now. My mom thinks that I'm turning into a workaholic, though, so she kidnapped me and brought me here. She said that she wanted me to at least taste a normal school life, but I don't get the big deal. You go to school to figure out what you want to do with your life, but I already know."

"That's amazing," Shiba-kun said while Hotaru took the opportunity to actually eat. Itoh had already devoured his share and was sipping on a juice box, so Hotaru pulled out one of the two slices of lemon bread to give to him. His eyes lit up in joy at the offering, which made Hotaru wonder if the boy ever ate at home. He'd never seen someone so enthusiastic about food since Dino had fallen in love with chocolate toffees. "You sound like you've already gotten your life figured out and you're younger than me!"

"If I hadn't gotten it together, my tutor would have killed me," he laughed. "I still haven't gotten your names yet," he added, looking over at the two boys sitting next to Itoh.

"I'm Masoka Kazuki," the girlish one answered. "You can call me Kazu-kun. This one is Egumi Kintaro. He goes by Kin-kun. Kin-kun doesn't talk much, but he's really good at cursing people."

"I see..." Hotaru gaped as he finally noticed how those left in the classroom were occasionally glancing in their direction. It seemed that everyone was terrified that they'd get cursed if they got near, which kept everyone at bay.

"Disciplinary Committee," Kin-kun said in a deep voice.

"Oh!" Kazu-kun exclaimed. "That's right! What happened with the Disciplinary Committee? You were wearing the Head's jacket after lunch yesterday!"

"I was going to join, but I can't," he shrugged. "My mom wants me to play sports instead."

"Basketball!" Itoh exclaimed around large bites. "You've got to join the basketball club!"

"Kendo!" Shiba-kun countered. "You evaded everything in dodge ball yesterday and Hattori talked his team into gunning for you! You'd probably be amazing at Kendo! You could practice at the Dojo with me and Yamamoto-sensei!"

"Yamamoto-sensei?" Hotaru repeated in surprise. "He took a disciple? I thought he gave up the sword."

"He did give it up," Shiba-kun grinned. "I started living with him after his father died to help out with Yoshi and the Sushi shop. He refused me when I asked him to teach me, but the Dojo is still there and he stops by sometimes while I'm practicing. He never picks up a sword, but he does give me tips on rare occasions. Especially around tournament time since he's so competitive. He seemed really happy when I told him yesterday that I'd talked to you at school."

"I bet," he murmured in exasperation.

"Um..." Kazu-kun interjected hesitantly. "If you need a club, you could join me and Kin-kun. It's not a sport, but... I mean, it is a sport, but it's not. We don't compete or anything, but... um... eh..." Hotaru simply stared in amusement while Kazu-kun started mumbling with a complete lack of confidence until he finally seemed to gather his courage. "You should join the Horsey Club!" He finally shouted with his eyes clenched shut, causing everyone nearby to snort in laughter while his face turned a bright red.

"That's not a sport, Kazu-kun," Itoh laughed while he ruffled the boy's hair. "Sports are things like basketball and baseball. Playing with ponies after school isn't even a club. The teacher just let you do it because--"

"Don't underestimate horses!" He exclaimed with a surprising amount of force in his voice. "T-Th-They don't just let anyone ride them! It takes a lot of hard work to become friends! After that, it takes skill and practice just like anything else! And it is a sport! There's tournaments and... and.. racing... and... uh..."

"Polo is played on horseback," Hotaru commented with a small smile for the boy's attempt to vindicate himself. "It's become pretty popular in Italy lately," he added in effort to help Kazu-kun. He couldn't just ignore it. The guy obviously liked horses, but he was probably teased about it because of his girlish frailty. Of course, Hotaru was using a bold lie to help, but he didn't think anyone would bother to verify it. Polo had actually become very unpopular lately since Hotaru had openly thumbed his nose at the sport. His opinions were allowed to change, however. "I've never played, but horse-back riding is a common skill among nobles. When I went fox hunting with Duke Lavenders in England, they went on horse-back for the thrill and two men fell off their horses during a jump. The poor men died because they were novice riders."

"You like horses?" Kazu-kun asked with his eyes lighting up.

"I have eight," he answered with a smile. "I use them for jousting training when I have the time."

"Jousting?" Shiba-kun repeated in a lack of comprehension. "Isn't that what they did in the Middle Ages?"

"Yes," he confirmed softly. "I use a lance. It's outdated, but I've never been beaten in a serious match. If you like, Kazu-kun, you and Kin-kun can come look at my horses after school. I only have three here in Japan, but they're Arabians."

"I'll go!" He yelped in excitement for the offer. "I'll definitely go!"

* * *

Hotaru tried not to be self-conscious at the murmurs of awe that his house got. He had no clue how things had ended up like this. The invitation had only been to Kazu-kun and Kin-kun to start with as a way to show his mother that he was actually trying to listen to what she had to say. The invitation had magically spread, though. First, Itoh and Shiba-kun had invited themselves. Then, Ayame and Fumi-chan had somehow gotten attached to the group and, finally, Hattori had joined to supposedly make sure that Hotaru didn't try anything on Ayame.

"Wow," Itoh gaped. "You really are rich. I always wondered who lived here."

"Um... " he mumbled hesitantly. "Don't be too freaked out. I didn't warn anyone that I was bringing home guests, so things might be a little crazy at first. Just be careful and don't step off the path or you might trigger a landmine."

"There you go with the stories again," Kazu-kun laughed. Hotaru hesitantly laughed with him, but he wasn't joking. The security on the mansion got a little insane at times. What he was more worried about, though, was his afternoon awareness training. It could happen at any time in any place to make sure that he didn't lose his edge.

And it started as soon as he got everyone safely through the front door. Reborn fell out of the ceiling, startling the life out of several of his guests, and started his attack. It looked like hand-to-hand combat was the menu of the day since Leon wasn't present. At least, that was what he thought until he stepped on a Leon-rug during his dodge and a pit opened up under him. With a shout of surprise, he managed to leap across it and grab hold of the other side, but the spikes that were pointing up at him from two stories down weren't a joke.

"Reborn!" He yelled in frustration. "I thought we agreed not to put traps in the house!"

"I forgot," he lied as he walked off in satisfaction of Hotaru's loss. Hotaru gaped at how he was left hanging off the edge of the pit. It never ended!

"Damnit!" He snarled. "S.K., help me get out of here. The sides are too slippery for me to get any traction."

"Okay," S.K. whispered as his flame started trailing out of Hotaru's ring and into the pit. It was a lengthy process for him to get completely free, but Hotaru had no choice other than to wait. He couldn't see his classmates, but they were undoubtedly shocked into stillness by the attack. After a moment, he felt S.K.'s head under his feet and he was finally lifted out of the hole by the oversized dragon of a Salamander. He collapsed in relief once he was sitting on firm ground again and turned in place to greet his friend.

"Thanks, S.K.," he sighed as he reached out to pet the head that was poking out of the hole in the living room. "Why don't you go outside and stretch your wings? Mom will pitch a fit if she sees that I let you out in the house."

"Will you come out and play?" He asked with a pouting expression.

"I'll come outside later," he promised. "We're going to go look at the horses in a little while. Can you let the stable-master know for me?"

"No problem!" He replied as his head lost form. In a matter of seconds, the dragon became a trail of Flame that dashed for the closest Salamander port. Both the Italian Headquarters and the Japan Headquarters were covered with them. They weren't much other than slim tubes embedded through the walls, much like doggie-doors for Flame. He'd been forced to have them installed after several of the staff complained of burn marks in the carpets and the bottom of doors from Salamanders passing through gaps rather than opening the doors. There were a few notable occasions that a Salamander had burned a pathway to their destination rather than take the time to use the paths that humans used. The result hadn't been pretty and the Salamander ports had become a needed installation in the areas where the lucky people with Demetrius rings resided.

"Hotaru," his mother called as the spikes in the pit receeded and the floor rose back up into place. The pit completely disappeared a moment before she came into the room, which saved him from having to explain the trap. Unfortunately, it didn't save him from his mother's wrath. "How many times have I told you to take your shoes off in the house?" She said in exasperation as she shifted the troublemaking, five-year old Keiji on her hip. "Hurry up and get changed out of your school clothes. My mannequin broke and I need you to help with the last pieces for the summer line."

"Mom!" He wailed as he jumped to his feet. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not helping you with your stupid clothing! If your mannequin broke, then I'll just buy you a new one!"

"But, but..." She pouted. "You never let me dress you. I thought that it would be a lot of fun and maybe you could tell me what you like so that I can make you--"

"Hime..."

"So pretty..."

"Is she your sister, Sawada?"

"--some... thing..." Haru broke off while Hotaru turned around to look at his guests in horror. He wasn't sure who said it, but that kind of thing wasn't the least bit funny. This was his mother that they were talking about! "Hotaru...?" She gaped in surprise. "You brought friends home?"

"They wanted to see the horses," he answered with a petulant scowl. "I figured that I had enough time before I had to start work."

"Well don't just stand there!" She exclaimed in excitement. "Where's your manners? Introduce us."

"Do I have to?" He grumbled, which resulted in an unexpected slap to the back of his head by an unexpected source.

"Introduce," Kin-kun said in his quiet, monotone voice.

"Fine," he sighed. "Mom, this is Kin-kun, Kazu-kun, Itoh, Shiba-kun, Ayame and Fumi-chan. That guy over there is Hattori. Everyone, this is my mother, Hibari Haru."

"The fashion designer?!" Fumi-chan exclaimed. "You didn't tell us that we'd be meeting Haru-dono!"

"You didn't ask," he replied blandly before turning his attention back to his mother. "Where's Orinato? I figured that he'd be waiting at the door for me with an update."

"I sent him out with Lanchia for some groceries. I thought that I'd make oden for dinner and--"

"You're supposed to leave that kind of thing to the chefs," he groaned as he kicked his shoes off next to the door and gestured for his classmates to do the same. They all looked to be overwhelmed, which was exactly what he'd feared would happen. Thankfully, his mother seemed to notice it, as well.

"Why don't you all go relax in the living room and I'll bring you some snacks?" She suggested with a smile. Hotaru nodded in agreement and led the mob of guests as directed. He was careful to keep his eyes out for Reborn, but it looked like his tutor was satisfied for the day. There were no more attacks between the front door and the living area, although the living room held its own dangers.

"You didn't announce yourself at the door and you're crowding," Hibari admonished without looking up from the book that he was reading. Hotaru paled, but prayed that Hibari wouldn't go nuts since the ever-calm Daisuke was napping so soundly in his lap.

"Forgive me, Hibari," he said as he quickly bowed in respect. "Mom told us to come in here. I--" He flinched at the sound of Hibari's book being snapped shut, but he didn't dare raise his head. Not only was Hibari difficult to deal with under any circumstances, he held the position of step-father. The combination was pure hell, although it was pretty nice when they were in separate countries. He never had to worry about anyone bothering his mother because of him. Hibari was also one of the men who'd trained him on how to be strong, too. The man had long earned the respect that he commanded.

No one moved as Hibari stood with Daisuke cuddled up in his arms. While Hotaru kept his head down, the man silently passed to take the toddler to his bed. He'd hear about it later, he decided. Hibari had gotten pretty good about restraining himself, but there was no way that he was going to completely ignore Hotaru's mistakes. Not only had Hotaru not called to warn anyone, but he'd forgotten to take his shoes off at the door, he'd forgotten to announce himself, and he'd talked back to his mother again.

He'd be lucky to get any sleep tonight.

"Sorry about that," he grimaced once the living room was empty. Gesturing to the chairs and couches strewn around the room, he took up the chair that Hibari had given up while everyone settled into a seat. "That was my step-dad. He's a little touchy, so I try not to get on his bad side. Of course, I'm not sure if I've ever gotten off of it, but that's another story."

"Who was that ninja-guy at the door?" Itoh asked curiously.

"My tutor," he replied. "He comes at me like that to make sure that I'm always prepared for an assassin."

"I still can't believe that your mom is Haru-dono," Fumi-chan exclaimed. "I see her fashions in magazines all the time!"

"It's annoying,' he replied as he put his elbow on the arm rest of his chair and held his head up in boredom. "She's got a fetish for furry things, so everything she makes looks like a monster is attached to your clothes. When it's not fur, it's feathers or plush. She'd be better off making Halloween costumes, but she's determined to meld her poor fashion sense in with everyday life."

"That's not very nice," Ayame said quietly. "I think that her clothes are stylish. You should be more happy to have such a creative mother."

"It's not that I dislike her," he sighed. "She's just over the top in everything that she does. I get tired of it when she's trying to dress me up every time that I see her. If she made something more sensible, then I wouldn't have a problem. I just can't go into a meeting with feathers hanging off my clothes and actually be taken seriously. I won't let my position be used as a target for mockery when the Family business is on the line."

"It sounds like you have it pretty hard," Hattori commented with a thoughtful look on his face. "What kind of business--"

"Boss!" Orinato shouted as he ran into the room with a face that was red from running. Both Lanchia and Haru was right behind him, carrying trays of snacks for the collection of guests. Itoh started drooling almost immediately as a tray of sandwiches was set down and it only got worse when a platter of sweets followed. "Forgive me for being late! Your mother--"

"She sent you on an errand," he supplied with a wave of his hand for the apology while his mother started pouring tea for everyone. "She already told me. We're going to get a late start today, so sit down and catch your breath. We have guests, so--"

"Forgive me," he gasped with a grimace. "Dino called while you were out and I promised that you'd contact him as soon as you returned home. One of his bases was raided and he needed to talk to you about the situation with Warehouse Ninety-Seven."

"Can't it wait?" Hotaru asked in exasperation.

"He said that it was an emergency," he replied with a voice laced in apology. "He said that it could wait until you returned from school, but putting off contact any later could be disastrous. He really needs you to--"

"Alright," he agreed in resignation. Standing, he took a moment to gather his thoughts before he started giving his orders. "Let me go change and I'll contact him from my office. Orinato, prepare all the information you can about the raid and the Warehouse. Then get Sakura in contact with Dino's medical teams to see if they need any help. Is Toshi still here?"

"He's in the nursery with Moriko and Kaida," Lanchia supplied.

"Ask him to give a tour of the house to our guests and I'll try to meet you at the stables," he continued with a nod of acceptance for the information. Toshi was never usually far from Kyoko's children when he had a choice. "Lanchia, I need you to increase security around here until I find out what's going on and, Orinato, get me a connection set up with Pandora. Let's see if I can clean this mess up before dinner."

"Yes, Boss!"

* * *

Hotaru stuck his head under the outdoor faucet to cool off from his exertion and tried to figure out what was wrong. It felt like everyone was avoiding him today. Even Itoh had disappeared during lunch, which was somewhat shocking. Only Shiba-kun had shown up like normal, but they'd eaten in complete silence. He understood if everyone was mad at him for disappearing so suddenly during their visit, but he really had tried to make it back to them before they went home. Itoh hadn't given him a chance to explain when they'd changed for gym class, though, and Hotaru hadn't had a chance to ask Kazu-kun about how things had went the horses. He couldn't seem to catch any of them to find out what was going on.

"...lame." Hotaru froze in the middle of drying his hair off with a towel at the sound of Ayame and Fumi-chan talking on the other side of the fountain.

"That's not very nice," Fumi-chan objected. "You didn't used to be like this Ayame."

"I can't help it," she replied with a giggle. "Boys are so stupid. All I have to do is bat my eyes and they do whatever I ask them to. At least if I make Sawada fall for me, I can get better stuff than what Hattori gives me. You saw his house yesterday. He's loaded and his mom is Hibari Haru. All I have left to do is get that Shibatori boy away from him for a few days since I already took care of the other three during lunch. After that, he'll have no one left to turn to and I can go in and magically fix all his problems. He'll fall in love with his savior and then he'll shower me with presents in gratitude."

"It's not right," Fumi-chan murmured softly while Ayame filled her water bottle at the faucet on the other side of the fountain. "You shouldn't use people like that."

"I didn't hear you complaining when I talked his mom into using us as models," she replied. "If I remember right, you said last night that you wanted us to stay friends with him just so that we'd get to use the pool in his back yard."

"T-That's--"

"You're not any different from me," Ayame said in satisfaction. The sound of running water stopped and the two girl's voices started to fade as they went back the way that they came. "You hate short boys, but you've been all over Sawada since we saw him get kicked out of that expensive car. You just want..."

_This was why he didn't like girls_, he thought to himself as the voices got too far away to hear. Very few adult women were any better. They either treated him like he was an idiot child or they tried to make him like them so that they could get stuff from him. Only men who had nothing could find women of worth and he didn't fit that category.

"I'm assuming that you heard?" He asked, sensing Reborn's presence in the tree next to the fountain.

"I did," he answered as he sat down openly on a branch. "Power will always attract those who are power-hungry. That will never change."

"Can we end this farce?" He murmured softly. "I see no reason to continue when I've seen nothing to change my opinions. My classmates are all naive brats who haven't opened their eyes to the real world yet. There's nothing that I can learn from them."

"It will continue," he replied lazily. "I've called in an expert to help you."

"An expert?"

"An expert in women and idiots," he smiled, lounging back against the tree-trunk in preparation for a nap. "He should be here by dinner."

"Who is it?"

"You'll see," he murmured. Hotaru groaned at the reply, seeing that he was going to get no further answers. Reborn had his ways and naps were his favorite way of avoidance. He was already out like a light and not even a grenade would wake him. Hotaru knew since he'd tried before.

Walking back toward the gym where the boys were all playing volleyball, he curiously thought about who it could be. Hopefully, it wasn't Shamal. That man loved women, but he was horrible at understanding them. All of his conquests were either luck or desperation. Maybe Basil? Basil had become a lady-killer in the past few years as a romantic swain. He was good at getting women, but Hotaru wasn't sure if he could explain what was good about them. Maybe...

"...different world," Itoh said with his voice carrying through the gym door.

"That's why you're avoiding Hotaru?" Shiba-kun asked.

"It's not like I hate him or anything," Itoh replied hesitantly. "It was nice of him to share his lunch with me and all, but he's just doing that to show how much better he thinks he is than us. My family is in debt, but we still have our pride. I'm not really comfortable with being around him when it feels like I'm a charity-case."

"What about you?" Shiba-kun asked in frustration for the answer.

"Um.. eh..." Kazu-kun mumbled. "He does show off a lot like he did with that light show and the ninja tutor at his house. It did feel like it was all staged to impress us, but that doesn't really bother me. He... um... He's not normal. We're just in middle school, you know. He talks like my uncle and it's just weird. He's younger than us and he's already running a business. It makes me feel a little inadequate."

"So, you're not bothered by his money?" He asked curiously.

"Well," he murmured apologetically. "I am. I mean, I help groom horses all week just so that I can get a few hours with one on the weekends. He just sits in an office and does paperwork, but he owns three horses. I've got to break my back for just a fraction of what he has and it doesn't really seem fair. Right, Kin-kun?"

"He looks down on us," he agreed in a monotone voice. "Says we're not good enough to be his friend."

"He's not like that!" Shiba-kun exclaimed. "He's just not used to living here yet. I bet he has to act like that because of how things are different in Italy! You can't hold it against him! It's not his fault that he was spoiled! After his dad died--" Shiba-kun broke off when Hotaru snapped the door open. He'd heard more than enough. It wasn't in his nature to sit around while people bad-mouthed him. "H-Hotaru," Shiba-kun choked. "We were just--"

"Naive," Hotaru said simply while he looked the quartet over. His first impressions hadn't been wrong. They were a weak and naive bunch of brats. He was wasting his time by spending time with them, regardless of what his mother said. People like this weren't meant to interact with people like him.

Having said his piece, he walked over to sit in the bleachers until the coach either told him to get in the game again or to go shower. All four of them look horrified at having been caught talking about him, but Hotaru could care less. Such back-biting was normal where he came from. It made him want to go home to Italy. At least there, he expected such things. He'd been raised as a Boss and being a Boss was far easier than this idiotic challenge that his mother had decided for him to suffer through. He refused to change who he was just to be liked and it seemed like that was all his mother wanted from him.

Screw that.

* * *

Reborn watched as Hotaru walked down the street with his sweatshirt hood up and his umbrella around his wrist. The boy was honestly the toughest student that he'd ever had, even surpassing his father in difficulty. The problem wasn't that he was useless or No-Good, though. It was that he was a little too perfect as a Boss. He'd been raised by his subordinates who'd turned him into what they wanted in a Boss, so his education had been both broad and flexible. He had everything that a Boss needed to survive flawlessly in the world of the Mafia, but the issue was that he was still only a child. He was a child who had never tasted childhood.

He'd made a mistake and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. He knew how to train Mafia Bosses, but raising a kid was another story. He taught loyalty to the Family and responsibility of having power, not how to fall in love and be kind. That wasn't to say that Hotaru wasn't capable of kindness and generosity, but that was where things had started to go wrong. That was where he'd started to notice the problem. Hotaru was the caring but strict, kind but tough, generous but tight-fisted Boss that everyone wanted him to be, but he didn't know how to interact with people when the Family wasn't involved. He tried to treat even average people like they were part of the Mafia and that wasn't good at all. The boy would always be disappointed if he held normal people to their standards. Mafiosos didn't come out of nowhere. They started out like the idiot boys in Hotaru's class and were strengthened with a combination of a strong will to protect and a focused goal that they could be motivated into reaching.

At this rate, Hotaru would crumble. A man couldn't be happy with only living up to the expectations of others. Hotaru needed dreams and desires of his own that weren't shared or given to him by the Family. If he was ever going to be more than just a puppet, he needed to figure out who he was as a person when the Family was taken out of the equation. Tsuna had already been in possession of his self-image when Reborn had taken charge of him. Hotaru was different. With only a few years of memories and no definite age, he'd been like a blank sheet that the Family had written all over. The result was a nearly perfect Boss who couldn't even seem to understand that he was unhappy. His entire life was devoted to Vongola, but there was a limit to being selfless.

In other words, Hotaru needed to find himself.

So far, it was going horribly wrong. Gokudera and Yamamoto had started the project on Frederick's absent-minded suggestion that he be put into an environment with more kids his age, but Reborn had known from the start how disastrous such a thing would be. First of all, Hotaru's age was a fluctuating thing. He'd started life out at the age of five and had held that age for a long time. When he'd messed with Fate by freeing the Arcobelano from their curses, he'd aged twice as fast as normal for a time. His physical age was holding steady at around fourteen and he was seeming to grow at a normal rate now, but figuring out what his internal age was difficult. Mentally, he was probably in his thirties or forties already. Emotionally, he was likely still only seven or eight. The combination created a teenage boy who only wanted to please while also causing him to be too emotionally detached.

The exception was with his mother. In front of her and her alone, Hotaru acted like a normal kid. He threw fits and got upset. He showed defiance and a will of his own. When he faced off against Haru, it was almost as if Reborn could see Tsuna again. He had a combination of shyness and bluster of a boy who honestly cared about someone but was embarrassed of his feelings. His obsession over the Martelli Rings had been another sign personal thoughts and desires. If they could get that part of him to grow, he could find a good balance between being himself and being Vongola the Eleventh.

That was where Project First Love came in. Nothing made a boy grow emotionally more than finding love. It didn't have to be a girl that he would marry or even be more than a fling. Just a summer love would be enough to put him on the right track, which was why they'd brought him in before the summer break. They'd hoped that he could meet people in his class and move from there, but it didn't look like it'd be that easy. Hotaru saw no reason to hide who he was for these people and his pride as a Boss was too strong. Rather than making friends, he was quickly alienating everyone and thrusting them into categories that were fit for adult Mafiosos.

It was the first and the last time that he'd ever admit to needing a certain someone's help.

If only that brat would hurry up and arrive.


	88. Chapter 88 Glimpse of Hope and Despair

It wasn't hard. Just put a stamp on the post card, sign it, and put it in the mailbox. That was all. It wasn't that difficult. He had her address memorized and she'd already said that the actual note didn't matter. But which postcard should he send? She collected them, so it was pretty important. Should he send the one of the Namimori Shrine or maybe the one with a picture of the shopping center? This one, he decided. It was a picture of a summer festival, so it might just tempt her to visit while he was stationed in Namimori. He knew that she wouldn't come, but he thought that it was still nice to hope. I-Pin had moved to Hong Kong after Sawada's death so that she could save money for college while she worked in a ramen shop, so wasting money on a trip to Namimori wasn't something that she'd do.

Girls were like mysterious kittens. One moment they were interested and wanting attention. In the next moment, they were clawing at anyone who came near. In I-Pin's case, it was a kick to the jaw, but he wasn't going to give up. I-Pin would come around one day and it was his sworn mission to completely understand women by the time that happened. If he got a few kisses and a little _doki, doki_ time while he was at it....

"Mom!" A little girl whined. "There's a pervert over there by the post office!" Lambo lurched up and quickly tried to erase his thoughts from his expression. He wasn't a pervert. He was just--

"Oh?" A frighteningly familiar voice murmured in satisfaction. "You finally arrived." Pausing for a moment, Lambo didn't respond initially. Instead, he composed himself. Things were different now. He wasn't five. He wasn't even fifteen. He was seventeen year old Lambo and things wouldn't be the same with Reborn this time.

"Greetings and salutations, Reborn," he said smoothly as he turned around. "I see that you've finally come to realize how great I am. I--"

"ROMEO--!!"

That was right, Lambo thought. Things really were different. He wasn't scared of Reborn. He knew better now. Women were far more dangerous.

"I'll see you later!" He squeaked as he started running before Bianchi could actually kill him.

* * *

"I see," Lambo murmured as he watched Hotaru picking a fight in an alley in the worst part of town. Despite what it always seemed like, he had his serious side. Years of being a class clown hadn't been wasted. It was deception. De-cep-tion. He meant for people to think that he was an idiot to throw them off guard.

"He had a particularly bad day at school today," Gokudera sighed as they rested on the roof's ledge. "I don't know what to do with him anymore. We were too focused on making him into the perfect Boss and he never complained, so we didn't notice anything was wrong other than that it was getting harder and harder to make him smile. He's always lived for the Family, so he doesn't know how to live for himself. I hate to admit it, but you're probably the only one who can help him now."

"So I get to be the big brother this time?" Lambo asked in growing interest.

"Dino is too old to suit and we're rather not let him interact any more with Longchamp," he replied with a groan. "That guy has already had enough influence with the Eleventh's image. If we let him around any more, the Eleventh is going to end up with a mohawk and safety pins in his nose. If that's what makes him happy, then I could care less. That's not the case, though. He's just imitating Longchamp because that bastard always looks happy. What do you think? Can you handle it?"

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted honestly as he surveyed the fight. Hotaru was winning too easily. On top of that, he was using far too much strength. The guys trying to fight were twice Hotaru's size, but he was going out of his way to display his superior power. "He's at that age," Lambo sighed. "He's showing off, but he's unsatisfied because there's no audience. Will he notice?"

"No," Gokudera answered softly. "And it would do no good to confront him on it. At least he's doing what he wants when he thinks that no one is looking. He was actually showing some signs of rebellion yesterday, but he's reverted today."

"Was it like this in Italy?" He asked as he absently fingered one of his chain necklaces.

"Ah," Reborn confirmed from a window below their perch. He was polishing Leon again and Lambo had to smile at his entrance. That guy always acted like he knew everything, but even he was still only human. "He's a complete Boss, but he's an incomplete person. If he were complete, his umbrella would have reacted by now."

"His umbrella?" Gokudera and Lambo repeated in surprised unison.

"Leon made it for him a while back," Reborn explained with an eye on where Hotaru was piling his defeated enemies up to make himself a place to sit and rest. "I didn't think that he was ready for it, even though Leon determined that he had the strength to wield it. There's no longer any time left to hesitate in, however. Hotaru only has a year left to prepare. If he hasn't come to terms with himself by then, the battles to come aren't going to be pleasant."

"Are they moving?" Gokudera asked in concern, making Lambo look between them without a clue of what was going on.

"Not yet," he murmured. "So there's no need to rush, but we can't stall. I'm counting on you, crybaby. Get him in touch with his emotions even if it kills you. I'll even admit that you were a little useful if you can get him to fall in love with a girl."

"So you finally accepted my greatness," he grinned in triumph. "It was about time. I--"

"Get going, stupid cow," Gokudera snapped as he kicked Lambo off the roof. Lambo groaned when he passed Reborn during his fall and saw the bastard smirk. Why did this always happen to him?

* * *

Hibari carefully read over the reports while he had a chance. Three assassins, two spies, and one unaffiliated terrorist so far. They should know better by now. Namimori was his and he'd destroy any who wished to mar the beauty of the town. He would not forgive adults targeting the children in his schools, especially when that child was Sawada's.

"Kyoya?" Haru called softly as she carried in a tray bearing sake and rice crackers. She was as stunning as always, he thought. Although she'd designed her own clothes, he found the look to be refreshing. This time, it was a short silk kimono with a thin bear skin belt and a matching anklet. She'd made it both to be suitable for battle and to show her unique tastes, which made it into a combination of both discipline and free spirit in his eyes. Melding the two was something that only Haru was ostentatious enough to achieve. "You look tired," she commented. Setting down the tray on his desk, she walked behind him to look over his shoulder at the reports. "That again?" She sighed while she started rubbing his neck with a complete lack of fear. "Who do those people think they are? Like you're really going to let someone walk in and hurt Hotaru. They should know their place. All they're doing is--"

"Haru," he interrupted carefully.

"Ha-hi?"

"You're noisy," he stated simply. Haru grumbled for a moment under her breath, but she felt silent. She knew him enough now to know when he was in the mood to tolerate excessive noise and now wasn't that time. The fact that she didn't leave made him somewhat happy, though. She'd never been one to be scared off easily. The woman was completely insane at times. She'd trained herself mercilessly with Lanchia in order to challenge him before they'd went to retrieve Hotaru from Italy. She'd challenged him in a private one-on-one fight with only one goal in mind. If he'd lost, she'd determined that he'd adopt Hotaru during the time that the boy was present in Namimori.

Of course, he'd won without mercy. He wouldn't take pity even on his own wife. He could see that Haru only had Hotaru's needs in mind, but the woman went overboard too much. Hotaru didn't need a father. He already had one. The fact that his father was dead changed nothing and attempting to replace a shock-absorbent tire for a square wheel of stone wasn't going to make anything move more smoothly. There were things that he could do and there were things that he couldn't. Becoming Sawada was impossible for him, but he could still protect the precious things in his life in his own way.

Precious things like the woman who was quickly becoming pent up with frustration at his back.

"Haru," he said calmly while he started writing orders out for his subordinates in the Skylark Commission. "Have you finished your summer clothing line yet?"

"No," she admitted sheepishly. "It's hard to focus when I'm worried about Hotaru. Everyone says that just being close to him is enough, but he doesn't want his mother around anymore. He says that he's too old for that kind of thing--"

"You're barking like a stray dog," he interrupted absently. "Diligence is needed. Do not lose your discipline, Haru."

"Oh!" She squeaked in surprise, making Hibari pause in curiosity. "You're right! I can't give up this easily! Hotaru is my son and no one else's! If he doesn't want me around, then I'll just work hard until he admits that he needs me!" Despite himself, Hibari turned in place and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. How could she be so energetic after a scolding? Before he could figure it out, she leaned down with a smile of invitation that Hibari couldn't ignore. After all, it wasn't undisciplined to kiss one's wife in private when she asked to be kissed. "Thanks for the encouragement," she whispered when he pulled away. "I'm going to go finish your Hibird pajamas now."

The irritating woman didn't let him respond before she bounced out of the room. At least she was gone so that he could get back to work, he thought while a part of him grumbled over the quick exit. It was fine, though. He wouldn't cage his little bird. As long as she was happy and returned to him to rest, he was content.

Now if only he could figure out an answer to Hotaru's problem before Haru found out about it. Pulling out the file that Reborn had given him, his displeasure grew while he looked over the opponents. For someone like him, such a fight would be easily settled. For Hotaru, they were the most dangerous opponents that a teenage boy could have. It was imperative that Hotaru was prepared for them because they'd aim for all of his weaknesses. When his emotions were so plain to everyone around him and he seemed to feel nothing, he'd be easy pickings for these particular foes.

To repay the debts that he still owed to Sawada, he wouldn't let Hotaru suffer such a fate nor would he allow Sawada's wife to be unhappy.

* * *

"I'm relieved," Dino sighed as he walked down the steps of the Florence restaurant. "They're going to keep to the agreement."

"Even so, time is running out on that agreement," Romario commented in concern as Dino's men surrounded him in order to be an affective guard while they walked. "We can't hold them at bay for Vongola for much longer."

"There's no choice," Dino sighed. Then he laughed, seeing the worried look on his men's faces. "Don't worry! I'm not so old that I can't play the part of a bachelor."

"I know," he replied. "It's just... The sacrifice seems unfair, Boss."

"It's only for another year," he soothed. "After that, they'll start moving despite the agreement and no one else will be able to lure the piranhas away. I just hope that Reborn makes it in time. Little 'Taru won't be able to handle it if he isn't prepared. _I _still can't handle it at times." His men fell silent at the admission, as they should. A women's wiles was a powerful thing to be targeted by. It wasn't as easy for them as it was for a normal man. Mafia Bosses had burdens and responsibilities that weighed heavily and a woman could make them feel as light as air if she came in the right way. It was in them to both respect women and to protect them. Even after a boy lost his virginity and the ability to blush over women, the right kind of woman could slip past his defenses like water through mesh. If Hotaru wasn't honest with himself when it came to what he wanted, he'd be a sitting duck for any woman who could figure out his hidden desires.

That was too much for a kid to deal with, which was why Cavalone had been carefully watching over the agreements with all of Hotaru's marital prospects. The agreements that had been signed when Tsuna had still been alive were that there would be no proposals until Hotaru was sixteen and anyone who approached him before he was fifteen would lose rights to marriage with him. Dino still remembered when Tsuna had asked him to take care of overseeing that the agreement was upheld. It had been almost as if Tsuna had known that he wouldn't be around to do it himself.

It was a sobering thought.

Regardless of how the agreements had come to pass, the fact was that they were in place without Hotaru's knowledge and Hotaru was quickly maturing. In one year, women from around the globe would start moving in his direction to get close to him. In two years, he'd find himself in a position to actually wed. Personally, Dino thought that it was far too early, but his opinions didn't matter. All that mattered was that Hotaru was the leader of Vongola and would soon be the President of Vongola Corp. With no betrothed and no visible attachment to any single woman, the secret battles to win his hand in marriage would begin. They'd come sweetly as if a pure maiden who only wanted to ease his spirit. They'd come as strong-willed women who wanted to be a partner to work beside him. They'd come as playful vixens, motherly companions, and in every other form that could possibly tempt Hotaru.

Dino knew this firsthand since he'd spent the past several years as bait to lure them away. He'd forsaken his lover and had sent his newborn son to be fostered in secret, all for the sake of being a juicy bachelor to attract the vultures. As bait, there could be no one else but him. He was attractive, rich, and he had his measure of power. There were numerous women that had been satisfied enough in chasing him that they hadn't needed to be reminded of the agreement. The visit today to the Bovino Family had simply been to ensure that no one jumped the gun before Hotaru was fifteen. His fourteenth birthday had caused an air of expectation that had everyone nervous. Without a doubt, Hotaru would be lucky to make it to his sixteenth without deciding on a woman.

That wouldn't be a bad thing as long as they could ensure that the boy didn't fall into a trap meant for a man.

* * *

"Fucking trash piece of god damned shit!" Squalo snarled as his mechanical leg started dancing out of his control again. "VOOOOI!" He shouted with his sword lashing out violently at the bio-tech that was working on it. "What the fuck are you doing?! I'll kill you, bitch! Fix it!"

"Calm down, Squalo," Ryohei ordered calmly from where he was sitting across the room with a boxing magazine in hand. "The medic can't fix it when you're acting like a spoiled brat. You're the idiot that tried to load a dance program into it and corrupted the nerve input sensors. You still haven't explained that, by the way. Did you feel like learning how to tango or something?"

"No, you fucking idiot!" He shouted, lashing out to cut a blood pressure machine in half. "I already told you! I thought it was a jump amplifier program! That fucking Marmon--"

"I got it, I got it," he soothed in exasperation. "I'll go talk to Marmon. That twerp is probably still playing games at Xanxus' old condo, so he shouldn't be too hard to find. Just stay put and stop cutting shit. I'll be back in an hour or two to see if you're okay to be taken off of the injured list."

"Fuck off," he snarled. He continued to pitch a fit for the next ten minutes, giving the medic a hard time until finally...

Finally...

"All clear," Marmon said through his earpiece. It was all Squalo needed to know. With a twitch of his leg muscles, he cut off the program loaded into his replacement leg and kicked the medic in the face. He was knocked out instantly and silently, leaving Squalo as the only conscious person in the room.

They'd been waiting on this. If Vongola thought that they could control an independent assassination squad forever, they were sadly mistaken. Now was their perfect chance. Vongola's guard had finally fallen and the fake Vongola the Eleventh wasn't even in the country. Only Ryohei was left to deal with and that fool honestly thought that he was their leader. Those fools had no idea of the true meaning behind Xanxus' message when he'd cut ties. Squalo knew, though. Xanxus had his power back.

That meant that they had to prepare for his return.

Buttoning his pant leg closed around his artificial limb, he silently swore to pay Hotaru back in full for the injury. Rehabilitation was the main reason that they'd taken so long to implement their plan. The first attempt at insurrection had been a complete failure. As soon as Squalo had received notice of Xanxus' message, he'd went for the brat's head. He'd tried and he'd failed miserably. He'd lost his leg in the attack, but Vongola the Eleventh was just as stupidly merciful as his father. The brat had frozen his leg nerves to stop the bleeding and had personally transported him via dragon to the infirmary in order to ensure that he survived. When he'd woken up, Ryohei had been waiting with a message that his actions had been forgiven since he'd attacked the Eleventh out of temporary insanity.

Not even Xanxus had ever mocked him so badly.

It would all end soon, though. Like he'd always known, Xanxus was the man who was destined to lead Vongola. The bastard was probably sipping wine and bidding his time until his Right Hand returned to him, all while letting his anger and his rage grow. His return would be in a blast of Flame and blood, the likes of which Vongola would have never before witnessed. The first step to that was getting to him, however. Now that Ryohei was distracted, it shouldn't be too hard. They'd be gone and off radars before the idiot even thought to blow the whistle.

"I'm coming out," Squalo whispered as he cracked the infirmary door open to peek down the hallway. He let out a breathe of relief when there were people that he had to wait to let go past. If it'd been empty, it would have meant that they had been caught and Plan B would have been initiated. Since it wasn't, stealth was the utmost priority.

"Bundle up," Levi suggested. "It's supposed to get cold tonight."

"Shut up, idiot," he snapped. "Bel, get the boat ready. We'll rendezvous in ten minutes. Reverting to secondary communication methods. Lussuria--"

"Primary communications blackout--!" He called over the headset in bliss. "In three... Two... One... Ta-ta--!" Squalo grinned as his headset went dead and threw the useless piece of junk over his shoulder. He'd never admit it to the assholes, but it was fucking nice to have the team back together. Now they just had to get out of the country and find somewhere to make a new fucking base. Warm, he decided once he stepped outside into the frigid air. They'd make the new base somewhere warm and they'd do it before they went to get Xanxus. They couldn't very well show up before the man while empty-handed.

* * *

Ryohei peered out through a set of binoculars as Squalo hijacked a car and disappeared down the road at top speed. As per his plans, he let the man go. Everything was going perfectly. There was something to be said about working independently. No one questioned when he did anything. He'd report honestly that Squalo had went AWOL and he'd continue to lead the Varia that remained while his partner, Tan, kept track of the bastards.

In Ryohei's head, there were three keys to getting what he wanted. First was the location of the new Varia base once Squalo's team built it. The second was the timing for when Xanxus finally returned to Squalo. The third key was the one that was left up to chance, but Ryohei's gut combined with Yamamoto's report made it hard for him to doubt that he'd get lucky. When Xanxus once again took charge of the Varia that were running rampant, the Sixth Knight of Martelli would probably be with him. As soon as that bastard was out of his city, the agreement with Tomaso was null and void.

It might not be all of the rings, but he was determined to get at least one for Hotaru.

He just had to have patience and everything would fall into his hands.

* * *

It was cold. It was dark. Even when Mukuro managed to crack his eyes open, his prison was merciless. How much time had passed since he'd last opened his eyes? How many minutes, hours, days, and weeks had passed? It'd been long enough that the connection to his body was weak. He'd have to stay earth-bound for a while or else take the chance that he wouldn't be able to return from Limbo.

He was close, though. He was so very close to finishing his mission. After he rested and let the connection to his body strengthen again, he could take a final trip to retrieve Tsunayoshi's last shard. Just one more. Just one more large piece and he'd be done. What was Tsunayoshi like now? Had the shards even made it to him? More importantly, why was he doing this? Was it out of boredom? His memories of Tsunayoshi were like bright gems in an otherwise dull life.

Tsunayoshi was everything.

Wasn't there someone else, though? The person who'd walked the Paths with him. What was the man's name again? Oh well. He must not be important if he couldn't even remember the man's name. Maybe he'd just been a tour guide. Maybe... Perhaps... Although there was a strange clenching in his chest that said that he was something more. He couldn't remember any longer, though. The only memories that he had left of that man were the precious few that couldn't be tossed aside without taking Mukuro's power with it. There was one shard left, but he had nothing left to trade with. Was Tsunayoshi worth giving up a measure of his power?

He didn't know. He needed to see him again. He wanted to touch him again. If he could meet with him for only a moment, he'd know. Surely he'd know.

_How far you've fallen, Havik's Betrayer_, a voice whispered through the darkness.

_Havik's....betrayer? _Mukuro mentally repeated.

_Look how much you've sacrificed for a mere human, _the voice replied. _Humanity can do nothing but create suffering._

_Who are you?_

_It's alright, Mukuro, _the voice continued_. Ari planned for every eventuality. I'll finish this and end the suffering. Even though you caused Havik's resolution to weaken, I can forgive you. Just hate this world. Understand the true ugliness and the never-ending cycle of despair that it causes. You should understand it better than any of us. If we destroy the Path of Humans, the cycle of death will end and we can return to the promised place once more._

_I don't understand._

_Rest, _the voice ordered_. Very soon, the reason for your suffering will disappear. The Flame-keeper is already walking the path to his own destruction. After he is gone, I'm prepared to remove his heir before the War begins. You don't have to worry about anything._

_What? No. No, I don't want that, _he thought as he started to fight the bindings around him_. Who are you? Leave Tsunayoshi alone!_

Nothing answered, making him panic more than a response ever could. He had to get out of here. He had to go to Tsunayoshi and warn him! Red lights started flashing around him while he kicked and tugged at his arms uselessly. His thoughts swirled around in his mind uselessly, threatening to make him black out. He had to get free, though. He had to leave this prison. He couldn't send anything past the barriers around him while he was locked in this cold and dark place.

He had to have freedom.

Freedom.

FREEDOM!

* * *

Symphonia pounced, taking immense pleasure in how Hibird turned into a flurry of wings to escape. She never got tired of it. The little creature was incredibly fun to startle and tease. Getting a reaction from the bird was one thing that always made her day. She was tempted to chase after it, but the sound of voices made her stop. Creeping through the bushes, she held back a satisfied purr at the sight of Hotaru and Ken. Both of those were fun to pounce on, too. She made herself ready. All she needed was the right opening and--

"We can't just sit here!" Ken shouted, making Symphonia pause before she could pounce. "Something is wrong with Mukuro-sama! The last scans that the Vendiche sent is showing that part of his brain is going dead and he set off the alarms yesterday! You know that he wouldn't have fought unless there was something seriously wrong!"

"Ken," he sighed in return. "I know that you're upset, but the Vendiche also said that he quieted back--"

"Because you've got him locked up too fucking tight!" Ken snarled. "Get your head out of your ass, Hotaru! I know that you've got a grudge, but Mukuro-sama doesn't deserve this and you know it!"

"Would you have me set him free?" Hotaru asked softly. "You know that I can't do that, Ken. He's too dangerous without dad around."

"But--"

"This discussion is over," he snapped before walking back down the path toward the mansion. Ken stared at him a moment before clenching his teeth in frustration and he set off running in the opposite direction. Symphonia, nicknamed Sugar in this lifetime, didn't follow either of them. Instead, she settled down in place and tried to figure out what to do.

Tsunayoshi was undoubtedly alive. She hadn't told anyone, though, because there was something incredibly wrong with him. She'd felt Havik in him stronger than she ever had in this lifetime. He also wasn't acting right. He hated Vongola. He'd become a werewolf. He was working for the Martelli Family and he'd fallen in love with the Family's Boss. That was just the tip of the iceberg. In the few months that she'd been undercover, his actions had been both erratic and irregular. His nightmares had been constant, but his mind had been to chaotic for her to penetrate beyond the first layers.

Taking into account that Mukuro had been hiding him, she'd made a judgment call by not reporting anything about 'Lazarus'. She'd simply told Hotaru that the man had left her in the keeping of his associates and had rarely been in contact with her. Perhaps that had been a mistake. Bringing Tsunayoshi back to Vongola was dangerous in his current condition, though. Without a doubt, once his identity was proven, he'd take up the mantle of Boss again regardless of whether he was still fit for the position. Considering that he knew nothing of Hotaru, bringing him back would have done nothing other than to cause chaos. Hotaru was better off with a few memories of a decent father than to have his image of Tsunayoshi crushed under reality.

The situation with Mukuro made her doubt, though. Only one thing could have awakened him from his slumber. Somehow and in some way, there was a danger to Tsunayoshi that only he was aware of. That left her wondering about what she should do. Uncovering the real Tsunayoshi to the Family would be incredibly bad at this stage when he'd been standing with the enemy all this time. The regret would spread through the Family and Hotaru's judgment would be called into question. Leaving the situation alone wasn't possible either. If Tsunayoshi was in danger, they had to do something to help him. How could she help him without revealing him?

She didn't know, but she had a feeling that a trip to the Vendiche prison might give her a few answers.

* * *

Hotaru listened with half an ear to the monotonous lecture of his teacher. Summer had come and gone with only disappointment. Ayame and Fumi-chan had stopped by several times during the break, but he'd shoved them off on his mother since that was what the two girls really wanted from him. Shiba-kun had stopped by a few times to take him out to the beach, but apparently his ability to surf had left the boy upset. He hadn't found out until afterward that Shiba-kun had wanted to teach him. He'd seen Itoh at the Summer Festival, but the guy had brushed past him without noticing since he'd been busy working. As for Kazu-kun and Kin-kun, there was no connection left to mend. Hotaru had taken one of his horses down to the stables outside of town at Lambo's urging, but the two boys had both been incredibly cold toward him.

He didn't know why he was bothering anymore other than as a response to the air of disappointment around the Family. He'd royally screwed up somewhere along the way and all of his attempts to fix it had failed. The confusing part was that each time he met with failure and proved that he was strong enough to handle it, the worse that the mood around the Family became. He just wished that they'd tell him what he was doing wrong. No matter how many times he asked, they just sent Lambo to him for another lesson in dealing with women and idiots.

He'd been trying to meet everyone expectations, but he couldn't seem to do enough. No matter how much of a model student he became, everyone was unhappy. They wouldn't tell him which club to join and all of his tentative suggestions got sub par results. Every time he came back to the house alone, the air only seemed to grow thicker. He'd tried suggesting that he go on a date with Fumi-chan or Ayame even though he didn't like either of them, but even that had only left everyone unhappy! He felt like he was suffocating, but no one was helping him. If they'd just tell him what they wanted of him, then he'd do it!

"Sawada," the teacher snapped, making him look up in surprise. He'd completely lost track of the lecture which left him no clue about what the man wanted.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked in curiosity while Hotaru slowly stood. "You're usually much more attentive than this."

"I'm sorry," he said with a tired grimace. "I'm not feeling very well. May I go to the nurse's office?"

"I'll go with him, Sensei," Hattori surprisingly offered. Hotaru looked at him in suspicion as the teacher agreed, but he saw no reason to argue. As long as he could lie down for a little while, he didn't care what others did. The walk to the nurse's office was as silent as he expected and he was grateful that no one was present when he arrived. Without saying a word, he walked over to the bed and collapsed into it in relief. Maybe if he just slept, his chest will have stopped hurting when he woke up. "What's wrong with you?" Hattori asked bluntly as he sat in the chair next to the bed.

"It's nothing," he replied. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Did something happen at your dad's company?"

"No," he answered softly. Shutting his eyes, he tried to block out the idiot's voice. He just wanted sleep. Everything would be fine if he just had a little rest.

"Are you okay, Hotaru?" Hattori murmured hesitantly. "You haven't been the same since we came back from the break. If something happened, you can tell me. I know that I've been a jerk to you, but you can't blame me. Ayame won't even look at me since you started school here. What I mean is--"

"You're jealous, but you know that there's no reason to be," Hotaru supplied. "Ayame only comes around me because of my money and I don't want to have anything to do with her. That's why you're trying to be nice. Right?"

"R-Right," he confirmed.

"Don't bother," he mumbled. "I'm only going to be here until Spring. I--"

"Why do you do that?" Hattori interrupted. "You're not a bad guy. You help out whenever there's an opportunity and you've even helped tutor Kazaki for the history exam. But every time someone tries to get friendly with you, you start pushing them away. Do you hate people that much?" Hotaru clenched his teeth at the question and felt tears welling up in his eyes as his level of discontent rose another notch. He didn't hate people! He just... It was just... "Hey," he prodded. "Answer me. I know that--"

"What do you know?!" Hotaru exploded, sitting up in the bed to face the stupid, egotistical, brainless bastard. His eyes felt like they were stinging, but he ignored it. He ignored it completely to let out just a little of the pent-up frustration that had been eating at him since he'd come to this country. "You don't know anything about me! You're just like everyone else! You think that you understand, but you don't have any clue! Your dad didn't die and leave you with everything! You didn't have to spend the last five years managing a business! While you were having fun and playing games, I've been fighting! Fighting! Fighting! Always fucking fighting! Everyone wants something from me, but they won't tell me what it is this time! They won't tell me and... and..."

Hotaru broke off with a sob. He couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't fair! He'd always done his best to protect everyone and to make them happy, so why were they abandoning him? Why did it feel like no one was willing to help him? They could give him some clue as to what they wanted! It couldn't be that they just wanted him to make friends. They wouldn't have brought him to a place where there was no one that he could be friends with if that was the case. He wanted to go home. He knew what was wanted from him in Italy.

He wasn't sure how long he cried for. Every time that he thought he came to the end of his tears, more seemed to surface out of nowhere. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd cried so hard. Everyone was always telling him to suck it up and be a man, so he had. Only his mom had been able to make him cry since his dad died. Surprisingly, Hattori didn't tell him to stop being a crybaby, though. Instead, he just sat down next to him and tossed a towel over his head so that he could cry without worrying about how pathetic he looked.

"I guess you got it pretty tough," Hattori said softly when the tears started to ebb. "I thought about it before, but I wasn't sure until I walked past your house over the break. I saw you come out once and you were surrounded by adults. There was that one guy that was your age, but he acted like a servant. You... You don't have any friends at all. Do you?"

"I have friends," he sniffed. "There's Toshi and Sakura and--"

"Aren't those people that work for you?" He interjected. "What about people who just come around to have fun with you?"

"Um... I have fun with Orinato and everyone," he mumbled in confusion. "Mr. Dino and Mr. Naito hang out with me sometimes after negotiations are over and--"

"No, no, no," Hattori interrupted in exasperation. "Someone that doesn't have anything to do with business. Someone that you can talk to about anything and you trust to keep your secrets."

"Oh," he said in understanding of what he was being asked. "Does my partner, S.K., count?"

"Who's S.K.?" He asked curiously while Hotaru blew his nose on a corner of the towel and dried his eyes.

"You've already met him," he replied. "He was the dragon that helped me out of the hole when you came over to visit."

"Nope," he sighed. "Magic tricks don't count. It has to be a person. Someone like you and me who you're only around because you want to be around them."

"N-No," he answered slowly. "I don't have anyone like that. I had Gabriel for a little while, but Orinato and everyone else didn't like him. He did something wrong and they made me send him home. There's a few others that I'm only around because I think they're interesting, but I had to leave them up in Italy. They've got their own important work to do, so they couldn't come with me. Those aren't people that I can trust to keep my secrets, though. Only Orinato can be trusted when it comes to keeping secrets."

"I see," Hattori replied with a smile. "For you, there isn't any difference between the people you work with and your friends. No wonder you're so cold toward everyone in class. We're just outsiders to you. I still don't really get you at times, but I think I understand you a little better now. You're a lot more like me than you pretend."

"What are you talking about?" Hotaru asked, pulling the towel off in order to look straight at the boy again. "We're completely different! You--"

"I saw someone die once," he said, making Hotaru freeze in place at the abrupt change of subject. "My family used to run a delivery service and I was tagging along with one of the hired helpers because my parents didn't want to hire a babysitter. I can't remember where the delivery was to, but it was really late by the time we stopped for gas. I'd fallen asleep in the front seat and when I woke up, the driver was gone. I got out to look for him and there was a man with a gun who was robbing the gas station. I hid back in the truck, but I could hear everything going on inside. He shot everyone and ran away. After he was gone, I went inside to see if the driver was okay but he wasn't. I didn't know what to do or how to react. There was so much blood all over the place and I couldn't move. By the time that the police arrived, everyone was dead."

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked in confusion for the sudden story.

"No reason," he shrugged. "I've never told anyone about that before, though. I knew that they couldn't understand what I'd went through and I didn't want fake sympathy. You're the same. Right? You keep everything all bottled up and you don't let anyone see what you're really going through. I actually get that part. After the incident, my family got upset really easily, so I had to hide everything so that they wouldn't be worried. I just wanted to make them happy again, so I pretended like nothing bad ever happened. That's the great thing about friends, though. You can tell them anything and, even if they get mad, then it's okay."

"W-What if they're weaker than me?" Hotaru asked hesitantly, wringing the towel in worry. He didn't really understand his own question, but he kind of wished that he had a friend like the ones Hattori was talking about. Orinato was a good person to confide in, but he just didn't understand things sometimes. Hotaru didn't want to worry him about other thing, too. He already had so much that he had to deal with that adding inconsequential worries seemed unfair. He could talk about nonsense things with S.K., but S.K. wasn't human. There were things that he didn't understand sometimes.

"How strong they are doesn't matter," Hattori laughed. "As long as you can trust them to keep your secrets and it's someone you like being around, then that's all that matters. Listen, Hotaru. There's something that my mom tells my dad a lot and I think you need to hear it. You got to leave your work at work. What do you do for fun?"

"Eh?" He gaped in growing confusion for yet another sudden subject change. "Fun? Um... We go to amusement parks and museums. If everyone is in the right mood, we go out to dr--"

"No!" He snapped, digging his fist into the top of Hotaru's hair in frustration. "Stop with the 'we'! I'm not talking about you and your work friends! Where do you go to have fun? Just you?"

"But--" Hotaru pouted. "It's never just me and it wouldn't be fair to everyone if we didn't all enjoy our trips out!"

"That's it!" Hattori exclaimed in exasperation. "After school tomorrow, me and you are going to go have some fun and you're not allowed to bring anyone else with you! We'd go today, but I've got practice."

"What?" Hotaru gaped as Hattori went running for the door.

"You heard me!" He shouted, pausing in his exit to look at Hotaru with a red face. "You better not skip school tomorrow! I won't forgive you if you do! So just feel better! Okay?"

* * *

Hotaru was bewildered. He was completely and absolutely at a loss of understanding. Every time he thought about it, he found himself erratically blushing. He found himself blushing and smiling. Hattori was more of a numbskull than Hotaru had originally determined. Hattori was going to take him out to have fun and no one else was allowed to come? What was that guy thinking? Hotaru had no idea, but he couldn't say that it didn't sound interesting. He'd never went out for fun without at least a few of his bodyguards with him and, when he had his bodyguards, he tried to be considerate of what they might like to do. This time was going to be different, though. Hotaru couldn't explain the feeling, but he felt like it was going to be completely and absolutely different.

The invitation made him happy. He couldn't begin to explain why, but it made him very happy. Hattori was the first person to have talked to him, seen his house, and not run away afterward. Although the guy had been a jerk at first, he felt a strange connection growing. The guy had even eaten lunch with him, although the meal had been mostly silent since Hotaru had been confused for it and Hattori had seemed embarrassed.

It was so strange.

"Are you feeling alright, Boss?" Orinato asked worriedly with his hand darting to Hotaru's forehead. "You look feverish."

"I'm fine," he chuckled in embarrassment. Batting Orinato's hand away, he tried to get his blushes under control. It was difficult, though. Every time he thought about the invitation, he was still incredibly embarrassed that he hadn't turned it down. He had a date with a guy. What the hell was he thinking?!

"You don't look fine," Orinato said in open concern. "Maybe you should rest tomorrow instead of going to sch--"

"No!" Hotaru blurted. As soon as the word was out of his mouth, he slapped a hand over it in shock. Orinato seemed just as surprised over the response. What was he doing? He'd just blurted it out without thinking!

"You... want... to go to school?" He asked carefully.

"Um... eh... Well..." He blushed brightly again, biting his lip while he tried to think of a way to explain. "I... ah... I have plans after school tomorrow and I promised not to skip."

"Really?" Orinato gaped with his face lighting up. "Who's the lucky girl?" At the question, Hotaru felt his face light up even more and he suddenly had the feeling of being nailed to a cross. He thought that he'd die of embarrassment if he said anything more.

"You're right," he gasped in a breathless rush, snatching up his homework as he ran for the door to his office. "I'm not really feeling well, so I'm going to go lay down. Call me if there's anything you can't handle!"

* * *

"What the hell are you teaching him?!" Gokudera growled as he stomped on the crying Lambo a third time. He was beyond angry with the brat. Orinato had said that Hotaru had a date and was too embarrassed to talk about it, but what had Gokudera found when he'd started after-school surveillance? Hotaru had been going to meet a guy!

A GUY!

"It's not what you think, Gokudera!" He wailed. "It's not a date!"

"Bullshit!" He snarled, pulling Lambo to his feet just to grab his ears and yank on them. "Look at them, stupid cow!" He ordered. Putting Lambo into a headlock, he forced the brat to look at where the two boys were sitting. It looked odd to begin with since the guy with Hotaru had already hit his growth spurts. He was almost as tall as Lambo, which made Hotaru look like he was seven instead of fourteen. That wasn't the bewildering part, though. Not only was Hotaru blushing like crazy, but he and the guy were eating ice cream.

ICE CREAM!

"Hotaru hates sweets!" He exclaimed. "If it's not a date, then why--"

"But he looks happy," Lambo cried. At the statement, Gokudera paused and took a second look for himself. It was true. Hotaru was laughing and talking like a normal kid for once. Although he was blushing, there wasn't anything to suggest that he felt anything toward the boy that he was with. It actually looked more like two boys talking about a girl than anything.

"It's not a date," he gaped.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Lambo whined. "It's just a friend!"

"Then why is he blushing so much?" Gokudera asked as he finally released the stupid-cow from the headlock. Lambo fell to the ground, panting in relief while Gokudera kept his eyes on the pair who were talking over two cups of chocolate swirl.

"He's embarrassed," Lambo answered while he wiped away his tears and rubbed his neck at the same time. Gokudera growled at him for the obvious answer, prompting him to give a better one. "Give him a break!" He said in exasperation. "It's his first time going out with a friend who isn't with him because of the Family! It might not be a girl, but he's just as nervous as if it were! It's something new to him and he doesn't know how to deal with it. He's embarrassed because he think that he's making a fool out of himself, so you should just leave him alone!"

"Oh."

* * *

He was making a complete fool out of himself. He knew that, but he didn't want to stop. It was so much fun. So far, they'd went to the arcade and Hattori had taken him by to check out the latest CDs. When the guy had realized that Hotaru only knew classical music, he'd made it his mission to get him updated with the latest and greatest. They'd went by to make fun of the girls who were clothes shopping and Hattori had introduced him to manga. They'd checked out girls and had compared their preferences. They'd talked the entire time and none of it had been about stuff that mattered.

Best of all, he'd bought whatever he wanted without having to answer to anyone. It'd felt good to not have anyone questioning what he'd gotten or why. Hattori had just grinned no matter what he'd picked out and had suggested things that he might like to go with it. He'd never felt this kind of freedom before. If this was what normal people did every day, then--

All at once, he fell back to earth.

"Thank you, Hattori," he murmured as he gently pushed the second half of his ice cream across the table. "I know that it's sudden, but I need to go home. It's just like I thought. This kind of thing really isn't for me."

"What's wrong?" He gasped, jumping up out of his seat in surprise. "We were having fun! Did I say something--"

"No," he soothed with a small shake of his head. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just my intuition. If I stay here any longer, I won't want to go back. I have to, though. There's things that only I can do and a lot of people are counting on me. I can't... I can't tell you how much I appreciate today, but I can't do this in large doses. I'm just not used to it."

"If that's all, then it's okay," Hattori smiled in relief. "Let's still go out like this again, though. We'll only go to one or two places next time. Whenever you feel up to it, we can go to a movie or--"

"Why are you so nice to me?" Hotaru interrupted, clenching his hands together in his lap. "You should hate me. Ayame--"

"Ayame is last year's news," he laughed. "I'm not sore over that anymore. Now, if you set your eyes on Mika-chan, then we might have a prob--"

"Then why?!" Hotaru exclaimed without a care for how the shout gained attention. "What do you want from me?"

"You just don't get it," Hattori sighed as the attention wandered away again. "Why do I have to want something from you just to be nice to you? Not everyone does things like that. I thought that it'd be fun to hang out with you, so that's what I did."

"T-That's all?"

"That's it," he confirmed with a helpless shrug. "It's probably not what you're used to, but people don't need a reason to do things that make them happy. I noticed something while we were out today, Hotaru. Every time we looked at something, you would say 'Such-and-such would like this' but you never once said that it was something that you liked. You don't know how to express yourself at all."

"I... what...?"

"It's great to do things that make other people happy, but you should think about what makes you happy once in a while," he continued mercilessly. "From what you've told me about your situation, that's why you're here. You said that your caretakers told you to make friends and they won't say anything else about what you should be doing. Right? It sound to me like they're trying to make up for always telling you what to do. They want you to start deciding for yourself. Until you can put your foot down and say that you want to do something simply because it makes you happy, then I don't think they're going to be satisfied. I'm not the brightest of people, but I know that there's nothing wrong with being a little selfish at times. You just can't do it so much that it hurts people."

"They want me to be selfish...?" Hotaru gaped. "That doesn't make sense! It's wrong to be selfish! I--"

"I don't know what kind of expectations that you're trying to meet," Hattori interrupted sympathetically. "But what do you think of yourself, Hotaru? When those expectations are cut out of the picture, what kind of person are you? I don't think that you really know."

"I don't have to listen to this," Hotaru snapped. Standing, he quickly gathered his bags in the determination to return home. He'd been an idiot to go out like this. Not only had he made a fool out of himself, but he was getting lectured by a brainless idiot like Hattori.

"You're right," he said with a smile when Hotaru opened his mouth to say his farewells. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I hope that you'll think about it, though. I'd really like to talk to Hotaru again instead of the Young Master of the mansion by the shrine." Hotaru's mouth snapped shut and he glared with all his might while his face turned red at the description. He felt more frustrated than ever!

"You're no fun at all!" He blurted, giving in to the urge to stick his tongue out before storming away. As soon as he turned the corner, he started running without a clue of what he was running from. He felt horrible for some reason and the feeling only worsened when he sensed the presence of pursuers. Someone had been watching him. "S.K.!" He shouted. Dropping his bags, he darted into the first alley he saw while S.K.'s flame shot out of his ring. Before he made it to the other end, the dragon was fully formed. All it took was a single jump and S.K. was under him so that they could head for the safety of the skies.

"What's wrong?" The oversized Salamander asked once they were too high above the town to be seen. "You're crying again." Hotaru tightly hugged S.K.'s neck when he realized that it was true. Why was it so hard to keep the tears back lately? What was wrong with him? He was so damn confused. Nothing wanted to go right. He couldn't think straight. He felt like he was grasping air every time that he reached out to find answers. He couldn't do anything.

So he cried some more.

* * *

"I don't understand," Orinato mumbled in horror as he looked through Hotaru's new possessions. Gokudera wouldn't even look at him. After Hotaru had ran, Gokudera had retrieved the bags that he'd dropped, only to find a whole new can of worm inside.

"This is what he got when he thought no one was watching," Gokudera groaned as he looked through the bag a second time for himself. He still couldn't quite believe it. Shoujo manga, several sets of diamond studded earrings, a karaoke attachment to his game console, a deck of cards that taught astrology, and several music disks that all featured the same boy band. The last two items were the most surprising of all, though. They were also the two items that were the most disturbing. The first was a pair of Namahage leg warmers while the second was a small box of super-sweet candies that were shaped like soccer balls.

"Oh my," Orinato choked as he flipped open the manga. His face turned a bright shade of red after only two pages, but Gokudera was positive that it wasn't because there was something perverted written. Rather, it was probably embarrassment for Hotaru's sake for having bought such an incredibly sappy love story. "I still don't get it," he mumbled as he stuffed the small volume back into the bag holding the rest of the series. "Maybe these are all presents? I can't see Boss enjoying any of this. He hates sweets. He refuses to wear his mom's designs. I've never once heard him sing and the rest of this is just completely off the wall. I mean, can you really imagine Boss wearing diamond studs?!"

"No," he answered solemnly, making Orinato stop his laughter before it started. "Which is why you should be worried. We knew that the Eleventh was hiding stuff from us, but for it to be this bad is a problem. You understand. Don't you? This is your failure, Orinato."

"Eh?!" He gaped in shock. "Me?!"

"Yes, you!" He snapped, slamming his hand down on the desk holding the bags of goods. "You're his Right Hand! He should be able to tell you anything, but he never told you about wanting any of this! Why do you think that is?"

"Probably because I'd laugh in his face," he answered with a chuckle for the manga again. Gokudera wasn't laughing though. He was very, very far from laughter. He was so far from laughter that his hand went across Orinato's smug face before he could stop himself. Orinato froze in shock under the blow, unable to initially register that he'd even been hit. When he did comprehend, he slowly looked up at Gokudera with a blank expression.

"Do you really think this is funny?" Gokudera asked softly. "Your best friend is too scared to be himself because of how you'd just laugh in his face. I'm disappointed in you, Orinato. When I agreed to train you as the Eleventh's Right Hand, I told you that you need to keep your eyes open. The Eleventh is just like the Tenth. He knows that he has to keep up appearances, which is why your position is so damned important. If he doesn't have at least one person that he can confide in, he'll lose himself. A Boss lives in a world where there is so many lies that keeping track of reality is nearly impossible. You're supposed to be the one person that he can go to for anything, but look at what you've been doing. You dare to judge your Boss? You dare to laugh at him?! You're not worthy of being at his side!"

"And you are?!" Orinato shouted with a look of disbelief on his face. "If you're so damned perfect, then where's the Tenth?!" This time, Gokudera froze at the accusation. How many times had he asked himself the same question? That had been his failure. The worst failure that a Right Hand could have. How could he ever hope to respond to that?

"I-I...."

"He's alive and in hiding."

"What?" Gokudera gasped, feeling his heart leap in his chest as he turned his attention to the cat that was suddenly lounging on Hotaru's desk. Orinato was right behind him in staring in shock, letting Gokudera know that he hadn't been hearing things.

"He's alive and in hiding," Symphonia repeated. "I wouldn't tell Hotaru, though. It'd probably hurt him immensely since Tsuna hasn't come back yet."

"W-Wha--?" Gokudera mumbled without a breathe of air in his lungs.

"I can't tell you where he is or what he's doing," she said nonchalantly. "All I can say is that I can feel his spiritual resonance on occasion, so I know that he's not dead. Since he hasn't shown himself to any of our people, that means that he's hiding. Now I think that I know what Mukuro was up to with Lazarus. He was creating a dupe for bait. Tsuna has let everyone believe that he was dead and it was probably for a reason. After visiting Mukuro's prison, I think that I see what that reason is. There was... There was traces of Rendrick, Gokudera. The Horsemen aren't finished yet."


	89. Chapter 89 Festival

"Just a little more," Tsuna gasped. "Oh--! Right there. Nice and slow. Almost there. Almost. Come on. Be good now."

"Stop talking or I'll do it myself," Xanxus growled.

"Is it turning you on?" Tsuna asked with a crooked grin.

"Fuck you," he snarled. Tsuna grinned, finally managed to pull the bullet free from the back of Xanxus' thigh. He took a moment to admire the little piece of work before tossing both it and the tweezers to the side. "Itadakimasu-!" He added before clamping his lips over the wound in order to eat. Letting him eat was the least that Xanxus could do considering that Tsuna had bailed him out of a tight spot.

The current issue was with Xanxus' job. Being a hitman was part of who he was and their city wasn't so lively that he was kept busy. After having cut ties with the Martelli Family with surprising ease, he'd looked around for a decent replacement. He'd found it, too. The Caeculus Foundation had apparently been watching him in preparation of recruitment. Within a day of putting his services for sale on the underground market, they'd arrived with an offer that was almost too good to be true. The Foundation handled the contracts and negotiations, along with providing alibis, medical, legal, and other types of support. He wasn't a dog for them, either. Since they'd given him a SS-Class rank, he got first pick of where he wanted to go and who he wanted to kill. He got full disclosure of the contracts and the background files. On top of that, he also got the choice to refuse, which allowed him to only pick assignments within range of home.

Of course, this also meant that he never went after small fries, which meant that accidents were bound to occur. When hundreds of bullets were flying randomly around a room, even Xanxus couldn't necessarily move fast enough to dodge all of them.

"I'm not a juice box," Xanxus growled with a glare over his shoulder. He had reason to glare. Because of the location of the wound, he'd been forced to pull his pants down and lie flat on his stomach across the motel bed. Every part of Tsuna was strangely pleased over the fact. Lynx was going nuts over the blood and Maro was mumbling in consideration in the back of his head. As for the part of him that was currently conscious, he couldn't help but be amused at how Xanxus was blushing. It wasn't showing up on his face, but his ass was turning red with his embarrassment. He made note of it for future reference.

"Do you want me to suck you like one?" Tsuna teased while he gave the wound a closing lick. Xanxus' rear turned an even brighter shade of red while his glare hardened. The conflicting expressions made Tsuna want to laugh, but he held it in so that he could tape a bandage over the bullet wound. They both knew that Tsuna never did more than tease. If he went too far in his teasing, Maro got to visit out of schedule. The hopeful anticipation was torture for Xanxus since he never knew whether Tsuna would let Maro out or not. Although, torturing him was what made it fun for Tsuna. It was a little taste of revenge for all the times that Maro had fallen asleep without taking a shower first.

"I'm not falling for it this time," he grumbled.

"Shucks," he smiled. "And here I was thinking that we could make the time pass faster."

"Not falling for it," he repeated. Despite his words, there was a gleam of consideration in his eyes when he glanced in the direction of the window. They'd been forty miles outside of the city when three factors had forced them to stop. The first had been Xanxus' wound. Even with field treatment, no amount of vamping could remove the bullet for him. Tsuna had left him alone until finally the way that the bullet had been tapping against his bone had gotten too uncomfortable for him to sit still through. The second factor had been the rain. The storm alone wasn't that bad, but the winds had been horrible. It'd been safer to stop and finish the trip back after some rest. The last factor had been the feeling of being watched. Xanxus had felt it, too, although ten minutes of driving erratically around the closest town seemed to have thrown them off for the time being. Tsuna's motorcycle was currently covered with the weather-blanket that he kept under his seat, so finding it wouldn't be quite so easy for any pursuers.

Waiting for the rain to pass and their intuition to signal an all-clear would have been easier had Xanxus not chose such a seedy motel to rent a room from. While the place did have he benefit of overlooking the highway, Tsuna had slept in cleaner dumpsters. It reminded him of the motels in horror movies where the guests started disappearing one after another. There was no helping it, though. They weren't in any rush and Xanxus needed some time to recover from his wound. As long as they were back in time for Tsuna to go to work, it wouldn't matter how long they stayed out.

Getting up, he slipped his jacket off while Xanxus pulled his pants back on. His wet shirt followed, as did his boots and his wet socks. Heading into the bathroom, he snatched up a towel to finish drying off while wishing that he had a spare set of pants. While he was there, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and sighed in exasperation for the blood on the corner of his mouth. When he wiped it off with his thumb, he had to stop and stare at himself for a long moment in realization of how much he'd changed.

It was hard to believe, looking at himself now, that he'd ever been normal. There were things that he did without thinking twice which would horrify normal people. They were things that had once horrified him, too, but were now so much a part of his life that he couldn't imagine living in any other way. When had it become okay to kill like it was a day job? When had he changed from not being able to defend himself into a person that stayed on the offensive? He used to get queasy at the sight of blood, but now he was drinking it like it really was no different from a juice box. When had he started to desire power?

In a way, he couldn't recognize himself anymore. Both mentally and physically, he felt like he'd matured too fast. He was almost twenty seven. Only five years had passed since he'd left home. In that time, he'd gained friends, lovers, purpose, and experiences that had made him into who he was. The question was whether or not his choices had been right ones. He couldn't Judge himself accurately enough to tell. The fact that he had no guilt or shame about some things made him worry, though.

"What are you thinking of?" Xanxus asked softly from the bathroom door. Tsuna jumped at the question, not having heard Xanxus' approach.

"Nothing," he lied with a smile. Grabbing a corner of the towel from his shoulders, he went back to drying his hair while he tried to think of something to pass the time. "I think that I'm going to work out some. I missed going to the gym yesterday since you needed help."

"I didn't need help," he growled. "You're the one that invited yourself along."

"Because you needed my help," he replied with a wink. Sitting down on the floor next to the bed, he started doing sit-ups to keep himself from wasting the down-time. "My intuition never lies," he continued between repetitions. "If I hadn't been there, you would have gotten shot more than just once."

"So?" Xanxus shrugged as he laid back on the bed. "It's not like it can kill me anymore."

"That's why you're still a noob," Tsuna sighed. "If you get shot enough times, you can pass out from blood loss. When that happens, you'd be at the mercy of your opponents. I don't know about you, but waking up in the middle of the ocean with a rock tied to my ankle would suck. The same with waking up covered in concrete. It'd be permanent hibernation for people like us and, eventually, if you don't feed then you can die, too. Your body will end up feeding on itself into oblivion."

"Sounds peachy," he replied sarcastically. Then his eyes narrowed and Tsuna paused at the mischievous gleam in his expression. "Speaking of feeding," he prompted.

"You're hungry," Tsuna gaped. "Why didn't you feed off the targets? Don't tell me that you let all their energy go to waste!"

"They smelled like shit," he growled from his lounging position.

"They did not!" He spluttered, jumping to his feet in order to point an accusing finger at the idiotic hitman. "You promised to eat from more than just me! If you were hungry, why did you pass up that opportunity?!"

"Because I wasn't hungry until just now," he replied with a smirk.

"Hunh?" Tsuna asked in a complete lack of comprehension. How could he be hungry when the room was starting to smell like sweat from the sit-ups that Tsuna had been-- "Oh," he gasped with his face going blank. He understood. He smelled normal to himself. To Xanxus, though, it probably smelled like something nice was cooking. "Fine," he grumbled, seeing that it was his own fault for tempting Xanxus' sense of smell. Jumping on the bed next to Xanxus, he laid back to relax and snapped his eyes shut to concentrate on opening his mental defenses. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up in enough time for us to get back by morning and don't take more than you have--" Tsuna broke off with a groan when he felt Xanxus' hand against his cheek. Despite his hand being gentle, his feeding style was brutal. It felt as if the energy was being ripped from him with the contact. Xanxus simply didn't have the control to nibble instead of chomp unless he took in blood. It was over in an instant, making Tsuna go from fully energized to depleted without a single mark being put on him.

"Still too fast?" Xanxus whispered.

"You need to practice more," he admonished, cracking his eyes open as his defenses snapped shut again. He was so tired now. He only managed a glance up at Xanxus before he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He wanted to say more to ensure that Xanxus knew the importance of learning to feed correctly. He wanted to point out that, at this rate, he'd never be as graceful as Poe where he could get a meal unnoticed just by walking down the street. There were tons of things that he wanted to say, but the warm hand on his cheek lulled him to sleep before he could get out more than a few mumbled words.

* * *

"No."

"But--"

"No."

"Just think--"

"No."

"ERIC!" His former managed wailed. "You've got to come back! Your talent--"

"Is a dime a dozen," he interrupted with a glare. "Don't try to come at me like I've got a big head. You won't get anywhere. You just want me because you don't want Starshine Industries to beat you and you know that Director Elmers is a fan of mine. It's not going to work, though. I'm happy right now. The work that I'm doing is important and Summer--"

"Anyone can be a spokesman," he said with a hand waving to disregard the statement. Eric felt his face turn red at the insult. No one else could do what he did for Laz! "You should be on a bigger stage, Eric! You should--"

"Get out," he shouted. "Get out right now or else I'll never speak to you again!"

"But--"

"OUT!" He roared, jumping to his feet to point at his office door. His former manager blinked in surprise, but he stood and left without another word. It wasn't until he was gone that Eric collapsed back into his chair and started doubting himself. He loved the attention that he got from being on stage. He loved putting on new characters along with new costumes. He could turn into anyone and do anything when he was acting. Why didn't he go back to it since he enjoyed it so much? He knew why, but he couldn't seem to get his former manager to understand. What he was doing for Laz wasn't nearly as fun, but it did seem more fulfilling. He just couldn't find a way to put that into words. He got to spend more time with Summer and he felt useful for once. There were plenty of people out there who could act on stage. Here, he was the only one that was capable of filling the role that he was in.

It was true that he didn't get to wear designer clothes anymore and he couldn't get into any place he wanted just with a smile. Laz couldn't pay him nearly as much as his acting gigs, so he'd gotten used to living thrifty again. Vintage was the style chosen to save a buck. He wasn't about to wear bell bottoms, but a vintage silk shirt was cheaper than a modern one. The print might be a little different, but he frequently borrowed Gale's eyes when he went shopping. It worked, too. As far as the gossip columns were concerned, he was on the top of the style lists. He'd even nailed front page for being a trendsetter thanks to having Gale help him pick out cheap accessories to update old looks.

"Eric!" Summer gasped, darting into his small office with a bright smile on her face. She was just like she always was, although she'd grown her pixie hairstyle out into a short bob. He felt his mind go blank like it always did when he saw her and realized, yet again, that she was his wife. He was the luckiest man alive. She was gorgeous, athletic, and sensible. She was the type of woman who ordered a big, greasy hamburger when they went out to eat and wasn't afraid to add a milkshake to it. She was exciting and formidable, while still allowing him to feel like a man by allowing him to help her at times. Regardless of her past, she was absolutely perfect.

"You're out of class early," he commented with a soft smile as she jumped over his desk and landed in his lap.

"Doctor Fritz didn't show up again," she replied. "Let's go do something."

"I can't," he said with an apologetic grimace. "Seventh Street's grand opening is today and Laz asked me to deal with the media. There's been a lot of negative attention on the place since it looks like just a modern flop-house. Laz wants me to figure out how to turn it around so that it's considered a businessman's hotel. I can't skip out. If I do, the place really will become a flop-house instead of a housing alternative. I've got to finish the speech before noon or else I'm dead meat... And why are you smiling like that?"

"No reason," she said with her smiling growing even more wide. She looked inordinately amused about his explanation, even though he'd been perfectly serious. "I just think that this suits you more than acting."

"Eh?!"

"Instead of pretending to be a man for a movie," she said with a teasing kiss to his cheek. "You really are one."

"SUMMER!" He spluttered with his face lighting up in embarrassment. "You can't say things like that to your husband!"

"Why not?" She giggled, throwing her arms around his neck in bliss. "That's the best part of being married."

For some reason, he couldn't argue.

* * *

Charlie groaned, collapsing in place entirely when the muscle-bound idiots around him called for a break. They had to be insane. They'd been going non-stop since breakfast and breakfast had been at six in the morning. He was getting up earlier now than when he'd been in school!

"Good work."

"Ahh!" Charlie squealed, startled out of his mind by Laz's sudden appearance. He stared up with wide eyes at the guy, only to have a cold can placed on his forehead. Charlie caught it before it fell, but his heart was still racing even after he saw who it was.

"I'm not going to bite you," he said with a soft smile as he sat down next to him. Charlie hesitantly nodded in agreement and opened his drink. He still didn't understand the guy. Sometimes he acted like a friendly brother type. In other times, he acted like a monster.

Charlie still didn't know what to think. So much had happened to him in the past few years. He'd went from being a star football player in high school to... to this. He'd made the wrong choices. He knew that now. Blaming it all on Laz and his father had just been an excuse. He'd been unhappy before his father had shown up again. The selfish needs of his mother that he'd tried to explain away. He'd tried to explain it away instead of accepting the fact that she hadn't really cared about him. There had been all the expectations that had been placed on him. To be the star athlete and to make top grades so that his mother could brag about him like he was a possession. The expectations to always be perfect in everything that he did and to never be allowed the freedom to have friends unless they were perfect, too. All of it had just finally pent up so much that he'd felt like he was going to explode.

He'd run away. He understood that now. He'd turned to drugs and he'd stop caring about anything. After his mother had been taken out of the picture, he'd had nothing. No one had been expecting anything from him and no one had been pushing him. When left to his own devices, he'd went in the wrong direction. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity, he'd let himself be eaten by years of buried pain. He'd wanted to blame it all on Laz. The fact that his father had died when he'd just started to get connected with him. The fact that his mother had been such a horrible woman. The lack of direction and the lack of goals. The truth was that none of it was Laz's fault, though.

Dropping out of school and being kicked out of his grandparent's house had probably been the best thing to happen to him. It'd happened two days after he'd seen his first murder and he'd understood then. With no money and nowhere to go, he completely understood why Laz had done what he'd done. His father and Laz had been in the same position and they'd created a place to go. That man that Laz had killed had been threatening that place. It had been brutal and cold, but there wasn't a choice. The real world wasn't so nice as his grandparents and his mother had always told him. It was to kill or be killed. Both Laz and the people around him had chosen to fight rather than wait for the axe to fall. Charlie was of the same mindset. If this was going to be the place that he could go to, too, then he wasn't going to let anyone take it away. He was going to earn it so that no one could take it away from him again.

He just wished that he understood more of what this place really was. They really didn't have anything. That wasn't quite right. Laz had given him his old room at the Dojo. They had food, shelter, and clothing. They didn't have an outrageous amount of stuff outside of that, though. They didn't have anything, but they were still always seeming to give to others. This was the fourth day in a row that Laz had told him to join the charity crew to pay for his room and board. The rule was that he had to work to eat, but he didn't understand it. The work that he was doing wasn't making any money.

He'd witnessed a lot of the other work, though. He understood the shakedowns and he understood when they wanted him to help put someone in line. Laz had let him in on the secrets of his prostitution business and how he negotiated for both hush money and protection money. Sometimes, things turned rough. Sometimes, things went really smoothly since the people paying had volunteered for the services. He understood all of that. He really did. People could get nasty and become horrible if there wasn't something out there that was worse than them. Laz filled that role to make sure that things never got bad. What he didn't understand was why they were throwing large chunks of that money at people who were too lazy to get off their rumps. Why was he working his ass off for a charity that helps people who won't help themselves?

Laz wouldn't tell him. He said that Charlie had to figure it out for himself. While Charlie appreciated the freedom to think for himself, he wished that he could at least have a clue. When he asked for a clue, all Laz said was to understand his dad a little more. He'd tried, but he felt like he was getting nowhere. No matter who he talked to, he heard the same things from everyone. His father had been a great man. His father had been kind and full of laughter. His father had been generous. He'd been a great listener and a loving guy. He'd been this and he'd been that, but Charlie felt no closer to understanding. It felt nice to hear that his dad had been worth something to these people, but what did that have to do with wasting their profits and their time?

"What would you have done if I had told you to go away?" Laz suddenly asked.

"Eh?"

"What would you have done if I had told you to go away?" He repeated. "I heard that you've been asking around about Snicker, but you still don't seem to understand. I thought that you were smarter than this."

"Well, sorry," he grumbled, puckering his lips up at the insult. "We all can't be college graduates."

"This isn't something that takes a big brain, Charlie," he murmured. "It just takes the right kind of heart. I know that you have the right kind in you, so stop trying to think so hard. The answer will come if you just open up a little more to the people that we're helping. There really is no point to this if you aren't putting your heart into it."

"That's a first," he replied solemnly while he absently tapped on his can. "I'm used to hearing that I should put my back into it or that I should put my mind to it more."

"When people say that, they usually mean that you should put more effort or thought," Laz sighed. "I think that you put in plenty of that already. If anything, you need to put more feeling into your actions. Just doing what you're told isn't enough. If you really want to understand, then you can't leave any part of yourself out."

"If I put my feelings into it, everything would just come out confused," he laughed.

"Then be confused," he replied with a smile. It was a smile that made Charlie pause. "There's nothing wrong with a little confusion since it's an emotion that no one really likes to have. Confusion usually comes before understanding because of that."

"You're not making any sense again," he said, bowing his head in resignation. He'd never understand Laz. Even without pushing the guy away, the mixture of pleasure-loving friend and wise, strict tutor was bewildering. What in the world was the guy thinking?

"You'll get it eventually," Laz laughed. "For now..."

"Back to work," Charlie supplied with a groan. As he got to his feet, the questioned surfaced and he had to wonder. What _would _he have done if Laz hadn't of taken him in?

* * *

"Laz?" Gigi choked while she gaped alongside everyone else at the trench coat that Laz was wearing buttoned all the way up. The part that had them gaping was the lack of pants at his ankles. What--?!

"I lost a bet," he answered with a bright blush. "As part of the punishment game, I'm supposed to go win the prize at the founding festival going on in Chinatown. Xanxus said that it didn't count if I didn't tell you about it, so I've told you about it. None of you better come!"

"What kind of bet did you lose?" Ore asked in awe.

"Just don't come!" He spluttered with an even brighter face before turning to run out the door. Everyone's jaw dropped before they traded matching looks.

"Let me get my purse," Gigi gasped.

"I'll call a cab," Eric offered.

"I'll meet you there!" Leo exclaimed as she snatched up her sweater. "I'm going to go tell the others!"

* * *

"I wonder what's going on," Gigi murmured as they piled out of the cab in front of Chinatown's main entrance. Normally, cars had no trouble passing through. The roads had all been blocked off around the area, though, and there were banners everywhere that were signaling the day that the district had been founded. From the looks of it, it was a huge carnival. Streamers and vendors were out in full strength. She couldn't remember there being any festivals of interest in this direction, but people were gathering from all over the city. Some of them were even people she recognized.

"If you don't hurry, you're going to miss it," Erin called with a wide smile.

"Miss what?" She asked. Leading the group forward, they made their way past the roadblocks to get within normal talking distance of the man. He was handing out flyers which he took special pleasure into handing out to the group.

"Eh?" Erin gaped, looking over the group with a shocked expression. "You mean that Laz didn't tell you?"

"He told us not to come, but that was it," Ore replied. "What's going on? It looks like something outrageous is going on."

"Laz lost a bet," he answered, handing off the stack of flyers to one of his helpers so that he could personally lead them through the growing crowd.

"We know that," Danny said. "He said something about a punishment game."

"I don't think you understand," Erin replied. "Laz _lost _at poker. He's never lost. We still don't know how he found out about the location, but Xanxus showed up and completely wiped him out. It was a slaughter."

"What?" Gigi gasped. "We didn't hear anything about this!"

"Laz is probably embarrassed about it," Erin laughed. "He fainted when Xanxus pulled four aces out of his ass for the last hand. We even checked the deck and he didn't cheat. If Xanxus wanted, he could be the head of ODE right now and Laz would be his personal maid."

"What?!" Everyone shouted in unison.

"To win at high stakes, you've got to be prepared to lose at high stakes," he calmly replied in amusement for their shock. "Xanxus took pity on him, though. He said that if Laz wins the contest today and gave him the prize, he'd pretend that the game never happened. It looks like it's going to be pretty interesting."

"Why is that?" Gigi asked in confusion.

"Didn't you know?" Erin blinked in surprise. "It's a local tradition for men to compete in the festival and to give the price to the person that they intend to marry. I doubt that Laz intends to keep with that meaning, but this is definitely Xanxus' way of telling him that he's not going to accept anyone else. There's also the contest itself. It's made up of five stages, so I wonder if Laz can really make it to the end. I've got to stay here for another twenty minutes, but you should make it to the preliminary water purification if you hurry."

* * *

Autumn smiled to herself in amusement as she watched Laz get doused with water. When she'd decided to watch in curiosity of whether she'd receive another silver bell this year, she hadn't expected Laz to be part of the lines of men in headbands who were preparing for the contest. It had been amusing enough that she'd spread the word to all of her Knights. Unsurprisingly, both Poppet and Rachael had shown up with their cell phone cameras at the ready.

"I can't believe that he's actually here in only his underwear," Rachael gasped in glee. "Oh, look! He's even got the Orange Dragon Logo on his robe!"

"No," Autumn corrected while she snacked on a chocolate coated banana. "He was wearing a robe earlier and Xanxus made him take it off. That's called a happi and the underwear is called a fundoshi. At least, that's what the winner from last year told me."

"I think I know where the word 'fun' was derived from," Poppet giggled. "Hey! Hey! Look!" She gasped, pointing to where women were lining up in front of a portable well to fill small buckets of water. "What's going on there?"

"After the ritual purification is done, the women are allowed to help with a secondary purification," she answered in memory of the previous year. "It's tradition around here for women to pour water on the man that they want to win to wish him good luck. Usually, mothers do it to their sons as a way of saying that they consider them a man and--" Autumn gasped when her banana was knocked out of her hand. Before she could catch it, Poppet and Rachael each stole one of her hands to drag her towards the line. "W-What--?!"

"We have to wish Laz luck!" Poppet exclaimed.

"B-But--!"

"Just do it!" Rachael ordered as she reached down to claim a bucket. Filling it, she shoved it into Autumn's hands before reaching down to fill one for herself and Poppet. They weren't large. In truth, they could be considered as large bowls. Even so, the thought of pouring it out on Laz was crazy. If he didn't kill her, then Xanxus would. "You want to fix your friendship with him, so start with something small like this. We'll do it with you."

"I-I can't--"

"If you're going to do it, then be serious about it," a voice interrupted. Autumn jumped in place and spun around, only to pale at the sight of Xanxus scowling at her.

"X-Xan--"

"Laz never got to participate in these kinds of events," he said solemnly with his gaze looking past her at where Laz was seeming to meditate. "He left Japan before he was old enough and he says that he doesn't plan to ever go back. This might seem like just a game to you, but it's something serious for him. It's the first time that he's going to take part in a festival as an adult. If you make fun of him, I'll wring your fucking neck."

"Then, it's okay if I wish him luck?" Autumn asked hesitantly, keeping Laz in mind rather than giving in to the wishful hopes of getting closer to Xanxus.

"Do what you want," he growled before turning to walk away. Autumn stared at him until he was lost in the crowd, wondering what Xanxus' real relationship was with Laz. She also wondered what it'd take to get him to act so protective about her. Theodore couldn't compare to a man like Xanxus. It was like comparing a docile calf to a rampaging bull.

"Come on, Autumn," Poppet smiled, tugging gently on her shirt to pull her in the direction of the two dozen men who were planning to participate. She nodded and followed, quietly making her way to where Laz was sitting in the formation. Looking around, other women were surrounding assorted favorites, dousing them carelessly with the buckets. Some tossed it in the men's faces to make them gasp and splutter. Others poured it down their backs to get surprised yelps from the cold. It looked like there was no specific way to pour it, which made her wonder how she should. Maybe just toss it on his chest? Or should she just nonchalantly pour it on his shoulder? She didn't know!

Biting her lip, she stopped in front of him while Poppet and Rachael flanked his sides. They looked like they all wanted to do it at once to surprise him, but they all froze when Laz's eyes cracked open. She felt the need to swallow when he glanced up at her. He wasn't surprised or flustered at all. Actually, he seemed kind of... mature... all of a sudden. She felt herself blushing when he calmly shut his eyes again with an accepting attitude. _What the hell?! _She wanted to yell. Why was she the one blushing when Laz was the one sitting in public in his underwear?!

Suddenly irritated, she dumped the bucket over his head with a curse. She only got more irritated once the water splashed down on him, though. On look at his expression and she felt the need to storm away without waiting on Poppet or Rachael. Why the hell did the bastard smirk?! Once she got back to the well to put the bucket back, however, she grimaced and looked back at him. That wasn't how she'd wanted to do it. She'd wanted to seriously wish him luck as a friend. She didn't know his reasons for entering the contest, but Xanxus had said that it was important to him.

Why did things never work out like she wanted them to?

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Eric gasped while Ore covered his eyes with his hands. Gigi could understand the sentiment. She was finding it hard to watch without sympathizing with the pain. While those who'd been to the festival were roaring with laughter and cheers at some of those who failed the test, Gigi was dancing from foot to foot as if she was the one walking on the coals.

The first three challenges had been simple. The first had been a game of Janken to compete in luck, which turned out to be a game of rock-paper-scissors that knocked out six of the participants. It was actually possible for everyone to make it through the first stage, but only if everyone lost once. Those who lost twice would have to wait until next year while those who won twice got a head-start on the second round.

The second round had been weight-lifting to test strength. Laz had won with no issues, although the standards had been insane. It was a requirement for one third of the participants to lose in this round, so it'd become an endurance race, too. They'd had to lift over and over again until one third of the men had been unable to continue. The round after that had been merciless. The men had been forced to pick one of three flagpoles to climb. All of them had been greased and the goal was to retrieve the flag at the top. Any man who fell into the mud pit at the bottom more than three times was disqualified from continuing. Even Laz had fallen in once and Gigi wasn't sure whether she'd wanted to laugh or cry over it!

The fourth event was the current one and only a dozen men were left. This time, it was a test of courage and determination. The men all had to carry buckets of water over their shoulders while they walked across a long pit of hot coals. Some had walked slowly, taking in the pain with each step before continuing. Others had run. So far, only six had managed to reach the end with water still in their buckets, two had jumped out rather than continue, and one had made it to the end after spilling almost everything. The current participant was faltering more with each step, but he had a look on his face that said he wanted to see it through to the end.

"Ganbatte!" Laz cheered from the shriveled ranks of men who'd passed. Seeing him around the other participants made her pause and tug on Danny's sleeve to point it out. She'd been watching him the whole time, but it was the first time that she'd really stopped to look at him.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked.

"Look at him," she murmured, pointing in Laz's direction.

"What about him?" He asked in a complete lack of comprehension.

"No," she said in exasperation while she tried to find a way to explain what she was feeling. "I mean, really look at him. Don't you think that he fits in a little too well?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Danny inquired in confusion.

"I don't know," she mumbled. "It just hit me that Laz really isn't from around here. He always fits in so well with us that it feels like he should be sticking out like a sore thumb over there. He's not, though."

"I see," he replied with a worried look. It was the same looks that crossed everyone else's face as they watched Laz cheer in his native language, in an outfit that was part of his native culture, during an event that was highly influenced by his native country. They watched and they saw a Laz that they'd never seen before.

"Hey," Veronica whispered hesitantly. "You don't think that Laz wants to go back to Japan. Do you?"

Gigi clenched her teeth, wishing that someone would speak up and answer the question since she couldn't.

"I don't feel well," Leo murmured with a pained look on her face. "I think that I'm going to head back."

"Me, too," Eric agreed softly. "Laz didn't want us to come anyway."

* * *

Autumn felt strange while she watched Laz prepare for the final challenge. Only eight men had made it through and Laz was one of them. He'd been brilliant. It was as if she was seeing him in his element for the first time. He'd made it through every challenge so easily. She wasn't the only one to notice, either. Rachael and Poppet both had growing looks of consideration on their faces. It was almost as if Autumn was seeing them fall in love while she tried to keep herself from doing the same. This Laz... This Lazarus in front of her wasn't the Lazarus that she knew. It was the second time that she'd thought that and it felt even more potent this time.

She made fun of the first round when Laz had acted so childish about it. He'd acted like he was crossing swords with his opponent due to his enthusiasm and over-exaggerated gesturing. It wasn't until she'd noticed how many people were cheering for Laz, though, that she'd started to seriously pay attention to everyone else. Laz wasn't the only one who'd acted like that. The bulk of the crowd had taken to the rock-paper-scissors game like it really was a sword match. Laz had been cheered on like a warrior while the loser had gotten murmurs of consolation.

After that had been the weight lifting. Laz had once more been triumphant. The set look of determination while he tried to get the top score for the round had been a sight to see. She'd seen him put his mind to things before, but this was different. She'd planned to tease him afterward when he'd first stepped up to the weighted barrels that they had to pick up. By the time that he finished, however, she couldn't say a word. To have his effort in view and to see the sweat on his back while the crowd shouted encouragements was something that she didn't know how to respond to. Because of that, she'd just continued to watch in silence.

When he'd fallen into the mud-pit during the round after that, she hadn't been able to laugh. How could she possibly think of laughing when he picked himself up with such an air of dignity and tried again? She'd honestly felt like crying at that point. How often had she made fun of Laz? How many times had she scoffed at his accomplishments and belittled his achievements? She'd mocked him and she'd never once shown any pride in knowing him. She'd never shown any faith in him, even when he had been trying so hard. She hadn't even been able to wish him luck properly. It made her feel as if she didn't deserve to be his friend.

When she saw the obstacle course that made up the final round, she couldn't watch any further. She ducked behind one of the festival stalls and went running with nothing more in mind other than to get back to a world where she didn't feel like such a failure. She ran and she stopped, unexpectedly finding that she wasn't the only one who had stopped watching the events. Darting between two stalls, she panted from her run and tried to make sense of what she'd almost ran into. Why wasn't Xanxus watching Laz? Who was the white-haired babe that he was talking to? Could it be...? No, it was impossible. But what if...

Was Xanxus fighting with a former lover?

* * *

"So help me," Xanxus growled. "If you don't leave now, I'll blow your damned brains out. I said that it was over and I meant it."

"What's gotten into you, Boss?!" Squalo shouted. "You've got it all back! No one can match your rage and your pride! You're the one that is destined to lead Vongola, not that puny little brat! We can still do it! Once you're the Boss, we can rewrite history! You're the one with the double-X in your name! You were meant to be the Ten--"

"SHUT UP!" Xanxus roared. "You fucking idiot! It's too late for that shit! Get a fucking clue already! I'm not the Ninth's son! There's not a drop of Vongola blood in me! No matter how strong I am, none of it matters! Leadership has already passed to the Eleventh! My name has no meaning anymore!"

"It's not over--"

"Yes, it is!" Xanxus exclaimed, pulling at his hair to keep himself from wringing the hitman's neck. "Give it up, Squalo! It was over a long time ago and I'm out now! I'm not even part of the fucking Family anymore! I don't give a damn about chasing after that bullshit when it's never going to happen! Going any further is just a waste of effort and--"

"It's not a waste!" Squalo snarled with a look of desperation on his face. "We failed you last time, but we're prepared to see it through this time, Boss! The Varia--"

"I'm not your god damned Boss!" Xanxus roared with his hands lighting up with his anger. "If you think it's worth the fucking effort, then you go do it, you piece of shit! Just get the fuck out of here!"

"I'm taking that as an order," the swordsman grinned with a relentlessness that wouldn't be destroyed. "The next time you see me, I'll have Vongola's throne waiting on you."

"No!" Xanxus shouted. It was too late, though. Squalo was gone as if he'd never come. Xanxus pulled out his X-Guns with the intention to chase after him, but stopped himself from actually firing. What was the fucking point? Squalo was the biggest fool in the world. Not only had he sworn loyalty to Xanxus to begin with, but he wasn't admitting defeat. The fact made Xanxus want to look in the mirror and wonder what the fuck happened to himself. Why wasn't he jumping at the chance to raise hell and take power? Did he actually _like _the position that he was in?

"Um... Xanxus...?" Autumn murmured as she stepped out from behind one of the stalls. "Are you alright?"

"It's none of your fucking business," he snapped. "Why the hell are you--"

"Stop doing that, dumbass!" She suddenly yelled. The insult made him freeze in place and stare. Had she just called him what he thought that she'd called him? Was the woman asking to be shot? "Why is Laz the only person that can be your friend?!" She continued with a red face. "I wasn't meaning to listen, but can't you tell that I'm worried about you?! I--" Autumn broke off as he started to loudly laugh. He couldn't help it. The only person stupid enough to worry about him was... Tsuna... and Ginger... and rare few members of the Family who weren't scared of him... and now Autumn.

"Sorry," he mumbled hesitantly as his laughter died off. He didn't get why, but laughing at her didn't feel right anymore. She looked confused over the sudden apology, but Xanxus decided to leave it at that. He wasn't quite sure what he'd even been laughing at. She was rash and pigheaded at times, thinking that she was capable of fixing everything with just a little determination. She didn't have the power to succeed that way, but she was still trying. She was still blundering her way through as if passionate words were enough to save everyone and everything around her. She...

She was just like Tsuna.

"X-Xanxus...?"

"Don't tell Laz about this," he ordered softly while he holstered his weapons. "Squalo is a fool. He probably thinks that I'm testing him, so he shouldn't be back. He... He can't accept that I'm a different person than I was fifteen years ago. He can't understand that I failed to make his dreams come true. He thinks that if he just keeps going, his hard work will pay off and--"

"What was your dream?" Autumn asked carefully as she walked forward to close the space between them.

"To be my father's son," he answered. He had no clue about why he was talking. His mouth just wouldn't stay shut for once. Why was he telling her this? He hadn't even told Tsuna, although Tsuna had probably known since the Ring Battles. Back then, he'd been so torn up inside about everything. Feelings weren't enough in the face of bloodlines and he'd been incapable of showing that his strength was better than the gap separating him from the position of heir. He could still remember how lost he'd felt when Tsuna had proven to own both the bloodline and the strength, but Tsuna had also been the one to help him move past that. By putting his strength into Tsuna, it'd been as if he'd successfully succeeded the Ninth. It'd been as if he'd vindicated his mother's insanity.

"You must have loved him a lot," Autumn murmured gently, making Xanxus' head snap up in surprise. He clenched his teeth at the set of eyes that were gazing at him. It was those damn eyes again. They eyes of his father. The eyes of Tsuna. The caring eyes of a person who had a heart that could feel other's pain. He couldn't lie in the face of those eyes.

"Ah," he confirmed softly. "Almost as much as I hated him."

"I'd like to hear more if you don't mind talking to me," Autumn said hesitantly. "Or, if you don't want to talk about that, you can tell me about Laz. You said that he left home before he was an adult...?"

* * *

Tsuna sat alone in Chinatown's bathhouse and stared at the small bell in his hands. He'd never felt so alone in his life. During the last challenge, no one had been there. Gigi and the gang had left, probably due to how he'd told them not to come. Autumn and the girls had disappeared, probably in boredom. Not even Xanxus had been around to see him win. The first rounds had been nice when he'd realized that they'd been watching. They'd been cheering for him and he'd found the strength to get over his embarrassment because he'd wanted them to be proud of him. They'd all looked like they'd been having fun and it'd made him happy.

So why was he crying now?

Diving under the water, he clenched his teeth shut and let the tears disappear into the water until he couldn't hold his breath any longer. When he finally surfaced, it was with the determination that it didn't matter. He hadn't come to have fun or to win the contest for himself. He hadn't come to prove himself in front of the people he cared about. He'd just come to get the stupid bell like Xanxus wanted. He had it, so now he could go home as soon as he finished accepting the other pieces of the grand prize. So what if no one had seen him beat everyone across the obstacle? So what if the only people who'd seen him knock down a five hundred pound, muscle-bound glassmaker were people who were easily impressed? So what if everyone had went to cheer up their loved ones and had praised them for their effort while he'd just waited alone on the top of the tower for the crowd to clear? He was a grown man. He didn't need anyone to praise him. He was just fine with meeting his goals!

Putting on his poker face, he made sure that the last traces of his tears were gone before standing. It didn't take him long to dry off, after which he stepped into the dressing room that he'd been shown in order to see the kimono that had been presented to him. It really was a beautiful thing. Made of a dark blue silk, a pattern of white clouds embellished the surface as if a calligrapher had individually drawn them on. The design had made him stop to gape at first since he'd expected a formal gi instead. It hadn't been until Erin explained that he'd understood. He'd already known that Chinatown wasn't made up of only Chinese. What he hadn't know was, while the bulk of the festivals were corresponding to Chinese formats, the founding day festival had always been the one set apart for the Japanese community in the area. Likewise, some of the festivals were set apart for Korean inclusion and others were Vietnamese. It was one of the small ways that the community was sharing to ensure that everyone got a taste of home.

Home, he mused while his hands wrapped the kimono from memory. The one place that he could never go back to. He still had them in his wallet. They were folded flat and tucked underneath his motorcycle license. They were the two tickets that he'd gotten for his anniversary and the two tickets that had been meant for Snicker and he to travel to Japan with. They weren't any good anymore, but they were still a reminder. They were a reminder of the foremost reason that he could never return to Japan.

_This _was his home now. This was where he'd fallen in love and he'd spent time with the most important person in his life. Rather than torture himself by looking at the sights in Japan while saying 'I wish Snicker could have seen this', he wanted to stay in the places where he could look around to say 'Snicker loved that place'. He knew that the day would come where the Dragons would need to fly on their own and he'd have to leave. Even so, he felt that his heart would always stay in this city.

"Laz...?" Erin called from the other side of the curtained door. "Do you need help? If you don't know how to wrap it--"

"I'm fine," he called while he started tying his sash in place. "I haven't been away from Japan for that long."

"You used to live in Japan?" He asked curiously.

"I was born there," he replied.

"Heh," Erin mumbled in surprise. "I couldn't tell. Your English is perfect. I thought maybe your parents or grandparents were the ones to immigrate."

_You have me to thank for the English skills_, Maro commented. Tsuna cracked a smile at the grumbling tone. Maro was just as unhappy about being ignored in their moment of triumph as Tsuna was. They were just unlucky like that, though. It was a gift, although not a good one.

"All done," Tsuna sighed, cramming his feet into the sandals that had been provided. The kimono was slightly too big for him, but it was a close enough fit to be comfortable. He probably looked a little shabby, but it couldn't be helped since the other competitors had more muscle mass than he did. The length was right, but--

"Wow," Erin gaped, stopping after merely pushing the curtain back. Tsuna bit his lip in worry, wondering if maybe he'd tied something wrong after all. "Now I don't know which fits you better. The fundoshi or this."

"Don't joke," Tsuna growled with a smile tugging at his lips despite his tone. "Of course this one is better. A body is just a box while clothes are the wrapping that creates anticipation for the gifts inside. I'll take ribbons over twine any day."

"Yes, oh wise sage," Erin laughed mockingly. "Well, if you're done wrapping yourself, then get your box out of here. Walk around for a little while so that people can admire Nguyen's handiwork and people can congratulate you. After that, you're free to do whatever you want, although I'm going to warn you that everyone is curious about who you're planning to give the bell to."

"No one special," he replied while he absently picked at the sleeves of his kimono. There was no reason to be embarrassed, he reminded himself. He wasn't a kid. If he just confronted the issue head-on, he wouldn't be teased about it since his reaction wouldn't be amusing to others. "If I had a choice about who to give it to, it'd be a lot different. As it is, I lost a bet to Xanxus and the bell is his winnings. I tried to talk him into something else, but he's an idiot."

"If you're looking for him, I saw him over by the shaved ice on my way here," Erin offered.

"Ah, he confirmed sullenly. "I might as well get this over with."

* * *

Autumn was happy. She was incredibly happy. She'd finally figured out what to say to get Xanxus' undivided attention. She just had to talk about Laz. While it was somewhat irritating, she found the hungry look in his eyes to be something that she wanted to see more of. So she fed him all the stories that she could think of while inserting information about herself. It worked far better than she could have hoped for.

"...The next morning, Laz was passed out drunk in the hallway," she laughed. "He was a complete mess. You should have seen him. He had a pair of panties on his head and his shirt was hanging off of his pants. It looked like he had a fight with a stripper and came out the loser. Then the girls all decided to make it worse. When Laz finally woke up, he had _twenty _pairs of panties on him. I wish I would have had a camera so that I could have taken pictures of his face. You would have laughed for hours."

"I can't imagine him doing shit like that," Xanxus said with a wide grin. Autumn smiled back as they stopped at another stall. She wasn't really interested in the festival wares, but she needed the breaks to think up new topics. Xanxus didn't talk very much. He responded to show that he was listening, but giving information wasn't his strong suit. "How did you two first meet?" She asked while she pretended to play a silly fish-scooping game.

"I tried to kill him," he answered bluntly. She choked and gaped up at him for the answer. He didn't seem willing to add anything, but it made her stop and wonder. First, it made her wonder why she'd even asked the question. She knew how they'd met. Xanxus had bought him at Kink's. Second, she wondered about his answer. It was obvious that he really thought that Laz was Tsuna. Actually, she was the only one who couldn't seem to believe it. She'd avoided the topic like the plague since her father had berated her so badly over it. Was she really the one who was wrong? Xanxus would know the real Tsuna better than anyone. If he believed that Laz was the real thing, then how could her opinions possibly be correct?

It left her confused. Was it the reason that she kept feeling like she didn't recognize Laz lately? In the past few months, she'd barely seen him. When she had, he'd been like a completely different person. He was more mature now than she'd ever seen him. Rather than an incapable, doltish vibe, Laz gave off the feeling of reliability and responsibility. When they happened to go to the same parties, he seemed to be both charming and sensible. It was getting harder and harder to find things to tease him about. It was nearly impossible to find anything flippant to say about him. The last time that she'd tried, those around her had given her looks like she was off her rocker.

"You're falling for him," Xanxus stated softly.

"What?!" Autumn spluttered. Dropping the scoop into the water, she jumped to her feet as if she'd been insulted. "Who are you talking about? That's preposterous! I could never--"

"You're lying to yourself," Xanxus interrupted with a tired look in his eyes while Autumn merely gaped in awe of the insanity. "I've never seen a woman as screwed up as you are. Why can't you fall for him?"

"Be-Because he... he... ah..." Autumn's mind went completely blank while she tried to pull up some insult. All of the ones that surfaced weren't things that fit with the current Laz, though. They fit a man of three years past. All except one. "He's a playboy!" She exclaimed with a feeling that she was grasping at straws.

"Only because you wouldn't have him," he replied, instantly crushing the excuse in a single blow. "Open your eyes, woman. You know nothing about me and you determined that you were in love. The truth is that you're in love with Laz and you're too stupid to accept it. Instead of facing reality and admitting that Laz has good qualities, you threw everything that you liked about him onto me. If you don't get your shit straight soon, you're going to end up married to the wrong guy."

"Wha--?" She gasped with her stomach twisting in shock.

"Part of him is mine," he murmured. "I won't hand that over to anyone, so getting rid of me isn't in your power. But, the part of him that's dominant isn't someone that will accept me. We've gotten closer, but he still keeps me at a distance. No matter how much he lies to himself, he's still waiting on you to turn around and look at him. I can support him all I want, but you're the only one who can heal him right now. Are you really planning to let your pride hold you back until your wedding day?"

"I don't understand," she replied with her jaw still hanging open. "You told me to stay away from him. I thought you hated me."

"I do," he snapped in frustration. "You're childish, spoiled, and naive. You've been hurting Laz for years without giving a damn. I'd prefer if Laz found someone else to be infatuated with, but he's locked in on you. I'm changing strategies in dealing with it. If I can't break his attachment to you, then I'll just have to get him what he wants. If your small mind can't deal with that, then try this instead. You're never going to get me unless you accept Laz. We're a package deal."

"Eh?"

"Hmph," Xanxus scoffed mischievously. "I'm asking if your greed is as strong as mine. It's not like you're unattractive. If you really think you can handle a guy like me, then I'd be willing to give you what you want if you--" Xanxus abruptly broke off and Autumn yelped when his hand darted up to catch something aimed for his head. She didn't get to see anything more than a ball of silver before her attention flashed to the culprit. Upon seeing Lazarus dressed in a dark blue kimono, Autumn felt her heart clench in her chest.

This couldn't be good.

"We're even, Xanxus," he said in a toneless voice. "You can get it yourself next time. I'm going home."

"Wait--!" Xanxus said with a shocked expression. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," he answered with a scowl. "Maro is pissed at you, but it doesn't surprise me. It just tells me that I was right not to get too tangled up with you. You're egotistical, selfish, and a complete jerk. If I had any choice, I wouldn't have anything to do with you."

"It's not what you think," Autumn interjected.

"Let me explain," Xanxus gasped, stepping forward with the intent to keep Laz from leaving. Laz saw the intent at the same time that Autumn did. His response was far more surprising than she expected.

"BAKA!" He shouted with a suddenly red face. Autumn didn't know what the word meant, but it made Xanxus freeze long enough that Laz was able to dart into the crowd before he could be stopped. The body language said it all, though. Laz was beyond upset. He was trying to act like he didn't care, but he did. She didn't think that it was just because she'd been talking with Xanxus. It probably had more to do with the fact that Xanxus had been with her during the final round instead of hovering over him.

"Go after him," she prodded when Xanxus continued to stand in place like his legs had stopped working. At her words, he looked down at her with a completely flabbergasted expression. It made her want to smack him. He was closer to Laz than he thought, although she understood his point of view. His Tsuna was probably one to throw himself at people where Laz was far more cautious after having lost Snicker. Half the time, no one knew whether he considered them to be a friend or not. For someone trying to take the position of lover, the task had to be daunting and Laz's latest reaction had to be mind-boggling. "I'll think about what you said, but it's no good if Laz hates both of us. Go patch things up with him and we'll talk again later."

"Right," he replied with his expression hardening with determination.

* * *

Tsuna bit his lip while the taxi driver continued to drive randomly around town like ordered. By now, thanks to the breeze that was picking up, his scent should be scattered all over the place. Following him wasn't going to be easy, even for someone like Xanxus. He didn't want to even look at Xanxus at the moment. There was a confusion of jealousy, disappointment and anger inside him that he couldn't begin to sort out. His phone was already ringing non-stop, but he refused to answer. He couldn't speak to either of them until he understood why seeing them together had been so upsetting.

Was it because he'd given up on Autumn but now he wondered whether he'd been tricked into it? Or was it because Xanxus had been looking at her when he should have been at the last event? Who said that Xanxus was supposed to be there anyway? He'd never made any promises, so it shouldn't hurt like this. Autumn was engaged to another man, so why had he jumped to conclusions to begin with? He wasn't dating either of them, so he had no reason to be jealous. That didn't change the fact that he was jealous, though. He was jealous of Xanxus' ability to get Autumn's attention and he was jealous of how easily Autumn had captured Xanxus'. The whole thing made him suddenly feel like a third wheel and he hated that feeling.

He also hated the one moment that he'd stopped to mentally note how well they looked together. Despite the few years that she'd dipped her toes into the gutters of the city, Autumn was a high-class woman of wealth. She was quickly being refined into an elegant but deadly woman who could lead a Mafia Family. Despite his predilection to shoot first, Xanxus had been raised in the same type of world. He was quickly learning how to discern when and where the best places to unleash his attitude were. They were both strong-willed people with unique outlooks and strengths. From what Tsuna had learned about Xanxus, the man had always desired the power and leadership of being a Boss. Autumn could give him that. From what Tsuna knew of Autumn, she'd always wanted a reliable man who wasn't afraid of her strong side. Xanxus feared nothing.

They were made for each other. He couldn't compete against either of them in looks or personality. He was just the scraggly, poor street tramp where Autumn was a pampered lady and Xanxus was the high-bred guard dog. Dreaming of entering their world was nothing more than that. It was a dream that couldn't become reality no matter how much he wished for it. He felt like he'd closed the distance with money and power, but there were many things that money couldn't buy. In this case, money couldn't buy him a new past. It couldn't make him into the stable person that Autumn wanted. It couldn't make him into a complete half-blood so that he could stand beside Xanxus with equal strength. All his money did was to hide his failures and even that was imperfect.

"Are you sure that there's not anywhere you want to go?" The taxi driver asked curiously.

"No," Tsuna answered softly. "Just keep driving for now." Biting his lip in frustration, he knew that he couldn't stay in the cab forever. Nowhere appealed to him, though. His friends at the Dojo didn't know that they'd hurt him by leaving and it was his own fault on that account. He shouldn't have told them not to come. Even so, he didn't want to face them until he could do it with a smile. Going home was out of the question since Xanxus would probably be there. He could go to a club, but the idea wasn't very appealing. Neither was the thought of sleeping alone at the office again. He didn't want to be found, but he didn't want to be alone.

There was only one person that he could think of to call.

* * *

"X-Xanxus...?" Veronica gaped, staring into a set of bloodshot eyes. He looked like he hadn't sleep in weeks, even though he'd looked perfectly fine at the festival. Something had happened and her lucky guess decided that the empty bed had something to do with it. "Where's Laz?"

"Don't know," he growled. "He hasn't come back yet." Pulling at his hair, he went back to pacing in front of the apartment's line of windows while constantly typing in text messages onto his phone.

"Did you two have a fight...?" She asked hesitantly. Following her normal routine, she set to laying out his breakfast and decided to store Laz's portion in the refrigerator. There was no sense in leaving it out when it'd just go bad if Laz didn't return.

"Hell if I know," he snarled. "He's been homesick and hiding it, so I made him join the festival yesterday to fix it. Something came up and I missed the last event, but I thought it was fine since everyone from the Dojo was there. From what Gigi said when I called her, they left early. I let Laz down by leaving, but I didn't fucking know that he was alone! If I had, I would have went straight back instead of doing what I fucking did. His attitude toward me doesn't want to get off of 'brother', so I was trying to get rid of the bullshit that's been holding him back. I was negotiating with that bitch Autumn that he's hung up on to see if she could let him have his fucking fling, but he saw us and misunderstood. He probably thinks that I wanted the fucking bell to give to that bitch when it was two separate matters. The opening was just there and I took it, but the timing was off and now his ass won't PICK UP THE FUCKING PHONE!"

Veronica yelped when the cell phone in Xanxus' hands went flying across the room to shatter against the wall. Her eyes went wide at the rage on Xanxus' face. He was so angry that his face was breaking out with discolored splotches! She'd never seen him so mad. He looked ready to explode, which told her that a hasty exit was in order.

* * *

"You're really good at that," Hannah commented as he sipped at his coffee. Calling him Michael Henderson would be more appropriate at the moment since he was dressed for his job as Principal of Leo and Charlie's old high school, but Tsuna knew him best as the drag queen from Kink's who couldn't decide if he was straight or gay. Going to him was the only thing that he could think of. Hannah would have never turned him away and it was the last place that anyone would look for him.

"It's the least that I can do for letting me use your couch on such short notice," he smiled as he flipped the eggs a second time in the skillet that he'd borrowed. It felt like it'd been ages since he'd cooked his own breakfast, but he still remembered how. It actually felt very nice to cook for someone else again. He hadn't had to touch a spatula since Cassandra had moved in and Veronica took care of all of his meals at Xanxus' place. There was a certain relaxing quality to making hot food. When it was eaten, there was satisfaction gained from knowing that he'd filled someone's belly with something delicious. He could feel Maro watching in happiness in the back of his head, telling him that his other half understood the small pleasure. It was probably along the same reasons that he baked. "I used to do this for Snicker when we had the money for groceries," he explained with a soft smile. "No matter how bad it came out, he'd always eat all of it. I got better at it since watching him eat half-cooked eggs and burnt bacon with a smile wasn't as satisfying as seeing him eat something that was made as well as he deserved."

"It sounds nice," he murmured while Tsuna scrapped the eggs onto a plate. The bacon came next and Tsuna took his time in ensuring that the greasy slices were laid flat on a paper towel to dry. "You must miss him a lot."

"I do," he nodded with a small flinch. "It doesn't hurt as much as it used to, but I still sometimes think that he'd still be here if I'd done more."

"Is that why you haven't been dating?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Eh?" Tsuna choked, instantly getting the image of Xanxus and Autumn in his head again. "Me?" He said with a faltering laugh. "Dating? Are you joking? Who'd go out with someone like me?"

"How can you even ask that question," he replied in amusement. "You're underestimating the people that you've been hooking up with. Any one of them would be interested in a serious relationship with you if you'd give them a chance. I'd have even asked by now if it weren't so obvious that you were only wanting one-night-stands. I might fool around at Kink's, but you know that I would have turned you down if you'd honestly flirted with me in the intent for us to sleep together. If you didn't know, you wouldn't have come over last night."

"T-True," he admitted hesitantly. "You've never seemed like the kind of guy to hop into bed with anyone that you meet. That's why you keep getting dumped and can't decide which way you want to swing. People want to rush their relationships with you too much."

"It's silly of me, but I've always refused to sleep with anyone in the first four months of a relationship," he agreed while Tsuna placed his plate of food in front of him. Walking around the kitchen island with his own plate, he sat down next to him in order to pick at his own portion. Hannah dug in without hesitation, making Tsuna smile to himself at the pleased face that he made. "This is wonderful," he groaned between bites. "I haven't had a home cooked breakfast since I moved out of my parents' house. What was I saying again?"

"Four months," Tsuna prompted while he slowly started to eat his own meal. It wasn't bad, but he could tell that it'd been a while since he'd cooked. The bacon was slightly too crispy and the eggs were a little too dry. They were minor mistakes, though, and only noticeable to him.

"Ah, that's right," he nodded. "I don't like to jump into things, which has been both good and bad. On the other hand, you don't seem like you're willing to try for a relationship at all. Snicker's been gone for a while now, Laz. You've got to let go at some point."

"It's not that I don't want to," he murmured. "I've thought about taking a few people out on dates, but it just feels like I'd be leading them on. When you get down to it, I don't really have anything to offer in a real relationship. My life is too unstable and I've got a shady reputation that would only cause them problems. It's just not worth it when we'd both only end up hurt in the end."

"Is that what happened last night?" Hannah asked gently.

"W-Why do you say that?" He countered with his eyes staying locked on his plate.

"You're here for one," he replied logically. "You also looked like you'd lost your best friend when you showed up. You weren't very talkative, but I could tell that something happened. Did you have a fight with your roommate?" Tsuna grimaced at the accuracy of the guess, but he refused to comment. "If you don't want to talk about it, then it's okay," Hannah sighed around the last bite of his breakfast. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, but I think that you'll be happier if you don't run away from the problem. With that said, I need to go," he added as he got to his feet and snatched up his briefcase. "I've got a school full of students that love to cause trouble when I'm not around."

"Oh," Tsuna said, jumping to his feet in realization of the time. "Just let me grab my things and--"

"Take your time," he smiled. "I'm not seeing anyone right now and I consider you a friend, so there's no reason for you to rush. Just think of it as payback for all the times you helped me out after I got dumped."

"But I didn't--"

"Your lips have always cheered me up," he grinned mischievously. "If this place gives you any comfort, my door is always open."

* * *

Tsuna stood outside the door to his and Xanxus' apartment, wondering why he was hesitating. He needed a shower and to change out of his kimono so that he could go into work. He had a perfectly legitimate reason to be there, but Hannah's words continued to echo in his head. Had he really just run away? Why did he feel the urge to do it again? What was he running from? Xanxus was his partner. He should be happy that he'd found a girl. Even if that girl was Autumn, he had to be happy for them. They were both people that he cared about. It was selfish to think that he was the only one looking for happiness.

With that in mind, he summoned his courage and walked through the door. He nearly fell over in relief when he saw that no one was home. At least, he thought that no one was home until he shut the door and noticed Xanxus' feet hanging off the end of the couch. It was rare to see him sleep. Actually, when Tsuna thought about it, he'd only seen Xanxus asleep on two occasions. He was usually already up when Tsuna got up and he didn't go to bed until long after Tsuna did. Tsuna envied him on that. If he wanted to go without sleep, he had to drink more blood to compensate.

Creeping over to the wardrobe in the hopes of getting changed without waking Xanxus, he pulled out a prepared suit and turned to head for the bathroom. Then he stopped, staring straight into the face of the last person he'd wanted to talk to. His mind went blank at the unreadable expression on Xanxus' face. Tsuna couldn't tell if he was a little angry, sad, really angry, happy, fucking pissed or repentant, but he did decide that there was a fifty percent chance that Xanxus was mad. The question was what part he was mad about.

"I-I'm back," he mumbled hesitantly. "I... um... I'm sorry... ah... about running off last night. You... Um... You're not an idiot. I... ah... I shouldn't have called you that. I-I was just upset... ah... I was upset because everyone left. It... um... it wasn't a-anything against you personally. I mean... Shit," he cursed, clenching the suit in his hands in frustration. That wasn't what he wanted to say. Why wasn't it coming out right? He couldn't even look Xanxus in the eyes anymore. When had he turned into such a coward? "I hope that everything works out with you and Autumn," he finally blurted. "I-I mean... I... I was a little shocked last night, but that doesn't excuse how I acted. If you and... and Autumn are happy together, then I'm happy for you. It... It can't be easy for... um... for you to wait on Maro all the time and... um... ah..."

"Are you finished?" Xanxus growled when Tsuna trailed off without a single idea of what to add.

"Y-Yeah," he whispered.

"Good," he snapped. Tsuna blinked and finally looked up when Xanxus snatched his suit out of his hands. It went flying over his shoulder, after which he advanced so quickly that Tsuna didn't have time to take a single step backward. Before he realized what was going on, one of Xanxus' arms was around his waist to hold him in place while the other was at the base of his neck to keep him from pulling away from the kiss that landed far too easily for Tsuna's comfort. It was a kiss that he found himself returning before he could stop himself.

"WAIT!" He yelped, breaking away with a gasp. "If you want Maro--"

"I don't," he interrupted. Tsuna froze, staring up at him with his eyes dilating in shock. He liked Autumn that much? Then why the kiss...?!

"I'm confused," he stated bluntly.

"Very," Xanxus agreed with a crooked grin. "I don't know what idiotic ideas you have running through your head, but I'm not interested in the Martelli bitch."

"But last night--"

"Just shut up and let me finish," he growled, silently Tsuna merely by the force of his glare coupled with the force of his grip. "You're the only one I give a damn about. I'm a greedy fucking bastard and just getting part of you only part of the time isn't fucking cutting it. My patience has run out. If getting you together with that Martelli bitch is the only way to get her out of your system, then I'll figure out some way to get her for you. If it works out, then fine. I'll back off. If it doesn't, then you've got to give me a fair chance. This bullshit--"

"But Maro--" Tsuna gasped while his head started spinning.

"What about him?" Xanxus snapped with another fierce expression on his face. "He's the only part of you that's accepted me, damnit! We're not talking about him right now! I'm talking about you and me! Last night didn't work out like I planned, but I'm not settling for this half-assed partner bullshit anymore. Tell me what I have to do and I'll fucking do it! Just stop acting like I'm fucking disposable!"

"Eh?"

_You've been hurting him with your rejections, Laz, _Maro explained quietly while Xanxus clenched his teeth in frustration. _He's been able to hold himself back since you let me out, but Xanxus is a lot more fragile than he seems. He's always pushed people away to keep himself from being hurt, but we... we as in Tsuna... was the one person that broke through to get close to him. I knew it before, but I was hoping that we could manage without bothering you. I hold all of our memories together and I hold our love for Xanxus, but you hold the keys to Xanxus' heart. It's just as I seem to hold the keys to Miss Martelli's._

"W-What?" Tsuna gaped, feeling himself grow dizzy at the information.

_I could care less about her, _he murmured. _When you pull on my experience or act in the manner that I've been teaching you, she has been looking your way. I've been able to see it where you've been a little blinded. You love her, but I hold the keys to making her love you in return. In return, I love Xanxus, but you have the power and perseverance that made him love me when we were whole. Xanxus... Xanxus is in love with you, Laz. When we've been together, he thinks of me as being whole. He's finally realized that I'm not enough to make him happy._

"T-Then what was yesterday?" He asked, unable to get all the facts to line up in his head. "I thought the festival--"

"I was just trying to make you smile," Xanxus whispered with the pain deepening in his eyes. "It was meant to put you in a good mood so that I could talk to you about this. I know that I screwed up by missing the finale, but I didn't have a choice. Something came up that couldn't wait and then the Martelli bitch gave me an opening. I didn't know that the others had left you. I just thought that you'd smile even more if I could hand the bitch over to you with a bow on her fucking head."

"Y-You were trying to hook me up with Autumn...?" He gaped as the confusion worsened. "I don't underst--"

_I understand now, _Maro chuckled_. Xanxus doesn't mind sharing as long as he feels like he's in control. He's only got a problem with two things. Rivals and holding himself back. Autumn doesn't threaten him, so she's nowhere near being a rival. If he can get you what you've been wanting, then the chances go up that you'll accept him. Xanxus has been holding back to keep you from being scared off. If he makes a cozy little three-way pairing between all of you, the reason to hold back disappears and the sacrifice on his part is negligible in his eyes. _

"T-Three?!" Tsuna yelped with his face lighting up.

_If you count me separately, it'd be four, _he laughed mercilessly_. It doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. Everyone gets what makes them happy. Even me since I can feel what you feel when I want to. Quit blushing. I've closed my eyes while you did worse than a guy and a girl at the same time. I'll never look at male prostitutes or college sororities the same way because of you. _

"I was drunk," Tsuna growled. His face lit up even more at the reminder, though, while Xanxus looked at him in curiosity for the conversation. _That _incident wasn't something that Tsuna wanted to verbally mention, though. Drinking a single beer after having had a two-week dry spell of Lynx-fodder was something that he'd be far more careful of in the future. He still gave thanks for condoms and sterility after that one. Especially when he woke up to find that he'd been crowned the king of the college campus without needing to take a single class.

Pushing the images out of his mind, he turned his attention back to the topic at hand. Now that he understood what was going on, he had to admit that it was tempting. It wasn't the relationship that he wanted with Autumn, but it gave him the same hope that Xanxus was probably grasping at. It was an opening where a real relationship could form. Was he capable of accepting it, though? He's had a short-term pairing with Snicker and Summer, but that had been before he'd known exactly how wonderful it could be to share the one he loved with no one.

Why was he even considering it, he snapped to himself. He'd given up on Autumn! He had his work and Xanxus was around for companionship. He could get laid by anyone, so all of his needs were met. There was a saying that one shouldn't rock the boat, so why was Xanxus rocking it like this?! Was he that dissatisfied with their friendship?!

Xanxus' expression said yes. He needed more than Tsuna was giving him. He'd never shown a moment of unhappiness with their silent agreements, but he was showing it now. All of his card had been thrown onto the table in a risky gamble to win everything or lose everything. All that was left was for him to see which way Tsuna was going to roll.

"Geez," Tsuna grumbled, unable to ignore how hard Xanxus was trying on his behalf. He had no clue how he really felt about all of it, but one thing was clear in his mind. His partner needed more from him. Considering how the man had willingly played along while Tsuna went through his past few cycles, it would be unfair to not give Xanxus what he needed in return. Especially when Xanxus was going out of his way to make it into a situation that would have benefit to Tsuna, as well. "Alright," he growled. "As long as it's fine with Maro and since I can't say that I'd refuse Autumn, I'll give it a shot. I'm not promising anything, but--"

Xanxus didn't let him get out another coherent word. His lips covered Tsuna's once more and drowned out every attempt to finish his sentence. The feeling of being dominated wasn't one that Tsuna like, however. It made him respond without any conscious decision. It was programmed into him to not allow anyone to get control of him, especially when it came to kissing. He made people melt. Not the other way, damnit! Second by painful second, he fought back until he slowly won the battle, but he knew as soon as Xanxus pulled back for air that he'd lost the war. Lynx was clawing at his body, increasing his urges and his senses to an uncontrollable level while Xanxus looked to be still in full control of himself. He was in control, but the kiss had destroyed the barriers.

There was no more holding back.

When Xanxus leaned in for another kiss, Tsuna couldn't consider stopping him. His pulse was too high and his brain wasn't keeping up. Thoughts were pushed completely aside while an urgent need from Lynx and a sense of anticipation from Maro took over his mental processes. It felt like Xanxus' lips were everywhere at once while he was inched toward the bed. They were on his lips and his neck. They were on his ear and his jaw. The sensory input was overwhelming. The moist breath on his skin. The scalding hot hands that were pulling at his sash and caressing his face. When he finally noticed how he was surrounded in Xanxus' scent, it started to become too much to handle. In such a short time, his body already felt like it was throbbing.

"Too fast," he managed to gasp out as the sash fell off and his kimono slid down his shoulders. The words seemed useless. Xanxus collided against him as they tumbled on the bed and Tsuna was sure that the frenzied pace would continue. All at once, Xanxus seemed to stop, though. Xanxus' arms stayed wrapped around him, but he fell to a complete standstill. Before Tsuna could get another word out, he started moving again at a slower rate.

"Don't say anything," he whispered as he started trailing kisses down Tsuna's chest. "I'm not good with words, so just let me show you."

"S-Show...?" He repeated with a tremble.

_Be quiet, Laz, _Maro ordered_. Xanxus says a lot when he doesn't have to talk. I already know, but it's about time that you got to see how much Xanxus loves us. You better not punk out if you want Autumn._


	90. Chapter 90 Game Over

Tsuna had a hard time keeping his face straight and Autumn looked like she was having just as difficult of a time. As far as first dates went, this had to be the most insane one that he'd ever had. Tsuna was still shocked that she'd really called and had shown curiosity in Xanxus' proposal. The date had been arranged so they could talk about it face-to-face to see whether or not they would actually be happy with this kind of arrangement. Autumn had the same hopes of an opening with Xanxus this way as Tsuna had with Autumn and Xanxus had with Tsuna. It was a messy triangle, but they were all dependant on one of the others to get their own happiness.

Then Tsuna had made a slip by mentioning that Xanxus had already jumped the gun. The next thing he'd known, he'd had a plate of curry on his head. One thing had led to another and they'd ended up in a food fight in the middle of the restaurant. Of course, they'd both been arrested for causing the chaos, but Autumn's anger had been gone by that point. Now, they were both simply trying not to laugh at the look of disbelief on Papa Paolo's face while Tsuna and Autumn stood in front of the police station with food still occasionally dripping off their clothes.

"A food fight," he stated with a frown. "No," he amended. "Before I get to that, the first thing I want to know is why you two were having dinner together."

"No reason," Tsuna replied while he tried to wipe the smile off of his face. "We just needed to talk."

"About...?" He prompted with his arms crossed.

"Private matters," Tsuna supplied with his smile dropping off in thought. "I wanted to know if Autumn was still planning on going through with the wedding, even though Vongola is no longer an issue."

"And the answer?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We didn't get that far," he murmured, glancing out of the corner of his eye at where Autumn was finally getting over her own amusement.

"I... I forgot about Theodore," she mumbled as if the question had been a slap in the face. Tsuna grimaced at the words. He'd hoped that she understood the full consequences of what Tsuna was asking of her, but it was obvious that she didn't. He didn't want to be just someone that she went to in order to get to Xanxus. He wanted to be in Theodore's shoes with Xanxus being a side attraction.

"How can you forget about him?" Papa Paolo snapped. "Your wedding is next month. You can't be fooling around like this. Lazarus might be one of your Knights, but you'll cause misunderstandings if you--"

"I'm not sure if I want to get married to Theodore, Daddy," Autumn whispered. Tsuna felt the hope swell in his chest at the words. She was actually considering it!

"Go home and get cleaned up," he ordered with a stone-like expression.

"But--"

"Now," he said in a tone that wouldn't be argued with. Tsuna shot a worried glance at her when she scurried to the street and jumped into the first available cab. As soon as she was gone, he found himself alone with a man who's expression was slowly revealing how angry he was. "Are you trying to destroy our Family, Laz?"

"What?" He gaped in shock for the question. "Of course not! I--"

"How long has this been going on?" He inquired with a dark glare.

"What do you m-mean? Nothing is--"

"Don't lie to me, son," he growled. "Since when have you had eyes on my daughter?"

"Since... Since I first saw her," he admitted in a whisper as he bowed his head. "She wouldn't give me the time of day before now, so I've tried to be satisfied with just friendship. It was easy when Snicker was around, but... But now, I have something to offer her. I might be just a bum in a suit, but I can make her happy now. I have everything that she wants, so--"

"Can you give her a child?" Papa Paolo interrupted gently. Tsuna looked up at the question, only to find a look of unsurpassed pity on the man's face. "Can you live in a house in the suburbs and give her a quiet place to return to? Does her mind rest easy when she's with you? Can you stand by her side and lead the Family with her?"

"N-No," he mumbled. "But Theodore can't either. She--"

"But Theodore can give her a legitimate child," he said softly. "He can give her a quiet place to rest and be worry-free. He might not be able to lead the Family, but he doesn't have the ambition that would cause him to get in her way. He can give her stability. You said for yourself that he was the best choice. Why are you letting your selfishness get in the way of what's best for her?"

"I--"

"Go home, son," Papa Paolo murmured. "If you want to repay your debt, then do everything in your power to ensure that she weds to the man that can give her a reliable future. If you do that, even you should be satisfied that it's been repaid."

* * *

What to do, Tsuna mused while he gazed out the apartment windows. He could see the entire street from his vantage point. It was the same vantage point that he'd had for three days now. He couldn't seem to get the energy to move. He thought about it a dozen times, but then Papa Paolo's words hit him again. When that happened, he curled back around one of the half-dozen pillows that Xanxus had thrown at him and ended up sleeping on the floor with a blanket draped around him. He'd never felt so pathetic in his life. He couldn't even cry since a part of him had been expecting it since the beginning. He'd been a fool to get his hopes up. The world didn't revolve around him and getting a 'happily ever after' was nearly impossible.

_I'm sorry, Laz, _Maro mumbled for the thirtieth time_. I forgot that she was engaged. I shouldn't have urged you on like I did._

"It's my fault," he replied for the thirtieth time. "I forgot my promise to you and my reasons for not going after her before this. I didn't think before I jumped. I lost sight of my goals."

_We were doing so well, too,_ Maro said in misery_. We made it all the way through Spring and Summer without slipping._

"Fall is synonymous with Autumn," he sighed unhappily. "I keep telling myself that I'm going to let go of my feelings for her, but I still end up clinging onto them. Xanxus was right to have me confront it. I've tried and I've failed. I just wish that it didn't hurt so much. At least when I didn't seriously pursue her, I had my illusions."

_Is that why you're sitting here, waiting on her to call?_

"She's not going to call," he murmured, pressing his head against the window to cool his head. "She was never interested in me to begin with. Every time that we get close to each other, we end up acting like kids. We can have fun together, but falling in love is impossible when she doesn't know what she wants. All I've done is confuse her. Even though I knew that her wedding is coming up, I tried to promise things that I can't give her. I can't make her happy, Maro. As soon as I reach my goals, I've promised my body to you. Why am I trying to make commitments that I can't keep?"

_It's normal to want a future, _he replied in sympathy_. I've lived beside you for a while now, Laz. If being with her was going to make you happy, I'd have figured out some way to alter our deal so that she was taken care of. You're part of me. If I ignored your needs, I'd be ignoring myself. _

"There's no reason to worry about it anymore," he sighed. "I'm the same as always. Alone and miserable."

_You still have Xanxus, _he murmured_. Haven't you enjoyed being with him at all?_

"It's not that I don't like him," he said, glancing toward the door to Cici's small workroom where Xanxus had been closeted with her for three days straight. "He just reminds me a lot of Snicker at times. If I let myself fall for him, it'd turn out all wrong. I'd end up doing for him all the things that I used to do for Snicker and I don't think that he'd be happy with that."

_What kind of things?_

"Cooking, for one," he answered. "I miss making meals for Snicker. I miss rubbing his shoulders after work and taking his boots off for him. Things like waking him up for work and cleaning up after him. I liked taking care of him. It made me feel like he needed me and Snicker liked it when I did things for him. I could hug on him or kiss him any time that I felt like it and he always gave me attention when I wanted it. I think Xanxus would hate seeing a grown man act like that around him. I think that I'd be setting myself up to be hurt if I tried to expect that out of him."

_Male or female, every person wants to be shown affection by the one they love. I think you're underestimating Xanxus if you think he wouldn't like those kinds of things. It's true that you'd be expecting too much if you wanted him to do the same kinds of things in return, but I doubt that he'd have problems with accepting your tokens of caring. You should try. Xanxus took big risks by trying to get you what you wanted. It might not have worked out, but there was a chance that Autumn would turn to you and he'd have nothing to keep you with him. If you don't believe me, then just look at how he's been sulking. He hasn't even talked to you since things went downhill with Autumn. He probably thinks that you don't want anything to do with him now._

"He does?" Tsuna gaped, staring at the door once more in disbelief. It wasn't possible. Was it? Xanxus wasn't the type of guy to sulk.

_Curious?_ Maro asked in amusement.

Tsuna nodded to himself and slowly stood. He had to see it. He was incredibly curious in what a sulking Xanxus was like. Creeping over in the room's direction, he stopped next to the kitchen in thought. He couldn't just walk in there. A reason would probably be best. He wasn't feeling quite up to cooking, but a sandwich would be quick enough to make. How hard was it to put together bread, cheese and some ham that Tsuna left in the fridge? It would take two second at maximum.

Maybe he'd add some lettuce and tomato from the salad that Veronica had brought to him. It only had baby tomatoes, though, so he had to slice them up so they'd lay flat.

And there was the hot mustard that Xanxus liked. No sense in putting it on sloppy.

Toothpicks to hold it all together since he piled it all a little too high.

He had to cut it, too. Squares or triangles? Diagonal cuts, he decided.

Maybe some fruit to go with it? Xanxus probably hadn't eaten in a few days. They didn't have any fruit, though. Would a pickle quarter work? They had a jar of them since Ginger liked them as snacks when he came over.

The plate was messy now. He had to get another plate and lay a napkin down on it. Presentation made even simple meals look more appetizing, so he set to arranging the triangle sandwiches with care. The pickle went next to it and a piece of fudge from the never-ending supply in the cabinets was perfect for finishing it off.

By the time that Tsuna finished pouring a tall glass of tea and started carrying the plate toward the door, he had to blush in realization of how much time he'd taken on a stupid sandwich. It could be a test, he decided. If Xanxus accepted it and enjoyed it, then he'd give a relationship with him a serious shot. He was tired of chasing after phantoms. If Xanxus wanted to be the solid love interest in Tsuna's life, then here was his chance. That was assuming that Xanxus could deal with open affection. Even Snicker had a problem with it at first and Autumn had darted away from him whenever he'd attempted to show his feelings. Ever since Snicker had died, he'd had to act like everyone else needed him to. At this point, he was willing to accept anyone that would just let him love them unconditionally.

Xanxus was visible as soon as Tsuna entered the room. He didn't look like he was sulking, though. It looked like he was playing a new game with Cici. From the way that the character on Cici's screen shape-shifted, it looked to be a role playing game where one could be either a vampire or a werewolf. The setting was a city that looked far too familiar since it was obviously based on the city that they were in and the character on Xanxus' screen was unsurprisingly a female vampire while Cici was playing a male werewolf. Together, the two of them were currently trying to fight off a gang of thugs that was being led by none other than an Autumn look-a-like. It made Tsuna want to smile, but he kept his reason for interrupting in mind. The only question was how to give it to him when he hadn't even looked up at Tsuna's entrance.

"Um..." Tsuna mumbled, slowly walking forward enough that he could hold out the plate and drink. "I made you something to eat."

"Just set it down and I'll get it in a second," he replied without looking away from his screen. He didn't even glance at the sandwich, which was far more disappointment than he was prepared to accept.

_Laz, _Maro growled in the back of his head as he set the sandwich down on the desk_. Where's your gun?_

"I'm already ahead of you," Tsuna growled in return. Dashing out of the room, he retrieved the weapon from under his mattress and returned. He gave Xanxus thirty seconds to respond, after which he decided that he was completely sick of this. If Xanxus didn't want to hold back when they were together, then neither was Tsuna. It was the first time that he got to fire the weapon outside of the shooting range and he took special pleasure in watching the bullet crash into Xanxus' monitor.

"What the fuck?!" Xanxus shouted, spinning in place to stare in shock at the gun being leveled at him.

"Eat the damn sandwich," he ordered.

"W-What?" Xanxus asked with his jaw dropping open at the odd demand.

"I spent ten fucking minutes making that shit for you," he snarled. "The least that you can fucking do is look at it! Why can't you just show some damn appreciation for the things that I do?! I'm not asking for a lot! All I want is someone who can be happy with what I can do instead of what they wish I could do! So eat it! If you want a relationship with me, then pay some damn attention to the little things! I'm sick and tired of trying to make everyone else happy! It's ten seconds out of your fucking day! Just ten damn seconds and I can be a little happy, too!"

"Are you going to shoot me if I don't?" Xanxus asked in amusement. Tsuna was far from amused. He felt like he'd completely snapped and he couldn't stop himself. Without making the conscious decision, he re-aimed and fired again. For a full minute, Xanxus didn't move after the shot. Neither of them spoke, either. When he did move, he carefully reached over and picked up one of the carefully made triangles.

And he slowly ate it.

"Needs more mustard," he commented once the first piece was down his throat. Tsuna stared in disbelief that he'd still have the guts to complain. Then, as Xanxus reached for a second piece, the tension seemed to completely drain out of Tsuna. He lowered his gun and slowly sank down to the floor when his legs turned to mush. What the hell was he doing? He'd shot Xanxus in the shoulder over a stupid sandwich. He'd shot him and he still had the irresistible urge to smile.

"I'll put more mustard on it next time," he promised with a slow, pathetic grin. "Let me go get the tweezers and the sewing kit and I'll fix your shoulder. I can't say that I'm sorry for doing that. It felt too good."

"Do I want to know what brought this on?" Xanxus asked as he continued eating.

"Help me get through Autumn's wedding," he murmured. "After that, I'll try my best to love you. This wasn't how I meant for it to happen, but I wanted to let you see what being with me is like. It's not the same as just being partners. I used to do a lot of things for Snicker and it always made me happy because he appreciated every little thing. Even if it was just a smile or a nod of thanks, he always let me know that he'd noticed. I'm not asking for you to do that much. I just don't want to feel like my effort is wasted and I feel that way when I'm completely ignored. It makes me happy to make others happy, but I don't get anything out of it if you take it for granted."

"If you aren't satisfied, just shoot me again," he replied with a small smile. "You can consider it training."

_Tell him not to piss on the rug_, Maro chuckled.

"You better not piss on the carpet," Tsuna repeated with a grin. "If you do, I'll aim lower."

"So, the bitchy housewife is now the bitchy housewife with a gun," Xanxus said with a roar of laughter. "I like it."

* * *

Tsuna opened his eyes, expecting to be at home in bed. He wasn't, though. He was moving around. The last thing he remembered was handing control off to Maro at the bakery so that he could get his baking done. Maro had agreed to make Autumn's wedding cake on Tsuna's behalf. It was to go to the selection meeting that the wedding planner had put together. Autumn and Theodore would choose everything there and Tsuna planned to make his decision known with the cake.

"Laz?" Maro asked, freezing in place with a mixer in hand. "Are you there?"

_Yeah, _he answered in confusion_. What's going on?_

"Holy shit," he gasped. "You're actually awake while I'm in control for once? How--?"

_It must be because we settled things with Xanxus, _he replied softly_. I'm not afraid of seeing you two together anymore._

"It's a breakthrough," Maro grinned. "This is wonderful! I've got to see the world from your eyes and now you can finally see them from mine!"

_Is that something to really get excited about? _Tsuna groaned_. _

"Of course it is!" He exclaimed. "The more we understand each other, the better chance that we can fix ourselves without having to go to White. I've done some reading. If we can find a balance between all of our personalities and accept all the parts of ourselves, then there's a chance that we'll just wake up in one piece. Split personalities are usually alter egos that come out during stressful times. We're different from that, but I still think that it's worth it to try to understand each other."

_Just pretend that I'm not here, _Tsuna replied_. I already have enough understanding to be satisfied._

"Alright," he laughed. He went back to what he was doing while humming a tune to himself. The tune itself was annoying, but it was one of those catchy ones that would get stuck in a person's head. To keep his mind off of that, Tsuna watched what Maro was doing. He was surprised to see that he didn't use any recipes as he started mixing ingredients. He didn't use measuring cups, either.

_Won't it come out bad if you don't measure?_ Tsuna asked curiously.

"Nope," Maro replied with a wide smile. "I don't use recipes, so measuring would be pointless unless I have someone recording what I'm putting in. Everything I make is done with pure intuition. It took me a long time to figure out how to use it right. The trick is to never second-guess myself. Adding a dash of something after my gut has already said to stop will make it turn out wrong. I just keep in mind who I'm making it for and it usually comes out really good. The down-side to doing it that way is that I can't pay attention to the ingredients, so I never know how to make something a second time unless the image in my head of a person doesn't change. The only exception is Xanxus' X-Cakes and Hotaru's cookies. I memorized those recipes to make sure that I could make them again if I needed to."

_How can you memorize the recipe if you don't know what's in them?_

"I made those back when I had a special station to record what I was doing," he answered pleasantly. "I could go back and watch the recording later to see what I did. We can't do that here since recordings can fall into the wrong hands. People can't know who we are, so there's no chance in taking risks."

_Oh. About that... I don't really care anymore. If you want to come here openly, then I'm willing to let the secret out. _

"Eh?" Maro gasped in surprise for the offer.

_Well, I mean, it's a lot lonelier here at night than I thought it'd be, he mumbled. I've got the Dragons and Xanxus to praise me, but you're not really getting anything. It doesn't seem right. Wouldn't you be happier if you could come and bake with everyone else?_

"It'd be nice," he admitted. "But won't that interfere with your life?"

_Screw it,_ he sighed_. I'm sick of going through my life with just the end in mind. Let's start enjoying ourselves more so that the road doesn't feel so long. If something gets in our way, we'll just smash it like we always have so that we can keep moving forward._

"It sounds interesting," he grinned. "Since you'll be awake to prompt me, we might be able to do it. I've been starting to think that too much planning for the future can be just as harmful as too little. I don't really need to think about retirement yet. I want to start enjoying myself more, too."

* * *

Isaac got a sinking feeling as soon as the doors to the banquet hall was kicked open. Autumn had asked all of her Knights to join her for the taste-testing with one noticeable exception. Laz had been left out of the invitation and Papa Paolo had been relieved over the fact. He had no idea what had happened between them, again, but one thing was easy to understand. Laz was being shunned.

Which was why it was somehow unsurprising that he would barge into such a routine meeting.

"Sorry for the interruption," he called while the wedding planner froze in her tracks. "I'll make this fast and then get out of your--"

"LAZ!" Autumn shouted, jumping up in her seat in anger. "What are you doing h--"

"Nice to see you, too, sweetheart," he interrupted with a grin. "I've decided to clear the air, so I'm here to clear it. Hey, Theodore--"

"Laz, don't--!" Autumn choked. Isaac stood in unison with Saldez. It was obvious that he was going to have to eject Laz before the scene got any--

"I slept with Autumn," he said bluntly.

--worse. Everyone froze in place while Papa Paolo and Theodore's face turned strange shades of purple and red. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Breathe," Laz ordered with a grin. "It was months and months ago. What I'm really here to tell you is that I was in love with her and I proposed. She rejected me completely, though." The silence grew deafening while jaws dropped across the room and Autumn's face turned red. Isaac's jaw was no different in dropping. Autumn had forgotten to mention that part! "The truth is that I can't have kids," he continued, walking farther into the room to sample some of the appetizers on display. "I've got money, but I get a little nuts in the head sometimes. Financial stability isn't any good if I can't give her emotional stability. In less than five years, I'm planning on leaving the city entirely. It's not fair to her to ask her to come with me when everything that she cares about is here. That's why, I don't want this shit hanging over my head anymore. Autumn, Xanxus doesn't give a damn about you and I'm tired of chasing you. I gave you four days to come and let me know what you wanted, but you hesitated. That tells me that you don't have any fucking clue about what you want. So, I'm going with your father on this one. I'm giving up and I'll leave Theodore as the one to try to make you happy."

"Are you finished, son?" Papa Paolo asked while Theodore sat in complete shock. Theodore had no clue of how to react, but Papa Paolo looked somewhat mollified.

"Just about," he confirmed, sending up a loud whistle that echoed through the halls. A moment later, six men led by Gigi came bustling in with a large wedding cake on a long platter. The thing was huge. It looked to be eight layers tall and the men barely made it through the door without knocking off the top. It was covered in white and silver trimmings as if it was a castle tower covered in sugary lace and roses. On the top, a Prince dressed in armor and a Princess looked out over the castle parapets on a white horse. "Consider this my token that I truly wish both of you happiness. I heard that all of you like Maverick's baking and this is a Maverick original."

"L-Laz," Rachael gasped, slowly standing up with her eyes locked on where the cake was being set up. "H-How much did that monster cost? I looked at Maverick's prices and it was an arm and a leg for just three tiers!"

"It's free," he shrugged.

"No, seriously," Poppet gaped in disbelief. "How did you pay to get him to make something that big?"

"More importantly," Isaac found himself saying. "How did you get a hold of him? I've been trying to track him down for months!"

"You guys are misunderstanding something," he replied calmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't have to get a hold of him, talk him into things, or pay him. That would be kind of stupid since_ I'm _Maverick."

"What?" The word echoed through the hall and Isaac mentally noted that the shock was even plastered on the faces of Laz's subordinates.

"Oh, shit," he gasped, turning to grimace in Gigi's direction. "I forgot to tell you guys ahead of time. Once a week, I go down after the bakery closes and make things. Most of the profit has been going to pay back the loans for opening the place and to pay the staff, but my cut has been going to charity. I was kind of embarrassed about it, so I didn't say anything and I told Warren to be quiet about it. I wasn't expecting the outcomes of my hobby to be so popular."

"But... what... how... Laz!" Gigi spluttered.

"Baking is my secret skill number three," he replied with a wink before turning his attention back to everyone else in the room. "You told me that competition was fair as long as it was over the table," he said, directing his comment to Papa Paolo. "It's kind of boring when you don't know that I'm even in the race, so this is to even the playing field. I can't begin to go against Isaac in pasta, even though he doesn't use enough salt and he adds too much flour to the table when he's kneading the dough. You're supposed to knead it on a _lightly_-floured surface, not in a bed of flour."

"T-The salt... and the flour... " Isaac repeated, sitting down in his chair when his legs stopped supporting him. Why hadn't he noticed it before? He'd thought it was the eggs or the _type _of flour that he used. Instead, it was the salt and the _amount _of flour. The kind of salt that they used to for their sauces was made to add flavor without being overpowering. He'd been using the same type when he'd been making the noodles, which was a good explanation for why they came out so bland. Picking up too much extra flour during the kneading process explained the texture, as well. They were such simple mistakes, so why hadn't he figured it out earlier?

"Don't beat yourself up too much," he grinned when Isaac looked at him in the shocking realization that Laz really _was _the expert baker. "I never noticed it when I was working at the restaurant or I would have told you. It wasn't until Veronica recently brought me some that I figured it out. My attention has always been drawn to the sauce or the choice of meat. Two weeks ago, you sent some spinach ravioli without sauce and I noticed that something was off. They were still delicious, by the way, but a little birdie told me that you were unsatisfied with the taste. I thought you might want to know why."

"Thank you," he replied in a choked voice. An attempt to get out more would have been pointless. There was nothing that he could say in reply. As easily as that, he'd found the small piece that he'd been looking for. There was no way that he could ever hope to show enough appreciation--

"Just send me a bucket of fried calamari and we're even," he laughed. "But as to what I was saying. I can't compete with you in your own game, Papa P. I can't say that I really want to, either. I'd rather that we both find success. If you want a contract with Maverick, just go through Warren. The other bakers working for me know all my recipes and provide most of what is sold off the racks. I can make some special exclusives for Pasta da Paolo, too, but I'll want a nice advertising trade in the contract. You advertise for me and I'll advertise for you. You know how it works. Let's see. What else did I want to say before I leave?"

"The cake?" Poppet prompted from where she'd sneaked over to try a bite.

"Right," he laughed, seeing how she was trying to hold her fork back despite the gluttonous look on her face. "Dig in and tell me how it tastes. Each layer has a different flavor hidden inside. The bottom is chocolate. Then we have lemon, strawberry and yellow cake. After that is Red Velvet, Spice cake, and a regular white cake for your picky people. The top is a simple angel food cake with whipped cream icing. Everything on it is fully edible, including the cake toppers, flowers, lace, ribbons and the columns separating the tiers. If you'd prefer a different color than silver or white or if you want a flower other than roses, then it can easily be changed."

"How long did that take you?" Barbus asked as Rachael and Isaac both got the courage to walk forward to sample from the monolith. Poppet was already standing on the table to get to the top tiers, digging into the frosting without a single look of regret for eating the cake-turned-sculpture. It was actually the opposite. There was a look in her eyes that said she was enjoying the process of destruction quite thoroughly. Isaac hesitantly stuck his fork into the bottom layer and pulled away a bite from where Poppet had already tore into a section. As soon as it hit his lips, he could tell from the taste that it was the real thing. Only Maverick could balance the taste of chocolate with the frosted coating so that it'd be so moist and delicious without being so sweet that it was inedible.

"I started at eight o'clock last night and I finished two hours ago," he answered. "I assure you that it's fresh and it's not poisonous. I might not look trustworthy, but I would never compromise one of my cakes. If... If you don't feel comfortable accepting this token, then I understand. I just wanted to put the offer on the table."

"Get a grip, Laz," Autumn growled from her seat. "You shouldn't take credit for other people's work."

"And that's the reason we'd never work," he retorted quietly. The pain in his voice made everyone stop, including Isaac. Putting the cake out of his mind, he stopped to actually look at Laz for the first time in a long time. He wasn't the puny, gay twink that washed dishes anymore. He had a dignity and strength to his stature now. He had both a successful business and a large reputation in the city. He was easily Papa Paolo's equal. Why was Autumn marrying that twerp Theodore again? If it couldn't be Isaac himself, then Laz was the next best choice. It'd be a little galling at first, but Isaac could see Lazarus as the sub-Boss of the Martelli Family. He was a lot better than a clueless guy like the one that Autumn was marrying. "I get that now. No matter what I do, I'm still going to be that poor, weak, homeless guy that you gave a spare pillow to. I'm tired of waiting for you to come around and I'm tired of waiting for you to realize that I don't need to be cured. I found Snicker when I gave up waiting on you to accept me before and there's someone who's been waiting on me this time around."

"And who is that?" She asked softly.

"Xanxus," he answered with a small smile. "I've been rejecting him this whole time because I was holding out for you. Aren't you glad that you dumped that curry on my head when you had the chance? You missed your opening and Xanxus took his. Your determination is half-hearted, Autumn, and the world doesn't revolve around you. You're never going to be a decent Boss if you can't understand what's going on in your own heart. That's why you have such trouble with your Spirit Glamour. You have complete control of your mind and body, but your heart is weak. Open your heart to the man next to you or you'll never get control."

"Are you finished now, son?" Papa Paolo asked with his eyes glittering in what could only be called satisfaction.

"Yes, Papa P," he nodded. "I'd say that I'm sorry for the mess, but it's my job."

"Are you satisfied?" Papa Paolo inquired. Isaac raised his eyebrow at the question, but Laz seemed to understand it's meaning.

"Ah," Laz confirmed. "I'm satisfied."

* * *

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Tsuna yelped as Gigi's purse flew at him a third time. He'd known that it was coming. At least Gigi had held it in until they reached the alley.

"You lying, cheating, no-good bastard!" She shouted, smacking him for a fourth time with her purse. "Why didn't you tell me anything?! Since when have you been in love with Autumn and why didn't you tell me that you were Maverick?! You.... You... You can't leave!" She wailed while she finally burst out in tears. Tsuna blinked in surprise at the sudden change and felt his eye twitch as her purse fell to a swinging stop. "I don't want you to move to Japan! Who's going to tease me and tell me that I look pretty if you go?!"

"What are you talking about?" Tsuna asked in confusion for the last addition.

"You said that you were leaving," she cried, throwing herself onto his shoulder while she started crying in earnest. The words made Tsuna grimace in realization of his slip. He'd hoped that they hadn't heard from the other side of the doors.

"You heard that," he murmured.

"We heard," she confirmed with a sob. Tsuna looked around, feeling as if he needed to bang his head into the wall at all the sad looks on the faces around him. He didn't go that far, but he did lean against the brick wall of the alley while Gigi continued sobbing.

"Stop crying, Gigi," he said softly. "There's still a lot of things that I've got to do before I consider leaving. Charlie still needs some more training and I've got to figure out some way to make sure that Gabriel won't act up once I'm gone. The Dragons are getting stable and growing, but there's still room for improvement. Even when I do leave, it's not like I'm never coming back. You know? There's just a lot of other things that I've got to do that I can't do here."

"Like what?" She blurted, staring up at him with a face full of tears. "There's nothing that you can't--"

"I've got to save Mukuro-sama and that's not going to be a weekend trip, Gigi," he interrupted solemnly. Gigi's tears stopped as her eyes widened in surprise.

"M-Muk..uro...?"

"He's still locked up," Tsuna replied, hoping that she'd understand. "I've got to break him out and then there's this person that I've got to go see after that."

"W-Who...?"

"It's someone that can fix me," he explained. "I know that you're used to me being like this, but I'm not alright, Gigi. I made a promise that I'd make myself whole after I reached my goals. I might not come back the same, but I will come back to see how everyone is doing after I'm done. I might be gone for just a few weeks or it could take years depending on how difficult it is to retrieve Mukuro. I've got to go, though. It's because of him that I survived and could protect everyone from the other gangs until I got strong enough to do it on my own."

"T-Then you're not moving to Japan?" She asked with a sniff.

"Who said anything about Japan?" Tsuna laughed. "Everything that I need to deal with is in Europe. I don't know who told you that I was moving to Japan, but I don't plan to go back there, Gigi. If I did, I'd only be able to think about everything that I was planning on showing Snicker."

"Oh," she gasped with the blood rushing out of her face. "That's right. You were planning on taking a trip there for your anniversary."

"Why would I go to there without him?" He murmured with a small flinch for the memories attached to his last anniversary with Snicker.

"But you were so happy at the festival!" She exclaimed. At that, Tsuna felt the need to poke her forehead and he gave in to the urge.

"Duh," he grumbled. "All of you were cheering for me. Of course I was happy, just like I was disappointed when I won and all of you had already left. I don't know what's been going through your head, but my home is here. I might be a bum, but even bums have a place that they choose to return to every night. It doesn't matter if it's a box, a barrel, a doghouse, or even a room that Xanxus snores in that's waiting on me, I'll come back here whenever I have a choice. This was the city that I met Snicker in. Do you think that I would want to leave it? It's just that I couldn't call myself an Orange Dragon if I ignored someone who needs my help. I wouldn't be able to face Snicker if I went back on my promises. Don't worry, though. I'll make sure that Charlie and the Dragons are solid before I go. All of you are my precious family. I'm not leaving until I know that you're taken care of."

"Boss..." Justin mumbled from the group of suddenly doe-eyed subordinates.

"Suck it up!" He snapped with a laugh. "Look at all of you. About to cry when this isn't going to happen for a few more years! All of you need to go get beers! Men aren't supposed to make such faces outside of their cups! If you guys don't scatter in three seconds, I'm going to knock you flat until you have a reason to cry!"

"Yes, Boss!"

* * *

Gigi tried not to show her discomfort at how Laz was already asleep on her shoulder. The glares and stares were almost constant and she was getting the full brunt of it. Only the fact that Eric was sitting on the far side of Laz and Ore was sitting behind them in the back row kept people from approaching. No one could sit in front of them, either, since Marty and Leo had stolen that seat. Although, the way that Marty looked ready to strangle the little boy next to her made Gigi glad that Danny had elected to sit next to her. That meant that the only kid that she had to deal with was Laz.

There was two things that Gigi found more surprising about the wedding than anything else. The first was that they'd actually been invited, even though Laz had chosen for them to sit at the back of the groom's side. The second was all the looks that they were getting. Not all of them were glares. There were quite a few that looked curious, sympathetic, hopeful, or worried. Gigi could almost read their thoughts from their expressions when they looked Laz's way. The curious ones were the rare few who didn't know Laz at all. The sympathetic were those in the Martelli Family who thought that Laz was a better choice than Theodore. The hopeful were those that thought Laz was going to pull a miracle out of his ass since he was present. Finally, there were the worried who knew Laz's penchant for making scenes.

Nothing was going to happen, though. Laz had already warned Gigi that he was going to sleep through the wedding. She just hadn't realized that he meant it so literally. She'd ask what the point was if it wasn't so obvious. By appearing and not interfering, Laz was putting the final nail in the coffin. By sleeping, he was sending a silent message that the proceedings were of no interest to him nor did they affect him. Even as a lie, it was affective. For those who knew Laz personally, it was too obviously a lie that he was asleep, though. First off, Laz made sweet-sounding mumbles when he was really unconscious, while he was currently making soft snores. Secondly, Laz got claustrophobic in suits, which was why he rarely tightened his necktie when he was wearing his Namahage jacket. Sleeping would be impossible unless he unbuttoned his collar so that he could breathe.

He was wide awake, but he simply didn't want to deal with anyone. She couldn't really blame him. Once he'd confessed about his affair over the course of several beers, she could understand why he'd been having only one-night-stands. Autumn had screwed him over with all of her fickle, bird-brained thoughtlessness. Laz had become a playboy because he'd been getting fooled by a real player. At least Laz had Xanxus now, although Xanxus couldn't help him get through this event. All parties involved had agreed that his presence might cause Autumn to turn into a runaway bride. Of course, there was still a betting pool about whether or not she'd even show up to the church.

It wasn't until Gigi curiously looked over the audience that she realized that Laz had another reason for pretending to sleep along with staying on the other side of the building from the bride's side. Although the man wasn't looking in their direction and he had a legitimate reason for attending, it couldn't be comfortable for Laz to be in the same room as Gabriel. Hopefully Laz could honestly fall asleep instead of faking. He could probably use it. Getting into his bakery had become twice as hard since the word had spread via Autumn's wedding planners that Maverick's true identity was Lazarus. People were going to insane lengths to meet with him. It was to the point that Laz had finally asked for volunteers to guard his apartment building to keep the local paparazzi from interfering with his sleep. From what it seemed, Maverick's popularity had only went up with the unveiling rather than going down. Of course, Autumn's wedding was already the center of attention for the media, so they were already prepared to deal with the extra attention that Laz brought with him.

Now, the only question was whether or not Laz could actually make it through without validating the worried guest's concerns.

* * *

Autumn stared into the mirror without a trace of a smile on her face. She'd known that this day was coming. She'd been engaged to Theodore for almost two years. He was a nice enough man. He was responsible, modest, and cheerful. He had rare moments when he could make her laugh and he had a stable personality. He was successful, politically correct, and he was smart with finances. He got along with all of Autumn's Knights with the sole exception of Laz. The Family liked him since he never judged anyone and he was willing to drink beers with even the most useless of men. On top of that, he was athletic, a decent hunter, mildly charismatic and he tried to be romantic.

He was completely boring. She could honestly say that a dead fish would excite her more. He had a nice body, but there was no tension or curiosity when she looked at him. She didn't want to marry him at all. She had to, though. The Family needed the illusion that she was an upstanding woman and Theodore created that. It was what she had to do, but it was far from what she wanted. She wanted... She wanted someone who could keep her on her toes. She wanted someone who would challenge her and would surprise her. She wanted someone who could appreciate her qualities without being overwhelmed by them. She wanted someone who wasn't afraid to fight with her. She wanted someone who could sweep her off her feet and overcome her resistances.

She wanted Laz, she thought as she started crying again. It was too late, though. Xanxus had been right. She'd waited too long. She'd let her pride get the better of her and now he'd turned away. She hadn't been in love with Xanxus. She'd just targeted Xanxus because Xanxus had been her rival. Why couldn't she just have admitted it before? Why did she have to be so stubborn? If she'd just accepted that Laz had won her over earlier, it would have been him standing at the altar for her. Instead, she was going to have to marry a man with as much of a spontaneous personality as a news anchor.

"Hey, now," Gabriel gasped softly when he walked into the dressing room to find her in tears. Autumn turned in her seat and held out her arms in response. Her brother answered the plea, kneeling down so that she could cry on his shoulder. "What's wrong, peach-pit?"

"I don't want to get married," she sobbed. "I want to go home."

"Then let's go home," he replied. The agreement made her stop crying, as her brother had probably intended. He knew her far too well.

"I can't go home," she mumbled into his shoulder. "Daddy paid a lot of money for this and there's all the guests. Everyone has been planning this for the last six months. There's also the Family to think about. They won't be happy if their Boss stays a harlot. I have to marry someone to undo the reputation that I got during the race."

"I know," he whispered. "Dad is making me work at the drug counseling center to undo mine. We can figure out another way, though. If this really makes you that unhappy..."

"No," she sniffed, letting go of him to sit back up in her chair. "I made a promise that I'd do this. Even... Even if I don't love him, I've still got to marry him."

"It's not like you can't back out later," Gabriel soothed. "If you try out married life with him and you don't like it, you can always get a divorce. Grandpa got divorced twice before he found grandma and he used to say that he didn't think that he'd last a year with her. Theodore might surprise you."

"Maybe," she replied doubtfully.

"Cheer up," he ordered with a smile. "Even if it doesn't work out, don't you want to make everyone talk about how beautiful you are as a bride?"

"As if," she scoffed with a grudging grin. "My face is probably all red and swollen now."

"I'll go get you some ice," he offered as he got to his feet. "Just stop thinking that you can't fix your mistakes. Think of this as a learning experience and you'll make it through. Okay?"

"Thanks, Gabe," she said with a nod of agreement. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Tsuna continued to keep up his sleeping act even after the procession started. He did peek out once or twice when his intuition said that it was safe, but he otherwise kept his eyes closed, his arms crossed, and his head on Gigi's shoulder.

Autumn looked amazing. There was no other words to describe her. It was as if he got to witness a European Queen walking down the aisle. She was wearing such simple and delicate lace on her head that it seemed as if she was a virgin maiden again. Her gown was a close-fitting, stretch of fabric that gave her a sleek appearance while lace strips accentuated her hips and curves. At the back of her dress, the train was more like a tail falling to the ground and dragging behind her, a seeming extention of the lace veil covering her face and trailing down her back. In her hands, red and purple roses made up the banquet that she carried.

She was shining in his eyes, which was one of the foremost reasons that he shut them again. He wanted to stop the wedding. When he wasn't lying to himself and he was being honest, the last thing that he wanted to do was to sit back and watch her marry someone else. He had his responsibilities, though. By putting Tsuna's desires up against fulfilling his goals, Papa Paolo had effectively tied his hands. He honestly was satisfied that his debt was repaid this way. The sacrifice in his heart couldn't be given a monetary value. Combined with the years of service that he'd given the Martelli Family, he felt that things were equal now. They'd protected the one he loved. Now he was giving up the one he loved. It was fair, even if it wasn't happy.

It was fair.

Tsuna felt every eye in the building turn to him at once when the priest asked for objections.

"Elephants like peanuts," he mumbled as if he were talking in his sleep before returning to his soft snoring. Gigi choked at the words and shifted so that his head rolled off of her shoulder, but he continued his sleeping act with his head bowed. He heard a ripple of quiet laughter over it and a few groans, but the wedding resumed as if there had been no pause.

He continued his sleeping act through the exchange of vows.

He continued his sleeping act through the exchange of rings.

He continued his sleeping act through the kiss.

He continued his sleeping act through the presentation of the wedded couple.

He continued his sleeping act through the exiting procession.

He continued his sleeping act all the way through until the only people left in the cathedral was Gigi and himself.

"It's over, Laz," Gigi whispered. "Everyone is gone. You can drop the act now."

Tsuna nodded in agreement without lifting his head or opening his eyes. Without making a noise and without moving an inch, he stayed in place until the sleeves of his crossed arms had soaked up every tear that he had to offer.

* * *

"Hey, Xanxus," Tsuna mumbled halfway through his box of ice cream. Xanxus looked up from his laptop at the prompt, obviously relieved that Tsuna had finally said something. "Let's take a trip somewhere."

"Why?" He asked. In answer, Tsuna took a deep breath, reached over to snatch up the revolver that he kept nearby, and pointed it at him. "Where to?" He rephrased with a crooked smile.

"I don't care," he shrugged, tossing the gun back down on the couch. "You can surprise me. I just want to do something fun."

"Fun?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing that you're not talking about a trip to Vegas."

"I don't care where," he repeated. "Just take me somewhere where I can get my mind off of things for a few days."

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Charlie left the Dojo from the side exit built into his room as soon as he finished changing. He needed to take a walk and clear his head. He felt like he'd had an epiphany and it wasn't a pleasant one. It'd all started with a girl. A former cheerleader and upperclassman, to be specific. She'd been one of the few that his mother had considered 'appropriate' for him to be around. They'd met again by accident while he'd been doing charity work with the guys. She'd been there as part of one of her college activities clubs.

She was a complete snob. Maybe it was just because he'd been around the Dragons for the better part of a year, but her attitude was nothing like he remembered it. He could see the disdain in her eyes while she'd looked at the people that they were helping. She'd turned her nose up at the newer recruits of the Dragons who hadn't yet earned their suits. At the same time, she'd sucked up to him and had flirted with him almost endlessly until her shift had ended. She was a beautiful girl, but he'd point-blank refused her invitation to go out to a movie.

Why?! He wanted to slam his head into a wall when he couldn't figure it out. She'd been a little judgmental and superficial, but she was a total babe! He would have fallen all over himself at that kind of invitation in high school! He wasn't seeing anyone and he had all the normal hormones that a guy could have, so why did he turn down such a solid chance to get laid?! He. Did. Not. Understand!

Charlie was so busy trying to figure out that he completely lost track of where he was walking. It wasn't until he collided with someone and knocked them on their rear that he paid attention. He wanted to slap himself when he saw the mess that he'd made. The guy had dropped the box that he was carrying, causing everything to scatter.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, kneeling down to help pick up a box-full of belongings. Most of it seemed to be clothes, but there was also a half-dozen notebooks, a collection of key chains that were snapped together, and an envelop of scattered pictures. There was also a glass piggy bank shaped like a football that made Charlie grimace when he picked it up. The back side of it was shattered, causing the change inside to scatter across the pavement of the sidewalk. "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically while he held it up for the owner to see.

"It's fine," came the reply. The pitch to the voice made Charlie pause and look at the guy a second time. It wasn't a guy. It was hard to tell since she was wearing a baggy shirt and had her hair up in a baseball cap, but it definitely wasn't a guy.

"If it was important, I have some superglue back at my place," he offered carefully. "It's my fault that it was broken, so--"

"Don't worry about it," she snapped, falling to a stop to glare at him. "I was planning on breaking it anyway. As long as the money is there, then it doesn't ma--" She froze while he started carefully collecting the change that had dropped out and said a single word that made him freeze in turn. "Charlie?"

"Y-Yeah," he confirmed hesitantly. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not," she grinned. "My locker was next to your during our sophomore year. You used to tease me about my jerseys. If I remember right, you said that it was a waste of tits for a girl to wear one."

"Ouch," he grimaced, feeling even worse by the moment. "I said that? Laz was right. I really was an asshole."

"I heard that you dropped out of school," she commented as she tossed the last few items into her box and started helping him to collect the change.

"I did," he confirmed. "A lot of shit happened, but things have gotten straight. I'm working on my GED in my spare time."

"That's good," she smiled. "It wasn't the same after you got kicked off the team. They lost at regionals."

"I saw," he nodded. "It was the defensive line that screwed up. They put Heifer in the center and his bulk isn't enough to compensate for his bad balance. That's why the quarterback got sacked so many times."

"Right," she laughed. "That's what I said, but everyone tried to tell me that it was the quarterback's fault for not throwing faster!"

"The pace was slow all around, so it's an easy thing to think," he murmured as he picked up the last dime. Holding it up, he paused for a moment in realization that he was talking about football to a girl and she was actually talking back without trying to change the subject. The fact made him gape and stare for a moment until the girl hesitantly plucked the dime out of his hand.

"Thanks for helping me pick it up," she said quietly as she shoved the broken football bank into the box. "I wasn't watching where I was going either, so you don't have to feel bad. It was nice to actually talk to you. I don't know what you've been going through, but you're not an asshole anymore."

"Uh... right," he agreed with a blush. Standing, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while she picked her box back up. She started to walk away, but he instantly decided that he couldn't leave things like that. She wasn't even remotely pretty, but he'd enjoyed their short chat. "H-Hey," he called after her, making her stop and turn around in curiosity. "W-What's your name? I know I should know it, but I can't seem to pull it up and--"

"Lexi," she supplied with a smile.

"Lexi..." he mumbled to himself. "Would you... ah... Would you like to go out sometime? N-Not a date or anything! Just... um... maybe we could go get a burger and catch up some more. I'll pay and everything, so--"

"Isn't that a date?" She laughed with an expression of amused pity on her face.

"Y-Yeah," he blushed again. "I guess so. Would that be okay with you?"

"I'd love to," she grinned. Then her grin faltered. "It might be a while before I can take you up on that, though. The apartment above mine caught on fire and the landlord decided to sell the building after he got the insurance payoff. I'm staying with a friend right now until I find a new place and I'm working a second job to get the deposits, so I don't have a lot of free-time."

"I know a place," he offered in hope. "There's a lot of guys living there, but it's really cheap and there's no deposits. Have you heard of the Orange Dragons?"

"Yeah," she blinked in surprise. "I've been on their waiting list for the past six months."

"What if I could get you in right now?" Charlie grinned.

"You can do that?" She gaped with her eyes lighting up.

"Just come with me to the Dojo and I can ask," he confirmed joyfully. "The Boss is my step-dad."

* * *

"What happened to you?" Gigi laughed. She wasn't the only one laughing. Everyone in the Dojo was laughing, including Laz. After leaving for a short vacation a few days ago, he hadn't expected them to return like this!

"Laugh it up," Xanxus growled. The effect of his glare was slightly diminished due to his black eye and the bandages around his left ear.

"Where did you go?!" Eric gasped.

"Disney land," Laz answered while pointedly not looking at Xanxus. Every time he glance at the man, he looked ready to explode in laughter and he was having a very hard time holding it in. "Xanxus.. um... Xanxus got in a fight with the Seven Dwarves after Grumpy looked at him the wrong way and Dopey wouldn't stop following us."

"No way," Leo choked. "Grumpy gave Xanxus a black eye?"

"No," Laz replied while he continued to barely hold the laughter in. "Aladdin did that after Xanxus kidnapped Jasmine and stole Jafar's hat for pictures."

"And the ear?" Gigi prompted with her jaw dropping.

"That... That..." Laz finally reached his limit. He darted deeper into the Dojo and threw himself on the couch in order to roar into a pillow with his laughter. Gigi looked back at Xanxus in waiting, which only made the man glare more at everyone in the room.

"Xanxus...?" Ginger prompted.

"Laz wanted to ride the teacups," he growled. "Four fucking times."

"He got dizzy," Laz laughed from the couch. "He tried to stop us from spinning, but he did it so fast that the wheel broke off and a bolt bounced off his head. You should have heard it. There was this loud 'pop' and a 'ding' and then... and then..."

"Lumiere was asking for it," Xanxus snarled before turning to storm out of the building. Everyone gaped before slowly turning their attention back down to Laz.

"I brought back souvenirs, but we've been banned from ever going back," Laz said before devolving into an even louder fit of laughter.

* * *

Ginger carefully brushed his hair while he looked around his room. He'd never been so content in his life. Meeting Laz was the best thing to ever happen to him. He had his own room and he got a paycheck that he could spend as he saw fit. Laz had introduced him to several key people so that he could be escorted through stores on personal shopping trips without being kicked out. Even though he wasn't the most sociable of people, he had friends waiting on him whenever he felt like going out. He could walk down the street any time that he wanted and he was even enjoying a quiet relationship with a stripper at Tig Bitty's.

He had everything that he could want or need. Such freedom was bliss for his kind. He'd kept in touch with several of his brothers and sisters over the years. The ways that they'd learned to live were both varied and shocking at times. Spot had been picked up by a blind man as a seeing-eye dog. Floyd was working as an agent in a secret service. Shadow worked as a miner. Ice had joined a band as both a mascot and bass guitarist. Buzz was a hairstylist. Rover and Levi had both been picked up by the same dairy farm and worked with the cattle. Princess was a pampered heiress for a reclusive Duchess. Mercedes had actually gotten engaged to a man in Scotland and was currently helping out with studies on the result of cross-breeding between their races. Smarty-pants had become an astronomer and was writing a thesis on something to do spiral galaxies. Big Boy had stayed with the Lady Doctor who had saved their mother in order to help care for both of them. Stripe had traveled a bit before settling down in India and Demi had settled down as a nanny and guard dog in Italy. Shy had moved out into the mountains with an online friend and was working as a forest ranger. Finally, there was also Coondog the bounty hunter and Tan the assassin. Adding himself in as a company advisor, his family was both wide and varied in personality and professions.

Looking at his walls, he had to smile at the photos covering them. His mom had been sending them non-stop since he'd last wrote home. She'd always been worried about him since everyone else had found places to live where they didn't have to be so secretive. Only he had been stuck with an idiot like Xanxus who had wanted to keep him stuffed into a little condo in the city with only internet as an outlet. Meeting Laz had changed everything. It was the first time that so many people had met him and treated him as an equal. Everyone in the Dojo was so incredibly nice that it wasn't funny. Personalities occasionally clashed, but they always worked it out like true friends.

His honest feelings was that he never wanted to leave. When Xanxus had moved out, he'd decided to assert his independence and he was happier than ever that he had. No one looked twice at him anymore. When he went down to breakfast, no one thought it was weird that he drank coffee and Cassandra had no problem with boiling his eggs so that he could pop them in his mouth without making a mess. When he went to work with Gigi, the taxi driver talked to him with an honest smile and didn't get scared when he was a little grouchy from a hangover. When he went out with the guys, the bartenders no longer asked the stupid question of his age and everyone was willing to buy him a drink.

The best part of his new life had to be Mindy, though. It'd started off as it always did with women. They just wanted the story or they were doing it on a bet. Mindy had been different, though. First off, she'd still been there when he'd woken up. He'd hesitantly taken her out for breakfast and they'd talked for a while. He'd learned that she was stripping to pay her way through college in order to become a veterinarian. He'd almost left then and there since it was obvious that she'd just been curious about his physiology. He hadn't, though, because she's seemed so interested in more than that. They'd talked about music and movies. He'd talked about his family and she'd told him about her own. He still wasn't sure how she really felt about him, but she didn't act like he was just a pet, a smart animal, or a passing side-show. She treated him like a person.

They'd been seeing each other for two months now and he had hopes that it'd last a while longer before some kind of axe dropped. He knew that it'd come eventually. No matter how much he was like a human on the inside, the fact was that he wasn't. Finding a human who could accept him on a long-term basis wouldn't be so easy. So far, only Mercedes had gotten that lucky. Reports from all of his other siblings said that they all had just as much difficulty as he did. Potential mates all had issues with opinionated friends and family. Being with a tanuki couldn't be easy for them. The teasing alone drove most of them away and even those who managed lasting relationships always ended up sabotaging it unintentionally.

Not him, he decided as he reached down to brush the tangles out of his tail. His mother was already reaching the middle-age health markers at the age of eighteen. That meant that he was already in the prime of his life. He wasn't going to waste his short life-span by sabotaging his relationships. He was just going to enjoy himself right up until the end. He was going to do what he wanted to do and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

No ands, ifs, or buts.

The only question was what he was going to do in a few years when Xanxus took Laz back to Italy. To stay independent or not?

* * *

"What's this?" Tsuna asked when Xanxus finally pulled off the blindfold. As far as he could see, it was only Xanxus' computer. He looked extremely pleased with himself, though, so Tsuna took a closer look. He understood as soon as he saw it. There was a little icon shaped like a cake with the label 'Maverick the Baker' on it. "You didn't!" He gasped as he grabbed the mouse to click on it.

"Happy Birthday," he grinned. "I know that you celebrated on the sixth like it says on your license, but today is the real one. Me and Cici put this together for you. Jewel helped by placing cameras so we could get footage of the process down at the Bakery."

_He made a game of us_, Maro spluttered.

"I can't believe you did this!" Tsuna exclaimed as the opening screen popped up. There was three modes. The first was a cake-maker. The second was a challenge mode. The third was a story-mode. "Where do I start?"

"Try the cake-maker," he ordered, pulling up a chair to sit next to him. Tsuna nodded and clicked the choice. He crossed his eyes at first when a childish, animated version of Maverick popped up. He would have said that it was an animated version of himself, but the guy was wearing the outrageous costume that he'd debuted in. The guy seemed to be a guide for a build-a-cake workshop. First Tsuna picked out a size and shape for his cake. Then he picked a flavor. Once that was done, a blank square took up most of the work space while tools showed up around it.

The first tool was an icing knife where he could cover the entire cake with a base frosting. He got to choose both the color and the flavor. The second tool was a decorating bag full of icing where he could add a border. Again, he got to choose the color and flavor. This tool also had a place where he could choose a different tip for different effects. The third tool was a sprinkle shaker where he could toss different shaped candy confetti across the cake. This tool also had the option to pour a chocolate shell coating, blended fruit, or multiple types of whipped mousse. The third was the accents such as roses, sliced fruit, candy and candles. The final was a writing tool where he could write a message on the cake in icing.

The challenge mode proved to be a version of the same thing where orders came in for different cakes. All the cake decorations had different prices attached. The goal was to give the customer everything he wanted without going over the price limit while also working under time limits. Tsuna had to laugh toward the end when a childish, mouse-like version of Xanxus appeared to gobble up the cake before it could be finished. If he didn't smack him with the mixing spoon in time, he had to start over from scratch while the clock continued to run.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Tsuna gasped in laughter as mouse-Xanxus dodged around the screen and stole another strawberry. "Come back here!"

"Try the story mode," Xanxus ordered with a grin. "Everyone at the Dojo decided on the story."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed, backing out to the mode screen with two keystrokes. He felt his jaw dropping when he entered the story. It started out with a musical piece from Tsuna's favored opera. It showed a generic, childish version of Tsuna without the disguise or his facial scars, standing in the middle of a village like he was Cinderella. Then, he found himself giggling at how the music suddenly turned into a remixed version that he could see playing through the speakers at the Vile Mile and a new stage background fell into place so that he was standing in the city.

Then his face fell slightly in shock when the first character that he met was Snicker. The story progressed that he was a poor bum with no money or prospects. The first level of the game was begging for food on the sidewalk with Snicker until he'd collected a sandwich, a slice of cake, and a candied apple. The reality that Xanxus had put into the story told him that he had to have talked to a lot of people for information. So many pedestrians that he clicked on gave stingy responses that he could say by heart. He had to smile to himself over the fact that Gigi, Eric, and Leo got put into the game as the generous few.

He got to watch a short scene of himself and Snicker sharing the goods with a Poe-bum and a homeless Ollie. At this scene, Snicker talked about how they wished that they could eat fresh bread every day, Poe drooled over the thought of fresh fruit and cream, and Ollie wished for sweet candies. That was when Maverick decided to become a baker and he worked to make it into reality. The story continued after that, somehow including the Dragons and even Jewel into the story while giving him small tasks to play through during every stage. The hours seemed to fly by while he played until he finally reached the end. He opened Maverick's Sweet-Treats and a rich king showed up to buy a cake. The king, of course, was Xanxus and Tsuna smiled as the man invited Maverick to Xanxonia as the royal baker. Once there, the two lived happily ever after with Maverick making the cakes that he loved for the king who loved his cakes.

"The end?" Tsuna asked, turning to Xanxus with a soft smile.

"Not even close," he answered with a matching smile. "The rest is just R-Rated."

"Oh," Tsuna gaped with his mind going completely blank for a moment.

_Tell him that it'd be X-rated if we add strawberries_, Maro prompted with a chuckle.

"I'm not saying that!" Tsuna spluttered with his face turning red. "He gets enough dirty thoughts without that kind of encouragement!"

"Damn straight," Xanxus agreed, snatching Tsuna out of his seat. Tsuna started spluttering yet again when he was tossed over Xanxus' shoulder and the man started carrying him back into the main part of the apartment. He tried to grab the door frame to stop him, but stopping Xanxus was about as easy as stopping a bullet train.

"Put me down!" He gasped as his grip lost out to Xanxus' determination.

"Hell no," he replied. "I'm not letting go until I know that you've enjoyed the rest of the gift. Just so you know, you can let me know that you had enough by calling me King Xanxus."

"I'm not calling you that, you Ero-Usagi!" Tsuna shouted in indignation when Xanxus tossed him onto his bed. Unfortunately, it looked like Xanxus was hoping on the statement.

"Then this might take a while," he grinned.

* * *

Ore tried to relax, but it was incredibly difficult. Now matter how many times they attended underground matches, he always got sucked into the ambience as if he were a fighter instead of a bodyguard. It wasn't that Laz needed a body-guard, of course. He was just the guy who guarded everyone else by keeping them away since Laz didn't have pity on anyone when he went into Night-Boss mode. During late nights, in the company of others in the underworld, Laz showed a face that few were allowed to see.

And, right now, he was teaching Charlie how to make that face. It was pretty amusing from Ore's point of view and he could see the sparkle of amusement in Gigi's eyes. They'd taken over a complete corner of the arena so that Laz could make his bets while having a private conversation with the boy.

"Gigi," Laz suddenly called, instantly getting the attention of those who were blocking the way of anyone who wanted to walk through. "Five grand on blue. Send the signal to Papa P this time."

"Yes, Boss," she agreed before darting into the crowd to find a bookie.

"How do you do that?" Charlie asked curiously. "You make bets, but you're not even watching the fight."

"I'm watching," he corrected. "It just doesn't take me a long time to figure out who is going to win. Um... Ore, can you explain it for him?"

"Little Boss is outrageously stronger than anyone," he replied with a glance over his shoulder. "With the more strength and experience that you get, the easier it is to judge the strength of your opponent. Little Boss picks the guy who would be harder for him to beat."

"It's not fool proof," Laz said with a confirming nod. "Sometimes there are lucky slips and fixed fights. You've got to pay attention to body language and all of the small clues hidden around you. For instance, in this fight that's coming up. There's blood on the mat from the previous round. That can cause a slip and blue seems like a guy who would take a lucky chance like that. Red also looks worried about something. See the lines on his forehead? His focus isn't on the fight, so his reaction time is going to be slower. All of that combined with their strength levels tells me that Blue has the best chance of winning. Now, there's always the chance that Blue is going to take a dive, but I don't think so. Maybe it's just because I've been around Eric for so long, but Blue doesn't seem like that good of an actor."

"You mean that you don't just guess?" Charlie gaped.

"Heck no," Laz laughed. "Only an idiot bets with a guess." Then he smiled and winked. "At least pretend that it's an educated one so you have a reason for losing."

* * *

"He's sick?" Ginger asked while he stared. He had reason to stare since Xanxus was gorging on what looked to be a personal Thanksgiving dinner.

"Sorry," Laz replied apologetically as he collapsed into the couch. "You might as well tell Gigi and Veronica that I can't make it in for a few days. You can tell Charlie to try his hands at the reins if you think you can keep him from getting in over his head."

"But Xanxus doesn't look sick," he commented. He felt his stomach rumbling from the sight of all the food on the table and carefully made his way over to look it over. Everything seemed to be at it's freshest and the roast chicken on the table seemed as if it were an afterthought. First, there was the choice of bread slices or rice to cleanse the palate. The salad was the biggest of the dishes, seeming to glisten with Italian dressing and sprinkled with croutons. After that were baskets of fresh fruit in both a domestic and tropical varieties with a whole watermelon sitting between them. Xanxus had already eaten the grilled steak and vegetable kabobs. Then there was raw oysters, a shrimp cocktail, and a large baked flounder to choose from. Next came a basket of raw vegetables which included several tomatoes, squash, onions, turnips, celery and four varieties of bell peppers. A knobby, misshapen piece of ginger had been thrown in as an extra snack. At the far end of the table, as if it were placed as Xanxus' goal, was a towering plate of X-cakes. "Did you make all of this?"

"Ah," he confirmed tiredly. "And I've got more staying warm in the oven. He doesn't really need to eat all of this, but it won't hurt since his metabolism is really high right now. Plus, the more that I can fill his stomach with food, the easier that it'll be for him to get through the worst effects without having to feed from me. As long as he can get his body to believe that it's taking in a constant source of energy, he won't have any problems. That's why so little of everything is cooked. I just have to stay on top of the meat to make sure that his diet stays close to balanced and I've got to stay on the bread and rice to make sure that he gets plenty of carbs. It's working well so far. He's only got three hours left until it peaks."

"What kind of sickness is this?" Ginger asked as he walked back over to sit with Laz on the couch.

"It's his mating cycle," he answered with a small smile. "I know how it is when I go through mine, but--"

"Again?" Ginger gaped, glancing over at where Xanxus was suddenly eating more slowly.

"What do you mean, again?" Laz asked with his eyes narrowing. "Do you mean the one he had during the Summer?"

"Um... no...." He growled, seeing exactly what Xanxus was up to. That bastard! Ginger knew for a fact that he'd already went through his Fall cycle. They'd went together on an assignment during it so that Laz wouldn't be affected by it! Xanxus could control himself without breaking a sweat as long as he wasn't being tempted with Laz's scent. "Xanxus is faking to make you cook for him," he explained while preparing to make a run for it.

"You fucking mangy furball!" Xanxus roared, lunging out of his seat to chase after him. Laz stopped him before he could get close, though. Ginger didn't know how the hell he drew his gun so fast, but it was pointed at Xanxus' head before either of them could finish blinking. "Shit," he groaned, holding up his hands in mild surrender. "I can explain."

"No need," Tsuna replied with a slow smile appearing on his lips. It was a smile that made both Ginger's and Xanxus' jaw drop. "I knew from the moment that you told me. Lynx would have reacted if you were in heat, but he didn't."

"If you knew that I was lying, then why all the food?" Xanxus asked in confusion.

"Punishment," he answered with his smile growing even larger. "Since you asked for it, you're going to eat it so that it's not wasted. All of it, right down to the last grain of rice. I wasn't planning on telling you until you tried to say that you were full, but the only way to cure gluttony is with gluttony. So, go sit back down and keep eating. Isn't it what you wanted? A meal completely prepared by me? You might want to get back to it since it'll probably take you three days to finish the pot of chili, the hamburgers, and the polish sausages that aren't even on the table yet. The onion rings, macaroni and cheese, hominy, sauerkraut and the spaghetti should be finished in about ten minutes, too. Plus, I also asked Cassandra to bring over some of her famous salsa later. If you're not done eating by then, who knows what else I might decide to cook. We might be here for a solid week before I've made everything that I know how to."

"L-Laz...?" Ginger gasped while Xanxus slowly turned pale at the thought of finishing everything that had been made.

"I really... _really_... love to cook," he added with a note of warning.


	91. Chapter 91 Committed

Gabriel stared into the dark light of the glowing skeleton key and smiled. Soon. His master had finally returned from his trip to haunt some former acquaintance, so everything could start very soon. He would have everything that he was promised. He would have the loyalty and respect of the Family. He would have the knowledge and power to change the world. He'd have strength. He'd have both the strength to protect his sister and the strength to make Suoh love him.

Everything would be his and only his.

His master had promised.

* * *

Tsuna yawned and rubbed his eyes while he waited for his coffee. He was slowly getting used to only sleeping for an hour or two at a time. He could have never done it without Xanxus, but that guy was as willing to be bitten as an energy-laced cream puff. With how everyone was gearing up for Christmas, he had three times the work as normal. Not only was there the upper-class idiots, the Dragons, his allied gangs, charity coordinators, his Board, his bakery and the media that needed his attention, but he had to keep Xanxus happy on top of it all.

Although, he had Charlie to help out this year. The boy-turned-man was coming along nicely. He'd finally settled down in acceptance that fun couldn't come until after work. Charlie was moving forward now. Once a measure of maturity had descended and he'd moved into Tsuna's room at the Dojo, he'd started moving forward at a far faster rate than Tsuna had hoped for. He was already at the point that he was accompanying Tsuna to poker games and charity events without losing track of what kind of image he should produce. He was already making a name for himself both on the streets and in the ballrooms of the city. He still sucked at betting, but he was fully capable of making decisions and running things for Tsuna during short stints. Very soon, he'd be ready for a full test drive so that Tsuna could go on an extended vacation with Adie like promised.

Paying for his coffee, he sipped it as he start on his way home again. He needed to finish clearing everything out of his system before Veronica showed up to get him for work. Fresh-cut powder wasn't something that he was used to, but he understood the need to test it. He couldn't send shit out on the streets that was bad. Of course, he didn't want to send it at all, but it was a necessary evil that he'd long accepted and Charlie had grudgingly accepted with him. After all, if he didn't sell it, then someone else would. At least this way, he could have some control in the regulation.

He felt like the worst of the drug's effects had passed, but he had to still be tripping out. He was actually tripping out pretty hard since all of the televisions in the window of the electronics store had his picture on it. It made him stop and stare for a moment, wondering both where the camera was and how the picture on the screen was wearing different clothes. He didn't know that digital editing could be that fast.

_That's not you, Laz_, Maro whispered. Tsuna blinked as the fact hit him simultaneously with Maro's words and the cup of coffee dropped from his hand. Stepping forward, he placed his hand on the store's display window as a news broadcast scrolled across the screen.

_Breaking News: President Tsunayoshi Sawada of Vongola Corporation, believed to be lost at sea, was found off the coast of Greenland last night._

He needed sound. He had to hear what they were saying. He had to hear what Yamamoto was saying to the press! Home-- No, the Dojo was closer. As soon as he had a direction, he started running. He didn't stop running even when he got to the Dojo. He simply burst through the doors and into the cathedral without a care for the surprised yelps and startled screams that his entrance caused. Ollie was sitting on the couch in his boxers, watching television, but Tsuna pounced on him without mercy. Stealing the remote, he sat on the guy to keep him from fighting back while he quickly changed the channel from cartoons to news.

"What the hell, man?!" Ollie exploded, sending Tsuna flying over the back of the couch to land breathlessly on the floor. "Why the fuck--"

"--five years since the mysterious disappearance of Tsunayoshi Sawada," the news anchor said while Tsuna listened in shock. The words explained what Tsuna couldn't dream of explaining. Ollie fell silent and Cassandra darted forward to steal the remote from his hand in order to turn the volume up until the news could be heard through the house. Gigi came flying half-dressed out of her bedroom and Danny wasn't far behind. Ore seemed to wake up from his half-asleep seat at the kitchen's bar and Eric walked out of his bedroom with a look stating that he'd just been rudely awakened. Charlie stumbled out onto the balcony above in confusion for the sudden noise while Leo crashed into her door in a rush to come out and see what the commotion was.

The whole time, Tsuna couldn't even sit up from the floor. He simply lay in place and listened while every eye was riveted on the television.

"I honestly don't know what to say," Tsuna's voice hesitantly mumbled from the television. "I... um... I woke up in a hospital five years ago without a clue about who I was or where I was from. There's been lots of times that people have said that I look like Tsunayoshi, but I never thought that I was actually him. It still feels a little crazy to me. Um... When I woke up, though, one of the nurses at the hospital took me in. She was a very kind lady. She helped me to find a job and to get on my feet without every asking anything from me. I really owe her a lot, but she would never accept anything that I tried to give her. She said, 'just pay it forward.' The past few years, I've been living with that in mind. Three months ago, she died from lung cancer. When she died, she told me that her only regret was not finding my family for me. I found out that she'd been looking for these past five years while I'd been content to just wait to be found. So, I hired investigators and did my best to find them for myself. That's when I found out that there was a possibility that I really was Tsunayoshi. We got in contact with Vongola Corp's medical division and checked my blood and X-rays with Tsunayoshi's. It all matches, which was pretty shocking for me. I'm still not sure how I should be reacting. It's all so much to handle. I have so much more family than I ever imagined and everyone has been so welcoming. It's like I'm in a dream."

"What are your plans now?" A reporter asked while flash cameras went nuts during the pause.

"I don't really have any yet," he replied. "Right now, my... my family... they're taking me around to different places to see if my memory can be shaken loose."

"What do you think of Haru Hibari's remarriage now that you know that she was your wife?" Another reporter asked boldly.

"I... um... I don't have any opinions on that," he answered with a shrug. "It's sad to think about it, but I can't remember anything about Mrs. Hibari. I see no reason to interfere in her happiness. As for her son... I mean, my son... Right now, I think it's best to take it one step at a time. Just building a friendly relationship is enough to make me happy. Perhaps when my memories return, I'll feel differently. It's hard to say. I've been living a different life until now. Just finding out that I do have a family at all is enough for me. Getting to meet my parents and finding out that I have a little brother... All of it makes me really happy and I hope--"

"Laz," Gigi whispered as someone hit the mute button. Tsuna couldn't respond. He was in too much shock. He was Tsuna, but there was someone else on the television that said he was Tsuna. How was that possible? One of them had to be lying. That guy on the television had to be lying because the real Tsuna was going under the name of Lazarus Timberson. Unless... Unless Maro and his memories really were delusion. Had Autumn been right all this time? Was he just insane? "Laz, say something," Gigi ordered tonelessly. "I thought that you were Tsuna. What's going on? Does Xanxus--"

"Xanxus," he gasped, sitting up so abruptly that both Cassandra and Summer yelped. Scrambling to his feet, he started blindly running again. He couldn't get his thoughts to line up at all. All he knew was that he'd regret it if he didn't get to Xanxus immediately. He had to see him. He had to see him now! He didn't notice the transition between the Dojo and his apartment. It was as if he blacked out, only to awaken inside the front door of his home.

"Laz?" Xanxus asked as he slowly sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He was still fully dressed and his position made it look like he'd collapsed into it by accident. "What time is it? I must have dozed off after--" Tsuna felt propelled by insanity. Slamming the door shut, he rushed forward to pin Xanxus to the bed with a fevered kiss. Xanxus choked in surprise at the action, but Tsuna couldn't stop himself. He was trembling in fear and panic with only one thought circling madly in his head.

"Don't leave me," he begged, stealing Xanxus' lips before he could form a response. "Love me no matter what and.... and stay here," he gasped between rushed embraces. "I know that I'm an asshole and I know that... I know that I haven't always been the best to you, but I don't want you to leave. We're together now. Right? Maro loves you. I don't want to lose you. I--"

"LAZ!" Xanxus gasped, grabbing him by the shoulders to hold him away so that he could breathe. His eyes were as wide as dish-plates, full of shock and confusion for the sudden confessions. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Please," he pleaded with tears stinging in a trail down his cheeks. "I'll give you anything you want. Just promise that you won't... Don't go, Xanxus. I'm right here."

"Do you want to start making sense?" Xanxus asked with his grip tightening on Tsuna's shoulders for the offer. "What happened?"

"I-I..." Tsuna felt his heart jump into his chest. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want Xanxus to know. His gut was screaming that Xanxus would leave if he knew. He'd go to the other Tsuna and leave him behind. "Please." It was the only word that he could choke out while he started sobbing.

"Calm down," Xanxus ordered, reaching out to brush away the tears as they fell. "I'm not going anywhere." Liar, Tsuna's intuition supplied. "I love you and nothing is going to change that." Liar. "I don't know why you're suddenly acting like this, but it's going to be okay." Liar.

"Please," he whispered, clutching onto Xanxus shirt as if he could keep him from leaving by force. "I don't want to be alone again. I--" There was only one choice. There was one miniscule chance that he could keep Xanxus from leaving. He might stay if Tsuna just didn't hold back. "M-Make love to me, Xanxus," he said with his body trembling in Xanxus' hands. "I-I d-don't--"

"Stop now before I knock the shit out of you," Xanxus growled, tossing Tsuna off of him in order to get to his feet with a red face. "What the hell is with you? You never try to initiate! I always have to feel like I'm pulling teeth to get you to come around!"

_Calm down, Laz, _Maro gasped urgently into his mind_. Just tell him that you're serious--_

"SHUT UP!" Tsuna screamed, clutching his head in effort to make the voice go away. Xanxus had rejected him. That could only mean one thing. He wasn't Tsuna. "You're not real," he whispered to the voice in his head. "You're not real! You're not real! YOU'RE NOT R--"

* * *

Xanxus didn't think. He just acted on instinct, knocking Tsuna out before he could go berserk. His aura was still fluctuating erratically as he slumped over onto the bed. It was almost as erratic as Xanxus' own heartbeat. He wasn't a stranger to breakdowns, but this was the first time that he'd seen Tsuna-turned-Laz have one this bad. It wasn't unusual for him to blow his top over something, but he always seemed fine afterward. This was different, though. For him to be questioning the reality of Maro and his other personalities, what exactly had happened?

"Cici," he called while he got Tsuna situated under the blankets to rest. "Find out--"

"Just turn on the television," she interrupted from her charging unit. "It started about an hour ago. Once you see, we might want to get out of here. The media will probably be tracking you down next."

"Eh? Me? What are you talking about? Why would--"

"Tsunayoshi Sawada arrived in Japan this morning," she interrupted. Xanxus froze in place with the blankets tumbling out of his suddenly numb hands. It wasn't possible. Tsuna was right here. What was going on? Vongola wouldn't be fooled that easily. How could they accept a fake?

Or had he accepted the fake?

Which was it?

* * *

Tsuna knew before he even opened his eyes to look at the back of his office's couch. Xanxus was gone. Accepting the happiness in front of himself wasn't enough. The Tsuna in front of him hadn't been enough. It left him feeling so incredibly empty. He had no clue who he was anymore. Was it all just a delusion? Had the need to run and hide from Vongola all been a figment of his imagination? Was everything that he remembered from before meeting the circus just a dream that his mind had concocted? Did he just have amnesia and had wanted to make himself into someone special? There were so many blanks in his life still. Were Maro's memories and Chibi's memories just a lie to keep him from questioning?

He should be locked up in an asylum.

He should be locked up before he hurt anyone else by listening to Maro's suggestions.

_Get up, Laz, _Maro ordered_. You can still go after him._

"Shut up," he whimpered, once more clutching his head to make the words go away. "You're not real. I'm not Tsuna. You just made that up."

_You know better than that,_ he snapped_. Stop fooling around! We've got to go stop Xanxus! He's only going to get hurt if he--_

"Shut up," he repeated.

_Stop acting like such a brat!_

"Shut up."

_I don't know what Vongola is doing, but that's not me, Laz! That's--_

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP! I'm not listening to you anymore! You're not real!"

_If I'm not real, then what am I?! I can only be myself--_

"No more," he gasped, jumping off his couch to run for his desk. Pulling open one drawer after another, he knew that there had to be one somewhere. Veronica made sure that he always had a stock ready in case he needed it.

_What are you doing, Laz?_

"I'm making you go away," he answered when he finally found the bottle of pills that he'd neglected for almost a year. Opening the lid, he stopped thinking completely and started eating them like candy. All he could think of was the fact that someone else was Tsuna and that the figments in his head were hurting him. He should have never listened to them. He should have kept to himself. Opening up to Xanxus had only ended with more pain. He wanted those figments to go away.

_Laz, stop! _

Go away.

_You're taking too many!_

Go away.

_St-p! Y--'re --ing-- ki-- y--!_

GO AWAY!

* * *

"So, you're telling me that Laz thinks that he's Tsunayoshi Sawada?" Charlie asked in disbelief as he leaned onto the conference table. "And all of you believed him?"

"It made sense," Gigi whispered, at a complete loss of how to continue with her faith crushed so badly. "It explained a lot of the strange things about him. Even Xanxus believed that it was him."

"I still don't think that he was lying," Eric interjected with his arms crossed. "There's no reason to doubt him just because--"

"What about that Mukuro guy?" Leo interrupted in worry. "We all know that he was real. Maybe he messed with Laz's memories while he was possessing him."

"Or maybe that was just Laz's insanity spreading," Ollie countered. "He wasn't right in the head when he ran off that time. Maybe he really wasn't possessed. It could have been the first of his split personalities."

"I don't know," Gigi admitted painfully while she reached over to clench Danny's hand for warmth. "I'm not sure what's real and what's not anymore. Even Xanxus looked like he was unsure."

"Is he really going back to Italy?" Leo asked.

"Ah," Gigi nodded. "Ore escorted him to the airport since the camera crews were already starting to show up. He said that there was no point in wondering. He said that he'd know as soon as he met him in person and then he'd come back. No matter what, he said that he'd come back."

"How is Laz taking it?" Charlie inquired with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Bad," she answered. "When Xanxus called and told us to meet here, he said that Laz had a breakdown after he got home. That's why Xanxus didn't wait. The media attention would switch from Xanxus to him if he'd stuck around. The real Black X shows up and Excaliber is living with an impersonator? Laz isn't in a position to handle that kind of gossip right now. He said that he was counting on us. Even if we have to put him in a straight-jacket, Laz had to be in one piece when he got back. If not, he promised to slaughter us all. I'm honestly not sure whether he was kidding or not."

"A straight jacket is a little much," Eric laughed. "Laz will be okay as long as no one brings up the Tsunayoshi situation. He's still Laz no matter what. Right?"

"Right," Gigi agreed with a sigh of relief. When it was put that way, it was much easier to deal with. Laz was still Laz, even if his past had gotten a little more shady. He--

Everyone froze at the sound of Veronica's scream, heralding the fact that Laz was anything but okay.

* * *

Autumn smiled hesitantly up at Theodore while they paid for Isaac's Christmas present. For two months now, she'd done her best to open up to the man and she had to admit that his patience was touching. He didn't seem to mind at all that she wasn't a blushing bride who was insanely in love with him. As long as she was being faithful to her vows and was at least attempting to let their friendship grow, he seemed willing to wait for as long as it took for her feelings to flourish. They'd even had a long talk during their honeymoon to put everything out in the open and she'd point-blank told him of all of his faults. He'd been understandably taken aback at first, but he'd shown that he wasn't afraid to fight it out with her by telling her all of her faults in return until she'd been slack-jawed and gaping.

He'd slowly changed since then. He'd started surprising her at odd times and he'd let her in on his secret hobby of making stained-glass pictures. She'd learned that he had his goofy side, but he had been trained for his entire life to hide it. He'd started joining her Knights during their training regimens and had gotten in a three-way fencing match with Isaac and Saldez in the heat of the moment. He wasn't that great in bed, but he'd shown a willingness and openness to both learn and experiment.

She wasn't falling for him, but she was growing comfortable with him. It wasn't a horrible way to live. She could have imagined much worse. If he'd turned out to be a possessive bastard who tried to raise his hand at her, she would have had to shoot him. As it was, he was confident enough in his patience and her sense of responsibility that she had as much time as she needed to figure things out.

"Who do you want to buy for next?" He asked with a gentle smile.

"Why don't we go look at those electronic picture frames for Daddy?" She suggested. "His office is so cluttered that he can't put pictures in there, but the electronic ones scroll through them like a screensaver."

"Or, we can get a scanner for him," he suggested in return. "If we scan all of his paper files into digital copies, he can put the stuff that's cluttering his office into a storage shed. The security would be better that way and computer files don't take up as much room."

"If we did that, we'd have to get him a laptop," she murmured in thought. "He's still using that old heap from twenty years ago. Would he even like something like that?"

"Hmm," he murmured in thought as they started walking towards the electronics store. "I think he would if we did the transfer work for him ahead of time. We could leave the paper files in place until after Christmas, but if we have everything in his computer when he loads it up for the first time...."

"He wouldn't have any excuse not to streamline," she chuckled, thinking about the kind of face he'd make with an uncluttered office. "Will you help me do all the--"

"What's going on?"

"Huh?" Autumn asked, looking up at him before glancing in the direction that he was looking. It wasn't hard to see what had his attention. The sidewalk in front of the electronics store looked like someone had spread word that someone was handing out Benjamins to the homeless. Curious, she grabbed Theodore's sleeve and started pulling him over to see what the commotion was. She couldn't get close enough to the window to see what was going on, so she gave into Theodore's prodding to go into the store. Inside, she didn't make it past the displays of high definition, big screen televisions. She could only stare and stumble in the direction of the already gathered crowds who'd also fallen to a shocked stop in order to watch.

"....some herald the resurrection as a miracle while others are openly speaking out against the re-appearance of Tsunayoshi Sawada after a five-year absence," the news anchor reported before the scene switched to random people being questioned on the street.

"I prayed that he'd be found and return home safely," an old woman commented with a smile. "Prayers do get answered."

"It must be tough for his son," a young man in a group of his friends mumbled. "I mean, he thought his dad was dead and then he shows up out of nowhere. He's got to feel like he's skydiving off a cliff right now or something."

"It's not him," a burly man shouted into the microphone while several people tried to restrain him. "I don't know who thought this would be a funny stunt, but that's not Black X! Don't believe-- It's not him!"

"It seems kind of fishy," a lawyer-type gentleman commented. "Why now? If I were him, I would have just stayed in hiding. He doesn't even remember who he is? The consequences for Vongola Corp have to be astronomical."

"As you can see," the anchor continued as the shot went back to the newsroom. "Opinions are varied on the matter. In the Sawada household, however, celebrations have been going on through the night while Tsunayoshi has been celebrating his return with friends and family in hopes of overcoming the amnesia caused by the accident over five years ago. People from all over the world have been coming out of retirement and the airports have been clogged for the past three hours as old friends and relatives of the Sawada family have been arriving to reunite with the man. One such person is Tsunayoshi Sawada's former spokesman, Takeshi Yamamoto, who took much joy in giving a tearful statement to the press early this morning."

"I can't..." Yamamoto sniffed while he openly cried in front of the cameras. "I can't begin to say how happy we all are to find that Tsunayoshi is alive and well. He... He was my best friend for many years and the past five years have been miserable without him. He has always been our guiding light and the heart of both the Sawada Household and Vongola Corporation. This... sorry, I need a moment."

"Mr. Yamamoto goes on to verify that Tsunayoshi has been completely matched with his medical profile from before his disappearance and that he is, without a doubt, the one and only Tsunayoshi Sawada," the reporter said with a smile. "Now, in local news, things aren't quite as joyous. Are they, Dean?"

"Not at all," another reporter answered as the view switched to a man on location. "I'm standing here in front of Saint Christopher's Medical Center where, not two hours ago, Lazarus Timberson, a local hero and known Tsunayoshi impersonator, most commonly known as the President of Orange Dragon Industries and also moonlights as the sensational baker Maverick, has been admitted into a high-security Intensive Care Unit, after a breakdown and resulting suicide attempt. We've just received word that the attempt was made through an overdose of medication. Now, I'm told that this medication, meant to treat a multiple personality disorder, was a continuous treatment that Mr. Timberson had been undergoing for the past several years. Friends who were close to him during the time of the breakdown are adamantly refusing comment other than to say that it was _not _a suicide attempt. They have confirmed-- Hold on. I'm getting something in now. Eric Brahms, spokesman for Orange Dragon Industries, has come out to make a statement. Let's go to him now--"

"--still in critical condition," Eric said calmly while Autumn slowly came to notice that she was trembling.

"Is it true that the breakdown is the result of finding out that Tsunayoshi Sawada had been found?"

"Yes and no," Eric replied. "While it did have a distant affect, the breakdown was regarding a matter with his significant other. This was not a suicide attempt. As many of you know, Lazarus has had a hard life in this city. He built himself up from literally a penniless, homeless man on the streets. He's been through traumas such as rape, starvation, and beating, but he has always persevered. Two years ago, he lost his life partner to heart failure and was sent directly from the funeral into prison for the assault on one Gabriel Martelli. To say the least, he has been through a lot and the result was indeed a split personality disorder that he's been keeping in check with a regulation of medication, willpower, and the support of friends and family. The current situation was a little too much for him to handle and he misjudged the dosage of his medication to compensate."

"What was the matter with his significant other that caused this and who is that significant other?"

"He..." Eric paused, openly doing soul searching in hopes of finding the right answer. It only took a moment, after which he faced the cameras squarely once more. "Black X's former lover and Lazarus' current one, Excaliber, has returned to Italy to meet with Tsunayoshi. I have no further comment."

"Th--" Autumn started to say, looking up at where her husband was still standing with her.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm to drag her towards the door to the store. Her eyes widened at the sight of him already on his cell phone. "I'm on the phone with your father," he explained hurriedly as he ushered her out of the door. "Laz is fine, but he had to have his stomach pumped. They're moving him by helicopter to a private facility to recuperate and undergo a psych evaluation. We're going to meet them there."

"What are you doing?" She gaped as he hailed a cab.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "How I feel about him doesn't matter. Laz is your friend, so I'm taking you to him."

* * *

"Lazarus?" A soothing voice prompted as he slowly opened his eyes to find a nurse fiddling with an IV. The first thing that he noticed after that was how dull-witted that he felt. It took him nearly two minutes of trying to sit up before he realized that his wrists and ankles were strapped to the bed. Of course, a minute and a half of that was figuring out that he was on a bed to begin with. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he mumbled while he slowly looked around the practically empty room. His simple word seemed to echo to him. Everything was so quiet. He couldn't feel anything in the back of his head, making him feel incredibly alone and as if something important was missing. "Where...?"

"You're in the hospital," she answered slowly as if she understood that his mind was working so incredibly slowly. "If you feel a little strange, it's because of the medication that the doctor prescribed. It's to keep you calm so that you don't have any more episodes."

"Epi...sodes..?"

"You had a nasty breakdown," she explained gently. "You almost committed suicide, so your friends have decided that it would be best for you to stay here for a while. They're all very worried about you."

"Can I see them?" He mumbled in confusion for the information.

"You're not allowed visitors right now," she replied. "You've been moved to a private facility. There's a nice man that will be here in a little while to talk to you. If you talk to him and tell him what he wants to know, he'll be able to start your treatment right away. The sooner that your treatment is started so that you can get better, the sooner that we can let your friends in to see you. You want to see them, don't you?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a tired nod. His eyes were starting to feel so heavy. He felt like he could go back to sleep in the blink of an eye.

"Then listen to the nice man when he comes in and you'll be recovered in no time," she smiled. "For now, just sleep. The medication is probably making you sleepy. Isn't it?"

"Y-Ye..." he agreed. He was back asleep before the word was completely across his lips.

* * *

"How is he doing?" Gigi asked worriedly, standing up with everyone else in the waiting room.

"He's out of danger," Doctor Jules soothed. "He woke up for a few minutes while we were getting him settled in, but he fell back asleep almost immediately. He was calm, but we're not sure how much of that is because of how much medication that we have him on. Doctor Johnston will be here soon to give him the introductory psych test, but I'm going to warn you now that it probably won't go well. Because of the circumstances, I received permission from Papa Paolo to brief the doctor on Laz's true profile. Before you get upset, Doctor Johnston isn't a skeptic. He's dealt with far more absurd realities than any of us could dream of dealing with. That's where the problem lies. Laz's self-defense mechanisms will kick in once they start talking and he'll probably lie through his teeth. Doctor Johnston isn't going to let him go like that. To be honest, it's probably better that he doesn't. Laz has a lot of problems that never got worked through. Keeping him here, now, while he's recently had a breakdown, is the best opportunity that we have to help him. Getting him to be open about himself when he's always hidden is going to be difficult, though."

"Laz isn't going to agree to counseling," Gigi replied in doubt for the whole business.

"No worries," he shrugged. "We don't need his agreement this time. Papa Paolo has plenty of judges in his pocket. He's already gotten a court order for Laz to be held against his will. He's been judged to be mentally unfit to care for himself in regard to his safety. Therefore, since he's an unmarried bachelor with no blood relatives, Papa Paolo has been assigned as his custodian. Naturally, we'd have given that honor to Xanxus in normal circumstances, but I don't think that it's a good idea when he's one of the primary causes of the current predicament."

"It's not like that!" Veronica gasped, bolting up from her seat. "Xanxus said that he'd come back! He was trying to help Laz by keeping the media away from him!"

"No," Eric interjected from the corner of the room. Everyone turned to find that the normally happy actor was scowling with such a depressed air that no one could look at him for more than a moment without getting depressed in return. "The fact is that Xanxus left. He knew that Laz was having a breakdown and he still chose to go confront the Tsuna in Italy rather than staying here."

"That's not fair, Eric," Gigi murmured. "You can't blame him for going. Tsunayoshi was--"

"His past," he growled. "He's been acting like Laz is the center of his world ever since he got here, but it's obvious now. Xanxus only cared about Laz because of who he looked like."

"That's assuming that Laz isn't Tsuna," Gigi countered in irritation. Eric had been the one saying that Laz was the real thing before! This flip-flopping of opinions was going to drive her nuts! Everyone just needed to make up their minds and stick with it! "Damnit," she cursed, stomping her foot in irritation. "I'll let the psycho-babble doctor figure it out! Don't all of you just want to see Laz happy again?! Haven't all of you noticed it?! Ever since--"

"Um..."

_Speak of the devil and she will appear._

Gigi froze in place as the wicked bitch of the west stepped into the building with her husband behind her. Gigi felt that she knew exactly how Laz felt in that moment. She had such a concerned expression on her face despite having caused Laz such confusion and heartache. It made Gigi snap. Before anyone could stop her, she stormed across the room and did the single most thing that she'd wanted to do since hearing Laz's confessions.

She slapped the bitch.

Autumn just stood in shock of the blow, as did the man behind her. Danny and several others rushed forward to keep her from hitting the woman again when it was obvious that one just wasn't enough, but she still tried to lash out.

"This is your fault," she snarled as Ore wrapped his arms around her from behind to hold her back. Gigi ignored it, though. She was going to say what needed to be said or her name wasn't GIGI! "How dare you show your face here! You fucking bitch! You're the reason that he's like this! He entrusted you with his damn heart and you tossed it into the gutter like trash! If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have been such a big blow to him! You're nothing more than a rich whore who cares more about money than people! Don't think that you can come in here now and--"

"GIGI!" Danny snapped, grabbing the sides of her head to force her to look at him. "That's enough," he continued gently. "I know that you're upset, but there's no reason to take it all out on Autumn. You know as well as I do that this has been building ever since he lost Snicker. Laz even had problems in prison and Autumn was nowhere around for that. It's true that she made it worse by not being straight-forward with Laz, but she wouldn't be here if she didn't care about him."

"No," Autumn interjected with her head bowed and a hand pressed to her stinging cheek. "Gigi's probably right. I don't have any right to be here and I'll probably only make things worse. Just... Just tell me how he is and I'll leave."

"He's been settled into a room and he's resting comfortably," Doctor Jules supplied while Gigi tried to calm herself down. "We're going to wake him up in about two hours for a preliminary psych exam. I've called in Doctor Johnston. He's a colleague of mine and a specialist in cases like Laz's. Physically, Laz is in a stable condition. Mentally, we won't know until after the good doctor gets hold of him."

"I see," she murmured as she turned to head back out the door. "Keep Daddy posted for me, please." Gigi watched silently until she was gone and the door fell shut behind her. Good riddance, in her opinion. She could care less about how many people were glaring at her for running the woman off. None of them had held vigil next to Laz while he'd cried his eyes out after Autumn's wedding.

"Jules," Danny said softly while Ore finally released Gigi. "Is there any way that I can be transferred in here as a--"

"No," he stated bluntly.

"You didn't even let me finish," he gaped.

"Don't need to," Doctor Jules shrugged. "This facility has a closed staff. It's usually easier for people to open up to strangers since there's no fear of consequences or reprisals. If you or anyone that Laz knows were to come into contact with him before any treatment could take effect, he'd put up so many barriers that not even his mother would be able to get through to him. Keeping him from knowing about the media circus will be hard enough already. I'm not even going to be able to see him after they start lowering the medication so that he's not sleeping most of the time."

"Is there anything at all that we can do to help him?" Gigi asked helplessly.

"Lots of things," he nodded. "You can write letters that won't touch on stressful topics and will reassert that all of you are waiting on him to get better. Now is a good time for confessions and getting things off of your chest since letters that are open will help incite Laz to be more open. If one of you would like to package up some of his personal items that might make him more comfortable, that would be good. Don't send anything that has emotional attachments. If you just gather simple things from his apartment like his own personal supplies, maybe a blanket and pillow, and so forth, it'll make Laz feel more at ease without bringing up negative feelings. Under no circumstances are you to give him any news about what's going on in the outside world. His mail will all be checked and his belongings will only be given to him after Doctor Johnston approves of them."

"It sounds outrageously like prison again," Ore grumbled.

"It might as well be," he confirmed softly. "Laz is currently under suicide watch, so every detail down to his shoelaces are being watched over. Until the doctor says that he's stable enough to be released from his bed, he'll stay tied down to it. We're not taking any chances with this. All of you know as well as I do that even if it wasn't an intentional attempt on his life, there's nothing to say that he won't tilt that way in the future."

"How... How long does he have to stay here?" Veronica mumbled unhappily.

"Until he gets better," Jules answered sadly. "It might be a week, but it could take months or years depending on him."

* * *

"I didn't try to kill myself," Tsuna growled to the only other person in the room with him.

"I'm not saying that you did," he replied with an easy-going smile. Tsuna pressed his lips together, not amused at the position that he was in. The guy was agreeing with him, but he wasn't doing anything to release him. Tsuna barely got the summary of what was going on. He was willing to admit that he'd got a little upset and he should have paid more attention to how many pills that he'd been taking, but tying him up like he was a crazy person was going to far. He wasn't-- Well, he might be a little bit, he amended to himself. That was no reason to tie him up, though.

"Release me," he ordered.

"I can't do that just yet," he replied gently. "You might try to hurt yourself. Do the restraints bother you?"

"Do you want the obvious answer or a fairytale?" Tsuna asked with a glare. He tugged on the restraints again, but it was useless. He felt as weak as a newborn pup. His head was clear, but there was no strength left in his body. The man sitting in a chair at the foot of his bed didn't move other than to shift into a more comfortable position. He looked ordinary enough, although the scruffy handlebar mustache and the knitted sweater made him seem somewhat off. "No one in their right mind would like being tied down like this."

"Are you angry?"

"Who are you, anyway?" Tsuna snapped, deciding that the man was probably some wacko from another room. "I get that I'm here because some idiot thought that I overdosed on purpose, but you don't look like a physician. If you're a patient--"

"I'm not a patient," he smiled. "My name is Doctor Johnston. I'm a specialist in psychiatry in regards to abnormal realities."

"Eh?"

"I'm the guy that they call in when the truth is strange and the lies are normal," he chuckled. "In some rare cases, there are things about a patient that would be considered crazy-talk that are actually true. Even people with special qualities or abilities have minds that can break down from stress. I can sift through what's true and what's false without being constrained by the typical rules of reality. For instance, I was handling a case in Ireland before I came here about a little girl who was making everyone in her town upset because she kept telling them that the faeries were mad at them. She warned everyone that, if they didn't listen, the crops would fail. When the crops did fail, she was blamed for the salt that had been dusted across the fields and put into an asylum for her own safety and the safety of the town. How do you think that made her feel?"

"You're expecting me to believe in faeries," Tsuna said with a dead-pan expression.

"I guess that would be pushing it in your case," he smiled. "But what would you say if I told you that she did see them? That would mean that the poor girl had been locked away for telling the truth. Under normal circumstances, her friends and family made the right choice. In this particular girl's case, she was locked away for four years before I found her because she didn't understand that what was a normal reality for her was abnormal for everyone else. She was simply too young. For four years, she was constantly told that what she was seeing was hallucinations and that she was seeing them because her mind was sick. She was forced to undergo numerous treatments when there was nothing wrong with her until she finally had a complete mental and physical breakdown."

"What does this have to do with me?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Nothing," he shrugged. "You just asked about me and I thought that I'd share the types of cases that I usually deal with. Would you like to hear another strange one?"

"Do I have a choice?" He grumbled, tugging on his restraints one more time.

"I guess not," he chuckled. "I think you'll find this one interesting. I was called into deal with this very particular case. You see, the man in question was unlike most of my normal clients. He had a successful job and a good reputation for fairness, generosity, and an aptitude for learning. He also had a reputation on the streets for an iron fist, cunning, and an undefeatable spirit. He was respected all around by everyone who lived in the same city as he did. He had a lot of physical strength, but he would only tell a select few about the secrets behind it. He had only fragmented memories of his past that he would only tell a few select people about. He was living under an alias as if he were running from something. So much of his life had been spent in running from his own abnormal reality that not even he could figure out what was real. Then something happened. This man received numerous shocks at once and he had a breakdown. What he believed to be truth became lies and the lies became truth until both were so intertwined that he couldn't tell them apart. What do you think happened after that?"

"He stopped trusting his split personalities," he answered, having already caught on that the man was talking about Tsuna himself. "And he took too many pills to get him to shut up."

"Exactly," he agreed softly. "He overdosed and nearly killed himself, causing his friends to worry about his mental health. Your friend, Doctor Jules, knows how unique your case is and he called me in because he knows that an ordinary psychiatrist would take your abnormal reality and write it all off. On the other hand, I have no plans to do that. I'd rather help you come to terms with your abnormal reality and help you to define, for yourself, who the person Lazarus is. Once you have a firm grasp of your own reality, the foundation will be more stable for you to deal with the other problems plaguing you such as your split personalities, your relationship issues, and other small troubles that you might have had trouble dealing with. It might be scary for you to confront yourself, but I want to help in any way that you'll let me. If you'd like to start now, we can start laying the groundwork."

"I guess," he mumbled. "It's not like I can go anywhere yet."

"Good," he smiled. "Then why don't we start with you telling me a little about yourself? I assure you that this room isn't being monitored and everything you say will stay between us."

"Hmph," he replied with a slow smile flickering along his lips. This guy would believe the craziest of stories and he could say anything? Then how about this...? "My real name is Tsunayoshi Sawada from Japan and I'm hiding from the Vongola Mafia because I don't want to be their fucking Boss. I ran away from them five years ago by flying over the ocean with the power of a set of_ fire-gloves_. I got hit by lightening and crash landed on a ship that brought me here where I met a _vampire_. The vampire took me to a Banquet of vampires where I was the main dessert and I got turned into a _werewolf _from all of their bites. Oh, and did I mention that I've already died twice? The first time was while I was still human. I was raped, beaten, and tossed into a dumpster. When I woke up, I was in a fucking morgue. The second time, hundreds of people from all over the city decided that they hated me so much that they lynched me and stabbed my eye out. And, to finish it off, the love of my life died of a heart attack because he found out that I'm a werewolf, my second love married someone else because she was sane enough to know that I was crazy, and the person that I turned to left to Italy because I'm not the real Tsunayoshi after all. I think that about covers everything that you're probably wanting to know, so will you _please _take off these fucking restraints?!"

"It's a good start," he said with that same smile plastered on his face. "Let's go back to the beginning. Why didn't you want to be the Boss of the Vongola Mafia?"

Tsuna stared in disbelief for a long moment. The man was absolutely nuts. It made him want to scream in frustration. He just wanted to go home!

* * *

'It's about what I expected," Doctor Johnston sighed, rubbing his eyes while Lazarus' friends gathered around to hear his diagnosis. "He's skeptical of me and of himself. He's covering his anger with sarcasm and he refused to open up after I showed him that he could be honest. If it wasn't for the muscle relaxants that we've been giving him, he would have broken free and run off as soon as he was awake. After this, he's going to be a lot more stubborn with information. I got quite a bit out of him, but he doesn't know how to deal with someone who is willing to listen to him. I had to prescribe some anti-psychotics to get him to calm down, but it just put him back to sleep. I'll see if I can find something that can keep him calm but won't knock him out next time, but I think that I've done as much as I can for today. I'm afraid that this isn't going to be easy. He's probably going to be here for a while. I'd really like to get him transferred into one of the observation rooms as soon as possible so that he can have some freedom of movement, though. He seemed more focused on the restraints than anything right now."

"We'll need a day or two for that," Jules replied. "His recovery rate is high, but I want to keep him there for another twenty-four hours to make sure that there isn't any more side effects from the overdose."

"Umm... Doctor..." Veronica interjected softly. "The reason that Laz is upset about the restraints is because of what happened to him before. He--"

"Hold on a moment," Doctor Johnston interrupted. He turned his attention to everyone in the waiting room, giving a soft smile to put everyone at ease. "All of you that are here are influential people in Laz's personal life. If any of you are willing, I'd like to interview you on a one-on-one basis. Knowing more about the people around Laz will help me determine what's going on in his head. If you'd like to give me any information at all that you think will help me, I'm more than willing to listen. However, I do not believe in divulging information in the open. Laz might have said something to one of you, but not to another. I'm not saying that he trusts one of you more than another. I'm just saying that he might have different levels of comfort around different people. That shouldn't be interfered with or else he'll become uncomfortable around everyone. Now... My dear," he continued, turning to smile back down at Veronica again. "If you'd like to go first, you're more than welcome to join me in my office for a cup of coffee."

"O-Okay," she agreed, shooting worried glances toward everyone else.

"You don't have to be afraid," he chuckled. "Talking to a shrink isn't as bad as you might think. Laz is my patient. Not you, unless you want to be."

"O-Oh."

* * *

Gigi swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched Ore quietly exit the building. So far, not a single person had stuck around after the interview. Veronica had run out crying. Eric and Ore had both been silently introspective. Leo had traces of crying on her face and Marty had been scowling. Ollie had left rather than go in. Danny refused to go in, as well, but he was waiting around since Gigi had decided to go last. The wait wasn't much longer. She lurched to her feet when the doors opened up and the first smiling person walked out. Poe looked incredibly pleased with himself while Doctor Johnston looked as pale as death.

Gigi decided that she didn't want to know what had happened.

"Next," he prompted in a strained voice. Gigi nodded and sent a glance back to Danny to get some encouragement. Following the doctor back through the door, she was led down a hall and into an office that was probably Jules' instead of his own. At least, that was what she guessed from the bug collections that were hanging on the walls. He prompted her to take a seat, but he didn't prompt for her to speak. Instead, he looked like he was still affected by whatever happened between him and Poe. His hands were trembling while he handed her a cup of coffee and refilled his own mug. "Just give me a moment," he murmured when she stared at his hands in askance. "I'm no stranger to vampires, but meeting one of Guardian level is a first."

"You've met other vampires?" She asked curiously.

"Ah," he nodded. "I might not look it, but I'm a half-blood myself. The strength of the Change was weak for me, though, so I might as well still be human. I can get glimpses of auras, but it's not reliable and my strength is something that the average football player could beat."

"I thought vampires were confined to one area," she murmured in confusion.

"You'd probably think that if you're used to Poe," he agreed with a minor tremor. "He's not a normal vampire, though. He's Guardian level, which is a small step down from the strength of the Council. Vampires like me are much more common. Honestly, if it weren't for Poe showing up to question me about my presence, I didn't plan to reveal that unless Lazarus noticed it. It gives me a unique perspective on things, but that's about it."

"Is Poe that strong?" She asked curiously.

"I'd piss my pants if I hadn't already," he laughed, rubbing his face with his hands to get the blood to flow back into it. "I was already scared out of my wits in dealing with Lazarus. He has to be the strongest werewolf that I've ever met. My teeth were aching the whole time that I was talking to him and I haven't touched a drop of blood in twenty years. To be honest, I'm a bit of a homophobe. I pass out just looking at pictures of blood. I've tried to desensitize myself, but we all have little weaknesses that are hard to overcome."

"I-I see," she replied hesitantly.

"Sorry," he laughed. "I'm supposed to be interviewing you, but here I am talking about myself. You don't have to worry any. I'm a vegetarian, so Laz is safe from me and I'm good at staying calm when I'm with a patient. Even if I'm a little daunted by his strength, I still believe that I can help him."

"That's... good..." she commented slowly.

"So, tell me about yourself," he prompted around a sip of his coffee. "Everyone that I've spoken to has said that you are Laz's oldest friend."

"I guess you could say that," she nodded, relieved to be turning to a topic that she knew more about. "Snicker knew him long before I did, but I noticed him almost as soon as he arrived in town."

"How did you two meet?" He asked with a show of interest.

"I was a prostitute back then," she answered. "Me and some of the other guys had fun teasing boys like Laz. It was fun to make guys like him blush. It was as if they'd never seen a drag queen before. Snicker used to walk by with him every night on their way back to their sleeping spots and I'd proposition him for the hell of it. He was a lot smaller than he is now and he was very meek. It was the way of things back then. Since he was like that, I did what I could to knock the shine off of him. I wanted him to survive."

"When did you start housing together?"

"It was about three years ago," she murmured. "By then, Laz had been selling kisses at Kink's for a while and..."

* * *

His head felt empty. He'd woken up again, but he felt strange. He was content. He was content to do nothing. He was content to say nothing. He felt like he was asleep with his eyes open. Even when the nurses came in to check on him, he didn't feel the need to respond to their presence. When asked a question, he answered it simply before going back to staring out the window like he was watching a dream. He could think, but he couldn't think of anything to think about. Everything seemed so distant that even time seemed to stand still while still moving. He slept when he wanted to sleep. He ate whenever they fed him. He used the bathroom when they told him to and he took the pills that they told him to take. Events passed and things happened, but none of it felt like it could affect him. Even the restraints stopped bothering him.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in the same place, but night fell at some point and the blinds were dropped over the windows. After that, he stared into empty space since there was nothing left to look at. They hadn't allowed him a television or a radio. Part of him knew that he shouldn't just be sitting silently like he was, but that part was overwhelmed with the contentment that the rest of him felt. There was nothing stressful in this place. There was no one around that he had to deal with other than the Johnston guy who came in irregularly to check on him and the nurses that were easily satisfied. There was nothing that he had to do. It didn't hurt here.

"Still awake, Mr. Timberson?" A nurse asked as she poked her head into the room. She entered with a smile, carrying a glass of water and a cup of pills that he was growing far too familiar with. "It's time for your doses. Open wide."

* * *

Xanxus wanted to curse. He'd managed to make it this far without being noticed, but getting into the mansion wasn't going to be easy. With all the camera crews that were surrounding the gates, the security was tight and every angle was covered. Going in by the sky wasn't possible since even that angle was covered by helicopters. He could possibly go through the sewers, but he faintly remembered that most of those had been closed off or armed with anti-intruder hardware. If he was going to have to deal with machine guns and surveillance bots, he might as well go in through the front.

"Fuck it," he grumbled. He was getting old, but he wasn't that old. The day that he was scared of men with cameras was the day that he threw himself off a cliff. Walking into the open, he set himself a brisk pace that let him barge past half of the crews before they noticed his presence. He made it through another quarter before they recognized him. By the time that they rushed forward to interview, it was too late. Using on bald man's gut and a fat man's shoulder, he was able to gain enough momentum to grab hold of the front gate's upper railing and propel himself to the top. He stopped before dropping down, though, and balanced himself on the inch-thick bar of steel in order to stare at the guards who were standing out of view on the other side of the retaining walls that were holding the gate in place. No less than a dozen weapons were already pointing at him and several looked prepared to shoot.

"Oi," he called down while the cameras and flash photographers went nuts behind him. "Tell Tsuna to get his ass out here. I want to talk to him."

"Weapons down," the squad leader called, holstering his own gun as he stepped forward as spokesman. "You've been cleared to go inside, sir. They're waiting--"

"Don't make me fucking repeat myself," Xanxus warned, crouching down to ensure that the man saw how displeased that he currently was. He wasn't a fool. One step into the Vongola mansion on Vongola's terms would be the end of him. If he stayed in the eyes of the cameras, Vongola's hands would be tied. Besides, it wasn't in his nature to play by other people's rules. "I'm pretty fucking comfortable right here, so give him my damn message and tell him to hurry. I'm pretty impatient at the moment."

"Y-Yes, sir," he answered with a quickly paling face.

"Hey, you fucking reporters," he called to kill time. He was already irritated at the non-stop shouts being sent up to him and he could already foresee the frenzy that would occur when Tsuna came out. It wasn't something that he particularly wanted to talk through. "I don't give a fuck what you record, but keep your mouths shut when he comes out. I'll answer one question after I'm done, so talk quietly among yourselves and figure out what the hell to ask instead of bothering me. Right now, I'm not in any fucking mood to deal with trash."

"Sir," the squad leader called up. "The Tenth says that he's willing to come out, but he requests that you disarm first."

"Tell him that he's not worth shooting," he growled. "He needs to worry more about whether I'll break his scrawny neck for making me wait than whether or not I'll waste a bullet on him."

"I'll... ah... I'll let him know," he replied with a grimace before relaying the message into his earpiece. He didn't need to be told the response. Even though the front door was nearly two hundred yards away, he could see Tsuna when he stepped out the front door. He knew what he'd wanted to verify immediately upon looking at him in person. He honestly couldn't tell if it was Tsuna or not from the distance, but he still knew. Even if it was Tsuna, it didn't matter anymore. All he could think of was that he wanted to finish the meeting and go home to the idiot that would shoot him over a sandwich. He was tempted to leave at that very moment, but he waited. There was one thing that he felt the need to make clear to Vongola as a whole.

And he did as soon as the opening appeared.

"Xanxus, you bastard," Gokudera snarled. "How dare you call the Tenth out like th--"

"I-It's okay, Gokudera," Tsuna soothed with an faltering chuckle. The image was perfect, Xanxus thought. It was as if Tsuna was really standing before him with his trusty Right Hand beside him. He looked exactly like he had before his death and all of the body cues were perfect. Even so... Even so! "I want to meet every--"

"After today, stay away from me," he interrupted. Tsuna's face fell and Gokudera gaped slightly in surprise. It was obviously not what they'd expected out of him. "If you or anyone from Vongola tries to contact me, I'll make you wish that you'd stayed in Greenland."

"Xanxus... you--" Gokudera gaped with his eyes widening while Tsuna just stared as if he'd been slapped. "How can you say that to the Tenth?! Don't tell me that--"

"I can say it because he's my past," he replied calmly, turning all of his attention onto Gokudera. Whether or not he was the real one, Tsuna wasn't worth his time anymore. "I'm out, Hayato. That's not going to change, even with his return. The only reason that I came this far to say it was because I didn't want Lazarus bothered by it."

"You're going back to that imitation when the real thing is in front of you?" Gokudera asked with his jaw dropping even more.

"Since it's you that's saying it, I'll give you only one warning," he growled. "Laz might look like Tsuna, but never call him a fucking imitation. I'm not with him because I'm still chasing shadows and Laz doesn't try to be something that he's not. It's not the same as what I had, but Laz is better for me than Tsuna ever was. He..." Xanxus smiled to himself, thinking that there was only one way that he could possibly explain. "Do you know how much Tsuna always hated it when I snore?"

"Y-Yeah," Gokudera replied in confusion. "He gave you a black eye on his birthday because of it."

"I did that?" Tsuna choked.

"Yeah, well," he grinned in growing amusement. "Don't think that little shit like that matters. Lazarus could actually teach me to stop."

"How did he manage that?" Gokudera asked with a blank expression.

"He had the balls to stab me six nights in a row," he laughed. "On the seventh, I'd fucking stopped. Lazarus is Lazarus. A little twerp like Tsuna can't compare to him."

"I... see..." he choked.

"I've said what I needed to say," he murmured with a smile. "Now I'm going home."

"I-It was n-nice meeting you!" Tsuna called when Xanxus stood on the railing. Xanxus looked down at him for only a brief second before jumping off into the crowd of reporters. The twerp really could be Tsuna, he thought. It really didn't matter, though. Vongola could play whatever games that they wanted to. He had Lazarus waiting at home for him. Their games were none of his concern anymore.

"Ask your fucking question and then get out of my way," he ordered, causing nearly everyone to step backward simply with the force of his glare.

"Robert Teller from Channel Three news," one man fearlessly introduced with his microphone flying forward. "What are your plans now that you've met with Tsunayoshi Sawada, considering the fact that you've been named as the primary cause for Lazarus Timberson's breakdown and subsequent withdrawal into Hammerhead Rehabilitation Facility?"

"What?" Xanxus asked with a feeling as if his stomach had just landed next to his feet.

"L-Lazarus Timberson," he repeated carefully. "His spokesman named you as his current partner and insinuated that your trip here was the cause of his breakdown. He was hospitalized due to an overdose three days ago and sent into the Hammerhead Rehabilitation Facility under suicide watch. Were you not informed?"

"Those idiots," he growled under his breathe. "I told them to tell him that I was coming back!" Patting his pockets, he found he cell phone and hurriedly pulled it out. He wanted to crush it as soon as he saw that the battery was dead. They'd probably been trying to call him for the past three days, but he'd been too fucking focused on finally closing the book on Vongola. If he'd just taken two minutes to call them--

"Xanxus," Gokudera shouted through the gates. "I know that you want to cut ties, but the Tenth has offered you use of the Bluefin. Your plane isn't due to leave out for another six hours, but we can get you off the ground in forty-five minutes. It'll be a straight shot that way. No strings attached."

"Why the hell should I believe you," he asked, glancing over at where Tsuna was sheepishly keeping his head down. "It might take longer if I wait, but at least I know that my plane will land."

"You bastard," Gokudera growled at the insinuation. "After everything--"

"W-What if I go, too?" Tsuna interjected hesitantly while he twiddle his thumbs like an idiot. "Y-Your plane will definitely make it if I'm on it."

"Boss!" Gokudera exclaimed. "You can't be serious! Everyone is here to see you--"

"B-But--!" He gasped with a bright blush of embarrassment. "You said that Xanxus used to be very important to me. I understand if he's moved on with his life and doesn't care about me anymore, but he was still my friend. It wouldn't be right to ignore him when he needs help."

"Naive," Xanxus scoffed with a grudging smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "You're going to end up dead that way."

"That's fine," he replied, glancing up through his hair with a fragile smile. "I'll die happy if I know that I always did my best. Will you accept my offer, Xanxus? Even if I can't remember, I have a feeling that I owe you a lot."

"Fine," he grumbled as he started walking toward the gate again. It was a risk, but the gamble could get him back home twice as fast. "Since you're being so helpful, get me a fucking cell phone battery while you're at it."

* * *

_Suoh_.

Tsuna's heart leapt in his chest as he bolted up in place. As always, the room was completely empty. It was as if he was in a prison cell, only with less in the way of items. He didn't even get a bed, although the floor was padded more than enough for comfort. Of course, everything was padded. For the past two days, the only people that he saw were the nurses who brought him food and medication along with the Doctor that spent three hour stretches in just talking to him. The man kept saying that they were making progress, but Tsuna still thought that the doctor was the one who should be locked up.

He wasn't fighting the imprisonment, though. He had no reason to. There was no disappointment in this place. He had no responsibilities here. He had no one talking in his head here. There was no worries and no stress. There was literally nothing that could hurt him here and no one that he could hurt, so there was every reason in the world to stay. The boredom became a little too much at times, but they'd found a degree of medication that allowed him movement. When he was bored, he simply worked out until he was tired enough to sleep and then he went to sleep where he fell. It worked almost perfectly. There was only one problem with it all.

He kept hearing Snicker's voice at night. No matter where he looked once he was awake, the room was completely empty, though. He took it as a sign that he really was insane. The old voices were gone, so he was now making up new ones. It only made sense that he'd hear the one voice that he wanted to hear more than anything. He actually wished that he'd go more insane because of it. It didn't matter if it wasn't real. If he could just hear and talk to Snicker, he'd be happy. To see him would be bliss. To touch him... ah... To touch him again would send him to heaven no matter what hell he was punished with.

Laying his head back down, he let his body rest while his mind created fantasies of what he'd say and do if he saw Snicker again. He'd wrap his arms around Snicker's waist and bury his face into his scent. Snicker would run his hands through his hair while they held each other. Snicker would tell him that he'd been an idiot to think that he could find someone else and he'd forgive him for the attempts. Tsuna would make him promise to never leave again and Snicker would--

_Suoh_.

"S-Snicker...?" Tsuna murmured, slowly sitting up once more in order to carefully look around the room. It was just as empty as before. "Are you there?"

_Can you hear me, Suoh?_

"Yes!" He gasped. Tsuna jumped to his feet as his heart started pounding in his chest. It was Snicker! He was talking to Snicker! "Is that really you, Snicker?! Where are you?! Come out where I can see you!"

_I can't come out, Suoh._

"Why not?!" Tsuna cried as he tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. It was coming from above, but he couldn't tell which direction. "Please!" He shouted to the ceiling. "I'll do anything!"

_I need a sacrifice, Suoh. My spirit isn't strong enough without one._

"Just tell me!" He exclaimed with a lump forming in his throat. "I'll get it! I promise! I want to see you again!"

_You have to hurry, Suoh. I'm running out of time._

"I'll hurry!" He swore. "I'll break out of here and go get it right now! Just tell me what you need!"

_Tomorrow, you'll be visited by the one who stole you from me, Suoh. To stay with you, I'll need blood from his heart as a sacrifice._

"W-What...?" Tsuna asked in shock. The strength faded out of his legs at the implications and he hit the ground in an instant. He'd... He'd have to kill someone to get Snicker back? That wasn't something that Snicker would ask him to--

_Do you love him more than me, Suoh?_

"No!" He choked. "Of course not! I just... Wait! Him?! That means... Xanxus! Xanxus is the one coming tomorrow?!"

_Yes, Suoh._

"I'll do it!" He shouted. If it was Xanxus, he could do it. Xanxus wouldn't die if it was him. It'd probably hurt and it might put him in hibernation, but he'd recover. Snicker didn't need his whole heart. He just needed a little blood from it! "I'll get it for you, Snicker! I promise!"

_Thank you, Suoh. I love you._

"I love you, too!" He yelled with the horrible impression that Snicker was leaving. "Don't go!" He cried. "Stay here with me!"

_I'll come back tomorrow. Don't fear, Suoh. We'll be together again very soon._


	92. Chapter 92 Chasing Ghosts

Xanxus kicked back in his seat on the Bluefin and tried not to let his discomfort show. So far, Gokudera and Tsuna seemed to be playing straight, but he only planned to trust them a quarter of how far he could throw them. One thing was slowly becoming clear, however. The little punk sitting in the seat across from him wasn't Tsuna. He kept his mouth shut about it while he tried to figure out what Vongola was up to. They couldn't have fallen for it so easily. With Salmon around, Hotaru would have known instantly if the Flame was wrong. To Xanxus' inner eyes, Tsuna was indeed a bright orange. The scent was far too youthful, though. He smelled more like veal than steak.

Adding that to the migraine that was slowly forming, he came up with on very irritating conclusion.

"You can drop the fucking hologram," Xanxus growled. "We're already in the air."

"I was wondering how long it'd take you," Hotaru replied as the image of Tsuna wavered and disappeared. The brat smiled widely, amused at his little game to the point that Xanxus wanted to strangle him. "You were really fooled up until now. That was a nice little speech that you gave for the press."

"Explain," Xanxus ordered, glaring over at where Gokudera was sitting with his head bowed down.

"It's a trap," he murmured. "We're trying to lure someone out into the open. That's all that I can say." There was a hell of a lot more going on, Xanxus' intuition supplied.

"You're trying to lure Tsuna out," Xanxus stated to test the situation. Hotaru blinked in surprise, but Gokudera's look of shock was what explained everything. Tsuna wasn't who they were trying to lure out. It was definitely someone else. However, Gokudera knew that he was alive while Hotaru was clueless.

"What are you talking about?" Hotaru asked with a hesitant laugh. "Dad's dead. You should know that by now."

"He's not dead," Xanxus replied with a slow grin.

"Then--" Gokudera choked, jumping to his feet with a look of hope on his face that was a dead giveaway. "Is Lazarus--?"

"Too naive, Hayato," he answered with a cruel smile. Hotaru sat very still in place at the question and Gokudera turned pale. "Since the brat probably wants to know what's really going on, why don't you throw us a few fucking clues. You've caused major problems in my life because of this bullshit."

"I... uh..."

"Gokudera," Hotaru growled with a glare. "Have you been withholding information from me?"

"Yes, Boss," he answered with a grimace. "The truth is that I left out one piece. Sugar has confirmed that your father is alive, but she can't give us any directions as to his location. Everything else was true."

"Is that all?" Hotaru asked quietly.

"Yes, Boss," he nodded.

"In that case, don't worry about it," he sighed as he shifted to a more comfortable position in his seat. "It's good that you guys finally figured it out."

"Eh?" Gokudera choked. Xanxus felt like choking himself. The insinuations of such a simple statement was far too much to handle.

"I've known," he shrugged with a solemn look on his face. "When I was eight, I didn't understand why all of you were crying over Dad's glove and burying it. I was too scared to ask about it for a while because everyone only seemed to cry more when Dad was mentioned. By the time I was ten, I figured it all out. It was too late to say anything by then, though."

"But, you never asked for him once!" Gokudera gaped. He gaped even more at the fierce glare that surfaced on Hotaru's face before it was quickly covered.

"As far as I'm concerned, he really is dead," he replied calmly. "I saw dad only half a dozen times before he died. Even if he comes back now, who needs a dad like that? Vongola is prospering with just me and everyone has already moved past his death. If he comes back willingly, I'll deal with it. If not, I'm not going to shed any tears over a man who runs away from his responsibilities and I'm not going to waste resources in trying to drag him back to a place that he doesn't want to be."

"That explains half the story," Xanxus interjected while Gokudera stumbled back to his seat in order to collapse in shock. "That still doesn't explain why you're pretending to be him."

"I truly am sorry that your boyfriend got caught up in this mess, Xanxus," Hotaru replied easily. "We've already confirmed that he's not dad, so I didn't think that this would affect him. Our information on him was apparently full of holes. Do you mind explaining why he had a breakdown?"

"After you explain why you're pretending to be him," he replied without falling into Hotaru's pace.

"Fine, fine," he sighed with a small smile. "You could say that we're chasing ghosts. A man by the name of Rendrick has resurfaced at Mukuro's cell in the Vendiche prison. There was no reports of intruders, but Sugar went to investigate after Mukuro started acting up. There's a bunch of stuff about resonances and spiritual mumbo-jumbo, but the fact is that one of the Horsemen still has a toe in our world. He's obsessed with Dad, so the resurrection is bait to lure him in. From what I'm told, it was the same thing that Mukuro was trying to do with Lazarus. Your turn."

"I left him to come speak to you," he answered through clenched teeth. He wasn't going to reveal it, he decided. There was no point other than to betray the remaining shreds of trust that Laz might still have in him. "He lost Joshua to a heart attack and he was forced to give up Autumn. I was the last one that he had to turn to and he probably thinks that I abandoned him. He's acts like a bastard, but he's pretty fucking fragile inside. It'll probably take him a while to trust me again after this, but I had to come on the chance that it really was Tsuna that was parading around."

"You're really going to choose Laz over Dad?" Hotaru asked softly.

"I'll leave chasing ghosts to you," he replied solemnly.

* * *

Tsuna kept focus despite how difficult it was. Everything around him was moving too fast to react to. Normally, the morning dosage of medication didn't bother him. He could just relax in place and the day would speed past him. By the time that the doctor came in to talk to him, everything would be moving at a rate that he could handle. He called out a few times to see if Snicker would answer him again, but it was as if he was being tested with silence.

Soon. He'd hear Snicker's voice again very soon. He just had to wait.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Wait...

* * *

"Just let me see him," Xanxus growled, feeling as if he should rip out the bastard's throat.

"I don't think that it's a good idea!" Doctor Johnston exclaimed in mild panic. "He's acting strange, Xanxus! We need to observe for a little longer!"

"Wait," Gigi gasped, reaching out to grab Xanxus' arm before he could lash out. For several days now, it felt as if she'd been living at the Rehabilitation Center. She'd assigned herself to Doctor Johnston's hip in order to ensure that Laz got taken care of properly. So far, everything looked good. She wasn't allowed to meet with Laz, but she had special privileges that allowed her to look in on him through the one-way observation windows. "He has a good reason. There really is something strange going on with Laz."

"Like what?" He asked. Slowly putting the doctor down, he visibly tried to calm himself and failed miserably.

"He..."

"He's been calling out for Snicker," Doctor Johnston answered hurriedly. "Last night, there were reports of yelling in his room and the surveillance cameras picked up on a one-way conversation that seemed to be Laz talking to Snicker. Your name came up, but there's not much to go on. Somehow, he knew that you were coming, though. He's calmed down, but I have a feeling that he's waiting on you to show up. We don't know what he would do if you were to appear in front of him today. All we know is that he's growing more unstable and there was no visible trigger for it."

"Then fucking take me to him and let's see what the fuck he'll do," Xanxus ordered through clenched teeth. "There's no point in just watching him get worse."

"I..." Doctor Johnston flinched, but he looked as if he couldn't disagree. "Alright," he groaned. "We'll try it. Maybe seeing you will help him find some stability. If he shows a single sign of anxiety, though, I'm pulling the plug on your visit. Do you understand? You can do absolutely nothing to agitate him. He's on edge right now and you might end up pushing him over the cliff instead of helping him down from it. If that's a risk that you're willing to take, then I'm authorized to allow it. Mr. Martelli said that you were to be given limited rights to determining Laz's treatment."

"Shut up," he growled. "I don't need the explanations. Just take me in to see him."

"Follow me," he agreed in resignation. Gigi silently followed the two in worry and hope. She was worried about the risks of a visit by Xanxus while she was also hopeful that it'd bring Laz out of his fantasies. Speaking to air wasn't a good sign in a fully grown man. If he hadn't fallen into the deep end before, he'd done it during the night.

The walk was a quiet one that Gigi knew almost by heart. From the entry hall, it was through the second door on the right, down the corridor to the third hall on the left, down another corridor to the second door on the right, and through a door that led to a cell block of four isolation rooms. Only three of them were occupied at the moment. One had Laz inside. One had a middle-aged woman who'd tried to cut her ears off because she believed that there was something that was going to suck her brains out if she didn't. That woman was in a straight jacket to keep her from further attempts until they could figure out the reason for the psychological break. The third was a silent man who seemed normal most of the time. Gigi had looked through his door several times and he seemed to be just fine. However, she'd also seen what happened when the door was opened. The moment that the man saw another human being, he would run into a corner, huddle up, and start screaming. It was apparently an acute fear of people that Doctor Johnston was helping to treat via intercom counseling sessions.

Doctor Johnston had stated repeatedly that Laz's inclusion in the padded observation room was only temporary. He'd been two days from being put into a basic housing unit for those who needed long-term treatment but were harmless to others. He'd have had a permanent nurse assigned to him and a room that was furnished like it was an apartment. He would have been able to move around outside and he would have gotten the items that Gigi had packed up for him along with the letters that everyone had written. Now, however, the doctor was so worried about his latest psychological break that no one knew when he'd be coming out of isolated observation. He'd been making progress, even if everything he'd said had been in a tone of uncaring depression.

Gigi looked through the window with the Doctor and Xanxus to see where Laz was. As always, he was sitting in a corner of the room as if he was patiently waiting for the doctor to show up. At least, that's what it appeared on the surface. There were cues that she'd learned to pick up on after following Doctor Johnston around for the better part of a week. Laz wasn't patient at all. He wasn't stable, either. If he was stable, he would have been sitting still like normal. As it was, he was gently rocking in place so minutely that he probably didn't even notice that he was doing it. His fingers were softly tapping the floor at his sides and there was a look of intense concentration on his face. He was thinking hard about something, but there was no other clues to help them figure it out.

Nothing but the simple reaction that Laz gave when Doctor Johnston walked in alone.

"Snicker...?" He gasped with his head snapping up. The question made Xanxus pause long enough that Doctor Johnston shut the door on them so that he could warn Laz of the visit before they were seen. Reaching over, Gigi hit the intercom so that she could listen in like she always did while watching through the door's one-way observation window with Xanxus.

"...expecting Snicker?" Doctor Johnston asked carefully.

"Ah... no," he lied with a faltering laugh.

"I heard that you made quite a fuss last night," the doctor continued carefully as he took a seat on the floor to put himself down at Laz's level. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"It... It was nothing," Laz replied with his face buried into his knees. "I was just hearing things."

"What kinds of things?"

"It was just the wind."

"There is no wind in here."

"The heating vents, then."

"Am I not trustworthy, Lazarus?" Doctor Johnston asked gently. "I won't ignore anything that I'm told. The nurses said that you were having a conversation with someone."

"Uh... No... No, I wasn't."

"What can I do so that you'll confide in me? I know that something happened, but I don't seem to be making you comfortable enough to tell me."

"It's really nothing," Laz replied. "Um... When are you going to let me see Xanxus? I can smell him on you, so I know that he's here."

"Do you want to see him?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, please," Laz replied politely. "It's very urgent that I see him. I have to hurry."

"What are you hurrying for?" Doctor Johnston asked. "You have nothing but time here, Laz."

"I know," he murmured with a grimace. "I just... I have to see him. Right now. I can't wait."

"What are you planning to do when you see him?" He asked softly.

"I... I... um... It's a secret," he answered, swallowing a lump in his throat. Laz rubbed his face as if to wipe away his miserable expression, but Gigi could tell that he was disturbed by something. "Please. I really need to see him."

"Are you still upset that he left?" Doctor Johnston prodded gently.

"No!" Laz exclaimed, pushing himself up the wall to shakily stand. Doctor Johnston stood with him, keeping himself from letting Laz have a psychological advantage. "That doesn't matter anymore! Just let me see him! I'm not saying anything else until you let me see him!"

"Alright, Lazarus," he agreed softly. "Can you make me a promise if I do? I want you to promise that you'll stay calm and that you won't hurt him. Can you do that?"

"I... I can't," he mumbled, turning in place to hide his face in the corner at his back. "Just go get him." Gigi glanced up to find an unreadable expression on Xanxus' face. Even though Laz was asking for him, he didn't look happy at all. Rather, he looked like he'd just been betrayed.

"What's wrong, Xanxus?" She asked worriedly. "Don't you want to talk to him?"

"Ah," he agreed softly. "I'm still going to go in and talk to him. Do me a favor and go call Poe. Tell him to get his ass over here as soon as possible and wait out front for him."

"Poe?" She asked curiously. "Can't that wait until after you've talked to Laz? I want to know how he--"

"Don't be so fucking nosey," he growled without turning away from the window. "Just go do it."

"Alright," she agreed with a sigh. It was obvious that he wanted a privacy. Just this once, she'd put her mothering side away. There were just some things that people shouldn't stick their noses into, after all.

* * *

He was coming. He was coming. He was coming. I can do this, Tsuna thought. Xanxus would forgive him for this. Xanxus jumped at the chance to see the real Tsuna again, so he should understand. They were even like this. Xanxus could go back to Italy after this and be with the real thing while Tsuna could be with Snicker again. It was 'happily ever after' for everyone. But he needed the blood first. He had to get the blood. Just a little should be good enough. All he had to do was to swipe a finger against his heart. Actually, any blood should work since all of it went through his heart. There was no sense in taking chances, though. Xanxus could live with a chest wound, but Snicker couldn't come back to life without the sacrifice. Xanxus would surely understand. It was nothing personal, but Snicker needed it.

It was nothing personal.

It was nothing personal.

It was...

"Laz?" Xanxus prompted softly from behind him.

"Nothing personal," he murmured. A deep sense of calm swept through him as he turned around and struck. Doctor Johnston paled and fainted at the sight of the blood, but Xanxus looked unsurprised while Tsuna used what little strength he had to get to his goal.

"I love you," Xanxus said without any regard for the blood that was already filling his mouth.

"I know," he smiled. "But so does Snicker and he's my husband."

* * *

_Go secretly to the condemned building on Third street, Suoh. Everything is set up in room four-oh-eight_.

Tsuna stood in front of the designated apartment and tried to steady his heartbeat. Getting out of the asylum has been a little too easy. There had been no one to stop him or to call an alert. He'd scrambled past the nurses before they could see him and the security systems hadn't been worth mentioning since he'd had Doctor Johnston's keys. He'd made sure to pull Xanxus into the hallway after he passed out to ensure that he'd be found, but escaping had been his main priority after hearing Snicker's quick directions. Getting across town without being seen had been his second priority. He'd made it, though. The building that he was supposed to go to was deep in the Pitts, but no one had seen him along the way. Such a task wasn't easy considering the city was bustling with people and he was covered in blood, but he'd managed.

He didn't know why, but he felt the need to knock on the door rather than charge in. It swung open at his light tap, after which he stepped inside with a strange hesitancy. The entry room seemed mostly empty and just as run down as the rest of the building. The wallpaper was torn and peeling. The carpet was stained and tattered. Walls had been entirely knocked down and there were several wires hanging loose from malfunctioning outlets. It was warm, though, after having been out in the December air without shoes on and the lights still worked. He was a little disturbed at the sight of a bedroom in the living room, but he assumed that Snicker had arranged it for his comfort.

"S-Snicker?" He called. "Are you here?"

_I'm here, Suoh,_ he echoed through the room in an amused tone_. Come on in. I've been waiting on you._

"Where are you?" He called as he looked through the apartment in curiosity. He could feel the air stirring around him, but the only thing that he could seem to smell was a strange musky scent that kept making his nose get clogged up. He felt like he had a cold, which was entirely possible after his run outside. "I still can't see you."

_Thank you for getting the blood for me, Suoh. You can wash it off now. I've put some stuff in the bathroom for you. I want you to use it._

"When do I get to see you?" Tsuna asked, feeling as if he was going to die if he had to wait any longer. "I want to see you, Snicker."

_Very soon, Suoh. Just do what I say and we'll be together within the hour._

"Promise?" Tsuna mumbled worriedly.

_Yes, Suoh. The bathroom is right there, so please go in and do what I told you. I'm feeling just as impatient as you are, so please hurry. I can't wait to touch you._

"Okay," he agreed with a wide smile. Walking into the bathroom, he felt touched at all the aromatherapy candles that had been lit for him. He couldn't smell any of them at the moment, but Snicker had somehow managed to prepare a soothing atmosphere for him. He was startled when the shower turned on by itself, but he smiled even more at the undeniable sign that he wasn't alone. Snicker was really there with him. It wasn't all just in his head.

_Go ahead, Suoh. There's nothing to be afraid of._

"I'm not afraid," he replied while his heart pounded wildly in his chest. "I'm happy. I thought that we'd never be able to talk again. I missed you so much, Snicker. I didn't appreciate the time that we had together enough. I should have--"

_That's all in the past, Suoh. We'll talk about that later. Just get undressed and take a shower to get that blood off of you._

"Oh," he gasped, realizing the probable issues that he was ignoring. "I'm sorry," he choked while he started hurriedly stripping. "I... ah... I'm so sorry, Snicker. I know how much you hate it, but I had to eat a little bit to get out of that place. They gave me all these drugs so it was really hard to move around and I wanted to get here as fast as I--"

_Calm down, Suoh. It's alright. I understand, so take your time._

"Eh?" He gaped as he threw his bloodstained shirt into a corner of the room. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better, Snicker," he mumbled as reality hit him again. Lowering his gaze to his feet, he slowed down like Snicker wanted while he talked. "You had a heart attack because you couldn't deal with sleeping next to me after you found out about me. It's my fault that you died. If I'd taken better care of you, I would have noticed that your heart was going bad from stress and too much work. I--"

_Save your tears for later, Suoh. I can't comfort you yet._

"R-right," he agreed, choking back his need to sob. Taking off his pants, he kicked them and his underwear in the direction of his shirt. With a careful touch to the water to check the temperature, he stepped into the shower without minding the feeling of being watched. Snicker was watching him, after all. There was a washrag and bath soap already in place, along with shampoo and conditioner. All of it matched what he used at home, which made him smile sadly at the detail that Snicker had went through to make him comfortable.

Soaping up his body only took a few minutes, even with ensuring that no point was left untouched. He had to be completely clean and blood free if he was going to be touched by Snicker. Getting his hair clean took a little longer, but it was while he was rinsing the last dredges out that he started to feel strange. Perhaps it was the eyes on him, causing his body to react longingly. He didn't know, but he did know that he was quickly getting overheated and light-headed.

_Do you want me that badly, Suoh? You're already getting hard and we're just talking._

"I-It's been a long time," he choked in embarrassment while he tried to cover up the evidence. "It's all the heat from the shower. I... ah..."

_It's okay, Suoh. If you can't wait, go ahead. Imagine my hands and touch yourself._

"You're such a pervert," Tsuna groaned while he squeezed his hilt to try to silence the throbbing.

_I came back to please you, Suoh. I know that I was never enough to satisfy you and I regret that._

"That's not true!" He spluttered. Then he grimaced with thoughts of Xanxus and true satisfaction in mind. "Well, maybe a little," he grudgingly agreed. "But I never cared about stuff like that! I was happy just being with you!"

_Death has given me new prespective, Suoh. I really want to completely satisfy you. I've gathered a lot of tools and I've learned things from watching people just so I could come back to do that._

"You came back just to get laid?" Tsuna groaned, leaning over to press his head against the shower wall in resignation. "You're still such an idiot sometimes, Snicker. The sex was never an issue with us. It was time that we didn't have enough of. Both of us were always working and tired or I wouldn't let you touch me because I'd met Gabriel and got sick. You never did anything wrong, Snicker. I'm the one that always screwed up our time together. I shouldn't have been so stubborn about getting a job. If I'd just stayed home and done housework like you'd wanted, our time together could have been a lot sweeter. I just... I wanted you to be able to retire and be there for me when I got home. I wanted to give you a house full of people and laughter like you'd always wanted. I tried so hard, Snicker, but I still failed you. I've been so rotten since you've been gone. I know that you never wanted Charlie to get mixed up with the stuff that you knew I was hiding from you, but I still did it anyway. I know that he isn't you, but I still wanted to feel like I had a piece of you with me. Did you know that Charlie actually told someone that I was his step-dad? He really accepts that we were together now and he's been working hard for our Family, Snicker."

_I know, Suoh. He's a strong boy. You're the one that needs me more, though. That's why I'm here with you instead of with him. Unless you don't want me anymore....?_

"I do want you!" Tsuna exclaimed.

_Then why are you holding back, Suoh? Your dick is so hard, but you're acting like you don't want me to watch you. Are you ashamed of me?_

"No!" He spluttered with a bright blush for the position that he was in. "That's not it! I'm just... I'm a little embarrassed. I can pretend to be bold with people that don't matter, but it's different with you. I don't want you to be disgusted."

_I won't be disgusted, Suoh. The more sensitive that you can make your body, the easier that it'll be for you to feel my touch._

"Oh," he gaped in surprise.

_Would it disgust you if I said that I enjoy watching you, Suoh?_

"Pervert," he insulted with a small smile flickering along his lips. "You've gotten worse with death, old man. I guess, if you really want to watch, it won't hurt anything. Will I really be able to feel you if I do, though?"

_Yes, Suoh. But, if you really want to wait for me, why don't you get out of the shower now? I want you to brush your teeth and go back up to the front room._

"That's probably not a bad idea," he sighed, reaching over to turn the shower off. "I can still taste Xanxus from earlier."

_I'll meet you on the bed, Suoh. Try not to take very long._

"I won't," he promised. Stepping out of the shower, he walked over to the sink to find a towel and oral hygiene supplies were already waiting on him. It was difficult to dry himself off without giving in to the urges to take longer than necessary. His skin already felt so incredibly sensitive that he felt like he was in heat again. He didn't want to stop rubbing the towel against himself, even though he knew that he had to. It got to the point that he had to throw the towel away from himself complete in order not to succumb to the sensations.

Focusing himself on brushing his teeth, he smiled at the innocent caring that Snicker always had. Even on the streets, the man had been so damned picky about every little detail of their hygiene. Of course, that was one of the reasons that Tsuna still had teeth to work with. His choice of toothpaste made Tsuna want to gag, though. It didn't taste like toothpaste and, afterward, his sense of taste seemed to be completely shut down in shock. The void of his senses made him want to lick something to test it, just as a person tended to do when their tongue was burnt. The sensation was heightened, but it was as if his taste buds had been removed entirely.

"Snicker...?" He called, hesitantly poking his head out the door. "What clothes should I wear?"

_Don't worry about that, Suoh_, the voice called from the direction of the living area-turned-bedroom. _Just come here._

"A-Alright," he agreed with a mild blush. He had no idea why he felt so embarrassed. Snicker had seen him naked hundreds of times and there was no one else around. Modesty wasn't his strong suit under normal circumstances, but he guessed that the strangeness was what was getting to him. It wasn't every day that someone was reunited with their deceased spouse. Snicker was just amazing like that, though. He'd probably worked hard in Heaven to become a guardian angel or something. He didn't really know how the after life worked, but he knew that the priests that did charity on the streets sometimes talked about guardian angels. "I-I'm here," he mumbled as he stepped back into the front room. Candles lined the walls and the lights were off, but the bed was still the centerpiece of the area.

_Sit on the bed, Suoh. There's some wine for you on the side table and a blindfold. If you're not trying to see me, it'll be easier for you to feel my hands. Can you do that for me?_

"Of course," he murmured. "You know that I'll do anything that you want, Snicker. All you've ever had to do is to ask."

_Thank you, Suoh. That's very good to know._

Smiling to himself, Tsuna quickly did as Snicker wanted. He wished that he could taste the wine, but he was satisfied with how it settled his stomach. He reached out for the blindfold, as well, but he had a strangely difficult time in grabbing hold of it. He felt drunk, he realized. How that was possible with a single glass of wine, he didn't know. What he did know was that his senses were becoming dulled at a rapid rate and he was losing his self control. The scrap of cloth fell from his hands as he collapsed on the bed. His heart was beating too fast. It was too difficult to catch his breath and the longing that was pulsing through his body was threatening the last vestiges of his sanity.

_What's wrong, Suoh?_

"It's... It's hot," he panted as the room started spinning around him. He didn't like it. Snicker should know that. Tsuna hated the feeling of losing control. That was why being with Xanxus was so difficult at times. To keep control against that man meant that he had to become the seducer instead of the seduced. Xanxus understood that, however. He understood and he could put his pride aside when it was absolutely necessary. When he couldn't, that's when Tsuna let Maro take control. He didn't have the tools or the ability to contact Maro right now, though. He wasn't sure why the thought suddenly bothered him so much. Why would he want to call Maro out when he was with Snicker?

Tsuna gasped in surprise at the feeling of something running down his chest. Another tendril slipped between his legs and urged them to open. Sensations started flooding across his body, but it didn't feel right. It wasn't what he wanted. He didn't have the strength to reach up and caress him in return. He didn't even know which direction he would reach out to since the source seemed to surround him. He...

He wanted Snicker to stop.

"No," he gasped. Panic started to set in as soon as the word was out of his mouth and Snicker didn't stop. His body felt like it was going to explode, but he didn't want it like this. He wanted Snicker to hold him. He wanted Snicker to love him. This... This was just sex. It wasn't right. Not with Snicker! Why wasn't Snicker stopping? The caresses weren't ending and he could feel tendrils probing his most sensitive areas. Tears well up in his eyes at the betrayal. He'd said no. One refusal had always been enough before. Snicker knew that it was difficult for him to even get out that much. It scared him. Why wasn't Snicker stopping?!

"Damnit," a voice gasped as several of the tendrils stopped moving. "I can't take it anymore, Boss."

"Go ahead," another voice sighed. Tsuna felt his bile rise at the second voice and his heart skipped several beats. It had to be another nightmare. No, he decided as Gabriel's head appeared midair. It was _definitely_ a nightmare. "He can't move now, anyway," Gabriel smiled while several more detached heads appeared hovering over him. Their bodies appeared an instant later, including Gabriel's. He didn't understand any of it, but they were all wearing matching green spandex. "Good work on the voice synthesis, Nails. You can take your suit off and join us if you're not already jacking off. As for you," he continued with his smile widening even more as he looked down at Tsuna. "How do you like the toys that I picked up on my visit to Italy? Look at you. You're already about to cum and we've only used the aphrodisiacs so far."

"W-Where's Snicker?" He panted. He couldn't comprehend why his pleasant dream had turned into a nightmare. Was it because he'd told Snicker 'no'? Was Snicker punishing him again? In answer, Gabriel grabbed hold of the erection that was making his body throb and began to cruelly stroke. No matter how much he wanted to resist, it was too much to take. Lights exploded in his head as he climaxed and understanding slowly dawned.

Snicker was dead.

He was alone.

There was no love to be had anymore. All that he was allowed to have was painful memories and hopeless dreams. It made him hate this world. It might have been the world that Snicker loved, but it was only full of cruelty and hatred without him in it. It was ugly. People only cared about their own reputations and desires. There wasn't a single person that wanted to be with him to make him happy. He'd always given his best to make others happy, but his repayment had only been more pain. When was he going to be allowed a few moments of selfishness?

When was the pain going to stop?

"I give up," he whispered. Darkness spread over his vision with the words and he felt as if something raced past him on his descent into true insanity.

* * *

"Hold on," Gabriel murmured as the light in Laz's eyes began to fade. It was too early, he felt. Breaking him with pleasure should have been much more difficult. It hadn't been even twenty minutes since his arrival. Even the easiest of his practice slaves had taken six hours. "Master...?" He called hesitantly.

_Do not worry, _a voice echoed in his head_. Everything is still going as anticipated. Leash him and train him as I told you. Teach him how ugly this world truly is and everything that I've promised will be yours. He will be like a maddened dog at first, but he will come to lick your boots and lie under you as all your other slaves have. Once pride and hope is gone, all that's left is obedience now that you've learned patience. Do not make mistakes this time like you did before._

"Yes, Master," he agreed. Turning to the others who were painfully restraining themselves as ordered, he felt the need to grin. There wasn't a single one of his pets who didn't love him despite their initial hatred. Lazarus would be no different. Once he was properly trained, he'd become the core of Gabriel's ranks. He'd been interested at first simply because of Lazarus' looks, but a little broken nose had changed all of that. He'd been the first to see Lazarus' strength, therefore Lazarus was his.

"It's time," he ordered, turning back to the attention to the matter at hand. Lazarus was no longer speaking nor was he fighting. He was simply suffering under the continued effects of the aphrodisiacs that had been placed in his bath soaps. A loss of focus was acceptable when his condition was taken into consideration, so his disoriented expression was ignored. Gabriel felt no guilt for it when he thought about how easy it'd been. Sometimes to heal properly, one needed a clean break instead of fractures. He'd done Laz a favor. Now he would be able to see the world for what it really was and he could be trained for true survival within it.

His men scattered at the cue. One went to retrieve the silver collar that he'd bought from the vampire Hunter that he'd met in Italy. Another went to collect the matching chains that would be needed. Drugs and minute doses of silver dust like what had been in the wine would be used to keep him in line, but there was no sense in taking chances. He'd already proven difficult once and only skillful planning had saved Gabriel. One other went to collect the van while a third and fourth began preparing the packaging that was stored in another of the building's apartments. The last one brought several of the preparatory toys that would be used to keep Lazarus warm until they could unwrap him in a more secure location. Every single one of them were unsatisfied, but he'd trained them well. Only in satisfying Gabriel's desires would his pets be fulfilled.

"Don't worry, Lazarus," he soothed quietly. Reaching out, he caressed Lazarus' face and took pleasure in the way he responded to the touch. Just as his Master had said, it was as if the past had been completely washed away. His hand ran down Lazarus' naked body, across his open thighs, and around his scrotum in order to reach his rectum. He was even more pleased with the helpless whimper that was emitted once he reached his goal. "I can't wait to explore you in great detail," he murmured in pleasure. "For now, let's not waste the extra time that you've given us by not resisting."

* * *

"What?" Autumn gasped as she collapsed to her knees on the floor of her father's office.

"Lazarus attempted to murder Xanxus and escaped," Papa Paolo repeated calmly. "He's currently missing and Xanxus can't find any traces of him after he entered the Pitts. He's tried to find him for three hours now, but he says that he was blocked by a foul smell. I want you to take your Guardians and investigate."

Autumn paused to digest the information.

She thought about it for a moment.

"You're hiding something," she murmured with her eyes narrowing.

"Yes," he confirmed with a deeply pained abyss appearing momentarily in his eyes. "You might want to prepare yourself, Princess. I can't confirm it at the moment, but it's possible that Gabriel is involved."

"What?!" She shouted, jumping to her feet in disbelief. "How could you say something like that?! Gabriel wouldn't go that far! He's already said that he's over Laz!"

"Then, let's pray that I'm wrong," he whispered into the room. "Just go, Princess. I'll leave this matter to you. Laz is your Knight. Remember that if you feel lost at any time."

"Just wait, Daddy," she growled as she snatched up her purse and coat. "I'll prove that Gabriel isn't what everyone says. I'm sick and tired of this bullshit. Everyone makes mistakes, so why should he--"

"When you come back, I'm handing the Family over to you," he added with his eyes locked onto his desk. The comment made Autumn freeze in place in full understanding of everything insinuated. He believed that Gabriel was rotten so much that he didn't feel worthy of being the Family Head anymore. It was his way of telling Autumn how much he doubted Gabriel's intentions.

"Y-You can't be serious," she gaped.

"You need to hurry," he continued lifelessly. "Laz has already suffered too much. I can feel it, Princess. There's a dark hole where there was once light."

"What are you saying?" She asked in confusion.

"Hurry," he ordered without lifting his head. "Time is running out. If you don't save him now, his light will never be kindled again. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry."

"D-Daddy?" She gulped. The air felt weird, as if something more than just the two of them were present in the office. There was something more that was just outside of her reach. It was as if a connection or a string that was dangling right outside of her vision. She could tell that it was there without having any proof of the matter. Her father didn't respond to her prodding. He merely continued repeating the same word until she was willing to do anything to make him stop. "Alright!" She exclaimed as she darted for the door. "I'm going!"

She gave him a worried glance when he fell silent, but continued out of the office anyway. Her father never acted like this. Why Gabriel? There wasn't a single shred of evidence that he was involved, yet everyone targeted him as a suspect. No one twisted Laz's arm to make him attempt murder. After all, he'd been locked up in an asylum! That kind of assault should have been prepared for to begin with! Gabriel has nothing to do with it! It was Xanxus' fault for carelessly getting within range of Laz while he was unbalanced!

"Boss?" Isaac asked worriedly, making her realize that she'd fallen to a stop in the resturaunt's kitchen. "Are you alright? You look pale."

"I'm fine," she lied in an attempt to shake off her distress. "Leave the kitchen to Greg. Laz made another mess, so we have to go find him."

"I thought he was--"

"We don't have time for questions," she snapped with a glare around the room at the kitchen staff who were openly listening in. "I'm calling the team together. You have thirty seconds to put everything here in order before I leave without you."

"Y-Yes, Boss!" He gasped in surprise for her brisk manner. She usually tried to keep her tendency for domination in check around the Family. Now wasn't the time for niceties, though. Laz was in some kind of trouble and her brother was under suspicion. As the heir of Martelli, how could she possibly stand back and do nothing?

"Let's go," she snapped before Isaac was anywhere near satisfied enough with his commands. In her judgement, he'd already said enough, though. If the kitchen staff were too stupid to figure out what they needed to do without being told every tiny detail, then it was doomed to begin with. Autumn started walking without waiting on her Right Hand. She knew that he'd catch up, so she spent her time sending short orders via text messages to the others. She could already foresee their complaints. Saldez would complain about being pulled from the race track. Rachael would bitch about having had to put work aside. Poppet would whine about missing her soap operas and Barbus would claim that she'd destroyed his moment of inspiration. They'd all still come, though, and they would help despite her manner. "I really don't deserve you guys," she murmured when she felt Isaac's presence arrive behind her.

"W-What?" He spluttered.

"Never mind," she replied with a small shake of her head. "I'll explain later. Just get us a cab."

* * *

Xanxus spit. He couldn't stop spitting. Not only was he more pissed than he'd ever been, but he had the taste of Poe in his mouth and an eye-watering stench in his nose. He refused to retreat like Poe had, though. The smell was bad, but not so bad that he'd turn back. Tsuna's scent had pointed in this direction before it'd been overwhelmed with another that blanketed the area. It was as if someone mixed together rotten fish, roadkill skunk, and a warm cow-pie to create the most gut wrenching smell imaginable. The stench permeated everything so that every attempt to cover his nose and mouth had been made useless. It made his stomach turn with every step, but he refused to stop. If he had to go building by building in order to look at the auras inside, then he would.

If only his eyes didn't burn from the smell, it would have been much easier.

"Xanxus?!" Xanxus reached out by instinct to steady himself as another wave of dizziness threatened to make him collapse. He'd lost too much blood from the wound that Laz had given him. Feeding off of Poe to close the wound wasn't enough to completely enable a full recovery. He knew that he should feed more so that he could move easier, but he couldn't. Everywhere he looked, there were only weaklings. It was as if he could see Laz's shadow hovering over them, telling him that the person should be protected instead of used. It didn't make sense to him, but he couldn't ignore it.

"Xanxus--!" The same voice gasped when he really did collapse in place and immediately tried to get back to his feet. He was so damned tired, but he had to keep moving. He wanted to, but he was shoved back down when he tried to get to his feet. It took him a moment of concentration to identify the two people surrounding him, but he managed. "You're sweating like a pig and you're pale," Autumn murmured worriedly while Isaac pressed down on his shoulders to keep him from standing. "Laz got you pretty good this time."

"I'm fine," he replied with a glare for the restraining hands on his shoulders.

"You're not fine," she corrected with her own glare while forcing a bottle of water onto him. "You can't even fend off Isaac, so don't try to tell me that you're fine. Let me see your wound. What did Laz--" Autumn broke off in shock the moment that she pushed his trench coat open, but Xanxus merely stared up at her in calm acceptance. It wasn't the half-healed wound that bothered him. It was the last words that he remembered hearing out of Tsuna's mouth. He'd spoken of Snicker of if the man were still alive. Xanxus had thought that Tsuna merely wanted revenge for being neglected and Xanxus had accepted the incumbent betrayal in return. Xanxus had been prepared to let Tsuna kill him if that was what he needed. He hadn't thought that there was more to it. He didn't understand what that 'more' was, therefore he had to find Tsuna and figure it out.

"If you're done fucking staring, I need to get back to searching," he growled, throwing the water bottle back at her in irritation. "There's six more buildings on this street before I can move to the next one. Laz's scent was pointed straight down the avenue two blocks over, but I've cleared that street and three others. I've also checked the surrounding areas outside this fucking cesspit. He hasn't left the area yet unless he's working with s-some..."

Xanxus trailed off and attempted to cover his face to hide the visible effects of his dizziness. He was pushing it. He knew that he was pushing it, but Poe could only hand over so much of his energy without temporarily losing motor functions. He'd considered using Ginger, but the beast was needed to patrol the outer edges of the Pitts to ensure that Tsuna didn't leave while they were searching. He was already working on borrowed time. Letting Tsuna slip through the cracks could mean the end of him.

"Just hurry and help me find him," he mumbled in worry. "I can't lose him again. Not like this."

"Don't worry," Autumn soothed. He felt a hand ruffling through his hair, but he refused to move his hand away from his face to bat it away. His expression wasn't something that he wanted anyone to see. If he lost Tsuna again, it would be the end of himself, as well. There would be no point in continuing. He'd managed to survive losing him before, but to do it again would be unbearable. "We'll find him, Xanxus. Just tell me what you need to get moving normally again. Is it blood that you're lacking?"

"Not blood," he corrected while he tried to pull himself together. "I'm just missing energy. The people down here don't have enough to spare me. I've started to take it at least a half-dozen times, but I keep hearing Tsuna's voice in my fucking head. Even if I saved him, he'd hate me if I killed civilians in the process."

"What about me?" Autumn asked curiously. "I rested well last night, so I've got plenty to sp--"

"No," Isaac snapped. "If you're going to go that far, he can take mine." Xanxus looked up at him with a raised eyebrow when the man pulled his hands back in order to begin rolling up his sleeve. Were these people that idiotic? Who in their right mind would volunteer to become a meal? Isaac's looked determined, though. There was a earnest look in his eyes as he held out his wrist. Xanxus stared at the offered appendage for a long moment while Autumn simply gaped. Then, without further ado, he began to laugh. He knew that it wasn't the time, which was why his amusement was slightly hysterical in nature. Even so, he found it funny. Popular culture won again, it seemed. Tsuna had warned him numerous times that such events would occur, but he'd never thought that he'd be on the receiving end.

"Don't laugh!" Isaac spluttered in frustration. "I'm not doing this because I want to! I just refuse to watch while you--"

"Just shut up," Xanxus ordered. He didn't even need to touch the idiot since he had no siphon blocks in place. With a wave of his hand to touch the aura pulsing out of Isaac's body, he absorbed the man's energy as if he were a dry sponge. He stopped himself when Isaac's glow visibly weakened, but the man still hit his knees as if he'd been shot. Xanxus felt stronger after the meal, though. His legs weren't as shaky and he felt like the fog of weariness had lifted from his body. He could see better now, although finding Tsuna in a sea of auras was going to still be difficult. "Oi," he grinned with a glance over his shoulder at the man wobbling in place behind him. "Thanks for the meal."

"What the fuck did you do?" He grumbled with a disoriented shake of his head. "It happened too fast."

"Don't think about it," he ordered as he got to his feet. "It's not something that you can comprehend anyway. All you need to know is that you'll be fine after some sleep. As for me, I've been stalled long enough. I--"

"Ginger met us on the outskirts and showed us where you lost Laz's trail," Autumn interjected as she belatedly rushed forward to help Isaac stand back up. "Saldez picked the trail back up with dowsing. It turned left in an alley on Briar Street. He--"

"Left on Briar Street," he repeated. It was all that he needed to hear. He was running before he noticed that he'd started moving. He felt dumb for blindly running as soon as he had even a glimpse of a direction, but he couldn't stop himself. How many hours had passed since Laz went missing? What had he been doing in that time? What had been done to him in that time? The lack of commotion about his disappearance was the most frightening thing that he'd come across in years. The disconnection was terrifying.

Something abruptly rammed into his chest, forcing him to stop in his headlong rush. He tried to catch himself, but something under his foot tripped him even further. His training kicked in when he saw that nothing was present. Putting a hand out to stop himself from face-planting into the alley, he used his momentum to flip back to his feet. Then he paused and surveyed the area. His intuition was screaming that something was wrong. Nothing was present, but he hadn't collided with simply air. The only thing out of the ordinary was a large, light blue mote.

Remembering the few pieces of information that Poe had taught him, motes were residual energy clusters. It marked places where something of great emotion had caused a large release of energy. The city was full of them. They were usually places where someone was mugged or recently had sex, but stronger occurrences could happen from things such as suicide. Overall, motes usually dissipated after a few days if someone wasn't feeding it energy. They also never moved unless they reached a point where they'd taken in enough energy to cause an evolution.

The part that bothered him was that this one was too weak to have evolved, yet it was moving. There was also the impact where no mote that he'd come across had ever had any type of substantial form outside of possession. He eyed it warily as it picked itself off of the ground, finding it's human-like form to be more disturbing than anything. When it reached out for him, he dodged back carefully and wondered what he should do. He didn't have time to really deal with something like this right now. Tsuna needed him, but vamping an unknown mote could make him sick.

"You can see me?" The mote suddenly asked. Xanxus' eyes widened at the voice. It was too clear. Even evolved motes had difficulty speaking. This thing before him... It couldn't be a mote. That only left one possible option. What had the energy of a human, was solid like a human, but couldn't be seen? The answer was...

"A human in an invisibility suit," he growled with his fist lashing out for the man's head. It connected solidly and he had the satisfaction of seeing the lookout's suit temporarily short-circuit. Before he could get away, Xanxus ensured that the suit would permanently stay visible by ripping off the control belt. Grabbing the bastard by the throat, he only had a single question for the inedible prey. "Where is he?"

"Xanxus--!" Autumn exclaimed before the man could answer. She was sweating and panting from the effort of running after him, but he ignored her completely.

"Where the fuck is he?!" He roared, slamming the man into the alley wall.

"Moving... truck..." the man choked with a wild-eyed glance in the direction that Xanxus had been running toward. It was enough. Dropping the bastard, he started running again. As soon as he slid out of the alley, he saw the truck in question. Two men were visibly loading a crate into it, but there were half a dozen others that weren't visible to the naked eye. The screwed up part was that Saldez and the others were walking right past them toward the building that they were parked in front of.

"Fucking idiots," he snarled as he darted forward. He started to reach for his X-Guns, but pulled back. He only had half a clip left of bullets with no way to get more. It'd be a waste on scum like these, so he went back to the basics. Letting his rage flow freely, he lit the Flames on his hands and attacked. He targeted the invisible trash first. The Flame of Rage around his hand exploded as soon as it hit, sending the man visibly flying into the middle of the street. Screams started erupting at the second and third strikes that revealed two more of the cheap bastards. The men began shouting among themselves that Xanxus could see them, but it was already too late. Autumn's team had already been drawn into the fray due to the commotion and were bringing the visible men in the truck into line. That only left the invisible ones for Xanxus to deal with and it was far too easy to knock down fleeing rabbits.

Within thirty seconds, the area was littered with fallen bodies. As soon as the last one hit the ground, he rushed forward for the crate that they'd been loading in both hope and fear that Tsuna was inside. He wasn't the only one to have figured it out, though. Barbus and Rachael were already tearing the lid away.

Time froze as soon as it was opened.

He could have ignored the ball gag and the leather restraints. He could have ignored the odd position that they'd forced him to curl into. He could have ignored the marks on his body and the residual blood, sweat, and semen. He could have ignored the strings hanging out of his ass and the way that his body was trembling. What he couldn't ignore was the silver collar and the silver chains wrapped around him. What he couldn't ignore was the fact that both his aura and his eyes held no trace of Lazarus. What he couldn't ignore was the way that tears silently started streaming out of his eyes as soon as he looked up to see Xanxus.

"Get that shit off of him," he ordered softly. Turning in place, there was only one thing that he wanted to do. Letting his rage build, he focused it into his fists as he walked forward to the first of the fallen kidnappers. They were still alive, although heavily injured. It wasn't enough to satisfy him after what they'd done. He wanted them wiped off the face of the earth.

The eroded craters left behind after each release of his rage only grew deeper and deeper until he finally reached the last. Ironically, it was the first that he'd knocked down which Autumn was silently standing over. No one had tried to stop him on the previous ones, but he figured that there would be trouble on this one.

"Do you need more proof?" Xanxus asked while she continued to speechlessly stare down into Gabriel's face. His invisibility suit wasn't hiding him at all. It couldn't when the material had been completely burned away from his chest. As if it were a cruel twist of fate, however, his body seemed to be unmarked. He was healthy, although unconscious. "Make sure you hold onto him tightly," he growled in the decision that a clean kill wasn't enough. "If you kill him before I've taken retribution, I'll wipe out this fucking city before you can--"

"Laz!"

The gasp grabbed Xanxus' attention better than anything else could. He spun in place, only to find Tsuna standing out of the crate behind them with a nonchalance that wasn't like him. The chains fell from his body and he finished removing the leather straps off his arms that the others had already loosened. With a single sharp tug, the silver collar around his neck shattered into pieces in order to reveal a reddened burn around his neck. The most disturbing action was the one that followed, however. Reaching down behind himself, he pulled out the vibrating beads that had been stuffed inside him and came.

"That's better," he sighed with a long stretch as he tossed the filthy item into Barbus' face. When he turned and smiled at Xanxus, there was only one thing that Xanxus could think of to say.

"Re....morse...." he identified before his legs refused to hold him up any longer. In the time it'd taken him to destroy all the kidnappers other than Gabriel, Remorse had come out. He couldn't feed off of him to silence him, though. How could he when just looking at him made Xanxus feel disgusted? His aura wasn't a bright green this time. Neither was the flicker of Flame that was on his head. "It... It can't be. Why do you still have that Flame? Why--"

"Are you going to kill me?" He asked as he stepped out from the crate and began to advance. Xanxus couldn't move nor could he look up. It was his fault. It was his failure that had turned Tsuna's bright Flame into such a dark color. "Do you still live by the Mafia Codes, Xanxus? Black Flames are supposed to be murdered on sight. Why aren't you attacking?"

"I... you..." he mumbled.

"So eloquent," Tsuna mocked. "Did you truly think that you knew every part of me, Xanxus? Did you know that this Flame isn't something that's new to me? I've had it from the day that I was born. Juliet's kiss once created the door for it to be released and it seems that it's been opened up yet again."

"That's a lie," he whispered. "Your salamander gave his life--"

"Kufufufu," he laughed in amusement. "You're naive side is rather cute, Xanxus. I see why Maro and Lazarus find you endearing. You should know better than anyone that darkness can't be destroyed. The salamander's light merely pushed the shadows back. When light fades, the cycle demands that darkness encroaches. Isn't that correct, Rendrick?"

Xanxus' head snapped up at the name, only to snap back down to the bastard on the ground. Gabriel sat up on his elbows, crossed his ankles and smiled as if nothing whatsoever had happened to him.

"It's been a long time, Havik," he greeted with the same nonchalant air. "I was wondering how far I'd have to go before I woke you."

"Were you expecting me to thank you?" Tsuna replied softly, coming to a stop at Gabriel's feet. "You've done some terrible things. The body that you've possessed is dear to one of my beloved."

"There you go again," he growled. "How dare you talk about love after you've damned both Ari and Juliet."

"I've not damned them," he corrected. "I've merely bound them to the cycle. You will not believe me, but they are happy now. Their burdens have been lifted, Rendrick. They've found peace, just as you can. Let go of your hatred. Your memories blind you to the beauty of this world. There is much--"

"Don't mock me, Havik," he snarled. "I didn't go this far to bring you out only to have you preach to me again."

"But you want me to," he smiled. Stepping past Xanxus, he knelt down next to Gabriel in order to gently touch his face. "Your existance must be lonely. How many years have you been fighting? Can you not see that this world will thrive no matter how many times you try to destroy it?"

"You've changed," he murmured solemnly. "Can you still say that this world should live on, even if Limbo should become an empty threshhold?"

"Even so," Tsuna confirmed with a smile. "You must stop chasing me, my dear friend. It must have pained you to see me fall, but the Black Flames are not meant to be in this world. Forcing me out of oblivion brings me no happiness. Seeing what you've done to this human brings me no joy. I do not wish for this world to be destroyed any longer. It was a foolish thing for me to wish for and no amount of suffering will make me so blind again. I will not come back."

"Why?" Gabriel whispered on the brink of tears. "Is it so wrong to wish for the old days? I just want--"

"Our horses are dead, Rendrick," Tsuna interrupted. "The apocalypse is not ours to create. The fate of humans is in the hands of humans. Stop wishing for the past and move on to a happier future. The world has enough misery in it without us. Juliet already understood that. She always took the route of the lake because, in her heart, she wished for our task to end. Time after time, she silently prayed that the ring wouldn't call her and burden her again. Even Ari understood that our presence had long become pointless. Our mission was one that would never succeed, which is why she aimed to destroy me. She, too, wished for me to put an end to her burden while her pride refused to let go. Don't make the same mistake. Willfully seek happiness instead of destruction, my dear friend. I can not claim it for you."

"What do I do?" He asked, looking up at Tsuna with a pleading expression.

"Kufufufu," he chuckled. "Your goal was me for far too long. Have you forgotten how to think for yourself? Very well. I'll give you a task. First, you are to continue wandering as a ghost until you've undone the damage to the poor human that you've corrupted. If you can lead him onto the righteous path where he can learn to love and protect rather than possess and destroy, then I will be satisfied. After that, you are to return to the Great City and beg forgiveness from whoever remains there. Undergo their punishment and you should have some understanding of your own will by then. Whether you pass through the lake or take up the role of a Guardian will be up to you at that point. Is that enough, my friend?"

"Will I still get to meet with you?" He inquired worriedly.

"No," Tsuna answered as he once more rose to his feet. "You must let me remain buried, Rendrick. As for the 'me' of this lifetime, I cannot say. Your pet has been quite cruel to him on your orders. I doubt that he'll want to face him again."

"I... I understand," he murmured with a grimace. "You know, I planned to kill you after I made you surface. I thought that I hated you because of everything that you'd done."

"You didn't hate me," Tsuna smiled. "You just hated your loneliness. That's why you must open your eyes. Holding onto me and holding onto the past will only blind you from new people and new chances to experience happiness. It's something that part of me is still learning in this lifetime. You've given Lazarus quite a shock. Even now, he plunges himself into darkness within me in fear of that same loneliness. It will be some time before he can overcome that pain."

"I'm sorry," Rendrick murmured without a trace of guilt. "I just needed to speak with you once more. I'll follow your directions, Brother Havik. I... I don't know if I'll succeed, but I'll try to meet your expectations."

"You never change," he sighed in resignation. "Just go, my friend. I can not hold up this form and that body will crumble if you possess it for much longer. This is our final farewell."

"Farewell," he agreed with a soft, sullen nod. He collapsed a moment later and Tsuna took a moment to merely smile at him before turning his attention to the gaping crowd that was watching him. Glancing around at them slowly, his gaze finally came to a rest on Xanxus himself. Xanxus could only stare back. His mind felt blank and his body felt distant. The shock of finding out that a Black Flame was hiding inside Tsuna was overwhelming.

"Don't be too concerned," he soothed with his hand caressing the side of Xanxus' face. "I might be a part of Tsuna that you can not touch, but I am also buried far too deeply for it to matter. You have a rough time ahead of you, Xanxus. Lazarus will not return in one day. Do you think that you can handle having Lynx beside you until Lazarus is strong enough to return to the surface of his own mind?"

"Lynx...?" Xanxus asked with a lump in his throat.

"He is the only one of our fragmented self which retains a connection with our body," Tsuna explained. "Therefore, he is the only one who can stand in when Lazarus can not take up the task. Maro and Chibi are limited fragments. They are restricted in power and the ability to come out freely. Without a strong presence taming Lynx from within, it will be up to you to control him. Are you ready for such a challenge? If not, it is better to slay me now rather than wait for the day that Lazarus will return to a mound of corpses."

"I... I won't kill you," he murmured softly.

"Very well," he sighed. "In that case, I ask that you do me a favor. This will be the last time that the Black Flame will surface, so please pass a message onto my beloved Mukuro. Tell him... Tell him that I will walk with him in the next life. He should understand."

"And if I don't...?" Xanxus tested.

"Then the message will not be received," he supplied with a sad smile. "The choice is up to you. For now, I must push back the darkness once more. Be sure to give my other parts many memories to bury, Xanxus. My freedom depends on it."

"Wh--"

Xanxus was immediately silenced when a single rainbow wing of Flame erupted out of Tsuna's back. Before Xanxus could begin to wonder where the powerful illusion came from, it wrapped around Tsuna's body. When the wing of light faded from view, it took the Black Flame with it. Tsuna's eyes fell shut and Xanxus barely managed to react in time to catch him as he collapsed. He wanted to scream to the heavens when his aura was taken over by yellow and red rather than Lazarus' deep purple.

"What the hell just happened?" Autumn whispered into the following silence. The question snapped Xanxus into action faster than anything else could. The Pitts weren't known for receiving quick responses from the police, but enough time had passed that they couldn't be far away. Carefully holding Tsuna, he slipped off his trench coat and wrapped it around his naked body. Lifting him up, he gave a quick glance at where everyone was simply watching in bewilderment.

"Let the cops deal with Gabriel," he ordered. "He's been given another chance. If he ever hurts another living being, I'll come back and make him regret it. He was possessed and used, so the punishment has been taken out of my hands for now. You're better off pretending that you never saw that side of Tsuna. Actually, you're better off pretending that you never met him. The cops are going to be here soon and I'm not going to sit back while they lock him away for life. I'm taking him out of here."

"D-Daddy said goodbye," she mumbled in shock. Xanxus gave her a questioning look, wondering if she really understood what he was saying. He was leaving the city with Tsuna and he didn't plan to come back. Charlie and Gigi could manage the Dragons. Tsuna needed White's help and it'd already been delayed too long. Getting to Italy with Tsuna wasn't going to be easy, but it was the only thing that he could think of.

"Goodbye," he replied. Turning his back on them, he walked across the street and into the first alley that he came across. He kept his pace even for Tsuna's sake and slow to keep from getting attention. His apartment was probably being watched since Laz had been reported missing. The same went with the Dojo and the Dens. For now, he needed somewhere to go to ground until Tsuna's body healed and there was only one place that he could think of where no one would expect them to be.

Everyone knew that Laz got sea-sick, so his unused yacht was the only viable escape route.


	93. Chapter 93 Blink of an Eye

Tsuna stared at himself, fully understanding of the pain in Lazarus' heart. Their inner world had grown dark since Lynx had taken over. The fragile city had been wiped away and their mind had become narrow. He and all of his other pieces were now stuffed in the same small cave rather than a sprawling area that they could dodge each other in. For the most part, Chibi stayed curled up in a corner of the room in fear of the creature sitting across the cave from him.

Remorse had very little form. He seemed like nothing more than a creeping pile of black goo. Tsuna knew that he could take a more humanoid form, but there was the feeling as if he was staying spread out like a blanket to keep Chibi from growing more scared. Remorse's form wasn't the real problem, however. The problem was Lazarus. He wasn't responding to anyone or anything. He didn't blink nor did he speak. He simply continued to lay flat on the hard ground and stare at the ceiling with a lifeless pair of eyes.

Lazarus had completely lost his sense of self. With every moment that passed, his body lost another piece of his self-image. He'd lost his signature jacket and his favored boots already. The legs of his pants that were visible outside of Remorse's embrace was beginning to climb up his calf and his rings were beginning to lose their solidity. The lighter in his hand was still solid, as were his earrings. His tattoos were the most worrisome piece, however. They faded in and out as if they couldn't decide whether to be discarded or not.

"What the hell are you doing, Xanxus?" Tsuna whispered in worry. "Lazarus is really going to be buried if you don't reach out for him."

* * *

"Thanks for coming alone," Xanxus murmured as he stowed away the last of their luggage and supplies. "Are you sure that you don't want to come with us?"

"No," Ginger replied with a small shake of his head. Xanxus momentarily glanced over at him in curiosity, but immediately turned back away and busied himself with organizing their rations. He was sitting on the yacht's main couch and Ginger was protectively cradling Tsuna's head while he slept. Even looking in his direction wasn't easy. Every time that he did, he could only see the marks and wounds that he'd found while washing him. "I'm happy here and Cici said that she wants to watch over Charlie for Laz. Everyone is pretty upset that you just disappeared with him, but I understand just from how his scent has changed. He'd just end up locked away when he wakes. Wouldn't he?"

"Ah," he agreed softly. "Gabriel did a number on him. He probably won't be able to talk when he wakes up and I'm pretty damn sure that he's going to be unmanageable. That's why I'm not treating whatever drugs they gave him. It put him in hibernation. I'll wait until we're somewhere isolated to bring him out of it. Did you get his things from the hospital?"

"It's all there," Ginger confirmed. "I got everything that you asked for. Two dozen MRE's, Laz's box, altar, jewelrybox and gun; one suitcase of clothes for each of you, and fifty grand in cash. None of it was easy to get, but I managed. Are you going to at least tell me where you're headed?"

"South," he answered. "Squalo mentioned something about a base off the coast of Texas when I saw him last. I figured that I'd just follow the coast down around Florida and skip across the Gulf of Mexico. I'll have to deal with the Coast Guard, but I've already got cover stories planned. After I meet up with the Varia, getting to Italy should be easier."

"So, you're taking him to White?" Ginger asked carefully.

"There's no choice," he replied solemnly. "What's going on in Laz's head isn't something that I can fix and civilian doctors would only cage him. I can't let that happen."

"You know, I've been wondering this for a while," Ginger murmured as he carefully got to his feet. "You don't see Laz as Tsuna at all anymore."

"No, I don't," he admitted, shooting another curious look over to the tanuki. "I'm not going to try to make him into someone that he's not."

"That's a good way to think," Ginger agreed quietly. "But did you ever think that he needs your help to become someone that he is? Not forcing him to become a replacement is a lot different than making him live up to his potential. You've been going too easy on him, Xanxus. There's nothing wrong with having a few expectations when he's capable of meeting them. That's none of my business, though. I'm going to go so you can make it out of here before dawn. Take care of him and keep in touch. Will you? You've got my cell phone number. Right?"

"Ah," he mumbled while he tried to digest Ginger's advice. Escorting him out of the cabin, he couldn't think of anything to say other than to respond to Ginger's mild farewells. They'd been partners for years, but they'd never had an inseparable quality to their friendship. It felt a little lonely that neither Ginger or Cici would be traveling with him, but it wasn't as unbearable as it might have once been. Of course, the reason why was the sleeping lion in the cabin.

After Ginger left, he took his time in preparing the rest of the boat. The fuel tanks were full and he couldn't think of anything in particular that had been left behind. He had a map with every refueling dock marked on it and he had his route planned. It'd take several weeks to reach their destination this way, but he already had plans for that. He'd lied to Ginger. He had no clue where the Varia base was located. The boat would probably be reported missing within a day or two, so the main plan was actually just a cover. The true plan was to travel north and would then rent a car in order to travel into Nubo territory. He'd attempt to get sanctuary there. Surely there was some sort of deal that he could make in order to get Nubo to request White to make a visit. If not, he'd get into contact with the Caeculus Foundation and work through there.

He wanted to take Tsuna to Italy, but a few hours of thought had made him realize how bad of an idea that it was. With Tsuna's condition being so poor, he'd be nothing more than a target. There was still a price on Xanxus' head, after all. He'd spent too many years in making a living off of murder that he couldn't carelessly walk around Italy any more. Taking Tsuna into that sort of situation was suicide. Therefore, he needed some place were he could safely take care of Tsuna until White could be contacted.

"It won't work," a voice murmured. Xanxus grimaced at the foot that stepped on his hand to keep him from untieing the ropes keeping the boat docked. Looking up, he glared at the fool who tried to stop him rather than attacking.

"Get the fuck off of me," he growled in warning.

"Not until you listen," Poe replied with a shadowed expression. "Your method is too rash. You're leaving too many loose ends this way. Laz will only be drawn back here when he recovers because people will be waiting on him. If you want him to move forward, you can't leave like this."

"What the fuck do you expect me to do?" He snarled, yanking his hand out of under Poe's foot. "If we stay here, Laz is only going to get worse."

"Laz just needs time and he'll become stronger," he sighed, kneeling down so they were eye level. "I've got a plan, if you'll hear me out. Whether or not it works will be up to you. If it does work, though, both you and Laz will be free of this place."

"I'm... listening," he murmured grudgingly.

* * *

Poe bit his lip as he pulled out Xanxus' incisor. The canines where the teeth that were important for them to keep, but those who knew what Laz and Xanxus were would be fooled. He'd been careful in killing both of them. The silver spears piercing their chests and limbs looked as if it'd went straight through their hearts, although he'd truthfully slid it past. It'd been relatively painless since he'd vamped them both into oblivion first, but he still grimaced in pain each time he looked at them.

The scene was set. Both of them were in long-term hibernation from blood loss and wounds. Coming out of it on their own was impossible. The amount of trust that it'd taken for Xanxus to agree to the tactic wasn't lost on him. They'd find true death during the autopsy if Poe's bribes didn't work and everything was riding on whether or not he could pull through. They'd both already locked into their base hibernation points. As far as anyone was concerned, their blood might as well have stopped flowing.

To those who would know that they'd recover from ordinary wounds, the teeth pulling was necessary. So was the dirty job of carefully slitting their throats and putting the spears through their chests. The spears were definitely silver, but that alone wouldn't be enough to actually kill them. It'd just keep their wounds from immediately closing. He was careful to keep the arteries and organs intact, although the damage to their bodies weren't light. Xanxus had helped with trashing the yacht to make it look like they'd struggled and blood was smeared throughout the room. Hurting Laz had been difficult for both of them, but it'd been necessary to make it look like the actions of a Hunter.

It was necessary in order to fake their deaths.

Poe knew everything that Lazarus was going through far better than Xanxus could understand. After living through so many lifetimes, how could he not? One thing that he'd learned after his own second name-change was that letting go of the past wasn't easy. In order to keep Laz facing forward, a clean break was needed. The truth was that Xanxus needed it, too. With Xanxus' plan to charge straight back into the world of the Mafia with Laz beside him, nothing but suffering would occur. Xanxus couldn't see it, but he'd changed from the man who'd chased after Tsuna. Getting a clean slate to let that side of him grow wouldn't be possible with all the burdens that he carried. The same went with Lazarus. If he woke to find that Xanxus had forced him to abandon his Family in a state of worry and panic, he'd never forgive the man.

This way was better for both of them. Those that were left behind could sever the ties through mourning. When they woke, they'd find themselves in a world where they had nothing but themselves to think about. They could make themselves into anything that they wished to be and they would have to answer to no one. In other words, it was time for the two to finally learn what it meant to be a vampire.

"Sleep well, my friends," Poe murmured. Pocketing the teeth, he surveyed the scene one final time before leaving the yacht. There was nothing there to connect any single individual with the bloody mess. There was no fingerprints or trace evidence on the bodies. He sensed no witnesses or surveillance. There was only one thing left to do.

"Nine, one, one," an operator's voice echoed over a pay phone. "Please state your emergency."

"I'd like to report a murder," he replied calmly.

* * *

"You fucking bastard!" Xanxus roared as soon as his eyes opened. At least, it was what he _wanted _to yell at Poe since he'd felt the pain of being stabbed even in his sleep. Unfortunately, his mouth was clogged with blood as soon as he opened it, keeping him from emitting any sound. Instinct kicked in. Thrashing toward the surface of whatever hell he was in, he gasped for air as soon as he surfaced. Hands reached out to grab him and hold him aloft before he could sink back under the pool that he was in. He tried to fight back, but his arms stopped answering his commands.

"Calm yourself," a young voice echoed in his ears. Xanxus had no choice but to obey. He couldn't even lift his head under his own will after the initial surge of energy was over. Never in his life could he remember feeling so weak and helpless. He was barely able to retain his consciousness. "Feed," the voice ordered. "You're surrounded by a feast." It was true, he realized. He might as well have been standing in the middle of a giant buffet. The energy was surrounding him and clinging to him as if begging to be eaten.

And he was starving.

The pool of blood around him began to steam and the air crackled while he greedily absorbed the energy merely by touch. It was a slow process, but a filling one. No matter how much he ate, the feast didn't end. The wet mess around his waist pulled back and he could feel sediment landing around his feet. His body shivered as nerves were reconnected and feeling surged through muscles and tendons that were previously numb with cold. By the time that the feast did end, he was able to open his eyes with strength and a greater comprehension of his surroundings.

He was outside. Actually, it was better to say that he was inside. He was being held erect in a swimming pool which was inside an expansive greenhouse. There was snow on the ground outside, but the air within was warm and tropical. Whatever plants that might have been in the area had been turned to ash alongside his meal, but the burgundy-robed attendants were completely untouched. Other than that, the only thing of note was the child that was slowly stepping down the steps into the now-empty pool.

"What a beautiful look in your eyes," Lord Nephriam complimented as he waded through the thick layer of ash that remained from the blood bath. "I hope that you'll forgive the medieval method for your awakening. The Physician deemed it as the easiest way to bring you out of hibernation. In case you're a little disoriented, let me welcome you to one year later. You are no longer in the city that you died in. I had you transported to the Carter Family estate after we exhumed your body. I have pictures of your funeral if you'd like to see them. It was a very nice service. Over three hundred people traveled from Italy to attend and the Varia took the honor of being your pallbearers."

Xanxus mouthed the question 'what?' but no sound was willing to come out. His hand, strengthened from his feeding, darted for his throat as soon as the failure occurred.

"That's not good," Lord Nephriam murmured with narrowed eyes. "Poe was careful to keep your vocal cords intact when he slit your throat. You should be able to speak. We need to get you into the Physician's care as soon as possible to see what other damage might have occurred. To answer your question, though, you are dead. The man known as Lazarus is also dead. The people and places that you once cared for no longer have any attachment to you. You are no longer Xanxus. From this day forward, you will be known as King and Lazarus will be known as Sky. You will keep your face hidden from any who might recognize you and I shall teach you everything that you need to know in order to survive in this new world that you've awakened to. Every twenty to thirty years, you must take on a new name and a new identity. You are ageless. You are an unrecorded creature who must hide in the shadows until the day comes that you are too weak to withstand a Hunter's blade. On behalf of the Carter Family... I welcome you to the half-life."

_What the hell?_ He mouthed.

"You're still in shock," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "Why don't we let you bathe and eat a normal meal? Perhaps you'll be able to understand after you've reacquainted yourself with civilization. I'll bring you some clothes, as well. After we let the Physician deal with you, we must speak a bit before I take you to see Sky."

* * *

Xanxus stared into the mirror and tried very hard to understand what was going on. It felt like he'd only closed his eyes for a moment, but a whole year had passed. All of it seemed like just a short dream and there was no sense of reality to anything that he was told. Looking in the mirror did nothing to help him, though. There wasn't a trace of a scar on his body. He was actually in the best physical shape of his life without having lifted a finger to get there. Of course, he had very little muscle left, but there wasn't an ouce of fat left on him. His body had been completely wrung dry and rebuilt.

He couldn't recognize himself. No matter how long he stared, the face looking back through the mirror held no trace of the harsh person named Xanxus. There was no weight. There was no burden. It was probably the file of pictures that Lord Nephriam had shared. Squalo... Squalo had tears running down his face while holding an expression that silently swore vengeance. The rest of the Varia had looked no different. A large part of Vongola had shown up for the funeral and there were pictures of Hotaru, Gokudera, and everyone else offering roses with reddened eyes.

They'd buried him.

It wasn't a joke and there was no way for them to consider that it'd been faked. He'd had a joint open-casket funeral with Tsuna and he'd been buried next to him. Their graves had been next to Joshua's. Their graves were still there, actually. They'd been exhumed during the night and, by morning, there was nothing to show that they weren't still peacefully resting under the earth. He no longer had any connection to anyone. He no longer had any responsibilities or duties. He no longer had any power, friends, or Family to call on. He had no one but Tsuna and the little twerp that was hosting him.

"You look rather fetching with long hair," Lord Nephriam commented. Xanxus slowly turned in place and tried to ignore how his hair tickled his heels. He'd never dreamed that it could reach such a length, but it had within the single hour following his awakening feast. He still wasn't sure how he felt about it. The attendants that helped him wash it and shave had refused to cut the length since it softened his face. Even he had to admit that it didn't look that bad after it'd been brushed out, but he still wasn't sure if it was worth the trouble. "Perhaps a trim, at least," he amended with a knowing twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "I've brought you some pictures of clothes to look through. This is a good opportunity to change your style, so I brought several designs for you to choose from."

Knowing that any attempt to respond would end in failure, he walked over to see the offerings that the little Lord laid out on his bed. Although, calling it a bed was pushing it. Even calling his room a 'room' was pushing it. The area that they were in was buried twenty floors underground in the midst of a maze-like dungeon. His new home was luxuriously appointed. The problem was that it wasn't an actual home. It'd be more fitting to call it a Vault. His 'bed' was actually a hibernation tank that someone had taken much amusement in designing like a coffin. It had a carpeted room for entertaining, but most of the attached areas seemed to be made for storage. There was an abundance of empty closets, shelving, and pure empty space. The amount of the Vault that was given to nothing actually superseded the size of the large bathroom, the dining nook, and the poor excuse for a bedroom.

"You still seem unsettled," Lord Nephriam murmured while Xanxus looked through the photos. "Perhaps I should explain some more," he continued with a snap of his fingers to order the servants to bring wine. "This is your new home, King. Our method to keep ourselves hidden isn't an easy one. Being forced to take on new lives every few decades means that we must remove ourselves from everything that we hold dear. During those years, however, there are tokens of sentimentality that are difficult to let go of. There are things that you might wish to treasure or memories that you do not wish to lose. This is a storage area for such things. Even if you decide to live a hundred miles away, what are you to do when the time comes for you to die again? What would you take with you into the next life and what will you leave behind? You can think of this place as a Pharaoh's tomb. It is a place for your past to be buried while you wander this earth. My own tomb has many items that I could not bear to part with. It would probably look like a museum to you, but they are all things from my past that the world has left behind. Whatever you wish to carry with you can be stored here for eternity."

_My guns_, he mouthed, accepting a glass of wine from the same attendant that poured Lord Nephriam's.

"They're here," he confirmed with a soft nod. "It wasn't easy to retrieve them, but we have them. They're stored away in the first closet, along with your charm, trench coat and your computer's hard drive. For now, I ask that you do not touch them. The first half-life is always the most difficult. It will be instinct for you to try to return to your previous life with such a strong attachment at your side. You must understand that you truly are a new man. You are completely free, King. Everything that you do from here will be your choices in the purest form. Nothing is going to guide you in life or tell you what to do. Your direction will be decided merely by your own will. I have much to teach you, but what you do with that teaching is something that I can not determine for you. For example, your image for this lifetime. You are now a new person with no one to answer to. How do you wish to look? If none of these clothes suffice, you can let me know and I will provide it. It is the duty of my station to be an overseer to help you between lives. Where ever you wish to go and whatever you wish to be, it is my responsibility to help you attain it."

_Suit_, he demanded. He had reason to demand. He had no idea what the little punk was thinking. The garments in the photos were more like cosplay than normal clothing. The first set was an embroidered Indian sherwani with all the undergarments that went with it. The second set was a set of priest's robes. The third set was a waistcoat and button-down shirt that would look wonderful on a bank teller of two hundred years past. There were several types of gis, kimonos, and traditional garb from around the world. There were six types of modified uniforms and five type of modern civilian clothes. He had no problem with putting on a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt or a silk patterned shirt, but he had a feeling that he wasn't just picking his clothes for this one instance. He was picking the clothes that he'd be provided for the rest of his stay.

"No," he snapped, making Xanxus glare. "That, too, is my duty. The closest that you'll be allowed is the waistcoat and shirt with the pinstriped trousers. The next time that you die, you'll be allowed to revert to any image you wish. For your first death, however, I must be strict. You do not yet understand the necessity for a makeover, so I must force it upon you until you do understand. No one can know that you are still among the living. Therefore, you can not keep an image that will be recognized. Everything from your hair to your personality to your clothing must be changed. When you've grown more comfortable with staring new lives, you will not have to go to such lengths. For now, please bear with it. I don't think that I need to remind you that you'd still be in a grave if I hadn't retrieved you."

_Fine_, he silently grumbled. The little prick had a point. Considering that he only had his birthday suit on, it wasn't too wise to bitch about design. Carefully looking over the clothes with that in mind, he found that choosing was more difficult than it normally would be. The choices and originating cultures were all so different from each other. It was as if the little brat was trying to make it clear that he could become literally anything from this point.

"Perhaps I should bring in some women's clothes...?" Lord Nephriam suggested with a smile playing across his lips. "With your hair so long, you might be able to pass as a woman if we teach you the art of makeup."

Xanxus glared and snatched up the first picture that came to hand. Anything would be better than a dress and he didn't particularly care how he looked. As long as it wasn't gaudy or difficult to wear, he was perfectly fine with whatever he was given.

"Not a bad choice," Lord Nephriam murmured as he inspected the page. "We'll put you in white to match the white that Sky will eventually be given, but I must say that I wouldn't have taken you for the dress uniform type. I guess it doesn't really matter, though. We'll skip the hat and replace the embroidery with a more modern design so that it won't attract too much attention. Hmmm... If we cut your hair to shoulder length and tie it back, I think you'll be able to pull off the rogue captain look pretty nicely."

Xanxus paled, but didn't bother changing his choice.

"Now that we have that part out of the way, choosing your mask won't be as difficult," he sighed, handing off the chosen picture to one of his servants. "Before you ask, a mask will be necessary. I won't allow you to leave here until you've grown used to wearing it. That is for later, however. Before I even begin to concern myself with training you, we need to get Sky repaired. I heard most of what happened from Poe, but it seems that a year of hibernation wasn't enough to pull Sky out of his mental retreat. We can tell from his aura alone that he's consumed with his instinct, which is why I need to speak with you. Whether or not we wake him at all will be your decision."

Eh?

"Let's let the Physician take a look at you before we get to that," he amended. With another snap of his fingers, yet another servant appeared with an actual set of clothing. Xanxus felt the need to glare over the fact that a temporary set had already been decided on. The bastard could have let him dress before forcing him to pick. Snatching them out of the man's hands, he quickly put them on without a care for what they were. He wanted to groan when he got the shirt on, though. Loose clothing was good, but were the ruffled sleeves really necessary? It made him feel like he was about to go fencing against someone. It was also the first time in his life that he'd ever had to lace up his pants instead of buttoning them. At least they gave him boxers in what felt like an apology for the anachronisms.

"The cobbler will be here to get your foot measurements in the morning," he murmured with an amused smile. "I'm sure that you don't mind going barefooted for a while. Let us go upstairs. It's about time for lunch and the Physician is sure to attend. Please be mindful of your manners and follow."

Xanxus' eye twitched at the order, but he gave in and followed. He felt a migraine growing in the back of his head when he stepped out of his vault and the locking mechanism proved to be an old-fashioned turnwheel. The heavy iron key to trigger its movement stayed in Lord Nephriam's keeping and the fact wasn't lost on him. His vault could either be a home that could withstand centuries of carnage or a prison that even he would have trouble escaping.

"I know what's probably going through your head," Lord Nephriam commented as he lead the way through the dark tunnels with an oil lantern in hand. "But that's not the intent for the vaults. They were installed years ago during the height of the Cold War when everyone was looking to invest in personal fallout shelters. The outer walls have been reinforced several times with more modern technology and there is a timer on the hibernation chamber should you choose to retreat for an extended period. We actually have four in residence who have been asleep for over thirty years under the old methods and another two that are in cryogenic hibernation. That brings me to the point that I know that you are curious about. Your clothing."

Xanxus nodded in agreement and continued following as they reached a set of stone stairs. The air was figid and dank in the tunnel, unlike the heated, fresh air in his vault. He could hear the sound of bats and rats fluttering down side tunnels, but he had no interest in investigation. As long as the rest of the route to the surface was as straightforward as it was from his vault to the stairs, finding it again would be rather simple.

"It's to help with culture shock," he explained nonchalantly while they walked with the servants trailing behind them. "In the blink of an eye, the whole world can change. For example, what would you do if I told you that you'd really been in hibernation for fifty years and people wore silver spandex to work in offices? Perhaps you were out only ten years, but it was suddenly taboo to walk around without your nose pierced? Even with only one year, perhaps popular culture decided that black suits were faux paux and denoted that you were part of a political party that must be shot on sight? You would have no idea. That is the purpose for this place and the anachronisms that you'll encounter here. No matter your reason for hibernation or the reason for you chosen time of recovery, you will always awaken to the same garments and these tunnels will stay the same. Forcing you to accept something outdated is much less stressful than trying to force you to accept a concept that's too advanced. For the sake of your sanity, you will always have some amount of training to re-acclimate yourself to the current world while staying under a Council member's guidance. Do not worry too much about it, though. Only a single year has passed for you this time, so the amount you have missed can be easily learned."

_If you say so_, Xanxus tried to say. It was useless, though. His voice wouldn't come out no matter how he tried to force it. He absently rubbed his throat in concern for the fact. He'd never before had to deal with such a disability.

"You'll encounter others during your stay here," Lord Nephriam continued with a side-long glance. "Most of them will be blood-slaves, but there are a few with special status. You can tell the blood slaves from their Gauntlets and I ask that you take special care with those who are also wearing a collar. If you come across anyone in a mask, treat them as you would anyone of equal status. Identity is a fragile thing around here. Once you receive a mask, you should not take it off except within the confines of your room or at my orders. Since you are new here, I'll allow you to see everyone's faces for a single instance. After that, it will be up to the others as to whether they wish to speak to you face-to-face."

Xanxus raised his eyebrow to voice his question.

"Others might not wish for you to know how their image has changed with a new life," he explained. "It's all for the sake of anonymity. It is good to know who around you might share a common factor, but privacy is very important. In return, I'll let you know now that, within these walls, you will never be asked to take off your own mask outside of greeting a new brethren for the first time."

Xanxus nodded in understanding and walked quietly while he digested the information. This really wasn't some kind of practical joke. He'd known when he'd agreed to Poe's plan, but he hadn't expected to wake up in this kind of setting. He'd thought that he'd wake up in a graveyard or maybe he'd wake to his teeth in someone's neck. This... This organization was a little overwhelming. They were treating it like someone faked their death every day and were completely prepared to deal with someone who'd slept through a century.

It was nuts.

They stopped three times on their way up the stairs in order to let Xanxus catch his breath. He'd never before thought that merely the act of walking would tire him out. The stairs were endless, though. Every time that they hit a landing, he had to wonder whether it was a tower that they were climbing or a well. He wanted to ask where the elevator was, but the idiots probably didn't have one--

"There's an elevator for you to use in the future," Lord Nephriam said with yet another knowing smile. "You're not allowed to use it for two weeks, though. You need the excersice since you haven't moved in a year. The blood ceremony took care of the atrophy, but you're still weak."

_Bastard_, he mouthed clearly.

"I prefer immaculate conception as the term," he chuckled nonchalantly. Xanxus wanted to growl, but he couldn't even do that much. He could feel the vibrations in his throat, but sound just wouldn't come out. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to worry about it. They finally reached the end of the stairwell and he stepped out into a completely different world.

The hallway was appointed like that of a palace. Red runners ran down the hall over a lush, burgundy carpeting. Chandeliers dotted the faulted ceiling at periodic intervals and the towering windows made the stairwell entrance seem like an unimportant fixture that was merely meant to break up the space. It was incredibly bright after traveling in the catacombs, but he wasn't given time to get used to it. Lord Nephriam was already moving again by the time that he could see clearly.

Six hallways, two rooms, and dozens of servants later, they reached a formal dining room. Seven of the ten chairs were already filled when they arrived. Five of them had masks on, Lord Nephriam's wife, and one was a person that he recognized.

"King," she murmured with a polietly sympathetic tone. "How are you feeling? I saw what happened to Sky."

_Shitty as hell_, he tried to growl through clenched teeth while he stared at the gaping fool that he knew on sight.

"He's mute, dear," Lord Nephriam supplied with a finger pressed against his lips to hold back his smile. "I was going to wait until after lunch to deal with it."

"No need," one of the masked figured groaned. "It's not nice for you to play games with the new guys, m'Lord. Just tell him that he's not pitching his voice right and be done with it."

Eh? Xanxus gaped in askance.

"Poo," Lord Nephriam pouted. "I thought it'd be nice to play charades for a little longer."

"You're not pitching your voice correctly," the masked man explained in a bored tone. "It's a common mistake for new guys. Basically, you don't know the real range of your vocal cords. Since you just came out of hibernation, they're relaxed right now. You're talking in a tone too low for your own ears to hear. Try pitching it higher like you're singing soprano and you'll get closer to your normal speaking voice."

"L-- th... Like this...?" He tested in curiosity. He blinked in surprise when his voice actually came out and decided to say a few more things to get the pitch settled right. "Fucking bastard," he growled, looking down at the short brat who'd been playing with him. "You knew what was wrong. Screw that," he amended before he could reply. Pointing at the man he recognized, he only had a single question that mattered. "What the fuck is Shamal doing here?"

"That's what I'd like to ask about you," Shamal mumbled from his seat at the table. "You're supposed to be dead. Am I seeing things, m'Lord?"

"No," Lord Nephriam sighed with a gesture for Xanxus to take up one of the three empty chairs at the table. Xanxus did, but not without first having a fight with his hair when he kept sitting on it. "I wasn't sure how to tell you about it and I was hoping that you'd figure it out by taking care of Sky. Since the information was leaked about Xanxus being turned, we had to go through extreme methods to retrieve him. I'm afraid that the mysterious Hunter who killed him was just a hoax we used to satisfy even those who knew that Xanxus had been turned. You know what they say. To fool an enemy, first fool your friends."

"But the autopsy report..."

"Forged," he shrugged before turning to answer Xanxus' question. "You might not wish to believe it, but our vampirism is an incurable disease. This idiot managed to catch it like an STD about fifteen years ago and he's been aligned with us ever since. About three months ago, one of his lovers caught up to him and he decided to hide out here until she gives up. Unfortunately, I'm not permitted to turn him away since his Vault is located here. He has no mask yet since he hasn't been baptised by death as you recently have been, but he still honors our codes of secrecy. In exchange for sanctuary, he's agreed to oversee Sky's renewal."

"Shamal is fixing him?" Xanxus asked with his voice fluctuating while he tried to control it.

"Yes," he confirmed with an easy-going smile. It was a smile that Xanxus painfully wiped away when he stared at Shamal with a deadly glare of warning.

"You better not fuck up," he scowled.

"Of course not," Shamal grinned. "I don't normally treat guys, but watching over their resurrection isn't really the same thing. I'll make sure that he wakes up healthy."

"Well, now that we have that part out of the way," Lord Nephriam interjected with a clap of his hands. "I'd appreciate it if the rest of you would take off your masks and introduce yourselves. Pay close attention, Xanxus. After today, you may never see their faces again."

"I'll go first," the bored man from before offered. His mask was a simple bird-beaked shape and his hair was a short crop of incredibly ordinary brown. Once the mask came off, it was another story. Xanxus recognized him immediately. He'd been on the Caeculus Foundation's hitlist a year ago. The name eluded him, but he faintly remembered that he'd been a corporate whistle-blower at the age of twenty six. "The name registered with the Council is Strife. In my last life, I was Scott Vendly and I was murdered in my sleep by a hitman. I hate to sleep since I'm a little overactive, but I'm thinking of trying something more quiet this time around. Being a corporate power was a little overrated, so maybe something to do with sports this time. Perhaps coaching little league since I could care less about fame. I'm still deciding, which is why I'm still here. My hobbies include basketball, mountain climbing, and bicycling. I was turned into a vampire seventy two years ago by a wandering Phlegm. I was a punk orphan up until then and Lord Nephriam took me in."

"Registered as Marcus," the next supplied as Strife put his mask back on. This man had a scarlet bandit's mask that only hid his eyes and his blue hair was cut to shoulder length. Once it was removed, there was little in the way of surprise. There was also no recognition. He had an unremarkable face. His eyes were small and his lips were thin. Otherwise, there was nothing unique about him. "Thirty years ago, I was an architect. The design for my masterpiece building was stolen by a rival and I was pushed off a thirty story building two weeks ago. Dead on impact, of course. Hobbies are sketching and clay sculpture. I was a paramedic when I was turned fifty-four years ago. It happened with my consent and I was brought here. That is all I have to say."

"R-Registered as Magnolia," the white-haired woman next to him whispered as she took off her mask with shaking hands. Xanxus simply stared in shock once the fur-lined piece was pulled away. He tore his eyes away after a long moment, but the recognition was a little too much to take. Even Shamal seemed flabbergasted, proving that it was the first time for him to see their faces, as well.

"Sangia...?" Xanxus mumbled into his hand.

"That's one of my daughters' names," she replied with a pained voice. She lowered here eyes shyly as she continued in a trembling tone. "That was in my first life. A Mafia Boss' mistress doesn't usually live long after they've had a child, especially when it can't be known to the public that his wife is infertile. The assassin who came for me was a vampire who took pity. I... I didn't want to die. He gave me the choice to die or to be turned and watch my daughters grow from afar. I chose the latter. He brought a Phlegm to turn me and then murdered me. I was raised from my grave after a year and brought here, where I've been for the last twenty years. I hope that you'll be generous with any stories that you might have. The information that I get is always second hand."

"Elario likes boxing," he mumbled, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. The woman bit her lips at the words and tears built up in her eyes. Before Xanxus could think of anything else to say, the woman went running out of the room in tears with Lord Nephriam's wife chasing her.

"Let us continue," Lord Nephriam said with a sad smile. "It might not seem like it, but she's incredibly happy. If you would look favorably on her in the future, it would be appreciated. The years haven't passed easily for her. She stays here simply because she knows that getting close to her family would only hurt them and leaving this estate would only send her running for them."

"Pathetic," the next one growled with his mask snapping off. This one was a raven-haired man that wasn't much different from Poe in appearance, although his nose was bent in two places and he looked as if he had a permanent scowl. His eyebrows were a little more bushy and his throat was scrawnier. Otherwise, he was just as unremarkable as Marcus. "I'm registered as Welt. I'm not interested in becoming buddies, so keep your nose out of my business and keep the crying wench away from me."

"Manners," Lord Nephriam admonished with a warning glance.

"Don't have them and don't need them," he growled. "I'm just here for lunch, not a fucking welcoming session."

"Very well," Lord Nephriam sighed, gesturing for the servants to bring the meal.

"That only leaves me," the last woman sighed as she carefully pulled back the lace veil that was attached to her hairband in place of a mask. Once more, there was recognition, but not a shocking revelation. He recognized the woman, but she wasn't anyone too important. "Registered as Prism. I was pretty much a nobody in my last life. I recognize both of you, though. Both of you frequented Pink's a lot. I was the dancer named 'Gold' there. What can I say? Some bastard tried to follow me home, stabbed me, took pictures, and left me to die. I was turned a hundred and three years ago, so it's nothing new. Non-consenting, by the way. Passing Phlegm and all that. You'll find that those of us who last are usually those who weren't turned willingly. Those who are turned willingly usually get disillusioned quickly and call for a Hunter. I have no major hobbies, but I do have the interesting quality of having once been a victim of a serial killer."

"That's not something to brag about," Welt grumbled as he blew on his soup to cool it. Turning his attention to his own meal, Xanxus wasn't sure if he should complain or not. Everyone else's bowl was overloaded with noodles, vegetables, and chicken with a side plate of sandwiches. His own bowl held mere broth and his plate had only toast. Everyone else was drinking blood wine and he had nothing.

"Don't look so down," Strife laughed, seeing his disgruntled expression. "It's normal food to start out on. You haven't had anything in your stomach for a year. You'll be lucky to keep even light foods down."

"Eat it slowly and carefully," Lord Nephriam advised, pointing to the small spoon that he'd been given. It looked like a silver baby-spoon, which only made him want to glare at the insult. "That particular broth is meant to rehydrate your stomach organs and recreate your missing gastric juices. All of it has dried up in the past year while your body fed on itself, so it'll take some work for you to fix it even with the blood wine that I gave you earlier. You're quite lucky, actually. If Jewel hadn't been making trips to water your eyes every day for the past year, you'd be blind right now."

"Where is she?" He mumbled. Deciding to take it as his host being overcautious instead of an insult, he picked up the spoon and carefully gathered several drops inside. It was barely enough to get his mouth wet, but he figured that there was a point to it.

"She's with Sky," Shamal answered around greedy bites of his more filling meal. "He's in a hibernation tank right now since bringing him back isn't as easy as bringing a half-blood back."

"Laz... I mean, Sky... will be the first werewolf to receive the privilege," Lord Nephriam's wife commented pleasantly. "In the past, werewolves weren't permitted the rights to any of the Nexus houses or reanimation facilities. After Sky died, Mistress Drake teamed up with Madame Neve to push through a Council vote that m'Lord Nephriam proposed. Sky was given the first Vault and I gladly received the second to ever be given to a werewolf. Things are moving along incredibly well in adapting werewolves into vampire society and vice versa. Werewolf territory restrictions have been shot down three times thanks to a united effort and there are some hints that Guardian-level restrictions will be removed soon without affecting territory claims."

"That affects you, King," Lord Nephriam added with an absent gesture with his spoon.

"How's that?" He asked, grinding his teeth in frustration for the pitiful mouthfuls that he was getting with the shrunken spoon.

"I knew it," he groaned in resignation. "Poe didn't teach you anything after we parted ways."

"Was he supposed to?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "I'm going to strangle that boy! It's no wonder that your feeding has no grace to it! I had an idea with your method for the blood ceremony, but damnit! Guardian level vampires can't be left ignorant!"

"Is Guardian level good?" He asked quietly. Everyone at the table seemed to freeze in place and their eyes widened in horror for the blunt question.

"Someone, anyone, please kill me now," Lord Nephriam ordered with a long-suffering moan. The boy-Lord put his spoon down on his plate and covered his face as if he wanted to cry. "Yes, it's good," Lord Nephriam answered with his face buried. "Other than me, you are currently the strongest person here. However, due to your ignorance of you true strength, even Magnolia could probably defeat you. You have much to learn, King. If you're this bad, it makes me worry about Sky. Was he ever informed of his matching status?"

"What do you mean? Is he Guardian whatever, too?"

"Sky is one of only two Guardian level werewolves in existence," he answered with a slightly hysterical bark of laughter. "His status is... oh hell... never mind. I'll teach it all to you later. Just eat for now. I think I need to go lie down for a bit." Xanxus watched silently as the boy followed his word by standing from the table and slowly exiting with a weary stumble.

"What the hell was that about?" Xanxus asked after he was gone. "Never mind," he corrected upon seeing the wide-eyed looks only get worse. "I don't really give a damn. How is Laz, Shamal? I want the truth."

"Terrible," he answered with a sympathetic smile for Lord Nephriam's pain. "You've got to remember to call him Sky, though. It's just like I'm not Shamal around here. I go by 'Physician' or my registered name of Cyan. Our lives outside of here don't matter in these walls."

"Whatever," he replied flippantly. "Just give me the fucking details. What do you mean by terrible?"

"Keep eating and I'll tell you," he ordered with an absent gesture of his sandwich. Xanxus grimaced, but he knew that Shamal was simply acting like a doctor for once. "I've seen the blood ceremony performed in the past, so I know the proper method. Whether or not you were conscious of the fact, you were pulling energy from your surroundings while you were in hibernation. Dipping you in blood gives that instinct something to feed off until your body absorbs enough for you to become conscious and actively vamp. Werewolves don't have that mechanism. The only option for us was to work backwards from a normal resurrection process. Where your stomach is the last thing to be fixed, it's the first thing that we've had to repair in Sky. After that, we've begun force-feeding him vampire blood at an exponentially increased rate. His veins have just reached the point that we tried giving him an IV drip to hydrate him, but they keep collapsing. One of his arteries burst about three hours ago and repairing it was one hell of a headache. He's stabilized, but working on a year-old corpse isn't the easiest of projects."

"He's not a corpse," Xanxus growled.

"He might as well be," Shamal retorted. "Honestly, we weren't sure if it was going to be possible at all until half an hour ago."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that he's finally been triggered," he replied with a crack of a smile. "You're lucky, King. If he'd stayed in that kind of hibernation for any longer, he really would have died. Lord Nephriam told me that his pet bug has been feeding him droplets of blood over the past year, but a few drops a day isn't enough to permanently keep him going. That's like feeding two drops of water and three breadcrumbs to an overactive toddler. Eventually, he'll die from malnourishment. You were pulling energy from the earth while you slept, so hibernation wasn't as difficult for you. Since Sky didn't have that ability, it's a miracle that he's hadn't already passed on. Actually, I say a miracle, but it was his caretaker's careful watching that kept him alive. He had to have been checking Sky's blood dosages and giving him the absolute minimum to keep him going without triggering a feeding frenzy. Never allow him to do that kind of hibernation again, King. If he wants to sleep for a few years, use cryogenics. One wrong move and he would have been dust with the way that you used."

"Poe didn't mention any of that," he mumbled with a worried scowl. "He said that it would be the same hibernation that he's went through before. He never had any problems before. Even when he was out for a week or two, he always came back without any issues."

"Poe probably didn't want you to refuse, so he didn't mention the risks involved," Shamal said unhappily. "He must have tempted you with something pretty damn nice to make you agree. What he's went through before was just short term hibernation, though. There's a huge difference when it comes to long term. It's like the difference between someone fainting and someone going into a coma. The amount of care needed is completely different."

"I'm going to kill that bastard," Xanxus growled through clenched teeth. His frustration was aimed more at himself, though. He'd been tricked. It hadn't been an easy choice to put their lives in someone else's hands, but he'd made that choice after only a two hour conversation. He didn't deserve to be anywhere near Tsuna after such a gross miscalculation. He'd always prided himself on decisive decisions, but he hadn't considered the ramifications nearly enough. Tsuna could have died because of him.

"You've really changed," Shamal commented in a curious tone. "I never thought that I'd ever see that kind of expression on your face. You actually love him enough to regret." Xanxus' head snapped up at the statement and his stomach flipped. Putting his hand to his mouth, he slowly came to understand the expression that was on his face.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he admitted as his stomach flipped again. His chair tumbled backward when he abruptly stood with the thought to get out of the room before he vomited.

"He's going to hurl," Strife taunted.

Xanxus proved him wrong by blacking out first.

* * *

"I told you to eat slowly," Lord Nephriam grumbled while he replaced the cold cloth on Xanxus' head. Xanxus refused to respond. If he opened his mouth, the likelihood of becoming sick was raised. It was humiliating. He usually had pride in having a strong stomach. To become ill over something like flavored water was excruciatingly embarrassing. To wake up with such weakness that he could be forced to lay down by a child was even worse. "I'm considering whether or not to send the Physician to a different house after Sky is awake," he added softly.

"Huh?" Xanxus grunted. Forcing himself to sit up, he glared harshly when the brat started to push him down again. Lord Nephriam seemed to understand this time and pulled back to allow it. They were sitting in an actual bedroom in the upper mansion. There was no personality to the room, so Xanxus assumed that it was furnished for any who wished to use it.

"His comment was unnecessary," the boy-Lord explained while he settled back into his bed-side chair. "Death changes a person, King. This is probably the first time in your life to experience this kind of freedom, but I fear that the Physician's words will keep you from making use of that. I did not bring him here to burden you."

"Is that the real reason for the masks?" Xanxus asked quietly. His intuition answered the question for him, but he wanted to hear Lord Nephriam's reply.

"Ah," he confirmed with a pained expression. "The need to hide is ingrained in all of us. With a mask, the burden of that need is removed and another freedom is added. This house is the one place in the world where you should be able to be yourself without fear of reprisal. It is through comments such as the Physicians that many vampires have moved their Vaults to different houses or have purposely isolated themselves between lives. You answer to no one, King. I do not wish to see you become one of the many who live lifetime after lifetime with their heart closed. I want you to explore the fountain of emotion that you have closed off within yourself and learn that pain is only a single coin in a mountain of treasure."

"You're misunderstanding something," Xanxus murmured with a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. "I don't hide for anyone. How I am now is no different from how I was a year ago. The only difference is that punks like Shamal are actually noticing it. Get it right, brat. I'm not the one that was changed by death. It's everyone else that opened their eyes because I died."

"If that's so, then I'll be relieved," he sighed with a hand sheepishly running through his hair. "But if the Physician's words weren't what upset you, then why did you get sick?"

"The food was shitty," he snapped while pointedly looking away. It was partially true. He had gotten sick because his stomach hadn't wanted to accept simple food. The rest of the truth involved Tsuna, a coffin, and images of bones.

"Sky will be alright," Lord Nephriam murmured sympathetically. "There's no reason to torture yourself over might-have-beens."

"How do you keep doing that?" He growled in frustration for having his mind read again.

"Experience," he answered with a quiet smile. "I might look like a kid, but I've been around a lot longer than you. After a while, you've seen and understood everything. Your situation is actually very common. The one you love is injured and you blame yourself. It's not your fault, though. Sky needed freedom even more than you did. This path might have been painful, but the risks were proportional to the rewards. I think, once you see Sky, you'll understand."

"When?" He murmured. In answer, Lord Nephriam reached into the bedroom's side table and pulled out a simple mask. Xanxus stared at it for a moment before hesitantly accepting it. It wasn't embellished at all. The curved white of the surface actually reminded him of a plaster mold more than a finished piece. The edges looked rough and the surface was uneven. It was as if it were a physical representation of the blank slate that he had to work with. It had a general shape, but no substance yet. What it looked like when it was finished was completely up to him.

Laying it against his face to test it, the inner surface was smooth and unmarred. It didn't seem to impede him at all and the eye holes were large enough that he couldn't see the edges at the corners of his vision. He could feel the lower ridges pressing against his cheeks, but the material was so lightweight that it was far too easy to ignore. Even when he took it off, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to tell a difference. That, more than anything, was probably the intention. It was to get him comfortable with being expressive so that, when the mask came off, he wouldn't feel as if he was exposed by showing his feelings.

Lord Nephriam slipped behind him to tie the mask in place and Xanxus allowed it. The houses' methods were strange, but there was nowhere else for him to go. As far as the world was concerned, Xanxus was dead. It made him wonder if he'd made the right choice. He'd only wanted to free Tsuna from the painful world that he'd been stuck in. Perhaps his feelings had been more selfish than that, though. If they hadn't been, he would have had more consideration for Tsuna's welfare.

"Come," Lord Nephriam ordered with a smile. "Let us go see Sky."

Xanxus nodded and slowly pulled himself out of the bed with the kid's help. Lord Nephriam was stronger than he looked in that respect. In the one instance that the movement made Xanxus falter, the brat held him steady with an ease that was slightly disconcerting. His stomach felt leaden and the only thing keeping him from actually vomiting was the complete lack of substance within him. He'd never thought that he'd have to learn to eat again.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Xanxus asked suspiciously when Lord Nephriam silently guided him into using the boy as a crutch. "I'm a cold-blooded murderer."

"And what makes you think that I'm not?" He replied without looking up. Xanxus was knocked speechless at the notion and, in his shock, Lord Nephriam began to guide him out of the room. "I am not nice at all, King. What you see as kindness is nothing of the sort. It is merely a down payment."

"You plan to use me," Xanxus supplied with his eyes narrowing in satisfaction.

"Ah," he confirmed bluntly while they stumbled down the hall together. "The price for my kindness is an easy one, however. You, who were once an assassin, will probably have no qualms in conducting the service. You are free to refuse if you wish and I will still be happy to host you and Sky until you are settled into a new life...."

"But we're not welcome back unless we pay the price," Xanxus finished with a knowing smile. "That's fine. I didn't think what you're doing for us was free to begin with. I just hate bastards that try to pretend that it is."

"I'm not so naive," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "Even if I pretended such a thing, the recipient of such lies would open their eyes eventually. Many Bosses and leaders live completely on feelings of loyalty and dedication, but I prefer contracts of consent where either side is free to break ties at will."

"Free," Xanxus repeated. "You say that word a lot, but freedom isn't that easy to get."

"That is because humans bind themselves far too easily," he replied easily. "You'll understand eventually. I think, once you realize how free you really are, you'll be much happier."

"Happy..." Xanxus murmured in doubt. He couldn't imagine it. There were moments in his life that he'd known happiness. They were never lasting, though. Perhaps... Perhaps he could have lasting happiness now. He and Sky could stay here together. They could stay in this place of freedom and never have to feel pain again. "Maybe," he murmured as they came to a stop outside another bedroom door. At least, it seemed like a bedroom door. Once the door was opened, Xanxus forced himself erect and stared in surprise at the clinic hidden within.

The area was larger than he expected. The walls were lined with medical cabinets full of supplies and there were three beds for patients to lie on. One corner of the room was taken up with a desk for the resident doctor to use with a shadow-box to view x-rays hanging above it. As for the X-rays themselves, Xanxus had the privilege of seeing the machinery through a door at the wall to his left. What grabbed his attention most of all, however, were the two horizontal tanks that were taking up the far wall. The left one was unused, but servants and medical technicians were swarming the right one. The amount of tubes and wires erupting from the open casing was enough to make Xanxus' stomach turn from the likely subject within.

"Infection isn't a major issue with our kind, so feel free to approach," Lord Nephriam murmured. Xanxus nodded and purposely kept himself from meeting Shamal's eyes as he walked forward. The sight waiting on him was almost too much to bear. Not because it was grotesque, however. Rather, the sight of Tsuna laying awake in the bed in perfect health was what was troubling. His aura was still set to Lynx's frequency, but he wasn't moving. He wasn't fighting the needles nor was he showing hunger at the packets of blood that were hooked up to flow directly into his stomach. It was as if he were asleep with his eyes open.

"He woke up twenty minutes ago," Shamal said quietly. "He's been like that ever since."

"What would it take to get White here?" He asked softly, reaching out to touch Tsuna's face as if he were only a porcelain doll. It didn't seem right. Even though he could feel the warmth of Tsuna's cheek, he didn't respond.

"If this were three months ago, it would be no problem," Shamal answered with a flinch.

"What?" Xanxus asked with his head snapping up in worry.

"White is dead," Lord Nephriam whispered with a pained grimace. "She was murdered three months ago during a session with a broken patient. Mental backlash from the trauma that she was trying to fix. Going into other people's minds isn't something that can be done without a great amount of risk. She was warned numerous times that she'd break herself with her meddling, but she still refused to quit. I don't know whether that woman was a saint or simply suicidal."

"You're lying," Xanxus replied in shock. "She can't be--"

"She's dead, Xan-- King..." Shamal confirmed softly. "I was there. The patient that she was treating went into a coma and she died instantly."

"B-But, she can't be dead..." he mumbled blankly. He didn't want to believe it. White had always been part of his plans. If they'd said that Reborn was dead or Gokudera was dead, it wouldn't be as bad. White was irreplaceable, though. When he'd agreed to hibernate for a year, he'd never once thought that the woman wouldn't be there when he woke. How many times had he went to her in order to find comfort? How many times had they drank together in his living room while they talked or slept together for just a moment of warmth? She was one of the few people that he ever dared to call 'friend' and he'd never doubted that she'd be there when he needed her.

He felt his words get crushed in his throat while he stared in blank-minded shock. He wasn't sure what to do. The news was too sudden. All of his expectations for the future had been riding on her. Tears would do no justice to the gut-wrenching pain that lanced through him at the lose.

"The world kept turning while you were asleep, King," Lord Nephriam said softly. "Time has mercy on no one. White didn't know that she was going to die, so you can't pretend that you could have had the foresight to predict this. I know that you gave up going directly to her in order to break away cleanly, but you shouldn't allow hindsight to make you regret that. Sky isn't dead and broken things are always repairable. You just have to have patience and enough caring to not give up half-way."

"What... what are you saying?" Xanxus asked with his eyes widening. "You think that I can fix him?! Are you fucking nuts?! He--" He broke off and froze, feeling someone holding his hand. It was too much to hope for, but he held onto that hope for a long moment before looking to see who's hand was in his own. Tsuna was still staring into space without making a noise while Shamal's helpers continued to monitor his condition from the other side of the bed. But his hand.... It was definitely Tsuna's hand that was grabbing onto his own. "Laz...?" He whispered softly, kneeling down with only one hope-filled thought running through his head. Although painful, mourning White could wait. There was only one person that he couldn't live without and that person was right here with him. "Laz...? Can you hear me?"

Tsuna didn't even blink at the question. He didn't twitch when Xanxus once more touched his face in response nor did his grip change when Xanxus gently squeezed his hand. It was as if he didn't recognize his own name--

"Tsuna," he said softly. He said it merely as a test, but the reaction was immediate. Tsuna's attention turned and focused directly on Xanxus, but there was still no trace of emotion in his eyes. "Tsuna," he repeated worriedly. A speck of light gleamed from his eyes before disappearing again and Xanxus buried his face in the bedside in understanding. 'Tsuna' was the culmination of the parts hiding within him and it was habitual for any part of him to respond to the name. The single part 'Laz' was buried and hiding. The other parts were responsive, but 'Lynx' was the one in control. If Tsuna were a clock, then all of his personalities would be cogs. When one moved, all the others reacted. When one was damaged, the others wouldn't work right, either.

In other words, the reason that Lynx wasn't overwhelmed with his own needs was because he, too, was injured by what had happened to Laz.

"Does it work in reverse?" He asked softly, looking up in hopes of getting some response from Tsuna. "If I try to help you, will it help Laz, too?" The answer was a finger poked into his cheek. He didn't understand at first. It wasn't until Tsuna poked him two more times that the correct image popped up. Remorse had shown him Lynx's fear. It was the image of Lynx poking a corpse of someone who'd gotten too near. "So that's it," he smiled, grabbing hold of Tsuna's hand before he could be poked again. "It's alright, Lynx. You can't hurt me. You don't have to hold back."

"King...?" Lord Nephriam interjected. "What's going on?"

"It's his split personality," he explained, keeping his eyes locked with Tsuna's. "This one is the inhuman one that we call Lynx. He's normally the berserker when he comes out, but whatever is going on with Laz is affecting him. How he pokes me is how he pokes bodies when he's worried that they're dead. I'm not sure if he's worried that I'm dead or he's trying to tell me that he's worried that Laz is."

"Laz...?" Shamal asked in confusion. "But Laz is almost up to perfect health. How can he be dead?"

"You're misunderstanding," he said while he ran his hand through Tsuna's hair. "Laz isn't who he is. Laz is a split personality, too. He's got five of them and when they're put together--"

"Tsuna," Lord Nephriam choked in understanding of the name that Xanxus had called.

"Ah," he confirmed with a pained expression. "Laz is normally the dominant personality. I've been trying to get him to White for a while now, but there were too many things that were holding him back. The reason I agreed to the hibernation was because Poe said that he'd find a way to bring White to us when we woke. My plan was to get the Nubo to summon her, but I would have had to blow his cover in the process. I was too scared that he wouldn't forgive me, so I took Poe's offer. I didn't think that things would work out like this. We were supposed to wake up and White was going to fix him. Once he was back in one piece, we'd have the freedom to do whatever he wanted. I was selfishly rushing things. I didn't want to wait for Tsuna to break off ties with the Martelli Family and the Dragons, so I took the opportunity to do it for him. If I'd went through Nubo or another Family, he would have been dragged back to that city afterward whether he wanted to be or not. I... What have I done? I jeopardized every--"

Xanxus broke off at the feeling of teeth digging into his scalp. He heard choked laughter from Lord Nephriam and Shamal along with muffled giggles from the nurses. Covering his face, he didn't need to ask what was going on. The feeling of Tsuna trying to fit his head in his mouth was undeniable. Unfortunately for him, Xanxus' head was a little too big to be chomped on. That didn't stop Tsuna from trying, though. He kept repositioning his teeth as if just the right angle would let him get a mouthful.

"Here, try this," he sighed in resignation. Pushing Tsuna away from his head wasn't easy. As soon as he grabbed hold of Tsuna's shoulders, the brat latched onto his head like it was a watermelon that someone was trying to steal. When he managed to pry his arms off, the bastard somehow managed to have his ankles wrapped around his neck instead. He could hear himself being laughed at, but he didn't find it funny. He was trying to get Tsuna positioned so that he could let the prick bite his arm, but Tsuna seemed fascinated with his temple and that fascination only grew when Xanxus started feeling his temples throbbing.

At least he was moving fine, Xanxus grudgingly thought. Holding his wrists together with one hand, he started trying to pry off Tsuna's legs. When he succeeded, he wanted to groan at how Tsuna was gnawing at the hands on his wrists.

"Stop fucking laughing and help me!" He snarled at the two bastards who were doubled over in amusement.

"No, no," Shamal choked. "You look like you're doing just fine by your--" Xanxus didn't hear the end of the sentence. Tsuna seemed to regain strength in an instant and broke free of the careful grip that Xanxus had on him. Before anyone could understand the seriousness of the matter, Lynx finally went berserk. The tubes and IVs were yanked out of his body as he lunged into Xanxus, propelling them both to the floor. Blood began to spurt from the broken hoses and the heart rate monitor was knocked over completely before the sensors detached from Tsuna's chest. Tsuna didn't seem to feel any of it. He simply continued his attack while Xanxus tried his best to minimize the resulting commotion.

"No one move!" He snapped. Everyone but Tsuna immediately obeyed. Xanxus managed to grab hold of his wrists again, but a kick to his stomach forced him to let go. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lord Nephriam choose that moment to move. Xanxus quickly sat up to counter Tsuna's next attack, but everything was already finished by then. He felt his jaw drop in shock. Without vamping Tsuna's energy, the childlike Lord had him completely under his thumb. Actually, it was better to say that he was between his thumb and his forefinger. All Lord Nephriam was doing was pinching Tsuna's ear, but Tsuna was completely frozen in place from the touch.

"No misbehaving," Lord Nephriam said with a crooked smile. "If you two want to play, then that's fine. I will not have you wrecking the clinic in the process. Now, King, if you'd be so kind. I do believe that Sky wants to bite you. It should be fine as long as you limit it. You're still in recovery yourself."

"R-right," he agreed as he carefully got to his feet. Lord Nephriam smiled in return and released Tsuna. As soon as his ear was free, he darted forward to attack again. This time, Xanxus was ready for him. Dodging Tsuna's hands, he countered with a headlock that shoved his forearm into Tsuna's mouth. As predicted, Tsuna bit down. He was easily tamed once the blood started to pool in his mouth. Xanxus was able to pull him to his chest and they sank down into a sitting position on the floor to conserve energy while he fed.

"On second thought, please get King a blood transfusion set up and a back rest," Lord Nephriam absently ordered while he surveyed the two of them. "Getting the direct feeding tubes connected again will probably be impossible as long as Sky is awake. We'll just go with this way and resupply what's running through you. Please bear with it."

"You don't have to tell me," he replied with a small smile. He couldn't help but smile. Laz might not have recovered yet, but Lynx was finally acting normal. On top of that, it was almost as if he were hugging him again. It gave him hope. Xanxus wasn't White. He couldn't hope to fix Tsuna completely, but he could still make him happy as long as it was something this simple that he wanted. "If I can give it to him, then I will."

"You're admitting that he's your master?" Lord Nephriam asked curiously.

"He defeated me a long time ago," he murmured, burying his face into Tsuna's growing head of hair. "Even in his weakest form, I can't possibly win against him."

"I see," he replied. "In that case, I'll pretend that I didn't hear anything. I'm not sure if I even want to remember hearing anything. Poe mistakenly told us that he was a clone. My head would roll if I had to report that Giotto's true bloodline had been tainted."

"That's all in the past," Xanxus smiled while Tsuna continued to greedily drink from his arm. "We both died, so being the Ninth's son or Giotto's heir has no meaning. On top of that, White is dead. If he can't be fixed, then there's no reason to return. We might as well stay here and I'm satisfied as long as he's alive and responsive."

"Are you sure, King?" Lord Nephriam asked in concern. "If you put forth the effort...."

"I'm tired of chasing impossible dreams," he murmured with his free arm tightening around Tsuna's waist. "If Laz comes back, I'll be the first to welcome him. If not, I'm fine as long as I've got a piece of him with me. You said that we have freedom could help us find happiness. In that case, I give all my freedom to Sky as payment for the selfish choice that I made for him."

"You're still too human, King," Lord Nephriam groaned with a crooked smile giving lie to the tone.

"You said that people change after they die the first time," he said with his own smile widening. "Maybe you were right after all. When I was human, the world made me into a monster. Now that I'm dead, I'm feeling a lot more human."

"An unburdened heart is a mysterious thing," he chuckled. "You two are welcome to stay here for as long as you need."


	94. Chapter 94 Alice

Xanxus smiled to himself as he woke to Tsuna's curious poke. The brat had fallen into a pattern that had everyone in the house amused. If only others knew the extent of the pattern. It wasn't that his moods changed on a fixed schedule. Xanxus was slowly learning that Lynx was a completely reactive personality. He didn't seek out stimuli. If he was bored, he simply took a nap. His pattern was just a byproduct of Xanxus' schedule. As such, Xanxus was enjoying himself by learning what stimuli created different reactions.

The first reaction he always showed was the current one. If he awakened while Xanxus was resting, Xanxus could expect a poke. Any lack of motion on his part brought that reaction. So far, other than just resting, he'd been poked while relaxing in a bath, while reading a book, and every single time that he became the slightest bit introspective. Lynx was still a berserker, but it wasn't as unfocused as it seemed when Laz had been in control. Lynx actually had to be stimulated to the point that he went wild. If properly cared for, he actually wasn't that difficult to understand.

It'd been three weeks since they'd taken up residence in the Carter house. In that time, no one new had presented themselves. From the start of the day to the end of the day, the only people that they saw were servants and the rare vampire that lived there. Out of the resident vampires, Prism and Welt had already left out into the world under new aliases. Magnolia never left and Marcus seemed perfectly content in taking his time when it came to deciding which direction to leave in. Strife was still around, as well, but he was pretty active in comparison. With every day that passed, he changed his mind on what life path he wanted to take and therefore ended up back at the starting point. He was always full of energy, though, and Tsuna enjoyed playing ball with him.

A lot of Laz's personality actually made sense to him now. Xanxus understood now that he was the one who was having to keep Lynx content. First of all, Lynx was extraordinarily sensitive to pheromones. Lady Italia, Lord Nephriam's wife, had been particularly helpful in bringing the fact to light. Lynx was completely indiscriminate. If the right pheromone got to him, he went directly into mating mode. Xanxus had managed to keep an incidents from occurring, but it grew difficult at times. Because of that, however, Xanxus had more understanding of the numerous one-night-stands that Laz had went through.

Xanxus also now had an explanation for Laz's inclination to pick up strangers, help them, then dump them in someone else's care. It was such a simple thing on the surface. It was Laz's nature to help people, but he had too many responsibilities to put a single individual as a priority. The underlying problem was that Lynx's nature was different, though. On occasion, he'd attach himself to one of the servants in curiosity. He'd follow them around and simply watch them work and it would always end in the same horrifying way. If he decided that he liked them, as he had with a four so far, he'd knock them down and urinate on them to mark them as his before returning to whatever he'd been doing. Surprisingly, the servants that had been marked were completely unconcerned by the 'affection' as Lady Italia called it. For those that he didn't like, which were only two so far, they were lucky to receive only minor wounds. The important part to all of it was that Lynx was satisfied with simply claiming ownership. After he'd asserted his dominance, he was unconcerned with those people.

The next thing that he'd figured out was the reason for Laz's oversized appetite. He was known for eating six to eight helpings when he went to buffets and that was without including dessert. Together, Laz and Ore had wiped out entire restaurants within an hour. Again, the underlying reason for it was because Lynx was a continuous eater. Three meals a day was simply too little. The only way to keep him from going into a hunger frenzy was to feed him every other hour. His metabolism burned it off like air, but that kind of thing was unnoticeable from the outside. Since Lazarus couldn't eat that often while keeping a normal routine, the hunger built up so that he was starving by the time he had a real meal in front of him.

As for the last of Lazarus' inexplicable quirks, Xanxus still wasn't sure how to react. It was understandable since the quirk was Lynx' attitude toward him, but whether it was good or bad was still up in the air. He was considered above the level of the servants since Tsuna purposely waited for him to get out of the shower to take a fresh piss on him, but he was under the level of Lord Nephriam. Tsuna grew still, quiet, and attentive when the brat was around. He was like an smart ape in front of a teacher while, for Xanxus, he acted more like a hungry lion does for a zookeeper.

"Alright," he growled in frustration for the finger jabbed in his cheek. "I'm getting up. I'll smack you if you start humping me, so don't try it."

* * *

"Arrogance does not equal elegance," Lord Nephriam repeated with a snap of his pointer against the back of Xanxus' hands. Xanxus felt his eye twitch at the correction, but he withheld his anger. He had no choice but to hold it since Tsuna was already pacing in frustration for him. It was cute in a way. Since Tsuna refused all attempts to put pants on, he'd been forced into an oversized peasant's shirt that reached his knees. His hair had grown from repeated feedings so that it was the same length as Xanxus', but unlike Xanxus' loose length, Tsuna's had been pulled back into a disheveled braid to keep it out of the way. It snapped behind him like a tail at every turn while he clumsily walked back and forth against the far wall.

"Wrong again!" Lord Nephriam snapped with another crack of his pointer. Xanxus grimaced and barely dodged in enough time to keep his knuckles intact. Admittedly, the mistake was his fault this time. However, what the point was to fucking flower arranging was beyond his comprehension level. The irritating part was that he couldn't complain about it since he'd agreed to the so-called lessons to pay for their room and board. Goodwill only went so far and Lord Nephriam was actually a major cheapskate.

"Are you having fun?" He asked with a glare at the vase of wildflowers the he was supposed to be working on.

"You're just not getting it," he groaned, rubbing his eyes as if he were the one that was worn out from the pointless tutelage. "That's all for today. This is meaningless if you can't grasp the concept. You were raised by Vongola the Ninth, but perhaps I was expecting too much from you. I thought that there was groundwork already laid, but you really know nothing."

"If that's an insult, it's pretty weak," he retorted in irritation. "Who gives a damn about which direction a fucking daisy is facing? Isn't it enough that they're in water?"

"I'm starting to understand you a little more," he murmured in a deceptively soft tone. "I can already imagine how you must have been as a child. The people who loved you only wanted your happiness and never corrected you. They were too fearful of your rejection, so they never did anything that might upset you. They gave you everything that you asked for and praised you regardless of the level of your merits. I bet that it was quite a surprise to them when your arrogance was the result. I can tell that you're the type of person who can only see a gift as a bribe and praise as due course. It makes me wonder how many times you caught people talking behind your back and how many complaints you received. They were all probably along the lines of ungrateful, spoiled, rebellious, undeserving--"

"Shut up," he growled, clenching his teeth at the painfully accurate words.

"I wonder what happened when you wanted something and it wasn't given to you," he continued mercilessly. "After years of only receiving bribes instead of gifts, it's only to be expected that you become greedy. A person who doesn't notice that they're starved for love will naturally grow envious of others and will seek out things of substance to fill the void."

"I'm not--"

"Did you throw tantrums?" He asked in a knowing voice. "Did you attack those who refused you and take what you wanted as if it were rightfully yours? When there were those who finally grew tired of your picky nature and your uncaring demands, were you frustrated when they denied you? Tell me, King. How did you react when you realized that you weren't the Ninth's blood? Were you jealous of your brothers? Did you feel betrayed? I bet it made you feel very, very small. Even though everything had been handed to you on a silver platter like you were special, you suddenly realized how common you were. I bet it hurt."

"If you're trying to piss me off, it's working," he warned. Clenching his fists to keep from grabbing the vase in front of himself and throwing it, he tried to remain calm. He tried for the simple reason that was bristling in anger against the far wall. If he went berserk, Tsuna would give into his fighting instinct. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Sorry," Lord Nephriam murmured with a saddened smile. "Perhaps I went too far. I just wish for you to realize that nothing can be gained without effort. You've always put a lot of effort into taking things, but I just hoped to see you put effort into the things that you're given."

"Eh?" Xanxus gaped slightly in confusion, feeling all of his anger drain out of him at the last statement. "What... I'm given...?" He repeated.

"I didn't choose for you to learn flower arranging simply to tease you," he replied in amusement. "Although it's been quite fun to watch you trying to hold your temper. This is to teach you to notice finer details. For example, the difference between a gift and a bribe is like the difference between a frond and a blade of grass. With enough of either, you can fill a vase with greenery. The question you need to ask yourself is what sort of result you will get afterward."

"If you're comparing me to flowers, you're not going to get anywhere," he growled.

"You still misunderstand," he murmured. "You are not the flowers or the vase. If anything, the vase is your past and the flowers are your experiences. The effort that you use in handling both can either turn your bouquet into a beautiful arrangement that you wish to see last or will it be an unsightly mess that you only wish to throw away. It's not you, but your life that is represented by the arrangement as a whole. What I'm trying to teach you is that even a blade of grass can be worth keeping if you can give it the proper attention to detail. Stuffing all of your flowers into your vase is fine if that's what you prefer, but it honestly shows a lack of effort on your part. Think on that, if you would. We'll pick back up after dinner."

Bowing slightly at the dismissal, Xanxus clenched his teeth until Lord Nephriam left. Normally, when faced with such disrespectful, harsh words, he'd do exactly what Lord Nephriam had said. He'd throw a tantrum. He'd wreck things and punch whoever presented themselves until his anger was appeased. Destroying the room would bring no satisfaction, though. He knew that now, after having already thrown numerous ones.

Looking at the vase of flowers, Lord Nephriam's meaning slowly dawned on him. It was ugly. He'd been blaming the choice of flowers and his lack of knowledge in such an area. He'd been thinking that it didn't matter if it was ugly since he hadn't wanted to arrange them anyway. Tossing it off as meaningless and pointless, he'd ignored the fact that he'd agreed to do it. Not once had he cared about doing it well. He'd just wanted to get it over with.

Had his whole life been like that?

It made him wonder. He'd once put so much effort into trying to take control of Vongola, but had he ever considered how messily he'd handled it all? Instead of trying to work with what he'd been given and make his own life into something worthwhile, he'd tried to blame everything other than himself. If he'd only paid more attention to the means instead of keeping his eye on the goal at the end, then perhaps it wouldn't be so haphazard and grotesque. It wasn't that he couldn't do it. Not really. He just hadn't ever thought that it was his responsibility to do it. Someone else did that kind of thing. He dealt with the outcome instead of the processes.

Seeing the result of his so-called work for himself, he could see how short-sighted he really was. Maybe not short-sighted, he amended. He was just arrogant. He was as arrogant as Lord Nephriam kept telling him. Wishing that he were special wasn't going to make him that way and acting like he was of a more esteemed level was childish. Rather than wasting time in envying the bouquets that others could make, he needed to show more care with his own. It wasn't about lowering himself to the task. It was about putting in the effort and the attention to detail despite the simplicity of the task.

Now that he had some idea of the reason for what he was doing, he could see what Lord Nephriam was trying to teach him in hopes that it'd spread to other areas of his life. A greater sense of responsibility was at the top of that list. Perhaps more patience in dealing with things that he couldn't see the meaning in and maybe a smidge of self-reflection. It was true that he could put more thought in how he presented himself to others. He still didn't care about the opinions of others, but he wasn't doing himself any justice by not putting any effort in to show his true potential.

He had tons of potential, damnit!

Xanxus paused in the act of prodding a dandelion into place and gritted his teeth. What was he doing? Thinking about these kinds of things and playing with flowers wasn't like him. The damned atmosphere of the household had to be getting to him. If this kept up, he might as well get himself a harp and tuck himself into a moonlit window! The mere idea made him angry with himself for being so frustrated and confused. The result was that he was stomping on the fragments of the vase and the flowers before he noticed that he'd shattered it on the floor. Yet, No matter how he ground them into the carpet, the sense of dissatisfaction refused to ease.

Kicking the remains into one of the room's tables, he decided to simply leave the lessons room before he got any angrier. Tsuna chased after him as he headed for the nearest exit, but Xanxus ignored him. He needed to take a walk to cool his head more than anything else. So, he walked. He wasn't sure how long he walked before his anger subsided enough for him to think straight. Every time that he thought he reached the end of it, he got angry again at his own foolishness. He'd thrown a tantrum and smashed the vase simply because he'd been told something that he didn't want to hear and he hadn't gotten is way. It made him feel no better than a spoiled child. That fact only angered him more when he thought of all the instances that he'd broken something or thrown things at people, which sent him walking even farther.

That was the problem with gaining new perspective. Once it was achieved, returning was impossible. He wanted to go back, though. What was so wrong with releasing a little stress? It kept him from making bigger explosions! However, saying that was just a form of denial and he knew it. It hurt. He could still remember the look of pity in the old man's eyes as he handed over some trinket in hopes of receiving a smile. It wasn't love, it was pity! He could still see the judgmental looks that bore into him even in his dreams. He could hear the whispers and feel the crushing weight of how others had seen him merely as the illegitimate child between the Ninth and a whore.

He could still remember that moment when all that pain had become pointless. He wasn't the Ninth's fucking son! All the merciless ridicule, all the pointed fingers, all the whispered comments behind closed doors were absolutely meaningless! He was a charity case and that was all! Year after year of holding his head high and trying to live up to the blood in his veins while dodging his mother's curse and all of that had turned into nothing in the blink of an eye! How dare that little brat judge him! Arrogance? Contempt for scum? It was all part of the damn game! He wasn't spoiled and ungrateful! He was... He was betrayed.

Lord Nephriam had no idea of the amount of hopes and dreams that he'd had crushed in his lifetime. Betrayal was part of life and he knew it, though. He'd put that behind him long ago. At least, that's what he decided in order to keep moving forward. His intuition said that he didn't understand what Lord Nephriam was truly trying to teach him. Was it really about just paying closer attention to detail when it came to the people and situations that he came across? What was Lord Nephriam trying to tell him?

Breaking out of his introspection, he looked around in the sudden realization that it was completely silent. His heart jumped in his chest when Tsuna wasn't in sight, but he calmed almost immediately. From the position of the sun, it was close to dinner time and the cold winter air had probably forced him to return first. Tsuna had his own measure of freedom in this place. The whole mountain was owned by the Carter Family and the gates were over two miles away. Not only would they be notified before Tsuna could get close, but he didn't have the kind of curiosity that would take him away from the house. Even when he roamed on his own, which was rarely, he was usually found curled up sleeping in front of a fireplace. There was one in particular that he tended to drag pillows to in order to make a nest like a bird. Considering that he had no pants or shoes on and there was snow on the ground, the likelihood that he'd went back to warm himself was high.

Even so, Xanxus didn't like the thought of leaving him alone. Cursing himself, he set to retracing his steps at a quick pace. After less than a minute, he started running when he admitted to himself that he was worried. The last time that Tsuna had played ball with Strife, he'd had a strange look in his eyes like he was curious about something. Magnolia wouldn't be able to fend him off if she triggered his mating instinct, either. That woman had been giving off fumes irregularly, which was understandable since she'd been cooped up for so long. Since it was dinner time, it was possible that Tsuna could attack out of Hunger, too. In that case, Lord Nephriam-- Xanxus stopped that thought in its tracks. Lord Nephriam could take care of himself. His wife, however, was another story. The woman was strong, but could she fight off another werewolf?

His gut twisted at the path of destruction that started from the garden doors. Doors were broken. Snow and dirt were tracked across the rugs. Chairs and tables were overturned. It wasn't hard to follow in Tsuna's footsteps. As he got closer to the source, he grimaced to himself at the kitchen destination. Tsuna had gotten hungry, it seemed. Although, he found it curious that the servants were crowded around the door rather than running for their lives. They were piled so thick that it was almost impossible to get through.

"What's going on?" He snapped, startling several in the crowd. The blood slaves scurried out of his path with respectful bows and Xanxus felt like biting them for their inability to answer him. The scum had problems with speaking when he was around, even though there was no reason for the fear. He'd never laid a hand on any of them.

Barging past them, he froze within the kitchen doors. The area looked like it'd been hit with a localized tornado. The dinner that had been prepared was scattered across the floor. Cabinet doors were hanging on their hinges and the refrigerator had been knocked over entirely. The chefs were frozen against a wall in fear while Lord Nephriam watched over the scene with his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't upset, though. Far from it. He was openly trying to withhold his laughter while he watched Tsuna continue with his process of destruction.

It didn't make sense at first. Xanxus was completely bewildered. Tsuna had piled up all the makings of dinner into a single pile. Xanxus could understand if he was trying to hoard it all for himself, but he won't trying to eat it. He wasn't giving off the impression that he was hungry beast. He was giving off the impression of a kid making a mud pie. Xanxus grimaced when he dumped a large bowl of pudding over the top of the roasted duck and patted it down without a care in the world for how messy he was getting. He seemed like he was having fun, though. There was a large smile on his face each time he found something else to add to the mess.

"This isn't like him," Lord Nephriam murmured as Xanxus quietly stepped over to watch from beside him. "I find this very curious and amusing. What do you think he's up to?"

"I apologize for the kitchen," he replied without a clue of how to answer that particular question. "He's usually good about coming to me when he's hungry. I thought that he'd gotten used to eating at the table."

"Don't worry about that," he grinned. "We can send someone down into the town for take out. I'm more interested in this new development."

"New development?" Xanxus repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't this the first time that he's done something with food other than eat it?" Lord Nephriam asked knowingly. Xanxus blinked quickly and immediately re-evaluated the scene. Lord Nephriam was correct. Tsuna was licking the food off his hands, but he wasn't touching anything that he'd put into the pile. Xanxus had noticed it before, but he hadn't really considered what it implied. That fact added to one overlooked detail made Xanxus falter. "You've figured something out," Lord Nephriam stated as Xanxus slowly sank to the floor to sit in shock. Xanxus couldn't reply as a hypothesis circled around in his head. All he could do was watch as Tsuna confirmed his realization.

The plastic mustard bottle exploded when Tsuna bit into it to open it, covering his face and most of the surrounding area in a vivid yellow. He took only a moment to smear it away from his eyes before dumping what was left onto the top of his pile. The bottle itself got stuffed in for good measure before Tsuna reached over to the smaller pile of bread that he'd collected. One by one, the loaves got torn to shreds and sprinkled onto the mess until there wasn't anything left.

It was a sandwich. Tsuna was trying to make a sandwich. It was so damned stupid. He didn't have enough of a mind left to work a toilet on his own, but he was trying to make a thrice-damned sandwich! He'd picked up on Xanxus' mood and something within him had driven him to do something about it.

"You idiot," he whispered, clenching his eyes shut to keep them from watering. "You're such a fucking idiot." Tsuna's head snapped up at the words and he bounced in place in excitement. In a flurry of movement, he jumped to the far side of his pile and started pushing. It predictably collapsed into an even bigger mess, but Tsuna didn't give up. He simply reached out to collect what was fallen as if it were sand, piled it up again, and continued to push. By the time the mountain was moved into place in front of Xanxus, Tsuna was caked in food and there was a smear of pudding, mustard, and other unmentionables across the kitchen floor.

"E," he grunted with a hand patting the would-be sandwich. Xanxus felt his jaw drop at the attempt to speak, but Tsuna continued to stare at him with a straight-forward gaze.

"I see," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "He said 'E' as in 'Eat'. I take it that he used to cook for you to cheer you up?" Xanxus nodded in confirmations his chest tightened. He couldn't speak. He felt as if his heart was going to explode if he had to utter a single word. It was unbearable. Lynx was supposed to be a mindless beast, but this kind of caring was agony. For Tsuna to have reacted to his mood in such a way gave him far too much hope. It was a double-edged sword. It gave him hope that Lynx cared for him as much as his other parts while torturing him with memories of what had once been.

"Thank... you..." he choked out. Tsuna's face lit up at the words and he lunged forward to tackled Xanxus to the ground with a hug.

It was as soon as Xanxus' arms clamped around him in acceptance of the embrace that _it _happened. It wasn't large. It didn't last long. However, for a single moment, a trace of purple snaked through Tsuna's aura like a flare sending a message that Xanxus received in tears.

It signaled 'I am here'.

* * *

"You don't have to be afraid," Tsuna whispered to Chibi. The boy shivered and only clutched onto him more tightly at the words. He was completely terrified and Tsuna couldn't blame him. There was no way to tell how long they'd been stuck in the cave. There was no way to tell if it'd been mere hours or months since their sense of time was completely non-existent. The only way that they could tell that they were even still alive was because they could see each other. Of course, that was the problem that had Chibi sobbing and seeking comfort.

They'd been forced to watch as Remorse slowly spread across Lazarus' unmoving body. All attempts to communicate with either of them had proved fruitless. All attempts to touch Lazarus to pull him away had been meaningless. Even when he succeeded in moving him, Remorse only covered him faster. It was like he was stuck in a quicksand where even Maro's help only made him sink faster. The fact had panicked Chibi so badly that he'd been forced to leave Laz alone in order to keep his child-self calm.

"I want to go home," Chibi sobbed. "I don't want to be eaten by the monster, Mister Maro."

"That's not going to happen," Tsuna soothed, shifting slightly in order to pull his mantle around Chibi's shoulders. "I know that it looks scary, but Remorse isn't eating him. Lazarus is just hiding under him like he's a blanket. He's even more scared than you are. We just have to be patient and wait for Big Brother to come out."

"What if he doesn't?" Chibi asked with a tremble.

"You don't have to worry," he replied with a small smile. "If you look closely at the walls around us, it's getting bigger in here."

"Huh?" Chibi gaped. His head popped up as he quickly tried to look in every direction at once. There wasn't much to see, but it was obvious that the area of the cave had widened. Since Lynx was in control, Tsuna guessed that it was symbolic of an increase in his range of thinking. Crude landscapes were starting to develop, as well. It wasn't much, but Tsuna took the wall's growing texture as a positive sign. They didn't have a gateway to look through like they did when Laz was in control, but it was only a matter of time until Lynx's thinking opened a path for them. The worry was whether or not Laz would last that long.

Despite his words to Chibi, Tsuna was incredibly worried. The only thing visible of Laz anymore was one of his arms and his shoulder. Tsuna didn't want to face it, but it might already be too late to save him since that visible part of him was completely devoid of any self-image. When he was honest with himself, he was partially relieved over the thought of Laz being devoured. That meant that taking control would be easier once Lynx reached the point where his mind could create a connection between Tsuna and the outside world. He knew that it was cold-hearted of him, but it was his own future that he was planning for. One less pest in the way meant that his return to Vongola would be less complicated.

Chibi's presence wouldn't allow him to act on that thought. No matter how he might think that it was okay to kill off a rival, doing so in front of a child was despicable. His attempts to save Laz had been for Chibi's sake. He simply couldn't bring himself to do it when he thought of the repercussions that it would have on his inner child. To taint such a pure, caring creature with the cold and cruel calculation of reality was more than he could bring himself to do. That was the reason that they were currently stuck in the 'wait and see' position. Chibi was too scared to move and Tsuna had no moves available. Everything that happened from here was completely out of their hands.

"Do you think that Xan-chan will save us?" Chibi mumbled, settling his head back against Tsuna's chest.

"Let's hope so," he replied softly as the sourceless light started dimming in the cave once more. "Shut your eyes," he ordered while he shifted to make himself more comfortable. "It's time to sleep again."

* * *

Tsuna shivered in place and clenched his eyes shut in fear. He hated it when Mister Maro went to sleep. He only felt safe enough to sleep when Mister Maro was awake and nearby. When Mister Maro nodded off, it was so scary. Everything got so dark and he couldn't see where the monster went. Even though he could see light coming through a crack in the cave wall, he was always too scared to investigate.

He had to do something, though. He knew that he wasn't good at exploring, especially not by himself, and he was small but he could only see that crack when Mister Maro was asleep. If there was a chance that he could get out and find Xan-chan or Gi-chan, then he had to. He might be useless and No-Good, but he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Big Brother Lazarus needed help. Biting his lip, he summoned all of his courage for a single attempt. He'd have to go quietly so that the monster didn't catch him, but maybe... just maybe... He could do good. If he didn't succeed, he could always run back to Mister Maro.

It was hard to ignore how much his legs were shaking as he stood, but he made them move. His body felt like it was going to shake into pieces while he inched toward his goal. Keeping his back pressed against the cave wall, he kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of the monster. Everything was so quiet, but he knew that he wasn't alone. Thankfully, the crack wasn't far. It was bigger up close, too. It would be a tight fit, but it seemed to be just big enough for him to crawl through. Peeking his head inside, he meant to just let his eyes get used to the light to see what was on the other side, but his hand slipped and he went tumbling forward head-first. He let out a harsh cry of panic and clenched his eyes shut when he felt himself falling down a hole.

"Your courage has grown," a voice whispered in his ear as the falling sensation became a floating one. His eyes popped open at the words, only to be clenched shut again when there was nothing holding him up. He flailed for something to grab onto, but there was nothing. There was nothing until a pair of arms scooped him up. He didn't care who the person was. Tsuna latched onto him and held on tight. It reminded him of the time that he'd been swept out to sea and a lifeguard had saved him. As soon as he was grabbed onto, the relief was overwhelming. "Don't cry, child," the man soothed when Tsuna started bawling into the shirt that presented itself. "You should be rewarded for coming so far alone. Were you scared?"

"Yes!" He cried in misery. "I thought that I was going to die!"

"But you came anyway," the man chuckled. "I've been waiting on you. Do you wish to save the others?"

"I can't," he sobbed. "I'm No-Good! You've got to go help them! Everyone's stuck in that scary cave and there's a monster--"

"Hush," the man soothed, stopping Tsuna in his tracks with a kiss to his forehead. "There's nothing to fear. You are not alone. Open your eyes, child. Do not be afraid." Slowly, Tsuna cracked his eyes open to obey the command and his jaw fell open.

"Lynx?!" He spluttered with wide eyes. "You can talk!"

"Indeed," he smiled. Tsuna felt his eyes widen even more at the row of sharp teeth in his mouth, but he wasn't afraid. How could he be? It was Lynx! He seemed different than Tsuna remembered, though. He was more human now. He still had the two long, pointed antlers on his head and floppy ears, but his face had more expression than it used to. The arms that held him were still powerful, but his hands seemed gentle. There was intelligence in his eyes and, what Tsuna found to be the strangest part, he was wearing clothes. His black collar had turned white to match the loose peasant shirt that dropped down over his furry feline knees.

"How?" He asked as Lynx wagged the shaggy tail that was poking out of the base of his shirt.

"It's because you are here," he said in a kind voice. "I've also been watching and learning. I have a lot of potential, but taming myself isn't easy. I used to depend on Lazarus to control me, but I've come to learn that I also have responsibility. I know now, though. If I don't want to hurt anyone, I have to become stronger. Can you understand that, child?"

"Yup," he nodded with a wide grin. "You're really strong, Lynx! I'm sure that you can protect everyone!"

"Thank you for believing in me," Lynx murmured softly. "It makes me feel more at ease. You should believe in Lazarus like that, too. He's sure to become stronger if he knows that someone is believing in him."

"I... I can make him stronger?" Tsuna replied curiously.

"Ah," he confirmed. "You should remember that when you see him again. For now, I must rest and you must go."

"Go?" He repeated.

"Don't be scared," Lynx chuckled. "I believe in you, too. Right now, we're caught between waking and sleeping. In a moment, I will be gone and you will fall again. When you reach the bottom of this passage, ask for King. He will help you until it's time for you to return."

"Do you have to go?" Tsuna whined. "Can't we stay here?"

"Be brave," he replied as he started to fade. "Only you can do this. Lazarus is counting on you." Tsuna clenched his eyes shut and nodded. His heart leaped in his chest when the sensation of falling picked up again. He felt a scream of fear spiral up his throat, but he held it in. Brave, he repeated to himself. He had to be brave and find the King.

His shriek ripped free when he felt himself land on something soft and he flailed in place for a moment. When he realized that he was laying in a mountain of pillows and blankets, he stopped and panted until his heart stopped racing. He was safe. Slowly sitting up, he looked around to see that he'd been teleported somewhere new. It looked like a palace, which made him understand why he'd been told to find the King. There was a huge fireplace next to where he was laying and everything in the room sparkled. He gaped despite himself while he looked around. Everything seemed so expensive. Even though the room didn't look like it had any specific purpose, there were chandeliers and velvet curtains like it was a Prince's hideaway. He probably wasn't supposed to be there, he decided. The fact made him worry, but he was determined. Big Brother Lazarus was counting on him. He had to be brave. He had to find the King of the palace and ask for his help.

Standing up, he bit his lip and hesitantly headed for the open door. Peeking outside, the hallway outside was even more daunting than the room. Windows lined the entire length and there were even more of the velvet curtains and polished furniture. There were vases of flowers and expensive sculptures at random intervals, but none of them were big enough to hide behind. There was a maid dusting a windowsill at the other end, but he wasn't sure if he should ask for her help or not. If he wasn't supposed to be here, she might throw him out or lock him in a dungeon.

He had to try no matter what.

Summoning what courage he'd gained from successfully coming this far, he forced himself through the door and started walking toward her. He kept his head down out of nervousness, glancing up repeatedly to see that she saw him approaching. It was hopefully a good sign that she wasn't yelling at him or trying to run him off, but she didn't seem happy to see him.

"Umm," he mumbled, falling to a stop in front of her. "Can you help me? I'm looking for the King." Cringing in worry of her reaction, he glanced up to find her pointing toward a door with a shocked look on her face. Rather than wait for her to get over whatever had her surprised, he bowed politely in gratitude and ran for the door.

"Thank you," he belatedly called with another bow before rushing through it. Inside, he found a string of rooms that were connected with archways instead of doors. There were more expensive things to look at and collections of items on shelves, but he didn't waste time in being curious. All he cared about was finding the King. He wasn't in the first room or the second. He didn't see him in the third room, either, but there was a butler polishing silverware at a small table next to a large window. Deciding that it would probably be a good idea to get further directions since the direction was unclear from there, he once more hesitantly approached a stranger.

"Umm," he murmured in growing confidence. "Can you help me? I'm looking for the King."

Once more, the reaction was a shocked expression and a pointed finger.

"Thank you," he mumbled with another bow. Heading in the direction that he was told, he stopped twice more for directions until he finally found someone that seemed more helpful than the rest. The man was wearing a bird-beaked mask the seemed a bit weird, but he was the first to smile in welcome as Tsuna approached. Then Tsuna grew slightly hesitant again, seeing that he wasn't wearing a uniform like the others. From the looks of it, the man had probably just returned from a jog outside. Perhaps he was a tutor or a trainer? Or was it possible...? Had he finally found the King?

"H-Hello," he greeted with a bow. "I... um... I'm trying to find the King. I-I... uh... I asked other people and they pointed me in this direction. C-Can you help me?" Tsuna grimaced when he glanced up before lowering his eyes again. The man's mouth was parted in surprise. He had the same expression that everyone else had now. It made Tsuna cringe in worry. What was he thinking by bothering someone like this with something pathetic like directions? He was probably going to get kicked out now! "Please," he begged with tears welling up in his eyes in fear. "Lynx said that the King would help me. I've got to find him!"

"Alright," the man yelped in a sudden rush. "Alright! I'll help you! Don't cry! He's not far, so I'll take you to him right now!"

"Really?" Tsuna asked, looking up at the man with his hope plain on his face. The man nodded frantically and gestured for Tsuna to follow. Tsuna did, but the man's set a pace that was a little too fast. He had to run to keep up and he nearly tripped twice. Automatically, he grabbed onto the back of the man's shirt in fear that he'd lose him. It really wasn't far, though. Two hallways and another four rooms later, Tsuna came to a panting stop outside an archway.

"King!" His escort snapped at a man who was carefully arranging flowers in a vase. Tsuna found his jaw dropping in awe. He was beautiful. His shoulder-length hair was as black as the night sky and had been tied back into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. His white mask highlighted a set of startling blue eyes and he seemed so regal in his white fitted jacket. He was strong. Tsuna could tell just by looking at him that he was strong. If left alone, Tsuna would have probably mistaken him for the Master of the Palace Guard or a Navy Admiral, even though his jaw dropped in the exact same manner as everyone else's had.

"Umm..." Tsuna mumbled as he shyly hid himself behind his escorts' back. "A-Are you the K-King?" In answer, the man rushed forward and shoved Tsuna's escort aside. Tsuna squeaked and stepped backward in surprise for the action. Before Tsuna could do anything else to react, the King grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug that practically smothered him. It was a warm and caring embrace that made Tsuna's face heat up in embarrassment. He was pretty sure that Kings didn't go around hugging everyone they met! "Umm..." he mumbled as his blush spread to his ears. "King, sir... W-Why are you h-hugging me?"

"Eh?" The King gasped, abruptly pushing Tsuna to arm's length. "You don't remember me?"

"I-I think you have me confused with someone else," he replied while keeping his eyes respectfully lowered. "I don't remember ever meeting royalty before. I-I'm sorry to bother you, King, sir. M-My friend told me--"

"Tsuna," he gasped as he hurriedly tore his mask off. "Look at me," he ordered with a hand forcing Tsuna to lift his chin so that he had no choice but to look. "Do you really not remember?"

"Xan... chan..." Tsuna mumbled in shock. Tears welled up in his eyes at the immediate recognition. He'd done it. He'd found someone who could help. The relief was immeasurable. Within seconds, he burst into tears and threw his arms around Xan-chan's waist. "I was so scared," he sobbed. "T-T-The monster came back and B-Big Brother won't wake up! You have to help them! Mister Maro can't save him and... and... they're all stuck in that dark, scary cave and--"

"Calm down," Xan-chan soothed, tightening his arms around Tsuna to comfort him. "You're here now. Take a deep breath and tell me about the monster. Is Remorse up to something again?"

"He's eating Big Brother Lazarus!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Big Brother won't wake up and he won't talk to us! Mister Maro says that he's just pretending that the monster is a blanket, but he's disappearing! The monster ate his clothes and his tattoos and everything! You have to save him!"

"You say that, but I don't know what to do," he replied into Tsuna's hair. "I can't go into the... the cave... like you can. I've tried calling him, but my voice won't reach. I'm not sure how much you're aware of, Chibi, but I can't save him. I can't even get to him."

"N-No way," he mumbled. Sinking to his knees, he cried even harder at the words. He'd tried so hard, but he'd failed. He really was No-Good. He couldn't even find help!

"Crying isn't going to solve anything," Xan-chan admonished as he sank down to cradle Tsuna's head. "I can't get to him, but I'm still trying my best. I must have done something right if you've been able to come out to see me. It might not be the direct route that I want, but it's progress. If... If I can make you stronger, maybe you can save him by yourself."

"I can't fight a monster!" Tsuna wailed. "He's too scary!"

"Who said anything about fighting?" Xan-chan laughed. "If you wake him up, then that should be good enough. He'll be able to hear me, then."

"B-But how?" Tsuna asked with tears dripping off his face. "Mister Maro tried and nothing worked. If he can't do it, then I--"

"Don't worry about it right now," he interrupted. "I'll think of something. I said that I can't save him, but that's with just how things are right now. Laz isn't gone yet, so there's still time for me to figure out a way. I'm not going to give up, so you can stop crying. There's still hope. Okay?"

"O-Okay," he agreed as Xan-chan forcibly wiped his tears away with his sleeve. In the middle of having them wiped away, his eyes lit up on the vase of flowers that Xan-chan been working on when they'd come in and his curiosity finally asserted itself. He'd kept himself focused on his goal, but everything was now in Xan-chan's hands. Since Xan-chan was going to take care of the problem, he could think of other things. "What's that?" he mumbled with his eyes shining in awe. He was old enough that he knew only girls played with flowers, but Xan-chan's flowers were different. It wasn't girly or frilly at all. Actually-- "It's messy," he giggled.

Xan-chan and his escort both choked at the comment, but Tsuna was only being honest. Bits of grass were poking out all around the arrangement and several of the flower stems were broken. Climbing to his feet, he had to walk closer to take a better look. It reminded him of something. It was something that was important in a way that he couldn't explain.

"Fishing," he mumbled with a smile at one of the sunflowers that was missing three petals.

"Fishing...?" Xan-chan repeated in confusion.

"My dad took me fishing once and there were sunflowers," he explained. "I didn't want to because the worms were creepy and it was boring, so I played hide and seek in a patch of sunflowers when we got there so that he couldn't find me. He wouldn't let me get away, though. He put a worm on a hook for me and threw it in the water. Then he tied the string to one of the sunflowers that I was hiding behind. I ignored it for a while because I thought dad was just being silly, but a fish took the bait and the string started pulling on the flower. I got really upset because the fish was going to take my sunflower away, so I grabbed it and tried to pull it back to hide me again and I ended up pulling a fish out of the water. That was the first time I ever caught one. It was really small, but dad wouldn't stop talking about it. It was really embarrassing but... Dad was always telling me that I shouldn't cry and kept trying to make me doing things that I didn't want to do. Even... Even though I hadn't wanted to go fishing, I was happy because he was proud of me."

"I see," Xan-chan murmured softly. "It's memories."

"Memories?" Tsuna asked, tilting his head so that he could look over his shoulder at Xan-chan.

"I think I know what to do for Laz," he said with a grin. "It'll take some work, so do you think you can help me?"

"Are we going to give him flowers?" Tsuna asked in surprise. Xan-chan nodded silently in confirmation. "That's a great idea! My mom said that you should give flowers when someone isn't feeling very good! They should make Big Brother feel tons better and then he can fight the monster off!"

"If I get them, do you think you can deliver them?" Xan-chan asked worriedly.

"I'll do it!" Tsuna agreed with a bright smile. Even someone like him could manage an easy task like that!

"Then let's go," Xan-chan ordered with his hand held out in invitation. "You can help me pick out which ones to send."

* * *

"Do you think this will work?" Strife whispered while Chibi was distracted with Lord Nephriam's explanation of how the 'magic potion' was going to send him back to the 'cave'. Xanxus softly shook his head to say that he didn't know. His plan was a long shot, but it was their best hope. Belief was a powerful thing. If they could make Chibi believe that the flowers would go with him, then it was possible that his mind would make a mirror image for him to use in his head. The trick was to knock Chibi out fast enough that he didn't notice the transition. With how Chibi talked about a 'cave', it was as if his split personalities could interact within Tsuna's mind as if they were three-dimensional characters. Xanxus hoped so. His whole plan relied on the fact.

He had to try.

"Can't I take a nap first?" Chibi asked sleepily as he clutched onto the flower that they'd decided on. Rather than a bouquet, they'd chosen a single forget-me-not to make it easier for Chibi to visualize the characteristics. The less that he had to remember, the more likely the image would carry over when he retreated into his own mind again.

"If you sleep first, my magic spell won't work," Lord Nephriam explained quickly while he held out the so-called magic potion for Chibi to drink. Xanxus grimaced, but this side of Tsuna was incredibly gullible. If Xanxus agreed with anything, no matter how unbelievable, Tsuna trusted that it was the truth.

"Do you remember what to do?" Xanxus asked worriedly as Lord Nephriam handed over the vial of root beer that was serving as the 'magic potion'.

"I just have to give Big Brother the flower and tell him that everyone's waiting on him to wake up," he replied hesitantly. Xanxus nodded in encouragement and clenched his teeth to hold himself back. He wanted to hold him so badly that his body was aching, but he knew that Chibi's mind wasn't developed enough to fully understand. It'd just weird him out without accomplishing anything. "I'll be okay, Xan-chan," he added with a smile. "Mister Maro will help me out when I get there. But... um..."

"What's wrong?" he asked when Chibi's face fell slightly.

"Can I come back and play again?" He asked with a child-like fragility. Xanxus smiled at his innocence while he wondered if he'd ever been so naive.

"Of course," he agreed. Chibi's face lit up immediately.

"When I do, can I have a mask like everyone else?!" He exclaimed in excitement.

"I'll have one prepared," Lord Nephriam promised with a smile of amusement. "Would you like anything in particular for a costume?"

"I want to be a cowboy!" He blurted. Xanxus choked at the thought and Lord Nephriam stared.

"Why a cowboy?" Strife asked curiously.

"Because!" He said energetically. "A king always has a horse and I want to ride one with Xan-chan! I can't be a King like him, but I can be a cowboy! Cowboys ride horses, too!"

"Is that so?" Lord Nephriam asked while he tried to hide his laughter behind his hand and Xanxus simply stared in awe that the brat could say something so embarrassing.

"It's true, Grandpa!" Chibi exclaimed cheerfully. Everyone choked on Lord Nephriam being labeled 'grandpa', but Chibi was blissfully unaware of the effects of his words. It made Xanxus wonder, once again, just how much Chibi understood.

"It's time to go," Lord Nephriam prompted with his eye twitching in aggravation. Xanxus grimaced, but he couldn't argue. The sooner that they sent Chibi back, the sooner that they would know whether the attempt would have any effect on Laz. A flower alone didn't mean much, but hopefully it was a simple enough message that it would reach.

Hopefully...

"Thank you," Chibi said softly. "I had a lot of fun today. I know that I'm No-Good, but I'll try my best. I'll make sure that this flower gets to Big Brother and then we can all smile again."

"Be brave," Lord Nephriam said in encouragement.

"You can do it," Strife added. Xanxus searched for something to say, as well, but nothing was forthcoming. All he could think of was three little words.

"I'll be waiting," he murmured. Chibi nodded with a bright smile and accepted the 'potion' from Xanxus. With only a little hesitation, he drank it. While he was distracted, Strife moved to knock him out with a swift chop to the back of his neck. Xanxus caught him as he lost consciousness and Lord Nephriam snatched the vial out of the air.

As simple as that, it was over and Chibi was gone. The blue in Tsuna's aura faded until it was a mere streak and the yellow became dominant once more. Within seconds of being knocked out, Tsuna awakened again.

Lynx awakened once more.

"Don't look so depressed, Xanxus," Lord Nephriam admonished as Tsuna got his feet under himself and looked around in curiosity. "We knew that it wasn't going to happen right away. It probably took Chibi a lot of energy to come out. It'll take time before your gift reaches Lazarus and we don't even know if it'll have an immediate effect when he gets it. Just do what you can for now. Sky is probably hungry so--"

Lord Nephriam broke off at the same thing that caught Xanxus' attention. Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong with Tsuna. His curious expression turned into a pained flinch while his aura started spasming in a way that could only be considered unstable.

"It hurts," Tsuna gasped as the indigo flared. Xanxus jolted forward to help him, but stopped as a wave of blue spiraled through Tsuna. "I'm scared," he continued in a childish voice. Then another color took dominance and Xanxus could see the correlation between his aura and his voice.

"Laz!" Maro shouted in pain as he crumpled down to his knees to hold his head. "Stop! You're going to tear us apart!"

"Forget," Lazarus ordered tonelessly. "Forget everything."

"If you forget it all, Joshua would be sad," Remorse objected with a pained grimace. Xanxus felt his heart jump into his throat as Tsuna's aura continued to pulse. He, Strife, and Lord Nephriam were frozen entirely in indecisiveness and Xanxus' intuition failed him. He had no idea what to do while Tsuna stared in shock at Suoh's words.

"You have to be stronger than this, Laz," Maro shouted angrily. "Stop thinking about yourself! Xanxus is out there waiting on us and I--!"

"You," Laz growled. "You're not real! None of you are real! I'm the one--"

"We're all Tsuna," he said as the yellow flared into control again. Xanxus' heart pounded in his chest at the voice. Lynx. It was Lynx. It was a Lynx that could talk and control himself.

"We're all Tsuna," Remorse agreed.

"Ah," Maro murmured. "We're all Tsuna. Whether I like it or not, you're a part of me, Laz. So pull yourself together! We're stronger than this!"

"Please, Big Brother," Chibi added tearfully. "I want us all to smile again!"

"Chibi, don't--!" Maro gasped. "Get aw--!"

Xanxus stared. He stared as Tsuna's face went blank. He stared as his aura exploded with a flash of lights. He stared as Tsuna's eyes rolled back in his head and his body collapsed entirely to lay motionless on the carpeted floor.

He just stared.

He stared, because he couldn't think of a single damn thing to do that would help him.

"Do we consider this a good sign or a bad sign?" Strife asked curiously into the silence.


	95. Chapter 95 Another Beginning

Tsuna slowly opened his eyes and looked around to find himself laying in a medical bay. The sound of his heartbeat beeped in his ears and the smell of astringent filled the room. He was alone, which was probably the best thing for him. It gave him time to think.

He remembered everything.

He remembered his childhood. He remembered middle school. He remembered high school. He remembered his harsh training. He remembered what it felt like to be Vongola the Tenth. He remembered both his family and his Family. He had his complete identity before he'd had that fateful encounter with Ari, but that wasn't all that he remembered. He also remembered waking up with no memory afterward. He remembered abandoning his friends and his family through ignorance. He remembered his flight across the ocean and his crash landing on the boat bound for America. He remembered becoming a werewolf and falling in love with Joshua. He remembered the Martelli Family and the Orange Dragons. He remembered Gabriel and Xanxus.

He remembered _everything_. He was whole. No, not whole, he amended. There was still something missing. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he didn't feel as if he were completely fused. Chibi, Maro, Laz, Lynx, and Remorse were all in him, but he could still feel their distinctive differences. It was as if he had a collective consciousness instead of a single consciousness. It wasn't as if he were hearing voices anymore, but his feelings... His feelings were still torn.

Part of him wanted to rush out to find the Dragons. Part of him wanted to rush back to Vongola in Italy. Part of him wanted to rush back to Japan. Part of him wanted to just rush out to find something to eat and the last part didn't seem to care which direction he went in as long as it was interesting. He never felt so conflicted before. Basic responsibility. Intuition. Nostalgia. Instinct. Whims. All of it pulled him in a different direction and left him completely indecisive.

Then his stomach grumbled, sending every part of him in the same direction at once. Reaching out, he carefully turned off the heart-rate monitors and other equipment so that they wouldn't set off alarms when he removed the sensors from his body. A bit of rummaging through the medical bay gained him a pair of pants and a clean shirt. He took his time in putting them on while he marveled at his smooth, unmarked skin. His scars were gone. His tattoos were gone. The only marks that remained on his body were the three Vendiche marks that seemed to be embedded in his DNA.

It took several long minutes to get over it. When he did, the only thing left was to pull of Lynx's memories of the building's layout. It seemed a bit jumbled, but he knew that 'food' was to the left after he left the medical bay. Following that sense, he crossed silently through the empty hallways of Lord Nephriam's manor until he finally reached what turned out to be a kitchen. Walking in fearlessly, his appearance had a major impact on the staff that were busily preparing what looked to be dinner. Everyone froze in place and stared as if a lion had walked into their midst, which was completely understandable when other memories of the place surfaced.

"I'd say that I don't bite, but I seem to remember doing that a few times," he commented with a smirk. "So how about I just say that you don't have to fear for your dinner if one of you could prepare me a sandwich...? From how empty my stomach is, I'm guessing that I was asleep for a while."

"L-Lord Sky...?" The head chef choked as dishes fell out of the hands of shocked assistants. The noise made Tsuna flinch, but he couldn't blame them. The last time that most of them had seen him in person, he hadn't been capable of speech or self-control.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed softly. "I'm awake now. Thanks for taking care of me even though I was a beast. I'll try not to impose on you as much after th--" Tsuna blushed as his stomach let out a loud growl that could be heard across the room. It completely destroyed the civilized image that he was trying to portray to make up for acting as a cave-man previously.

"Why don't I make you a snack?" The head chef suggested with a snort of laughter.

"That would be nice," he agreed sheepishly. "If someone could also go tell Lord Nephriam that I'd like to speak to him, I'd appreciate it. I'm sure that we have much to--"

"No need," Lord Nephriam interjected as he bustled through the door. The kitchen staff flew back to work upon seeing his presence and Tsuna smiled to himself at the trained reaction. Almost everyone was still listening, but the child-like vampire had a tight reign on his men. "You're awake," he murmured in satisfaction as he fell to a stop in front of him. "How much do you remember?"

"Everything," he answered quietly.

"Be more specific than that," he snapped with his arms folded across his chest.

"I can't be," Tsuna replied calmly. "When I say everything, I mean everything. My memories and personalities are one now." To make it perfectly clear, he gave the mental twist needed to unlock his Dying Will Flame. There was a spasm of pain as it surfaced, but the level of pain was well within his abilities to control. "I know who I am, Lord Nephriam," he added as the boy's eyes widened in surprise. Taking that as understanding, he shut off his Flame and took a deep breathe to settle himself. Even at such a small output, he felt incredibly tired afterward.

"There's still something missing," he replied in thought. "Your aura is still unbalanced and your Flame is still split."

"Ah," he agreed with a soft nod. "My spirit is still unstable, but my mind is intact. I... I am lost."

"Don't worry," he soothed with a smile of open relief. "You can always find yourself again. Why don't you grab your food and we can retire to your Vault? I'll send for Xan--"

"No!" He blurted. Lord Nephriam's mouth snapped shut and Tsuna paled, but he refused to take it back. He wasn't ready to face Xanxus. Not until he was prepared. He knew that Xanxus was waiting on him. He knew that Xanxus loved him and forgave him, but he wasn't quite ready to forgive himself. He'd betrayed Xanxus. He'd promised himself to hold his beloved people as equals in his heart, but he'd held Joshua higher. Even if it was only for a mere day, he'd done something horrible. He needed some time to reflect before he could face Xanxus again.

"Alright," Lord Nephriam agreed gently. "Collect your meal and follow me. I'll show you to your new home and we can talk. I swear to do my best to Council you in your new life."

* * *

Xanxus was satisfied. With nothing else to distract him while they waited for Tsuna to awaken, he'd thrown himself into his assigned task. Even after a solid month in Lord Nephriam's Sanctuary, he was still at the level of flower arrangement. That was all going to end, though. He'd finally found a bouquet that he believed could represent himself at his best and not even Lord Nephriam would be able to say otherwise. He'd finally be able to continue on to something new, which would be an immense asset in keeping his mind off of Tsuna. He knew that he was worried about when Tsuna was going to wake up, but getting hung up on things that he couldn't change wasn't like him. He'd much rather keep himself moving forward, even if it was at a snail's pace.

"Xanxus--"

"I'm finished," he interrupted as Lord Nephriam walked into the room. Turning in place, he grinned to himself at the little Lord's surprised expression. It served the brat right. He'd probably thought that Xanxus had been wringing his hands like an idiot that couldn't do anything without Tsuna beside him. He was stronger than that, though, and he had his faith. Tsuna would come back. Even death couldn't stop the person that Xanxus loved, which was made him into someone that was safe to love. He'd failed to have that faith before, but he had it this time.

He'd also come to terms with something else. He did need to apologize to Tsuna for not talking with him before making his choices, but there was no reason to regret. He_ hadn't_ been too rash when he'd decided that they'd fake their deaths. He'd just had faith in Tsuna and there was nothing wrong with that faith since Tsuna had met his expectations by surviving.

"Do you expect me to agree to this?" Lord Nephriam growled in displeasure for Xanxus' arrangement. Xanxus grinned and stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. The brat could say whatever he wanted, but his vase was filled correctly. It'd taken a lot more time and effort than it looked. It was true that there was only a twisted shoot of bamboo showing above the soil, but he understood himself better now. The image that he presented was solitary and simple. It wasn't because he didn't put in enough effort, though. He wasn't a kid anymore. This was the image that he purposely chose to show.

With and absent tug, he pulled on the ribbon that was wrapped around the vase until it fell loose. Then he took a step back and grinned as Lord Nephriam's expression took on a flash of consideration. Once the ribbon fell off completely, the vase itself could be seen. He'd purposely traded out the one that he'd been given for a clear one to get his point across and that point was a very simple one. It wasn't what he showed to others that he put effort into. It was what lay below the surface that was important. If someone were to dig beneath the surface, his roots spanned across a multitude of diverse and rich layers. There were layers of colored sand and layers of unforgiving lava rocks. There was nutritious soil and there was airy loam. It didn't matter if anyone saw his experiences or the effort he used in caring for them because his bouqet would survive for years longer than the most beautiful of flowers that was only given water to grow in.

"I'm impressed," Lord Nephriam relented with a small chuckle. "It's not the answer that I expected, but I can see that you truly understand what I was trying to teach. Are you happy with presenting yourself like this?"

"Yes," he agreed simply.

"Then, we can move on," he murmured. "Later. Right now, there's something that I must tell you. Sky is awake-- Wait--!" He exclaimed as Xanxus immediately started moving toward the door. "He refuses to see you."

Xanxus froze in place.

"He remembers everything, King," he explained softly. "His personalities and memories have merged, but his spirit is still incomplete. He's fighting an inner battle right now to understand himself and you'd only be a distraction. What he was and what he is are on such completely different levels that he's being torn. He's got a heavy burden of guilt for abandoning Vongola and now he has a double dose with having been forced to abandoned the Dragons, as well. He's suffered and he's caused those around him to suffer. Give him some time to stabilize and come to terms with that. Rushing him now could undo everything that's been done to heal him and you wouldn't even have a pet werewolf to keep you company if he shatters at this point. One personality means that he's only got one chance to do it right."

"What should I do?" He asked hesitantly.

"Be patient and be prepared for anything. I can't tell what Sky is thinking anymore, so there's no way to tell how he's taking it. I just got done briefing him on everything that I know and all he said was that it was troublesome. I have to admit that it wasn't what I was expecting. When he was Lazarus, he was much more explosive. Now, he seems..."

"Like a sniper rifle with a silencer attached," Xanxus supplied softly. "Running from him is pointless. Hiding will only delay the inevitable. Of course you can't figure out what he's thinking if he's whole again. Even without his throne of power, he's a god among mortals. Mortals are just supposed to shut up and do what they're--"

"Keep it up and my head will swell."

Xanxus spun in place with wide eyes to see Tsuna sitting masked in one of the room's many windows. He was bearing a wide smirk and seemed far more healthy than he had during Xanxus' last visit to the estate's clinic. The part that made Xanxus stare without moving was Tsuna's aura, though. It'd settled into an inconsistent rainbow surrounding him with the pattern lined up appropriately. All the colors were present, but the bands were uneven. They were too wide at certain points while being too thin at others. He still wasn't balanced, even though he was whole.

"You took less time than I expected," Lord Nephriam commented as the silence stretched.

"Ah," he agreed. "Once I sat down to think about it methodically, I realized that there's no reason to be torn. My feelings are completely meaningless in this situation. At the moment, there's things that I can do and things that I can not. After putting the things that I can do into proper order, I chose to come here to do the first on the list. Xanxus... I will not regret what I did nor will I apologize. You were fully aware of what I intended when you walked into that room. If you'd trained yourself as Poe had directed, you would have sensed the intruder that was hiding in the ceiling and a lot of suffering could have been--"

"That's a bit harsh," Lord Nephriam interjected with narrowed eyes. "King--"

"Please stay out of this," Tsuna snapped. "This is a private conversation."

"It's fine," Xanxus agreed before the little brat could assert his authority. It was something that Lord Nephriam couldn't understand, but Xanxus did. This was Tsuna's way of trying to find himself. He was trying to remember what it felt like to be Vongola the Tenth again. If he was planning what Xanxus thought, then Xanxus was willing to be a scapegoat for lesser matters.

"Is your hyper intuition working, Xanxus?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Yes, Boss," he answered with a crooked smile. "Feel free to continue. I'm more than willing to accept a reprimand from you. It'll piss me off nicely and then maybe I can remember something, too."

"There's no fooling you," Tsuna sighed as he purposely lowered his guard. "Are you sure about this, Xanxus?" Tsuna asked sadly. "I appreciate your attempt to grant me freedom, but I chose to cage myself. You can still be free. You can start over. No one knows that you're alive."

"If I don't go with you, then you might starve," he replied in amusement. "Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me."

"This won't be easy," Tsuna warned.

"A challenge makes it interesting," he replied.

"Very well," he agreed with a smile. "Until I've reclaimed what is mine, we will be partners."

"Would you mind explaining that?" Lord Nephriam asked in open displeasure. "It's against policy to--"

"Lord Nephriam," Tsuna said with all the pride and dignity of his former self. "The taint of a vampire that's in my blood or the blood of Giotto that runs in my veins...? Which do you think is more dangerous to ignore?"

"That--"

"I will keep the Omerta," he swore. "Your Family's secrets are safe, but I can not betray the oaths that I've sworn to Vongola. As long as my heart beats, I am alive. As long as I live, my loyalty is to my Family. This is what I've chosen, so the only thing for you to do is to decide where you stand, Councilor. Will you aid me or will you hinder me?"

"I... I'll see what I can do," he agreed with an eye twitching for the sniper shot of words that hit him. "The Council isn't going to be happy with me, but this is extenuating circumstances."

"Then don't tell them yet," Tsuna replied solemnly. "There is still much to do before we are ready to leave this place and there are still many years left before I will be in a position to reveal myself. Preparation for battle can often be the difference between victory and defeat. While I am rash at times, Lord Nephriam, I am also a person that does not lose easily because I've learned that patience is the most dangerous tool that there is. I'll be counting on you to help me with my preparations. I've been out of the Mafia for years now. I need to be brought up to speed and I need to strengthen all of my weaknesses while honing my strengths."

"That can be done," he murmured in grudging amusement for Tsuna's commanding presence.

"Xanxus," he continued while he had momentum. "Get used to wearing that mask. Waking, sleeping, and fighting, we need to be able to keep them on at all times. Until the time is right, we are going to hide ourselves in plain sight by attracting attention. The tentative schedule is to leave here in nine months. I spent my twenty-eighth birthday in a coffin, but I want to spend my twenty-ninth in Japan. After that, we have two years to travel and make a name for ourselves. If we can become the top freelance hitmen in Italy, Vongola is sure to notice. We can use that to get our foot in the door and get inside information. I'll need to know what I'm working with in order to know how to proceed."

"Subordinates," Xanxus murmured in thought. "We'll need a few. If we rely on the Carter Family to supply our needs, no Family will approach us."

"Give me a list of names and I can make contact," Lord Nephriam offered. He was becoming excited, Xanxus noticed. He wasn't showing it, but this was probably the most fun that he'd had in a long time even though Tsuna was already running the show. He didn't want to be left out. "And you might speak to Mistress Drake about setting up a stipend fund for the two of you to travel on. You can use the fact that you're a werewolf to get around for a while. If you agree to make diplomatic stops in to visit others in our alliance, Mistress Drake is sure to be pleased since you'll also be spreading her name."

"Ah," Tsuna agreed. "That would work. That brings me to the part that I need to know before I progress any further. What are you getting out of all of this?"

"King's services will be enough," he answered with a mischievous grin. "Focus on your own needs, Lord Sky. By the time that you are ready to leave this place, King will also be prepared. He can fulfill his duties while he is traveling with you."

"Xanxus...?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's nothing," he groaned. "Lord Nephriam has already given me the run-down. Apparently vampires serve as equalizers. Where ever there's a build-up of non-physical energy, we're supposed to clear it out. I'd call it exorcist duties, but we're supposed to go after holy energy, as well."

"A mote is a mote," Lord Nephriam agreed. "Even if it is positive energy, it can turn malevolent if it's not monitored. We drain those areas to keep them under control while destroying pockets of negative energy. Reports of poltergeist, ghosts, demons and other occult happenings are generally the fault of a mote gone rampant. Some humans have learned enough to control those energies through rituals, but that is nothing more than unregulated help since it depends on popularity and belief with each generation. Vampires are the safe-guards. No matter what form a mote takes, it still dies when it is vamped."

"No wonder you're considered unholy," Tsuna groaned. "You'd suck the life out of a god as easily as you would a youkai."

"It's better than standing around and waiting for the god or the youkai to be strong enough to hurt humans," he retorted. "It's probably a good thing that you want to go to Japan first. There's a special team assigned to that country. When it gets closer to time, I can ask for them to take care of your lodging so that King can get a feel for the work."

"It sounds like a plan," Tsuna grinned. "I'll do delegation work while Xanxus does exorcisms. While we're traveling, we can also take work from the Caeculus Foundation to build our reputation. We'll need a base of operations in Italy after we're finished in Japan, but we can worry about that later. Right now, there's something a lot more important that I need to deal with."

"Oh?" Lord Nephriam asked in surprise. Xanxus wasn't surprised at the statement, though. He was happy. There was a faintly begging gleam in Tsuna's eyes and a small pout in his lips. He wouldn't come out and say it, but he wanted a kiss. "I think I'll go see how dinner is coming alongTr," Lord Nephriam chuckled as Xanxus darted forward to answer the silent request. Xanxus ignored him completely. All of his attention was on pulling Tsuna into his arms to claim the embrace that he'd been waiting so long for.

Tsunayoshi Sawada, Tenth Boss of the Vongola Mafia Family, was back--

"Let's stop there," Tsuna interjected when Xanxus paused for air. It stunned him. After weeks of being chewed on like a bone, pissed on like a newspaper, and been forced to submit like a sex toy... Tsuna wanted to stop at a kiss for their reunion?! Even worse, Tsuna took advantage of his shock to slip out of his arms and exit before he could utter a single coherent word. It left him dumbfounded. He was rejected and he didn't even know why.

* * *

Tsuna slowly walked around his Vault in effort to find something to distract him. It'd hit him and it'd hit him hard when Xanxus kissed him. Joshua and Kyoko were dead. Mukuro was imprisoned. Autumn and Haru had turned to find comfort in the arms of other men. Xanxus was the only one that could be at his side. He was precious. Yet, when Tsuna thought about it, he didn't deserve Xanxus' love. How could he when the only memories that he could summon were instances of using him, fighting him, being saved by him or apologizing to him? Xanxus had given up everything for him, but what did he have to give in return?

He knew what he had to give in return. Everything that he had was in his Vault and it was pathetically invaluable to anyone but him. Poe had secretly collected the items for him in the aftermath of his death while everyone had been distracted. The first was the box of Snicker's mementos. Next to that was his own jewelry box, including the rings and earrings that he'd treasured but could no longer wear. Only the Martelli Ring was missing from the collection. After that was the butsudan altar that had been put into his keeping and the box holding the silver-plated gun that he'd only gotten to fire twice at the shooting ranges.

Tsuna could tell that Poe had worked hard on his behalf to collect the things that he might treasure. In other parts of the Vault's suite was a mannequin wearing his Namahage jacket and his sword was on the mantle of his bedroom's fireplace. On his bed, there was also a patched and mended gold pillow that he knew on sight and, in the entertainment area, there was a tea-set holding a dented teapot that had once been thrown at Snicker's head. He also had his laptop computer, one empty fudge tin full of letters, a photo album, copies of his diplomas, and the book that Xanxus had sent to him in prison.

Poe hadn't been the only one at work, though. Once Lord Nephriam knew his true identity, a search had been started to ensure that he had the things that he treasured in the past. Not all of it was his own things, but he could tell that someone had done their research. In his entertaining room, he had both a keyboard and a saxophone prepared for him to use. Someone had matched the Vault's decor to the standards of Vongola Headquarters so that it felt like he was back home again. There was a flag holding the Vongola coat of arms over the cryogenic hybernation chamber that had been stashed into one of the suite's rooms. Tsuna didn't know how they'd gotten it, but there was also the photo album that Fredrick had made for him years ago, a second mannequin holding one of his Vongola bulletproof overcoat, yearbooks from every school that he'd went to during the year that he'd went to them, the foxtail charm that Xanxus had given him long ago, and the glove that he'd lost at sea.

The most defining thing of all of it wasn't something he owned, though. Rather, in his opinion, the two bottles that were on ice in the entertainment area were. The blood slaves hadn't only prepared him a bottle of blood wine. They'd also brought him a bottle of V Special. It made him wonder who exactly 'Tsuna' was. He knew that he was the sum of all his parts, but the extreme differences within himself were difficult to deal with. Laz, Chibi, Maro, Remorse and Lynx were completely different from each other, but he held all of them.

What part was he supposed to offer to Xanxus? Once upon a time, he'd known the answer to that. He'd balanced his loves like a fine-tuned juggling act, but all he could do now was to fumble. Now, he couldn't even face Xanxus without feeling the urge to cry. How was he supposed to tell the man who had done so much for him that he wasn't enough? How was he supposed to say that he wanted Haru and Mukuro back? How could he explain the pain of losing Kyoko and Joshua? It was cruel and he couldn't do it, which was why he'd ran. He didn't want to hurt Xanxus anymore than he already had.

For the next hour, he tried to take his mind off of it with a bath. There were plenty of bath salts to choose from and the water came out just as hot as he wished. After a long soak, he felt settled enough to face the set of clothes that had been left on his bed. From what he'd been told, his Vault was one of the few that had a real bed while everyone else used the bedrooms in the upper manor when they wished to rest. He assumed that it was because of who he was more than what he was. It was a silent message telling him to be vigilant even in this place.

The clothing left for him was somewhat normal. It was a white button-down shirt, white vest, and a pair of white pants. The accessories were the creepy part. There was also a set of white boots, a white collar, a white trenchcoat and a white cowboy hat. He couldn't argue, no matter how much he wanted to since he'd been the one to request it.

"Master," a blood slave interjected quietly from the door. Tsuna turned to see who it was and blushed as soon as he saw the girl's face when she finished her curtsey. She was one of several people that he faintly remembered urinating on. "Would you like me to brush out your hair, Master?"

"N-No," he choked. "I'll be okay." Rushing over to his dresser mirror to prove that he'd be fine, he started hurriedly running a brush through his wet hair. He yelped numerous times when he tugged out a tangle and he quickly figured out that he was only getting the ends tangled worse. He wasn't used to long hair at all. It was all attached to his head, but that didn't mean that he had any clue on how to care for it.

"Master," the girl said softly. "Perhaps you should--"

"I'll be fine," he yelped. Putting his brush down, he grabbed his hair and started trying to pull it apart. He didn't know how, but the ends were in a horrendous knot now. He--

"Master--"

"I'll get it," he snapped. "Just give me a--"

"Give me the damn brush," she growled. At the change of tone, Tsuna slowly turned to look at her and gaped. Demon. She'd turned into a demon. From the killer intent and the deadly gleam in her eyes, she'd turned into a complete monster. Even her curls fell out of her short, dark hair, leaving him with images of tormented ghosts. Without thinking about it, he responded to the personality change and handed her the brush.

"Thank you, Master," she said with an angelic smile as her hair curled into ringlets once more. Tsuna couldn't hold it in. As soon as he felt the tension break, he started laughing. "Master...?"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I was nervous and did something stupid. I... um... I remember doing something disgusting."

"There's no need to worry about that, Master," she giggled as she flanked behind him to fix his mess. He stayed standing, but she knelt to his feet to start working on the tangles at the end of his hair. "The other slaves are very jealous of me," she murmured softly while she worked. "We can pick who we wish to serve, but we still have to be accepted by our Master. There are many who wish to have the honor to serve the first werewolf Lord, but only six of us were given the privilege. It's true that the method was a bit embarrassing, but I'm very happy."

"Why?" Tsuna asked curiously. "Wasn't it demeaning?"

"Embarrassment is a fleeting emotion," she replied with a shrug. "The truth is that I've been serving Lord Nephriam since I was a child. He took me in and raised me at a cabin towards the base of the mountain even though I was an orphan. Although he tried to keep me from knowing about vampires for a long time, I eventually wandered up here to this Sanctuary. I fell in love with the concept from the time that I was very young, but m'Lord Nephriam refused to let me be turned. He said that he wanted me to live a mortal life. I was rebellious and managed to become a blood slave without his consent, but he refuses to speak to me now."

"And being a blood slave makes you happy...?" Tsuna asked in confusion.

"Every blood slave knows that there is a risk," she answered with a small smile. "With every bite, there is a very small chance that we can be turned. It is the wish of every blood slave to be able to serve their master eternally since we serve out of love instead of duty or responsibility. There are also some Masters who will send for a Phlegm to purposely turn us if we serve faithfully for enough time. Once we are turned, we are free to live as brethren or to continue serving. Serving you is different, Master. Since you are a werewolf, we are given a special contract. Once both of us has accepted the other's service, a Phlegm will be sent for to turn us since you can only feed on vampire blood. I will serve you faithfully for a single lifetime and then I my dream can come true. That is why I am very happy."

"I see," Tsuna replied. "Serving a different vampire doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get turned. With me, it's a definite."

"Not all who are blood slaves wish to be turned," she corrected. "Just most of us. Some just wish to serve as humans. Out of the six that you marked, all of us are those who have no doubts. We wish to be turned. All but two have refused to serve you, though. They were either too frightened at the thought of serving a werewolf or wished to stay with their current Masters. They were all very honored by your consideration, though. There's actually a small romance brewing now because of it. We were curious if Lady Magnolia would ever notice Harthen's affection. He's been in love with her for ten years now, but it seems that she's just now seeing him as a man instead of a teenage boy. It all happened because you marked him and Lady Magnolia realized how precious he was. I--" She broke off with a blush, realizing that she was gossiping about vampires to one of their own. "Forgive me, Master. I shouldn't have--"

"I'm not much for having submissive servants," he laughed. "I'm not an elitist bastard, either, so please don't treat me like I'm special. You can stop calling me Master. If serving me is what you want to do, then I'd prefer if you were more of a friend than a robot. You've already seen me at my worst, so there's no point in me trying to act like a snob. I can't say that I like the idea of you being turned just because I can't feed on humans, but I'm not going to complain if that's what you choose. Even I have to admit that it'd take a lot of the pressure off of me in the future since I won't have to rely only on Xa... on King."

"Does that mean that you accept me, my Lord?" She gasped up at him with her eyes lighting up.

"If you can make me a promise," he replied with a nod.

"Anything!"

"Don't fear me," he ordered quietly. "If I do something to frustrate you or make you upset, I want you to speak up like you did with the brush. Never suffer in silence around me. Just be yourself and it'll be less painful for both of us. I can be stubborn and pigheaded at times, but I'm also rational. Even if I disagree, I won't ignore you or punish you for giving your opinion."

"You are very kind, my Lord," she replied. "Aster will be relieved. I think that the reason that he's been hesitating on his decision because he feared that you'd be a vampire like Welt."

"You can tell him that I'm not a vampire," he chuckled. "I just smell like one. More than one blood slave might be good if he wants to join you. My plans are still in the beginning stages, but my intuition says that I'll need to create a household in Italy. I'll accept any who wants to go on an individual basis, but they've got to be prepared. What I'm planning might be dangerous. It's probably best that humans don't join me since they might not survive."

"My Lord...?"

"What is your name?" He asked quietly.

"P-Piglet," she answered with a bright blush. Tsuna stared at her for a long moment before understanding. Lord Nephriam never gave her a name, so her pet name became her real one.

"I'll call you P-chan," he replied with a groan of sympathy. "I don't know how much you know about me, P-chan, so I'm going to tell this to you while you still have a chance to back out. Me and King are going up against the Vongola Mafia. Serving me means that you'll be targetted by people who wants information about me, but it'll be your duty to stay silent. It'll be dangerous and possibly painful, but I can promise that I'll do my best to protect you. I don't have money or jewels to pay you with, but I can promise to help you achieve your dreams in return. Once I've taken back what is mine, I'll ask Lord Nephriam to let you serve here to keep my Vault in order. How does that sound?"

"I accept gladly," she agreed with a shining smile.

"In that case, why don't you tell me the secret of brushing my hair," he prompted with a glance down at where she'd finally gotten the massive tangle out of the bottom of his hair.

"Start from the bottom and work your way up," she answered with a soft laugh. "If you'd like, I can go get some scissors to cut it. You haven't stayed still long enough to deal with it before now."

"That'd be nice," he admitted. "I'd like to keep it long so that it's harder to recognize me, but this long is a little too much. I don't want to pull my hair every time that I sit down."

"I think we can manage something. I'll have you polished by dinner, my Lord."

* * *

Tsuna tried to ignore the stares as he took his place at the dinner table. He probably looked hilarious with how he was dressed up like a cowboy, only no one was laughing. It was probably a good thing since he could laugh right back at most of them. Strife was still wearing the starter clothes since he hadn't picked an image, but everyone else was dressed in their own style. Lord Nephriam and Lady Idalia were dressed in modern suits. Magnolia looked like a Victorian Countess with her ruffled dress. King was still in the uniform that made him look like a fleet captain's wet dream. Marcus was in a set of religious robes since he'd decided to travel as a pure exorcist for a while and Shamal was in the white coat that marked his medical profession. Of all of them, only Lord Nephriam and Shamal went without a mask.

As for himself, he had the gear that had been left out for him. His hair had been trimmed to waist length so that it was easier to manage and bundled at his shoulders to keep it out of his way. When it came to jewelry, he had more than just the white collar around his throat. A rainbow of seven cuffs climbed the ridge of one ear while the other held the single silver wolf-head stud that marked him as a member of the Werewolf Alliance. He'd already gotten reunited with Jewel, too, and she was happily making herself at home on the brim of his hat. To finish off the look, he had the chain of a mock-silver pocketwatch hanging out of his coat and a holster on his hip for the silver gun that he didn't yet have equipped.

"Perhaps we should start with introductions," Lord Nephriam suggested once he was seated at the table. "As all of you may or may not know, Lord Sky has regained his senses. I--"

"There's no need," Tsuna interrupted with his head bowed. "I remember their faces clearly. I think the question that they want to know more is whether my likeness to Vongola the Tenth is accidental or intentional. You've already mentioned that our identities fall under the Carter's Omerta, so I have no qualms in saying that it is neither. The person parading around in Italy as Tsuna is a fake. I am the real one."

"What do you have as proof?" Shamal asked in a dangerous tone.

"I have none," he answered. "No matter what I say to you, you will doubt me. To toss out memories for you to judge would be meaningless. You'd only consider them fabrications with a basis in spying and research. Other than that, the only things that I could tell you to make you believe would be secrets that would break the Omerta that I swore as the Boss of Vongola. I might not be recognized as Vongola the Tenth anymore, but I hold many secrets that not even my former subordinates know. I'm not going to start blabbing about those things just because of an identity crisis. My physical appearance and my physiology is different from when we first met, Shamal. Also, I am older and time brings change. I can't give you proof now, but I will eventually. Once my gloves are repaired, I think that preforming the Zero-Point Breakthrough Revised should be sufficient."

"But you only have one glove," Lord Nephriam objected worriedly. "We unburied it from your grave. That alone--"

"Like Cinderella, I have the other," he replied with a smile. "That was probably why Poe sent so many of my things. He knew that I had it but he didn't know where I hid it. When I was only Lazarus, I wanted to bury it and forget that it existed. But I couldn't let go and ended up wearing it all the time. When Maro surfaced, I hid it away in fear again. Now that I'm whole, that fear is gone." Reaching into the inner pocket of his trenchcoat, he pulled out the pair of gloves and tossed them onto the table. One had barely enough material left to be considered a glove while the other was worn from years of extra usage. "Even this isn't enough proof, though. Until my Flame becomes balanced and my gloves are repaired, I can't use them appropriately. I have much to make up for before I can become the Sky again. That's why it doesn't matter if you believe me right now. You'll have no choice but to believe eventually."

"Even if you say that," Lady Idalia interjected. "It's going to be hard for you to succeed. The Tsunayoshi in Italy has been accepted for over a year--"

"He's a fake," he interrupted in irritation. "It's my fault that Hotaru could accept a phony. After I locked away his memories, he was afraid of me and I didn't know how to deal with him anymore. I left him in Haru's care rather than being there like I should. I let fear for his safety stop me from being a father."

"After you locked away his memories..?" Doctor Shamal prompted curiously.

"You know that I can't talk about that," he replied with a smile flickering along the corner of his lips. "My son is human, Shamal. That's all that needs to be said." Of course, the fact that it needed to be said at all was the key. Shamal's eyes widened in understanding. Sakura had kept him informed of everything that happened surrounding Hotaru's birth. He knew as well as Tsuna did that Hotaru wasn't born human, even though he was human now. "And all the king's horses and all the kings men," Tsuna whispered in satisfaction, "didn't stop until they found a way to put Humpty Dumpty back together again."

"You bastard," Shamal choked in disbelief. "All that crap about no proof and--"

"There are people who can figure it out, Shamal," he replied with a smile. "I wasn't sure if that would be enough to convince you since the bulk of what I could say is merely insinuation of the things that would convince you."

"I've got to tell the Eleventh," he gasped. "He--" Shamal broke off on his own without a single person needing to tell him that it'd be a violation of the Carter Omerta. Tsuna also kept his mouth shut. Shamal was a smart man. It didn't take him long to figure out what Tsuna could already see. "It's not that easy. Is it, Tenth?"

"No, it's not," he agreed.

"The Eleventh hates you," he murmured.

"I figured as much," Tsuna whispered.

"No one would believe you and it'd upset the entire Family," he continued mercilessly. "The balance of power would shift, the Family would tear itself apart by taking sides, and the Eleventh would become your enemy to protect the Family."

"When you add to that the feeling of betrayal that would run rampant at uncovering the fake, the shame that I've brought to my name by disappearing, and the fact that the Family has moved past my death, just walking in and saying 'I'm back' doesn't seem like a bright idea," he agreed. "I have to reattach strength to my name, Shamal. I must become a figure that's respected and powerful before I can reveal myself. That's why my plans are to keep my identity secret while I work in the shadows to fix my errors. There's also the possibility that I will determine to keep the fake Vongola the Tenth in place."

"What?!" Shamal and Xanxus exclaimed in unison.

"I won't do anything to harm the Family," he explained bluntly. "If I determine that revealing myself will hurt them, I'll protect them in secret for the rest of my days. That is my resolution and I will not be dissuaded."

"Why don't we leave that discussion there for now," Lord Nephriam interjected before anyone could object. "Dinner will get cold if we wait any longer."

"Agreed," Tsuna replied.

* * *

"P-Chan," Tsuna called as he flipped through his old photo albums. "Are you heading to bed soon?"

"I'm almost done here, Master," she replied with her head poking out of the wardrobe that'd been installed during dinner. It wasn't large, but it held six changes of clothing that matched what he was already wearing. P-Chan was currently in the process of organizing them for him.

"I told you not to call me Master," he admonished gently. "And that's not what I meant. You can take as long as you need. I was just curious if you could deliver something for me on your way to your room."

"Of course, m'Lord," she agreed perkily while she continued working.

"You said that there was a romance brewing," he said as he pulled two pictures out of his album. One was a picture of Sangia and Gokudera. The other was a picture of Elario when he was a newborn. "My memory is foggy, but is Magnolia birth mother to a woman named Sangia?"

"Yes, m'Lord."

"It's probably none of my business, but let's foster that romance," he murmured in sad understanding of what the woman had probably been going through. "I've got two pictures that I'm going to leave out on the table. Deliver them to Magnolia's would-be lover for me with a message to do whatever he wants with them. Tell him that true love doesn't recognize status and Magnolia was once a human, too. He should be able to figure out the rest."

"Ooh!" P-chan exclaimed. "I see what you're trying to do, m'Lord! He'll understand! He'll definitely understand! But... Why are you helping him?"

"Sangia is part of my Family," he replied as he put the album back on a shelf. "I can't reunite them against their will, but I still want to see Sangia's mother find happiness. She's been too focused on what she lost that she can't see what she could still gain. I'm in the same situation, so my heart goes out to her. Perhaps by helping her, I can find my own way."

"Does this have something to do with why you've been avoiding King all afternoon?" P-chan asked curiously.

"So even the servants have noticed," Tsuna grimaced.

"It's hard not to," she replied as she shut the wardrobe. "You and King were rarely apart from each other. It used to bring smiles to everyone when they watched how he took care of you. It just doesn't seem right for you two to be split up like this."

"This is how it used to be, though," he murmured, bowing his head as a lance of pain went through his chest. "I did my work and he did his. We were only together when time and circumstances allowed so that we wouldn't become a distraction to each other. The relationship that we've had for the past few years was different. He interfered in everything and got much closer than he should have. Eating together, going out on dates together, working together and living together... When I return, we can't have that. He'll have to go back to the Varia and I'll--"

"Stupid," she growled. Tsuna's head snapped up and his eyes widened to see that his servant had gone into 'Oni-mode' again. "Weren't you the one that was just saying that you're looking too much at the past and that love doesn't recognize status?!"

"That's different!" He choked. "That's Magnolia's situation, not--"

"Dummy!" She shouted. "It goes for you, too! Who cares if both of you have different jobs or status or whatever?! None of that matters right now! Lord Nephriam's Sanctuary is a place that you can forget those things! If you can't, then there's no point in being here! You're not supposed to hide from your feelings, stupid Master! That's what the masks are for!"

"The... masks..." he repeated slowly. Her words stunned him. Not because she was yelling at him, but because she was right. That was the purpose of their masks. Who they were outside these walls had no bearing on who they were within them. He could be anyone, even a confused werewolf that was in love with an over-bearing vampire.

"Go. See. Him. Now. Master," she ordered with her arms crossed.

"Alright," he agreed with a laugh that snapped her back into a ringlet-haired angel. "There's other issues standing in the way, but talking to him about it might be the only way to make sense of it. I still don't know my way around the catacombs, though. Do you think you could find him and send him down here before you deliver the pictures?"

"Will you need anything else for his visit?" She asked with a bright, pleasant smile.

"I can handle it," he chuckled. "You just go so that you can get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow and I'm afraid that I'll be relying on you until the other one makes up his mind."

"I don't think it'll take long, m'Lord," she murmured in thought. "Word is already spreading about how you treated the blood slaves in the kitchen and Aster will probably question me on it when I get back to our room."

"Eh?" Tsuna asked in surprise. "Do you share rooms?"

"Four to a room," she confirmed. "It's better than it sounds. Lord Nephriam provides us with clothes, education, filling meals, and plenty of personal time. Even though we share, it's for our benefit more than anything. It's unlikely for four people to be used by their Master on the same day, so there's always someone present to watch out for our health without interfering with anyone's personal plans. Plus, the rooms aren't cramped at all. There's a lot of space to move around in and we have use of a private wing of bedrooms when we want privacy."

"I see," Tsuna replied in amusement. "You'll have to tell me about all of it later. For now, you can consider yourself off-duty until lunchtime tomorrow unless Lord Nephriam has specified otherwise. I'm not much of a morning man and I'm not sure how I'll wake up. It's better that you don't try until I get used to having you around."

"That's funny," she said with a thoughtful expression. "Lord Nephriam told me the same thing once, but he would never explain it."

"I'm trained to kill people in my sleep," he said bluntly. "It's nothing personal, but training creates habits. I've got to create the habit of trusting you to override that and it's not something that can be done in a day or two. I should probably warn you, too. If I do attack you, do not fight back under any circumstances. Until I wake up, I won't stop until you're subdued, but I also won't hurt you if you don't resist. Do you understand?"

"I... understand," she agreed hesitantly.

"I'm not saying that to scare you," he added sadly. "It's to keep you from being scared if something happens. It's been so long since I've used that training that I honestly don't know how I'll react to anything right now. Some things feel like I did it just yesterday while others seem like it was twenty years ago. I might be a little unpredictable for a while, but I'll fall into a pattern eventually. All humans do. I just need to start a routine to stabilize myself."

"You seem like you're trying too hard, m'Lord."

"Probably," he agreed softly. "Thanks for your help, P-chan," he added in dismissal. "I can take care of the rest." P-chan nodded in agreement and headed for the Vault door. As soon as she was gone, Tsuna felt the stirrings of nervousness build in him.

What was he going to say when Xanxus came? Would Xanxus even come after he'd been so cold to him? Should he start off with an apology or maybe pleasantries? No, Xanxus wasn't one to beat around the bush. Getting straight to the point would probably be best. Could he do that, though? He wasn't sure if he could say it, let alone say it right off the bat. It'd probably be painful for Xanxus to hear, but suffering in silence solved nothing.

Don't think about it, he told himself. Thinking too much would get him nowhere. He needed to read a book or watch television until Xanxus arrived. Anything other than dwell on the problem that he couldn't solve alone. Without meaning to, his thoughts led him into the bedroom where he hung his head in defeat. Lynx's instincts were still affecting him, but taking a nap also wouldn't solve anything!

His intuition spiked, sending him to the fireplace to increase the small blaze that was already going. From what he'd been told when Lord Nephriam showed him around the room, it'd been installed after he'd shown such satisfaction at the ones upstairs. The wood in it was fake, but the fire was real. The sight of a flame merrily burning away was an incredible comfort to him. It was a strong flame. It was a determined flame. It was a flame that would continue to burn no matter what challenge it had to face.

"I'm old enough to be turning senile," he grumbled to himself as he got back to his feet. "All that's left is grey hairs and a rocking ch--" Tsuna broke off as his intuition spiked again when he tried to turn away from the fireplace. Curious, he stopped and looked to see what it was trying to tell him. There was something that he needed. All that was on the mantle was the sword that Poe had returned to him, though. He hadn't had a chance to take a look at it, but he'd been promised that it was in good condition within its new case.

Wanting to know what the big deal was, he flipped open the lock and lifted the lid off of the long box. He understood as soon as he saw it and Tsuna didn't want to ask how Poe had done it. All he knew was that the key to survival was in front of him. The sword that'd been nothing more than an hierloom had been remade into a cane. It wasn't just any cane, however. It was a cane of solid Demetrius. Tsuna couldn't begin to imagine what kind of beast could be stored with a piece so large.

It was in his hands before he thought of any of the implications or consequences of touching it. Unlike the first time that he'd worn a Demetrius ring, he could feel his energy being pulled out of him by the material. Bands of Flame began to be written on the surface, leaving him with the horrible and belated realization of his mistake. The amount of Sky in his Flame was minimal. At the moment, his Flame was made up of a multitude of weaker ones spanning the entire rainbow.

And the surface of the sword's scabbard reflected that.

By the time that he thought to drop it, it was too late. The surface was vivdly written in Flame and was dancing around in anticipation of being freed. The fact that the transfer was so quick frightened him. Salmon had taken overnight to be created. What did it mean for the Flame to transfer so quickly? No, he amended. More importantly, what would come out of having so many colors in the same setting? He--

"Tsuna..?"

"Xanxus!" He yelped, spinning in place to stare in complete surprise.

"I knocked but you didn't answer," he said in a cautious tone.

"That's fine," he choked, waving Xanxus into the room. "I hate to say it but I forgot that you were coming. I think that I screwed up."

"What did you--" Xanxus didn't need to finish the question. As soon as his gaze fell on the object of Tsuna's attention, the problem was obvious. "Not very bright," Xanxus commented. "I thought you didn't want to create any more Salamanders."

"I wasn't thinking about that when I picked it up," he replied. "I was too focused on how I could counter Vongola's Salamanders with it. That's not a good basis to create life, though. I--"

"It's too late now," Xanxus interrupted as he picked the cane up to inspect it. "You're a man, so take responsibility. 'You meant to do this' or 'you didn't mean to do that'... The past doesn't matter. Stop quibbling over stupid shit. The present is the only part of the future that you can change."

"I--" Tsuna choked when he realized that Xanxus' words didn't only fit the current problem, but also the problem that was forcing him to hold back. Actions in the present affected the future. The future that he was acting on and planning for was one that he didn't want. He couldn't change that the people he loved had gone in different directions. What he could do was plan in hopes that they'd return to him. Holding back with Xanxus wasn't like him at all. They took advantage of every moment that they got to spend together. That was what their relationship was like. Trying to distance himself because they would one day have to spend less time together really did fall under the category of 'stupid shit'. He should be taking advantage to bring them closer together so that their love for one another wouldn't be hindered by a little thing like work.

"You're right," he agreed as his hands closed around the smooth cane. Gripping it tightly, he pulled it to his chest to feel the warmth of life pulsing within it. "It's pathetic that I need to be told that by you, but you're right. It's only a mistake if I don't try my best. I... I'm sorry for pushing you away earlier. The only explanation that I can give you is that I was afraid. I'm afraid--"

"You don't have to say it," he interrupted with a flinch. "I figured it out on my own. I was an ass for pushing you. A year might have passed, but it seems like it was just a month ago that Gabriel got his dirty hands on you. You don't have to worry about it. I'll be hands off until--"

"That's not it!" Tsuna spluttered in surprise. "I could care less about what Gabriel did now! I've went through stuff that was a lot worse! There was that time that the Wilde Family kidnapped me and there was everything that Ari did and that's just for starters! Gabriel's just a low-life compared to them! I'm already over that, Xanxus! I-- I... I just..." Tsuna trailed off, unsure of how to put his problem into words.

"You just what?"

"How do I balance my feelings when I only have you?" He asked softly. "I love you," he murmured, lowering his head to hide his tears with the brim of his hat. "I love them, too. Haru, Mukuro, and Autumn. K-Kyoko a-and J-Joshua. H-How am I supposed to honestly say that I hold none of you higher than the other when my heart is so jumbled? It's not fair to any of you with me like this. I--"

"Dumbass," Xanxus growled. "So what if you hold one of us higher than the other? Who the hell said that you had to love us equally? I don't give a fuck if you just give me a closet. I'm good to go as long as I'm in there. If I wasn't satisfied with that, I would have lost it every time you called the wrong name in bed."

"I what?" Tsuna asked with his face turning red despite the tears stinging his eyes..

"You've called me Mukuro twice, Joshua three times, and Haru once," he growled with his eye twitching. "You never noticed, so I kept my mouth shut. After you were lost at sea, I found out that you called Haru and Mukuro by the wrong name a few times, so you've been forgiven. None of us said anything because you were too fucking happy, but you're a fucking slut."

"I don't remember it," he gasped.

"It usually happened when you were worn out from work," he chuckled. "The truth is that Haru knew that we were still seeing each other and warned Kyoko. All of us had a nice little talk before your birthday and that was supposed to be a test run to see if we could deal with sharing you. It didn't really work out like planned. Apparently, three is a party, but four is a cluster-fuck. I didn't complain since I like having you to myself when we have time."

"But--"

"It doesn't really matter if you have us balanced equally," he added. "That's not something that we can see and measure, so we've got to be satisfied with what you give us. I've already decided that I'm not going to bitch about the size of my slice. It still hits the spot."

"Xanxus..."

"I said some nice shit," he grinned when Tsuna looked up at him with a burst of warmth. It was a warmth that faded in fear when he saw the cruel look of anticipation on Xanxus' face. "If those kinds of worries that you made me wait for, you've got a lot to answer for."

"Uh-oh."

* * *

"You're lucky that I didn't kill you in my sleep," Tsuna grumbled when he woke to a furnace pressed against his body.

"You taught me how not to snore," the furnace replied instantly, proving that he was wide awake. The fact made Tsuna blush. Xanxus rarely needed sleep, so he could have gotten up to do something. He hadn't, though. He'd stayed in bed where the only thing to do was to watch Tsuna sleep. "You were mumbling in your sleep again."

"You didn't have to listen," Tsuna replied as he buried his face into the blankets. "You could have left."

"I wanted to," he laughed. "But it's the first time in a long time that I've had all of you at once. I'm not in a hurry to end it."

"Idiot," he growled as he blushed even harder. "Remind me to shoot you later for making my back hurt. You're still in training."

"I'm going to get shot for that?" He asked in amusement. "I thought I'd get an X-Cake."

"In your dreams," he growled. Then he paused in wonder at himself. Maro's snap judgement. Chibi's shy nature. Laz's disgruntled retorts. He had them all, but he wasn't forcing any of it. It just came naturally. "I wonder how I'll be around Haru and Mukuro," he mumbled in thought.

"Where did that come from?" Xanxus asked in confusion.

"I'm recognizing different sides of myself that come out when I'm with you," he explained. "I'm curious about what parts will come out with the others... Assuming that I ever get to be with them again."

"Don't lose your resolve this early," Xanxus growled. "You turned me on at dinner. Don't ruin it because we're in bed."

"You have screwed up tastes," he said. Sitting up, he smacked Xanxus in the face with his pillow so that he could roll off the bed unhindered. Rather than throw it back or get upset, Xanxus tucked it under his head with a sickeningly blissful expression. "Where's my clothes?" He asked when the floor was devoid of his discarded garments.

"P-chan came in about an hour ago and took them to be cleaned," Xanxus answered. "You were completely out of it, but I had a nice little talk with your servant. I think you've got yourself another fan."

"Don't joke around," he snapped. "She's just happy because I'm willing to help her--"

"Fulfill her dreams," he supplied flippantly. "She told me all about it while she was praising you as the best Master that she's ever served. One day with you and she's already an admirer. You don't go slow. Do you?"

"It's not like that," he grumbled. "The starry-eyes won't last long. All it'll take is for you to piss me off once and she won't be lost in la-la-land anymore. She's lucky that I didn't go off when she came in the room. I told her not to come near me while I'm asleep."

"I told her to come in when I heard her in the main room," Xanxus soothed.

"Oh well," he sighed in discontent. "There's probably nothing to be afraid of anyway. The training that I did as Laz was pathetic compared to what I'm capable of. It's not surprising that I lost my edge. I-- I just thought of something," he murmured with a lightbulb going off in his head. "I've been going on about what I plan to do, but I never asked if there was anything that you wanted."

"I'm fine with just helping you," he shrugged.

"Liar," he retorted instantly. "Spit it out. There shouldn't be any problem with adding another goal to our list."

"In that case," Xanxus murmured as his eyes darkened. "I want revenge."

"On?"

"Everyone," he growled with a flare of anger. "Most of the Mafia turned me into a fucking laughingstock after I retired. Shit, even Vongola fucking forced me to retire when I couldn't get pissed off after everyone thought that you died. Even the cocky shits in the Varia turned their backs on me. If there's anything I want, it's to make them choke on their self-satisfied pride."

"That should be pretty easy," he said in thought. "We can piss off the Varia and you can put them in their places by defeating them. As for the rest of the Mafia, all you have to do is become the best. Make them grow to respect and fear you again. Then, when we take off our masks, they'll all choke because they've been praising someone that they previously mocked. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like I could fuck you for the rest of the day," he answered with a cruel smile.

"Don't make me shoot you," he warned. "I need to take a shower, eat, and get moving. You do, too. If you're going to be the best, you need to seriously train yourself. The Varia isn't going to go down easily and you've also got lessons with Lord Nephriam on top of that."

"What are you going to be doing?" Xanxus asked curiously.

"I need to talk to Doctor Shamal about an eye implant," he answered. "After that, I've got self-training, almost seven years worth of history to catch up on, I have to make contact with Mistress Drake and I have my own set of lessons with Lord Nephriam. To add to that, I've also got a Salamander to meet, Jewel needs some attention, and I've got a blood slave to talk into coming to Italy with us. For my plans to succeed, we're going to have to set up a base there and I don't want P-chan to be the only housekeeper in residence. Oh, I also need to talk Shamal into coming with us, somehow figure out where Chrome is hiding, and figure out who we can bring on our side to help us without blowing the secret prematurely."

"Pink should be safe to tell," Xanxus murmured in thought.

"Agreed," he nodded. "Other than that, I don't know. Telling anyone allied with Vongola would be a huge risk and--"

"And the only people in Vongola that you can tell would probably kill you before you could get it out," he supplied knowingly.

"Probably," he agreed. "I'm also worried about the Martelli Family. I want to make sure that Vongola honored the ceasefire after I died."

"It sounds like you're going to have your hands full for a while," Xanxus grumbled in what was almost a pout.

"Don't worry," he chuckled. "I'll make time for you....although it's probably not what you're wanting. I'll be able to get more done if I can go on less sleep, so--"

"It'll cost you if you think that you're only going to get a meal from me," Xanxus growled in warning.

"If I can gain six hours, then losing one or two isn't a big problem," he laughed. "Just try not to be so rough next time. It does me no good if I can't walk."

"Is that's why you still haven't gotten out of bed?" Xanxus asked in sudden understanding. Tsuna turned red in embarrassment and silently decided to start carrying his gun at all times.

He had a long road ahead of himself.


	96. Chapter 96 Preparation

Hell was on earth and her name was Adie Drake. The woman still didn't know that he was watching while she criticized everything that Lord Nephriam had to offer. From the servants that greeted her to the resident vampires, she had something to say about everything.

"Sky," Strife growled. "That woman is a bitch."

"Tell me about it," he agreed from behind the curtain that was concealing them. "Why do you think I'm still hiding?"

"Even Lord Nephriam has his hands tied," he snarled. "This is bad. She might not be on the Council anymore, but she's still as powerful as Lord Nephriam. Little guys like me can't stand up to her."

"Fine," he grumbled as he stepped out of hiding. "I'll deal with it."

"Too scrawny," Adie said to her current target of Magnolia. "Are you going for the wraith look, my dear? If so, a ghost pales in comparison to--"

"If you make her cry, I'll tear your throat out," Tsuna called. Jaws dropped across the room, but Lord Nephriam's face became covered in relief as the only person present who was aware of their engagement. That wasn't even the surprising part, though. The surprising part was the reaction of Adie's three blood slaves to his voice. They literally dropped the luggage in their hands and ran forward to prostrate themselves in front of him.

"Help us!" One of the girls cried while Tsuna stared at the dark circles under her eyes.

"She's a demon!" A male exclaimed with hives showing plainly on his face from stress.

"Adie," he groaned. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," she answered with a pout.

"You did something," he corrected with a finger pointed at the strongest male of them all. "This one is too terrified to even speak. If I have to force it out of the victims, I won't forgive you."

"I just did a little bit of shopping," she mumbled with her arms crossed over her chest. It wasn't the most believable of stories. Not when her servants ran to hide behind him like he was their shield and she was a monster.

"She's only let us sleep for a half hour at a time," the girl whispered in fright. "The only time we get to eat is when she sees something that she's never tried before. We've been to New York, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, and London. There was twelve of us when we started, but she ran us ragged until we dropped. Those that fell were left behind without a shred of pity. There were four of us at the airport. Rhett fell while we were hailing a cab."

"That's enough," Tsuna replied with his anger plain on his face. "Lord Nephriam, can you please send someone to collect Rhett and ask P-chan to care for these three until they're rested?"

"Alright," Lord Nephriam agreed with a wide, cruel smile on his face. He didn't argue. He didn't need to. He saw the explosion that was imminent.

"Oh, alright," Adie sighed as if she had some say in the matter. "I'm going to be here for a while anyway. I'll just borrow Lord--"

"Silence, woman," Tsuna growled with a show of teeth. Adie paled in a reaction that told him that her strong poise was nothing but a sham. The woman was already prepared to be reprimanded. "P-chan isn't going to be caring for them alone. Until all your missing slaves are found and these four are back on their feet, you're to wear a maid's dress and service them. If P-chan tells me that they lift a single finger, you'll be answering to me."

"Sky," Strife said in a strangled hiss. "She's a Council--"

"I don't give a rat's ass if she's the Queen of the Underworld," he snarled in open disgust. "If she's not going to care about her blood slave's well-being, then she doesn't deserve the privilege of having them serve her. Her worth is less than scum at the moment. It makes me sick in my stomach for her to walk in here and talk down to others when she's nothing but trash."

"I knew it," she sniffed with fake tears welling up in her eyes. "You hate me. That's why you didn't tell me that--"

"Ah," he confirmed brutally. "I can't stand you. You're selfish, arrogant and your attempt at appearing regal makes you look like a cow at a banquet. Until you repent, I won't forgive you." As a final blow, he crossed his arms and turned his head away from her as if she'd been shunned. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her reaction. It was exactly as he expected. First she turned red with anger and opened her mouth to throw out a threat. Then she paled before the words got out and snapped her mouth shut. Finally, she simply collapsed in place with a look of utter shock on her face.

"You can't be serious," she gasped while Strife looked ready to swallow flies.

"Did you hear something?" Tsuna asked. "Perhaps I hear Neve. That would be good. She's a very caring woman with grace and warmth. I'd love to see _her _again."

"I'm sorry," Adie exclaimed as she burst into tears. "I'll do whatever you want, so don't be mad! I was just upset because no one told me that you were alive! I-I'm sorry!" Tsuna watched her bawl like a spoiled child for a minute while her blood slaves sighed in relief.

"You'll never do this again?" Tsuna asked in mock suspicion.

"I won't!" She spluttered. "Never, ever, ever again!"

"You'll carry your own luggage and serve as a maid?" Tsuna prompted.

"I-I'll do it!"

"Apologize to them," he ordered.

"I'm so--"

"No," he snapped before she could get the words out. "You spent weeks torturing them. Three words aren't enough and all of them aren't even here yet. While you're caring for these, you have to track down the rest. Once they're all together, you have to apologize properly and spend a matching number of days making them happy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," she sniffed.

"I'm going to give them a number to call me at," Tsuna warned. "All they have to do is to make one unhappy call to me and I'll be unhappy."

"I'll make them happy," she pouted.

"That sounds more like my bride-to-be," he relented with a smile. The words were a shock. Strife's head snapped toward him, as did the heads of Magnolia, Lady Italia, Marcus, and all of Lord Nephriam's blood slaves. Tsuna ignored them all while he focused on the glow that started radiating from Adie's expression. "Get your blood slaves fed and into a bed, Adie. Once they're resting comfortably, we can spend some time together. There's a lot to talk about."

"I'll take care of it immediately!" Tsuna nodded in acceptance and waited until Lord Nephriam led her out of the room with her slaves before dropping his act.

"That woman makes me tired," he whined.

"What. The. Hell," Strife choked out.

"What?" Tsuna asked sardonically. "I thought you knew that I was engaged. Didn't you notice that Lord Nephriam gave me the 'Lord' title? He doesn't call any of you that."

"I didn't," he spluttered.

"Don't think too deeply on it," he warned. "I can barely call that woman a friend. She's too used to lying. I know for a fact that she was informed that my death was fake over a year ago and she wouldn't have waited until now to go on a shopping spree. She was looking for a reaction. It's all a game to her. I'm just after her money and she's just after a reputation. Since she was anti-werewolf before and didn't open her mind until too late, she's engaged to me to repair her image. It's politics and nothing more. After all, people can't say that she's a werewolf-hater if she's married to the Werewolf Alliance representative."

"That's pathetic," Strife commented with a grimace of sympathy.

"I'm not complaining too much since I understand her," he replied. "Humans are too weak to be a threat and no vampire will raise their voice to her. I called her selfish and arrogant, but she's really not. The role is just ingrained in her. That's probably why she came here after doing something that she knew I'd get mad over. She _wants _me to yell at her and scold her. Inside, she wants to be a coddled little girl again, but it only comes out with people that will put up with her games. If you notice, her blood slaves weren't as worn as they seemed. None of them were staggering or falling asleep on their feet. They probably went without sleep last night so they'd look the part, but it wasn't unwillingly. I doubt that her other blood slaves are really as bad off as they said, either. I'm willing to bet that the rest of her slaves are really just on vacation."

"Then why...?"

"I was playing along with her game," he answered with a grin. "If she'd honestly done something like that to her slaves, I wouldn't have forgiven her so easily. Plus, don't you want to see what she looks like as a maid? Sometimes it doesn't hurt to play along."

"You're a little scary," Strife replied in admiration.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Doctor Shamal asked worriedly as they inspected the eye implant that had finally arrived. It wasn't just any implant, though. It was the latest and greatest in Mafia technology. He'd been amazed when he'd read up on the personal computers that were built into contact lenses. In comparison, the white globe in front of him was a detachable super computer that could hotwire itself into his optic nerves. It had six types of vision including automatic night vision, over-bright filters, telescoping, and thermal scanning.

But there was so much more.

Continuous scanning of his body's condition with readouts for personal use so that he would always be in peak shape. A face recognition program with the Mafia's international database to match from. If a Mafioso showed up in front of him, it could give him the Family, the name of the Family's Boss, and numerous other pieces of information. It had recording capabilities, a desktop interface with internet connection, and over a hundred hacking tools. Best of all was the safety features. The protection programs and firewalls built into it had supposedly been tested by twenty five of the world's best hackers and no one had succeeded. As soon as an invader was sensed, the systems went on lock-down. A system couldn't be hacked without interfacing. Lock-down meant that there was no connection to hack through. Even if someone removed it from his socket and tried to manually connect with it, there were twenty eight levels of security to bypass and a isolated EM burst waiting to wipe out the optic memory at the first mistake.

It was definitely worth the price. The makers had even matched his eye color. From the outside, there would be no way to tell that he didn't have a normal set of eyes. It was one of only five that'd been sold so far and all he'd had to do was to show interest for Adie to get it for him. It was supposedly her repayment for impositioning him while he was in Sanctuary. She'd also ordered expensive gifts for the rest of the residents to make up for her intrusion, which had everyone grudgingly accepting her despite her entrance.

"It's a detachable implant," he soothed. "Even after you install the interface, I can always go back to a glass eye if I don't like it. I'm going to need a computer of some kind with me while I'm working and it's better to have one like this that can't be stolen. Using it will let me cut down on suspicious equipment, too. I'd really like to try it, but you're the only doctor that I can trust right now. Will you do the surgery for me?"

"I've already agreed to it," he grumbled. "Your fiance is one formidable woman."

"Don't remind me, he groaned. "I have no idea how to explain her to Haru if I ever manage to make it that far."

"She remarried," Shamal replied gently. "Getting her away from Hibari might be impossible."

"I know," Tsuna agreed. "I might never get her back, but I've still got to try. I'd regret it if I didn't."

"I understand your pain," Shamal said sympathetically.

"I don't want to be pitied by you," he growled. "Let's just get this done. I've still got a lot to do."

* * *

"You destroyed it," Lord Nephriam growled in displeasure. Xanxus didn't say a word. He couldn't when he was surrounded by the remains of sixty three other failures. The good part was that he probably wouldn't be hungry for a few days. The bad part was that he hadn't gotten the trick of vamping yet. With the energy being so fine as what was in the rose that he'd been given, there was no way to drain it without killing it. No matter how small he 'sipped', it died and turned to ash. "Motes are delicate, King," Lord Nephriam repeated. "Positive motes that are the center of social activity must remain living. Numerous temples, landmarks, and tourist centers have been shut down in the past because the lack of life in the area. To keep that from happening, you're supposed to drain the energy, not eradicate it!"

"I don't get what the big fucking deal is," he replied in irritation. "It's just residual energy. Even at those kinds of places, it'd just build back up again. If it doesn't, that just means that it became unpopular. Who gives a fuck about that?"

"Perhaps it'll be easier to show you," he sighed. "I wasn't going to take you until you mastered pulling the life out of a rose without killing it, but it seems that you might benefit from it. Follow me."

"Where are we going?" He asked as he tossed his latest failure aside.

"There's a legend to this mountain and I'm going to show it to you," Lord Nephriam answered while they started walking. Xanxus followed like he was told, although it was more out of frustration than anything. He wanted to know the trick to vamping. Tsuna was relying on him to learn it so that he could repay the short vampire for his sponsorship. Learning it would make Tsuna less nervous about being vamped, as well.

The sun was shining despite the cold air as they passed by the manor's greenhouses and across the grounds. The grass crunched under their feet while they walked. Winter wasn't so far gone the world had turned green again, but there were the first vestiges of Spring in the air. He could see it in the energies that grew stronger in the surrounding area with every passing day and Xanxus could see that Lord Nephriam was heading for the grove where those energies were the strongest.

"The legend speaks of an apple tree that bears red fruit in a grove of trees that bear green," Lord Nephriam continued as they reached the edges of the grove that he was probably speaking of. "It's said that if you whisper the name of the person you love to the spirit in the tree under a full moon, pluck a single fruit and give it to the one you love, then your chances of receiving a confession doubles. If you are to recieve an apple from that tree and you plant the seeds, it's also said that your love will grow and bear fruit just like an apple tree."

"Superstition," he replied bluntly. "By giving an apple, you confess your feelings. Of course the chances of recieving a return confession doubles. Something like that just keeps you from fearing rejection because you aren't expecting anything in return for an apple."

"I know," Lord Nephriam replied as he hopped onto a fallen log and bounced down it like a kid on a field trip. "Planting the seeds is also a physical representation that helps increase resolve. The blood slaves and servants don't think of it like that, though. They only believe in the myth without trying to analyze it. Every so often, the popularity in that legend increases and I'll find people sneaking into this grove during the night to see if the apples are ready to be plucked. It turns into a very amusing event. Sometimes the girls will team up to distract me to cheer on one of their fellows. In other times, the men will challenge themselves in speed and stealth to keep from being caught by me. On very rare occasions, a brave person from town will try to sneak up the mountain to find the tree. I keep a close eye on all of them. I help those who have a glimmer of hope for a relationship while hindering those who would only be harmed by revealing their feelings."

"What does this have to do with my training?" Xanxus asked without making the connection.

"Motes are created from strong feelings and are fed with belief," he answered.

"The apple tree has a mote in it," he supplied in understanding.

"It's my duty to keep it drained so that it doesn't evolve," he said with a soft nod of agreement. "Life energy is the opposite of magnets. Positive draws the positive while negative draws the negative. If I were to drain it entirely, there would be nothing to draw in those people with positive feelings. This mote was made with the feelings of intense love and hope by a girl who wanted to make an apple pie that would open the heart of her beloved. When she succeeded, the story was passed on and the feelings grew. The more that belief grew, the more reach that this mote had to draw in even more people. The reason why places like the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower and Alcatraz are such big attractions is because of the power of their motes. Even the Statue of Liberty is infused with the feelings of hope from the people who look upon it. What do you think would happen if a place like that was drained entirely?"

"Nothing," he answered. "People would still go to see it and a new mote would form."

"You'd think that," he replied. "The truth is that a mote of negative energy would form. Without life, the people that still went to those places would find an intense sense of disappointment instead of wonder and that would be left behind. Multiply it by the same factor as the amount of people that visit the attraction and you get a cesspool of crushed emotions. It would start attracting pessimistic people and the energies would corrupt anyone who entered the area. For that reason, it's safer to keep a positive mote in place rather than destroying it. There's exceptions, of course. For example, a positive mote in a negative area should be destroyed or else it'll attract innocent people into an area of danger. By the same token, a single negative mote in a positive area should be left alone since it increases the chance that a negative person will be drawn in and rehabilitated by the environment."

"It sounds simple enough," Xanxus murmured.

"Good," Lord Nephriam smiled as he fell to a stop next to what could only be the apple tree from his story. "In that case, this is your assignment. Drain the mote in this tree."

"I'll just kill it," he replied.

"Let me finish," he said as he patted the trunk. "When this tree bears fruit, you're going to come here and pluck an apple to give to Lord Sky." Xanxus stared for a moment before the implications hit him. If a negative mote formed in the absence of a positive one, then giving an apple to Tsuna after killing the mote within it would be paramount to handing him something that would corrupt him. Rather than being happy at the gift, it would depress him and possibly make him sick. "You're starting to understand," Lord Nephriam commented with a knowing smile. "Just killing the mote doesn't seem like such an easy thing to do when you're the one affected by the consequences. If you were to kill the mote in this tree, the next person to come here wouldn't be able to believe in the magic because of how lifeless it was. It'd become a tree of broken dreams and the fruit would only bring heartbreak. Can you do it, King? Would you shatter the hopes and dreams of other just because you don't believe in it?"

"I--"

"Lord Sky has already been informed of this place and the myth that goes with it," he added mercilessly. "I hear that he's already geared up to bake something for a certain someone as soon as the apples are ripe enough for him to personally gather. I wonder what kind of feelings he'll have when he comes to this place." Thinking of that, there was only one response that Xanxus could give. He gritted his teeth, turned in place, and started walking out of the forest. "Where are you going?" Lord Nephriam called. "You haven't drained it yet."

"Practice," he snapped while pointedly ignoring Lord Nephriam's smile.

* * *

"What?" Tsuna asked as he slowly lowered his teacup. He couldn't say that he was upset at the interruption, but the question posed was a confusing one.

"I need you to do something about King," Lord Nephriam said apologetically.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked worriedly as his gaze was pulled to the smoking ends of Lord Nephriam's hair.

"It's a power trip," he answered with a grimace.

"Huh?"

"Oh no," Adie gasped with much more force than was probably necessary. What was so bad about a power trip? It just meant that he needed someone to put him in his place. "You have to do something! We can finish having tea later!"

"I don't get it," he admitted. "Why--?"

"Lord Sky," Lord Nephriam said in a too-calm tone. "Perhaps I need to clarify the situation. King has been training all morning. I had him pulling energy from flowers to keep the absorption rate low. I took my eyes off of him for an hour to check on the others and he had the bright idea to practice on trees while I was gone. When I say that he's on a power trip, I mean that he's taken in more energy than he can handle. If we don't give him an outlet, he's going to self-destruct."

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "Where is he?!"

"He's at the edge of the forest," Lord Nephriam answered in open concern. "We've tried firing on him to force him to waste the energy healing, but nothing can get close enough to injure him and we can't get past his mental barriers to drain him. All I can think of is that he won't harm you. If you can get close--"

"I got it," he agreed as he started running for the door. "Send someone to bring the sword from my room. I'll think of something to stall until it arrives." Mentally cursing Xanxus' stupidity, he barreled through the first exit that he could find and charged forward at his top speed. It wasn't hard to figure out which direction to go. All he had to do was follow the sound of shouting and explosions.

It was bad. Just from Xanxus' back, he could tell that it was bad. Everything within a hundred yard radius around him was ashen and the air visibly crackled with energy. Strife and Magnolia were already on the ground, leaving Marcus and Shamal to attempt to bypass the barrier in a team play. It didn't work. Shamal was thrown back first, leaving Marcus to suffer the brunt of Xanxus' anger.

"Oi!" Tsuna screamed on the top of his lungs when he saw Xanxus' hand was glowing in preparation of a strike. Tsuna couldn't let him release it at Marcus. The man was already barely standing! "Coward! Bastard! Pig!" He yelled as he tried to close the distance. It hurt to say the words, but he had to get Xanxus' attention on him. "You're nothing but a daddy's boy! You're weak and useless and--" Tsuna flinched and fell to a stop when Xanxus slowly turned to look at him with eyes filled with rage. He definitely had his attention. Now he just had to keep it without dying. "I can beat you even without my gloves!" He taunted. "It's no wonder Vongola made you retire! You're going to beat the Varia..? Don't make me sick! Squalo would put you in the dirt before-- Oh shit."

Tsuna dove to the ground in barely enough time to dodge the Flame of Rage that blasted over his head. Belatedly releasing his own Flame, he didn't stay still to recieve a second blast. He kept moving while taunting Xanxus with lies to keep him angry. It worked. With every explosion that destroyed the landscape, the air around Xanxus lost its tenacity. By the time that his sword finally arrived in the arms of Lord Nephriam, Xanxus wasn't on a power trip any more. He was simply pissed.

"I'll need that," Tsuna said, snatching the sword out of Lord Nephriam's arms on his way past. "Stay out of this, m'Lord," he called as he slid to a stop with the forest behind him. "Deal with the wounded. Someone like Xanxus is easy pickings."

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Xanxus roared. It was a roar that made Tsuna breathe in relief when he was able to take a step forward rather than being grounded by his energy. Now was the hard part of getting him calmed down. To survive long enough for that to happen, he needed to keep Xanxus from going airborne and he needed cover.

"You can try," he laughed as he ran for the forest. He missed the boost from his X-Gloves when it came to escaping, but Xanxus thankfully didn't seem to have his X-Guns, either. They could play cat and mouse for a while until Xanxus was worn out enough to listen to his apology for the insults.

Using his agility to it's utmost, he finally managed to lose Xanxus by taking a path through the treetops. It wasn't hard, actually. He just waited for the moment that Xanxus ran ahead on the ground to cut him off in order to change directions. That put enough distance between them that he was able to drop out of line-of-sight long enough to hide. He knew that he only had a few minutes at most. Xanxus not only had his hyper intuition, but he had his sense of smell. As soon as he wasn't running blindly and thought to use them, the time for running would be over.

"Oi," he whispered to the Flames dancing on his sword. "I was planning on doing this in a more pleasant way after I finished having tea with Adie, but the situation is kind of bad. I promise that I'll make it up to you later, so do you mind helping me out?" Tsuna smiled as the Flames flickered madly in excitement. "Thanks," he murmured. "Feel free to come out." He got a horrible sinking feeling when not one trail of Flame erupted from the scabbard, but six did. He'd worry about the split later, he decided. Right now, he needed all the help that he could get. "Hurry," he gasped as they floated into a ring around him and started the process of solidifying. It was too slow, which was understandable since it was their first time. Even so, he was worried about whether or not they'd form before Xanxus reached them.

It was a pointless fear when he realized that all six of them were already done.

"That's your form?" Tsuna asked as he stared in complete shock. He'd thought that they were taking their time on picking a form, but this--! Any bird; any beast; any insect would be better than the six matching forms around him. "You all look like giant flying dango or colored baseballs," he groaned in defeat. "Don't you guys have a fighting form or something? Something where you can attack?" Tsuna grimaced as the six little balls tried to stretch themselves to be more frightening and he ended up with a multicolored selection of onigiri. "Never mind," he growled. "All of you stay out of sight and try not to cause trouble. I'll deal with you after I--"

"Found you," a voice whispered in his ear. Tsuna tried to react, but Xanxus was already on top of him. Two hands wrapped around his body and closed down on his wrists to stop him from drawing his blade. The fact that he could be suppressed with mere physical strength was galling, but it was Xanxus that he was dealing with.

"I didn't mean those things that I said," he spluttered hurriedly in hopes that he could keep from fighting. "I just said them to make you mad so that you'd--"

"I already figured it out," Xanxus interrupted without letting go of his wrists. "I was fine after the second blast almost took off your arm."

"Then why--?"

"I didn't want to hear the brat's lecture yet," he answered with a hoarse laugh. "Letting you lure me in here was a good excuse to get you away from Adie, too. I haven't had a chance to see you since this morning because of her."

"In that case, let me go," he replied in open discomfort for how Xanxus was wrapped around his back.

"Not yet," he murmured with a light kiss on his neck. "Lower your Flame and then I'll--" Xanxus broke off at the yellow ball of flame that exploded in his face. Out of instinct, he let go of Tsuna to protect his face from the red one that was heading for a follow-up and Tsuna darted away as soon as he found freedom.

"What the fuck?!" Xanxus shouted as the six balls attacked him by bouncing on him. He flailed backward to get away before he realized that they were completely harmless and luck was on the Dango side. Xanxus slipped on a tree root and went sprawling from the surprise.

"That's enough, guys," Tsuna called with a laugh. The dangos paused mid-bounced to hover back over to him with various forms of satisfaction shown in their flight paths. "Good work," he praised as he started lowering his Flame. "I underestimated y--"

It felt like he blinked, but everything changed. He wasn't in the forest anymore. He was in his bed, in his Vault, with a wet cloth on his head. He thought that he was dreaming at first, but a sharp pinch from Jewel sent him bolting upright.

"You're finally awake," Xanxus murmured from a chair next to the bed. "You're such a fucking idiot. That was why I didn't want to let you go until after you released your Flame."

"What happened?" He asked in confusion. "I was just in the forest with you and then--"

"Your Flame makes you stronger," Xanxus explained softly. "You didn't feel how much energy you used until after you turned it off. You went from being perfectly fine to starving within seconds. In other words, you went berserk."

"Shit," Tsuna growled, putting his face into his hands in aggravation at his own stupidity. "I wasn't thinking about that. It wasn't even fifteen minutes."

"Lord Nephriam is coming up with a training plan for you," Xanxus replied. "If you use it in smaller bursts, you can extend the time limit. Regular feedings and desensitization training should help. If you increase your reservoir of power, you'll have more to pull from. Learning how to control the transition will help you keep your head afterward, too. The little brat thinks that the biggest part of why it was so bad was because you haven't eaten since feeding the Demetrius."

"I'll be more vigilant from now on," he swore. "All I have to do is eat before I lower my Flame. I'll talk to Shamal and see if he can't make me some kind of booster snack to carry with me. I can also--"

"Why are you rushing so much?" Xanxus interrupted.

"Eh?" Tsuna choked in surprise for the question.

"It's not even been two days and you're already packing a week's worth of stuff into an hour," Xanxus explained. Tsuna stopped to take a deeper look at him. He wasn't happy at all. He wasn't even looking up. "I get it that you want to get back to the Family, but it's already been years. Why are you rushing things? You won't be twenty-nine until later this year and you said that you can't go back until after you're thirty-one. Have you changed your mind?"

"No," he answered in concern for Xanxus' attitude. "I'm just anxious. It's been so long since I've seen them that I want to do as much as I can to prepare so that I can enjoy every last minute that I'm in Italy with them. Even if they don't know that it's me, I'll be able to reach out and touch them again. I'm tired of waiting. I want to see how they're doing with my own eyes."

"I see," Xanxus murmured softly.

"What's this about, Xanxus?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing," he lied. "I've just been watching you running around like a chicken with your fucking head missing and I was thinking that there's more that I can do. Lord Nephriam has put a limit on my training. I'm only allowed one hundred attempts for practice a day. I've got a lot of spare time on my hands and I'm not sure what to do with it. I can use some in training and sparring, but too much at once will be counter productive."

"Then help me out," Tsuna suggested with an understanding smile. Xanxus felt insufficient due to how slow-paced his own schedule was in comparison to Tsuna's. "I think I'm going to slow down a little anyway. I scheduled so much to do today, but only a fifth of it was accomplished. I guess that I'm too used to Veronica doing my scheduling for me. She always figured out how to make it work so that I could get everything done. I didn't want to bother you with any of it because I didn't know how intensive your own plans were. If you're willing, I can make a list of things that need to be done and we can mark off which ones we're working on as we go."

"That would be helpful," Xanxus replied in open relief. "I haven't wanted to make any moves of my own because I didn't want to step on your toes."

"I've been thinking the same thing," he replied in sympathy. "If you're feeling up to it, we can make the list now."

* * *

"Stay still," Tsuna growled to the Dango Brothers that were chasing each other around his hat. He'd appropriately found names for each of them, but it was rare that he had to single out any of the six. He just wished that he'd been able to think of better names. Hurricane, Sprinkle, Heatwave, Bolt, Cirrus and Fog were happy with what he'd managed to come up with, though. It was better than calling them Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple and Indigo.

Only Sprinkle and Cirrus were out at the moment since he was working. He'd decided to let only two out at a time until he got to know them better and the others didn't seem upset at the schedule. Hurricane and Heatwave came out when he trained. Bolt and Fog came out when he was relaxing. Most of the time, Sprinkle and Cirrus rested on his hat like they were sleeping. It worked out well since they didn't get in the way of his work. It was only when they started shoving each other that he had to intervene. Hurricane was high-strung and Heatwave was energetic. Using them during training went good, too, since they kept him moving without getting upset when he got frustrated with them. Bolt and Fog were both playful, so using them during his relaxation time was the best of all. They were always playing pranks and teaming up against him in games. When they were out, he could really let off some steam.

"Sorry," he apologized as Sprinkle and Cirrus settled down on his hat once more. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that I'd like to add a few people to your list of informed parties," Lord Nephriam replied from behind his desk. Tsuna was still in awe that he even had an office. Lord Nephriam didn't really seem like the type and all of their meetings until now had been in the dining room. Their plans were starting to take on a more substantial quality, though, and Tsuna could understand the desire to discuss it in more private settings. "So far, the only people you plan to tell for back-up is Pink, Chrome, Chikusa, Kiyoshi, and Reborn."

"Ah," he agreed. "That's not including Shamal who is already aware. Chrome, Chikusa, and Kiyoshi need to be informed so that we can free Mukuro. Pink will be needed as an informant. Reborn... I have no plans to tell Reborn immediately. I simply put him on the list for future reference."

"That's good to know," Lord Nephriam murmured. "I know that you trust the Arcobelano explicitly, but this is unique circumstances. He's sworn loyalty to the Eleventh Generation, which will put his loyalties at odds with your plans. It's better to wait until you've got a better grasp of the situation. On the other hand, there are three people that I think could help you without betraying the scheme. The Outside Advisor Basil, Cervello, and a personal acquantance of mine. Basil would be able to give you inside information once he's convinced. The Cervello Organization has been in hiding since you went missing, but I believe that I can make contact. You're going to need a support team doing the behind-the-scenes work and they've sworn an oath of loyalty to you already."

"And the personal acquaintance?" Tsuna asked with a slow nod for the sense of the suggestions.

"I'd rather not say at the moment," he replied with a slightly worried expression on his face. "Let's just say that this person would be beneficial for you to have working in the shadows. You'll have to trust me on this one."

"Let me meet him first and then I'll make up my mind," he said cautiously.

"That can be arranged," Lord Nephriam agreed. "I have no doubts that this person will be acceptable for you to use. You can negotiate after the arrival. Are my suggestions agreeable?"

"I can agree," he murmured.

"Then I'll set up meetings with Basil and Cervello for later this summer," he said as he made several notes on the paperwork scattered across his desk. "It'll take me at least that long to get their attention without drawing notice. The others will be brought as soon as I can notify them. Now, you said that you want to take a trip to Japan in the Fall, but you want to be settled in a house in Italy by the New Year...?"

"Correct," he nodded. "I'd like to send P-Chan to ready the place while I'm in Japan. Adie plans to head for her own house in Italy at the same time, but I've talked her into pretending that I'm nothing but a distant friend. In exchange for occasional visits, she'll stay out of my hair."

"That part is fine," Lord Nephriam murmured. "The problem is your plan for explaining your presence. I'd like to alter it."

"What?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"If you work for the Caeculus Foundation, you'll be for hire from both sides of the fence," he explained. "I'd rather keep you on our side so that you don't unintentionally interfere with Vongola's workings. I have a replacement plan for you, if you'd like to hear it."

"Go ahead," he agreed. "I planned to pick my targets from the Foundation's list, but if you have an easier way..."

"I'll market you," he supplied. "You two want to create an image of invincibility as fast as possible. This summer, during the holidays at Mafia Land, I'll start dropping hints that I've got a pair of hitmen who can complete any mission that interests them. Someone will take the bait when their own men fail at something. I'll pick one or two assignments that you can complete to show off. After that, I'll only forward you assignments that come at Vongola's request. I'll give you a list of any requests that come my way for you, but it'll be up to you as to whether you do it or not. This way, you'll be freelancers that Vongola won't view as an enemy and your presence in Italy will have a definite explanation. You can say that you're simply on hand for when interesting work shows up. As a bonus, I can see about getting you a teaching position at Don Girarde. There's rumor that a certain Mafia Boss will start attending in a few months."

"What?" Tsuna asked with his eyes wideneing in shock. "What are you talking about? Hotaru isn't old enough for high school. You've got to be--"

"He graduated middle school while you were in hibernation," Lord Nephriam stated bluntly. "He turns sixteen in a few months. Your son isn't a little boy anymore, Lord Sky. It's better that you understand that now. His age has always been a mystery for those of us who were around for his birth. I've been told that he's a genius who could easily have a Master's Degree if he wanted it. It's at his mother's urging that he's only going to high school. Your son isn't a puppet Boss nor is he a weak child. There are already seven major contenders for his hand in marriage along with fourty-two minor ones. By Mafia standards, your son became an adult at the age of ten."

"No," Tsuna gasped in denial. "That's not-- That's not possible. He's a good boy. He wouldn't--"

"I've seen him kill a man with my own eyes," Lord Nephriam said softly. "It was a man who'd been selling photos of his mother to perverts. Vongola the Eleventh made an example out of him for everyone to see. It was a great shock to everyone present. In the blink of an eye, Vongola the Eleventh went from an angelic, puppet child of a Boss into an inconceivable terror. There are still those out there among our rivals who believe that he's nothing but a fake, but Vongola's Allies know better. Hotaru Sawada is the Shadow Knight that rules the night skies."

"No, he's not," Tsuna corrected while his heart twisted in pain. "The night sky belongs to me. Hotaru is meant for the dawn. It's my fault that the real knight is still sleeping and his dreams have turned into a nightmare. It's my duty as his father to wake him up and make him show his true colors. Even if I fail in all my other goals, I will succeed in that."

"I'll help you as much as I can," he promised. "I just need to know what aliases to create your identities under. Your registered name should only be used within the vampire and werewolf ranks."

"Whatever I use will obviously be a fake name since I'll be wearing a mask," he murmured with his head spinning from the information about Hotaru. He couldn't believe it until he saw it, though. It was simply too much to take in.

"How about Chef Wolfe?" Lord Nephriam suggested. "The chance is low that Vongola the Eleventh will take a baking class, but that's a good thing. You won't be so distracted by his presence that you blow your cover, but there will be chances for you to meet one another. Our other option is to have you listed as a substitute teacher under the name of Van Wolfe so that you won't be needed full time."

"Substitution will be enough," he answered. "I don't have enough confidence that I'd be able to keep my hands to myself if I taught every day. I'll be busy with other matters, as well, so I can just arrange an illness whenever I have time to spend teaching."

"King will still have his duties to attend to, but they shouldn't interfere with your plans," he continued with another note onto his paperwork for Tsuna's choices. "You'll also need to continue your diplomatic duties to the Alliance. Will you be able to manage?"

"Ah," he confirmed.

"In that case, I've got two things to tell you," he said as he tossed his pen aside. "The first is that you're going to have to work hard through this Spring, Summer, and Fall to be in position by Winter. I can help you with your debut and the preparation up to that point, but I can't help you with what comes after. From one Boss to another, I think you can understand why. This Sanctuary will always be open to you if you choose to retreat, but my hands are tied after you're out in the world. Trading favors is acceptable, but I'm already sticking my neck out for you with as much as I'm already doing."

"I know that," he replied with a sense of calm passing over him. Negotiation was something that he knew how to deal with. "I've accepted the duties as representative of the Werewolf Alliance in exchange for your current help. If and when I regain my position as Vongola the Tenth, that won't change and I'll keep in mind what you've done for me in the future. You're welcome to a fair percentage cut for our work in the meantime as the person marketing us to other Bosses."

"I'll be satisfied with a quarter cut," he agreed with a crooked smile. "It sounds like a small cut, but I'm not going to sell the two of you cheaply. That wasn't what I was trying to say, however. In the Spring, you need to be focused entirely on training your body. In the Summer, I'll take you to Mafia Land to let people get a glimpse of you. That's when you can train your mind by catching up with current events and negotiating with the rest of your team. By Fall, you should be ready to dip your feet into the world again. In Winter, we'll make your debut in Italy. I should have everything ready by then and the last of the preparations should be complete. Is this schedule agreeable?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll jump straight to the second thing that I want to say," he replied.

"And that is...?"

"Good luck."

* * *

"How is it coming?" Tsuna asked as he wrapped his arms around Xanxus' neck. Xanxus grunted in return without taking his eyes off of his computer monitor. Despite appearances, the Sanctuary was fully equipped with modern technology. It was just all tucked away so that it wouldn't be accidentally seen by someone who wasn't prepared for it. Currently, Xanxus was working on number three on the list that they'd made together. That was to use of a generous donation from Mistress Drake to build themselves a back-up fortune. They were both sick of relying on others for financial backing and they were both well-versed in trading stocks.

"Done," Xanxus finally grinned in satisfaction. "We're up to sixy million. Another twenty and we can pay the bitch back, get you out of that engagement, and still have enough left over to start profiting for ourselves."

"What about the safe-houses?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Still working on that," he replied with a frustrated expression. "I've got the one in Namimori that you wanted and two backup houses in Italy. One of them is two blocks from my bar in No Man's Land and the other is close to a private airport. I'm already working on getting a plane stored there for us. Other than that, there's three for you to choose from in the suburbs of the Martelli Family's territory, two in Nubo's territory, two in the Bahamas and I'm looking for more options in South America, Africa, and Australia."

"I'll let you pick them out," Tsuna chuckled. "Just try to get at least one on a beach somewhere."

"What happened?" Xanxus asked with a pointed glance over his shoulder.

"Nothing much," he replied with a smile. "Lord Nephriam had some good suggestions for me. I knew that he would since he's outside of the situation. Since it's my problem, I'm not the best judge of what to do."

"That's not what I mean," he said. "What happened to make you come cling to me? You're usually hands-off outside of bed."

"Oh," Tsuna gasped in surprise as he belatedly let go of Xanxus' neck. "I didn't notice."

"You didn't have to stop," Xanxus soothed, turning around in his chair to look at Tsuna directly. "I just wanted to know what made you feel insecure."

"T-This time next year, I'll be a substitute teacher at Don Girarde," he answered with a lump forming in his throat. "H-Hotaru will be in his second year by then. My... My little boy is in high school, Xanxus. I'm not sure what to think. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was watching him spit up burnt food and now he's grown up without me. I can't imagine... I have no idea what my son is like. I've been trying to find photos and information online, but everything that I have is just a statement from Vongola Corp. I... I want to see him so badly that it hurts, but I'm afraid."

"Don't be fucking stupid," Xanxus growled with a flash of warning in his eyes. "No matter what he's like, he's your son. Most of the reason that he fucking hates you is because he's exactly like you and no one will let him live it down. He's clumsy. He whines. He acts like a spoiled brat and he's a fucking coward. Because of the damn fan club that he's got around him, he's also arrogant and has a superiority complex. I don't know what you've got in your head, but you can stop worrying over bullshit. Between me, Reborn, and that bastard Hibari, he's had sense knocked into him regularly. I will tell you that he's mature for his age, but so are most Mafia brats. Unlike others, Hotaru's maturity gets respected because of his position, but he's still just a kid that gets too fucking cocky. It's been almost four years since I taught him anything, but he can't have changed that much."

"What else?" Tsuna asked hungrily. "How did he--"

"Hold up," Xanxus interrupted. "You don't want to pull information from me. It's all old news. Why don't you go find Shamal and dig for information from him? He travels a lot, but what he knows is probably more recent."

"You're right," Tsuna nodded. "Thanks, Xanxus. Lord Nephriam told me to focus on training my body, but it's really no good. I've got to know the basics of how everyone is doing before I tear myself into pieces." Leaning over, he gave Xanxus a kiss in appreciation. "I'll see you at dinner."

"Ah," Xanxus agreed softly. "After that, you're mine for a few hours."

"Deal."

* * *

Hotaru Sawada was a sixteen years old, thoroughbred Mafia Boss. There was nothing child-like about him other than a tendency to surpress his emotions after his rocky childhood. He didn't just act tough. He had the skills to back his attitude up. Of the people that he could admire, he'd taken a liking to Naito Longchamp of all people. That influence gave him a fetish for piercings and hair dye. He had three tattoos, one of which was the Vongola coat of arms on his arm. He also already had enough scars for trophies to rival veteran Mafiosos after six attempts on his life and four serious brawls. There was no girlfriend to mention nor love interest, but the teenage boy had already learned the pleasures of sex. The fact that he secretly read shoujo manga and romance novels when he thought no one was looking gave everyone hope for the future.

Hotaru was the best when it came to negotiations, although his hyper-intuition was problematic due to teenage hormones. He was quick to show a temper when Tsuna was brought up and he was embarrassed of his mother, but the Family considered that to be a good sign that Hotaru was still connected with normal teenage anxieties. As far as fighting went, he made up for his small size with speed and momentum as if he were a bullet. His attacks tended to be straight-forward and he liked to charge through with power, but he was undefeated when his Salamander was with him.

Hayato Gokudera was a broken soldier who hid in paperwork as the acting President of Vongola Corp. When working, he was rarely seen outside of his desk and no one had seen him fight in over five years. His explosive temper had calmed with defeat and he was still burdened by the shame of failure. He was regularly held up as an example to mock, although a friendship with Lanchia had brought him some relief. Even though he was in low regard with those outside the Family, there wasn't a single person within it that wouldn't answer his orders. Vongola as a whole held him in high esteem for continuing to follow Tsuna's orders despite the scorn that was heaped upon him and he was respected by all except the sycophants that had attached themselves to Hotaru's side. His marriage to Sangia was still a solid one and he still showed a gleam of his former self when butting heads with his almost eight-year-old son, Elario.

Takeshi Yamamoto was the one out of all of Tsuna's Guardians that seemed truly retired. He played professional baseball while managing the store that his father had left him. His partnership with Matsu had been rocky for years since Tsuna's death, but the two were still together. The worrisome part was that Takeshi had supposedly given up the sword. He'd gone so far as to break his promise with Squalo by cutting his hair. He was currently seen as a sell-out, but there were some who wondered after he'd taken up his sword to temporarily go to America. No one in the Family understood what the man was thinking anymore, so the information on him was minimal.

Ryohei Sasagawa was a name that everyone knew, although there was even less information for Tsuna to recieve. He'd taken up Xanxus' position in the Varia and was known as the top assassin. He was a weapons expert and King of the Underground Ring. He could be recognized by the white and gold tanuki that followed him around, but nothing else was known. His location, well-being, and personal life was all classified information that only went through Hotaru.

The most mind boggling of all was that Lambo was twenty-one. He'd graduated high school and was currently traveling at the behest of the Bovino Family. He regularly stopped in to harass Hayato at work and to spar with Reborn. The amazing part was that he was beginning to survive the matches. He still wasn't anywhere near Reborn's level, but the years of being defeated had finally caught up to him. He had a reputation as a mature and worthy adversary, along with being the life of any party, a ladies' man, and a bachelor. He still had a bounty on his head from being the most annoying Mafioso, but the price was no longer high enough for anyone to attempt a collection since Lambo was able to give shock therapy to anyone that tried.

It all made Tsuna feel that he should have grey hairs. In comparison to the friends that he'd abandoned, it was painful to admit that he was actually doing better by himself. The only marks on his body were the three Vendiche marks. His muscles needed to be rebuilt, but the foundation was sturdier than ever. Although it hadn't been all cake and ice cream, the years away left him rested and ready to bear the weight of Vongola. It also left him with a greater understanding of both himself and the reason that Vongola existed.

"The hope for a better future," Tsuna scoffed to himself while he absently polished Jewel's shell. "I'm done with trying to pretend that I'm a god, Jewel. I'm not saying that I'm not going to keep an eye on the future, but I'm not going to waste the present in trying to twist it into the shape that I want. Sometimes a general direction is more than enough. Right now, my general direction is toward my Family. Isn't that enough?"

Click, click, bzzt, click, Jewel answered.

"Remind me to see if Venice Row has a translation program that I can get," Tsuna laughed. "Sometimes I swear that you are actually talking back to me."

Bzzt.

* * *

Tsuna sent the signal to Hurricane to move. The red ball of fire reacted instantly, flying at Xanxus in order to distract him. As expected, it didn't work. Xanxus knew that the little balls couldn't do more than sting. It might as well have been a fly for all that it mattered. That was exactly what Tsuna wanted. He waited until Xanxus was confused with the seemingly useless tactic to send his signal to Heatwave. The second ball, having silently hovered into place behind Xanxus' head, bounced in the air and jumped into Xanxus' vision. Again, Xanxus wasn't surprised. He reached up to bat the little guy away at the same time that Hurricane focused on Xanxus' eyes. Together, their primary intent was never to distract Tsuna's opponent. It was to give Tsuna an angle of entry where Xanxus couldn't see him clearly and it worked...

For the space of two steps. Xanxus darted away from the two Dango Brothers with plenty of speed to leave them behind. Tsuna sighed from the predictable outcome. The Dango Brothers tried hard, but they simply weren't meant for combat. He was just glad that Xanxus let them have their moment of victory before the real sparring session started. That way, he could praise them and keep them from getting depressed.

"Enough!" Lord Nephriam shouted as they got within striking range of each other. Neither Tsuna or Xanxus listened. They both finished their blows before jumping backwards to ensure that no lucky punches got through. "You two are pathetic," he growled when they turned to him in surprise for the interruption. "You know each other too well. I can tell from your choices of opening strikes that there's nothing unpredictable about your spars anymore. You're not even thinking about your next move because the counters are becoming habit."

"We already know," Tsuna said with a flinch for the assessment. "We could fight out the battle without ever raising a finger, but at least we get some muscle training this way."

"Stick with image training and weights for now," Lord Nephriam ordered with a glare at each of them individually. "You'll get more out of it than repeating this drivel. We're due to get two new arrivals tomorrow and one is of sufficient strength to challenge both of you. That one is the acquaintance that I wanted to work with you, Lord Sky, so you need to be prepared for introductions. She died in the line of duty, but one of her cohorts was aware of her circumstances and sent word to us after her funeral. The other was in a car crash and no one was aware that he went into hibernation. He's spent the past twelve years hiding what he is, but he was registered properly. I'll have to ask you both to please be on your best behavior while they acclimate to their new circumstances."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"No," he replied. "There's something else that you need to be working on. A Phlegm by the name of Barb is scheduled to come in two days. I'll be leaving her to you and my wife to deal with."

"Ug," Tsuna groaned. "She's going to want my blood again."

"Probably," he agreed in sympathy. "But she was better than the alternatives since you know that she can be bribed into silence. Warn the blood slaves that you've accepted. They're still free to back out at any time."

"I'll tell them," Tsuna agreed. "There's still only P-chan, but there's a few others that have been wanting to talk to me. I didn't think that a Phlegm would be coming so soon or else I would have dealt with it earlier."

"I understand," he said with a nod of acceptance. "There's no need to rush it if they're feeling doubtful. We can send for a Phlegm again in the future if you find servants that are to your tastes. The slaves in residence are gathered with the intent to find a Master that can care for them. Some sold themselves to me willingly while others were picked up at auction. All of them know that they can leave at any time without fear of retribution, but most have chosen to stay and repay their debts with their blood. If you were weak like Strife or temperamental like Welt, I'd have more concerns. Since you're not, I'll leave the decisions to you and the servants. They know the protocol."

"Do one of you want to explain all of that?" Xanxus interjected in irritation for being ignored.

"Lord Nephriam is tired of having to beg for donations to make my blood wine," Tsuna answered with a small smile. "I'd bleed you dry if I only fed from you, so Lord Nephriam passed word through the servants here that anyone who wanted to go with me would get a free ticket to being turned. They'll continue serving as blood slaves even after they're vampires until one lifetime has passed."

"Eighty years or until their first death," Lord Nephriam clarified. "It'll be a unique situation, but I've already gotten agreement from the Council. Typically, vampires above a certain strength level aren't permitted to stay in large groups of their own kind. The Nexus Houses and the Council member's Sanctuaries are the only place that it's allowed and that's only on short-term basis. I managed to wriggle around the rules for Lord Sky, however. It was generally agreed that a vampire and a werewolf paired together would not be subject to this rule since not everyone can successfully complete the dehydration training. That's why no one has tried to split apart the two of you."

"But if P-chan gets turned, there will be both Xanxus and her with me," Tsuna said in sudden concern.

"That's where another of our traditions came in handy," Lord Nephriam grinned. "It's also generally agreed to overlook the blood slaves that a vampire keeps when it's obvious that their presence is needed. Since Lord Sky is one of the strongest werewolves, it only makes sense that a single blood donor won't be enough. Just like with vampires like me, one human isn't enough, either. Therefore, I combined the pre-existing factors to propose a new rule. 'A blood slave that's been turned into a vampire in order to serve a werewolf Master will still be considered a blood slave until such time that they assert their blood rights.' In other words, even after P-chan is turned, she isn't subject to the ruling on grouping until she says that she is. It's a massive loophole that I created to begin the changes needed in our society."

"Agreed," Tsuna said before Xanxus could comment. "There's very few regulations about werewolves and I'd like to keep it that way. That's going to cause problems if we can't loosen the noose from around the necks of vampires. The eradication of Gaurdian vampire's travel restrictions was a positive step forward."

"Ah," Lord Nephriam agreed. "The only problem is that for every piece of protocol that we take down, another ten smaller ones fill its place. We don't want to backslide to how things were in the Dark Ages, but the world is a lot smaller than it used to be. It's going to take time for everyone to understand that this reprieve is only temporary unless they can prove that they're civilized enough to respond responsibly to the new freedoms."

"Is that why so many of you have connections with the Mafia?" Xanxus asked in an intuitive leap.

"Exactly right," he said with another secretive smile. "We've been working for generations to infiltrate the Mafia. Slowly, the Bosses are being informed of our existence so that we can one day hand regulation over to humans entirely. A long time ago, the Hunters were created for that purpose. The plan was to create a triumvirate between the pureblood Council, humans, and the Mafia. We believed that it would be a fair system where we could finally live openly in peace."

"The Hunters didn't accept it," Tsuna supplied.

"Correct," Lord Nephriam sighed. "Since we were the ones that raised the Hunters, we gave them the information on the methods to subdue us in belief that the new system would only be balanced if humans had the strength to stand as equals with us. We were naive. The fault lies with a single man that was unwilling to understand our ways. He believed that positive motes should be allowed to evolve, even though history shows that humans can be corrupted by good as much as they can by evil. He killed all of those who disagreed with his ideas until only three of the original Hunters were left and those three Hunters went on to form three separate Clans.

The first is the Hunter Clan that your kamikaze girl came out of. The rest of that group aren't quite as fanatical since the founding lunatic is long dead, but they're still the active warriors who find us to be unholy monsters. They hate us, but they only target those who are rogue since anything more would force us to combine our efforts to wipe them out. They are currently reflecting on their own self-restraint in fear of retribution for having crossed the line of tolerance, so there should be no problem there. The second Hunter Clan is made up of craftsmen. Those are actually weapons makers who specialize in tools to kill us. We keep a close eye on them, too, since it's not unheard of for them to stoop to kidnapping to have someone to test their creations on. The last is a Clan of historians. The founder of that one was actually a peaceful man who survived because he wasn't foolhardy enough to oppose the lunatic when he was winning. They record our activities and the activities of the other Clans, but they are pacifists. We actually deal with them quite frequently since they are neutral in the fighting. You're likely to see Hunters in Italy, but there's no reason to fear them."

"Don't blame the tree because of a few bad apples, blame the weather...?" Tsuna supplied in amusement for the warning.

"Exactly," he nodded. "And with that, I believe you two have been lectured enough for today. Once our two newcomers are settled in and rested, I'll be beginning a daily class to ensure that the four of you know the entire history of our society, both past and present. For now, it's good enough that you trust my word that a vampiric blood-slave will go unmentioned. Things are going to be busy from here forward. P-chan will need her own set of lessons and Lord Laswick is sending me two slaves from his Sanctuary who are going to be under a matching contract."

"There's more?" Tsuna blurted in surprise.

"You're the strongest werewolf, Lord Sky," he chuckled. "But you're not the only strong one. You don't have time to worry about the affairs of others. You need to make things right in your own household first. P-chan will be lonely if she's by herself and I'm not in the habit of sending servants to Masters who aren't concerned with their well-being."

"I understand," Tsuna replied with a soft smile. Lord Nephriam was hiding it very well, but Tsuna could tell that he was worried about the girl. If he didn't, he wouldn't have learned her makeshift name so quickly. "I'll go right now to speak with Aster."

"Aster," Lord Nephriam repeated with his eye twitching. "He's not a bad choice. He's a little stoic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's why I was having him trained as a butler. He can be composed no matter who appears. I'm not sure if you'll be able to get him to agree to serve you, though."

"Why is that?"

"You'll figure it out quickly enough," Lord Nephriam replied with a small bow. "If you'll excuse me, I need to make sure that the pools are being filled correctly." Tsuna quickly bowed in return and mumbled both his apologies for delaying him and his farewells. It wasn't until he was gone that Tsuna raised an eyebrow in askance at Xanxus.

"It's not like I can stop you," Xanxus said in a tone of resignation. "I'll go back and check the realtor listings again while you're investigating. We still haven't picked our main residence in Italy."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied with a wide smile. "I can watch a movie with you later to make up for it. I heard of a really good from P-chan that came out while we were sleeping."

"It's fine," he murmured with a strangely subdued expression. "You won't stop until you're satisfied, so get it over with."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsuna asked defensively.

"P-chan is your latest fixation," he growled in reply. "You... You're a fucking matchmaker. You lock onto someone and you can't leave them alone until you're satisfied that they're happy." Tsuna choked at the accusation, but his intuition flared before he could bite out a retort.

"I get it," he said with a knowing grin. "You're jealous."

"I don't get jealous," he snapped. Tsuna didn't believe it for an instant. Darting forward, he caught Xanxus completely unawares with a light kiss to the tip of his nose before skipping backwards out of range again.

"I'll get fixated on you next, so look forward to it," he teased. In response, Xanxus stared blankly in a way that Tsuna recognized as his way of blushing. It was over quickly, but Tsuna took great pleasure in getting such a reaction.

"Do what you want," he growled in a predictable flash of irritation as he turned to storm toward the manor. Tsuna watched him retreat and barely stopped himself from laughing when Xanxus didn't look back only once, but twice. After the second time, the steam coming off of his head from being caught was enough to make Tsuna pity the next person that Xanxus came in contact with.

"Oi," Tsuna called to the two firey dumplings that were bouncing against each other in a private sparring match to pass the time. "Let's go. I've got a servant to track down."

* * *

Tsuna slowly figured it out, just like Lord Nephriam said that he would. To put it simply, Aster had absolutely no social skills. It wasn't just that he was stoic. It was that he had trouble interacting with other humans entirely. Everyone that Tsuna spoke with said the same things about the man. Those that were neutral toward him merely said that he was quiet, emotionless, and hard to talk to. Those that disliked him said that he was stuck-up, over-bearing, and robotic. There was one that actually seemed to admire him, though, and she had very different things to say.

"He's really a wonderful person," P-chan explained while she continued to dust the empty shelves of Tsuna's Vault. "People say that he's hard to talk to, but that's just because he doesn't waste words. If he doesn't have an opinion, then he doesn't say anything. When he does have an opinion, he doesn't try to force it on others. That's why a lot of people think that he's stuck up or distant. For example, what would you say if I asked you 'what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?'"

"I'd say omelettes, sausage, and rice," he answered carefully.

"If I asked Aster that, he's just say 'food' with that serious look on his face," she said with a chuckle. "He's not trying to be mean or anything when he answers like that, but a lot of people are put off by it. The way that he thinks is just different. 'Food' would be the answer that he'd be satisfied with, so that's the answer that he'd give to others."

"You mentioned before that he wants to be a vampire," Tsuna prompted.

"He does," she confirmed. "I think that it's the right thing for him, too. He doesn't say it, but I think he's more aware than anyone that he doesn't fit in with regular people. Lord Nephriam has enrolled him in a public college to give him an opportunity to socialize with people outside of our world, but that's not what Aster wants. He wants to be able to freely speak with the people that he respects and admires. Not as a blood-slave, but as an equal."

"Then why is he hesitating?" Tsuna asked in confusion.

"I don't know, m'Lord," she murmured with a worried look on her face. "When I ask him about it, he just says that he's still thinking about it. I think that he's scared of something, but I can't think of what it could be. I thought that it was because he was scared that you'd turn out to be like Welt, but that's not it."

"I guess it comes down to confronting him after all," Tsuna sighed. "You said that he was at the community college...?"

"Yes, m'Lord," she squeaked in surprise. "Don't tell me that you plan to--!"

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed. "I'll go clear it with Lord Nephriam, so see what you can do about getting me a car prepared."

* * *

"This is so embarrassing, m'Lord," P-chan whined with a red face. Tsuna smirked at her while she tried to push down her skirt to better cover her stockings. At the manor, no one looked twice at the servant's outfits. Not only was it completely commonplace for them, but the residents had other things to think about. The effect that it had to outsiders was completely different. She was getting more attention than what she knew how to deal with. The funny part was that only a quarter of the attention was on P-chan. The bulk of everyone's gaze rested on the cowboy wearing a mask next to her. "How can you ignore all the stares?!"

"I wonder," Tsuna murmured when the question resonated a curious chord within him. Even as Vongola the Tenth, he'd always been so concerned with appearances. His time as Laz had changed him more than he thought. Thinking back to the embarrassment of being stared at while he was doing pantomime and the disgusting attention when he'd done his impersonations at Kink's, something like being looked at because of a mask didn't make him feel embarrassed at all.

"Oh!" P-chan exclaimed as another exodus of people started streaming into the college's courtyard. "There he is! He's the one with the blue shirt on and the black tie. A--!"

"Hold on," Tsuna interjected before she could call out to get Aster's attention. P-chan looked up at him in surprise, but his entire focus was on his target. He was smaller than expected. After being called stoic and robotic, he'd expected someone that was built strongly enough to withstand the hardships of such an outlook. Aster was the complete opposite. He seemed small and almost frail. It made Tsuna understand why he'd been named after a flower. As far as looks went, he was positively pretty. He had everything from long eyelashes to alabaster skin. Even worse, Tsuna recognized his scent in the crowd. It was one of many in the manor that made him want to shudder in hunger and walk the other direction simply to keep himself from biting someone else's property.

And he wasn't even a vampire yet!

"He's pure," Tsuna murmured while he watched Aster interacting with his classmates. There were several surrounding him and Tsuna's ears perked to hear them speaking about a group assignment that had to do with sociology. Just as P-chan warned, all of his comments were short and monotone. Despite his fair looks, he was just as stiff as everyone had described. His facial features never twitched and his eyes stayed a clear, calm tone. He almost seemed soul-less, except for one quality that Tsuna noticed quickly. Aster was sweating from effort. "Let's go," Tsuna ordered.

Walking forward in a purposeful stride, P-chan clumsily chased after him. Tsuna didn't wait. He didn't concern himself with the people staring at them. He kept his eyes on his goal and side-stepped everything in his way with all the grace that he had to muster. He was within twenty yards when Aster finally noticed his presence and he was pushing past his classmates before he could react. Moving purely by intuition, he grabbed Aster's wrist, raised it above his head, and struck before anyone knew what was going on.

The sound of Aster's laughter as he was tickled was worth it.

"Robotic, my ass," Tsuna scoffed before Aster's classmates could move. "You seem normal enough to me." Dropping the young man's wrist, Tsuna waited for a response. Aster didn't give one, though. He just stared in a way that Tsuna's gut said was shock despite the lack of expression on his face. "You could say hello," Tsuna prodded.

"Good evening, m'Lord," he replied with a flawless bow. He didn't miss a beat, which made Tsuna even more interested in him. There was no unnecessary reaction at all, although Tsuna knew that he was capable of it from his response to being tickled.

"I admire your self-control," Tsuna said with a small bow of his own. "You could probably teach me a thing or two. I'm going to get right down to business, Aster. I'm here to find out why you've been hesitating. Do you dislike me?"

"No, m'Lord."

"Skip the title," Tsuna ordered with a grimace for how his classmates eyes widened in shock. "You're not working right now and I'm the one who has intruded. Is the contract not to your liking?"

"No."

"Then what reason do you have for me?" Tsuna asked while he tried to keep his temper in check.

"It's rude," he answered simply.

"Why is it rude? You're not being forced. Lord Nephriam asked properly," Tsuna replied in confusion. It was a confusion that didn't last long. The smallest flutters of Aster's eyelid explained everything while the guy tried to find the correct words. "You're right," Tsuna soothed. "Asking you to contract to a person that you haven't met is very rude. Please accept my apologies. I made assumptions."

"Not... it..." he mumbled under his breathe. Tsuna raised an eyebrow in askance and decided to try something different. Rather than pushing for an answer, he waited patiently in silence. The silence was drawn out until he felt ready to snap, but the wait was worth it. Aster finally spoke of his own will. "Lord Nephriam wants me to be expressive. It's rude to ignore his wishes." Tsuna stared for a long moment while he put the rest of the pieces together for himself. The attitude at the manor was normally a reserved one. Aster was under the mistaken impression that vampires were all calm, collected, and had incredible self-control. He was afraid that, by becoming a vampire, his self-control would become strong to the point that he would never respect the wishes of the man who'd taken him in.

"In that case, why don't you chose a different path than P-chan?" Tsuna suggested softly. "She wishes to follow the same path as King, but you can choose the path that I've taken." Tsuna smiled while Aster's chin dropped in what could only be another shocked expression. He was basically telling the man to become a werewolf instead of a vampire. The blood would still be good enough for Tsuna to use and the psychological differences between the two would be a boon for someone like Aster. His self-control would have a purpose.

"But... they're not equal," he said after another stretched pause.

"Says who?" Tsuna growled. Aster's head snapped up to show a set of eyes that were filled with doubt for once. "We're different, but I won't let anyone say that we're the lesser ones. No matter how hard you try, you'll never stand as Lord Nephriam's equal if you try for the same arena. Rather than try to be something that you're not, you need to take more pride in what you are. Do you want to be a red fish or a blue fish in a sea of red? I'm going to change things, Aster. The blue fish have been trying to change their colors for too long. I'm not going to leave them as scattered outcastes to be preyed on for being different anymore. Since you've felt their pain, I think your colors would shine brightly among us. It's your choice, though. Whether to come with me or stay here... Whether to follow King's path or my own... I can't choose for you. Only you can decide what future will make you happy."

Nodding to himself in satisfaction of his speech, he decided to let Aster have time to think. It wasn't that Aster had no emotions, after all. He just had trouble recognizing them quickly enough to express them. That was the reason for his delays in speech. His self-control came in at that point, keeping him from awkwardly delayed reactions. The lack of facial expressions was merely a by-product.

"Lord Sky--!" Aster exclaimed when Tsuna turned to walk away. Tsuna stopped immediately and turned in surprise to see Aster's face turning red as if his head were about to explode.

"A-Aster...?" P-chan gasped in surprise from behind him.

"I want to go with you!" He blurted. Tsuna was sure that the sound of a fuse popping was only in his imagination, but Aster acted as if it'd been real. His face went blank again, although his mouth parted with his internal shock. His mouth wasn't the only one that opened. The jaws of his classmates dropped in awe at his outburst and Tsuna felt himself gaping. "I... said it," he mumbled tonelessly.

"Pfft," Tsuna laughed. He couldn't help but laugh. Aster was ten times better than anything that he could have hoped for. The second-hand descriptions of him didn't do the real him any justice. "Yes, you did," he agreed happily. "That means that you're mine now," he teased. Reaching out, he snatched Aster up by the waist and threw him over his shoulder before the little man could reply. It was probably embarrassing for him, but that was the very reason that he did it. He wanted to see Aster blow a fuse again! Aster didn't need classrooms and assignments to teach him how to socialize. He needed a friend who wasn't afraid to push him to his limits.

"M'lord--!" P-chan exclaimed. "What are you--"

"We're going home," he decided with a broad grin. "This calls for a celebration!"

"A celebration...?" Aster mumbled without fighting Tsuna's hold on him.

"Of course," Tsuna replied while he started walking toward the car that was waiting in the parking lot for them. Once again, he completely ignored the stares of the gawkers that were taking their time in going home. He did it because he could hear Aster's heartbeat racing from embarrassment. "You might be contracting to serve me, but I'd really like it if we could be friends, too. You're supposed to celebrate with friends when something good happens."

"Friends...?" He repeated softly.

"Is that okay?" Tsuna asked curiously. "I know that you really look up to the people you serve, but I think that we're already equals and I don't care what anyone else says. There's nothing wrong with how you are. It's them that doesn't have the patience to see how amazing you can be. Whether you choose to stay stoic or become more expressive in the future, it doesn't change who you are. I want to be friends no matter what face you show me because P-chan was right. Aster is a wonderful person."

"Lord Sky," P-chan growled. Tsuna flinched with a glance back to see that she'd went into Oni-mode. "You've said too much."

"I think I better run," Tsuna choked in laughter. Picking up his pace, P-chan started running after him while shouting admonishments about abusing the privacy of his servants. Tsuna stayed just far enough ahead to keep her running while he darted back and forth across the parking lot until she finally seemed to run out of steam.

It was a needed reprieve.

"Thank you," Aster mumbled when Tsuna finally put him down so that they could get in the car. He seemed completely composed, but Tsuna nodded with an understanding smile. The wet spot on his back could stay their little secret. Aster wasn't hesitating anymore and the matter of his main servants was settled. There was definitely a reason to celebrate.


	97. Chapter 97 Phase One Wrap Up

Author's notes: Three cheers for our new beta-reader, Mallet-sama! Now that I don't have to proofread everything three times over, I might be able to keep up a little more.

* * *

"Cheri...?" Tsuna gaped as soon as he stepped into the dining area.

"Tsuna...?" Cheri gaped from her seat at the table.

"What are you doing here?" They blurted in unison with matching expressions of shock under their masks. This wasn't what Tsuna had expected when he'd been warned that the newcomers were recovered enough to join them for lunch.

"Wait!" Tsuna spluttered in shock as Cheri's statement registered in his mind. "You recognize me?!"

"That's what I should be asking!" She shot back. "How could you tell--! No," she amended. "It's stupid to ask how when you're Vongola the Tenth—the man who is said to be able to see through people."

"How did you know it was me?!" Tsuna blurted, taking several steps forward in panic. "Is there something wrong with my disguise? Is it my voice or maybe--"

"I recognize people by their potential strength," she answered calmly. Tsuna felt a lump form in his throat at the words while he stared into the two deep, blue whirlpools that her golden eyes had changed to. "You don't have to worry about your disguise. I know from experience that a mask can be far more effective than it can seem. People subconsciously assume that the person wearing one is someone that they don't know and the presence of it distracts them from questioning any lingering hints that might remain. Even when they do recognize your hair or your personality or some other small thing, they'll just say that you remind them of someone that they know. In your case, you could probably go without a mask entirely. You aren't anything like the person in my memories."

"Are you calling me a disappointment?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Yes," she replied bluntly. "You got weak."

"Which brings us to the reason that I asked you to come," Lord Nephriam interjected. "Lord Sky, please take a seat," he directed with a wave of his hand toward the empty chair that was waiting for him. "I'd like to leave any planning until after the meal, so let us get introductions out of the way first. King, if you'd like to start."

"Registered as King," he replied as he reached up to take his mask off. Cheri looked unsurprised and the other newcomer simply looked curious. "I was an independent assassin working for the Vongola Family before I died. Hobbies include drinking, Tai Chi, and online gaming. I was turned by choice. That good enough?"

"That's fine," Lord Nephriam stated as he waved for Magnolia to go next.

"Magnolia," she greeted as she removed her fur-lined mask. "I was also turned by choice. It was better than the alternative. I was a Mafia Boss' mistress before I died and my hobbies include singing and reading. If either of you ever want to talk, feel free to come to me. I've seen many pass through here in my time and I enjoy trading stories with people."

"Sky," Tsuna supplied when the eyes turned to him. Taking off his own white mask, he absently tossed it onto the table as he continued. "Formerly known as Tsunayoshi Sawada, but I was known as Suoh Lazarus Timberson when I died. I'm registered as a Guardian-level werewolf and I'm currently working to prepare myself to take up the task of a delegate for the Werewolf Alliance. My plans also include attempting to regain my position as Vongola the Tenth. Of course, whether or not that is feasible is still under consideration. My hobbies include pantomime, juggling, video games, and baking. I also gamble, help charity, and play the saxophone. I won't really have time to chit-chat, but I'd like to help out if I can. I was turned by accident when I was serving as a blood slave for a friend of mine. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but I've come to terms with what I've become."

"Registered as the Physician," Shamal said flippantly when Tsuna finished. "A vampire sneezed on me and I got turned. I haven't died yet. I'm just hiding out here until my ex-girlfriend stops trying to kill me. I--"

"You can't become a vampire through a sneeze," Cheri interrupted.

"I know," Shamal grinned. "But that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'll be happy to give you the details to the real story later, but you'll have to go out for drinks with me."

"Shamal..." Tsuna groaned. "Don't hit on her when you're hiding for your life from another woman. If you make Cheri mad, she won't give you a chance to hide."

"Cheri is dead," she corrected quietly. Tsuna grimaced when she reached up to remove her mask. Her skin was a pale white from more than her recent death. It was white from years of hiding her face under a Vendiche mask. She'd aged beautifully, though. He could hardly connect her with the nerdy little Japanese-loving fangirl that she once was. Experience was etched into every line of her face and the hardened look in her eyes was sharp. It made him wonder how her life had been since she'd left to enter the ranks of the Mafia Judges. "I'm registered as Wildcard. I was a Vendiche before I died. I was turned during an assignment from... From our leader. I won't go into details, but our target had befriended a group of rogue vampires and I screwed up. I died after a joint request from our leader and Lord Nephriam when my blood lust got the better of me on three separate occasions. My only hobby is fighting. It's been years since I've had time for anything else."

"I guess that just leaves me," the last man mumbled shyly when Lord Nephriam waved to encourage him. He reached up to take off his mask, but he was considerably nondescript compared to the gathering of Mafiosos that were present. "I... uh... I don't know my registered name."

"Bob," Lord Nephriam supplied with a crooked grin.

"Oh," Bob blushed. "I guess that fits. I'm not special like any of you people. I'm not a mafia guy or anything like that. I was just a simple fisherman with a little shack down on the coast. A... um... whatchacallit... Flam..."

"Phlegm," Lord Nephriam corrected gently.

"Right, a Phlegm Changed me," he nodded. "I found him all beaten up and unconscious in a cave along the shore where I usually went to hunt for crabs. I got a bit beat up myself while I was carrying him home, on account of it being so rocky. Patching him up seemed like the right thing to do, so I did it without knowing what he was. When he woke up, my eyes had already turned red and he apologized over and over again. He stuck around and helped me get set up with Lord Nephriam since I'd went to the trouble to patch him up and hide him. After that, my life changed for the better, so I'm not too mad about it. This second sight is really handy. I could see where the fishing was good and my business got really successful since I could always catch something. I got married and we adopted since I couldn't have kids. Everything was going real fine for me, but then I got in a nasty car wreck. I'm told that I went through the windshield and over a cliff, but I can't remember any of it. All I remember is dodging a damn cat and hitting the guardrail at eighty miles an hour. I guess I should have worn a seat belt, but I wasn't thinking that I'd die. I was just going out to pick up some popcorn since we'd rented movies."

"Bob is being modest," Lord Nephriam commented. "It's true that he's lived a simple life, but his ability to see life energy is one of the best. He's able to see for up to five miles and he can occasionally pick up flashes of memory within stronger motes. I'm told that he's been a great asset to the police on several occasions."

"I just help when I can," he mumbled sheepishly. "I've sinned a few times in my life, but it's never been anything that I felt that I should be damned for. That's why I've never thought that being turned was anything other than a gift. I told myself that I'd only be selfish with it until I got a sign that it was time for me to leave the quiet life behind me. After that, I'd use my gifts for the greater good. I guess dying counts as a sign."

"Indeed," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "I'll be holding you here for some time until I make sure that you know our customs, but we can get you set up as a wandering exorcist after that. Hopefully, during your travels, you'll find what direction you want to go the next time that you feel like taking a rest again." Bob nodded, smiling in agreement as Lord Nephriam gestured for them to hide their faces again.

One by one, the masks were put in place. Tsuna took a moment to notice how different each one was. He'd thought that Lord Nephriam had been making fun of him by making his mask into that of a white fox, but it wasn't teasing. Actually, their masks gave more information about them than their expressions probably would.

Magnolia's white mask was lined in soft fur to show her gentle nature. Xanxus' mask was a rough-looking piece that went over his eyes like someone was in the process of making a mold of his face. The sharp edges were a warning that people should be careful in dealing with him. Cheri's mask seemed more like a helm than anything, which reflected her warrior spirit. As for Bob, his mask was just as white as the others, but it was embossed with designs that made it so that Tsuna could only think of watching fireworks on a beach. It made him wonder what Lord Nephriam was trying to say by making Tsuna's mask into a fox. Foxes were known for cunning and being sneaky, but there was more to him than that.

"King," Lord Nephriam began as the servants started bringing their meals forward. "Have you found a blood slave yet?" Tsuna's head snapped up at the question and he stared in surprise. Xanxus was looking for a blood slave? Since when?

"Don't need one," he replied without taking his attention off of his meal. "They'd just get in the way and I like to go light on the luggage."

"That is your choice to make," Lord Nephriam sighed. "But I should warn you, where you're going, people will notice if you feed. There are as many Hunters in the Mafia as Vampires and Hunters know what to look for. Showing off your strength as a vampire is one thing, but it can also become your weakness if what you are becomes widely known. I can just imagine the consequence if a Hunter slips the right tools to one of your opponents."

"I'll be fine," he grunted.

"If you feed in public and it's noticed, you might blow my cover, too," Tsuna commented softly. "It might not be a bad thing to--"

"I don't need it," he growled with a dark glance in Tsuna's direction. Tsuna got the picture immediately. Xanxus was being pig-headed and acting tough. He wasn't even listening to reason. He was just scared of being responsible for another person. That was fine, Tsuna thought. He had an answer for that. Forgetting his lunch, he drew his weapon, aimed and fired without saying a single word. Bob went flying out of his chair at the gunshot, but most of the others only paused in their meals. Lord Nephriam and Cheri were the only two that were completely unaffected by the attack. They continued eating while Xanxus stared down at the wound in his chest with his jaw hanging open.

"You shot me!" Xanxus exclaimed.

"I missed the organs," Tsuna replied with a shrug. "Stop being so childish. Don't think that I'm just going to let you borrow P-chan and Aster whenever you want. You need a blood slave for yourself. Unless you can give me a better reason than 'I don't need it'—when you obviously do—then I'm going to keep shooting you until you agree to find one that will put up with you."

"Fine," he grumbled as he dug into his chest for the bullet. He was fairly quick about it although his white uniform coat was already covered in blood. Tsuna dropped his barriers to give Xanxus a silent invitation to feed. Tsuna felt his energy plucked from him with a jarring tug that was only slightly less disorienting than Tsuna remembered, but Xanxus' wound closed quickly after it. With the lesson over, Tsuna returned his weapon to his hip while he put his barriers back in place. His stomach rumbled at the scent of Xanxus' blood in the air, but a servant quickly provided them both with a glass of blood wine to take the edge off.

"King," Lord Nephriam groaned. "You're still feeding like a horse with a carrot. Is it that difficult for you to learn how to be gentle?"

"I was being gentle," he grumbled as he started digging into his lunch again. Tsuna followed suit, although he felt the need to empty three glasses of wine in quick succession due to the way that he could feel his self-control slipping. The food in front of him seemed like mere bread and water compared to Xanxus' tantalizing scent.

"Bob," Lady Italia called gently. "It's safe to sit down. Lord Sky won't pull his weapon on anyone here other than King. We normally wouldn't allow that much, but they have a special relationship."

"Sorry about that," Tsuna added with a glance over at the dumbfounded fisherman. "King is too egotistical for his own good. When his high horse starts bucking, I've got to shoot it out from under him or else we'll all get trampled. You don't have to worry about me aiming at you. I'm not one to pull a trigger lightly. It's just that I've just figured out that a bullet is the only way to get King's attention without him back-talking."

"I-I see," Bob mumbled as he slowly inched back towards his chair. Everyone was silent until he hesitantly regained his seat.

"What kind of slave would you prefer?" Lord Nephriam asked as if the whole incident had never occurred.

"Male," Xanxus grunted.

"Any particular reason?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It'd be abuse to throw a beer bottle at a woman," Tsuna supplied with a sigh. "He knows that I'd kill him if he did something like that to me, P-chan, or Aster, but his own servant should be aware of the risks. If you want to help him narrow down his choices, then he needs someone with a hard head."

"Can't you break him of that?" Lord Nephriam mumbled with his head bowed in defeat. "I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to serve someone like that."

"Nope," Tsuna replied in sympathy. "I could shoot him all I want, but it wouldn't do any good. He's like a rampaging bull when he's pissed off. Even I would get a bottle thrown at me if I was the only one around at the wrong time. He'd pay for it, but it wouldn't stop him from throwing it."

"Do you two think that you could stop fucking talking about me like I'm not here?" Xanxus growled as he stabbed his fork into his meal.

"I hate to interrupt before King gets shot again," Cheri interjected in irritation. Tsuna looked at her in confusion when he saw the baby spoon that she was holding up in front of her. A glance at his own set of silverware showed that it was sized normally, but both of the newcomers had shrunken ones. Now that he noticed it, their meals were different too; they both only had a broth to eat. "If this is some kind of initiation, I don't get it."

"It's not," Xanxus replied with a grimace of pain. It made Tsuna wonder what exactly he'd missed. "It's to keep you from eating too fast."

"Indeed," Lord Nephriam smiled. "Even then, I suggest that you go slowly. Both of your bodies have regenerated, but the stomach tends to need a jump-start after so long without food. My ancestors actually believed that it's degradation during hibernation was a natural cycle of our evolution so that we could subside without physical meals. You can't make something out of nothing, though, and all of those that tried to make use of that evolution ended up dying. Bathing you in blood gives you something to use to repair yourselves as if it were an infusion, but your internal organs are still being rehabilitated. Eating is necessary to give your body material to use in finishing that process. It's a bit of a Catch Twenty-two, but there is a narrow door of escape. Eat slowly and carefully. It even took King three hours to finish his first meal without having an upheaval, so don't try to rush yourselves."

"I didn't have to do that," Tsuna objected in confusion while Cheri and Bob looked at their bowls in a new light.

"A werewolf resurrection is more difficult than a vampire's," Lady Italia replied softly. "The vampire's process heavily relies on their ability to psychically vamp energy. Since we don't have that ability, we had to do the process in reverse. Your stomach was the first to be repaired and we infused the energy into you by using that as a medium."

"Speaking of werewolves," Lord Nephriam murmured conversationally. "Aster finally came to me with his decision, but it seems that he wants to purposely sabotage his change so that he can become a werewolf. It was quite surprising. I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing. I tried to talk him out of it, but he's far more determined than I've ever seen him. What exactly did you say to him?"

"Nothing," Tsuna replied with a secretive smile. "The little runt just has a lot more ambition than people give him credit for. If he wants to be a werewolf even after he's informed of the differences between us, then you should let him. He's a rarity in personality, purity, and features, but he's long past the age where he needs to be sheltered. He's an adult with a mind of his own. Rather than treating him like a child, he's at the point where he just needs to embrace who he is. I understand that you treat all of your servants as precious, but you're only holding them back by making things too easy for them, Lord Nephriam."

"That's pretty harsh coming from you," Shamal interjected while Lord Nephriam stared in surprise. "You used to be the same way."

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed sadly. "I wanted everyone to have the easy life. I thought that it would be possible to go back to a time where it was only fireworks and festivals, so I tried to drag everyone with me. I've grown up since then, Shamal. That's why I said that it might not be feasible for me to return at all. I'm not the same Tsuna that I used to be. My experiences as Lazarus are still with me. With the Dragons... With the Dragons, I finally realized that those happy times can't be given to anyone. Each person has to have the determination to take it for themselves. If I just hand it to them, it'll never last for more than a moment because there's no reason to hold it tightly when they didn't put their own sweat and tears into grabbing hold."

"Joshua," Xanxus supplied quietly.

"Ah," Tsuna agreed. "It wasn't easy since we both worked so hard. There were never any festivals for us, but I still consider it a very happy time. We snatched happiness in every moment that we could. We were able to do that because, even though it was hard, we could take pride in what we achieved. If someone just handed it to us, I don't think that we would have appreciated our time together as much as we did. I know now that, as a Boss, it's not my job to grant happiness. It's just my job to keep others from removing the opportunities for it. In the past, I tried to be an overprotective Father for everyone. I watched over every detail of my children's lives as if I had a right to control it. My way of thinking is different now. I can't fix all of my children's problems for them. All I can do is create a safe haven where they can go when they're in over their head. They'll never find happiness if I do everything for them. I can already guess how much of Vongola has fallen apart because of the mindset that I once had."

"It's pretty bad," Shamal confirmed. "Without you around to supervise everyone, things have been tough. Hotaru is trying hard, but the Family isn't as united as it used to be."

"It's because I made it too easy for everyone," Tsuna replied with a shrug. "I took everything on myself and my subordinates only learned how to follow blindly. It's the worst lesson that I could have taught them. If I can go back, I'm going to change that, Shamal. I want to give them the strength to survive on their own and I want them to regain pride in themselves. I want Aster to learn the same lesson. If he's going to achieve his ambitions, he has to have the determination to do it for himself. I'll open the door, but he's got to be the one to walk through it."

"I can see why you think that you might not be able to go back," Shamal said as he polished off the last bite of his lunch. "It's what Vongola needs, but it's definitely not what they want. They're too used to your old methods."

"I know," he replied. "But my new methods hold true for me, too. If the door opens, I'll walk through it. If it doesn't..."

"You haven't thought that far," Cheri smirked.

"I guess not," Tsuna laughed to lighten the mood. "I'm not in the habit of planning for failure anymore. If I did, I'd be too scared to do anything. I'll figure it all out later. Right now, I think it's more important that I concentrate on the room that I'm in instead of getting distracted by doors that are still locked. There's still a lot of preparation to do. I need to train and I need to research as much as I can. Walking blindly into the situation with no strength would be suicidal."

"I'm guessing that's why Lord Nephriam sent a request for me," Cheri sighed.

"Exactly," Lord Nephriam confirmed happily. "Lord Sky is in desperate need of training and I don't have anyone on hand who can bring out his full potential. If anyone can do it, you can. It'll help you with your self-control, too. If you can slowly get used to fighting someone of Lord Sky's strength, lesser opponents won't be a hazard for you anymore."

"I'm willing to try," she replied as her gaze dropped to her soup bowl. "It's not like it can hurt at this point."

"Um..." Bob interjected. "I don't really get what you've been talking about, but do you guys want to improve yourselves?"

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed.

"Then why don't I help the guy that got shot," he offered, chucking a thumb in Xanxus' direction. "I don't know what you guys have been teaching him, but his method for vamping is all wrong. I can show him a much better way than how he's doing it."

"Can you teach him how to vamp a rose without killing it?" Lord Nephriam asked as Xanxus' head popped up.

"A rose..." he mumbled in thought. "No, not a rose," he said with a small shake of his head. "I've never tried it on roses."

"Then, it's no good," he replied in apology. "Unless he--"

"But I can teach him how to vamp a leaf off a tree without killing it," he continued, making Lord Nephriam choke. "Would that be good enough?"

"If you can do that, then yes," he said breathlessly. "It should be plenty. How long do you think it'll take?"

"Hmm," he murmured. Setting his spoon down, he tapped his head and used his fingers to count while the thought. An air of expectation rose across the dining hall while Xanxus merely sat in shock. "About four or five, I'd say."

"We don't have that long," Tsuna grimaced in disappointment. "Is there any way that you can cut it down? Four or five months--"

"Not months," he laughed. "Hell, he'd have to be downright stupid for it to take that long. I was talking minutes, Mister." Tsuna felt his jaw drop in unison with Lord Nephriam. There was no possible way for him to learn it that quickly.

"Can you do it now?" Xanxus asked in shock.

"Sure," he shrugged. "It's not hard once you've figured out the concept. Um... I just got to think about how to put it into terms that you can understand. See, I'm a fisherman, but I don't think you'd get it if I said that you can't use a lure when you should be using a bobber."

"You're right," he said with a confused expression. "I don't get it."

"Do you fight any?" He asked curiously. "Can you throw a punch?"

"Yes," Xanxus answered without a single drop of mockery or arrogance in his voice.

"Oh, then this should be easy," he said as he stood up and gestured for Xanxus to step away from the table with him. Holding up a single hand, he gave his orders. "Go ahead and punch my hand, but don't leave a bruise."

"Eh?" Xanxus gaped.

"You'll get it after you punch," he said. "Just punch without leaving a bruise or breaking any bones."

"Alright," he replied with his confusion deepening. Despite his confusion, he was willing to play along. That alone told Tsuna how frustrated he was with his training. He was willing to take advice and go so far as to take an extra lesson. Even so, Tsuna grimaced when he raised his fist to punch. Bob didn't know who he was dealing with. His hand was about to be blown into unusable pieces. At least, that's what Tsuna thought until Xanxus' fist hit Bob's hand with a soft smack that left him undamaged.

"Oh," Xanxus gasped in surprise. Pulling back his fist, he stared at his hand as if it weren't his own and Tsuna stared with a complete lack of comprehension. Xanxus figured something out, but it wasn't anything that Tsuna could understand. "That's it?"

"Yup," Bob nodded as he went to sit back down. "You've been punching all the way through to the center before you pull in energy, but you need to stop when you just get to the glow or the 'skin'. When Mister Sky over there took down his barrier, I noticed that his aura covered the whole room but you still yanked until you got a chunk of his core. That's like punching to break bones that are as hard as steel. A leaf in a tree has really fragile bones, so I'm guessing that a rose is the same way. It's easy to break them and enough broken bones means that you kill 'em. The whole idea is to punch without breaking anything. Since you can do that, you just got to apply it to vamping. The feeling is the same."

"I don't see how that's any different than what I've been telling him," Lord Nephriam murmured. "I've already told him multiple times to be gentle."

"No offense, your Lordship," Bob grimaced. "But being gentle is a relative term. For a guy who didn't show pain even when he was shot, gentleness for him is probably a lot different than you or me. It's better if he has an explanation that he can see and feel."

"From the look on King's face, I'd say that you have the makings of a teacher," Lord Nephriam murmured in thought. "I know that this is presumptuous of me, but would the two of you mind training together? You've never fought, so some self-defense lessons would be good if you're going to travel and I have no doubts that King would learn faster from you than me."

"I'm fine with that," Bob grinned. "For all that I was talking about punching I've never really thrown one that didn't make someone laugh."

"Is that okay with you, King?" Lord Nephriam prompted.

"It's fine," he mumbled with a dazed look still on his face.

"Wonderful," he exclaimed with a broad smile. "Now that the teams are set up, I can turn my focus to other matters. I'll be looking forward to all of your progress."

* * *

"Are both of you sure about this?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "There's no turning back once it's done." P-chan nodded and smoothed down the clothes that he'd chosen for his servants' uniform. Of course, he'd talked to P-chan and Aster about the choices until they'd settled on ones that they were all satisfied with. The one that they'd decided on was simple and modest without being stiff or informal. Lord Nephriam had a taste for short skirts and ruffles, but Tsuna's taste ran more toward sleek, form-fitting clothes. The result was a calf-length dress with a corseted waist for P-chan and a vested suit for Aster. They were predominately white, although there was small touches of rainbow trimmings on both.

For the event at hand, both of them were wearing silver wrist cuffs with Tsuna's new seal on them. He'd wanted a dragon head for it, but that seal was already being used by someone else. In the end, his options had been limited and he'd left the choice in Lord Nephriam's hands. He wasn't too upset about the result, although he'd hoped for more than what he'd gotten. His seal was to be a fox head to match his mask, which Tsuna still felt confused over.

"What about you?" Tsuna asked as he glanced over to where Aster was patiently waiting in silence. He was pale. He'd already gotten a small dose of antibodies to sabotage the Phlegm's pure bite, but not so much that it would make him immune. He would still Change, but luck would determine how far. "This is the first time that this has ever been attempted, Aster. Even if it succeeds, are you sure that you understand that you're giving up the ability to control life energy in exchange for being able to produce your own? It's not something that you can change your mind about later."

"I'm aware, m'Lord," he replied curtly.

"What about me?" Tsuna murmured anxiously. "You both--"

"Work is a part of life, m'Lord," P-chan interrupted. "Caring for your needs is a job that will make us happy and it's actually a huge benefit for us. Instead of being on the bottom of the house hierarchy like we are here, we'll have seniority as the castellans of your personal household. I've been caring for you for a while now and I know that you aren't too strict. I believe that you'll make a wonderful Master. I'm fully prepared to take up full duties as a blood slave. If I wasn't, I would have said so and so would Aster."

"I know, but--" Tsuna broke off with a grimace as the doors to the prepared room opened. Lord Nephriam stepped out with a serious expression on his face and both P-chan and Aster stood without needing to be prompted.

"There are no formalities in taking a blood slave," he said in a solemn tone. "By wearing Lord Sky's mark, you've already submitted to him. Your bodies, your lives, and your blood is for him to use for as long as you willingly wear his shackles. Are you both aware of this?"

"I am," P-chan answered.

"Yes," Aster agreed.

"Very well," Lord Nephriam said sadly. "If you are without doubts, you may freely enter. The choice to leave your humanity behind you is your right as Lord Sky's blood slaves. Lord Sky, I'll have to ask you to wait out here."

"If I have to," he murmured in concern. He could smell Barb inside the room, but it was too dark to see. P-chan lifted her head high as she stepped forward and Aster—with his usual apathetic face—readily stepped forward behind her, even though both of them knew that it wouldn't be a painless process. "Wait," Tsuna said softly, causing both of them to pause. "I... Are you both sure that this is what you want for yourselves? If you're thinking about me, I don't want you to. Something like this... Is this really going to make you happy?"

"Don't be silly, Master," P-chan giggled. "This is my dream. The fact that I'll be serving you has no bearing on my choice."

"But--" Tsuna broke off without a single thing to say as P-chan stepped forward into the darkness. At a loss of how to proceed, he glanced over to see whether Aster was of the same mind and was shocked to find that the short man had a small smile on his face. The break in his stoic facade was enough to completely silence the last of Tsuna's objections as Aster followed in P-chan's footsteps.

The doors abruptly slammed shut, making Tsuna jolt in place as P-chan's scream resounded from within. He took two steps forward in irrational panic, but was stopped by a gentle hand of restraint on his arm before he could open the doors.

"Don't worry," Lord Nephriam soothed as the scream cut off. "It's the Phlegm way. They scare their targets to get their hearts racing before they bite them. That's a good thing in Aster's situation. The mutating agents in the Phlegm's blood will--" Both of their heads snapped up in unison as P-chan started screaming again. This time, Lord Nephriam was the one to rush forward first and he blew through the doors as if he were a ten-foot-tall giant. Tsuna was right behind him, but he wasn't prepared for the scene that awaited him when the lights were turned on.

"Shit," Barb gasped as she lifted her head from Aster's ravaged neck. It wasn't hard to see why she felt like cursing. Lord Nephriam was saying a few under his breath, as well, while they all rushed to P-chan's side to stop her from clawing at her throat. There were already numerous gashes in her skin from her nails and it looked like she was trying to rip the bite wound open. Her screams lanced in his ears and the wild look in her eyes made Tsuna's heart skip in fear while she bucked and rolled on the floor.

"W-What...?" He choked as he tried to help hold her down.

"It's a rejection," Lord Nephriam answered with a flinch of pain.

"What does that--"

"Let the Phlegm answer that," he interrupted in a rush. "For now, take Aster and get out. I'll handle this."

"What about--"

"Go!" Lord Nephriam roared. "The longer that you take to leave, the more that she has to feel this pain!" Tsuna flinched and decided to listen. Jumping to his feet, he ran over to scoop Aster into his arms and carry him out the door. Barb bolted out after him and firmly shut the doors. She didn't move away once they were closed. Instead, she took up a guarding position in front of it while she looked at him with an expression that he was afraid to name.

"What's going on?" He asked worriedly as P-chan's screams started fading. "He said that you would know."

"Not everyone can become a vampire," she replied softly. "There's no way to tell who has the ability to Change and who doesn't. The only thing we can do is infect them and wait to see the outcome. Being rejected is the norm. After a certain point in the Change, their bodies begin to go into shock and the virus brings pain. They usually claw at the wound in an attempt to make it stop and it's a Phlegm's job to put them out of their misery as soon as they start showing signs of rejection. Out of those that have been left to live after rejection, fifty percent went insane, twenty-five percent still died of heart failure, and fifteen percent turned into vegetables."

"What about the last ten percent?" Tsuna asked with wide eyes.

"Five percent begged to be killed once their mind returned," she murmured. "And the other five percent... The other five percent managed to finish the Change, but they weren't ever the same again. Half of them walked around like the living dead and the other half reported residual pain when they tried to vamp. Don't think that there's hope. When I say half and half, I mean one and one. Only two people have come back that much after being rejected. I'm sure that Lord Nephriam has some kind of plan in mind, but she's as good as dead if he fails."

"I... didn't know..." he said in shock.

"I'm not surprised that Lord Nephriam kept it from you," Barb replied flippantly. "You would have stopped them, but those two knew the risks. So don't try to hold yourself responsible when she dies. From what I'm told, it would have happened eventually. She was set on becoming a vampire before she ever met you. If anything, Lord Nephriam is at fault for taking her in. She would have never seen this world if it weren't for him."

"I see," Tsuna said in painful understanding. Barb was right. Lord Nephriam had to be taking it harder than anyone. Tsuna had no right to feel guilty in comparison.

"I'll let you know how things turn out with the girl, so focus on taking care of that one," Barb ordered with a finger pointing at where Aster was still unconscious in his arms. "He should be waking up soon since he survived, but his first feeding should be taken care of in private. Lord Nephriam already has a room prepared for you to use next door." Tsuna nodded silently and slowly headed where he was directed while throwing worried glances back at the door. Lord Nephriam wouldn't kill P-chan. At least, Tsuna didn't think that he would. P-chan was a strong girl, too. She'd make it through.

He prayed that she'd make it through.

The room that was prepared for him was nothing more than a bedroom for public use. There were towels stacked high next to the bed, as well as a large urn of warm water, bandages, and a large, chilled bottle of blood wine. There was also a small bag that Lord Nephriam had personally prepared, holding the inoculation and several miscellaneous items that he might need. Tsuna knew exactly what all of it was for and he started off with the blood wine as soon as he had Aster sprawled on the bed. The cork popped off with relative ease, allowing him the relief of a long drink to steady himself before he began preparations for Aster's awakening. There wasn't much to do, however. Other than stripping himself down to waist level and pulling off Aster's blood-soaked clothes, the only thing to do was to bandage Aster's wound and clean the remaining blood off of him. After that, nearly two hours passed while Tsuna anxiously watched over him and the bottle of blood wine was empty by the time that Aster began to stir.

"Ma... ster..." he groaned as his eyes started to flicker open.

"I'm here," Tsuna replied softly. Greeting Aster with a smile, he wanted to sigh in relief at the hazel color of his eyes. There was a ring of red in them that would become blue after he received the anti-contagion injection, but they hadn't changed completely. "How does it feel to be a werewolf?" He asked gently while Aster slowly forced himself to sit up.

"It aches," he mumbled.

"It'll be that way for a little while," he replied sympathetically. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"Do you smell something good?" He continued carefully.

"Barbecue," he answered with a gleam of confusion in his eyes. "Chef wasn't making barbecue today."

"Ah," Tsuna agreed. Knowing his duty, Tsuna carefully sat on the edge of the bed in a purposely close proximity to his new servant. Aster's eyes widened marginally when Tsuna grabbed his chin, but he didn't fight at all. He only trembled slightly as Tsuna leaned closely enough to blow into his face."What does it smell like?"

"B-Barbecue."

"I haven't eaten barbecue," he explained gently. "You're smelling my blood, Aster. What people smell like is relative to your own tastes. A more mouthwatering scent means stronger blood. You might not feel any different, but you're already Changed. If I were to leave here without feeding you, your mind would snap and you'd hurt anyone in your path in order to track down a vampire to drink from. Don't underestimate the Hunger that you're feeling. The only way that you can keep your sanity is to eat while you still have a mind."

"What... do I do...?" He asked as Tsuna let go of his chin and settled back into a comfortable sitting position.

"Bite me and drink," he ordered. "This is the path that you chose. There are incredible benefits to what you are, but you've got to pay the price first."

"Can't," he objected with a worried look in his eyes. Tsuna waited patiently instead of replying, sensing that he had more to say. "It's not right. Master is--" It wasn't difficult to silence Aster. All he had to do was to carefully dig his nail into his own chest until blood began to run. Whether Aster wanted to or not, all of his attention was drawn to the slow leak.

"I'm not your Master," Tsuna corrected. "Even though you're to be my servant, we are equals, Aster. If you can't drink my blood, then I have no right to take yours. We couldn't be friends if I didn't respect you enough to give you this gift when you're in need. I want you to accept it."

"But... I... I want Master to be Master," he said with his expression taking on a slightly drunken tone while he stared at Tsuna's chest. "Master takes care of me... and talks to me... and teaches me... I want to be friends with Master."

"If those are your wishes, then I can't argue," he replied with a sigh of resignation. "In that case, as both your friend and your Master, I want you to drink." As easily as that, the last of Aster's hesitation disappeared. He still moved slowly, but he didn't stop once he got moving. He crawled across the bed and into Tsuna's lap with the Hunger growing rapidly in his eyes. Tsuna didn't stop him nor did he utter a single word of direction to distract him. All he did was to slowly lie back so that Aster could fully explore his new senses.

Despite appearances, he couldn't easily control himself either. Aster's scent was just as tantalizing as Xanxus', although in a different way. He smelled succulent while Xanxus smelled hearty. Aster's scent made Tsuna's mind wander down the road of seasoned turkey and duck where Xanxus' sent him craving for beef. He tried to keep his mind on his worry for P-chan and what was going on in the next room, but it grew more and more difficult. Even in hunger, Aster had a tendency for gentleness that was borderline intoxicating. It'd been far too long since he'd be touched so tenderly. Xanxus tried, but his tendencies for roughness was something that was part of him.

Ignore it, Tsuna told himself. Aster didn't know what he was doing. The short, stoic man was just moving out of instinct. It wasn't as if he was choosing to do things that were arousing. He probably didn't even know how cute he was, so it wasn't right to give in to the urges that were unwillingly stirring in Tsuna's gut. He was supposed to be helping his cute, little servant with his needs, not taking care of his own!

Then he realized that his needs had already become Aster's. Aster sat up once more to reveal an overheated face and an aroused body, making Tsuna's groin tighten even more. It was as if he was a white rabbit that was begging to be eaten. He looked so soft, so tender, and so juicy that it made Tsuna's insides scream. It wasn't right! First of all, Aster was only two years older than Hotaru. It'd make him feel like a pedophile, even though Aster was of age. Second, Aster was completely trusting in Tsuna. To betray that trust would be the worst thing that he could do. Finally, it was just a physical reaction where Aster would probably see it as something far more serious. He couldn't give in! He just needed to control himself long enough to finish the feeding and then he could go find Xanxus.

"Feel strange," Aster panted in a way that made Tsuna have to swallow the same lump twice.

"You need to bite," Tsuna replied once he was sure that he could keep his voice steady. "Licking the wound I made isn't enough."

"Can't... hurt Master..."

"It'll hurt me more if you don't," he said with an internal flinch for how Aster was unwittingly complicating things.

"Hot..." Aster added with a hand rubbing across his waistline. It made Tsuna bite his bottom lip and wish that there was a concrete block near his head so that he could knock himself out. The situation was only getting worse!

"It'll go away once you're done eating," Tsuna promised gently. "It's just my scent that's making you like that, so it'll get better after I leave the room. You're very gentle with me and that tests my self-control. That's why I want you to bite me and drink before my self-control breaks. I don't want to hurt you."

"Master... wants me...?" Aster mumbled as he visibly blushed.

"You're very cute," he confirmed cautiously. "But you shouldn't get confused, Aster. This is just a physical reaction. You should save yourself for someone that loves you."

"Old."

"What?" Tsuna choked.

"Master is old," he clarified. As far as clarifications went, though, Tsuna could have wished for something better. It was true that he was almost thirty, but calling him 'old' was a little much! He was just being a responsible adult! "This body belongs to Master," Aster added with a hand rubbing down his own chest and across his abdomen. "I... want to serve Master."

"That's not the kind of service that I need from you!" Tsuna spluttered. "You're a blood slave, not a--" Tsuna paused before finishing the sentence, seeing a gleam of hurt in Aster's eyes. "What were you expecting from me?" He asked carefully.

"I... should only be touched by Master," he answered slowly. "I... am happy... that Master wants me. Master... loves... Lord King. Master doesn't... love... me, but... I am happy that Master... is kind... to me. I... want to serve Master. If... I..."

"I get it," Tsuna groaned. He really did. Aster was expecting to care for him in every way possible. As if it weren't enough to care for his food, shelter, work and clothes, Aster wanted him to deal with his wants, as well. He'd gotten himself a housewife more than a blood slave and his morals failed him since this particular one was so damn adorable. "I want you to make me a promise, Aster. If you find someone that you care about or you become unhappy in serving me, I want you to tell me. If you can't get the words out, then write me a letter and hand it to me. I can't love you like I do King, but I can give you all the kindness that you want until then."

"Master..." Aster breathed with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why are you crying?!" Tsuna yelped.

"Ha... Happy," he replied. The single word was the last straw. With a twist of his hips, Tsuna flipped them both over so that Aster was laying in a surprised sprawl under him. He was far too cute and his innocent desire to serve was too much to ignore. The question was where to start with all the options in front of him. There was Aster's small mouth or his slender neck or his dainty hands or his thin waist or his-- "M-Master...?"

"Are you sure about this?" He asked with a shudder while he tried to restrain himself. "I'll give you kindness, but I can be cruel, too. It's driving me insane to keep you from seeing that side of me. You're too tempting, Aster. If I claim you, I won't be able to stop myself anymore. I'll be overprotective and territorial. I won't be able to let you go unless you tell me to. My instincts won't let me since you're so precious. Are you sure that you can handle that?"

"Yes, Master."

* * *

Tsuna reflected on his actions while the shower washed away the remnants of blood, sweat, and semen. Xanxus was never going to let him live this one down and he was positive that he could hear a shadow of Lazarus cheering madly in the back of his head. He wasn't the same person that he'd been ten years ago. The person he was ten years ago wouldn't have been able to lay a finger on someone he didn't love. Now, he'd slept with a servant that was ten years younger than him. He was a low-life. He was the absolute bottom of the barrel, yet he couldn't regret it. Aster was beyond happy and Tsuna had been satisfied. He felt a little guilty and ashamed of himself, but it'd been enjoyable. He'd even been able to make Aster apologize for calling him old.

He felt like it was a curse. It wasn't as if he couldn't stay devoted to one person. He'd only managed that feat with one person. He'd been mostly faithful to Joshua and he'd definitely been devoted, but now he understood why it wasn't possible with anyone else. There had been fear when he'd been with Joshua. The fear of losing him and the lack of confidence that he could survive by himself had kept him from doing anything that would jeopardize their relationship. With Xanxus, there was no fear of that. There couldn't be because Xanxus was the one who held the fear now that Tsuna had his confidence back. If Xanxus were to tighten the boundaries of their relationship, Tsuna would merely break them. He wouldn't be happy about it, but he knew that he couldn't allow himself to be controlled by anyone. Plus, he knew that Xanxus wasn't the only person in the world that could make him happy. He was just one of them.

"Fearing nothing means cherishing nothing, idiot," he grumbled to himself. There was one thing that he cherished, though. There was one single individual that no one else could ever compare to. He knew that he shouldn't have favorites, but Hotaru meant the world to him. He did fear losing that boy. He did have fears about how he was doing without him. He did fear that he'd never again get to hold his precious son in his arms again. Such thoughts hurt him more than any other. He was ashamed of himself for it, but Hotaru was the main reason that was driving him toward Vongola again.

When he admitted it to himself, he already knew that Vongola didn't need him anymore. The collapse after his reign had already happened. There had been the peace that he'd worked for, but there had also been so many messes. Hotaru was already rebuilding the Family from the wreckage. To go back now was the last thing that Vongola needed. They'd already moved on with their lives and were working hard to regain the glory of the Ninth's reign. It was true that he was the most beloved Boss in Vongola's history, but he'd also been the screw-up. No good could come from trying to regain his throne of power. It was only his own selfishness that was drawing him back. He was too greedy, too envious, and too prideful to listen to his own conscience.

He was pathetic.

"Lord Sky," Lord Nephriam called from outside the bathroom door. Tsuna's hand snapped to the faucet to shut it off and he snatched a towel to wrap around his waist. He nearly slipped twice in exiting the shower, but he still managed to open the door in record time.

"How is she?" He gasped as soon as they were face-to-face.

"She's alive," he replied calmly. He was pale, Tsuna noticed, and there were bags under his eyes from exhaustion. However, the most important thing was the sense of relief in Lord Nephriam's body language. "She woke up two hours ago and I think it would benefit her if you went to see her. I have to warn you, though. No matter how she smells, she's still human. We've been running blood tests all morning and there's no doubt. She doesn't have the ability to take in outside life energy in any form, but she's still producing her own. All her senses are still at human levels and--"

"How's that possible?" Tsuna asked in confusion. "She was bitten by a Phlegm. There should have been some change."

"It was the only way to save her life," Lord Nephriam murmured with a pained expression. "I..."

"You what?" Tsuna asked with wide eyes. "What did you do?"

"He injected her with a test serum," Barb answered from the bedroom door. "It's a secret research project that Lord Nephriam has been working on with our help. Do you think we like killing those who are rejected? The Phlegm are tired of being scapegoats and taking all the blame when only one in a family of six survives our attack. No matter what you're told, we don't do this because we like it. We do it because we love this world and our species is the only ones that can be trusted to control the balance of power in it. If there was a way that we can replace dead vampires without having to risk sacrificing humans, we want to know how."

"The serum that Hibari's mother was killed for," Tsuna supplied in an intuitive leap.

"Ah," Lord Nephriam confirmed. "I retrieved a sample of blood from him a long time ago and we've been studying it. I can't replicate what she did, but we've found a way to counter rejection. There's only a small window of opportunity to administer it and the failure rate is still eighty percent, but..."

"That's still twenty percent that are alive and sane after being rejected," Barb said with a hope-filled smile. "It might seem cruel, but P-chan is alive because of it. Lord Nephriam is doing nothing but trying to find ways to save those who are doomed to die. We Phlegm still have to roam and attack. Once this serum is perfected, we can lower the casualty rate to an almost non-existent level."

"Once that happens, we won't have to be so non-discriminate in who is bitten," Lord Nephriam said with a torn expression. "The morale of our whole race will increase since there will never again be a vampire who was unwillingly turned. What I'm doing is probably unforgivable, but I can't stop."

"Human testing," Tsuna said with his own torn expression. It was wrong. He'd been taught for a long time that it was wrong. Yet, not doing it didn't stop the deaths that were already occurring. It was a choice between two hells. To not do something morally wrong and watch people die or to take the moral injury upon himself to save lives? It was a choice that Tsuna was happy that he didn't have to make. "I see why you didn't tell me about it before. I have no right to judge you, Lord Nephriam. P-chan is alive and—it might be callous of me—but that's all I care about right now. I'll worry about whether the ends justify the means when you have a success rate that's higher than twenty percent when Changing humans. Until then, even I understand that wiping out the Phlegm isn't an option. Without vampires, true demons would be running rampant on the streets."

"Lord Sky..." He mumbled with tears of relief building in his eyes. "Thank goodness. I thought that you would hate me for what I was doing and would tell everyone. I've managed to keep it secret from the Council this long, but..."

"The Council has no say in this matter," Barb spat in disgust. "The Phlegm alone hold rights in deciding the method of propagating our species. The rest of you gave up that right when you took the inoculation."

"I know," Lord Nephriam grimaced. "But it's not your head that would be on the chopping block."

"Whatever," she growled. "What are you going to do with the blood slave? Are you going to send her to live with the other successes?"

"No," Tsuna answered before Lord Nephriam could open his mouth. "She's still useful to me. The only option is to leave her here. I need someone to keep an eye on Xanxus' Vault and mine. I'm going to need someone to take care of Jewel for me, too. I realized recently that I can't take her with me when I leave, since people could identify me as Lazarus if I have her. Even if she's human, I can still use P-chan's blood since it's tainted. She can send it to Aster on a regular schedule that won't harm her."

"That's very true," Lord Nephriam agreed with a frantic nod. "P-chan isn't like the others. We need to keep her here. I'll report that she changed into a low-level werewolf and provide her with a position as m'Lady wife's handmaiden to keep her out of sight. No one who comes in should question her scent and there's no way to prove that she's anything different without doing a detailed investigation of her. Would that be agreeable, Lord Sky?"

"Perfectly," Tsuna grinned, knowing that it was what P-chan had wanted anyway. It probably wasn't the manner that she intended, but she could still fulfill her dream. There was no way that she would ever replace Lady Italia, but she'd finally be able to serve her true Master like she always wanted. "I'm going to be relying twice as much on Aster when I get to Italy, but I have faith in his strength. He's not as weak as he looks and Xanxus' blood-slave will be able to help him, assuming he ever picks one.

"He might not need one at the rate that Bob is teaching him," Lord Nephriam replied with a smile. "If he keeps this up, a garden or some pets would suffice as an outside energy source. It's only been a few days, but he's already cleared my first test; he drained a mote without killing it. I think that you'd be surprised at how light his touch is now."

"I'll believe it when I see it," he chuckled. "For now, let me get dressed and we can go give the good news to P-chan. She's probably worried that she's not wanted anymore."

"What about that one?" Barb asked with a pointed glance at where Aster was unconscious on the bed with a smear of dried blood on his jaw. Tsuna blushed slightly at the sight of him. Even though he was covered with blankets, he had clearly been satiated in more ways than one.

"I doubt that he'll wake up soon," he answered sheepishly. "He... ah... He was more ambitious than I expected."

"Ambitious," Barb repeated in amusement.

"He... He seduced me!" Tsuna spluttered with a red face. "No adult should be that cute!"

"That's what King said," Lord Nephriam said flippantly on his way out of the room. Tsuna gave the only reply possible: He bowed his head in defeat and kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Dodge. Dodge. Dodge. Dodge. Dodge. It took everything that he had simply to keep himself in one piece. Xanxus was a push-over in comparison to Cheri's relentless attacks. Her speed, agility, and power were easily on par with Tsuna's memories of Reborn, yet she modestly claimed that she was only average for the Vendiche. Even with Cheri attacking unarmed as a handicap, Tsuna had yet to land a hit on her. It showed him how weak he had become.

"Are you fighting seriously?" Cheri asked with a glare when he was no longer able to stand. He tried, but his legs absolutely refused to hold him. "Why aren't you using your Flame? You're never going to catch up at the rate that you're--"

"Stop taunting him," Lord Nephriam called from where the residents were enjoying an afternoon tea outside the sparring area. "He's been forbidden his Flame. We still haven't--"

"No," Tsuna panted with a flinch for Cheri's accurate words. "She's right. I'm never going to catch up if I don't break my limits. I can't waste time like this. I'm already finished and we've only been at it for an hour."

"Hold on a moment," Lord Nephriam fretted. "If you deplete yourself anymore--"

"Please prepare me something to drink," Tsuna interrupted as he released his Flame. His weariness melted away as it surfaced and the increase in his strength was almost blissful. He was able to get to his feet with no problems once his limits were broken, leaving Cheri with an eyebrow raised in surprise. "We'll stop at fifteen minutes."

"I'm ready to start whenever you--"

Tsuna moved. Everything around him seemed to slow down. The beast inside him had such potential for speed and agility that it felt as if he could stop time. Cheri's eyelids as she blinked seemed as if they were moving at a snail's pace. Lord Nephriam and the other residents of the manor, including Xanxus, moved to their feet as if they were in a slow motion film. There was a well of power in him that left him breathless. All he had to do was to reach out and Cheri--

Cheri dodged his hand, lurching into motion while Lord Nephriam and the others continued to take their time in standing. Tsuna understood without needing an explanation. This was the speed that Cheri always moved at. It wasn't that she'd suddenly caught up to him. It was that he was finally moving at a decent rate for her to show what she was truly capable of.

"Oi," Tsuna said as she skipped backward with an extraordinarily pleased expression on her face. "No sandbagging."

"I should be the one telling you that," she chuckled. "I've been waiting a long time for this, so don't think that I'm going to let it end quickly."

"Fifteen minutes are going to seem like an eternity," he agreed.

* * *

"Shit," Xanxus spat as the table was overturned from everyone standing at once. It was too late, though. Tsuna was already going full throttle. It was hard to keep track of the two, but he could tell that Tsuna was finally holding his own. His strikes all met air, but at least he was able to make a strike now. It would have been enjoyable to watch if it hadn't been for the trail of energy that was evaporating in Tsuna's wake. "That fucking idiot!" He snarled. "He's not going to last like that!"

"Italia, Bob," Lord Nephriam snapped. "One of you go find Lord Sky's blood slaves and tell them that it's an emergency. The other, go to the kitchen and bring a bottle of blood wine and a pitcher."

"Right away," Lady Italia gasped as they both started running back toward the manor.

"Magnolia, for your safety, I'd like to ask you to return to your Vault," he continued. "Pass the word to the servants along the way. I want everyone safely shut in their rooms until I signal that it's safe. If he goes berserk..."

"You don't have to panic," Xanxus said in a mocking tone for how panicked everyone was. "His mind goes berserk, but he won't have enough energy to move."

"But you said--"

"I lied," Xanxus interrupted with a scowl. "I only gave part of the truth so he wouldn't catch on. What the fuck would you have done? He's visibly leaking energy all over the place. It's like watching him bleed out in front of me. He always goes too fucking far because he doesn't know his own limits. He's rushing himself and he's going to end up fucking dead again."

"So that's it," Lord Nephriam murmured. "You're scared of losing him, so you've been holding him back."

"That's not it," he growled in frustration. "Since he can break his limits, he doesn't know how to set limits for himself. He can reach the same damn point if he just takes more time and does things slowly, but he won't do that when it's only his own ass on the line. If he's scared of hurting others, he'll pull back. It's the only way to keep him from throwing himself away by going too far."

"You're being foolish, King," he replied. "He'll still act even if he doesn't have the strength to succeed. Even I know that and I've only been with him for a short time. By holding him back with lies, you're only lowering his survival rate. If you're trying to make him rely on you more, this isn't the way to do it. I know that it's difficult to watch from the sidelines, but I think you're underestimating the power that you have here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xanxus asked with a flare of anger.

"What is he fighting for right now?" Lord Nephriam asked curiously. "He's lost both of his Families. Vongola has replaced him with a shadow of a man and everything that he knows might be lost to him. What's keeping him from falling into despair, King? Who is there to keep him facing forward toward his goals? Do you really think that he'd be rushing toward anything if there wasn't someone there for him that made him believe that he had the strength to take it all back if he keeps trying?"

"I..."

"Don't underestimate the effect that you have on him," he continued mercilessly. "You might feel like he's leaving you behind, but you're the person that he's trying to catch up to."

"That's not possible," Xanxus gaped. "We've tied--"

"He thinks that you were holding back because you didn't want to hurt him," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "He told me so himself, right before mentioning that a certain someone had the confidence to single-handedly defeat the Varia. Even if you weren't serious about it, he thinks that you were and he admires you for taking up such a big challenge. While you're trying to hold him back, he's doing his best to keep himself from holding you back."

"He's such a fucking idiot," Xanxus groaned in defeat. He didn't get a chance to say anything more due to the crash that grabbed all of their attention. Tsuna's body skipped across the ground like a rag doll until finally rolling to a stop with his arm under him at a bad angle. A single glance at Cheri explained the reason for why he was already unconscious. While he and Lord Nephriam had been talking, the woman had been growing stronger. There was an insane, hungry look in her eyes that made even Xanxus pause.

"I guess it's my turn," Lord Nephriam sighed as he slipped off his suit's jacket and started rolling up his sleeves. "You go deal with Lord Sky while I deal with Wildcard's blood lust. If you're interested, we can begin sparring while he's sleeping. I would have offered earlier, but I wanted to keep you focused on learning the proper way to vamp."

"Wh--" Xanxus wasn't able to finish even a single word of his question. By the time that he glanced to where Lord Nephriam had been preparing himself, Cheri was already flying backward from an elbow into her gut. The short little brat didn't even let her land. Blow after blow, he was like a lightening bolt striking her from every angle. Xanxus' eyes couldn't keep up with him except for when he paused to strike. The idea of moving fast enough to counter him made Xanxus dizzy. What would it be like to be that strong again, Xanxus wondered.

"Lord Sky is waiting on you," Lord Nephriam paused to call while Cheri was still flying sideways from a kick. Even with the pause, the brat managed to move in enough time to add a follow-up strike. It was a complete massacre. By the time that Xanxus finally reached Tsuna's side and bundled him into his arms, Cheri looked like she'd need several months in intensive care in order to recover. The fact made Xanxus tremble with an excitement that he hadn't felt in far too long. If Lord Nephriam could do that to Tsuna's trainer in the blink of an eye, what would he be capable after being trained by him?

Xanxus wanted to know.

* * *

Tsuna stared at the cast around his arm and used every ounce of self control to keep himself from crying. A single touch had been all that it'd taken. Tsuna didn't think that it was on purpose, but Cheri had activated the Vendiche brand on his arm. No matter how much he'd wanted to dodge her strike, his mind had been taken to a place elsewhere that had a dose of Flare waiting for him. Thanks to a bad landing while he'd been immobile, his arm was now broken and he couldn't train for three solid days. Lord Nephriam forbade him from trying to speed the healing any faster than that.

"I'm really sorry," Cheri said for the tenth time. "I didn't realize that I was trying to kill you until after I touched the mark. You know that I wouldn't--"

"Its fine," he lied with a soothing smile plastered on his face. "It's better that you were going after me with killing intent and it's my fault for not wrapping them up. I knew that you used to be a Vendiche, but I wasn't thinking. It's been a long time, I guess. I've lost so much of my edge that it'll probably take years to get it all back. At the rate that I'm going, there's no way that I'll be ready in two months."

"Two months?" Cheri repeated curiously.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed sadly. "We've been training since we got here and the plan was to head to Mafia Land at the beginning of the summer. There's an examination center for teachers there and we were going to make contact with a few people while I got a feel for being around Mafiosos again. At this rate, I'm only going to be a target dummy for them. I have to get myself to the point where I can fight you evenly without my Flame or else the whole plan is going to fall apart."

"That's crazy," she replied with wide eyes. "I've been fighting in a retrieval team for years! No offense, but it's impossible to reach my level in two months!"

"I've still got to," he murmured. "Even if it kills me, I have to draw out as much of my potential as I can. I won't be able to go back if I don't."

"Fine," Cheri grumbled with a gleam of respect in her eyes. "If you're going to be that stubborn, I have no choice but to train you until you drop. It's the least that I can do since you haven't been trying to pull Vendiche secrets out of me."

"It'd be a waste of time," he replied with an understanding smile. "You still honor your Omerta just like I honor my own. I can't say that I don't want to plead and beg for information about Mukuro, but that's not fair to you. I'd be asking you to turn traitor just because I was a little worried. Since doing so wouldn't solve anything, I feel that it's better to spend the time training instead of worrying. How strong I am is going to be directly proportional to how fast I can return home. How fast I return home is equal to how fast Mukuro is released. Rather than put you in a bind by asking the impossible, I like giving you a headache by asking the improbable."

"You're going to owe me one," she warned with a cruel smile spreading across her face.

"Do you want to come with us to Japan?" He asked curiously. "I can be a tour guide and--"

"YES!" She exclaimed in instant excitement. "I always wanted to go, but those bastards in Bota's team always got all the assignments that I wanted! He'd go and--"

"Alright," he laughed. "Having three masked people will throw off the numbers anyway. People won't expect to see me in a trio instead of a pair."

"Get ready," she warned with an evil light in her eyes. "You promised me the wrong thing. In three days, I'm going to show you hell. I'll bring you to my fighting level even if I have to turn you into a corpse to do it!"

* * *

Tsuna couldn't count the number of times that he woke up in his bed after a training session. It felt as if he lived and breathed only fighting. Cheri lost to her bloodlust on numerous occassions, but Tsuna was slowly able to survive such encounters. He was improving. He could feel it with every attempt that he made in fighting Cheri without his Flame.

He tried to track down Xanxus when Lord Nephriam demanded that they take a break, but that always seemed to be a fruitless endeavor. Xanxus was even busier than Tsuna was. Every time that Tsuna went to find him, he was either fine-tuning his vamping skills with Bob, teaching Bob how to fight, or he had gone into town with Bob. Tsuna finally realized how jealous he was when he caught Xanxus doing Tai Chi with Bob. Xanxus wouldn't even let Tsuna see him doing Tai Chi, so why was it okay with Bob?!

It distracted him enough that Cheri had called off their sparring sessions with only a few days left until the ship arrived to take them to Mafia Land.

"Tenth?" Shamal asked curiously. "Are you listening?"

"Yes," he lied as he turned his attention back to the utility belt that Shamal was showing him. "You said that this was something that Lord Nephriam commissioned?"

"Something like that," Shamal replied with a perverted gleam in his eyes. "He's got a nice little harem stashed away and..."

"Say no more," Tsuna groaned. "Just tell me what it all does again."

"These three vials with the gold caps are the medicine for silver poisoning," he explained, pointing to each one as he went. "You drink those. The three vials with the black caps are to be poured onto any wounds that you get from a silver weapon. These three smoke grenades hold a powdered version. Set it off and you'll be showered in the anti-silver agent. You'll still need to rinse off afterward, but it should keep you from going into shock if you're hit with a silver grenade again.

On this other side, I've lined this waterproof box with silk and filled it with blood booster pills. They're highly potent and hard to make, so don't waste them. One should be enough to keep you from going berserk and two will keep you from blacking out. Lord Nephriam told me to provide you with a mock-silver flask to stash blood for lesser cravings.

That's what this one is. It might not look like much, but it can hold a pint of blood and it'll keep it at a regulated temperature. Make sure to clean it out every three days at the minimum. Two days is preferable since the blood will coagulate on the sides whether you want it to or not. This last box holds Anima gum in case you empty your flask. Again, it's to give you options so that the pills are a last resort. Are you with me so far?"

"I got it," he confirmed. "Anti-silver in the vials and the grenades, blood in the boxes and the flask."

"Alright," he sighed. "Over here is a holster for your gun and a pouch for spare clips. Here is a hunting knife that Lord Nephriam requested for you. Here you have a pouch for your wallet and other miscellaneous items. Finally, here is a clip with your eye interface on it."

"It looks like a plastic card," Tsuna murmured as Shamal handed that particular item over.

"Hold your thumb down on it," Shamal ordered. Tsuna did like he was told and recieved a surprise. His eye felt like something sparked through it for a moment. When he looked back at the card, though, a keyboard and mousepad was hovering in front of him. "The image is coming from your eye, so no one else can see it," Shamal explained. "It'll stay in a relative position regardless of where you look, but you can use that to interface with your eye's abilities. It shuts off after five minutes if you don't use it and, if you lose the card, you can press your finger to your eye to turn it on. There's a tracking feature for the card in the loaded programs, so don't worry about it too much. You can always find it again if you misplace it. Here's the headset to go with it in case you want to download movies or games, too. It has a microphone installed and the sound is the new pulse technology that's set to a frequency that only you will be able to hear."

"Wow," he replied in excitement as he accepted the item. For a headset, it seemed like nothing more than a new white collar. He didn't argue about it, though. If Shamal said that it had a microphone and speakers in it, then it probably did. Once he had it in place around his throat, he turned his attention to the interface. Sticking his finger into the illusionary keyboard, he grinned when a list of programs appeared in his vision. It wasn't like he expected. Instead of the icons being in a two-dimensional space, he could literally reach out and touch each one as they surrounded him.

"You can lower the visual range that the interface takes up," Shamal said with a crooked smile. "It looks like you're trying to dance in place."

"The world got a lot more advanced," Tsuna commented as he took Shamal's suggestion. It took a bit of searching to find the preferences menu, but he quickly got the interface to only appear in a limited area in front of him. He still felt like he understood Cici's world a little better, but it wasn't quite as awe-inspiring when things were down-sized to what he was used to.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," he warned. "You'll see even stranger things at Mafia Land."

"I'm not sure whether to be excited or worried," he replied in thought.

"It shouldn't be that difficult for you to get used to everything," Shamal soothed as he handed over Tsuna's new belt. Tsuna clipped his interface card into the empty position along its length before carefully replacing his current belt with the new one. While he worked, Shamal pulled out the next of the supplies that had been specially made with him in mind. This time, it seemed to be a white trench-coat to replace the one that he was wearing.

"This is penetration-proof, fire-proof, and insulated," he continued with a complete lack of flair. "The top layer is made to rip and hold whatever comes your way to keep bullets from ricocheting into innocent bystandards while the inner layers are made to keep you in one piece. There's also a layer of silk inside that I'm told is helpful as a protection against psychic infiltrators and an anti-bug network that will keep you from picking up any microscopic spies.

There's six pockets on the interior in case you need them and two mock-pockets on the outside to allow you to access to your utitlity belt when you've got it buttoned up. Lord Nephriam ordered a replacement hat for you, too. This one is ballistics tested and fire-proof, just like the coat."

"Any boots?" Tsuna asked in hope.

"Lord Nephriam wants you to pick out a set in Mafia Land," he replied with a small shake of his head. "The last thing that I have for you is this." Tsuna raised his eyebrow at the long cloth pouch that was held out for him to inspect. It didn't seem particularly special, but he knew that looks could be decieving.

"What's that?" Tsuna asked finally.

"It's a pouch for your scabbard," he answered, sending the material into Tsuna's arms with a flick of his wrist. "It has all the benefits of your coat with twice the silk. Your Salamanders should be able to exit the folds without a problem, but it'll keep their core from getting destroyed if you happen to go up against any rogue vampires. Just tell them to leave a piece of themselves behind in the sword when they come out and you don't have to worry that they'll disappear permanently."

"That's a relief," he said in surprise. "It has the benefit of keeping the law from bothering me about having a sword, too. If it's wrapped up, they can't really complain."

"Exactly," Shamal nodded in agreement. "Is there anything else that you needed?"

"Aren't you coming with us?" Tsuna asked in abrupt realization.

"I'm sorry, Tenth," he grimaced. "I checked in with Vongola a week ago and it seems that they've been looking for me since word spread that I've got someone out for my head. I've got to report back to keep them from asking questions."

"I see," Tsuna replied in disappointment.

"I... uh... I heard that there might be a position open in Don Girarde's infirmary," he added in thought. "I might check it out. There's sure to be lots of pretty girls around and it doesn't sound like a bad place for me to retire to."

"Shamal..." Tsuna gaped as his spirits lifted.

"Don't give me that look," he growled. "Someone has to deal with the trail of heartbroken girls that you leave in your wake."

"As if I do that!" Tsuna spluttered.

"That's fine," Shamal laughed. "As long as you don't notice, there's no harm in treating you every once in a while. I've got to keep my bait healthy."

"Shamal!"

* * *

Tsuna slapped his hands over his mouth and turned red from the effort to keep himself from laughing.

"If you laugh, I'll strangle you," Xanxus growled in warning. Tsuna choked to hold it back, but it was nearly impossible with Xanxus' new image.

"What happened to your Admiral costume?" Tsuna asked while he practically hyperventilated to keep himself from giving in.

"I got sick of it," he snarled with a glare up at the black cowboy hat on his head. From head to toe, he was wearing a black, mirrored image of Tsuna's disguise. He'd even gotten a new black mask that made him look like a bandit. "This was the only way to get a trench-coat again."

"Maybe I should get a star badge and be the sheriff," Tsuna gasped as his laughter finally betrayed him. He couldn't hold it back anymore. He felt as if his sides were going to explode, up until he saw Cheri walking down the hall toward them. She was also wearing a trench-coat and cowboy hat, although hers was in a dark red. The clothes that she had under it was made to remind him that she was a woman, too. From a tight-fitting halter top and knee-high boots to a miniskirt that was slit up the sides and the mask covering the upper half of her face, the leather didn't look quite as funny on her. "What...?"

"Are you complaining?" She asked with a glare.

"Not at all," he choked with a frantic wave of his hands. "I'm just wondering why."

"I'd look stupid if I was the odd one out," she grumbled. "I've got nothing better to do, so I figured that I'd stick with you two until I can get my blood lust under control. Plus, you promised to take me to Japan."

"You did what?" Xanxus scowled.

"I meant to tell you," Tsuna replied defensively. "But every time that I tried to talk to you, you were busy with _Bob_."

"That's because I was training," Xanxus replied with a confused look on his face. "He's a weak little twerp, but he knows how to explain things so that--"

"Yeah," Tsuna interrupted. "He's so good at explaining things that you took him into town for drinks!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Xanxus exclaimed while Cheri slowly and silently retreated. "We didn't go for fucking drinks! We went for--"

"For what?" Tsuna asked with his arms crossed in anger. Xanxus' face lit up in embarrassment at the question, which only made Tsuna even more positive that something was going on between the two.

"Are you jealous?" He asked abruptly.

"Do I have a reason to be?!" Tsuna shouted angrily. "Why should I care if you like spending time with Bob more than me?!"

"That's not it!" Xanxus choked. "You're the one that's always fucking busy! Every time that I tried to see you lately, you were either working or curled around that fucking servant of yours!"

"Don't try to turn this around on me!" He yelled in frustration. "I--"

"Why not?!" Xanxus roared as his temper finally snapped. "You're too busy pointing a fucking finger that you won't give me a chance to explain! You're the asshole that's been rushing without opening your fucking eyes to what's going on around you and you're the fucking asshole that I've been working my ass off to keep up with! Don't try to shove everything on me, you little piece of shit! I've already got enough to deal with without adding your fucking tantrum to it!"

"Wow," Tsuna gaped in surprise.

"So there," Xanxus said as his anger drained out of him at Tsuna's lack of response. "I've been trying to talk to you, but you've been too busy to notice. I heard that you were looking for me, but you'd already went back into another meeting with Lord Nephriam or back to sparring with Cheri by the time that I found you. I went into your Vault a few times, but that servant was always there. I figured that you wanted a break from me when I saw you in bed together, so I backed off."

"And going into town...?" Tsuna prompted with a sinking feeling.

"I was looking for a gift for you," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm not good with that shit, so I dragged him along to help me pick something out. Don't be such a damn idiot. If I was interested in someone else, I would have told you. If you've got the freedom to fuck whoever you want, then so do I."

"Oh," Tsuna said with his jaw dropping. He felt incredibly childish and stupid. Xanxus had been going through the same frustrations that he had, but he'd looked at it all rationally instead of emotionally. "I'm sorry," he mumbled with a bright blush. "I thought that you were ignoring me and I got lonely, so I was using Aster like a teddy bear. I didn't know that you were looking for me, too."

"I tried to tell you during meals," he grumbled. "But you were always busy talking about fucking vampire etiquette with Lord Nephriam that I couldn't get a word in. It's hard as hell to get your attention when you've set your mind to something."

"Sorry," he mumbled again.

"Apologize all you fucking want," Xanxus grumbled. "It doesn't change the fact that you'll do it again. I'm warning you for next time, though. I'm going to drag that little brat out of your bed and make sure that you wake up for my visit."

"That's fine," Tsuna agreed with another blush. "So... um... what did you get me?"

"A... ah.. a swimsuit," he answered with a faint blush making his face glow again.

"A swimsuit?" He repeated in disbelief.

"Well, ah," he coughed in embarrassment. "You can't go swimming at Mafia Land in just trunks since you've got to hide those Vendiche marks and Bob was telling me about these wet suits that... ah... well..."

"How perverted is it?" Tsuna groaned.

Thirty seconds later, Xanxus had a bullet wound to go with his sudden nosebleed.


	98. Chapter 98 Cruise

"Ugh," a voice groaned in Tsuna's dreams. "I didn't know corpses smelled so bad."

"I don't think that he's a corpse," another voice replied as Tsuna slowly became aware that he was sea-sick in his dream. "Look. His eyelids are moving. He's dreaming."

"Then why is he in a coffin?" The first asked.

"Because it's easier to sleep when there's no light or sound," Tsuna answered as his stomach lurched. He felt horrible, but it wasn't quite as bad as the first time that he'd gotten on a boat. Opening his eyes, he slowly sat up with his hands on both sides of his 'bed' and tried to keep himself from throwing up. He hated boats. He really hated boats. He turned to look at the two curious little intruders in his cabin and felt the urge to laugh. They were both incredibly young and looked as if they were about to faint from terror. "Boo," he teased. It didn't have the intended effect. Rather than breaking the tension with laughter, both of the kids jumped in place and screamed before running for the door like he was going to eat them.

Tsuna decided not to comment nor follow them. He felt too sick to do so. Although, the kids did have a point. After skipping so many showers, he definitely smelled. He guessed that it really was impossible to sleep for three weeks straight unless he put himself in hibernation. Between his bodily needs and what was going on around him, he never managed more than a few hours before he had to wake for something. It made him want to smack whoever had the bright idea to take the extended luxury cruise.

Taking into consideration the smell, Tsuna decided take a shower before he tracked down some medicine for his stomach. By the time that he was finished with his shower, dressed, and had the porthole open to let in fresh air, the guests that Tsuna was expecting finally arrived. They arrived armed and—without as much as a knock—burst in, interrupting Tsuna in the middle of brushing out his hair. Tsuna was prepared, though. Narrowing his eyes on their individual faces, his eye's database provided their identities once a match was found.

"Can I help you, Nicky Nubo?" He asked with a raised eyebrow at the raised pistols.

"Eh?" The large man in the lead gaped while he slowly lowered his weapon. "My son came screaming that there was someone in here that attacked him."

"So that was your son," Tsuna chuckled with an absent wave at the coffin on the cabin's bed. "I get very sea sick, so I've been trying to sleep through the cruise. That's a hyperbaric chamber that helps me sleep by regulating the air pressure. Two curious little boys were in here and opened the lid, thinking that it was a funeral casket. I probably scared them when I woke up. I'm afraid that going that long without a shower was bound to make others think that I was dead."

"Oh," Nicky laughed in relief. Tsuna laughed with him while the man holstered his weapon and absently waved to his reinforcements to tell them to relax. "So that's all it was. I hope that you'll forgive them. Boys will be boys, you know."

"I'm sure that the scare that they gave themselves was enough of a punishment," Tsuna replied easily. "If you wouldn't mind doing me a quick favor, I'd be happy to forget that it ever happened. As I already said, I'm very sea-sick. If you could find one of the others that are wearing a mask like mine and tell them that I'm awake, I'd appreciate it."

"Right away," he agreed with a snap of his fingers to send two men running. "Once again, I apologize for the intrusion." Tsuna smiled and returned to brushing his hair as if all the men had already left. They didn't leave that easily, though. They continued watching him as if waiting for him to make some form of apology of his own. However, he had nothing to apologize for and the man, who was the intruder, wasn't someone that he felt the need to pay extended attention to. Ignoring them was far more fun since they looked shocked over his silent dismissal of their presence. "If you don't mind me asking," Nicky said with a red face for having to break the silence. "Who exactly are you? I thought that I'd already met everyone on board."

"Van Wolfe," he answered with a small smile. He was nearly giggling in glee inside at how curious he had everyone. It was exactly the kind of attention that he wanted.

"Master...?" He heard Aster call from the other side of the group. Aster wiggled his way through before anyone could move. As soon as he was past, he walked forward to stand in front of Tsuna with his face flushed from running and his body covered in water from swimming. Tsuna didn't need an explanation for why Nicky Nubo's men instantly turned red. The swimsuit that Aster was wearing explained everything. It was erotic enough that Tsuna had to look away for a moment to compose himself. "Forgive me, Master," he said with the stoic calm that only he could manage while wearing such an embarrassing outfit. "Mistress Shotgun made me leave you. I told her that it was my duty to stay, but she said--"

"It's alright," he interrupted. "I'm glad that she's been watching over you. It must have been boring watching me sleep."

"Not at all, Master," he replied with a nearly imperceptible twitch.

"I see that Xerxes has been teasing you," he chuckled. "Did he make you wear that?"

"It was the only one that you bought me, Master," he replied. Tsuna choked at the sudden realization. He'd meant to pick up a different one for Aster to swim in, but it must have completely slipped his mind before they'd left.

"I guess there's no helping it," he groaned. "If you can prepare me some more medicine for my stomach, I'll change into mine. A bit of sunbathing might do me good."

"Yes, Master," he agreed tonelessly. "Would you like me to prepare tea for your guests?"

"No," Tsuna replied with an eyebrow raised at the men who still hadn't left. "They were just leaving."

"Oh, right," the one in the front choked as he herded his men out the door. As soon as they were gone, Tsuna started laughing. It was definitely going to be an interesting trip.

* * *

"I know that I told you to get as much attention as possible," Lord Nephriam growled. "But this wasn't what I meant." Tsuna grinned and tilted his hat up so that it was no longer shading his face. Lord Nephriam was hovering over him in his own swimming trunks, goggles, and arm floats. The expression on his face could only be called jealousy, though.

"Blame Xerxes for buying it," Tsuna said with a shrug for his own attire. The swimsuit design that both he and Aster were wearing was definitely meant for the male body, but it was far more erotic than anything than most Mafioso would dare to wear. Mafioso pride wouldn't allow them to have such an androgynous image as the one that he had thanks to the merging of his cowboy motif and his swimsuit. It was as if someone had taken a woman's athletic bikini, added room in the crotch for a man, flattened the chest, removed the back of the top and connected the pieces with strings of wood beads. Short, decorative sleeves of the same material were added to the ensemble to cover the marks on his forearms while both an anklet made of wooden beads and wooden beads laced through the braid over his shoulder tied the outfit together.

"I would, but he lost contact with earth over an hour ago," Lord Nephriam growled with a glance over at where Xanxus was still staring with a set of glazed eyes. "How's the sea sickness?"

"Horrible," he admitted with a grimace. "I'm too scared to eat anything. The only reason that I'm doing okay right now is because I'm running on empty."

"That's not good," he scowled. "We still have a week left before we arrive. Why don't you see if they have anything stronger in the ship's infirmary? I don't know what you did, but word is starting to spread about you. I'm going to need you to start showing for dinner."

"If I have to," he grumbled.

"There's a betting pool going about whether you're a prince in hiding, a famous actor in disguise, or a rich recluse," Lord Nephriam added. "There're also two children that are running around, telling everyone that you're a zombie vampire."

"They would be the two that woke me up," he chuckled. "Their father was probably too distracted after meeting me to correct them. I'll see what I can do about them."

"See that you do," he replied with a glare of warning. Tsuna took that as the cue to go immediately.

"Aster," he called to where his servant was playing a game of water volleyball with three other men his own size. Aster stopped playing immediately, turned all of his attention to Tsuna, and subsequently gave a point to the opposing team.

"Yes, Master," he replied calmly.

"I have some errands to run," he said as he threw a towel around his shoulders and ensured that his hat was in place. "Enjoy yourself for another hour and then meet me back at our room. I'll be attending dinner tonight."

"Would you like me to prepare a suit?" He asked blandly.

"My usual clothes will be enough," Tsuna answered. Leaving it at that, he turned and headed across the deck toward the stairs. If he remembered correctly, the infirmary was on the starboard side of the lower observation deck.

While he walked, he took in the reactions of people who noticed him. As expected, they were mixed. From the women, he received curiosity, admiration, and blushes. From the men, he received curiosity, disgust, and blushes. It was those that openly showed disgust that he kept his eye out for. He knew from experience that those would be the ones to spread malevolence and hatred toward him. He didn't think that it would take long. Perhaps a day or two would pass quietly before--

"They're letting anyone in lately," a man spat in a voice that was purposely pitched to be overheard. "Some Families are even letting faggots join." Tsuna paused momentarily, grumbling to himself about how it happened earlier than expected. There was no helping it, though. Even as Vongola the Tenth, his preferences had been ignored rather than accepted. Considering that he wanted to be a substitute teacher and fighting wouldn't help his chances, he decided to let it slide by continuing on his journey. "I guess faggots can't hear," the man said loudly enough to catch the attention of other passengers on the deck. "He's probably scared out of his mind. Can't say that I'm surprised. Queers are always weak cowards. That's why the run after cock instead of finding themselves a nice woman to--"

"Lord Nephriam's going to yell at me," he groaned to himself. He couldn't let it pass, though. Turning in place, he retraced his steps until he was standing face-to-face with the blathering idiot that was taunting him. "You're entitled to your opinion," he said diplomatically, ensuring that he was speaking loud enough to be heard by the witnesses. "But I have to ask you to lower your voice. Not only do I find your words insulting, but you're bothering the other passengers with your prejudice."

"Do you hear that?" The man said with a spray of spit flying into Tsuna's face while he laughed. "The little queer just told me to shut up."

"I'm not in the habit of repeating myself," Tsuna warned while he hurriedly used his eye's database to identify the man. Belvine from the Nuevo Family. "I doubt that Boss Nuevo would appreciate hearing that you were insulting a member of an allied Family with your biased talk."

"And who's going to tell him," Belvine growled with a threatening smile. "I don't think he has time to listen to a little fag like y--"

"I'm not so sure about that," Tsuna replied while he absently inspected a hangnail on his free hand. Belvine didn't reply, being far too busy trying to claw at the hand on his throat while Tsuna held him off the ground. "You see," he continued conversationally while Belvine's friends simply stared in shock. "Gay men have a tendency to be stronger than we look since we have to deal with assholes like you all the time. You made a mistake in taunting me, Belvine. I'm not as nice as most." Stepping forward unhindered after a warning glare at the man's two friends, he held Belvine out over the side of the boat and slowly began to loosen his grip. "Apologize," Tsuna ordered while the man's legs flailed to grab hold of something.

"Sorry," he gasped in a panic. "I won't do it again! Don't drop me! I can't swim!"

"Pathetic," Tsuna growled as he absently tossed the man back to the deck. "It only took three seconds to make you beg for your life. I guess being straight doesn't necessarily make you into a man. Now does it?" In answer, the man started weeping while his two friends tried to pull him to his feet. Tsuna didn't stick around. Giving a pleasant nod to the dumbfounded onlookers, he continued on his journey without being stopped again.

After a stop to the infirmary, his mood improved considerably once his stomach stopped tossing in place. Now he just had to find those two brats and get them to be quiet. It irritated him that he had to be the one to track them down when Lord Nephriam had been the one who insisted that he used the chamber to sleep in. Tsuna hadn't even wanted to bring the ghastly thing, but he hadn't been given a choice.

It gave him time to explore the ship, though. He was amazed at how ship design had evolved over the years. Everything had been arranged to give both the oblivious family and the hardened Mafioso a pleasant voyage. There were swimming pools for adults and children. There was a disk launcher for target practice on the back deck. There was stage shows for every age, three bars, two casinos, and a day-care center for toddlers that had a miniature petting zoo. There were exercise rooms with a view of the ocean, two underwater internet café's, and even a small shopping mall spread across two of the interior decks.

It was in the arcade of the shopping mall that he found his two little miscreants.

"I'm telling you!" The younger of the two exclaimed. "He was green and moaning like a ghost! He said that he was going to eat us and chased us until we got outside! He must have been scared of the sunlight because we didn't see him after--"

"I was green because I get sea sick," Tsuna growled, causing both kids to jump in place with a startled scream. "It's not nice to spread lies about people. You two were the ones that sneaked into my room and interrupted my sleep. If you keep this up, I'm going to have to tell your father that you were ruining my reputation after I was nice enough to overlook your trespassing." Tsuna put on his best 'scolding adult' expression while he stared at the two wide-eyed youths. They both looked as if they were scared out of their wits, which was making the rest of their friends look at them like they were idiots.

"My bed really does look like a coffin," he admitted. Kneeling down with a sheepish expression on his face, he hoped that a different disposition could get rid of their fear. "My Boss likes to make fun of me because I get so sea sick. That chamber cuts off the light and sound so that I can sleep better, but it's really creepy. I'm sorry if I scared both of you, but I was still half-way asleep and I hadn't taken any medicine for my stomach yet. There's not enough medicine to last all the way to Mafia Land, so I was trying to tough it out. If you'd like, you can come by my room later to look at my bed up close. Bring your father if you want to. It might make you feel better once you see that there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not a ghost or a zombie or anything like that. As for being a vampire, I was just sunbathing next to the pool when I heard that someone was making up stories about me. Since I can't really blame you after you saw me at my worst, I thought I'd come to let you know that I'm not going to chase you down and hurt you. I'm just a passenger here like everyone else."

"My dad says that we shouldn't talk to strangers," the older one replied while gently pushing his little brother behind him.

"You're absolutely right," Tsuna smiled. "I'll leave you alone so that you don't have to worry. Just please stop telling mean stories about me. They hurt my feelings." Nodding in satisfaction to himself, he stood and began to retrace his steps once more. If the kids were treating him like a normal stranger, then the rumors would probably stop.

He didn't get far before stopping again. Halfway down the ship's mini-mall, he had to pause at the scene outside a swimwear store. It made him chuckle internally to see a man walking out of it with his ecstatic girlfriend on his arm while wearing the same swimsuit that Tsuna had on. Considering that he recognized the man as one of the onlookers from the incident on deck, he had to applaud the quick change in judgment. Then Tsuna felt the need to smirk when the guy gave a small nod in Tsuna's direction as he passed by with his head held high.

People never ceased to amaze him.

* * *

"The results for the first round of teacher's examinations were posted before dinner," Lord Nephriam commented, making Tsuna choke on his shrimp. "You placed twelfth out of fifty."

"You're joking," Tsuna gaped once he managed to clear his throat.

"I'm afraid not," he replied while he cut into a tender piece of sirloin. "The method of distributing scores is a complete secret. No one knows who is judging the tests, when a test is taking place, or even what you're being judged on. Having you awakened wasn't my idea, but I assume that it was planned so that they could proceed with the selection process. You probably would have scored higher if they'd had longer to observe."

"I... I didn't know," he said as his face paled in remembrance of the swimsuit that he'd worn in public.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "You did something right. Ten applicants have already been removed from the list of competitors and you managed to get in the top twenty."

"It's a fucking competition?" Xanxus asked in disbelief.

"Last year, there were over five hundred applicants spread across the Mafia," Lady Italia replied conversationally. "Forty five percent of Don Girarde's teachers are provided by those in alliance with Vongola while another forty five percent is provided by rival Families. The last ten percent come from civilian and various neutral sources. I'm told that the selection process is composed of a rigorous set of ongoing tests that last over a month in both Mafia Land and the rival Families' secret villas. Even though the number of slots are limited, people try every year for the honor of teaching the next generation of Mafioso. A competition is the only way to keep things fair while ensuring that our young ones are taught by the best that the Mafia has to offer."

"You didn't tell me about this," Tsuna whined. "I thought you were just going to pull some strings and get me in."

"I did pull strings," Lord Nephriam snapped. "It's not as if everyone who wants to can compete. There are background checks, a reputation quota, and a minimum service requirement that you have to pass before reaching this point. You don't have any of that, yet you're still receiving consideration for a substitute position. I'm surprised that you don't know about it."

"Of course not," he pouted quietly. "I kept my nose out of Don Girarde on purpose. The Dean's methods are something that should never be questioned."

"I see," Lord Nephriam replied with a gleam of consideration in his eyes. "Then you probably know what they're looking for far better than I do."

"Not even close," he corrected with a worried laugh. "I said that his methods shouldn't be questioned. I never said that I understood them. He's a complete lunatic and I doubt that the years have changed him much. Trying to out-think him is completely pointless. All I can do is be myself and hope that I qualify. Everyone here is probably going to start acting stiff and formal since they think that they're always supposed to present themselves as a teacher. That's kind of like throwing a coat of paint over a layer of scum and saying that it's new. Even if it causes me to be disqualified, I'd rather present myself honestly."

"Master is amazing," Aster mumbled with his eyes on his plate. Tsuna grinned to himself at the comment, knowing that the guy wasn't aware that he'd said anything. Such outbursts were slowly becoming more common and Tsuna didn't want to make him self-conscious by pointing it out.

"I guess this means that I can't go back to sleep," he continued as he lazily returned to his oversized plate of sea-food. "I hope that you told the infirmary to stock an extra supply of nausea medicine. I have a feeling that I'm going to be needing it."

* * *

Tsuna groaned to himself. For a testing process, they weren't being very skillful in hiding their methods. This was the fourth incident in three days that he'd run into a situation that involved kids. First there'd been the kids that were spreading rumors about him. Then there'd been the stowaway Calcassa kid that was about to be beaten by a Cavallone. After that had been the troublemaker who'd been picking fights with everyone he came across. Now, it seemed as if he was going to have to deal with a crybaby who wanted to hide behind his lounge chair.

Deciding to help the boy out, he spread his towel to hide him when three men came running into the area as if they were looking for someone. They glanced several times in Tsuna's direction, but Tsuna merely winked and blew them a kiss to make them hurriedly rush in the opposite direction.

"Oi," he called softly. "They're gone, so you can come out."

"Don't wanna," he replied in a trembling voice. "They'll just find me again."

"I see," Tsuna said, picking his magazine back up in order to flip through the pages. "So you're a coward."

"I'm not a coward!" He spat. "I just don't want to listen to my old man anymore. He acts like there's something wrong with me just because I don't enjoy fighting."

"I don't blame you," Tsuna murmured absently. "I wouldn't want to listen to that either. The only people who enjoy fighting are those who have nothing to lose."

"Exactly!" He exclaimed.

"Agreeing with me does nothing," he warned while he continued to flip through pages. "Rather than whining that you don't like fighting, you need to show him that you're strong enough to survive without it. Parents typically only want what's best for their kids and I doubt that your old man likes fighting any more than you do. He just shows enthusiasm for it because he knows that it's a fool-proof way to protect the people that he cares about and he wants you to share that love. Rather than run away from him, you should be showing him that you're capable of caring without sinking to violence. After all, your father's line of work has far more need of skilled negotiators and lawyers than brainless idiots that can use their fists. We already have enough of those."

"Lawyer," he repeated in a thoughtful tone. "Aren't those the guys that get my dad out of jail?"

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed. "It takes a lot of studying and hard work to become one. I'm not sure if someone who runs away from a lecture can do it."

"I can do it!" He yelped, sticking his head out from behind the chair to look at Tsuna with a fierce expression of determination. "I can care with words and the law instead of fighting! I won't run away!"

"Don't tell me that," Tsuna shrugged. "I think that there's an old man that probably needs to hear those words."

"I'll go tell him right now," he spluttered as he scrambled out from his hiding place. "Thanks, Mister!"

"No problem," he groaned. Laying the magazine on his chest, he tilted his hat down to shade his face in the decision that he'd already earned full rights to a nap. It wasn't until he woke back up that he realized his mistake. Aster had been hard at work while he'd been sleeping. A large umbrella had been installed onto his chair to block out the sun, he had been covered with a beach towel to protect him from the eyes of perverts, and Aster was in the middle of setting up a late lunch at a table that Tsuna didn't remember being present next to the pool. "Aster," he sighed. "You're allowed to slack off. We're on vacation."

"Master is ill," he replied with his typically empty expression. "Master Xerxes told me to prepare a meal for you."

"That asshole," Tsuna grumbled. "I told him last night that I was going to stick with a liquid diet until we reached shore."

"Then Master doesn't want--"

"I'll eat it," he growled. "I'm not going to let all of your effort go to waste, although my stomach might not let me have a say in the matter."

"I've prepared a double dose of medicine for you, Master," Aster offered.

"Perhaps I'll be able to keep it down then," he sighed as he stood and crossed over to the table. As he feared, there was nothing present for Aster to eat. "Where's yours?" He asked with a warning growl.

"I've already eaten," he replied.

"I see," Tsuna said in relief. Taking his seat, he carefully laid a napkin into his lap and accepted the pills that Aster had gotten for him. A large gulp of chilled blood wine washed it down and Tsuna waited patiently for them to take effect before attempting to look at the large meal laid out for his consideration. It made him gulp in fear that it would all come back up, but he figured that there was no harm in trying to eat. "Is there anywhere that you've been wanting to go on board?"

"C Deck," he answered promptly.

"What's on C Deck?" Tsuna asked while he took careful bites of mouthwatering roast beef.

"Tattooist."

"You want a tattoo?"

"Master's seal."

"You don't have to get it tattooed on you. The shackles are enough."

"I... want..."

"Alright," Tsuna growled. He had yet to find a good counter to those two little words, which only made things worse since Aster only used them when doing something that went above and beyond the normal limits of duty. "If you're going to do that, you have to put it in a place that you like for me to kiss and not on your face."

"Yes, Master," he replied with a nearly unnoticeable pink hue lighting up his cheeks.

"Go now so that you can clean up here when I'm finished," he ordered in envy that Aster wasn't as sensitive as he was to the ship's motion. Aster bowed in confirmation of the order and left with an earnest determination that Tsuna still wasn't sure how to deal with. When he'd accepted a blood slave, Lord Nephriam had warned him that they would become devoted. He'd failed to mention how much, though.

As Tsuna expected, his next round of testing started as soon as he was alone. Tsuna could feel the eyes on the back of his neck while he ate, signaling that he was being stared at. He didn't bother looking. Raising his hand, he silently signaled whoever it was to come forward. Tsuna raised his eyebrow in surprise at the teenage boy that slowly sauntered up next to his table. He was older than the previous kids, but not so old that he could be mistaken for an adult.

"Did you want something from me?" Tsuna asked calmly. "I could feel you staring at me."

"You're another of them," he replied with a scowl.

"I'm guessing you mean a teacher candidate," he murmured while he slowly took in the difference in atmosphere with this one. "I'm assuming the reason for your stare is because you're getting fed up with how helpful everyone is being toward you and, in normal teenage logic, you've decided to hate me for it since I'm also a candidate. Before you decide that, though. Let me inform you of something. None of the candidates know when they're being tested and when they're not, so every kid on board is being treated like they're made of glass."

"I already know that," he snarled in frustration. "But do I look like I'm a fucking kid?"

"Yes," he replied with a glance upward at the boy. "You're missing my point, though. Why aren't you taking advantage of it? Kids younger than you have already figured it out and are using the extra attention from gullible adults to get the things that their parents won't give them. Instead of moaning about the unfairness of the world, why don't you see the opportunities that are offered in the things that you hate?"

"You're telling me to con people?" The boy gaped in surprise. "What kind of teacher are you?!"

"A realist," he answered with a smirk. "But I'm hoping to be a substitute teacher. Let me ask you something, boy. What does your father do for a living?"

"He's in the Mafia," he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah," Tsuna sighed in relief. "So your parents have already introduced you into the real world. In that case, there's no harm in telling you a few things that might make your life easier. First of all, don't try to directly approach any adults or else they'll put their guard up. Your best bet is to seat yourself down somewhere and wait for them to take the initiative. If you can look upset or depressed, it'll make it even easier. After that, have a sob story ready. Everyone on board is trying to show that they're the best choice as a teacher by solving kids' problems--"

"Is that why you're talking to me?" He interrupted suspiciously.

"No," he replied honestly. "I'm talking to you because you were staring at me and it's something to pass the time while I wait for my stomach to settle down again. Now, as for your issue. You disliked me on sight because I'm a teacher candidate when you've only got yourself to blame for being treated like a helpless student in need of advice. With how upset the treatment has made you, you're only setting off more alarms with those who are looking for opportunities to test their mettle. What you need is a good con to follow up with when people try to give you unsolicited help. Why don't you try to act like a starving teenager? You could tell them how hungry you are since you missed lunch and ask if they have a few dollars so that you can buy a snack. The really foolish ones will give it to you right away and then you can hide out in a movie or at the arcade for a few hours. Even if you get caught, the people who gave you the money will only have themselves to blame for being taken in like a fool and your parents will probably forgive you since you won't be as depressed."

"I am kind of hungry," he commented quietly. Tsuna looked up at him for a long moment and quickly decided that the boy was a lot faster at picking up concepts than Tsuna had thought.

"Nice try," he chuckled. "I'm not a sucker, though. My cute little servant prepared this for me, so I can't hurt his feelings by giving it away. I suggest trying in the internet cafe first. If you order water and look pathetic about it, someone is sure to notice."

"I'll try that," he grinned. "You know, I hope that you actually do become a teacher. I'm going to be going to Don Girarde next year and I was starting to worry that it was going to be filled with idiots. You're the sixth candidate that I've come across since I got fed up, but you're the first to treat me like I've got a mind. The rest treated me like a kid and when I got fed up, they acted like I wasn't being understanding enough even though I'm the victim here!"

"I can see why that would become annoying," Tsuna replied while he tried to start eating again.

"Um... this is probably rude of me," he mumbled hesitantly. "But can I come talk to you again?"

"It's fine as long as you approach me in the open," Tsuna shrugged. "If you bring nausea medicine, I might even pay attention to you."

"Can I bring friends?"

"It's not like I can stop you."

* * *

Tsuna's eyes twitched in irritation, but he held his peace. He'd made a mistake. He'd made a huge mistake. Whether he liked it or not, he was surrounded by teenagers who were to be the real students of Don Girarde. It was the worst possible scenario. The real ones wouldn't leave him alone long enough for him to encounter any more of the test cases.

"The latest results were just posted!" A teenage girl shouted as she ran into the gym that Tsuna had tried to hide in. Tsuna's ever-present mob of hormones all perked up in interest at the same time due to the shout. "It's horrible!" She exclaimed. "Mr. Wolfe has dropped down to last place!"

"That's not good," he commented as he slowed the treadmill that he'd been running on. "Was there a notice on it? Usually those in the last ten have reasons listed for their rank."

"Skill and luck," a voice provided. Tsuna carefully turned to find Lord Nephriam smirking from a bench-press behind him.

"Could you clarify that, m'Lord?" He asked cautiously.

"Your lack of motivation to prove yourself is catching up to you," he replied. "You've completely skipped out on the basics."

"I'm still not following," he said in confusion.

"Target practice," he said bluntly. "Gambling. Sparring. You show no ambition, Van Wolfe. From the outside, it looks like you're more interested in being fawned over by teenagers than fanning the flames of impassioned youth. A teacher that's admired should be a good role model. A teacher that's only preying on the attention of his students should be shot. You've already shown that you can advise youngsters and hold their interest, but you've done nothing to ease the minds of the parents. While you've been hiding here, word is spreading of a homosexual teacher that's corrupting the Mafia's youth."

"Shit," Tsuna groaned. "I was just trying to keep my stomach calm. This gym is at the center of the ship, so I don't get as sea sick here."

"Aster is bringing your equipment and medicine," he replied with his lips pressed in displeasure. "You have one chance to correct your mistakes. I don't think that I need to tell you what to do."

"What does he have to do?" A young Nubo asked worriedly.

"Oi," Tsuna interrupted before they could start to panic. "How would you guys like to see your substitute teacher show off?" A dozen set of eyes lit up in interest. "I'm going to take a quick shower since I'm sweaty. Meet me on the rear deck in twenty minutes and I'll show you the level of real Don Girarde teachers should be on. Be sure to bring binoculars."

"That's more like it," Lord Nephriam chuckled. "I'll be waiting to see your performance."

* * *

There was a reason that he sent the kids ahead of him and that reason had to do with the rumors mentioned. Eight years hadn't changed that much in the Mafia. The prejudice and stereotypes against gays were still predominately negative since it went completely against the traditions that the Mafia cherished. He'd hoped that with the way his swimsuit became popular that things were changing, but those who'd decided to hate him had already begun to use that as an example of his corruption.

For that reason he agreed with Lord Nephriam's decision to continue the competition in full armor. He'd shown his laid back side. Now he needed to show the side that was going to be made into the most feared and respected hitman in the Mafia World. He was completely prepared with everything from his sword to a spare box of nausea pills in his coat pocket. The time for taking things easy was over. There were two days left on the trip and the ship was about to get the shock of their life.

"You took your sweet time getting here," Xanxus growled when Tsuna finally arrived at the rear deck's firing range. Word had spread that he was going to show off, so that all three of the disk launchers were unoccupied. Numerous people had come to see his ability for themselves, as well, although half of them looked as if they were hoping for his failure. The part that he found even more interesting was that the students that had attached themselves to him had claimed the front row for themselves and every single one had a pair of binoculars like he'd ordered. Many of them had also brought their parents, which seemed to be the reason why so many of the others were glaring at him. The other remaining candidates weren't happy with his popularity at all.

"Alright," Tsuna called as he stepped out into the empty space that was waiting on him. "I don't see any reason to beat around the bush. My name is Van Wolfe and I'm a teaching candidate for Don Girarde. There are some snide little rumors going around about me that say that I'm weak and corrupting the next generation because I'm gay." Tsuna smiled to himself at the hail of 'boos' that came from his cheering section. "I'm here to assure you that I'm neither," he continued. "The only thing that I'm interested in teaching kids is how to survive in the world while living up to their potential. Leading kids onto a rocky path would only hinder such goals. However--! For those that stumble down that path on their own, I want to lead them to high ground where they can hold their heads high and say 'I am strong'. Is there any who wish to stop me from giving such guidance? Now is a good time to prove to the young ones that one cannot be strong if they're gay. Please, I ask earnestly, is there any here who can put me in my place?"

"I will," someone called from the crowd. Tsuna smiled internally in satisfaction. Big, brawny, and dumb was exactly what he was hoping for. The man was three times Tsuna's size and had an expression on his face that screamed his hatred.

"Wonderful!" Tsuna exclaimed with a flick of his fingers to tilt his hat back so that his eye could get a clear image of his opponent's face. Landon of the Deter Family. "You look like a strong, upstanding man. I take it that you've got some weapon's experience?" In answer, those glaring at Tsuna chuckled cruelly and a high-powered rifle was handed over to Tsuna's opponent. "I'll take that as a yes," Tsuna said softly to himself before raising his voice for the crowd. "Here are the rules. We'll go for number of consecutive hits in under two minutes. To ensure that it's fair, we'll take turns with all three disk launchers set to random and you can assign yourself a second to reload a spare weapon. The crowd can call out the hits. Best out of three rounds wins. Does that sound like a fair challenge?"

"Fine," Landon grinned as the crowd reluctantly nodded. "But the loser drops out of the teacher's competition."

"There's no reason to wager--"

"Are you chicken?" He taunted.

"No, I just think that--" Tsuna broke off at the catcalls that came from Landon's cohorts in the crowd. He couldn't give in to the pressure like that, though. Listening to taunts wasn't something that a role model did. "I refuse," he said bluntly, causing the jeering crowd to pause in surprise. "Your pride might not be precious to you, but putting mine up for stake is already a large enough bet. If a good teacher can be determined by who's still standing at the end of a bet, then I pity the Mafia's educational system. Each person has their own talents and it would be a sad thing if a person couldn't show where they really shine because they suck at one thing."

"You're saying that you suck at this?" Landon asked in a mocking tone.

"No," Tsuna grinned. "I'm saying that for your sake since you can't defeat me." Tsuna had the momentary pleasure of seeing Landon's face turn purple in rage before the man snapped his fingers to call down someone to reload his spare weapon for him. Tsuna had won the battle of words. The only way that Landon could beat him now was to out-shoot him.

Tsuna felt like he was watching a worm wriggling on a hook, unaware that it was already fish bait. Landon tried hard. Each disk launcher could throw two clay targets at once. Considering that he wasn't used to going after six moving targets at the same time, Tsuna was impressed at how well he did. At the end of the two minutes, he had an average score of four out of every six targets. Even Tsuna's cheering squad had to grudgingly give him applause.

Tsuna ignored Landon's smug expression as the disk launchers were quickly refilled. He ignored Landon's taunting words when he saw the modified revolver that Tsuna planned to use instead of a shotgun. He ignored Landon's assumption of victory as Xanxus placed a crate of ammunition within range and he ignored the laughter when one of the teenagers offered to be his second.

Yet, he did smirk when Xanxus and Cheri both dove for safety as soon as the disk launchers were turned on. He also smirked at the sudden silence when all six disks were shattered within three seconds of being released. Jettisoning the empty clip, he inserted another clip of six and spun the barrel in just enough time to get off another six shots. Missing wasn't an option. Taking the time to see each disk and aim wasn't an option. He felt like he was doing it with his eyes closed. The distance, motion, and speed were all inserted into his consciousness, processed, and he reacted on the result before being aware of it.

Unsurprisingly, the crowd stopped counting after the first thirty seconds. At forty-five seconds, Tsuna beat Landon's score. At one minute, Tsuna stopped firing entirely as his eye started tracking something on the horizon. Zooming in to his maximum range, he wanted to snarl at the pirate flag that was slowly being raised on the mast of a massive battleship.

"Why did you stop?" Xanxus asked. "You could have set a record."

"The show is over," Tsuna snapped to the crowd. "I'm sorry that this is so abrupt, but we'll have to call this a tie. Please return to your rooms and prepare for dinner."

"That's a crock of shit," Landon growled. "What--"

"Shut up, you fucking moron," Tsuna hissed under his breath. Putting his opponent out of his mind, Tsuna pressed a thumb to the card on his hip and started hurriedly searching through his eye interface for a program that could hack into the ship's communications network. Xanxus and Cheri saw what he was doing immediately and moved to block him from line-of-sight of the passengers.

"Explain," Xanxus growled quietly.

"Pirates," he whispered. "We probably look like a juicy cruise ship full of easy pickings and they're armed for war. I'm hacking into their communications. I'll have it in just a minute and then I can--"

"...off your engines and prepare to be boarded," a gruff voice ordered. Less than a millisecond later, Tsuna grimaced at the distant sound of a cannon firing. The warning shot exploded into the water on the starboard side of the ship, making Tsuna growl to himself at how close it'd been to hitting them.

"Dango," he called, causing six streams of Flame to explode out of the folds of cloth at his back. "Please take care of the artillery for me," he ordered while he started hacking himself a feed into the voice communications. "Holes in the turrets should be enough." In reply, the six shot into the sky and darted in the direction of the enemy ship. Tsuna wanted to snarl as he felt the engines of the cruise ship cut off. It was fine, though. They'd be started again soon enough.

"Done," he grinned as he reached out to hit a large, illusionary 'connect' button. "Enemy vessel," he called clearly while he lazily reloaded his pistol. "Cease your current operations and return the way you came. Failure to do so will result in injury and a possible loss of life. Also, since you were kind enough to give a warning shot, here is my warning shot in return."

Forcing his eye to maximum zoom, he waited thirty seconds for the ship to get closer. Adjusting for the range, he fired with his target being the command deck of the battleship. He wanted to snarl when the bullet was lodged in the reinforced windows rather than shattering it, but he figured that it was good enough to suffice when he saw numerous men walk forward to stare at it.

"How many bullets do you think that the glass can take before your protection breaks?" Tsuna asked curiously. "By now, your artillery has been sabotaged. Any attempt to fire on the cruise ship will end in your own destruction. Any attempt to come closer will end in assassination. This is your only warning. Over."

"Who is this?" The gruff voice growled. "Do you know who the fuck you're talking to? We have enough firepower to blow you out of the water! As if a fucking shot like that is going to be enough to--" Tsuna didn't argue. He simply fired another three times in quick succession. His accuracy was as good as he could have wanted. The bullet already lodged in the window was drilled deeper with each of his subsequent shots until it finally exploded through with the good timing to hit one of the pirates in the leg.

"You should be careful of where you walk," Tsuna admonished. "To answer your question, I'm a substitute teacher with a boat load of kids being threatened and I don't give a damn who you are. At the moment, I'm still willing to accept a peaceful surrender. However, if I have to repeat myself, you'll find that I can be a lot scarier when I'm pissed off. Don't think that I'll let any of you survive." Tsuna listened to several minutes of dead air before sighing to himself. "Over," he growled.

"W-We surrender," the pirate captain replied in a shocked tone. "O-Over."

"Good," he said in satisfaction. "In that case, turn your turrets away from the boat and take down your flag. Any attempt at insurrection or attack will make me very angry. You are now in command of the Mafia Land Armada as a gift from the Carter Family. Hold your position and follow quietly at your current range. Please follow the commands of the cruise ship's captain until such time that a boarding party can be prepared. Over."

"R-Roger."

"Did you catch all of that, Captain?" Tsuna asked.

"Affirmative," a different voice replied over the voice feed. "We can take it from here." Tsuna nodded in satisfaction and cut his link into the communications system as the sound of the engines revved back to life. He finished in good time. As his eye's computer interface faded from view, his six Salamanders were speedily returning in excitement. Tsuna held out his arms in welcome of them and made sure to give them the praise that they deserved. It was their first successful mission. It would have been unforgiveable to ignore them.

"Did all of you work together?" Tsuna grinned as they bounced happily in his arms. "I'm so proud of you guys! You took down a battleship all by yourselves! How does a movie sound for a reward? I hear that they have a really good one playing in the theater on D Deck." Tsuna chuckled as their bounces became even more excited. "Go find Aster," he ordered. "He's been wanting to see the movie, too." Four of the six shot out of his arms to race to find him, leaving Sprinkle and Cirrus to lazily take up a resting spot on his hat. With those dealt with, Tsuna turned to Xanxus with a crooked grin. "Want to go with me? It's been a while since we had a date."

"You're such a fucking punk," he growled in amusement. "You didn't leave any of the fun shit for me."

"That's retribution for making me wear that swimsuit," he laughed. In the middle of the laugh, he was startled out of his wits by the sudden sound of cheering. Spinning in place, he felt his jaw drop at the sight of all the passengers that should have already returned to their rooms.

"I lost completely," Landon admitted sheepishly. "Remind me not to mess with the teachers at Don Girarde. It looks like the level is going to increase again this year."

* * *

"The pre-selection process is over," Lord Nephriam sighed in relief while Tsuna watched Aster repack their luggage. "You made it through to the final twenty. The real tests are going to start when we reach harbor in the morning. Six other ships will be arriving through the day with their own teacher selections. The candidate pool is going to increase to sixty again."

"I thought that it was too easy," he groaned. "So this was just the pre-selection."

"Indeed," he replied. "You shouldn't have to worry, though. From here on out, the testing will have a more stricter format that will give you time for preparation. There's a special reception for those that passed the pre-selection. They'll explain everything there. Remember, there are only twenty full-time teaching positions open to those in the Vongola Alliance and only four substitute positions. There's something else that you need to think about, as well."

"What's that?" Tsuna asked.

"The Council is planning to meet to debate at the end of the summer as whether to give you a position with us as spokesman for Werewolves," he said carefully. "There are going to be numerous werewolves visiting during the summer, as well. This is a good chance for you to make contact and begin scheduling visits to their homes."

"I see," he grumbled. "Delegation duties start now."

"Yes," he confirmed bluntly. "I'm still arranging the meetings with your compatriots. Until then, I expect you to focus on acclimating yourself to your surroundings, satisfactorily passing the teacher's exams, and beginning your work for the Werewolf Alliance. Can you do it?"

"Piece of cake," Tsuna smiled.

* * *

Tsuna, Xanxus, and Cheri knelt with their heads bowed silently in submission before Lord Nephriam. With all three of them together, they attracted a large amount of attention from the passengers that were unloading. Since it was their intent to attract as much attention as possible, such minor plays were necessary. Word of the Carter Family's hitmen had to spread as quickly as possible. Over the course of the next three months, Bosses and Mafioso from all over the world would be visiting the island. They would have to settle the groundwork now for the later plans about having their services up for sale to succeed.

"Xerxes," Lord Nephriam snapped. "Oversee our registration and personally prepare Van Wolfe's accommodations for his arrival. He has three weeks of malnourishment to make up for when he returns from orientation."

"Yes, m'Lord," Xanxus growled.

"Shotgun," he continued. "Oversee the servants. They should be retrieving the rest of our luggage from holding. Send Aster to Xerxes as soon as you have no further need for him."

"Yes, m'Lord," Cheri replied with a smirk at how much Lord Nephriam was enjoying himself.

"Van Wolfe," he said with a softening of his tone. "Report to the conference hall immediately. I'll have Aster prepared to escort you back to your room after you've finished. Take no unnecessary detours. As soon as your stomach settles, you'll begin to feel the effects of your lack of food. I can't have you attacking innocent people. Understood?"

"Yes, m'Lord," Tsuna said with a grimace at the warning.

"Go," Lord Nephriam said in dismissal. In response, Xanxus disappeared so quickly that he left a momentary afterimage. Cheri disappeared with a leap over the crowd that created numerous murmurs of appreciation. As for Tsuna, he stood, shrugged, and started walking with a disappointing lack of flair that seemed to catch even more attention.

Along the way, he found his attention drawn more toward the sight above the crowd instead of the island's attractions. There weren't a lot of them and it was easy to mistake them for balloons, but there were Salamanders. He counted five as he followed the signs directing him towards where the teacher's exams were to take place and another two in the lobby of the conference hall.

"Is this where we go if we passed the teacher's pre-selection?" Tsuna asked to a cheerful woman at the reception desk.

"Yes," she answered pleasantly. "What is your name?"

"Van Wolfe of the Carter Family."

"I have you listed right here," she said without looking at anything. It made Tsuna confused for a moment until he saw the sensors on the back of her hands. She was wearing the computer contacts that he'd been told about. "Ooh!" She gasped in surprise. "It says here that you were given the Student's Choice Award and that you hold first place for the overall pre-selection. There seems to be something wrong with your file, though. It also says that you have six Salamanders and that you're only applying for a substitute position starting in mid-Winter."

"That's not a mistake," he corrected gently.

"It has to be a mistake," she objected. "I've never heard of anyone being given more than one Demitirus Ring."

"Dango Brothers," Tsuna called with a sigh of resignation. "Come out and say hello to the nice lady." He wasn't surprised at the numerous yelps from people in the lobby when his back exploded. His Salamanders were careful not to damage the protective silk pouch that their sword was in, but they were a little too eager to get out. As soon as they took form, the receptionist got far more of a greeting than she probably wanted. "Bolt," Tsuna snapped, leaning over the desk to scold the most overactive one of them all. "Get out of under there! If you don't behave, I'll make you spend the next week scrubbing toilets!" The threat worked. Within moments, he had the six of them lined up across the reception desk in a set of depressed lumps. "Sorry about that," he groaned. "They're still pretty young."

"I-It's fine," she mumbled in shock. "Are your rings in your bag?"

"That's a bit personal," he replied carefully. "I prefer to keep it on a need-to-know basis."

"Duly noted," she said as she seemed to regain her composure. "What about the substitute position? With your current scores, it's not impossible for you to gain a full-time teaching position. Doing so would bring much prestige to the Carter Family."

"I have other work and personal issues that interfere," he stated bluntly. "A full-time position requires more commitment than I can currently promise."

"That's understandable," she replied with an understanding smile. "Alright. I've confirmed your arrival in the database. If you could remove your mask, we'll get your identification card printed with your picture on it."

"I can't do that," he said calmly. Here it was, he thought. The students on the ship had all been curious about what was under his mask, too. That alone was the one thing that might keep him from passing the teacher's qualification tests.

"Of course you can," she chuckled. "Now, please. If you could--"

"Let me rephrase that," he amended in an attempt to stay courteous. "I won't take it off. I've sworn an oath to wear it until a certain miracle occurs."

"A miracle?" She repeated in surprise. "Don't you mean until you kill a certain someone or maybe--"

"No," he murmured with a small smile for the woman's nonchalance toward his abnormal circumstances. "If I needed to kill someone, they'd be dead. Miracles are much harder to come by."

"One moment," she said with a shrug. "I'll have to get approval." Tsuna nodded and waited patiently while her fingers tapped away on the empty reception desk. The Dango Brothers perked up at the curious actions and each of them picked a finger of her left hand to bounce in place with. Cirrus was the only one who didn't join in the game, choosing instead to float up to Tsuna's hat to claim his favored resting spot. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "You'll have to take it off if I'm going to let you pass."

"I see," Tsuna breathed in mock disappointment. He smelled a lie. It was a bluff to see if he would give his identity away so easily. "In that case, I need to go report my failure," he sighed. "Sorry to have wasted your time." Whistling for the Dango Brothers to follow, he started walking toward the door with all of his body language set to 'dejected'.

"Wait," she yelped in surprise. "Um, ah, well, uh... L-Let me try again," she spluttered hurriedly. "They might change their mind. Yup. They changed their mind. They're so fickle sometimes. It makes me wonder if they even pay attention to what shows up in their inboxes. Just give me a moment to print out your registration card and you can go in with the rest."

"Okay," he replied with an instant smile. It didn't take long. In under a minute, she reached under her desk to retrieve a laminated card with his picture and information on it.

"Rank S-Zero...?" He asked softly while he looked over his new identification.

"They'll explain inside," she said. Deciding to wait for the official explanation, he slipped the card into his miscellaneous belt pouch and headed for the door that she gestured to.

Inside the conference hall was another world entirely. The strength of the scents alone made him pause as the Dango Brothers decided to retreat in unison into their sword. There were so many strong elites stuffed into the enclosed area that it took his breath away. He was quickly able to separate them into three categories. There was the veteran Mafioso that had their backs to the walls. There were the cocky, overpowered youths that stood in the open. Then there were the veterans with strength who constantly stayed moving while they surveyed their rivals. The intensity in the air was enough to make him dizzy.

One scent in particular grabbed his attention and Tsuna focused on it. Regardless of whether it was a werewolf or a vampire, he wasn't the only one of his kind that was present. Tracing the scent allowed him to ignore the considering glances that he was receiving, although he had to dodge numerous attempts of people trying to knock into him. Whether they intended to knock off his mask or to test his strength, Tsuna refused to fall for any of it.

The smell of fear entered the scent, telling Tsuna that he'd been spotted. It was also moving away at a quick speed. It made him mad. He hadn't even met the guy yet and they were already trying to get away from him. Rather than play tag until the other got tired, Tsuna put on a burst of speed that allowed him to wriggle through the crowd in less than a second. It wasn't difficult to head the guy off once he figured out where he was heading. There was only one side exit, after all. Tsuna stopped three feet ahead of him, forcing him to rebound off of Tsuna's chest when he didn't stop in time. The man was instantly angry, although he turned pale a moment later.

"There's no reason to run," Tsuna said solemnly while his eyes darted toward the silver earring that the other was wearing. The man's eyes darted towards Tsuna's in the same fashion, although Tsuna wasn't prepared for the man's open relief at the sight of it.

"You scared the bejeezus out of me," he chuckled sheepishly while Tsuna's database tried to find his identification. A readout popped up at the bottom of Tsuna's vision after a moment, telling him that the guy was Silas of the Ascott Family. "From the smell, I thought you were one of the other kind."

"What would it have mattered if I was?" Tsuna asked with a frown. "We have just as much right to be here as they do."

"You're right, you're right," he soothed. "I just got me a little phobia of meeting with 'em. I'm always running before I notice it. Hey, I know this is sudden, but you wouldn't happen to have any gum on you, would you? I normally wouldn't ask, but I already stretched what I had to last the three weeks. I ran out right before we docked and I haven't had time to pick up a new pack. They've kept us here for six hours already while we've been waiting for the other ships and my teeth are starting to ache."

"I understand," Tsuna replied in sympathy. Reaching down into his belt, he pulled out one of the three packs that he had stashed away and handed it over. "I hope you don't mind a variety pack," he murmured in amusement for how the man's eyes lit up. "I've got more, so you can have those."

"I've never seen a variety pack," Silas mused while he started tearing into the first wrapper. "I've been stuck with the same flavor for two years now!"

"You've been on it that long?" He asked in surprise, gesturing for them to walk around the room to keep their conversation from being completely overheard.

"Yeah, well..." he replied as he popped a piece into his mouth and pocketed the rest. "You know how it is. You end up drinking whether you want to or not. Our line of work has its moments where you don't get a choice. That's why I'm looking to become a teacher. I figure that a peaceful profession will be a good place where I can be useful without having to rely on the sauce."

"I can see that," Tsuna agreed calmly. "I have the same difficulty at times. I've successfully completed the transition, but circumstances don't allow me to stick with it."

"I'll pay you back for the gum," he said hesitantly to keep the conversation going. "You really helped me out of a bind. You... I didn't think you'd be so nice."

"You know me?" Tsuna asked, falling to a stop to confront the issue.

"Of course," Silas laughed with a finger tapping the side of his nose. "I'm not on your level, but my sense of smell is one of the best. Between the silver mark and the scent, there's no one else that you could be. I was warned that you'd be in Mafia Land for the summer, too. I just didn't know that you were going to be trying for a teaching position."

"Just a substitute position," Tsuna replied softly.

"That's good," he sighed in relief. "I'm hoping for one of the positions in the science department. There's an opening for a permanent position since the Bovino that was there finally retired, so there's a chance for a newcomer to get into the rankings. I didn't get the whole story, but there was something about him disappearing for stretches of time and he felt that it was better for the students if he was replaced."

"That's depressing," Tsuna murmured with a frown. "He was a good teacher."

"Well, it's not like he's dead or anything," Silas chuckled. "He just went back to Italy to work on some private research. I'm not going to complain too much. Permanent positions are rare at Don Girarde. There's only one for each department and the rest of the slots get filled through the teacher's exams every year. Even then, it's pretty hard to get in. The same twenty have been in the top ranks for over five years now. I--"

"If I can have your attention, we'll get started," a voice echoed through the hall, causing the hum of conversation to die. Everyone's attention was pulled to the front in unison to find a lanky man in a suit and sunglasses was speaking into a microphone. The only interesting part about him was that Tsuna's eye refused to find a match for him. With the sunglasses in place, he fit the image of too many references for his identity to be narrowed down. "On behalf of Don Girarde Academy, welcome to the Annual Teacher's Conference and Examination. For those of you that are here for your first time, I'll give a quick rundown of the proceedings."

"First off," he continued. "Each of you was given a card upon arrival. This has your rank as determined by the examiners at your pre-selection testing center, your personal information, and the position that you're applying for. Please ensure that you have this card on you at all times. You will not be able to take an exam without it. The part that you're probably curious about is your rank. Your rank is made up of a letter and a number. The system goes from A to F and one to six with A and one being the best and F and six being minimal qualifications. If you happen to have an F-Six Rank, you might as well leave now and save yourself the trouble."

"What about S-Zero Rank?" Someone thankfully called out from the back.

"I'll get to that in a moment," he replied before returning to his pre-planned speech. "The letters signify your aptitude for teaching while the numbers are a ranking of your skill as seen during pre-selection. Now, if you would arrange yourselves in six lines by letter with ones being in the front and sixes being in the back, we can move on to the next part of the introduction. If you happen to come across someone with the same rank as you, feel free to fight out who should be in front. If you have an S-Zero rank, please come speak with me."

"I've got to go find where B-Three should be standing," Silas grinned as everyone started shuffling around to get organized. "I'll see you around." Tsuna nodded and headed for the front, as did several others whose scents made Tsuna's mouth water. It was enough to make him reach for his flask for a drink to steady himself. They didn't get much explanation when they arrived, though. The man who was organizing everyone simply pointed for them to stand against the wall and wait. Tsuna could understand the reasons for the lack of communication. The poor man simply didn't want to have to repeat himself.

It took nearly twenty minutes for everyone else to get in order and six fistfights broke out to determine the appropriate order. In the end, only five others joined Tsuna in standing patiently against the wall.

"Alright," the organizer said in satisfaction once he had everyone's attention again. However, he wasn't speaking to the fifty four men lined up through the room. He was speaking to Tsuna and his would-be cohorts. "The six of you received special ranks due to being overqualified for your applied positions. Because of that, you've each been given a special option to become a tutor instead of a teacher. Tutors take on special cases and work one-on-one with students to overcome difficulties. You'll have special privileges and benefits, including the ability to set your own schedules. Frankly speaking, the Dean feels that merely having you six around as role models will be of benefit. The fact that each of you has shown an aptitude for teaching only makes it more important that we ensure that you have every opportunity possible to interact with the students."

"What about classes?" A woman on the end asked carefully.

"You can take over any one you want at any time that you want, assuming that you pass the proficiency exam in that area," he replied calmly. "Even if you don't pass, you're permitted to enter and watch over any class you want. We hope that you'll find a few bright youths to personally train, but the Dean feels that merely having you on the premises will be enough to raise the students' levels. The pay is twice the teacher's salary regardless if you show up or not."

"I want my own classroom," a bulky man to Tsuna's left said bluntly. "Is this tutor thing mandatory?"

"No," he replied. "If you refuse, you'll be dropped to Rank A-One and tested with everyone else."

"I guess that puts me over there," he said, kicking off the wall to walk over to the A line. The organizer grimaced at the refusal, but didn't stop the man or the woman that followed him. That left Tsuna with only three others.

"It's fine with me," the first shrugged. "I was going for substitute since I've still got work for the Family to do. Tutor fits me just fine."

"Same here," the second agreed.

"Better pay," the third chuckled. "I'll take it."

"It's not as easy as just saying yes," Tsuna murmured in suspicion. "The position is offered, but what're the requirements for accepting?"

"Sharp," the organizer replied in amusement. "It's true. Although six of you were picked out for the offer, only three of you can be accepted. The Dean doesn't want too many people freely running around the school and our rivals are allowed a matching number of slots in order to keep things neutral. Even though two have decided to teach, there's still one too many. We have two options. The first is that one of you give up and teach. The second is that we have a tournament. Considering the amount of candidates that look unsatisfied, I suggest that you go with the tournament."

Tsuna nodded in acceptance with the other three when he noticed the amount of glares that they were being given. There were nearly sixty people amassed for twenty positions. Two thirds of those who were present were going to go home empty-handed for all their troubles. Tsuna knew that if he were in their position, he'd be just as unhappy that people were being singled out before the test.

"Just to clarify," the organizer said as he turned to the six lines. "The tutor position isn't included in the twenty open teaching slots. It's in the same category as the permanent positions, although tutors will be forced to retest every three years. Also, please do not assume that all the positions will go to those who are Rank A or Rank One. Don Girarde's students come in all levels of strength and ability, so we like to have our teachers have the same mixture. The final determination of who receives the teaching slots will come after a consideration of Rank, exam scores, and an interview. For today's introduction, we'll be settling the matter regarding the tutors in order to remove them from the general pool of teaching candidates. If you'd like to stay and watch, feel free. If not, please return here tomorrow at noon for the first exam. Study materials can be retrieved at the front desk if you'd like to brush up on the current course material."

"Um," Tsuna interjected hesitantly. "We're doing the tournament now?"

"Is there something wrong with that?" The organizer asked in surprise.

"Not really," Tsuna blushed when every eye riveted onto him. "I was just wondering if we could take a little break first. I was ordered to report straight here from the ship and I haven't really eaten in three weeks."

"He's afraid that he's going to lose," someone taunted from the C-Line.

"No," Tsuna corrected slowly. "It's not that. I just haven't eaten anything solid in a while and I'm afraid that instinct will make me do something distasteful."

"Oh," the organizer gasped with his eyes targeting Tsuna's earring in the same way that Silas had. The fact that it was a human doing it made Tsuna straighten up in surprise. "I didn't notice before. Yes, you're right. We don't want any of _that _happening. We'll break for ten minutes to let everyone get some air before we start. Is that enough time?"

"It should be plenty," Tsuna replied in relief.

"Alright," he called, turning back to the crowd. "Break for ten minutes and meet at the arena next door if you want to watch. You can get in free if you show your candidate card. Dismissed." As soon as the word was out of the man's mouth, Tsuna bolted through the crowd at his top speed to beat everyone to the door. He flew out the lobby in the same fashion and felt like crying in relief when he found Aster waiting outside with a bag of hamburgers.

"Master," he said in greeting when Tsuna came to a stop next to him. "Early," Aster added as he held out the bag. Tsuna took it in open appreciation and led them both over to a bench to sit on while he ate.

"We got a little break," he explained while he started unwrapping the first of a dozen hamburgers while completely ignoring the jealous glares of those exiting the building. "There's been a change of plans," he said between bites. "They want me... to be a tutor. There's... about to be... a tournament... to decide who gets it. I asked for a break... to eat... since I'm starting to feel... how empty... my stomach is.... now that... it's not jumping around."

"Master is going to choke," Aster said as Tsuna started in on his fifth one.

"Starving," he replied. "Wine alone... isn't enough."

"Hey, Cowboy!" Silas called as he finally came out of the lobby. Tsuna continued eating as he waved in greeting, taking down two more hamburgers in the process. "Is that true?" He asked as he ran up to meet them. "You haven't eaten anything in three weeks?"

"Master got sea sick," Aster supplied tonelessly.

"I had the complete opposite of your problem," Tsuna clarified. "Aster kept me going, but I couldn't keep anything solid down. I was taking nausea medicine for the last week just to stay active for the pre-selection testing. Even when I tried to eat, it still all ended up overboard. My sense of balance is too sensitive. It took me ten minutes just to stand straight when I got back on solid ground. More importantly, did you notice that organizer?"

"I saw," Silas frowned.

"The Dean already knows about us," he said as he finished the last hamburger and handed the empty bag back to Aster. "I can't say that I'm too surprised, but it is a bit of a shock that he briefed others. I'm going to have to report this to Lord Nephriam."

"There's not enough time right now," Silas replied. "You've only got three minutes left."

"I know," Tsuna murmured as he jumped to his feet. "Aster, you can go into the arena if you want to watch the tournament."

"Come on, kiddo," Silas said with a broad grin. "Guys like us need to stick together."

"I'm eighteen," he replied tonelessly. Tsuna had to hide his smile behind his hand when Silas' expression went blank, knowing that Aster was just being Aster in his lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm going in first," Tsuna said. "Call the others and let them know what's going on."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

Tsuna knew that he was in trouble as soon as he heard the rules. Rule, he mentally amended. Killing equals disqualification. That was the only one. He actually became worried when he saw his opponent's preparations.

Sprout of the Aldridge Family tapped his boots together to trigger a flying snowboard and stripped off his jacket to show an alarming array of knives strapped onto his body. Even worse, the yellow dragonfly-shaped Salamander that he brought out was bigger than Tsuna and looked far more deadly than Dango Brothers. After that, Thunderbelly of the Warwick Family brought out a set of plated gloves and took much enjoyment in hammering them together to show the blast of electricity that came when the gloves hit each other while a large green crocodile-shaped Salamander snapped at his feet. Finally, there was Alijah of the Ricci Family. Even though she was the only woman competing, Tsuna didn't underestimate her at all. Her hand scythes looked particularly deadly, even without the blue jaguar-shaped Salamander at her back.

Tsuna knew that he looked pathetic in comparison. The poor Dango Brothers were even laughed at when he hesitantly asked them to come out.

"Just do your best," he encouraged as he drew his sword without revealing the rainbow Demitirus-scabbard. He had no confidence at all in his sword skill, even though he'd been practicing. He would have much rather used his gun, but the chance of disqualifying himself was too high if he did so.

"This is a mass elimination match," the announcer said from the stands. "The first one knocked out will have their Rank lowered to A-One. Step forward when you are ready. When all participants signal that they're ready, you may begin."

All four of them stepped forward in unison and none of them made a move after that. Just like the others were doing, Tsuna took his time in sizing each of them up. It didn't look good. Sprout had the advantage of maneuverability. Alijah seemed as if she had the most weapons skill. Thunderbelly had the strength. There was no way to determine who was the best choice to pick off.

Then he noticed how all three sets of eyes had settled on him as the weakest due to the Dango Brothers' size.

Nodding in acceptance that they were going to try to assault him in a group, Tsuna patiently waited for them to make the first move. It was pretty simple if he knew that he only had to defend. Things would have been a lot messier if they'd chosen to pair off into separate fights since he'd have to keep track of when there was a change in target.

In the middle of trying to put together a battle plan, the Dango Brothers floated down in front of him and trembled in unison. The timing was horrible for them to get scared, he thought. Thunderbelly was already beginning to move toward him and Sprout was gaining altitude. The Salamanders were coming closer, yet Tsuna found his attention pulled to the rainbow of Salamanders in front of him.

_There was something that he was missing. He could feel it just out of reach. Something was in the way... Something was on the other side of the barrier that was holding him back, telling him that the missing piece was waiting on him to find it. It was the same for the Dango Brothers. They were held back like they were still stuck in their..._

"Shells," Tsuna gasped in understanding. "HATCH!" He commanded, finally realizing that they weren't Dango at all. They were eggs!

The area in front of him exploded in light, causing his opponents to tactically retreat in surprise. Tsuna was just as surprised, although he wasn't afraid. No matter what came out of the shells, he knew that the Salamanders were a part of him. They were a part of him and there was no way that he could reject whatever form they chose to take. When he saw them, that simple thought became a certainty.

They'd grown exponentially from their previous size, becoming equals with the three that answered to his opponents. They weren't dragons nor were they eels. They were a combination of the two that Tsuna decided was the closest thing he'd ever see to a wyvern. Tsuna was too amazed to react and he found out that silence was a good weapon. His opponents stared at him while he was dazed, then traded looks with each other. Before Tsuna could move to attack, the three went after each other in a fear-filled frenzy while completely ignoring him. By the time he thought to join in the melee, Sprout was already unconscious on the ground with his hover-board shattered to pieces under him.

"W-We have our winners," the announcer choked. Like soap bubbles, Tsuna's army of wyverns popped one at a time, leaving behind the six eggs that he'd come to think of as Dango. Tsuna decided not to question the reversion. Sheathing his sword and slipping his gun into his holster, he held out his arms in welcome and grinned.

"Good job," he praised, causing the Dango Brothers to plow into him in joy. Whether the cheers of the crowd were for him or the six with him, Tsuna didn't care. He was simply happy that the way was open for him to see his son.


	99. Chapter 99 Reborn!

"I guess Salamanders aren't as rare as they used to be," Tsuna commented as he inspected the inch-wide port made for Salamanders to travel through. There were three of them in his hotel room and another four in the hall. Remembering the numerous burnt rugs, doors, and windows that had resulted between Salmon and Hotaru, he figured that the Salamander ports were a required addition to modern Mafia living.

"You can't be gawking at something like that," Lord Nephriam admonished from his seat next to the only window. "Your Salamanders saved you. Mafioso generally believe that a Salamander's size is proportionate to their strength. Yours shot up to that of six men in an instant, which is why the others chose to end the fight before challenging you. If it weren't for them, you would have shown just how much of a bumpkin you really are."

"I'm not a bumpkin," Tsuna grumbled as he crossed over to sit at the small table that was piled high with food. Despite his achievements, the size of his room couldn't be increased. The island had three hotels and all the major rooms were reserved for incoming Bosses. He was already considered lucky in the fact that he got a room with two beds instead of having to share a single. Even while he ate, Aster was already pushing the two beds together to ensure that Tsuna had plenty of room to be comfortable. However, his complete lack of modesty for the insinuation that he wanted them to sleep together was something that Tsuna felt more resigned about than amused.

"Compared to most of the Mafioso here, you are one," Lord Nephriam corrected. "I suggest that you spend as much time as you can sight-seeing and shopping to make yourself aware of the normal standards."

"I'll do that when I go back for the study materials," Tsuna soothed as he started making a plate of egg salad sandwiches disappear. "I want to look around for Silas, too. I didn't see him after the match was over."

"Bullhead Hotel," Aster supplied while he began spreading the blankets over the bed. "Third floor, room seventy three. It's at the end of the west wing with a window overlooking the north entrance of the amusement park."

"Aster...?" Tsuna prompted in surprise.

"Master's friend talked a lot," Aster mumbled absently.

"He's a werewolf like us," Tsuna admonished. "He's in the Alliance, so be nice to him. We're not united enough that we can afford to offend anyone."

"The codename for the Alliance is the Union," Lord Nephriam interjected. "Vampires are coded as Green Nobles, the Council is coded as Black Royalty, werewolves are Red Knights and blood slaves are White Peasants. The references are a bit old, but it draws less attention than less ambiguous terms. Most people don't use the color system unless they're trying to verify that the context is being understood. Anytime that you want to refer to blood, just say 'private vintage' or 'crimson fruit'."

"That's good information to have," Tsuna admitted. "It was difficult to talk openly with Silas without informing the whole room about what we are."

"He probably doesn't know the codes yet, either," Lord Nephriam soothed. "It was only recently that werewolves were permitted access to such knowledge."

"How recently?" Tsuna asked in suspicion.

"It was decided while you were at your conference," he answered bluntly. "It only takes half the Council to make minor decisions, so we're trying to get through as much of the werewolf-related issues before the rest arrive. Between me and Mistress Neve, I believe that--"

"NEVE?!" Tsuna squealed, dropping the rack of ribs that he'd begun gnawing on. "When--! How--! Why--!"

"Calm down," he ordered with a chuckle. "She arrived a week before we did. She's quite anxious to see you, but business comes before pleasure. Don't be surprised if I'm also difficult to find. As soon as I return, the summit will continue for another two and a half days before we get another break. If there's an emergency, you can send Aster to find me at the Mafia Land castle; otherwise, you're on your own. Please do your best at gaining positive attention and try to keep out of trouble."

"Of course," he agreed solemnly. "It's my own goals that are at stake. I'll be careful."

"Then, I'll take my leave," Lord Nephriam replied, bouncing out of his seat with all the vigor of a pre-teen on his way to an arcade. Tsuna stood and bowed as protocol dictated, knowing that the submission was only part of the play. If it hadn't been, Xanxus would have attempted murdered at a minimum of two dozen times.

"Does Master want dessert?" Aster asked as he started carrying out empty plates to the room-service cart waiting in the hallway.

"We'll get some ice cream while we're out shopping," he replied. "You can finish unpacking later. As soon as you're done there, we're going out."

* * *

"No," Tsuna growled in frustration. "I don't want a computer. I don't want a scanner for computer contacts. I just want something so that I can read what's on this." Tsuna's eye twitched at the clerk's blank expression when he held up the micro-disk that they'd given him in place of study materials. He'd been trying for an hour to get someone in the store to understand what he wanted, but it was harder than he thought.

"Master is an old bumpkin," Aster mumbled from behind him.

"Aster," Tsuna snarled, glaring over his shoulder at the servant. "Do you want to die?"

"No," he answered honestly before turning to start looking at the items on the display racks. The lack of expression made Tsuna hang his head in defeat. He really was getting old. He couldn't even scare his own servant.

"Look," Tsuna said, turning back to the clerk. "Like I told the other guy, I've already got a computer in my eye. It's not a contact, so I can't take it out and put it on that scanner. I--"

"Master," Aster interrupted softly.

"What?!"

"There," he answered, pointing to a glass case tucked into the back corner of the store. Shoving past the clerk since he was useless, Tsuna went to look.

"Aster, I could kiss you right now," he sighed in relief. The small case had his eye displayed on the top shelf with several accessories displayed on the shelf under it. "That," Tsuna said with a finger jabbing at the item labeled 'multi-jack'. The advertisement claimed that the inch-wide ball could read any type of media and it had a wireless connection that could rotate frequencies in sync with his eye once the two were linked. It was exactly what he needed. "That's my computer on the top shelf. I want the multi-jack, the bug scanner upgrade disk, and two of the cleaning kits that go to it."

"Oh!" The clerk exclaimed in understanding. "You have the Mark Eight Cyclops Implant! Why didn't you just say so?" The clerk's smile faded as soon as he saw Tsuna's glare. "C-Can I get you anything else?"

"Is there anything you want, Aster?" Tsuna asked, glancing back to find that Aster was nowhere to be seen. Worried, he jogged back down the aisle in search of him and had to cross three more aisles to see where Aster had went. He was standing in front of a cell phone display with such an intent look on his face that Tsuna paused instead of interrupting him. The expression wasn't something that Aster normally had. Sneaking up behind him, Tsuna watched as he hesitantly reached out for one of them. "So," Tsuna said conversationally, making Aster jump in place. "You like pastel blue and cute little black kittens."

"Master..." he said, looking up at Tsuna with his face blank once more."Green," he added with a glance back down at the phone.

"Green," Tsuna repeated in thought. Before Aster could argue, Tsuna started searching through the cell phone covers until he found one that was pastel green with the same black kitten on it. It wasn't for the same phone, though. "Is this phone okay?" He asked, pointing to the simple black flip phone that the cover went on. "You can switch out the facing on it to this one."

Aster nodded in silent agreement, leaving Tsuna nothing to do other than pay for it all.

"Y-Your total comes to sixty one thousand, three hundred, eighty four dollars and forty three cents," the clerk choked. "W-Will that be cash, credit, or debit?"

"I guess it's too much to ask for expensive toys to have cheap accessories," Tsuna groaned as he pulled out his wallet. "We'll go with debit."

* * *

Xanxus wanted to bite something. He wanted to bite something hard. Everyone was talking about Tsuna's spectacular performance in the arena that had landed him a tutor's position, but Xanxus had missed it. He'd been too fucking busy working. Mafia Land was filled with motes. Normally, the Council personally walked all over the island in search of harmful ones, but they'd assigned the task to Xanxus and Cheri as practice. So, he got the merry fucking job of shoving his way through crowds while he checked every alley and stall for hints of infestations. So far, he'd only found three that needed to be dealt with.

The first had been a negative one at the front gates of the amusement park, where someone had been incredibly shocked and disappointed that the park was closed during the off-season. The negative feelings had lingered and grown under the influence of people waiting in line to get in. The corruption it had on humans was visible with everyone's lack of patience and the way that their excitement was crushed by waiting. Xanxus had ruthlessly eaten the mote whole. Then he'd waited, like ordered, to see the effects that the absence had on humans. Spirits and moods lifted as the positive energy in the rest of the area began to fill the void. Parents became more forgiving of their kids. Everyone became so fucking happy that it made him sick at the positive aura that began to flow through the crowd.

The second had been a positive mote at the top of the Ferris wheel. This one had nearly been to the evolving point after so many people traded loving affection in the same place. Unlike the first, he merely nibbled the energy from it until it was a soft glow hovering in place outside the window at the peak of the arc. Leaving only the bare minimum to keep it alive, he left it with the confidence that it wouldn't need to be touched again for several years.

The third mote was in the building in front of him. He couldn't see it yet, but he knew that it was there. He knew for two reasons. The first was that Lord Nephriam had called to tell him that it was there. The second was the grotesque mist of negative life energy that was covering the building. Xanxus knew from Lord Nephriam's endless lectures that it was a sign of an evolved mote. Sapping the cast-off energy would do nothing if he didn't find the core, but the idea of walking through the cesspool of energy to find it made him queasy.

The building in question wasn't one of the normal sort on the island. It was tucked away down on one of the beach paths and seemed to only attract those who weren't on the island for fun. Even while Xanxus inspected it, two men with sour dispositions and foul moods headed inside for a drink. From the location and the lack of advertisements on the outside, Xanxus figured that it was a private bar intended for Mafioso without wives or kids. It wasn't intended to be a place where people laughed and had fun. It was intended to be a place where those who were already sunk in darkness could find reprieve from the joyful atmosphere of the island.

Overall, it seemed like the perfect place for him. If it only wasn't for the filthy stain clogging the air, he could see himself enjoying such a place. Steeling himself for what he had to do, he waded into the aura with the feeling that it should be showing resistance. There was nothing, though. If it weren't for his sight, there would have been absolutely nothing different between the area outside the corruption and the air within it. The smell was no different and the air was no thicker. For a human, there was nothing to warn them that the path ended in a bad place other than the alarms of intuition.

Xanxus felt his nerves tighten in preparation as he stepped through the door. Nothing jumped out at him, however. No one even looked up in interest other than the bartender, who immediately went back to scrubbing the bar with a wet rag. Xanxus scanned the area thoroughly and felt like snarling when the core didn't show itself.

"Oi," he said as he found himself a seat at the bar. "Give me a scotch and information," he ordered.

"What kind of information?" The bartender replied in open suspicion.

"Something to do with... uh..." Xanxus grimaced and tried to think of some way to say it without coming off as a nutcase. "With any unfortunate occurrences that might have happened here."

"That's a pretty funny thing to ask for information about," the bartender chuckled while he poured Xanxus' drink. "This is Mafia Land, cowboy. Bad things don't happen here. The Mafia pays a lot of money to keep things nice and safe."

"Don't give me that shit," he growled, startling the man in the middle of setting down his drink. "Something happened here. I don't give a fuck what you're trying to hide, but it's my job to clean up the mess that was left. It might have happened a year ago or ten years ago. I need to know where the fuck in the building it happened."

"I don't get what you're asking for," he replied helplessly. "As far as I know, nothing bad has ever happened--"

"What about that Nubo that was here two years ago?" One man interjected, stepping up to the bar with a beer in his hand. "I hope you don't mind me butting in, but I happened to overhear. You're looking for information about something bad that happened here. There's only one thing that comes to mind and that's the Nubo kid that fell over."

"That wasn't bad," the bartender spluttered. "Don't go spreading rumors like that, Ed! It's not like he died or anything! He just had an allergic reaction! We got him to the hospital in time, so--"

"Where?" Xanxus interrupted.

"What do you mean, where?" The newcomer asked. "Where he fell over? That would be the bathroom. He was puking his guts up before--" Xanxus bit off a curse and headed straight for the bathroom. Inside, in front of the third stall, was the core that he was looking for. To his eyes, the energy was in the ragged form of a man bent over the toilet. That fact made Xanxus want to hit something. He had to stand in a mire of negative energy because some brat got sick?! It could have at least been a fucking murder!

Crossing over to it, he pushed his trench coat out of his way and knelt. The boy had to have been panicking and fearful to have left a mote. He'd probably thought that he was about to die. Over the years since then, it'd grown off the feelings of every idiot who came to the bar and couldn't hold down his liquor.

And now he had to eat it.

Reaching out to touch the core, he jerked backward at the spark that erupted from contact. The mote moved and before Xanxus could correct his mistake, it zipped past him and into the main part of the bar. Xanxus cursed and gave chase, knowing merely from the wind of its passing that it was stronger than it looked. It was strong enough to affect the material world, which was bad news since he managed to trigger it.

"What's wrong, Cowboy?" The bartender grinned when Xanxus erupted back into the main area. "Did you--"

"Fuck!" Xanxus spat, seeing that the mote was puking on a man's head. The reaction was just what Xanxus feared. The man jumped up from his seat, covered his mouth, and ran for the bathroom despite the jeers of his friends. The jeering didn't last long. While Xanxus moved to intercept, two more were hit with the mote's malignant expulsion and followed. It wasn't about looking like a nutcase anymore. He was far more worried about explaining a bar full of vomiting people to Lord Nephriam.

Unfortunately, trying to grab it didn't do much to stop it when it offered no resistance. It simply puked on Xanxus' hand before ripping itself free from his arm to find a new target. Xanxus felt his stomach churn and rebel, but he refused to give in. It didn't matter if he felt like he had a handful of sewage. The growing smell of vomit coming from the bathroom was nothing to worry about. He'd dealt with far more disgusting things before. His stomach wasn't so weak that it'd give in to such a--

"Pathetic," a voice said, making Xanxus cringe. Turning around with a green face, he knew that he was in trouble. Lord Nephriam was standing in the doorway with a look of utter disappointment on his face. "You can't even handle something small like this."

"I'm handling it," he growled.

"By getting into a fist fight with air?" He asked with a scowl. "There's no point in trying to stop it with physical force. Do you understand your weakness now, Xerxes? Your consumption ability is one of the best, but you've paid no mind to the other skills of an exorcist. Not all of your opponents are going to sit still while you destroy them and you can't pull in everything in the area without harming the people here. All you've done is to goad the demon into attacking."

"All I did was fucking touch it!" He snarled while another two men went running for the bathroom and the bartender gaped in utter confusion for the ruckus.

"You knew that it'd evolved," he admonished. "Yet you went in for the kill without subduing it. The casualty count is rising and you're having to fight the effects of being touched by it. Even if you do get a hand on it, can you drain it completely before it hits you again? Will you lose to a mere mote?"

"I--"

"I can't do everything for you," Lord Nephriam said mercilessly as he pulled a card out of his coat. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying forward and Xanxus only got a moment to notice the energy laced into it before it hit the mote.

Before it HIT the mote.

Xanxus stared, wondering how a piece of paper could do something that his fist failed to. No answers were forthcoming, though. All he could do was watch as the mote froze in place long enough for Lord Nephriam to latch onto it from across the room. How the little brat managed to latch onto the single aura without having to touch it and how he managed to do so without touching any of the human auras was a complete mystery. The fact that it could be done at all made Xanxus feel like he was watching someone pluck the damn needle from the haystack with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes blindfolded.

"It's said that a hitman is only as good as his weapons," Lord Nephriam murmured as the mote disappeared entirely. "An exorcist is no different. Even we have tools for our trade. Until you find your own tools, I won't let you leave this island. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," he growled in anger at his own failure.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to. I'll leave the rest of the cleanup to you. And Xerxes... Don't forget what you learned with the flowers. Your bouquet is looking a little disorganized."

Xanxus snarled incoherently at him as Lord Nephriam turned and left. It wasn't that he looked disorganized. He _was _disorganized. Tsuna was off doing his own thing and he was stuck with bullshit work like this while being talked down to by pedophile bait. He didn't even want to be a fucking exorcist. Killing humans was a lot easier and more gratifying. The only reason that he'd came along at all was for Tsuna, but Tsuna didn't need him yet. His only use at the moment was to pay off his Vault and be eye-candy to increase the rumors so that they could get real work when they were ready for it.

"Uh, cowboy...?" The bartender asked in bewilderment. "What just--?"

"Fuck off," Xanxus growled with a dark glare. "Put the drink on my tab. I'll be back when this place doesn't smell like such a shithole."

"Huh?"

Xanxus kept his temper in check, although he was sorely tempted to rip someone into pieces. He started to leave before his stomach could get the better of him, but Lord Nephriam's orders came to mind as he reached the door. There was still the clean-up. He hadn't wanted to do it before since a change in atmosphere could have triggered the mote even sooner, but there was no reason not to now.

Taking in the residual energy felt like he was soaking up scum. He could have left it dissipate over time, but orders were orders and he didn't feel like letting a new mote form out of the grotesque leftovers. Once it was gone, he didn't stick around. He didn't go in search of more, either. Instead, he headed for the one thing that he knew would take the ashen, vomitous taste out of his mouth.

* * *

"What in the world happened to you?" Silas gasped, making Tsuna pause in the middle of buying a pack of cigarettes at the gift shop outside of his hotel. Tsuna shrugged, keeping his attention on his purchase rather than answering the question. He knew that he looked bad. Thanks to the bandages on his neck and hands, it wasn't hard to figure out that the wounds extended to under his clothes. The bastard had even bit through his lip and then had the balls to not even say why he'd done it. Xanxus had merely said that he had a bad taste in his mouth and that it was Tsuna's fault.... whatever that meant.

"Lover's quarrel," he finally said when Silas refused to lose his shocked expression. "Don't think too hard about it. All the major damage is already healed and the perpetrator has four bullet wounds. The damage was spread out, so it's taking some time for some of the minor surface wounds to go away. I figured that it'd be less of a distraction to the other candidates if I covered it up."

"Oh," he mumbled in surprise. "After yesterday, I didn't think..."

"You thought that I was immune to injury?" Tsuna supplied with a chuckle. "I'm just like you, Silas. You already figured that out, though. If you hadn't, you would have run away again."

"Sorry about that," he replied sheepishly as they stepped outside. "I meant to congratulate you yesterday, but my wits were scattered after I saw your critters. I didn't run or anything. I just didn't leave the arena for a long time and you were gone by the time I noticed that everyone left me." Tsuna nodded in understanding while he pulled out a cigarette. Patting down his pockets, it took him several minutes of searching before he realized that he'd left Snicker's lighter in his Vault.

"Shit," he grumbled. "Oi, Dango," he called, getting a burst of Flame at his back in response. He didn't have to say anything after that. Heatwave was more than willing to light his cigarette for him by sitting on the tip for a moment. "Thanks," he sighed in relief after a long pull. It was the first cigarette that he'd gotten in over a year. "I've got to go take a test in an hour, so you guys can stay out and play until then. Just make sure not to wander too far and don't get into trouble."

The six looked at each other in excitement over the freedom. Bolt moved first, smacking himself into Hurricane to instigate a game of tag that quickly spread to three of the other four. Like always, Cirrus didn't join in and chose instead to take his usual perch on Tsuna's hat. Deciding that there was no point in heading to the conference center so early, Tsuna herded them all toward the hotel's beach where he found himself a sandy place to sit in the shade while they played. Unsurprisingly, Silas followed.

"What are those things?" Silas asked conversationally. "I've never seen any Salamanders that could transform like that. Hell, I've never seen a single person with more than one."

"Can't you tell from my scent?" Tsuna replied while he lazily enjoyed his vice.

"What does that have to do with it?" He retorted. "It's true that your scent is strange, but--"

"For us, the scent from our blood corresponds to our life energy," he explained. "Salamanders are made from the same stuff. You already have the only answer that I can give you."

"Oh," he said in disappointment. It wasn't hard to see that he didn't understand, but he really did have his answer if he took the time to think about it. Tsuna just saw no reason to explain every detail. Mysteries were much more fun. "I... uh.. I just thought of it, but I never actually introduced myself," he said to change the subject. "I'm--"

"Silas of the Ascott Family," Tsuna supplied. "If you've done your homework, you know that I'm Van Wolfe of the Carter Family."

"Right," he mumbled with a blush. "Just... uh... Just so that I'm not mistaken, you're--"

"Representative for the Werewolf Alliance," he finished, making Silas lurch in place and hurriedly look around in worry. "It's okay," he soothed. "There's no one within range to hear and my bug scanner is set to automatic. We don't have as much time as I'd like, but feel free to ask me anything you want. You've been wearing the earring on faith, so you've earned that right. I can't promise that I'll answer everything, but I'll do my best to show you that joining us isn't meaningless."

"What is the meaning?" He asked with a suddenly sharp look in his eyes. "To tell you the truth, I thought it was a hoax at first. I got the letter and the earring from some Lord Nephriam guy. All I've been told is that it's an Alliance of my kind, which is really messed up since I spent years thinking that I was the only one. Where the hell did all the others come from?"

"The same place as you," Tsuna answered with a smile. "We were hiding. I thought I was the only one for a long time, too. For the Green Nobles, we Red Knights were something that they didn't talk about, just like how a parent that doesn't want to recognize their own bastard kid. I guess you could say that a kid finally showed up that was too troublesome to ignore. You see, there was a man who was a dessert buffet for the Council... for the Black Royalty. He was turned from that. It's kind of hard to ignore your own mistakes when they're right under your nose and the Royalty learned that the hard way. The man kept it secret for a while, but the Royals were keeping their eye on him because he tasted so good. He was eventually found out and they were forced to talk about it. When that happened, the Royalty found out that the man wasn't unique."

"Lazarus," Silas supplied with a nod. "I heard about him. He was supposed to be the guy for me to talk to, but I heard that he was murdered."

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed carefully. "He died. I'm just as strong as him, though, so the position was offered to me. I plan to be a lot more active than he was, though. At the moment, we have freedom because the Royalty are still bickering about us. It's been years since they've figured out that there's a community of us, but Lord Nephriam has kept them from taking any large actions. We're not their slaves nor are we something that they have to closely control like they do with the Guardian Nobles. If we're going to keep that freedom, however, we have to show that we can control ourselves. That's why the Union was set up. Our sanity depends on the Nobles' blood. By uniting, we keep them from using that to chain us. The same blood runs through us, too. If we help each other, they have no way to control us through our needs. Sometimes that means a piece of gum and other times..."

"Other times, it means another man filling the ranks," Silas said with a growing grin. "I'm starting to understand you. It's the same reason that I joined the Ascott Family. There's nothing better than having someone that you can rely on when shit hits the fan."

"Exactly," Tsuna agreed around another long pull of his cigarette. "If you accept me, it'll be my job to come to your aid when there are disagreements between species. I'll also keep you informed about what's going on with the Royalty where we are concerned. I won't involve myself in your personal life, but you can come to me when there's a problem that you don't want to go to your keeper about."

"My keeper?"

"Whoever has been keeping you sane," he clarified. "You had to have been feeding off of someone or you wouldn't be here."

"Oh," he said with his expression turning downcast. "That'd be my brother. He's a... uh... a Noble. He's not like me, though. He's a real quiet and peaceful type. He's always been reclusive, so I used to go check on him a lot. I still remember when I found him. There'd been an intruder and he got torn up real bad. It shocked the hell out of me when he attacked and bit me. The Phlegm that got him thought that he was a goner and left him. A few days after I got my brother calmed down and both of us patched up, a guy by the name of Lord Laswick came. He told us what was going on and what we were. He gave us the injections and spent a few hours with my brother, teaching him how to feed and make me blood pills. After that, we didn't hear from him again until things started happening because of Lazarus over in America. I'd already set myself up in the Mafia by then and my brother had moved into a Sanctuary. The gum was a real life-saver since my brother doesn't have to mail me a new package of blood pills every few days."

"He must care about you a lot to go to the trouble," Tsuna commented.

"I think he feels more guilty than anything else," he replied sadly. "But he seems happy as a va-- a Noble, so I don't really mind what happened to me. The cravings are a little rough at times, but the increase in abilities make it worth it. I survived whenever I should have died because of what happened to me."

"That's a good way to look at it," Tsuna chuckled, snuffing his cigarette out in the sand. Standing, he whistled for his six little friends to return and gestured for Silas to walk with him. There was still a lot of time left until they had to report to the conference hall, but he was hoping that he could find a way to distract him before Silas thought to ask how Tsuna had been turned. "If your brother is a Noble, then why do you run from them?"

"That'd be due to a different incident," Silas answered as they entered a row of shopping stalls that were beginning to open their doors for the day. "There're some out there that aren't noble at all and they hate guys like me. They think that they're rebelling against the system when they're really just making trouble for people. A trio of them busted into my Family's mansion and started attacking people. I'd never been so scared in my life 'cause these guys were strong. Real strong. It took about ten grenades and damn near all of the ammo I had on hand to stop them. I lost two of my best friends in that raid. I think that I run because I'm scared of people getting mixed up in my mess again. It's not like I like abandoning people. It's more like I want to lure trouble away."

"I can understand that," Tsuna murmured in empathy. "I've experienced a few of those times, too. Sometimes fighting alone is less scary, even though it's more dangerous."

"I guess even you have people that you want to protect," Silas laughed. Tsuna wished that he could laugh with him, but he couldn't. Not when it was the very reason that he wasn't returning home to the Dragons. What he was doing was dangerous, after all. Not only was it dangerous, but it was a selfish wish that he was trying to grant himself. Asking their help would only put them at risk. After it was all over, he swore. When it was safe, he'd go back and tell them that he was still alive. "Would you look at that," Silas gasped abruptly.

Stopping beside him, Tsuna felt his jaw drop at the distraction that presented itself. It was a store that was setting up for its grand opening. The doors weren't open yet, but there was already a line of two dozen people waiting to get in. Tsuna wished that he could get in that line considering his wife's picture was prominently displayed in the front windows. Ex-wife, he mentally amended when he noticed the autograph of 'Haru Hibari' across the bottom.

Regardless, he didn't waste any time gawking. Fingering his eye's interface, he quickly accessed the calling features and dialed Aster's cell phone.

"Master...?" He answered sleepily.

"Aster," he replied while unnecessarily trying to pull his collar closer to his mouth to ensure that his voice was picked up. "Get dressed and come down to the shopping area. There's a store called Namahage Gifts opening at noon. I need you to stand in line for me until the conference is over. Can you do that?"

"Will Master be out in time?" He mumbled in a more alert tone.

"I'll make sure that I am," he promised. "I know that it'll be boring, but--"

"I can do it, Master," he interrupted. "Please trust me."

"Thanks, Aster," Tsuna smiled. "I'll make it up to you. I've got to go. It's getting close to the time for me to report in. Make sure that you eat something before you come and bring your cell phone. I'll call you when I leave the conference hall."

"Yes, Master."

"Ciao," he said before closing the link and powering down the interface. Turning to Silas with a grin, he silently gestured that they should go. If Tsuna's gut was correct, everyone at the conference was going to be hoping for the same thing. Namely, for things to end as quickly as possible so they could make the grand opening. That meant that they were probably also going to be there early in hopes of starting on time.

Setting off at a light run, they reached the conference hall in good time. Tsuna's gut hadn't been wrong. People were piling inside at a steady rate and more arrived at a run. Considering how famous Haru had become where civilians were concerned, he didn't find it surprising that the Mafia knew her even better. What did surprise him was what he found waiting in the lobby. The first was a table that was piled high with trophies.

There was a trophy with his name on it for the year's Student's Choice Award. There was a trophy with his name on it for best performance during the First Annual Don Girarde Tutor's Tournament. There was a trophy with his name on it for the highest overall score for teachers' pre-selection. There was another for Best Shooting, one for Best Counterstrike, and one for Best Costume, all of which were for this year's pre-selection. There were also two hidden away towards the back of the pile. The first was 'Most Stunning Performance' awarded to the Dango Brothers and the second was 'Candidate Most Likely to Have a Bounty Put on His Head' awarded to himself.

The second surprise was the sign posted next to the door leading into the conference room.

GUEST SPEAKERS: REBORN AND HARU HIBARI

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. He wasn't ready for this. He didn't feel ready for this. Could he pull it off in front of Reborn? Could he restrain himself in front of Haru?

"Are you coming, Van?" Silas asked in excitement. "I didn't know that we got guest speakers! I can't wait to see what the great Reborn has to say! I bet the Dean asked him to come since he's a tutor, too! He might actually talk to y--"

Tsuna moved purely by instinct when he drew his weapon, spun in place, and aimed. He made it just in time to have the muzzle of a gun pointed at his own head, held by the one person that he hadn't wanted to see yet. His heart pounded in his chest while they stared at each other down each other's arm. The rest of the room was much slower to react, not even noticing that there was a stand-off taking place until Silas let out a sharp, delayed yelp.

Reborn knew. Tsuna could see it in his eyes while they stared at each other. He'd known that it was probably too much to think that Reborn would be fooled by his disguise. The question was what he thought about it. Could he tell that Tsuna was the real thing or did he think that the mask was to hide the likeness because he wasn't? Was he going to blow Tsuna's cover this early in the game? A thousand questions flew through Tsuna's mind in the space of a few seconds, yet he didn't panic. Far from it. He felt a surprising sense of relief to the point that he cracked a smile. Reborn looked older and was taller, but he hadn't changed. He hadn't changed at all.

"Don't you think that you're a little big to dress up like shrub?" Tsuna asked in amusement.

"I could ask the same thing about you wearing Halloween masks," he replied with a flicker of laughter in his own eyes. Then the laughter died and was replaced with something far more painful. "You've matured since I last saw you."

"Time only stops for Arcobaleno," he said with a matching pain. Reborn wasn't going to blow his cover. He didn't think that he was a fake, either. They didn't need words to come to that understanding. The connection between them hadn't suffered the ravages of loss. "I'm sorry," Tsuna murmured, lowering his weapon first along with his eyes. "Shoot if you want. What I've done is unforgivable."

"It can be forgiven," Reborn replied as he lowered his own weapon and started pulling off the pieces of his disguise. "It's never too late to fix your mistakes."

"I'll explain everything later," Tsuna promised. "I wasn't planning on meeting you so soon. This disrupts my plans a bit."

"You're not a kid anymore, so I won't interfere," he soothed softly, stepping out of the pot that went with his shrub cosplay. Stuffing the rest of the costume into it, he tucked it under his arm and gave a small salute. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Same," Tsuna grinned as Reborn turned to head into the conference hall. Tsuna watched him go with a strange mixture of emotions, nostalgia being foremost. Reborn hadn't changed, but it was now obvious that their relationship had. In the past, Reborn would have never left him to his own devices when something of great importance occurred. Tsuna wasn't sure how to read his attitude, either. Was it that Reborn didn't think Tsuna was important anymore or was Reborn actually trusting him for once? Was this how Reborn treated someone beneath notice or an equal?

"You didn't say that you knew Reborn," Silas gasped when he finally got his jaw working again.

"Who knows?" Tsuna replied as an automated response to keep the truth hidden.

"But you were talking to him," Silas spluttered. "I've never heard of Reborn being so friendly with someone before!"

"He's not that friendly," Tsuna murmured softly. "If I'd been any slower in pulling my gun, I have a feeling that Reborn would have fired. It was a bit of a wake-up call. The fact that he got so close before I noticed him tells me how far I still have to go. Reborn... Reborn really is the greatest hitman."

"Wow," Silas said in surprise. "I thought you'd treat him more like a rival, but it sounds like you really respect him."

"More than anyone else," Tsuna replied, plastering a smile on his face. "Let's go inside. The conference is about to start." Not leaving Silas room to argue, Tsuna crossed the lobby to confidently step into the conference hall. It was just as crowded as it'd been during the first day, but everyone had already arranged themselves in the proper order. His previous performance at the arena wasn't lost on the crowd. They cleared the way for him as if he were Reborn, allowing him to reach the wall holding the other two tutors without incident.

"Hmph," Alijah scoffed quietly with her arms folded over her chest. "You sure like to show off."

"He's got to be cocky to point a gun at Reborn," Thunderbelly agreed in a soft rumble.

"It was reflex," Tsuna replied, tipping his hat down to cover his eyes. He knew that he had a mask on, but he still didn't want to take the chance. If Reborn had recognized him, would Haru?

"Ciaossu," Reborn greeted, his voice booming out of hidden speakers in the ceiling. Everyone looked around in curiosity, but Tsuna groaned. He was right in front of them, pretending to be a lamp with a shade over his head. Tsuna found himself having to smother laughter at how surprised everyone seemed when he revealed himself by taking the shade off. "I'll get straight to the point," he continued. "Today's exam will be over camouflage and disguise. Van Wolfe, since you've already received full marks for seeing through my disguise, could you please join me in assessing everyone?"

Tsuna froze in place, wondering what Reborn was up to. Was he wanting to test Tsuna's unique perception abilities? Maybe Tsuna had misjudged and Reborn was still doubtful? There was no way to know, leaving Tsuna only one choice: whether or not to play Reborn's game.

"I'll pass," he replied without lifting his head.

"Do you hate me after all these years?" Reborn asked in a voice that told Tsuna that he was fully enjoying himself.

"I'm not going to get caught up in your shenanigans, Reborn," Tsuna growled in warning, causing a ripple of whispers to run through the crowd. "I'm just here for the exams."

"What's your relationship?" Thunderbelly asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"We're not related," Tsuna snapped. "He's just--"

"He's my brother," Reborn interjected. Despite himself, Tsuna's head snapped up to stare as the whispers turned into a roar. He didn't hear any of it, being far too busy trying to figure out what Reborn was trying to do. The words were a stab to Tsuna's heart and there was no way that Reborn would say such a thing lightly. "He's been missing for a long time," Reborn continued, preying on the growing misunderstanding from the candidates. Tsuna didn't have time to be touched by Reborn's claim that they were still Family. He paled in the realization of how badly Reborn was screwing everything up. He'd needed to get fame, but under his own power! With this, he'd be famous simply by association! It was all wrong! "I thought that he was dead, but it seems that--"

"Shut up," Tsuna snarled, stopping him mid-sentence. "I'm not the same person that I used to be, Reborn. If you insist on upping the ante, I'll leave the table. You're not the dealer for this round, so stop trying to control the cards." To prove that he was capable of his claim, he pushed off the wall and started walking for the doors. He stopped before reaching it, cursing his luck when Haru walked through them with Hibari behind her.

"I'm sorry that I'm late!" She exclaimed before coming to a stop at the shocked atmosphere of the room. Tsuna was hammered in the chest by her voice, by her face, by her cheerful smile and her bright energy. She was absolutely beautiful. She'd cut her hair into a short bob and she was wearing a dress that was far more frilly than anything that she'd ever worn for him, but those differences were easily ignored when compared with how much he knew that he himself had changed. In that moment, he would have probably ruined everything if it hadn't been for one small detail that slapped him in the face. That detail was the rings on both her and Hibari's hands. "Ha-hi?" She said obliviously. "Is Haru interrupting?"

Tsuna bowed his head before their eyes could meet and forced himself to move. It was too painful to even consider touching her, so he carefully avoided contact on his way past her while also dodging the hand that Hibari stretched out to grab him. He made it through the doors by the skin of his teeth and he didn't wait to see if Hibari had moved out of more than just instinct. As soon as he had room to do so, he propelled himself like a bullet toward the exit and escaped at his top speed.

He didn't stop running until there was nowhere left to run to except for the depths of the ocean. Once there, he simply dropped in place and stared out at the horizon with an utterly blank mind.

* * *

"Ha-Hi?!" Haru exclaimed with wide eyes. "Reborn has a little brother?!"

Reborn ignored the commotion while Haru was brought up to speed. He had far more important things on his mind, such as why Tsuna had chosen now to return, why he was disguising himself, why he was with the Carter Family and why he hadn't jumped at the chance to talk to Haru.

No, he amended. What was important was figuring out where Tsuna had been all this time and trying to understand why his movements seemed so familiar. It was obvious to Reborn that he'd changed over the time that he'd been missing. His movements weren't as careless as they'd once been. Even as a Boss, he'd flailed about without a care for who he might knock into. Apology after the fact had been Vongola the Tenth's manner. Now, Tsuna seemed to have finally learned how to move to keep himself from needing to apologize.

There was no waste in his motions. There were no unnecessary actions. He seemed more conscious of the environment around him than Reborn had ever seen him be. That was what had made it difficult to ascertain that it wasn't just another fake. Both Tsuna's body and his body language had changed that much. His speech patterns had changed, too. Rather than 'forgive me' it was 'I'm sorry'. Tsuna's delicacy had been hardened and roughened to hide the value of the gem underneath. Even the look in his eyes had changed. Reborn wasn't sure why, but he couldn't read them. With the mask that he was wearing, the only expression that Reborn was able to receive was through his lips.

It was him, though. Reborn was positive of it. The way that he'd drawn his gun and held it hadn't changed. His perception was still top-notch. He'd seen through not only the shrub, but the lamp, as well. From what had been reported from the pre-test, his charisma and leadership abilities were intact, too. So was his love for children, which Reborn supposed was his reason for chasing after a teaching job. Even then, he could have passed for just a talented hitman.

The thing that made Reborn believe was the one thing that everyone else would have found irrelevant. Tsuna had changed and he wasn't presenting himself like he was still the same person. Every imposter that had come knocking at Vongola's doors was the complete opposite. They tried to prove that they were Tsuna by matching what he'd been like when he'd disappeared and by trying to mold their actions as if they were a ghost from the past.

Reborn could understand if that was the reason for the disguise. If he feared that he'd be rejected for how much he'd changed, presenting himself as a different person entirely would work better in finding acceptance. The problem with that was finding peace once the truth was revealed. Even if 'Van Wolfe' was accepted, it didn't necessarily mean that people would be able to accept that 'Van Wolfe' was 'Tsunayoshi Sawada'. Unless... Was Tsuna not planning to return as the Tenth at all?

He needed more information. Now that he had a direction to look in, he had a feeling that things were going to get interesting. How long could Tsuna keep up the act? What was he planning? Where had he been all this time? Why was he part of the Werewolf Alliance?

And why did it feel like he was missing something important?

* * *

Xanxus paused in the middle of his patrol and looked at his watch. He wasn't mistaken. The time showed that it was still before noon, which meant that Tsuna should be at the teacher's exams. He definitely shouldn't be sitting on the beach with his six puff-ball Salamanders causing a scene. There wasn't really anyone around to witness the scene, but it would only be a matter of time before the beach-goers reached this end of the sandy spread.

The Salamanders were what told Xanxus that something was wrong. The blue one was crying sparks. The yellow one was dashing back and forth in a panic. The red one was kicking up sand in anger. The green one was tugging on Tsuna's braid and the indigo one was cuddled in his lap as if it was trying to comfort him. The purple one was the only one not acting strangely, yet even it seemed restless on its perch on Tsuna's hat.

"What happened?" Xanxus asked, walking over to sit down next to him. Tsuna jerked at the question, but he turned his head away from Xanxus rather than toward him.

"I ran into Reborn," he whispered while his puff-balls gathered around him in concern. "He knew with a glance that it was me. He told everyone that I was his long-lost brother. I blew up at him and ran out before he could do more damage."

"What else?" Xanxus prompted knowingly. "If it was just Reborn, you already knew that there was a chance that he'd recognize you and that he'd want to get involved."

"Haru came in as I was leaving," he answered.

"Oh."

"Hibari was with her," he added sullenly.

"Fuck," Xanxus grimaced, knowing how big a blow it had to have been for Tsuna. After all, knowing about something wasn't the same as seeing it.

"I knew," Tsuna mumbled in echo of Xanxus' thought. "I knew, but... Seeing her smile and knowing that it's there because of another man... I... What am I doing? What did I come back for, Xerxes? If I showed myself, I'd just be taking away that smile again. She doesn't need me to be happy. She--"

"Don't lose your head over a fucking woman," Xanxus growled. "She's just one person and she's doing fine with a fucking fake walking around."

"But the fake isn't trying to get her back," he replied calmly. "The only way to keep her happy is to not interfere with the life that she has now. I want her back, but I love her too much to be selfish like how I want to."

"So you're just going to leave the score at one to zero?" He asked carefully.

"Not yet," Tsuna murmured with his jaw hardening. "There's still plenty of time. If I can woo her away from Hibari without my identity being a factor, then the score can still change. It's cruel of me, but I want to know whether she still loves me before I give up. If I can make her fall for me without knowing who I am, then the happiness that she has with Hibari is just a sham. If not... If not, then I'll let her go. I'll still love her, but I won't force her to love me back. I've already hurt her too much to do something like that."

"And Reborn...?" He prompted, smirking slightly at how Tsuna was already gathering his wits.

"I told him to butt out," he shrugged. "I'll go along with his game up to a point. It makes me happy that he considers me a brother, but I'm not going to let him get that close yet. I don't think he's thinking about Hotaru yet since he's used to working independently. It'll hit him eventually that the more he knows, the more he has to hide from the current Boss. He never acts before he has undeniable proof, so we need to keep from giving him any. That way, he can be informed of our general movements without feeling a need to report it. We'll stick with the plan that we had. My fame is going to sky-rocket because of his meddling, but it's still going to be our own strength that builds our reputation."

"If you've decided all of that, then why are you still sulking on the beach?" Xanxus asked with a grin sparking along his lips. "Were you waiting for me to come find you?"

"Who would?" Tsuna scoffed as his Salamanders began floating in a ring around them. "I still haven't forgiven you for last night."

"Isn't it enough that you waited until I was awake to shoot me?" Xanxus grimaced. "You can't keep doing that, Van. I get that you were pissed, but I don't have a walking medical kit like you do."

"Aster isn't a walking medical kit," he snapped. "You only have yourself to blame that you don't have a servant of your own, Xerxes. Lord Nephriam found you a perfectly good one, but you turned him down."

"I punched him in the face and he got turned on," Xanxus growled. Taking the opportunity, he leaned over to topple Tsuna into the sand with every intention to kiss him. "I don't need one anyway. I'm satisfied with whatever you give me."

"Don't you mean whatever you can take from me?" He snarled back, stopping Xanxus from claiming the embrace with a gun to his stomach. His eyes were cold as they stared up at him, leaving Xanxus no doubt that he'd dug himself a very deep hole. "I said that I haven't forgiven you yet. I've come to expect a certain level of roughness from you, but you bit me twelve times and I had bruises the size of your palm. If you think that you can tell me that it was my fault without explaining anything, you're sadly mistaken. You crossed the line, Xerxes."

"I see," he replied, slowly pulling back as understanding dawned. They weren't connecting. The feelings were there and they felt the need to be with each other, but Tsuna didn't understand him at all and Xanxus couldn't read him in return. After all that they'd been through, they should have gotten closer. Yet that closeness was what was tearing them apart.

He was starting to expect too much out of Tsuna. In the past, whenever he had a problem, he'd just dealt with it. The same went for Tsuna. When Tsuna had a problem, he figured it out for himself. Their relationship couldn't withstand the pressure of full disclosure, yet Xanxus had been pushing for it. Tsuna didn't need to talk about Reborn and Haru. It was Xanxus who prompted him out of the subconscious expectation to be prompted in return so that he could talk out his own problems. However, Tsuna wasn't White. It was idiotic to treat him like he was a comforting shelter when he was a foundation post.

"Let's break up," he mumbled, turning his head away as he sat up.

"W-What?" Tsuna choked from where he lay.

"I want to go back to being partners," he said bluntly. "I'm getting sick of not knowing where the fucking line is, so I'm drawing one. You take care of your shit and I'll take care of mine, then we'll meet and bitch about it together over drinks. Isn't that good enough for you? You can use that little servant of yours when you want to get laid and it's not like I'm going to starve without you. If you're going after Haru again, then I'm just going to be in the way. I don't like it when shit gets complicated, so I'm making it simple. I want some space."

"But I always gave you--"

"Ah," he interrupted. "You gave me plenty of space. I'm not saying it because you did anything wrong. It's me that's got the fucking problem. At this rate, I'm only going to prove everyone right and it's pissing me off. I'm letting myself get distracted with stupid shit and my problems are starting to interfere with your work. Until I can fix it, I think that it's better if we don't see each other as often. We can still be friends but--"

"If that's what you want," Tsuna replied tonelessly as he sat up and quickly got to his feet. "We're both grown men, so I hope that you weren't hoping that I'd start crying and beg you not to leave me."

"I'm not leaving you," he corrected. "I just want to--"

"It's fine," Tsuna interrupted, absently waving away Xanxus' words. "We've always had an open relationship, so it's not like anything has changed. I'll just let you take the lead from now on."

"That's not--"

"I've got to go," he added hurriedly. "Aster is waiting in line at Namahage Gifts for me and I need to go check on him. Let me know when you want to have drinks. We can bring Shotgun and... uh... Whatever," he finished lamely with all of his false bravado abruptly running out. Before Xanxus could come up with something to say to make Tsuna understand that it didn't change his feelings about him, Tsuna turned and walked off with his six puff-balls trailing after him like deflated balloons.

"Shit," Xanxus grumbled to himself as he flattened himself out on the sand. "When you fuck up, you really know how to fuck up."

* * *

Tsuna walked down the main strip of shops in a daze, unable to comprehend that he'd been unwittingly dumped twice in one day. The only thing that was keeping him from tears was the shock. How many years had he spent with Xanxus in the back of his thoughts? All of his clawing towards building a solid relationship with Xanxus was gone in the blink of an eye. All he needed now was for Mukuro to show up to say that their relationship had only been an illusion from the start and the collection of his lost loves would be complete.

Just the thought made Tsuna pause in place to shudder.

He wished that he knew what he'd done wrong. Was it because he'd shot him? Or was it because Xanxus didn't like Tsuna being independent anymore? Maybe it was because Xanxus just wasn't attracted? Or was it because he'd asked for too much? Was he distracting Xanxus? Or maybe it was just that they weren't compatible anymore? What did Xanxus mean by saying that he still wanted to be friends and that he wasn't leaving him? Was he supposed to act the same as he always did, just without kissing or touching? Or was Xanxus expecting him to stay away entirely and he was just trying to--

"Master...?" Aster softly called out when Tsuna started to walk past him in his daze. On a whim, Tsuna turned to meet him and laid his forehead on Aster's shoulder in place of a greeting. It made him feel even more pathetic. Not only had he been dumped, but the only person that he could go to for comfort was his servant. "Did something happen, Master?"

"Master got dumped," he pouted.

"It'll be okay, Master," he replied. The lack of inflection in his tone made Tsuna feel like a crying toddler being placated over a fallen ice cream cone. Even the way that Aster patted him on the back made him feel like he was being silly over being so upset. What was he doing?! Hadn't he been the one who said that he could survive without Xanxus? Sure, it sucked and he was depressed. It was too early to wait for the end of the world to come, though!

"You're going to turn me into an optimist, Aster," he said with a grudging smile as he straightened back up. Aster simply stared at him with the same lack of expression that he always had, allowing Tsuna to play guess-the-emotion like he always did. "Thanks," he added sadly, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "It's not the first time that I've been heart-broken, so I'll be okay. It's not like he said that he never wanted to see me again. Right?"

"If Master says so," Aster agreed.

"Have you been bored?" Tsuna asked, looking around to see that he was being glared at by the other people in line. Most of the ones glaring were men who had overly-cheerful women next to them, although one or two of the women were the ones with the death-stares. He merely shrugged and waved at the worst of the offenders while grinning to himself at his forethought for asking Aster to wait in line for him.

"No," Aster answered, holding up his cell phone to show a paused game on it. Tsuna blinked in surprise at two things when he saw it. The first was that the game was a brain teaser and the second was the high score that was listed.

"Aster," Tsuna said slowly. "Could it be that you're really smart?"

"Yes."

"I-I see," he gaped as Aster obliviously went back to playing his game. After a moment, Tsuna realized that he should be surprised. Aster wasn't the type to hang out with friends for fun, even if he had the ability to make some. A lack of a social life meant that he had a lot of spare time for studying. "So you like to learn things?" Tsuna asked conversationally.

"I like it," he agreed without taking his eyes off his phone.

"Is that why you agreed to study sociology?"

"No."

"So it was because Lord Nephriam asked you to?"

"Yes."

"But you enjoyed it...?"

"Yes."

"If you could learn anything, what would it be?" At the question, Aster paused his game again and raised his head in thought. He stayed that way for several silent minutes until he finally seemed to find something.

"Pinocchio," he answered.

"Pinocchio?" Tsuna repeated in both amusement and confusion. "You want to learn how to be a real boy?"

"No," Aster mumbled. "Marionettes."

"Oh," he chuckled. "Do you want to be a puppet-master or learn how to make them?"

"Both."

"Big ones or small ones?"

"Don't know," he mumbled. "Master is asking a lot of questions."

"It's called a conversation," Tsuna laughed. "I'm not trying to put you under a spotlight. I'm just bored from waiting and there's still twenty minutes until the doors open. I thought that we could talk. Do you not like it?"

"Different."

Tsuna smiled to himself and decided to stop the attempt at conversation since Aster was feeling pressured by it. Aster returned to his game when Tsuna showed no effort to continue, taking his Master's whims in stride like a good servant should. They didn't leave Tsuna much to occupy himself with, though, so he used what he had on hand.

The Dango Brothers gleefully took to being juggled like they were on an amusement park ride. Even Cirrus got in on the fun, taking pleasure in trying to knock the others out of the cycle whenever they got too close. He continued the act until he noticed that he'd attracted more attention than he intended. Giving a sharp whistle, he tossed the six into a high arc that made them fall towards the long pouch on his back. Thankfully, they all got the cue and returned into the sword as if it'd been planned.

"That was wonderful!" Haru clapped in enthusiastic unison with those watching from the line while Hibari glared from over her shoulder. "I should have expected that Reborn's brother was amazing!" Tsuna hid the flinch as the arrow struck his heart and several people in the crowd choked on air.

"Please," he begged with his hand held up to forestall her before she could make it worse. "It's been years since I've seen him and we're not on the best of terms right now. I--"

"And whose fault is that?" Reborn asked as he parachuted into the scene. Leon transformed back into a chameleon as soon as they landed while Tsuna gritted his teeth to keep from growling.

"It's not my fault," he growled anyway. "I told you that I'd explain later. Why won't you--"

"Master...?" Aster interjected. Tsuna paused and counted to ten silently to force himself to calm down. Reborn always made him feel irrational. It'd been conditioned into him after suffering through years of Reborn's antics.

"Aster," he said calmly, forcing himself to be polite. "Please meet _my brother_, Reborn, along with Hibari Haru and Hibari Kyoya. Everyone, this is my servant, Aster."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Aster greeted with a formal bow. He was already in servant mode, which made him completely immune when the three simply stared at him instead of replying.

"W-Why don't we continue this inside?" Haru suggested with a forced smile. Tsuna nodded in acceptance, seeing how many people were shamelessly listening to them. Following them with Aster in tow, he allowed himself to feel a growing hope. He could interact with his Family again. He was steady enough to this time. As long as--

"Master," Aster gasped at the same time that Tsuna's face fell. They only made it two steps into the store. Two steps and then the hell called reality intruded into his pleasant dream.

"Don't look," Tsuna ordered, slapping his hand over Aster's eyes.

"Ha-hi?" Haru said as the frosted doors slid shut behind him. She smiled widely, walking over to the main display with an energetic bounce that only made Tsuna feel sick. "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it?" Tsuna repeated in disbelief.

"I didn't know about this," Reborn said with a pair of wide eyes. "If I'd known, I would have stopped it. This happened while my attention was on the Teacher's Exams. You know that I would never--"

"Master..." Aster said in a trembling voice while Haru's smile slowly faded. "Those are fake. Right?"

"Go back to the hotel, Aster," he ordered. "I'll be there after I report this. Don't open the door for anyone but me. Understand?"

"Yes, Master," he agreed with a sob before fleeing out the door in tears. Tsuna felt like crying with him as he looked at the centerpiece of the gift store. It was covered with what was aptly named 'Hunter-Brand Goods'. Stepping forward, he had no doubt that they were genuine. The scent coming from the jewelry couldn't be mistaken. The teeth and bones were real. The sting as he fingered a silver protection amulet wasn't fake. The silver had been manufactured by Hunters. These weren't like the mock-items that were sold in normal department stores.

These were items intended to be used by Mafioso against vampires hiding in their ranks. They were intended to be used by unknowing Mafioso to offend and disgust real vampires. Tsuna could already imagine the hatred that would spread. A Mafioso would buy the gift to give to a vampire obsessed friend, not knowing that they were returning a bloodstained trophy to one of their kindred. It would be more difficult for vampires to hide, as well, when the protection charms began working.

"Heh," Tsuna mumbled, seeing that they even had perfumes and cherry-bombs for sale that could cause incredible amounts of pain. "I heard that there was a Hunter in the ranks of Vongola, but I'd hoped that they were pacifists. I wonder how Ken feels about this. It must have shocked him greatly to know that Vongola the Eleventh's mother was selling the bones of his kindred like they were cheap souvenirs."

"Ha-hi?"

"Explain yourself," Hibari ordered in a dangerous tone.

"Reborn," Tsuna murmured, ignoring Hibari entirely. "If you want to avoid war, allow me to retrieve this stuff and teach Vongola the Eleventh that mass genocide of innocents isn't very funny. I don't know how the Hunter talked Mrs. Hibari into this, but this is disgusting. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to consider us enemies."

"You don't have to go that far," Reborn objected. "It's just--"

"Let me cut off one of my fingers and hang it there," Tsuna snapped, biting each word off vehemently. "How about I add a fucking poison that only hurts Arcobaleno? Would that make you understand what I'm looking at, Reborn?"

"Haru doesn't understand," Haru interjected, holding out her arm to keep Hibari from lashing out. "What's wrong with it? Kimi said that vampire stuff was becoming popular. She worked really hard on this display."

"Haru," Tsuna said, bolting over to lean close before Hibari could interfere. Everyone froze, including Reborn, in fear that he was going to hurt her if they made a wrong move. "I'm a werewolf," he whispered into her ear. "My friends are all vampires. That display that you're trying to defend is covered in body parts of my murdered kindred and weapons meant to hurt us. You were tricked. Your Kimi friend was just using you--"

"That's enough," Hibari snarled, forcing Tsuna to dodge away from her with a quick strike of his ever-present tonfa. "Your lies won't--"

"They're not lies," Reborn said softly, causing Hibari to stop mid-swing. "I swear on my name that it'll all be disposed of, Van Wolfe, and I'll speak with Vongola the Eleventh about the company that he keeps."

"I'll add your promise to my report," Tsuna said in relief. Keeping an eye on Hibari, he fingered his interface card and brought up the selection for voice communications. Through it, he dialed into Cheri's private line and waited for her to pick up.

"Shotgun here," she answered.

"It's Wolfe," he replied. "There's a problem down at Namahage Gifts. I can't get an accurate count, but there are the bodies of at least three Nobles on display."

"What?!" She shouted.

"I'm already on damage control," he said tonelessly. "I just need someone here to take the remains into custody while I report to the Royalty."

"I'm a block away," she growled. "Incoming in five seconds." Tsuna didn't bother replying. Shutting his interface down again, he turned in just enough time to see the red cowgirl Cheri enter. Just like he had, she stopped two feet inside the door. Unlike him, she let out a harsh cry immediately afterward and darted forward to snatch a box displaying two incisors. "No," she gasped, dropping to her knees in shock. "Who would do such a thing?"

"How old are they?" Tsuna asked. "I need to know for my report."

"There's still residual energy, so two or three days, tops," she replied, staring up at him in horror. "Wolfe... These are Welt's."

"What?" Tsuna choked, feeling as if he'd been hit in the stomach.

"I'd know his energy anywhere," she said with tears welling up in her eyes. "He's the one that taught me how to feed. Who did this to him?"

"Take it into custody, Shotgun," he ordered, turning his head rather than answer such a painful question. "Contact Xerxes and tell him to spread the word to the others on the island to stay away from here until things are settled. I'll go in person to report."

"How do you think that they're going to react?" Reborn asked.

"I don't know if I'll be able to keep the Royalty calm when they hear this," Tsuna answered quietly. "The Hunters went too far. Welt wasn't a rogue. He was part of the Carter Family. This is the second time that they've targeted those under protection and they even went so far as to turn him into trinkets. I can't stop the holy war from coming anymore, Reborn. Every Hunter that raises a weapon is going to be slaughtered."

"What about Vongola," he prompted with a calm that only came from experience.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Perhaps if you hand over the culprit for punishment, we might be able to forgive Vongola. The one responsible doesn't have enough body parts to atone, though. We--"

"We," Reborn repeated with his lips curling downward. "Why are you placing yourself on that side? You know that Vongola wouldn't purposely--"

"I don't know," Tsuna corrected, glancing up to stare into Reborn's eyes. "I've been out of the game for a long time, Reborn. Perhaps I'm not the only one that changed."

"Apologize," Hibari growled, drawing attention over to where Haru had begun to softly cry into her hands.

"Haru--" Tsuna murmured with a grimace. He was cut off by the cheerful entrance of a woman that he didn't recognize.

"What's the delay?" The newcomer asked with a bright and oblivious smile on her face. "The store should have opened by now. Everyone outside is--"

"I'll kill you."

Tsuna froze in place, as did everyone else. For some reason, he was afraid to look at the sound of something metallic being clicked into place. He was afraid to look as the smile faded off of the newcomer's face from shock. He was afraid to look since even Reborn took a few steps backward to ensure that he would be outside of the splash area.

"I'll kill you, you little bitch," Haru repeated as she fired the rocket launcher on her shoulder. Tsuna didn't move an inch for the explosion that came after. He wasn't sure if he could have, even if he wanted to. All he could do was to stand in shock as most of the store front was destroyed and the newcomer ran for her life at the first opportunity. Tsuna didn't think that it'd do her any good, though. Not when a flaming white unicorn the size of a real horse was freed and Haru gave chase on his back while welding an assortment of weaponry that made Tsuna slightly jealous.

"A-Aren't you going to go after her?" Tsuna asked, staring owlishly at where Hibari was calmly standing in the smoking wreckage of Haru's store.

"If she needed my help, she wouldn't be my wife," he replied with a slow, cruel smile spreading across his face. "More importantly, I'll have to punish you for destroying this place."

"I didn't!" Tsuna spluttered.

"That doesn't matter," he replied with unyielding Hibari-logic. "You were here and didn't stop it from happening."

"So were you!" Tsuna yelped. The objection went unnoted as Hibari leaped into an attack. Tsuna dodged in habit, which was a mistake. The practiced ease and grace with which he slipped out of Hibari's grasp only agitated him further, causing Hibari to smile widely in satisfaction before starting in on a fury of blows that left Tsuna disoriented. Hibari...

Hibari was weak.

It didn't take Tsuna long to understand why. Hibari had become complacent. Whether it was his marriage or a lack of motivation, he'd stopped growing. In comparison, Tsuna had never stopped trying to get stronger. Even as Lazarus, he'd trained constantly to better himself. Working non-stop for two months to reach Cheri's fighting level had been over-kill. He wasn't going to complain since it made him a match for Reborn, but it put him beyond Hibari's current strength.

"Reborn," Tsuna called while he knocked away another blow with only his foot. "This is pathetic."

"I have no comment," Reborn replied, tilting his fedora downward to block out the distasteful scene. "The current Guardians are my priority. I have nothing to teach adults."

"Very well," Tsuna said as the look in Hibari's eyes got angrier at how he was being toyed with. "Needs before wants," he added, making his choice. Vongola might want Vongola the Tenth, but they were going to get Van Wolfe. What Vongola needed was an enemy. What Hibari needed was a challenge. Tsuna would be that, even if it would be making his return harder.

Turning his full attention to Hibari, he sent a gauged kick at his chin that propelled Hibari out the busted window at the front of the store. Hibari's eyes widened in shock as he rebounded off the brick wall across the street and Tsuna followed him out at a leisurely pace as Hibari dropped to the ground. Using the gaping crowd as a tool, Tsuna smirked when Hibari had trouble getting back to his feet.

"It'd be a waste of time to use my fists on vermin when my foot is good enough," Tsuna taunted while he fearlessly approached. "Perhaps I should get rid of you now and take that pretty little wife of yours. She seems like she could appreciate a strong man." Tsuna smiled to himself, seeing the blood lust building in Hibari's eyes. Not only was Tsuna mocking him and threatening him, but he was doing it in front of other people. There was no possible way for Hibari to ignore such a thing.

He attacked. Tsuna let him, openly letting him know that he was being toyed with. He let it continue for several more minutes until he decided that Hibari was angry enough to begin training even without Tsuna in front of him. Tsuna knew that Hibari's pride wouldn't let him do anything else. With that decided, Tsuna went in for the finishing blow. Hibari's left arm went dead with a touch to the right pressure points, causing his tonfa to drop out of a nerveless hand. The right arm and right leg followed in quick succession, sending him crashing to the ground alongside his weapons. He kept himself from getting a face full of dirt with his one good leg propping him up, but he had no way left to attack.

"How sweet," Tsuna mocked. "So Mukuro isn't the only one that you'll kneel for."

"I'll bite you to death," Hibari growled with an insane look in his eyes.

"Of course you will," Tsuna smiled. "Biting is the only option that you have left. Let me ask you, though. Are you planning to spit or swallow?"

"You're a dead man," Hibari threatened.

"For some reason, that doesn't scare me," Tsuna replied with a shrug as he pointedly turned his back on Hibari and started walking away. "I've got a report to make," he called pleasantly with a wave of farewell. "I'll play with you again sometime, Mister Weak Cloud Guardian. The paralysis should wear off in a few hours, so train hard. Try not to disappoint me next time."

"Van Wolfe," Reborn snapped, stepping out of the broken store as Tsuna passed by. Tsuna paused for a moment before trading sad smiles with Reborn in silent understanding. "I think that you changed for the better," he commented, once more tilting his fedora down to hide his expression. "I'll speak to the Eleventh about making restitution to the Carter Family."

"Thanks, Brother," Tsuna replied softly. Having nothing more to add, he jumped to the closest rooftop in desire to leave the scene as quickly as possible. With Mafia Land Castle as his goal, he started running as soon as he had a clear path and tried not to think about the pressure that he was starting to feel. He'd only spent two days back into the world and things were already turning sour.

He figured that it was a good thing that he'd gotten used to bittersweet tastes.

* * *

"Van Wolfe," Lord Nephriam growled angrily. "What's the meaning of this? I told you not to interrupt--"

"It's an emergency, my Lord," Tsuna interjected as he formally knelt. He kept his eyes lowered despite the pointed looks that he was receiving. From her poised seat at the room's oblong conference table, even Neve seemed unhappy to see him. "We have reason to believe that Welt was murdered."

"What?" Lord Nephriam gasped as the blood drained out of his face.

"Namahage Gifts, under control of the Vongola Family, was due to open today," Tsuna continued while straining to keep all inflection out of his voice. "They had a display of vampire-related goods ready for mass consumption. I spoke with Reborn on the matter. The owner, Haru Hibari, was duped into selling them by a Hunter and he plans to speak with Vongola the Eleventh about it. Currently, Shotgun is taking the remains into custody, but she was able to identify Welt's teeth at the scene. She estimates that they were taken from him within the last three days. I deemed the situation to be an emergency and thought that the Council should be informed. Please accept my apologies if my judgment is flawed."

"I see," he mumbled in shock. Tsuna could think of nothing to add to soften the blow, so he stayed respectfully silent while the Council quietly acknowledged the loss. "Lives are ever fleeting," Lord Nephriam intoned. The rest of the Council repeated it softly as if it were a chant and Tsuna found himself whispering it under his breath.

There was a sense of peace that flowed into him when the words left his lips. Welt had died numerous times already, so he'd already been prepared for his last breathe. For those who suffered loss as a natural part of their lives, death was nothing more than a new beginning. This death was no different. Somewhere, in some way, Welt was starting a new life. Those in the room were aware of that in a way that couldn't be understood by normal humans.

"Let us go," Neve said, standing from the table with the rest of the Council standing with her. There was only seven of twelve present, Tsuna noticed. He recognized most of them from the banquet where he'd been turned, but two of them were a complete mystery to him. "It would be negligent of us to continue bickering when one of our kindred is sleeping exposed."

"Agreed, Mistress Drake," Lord Laswick said softly. Mistress Nadia and Lord Pelides nodded in silent agreement, as did the two males that Tsuna didn't have the names for. Lord Nephriam was the last to give his vote with an absent-minded murmur. He was still in shock, regardless of his ability to continue functioning. "Lead us, Van Wolfe," she ordered. Tsuna stood in acceptance of the duty, giving a quick glance at her in the process to ensure that he hadn't been mistaken in her identity.

It was Neve, despite how she had taken up the name Mistress Drake. She still had the same short, silvery hair that he remembered and the same petite build. Her eyes still drew him in like a magnet and her voice still sent shivers down his spine. However, she wasn't completely unchanged. There was a greater aura of maturity around her now and a stronger confidence. She wasn't giggling at the attention that she was given anymore. She commanded attention with her mere presence. Even her fashion tastes had been honed so that every inch of her was a weapon at the senses. Instead of corset tops and fluttering skirts, she was wearing a slimming backless shirt and professional trousers. It was distracting in countless ways. To keep himself from being so aware of her gaze on his back while he led the way through the stone corridors of Mafia Land's castle, he thumbed his interface and put in a call to Cheri.

"Shotgun here."

"It's Wolfe again," he replied. "Change of plans. The Royals are en route. Call in Xerxes for extra security."

"Why don't you call him?" She choked. "He's a pain in the ass to talk to."

"It's not a good idea for me to talk to him right now," he answered honestly. "You do it."

"What happened?"

"He dumped me," Tsuna growled as quietly as he could.

"Oh."

"It's unimportant. We can still work together, so just get him down there. This might be Mafia Land, but there have been outbreaks of violence before and I don't want to take any chances."

"Understood," she replied. Switching off the link, Tsuna glanced around in concern once they were outside. He was on edge and he knew it. Not only was there the possibility that the Hunter responsible was on the island and would attack, but Tsuna didn't forget about how he'd so recently insulted Hibari.

"Dango," Tsuna called while he kept his pace in step with the Council behind him. The six exploded from their nest and erupted from their shells without needing to be asked. He heard a ripple of appreciation from the Council behind him, but now wasn't the time for his wyverns to preen. "Hurricane, clear the path," he ordered. "Sprinkle, Fog, flank left. Bolt, Heatwave, flank right. Cirrus, watch the skies and the rear."

"You're overdoing it a bit, Van Wolfe," Neve murmured in amusement.

"It's my duty to keep the seven of you safe," he replied calmly. "I also have a reputation to build, Mistress Drake."

"Lady Neve," she corrected sharply. "Mistress Drake is still my grandmother. I'm just filling in for a few years while she's on vacation."

"I'm sorry if I offended you," he said reflexively. "I'll have to beg you to tell me the full story later. Adie told me a different one."

"I'm sure she did," Neve groaned. "She's a chronic liar, so I hope that you don't hold it against her."

"I'm sure that she does it to make her life more interesting," Tsuna soothed while he glared in suspicion at the growing number of people that were stopping to stare at them. They were beginning to reach the main strip of outlet shops. Hurricane jolted around in front of him, gaining attention with spurts of speed and over-zealous waves of his wings. It was enough to get pedestrians to clear the path, although Tsuna had to call out to get him to stop harassing people on two separate occasions.

It was easy to tell when they were getting close. The line of customers waiting for Namahage Gifts to open was still present and had grown to three times the initial length. Tsuna was sure that there were lines for amusement park rides that were shorter. They were all going to be waiting a while, though. As they reached the door, Tsuna had to smile in satisfaction at the sign that was already up while the workers quickly tried to repair the building's facing.

_Warning: Gas Leak_

_Sorry for the delay._

"I'm sorry," a guard at the door interjected, forcing Tsuna to stop by physically barring the way. "We're still closed. You'll have to come b-- ACK!" The main flailed from having his ear pulled and Tsuna grinned as he carefully moved him out of the way. The guard looked like he wanted to continue objecting once Tsuna released him, but the Dango Brothers were already working hard at securing a perimeter around them.

Stepping inside, he glanced around to ensure that both Cheri and Xanxus had secured the interior. Since they had, he stepped aside and held the door open from a kneeling position to let the Council pass. Both Xanxus and Cheri dropped what they were doing in order to follow matching protocol. Just like himself, Tsuna didn't think that either of them was acting out of submission. They were acting because it currently suited their purposes to play along with the Council's games.

"So it's a cowboy theme?" Neve chuckled as she stopped in front of Tsuna's red and black counterparts. "You've got an interesting team working for you, Lord Nephriam."

"They're the best hitmen that the Carter Family has to offer," he replied smoothly as Tsuna allowed the shop doors to swing close behind the last of the group. Tsuna bowed his head along with the rest of the team and smiled at how Lord Nephriam left out an important detail, which was that they were the _only _hitmen that the Carter Family had to offer.

The Council's attention turned to the main matter at hand. Out of all the people working to clean up the mess, Tsuna only recognized two. The first was Reborn, who was pretending to oversee the work crews in order to wear his construction cosplay. The other was a dirty and battered Haru, who was slowly unwrapping the vampire trinkets from their packaging in order to lay the pieces out on a white cloth that was spread across the floor. Tsuna could tell from the way that she was holding herself that she was still in shock. There was the gleam of tears on her cheeks when she turned to lay another bone out in a manner of respect. It was that gleam that Tsuna felt would save Vongola.

"Does it hurt?" Neve asked, kneeling down next to her with a solemn expression. He kept his face blank, but Tsuna felt his blood begin to pump in the irrational fear that he was about to see Haru get hurt. Even though he knew that Neve wouldn't do something like that, Haru looked frail in his eyes when placed next to a full-blooded vampire. Did Neve know that Haru was his former wife? The question made Tsuna worry while, in the back corner of Tsuna's brain, he remembered how women became bloody rivals over a lot less.

"Who are you?" Haru sniffed with an owlish stare.

"A friend," she answered carefully. "You can call me Neve. You don't have to cry, child. You are innocent. The fallen that lay here were not murdered by you nor did you cause their deaths. You were merely tricked into displaying the trophies that Hunters usually keeps for themselves. In a way, it is a good thing. If not for this plan that you thwarted, we would not have known what had befallen our brethren until it was too late to stop the spread of hatred."

"I'm so sorry," Haru said as tears began leaking down her face again. She tried to scrub them away before they could pile up, but she only succeeded in smearing the residue on her face. "I tried to catch Kimi, but she got away. The only reason that I agreed to put these up was because it was to gear up for my Fall line. I didn't know--"

"It's alright," Neve soothed with a gentle smile. "Let's put these bones to rest and then we can catch the culprit together."

"W-What are you going to do to her?" Haru sniffed. "She's my son's friend, so I can't just--"

"That would be Lord Nephriam's decision," Neve replied, turning in place to prompt the shortest Council member with a raised eyebrow.

"It's still under consideration," he mumbled. "Shotgun, Xerxes, Van Wolfe. What would you three do?"

"Killing her won't bring Welt back," Cheri said with her head bowed. "Maiming her will only spread hatred. That only leaves handing her over to the Vendiche for imprisonment."

"Question her first," Xanxus added callously. "She can repay her debt with information."

"Van Wolfe?" Lord Nephriam prompted when Tsuna stayed silent.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Shotgun is right and so is Xerxes, but... none of that will solve the real problem. The Hunters don't see us as anything but beasts and they try to spread that belief with acts like this. I don't think that this particular Hunter should be allowed to roam free, but there's a bigger problem at hand. I..."

"You what?"

"I think that the only way to prevent this from happening again is to stop hiding from everyone," he replied, keeping his eyes respectfully lowered.

"Impossible," Lord Laswick snapped. "Humans would only try to kill us if we--"

"I'm not saying to stop hiding everything," he interrupted. "Every Family has its secrets. I'm just saying to tell the Mafia as a whole that we are real. If we force humans to accept that we are people, too, then--"

"Silence," Lord Pelides growled. "You forget your place, werewolf."

"I apologize," he murmured with his eye twitching in anger. Play along, he told himself. It was all part of the game and not all of the Council was aware of his true identity. There was more at stake than just a little pride. "I spoke out of turn."

"We'll discuss this later," Lord Nephriam said to regain control of the conversation. "For now, I'll settle for information and imprisonment as payment from the Hunter. I do not wish to jeopardize our relations with Vongola, but it is impossible to turn the other cheek on this matter."

"There you have it," Neve smiled, turning back to Haru. "Is that not a merciful enough decision?"

"I think that I can talk Hotaru into that," she mumbled hesitantly.

"Then let's do what we can," she said, getting to her feet once more. "Lord Nephriam will take charge of this matter, but I'll work with you personally to keep this from happening again. Is that okay? I hope that we can be friends."

"Ha-hi?"

"I might be a vampire," Neve chuckled. "But I still love your clothes. I don't want to see you lose your motivation over something like this."

"Shotgun, Xerxes," Lord Nephriam called while the two girls went into an oblivious discussion about fashion. "I want double patrols after you escort the rest of the Council back to their hotels. We'll be taking a recess until this is resolved. The Hunter can't have left the island yet."

"What about me, m'Lord?" Tsuna asked as he tore his attention off of Haru.

"You have other things to worry about," Lord Nephriam replied. "You did well by bringing this matter to our attention, but you need to focus on the teacher's exams. A position as a tutor is useless if you're not qualified to teach anything."

"But--"

"Those are my orders, Van Wolfe," Lord Nephriam growled. "If you have more to say, then we'll discuss it later. Now isn't the time."

"Understood," Tsuna said after a momentary glance over at Xanxus and Cheri. Was this why Xanxus had dumped him? Tsuna hadn't noticed before, but they weren't on the same page anymore. He'd taken it for granted that Xanxus would be beside him and he'd forgotten that Xanxus had his own life. Giving him space wasn't the same as giving him freedom. Xanxus needed freedom because of this very problem. He couldn't accomplish his separate goal if all of his attention was on helping Tsuna fulfill his own.

The ironic part was that it was the result of Tsuna's prodding. He understood that now. He was the one that placed the Varia into Xanxus' sights and he was the one that had fostered the reassertion of Xanxus' independence. He'd been doing that while also treating Xanxus like he was a devoted lover and nothing more. Of course Xanxus would become frustrated and angry. Of course the time would come when Xanxus had to choose which direction to go in. Tsuna had just been too selfish to consider Xanxus' needs until now.

Tsuna blinked in surprise when he realized that Xanxus was glaring at him. Unsure of what he'd done wrong this time, he could only stare until Lord Nephriam signaled for Cheri and Xanxus to lead most of the Council out. They'd have to talk later, Tsuna decided. Perhaps if he explained that he understood now, he could fix what was broken in their relationship. He could give Xanxus his space without ignoring what he was doing with it.

"You can go," Lord Nephriam ordered absently. "Lady Neve and I can take it from here." Tsuna stood and silently walked out of the door at the command. He wanted to stay and get closer to Haru, but he knew that it was a bad time. There was also Aster to think about.

"Van!" Neve gasped, latching onto Tsuna's back before he could get completely out the door.

"Let go," he growled with a glance toward the line of people waiting outside. "People are watching."

"But I missed you," she pouted. "You never called me."

"I was busy," he replied. His temple started throbbing and he could feel the sweat building on his forehead. Haru's gaze felt like a dagger in his back and he didn't even know if she was watching. "We'll talk later. I have to--"

"Can I have a kiss?" She asked in a silken tone that tightened the loins of every man in range. At this rate, Haru was going to misunderstand!

"What are you trying to pull?" He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Shouldn't you at least give me a kiss?" She asked again, this time with a knowing inflection in her voice. "You have to take responsibility for turning me into a woman." The statement made Tsuna snap. Grabbing Neve's wrist from his waist, he yanked her free as he spun around to show her exactly how angry she was making him. "That hurts," she grimaced while he tried to wriggle her wrist out of grip.

"That makes two of us," he growled, making her freeze in place. "Think more before you speak, Mistress Drake. I--" Tsuna was forced to break off as a fist rammed into his jaw. He let go of Neve in shock, but it wasn't Neve that hit him.

"How cruel," Haru said while she inspected Neve's wrist. "Some Mafioso are such jerks. Let's go put something on that before it bruises."

"I'm fine," Neve replied with her eyes still locked on Tsuna. As for Tsuna, he couldn't look at anything but Haru. How long had it been since his beloved Haru had punched him because of a misunderstanding? The thought created a pain in his heart that completely overshadowed what he felt in his face. That was actually saying something since Haru's punch had gotten stronger than he remembered. "Van..." Neve murmured in concern.

"Excuse me," he said absently. "My servant is waiting for me." Tearing his eyes away, he retreated as gracefully as he could. That wasn't as easy as it seemed. There were looks of jealous rage on every man's face that he passed and several people tried to lash out at how Tsuna had treated a beautiful woman. He dodged the attacks reflexively, but it still slowed him down until he was out of the range of witnesses.

Haru was the only thought on his mind while he walked back to his hotel. She must hate him now. For all of his talk of winning her back, he had no idea of how to actually accomplish it. He wouldn't even be able to face her now. She probably thought that he was violent toward women. What would he do if she thought that he was a womanizer? If he made any moves now, she'd just think that he was playing with her. How could he show her his feelings in a way that would make her believe. Although, should he show her? What where her feelings about him when she wasn't being influenced? What if--

"Greedy," he grumbled to himself. He was getting greedy again. Hadn't he told himself that he wouldn't do that? Asking for everything was asking for far too much. It was one thing if Haru still had feelings for him, but trying to _make _her have feelings for him was another. He should be focusing on the big prize. When it came down to it, it was enough that Haru was happy. Only his own selfishness was making him forget that. It was more important that he keep his eyes on Vongola as a whole. If he could get his Family back, he'd be in a better position to win her over.

What about her feelings, though? He wanted to know what they were before she knew who he was. Should he try to win her now or later? How much would it hurt his plans to get side-tracked because of his love for a woman?

"Shit," Tsuna sighed as he stepped into the hotel elevator. He didn't know what to do. There were his needs and his wants. There were also the things that he needed to do to get his wants and what he wanted to do to get his needs. All of it left him so confused. He was stumbling. It was undeniably a golden opportunity, but his intuition said that he couldn't take it. It was too early in the game to be impatient. He blamed it on Reborn. The first person to recognize him had readily accepted him, but he couldn't let that blind him into believing that everyone would be so easy-going.

"Aster," he called, knocking on the door to his hotel room. "It's Van Wolfe. Let me in."

"W-What's the password?" Aster called back from the other side.

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow the door down," Tsuna replied with a crooked grin. The door flew open in a rush and Tsuna smiled as his little piggy latched onto his waist in tears. "I'm sorry," he said while he ran his fingers through Aster's hair to soothe him. "You saw something scary."

"M-M-Master," Aster said while tears continued leaking down his otherwise expressionless face. "Th-They--"

"There are some people out there that hate us that much," Tsuna said. "But you should remember something, Aster. The reason that they can go to such lengths in their hatred is because, in their minds, they strip us of our humanity and turn us into monsters. You can't allow yourself to do the same thing in return. The Hunters have feelings and lives and people that they want to protect, too. You can't make all of them into a faceless horde. If you do, then there will never be peace because we'll never be able to understand each other."

"Master..." he mumbled, looking up at Tsuna with a set of bloodshot eyes.

"What they did was horrible," Tsuna continued carefully. "But I pity them because of how they're blinding themselves. By seeing us as monsters, they unknowingly turn themselves into monsters. Instead of revenge, I want to open their eyes, Aster."

"Master is too kind," he murmured as he buried his face into Tsuna's chest.

"It's because I've seen what happens without kindness," he replied with a small smile for how easily he was calmed. "Come on," he ordered, pushing Aster back into the hotel room. "You need to lie down and put a cold cloth on your eyes. I'll order some room service for us and then I need to start studying for tomorrow. Try not to think about what you saw. I won't let something like that happen to you, so there's no need to worry."

"Yes, Master."


	100. Chapter 100 Lessons Learned

Author's Notes: THANKS FOR 1K REVIEWS!

* * *

The air felt warm against Tsuna's skin, even in the shade of the umbrella that Aster had set up. He wasn't relaxing on the beach in his swimsuit for fun, however. There was work to be done.

"One," Tsuna called at a slow pace. "Two. Three. Four." Pausing in his count, Tsuna raised an eyebrow at where Aster was trying to squat when he should be striking. "Dodge, duck, defend, and destroy," he admonished, causing Aster to belatedly punch in realization of his mistake. "Horizontal movement, vertical movement, bracing, and shifting weight. They're the four basics for fighting. The more seamlessly you can string them together, the easier that it'll be for you to survive an attack and counterstrike."

"Yes, Master," he replied with a gleam in his eyes that Tsuna recognized.

"What do you want to ask?" He prompted while the ocean lapped against Aster's bare feet.

"Style," Aster mumbled. Tsuna grimaced. He hadn't thought about a particular fighting style. He was just teaching Aster the basics so that he could defend himself if he was attacked. It was also to help rebuild the confidence that'd been destroyed after seeing the cruelty that could exist in the world. Aster was still shaken after seeing what the Hunter had done to their kindred and this was the only way that Tsuna could come up with to help him overcome the trauma.

"Uh... It's..." The name Aster came from a red flower. "Flowering Red... uh..." He was probably going to teach Aster about pressure points, so that should be added. "...Needle..." Aster would probably feel better if it was a technique or art, too. "... Jitsu," he finished lamely.

"Flowering Red Needle Jitsu," Aster repeated.

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed, tilting his hat down to hide his eyes before his white lie could be discovered. "It's... uh... a semi-pacifist fighting style that allows you to subdue an opponent without hurting them. The precept is... um... to lower your opponent's fists by raising your own."

"Master is making it up," Aster mumbled.

"No, I'm not," Tsuna blushed. "I have the secret manuscript for the... uh... Hidden... Needle Arts... back in my vault. As my only disciple in it, I'll pass it down to you after you've mastered what I have to teach." Cringing at his own combination of truth and lies, Tsuna silently promised to tell Aster the truth when he gave him the hand-written document that had taught Tsuna the pressure points for partial paralysis. That was assuming that he still had it. He thought that Poe had sent it with his collection of mementos, but he'd have to ask P-chan to double-check. "Y-You've got to train hard, though. I'm not going to give it to someone who doesn't earn it."

"I'll train hard," Aster promised. Tsuna glanced up and was shocked to find that Aster actually had an expression for once. He was smiling widely over his position as the 'only disciple' and he looked so cute that Tsuna had to exert his self-control.

It was so difficult sometimes to keep himself from becoming a perverted old person that just flung himself at the things he desired. It was completely unreasonable of him, but he blamed Shamal and Jules for this growing tendency. It was also completely pathetic, but he sympathized with the two, too. Taking joy out of small pleasures was the only thing keeping him from falling into depression since he couldn't have the large ones. He just wished that giving in to temptation didn't make him feel like such a degenerate.

"Right," Tsuna groaned. "Twenty-five laps," he ordered. "Jog to the end of the beach and sprint back as fast as you can. Walk for the last two laps to cool down." Ignoring the predictable affirmation, followed by Aster's obedience, Tsuna turned back to his own business. Although it looked like he was just relaxing on the beach, the truth was far different.

Updated Family trees, the state of alliances and rivalries, the focus of Family businesses and how they interacted with one another.

The current lists of Most Wanted, the improvements to standard warfare, and any recent modifications to Mafia protocol.

The standards of offensive and defensive weaponry, the cutting edge of technological improvements, and the hidden options available on the Black Market.

The history of the Mafia for the last ten years, the achievements, and the disgraces.

Rumors, gossip, secrets and information.

There was far too much that he had to learn. So much had happened in the last ten years that he didn't know where to start. He was bluffing at the moment and it was a pathetically thin defense. If he were talk to any Mafioso about current events, it would become only too obvious that he was as oblivious as a civilian. That, more than anything, was the reason that he didn't plan on making his formal debut until mid-Winter. He despised the delay more than anyone, but interacting with Mafioso was necessary for his plans and his lack of information was a major weakness.

An information broker with the kind of information that he needed wouldn't talk to a green hitman. Physical strength wouldn't help him in negotiations or make a stranger inclined to trust him. Whether it was blueprints for a Vendiche prison or Hotaru's favorite snack, the quality of that type of information wouldn't be given to someone who didn't even know that Cavallone had expanded into Entertainment or that Tomaso had formally become an ally of Vongola.

Knowing what brand of cigarettes Hayato smoked was no help in finding out where his private residence was. Knowing that Hibari was married to Haru told him nothing about the state of his children. Knowing that Lambo liked grapes and cow print wouldn't help him locate the little brat. Knowing that Nubo had a yearly Halloween party wouldn't get him an invitation. Knowing that Vongola's database was protected by a sentient program wouldn't help him find a way to access it without alarming the whole Family. Knowing that Vongola used to specialize in military surveillance contracts didn't help him when they'd begun focusing on transportation. Regardless of the person or the situation, the information that he had was useless and out-dated.

Like every new hitman in the world, he had to start somewhere. Having already gone through the Gauntlet once in his life, he knew the basics of what to do. First, he had to inhale all of the information that was general knowledge for Mafioso. Everything from current territory borders to current fashion, he had to know everything that those around him knew so that he wouldn't stick out by being marked as a greenhorn.

The study material that he'd been given for the teacher's exams was helpful with that part, but the problem was that there was so much. He'd already prioritized the list of materials available. The first to be studied was the test for the next day. After that was something from the secondary list which was made up of materials on things that he had some previous knowledge. For example, the Family trees. The Family trees weren't detailed since it wasn't the same as a family tree. It simply gave him the name of each Family's Boss, heir and their core family, but that allowed him to see what had changed in ten years. Knowing the positions of the people around him allowed him to better gauge the balance of power and knowing the balance of power made it easier for him to move in the circles that he needed to.

His future was going to be convoluted and messy. Tsuna had no doubt about that. He wanted to become impatient and throw a tantrum, but doing so wouldn't allow him to successfully reach his goals. He wasn't a man who made moves that would result in failure. He wasn't going to overextend himself by trying to force things to go his way, either. That was one of many things that his time with the Dragons had taught him.

When he'd been Vongola the Tenth, he'd arranged the rocks in his path into an order that he wanted. While he'd been Lazarus, he mindlessly destroyed them. Having now seen both ways, he felt that he now knew the right path. The way that he was now, going with the flow actually was the best way. As Lazarus, he'd believed that he'd be smashed up against the obstacles in his way if he did that, but he hadn't realized an important thing. He hadn't realized that, if he knew that the rock was ahead of him, he could dodge it. Not move it. Not destroy it. All he had to do was gently avoid it so that neither him or the rock was hurt.

The key to that method was learning where those rocks were going to be, which was why he wasn't rushing in blindly. His plan was to dodge the obstacles standing in his way and slowly shift the currents to his favor. It was true that he might get knocked into a rock or two at first, but that was what experience was for. He had faith in his own ability to improve. If he didn't, he would have felt too unworthy to come to Mafia Land to take his first steps back home.

* * *

Xanxus had a problematic secret that he wasn't sure how to deal with. Of course, dealing with the cause was already hard enough to begin with since the little twerp was difficult to read.

"Again?" Xanxus groaned.

"I'm sorry," Aster said, his face already red. Xanxus rubbed his head in resignation and gestured for Aster to enter his hotel room.

This was the fourth time that the brat had come looking for him. The first had been at Lord Nephriam's manor when the brat had been too fearful of interrupting Tsuna's busy training schedule with his personal problems. He'd given in since Aster had been in heat and refusing was more difficult than it seemed. The second and third had been while Tsuna was sea sick. He'd given in on the second time since Tsuna hadn't been in any condition to deal with it. He hadn't had much of a choice on the third since Aster had been going berserk. Xanxus had caught him trying to seduce a particularly large Mafioso into following him into food storage on the ship and he'd known that Tsuna would have been pissed if Xanxus hadn't interfered. He'd chosen the lesser of two hells and screwed the brat himself.

He didn't think Tsuna had figured it out yet, but Aster was a different type of beast than the two of them. Tsuna was the starvation type. The lack of physical nourishment could make him go berserk and send him chasing after edible prey. His time on the streets was what probably made that instinct his most sensitive. On the other hand, Xanxus and Cheri were both susceptible to blood lust. Fighting frenzies were their form of going berserk. Ironically enough, it was the easiest form to control since it only appeared when they were facing a strong enough opponent. Since it wasn't much different from how he always was, his transitions usually went unnoticed. It wasn't to say that Tsuna couldn't go into a fighting frenzy and that Cheri and himself couldn't get hungry enough to chase after food. It just meant that they had different priorities on what was triggered the easiest.

Aster was the third type. His mating instincts were touchy. From what Xanxus had gathered, Aster spent all of his turbulent teenage years ignoring his sex drive and the void had come back to haunt him. He was starved in a way that required intimate contact with someone else to bring him out of it. He could feed his needs by himself on most occasions, but he would eventually hit a point where it wasn't enough. For some inexplicable reason, he'd started coming to Xanxus when that happened.

"What's wrong this time?" Xanxus growled. "Did he forget to feed you again?"

"Master fed me," he said with his head bowed. "Still hungry."

"Did you try to deal with it yourself?"

"Isn't working."

"Then why don't you tell your Master?" He snapped while he made himself comfortable in the room's only chair. "I don't understand you, brat. Most people would be too fucking scared to come to me like you do. Van is usually the one that people can talk to."

"Don't... want to bother Master," he mumbled as he obliviously stood in the middle of the room.

"And you have no problem bothering me?" Xanxus asked in disbelief.

"Forgive me, Master Xerxes," he replied with a formal bow. "I won't impose on you. I--"

"Stop," Xanxus snapped. Rubbing his temples, he tried to think of what he should do while Aster obediently fell silent. Tsuna would probably be pissed if he found out. On the other hand, he hadn't been getting much release lately. Four days had passed since he'd broken off intimacy with Tsuna and he found it irritating at how little Tsuna was suffering. It wasn't that he wanted Tsuna to suffer, though. He just thought that the brat could be a little more upset about it instead of prancing around like nothing had happened. Every time Xanxus saw him, he was so cheerful that it was sickening. Did he not care at all? Or was it the little slut in front of him that was keeping him from noticing what he was missing?

The thought made him want to break the little twerp.

"I'll help you this time," he said with the beginnings of a cruel smile. "But I'm not holding back like I usually do."

"Do I?"

"Do you what?"

"Do I... still... hold back?" He asked slowly.

"Are you saying that you've been holding back?" Xanxus growled with his eye twitching in irritation at the brat.

"Master is old," he mumbled.

"Old," Xanxus repeated, feeling his temper cracking like thin ice.

"It's bad to hurt... Master Xerxes," he nodded. "Since Master--" Xanxus didn't let him finish. Before Aster caught up to what was being done, Xanxus had him pinned on the bed with half of his clothes ripped off.

"I'm going to make you eat those words, you little shit," Xanxus warned.

Unnoticed by Xanxus, while he rushed to torture the brat with a pair of teeth around Aster's nipple, Aster allowed of his his rare expressions to surface. He smirked knowingly at how quickly Xanxus reacted to being called 'old'. By the time that Xanxus glanced up at him, the expression was already gone like it'd never been.

* * *

Tsuna sat on the beach, smoking a cigarette while he continued reading through the study materials provided for the next exam. He would have preferred to do it in his hotel room, but Aster wouldn't fall asleep if he was in the building. By leaving, Aster also had some privacy to tend to his own needs. Tsuna knew that it couldn't be easy for him to get used to his new urges, whether it was feeding, fighting, or mating. Since Aster had trouble letting down his guard when he was around people, leaving him alone was the only way that Tsuna could think to do to help him. He ensured that Aster's basic needs were met with blood wine, playful wrestling, and the nightly release in bed, but Tsuna knew that he was still unsatisfied somewhere. All was well, though. Aster wouldn't speak to Tsuna about what area was lacking, but he always seemed satisfied after Tsuna gave him a few hours to himself.

Although, there were a few worrisome things that Tsuna had to get used to. He hadn't been around others of his kind long enough to know whether it was normal or not, but Aster had a few questionable tendencies. First of all, he was completely shameless. It wasn't that he was obedient because he was in a position of submission as a servant. It was that he accepted anything that was done to him. If Tsuna told him to run across the island naked, he'd do it without hesitation. He'd do it, get dressed when he was done, and forget that it ever happened after he finished. He didn't dwell on anything.

The second tendency was one that Tsuna wasn't sure how to deal with other than to ignore it. That was that Aster got most of his nourishment from something far different from blood wine. He got it by licking both himself and Tsuna clean after their nightly exertions. Tsuna still gave him blood wine since he didn't want to take chances, but Aster claimed that his Hunger was always gone after he finished. When Tsuna thought about it, it made sense. The reason that they drank blood was because it was a medium for the life energy that their Hunger craved. Ejaculations were brimming with life, so it was possible that it could be used as an alternative feeding source. As the only option that didn't make him choke, Tsuna had decided that he'd just take Aster's word on it and stick with his flask of blood.

The final tendency was that he was overly attentive. Aster was of the mindset that his Master as the center of the world, which was probably due to how Aster had been raised. On that one, he'd actually had to talk to Lord Nephriam to understand it more. The bulk of blood slaves came from people who'd went through traumatic experiences. They'd already lost all sense of security in the world and a Master was what gave that back to them through a bond of mutual trust. For servants like Aster, the more that he was trusted with tasks that Tsuna thought were meaningless, the more his confidence in himself grew. The more that his confidence grew, the greater sense of security he could have in his life. With the increase in security, they trusted their Masters more in return. It was an endless cycle that bound a blood slave into devotion. That could have been problematic if not for the three basic rules that all blood slaves were taught for the sake of their Master's piece of mind.

1. A Master's life is the blood slave's life. Cherish and nurture it. Never cause it harm.

2. A blood slave should never interfere in a Master's life outside of service.

3. Respect the Point of Peace.

The 'Point of Peace' was the point in a relationship between blood slave and Master where things are both satisfying and comfortable for the both of them. It was that unspoken point where neither of them had complaints and both of them were without desire for more. It was the blood slave's job to find it and maintain it. The point was at a different place for each Master and blood slave and sometimes it took years to reach it. Sometimes it only took them a few days. For some, it had to be an exclusive relationship. For others, it had to be a platonic one. Typically, it was somewhere in the middle.

Overall, Tsuna had no idea where Aster's Point was. He didn't even have an idea of what Aster was feeling half of the time. Lord Nephriam had already warned him that trying to help Aster find it would only make it harder for Aster to reach. A Master was supposed to be himself while the blood slave worked to find the Point of Peace within himself. Talking about it was forbidden for the blood slave's sake, although he was allowed to ask if Aster ever wanted anything. He was also allowed to ask about Aster's level of satisfaction in his service.

Knowing about it made Tsuna worried. His short stint as a blood slave was nothing like Aster's. His own Point of Peace with Poe had been acquired simply by not changing anything in their friendship. Tsuna had loaned him blood and did not need to serve to achieve happiness. Aster was different than how Tsuna had been when he'd accepted a pair of shackles. He came from a different background and a different mindset that Tsuna knew nothing about. What Tsuna was starting to understand was that by becoming his blood slave, Aster hadn't only been promising blood. He'd been betting his future and all of his happiness on Tsuna. Aster had taken a courageous leap of faith off of the point of no return in hopes that he could reach the Point of Peace at Tsuna's side.

The only thing that he could do was what he was already doing. He continued living his life. If Lord Nephriam was right, then that was all he could do. Looking out for Aster's needs were his responsibility. If Aster wanted something, Tsuna would answer it. There were some lines that he couldn't cross, such as giving an emotional commitment. Tsuna had no problem satisfying physical needs, but Aster would have to look elsewhere for more than friendship.

Aster hadn't shown any problem with it so far, but Tsuna didn't know if he'd grown confident enough to say if he wasn't. Aster hadn't been serving him for that long, so Tsuna still didn't know him very well. If he was unsatisfied somewhere, would he speak up about it? Tsuna had a feeling that Aster was still hesitating to tell him things. Of course, that only made Tsuna worry more. With Aster's tendency to be over-attentive, Tsuna felt like he was being shown up. Aster never asked any personal questions, but he already knew all of Tsuna's personal preferences. Even when it came to choices that hadn't been brought up yet Aster could already guess at what Tsuna would most likely want. In contrast, Tsuna only knew that Aster liked the color green, he liked things that required thought, he liked the story of Pinocchio, he disliked oysters enough to gag over them and--

Tsuna's hand automatically snapped up to grab hold of something going for his mask from behind.

"Damn," a young voice hissed while numerous others started giggling. "I thought that you were daydreaming. Your cigarette went out, but you've still been smoking it for the past ten minutes."

"I wasn't daydreaming," he lied, shutting off his interface as he glanced over his shoulder at the assailant. In resignation, he realized that it was a mix of Don Girarde students. Half of them were ones that he recognized from his cruise ship while there were nearly a dozen that he'd yet to meet. "You shouldn't come up behind people in the dark," he said while he carefully released the boy who'd gathered the courage to try for his mask. Reaching up, he snatched his dead cigarette out of his lips and stuck it in his pocket to throw it away later. Lighting another one, he gave the group a pointed look as he continued, "If you'd startled me, I might have counterattacked."

"Sorry," he replied without a trace of apology in his voice.

"Sorry, Wolfe-Sensei," he corrected.

"Sensei?"

"It means 'teacher," he said with a smile. The boy stared at him without comprehending for a long moment. When the insinuation finally hit him, he let out a loud whoop of joy that spread to the other students.

"What are you going to be teaching?" He asked as the kids propelled themselves into the sand around him.

"When do you start?"

"Can you be our homeroom teacher?"

"He can't be a homeroom teacher! He's a substitute, so we have to wait for someone to get sick."

"Aww, I don't want to wait that long."

"But--"

"I'm not a substitute," he interjected, instantly getting their joint attention. "They're starting something new this year called a tutor system."

"I heard about that from my dad," one of the girls said before the uproar could start again. "He said that they were going to be hiring a few special teachers to patrol through the school and fill in gaps that the normal teachers can't fill. There was something about them having special privileges, but I can't remember what they were. I do remember that they were going to be really strong hitmen like Reborn. Dad was talking non-stop about it the other day that they'd picked three out."

"That's right," Tsuna nodded. "They didn't tell me to keep it secret, so there's no harm in telling you. The three tutors are me, Alijah of the Ricci Family, and Thunderbelly of the Warwick Family. The three of us will be patrolling the school, along with three tutors from rival Families. We're also allowed to teach private lessons when we find a student with potential and we can intercede as councilors whenever we see problems interfering with student's studies. Depending on how I do on the teacher's exams, I'll be allowed to take over certain classes whenever I want."

"You should take over accounting," one of the boys called out. "It's so boring!"

"I'm not going to be taking anything over with all of you interrupting my studies," he laughed.

"Oh!" Another boy gasped in revelation. "You have computer contacts! You weren't daydreaming! You were reading!"

"I was reading," Tsuna confirmed, giving a thumbs-up to praise the boy's deductive skills.

"But he doesn't have computer contacts," a girl objected as if it were a game. "He doesn't have interface sensors on his hands."

"Then what was he reading?"

"Implant," a boy sitting away from the rest of the group mumbled. "He has a Cyclops implant. Wolfe-Sensei is missing an eye."

"That's very intuitive," Tsuna replied. Rubbing his eyelid, he switched through filters until he found the night vision. Even then, the automatic database search came up empty. The kid wasn't listed with any Family, which meant that he was either a civilian or that unimportant. "Would you like to see what I see?" He asked instead of the question that he wanted to. Waiting until his marked boy nodded, he flipped on his interface and got to work. It took several minutes of silent digging to find it, but he finally found the correct program for the hologram emitter. "This is the first time that I've used this," he warned. "I wanted to keep my eye a secret, but the cat is already out of the bag."

"How did you lose it?" One boy asked as Tsuna turned on the program. His own vision didn't change, but several murmurs of surprise went up as they became able to see his interface. Opening up the camera option, he placed a video feed up so that what he was seeing was being projected into the air like a movie.

"I got into a fight," he answered honestly while he switched between scanning filters.

"Was the opponent strong?"

"Weak," he replied with a grimace at the memory.

"Then how...?"

"Strength in numbers," he said after a long moment. There was no reason to hide it. It was a common enough story and these kids were already Mafioso. Preparing them was his job as a tutor. "If you've ever dropped a ball of bread onto an anthill and watched how the ants swarmed it, you'll have some idea of what I was up against. No matter how many I took down, there were five more waiting to take their place. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how strong you are. Enough ants working together can take down an elephant."

"Why do you wear a mask?" A girl asked when Tsuna turned off the hologram and shut down his interface.

"Hmm," Tsuna murmured in thought. He had a feeling that the kids weren't going to stop asking questions. He had three options. He could tell the truth, lie, or dissimilate. The choice wasn't a hard one. Putting on an act of being clueless, he cocked his head to the side and answered. "Is it because it looks cool?" It mostly worked. The girls giggled. The boys laughed. The only one who didn't fall for the trick was the boy sitting away from everyone with a dissatisfied look on his face. The boy had potential, but his lack of a naive shine was worrisome with how different it was from the rest of the group.

"All of you need to head back to your hotel rooms," Tsuna prompted before they could ask any more questions. "It's getting late and you shouldn't make your parents worry." He smiled at the wail of disappointment that went up and stood to be an example for them. "Don't whine. When the new semester starts, I'm not going to be so friendly. You might as well not get used to it now."

"Wolfe-Sensei is treating us like kids," one of the boys grumbled as they got to their feet.

"That's because you are kids," he replied honestly. "I can tell from just looking that nothing bad has ever happened to any of you. You've always been protected and you haven't opened your eyes to the real world. It makes me understand why Don Girarde started the Tutor system. Only one person here has had their potential unlocked. The rest of you are still babies locked in your shells."

"Who is it?"

"I can't say yet since school hasn't started," Tsuna answered with a pointed glance at his marked boy. Oddly, the boy in question seemed the most surprised at the attention. "But I think that person could be very strong with the right determination."

"Wolfe-Sensei is joking," a girl laughed uneasily. "If you're going to tutor someone, shouldn't you pick someone strong like Devon or Brass?" Tsuna raised his eyebrow as the two boys mentioned puffed out their chests in pride. From their body types and builds, Tsuna could tell that they were athletic. They were probably the pride of their junior high schools, but they were also completely useless.

"Hmm," he murmured as if he were thinking it over. Openly inspecting the two, he tried to decide which way to deal with the situation. The two needed a wake-up call. "Alright. If you two can answer one question to my satisfaction within thirty seconds, I'll tutor you."

"I'm ready," Devon exclaimed.

"Me, too," Brass agreed confidently.

"What's the scariest thing in the world to you?" Tsuna smirked at the two when they blankly stared at him. They weren't stupid, but they hadn't met the face of real fear yet. Their answers would tell Tsuna everything that he needed to know and it would give them something to consider, as well.

"Death...?" Devon asked.

"No," Brass objected while Tsuna's mark buried his head in his knees. "It's a rhetorical question. It's fear itself that's the scariest. Right?"

"Are those your final answers?" Tsuna asked carefully when they looked at him for confirmation. "You've still got twenty seconds. You can make as many guesses as you want in that time."

"Spiders?" Devon mumbled. "Heights...? Needles...? Um..."

"If it's not fear, then maybe darkness? Or loneliness?" Brass offered.

"World war...?"

"Disease...?"

"Poverty...?"

"Time is up," Tsuna said in open disappointment. "I won't teach you. Shorty," he called to the boy with his head stuffed in his knees. "What's the answer?"

"Defeat," he promptly mumbled.

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked with a slow smile.

"You lose everything when you're defeated," he said with his shoulders trembling due to the exertion of self-control.

"That's not fair!" Brass objected. "You asked what was scariest to us, not him! I'm not scared of being defeated!"

"You don't know the meaning of fear," Tsuna said darkly, causing the front row of kids to step backward in surprise. "You don't understand yourself enough to know what you're scared of. Darkness, loneliness, and disease are scary things, but I asked what was the scariest. If you knew the answer, you wouldn't have been able to give other options. That's why I said that you're still kids. Your heads are puffed up from being considered strong at a junior high level, but Don Girarde's way of considering strength isn't that naive. I don't know what your Families were thinking by sending you to Don Girarde, but you're all going to get a rude awakening. For your sakes, I hope that you have the determination to become stronger or else you won't last a week."

Before the group could comprehend his lecture, he walked away. Listening to retorts at this point would be meaningless. The kids needed someone to whip them into shape and that was his job. Coddling them and being friends with them would only make them complacent. They needed someone there to taunt them and poke their pride, just like he'd done by goading Hibari. They probably didn't understand why he'd turned on them, but they would if they could unlock their own potential.

It was incomprehensible that they'd already reached high school without finding a reason to fight. It really did make him understand why Reborn wanted tutors walking in the school. The lessons that the school taught would become a joke if the students weren't at a level to appreciate them. Tsuna just didn't understand what the students' Families were doing to fail so miserably in raising their children. Although, he wasn't in much of a position to talk. He didn't even know what his own kids looked like anymore.

Putting his cigarette out in the ashtray outside the hotel, he put the problems out of his mind and headed for the elevators. Within another minute, he was standing outside his hotel room with a strange hesitation keeping him from entering. Considering that he'd given Aster four hours this time, he shook the feeling off and went inside anyway. He tried to be quiet as he slipped off his trench-coat and placed his hat on the room's table, not wanting to wake his servant. It wasn't until he was in the middle of unbraiding his hair that he noticed the lack of an occupant in the bed. Worried, he flipped on the lights and looked a second time. He wasn't mistaken, though. Aster wasn't anywhere in the hotel room.

Holding down a surge of panic, he tried to keep himself from jumping to any conclusions. The room wasn't destroyed, so Aster hadn't been kidnapped. It was doubtful that he'd gone far since he was expecting Tsuna to return. If he'd gotten hungry, it was possible that he'd gone down to the hotel's restaurant to get another helping. There was also the possibility of the gym or the pool if he was feeling edgy from a lack of movement.

Heading out the door with the intent to check on him, Tsuna paused in shock when he found Aster sooner than expected. He was stepping out of Xanxus' neighboring room with his hair wet from a recent shower. The buttons missing from his shirt was undeniable proof of what had happened. It made Tsuna's mind go blank while he tried to picture the two of them together, but all the scenarios that came to mind were impossible since Aster was walking without injury.

"Master..." Aster mumbled, staring unblinkingly in shock that he'd been caught.

"What happened?" Tsuna blurted.

"Should have held back," he whispered under his breath.

"Eh?"

"Master Xerxes is... sleeping," he said, ducking his head as if repenting. "Not... old. I'm just..."

"Aster?" Tsuna asked, concerned over how easy it was to tell that his servant was troubled.

"Is there... something wrong with me, Master?"

"I think we better have a talk," Tsuna replied with a gesture for Aster to get into the hotel room. "I want you to explain what you mean by asking that and then I want to know why you were in Xerxes' room."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. The weather was wonderful. The smell of the salty sea air was begging to be enjoyed. However, all of it paled before the man that was waving his arms around in effort to get attention. Tsuna smoked his cigarette and watched the show with the rest of the teachers who were waiting for the conference hall to open. He was tempted to interfere, but he hadn't gotten much sleep after figuring out how not-cute his servant really was. It was just easier to ignore the guy.

"Are you listening to me?!" The man shouted with his face turning blue from his long-winded rant. Tsuna ignored him and continued smoking his cigarette, which only made his blue face turn purple. "You lousy scumbag!" He yelled on the top of his lungs. "I'll be damned if I let a bastard like you become a teacher! I demand a fucking apology! Do you have any idea of what you did to my son?! He's been crying like a little baby ever since he came home last night and he said that you were the bastard responsible!"

"Oi," Tsuna said, finally feeling the need to speak up. "Watch how you throw words around. You could ruin a man's reputation like that."

"Your reputation?!" He spluttered in disbelief. "What about my son?!"

"What about him?" He retorted with a shrug. "I didn't lay a finger on him."

"You did something, you bastard! What Family are you from? Who the fuck recommended a low-life like you to be a teacher?!"

"I'm Van Wolf of the Carter Family," he answered as he blew out a stream of smoke with a complete lack of concern. The man nodded in satisfaction and started to stomp away, but Tsuna wasn't going to let him go that easily after having to listen to his accusations for nearly an hour. He definitely wasn't going to let Lord Nephriam be bothered by such trivial matters. Tossing his cigarette to the ground, he squashed it with his boot and finally straightened up to confront the idiot that wouldn't leave. "Ahem," he coughed. "Before you go, I have a few things of my own to say."

"What?" The man blurted in surprise, pausing in his retreat just like Tsuna hoped.

"First of all, your son is one of the weakest Mafioso that I've ever seen and I can see now where he gets it."

"Eh?" The man choked in shock.

"Your. Son. Is. A. Pansy," Tsuna repeated slowly. "And you're the one that taught him to be that way."

"Take that back!" He spluttered. "I raised my son to be a--"

"Man," Tsuna scoffed. "What man runs home crying because someone told them that their muscles didn't make them special? Your son is a child. I'm not saying that to mock you. He seems happy and confident, so you're obviously a loving parent. However, there's a major issue that I've noticed and it's not limited to only your son. All of the students that I've met so far have the same problem. You're not going to get an apology from me where they're concerned. All I've done is to begin fixing things."

"Problem?" The man asked as a ripple of mutters went through the teachers waiting around the conference room door.

"There're several," he confirmed, relieved that the man had gotten enough out of his system to be willing to listen to reason. "The students don't have a will to protect. They don't have determination and they don't have any fears. They're all so sheltered that it makes me wonder what insanity has filled this generation of parents to put them in a school for Mafioso. It's like putting a mouse in the same cage as a snake. They're only going to get eaten. If I have to be hated to fix things, then so be it. I don't care how many parents come to threaten me, I'm going to give your kids the sharp teeth, claws, and thick skins that they need to survive. If you can't stand watching your child while he goes through growing pains, then perhaps you should stick him in a different school and keep him ignorant of the world that we live in. If he doesn't have claws, then our world will just kill him slowly. Or did you forget that it isn't easy to be a Mafioso?"

"I-I--"

"Let me ask something else," he continued mercilessly. "Do you think that your son would survive in a gunfight? Hell! How about a simple mugging? If he's crying over harsh words, do you think that he's really going to be able to survive a knife? Open up your eyes," he spat. Tsuna stepped forward offensively, the man scrambled backward to retreat and Tsuna helped him along with a kick to his rear. "Mafioso aren't known for obeying the law and we're sure as hell not known for overlooking weaknesses," he shouted with a show of anger. "When your son ends up in a life-or-death situation, do you want him to be part of the fighters or part of the ones being protected?! There is no middle ground, so make up your fucking mind before you come yelling at me for trying to put some damn hair on your son's fucking balls!"

"That's telling him!" Someone behind him shouted when the man started running away.

"And you wonder where your son gets it!" Another yelled.

"Shit," Tsuna spat. Turning around, his grumbles were tinged with a smile when he found that the rest of the teachers had taken up arms to support him "Since when did people start sending their kids to Don Girarde to make them upstanding citizens? If you want to dote on him for his achievements, send him to public school."

"About damn time someone stood up to a parent," one of the candidates muttered. "I remember when I went to Don Girarde. I would have been ashamed to have my father protecting me like a coward."

"It's not that easy, though," another candidate interjected. "The parents are a lot tougher to deal with than it seems. Mr. Wolfe got lucky this time. Just wait until he gets someone coming at him with twenty and thirty men. I heard that three teachers retired last year because the parents hounded him until they collapsed from stress. Mr. Purdy supposedly tried to still come this year, but his Family forced him to quit because of ulcers."

Tsuna lit a cigarette and slowly walked back to his waiting position against the building's facing while he listened to the candidates talking. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, he quickly got an overview of Don Girarde's problems. First, the Dean was rarely present. He got called away on business so often that there were fears that he was missing entirely. For Tsuna—who knew that Reborn was the Dean—that meant that there was something going on in Vongola that was taking up the bulk of his time. Second, that someone had made a mistake along the lines in dealing with the parents. Rather than thinking of Don Girarde as a privilege, some Families had begun to treat it as a right. They'd also begun to act more aggressive, interfering with the teaching methods in use when they didn't like the reports that they were given. Rather than blame the student, everyone had begun blaming the teachers.

The main problem, however, was that of the students themselves. They didn't have the fortitude to learn difficult lessons. They whined. They complained. They didn't appreciate their lessons at all. Half of them slept through lectures and the other half cockily tried to take over the class. When the sleepers got bad grades and when the cocky ones got disciplined, the parents charged in like a raging bull.

"Trust," Tsuna realized. "So that's why he went so far as to add tutors."

"That's what I think, too," Thunderbelly rumbled from where he'd been quietly listening beside Alijah. "The parents don't trust the system any more. It's not just on our side, either. I've heard rumors that our rivals are having the same trouble. Even though it's neutral ground, they think the teachers show favoritism toward members of their own Family."

"We're going to be watched closely," Alijah agreed softly as more people stopped talking to listen in. "We were chosen because of our strengths and they're going to be watching how we use them."

"They picked me because of my brains," Thunderbelly commented, causing numerous people to laugh. A raised eyebrow was all it took to bring silence again. "My body is big and my muscles are solid, but I'm not as stupid as I look. These were created with an electric pulse therapy that I designed myself. I can fight, but I'm the pride of my Family because of my scientific achievements."

"I'm the opposite," Alijah grinned. "I think that they picked me because of my martial skill. I'm adept in over thirty fighting forms and I'm an expert with any weapon that I'm handed. I'm the pride of my Family because I can pull fighting potential out of rocks. I'm merciless on those who don't try, but those who fail after giving their all will find praise regardless of what level they're at."

"I can't wait to see you both in action," Tsuna murmured with a crooked smile. "I wish that I had something of my own to offer, but I prefer to keep my strengths hidden. If there was any reason that I was picked, it was probably because of my decisiveness. I used to treat life like it was chess where every move needs to be planned, but I've learned that it's more like checkers where the momentum is too quick to do more than act. Also... In chess, only the king matters. In checkers, there are no pawns. There are some pieces that get stuck on the sidelines, some that are too scared of moving, some that get lost in a charge down the center, and some that can move better after they've gained enough experience. In the end, however, even a coward that's trapped in a corner can turn out to be the pivotal piece that wins the game."

"I owe you twenty bucks, Thunderbelly," Alijah groaned. "I'll admit my defeat."

"Told you," the muscled man grinned in satisfaction. "Everyone focused too much on the Student's Choice Award and were trying to say that your Salamanders were only a bluff," he explained to Tsuna. "I've been watching more closely and I started to think that it was the popularity that was the fluke, but I can see now why the students like you. You're strong enough to do what you want and you always say what you want, which is exactly what every kid wants to be like. We had a bet about whether that kind of person would be good for the students or bad."

"When I asked around, everyone said that you were friendly to them," Alijah said defensively. "I was thinking that we'd end up with a school full of rebellious students who didn't think about the consequences of their actions. Thunderbelly can motivate them to use their minds and I can motivate them to move their bodies. We were wondering what purpose you were here for, but I get it now. You're the one that unites the two sides by motivating their spirits."

"Do I take that to mean that I've been accepted?" Tsuna asked carefully.

"I won't question your methods," she replied with a slow smile. "But I better see some good results or I'll demand my money back."

"It'll be a pleasure working with you," Thunderbelly said simply. "But you better not give her a reason to harass me."

"I'll do my best," Tsuna laughed as the doors opened to let them into the conference hall. "I won't be able to start until January, though," he added conversationally as they lead the mob inside. "I've still got some business to tidy up."

"Same here," Thunderbelly groaned. "I can't start until October and I'll have to leave again around next March. There's no rest for the wicked, as they say. What about you, Alijah?"

"Nothing major here, so I can start right away," she replied with an easy-going shrug. "I'll be in and out, though. The Ricci Family calls on me sporadically, so I never know when I'm needed until it happens. I'm part of their so-called presence in Italy. As they say, you can't call yourself a Family if you don't have at least one contact in the homeland."

"Maybe for you," Thunderbelly grumbled. "The Warwicks' homeland will always be mother Russia. We're only in Italy on business."

"Right," she scoffed. "And that's why you're taking a semi-permanent position there."

"It's for the children," he rumbled. "What about you, Van Wolfe? I noticed that you don't talk about yourself very much."

"There's not much to tell," he replied as he found his seat in the front line of tables. The conference room had been overhauled with seating and workspaces for the written exams. The placement order was still the same as it was the first day, although it'd been rotated horizontally instead of vertically to allow everyone to face the front.

"You mean that there's not much that you're willing to tell," he corrected with a crooked grin.

"Ah," he confirmed with a matching smile. "There's that, too. I--" Tsuna broke off as his intuition spiked in warning. Looking up, he paled at the sound of rustling water pipes. "Silas!" He yelled, spinning in place to see the man obliviously laughing with his seating partner. "Get down!"

"What?" He replied in surprise as Tsuna started moving. The sprinkler system triggered as an answer, sending a spray of water down that he blankly stared through. Tsuna rammed into him at the same moment that he started screaming, propelling them both into the shelter of the table behind him. Tsuna hissed in his own pain, but pushed it aside in effort to help Silas out. The man had taken the full brunt of the spray, unlike Tsuna who'd only gotten a minor splash thanks to the protection of both his hat and his trench coat.

"What's wrong with him?" Someone asked in shock while Tsuna started tearing off his soaked clothes. Tsuna ignored the question entirely to keep himself focused despite the pain he was feeling. Holy water was the answer. Someone had rigged the sprinkler system to spray holy water after everyone had gotten inside.

"Dango," he snapped, causing an explosion of Flame at his back. They didn't need to be told what to do. One by one, they each picked a valve and started melting the pipes to cut off the flow. Silas continued screaming through it all while his skin started turning red as if he'd received a chemical burn. It was bad, Tsuna realized. It wasn't just that Silas' thin clothes had been no protection. It was that the strength of the water was off the charts. Tsuna had never seen such a bad reaction before. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he gasped under his breath. Shamal had given him treatments for silver, but they'd never considered holy water to be a threat on its own. "Someone go get me a bucket of water!" He shouted. "Go next door to make sure that it's not tainted! We've got to dilute what's on his skin!"

Those that were knelt down next to him simply stared as if he was an idiot and the rest milled around. He knew that his orders didn't make sense with all the water around them, but he didn't know how to explain without--

"Dumbasses," Alijah cursed as she started running.

"What can I do to help?" Thunderbelly asked, knocking away the fools who were unwilling to take someone else's lead. Tsuna looked at him gratefully, feeling tears burning his eyes from pain.

"Carry him outside and get the wet clothes off of him," Tsuna gasped, holding up his hands to show that he was affected, as well. "We've got to get him dry."

"Do I want to know what was in that water?" He asked as he followed Tsuna's orders. Tsuna pulled himself up beside him and tried to follow him out when he started running, but his legs were refusing to listen. He couldn't feel his hands anymore and the scalding sensation on the back of his neck made him want to scream. The others were finally beginning to react, though. Two of them rushed forward to catch him before he could collapse and began dragging him outside in Thunderbelly's wake.

"It's a targeted agent," he hissed when he caught up to where the screaming Silas was being laid out on a bench. "I... can't go into details."

"Just tell me what to do," he replied calmly as Alijah ran up with two large pitchers of water.

"Strip him and... pour the clean water on him," he gasped. Waiting until Alijah finished and Silas' screams finally died, he turned to one of the men holding him up. "My flask... make him drink all of it." Waiting until the man snatched it and moved, Tsuna turned to the one that was left and continued. "In my right--"

"Oh my," a sickeningly sweet voice interrupted from behind him. Tsuna stiffened at the feeling of something sharp being pressed to his throat and the man holding him up froze in shock at the sudden appearance. "I was only going after the Lord, but it looks like I got myself a bonus."

"I was hoping that it was a mistake," Tsuna replied, shrugging off his helper while he slowly turned to face the woman responsible. The man backed away quickly, joining the others who'd become frozen at the sudden attack. "But you murdered Welt, knowing full well who he was."

"I don't discriminate," she murmured with a flicker of amusement crossing her face. "You've put me in one hell of a bind. I'm as good as dead no matter what I do, so I might as well take you down before I go."

"You're not dead," he corrected. "It was decided to let the Vendiche have--" Tsuna broke off, feeling the silver knife cut into his skin.

"You're not so powerful now," she growled. "Don't move or I'll slit his throat--!" She added, speaking directly to the six Salamanders that were slowly surrounding them. The Dango Brothers stopped in unison, leaving Tsuna with few options. His hands were already damaged too much to move. He could use kick-boxing, but he wasn't sure if he could pull back from the knife quickly enough to survive. "I don't have time to be playing around," she continued with her knife shaking against his throat from the amount of pressure that she must have been under. "Where are the locations of the Nexus houses?"

"You just asked the wrong question," Tsuna murmured. Ignoring the knife at his throat, he forced his numb hand to move. It snapped up to grab the woman's wrist with all of his speed and he ignored how his skin cracked from the movement. The Dango Brothers hatched in the same moment and lashed out with their tails to subdue her. By the time that her eyes widened in shock from the quick attack, she was already being held helpless in the air. "You dare to threaten my sleeping kindred?" Tsuna asked dangerously. Clenching his hands, he smiled at the smell of blood in the air as his dried and blistered flesh began to burst open. The pain was still present, but it was distant in the face of his anger. "You're going to tell me every detail of what your Clan is--"

"Stop," Reborn ordered as Tsuna became aware of a gun pointed at the back of his head. "You've apprehended her. Even if it's you, that's as far as you go. Vongola will take it from here."

"Don't make me fight you, Reborn," Tsuna warned. "I'm within my rights. She--" The sound of gunshot lanced through him as the bullet pierced the Hunter's chest. She was dead instantly, leaving him no chance to question her about the location of either her Clan or her plans. He hadn't even gotten a chance to find out if they had prisoners. "Why...?"

"Mercy," Reborn answered softly. "You were within your rights, but I can't stand by while you torture a member of Vongola. Your Boss should be satisfied. She's been punished for her crimes."

"Punished...?" Tsuna asked with his eye twitching in rage. "Are you fucking kidding me? You haven't punished her! You've freed her from responsibility for her crimes! Do you know how many people are going to have to die now, just because you didn't have the stomach to watch?!"

"Can you blame me?" He inquired as he pulled Leon away from the side of Tsuna's head. "I know how skillful you once were. I can't let you use those skills against the same Family that--"

"I've learned new skills, Reborn," he interrupted as he slowly turned around to look at Reborn with all the sadness in his heart. "I've told you that I changed, but you still don't see it."

"I see it," he replied with a frown. "You've lost your humanity."

"No," Tsuna corrected with a scowl of his own. "I've regained it, but you're just like the Hunters. You'll never see past the curse on me. I thought that you would understand, but it seems that I was mistaken, Arcobelano."

"What happened to you?" Reborn asked with a gleam of pain in his eyes. "In the past, you never would have--"

"I died," he answered honestly. Since Reborn had no retort for him, he stumbled forward to the Hunter's body. The Salamanders lowered her gently into his arms and Tsuna ignored the pain in his hands to carefully carry her into the grassy verge. Laying her down, he put her hands in state and ensured that her eyes were fully closed so that she wouldn't be a ghastly sight once rigor set in. Once that was done, he carefully rummaged through her pockets to collect what weapons and miscellaneous spoils that he could find. The weapons could be studied in order to find better countermeasures. The other spoils might be clues to the information that he'd wanted from her.

Tsuna knew what Reborn was thinking by killing her. He had once been of the same mindset. She would have preferred death than to lose her pride before her enemy. She would have preferred death before betraying her Clan. What Reborn didn't understand was that he was different now. He hadn't been planning on hurting her. He hadn't been planning to return bloodshed for bloodshed. He'd just wanted to talk. He would have tried bluffing and he would have tried negotiation. He would have tried to see if he could come to an understanding with the woman and he would have handed her over to the Vendiche unharmed if he'd failed.

"You didn't have to kill her, Reborn," he said softly. "There are times that a person can't be forgiven and there are times that they can be. Do you really think that she was past redemption?"

"She would have killed herself," Reborn stated unhappily. "That would have been the worst torture that you could force onto her."

"Is that so?" Tsuna asked softly. "In that case, I only have one thing to say to you. I want you to remember this day in the future. I want you to remember that it was you who stopped trusting me first." Reborn pressed his lips together, unable to deny the accusation. It'd been a false hope that their relationship had survived unscathed. The rifts had just taken time to surface. He could tell that Reborn still cared for him and wanted him back, but that had been Reborn's snap judgment upon finding him alive. After time watching each other, Reborn was beginning to realize that he wasn't the same as he'd once been. Until he could see that the changes had been for the better, there was no way for Tsuna to truly be forgiven of his mistakes.

"Van--!"

Tsuna raised his gaze from the corpse to see Cheri and Xanxus running down the sidewalk toward him. They both faltered to a stop next to him when they saw what he was kneeling over.

"What happened?" Xerxes asked. Kneeling down with him, Xanxus grabbed his hands to inspect the damage. Tsuna grimaced at his harsh grip, but he couldn't feel it anymore. "We came as soon as we smelled your blood on the air."

"The Hunter's last stand," he answered. "I was going to question her, but Reborn judged and punished her on Vongola's behalf. She tampered with the building's sprinkler systems. I've never seen such potency. I moved quickly enough to avoid most of the attack, but my hands got soaked while I was trying to help Silas. I need to report this. Depending on whether the sprinklers were fed off the public supply or not, others might still be in danger."

"Where's your flask?" He snapped, rummaging into Tsuna's belt for a booster pill. Tsuna opened his mouth to accept it and found his eyes locked with Xanxus' concerned ones. It made Tsuna's heart skip a beat while he suppressed the urge to collapse into Xanxus' arms for comfort. He couldn't, though. Xanxus didn't want him like that anymore. Swallowing the pill, he tore his eyes away and looked down at the grass to keep himself from getting caught again.

"Silas has it," he mumbled, tossing his head over to where the naked man was owlishly sitting on the bench. Cheri moved to retrieve it for him while Xanxus carefully pulled off Tsuna's hat and coat. Tsuna decided not to question why he was being so helpful. He just waited in silence as Xanxus directed the Dango Brothers into drying the pieces.

Making himself a comfortable seat on the grass, he watched the proceedings while he waited for the pill to kick in. It didn't take long. He was already beginning to feel the swell of energy in his stomach. As for everyone else who'd witnessed the event, nearly all of them glanced in his direction with questioning expressions. Reborn was trying to get them to disperse, stating that the day's teacher's exams would be rescheduled. Tsuna didn't understand why they were all acting so surprised when every one of them was a hitman like himself.

"Well, that's two out of three," Cheri laughed, tossing him back his empty flask as she approached.

"Two out of three?" Tsuna asked.

"We're starting to gain popularity," she explained, sitting down next to him in order to watch over his hands' healing. "I heard it a few days ago, but it's spreading around that Xerxes is the crazy one in our team. He's been tagged as 'Black Lunatic' and they've got you marked now, too. I don't know what you said, but everyone over by Silas is shocked. They're calling you 'White Merciful'."

"It's probably because I told Reborn off for shooting the Hunter. But do I want to ask why they're calling Xerxes that?" Tsuna asked with a glance sideways. For some reason, Xanxus turned green and pointedly kept his focus on directing the Salamanders.

"No clue," Cheri laughed. "But I need to make a name for myself so that they can market us as a trio." Tsuna was saved from having to respond due to the way that the skin of his hands was starting to flake off to reveal new, tender skin underneath. Flexing his hand to quicken the process, he sighed in relief at the tactile sense that began returning. What holy water that was left on his hands fell to the ground along with the dead skin that'd blistered and burned, keeping him from new damage. "Just like a sun burn," Cheri murmured in satisfaction. "The nick on your throat isn't healing, though."

"Shit," Tsuna blurted as he fumbled for the silver antidote. Detaching the correct vial from his belt, he pulled out the cork with his teeth and poured it across the wound without a care for how it soaked his shirt.

"We should tell the Physician to make that into a cream or an aerosol," she commented.

"I'll mention it to him when we order new supplies," Tsuna promised. "Is my coat finished yet? I've already taken long enough."

"It's done," Xanxus called as he gathered the pieces off of the grass. Tsuna accepted them gratefully while doing his best to keep from meeting Xanxus' eyes. "What should we do with the corpse?"

"Let Reborn have her," he shrugged. "We don't have any use for her anymore."

"In that case, I'm going to go back on patrol," Cheri said.

"Be careful," Tsuna warned. "I think that she was alone, but she could have had help. I have a bad feeling that they're gearing up for a major assault. She tried to question me on the location of the Nexus houses. I don't think that the hunters know about the Sanctuaries, but her question told me why they killed Welt."

"Why did she go after you, though?" She asked in concern. "The whole Council is meeting on the island but she ignored them."

"She was shaking," Tsuna answered carefully. "She probably didn't trust her mental strength enough, so I was deemed as the least threatening target since I don't have your abilities. I'm not really as worried about that, though, as much as I am about how Hotaru is going to react. She was his friend."

"Shit," Xanxus growled. "Aren't you off to a wonderful fucking start?"

"I knew that this wouldn't be easy when I came here," he snapped back, feeling unreasonably irritated at Xanxus' taunt. "I'm going to end up a lot more hated before the end and I'm prepared for that! Just worry about yourself! That's what you're best at!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked in surprise.

"You're not stupid, so figure it out," Tsuna spat vehemently. Jamming his hat back on his head, he stormed away and left a dumbfounded Xanxus behind him. He wanted to slap himself after he was out of visual range. He was letting personal matters interfere, which he'd promised himself that he wouldn't do.

What was he supposed to do, though? Xanxus had dumped him and they'd barely spoken since. After being accused by Xanxus that he'd be perfectly fine without intimacy since he had Aster, it was a large blow to actually find out that Xanxus was the one who was satisfied so easily. Xanxus was only thinking of himself. Tsuna had been fine with that when he'd realized his own selfishness and he'd been prepared to give Xanxus the space that he wanted as a way of punishing himself. But how was he supposed to keep himself from feeling hurt when he'd been replaced? He understood that Aster had been trying to keep himself from being a bother by not telling Tsuna about his problems, but what had made Xanxus agree? Did Xanxus not care about him at all anymore?

It was fine, Tsuna told himself. It was fine if Xanxus didn't care about him anymore. As long as Xanxus was happy, it was enough. He couldn't be selfish with the people that he cared about. As long as he could watch over them and support them, he could find a form of satisfaction. It made him understand why Aster served like he did. There was a point where a person had to disengage themselves to keep from being abandoned entirely. Rather than push for more until he wasn't wanted at all, it was better to just cherish what he had. For Aster, it was security and kindness. For Tsuna, it was simply to not be forgotten.

That was all he really wanted.


	101. Chapter 101 Fickle Youth

Tsuna woke to the pleasant smell of his breakfast being laid out and the sound of Aster bustling around getting ready for the day. Things had settled down in the aftermath of the Hunter's death and Tsuna's testing was finally over. Now that he could study in a more relaxed manner instead of rushing to meet a deadline, he and Aster had more time to go shopping together. Although, it wasn't hard to tell that Aster was anxious about it. Considering what had happened on their last shopping expedition though, Aster had reason to be.

"Aren't you energetic," Tsuna teased, reaching out to snatch him as Aster bustled past the bed. Dragging into bed so that he could wrap his arms around his servant, Tsuna smiled at Aster's lack of resistance to being cuddled. "You're as good as a teddy bear," Tsuna murmured in satisfaction.

"Clingy," he replied.

"Do you not like it?" Tsuna asked, propping his head up to talk to Aster properly.

"Like... it," Aster answered blandly.

"So you're asking why I'm being clingy," Tsuna clarified.

"Yes, Master," he confirmed. Tsuna smiled at him and shrugged, since he didn't have an answer for it himself. He'd been doing it more and more often since his last bitter talk with Xanxus. It was probably because he was becoming so conscious of his current lack of anything else to hold onto, but, then again, he was also aware of how many things that he had to gain in the future. He wasn't really insecure or depressed. He was just acting on his whims.

"Let me know if it bothers you," he ordered. "I'll stop doing it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Yes, Master."

"Yes, Master," Tsuna teased. Leaning over to pin him down, Tsuna mercilessly tickled him until Aster was breathless with laughter. The sound was warming to Tsuna's ears, which eased a pressure inside that he had only been subconsciously aware of. "Yes, Master," Tsuna repeated in his own laughter. "You don't always have to be so formal. You can let your guard down with me, Aster. I wouldn't punish you if you blurted out what was on your mind. Even if you can't express it well, it'd make me happy to know what you're thinking."

"But," he gasped around Tsuna's relentless attack. "Master... reads minds."

"Eh?" Tsuna blurted, pausing to let Aster catch his breath.

"Master," he panted with his face red from laughing. "Always reads my mind."

"How so?" He asked in confusion.

"Master knows," Aster said with his eyes shining in a peculiar way. "Only a word or two... Master knows.... and even with no words... Master knows sometimes."

"That's because I can infer a lot with just a word or two," Tsuna chuckled, sitting back on the bed in happiness that they were having a conversation. "As for when you don't say anything, you're actually not as stoic as you seem. It's probably because you don't have your guard up in bed. I've seen some of your expressions when you weren't suppressing them, so I can recognize some of the small details that leak out when you are. It's not fool-proof, but I'm always watching you."

"M-Master...watches...?" He mumbled with a blush lighting up his face.

"Oi," Tsuna laughed. "I didn't mean that to come out as pervy as it sounded, so don't get any wild ideas. I just meant that, as your Master, I watch you to make sure that you're happy. It's not any different from how you watch me to make sure that I have what I need."

"I understand," Aster replied as his blush cooled. "Master is kind."

"I try my best," he agreed. Rolling out of bed with the intent to get to his breakfast before it got cold, he reached out to ruffle Aster's hair and smiled. "As long as you're my servant, I'll always try to be kind. Just do me a favor and don't fall in love with me. Find a pretty girl or guy that's your age to fall head-over-heels for and then come let me know so that I can spoil both of you. Serving me is fine, but you should have a life of your own, too. I'll always protect you, so don't be too scared to go out and experience what the world has to offer."

"Yes, Master," Aster said predictably as Tsuna sat down to his meal. Tsuna rolled his eyes, wondering if the words 'No, Master' would ever cross his lips in refusal. Tsuna had a feeling that he wouldn't unless he was pushed to the breaking point, but Tsuna saw no reason to make him suffer through such a test. It was enough to know that Aster did have limits and would assert himself if those limits were reached.

"Have you eaten?" Tsuna asked around bites of sausage.

"Yes, Master."

"Then start getting dressed. We're going to go shopping today since I don't have any more exams. There's some extra equipment that I want to get and we need to pick up a few things for you, too."

"Me?" Aster asked as he finally sat up in the bed.

"Things to help fill your appetites, for one," Tsuna explained with an absent gesture of his fork. "If you want to go screw Xerxes because you like it, then I've got no problem. If you're just doing it because there are no other options, I want to make sure that you have options when you don't want to come to me. It'll probably be a little embarrassing, but you'll only have to suffer this once. We'll get a basic supply of toys and porn for you to keep that you can use when you're alone. I'll show you where you can go online for more, but I want to make sure that you have some for now."

"Yes, Master," he said without an ounce of shame or embarrassment at the thought. Tsuna didn't understand it, but Aster really did have no modesty when it came to sex. It was the most natural thing in the world to him, which once again made Tsuna wonder how he was raised.

"We're also going to buy you some more clothes," Tsuna continued blithely. "Your uniform is fine when you're officially acting as a servant, but I want to get you some regular clothes to go out in. I'm not sure how Lord Nephriam scheduled it, but I don't think that you should have to wait on me every day of the week. Right now, I can't give you a set schedule since things are so hectic, but I would like to start giving you half-days whenever I know that I won't be back until late. You'll need something to wear for that or else you'll always have the mindset of a servant. It'll be good for me, too. When I want to go out for fun and I take you along, I want you to feel comfortable enough to have fun, as well."

"If... that's what Master wants," he agreed hesitantly.

"Don't be like that," Tsuna soothed. "It's not like I'm kicking you out in the streets. When I give you time off, you're free to stay in if you want to. It just means that you can do whatever you want without having to worry about me. I'd appreciate a note to let me know where you're going and when you'll be back, but that's just so I don't worry like I did when I came back and you were with Xerxes. I didn't know where you were and it made me panic a little."

"Forgive me, Master," Aster bowed predictably in apology.

"If it's just us two, don't bow," Tsuna ordered. "And it's fine as long as you don't worry me like that again. You have my phone number, so either call me or send me a text message when you're going to go out. Even if you don't want to tell me where you're going or why, that's okay. You're allowed to have privacy. I just need to know when you're going to be back so I know when it's okay to panic."

"Yes, Master."

"Let me know if you see anything that you want while we're out," Tsuna added. "But be mindful of what you get. Other than what you can carry on you, I don't want us to pile up more than what you can fit in your trunk. You can get more, but the stuff that won't fit in the trunk will have to be sent to P-chan when we leave here. Always be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Clothes are easy to replace, so don't worry about those. Everything else that's important to you should stay stored away when you're not using it. If we have to leave somewhere quickly, I don't want you to lose anything that's important to you."

"Master... doesn't have anything," Aster mumbled.

"No," he agreed softly. "I don't. Other than two changes of clothes and what I'm carrying, I left everything in my Vault. The homeless can't waste their energy in carrying around more than the bare necessities."

"Master... homeless...?" He asked in confusion of the concept.

"It looks that way," Tsuna confirmed with a sad smile. "Lord Nephriam was kind enough to shelter me, but that's not my home and neither is this hotel. Everything that I'm doing by teaching and working is to get my home back. My wife... My children... My family... Where those people are is my home. As far as they know, I've been dead for almost ten years, though. Going back is going to be difficult, but I've still got to try. I'll regret it if I don't."

"Master won't fail," Aster said. It took Tsuna a long moment to realize that Aster was trying to encourage him by showing faith in his strength. It was sweet, although Aster's lack of inflection made it sound like he was correcting someone.

"Thanks," he chuckled as he devoured the last pancake on his plate. Jumping up from his seat, he left the dishes for Aster to clean up and headed for the shower. The day was only beginning and it was too early to be down-hearted.

* * *

Tsuna rubbed his hands in excitement as he stepped into the store. Mafia Land was almost as good as Venice Row in the quality of shopping available. Tsuna had never had time to browse before, since his previous visits had always been both hectic and panicked. This time was different. He had almost too much time on his hands and he knew just where to spend it.

First was Wendle's Weapons Warehouse. It had a wide selection of offensive weaponry ranging from the basic knives to laser guided missiles. Thanks to the place, Tsuna now had a nice selection of toys within his trench coat. It was amazing how many things that they'd been able to shrink lately. He'd bought a net gun with an automatic reload feature that was the size of a water pistol. He also got a six pack of miniature explosives that could knock out a dam and an assortment of mid- and long-range offensive weaponry that were intended to subdue instead of destroy.

Keeping in mind that he was going to be a teacher, he'd also picked up two gadgets that he thought would come in handy. The first was what the clerk called a 'Tag Gun'. It was the same shape and size as a small Tazer, but it was intended to inject tracking tags, poisons, and other handy things into the skin. To go with it, he'd gotten a nice-sized supply of mosquito-bite packs. Tsuna figured that the irritation of being bitten would be a good reminder to his students about what could have happened if he'd been holding a knife or some other sharp weapon. As for the second gadget, well, Tsuna figured that every teacher needed real Tazer.

After he was done paying for it all, he'd taken his time in storing it all away in his coat. It was then that he had to wonder what magic Lord Nephriam and Shamal had instilled into his coat's design. No matter how much stuff he placed into the pockets, the weight and bulk of his clothes never increased. When he held it open, everything was still organized, accessible, and perfectly easy to see. When he let it fall shut, it was as if everything inside disappeared. The fact had actually amused him enough that he'd played with his coat to test it, just like a person would open and shut the door of a refrigerator to test the light inside, until he'd noticed the stares that he was getting.

The second store was Art's Armory and Supply. From there, he'd gotten himself a nice pair of white gloves that were intended for archers. It left his thumb and forefinger free while protecting the rest of his hand from damage. He'd picked up a fingerprint eradication kit, too, that he could use before assignments and several cans of Evidence-B-Gone that he could set off at crime scenes. The smoke destroyed hair and blood evidence while giving a nice smoke screen for escapes.

He'd also bought a basic identity kit that would give him an assortment of identification cards, passports, and other legal documents when he needed them. Since the place had them, he also got a bag of compressed meal cubes and two bottles of compressed water. The meal cubes would be good for emergency meals and the water would be good for diluting holy water. Finally, he got a pair of handcuffs. Handcuffs were always handy things to have and he thought that they went well with his outfit after he hung them from his belt.

At the third store, Eton's Electronics, he picked up the last of his equipment and supplies. There he bought a coded alert system that he could insert into his collar. He got two extras to give to Cheri and Xanxus. In the future, all he'd have to do was say the correct sequence of words and an alarm would go off to tell the other two that he was in trouble. It also worked in reverse, letting Tsuna know when Cheri or Xanxus needed help. In situations such as with the Hunter, there wouldn't be enough time to bring up his interface and make a call. This would be a back-up for those times.

While he was there, Aster got the first of his own supplies. Tsuna figured that a laptop with a large storage system would be good for him. Aster could download movies and music without having to carry a library of disks. Tsuna also got his permission to buy him a stud earring that doubled as a tracking device in an emergency. It was hard to be positive, but Aster seemed somewhat pleased after the purchase.

One by one, they'd been hitting every store available. For many, such as Tsuna's first three stops, what they really wanted was in a hitman-only section that was closed to the public to keep kids from purchasing dangerous things. At each one, Tsuna also snatched up a card to put in his wallet that had the internet addresses of the retailer's stores and a password to allow him to order online to resupply.

The current store was one that Tsuna had been waiting to go to. They had to wait in line for half an hour to get into Namahage Gifts and Tsuna had spent most of it ensuring that Aster wasn't going to get upset. There was nothing to fear in going inside anymore. The disgusting vampire display had been replaced with a mannequin and an advertisement for Haru's Fall line. Rather than fur, feathers, holes, stains, sparkles, or skin, the next big thing seemed to be claw rips and battle-tattered fabric. Tsuna didn't get why so many people were crowding around the sample design in fascination, but he took that as a sign of getting wiser. He'd spent too much time on the streets, trying to patch holes in his clothing, to ever think about ruining good clothes with fashion. At least, he thought that way until he noticed that Aster had weaseled his way over to the display and was drooling over it in an expressive display of his emotions.

"You like that?" Tsuna asked carefully. Aster's expression went blank again as he gave a calm, composed nod. "You'll have to wait until this fall when it goes on sale, but I'll get you a few pieces," he promised.

"Don't want it," Aster mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Costs too much."

"Don't worry about that," Tsuna laughed. "I've got plenty of--"

"Wasteful," he added. Pausing, Tsuna narrowed his eyes in thought. Aster was more compatible with him than he'd thought. The guy could appreciate something without feeling the need to possess it.

"Then how about I get you just one piece for your birthday?" Tsuna offered. "Birthday presents are supposed to be something that makes you happy. Just tell me when yours is and I'll--"

"Don't have one," Aster mumbled.

"What?"

"Don't have... a birthday," he repeated.

"Why not?" Tsuna asked in concern. "Everyone has a birthday." He became even more worried when Aster bowed his head and didn't answer. How could someone not have a birthday? If Aster knew that he was eighteen, then he had to know when his age changed. The only thing that Tsuna could think of was that it was like P-chan's name. Lord Nephriam had overlooked it and Aster had made due by generalizing his age. A new year meant that he was a year older. "Why don't I give you one?" Tsuna offered cautiously. "A birthday is a day meant to celebrate you, so—"

"Don't want it," Aster whispered with his shoulders shaking. "Please, don't give me one, Master."

"Okay," Tsuna instantly agreed. Reaching out, he put his arm on Aster's shoulder to comfort him while dragging him toward an aisle of plush dolls to distract him. Since it was something that was bad enough to make Aster shake, it was something that Tsuna figured that he shouldn't push. The best thing that he could do would be to get Aster's mind off of it and Aster had a weakness for cute things. "Maybe I should get a real teddy bear," Tsuna commented conversationally. Giving Aster as much time as he needed to recover, he held up one stuffed doll after another as if he were searching for one.

"Too old," Aster finally said once he'd composed himself.

"If I'm too old, then I can buy you one instead," Tsuna grinned. "Then I can have an Aster holding a teddy bear, which is twice as good as a teddy bear alone. Which of these do you think is the cutest? We've got stuffed Leons and stuffed Hibirds and stuffed dragons. Oh! Here's a stuffed Reborn. But you're not a Reborn fan, so how about--" Tsuna broke off as Aster reached out to pull a floppy cat from the bottom shelf. Tsuna recognized it as his old Siamese cat, Sugar, who was the reincarnated Guardian of Limbo named Symphonia.

Tsuna felt the need to turn away and compose himself when Aster held it up like it was a real cat. The cuteness factor was off the scales in such a way that Tsuna had to repeatedly remind himself that Aster was eighteen.

"Not good?" Aster asked with a pair of doe-like eyes.

"It's perfect," Tsuna blurted. "We'll go with that one." Tsuna got a sinking feeling as he started dragging him to another display. Aster was already this cute with just a stuffed animal. What was going to happen when they actually stopped at a clothing store?

* * *

Tsuna kept his face in his hands and his eyes averted for his own safety. Never again would he mock fashion. The clerk at the clothing store had caught onto Tsuna's problem far too quickly for Tsuna's comfort. He'd found himself assaulted by Aster-after-Aster dressed in mouthwatering packaging. He'd bought far more than he intended to. Aster now had extra swimwear, three sets of day wear, party clothes, and an outfit that Tsuna didn't plan to let him wear outside the hotel room. The clerk at the clothing store was a good saleswoman and had a good eye for clothing as well. However, thanks to that, Aster's new clothes had elevated his image from 'little brother' to 'guarded idol'.

Now he was just trying to keep himself from getting a nose bleed while Aster, wearing a t-shirt that was designed to fall off his shoulders and a pair of jeans that were criminal, searched through the island's hidden adult goods store.

"Master," he mumbled while Tsuna pulled his hat down to cover his face. "What's this for?"

"Someone save me," he groaned after a mere glance.

"Van...?" A familiar voice conveniently called out. Tsuna spun in place and yanked Neve into place next to Aster. He didn't question her presence nor did he ask the price for a favor. He just prayed that she'd forgive him for throwing the duty onto her.

"Help him," he begged as he darted for the door. "I'll be outside."

* * *

"Don't worry so much," Neve laughed while she dragged him by the hand toward a small, beachfront bar. Aster had already went back to the hotel to try his new purchases out and Tsuna thought that it was safer to leave him alone for it. By the time that he'd left the adult store, his scent had been fired up enough to make Tsuna blush. Hence, the ease with which he got roped into accompanying Neve. "I won't blow your cover. No one here knows me as anything other than the new Mistress Drake. Even when I tell them my name, it gets forgotten because of the title."

"It's not that," Tsuna grumbled. "Only a handful of us knew you in the city, so I'm not scared that there will be a connection. It's--"

"It's Haru Hibari," she supplied in a soft voice. "I figured it out, Van. I never did research on who you were before we met, but I did it after you got mad. You don't have to worry. I'll help you and I'll keep our engagement a secret. There's still a long time before the hundred years are up, so I won't pressure you. I want to see you, though. We're still friends. Right?"

"Right," he confirmed with a sad smile.

"Besides, everyone thinks that you're gay, so it's not like I'm a threat anyway," she continued, dropping his hand to skip toward the bar. He stared at her for a long moment before the words penetrated enough to send him into a fit of silent cursing. He'd forgotten. He'd forgotten the incident on the cruise ship and he'd forgotten how he hadn't kept his relationship with Xanxus a secret.

"How many people know?" He spluttered, chasing after her all the way into the bar.

"Everyone," she answered nonchalantly as she led the way to a secluded table in the back corner. Tsuna sat with her, positioning himself into the shadowed corner so that he could keep an eye on the rest of the bar. Because of Neve and his costume, they attracted attention regardless. Fortunately, it was the kind of attention that went away when he glared. "You've already got a large faction of people that hate you. I heard that you got in several arguments with students' parents while you were being tested. They've been latching onto every negative rumor about you and you don't have enough positive support to overcome it yet."

"Keep going," Tsuna prompted while he absently ordered two beers from a passing waitress. "People keep their mouths shut around me, so I haven't heard any of this."

"That's why I brought you here," she shrugged. "In a few hours, this place will be full of people that hate you and I've learned that this is a good place to sit when you don't want people to notice you. As for what I've heard, it's just the basic slander. They say that you're a queer hitman and they punch a few times below the belt. Then they question your teaching ability and bitch about how you made their kids act strange. It seems that none of the students will talk about what you said to them, so the parents have been filling in the blanks for themselves. They've also decided that you were estranged from Reborn because you were an embarrassment as a brother."

"Great," he groaned. "Just fucking great. I haven't even started teaching yet and my reputation is being torn to shreds."

"It's not all bad," she soothed as the waitress returned with their drinks. Tsuna quickly ordered another while he drained the one at hand in an extended chug. He needed it to loosen him up after such a harsh blow to his pride. "There's a faction that's also supporting you," she continued after the waitress left to get him another beer. "It seems to be made up of mostly teachers, although a few of the students have spoken up in your defense. They use the fact that Reborn speaks with you equally as a reference of your power and they use your reputation as White Merciful to vouch for your character. They can't say anything to stop the low blows since you are partially gay, but they've been making a strong stand that preference doesn't equal perversion. Most of the world has already woken up to that fact, but the Mafia likes to stick to its traditions on the surface."

"Then there's room to recover," he sighed in relief. "My personal relations are my own business, so I'm not going to worry about the low blows. If the students are willing to speak up, that means that they understand what I was trying to tell them. Their parents will back off when I start showing results. That just leaves surviving until that happens and giving them a reason to be patient."

"What about your... uh... ex-wife," she asked softly. "She thinks that you're gay, too."

"It's probably for the best right now," he replied, lowering his own voice to match. "I can't get close to her right now because of the company she keeps and there's bigger fish to catch first. I can't rush things, so it doesn't hurt anything to let her believe the rumors. I can clear up the misunderstanding when I get the time to focus on her alone."

"So what are you going to do now?" Neve prompted conversationally, pausing momentarily as Tsuna accepted his second beer from a passing waitress. "You've still got two months until your ship leaves."

"Train," he answered. "There's still a lot of information that I need to collect and I'm waiting on some contacts. Xerxes and Shotgun have things to take care of, too. I'm not really sure what, but both of them are rarely in their rooms for long. Shotgun mentioned patrols before, so I assume that they're on an assignment. What about you? Do you still have meetings to go to?"

"Unfortunately," she groaned around a sip of her beer. "They're on hiatus right now to give us time to prepare for the festivities before everyone starts arriving. I'm going to have to attend to that brat Longchamp for Adie since she's skipping out."

"Longchamp is coming?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Him, his wife, and their baby," she nodded.

"BABY?!" Tsuna yelped loudly. Neve's eyes widened in surprise at his outburst and he ducked his head at the numerous glances that were drawn their way. Waiting until the attention went elsewhere, Tsuna tried again at a lower volume. "When did he have a baby?"

"She'll be eighteen months old in two days," she answered with an amused smile. "You'll get to see her for yourself when they get here. But Van... Did Nephriam not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" He asked obliviously.

"I... I probably shouldn't say anything," she murmured worriedly. "But you're bound to find out now that the teacher's exams are over and everyone is focusing to the next event."

"Just spit it out," he laughed before taking another drink from his new beer. "You make it sound like I'm the only one who--"

"You are," she interrupted sympathetically. "Everyone else knows. That you have to be told shows how long you've been out of this world. There's only one festivity in the summer that Mafioso care about."

"What's that?" Tsuna asked curiously. He couldn't remember anything particularly big going on in the summer where the Mafia was concerned. They usually did a fireworks show during the peak of the season, but--

"Vongola the Eleventh turns sixteen this year," she said softly, making him pale in shock. "He's decided to have his birthday party here at Mafia Land, so people are going to start arriving soon."

"H-H-Here?" He gasped. Neve slowly nodded in confirmation, causing Tsuna's mind to spiral in panic. It was no wonder that Reborn, Haru, and Hibari were already here. They were making preparations. It also explained the opening of Namahage Gifts. It was for profit. Tsuna knew from his own experience in secretly trying to get Hotaru a present that it was difficult to find something for him. People would assume that what was in his mother's store would be what he wanted and they'd buy up the stock to give to him. That wasn't the case, though. Tsuna had a feeling that anything bought from Haru's store to be given to Hotaru would end up back on the shelf while the money went into Vongola's pockets. They were probably already planning for the disposal of unwanted gifts.

The fact made Tsuna pause in consideration. He'd already sent his gift anonymously through the mail, but this was a huge opportunity. Regardless of whether he was invited to the party, he was on the island. He also had a position as a tutor at Hotaru's school as a cover. Meeting one of his future students was a good enough reason to slip into the private festivities. He could finally see for himself how Hotaru was doing.

"You know," Neve murmured with a slow smile. "I have a spare invitation for a date. If you ask nicely, I might--" Tsuna asked nicely. He asked very nicely. Neve moaned into his lips and melted into the kiss. When he pulled back, she obviously wanted more, but that was the most that he could give her at the moment. "You can be so cruel sometimes, but I'll take you," she sighed, laying her head on his shoulder while Tsuna went back to drinking his beer. "Are you ever going to let me in your heart?"

"You are in my heart," he corrected. "I wouldn't have kissed you if you weren't."

"You're still full of sweet lies," she replied as she detached herself from him. "I'm just like everyone else. You won't let me past the surface."

"You promised not to go deeper," he admonished.

"That's because I knew that you were still in mourning!" She exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you to get over him because I didn't--" The loud thump of his empty bottle on the table silenced her and a single look kept her from saying anything more. There was no 'getting over him'. He'd let Joshua into his heart and Joshua was dead. Joshua, Autumn, Kyoko, Haru, Xanxus, and Mukuro still had their places within him. It wasn't that he was choosing to love them. It was that he didn't know how to stop. Two deaths and three rejections. The idea of letting someone else in so that he could suffer more was incomprehensible.

"I'd rather die than fall in love again," he stated as he pulled his wallet out to pay for his drinks. Neve flinched as if he'd slapped her, but he figured that it was better to make it clear. Neve would never be more than a friend to him. "Don't look so miserable," he added, reaching out to momentarily caress her cheek. "You're still an important person to me, so I'd be very upset if I couldn't talk to you again."

"You're such a bastard," she mumbled as she bowed her head.

"I'm a huge bastard," he agreed loudly with a smile while he started heading for the door. "But that's why you like me. You're a good girl and good girls always go for the bad boys."

* * *

Hotaru leaned on the cruise ship's railing and watched as they slowly navigated into port. He wished that the sight of Mafia Land could still make him feel wonder, but the sad truth was that all he saw was one long headache in front of him. He'd intended the trip to be an escape. He needed one. There were three dozen women that were hunting him, so he'd intended to hide at the one place where most of them couldn't find him. However, things weren't going according to his plan and, instead of an escape, it'd turned into a trap.

He swore that he was going to kill whoever decided to plan a late birthday party for him. They'd invited every single one of the bitches, which meant that his escape was going to be nothing more than one long courting session. It wasn't even an odd year! This was an even year and he was supposed to be free of traditional birthday parties and stuffy functions! It made him want to curse the whole Family, although he wouldn't since he knew that they just wanted to celebrate something with him.

As he always did when he was put in this sort of position, he wondered how his father had handled it. Of course, thanks to the wonders of his father's diary, he knew how. The bastard had run like a coward and hid while his shadow had dealt with all the headaches. Unfortunately for Hotaru, Orinato had full control of his shadows because Gokudera had taught him too well. They were both bastards. Why did he have to deal with such--

"Vongola," a woman called in a languid, thick accent. It made him want to vomit at how they hunted him like a stag in season. Out of all the girls after him, someone had decided to let thirteen of them on the same cruise ship as himself. From the voice, this one was one of the hags who wasn't quite past her prime yet. He wasn't in the mood for smiling at women that he wanted to strangle, though, so he pretended to ignore her and hurriedly headed across the deck like he was en route to some place. He knew the right step and the right pace to make it seem like he was hurriedly headed for somewhere in particular. It was also the right amount of speed to make the women chasing him feel like they were having to run to keep up with him, which therefore tended to keep them from following.

The pace was one that he'd been keeping up for four days now. For four solid days, he'd not had peace except when he'd managed to get his guards to block off the area around his cabin so that he could sleep. If he took a single step outside, the women descended like hawks diving for fish. No, he amended. They were like seagulls since they didn't fear him and they tended to come in flocks. He felt like he was going insane from the attacks. He nearly had on the one occasion that he found a woman in his bed when he'd finally thought he'd lost the lot of them. Where he slept had been changed six times since then and, on another occasion, he'd slept in a closet on the command deck to ensure that none of the passengers would be able to find him.

Mafia Land was going to be worse. He could already feel it. Since it was his idea to come to the place, he wouldn't be able to hide in his hotel room. Every time that he went to the beach to relax or even to the amusement park, there was going to be fighting and jockeying by the women trying to get him to wed them. He just prayed for no more Darla's. The bitch had almost gotten him. Darla had seemed like a nice girl. Their so-called chance meeting had seemed innocent enough and she'd been intelligent, seemly common, and straight-forward. She'd seemed perfect into fooling the Family into thinking that he was in love so that they'd stop worrying about him. That was, until he'd found out that she was related to a Family in Brazil and the Godfather had tried to demand that he take responsibility for supposedly dishonoring the girl. That had been a birthday present from hell when it'd arrived on his door.

There was always a catch. Whether it was money, power, or fame, the look in all of their eyes was the same. They were after him because they wanted something. He recognized it now. The look in a woman's eyes when she had a goal that she was pursuing. Darla had fooled him by making him think that the goal was science. It'd been a lie like every other, though. Her goal had indeed been science, but she'd planned to use him to reach it. After being cornered into marrying her, she'd planned on using his money and power into easing the financial burdens of her research along with getting rid of those who disagreed with her methods. She'd been a real psychopath under the surface and he was happy to have gotten the chance to counter-blackmail her into non-existence before she could get any further. He was just grateful that her father had been a sensible man who knew when to accept a bribe for silence instead of pushing for more.

He knew that he needed to think of a counter, but he couldn't think of anything. There was no way to blackmail all of them without spending tremendous amounts of time. He'd already tried setting up a fake betrothal, but his idiot father's legacy haunted him. All the women seemed to have no problems with being a second or third wife, as long as they got a piece of him. Not him, he corrected. They just wanted a piece of what he had. It made him curse in frustration and punch the first poor fool that he came across.

As the man hit the deck behind him, Hotaru whistled for S.K. to free himself. As soon as the last flicker of S.K.'s Flame was free, Hotaru refused to wait any longer. He jumped over the side of the cruise ship without a care for the panicked screams of the women who'd been tailing him. SK caught him before he could hit the water, taking full form while rushing him toward the freedom of the heavens. It wasn't until they were hovering in the clouds that Hotaru shut his eyes and finally let out the breath that he'd unconsciously been holding.

"Your Flame is quivering," SK said while lazily flying in a small circle over the ship.

"Yours would be too if you spent four days with over a dozen laser scopes targeted on you," Hotaru grunted. "I should have called you earlier, but I didn't want to make Orinato panic. Again."

"There's something strange on the island," SK commented. "It feels familiar, but I can't place it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure myself," he replied as he broke his spiral path in order to head for Mafia Land itself. "It feels wrong somehow. Wrong, but right... and very, very strong."

"How can something be wrong and right?" Hotaru laughed. "You're not making any sense."

"It's there," he called, pointing a clawed hand at the island below them. "Should I go down and investigate?"

"No," he replied in thought. Sending SK back toward the boat, he tucked the information in the back of his mind. Mafia Land was their destination, so surely he'd come across whatever SK sensed. He was actually looking forward to finding it, which was why he was in no hurry to end the treasure hunt. He needed something to take his mind off of the foolish women waiting for him and trying to solve a mystery could be quite enjoyable.

As expected, his return to the boat was full of women clamoring to show their admiration for him, his men mother-henning him, and the guy he'd punched coming up to apologize for getting in his way. The last one made him stare for a long moment while he wondered if he'd ever get to face a man with pride again. Other than Reborn and Hibari, Xanxus had been the only one willing to punch him back. It made him cry inside when he thought of how Xanxus was dead. There were those who followed him, those who negotiated with him, and those who wanted to kill him, but was there anyone left who was willing to peacefully stand as equals with him without wanting anything? He didn't know anymore.

As soon as he managed to pull himself free from the crowd that pounced upon his return, he fled for the closest unloading ramp in hopes that they were fully docked. He was in luck. The first gangplank was lowered as soon as he arrived, allowing him the luxury of exiting before the full ramps were put in place. Predictably, Orinato stepped off behind him with the rest of his Guardians and Advisors following before the women could catch up. Together with loyal entourage of lawyers, secretaries, and body guards, he had a thick barrier protecting him from the vapid idiots chasing him. If that wasn't enough, SK's size and protective attitude kept them all at bay. The fact that he needed all the protection left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd wanted to go to Mafia Land to be free of such confinement.

"Orinato," Hotaru called while he nuzzled his face in SK's elongated neck for comfort. "Can you take care of business for me? I think I'm going to go find Colonello and see if he has any tequila that he's willing to share. I didn't get to relax very much on the ship."

"I understand," Orinato replied with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "I'll let Reborn know where you are when I see him."

"Thanks," he murmured. Using SK's leg as a footstool, he climbed onto the dragon's back once more. This time, he sat sideways to enjoy the view since SK would be carrying him by foot. They didn't have to talk to decide the fact since Colonello would shoot down anyone approaching his side of the island by air or by boat. Arriving by land was the only way to get to him in one piece and SK already knew that.

They didn't head for the train, however. Instead, they headed for the beach. Heads turned toward them while they went, even after they left their entourage behind to run interference with the women chasing him, but Hotaru ignored all of them. He simply stared out at the waves and tried to relax while SK bore him towards the cliff that they could jump over to reach Mafia Land's backstage area. In this way, even if he was seen, there would be few capable of following.

Once over the cliff and the fence on top of it, the plan was to disappear into the foliage. However, one thing stopped both of them as soon as they landed from SK's jump. That thing was a woman looking out at the sea. The fact that she was on Colonello's side of the fence made Hotaru freeze. He registered her outfit and her red leather cowgirl costume made him goggle. Then, finally, the fact that she completely ignored him made him narrow his eyes and open his mouth to voice the question that trembled in his throat.

"Be careful if you go past here," she stated before he could get a word out. "Colonello is in the middle of a war game to kill some time."

"War game?" Hotaru repeated carefully.

"It's capture the flag," she replied without looking at him. "Colonello and Van Wolfe against Reborn and Xerxes. If you go in any deeper, you might die."

"I don't think you know who you're talking to," he laughed. "If you haven't noticed from my dragon here, I can take care of myself." Patting SK's neck, he grinned broadly when she turned to look at him. It was a smile that quickly faded when she snorted at his show of strength.

"Don't say that I didn't warn you," she said before turning back to her lookout post. Hotaru stared in shock for several long minutes, unable to believe that there was someone so arrogant as to turn their back to him. Especially a woman! Didn't she know who he was?! She had to be either stupid or insane. Before he could decide which, SK predicted his orders and started walking forward down a path that they knew by heart. They were almost to Colonello's main campsite when they pulled up once more. This time, Hotaru wasn't sure of the reason.

"What's wrong?" Hotaru asked quietly. He didn't need the answer when, a moment later, there was a sudden feeling a tension in the air that warned of someone watching. Looking around in an attempt to pinpoint it, the area exploded into action in front of him. It only lasted for a moment that Hotaru was completely unable to keep track of, after which he got to see Reborn pinned face-down by a guy in white while a guy in black was pinned to a tree with a knife to his throat by Colonello.

"You're getting old, Reborn," Colonello called with a boisterous laugh. "You're both dead, cora. That brings the score to a tie again, cora."

"Who said it's over," Reborn snapped, wriggling out of the white cowboy's grasp as if he were a serpent. It wasn't hard since the masked men were staring at SK instead of their opponents. "Damn," Reborn hissed as both he and Colonello belatedly noticed the interruption once Reborn was on his feet. "Time passed too quickly. I thought we had another hour or two."

"No helping it, cora," Colonello replied as he sheathed his knife with a finality that meant the war games were over. "Why don't we--"

"Hotaru," SK hissed, pointing with a clawed hand to the man in white. "It's him." Hotaru stared in interest, understanding that SK meant that the man was the one that he'd sensed. The stranger didn't take well to being looked at. He immediately turned his back to them and began walking away. Hotaru started to call out to stop him, but the matching guy in black interrupted.

"It's been interesting, but we need to get back to work," he said forcefully.

"Anytime, cora," Colonello agreed with the same forced tone. "Strong opponents keep one from getting rusty, cora. Perhaps the Eleventh could join us for a three on three next--"

"No!" Reborn interrupted in unison with the man in black. "No," Reborn repeated carefully. "Van Wolfe must never enter combat with the Eleventh. Ever."

"Exactly," the dark cowboy agreed before Hotaru could object. "If you'll excuse me..." As soon as Reborn nodded in acceptance, the man was gone as if he'd been spirited away by the wind. This left only Reborn and Colonello to face off while Hotaru's tumult of questions got lodged in his throat due to how hard the two were staring at each other.

"What aren't you telling me about him, cora?" Colonello asked bluntly.

"If you can't figure it out on your own, then I have nothing to say," Reborn replied as he took two steps backward to disappear behind a tree. Colonello ran after him, but Hotaru knew without asking that Reborn was already gone. Colonello could chase after him since the woods were his domain, but he chose not to in favor of turning to face Hotaru.

"It was fun while it lasted, cora," he said with a crooked smile. "I can tell from your face what you want to ask, cora. Let's go get a drink while I answer, cora."

"Sounds good," Hotaru agreed while trying to sort out the mess that he'd walked into. A trio of cowboys, someone strong enough to pin down Reborn, and a mystery about a person named Van Wolfe that couldn't be allowed to fight Hotaru. It was a lot more than the bottle of tequila that he'd been hoping for, but he wasn't about to complain. It sounded like too much fun.

* * *

He was brought back down to earth after only an hour in Colonello's company. The man in white was Reborn's illegitimate, exiled, gay brother. His name was Van Wolfe and was also intended to be a Don Girarde Tutor in the coming year. In some ways, it made sense. Only someone who could claim such close relation with Reborn could be Reborn's equal and, of course, Reborn wouldn't want him to fight Hotaru. It also sounded incredibly fishy. Reborn might keep some things about himself secret for the simple sake of being secretive, but why would he hide such a strong hitman from the Family? Also, why was Van Wolfe with the Carter Family instead of Vongola? Why was he exiled? Why was he back? Why did he feel the need to cover his face? What was it about him that SK sensed?

Only questions surfaced and no answers, which was the fishiest part of all. At least a few blanks should have been filled, but this Van Wolfe person supplied nothing. He was a complete mystery with only Reborn and Don Carter's word to vouch for him. From Colonello's commentary, Van Wolfe had overwhelmed the other teacher candidates in order to take the top position. He was strong, smart, and cunning. He also smelled like a spy. After all, what was a person with such abilities doing in a teaching position? And why had he left without even introducing himself? It was beyond odd. It was downright suspicious.

He had to talk to Van Wolfe personally. Since that much was a certainty, he gave his farewells to Colonello and began walking towards the area where the backstage connected to Mafia Land Castle. The route was one that he'd walked nearly a dozen times and it was also the direction that he'd seen Van Wolfe head in. To keep from being such a large target, he sent SK back into his ring and approached as quietly as he could. If he were seen, his hunting would be over. Not that he had to worry about such a thing when he was able to hear his quarry yelling before he even went through the back gates. Pressing his back up against the outside wall, he listened carefully while keeping a watch out for others.

"I told you, I'm fine!"

"You're not fine," his partner, Xerxes, snapped. "If you were fine, you wouldn't have run."

"I didn't run," Van Wolfe growled. "It was a tactical retreat before I did something regretful in front of everyone. I... It made me hungry. Okay? Going against Reborn isn't easy. I was already on my last leg when you asked for another match. Why couldn't you have just accepted the win?"

"Now this is my fault?" Xerxes asked with a bite in his voice. "I was just trying to blow off steam. You've been running in circles since you heard that he was coming and you won't fucking talk to me. I thought this would get your mind off of it."

"You were wrong," he replied. "It was a good sparring match, but it was a waste of time."

"I don't think so. You're talking to me again."

"I never stopped."

"Bullshit," Xerxes snapped. "You've been avoiding me since I broke it off."

"You have your own problems to deal with," Van Wolfe said. "Besides, isn't this how you wanted it? You don't have to worry about me anymore. You can just--" Hotaru yelped when a hand reached around to grab him and yank him into the building. Before he could do anything, he found his back pressed against a wall and a knife at his throat. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Xerxes followed by the sight of Van Wolfe smirking from the stairwell that they'd been talking in front of. They'd trapped him. Without letting their conversation break once they figured out that they were being listened to, Xerxes had crossed over to pull him out of hiding while Van Wolfe kept his attention on the conversation. It was flawless and awe-inspiring at how they'd pulled it off.

"Who are you?" Xerxes asked, glaring through his black mask without releasing him. The question was a surprise, even more so than the feeling that he should recognize the man.

"Put the knife down if you know what's good for you," Hotaru replied with a slow smile. "I'm not someone that you want to fuck with."

"That's pretty arrogant for a twelve year old," Van Wolfe commented while unwrapping a block of bubblegum. Hotaru choked at the lack of recognition from both of them. Didn't they know who he was? Everyone was supposed to know who he was! "Xerxes, let the kid go. He might be my student one day."

"He might be in league with the Hunters," he replied gruffly while bringing the knife even closer to Hotaru's throat. Hotaru's eyes widened in shock from the comment, finally realizing what the two were. They were vampires. Reborn's brother had been exiled for being a vampire! That had to be it! "If that girl could attack us here, then--"

"Xerxes," Van Wolfe sighed as he leisurely approached. "Don't make me shoot you again. He's probably just some lost kid on vacation. You're being paranoid." Taking the path of wisdom, Hotaru kept his mouth shut and stayed still as Van Wolfe reached out to take the knife from Xerxes' hand.

"Being paranoid keeps me from ending up like Welt," Xerxes spat when he finally, roughly, let Hotaru go in order to confront only Van Wolfe. "If you want to end up on a shelf full of trinkets, be my guest, but I didn't survive this long to become someone's fucking centerpiece."

"You don't have to worry about me," Van Wolfe said quietly. "You have your own things to deal with, so go deal with them." Nothing else was said between the two when Van Wolfe handed the knife back. Xerxes sheathed it and stormed out directly afterward, leaving Hotaru to face off with Van Wolfe alone. The man wasn't like he expected, though. First, he apologized for his friend and then he checked Hotaru's neck to ensure that he wasn't wounded. Finally, he asked if Hotaru needed help finding his parents, which was the last straw.

"I'm not a kid!" Hotaru exclaimed in frustration. "I'll have you know that I'm Hotaru Sawada, Eleventh Boss of the Vongola Family. So don't patronize me. It's an insult."

"In that case, you were probably looking for Reborn," he replied without any of the surprise or laughter that Hotaru suspected. "He's always been a difficult person to keep track of." Latching onto the opening, Hotaru dove straight into his first question for the man.

"Are you really Reborn's brother?" Van Wolfe paused at the blunt inquiry and his gaze felt like it penetrated right into Hotaru. He refused to look away, though. He stared straight back until Van Wolfe broke the eye contact.

"Yes," he confirmed, gesturing for Hotaru to walk with him in an open invitation for an interrogation. "As far as I know, we're not blood related. But Reborn is still the closest thing that I have to a brother right now. He honors me with the title. Before you ask," he added, predicting Hotaru's next question, "We were initially connected through a mutual... friend. Reborn taught me the basics of being in the Mafia. That was a long time ago, though. I've been in hiding until now because of a personal matter. I thought that it was finally safe to return, so here I am."

"Are you a vampire?" Hotaru asked carefully.

"So you caught that," he laughed. "No. I'm not a vampire, but Xerxes is. As for me, I don't shape-change, but I'm a werewolf. Does that frighten you?"

"No," he answered honestly. "There's no reason to fear what I know how to kill. Is it true that you're the reason that Kimi is dead?"

"Reborn shot her," Van Wolfe snapped. "I just wanted to turn her over to the Vendiche for--"

"You're not answering my question," Hotaru growled in warning. "I don't care how she died. I asked if you were the reason." Van Wolfe paused at the front gates of the castle and Hotaru stopped with him in order to gaze into a pair of eyes that were full of guilt. "You were," he confirmed for himself. "I only have one other question for you. What are your intentions in being here?"

"I'm not Vongola's enemy," he replied, turning his head away before Hotaru could get a clear look at his eyes. "If that's what you really want to know. I can't say that we'll never butt heads, but you don't have anything to fear from me. Whether it's the Carter Family or Vongola, it's my wish for us to be able to understand one another. Kimi's death wasn't my intention. I was merely trying to right something that I felt was wrong and the consequences were out of my control. If I'd been given a chance, I would have tried to find a peaceful resolution."

"Sympathy for your enemies will only get you killed," Hotaru said in dissatisfaction at the answer. For a hitman of Reborn's level, Van Wolfe was incredibly naive.

"I don't mind a cold death," he retorted, causing Hotaru to narrow his eyes at the man. "It's better than being cold in life." Before Hotaru could think of a reply, Van Wolfe tipped his hat in farewell and slipped away with an admirable amount of speed. Hotaru wished that he could imitate that sort of quick exit when he saw the reason for his departure. There was a crowd of five women who were practically racing down the path in an attempt to reach him first. Hotaru silently bid farewell to his peace and quiet as he turned to meet his would-be brides.

And he was saved by a surprising source.

"Taru-kun!" A guy exclaimed as he rushed in from the side to tackle Hotaru to the ground before the women could surround him. It knocked the breath out of Hotaru when he landed, but he ignored the fact completely in self defense. Flipping them both over so that Hotaru was on top, he straddled the guy to create a firm base to fight from. After swiftly grabbing the guy's collar to hold him in place, Hotaru paused in the middle of a punch in order to stare in recognition at a face that he never thought that he'd see again.

"Tori-kun...?" Hotaru gasped with his jaw falling open at the sight of his former classmate.

"That's me," Hattori grinned. "Did you miss me?"

"W-What are you doing here?" He asked in shock.

"Can you let me up before you answer that?" Hattori replied with a faint blush lighting up his cheeks. "You've got me pinned in an awkward position." Hotaru stared for a long moment before finally comprehending the feeling of what he was sitting on. His face turned as red as Hattori's as he scrambled off and it only got worse when he tried to cover his blush with helping Hattori to his feet. He could hear the muttering hum of the women who'd stopped to watch, but they were misunderstanding the situation. Knowing that they were misunderstanding wiped the blush off of his face faster than anything else could have. How long was everyone going to compare him to his father?

"Sorry ladies," Hattori called as he threw an arm around Hotaru's shoulders. "We've got some catching up to do, so I'll be stealing him away for the rest of the day. Perhaps tomorrow the Eleventh will introduce me to all of you. You will introduce me. Right, Taru-kun?"

"There's no point," Hotaru replied with a mischievous urge rising in him. If everyone was so damn determined to make him gay, then he'd show them gay. Maybe some of them would think twice about wanting to marry him. Leaning against Hattori's chest, Hotaru batted his eyes and looked up with the sappiest expression that he could produce. "I don't want to keep it secret anymore," he pouted. "Can't we just tell everyone about our love-love relationship and be done with it?"

"Our what--?" Hattori choked. "Hotaru--" Hotaru poked him hard in the ribs to shut him up and continued smiling as sweetly as he could.

"It's not fair to get married when I'm already in love with someone," he added pointedly. "You did say that you love me. That's why you came back. Right?" Staring up into Hattori's eyes, he silently begged for him to play along. However, the agreement was a little more than he bargained for when Hattori grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him up onto his toes in order to give him a passionate kiss.

The next thing that Hotaru knew, he was walking down a path toward the amusement park with Hattori's arm still around his shoulders.

"What?" He asked, looking around for the women that he'd been confronting. "Where...?"

"Welcome back to planet Earth," Hattori chuckled. "If you're looking for the women, they're still probably prying their jaws off the sidewalk. Thanks to you, I'm now the enemy of women everywhere. I know that you were desperate, but you should be more careful with how you use people. I'll forgive you this time, but you better take responsibility."

"Take responsibility?!" He spluttered. "But I was just--"

"Not that kind of responsibility," Hattori said as he burst into laughter. "Lighten up, Taru-kun. I just meant that you've got to protect me from your girlfriends. Some of them looked ready to shoot me where I stood."

"Oh no," Hotaru gasped in realization. "I was just playing a prank on them, but you're right. Some of them would kill you for being in their way. I need to go back and--" Before he could retrace his steps, Hattori's grip tightened on his shoulder and he was dragged even further away.

"Don't worry about it," he soothed. "I'm willing to play along for a while. You look like hell and I can guess why after seeing those women. We can pretend to be dating so that you can get some peace and quiet to relax. We'll make all of them too flustered to bother you and, when you have to go home, we can just pretend to break up. I didn't come all this way to play interference in your love life, but it looks like it's the only way that I'll get you to myself."

"Thanks, Tori-kun," Hotaru said in unadulterated gratitude and open relief. Seeing no reason not to, he leaned against Hattori for support while their pace slowed to a more leisurely one. While they walked, Hotaru apologized for using him and told him some of his difficulties. Just like he remembered, Hattori was good at listening and gave honest feedback. He didn't pull his punches nor did he act like Hotaru was blowing things out of proportion. He was easy to talk to and a comfortable person to be around.

Then came the moment that Hotaru's world came crashing down.

"I joined the Tomaso Family," Hattori said bluntly, causing Hotaru to stop in his tracks. Hattori's arm finally fell from Hotaru's shoulder and he turned to face him directly. "After you left, a bunch of Families came in as scouts. I went to your mother for information and I settled on Tomaso as the best choice. You probably hate me for not joining Vongola, but I didn't want to end up as just another one of your subordinates. The truth is, Longchamp has an offer for you, but I told him that I wouldn't agree until I'd seen you."

"What?" Hotaru asked without comprehending any of the words being said.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Taru-kun," Hattori continued quietly. "I never have and I never will. I'm here on behalf of Longchamp to court you. Longchamp said that he didn't care if it was me or his daughter that you settled on, but he wants to strengthen the bonds between our Families." Hotaru stared in blank shock, still unable to process the words. Hattori, his former classmate, was courting him...? For what...? It didn't make sense. It couldn't be marriage. It wasn't possible. Hattori was a guy and... "Feel free to be disgusted with me or hit me," Hattori prodded. "I know better than anyone that you're straight, but I took advantage of our friendship to kiss you."

Hotaru continued to simply gape in shock.

"Say something," Hattori begged. "Is there hope or should I insert my foot into my mouth...? I can't understand if you don't tell me. You kissed me back, but I don't know if that was just good acting or if you have feelings for me, too. If you don't have feelings, then I'll back off. I know that I can't make you--"

"What are you saying?" Hotaru finally blurted. "I... I don't understand."

"I'm saying that I love you," he replied with a pleading look in his eyes. "If you feel anything at all for me, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. I can even become a woman if I have to."

"Are you crazy?!" Orinato shouted into his face. Hotaru blinked and stumbled in place in disorientation. Looking around, he was in an unfamiliar hotel room and Hattori was gone. How he'd gotten there? He'd been standing outside, being confessed to by Hattori, and now he was here with Orinato. "Boss..?" Orinato asked in concern when Hotaru grabbed onto his shoulder in dizziness. "Boss, what's wrong?"

"Call Sakura," he ordered while trying to get his head screwed on straight. "I can't remember how I got here."

"What?" Orinato replied in confusion.

"I can't remember how I got here," he repeated in growing panic. "I was standing outside, talking to Hattori and then I was here. I don't understand, Orinato! How did I get here?! What happened?!"

"Then you don't remember announcing your plans to marry Hattori?" Orinato asked worriedly.

"I did what?" Hotaru asked with tears blinding his vision.

* * *

"Reborn!" Tsuna choked, yanking up the blankets to cover both himself and Aster. "Don't you know how to knock?!"

"There's no time," Reborn snapped as he gathered Tsuna's clothes from the floor and began throwing them at him. "Get dressed. I need your help."

"My help," Tsuna repeated as he slowly pulled his clothes on. Reborn nodded and quickly outlined what was going on. Something was wrong with Hotaru and Sakura was stumped. Hotaru seemed perfectly healthy, but he was blacking out. During the black-outs, Hotaru did things that he would normally never do. When Tsuna got the list of things that Hotaru did, Tsuna already had the answer. "Why do you need my help with this?" Tsuna asked as Reborn dragged him down the hallway toward the elevator. "You can tell what's going on as well as I can."

"Family won't be any good in fixing it, though," Reborn replied as he rushed Tsuna inside and hit the button for the penthouse. "You might think that I don't trust you, but you've got it wrong. I was doing you a favor by shooting Kimi. With her out of the way, there's nothing standing between you and Hotaru. If she'd gotten a chance to suicide, all the blame would have been placed on you and Hotaru would have never let you into his life. She was going to die one way or another, so I chose the lesser of two evils by killing her myself."

"Even if that's true, I don't understand why you need me--"

"Just take the opportunity," Reborn interrupted. "Hotaru could use some fatherly advice right now. He won't talk about the real problem with the Family, so perhaps your intuition can get him to open up. Regardless, this has to be dealt with quickly before the Families tear themselves apart over it." Tsuna nodded in understanding. Tsuna had personal knowledge of how hard it was to have an unorthodox relationship. Announcing it to the whole Mafia as a marriage was bound to create backlash. Especially with how many women that Tsuna had seen on Hotaru's tail.

The pressure from those same women was the problem. Hotaru was unable to handle it, so he'd snapped. That explained the first black-out. He'd been so shocked by what he'd done that he'd wiped it from his memory. From Reborn's report, it had been a short-term memory loss that Hotaru had ignored in the belief that he'd just been a little dazed. The second black-out was more insidious that was rooted not only in his subconscious, but in the words 'plausible deniability'.

The first thing that had to be dealt with was the subconscious. He had to make Hotaru come to terms with his real feelings, whether it was being in love with a guy or something else. That was going to be difficult since the boy's arrogance was proportionate to his power as Vongola the Eleventh. The plausible deniability would be dealt with once Hotaru was forced to accept the consequences regardless of whether he remembered his actions or not.

If only things were that simple. He felt like he walked into a war zone once the elevator doors opened up to spit them out on the top floor. Tsuna couldn't recognize most of the voices, but he recognized the faces once he stepped into the main room. Orinato, Toshi, Sakura, and Haru were present. So were three oddities that Tsuna marked as the elusive Advisors that he'd heard about. There was a man who looked like a tribal priest, a girl that looked like she'd be at home in an airplane factory, and a boy that looked incredibly ordinary in comparison to the other two.

Pushing them all out of his mind, he focused on the center of attention, Hotaru. The rest were arguing back and forth on the top of their lungs, trying to decide on a reason for the incident while also ripping Hotaru's pride to shreds. Tsuna sat back and watched for several long minutes before whispering to Reborn for Hattori to be brought. Then he watched some more while he waited. Without anyone allowing Hotaru any input, it went from Hotaru being in love with a man and hiding it to a situation with split personalities. They all kept escalating the problem in effort to decide what the problem was without doing anything to get to the root of it all. Seeing how Hotaru's Guardians sided off against anything that the Advisors had to say, Tsuna was quickly able to nail one of the factors for the lack of progress.

"You three," Tsuna finally interjected, pointing at the Advisors. Every person in the room turned to look at him, including a surprised Hotaru. "Get out. There's times where outside advice is good and there's times when it's bad. You three are doing nothing but confusing the issue. You might be his friends, but he doesn't need friends right now. He needs Family."

"Do it," Reborn ordered as he reentered the room with Hattori in tow. Tsuna raised his eyebrow at the boy, although it wasn't because he was attractive. It was because of the black eye that he was sporting. Waiting until after the three Advisors left, which they did at an incredibly slow speed, Hattori spoke up on his own.

"I'm not really sure what's going on," he admitted sheepishly. "I thought Hotaru never wanted to see me again."

"What?" Hotaru asked with his voice breaking while he tried to hold back tears. His gaze flickered between Orinato and Hattori, full of both confusion and fear. "I don't understand."

"One story at a time," Tsuna interjected. "Orinato, let's hear your version."

"Right," Orinato replied with a surprised jolt at hearing his name from Tsuna's lips. "I heard some women talking, saying that the Eleventh had proposed to Hattori. I found him outside the hotel and asked him about it. He said that he might as well marry Hattori since everyone was expecting it. Then he walked into the lobby and made the announcement to everyone down there. I dragged him up here and we started arguing, but it was like he wasn't really here. Then he snapped out of it and said that he couldn't remember anything."

"Hattori," Tsuna prompted.

"When we first saw each other, he was being surrounded by women," Hattori explained. "He played a prank on them to get them off his back and I took the opportunity to... to kiss him. Then we went for a walk together to catch up and the conversation went to what I've been up to. I told him the truth and I confessed. I told him that I was willing to do anything to make it work, but he got really quiet. He started to walk away and I grabbed his shoulder to stop him. That's when he decked me and said that he never wanted to see me again. I thought it'd be best to leave it alone until he cooled off, so I came back to my room. That's where I've been until now."

"I don't remember it," Hotaru said as he started quietly crying into his hands. "I don't remember anything after he confessed."

"It's pressure," Tsuna said carefully, finally turning to Hotaru himself. "You're breaking under it. Between everyone pushing you toward marriage and your own fear of becoming gay, you black out. When you black out, you do what you want to do since you can't feel the burdens of your responsibility. If you weren't Vongola the Eleventh... If you were just some random high school kid, what would your answer be to Hattori?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Wrong," Tsuna replied. Pulling out his gun, he pointed it at Hattori's head and stared directly at Hotaru in warning. "I can tell when a person is lying, so try again. What would your answer be to Hattori? Either be honest or I'll deal with the problem in a more permanent fashion." Hotaru stared at him in shock for a long moment and Tsuna didn't have a doubt that he really could shoot Hattori if needed. He rather enjoyed the thought of shooting the guy who'd kissed his little boy and Hotaru could probably see that in Tsuna's eyes, which made the threat even more threatening.

"I... I'd punch him," Hotaru sniffed with his eyes lowering to the ground. Tsuna smiled and lowered his gun in dissappointment while waving for Hotaru to continue. "It's not because I hate him, though. I... I care a lot about Hattori. It's just... It feels like he betrayed me. He's just like everyone else now. He wants something from me."

"That kind of pressure from someone you care about is bound to be hard to deal with," Tsuna murmured. "It's probably even harder since you love him, but you're not attracted to him."

"If it's just attraction, I can have the operation!" Hattori exclaimed. Every head snapped in his direction and so did Tsuna's hand. Hattori stopped in his tracks when Tsuna harshly flicked him on the forehead, which was good since Tsuna was looking for a solid excuse to punch him.

"There's such a thing as emotional attraction, too," Tsuna admonished. "But the Eleventh isn't attracted to you in any way, Hattori. The only thing that you're doing by pressuring him is making it harder to save your friendship. Face it. You've been rejected. You said that you could back off if he didn't have feelings, so back off. He doesn't want you to be a woman. He doesn't want you as a lover. He wants the friend that he had up until now."

"A-Alright," Hattori mumbled unhappily. His face crumbled into a mask of heartbreak, but Tsuna could do nothing for him. Broken hearts were a part of life and he'd recover. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but eventually he would. It was unsurprising when Hattori left the room after agreeing and it was also a relief since Tsuna could turn to the next problem at hand without having to surpress his fatherly desire to strangle the brat.

"What's expected of you, Eleventh?" Tsuna asked carefully. Hotaru glanced up with a fierce glare, but quickly covered it by lowering his head again. He was angry at the question. No, Tsuna amended as he watched Hotaru dry his eyes from his tears. Hotaru was more than angry. He had a large amount of pent up rage. It wasn't just the pressure from the outside that was eating at him. It was the pressure from the inside. He was pressuring himself to be the perfect Boss and being a perfect Boss didn't leave room for just Hotaru the person. Tsuna understood so much that it hurt. "Follow me, Eleventh. Everyone else, stay here. Reborn," glancing at Reborn, he silently ensuring that the hitman would be the only pursuer.

Then he turned and walked out without waiting. Knowing that it'd take a few minutes for Hotaru to convince himself to listen, Tsuna took the opportunity to stop by his hotel room and pick up his sword carrier. Aster was thankfully fast asleep, which allowed Tsuna to leave without a problem. Once he got downstairs, he pulled out a fresh cigarette and waited, and waited, and waited some more. Nearly twenty minutes passed before Hotaru finally exited the elevator and came to meet him.

Not giving him a chance to ask any questions, Tsuna led him outside. He led him past the amusement park and through the shopping center. He led him back and forth across the island until Hotaru was at a complete loss for their intended destination. When his confusion peeked, Tsuna slowed down to a more leisurely pace and led the way toward the beach.

"It's called taking a walk," Tsuna finally said in amusement as they walked along the beach. "Were you expecting something more?"

"Yes," Hotaru confirmed without twitching an eyelid.

"Why?"

"Eh?"

"Why were you expecting more?" Tsuna repeated softly.

"Because Reborn said that you were going to fix my problem," he replied in confusion. "But we're not doing anything."

"We're not doing what you expect," Tsuna said with a smile. "But we are walking. You expected more because Reborn told you to expect more. No one ever said that I had to meet those expectations. If Reborn or you or anyone else is disappointed, you only have yourself to blame. This is my life. I once spent it by trying to meet expectation, but I realized something. I can't be anyone other than myself and people's expectations of me change when I change. If I went out and started killing people, people would expect me to kill more. If I went out and started screaming like a lunatic, people would expect me to do it again. But their expectations doesn't change that I'm the one in control of my own life."

"You're saying that I'm listening to others too much," Hotaru said slowly.

"Are you?" Tsuna retorted. Hotaru didn't answer immediately and Tsuna didn't force him to. They simply continued to walk along the beach until they reached a secluded enough spot that Tsuna felt it was safe enough to stop to rest. Hotaru's eyes widened in surprise when he called out the Dango Brothers and ordered them to go play, but he quickly caught on and sent SK to join them. Tsuna watched as they sped toward the sky and he saw when the Dango Brothers erupted into their wyvern forms so that SK could see them better. From their movements, they began playing a game of tag in the air that others farther down the beach probably thought were fireworks.

"My father was a pervert," Hotaru said as he watched them, making Tsuna choke on air. "I'm serious. He married twice and he had affairs with both men and women. Everyone tells me that he only took those into his bed that he loved, but I have a lot of siblings. I can't believe that he loved all of their mothers. I think that he was confused and didn't know how to tell friendship from love, so he was indiscriminate in his relationships. I swore that I wouldn't make the same mistake, but everyone expects me to be like him. They call me cold-hearted because I'm not easily swayed by a pretty face and they say that there's something wrong with me because I haven't met a single guy or a girl that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with."

"You're still young," Tsuna said carefully. "I knew a man who didn't find the right one until he was in his forties. When he was younger, he tried to rush a relationship and ended up with a woman that only used him. There's nothing wrong with being careful and making sure that the love is mutual. It keeps you from being brokenhearted."

"I don't usually have expectations of other people," Hotaru continued conversationally. "I see them like they are, both with their virtues and their faults. It gets to be too much at times. I can look at a person and accept them as they are, but they all pile their expectations on me until I'm buried under what they want me to be. The only way to get free is to dig myself out by meeting those expectations. I don't remember doing it, but I think that's why I made the announcement about Hattori. I felt like everyone was expecting it, so I gave them what they wanted."

"The only way to fix your problem is to allow yourself to disappoint people," Tsuna replied bluntly. "You'll only be a puppet if you don't cut the strings."

"I'm not a puppet," he snapped.

"You are," Tsuna corrected. "But not to your Family. You're a puppet to your own sense of responsibility. It's okay to be a little irresponsible sometimes. Rather than looking at how it would disappoint everyone, you should look at whether you can deal with the consequences. For example, those women chasing after you. You haven't insulted them or told them to piss off because you don't want to disappoint everyone. What would the consequences be if you did?" Hotaru paused and thought about it for several long minutes while Tsuna smoked his cigarette in silence. When he finally looked up, there was a light of hope in his eyes.

"They'd go home," he said slowly. "Their Bosses would call for reparation for the insults, but Bosses are easy to placate and the women would be out of my hair."

"Everyone would be a little disappointed that the girls weren't to your liking," Tsuna finished. "But they'd get over it and possibly send ones that are more to your taste. If you still don't like them, you can just rinse and repeat. As for... As for your father, you should tell them that if they like him so much, they should go unbury him."

"What are you talking about," Hotaru said with his eyes narrowing in on Tsuna. "My father was up in the hotel room." Tsuna blinked for a moment before remembering that Toshi had been up there with Tsuna's face on. It made him grimace at his own slip up. So that was the game. It wasn't that Hotaru was playing dumb towards an imposter. It was a planned imposter to satisfy the masses. In some ways, knowing that was a relief. Hotaru wasn't trying to replace him. He was just trying to silence those who constantly compared Hotaru to his father.

"I knew your father," Tsuna replied carefully. "That isn't him."

"You... knew... my father...?" Hotaru asked in shock.

"A long time ago," he confirmed as he got to his feet. Hotaru scrambled up next to him and followed when Tsuna began walking towards the hotel again. "Just like you, people expected outrageous things from him. Sometimes he met those expectations. Sometimes he didn't. He was just a man, but people forgot that until he was pushed too far and broke. He never had the heart to be a Mafia Boss, but he did have the heart to love his Family. More than anything, he loved his Family. You dislike being compared to him, but I think that you're just like him in that way. And, before you get upset at the comparison, I'll tell you that it's not a bad thing. After all, it's the reason that he chose you to be his heir. Tutors can teach anyone how to be a Boss, but it's your heart that decides whether you lead them out of love or mere duty."

"How did you know my father?" Hotaru asked as he chased after him. "Were you friends? When did you--"

"I met him in rehab," he said as the only thing that he could think of to keep himself from lying. Hotaru would be able to tell if he was lying, but this wasn't quite a lie. He had met himself when he had split personalities and he'd been going through a type of rehabilitation by trying to accept the other parts of himself. Mixing together honest pieces of his past, he quickly made himself a cover story. "I once had a drug problem and your father did, too. We'd talk to people online when it got bad and we kept in touch over the years. He failed a lot and the pressure got too much for him to deal with at times. The last that I heard from him, he was going to face off with someone from his past and he didn't think that he was going to make it out alive. Then it was announced that he was dead."

"You're not telling me something," Hotaru gasped as they pulled up in front of the hotel. "What are you leaving out?"

"A lot," he answered honestly. "Your father is dead, so I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"You're lying," Hotaru whispered with the light of Flames growing in his eyes. "My father isn't dead and you know where he is."

"Che," Tsuna spat, seeing that Hotaru's intuition was peaking. There was only one way to stop it before Hotaru realized the truth. Tsuna had to shock him out of it. "You're too smart for your own good. Ah. I know where your father is. I'm also not going to tell you where he's at. He's got a new life now and a new family. He lives in guilt and shame, thinking constantly about the choices that he made. He doesn't even get the ability to regret his past. All he can do is mourn what he's lost because Vongola seems to be doing just fine without him. For all intents and purposes, Tsunayoshi Sawada is dead and he's doing you a favor by staying that way."

"I don't understand," Hotaru mumbled as the Flames died from his eyes. "You mean that I'm the reason that he isn't coming back?"

"No, Hotaru," Tsuna said with his heart clenching at the thought. "Put yourself in his shoes. When you compare the disappointment of not returning to the consequences if he did, what conclusion do you come to? If he came back, there's only one thing that he knows how to be and Vongola only needs one Boss. Your father... Tsuna loves you more than you can ever know, but the consequences of returning aren't something that he can accept. Can you understand that, Vongola the Eleventh? There's no place here for the Tenth to return to. His time is past and nothing--Nothing!--can turn the clock back."

"But..." Hotaru mumbled without any valid objections to give. Tsuna turned away from his pained expression, silently wishing that there was some way to make things different. There wasn't, though. All he could do was to find a new place, which was what he was working on. One day, when Hotaru accepted him as he was, he could take off the mask and be himself again. Not now, however. It was too early for such a rash move.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled. There were too many things to apologize for, so not even Tsuna himself could say which mistake he was speaking for. All he knew was that it felt empty in the face of his son's hurt expression. He couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't jeopardize himself. It was incredibly difficult, just as it'd been at their first meeting, to simply walk away. He still did it, though, not only for Hotaru's sake but for his own.

It was far too tempting to run away again before things became irreversible. He asked himself what good he was doing by reentering the Mafia. He asked himself what purpose he was serving by even existing. Only one thing kept his feet walking toward the closest bar instead of the docks. That thing was Hibari. It was just a spark, but he'd relit the fire in him. The path that he was on was painful, but there were positives to go with the negatives. It might be too late to be Vongola the Tenth, but he could still rekindle Vongola's Dying Will. He still had a chance to see his Family full of life and passion. There was still hope.

With that thought fortifying him, he stepped into the bar with the intent to settle himself in with a beer before calling Xanxus to see if he still wanted to join him for a drink. A glance around the place made his heart stop while he cursed his luck. Across the room, his eyes locked with one man in particular and all Tsuna could do was to grin as the shock of recognition crossed his expression. Timing his draw to match, men and women jumped for cover as Tsuna entered a standoff that gave him déjà vu.

"What the hell, man," Longchamp gasped with a wild look of disbelief in his eyes. "You can't be here. You were dead!"

"I think you're confusing me with someone else, Tomaso," Tsuna replied carefully. "My name is Van Wolfe of the Carter Family. If you'll lower your weapon, I'll buy you a drink and we can talk about this."

"Put your gun down, Naito," Neve said from her calm seat at their table. "Van Wolfe is an old friend of mine. I'd be quite upset if you were to put a hole in him and Adie would be even angrier. You might say that he's a trillion dollar man with how angry Adie would be." Longchamp's revolver immediately pointed up toward the ceiling and Tsuna grinned as he slowly put his own gun away. Money wasn't something that Naito could play around with, considering how many times his Family had been forced to rebuild in the past. The threat of Adie pulling her financial backing for a single man was more serious than anything else that could be thrown at the man.

Silently, Tsuna went to join them while Longchamp grudgingly put his gun away. Stealing one of Longchamp's subordinates' seats, he placed himself between Neve and Pantera. It wasn't the most comfortable place to be since it put him directly across from Longchamp, but he didn't have much choice. Longchamp recognized him, which quickly made Tsuna realize a pattern. Those who recognized them were those who never had an idealized version of who he was.

Reborn, his tutor, knew him more intimately than any lover. Longchamp, his rival, had to know the real him in order to compete. Out of everyone around him, so far only those two had no expectations of him and were willing to accept the man standing in front of them. It was no wonder that his wife and even his son didn't make the connection. They were looking for someone that they wanted him to be instead of who he really was.

Longchamp's eyes stayed riveted and narrowed in on him while he ordered a round of drinks. His eye twitched in suspicion when Tsuna ordered himself a glass of V Special. He made the order on purpose, though, to silently confirm what Longchamp already knew. None of them spoke while the rest of the bar righted itself. Tsuna and Longchamp continued to silently stare daggers at each other while the hum of conversation around them rose to a comfortable enough level that even the eavesdroppers would have difficulty hearing. Even then, Tsuna sipped his drink carefully and they began to converse with their eyes instead of voices.

_Confusion. How?_ Longchamp's eyes asked.

_Flinch. Pain. It hurts to answer_, Tsuna's eyes replied.

_Askance. Why now?_

_Longing. I want to come home._

_Welcome. Sympathy. We missed you_, Longchamp's eyes said.

_Guilt. It's not that easy,_ Tsuna's eyes objected.

_Understanding. Your Family moved on without you._

_Sadness._

Longchamp's hand crossed the table and Tsuna smiled softly at the supporting pressure against his own. It was an offer of help. Tsuna nodded ever-so-slightly in acceptance. It wasn't in his plan, but he could use all the help that he could get. Longchamp didn't need to be told to keep quiet. Tsuna's introduction under a different name had done that much. Longchamp was his rival, but he was also one of the best friends that a Mafia Boss could ask for.

Pulling a blank card and a pen out of his coat, he quickly scrawled the time and place that Lord Nephriam tentatively planned to bring everyone together for him. Tsuna gave Longchamp a deep stare as he handed it over. He was to come alone if he wanted answers. Longchamp nodded, looked at the information, and immediately pulled out a lighter to set it on fire. Finishing off his drink while it turned to ash, Tsuna turned to Neve with a knowing smile.

"You better not be late," she grumbled in confirmation that he could still claim the invitation to Hotaru's party. Leaning over, Tsuna gave her a kiss on the cheek in gratitude. Tipping his hat to Longchamp and Pantera, he stood and left before someone decided to be impatient. Once he was outside again, he put his feet back on the path to the hotel and hung his head in defeat. The best laid plans that he could come up with were already crumbling. Whether any of it could be salvaged depended on luck and the way that the wind was blowing.


	102. Chapter 102 Stormfront

﻿Xanxus finally understood what he needed for his weapon. It was only pure luck that he got to see Lord Nephriam's weapon a second time and finally understood. The paper that Lord Nephriam's cards were made of was still living. The rivulets of life energy in it was fed and reenergized with Lord Nephriam's aura. The paper was just a medium, like blood or any other living organism. It was the life energy itself that was the weapon. For Lord Nephriam, the reason that it could stop motes in its tracks wasn't because it hurt the creature, but because it was infused with the emotions and specific energies that the mote fed from. By being infused with Lord Nephriam's energy, it also created a connection with the mote that Lord Nephriam could trace and use to feed from in return.

That wasn't Xanxus' way, however. Now that he knew the method, he was creating his own weapons with his own ideas. He didn't do the chasing, so instead he created weapons that would trap the motes. It'd taken nearly a week to find the tools that he needed, but he had them now. The first of his new weapons was a simple jar of fresh sunflower seeds. At the moment, it was hanging from his waist in a silk pouch to keep it from attracting anything to it. In the seeds, he'd taken pains to infuse the best energy that he could offer so that it would be tempting bait. Motes that were evolved enough to desire power would be drawn in like a moth to a flame. It would be both a lure to get them into his range and a distraction to keep them still while he fed. The second weapon was a smoke grenade that exploded with the best powdered incense that he could find. Again, he'd infused it with his energy, but with a different intent from the sunflower seeds. For this weapon, his desire was to subdue the targeted mote by surrounding it with energy that was inedible because of its high density. It was the equivalent of making a net with no holes.

Now all he had to do was to test them to see if they worked. For that reason, he had two sets of orders in his coat that'd been given to him from Lord Nephriam directly. The first sent him to the House of Mirrors in the amusement park. There was a mote there that was creating havoc with the customers. It moved too quickly for human exorcists to catch it and Lord Nephriam delayed his plans to personally deal with it in order to let Xanxus have a shot.

Xanxus wouldn't be made a fool of twice.

Surveying the location from the outside, there was nothing to suggest that the place was being haunted. Even to his eyes, the building seemed just as calm as the one next to it. He didn't get any inkling of trouble until he stepped up to the entrance and was immediately pulled away. He wasn't pulled away by a mote however, but instead by a frantic attendant wearing the park's uniform.

"I'm sorry, sir," the man gasped. "This attraction is closed for today. I--" Xanxus pulled the scroll of orders out of his pocket and tossed it into the man's hands. He looked confused for several moments while he read through the parchment until he finally looked up at Xanxus in amazement. "You're an exorcist? A real one and not one of those phonies?"

"Now that you know, get the fuck out of my way," Xanxus growled as he once more headed for the door. This time, no one stopped him, although the attendant followed for several steps in awe. Once inside, Xanxus felt his nerves start to twitch in warning. There was definitely something there, although it was evolved enough to hide itself. Checking out the mirrors one at a time, his first glimpse of his target was of a shadow racing along behind his reflection.

Spinning around, there was predictably nothing behind him. Looking back into the mirror, he waited several more minutes until it was obvious that the mote wasn't going to reveal itself twice to the same person in the same reflection. Therefore, Xanxus went to the next mirror and waited. Once more, the shadow raced past too quickly for him to identify it. Xanxus had enough information to figure out what was going on, though. The mirrors were acting as a medium to allow regular people to see it. Also, the mote wanted to be noticed, but not caught. Although it was scaring the people who noticed it, it wasn't harmful. It was just playing hide-and-seek and it fed off of the curiosity of those who tried to find it.

Knowing that, he pulled out his jar of seeds, opened the lid, and carefully held it out so that it was the only thing reflecting in the next mirror. Then he waited. After five minutes passed and he didn't see any mote coming from his side, he carefully peeked into the reflection. Immediately, he caught sight of a child-like ghost hovering over the jar and sticking its hand inside as if it were sticking its hand into a pot of honey. Moving by instinct, Xanxus placed his free hand so that the reflection was lightly touching the motes' back. A tingling sensation ran up his hand once the reflections made contact, telling him that he'd made the needed connection.

The mote, intent on the sweet offerings in his jar, didn't move an inch while he vamped its energy until it was the size of a pebble. He wasn't positive of the success until he covered the jar and put it back into his silk pouch. The mote was back to being a passive bit of residual energy, though. Even with his lure out of reach, the mote didn't try to escape his touch. It stayed in place, looking like nothing more than a smudged stain on the mirror's surface.

Satisfied that his work was done without a single thing being broken, Xanxus headed back to the exit to find a crowd of amusement park workers waiting in interest. Xanxus ignored them all, focusing only on the attendant that he'd handed his orders over to.

"It's taken care of," he said simply. "There's a smudge on the fifth mirror to the left. Don't bother replacing it. Any mirror that you put there will have the same smudge. When it grows to be the size of your hand, send to the Carter Family for another exorcist."

"Can't you get rid of it?" The man asked worriedly.

"I can," Xanxus confirmed. "But I won't."

"What was it?" A female attendant called curiously. "Was it a ghost?"

"Something like that," he nodded as he started walking toward his next assignment. "Some brat wanted to play hide-and-seek with the fucking mirrors." Ignoring the other questions that were sent after him, Xanxus headed in the direction of the park where there were numerous reports of stalker-like activity. People could feel eyes on them, but were unable to figure out where it was coming from. Previous exorcists had reported that the eyes were coming from a nearby statue, but all attempts to rid the area of the watching energy were fruitless.

Xanxus could see why as soon as he reached the location. Cheri was already there, trying out her new bo staff and failing miserably. She paused to catch her breath when she noticed him and Xanxus slowly walked forward to join her while inspecting the target. It wasn't the statue itself, however. It was actually a flock of pigeon motes and Xanxus decided not to question how or why they were there. All that mattered was that they didn't have a pleasant aura about them. Rather, they looked ready to attack at any moment.

"I'm getting nowhere," Cheri panted. "The bastards are fast. If they peck you, the area tingles, but that's it. After that, they just return to their perch and sit there until something startles them. The problem is that it's a collective mote. All the birds come from the same one and they multiply. I took out three, but another three replaced them. Even Lord Nephriam said that he had problems with this one, which is why he thought we should tag-team it. One to flush them out and the other to strike. Either way, we need to hurry. Those people over on the benches looked like they were calling for security a few minutes ago."

"No need," Xanxus replied with a grin. It was the perfect situation to test out his smoke grenade. Gesturing for Cheri to follow him out of the blast range, he waited until the area was clear in order to pull the pin and toss it. Cheri choked in surprise, thinking that it was a shrapnel grenade, but the hiss and cloud of incense laced smoke that rose up made her murmur in consideration.

"If those work, I want the blueprints," she commented as the cloud began to settle.

"I'll email them to you," he promised absently. "I've got several other things that I'm working on, but this and my seed pot is the first of my finished tools. If you can tell me what metal will resonate with a mote, I've got an idea for making a set of bells as lures. I don't plan to waste my time searching alleyways like we did our first week."

"And here I was, focusing on ways to hit them without getting close enough to be touched," she sighed in disappointment. "I'm going to have to completely rethink my weaponry. A staff is good, but I like your grenades better."

"That's if they work," he said, tossing his head to tell her to attack. The smoke was gone, but the entire area was dusted with fresh incense. Cheri nodded in acceptance of his cue and slowly approached the statue again. The flock of birds was still in place on top of it, which Xanxus considered to be a good sign that the smoke caught them without triggering them. Even better was when they were unable to move to dodge Cheri's weapon of choice. As soon as Cheri's staff crashed through them, their energy was sucked inside and down the staff into Cheri herself. The result was a puff of smoke as the energy in the incense surrounding the mote had nothing left to hold onto. One by one, she hit them all until she'd eaten the entire flock and Xanxus grinned in self-satisfaction once the only thing left was the incense that would be washed away with the next rain.

"Nice," Cheri said in admiration. "I'll report back to Lord Nephriam for you. You're not bad at making weapons. I wouldn't be surprised if Lord Nephriam asks you to give up field duty to focus on extending our arsenal."

"Hmph," he scoffed. "That brat would probably say that the tools should be unique to the owner."

"Let me work on Lord Nephriam," she replied as she slipped her staff into the sheath on her back. "Not all of us are creative types. If your weapons can get the job done easier, I'll be damned if I use some half-assed method of my own. We can be a research team, which is right up Lord Nephriam's alley, too. I can look for methods already in use and you can create new ones while Van Wolfe is doing his own thing. It'll be an excuse to keep us from wasting time with patrols and Lord Nephriam can claim that he's looking for a way to make work easier for our kind."

"I'll leave it up to you," Xanxus shrugged. "I've got my own shit to deal with, so whatever takes less time to deal with the motes is fine with me. Let's just move before the fucking security gets here."

Going their separate ways, Xanxus walked aimlessly for several minutes while he tried to decide what to do. Both assignments had taken far less time than he expected and Tsuna didn't need him until noon. Sparring was out of the question unless there was the cover of darkness and video games didn't have the appeal that they once did. Amusement parks, window shopping, and sunbathing weren't really his thing, either. That only left him with one option to kill time.

The old Xanxus would have had no qualms in going into a bar before noon. The new him wanted to be the old him, but he wasn't in the mood to drink. In the past few years, he'd learned to hate drinking alone. Actually, he'd hated it ever since he'd been told that Tsuna was lost at sea. It always came back to that brat, although it wasn't really fitting to call him a brat anymore. Xanxus knew what few others did. Underneath the skin, Tsuna was hitting forty instead of thirty. Tsuna's body had spent ten extra years in the past, under control of a Black Salamander. Xanxus, too, had spent ten years in Zero Point Flame. That meant that he and Tsuna were about the same age now and they'd both lost ten years of experience.

For the first time in his life, Xanxus could feel his age. He was still fit and his bones weren't creaking yet, but he knew that he was slowly getting closer to that time. Most hitmen didn't live to see thirty, but both Tsuna and himself was still around. The rest of his life could have been spent obliviously following Tsuna around, but Tsuna had done the one thing that no one should. He'd unintentionally made Xanxus face his sole regret. That regret was the pathetic end to a life-long career in the Varia. He'd always thought that a bullet would be the end, not the slow decay into feeble helplessness.

Tsuna had made him realize that it wasn't the end yet. He could still change things. Being turned into a vampire gave him all the time that he needed, but the Varia that he knew was still getting older. They were still aging past their prime at an exponentially faster rate than himself. If he was going to face them and come out in one piece, he couldn't afford distractions. He had to do it with his Dying Will and being around Tsuna made him far too soft.

The problem was remembering what he'd once been like. The problem was reclaiming his lost power without forgetting the lessons that he'd learned since losing it. He'd regained his Flames, but it was his private shame that they still weren't equal to his old level. Being at peace with his life didn't allow him the same depths of Wrath that he'd once laid claim to. Even worse, all of his attempts to anger himself made him feel like he was posturing and acting in a bad play. At this rate, his reservoir of power wouldn't be large enough to sustain him in combat. Considering that he had to feed to refill it, the size of his reservoir could mean the difference between a win and a defeat. And a defeat would ruin him for good. He only had one chance to do this right.

Maybe he'd have that drink after all.

* * *

Xanxus reeked of alcohol, but Tsuna wasn't going to ask why. He had other things to worry about. Nodding in appreciation to Cheri for guarding the hallway, Tsuna started walking down the long, concrete corridor toward the meeting place. It felt rushed and far too early for this meeting to have come, but it was too late to reschedule. It was now too late to turn back. Above them, Tsuna could hear the cheers from the crowds watching the Bovino's bullfighting rodeo event in the arena.

He'd watched carefully from the audience while one after another of his guests had slipped down into the marked corridor towards the unused dressing room that had been reserved for him. Lord Nephriam had gone first, holding a Cervello's hand like she was his mother. Then Reborn had come in disguise, wearing a sombrero, poncho, and a bushy mustache that Tsuna could only roll his eyes at. After that had been Basil, dressed like a regular tourist in a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops. The next to go in had been someone that he didn't recognize, whom he assumed was either Kiyoshi or Chrome covered in illusion. Finally, Longchamp had entered, doing a bad imitation of a sneaking assassin and bringing more attention to himself than Tsuna liked.

Since Pink never left her bar, all that was left was for Tsuna himself to join the party and he did by bursting through the dressing room's double doors with a speed that made the hitmen in the room jump to their feet. He looked at them one at a time, taking in both their suspicion and their hope, before smiling softly over the fact that they'd all come.

"I'm starting to remember what home feels like," Tsuna said quietly to break the ice.

"Tenth...?" Basil mumbled in a trembling voice. "Is that really you?" In reply, Tsuna glanced over at Lord Nephriam in askance.

"You can talk freely," Lord Nephriam soothed while he held up a manual bug scanner. "The room is clean and so are the people in it. I'd say we have half an hour before anyone comes near this place and everyone's already been sworn to silence." Tsuna nodded slowly in acceptance and glanced at Xanxus to see if he was ready. Xanxus gave his silent confirmation, sending both of them for their masks.

"I said that I wouldn't do this until a miracle happened," Tsuna said while he slowly pulled the mask from the glue binding it to his face. It took a moment of work, but it finally came loose with a pop that was echoed by Xanxus. "I'd say that it's a miracle that you came and a miracle that you recognized me." Lowering the mask, Basil gasped and the rest of his guests stared in shock. Even Reborn showed a moment of surprise, although it was entirely focused on Xanxus.

"You were dead," Reborn said tonelessly. "I checked personally before we buried you."

"Death can't fucking stop me," Xanxus growled with a vindictive smile.

"That means..."

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed quietly. "You found me before, Reborn. I know that you recognized me, but you still had doubts. Here is the reason why." Pulling his sword out of the pouch at his back, every eye in the room settled on the Flame-etched sheath. The rainbow explained in seconds what would've taken hours to tell them. "Dango," he whispered, calling them out to join the party. One by one, the six Salamanders were released and Tsuna carefully watched the expressions around him to ensure that they understood. "I'm not the Sky anymore," he said carefully. "It probably first started when I was held captive by Ari. To survive, I had to split my Flame and use the pieces to hold myself in this world. I unbalanced myself and it only got worse after I returned to my body. The good news is that Ari is gone for good. I succeeded in that much. The bad news is that I'm still missing pieces of myself. Mukuro-sa..." Tsuna growled at himself for the slip, but forced himself to continue.

"Mukuro has been gathering the fragments for me during the past eight years. It's taken this long for this much of myself to come back. I'm still not whole. I might never be whole again, but I'm still here. It might sound strange after how many years I spent fighting my place as Vongola the Tenth, but I want my Family back. I'm not asking to take over as Boss. Revealing myself as I am would only tear the Family apart and I would not usurp my own son. All that I ask is that I be allowed to build a place where I can protect them with what little power I have now. To do that, I need people who will help me without betraying me. That is why I've called you all here."

"Vongola Jyuudaime," the Cervello said formally. She stepped forward and Tsuna felt his hand tremble when she knelt to kiss the ring that he no longer had. "We've been waiting."

"I know," Tsuna whispered with a glance over at where the illusionist was still hiding under a false face. "These are my last orders to you, Cervello. I want Mukuro freed and turned into the custody of Chrome until he recovers from his confinement. He will find me on his own after that. Once you have completed my request, you must go to my heir and kneel. Vongola is his now and the Cervello with it. I'll ask that you not mention me or anything regarding me, but I trust that you will find the right path to follow on your own."

"As you command, Tenth," the Cervello agreed before rising to her feet. Pulling a scroll out of her belt and offering it to him, Tsuna carefully accepted it in order to find that they'd predicted his orders. All that was missing was his signature and the seal of a Dying Will Flame to make the orders to the Vendiche prison complete. "For it to be accepted, the Flame must be Sky."

"I know," Tsuna nodded. Walking over to one of the tables pushed against the wall, Tsuna pulled up a seat and carefully spread the orders out. Taking the pen that the Cervello offered, the signature was easily dealt with. His handwriting was slightly different than what it had once been, but he thought that it was close enough to pass. Then came the difficult part. He had to somehow balance his Flame enough to make the seal.

Holding his finger up, he concentrated everything that he had into creating a Delving Flame. He was sweating from trying to keep control of his Flame and it still burst free on his head before the Delving Flame flickered to life.

"Van," Lord Nephriam hissed in warning.

"I know," Tsuna snapped, gritting his teeth in frustration while the Delving Flame on his hand flickered from one color to another. Gripping his wrist with his free hand, he tried to smooth out the fluctuations in his Flame before it reached his finger. At one point, he smothered the Delving Flame completely and tried pulling out one Flame at a time. First, the Storm Flame. Then the Rain. By the time that he got to the third, Lord Nephriam was on his feet and preparing himself to intervene if Tsuna went berserk.

"Damnit," Xanxus growled, barreling through the watchers in order to grab Tsuna's arm. At the touch, the Delving Flame flared for a moment as Tsuna lost his concentration, but it slowly stopped fluctuating while Tsuna felt his energy draining twice as fast. He didn't know how Xanxus was doing it, but his Flame snapped into the orange that he'd been missing for far too long. "Hurry," Xanxus snapped while sweat poured from Tsuna's head due to the effort it was taking to keep the Flame out. Tsuna didn't argue. Carefully, under Xanxus' guidance, he pressed his finger to the parchment's waxy seal and detached the Flame.

As soon as it was done, the Cervello snatched the parchment up and rolled it into a tight cylinder. The woman didn't waste time once she had it. Before Tsuna could even collapse back into his seat, she was already rushing out of the room with the illusionist following her. However, Tsuna had other things to worry about than the Cervello's impatience. With Xanxus' help, he retrieved a booster pill from his belt and washed it down with a long drink from his flask. Even then, the booster pill didn't take effect immediately and he momentarily blacked out as soon as his Flame died.

When he woke again, his mask was already glued back in place and Xanxus was wrapping up the last of the explanations for him. A glance upward gave him a bit of a shock when he realized that he was laid out with his head in Basil's lap. He also didn't want to tell anyone that he was awake considering how gently Basil was stroking his hair. It was warm, just as Family should be. It made it so that he didn't want to go back into hiding, even though he knew that he didn't have a choice.

"That's wild!" Longchamp exclaimed with a long-awaited burst of enthusiasm. "I always knew that he was crazy, but not that kind of crazy!"

"It's not something to laugh about," Tsuna interjected as he slowly forced himself to sit up. "It took me years to piece this much of myself back together and I'm still unbalanced. Until Mukuro is free, there's still a chance that I can revert."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Xanxus interrupted before any of the others could speak. "You didn't tell me about this."

"I didn't want to worry you," Tsuna replied with a small, tired smile. Pulling his flask off his belt, he carefully sipped on it while he continued. "It's rare, but I occasionally get mood swings when one part of my Flame gets too strong. You could say that my personalities are still at war, even though there's only one of me here now. I've been able to keep it from being noticeable, but..." Tsuna paused in the middle of a drink, seeing a flash of emotion cross Xanxus' face. If it were any other emotion, Tsuna would have let it pass. With this one, he jumped to his feet and sent his fist across Xanxus' jaw. The action made the others in the room take a step backward in surprise, but Tsuna could see it in Xanxus' eyes that he understood his mistake. Xanxus wasn't in a position to pity anyone. "Look at me like that again and I'll fill you full of so many holes that it'll take you another year to come back," Tsuna warned. "It's my problem to deal with. Understood?"

"Ah," Xanxus agreed with an angry gleam in his eyes for having been hit. Nodding in satisfaction, Tsuna recapped his flask, stashed it back onto his belt, and turned to face his assembled team.

"We're short on time and you've all gotten as much proof as I can give you," he stated in a formal tone. "I won't ask that any of you make sacrifices for me or put yourselves in any awkward positions. All I need right now are contacts. People and places where I can go to get information without putting any of your loyalties on the line. Beggars can't be choosers and I'm perfectly willing to accept whatever you can send my way, but I don't want any of you to go deeper than that. Investigate me and my past all that you want, just make sure that the knowledge of my identity goes no further than this room. I'm trusting _you_, not your Families, subordinates, or affiliates. If any of you betray me, it will be the last time that you ever see me."

"Is that a threat?" Reborn asked calmly.

"I think you know the answer to that," Tsuna replied as he turned to head for the door. "You know where to find me when you make up your mind."

* * *

Dino Cavallone accepted a glass of wine from a passing waiter and tried not to laugh at his surroundings. Five steps into the fray, he could tell that someone other than Hotaru had planned this party. Hotaru would never plan a garden social for himself. He was more of the beachfront bonfire type, but his party planners never seemed to catch on to that. It was also far too obvious that someone had planned this for the women nipping at Hotaru's heels instead of for Hotaru himself. Dino could tell since Hotaru was surrounded by women.

At least Hotaru was handling it well. He looked poised and confident, just like a Boss should. He also seemed to be enjoying himself even with all the attempts to--

Dino choked on his drink as he watched Hotaru pour his glass of wine out onto the top of one woman's head. The woman's eyes bulged and the rest of the group shrieked in disbelief at the insult. Hotaru was too far away for Dino to hear him, but he said something that couldn't be pleasant before disengaging himself from the fray. With a wide smile, Hotaru caught Dino's eye once he was free and carelessly walked over to join him.

"What was that?!" Dino spluttered while another server quickly brought Hotaru another glass of wine. Hotaru tossed his head in invitation and they quietly started walking together while Dino repeatedly tossed glances back at the group of women behind him.

"They didn't seem to understand the meaning of no," Hotaru finally shrugged. "I told them that I'd rather marry a cow than any of them since I'd get more use out of it, but they still wouldn't back off. That one in the blue dress insinuated that my announcement about Hattori was little more than a practical joke, so I decided to personally show her my style of humor. I think that she took the _punch _line rather well. Don't you?"

"Taru-kun..." Dino groaned.

"Don't worry," he chuckled. "I can deal with the backlash from their patrons a lot easier than I can deal with them. I might have to pay off a few, but it'll still be less of a headache in the long run." Dino paused for a moment in consideration and found that he had to agree. Mafia men weren't supposed to make ladies cry, but none of the women chasing Hotaru could honestly be called ladies. They were more like whores in fancy dresses with how they acted like Hotaru was the big ticket.

While they walked around the garden paths to greet those already in the midst of celebrating, they talked about the typical things that two Bosses could talk about while they walked through the grounds. It started with the state of their families and went into the state of their Families. Then it diverted into business prospects and market earnings. In some ways, it felt like he was talking to a younger and overly-serious Tsuna, although he'd never let Hotaru know that.

"Oh," Dino exclaimed as he patted down his jacket to find the envelope with Hotaru's gift in it. "I know that it's late, but I got you something."

"You didn't have to," he replied with a pained expression.

"Don't give me that look," Dino chuckled as he handed it over. "It's not a competition this year, so I was careful in what I picked out." Hotaru's expression didn't brighten up any, although it did become confused when he opened the envelope and pulled out the credit card and papers that were inside. "It's a fake identity," Dino explained quickly. "In case you ever feel like going out on your own. You're sixteen now, so you're old enough to tell your bodyguards to take a hike for... uh... personal reasons. This will come in handy whether you want to do go shopping to relax or if you want to have a private date with no one watching. How do you like it?"

"I love it," Hotaru said in open surprise. "What's the limit on the credit card?"

"No limit," Dino grinned. "But you'll have to pay me back for anything past the first five grand." Taking pleasure from seeing Hotaru happy, Dino watched while he perused the documents to learn his new personal information. If it'd come from someone inside his Family, Hotaru would have been too suspicious to use it. With the identity coming from Dino, he trusted that no one would keep tabs on where he went under the alias. Dino knew from personal experience that freedom was the only gift that would really make someone in Hotaru's position happy. He also knew that there were limits to how much they were allowed. This was just under the limit without crossing the line. "Just don't use it to run away," Dino warned with a grin. "Your mother would kill me."

"Why would I run away?" Hotaru asked, looking up with a confused expression. Dino shook his head at the innocent response and gestured for them to continue walking. Hotaru really was born and bred as a Vongola. He was like a fettered bird that didn't realize how caged he was simply because his cage wasn't visible. Sure. He felt the bars at times, but he'd grown so accustomed to them that they brought feelings of comfort instead of confinement. Dino couldn't imagine himself in the same position. He'd fought tooth and nail during his youth in attempts to find freedom from his destiny and Tsuna had been the same. Dino supposed that it was the different outlook that was the cause for Hotaru's favor toward the Tomaso Family. Naito had accepted his lot in life far easier than anyone else of Dino's generation of Bosses, just like Hotaru had.

Thinking of him seemed to summon him and Hotaru's face lit up at the sight of Longchamp coming to greet them with the flamboyance that he preferred to display. Dino just smiled and tipped his glass in the man's direction, allowing himself to fade into the background while Longchamp began a conversation about the latest breaks in the porn industry. The saddening part was that Hotaru was able to hold up his end.

Thankfully, Hotaru was able to turn the conversation to more acceptable topics by the time that the garden path brought them to the center of the festivities. A cheer went up from the attendees and Dino watched as Hotaru planted a smile on his face. Separating himself from the group before the party-goers could descend, Dino caught a glimpse of something incredibly odd. When Longchamp's attention was taken from Hotaru, he looked incredibly worried about something. It was the same look that Dino had seen in many Bosses' eyes when they knew that a hit had been placed on them. Longchamp was looking for an enemy, which was unbelievable at an event as secure as Hotaru's birthday party.

Knowing that Romario was within a mile, Dino used his best skills to slip over to Longchamp's side. Longchamp flinched slightly when Dino nailed him with a concerned look and they silently pulled away while Hotaru was distracted with Family. Once they were back down the garden path far enough to keep from being overheard, Dino got straight to the point.

"Who's after you?"

"Huh?" Longchamp gasped in honest surprise. "No, no," he snorted while hurriedly waving away Dino's assumptions. "It's nothing like that! There's just someone that's supposed to be here and I'm a little nervous. He's... uh..."

"An old friend." Dino glanced up to see the new Don Girarde Tutor, Van Wolfe, walking down the path. Dino recognized him simply from the white cowboy outfit that he was becoming famous for. Knowing how formidable he was painted by rumors, Dino nodded at Longchamp in understanding. Then he froze and his wine glass tumbled out of hand as recognition hit him. Slowly turning back to Van Wolfe a second time, he felt as if he'd been hit by a truck. "Do me a favor and play along," Tsuna said with a smirk as he passed by. By the time that the words hit him, Tsuna was gone and Dino was unsure if he'd seen a ghost or a person that he should chase after.

"See why I was nervous?" Longchamp chuckled.

"Hotaru--" Dino gasped, immediately turning to head back for the party. At least, that was his intention until Longchamp reached out to stop him with a firm grip on his arm.

"Don't," he said with an incredibly serious expression on his face. "You and me know him, but his Family... He's just Van Wolfe to them. If you want to help him, do what he asks and play along."

"Hotaru will never forgive us if he finds out," Dino replied with his gut telling him the right thing to do.

"This isn't any of our business, Cavallone," Longchamp said firmly. "This is for Vongola to deal with internally. If it wasn't, I would have already tore that stupid mask off and been done with it. Even Reborn is keeping his hands to himself on this one, so follow someone else's lead for once in your life."

"Alright," Dino hissed, tearing his arm out of Longchamp's grip. Holding up a finger in warning, he stopped any further conversations with his own decision. "I'll stay quiet, but I'll be damned if I leave him alone."

Not giving time for Longchamp to argue, Dino darted down the path and slipped back into the party as if he'd never left. Within seconds, he had a fresh glass of wine in hand and a smile plastered on his face despite how tense he felt. He even entered into a meaningless conversation with some woman that he didn't know while skillfully positioning her so that he could keep "Van Wolfe" in his sights.

It didn't take long to realize that most of the people present were completely oblivious to the fact that Tsuna was walking around the same garden as them. It also didn't take long to realize that he also shouldn't have been able to recognize Tsuna. Everything about him had changed, but Dino knew to trust his instincts. It was undeniably, but also unbelievably, Tsuna. He'd grown taller and his hair had grown out. His manner and the way that he carried himself were different. His speech was rougher but his movements were sharper. It reminded Dino of Reborn in a way. This was a Tsuna that had experienced the world and had learned the hard lessons of life while dismissing the meaningless nonsense of 'polite society'.

"He reminds me more and more of the First," a voice said into his ear, making Dino leap out of his skin from surprise. Glancing back at him, his fake conversation partner ambled away to make room for Reborn to step forward into the empty space. "The First Boss went through a lot to create Vongola. Van Wolfe has experienced something similar while he's been... in hiding."

"Is that what you call it?" Dino hissed. "In hiding?"

"He wasn't found, was he?" Reborn retorted with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "Don't worry, Dino. I don't plan to let him get away a second time, so there's no harm in letting him do things his way."

Hearing Reborn's intent, Dino was finally able to relax again. He was also finally able to understand why Tsuna was wearing a fox mask of all things. It was a silent challenge to those that recognized him. Foxes were difficult creatures to hunt. They were cunning and sneaky little devils that could slip through any weakness that a defense had. Unlike rabbits, they reacted carefully when frightened rather than fleeing blindly. Even if dogs were unleashed on them, foxes always had a back way out. Tsuna was telling them that they could try to catch him, but he'd just slip out of their grasp once the hunt started.

Noticing that made him start paying attention to what else was being said without words. The first was how much Tsuna wanted to reach out and hold both Hotaru and Haru. Dino could tell from how his restrained actions around the two. There wasn't a single unnecessary movement around them and he kept his hands in his coat pockets as much as he could. The second was that Haru, Hotaru, and the rest of the Family were just like how Longchamp warned they would be. None of them recognized Tsuna at all. Dino had no clue how he could face his wife without feeling bitter about the whole thing, but Tsuna managed with a flawless and winning smile.

After that, Dino noticed that there was something going on between Tsuna and the woman hanging around Longchamp. Tsuna acted completely opposite when he was with her, touching and gesturing freely than while he mingled with the guests. She had to be his patron or a contact of some sort, assuming Dino wasn't completely off the mark. Tsuna was also playing his role as tutor to the fullest, making no mistakes that could jeopardize his position. It wasn't just that he was pretending to be someone named Van Wolfe. He _was _Van Wolfe.

Seeing that sent a chill down his spine. Tsuna wasn't doing anything to jog people's memories or create a connection. It slowly dawned on Dino that Tsuna wasn't trying to come back as the Tenth. No matter how long Dino waited for Tsuna to tear off his mask and exclaim 'I'm back', Tsuna wasn't going to ever do it. The bastard planned to make his comeback as Van Wolfe and _only _Van Wolfe. It made Dino want to walk over, shake him, and ask him what he was planning by coming back in this way!

'Tsuna' openly walking into the party with a present in hand for his 'son' was all it took to understand. The Tsuna that Vongola had been parading around was a fake. Now that he thought about it, it was odd for Tsuna to have allowed himself to quietly be pushed aside. Dino had accepted his memory loss as the reason, but the whole situation stunk of forgery now that Dino knew where to look. Seeing how Vongola had treated the forgery in the belief that it was the real thing was also unacceptable. There was no way that the real Tsuna would be happy with just holiday visitations and social appearances. He'd want to be in the middle of things, but the sad truth was that there was no place in Vongola for him anymore.

And a Tutor could go anywhere.

"I think I've had too much wine," Dino mumbled from the queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Handing his empty glass, he absently asked Reborn to make his excuses and stumbled towards the garden's exit. Once free of the artificial surroundings, he put his feet on the path toward his hotel with every intention to lay his head down for several hours before he had a meltdown on Tsuna's behalf.

* * *

"It's not much, but Happy Birthday," Tsuna said with a crooked smile. Hotaru stared blankly at the gift in Tsuna's hands while several onlookers chuckled at Tsuna's apparent naivety. Tsuna wasn't being naive, though. He'd thought long and hard about what to get his son and this was what he'd come up with. It might look like a cheap origami crane, but it would eventually be a clue. Hotaru wouldn't understand today or even in a month, but he'd understand when the time was right. "Go ahead," Tsuna said, snatching up Hotaru's hand to drop the small crane into it. "They say that if you make a thousand of these while wishing for the same thing, your wish will come true."

"Interesting," Hotaru said with an amused expression. "So I guess that means that I'll be a thousand years old by the time that I get enough to fill the order."

"We might be able to manage something sooner," Tsuna smirked. "Just hold onto that. They say that good things come to those who wait."

"So you're not just a tutor, you're a wise man, too," Hotaru mocked. Tsuna kept his smile in place, even after seeing how ungrateful his son could be. He couldn't say that he didn't expect it, though. Hotaru could have anything that he wanted, so something like a paper crane was a joke to him.

"True wisdom is knowing how much you have left to learn," Tsuna replied seriously. The words struck a nerve which Tsuna could tell with how quickly Hotaru's smile was wiped away.

"In that case, I'm wiser now than I will be after a thousand years of experience," Hotaru retorted, stuffing the crane into his pocket. "If you'll excuse me, I have other guests to attend to." Tsuna didn't stop him as Hotaru turned and headed toward another group of attendees. The clue was in place. Even if Hotaru didn't keep that specific crane, the memory was there and that would be enough for Tsuna to work with in the future.

He did have to admit that Hotaru was far more cautious than Tsuna would have been in the same circumstances. He'd figured that his son would chase him endlessly after being told that he knew his father's location. Hotaru wasn't, though. Tsuna got a sense that he was thinking deeply about what he'd been told while also waiting patiently for background reports to start rolling in. Despite how it went against his judgment as a father, the Boss side of him had to give Hotaru credit for his composure. It definitely had to be Hibari's guidance that had given him such discipline, which made Tsuna realize how much he owed the man for taking care of his son for all of these years. He'd thought that Gokudera or Yamamoto would step in for that capacity, but it looked like both of them had their thoughts focused too much on their own problems.

Tsuna froze in place with a dumbfounded look on his face when he realized a major problem. Namely, that he was at Hotaru's birthday party and the step-father himself had just stepped into the main area. Their eyes locked immediately and Tsuna could do nothing other than give a dumb smile in shock. That was, he smiled up until Hibari's tonfa flew toward his head. Tsuna took it as a hint that Hibari was still angry.

Seeing that there were people standing behind him, he decided not to dodge the attack. Dropping his glass of wine to free his hands, he reached up to snatch the weapon out of the air and reflexively snapped it back in Hibari's direction before he could control himself. Tsuna choked and reached out to stop it, but it was already too late. He threw it too fast and his aim was woefully good. It went right past Hibari's counter attempt to catch it and smacked him in the head hard enough to drop him to his knees.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry," Tsuna spluttered, holding out his hands as if he could stave off Hibari's wrath. "I really didn't do it on purpose that time!" Tsuna cringed at the glare that Hibari leveled at him, but somehow found himself far more concerned at how Reborn was finding it so damn hard to stifle his laughter. "It's not funny!" Tsuna said, choking on his own laughter as Hibari pulled himself up to his feet. "Someone could have been--"

"I'm going to bite you to death," Hibari growled with his weapons back in hand. Tsuna grimaced, knowing that the threat couldn't be good. Especially not when he could feel his mood shifting in a very bad direction due to how Hibari's scent was slowly permeating the air.

"Isn't being on your knees once good enough for today?" Tsuna asked with an insuppressible grin. "Or do you really think that you're already strong enough to challenge me, Mr. Cloud Guardian?"

"Van..." Reborn called in warning. Tsuna ignored him, feeling incredibly satisfied at how Hibari was still stepping up to the challenge. He probably already had a concussion from the unexpected blow to his head, but-- "Van Wolfe!" Reborn shouted as his fist went across Tsuna's chin. Tsuna blinked in surprise when his head snapped sideways from the impact and he finally noticed the pale faces around him. He'd lost control of his aura, allowing those around him to feel his surge of bloodlust. "Control yourself," Reborn hissed. "I know your intentions, but you forget your surroundings."

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled, suppressing his urges like he should have from the beginning. Doing so didn't stop Hibari from attacking, though. Reborn dodged in just enough time for Tsuna to see the incoming strike and dodge it himself. Quickly putting distance between them, Tsuna traded glances with Reborn in a request for help. Although Hibari was ready for a fight, he was also incredibly unsteady on his feet. He needed a doctor at the moment, not an opponent.

At least, that's what Tsuna intended for him until the party got another unexpected interruption. Aster slid to a stop at the end of one of the garden's paths, putting himself directly in front of Hibari's rush. Tsuna began to leap forward to push him out of the way, but it turned out to be unnecessary. All of his training with Aster on the beach hadn't gone to waste. His servant squatted down at precisely the right time and sent a fist upward, nailing Hibari in the chin. It was one too many unexpected blows to the head for Hibari. The man tumbled over in the midst of his next step, sending him sprawling at Tsuna's feet.

"How pathetic," Tsuna laughed despite himself. "I've been training Aster for less than a month and he beat you." Aster ran over to join them, completely forgetting the reason for coming in shock over what he'd done. He bowed repeatedly over Hibari's fallen body, apologizing profusely amid the shocked mutters of the guests. Tsuna didn't think that Hibari heard a word of it, which was fine as far as Tsuna was concerned. He wasn't dead and he'd recover. It was just another blow to his pride that would spur him even faster to greatness. "Why have you come?" Tsuna asked, turning his full attention to his servant. "I thought I told you to wait for me at the hotel."

"Oh!" Aster spluttered, instantly kneeling down in order to hold up a sealed envelope. "An urgent message from Lord Nephriam. I was told to bring it to you immediately, Master." Worried, since Tsuna knew that Lord Nephriam was aware of both his location and the importance of him being here, Tsuna snatched it from Aster's hands and tore it open.

He paled as soon as he read the contents.

"Aster, go pack our things and tell the others to prepare," he ordered. "Go." Aster jumped to his feet and began running, but Tsuna couldn't go after him. Instead, he turned and stepped over Hibari's body in order to cross over directly to Neve. Kneeling down, he silently told her the seriousness of the issue with his formality while offering up the slip of paper for her to read. "Mistress Drake," he intoned. "I must ask that you come with me."

"What's going on here?" Hotaru called in indignation. "First you attack my step-dad and now you're trying to steal my guests. What--"

"Oh _hell _no," Neve exclaimed in a perfect imitation of Gigi in preparation of a fight. Tsuna grimaced, but he couldn't blame her. The news wasn't pleasant. "Someone's going to pay," Neve snarled, clutching the paper in her hands as she started storming towards the exit. Tsuna stood and looked around at the guests while tipping his hat in apology. Then he followed, as he'd been commanded. Of course, it wasn't quite that easy. Not with Reborn in range.

"What's going on," Reborn asked, grabbing Tsuna's arm to stop him.

"You should have let me question the Hunter, Reborn," Tsuna said softly. "The war is here now and I can do nothing to stop it."

"You don't have to go," he replied with a lance of worry going through his eyes.

"I must go," he corrected, bowing his head to keep Reborn from seeing how hard the choice was for him. "They helped me through many difficult times. I can't abandon them now when they have need of me."

"What about the people here who need you?!" Reborn hissed, keeping his grip firm despite Tsuna's attempts to leave. "Are you just going to turn your back on them again?!"

"Reborn," Tsuna whispered. "Don't make this any worse."

"You'll die if you go!" He spat vehemently. At that, Tsuna was able to look up with a smile that made Reborn finally let go in surprise. Reborn understood the smile without a single word having to be spoken. It stated the honest truth.

_It wouldn't be the first time._

Letting out a sharp whistle, the Dango Brothers exploded from the silk pouch on his back as if they'd been waiting. Without having to be told, all six of them hatched and three sped off to protect Neve until he could catch up. The other three began a frantic patrol overhead, showing their agitation in their inability to stay still.

"If you don't hear from me by the New Year, you probably won't," Tsuna commented in parting.

"You're a fool, Van Wolfe," Reborn called after him. Tsuna couldn't look back, even though he agreed. All he could do was to keep walking forward with his head held high. He'd known that it would be like this as soon as he stepped foot back into the Mafia, but he'd hoped for something other than fighting. He bridged too many worlds, though, and he could only protect one at a time. After all, he was only one man.

_Van Wolfe,_

_I know that the timing is disastrous, but war waits for no one. We have  
__received word that Lord Chandler's Sanctuary was attacked by Hunters.  
__Everyone down to the servants were beheaded and staked on the lawn.  
__The building was burned to the ground and the catacombs collapsed.  
__Lord Chandler's body was found one hour ago. His body was in a state  
__that I weep to think about. _

_It is sudden, but I must beg you to take up the mantle of Councillor in  
__his place. Lord Chandler was a man who was an avid supporter of your  
__kind despite being a pure blood and the Council has agreed that he would  
__be honored to know that his position was given to you._

_We will speak of the details when you arrive. If you accept, please report  
__to Mafia Land Castle post haste. After your induction, we will be planning  
__for war. I think your knowledge and background would be of good use in  
__ensuring the maximum number of survivors._

_Signed,  
__Lord Nephriam XXIV  
__Representative of Don Carter XXIV_

Crossing the cobblestone courtyard of Mafia Land Castle, Tsuna followed Neve's scent toward the tower holding the Council's meeting room. A whistle and a pointed finger sent Tsuna's three remaining Salamanders to guard the outside of a different tower as a decoy. He would take no chances. If the Hunters had found a Sanctuary, then they were in danger even here. That feat alone should have been impossible. The Sanctuaries were guarded even more closely than the Nexus Houses.

Tsuna could hear the shouting as soon as he reached midway up the stairwell. The topic didn't seem to be about the attack, however. The topic was Tsuna himself. Several Councilors were openly disagreeing with his induction despite the majority overruling them. The part that made Tsuna pause was one voice in particular. Adie was here and it seemed that she was doing a good job of strong-arming the Council into doing what she wanted. More importantly, it seemed as if the only major objection left was Tsuna's lack of experience and the apparent naivety that they remembered seeing in Suoh.

Because of that, Tsuna made the only decision that he could to speed up the process. He had plenty of blackmail on the whole Council simply by his knowledge of their identities, so he chose to let them in on his own. It was a risky gamble, but he had to make these people see him as an equal if they were to get down to the important matters quickly. Pulling his mask off in the stairwell, he picked the glue off his face and did what he could to create a more commanding image. His cowboy hat came off and he let his hair loose from its braid. The length was wavy due to being tied up, but he combed it with his fingers until it spread down the sides of his face and over his shoulders.

Satisfied that his image was as unlike the naive Suoh that he could make himself, he finally stepped through the door and into the chamber itself. He didn't kneel once he was inside nor did he pay heed to the dissenting Councilors' expressions of shock. Walking forward, he stepped up to the Council table as if he were meant to be there and carefully laid down both his hat and his mask. The three Dango Brothers that had followed Neve joined him, returning to their egg forms for space considerations.

"I, Lord Sky," he stated formally while Lord Nephriam's eyes sparkled in approval, "formerly known as Tsunayoshi Sawada, formerly known as Suoh Lazarus Timberson, known now as Van Wolfe, have come to take the place of Lord Chandler in service to the Council. I may be a werewolf, but I assure you that I am fully capable of the position." Momentarily releasing his Flame, he glanced around at each of the Councilors in turn before lowering it with a smile when he made eye-contact with Adie. He couldn't say why, but he wasn't surprised at her lack of surprise. Even if she hadn't known who he was in the beginning and even though she acted immature at times, the woman wasn't where she was through luck. She'd probably figured it out around the time that she proposed to him.

"Are there any opposed to Lord Sky's induction?" Neve asked with an ironic smile. No one spoke, being in far too much shock to do anything. Due to the lack of dissenting votes, the rest moved along quickly. Neve, in capacity as Councilor, stepped forward to offer her throat while whispering cues. The Council had already tasted his blood, so it was his turn to take their strength as his own. The true Mistress Drake, Adie, stepped back against the wall during the process, being present only as an Advisor and an extra set of hands despite the amount of sway that she held with those present.

He tried to be as gentle as possible with each of them and he kept to his best table manners. He took only a few drops from each before carefully cleaning and drying the wounds. After the third one, it was as if he could feel his taste buds multiplying. He'd drunk from both Poe and Lord Nephriam in the past, but sipping from the variety of the full Council at once opened him to new depths in both understanding and taste. By the fourth, he was able to tell not only their age, but how pure their blood was. He could smell how deep their reservoirs of power were and his hyper intuition began to go haywire. At the eight, he had to pause as flashes of images began to blind him. Neve reached out to steady him, but the last vision sent him reeling in shock.

_A dark smoke-filled room. A deck of cards. A man's face and a set of keys bearing a silver bullet. A payoff. A slow smile spreading across a familiar face._

"Traitor," Tsuna gasped as sweat poured down his face. "You're in league with the Hunters. You accepted a bribe to pay off gambling debts and sold out Lord Chandler."

"How dare you!" Lord Laswick exclaimed in self-righteous shock while clasping a hand to his untended bite mark. "Lord Chandler was like a brother to me! I could no more have sold him out than--"

"Your real brother," Adie interjected while Tsuna braced himself against a wall to catch his breath. "But you did sell out your own brother, Laswick. That's how you got on the Council."

"No!" He shouted with his eyes bulging. "That's not true! I--" Lord Laswick took several steps backward, staring in shock at all the accusing eyes around him. "Are you just going to believe this mongrel without giving me a chance to explain?!"

"You'll have plenty of time to explain," one of the Councilors said, stepping forward with two others that Tsuna didn't know the names of. "Don't disgrace yourself more than you already have. Come quietly and you may still live."

"Very well," he relented, straightening his back before walking toward the door with all the pride that he could muster. As soon as the door open, Tsuna's intuition spiked too late to stop the man from fleeing. His three would-be captors chased after him and Tsuna would have followed if not for Neve's hand restraining him.

"Adie is already calling Xerxes and Shotgun in for backup," she soothed. "We're not finished here, so leave Lord Laswick to them. He can't get off the island."

"I believe I was next," Lord Nephriam said as he unbuttoned his collar with an overly-satisfied smile. "Let's get this over with so we can turn to more important business such as saving lives."


	103. Chapter 103 Duties and Distractions

﻿Tsuna slowly stumbled back toward his hotel room with his mask back in place and his arms wrapped around a wyvern Bolt and Heatwave for support. Hurricane carried his hat while Shower and Fog took care of his coat. Cirrus was hovering above, watching the path so that Tsuna could concentrate more on merely moving his legs. The moon was already high in the sky and he felt completely drained. He could barely lift his legs enough to take baby steps, even though he'd been overflowing with energy mere hours previously. Neve explained it as being like a crash after a sugar rush although it felt more like he'd been dragged across the island a few times.

After the ceremony ended, the report came in that Lord Laswick had been captured and was undergoing questioning. Then things had turned toward the rescue operations. It would probably take months to unbury the Vaults enough to see if those in hibernation had been spared. While numerous known sleepers had been staked on the lawn, there were hopes that not all of the Vaults had been accessed or found by the raiders.

Finally, the planning had begun and so did the arguments. It was Adie who came up with the wisest plan, focusing not on revenge but on survival. Her plan was the reason that the Council was in recess. Everyone was currently contacting the Nexus Houses and their Sanctuaries in order to call an alert. All those in hibernation were to be awakened and the Havens were to be emptied. It was a mass relocation and everyone down to the servants was going to ground. Those who were willing to fight were to meet in Rome in one week with masks in place to preserve their identities. It was still unknown how much information that the Hunters had been given, but no one on the Council wished to take chances. The lives of over a thousand people were on the line and they knew that they were outnumbered by at least two to one even if every vampire, werewolf, and blood slave were to take up arms. Going into hiding was their only hope of keeping a second massacre from happening while they knew that some quarters would demand retaliation.

In the end, he'd been given Lord Chandler's holdings, accounts, and titles as if he were an heir. Neve took over Lord Laswick's position to become Mistress Neve while Adie regained her place as Mistress Drake. It was all done so smoothly that Tsuna was still reeling at the speed. When asked, he'd been unable to think of anyone other than Poe to send to the former Sanctuary to oversee the rescue operations. The Council was still slightly miffed at him for choosing a pure blood for such work, but Poe had accepted readily when Neve called him on Tsuna's behalf.

The negative consequence was that he was being split up from Xanxus and Cheri. Xanxus was being asked to lead those gathering in Rome as if he were a general and Cheri was already leaving to meet with an investigative squad at the ruined Sanctuary. As for himself, it abruptly became necessary for him to bring as many werewolves into the fold as possible. He was to begin his original plans of delegation for the Werewolf Alliance immediately.

The Council didn't want the werewolves to take part in fighting, however. They just wanted them aware, prepared, and their status watched over carefully since they were undeniably easier prey. Tsuna was to give them the information to contact Xanxus if they did wish to take up arms, but he was to do nothing to urge such a decision. Even in war, the Council agreed that the Alliance had to be formed as if there _were _peace. If he didn't, the union of kindred wouldn't survive when peace did come.

He had twenty-four hours in which to prepare until his flight left. In that time, he had to make three careful decisions. They didn't seem connected with what Tsuna's orders were, but they had the potential to affect them greatly. The first was to decide on the location for his Italian Headquarters. He needed it so that the Alliance would know where to reach him. The second was whether to bring Aster with him while he traveled or send him there to the base. The third was what to do about P-chan. She was technically his servant so she couldn't stay at the Sanctuary. Lord Nephriam was willing to send her into hiding with his lady wife, but there was P-chan's disposition to think about. She was fierce and passionate, not a woman to stay on the sidelines while the men went to war.

So caught up with mulling over everything that had happened, Tsuna was already fifty feet from his hotel's entrance before he finally noticed that he was surrounded by a welcoming committee. It forced him to a stop, knowing that he'd be dead already if he were anywhere else. Letting go of Bolt and Heatwave, he mustered his energy in preparation. None of those around him looked happy and Tsuna's first guess were that they were pissed about how Tsuna had unintentionally ruined his son's party. At least, that was what he thought until his eyes focused enough to recognize Silas standing in the front. Once he saw that, Tsuna didn't need to ask why he and his Family were present.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna said, lowering his eyes in respect for the dead. "Your brother has already been returned to the earth. I can't give you much information, but I can promise that we're working on retaliation. They broke the truce and there's no turning back this time."

"He was supposed to be safe," Silas said with tears silently running down his face. "He never hurt anyone. He was an _artist _for Christ's sakes!"

"Hatred breeds blindness," Tsuna replied sympathetically while he cautiously inspected the Family around him. They were all Ascotts and Tsuna got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach due to how many there were.

"We made Silas tell us what was going on," one man explained, noticing Tsuna's focus. "He was acting upset all afternoon and we ganged up on him to get the truth. I can't say that any of us are surprised. Silas was always a bit of an odd-ball and we noticed his... his special qualities... a long time ago. He's saved our asses on more than one occasion, so I'm not about to judge him now. It's just not right what they did to him."

"What he's saying is that we want to help," another piped up. "They kilt Silas' brother and he's family of our Family."

"Go home," Tsuna responded. "Acting rashly will only cause more deaths. Silas' brother wouldn't want revenge. He'd want justice and that's what we plan to give him. Turning into the same monsters that our enemies paint us as will do nothing other than give them justification for their actions. At least, that's what I'd like to say, but the truth is that Silas' brother wasn't the only Ascott at that Sanctuary. There was one other and my comrades are personally giving the news to your Boss."

"Another?" Silas gasped as his tears stopped in shock.

"Ah," Tsuna nodded mournfully. "He was an undercover operative. Over half of us are affiliated with the Mafia in one way or another, so the list of the dead span twelve Allied Families and three Rival Families. I should probably reprimand you for breaking silence, but I think the war is going to do that for us anyway. All of you go back to your Boss. By now, he should be fully informed of the situation and it's his lead that you swore to follow. Silas..."

Stepping forward, Tsuna pulled out three packs of gum from his side pouch and one each of his antidote vials, including an anti-silver grenade. Quickly giving instructions on how they were used, Tsuna also pulled out a blank card from his stock of them and wrote down the internet address and password of a shop that Neve was setting up along with his own cell phone number.

"Go here," Tsuna ordered while Silas juggled all of his gifts. "It might take a few days before it's online, but you'll be able to order supplies when it is. I know that this isn't a good time to remind you, but your patron is gone. You'll have to rely on yourself to keep your sanity. Call me if you run into any trouble. I'm going to be travelling, but I'll help you in any way that I can."

"Why are you doing so much for me?" Silas asked in confusion. "We just met a few weeks ago."

"Do you need to ask?" Tsuna retorted, reaching up to flick Silas' wolf head earring. "That's not an empty token, Silas. I'm here to make sure that it isn't. I--" Tsuna trailed off when he saw Cheri and Xanxus walk out of the hotel with bags in hand. Shoving his way through the crowd, Tsuna shouted for them to wait and somehow managed to make his way to Xanxus' side. "You're going already?!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I thought we were going on the same flight!"

"They want me to head out with Shotgun to look over the ruins," he replied calmly. "There might be signs left that I can use in making a battle plan. I... I heard that they inducted you."

"Y-Yeah," Tsuna mumbled. "As soon as the news came in, they rushed it through. I--"

"Good," Xanxus interrupted with a small smile. "We were always meant to lead this way. You from a throne and me from a battlefield." He reached up to gently send a thumb across Tsuna's lips and Tsuna flinched at how painful it felt. It should be a kiss and they both knew it, but Xanxus' be-damned pride wouldn't allow it. "I'll meet you at our old spot on Christmas. I plan to end this before then, so you better fucking be there."

"I'll be there," Tsuna promised, feeling a lump form in his throat from how close their conversation sounded like a goodbye. Watching Xanxus walk away with Cheri was one of the hardest things that he'd ever done considering he knew that the path ahead had only agony in it. It took all of his willpower to keep his feet rooted, but nothing stopped his voice from calling out. "You better not die or I'll kill you!"

"Either way, I'd still come back," Xanxus barked before disappearing in the night's shadows. In that moment, Tsuna felt a cold chill pass through him. Just like that, Xanxus was gone before they could patch their relationship back together. Just like that, he had to wait for a report to know whether he survived another mission or not. It reminded him. It reminded him in a way that nothing else could of what a Boss' duties were. A throne was the loneliest place that there was, but he'd forgotten after having spent so much time living closely with others. He'd just been reaching that degree of separation with the Dragons when his previous life had ended. Now it felt like he'd finally taken that last step in returning to himself. There was only one problem that crushed him with its truth.

He was a Boss with no Family.

He had Allies and a position of leadership, but those he was leading weren't his own men. They weren't his Brothers in Arms. They weren't his subordinates or even people that he'd go home to at the end of the day. He was alone and it was the fault of the Hunters that he was this way. Because of their hatred, the last vestiges of what he had was ripped away from him. He understood that Xanxus felt the same duty that he did toward the people who'd been caring for them, but--BUT!--they'd still be travelling as a three-man squad if it weren't for the Hunters!

"White Merciful...?" One of the watching Ascotts called out. "Are you going to be o--"

"Who's merciful?" Tsuna asked, turning to stare at them with all the cold rage that had been building inside of him. Turning his gaze toward Silas, he cracked a cruel smile that froze everyone around him. "You men misunderstand something. Out of the three of us, I'm the least inclined to be merciful. The enemy will get quick and clean deaths with those two, but... in the mood I'm in right now... I plan to tear the bastards limb from limb. If you guys don't want a preview, I suggest that you get the fuck out of my face like I told--"

"Van!" Tsuna flinched at the sound of Neve's admonishing voice and quickly buried his darker emotions for the sake of appearances. When he turned to face her, he could tell that she wasn't buying it, though. "I was wondering when you were going to snap, but I didn't think it'd be before Xerxes' plane got off the ground. Since you're acting jilted, I'm guessing that this means that you two didn't make up?"

In answer, Tsuna spat to the side and stormed toward the doors of his hotel. He could hear Neve clucking behind him, which made him blush at how overly-sensitive he was being. After all, it wasn't as if Xanxus was never coming back and he _had _made plans for a date. When it came down to it, Tsuna was just throwing a tantrum at being forced to be independent again. The fact made him blush even harder, realizing yet another reason that why Xanxus had distanced himself. It wasn't just for his own sake, it was for Tsuna's, too. He'd had his hand held for far too long.

Once he was hidden away in the confines of the hotel's elevator, he knocked his forehead against the wall. He had to get control of himself. He had a mission to accomplish and people's lives on the line. It wasn't the time to be thinking of only himself. At a time like this, he had to think Chibi thoughts, not Remorse thoughts! Getting cocky and feeling that he was invincible would only get him killed. He needed a dose of humility that his inner child was overflowing with.

When the elevator opened to let him out on his floor, he felt that he'd composed himself pretty well. It was a good thing since he was quickly reminded that he wasn't really alone. Aster barreled into him at full speed once the door was open, clutching onto the fabric of his shirt as if he expected Tsuna to disappear. It made Tsuna realize that he really didn't have the choice of leaving Aster at a base. He'd sworn a promise to him and abandoning him would betray all of Aster's hopes for the future. He couldn't do that to Aster when he knew what goals the man held in his heart. Aster wanted to rise above being a servant. He wanted to stand as equals with the likes of Lord Nephriam and Neve. Sending him into safety like an invalid would be the greatest disgrace that he could place on Aster. Almost as important, it finally hit Tsuna that Aster was Family. He might be a servant, but he was also a precious person that he had to protect and he'd learned from Kyoko how well sending people away worked as protection.

"We leave tomorrow," he soothed, running a hand through Aster's hair to calm him. "Xerxes and Shotgun got called away, so it's just going to be you and me for a while. Why don't you go down and get us some tea and food? There's still work to be done before I can sleep and I haven't eaten anything solid since breakfast."

"Yes, Master," he agreed promptly before running out the door to follow the orders. Tsuna watched him up until he sped around the corner, smiling to himself at Aster's ways of expressing emotion without having an expression. The man's face was as blank as ever, but his eagerness and relief was still coming through. It was slow, but they were both progressing as Master and blood slave.

Now that there wasn't a choice about whether to bring Aster with him, his choice about P-chan was decided, as well. He'd have Lord Nephriam make the offer alongside his own to send P-chan with his wife into hiding. Better yet, he'd ask that Lady Italia temporarily take up residence in the Italian base under an alias. Being a werewolf herself, Lady Italia did have some stake in the place since it'd be a type of embassy. It would eventually be his duty to rebuild the Sanctuary, but the werewolves' headquarters didn't need the same equipment as vampires. Making it an imitation of a Nexus House would suit their needs far more.

If he had Lady Italia there, P-chan would be able to relay his orders and he'd be confident that the place would suit the Alliance's needs. There was no need for anachronisms at this base since it wouldn't be prepared with hibernation tanks. It could be made as secure and comfortable as high-tech equipment could make it, so there was no need for a large amount of land. It could also be in an actual city, which would increase security even more. No one could bring a tank in without the local police noticing and calling an alert. For personal reasons, something close to Don Girarde would be good. Also, something near the Carter Family entrance into Venice Row would be helpful in lowering the amount of time that visitors would be in the open. The same reason also made it important for the location to be close to the airport.

Having some basic requirements in mind, Tsuna prepared himself for a detailed search. Before he could do that, however, he had to open the window to let the Dango Brothers inside. Tsuna accepted his coat and hat from them apologetically and offered to let them play in reward for being so patient. They could have left his jacket and hat outside after he'd run off without them, but they'd waited until he remembered. Each of them butted up against his cheek to say that there was no harm done, although Cirrus' felt more like a slap. Then five of them darted back out the window to go for a 'walk' while Cirrus settled in on the table as an egg for another mock-nap.

Once things were quiet again, Tsuna also settled down. His sword and carrier got placed next to the bed within easy reach. His boots were placed beside them, still laced and ready to be shoved on at a moment's notice. His hair was still loose from the Council meeting, but he took a minute out to brush it properly. After he finished that, he thumbed on his interface while in the process of removing his utility belt. It was put on the side table so that it could be easily snatched up in an emergency. Then he finally put his feet up on the bed and settled back against the headboard, making himself comfortable with the pillows in preparation of a long night.

It wasn't long before he was cross referencing a map of Italy with his housing qualifications in mind. Between location, the needed size, and security considerations, there were only three options available and all of them were owned. With that being a failure, he eased up and widened his search. He got more hits that way, but that proved to be even more fruitless. There was an old vineyard outside the city with wine cellars and a nice lodge, but it was low on the security front. He could take over an empty plot of land and build something new on it, but that would attract far too much attention. One by one, he went down the list and it became obvious why Xanxus had such trouble finding one previously.

At one point, Aster returned with the food and tea. Tsuna was only peripherally aware of it, though. It got placed in his lap on top of a breakfast tray and he ate it without tasting anything. He was too focused, feeling the crunch for time far more than he could feel his empty stomach. When he cleared a plate, Aster removed it and put another one down. When his tea was empty, Aster refilled it without getting in his way. Thanks to the consideration, Tsuna slowly regained energy and his mind began working at full capacity again.

Going back to the first three that he'd discarded, he looked over them more closely than before. They really were the best choices that he could ask for. The first was an old summer manor that some Duke had built before falling into bankruptcy. Remembering his experiences with the Orange Dragon Dojo and the Den, Tsuna knew what to expect from it in terms of needed renovations. It would need plumbing work and the interiors would need to be refinished. The building itself was probably solid, though, and a security system would be a fairly easy addition. It was already prepped to survive riots and it had a nicely sized courtyard for ample parking. The thick, stone walls that it had were what made Tsuna really consider it. Sound would be muffled and intrusion would be difficult.

The second choice was a former asylum. That one gave Tsuna pause. The cells could be retrofitted into luxurious bedrooms and one wing could be left intact in case they got any berserkers in need of restraint. Individual temperature controls for each room meant that there would be no problem in turning a half dozen into wine cellars and the dining hall was already set up to feed a hundred people on a regular basis. There was also an underground parking garage and the place already had a basic security system in place. The only real problem that he had with this place was that it was made to be easily entered and difficult to leave.

The third choice was the worst choice of the three in his opinion, but it was also the one closest to the airport. It was small in comparison to the other two, being an old bed-and-breakfast inn. It had only fifteen rooms, but it was fairly modern. Out of the three, it'd need the less in the way of upgrades, but it'd also need more security installed than the other two. For that reason, it was actually on the top of his list. First, the enemy would expect to find them in a place more secure. Moreover, the place also came with a satisfactory cover-story by claiming that the rooms were always full or reserved. A new owner to the manor would attract attention from the old society while a new owner of a former asylum would fan gossip. However, a bed-and-breakfast coming into new management wasn't anything extraordinary at all.

The problem was the current owners. The only information that he had was a pair of names and a phone number. A secondary search found nothing other than some positive credit reports going back thirty years and an adoption certificate for a girl that would be nearly seventeen if Tsuna calculated it correctly. That told him that he was looking at a middle-aged couple who were about to have an empty nest. They probably wouldn't be easy to negotiate with since their relationship with their customers was a good way to stave off loneliness. At least, he didn't think it'd be easy until he ran into newspaper clipping with his target's name in it. Grinning widely at the sight of 'the man who was attacked by a werewolf and lived to tell the tale', Tsuna pulled up the phone number again and made his call.

"Hello?" A groggy voice answered after six rings.

"Hello, is this Mr. Beretti?" Tsuna asked in his most formal tone.

"I don't want any," he grumbled. Tsuna choked in laughter when the sound of a dial tone followed. This might actually be fun, he decided as he called again.

"Do you people have any idea of what time it is?" He growled when he answered again.

"I'm sorry that I don't," Tsuna replied. "Before you hang up, please let me introduce myself. I'm the Secretary of State for the country of Mafiopia and I do apologize to the utmost for not accurately judging the time difference between my location and yours, but the matter that I need to speak with you about is quite urgent."

"What's this about?" Mr. Beretti asked in barely-awake confusion. "I've never heard of Muppetopia."

"Mafiopia," Tsuna corrected with a grin. "We're a small country only slightly larger than the Vatican, so I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of us. Mapmakers tend to overlook the little things and we are quite little. What I'm calling about is actually in reference to your residence. You see, the Queen of Mafiopia is an absolute fanatic when it comes to things regarding the occult and she's quite determined that she wants to set up a headquarters in Italy. I'm afraid that she's quite eccentric and she happened along your article in Marvelous Madness Monthly. When she found out that a survivor of a werewolf attack had a bed-and-breakfast, she became very stubborn that her hobbyist headquarters be located there."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I have a bed-and-breakfast, but it's not for sale and that article was fake. I just did that 'cause I was low on tuition money back in college."

"I understand your hesitancy," Tsuna replied carefully. "But, as I said, my Queen is very stubborn and has decided that no other place would suit for the summer gathering place of her and her occult-minded cohorts. She has authorized me to pay any reasonable sum in order to claim it for her. I don't think that I have to tell you that this is a once in a life-time opportunity. I won't give you a blank check, but I can be more than fair in negotiations if you're willing."

"I don't know," Mr. Beretti mused. "My daughter is pretty set on taking over this place and there're our customers to think about. I don't know how they'd feel about--"

"I believe that I must clarify," Tsuna interrupted quickly. "When I say reasonable, I mean reasonable enough for your daughter to see the world while you and your wife settle into a comfortable retirement without any need to ever work again. I believe I could justify two-point-five million to my Queen once your previous attachment to the place is taken into consideration. I believe that I might be able to bump that up to three-point-five million if you're willing to make a few concessions in the negotiation process."

"Are you serious?" Mr. Beretti gasped, finally sounding like he was fully awake. "Is this some kind of prank call?"

"No sir," he answered politely. "I assure you that this is quite serious. If you're willing to hand over the deed and rights to the building and lands, I can have two-point-five million wired into your account within the hour. If you can make the concession of leaving your furniture and can remove yourselves from the premises within a week, I can offer three-point-five million. That, of course, includes the fee to ensure absolute confidentiality of the transaction. It would be a breach of contract if my lady Queen were to be hassled by any unwanted attention while she's in the country."

"So, all I have to do is move out and not tell anyone and you'll give me three and a half million?" He asked suspiciously. "Wait a minute. Is that in pesos or yen or something? This is a trick. Isn't it. Some kind of scam to get me to..."

"I would think not," Tsuna said tonelessly to keep in character. It was incredibly difficult, though. More than anything, he wanted to laugh at the expression that he knew was on the man's face. "I assure you that this is quite legitimate and the three and a half million that I spoke of would be in British Pounds."

"Holy sh--!"

"Holy shit indeed," Tsuna replied in his most bland tone yet. "Can I take that as a positive conclusion to negotiation?"

"H-Hold on," he gasped. "Just give me one minute. I can't say yes until after I ask my wife, since I still want her to be my wife tomorrow and all."

"Take all the time that you need," Tsuna agreed graciously. "But I would like to have this matter settled within the hour before m'Lady Queen decides to replace me for taking too long. Just between us, she's rather spoiled and impatient."

"G-Gotcha," he spluttered. "You just say right there. Don't go anywhere, you hear? I'll be right back!"

Tsuna grinned at the sound of the phone being put down, followed by the sound of Mr. Beretti shouting. Leaving it up to him to talk his wife into it, Tsuna turned his attention to getting everything set up to finish the process. Creating an alias and creating a fake website for his fake country on the internet was the easy part thanks to a few little pieces of software that he'd picked up while shopping. The website looked believable and only gave general directions to an empty spot somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and also both his alias and the website were completely untraceable by normal means. Then, he muted the microphone for his call with Mr. Beretti and put in a call to a realtor that he randomly picked out of the Italian Yellow Pages.

His luck was with him. The agent that he picked sounded like she was having a rough time and didn't ask any unnecessary questions. She was more than willing to do a little bit of paperwork in the middle of the night in exchange for a lump commission of fifty thousand Pounds. While he gave her his alias' information, he went to yet another website to set up a Post Office Box for the deed to be sent to and registered for the P.O. Box key to be sent to the building that he was negotiating to buy. By the time that both pieces arrived in their proper places, P-chan should be in place to retrieve them for him.

Wrapping up the formalities with the realtor, he went back to Mr. Beretti's line to find that he could hear two voices arguing in the background instead of one. Three, he amended as the daughter's voice piped up for a moment. From the sound of it, the women of the house were skeptical and cynical. The man was losing horribly, although he was definitely putting up a good fight. Not that it helped him any when the lady of the house snatched up the phone to talk to Tsuna personally.

"Hello?" She asked. "Who is this?"

"This is Lord William Van Wolfington the Third, Secretary of State to--"

"Yeah right," she laughed. "Listen up, Lord William. I don't know what nonsense that you've been stuffing into my husband's head but--"

"I assure you that it's not nonsense, Mademoiselle," he interrupted gently while adding a touch more accent into his voice. "I hope that you'll forgive me, but I took the liberties of hiring a local representative to meet with you. I know how terribly unorthodox this must be, so I thought you'd feel more comfortable with someone present that is a little more solid than a stranger over the phone."

"You mean someone's coming here?" She replied in surprise.

"Yes, Mademoiselle," he confirmed. "She's due to arrive fairly--"

"Hold on," she gasped. "Someone's at the door." Tsuna made note of the quick reaction time from the realtor. It was far faster than he expected, which meant that she'd either lived close by or she'd driven like a bat out of hell. Probably both.

Making an executive decision, he called the realtor a second time and put the calls on three-way. This proved to be an unnecessary move since his representative was efficient in getting the Beretti family under control and settled down at a table with him on the speaker phone. Not that he had to say much. Whoever this woman was that he'd hired, she was good. She was better than good, she was a downright con artist. Tsuna wisely kept his mouth shut while the woman spun a story out of the little information that Tsuna had given her and managed to gain the family's confidence without coming off as too soft or too overbearing. She had just the right touch, which made Tsuna wonder why she was willing to take such a questionable offer from him to begin with. He'd expected to get a boob with his random pick, but the woman was a genius.

In less than half an hour, he was receiving cell phone images of not only the family, but pictures of the signed deed, pictures of the building's rooms, a digital nondisclosure agreement, and a digital bill of sale. Finishing the monetary transaction online, the sound of the gleeful family going nuts could be heard after a quick call to the bank showed that the money was real. Not that Tsuna cared much about that part of things. Lord Chandler's bank account had more cash in it than he'd ever use. It wasn't in Adie's range of funds, but it was nearly what Vongola could lay claim to.

Once everything was finished, Tsuna continued to stay silent until he heard the sound of the realtor's car door shut. Then he continued to wait until the only noise was the engine rumbling in the background.

"Hey, you," she finally called with the hiss of breathe that meant that she was smoking. "I know that you're still there. I did my part, so are you going to let me in on the truth now?"

"You're very efficient," Tsuna replied, dropping both his accent and his formal tone in admiration of her quick work. "You're also very smart. I have to congratulate you on waiting until now to ask your questions."

"Well, I'm used to blowing smoke up people's asses," she said nonchalantly. "Any chance that I can get your real name? That kind of money... It makes your story a little believable, but I'm not buying it. I can't see an official of any country doing this kind of work outside of normal office hours."

"You're sharp," Tsuna praised with a slow grin. "You're also correct in your deduction. When faced with Royalty, even of a country that they've never heard of, people are less likely to take liberties or ask personal questions. Even if it was obtained under false pretenses, they have enough money to keep them happy and I have what I want. I have to admit that I'm far more interested in you, however. You seemed pretty prepared for someone I randomly picked out of a phone book."

"I've had a wide range of clients in the past," she mumbled just as cautiously. Then he heard the sound of her punching the steering wheel as she changed her mind. "Hell, I guess there's no reason to beat around the bush. I've done some work for some pretty nasty guys in the past. I'm not proud of it, but it got the bills paid. It took me three years to go legitimate, but my skills suck when I'm being honest. If you're like those creeps that I just got rid of, I want to know now. I can't say that I like it much when the people that I negotiate with end up dead."

"I'm not like that," Tsuna stated honestly. "If I couldn't buy them out, I had two back up locations ready to look at. I'll be honest with you Miss--"

"Tanya," she corrected.

"Tanya," he repeated with a smile. "You can call me Van Wolfe. I'll be honest with you, I'm not the most legal of individuals. I'm also not the type of person that kills just because I run into an obstacle. If you're willing to listen, I think I have an offer that will benefit both of us. I'm always in need of a pair of eyes and ears. An extra set of hands is helpful, too. You seem like the type of person that I'm looking for. You're bright, you know how to handle yourself, and you have a conscience. Because of that, I would like to hire you for long-term."

"Will my work be on the up-and-up?" Tanya asked bluntly.

"Your work will be," he confirmed. "But you'll have to lie through your teeth about who you're working for."

"How much?"

"Since I won't agree to letting you work for anyone else while you answer to me, I'm prepared to give a salary of five hundred thousand a year," he stated calmly. "That's a flat fee up-front and I'm known for throwing in bonuses for those who go above and beyond."

"Deal," she snapped.

"You agreed quickly," Tsuna said suspiciously.

"I'm pretending that you're a rich, jet setting playboy who doesn't like the media," she replied, making Tsuna choke at the relative accuracy. "As long as my work is legitimate, I'm not stupid enough to ruin a good thing by asking too many questions about my employer. What I don't know can't kill me. Just tell me what you want done with that family. You gave them a week to get out, right?"

"Correct," Tsuna confirmed. "They're to leave the furniture, but their personal things needs to be removed and the place needs to be cleaned. I should have someone there by the time that they're gone to oversee modifications, but I'd appreciate it if you'd sign for any packages until she arrives. Don't be surprised if work crews appear, either. Just use your best judgment in dealing with them for the time being. I'll be watching over your progress to see whether tonight was just a fluke or not. I'll send the fifty thousand that you've already earned tonight, but whether you're actually worth a salary is still under consideration."

"I guess it goes without saying that taking the money and running would be a bad idea," she mumbled sarcastically.

"If you accept the salary, that would be correct," he said, taking the comment seriously. "If you're satisfied with what you've done and don't wish to continue working for me, you're free to take your fifty thousand and walk away. I don't think that you'll regret working for me, though. If you're unwilling to do dirty work, then I simply won't ask you to do any. There's plenty of legitimate paperwork and legal dealings that I could use someone like you for. Having someone on hand who knows the area would also be beneficial to my representative."

"How do I reach you if something comes up?"

"It's your job to make sure that nothing does," he admonished as he heard her shut her engine off. Figuring that she'd arrived back home, he decided to put an end to the negotiations. "It's late and I believe that you have enough information to go on. I'll be in touch, Tanya."

"I feel like I'm talking to Charlie," he heard her grumble before he hung up. Tsuna smiled at the reference, knowing that she was going to feel like one of Charlie's Angels even more after she met Lady Italia and P-chan.

Pausing to settle himself, he stopped entirely when he realized that his tea was cold. A glance up proved that Aster had fallen asleep in a chair while trying to stay awake to serve him. Tsuna couldn't ignore him. Putting the breakfast tray holding his tea on the side table, he quietly got up and pulled back the blankets. Aster snapped awake when Tsuna tried to carry him to the bed, but he didn't argue after receiving a stern look in warning. Even servants needed rest and Aster had undoubtedly worked hard to pack not only their things, but Xanxus and Cheri's, as well.

In bed was one of the only times that Aster ever allowed Tsuna to lift a finger that he didn't have to. It was one of the only places that Aster would permit himself to be pampered instead of doing the pampering. That was why Tsuna also couldn't ignore it when he saw that Aster's bottom lip was pouting a fraction of an inch more than it usually did. He knew that he still had work to do, but there were some things that couldn't wait. Repaying Aster for his honest labor was one of those things.

Gently laying Aster down amid the crisp sheets and fluffy blankets, Tsuna pulled back to take his shoes off one at a time. Unlike his own clothes, he carelessly tossed them aside and Aster's socks speedily followed in order to expose a set of worn, red feet. Grimacing at how raw they seemed, Tsuna knew that his poor servant had been on his feet since before dawn and he knew that he should have remembered it earlier. After all, when he'd woken up at dawn, Aster had already been fully dressed with breakfast prepared and a clean suit laid out while he'd been polishing Tsuna's sword.

It wasn't what he'd intended, but this was also something that he couldn't ignore. Reaching over to his belt, he rummaged in his miscellaneous pouch until he found the small bottle of hand lotion that Aster had tucked inside for him. He heard Aster choke when his new intentions were made clear, but a second stern look silenced him so that Tsuna could begin massaging the pain away. Massage wasn't really his area of expertise, but he didn't think that he was half-bad. His sense of touch wasn't what it used to be after having damaged his hands so many times in the past, but Aster seemed to appreciate his efforts. In what seemed like no time at all, Aster was drowsy and relaxed again. Once he reached that state, he slipped back into sleep before Tsuna could consider massaging any other parts.

In some ways, Tsuna was grateful that Aster fell back asleep. He didn't have much energy to spare and there was still a lot of work to do. He was tempted to bite Aster or take a booster pill, but he felt that it'd be wasteful considering the long flight that they would be on within eighteen hours. There would be plenty of time to recharge while en route, so there was no need to give in to fatigue here and now.

Carefully unbuttoning Aster's shirt and pants to make him more comfortable, Tsuna tucked him in and changed his mind about continuing his work from the bed. Aster didn't get blood as often as he did, so it was all that more important that he got solid rest. Tsuna was reluctant to leave, but he also knew that the chance of being distracted from his work would increase if Aster woke up again. His only real option was to find somewhere else that he could temporarily work.

Slipping his boots back on, he snapped his belt back into place and grabbed up take out up his sword. Since he wasn't planning on leaving the hotel, he figured that it was safe enough to leave his jacket and hat behind. All that was left was to close the open window and retreat before his movements disturbed Aster's slumber. Heading to the first floor, he flinched at the first traces of dawn showing up in the east as he crossed through the lobby and entered into the hotel's restaurant.

For several long minutes, he thought that the place might be closed. There wasn't any staff in sight and the lack of customers was understandable considering the time. A waiter finally exited out of the kitchen, though, and his expression of shock told Tsuna more than that they were open. It told him that his waiter had been doing something he shouldn't instead of watching the front of the restaurant like he should. He came forward to guide Tsuna to his seat, apologizing repeatedly for making Tsuna wait.

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna soothed with a crooked smile for the waiter's crooked tie. "Just bring me a pot of coffee to wake me up and we'll call it even." In less than a minute, his table not only had a pot of coffee and a hotplate to keep it warm, but a stack of fresh complimentary donuts to go with it. Tsuna accepted the offering with a grin and turned his attention to his work while he slowly stirred cream into his first cup of wake-me-up.

Lord Nephriam first, he decided as he brought up his eye's communication panel again. Putting in the call, it was unsurprisingly answered on the first ring. Getting straight to business, he told Lord Nephriam his plans and gave a brief description of the Werewolf Alliance Headquarters. He also gave a small briefing of the role that Lady Italia was supposed to play as 'Queen of Mafiopia' for the Beretti family. His patron agreed faster than Tsuna expected considering it was his wife that Tsuna was asking to be sent there along with P-chan.

"It's perfect," Lord Nephriam gasped. "I've been arguing with her for the last hour. It seems that she doesn't _want _to go into hiding. She a rather strong-willed woman, more so than I previously knew, and she's demanded that I allow her to do her part. With this, we can put her and P-chan into hiding anyway and they shouldn't argue since there is actual work needed from them."

"Have the Phlegm been warned?" Tsuna asked, turning to other matters.

"I leave out tomorrow to inform them personally," he replied. "I'm sending you the list of werewolves that I know about. You'll need to contact the other Councilors and get their lists, as well. Focus on warning the Alliance first and then see what you can do about--"

"I know how to do my job, Lord Nephriam," Tsuna interrupted. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm not a puppet. Leave the Alliance to me from now on. You have your Sanctuary and Nexus Houses to worry about."

"I suppose you're right," he agreed softly. "It's going to take some getting used to with you being on the Council. I honestly wasn't sure if this day would ever come."

He was on the phone with Lord Nephriam for another twenty minutes before he had all the information that he'd called for. He hadn't just called about Lady Italia. He also had to get a copy of the vampire registries and other necessary tools to do his job as a Councilor. Things had been too busy for him to get them during the meeting, but he could take up full authority as Lord Chandler's heir now that he had them.

That included contacting those that were under Lord Chandler's keeping, but weren't at the Sanctuary during the attack. After tracking them down and informing them of the tragedy, he ensured that they were comfortable with himself as the replacement before requesting that they join the rescue operations under 'Lord Poe'. That took the better part of an hour, after which he began tracking down werewolves who were part of the Alliance.

It was the first time that he'd spoken to so many of his kind in one sitting. Try as he might, he couldn't keep to the officious manner of a Councilor with them. He kept things simple and straightforward in the discussions, warning them of the attack and passing word that a Headquarters was being prepared so that they could be more organized. He gave each of them Neve's website and spread the idea that: 'Werewolves can survive without vampires as long as we have each other, but we aren't superior because of that. We are equals.' He informed them that they finally had a voice in the mysterious Council that they knew almost nothing about and made assurances that he'd help them understand the importance of that once they had more time to talk.

His appointment book quickly filled up, although he kept two weeks empty in order to track down those who'd refused Alliance membership. He also kept in mind his personal schedule and his goals, making sure that his meetings were in an order that would bring him closer to Italy by the end of the year. There were a few rare proactive werewolves that wanted to jump into the thick of things immediately. For those, he made two offers. The first was to send them to help in the rescue operation, explaining that his Sanctuary would eventually be open to werewolves as well as vampires. The second was sending them to help with the Italian Headquarters for the Alliance. By the time that he had the last call made, he felt a little more confident that Lady Italia would be safe with half a dozen werewolves protecting her.

Without stopping for a break, he began work on the Headquarters itself. In that, he was grateful for Lord Chandler's money. Part of him cringed at how much he spent without looking for better deals, but he got everything that he needed and scheduled the deliveries to start arriving in eight days. Then he started hiring work crews. It wasn't just security specialists that he hired. He got bricklayers to build a restraining wall around the building and landscapers to create a garden that wouldn't allow burglars much room to hide in. He had to hire plumbers and roofers to inspect and repair any possible damage. He had to hire electricians to ensure that the building would be able to handle a high-tech power load.

Finally, he had to find a chef willing to cook for a private residence. Someone who could turn out small amounts of high quality fare while also being able to make large amounts of simple food. It had to be someone who knew how to stretch a dollar and also someone who could make home-style dishes from around the world. When visitors came in, Tsuna wanted them to feel comfortable and nothing made a person feel like that more than comfort food.

He was in the middle of a call interviewing the last of his choices when he noticed that someone had begun putting a lunch spread out on his table. Glancing up in surprise, he caught sight of Aster disappearing into the kitchen to get a second tray. He didn't think that so much time had passed, but a look at his watch proved that it was almost noon. If that wasn't enough, the restaurant was overflowing with people. Wrapping up the interview, he gave Aster a tired smile when he returned with a plate of French dipped sandwiches, a plate of pickled plums and fresh oysters and a plate holding three twice-baked potatoes. It was almost too much for the table to hold and Tsuna had no doubt that his servant still had dessert waiting.

"Have you eaten?" Tsuna asked as he began tearing into his lunch.

"Yes, Master," he replied predictably.

"Recently?"

"Yes, Master."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, M--"

"Master," Tsuna groaned. "Would you stop calling me that already?"

"No, Master," he replied calmly, making Tsuna bow his head in defeat. At least he now understood Aster's reasoning for it. Lord Sky, Van Wolfe, Tsuna, Suoh, Lazarus, and all of his alias names. 'Master' was something that he could be called no matter what others called him. Even if he picked up a new life and started over _again_, Aster wouldn't have to suffer in trying to train himself in saying a new name. He also wouldn't have to worry about blowing Tsuna's cover by saying the wrong one.

"Are our things prepared?" Tsuna asked around a large bite of food.

"Yes, Master," Aster confirmed.

"Then I'm going to do something a little cruel," he said apologetically. "Go change into your swimsuit. When you're done, bring me my hat and my coat. We're going to the beach for a little bit. There's something that I want to teach you before we leave." Aster turned to follow the orders, but Tsuna stopped him momentarily. "Wait. Before you go, what kind of food do you like?" Tsuna flinched internally and prepared himself for a reply of 'edible' or 'hot'. Aster surprised him, though. He paused and thought about it seriously before giving Tsuna an answer that was far more detailed than anything he'd usually answer with.

"Sweet... like honey buns... and simple... like grilled cheese and tomato soup," he mumbled.

"Got it," Tsuna grinned. Letting Aster go to prepare, Tsuna made his decision. He'd skip the professional chefs and former caterers in order to go with the cook book author that had caught his eye. She was a little on the aged side, but a quick phone call proved that she was more than ready for a pension position. The only thing that came up problematic was that she had a teenage son that she wanted to bring with her, but she assured him that the boy was the 'helping hands' type.

Tsuna polished off the last of the negotiations and the last of his meal when Aster returned. Aster attracted attention in his swimsuit, but Tsuna quickly donned his jacket and his hat in preparation to leave. Slipping his sword carrier onto his back, he stopped long enough to pay for his meals and his coffee before leading the way outside. Knowing that Aster would follow him anywhere, he picked up his pace once he was outside and didn't stop until they reached the beach. The beach was packed, however. There wasn't an empty space anywhere on the long stretch where Tsuna could train Aster without garnering some attention. It shocked Tsuna in a way. The island had several beaches and this one was usually the emptiest since it was so far from the center of things.

Ordering Aster into his warm up stretches, Tsuna momentarily left him in order to find the reason that so many people were in the area that he'd been using as training ground. It didn't take long. Not when he looked out at those swimming and saw a certain young boy lounging on the back of a floating dragon. Hotaru was here, which meant most of the island followed. He didn't have time to play games and run around looking for a different spot, however. Calling out the Dango Brothers, he picked a corner of the beach and had them create a dividing line to keep out beach-goers. He got a lot of odd looks when he started sweeping the sand with his feet to ensure that there were no rocks, but he ignored them. By the time that Aster joined him with a light sheen of sweat to show that he'd warmed up properly, Tsuna had a sparring circle cleared out and ready to use. It was woefully close to several curious sunbathers, but he figured that they'd go somewhere else when the sand started to fly.

"Alright," Tsuna sighed, pulling his sword out of its carrier. It was the first time that he'd openly revealed the sheathe, but he didn't think that this was the time to hold back. Aster needed to learn one lesson now before they went charging into danger. Aster's eyes went wide, understanding from the sword how serious the matter was. Unconsciously, he fell into a listening position that showed how intently he was listening. "Your speed sucks, your strength sucks, and your accuracy sucks. They suck, but you've been working to improve them. The weakness that I can't ignore is that I could predict your movements blindfolded. So, today, I'm going to teach you the most important rules of fighting and hope that it cures it. One--" Darting forward, Tsuna embedded the rule into Aster's body, striking him hard enough in the stomach to lift him off the ground. He doubled over Tsuna's sheathed sword, his eyes bulging from the unexpected blow. When Tsuna dropped him, he landed sprawling in the sand without the strength to do anything more than curl around his injured midsection with tears of pain in his eyes. It was brutal, but Tsuna thought that he got the picture. Kneeling down next to him, Tsuna ignored the crowd that was slowly gathering in shock in order to focus his attention on Aster himself. "Do we understand the rules of fighting?"

"Yes, Master," he gasped.

"Then stand up and show me what you've learned," he ordered. "Don't hold back, Aster. If you do, you'll die." Tsuna grinned when Aster lashed out from the ground without waiting for Tsuna to prepare. It was wild and unfocused, but it told Tsuna that Aster had indeed learned the lesson. Fighting wasn't about pretty moves and looking good. It was about surviving. It wasn't about waiting until the opponent was ready and having an honorable duel. It was about surviving. It wasn't about displaying prowess in one area or even sticking to a single style. It was about surviving.

No matter what it took, no matter how much it hurt, Tsuna was teaching him how to survive even if he had to fight tooth and nail to do it. It didn't matter if he was in a thousand pieces by the time that he walked away. All that mattered was that Aster _could _in the end. To do that, however, Aster couldn't turn into a crybaby just because someone hit him before he was ready. If this were an alley and Tsuna were the attacker, the first strike would undoubtedly go to Tsuna. The question was whether Aster could salvage himself in such a situation. The question was whether Aster had the will to survive when there were no rules or niceties.

Tsuna saw gleams of understanding and admiration in the eyes of the Mafioso spectators. He saw shock and dismay at the unfairness in the eyes of the civilians. Ignoring both since he wasn't there to put on a show, he focused all of himself on Aster. For the first time, he didn't pull his punches with his student. He didn't even the odds or give Aster a handicap. Tsuna fought at full strength as if he truly wanted his opponent dead. The Mafioso got the picture and started pulling their vacationing family members away when the bruises began to surface and Tsuna didn't stop. As he'd expected, within half an hour, there was no one left within a hundred feet of where they were sparring.

At the end of an hour, there were few left on the beach entirely and the Dango brothers were able to widen their perimeter to take up half the area.

At the end of two hours, a new set of spectators came to watch. They were Mafioso. They were teachers. They were students. From the water, he could see that he'd caught the attention of Hotaru and his crew. They all watched and they all stayed silent. There were no more mutters of how unfair it was. There was no more shouts from civilians tell him to take it easy. It was saddening and difficult, knowing that Aster had no chance of defeating him, but he slowly etched the lesson into the very fabric of Aster's being. In a fight, there was no giving up. There was no 'ouch, it hurts' and 'let's stop there'. Aster got pummeled, thrown, and beaten until he was barely standing. Tsuna could see the fear growing in his eyes while he wondered if Tsuna was seriously going to kill him if he failed.

That was what Tsuna had been waiting on. That moment where Aster began to fear for his life was the breaking point that would tell whether he was a survivor. Tsuna backed away to give him room and slowly circled to let Aster think. He was probably in too much pain to notice, but the fact that he had no broken bones should have told him something. Most of his body was bruised and he had a few sand burns. His body was trembling in exhaustion and he had a small cut over his eye that kept dripping into his face. His muscles were probably full of lumps and he was gasping for air. Yet, the lack of broken bones should have told him that the amount of pain that he was in was gauged.

He saw in Aster's eyes the moment when the fact hit him. The next question was whether he really understood. Tsuna was attacking as someone intent to capture instead of kill. There was only one correct response in such a situation, especially when he was losing so badly. Tsuna held back a smile when Aster began glancing around. He understood. He really was a survivor. The most difficult thing that a person could do was to throw away their pride and run. All the pain and all the suffering that Aster was feeling could have been avoided. As soon as he saw that his opponent wasn't someone that he could defeat, he should run. That was the lesson being taught more than any other.

Taking a step forward to test him, Tsuna sighed in relief when Aster took a step backward in preparation of fleeing.

"Stop," he called. Kneeling down to show Aster that he wasn't going to attack anymore, he slipped his sword back in its carrier and gestured that they were through training. Smiling openly in satisfaction, he pinned his servant in place with eyes full of praise. "You surprise me, Aster. I honestly thought that I'd have to beat you until you couldn't stand before you learned. I definitely didn't expect you to get it with only one round. Having reached this point, do you understand the most important part of fighting?"

"Yes... Ma... ster!" He shouted in panting breaths as he collapsed to his knees in the sand.

"Tell it to me," he ordered, hardening his expression for Aster's sake.

"Live," he gasped. Tsuna bowed his head in acceptance, feeling extraordinarily proud of his servant. He felt even more proud of Aster's perseverance when he looked up to find that he'd passed out into the sand. He was going to be strong. Tsuna could feel it in his bones that Aster had potential that could possibly put Hibari to shame. It made him want to weep at his own luck for having such a person as his first student. The sad part was now that Aster had chosen life over pride, the only thing left that Tsuna could teach him was technique.

Standing, he carefully walked over to scoop Aster into his arms. The sound of applause rang out, reminding Tsuna of the spectators that had gathered. He glanced over them once, seeing approval in the eyes of veterans and disgust or confusion in the eyes of the younger crowd. They didn't understand yet. They hadn't faced a life or death situation and they were still confident in their own invincibility. For them, there were still things worth dying for. Tsuna saw that and silently vowed to correct it. He also saw that his lesson with Aster had opened the eyes of several parents. He could see it in their eyes that they'd been reminded the importance of hard and painful lessons. Tsuna could have lectured repeatedly the importance of throwing away pride and running, but physically embedding it into his student really taught it. He could see it in their eyes that his methods had silently been accepted and that several students would be getting a rude awakening when they went home whining that their teachers were being too hard on them.

He hadn't done it intentionally, but it seemed that he'd broken the wall between parents and teachers. It wouldn't have worked if he'd been teaching one of their children, but letting them watch him teach one of his own subordinates had gotten through to them. He wasn't being harsh and brutal because he wanted to and he wasn't doing it because he didn't like his student. He did it because an enemy wouldn't let him live through the lesson.

"Oi," Tsuna shouted with a smile, cutting into the applause. "Since all of you decided to stay for the lecture, you better be prepared for homework!"

"What's the homework?" A grizzled veteran called out amidst a ring of laughter.

"An essay," he called seriously. "Ten pages on your reason to live. That goes for everyone here," he added, turning to look at where Hotaru was watching from SK's back in the water. "You can turn it in to your Boss. If you are a Boss, you can turn it in to the Dean of Don Girarde." Turning back to the crowd, he smiled again at the stunned expressions on everyone's faces. They couldn't tell if he was serious or not and there was a look of consideration in several of the veterans' faces. "It's never too late to learn," Tsuna stated, confirming that they were included.

Satisfied that he'd put a bee in their ears, he took the opportunity to whistle to the Dango Brothers to bring in their perimeter. Carrying Aster back to the hotel wasn't easy since he felt like he was on his last leg, but he managed without letting the crowd see how fatigued he was. Once he was behind closed doors, he skipped the hot bath that Aster could give himself later and laid Aster out on the bed. Instead of tending to him like a human, he cured Aster like a werewolf by pricking his finger and allowing several drops to fall into his servant's mouth. He knew that Aster wouldn't need much to overcome bruises and exhaustion, so those few drops were all that he allowed.

Tsuna smiled to himself as Aster's body started quivering when the knots in his muscles began loosening. There was no doubt in Tsuna's mind that the experience was nearly orgasmic with how Aster moaned in his rest. His bruises began shifting colors as the healing process was sped along and Tsuna gave him several more drops of blood when it began to slow before it was finished. Licking his finger to stop the pinprick from bleeding, the taste of blood in his own mouth stirred a Hunger in his own gut. He'd been working hard for nearly two days straight without rest, so he felt that he deserved a little treat for himself.

Figuring that Aster wouldn't mind, Tsuna leaned over him and carefully started cleaning the cut over his eye. It was already healing, but the dried flecks had the crisp taste of oranges that made Tsuna's mouth water for the full array of Aster's taste. It was unbearable to be so close to him while his energy levels were peaking from not only his recent feeding, but from the pleasant feelings rushing through his muscles. It made Tsuna notice the empty void in his stomach that shouldn't have been present. He'd drank from the Council and he'd been sipping on his flask. He'd eaten food and sparring with Aster had been exertion equal to playing with a cat. Part of him knew that he shouldn't be feeling so hungry, but thinking about it was far down his list of things to do. He was too busy trying to pick what part of Aster's body that he should sink his teeth into.

When Aster's heart started beating faster in preparation of his return to consciousness, it was the last straw.

* * *

Reborn stood from the table holding the belatedly arrived Gokudera, Gokudera's family, and Hotaru in order to curiously investigate the shouts coming from the restaurant's kitchen. Gesturing for the rest to relax, he wondered if it had anything to do with the delay in receiving their meals. It did, but he didn't expect the reason to be what it was. Namely, that the little servant boy attached to Tsuna was dodging angry chefs while pilfering plate after plate of food. While Reborn was still trying to make sense of the situation, one chef finally managed to grab hold of the boy's neck and pull him to a stop.

"I've had it up to here, you little thief!" The chef roared while the boy, Aster, protectively cowered over his prizes.

"Hold on," Reborn interjected, announcing his presence to the room. The chefs turned to look at him and Reborn had to raise his eyebrow at the lack of deference that they showed. Whatever the boy had done, he'd made the chefs too angry to be reasonable. "What's the problem here?"

"This little brat," the chef answered, shaking the boy by the neck. "He says his Master can't be bothered to order room service like everyone else and he's trying to steal the Eleventh's snacks along with everyone else's." Reborn nodded in acceptance of the statement, seeing how the boy was caught red handed. However, he also knew that Tsuna wouldn't order one of his subordinates to do something so selfish on his behalf. The look of panic on the boy's face and the small traces of blood on the boy's shoulder triggered mental alarms in Reborn's mind.

"Aster," Reborn murmured. "Why are you doing this? I know that you personally attend to your Master, but--"

"Please!" Aster gasped while trying to pull out of the chef's tight grip. "Let me go! Master... Master is in pain!"

"Explain," Reborn snapped immediately.

"Master didn't notice!" He blurted with a red face. "I have to bring him food!" Reborn narrowed his eyes and he wanted to ask for a better explanation, but it was obvious from how the boy began fighting that it was all that they'd get out of him. The only way to understand more was to go to the source.

"Let him go and give him what he wants," Reborn ordered calmly. "I'll make the excuses to the Eleventh for the delay and pay for what the boy takes." The chef let go in surprise and Aster didn't waste any time in gathering as many plates as he could hold before darting out of the kitchen at top speed. Leaving the chefs to deal with the aftermath, he quickly reentered the restaurant and fulfilled his promise. Hotaru wasn't happy that it would all have to be remade and that he'd have to wait longer, but he accepted it with only a questioning look at Reborn for sticking his nose into such a seemingly minor matter. When Reborn abruptly made his excuses to leave, even Gokudera noticed that something was odd.

"Off so soon?" Gokudera asked while trying to hold Elario down in his seat. "We just got here."

"I need to go check on something," he murmured carefully.

"Don't you mean someone?" Hotaru grumbled. "If you want to say farewell to your brother, just say so, Reborn."

"Brother?" Gokudera choked, letting go of Elario in surprise. The child was out of his seat in an instant and only Sangia's restraining grip on his collar pulled him back before he could run wild. Leaving it to her, Gokudera turned his full attention to Reborn and the curious look in his eyes didn't bode well. "Since when did you have a brother?"

"I'll explain later," Reborn replied, turning to leave before--

"I'll go with you," Gokudera offered. "I want to meet him." Gokudera was on his feet before Reborn could say anything to stop him. Rather than waste more time arguing, Reborn decided to ignore him while wishing that he was still infant sized. Disappearing unnoticed had been so much easier when he'd been smaller.

Leading the way up to Tsuna's floor, he knew that something was wrong as soon as he got within sight of Tsuna's door. Pulling Gokudera around the corner, he paused to think of any reasons that Tsuna would put guards on his door. Considering that his research of Tsuna told him that he didn't have such resources, the only conclusion to be had was that they were there to keep something in. Times like this were when he wished Bianchi was around. She could have gotten close to the guards under the pretense of bringing room service and knocked them out.

"Trouble?" Gokudera asked curiously, peering around the corner at the two black figures. Reborn nodded, causing Gokudera to grimace in understanding of the problem. The guards would see them coming and there wasn't enough ceiling room to use in taking them unawares. With an unknown situation like this, shooting them wasn't an option, either. There was the slim possibility that they were Tsuna's comrades. Reborn couldn't know for sure since Tsuna had a lot of connections that Reborn was only beginning to discover in his investigations.

It was Leon that gave him what he needed to overcome the difficulties, which was why Reborn considered him the best partner that he could ask for. Reborn considered changing into his tribal cosplay to compliment the little chameleon's artistic shape change into a tranquilizer blowgun, but he decided to skip it due to the small audience. Carefully peeking around the corner, he sent two darts flying though the air towards the guards. It was when the darts turned to ash and disappeared within five feet of the two that he became aware that the men were more than they seemed. Leon trembled against his lips at whatever attack had been used and reverted back into a chameleon. As his partner darted down his sleeve, Reborn furiously tried to think of what he was dealing with. The darts hadn't been sliced or disintegrated. It'd turned to ash as if it'd been burned, but there had been no flames.

"It's useless to use living weaponry against us," one of the guards called from his position without blindly chasing after those who'd attacked them. "Please show yourself so that we may talk. We're not interested in a fight."

"What purpose do you have in guarding that door?" Reborn asked, boldly stepping out into the hallway with Gokudera beside him. The two guards traded a worried look before the dark haired man on the left spoke up for a second time.

"It's for protection," he answered calmly. The way that he said it left Reborn no doubt that there was something extremely important going on and Gokudera put the pieces together just as quickly.

"Who's?" Gokudera prompted.

"Yours," the blonde man on the right grinned darkly. "The resident Lord is feeling unwell. If you'd like to visit, you should come back in three days."

"Three days," Reborn repeated while he began to slowly, leisurely close the distance between them. "That's interesting. I was told that he would be leaving out tonight."

"That was before he fell ill," the dark haired man replied with his eye twitching from frustration that Reborn wasn't going to go away so easily. Finally, Reborn understood what was going on. All it took was a closer look at the two guard's eyes to see that the blue shade wasn't a natural color. They were like Xanxus' and the odd ring in Aster's. The reason for the color change was one of those things that he was still investigating, but he didn't doubt that it meant he was dealing with vampires. Since vampires were guarding Tsuna's door, it was logical that whatever was wrong with him had to do with the company that he'd fallen into during his long stay away.

Feeling Gokudera tense up behind him in preparation of a fight, Reborn stuck his hand in his pocket to allow Leon to shift into his hand without being noticed. At least, that was what he planned to do, but his partner wasn't having it. The chameleon ran even farther down Reborn's sleeve in an undeniable statement of 'screw you', which was a shock in itself. Leon was usually always up for a good fight, but he was scared in a way that Reborn had never seen him before. He didn't understand until Gokudera whispered for his Salamander to come out and was also rejected. Like the guard had said, living weaponry was useless. A vampire could suck the life out of the creatures in the blink of an eye. They were natural enemies with Leon and Gokudera's Salamander having no defenses other than their solid partners.

"W-Wait," a voice called as Tsuna's door cracked open, keeping both the vampires and the Vongola from making a first move. "It's okay," Aster mumbled without allowing more than an eye to peek out. "That's... Master's brother. He... can help, but... not... the other one." Instead of arguing, Reborn gave Gokudera a look telling him to wait and quickly strode towards the door. Aster's reluctance to come out was understandable once Reborn slipped inside. Even though the boy had been energetic and unharmed less than ten minutes previously, his arm had a long gash in it that was spilling blood at an unhealthy rate. He started to kneel down to tend to it, but the boy slapped his hand away and stumbled deeper into the room.

Staying next to the door, he almost didn't recognize the room from his previous, quick visit. He knew what it should look like since he also had a room prepared and all of them were identical, but the place was a mess. The walls were covered in scorch marks, the wallpaper torn, and a pillow had ripped enough that the beds were covered in feathers. Also, the light bulbs had burst and while the curtains blocked light from coming from the windows, there was still light in the room. It was coming from the six Salamanders that were taking up most of the space in their full forms. Reborn just wished that he understood what he was seeing when Aster knelt down to the crumpled white form next to the bed. Aster was tearing off large pieces of food and feeding it to Tsuna like he was an invalid, but the food was getting spoiled by the blood from--

It finally hit him that the gash was intentional and so was the blood draining down Aster's arm into the food being fed to Tsuna. For the first time in a long time, Reborn was dumbfounded. He knew that Tsuna was a werewolf, but the reality wasn't as easy to digest as the words. He wasn't given a choice but to digest, though. Not when he watched Tsuna devouring the bits of food as if they were sushi and not when he watched Tsuna lick Aster's arm as if it were covered in chocolate syrup. Pulling out a scented handkerchief from his pocket, he had to cover his mouth and nose to keep from getting sick. He'd seen plenty of corpses and plenty of sights of the sordid amusements of psychopaths, but this... This was Tsuna...

"He's usually not like this," a feminine voice interjected, directing Reborn's attention to a woman hiding in the shadowed recesses of the room. The voice was familiar, but it still took a long moment for him to recognize the woman known as the senior Mistress Drake. It wasn't that he didn't know her, but that he wasn't expecting her to be in this place at this kind of time. "There are just too many strong people in the building for him to block out the scents. In case you're wondering, Van is in heat, although we prefer the term 'mating cycle'. Because he was so busy, he explained away his growing hunger as being overworked. His blood slave is quite lucky. Van figured it out right before the effects peaked for today and he called for help before he could kill the poor boy."

Reborn narrowed his eyes at Aster, slowly trying to digest the word 'slave' around with everything else, making his stomach turn. The Tsuna that he'd raised as a Boss would have never used a slave, yet it was right in front of him to see. Aster was being used as food of all things. Before that, Reborn had seen him serving more attentively than any subordinate. He'd walked in on Tsuna using him as a bedmate and there were those reports of him being used as a sandbag. What had happened to the Tsuna that he'd known to be capable of such--! Before he could become self-righteous over it, one thing stopped him and gave him hope that things weren't as they seemed. Aster had no expression on his face, but there was his body language. From the way that he soothingly stroked Tsuna's hair to the way that he carefully attended to every offered bite of food, it was hard to think that Tsuna had become a person who was inhumane.

"How long will he be like this?" He asked, forcing himself to withhold judgment. Mistress Drake smiled at the composed question, although Reborn couldn't be sure since he couldn't see her face. The air lightened momentarily, however, so Reborn thought that she was amused with him.

"No more than another half hour," she answered softly. "After that, it should be at a level that he can control until tomorrow's peak. He'll still probably want to stay isolated for everyone's safety." Taking her words in consideration along with how little he knew about what it meant for Tsuna to be a werewolf, Reborn couldn't think of this as anything more than a golden opportunity for infiltration. Before he could act on it, however, the door began to open again and Reborn froze at the sound of Gokudera arguing with the blue-eyed, junior Mistress Drake. As she entered, she spat something in Gokudera's direction that sent Reborn's mind spinning into realms of consideration that he didn't particularly like.

"Of course they're going to let me through! I'm Van's fiancé!"

Standing aside to let the woman pass, he tried not to look at the comment too closely. He tried and he failed. Was this woman the reason that Tsuna wasn't trying to reclaim Haru? Was his return really of his own doing or was it some vampire scheme? Why had Tsuna gotten involved with these people? Was he really still an independent person or was he as much of a slave as the boy feeding him? How much of his actions was his own choice? All of it led back to one question that Reborn hadn't yet found the answer to. If Lazarus hadn't died, where had he been until now? The investigation was still incomplete and that was the most irritating thing that he could be faced with.

"If Van asks, you didn't hear me say that," the younger Mistress Drake mumbled as she knelt down next to Tsuna to check on him. "Tell your buddy to keep his mouth shut, too. I'll probably have to wait until the people he loves dies before he'll finally make room for me and there's still ninety eight years before that statement will matter. It would be horrible for him to start hating me now."

"He'll forget about it by then," the senior Mistress Drake chuckled.

"Not if he loses his chance with Haru because of it," she replied. Reborn stared at her closely when she looked up to smile at him. So, these did know who they had in their keeping and Tsuna did have intentions to reclaim Haru. He couldn't say that he was surprised, but the fact did increase his suspicion that vampires might be trying to gain control of Vongola through Tsuna. The Drakes had money, but they weren't high on the world power meters. At least, not in any circle that Reborn was aware of.

Putting his suspicions aside, he watched carefully as Neve rolled up her sleeve and gave herself a gash to match Aster's. The fact that she did it with her fingernail was noted for future reference. So was her high pain threshold. Even though the wound was a quarter of an inch deep and three inches long, she acted as if she'd merely pricked her finger. Neve took over the feeding for Aster and Reborn focused on him as he stood and went deeper into the shadows. Having been in the room long enough for his eyes to adjust, he was able to see what the boy did. It wasn't anything from a normal first-aid menu, though. First, he licked his arm, which miraculously caused it to stop bleeding. Then he downed a glass of wine that the elder Mistress Drake held out for him. Once he was finished, the boy followed her gestured order to sit against the far wall and rest. It was there that Reborn got to see the regenerative abilities that had been mentioned several times during his preliminary investigations. The wound closed before his eyes while the boy ignored it as if it were an everyday occurrence... which it might be!

He'd only been standing in the room for a few minutes and he'd gotten previously unknown information on vampires without even trying. This truly was a golden opportunity and Reborn knew of the perfect way to make it last.

* * *

"No," Hotaru said bluntly after only a glance at the girl that Reborn had brought with him. She was kind of cute in a baby-faced kind of way, but she was also under-developed, short, and skinny. If he was going to have to suffer the company of a girl, he'd be damned if she wasn't a hot one.

"Eleventh," Reborn replied with a dark smile of warning, "Are you saying that you're going to leave my Brother's retainer out in the cold?" Hotaru cringed internally, abruptly realizing that Reborn had full rights as a Tutor to correct him in this instance. Not only was it Family's family that was in need, but it was a girl that he was refusing. One of the number one rules in the Mafia was to care for women.

"Al--" Hotaru gaped when Reborn sped away before the agreement was even out of his mouth. Reborn didn't give him time to ask any questions or get any information at all! Turning to glare at his charge, the girl looked back with an oblivious expression that told him that she was either simple-minded or completely stupid. Trying to keep himself calm, he decided that the first thing to deal with was the girl's clothes. A pant suit was fine for modern women, but he refused to look at one while he was on vacation. Perhaps his mother had something suitable. With that in mind, he gestured for Aster to stay there and quickly headed through the penthouse to the elevator. Going down one floor, he knocked numerous times to see if his mother was in her room before cautiously using his master room key to get through the door.

As he expected, his mother had more clothes than she needed. Not only were there the half-finished designs for the Fall Line, but she had a complete set of her summer line and several pieces from the previous year's line. Picking from her stock of last year's clothes, he grabbed three dresses, two sets of hose, and a pair of outdoor slippers. Taking the lot of it upstairs, he tossed it all into his charge's arms and received a blank expression in return.

"Change," he ordered, pointing to the bathroom in exasperation. "I don't care which you pick, just get out of that suit. I'm not going to have some stiff hanging around me."

"Y-Yes, m'Lord," she mumbled. She started walking toward the bathroom, but froze and turned to look at him before she got halfway there. Hotaru waited, gesturing for her to spit out whatever question she had. "Are you... my Master?"

"Eh?" Hotaru asked in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?" The girl's expression didn't change, but Hotaru picked up that she was nervous about something.

"Are you... going to take... care... of me... until Master is well?" She asked, staring at him with a pair of innocently empty eyes. At that, Hotaru pulled back and felt like smacking himself for being so selfish. Here he was, thinking only about how he was stuck with a girl right when he'd thought that he'd gotten rid of them all, but this poor girl was probably having a much harder time. First, her patron cuts their vacation short due to some sort of emergency. Then, on the day that they were supposed to leave, her patron falls so ill that he has to be quarantined. Finally, she got tossed off into a complete stranger's care without so much as an overnight bag because there were no other rooms available. She wasn't showing it, but she had to be completely miserable.

"Yeah," he soothed while gently shooing her toward the bathroom. "Reborn doesn't usually ask for anything, so it's okay if you stay here for a few days. Just hurry up and change. I was planning to go to the amusement park with Orinato and he's going to be here any minute."

"Yes, m'Lord."

Waiting until she was securely behind the bathroom door, he headed into his bedroom to find himself something clean to change into since he still had his swimming trunks on from the morning's trip to the beach. Thinking about that made him wonder if Van Wolfe's other retainer was alright in the hospital. It also made him wonder at how quickly Van Wolfe had contracted his illness. If he'd already been sick earlier, he hadn't shown any signs of it. Shoving both thoughts away since they did not affect him, he rummaged through his suitcases to find a pair of shorts and his favorite Hawaiian shirt. It didn't take long since that particular garment was the one that Longchamp had gifted to him. From a distance, the pink shapes on the black fabric looked like bunches of palm trees. However, if one looked carefully, there was a secret image in the black that he didn't think his mother had caught on to. She'd definitely scold him if she did.

Deciding to leave the shirt unbuttoned since that was the fashion, he headed into the main area of the penthouse and started mixing some drinks. He made the girl's non-alcoholic as virtue demanded while he only gave himself a dash of whiskey in his cola. On the other hand, he skillfully mixed Orinato a drink that was sure to keep him from being a busy-body. He slipped the liquor back into the room's cabinet and was in the process of ensuring that Orinato wouldn't taste anything wrong with the drink when the girl stepped out of the bathroom. He stared for a long moment while the girl stopped in place for his inspection.

She wasn't as bad as he'd thought. She still didn't have any chest to speak of, but the layers of lace on the dress that she'd chosen was good at hiding the fact. Overall, she had a light and airy look that made it seem as if the wind was going to blow her away. The subtle pastel blue in the dress' trim brought out the blue ring in her eyes in a way that was rather attractive. She'd mistaken the wide fabric belt that went with the dress as a necklace, but he didn't see any reason to correct her. The way that she'd tied it off in a bow to the side was a good accent in his opinion. She still seemed a little bland, though. It was the stockings, lack of makeup, and lack of hairstyle, he decided. She'd chosen the white thigh-highs so that the only flesh really showing was her neckline and arms. It was somewhat disappointing since she had a nice pair of athletically toned legs, but he wasn't going to complain too much. At least she seemed dressed for a summer on the beach instead of an autumn in an office.

"Good enough," he praised, waving for her to put her old clothes on the couch for now. Holding up the drink that he'd made her, he offered it cautiously in fear that he'd mixed in some sort of juice that she wouldn't like. She didn't turn her nose up at it, though. She didn't take it like he was offering her a wedding ring, either, which was even more of a relief. "How is it?" He asked worriedly after she took a long sip and didn't show any expression.

"Cold," she mumbled. Hotaru couldn't help it. He tilted his head to the side and stared at her in utter disbelief. Of course it was cold! It had crushed ice in it! There was no way that there was any girl in the world as simpleminded as that! Thankfully, a knock at the door saved him from trying to create a conversation out of 'cold'. Calling out to tell Orinato to enter, he met him a few steps inside the door by thrusting his spiked drink into his hands with a smile.

"Here's to no paperwork," he toasted to keep Orinato from questioning. Tossing back his drink, Orinato predictably imitated him without thinking first. He only drank a quarter of his glass before he stopped, but Hotaru was confident that it was more than enough to give him a buzz. To keep him from having any time to identify the flavors, he turned to his guest to introduce Orinato but froze in realization that Reborn hadn't given the girl's name. "Uh... this is..."

"Aster," she mumbled in a soft voice that Hotaru guessed was out of shyness.

"Aster," Hotaru repeated, grinning and snapping his fingers cheerfully in hopes of turning his own mood by force. "Reborn asked me to look after her for his Brother, so she's going to be staying here a few days. I hope you don't mind having a third person with us."

"Of course not," Orinato replied while eyeing the girl with a stunned expression. Hotaru guessed it was because of the dress since he normally couldn't stand his mother's designs any more than he could suits while he was on vacation. "Boss..." he murmured hesitantly."You do know..."

"Know what?" Hotaru prompted as he took Aster's glass and his own. Set them aside in preparation to leave, he snatched up his wallet and turned to find Orinato with a torn expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Boss," he replied after a moment. "I'm ready to go whenever you are." Hotaru shrugged and shook off the feeling that Orinato had wanted to say something else. Leading the way toward the elevator, he stopped when he noticed that Aster wasn't following. Backtracking, he groaned to himself at how the girl was standing in the man area with her face as blank as ever. Hotaru wasn't sure if it was a statement that she didn't want to go or if she just had to be led by the nose everywhere. Knowing that he couldn't leave her in the room since Reborn would kill him for the neglect, he prayed that Aster was just a few ducks short of a flock instead of disagreeable and grabbed her hand to drag her with him. Whether he liked it or not, he was stuck with her until Van Wolfe was back on his feet.

She seemed to get the picture that she had to go with them once they were in the elevator and Hotaru gratefully dropped her hand. He had no intention of trading one set of rumors for another, but his intuition told him that hanging around a girl was bound to start a few. Then he became positive of the fact when he encountered his mother on the way out of the hotel. Her eyes flickered toward Aster repeatedly while Hotaru explained about Reborn's request and borrowing some of her dresses since Aster's clothes was locked in her room with her sick patron. He wasn't sure how much his mother heard, though. She seemed far more intent on Aster's very presence than the explanation for it.

"That's fine, sweetheart," she said with a sudden smile. "You know that I'll always support you."

"Like I said, I'm just--" Hotaru broke off in exasperation, seeing the array of thoughts going through her head. They would be gone in a few days when the girl was gone, he told himself. Until then, he doubted that anyone was really going to listen to him, so it was a waste of breathe to try. "Where's..." Taking a deep breath, he tried to remember his private decision to strengthen his bond with his mother. It was difficult, but he knew that the best way to do that was to show some acceptance of her remarriage. He was well overdue for such and so was she. "Where's d-dad?"

"Oh!" She squeaked. "I think he's at the beach with--"

"Not..." Biting his lip, he grimaced to himself over the mistake. Of course his mother would think that he was talking about Toshi. She didn't know that the imposter was an imposter. Toshi had a different face before Hotaru had asked him to revert to his real one. "Not him," Hotaru corrected softly. "I meant..."

"Ha-hi?" Haru gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "Did you mean Kyoya?" Hotaru nodded softly and bowed his head, waiting for her to freak out. The outburst never came, though. Instead, she gave him a quick hug and ruffled his hair in the way that all mothers had when they wanted to comfort someone too old for such things. "Don't force yourself, Taru-kun," she admonished gently. "I appreciate your effort, but I think that you should wait until you want to say it. There're some things that--"

"I want to say it, mom," he murmured quietly. Thinking back to all the memories that he had of Hibari, he couldn't think of any reason not to. Hibari wasn't the most loving of fathers, but he'd been there. It was a lot more than he could say about the one that'd abandoned him. "I won't ever be able to say it naturally if I don't practice, so I think that I should. This isn't... It's not like I think that I have to. I just..."

"Okay," she soothed, ruffling his hair once more. "Kyoya's in the gym. I'm not sure what happened, but he seems really happy. I haven't seen him this energetic since high school."

"Thanks, mom," he replied before tossing his head to tell both Aster and Orinato to follow him. Ever since his mother and Hibari had begun the whole 'happy family' routine by ensuring that they always lived in the same house and shared meals, Hibari had one standing rule that wouldn't end until he was eighteen. If he was going out for something other than business, he had to tell Hibari where he was going and when he'd be back. If it was business, he had to tell either Gokudera or Reborn until Orinato was twenty. He didn't understand the reason for it, but he figured that it was more lasting damage from his father's disastrous reign. At least now that he was sixteen, Hibari wasn't forcing bodyguards on him.

The gym was predictably empty except for Hibari himself. It didn't look like he was doing much exercising, though. It seemed as if he was in the midst of some sort of candle meditation, but Hotaru could tell from the air that it was serious business. He didn't know what his mother was thinking. Hibari wasn't happy. He was ready to kill something. Whispering out his intentions to keep from breaking the mood, Hibari turned to pin him with an ice-cold stare that sent chills up his spine. Then he gave a gracious nod of acceptance and returned to his meditations, leaving Hotaru to flee for his life before Hibari's temper came out. Hotaru didn't stop fleeing until he was a block away from the hotel with Orinato and Aster behind him.

Thus freed from confinement, he gave a long stretch to loosen himself up and turned to see that Orinato had a slightly glazed look in his eyes that said the alcohol was kicking in. Grinning, he threw his arms around his two companions and set his mind to enjoying a long afternoon at the amusement park. He'd already rode all the rides and he'd already sampled everything that the place had to offer, but he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy it all again. After all, a Mafia Boss on vacation was indeed a rare thing.

* * *

Author's Notes: 104 will be up in a few hours. This begins our bulk upload method. Another chunk of chapters will be posted in a few weeks.


	104. Chapter 104 Shenanigans

﻿"You saw something disturbing," Tsuna commented while trying relax, even though he just wanted to punch himself for his mistake. He should have been more aware, but the snowball of events had finally caused him to trip. Only the fact that he was in a place where he could find support allowed him a chance to recover before he had been swept away entirely. His condition wasn't bad, but the cycle was hitting him harder than normal this time. It wasn't hard to figure out why with Xerxes already over a hundred miles away.

At least now he had a general idea of when his next cycle would be. They were three months and twenty six days apart and, knowing that, he would be able to schedule a week to seclude himself with reservations at a mountain resort. Aster would be better equipped to deal with him as well if they both knew that his cycle was imminent. One more day and it would be over, he told himself. He'd already gotten though the stage of overwhelming hunger and he just had to be mindful of his current touchiness. Once he got past this peak, he could get back to work.

That was assuming, of course, that he didn't injure himself too badly today. One step at a time, he repeated to himself as if it were a mantra. All other difficulties, goals, and issues aside, the only thing that he had to deal with right now was his own condition. His two partners and the rest of the Council were on top of the counter attack. He was just a mere delegate and he'd already done the bulk of his job by warning those that they had contact with. The face-to-face meetings were only a formality and he'd already delegated his minor responsibilities to others. Rushing out to find Hunters wasn't his job. Counterattacking wasn't his job. His job was rescuing those who needed it and preparing for future problems and the first stages were still playing out. He'd done his part before he'd faltered, so there was no shame in a small delay due to personal reasons.

Or so he told himself. When not trying to rationalize, he was aggravated at himself for not planning for his cycle. He was irritated at the loss of momentum. He was infuriated at how Neve and Adie were mother-henning him and he was just plain pissed off at Reborn's refusal to leave him alone. Even now, Reborn was sitting in a chair across the room, playing solitaire with Leon being the cards. He hadn't been talking much, but Tsuna got a sense that he was being judged. Since he didn't know what, the air grated his nerves worse than anything else.

Fine. If Reborn wanted to judge him, then Tsuna could judge right back!

"You did a shitty job at training Hotaru," he stated, causing Reborn's eyebrows to fly up in surprise. "He seems to be a model Boss, but he's not much else. Is he?" Tsuna cracked a smile as Reborn's eyes narrowed. The words had hit the mark. Now to just dig them in a little. "Now that I think about it, you never could understand me. No, I should say you never tried to understand me. You figured out my motivations for not wanting to be a Boss and you manipulated that until I did what you want. With someone like Hotaru, you don't know what to do. Do you? He was raw material to begin with. There was nothing to twist, so you could only mold. How does it feel Reborn? You molded yourself the perfect Boss and he doesn't even know what he's missing out on. You're never going to have to worry that he would want a simple life. Hotaru--"

"I failed Hotaru," he interrupted calmly, causing Tsuna to freeze with his mouth open. Reborn continued playing cards as if he'd said nothing, but the words rang in Tsuna's ears until Reborn glanced up with a knowing smirk. "Did you think that I wouldn't admit it? Remember who you're speaking to."

"The greatest hitman in the world," Tsuna said mockingly.

"Exactly," he replied while leisurely gathering the Leon-cards and reshuffling them. "The greatest hitman. Not the greatest father." Tsuna's eye twitched at the counter-attack, but he wasn't willing to give up that easily and he wasn't in the mood to just let it go either. He'd trusted Reborn and Reborn had failed both the Tenth and Eleventh generations with his mistake!

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I'm not really dead," he growled. "If I had been, Hotaru would have been stuck like this forever."

"Then you have some plan to fix him?" Reborn asked with a cautious tone that was unlike him. A blast of intuition ran through Tsuna and he gaped for a long moment before laughing madly at the poetic justice of it all. Reborn, the man who always had all the answers, didn't know what to do! He was completely stumped! For all his high-and-mighty posturing, he was a man without a clue! The fact made Tsuna stop to catch his breath as something else hit him. Had Reborn ever been just a normal person? Had he ever went to school and had he ever had real parents to call his own? Tsuna didn't know and he didn't think it was his place to ask. The important part was that Reborn had served the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh generation of Vongola Bosses. Even if he had once been normal, he'd been a hitman for far longer.

"His arrogance," Tsuna replied, feeling just a touch more superior than he knew he should. "That's the wall holding him back from normality. While it's a necessity for a Boss, a regular person needs humility instead."

"That's what I thought, too," Reborn mused, tapping Leon into a neat pile and setting him aside to focus on the problem at hand. Leon reverted into a chameleon as soon as he was discarded and Tsuna absently kept an eye on him while he scurried around the hotel room's small breakfast table. Most of his attention was still on Reborn, though. It was irritating to hear that he'd already thought of it. After all, if he'd already thought of it, why hadn't he fixed it?! "I tried," Reborn replied to his thoughts. "We put him under Haru's care and sent him to a normal school, but he's quick to take advantage of opportunities. I think that's the biggest reason that he brought Toshi out."

"A distraction," Tsuna grumbled. "And you fell for it."

"Hotaru was needed for more important things than--"

"There's always something more important going on!" Tsuna finally exploded. Jumping to his feet, he couldn't stay still any longer. Getting up only made things worse, though. Pacing the length of the hotel room only made him feel more caged. Talk, he growled to himself. Even if it was an argument, he had to keep talking and release some of the frustration rubbing at his nerves. He would need to fight later, but not yet. It was too early to give in. "Face it, Reborn! You lost sight of the bigger picture!"

"You're mistaking me for yourself," Reborn stated with his expression hardening.

"Am I?!" Tsuna shouted simple out of the urge to shout. Grabbing a lamp from the side table, he threw it across the room in effort to let out some of his pent up tension. The crash when it hit the wall brought no satisfaction, though, and his thoughts started to become disordered. He continued to blindly destroy the room, not even knowing why he was really upset. All he knew was that the words were surfacing and slipping past his lips before he could register what he was saying. "Then what the fuck are you doing here?! The person you tutored is dead, Reborn! Hotaru's the one that needs you and you're just sitting on your ass! Why don't you get off your fucking rear and DO something?! What's got you so god damned scared that you've lost your Dying Will?!"

Tsuna paused, panting, in the center of his ring of destruction while he slowly let his mind catch up to what he had said. Reborn was still sitting where he'd been since offering to watch over him, but there was a solemn and mournful expression on his face that sent Tsuna scrambling after the memory of what he'd just said. Slowly, as it came back to him, Tsuna felt himself grow calm in stunned realization. It wasn't possible.

"You've lost your Dying Will?" Tsuna whispered. Reborn refused to look at him, which was as good as admitting the truth. Being faced with such a thing was more than Tsuna could take. He sank down in place, staring at Reborn--his hero--and what had become of him. How long had he been like this? How long had he been hiding it? How long had it been since he'd had the faith in himself to follow through on his own plans regardless of the mechanizations of others? Tsuna knew exactly what would have happened if he'd tried a distraction like Hotaru had. He wouldn't have gotten away with it. Reborn would have tracked him down, tied him up, and dragged him back. That he hadn't gone to such lengths for Hotaru showed that he didn't have any resolution left. "What happened?" Tsuna asked, trying to think of what would have brought Reborn to such a point.

"One of my students died," he answered quietly, making Tsuna's eyes widen in shock. "I've never before been in a position where all of my abilities as a hitman would've done nothing to change the situation. When that happens, you start questioning your judgment and whether you're worthy of being a tutor. I've tried my best for Hotaru, but there comes a time that every hitman has to hang up his guns. I'm nearing mine."

It wasn't as simple as that. Tsuna could understand it if Reborn felt some guilt over the rough times that Tsuna had went through, but to put all the blame on himself was too much. Reborn had always done his best and he'd always been worthy of the trust placed on him. He could tell that Reborn was serious, though. He was serious about doubting himself and he was seriously considering retirement. Putting the pieces together, Tsuna couldn't help but think that it was the real reason for Don Girarde's new tier of teachers. He wasn't just trying to help the school. He was looking for a _replacement_.

"Baka-Reborn," Tsuna growled, making Reborn's eyebrows fly up in surprise once more. "After all the hell you put me through, you better not regret it now! Your student didn't die because of you! He survived because of you! He survived being killed so many times that people thought that he was immortal! One day, when he does die, it's not going to be because you didn't teach him well enough! It's going to be because he was too much of an idiot to remember everything that he learned from you! Just because you couldn't teach Hotaru isn't a good enough reason to hang up your guns! It just means that you're coming at him from the wrong angle!"

"And what angle would you have me come at him in?" Reborn asked in a bitter tone.

"Che," Tsuna spat. "An opposite one, of course! What he can't learn from a friend, teach him as an enemy! What the hell do you think I'm doing with Hibari?!" Reborn stared at him as if he'd gone insane, but he was rather proud of himself for his cleverness. Hotaru would learn what he was missing so easily that way. If Reborn turned into an enemy, Hotaru would be forced to question everything that he knew and everything that he'd been taught. It would shake him up, which would knock him back into being the teenage boy that he really was. Even if his Boss side was dominant at first, he would start feeling the effect with time. Without the world's greatest hitman to back him up, he'd learn humility and he'd lose his arrogance. On top of that, by questioning everything that he knew about Reborn, he'd also start questioning other things such as his beliefs about his father, his own strength, and the truths about the world around him.

"Make him question everything, Baka-Reborn," Tsuna urged with a cruel grin. "When he finds the answers, he'll know who he is and he'll know what he really wants."

* * *

Hotaru handed Aster a bag of popcorn while trying to keep control of his blushes. He'd had far more fun at the amusement park the previous day than he'd expected and Aster was the one to thank for it. He'd thought that Aster was simpleminded, but she was far more intelligent than she seemed. She knew what was safe to eat so that none of them would get stomach aches and she knew when they needed to rest so that Orinato wouldn't get sick. She wasn't the kind of girl that waited for someone to take care of her, either. She'd actually disappeared and reappeared with things that they wanted or needed before they even realized it for themselves. On top of it all, she was completely fearless. Even in the face of a half-mile drop on a rollercoaster, she'd done nothing other than crack a small smile in amusement while Orinato had screamed until he lost his voice.

The strength game was where Hotaru finally figured out how special Aster really was, though. She seemed like the delicate flower that she was named after, but she'd beaten him even when he'd been trying. Any other girl wouldn't have even tried, but Aster did the opposite. She'd broken the damn machine after Hotaru prodded her by saying that Van Wolfe probably wouldn't want her back if she couldn't do something as simple as causing the bell to ring!

The more that he learned about her, the more interested he became. She loved ice cream, cute dolls, and cats. She was interested in the occult and even spun a quick story behind a smudge on one of the mirrors in the House of Mirrors. She wasn't very opinionated, but she could give an opinion if she was asked for it. She also took her position as Van Wolfe's servant very seriously. To find out that she was equal to a maid was a bit of a shock, but it also made him understand why Reborn hadn't worried about leaving her in Hotaru's hands. She wasn't a potential bride in any way. He'd also eased up even more on having her as a tag-a-long when he figured out that she wasn't dull. She just had the ultimate poker face.

Today, he was determined to figure out what kind of movies she liked. Of course, the Family was making a big deal out of it since he'd gone so far as to ask Orinato to take a hike for the day. It wasn't like that, though. Aster was shy and Hotaru just thought that it'd be easier to talk to her if there weren't any other guys around for her to look at. He couldn't say why, but her poker face irritated him. He wanted to break through it and see what kind of girl was hiding behind it.

Again, she'd surprised him when he'd left the choice of movie to her. To ensure that she would choose something based on her own preferences, he said that he'd already seen all of them and wouldn't mind watching any of them a second time. In honesty, he'd expected her to go for the romantic comedy or possibly the animated penguin movie. He really hadn't expected her to come back with tickets for the two hour documentary on an inmate's life in prison.

He also hadn't expected her to be riveted to the screen for the whole movie. Every time that he glanced over at her, it was as if she was completely unaware that they were the only two in the theater. For the first time ever, he actually got to watch the movie that he came to see instead of playing 'dodge the cues'. There were no subordinates to take care of and there were no other customers he had to silence. There was also no tension in the air, which was the nicest part of all.

On the surface, Aster's movie choice seemed like a boring one, but it really wasn't. It turned out to be a Mafia-Land-only special that had been made by Mafioso. The commentary was witty and the narration was lively. When things turned serious, it gave reality instead of a watered down version that was easy to swallow. When things turned sad, the music was well placed and the images spoke for themselves. When things turned happy, it actually made him want to weep in joy with the actors. Compared to the movies put out for mass consumption that made him want to roll his eyes, Aster's pick had a raw reality that he could really sympathize with and understand.

He almost wished that the movie didn't end where it did, although there wasn't much to document after the target reached the end of death row. He got so caught up in the movie that he didn't even notice that he was crying until Aster led him out into the lobby at the end credits and offered him napkins to dry his eyes.

"That was the best movie that I ever saw," he sniffled while trying to get control of himself. As far as justification for his tears went, it was a valid reason. It also had the effect of sending a stampede of nearby movie-goers to the box office to exchange their tickets. As for Aster, the girl was far more composed. She patted him on the shoulder and went to refill his drink to give him time to get control of himself. He did, although he began blushing furiously at having been the one to cry over the movie while his d--

He blushed even more when he finally admitted to himself that it was a date. He'd taken her to the movies and he planned to take her to dinner next. What else could it be? Although, the dinner was more for him than her. There was a place on the east side of the island that he'd overheard two of his subordinates talking about. It sounded interesting, but everyone said that it wasn't something that he'd like when he tried to suggest going to the place.

When they arrived, he figured out the reason quickly enough. The restaurant was intended for couples. More than that, it had enough frills to make any girl squeal in delight while making every man uncomfortable to the point of insanity. If he'd come on any other night, he would have turned around and went home. Seeing a gleam of curiosity in Aster's eyes when they approached made him understand why a man would take up the challenge of entering the place, though.

Mustering his bravery, he led the way inside with his head held high. The host was beside himself at having Hotaru choose his restaurant to visit and Hotaru appreciated the fuss for once. It let Aster know how important he was, which was something that a servant might not know. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to notice at all when he glanced back to see if she had any sudden admiration for him. That was fine, though. He'd just win--

Blushing yet again, he was slightly dazed while they were led to a private booth close to the back of the place. Was he really trying to win her over? He'd just met her yesterday. She was kind of cute, although a bit androgynous. She wasn't anything close to his type, though. On top of that, she wasn't even marriage material, so why was he trying? It wasn't just that he was trying to be a kind host because Reborn had asked him to. There was something more than that.

Attempting to focus on the menu, he tried not to think too hard about it. Estimates said that Van Wolfe would be back on his feet in a day and a half. She'd have to leave after that, so there was no point in feeling angst over a temporary friendship. By remembering that she was only a servant, she'd done well in not putting any pressure on him. He was just repaying that by entertaining her. That was all. Anything more would be foolishness.

Once more, she surprised him. He automatically ordered for both of them, but she went ahead and ordered for herself, as well. Not only was he shocked that she did, but she wasn't shy about her appetite. Not only did she order the biggest chicken salad on the menu as an appetizer, but she got the never-ending soup bowl and a rack of ribs that was the sole offering of red meat on the menu. Frankly, it shocked him since he'd planned on dining on expensive lobsters and oysters with her.

He tried to spark up a conversation to fill the silence, but she wasn't a very talkative person. There was one comment that he thought she showed curiosity in, so he ended up stretching a five minute incident into a ten minute tale. By the time that their salads arrived, he was more than self-aware that he was failing as an interesting dinner partner. When the salads arrived, everything changed, however, and the stalemate finally broke. He just wished that it did so in a different manner.

There was a loud clatter as she dropped her fork, it bounced off her plate, and knocked into her wine glass. The glass tipped over before either of them could save it and they both jumped out of their seats with lightening speed to avoid the spill. Waiters rushed forward to clean up the mess, but Hotaru's eyes locked onto how Aster was staring at her hand. Curious at what she was looking at, he carefully gestured for her to let him see. He felt himself grow cold at the red stripe down her palm from where she'd been holding her fork. At that, it was clear to him what had happened.

One of his rejected brides had tampered with Aster's silverware in jealousy.

"Who did this?" He demanded, turning to the approaching host with a furious scowl. "I demand that the person who did this is found!"

"Did what?" The host asked cluelessly. In answer, he showed the host Aster's hand. Predictably, the man was shocked and tried to save the reputation of his restaurant by claiming no fault. Hotaru wasn't having it, though. Someone had done something to his date's utensils! There probably wasn't any evidence left since the fork was covered in wine, but there was no doubt in his mind that there had been a corrosive agent put on them. How else would--

"Please stop," Aster mumbled, snatching her hand back to hold it protectively against her chest. Hotaru paused in the middle of reprimanding the host for his lack of security and even the host seemed surprised. "Not... his fault," she added quietly. "My fault... for not noticing..."

"Noticing what?" Hotaru asked in belief that she was just trying keep anyone from getting in trouble. "There was nothing to notice. Even I didn't--"

"Silverware," she interrupted. "It was... real silver..."

"Of course it was," the host replied in confusion. "We brought out our finest set for the Eleventh's visit. How does that...?"

"Allergic," she answered, bowing her head in shame. "Should have asked... for a different set. I apologize for... causing problems. I was too... happy. M'Lord is... very kind." Hotaru's cheeks heated up at the compliment, being the first that he'd heard her say about him. Before he could get too happy over it, though, the previous statement hit him. She was allergic to silver and her master was a self-proclaimed werewolf. He hadn't considered the possibility before, but there was a large chance that she was one, too.

Absently apologizing to the host for his unfair accusations, he received several in return for not having been told of the details of his place setting. Rather than fuss over the fact that the host shouldn't need to ask forgiveness, since such minor details were only a nuisance under normal circumstances, he accepted the man's words and thanked him for fixing the table so quickly so that the host would shut up. The silverware was whisked away to be replaced with a set of brushed nickel, leaving Aster's hand as the only thing still needing to be tended to. Strangely enough, Aster claimed that she was fine after only a quick trip to the ladies' room to wash her hands off.

When she returned, the silence between them thickened while Hotaru tried to find a way to ask if his hypothesis was correct. He couldn't really just blurt out his question, since he had a feeling that it was considered a very personal one. It wasn't something that he could ignore, either. Kimi had been a friend of his, even if it'd only been a superficial friendship. The stories that she'd told him about vampires had painted them as devious and hedonistic monsters that preyed on the innocent and he had to wonder if it was true.

Glancing up at her, he blushed to find that she was staring at him instead of eating. Servant, he reminded himself. She might be a werewolf, but she was also a servant who wouldn't eat before her patron. At the moment, that meant Hotaru. Focusing on the food in front of him, he decided to simply break the ice again and save his question for the proper opening. Thankfully, it came along with Aster's soup and rack of ribs.

"I didn't think about it, but your kind probably likes red meat over fish," he said conversationally. Aster paused in the middle of a bite and stared at him for so long that he paled at his lack of eloquence. Had he just said something insulting? He couldn't tell since Aster still had her poker face up, but she thankfully responded verbally.

"Not... true," she said softly. "Master eats all kinds... of food. I just... haven't had... ribs... since we left... home."

"Forgive me," he replied with a grimace. "My comment was rude. I was really trying to figure out if the reason for your hand injury was because you were like Van Wolfe."

"I'm... not like Master," she mumbled, looking to the side rather than meeting his eyes. "Master is... strong. I... want to be... like Master but... my blood... is weak."

"So, you're not like him, but you have the same type of blood as him...?" Hotaru prompted carefully. Aster's gaze snapped to him and he got the privilege of seeing her blush for the first time. As far as expressions went, it was the best one that he'd gotten out of her. In that moment, he could say without hesitation that she was more cute than any other girl that he'd met. Seeing it made him feel as if he'd received some sort of reward for all of his efforts.

Turning to his food to cover up his own need to blush, he completely forgot about getting her answer. The rest of their meal was devoured in silence. However, when dessert was brought, she started quietly speaking without being prompted. Her story was long and her words were as hesitant as ever, so it took some time for her to get it out. He listened closely when he realized that she was talking about herself, though, and he chose to take her for a beachside stroll after dinner so that he could hear it all. By the time that she was through, he had far more on his mind than the fact that she was a werewolf. It took some reading between the lines to understand it all, but he digested it thoroughly.

She was an orphan. Her parents had died when she was six. At least, she believed that they were dead. They'd left on her birthday, saying that they were going to the store to pick up a cake, and had never come back for her. The people who did come had been monsters that threw her into a locked room. She'd stayed in that room, being fed through a slit in the door until she was eight. At eight, a policeman had pulled her out of that room and she'd stayed in a hospital until she'd been placed into an orphanage.

The orphanage had been even worse than the prison since the overcrowding had caused her to be lost in the masses. She'd studied diligently and they'd fed her properly, but being around people who ignored her had been an unbearable torture. She'd stayed there until she was twelve and that was when Lord Nephriam had saved her. Then she'd been saved again when her Master, Van Wolfe, had sought her out and offered her a position where she wasn't a prisoner, a burden or a charity case. It was a place that she could earn with what little abilities that she humbly confessed to and it was a place where she could get stronger. For the first time in her life, she felt important to someone and she felt special.

"When Master needed me... to be turned," she said slowly, stopping momentarily to pick up a seashell that caught her eye. "I was happy. It was... like everything before... was leading up... to that. I'd always wondered... if my life... had been a mistake, but Master... makes me think that it... was to prepare me... for something bigger. I... haven't told him... about myself. When Master... looks at me... I can tell that... Master thinks that... I'm strong. I don't... want him... to look at me... differently... because how... he looks at me now... makes me feel... strong. M'Lord Nephriam... knows... and his look... makes me feel weak."

"I can't imagine," Hotaru said honestly as she stood to walk with him again. "I've always been surrounded by people, so much so that I sometimes had to lock myself in my room just to get away from them all. I don't think anyone has ever looked at me like I was weak. That kind of pressure isn't easy, either. I always feel like I have to live up to something. I don't... I really don't know what kind of person I'd be if I'd had the same kind of life as you. If I only had myself to answer to, I can't think of what I would have told myself to do."

"I--" Aster froze and blinked in surprise when her voice broke. Thinking back to how little she'd talked the previous day, Hotaru let out a small chuckle at her delicacy. She'd talked so much that she was losing her voice! He felt somewhat happy about the fact. It meant that she'd talked to him more than she had to anyone else.

Guiding her back to the hotel so that they could get her a cold drink for her throat, he found himself becoming incredibly self-conscious in the elevator. From everything that he'd been told, a date usually ended with a kiss goodbye. It was only the first date, though, so was he still supposed to? Since she was leaving in a day and a half, did he even have time to waste? Did it even matter since they were sharing the same room--

Hotaru felt his cheeks light up as they stepped off the elevator into the penthouse. He felt like he'd just opened a whole different can of worms at the thought of their sleeping arrangements. He'd been too flustered to think about such things the previous night, but it was different now. He knew that, although she wasn't his type, she was still incredibly cute. He also knew that Reborn would kill him for laying a hand on his brother's servant. Then again, if Aster was up for it... But that kind of thought was unbecoming of such a sweet girl.

Sticking with the noble path, he escorted her into the hotel room and poured her some fruit juice from the wet-bar's selection of non-alcoholic drinks. When she stated that she wasn't ready for bed, he also made himself a drink liberally laced with V Special to calm his hyperactive hormones. He measured carefully. It was just enough to loosen him up without going over the line where it'd actually make things worse. Aster stared at him while he made it and gulped it down, but he wasn't about to explain that she was the reason that he was drinking. Thus fortified, he led her over to the couch so that they could continue their previous conversation in comfort.

The couch was wide enough to seat twelve people, but Aster sat so close to him that it could have fit thirteen. Opening his mouth to ask her what she was doing, the question became lodged in her throat when she looked over her shoulder at him with an accusatory expression.

"W-What?" He gasped, fearing that she'd figured out what he'd been thinking about in the elevator.

"I'm... Hungry," she mumbled. Hotaru froze in confusion. Hadn't they just gone to dinner? How could she-- "You said... that you'd take care... of me... but... you haven't..."

"Haven't what?" Hotaru asked as his confusion deepened. "Did I forget something?" At the question, Aster's face turned a bright shade of red and she pressed her lips together as if she was holding back something. Hotaru was completely stumped. She'd had a bath this morning and he'd given her clothes, food, and entertainment. What else was there?

She silently told him what else when she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Hotaru felt his face flush again, immediately recognizing the pose. It had to be some kind of trick. She was going to slap him for taking the opportunity or else Reborn was going to jump through a window to pummel him. She was so cute, though. Licking his lips, he decided to chance it. Aster was practically throwing herself at him, so he could always claim that he had been seduced later. That was right, he thought as he slowly leaned over to kiss her. He couldn't be held accountable for...

* * *

Hotaru bolted up in bed and immediately received a spasm of pain through his temple. He thought that he'd judged the amount of V Special better than that. He'd have to be more careful next time. He'd had such a horrible dream, although it'd started nice enough. He'd kissed Aster and then, while he'd kissed down her neckline, she'd grown an Adam's apple. Even worse was that the dream didn't stop there. Aster had lured him into the bedroom and seduced him thoroughly. Then, in the middle of that, she'd grown male genitals and her flat chest had turned into a boy's chest. Then there was--

Shuddering, Hotaru put the dream out of his mind completely and swore to never drink V Special after eating oysters again. The combination must have screwed with his brain. Perhaps he was still shaken up because of Hattori? He didn't know. After all--

"I overslept," Aster mumbled, bolting up in the bed next to him. Hotaru turned and stared, stunned that part of his dream had been real. Then he smiled in dumb shock, his gaze automatically darting for Aster's throat. Horrified at the sight of a barely noticeable lump where there should be none, his hands darted for the blankets and ripped them up into the air in hopes of proving himself wrong.

He hated being right.

Jumping out of bed, he scrambled for his pants while furiously shaking his head in denial. He had to be hallucinating or his eyes were still blurry with sleep. That was it. That had to be it, because he'd done it with a girl, not a guy. Aster was a girl. A GIRL! Try as he might to convince himself of the fact, the proof of otherwise was sitting in the bed with a blank look on his--HIS!-- face. Darting out of the room in a panic, Hotaru broke into tears at the sight of Orinato setting out breakfast in the main section of the suite. He started to throw himself into his Right Hand's arms so that he could cry in earnest, but Orinato stopped him with a flyer in his face before he could get close.

"I don't know what happened, but you don't have time to cry," Orinato admonished in a hard voice. Pulling back in surprise, Hotaru sucked back his tears and snatched the flyer out of his hands. Considering his situation, he'd never been so thankful for a crisis before.

"What the hell is this?" He asked while he dried his eyes with his wrist.

"It's a flyer for tomorrow's arena matches," Orinato answered tonelessly. "The theme for all the fights is 'Family versus family'. The main event is Reborn versus Van Wolfe and the stakes are set so that the loser becomes the winner's subordinate. That means, should Reborn lose, he'll be forced to join the Carter Family."

"I didn't authorize this!" Hotaru exclaimed while Orinato forced him down into a seat for his breakfast.

"You didn't have to," he replied. "The Family versus family event was instigated by your father around fifteen years ago. His intent was to give a chance for Mafioso with split loyalties to resolve their problems. There hasn't actually been one for ten years, but Vongola is still signed up for it. So is the Carter Family. That gives the participants a blanket authorization. I wouldn't be too worried about it, though, so you can eat your breakfast. Reborn never loses. He probably just wants to bring Van Wolfe into the Family and this is the only way to free him from his ties to--"

"That is incorrect," a smooth, unfamiliar voice interrupted. Hotaru jumped to his feet and spun in place while Orinato automatically slid into place to block the intruder's access to his Boss. It proved unnecessary, though. Hotaru felt his jaw drop in recognition of the pink-haired woman. She was a Cervello! He thought that the Cervello had disbanded! The entire organization had disappeared in the wake of his father's death so why--?! "Pardon the intrusion," she said politely as she knelt down. "I am here to complete Vongola the Tenth's final orders. From this day forth, we of the Cervello Organization recognize Hotaru Sawada as the Boss of Vongola. We humbly request the privilege to serve, Vongola the Eleventh."

"Answer me something first," he ordered despite his shock. "What did you mean when you said that Orinato was incorrect?"

"Our information leads us to believe that Reborn will intentionally lose," she replied calmly. "Unless you convince him not to fight in the event, Reborn will cease to be a Vongola at two-thirty eight tomorrow afternoon."

"Is that all you have to say?!" Orinato blurted in anger. "I don't know who you are, but you're--"

"There are two other things," she started, ignoring Orinato completely in order to lock her gaze with Hotaru's. "The Cervello Organization has determined that the best future would be for Reborn to be allowed to fight. That is, assuming that Vongola the Eleventh doesn't produce any temporal anomalies like the Tenth did on a regular basis. The second is that Van Wolfe has just finished kidnapping the Eleventh's bedmate though the bedroom window."

"What?!" Hotaru shrieked as he rushed for his bedroom door. Throwing the door open, the sight of an empty bed and an open window caused him to stop in shock. Just like the Cervello had told him, Aster was gone. Personally, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he was sure that he'd just been played for a fool. "Orinato," he growled, stepping into the bedroom to rip open his suitcase in search of an actual suit. "Round everyone up and tell them that the vacation's over. Then find out where the hell Reborn is. We need to have a little talk."

* * *

Things were a mess. They were more than a mess considering that Gokudera was still in the middle of strangling the Cervello to death. Orinato and Toshi were trying to pull him off, but Gokudera was more enraged than any of them could remember seeing him. He'd completely snapped. As soon as he'd seen the pink-haired woman, he'd thrown Elario into Sangia's arms, ran across the hotel lobby, and tackled the woman to the ground. When Orinato managed to get one of his hands loose, Gokudera went so far as to punch the woman in effort to kill her in any way possible. That was a first, too. Normally, even Gokudera kept his hands to himself where women were concerned.

"LET ME GO!" Gokudera roared when Hibari jumped in to pin him down. Even Hibari had trouble, although Gokudera stopped trying to punch the Cervello and instead grabbed the man's shirt to pull him close. "Let me kill her, Hibari," he hissed with an insane look in his eyes. "You know what she is! It's their damn fault--! They were the ones that--"

"Hayato," Hibari stated, prying Gokudera's hand away from his shirt with a grip that made the former Storm Guardian flinch in pain. "Quit howling like a hyena. The Eleventh isn't the Tenth. Killing her will change nothing."

"The future changed, Hibari," Gokudera said with a mask of misery on his face. Tears filled his eyes and all Hotaru could do was look on in stunned silence. He had no idea what was going on. "The Tenth trusted them... He worked so hard, but the future.... it _changed_. Xanxus is dead. Everything that the Tenth worked for is _gone_. His future... The future that he was obsessed with, it's--" No one moved an inch as Gokudera collapsed from a blow to the back of his neck. Orinato immediately tried to break up the shocked spectators while Toshi went to help the Cervello. Hibari dropped Gokudera to the ground, leaving two watching subordinates to drag him back to his room under Sangia's watchful eye. Waiting for Hibari to approach, Hotaru asked the only question that he could think of.

"What future?"

"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with," Hibari replied with an expression as hard as stone. "You're living your own life, not--"

"But... I want to know," Hotaru objected. He immediately cringed backward at the fierce glare that Hibari sent him. It was ten times colder than usual. Hotaru knew that a strike was imminent in punishment for speaking out of turn, but the strike never came. The reason why wasn't because Hibari was showing mercy, though. It was because of a whip wrapped around his tonfa and his upraised hand, keeping him from finishing the blow.

"Now, now, Kyoya," Dino admonished while he held his whip taunt. "The Eleventh just wants to know about his dad. Don't you think you've kept him in the dark long enough?" Hibari answered by attacking with his free hand. Dino's eyes widened in surprise when he wasn't the target, though. Instead, Hibari swung his tonfa so hard and so fast that it cut through the whip and left Dino holding a stub that was pathetically useless. "Shit," he said with a silly grin of surprise. "You got stronger again. Van Wolfe must have really pissed you off."

"I'll bite you to death," Hibari growled as he began to advance. Dino did the only thing that he could. He began running for his life while Hibari chased after him. Once they were gone, Hotaru had to give Dino credit for his foresight when Romario walked up to hand over a slip of paper with the time and location of a meeting on it. Tucking it into his pocket, he decided that there was no reason for his step-dad to be aware of it. Hibari would just feel threatened by it when there was no reason to be.

With the answer to his question delayed, he decided to focus on the bigger troubles. Knowing that Reborn's ability to disguise himself was second to none, he skipped the wasteful effort involved in an island wide-search. Only he had a chance to find Reborn at the moment and he knew just where to look. Keeping his men with him, he set out to search the shopping district followed by the amusement park. At a time like this, he had no doubt that Reborn would try to hide as a tourist among tourists.

For eight hours straight, he searched the island without stopping. Even with SK's help, Reborn couldn't be found. Even their attempts to find Van Wolfe and Aster had been stopped due to the man's Salamanders. He was completely thwarted, which only made him angrier. What the hell was Reborn up to? It wasn't like him to make the Family panic like this! It was Orinato who finally got him calmed down and dragged him back to his hotel to rest in hopes that Reborn would find them instead.

It was a good thing that he did since Reborn was sitting in the hotel's restaurant, leisurely sipping on a cup of coffee while he waited for his supper. Tearing his arm out of Orinato's grip, Hotaru bypassed the host and waiters in order to stop next to his tutor's table.

"Why?" Hotaru asked bluntly. Reborn didn't twitch an eyelid, proving that he'd expected the confrontation. Hotaru wished that he'd been prepared for the answer. He felt like his whole world crumbled in an instant and Reborn's cold stare turned those pieces into ash. He wanted to object. He wanted to demand that Reborn refuse the match. He wanted to hit him. He wanted to beg him. He wanted to do so many things that he froze entirely due to indecision. When Reborn stood, he could do nothing to stop him. He wanted to. He opened his mouth to tell him to stop, but nothing would come out. All he could do was to keep his knees from giving out as Reborn silently left the building. Four little words and all of his power as Vongola the Eleventh was made meaningless. After all, what meaning was there if he couldn't even stop one man from turning away from the Family?

_Because I want to._

* * *

Gokudera walked merely for the sake of blowing off steam. The arena match was in less than an hour. The Eleventh claimed that his hands were tied, but he continued to wear a shocked expression that said that he was frozen more from indecision. Ever since the much talked about confrontation in the hotel restaurant, Reborn had been nowhere to be found and neither had been the elusive Van Wolfe. The Carter Family Boss refused to send anyone other than a child representative to negotiate the issue and that child kept saying that his Boss' hands were tied. And, to make matters worse, Vongola was having massive internal issues.

On the inside, Vongola was quaking. Not from Reborn's actions, however. Everyone had faith that Reborn was going to win without blinking an eye. No, they were quaking at Hotaru's instability. First, turning down every pure-bred Mafioso heiress that was offered to him, announcing his plan to marry a man as a prank, and dating a transvestite. Then there was the Cervello's surprising return, his lack of support for Reborn, and his general lack of control. To put things simply, it was the current worry of the entire Family as to whether Hotaru truly had the foresight that his forefathers were famed for. The saddening part was that Gokudera had seen it coming since Project Tenth had begun in secret. Bringing a fake Tenth into the open, no matter how incompetent Toshi made himself seem to the public, was going to make people increase their critical comparisons of Hotaru rather than lessen them.

He knew that it was irrational, but he blamed all of the problems on Van Wolfe. The problems had been there before, but it was only when Van Wolfe appeared that everything had spiraled out of control. As far as scapegoats went, there was no one better. As far as someone to take his anger out on, there was no one else available. With that in mind, Gokudera found himself storming toward the open-air arena in hopes that the participants were already gathered for the opening matches.

By the time that he reached the outer crowds of people who were trying to gain access to the rumored fight of the century, his temper had already stirred to the breaking point. He was angry enough that, for the first time in years, he was able to do something other than listen to the snide remarks that always met his entrance into an area. This time, it was a self-righteous fool who had more mouth than sense. The loudmouth was standing three back from the ticket-takers and he chose both the wrong moment and the wrong words to complain with as Gokudera attempted to bypass the line entirely.

"I thought only the handicapped didn't have to wait in line, but I guess gimped has-beens count."

Without thinking about it, Gokudera's hand lashed out to grab the idiot. Without hesitating, Gokudera sent the man flying into the air. Without pausing, Gokudera sent three rocket-bombs ricocheting through the air to catch him at the height of the arc. As the explosions sounded off, he felt a tingle of satisfaction despite knowing that the choice of ammunition would have only caused superficial burns. Even if it was only one person who'd insulted him, he'd finally had the resolution to knock down something that obstructed his path. He had no idea where the sudden fortitude came from, but it made him feel alive in a way that he couldn't explain.

Fury, he realized. It was what he'd been missing since the Tenth's death. He'd always had a short fuse, but the Tenth had been the gunpowder that made him explode powerfully instead of fizzle. At the thought of watching the Family crumble from within, he had the ability to explode again because, by protecting what the Tenth had lived for, it was as if he were protecting the Tenth himself once more. He wasn't a failure. He wasn't a has-been. He was still doing exactly what the Tenth had asked of him and he'd be damned if some green nobody Mafioso was going to stop him!

The rest of the trip into the participant's waiting area went by in a flash and, in his focus on his goal, Gokudera was hardly aware of the number of bloody noses and unconscious Mafioso that he left in his wake. He refused to be stopped until he met with Van Wolfe. Then, all at once, the man who met Van Wolfe's description was in front of him and Gokudera only had one reaction.

"You punched me!" Van Wolfe cried in disbelief as he held his jaw to ensure that it was still intact.

"I punched you," Gokudera confirmed in his own disbelief at his actions. Staring at his fist, he couldn't quite believe it. He'd been aware that he was being irrational in making Van Wolfe into a scapegoat, but he hadn't really thought that he'd make it all the way to the fighters' preparation area without being stopped. Turning around to survey his surroundings, he was dumbfounded. He'd really made it all the way to the preparation area and he'd defeated everyone who'd tried to stand in his way. That... That wasn't supposed to happen. Well, it was supposed to happen, he amended. Yet, at the same time, it wasn't supposed to happen. None of that changed the fact that it had happened though, at the same time that--

"Are you okay?" Van Wolfe asked curiously.

"I'm confused," he admitted while he tried to make sense of it all. "I punched you."

"Yes, you did," Van Wolfe confirmed while shifting his strange fox mask as if to ensure that it was in place.

"No one stopped me," Gokudera added in confusion.

"Why would they?" He asked in a curious tone.

"Because..." Gokudera trailed off, suddenly remembering who he was talking to. The rest of the sentence continued in his head, however. Because his strength was the laughing stock of the Mafia. Because no one took him as a serious threat. Because his very name was a standing joke. Because...

"Oh, I know," Van Wolfe said in sudden understanding. "Because you're Hurricane Hayato and every daredevil wants to say that they survived a Hurricane. You had me going there for a second. It sounded like you were expecting to be stopped, but that must have been my mistake. I mean, because you're _Hurricane Hayato_! I heard that you were once paralyzed from the waist down from a bullet in your spine, but you got back on your feet again when everyone said that it was impossible. And then there's how you've never been defeated in an orchestrated campaign. I don't think there's such a skilled general in all of the Mafia. And is it true that you composed _Operetta di Vongole_? I'm actually a fan of opera and I've thought for a while that there's only one composer in Vongola who could create such a beautiful masterpiece. Reborn wouldn't tell me when I asked and it's been nagging at me because I think that it's one of yours, but it's not quite like any of your other scores."

"My wife helped me," Gokudera mumbled slowly. Taken aback by the shining adoration in Van Wolfe's eyes, he had to pause to calculate the probability that he was dreaming. With the smell of sweat in the air and the throbbing of his fist taken into account, the likelihood was far too low. This was reality and he was really being complimented by a man that he'd tracked down and attacked in a blind rage. It was too incredulous to comprehend. All of his reasons for going so far suddenly seemed so childish. Of course, laying the blame on Van Wolfe had been irrational to begin with, but who else was there to blame?

"Sorry," Van Wolfe apologized sheepishly. It was as if he read Gokudera's thoughts, which probably wasn't hard with how lost he felt. "You're probably angry that Reborn is mixed up with a nobody like me," he continued while rubbing his neck. "Even if we're brothers, I haven't exactly been the most familiar of family and, knowing Reborn, he planned this without caring about how much trouble it would cause everyone around him. I tried to talk him out of it because he has no chance of winning, but he always sticks to his course once he sets it."

Gokudera started to agree to all the commiserations about Reborn before the self-assured announcement of victory caused him to double take. He wasn't the only one who heard it, either. All around the preparation room, fighters paused in their warm-ups and Mafioso rose to their feet in shock that anyone could be so naive in dealing with Reborn.

"What?" Gokudera asked in disbelief.

"He has no chance of winning," Van Wolfe repeated with a shrug. "That's why I was shocked that he signed me up for this. I knew things were bad since he was thinking about retirement, but--"

"Retirement?" Gokudera spluttered. "Since when?!"

"Since he lost his Dying Will," he replied in surprise. "Didn't you notice? That's why he has no chance. Vongola the Eleventh... he's completely crushed my Brother's spirit."

"Eh?"

"Vongola the Tenth was Reborn's precious student," he explained carefully while Gokudera gaped. "The Eleventh calls the Tenth a pervert and a failure. He mocks the Tenth as a disgrace and calls him an affront to the Family's history. It's understandable that the kid feels hurt by the fact that his father was only human, but his constant belittling is insensitive. It reflects back on the person that taught him and years of verbal abuse have done more damage to Reborn than any knife or gun ever could."

"Enough talk, Van Wolfe," another voice snapped through the silent room. Gokudera turned in unison with everyone else to find the Carter Family representative standing in the middle of the room. Raising his eyebrow at the little suited squirt, he couldn't help but notice the amount of deference that Van Wolfe gave toward him. He even went so far as to bow slightly at his shoulders in a formal greeting that was matched by the adolescent. "Reborn is already waiting in the arena. He refuses to withdraw the challenge."

"Then I have no choice," Van Wolfe sighed. "Please prepare apologies for Vongola the Eleventh. I'll be taking his tutor."

"It's already been dealt with," the representative replied sadly. "I've also prepared a plane for your departure as soon as you're finished. Aster is on board with your luggage and has the first aid kits ready. I don't think it'll be wise to stick around after you show your true strength. You aren't going to hold back. Are you?"

"Holding back would be an insult," Van Wolfe said as he started walking toward the preparation area's exit. Gokudera wanted to follow him, but his legs turned to mush at the sudden feeling that Reborn's defeat truly was certain. It was impossible, though. The rules of the battle were no weapons and no Salamanders. It was purely hand-to-hand combat with only a basic layer of clothing allowed as armor. As an infant, Reborn had the strength to outmuscle grown men. As a grown man, Reborn should have the strength to outmuscle an elephant. At least, that was what logic suggested.

"Mr. Gokudera," the Carter representative said quietly as Van Wolfe disappeared out of the preparation room doors. Like the young man, Gokudera felt his eyes glued to the doors even after the cheers from above began ringing out in excitement at Van Wolfe's entrance. "Van Wolfe has always disliked secrecy, so I wish to tell you something that our Family has kept hidden under a vow of Omerta until recently. Van Wolfe isn't human."

"Eh?" Gokudera choked with his gaze snapping toward the representative.

"He's been pronounced dead more times than I can count," he continued without looking away from the doors. "There are tombstones scattered in numerous countries that bear the name of his previous identities. He's lived and he's died. He's lost more than you can ever imagine losing and he's done it more than once. He's not the only one either. There are others out there who have lost just as much. The strange thing with Van Wolfe, though... the thing that fascinates me is... even though he's died... he still retains his Dying Will. Most people, when faced with the inability to die, would lose track of what it feels like to put everything on the line. Van Wolfe hasn't and that Dying Will... that Dying Will is the reason why the crowd above us is falling silent at Reborn's defeat."

Silence echoed in Gokudera's ears for a moment. It continued to echo while the Mafioso around him began to stare at the ceiling in disbelieving shock. It wasn't possible. Only a minute had passed since the cheering had started in earnest. The crowd had to be silent in awe of Reborn's skills or maybe holding their breath at Van Wolfe's attempts to survive. It couldn't be that he had actually--!


	105. Chapter 105 On the Road Again

﻿

The sound of the breeze was the only noise within the confines of Mafia Land Arena. The combined attention of all the Allied Families was nothing compared to Tsuna's heartache as Leon transformed into a gurney. It'd happened too fast. It was over too soon. At first, he'd actually thought that Reborn would come out ahead. Their speeds had been even and Reborn had been able to predict Tsuna's movements well enough to land several painful blows. For a moment, he'd considered the possibility that Reborn had planned to defeat Tsuna in such a way that he'd be unmasked in front of everyone. It had been in that moment that Tsuna had become unpredictable. The surprised look that had crossed Reborn's face before the deciding blow landed had been real and Tsuna finally had to face the reality of Reborn's humanity. He wasn't invulnerable. He wasn't invincible. He was just... Reborn.

His footsteps crunched loudly on the bare dirt of the arena floor as he crossed over to where Reborn lay unconscious. Unlike when he was napping as a hitman who was deadly in his sleep, the truly unconscious Reborn seemed like he was made of porcelain. His skin was flawless and his suit was still pristine. With his fedora knocked away, Reborn's hair fell across his face in a disheveled way that only increased the surreal nature of the scene. Even though Tsuna knew how solid his blow had been when it knocked Reborn sixty yards away, Tsuna couldn't quite believe that Reborn had been defeated.

Yet, as Tsuna knelt down to check Reborn's pulse, the faint beats couldn't be imitated by training and the give in Reborn's rib-cage couldn't be mistaken for anything other than broken bones. Worried that he might have serious internal bleeding, Tsuna shouted for a medic. Unfortunately, no one responded. Everyone from the spectators in the stands to the fighters piled in front of the participant's entrance was frozen in shock. In their wildest dreams, no one had expected such an outcome. No one other than Lord Nephriam.

Seeing exactly how shocked those in the arena were, Tsuna had no doubt that Lord Nephriam's preparations were necessary. He'd just taken down the mafia's hero with a single punch. The amount of money lost in bets alone had to be enough that his head was going to be on every Mafioso's hitlist. Cursing under his breath at Reborn for putting him in such a position, Tsuna scooped him off the ground and laid him carefully on the waiting Leon-gurney.

"Leon," he said urgently. "Get Reborn to the plane. There should be a medic on board who has enough sense to act." In acceptance of the order, Leon shape shifted once more in order to encase Reborn's unconscious form in a small single-man helicopter. As he began to lift off the ground with the repetitive hammering of his main propeller, the crowd finally began to stir to life. Tsuna hoped for appreciative applause for the man who'd defeated Reborn. What he got was a roar of outrage that created a domino effect through the entire arena.

People quickly began hurling bags of popcorn and half-empty drinks at him from the stands. Looking for the closest exit in hopes of retreating before a riot started, he paused at the sound of trumpets blaring from the loudspeakers in the same tune that had been played before every match. Tsuna wasn't the only person taken by surprise. The crowd slowly stopped shouting and began looking around in confusion for the noise.

Not having been warned of what to do after his match ended, Tsuna kept his guard up. As if it'd been planned, the moment that trumpeting died an extra show started. The main gates of the arena exploded open in order to allow two lines of four men to begin marching inside. At the same time, a squad of eight men on modified hover-boards appeared from eight different directions over the arena walls. The silence of their appearance could have let them go unnoticed if not for the sudden roar of fireworks that drew everyone's eyes upward. For those that didn't get distracted as that squad began flashy aerial maneuvers, six ropes dropped in six direction from the stands to allow a third squad of men descend to the arena floor.

The crowd was in utter confusion, not knowing whether they were under attack or witnessing an extra show. Tsuna didn't feel any better until he finally noticed the most important detail of it all. Every performer was wearing a mask. Also, every squad had a different theme of costume and each individual had a different color scheme. The eight in the sky were dressed in old aviator's gear. The six scaling down the walls from the stands were wearing western clothing to match his own. And, finally, the eight marching from the main arena doors were dressed as swashbuckling pirates.

Belatedly seeing Lord Nephriam leading the squad of pirates in addition to the squad of cowboys that was scrambling into place behind him, Tsuna quickly figured out what was going on. Lord Nephriam deserved a round of applause for his foresight and cleverness. Knowing that the Mafia wouldn't accept Reborn's defeat sitting down, he'd planned a distraction. It ran counter to Tsuna's planned timeline of events, but he had to admit that there was no better moment for the debut of the Carter Family's hitmen-for-hire image. He just hadn't known that the Family had so many hitman to offer.

Seeing that the aviators were bringing their maneuvers into a landing and the pirates were slowing their march in preparation of a stop, Tsuna quickly figured out where he was supposed to be. Each squad was comprised of a black and white leader at the front, followed by red, blue, yellow, green, indigo and purple subordinates. Since the red and black cowboys were missing, the only place that could be intended for him was the empty space next to the blue cowboy. He darted into place in just the right amount of time to give up the center of the arena, along with the center of attention, to Lord Nephriam.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lord Nephriam announced with a wide gesture to the three-spokes of formations around him. He spun in place while he talked and his voice exploded out of the arena's loudspeakers via a hidden microphone to ensure that everyone heard his words. "On behalf of the Carter Family, I would like to introduce the Olympus Foundation." Raising his eyebrow at such a strange choice of words, Tsuna glanced over in hopes of getting a clue from the blue counterpart next to him. No information was forthcoming, but Tsuna felt himself stunned for a moment in recognition of the friendly vampire that he'd known at Lord Nephriam's Sanctuary, Strife.

"Many of you are probably asking what the Olympus Foundation is," Lord Nephriam continued. "I'll tell you in one sentence. It is the direct opposition to the Caeculus Foundation!" Tsuna blinked in surprise. The Caeculus Foundation was the world's primary group of _neutral _freelance hitmen. Xanxus had worked for them for a short time and they took assignments from Families on both sides of the fence. They also killed on both sides of the fence, which undoubtedly made everyone wonder about the wisdom of making transactions with them. After all, where there wasn't loyalty, there was only the opportunity for betrayal.

Tsuna's estimation of Lord Nephriam's ability as a Family Boss rose another notch for noticing that detail. He'd wondered how the little Lord planned to market freelance hitmen and this was how he was going to do it. He was using an existing group as a model for comparison and offering an Allied alternative. With the last few years of Don Girarde teaching being at such poor quality, the Families had no choice but to hire outside professionals to get jobs done. By introducing something like the Olympus Foundation, Families would have an opportunity to do so without worrying that their methods of dealing were going to be used against them in the future.

"The Olympus Foundation is comprised of three squads of the Carter Family's most elite hitmen," Lord Nephriam announced, taking confidence in the silence from the spectators. "By air, we offer the Zeus division. By sea, we offer the Poseidon division. By land, we offer the Hades division." Tsuna listened closely as Lord Nephriam continued the showcase. It was lengthy, but informative. He detailed the types of jobs that they could be hired for, ranging from teaching old hitmen new tricks to permanently silencing rivals. He detailed the types of group makeup that could be hired, whether it was an individual or a cross-division team.

By the time that he began introductions to highlight each individual's attack style and skills, half the audience was hesitantly showing interest while the other half was quietly beginning to leave in boredom. Considering they'd been ready to riot previously, Tsuna was more than willing to accept such an anticlimactic ending to his fight with Reborn. Especially when he noticed that each squad member exited the arena after their personal highlight. Taking the cues from those who'd went before him, Tsuna pulled out several of his moves that had far more flash than substance when his name was called.

Finally, trading winks with Lord Nephriam, he was able to leave the arena without any further opposition. Behind him, the continued line of introductions kept the crowd's attention so that he was entirely ignored. Knowing that Lord Nephriam's distraction couldn't last more than another ten minutes, Tsuna started running as soon as he got out of sight. Using the loping pace that his body was optimized for, he didn't stop running until he reached the plane that had been prepared for him.

The private jet wasn't large, being half the size of the Bluefin, but it was plenty large enough for what Tsuna currently needed. A quick check in the passenger hold made him sigh in relief. As he'd been told, Aster was already on board with their single trunk of luggage. Reborn was also taken care of, although still unconscious, and he took the extra time to speak with the doctor to ensure that the man had no problems in riding with them until they reached Japan.

Momentarily caressing Leon's head to soothe him as he passed, Tsuna headed for the cockpit once he finished checking the passengers. A single pilot was already in place and Tsuna could tell that he was one of Lord Nephriam's men due to the vampiric tang in his scent. He almost questioned what the vampire was doing as a pilot and whether he minded carting around a set of werewolves, but his better judgment interceded. Whether or not he liked the idea, he was doing it and that was all that mattered.

Tsuna headed into the passenger hold a second time and strapped himself in. He hoped that by staying out of the pilot's way, their takeoff could proceed faster. For once, his hopes were answered. Almost immediately after securing himself, the plane began moving and Tsuna silently cheered when he felt them lift off the runway. It was finally over. His duties had doubled and his plans had been changed multiple times, but all of the preparation was finally over.

He found it ironic that he was leaving a Mafia-centric hub of activity in order to finally--FINALLY!--begin working toward his eventual return. He had no doubt that it'd be worth it, though. He'd successfully returned to the Mafia. Now he could focus on returning to his Family specifically. Of course, he had distractions such as his undercover work for the Werewolf Alliance, the cover work that he might get as part of the Olympus Foundation, and the work of containing Reborn. Yet, he was still heading in the direction where he could work at repairing his Family.

All in all, he didn't think that he had anything to complain about. The last week hadn't gone as well as he would have preferred. A war had started, he'd gotten split up from his partner, Vongola probably hated him, and he now had Reborn as a subordinate, but he'd still gotten closer to Vongola than expected, gotten an unprecedented level of access at Don Girarde, and he'd gotten the money and license from the Council to do what he wanted. Overall, the days had been a blur since Xanxus left, but he was still surviving.

* * *

_Tsuna stood in a pressed and spotless tuxedo at the altar of a small cathedral. The light shining in from the stained glass windows poured over him and the priest while they waited for the bride to appear. A surge of anxiousness rose up in him at the sound of the wedding march and he knew, without a doubt, that Haru was going to shortly arrive next to him. Having had this dream so many times in the past, he knew the sequence of events. When he'd been younger, he'd expected his beloved Kyoko and shockingly gotten Haru. Now that he was older and Kyoko was gone, knowing that Haru was coming down the aisle was a source of joy for him. She was his constant. While the others that he loved came and went as their natures dictated, Haru had always been waiting for him. He looked forward to the day that he could be with her again. He looked forward to the day that they could be remarried, even if that day only came in his dreams._

_Noticing that the wedding march was going on for much longer than normal, Tsuna peeked over his shoulder to see Haru's progress down the aisle. The sight of an empty church made him freeze as the music crashed to a halt. There was no bride. There were no groomsmen or even a flower-girl. There were no friends and family waiting to see the exchange of vows. Turning back around in confusion, even the priest was gone as if he'd never existed. Thinking that someone was playing a trick on him, he stepped down from the altar and checked pew after pew in search of the people that should be there. They were all empty, though. He was completely alone. _

_The solitude made his heart clench and his stomach twist. He hated being alone. Where was everyone? He was positive that he'd told them the right day. Why hadn't they come? Rushing out of the church in search of his friends and family, he felt a moment of relief when he saw them across the street. He could tell that something was wrong when he rushed over to meet them, though. Not only was all of Vongola dressed in black, but so was everyone from the Dragons and the people that he'd met at Mafia Land. All attempts to get their attention were fruitless and he felt tears burn his eyes when he saw why. _

_In front of the mobs of people stood a row of graves. Tsunayoshi Sawada. Lord Sky. Sixth Knight. Orange. Vongola the Tenth. Maro. Sir Yoshi Von Gola. Tsu-kun. Beast-tamer. Suoh Lazarus Timberson. Remorse. Lazwick von Hellsing. Papa. Hamatachi Kai. Van Wolfe. Boss. Chibi. William Van Wolfington. Hellfire Tsuna. Baka-Tsuna. Lynx. Tombstone after tombstone bore one of his names, no matter how lasting or momentarily that he'd used it. There were dozens of them. Nicknames, codenames, aliases and covers. Names that others had given him and the names that he'd given himself. Names that he'd only used once and names that he'd lived under for years. They were all there, being mourned over as if he were dead. He wasn't dead, though. He tried to tell person after person that he was alive, but no one responded to him. They couldn't recognize him even though he wasn't hiding!_

"Master," Aster whispered gently. Opening his eyes, Tsuna stared into Aster's expressionless face for a long moment while he tried to separate his nightmare and reality. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. It was as if the past week of hell had caught up to him as soon as they'd gotten in the air. Sitting up from where he'd slumped down, Tsuna glanced out the plane's small window to find a vibrant sunset. Then he glanced around the passenger hold to find a bandaged Reborn sitting up on the plane's emergency cot. Subconsciously sensitive to Reborn's gaze, he straightened up even more when their eyes met. "Master," Aster repeated while Tsuna tried to hide how shaken he was from his nightmare.

"What is it?" Tsuna finally responded.

"Going to land... soon," he replied hesitantly. "I don't know if Master should eat now or..."

"I see," Tsuna said in understanding. Aster hadn't been briefed on anything. They were going to a new country and Aster had no idea what their arrangements were going to be. There was good reason for that, however. The fact was that Tsuna hadn't made any arrangements. He was hoping that Lord Nephriam's arrangements for Xanxus were still valid. But, considering how much their plans had changed, there was a high probability that he'd have to find some other alternative. "We'll eat when we land," Tsuna supplied softly. "Just leave everything to me for now."

"Yes, Master," he agreed with a hint of relief in his voice. As Aster settled into the empty seat next to him, Tsuna felt the need to smile at his emotional slip. It was doubtful that Aster noticed it for himself, but such slips were beginning to become commonplace in his voice. When Tsuna had pulled him out of Hotaru's bedroom, he'd actually showed fear at the amount of anger that had been on Tsuna's face. That was probably the only reason that Aster was still able to stand after being found in such a disagreeable location. The main part of the blame wasn't on Aster, though. It was on Reborn for putting Aster in that position while Tsuna's back had been turned. Tsuna still wanted to smack him for not asking before sending his hypersexual servant into a den of sheep, but Reborn's current state of injury didn't allow for much more than a glare or two.

He knew that he and Reborn had a long conversation coming. He also knew that now wasn't the time for it. Now was the time for allowing the doctor to finish up the treatment and to mentally prepare himself for Tokyo. It'd been almost ten years since he'd last been to his homeland and he was arriving without Snicker. Mental preparation was incredibly important if he wanted to accomplish something with his trip outside of wondering what might have been.

When he felt the plane began to descend, Tsuna was disappointed to realize that he felt no excitement or anxiousness about returning to Japan and it didn't take him long to figure out why. He wasn't arriving as Tsuna. The place that he was going to wasn't a household full of memories. He might as well be landing in England or Brazil for all the feeling that he could muster. Perhaps it would be different if he knew that someone was waiting to welcome him, but the reality echoed his dream. Other than for Reborn and Aster, his existence was entirely unnecessary.

No, he corrected himself as the plane lurched onto the runway. His work was necessary. Regardless of whether they acknowledged him, there were people out there who needed him. He couldn't allow himself to believe anything else.

Once the plane slowed enough that he could move around the cabin without risking injury, Tsuna went to free their trunk of luggage from its restraints. Aster, taking Tsuna's quick gestures as cues, aided Reborn in standing until Leon turned into an unobtrusive cane to supplant the crutch that the doctor wanted him to use. Reborn was stubborn, though. Even with injuries that should have left him bedridden for weeks, he was forcing himself to move as if he'd only received a scratch. Rather than argue, Tsuna chose to let him. Soon enough, Reborn would be forced to stay behind with Aster at whatever base they ended up using simply because Tsuna's work required him to be solo. Even if Xanxus had been with him, his partner would have been working separate assignments as an exorcist once they were settled in.

Before he could think of work, there were three things that he had to deal with. The first two were unboarding the plane and finding food. Since he'd slept through the entire flight, his stomach was telling him that he'd missed lunch and dinner. With that in mind, he hefted the trunk onto his shoulder so that he could drop it and draw his sword at a moment's notice. A glance backward ensured that both Aster and Reborn were following, which was all that he needed to know before he began moving.

Heading out the plane's hatch through a tunnel walkway that had been connected upon the plane's halt, Tsuna paused for a moment once he exited into the airport terminal. As soon as the sounds and the smells of Japan hit him, his unfeeling wall collapsed in a rush of homesickness that left him dumbfounded. The Japanese language poured into his ears from every direction and the sight of kanji instead of English brought tears to his eyes. Even the smells as he fumbled his way through the customs checkpoint left him with the urge to wail.

Leaving the pilot and doctor to deal with the plane, he followed one scent in particular. It beckoned him past the airport's fast food chains and it drew him out of the airport's main exit. It wasn't a strong scent, but it was a scent that made his mouth water and his mind narrow to a focused pinpoint. Ignoring taxi cabs and slipping through the crowds of people like an eel, he followed it for half a city block until he reached a dead-end alley between two tall skyscrapers. Fearlessly stepping off the main causeway, his stomach audibly growled at the sight of a small ramen stall tucked into one of the building's back alcoves.

For that single instance, real ramen seemed more desirable than the choicest cut of steak. It tempted him enough that he completely ignored the lack of open stools for patrons to sit on. Bullying his way in between two tired office workers, he set down Aster's trunk and sat on the end of it instead. The attendant chef looked at him in surprise for the move, but he didn't say a word when Tsuna ordered the biggest deluxe bowl on the stall's small menu. The chef started to look confused when Reborn appeared in a matching manner on the other side of the man seated to Tsuna's left. Glancing downward, Tsuna grinned at the Leon-stool that he was sitting on. Then he, too, ordered a deluxe bowl and the chef wisely kept his mouth shut about how they were crowding the other patrons.

The crowding was intentional, though. The man between Tsuna and Reborn finished his meal at top speed, paid, and left in fear that he was being surrounded for something. This opened up a seat for Aster, who unfortunately couldn't speak a word of Japanese. Ordering for him, the look of relief on his face when his ramen was a simple bowl with only pork and egg made Tsuna feel like genuinely smiling. When he'd heard that they were going to Japan, Aster had probably feared that he'd have to choke down raw fish and octopus even though Japan boasted just as many fast food places as the California town that he'd come from.

Halfway through his first bowl, Tsuna ordered seconds for himself and Aster to allow the chef time to cook it. When he ordered Aster a juice and himself a jug of sake to go with it, the chef finally became curious. What he became curious about wasn't their appetite, though.

"You're not from around here," the chef commented while he dipped another handful of noodles into the boiling pot of water at his back. "That accent... Are you American?"

"I'm Japanese," Tsuna corrected in Japanese, feeling his tongue fumble over words that he hadn't used in years. "I was born here, but it's been years since I left."

"I see," he replied with a slow nod of acceptance. Tsuna grinned widely as he finished off his first bowl and accepted his second, finding it immensely funny that his accent would generate more curiosity than his mask. Part of him was also saddened that he'd formed an accent with his first language. He'd went so long with talking in English and only having Americanized immigrants to talk to in his native language that Japanese felt like a second language instead. He was sure that it'd come back to him, much like riding a bicycle, but the shaky start reminded him constantly of how long it'd been.

For his third bowl, Aster quietly tried to repeat the words that he'd heard Tsuna say when ordering his own. It was a good attempt, but completely wrong. Gently correcting him, the chef became twice as animated when he found out that Aster was fluent in English only. Wanting to practice his own, the chef started up a conversation that had Tsuna keeping his face in his bowl in order not to laugh. The man's broken statements paired against Aster's stuttering, hesitant sentences were almost too much to take.

Washing down his third bowl with a drink of sake, Tsuna had a sudden epiphany. The taste and the smell as it rolled down his throat were like the essence of 'home'. He could see why his father had always drowned himself in it during his infrequent visits. Spurred by that thought, Tsuna poured two more small shots of sake and forced one on Reborn.

"To Iemitsu," Tsuna toasted in Japanese. "May I never again speak badly of Dad's love for rice wine and Mom's cooking." Tsuna flinched to himself as he drained his sake cup, knowing that the words had come out more bitter than intended. But it couldn't be helped. In many ways, he was jealous of his father's memory. During his rare visits home, Iemitsu had always had a warm home with his wife, kid, and a hot feast waiting. What did Tsuna have?

Ignoring Reborn's questioning gaze, Tsuna tried to recover by ordering a fourth bowl. Then a fifth. On his sixth, he finally began to feel full enough to stop like Aster had three bowls previously. Polishing off the last of his small jug of sake, he ordered a second, larger, jug to take with him. The chef handed it over so that Tsuna could tie it off on his belt for safe-keeping, but there was a suspicious look in his eyes while he inspected the stacks of empty bowls. It was a suspicion that Tsuna quickly relieved when he pulled out his wallet to pay for all of their meals.

Seeing Aster's eyes droop from a combination of the long flight and a full stomach, Tsuna made a command decision. Rather than looking for the shrine directly, he led Aster and Reborn in the direction of several modest and cheap hotels. Reborn seemed to catch on immediately, but it took several long minutes before Aster seemed to wake up from his daze to look around. Aster didn't have to understand the language to understand the signs. Between the neon lights and the after-aroma in the air, the type of destination that he had in mind was an obvious one.

"This one looks good," Tsuna commented as he stopped in front of a clean-looking love hotel. "We'll rent a room to use as a base for a few hours so Aster can get some sleep. Reborn, I'd like you to stay with him so that he doesn't get nervous while I search for a contact."

"He'll be safe enough by himself," Reborn replied with a scowl. "I'll come with you."

"You'll stay behind," Tsuna corrected softly, refusing to meet his former tutor in the eye. "I know that you're capable even with those injuries, but there are some things that I'd prefer you didn't see. You're with me because you lost the match, but you aren't a blood slave. Until you're sworn in as one, there are some things that I can't divulge."

"Then--"

"Reborn," he interrupted before Reborn could offer himself. "Don't ask me to take your oath when you have no idea what you're promising. Accepting would be an insult to Aster and he's far too precious to be mocked like that. Just let it go for now." Knowing that Reborn would begin prying if he stayed still, Tsuna led the way inside to the hotel's reception desk. Renting a room was as easy as swiping his credit card and Tsuna quickly escorted his two companions to it. Leaving the trunk with Aster along with an order not to seduce Reborn, Tsuna exited again before Reborn could follow.

As he stepped out onto the street and chose a random direction to walk in, he slowly became aware of the cooling nature of his jacket. While those he passed were sweating from the summer heat, Tsuna felt completely at ease despite wearing long sleeves. It was another small wonder in a growing list that made him increasingly curious about the construction. Tucking the information in the back of his mind, he didn't dwell on what he couldn't explain. He just silently admired it and moved on to more important business.

It was almost impossible to find the tang of a vampire in the dense mass of smells of Tokyo. Almost, but not entirely. Just like a trail of breadcrumbs, he managed to pick up small whiffs of scent at a regular interval. The frequency increased when he passed into a district of office buildings. It became frequent enough to call it an actual trail when the office buildings began to turn into condominiums. Knowing that the vampire that he was tracking had to have passed by recently to leave his scent in the air, Tsuna picked up his pace in hopes of catching up.

When he found him in a small arcade, Tsuna questioned his senses rather than admit that the person at the end of the trail was one of the people that he was looking for. He questioned, but the scent didn't lie. The tang of a vampire led straight toward a man mixed in with a group of others. Although, calling him a man was a little much. Between him and his friends, Tsuna guessed that he was in high school at the most. He watched them for several long minutes while the one he wanted tried to best a particular game's high score.

It wasn't until he finally approached that he noticed the key to understanding what an elite exorcist was doing posing as a high school student. The answer was that he wasn't an elite exorcist. He wasn't even a vampire, which made Tsuna pull back to a watching position before he could make a critical error. From the silver charm bracelet on the young man's wrist, his target was actually a blood slave. The only charm on the piece other than small, round bells was a tag bearing the undeniable seal of his Master. As for the smell, what Tsuna had thought was a low level of strength was actually nothing more than a transferred scent.

Knowing that, Tsuna had two options. He could approach and hope for the best with a question for directions or he could silently follow and hope that the kid went back to his owner. Due to the time constraints that he was under, those options narrowed down to one.

"Stay away from him or I'll bite you to death," a voice ordered as he took his first step in the boy's direction. Pausing in place, the lack of a new scent made him slowly turn in place to face the one who'd spoken. As if the threat wasn't enough, the pair of ice-blue eyes that met his own told him that the boy's Master had found him. Despite himself, Tsuna was impressed. The man had to be strong to be part of Japan's elite squad, but Tsuna hadn't expected him to be capable of sneaking up on him.

"There's no need to worry," Tsuna soothed with a smile. The fiercely protective light in the dark-haired vampire's eyes didn't die and Tsuna's opinion of him rose. He had to know that Tsuna was capable of killing everyone in the area, but he wasn't hesitating in front of that power. "There really isn't," Tsuna emphasized with an open-handed gesture to show that he was unarmed. "I just got in town and I was looking for some directions to a particular shrine. Perhaps you could help me so that I don't have to--"

"Tanaka-sensei!" Tsuna froze as the boy that he'd targeted jumped up from his game and sped across the arcade to them. From the groan of dismay that the vampire let out before the boy got within earshot and the gaze full of shining adoration that the vampire received when the boy stopped in front of them, Tsuna knew far more in two seconds than most people might have gathered in months. "Who's your friend, Tanaka-sensei?"

"I'm Van Wolfe," Tsuna greeted eagerly before Tanaka could be put on the spot. "I just got back from studying abroad and Tanaka-san offered to show me around. We were just about to go get some sake, but he said that he had to check on something first. Is this who you had to check on, Tanaka-san?"

"Yes," the vampire confirmed as he recovered with admirable speed. "Just like I thought, no one is taking my threat for a pop quiz seriously. I'll have to make it twice as hard since my students are underestimating me." Tsuna grinned as a groan went up from the group trailing behind Tanaka's blood slave and he felt the sudden urge to tweak some young noses.

"You're such a sourpuss, Tanaka-san," Tsuna pouted. "If you always take things so seriously, you're going to get wrinkles." Chuckling to himself at how Tanaka's face turned a bright shade of red, Tsuna took the opportunity to throw his arm around the man's shoulder and lead him away as if they were old friends. "Let's go get that sake," he suggested with a wink and a wave of farewell at the stunned students behind them. As soon as they were out of the building and were able to duck into an alley, Tsuna released him and backed away to let him know that he wasn't planning an attack. "So," he said conversationally. "You're a teacher by day and an exorcist by night?"

"What would a werewolf know?" Tanaka snarled vehemently.

"I know that you have to be Guardian-level to have the right to take a blood slave," he answered solemnly. "I also know that Tokyo's Nexus house is disguised as a shrine, but that it is home to one of the world's most elite exorcist groups. Finally, I know that the shrine was warned that I would be coming, but it would seem that you are less than welcoming toward me."

"We weren't informed of any werewolves," he replied with a glare. "The one that we were warned of was supposed to be a Guardian with more appetite than control."

"Xerxes got called away for an assignment," Tsuna explained. "I'm sure that you've heard of what happened with Lord Chandler's place...?"

"Ah," he confirmed with his glare softening.

"I've been designated to replace Lord Chandler on the Council," he continued carefully. "My duties require me to be in Tokyo for a few days and I was hoping that the shrine would still welcome me without Xerxes' companionship. In these troubled times, I would feel more at ease if my subordinates had a safe refuge to stay in while I attended my work." Still seeing suspicion in Tanaka's eyes, Tsuna added the only thing that he could think of in hopes of gaining his trust. "Verify my credentials with your liege if you wish. The Council has acknowledged me as brethren despite my inconsistent blood, so I hope that you can, too."

"I'll reserve judgment until I can contact Mistress Rin," Tanaka relented. "Until then, I hope that you don't expect special treatment. We're already spread thin enough."

"Does that mean that he's staying with us?!" The boy from earlier jumped out of hiding with a face flushed with excitement. Tanaka groaned at his reappearance with a resignation that probably took years to ingrain. Tsuna felt a sudden kindred sympathy with the vampire, seeing that the boy was just as difficult to turn down as Aster was.

"Kiro," Tanaka growled. "How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?"

"A few," the young man mumbled with a sheepish blush.

"It's too late to change things now," Tanaka sighed. "Go, run to the shrine and warn the others that I'm coming with a visitor and..."

"I have two with me," Tsuna supplied. "A young blood slave and a traveling companion. We'll only need to inconvenience you for two rooms instead of three, though. Even if you offered it to him, Aster would refuse to sleep in a room other than mine."

"You heard him," Tanaka said with a gesture to send Kiro off on his errand. "Let's retrieve your entourage quickly," he added after the boy sped away. "I still have a patrol to complete before dawn." Taking his request to heart, Tsuna buttoned his trench coat closed and set off at his maximum running speed. Unsurprisingly, Tanaka was able to keep up with him as they darted through the night crowds with enough speed to make people second-guess whether someone had just went past them.

It took only five minutes to cross the half-hour walking route that Tsuna had taken to track down the scent on Kiro. When they finally reached the love hotel where Tsuna had left Aster and Reborn, the worried look on Tanaka's face told Tsuna that several incorrect scenarios were running through the man's head.

"I picked up the scent on Kiro when I passed the movie theater two streets over," he soothed, immediately clearing the concern from his escort's expression. Tsuna saved him from having to think of a reply by heading into the hotel. Upstairs, he entered his rented room in order to find Aster sleeping curled up into a ball on the bed and Reborn wide awake in a chair on the opposite side of the room. In less than thirty seconds, they were exiting a final time with Aster sleeping against Tsuna's back and Tanaka carrying the single trunk of their belongings. And, although they weren't running with their burdens, Leon felt the need to become a scooter to allow Reborn to keep up with their pace.

When they arrived at the shrine itself after walking for another half hour, Tsuna felt incredibly cheated. He'd envisioned open-air temple grounds, vampiresses disguised as shrine maidens, and rooms with tatami mats and shoji screens. The place that he was brought to seemed far more like an outlet store for temple merchandise that was ironically called 'The Shrine'. Although Tsuna didn't get to look closely as they walked through, the place seemed to have everything from a wide selection of blessed charms to shrine maiden cosplay clothes for sale. That wasn't to say that it was entirely bogus. Straight back from the entrance was a prayer altar complete with bells and a donation box. There was also a Shinto priest walking through 'the grounds' and several attempts to pull the outdoors inside with large potted plants and a raised koi pond with a waterfall. Even so, the whole place still came off more commercial than religious in Tsuna's eyes.

Following Tanaka through a generic storeroom, his disappointment eased a little when they entered into a second area that had all the shoji screens and tatami mats that he could hope for. At the entrance was a place for them to trade out their shoes for house slippers, which Tsuna did eagerly. Aster still didn't wake up when Tsuna sat down and shifting only made him snuggle against Tsuna's back even harder. Therefore, the only option was to trade out his shoes for him. Once that was done, he lifted Aster back up and smiled to himself at his servant's weakness to jet lag. Aster was normally a light sleeper, but he was sleeping like a rock for once.

"The first floor and the basements are ours," Tanaka explained as he led them through a series of empty hallways between rooms. "Above us are floors of offices that are accessed from the left entrance of the building, more stores that are accessed from the right, and some apartments that are accessed from the back entrance. You can only get to this area through our store entrance, so don't worry too much about security." Stopping in front of one particular shoji screen, Tanaka poked his head inside for a moment. When he pulled it back in, his eyes were full of satisfaction. "You can use this room. There are already futons prepared to the rooms connected on the left and right. Someone should be here to show you around after we've contacted Mistress Rin. Until then, please remain here. Several of the rooms and hallways are booby-trapped, so wandering could be dangerous if you don't have a guide."

"I can be patient for a reasonable amount of time," Tsuna replied in warning. Tanaka flinched at the statement, but saying such things came with the territory of being on the Council. If he was going to command authority, he also had to demand respect. Allowing himself to be held prisoner while people questioned his credentials was something that no other Council member would quietly suffer through. Therefore, he couldn't allow himself to suffer through it even though he understood the necessity.

There wasn't much in the way of furniture in any of the three rooms that they were given. The common room had a low table and a scattering of pillows to sit on. The left room had two futons set up and the room to the right had a single. There were spare blankets hidden behind the shoji screens at the back of the common room and a single water closet for them to share. Tsuna hoped from the lack of a bath that there was a bathhouse in a different area of the complex. He also hoped that they had a kitchen stashed away somewhere so that Aster wouldn't have to go out for take-out.

Undressing Aster to make him more comfortable, Tsuna tucked him into a futon with only his shirt on and left his clothes on top of his trunk so that he could find them when he woke. He started to wake up, but a gentle kiss to his forehead and a whispered order sent him back to dreamland without delay. Not feeling tired after sleeping for so long on the plane, Tsuna headed back into the common area to rest while he waited on for the shrine's decision about him. He took care to leave the shoji screens cracked so that Aster could find his way out when he woke.

Reborn was already brewing coffee at the low table in the common room when Tsuna joined him. Where he'd pulled the coffee pot from was anyone's guess, but the gleam in Reborn's eyes said that his patience had already run out. It was time for the conversation that Tsuna had already predicted would come and they weren't likely to get a more secure place to speak in. Pulling out his sake in preparation, Tsuna took a deep breath and chose to go first.

"Why did you come with me?" Tsuna asked bluntly. "There were other ways to achieve what was needed with Hotaru."

"Any other way would have left me within his reach," Reborn answered solemnly. "I'm not willing to become a traitor, either. This method gets the job done without unnecessary sacrifices. I also want to understand what's become of you and traveling with you seems to be the best way to investigate. For example, what is this place and what are you to these people? I've gathered that our escort was a vampire, but the way that you're treated is inconsistent. Those at Mafia Land gave you large measures of respect, but these are treating you like an unwanted guest."

"If you were to compare me to a Mafia Family, I'm Nubo instead of Vongola," Tsuna replied slowly. "I don't have the history or lineage to compare to those around me. What I do have is strength, street smarts, and lots of friends in high places. My reach is spreading faster than my reputation, so I have to move carefully to get my job done until word-of-mouth catches up with me. As for what this place is, I can't particularly tell you anything other than that it's a safe house and ask you not to pry. My turn. Did you fight honorably?"

"I fought with my full strength," Reborn confirmed softly. "You defeated me fairly. Just so that you know, I left a letter for Hotaru telling him that I would. I also left some words that should get his mind working in the right direction. Having me with you might run counter to your plans, but it's for the best."

"I have no problem with you being with me," Tsuna shrugged. "I'll admit that I was angry at first that you dragged me into it without asking, but there's no real harm. I know that you don't speak or act without thinking first, so it's doubtful that you'll get in my way. So, if you want to investigate me, feel free. All that I ask is that you don't interfere with things that you don't understand."

"Why Tokyo?" Reborn continued, taking his turn to ask a question.

"Several reasons," he sighed. "First is the obvious one. I have work to do on behalf of the Vampire Council and the Werewolf Alliance. The less obvious is that I have to meet with someone who lives here. She's an old friend who can give me some information that I want. There are things about Vongola the Tenth that was never recorded, Reborn. There are things that I never told you and there are lies that were never uncovered. Those things can help me now because I'm one of the only people that know about them."

"Who is she?"

"All in good time," Tsuna answered with a secretive smile. "Rest and recover those broken ribs like a good hitman and I might take you with me to meet her. I promise you that it'll be worth it. Now, my last question. Did Basil or any of the others give you the contact information that I requested?"

"I got them," he confirmed, reaching into his jacket to pull out three small business cards with several names and addresses on them. "These are from Longchamp and myself. Basil gives his regrets, but he felt that it would go against his oaths to aid you at this point. He wants to watch and wait for the time being. Next question. Why are you doing this?"

"You already know the answer to that," Tsuna replied as he accepted the cards and tucked them into his wallet. "Vongola isn't ready to accept who I am now and I have things to rectify before I can feel confident enough to reveal myself. I will admit that a large part of this elaborate game is due to guilt, too. Even if only a fraction of myself was in control, I still ran away from my Family and caused them an incredible amount of suffering. I honestly don't know if I should return at this point, which is why I'm hiding in this form. If my investigation leads me to believe that the Family is better off without me, then the disappearance of Van Wolfe won't add to that pain."

"If all goes as planned, what will you do about your split loyalties?" Reborn asked carefully.

"I won't have any," Tsuna answered with a small smile. "I haven't told Aster yet, but this trip is just as much for him as me. He has a lot of potential and I plan to bring him more into my work as we travel. By the time we return to Italy, he should be perfectly capable of replacing me on the Council and in the Alliance if need be. As for Lord Nephriam and my colleagues, it would be no different than my relation with an Allied Family. They have my respect and friendship, but nothing more. I'm not a pawn to be moved at another's will. You were the one that taught me that."

"So I did," Reborn confirmed with a smirk. "One final question and I'll be satisfied for the moment. What exactly does being a blood slave entail?" At this question, Tsuna took a sharp breathe in surprise. He also lit a cigarette, pulled out a travel ash-tray that he'd picked up in Mafia Land, and took several sips of sake to prepare himself for answering.

"That's not an easy question," he said honestly around his cigarette. "But, at the most basic level, a blood slave is food."

"Food," Reborn repeated without any inflection. Showing no reaction to the insinuation that Aster was nothing more than a meal, Tsuna took some heart in how Reborn focused on pouring his coffee into a Leon-mug. At least he was giving Tsuna a chance to explain.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed. "Vampires and werewolves who are above a certain level of strength are allowed to accept the oath from a willing subject. Again, at the most basic level, a blood slave swears to give up his or her life for the sake of his Master. In my case, my sanity depends on Aster's sacrifice. Since I wasn't turned into a full vampire, I'm more sensitive to the Hunger for life energy. Although it's distasteful to you, blood from a vampire or another werewolf is the required form for me. There's a treatment so that I can live without it, but I'd be limiting my strength to a dangerous level. If I wanted to return to the Mafia as more than a helpless dignitary, accepting Aster's oath was the only option that I had."

"Then it would be meaningless to accept an oath from me," he murmured in thought. "From what you say, I'm inedible to you."

"Not inedible," Tsuna chuckled. "You'd just have about as much nutritional value as a stick of bubblegum. I could nibble for flavor, but that's about it. There's more to being a blood slave than just being food, though. That's why I said that being food was just the basic level. It's pretty hard to explain, but Aster's oath is to put his life in my hands while also putting my life before his own. His oath protects him from being unwillingly fed upon by others, but it also means that I can offer him to anyone that I want. He's a slave in the traditional sense, but it was a position that he willingly chose to take because he trusts me. I have to answer that trust in return. If you were to swear yourself, I have a feeling that I'd get nothing but headaches. You're not really the subservient type."

"That's true," Reborn agreed around a sip of coffee. "But I dislike the idea that there's something you don't trust me with, even if it's not by your choice. I swore my life to you when the Ninth retired and this doesn't sound much different. It's true that I won't agree to be food, but your life has always been precious to me. I can fulfill the oath of a blood slave in that respect."

"Reborn..." he mumbled as his heart lifted in his chest.

"Don't get sappy," Reborn snapped with lights dancing in his eyes. "I might have three broken ribs, but I can still put you into the floor if you try to hug me. From the sound of it, the oath would be good for me, too. If I protect your sorry behind, then I have a feeling that I can find my second wind as a hitman. Keeping you alive has always been difficult and the challenge will be decent self-training."

"I have a feeling that I don't have very much choice in this," Tsuna commented with a resigned smile. "Alright. I'll agree on one condition. While your ribs are healing, you've got to let Aster teach you. There are certain times that tradition demands a blood slave has to act differently than a body guard or a hitman. If you can't respect those ways, then I can't do it."

"You're conditions are lighter than I expected," he replied in suspicion.

"That's because I have to admit that having a human blood slave with your skills would be beneficial," Tsuna explained bluntly. "You wouldn't be affected by a Hunter's weapons like Aster and myself would be. Plus, I'd rather that you were informed of what's going on around you rather than continue to blindly hope that you've figured out enough to survive. I'm not in the habit of keeping people around me who are only going to get hurt."

Holding up a hand to forestall Reborn's reply, Tsuna put his cigarette out in the traveling ashtray and put the small box away in his coat. Then he rose to his feet and turned to the door in just enough time to greet the one who opened it. The silent movements of the two men with Kiro were uncanny. If not for the scent on Kiro's clothing that had warned him of someone's approach, he would have had no idea that anyone was nearby.

"Mistress Rin has confirmed your story," the tall, thin man on the left stated as the three slipped into the room. In unison, all three knelt as soon as they were inside. "It's late, but please allow us to welcome you to Tokyo Shrine, Lord Sky. We apologize for--"

"Enough with the formalities," Tsuna interrupted, waving away the planned speech. "I might be on the Council, but I don't ask for more respect than what you give each other. I'm far more interested in how you're concealing your scents than listening to whatever Mistress Rin ordered you to say to me. And please call me Van Wolfe. We'll leave the registered titles and names for the Council to use." Both vampires' heads snapped up to stare at him for a stunned moment, but they lived up to their ages. Trading a glance with each other and a nod, the very fact that Tsuna wasn't asking for unreasonable attentions put both of them in a much better mood.

"You're just like Mistress Rin warned," the man on the left said as the two vampires stood. He was tall, but not so tall that he dwarfed Tsuna. His hair was a short, disheveled mess that reminded Tsuna of Yamamoto when he was young. The other was a shorter red-headed man who looked every inch of a rebellious Yankee. "I'm Haroshi and this is Kumo-san. You've already met Kiro and Tanaka was here earlier. There are twelve others in our squad, but the three other resident ones are workaholics, six have left to answer the call to Italy, and the last three are sleeping. You might meet some of them in passing, but it's doubtful that they'll be of much interest to you."

"What about blood slaves?" Tsuna asked with a curious glance at where Kiro was still kneeling.

"Kiro is unique," Haroshi replied with a frown. "All of our other human aides have no idea of our nature, so Kiro has offered his services for the duration of your stay. He has school, but he's otherwise available for anything that you might need." Tsuna stared at the two for a long moment while the offer sunk in along with an understanding for why Kiro wasn't standing up. Kiro was scared out of his mind. It was likely that this was a first time that his existence had been revealed to someone outside of the shrine and therefore the first time that he'd had to face his responsibility as a blood slave. It was one thing for the residents to say that they had nothing to offer a visiting Council member. It was another thing to show that they have something to offer and refuse to share.

"It's a gracious offer and I'm flattered by your hospitality, but my needs are adequately filled by what I've brought with me," Tsuna said in hopes of refusing without giving insult. "I was actually hoping that I could offer Aster in the capacity of an assistant chef and supplementary maid while we stayed with you. He gets agitated when he has nothing to do and I'm afraid that I'm not nearly as high maintenance as he'd prefer. If Kiro wouldn't mind letting Aster tag along while he does his regular duties, I'd be thankful."

"My duties?" Kiro asked, lifting his head up in surprise. The nonplussed look on his face and the grimaces on the faces of the vampires told Tsuna that he'd stepped on a landmine. Kiro was called a blood slave, but it was slowly becoming clear that he was really just Tanaka's pampered pet. That sort of treatment was something that Tsuna rashly decided to put an end to. Not because he was cruel, though. He wanted Kiro to wake up before he ended up in the same position that Tsuna had found himself in as Poe's ignorant blood slave.

"Surely you do more than look pretty for your Master," Tsuna said coldly, causing the young man to flush in embarrassment. "Being an emotional support is an important side to being a blood slave, but you can't ignore the mundane side. If you don't cook and clean for him, then who will?"

"But he..." Kiro mumbled.

"Don't tell me that he does that for you," Tsuna admonished as he crossed his arms over his chest in disapproval. "Kiro, I'm going to be straight with you because you're old enough to know better. If you can't even take care of yourself, then you're nothing but an imposition to your Master. Did you think that having good tasting blood and a firm body is enough to repay the gifts that your Master gives you?" Tsuna grimaced to himself, knowing that he stepped on another landmine with the crimson shade that Kiro's face turned. The fact that he was acting so completely virginal told Tsuna that the young man was offering nothing but his blood.

"Shit," Tsuna groaned, putting his hand over his face to hide his expression. The whole situation was completely and totally wrong, but there was a limit to what he could do about it. "You're not a blood slave," Tsuna stated firmly. "You're Tanaka's after-dinner mint. Our world isn't some fantasy-land that you can visit on the weekends for fun, Kiro. If you aren't prepared to dedicate your life to your Master, you should leave here and not look back. You're only going to cause Tanaka to suffer at this rate and get yourself into trouble."

"I don't want to leave," Kiro replied without thinking. "I like it here with everyone. Tanaka-sensei makes delicious food and Haroshi-san is teaching me how to play the flute. Kumo-san lets me watch his practice and--"

"And what do you do for them in return?" Tsuna asked bluntly. "If they enjoy your company, then you make a fine friend. If they like taking care of you, then you're quite the spoiled pet. You are in no position to be considered a blood-slave, though. You should consider yourself lucky that you offered yourself to me instead of someone else. Do you have any idea what could have happened if they'd left you in my care and I wasn't the type of person that I am? You would have been drained to the point where you wouldn't have been able to move and then you would have been raped--"

"Lord Sky--" Haroshi yelped in objection. Haroshi was stopped before he could say more, though, by Kumo-san's outstretched hand of restraint.

"You know that he's only being honest," Kumo-san said softly. "I've been thinking for a while now that Kiro should be told the truth. Tanaka is too easy on him and you know why, but Kiro is seventeen now. He'll be eighteen next year and you've seen how some of the others look at him. If he doesn't start shaping up, calling himself a blood slave isn't going to protect him."

Putting the statements together with what Tsuna had already figured out, the entire situation emerged. Tanaka had formed a one-sided love for Kiro when Kiro had been too young to deal with such a thing. Tanaka had accepted service from someone too young to understand the full meaning of being a blood slave in hopes that Kiro would grow toward him and as a leash to keep the others from claiming rights on the young man. That leash was weakening as it became more and more obvious to others that Kiro wasn't what Tanaka claimed. As for Haroshi and Kumo-san, they supported Tanaka and protected Kiro, but out of brotherly caring instead of romantic feeling.

"Kiro," Tsuna said slowly to the poor, pale, dumbfounded young man who was still kneeling on the floor. Kneeling down so that they were eye-level, Tsuna gentled his voice in hopes that Kiro would understand that Tsuna was trying to help him. "Have you been with Tanaka a long time?" Tsuna asked. Kiro stared at him with a pair of wide eyes and slowly nodded in answer. "Are you willing to do anything for him?" Again, Kiro nodded, but Tsuna's last question wasn't quite as easy to answer. "Do you love him? The kind of love that makes you want to hug and kiss him like he was a girl...?" Kiro blushed brightly and turned into a frozen statue of shock. Even if he'd been aware that such a relationship was possible, it was obvious that the possibility hadn't crossed his mind in reference to himself. Tsuna knew from the cues that Tanaka had given off earlier, though, that such thoughts were probably a constant source of aggravation for Kiro's vampiric Master. "Go home, Kiro. Think about that question and come back tomorrow with your answer. Depending on what you figure out, I'll know whether you can be salvaged as a blood slave or not."

"I'll go with him," Kumo-san offered as Tsuna pulled the young man to his feet. Nodding in acceptance, Tsuna let the vampire escort Kiro out before turning to trade grimaces with Haroshi.

"Tanaka is going to kill us," Haroshi groaned.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Tsuna replied with a shrug. "Kiro seems like a good kid, he's just unfocused and a little coddled. Even if he comes back tomorrow and says that he doesn't feel that way toward Tanaka, I don't have any doubts that he'll still put on a good show of caring about him. That'll be enough to give a starting point on training him. What I just did probably seems cruel, but I started out as a blood slave to a full-blood who kept me just as ignorant as Kiro is. I was turned by accident and I wasn't ready for this world. I don't want to see Kiro put in the same position. If just Tanaka is feeding from him, it's easy to know his condition. If Kiro is becoming independent enough to offer himself to me behind Tanaka's back, then he needs to understand what it is that he's offering."

"I can't say that I disagree," Haroshi said with a sigh. "But Tanaka is still going to kill us."

"Lie to him," Tsuna ordered. "Tell him the truth: that Kiro offered his services, but tell him that I accepted. All of his animosity will be focused at me and his hands will be tied when I have Aster teaching Kiro the basics that Sanctuary-trained blood slaves know. Does Kiro know English?"

"He's decent," he answered.

"Then that's that," Tsuna grinned in satisfaction that Aster would be able to communicate. "Once Kiro becomes valuable for something outside of his blood and the potential for sex, there's no reason for him to have to offer himself to anyone other than his Master. Not even a Council member would demand his services if he's the only blood slave doing chores for everyone here."

"That's what Kumo-san has been saying, but none of us took his warnings to heart," Haroshi said with a flinch for the eventual 'I told you so' that Kumo-san would be throwing around. "I should probably be apologizing to you, too. Kiro pushed to offer himself because he wanted to help Tanaka. We should have refused him but--"

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna sighed. "This place might be Mistress Rin's house, but I'm not one to ignore a leaky faucet when I see it."

"Speaking of a leaky faucet, you said something about wanting a bath?" He asked curiously. "If you'd like, I can show you to there now." Tsuna nodded in agreement and glanced back to ask Reborn if he wanted to come. The consideration proved unnecessary since Reborn was already napping in his seat. Leaving Leon to figure out how to get Reborn into his futon, Tsuna followed Haroshi out the sliding doors and down a series of hallways that felt maze-like in construction. When they stopped, it felt like they'd walked in a complete circle to end up back where they started. The doors that Haroshi opened weren't to his bedroom, though. They opened to a bathhouse that was twice as luxurious as Tsuna had hoped for.

Haroshi showed him where the spare towels, robes, and soaps were, taking extra care to point out the one that erased the scent from the resident vampires, before leaving to allow Tsuna to relax. As soon as he was gone, Tsuna stripped and headed for one of the low stools in the washing area. His last shower had been after his cycle finished and Tsuna felt like he could feel every second of time since then in the grime built up on his skin. From being stuck in the preparation room with other fighters and his fight with Reborn to the sweat from his long nap on the plane and the pollution that was on him from walking around the city, Tsuna felt like it'd been weeks since he'd been clean instead of a mere day.

As he slowly unbraided his hair in preparation of washing it, the doors abruptly slid open to allow a bleary-eyed Aster to enter. Smiling at him in welcome, Tsuna began instructing Aster while he undressed to join him. First, he told him the proper sequence of bathing, which didn't include jumping into the twelve-man soaking tub while he was filthy. Then, while Aster silently took over washing Tsuna's hair for him, he quickly brought Aster up to speed on Kiro's situation. Aster was as expressionless as ever when told of Kiro's ignorance, but Tsuna inferred that Aster was willing to teach the young man a thing or two. Finally, Tsuna told him about Reborn's desire to swear the oath of a blood slave.

"It's... okay," Aster surprisingly agreed. "Master should have more... than me, but... Mr. Reborn... isn't me.... so I don't mind." Tsuna grinned, understanding that Aster understood that no one was replacing him. Just like Aster couldn't do everything that Reborn could, Aster knew that Reborn couldn't do everything that he could. He was perfectly willing to be part of a team as long as his importance in the team didn't lessen.

"Reborn is off-limits when you're Hungry," Tsuna warned, even though he was fairly sure that he'd already said it before. "Kiro is off-limits, too. If one of the vampires takes a liking to you, you're free to decide for yourself on what you want to do. Just don't offer yourself to anyone that's already paired off with someone and make sure that they're aware that you're only staying temporarily. I don't want to have to pull you out of a love triangle every time we make a stop to somewhere."

"Yes, Master," Aster acknowledged softly.

"And if I ever catch you in Hotaru's bed again, I'll beat you senseless," Tsuna added for good measure. "I know that Reborn wasn't fair for putting you in that situation and I know that I'm partly at fault for being distracted, but you should have known better. Not only is Hotaru underage, but--"

"Master is better," Aster stated boldly. Tsuna felt his ears turn red while he silently told himself that Aster hadn't just compared him to his son.

"Aster," Tsuna growled so darkly that Aster actually flinched. "Never speak of that again."

"Yes, Master," he replied meekly. Nodding to himself in satisfaction that Aster had been warned, Tsuna found his anger already seeping out of himself due to Aster's gentle ministrations. His fingers were nibble and soothing as they ran through his hair and into his scalp to massage away the accumulated dirt that might have made its way into his braid. Despite knowing that he should, he couldn't stay tense when those same fingers began working around his neckline and shoulders.

In a way, Aster's skill was both a source of pride and irritation for him. He was proud because his ability to know what spots to hit showed that he'd been seriously studying what Tsuna had been teaching him about muscle structure and pressure points. He was irritated because Aster was using those skills against him. The little conceited servant knew what he was doing, too, since he was working so methodically and accurately. He was trying to change Tsuna's mood by turning what he'd learned into an assassin-level seduction skill. In that moment, Tsuna could have easily regretted teaching him anything if not for the fact that it felt so good.

Giving in to Aster's method for mollifying him, Tsuna closed his eyes and allowed himself to fully enjoy Aster's services. First while Aster washed and rinsed his hair. Then while Aster cleaned his back and shoulders. By the time that Aster circled around to kneel at Tsuna's feet so that he could scrub his legs, Tsuna completely forgot why he was angry in the first place. What he remembered instead was how easily Aster transitioned between services when there was the smallest sign that Tsuna was feeling energetic.

Groaning to himself, Tsuna didn't fight or argue when Aster leaned forward to wash him with his tongue instead of a wet cloth. Not only did he not have a reason to, but Aster needed the attention. Without it, Tsuna knew that he'd end up with the first available person that showed himself. Tsuna also knew that Aster couldn't help it. It was part of who he was and Aster's heightened sensitivities were something that they were only beginning to understand. Although, the only part that Tsuna was currently concerned about was that Aster had put him in a pleasant mood, which was feeding back into Aster through pheromones. The visible result was that the better that Aster made Tsuna feel, the more that Aster was becoming aroused outside of his own control.

"Aster," Tsuna gasped. Reaching out to stop him, Tsuna clutched a handful of hair instead when Aster's lips sank down around his arousal. Letting out a moan of pleasure, Tsuna let him sink down several more times before managing to regain control of himself. He had to make Aster stop for his own sake, but it was difficult when Aster showed such delight in what he was doing. At the rate he was going, Tsuna felt like he could give in so easily. That would give Aster absolutely no satisfaction, though, since Tsuna doubted that he'd be able to keep going for more than a single round. Not in such a semi-public place.

"Aster," he panted in a second attempt to get him to stop. This time, Tsuna used his free hand to block Aster's path back down his staff while gently tugging on his hair to order him to stop. This time, Aster paused and the face that turned up toward Tsuna made him have to squeeze the base of his staff to exert extra control. Not only was Aster overheated, salivating, and looking at him with a set of eyes glazed with lust, but he was slowly rocking in place out of anticipation.

"You're too cute, Aster," Tsuna groaned. Letting go of Aster's hair, Tsuna gently caressed across Aster's cheek and sent his thumb across Aster's bottom lip to test his reaction. Considering Aster lightly extended his tongue to lick it instead of attempting to bite, Tsuna was able to tell that Aster was only horny in the normal way instead of from Hunger. "What part of you wants to be fed the most?"

"Here," Aster panted with both of his hands reaching past the tattooed fox emblem on his lower back to fondle his backside in an unhesitating display of his desire. "Master... put it here..." he begged as he lifted his hips to do more than merely grope himself. Tsuna felt his groin coil even tighter while he watched Aster stroke his front side and finger his backside with the same impatience he always started out with. Rather than stop him, Tsuna kept a tight rein on himself and let Aster continue for several minutes. Although Aster's masturbation and moans made him want to join in, experience told Tsuna to wait. The reason why was the speed with which Aster initially succumbed. Like clockwork, he climaxed as soon as he was able to fit a third finger inside himself.

Aster didn't even wait until he was finished before climbing into Tsuna's lap with an unexplained desperation. It was the same desperation that he always showed and, despite the long weeks that they'd been together, Tsuna still had no idea where it came from. Aster didn't fly into his arms to beg for caresses and kisses out of mistaken thoughts of love, though. Tsuna had figured that much out in their time together. Aster was aware that he didn't love Tsuna and he was aware that Tsuna didn't love him. They were both fully conscious of the fact that they had nothing more than friendship and the oath of Master to Servant between them. Because of that knowledge, where the desperation came from was a complete mystery.

Despite the desperation or possibly because of it, Aster's second round was when one of Tsuna's favorite sides of Aster came out. It was the side that seemed starved, insatiable, and slightly frantic while still savoring what Tsuna had to offer. It was the round where Aster hadn't lost to his hormones so badly that he forgot to be gentle and it was the round where he was still sensitive enough that Tsuna didn't have to be rough to please him. Aster molded himself possessively against Tsuna's body in a silent plea for caress while his lips softly and quickly devoured everything within reach out of want for more sensation.

Tsuna gave it to him, giving him all the attention and skill that he'd bestow onto a true lover. Even without the emotion to satisfy his heart, Tsuna's memories provided enough experience to satisfy both of their bodies. From the proper way to tease Aster's nipples to the best way to taunt his sweet spots, Tsuna knew what to do and he generously passed that knowledge on to Aster through his actions. It was such a small gift, Tsuna thought, but it was the only one that he had to offer. He wished that he could match Aster's youthful stamina as a better gift, but the sad truth was that the body could only do so much without a spirit supporting it. Without love, the only thing that he could beat Aster with was technique.

As Aster finally sank down on him and they began spiraling toward climax, Tsuna was acutely aware of how much he wanted someone else. He wanted Snicker's work-calloused hands on his hips and his gentle gaze. He wanted Haru's athletic legs wrapped around him and her enthusiastic voice. He wanted Mukuro's ghostly, illusive caresses against his face and his ethereal touch. He wanted Kyoko's flawless skin against his chest and her soothing warmth. He wanted Xanxus' broad back to hold onto and his fulfilling taste. He wanted Autumn's shapely curves to move against and her simple-yet-complex scent. He wanted--

Aster let out a sharp cry as he succumbed a second time and Tsuna clenched his teeth to keep from biting down on him when he followed suit. When Aster stayed tense while Tsuna felt himself loosening up from the rush of endorphins, one statement kept Aster from hopelessly pursuing more.

"I'm getting old," Tsuna groaned miserably as he silently tried to deal with an invisible wave of guilt that always hit him in the aftermath of purely physical embraces.

"Master isn't," Aster objected, collapsing in Tsuna's arms with an uncontrollable tremble. "Master is... wise... to conserve... strength..."

"Nice try, Aster," Tsuna replied with a small smile for the attempt to console him. Cruelly forcing Aster to move, Tsuna spun him around and lowered him down to the floor between his legs. Then, while Aster rested on Tsuna's knee, Tsuna focused on rewashing himself. He didn't particularly want to move any more than Aster did, but he knew that Aster wouldn't be able to calm down until the aromas of intercourse were gone. Aster twitched repeatedly in place and had to hold down one hand with the other to keep himself from continuing on his own. Tsuna was tempted to tell him to keep going if he wanted to, but he knew that the suggestion would only make Aster uncomfortable. After all, Aster took his duties seriously and, considering how Tsuna had just 'fed' him, gluttonous self-satisfaction wasn't something he'd choose over the chance to serve his Master. "Take your time washing up," Tsuna ordered as he finished rinsing himself off for a second time. "I'm going to be relaxing in the bath for a while, so there's no rush unless you want to soak with me."

Leaving Aster to take care of himself, Tsuna stayed true to his statement by lowering himself into the prepared bathtub. It was satisfyingly large since it was made to hold a dozen and the slanted sides were perfect for resting his back against. Within minutes of being in the water, Tsuna was already able to relax to the point that he was dozing from the heat. The only way that he had to keep himself awake was to gently poke himself in the eye as an alternate method of accessing his interface and begin the work that he should have dealt with on the plane. He had to compile the lists of werewolves from all the Councilors into one file and then he had to sort them by location and allegiance. Those in the Alliance that he'd scheduled future visits with via phone could wait. It was the werewolves who'd refused to join the common cause that needed personal visits immediately and the only information that he had on Japan's solitary werewolf was a set of names and the city of Tokyo. The first name was the werewolf's while the second was the name of the person who'd turned him.

"Tanaka," Tsuna murmured to himself in interest. Tanaka, Kiro's Master, wasn't a vampire. He was doing a fine job of pretending he was, but Mistress Rin knew better. Haroshi and Kumo-san's protectiveness over Kiro suddenly looked a little different with the knowledge. So did Kiro's lack of training. The two vampires were trying to protect Tanaka's secret while also keeping him ignorant. Tsuna understood because it was the same passive neglect that Poe had thoughtlessly fallen back on. It wasn't Tanaka or Kiro's fault that Kiro was made ignorant in turn. The two simply didn't know better since Haroshi and Kumo-san undoubtedly hadn't taken Kiro's oath seriously. Up until a certain werewolf Councilor showed up with his own blood slave, they probably thought that it was good enough to shelter the two while giving Tanaka patrols through the city to make him think that he was earning his place rather than accepting a guilt-offering. Depending on how much time had passed since Tanaka had been turned, there was the possibility that his patrols weren't make-work. After all, even a werewolf could secure borders from outsiders and warn off physical interlopers such as rogue vampires and berserk Phlegm. That was probably why he was so careful about his scent, too. Tanaka couldn't afford to let his opponents have a tool to judge his strength from.

By the time that Tsuna was done putting the pieces together, he was beside himself in glee. Not only did Tsuna not have to search for his first target, but he already knew Tanaka's reasoning for refusing to join the Alliance. His thoughts were: "Why join a union when he was already being treated equally?"

"So naive," Tsuna sighed in satisfaction as he sank down into the water. The only equality in Tanaka's situation was that he was equally responsible for allowing the vampires around him to keep secrets. Now the only thing left was to prove it to Tanaka.

* * *

Over the course of four days, Tsuna did nothing but watch. For the first two days, he was completely yet respectfully ignored by the resident vampires with the sole exception of an over-protective Tanaka who was angry that Kiro was in someone else's hands. Just like Tsuna had predicted, Kiro had returned with chronic blushing and the bold exclamation of "I don't know if I want to do this and that with Tanaka, but I still care about him more than anyone else and you can't make me leave him!" After a quick correction to let him know that Tsuna had the power to forcefully request that Tanaka be sent to a different base in a different country, Kiro settled down into training without another argument.

Dealing with Kiro had wisely been done behind Tanaka's back and Tsuna became twice as glad that Tanaka didn't know what was going on. It kept Tanaka's eyes on him and, by the third day, Tanaka had figured out that Tsuna's eyes were always watching in return. The fact that he'd noticed was obvious in how he paled with worry every time they crossed paths. By the fourth day, Tanaka had become agitated enough about it that he completely ignored Kiro's situation in order to retreat into his room as soon as he returned from teaching and he didn't come out until it was time for his patrols.

Now, on the fifth day, the rest of the shrine's members were beginning to pick up on Tsuna's focus. That was fine, although Tsuna had another problem. That problem was that Tanaka wasn't kept in the dark like Tsuna had thought. He really was treated as a full equal, which would have been wonderful if not for the fact that it was a solid reason to not want to get mixed up in politics. With each day that passed, Tsuna slowly admitted to himself that Tanaka didn't need him or the Alliance. Actually, the Alliance needed Tanaka instead since there were so few cases like his that could be used as an example of what they were working toward in their relations with vampires.

Step one to getting Tanaka to make concessions would be to put him in a better mood. Therefore, Tsuna had Aster wrap up the formal training with Kiro and give a progress report. Thankfully, Aster had some good news to give him. Kiro was a hard worker despite how he'd been pampered. He also had enough talent to cook basic meals, although he wouldn't be able to make anything fancy until he gained more confidence in the kitchen. He could wash dishes, clean floors, and do laundry, although Aster mentioned that he should never be allowed around bleach. He now understood that organizing the household was his duty and so were the mundane chores. Kiro was actually happy to do them, too, once the rest of the shrine's residents began to show approval and praise for how well-kept everything became after Aster began working with him. He learned the pleasure of having something he made complimented and he learned how much putting effort into small things could give him the gratitude of those around him. From what Aster told him, Kiro's relations with the other resident vampires had become better once he began acting like a proper blood slave and now there wasn't anyone who didn't value him in a way that respected Kiro's happiness.

Ordering Kiro to be brought, Tsuna smiled to himself in satisfaction of Kiro's entrance into Tsuna's room. Tsuna noticed immediately that he'd lost his fear and his hesitancy, but he still kept his eyes lowered respectfully. When he knelt down to pour Tsuna tea, he did so with a quiet confidence and an aura of contentment that suited him. Speaking with him bluntly, Tsuna drilled him in the formalities that Aster had been teaching him. Giving him scenario after scenario, he checked to see if Kiro was prepared for everything from meeting a strange vampire on the street to being told by a visiting vampire to undress. Kiro still had the capacity to blush at some points in the inquiry, but his answers were flawless.

"Very good," Tsuna praised, making Kiro blush yet again. "Tanaka can take pride in your service now. As a reward for being so diligent toward Aster's teaching, I'd like to take you somewhere. Will you come?"

"Yes, my Lord," he agreed after a moment to consider whether he trusted Tsuna enough to leave the shrine with him. "I'd be honored."

"Let us go quickly, then," Tsuna ordered. "I want to return you to Tanaka when he comes out for dinner." Draining his tea and snatching up his hat, Tsuna rose in place and led the way out of the shrine. Along the way, having been warned of Tsuna's plans ahead of time, Aster rejoined them. The destination that he had in mind wasn't an extraordinary one, but it was one that made Kiro's jaw drop when they arrived. Of all the places he expected to be taken, a shopping mall had to be unexpected. When they braved the crowds and successfully reached the store that Tsuna wanted, Kiro was shaking in shock.

"I-I can't--" Kiro spluttered as he looked at the price tags on the window displays.

"You can and you will," Tsuna corrected. "Your pocket money is Tanaka's responsibility, so other types of gifts are the only way that people other than your Master can adequately show you gratitude for your service. Refusing bribes for extra service is okay, but you must learn how to accept rewards with grace. Considering how much I've worried Tanaka and threw your life into upheaval, I wouldn't feel satisfied giving you anything less."

Letting Aster to drag Kiro into the store, Tsuna went in first and began browsing. Kiro had no choice in the matter, but Tsuna still wanted to give him something that he wouldn't be too upset in accepting. Something that wasn't too expensive. Something that was functional, but could still leave an impression. Something that Tanaka would be willing to buy more of so that Kiro could have something akin to a Japanese uniform when rare visitors appeared.

Forcing both Kiro and Aster to try on kimono after kimono, Tsuna finally told himself that it was no good. Tsuna couldn't choose only one. For Aster alone, there were three that he wanted to get. For Kiro, there were eight. Tsuna finally had to leave the final choices into the hands of the two young men. Having already learned his lesson where clothing was concerned, Aster quickly picked out one that he liked and sent the others back before Tsuna could change his mind about not buying all of them. As for Kiro, it was more difficult. His head was spinning so much at the cost of the silks and fine linens in front of him that his eyes were glazed.

"You need a formal one to greet Mistress Rin in," Tsuna prompted, placing the four silk kimonos in front of him. "Remember that how you present yourself reflects back on Tanaka. Which of these do you think suits Tanaka more?" When put as if he was choosing for someone other than himself, the light slowly came back into Kiro's eyes. Reaching out, he touched his hand to one in particular to trace the pattern of pink cherry blossoms petals on a deep chocolate silk. Tsuna knew that he should have predicted it since Tanaka's sigil was a cherry blossom. Nodding in acceptance of the choice, Tsuna cued the attendant saleswoman to wrap it up and turned to the other four choices in linen.

"Which one was more comfortable?" Tsuna asked. In answer, Kiro hesitantly pointed out the light-weight summer kimono that was just on the border-line between formal and informal. Tsuna looked at it carefully, trying to see if he could agree to the choice. The lack of pattern on the monotone folds of red made him wonder if it was a little too comfortable to suit, but then he remembered that it was to be something that Kiro could wear on a semi-regular basis. "I'll take six of this one," Tsuna ordered to the clerk, making Kiro splutter and yen signs light up in the woman's eyes. "Don't argue, Kiro," he added while the clerk quickly called for help in packaging up the purchases. "You need a uniform to show that you're taking your work seriously and ties don't fit you."

"Uniform?" Kiro repeated in shock.

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed as he pulled out his wallet to pay. "You should wear these at the shrine to separate the person that you are in public with who you are in private. Different clothes can put you in a different mindset, so it's my hope that these clothes will help you assume your proper role. You're not a child anymore, Kiro. You've chosen to not part with Tanaka, so you better be prepared to accept the consequences."

"I'm... prepared," Kiro mumbled with his cheeks turning pink. Tsuna stared at him in surprise for the reply and wondered to himself if Aster had more of an influence than intended on the young man. He certainly wasn't giving off the virginal vibes that he had previously, although Tsuna was positive that he hadn't received any first-hand experience. Second-hand experience, though... Tsuna faintly remembered several instances where Kiro might have seen more than he should in regards to Tsuna's private interactions with Aster.

Thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Tsuna divided up the packages so that Aster was carrying four of the uniforms, Kiro was carrying the other two and the extra box holding the silk piece, and Tsuna personally carried Aster's choice of kimono. With that dealt with, Tsuna led the way back out of the store and quietly made a detour that the two young men were required to follow him for. The detour wasn't for his own sake, though. It was for Aster. They were in a foreign place with a large variety of new things to offer. He wanted Aster to become comfortable in dealing with such circumstances and he thought that shopping was one of the most expedient ways to show him everything. It wasn't quite as good as taking the time for sight-seeing, but he hoped that Aster appreciated the experience.

Aster didn't seem to catch on that they were window-shopping until the third store that Tsuna stopped into for no purpose other than to look around. At the fourth store, it was obvious from how he wandered away that he finally understood. Leaving the two to enjoy themselves for several minutes, Tsuna pretended to inspect several racks of electronics in curious wonder at how superficial some of it all seemed. Why would someone pay an extra five thousand yen for a DVD player that's only added benefit was that it had a chibified school girl embossed on the top? Perhaps it was the latest fad? He didn't know since he didn't recognize the character.

Once he felt that enough time passed, Tsuna went to find his young friends and drag them to another store. Then he repeated the process with Kiro finally catching on enough that he began suggesting places for them to go. Ten stops and several dozen souvenirs later, all three of them had too many bags in hand to be able to continue and both Aster and Kiro were beginning to look tired out. Taking that as his cue, Tsuna relented and escorted them back to the shrine so that both of them would have time to change into their silk kimonos. Knowing that he hadn't given them enough time to prepare both themselves and dinner, Tsuna went a step further in his reward by ordering take-out while Kiro taught Aster how to wrap his obi.

Ordering both of them to prepare the table for dinner, Tsuna picked up one box from his pile of souvenirs that wasn't a souvenir at all. It was something special that he'd ordered on his second day, although he honestly hadn't expected that he'd need it. Reborn had kept his word, though. He'd rested properly and Aster claimed that he'd been taught everything. He'd also kept out of Tsuna's hair, neither asking unnecessary questions or making a nuisance out of himself.

Sliding open the door to Reborn's room, Tsuna was unsurprised to find him fanning himself in an idealized summer cosplay of yukata and slippers. It made Tsuna smile despite the seriousness of his visit. It had always been Reborn's habit to cosplay when he was bored and seeing him talking to a handful of his summer insect subordinates made Tsuna remember his middle school days.

"You're earlier than I expected," Reborn said in greeting.

"This visit is over earlier than expected," Tsuna replied. "I have a stop to make tonight and you're coming with me. In the morning, we'll stop in at Namimori before we head for Taiwan. Have you thought over what Aster's been teaching you? Now that you're moving better, you don't have to stick around me. You can head back to Italy and watch over--"

"I'll stay," he interrupted. "There's a speech that I need to make at Don Girarde to greet the new teachers and students in a month, but there's nothing else that I can't do while staying with you. My offer stands, Baka-Wolfe." Tsuna smiled softly at the name, feeling as if he'd just gotten a hug from Reborn.

"Then I accept, Dame-Reborn," he retorted as he tossed the box into Reborn's lap. "From today forward, your life belongs to me. There's no ritual or ceremony for becoming a blood slave. All you have to do is wear my mark, so I got those for you. As long as you keep them on, no one in the world can reject your right to be with me except me." Rather than leave and allow Reborn to accept the mark in private, Tsuna felt the need to watch as he opened the box. Nestled inside were a set of cufflinks bearing the fox that Aster had on his set of bracelets and a silver watch with the same logo under the time-piece.

"It's nothing like the Vongola seal," Reborn commented sadly.

"I'm nothing like the Vongola's Sky," Tsuna replied in understanding. "You'll get used to it, Reborn. If you don't want to, then pray that my symbol reverts. Although, speaking of symbols, I have a request to make of Leon."

"Leon's agreed," he said as the chameleon skittered out from under Reborn's pillow to allow Reborn to pick him up. "He was expecting it sooner, but you've had reason to wait."

"Too many eyes and then you were injured," Tsuna confirmed with a slow smile. "I thought that now would be a safe time to ask." Reaching into his trench coat as he knelt down in front of where Reborn was seated, Tsuna pulled out his set of tattered X-Gloves with a look of apology directed at Leon. "I'm sorry that I ruined them again," he said softly while he looked at the mismatched pair. Putting them next to each other, their states of wear were completely different. The half-melted one that he'd lost at sea was still a dark black after so many years since it'd been kept in storage. On the other hand, the other glove was discolored with places worn thin after taking years more abuse. "I promised that I'd take care of them, but they still became like this."

"What did you do to it?" Reborn asked, taking the worn out one to inspect the tattered material. "It looks like you soaked it in water for a year and then left it in the middle of traffic for a few hours..." Reborn trailed off while Tsuna had the grace to blush. It had been soaked in water for a year while he'd washed dishes. It'd also survived digging through garbage, numerous building renovations, daily activity as a street-mime, and constant labor during bicycle deliveries, paperwork, fighting, and a long list of other things.

"I was working," Tsuna pouted. "I couldn't remember my promise to Leon, but I still couldn't throw it away. I... I'd actually like it if Leon could fix it without making it new. I kept that one with me through a lot of things, so..." Tsuna bowed his head while he tried to keep those 'lots of things' from turning him maudlin. He wasn't trying to pretend that it wasn't part of his past, but there were different things in the here-and-now that needed his focus.

"How did it feel to be normal?" Reborn asked softly. Tsuna shook his head to himself in answer, unable to put the feeling into words. The good times had been good and the bad times had been bad. The work that he'd done might have been different and the faces might have changed, but living 'normal' hadn't been much different than being Vongola the Tenth.

"I'm me no matter what," he said after a moment. "I still ended up in the same place, although I reached it with a lot less help. I learned a few lessons differently and experienced things that I never would have before, but it didn't _feel _different at all. I still want to protect the people that I care about and I know my limits in doing so."

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime," he replied. Tsuna nodded slowly and hesitantly handed over the tattered remains of his second glove. Before, it would have been a big risk to have them fixed considering they were one of the only ways for him to prove his identity. He could do it without fear now, since Reborn's supposed change in loyalties would lead people to believe that such proof was forged anyway.

"Some other time," Tsuna agreed without meeting Reborn's eyes. "Right now, I have some business to attend to over dinner."

"Business?" Reborn asked in a hopeful tone for the open location. Curiosity had to be eating him alive since Tsuna seemed as if he hadn't been doing much of anything for almost a week. Giving him a wink and a gesture of invitation as he stood, Tsuna knew that Reborn wouldn't pass up the chance to finally see something other than the four walls of his room. He wasn't wrong. Reborn quickly slipped on his new watch and tucked the cufflinks into his yukata for safe-keeping until he put his suit back on. Then he, too, stood in order to follow Tsuna to the dining hall.

The shrine's dining hall had the same shoji screens and tamari mats of all the other rooms, but a long table and an array of pillows filled it. As Tsuna entered, those who'd already arrived gentlely bowed their heads toward him in respect. Haroshi, Kumo-san, and Tanaka were present. Unsurprisingly, so were all three of the workaholics that he'd met only in passing. Their attendance told Tsuna that the entire shrine had caught onto the fact that Tsuna's business in Tokyo was within the shrine itself and that they didn't plan to sit in silence.

"I've invited my recently acquired blood slave to join us," Tsuna greeted with an absent gesture towards Reborn. Ignoring the amount of attention that was on him, he felt the need to smile as he seated himself. From how tense they all were, they obviously planned to confront Tsuna immediately. Too bad, so sad, Tsuna thought flippantly. His preparations were better than theirs.

Tanaka froze in the middle of opening his mouth for the ice-breaking first statement as Aster and Kiro entered on cue. The tense expressions of the assembled vampires turned to shock in an instant, making Tsuna smile to himself at how spectacular the two young men looked in their kimonos. Kiro blushed brightly at all the attention, but managed to follow Aster in laying out the meal that had been delivered. As the smell of grilled eel, sweet and sour pork, peppered chicken, noodles, rice, and dumplings filled the air, Tsuna allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction at his meal choices. It looked like a feast since Aster had wisely transferred everything onto the shrine's serving dishes and being served a feast by such lovely servants was bound to put everyone in a better mood. Considering the bright hue on Tanaka's surprised face, the plan was a success.

"We'll be leaving in the morning," Tsuna announced in amusement, causing every head to snap toward him. "Before I go, I'd like it if Tanaka could tell me what he's been hiding." Silence fell over the room, broken only by the sound of dishes still being laid out across the table. The residents of the shrine traded worried looks for a moment before finally settling their gazes on Tanaka himself. "There's no need to panic," Tsuna added, seeing the fear growing in Tanaka's eyes. "As all of you have noticed, I've been watching Tanaka carefully and there's a reason for that. Mistress Rin has been aware of your situation for a long time and she hasn't seen fit to change your circumstances before now. I have to admit that I'm envious of you. It's obvious that you have the respect of the rest of your team and there's no sign that you're treated any lesser than those around you. I can see why Lord Nephriam's offer and my presence would be nothing more than a nuisance to you."

"So that's what it was," Tanaka said, lowering his eyes in what seemed to be shame. "You're not here on behalf of the Council. You're here because of the Alliance."

"I'm here for both," Tsuna corrected. "Werewolves are part of our society and the it was left to me to ensure that they were warned of the increased Hunter threat. Werewolves haven't always been registered, so the Council's information is incomplete. Both now and in the future, I need to fill those gaps so that I can do my job efficiently. I repeat. I'd like it if you could tell me what you've been hiding."

"You want me to admit that I'm a werewolf," Tanaka replied, looking up with a sudden glare at Tsuna that was matched by everyone around him. "I refuse. My abilities might not have developed, but I am no less of a vampire than anyone else here. I'll give you respect because you're a Council member, but I'll be damned if I--"

"I envy you," Tsuna repeated softly, startling the entire group into silence. "You have such self-confidence in yourself and the support of at least five strong Brothers. How much do you think that stubborn self-confidence will protect you outside of Tokyo, though? I envy your ability to close your mind to what's going on outside your haven and live in contentment, but the rest of the world isn't as kind as your Brothers, Tanaka. Do you really think that I enjoy being called a werewolf? Do you really think that I consider myself any less of a vampire than those around me? Whether you like it or not, the rest of the world and the rest of our society consider us cannibalistic mongrels. I can understand your desire to lock yourself in your house since it was built on such a strong foundation, but I don't think you realize how many others out there have your same disabilities and are treated poorly because of it.

What was it that you asked when we first met? 'What would a werewolf know?' Those were your words, were they not? You are spoiled, Tanaka. You are so spoiled in your equal treatment that you're in denial of what you are. I won't force you to take part in a group that doesn't have the luxury of blinding themselves in such a way, but I do want you to know that you have what many _werewolves _want. The Alliance's only goal is to give others what you already have. If you can ever look outside your doors long enough to consider people other than yourself, I think that you'd find that you could be a source of hope for many. Like I said, I can't force you, though, so please accept my apologies for inconveniencing you and Kiro for the past few days. I return him to you now and I'll be leaving in the morning, so you can rest easy and enjoy this meal." Picking up his chopsticks from the table, Tsuna smiled and pointedly turned his attention to the food that was laid out. "Itadakimasu."

The vampires around him looked dumbfounded after his speech and, unsurprisingly, Tanaka excused himself without touching a bite. His expression as he left was one of utter confusion, which Tsuna took as a good sign that he'd been shocked into thinking by Tsuna's accusations. As for the rest, they slowly turned to the meal with their plans of confrontation completely destroyed. There was absolutely nothing for any of them to say anymore. Tsuna had already told him why he'd been focusing on Tanaka and he'd already informed them of his intentions. He wasn't actively doing anything other than eating, so they had nothing to complain about. Even more importantly, he'd told them that he was leaving, so they would only look foolish if they kicked him out for his harsh words to Tanaka.

Tsuna put on a show of being unconcerned for the rest of the meal, having Aster attend him exclusively while Kiro showed off his training to the others. Reborn thankfully stayed silent through all of it, although Tsuna could see the gleam of consideration in his eyes. Tsuna didn't try to figure out what he was thinking, though. There was never any way of telling with Reborn. Whether he approved or disapproved had no bearing on the matter, anyway, because the ball was in Tanaka's hands now. All Tsuna could do now was to leave the communication routes open if he decided to change his way of thinking. Having already given Kiro a card with his contact information on it, there was nothing more that he could do in regards to Tanaka.

As soon as Reborn showed signs that he was finished eating, Tsuna dismissed him to allow him time to change for their final stop in Tokyo. Then he warned Aster that he'd be out for the rest of the night and stood from the table. The eyes of Haroshi, Kumo-san, and the rest followed him, making him pause in a sudden decision to leave a bee in their ear.

"If Tanaka wasn't Tanaka, would all of you have treated him the same way?" Before any of them could answer, Tsuna glided out of the room and headed for the exit. His work at the shrine was done. Now he could turn to personal business in good conscience.

Reborn was already waiting for him by the time he got outside, seemingly flawless and pristine in his tailored black suit and fitted fedora. It was entirely impossible to tell that he was still recovering from several broken ribs and internal injuries. His show of fortitude made Tsuna's respect for him go up several bonus levels, seeing for the first time that Reborn himself was capable of the feats that he'd always expected out of Tsuna. Stopping in front of him, Tsuna allowed himself a moment of jealousy for how suave Reborn was. Then Reborn straightened his sleeve with a brisk, meticulous movement and the shine of his cufflinks brought Tsuna back to his senses. There was no reason to be jealous of his subordinate because Tsuna wasn't the type of person to be overshadowed by his servant, even one as snazzy as Reborn.

"If you think that you're going to show me up, you have another thing coming," Tsuna grinned with a finger running along the rim of his white duster. "A mask gives me ten extra levels of mystery."

"If you say so, Master," Reborn replied with his lips twitching in amusement.

"Don't call me that," Tsuna ordered, instantly serious. "Aster has his reasons for calling me that. It doesn't seem right coming from you, so just call me Van or Boss unless others are watching."

"Understood," Reborn stated simply as Tsuna brushed past him with his mood soured. .

The two of them walked for nearly an hour before Tsuna paused long enough to pick up a bouquet of flowers from a shop that was preparing to close for the night. The addition raised Reborn's curiosity, but Tsuna wasn't quite ready to explain himself. Instead, he rested the bouquet of three dozen roses onto his shoulder and started walking again. Taking several detours in hopes of throwing off the pursuers that he prayed that he didn't have, Tsuna finally arrived at his destination with Reborn behind him. Tsuna knew that Cafe Tropica had to make Reborn's curiosity rise even more, but he also knew that shock would set in soon enough.

Walking through the door, the smell of smoke and alcohol met him faster than the head hostess. All around the cafe, women dressed in skimpy island costumes were attending to the hearts and weaknesses of their clients. Unlike what it looked like from the outside, though, Tsuna knew that the manager was a solid person who didn't allow more than platonic comforting. She'd turned the place into a resort where her customers could come to rest whenever they wanted. The decor aided the idea with palm trees and rock sculptures, opaque netting instead of curtains, mock starlight, and the soothing sound of ocean layered behind gentle island music, and mock bonfires in the middle of every table. Every drink got an umbrella and every customer was greeted with a crown of flowers. Taking off his hat, Tsuna bowed his head to accept his greeting from the head hostess while Reborn refused his own.

"So many pretty flowers," she commented after her initial duties were finished.

"They're for an apology," he admitted quietly. "Is Libby-chan still here?"

"Libby-chan?" The woman blinked in surprise, staring at him as if he'd just asked for Aphrodite to meet with him, which was nearly correct. "If you mean Madame Liberia, you'll have to make an appointment. She only--"

"Please tell her that Kai is here to see her," he interrupted with his voice unintentionally carrying due to an unpredictable break in the room's activity. The woman in front of him froze while several of the working girls scattered through the room chose to rise to their feet with looks of shock on their faces. Tsuna's eyes caught with one in particular and he knew that a storm was about to come.

"Kai," the exotic Romia snarled as she rushed forward to meet him. Even seeing her coming, Tsuna did nothing to block the hand that struck the side of his face. He deserved it and he knew it. "How dare you show your face!" She shouted as her fellow hostesses gathered in support. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for Liberia-san after you disappeared?! She thought that you were dead, you bastard! You stopped calling and you never wrote to even tell her that you--"

"You're not the one that I need to apologize to," Tsuna interrupted before her voice could get any louder. "Libby-chan knew from the start that I had responsibilities and she accepted that I couldn't give her more than financial support. The phone calls and letters I sent were never part of our agreement to begin with. Now, if you please, I'd like to see my wife." Ignoring Reborn's predicted jolt of surprise behind him, Tsuna continued. "Will you call her here or do I need to go find her myself? I hope that I don't need to remind you that this building and everyone in it is paid through the funds that I set aside."

Romia glared, but her hands were tied. Tsuna wouldn't fire her because she was Libby's most important friend, but that didn't change the fact that he owned her. He owned her workplace. He owned her livelihood. He even owned the condo that she lived in. Of course, he owned it all through an identity that he'd promised to never assume outside of his visits to Cafe Tropica, but Libby was the only one who was aware of that. As Romia left to get her and all the other hostesses returned to their clients, the head hostess led Tsuna and Reborn over to a private booth and took their drink orders in a state of shock. It wasn't until she darted away to fill it that Tsuna finally faced the dark look in Reborn's eyes. The questions didn't even need to be voiced. Tsuna already knew what Reborn wanted to know.

"I was honest when I said that I killed them," Tsuna murmured quietly. "Every single one of them died and was reborn with a new identity. Libby is Gregory's mother, Reborn. I was so afraid that the Ninth would order me to kill the mothers in truth if he knew that I'd left them alive, so I lied to everyone. Back then, I didn't know who to trust. I couldn't even trust myself at times. Myself and Father Heavener, the children's teacher at the cathedral, are the only two who knew the truth until now. Even in that, Father Heavener doesn't know more than he has to know. Father Heavener's been keeping her informed of her son's progress, although I don't know if she--" Silencing himself as the hostess arrived with his drinks, he didn't pick back up his explanation until she was gone once more.

"Libby is no mother," he said sadly. "She's been sent reports on her son, but it's likely that she's been ignoring them. When I first found her, she was selling herself just to get a hotel to sleep in for a night and Gregory was sleeping in the closet while she worked. She's not the type that was smart about trading favors and Gregory was getting old enough that she was ready to kill him because he kept asking for more food. I talked her into selling him to me and gave her a way to go straight without giving up her dreams. She had such small dreams, so it wasn't hard. All I have to do is take care of her and she stays out of Gregory's life. I set up a fake identity for both of us and she's married to me under those names so that she has a measure of respectability. To keep her out of trouble, I set up this place for her to manage and she gets a weekly financial allotment that's more than she needs. She also gets the profits from this place and it looks like she hasn't been wasting her chance. Most of that is probably Romia's doing, though. Romia always was the smarter one, which is probably why the Salamander didn't pick her when it used my body, but Libby-chan doesn't know anything about that. Whether it was the Salamander or me in my body, I'm still always just 'Kai' to her and everyone here who knows me. Libby-chan..." Chuckling to himself, Tsuna covered his face with his hands even though he knew that his mask was already hiding his expression.

"Libby-chan doesn't even know who I am and she gave me her son," he continued miserably. "She thinks that I'm just a businessman who's based overseas and she doesn't care about knowing more as long as she still gets her money. I have no idea of how much Gregory remembers of her, but I didn't think I had a choice about whether to leave him with her or not. Knowing that Gregory has my blood, I couldn't, Reborn. Even if I can't be a good father to him, I could still make sure that he was taken care of. I could get him an education and give him a place where he could grow happily. I don't know if I made the right choice but--"

"Gregory is one of Hotaru's biggest rivals among his brothers since they're the same age now," Reborn interrupted softly. "He's bright, studious, and athletic. He's starting school with Hotaru and he's already beginning to gain control of his Dying Will Flame under Basil's tutelage. Lanchia also taught him a few things during the children's visits to Japan, so it's expected that he'll be the star of the first-year students at Don Girarde when he arrives in a few weeks. He might even outshine Hotaru, which I expect will help give him humility."

"Is that so?" Tsuna mumbled with a trembling smile. "I can't tell you how happy that makes me, Reborn. I'd hoped that by putting the kids together, they could have Family in each other like the kids at Hayakeshi house did. All of their mothers are like Libby. It's like the Salamander traveled around the world and found the worst types of women to impregnate. Whores, drug addicts, alcoholics. He found the vain and the superficial. He found the selfish and the heartless. There wasn't a single one of them that wanted their kids when I offered to take them. I was trying to reform them in secret, but I don't know if any... I don't know if any of them ever reached a point where they regretted their past. Before my life ended, only two acted as if my words were even reaching them. The rest never looked back at their children as anything more than a mistake that had been dealt with. Can you understand why I pretended that they were dead? If something had happened to me, I thought it would be better if the kids believed that they were orphans."

"I wouldn't have acted differently," Reborn replied simply. Tsuna smiled in pain at the vote of confidence and tried to calm his heart. It wasn't easy. His kids were still his kids, whether he'd been aware of them at the time of their birth or not. He didn't want to see them in pain. He didn't want to see any child in pain, but Gregory and the others were his responsibility. They were his flesh and blood and he owed it to them to ensure that they didn't regret being born.

Tsuna lifted his head up as Libby herself finally graced the main floor with her presence. In an instant, he knew that she hadn't changed. Not having a drop of Japanese blood in her, her western complexion should have given her an edge. But with all the makeup that she used to cover it, her vanity was apparent to anyone who looked at her. Her silver hair was curled and treated until it was hanging dead on her shoulders and he could smell the perfume and hairspray on her from across the smoke-filled room. His assumption was proven correct when she stopped next to their table, threw down several mailed packets, and said two words.

"Go away," she ordered before turning to retrace her steps. He let her, finding his gaze resting instead on the packets that she'd thrown down. It was undoubtedly the information that Father Heavener had sent her. He asked for it every time that he came over to see if she'd actually opened any of them. Just like before, the packets in front of him were still sealed. Unlike before, he didn't plan to chase after her and give her a lecture. She was a grown woman and he wasn't going to waste his breathe anymore. Instead, he slid the packets into his coat to look over later, left the roses on the table for whoever wanted them, and silently left with Reborn following him.

* * *

As the smell of incense filled the air, Tsuna closed his eyes and offered his prayers in hopes that it'd relieve the guilt in his heart. Kyoko had suffered for knowing him. She'd lost her brother because of him when Tsuna had accepted his role as a Boss. She'd lost her lover to him when his role as a Boss set him in opposition of Mochida. She'd lost her life because of him when he'd betrayed her in the end. He loved her so much and that love caused him incredible pain since he couldn't regret the actions that caused her to suffer. How could he regret listening to Ryohei's wishes? How could he regret saving the kids of Hayakeshi House? How could he regret protecting his Family? He couldn't feel regret over any of it, but he could still feel. He could feel guilt for having made the choice. He could feel shame for not being good enough to protect her along with the greater good. He could feel heartbreak that he'd never see her smiling face again. He could feel the dark shadow of remorse.

Knowing that he couldn't stay long and chance being seen, Tsuna finished his prayers and rose to his feet. Heading for Namimori Cemetery's gates, Aster rejoined him before he passed two rows of gravestones. His presence was a balm to Tsuna's soul because, in a way, Aster represented all the people that Tsuna had positively affected with his choices. Then there was Reborn, waiting for him outside the entrance with the same suave stance that Tsuna was coming to dislike. He, too, was a balm, though it was because he represented everyone that Tsuna could still help. He couldn't change his past, but he could find peace with his present and his future within reach.

"Where to now, Boss?" Reborn asked.

"I'm in the mood for sushi," Tsuna answered with a soft smile. "Aster, hail a taxi."

"Yes, Boss," Aster replied before rushing to the curb. Tsuna had to do a double-take. Had Aster just called him something other than 'Master'? Surely his hearing was going bad. Sending a look of askance at Reborn, Tsuna goggled openly when Aster's hails were answered and he turned around with his hand on the taxi's open door. "Boss...?" He asked hesitantly. "Did I... do something wrong?"

"Not at all," Tsuna soothed immediately. "You just caught me off-guard by calling me something new."

"Oniisan calls you that..." he mumbled with his eyes turning downcast."I thought that Master liked it... since Master doesn't tell oniisan to stop."

"Oniisan?" Tsuna choked with his gaze flickering to Reborn once more. Then understanding dawned: Aster was trying to make his fellow blood slave more comfortable, so he'd chosen to trade out one generic term for another so that Reborn wouldn't feel weird being the odd man out. Aster was showing that he was more than just a team-player. He was showing that he was an incredibly caring person, although his facial expressions still didn't show it. "I like it," Tsuna soothed as he stepped forward to enter the taxi that Aster was holding for him. As he passed, he also added, "Aster is very kind," to let him know that his gesture hadn't gone unnoticed. In return, Tsuna got to glimpse a rare public blush as he ducked into the vehicle, although it was wiped away by the time Aster entered on the other side.

Leaving the directions in the hands of Reborn once Reborn was settled into the passenger seat next to the driver, Tsuna decided to make a phone call to distract himself from his upcoming destination. As for who to call there was only one option that would put him in a good mood. For the sake of the driver, he kept his hand next to his ear for the call as if pretending to hold up an earpiece.

"Hello?"

"How are you getting along with the other Angels, Tanya?" Tsuna asked with a smile flicking along his lips.

"Which one?" Tanya, his hired gopher in Italy, groaned. "The queen or the mental case?"

"I'm delighted to see that you decided to work for me," Tsuna commented without answering the question. "How is the house coming along?"

"A lot faster than I thought it would," she said with a hint of grudging admiration. "The live-in workers that you sent are more useful than I expected, although there's something really odd about them."

"And what's odd about people who do manual labor?" Tsuna asked, although he could already guess the answer. The only live-in workers that he'd sent were the Alliance werewolves who wanted some way to help, so oddities would be common.

"I can't put my finger on it," she said in a tone that made him smile even more. "It's just that there seems to be more to them than what I can see. For example, when I left for an hour to run some errands, they were only beginning to build the stone wall around the place like you wanted. When I got back, they'd already gotten two sides finished. Two sides! It should have taken a week to get that far! And the food! I swear that Cook made a feast to feed twenty people when I went home last night! Then, when I asked her why she wasn't using any of the leftovers for breakfast, she said that the staff ate it all! How could nine people eat enough food for twenty?!"

"Nine?" Tsuna asked softly. "Don't you mean ten? There should be P-chan, Lady Italia, Cook and her son, plus six workers."

"Five workers," she corrected. "That Santiago guy that you hired never showed--"

Not giving her a chance to finish, Tsuna hung up and speedily dialed a different number while absently waving for Reborn to have the driver keep going despite the fact that they'd reached their destination. He had Santiago's number on file, just like everyone else in the Alliance who he'd already called. It was worrisome since Santiago should have been one of the first to arrive. He already lived in Italy. There was only sixty miles that he'd had to drive!

Tsuna felt his gut clench when there was no answer at Santiago's home. At Santiago's work, they said that he'd quit a week previously, which lined up with when he'd accepted Tsuna's offer. Tsuna also tried his cell phone, his email, and he tried to contact Santiago's patron Councilor. It was all in vain. There was no answer anywhere and no one had seen him. Already reaching his limits of worry, Tsuna started hacking. He hacked into police databases to see if Santiago had been arrested. He hacked into hospital records to see if he'd been admitted. He even searched through public and private records to see if he'd been found dead. Finally, he hacked into the emergency road-side assistance system that Santiago had installed on his car and made a call that he'd been trying to refrain from making.

"I hope this isn't a personal call," Xanxus growled. "I'm up to my fucking ears in--"

"One of my people is missing," Tsuna interrupted. "Santiago was supposed to arrive at base almost a week ago. He left home, but he never arrived. I have the location of his vehicle, but I'm too far away to do anything."

"Give me the coordinates," Xanxus replied without asking anything unnecessary. Tsuna was grateful for his tact and efficiency. Although he knew that there was a high chance that Santiago had run into a Hunter, admitting it was the last thing that Tsuna wanted to do. Giving him the location, Tsuna tried to think of something else to say and came up completely empty. He ended up terminating the call with nothing more to say than a 'thank you' in appreciation.

Having reached the limits of what he could do, Tsuna cued Reborn to have the driver return to Takesushi even though he didn't feel the slightest bit hungry. Fortunately, he wasn't visiting for the sushi anyway. It was just an excuse to visit the one Guardian that he was worried the most about. Between Shamal's initial report, overheard gossip at Mafia Land, and his own investigation, Yamamoto Takeshi didn't seem to be doing well. Although Shamal had stated that Yamamoto was playing baseball, it didn't hold up to a closer inspection. Yamamoto only played once every three games and, in searching through recordings of his televised games, Yamamoto wasn't even present for the rest. He'd given up the sword and his father's sushi shop was getting deeper in debt by the day. Hotaru was probably bailing the place out on a regular basis, but that didn't change the fact that the shop was costing more to keep open than what it was making. Then there was Yamamoto's son and lover. A quick hack into school record showed that Yoshi was failing almost everything and that it was rare for anyone to show up for parent-teacher conferences. To top it off, another hack into police records showed that Matsu had been put into holding no less than eight times in the past year for domestic violence.

All was not happy in the Yamamoto household and Tsuna wanted to know the reason. More than that, he wanted to see the situation for himself since it was so hard to believe in comparison to the happy family that he'd left behind.

The street was exactly as Tsuna remembered it when the cab pulled to a stop for a second time. Well, almost the same, Tsuna amended. The street itself gave him warning that everything wasn't as peaceful and quiet as it looked to be on the surface. Ten years ago, the street would have been empty of debris, but it now looked like it hadn't been swept in months. There were bird nests in the shop's gutters, untended vines growing up the siding, and Tsuna could see the outer edges of graffiti in an alley wall several buildings away. Adding in the extra reinforcement that'd been added to the doors and windows of neighboring buildings and the lack of activity, the whole street felt abandoned and hopeless instead of peaceful.

Announcing himself, he stepped into Takesushi and immediately frowned. He couldn't do anything else with all the embarrassment that Matsu was showing as he rushed away from the shop's only customer and toward the counter. Right off the bat, Tsuna didn't like what he saw in the situation. Yoshi and Yamamoto were nowhere to be seen and Matsu was giving off the cues of a man caught in the midst of an affair. Tsuna knew that he was possibly jumping to conclusions, but Tsuna couldn't ignore the way that Cresente was smiling at Yamamoto's red-haired lover from behind his tea.

"Reborn!" Matsu gasped in surprise as he stepped into the building behind Tsuna. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to Mafia Land with the others!"

"Caiossu," Reborn greeted without needing Tsuna's cue. "Leon left a few things behind that I need to pick up. Van Wolfe was considerate enough to let me stop for them, but he got a craving for sushi on the way. Please make him the best that you have to offer."

"Of course," Matsu replied with a small flinch and a gesture for the three of them to sit at the bar. Tsuna took the center chair out of habit, leaving Reborn and Aster to flank him. "But I've only got tuna today," he warned as he began pulling out the ingredients that'd been stowed away due to the lack of paying customers. "If I'd known that you were coming, I would have picked up a wider selection." Reborn waved to say that it didn't matter and Tsuna watched silently while Matsu began butchering a beautifully marbled piece of fish. Yamamoto's father had to be rolling in his grave, Tsuna thought with an internal grimace for every cut that ruined the filet. Matsu knew absolutely nothing about making sushi, although it was obvious from his intense look of concentration that he was trying his best.

"How about we just have some onigiri?" Tsuna finally suggested when he could watch no longer. Matsu looked up with a horrified look on his face, thinking that his lack of skill was costing the shop even more patronage. "I just remembered that Aster gets sick at the sight of raw fish," Tsuna soothed with a gesture over to his servant. Tsuna didn't question his luck, but there was a green look on Aster's face and an open expression of illness that even Matsu couldn't argue with. "If you can bag that up for me to use later and make us some onigiri for now, I'd appreciate it. We have hearty appetites, so we'll need about fifty."

"No problem," Matsu agreed immediately. Stuffing the butchered piece of fish into a take-out box, he immediately turned to the rice and began working on the easier order with a confidence that he hadn't had previously. "Are you a new student of Reborn's?" Matsu asked conversationally while he began shaping the first onigiri with surprising skill. Tsuna traded glances with Reborn in curiosity and wondered which way would be best to field the question.

"There's no reason to hide it," Reborn said without concern. "He'll find out soon enough, assuming Yamamoto decides to stop drinking long enough to return home." Matsu paused at the shot long enough for it to be noticeable while Tsuna suppressed his own reaction with an iron fist.

"I'd prefer not to talk about that," Matsu said tonelessly, recovering from the statement with far more poise than Tsuna would have ever believed he was capable of. "Takeshi will come home when he's good and ready. It's my job to make sure that this shop is still here for him when he gets back."

"How long has it been this time?" Reborn asked. The question made Tsuna realize two things. The first was that Reborn had skillfully distracted Matsu from his question. The second was that Reborn was asking the questions that Tsuna wanted to. Making note to thank Reborn later, Tsuna bowed his head slightly and focused on listening.

"A month, but he should be back soon," Matsu answered through clenched teeth. "Why does it matter? Is Hotaru asking for him?"

"No," Reborn replied. "I was hoping to speak to him about a personal matter."

"Were you hoping that he'd turn traitor with you?" Cresente interjected from behind them. With another internal grimace, Tsuna reacted almost as quickly as Reborn who spun in place to face the Cavallone hitman.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Tsuna said, reaching out to grab Reborn's arm before a reply could be voiced. Making eye contact with Reborn, Tsuna gave his orders silently while his lips lied smoothly. "I was hoping to eat from here since you spoke so highly of it in the past, but I think it's best if we pick up Leon's things and leave."

"There's no reason to leave, Boss," Reborn replied with a smirk for the staged conversation. "Yamamoto isn't here to make sushi for you, but Matsu's onigiri are good. It'd be a crime not to try one while we're here because of a single cockroach." Cresente choked on his tea at the insult and straightened up in his seat while Matsu once again froze in surprise.

"Where you see one, there's usually a dozen in hiding," Tsuna murmured. "I have no intentions to stir up a nest and--" Tsuna broke off at the sound of a stomach rumbling. Looking over his shoulder in surprise, Tsuna smiled internally at the perfect timing of Aster's stomach complaint while Aster pretended that nothing had happened. "Alright," he relented as if the sound made him change his mind. "We'll stay long enough for a snack, but you better not make trouble, Reborn. I've already warned you once. I'll box you up and send you back to Vongola if you cause me any problems." Reborn glared at the threat, but his silent response was perfect for their combined needs. Tsuna didn't want Vongola to hate him, therefore they were making it seem as if Reborn was an imposition to him. That also suited Reborn's needs since it'd be a humiliation to Hotaru that his tutor was forcing himself into someone else's service simply to get away from him.

"Reborn...?" Matsu asked in disbelief of the situation. "What's going on?"

"Which part are you asking about?" Reborn asked with a mischievous smile tugging on his lips. "The part where Sawada Hotaru failed the biggest test of his life by not stopping me? Or are you asking about the part where I found someone more worthy of being followed?"

"Wha--" Matsu choked.

"People can change," Tsuna said in a mournful tone, knowing that his words were for Matsu's situation, as well. "Sometimes it takes separation to put perspective on differences that can grow up like walls in a relationship. It might hurt to do it, but it's better for there to be separation before those walls are thick enough that a person suffering on the other side is ignored completely. I won't give my brother to someone who's only going to ignore his suffering and I won't allow my brother to dishonor years of honorable service with lies. If they're going to call him a traitor for having self-worth and self-respect, then they don't care about him enough to deserve him. Don't you agree, Mister Sushi-man? If they can't appreciate Reborn enough to admit to their mistakes, then he has the right to go somewhere that he will be."

Matsu stared over the counter at him for several silent minutes while his eyes danced with confusion and heartache. Tsuna knew that he had to be considering the words to be about his own situation instead of Reborn's. That assumption was proven when Matsu finally voiced his objections.

"It's not that easy," he said with an expression that was near to tears. "What about the people that were relying on him? It's not right for him to turn his back on the entire Family because of one person! There has to be another way for him to--"

"Do you think that the Family would be happy relying on someone who's miserable?" Tsuna interrupted sadly, thinking about Yoshi. "Reborn has to think of his own happiness or else he'll have nothing to offer those around him. They're so used to him unhappy, though, that they won't understand their mistakes unless they witness the difference."

"But what if they don't fix their mistakes?!" Matsu exclaimed in panic. "What happens if they like it better without him?!"

"Then he's moved on with his life and he doesn't have to suffer anymore," Tsuna replied bluntly. Matsu froze at the statement, still taking Reborn's situation as if it were his own. Seeing him hesitate in such pain, Tsuna made a decision that both his instincts and his intuition was telling him to make. "You look like you understand more than you want to. Tell me, Matsu. How long are you going to wait in hopes that the wall will come down so that Yamamoto will see more than his own suffering?"

"I--" Matsu mumbled weakly with tears visibly welling up in his eyes. Tsuna smiled to himself, seeing that he was more than ready to topple over with a single shove. Unfortunately, Cresente also saw it and jumped to his feet with shouts of objection. Leaving him to Reborn to deal with, Tsuna kept his eyes locked with Matsu's as if Matsu were the only person in the room. It was a private discussion that not even Cresente could interfere with.

"Would you like to be happy, Matsu?" Tsuna continued in open sympathy. "I can help you, but you'll have to trust me. Can you do that?" Holding his hand over the counter for Matsu to take, he saw him hesitating for a different reason. "I won't let you betray your Family," Tsuna soothed while Cresente finally stopped yelling behind him. "You're retired now, so there's no harm in taking a vacation without telling them. You can call and tell them where you're at after you've had some time to clear your head. After trying so hard, you deserve to be happy, Matsu."

"I am happy," he whispered in a tight voice. Tears began spilling over outside of his control, giving lie to the hopeful words spilling out of his mouth. "Yamamoto's going to come h-home soon and we'll work everything out. I have to be here when he gets back. I p-promised him and I-I l-love--" Tsuna felt tears rise in his own eyes as Matsu broke off with a sob. Even knowing that there were two sides to every story, it was difficult not to want to run out and knock Yamamoto upside the head. It couldn't be easy for Matsu to take up roles that he'd never been trained for. Whether it was father or sushi chef, the pain from making mistakes was twice as hard to deal with when there was a complete lack of support. Pulling back his hand, Tsuna sighed to himself and did the only thing he could. He leapt over the counter separating them and wrapped his arms around Matsu in support while he wept out his pain.

"Too many tears," Tsuna murmured as Matsu sobbed into his shoulder. "Why is it that Vongola is full of so many tears? The Tenth wouldn't have wanted to see you like this. Sawada Hotaru was chosen as a Godfather because of his caring heart, yet where are the empathy and the compassion to shelter you during such difficulties? Come with me, Matsu. I'll give you the shelter that you've been neglected. With a warm place to rest, the cold wait won't seem as unbearable. Yamamoto will return and, perhaps with a bit of separation, he'll realize how his mistakes are hurting someone precious. Let him remember that you are a human being and not a domesticated pet. Please, Matsu. Allow me to free you from this cage and the cycle of pain within it."

Matsu shook his head in agreement, which was all Tsuna needed. Before Cresente could object, Tsuna snapped his fingers for Reborn to knock him out, tie him up, and stick him in a corner for the time-being. The action shocked Matsu back into sense, but Tsuna explained quickly that they had no plans to harm him. After that, he sent Matsu upstairs to pack up his belongings with Aster's help and Reborn to fetch Yoshi from his daycare. While those two worked, Tsuna made himself some tea and quickly got to his own type of work by powering on his eye's interface.

First, he had to find a good place to send Matsu and Yoshi. The house he was setting up in Italy was no good. Tsuna tried to think of somewhere that was neutral, safe, and rejuvenating for both of them and one thing in particular came to mind. It was in the same town as the Werewolf House, which meant that Tsuna could keep an eye on him. It was also close to Mafia Row, so Matsu could enjoy going out in a place that he was familiar with. Plus, the location itself would be different and exciting for Yoshi. With all of that in mind, Tsuna made the phone calls needed to purchase the Italian vineyard that he'd previously considered as the location for the Werewolf House.

Once that was dealt with, he picked a nanny and home tutor for Yoshi. He prepared a set of plane tickets and a rental car. After some quick searching, he also signed Matsu and Yoshi up for a father-and-son arts-and-crafts class, Matsu up for a restaurant-sampling club, and Yoshi up for swimming lessons. Finally, he prepared a shopping spree for the two that would allow them a chance for some self-pampering and a weekly grocery delivery that Matsu could alter as needed.

Sitting back in satisfaction of his work, he had no doubt that he'd made the right choices. A vineyard would be a mellow place for Matsu to relax. It was different enough from Yamamoto's childhood home that he'd have a good chance to recuperate. Finally, the activities would keep him distracted so that he couldn't get depressed. Tsuna's hope was that by forcing Matsu to put effort into himself and his son, he'd be able to start looking forward instead of stagnating like he was. Once Matsu wasn't focused on his relationship issues to the point of self-destruction, Yoshi's life would improve as a consequence and both of them would be happier.

Tsuna was aware that fixing the temporary issues wasn't a long-term solution, but it gave Matsu a starting point to remembering his individuality. It was good that he loved Yamamoto to the point of wanting to wait for him, but it was horrible that he was tearing his heart into pieces in the meantime. Cresente wasn't helping anything with his presence. While having support was good, the wrong kind of help would only be temptation. If Matsu wanted to leave Yamamoto, then Tsuna would back him up. He had no choice after witnessing Yamamoto's neglect. On the other hand, he refused to let Matsu make a rash choice out of combined loneliness and a lack of selection of lovers. Cresente could have his chance only if Matsu decided that there was no chance of reconciliation.

Until then, Tsuna took extra pleasure in calling a cab, tucking Cresente inside without his bindings or his weapons, and sending him on a prepaid trip to the middle of Osaka. He'd likely wake up before he got there, but Tsuna gave the driver an extra ten thousand yen in exchange for a promise to not drive Cresente back until after he reached his destination. Praying that it'd be enough of a delay, Tsuna put Cresente out of his mind in just enough time to see Reborn escorting Yoshi around the corner on the other end of the street.

Tsuna stared, struck speechless at his first sight of his namesake. His mind went completely blank at how much Yoshi looked like... Bianchi. From the strawberry colored hair to his angular features, there was so little of Yamamoto in him that it was hard to think that the boy came from the same gene-pool. It was probably easy for people to mistake Matsu as the blood father because of the reddish tint in the boy's hair and the lack of an athletic build. The only hint of Yamamoto in Yoshi was in his expression. Despite everything going so wrong at home, Yoshi had a smile on his face that could turn a nightmare into wonderland.

"He looks funny," Yoshi said to Reborn as they came to a stop in front of Tsuna. Tsuna allowed himself to feel crushed until he remembered that he was wearing a fox mask and was dressed like a cowboy.

"I'm not as funny as Reborn in a grass skirt," Tsuna replied with a grin. Yoshi giggled at the comment, which Tsuna thought was the best sound that he'd heard all day. As his heart lifted from the sound of laughter, Tsuna was positive that Yoshi was the oasis of joy that would help Matsu regain his strength. "I'm Van Wolfe," Tsuna added. Offering his hand in greeting, he was surprised to find that Yoshi's grip was light and delicate instead of the firm and confident one that he expected. "Has Reborn told you anything yet, Yoshi?" He asked carefully.

"Yup," Yoshi answered with another bright smile. "Me and Daddy are going to play hide-and-seek with Dad. We're going to go live in a new place until Dad finds us."

"Right," Tsuna replied softly. He wished that he could be more enthusiastic in dealing with the boy, but his intuition was telling him that Yoshi wasn't as oblivious as he was pretending. How could he be when what happened with his parents also affected his life? "You're a smart boy, Yoshi," Tsuna said as he slowly sat down on his heels to allow Yoshi a higher vantage point. "Since you're so smart, I'm not going to treat you like you're not. The truth is that I'm going to send your Daddy to a place where he won't feel so sad. Then I'm going to try and figure out why your Dad is acting like he is. If I can, I want to help both of your Dads to become happy again."

"Can I help?" Yoshi asked with wide eyes at the honesty.

"Of course," Tsuna smiled. "While I try to find your Dad, do you think you can look over your Daddy for me? Your Daddy needs a distraction right now, so I have some fun stuff for the two of you to do together at the new home I picked out for you. He might not go along with it at first since he's still feeling sad, so it's your job to keep him busy until he's smiling again. Can you do that?"

"I can do that," he agreed with an excited nod. "I know lots of ways to keep Daddy busy. I can turn my vegetables into cake and I can turn chairs into gingerbread and I can make my bed turn into a sugar cookie and I can--"

"What?" Tsuna asked in disbelief.

"Daddy calls it Pan-Hands," he said with a bright smile, holding out two small hands for Tsuna to see. "Uncle Reborn says it's my special power that Aunt Bianchi gave me when I was born, but I can't do candy and buffets and stuff like her. I can only make things turn into bread and cake and cookies like Papa Tsuna."

"Like Papa Tsuna...?" He repeated in shock.

"Papa Tsuna was the best baker in the world!" Yoshi exclaimed enthusiastically. "Since I'm named after him, I'm going to be the best baker, too! I'm going to make lots and lots of sweet things for Dad and Daddy to eat and then they'll smile because it's so good! Just wait and see, Mister! I'll make you lots of sweet things, too!"

"I'd like that," Tsuna admitted, finding himself with a smile to match Yoshi's contagious one. "Why don't we go inside and see if your Daddy's done packing?" Leading the way back inside, Tsuna was unsurprised to find six large suitcases already packed and stacked for travel next to the counter. With Aster's skill, he didn't doubt that all of Matsu and Yoshi's belongings were inside. If he'd just packed clothes, there wouldn't have been more than two. What did surprise him was that Matsu was frantically writing letters.

Looking over his shoulder, Tsuna glanced over the intended recipients and the contents. The first was a quick note to someone named Shiba-kun, informing him that they were taking a long trip and that he could continue to use the Dojo as long as he cleaned up after himself. The second was to Hotaru, telling him that it hurt too much to wait for Yamamoto anymore and that he was taking Yoshi somewhere different so that they could start over. The last one, which was also the one that he was agonizing over, was a letter to Yamamoto. Snatching it out of under Matsu's pen, Tsuna tore it to shreds before he could finish.

"Don't help him," Tsuna advised as he tossed the pieces into the trash. "He'll learn more if he has to figure it out by himself."

"But--"

"No buts," Tsuna ordered. "If you want to write him a letter, you can, but I'm not going to let you write more than two sentences. I'll even help you out, so write this down. Dear Yamamoto," he said while Matsu slowly put his pen to the paper. "I love your smile. Goodbye. Sincerely, Matsu." Matsu looked up as he finished writing, staring at Tsuna in disbelief at the incredibly short message. It was all that Matsu really needed to say, though. Yamamoto was a smart man, even though he was acting like an idiot. "He can read between the lines, Matsu. That'll tell him that you love him, but that he's changed and you want the old Yamamoto back. The goodbye tells him that you're serious about leaving him and you're not waiting around, so he's got to straighten up if he wants to save your relationship. What more do you need to say?"

Matsu shook his head slowly, unable to think of anything else.

"Let's go, Matsu," Tsuna said while once more offering his hand. "I've taken care of everything. All you have to do is follow me."


	106. Chapter 106 Schooldays

Hotaru felt like screaming in frustration. He didn't, of course. A Mafia Boss couldn't be seen throwing a temper tantrum after all. What he did do was give constant orders and demand constant updates. Everything was going wrong and Hotaru's intuition pinned it all on one man, Van Wolfe. He didn't know how nor did he know why, but Van Wolfe was at fault for his long list of problems.

Mukuro had been released under a set of confidential orders that somehow superseded those of Vongola the Eleventh and the Vendiche wouldn't allow even him to view them to know who was at fault. Mukuro was now a free man who was also wise enough to hide from all of Vongola's attempts to catch him.

Reborn was ignoring all Vongola orders and appearing in the most unlikely of places. So far, he'd appeared in Japan, Taiwan, China, and the latest sighting put him in Albania. His betrayal of the Family was also stirring up discontent in the unlikeliest of places.

Matsu had gone missing with his son, Yoshi. Yamamoto had returned home after a six week undercover operation to find his house empty and a letter waiting. After reading one to himself, Hotaru sensed foul play although there was no proof that Matsu had been forced to leave against his will. The surprising part was Yamamoto's unconcerned reaction to it. He was acting as if he'd seen it coming.

On a more personal note, no one wanted to believe him when he said that Aster was a girl. He tried to tell everyone that she'd gotten him drunk and her twin brother had traded places _after _he'd slept with her, but no one was listening. They completely ignored the fact that, if Van Wolfe could kidnap someone out of his room, Van Wolfe could also insert someone. He was rapidly losing face over the matter and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He swore that it had to be a conspiracy against him, but he had no way to prove it when he had no evidence.

To top off the list of everything that was going wrong, the Lionesse Family was beginning to muscle in on Vongola's hover-craft monopoly. Sales had plummeted on all Reborn merchandise while the Carter Family was rolling in money due to how their three signature members were becoming famous. The Xaria was beginning to mobilize in small-scale skirmishes against the Varia, causing multiple problems in their motivated movement to prove that they were the best. Only one person in the newest crop of recruits had survived to the end of Hell Mountain while the rest were either missing in action or in the hospital with self-sustained injuries.

AND

His mother had taken over on the match-making front and had started setting him up with a different date every night. Orinato had pushed him into allowing Hotaru's half-brother Gregory to move into the mansion since they were both starting at Don Girarde. For some reason, Hibari kept beating Toshi every time they came into contact with each other. Dino kept calling 'just to talk' to the point that he was becoming annoying. He couldn't seem to get paperwork done, even with Pandora's help, his Advisors kept pouting that he hadn't went out with them in weeks, plus Reborn's letter kept nagging him.

Reborn had left a letter shocking enough to turn Hotaru into a statue for most of a day, which was the sole reason that Reborn had escaped Mafia Land. Hotaru had been flabbergasted at what was written and he still didn't know how to deal with many of the accusations. The part that kept him from tearing it to shreds and forgetting about it was that Reborn's viewpoint was a stunningly clear one. When explained things from a new perspective, all of his insults toward Vongola the Tenth seemed incredibly unfair.

For instance, Hotaru had stated that his father, Tsunayoshi, was a pervert. Reborn's view was vastly different. Tsunayoshi's one weakness was his heart. Apparently, he'd always had difficulty in refusing the feelings of people around him because his Vongola hyper-intuition gave him a measure of empathy. Not the psychic kind, however. He had the kind of empathy that was born from understanding and an open heart. When the people around him came to care for him deeply, he became wrapped up in those feelings so tightly that he couldn't let go.

His marriage to Haru had been an honest exchange of their feelings, so there was nothing perverted about that. His relationship with Kyoko had been tipping slightly into the dark side, but Hotaru was more than aware that most Mafia Bosses kept at least one mistress in the wing. It wasn't unusual, so that wasn't perverted, either. Then there was Mukuro. With a wife and a mistress already, having relations with a man was pushing it. Yet, although Hotaru wouldn't agree to such a thing for himself, he wasn't biased against it when it came to others. He could see where a guy could give something that a woman couldn't, although he didn't see why it had to extend into a bedroom. His father had kept that relationship under wraps, though, so few people had ever been aware that there was a relationship going on between them. What went on behind closed doors wasn't really perverted.

That had been when Reborn pointed out that the relationship with Xanxus was what gave him such an impression of his father. However, his relationship with Xanxus had never been intended to see the light of day. While it was true that his father had given into a few of his darker desires, it would have been completely harmless if the secret hadn't been spread outside of his control. The step into the porn industry and the subsequent international fame had been damage control, not an intentional display meant for public consumption. Despite what his image and reputation claimed, Reborn said that the violation of his privacy had devastated Tsunayoshi. While the public considered him as bold and spontaneously ingenious because of his actions, his father had seen it as a shameful and humiliating display of his weaknesses. Reborn's truth was that his father had been hurting so much at the time that the things Hotaru insulted as perversion were honestly alternatives to the suicide that his father's sense of responsibility wouldn't let him commit. That brought up the question: Was a private self-treatment for depression perverted?

That was where Hotaru began to question what he knew. That was also where he'd begun to make objections that Reborn had already been prepared for. In his letter, Reborn pointed out numerous things that Hotaru either hadn't paid attention to before or he'd been told so many times that the impact had been lost on him before now. First was the fact that there were only four. Only _four_. Other than the four that he'd had relationships with and one unnamed person, Tsunayoshi had never went past a kiss. When he'd frequented Pink's, he'd never received anything more than a drink. His subordinates had actually tried to force women on him and he'd refused all of them. Second, Tsunayoshi hadn't taken part in the acts that created Hotaru's multitude of siblings. Reborn hadn't said how that was possible, but his handwriting had been forceful on the point.

_How many people have you willingly slept with_? Reborn's letter had accused. The question still made Hotaru's face turn red in frustration. So what if he fooled around with girls? He wasn't perverted. He was just doing what everyone expected of him! Although, once he calmed down, he had to admit that he also had to admit that everyone would have expected the same thing from his father. He also had to admit that he couldn't count them. It was a different face every time he went out and what reason did he have to remember them? It wasn't as if he was going to marry any of them. Admitting so only proved Reborn's point, though. He hated it, but he knew deep down that he was more of a pervert than he claimed his father was. When he was in the right mood, he'd done this and that with whoever offered themselves. At least his father had only pretended to be indiscriminate.

Then Reborn had attacked from a different direction, correcting Hotaru's belief that Tsunayoshi had been a bad father. Reborn bluntly and cruelly pointed out that he had years of missing memories. He pointed out that Hotaru, not Tsunayoshi, had run away to minimize their time together when his father had visited. As for the time that he hadn't been home, Reborn cited Kyoko's death and the death of Hotaru's half-sister Kitsune as the reason. He'd been trying to protect them by luring away enemies. Reborn also cited how his father had kept close tabs on all of them from a distance, using the same set of video feeds that Hotaru used on occasion to check the Japanese Headquarters. In fact, his father had been the one to set up those feeds in the first place.

So, Tsunayoshi hadn't been a bad father, but he'd still hadn't been part of Hotaru's life. Of course, Reborn refuted that, too. His Demitrius ring, which was a huge part of Hotaru's life, had been crafted at his father's orders. The bedtime story that his mother had always told him had been crafted from something his father had said. The castle fort in the backyard had been his father's doing and his father had been the one to pick out the jousting lance that ultimately became his weapon of choice. He might not have been there in person, but Reborn had listed no less than three pages worth of places where his father had affected his life. His father been more involved than Hotaru was willing to admit, which was where his problems started.

Of course, Reborn had been nice enough to also list his problems after that with the first one being his stubborn denial of his father's virtues. He also had no tact, was inconsiderate of others, considered himself to be more compassionate than he really was, was uncaring of how his actions impacted others, was hypocritically prejudiced, and emotionally immature. Then Reborn added the statement that 'he'd rather work for an honest stranger than work for someone who couldn't use an umbrella.'

That point was a sore one for Hotaru and he was only beginning to figure out how much. When Leon had gifted him with the umbrella in the past, he'd been completely underwhelmed by it. Reborn had told him to keep it on him at all times, but he'd ended up sticking it in his closet for a rainy day. It wasn't until after Reborn had left with Van Wolfe that he'd overheard something that made him pull it out again. He'd overheard Gokudera talking to Orinato over a bottle of Schnapps when they'd thought he was in bed. Gokudera had been talking about the gloves that the Tenth had worn and he'd told the story about when he'd received them in the middle of the battle with Mukuro. Hotaru had been stunned to find out that his father's trademark gloves had started life out as a pair of wool mittens. He'd been even more shocked to hear Gokudera comment that Hotaru's umbrella was the same type of weaponry. Having kept it in a closet when he wasn't traveling, he could see why Reborn was upset. He hadn't even tried to bring out the blasted thing's potential. The frustrating part was that, although he had tried a few times since Reborn left, he had no clue how to make his umbrella transform.

That was where Reborn's next set of problems had begun. He'd stated the same thing that many discontented members in Vongola was stating in saying that Hotaru's hyper-intuition was subpar. Hotaru tried to remind them that Vongola the Sixth hadn't had a very strong hyper-intuition, but no one was buying it. How could they when Hotaru had a beast like S.K. to show the strength of his Flame? Reborn claimed that his failure as a Boss stemmed from the lack of a strong hyper-intuition and that he wasn't willing to follow someone who ignored his own intuition. Hotaru was stubbornly unwilling to agree with him on the point. He did follow his intuition! It just... didn't respond very often anymore.

The last part of Reborn's letter had been the mind-boggling one. He said that he'd always considered Hotaru a disappointment and that most of his teaching had been out of pity. He said that Hotaru had no potential to fill, so he'd felt wasted as a tutor ever since taking over Hotaru's training. The rest of the page was full of mockery of Hotaru's ability. His commentary had been heartless and cruel enough that Hotaru wasn't willing to let anyone else see the letter.

The last paragraph was the part that he'd actually cried over, although he wasn't planning on telling anyone.

_If I wanted to teach someone who was full of hot air, I'd have tutored Lambo. At least he would have kept me amused. Your pathetic attempts at learning did that for a while, but the amount of self-congratulating fanfare that you give yourself with every miniscule achievement has worn thin. Not even Lambo would have given himself a parade over learning how to not fall over in an obstacle course. Perhaps when you have more sense than sensibility, I'll return. Until then, try not to catch a cold when it rains. You wouldn't want to ruin your image with a runny nose._

Seeing Reborn's opinion of him in writing was mind-numbing. It made him wonder whether Reborn had actually been teaching him or just making fun of him. It made him wonder if Reborn had just been near him because he was Vongola the Eleventh. In the face of Reborn's harsh criticism, it made him wonder what his true abilities really were. Was he just a show-off like Reborn said or was he as tough as everyone else told him? How much of his success in battle was because of him and how much of it was because of S.K.? How many of his wins were real and how many were staged because someone didn't want to offend him?

He didn't know. The more he began to doubt Reborn, the more that he had to question about himself. He wanted to throw the letter away and put his foot down, but how was he supposed to ignore the parts that he didn't like when Reborn claimed that he'd probably do that very thing? It was frustrating and disappointing. Not only had Reborn turned away from Vongola, but he'd left while thumbing his nose at everything that Hotaru felt proud of. What was he supposed to do now? Where did he begin to figure out what parts were truth and what were lies? How in the world was he supposed to know what to do when everything he'd been taught might have been a large practical joke?!

"Boss, please stand still while I tie this," Orinato requested while Hotaru fidgeted from frustration. Then he glared, remembering one of the lines from Reborn's letter. _Sixteen going on six. _

"I'll do it myself," Hotaru snapped as he pulled out of Orinato's reach. Orinato choked at the statement, but Hotaru wasn't going to let Reborn be right. He could tie his own tie. After all, how hard could it be when Orinato had been doing it since Hotaru had worn his first suit? That went there. This part went there. It looped and then... up through there and... and over there... It was wrong, Hotaru grumbled to himself as he untied it and started over. That went there, then it looped and this part flipped there... then... wrong. That went there and this went here and...

"Damnit!" Hotaru shouted as he pulled it off a third time to start over. This time, he closed his eyes and pretended that he was watching Orinato in a mirror. This time, he successfully tied it. This time, when he opened his eyes to inspect his work, he was horrified to see Orinato laughing at him from behind his hand. A glance in the mirror told him why. He'd tied it correctly, but the tie only extended three inches while the leftovers hung down to his thigh. He felt tears well up in his eyes at the failure. It was just a stupid tie, yet he was incapable of doing that much by himself. Maybe he really was a loser like Reborn said. Maybe, like Reborn said, everyone who'd been supporting him was just too afraid to tell him the truth.

"Don't cry, Boss," Orinato placated while Hotaru tried to make his tears go away before they fell. "It was a good attempt. I bet if you try again, you'll definitely get it."

"Don't patronize me!" Hotaru shouted as he yanked the tie loose. "I--"

"Boss, calm down!" Orinato gasped in surprise.

"I won't calm down!" He yelled. "You're just like everyone else! I can see you laughing at me! You think that I'm a spoiled brat and that I can't do anything right! You think I'm stupid because I can't tie a tie and you think I'm a liar because I can't prove that Aster was a girl and you think I'm not trustworthy because my intuition isn't as reliable as Dad's was! But you're wrong! I can do things for myself! I not a--" With a slap, Orinato brought him to a stunned standstill.

"I'm not laughing at you," Orinato corrected as he snatched the tie out of Hotaru's hand and quickly began tying it around Hotaru's neck. "I thought you would laugh at your mistake, so I was laughing with you. I never said that you were a spoiled brat and I know that you can do plenty of things right. I also know that you can't do everything, but that doesn't make you stupid. You're just knowledgeable in more important areas than something silly like this. I think the word liar is a little strong in regards to the situation with Aster. I think denial fits better. Van Wolfe only had one servant, not a pair of twins, and that servant was male. As for your intuition, I don't think it has anything to do with whether you're not trustworthy. I think it's more of a matter about how honest you are with yourself and how open you are with others. Now, if you want to learn how to do more things for yourself, then I'll be perfectly happy to teach you in private so that you won't feel embarrassed. However," he added with a smile as he straightened the finished tie, "Right now isn't the time, Boss. You've got a school assembly to get to. I apologize for the slap and we can talk about it later, but you really need to get moving or you'll be late."

In the face of Orinato's calm response, Hotaru couldn't do anything other than nod in agreement and allow himself to be guided out of his bedroom. A quarter of the way through the mansion, he regained his composure and shrugged Orinato's hands off his shoulders. Halfway through the mansion, he realized that he'd had yet another tantrum in front of Orinato. Three quarters of the way through the mansion, he mumbled an apology while feeling thoroughly ashamed of himself for putting Orinato through enough tantrums that he became skilled in dealing with them. By the time he reached the front door where Gregory was quietly waiting, he was back to being himself. Calm, confident, and fully ready to take on any challenge, even something as simple as school.

Even composed, he pointedly ignored Gregory as he headed out the door. Of course, he didn't do it to be mean nor did he do it to be cruel. He didn't do it because Gregory was more eye-catchingly handsome in his school uniform. Nor did he do it because Gregory's disheveled silver locks contrasted so spectacularly with Hotaru's disheveled black. Nor did he do it because Gregory's grades were as good as his. Nor did he do it because Gregory had time to play sports. Nor did he do it because everyone was always sighing over Gregory's poetry and talking non-stop about how he looked like a model.

He did it because he was jealous. He saw no reason to lie. Gregory was a worthy rival who was already stealing the spotlight in the mansion, so not facing him head-on would be an insult. The servants loved him. The Family accepted him naturally. He was kind and soft-spoken enough to even give Hotaru pause. None of that was why Hotaru was jealous, though. He was jealous because Gregory had everything that Hotaru secretly wanted.

Despite having the same siblings, Gregory had actually been raised with his siblings. Despite the fact that they both had tutors, Gregory had been praised by his tutors. Despite the fact that both of them were good at sports, Gregory had time to play his sports. Despite the fact that they both had the same bloodline, Gregory was already taking full control of his intuition. Everyone had lower expectations of Gregory, so he had less pressure and more privacy. Hotaru wouldn't want to trade his position with anyone, but Gregory didn't have half the world watching his every move. He didn't have women throwing themselves at him because of who he was, he had girls after him because of what he was. Gregory didn't have to fill a pair of shoes other than his own nor wear a hat to fit a certain role. He could just be himself, which was something that Hotaru had learned not to do. He couldn't be himself since he was too busy being Vongola the Eleventh.

Hotaru wasn't going to let his jealousy affect his judgment, though. Gregory was still his half-brother by blood and a recognized part of Vongola. His achievements were a boon to the Family, not a slight against Hotaru. Their lives were so different that a comparison between the two of them would be void. No matter how much Gregory studied and no matter how much the Family liked him, becoming a Boss wasn't something that just anyone could do. The only reason that Hotaru even considered him a rival was because of the surface similarities that came with being siblings. To put it simply, it was a battle over appearances. Therefore, it logically followed that any discord between them would only be skin deep.

As Hotaru the car leapt into motion, he tried to make himself believe that. It was difficult with Gregory sitting next to him, dwarfing him with his extra height. However, he thought that he had controlled his temper rather well. He didn't make any snide remarks or let his jealousy show. He even gave Gregory a helpful piece of advice as the school pulled into view.

"Gregory," he said carefully. "Do yourself a favor and pretend that we're not related."

"What?" Gregory gaped in surprise.

"What he means is that it might be uncomfortable for you if people know that you're his half-brother," Orinato explained quickly with a grimace for Hotaru's lack of tact. "No one's seen your face before, so you can keep your anonymity if you pretend that Hotaru is just an acquaintance. You don't even have to lie. If someone asks you if you know him, just reply with 'how much does anyone know the Eleventh?' Also, it's very important that you never call him by his given name. This is a Mafia-Based high school, so you're not brothers here. Hotaru is the Boss of Vongola and you are a member of his Family. You can't insult him in any way."

"You don't seem very nervous," Gregory commented softly as the car pulled to a stop at the gates. Orinato jumped out to hold the door open for him, but Hotaru paused long enough to give Gregory a reply.

"I've been preparing for this my entire life," he stated calmly. "It'd be pathetic if I wasn't ready by now." With that, he stepped out of the vehicle and pushed Gregory's presence out of his mind. He had other things to worry about, after all.

In front of him, Don Girarde sprawled out around a large courtyard. It was twice as big as it'd been in his father's day and twice as exclusive. Everywhere he looked, students in uniform were pouring into the area to head for the assembly hall. Their uniforms were no different than his, being nothing more than a white button-up shirt with the Don Girarde seal on it, a tie, and a pair of black slacks. The only differences were the color of ties that was worn. Veteran Mafioso like him wore black ties. Green Mafioso who were combative wore the red ones. Non-combat Mafioso like Gregory wore blue. Civilians wore yellow, although there were very few of those dotting the landscape. As for the staff, the bulk of them were dressed in black shirts and white ties to make them more recognizable, although Hotaru could see that there were a few who'd come to the assembly dressed in their normal clothes. The 'Tutor' bands pinned to their arms explained the reason for the exceptions.

Gathering himself, Hotaru stepped through the gates and pointedly ignored the attention that he was getting. For once, not all of the attention was pleasant, though. There were as many students attending from Rival Families as there were from Allied, so there were plenty of death-glares accompanying the admiring glances. But he'd been prepared for that. He'd been prepared for everything from where to pick up his schedule to how to accept his diploma.

That preparation and Orinato's supporting presence behind him was what allowed him to stride confidently through the courtyard to the assembly hall. However, the inside was more of a madhouse than he'd been warned about. There was no formal seating in preparation of a long speech and there was no pride of place for scholarship students to stand. It was set up more like an informal career fair where booths were set up for all of the students' needs, and, despite how it looked, Hotaru knew that Mafia standards considered it to be organized.

As expected, the bulk of those standing in line at the registration booth moved out of his way. There were a few who stubbornly refused to move due to Familial pride, but not so many that Hotaru had to wait for more than twenty seconds for his turn. Here, he handed over his M.I.C., also known as a Mafia Identification Card, and filled out a short slip of paperwork to receive his class schedule. Next, he went to the booth labeled as the bookstore to retrieve the coded micro disk holding all of his study materials on it.

Deciding to look at the different extra-curricular clubs available before he went to the different teacher's booths, Hotaru paused when the one for Media Arts came into range. The booth was overcrowded with people, much more than Hotaru would have expected it to be. While he sent Orinato to investigate, Hotaru chose to wait while looking at a joint booth for the sports clubs. At the sports club booth, it was immediately obvious that he wasn't welcome. The looks he received from the senior members openly assumed that a Mafia Boss on a team would be more of a headache than he was worth.

"Did you finally decide to play basketball with me?" A familiar voice whispered in his ear, sending a chill down his spine in the process. Hotaru straightened up and shut the brochure that he'd randomly picked up. Putting it back, he picked one up for a different sport and pointedly ignored Hattori. After the embarrassment that he'd caused at Mafia Land and the betrayal of their friendship with his confession, Hotaru wasn't sure if he ever wanted to speak to him again. "Don't tell me that you're still mad, Taru-kun," Hattori added as he backed up to a more comfortable distance.

"Don't speak to me so informally," he snapped. Conscious of how much attention was staying on him during the assembly, he tried to keep his calm despite Hattori's hurt expression. "This isn't Namimori and you should have thought about making me mad before you pulled that stunt. If you want forgiveness, then you better prove that you've learned your lesson."

"I don't want your forgiveness," Hattori replied as his expression turned to stone. Hotaru's eyes widened in surprise and he finally looked at Hattori instead of merely glancing at him. "I didn't do a damn thing wrong and I'll be damned if I'm going to start calling you 'Eleventh' like your lapdogs! You had no problem walking around with--" Hotaru choked on air, seeing that Hattori was revving up for a full-scale scene and was prepared to humiliate Hotaru in the process of making his point. "--that one guy, but when it comes to me--"

"What's this?" Gregory asked as he became a physical barrier between Hotaru and Hattori in effort to look at the booth next to them. Staring up at him in shock, two thoughts crossed Hotaru's mind. The first was that he'd just been saved. The second was that Hattori wasn't going to give up that easily. He was already trying to get around Gregory to finish his statement and he was unlikely to stop as long as Hotaru was paying attention to him. Therefore, Hotaru had no choice. Putting his arm around Gregory's back, he pulled him into a private huddle over the spread of brochures at the booth.

"What do you like to play?" Hotaru asked with a smile plastered on his face.

"I can play just about anything," Gregory replied with a shrug. "But I prefer things like football and American football."

"Me, too," Hotaru admitted conversationally. Picking up the brochures for the individual sports clubs, they looked over them together while Hotaru became aware of the considering looks that the seniors were suddenly giving them. Were giving Gregory, he mentally amended. Gregory was average height instead of short, presumably less of a brat than a Boss since he was a normal Mafioso, and generally had better potential for team sports.

"Why don't we join something together?" Gregory suggested.

"I would, but I don't have time," Hotaru replied with a visible flinch. "I'd miss practices too much because of work and that wouldn't be fair to the others. I'm afraid that I'm stuck as a spectator for sports outside of tennis and golf. You can't really make a business deal in the middle of a tackle."

"You could if you were the goalie or the kicker," Gregory laughed. Hotaru blinked in surprise as the image surfaced and gave in to the need to chuckle with him.

"I don't think so," he replied with a smile. "It was a nice try, though. Why don't you join one by yourself? It'll keep you busy while I'm work--" A hand landed on his shoulder and Hotaru gasped in surprise as he was forcefully spun in place to face an enraged Hattori. "--ing," he finished as the blood rushed out of his face.

"I see how it is," Hattori growled. "For trying not to turn out like your father, you're doing a pretty good job of becoming him. You're nothing but a fucking wh--" Hotaru's jaw dropped as Hattori hit the ground. Staring in shock, Hotaru couldn't take his eyes off the fist that dropped him.

"Oh dear," Gregory mumbled as he stared at the same fist as if it weren't his own. "That was bad," he added as he put it down and frantically looked at Hotaru. "That was really bad, wasn't it? I need to go to confession now. Is there a church around here? I need a church. I broke my promise to Father Robert, so I need a church. I knew I shouldn't have left the church but Father Robert said that I had to and now--"

"Calm down!" Hotaru gasped with wide eyes, grabbing onto Gregory's shoulders to pull him to a stop before he started hyperventilating. "It'll be okay. You didn't even give him a bloody nose. See?" Gesturing down at where Hattori was fingering his face while he got back to his feet, Gregory calmed a little at the lack of an obvious injury.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking back and forth between Hattori and Hotaru with a look as if he'd been the one hurt. "He just started insulting you and Dad and my reflex..."

"Its fine," Hotaru groaned as ears pricked up all around them at the slip. It was too late to take it back, though, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to considering the horrified look on Hattori's face due to his assumptions. "Hattori is pissed off because I rejected him and he thought that throwing Dad's mistakes in my face would get him somewhere. You had every right to hit him and I would have done it myself if you didn't. This isn't the convent, Gregory. You can't go around hitting people, but no one's going to make you do penance for something small like that. It might have been a different story if you'd broken his nose, but he's not even bloody. Honestly, you hit like a girl."

"It was the first time I ever hit someone," he replied with a bright blush.

"You don't need to learn how," Hotaru soothed as Gregory bowed his head in embarrassment. "You're not planning on fighting. Right...?"

"Of course not!" Gregory yelped as he looked up with wide eyes. "Priests don't fight!"

"Priest," Hotaru repeated with a slow smile. "You're going to be a priest." Gregory nodded with an earnest expression and Hotaru's opinion of him instantly changed. There was nothing to be jealous of nor was there any reason for Gregory to be his rival on any level. Quite the opposite, actually. Gregory provided the perfect opportunity for Hotaru to show his good side. "Then you just keep your head in books and let me throw the punches," he advised happily. "You don't want to be impure when you take your vows, so no more fighting. Okay? Just come get me if anyone gives you trouble."

"He's your..." Hattori mumbled in shock.

"Brother," Hotaru finished proudly. "This is Gregory Alexander Sawada. He's recently come to live with me and we'll be going to school together. Do you have some problem with that?"

"He's one of the missing Sawada siblings?!" Hattori exclaimed.

"They were never missing," Hotaru corrected as he turned back to the dumbstruck seniors in the sports booth. "I just took the brunt of the media attention so they could live in peace. Gregory, Katie, Gillian, Leo... none of them would be the kind of people they are if they'd been harassed by reporters while they were growing up, which is why the twins and triplets were recently sent away." Picking up a sampling of the brochures for Gregory to look over later, he grabbed his brother's arm and began leading him away while Hattori stayed rooted in shock behind them.

To distract Gregory from his transgression, they stopped at several more booths to collect brochures while Hotaru became more and more conscious of how much attention they were getting. He couldn't really blame anyone. It probably looked like an angel and a demon was walking together and, even though they were related, it had to be a strange sight for a Mafia Boss and a Priest to be friendly with each other. After all, not every Family had its own division of religious leaders like Vongola did. They just used what was available out of civilian priests when they got the urge for piety.

It wasn't until after they stopped in at the Chefs Booth that Gregory finally realized his previous slip. He immediately began apologizing for unveiling their relation, but Hotaru corrected him. After all, it wasn't for his own sake that he'd given the warning. Hotaru had given it so that people wouldn't try to use Gregory to get to him. Since Gregory was planning to be a priest, the images of corpse-licking, vulture-like women attempting to seduce him were invalid. So were the fears that the male Mafioso would attempt to buddy-up with him. After all, befriending a Priest was a stretch for most of his gun-wielding friends. It'd be far too uncomfortable since they had so much guilt inside of them. It'd take an incredibly skilled Mafioso to use someone like Gregory and Hotaru would be able to spot those types from a mile away.

When they reached the joint booth for Journalism, Hotaru actually took some interest in the different clubs offered. The Hitman High club looked interesting with how they made the secret school newspaper into a manga. The Book Lover's Club looked a little too time-consuming since he'd have to read a different book every week and write book reports on them, but the Original Productions Club wasn't so bad. They had meetings every week, but it was only required to attend one a month. The only other requirement was to finish one Original Production a year, regardless of whether it was manga, a novel, a book of poetry, a screenplay, a songbook or even a list of recipes. As long as it was in print and long enough to meet publishing requirements, it counted.

"Why don't we write something together?" Gregory suggested, looking over his shoulder at the brochure in Hotaru's hands. "We can agree on a setting and the characters, then we can take turns writing chapters and see how we can build off of each other's work."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Hotaru replied apologetically. "We'd react to the same situation too differently, so we'd probably end up fighting over how the story is supposed to go." Looking back at him, Hotaru felt a surge of guilt for how disappointed he seemed at the refusal. He obviously just wanted to find a common ground, but Hotaru wasn't making it easy. "How about this," Hotaru suggested, scratching his ear while he tried to think of an alternative. "We can pick a matching theme. I'll do my thing and you do yours. When we're done, we can look them over and see if there's some way to put them together. If not, we'll still have two separate original works to turn in." Gregory's expression brightened and he nodded frantically in agreement of the compromise.

Relieved that he was satisfied, Hotaru left him responsible for signing them up while he looked around for Orinato. The crowd had moved from the Media Arts Booth to the Chef's Booth in the time Orinato had taken. Making Hotaru wait for his answer wasn't something he normally did, so Hotaru decided to ask for himself. Walking up to the outer rim of the crowd, he wanted to grumble at how his short stature kept him from seeing who was at the center. Even worse, he went completely unnoticed due to how everyone in the mob was focused on the person in the center.

Using his small size to his advantage, he shoved and bullied his way through the crowd until he reached the front. When he got there, he immediately wanted to get back out, but his path closed behind him. He was forced to stand and watch in discontent while Orinato's eyes filled with stars before the one and only Eric Brahms. With the acclaimed actor were two faces that Hotaru recognized as members of the Martelli Family. He couldn't remember their names off hand, but he remembered that the little girl's skin could turn into stone and the large man was deathly skillful with knives. All three were wearing Don Girarde uniforms with black ties, which meant that they were new combatant students. He was willing to let it go in belief that Orinato was just trying to find out how a little Family like Martelli had gotten the rights to send students to such an exclusive school, at least up until Orinato started gushing at Mr. Brahms with sickening praise for his movies.

"Orinato," Hotaru snapped, bringing his Right Hand back to his senses. "What the hell do you think--"

"Laz?" Brahms interrupted, freezing in the middle of signing a student's red tie. The two people with him also froze, which had the chain reaction of causing the rest of the crowd to freeze. On the other hand, Hotaru glared in full knowledge that he was being mistaken for the Martelli Family's Cloud Guardian.

"Try again," Hotaru growled as Orinato belatedly rushed to his side.

"Vongola the Eleventh," Brahms corrected in open disappointment while he went back to signing the things that were thrust into his hands. "Sorry. I was caught off-guard. A friend of mine used to look just like you. Would you like an autograph?"

"I'll pass," he answered as he turned his back to leave. This time, the crowd was fully aware of his presence and opened the way for him. "I have no use of one outside of a reference for forgery."

"Heh," Brahms mumbled with a shake of his head. "Your dad once told me the same thing." Hotaru refused to show a reaction to the comment. He neither paused nor hesitated in leaving the group, although he did feel his internal organs boil at the words. At least he had his answer for why three Martelli were going to Don Girarde. Even though the look-a-like Lazarus was dead and buried with Xanxus, the bastards were still planning to trade on his image. He wished them luck. They weren't going to get very far with Toshi playing his part as the visible, acknowledged Tsunayoshi.

"I'm sorry, Boss," Orinato apologized frantically. "I was just--"

"While you were _just _doing that, Hattori almost caused the social blunder of the year and Gregory spilled the beans about himself," Hotaru interrupted with a scowl. "I need some air to catch my breath and I'd like a cup of coffee and a cigarette before I go meet my teachers. Do you think you can do that much without _just _getting distracted?"

"Right away, Boss," he agreed as he turned pale in repentance. Allowing him to scurry away to find what Hotaru wanted, Hotaru headed out of the stiflingly crowded assembly hall. He had every reason to leave early, but the fact that Gregory was with him kept him from doing so. It was his brother's first time in a place like this. He'd probably want to stay for the Dean's greeting, for whatever speeches that had been prepared, and probably long enough to meet everyone that he could.

Outside, the cool breeze made him feel like a boiled newt. He was used to crowded events, but the mass of moving people in the assembly hall in combination with the subsequent run of incidents had pushed his limits. It was with a sigh of relief that he found an empty bench in the corner of the courtyard to sink down into. Although, being outside didn't give him a reprieve from the noise. From the looks of it, all the tutors had taken over the area and were answering questions from students and fellow teachers. His phone also decided to start ringing continuously and a few Vongola senior students felt the need to pay their respects. By the time that Orinato arrived with his coffee and his cigarette, he felt worn out and ready to snap.

"If this wasn't tradition to come here, I'd just home school," he groaned as Orinato lit his cigarette for him. Hotaru could already predict what he was going to say. He was going to say 'smoking is bad for you' while handing it over. He said the same thing every time Hotaru asked for the rare luxury, although he didn't make the same complaint about drinking. Considering he only smoked once a month, he simply prepared himself for the advice while carefully sipping his iced mocha.

"Smoking is bad for you," Orinato commented on cue. Hotaru smirked and accepted the cigarette without replying. Even though Orinato had left him hanging this once, he was typically a reliable guy. Just having him nearby was soothing. Thanks to his presence, Hotaru was able to hand over his blasted cell-phone for Orinato to deal with and let down his guard enough to relax for a moment. Unfortunately, the school's tutors weren't as considerate.

"You shouldn't smoke," a Tutor said as he walked up to where Hotaru was seated. He was a tall, wiry man with a face that only a Pug could love. He was also a complete stranger, which told Hotaru that he was one of the Tutor picks from the Rival side of the Mafia fence. Taking a long drag off his cigarette, Hotaru took his time in exhaling before finally replying.

"I shouldn't kill, either, but I still do," he said with a smirk. "I'll make you a deal. You figure out how to create world peace and I'll stop smoking when it works."

"You've got a pretty big chip on your shoulder," the Tutor replied with a strange mixture of sympathy and curiosity in his expression. Hotaru rolled his eyes as he got a sinking feeling that the Tutor had no clue who he was talking to. "You've got a lot of potential, but you're never going to harness any of it with that kind of attitude."

"Really now?" Hotaru asked while holding back a laugh at the incredulous statement. Glancing over at Orinato, he could see his Right Hand's eyes sparkling in amusement. "Then what kind of attitude should I have to reach my potential?" Hotaru inquired, raising his voice to attract attention to the spectacle of a Tutor. Just like he wanted, curious students began gathering from around the courtyard to hear the answer while the nearby teachers turned pale in shock.

"The never-say-die attitude," the Tutor answered as his voice took on a lecturing tone for the benefit of the onlookers. "You should find a goal and put in effort toward reaching it. I've seen lots of kids like you in my day. You're the type that never has to try hard at anything. You're cocky because you've never faced failure and you don't know how to push yourself when you hit a wall. You've probably been riding on your parent's coattails until now, but you should try--"

"Oh shit," Orinato choked as Hotaru's smile slowly slipped away. "You shouldn't say--"

"No," Hotaru corrected as he pushed the smile back into place. Standing, he took another long draw off his cigarette and took ample pleasure in blowing it in the be-damned Tutor's face. "I'll forgive it this time. However, since he's been nice enough to give me his opinion, I think it's my turn for a diagnosis." Feeling angry after receiving the low blow, Hotaru began walking slow circles around the Tutor while he vented a little built-up steam.

"You know, I've seen a lot of Mafioso like you in _my _day," Hotaru began conversationally. "I've ruined a lot of them, too. I think that the reason that you became a Tutor is because _you're _the one who can't reach his potential. You've probably worked your best for years. Working hard and getting _nowhere_. Your Boss acted like you were their secret weapon and, through sheer luck, you managed to succeed a few times when others couldn't. That success went to your head and you felt invincible. Then you started making mistakes and, you know what they say, 'those who can't do, _teach'_. The truth is that you've got theory down and you might be a decent strategist, but you fail at execution. It's not like that's going to show up when someone else is doing the work, though. Right? You've just got to supervise. Here's the problem. Your confidence in your ability to read people doesn't make up for complete _ignorance_."

"Eh?" The Tutor gaped while the surrounding students chuckled.

"I feel the need to correct that ignorance," Hotaru continued around his cigarette. "You stated that I don't put in effort. Well, you can ask Orinato," he said with an absent gesture while he continued circling. "I'm usually up before dawn and I'm rarely in bed before midnight. I spend six hours a day in self-training and twelve hours working in my office. In matter of fact, I put in so much effort that I'll have to work twice as fast, cut into my training, and still get less sleep just so I can attend school. If that's not 'trying hard' then I'm frankly impressed with your standards. As for being cocky... Well..." Coming to a stop in front of the Tutor, Hotaru rocked back on his heels and released his Flame. The bulk of the crowd gasped in surprise and admiration at the beautiful orange, while the blood rushed out of the Tutor's face in belated recognition. "I'm afraid it comes with the territory of having reached my potential," Hotaru said solemnly. "Try stereotyping someone else, _Tutor_. If I was riding on my parent's coattails, then I'd be partially brain dead or in a fashion show."

Taking a last drag off his cigarette, he flicked the butt into the man's face to show his displeasure before calmly walking away. The man didn't move to follow and Hotaru lowered his Flame as he stepped back into the crowded assembly hall. Rather than having gained a second wind from going outside, though, he was more than ready to leave. Unfortunately, he had appearances to think about along with Gregory. Sending Orinato for a fresh iced mocha to rejuvenate him, Hotaru tried to deal with as many of those appearances as he could.

He had to meet his teachers. He had to return to the registration desk, as a Boss instead of a student, to make sure that the other attending Vongola students had picked up their schedules and books. He had to find his Vongola classmates in the crowd and show interest in their extra-curricular choices. He had to check on Gregory and double-check the sign-up sheet for the Original Productions Club to make sure that his name was on it. He had to listen to no less than two lectures from hesitant teachers about respecting Don Girarde's staff and he had to give his apologies for making one of the school's Tutors run away. On top of that, he also still had to answer his damn phone, receive verbal reports, and send out orders that would stall the world until he could get back to the office.

All while dodging Hattori and avoiding Eric Brahms.

"It's almost over, Boss," Orinato encouraged when he paused to rest for a moment. "The speeches should be starting any time now and--"

"Screw the speeches," he said, making a snap decision. "You and Gregory can listen, but I can't stay for one more minute. If I hear one more girl compliment me on how good I look in my uniform, I'm going to run out of here screaming. Just come get me when it's over."

"Of course, Boss," Orinato agreed sympathetically. "I'll record the speeches for you to reference later." Hotaru nodded and waved him away to make it easier to slip out unnoticed. He was still stopped twice in his attempt, but he did make it before he had to scream. Once free from the madness, he quickly headed to where the main doors were open for curious students to tour.

The sun was setting as he entered, but the halls were well lit with recessed lighting. His footsteps echoing on the waxed floors was a soothing sign that everyone had left so they that wouldn't miss the Dean's Greeting. It was his first time in the hallowed halls of Don Girarde and the experience wasn't lost on him. His father had walked these same halls, as had his father's father and the Ninth Boss. Having heard the stories, he could imagine his father walking from one classroom to another with books in hand and his faithful trio at his side. He could imagine his mother demurely gliding to meet him, glowing from her pregnancy and excited at everything. He could see Hibari standing with a seemingly uncaring look on his face while they walked past, guarding and overseeing discipline like a gargoyle statue.

His feet seemed to move of their own accord as he walked up the stairs to the second floor and into the school's library. He didn't think that he could have picked a better place to go. After all, the shelves undoubtedly had many old friends waiting and reuniting himself with their names was a relaxing deviation. When he tired of that, he picked one out at random and chose a seat from the library's monotonous selection of low-backed brown chairs and tables. Although it didn't look like it'd be comfortable to sit in, the padding was thick enough. He crossed his legs to position himself better and--

"Ow!" A voice yelped as his foot encountered something under the table. Scrambling away in surprise, Hotaru felt his heart sink as a girl climbed out from under the table. Perhaps he was being too cynical, but the situation seemed like another setup. She just _happened _to be in the empty library and he just _happened _to sit next to her hiding place. Oh, even better, he grumbled to himself as he started heading for the exit. She just _happened _to have the same book that he'd picked out and she just _happened _to be a little pretty. Not extraordinarily pretty so that it was noticeable that she was a plant, but pretty enough that she'd attract attention. "Aren't you going to apologize for kicking me?!" She called after him.

"Sorry," he mumbled, tossing the book onto an empty table before walking out the door. He was disgruntled at being forced to leave, but it was better than falling into another girl's scheme. Unfortunately, she wasn't the type to give up. She raced out of the library after him, grabbed his sleeve to pull him to a stop, and somehow managed to rip his shirt halfway off in the process. Her jaw dropped as his buttons ricocheted off of walls and he stared at her in curious wonder of whether she was psychotic.

"I'm so sorry!" She choked as she dived to catch one of the buttons before it bounced away. She hurriedly began collecting them while Hotaru stared at his shirt in worry. How the hell was he supposed to explain this to Orinato?! The girl didn't seem to care about that, though. She simply continued chasing down the unattached pieces while her high ponytail swept back and forth against her neck. Hotaru still didn't move while he watched her, finding something else to be shocked over. The girl was wearing a red tie. Not a yellow one. Not even a blue one. She was wearing a red one, which meant that she was a combative new recruit for one of the Families. "I'm really sorry," she repeated as she stood to hand him the buttons. "I was just going to ask if you could not tell anyone where you found me. I came for the assembly, but it got so stuffy and I came up here to read. But then I fell asleep and... Oh my god," she gasped, looking outside at the fading light. "I'm late! I'm really sorry about your shirt!" She exclaimed as she began running down the hall. "I'll get you a new one! Promise!"

Before he could respond, she was gone and he was left by himself in an empty hall with a shirt that he couldn't button closed. At least he'd worn a t-shirt underneath it, he grumbled to himself as he stripped off his tie and the shirt in order to inspect the damage. It was completely ruined. Not only had all the buttons popped off, but two of the button-holes were irreparably ripped from where the buttons hadn't wanted to give. Seeing it made Hotaru raise his eyebrows in curiosity. All of his clothes were triple stitched and quadruple seamed. The material itself was supposed to aid in warding off knives. For her to have done what she did, she had to have an incredible amount of strength in her little body.

It still wasn't enough to make him chase after her. So what if she had a quirk that was different from other girls? It just meant that she was using something other than a quirky job or a quirky personality to get him. He wasn't falling for it. Her Family could put all the unique girls that they wanted to into his path. He wasn't stupid enough to chase after the ones that were different anymore than he'd chase after the ones that weren't, because even the ones that were different were all the same.

Although, thinking that way made him fully realize that he didn't really know what he wanted in a girl. He was so busy having to fend them off that he couldn't decide what differences would actually make a girl 'different'. At least, he didn't know what differences would make a girl 'different' in a way that would make her into someone that he wouldn't automatically dislike. Perhaps that was why his mother was getting so exasperated with him lately. No matter what type of girl she set him up with, he was unwilling to give any of them a chance. But why?

It was probably just Reborn's actions that made him question even something small like this. Rather than just reacting to the situations in front of him like he usually did, he was growing more aware of a need to know why he reacted in the ways he did. It was as if he would understand why Reborn had turned on him by figuring out himself. He knew that the way of thinking didn't make any sense, but it was what he felt and he was beginning to analyze everything because of it.

That led him back to the current dilemma. Why didn't he like girls? Part of it was because of simple rebellion. He knew that much. He hated being forced into dating when most parents would be locking him in a closet in fear of his teenage hormones. He hated having everyone watching his every move and jumping to conclusions over the simplest of interactions. Everyone kept talking about falling in love and sweet romances while trying to rush him through relationships that felt more like comedies and horror movies.

Horror movie, he mentally repeated as he headed back toward the now-empty library. Dating was like watching a horror movie. That was about right, although in more ways than the obvious sense. People liked horror movies because it was exciting, thrilling, and they could experience fears that they'd never face in reality. They watched it because there was something alluring and captivating about situations that were disturbing under normal circumstances. The problem was that there was no pressure, no sense of expectancy, and no emotion tied to the horror movies for him because that was his daily life. No matter how grotesque or twisted the movie was, he couldn't find it in himself to do more than shrug.

Now, shoujo manga was a different story. For him, that was a horror movie. The way that everyone gave away their feelings so easily was shocking. The girls always gave themselves away at the simplest of affections, which he thought was captivating. All the girls that chased after Hotaru were completely different. Shoujo girls versus real girls was like day and night; indecisive instead of manipulative; love-struck instead of greedy; natural helplessness instead of guaged acting. He'd been hooked after reading his first one because the way the characters reacted was so abnormal that he couldn't understand it and the stories managed to suck him in by forcing him to imagine something so strange that it truly was horrifying.

The kinds of girls in his manga weren't the kind that he'd be able to hook up with, though. They were simply too pure for him to be comfortable around and too innocent for him to trust. Besides, girls weren't that easy to read. If he had to date a girl, he'd want someone who had the mind frame of a Mafioso. The problem with that was that the girls with that kind of mind only wanted to use him for their own purposes. He'd want someone pretty, of course, but not one who was vain. Supermodels and actresses were good for a fling, but their superficial airs got on his nerves. Also, he didn't want someone more than a year or two older than him because there was always the feeling that he was being patronized by older women. He didn't want someone younger than him, either, since underdeveloped girls weren't to his taste. Finally, he realized the most important part. Meeting them in person was a big negative. He simply couldn't trust the girls that he met in person. They were too close to him and attempts to get close to him made him suspicious.

It was no wonder that he'd turned down everyone offered to him, he laughed as he put his head down on one of the library tables with his ripped shirt as a pillow. Perhaps he was being too picky, but those basic qualifications and requirements were what it would take for him to give a girl a fair chance. He had to meet a girl of sixteen or seventeen, who'd already bloomed, was smart and understanding, wasn't self-centered or manipulative, and didn't mind getting her hands dirty. And he had to somehow meet her without meeting her. With such standards, it was no wonder that the Family was worried about his love life.

Actually, Hotaru was worried, too. Not because he was actually interested in falling in love, though. He was worried because the hunt for a bride was putting strain on Vongola's relationship with several Families and making an Alliance marriage wasn't enough to fix it anymore. He'd figured that out when the women had begun suggesting that he take on multiple wives like his father had. The only way that he was going to be free of the marriage fever was if he found someone that everyone believed he cared about enough to want to stay faithful to.

Fat chance that would happen.

_The wind was fierce as he searched frantically, warning him of the storm that was about to break loose. He couldn't stop, though. He had to find her and she was here__ somewhere amidst the field of sun-baked pottery and terra cotta pots. He knew that she was there. He knew that she was waiting for him to find her. She was the one and he cursed himself endlessly for falling in love with her. His whole life was a mess because of her, but he couldn't stop searching. He couldn't stop searching anymore than she could stop hiding._

_The wind wiped away his words as he screamed out her name in hopes that she'd hear him. The wind knocked him off his feet countless times, but he continued to rise and struggle. Then he was finally graced with a spark of intuition, leading him to a glazed potting vase that reached up to his chest. Nestled inside was the girl that he'd been searching for. She was unharmed, unhurt, and completely unconcerned with the storm. Looking down at her with a lopsided smile at __how much she'd put him through, he felt completely crushed at the words that echoed up to him._

_"Why did you have to ruin it?" She asked softly. "You know that I can't marry you."_

_"I know," he replied in understanding. "But that doesn't change how I feel. I lo--"_

"Boss," Orinato whispered in his ear as a pair of gentle hands shook him awake. "Boss, it's time to--" Hotaru snapped awake and bolted upright with the dream still fresh in his mind. She was here. His intuition didn't lie and his intuition said that it was her. It was her! The girl that he'd met earlier. The one hiding under the table! She was real! She was it! She was the one! He'd found a girl who was worthy, so all of his problems were over!

"Where is she?!" Hotaru gasped, jumping to his feet in hopes that she hadn't gotten too far. Knowing that Orinato had no idea of who he was talking about, Hotaru grabbed his ripped shirt and started running. He had to hurry before she left the assembly. He had to know her name. He had to know who she was! He had to... Go back in time before everyone left. His hopes died as he stopped to gasp for breathe in the middle of the empty assembly hall. He was too late. From the looks of things, the assembly had been over for more than an hour.

Knowing that he'd only seem foolish if he tried to explain himself, he gathered his wits and composed himself. By the time Orinato and Gregory caught up to him, he was standing next to the assembly doors with a nonchalant attitude. He didn't give them a chance to ask any questions. Throwing his torn shirt over his shoulder, he began walking toward the car while permitting the two to follow. Even inside the car, he distracted Orinato and Gregory from his strange actions by snapping questions about what he'd missed and getting Orinato to focus on the plans for the rest of their evening. After all, it wasn't as if a mere assembly was the highlight of his afternoon. It was just the most time-consuming part.

While Orinato briefed him on the dinner party that he was supposed to attend and aided him in getting changed on the move, Hotaru also held a short conference via phone to make up for his absence, checked his stocks, ordered for an updated report on the Midfield Massacre on his desk when he got back home, and cancelled the date that his mother had set up with the excuse that some business had come up.

By the time that they reached Le Buillion, Orinato had completely forgotten about his strange actions and Gregory looked completely overwhelmed. It made Hotaru smirk to himself while Orinato straightened his bowtie for him. No matter how much everyone thought that Gregory was his equal, the fact was that Gregory couldn't dream of being as capable as Hotaru was. He couldn't multitask like Hotaru could and there was no way that he'd be able to keep up with the pace that it took to be a Mafia Boss. He was still nothing but a chick in his shell.

"Edward," Hotaru called up to the driver as the car pulled to a stop. "Please take Gregory to the closest cathedral before you take him back home and make sure that you're back here by nine-thirty. I want to get out of here as soon as I can."

"Yes, Boss," came the predicted reply. Tossing an apologetic smile to Gregory for being unable to go with him, he put his game face on and slipped out of the car behind Orinato. The barrage of photography flashes began as soon as his face was in view, as did a deafening avalanche of questioning. Hotaru smiled for the cameras and ignored the prying reporters while swearing for the hundredth time that he was going to strangle whoever kept tipping off the media as to his planned whereabouts. Once past the attack of 'How is your relationship with blank doing?' and 'How do you plan to respond to the allegations of blank?' Hotaru was happy to see that Le Buillion had soundproof windows to go with the one-way tinting. As soon as he was inside, the reporters dispersed back to their news vans to lie in wait for his exit. This allowed Hotaru to put his full attention on being greeted by his host for the evening.

After that, he felt as if he was sleep-walking for the next hour. Giving and receiving flattery, asking and answering questions, suave commentary and well-timed jokes. He was able to do it all in his sleep since even talking business didn't need him to actually think. After all, he only had to give his opinion and keep himself from making any promises. Even on the things proposed to him to see if he was interested, he gave the same age-old reply that he always did. "Send a copy over to my office and I'll have my people look it over." It was over the dessert course, the course that he hated most, that someone finally commented on something that woke him up.

And made him blush against his will.

"What's this?" Screenwriter Harris Vantino gasped in surprise. "Do I see hope for our young benefactor?"

"That's impossible," actress Marvoi chuckled softly. "Mr. Sawada isn't a one-woman guy--"

"Wait before you say that," radio personality Wailer interjected. "The look on Sawada's face isn't agreeing."

"Doest thou see a silver lining, Sawada-dono?" Basil inquired curiously.

"Did you meet someone?" Reggie Nubo asked bluntly. Hotaru blushed harder as the rest of the table began hounding him for an answer before he could open his mouth. Containing himself with a resigned smile, he waited until they calmed down enough to hear his reply.

"Maybe," he admitted. Everyone at the table pulled back in shock as if inhaling to explode and Hotaru quickly continued before the first person could blow up. "Alright, alright," he laughed, holding up his hands to stall them. "Yes, I met someone. BUT--! Don't get too excited. I don't even know her name yet and I'm not sure if she knows mine. Honestly, I haven't traded more than a few words with her. All I know is that she goes to my school and..."

"And?" Orinato asked with wide eyes.

"And I might marry her one day," he finished honestly.

"She must have left one hell of an impression," Marvoi commented while Basil went into a coughing fit from choking on his wine. Rather than feel embarrassed by the statement, Hotaru had to smile and simply nod in agreement. It hadn't been exactly the best way to meet, considering he'd kicked her and she'd ripped his shirt off, but it didn't feel fake like his meetings with other girls did. Of course he'd been suspicious of her at first, but his dream... His dream hadn't been a fantasy. It'd been intuition. He was sure of it.

"I've never felt this way before," he admitted as he sipped on his own wine. "No offense to you, Marvoi, but I usually find women quite repulsing."

"None taken," she chuckled. "I've seen some of the ones that you've been set up with."

"This one's different," he continued with a gesture of acceptance for her comment. "She was refreshing. Rather than hanging on my every word, she somehow managed to make me hang on hers. Frankly," he added with a laugh, "she completely ran over me in a way that I'd normally be perturbed over. I find it fascinating that I'm not. Actually, I find a lot of things fascinating about our short meeting and I've got a ton of questions for her. I hope that I get to see her again."

"More wine?" The waitress interjected quietly. Hotaru silently agreed, holding up his glass as he continued speaking to his dinner companions.

"I also hope that I can find her before mom finds another selection for me to meet," he said with an open look of disgust. "If she had her way, I'd be married before the end of the year."

"That was actually why I asked you to let your half-brother Gregory live with us," Orinato flinched, holding his glass up to be refilled next. "I didn't know that he'd already chosen to become a Priest. The last that I heard, he wanted to go into law."

"Holy law," Hotaru corrected with a smile, making his companions chuckle at the pun while Hotaru gave Orinato an appreciative wink for the smooth change of subject. "Seriously, though, Gregory isn't--" Hotaru froze as the waitress paused next to Marvoi to refill another glass with wine. He was completely dumbstruck upon seeing the same girl from earlier dressed up in a waiter's sleek uniform. He was immediately tongue-tied, finding himself tripping over his words in attempts to finish his sentence until he finally gave up. It didn't take long for his dinner companions to catch onto what was going on. It wasn't as if he were hiding it, either. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she circled around the table and he was also stunned speechless at her unexpected presence. He felt like a gaping idiot, but he didn't care. She--

"Boss," Orinato hissed into his ear as the rest of the party began quiet conversations with each other in polite consideration.

"It's her," he whispered back in panic. "What do I do?"

"Please don't do anything, Boss," Orinato pleaded softly. "Le Buillion is jointly owned by Nubo and their new business partners. Until I can find out some information on her for you, it'd be bad to make a move."

"Business partners?" Hotaru asked blankly as he finally tore his eyes off the waitress. "I didn't hear anything about..."

"It was part of that truce agreement that Nubo asked you to look over last month," he explained. "Your exact words were that it was a fair deal, but..."

"That it was also unnecessary," Hotaru finished with a grimace as he finally remembered. So they'd gone through with it. The truce agreement in question explained why Martelli was in Italy. Martelli the Fifth wasn't like her predecessors. She was still keeping her Family neutral, but she was taking a more open approach to business dealings rather than shutting down all avenues of commerce. Their territory was normally limited to one city. That was why Hotaru had believed it to be an unnecessary agreement. Nubo's increasingly popular pizza parlors could pop up all around them and not suffer, but it was fair because the expansion into Martelli territory gave them a broader home base. In exchange, Martelli got permission to open restaurants unhindered in Nubo's territories. Now he saw why Martelli had been willing to make such an agreement. They hadn't been considering a place in New York. They had been looking at Nubo's expansion rights in Italy.

All of that considered, it meant that his dream-girl might just be part of the Family that he detested.

"Talk about a buzz-kill," he groaned. "I think it's time to go. Do an investigation for me after we get home."

"I'll go tell them to bring the car around," Orinato murmured with a sympathetic expression. Hotaru nodded and turned his attention back to the dinner party. To cover himself, he gave his companions enough commentary to show that the waitress was indeed the girl that he'd been talking about while also making the right comments to suggest that he had lost interest in a mere waitress. He also did his best to act amusingly wounded when Marvoi began collecting on wagers made over how he'd respond to his little epiphany.

"Once a playboy, always a playboy," she laughed as she counted her winnings. Hotaru grumbled with a good natured smile as he rose. Making his excuses, his exit was a swift one.

"That's what I get for running my mouth off," he growled once they were tucked away into his waiting transport and merging into traffic for the return home. Orinato wisely stayed silent, knowing that Hotaru didn't need to be scolded over the incident. He was already berating himself, after all. "No," he amended in self-targeted anger. "That's what I get for getting caught up in everyone's match-making. First our Allies and then the Family and then mom and now even I'm doing it. What the hell was I thinking? No, I know what I was thinking. I was thinking that I could get everyone to leave me the fuck alone if I found someone. Do I really look like I need someone Orinato? I-- What are you doing?" He asked when he became aware of how Orinato had his arms around him.

"Forgive me, Boss, but I'm hugging you," his Right Hand replied without letting go. Hotaru began to ask why, but a moment of realization explained it. Reaching up, he wiped his face and stared in shock at the warm tears in his hand. He'd started crying again. The knowledge made him disgusted with himself as he shrugged off Orinato's embrace. There was no reason to cry. There was no reason to be anything but angry for allowing himself to get caught up in the moment. All it'd been was a little dream and he'd almost caused a social outcry because of it. How stupid could he be? There he'd been, talking like a love-struck fool, over a girl that was possibly his enemy. After Mr. Brahm's commentary at the assembly, he couldn't think of the Martelli Family as anything else. He'd almost given them exactly what they wanted: an opening to the Vongola Family. Well, he wasn't falling for it. It'd been a momentary slip that could still be easily corrected. He just had to forget about her. He just had to completely and totally forget about the woman that he wanted to marry.

"I'm screwed," he mumbled, turning his forlorn gaze to the window so that his Right Hand didn't have to see him in such a state.

* * *

"Taru-kun!" His mother called as she barged into his office. "Your date is--" Hotaru waved her into silence, focusing intently on the report that he was receiving over video conferencing. Things didn't look good. Another three people had gone missing from Allied Families. Normally, such a thing was an unfortunate, but common, occurrence. This was different, though. All of them had disappeared between point A and point B with no warning, no signs of struggle, and no clues as to who might have taken them. There was usually at least a little evidence to be found, but there was none in any of these cases.

"Keep trying to find a connection," he ordered as the man fumbled to a close. "We can't protect our people if we don't know why they're being targeted. Andes was retired and taken from his house, Livetti was on the way to Venice row, and Gandelm was a new recruit who hadn't been around long enough to piss anyone off. There's something linking the three and I want to know what it is. Capiche?" His subordinate nodded and Hotaru flicked off the video feed before turning his attention to his mother. "No," he stated bluntly. "I told you to stop setting me up and I meant it. I've got too much work--"

"Just one more...?" She begged with a whine in her voice. "Cecile is--"

"No," he answered as he tried to focus on his paperwork.

"But she--"

"No," he repeated.

"What if I--"

"No."

"How about if she--"

"No."

"Sawada Hotaru!" She snapped in anger. "You will--"

"No," he said without twitching an eyelid. Glancing up from his paperwork, he allowed himself a moment of sympathy for his mother as she pulled back in defeat. Then the moment was over and he kept his head bowed over his work in hopes that she'd go away. They'd had three arguments a day since he'd decided to put his foot down and she still wasn't giving up. He knew that she only wanted to see him happily in a relationship of some kind, but she didn't understand how much pressure she was putting on him with her actions. She wasn't even willing to consider it, so the only way to get through to her was to not consider her feelings, either. "I've got work to do, mom," he added when she started pouting. "Why don't you go see if Gregory would mind escorting Cecile for the evening?"

"Ha-hi?" She squeaked in surprise.

Hotaru smiled as his mother bustled out of the room in hopes of matchmaking at least one couple. He considered her exit to be a victory. Once word got around that Priest Gregory was receiving all of his dates, the offers might stop coming entirely. After all, there was no marriage potential with Gregory, despite the fact that he wasn't a Priest yet.

Putting his match-making mother out of his mind, he turned his attention back to his reports and frowned. He didn't like knowing that vampires and werewolves had been in the ranks of the Mafia without anyone knowing. More than that, he didn't like how they were organized and beholden to leaders other than their Bosses. Everyone had secrets and a part of their past that they didn't wish to talk about. That was a given with Mafioso. Yet, this didn't fall into the category of that silent understanding. This didn't fall into the range of something he could easily accept. How could it? He was supposed to be one of the world's most powerful men in the Underground, yet there was an Underground below the Underground that he hadn't been aware of?! Kimi had let him in on the secret that the demonic creatures actually existed, but finding out that there were organizations of them was another story. More than organizations, actually! There was warfare going on right under his nose and possibly had been since before he was born!

How was he supposed to deal with it? This so-called Council that had deigned--DEIGNED!-- to meet with him was no joke. He'd already been informed of the Midfield Massacre before they'd met with him and decided to leave it in the hands of the Bosses who were affected, but the Council's high-handed takeover of the investigation aggravated him. They were challenging him and mocking his strength with their actions. They were completely looking down on him even when they were coming to him about a threat that they couldn't handle.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the kidnappings were related to the Massacre, but he wanted proof. He wasn't going to play into the so-called Council's hands by simply believing everything that he was told. It could be a fanciful attempt at covering up something insidious or there was the possibility that the Council were the culprits to begin with. He refused to buy into the Council's claims that they were being open and honest for the first time in centuries. How could he when it was obvious that they were still hiding things? For instance, why had there been such a gathering at the Midfield Estate to begin with? Why were the people on-site refusing to allow investigation teams to look around? What was the meaning of the masked parade in Rome two weeks ago?

Hotaru simply couldn't believe that the Hunters were to blame for the kidnappings like the Council stated. Kimi had been a good person. It was true that she'd been harsh and violent when the topic of vampires had come up, but only because she'd been incredibly dedicated to her beliefs. She'd believed that vampires were pitiful creatures that needed to be put out of their misery. No matter how human one was upon first being turned, time corrupted them. People weren't meant to live as long as vampires did. Their perspective, their culture, and their very existence went counter to everything that humanity stood for. She'd considered it a positive thing to kill them when they were still young and freshly-turned since they could die as humans instead of monsters. She'd wanted to wipe them out so that the propagation of their kind wouldn't cause more people to suffer.

The thing that made him unable to believe that Hunters were cause for the kidnappings was that Kimi had been adamant about a quick and clean kill. Kidnapping was something that was done for information gathering or for bargaining. The group that Kimi had been with didn't do things like that. At least, she'd said that they didn't do things like that and he'd believed her.

He didn't know which side to trust, therefore he had to investigate both. He also had to investigate the kidnappings and Massacre with his own people to ensure that the Council's report wasn't false. It was a long process since the Council wasn't being helpful and the Hunters weren't even revealing themselves. While he was being stalled, the situation was only getting worse, too. This time, one of his own people was on the growing list of missing.

Levi Livetti, the file read. Age thirty-seven. Recruited under the Ninth's reign, like the bulk of Hotaru's subordinates. He'd worked as a surveillance expert and helicopter pilot for twenty three years and he'd been up for retirement as soon as they found someone qualified to replace him. He'd been on his way to dinner in Venice Row where his long-time partner had been waiting on him. The last contact had been five minutes past his the time he'd been due for arrival. He'd already been running late and his partner had called to see where he was at. He'd claimed that he was heading down into the subway and then his phone had lost reception. Half an hour later, Levi's partner stopped worrying and began to panic. He had good reason to, too, since no one had heard from Levi since.

He already had sixty percent of his people working to find the culprits. Thirty percent was working on the kidnapping case, twenty percent on the massacre, and ten percent were trying to link the two so that they could merge the cases into one without worrying that they were dealing with two separate enemies. None of it gave him any clues as to who took Levi and the others like him, though. There was no trail to follow and no traces to find. Whoever had done the job had done it so cleanly that people were beginning to talk as if it were cases of 'spirited away' instead of kidnapping.

"Staring at the file isn't going to solve anything, nyah," Sugar said as she jumped into his lap. Hotaru sighed and sat back in his chair. Tossing the file onto his desk, he turned his full attention to the feline and took comfort in petting her. Sugar leaned into the gentle strokes of his hand, taking open pleasure in being a Siamese cat for several long minutes before remembering her pride as the Gate-Guardian Symphonia. When she finally did remember, she jumped from his lap to his desk with a toss of her head to shake off her animal instincts. "Don't do that, nyah," she grumbled as she found herself a comfortable place to sit. Hotaru grinned as she licked her paw and tried to wipe away the feeling of his caress from the back of her head.

"You like it," he replied. She shot him a withering look at the words and turned her back on him. As she left, Hotaru once again wondered why she'd even stopped by. It wasn't as if she ever had a reason or needed one. He almost asked her how the search for Mukuro and the real Tsunayoshi was going, but he knew that she'd tell him something if there was anything to report. At least, he assumed that she would since she needed his aide if she wanted to travel at an unhindered rate.

Once she was gone, he started to turn his attention back to his stack of reports. He was interrupted before he could even touch them by a knock at his door. Calling out to permit entry, he blinked in surprise at the entry of Sylvan, his semi-pacifistic Advisor who was a combination of spiritual healer and tribal warrior. He wasn't alone, either. With him was the last man that Hotaru expected.

"Bradley," Hotaru identified with a raised eyebrow. Bradley was one of the few lasting subordinates who'd joined Vongola in the Tenth's era. The musician-slash-chef-slash-automotive-technician was one of the few Family members who could be shifted into multiple positions depending on what the Family needed at the moment. He was smart and attractive enough to work public positions such as a bodyguard while also being rough-and-tumble ready for the dirty work of a hitman. The man was actually one of the prized acquisitions of the Tenth's short reign because of his wide range of usefulness in diverse areas. However, the hesitation that he was showing as he followed Sylvan through the door was new. "This is an unexpected visit," Hotaru said with a questioning look at the pair.

"Please forgive the interruption," Sylvan replied while surreptitiously guiding Bradley into the room despite his unwilling attitude. Both of them stopped in front of Hotaru's desk and the way that Bradley partially hid behind the larger Advisor didn't go unnoted. "Bradley stopped by to harvest herbs in the greenhouse that you graciously gifted me and he told me something that I believe you should hear."

"It's nothing, Boss," Bradley mumbled sheepishly. "Please forget that we were--"

"Tell him," Sylvan ordered, which instigated a whispered argument between the two. Hotaru allowed it to continue for a moment before reminding the two of their current location with a gentle cough. His time was precious and the two should be aware that it couldn't be wasted with nonsense. "Bradley," Sylvan said with all the gentleness that had given him the position he held. "I'm not Family nor am I willing to be. However, I do know that Hotaru cares about you as if you were blood of his blood. What is the point of that if you act out in fear of punishment instead of the expectation of forgiveness?"

"Bradley...?" Hotaru prompted softly. "If you did something wrong, I'll forgive you if you're honest with me."

"I didn't do anything... wrong... per se..." he muttered without being able to meet Hotaru's eyes.

"Then can you tell me what you told Sylvan?" Hotaru asked with a pleading smile. He was willing to plead since he still had tons of paperwork to do before he even considered touching his homework. The faster that he could deal with the interruption, the more sleep that he might get. It didn't look like it was going to be that easy, though. Bradley's expression began to crumble in a confused mixture of worry, misery, and simple doubt. He was openly second-guessing himself, Sylvan, and Hotaru while he tried to make up his mind of whether to speak up or not. "Sit down, Bradley," Hotaru sighed, gesturing to one of the two chairs before his desk. Bradley sat as ordered and immediately bowed his head over his hands while he wrestled with internal affairs. "Sylvan, please go get us some tea. I'm not going to force Bradley to talk, but I'm also not letting him leave here until he tells me what's on his--"

"This is my third life," Bradley mumbled. Hotaru froze, positive that he'd misheard despite how Sylvan smiled in triumph. "When I met your father," he continued so quietly that Hotaru had to stretch his ears to catch the words, "It was two years after I left the Sanctuary where I'd been asleep for eighty-five years. I thought college would be a good place to really get a feel for this era and I'd just gotten a handle on fitting in when he showed up. I thought it was fate when I found out that your father was Vongola the Tenth and I prepared myself to follow him to the ends of the earth if he was half the man that the Eighth was. Since his death, it's been an honor to work for the Eleventh Generation with my meager abilities. It's always been our way to not worry humans with what we are. Most of us live and die without anyone ever knowing that we were something more. I want to say that I wasn't purposely hiding it from you, but that would be a lie. I was afraid to speak up for a hundred different reasons. I was afraid to even approach you when Kimi had been around and--"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Hotaru asked in shock. Bradley finally looked up at the question, staring at him with an expression full of fear and heartache.

"I'm a vampire, Boss," he said clearly. "I've been alive since before your father's father's father. I know that I look like I'm only in my mid-twenties, but, since I've been turned, I've only been aging a month for every ten years that I've been alive."

"It took me a while to figure it out," Sylvan commented. "He's integrated pretty well into our era, but he occasionally makes mistakes. He uses the terms for some that were common a century ago instead of what we use today and he's very knowledgeable about some points in history instead of others. I also noticed that some animals would become skittish of him if he was sweating too much and that the greenhouses are always twice as vibrant after he visits. I wanted to know why, so I hid when he came around this time and I caught him in the middle of mixing his blood in with the soil."

"It doesn't hurt anyone to do that," Bradley explained in a rush when Hotaru turned green. "I was just infusing energy into them so that they'd grow better and our blood is an important medium for that! It was just two drops and I've already been inoculated," he added, reaching up to pull out a contact lens before Hotaru could say a word. Hotaru didn't see the importance of pulling the lens out until he saw the bright blue of his normal eye color in comparison to the dark orb that still had a colored lens in place. It was camouflage, just like Kimi had once warned him that vampires were capable of. "Please believe me, Boss! I'd never do anything to endanger the Family! I was just trying to help the herbs grow better and I knew that would do it!"

Hotaru pressed his fingers to his lips in consideration as Bradley finally fell to a stop and seemed to collapse in on himself. He knew what his initial reaction was, which was why he stayed silent rather than hurt one of his precious subordinates. Not only had Bradley not brought this to his attention earlier, but he'd been contaminating the seasonings on the meals served in Headquarters. Hotaru was aware that there were fields all around the world that had once been battlefields and he was aware of the rumors that they flourished due to the sea of blood that soaked into the soil. This wasn't the middle ages, though. The thought that blood had touched his food at any stage was disturbing. The admittance that Bradley was older than his great-grandfather was even more disturbing. Why was a person like that serving as his subordinate in the first place?

"Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Hotaru asked slowly instead of the questions that were on his mind.

"No," Bradley mumbled as he began to visibly withdrawal into himself. "But it's related."

"Someone's stalking him," Sylvan supplied impatiently. "He believes that it's a Hunter that wants to kill him."

"What?" Hotaru said tonelessly.

"It's terrifying, Boss," Bradley said as he began to visibly tremble. "I can't smell them and I can't find them, but I know that they're there. I can feel their eyes on me and... then they just disappear like smoke when I try to catch them. I talked to Mistress Nadia about returning to the Sanctuary, but she says that they've been compromised. It's not even safe to lock myself in my Vault anymore. I-I... I don't want to end up like Idritz and Maltov, Boss," he said with a strangled sob.

"Who?" Hotaru asked carefully.

"Two people missing from the Warwick Family," Sylvan supplied as he rubbed Bradley's shoulders in effort to show support. "Bradley spent some time with them in Russia in one of his past lives."

"They're dead," Bradley whispered in a harsh voice with his eyes wide with fear. "The Hunters never leave anyone alive after they take them and they're going to take me. I just know it. They--"

"It's too early to panic," Hotaru interrupted, finding it incredibly disturbing that someone as sturdy as Bradley would show such emotion. "We know that someone's watching you, so we can take steps to prevent that from happening. Before I do that, though, I need to ask you to be perfectly honest with me, Bradley. Capiche?" Bradley nodded frantically in agreement and Hotaru slowly leaned forward as a plan of attack began forming in his mind. "I want the names of every vampire and werewolf in my ranks and you're going to give them to me."


	107. Chapter 107 Shadow Wars

Xanxus didn't nibble, he devoured.

He felt the need to grin in satisfaction as Cheri tumbled out of his arms to lie in a wet and contented sprawl across the bed. That's what she got for challenging him. That's what she got for taunting him about the 'great and all-powerful Lord Sky'. Two months had passed and he'd only received a single phone call from the bastard. It hadn't even been a personal call! Just some bullshit report about another Hunter victim. Did the little twit really not give a damn? Tsuna had given up too easily at Mafia Land, allowing him to leave with such a bullshit line in parting. He hadn't shown a single ounce of curiosity about what Xanxus was doing and he sure as hell didn't seem interested in keeping contact, let alone a relationship. The least that the bastard could do would be to send a text message once in a while.

"You're thinking about him again," Cheri murmured with a sensual gaze glowing from behind her mask. Xanxus snarled in return, grabbed his pants, and stalked into the bathroom. Of course he was thinking about him! He was having to give into the heat of the moment with his work partner just to get rid of the side-effects of unwanted chastity!

Preparing himself a hot shower, he tried to put Tsuna out of his mind as he stepped inside. All-in-all, he didn't have much to complain about. Not since the mass gathering in Rome of masked vampires and realizing why he'd been asked to lead them. Under normal circumstances, vampires couldn't gather together. The reason why was because their auras, scents, and emotions began warring with each other until their sense and reasoning was overwhelmed. The only thing that could keep them from tearing out each other's throats was a strong leader. Someone powerful enough to make them reign themselves in before they lost control. While Xanxus wasn't the most technique-laden of vampires or the one with the most finesse, his appetite was large. It was big enough that he could create an aura large enough to override everything else in the area. When that didn't work, his temper and cruelty was more than anyone was willing to mess with after the first three vampires were sent home in the care of blood salves for recovery.

He thought that Tsuna would be proud of him. Although he'd been forced to knock a few heads together, he'd gotten his entire volunteer troupe organized and delegated. A quarter of them were working as his eyes and ears around the world under the cover of the Olympus Foundation. Another quarter was assigned in three-man teams to investigate various kidnappings. A third quarter were planted in key places around Italy, since the center of the Mafia was also the center of vampire society. Finally, a last quarter stayed with him in preparation of a call to battle. All they needed was a location and they'd be ready to instantly move out for a raid.

Of course, getting a location was the problem. The Hunters hadn't been foolish or under-prepared before their initial war-strike. Whatever tools they were using, it was top of the line and better than anything that Xanxus had seen before. Worst than that, their methods were completely rounded. They hadn't blindly prepared for vampires and ignored the human threat. They'd prepared for both, knowing that some vampires were so weak that they would have to rely on human methods.

They'd gotten a few clues so far, however. At the subway station where Livetti had been taken, there had been one camera that managed to catch an important detail on tape. Livetti had entered the Venice Row subway car before disappearing. They were currently negotiating with the Vendiche to get the on-board footage to see if he actually arrived. At the home of Pulpetto, one of the first to be taken, they'd found trace amounts of silver-dust behind the stove, suggesting that the kitchen had been hit with a targeted smoke grenade and then cleaned. At the workplace of Fermont, they'd retrieved a blood-soaked silver bullet from underneath a drain in the freezer. From the look of how it'd been stashed, early guesses were that Pulpetto had barricaded himself inside after being wounded and left the evidence in hopes that it'd be found.

From those three clues, they could surmise numerous things. First, the Hunters were capturing their targets when they were isolated. Second, they were coming in teams large enough that Fermont hadn't had a hope of escaping. Third, they were primarily using silver weaponry. Fourth, they were initially aiming to injure instead of kill. Fifth, inside their home, inside their work, in their car, and even in the subway car for Venice Row, the enemies' preference was to attack when their target felt safe. Sixth, they were organized and numerically strong enough to have cleaners. That meant that they probably also attacked in numerically overwhelming numbers. Seventh, they were armored against psychic attacks. Eighth, sight, smell, aura, and sound, they were able to remove their presence in the senses of both vampires and humans.

The seventh and eighth was an assumption, but ones that had the full backing of Xanxus' intuition. It was the only explanation he had for the lack of struggle and the relatively short intervals that some of the attacks had to take place in. The victims had been taken completely unaware. This wasn't some chump operation that had been thrown together at the last minute. These Hunters were prepared and trained far better than anything that Xanxus could hope to gather on such short notice. Hell, even after eight weeks, the best that they had to offer was still missing some of the star hitmen who were unwilling to trade in their loyalty to their Families for the loyalty to their blood.

All of that together made him into one hell of an underdog. It was a serious enough situation that he'd called in for some extra armaments from their financial benefactors. Guns, armor, antidotes, and every other thing that he could think of. He'd even went out on a limb and made the basic outlines for the production of counter-measures. He'd never really thought of himself as a creator before, but this wasn't something that duck tape could fix. He had no choice but to get smarter or die and he wasn't the type to go down quietly. After all, he had to live long enough to make Tsuna realize how much of an asshole he was.

"For someone who claims that he's straight, you sure think of Van a lot," Cheri teased as she slipped into the shower behind him. Xanxus snarled and decided that she could freeze since he'd be damned if he shared the hot water with her. "Just admit it, Xerxes," she added as she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her bare chest against his back. "You're worried about him. It's not like you're alone. I'm worried, too. They're wiping us out one person at a time and one werewolf has already been taken. Even our attempts at sending out bait has failed and the Echo team is gone without a trace. No one wants to say it out loud, but we're losing. We need the support that the Families aren't giving us."

"You should learn to shut your trap once in a while," he growled, bowing his head under the stream of water in hopes that it'd wash away the words. He already knew it and was telling it to himself. He didn't need her yapping it at him, too. He also didn't need her lips against his shoulder blades and her hands trailing across his chest, but he also had to deal with that. The saddening part was that he couldn't find it in himself to refuse her. How could he when he completely understood how she was feeling? They were being hunted and haunted by death incarnate. There was a zero-percent survivor rate so far in going up against these enemies and one of the victims had been a seven hundred year old full-blood vampire who'd been the hidden pride of Europe's fighters. Both of them were young, immature and green in comparison. He'd have to be an complete idiot not to feel the same fear that was making Cheri crave the passion of life.

Slowly turning in place to meet her in acceptance of what they both wanted, he took a moment to take in the vulnerable glaze of her eyes. Such eyes weren't meant to be on such a strong woman and he was well aware of how strong Cheri was after eight weeks of sparring with her as equals. But they were vulnerable and he only had one way to respond. Pulling her into the water with him, he once more rose to the challenge of making a strong woman scream and she put her arms around him fearlessly.

He couldn't remember when it'd started. Whether it'd be their third week together or their fourth, the days of continuous bad news had begun to fray both of them. Her investigations were fruitless, giving only minor clues that told them how bad the situation was without giving them enough information to move on. His strategies for recon and raids were wasted in failed trap after failed trap. They were both fighting an enemy that they couldn't find and wisely wasn't willing to show themselves. She had no one to turn to and he was just a leftover slice of a bigger pie. Reacting differently didn't seem possible in such circumstances.

Cheri gasped his name as he pinned her to the shower wall and only his training kept him from uttering anything other than her codename in return. Despite her well-defined muscles from daily training, her body was soft under his hands. Yet, he didn't gentle his touch. Not with Cheri. Being with her was completely unlike anyone else that he'd ever slept with. Unlike Tsuna's rough, masculine skin, Cheri's heated flesh was still soft and supple. However, she was also unlike normal women in the fact that she wasn't fragile. He didn't have to worry about bruises and wounds with her. No matter what he did, she was perfectly fine after feeding off the afterglow aura of their exertions. He'd tried being careful with her at first, but he now knew that to be unnecessary. Cheri preferred it when he didn't hold back, therefore he didn't.

Foreplay only lasted as long as it took to hike her legs up to his hips and thrust into her. She let out a gutteral moan at the penetration, but he didn't stop until he was completely embedded. Her nails dug into his back as he continued to thrust deeply into her and one thought surfaced that he knew was going to haunt him for a long time to come. That thought slipped past his training and out of his lips before it could be fully formed, causing both of them finish early and stutter to a stop in shock.

"Did you... just..." she panted in askance.

"I'm not sure," he admitted breathlessly, pressing his head to the wall over her shoulder while he tried to think in a dizzying rush. "It just came out. I didn't--"

"What the hell," she flippantly agreed as she tightened her arms around his neck to pull him into another kiss. Xanxus choked at her words and pulled back before they could embrace. Staring at her in wonder, he considered the possibility that the pressure of their jobs had made her go insane. He also considered drugs, alien abduction, and divine intervention, but nothing seemed extraordinary enough to explain the reply. Upon seeing his flabbergasted expression, hers softened and she leaned back against the shower wall with a nonchalance that only she was capable of while being in such an exposed position.

"Is it so hard to believe?" She asked. "You're not an ugly man, Xerxes. It's true that you don't pull your punches, but it's not like you punch indiscriminately like you used to. This is a new life for both of us. I could see myself partnering with you for it. I know that I can't compete with you-know-who, but it's not like I'd be jealous when you two are just fuck-buddies. Even if you love him, he's not exclusive to you and there's no reason that you have to stay exclusive in return. You deserve to have someone that's just yours this time around. I have no problem being that. It's just up to you whether you want to say that you were serious or not."

"I--" Xanxus froze and instantly came to the understanding of what 'cold feet' was really all about. Did he really want to marry Cheri? He'd never considered marrying anyone before, but he'd be a fool not to acknowledge that they were made for each other. She had the fortitude to withstand him at his worse and a thirst for battle that couldn't be competed with. He had the strength to match her and the will not to be dominated. For both of them, this might be the one and only chance to have a taste of married life. For him specifically, this also might be the only chance that he had in regards to an heir of his own. It wasn't as if unbreakable women who didn't grate his nerves were raining down for him to choose from. "Yeah," he finally answered, surprising himself as much as her with his answer. "I was fucking serious."

"Really...?" Cheri asked as her whole face slowly lit up. "Does that mean that I'm not trash?"

"I'll start personalizing your insults," he replied mischievously. "How does soul-sucking harpy sound?"

"Not bad coming from a bull-headed pig," she retorted grudgingly. The words made him want to kiss her, which he did while he tried to confirm that he was awake and in reality. He also tried to figure out what he was supposed to do next. Dating and romance wasn't his forte. It seemed impossible that he was actually engaged as easily as that, although nothing felt different. She still kissed him with the same hunger as before and his body still reacted to her touch with the same internal tremors.

For the rest of the evening, their bodies stayed joined as they reaffirmed to each other that his proposal and her acceptance hadn't been imagined. Once the hot water ran out in the shower, they explored every inch of their rented room and every angle of the single bed. Every time that he thought that they were finally going to stop, an absent minded caress from him or a careless lick from her would trigger another round. It was total madness that neither of them could break free of until they were both matted with sweat and drained to the point of exhaustion.

Since sleep wasn't an option due to the danger, they both took turns in crawling to the shower. The hot water followed by a cold spray was just what he needed to refresh himself so that he could get redressed. Cheri was right behind him, prepared almost faster than he was so that they could head out the door in unison. Leaving wasn't particularly wanted after their exertions, but it was necessary. They both needed energy and a meal wasn't going to walk through the door on its own. Allowing themselves to stay depleted was equal to suicide when they might have to fight at any moment.

As they walked down the street, he and Cheri both began to count to themselves in a quiet race. Their costumes gained an incredible amount of attention and it seemed to be twice as much as usual due to how Cheri comfortably hooked her arm around his while they walked. For those that glanced at them with wide eyes or blushes, Cheri got a point and a bite to eat. For those that looked at them as if they were freaks or fools, Xanxus got his point and a nice chunk of energy. Those that were too distracted to notice them or averted their eyes after a glance were off-limits. So was anyone prepubescent, ill, or with grey hairs. Only healthy adults in their prime who acknowledged their existence were fed from in passing.

Their game ended while Cheri was in the lead due to a pedestrian that rudely rammed past her and nearly knocked her off her feet. Cheri yelled after him in demand of an apology, but the man completely ignored her. Xanxus wasn't willing to let it go and simply grumble under his breathe like she did. How could he when someone had offended the woman who was willing to be his wife?

"Oh no," Cheri gasped as the pedestrian stumbled dizzily in warning of Xanxus' revenge. The man foolishly tried to brush it off and continued his attempt to jaywalk across a busy street, but Xanxus wasn't done with him. Xanxus didn't stop draining him until he finally dropped from sudden exhaustion in front of an oncoming taxi cab. Cheri twitched next to him in awe that her partner would go so far, but Xanxus didn't pause for an instant.

"He should have watched where he was going," Xanxus grinned cruely as the screech of tires and an witness' scream filled the air.

"You didn't have to kill him," Cheri said with a scowl as they hurriedly walked out of the area.

"I didn't," he replied in perfect logic. "The taxi did." Cheri glanced up at him knowingly for a moment before rolling her eyes at his attempt to dodge the blame. Her reaction made him smile even more and relax from where he'd subconsciously tensed in preparation of her response. She really was made for him by being a hitman first and a woman second. It made him realize that there was nothing that he could do that would be considered 'crossing the line' with her. She'd been a Mafioso, assassin for hire, and even a Vendiche. She presumably had as much field experience as he did and possibly in larger doses. Although she looked like a young vixen next to him, she was already hardened more than most twenty year veterans. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Xanxus asked with a glance down at where she was still occasionally nibbling on the auras of passerby.

"Do you have to ask?" She asked with a crooked smile. He felt as if he were hypnotized by the swirling blue whirlpools that met his gaze and he knew without a doubt what she was thinking.

It was a perfect night to spar.

* * *

Xanxus splashed a handful of cold water on his face and wondered to himself if he'd gone insane. He was engaged. When he'd been going to therapy, he remembered laughing in White's face when she asked if he was willing to open himself to relationships. Proposing wasn't even the mind-numbing part for him, though. It was her acceptance that he still couldn't comprehend. He didn't have a loser complex or anything, but what the hell did she see in him? After eight weeks of being forced together, she should have been ready to strangle him instead of marry him!

He honestly wasn't sure of what he should do now. A wedding really wasn't his thing and his planning abilities ended as soon as the subject went off artillery and troop movements. She really didn't seem like the type to want to settle down, but this kind of casual agreement didn't seem right. He'd decided to stop half-assing his choices once he made them, so where did this leave him in this situation? As he'd taken to doing lately when he felt lost, he closed his eyes and visualized his bouquet. He was simple. He was straightforward. He left all the confusion in the layers below the surface and determine a single direction to put all of his visible effort into.

He had it. He needed to get her a ring. A wedding date, ceremony, vows, and all the other bullshit didn't matter. It'd happen when it happened. If he got her a ring, it'd feel solid and he could stop thinking about it entirely. Cheri didn't seem like the frivolous type, but she was still a woman. He'd asked in the heat of the moment, so she probably had the same doubts that he did about the whole situation. One way or another, he had to do something to settle the matter. Whether he told her that it had been a mistake and to forget it or whether he told her that it was something that he was serious about trying, he couldn't leave things hanging in the air like he was. Loose ends tended to cause accidents at the worst possible moments.

"We're going to Venice Row," Xanxus called from the bathroom.

"What for?" Cheri called back. Xanxus wiped his face off with a dry towel and went back into the main room. Snatching up their hats, he tossed Cheri's at her and glared. They were a two-man team. Leaving each other alone for even a moment was impossible.

"Don't ask so many fucking questions," he growled. She smirked at his response and stayed silent, making him flinch internally. She'd learned when to humor him and the fact left him silently cursing women's intuition.

Since he'd specified a Mafia-related destination instead of a dinner stroll, Cheri refrained from walking arm-in-arm with him. Instead, they traveled as fully alert vampires with an assignment would. That meant rooftops, full speed, and the last one to the subway had to pay the liquor tab for the night. The race wasn't for fun, however. It was a countermeasure to minimize the amount of time that Hunters could attack them in. They had no choice but to go slow when they were feeding so they didn't attract attention. Otherwise, they traveled as quickly as they could with their senses at high alert.

Heading into the closest subway station, he became aware of his ability to trust Cheri. Under normal circumstances, he always felt the need to keep watch behind himself. If Cheri had been anyone else, that need to look behind himself would have increased out of suspicion. Cheri was Cheri, though. Although they'd been together for such a short time, he was completely confident that she would allow nothing past her and there was no suspicion that she'd be the one to attack him. If that wasn't love, then he had no clue what was.

The process of getting onto the transport for Venice Row was the same as it'd been since Mafia Row had been abandoned. A swipe of his current MIC to validate his identification and the doors to the last car opened for both of them to enter through. Both of them kept their guard up once they were inside, seeing that there were already two other passengers on-board. Knowing that Livetti had been taken after reaching the transport, acting out of paranoia was permissible. Therefore, they stayed standing with their backs to each other in the middle of the car until it arrived at the hidden destination.

Venice Row had improved since his last visit, although most of the upgrades were small things. The unloading platform was better lit and the strips of lighting going down the wide tunnels had doubled. The water-filled canals that were the closed-off remnants of an old subway line had also been upgraded. The water wasn't purposefully murky like it used to be in effort to keep people from diving in. Instead, someone had modified it so that it was a clear-water river with eye-catching plant life, marine life, and fountains. Xanxus had to raise his eyebrows at the flowering showers of water between every other bridge, appreciating how the sound created more privacy for conversations while also filtering the water. He also had to raise his eyebrow at the fully visible subway tracks still running through the re-purposed basin. It wasn't exactly to his taste, but he was aware of how artistic it seemed.

The last improvement was in the air. It hadn't been stagnant before due to unseen air purifiers, humidity controls, and temperature controls, but he could actually feel a cool breeze now. The breeze was set at the perfect level with the temperature so that it was refreshing instead of chilling or chapping. He was more appreciative of it for another reason, though. His sense of smell wasn't being plagued with more than what aromas were fresh nearby.

Leaving Cheri to guard his back once more, Xanxus stopped in front of a map station to see what might have changed with the stores available. A glance told him that very little had changed with the parts that he actually gave a damn about. Pink's was still in place, as was Ladyfingers, Short Fuse, Bob's Weapon Tuning, and Poppy's Hair Salon. One of the old clothing stores had become a Namahage brand outlet while the armor store was still under the same name. Two of the jewelry stores had been replaced with something else, but he was relieved to see that his planned destination was still around. Deadly Treasures was sure to have something that would suit a woman like Cheri.

Giving Cheri a glance to tell her that they were moving again, he didn't have to warn her of how. Part of their job was to be the faces of the Olympus Foundation, which meant that they had to attract attention. It was a side hope that a Hunter would see them and latch onto them as targets, but the likelihood was low when easier targets were available. With how flawlessly they'd been working so far, the Hunters wouldn't make a mistake like that. They were leaving the strongest for last and whittling away at their reinforcements. Even so, they had the small vestiges of hope which relied on showing their abilities in the open.

Simply walking through Venice Row wasn't good enough. Using small bursts of speed, they flickered their way through it. Only the best of hitman who trained their eyes on a regular basis could hope to follow his and Cheri's movements. They would instantly move at full thrust, seeming to disappear from the eyes of onlookers. Then they'd come to a calm and instantaneous stop on a bridge to look at the fish or in front of a display window to make a comment on the price, terrifying the people around them due to the sudden presence. They never showed that they were doing it on purpose, though. To the eyes of those watching, it was as if they were teleporting from one place to another like they did it all the time.

"Xerxes," Cheri snapped in warning of an unplanned stop. Smelling what she was, he nodded and they both flickered into view to stare at the entrance of a new Venice Row outlet. With a single traded glance, they knew that they had to investigate. Not only was there the tang of their kind coming from inside, but one of the mannequins in the display window was wearing a silver wolfhead earring. On the surface, the Fuzzy Biscuit seemed like another gothic novelty and clothing store. The clothing on the racks were primarily black, pre-ripped, and accessorized with metal. In a few cases, superfluous straps or unneeded lacing was dominant instead. Surprisingly, the selection of boots were right up his alley since they were heavy, thick leather with plenty of tricks built in. He didn't plan to buy, though. Like Cheri, he only looked around in effort to find the source of the scents.

"Back room," Cheri mumbled under her breathe with a glance at a door next to the check-out counter. Xanxus nodded and casually wandered around for several more moments to ensure that he hadn't missed anything. The merchandise all seemed pretty standard, however. From cigarette cases to the store's selection of gothic jewelry.... From perfumes to the stationary sets... Everything seemed to be meant for normal humans who had a taste for over-dramatized darkness.

He waited until the store's single customer bought something and left before attempting to speak to the solitary clerk. An attempt was all he got. Before he could say more than three words, the man pressed a finger over his lips and gestured for them to follow. Xanxus was instantly suspicious since he couldn't get a scent off the man. Knowing that Cheri was behind him, he still followed and he was rewarded for doing so. They were led into the back room that was the very goal and shut inside by themselves. Yet, this wasn't a reason to be upset. This was actually a reason to be very happy since the smells became three times as strong when a door at the back of the room opened to a stairwell as the front door was sealed.

Xanxus felt himself locking his jaw to keep from gaping as he and Cheri hesitantly descended the stairs to find a underground private club waiting. Not just a club, he amended. It was a mixture of club, sales floor, and restaurant and all of it was catering to vampires. Vampires and werewolves, he amended again as he caught sight of a silver earring on one of the patrons. He had to pause and simply look around to take everything in for a moment. What he could see throughout the dim club was nothing like what he expected from the entrance above.

The smell of freshly dug earth permeated the air strongly enough that the place smelled like a graveyard, yet he found that understandably wanted with the mouthwatering scents hovering in the air. Considering how new the place was, Xanxus was positive that the white silk curtains were hiding unfinished walls behind them. White wasn't the only color in the room, however. A heavy oak bar was the centerpiece of the area and Xanxus' eyes allowed him to read enough labels at a distance to know that the majority of what was offered was different varieties of blood wine.

Around the bar were oversized birdcages hanging from the ceiling, holding what Xanxus hoped was volunteer blood slaves. All of the slaves were completely nude, although they'd each been given a silk sheet of a different pastel color to wrap around themselves. Some of them were resting with the sheet wrapped around them for warmth while others were using them for erotic dances in hopes of tempting one of the club's members into a purchase.

At some of the tables, meals were being served by waiters and waitresses who were just as scantily clad as the rest. All of them were the same, wearing the sheets as if they were short togas. Xanxus got to see one of the reasons for the choice of uniform as one blood slave stripped after setting down his customer's meal and laid himself out across the center of the table to _become_ part of the meal. At other tables, blood slaves were presenting carts of merchandise for perusal while the patrons sipped on wine or smoked cigars as their tastes dictated. And finally, at other tables, people were simply relaxing and listening to the throbbing music coming from the overhead speakers while enjoying their purchases, regardless of what type of purchase had been made.

"Would you like a booth or a table?" A gentle voice asked. Xanxus turned his attention to the speaker and felt the need to raise his eyebrow at the person. No matter how toga-like she'd wrapped her sheet, her chest was falling out and her rear was almost completely exposed. She was a fully mature woman, yet she was wearing the silver shackles of a blood slave. It was odd because women of her quality usually had a specific Master to serve. "Is this your first time here?" She asked with a shy blush for Xanxus' open appraisal.

"It'll be his last if he doesn't put his eyes back in his head," Cheri growled from behind him. Xanxus grimaced at the warning and glanced over to his fiance to find her with a face full of amusement instead of anger. Biting down on his tongue, he glared at her for her teasing while grumbling internally at himself for falling for it. Cheri wasn't the type to get jealous. The only thing that he could probably do to make her mad would be to steal her target. "We'll take a booth and a moment of time with the owner," she added.

"Right away, Madame," the woman agreed with a delicate curtsey. With efficiency, she led them to an empty booth in the back of the club that was draped with enough silk that it felt secluded even though they weren't. The silk was useful in blocking out the auras of the other patrons and in holding back their own. Even so, his and Cheri's scents gained a lot of appreciative attention in passing. Vampires lifted their heads and gave tilted nods of acknowledgement toward them. The few werewolves present licked their lips and politely covered their noses until they were past so as not to allow themselves the temptation. All of them had quiet gleams of consideration in their eyes.

At the table itself, they were presented with two menus and a flipbook to share. The menu was straight-forward, being a list of basic meals for their physical stomachs and a drink menu. On the other hand, the flipbook was something that wouldn't be found anywhere else. The first page held a warning: "Do not eat the menu." It was confusing until he looked through the rest of the book. The rest of the book was a catalogue of blood slaves with pictures, physical statistics, and a slip of specially-made paper with a drop of blood on it so that customers could see and smell the energy of what they were ordering. There was even prices listed for each one, such as $50/oz Seasoning, $100 Companion, $200 Companion Platter, $300 Full Service Buffet, although the actual prices varied depending on the popularity of the slave in question. To order 'seasoning' from one of them was to get their blood mixed into his meal. To order a 'companion' was to get that person to sit with him through his meal and be permitted to nibble off of him. The 'companion platter' was the upgraded form that he'd seen where they laid out on the table and accepted whatever was done to them. As for the Full Service Buffet, Xanxus assumed that the blood slave did whatever he or she was ordered to do.

Considering the location, the menu didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would. That was, it didn't until he got to the back of the book. When he reached the place where the blood slaves had 'werewolf' marked in the physical statistics and there were a few even marked 'vampire', he froze in disbelief. Regardless of whether they were turned blood slaves or fallen brethren, it seemed impossible that someone who'd been turned would have so little pride. Even Aster didn't do some things in public, yet here were a half dozen who were willing to in exchange for the same price that the human blood slaves were receiving!

"Van Wolfe is changing what's socially acceptable."

Xanxus' attention snapped up from the menu at the sudden arrival of the owner, but he relaxed at the mere sound of her voice. He should have known that there was more to the Fuzzy Biscuit Biscuit than a simple blood bar and Neve's presence explained it. Her internet blood bank was becoming standard knowledge in their society and something as illegal as that needed both a secure operating base and Mafia support. Remembering the store above, he could tell that Longchamp had a hand in making the place operational.

"Welcome to the Venice Nexus House," Neve added as she slipped into the booth next to him. "I was planning on inviting you two to come for dinner after things calmed down, but it looks like you found me first. I presume the scent markers around the entrance attracted you?"

"It was hard to miss," Cheri answered as she flipped back through the book. "Does Van know about this?"

"It was his idea," she said with a soft giggle. "Well, not the style, but the location and the basic services were his. With the Nexus Houses and the Sanctuaries closed down, he thought it would be the perfect timing to open a place where vampires and werewolves could meet as equals. I just put my own touch on all of it. Van is far too prudish to give people what they really want."

Xanxus' eyes widened at the description. It was the first time that he'd ever heard that word in reference to Tsuna, but Cheri didn't seem surprised. After a moment, he realized that he shouldn't be, either. Tsuna's reputation wasn't like him at all. He wasn't one to hold back in private, but public depravity crossed his acceptance level. At least, it used to. There were a few times as Lazarus that Tsuna had surprised him. It was possible that he'd changed and Neve wasn't aware of the fact, which was possible with the small amount that the vampiress had taken part in Tsuna's day-to-day activities.

Time seemed to pass slowly while Neve filled them in on everything that the Venice House had to offer. They placed orders for their meals while she talked and Cheri went the extra mile to pick out a blood slave for them to share. Neve first explained about the vampires and werewolves on the menu. As she'd already said before, Tsuna was changing what was socially acceptable. What she'd meant by that was that their society was beginning to divide vertically instead of horizontally. Van's placement on the Council didn't allow for the horizontal division anymore. He was a werewolf, but he was socially higher than Guardian-level Vampires like Xanxus. It made everyone have to rethink how they decided on social classes since blood could no longer be the determining factor. The only option was to divide by strength, which allowed werewolves to place higher in socially than they'd previously been allowed. However, this also allowed weaker vampires to fall into the void between blood slave and tainted that strong werewolves had been filling.

In other words, a weak vampire no longer got special treatment just because of the vampiric marker in his or her blood. They could still rise up through accomplishments, but many of them had given up entirely. Some had even offered to take the same path as Aster, offering their services to someone stronger in order to stay protected in these troubled times. The vampires and werewolves on the menu were the ones who had been unable to find a Master and were too cowardly to go outside by themselves anymore. They were there out of choice, so the patron vampires had no room to complain that their own kind were on the menu.

Physical and spiritual meals weren't all that the Venice House had to offer, however. One by one, Neve called over the sales-slaves to show off what they were peddling. Some of it was luxury items, such as energy-scented handkerchiefs, vials of 'seasoning', and blood pendants. Others were supplies such as booster pills, blood gum, and some kind of cream puff that was dripping with almost as much energy as a full human. There was also a range of goods that Nevel claimed Tsuna had uncovered in his travels. Those were scent-erasing bath supplies, mote containment devices, and a plant called Werenip that worked as the opposite of catnip. Rather than releasing inhibitions, the plant's affects on vampires and werewolves was to increase mental fortitude. The only side effect was addiction on the same level as nicotine. But the selection that really caught their attention was the presentation of Hunter countermeasures and exorcist tools that were displayed as 2X-Products.

"They're all yours," Neve confirmed with a small smirk for his dumbfounded expression. "Lord Nephriam's been selling your blueprints to Mistress Drake and Mistress Drake has been mass producing them. They've been flying off the shelves. Everyone's waiting to see what you come up with next."

Xanxus didn't know how to respond when Neve started saying that he was revolutionizing the industry. However, Cheri did. Before Xanxus could wrap his head around the sudden knowledge that he was gaining a reputation as a Weapons Inventor, Cheri ensured that they were planning to give Xanxus all of the money that he had coming to him. Then she personally inspected each and every sample to ensure that they lived up to the quality that she felt his creations deserved. Finally, she snapped him out of his silence by demanding that he get upset over the scent of incense in his smoke grenades.

"It's fine," he disagreed after looking the sample over for himself. "Patchouli is different from what I use, but it's more widely recognized. As long as it's made fresh and the energy in it is dense enough...." Xanxus glanced up from the grenade to find Cheri smirking at him again. "I give up," he groaned in resignation, tossing the grenade back to the salesman blood slave. "You got me."

"Then you'll invent more?" Cheri asked with her whole face lighting up. Xanxus was saved from having to make a promise thanks to the arrival of their meal, but he got a sinking feeling as Cheri's choice of blood slave set down their plates. It was the same voluptuous woman who'd greeted them at the entrance. It became even easier to appreciate her curves as the sheet dropped from her body and she crawled onto the table, laying herself out comfortably in preparation of their combined attention. Xanxus sat back in his seat and kept his hands to himself as two sets of eyes came to rest on him. This had to be entrapment of some sort, but he wasn't sure what the plan was. "How's this for a date?" Cheri asked mischievously, reaching out to tease the living tidbit's chest. "This is what you call a dinner and a show. No?"

"Are you doing this shit on purpose?" He asked as he turned his attention to the steak on his plate. More than the woman, the cooked food smelled delicious. Everything that he'd ordered was the best that the restaurant had to offer and what the restaurant had was easily superior to the food served at the exquisite Red Moon Restaurant and their mother store, the Blue Moon.

"Yes," she replied softly, making him pause in the middle of a cut. "You deserve better than the trash that you've been eating. You haven't been complaining since field rations always taste like shit, but there's no reason for you to have to choke it down when there are alternatives." Xanxus slowly looked up, feeling as if every word was an individual punch to his gut. It was the exact opposite of what Tsuna had said when Xanxus had first been turned. It was the exact same as what Xanxus had tried to explain to him, but had still been admonished endlessly about. Such was the difference between Tsuna and Cheri. Where Tsuna had held out to force him to eat shit, Cheri was determined to feed him only the best morsels. Her consideration made him say a set of words that he never thought would come out of his mouth.

"You first," he offered while he tried to wrestle down the beast inside himself. He wasn't supposed to be happy like this, yet she kept doing things that Tsuna would have never done. Where Tsuna had tamed him, Cheri wanted him wild. It was inconceivable, but she accepted the parts of him that he'd been keeping under tight control. He... He didn't have to try with her. He could just be himself and she was okay with that. She wasn't trying to change him. She wasn't trying to make him better. In matter of fact, she was doing everything in her power to tell him that he could stop holding back. It made him want to ask where she'd been all his life, but he knew the answer. She'd been hiding behind a Vendiche uniform. Not that it mattered anymore. She was all his now.

"I hate to break up the cozy mood that you two have going," Neve said as he sat back from his meal with his voracious appetite sated for the moment. "But I have some news that you might be interested in hearing. Mistress Nadia has informed me that a vampire under her watch is showing signs of paranoia."

"There's nothing strange about that," Cheri replied as she turned picked up the blood slave's arm to test the taste. "A lot of vampires are paranoid right now."

"Not Urian," Neve objected. "He should be the last vampire to be paranoid. His senses are top-notch and he's well-protected, so only a real threat could shake him. Well, you should know better than me since you started out as a Vongola."

"I don't know anyone named Urian," Xanxus said with a shake of his head. "I didn't even know that there were vampires in Vongola outside of the Physician."

"There's not many," Neve replied around a sip of her wine. "They're probably aware of each other, but it's considered bad manners to acknowledge each other on that basis. The point is that Urian is Vongola and you know that a Vongola wouldn't speak up unless there was something to speak up about. It might be a long-shot, but I think you two should follow him for a while. If he's not just jumping at shadows, this could be our only chance to catch a Hunter in the act."

"Is this an order from the Council?" Cheri asked bluntly. Neve paused, considering her answer carefully. As a Councillor, she did have the right to give them orders. However, sending them on a fruitless assignment could waste valuable time.

"Yes," she finally said, straightening up with an air of dignity. "You can consider this an order from the Council. Follow Urian until you've determined the nature of the threat that he's sensing. After that, I'll leave the course of action in your hands."

"We'll need more than the name Urian," Xanxus warned. "If he didn't show up at Rome, then I haven't met him."

"You've met him," she corrected nonchalantly. "But you were human at the time and he's quite good at integrating. Look for a Vongola named Bradley--"

"Bradley?" Xanxus interrupted in surprise. "He's one of us?"

"You should say that you're one like him," Neve corrected with a troubled frown. "He's got a few hundred years on you, Xerxes. I pulled some strings and got his history from Mistress Nadia. He was a Vongola mechanic in the Eighth's day and he was already a vampire by the time he got on the Council's radar. He was killed in a raid and his wife was murdered with him, but she wasn't as lucky as he was since she was human. He spent eighty years in hibernation after that. In this life, he had a troubled start, but I believe that it was his plan to become a chef. I think you know what happened from there."

"Ah," Xanxus nodded in confirmation. "Tsuna found him, which means that I can't ignore him. Leave it to us. If he's not imagining things, we'll catch the bastards hunting him."

"Just do it before Vongola does," Neve added coldly as she stood from her uneaten meal. "I doubt that the Eleventh likes the idea that some of his people are answering to two different powers, but we've got seniority. The Hunters are _our _enemies, Xerxes. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Xanxus agreed with a slow grin of anticipation. He could read between the lines. She'd just given him carte blanche to do whatever he needed to in order to secure their target, assuming the target was present. If that was the case, there were two little weapons that had been crying to be dusted off. He'd sent for them when he'd reached Rome, but they'd been sitting in their cases due to how easily recognizable they were. "Let's go," he ordered. Slipping out of the booth, they left the remains of their meal to be cleaned up and salvaged by someone else.

Once they were back in the main thoroughfare of Venice Row, Xanxus didn't forget his original goal. Cheri didn't know that there was anything else, though. She thought that the Fuzzy Biscuit and the Venice House underneath was the reason for their trip. Xanxus took much amusement in the moment when she found out differently. They both took their first flicker-step at the same moment, but in opposite directions. Xanxus smiled at her as they stopped twenty yards apart on separate bridges, letting her know that he had something more planned than just lunch.

She automatically moved to reunite with him, but he moved once more while she was in motion. Again, they both stopped twenty yards apart and Cheri pressed her lips together in amusement for Xanxus' game of cat and mouse. He allowed it to repeat several more times. Cheri would move to where she saw him standing and he'd move ahead to the next pause. Then he surprised her by not moving, causing her to gasp audibly when she nearly ran into him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She finally exploded in frustration. "We don't have time for--" Xanxus grinned when he checked to see if a kiss was still affective in silencing a woman. It was effective enough that Cheri was shocked into blushing and stunned into staying still while he darted into Deadly Treasures. It didn't take long to find what he wanted. Rings holding rat poison weren't Cheri's style and neither was Piano wire. He considered the rings with micro-explosive charges, but the ring that he had in mind fit her so much better. It was called a Yellow Jacket. Although the design looked like a simple, unadorned band made up of gold, it was actually made up of two layers. The outer layer was a casing that could be removed in order to expose a stinger that was covered in a toxic agent. This agent, once injected into a target through a punch, would make the target rampage. It was just the thing for a fighting-crazed woman like Cheri.

Upon stepping outside with his purchase, her smirk told him that she'd figured out his intentions. Therefore, there was no point in making a big deal about giving it to her. He simply tossed her the box holding the only token of affection that she'd probably ever receive and started heading down the walkway toward the exit in a normal fashion. Cheri was right behind him, slipping the ring on her finger with a hearty laugh and a complete lack of the squealing that other girls would have been prone to. She did speed up her pace so that they were side-by-side and she did show her admiration for his choice of ring, but the fuss was over long before they reached the subway again.

He considered stopping in at Pink's to see if she would recognize him, but he knew that it was a bad idea. Pink was part of Tsuna's plans, so Tsuna was the one that needed to contact her first. He was also tempted to stop in at Ladyfingers just to make a scene. He'd practically been laughed out of the place during his last visit, but he had a feeling that he'd be treated differently this time. After all, he--

"Xerxes," Cheri murmured, cutting straight into Xanxus' line of thought as they stepped onto the outgoing subway car. "I just had a thought. Actually, I had several thoughts. The first one was whether or not someone had replaced you with an illusion. The last one was... What if Livetti left the car early out of his own free will? He could have jumped out before it reached Venice Row and no one would know other than the Vendiche." Xanxus stood back-to-back with her as the car lurched into motion and he silently considered her train of thought. It was possible that someone had tricked Livetti with an illusion. Illusions didn't show up on camera under normal circumstances. Also, it was rare for someone to leave the subway car early, but it wasn't a first. If done correctly, the Vendiche wouldn't even be aware that there had been foul play since they couldn't be everywhere.

"He wouldn't even have to jump out," he replied in serious consideration of her theory. "The subway stops at several stations along the line between each detach, so they could have lured him into exiting at one of the other stations after he got on. An illusion of a voice or a scent would be enough to do that. If they imitated someone that Livetti wasn't supposed to know or someone he had a grudge against, he wouldn't have called anyone before jumping off."

"Agreed," Cheri said with a nod. "Livetti was a hitman. He wouldn't have been scared of a one-on-one, but there was no way for him to know that there was more than one waiting. How does this help us, though? There's at least three stops between where he got on and where the car detaches and they don't keep the security footage for more than a week."

"Then we don't investigate as hitman," he answered calmly as the lights inside their car flickered in warning that they were about to reattach with the main train. "We investigate as exorcists. Even if they took Livetti by surprise, they had to get his emotions worked up to get him off the train--"

"So it's possible that he left a mote or an energy trail behind!" Cheri exclaimed in excitement. "It's a long-shot since so much time has passed, but maybe..."

"Maybe we'll get lucky," he finished quietly.

* * *

Xanxus accepted a thermos of coffee from Cheri and tried not to feed from the foliage out of boredom. Three days had passed since their trip to Venice Row and they were completely out of luck. Even with their brilliant theory, there hadn't been a single speck of Livetti's residual energy within a two mile radius of the three possible subway stops. They'd even went into the subway lines themselves to see if he had gotten off while the train was moving, but there was no evidence left to find if he had. They'd known that it was a long-shot to begin with, but it'd still been hope and hope was a precious commodity with two more vampires missing in action.

They were currently following up on their other long-shot named Bradley. Xanxus felt that it was odd to be staking out Vongola Headquarters, but there was no other options. Bradley was inside and he held their only fragile lead. Xanxus didn't consider himself a religious man, but he'd actually prayed that Bradley hadn't been imagining things. It was the only thing that he could do since the estimated locations of their new crime scenes were as devoid of clues as all the previous locations. However, after three days of nothing but cold stake-outs and fruitless shadowing, even his morale was beginning to be drained. He couldn't remember when the last time was that he'd hit someone.

"Hit me," he mumbled to his partner. Cheri's response was immediate, vicious, and painful. "I take it that you don't want kids," he coughed with a groan for her choice of target.

"I like your mouth better than your dick," she replied with a satisfied growl. Xanxus grimaced at the blow to his pride, but he didn't give Cheri the fight that she was asking for. She was just as frustrated as he was after three days of nothing but bad news. The only reason that neither of them had snapped yet was due to two things. The first was that he was occasionally letting her have free shots to release pent up tension like the one that she'd just gotten. The second was that he'd taken to hunting for their meals to get rid of his own stored aggression.

Even with the purposeful management of their emotions, Xanxus figured that he could only last another day before blowing up at something. From the look of how quickly Cheri was starting to scowl again, she had less than twelve hours. Something had to break soon before their tempers did.

"Past or present," Cheri whispered conversationally while they watched a patrol continue around the Vongola Headquarters that was a quarter mile away. "If you could kill anyone in the world, who would it be?"

"Stupid fucking question," he replied as he carefully sipped his coffee. "I'd kill the pieces of trash that I'm sitting in a fucking tree because of."

"Anyone else?" She prompted with a grudging smile.

"I wouldn't mind sending Mukuro to hell," he admitted. "You?"

"Van," she answered without twitching an eyelid. Xanxus looked at her out of the corner of his eye, curious as to whether she was serious or joking. "I know I can't for a dozen different reasons, but I've wanted to since high school," she added in a serious tone. "I know that he didn't have a choice and I know that I'm supposed to have forgiven him, but he killed the first guy I ever loved. There's times that I want to claw his heart out for what happened to Jack, but I always stop since I know that Van suffers more by staying alive."

"Is that why you're with me?" Xanxus asked quietly. "To get back at him?"

"Don't be stupid," she hissed. "I don't need you to get to him if that's what I chose to do. Do you think I'd suffer through your attitude if I was just out for revenge?"

"No," he replied with a crooked smile. "You'd probably just walk up to him and knife him in the gut."

"Damn straight," she agreed with a firm nod. Then her eyes softened and she sent him a smile that sent something other than anger rumbling through his gut. "I love you. I love how you don't underestimate me because I'm a woman and I love how you respect my abilities without fearing them. I like how simple you can be in dealing with things. No fuss, no muss. And I like it best when you don't hold back. You're the first guy other than Hibari who sees me as a hitman first and a woman second. I've always known that I didn't want a picket fence and someone to come home to. I wanted to find someone that would watch my back without slowing me down and could travel the world with me. I never wanted a guy who could compliment my eyes. I wanted the guy who could compliment my finishing blow and... I think that you're it. I'll admit that I didn't expect this outcome when we got sent away without Van, but I'm glad it happened."

"Hmph," Xanxus said softly. Although he sounded mocking, he could see in Cheri's eyes that she understood his pride-filled form of acceptance. He might have even put words to it if not for the faint sound of trees shaking one at a time in a way that didn't herald a breeze.

Slapping the lid on his insulated thermos, he stowed in his coat to block out the heat signature and silently signaled for Cheri to flank left. Having heard the abnormal sound at the same time as him, she nodded and moved with brisk efficiency before the sound got close enough that a skilled human would have been able to catch it. While Xanxus flanked right and slid behind a tree out of the sound's path, he quickly analyzed everything that his senses could gather. It's movements weren't that of nocturnal wildlife, being too straight-forward for a sleek stalker and too stuttering for a quietly charging carnivore. The aura was too large to be anything less than a human while simply having an aura removed the possibility of machinery. Finally, as it got closer to his position, Xanxus noticed the smell of persimmons and crab apples. That ruled out a Hunter and the only thing left was a highly trained human without anti-vampiric equipment.

Xanxus knew that their top priority was watching over Bradley in absolute secrecy, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face when a glimpse allowed him to identify their intruder. He had no idea why Lussuria was there unless Vongola had put the Varia on patrol duties. Fortunately, he didn't particularly care, either. It was a golden opportunity that he couldn't let pass. Maybe it was the increasing pressure of the Hunters that made him act as rashly as Tsuna in front of an abused orphan, but he wasn't going to let a little thing like reasoning get in the way of what he wanted to do.

"He's mine," Xanxus whispered, knowing that his voice would be transmitted to Cheri via the communicators in their collars. Although he kept his voice down, Lussuria was as sharp as ever. He was moving almost before Xanxus was. Unfortunately for him, Xanxus was faster. He was able to get clear of his old position before Lussuria circled the tree with a fist punching empty air. While he stared at the area in surprise at the lack of enemy, Xanxus came to a silent stop in the open behind him. Then he waited and watched while the frivolous assassin inspected the surroundings for clues.

Aware of the Varia's pride and their no-witness policy, he knew what to expect when Lussuria finally noticed him. They both began moving at once. Keeping his speed down to a level that Lussuria could follow, Xanxus led him away even further away from the Vongola mansion. He continued running until they were past the outer rim of Vongola's defense network and there was no fear of interruption. As soon as he reached the clearing that he'd been aiming for, he surged ahead to give himself space then came to an abrupt stop. When Lussuria caught up with him again, it was to find him waiting with his guard seemingly down.

"I love it when a man plays hard to get, but you're pushing my patience~," Lussuria said in an enthusiastic greeting. With a glance of consideration, he added, "If the Eleventh hired you to catch us, I'll have to thank him later. You're just my type~!"

"I'm not here because of that brat," Xanxus replied with his lip curling in disgust. "I'm here to teach you a fucking lesson. Try to live through it. I'm short-handed and it's pissing me off."

"Oooh~!" Lussuria exclaimed in excitement. "How quaint! You want to duel~! Why not? I could always use another groupie."

"I'm going to fucking kill you," Xanxus stated, his anger surging past rage into new heights that he hadn't recently acquainted himself with. Lussuria's expression twitched as he realized that he'd crossed a line that he shouldn't have. Whether it was out of partial recognition of the malice oozing out of Xanxus or his instinct as a hitman that was warning him that his doom was eminent, Lussuria even went so far as to take a step backward and raise his defenses.

"We don't have time to play around," Cheri admonished over their communicators. "Finish it quickly so we can get back on watch. You can terrorize him properly later." Feeling pressured and unable to hear Cheri's words, Lussuria leaped into an attack with his signature style. Xanxus parried absently, knowing that Lussuria was just testing the waters to start with.

"Che," he spat over Cheri's comment. It pissed him off that she'd interfere at a time like this, but she had a point. His anger at the Hunters superseded that of Lussuria. While beating the Varia was his ultimate goal to reclaim the respect due to him, the Hunters were an actual threat to his life. "Fine," he growled, sending Lussuria flying with an offhand slap. Lussuria landed gracefully and rushed forward for another whirlwind attack of elbows and knees, but he was still holding back too much to be a threat. "But you owe me," he added.

"I don't owe you shit!" Cheri snapped angrily. Despite himself, Xanxus smiled at the retort. Cheri resembled a viper more than a dainty butterfly. She kept her head low to the ground a lot, hissed aggressively when angry, and had one hell of a bite. More than returning to his watch, hearing her response made him want to heat her up and eat her. She was such a serious and determined woman.... most of the time.

"Let me enjoy this and I'll take you to Japan for our honeymoon," he bribed shamelessly.

"Sorry, honey~!" Lussuria exclaimed, mistaking himself as the recipient of the offer. Xanxus shot him a glare along with another punch that sent him flying, but he once more landed with grace. "I don't elope on the first date~!"

"Oh... uh, um... o-okay," Cheri spluttered as Lussuria rushed into combat with even more speed. "Take all the time that you want. I'll call you if--"

"If what?" He asked when she didn't finish. There was no response. Knowing that she wasn't the type to play games, Xanxus sent Lussuria flying a third time and actually moved from his position to let the fool know that his attention wasn't on the fight. Lussuria, already having the first vestiges of sweat on his brow, wisely stopped attacking and took a moment to recover his strength. Undoubtedly, having warmed up, he planned to launch a serious offensive. Xanxus had other things to worry about than the counter, though. "If you're there, you better fucking answer, bitch," Xanxus growled, tilting his chin down toward his communicator. Again, silence was his only reply. Glancing over at Lussuria, he decided that there wasn't time to play any games at all. Cheri didn't ever ignore communications, so something must have happened to her.

It would have been easier if Lussuria willingly allowed himself to be put on hold, but his pride wouldn't allow him to ignore an escaping opponent. Even so, Xanxus was still able to ignore him in return. Breaking through the foliage, he also ignored everything that stood in his way during his rush back to the place that Cheri should have been keeping watch from. When he finally entered the area that they'd used for a stake-out base, only his intuition saved him from having his head sliced off by a nearly invisible strand of silver wire. He dug his feet in and slid to a stop with the wire touching his throat in a spine-tingling way. Two steps backward allowed him breathing room and it only took a glance around to know that Cheri wasn't in the area. Her aura was completely gone, although whoever had taken her had left a nice web of surprises hanging from the trees for him.

Almost as if to tell him that he was too late and hope was lost, the quiet clouds overhead began weeping in a gentle shower. Xanxus took it in for a long moment while the sound of Lussuria catching up could be heard in the vegetation behind him. It was the sound of Lussuria's pursuit that snapped Xanxus awake before he could slip away into shocked resignation. That there was evidence in the very traps left behind meant two things. First, the enemy knew that Cheri wasn't alone. Second, they were scared of pursuit, which also meant that they were scared of being unable to escape in time. Two other things also rolled into Xanxus' awareness, leaving him with only one way to respond. The first was that the bastards had made him duck out of a fight with the idiot Lussuria, which was a blow to his own pride. The second was that the bastards dared to take his fiance while she was right under his nose.

His response was simple, unadultered rage. It bypassed the level of anger that Lussuria had instigated and flowed through him in an intoxicating wave. The rush made him feel so light. It made him feel so powerful. This was it, he remembered. He could feel it again. It wasn't a cheap imitation. It wasn't a half-assed anger. This was... Wrath. As his rage increased, he began to feel his control slipping and he purposely chose to let it. This was who he really was, after all. Holding back, manners and courtesy, humility, negotiation, pussy-foot investigating; none of that was him. That was what Tsuna had chained him with, but he currently felt free of those chains.

He felt free and those bastards had stolen something that was his.

The vegetation around him began dying at a rapid rate. The flowers and grass turned to ash in a mere moment as his sensory range increased. The trees began to wither and the air began to crackle from the energy overload in his body as he vamped the very earth of life. He faintly heard alarms ringing from the distant mansion, but he ignored it in order to pull out his two old friends. His X-Guns felt heavy in his hands after so long without them, but he now knew how important they really were to him. After all, destruction had always been a very nice way of burning off a large meal.

Keeping enough sense to not pull from anything other than the ground at his feet, he managed to avoid killing Lussuria in his ravaging of the land. Although, the dumbfounded look on Lussuria's face was amusing as the plants around him turned into dust that quickly became mud in the rain. Fifty yards away, his would-be opponent wisely fell to his knees in silent awe. That was the only thing that saved him as Xanxus began firing the dust off his X-Guns.

The area was quickly filled with evidence of his blind, wrath-filled rampage. He knew that, but the destruction that began exploding around him was worth it. Knowing that the kidnappers wouldn't have retreated toward the Vongola Mansion, Xanxus fired randomly through the forest. The trees that didn't get hit directly were lit on fire from the strength of his weapons, only to be snuffed out as his vamping turned the remains into ash first. Within ten seconds, the area of a football field was empty of all life except for Lussuria and himself. Within twenty seconds, it was the area of a football stadium. Within thirty seconds, the entire forested surroundings around the Vongola Headquarters was turned into burnt earth, steaming mud, and impact craters. Within forty-five seconds, the very rain was turned into steam before it could hit the ground and the warm air current from the fires spiraled the gentle rain into a maelstrom.

When he stopped firing and regained control of himself after a single minute, the only thing standing in a mile-wide stretch around him was Lussuria, the Vongola Mansion, and nearly a dozen fallen bodies. The bodies were at the furthest range of his sight, but he'd gotten them before they escaped.

"Never disobey me, scum," Xanxus ordered to the pale statue that was Lussuria, taking his lack of movement as the admittance of defeat. Uncaring if Lussuria agreed, he tucked his weapons into his coat and began walking. Unsurprisingly, the little twit was smart enough to scramble to his feet and follow in absolute silence. The weather began to calm once Xanxus was no longer unleashing his Wrath. Keeping an eye on the mansion behind him and the swarm of men already rushing out of every nook and cranny, it didn't take long to hike through the stretch of dead earth. Even at walking speed, he could outdistance green Mafiosos in his sleep and his investigations showed that very few veterans were still active in the Eleventh's reign.

His X-Guns stayed under his coat as he approached the fallen bodies that his rampage had knocked down. There were only six, which was eight less than he'd seen from a distance. It couldn't be helped, though. At a one mile range, he'd counted body parts as whole people. Along with a charred Cheri, there were three semi-charred enemies and two annihilated ones who'd taken the full brunt of his blasts.

The armor that they were wearing was what caught his attention first. It was more than just simple black-operations gear. Even damaged, the construction looked like something completely new. It wasn't mechanized suits, but it wasn't simple cloth, either. It was almost as if someone had taken the design for Verde's chameleon suits and coated it onto closed-environmental armor. Sight was fooled from the optic camouflage. Scent was fooled from the lack of outside circulation. As for the lack of auras, Xanxus wanted to spit when a quick inspection showed him that a layer of the camouflage was made of energy-masking silk and the hardened armor underneath was some sort of new light-weight silver-composite that was sturdy enough to survive his attack. With only a glance, he knew that it was armor designed to make a normal human into the equal of a vampire. He also knew how well it'd succeeded.

Pulling out his phone, he absently dialed while he tried to slap Cheri awake. He didn't do it gently nor did he do it carefully. He simply slapped her numerous times until she began to open her eyes. Of course, he was fully prepared when she launched into an assault immediately upon waking. He was also prepared for her teeth in his neck as she latched on in desperate need of vital life energy. Ignoring her, the trickle of blood, and the pain, he put his phone to his ear and let her feed while he dealt with business. The response was immediate, bypassing pleasantries to get to the meat of the phone call.

"Please tell me that--"

"Three alive, two incoming," Xanxus replied, cutting off his benefactor. "Zero casualties, minor property damage on Vongola estate. The enemy is using silk and silver based sensory-camouflage. Armor-piercing rounds are ineffective alone. I suggest arming our people with explosive bullets loaded with an acid charge. Weapons seems to be the usual set with a few new twists. I'll know more later. Need pickup. I've got six Vongola squads incoming and--" Xanxus broke off as the wind once more began to pick up and he grinned as several helicopters appeared within his visual range. They might not have numbers, but the Council sure had a lot of cash to throw around. The incoming transports were fast, silent, and deadly in any weather. "My ride is here. I'll report back after our guests are secure."

"Good work," Lord Nephriam praised with a childish sob of relief before Xanxus bluntly hung up on him. Stuffing the phone into his miscellaneous pouch on his belt, he turned to the important matter of readying everything for their pick-up. First, he grabbed Cheri's hair and yanked her off of his neck. She gasped in pain at the sudden assault, but a single glare brought her back to her senses. She had the decency to blush in shame of having to be rescued and quickly turned her attention to securing their prisoners.

As he warned Lord Nephriam, they only chose two of the three to take with them. One would probably be enough, but two would mean that they'd have to be less cautious in interrogations. To take the third would be only greed on their part and he figured that Vongola would keep their complaints to themselves about the property damage if he tossed them a bone. Therefore, the most injured of the three got a few extra injuries before he was left for dead. As for the other two, Xanxus snapped his fingers for Lussuria to grab one while he threw the other over his shoulder before Cheri could try to take it on herself. He could see in her expression that it was a slap in her face to silently bar her from heavy lifting, but he wasn't in a mood to argue about it.

"Xerxes," she said in distress. "You know that I--"

"I'll get your report later," he interrupted without looking at her. Hefting the man into a more comfortable position on his shoulder, he kept his eyes both on the ladders being dropped from the incoming helicopters and the quickly closing squads of Vongola behind them. "You're off the hook this time. If you fuck up like that again, saving you is going to cost you a life for a life."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cheri gaped in surprise and confusion. "How--"

"In other words," he growled, finally giving her a glance full of all the cruelty still welling up from within him. "Every time I save your fucking life, you owe me a son. If you don't want to be out of action for nine months, then keep your ass in one piece!"

Cheri's jaw fell open at the statement and her eyes widened in shock. She silently floundered as she tried to find something to say, but the only thing that she could do in the end was to blush a bright shade of red and snap her mouth shut. He took her lack of objection to mean that the threat was a good one. He'd be damned if he said anything to her, but he'd already lost Tsuna more times than he could count. If Cheri became someone that couldn't stand strong on her own, then he didn't want her. He wasn't with her so that he could go through that sort of pain twice as often.

Their pick-up was abrupt and Lussuria thankfully caught onto the intended method. Cheri leaped first, grabbing onto the ladder hanging from the passing helicopter at a high enough level that there was still room for Lussuria to jump on after her. Xanxus jumped at the same moment, grabbing onto the second ladder hanging from the following transport. It was just in time. The two barely pulled up in time to keep the ladders out of reach of the pursuers. One in particular caught Xanxus' eye and he kept his face hidden as much as possible from Ryohei's sharp gaze from below.

Of course, getting airborne wasn't to say that they were in the clear yet, although it looked like Lord Nephriam had already predicted almost every eventuality. The biggest obstacle of all was the dragon that swooped into catch them with a very pissed-off teenager in rain-soaked pajamas on its back. The two made a pass in warning, causing the helicopters to manuever wildly for a moment without any consideration for the ones hanging below. All three of them managed to keep their grip, but only Cheri's quick reactions saved their back-up prisoner from falling to a messy death.

That was when Lord Nephriam's preparations kicked in. A man sky-dived out of the helicopter above him, wearing an idiotic costume from the era of goggles, leather caps, and flight jackets. As he reached Xanxus' altitude, he managed to get a modified hoverboard under his feet and kicked the power on. He piloted it with surprisingly fluid skill. Xanxus didn't know what he intended to do, but he could guess with how the bastard flew straight toward Hotaru without hesitation. He was the messenger sent with news that would quell the anger of the king. Not that Xanxus cared as long as he kept the brat from following and getting close enough to recognize him. Xanxus was already pushing it with his rampage. His only hope was that SK and Hotaru wouldn't recognize his Flames. After all, they'd never seen such strength out of the Xanxus that had trained them. Familiarity and suspicion would be probable, but he couldn't give them any proof that the link wasn't just wishful thinking. Not yet.

There was still too much to do.


	108. Chapter 108 Facade

Eric stared at the sky and wondered what the hell he was doing. Before he could find his answer, a knee blocked out his vision and he had to roll frantically to get out of the way before his head was crushed. His opponent was the generally jealous type, much like all of the male spectators that were shouting out catcalls. Eric wasn't about to bring shame to the Dragons, though. Unlike what those around him might think, his prideful determination to not lose a fight had nothing to do with a fear of getting his face hurt. His movies and modeling deals could go to hell for all he cared. All that mattered to him was not forgetting the lessons that Laz had taught him.

Ask for no sacrifices.

Protect what he held in his heart.

Never blind himself to the world around him.

These three things were the foundation of the man that he was. They were the foundation of the man that he'd become. His fame had been a lucky chance and he wasn't going to pretend that his talent had been the reason. There were plenty of people with twice his talent in the world who never found their way into the public's eye. Behind the scenes, he'd done things that he never wanted to speak about again, although he wouldn't change the past if he had to do it again. The Dragons had always needed 'The Face'. They'd always needed someone to attract the public eye and give them a modicum of respectability, even if it was merely a facade. He didn't have to do dirty work anymore since he wasn't the same foolish, naive young man who'd dipped his toes into turbulent waters. Not any more. He'd grown up under Laz's care and now he was under the Martelli Family's care. All of the Orange Dragons were.

Sometimes Eric wondered if it'd been fate for Laz to die when he did. Six months after he was gone, there had an unexpected outcome that had shocked the city. Autumn and Charlie had become drinking friends. Then lovers. Then Autumn had divorced her too-patient husband to wed the blood of Snicker, thereby uniting their Families in perpetuity. The gangs who had bowed down before the Dragons hadn't enjoyed the idea of the merger at first, but they'd come around after a mere week. Of course, most of that had to do with Charlie. The boy had become a man after Laz's death and there wasn't anyone who couldn't see both Snicker and Laz inside of him. Even the Martelli Family, who also had their objections, had given their approval after seeing the new Godmother's husband in action. Strong, caring, and idealistic, Laz had instilled a range of skills and thoughts into the teenager that had blossomed into full fruition upon his first step into the big leagues.

That merger was the very reason that Don Girarde had extended an invitation for four representatives to attend their school in Italy. They had the manpower now to be considered worthy of notice. Other than himself, there was also Isaac, Poppet, and Ross attending. Isaac was there simply because he'd wanted to return to his home and it allowed him to keep connection with the Family despite the distance. Poppet was there since she was the absolute best in spying. Eric was there since he was already filming three subsequent movies in the city. It made no sense to pick someone else when he was already going to be at the location. As for Ross, no one knew why she had bullied Autumn into letting her have the fourth ticket.

Ross, called Rosalind if a person wanted to die, was the new Sixth. There had been a long debate about whether Laz's position should be handed to someone else, but the collective nostalgia of everyone had no bearing on the facts. The facts were that Autumn was still an infant Boss and leaving the Hexagon Council with an empty seat had everyone too worried to think straight. Ross had been a strange one to pick, though. No one knew anything about her, although Autumn claimed that her Spirit was filled with Justice. It was as if she'd appeared out of thin air, which had ironically made people more accepting of her than picking a known quantity to fill in. After all, Laz had appeared in the same way.

Ross was hard to understand. She was hard to even talk to. Some things could be gathered from simply watching, though. She was an honest woman who refused to take a handout. Even now, when their lodging was free via Isaac's familial estate, their food paid for via a weekly allotment by the Family, and Eric providing both their clothes and transportation, Ross had gotten a job within the first twenty-four hours of their arrival. Just like Laz, she seemed to fear nothing on the surface. Just like Laz, she was hiding something about her past. It was easier to tell with her, though, since she had the oddest habit of randomly hiding in places. It only surfaced when she was alone, but they all knew that she slept under her bed instead of on it--

Eric froze as his opponent's heel grazed his cheek and the crowd grew silent except for the fangirls who shrieked in dismay. Even his enemy fell to a stop in surprise since it was the first time that he'd allowed a blow to come near him. He never blocked on purpose. His entire defense was put into dodging so that he wouldn't need extra makeup in his after-school filming to cover bruises. He blamed himself for woolgathering when he should have been fighting. The school didn't know their abilities, so the Martelli Family had been put at the bottom of the strength rankings. For their physical education, they had to fight their way up until they were in a range of opponents that would be mutually challenging.

His opponent slowly grinned, thinking that he wasn't as bad as he knew he was. That was something that Eric corrected before his brain could fill up with any extra hot air.

"Congratulations," Eric said with a winning smile. "You deserve a cookie for getting my attention, but you still aren't good enough to make me pull out a weapon." The man's face quickly fell into a scowl and he once more took up his stance. So did Eric, although his stance wasn't anywhere near the same menacing form. Rather than having his knees bent and feet parted with raised fists bearing brass knuckles, Eric stood casually with one hand in his pocket and the other over his mouth as if he were trying to cover his smirk.

Such was the way that an actor fought. It was a calculated stance meant to mock his opponent into an illogically reasoning state. An attuned fighter would see that he wasn't as unguarded as he looked. The arm down his side and into his pocket was positioned perfectly to protect his side. The arm leading up to where he was covering his smirk was adequately close to that of a raised fist. As for his balance, he didn't need a wide base and a low center of gravity. His style relied more on the directional angles of his body and having his weight on the balls of his feet for light-footed movement.

He was a matador and his entire style depended on not being suckered into frontal attacks. It wasn't necessarily the most prideful of methods, but he never claimed even a fraction of the pride attributed to him. That was why he was able to take his enemies by surprise. They were so blinded by his image of a cocky, arrogant superstar that they ignored the reality, much like the man in front of him. He charged like a bull, ignoring the displays of speed and agility that Eric had already shown. He came in swinging like he had before, regardless of the fact that it hadn't worked the first, second, or tenth time. Skipping out of range of the blow, Eric flanked to his left and danced into his opponent's guard while he was pulling back between swings.

With a single chop to his opponent's throat, it was over. Eric watched in silence as he tried to swallow and tried to breathe, but it was useless. The neck was Eric's specialty and it wasn't just his throat that'd been stunned. His artery had been simultaneously hit, which cut off the blood flow to his brain. He was unconscious at Eric's feet before he could gasp for more than a second. Having used the strike in the past, Eric judged that his opponent wouldn't die this time. It'd just caused a stutter in the man's vital functions instead of the terminal break that a stronger blow would have caused.

Hearing his fans in the crowd break out into cheering, Eric slipped back into his role of actor extraordinaire. With a light-hearted smile on his face, he gave a wave to his fans. Then, under the cover of show-boating, he knelt down in honest worry to check on his opponent. He could feel glares on the back of his neck as he checked his opponent's pulse, but he managed to get a calm reading before they actually broke across the sidelines to push him away. As they hauled the man away, the insults thrown under the breathes of his compatriots were nothing new to him. 'Cheap', 'gutless', and 'attention-whore' were actually kind in comparison to some. He simply took it all in stride, knowing that the bad was necessary for him to receive the good.

At the moment, 'good' was defined as meeting Autumn's expectations. The whole reason that they'd accepted Don Girarde's invitation was because Autumn wanted both sides of the imaginary Mafia fence to understand that the Family was strong enough to stay neutral. They dealt with both sides and she didn't plan to hide it. Unlike her Father and her Father's Fathers, Autumn had more ambitious plans for the Family. There had been something about a beaver jack-slapping lumber foremen in her flippant explanation, but the part that he understood was that the Family was changing. The city was still their main port, but the Family had developed the ability to explore unknown regions with scouts. He had a feeling that Autumn's only intent was to find better ways to protect the Family before they were swallowed whole, but he didn't think that she understood the full extent of what they were getting into.

Eric could see what they were getting into. He had no choice since it was on display in the sparring circle that was six down from his own. Vongola the Eleventh was an enigma. He rarely showed up to class, but he still managed to get top grades in every subject. His fighting strength and power was through the roof, as could be seen by the towering monolith of fire next to him. Cold and seemingly dispassionate, the Eleventh never hid his boredom and he was perpetually bored. He lived and breathed the finest quality of everything, going so far as to have a special table set up for himself during lunch. Despite the special treatment, he was never alone, though. He was always surrounded by friends who would lick his boots if he asked it of them and then thank him for the honor afterward. In one class that Eric shared with him, which was Home Economics since both of them had no experience in the field, the Eleventh never lifted his finger for anything. He arrogantly ordered around his lackey and then took credit under the mask of 'supervising'.

It was enough to make Eric physically ill due to the resemblance to a man who was his exact opposite. How could someone who looked so much like Laz be such a douchebag? Before leaving home, Eric had decided to trust in Laz's word that he had once been Tuna-yoshi Sawada. He'd planned on making Vongola accept the fact so that he could tell them about the wonderful man that Laz had been. He felt that it was right. He felt that unveiling the truth about the clone posing as Tuna-yoshi was necessary to allow him to rest in peace. Laz had always felt guilt about running away from the responsibilities that had been forced on him. His previous Family needed to know that and they needed to know about all the wonderful things that Laz had done in his final years. He had to tell them about the real method of his death.

Yet, how could he do that when Laz's supposed son was nothing like the man that had used mime to show a misguided acting student the reason for his art? How could he do that when Laz's son was nothing like the man who would give his last five dollars to a beggar? How could he do that when Laz's son was as cold and uncaring as Laz had been warm and empathetic? Vongola the Eleventh was far too different from the teenager that Eric had imagined as Laz's offspring. Vongola the Eleventh made Charlie look like an obedient saint! It left Eric bewildered enough that he was forced into a position of observation in hopes that the Eleventh was putting on a facade that was skin-deep like Eric's. One sign, he decided. All he needed was one momentary gleam of Laz inside of the Eleventh and he'd push through his plans. Until then, he prayed that Laz wasn't rolling in his grave.

"He looks sad."

Eric jumped in place and turned to find Ross leaning on the stone barricade surrounding the Eleventh's sparring circle. The girls attached to Eric's side fled hastily upon seeing her, which left Eric with a raised eyebrow. Ross had to have done something to elicit such a reaction, but she seemed completely composed and unconcerned as she watched the Eleventh dote on his over-sized version of one of the rare Mafia-fire-pets that Eric saw flying through the school at times.

"He doesn't look sad to me," Eric replied with a shrug. Ross hummed in consideration at the words and Eric saw a gleam of _something_ in her eyes that reminded him of Lazarus. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was violently violet and positively penetrating. It was gone as soon as he noticed it, covered with a humoring smile and a shadow of disdain.

"You're probably right," she relented easily. "A rich snob like that has no reason to be sad. Even if he is, he can just buy something to cheer himself up. Right?" Eric nodded slowly in agreement and tossed his head in the direction of the locker rooms.

"I'm heading for the showers," he said. "If you're riding with me, you should--"

"I'm good," Ross interrupted. "I've already arranged a ride to work, so you don't have to offer anymore. Hey, do you think her Highness would care if I knocked the Eleventh around a little?" Eric immediately choked and quickly backed away, unintentionally giving her an answer in the process. "Hmm," she hummed in disappointment, "That's too bad. As much as I'd like to see if the rumors are true instead of watching him wait on an opponent every day, her Highness' lectures are a pain in the ass."

"Exactly," Eric agreed hurriedly in fear that Ross would do something as rash as Laz used to. "He--"

"So don't tell her," she added. With a groan, Eric watched Ross' face light up a mere moment before she jumped the wall. The Eleventh's dragonish Mafia-pet twirled around upon the entry, followed by a more curious set of human eyes. Eric could only put a hand over his face, knowing that he was going to be blamed for this. Win or lose, heads were going to roll.

"Oi," Ross called out crudely as people came running from every direction to see the Eleventh's first would-be challenger. "If I win, I'm not replacing your shirt."

"You haven't replaced the first one yet," the Eleventh replied in amusement. Eric's jaw dropped at the banter, confused just as much as the other spectators were.

"You don't look like you're suffering for it," Ross laughed. Then her smile faded and her gaze hardened in warning. "How do you want to do this? Armed or unarmed?" The Eleventh's smile faded just as quickly.

"If you won't turn back, then I don't mind a handicap," he replied graciously. "Armed versus unarmed seems fair."

"Then what weapon are you choosing?" Ross asked with a warning growl. Vongola the Eleventh froze in surprise, gaping unceremoniously for a moment before breaking out into honest laughter. Ross was the only one able to smile with him as everyone else openly questioned the girl's sanity. Eric could only groan a second time, knowing that it wasn't that simple. "I'm glad that you find it funny, but I wasn't joking," she called out pleasantly. The Eleventh sobered from the statement, finally staring at her in the same manner as everyone else. Ross met his eyes with a clear yet unreadable gaze. It was starting, Eric knew. The Sixth Knight of Martelli was planning on judging the Eleventh. Autumn was going to kill him if he didn't stop her!

"Ross," Eric called out with the fear of his own Boss superseding his image control. "Stop this! What are you trying to prove by--"

"Shut up, Skittles," she snapped without even a glance backward. Eric's mouth snapped shut and blushed furiously. How she knew that old nickname was a complete mystery, but it was completely effective. It was almost as if Gigi was standing in the middle of the ring instead of Ross. "So," she prompted the Eleventh, "What do you pick?"

"SK," he replied with a glance at his pet dragon. "Please inform Orinato that I need _that_." The dragon nodded and leaped into the air with a gust of hot air enveloping the area. Every eye was on him as he flew to the obstacle course to snatch up a young man who was waiting for his turn. "You're the first to dare to stand before me in challenge with such a blatant disregard for my strength," the Eleventh said, pulling everyone's attention back to the ring. "You surely know that you cannot win, so I'll reward your bravery with the answer that you're looking for." Walking to the sidelines, he accepted a bundle of cloth from the panting friend that his pet had been sent to fetch. It wasn't until he stood in the middle of the ring for a second time that Eric recognized what it was. "This is my choice," he stated calmly.

Eric gaped and his eyes darted to Ross, expecting her to be offended by the mockery of being fought with an umbrella. Surprisingly, she didn't show any anger despite the laughter that erupted around her for the amusing method of insult. Instead, she seemed somewhat pleased and entirely satisfied. She didn't say another word after that. Her only response was to enter into a defensive stance and wave in challenge to her would-be opponent. The Eleventh's rebuttal was to close his eyes and reopen them with a bright Flame exploding onto his head. He was serious. Eric could see in an instant, as could every other spectator who was lucky enough to be able to watch. The laughter died in shock while the tension between the two fighters rose. By the time that the Eleventh raised his umbrella to hold it horizontally at eye level with both hands on the handle as if to brace a lance instead of a sword, the only sound in the area was the distant hum of activity from within Don Girarde's walls.

The two stared at each other, visualizing the possible ways that the fight could go as they circled each other. Eric couldn't begin to wonder what else was going through their minds. The Eleventh must know that Ross wasn't the equal, assuming that he was even a quarter as powerful as rumors claimed. Ross must know that, as well, but her intentions weren't to add a notch to her belt. Of course, he had no idea what her intentions were, either. He just knew that she wasn't as simple as she tried to pretend, just like Laz had been.

It happened in a flash, catching Eric as his attention began to falter. The two fighters crossed the distance between each other in the blink of an eye before freezing in place. The Eleventh paused with his umbrella pointed into the center of Ross' chest. Ross paused with her fist against the Eleventh's temple. Both blows, had they landed, would have been disabling ones. Eric knew Ross' unnatural strength. She could break through a brick wall if she felt like it. As for the Eleventh's strength, the dragon overhead gave Eric a general idea.

"It's my loss," the Eleventh abruptly stated, making Eric do a double-take as both parties relaxed. A roar of outrage went up from the crowd and Eric almost joined them. Their blows had been evenly matched! If he was mocking Ross, she wouldn't appreciate it! "Don't think I'll make that mistake again," he stated, taking a step backward to distance himself while Ross... smiled?! He added something else in a tone that didn't carry which wiped the smile off of her face as quickly as it'd arrived. As the Eleventh turned and began walking toward his confused friends waiting at the sidelines, Ross did something that Eric had never seen before. She blushed. Of course, a blush wasn't something that stayed on her face for long. It was quickly covered with a furious anger and a blurted insult that made the Eleventh skip a step in surprise.

"YOU PERVERTED PRICK!" She yelled callously. The Eleventh turned back to her in shock and spluttered like a fish out of water. Before he could gather his wits enough to verbally respond, Ross flew past Eric in order to retreat to the girl's locker room. Eric couldn't even consider stopping her. He could only stare in disbelief as everyone around him gaped at the sudden outburst until Vongola the Eleventh began storming away in evident anger. Worried that the attention of the crowd would turn on him as the only other Martelli present, Eric chased after her in order to escape. He knew that he should be curious about what the Eleventh had said to cause such a reaction, but all that he could think of was the acidic nature of Autumn's eventual tongue-lashing. Perhaps it'd be easier to kill himself now and save himself a few hours of misery.

* * *

_August 17th_

_I encountered him again today. He's still as despicable as ever. First he chooses my workplace to have dinner with his newest girlfriend and, like he's done for the past five Saturdays in a row, he ordered the most expensive meal on the menu. Then, predictably, he ended things with his girlfriend over dessert. I can understand that he wants to strengthen his ties with Nubo, but can't he pick other ways to do it than to make my workplace into his dumping grounds?! Sure, appearing there repeatedly has increased the restaurant's popularity, but it's so frustrating to serve him the meal that he ordered when I know that the person sitting across from him is going to end up in tears after he leaves! I hate guys like him who change girls every week without any consideration for their feelings. I hate guys like him who throw their money around and pretend that they can buy happiness off of a shelf! He can go to hell shirtless for all that I care!_

_Weather: Sunny with a lot of humidity. Will probably rain tomorrow._

_August 18th_

_He found me again. I was reading in my favorite spot in the library and he came in when he should have been in class. I'm starting to wonder if he's more complicated than I thought. Just like last two times, he didn't say anything nor did he pretend to read. He had to know that I was there, though. He sat down in the same spot as before, which is two seats away from where he sat when we first met. It was different after that. Normally, he'd get up and leave after a few minutes. This time, I was stuck under the table until the bell rang for me to go to my Economics course. When I crawled out, it pissed me off so much because the bastard had fallen asleep! What does he go to school for anyway?! At least I had a reason to be in the library! It was the free hour that I scheduled in after the etiquette lessons that her Highness demanded that I take. I need that hour of peace so that I could cool off before I ripped someone's head off and he comes in to ruin it! This is the third day in a row!_

_Weather: Cloudy with breeze. Sprinkled a little, but nothing big. Climate difference is messing up my weather sense._

_August 19th_

_Something's wrong with him. He fell asleep in the library again. I don't know why I bothered, but I skipped Economics to read until he woke up. I actually talked to him this time. I asked him when he was going to stop acting like a delinquent by skipping class and he had the nerve to throw my question back in my face. I was honest with him and told him that I was worried since it wasn't like a Mafioso to sleep in such a vulnerable place and he got quiet. Then he told me that it didn't matter since he could kill me in his sleep and left. Normally, I'd be pissed over that kind of response, but there was something about his tone that made me stop. I don't know the word for it, but he seemed off somehow. I wonder if I should replace that shirt after all. I know that I should, but I hate wasting money when that guy has enough to buy a thousand new shirts without looking at the price._

_Weather: Sunny and dry. _

_August 20th _

_THAT BASTARD! I'm sooooo pissed right now that I could spit nails! How dare he say something like that to me! I've tried to read to take my mind off of it, but I still get so angry whenever I think about it! Here I was, trying to cheer him up. Let me go back. He didn't come to the library today and I was told last night at work that he'd canceled his reservation for this coming Saturday. When I saw him in the hallways, he seemed a little depressed to me even though he was smiling and laughing with his cronies. It just wasn't reaching his eyes. So, when P.E. came up, I decided to stop by the sparring grounds that the school set aside for him. He seemed really upset about something, but I ignored it at first to go run the obstacle course. Then I heard two girls talking about how no one had the guts to challenge him. I thought that maybe he felt ostracized by how everyone was putting him on a pedestal, so I decided to jump in and help him kill time until school let out._

_BIG MISTAKE. Oh, the fight went well enough until we actually came in contact with each other. He surprised me by even pulling out a serious weapon. I guess he keeps it hidden because of how everyone laughed at him for using an umbrella, but I could tell that it wasn't fake. That weapon has a seriously mysterious aura to it, so I was pumping to see it in action. Well, then we got the the actual fight. That bastard held back from hitting me and even stood firm despite how hard I hit him. It was my win since a man who can't punch a woman is dead against a woman who is willing to hit him anyway. It taught him a lesson and I had a feeling that he'd actually hit me if I challenged him again. I was happy. He seemed cheered up. Then he said it. That despicable, arrogant, perverted PRICK! I didn't think his nose could get any higher up in the air, but it did! He had the gall to tell me that I'd look better in white! I can just imagine what he was thinking of with all the girls that he goes out with! Like I'm ever going to let someone like him see my underwear! What kind of girl does he take me for?!_

_That's the last time that I spare a moment of thought for him. I'll just buy him a new shirt and wash my hands of it all. I knew that I was screwing up by getting near people with money. It's bad enough with her Highness, but he's on a different level. Why is it that people forget common sense when--_

"Do I need to continue?" Eric asked with a groan. Putting down Ross' journal, he rubbed his eyes and tried not to recall what he'd read after having Laz's journal translated. Laz's journal was actually the reason that the Sixth Knight was required to keep one. Eric knew that he was in for trouble if Ross found out, but he was perfectly willing to take physical punishment over the kinds of torture that Autumn could come up with.

"That's enough," Autumn sighed over the speakerphone. "I swear that she's just as much trouble as Laz was, if not more so. I'll make an apology to the Eleventh this time since Ross isn't conscious of the implications of his attention. Just do me a favor and keep an eye on her. If she starts to show signs that she's becoming too involved, I want her sent home immediately. Any other girl would have understood a reference to white, but she doesn't and I don't want her to. We have no idea of what the Eleventh's intentions are and, let's face it, Ross isn't the kind of girl who could stand eye-to-eye with the world's most powerful Boss, no matter how short he is. Even if he was being serious, I can't allow Ross to jeopardize our Family's unclouded history. The Family's neutrality is at stake. Tell Isaac and Poppet, too. I'm holding all three of you accountable for her."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with an internal flinch at the orders. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Tell Isaac that I miss his pasta. Yorgi's doing his best, but I guess I was spoiled more than I thought by Isaac's high standards."

"He'll be happy to hear that," Eric commented, relieved that Autumn had moved past putting blisters on his ears. He'd been saved by her orders to retrieve Ross' journal and read, but that had only been after two hours of her yelling.

"Hey, Eric," Charlie interjected from Autumn's end of the phone call. "Get off the phone while you have a chance. I'll hold back the wicked witch long enough for you to escape to your wife. Go!" Eric narrowed his eyes in confusion for a moment before understanding dawned from the indignant female squeal that came from the other end. Not wanting to put his Boss' sacrifice to waste, Eric silently wishing Charlie luck in surviving Autumn's wrath and quickly hung up the phone. For good measure, he also turned it off so that he could claim that the battery went dead.

Keeping Charlie's orders in mind, Eric returned the journal to its proper place as quickly as he could before running gleefully into the living area of the Martelli wing of Isaac's familial estate. As he had hoped, Summer was waiting for him with a hand rubbing her bulging belly and a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies that were fresh from the oven. She wasn't allowed a verbal greeting. He pounced on her lips before she could do more than smile at him. She laughed against his embrace, but responded lovingly so that he could turn his attention to the little one growing inside of her. Kneeling down next to the couch, she was aware of his intentions to the point that she willingly pulled her shirt up so that he could plant kisses across the breadth of her stomach.

He was going to be a Daddy. It still didn't feel real to him despite having five months to become accustomed to the thought. They didn't know whether it was going to be a Joshua Suoh Brahms or a La'Suoh Jo Brahms, but he was happy either way. The baby was his reason for coming to Italy, beyond any other reason. It gave him two to three years of work without having to constantly change locations. It gave him a place where Summer's previous reputation as a night-walker didn't haunt her with every shopping trip. And, if everything went right with his modeling contracts, it was a place where they could set down roots without all of the baggage that they'd left in America. After all, escaping Autumn's phone calls was a hundred times easier than escaping in person. He missed Gigi and everyone, but he had a family to think about now.

Although, it seemed like he wasn't the only one who'd caught baby fever. Although he was confined to a wheelchair for preventative measures, Ore had gifted Dedra with a pregnancy that had Cassandra bouncing in excitement of the family that she wanted. As for the alternative couples in the Dragons, they'd paired off to help each other out. Gigi refused to touch a woman, but she'd turned her head for one night so that Danny could do what was necessary with Marty. Thanks to her choice, Leo and Marty could have a child to nurture without any bureaucratic red tape to hack through and, one day in the distant future, the process would be repeated to give Danny a child to raise with Gigi.

However, the most shocking and unexpected pregnancy had to be that of Papa Paolo's secret lover. She was twenty-two, frisky, and incredibly stupid. When she'd been introduced to everyone at Papa Paolo's retirement party, she'd actually thought that they were wearing suits because they were superiors from the restaurant's head office in Idaho. Of course, she also thought that shrimp was a type of bug. Eric prayed that the baby took after the father instead of the mother. But Papa Paolo seemed happy over the whole affair, so Eric had wisely kept his mouth shut like everyone else in the Family had. If having her in his bed kept him warm at night and comfortably entertained in his retirement, they had no right to judge his choice. It might be different if the girl had been cunning, indifferent, or forced, but she wasn't. She'd been obliviously naive, lovingly doting, and overwhelmingly willing to be with Papa Paolo. She'd even spoke about getting a job as a saleswoman so that she could spoil Papa Paolo since his retirement check was supposedly so small. The fact had led to quite a bit of back-slapping in private when they'd managed to lure Autumn away for an hour.... until news of the pregnancy surfaced.

All of that was behind Eric, though. He did his work for the Martelli Family by making connections with influential people and giving the Family a measure of both fame and class by allowing them to throw his name around. However, the days of fighting outside of a sparring arena was over. He'd been promised that there would be no more calls to arm up and fill the ranks. He'd been promised that there would be no more calls for him to put himself or his family at risk with a favor. He'd already put in his time and spilled his blood, so the hot blood of the Mafia could be supplied by someone else. Everyone had a point that they had to grow up and settle down, even him. From now on, his service to the Dragons and the Family was limited to things that only he could do. It was limited to things like acting, modeling, and raising a child on stories of how it'd all begun.

"You don't have to do that," Summer exclaimed as Eric began to gently massage her feet. Eric ignored her objections and silenced her with a glare. It was rare for him to get even ten minutes alone with her during the day, so he had to make every minute count. He already felt guilty due to how swollen her feet were. He wasn't going to allow himself to feel worse by ignoring her discomfort.

"I wish that I had someone to call for you," Eric said apologetically. "Do you think your mother...." Eric trailed off at the withering look that Summer gave him. So their families were out. His parents were assholes toward her due to her previous profession and Summer's mother was off her psych pills again. There wasn't anyone in the Dragons that they could call. Gigi was needed as the Family's Right Hand while Isaac was in Italy. Danny was caring for Marty and Leo had art shows to deal with. Cassandra was caring for both Ore and Dedra and Poe was AWOL. The only one left was Ollie and he was a secret weapon that they feared to allow into Italy, especially after he proved his ability by stripping a cop down to his socks in broad daylight without the man noticing. Just the thought of what he might accidentally pick off of a passing Mafioso made Eric's spine tingle with fear.

"I'm really fine," Summer soothed with a soft glow and a gentle smile. "Isaac's family has helped me a lot. My feet are just like that because I just got back from taking a walking with Isaac's grandmother and then we did some baking. Don't give me that look. The day that I'm outdone by a seventy-five year old woman is the day that I start pushing up daisies. I'm pregnant, not dead."

"I know," he replied in worry. "But I don't like you going out like that. There are plenty of psychopaths out there and don't you give me _that_ look. We have security on set for a reason. I'd feel better if you took one of the cousins or Isaac's Uncle with you if you wanted to go out past the gates. At least they can carry you back if you sprained your ankle or something. Please? There's two of you now, so I just feel insecure since I can't be here as much as I want to be."

"Alright," she grumbled grudgingly. "I'll ask one of the cousins to go with me next time, but you--" Summer broke off with a glare as Eric's manager burst into the room without any consideration for the people inside. Before Eric could utter a word to tell him to leave, he was surrounded by a train of makeup artists, hair dressers, and image consultants who all wanted his attention immediately. "OUT!" Summer shouted over all the noise that they were making. Eric tried to stay behind to finish his conversation with her, but he was forcibly dragged away against his will.

"Hate me if you want," his manager commented as he was stuffed into the waiting vehicle outside. "But you're the one that told me to do whatever it took to make sure that you could work in Italy and you only gave me half-days to do it in. If you want to see her more, then skip school instead of work. School will still be there tomorrow, but your job wouldn't be."

"You could have at least let me kiss her goodbye," Eric growled in unhappy acceptance of his logic. His manager ignored the sentimental statement and launched into a recitation of Eric's afternoon schedule. From four o'clock until midnight, he was a slave to his calling. Never before in his life had he ever considered that there would be a day where the fact didn't make him happy, but today was that day.

* * *

Eric clenched his teeth shut and reached out for a third time to help Isaac hold Poppet in her seat before she could rush across the cafeteria to pop a few Mafiosos in the nose. He was glad that Ross wasn't with them. Holding her back would have been impossible with the complete lack of consideration that their classmates were showing. Vongola the Eleventh had skipped school for some unknown reason, so the entire student body was holding them to blame for his absence.

The verbal assaults had started from the moment that they'd arrived. Vongola's allies suggested that they were born in a barn with all of the genealogical insults that went with it. Vongola's rivals suggested that the Eleventh was weak for being beaten so easily by such an ill-mannered, gutless lot. Ross' single blurted insult had so many consequences that Eric could think of only one way to repair their image.

"Save it," he ordered in a tone that caught both Isaac and Poppet's attention. "I've got an idea."

* * *

"Sir," Eric interjected before the P.E. coach could announce their partners for sparring. The combined attention of all the ranked classes focused on him, which was exactly what he wanted. "I understand that you can't place us in a proper ranking since the level of the Martelli Family's abilities are unknown quantities and that you're hesitant to move us ahead too quickly. If I may make a suggestion....?"

"Go ahead," he nodded, folding his arms around his clipboard in curiosity.

"Myself, Isaac, Poppet, and Ross have sparred on occasion," he stated with his signature smile. "If you could match up Isaac and Poppet, they'd be able to bring out their full abilities without fear of overestimating their opponent. I can fight the winner of that."

"A tournament?" The coach asked with his eyes lighting up. "What about Ross...?"

"We'd prefer for her to stay on the obstacle course," Isaac interjected with a grimace. "Frankly, she scares the shit out of us when she fights. Eric wasn't supposed to let her in the ring," he added with a glare in Eric's direction. "We're lucky that she wasn't fighting seriously or blood would have been drawn."

"I-I see," the couch replied with a sidelong glance in Ross' direction. A hum of chatter rose up from the off-hand comment, but Eric knew that Isaac wasn't joking. If Ross had been serious, she wouldn't have stopped until one of them were bleeding more than they were moving. Whether it was herself or the Eleventh, only the heavens knew what the outcome would have been. "Alright. I'll agree to the tournament. Everyone's been performing well lately, so there should be no harm in allowing today to be a free-training day. Dismissed."

Winking at Isaac and Poppet for the success of his plan, the four of them gathered to warm up in unison. Ross helped Isaac while he and Poppet helped each other. By the time they were done and headed outside, their last period P.E. class was gathered around the largest sparring ring. On second glance, he realized that it was the entire student body. There weren't this many people in the same gym class together! Even more eye-popping was the teachers collecting bets amid the gathering of students! Hell! Even four of the six tutors had shown up to watch!

Clearing his throat in the center of the ring to get everyone's attention, he figured that he should say something before the match started. Again, his eyes bulged at the megaphone that the coach threw him. Just go with it, he told himself. He didn't give a damn about Vongola, but the Martelli Family's reputation was on the line.

"Ahem," he said into the microphone to get attention. A ring of squeals went up from the right side of the ring, marking the place where his fans had gathered. "I am Eric Brahms of the Martelli Family," he stated clearly with a pause to let his fans squeal and cheer a second time. "Please stop that," he added with a very un-superstar glare in his fan's direction. "I've got to deal with that shit enough outside of here. I've suffered through it until now, but you guys are grating my fucking nerves."

This time, complete silence fell around him as jaws dropped in surprise around the entire ring.

"It's not just you shrieking idiots, but all of the assholes here are under a lot of misconceptions about me and my Family. We're a neutral Family, which I know is a rarity in the Mafia. That means that we're willing to deal with anyone. That _does not mean that we take shit from everyone!_" Once more, Eric paused and swept his smile across the crowd while he let the words sink in.

"I'll be honest," he continued calmly. "The four of us are not the best that my Family has to offer. Only a fool would waste the skills of the best by teaching them in such a slow method as school. We four are here because we were interested in exploring outside of our home territory. Does that mean that we're weak? Fuck no, but I'll let you assholes decide for yourself. This is going to be the only display of Isaac and Poppet's full range of skills. Unlike myself, they are fully-rounded fighters. Don't expect their combat to be limited to physical abilities. If you don't understand, tough shit."

Tossing the megaphone back to the coach, who caught it with his jaw still hanging open, Eric whistled to the sides for Poppet and Isaac to come forward. From the outside, Eric knew that it looked as if David and Goliath were facing off. The problem was that Goliath wasn't the tall one in this instance.

"You two know the rules," Eric called with a pointed glare in Poppet's direction. "No crotch shots and no death blows. I'll mark points and loser buys dinner." Looking at each of them to get their agreement, he sent a hand up into the air in the Martelli method. "Ready up!" He ordered as he slowly stepped backward. Both of them put their left hand onto their chest and their eyes took on a serious gleam. Once he was enough distance away from them, he called out in the countdown method created after the union of Martelli and the Dragons. "The Dragon has what?!"

"Mind, Body, and Spirit," Isaac rumbled as the ring on his finger and the small earring in his ear lit up with a fierce red glow.

"The Knight has what?!" Eric called, turning to Poppet.

"Mind, Body, and Spirit!" Poppet exclaimed with more enthusiasm as her matching accessories lit up with a bright yellow glow.

"Don't bullshit me!" Eric shouted in challenge. Dropping his arm, the fight began. The amusing part was that no one could tell. Although the Bullshit challenge was the Dragon's idea of a goading demand to see otherwise, the Knights didn't fight in the same way that the rest of the Family did. They didn't start with their fists. They started with mental combat via Martelli Glamours.

Eric watched carefully, trying to keep up with what he'd witnessed in the past. Poppet was speaking almost frantically, which meant that she was using the Voice of Hope. Her Voice was her weak point, though. She was a girl who believed in actions more than words, hence the reason that her Voice turned her body into fragile glass. It was clear glass, at least, just as empty promises were. This allowed her to turn invisible, which was a solid counter to Isaac's first attack.

From the lack of movement, the lack of speaking, and his shut eyes, Eric assumed that he was planning to use his Spirit first. Isaac was the standing epitome of courage. For him, courage was about taking action despite fear. It was bravery in the face of probable injury. Therefore, his Spirit of Courage sent him into the body of the enemy in a form of possession that left himself vulnerable. The trick was that the only way out of an enemy's body was to hurt his own body. He also had to close his eyes on the enemy until the moment of possession. If he tried to possess someone that he couldn't see, his attack would fail. Since Poppet was current invisible, the success would depend on Isaac's timing

"Point to Poppet!" Eric called when Isaac's eyes snapped open before Poppet lost control of her transformation. Neither of them cheered, launching into their second offensive despite the disappointed murmur going up from the crowd. Like Eric expected, they couldn't hope to understand the level of combat going on in front of them. From reports via long-term spies based in Italy, namely Pink, a fighter who was skilled in multiple areas was rare. Having a tripod of three gave the Martelli fighters the ranking of elites at the minimum.

For the second attack, they both chose to brace themselves a second time instead of charging into physical assault. For a second time, Poppet began to turn invisible, which caused the crowd to break into catcalls in belief that they were repeating the same attacks. It was actually one of the Tutors who called out to shut everyone up, pointing out the sharp protrusions that began to extend from her body and the imperfections marring the surface of her new consistancy. Eric nodded to himself in understanding. Poppet was using her Spirit this time. She had the will as hard as Diamond, which is what her body was turning into instead of glass.

In response, Isaac was using his Voice in an attack against Poppet's strong heart. His voice rang out clearly, making Eric's very bones tremble from each impact. For Isaac's target, the effect was ten times worse. Her Courage began to falter and her Hope went with it. Without the embrace of Hope in her heart, she was unable to hold her transformation for more than a minute. She still tried, but the quivering of her shoulders and the increasing rate of imperfections on her surface gave Eric warning.

"Point to Isaac!" Eric shouted in open concern. "Pull back the heartshot, Isaac! Time out!" Isaac's mouth snapped shut and Poppet dropped her transformation. She stumbled in place for a moment, trying to shake off the effects so that she could continue. "No deathstrokes," he reminded as the crowd began to grow more curious about what was going on. Isaac grimaced, knowing fully well that his Voice had the ability to sap a person's courage until they no longer had the courage to even live.

"I'm fine," Poppet gasped as she slapped her cheeks in unison to wake herself up. Taking up a defensive fighting position, she summoned the only transformation left. It was the one that she hated, but the most balanced and easily controlled of the three for her. Her skin became as rough as gravel and took on the blotchy tones of river stones. It made her look like walking feces, but it made her capable of warding off knives and bullets with only bruises to show for it.

In response, Isaac summoned the Courage within his body and pulled out his only available response. Like the crowd, Eric had to snort in laughter like he did every time that he saw the Armor of Courage. Because Isaac was Chef Isaac, he'd ended up getting a frying pan for a shield, a pot on his head for a helmet, and a tinfoil suit. Talk about having Courage, Eric thought. Just the Courage it took to wear the unsightly mess was enough to make Eric admire him around his laughter. Eric knew that it was far more protection than it looked like, though. The helmet blocked out mental attacks and the tinfoil actually gave off heat to attackers. As for the frying pan, it was good enough to stop bullets if used skillfully.

"Attack whenever," Eric shrugged to end the time-out. From their combined appearance, the whole battle looked like a farce. That was, until they moved. The rumble of laughter around them died off in surprise, leaving Eric in complete satisfaction. It was probably embarrassing for the two since their Glamours demanded that their Virtues overwhelm their pride. The fact that they were still using them showed the fundamental principle of the Martelli Family and the Orange Dragons.

SURVIVE BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

"Point to Isaac!" Eric called as he frantically tried to keep up with the exchange of blows. Poppet shook her head from the ring of the frying pan against her head, but she continued moving in order to hit Isaac with a midsection blow that nearly dropped him to his knees due to the tons of rock following through. He reeled backward from the brutal attack, but refused to go down. "Point to Poppet!" Poppet pulled back her hand before the heat from the tinfoil armor could damage her stone exterior. The caution told Eric who the winner would eventually be unless Isaac found a way to cause penetrating damage.

Their speed quickly increased as both tried to get strikes in without suffering a second blow. Eric could hear numerous statements from people who were having difficulty keeping track of their movements, but the rate was normal in Eric's opinion. He was used to seeing the two in combat and he recognized Poppet's pattern. She was about to--

"Point to Poppet," Eric shouted as Isaac went flying backward from how she bodily rammed into him like a charging goat.

Isaac scrambled to his feet upon landing on his rear and his anger began to overwhelm his sense. The frying pan in his hand grew alongside his reckless courage until he was no longer holding a useless shield. He was holding a very wide, very heavy weapon. It was large enough that Poppet couldn't dodge before it slammed down on top of her, embedding her into the ground like a fly up against a fly-swatter.

"Point to Isaac," Eric called as the pan was lifted up for a hammering attack of three extra blows. "That only counts as one," he warned, knowing that it was only considered a point if a person had a chance to dodge individually. Isaac spat at the words, but he didn't argue. He couldn't when all of the blows had been completely ineffective outside of knocking Poppet off her feet. When Poppet stood, her attention wasn't on Isaac, though. It was on the dirt covered clothes hanging off of her stone body. "Pop-pet," Eric called in warning. "It's gym clothes. Don't--"

Eric couldn't watch the massacre that came after. Ruining any of Poppet's clothes was a mistake and Isaac should have remembered that before putting her into the dirt. Even though Eric looked away, he could see what was going on in his mind's eye. Poppet ran up fearlessly like a brick wall. She stomped on Isaac's feet mercilessly with several tons of weight until he fell over. Then she climbed on top of him and bounced in place on his chest until he lost consciousness from the combination of blows and the inability to breathe. Once he was ignobly defeated and sufficiently punished for ruining her clothes, she burst out into tears as her transformation dropped and it became obvious how dirty she was.

"Winner, Poppet," Eric groaned. Cursing under his breathe, he tried to figure out some method to allow himself to fight while the spectators collected on their bets and discussed the match. Poppet had won, but she wasn't in any state to fight again. The only option was...

"I won't fight seriously," Ross promised with a smirk. "You don't have any Glamours, so we'll just go hand-to-hand at your level."

"Alright," he grimaced. "There's not much choice. I don't know how well Poppet would be able to hold her Glamours at a time like this. While she was hoping to kill Isaac, it stayed up. Now that he's out..."

"Just get ready," she replied in exasperation as Poppet ran for the girl's locker room. "I'll get Isaac to the sidelines." Eric nodded and began re-stretching his muscles. He also stripped off his shirt to give him a larger range of motion, which sent off a squeal from the sidelines by a few girls who hadn't gotten the picture from his speech.

Isaac and Poppet had speed, but they were fundamentally hard-hitters. They were built to take blows, not dodge them. His type of fighting was completely different. He'd planned on having Poppet or Isaac be his punching bag until one of the two got a lucky strike in that knocked him out. It would have only taken one, but it would have been a bit anti-climactic. Ross could keep up with his speed, though, so the fight should be more flashy like the audience wanted.

From the corner of his eye, Eric had a gut feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. Ross seemed almost happy as she carried Isaac outside of the ring and tossed him carelessly into the grass in front of the coach. Two of the tutors leaned down to check on him and Eric grimaced at the sight when they pulled his shirt up. Poppet's punches didn't look particularly damaging, but they were. Isaac's midsection was already turning purple and how he gasped awake from a probing touch to his ribs let Eric know that he probably had a few that were broken. Thankfully, Poppet's Spirit Glamour was for more than hardening her will into diamond. It was also used to turn her into a healing nexus when she used it to the full potential. Once she was clean, she'd forgive Isaac and fix him up like new.

Eric only hoped that he wouldn't need the same services. Stepping out into the middle of the ring, Eric pulled his weapon out for the first time since arriving in Italy. It didn't look like much since it was merely the thick chain that he used in place of a belt. What no one previously knew was that the red stains on the darkened metal wasn't pain or tarnish. It was blood, some of which was as old as Laz's lynching. Once it was in his hands, it was impossible to forget that night. It was impossible to pretend that bad things didn't happen to good people and it was impossible to tell himself that the world was safe enough to bring a baby into. Those types of thoughts wiped every vestige of pleasantry from his expression and allowed him to show the serious, merciless side that he'd honed over years of training and fighting.

The length of the chain was long enough that he could wrap it around his back with enough left over on either side to give him a pair of weapons to start with. Swinging the lengths at a varying speed, he was quickly surrounded by two whirling fans with incredible destructive capabilities. A single wrong move and not even an army of plastic surgeons would be able to save his face. That threat was what he wanted, though. This wasn't a game and he wasn't holding toys. He was holding weapons that he'd trained himself to kill with.

"Let's do this," he stated, knowing that Ross didn't need a weapon against the likes of him. There was no whistle or ceremony to the beginning of their battle. He simply charged when Ross nodded, knowing that she could dodge him without thinking about it. Where she got her skills was as unknown as her past, but they were real. Her skills were real enough that she was able to dodge the consecutive strikes that he made with the whirling chains by mere inches instead of frantically snatched feet. No matter what angle he chose or what direction he flanked in, she slipped out of his path.

The next option was to aim for her midsection and lower body to stop her movements. Within the space of a breathe, he stopped twirling one end of his chain and turned it into a whip with the extended length behind his back. She barely escaped the metal's callous touch with a leap that increased her distance between them. It was a wise move. Most whip-users were vulnerable at close range, but he was still swinging one short end at a high enough speed to cut through flesh. A chain was versatile like that. The range of each side was determined merely by the placement of his hands along the length. He could make it damaging at anywhere from six inches to three yards away.

Seeing that she was too sensible to be caught by a ranged weapon, he stretched the length out in front of himself and once more created the second fan. It didn't last long, though. With a flick of his wrists, the twirling lengths wrapped around his fists to create a set of chain gloves connected together with a perfectly measured strip of chain that wouldn't hinder him. Stopping his feet for a mere moment, he changed the angle of his stance and focused everything that he had into the eminent exchange.

He was already dripping with sweat despite being only five minutes into the fight, but he'd stayed in motion the entire time at speeds that few could keep up with. Taking a deep breathe, he released it and charged forward. Of course, he attempted to flank and he dodged her strikes with the footwork of an experienced out-fighter. The problem was that she was just as skilled and was able to manuever around him without allowing a single blow to touch her.

His fatigue peaked, making him swing wide enough that she send him flying with a strike to his jaw. He felt himself twist in the air and he attempted to control his flight so that he could land on his feet, but his agility failed him. The ground was hard upon impact and he skidded across it until he hit the restraining wall surrounding the sparring area. That was defeat for him. He'd never been good at taking blows and his vision wavered as he tried to stay conscious.

"Don't think it's over yet," Ross called. Eric groaned and tried to force himself up, but his arms were far too heavy. It made him wonder if she'd hit him seriously after all. She said that she wouldn't, but-- "You were the one who did it," Ross stated angrily, causing a chill to go down his spine. Eric forced his head up and his eyes widened in shock at the faint purple glow coming from the ring on her hand. Whether he had the energy or not, he pushed himself into a sitting position and tried to figure out what was happening. "You're the one that messed with my journal!"

"Orders," he gasped breathlessly in shock. "What--"

"Bastard!" She shouted with a fierce light of rage in her eyes. Before Eric could think of any way to defend himself, she had the item that he feared in her hands. On the surface, it didn't look like much. It was actually a very feminine wand covered in pink and purple ribbons and dangling crystals, much like a little girl's toy when she played dress-up like a faerie. It even had a twinkling star on top. The problem was that this particular wand didn't make dreams come true. It brought nightmares.

"Wait--!" He gasped in unadulterated fear. "You can't be serious! That--" Eric broke off with a tremble at the look in her eyes. She was serious. She was going to Judge him. She wasn't as forgiving as Laz had been. He'd seen what happened to the people who were touched by her wand. It wasn't over in minutes or even hours. They had to suffer for days while they slowly went insane from growing paranoia. It had a one-hundred percent death rate so far. All four had committed suicide after being Judged, unable to live with their worst fears constantly attacking their senses without entering their sight. A person who was guilty had far more to fear than the innocent, but Ross didn't judge innocence as mercifully as Laz had. In her eyes, even someone like him was guilty.

He felt his life flash before his eyes as she raised the wand and instinct forced him into a ball as it flew downward toward him. However, it never landed.

"Release it or I'll break your wrist," Isaac growled, making Eric break out into a sob of relief while he stayed huddled. He was saved. He was going to survive to see his wife again and he wasn't going to die before his son was born. "He didn't look because he wanted to. He already said that he was following orders. I can understand wanting to make him piss his pants so he doesn't do it again, but you went too far. Or did you forget that he has a family waiting for him to go home?"

"Ah," Ross replied quietly. "You told me before, but I still don't get what you're talking about... but whatever. You're pissed, so her Highness is going to be pissed. That means that this isn't fun anymore."

"Go back home," Isaac ordered with a grunt for the pain in his ribs. "Expect another lecture on focusing your anger at the right people. You can't just kill someone because you feel like it."

"Fine," she sighed before retreating. Eric quickly wiped his eyes and lifted his head to see her leaving. Accepting Isaac's hand up, he blushed brightly at the large stain on his pants. He couldn't face anyone after such humiliation. All he could do was accept the shirt that was draped over his head to hide his face and stumble toward the locker room with every intention to take a long, hot shower. Not a single person in the crowd followed, far too shocked at his real fighting ability coupled with how quickly he'd begun begging.

Once in the privacy of the men's changing area, Eric pulled the shirt off his head and exchanged a deep glance with Isaac. Mission accomplished, they both silently grinned. Ross now seemed unbalanced and dangerous enough to count her out as marriageable material. Eric now seemed so pathetic that no one would think it was worthwhile to challenge him, which meant that he could safely retreat to the predictable obstacle course without being called out for duels by jealous Mafiosos. Although the weakest of their quartet, people believed that Poppet was the second strongest and Isaac could fade into nothingness as just another random meat-shield.

"I love acting," Eric commented as he turned on the hot water for a long soak.


	109. Chapter 109 Just Rewards

Tsuna felt like spitting, but he couldn't since his mouth was as dry as the desert around him. They were down to one canteen of water, which was reserved for Reborn-- the only human out of the three of them. Of course, a portion of that went to Leon, who was already so dehydrated that he was having trouble transforming. For forty-one hours now, they'd been wandering the desert in search of Jeb's oasis. He knew that they should have taken camels, but there wasn't a single damn camel in the country that would willingly bear them. Therefore, they'd taken a pair of sand-buggies with Leon transforming into a matching one for Reborn.

Things had gone well enough up until the engine on Aster's blew a gasket. They transferred Aster, his trunk, and the supplies into Tsuna's buggy and continued on. Eighteen mountainous dunes later, the water line going to the radiator melted from the heat. After jury-rigging it with duck tape and the sacrifice of half their water supply to refill the water line, they'd managed another six dunes before the engine simply quit. No amount of intuition would tell him why and he hadn't been able to fix it, so they'd been forced to travel on foot with Leon graciously carrying their supplies.

"Let's stop here and rest," Tsuna gasped, collapsing into the shade of the next dune that they had to climb. He felt like such an idiot for entering the Sahara without a guide. When they said that Jeb's oasis was fifty dunes to the northwest, he'd thought that they'd reach it by mid-day. He hadn't expected the size of the desert's sand dunes to rise so exponentially. They'd crossed three-quarters of the distance before the... the thing... broke... and they'd been walking... for a long... long... time...

"Boss!" Aster gasped, running to Tsuna's side in concern. Tsuna looked up at him, wondering how he'd gone from sitting to laying down so quickly. He felt dizzy, as if he'd drunk himself sober. It was hard to concentrate. It was hard to even think, but he was able to comprehend something very important. There was a cucumber standing in front of himself. A giant, human-sized cucumber in the very spot that he'd sworn Aster had run to. It was dripping with water and looked so cold and fresh that his stomach audibly growled.

"Hey, Reborn," Tsuna called as he slowly reached out to make sure that the cucumber wasn't a mirage. It felt solid enough, but something wasn't right and he was too dizzy to figure it out. "Did Leon turn into a cucumber...?"

"Van...?" Reborn murmured from behind him. Before Tsuna could turn to look at him, the cucumber abruptly attacked him. Without thinking, he automatically fought back before he could be pinned. He wasn't about to let a damned vegetable get the better of him! Especially one that smelled so mouth-wateringly crisp and fresh. Punching the cucumber to get it to stop attacking with its vines, his stomach growled a second time at the intoxicating smell that rose up when his nails raked it's outer skin. Beads of cucumber juice began welling up on the surface, driving him insane with the taunt of moisture to wet his lips with.

Figuring that there would be plenty for him to share later, Tsuna gave in and lapped it up as quickly as he could. When it stopped welling up, he sank his teeth into the crisp surface. He almost bit a piece of the cucumber off so that he could have something solid in his stomach, but his intuition sent up flares of warning that made him keep his jaw from closing. Something wasn't right. He needed to be satisfied with just the juice for now. He understood why when he took in enough of the 'juice' that his senses righted themselves. Hastily spitting out Aster's arm, he cursed himself for not noticing that his thirst had included Hunger.

"Is it safe to move now?" Reborn asked from behind him as he hastily licked the gashes that he'd put in Aster's body.

"Not yet," Aster groaned without moving an inch. "Boss might still..."

"I'm back," Tsuna corrected. Reaching into his white trench coat, Tsuna began pulling out spare bandages and blood capsules for both of them. "Thanks for pouncing on me," he added as Reborn stepped forward to help. "You knew right away. Didn't you?"

"Boss doesn't drink often enough," Aster confirmed with a weak smile.

"I conserved too much," Tsuna agreed with an apologetic smile of his own. Pulling out the flask of blood that he'd held back, he forced half of it onto Aster along with a pill. Then he took the rest for himself along with another pill.

This wasn't the first time that he'd tempted fate by ignoring his Hunger, but it was the first time with Aster that he'd reached the point of hallucinations. He silently gave thanks to the heavens that Aster was so quick-witted. Attacking him might not have seemed like a wise thing to do while he was in such a state, but it'd saved him from noticing Reborn and possibly attacking the wrong person. He'd have to feed Aster extra dessert to thank him when they had a chance. Although...

"How are you doing?" Tsuna asked worriedly, knowing that it'd been several days since Aster had been touched in any way. Aster glanced away, silently telling Tsuna that he was bearing it only because he didn't have a choice.

They'd been to fourteen different countries so far and Aster had changed a little at a time with each stop. In Japan, he'd gained some confidence from being a sempai. Three countries later in Australia, he'd begun to talk more thanks to a stop by a Koala Conservation where Tsuna had been able to tell a little story about a demon Koala named Muji. Four countries after that, in Germany, Aster's expressionless face had taken a large blow thanks to a puppeteer who'd taken the time to show Aster his workshop. Two countries later, in Belgium, Aster had begun to smile without any prompts at all. In the very next country, Aster had whined for the first time in complete and utter hatred of the perpetual cold in northern Russia. Then, he'd gotten sick from the drastic change in climate when they traveled to Egypt and being cared for by Tsuna over the course of several days had led him to ease up on the Master-worship.

Aster was still inexpressive, hesitant, and awkward at times, but he was growing quickly. With every new werewolf that they met and spoke with, Aster was building the confidence and personal skills he needed to stand on his own. It was hard to believe, but they only had two stops left until they were finished negotiating with the non-Alliance werewolves. So far, only four had refused to join under any terms, one of whom was still Tanaka. The other three were in similar situations where their lives couldn't improve by knowing him. For those, however, the issue was that they'd successfully finished the dehydration treatment and had cut all ties with vampire society. He'd tried to talk them into joining simply so they could stay informed, but they'd stubbornly refused in belief that they were completely human again. He'd left his card with them in case they ever changed their minds, but he doubted that he'd ever hear from them again.

Jeb was their current target. Like many, Tsuna only had his general address, a name, and the name of the person who'd turned him. After asking around in the right places, he'd found out that Jeb was an honest-to-goodness moisture farmer who was living in the middle of the desert. No one knew why he'd picked such an eccentric place to settle in, but he had and he was known as a recluse for it. On occasion, his wife, the person who Tsuna assumed was the vampiress who'd turned him, came into town to buy supplies and sell barrels of fresh water. Otherwise, the two stayed isolated by choice.

"OI!" Tsuna's head snapped up to a man standing at the top of the dune shading them from the setting sun. He was a grizzled man who made Tsuna rub his eyes to get the mirage of Snicker to clear. Covered from head to toe in light-weight, faded white garments, he looked like something straight out of "Arabian Nights" even though he was speaking English in a thick American accent. Then Tsuna noticed that he was armed with a rifle that didn't look like it was obtained legally. "No use in running or hiding," he shouted as all three of them slowly put their hands into the air. "Your blood is in the air, so I know what you are! You've got thirty seconds to tell me what you want before I start firing! Don't think you can dodge me, either! The desert is my territory, not yours!"

"I think you're mistaken about who I am, Mister Jeb," Tsuna called cautiously. "No one here is a vampire. My name is Van Wolfe. My friend here and myself are both werewolves like you are. We've come to speak to you and nothing more."

"What about the other one?" Jeb called, gesturing to Reborn with his rifle.

"He's a human friend who's sworn to protect me," Tsuna answered honestly. "A lot has happened in society in the past few months. I'd like to fill you in and see your opinion on all of it. Your wife, as well. I'm sure that she's curious about what's been going on in the world."

"Aye," Jeb confirmed softly. "Alright. I'll show you to my place and hear you out, but you're dead meat if you make one wrong move!"

* * *

Tsuna was grateful that Jeb drove them to the oasis in his jeep. If he hadn't, they would have never found it since it was buried a mile beneath the earth. The shaft leading down to it was raised several hundred feet above the air, so that they actually had to climb a tower before they could be lowered to the underground bunker that the two lived in. Tsuna personally thought that it was a creative method for ensuring that their haven would survive the shifting sands above.

As for the oasis itself, Tsuna was amazed at how unlike a bunker that their bunker was. Once through the climate seals, it felt like he stepped into a grand, upscale library. The ceilings were high and the walls were covered in books. It made him want to whisper, although talking normally gave off an oddly disorienting sensation that the walls were eating his words. There was a complete absence of an echo and that made him notice the lack of extraneous sound. Even the air-conditioner was a silent model.

The strangeness of the location and the quirks of Jeb's home were explained after he left them in the hands of his wife. He did that immediately upon arriving home, which surprised Tsuna immensely. Talking to his wife was difficult at first until he figured out the reason that she was miming at them. The woman, Amelia by name, was deaf. Once Tsuna showed that he could understand sign-language, she was an incredibly talkative and accommodating hostess.

Jeb had a hearing disorder, she told them over a cold pitcher of water and a quickly put together meal. Specifically, he was over-sensitive to sound. He was also eccentric and rich. He had his fortune before he'd been turned and his lifestyle of seclusion had been instated before the sound issue had come up. After being turned and having vampires try to control his life, he'd created his fortress in the middle of the desert that not even vampires could enter. They could try, but Jeb could lock himself in for weeks at a time and there wasn't much life to feed off of outside for vampires. Eventually, the people who came to bother him would drag themselves away before they ran out of fuel. She also warned that they'd end up outside without even a cup of water if they were too forceful with Jeb.

The information was useful to have and he gave his thanks as she led them to a suite of rooms where they could freshen up. She was a smart one. Noticing Aster's pungent scent along with how Aster was wrapped around Tsuna's side in desperate need of physical contact, she told them that Jeb wouldn't be up to having a conversation until the next day since he got migraines from using the jeep. Then, on her way out of the door, she absently commented that the rooms were all soundproofed.

Aster's control broke as soon as the woman was out of the room, sending him into a mindless mating frenzy that had no regard for Reborn's presence. However, Reborn had a better understanding of such things now. He now knew that it wasn't a matter of choice, so he was able to exit into another part of the suite without blinking twice at how Aster was tearing off Tsuna's clothes. As for Tsuna, he'd already mentally prepared himself to deal with a berserk Aster during the final drive in Jeb's jeep. Before Aster could become too frantic, he took control of the situation by simply overpowering Aster, stripping his pants off, tying his wrists to his ankles, and shoving a toy inside of him from the stock in Aster's trunk.

Aster screamed at the sudden penetration, but he stopped trying to claw free of the bindings holding him in place. Instead, he began begging without the ability to think about the words that he was saying. Tsuna understood that it was Hunger speaking, but knowing didn't make it any easier for Aster to bear. What did make it easier was when Tsuna finished stripping both of them and pulled Aster into his lap to maximize contact. Knowing that more than simple sex was needed to bring Aster out of a berserker state, Tsuna concentrated on simply caressing his body and holding him. When he started hyperventilating from his internal turmoil, Tsuna forced him to stop with a kiss to calm him. When his started tossing from whatever insanity that was taunting him, Tsuna held him tightly so that Aster was calmed by his heartbeat. When his hips began rocking to tell Tsuna that he was at his limit, Tsuna played with him until he was brought to completion. When his body began trembling, Tsuna went back to caressing him once more.

The cycle was repeated countless times with Tsuna exchanging toys whenever Aster stopped responding to one. When he ran out of toys, he used himself to the upmost limits of his ability. Slowly and gently, Tsuna brought him back from the brink. Once he reached the point where he was no longer capable of fighting, Tsuna untied him. He hated tying Aster up in the first place, but he had no choice. Not only was it for his own sake, but it was also for Aster's. The one time that he hadn't tied Aster up when he'd gone berserk, he'd knocked Tsuna out cold. When Tsuna had woken up, Aster had already damaged himself to a level that had almost been permanent. It'd been a far more of a painful experience for both of them than suffering through a little bondage.

Tsuna wasn't sure how much time passed before Aster was sated and calmly laying in his arms. It had to have been hours, but Tsuna didn't care. All that mattered was that Aster was sane once more. He was sane and caked with dirt. Tsuna could feel his skin crawling with sweat, dirt, and other unmentionable substances. From the way that Aster was occasionally twitching, he wasn't the only one, either.

"Why don't we go see if they have more than just a basin of water that we can use?" Tsuna suggested quietly.

"Are we lovers?" Aster asked in return. Tsuna froze, wondering how a question about a bath had gotten that sort of response. Then he wondered if Aster still didn't have his head on straight. Aster already knew the answer to that question, although Tsuna was perfectly willing to repeat it to make sure.

"No," he stated clearly. Aster raised his head from Tsuna's chest to gaze at him with a pair of tired eyes. "Lovers love each other. While I do love you, Aster, that love is platonic and we're only together like this because I care about you too much to let you sleep around to get what you need--"

"Boss needs too," he objected, making Tsuna blink in surprise. "Boss cuddles me when he gets lonely and... and he does it with me even when I'm not Hungry and... and he is always so kind that it makes me want to cry. I don't understand how it's... different from lovers since we... take care of each other."

"We're not because we take care of each other out of necessity instead of want," Tsuna explained as he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Love has nothing to do with it. What's this all about, Aster? This kind of question isn't like you."

"I just want to know," he replied with an earnest expression. "When I talked... to P-chan... at our last stop... I told her some things and she said that I was in love with Boss.... and since Boss says that he loves me, I don't understand why we're not lovers."

"I see," Tsuna murmured. Thinking carefully, he knew that he had to choose his words carefully. Aster was beginning to grasp love, but he still didn't understand the different levels of love. "Let me ask you this. If you love me, do you plan to stay with me forever? Do you want to?" Aster paused, giving the question a long moment of consideration before he answered.

"No," he admitted honestly. "I think I love Boss, but I know that we'll go separate ways one day."

"Does that hurt you to think about?" Tsuna prompted, getting another pause of consideration in return.

"No," he repeated slowly. "It makes me sad, but I don't think it really hurts. Boss wouldn't be happy if I stayed... forever... and I... want... to stand with Lord Nephriam one day."

"That's the difference between platonic love and romantic love," Tsuna explained with a smile for Aster's goal. "In platonic love, it's a deep bonding of camaraderie, but you are still an individual. With romantic love, you won't want to ever leave the person's side and that makes you into a couple."

"Oh," Aster gasped in understanding. "I see. I was confused then. I didn't know that you and Master Xerxes' love was platonic." Tsuna froze, feeling as if he was stabbed by the statement. He wanted to correct Aster, but he couldn't without confusing him and muddling the issue. "Then, if lovers have to have romantic love, what are we?"

"Friends with benefits," he answered as he quietly got to his feet. Aster started to get up with him, but Tsuna pushed him back down to rest on the floor. "I want to shower alone right now," he stated without meeting Aster's eyes. "When I get out, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Okay?"

"Oh," Aster said with his expression disappearing as he realized how much he'd crossed the line. "Yes, Boss." Tsuna gave a small nod of thanks before retreating into the bathroom to clean himself with whatever was available. Once closeted away, Tsuna tried to fix the unintentional wound that Aster had caused. Tsuna knew that he hadn't meant anything by it, which was why he'd answered the questions. Still, the jab about Xanxus hurt.

He wanted to instantly deny that they were only platonic. He wanted to claim that they were star-crossed lovers. Yet, he had doubts and those doubts grew by the day. He'd had three calls from Xanxus since he'd been dumped and all three had been so brief as to be non-existent. There were no 'I love you' anymore. There was no concern about each other's well-being. They really were separate individuals, which made him question what the state of their feelings was. In the past, he couldn't have dreamed about being so distanced from Xanxus. Now, he was and he was growing so used to it that it was becoming hard to imagine reconciliation.

As soon as Tsuna became aware that he was crying, he forced himself to stop. He was a grown man and it wasn't worth crying over. Not yet when it was still just doubts and not facts. Xanxus was probably just busy. The latest news that he'd heard was that a Hunter had been captured, so he was probably working his ass off at the moment. He was producing results, such as the new Hunter countermeasure kits and the information about the capabilities of Hunters. If they were going to remain equals, Tsuna couldn't waste time crying. He needed focus on how to net another werewolf into conforming.

Hardening the resolve in his heart, Tsuna knew where he needed to start. He needed a bath.

* * *

Tsuna was ecstatic. Jeb's reason for refusing the Alliance was the simplest one to solve yet. He'd refused since the last representative had approached via helicopter and the damn thing had burst Jeb's eardrum. Then the bastard had been loud and pushy in trying to get Jeb's agreement. He'd refused because he'd been pissed, nothing more nothing less. By coming on foot, taking extreme care to use sign language, and making as little noise as possible during their stay, Jeb had been perfectly willing to hear them out this time.

Jeb was actually the heir of a billionaire. That meant that he had all the manners and learning to socialize as a wealthy man, when he chose to use those skills that is. Speaking with him was actually enjoyable enough that Tsuna willingly extended their stay for an extra two days at the man's request and that was after he signed himself up for the Alliance. Jeb was unwilling to leave his walls, but accepting communications from them was no problem via emails. In exchange for news updates that respected his sensitivities and a promise not to bring loud people to his home, he offered financial support for the Werewolf House and Alliance activities.

Seeing his ability to help the Alliance stand on its own outside of vampiric influence, Tsuna immediately began teaching Aster sign-language so that he could speak to the man directly. It was through Aster's hesitant attempts to talk with him on the final day that brought something new to light. It was something that Tsuna hadn't noticed before, but Aster had apparently been keeping track of during their travels. Every werewolf who was bitten by a Phlegm had one heightened sense. The statement had started a whispered conversation so that Aster could fully explain himself without the burden of doing so in a new language.

Six out of their fifteen stops had been to Phlegm-bitten werewolves. The rest were turned by vampires through accidents or mistakes. Although Tsuna hadn't noticed it, Aster had noted peculiarities with all six. Two of them had extremely low lighting in their homes and always wore sunglasses, suggesting a light sensitivity. One had been a connoisseur of cheeses and another had been an extremely picky chef, suggesting taste sensitivity. One of the others had been sensitive to sound, although Tsuna had simply assumed that he'd kept the earmuffs on due to the cold climate. The final one had been sensitive to smells, which Aster admitted talking about with the person while Tsuna had been asleep. Then he admitted to his own sensitivity for smells, which Tsuna had been aware of but had thought was a byproduct of his special needs.

"We're like blind men," Aster explained slowly. "Each of us has a different sense that became heightened to make up for our lack of ability to see life-energy. I think... if we train the higher sense with that in mind... we might learn to sense what vampires can. Then... we might be able to touch it directly, too, and then... we can feed like they do."

"That's a magnificent theory," Jeb said as his wife gave her agreement with a flurry of excited hand-signs.

"What about people like me?" Tsuna asked in a soft tone. "Why have none of my senses sharpened?"

"I was thinking..." Aster murmured with a pinkish blush at Jeb's praise. "The inoculation in the bite that turned you... It must have interfered.... I don't... I don't know..."

"It's still a wonderful hypothesis," Tsuna soothed. "You're probably right. I'm proud of you for noticing it. If you think it's worth following up on, feel free to investigate." Seeing that Aster was taking the steps to think for himself, Tsuna made his decision. He'd already known that the Alliance needed a regular newsletter of some kind so that such theories could be shared. With Aster making such progress, there was no one better to write it than the person that would one day lead them. Of course, Aster still didn't know that yet. He would, though. Right after they made one more stop.

* * *

"Excuse me," Tsuna called pleasantly as he dragged a makeup kit toward the guarded door holding his target. So far, so good. The guards looked curious, but not suspicious. Tsuna kept it up, knowing that his disguise was flawless. Shimmering silk shirt, check. Styled hair, check. Tight pants, check. Gigi-ified personality, check. The makeup artists' gear, check. The only part of his normal outfit that he still had on was his mask and even that had been trimmed with a peacock feather in the middle of his forehead to make it look flamboyant. Because of the person that he was pretending to be, no one would suspect him. "Can you get the door, honey?" Tsuna asked with a suggestively feminine wave of his hand and a misleading twitch of his hips.

Acting like a fool, he flirted aggressively with the two guards on his way past. Perhaps a little too aggressively since he somehow managed to get a date with the taller of the two, but it was worth it. His target was on the other side and he didn't want interruptions because some idiot thought that he was interested in Tracy, the Vegas showgirl who was the current mistress of the Deter Family Boss. Well, he was interested in her, but not for reasons that the guards would need to fear leaving them alone together.

His plan backfired. The one who wanted the date decided to follow him inside with plans to flirt some more while Tsuna worked on Tracy's makeup. Even worse, Tracy knew what he was right off the bat. He didn't expect the fear-filled scream that erupted from her, though. It was such an odd reaction that Tsuna didn't respond to the alerted guard fast enough to disarm him. Having a gun pointed at his head wasn't the best part of his day, but they thankfully didn't tackle him.

"Can you please stop screaming?" Tsuna asked, choosing to put his hands in the air rather than fight anyone. "I don't know what you think I'm here for, but I've--" Tsuna paused, his intuition flaring at the very thing that'd made Tracy scream. It wasn't himself, either. It was something else. "Shit," he spat, turning to look at the two guards in instant panic. "I know that you don't trust me, but I'm here to protect Tracy! If you value her life, don't shoot me and barricade the door!"

"What...?"

Too late. A grenade bounced into the room, catching everyone's attention. Tsuna moved before it could go off, taking the risk to pick it up and throw it out the open door. It went off midway, sending a spray of smoke into the air that made Tracy scream a second time in fear. Running for the prop that he'd brought along, Tsuna ripped it open and pulled out his utility belt and his sword. Clipping the belt on, he unholstered his gun and hurriedly made preparations to fight. Shoving Tracy against the wall, he placed himself between her and the door.

"Voice input Black-Delta," Tsuna barked. The voice command did what it would have taken him several precious minutes to do without it. It sent a message to Reborn and Aster that he was under attack. It sent a message to Xanxus and Lord Nephriam that he'd made contact with Hunters. It also started up the countermeasures that Xanxus had armed him with. The vision in his implanted eye switched to a heat filter, allowing him to see the one thing that the Hunter's suits couldn't entirely erase. They tried, but there was still a hot-spot wherever one was standing.

He almost wished that he was blind when he could see them. The two guards were standing around like idiots, trying to figure out where the grenade had come from. All the while, Hunters were flooding into the room around them. He was badly outnumbered, but he wasn't going to let such a thing stop him.

"You bastards," Tsuna growled with a feral grin. "You just picked the wrong target." Whistling, Flames erupted from his sword. The Dango Brothers hatched instantly upon their release and Tsuna marked their targets with precise shots from his gun. Having pre-loaded it with acid-tipped bullets, enemy after enemy became visible as their armor began to disintegrate in small doses. Once a spot was visible, even if it was only the size of a pencil-hole, the Dango Brothers got to work.

The room became a dance of Flame, bullets, and Hunters. There was only six Dango and they had their hands full in trying to fight one Hunter at a time. That left six for Tsuna to deal with. It would have been easy if it wasn't for the fact that he had to protect Tracy in the process. The guards were no help, already unconscious on the floor. Tracy was no help, weeping and screaming like a helpless ninny. As a second smoke grenade went off in the room, he couldn't blame her for screaming. He wanted to scream himself as his skin was lit on fire. He kept moving, though. He kept dodging the heat signatures while trying to keep himself from being hit by the weapons that flew out of thin air. Dropping his gun, he used a counter-grenade from his belt that filled the air with even more smoke. It became difficult to breathe, but the lancing pain on his skin and in his lungs immediately began to ease.

Hearing Tracy's screams cut off, Tsuna was distracted in a critical moment. After a mere glance in her direction, he hit the ground before he ever felt the tranquilizer dart that hit him.

* * *

Tsuna was on his feet before he was fully awake. His first coherent thought was to wonder where his pants were. His second was to ask whether the room full of people were friends or foes. Startled by his leap to his feet, their lack of aggressive movements combined with the bandages he felt on his body made him decide that they were friends. Gathering from their suits that they were from the Deter Family, Tsuna glanced around to get a count of the amount of people surrounding him. Thirteen. Since they were human, it wasn't so many that he couldn't fight his way out if he was a prisoner. Therefore, he was in a position where he could talk.

"Tracy?" He prompted cautiously. At least, he tried to. The word came out with a sharp rasp that made his hand go to his throat in surprise.

"You're lucky to be alive," one of the suits sitting in a nearby over-stuffed chair commented. From his manner and his youth, Tsuna immediately identified him as the Deter Boss. "They were in the process of hacking your head off when we arrived, so there's some damage to your throat. If we hadn't gotten you to surgeons in time, you'd be six feet under at the moment."

"Where's Tracy?" Tsuna repeated in a harsh voice.

"What's it to you?" He inquired in return. "I don't remember hiring a bodyguard from the Olympus Foundation. Especially not White Merciful himself." Tsuna pause to choose his words carefully. They knew who he was or at least thought they did. Putting a hand to his mask, he tried not to consider the possibility that they'd removed it like they had his pants. His shirt was still on, but he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious in their care. The lasting damage to his throat meant that Aster hadn't cared for him. He'd come back the old-fashioned way through medical treatment and rest. His injuries made it difficult to tell how long he'd been out, but the nagging lack of Hunger gave him the clue that he needed.

"She's alive," he stated in relief, making the Boss' eyebrows fly up in surprise. "Since I didn't wake up berserk, she's been here recently to check on me. Too bad that she's the squeamish type or I would have been awake earlier. Also, there's no point in trying to make me grateful by pretending that you're the ones who saved me. You're not equipped to fight those guys. Even if my throat was cut, it was done in passing by a suicidal attacker and the Dango Brothers wouldn't have let him live. Since they're not here and neither are my servants, it's easy to deduct that they're guests in this house. You probably talked Reborn into sitting on his hands for a while and Reborn is holding Aster back. The Hunters... no survivors or you wouldn't be here personally to ask me questions. They probably suicided since it's unlikely that you were prepared for prisoners like them."

"It's just as I was told," the Boss sighed in disappointment. "You're too astute. You've just learned all the information that I had planned to bargain with."

"Not quite," Tsuna corrected with a smirk. "I still don't know where my pants are." Deter and his men stared in disbelief for a long, silent moment before bursting out into laughter at the unexpected statement and Tsuna had the grace to blush. Here he was, going toe-to-toe in a verbal match with a Mafia Boss while wearing nothing but his shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. He was surprised that he'd managed to put up such a strong front to begin with.

"Don't worry," Deter laughed. "We have a pair for you. You might not have noticed it, but you were shot in the leg. Keeping them off made it easier to change the bandages." Putting his hand to his collar, Tsuna silently prompted in curiosity. "Ah," Deter confirmed softly. "I saw. You've been in the Mafia a lot longer than your reputation shows. That's a Vendiche punishment from back during the Nano-Electro affair. Several of my men have similar brands since I wasn't yet in a position to take the punishment in their place, so I'm familiar with them. Since you also have the chest brand, I assume that you stood in to take the greater punishment for Carter the Eighteenth. The Vendiche took pity by only giving you one Roman numeral instead of the complete set...?"

"Something like that," he confirmed through clenched teeth. "I'd prefer if you kept that to yourself. My privacy is very important to me and I'd hate to have to cut out a tongue to get my point across."

"You're definitely old school," Deter chuckled. "Nowadays, we inject a micro-explosive into the tongue when we warn someone. Very few are stupid enough to need step two in today's world. Unless..." Deter paused and stared at Tsuna in consideration. "You're not originally from the Carter Family," he stated with a slow smile. "Ah, how the pieces start fitting. You must have done something truly horrible in Vongola for the Tenth to refuse to accept the Vendiche punishment on your behalf. Let me guess... You tried to kill him, but he took pity on you since you're family to Reborn. Rather than kill you when you failed, he ordered you to take your own punishment and cast you out of the Family afterward. Since the quiet life doesn't fit people like you and me, I can also guess that you were willing to accept any Family that would take you. How long has Carter been hiding you?"

"Long enough," Tsuna answered, going along with Deter's misguided assumptions. "What does it matter to you?"

"I could use a man like you in my ranks," he stated bluntly. "You might be a decade behind the times, but your senses are sharp and--" Deter broke off as Tsuna started laughing openly.

"You pompously think that you know everything about me because you saw a lingering mark from my past," Tsuna said just as bluntly. "I'm afraid that I'm not that simple and you could never hope to meet my price. Or are you truly suggesting that you're capable of handling a Werewolf of my pedigree?" Deter jolted in his seat, having obviously forgotten that detail in Tsuna's profile. "You'll need ten more years before you can understand how ignorant you've just shown yourself to be. Now, if the jokes are over, get me my pants, my subordinates, and a moment with Tracy in that order. I'm through talking to a pretentious Boss who has more rank than experience."

Pointedly turning his back on the Boss, Tsuna walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. It was difficult to pretend that he was alone in a room overflowing with armed Mafioso while his pants were still missing, but he managed. Having the self-confidence to do such a thing made several of the suited guards mutter among themselves. No matter how small the Family, a hitman ordering a Boss around wasn't a wise thing to do. Not only was it disrespectful, but it was simply rude. Tsuna didn't care, though. The bastard had been rude enough to undress him and then try to dominate him by pretending to understand him. Then he'd tried to recruit him! Him--! The person who'd watched as Deter's predecessor was shot down!

"I've offended you," Deter commented without showing any intention to obey his demands. "I hope you'll accept my apologies. I didn't come here to trade insults. I came to thank you, first of all. Whether I like to admit it or not, my Tracy is alive because you were there." Tsuna kept drinking while absently noting the possessive 'my'. "You have my gratitude, for whatever you feel that is worth. However, I'd also like to know what you were doing there in the first place. Your Boss' representative would say nothing other than that you were on a private assignment and that the details were classified."

"You've heard my demands," Tsuna replied simply.

"Tracy," he said with a sigh. "So it all comes down to her. I'm afraid that I'll have to refuse. She doesn't wish to see you and I don't feel comfortable having you near her when--"

"I'm not leaving until I speak with her," Tsuna growled. "The terms of our meeting can be hers, but let her know that I won't stay quiet if I have to set the terms."

"Quiet...?" Deter repeated sharply. "Quiet about what?"

"That's between her and--"

"Quiet about being a werewolf." Tsuna straightened up from the wet bar and turned to find Deter bolting out of his seat at the entrance of a red-eyed Tracy. "I'm sorry, Scott," she continued. "I know how much you wanted a werewolf in the Family, but being a werewolf doesn't make you a strong fighter. I can't be like Van Wolfe or Shotgun. Van Wolfe is here because he wants me to join an Alliance of my kind. I told the one who came before that I don't want to, but they said that they'd try again once they had something more to offer me than empty promises. That's why you're here. Isn't it, Mr. Wolfe? That's why you won't talk to them, too. You knew that I was keeping it secret."

"I figured," Tsuna shrugged. "It's not an easy thing to explain to people." Turning back to his drink, he took his time in finishing it so that the two lovebirds could talk through the sudden revelation. That was, he left them alone until it was getting too sickeningly sweet for him to stand. "Listen," Tsuna said, turning around once more with his drink in hand. "I'll make this short so that I can get out of your hair. We've got the methods to counter those bastards that attacked you and we've got supplies to help you if you couldn't finish the treatment. We're more organized now and--"

"Um," Tracy interjected with a small blush. "I-I'll join if... um..."

"Just name your condition," Tsuna encouraged. She blushed even harder and glanced around to show that she was nervous about saying it aloud. Seeing her bite her lip, what she was embarrassed about belatedly dawned on him. "Oh," he mumbled while he tried to think of a way out. "Is it that time of year for you?"

"No!" She spluttered, turning an even brighter shade of red. "I don't need help dealing with that! I was thinking about supplies! I don't need any, but..."

"Supplies?" Tsuna repeated. Then she bit her lip again and he said, "Oh," then "Ooh!" when the implications hit him. She wanted his blood and she was too embarrassed to ask for it! "Is that it?" He asked with a laugh for his own stupidity. "That's fine. Do you want it now or later? If you want it later, I can send you a bottle."

"Actually..." she mumbled with another blush. Her manner silently told Tsuna that she wanted it now, but she was hesitant to accept it in front of so many people. Turning to the Deter Boss, Tsuna sent him a pointed look to tell him to clear the room. He did for the most part, although he also stayed with the company of two burly guards that Tracy obviously felt comfortable around. Gesturing her to step forward, Tsuna took her hand to pull her close ignoring the jealousy that lit up on Deter's face. Tsuna knew that it was wrong of him, but he couldn't help the satisfaction that came from tweaking the twit's nose by wooing his girlfriend. It didn't last long, though. Having gotten permission to bite, Tracy's instincts kicked in within moments of entering the embrace of his arms. Deter's jealousy was wiped away by the trail of blood that began staining Tsuna's shirt afterward.

"I'm told that I'm irresistible," Tsuna grinned at Deter to purposely push his buttons again. As he hoped, he pushed the right one. Deter stormed forward to forcefully yank Tracy away before she could ruin her diet by drinking too much. Shoving her behind himself, he glared with all the anger in his puny body.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he growled. "Any further communication can be via phone."

"Sure," Tsuna agreed pleasantly, finally seeing that Deter simply didn't understand why Tsuna was screwing with him. "But would you mind giving me my fucking pants first?!" Deter stared at him without comprehending. When he did, he looked down at Tsuna's bare legs with an indescribable expression on his face.

"Oh."

* * *

Tsuna couldn't keep the smile on his face as he stepped onto the Venice Row platform. He had two weeks until he had to start travelling the world again for his scheduled stops and there was only one place that he could think to go during that time. He'd already dropped Aster off at the Werewolf House so that he could enjoy reuniting with P-chan. He'd also called Lord Nephriam to find out Xanxus' whereabouts in hopes that they could meet up. Unfortunately, it'd been vain hope. Xanxus was currently in the middle of operations that Lord Nephriam didn't want to detail over an unsecured line.

The result was that Tsuna was pumped up once more to take another step in advancing his personal plans again. It was early, but there was no better time to get in touch with Pink than during downtime. He could also get some clues to find Yamamoto while he was at it. Reborn didn't look quite so happy to return to Mafia-Central, though. His dislike was so evident that he was almost turning as green as Leon. Tsuna thought that he was overreacting, up until they openly started walking through Venice Row. After a while, the whispers and finger-pointing began to get to even Tsuna. Even as Vongola the Tenth, it'd been rare for him to get so much undivided attention.

Tense from worry that his disguise wouldn't hold up, he reacted without thinking to the hand that crashed down on his shoulder. He grabbed the person's wrist, hit the pressure points to paralyze it, and stepped away as he spun in place to face the attacker. It wasn't until his eye was twitching in shock at the sight of Isaac that he belatedly remembered the no-fighting rule in Venice Row. Even worse, from the matching shock on Isaac's face, he was sure Isaac recognized him by the attack if not by sight.

"H-How...?" Isaac asked, casually dropping his hand to his side to hide the fact that he couldn't feel it.

"Magic," Tsuna answered before Isaac could say anything that would be damaging if overheard. "You shouldn't grab strangers out of the blue like that. It's very rude."

"Oh," Isaac murmured, giving sidelong glances at all the people watching them from behind half-hearted attempts to hide it. "Ah," he agreed. "My apologies. I thought you were someone that I used to know."

"Really," Tsuna said with a sparkle in his eyes at how quickly Isaac caught on. "Why don't I buy you a drink and you can tell me about him? If he's anything like me, he's got to be interesting."

"He's a cocky little twink who always ran off to do shit by himself," Isaac growled with a dark look in his eyes. Then his eyes softened with an emotion that Tsuna couldn't place and he nodded to agree to the drink.

Picking up his previous path again, Tsuna began asking questions as if it was his first visit to Venice Row. Some of them, Isaac answered and his level of knowledge gave Tsuna a general idea of how long he'd been in Italy. The rest, Reborn answered to let Tsuna know what had changed. Of course, Tsuna could see for himself that many things had changed. Venice Row had much more character than it used to. There was more lighting for one. Also, the canals had been implanted with fountains and fish. In the avenue that he headed down to go to Pink's, there was an actual gondola giving ferry rides from one end of the district to the other. Tsuna wasn't sure how they did it, but the fountains turned off with perfect timing to let the gondola pass without soaking those onboard. The air was much more fresher than it used to be, too. It was most likely due to the increase in carefully tended greenery on the bridges.

When he reached Pink's, he found that much had changed in his old stomping ground. The girls no longer wore corsets and lace skirts. Now they wore form-fitting, laced-up jumpsuits in their code colors. For some reason, Tsuna thought that it made the girls look sexier than when they'd been showing more skin. The general layout of the bar was the same, but it also had more of an updated technical feel to it. The accent on everything from the tables to the poles for the dancers was chrome. All of the carpets and the curtains had been updated, too, into tones that were less passionate. It had to have appeal since the place was more crowded than Tsuna remembered from his days, but he missed the Pink's that he'd always known.

When Reborn went to a table without someone escorting him there it told Tsuna that the waitresses no longer met people at the door, which was also a disappointment. They had to wait for one to come around to take their orders or they had to go to the bar to get it themselves. Offering to do it while the two waited at a corner table that Reborn secured via a glare, Tsuna grinned when he saw Pink frantically mixing drinks for a line of customers. Feeling a mischievous urge, Tsuna decided to merely wait in line until his turn came up. When it did, he leaned across the counter with his head bowed down while Pink asked what he wanted in her typical crude manner.

"My name is Van Wolfe," Tsuna said, making her lean over to hear him over all of the noise.

"Van Wolfe?" She repeated in askance. "I don't know that drink."

"That's my name," Tsuna said louder as she leaned closer to his face to hear him. When she got to the point that her ear was at his cheek, he finally looked up as he said, "I'll take Order X-Twenty-Seven with a side of Orange." Pink didn't move for a long time. She stayed completely frozen for so long that the bartender next to her was able to complete ten separate orders. The line behind Tsuna began to get upset at the complete lack of movement, but Tsuna's grin grew until he thought his face was going to break. Then Pink turned to look at him with the most dumbfounded expression that he'd ever seen on her face. Then she exploded with a smile of her own while her eyes glittered in disbelief.

"You're alive," she gasped as true recognition blossomed in her eyes. "You're alive!" She shouted. The she screamed unintelligibly in joy, flew over the counter to jump into his arms, and planted the most passionate kiss that she could onto his lips. The staff stared in disbelief and the customers let out a few catcalls over the embrace which made his ears burn, but he knew that it was all in good fun. When she pulled back to look at him, he couldn't do anything but laugh before she planted a second kiss on him with enough force that he was knocked off balance. He managed to save himself before she knocked him over completely, but the crowd got even louder from the shocking scene.

Figuring that he should do something before she ended up raping him in public, Tsuna saved his counter-attack until she pulled back a second time. When she did, he ducked down to throw her over his shoulder while she began shouting unintelligibly in excitement again. Reaching over the counter to snatch up a bottle of V Special and a bottle of Whiskey for Isaac, he prepared himself for the long evening to come. After that, the only thing left to do was to race upstairs and barge into room after room until he found one that was unoccupied.

Pink was a nervous wreck by the time he set her down into the private booth's couch and began closing the curtains. He hoped that none of the crowd noticed how badly she was affected by her little epiphany. Cheering and an enthusiastic kiss were in keeping with her image of a strong-willed business woman, but it wasn't when she was sobbing in tears like the love-sick fool.

"Gomen nasai," Tsuna whispered in Japanese as he slowly began pouring drinks. "Perdonilo," he continued in Italian. As Reborn and Isaac entered, finally finding the room that he'd retreated to, Tsuna gave his cues. Reborn stayed outside to guard the door from intruders and eavesdroppers while Isaac found himself a comfortable and silent seat at the room's only table. Switching between languages, he continued making his apologies in ever language he knew until they began to penetrate. "I'm sorry," in English. "Je suis désolé," in French. "Lo siento," in Spanish. "Slihah. Zhen bao qian. Main hamnida. Prostite menia. Sygnome. Toi xin loi. Pardon bocsánat. Mote' assefam. Perdão--"

"You can stop, Tsuna," Pink interjected, sniffing back her tears with an incredible show of fortitude. "A million apologies won't be enough to make up for what you did."

"Then how about a glass of whiskey?" Tsuna offered with a soft smile. She accepted his offer gratefully, pouring the liquor down her throat with in complete disregard of the fact that she still had a bar to run. Tsuna watched her as the alcohol burned her throat, causing her to shake her head in need of a chaser. As he expected, she threw the glass at the nearest wall after she finished, shattering it to ensure that she couldn't accept any more drinks in the near future. Such was her way of staying sober despite the circumstances that would normally drive a person to drink.

With one glance, she told him what she wanted of him and he couldn't refuse. That was the reason that Reborn was guarding the door, after all. It was so that he could kneel down to allow her to carefully pull the mask off his face without worry that someone would barge in. When she pulled the mask away, he felt incredibly exposed. His mask had been his face for months now, becoming an extension of himself so that he felt naked without it. It made him unable to meet her eyes as she caressed his face in disbelief.

"Even without the mask, it's hard to recognize you," she commented while she continued to trace the lines of her face. "What happened, Tsuna?" Hearing his name from her lips made him feel like a gong had gone off nearby. The tremor resounded through him and echoed within him until his body was too shaken to hold himself up. It hadn't been in his plan, like so many things that had come before, but he collapsed into her lap and began weeping. "You're such a crybaby," she chuckled in the same fashion that she'd done in secret for a certain distraught bouncer named Orange. "I remember the last time that you did this. You came in, upset that your cover got blown and that you couldn't stay in school anymore because the police went to harass you. I remember the first time, too. Do you remember, Tsuna?"

"Yes," he sniffed into her lap, calmed by the soft, rhythmic tone of her voice. "It was after the first time that I had to witness Bouncer's Judgment. I wanted to stop Grey because I thought that it was too harsh, but I lost my resolution after I saw the look in his eyes. He had the same eyes that Xanxus used to keep me in line. I remember that there was so much blood... It wouldn't stop."

"Even though you were horrified, you burned his wounds closed and saved his life," Pink finished gently. "You cried so much that day, but you started doing the punishments personally after that. Since you could burn as you cut, the punishment really was just an arm and a leg instead of their life. I doubt few Mafioso would believe that your kindness was what forced to be cruel. I sometimes wonder if I did the right thing by accepting the Ninth's request to teach you."

"Don't say that!" Tsuna gasped, finally looking up at her. "If I'd been sent anywhere else, I don't think that I would have been able to bear it! I could have turned into a much more horrible person if you hadn't been there for me!"

"But you still hated yourself enough to fake your death," Pink solemnly replied. "Where did you go, Tsuna? What happened to you?"

Tsuna bowed his head for a moment, collecting his thoughts as he absently picked up his discarded mask. For a long while, he focused on putting it back on and on pouring himself a drink. Sipping on his V-Special, he realized that he couldn't face her. He was already retreating into hiding, even though they were still in the same room together. It wasn't like when he'd faced off against Basil and Longchamp. Pink wasn't just his friend, she was like an older sister to him. A mother, even. How was he supposed to tell his mother about all the foolish things that he'd done?

Peeking out the curtains, he kept his eyes on the main floor while he tried to tell her anyway. His tone was flat like he was reciting something out of a book, even though they were the events of his own life. At a few points, he had to pause to hold in his emotions. It was still hard to say Snicker's name and remembering all the times they shared filled him with an incredible amount of sadness. She didn't react when she figured out that he'd been Lazarus, but she did show her concern when he talked about his relationship with Autumn and the rape by Gabriel. He spoke about Charlie and the Dragons, slowly filling in almost ten years of missing time as he alternated between pouring himself a drink and going back to peek out of the curtains.

Isaac pretended to be a statue through all of it, also showing no reaction to anything. Just as he'd stayed silent when Tsuna had burst into tears, he stayed silent even when the thread of Tsuna's quiet monologue reached the point where Xanxus had faked their deaths. Tsuna told them about how he got his memories back and told them about how he'd trained. He told them of his plans to integrate himself back into the Mafia and told them about his placement on the Vampire Council. Finally, he told them about Reborn and the tasks that he'd been completing for the past few months.

"You've still got your hands in a little of everything," Pink chuckled as she refilled his drink for him again. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You can start with giving me some inside information," Tsuna replied with a slow smile. He could see from her manner that he was already forgiven. He could also see that she didn't want to sit still and watch this time. "You hear about everything, Pink. I'm not asking for your help as a Vongola or a Martelli. I'm just asking as me."

"You always treated me as Family," she replied with a soft sigh. "I had a feeling that you knew that I was a double agent, but you still always trusted me. Seriously, Tsuna. You make it so hard to ignore you. But... What about him...?" Tsuna turned his head to look at the object of Pink's attention. Isaac was still sitting as quietly as always, although his expression had turned into a strangely thoughtful one.

"Indeed," Tsuna murmured in consideration. "What should we do about him?"

"I've heard enough," Isaac stated without moving. "Whether you're Tsuna or Laz, it doesn't really matter anymore. You left the Family when you left the city. Until you go back, I don't know you." Isaac finally looked up to make eye contact with him and Tsuna felt relief at the gleam of determination within. He wasn't going to help Tsuna, but he wasn't going to hinder him either; Isaac was going to keep his secret. He wasn't going to tell the others about what he'd uncovered since Tsuna wasn't the Martelli's business anymore. "I better go," Isaac added as he got to his feet. "I don't want to listen to a conversation that I'll have to report."

"Thanks, Isaac," Tsuna smiled. "I always knew that--"

"This doesn't make us friends," he interrupted with a disgruntled expression. "It just means that I've got more to worry about than a cross-dressing fag." Tsuna jaw dropped open at the insult and he almost objected that he wasn't cross-dressing, but Isaac beat him to it with a raised eyebrow at his braided pony-tail. "I'll see you around, Mr. Wolfe," he added flippantly on the way out the door. Tsuna sent a crooked grin after him, knowing that he was just hiding how happy he was. If he had been mad, his insult would have been much worse and he wouldn't have held back on his punches. The Isaac that had just walked out the door was an Isaac that was on his side.

"I'm still making messes," Tsuna laughed as he turned his attention back to Pink. Making himself comfortable on the room's couch, Tsuna waited patiently for whatever bones that she could throw him. However, what she gave him was a whole carcass that was incredibly hard to swallow.

She told him of the merger between Martelli and the Dragons. She told him about the four who were present in Italy as student spies. She told him about his replacement and she told him about everything that had happened since he left. Then she talked about Vongola. She told him every detail that she'd picked up, regardless of whether it was gossip, rumor, a slip of the tongue, or comment made in confidence. She told him everything that she knew. For the first time in her life, she ignored all her promises of confidentiality and broke all of her vows of secrecy in order to arm him with as much artillery as she could give him.

Finally, she told him about Hotaru and how strange he'd been acting lately. On the surface, he was still the same arrogant child-Boss that he'd always been. Like Tsuna had, Hotaru had learned that Pink's had far more to offer than a romp in the hay. He came often to relax and unwind with people who wouldn't treat him as a Boss. Lately, he'd been coming in once a week on Saturday nights. He used to be rambunctious once he was in private, flipping skirts and partying like any boy with too much freedom. However, he was changing. He was becoming more and more subdued as time went on, to the point that he was having trouble putting his mask back on after he left.

"Is he burning out?" Tsuna asked worriedly. "Is someone blackmailing him or--"

"No," Pink laughed. "It's nothing like that. He's just in love and trying very hard to hide it."

"Love...?" Tsuna repeated as the blood drained from his face. That was bad. That was very bad. He'd already pushed Hotaru off-balance by taking Reborn away. Falling in love at this time would only further confuse him. It was a distraction that Tsuna hadn't accounted for. Love muddled everything it touched. How was Hotaru handling it? Was it interfering with his studies or his work? If he was acting listless, the love had to be one-sided or unfulfilled. As much as Tsuna wanted to support him, a strong feeling like love had hundreds of repercussions for a Boss. Did he know that and was holding back for the Family?

"You don't look happy," Pink commented in curiosity.

"I'm not thinking like his father," Tsuna replied with a grimace for his own reaction. "I know that I should, but I have more experience as a Boss. Love isn't something that can be jumped into for people like... well... for people like what I used to be. If he's hiding his feelings, then he's doing the right thing. No matter how much he loves a person, his love will only bring pain. Don't get me wrong. I pray that he'll find a way, but..."

"Kyoko," Pink stated, summing up the problem in one word. Tsuna nodded in agreement. Kyoko was indeed an accurate way to sum up the problem. Her and a hundred women out there who'd paid the price for choosing the wrong man to love were a great problem. Women like Haru, women who'd survived the Mafia's cruel gaze, were the rare ones. The more that Hotaru wanted to protect the one that he loved, the greater the danger that he put her in. The only thing that Hotaru could do was to not act on his love. The longer that he could hold out, the better chance that she had to live happily. For a Boss, a lover was a weakness that couldn't be afforded.

"My poor son..." Tsuna murmured sympathetically. "Whoever the person is, I hope that she never notices. If Hotaru is anything like me, he won't be able to hold back if she develops feelings for him."

* * *

Keeping his head raised and his back straight, Tsuna surveyed the Werewolf House and all of the residents who'd gathered to greet him. Lady Italia stood by the door, waiting patiently for him to greet her. Between them stood the nine werewolves who'd arrived to serve as staff, Tsuna's two personal servants, and the three humans who'd unwittingly gotten pulled into their world. The humans were somewhat confused by how everyone else bowed or curtsied when Tsuna walked past, but they seemed to catch on quickly enough that he was the highest ranking person present.

"Classic," Tsuna praised as he stepped onto the porch and stole Lady Italia's hand for a kiss. Lady Italia blushed at the compliment. She must have worked hard to train everyone on how to behave when Council members visited. They didn't want the place to be as stiff as a Sanctuary House, but they didn't want it as laid back as a flop-house, either. If the Werewolf House was to show vampires that werewolves could be organized and civilized, they had to start with basic manners. It was preparation for the day when the War wasn't distracting everyone and people had time to gossip about meaningless matters again.

Offering his arm to Lady Italia, he let her show him around his home. It turned out to be smaller than he'd hoped, but had twice the charm. The entry way was barely large enough to hold the registration desk and have enough room left over to pass by, but it seemed more cozy than crowded. After that was a lounging room that was stripped of all electronics. Instead, there were wall-to-wall bookshelves with rolling ladders and Tsuna smiled to himself at the collection of literature assembled. Even from a distance, he could tell that they'd gotten every book on werewolves that there was in order to help reinforce the image that they were just a group of eccentric researchers. The dining room was a pleasant surprise, though. Rather than one long table, there were numerous small tables set up in restaurant fashion to allow people to pick their company. The kitchen was small, but adequate for the needs of the house. So were the utility rooms.

He didn't bother checking the bedrooms as he was led to his own room, able to tell from the lack of unpleasant scents that everyone was being careful to clean up after themselves. As for his own room, he was satisfied. There wasn't much in the way of personality, but the stretch of the renovated attic that was given to him was adequately furnished. First was his office which was small but soundproofed. Then there were the servant's quarters for Aster and P-chan, which served as a barrier between his room and the rest of the house. As for his own room, it felt almost like he was in another hotel. It was comfortable enough, but there was nothing in the way of personal items inside.

"I'll send Aster to attend to you," Lady Italia murmured before leaving him in peace. Tsuna bowed his head in gratitude and headed for a seat by the window. Looking out, he tried to understand why he felt so unsettled by the simple act of arriving home. It wasn't that the entire staff had gathered to greet him. That much was to be expected since he was a Councilor-- Tsuna abruptly understood. He was disturbed because it was the first time that he truly felt the weight of his position. He'd been working alone and interacting with people who didn't know what a Councilor was, so his new status still hadn't affected him.

It was going to be different now. He had fifty six Werewolves that he was scheduled to meet with over the course of the next three months. Every one of them was part of the Alliance and knew what it meant for a Councilor to visit. Greetings such as the one that he'd just received were going to become more commonplace and expected. The meetings would go more smoothly since they knew that he was coming, but he'd have to suffer through much more in the way of nervous attempts to appease a powerful, yet unknown, figure. It'd be easier to allow Aster to do the talking so that he got more confidence since the visits would be very predictable after the first one. The problem lay in Tsuna's ability to become comfortable with the attention that would begin to fall on him. Three-quarters of his scheduled visits were to people within a Family. Although...

Tsuna rubbed his chin as he turned on his eye's interface. If he could do a bit of rescheduling, he could fit two and three people in per stop instead of spreading them out so that no one's cover was blown. The truth was that the news about Hotaru made Tsuna anxious. He wanted to get to teaching as soon as possible, but he had to deal with his responsibilities first. There were some things that he couldn't ignore, such as the week long stay that he had planned in Greece so that he could seclude himself for his cycle. There was also the stop at the Chandler estates so that he could check up on the rebuilding progress.

Other things could be changed, though. He could make excuses so that he could hold group meetings instead of individual ones. Rearranging the order of his stops could cut down on travel time, too. If all went well, he would be finished by October instead of December. That would give him a week or two of teaching before the school's winter break started. He wouldn't have much time to relax at each stop and he'd be pushing himself to keep up with everything, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It'd keep his mind too occupied to notice the growing shadow of loneliness in his chest.

Keeping such thoughts locked away, he focused on rearranging his schedule and making a list of the phone calls he needed to make to notify everyone of the change in plans. There was also--

"T-Tea, Mister Wolfe?" Tsuna blinked at the unfamiliar voice and turned his head slightly to see the person. Frowning at the fact that it wasn't Aster, he tried to place the man in his mind and couldn't. There wasn't anyone he knew in the house who could be so chubby. Werewolf metabolism ran too high for fat to build up and the only humans were his representative, Tanya, the cook, Cookie, and her son. Her son, Tsuna mentally repeated. It was possible, although the boy was nothing like the sturdy old woman who'd accepted his offer. Where the woman was handsome, the man in front of him was bordering on grotesque. He had more fat than body, which made it almost impossible to tell his age. How he'd walked up the stairs with a tray of tea was a complete mystery.

"Where's Aster and P-chan?" Tsuna asked softly, not wanting to scare the boy.

"Th-They left on errands f-for mom while y-you were looking around, s-sir," he answered in a trembling voice. Tsuna tilted his head in acceptance of the excuse and waved his hand to tell the poor boy to set the tray down before he could spill anything. He was obviously scared, which made Tsuna wonder what was going through his mind. When he tried to pour the tea into a cup, more of it splashed onto the saucer than anything due to his shaking hands. It was no good, Tsuna decided. The boy was trying hard, but he was too nervous. A kid shouldn't be nervous in his own home.

Standing up, Tsuna realized how small he was as he firmly placed his hands over the kid's to help steady his grip. The boy's shaking got worse at first, but he quickly began to calm down when he realized that Tsuna was simply helping him. Once the teapot was put down, Tsuna slowly added sugar and stirred while the boy stayed frozen between Tsuna and the tray. When his scent rose up, Tsuna felt his teeth ache at how sweet he smelled. It was worse than sugar. It was more like dark chocolate that had been dipped in a pot of sugar glaze before being rolled in brown sugar and then covered in butter cream icing. It gave new meaning to the words 'sweet kid'.

"How do you like it here?" Tsuna asked softly as he picked up his cup of tea and retreated back to his window seat. Even after softening his voice, the boy--Trey, he finally recalled--still jumped in fright. It was past mere nerves, Tsuna realized. Trey was completely terrified. "You don't have to be so scared," Tsuna soothed, keeping his voice gentle. "I'm not sure what your mother's told you, but I won't--" Tsuna pressed his lips together as the smell of urine reached him. "--bite," he finished as the boy ran crying out of the room. Dumbfounded by the reaction, Tsuna could only stare at the puddle on his floor. Had it been something he said?

Figuring that it wouldn't do the boy any good to have the whole house know that he wet himself, Tsuna chose to clean up the mess himself instead of calling a servant. It was a simple enough task. All he had to do was to get a spare towel from the bathroom and stomp on it a bit since Aster would surely have the carpet steam-cleaned in the near future. Once the towel got thrown into the empty hamper and he opened the window to let in fresh air, the boy's embarrassment would stay secret. While he sipped on his tea, Tsuna wished that he knew why Trey had been so scared. It was possible that the resident werewolves' nervousness had rubbed off on him, but the reaction was a little too extreme. His mother had stated that he was the helpful type and even Tanya had noted that Cookie's son was--

"I'm sorry it took so long. I didn't know that Aster and P-chan left for--" Tsuna froze in place as Lady Italia walked into the room with a tray of tea. Her eyes locked onto the cup in his hands while Tsuna felt his heart leap at the implications. If she was bringing him tea, then he shouldn't have had any yet.

"What does Trey look like?" Tsuna asked quickly as he broke out into a cold sweat.

"Chubby," she answered immediately. "He's five foot nine, brown eyes, brown hair, and smells like home-grown tomatoes."

"Not fat, short, black hair, and smells like pure sugar?" Tsuna gasped as he jumped to his feet. As soon as he moved, a spasm went through his chest that made him stumble in surprise. "Warn the others!" He exclaimed while he tried to ignore the pain that followed. "He can't have gotten far!"

"What about--"

"Go!" Tsuna shouted as he reached for the flask of blood at his belt. "I'll be fine! It's just po--" Coughing from a growing tickling sensation in the back of his throat, he gasped out what he could between drinks. "Poison," he choked out. She didn't argue with him, but she didn't leave, either. Instead, she let out a loud scream that could have almost been a howl if not for the high pitch. In a way, he was glad that she didn't leave. A wave of dizziness stole his strength before he could get the lid off his flask and it tumbled out of his hand as he tried to stay upright. His senses began to become confused in a way that he was faintly familiar with. Gabriel, he remembered. Gabriel had used a similar drug on him. It wasn't the same one, but the room began to spin in the same fashion until he thought that he was going to puke.

He didn't fight the urge, mentally worsening the effects until he fell to his knees and vomited. He tried to make himself do it a second time to get more of the tea out of his stomach, but his quick metabolism was working against him. Even though less than a minute had passed, he'd already processed too much. He needed blood to repair the damage that was already done, but he could already feel his consciousness start swim--

* * *

_"It's been far too long, my dear Tsunayoshi."_

_Tsuna kept his eyes closed and let the words echo through his soul, warming the places that had begun to grow cold in Xanxus' absence. He could feel Mukuro's gaze stripping him of clothing piece by piece until he stood naked on the bright shores of a lake that was far too familiar. Being so bare felt natural despite the open setting. This was his and Mukuro's private place. No cameras could follow him here and no enemies could touch him. While it would normally be a relief, the respite only made him more aware of how much he was aching._

_"And what mischief has my red swan flown into this time?" Mukuro whispered into his ear. Tsuna trembled at the arm that wrapped around his chest and he shuddered at the feeling of Mukuro's warmth at his back. Even though their bodies were ethereal in this place, the heat felt real. Mukuro felt solid._

_"Just the usual," Tsuna answered flippantly, somehow managing to keep his voice strong and stable. "Someone doesn't like me and they got me when I let my guard down. It's my fault. I shouldn't have allowed myself to be served by a stranger when I knew that our security measures were still lax. What about you? Were you waiting around because you knew that I'd eventually show up?"_

_"Perhaps," he murmured as he planted a trail of butterfly kisses down Tsuna's neckline. "I missed you so, Tsunayoshi. I knew not of how much I did before I saw you." Tsuna's heart lurched at the claim and he slowly became aware of several issues that made his heart stop._

_"Mukuro..." Tsuna whispered, staring down at the arm around his chest. Knowing that it was a reflection of Mukuro's soul, the frailty of it scared him. He was so much thinner than he should have been. Then there was the smell. Not only could he smell blood, but there was the smell of rot laced into the air. It made Tsuna afraid to turn around. It made him afraid to even move, yet he somehow forced himself to._

_Tears misted Tsuna's vision as he gazed at Mukuro. He was damaged far more than what could be accounted for from a single incident. His right arm was missing and his foot was missing at the ankle. His body was covered in lacerations and his face was swollen from numerous beatings. His long hair was dirty and matted from the lack of care. The worst part, though--the part that Tsuna began weeping over--was that one of his eyes was missing. He was partially blind._

_"Don't cry, my love," Mukuro ordered with a chuckle. Tsuna tried to find a way to hug him and failed to find a place that wasn't injured. He didn't know how to embrace him, which made him cry harder. "These wounds aren't physical," he soothed, putting his arm around Tsuna instead. "My heart will heal and I'll become whole again. Now that I've met with you again, I know what I want. So don't cry. I'll become stronger and then I can give you the present that I got for you. I'd give it to you now, but I want to be with you when you open it. Go back and wait for me, my dear Tsunayoshi. I swear that I will find you."_

_"Do you promise?" Tsuna asked through his tears. "Will you really come for me?" Looking up, Tsuna felt his tears rush out at the soft sincerity that he saw in the eyes that had returned to Mukuro's face. There was such gentleness in them that Tsuna forgot about the wounds. He forgot about Mukuro's pain and he forgot about the injuries. All that he could think about was pulling Mukuro into his arms so that he could kiss him with every drop of passion that was still left in his body. He could feel Mukuro's lips twitch upward under his embrace. The smile was the only warning that he had before Mukuro disappeared out of his arms completely._

_Staring at the empty air where he'd been, Tsuna wasn't sure how he felt. All that he knew was that he couldn't figure it out if he didn't live._

* * *

Tsuna lay on his bed, sweating from fever and calling out for Mukuro in his sleep. It was a miracle that he was still alive, but Reborn wasn't surprised. Tsuna's willpower had always brought him back. His strength was based on the strength of the people around him. As long as there was someone waiting for him to return, he always would. Such was the true, hidden power of Vongola the Tenth. He had the power to answer the faith of those who believed in him. Something measly like poison might kill a lesser man, but it was nothing more than a stubbed toe for Tsuna. It hurt and he might have to rest until it was better, but he would assuredly get better.

In many ways, Reborn was relieved at the attack. From the look on Tsuna's face when they'd left Pink's, whatever had been said within had motivated him and subdued him at the same time. From what Reborn picked up from his travels beside the new Tsuna, the combination meant trouble. Not trouble for Tsuna himself, of course. It meant trouble for everyone around him since he was determined to do something and he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. Considering that they'd just returned to Italy, Reborn had been looking forward to seeing Hotaru's progress at some point in their two week vacation. The way that Tsuna had been looking, though, meant that they would have probably left within a day or two. He was still such a workaholic. That much hadn't changed at least.

As for the perpetrator, the man surprisingly turned out not to be a Hunter. He was an ordinary, run-of-the-mill hitman from the Lionesse Family. The Lionesse Family was Vongola's current rival in no less than three areas of commerce. Vongola wasn't the reason behind the attack, though. It started with an attack by Cavallone on the Lionesse Family in retribution of a dirty-deal with a third party that cost the Family millions. Cavallone had hired a team from Olympus so that they could keep their hands clean of the matter. The costumes of the hired attackers had created a connection with Tsuna and Tsuna was the one that they'd went after for revenge since there were no others of the Olympus Foundation who were out in the open.

The attack had been planned for a while. At least, that was what the information that they'd gotten from the hitman before he died claimed. The hitman had used the Werewolf House's low security as an entrance point. How he'd known that Tsuna would appear there was still under investigation, but the hitman had been placed early to wait for such an occurrence. He'd snuck in, posing as a helpful neighbor that had helped the previous owners around the bed and breakfast. Cookie, obliviously believing his story, had accepted his aid for simple things on numerous occasions in the past. That was how he'd moved around the house without being suspicious. He'd already been accepted. He was also the one who'd hidden key pieces for dinner, which had caused Aster and P-chan's absence at a critical time. As for Reborn, he'd ironically been meeting with the residents to get himself filled in on what the place had in the way of security at the time of the attack.

He wanted to berate Tsuna for making such a basic mistake, but he knew that it would be useless. They'd found a soiled towel in his hamper and a chat with a ladybug told him the rest. The hitman hadn't hid anything. He'd kept his fear in the open which was an incredible weakness to Tsuna. He couldn't intuit what wasn't being hidden. The hitman had openly given him poisoned tea and he'd openly showed his fear of being caught. There was nothing in that to tell Tsuna to look deeper since it'd all been on the surface. In a way, it was a brilliant maneuver. At least, it would have been if the Lionesse Family had known that Tsuna had hyper-intuition. As it was, Tsuna had fallen prey to an attack by a half-witted, green hitman. Tsuna's own experience had defeated him since he hadn't expected an attack from someone so weak.

The situation would normally be over and dealt with, but the main problem lay with Tsuna. Aster was attentively watching over him in guilt over having left his side. Staying with him wasn't going to fix him, though. Tsuna's willpower had allowed him to survive the effects of the poison, but the tea had been laced with a disease that was a lot less curable. Reborn had already had Dr. Shamal confirm it once the initial symptoms surfaced. The hitman had been a half-wit, but someone had given him good tools. The poison that had been added to Tsuna's tea was a double-strike. If the poison didn't get him, the disease would. The incurable disease Centipede, to be exact.

Shamal had been furious after the lab work came back. Centipede was a designer disease that had recently begun selling on the Black Market. It had a seventy-five percent fatality rate and was the cause of no less than four hundred deaths worldwide in the mere year since it had been created. The bad news was that there was no cure. The worse news was that there was no disease counter to it. The first stage was the delirium and fever. This stage was when the short, thick stripes began appearing around the victim's throat. By the time that he got to the second stage, it would seem as if he had a centipede wrapped around his neck. After that, the lines would begin disappearing. One line for every cough and the side effects of coughing would worsen as the disease progressed. That would have been manageable if not for the way that the disease affected the victim's lungs and throat. Going a day without coughing was literally impossible and he'd cough more and more with each day that passed.

Tsuna was dying. How fast or how slow would depend on his own willpower. Shamal was confident that he could figure out some way to counter it with enough time, but Tsuna was going to have to live with his mistake until that happened. He could possibly enter the ranks of the twenty-five percent of survivors if he drank blood to jumpstart his regeneration ability after each cough, but it was still going to be difficult. Especially when he reached stage three after his thousandth cough. Even in the survivors, stage three was the stage where most of them had been forced into a bed for the remainder of their lives.

It was times like these that Reborn wished that Tsuna wasn't so stubbornly set on his own method for returning home. He could understand the fear that guided his movements since it was difficult to know what was best for Vongola without being a part of Vongola. However, his method was taking too long and his life... Reborn stopped his train of thought there. That was what it all came down to, after all. Tsuna's life was his own. Even away from Vongola, it was obvious that he'd lived his life as he'd chosen to. He hadn't done anything that he could regret or else he wouldn't have his Flame. Even though Reborn wanted to claim otherwise, the truth was that he had no right to interfere in Tsuna's life anymore. The mantle of power had already weighed on Tsuna and he'd passed it on to a worthy, if aggravating, choice of heir. He'd done his part. He had every right to turn his back and never return if that was what he wanted to do.

Reborn knew that he couldn't say the same about himself. He had to go back to Vongola. Tsuna's work was done, but his own wasn't. Hotaru didn't know it, but he was still being tutored. Reborn felt that he'd already gathered all the information that he could, as well. Perhaps, Reborn mused, it was time to teach Hotaru a new lesson. That was it, Reborn decided. He'd teach Hotaru that there were times that even the strongest man could be made to kneel against his will. It would be humiliating, but...

But if it created a cure for the incurable faster, Reborn would suffer such a humiliation.

* * *

Tsuna woke from a jumble of confused dreams and nightmares that left him winded. There had been one where Yoshi turned into a gingerbread man and another where someone was knocking on a door that he couldn't open. There'd been a dream about a cat stuck in a tree and another one where Xanxus claimed that he was getting married. After saying such, he turned into a wild stallion and ran into the sunset. There was something about mirrors and a crazy puppet that kept talking like Gigi until Isaac kissed it. After the kiss, they turned into a dragon and a tiger and began fighting. He also remembered Reborn being there, whispering something that he couldn't hear. It felt like it was important that he remembered what Reborn said, but he couldn't.

Yawning, he put the dreams out of his mind and slowly stretched in place. Despite the nightmares, he felt completely refreshed like he'd slept a week. He started to sit up to figure out why he'd slept so well, but he was stopped. The reason why was hidden until he lifted the blankets. Apparently Aster had decided to sleep with him again, although Tsuna couldn't remember...

Tsuna froze as what happened came rushing back to him. He'd been poisoned. Someone had tried to kill him and he'd fallen for it like a fool. How could he be so stupid?! Had his senses as a hitman dulled that much? Going up against assassins wasn't the same as going up against rival gangs. They didn't take the direct approach unless they were one of the few who had the strength to succeed without pretenses. Those types of hitmen were rare, though. The type like the Trey-imitator was far more common. Tsuna could still dodge bullets with the best of them, but he'd failed on something so basic. Reborn was probably ashamed of him now.

"Master..." Aster whimpered in his sleep. Tsuna grimaced as Aster's grip around his waist tightened. From the looks of it, he'd really scared him. It was okay, though. His body had worked through the poison. The back of his throat still ached a little, but that would probably go away after he had something to drink.

He ignored it for the moment and settled back against his headboard to rest some more. He didn't feel like he particularly needed it, but he didn't want to wake Aster by getting up. Until his cute little servant woke on his own, Tsuna decided to check up on his messages through his eye's interface. However, he froze upon seeing five days worth of messages waiting on him. Then his mind went blank when he saw a letter waiting for him from Reborn.

For some reason, he didn't question it nor did he open it. He simply moved the message into a folder and forgot that it existed. There was only one reason that Reborn would leave him a message and that was if he didn't plan to be with him in person. In other words, Reborn had gone back to Vongola. Tsuna couldn't blame him. Reborn was still a tutor at heart and it was Tsuna's turn to learn a lesson. The weak couldn't lead the strong.

Although their time together had been short, Reborn had gotten a taste of action again and Tsuna had already known that he wanted to go back. His loyalty had always been to Vongola as a whole instead of a single individual. He had his duties as Dean of Don Girarde to think about too and he couldn't neglect Hotaru. Monitoring Hotaru's progress from a distance was simply too difficult. Reborn needed to stay nearby, but he'd been too stubborn to do so. Tsuna had known from the beginning that he'd eventually leave, but how long that took had been up to Reborn.

The fact that he hadn't left behind his marks as a blood slave gave Tsuna hope. He might have just wanted them so he could continue to walk in circles that were normally closed to outsiders, but Tsuna didn't think so. Reborn had taken the watch and cufflinks as a way to tell Tsuna that there was still a link between them. He was telling Tsuna to hurry up and arrive. If only it was that simple, though. Tsuna still had far too many doubts. There were still too many things about Vongola that he no longer knew.


	110. Chapter 110 Boy Vs Boss

Author's notes: Many apologies to those of you who had to read with the beta's notes strewn in! I uploaded the partially edited one instead of the fully edited! If you ever see a [ or a ] then it means that I screwed up! O_O

* * *

"How long are you planning to do this for, Boss?" Orinato asked in frustration. Hotaru answered with a small grin and shrug, knowing exactly what Orinato was referencing. Orinato and SK were the only ones to know everything, after all. While everyone else thought that Hotaru's actions were part of some scheme, his Right Hand knew how much his Boss had fallen. Hotaru couldn't stop himself though. He'd tried a dozen times to turn away and pretend that Rosalind didn't exist, but he still found himself looking over his shoulder for her.

He knew that it was pathetic of him, but she was the only reason that he'd picked up his playboy habits. It was an excuse to go see her at her workplace. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He even found himself breaking up with the girls in front of Rosalind so that she'd know that the date had ended before there was any intimacy. It was now at the point that Hotaru couldn't even look at another girl without comparing them. He couldn't touch another girl without thinking of her. He felt like he was going insane and he couldn't even cry on someone's shoulder about it since Rosalind wasn't a girl that anyone could know that he was interested in. He couldn't have her. She was part of the Martelli Family for goodness sakes! He'd attacked her Family on numerous occasions out of personal greed! She acted nice enough when he happened to be in the same room with her, but there was no way that they could be together as more than acquaintances!

He wanted to put it into words about how much the fact hurt him, but he was incapable. Every time he tried to write it out, his heart felt crushed with the first sentence. Instead, he kept writing pathetically sentimental drivel that he was far too embarrassed to show anyone. He had to write something for his Original Works Club, though. Such was the reason that he was crawling through the Vongola mansion's storage attic with Orinato while the rest of the Family thought he was taking a pleasure flight on SK's back. There had to be something up here that could be used in place of his own story. Vongola Bosses had a long history of being creative after all. He couldn't use his father's journal, but perhaps there was something from the Ninth or the Eighth.

"What's this?" Orinato asked as he pulled open a trunk in the back corner. Hotaru crawled over to take a look, sneezing repeatedly at the accumulated dust. The trunk itself was worn and beaten, showing the signs that it had once been proudly used for more than attic storage. Hotaru had to raise his eyebrow at the junk stored inside though. Part of it looked like a collection of weapons, which didn't make sense. Why was this stuff up here instead of with the weapon's in storage? The rest looked like a collection of trinkets and junk, but Hotaru did find a book at the bottom of the pile. Pulling it out, he grinned in triumph at the hand-written lines inside. It was too dark to make anything out, but it was undoubtedly what he'd been looking for. It was something that he could plagiarise without anyone knowing that he'd done such a thing.

"Let's take this to my office," Hotaru ordered, tucking the booklet under his arm so that he could help Orinato move the trunk. "We'll look through it to see if anything can be salvaged. Some of these look like they've never been used."

"Yes, Boss," Orinato agreed. Getting the trunk down from the attic was fairly easy. However, getting it through the hallways without it being noticed was impossible. Hotaru's men were perplexed by their dirty exteriors and several attempted to find out what he was doing by offering to take the trunk from him. It was in times like these that Hotaru shamelessly relied on his experience from nearly ten years of acting. Putting on his brightest smile, he took seven years off of his demeanor and acted like a boy with a buried treasure. It was affective. No one wanted to spoil a young boy's fun, although many of his men did double-takes after Hotaru was past them. That one wouldn't be good to use again, Hotaru decided. He was getting too old for people to believe that he could be so boyish.

"You worry me sometimes, Boss," Orinato commented as they lifted the trunk onto Hotaru's desk. "You're too good at controlling your image."

"It's part of the job," Hotaru shrugged. Collapsing into his chair, he began flipping through the true treasure of the booklet. Within two pages, he realized that his treasure was a red herring. It was absolutely useless to him, being nothing more than a book of recipes with handwritten notes for each one. He almost told Orinato to throw it in the trash, but he stopped after an absent glance as he flipped through the pages allowed him to catch a glimpse of his own name. Flipping back to the page, he sat up straight as he read what was written. First was a recipe for gingerbread, but after that was:

Hotaru responded best to Knights and Dragons. He ate the ones shaped like fireflies, but he didn't play with them first. The knight has to be silver and dragon has to be orange or else he pouts. Don't forget the sprinkles for the dragon's scales and make sure to cut off the dragon's claws. Hotaru says that the dragon is happier without them since he can play together with the knight better if the dragon isn't scared of scratching him. He likes it when the knight is on horseback instead of holding a sword, too. He says that he's tall enough to talk to the dragon that way.

I made some princesses this time to go along with the story. I was planning to model them after Haru, but they keep coming out wrong. The cookies themselves are fine, but I can't seem to keep Haru's image in mind when I put the icing on. Maybe it's because they're for Hotaru. The image of his princess is still in shadows to me. I can't show Hotaru these. He wouldn't understand why they're all iced in black. I'll send them down to the children's shelter as another donation. They always seem to enjoy it when I send them the ones that I'm not satisfied with.

I think I found what I can do to make a tower instead of a princess. While I was in Yokohama on business, I found a taiyaki mold that would be perfect. I've just got to figure out what kind of filling Hotaru would like best. It'll be my first attempt at taiyaki, so I'm nervous. I've got to figure out some way to balance the two sweets so that the gingerbread and the taiyaki won't overpower each other's flavors. I've got a few ideas, but I'll have to wait until my latest headache is over to try it.

"Boss...?" Orinato asked curiously as he stirred milk into a cup of coffee for Hotaru. "Did you find something interesting?"

"I didn't know," Hotaru muttered, handing the booklet over to Orinato. He was in shock. He'd known that his father like to bake, but he had no idea how much he'd thought about it. To take notes on the reactions that he got and to make plans for corresponding sweets... What had his father been thinking? No, Hotaru amended. What had he been feeling? Looking back at the official records, his father shouldn't have had any time to spare for something like baking. Yet, even around his work, he'd found the time to write out such notes and he'd found time to make side trips to find baking molds. The booklet was full of such instances.

"What the hell," Orinato gasped, collapsing into the chair opposite of Hotaru's desk while he frantically flipped through the book. "X-Cakes for Xanxus... Exploding chocolates for Reborn... Jelly rolls for Gokudera... Energy wafers for Yamamoto... There're even the sugar cookies that he made for Hayakeshi House in here! Boss! This is the Tenth's cookbook!"

"Look more closely," Hotaru ordered in quiet introspection. "It's more than a cookbook. It's also the journal that detailed his improvements to the recipes. He didn't just bake them, Orinato. He paid attention to everyone's reactions and took their feelings into account." Standing up, he walked over and looked over Orinato's shoulder. Stopping him on the page for Gokudera, he pointed out what he meant by reading aloud, "I figured out what Gokudera's treat was missing. He needs something unexpected. A surprise with every bite. It took some time, but I think I found something a lot less dangerous than explosives. Instead of powdered sugar, I sprinkled Pop-Rocks onto the finished product. For once, I think Gokudera's reaction was an honest one. When the treat started unexpectedly crackling in his mouth, I don't think I've ever seen his face go so blank before. His excitement afterward was infectious. It's definitely a keeper."

"He tailored the treats that he made to fit the people they were for," Orinato murmured in thought. "You know, I remember Gokudera saying something about the Tenth's baking before. He said that the Tenth didn't pick what he baked, he only picked the people that he baked for."

Hotaru slowly paced the room, considering the statement carefully. Before he could consider it too much, he paled in sudden realization. Rushing over to Orinato, he snatched the book up again and flipped open to the page for his gingerbread cookies again. He read the same line three times to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating. He likes it when the knight is on horseback instead of holding a sword, too.

The cookies that he'd gotten for his fifteenth birthday had been silver knights on horseback.

"Boss...?" Orinato whispered worriedly when Hotaru's shoulders began shaking at the implication. Forcing himself to regain his composure, he responded with a light smile and a shrug.

"Isn't it great that Dad had a hobby?" He said softly. Picking up the book, he carelessly tossed it to Orinato and pointedly turned his attention to the trunk. "Get rid of that book," he ordered absently. "It's not what I was looking for. As for this junk, you can put it back up in the attic. I changed my mind. I don't want any of our people fighting with outdated weaponry." Orinato's eyes narrowed at the orders, understanding what Hotaru was telling him. The book came from the trunk. If the book was the Tenth's, then so was the other stuff. All of it needed to be put back up for safe-keeping.

"What about your written work?" Orinato asked curiously.

"What about it?" Hotaru growled in frustration that Orinato wasn't following orders immediately. "I'm not dad. It would be too obvious if I used something of his."

"That's not what I mean," Orinato soothed. "Well, you can't copy the cookbook, but why don't you write about this treasure chest? Aren't you at least a little curious about why he saved that stuff? I bet there are a hundred different stories that you can write about as soon as we pull them out of people. I'll be happy to do some fingerprinting on the weapons and some investigation for you. You're father hasn't been gone that long, so--"

"You want to know," Hotaru corrected in accusation, turning his back on both Orinato and the trunk. "It's not about helping me. You just want to find out for yourself. That's fine," he added calmly before Orinato could speak. "Just take it and go. I'll be waiting on your results."

"I'll send some people to collect it for me," Orinato said sadly as he backed away toward the door, understanding that he'd been dismissed. "I hope you'll forgive me for saying so, Boss, but I think that you'd be better off if you were half as good at showing your feelings as you were at hiding them."

Hotaru spun in place with his mouth open for an angry reply, but Orinato was already gone. He wanted to say, "His feelings?!" His feelings wouldn't keep the Family safe. His feelings wouldn't keep their enemies from attacking! His feelings wouldn't put food in people's mouths and money in their pockets! He was Vongola the Eleventh for goodness sakes! Vongola the Eleventh couldn't have feelings! He could only have insight and good judgment and flawless manners and... and... other superficial things that Hotaru didn't give a damn about. Of course Hotaru would be better off if he could show his true feelings, but he'd been Vongola the Eleventh for too long. How could he be himself when appearances were everything?

* * *

Hotaru, dressed in his best Armani suit and perfectly prepared right down to his pedicure, stepped into the conference room with every ounce of dignity that he could muster. He hated these meetings, but they were part of the job. After all, Gokudera wasn't the President of Vongola Corporate. He was just the acting President until Hotaru reached eighteen.

The Red Room was on the top floor of Vongola's largest skyscraper. It overlooked the city and Italy itself as a symbol of Vongola's far-reaching power. Although it was called the Red Room, the Board's conference room didn't have a single bit of red in it. From the long, black-stained oak table to the subdued blue of the carpet and the art placed on white walls, there was ironically no red to be found. It was called the Red Room because of the dangerous power of the people who met in it. There were people who would kill to sit in the seats around the table and there were people who'd killed and were killed due to the choices made by those same people. It was called the Red Room simply because of the cut-throat nature of what was discussed within it.

In control of the pack of wolves was Gokudera, who was already moving out of his seat to give it to its rightful owner. Wearing the same black suit that he normally did, Gokudera's age was invisible to the naked eye. His manner and his eyes held more experience, but he'd aged gracefully since the death of Hotaru's father. His hair had been recently trimmed, Hotaru noticed. It was hard not to notice since the ponytail at the nape of his neck looked intentional instead of disheveled. He was still wearing his reading glasses on the end of his nose, though. It was a bad habit that he'd picked up after being attacked in the middle of paperwork. Hotaru made a note to himself to suggest bifocals for him again, even though he knew that Gokudera would refuse. He said that it made him feel too old, even though he had just reached his thirties.

As for the rest of the wolves at the table, they turned into sniveling worms once Hotaru was comfortably seated with a cup of coffee prepared according to his tastes. None of them said a word until Hotaru motioned that it was alright for them to continue, after which the poor fool at the front of the room continued his interrupted presentation with a lack of confidence. Hotaru listened with only half an ear, knowing that he'd already read a far more detailed reports on his way over.

The current project was an attempt to counter the Lionesse's growing influence in Vongola's chosen markets. It wasn't just the hoverboard market anymore. They were also muscling in on their media control, gambling operations, defense contracts and liquor markets including their night clubs. That wouldn't have been so troublesome if not for their method of competing. Vongola had always prided themselves on making the best of the best that only the best could afford. Lionesse was attempting to compete by producing things that they claimed were even better.

"Stop," Hotaru ordered when the presentation for a counter began following the "keeping up with the Joneses" philosophy. Every eye turned to him and several people stopped breathing while they waited for him to continue. "You're going about this all wrong," Hotaru sighed as he nonchalantly sipped his coffee. "Lionesse is obviously gunning for us. No matter what we do, they're only going to find some insignificant way to make our products better. There's no sense in trying to better a product that we've already perfected, though. Let those who want to have the XL version go to them. While they keep trying to top the latest and greatest and end up with in a race against themselves, I want our focus to go elsewhere. There's a huge market that they're ignoring in their attempt to give themselves a measure of sophistication by competing with us."

"I don't follow," the Vice President admitted. "What direction should we go in?"

"Down," Hotaru stated with a slow smile. "Instead of bettering our products, I want all of you to start thinking of ways to make them cheaper and more available to the public. Make them simpler so they can be appreciated by the masses. Take our hoverboards, for example. Strip off the altitude controls, lower the jet capacity, and put on a basic stabilizer instead of the military-grade ones that we use. Then we can market them as floating skateboards that not only aren't hazardous enough for teenagers to need licenses, but are also within their budgets."

"But with poor stabilizers--!" Someone objected.

"They'll see it as something that takes practice and skill to use," Hotaru smirked. "Only those in the Mafia will know better. For the masses, it'll be a new craze unlike anything they've seen before. As for how they're muscling in on the porn industry, ignore them. There's no point in tracking down better superstars than the ones that they've found for their sex tapes. Focus on mass-producing sex-tape series instead of one-shots. Give people a porn star that they can idolize instead of making an idol into a porn star. Also, don't be too worried about the wineries. Those are only in place for the production of V-Special and the off-shoot brands. It's not necessary for them to make money."

"What about the defense contracts and gambling operations?" Gokudera prompted in a soft voice.

"Refurbish the casinos," he ordered, stirring extra sugar into his coffee to keep himself busy. "Pick a new theme and go with it. Casinos have changed very little in the past hundred years. Superficial changes will be much better than attempting to alter a tried and true method. As for the defense contracts, remind our buyers of our history. Do they really want to buy products from a Family who only recently got notoriety? I would believe that they'd want to stay with someone who they know isn't going to ignore their needs after a few sales. Start looking for ways to sell our old gear to the masses, too. Nothing fancy, of course, but spy equipment that's twenty years out of date will seem like a new and exciting breakthrough to the public. You can even market some of them as toys if you can get production costs low enough."

"I've heard rumors that they're planning to unveil something at this year's Fashion Week in London," someone from the end of the table commented.

"That's none of our concern," Hotaru snapped, knowing that his mother was already upset over the rumor. "Vongola doesn't have any holdings that have to do with fashion. Namahage Fashions is privately owned and operated. I'll be happy to give my mother support if she asks for it, but you have your own troubles to be concerned with. Vongola as a whole has been far too concerned with creating fine quality products that reflect our lineage. From here on out, I want all of you working with the mindset to make our products more consumer-friendly instead of high-end. Our market isn't just made up of the people that I've got to kiss on the cheek and trade bad jokes with. It's every sucker out there with a Euro in his pocket and stars in his eyes. Capiche?"

* * *

Hotaru stared, not believing the sight before him. It was incredulous. Impossible, even. Yet, it didn't change the fact that Reborn was begging on hands and knees on the front steps of the Vongola Mansion. His words were almost incoherent as he babbled out his pleas, but Hotaru managed to get the jist of it all. Van Wolfe had been attacked and Reborn was asking for help. Hotaru had an answer for him. It was a balled up fist against his chin and a door slammed into his face, which sent jaws dropping from every side.

"Don't let him fool you," Hotaru stated to the people who'd gathered to witness the spectacle. "Reborn isn't the type to cry for anyone. He's acting a part because he wants something. Don't forget how easily he turned his back on the Family."

"But, Boss," Orinato objected in confusion. "You saw the fight. Reborn didn't lose because he want--" Orinato froze mid-sentence at the glare that Hotaru pinned him with. While it was true that Reborn claimed that he would fight at his full strength, Orinato didn't know that Reborn had been fully aware that he'd lose. He'd intended to leave the Family after that fight and there was still the letter to think about. How could he trust Reborn after reading such insults?

"You should hear him out, nyah," Sugar the cat said as she did figure-eights around his ankles. "Even if he wanted something, Reborn wouldn't throw his pride away like that for just anything." Hotaru grumbled. Hotaru growled. In the end, Hotaru grudgingly gave orders for Reborn to be sent to his office to wait while he went out to the garden to cool his temper. He didn't want to forgive Reborn, but the eyes of his Family were begging him to. He couldn't ignore what they wanted. It was true that Reborn was still one of the best hitman that the Family had ever had. If there was an opportunity to bring him back into the fold, Vongola the Eleventh needed to do so without regards for how it aggravated Hotaru.

After half an hour alone, he convinced himself that Reborn could be forgiven. By the time that an hour was up, he was satisfied that he could forget Reborn's transgressions. Trust would be long in coming, but he'd served the Family well and long enough that he deserved a fair hearing. With those thoughts plastered over the wound that Reborn's letter had caused, Hotaru felt ready to face him and he chose to do it as a Boss facing a supplicant.

He entered with the brisk carelessness of a man who was far too busy to deal with the person waiting on him, but was still making time anyway. Coffee was already waiting on him, as was an overly-patient Reborn with Leon in his lap. Reborn smirked at the pretense, but Hotaru ignored him. Making him wait longer, Hotaru looked through his recent reports about Van Wolfe while he tried to figure out what might have happened. There was nothing, though.

"So?" Hotaru prompted, sitting back in his seat with a scowl. "Do you want to explain that scene that you just made?"

"Undoubtedly, the only way that you would agree to see me again is if I came crawling back on hands and knees," Reborn replied calmly. "I thought you'd be happy. Now you can play the magnanimous savior, assuming that you're willing to aid me. In return, I can only offer myself as payment. You don't have to fear for my loyalties, either. Even if Van Wolfe knew that I was here, he wouldn't come after me. He's been trying to get rid of me since the day that he defeated me. He will have no issue with--"

"You're assuming that I'm willing to take you back," Hotaru stated with a scowl.

"Have you taken a walk in the rain lately?" Reborn retorted with a superior smile. Hotaru's eye twitched at the comment, making the proper connection to the enigmatic statement in Reborn's letter and the reference to his umbrella. He had that part correct, damn him. Hotaru still hadn't figured out how to make the umbrella turn into a weapon. "Agree to my condition and I'll tutor you properly," he offered. "You don't have to trust me to learn from me." Hotaru stared at him in hopes of seeing through whatever guise he had on, but his portrayal of confidence was flawless. There was no weakness for Hotaru to exploit.

"What's the condition?" Hotaru asked suspiciously. Surprisingly, Reborn's portrayal crumbled in an instant, leaving Reborn with an expression of vulnerability that was unlike him.

"Find a treatment for the incurable disease Centipede," he stated with his eyes downcast. "Van Wolfe has contracted it and Carter physicians don't have Vongola's research facilities. With your power, I know that it's possible to find a way to save him."

Hotaru felt all of the tension drain out of him in shock. Centipede was a designer disease used by amateur hitmen. It was a mark of disgrace to get hit by such a novice attack. The effects weren't contagious, but it gave the victim around a year to suffer the mockery of being defeated by something so... so weak.

"Don't look at me like that," Reborn growled. "Would you expect such an attack to be used against you?" Hotaru blinked, taking that into consideration. It was true. Never in a million years would he expect such an attack. Even if he was hit with it, it would be a useless attack since all of Vongola would be at hand to counter it. The enemy would only show their hand by making such a stupid move. That insinuated that Van Wolfe was used to having such support behind him.

"Who is Van Wolfe?" Hotaru asked, the question slipping out without his intent to voice it. Reborn flinched at the question and Hotaru knew that he'd crossed the line. Something told him that Van Wolfe wouldn't have asked Reborn to forsake his vows of secrecy in regards to Vongola, yet Hotaru was asking him to break the ones made in regards to Van Wolfe himself.

"I can't say," he murmured. "All I can tell you is that he's not your enemy, no matter how much he might act the part. His love for Vongola--" Hotaru straightened up in his chair as Reborn jolted, placing two fingers lightly over his mouth as a sign that he'd already said too much. The clue confirmed something that Hotaru had thought was just baseless gossip. Van Wolfe really was a former Vongola. It didn't make sense, though. He wasn't in any records and there was no mention of him in the Tenth's or the Ninth's journals. Just what had he done to have all mention of his existence erased? "Van Wolfe is my brother. What more do you need to know?"

"Apparently a lot more than I thought I did," Hotaru replied. Standing from his chair, he slowly paced along the wall behind his desk and tried to consider all the factors. The Family wanted him to bring back Reborn and it was true that he could use a few tips on how to bring out the potential of his weapon. He could also use Reborn for more personal reasons too. However, Reborn had betrayed him and he was bullying his way back in on his own terms. As a Boss, Hotaru had to show him who the Boss in their relationship was. "I'm disappointed in you, Reborn," Hotaru said softly without looking at the man. "Did you really think I'd just bow down and give you what you wanted because it's you? The favor that you're asking for--"

"Just name your price and I'll pay it," Reborn interrupted. "If it's punishment that you want, I'll accept it." Hotaru spun in place to stare at Reborn in surprise at the carte blanche. He really was that serious! He'd really accept being punished by Hotaru, no matter how humiliating of a punishment that he came up with! In face of that, Hotaru knew that his hands were tied. Reborn's only weakness seemed to be his brother and Hotaru wasn't so callous as to use that against him.

"Very well," he growled through clenched teeth. "I'll forgive your transgressions, but know that this is the only time that I'll do so. If you ever repeat your mistake, I'll personally track you down and put an end to your miserable life. Capiche?"

"Capiche," Reborn agreed with a smirk at Hotaru's presumption of strength.

"As your punishment, I'm putting you on an assignment that I was going to give to a new recruit," he continued. Reaching into his desk, he tried not to show how hard his heart started pounding as he pulled out a particular file. He was taking a huge risk by entrusting the assignment to Reborn, but no one else had been able to succeed. Of course, he wasn't going to let Reborn know that. "You can consider this my test to see whether or not you can be trusted. This assignment is classified and I'm sure that I don't need to specify what 'classified' entails."

Reborn bowed his head in confirmation and reached out to accept the folder that Hotaru tossed across the desk to him. It was difficult to pretend that the assignment was meaningless, but Hotaru kept himself in the mind frame that he was just talking to a new recruit. It helped that he knew that the assignment was of a trainee's difficulty level--under normal circumstances. Even Reborn couldn't argue the fact that it was far below his skill level. It was a simple investigation into the background of a person who didn't seem to have a background. The story itself wasn't unusual. Many hitmen discarded their pasts when they joined a Family. However, Hotaru had personal interest in this one and that was what made it into a touchy assignment.

"Rosalind," Reborn read with a raised eyebrow. "A.K.A. Ross. From the looks of it, you want me to shed light onto a shadow."

"Is that too beneath you?" Hotaru asked knowingly.

"No," Reborn replied with a shrug. Snapping the folder shut, Reborn rose and circled around the desk to kneel in acceptance of the assignment. Hotaru held his hand out for him, allowing him to kiss the Vongola ring to reseal his loyalty to the Family. With that done, Hotaru felt an unnoticed knot loosen in his gut. It was over. Reborn was back in the Family and-- "I have no problems with investigating your girlfriend, baka-Eleventh," Reborn chuckled as he rose to his feet. Hotaru's face lit up in red and he cursed. He should have known that Reborn couldn't be fooled so easily.

"She's not my girlfriend!" He snapped while he tried to control his blushes. "You have your orders, so shoo!"

"Just don't forget to cure Van Wolfe," Reborn agreed, tapping the file to his fedora in a farewell salute. Hotaru felt his eye twitching in irritation, but Reborn was gone before he could get over his embarrassment enough to think of a retort. When he did think of his retort, he shouted it on the top of his lungs so that Reborn could hear it even through the soundproofing on his office.

"DAMN YOU REBORN! YOU NEVER CHANGE!"

* * *

Hotaru tapped his foot impatiently and lifted his hand to summon a waitress for more coffee. The cafe wasn't part of his normal list of stops, but he wasn't here for himself. He was present on behalf of Ken. His friend had been noticeably absent since Mukuro had been released, but he'd finally returned. Unfortunately, he'd returned wounded. Hotaru still didn't know what had happened. Ken wasn't talking and they had no clues to work with, but Ken had been adamant that Hotaru and he needed to be at this cafe. Hotaru had almost ignored him, thinking it to be some plan of Mukuro's, but Ken's panic when he almost refused had been more effective than any plea. It was truly important to his Sun Guardian, therefore he had no choice but to go.

Sneaking away from his bodyguards hadn't been easy, considering his only escort was wounded. However, he trusted Ken. The man might be beholden to Mukuro, but that didn't truly interfere with his position in Vongola. He was too straight-forward. Even if Mukuro had asked him to lure Hotaru into private, he'd have given the game away before they arrived. However, this was something different. He'd never before seen Ken so subdued. It probably had something to do with his wounds and Hotaru wanted to know the cause. That was the only reason that Hotaru was sitting with him like he asked.

At the sound of the cafe's doorbell, Hotaru lifted his head up in hopes that it was the arrival of the person that they were supposed to meet. It wasn't, but it was someone that made Hotaru slowly stand from his seat. Dino gave him the same look of surprise from the doorway where he stood with two subordinates who were just as subdued as Ken. A single glance down at Ken allowed him to catch the man grimacing, an expression matched by the men with Dino.

"You, too?" Dino asked as he waved for his men to push several tables together so that there was room for all of them to sit. Hotaru nodded, seriously thinking about the possibility that he had been led to a trap. This was Ken, though. Ken wouldn't betray him in such a way. Ken was the same man who'd taught him how to climb trees and how to run like a cheetah. Trusting him, Hotaru took up his seat a second time and patiently waited. From Dino's lack of conversation to fill in the time, he also had no idea why his men had asked him to go with them.

In unison, Ken and Dino's subordinates let out strangled whimpers from the back of their throats. Glancing around, Hotaru couldn't see the cause. The doorbell hadn't gone off and no one new had entered the cafe. Ken wasn't the type to fear anything, but-- Hotaru froze as the doorbell went off. While Hotaru stared at the new arrival in slow understanding, Dino slowly rose from his seat with a look of shock on his face.

"Sorry I'm late," Van Wolfe apologized with an easy-going smile. Walking up to the table, the tension in the air made him pause before he seated himself. "Loosen up," he laughed. "I know that none of you wanted a group meeting, that's why I told you to bring whoever you needed to in order to be comfortable. It's no good if you're even more nervous because you picked your Bosses. Although," Van Wolfe's smile brightened as he looked over Dino and Hotaru. "I have to say that it's a great honor to meet both of you again. I wish that the circumstances were better, but--"

"What circumstances?" Hotaru asked with a scowl.

"He didn't tell you and you still came?" Van Wolfe blinked in surprise, looking over the three subordinate hitman. "Are you boys really that gutless? You expect me to tell your Bosses for you?" All of the subordinates acted like they'd been slapped, including Ken. Van Wolfe sighed in resignation and quickly gave his apologies. Being apologized to only made Hotaru more confused about the reason for the meeting. Unless...

Giving Ken a sidelong glance, Hotaru figured it out as Van Wolfe ordered himself a glass of iced tea and a plate of cakes to share. It was already known that Van Wolfe was a werewolf. Hotaru also knew about the modifications made to Ken's body to allow him to partially change into different beasts. That was the connection. The meeting had something to do with the strange blood that ran through both of them. Through the four of them, Hotaru corrected as he made the connection with Ken and the men with Dino.

"It's fine, Ken," Hotaru murmured, reaching out to place a hand of support on the back of Ken's neck. "I already knew about you. I just didn't consider the possibility that you weren't outcaste from their kind because of what was done to you."

Van Wolfe sent him a gentle smile at the comment while understanding dawned on Dino's face. It was strange, but the smile made Hotaru happy. It was as if he'd just gained some sort of approval that he'd been striving to obtain, which was preposterous. He didn't need anyone's approval from anyone.

"You're correct in Ken's case," Van Wolfe murmured as he sipped his tea. "But I'm here to change that. He's being attacked like a werewolf, so it's only fair that he has the same protections of a werewolf. I'm actually glad that they chose their Bosses to come with them. I have a few things that I'd like to inform you of on behalf of the Vampiric Council."

Staying silent, Hotaru listened to what he had to say without showing any reaction. He neither accepted or denied the words that Van Wolfe said, which was the same stance that Dino took once he fully realized what the meeting was about. Hotaru also came to a greater understanding why Reborn had been traveling the world over the past few months. Simply put, Van Wolfe was an emissary. That wasn't the surprising part, though. The surprising part was how much information he parted with. It was easily three times as much as what the previous Council emissary had given.

Van Wolfe gave them a quick briefing on the Hunter's movements. Hotaru began to object that there was no proof that it was the work of Hunters, but Van Wolfe produced a disk for each of them with the Council's complete findings on it. Then he pointedly ignored Hotaru and Dino in order to focus on getting the information across to the three subordinates. At first, the conversation between the three didn't make sense. There were gentle, curious questions about how their treatments were going. He verified that all three had accessed to some website built for the needs of their kind. Then he gave them directions to a so-called blood bar in Venice Row where their kind could relax. He also asked if any of them had been treated poorly recently, which made all three bolt up in their chairs in surprise. The surprise turned out not to be because they had suffered maltreatment, but because they were somehow being treated better.

"They actually nod in greeting now," one of Dino's men gasped.

"They stopped looking at me in disgust," the other agreed with a frantic nod.

"I had one try to offer an oath to me," Ken mumbled, scratching his temple sheepishly. Dino's men gaped at the statement while Dino and Hotaru exchanged clueless looks. What the hell were they talking about? Apparently Van Wolfe knew since his smile widened and he clapped his hands together in glee.

"That's wonderful!" He exclaimed. "Things are only going to get better from here. In case you haven't been informed, I've been given Lord Chandler's seat on the Council. It's the first time that one of our kind has been given such a privilege and I plan to ensure that my seat will permanently be assigned to werewolves. My friends, I promise you that a day will come when we'll no longer have to wear the names of dogs. I'm already starting the movement so that we can rightfully call ourselves quarter-blood vampires." Although the words were said with a flair of a general gathering troops, Hotaru was surprised to see that the words had the effect of subduing everyone once more.

"But, we're cannibals," Dino's man objected softly. "How could they ever..."

"The day will come," Van Wolfe promised gently. "The offer given to Ken is proof. Our handicaps are not of our own choosing and they are slowly becoming aware that we can still be stronger than them. Such is the affect of our Alliance. Without the ability to use our needs against us, they realize how little separates a Master and a Servant. They were wise to only outcaste us socially and not enslave us. Now that we have our voice and we have realized that we are not alone, there is nothing that can stop us. We can still rise up, my friends."

"Until a Hunter kills you," Hotaru stated, feeling the need to snuff out the blind optimism that the man was showing.

"You assume that we're going to leave take Hunters alive," he retorted with a toothy grin. "The disk that you have might surprise you when you look at it. As for you three," he said, turning his attention back to the present werewolves. "Please stop by the Furry Biscuit and check out the counter-measure kits. Ask for Lady Neve and she'll be happy to get the three of you geared up. Unless you'd prefer to nearly be turned into someone's stuffed mantelpiece again." Hotaru froze at the statement, which was pointedly said to Ken. A stuffed mantelpiece? Was that why Ken was so wounded? He'd been attacked by Hunters? First they'd come for Bradley and now they were going after Ken? Just what the hell was really going on here?!

"It's really happening," Ken interjected with a small shake of his head. "You're really here and you're acting like--"

"Ken," Van Wolfe stated as all trace of pleasantry left his face. "Keep your nose to yourself." Ken's head snapped up and he stared once more as if he'd been slapped. Before Hotaru could ask what he meant by that, Ken leaped to his feet and ran out of the cafe. "So troublesome," Van Wolfe sighed with a wink at Dino. For his part, Dino merely shook his head and stood.

"I'll look this over," he promised, holding up the disk that he'd been given. "For now, I think it's high time that I had a nice talk with my men about the meaning of full disclosure."

"Have fun," Van Wolfe said with a careless wave of farewell. "Don't be too hard on them. In the past, the Council would have hung them by their toes and slit their throats if they'd talked about what they are. By lifting the Omerta, we've given up a lot of power to give humans such as yourself to have a chance to prove yourself worthy of leadership over our brethren."

"You speak as if you're no longer human," Dino replied with a pained expression.

"I'm not," he shrugged in return. "I haven't been for years. Why? Does it bother you that I'm one of them?" Dino flinched at the question and pressed his lips together. Without answering, he left with his men trailing behind him, which left Hotaru alone with Van Wolfe. Hotaru made a note to reprimand Ken later for abandoning him. Even if he was upset, he'd just ran out and left his Boss with someone who was powerful enough to defeat Reborn.

Feeling that it was safer to wait for Van Wolfe to leave first, Hotaru leisurely sipped on his coffee as if he was too comfortable to move. The silence between them stretched on and Hotaru grimaced internally when Van Wolfe ordered a vanilla milkshake. He got very animated in asking the waitress for whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry, making Hotaru smile to himself at how childish he was acting. Then he asked to double the order and Hotaru's face fell when he realized who the second one was for. He tried to object, but Van Wolfe still forcefully placed the sweet drink in front of him with a bright smile.

"You don't have to panic," Van Wolfe soothed. "I would never accept an assignment against one of my students and you're Ken's Boss. It's not much, but please consider this a peace offering. I still feel quite guilty about your Hunter friend. I know that she was my enemy, but I never intended--"

"You're the sentimental type," Hotaru said. Van Wolfe flushed at the statement, but didn't deny it. Instead, he turned his attention to his own milkshake and allowed silence to fall between them a second time. Hotaru ignored the peace offering, although not out of dislike for Van Wolfe. Actually, he didn't really have an opinion of Van Wolfe anymore. Having an opinion about him would be like having an opinion of air. "Don't take it personally," Hotaru said as he sipped his coffee. "I don't hold it against you for Kimi's death. I just don't like sweet things."

"Oh," Van Wolfe murmured while he taste-tested his own confectionary drink. He seemed disappointed, going so far as to pout while making very poor attempt at hiding it. Deciding that Van Wolfe wasn't going to leave easily, Hotaru struck up a conversation in hopes that Ken would eventually come back for him. He was strangely easy to talk to. Hotaru asked about his plans to finally start tutoring and he responded that he hoped to be in place before the end of the year. Hotaru cautiously felt him out about the issue of Reborn, only to find out that Van Wolfe really didn't care where his Brother went. He claimed that he'd expected him to go back from the start. Then Hotaru found the opening for the question that was running circles through his mind.

"Did you really want to leave Vongola?" Hotaru murmured softly. Van Wolfe froze, taken off-guard by the blunt question. Despite his reaction, Hotaru silently waited on his answer. The game was up. By being confronted with that kind of question by the Vongola Boss, Van Wolfe would assume that Hotaru already knew everything about him. His mask would come off and then Hotaru would have the power that came with that knowledge. Van Wolfe and the Council would be in the palm of his hand.

"Nice try, kiddo," Van Wolfe abruptly grinned. "Ask me that again when you actually have some idea of who I am." Hotaru grimace, but he didn't feel angry about it like he normally would. It suddenly hit him that it really did feel like he was playing a game. One in which he hadn't known that he'd been skipping his turns before. "As a reward for the attempt, I'll give you another clue before I go."

* * *

Returning to his normal routine was difficult when he had a clue in his pocket. The little origami crane didn't make sense to him, even when he recalled the first one that he'd been given, but he was sure that he could figure it out. It was almost as if Van Wolfe was challenging him too, which made the game twice as fun. However, there was a time and a place for everything and right now wasn't the time for puzzles, but for class instead.

However, the more that he went to class, the more he felt that it was a waste of time. He'd read over his textbooks and assimilated all of the information within the first week that he got them. The teachers no longer attempted to make him take part since he'd taken over the lecture by accident in his attempt to answer the question with his full ability. No one cared about what he did as long as he didn't interrupt the class and he was repeatedly sent to the library for self-study when tempers flared in jealousy over his 'special-treatment'. It wasn't as if he asked for it, though. It wasn't his fault that the teachers were too overwhelmed to speak up and it wasn't his fault that he was left out as a consequence. It also wasn't his fault that some idiot girls had started a fanclub. It wasn't his fault that his men felt the need to pamper him at lunch and it wasn't his fault that the school didn't challenge him.

Whether he liked it or not, he'd been singled out before he even stepped foot in Don Girarde. He'd known from the beginning that he couldn't be a normal student, which made him wonder why his predecessors had been so adamant about going to school. Home-school would have been infinitely easier. At least then he wouldn't have been stuck in a classroom where the only thing that he had to do was to look out the window and daydream.

"Sawada," the teacher called halfway through the lesson, bringing Hotaru's attention back down to earth and the glaring people on it. "If you don't mind--"

"Library," he supplied without inflection. Hotaru didn't argue, knowing that the class would only assume that he was trying to get attention by any attempt to stay. For this class, though, he always actually looked forward to being kicked out. The faster that he was asked to leave Mafia History, the faster that he could go try and find his hiding Rosalind. She was always hiding somewhere, although she was usually under one of the tables in the library.

"Not this time," the teacher corrected, making Hotaru pause in the middle of rising from his seat. "Tutor Thunderbelly asked for you. You can report to him in the Tutor's lounge in the east wing."

Hotaru prided himself on not showing any reaction to the statement despite how the glares focused at him hardened. Once again, he was getting special attentions. He'd expected it, although he had to admit that he didn't think Thunderbelly would be the one to make the move. He'd hoped that they'd leave him alone after how he ran off the one during the Assembly, but it seemed that not all Mafioso's understood hints.

Exiting out of his class with a dignified air, Hotaru took his time walking to the Tutor's lounge. He wanted to go find Rosalind, considering how little time that he got to see her. She was actually starting to talk to him instead of ignoring him when he found her. Even knowing that he couldn't have a relationship with her, he found that he liked talking to her. During the time that they met in the library, no one knew that they were alone together. There was no one there that he had to pose for and he could just... Just what? He asked himself. He could just play a dangerous game by getting close to her?

She was slowly driving him insane. At times, he was positive that she understood him. She didn't try to talk to him outside of the library and she never treated him like a Boss within it. Then there was times that he had no clue what was going through her mind, such as when she'd called him a perverted prick in front of everyone. Both of them were pretending that the fiasco had never happened, but she kept throwing him for a loop. One minute, it felt like they were in sync. In the next minute, it felt like they were on opposite sides of the world. Yet, through all of it, he couldn't make himself stop trying to connect with her. Not only was she pretty, but she was earthy, smart, eccentric, and wild yet somehow managing to tame all of it into a personality that made him feel like she had her head perpetually stuck in the clouds.

It didn't help that there were many common grounds they had between them. Sometimes, they talked about boxing matches that they'd seen on television or chat about a book that they'd both read. There were times that they'd chuckle over something that happened in school and it was from her that he'd learned that he actually did have a hobbies. It wasn't much of one since his men would be horrified to let him do it, but he liked gardening. He also liked the ocean and mythology. He just hadn't noticed until she pointed it out to him after he got carried away in talking about some of the documentaries that he'd seen.

She also had many differences from him. He occasionally got the feeling that she'd never lived in a home with parents, which was why he wanted to know her background. She talked about street warfare like it had always been a part of her life and she had absolutely no class. He could tell from her manner when they talked about the cafeteria's lunch menu. None of it was stuff that she recognized and her outrage at the prices was something that no Mafioso would normally comment on.

It also hit him at times that she was just being herself. Where the people around him normally wore a mask that they wanted him to see instead of who they really were, she was so unguarded that it made his heart break. She never wore makeup to look good to others and she never tried to temper her attitude to get along with people better. It was as if she was challenging the world to say that she was less of a person for being herself, which made her all that much more beautiful in his eyes. She impressed him by not trying to impress him, although much of that was probably because she still didn't seem to understand who he was. He'd clarified that she knew that he was a Boss of a Family, but he was fairly sure that she was somehow putting him on the same level as her own Boss. That was fine, though. He didn't want her to know better because then the Rosalind that he knew might be gone forever.

Hotaru snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that he'd been standing in front of the Tutor's lounge for several minutes. Thankfully, the hallway was empty, so his woolgathering wouldn't be commented on. Not having thought of any way to deal with the would-be Tutor this time, Hotaru decided to play it by ear. He didn't plan to give the man the time of day if he was as air-headed as the first Tutor that Hotaru had come across, but he wasn't going to brush him off without reason, either. Lifting his hand up, the door flew open before he could knock and he found himself pulled inside by a hand that was big enough to encase his own without trying to.

He had to admit that the attitude was much different than the first Tutor. Thunderbelly didn't attempt to talk to him. He didn't even greet him. The large man simply shoved him into a seat at one of the lounge's tables, slapped a questionnaire and a pencil onto the tabletop, and grunted an order to fill it out. Raising an eyebrow at his briskly over-efficient manner, Hotaru looked over the page and sighed. So this was Thunderbelly's form of 'getting to know one's student'. Fine, Hotaru mentally grumbled. He'd play along for now since it didn't seem like he was being given an option to refuse.

Question One: Who are you?

Answer: Hotaru Sawada, Eleventh Generation Boss of Vongola.

Question Two: Who do you look up to?

Answer: Those who are bigger than me.

Question Three: What do you want to be?

Answer: Myself.

Question Four: What are your goals?

Answer: To retire.

Question Five: What are your fears?

Answer:

Question Six: What would you like to improve?

Answer: My stamina--

"Good enough," Thunderbelly growled, ripping the page out from under his pencil. "It's just as I was told. You've got an attitude problem."

"What's that supposed to--" Hotaru goggled as the man backhanded him hard enough to split his lip.

"Don't talk unless I give you permission," he said in a deep rumble. "You might be Vongola the Eleventh outside of here, but you're just another student within these walls. Until you can answer these questions honestly, we'll do exactly what you want. We'll improve your stamina. Follow me." Hotaru stayed in his seat as the man stormed out of the door. He'd be damned if he moved. Not only had the Tutor hit him, but his accusation was untrue! He'd answered those questions honestly!

After several minutes, Thunderbelly stormed back into the room and grabbed his arm to pull him out of his chair. Deciding that the man was just planning to bully him, Hotaru chose to fight back. He didn't do as much as he could have done, since he was well aware that he was fighting someone who stood above the school's teachers, but a kick to the man's balls was more than enough to get his attention.

"Let go of me, you stupid brute!" Hotaru shouted as he pulled his bruised arm out of the man's grip. "First you hit me and then you call me a liar?! How dare you!" While Thunderbelly was still doubled over from the blow to his pride, Hotaru ran out of the room and made a beeline for the Dean's Office. He'd be damned if such a Tutor was going to be permitted to continue terrorizing students.

He could hear Thunderbelly yelling after him as he rounded the corner to enter the North wing of the school. As he passed the library, he grimaced at the sight of Rosalind exiting with a book in hand. He wanted to talk to her, but he didn't even have time to give her a greeting. Not if he wanted to beat that big oaf to the main offices of the school. Looking back over his shoulder, he prayed that Thunderbelly would ignore her as he gave chase. He stumbled to a stop in shock when he saw her put her foot out to trip the large man who was chasing him. He didn't stop because he was surprised at the fact that she helped him, although it was surprising. What he stopped for was the expression of pain that lanced across her face as Thunderbelly crashed to the floor. Thunderbelly wasn't a small person. To have successfully tripped him, her ankle had to have taken damage.

Forgetting the reason that he'd been running away, Hotaru put all of his speed into reaching her side. Her eyes widened as he skidded to a stop next to her, but he ignored her reaction so he could kneel down and check her foot. As he feared, it was badly bruised and already beginning to swell.

"You idiot!" Hotaru shouted up at her. "Why'd you do that?!"

"I... uh..." Seeing only confusion in her eyes, Hotaru clenched his teeth and turned around to offer his back. When she didn't move, he felt like snarling.

"Get on," he ordered. "I'll take you to the infirmary. You can't walk on that."

"What are you...?"

"Just shut up, you stupid girl," he snarled in frustration. "It's your fault for getting hurt. No one asked you to help me."

"But what about--"

Hotaru's temper snapped. Spinning in place, he scooped her off her feet and started running in hopes that he could get her to a doctor before she decided to fight back. He succeeded, but it wasn't until he'd successfully tossed her on an infirmary bed that he realized how red her face had gotten. Was she blushing? Actually, his face felt flushed, too. Why--

"I don't treat boys," Doctor Shamal said as he sat up from his nap on the neighboring bed. Hotaru glared and tried to keep his mind where it was supposed to be. Rosalind was injured and it was his fault.

"I'm not the one injured," Hotaru replied as he quickly backed away from the real patient. "Her ankle is swelling and it needs to be treated. Don't get any bright ideas, either. If she doesn't gut you for getting out of line, then I will." Doctor Shamal blinked owlishly at the warning, but quickly grinned as he bustled forward to look at the injury. Although Hotaru wanted to stay to make sure that she was okay, he bolted out of the room as fast as he could. Once outside, he kept his back to the door for support and tried to get his heart to calm down. He'd actually held her in his arms. She was smaller than she looked and her feet were so small. When he'd held it to check her ankle, it had fit into his hand. Staring at his hand, he tried to envision it again and failed. He'd never seen something so dainty before, especially not on such a strong woman.

"I've made a grave error," Thunderbelly interjected into his daydream. Automatically, Hotaru dropped into a defensive stance and prepared himself to run as he abruptly recalled the incident that had led to the whole mess. Thunderbelly's lack of an aggressive posture combined with an apologetic expression made him pause, though. Tilting his ear forward, so that the man knew that he was listening, Hotaru kept his guard up. He wasn't about to allow himself to be manhandled again. "I'll be honest with you, boy. I allowed my judgment of you to be clouded. I've been watching you for a few weeks now. You seemed like the arrogant sort who doesn't know anything other than how to be a king. I treated you the way that I did because I wanted to break through that, but I see now that the rumors about you are only half the story. I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I'd like to have a man-to-man discussion with you to correct that."

"What's the point?" Hotaru asked bluntly. "There's nothing that you can teach me that Reborn hasn't already taught me."

"True," he grimaced. "There might not be anything that I can do, but there's always a small chance that I can help you improve. If not, I think of Tutoring as a way to improve myself. If you're unwilling to come to me as a student, feel free to come as a teacher. You can teach me what to look for so that I don't make the same mistakes a second time. If you don't even want to do that, then at least join me in walking to the Dean's Office to report my actions. Wasn't that where you were going anyway?"

"Fine," Hotaru grudgingly agreed. "We can talk on the way there." Thunderbelly nodded and gestured for Hotaru to walk with him. The pace that he was set was a slow one and Hotaru was surprised at how the man didn't jump into the conversation. It was almost as if he was giving Hotaru time to settle himself, which was a good thing. His heart still felt unsteady after everything that had happened.

When he did start talking, his first question was one that insinuated that he truly believed that he had made a mistake. He asked Hotaru about the answers to the questionnaire. Keeping his replies short, Hotaru explained his choices of answers. The first was simple. He really was Hotaru Sawada, Eleventh Generation Boss of Vongola. For as long as he could remember, he'd never been anyone else. As for who he looked up to, his answer hadn't been an attempt to smart-off. He really did look up to those who were bigger than him. For example, Vongola the First was big in both accomplishments and strength. He looked up to those who had bigger net worth, since they were more successful than he was. He also looked up to those who had bigger publicity since so much of what he did had to be low-key or secretive.

"You put 'myself' for who you want to be," Thunderbelly stated. "That also wasn't an attempt to be cocky?"

"No," Hotaru replied honestly. "A lot of my friends have been saying lately that I'm not showing the real me. I don't really understand what they mean since I can only be me. Right?"

"Nein," he replied in a negative. "Take Eric Brahms as an example. You weren't here the day that the Martelli Family held their tournament, but he showed his real self that day. He's an actor, so he knows how to smile for the camera and how to give fans what they want. On that day, he put all of that aside and was just himself. See, there's yourself and then there's the image of yourself that you present to others. I'm sure that you know what a poker face is. Yes?" Hotaru nodded. Of course he knew what a poker face was. He used one in negotiations all the time. "Do you ever take yours off?" Hotaru slowed to a stop, wondering if it was a trick question. Of course he took his off. Didn't he? He thought that he did, but... He couldn't positively say that he did. Not if he was being completely honest.

"I helped train the Warwick Boss," Thunderbelly said in sympathy. "He was also trained from a young age to be a boss, so I know how easy it is for lessons to become ingrained. Perhaps you understand now why I misjudged you so easily. The fact is that you never take off your poker face, Sawada. You could be a statue for all the expression that you show unless you've been taken off-guard. That's why people have taken to treating you like an untouchable prince. Take what just happened outside the clinic. What expression was on your face?" Hotaru stared up at him and blushed brightly, wondering what expression had been on his face. "There--!" Thunderbelly interrupted. "I can tell that you're making the same expression, but I can't tell what it is. Your guard is up now just like it was then. The best that I can guess is that you're frustrated about something."

"Frustrated?" Hotaru asked in confusion. "That's not..."

"Angry?" Thunderbelly guessed. Hotaru shook his head, trying to understand how he could get it so wrong. A blush was pretty hard to mix up with anything else. Wasn't it? Thunderbelly continued guessing, though, while getting farther and farther away from the real answer.

"I was embarrassed," he finally interrupted, finding himself blushing yet again over having to admit it. Thunderbelly broke off from his attempts to figure it out with his jaw hanging open in surprise. Normally, his expression would be one to laugh at, but Hotaru didn't think that it was funny. "Is that why everyone is always glaring at me?" He asked, slowly putting the pieces together. Thunderbelly nodded, making Hotaru re-evaluate his impression of his classmates. They weren't jealous of him. They were frustrated that they couldn't understand him. "But what am I supposed to do? I've always thought that I was being too expressive because of how easily Orinato and everyone can tell what I'm thinking."

"The first step is to stop trying to hide your expression from them," he answered with a small smile. "They can read you because they've been with you for so many years, so you're never going to be able to hide everything from them. The more that you try the more sensitive they become and the harder it becomes for other people to understand you as you get better at hiding your expressions." Hotaru considered the idea and immediately rejected it. Exposing himself in such a way was impossible for him. It was better to suffer through a thousand misunderstandings than have everyone automatically grasp onto what he was thinking. At least now he knew why so many people thought that he was cold and arrogant. It wasn't just because of his position. It was because they couldn't see his smile.

"I'd rather hone a weapon than allow it to be eroded by the elements," Hotaru replied as they came to a stop in front of the Dean's Office. "Talking to you has proven informative, but I'm afraid that your advice isn't helpful. I'm not one to bare my soul in front of anyone. I'll accept your apology for striking me and I'll leave you here so that you can make your report, but please forget any plans that you might have to instruct me. I've already got a Tutor that's sufficient."

"Reborn went back to Vongola?" Thunderbelly asked in surprise. Hotaru nodded and gave a small, polite bow in farewell. Choosing a direction at random, Hotaru carefully considered the information that he'd gained. He'd always known that he had a certain image that he had to project and he constantly worried about whether he was doing it effectively. He considered himself to be a fairly quiet person, so he'd always kept his expressions quiet as well. Apparently he'd made them too quiet. He needed to make them louder and more easily noticed. A wide smile instead of just a smile. A boisterous laugh instead of just a laugh. A scowl instead of a frown and a GLARE instead of a glare. Of course, doing so would take effort and concentration, but it would be worth it. The better control that he got over his image, the less likely that people would notice when he became over-emotional. If it hadn't been for Rosalind distracted him, he would have probably started crying over how unfairly Thunderbelly had been treating him.

The trick was that Orinato and the others who had learned to read his expressions would know the difference. They'd be able to tell that everything was being forced. With that in mind, Hotaru decided to try it out by using his Family. If Orinato was forced to witness the act being played out, he should understand what was going on without being told. Hotaru silently prayed that Thunderbelly would forgive him for what he was about to do, too. The man would probably be in deep water for a while until everyone started giving him credit for the improved Sawada.

Willing some tears into his eyes, Hotaru waited against the wall outside of his Mafia History class for the bell to ring. Keeping an overly-sullen expression on his face, he didn't move an inch after it did. Students began pouring out of the classrooms to head for their next class, but Hotaru was delighted to see that those coming out of previous class were all slowed down. There wasn't a single person that didn't do a double-take at him up until Orinato came rushing at him in order to explode about the cut on his lip. Shaking his head in a much more animated way than he normally did, he told Orinato that he didn't want to talk about it. Of course, Orinato prodded him anyway, not yet noticing that he was over-acting everything that he was doing.

Finally, Hotaru went in for the kill, letting a single tear fall down his cheek as he looked up at his friend in overwhelming sadness.

"Why does everyone hate me?" He asked with an overly-obvious sniff. Orinato froze, his jaw dropping open as he finally realized that Hotaru was just overacting. His eye twitched, but he surprisingly didn't question it. He simply played along with his own melodramatic reply.

"No one hates you, Boss," he gasped with tears quickly building in his own eyes while passing students began slowly to shamelessly watch. "How could anyone hate someone as wonderful as you are? They just don't see how hard you work, so they don't understand you! Is that Tutor the one that put that kind of thought in your head?" Hotaru shook his head to tell him no. "Then what is it, Boss? Why would you think that everyone hates you?"

"Everyone's always staring at me," Hotaru answered with a shy gesture to the people that were openly staring at him. "And they glare at me in class."

"Uhh, no one glares at you, Eleventh," one boy sheepishly interjected from the crowd. "Well, I mean, I do sometimes, but it's just because the girl that I like won't stop talking about you. It's nothing personal."

"And we only stare because you're so cute!" A girl added in a giggling voice. Hotaru looked around himself with a smile bursting out with such force that the crowd took a step backward. Even Orinato seemed amazed, although it was probably obvious to him how forced it was. It seemed to be working, though. Those around him slowly closed the empty space around him and did their best to clear up the misunderstanding. In response, Hotaru continued to overact while privately wondering how stupid could they all be. They were all falling into the palm of his hand so easily. Why wasn't anyone noticing that he was faking everything? And it was so obviously fake, too. At least, it was to him. He felt like his face was going to break with the amount of force it took to give even a gentle smile, yet they were still baring their souls to him by letting him know how much they'd been secretly idolizing him.

By the time that Orinato finally pulled him away to go rinse off his lip in the boy's room, Hotaru thought that he was going to be ill. The worst part was still to come, though. As Orinato carefully tended to him, he said something that made Hotaru's stomach churn until he actually did have to vomit.

"I'm glad that you've finally stopped worrying about your image."

With that single sentence, Hotaru finally realized the importance of letting others see who he truly was. Only now that he'd reached the point where even Orinato was fooled did he understand. There was no turning back. He now had the power to meet everyone's expectations and he could produce the image of a Boss that everyone wanted to see. Unfortunately, that meant that he'd lost his only chance at being himself.


	111. Chapter 111 Second Chance

Finally, he had an outlet. How many weeks had he waited? How many months? The enemy fled before the rage in his eyes, only to be hunted down like the rodents that they were. They'd finally found it: the Hunters' base. Xanxus just wished that he could say that it had been through brilliant detective work that had led to the discovery, but it hadn't been. It'd been through sheer dumb luck, which pissed him off.

Because they'd come upon the enemy so unexpectedly, they had no battle plan. They were outnumbered and badly outgunned. He'd be damned if he admitted it, but Lussuria was the only reason that Cheri and he were even alive. Lussuria was armed with the best weapon of them all, his humanity. His immunity to the silver-dust and holy water based attacks allowed him to set off counteragent weapons so that the vampires around him were able to keep moving.

Stepping in the way of another silver bullet, Xanxus kept Lussuria from taking it to the chest. The enemy was starting to notice, he growled to himself. They were purposely aiming for the flamboyant assassin to cut off the support line. Like hell! Xanxus pulled out his X-Guns to return fire, but he was stopped by Cheri. A single glare was all it took to tell him that he was going too far. Normally, she'd be right with him in going over the top, but the base was within a live volcano. If he used too much firepower, the balance of the magma pressure outside the base would shift and they'd all be dead. So would everyone in the cities surrounding the explosive mountain. He was an assassin and a murderer, but the mass genocide of civilians wasn't on his to-do list.

He only had one choice left. He didn't like it since it was a suicidal plan, but this was their only chance. Reinforcements were on their way, but the Hunters were already fleeing through side exits. If they didn't wipe them out after having stirred the nest, the whole operation would simply move to a new location. All of the work he had done up until now would have been in vain. The idea angered him. He wasn't one to work hard, but he'd been doing so. He wasn't going to allow those efforts be made fruitless, no matter what the cost.

"Leave this to me," Xanxus growled as he deflected another bullet with the globes of Flame that were wrapped around his hands. Cheri and Lussuria looked up from their neighboring positions. Cheri understood immediately.

"If you die, I'm going to kill you," she warned. Xanxus smirked at the threat, knowing that her sentimentality was going to be the death of him. She always had a way of saying things in a way that hit him harder than the longest diatribe of sickeningly sweet words.

"I'd probably sound cool as shit if I said that I was going to do it for you," he said with a bark of laughter. Breaking off, he pinned her with a stare that had all of his feelings laced into it. Anger, rage, wrath. "Too bad," he added in cold calm.

"So selfish," she spat under her breathe. Grabbing Lussuria, she used her overwhelming strength to drag him behind her as she started running. Lussuria wasn't given an option about whether he wanted to leave. The simple fact was that Xanxus' backup plan would kill him in seconds if he stayed. Such was the reason that even Cheri was running in an attempt to put as much distance between them as possible.

Cheri would probably regret showing him that he could invent weapons after this, he thought as he pulled out a particularly cruel weapon from his jacket. It looked like a set of brass knuckles, but he called it 'Congeli la Fiamma di Vita'. It was a weapon that literally froze the fires of life in anyone nearby. He'd made it by using the knowledge that he'd gained from hunting motes combined with his ability to use Zero Point Breakthrough. It wasn't a weapon that just anyone could use though. It was something that only he could. The only difficulty in using it was that he still hadn't perfected a way to also keep himself from being affected by it.

One minute, he decided. If he couldn't clear out the compound within one minute, he'd be at the mercy of any survivors. Ducking behind an outcropping for shelter, he took a moment to button his jacket close to tighten his protections and take a long, deep breath as he unleashed the emotions buried deep in his heart. His emotions for Tsuna and now his emotions for Cheri. Such was what gave him the power to complete his own Zero Point Breakthrough.

Slipping the brass knuckles into place, they activated as soon as it came into contact with the crystalline chill emanating from his hands. Time seem to slow as he began his rush into the open. As he moved, the temperature of the air around him began to drop with such speed that not even the closed environmental suits of the armored enemy was able to protect them. One by one, the enemy fell like puppets with their strings cut. Midrange, he reminded himself. The energy output and dissipation effects of Congeli la Fiamma di Vita would only extend mid-range. Outside of that, the effects dropped off exponentially.

Even so, his tool was a deadly one. By dissipating the energy output of Zero Point Breakthrough before it could be compressed into the hardened negative Flame that Vongola Bosses were famous for, he was able to seal the Flames of those around him without actually encasing anyone. For a normal human, losing their body temperature at such a rapid rate caused their heart to stop. Without heat in their blood to keep them warm, restarting their hearts after the effects passed was nearly impossible without aid. The enemy was turned from hot-blooded attackers into cold corpses within the space of two seconds; the only thing that saved him from suffering the same effect were the abilities that he'd gained as a vampire. He was able to eat his own dissipated Zero-Point Flame before it sealed the heat from his own body.

Xanxus grunted as the long-ranged weapons that were sent flying at him from the opposite end of the compound's long, unfinished corridors impacted against him. Even though the bullets bounced off his jacket or his tastelessly chosen cowboy hat, the impacts were hard enough to leave bruises. He felt as if he was being beaten to death, but he ignored it in favor of getting his revenge on the bastards who caused the nuisances.

Even at his top speed, the size of the base worked against him, as did the amount of time that the enemy had been given to flee for weapons or an exit. He could feel his speed dropping along with his energy. His ability to concentrate on his vamping was dropping, as well. He could feel the heat seeping out from his legs from only a momentary lapse. Congeli la Fiamma di Vita was an unfocused attack. It attacked everything around it without mercy, even himself. He could stop sending his negative Flame through the weapon, but there were still enemies within the building. He had to keep moving. He had to keep killing. The enemies' armor protected them from penetration and from auric vamping, but their armor couldn't protect them from Congeli la Fiamma di Vita. It attacked everything within range without mercy.

What did make him stop was the sight of a single person. Xanxus cut off his attack and snapped out of Zero-Point Breakthrough in an instant, before the attack could do the unforgiveable. Without momentum keeping him going, though, he crashed to the ground in a particularly ignominious way. He shouldn't have stopped, he realized. Now that he wasn't moving, he could feel how much energy he'd burned. Even worse, all of the energy within range had been sealed away by his attack. He was sitting in the middle of a void that would take days to be refilled naturally. He was done for. Why? Why had he stopped? That person couldn't be here. It had to be a hologram or some kind of trick.

"I told you that he'd stop," a familiar voice chuckled in a familiar tone. "Look at him. This is how vampires should be. No--. Leave him for a moment. He's not dead yet and I wouldn't want you to get damaged because you got too close. It's for moments like these that vampires have weaknesses."  


* * *

His jaw stung. It was annoying, he thought groggily. Slowly cracking his eyes open, he tried to figure out why his body felt so heavy. He also looked up so he could figure out what kept stinging his face. Oh. Some idiot was trying to torture him. From how heavily the man was panting and sweating, he'd been trying for a while now. Too bad. After Tsuna's punches, attempts from lesser men felt like he was being hit by a gnat.

The would-be torturer paused at the glare that Xanxus pinned him with, clutching his baseball bat with both hands as if it would make him stronger. Xanxus could tell by his manner that he was young. Considering the weapon that he'd chosen, he was probably a teenager who'd been picked up off the street. He'd been trained, though. The white aura blocking him from vamping the bastard told him that much.

Why do torture chambers always have to be so poorly lit? Xanxus asked himself. A good torturer shouldn't be afraid to see the details of his handiwork. They shouldn't be scared that their captive was going to talk about what they'd seen, assuming they even survived. The victim was the one who was supposed to be afraid, not the kidnapper. It was pathetic. The whole situation was utterly imbecilic. The kid in front of him needed to practice for another fifty years before he would be ready to question someone like Xanxus. And they did plan to question him. He could tell that from the taste of someone else's blood in his mouth. They'd fed him to make him conscious again and he wasn't gagged. He'd also been stripped and his mask removed, which was more important than the fact that a bat had been used on him.

Keeping his eyes on his captor, Xanxus kept the piece of scum from moving by the sheer force of his presence. The brat couldn't turn his eyes away, which was exactly how Xanxus wanted it. A surreptitious pull at the manacles holding him against an upright table told him that he needed more energy before he'd have the strength to move. Therefore, Xanxus worked on his only available target with the only weapon that he had at hand. He used his willpower, subduing the fool in front of him with a look, a calculated twitch of his expression, and every other trick in his arsenal. It began to work. The bastard's aura began to tremble along with his determination. With only his body language, Xanxus attacked him until he probably thought that he was the one in chains. All that was left was--

Xanxus clenched his teeth shut as electricity arced through his body, sending every muscle in his body into convulsions. By the time that it shut off, the spell was broken and his chance was lost. The novice torturer fled the room before Xanxus could overwhelm him again and the man who replaced him didn't seem to be the type to lose in a battle of wills. Although, Xanxus had other things in mind when it came to this particular person.

"Who are you?" Xanxus grunted, his tired voice betraying his condition. He was so infernally tired. He didn't want to admit it, but he was also injured. He could feel blood trickling through his hair, telling him that the bat had done some damage before he woke. His skin also felt tight, as if he'd been sitting in the sun for too long. It didn't hurt, but he had a feeling that the lack of pain was because his nerves were dead from overload. There was also the way that his insides felt sore and stiff. He'd taken the brunt of someone's anger, yet none of that mattered in the face of the person before him.

Now that he was looking at him calmly, Xanxus knew that he would have still repeated his mistake of stopping. The man in front of him definitely resembled that person, but he could also tell now that it wasn't him. The look in his eyes was far too different from Hotaru's. Also, Hotaru would never ignore his question to lazily make his way forward to inspect Xanxus like he was a prize.

"It's a pity that you've become one of them, Xanxus," he sighed as he pulled a cigarette case out of his pocket. Xanxus didn't reply while he chose one and lit it, wondering to himself what kind of game was being played. Only someone from the Family should be able to recognize him anymore. Was the man really impersonating Hotaru or was this a side of Hotaru that had appeared since he'd been gone? Xanxus knew better than anyone that people could change. The hatred in his eyes was even understandable. For a person who was born of Flame, those who ate Flame were natural enemies. Yet, what was this uneasy feeling that he had?

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he continued as he stripped off his silk jacket. He carefully laid it out on something in the shadowed recesses of the room before rolling up his sleeves. Xanxus recognized the motions, which made him clench his teeth shut in anger. The bastard was experienced. He was giving his would-be victim time to grow fearful. The bastard was playing fucking mind games! With him! With Xanxus! "Regardless of who you once were, you are hell-spawn now. Before I cleanse you from this earth, I want all the information that you can offer me. You were wearing a black coat. From the information that I've gathered, that means that you are a ranking general in the hell-spawns' army. Even your codename, Xerxes, tells me that you are a warlord. So, which way do you want to do this? If you talk now, I can give you a quick death. If not..."

Xanxus didn't respond to the cart of tools that was pulled out of the shadows with a flourish. This piece of shit had no clue who he was dealing with. He thought that he could break Xanxus? The thought made him laugh at the bastard's arrogance. He laughed and he laughed and he didn't stop laughing even when the attempt to make him talk started.

* * *

Not good, Xanxus gasped as he forced his eyes open again. Eye, he amended since the right one was swollen shut. He'd lost track of time, but he'd suffered a large amount of damage. The brat was skilled. Far more skilled than his youth suggested. If he really was Hotaru, Xanxus felt as if he'd burst with pride. Yet he still had the nagging sensation that it wasn't him. He was enjoying it too much. He hid it like a pro, but Xanxus had tortured too many people not to understand the gleam of insane satisfaction in the brat's eyes. The longer that Xanxus didn't submit the more that his captor became positively pleased. He wasn't even asking questions anymore, being far too intent on the finer points of causing pain. He was like an artist caught in the throes of inspiration, which only pissed Xanxus off more when he realized that he was the canvas.

Of course, silence from a torturer was an effective method in itself and his expression was probably calculated. If Xanxus was a normal person, the amount of fear that would be embedded would be tremendous. He'd be wondering when it was going to stop. He'd fear that it never would. He'd begin to regret not being more cooperative and he'd break when his captor finally offered him another chance. He'd been in the brat's shoes. He knew all the tricks and methods like the back of his hand.

Knowing didn't lessen the pain, though. Knowing only kept his mind intact and his lips sealed. Talking would only quicken his death. As long as he was alive, there was still a chance that the enemy would make a mistake. The only question was whether he'd be able to recover after this. The faux-Hotaru, whose name he still hadn't verified was skilled. He had intimate knowledge of torture and specific knowledge of vampires. The fact was that he wouldn't let Xanxus die. He also wasn't letting him rest. Every time that he blacked out from a lack of energy, he'd wake with the taste of blood in his mouth. The measured doses of blood that they gave him were far more torturous than anything that the implements used against him could be.

He was starving. He felt as if he was in a desert with an untouchable oasis mirage in front of him. The enemy's aura control was too solid. There was so much energy in front of him, but Xanxus couldn't touch it. The drops of blood that they gave him to keep him going were only increasing his Hunger. That, more than the pain, was what was driving him insane. That, more than the pain, was what he feared might cause him to break. Adding in the twisting pain in his gut to his pain and there was nothing more that he'd rather do than eviscerate the scumbag in front of him with his bare hands. If he were let loose at this point, the walls would be covered in blood.

Just a little more... Xanxus thought. Just hold out a little longer and the brat would make a mistake... Just a little...  


* * *

"Monster," a voice whispered in shock.

"Beast," another agreed in disgust.

"A cannibalistic barbarian," the third, familiar voice murmured in satisfaction. "This is what a vampire truly is. They are no better than rabid dogs that must be put down before their disease spreads."

* * *

He could hear blood dripping in the distance. He could smell blood and human waste. He could taste the salty tang of tears and he could sense that he was completely alone. They'd turned off the lights and left him to die. He knew that they'd eventually give up. He was Xanxus, after all. No one broke Xanxus with mere torture. He still hoped, though. A small part of him had actually hoped that reinforcements would come. He'd hoped that the enemy would slip up and give him his golden chance. They hadn't, though. They were worthy foes that'd performed flawlessly. From beginning to end, they'd left him with no chance of surviving. Now they were merely waiting for him to fall unconscious again so that they could finish him off without trouble.

It was fine. He'd always known that he would die at the hands of an enemy. At least it was a skilled foe instead of a scumbag with more luck than talent. He could take pride in not having spoken. He could take pride in not having shown weakness and he could take pride in not going down easily. His death would be an honorable one, although the casket would have to be closed at his funeral. That was assuming his body was even going to be sent back home as a warning. They might take him apart and turn him into jewelry and paperweights. They also might cut him into pieces and bury him in an unmarked grave. It was fine, though. He'd expected as much since the day he made his first kill.

What should he say to the old man when he saw him again? Should he bow his head in apology for always being so difficult or should he keep his head raised with the stubborn pride that had allowed him to survive for so long? What about his mother? Should he forgive her for her delusions or strike her down for being so weak? How was Tsuna going to react to his death? Would he cry or had he regained enough of his strength to stand tall? What about Cheri? What about the Varia--

The Varia. The Varia. THE VARIA. Why was he sitting here, waiting for death to take him? He still had to teach those assholes a lesson! It didn't matter if there was more blood on his body than in! It didn't matter if every bone in his hands was broken and it didn't matter that most of his skin was either burnt or in a bucket in the corner of the room! What mattered was that he wasn't finished yet! At this rate, he'd die with regrets and that was a fate worse than death itself!

He tried yelling to taunt them into returning. He tried calling out insults to goad them into continuing. He was still alive! He could still take more! As long as they were torturing him, there was still a chance! But, he couldn't get the words out. His throat was swollen shut. His tongue was dead from the piercings and cuts. His mouth was full of more liquid than air as blood dripped from the empty sockets where his canines and incisors had once been.

For hours, he fought. He fought the silence with gasps of pain and grunted attempts at shouting. He fought his bindings until his arms were dislocated and his ankles were broken. He fought the urge to sleep until his body refused to move entirely. Most of all, he fought his Hunger with the promise of a nice rampage as soon as he got free.

"As much fun as it is to watch you struggle so feebly, I have to admit defeat," the brat said with a chuckle. Xanxus froze, realizing that they hadn't turned off the lights after all. His captor hadn't left, either. It was simply that his face was so swollen that he couldn't see and his senses had dulled that far. The fact would have given him hope, if not for the statement that informed him of his imminent death. If the brat was giving up, then they weren't going to leave him alive.

"Your pride is truly frightening to witness, Xanxus," he continued. "In gratitude for the experience, I'll do you the honor of killing you personally. Be grateful. I don't dirty my hands for just anyone." Uncaring of whether it was blood or saliva, Xanxus spat in hopes of soiling the bastard's suit. The brat laughed at him for his efforts, which only angered Xanxus more. However, feeling a rush of wind against his face and something sharp against his chest, he froze once the laughter ended. "You can rest in peace, Xanxus," he whispered into his ear as he felt the weapon slowly push into his heart. "I, Tonno Sawada, firstborn son of Vongola the Tenth, will ensure that Vongola will stand strong in the coming days. You can have my sworn word on that."

* * *

It was so dark. He could feel himself sinking into the darkness, being lowered down gently into a hole by the tangle of roots wrapped around his body. Rock bottom, he mused. When he hit it, everything would be over. He couldn't remember what would be over, but something would be. Oh well. At least it was peaceful here--

"PEACEFUL?!" A voice boomed as the world froze for a breathtaking second. Xanxus lifted his head up and felt his jaw drop in recognition as his memories began flooding back. Sitting before him on a throne of exposed roots was someone who should be dead. DEAD! Not sitting before him as if he were a king staring at a pig! Wait. Xanxus was being stared at as if he were a pig? But why--? "Pathetic," Vongola the Second said in open disgust. "Absolutely pathetic, Xanxus. For a man who can talk the talk, you sure as hell can't walk the walk."

"What the fuck would you know?" Xanxus shouted in anger at the insult. He had to be hallucinating. He knew that, but no one talked to him that way!

"I know that you're here, hovering between life and death," the Second replied with a superior smirk. Xanxus snapped his mouth shut, finding that replying to such a statement was impossible. "This is such a dark and dirty Limbo you've created for yourself, Xanxus. For a man who once tried to claim the rights of the Sky, you're incredibly lacking in spirit. Let me show you what you're missing."

With a snap of Vongola the Second's fingers, the world disappeared in order to be replaced with... the world. In every direction, continents and oceans spread out underneath him. Clouds shaded areas from the burning strength of the sun while rain gave life to parched areas of the world. A storm brewed over one island, lightening stuck in the rocky desert over a hundred miles away, and mist was pushed back at the shadowed edges of his vision. There was so much going on, yet he couldn't see anyone. No planes, no boats, and no people. He knew that they were there, but they were so...

....so small.

"Do you have your perspective back, Xanxus?" The second asked from his perch on a throne-shaped cloud. He was smirking again, like a kid playing with an amusing toy. Even so, Xanxus couldn't speak. The significance of the insignificant was not lost upon him. For something as all-encompassing as the Sky to be taken down by an invisible ant was impossible. Was this why Tsuna had come back from death so many times? Was his spirit really this strong? No, he amended. He also had the Sky within himself. The real question was whether Xanxus himself was this strong. There was only one possible answer.

"Trash," he growled as he felt the power of Wrath build inside of himself. His strength wasn't his Flame. It wasn't his muscles or his abilities. It was his rage and the rage from the thought that such puny scum had laid a finger on him gave him so much strength.

"That's more like it," the Second chuckled. "Now, go give them hell."

"Shut the fuck up," Xanxus replied, making the Second pause in surprise. "I don't take orders from anyone and they're going to get much worse than hell before I'm done."

With the sound of the Second's laughter spurring him on, the air trembled as Xanxus forced himself to wake.

* * *

Xanxus ignored the shouts and yells of the civilians who were running to put out the flames that his barrage had caused and slipped into the shadows. Saving anyone was out of the question. Everyone within the bounds of the factory where he'd been held was dead. He couldn't remember the attack that had incinerated the core of the building, but he remembered getting a large dose of satisfaction as he hunted down his X-Guns and searched for the bastard who'd worked him over.

He hadn't found Tonno before the fire had spread, but he had found where they'd discarded his belongings. He now had his mask back, as well as his hat and trench coat. The rest of his basic clothing, including his collar, had been too ripped to salvage, but buttoning his coat was good enough to allow him to walk around. He was only capable of getting one arm through the sleeves; he was barefoot and his hair was matted with blood. However, he was free, alive, and slowly replenishing his energy reserves as he tried to get away from the scene.

He could see again, but he was still damaged and starved. Replenishing his energy did nothing to heal him since his body was out of substance to work with. Even if he did heal at the moment, everything would heal wrong since the bulk of his bones weren't aligned properly. He needed treatment and a solid meal. The hospital was out of the question. The Sanctuaries and Nexus Houses had been emptied. There was only one place that he could report to.

Limping and tired, Xanxus managed to find a taxi cab after forcing himself to cross six blocks with the aid of alleyway walls. The cab driver wanted to refuse service to him, but Xanxus silenced him with a gun pointed at his back. Xanxus didn't know what city he was in or how far the destination was. He didn't care, either. Whether the driver wanted to or not, he had no choice other than to drive Xanxus to the location that was specified.

* * *

Xanxus left the cab driver safely snoring away the effects of energy depletion and slowly made his way down into the city's subway system. As much as he could, he kept his collar up, his hat tilted down, and his hands up his sleeves to hide his injuries. He still gained attention from those who noticed that he was barefoot, but not a single damn person stopped him between the moment that he stepped out of the cab until the moment that he stood in front of the door to the last car on the subway train. That was where the tricky part was. His hands were shattered. While he could make bluffs by holding his gun up between his palms, sliding his MIC through the security checkpoint was beyond his abilities.

He stared at the card reader for several long minutes while the passengers in the car grew uneasy at his presence. He started to wonder if he could somehow get the card in his teeth when someone reached past him to slide their own MIC through the slot.

"Get inside," the man behind him hissed. "You're attracting too much attention." Xanxus didn't argue, already aware of the curious stares that he was getting. With a stab of pain shooting through his leg with every step, Xanxus walked forward in order to lean against the side exit door.

He couldn't sit. If he sat, he had a feeling that he wouldn't get back up again. He couldn't even allow himself the reprieve of thinking about how much he hurt. The only thing keeping him moving was his rage, so he had to focus on keeping himself angry. That was easy enough, though. All he had to do was to think of Tonno's face to get his blood pumping. That bastard had been right there in front of him. He'd been torturing him and Xanxus had stayed his hand just on the off-chance that it really was Hotaru. What the fuck did it matter if it had been Hotaru?! An enemy was an enemy and--

"Are you going to be alright?" The Mafioso who'd let him into the car asked. "You don't look so--"

The Mafioso paled and silenced himself after only a glimpse at Xanxus' expression. He wanted to rampage. He wanted to tear someone limb from limb and revel in the massacre. The only thing that was keeping him from going berserk was the pain and the fact that his rage had grown cold enough for him to think before he acted. Although, thought wasn't needed very much at the moment. What was needed was for bastards to get the fuck out of his way so that he could get off the damn subway car. Everyone waiting to get on the car seemed frozen on the platform as he limped off. They jolted to a stop when they caught sight of him and silence spread as quickly as the fires of vengeance had.

He made it a good distance across the platform before his ankle and his legs betrayed him. He didn't fall, though. Catching himself, he continued to move with the intent to get as far as he could with a body already pushed past his limits. Playing it smart, he dragged himself to the gondola dock in front of the station and pointed with his wrist to tell the driver where to go. The man gaped at him with his eyes widening at the deformed claw that had once been his hand, but he got to pushing the boat down the narrow canal with enough speed that Xanxus was satisfied. It saved him from having to walk, after all. The only problem was the amount of attention he drew as he continued to seethe in anger.

"XERXES!" Xanxus smiled as Neve burst out of the Fuzzy Biscuit as the boat drew near, relieved beyond words at how many toga-clad servants trailed out after her. Before the boat could even dock, she jumped on board and forced Xanxus to put his arm around her shoulder in support. "Thank goodness," she breathed at the edge of tears as she helped him step off onto the walkway. "When Shotgun reported that you'd been taken, we thought you were lost for good. What happened? How did you get free?" In answer, Xanxus stuck out his tongue to show her the level of damage keeping him from making his report. She grimaced, but there was nothing to be done. He couldn't tell her when he couldn't speak. However, she must have gathered enough information from the rage in his eyes to know that he did have a large amount of information to share. "I'll go gather the Council," she said, handing him over into the care of servants with orders to put him in a bath.

Knowing that she wasn't telling them to give him clean water with soap, Xanxus allowed himself to be carried into the shop and down into the blood bar. Meanwhile, the rest of the servants barricaded the upper part of store to keep everyone out and quickly began emptying the place of patrons. At least, they intended to. None of the patrons were willing to leave right off the bat. As Xanxus was carefully lowered onto a couch that was hastily pulled away from a booth, he saw why. Two large bathtubs had been brought and the patrons were helping to fill it. One was water for cleansing his wounds. The other was for a hasty renewal ceremony. When they ran out of bagged blood from storage to fill it with; the patrons began opening their wrists to ensure that he had enough substance to recover.

The sight broke Xanxus' rage, making him finally realize how important his survival was to everyone around him. He was the first and only person to return after being taken by Hunters. His report could affect hundreds... maybe even thousands of people. If he encompassed those around him, his anger wouldn't just shake cities. He would shake continents. It made him feel as if the world was in his grasp in a way that he hadn't felt since Tsuna had defeated him during the Ring Battles.

Not just minions.... he could have armies.

Not just control.... he could have dominion.

He could feel it calling to him in a way that made him feel as if he'd been deaf previously. He was strong. He had the power to turn the tides of the earth and erode countries into dust. He had it, but he'd lost sight of how to harness it. However, he understood now. He had regained the perspective that he'd been missing for so many years. He didn't need revenge on the Varia. He needed his Guardians. He needed the storm, the rain, the sun, the lightening, the mist, and some sort of cloud at his beck and call because the power of the Sky could only be noticed when the elements touched the land. After all, it was his Sun's fault that they'd wandered into that first base in the first place. All of it had begun because Lussuria whined that he wanted to gather volcanic ash for a beauty treatment that had even interested Cheri.

Smiling to himself at the idiotic nature of it all, Xanxus felt removed from the pain as the servants lowered him into the first bathtub of water and began scrubbing his wounds and his scalp until it bled. He didn't feel it when they broke his half-healed hands nor did he notice it when his ankle was snapped from where it'd healed at an odd angle. The only time that he did let out a grunt in pain was when they removed the piercings from his genitals and began pulling out the silver pins that had been embedded into his body.

At some point, he finally blacked out. When he opened his eyes again, he was submerged beneath a crimson pool. He automatically attempted to pull himself out so that he could breathe, but numerous hands held him under until he was forced to inhale blood. It poured into his lungs and into his stomach, suffocating him while somehow easing the pressure in his chest. All at once, it struck him that he wasn't going to drown. He could feel it. The blood that was in his lungs was already dissipating as it replaced and purged the tissue damaged from repeated silver-dust attacks. Outside and in, the blood around him bonded to his flesh and to his organs and his body accepted it as if he were being given millions of miniscule transplants. A small part of his brain objected that blood wasn't supposed to do that, but his body ignored his thoughts and continued processing what he was being forced to imbibe.

When his strength peaked and his regeneration was completed, his body vamped the rest of the blood in the pool to ash in order to fill his energy reserves. The hands holding him down pulled back, which was a wise move since his anger was still evident in his expression. Even wiser was the servant who came forward with a silk sheet to allow him to wrap around himself until someone found some clothes for him to wear.

He was treated as a king once he stood with his full strength restored. The patrons who'd opened their veins for him bowed their way out the door and the servants who remained gave him everything that he could wish for. In no time at all, he was tucked into a comfortable corner of the room with quality food and drink. After that, most of them scurried away to deal with re-arranging the empty bar into a setting fit for the Council, but they all kept him in the corner of their eyes. For his part, Xanxus didn't interrupt them in their work. He was far more interested in ensuring that his hands had been fixed properly. Most of it seemed alright, although the ring finger of his left hand had no feeling in it. At least it was straight and he could move it, he mused.

Lord Nephriam was the first of the Council to arrive, appearing suddenly as a servant came forward to tend to Xanxus' hair for him. The little brat didn't come to meet him, though. Lord Nephriam actually ignored him as if he didn't exist. It was in that moment before a curtain was raised up between Xanxus and the area being prepared for the Council that he realized something inordinately important.

He was still insignificant.

The members of the Council had always held the perspective of the Sky. To them, he was just another ant that felt the effects of their work. He didn't have control of his own elements yet. Yet, if that was the case, then why was Tsuna accepted? No, he growled to himself. He knew why. Tsuna probably didn't realize it yet, but the Council considered Tsuna to be more encompassing than themselves. To them, Tsuna wasn't the Sky. He was something like the Milky Way.

As he ate, Xanxus could hear more and more Council members arriving. From the sound of it, they were acting as if they hadn't been gathered to hear Xanxus' report. It was more as if they were having a dinner party where Xanxus was the planned side attraction. He was tempted to pull down the curtain separating them so that he could wring a few bureaucratic necks, but the return of Neve stopped him. He needed to get dressed before doing anything, after all, and she'd brought him clothing.

"Don't hold it against us," she whispered as he pulled on the fresh pair of pants. "Most of the Council is currently in Italy, so we're waiting for everyone to get here so that you don't have to repeat your report more than once. We know the virtue of patience, Xerxes. I think I should warn you, though. Van is already here. He... He's changed. I don't know what happened, but he's not as carefree as he used to be."

Letting the words sink in, Xanxus slowly buttoned up his shirt. He wanted to say that it'd be more surprising if any of their kind was still carefree, but this was Tsuna that they were talking about. Could he dare to hope...? Had Tsuna regained his confidence and his demeanor as a leader? Had his Flames finally merged? The thought made him want to leap past the curtain to find out, but a different thought stopped him. How was he going to tell Tsuna about Cheri? How was Tsuna going to take it? Had he already found out? They hadn't exactly kept it secret.

Xanxus didn't notice when Neve went to take her place among her fellow Councilors. He was too busy being prepared by servants and worrying about meeting Tsuna. They hadn't seen each other in months. Now that he thought about it, he'd broken their relationship off before going their separate ways. Did he remember to get it through to Tsuna that it was only a temporary break? He didn't know. He'd had so many other things on his mind at the time. What if--

"Master Xerxes," a servant murmured as a different one finished tying back his waist-length hair. "The Council is ready to see you now." Allowing the woman to lead him, Xanxus was shown to a hallway made of curtains and was left to find the rest of the way by himself. It wasn't difficult. There was a break in the curtains less than ten feet away. However, he felt his footsteps slowed by the sound of several Councilors laughing in delighted glee.

Xanxus saw the reason for their laughter when he came to a stop outside the entrance to the Councilor's faux-enclave. Tsuna's servant was dancing for them, although the dance didn't look like anything that Xanxus had seen before. The long, spinning needles in Aster's hands explained everything, though. As far as presentations of fighting styles went, the little twerp had created one with a lot of flair by using modified shobo. Most of the Councilors couldn't take their eyes off of his flowing movements. Even the ones who could look away kept finding their eyes drawn back. Xanxus had to fight the urge to be drawn into watching with them. The brat had to have been practicing like a madman to have come so far in such a short time. It was hard to believe that this was the same quiet little man who'd left with Tsuna months ago. There was such a level of freedom to his movements now that Tsuna must be inordinately proud of--

Xanxus' mind went blank at the sight of Tsuna openly yawning from where he was lounging across a plush sofa with a wine-glass in hand. He could instantly tell that Neve was right. Something had definitely changed with him. His clothes didn't seem different, outside of what looked to be a new, wider communications collar. Yet, there was usually such a light air around him and now just looking at him made Xanxus feel heavy. The look in his eyes wasn't that of the Van Wolfe who he'd left back in Mafia Land, either. They were deeper, darker, and far more unreadable than ever before. It sent a chill up Xanxus' spine to see it for himself. This was it, he thought. Tsuna the Vongola Boss was back. Everything about him shouted royalty now. His very presence was refined to the point that he was untouchable.

"That's enough, Aster," Tsuna called lazily as he swirled the wine in his cup. Aster snapped into a closing pose at the order, although the abruptness didn't lower his quality any. If anything, the steel-like determination in his eyes when he froze was enough to garner applause by itself. Compared to the expressionless puppet that he'd once been, Aster was so full of life now that he made Xanxus' mouth water. Had Tsuna always known that the brat was capable of such a display?

"It's hard to believe my eyes," Lord Nephriam commented with his wine glass tilted in a salute to Aster. "That was a splendid display. It makes me regret that I let him go."

"Regret all you want, as long as you don't expect me to give him back," Tsuna replied as Aster took up a standing position at his side. As quickly as the time that it took to take a bottle of wine in hand, Aster went from show fighter to blood slave. The transition was so seamless that the servants tending to the other Council members flushed in jealousy. It was obvious to everyone in the room that Aster was at his Master's side often enough to grow comfortable in his position. "But let us move on," he added with a cold glance at where Xanxus was partially hidden behind a curtained wall. "I do believe that the guest of honor has arrived."

Taking that as his cue to enter, Xanxus stepped inside and took his place in the open area before the assembly. Kneeling down, he felt a pressure appear at the back of his mind, warning him that getting cocky would have consequences here. The people around him weren't scum for once. No matter how he despised that fact, these people were strong. They had power that he could only claw after. Mindful of such, he kept his temper reigned in and made his report. No one interrupted him until he was finished, despite how he detailed his captor's capabilities. He purposely didn't mention Tonno's name, either, in belief that it would be too much for Tsuna to accept that Xanxus was going to kill one of his kids. After all, regardless of whether or not Tonno's claim about his identity was true, Xanxus was going to kill him for his insults.

When he finished, he kept his head bowed and waited for a response. They had to have some sort of game plan. At the very least, Tsuna would now have enough insight into the situation to intuit their next move. It wasn't until he glanced up that his assumptions were crushed. No one was even paying attention to him. They were all sitting in a varying array of boredom or being distracted by their servants' attentions. Even Tsuna had his head tilted back while Aster fed him grapes like he was royalty!

"So," Mistress Lydia said lazily, pulling Xanxus' attention to the group of Councilors that Xanxus was only distantly acquainted with. "Are you ready to give us your report, King?" Xanxus stared at her in confusion. He'd just given his re... port...

Xanxus felt every muscle in his body tense as the Council turned their combined attention to him. Never in his life had he felt so smothered. His breathe locked in his throat and he knew from the warning quiver of his knees that it was fortunate that he was kneeling. If he'd been standing, he'd surely be unconscious from the oppressive weight that pounded into him from every angle.

"Don't bullshit us, King," Lord Harrington warned as he handed his cup off to a servant. He leaned forward out of an ornate, overly-lavish chair in order to pin Xanxus with a withering look. Xanxus waited for him to explain his statement, but it was a different Councilor that took pity.

"You're holding something back, King," Lord Nephriam sighed in a tone of disappointment. "It's obvious in how tightly you're holding your aura. You can either spit out all of the information willingly or we can treat you as a traitor. It's your choice."

"Don't look at me," Tsuna ordered from his seat when Xanxus automatically gave him a sidelong glance. Xanxus pressed his lips together, seeing that Tsuna was the only one out of the group who was continuing to ignore him. Disliking his attitude, Xanxus decided to forgo his silence. If Tsuna wasn't going to act like a lover and back him up at a time like this, then he'd be damned if he gave any consideration for Tsuna's feelings.

"The bastard gave me his identity," Xanxus said in a low, rumbling growl as he stood despite the pressure being put on him. "His appearance matches Hotaru Sawada's. His last statement before he stabbed me in the heart was 'I, Tonno Sawada, firstborn son of Vongola the Tenth, will ensure that Vongola will stand strong in the coming days.' Other than that, I only have two things to tell you. First, that little twerp was good enough at torture that he taught me a few new tricks. The second is don't try to stop me from repaying the favor." Sending a glare around at the Council in warning, he felt the pressure ease as they leaned back in their chairs with varying degrees of surprise and shock. It was only too obvious that the expressions weren't due to his threat, though. They were for the information about the enemy. He'd put a bee in their ear that he figured would hold them for a while. At least, that was what he thought until one Councilor spoke up as he was making his exit without the be-damned Council's permission.

"King," Tsuna said softly, still refusing to look at Xanxus. Xanxus paused next to the void in the curtains that served as a doorway, sensing that Tsuna wasn't planning to ask more about Tonno. There was something else. Unable to see Tsuna's eyes due to his hair, he only had a side profile of his lower face to work with on determining Tsuna's expression. It wasn't enough to tell if he was upset or uncaring, but it was enough to see that he was still composed.

"What?" Xanxus asked when the silence began to stretch. Tsuna pressed his lips together. When they parted again, he asked a question in a soft voice that grabbed the attention of everyone in the room.

"If you were stabbed in the heart, how did you escape?" Xanxus paused at the question. He honestly hadn't expected it since he'd already reported that he'd set a fire and escaped in the resulting commotion. Everyone else should have been too distracted with the information about Tonno to ask something so seemingly innocuous. Only Tsuna would have had the intuition to see that there was still more to the tale. Sadly for Tsuna, it was a part of the tale that Xanxus wasn't going to share with a damn bureaucrat.

"I gave them a taste of hell and then some," he answered with a wide grin. Thinking more on his chat with the Second, there was one other thing that he felt the need to say. "You should know better than anyone, Lord Sky. I'm not a fucking negotiator or a diplomat. I'm a living weapon and they only have themselves to blame for pulling the trigger."

"Is that why you're always so touchy?" Neve chuckled with a complete lack of care for the tense atmosphere. Xanxus sent her a warning glare that wiped the smile off of her face and decided that he was overdue to leave. Council be damned. Tsuna be damned. He had his own element back and he knew what he needed to do to strengthen it now. Tonno only had to wash his neck and wait for him.


	112. Chapter 112 Elusive

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Even after the meeting was over, Aster's heart raced from the thrill of taking charge. Master was far too cunning. Before Aster had noticed it, he'd gone from silently watching to actively participating to the point that Master barely spoke when they went to meet Alliance members. Compared to the Aster that Master had first approached, he'd changed so much that he felt as if he couldn't even recognize himself. Master had magically altered his very being. Never before would he have had the confidence to speak with such authority and never before would he have felt the initiative to answer questions with such speed. No longer did he feel burdened with fear of reprisal or the concerns of rejection. Master had taught him that it was okay to be himself. Master had taught him that, even if not everyone liked him, he had people who cared about him. Since there were people who understood him, moments of awkwardness were inconsequential. It didn't eat him up anymore when he didn't fit in. Master had taught him how to let other people acclimate instead of forcing himself to be something that he wasn't in order to make them comfortable.

Master had taught him how to be strong. He didn't know if he was strong enough to stand beside Lord Nephriam yet, but he thought that he was a little closer. Master was teaching him how to fight, how to act, how to work, and a million other things while also giving him experience by allowing him to watch every moment of Master's life. Some of Master's life was worrisome, though. Aster didn't know how Master dealt with it all. He also didn't quite understand a few things in it.

For example, at the last Council Meeting, why didn't Master get upset when Mistress Drake asked him of his opinion of Xerxes' engagement? He'd gotten so cold after that, ordering Aster to do the needle dance that he did for warm-ups with claims that he was bored from waiting. Normally, Master never made him show his dances to anyone. Master knew how embarrassed his warmup dances made him. Getting Lord Nephriam's praise had made him happy, but Master had only gotten colder after Xerxes made his report. He'd thought that Master would talk to Xerxes after the meeting was over, but they'd just headed to the airport like they'd originally planned.

As for the meeting itself, Master had only made three statements during the entire three hour stretch. He'd asked for more wine, he'd stated that he knew of no one named Tonno Sawada, and he'd agreed that the Hunters would probably be silent for a while as they licked their wounds. Investigations were going to continue, but they were once more in a stalemate with no leads that could be followed. Aster personally found it irritating. Why were they being persecuted in the first place? He could understand being disliked since many people were turned against their will, but those who were turned had far more to be upset over than outsiders. That was the whole reason that the Phlegm were outcastes in their society. Why did the victims have to suffer at the hands of people who weren't even involved? That they were in a stalemate with those people made him angry because, in his opinion, there shouldn't be a war to begin with. Regular humans had no right to stick their noses into vampire affairs.

Unfortunately, his opinion didn't matter to the Hunters. Like everyone else, he could only continue to live his life while waiting and hoping that the Hunters wouldn't resurface again. He knew that they would eventually return like all guerrilla troops did, but Master said daily that they couldn't live their life in fear of what might be. Rather than think of what was over the hills on their left and right, they had to focus on the path in front of them because that was the only way that they could continue to move forward.

For Master and himself, that meant personally meeting with Alliance members in order to strengthen the bond between them. He knew the drill by now. The first day at a new stop was to ensure that they were seen by their targets, so that the members would know that they were in town. That day would also be used to get acclimated to the new environment. The second day would be a meeting with the members at a casual place, such as a tea or coffee shop. This was the meeting where, if they were Mafia members or well known people, their Bosses or managers would be given an opportunity to object to their presence. These were tricky since Master was changing the status quo. He kept downplaying the Council's power and he kept giving everyone the idea that their loyalties should be placed first with their human Bosses. Aster hadn't understood until he realized that the Bosses and managers were just being mollified so that they wouldn't feel threatened by the Council's power. Finally, on the third day, they'd have a more private meeting with only werewolves present. Master gave the Alliance members everything that they needed, whether it was information, supplies, or support.

The amazing part of it all was how Master had slowly let Aster to do everything without allowing him to notice that he was taking over. It'd started with him acting like certain pieces of information simply slipped his mind and Aster had naturally aided him. The occurrences had kept increasing until Aster had been worried that Master was losing his memory due to his disease, but he understood what Master was doing after he'd completed the second meeting by himself. Master had stayed at the hotel with claims that his throat hurt too much to talk, but Aster knew better. Master had been training him for this day.

It made him sad to think about it. It made him feel as if Master was getting ready to abandon him. Ever since Master got sick, everything had changed between them. Master didn't cuddle him anymore and he didn't even feed him. The last time that Aster had tried to tempt him, Master had gone so far as to take him to the area's red-light district to find him a substitute for the night. Aster understood that Master was scared of passing his disease to someone else, but that was a risk that he was willing to take. He didn't care if he got sick. Master had already done so much for him that it was far too sad seeing him try to hide how lonely he was. Sometimes, Master would get such a sad look in his eyes, yet he'd still smile and pretend that he was content. It made Aster want to cry. Master had held him so many times when he was in need and Aster was so useless in return. He wanted to do something for him, but the only thing that he had to offer which would be accepted were his normal services of cooking, cleaning, and all the insignificant duties of a manservant.

Maybe he should just push Master down and--

Aster stopped in place and turned pink over daring to think of such a thing. He'd gotten stronger, but Master was far too powerful for him to even consider that such a thing would succeed. He could make Master proud by learning everything in the Secret Scrolls of the Flowering Red Needle Arts. It was difficult to read since he was only a novice at foreign languages, but he'd been slowly making his way through the small, hand-written book that Master had given him. Yet, making him proud wasn't the only thing that he wanted to do. He wanted to make Master's smile touch his heart for once. There was probably nothing that he could do to get that smile, though. For Master to smile like he had when Xerxes was around, Master had to fall in love. Since Aster himself was still trying to get a grasp on the elusive emotion, he doubted that he could help Master to find someone. It was the same aggravating conclusion that he'd come to since they'd left Italy, but it was still the truth and he knew it.

"He! Junge! Sind sie okay?" Aster paused, realizing that the words were directed at him. Not knowing how to speak German, he wasn't sure how to respond. The man asking was rather large, though, and didn't seem like the type to accept being ignored. He looked rather intent, actually, which was worrisome in itself. Was this one of those guys that Master told him to run away from? What if he was a Hunter? Unsure of himself, Aster retreated a few steps and began looking for a direction to run in. "Was ist falsch?" The burly, bearded giant asked as he closed the distance between them again. Aster felt completely dwarfed by him. He'd never been big to begin with, but this man was bigger than even Master.

"I-I'm sorry," Aster said hesitantly as he retreated a few more steps. "I'm not from here. I don't understand what you're saying." The man paused and blinked in surprise, allowing Aster to put a few more feet between them. Once at a safe range, Aster also paused in hopes that he could get away without making a scene. They weren't supposed to attract attention from civilians. After all, it would be really bad for Master if the police started asking questions about who they were.

"I ask, you okay?" The man said slowly and carefully, as if he were talking to a skittish puppy. Aster breathed a sigh of relief at the man's tone. He hadn't purposely been intimidating Aster and he'd stopped advancing once he noticed what he was doing. "You nicht be afraid," he added coaxingly. Patting his chest, he gave a wide, toothy smile and said, "I be Ulrich. Ulrich ist friend to touristen and know little Englisch. You help von me? Need richtungen? Err... uh... Dir-rec-shions?"

"No, thank you," Aster replied with a small smile and a bow for the man's enthusiasm. It was rare to find someone who would go out of their way to help a stranger, although he wondered what made the man think that he needed help. He'd been walking slowly, but he hadn't been wandering around aimlessly. The little hostel that they were staying at had only been a few blocks away. Master always found places for them to stay in that were within walking distance of where they needed to go since he was such a closet penny-pincher. Since Reborn wasn't around to slow them down anymore, Master never wanted to waste money on a taxi unless they had to go more than ten miles from the airport.

"You shouldn't go that way," Ulrich whispered worriedly when Aster skirted around him. Aster paused momentarily at how his English suddenly got smoother. Putting that together with how Ulrich was sending sidelong glances down the cobblestone street that Aster had been traveling on, there was only one conclusion that he could come up with. Ulrich was part of the Kartoffel Family. The Family Boss had been more displeased than most when facing Master yesterday. It wasn't the first time that their presence had received negative reactions. It wasn't even the first time that some of their target's friends wanted to put an end to their relationship with said person. Somehow, the Family of the people that they met with would mistakenly think that their Brother or Sister would go back to normal if Master and himself weren't around anymore.

However, this was the first time that Master wasn't there to deal with it. Perhaps Master was testing him to see what he would do. If that was the case, he should probably take an alternate route. Yet, it frustrated him that he should have to do such a thing when they'd done nothing but help the werewolf that they'd come to meet. It wasn't fair that people would want to hurt him just because of what he was! He wasn't weak anymore! He was strong and he didn't want to be pushed around!

More important than his own frustration was the thought about the werewolves who might visit in the future. If he couldn't face those who would hurt him now, wouldn't someone in the future just bear the brunt of accumulated hatred? Master always found a way to change the opinions of those who intended harm in their ignorance. Wasn't it his duty to try to do the same? He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he couldn't turn away when there was a chance that he could find a way to change things.

"Thank you for the warning," Aster murmured as he began walking forward again. Aster thought about Ulrich's gaping expression for only a moment before he put the man out of his mind. Master had already begun to give him experience in fighting without having done any warm-ups. Having been warned of the trap waiting for him, he felt confident that he could make it through without any injuries. He'd temporarily paralyze them with his Needle Jutsu and then he could give them a lecture on the reality of werewolves and why their prejudice was wrong. Perhaps if he could enlighten them, they wouldn't do such horrible things in the f--

Aster barely stopped himself from attacking when Ulrich pulled him off of his feet. Before he could consider a less painful method of getting the man to let him go, Aster was tossed over his shoulder as he began running into the opposite direction of where Aster needed to go. It was difficult to think of what he should do since he could tell that Ulrich wasn't intending to hurt him. Although, carrying him off wasn't very helpful, either. Perhaps he should start yelling? No. Yelling would only attract attention that he didn't want, yet staying silent only allowed Ulrich to put more distance between where they were and where he needed to go. He could _make _Ulrich let him go, but it didn't seem right to be mean to a man who had been nice to him.

They were two blocks away from where Aster had been picked up when Aster finally noticed the scent coming off of Ulrich. It almost made him go cross-eyed and not in a good way. The stench made Aster reevaluate his prior conclusion. There was no way that a man in the Mafia would skip so many baths. He'd made a mistake since Ulrich's face and hands were clean, but being so close to his broad back revealed the truth. Unfortunately, Aster couldn't figure out what that truth was. If he wasn't Mafia, then what was he? He had to be more than an average passerby since he'd known about the waiting thugs.

Thugs, Aster repeated to himself. Not the Mafia kind, but the normal, everyday type of mugger. It made him want to grit his teeth for thinking that he could be as astute as Master was. He'd almost walked into a trap set by common criminals because he'd allowed himself to get cocky. Ulrich must be connected to them. That's why he smelled so bad and why he'd approached him in the first place. He was the guy that lured others into the trap. For some reason, Ulrich had changed his mind. There was no lust underneath his scent, so it wasn't because he wanted Aster to himself. Perhaps it was because he'd made a mistake about Aster's age? That wasn't uncommon. Even when representing the Alliance, it usually took people a bit of time before they started taking him seriously. He usually overcame it by using the professional manner that Master had taught him, but it was unlikely that a stranger like the one carrying him would notice it right off the bat. Therefore, the only way to clue him in was to keep his composure and show the man how foolish he was being.

"If you don't stop and put me down, I'm going to use force," Aster warned, making Ulrich miss a step in surprise. He recovered, but his pace slowed as a sign that he was listening. "You seem nice enough, so I don't want to hurt you. But if you delay my return to Boss any longer, I won't have a choice."

"You should be more grateful, kid," Ulrich grumbled as he slowed to a stop to put Aster back down on his feet. "I just saved your life." Smoothing down his rumpled suit, Aster didn't bother to dignify the statement with a comment. A trap set by common thugs wasn't worth worrying over. Master's training was far too tough for him to be slowed down by such a thing. When he looked up at the man, Ulrich's earnest expression caused a strange fluttering sensation to spin around in his stomach. For some reason, he didn't want the guy to keep the wrong impression of him.

"Don't be stupid," he mumbled while avoiding eye contact. "I could have taken them." Hearing Ulrich's snort of laughter in reply, Aster felt his face turn red. He knew that he didn't look very imposing, but looks were deceiving! Just look at Ulrich! He was so big and hairy... and muscular... and sweaty. Aster felt his face turn red for a completely different reason. This was bad. This was very bad. Ulrich wasn't giving off any mating scents, but Aster could feel himself getting hard over the big gorilla that'd carried him off. Was this what Master had meant when he'd explained about the heat of the moment after a life-and-death situation? This couldn't be it, though. There had never been any sign of real danger!

"Sorry," Ulrich said with a wide smile that made Aster's chest throb for some inexplicable reason. Aster clenched his teeth shut at the feeling and tried to keep himself composed. He had to be composed and more mature or else the misunderstanding would only-- "I didn't mean to laugh at you. You just sounded so serious when you said that. No offense, kid, but you don't look like much of a fighter. Karl isn't the type to take it easy just because you're a little young, especially if you're wearing--"

"I'm not a kid!" Aster exploded in frustration. Ulrich blinked in surprise and took a step backward at the angry glare that Aster sent him. "I'm as old as you are, so don't look down on me, scumbag! I'm a member of the Carter Mafia Family and Boss has personally been training me! I won't be defeated by the likes of you or anyone like you! Just watch! I'll go back there and--"

"Aster." Aster felt his ears pop and his emotions fizzle at the sound of Master's hoarse voice. Being caught in such an embarrassing display of his emotions, he didn't know what to do. What had he been about to say? He couldn't remember, but it suddenly seemed very stupid. "You look like you popped a fuse again," Master said in amusement from his rooftop perch above them. Slowly looking up, Aster blushed at how he was sitting leisurely with an ice cream cone in one hand and a lidded, styrofoam cup in the other. How long had he been watching?

"Boss," Aster mumbled with an apology frozen in his throat. He should have stopped Ulrich earlier. He should have went straight back to the hostel. He'd known that Master was waiting for his report. Why had he allowed himself to be carried off like he had?

"Don't look so worried," Master said with a gentle smile. "Even from my room, the smell coming from those idiots was giving me a headache, so I decided to get rid of the problem. I just finished dumping them into the nearest fountain for a bath when I saw your friend carrying you off. I was going to stop him, but I saw this nice ice cream place a few blocks back and I just had to stop to get some for my throat. I figured that you'd want a milkshake to cool off after you were finished with this guy. I got chocolate strawberry, just like you like it. Catch."

With no other warning, Master let go of the drink. It dropped like a stone toward Aster's head, leaving him the only options of either catching it or letting it splatter all over him. Since he was wearing the new suit that Master had given him, he really only had one option. Rocking backward to give him room to maneuver, Aster reached out to catch the milkshake as it got within his easy reach. It was easy compared to dodging Master's fists and catching the Dango Brothers. Once he had it in hand, he looked back up to thank him for his consideration, but Master was no longer on the roof. The absence seemed to be just as much of a surprise to Ulrich, who had no idea that Master was now standing behind him.

"You really should raise your standards, Aster," Master admonished as he openly inspected Ulrich. Ulrich leaped nearly a foot in the air at the unexpected proximity of Master's voice. "I won't let you keep him if he has fleas."

"I'm not..." Aster mumbled as he tried very hard to keep himself from blushing. Master blinked in surprise at him and his expression lightened in understanding. Aster really hadn't intended to be carried off like he had, although there had been a few times in the past where he might have incited similar situations. Ulrich wasn't giving off the same vibes as those guys, though, and Master was quickly catching onto the fact.

"I see," Master smirked. The sidelong glance that he gave Ulrich didn't bode well. "In that case, let's get moving. There's no sense in wasting any more time with a mongrel who doesn't even know how to take a bath." Grimacing internally at the insult that made Ulrich's face turn red, Aster rushed forward to Master's side so that they could leave. He silently prayed that Ulrich would let it go since he seemed to be a nice guy, but Aster had a feeling that Master wasn't going to let him do so. That feeling was proven when he added, "You should know better than to talk to someone like that. If you get mixed up with someone who is weak, worthless, and stupid, you're just going to end up getting caught and thrown in--"

Ignoring the urge to flinch, Aster knew his duty when Ulrich let out a roar of rage and began running at Master with his fist raised. Everything about his attack was unfinished, unpolished, and completely ineffective. As Master dodged backward with a laugh at Ulrich's attempt, Aster grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it with all of his strength in order to send Ulrich spinning in place. He landed flat on his back like Aster intended, but Aster couldn't find the initiative to follow through. Master had purposely made Ulrich mad by insulting him. It didn't seem right to punish him more than absolutely necessary when he'd tried to be so compassionate with his attempt to save a stranger.

Unfortunately, Ulrich hadn't noticed that Aster was holding back. In his anger, he simply scrambled back to his feet and switched targets. Aster didn't know what to do. He really, really didn't want to hurt the guy, but Ulrich wasn't getting the message that they were stronger than him. He didn't understand that Aster didn't want to hurt him. Yet Aster also couldn't allow Ulrich to even try to hurt Master. It was a predicament that left him unable to strike. All he could do was to continue dodging the slow punches while occasionally glancing over to see what Master's opinion was. Of course, Master wasn't being very helpful. He was still just eating his ice cream as if he were waiting for Aster to finish getting directions.

"Um..." Aster mumbled as he dodged one of Ulrich's unrefined kicks. "Can you stop, please?" At the request, Ulrich got even angrier for some reason. That was bad. That was very bad because Aster had to speed up to stay ahead of him. He could feel his body warming up as his blood began pumping at a heightened rate and a quarter of it seemed to hit a bottleneck around his groin. Such wasn't unusual for him. Master made him hard at least one sparring session out of four. He couldn't help it. Physical exercise caused a release of sweat and sweat had a harsh array of scents that he was sensitive to. He could smell every emotion that Ulrich was feeling and with every whiff that he was forced to sense, he felt incredible empathy. Ulrich's frustration, his anger, his sadness, and a whole slew of lesser emotions drew Aster to him like a compass needle. It made him want to get closer. It made him want to--

"Please stop!" Aster shouted with a red face. Dropping his milkshake, he shoved Ulrich away with all of his strength. Then he crouched down and buried his head in his knees to try to cover up his reaction. He'd never felt such embarrassment before. Never before had he felt ashamed of how his body acted. It was just a natural response, yet he didn't want Ulrich to see him like that. Ulrich wasn't giving off the same scent, so it didn't feel right. It was the first time that he could remember ever feeling as if it was wrong to get excited. It was also the first time that he could remember getting an erection without smelling someone else's lust, too. He didn't know how to handle it, but he knew that it hurt enough to make him cry.

"Oi," he heard Master say to Ulrich. "We don't have time to play with you. If you're that mad about what I said, then prove me wrong and come find me. Assuming that you can. It'd be better for you if you just forget ever meeting us. It's your pride and your choice. For now, go to sleep." Aster didn't move, even after hearing the sound of Master knocking out Ulrich. He was too focused on trying to hold his tears in. Not only was he embarrassed, but Master was probably disappointed in him for letting his emotions get involved in a fight. After all, if Master hadn't been there, he would have been a sitting duck as soon as he had crouched down.

Once again, Master showed his kindness by not mentioning it. Instead, Aster felt Master's trench coat get dropped on his shoulders and Master's wide hat plunked down on his head to hide his expression. Pulling the trench coat tight around himself to hide his body from view, he stood at Master's urging and slowly began following like he was supposed to. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. His throbbing body felt secondary to the unsettling feelings that were whirling around inside of him. That, too, was a first.

"He's got potential," Master commented sheepishly after four blocks of silence. "He could probably break a camera with his looks, but... uh... even an ugly instrument can strike the right chords. Right? So don't think too much about it, Aster. You can only do what you think is right. If I'd noticed earlier, I would have--"

"It's not Boss' fault!" Aster exclaimed, seeing that Master was going to try to blame himself again. He did that a lot because he always felt responsible for what happened around him. Aster knew that it was one of the side-effects of his incredible kindness, but he shouldn't have to blame himself when all of it was Aster's fault! "I shouldn't have let him carry me off! I just... I didn't..."

"I said not to think about it too much," Master scolded gently with a careless pat on Aster's back in support. "You'll figure it out eventually. There's no sense in rushing to the wrong conclusion. And it _is _my fault because I'm the one that insulted him." Aster couldn't argue with the statement. After all, Master had a point, but Aster was sure that he had some reason for what he'd done. Master was too kind to be mean without one. Aster just wished that he knew the reason for being mean to Ulrich specifically.

* * *

A new week, a new country. If it weren't for the calendar that he kept, Aster wouldn't even know what season they were in. From deserts to snowy mountains, the werewolves that they had to meet were spread far and wide. They were coming close to finishing, though. Master's decision to reschedule everyone into group instead of individual meetings had helped speed up the process. It wasn't cheap doing it this way, though. He could tell because Master always got a miserly expression on his face when he went over their finances. Not only did they have to pay for the werewolves' travelling expenses, since sometimes two werewolves were in the same country but not the same city, but he also paid for their own travel expenses. He also had to pay a lot of money so that he could keep up the image of respectability in front of the people that they needed to meet.

However, looking at the shack that Master was planning for them to sleep in, it was becoming obvious that only their targets got such consideration. Sending a glance of askance at Master, Master blushed sheepishly at the poor quality of the place that he'd rented for them. Master couldn't say anything to defend himself since a cardboard box would have probably been sturdier. Aster also knew that if he complained, Master would point out that it was only for three nights. He'd also point out that they would be out of the place more than in, so it wasn't frugal to waste money on something more expensive.

"Boss is a cheapskate," Aster grumbled. Sitting down on his trunk, he crossed his arms to tell Master that he was going to refuse this time. It wasn't fair. He knew that they had enough money to get something better. Master was just overly-conscious of the fact that they had no incoming money. If he'd said it once, he'd said it a million times. 'It's better to be thrifty than wake up broke.' Yet, this was going too far. Aster could deal with cheap hotel rooms and he could even cope when Master bartered Aster's homely services for a free room. However, they might as well camp outside this time. It'd probably be safer!

Aster groaned to himself when he realized that Master might just do that to save a few bucks.

"Alright!" Master exclaimed in exasperation. "So it's bad!" Aster turned to him and waited patiently for him to give in. Master already knew that he'd crossed the line. Now he had to fix it. "I know it's not much, but the hotels are all full and the only alternative was a houseboat! It's just for three days. Can't you..." Master paused at the glare that Aster sent him. "I'll take that as a no," he mumbled with a grimace. "Alright, alright. I'll go see if I can find something better. I--"

Seeing Master stumble in place, Aster jumped off his trunk and ran to help him. Master covered his mouth and concentrated on not coughing, giving Aster time to quickly locate the correct pressure points on Master's back. It took practice to hit them with the right timing, but he'd gotten more practice than he wanted. The only way that Master could keep himself from coughing by himself was to hold his breath when he felt the ache and since he sometimes did it when he was talking or moving, it made him dizzy. The only other way to numb the reflex to cough was for Aster to hit the correct pressure points.

It was painful to hit the points now, since Aster was well aware that Master's back was bruised from being hit in the same spots so many times already. It was the only way that they could slow the progression of the disease, though. They couldn't stop it completely since Master still coughed in his sleep sometimes, but every episode that they got past without him coughing gave Master more time. It was at Master's urging that they had continued to work while ignoring the issue. So far, how well he was handling it gave Aster yet another reason to respect him. Master never put his own needs before the needs of others, which was why Aster's job was so important. If he didn't take care of Master, then no one would.

"Stay here and rest, Boss," Aster ordered as he helped Master sit on his trunk. "I'll go find somewhere for us to stay."

"But we have to..." Master choked out around his harsh pants of air.

"I'll take care of it as soon as you're resting in a real bed," he promised as he began running back toward the town. "Just stay there, Boss! I'll be right back!" Not giving Master a chance to argue, Aster ran with the most speed that he could pull out. The shack that Master had rented was on the outskirts of town, near the waterfront. This was a tourist town, though. There had to be a hotel somewhere that had an empty room.

Just like Master had taught him, he always stopped in a nearby alley to regain his composure before walking into a business place. Hotels were no exception. He kept Master's preferences in mind as he went from place to place to search for an open room. He picked places that were off the beaten path and places that didn't have big signs. He skipped over chain hotels and looked for boarding houses, hostels, and even for a YMCA. They were all full, though, just like Master had said.

Aster paused in his headlong rush, realizing that he'd just passed something that he shouldn't have. A man was pinning a woman to a wall with a knife to her throat. That wasn't something that he could ignore, even though it meant he'd be delayed in finding Master a place to stay. Turning back around, Aster didn't waste time with words. He didn't have time for stupid things like this, therefore he used one of the most powerful strikes that he had. The man collapsed before he knew what hit him as his whole body was temporarily paralyzed.

"Um, you might want to run away and call the police," Aster mumbled to the wide-eyed woman who'd been under attack. "He'll be up and around in about an hour. I... um... I need to go, so please don't mention this to anyone." Giving the woman a polite bow in farewell, he turned around to start running again. Then he paused once more as he got an idea. Running back to the woman a second time, he asked, "Would you know any place that has a room open?"

* * *

Aster kept his comments to himself. Master kept praising him for finding a free place for them to stay, but Aster was quickly wishing they would go back to the shack. It was all his fault. Because of him, they were now honorary members of Pies del Diablo. How was he supposed to know that the woman that he'd saved was a gang leader? She'd been dressed like a secretary! In pink! Master seemed to be in his element already, trading stories and tequila with their new 'friends'. At least he was lively again. Unfortunately, the headquarters offered for them to sleep in had no stove or oven for them to use. That meant that they had to get take-out... again. Master was never going to learn.

He was smiling, though, and it wasn't one of his fake smiles, either. Aster couldn't understand a word of what they were saying to each other, but Master was happy. This must remind him of something in his past, Aster mused. The woman that he's saved, Estrella, didn't seem bothered by their presence, either. She was already yelling at Master like she did with everyone else and cursing up a storm in Spanish when they teased her.

"Boss," Aster interjected quietly during a break in the conversation. Master paused and looked up at him in surprise, having obviously lost track of what they were supposed to be doing. "I'm going to go now. Will you be okay?"

"¡Soy bueno! ¡Hay cerveza, amigos, y buenas épocas aquí! ¡Usted hizo bien, Aster!" Master said with a laugh, causing the men around him to let out an unintelligible cheer. Aster stared at him blankly until his expression softened and he added in English, "You did well. I'll be fine, so go take care of business. I want a report when you get back." Aster nodded softly in acceptance and quickly headed for the door. If Master wasn't feeling well enough to do the work that they came for, he had no choice but to do it himself. He'd seen Master do it often enough. He was confident that he could manage.

Although, he made a note to start studying foreign languages more. He was getting tired of not understanding anyone.

* * *

Tsuna watched as Aster walked out the door. He was proud beyond word at his servant's improvement. It made him grateful to the hitman who'd attacked him with a weapon intended for biological warfare. Aster was underestimating his ability to deal with the disease, but that was causing more good than harm. It gave Aster a reason to change himself. With every day that passed, Aster left the shy, diffident creature that he'd once been behind by that much more. Like so many other things in Tsuna's life, this wasn't how he'd intended for things to work out. Yet, he wasn't complaining. After all, Aster was still moving towards the pinnacle of success that Tsuna knew he was capable of reaching.

With every day that passed, Aster grew more confident. It was becoming more and more frequent that he forgot the mindset of being 'just a blood slave' and had the initiative to stand in for Tsuna himself. He was going to make a fine Councilor when the time came. Best of all, he still didn't seem to realize that he was being molded. That was good because he wouldn't become self-conscious about his actions and he wasn't fearful of making the wrong ones. Tsuna was still there as a safety net for him, so that he could grow more comfortable in the role that he was eventually going to be handed. If all went well, the transition from Tsuna to Aster would be completely seamless. Aster didn't even know that his performance at the last Councilor's meeting was a show of power as his first appearance as Tsuna's heir! Tsuna had been planning it via email for weeks! The sudden emergency meeting had just given him an early opening!

And no one had objected after Aster's show! That made Tsuna more proud than anything else. Even before the Council, his display had been flawless, graceful, and ingenious. He'd given no one cause to dismiss him, he'd even gotten quiet gestures of approval from the rest of the Council and even verbal praise from Lord Nephriam! That Aster wasn't aware of his achievements only made everything that much sweeter. If it hadn't been for Xanxus' report, he might even have left the meeting with a smile on his face.

The fact was that he knew of no Tonno Sawada. It was also a fact that he'd stopped searching for his children after he found one too many. It was possible that Tonno was of his blood, but he had no way of knowing whether it was from the Black Salamander's control or if the boy was an engineered fake. After Kitsune's death, he'd handed over the search for his children to Basil with orders for silence. Neither himself or anyone else in the Family was supposed to be informed if more were found in order to secure the safety of those already gathered.

He'd already sent a coded message to Basil about it, but he didn't expect a reply. The Omerta that Basil had sworn would keep him silent. All that Tsuna could do was pray that the man could do something if Tonno was an unlisted child. If he wasn't and this was some plot, the matter had to be left in Xanxus' hands. He hated himself for allowing it, but a person skilled in torture stopped being a boy and became a man who was subject to an adult's rules. Although he was hitting thirty soon, he could remember himself at sixteen and seventeen. Tonno's youth didn't lessen the threat that he posed at all. He was just as dangerous as Hotaru, if not more so by being affiliated with the Hunters.

As for Xanxus, Tsuna didn't know what to do. He wanted to go to him so badly after the meeting, but his responsibilities had forced him onto a plane instead. Xanxus wasn't the type of person to respect him for slacking off just because he was a little worried. He wasn't just worried about Xanxus' health, but he was worried about their relationship. Assuming they even still had one. It felt like it'd been far too long since they'd sat down and talked to one another. Was his engagement to Cheri a message that they could never reconcile? Tsuna couldn't believe that to be true. Xanxus was just taking advantage of his rights since they'd always had an open relationship to begin with. Tsuna had gotten married multiple times while they'd been together. Xanxus had the freedom to do the same. He still had doubts, though, since Xanxus had yet to tell him directly about it.

Regardless, the taste of jealousy that it left in his mouth was horrible. The thought that he'd probably made Xanxus suffer such a taste in the past made his heart break. He hadn't been considerate enough. As Vongola the Tenth, he'd been too caught up in his own problems and he hadn't paid nearly enough attention to those around him. He couldn't even make any excuses since most of his problems had stemmed from his own weaknesses. Even a Mafia Boss could have a loser complex, he supposed, but he'd chosen all the wrong methods to deal with it. Rather than trying to change himself so that he could stand tall with true strength rather than the appearance of strength, he'd allowed himself to bury his head in the sand. He'd been such a self-loathing fool.

His eyes were open now. Now that he no longer had them to call upon, he realized how differently things could have been if he'd leaned on those around him more willingly. If he hadn't waited for them to pull him out of the gutter every time and he'd reached out in belief that he was worthy of their friendship, he could have been even stronger. It was never too late, though. The past was unchangeable, but the future wasn't yet set in stone. Just look at how many times his plans had changed since Lazarus had died! If he had still been like his old self, he'd have went crazy by now!

Trying to change himself was the reason why he was allowing Aster to take over his duties. If he'd been his old self, he would have stubbornly tried to do everything himself and make Aster learn by example. He wasn't his old self, though. It was a new day and Aster was a good friend who was capable of doing more than just standing on the sidelines. He kind of reminded Tsuna of himself. He was so earnest and he'd had his own loser-complex to work through with his mindset as a blood slave. He didn't notice the power that he held in his little body nor the effect that he could have on those around him. His potential was more than Tsuna had hoped for, too. With every day that passed as he matured emotionally and psychologically, his scent changed that much more into the full blossom of the man that he had the potential to be. He didn't get any taller, but his expressions were also beginning to be something that others could read.

Just a little longer, Tsuna thought. If he could hold off the disease for one more year, he could finish everything that he needed to do. Aster would be ready to take over and he could get Vongola back on track from the shadows. He might even be able to tutor a few rough pebbles so that they could shine like gems. He didn't need anything more. He had his hopes and dreams, but he'd finally come to terms with what he really needed. If he could just do that much, he'd be happy to retire quietly. The fame and power as Boss was Hotaru's now. It'd been arrogant to think that he could return. Perhaps, after everything was said and done, he might even ask Lord Nephriam to release him from the Carter Family. He could join Vongola under his assumed identity and continue to be on call in times of need.

That'd be nice...

* * *

"It's time to wake up!"

Tsuna's eyes popped open and he bolted upright in his bed. 'His bed?' he thought groggily. But the gang had only offered them rights to a couch! Where--

"I made all of your favorites," Mukuro said as he plunked a breakfast tray down across Tsuna's lap. Tsuna felt his jaw drop, seeing Mukuro standing with his hair pulled back into a messy French twist and a frilly apron tied around his waist. Tsuna knew that he had to be dreaming, but he didn't want to wake up. He reached out with a shaking hand to see if Mukuro was solid in the dream and he was. The illusion was perfect, right down to the knowing smirk on the man's face. "I told you that I'd find you, Tsunayoshi," he said in a teasing tone. "Eat up while it's still hot. You need your energy."

It had to be a dream. He knew because his throat and chest wasn't aching. He knew because there was no way that Mukuro would wear an apron for him. He knew because--

It had to be real. He knew because only Mukuro could cook something that tasted so vile. Spitting out the whatever-it-was that he'd put in his mouth, he set the tray aside and knocked Mukuro off of his feet in order to embrace him. It lasted for only a few seconds before Mukuro disappeared out of his arms like mist. Plummeting face-first into the floor, Tsuna grumbled to himself that Mukuro was worse than Reborn when it came to tear-filled reunions. Although, Tsuna realized when he couldn't detach his face from the carpet that he did want a different reunion. The floor was sticky like flypaper, holding his body in place so that he couldn't get up.

"Cute, Mukuro," Tsuna growled as Mukuro's presence solidified at his back. "Let me go."

"Why would I do that when I've only just caught you?" He asked with a Cheshire grin. Tsuna shivered as a cold hand slid under his shirt and he grimaced as another pulled the mask off his face. He didn't want to fight. Not really. It might be on Mukuro's terms, but he was still in someone's arms. It'd been too long since he'd felt someone else's touch. Ever since he'd gotten Centipede, he'd been unable to even cuddle with Aster. After all, when Centipede wasn't in a weapon form, it was transmitted as an STD. Centipede would be too painful for Aster to bear, therefore Tsuna's only choice was to pray that he could handle his urges on his own while he kept a tight leash on his own desires.

Being touched by Mukuro was safe, though. His illusions could be fire or ice. They could be painful or fulfilling depending on Mukuro's intent. He'd prefer the real thing, but he wasn't going to turn down the only feasible alternative that he had for release. No one knew better than he did that beggars couldn't be choosers.

"There's something that must be dealt with first, my love," Mukuro warned softly as his hand painfully quenched the throbbing in Tsuna's groin. Tsuna groaned audibly at how tightly he squeezed and almost opened his mouth to beg for release. He didn't, though. How could he when a different Mukuro grabbed his hair and pulled his head up to see a face full of rage? "Remember," he ordered a moment before the world went black.

* * *

_Tsuna kept his footsteps as quiet as possible. What he was doing was cruel, but Lambo would be all the better for it. All he had to do was stick the lightening rod in his oversized afro and Lambo would get hit twice as often as he already did. It would undoubtedly make the little boy cry, but he'd end up stronger because of it. Lambo was the most vulnerable of all the Guardians and being hit by lightening would attune his unique body more to the element. No one would ever know that he did something like this, either. Lambo already had so much stuff stuck in his hair that a miniature lightening rod would go unnoticed. _

_With this, Lambo would become stronger._

_****_

_Tsuna smoothed down his suit and smiled at the man sitting across the desk from him. With this, he no longer feared that Yamamoto would abandon him. He knew that it was selfish of him, but friends were far too precious for him not to tightly hold onto. He couldn't have his Rain Guardian abruptly getting a wild idea to go back to baseball. This was for Yamamoto's sake, anyway. He'd already made his choice. Tsuna was just ensuring that he had no options other than seeing it through. As long as Yamamoto never betrayed him, he'd never even know._

_"It's a pleasure doing business with you," the league representative grinned as he stuffed his pockets with the money that Tsuna had presented to him. "You don't have to worry. After today, he'll be lucky to get on as a second-string player in the minors."_

_"Do this quietly," Tsuna murmured with the same smile that he'd kept on through the entire meeting. "If Yamamoto finds out about our little agreement, I can assure you that your little taste of heaven will become a large piece of hell."_

_"U-Understood," the man choked around a lump in his throat._

_With this, Yamamoto had no choice but to devote himself to the sword._

_****_

_Tsuna scowled at the report on his desk. This was bad. Hibari had stopped going to the atrium. For normal people, that wouldn't be bad. This was Hibari, though. For him to alter his schedule by even a little was abnormal. On the surface, it didn't seem too deviant since he was only going to an arboretum instead. However, the report stated that he never stayed more than a few minutes unless a particular artist was painting in one of the flower grottos. On the days that she was there, Hibari would quietly find a bench to sit on and started reading. The two had yet to talk, but Tsuna's intuition spiked in warning. Hibari was getting distracted. If he was distracted, he wouldn't improve while the rest of the world did. He had too much potential for Tsuna to allow that to happen._

_Therefore, Tsuna made the call that he didn't want to. _

_"Burn it down," he ordered softly to the hitman waiting on the other end. "No casualties."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_With this, there would be no more chance meetings to distract Hibari._

_****_

_Tsuna stared at the Vendiche waiting across his desk and considered his words carefully. They'd come to offer a reprieve for Mukuro who had yet to be freed from imprisonment. Due to his repeated services to the Family via Chrome, the Vendiche were willing to give him freedom as long as he was under Tsuna's watchful eye. However, Tsuna frankly didn't feel that he could handle such responsibility. Reborn's words kept echoing in his head, warning him to not forget what Mukuro had done to everyone. His motives were unknown and just helping out with the Ring Battles wasn't enough to redeem him. On a personal level, even being comforted by him while he was hovering between life and death wasn't enough. Mukuro was simply too hard to control. Until he had a firm leash on him..._

_"He's got enough freedom where he's at," Tsuna murmured without looking at the representatives. "If I change my mind, I'll let you know. For now, just keep him locked up."_

_With this, the Family could stay stable for a little while longer._

_****_

_Tsuna kept his smile to himself as he watched Ryohei react in just the manner that he'd planned. It hadn't taken much. Just a little money given to the right scumbag who was already on Tsuna's list. Money could buy almost anything, including a reason good enough to send Ryohei into the rampage that Tsuna knew he was capable of. When his sister was involved, all of his limits were broken. Tsuna hated to have to do something like this, but he understood the need after training alone under Xanxus' tutoring for so many weeks in Italy. Gokudera talked big, but he wasn't capable of what Ryohei was. Not yet. Maybe one day, he might go to Italy and undergo the same training that Tsuna was, but Tsuna wanted to put that day off for as long as possible. Yet, after seeing the things that he'd seen, he held such fear in his heart for the people that he'd left behind. That was why Ryohei was so important. He just needed the incentive to become cruel and he was already capable._

_Therefore, Tsuna gave him the incentive and he watched in support and encouragement as Ryohei made his first kill. Tsuna would be able to rest more soundly now._

_With this, there was now one man in Japan who wouldn't stop until a threat was completely eliminated._

_****_

_Tsuna tried to get his thoughts to calm down while he tried to ignore the incredible need surging through his body. His bed was within sight of his office in the Inner Sanctum, but he couldn't sleep yet. The drugs could wait. This, here, now, needed his attention! _

_"Boss, should I get Gokudera--"_

_"Shut up!" Tsuna yelled as the words made him lose his train of thought again. Glaring up at the man who'd been assigned as his Right Hand, he clenched his fists to hide his shaking and forced his voice to even out. It wasn't Slyvan's fault. He was just following orders. "You're my Right Hand now," Tsuna said in a trembling voice. "Gokudera has enough duties to keep him busy, happy, and oblivious. You just need to keep your mouth shut and deal with the things that I tell you to deal with. You're a shadow, just like my shadow even though you don't look like a shadow. You got that? You don't exist. People who don't exist need to go away until people that do exist need something. Got it?"_

_"Yes, Boss," the shamanistic man agreed sadly. "Please call me if you need anything."_

_With this, not even Gokudera would be aware of his true state._

_****_

_Tsuna stood before the door to the Inner Sanctum buried within the confines of the Vongola Headquarters. The tray in his hands shook in fear. He'd decided on this. There was no choice. He had no choice, but he wanted to weep over the fact that he wasn't stronger. There should be some other way, but he couldn't see it. _

_This was the lesser of two hells._

_Forcing himself to take a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he plastered his usual smile on his face and carried the tray back to where the Ninth was working. Setting it down, he absently told the Ninth about the variety that he'd picked while he mixed in the Ninth's usual cream and sugar. When he looked up, he knew that it was already over. Undoubtedly, the Ninth had already foreseen this. That wasn't even the part that made Tsuna's heart twist. What did was the look of acceptance in his eyes that said that he already knew what would happen if he refused._

_"Don't look so guilty, Tsunayoshi," the Ninth said softly as he picked up his coffee with a sad smile. He didn't drink it right away and Tsuna didn't force it upon him, allowing him his final words. "Despite what I've told you in the past, you are not the worst Boss in Vongola's history. I'd actually say that you rank right up there with the First. You've been faced with more obstacles and trials in the past few handful of years than I have in the past sixty. You should take pride in still being able to stand tall. Alas, I wish that I could continue working with you, but we both know that this is less painful than the alternative. Do me a favor and tell everyone that I retired to somewhere warm. Perhaps, allow Xanxus to know of what has transpired. My only real regret is being that I was unable to calm the rage in his heart. I pray that this will give him some peace."_

_Tsuna clenched his eyes shut and nodded in acceptance of the orders. So, they'd both seen it. They both knew of the tragedy that could only be averted with the Ninth's death. The Chain on him was breaking, becoming tainted and eroded by the darkness of Ari still buried within him. The options were either a peaceful death or a blood-stained end that would tear the Family apart. It was better this way, Tsuna sobbed to himself as he quickly became the only living soul in the Inner Sanctum._

_With this, the Family was safe._

* * *

Lies. Big lies and small lies, his missing piece that settled into place to merge all of his Flames was a collection of his lies. The truths that no one knew about. The sins and guilt that were a part of his very being. He'd gone too far. He'd crossed so many lines in the name of protecting his Family or making them stronger. What kind of monster was he? How could he have done such things to the people that mattered most to him? He could make the excuse that he'd just been thinking of the greater good, but what about the heart of the individual? Even as the Sky, he shouldn't have let himself lose sight of the ground.

He had so much to make amends for, starting with Mukuro. Looking up from where his hands and legs where still stuck to the floor, he could understand the dark look of hatred on Mukuro's face. Mukuro had discarded his apron and he was no longer pretending to be the light-hearted lover that Tsuna had wished would greet him. He'd been lied to, Tsuna realized. Just like how he'd kept it secret that he'd delayed Mukuro's initial release, Mukuro had given him a taste of the same betrayal by hiding his true feelings underneath what Tsuna wanted to see.

He could see the truth now and the truth was that Mukuro wasn't the same man as before. He seemed more grounded than Tsuna's memories made him out to be. He was serious and not nearly as flamboyantly playful as he'd once been. The part that was relieving about looking at him was that he was physically unharmed. He actually seemed to be in the best shape of his life, which told Tsuna where he'd been since regaining his freedom: he'd been getting his strength back.

"If you want to kill me, then my last request is for you to wait a little longer," Tsuna murmured as he looked back at the floor in guilt. "You've sacrificed so much for me and you should understand now that I wasn't worthy of it. But, if I can finish what I started, then there will be at least a little meaning to--"

"I can't remember why I hated this world so much," Mukuro interrupted, making Tsuna's gaze snap up to see that his anger was gone. Instead, he was looking out the window with an almost listless expression. He was blank, Tsuna realized during that timeless moment. Like a blackboard in a classroom with half of the equation erased, he had no idea of what the answer could be. No, Tsuna amended. He had the manner of someone who knew the answer, but didn't know the formula to get there. "I have memories of bloodshed and pain, but it's all haphazardly strewn together in a manner that I am unable to comprehend. All I know is that you are at the center of the more recent ones, along with moments of so many emotions that I cannot put a name to more than a fraction. There is no sense to my past now. The path before me is so riddled with cracks and stones that not even I know where it might lead. This is your doing, Tsunayoshi. I'll have you take responsibility."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed with a smile, sensing that there was some hope. "I'll take responsibility, but I'd like to know how you feel about me? Do you remember--"

"Who knows?" Mukuro shrugged as Tsuna felt the illusion holding him down disappear. Standing up, Tsuna's intuition told him that any attempt to embrace him would be rejected. Mukuro wasn't 'his' Mukuro anymore. Even if he could remember their time as lovers, Mukuro's feelings were as shallow and empty as mist. Just as Tsuna had always known, there was nothing of substance binding them together in this life. Everything between them was from the ephemeral bond created by Havik. If it was as bad as Tsuna thought, then Mukuro no longer had any memories of Havik. Therefore, the basis of his feelings for Tsuna was now gone. He probably still had the feelings themselves, but they weren't understandable anymore and the relationship that they'd built in this life sadly amounted to little more than a fling.

For Mukuro, this was an incredible opportunity to recreate himself without the burdens of the past. That was why Tsuna couldn't find it in himself to selfishly cling to him or plead with him to remember how they'd loved one another. He'd never forgive himself if he did such a thing while Mukuro was still unstable. If their relationship was to be rebuilt, it had to be rebuilt from the foundation with Mukuro first accepting his attraction to a man. Tsuna also had his rival to think about. Chrome shared a bond with Mukuro that Tsuna couldn't hope to surpass.

"Let's go, Mukuro," Tsuna whispered as he got to his feet. "Aster's probably worried about me and we need to pick up your support trio from wherever you left them. There's no reason to rush. We can just figure things out as we go. 'Kay?"


	113. Chapter 113 Construct

﻿

_All encompassing. He was one with the storm. He was one with the rain. He was one with the cloud. He was one with the thunder. He was one with the mist. He was one with the sun. What was he? He was the emptiness of the vast sky._

Hotaru paused and looked at what he'd written. It was no good. Hitting the backspace key, he deleted everything. He was slowly starting to regret joining the Original Works club. He wanted to laugh at himself for thinking that it'd be easy. He was pretty good at spinning tales when he was just chatting, but the problem was that, no matter what he wrote, he knew that it'd end up under a microscope and picked through with a fine-toothed comb. After all, anything that Vongola the Eleventh wrote had to be insightful or have some bearing on current events that were transpiring around him!

He was already tired of it. He'd already achieved the perfect image of a Boss and the Family had never been happier. He no longer had any flaws that they could see. His personality and his ego were perfectly proportional--as far as they could see. His influence, mannerisms, and power were ideal--as far as they could see. There was nothing for anyone to complain about or find fault with--as far as they could see.

As far as Hotaru could see, he felt like a forty-year old man who had been stuck behind a desk with all of the life sucked out of him, only able to commiserate about the what-if's of his youth. He'd never felt so alone and worthless in his life. The only value that he had was his ability to be what everyone wanted him to be. The final straw had been last night. He'd realized that people were catching onto how he kept dumping girls after the first date, so he'd decided to wait and dump the latest one on the second or third. When he'd left Rosalind's restaurant with the woman, he'd heard Rosalind mutter under her breath.

"About damn time you picked one."

After that, he'd dumped the girl outside and stuck her in a taxi home. Then he went home and locked himself in the Sanctum with SK guarding the door and cried himself to sleep. As for today, he'd skipped school and he was tempted to skip tomorrow, too. After all, he could do all of his work from in the Sanctum anyways. He'd feel better about it, too, since he wouldn't have to be posing for anyone. Actually, he might just spend the rest of his life in here.

So he said, but he knew that he'd have to go out at some point. The Family needed their figurehead to feel comfortable and happy. What was he doing with his life, though? Never once had anyone asked him if...

Yes, they had. They'd asked tons of times but he'd been too self-conscious to answer. He'd been too shy to speak up and now it was too late. To walk out there and let everyone know that he was a rotten liar would only destroy everyone's faith in him. Putting his head down on his desk, he held back his tears while wishing that he could just get bigger. If he were just an adult, he wouldn't feel so insecure. He could just be himself and no one would think that he was immature! No one looked twice at his father for baking because he had been an adult! No one tried to matchmake him with someone, either!

Sixteen wasn't old enough. He wanted to be older, he wished fervently as he began to doze off.

* * *

Hotaru lifted his head from his desk and rubbed his eyes so that he could focus enough to see the clock on his computer. Seeing that he was late for school, he jumped to his feet with a curse. It was his own fault. Orinato couldn't get in since Hotaru had left SK guarding--

Hotaru came to an abrupt stop at the feeling of wind around his ankles. Looking down, he stared blankly at his pants for a long, long moment. Either his pants had shrunk or he'd grown nearly a foot during his sleep. Knowing it to be the latter, he ran to the bathroom to confirm it and he had to gape at himself in the mirror. He didn't really look any different, but he had a little bit of stubble. Not much, but the three little hairs on his chin were definitely stubble! With that, he knew that he had to look.

Yup, he grinned. More armpit hair and... eww... Hotaru let his waistband fall back in place and decided to think about the hair growing down there at a later date. The important part was that he'd skipped the last bit of puberty. His voice didn't sound any different, but that was unsurprising since his voice had already broken years ago. What was important was that he had another time skip. He wasn't sixteen anymore. From the looks of it, he was seventeen or possibly even eighteen.

He wasn't a teenager anymore. He was a _man _now.

He wondered if Rosalind might like him better now that he'd grown up. He was probably a few months older than her now. He had to know. School was the only place that-- Hotaru paused as memory of the previous night came back. _About damn time you picked one_. It was such a hurtful statement, but he couldn't say that he didn't deserve it. He hadn't told Rosalind about how he felt. He wasn't sure if he knew where to begin to explain it. It'd just started with a stupid dream and now she occupied a large portion of his thoughts. Yet he was the one who was resistant it all because he had the Family to think about.

That was right, Hotaru thought to himself. He had to keep his feelings hidden. As much as he'd like to go to his mother and admit that he'd been wrong, he couldn't. It would totally ruin his image and the Family depended on his image as a source of strength and comfort. Doing something as spontaneous as what he would've liked to would just seem reckless. It'd make him look as unreliable as his father had seemed. For that same reason, he knew that he had to go to school despite the slow loss of enthusiasm that he had. Actually, no, he corrected. He would call in and he'd use his sudden aging as the excuse. The first step in accomplishing that, however, was to head over to the intercom to call Orinato.

"Would you mind pulling back the guard dragon to let me in?" Orinato growled unhappily from where he was waiting in his own bedroom. "I tried to reach you for half the morning but--"

"Sorry," Hotaru said quietly, causing Orinato to pause at the unexpected tone. "I'll recall SK. Just do me a favor and call Sakura. I'm going to need the tailor again, too."

"What--"

"I grew up," Hotaru answered before flipping the intercom off.

* * *

By Sakura's orders, he was taking the day off. That was fine since the tailor needed time to fit his clothes. His entire wardrobe had to be replaced, although his subordinates had gotten him an over-the-counter selection that he could wear until something with more quality could be made. Sakura's orders had almost gotten ignored since he knew that the work never ended, but he had changed his mind after repeatedly tripping over his own feet. Whether he liked it or not, he had to get used to his new body and that needed time. The only way that he could speed up the process was to stay active, though. He couldn't allow himself to be seen so awkward in front of allies or rivals, but he could still take a walk.

Figuring that some fresh air would do him good anyway, he decided to forego formalities for once. He had enough suits and ties in his everyday life. He wanted to go out in casual clothes. It was his day off, after all, and such days were incredibly rare for him. Mafia Bosses didn't keep business hours. Instead, every hour was a business hour. With that in mind, he didn't hold back on his own wants. He put in his earrings and a pair of denim jeans. His men were probably going to be shocked that he was wearing a t-shirt and sneakers, but he was a man now. Dino was a man, too, and no one looked twice at what he wore. The same went for Naito.

He didn't think that he had the confidence to not wear the armor under normal circumstances, but it was his day off. Therefore, he took extra pleasure in picking through the spread that Orinato had brought him. In the decision that he wasn't going to take his men with him since he didn't want them to see him trip again, he also snatched up the baseball cap that had been mixed in. It wasn't perfect at hiding his identity, but it wasn't the worst either.

Wallet with fake IDs, check. Cell phone, check. Keys, check. Umbrella, check. He felt naked without his suitcase, but he took comfort in the orange Flames dancing around on his Demitirus Ring. SK had the standing order to free himself if he sensed any danger, so there was nothing to be afraid of. Knowing that, he was able to head down to the garage to pick out a vehicle to drive. That alone was a treat for him since his chauffeurs normally took him everywhere that he needed to go.

He needed to pick something subtle so that he wouldn't stand out. The luxury cars were out since he was normally driven around in those. The sports cars were out too since they were so flashy. He was tempted to take his father's GTO or his dad's Harley, but he also felt like living to see another day. The modifications that his father had done on his GTO made it a bit too much to handle easily and his dad would kill him for even breathing on the Harley. That left his mother's Volkswagen Bus or one of the trucks.

Against his better judgment, he went with his mother's little Bus. Even if he was seen, no one would believe their eyes. His mother would forgive him, too. After all, she had a different Bus for every season. If she needed to go anywhere, she could just use one of the others. He still felt a little uncomfortable in starting it up, though. There were leftover clothes hanging in the back from his mother's last fashion show and she still hadn't cleaned up from the on-the-road frenzy of last-minute alterations.

Oh well, he chuckled to himself as he slowly pulled the vehicle out of the garage and down the paved driveway. The disarray made him feel much better about taking it since it was even more unlike his normal image. The whole idea was not to be recognized anyway and his mother's eccentricities only aided his cover. He'd already warned Orinato that he was going out, too, so there was nothing stopping him.

Half an hour later, as he pulled into a random parking spot along the down-town shopping front of the nearby city, he got the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. He immediately ignored the sensation in the belief that he was just unaccustomed to going out unattended. The air really did feel nice, though. After rolling up the windows and locking the door on the car, he picked a random direction to start walking in. It was so rare that he went out somewhere different from where he usually hung out. Even on his dates, it was the same handful of places in the same boring order. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd went out to somewhere other than Venice Row for personal enjoyment. Actually, if it wasn't for the fact that he was scared of tripping over himself in front of other Mafioso, he'd probably be there now.

Shoving his hands in his pockets with his hat firmly on his head, he took his time reacquainting himself with the city. Slowly, he began to remember why he liked the down-town area so much. Nothing had changed. It'd been ages since he'd last walked the streets, but everything was still where he remembered it. There were new people hanging around the apartment buildings and the donut shop had turned into a coffee shop, but it was still generally identical to what he remembered. The roach-infested arcade was over there and they probably still sold the same nachos that'd once given him a stomach ache. The church was still on the corner and he could hear the same hymns being practiced within. The indoor thrift market was still next to the auction house and above him was Rosalind trying to climb one of the trees that were buried in the sidewalk. Over there was--

Hotaru bowed his head and his feet slowed to a stop. Despite himself, he had to smile as he turned around to look up at the insane woman. Then his smile turned into wide-eyed panic as he dived to catch her. Doing so was an incredible mistake since he only got a foot in his face for his troubles. She bounced away from him and landed harmlessly on the sidewalk with a kitten in her arms while he stayed on hands and knees to nurse his injured face.

"Idiot," Rosalind laughed while he began cursing. "What were you trying to do?"

"Oh, I don't know," Hotaru grumbled sarcastically. "Maybe trying to catch a foolish girl who I thought was falling out of a tree." Glaring up at her through his hand, he watched as her face went blank.

"Hotaru?" She asked in disbelief. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's... me..." Hotaru trailed off as he stood and quickly understood that his overnight growth was the reason for her dumbfounded expression. He was noticeably taller than her now. Beyond that, it was the first time that Hotaru could remember anyone having to look up at him. "Is it that bad?" He asked worriedly when she continued to stare at him.

"No!" She exclaimed as her attention snapped back down to the kitten in her arms. "I was just surprised. It's the first time that I've seen you in something other than a suit. Um... Did you get taller?" Hotaru stared for a moment before snorting in laughter. She really was oblivious. Ah well, he chuckled to himself. That was one of the things that he liked about her. She kept him on his toes without meaning to do so.

"Yeah, I got taller," he confirmed as they began walking down the street. It was difficult to act nonchalant about it, but he thought that he pulled it off rather well. It would have been bad if she figured out how much he really liked her. He could just imagine how quickly her Family would use it against him. Yet, it was his day off and no one was around. There wasn't any harm in talking even though they didn't have the privacy of the school's library. "Did... um... Was school...?"

"A pain in the ass like usual," she sighed, thankfully taking the conversation out of his hands. "I really don't get some of the stuff that they're stuffing into our heads. I thought I was going to blow a gasket in home ec. Can you believe that the teacher failed me for refusing to poison perfectly good food? She's such a bitch, going on and on about the power of love."

"I can kind of understand what she's talking about, though," Hotaru mumbled. Nodding politely to a shopkeeper as they passed by his store, Hotaru did his best to keep his tone light and smile so that she wouldn't see how serious he was. "Even if I knew that it was poisoned, I don't think that I'd be able to refuse something given to me by someone I love."

"That's just daft," she laughed. "Who's stupid enough to--"

"Love isn't about just accepting the good," Hotaru interrupted, plucking a leaf off a passing tree to keep his hands busy. "If the person that I love were to come to hate me, I'd rather know and accept those feelings instead of pretending that the feelings didn't exist. If that person didn't know that it was poisoned, then I also wouldn't want to hurt their feelings by refusing their offering, too. For example, if you--" Hotaru broke off and cleared his throat to cover the slip. "Uh... if a classmate... um... Never mind. Forget I said that," he laughed nervously. "I don't really know what I'm talking about. I think I've had one too many blind dates lately."

"Blind dates?" Rosalind asked curiously. "I thought that you..."

"That I'm just a playboy who can't commit?" Hotaru supplied with a grin, making Rosalind blush at the accuracy of his words. "You have no idea, Rose. No one really gives a damn about whether I'm interested or not. They're just looking at how quickly they can get me to shack up with someone to make an heir. If I had a choice..." Trailing off, Hotaru twirled the leaf in his hands and tried not to think of such things. He was finally starting to understand some things, though. Such as why his father had always chased after a normal life and why he'd been asked so many times in so many different ways about whether he also wanted to run away. He was starting to feel how cold the bars around him really were, but he wasn't going to be like his father. He wasn't going to abandon his responsibilities just because he 'felt like it'. "Sorry," he mumbled, seeing a look of concern sweep across Rosalind's face. "Today's supposed to be my day off, but I still talk about business."

"It's fine," she shrugged with her expression softening. "You don't really talk about yourself that much at school, so I was caught off-guard. It's kind of strange. I hear all these stories about you, but none of them really fit you."

"How so?" He asked as he tried to keep his hope in check. Could it be possible? Had she really noticed? Everyone else seemed to be taking to his fake personality with relief. She was the only one to whom he didn't act that way, but they never really saw each other outside of the library .

"Well," she said slowly. "Everyone used to say that it'd be easier to talk to a rock, but I never really saw the problem. You're kind of dull, but you do pay attention even when you don't act like it." Hotaru grimaced, getting a sinking sensation deep in his belly. "Everyone says that you're bold, but you seem really shy and then there's how everyone says that you're a delinquent. They say that you wreck bars when you go out drinking and partying and that you've probably never seen the inside of your office. I don't think that's right, though, cause you've never had a hangover and you're always falling asleep because you stayed up late working."

Focusing on her rebuttals to the rumors rather than the insulting rumors themselves, he allowed his hope to grow a little at the fact that she'd been watching him. He wasn't sure what he was hoping for since being together was impossible, but it was nice to know that there was at least one person who didn't put stock in his image. He didn't point it out to her, however. Instead, he chose to simply agree with her evaluations while telling her that the rumors were only gossip. He also got the conversation started on a different track as soon as he could by pointing out the forgotten kitten. That gave him another twenty minutes to talk with her as they backtracked to find her owner and an extra ten as he once more walked her in the direction that he assumed her home was in.

"I've got to make a stop here. I'll be right back, so stay here," she exclaimed before suddenly darting into a hardware store. Surprised at the order, he did what he was told and waited. While he waited, he once more tried to keep his hopes down. Normally, people would just say farewell at such a place, but she hadn't. Perhaps-- "Help me carry these," she said as she exited again with several large boxes in hand. He should have known, he groaned to himself as he took over half of them out of her arms. He knew that he should be upset over being forced to do manual labor like this, but it gave him an excuse to hang around her for a little longer.

"What's all of this for?" He laughed after her third stop produced far more boxes than they could ever hope to carry by themselves. Setting the boxes down, he pulled the first one open in order to find something that was not hardware. "Canned corn?" He read as he looked at the top one.

"It's for the orphanage on Third Street," she said absently with a look of intense concentration on her face as she tried to figure out what to do with the surplus. "Their funding was cut, so I set up boxes all around town to help out."

"I see," he murmured. "Stay here for a minute. I'll be right back." Before she could argue, he turned around and began running back to get his mom's bus. She'd probably kill him for letting someone else inside it, but this was a chance for him to look good in front of Rosalind. Oh crap, he realized belatedly. He'd accidentally called her Rose earlier. She was notorious for hating it when people called her anything feminine. It was odd, though. She hadn't got mad at him for using it this time. The revelation put a spring into his run as his hope surged. Maybe he was actually making a good impression on her for once?

He could feel his heart soaring at the thought as he quickly started the engine and drove the VW Bus back down to where she was waiting. However, when he pulled up to the curb, she was nowhere in sight. The fact worried him. He hoped that she hadn't gone to call someone for extra muscle. A quick check around the boxes and into the store proved that she wasn't on the phone or looking through the goods. Then he remembered Rosalind's quirk and cursed himself for leaving her alone since she tended to hide when she was alone. She had said that it was a habit that was leftover from her childhood. Standing still in the open was literally impossible for her. She either had to stay moving or she had to have someone with her.

Peeking around the alley, he found her huddled on the second floor of the building's fire escape. A single whistle was all that was needed to let her know that he was back. She scrambled down with none of the embarrassment that she'd shown when they'd first met and he felt the need to smile over the fact. Little by little, she was becoming used to his presence. Rosalind was full of appreciation and gratitude at his offer of a ride, making him twice as glad that he'd taken his mom's vehicle instead of one of the cars with more looks than utility. He didn't think that his day could get any better as he helped her load the boxes up for the trip over to the orphanage.

As they worked, he answered her questioning glances at the dresses in the back. He told her a bit about his mom's fashion line and admitted that he admired her for following her calling. He also explained a little about the real reason why he couldn't support her openly. It wasn't that he didn't like his mother's tastes because the stuff that she'd made for him recently really did take his personality into account. The problem was that he didn't want her success shadowed by the Family. She'd accomplished so much with her own power that it would be unfair to give people a reason to belittle her accomplishments by letting them think that he was the reason she succeeded.

Unexpectedly, she took the chance to talk about her own family or lack thereof. Rosalind's story was completely unlike what he'd expected. He knew that she was down to earth, but he hadn't realized how low her roots went into the dredges of society. She had no parents. She had no siblings. As long as she could remember, there had only been Oscar and the streets. The reason why she always hid when she was alone was because Oscar had taught her to do that to protect herself while he was out scavenging for food and necessities. She had never had a house. She had never gone to school. Oscar had taught her how to read and write, but he'd only had two books to teach from. He'd taught her everything that she needed to know in order to survive as they traveled around the country via hitchhiking, walking, and train-hopping. Her last memory of the man was an order to find Paolo Martelli and to trust him. After that, the rest was history. She'd travelled alone until she found him and Don Martelli had given her into his heir's keeping. The whole reason that she was in Italy was because she wanted to repay some old debt that Oscar owed to the Martelli Family.

"Being with the Family has been great," she finished with a satisfied smile. "When I got old enough to understand what was going on, I started training myself so that I could fight off anyone who wanted to hurt Oscar. I might not be very smart compared to a lot of people, but I'm confident that my arm is strong enough to get me through. As long as I work hard, I can make up the gap in brains with effort. Right?"

"Right," he lied with a pained smile. To him, it wasn't that way at all, but he couldn't bring himself to say something so cruel. As she jumped out of the Bus to begin unloading the boxes of canned food, he took a moment to compose himself. She really was a wonderful girl, full of determination and energy. It was also clear that it would never work out between them, though. She was too naive and far too base for the Family to accept her. She was completely oblivious of the concept of class. To her, there were people who had things and people who didn't and he was just a person who had things. She had no way of comprehending how much he actually had. Her story made him want to buy her a house and all the things that she claimed were part of the 'good life'. But even though he could easily afford to do so, he couldn't. Such tokens would cause a stir and she seemed far too prideful to accept them. Even if he did present them to her as gifts, she'd probably would think less of him for using his money to buy her happiness. She was so frustrating like that.

Once he had his head on straight, he felt well enough to get out to help Rosalind. She wasn't marriage material, but he wasn't going to deny that she was a good person to know. For nearly an hour, they worked side-by-side. First they took the boxes inside all the while dodging mobs of excited kids who wanted to know who Rosalind had brought with her. Then, he got suckered into helping to unpack the boxes into the storage pantry while Rosalind was dragged away to fix some issue with the plumbing. Hotaru had to stop and stare when he saw the inside of the pantry. With every can that he put on the shelves, the empty space around it seemed to grow rather than shrink. Even worse, he became aware of how little variety had been collected via the donations. The kids were likely to be eating beans and corn with every meal for the next three months.

Feeling the need to see more, Hotaru left the older residents to finish the unpacking and gave himself a self-guided tour through the kitchen. It was horrible. There was barely enough meat for one meal and there were pots of leftovers waiting to be reused in the refrigerator. He couldn't find a piece of fresh fruit anywhere and cupboard after cupboard revealed cheap meals like buckets of oatmeal and imitation potato flakes. Sneaking through the rest of the three story building showed that the rest was no better. The kids were stuffed into rooms with two sets of bunk beds and barely enough room to stand. There were only four bathrooms and each one had a schedule posted next to it to show when people could use it. The area for the kids to play outdoors in was a cement patio behind the building that was severely lacking in charm. He knew that it wasn't as bad as it looked since the kids likely spent a large amount of time in school, plus there were probably scheduled trips to places that were looking for tax deductions. However, he couldn't allow himself to leave the place as it was.

Finding himself a private nook to make a phone call in, he sent out orders that confused the hell out of Orinato. Orinato didn't complain, though, nor did he argue. He simply didn't understand what had attracted Hotaru's sudden attention to the place and Hotaru didn't plan to tell him.

"Just make an anonymous donation for however much they need," he ordered as he rubbed his eyes. "Pull the money out of my personal account. I've got enough publicity already, so I'd like to keep this one quiet. Can we do that?"

"Of course, Boss," Orinato replied. "I'll take care of it immediately. Is there anything else that you need?"

"Yeah," he agreed after a moment of thought. "I've got a... uh... friend that I want to take to dinner. Is there anywhere...?"

"Private?" Orinato finished with a groan. "Are you with her, Boss?"

"It's not like that," he spluttered. "She's just a friend and--"

"You don't have to lie to me, Boss," Orinato soothed. "I've known about it since the first day of school and I've kept my mouth shut this long. As long as you're keeping the relationship platonic, then I have no reason to complain. Why don't you try the Pizziola Express over on Eleventh Street? It'll be a good change of pace from your normal places and I recommend the garlic cheese sticks."

"A-Alright," he agreed with a grimace. He thought that he'd hidden his feelings about Rosalind better than that. He was going to have to work harder at it if Orinato had caught on. Keeping his image intact took far more concentration than he thought it would. Becoming a fully grown man sure hadn't made that part any easier. Hanging up, he forcefully kept himself from thinking too much about it. Donations weren't the only thing he could do, he decided as he headed for the back porch. From there, he could hear Rosalind cursing up in the second floor bathroom due to the kids that wouldn't let her work.

"Feel like showing off, SK?" Hotaru asked quietly to the ring on his hand. "If you do, then come out slowly so that you don't scare anyone." Holding out his hand to give SK room, Hotaru smiled softly to himself at how he responded. SK's exit from the ring was normally an explosive rush of Flame, but he came out just as magically as Hotaru knew that he was capable of.

It began with a slow, thin string of Flame that spiraled around Hotaru like a pixie trail of orange sparks. This was enough to gain the attention of those playing outside and several of the kids ran inside with excited squeals that brought the rest of the residents to every window and door in the place. After that, SK began to pick up the pace, pouring out more of his Flame into the trail around Hotaru until it was as big as a ribbon. Then Hotaru's sight was completely covered in Orange as he became a full wall of slowly moving Flame. Despite the sight of an inferno that would normally send people screaming in panic, SK was keeping himself as calm as Hotaru had asked for. There was no feeling that he was out of control, therefore everyone simply watched as if it was a magician's trick. He could hear murmurs of awe as SK's wings began to take form and he took much pride in how stunningly he was presenting himself. By the time that he was fully formed with his body wrapped around Hotaru protectively, there wasn't a single person nearby who wasn't dumbstruck at how beautiful he was.

"I'm not going to give any rides," SK warned with a draconic grin. Hotaru laughed and wrapped his arms around his neck in appreciation for being willing to come out at all. Noticing that his audience didn't know how to react to a dragon suddenly appearing in their backyard, Hotaru held out his hand to the closest one and gestured for her to come closer. The little girl naturally backed away in fear, but SK helped out by lowering his head to the ground, pretending to be asleep.

"It's alright," Hotaru said as he sat down next to SK's head so that he could pet his eyebrow ridges like he liked. "This is Salmon Kai, but we call him SK. He's an herbivore, so he only eats things like carrots and apples." That part was a lie since SK didn't eat anything at all, but the kids relaxed a bit in hearing it. "He really likes for his scales to be scratched, but there's so much of him that it's hard for me to get to all of them. I was hoping that a few of you might like to help me. I promise that he won't bite. Oh--!" Hotaru mock-gasped in surprise as SK began to waggle his wings and his tail slowly so that it wouldn't scare anyone. "He likes it," Hotaru laughed. Several of the kids watching giggled with him, seeing that SK was acting like an overgrown dog.

It didn't happen all at once. It started with a few brave little boys who dared to step forward to pet the dragon. The adult custodians of the orphanage looked like they were about to have a heart attack, but Hotaru personally pulled one over to show her that it was perfectly safe. Once the overseers relaxed, the backyard turned into a madhouse with everyone petting and climbing all over SK without fear. Hotaru noted to himself that it was a good thing that SK couldn't feel pain because kids were brutal.

Dodging the questions about what SK was, Hotaru had everyone believing that he was a magic beast that had jumped out of a storybook to be his friend. An hour later, once everyone had grown comfortable enough around SK that he could 'wake up', SK was regaling everyone with the particular story in the storybook that he'd come out of. For that part, Hotaru rested by himself under the shade of one of his wings and quietly listened with everyone else. It'd been a long time since he'd heard the story of the princess, the sleeping knight, and the lone dragon. The ending was just a fairytale, though. Reality was that the sleeping knight had awakened to find that the dragon had abandoned the castle, although SK told the version where they lived happily ever after.

"Are you ready to go?" Rosalind asked as she peeked under the edge of SK's wing. "Thanks to your distraction, I finished everything that I needed to and they need to start getting the kids ready for dinner."

"Oh, right," he mumbled sheepishly as he stood. Making his apologies to the kids, he made ready to recall SK back into his ring. But before he could do so, he wasn't quite prepared for the reactions that the kids had to the knowledge that he was leaving. They ran forward to cling onto him with pleas to come back and visit again. Even the overseers looked as if they would welcome him back. He wasn't sure how to answer them. The truth was that he'd enjoy stopping by again, but he didn't get free time often enough that he could make such a promise. He could just lie to them so that they'd leave him alone, but it seemed wrong to get their hopes up.

"Sawada's got more important things to do than deal with brats like you," Rosalind exclaimed bluntly with her arms crossed over her chest. "Stop giving him such a hard time. He's already spent most of the afternoon with you." Hotaru grimaced at not only her blunt manner, but her honesty. As soon as the word 'Sawada' left her lips, the mood instantly shifted. Smiles left the faces of the adults and the kids turned into wide-eyed worshipers. It happened too quickly for even Rosalind to react. With a single word, everyone forgot the relaxed fun of the past few hours and tensed. For the adults, he became someone that they needed to pull the kids away from. For the kids, he became an idol that they wanted of keepsake from.

The gathering of innocent civilians quickly became a rioting mob that he had to struggle against. He did his best to be careful of the smallest children in his attempt to wade toward the door, but the adults latched onto the smallest of incidents. It started when one little girl started crying because an older boy kicked her in an attempt to steal Hotaru's hat. By the time he'd moved four feet, they were yelling at him as if he'd pushed her down himself. He couldn't even blame them. The little girl wouldn't have been hurt at all if he hadn't been there.

Tripping over his damnably long legs, he landed hard on the cement and curled into a ball to protect himself from the uncaring clawing of the kids who didn't know any better. Again, he couldn't blame them. Just one ripped piece of his shirt alone was worth a couple hundred dollars to some of the more crazed people out there. An earring pulled from his ear was worth a thousand at the minimum. It hurt as they tore him to shreds, but he couldn't fight back. They were just kids!

Sheltering his head as he felt someone grab onto his hair, everything came to a sudden stop at the loud roar that SK let out. Using his voice as a directional indicator, Hotaru jumped up and ran for the first opening available. He didn't stop when he got to SK. Running past him in trust that SK wouldn't let anyone follow him, he jumped the fence around the cement patio and he didn't stop running until he tripped over his own feet again. Landing hard on his knees, he didn't try to pull himself up to his feet. He simply crawled over to sit against the alley wall and tried to catch his breath while keeping his eye out for anyone who might have managed to give chase.

He knew that he couldn't go home like this. Orinato and the rest of the Family would get upset if they saw how many scratches and bruises that he had. In less than five minutes, the people at the orphanage had done more damage than most hitman could in a whole year. He barely had enough clothes left on him to keep him from being arrested for indecent exposure. Blood was dripping from his left ear and his back felt like he'd been hit by a truck. His left sneaker was missing and so was his necklace. The only things that he'd managed to keep intact were his wallet and rings. He still had his cell phone, too, but it was busted beyond repair. He'd also lost the keys to his mother's Bus somewhere in the riot.

"It's undisciplined to block the alley."

Hotaru looked up and felt tears sting his eyes at the sight of Hibari standing over him. At once, he remembered what he'd forgotten to do before he left home. He'd forgotten to tell Hibari where he was going. Yet, Hibari didn't look particularly upset over the slip and Hotaru honestly couldn't say that he cared about whether he was going to punished. In that moment, all he gave a damn about was that it was the familiar face of someone that wouldn't turn on him. Hibari might smack him or pummel him, but Hotaru was more than aware that he would never do it without a reason. Not like those other people had.

"Dad," Hotaru sobbed into his hands. "I screwed up."

* * *

Three days and four nights, Hotaru repeated to himself. Although it'd sounded like a lot for a simple punishment, it'd went by much faster than expected. Most of that was due to the fact that it hadn't really been a punishment at all. It'd been a father-and-son training trip. In the past, Hotaru had always hated it when Hibari pulled him away for his Discipline Retreat, but this time it was different. Maybe it was how Hibari had only beaten him up a little after rescuing him from that alley, but Hotaru felt a lot closer to him now. He'd found Hibari's blunt advice and cold instructions to be more helpful than ever before.

Normally, Hotaru hated the silent and uneventful hike up a mountain. This time, he'd found it to be a peaceful journey that had given him time to sort through the confusion of civilization. Normally, he hated meditating under the cold waterfall. This time, he'd found it to be a practical exercise in removing himself from distraction. Normally, the tea ceremonies were boring and stuffy. This time, he'd felt a bond forming between them. After that, he'd taken a moment to stop and consider why Hibari would pull him away at such a strange time instead of just knocking him on his rear a few extra times. His conclusion was the intuitive feeling that Hibari actually understood him better than anyone else, even though they spoke so little to one another. Hibari had kidnapped him because he'd known that Hotaru needed more than just one day off to get his head back on straight.

Hotaru returned to civilization with his balance intact thanks to his dad's influence. He felt more disciplined and calmer. Twenty hours of repetitive Disciplinary training had also given him the self-knowledge needed to acclimate to the changes in his body. No matter what had happened in his absence, he was confident of his ability to deal with it. No girl.... No disappointment.... No heartache could keep him from moving forward. He was Vongola the Eleventh. He had inherited strength and pride from his dad and power from his father.

A decision had also been made during the retreat. Without any outside influences, it wasn't a difficult decision to make, either. The facts were that Rosalind wasn't marriage material and the Family wanted him to marry. There were plenty of women who were only too happy to wed him, but he'd been ignoring his dates' potential because of an infatuation. He knew his duty. His position demanded that he not make emotional choices. Too many people relied on him for him to do such a thing, but he'd been failing them recently. No more. Love had nothing to do with his life choices. He'd simply grow to love whoever he picked and he'd cope even if he couldn't. Hadn't that been what he decided when the issue had first come up? Whirlwind romances were only for people who could afford to screw up their lives if they were wrong.

When he arrived back at the mansion, he made sure to keep his image in check. Not only did he purposely exude a confident, calm air that put others at ease, but he kept a gentle smile that made everyone feel as if everything was right with the world. Despite the stack of worrying reports waiting on him and the list of disturbances that he had to deal with, he plowed through them with a determination to set everything right. Productivity sky-rocketed because of the image that he kept in place. Morale increased on a Mafia-wide level as word spread about the 'new' Hotaru. There was no more whining and no more instances of self-pity. He stopped going to the library and cut Rosalind out of his life entirely to free himself from her influence. It was painful, but he even went so far as to ignore her when she approached him on his first day back to school. Since then, they'd had no contact.

For three weeks straight, his life became smoother and more peaceful than ever before. During those three weeks, he learned to hate himself. The reason was because all of his success was based on a lie. No matter how much the lives of those around him were improved, he hated the fact that he wasn't strong enough to do it without acting. He hated that he couldn't honestly shout at the teachers for exiling him from classes. He hated that he couldn't tell Orinato how much it hurt for the Family to like 'the Eleventh' better than 'Hotaru'. He hated that he couldn't openly support his mom or Gregory. He hated the concerned and confused looks that Rosalind kept giving him.

He hated it all!

But he couldn't say it. He just kept acting out the play that everyone wanted him to. He kept being the best Boss that he could be without allowing himself to give into his own feelings. After all, deep in his heart, there was one thing that he hated even more which he'd never been able to give voice to. Courage had never been his strong point, only resignation. He loved his Family more than anything. They'd always been there for him. The reason that he could resign himself to facing each day was because they needed him. There was no one else that could fill his shoes, but--

"Earth to Hotaru," a voice whispered in his ear. Hotaru blinked and looked up from his meal, surprised that anyone had approached him during lunch. Even more surprising was the sight of his little sister Katie in a Don Girarde uniform. Although she was his little sister, that wasn't saying much since she was the same age as Gregory and he'd been that age less than a month ago. But the real question was what was she doing out of the Cathedral?! No! What was she doing talking to him?! Was she trying to create gossip?! "You'll catch flies if you leave your jaw hanging like that," she teased as she slid into a seat across from him. Hotaru's attention immediately snapped up at Orinato for an explanation, but his Right Hand could only grimace and shrug at the red-haired girl's presence. "You haven't come by to see us in a while," she admonished as she began digging into her cafeteria food without a care for all the stares that she was getting.

If that wasn't bad enough, Gregory decided to take the opportunity to join him. It was the first time in memory that anyone besides Orinato had dared to sit with him. Most people were always too put off at how the Family ensured that Hotaru had a table cloth, a vase of fresh flowers, and food made by the Family's chefs instead of the normal place setting. Yet, Katie and Gregory were completely ignoring that! Were they trying to become hated?

"You guys shouldn't sit here," he warned calmly as he pointedly turned his attention back to his meal. He could already see what was going through everyone's minds. Katie was an unknown, so her ability to sit with him would be misunderstood to mean that she was a forerunning marriage candidate. As for Gregory, almost everyone knew that he was Hotaru's brother, but he was completely ruining all of Hotaru's efforts to distance himself.

"Says who?" Katie asked obliviously. Before he could answer, she stood up and loudly asked everyone that she had apparently noticed eavesdropping, "Does anyone mind if I sit with Taru?"

"Sit down," Hotaru choked as he yanked her back down in her seat. "Are you really that brainless? You--"

"Mom's been worried about you," she interrupted, making Hotaru pause in surprise. "I'm an intern under her now. I asked her to let me go to school here instead of public school so that I could keep an eye on you. You probably haven't noticed, but I've already been here for a week, Hotaru. I'm not happy, either. What the hell is wrong with you? Do you really think that you're fooling anyone?" Hotaru felt his heart sink at the knowing look that she gave him, while Orinato raised his eyebrow in confusion. She _knew_!

"I was wondering if it was just me," Gregory agreed quietly. "I was thinking about asking you if you needed to go to confession, but--"

"He doesn't need confession," Katie snapped in disgust. "He needs a spanking!" Gregory and Orinato snorted in laughter at the absurd notion, but Hotaru put his fork down and buried his face in his hands. It was over. All of his hard work and one sharp-witted sibling was going to ruin it all. "Seriously, Hotaru," she continued as her voice softened. "Are you okay? You never used to be this cold--" Hotaru didn't even think as he slapped her hand away before she could ruffle his hair like she used to when he visited the Cathedral. Looking up, he allowed her a glimpse of his true expression before covering it behind his normal, composed smile. It wasn't much since he had to be careful to not allow Orinato or anyone else to notice, but it was enough to make the two across from him turn pale and fall silent.

"I'm fine," he lied in a grateful tone. "Really, Katie...Gregory... I appreciate your concern, but I'm not a kid anymore. I'm glad to hear that you've found your calling, though. Mom must be beside herself in happiness to have you with her. Don't spoil her too much, okay? She'll dress you up every chance that she gets if you let her." Standing from his unfinished meal, he reached out with a laugh to ruffle her hair like she had intended to do to him and the look of concern that she sent up at him ripped into his chest. It was better for her to understand now before she got too ahead of herself. Arrogance was his domain, not hers. "I've got a few calls to make before class starts again," Hotaru said in farewell. "I'll see you around."

Heading for the cafeteria's exit, he pointedly ignored the stares that he was getting. The table that he'd occupied was likely about to be overrun with nosey classmates. If those two knew what was good for them, they'd keep their mouths shut. Everything was going well for him. He couldn't let his siblings screw things up--

"So much for my good luck streak," Hotaru grumbled under his breath as he paused at the cafeteria's exit. He wanted to leave, but Hattori was blocking the way with a very angry look on his face. Hotaru didn't even want to know what he was mad about this time. He'd hoped that the guy had finally given up and gone home since he hadn't shown his face for so long, but it seemed as if he'd been building his courage for this.... whatever 'this' was. "What do you want, Hattori?" Hotaru groaned.

"You fucking liar," Hattori growled, making Hotaru raise his eyebrow. So far, nothing new. "You'll open your legs for a stranger, but you won't give me the god damned time of day!" Again, nothing new was coming from Hattori.

"I'm getting kind of tired of your accusations, Hattori," Hotaru sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you that--"

"_You're not gay_?" He finished in a rage as he threw a booklet of pages at him. "Who the fuck are you kidding?!" Looking down at what was supposed to be Hattori's proof, Hotaru's mind went completely blank. He recognized the images even though he didn't want to. It was his father's porn calendar. What caused a red haze to overwhelm his sight was the fact that it'd been edited. His father's scars had been erased and his hair had been digitally dyed black like Hotaru's. Xanxus' face had been blurred out and Hotaru's name was plastered on every page.

He instantly wanted to kill someone. It didn't matter if it was Hattori or the person who'd given him the edited calendar. He simply wanted someone's head on a platter within ten seconds. All of his anger and hatred toward himself built upon the rage that accumulated from the prank, leaving him with no thoughts other than the desire to tear someone limb from limb with his bare hands. It was too much. It wasn't even that he was being compared to his father. The part that pissed him off most was that Hattori, the damnable man who claimed to love him, rather believe whatever was he was told instead of believing in Hotaru himself.

Within seconds, Orinato and half a dozen other people were the only thing keeping Hattori alive. He could hear Orinato yelling in the distance about sparks, but he ignored it. He ignored everything other than trying to put all of his strength into advancing toward his target. One step. Two step. Three steps.

The world abruptly became covered in Orange. It was so warm. Nothing made sense anymore, but that didn't matter. His intuition told him that it was safe here in the womb of heat that he'd suddenly entered. He didn't have to hold back. All of his feelings, all of his pain, and all of his anger could be released in this place without hurting anyone. He felt as if his racing thoughts were being sucked away until he was left with only calm, peaceful oblivion.

* * *

"We call them the Eleventh's Tears of Wrath," Hotaru heard Orinato say on the other side of the curtain blocking his bed off from the rest of the school's infirmary. "I haven't seen him this angry in years." Anger, Hotaru repeated to himself as it came flooding back to him. That was it. He'd overloaded again. Just like Orinato said, it'd been years since he'd blown a fuse. When he got too angry, he couldn't control himself. He would start crying and his tears came out as sparks to warn those around him that he was going to explode. Such tantrums were the reason that SK was so big. The only way for him to be calmed was for SK to eat him and take the surplus Flames into himself. Just like last time, he'd survived without a burn or bruise on him. He wondered what the damage was this time, though. For SK to come out so suddenly and violently, it had to have wrecked the cafeteria.

Slowly sitting up in the white-sheeted bed, he didn't even question why he was only wearing boxers. His uniform hadn't survived SK's belly, which meant that most of his classmates had probably gotten a show and a half. The whole thing was undoubtedly a setup by one of Hotaru's rivals, who was probably laughing it up somewhere at the moment. He'd really screwed up this time. Just when everything had been going so great, he'd lost his cool. Cleaning up was going to be difficult and Hibari was going to be really disappointed in him.

"If you're done talking about me, I'd like to get dressed," Hotaru growled when Orinato began recounting the last major tantrum that he'd thrown. The curtain was instantly thrown back to reveal a brightly blushing Orinato speaking to Tutor Thunderbelly of all people. Before he had the chance to ask what the man was doing there, Hotaru found himself slung over his shoulder and carried out the door.

"Don't bother fighting," Thunderbelly warned when Hotaru began choking over the indignity of being carried down the halls in his undershorts. His bottom might as well have been completely bare considering how many people were gaping and whispering excitedly as they passed. Turning red in embarrassment was the least of his problems. He'd never been so mortified in his life! "I'm just following Reborn's orders. You're the one that said he was the only one who could teach you anything."

"Did he tell you to take me naked?!" Hotaru spluttered in outrage.

"Yup," he answered, making Hotaru's jaw drop. There was no way. Reborn wouldn't go that far. Was he mad that a cure for Centipede hadn't been found yet? Or was this revenge for keeping him on such a pathetic assignment? It was his own fault for forcing Hotaru to shorten his leash, though!

They were halfway to their destination when Hotaru realized that a crowd was following them. Even worse, he figured out that he was being paraded through the hallways. No matter how much he told himself to stay calm despite such a blow to his pride, he could feel tears building in the back of his eyes. He refused to release them. Instead, he cursed Reborn for knowing the right buttons to push to throw him off balance. No matter how hard he tried, he could only keep his composure on the surface in the face of such humiliation.

Having so recently lost his temper, he was unable to build up enough rage to explode again. He was still incredibly angry by the time that he was tossed into the middle of the school's main sparring ring, but the sight of more people than just Reborn waiting on him was enough to stay his hand. Tutor Thunderbelly, Outside Advisor Basil, his three private Advisors, Gokudera Hayato, Orinato, Yamamoto Takeshi, Sakura, Lambo, Toshi, Ryohei, Ken, Hibari, Hibird, and Sugar circled around the grounds. All of them had their Salamanders out to help fill in the gaps, holding back the crowd of students who'd followed them outside while giving Reborn enough room to work in. Needless to say, the sight of everyone standing against him stole away any thought of escaping on his own terms. Whatever Reborn was doing, he'd planned this well. Because of the Salamanders, he couldn't even call SK to fly him out.

"What the hell is going on?" Hotaru snarled in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Standing up from where he'd been tossed down, he brushed the dirt off of himself and kept his head held high while he was waiting on the answer. He might not have any clothes, but he was still Vongola the Eleventh. Nothing could--

"It's time for you to be told the truth, Eleventh," Reborn said with strange gleam in his eyes. It made Hotaru freeze as a sudden chill went up his spine. Reborn wasn't one to look at just anyone like that and his expression felt as if it could cut straight through Hotaru. It couldn't be that.... Not in front of so many people....

"I don't find this amusing, Reborn," Hotaru scolded as he fought the need to cover himself. With one look, Reborn made him feel completely exposed. He hadn't just been stripped of his clothes. Reborn had stripped him of all the armor and fortification of his rank. He didn't need his intuition to tell him that Reborn had disarmed him in fear of his reaction to what he had to say. Therefore, what he had to say was something horrible that he didn't want to hear. He could already guess what it was. He knew and he didn't want anyone else to know. He didn't even want it spoken aloud since that would make it real.

"Did you think that you could keep it up forever, Hotaru," Reborn asked, further stripping him of power by removing his title. The hum of curiosity coming from the crowd and their penetrating gazes ate at Hotaru's composure in a way that Reborn had to have purposely planned. Momentarily closing his eyes to settle himself, Hotaru had to remind himself that he'd survived through the attention of more than a few hundred classmates before. He could manage this. He was Vongola the Eleventh. Of course he could handle this.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied with an oblivious smile. "You've become too much of a prankster since seeing your Brother," he added partially in warning and partially in threat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think this joke has gone far enough. I'm going to--"

"You're not going anywhere, Boss," Gokudera interrupted solemnly when Hotaru turned to head for the sidelines. Hotaru froze, trembling inside at the statement. It was just as he feared. The rare gathering really was to keep him from leaving.

"You've been holding back, nyah," Sugar admonished. "You forget that we were there when--"

"Shut up," Hotaru whispered in shock. Covering his mouth in shock that he'd blurt something so unrefined, he was even more shocked when the order wasn't followed.

"You've been bearing it for too long on your own," Basil continued in sympathy. "You don't--"

"We all know better, Baka-Taru," Ken mumbled with a red face at being corralled into helping. "You don't got to act so tough, pyon."

"You can lean on us more, Boss," Orinato added in concern. It was the last straw. "We understand--"

"What the _fuck _do you understand?" Hotaru snarled. He would have said more, but the increased hum of excitement from the audience silenced him. Staring at the ground in frustration at himself for the outburst, he tried to regain his balance. He tried to remember the peace that he'd felt at Hibari's Disciplinary Retreat and he tried to think of something to say to change the situation around to his favor. There were too many people to threaten each one individually and Reborn didn't look like he was going to take anything Hotaru said to heart. He silently attempted to call SK out of his ring, but even his own Salamander was being rebellious by refusing to come out.

"Even now, you're acting as a Boss," Reborn said with another cutting gaze of pity. "You have enough power, so you seek control in effort to strengthen your weak point. Even control comes with a price, Hotaru. For you, the price is honesty. You can't lie anymore."

"I'm not lying," he lied without looking up. "Stop this, Reborn! My life is my own business, not anyone--"

"You're body isn't human," Reborn stated.

"--else's," Hotaru finished in a whisper as he froze in place. He couldn't believe it. Reborn had actually said it. He'd said it in front of everyone.

"You're a construct," he continued mercilessly, making Hotaru's mind go blank in shock. "You're a ghost, a child who died before he tasted air. The Tenth created you when he couldn't accept losing you. It's time to stop hiding, Hotaru. You need to accept what you are."

He already knew. Ever since he'd discovered the hidden Chain around himself, he'd known that he was different. He needed less sleep than most people and his wounds healed faster than they should. He never really got sick and there were times he got the feeling as if his skin wasn't real. His age kept shifting and he'd always had the feeling that he was different from everyone else. He still tried to be a good Boss, though. He'd hoped that he was wrong. That was right. That feeling of being different was just because he was Vongola the Eleventh. Of course he was stronger and different from common people. Being special was what gave him the right to stand in the position that he was in.

"That's not very funny, Reborn," he choked out in denial. "What are you saying? Of course I'm human. Sakura's blood tests can prove--" Looking up at Sakura for support, he felt as if he'd been punched when the man shook his head and looked away in refusal to support hiim. "But Ken can tell you that my body is human, cause we always...." Another rejection. "I still feel..." Orinato looked away from his gaze. One by one, he looked around the circle to find that not a single member of the Family that he'd strived to protect would tell him what he wanted to hear.

"We were there when you were born, Hotaru," Yamamoto said tiredly. "Tsuna never wanted you to know the truth. He's the one that wiped your memories and put the Chain on you when your body was breaking apart. It was the price that he had to pay to keep you in this world."

"He went to extreme lengths to ensure that you lived," Ryohei added. "He was willing to go against Heaven and Earth for you. That's the real reason that you hate him to the limit. Those of us who have known your secret have always known that."

"You blame the Tenth because he trapped you in this world," Gokudera finished painfully. "He betrayed your trust by wiping your memories and taking your power. We do understand, Hotaru. We understand because we've always been watching. You, more than anyone else, inherited your father's spirit. No one denies that, but you're also an individual. To find your own power, you have to accept the truth about yourself."

"You have no proof," Hotaru said with a glare. He could still stop this. He could still--

Nearly a minute passed before the screams of his classmates reached his ears. At first, he didn't understand why his Guardians and Advisors had suddenly turned their backs on him in order to hold the crowd back. The pain coming from his chest explained it, though. He'd been stabbed. Reborn had stabbed him with a Leon-turned-knife. He couldn't believe it. Dropping to his knees, he could only stare up at Reborn at the betrayal. He didn't understand it. Was he being eliminated because the Family didn't want him anymore? Why were they letting Reborn kill him?

Looking down at the knife in his chest, he wanted to laugh at the sight of blood that was pouring out of the wound. He'd asked for proof and they'd done nothing but prove that he was human. See? He was dying. He could taste blood in his mouth and he couldn't breathe. He could feel his strength gush out of him along with a spray of blood as Reborn retrieved Leon for an extra strike. More than one strike, Hotaru corrected. At this rate, he was going to be drained of blood before a coroner ever laid a hand on him.

As Hotaru collapsed to the ground, the sound of everyone's screaming faded into the distance again. The silence made him feel so alone. His Family had turned on him. Even his dad had watched him being murdered without raising a hand to save him. Was he really that unwanted? If that was the case, then why had he worked so hard to please everyone? His whole life had been a long attempt to fit in and be accepted. He'd changed himself in order to become the person that everyone around him wanted. If he was just going to die without accomplishing anything, then why hadn't he spent more time in doing the things that he wanted to do? It made him regret not telling Rosalind how he felt.

Opening his eyes, he didn't understand how, but he was in the library and kneeling down next to where Rosalind was hiding under one of the tables. He didn't question the chance or how he'd gotten there. Even if it was just a happy dream before he died, she was in front of him and he still had a few moments left to tell her the truth. He could tell her, "I love you," before his eyes rolled back in his head and he died in her arms.

* * *

From the moment he woke, he wanted to weep. He hadn't died. A human would have died, but he'd only gotten a few extra scars. They hadn't even bothered to take him to the hospital. They'd just tucked him into his own bed in the Inner Sanctum and left him to recover on his own. With that single intervention, his whole life was turned upside down. Everything that he'd known and he'd trusted was gone. He couldn't even have faith in himself anymore.

The only thing left for him to do was to give up. Who was he been fooling with his attempts to be a Boss? He wasn't even human. Gregory or Katie, the Tenth's true flesh and blood, deserved to lead the Family. He didn't feel as if he had the right anymore. Just like how a clone would always be a poor imitation, he was nothing more than a hollow left-over of a failed human being. At least now he knew why he'd always cried when the Tin Man had gotten his Heart. Deep down, Hotaru knew that he was just like him.

He cried. He cried enough to make up for all the years of holding back his tears. Sure, he'd thrown tantrums and he occasionally got upset, but he'd never really let himself cry. He'd told himself that he had to be strong for the Family and he kept telling himself to grow up faster. His Flame had listened to his silly wishes, but he'd just been lying to himself. He didn't care about appearances and he didn't give a damn about his image. That kind of thing had just been expected of him and he'd always done his best to meet everyone's expectations. The truth was so much different, though.

Keeping the pain buried for any longer was impossible. The fact that he was alone now made it easier for him to let go of the barriers that he'd erected. No, not alone, he amended. There was one person who'd always been there for him and could really understand how he felt.

"SK," he sobbed. SK immediately answered the plea, erupting out of his ring without a care for what he burned in his attempt to fit into the little room. Before he was completely formed, Hotaru threw himself onto the dragon's shoulder and began weeping in earnest. It wasn't so much SK's whispered encouragements that eventually calmed him, but the warmth exuding from the wing that comfortably cupped his back. SK was his real brother, the brother of his soul rather than the mockery of his flesh. They were the same. Both of them were left-over fragments that their father had failed. Both of them had loved their father so much and felt so much pain from being abandoned by him. Both of them had trouble finding a place where they could truly feel as if they belonged. Both of them worked so hard yet were never praised for their efforts except by each other.

"Let's go away, SK," Hotaru whispered into his side. "Somewhere where there's only you and me."

"We can't do that," SK replied gently, telling Hotaru what he already knew. They'd regret it too much. They'd promised to fix the mess that their father had left behind. They couldn't just run away even though they'd lost every trace of protection that they had. Even if the Family didn't want them anymore, they'd decided to take care of everyone. They couldn't leave until someone else was firmly in place as Vongola the Eleventh. Even if Hotaru was just a placeholder, he couldn't stop until their mission was finished.

"It hurts," Hotaru said as more tears surfaced despite his resignation. "Can I really never be human, SK?"

"I think that it's up to you to decide," he replied. Hotaru took some comfort from the statement, along with the supporting nuzzle of SK's scaly snout against the back of his neck. "You know, even if you have a shape shifting body, no one ever said that your spirit wasn't human. No matter what you are, you're still you. You've been too self-conscious about yourself. I think that's what everyone was trying to tell you. Even though you're Chained, you're still free to be yourself, Taru-kun."

"Van Wolfe said something like that once," Hotaru murmured as he drowsed in the warmth of SK's embrace. "He said that the only way that I'll ever fix my problem is to let myself disappoint people."

"He's a wise man," SK praised softly. "Why don't you try to go to school? You probably don't feel like facing anyone, but you've been sleeping for almost a week now. I'm sure that things will work out somehow, so..."

"Alright," Hotaru agreed in understanding. SK was scared that he'd stay shut up forever if he didn't try to get back on his feet right away. He was finding it hard to find the initiative to go out for the Family's sake after what they did, but SK was a different story. He was the only person that Hotaru still had faith in, so he didn't want to worry him anymore than he already had.

He still took his time in the shower, looking over the scars on his body from where Reborn had stabbed him. They looked as if they were years old instead of only a few days. He also didn't feel really hungry nor had he lost weight, despite having gone so long without a solid meal. Such little details were things that he'd always made himself ignore before. He couldn't ignore it anymore, though. Reborn had ensured that by shoving the truth in his face. His body was artificial. His senses were all delusions. To prove it to himself, he closed his eyes and made a wish. Just like he'd wished to be older, he wished with all of his heart that his scars would go away. He envisioned himself with flawless skin and imagined his ear without the knick from that riot that he'd been caught in.

He barely managed to keep himself from passing out as he felt his skin crawling in effort to answer his wish. Ignoring the sensation with the help of a few tears, he kept concentrating and wishing until a wave of vertigo knocked him off of his feet. He felt the need to pant from effort, even though part of him laughed at the attempt to seem more human. It worked, though. When he opened his eyes again and looked down at himself, his wish had come true. His scars and even his tattoos were gone. Rubbing his earlobe told him that the nick in his flesh was gone. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, Reborn's cruel words were true. The only thing that gave him the semblance of humanity was the Chain that was wrapped around him.

Forcing the Chain to surface was even easier than telling his body to change, but he didn't want to look at it. He already knew more than he wanted to. He knew that he'd been deluding himself into thinking that he was human. He'd known that he'd been deluding himself by thinking that he could get his memories back if he got control of the Chain. He knew that he'd been deluding himself by thinking that he was actually in love. Or had he been in love? He couldn't ignore his inability to say that his feelings weren't fake, so he had to second-guess himself. Did he really love Rosalind or were his feelings just a by-product of a body chemistry that he'd wished for himself? If he could get rid of scars, didn't it also hold true that he could get rid of pain? If he could get rid of a negative feeling like pain, couldn't he also get rid of positive ones likes love?

It was all so confusing that he didn't know what to believe about himself anymore. All of his confidence from being a successful Boss had been wiped away and he couldn't figure out one good reason for his Family to have done that to him unless they hated him. Thinking about things in that way, there wasn't really any point to figuring himself out, either. They'd already shown him that he'd always be a failure no matter how hard he tried, therefore what was the point in putting in the effort? As long as the Family let him, he wasn't going to break his oaths. There was no point in putting in the effort to keep them happy, though. After all, they'd done their best to destroy his happiness.

Putting on his school uniform and walking out the door was probably the hardest thing that he'd ever done. If it hadn't been for SK hovering behind him at every step, he would have probably given up and went back to his room a half dozen times. SK filled the hallway from wall to wall, though, so there was no way to pass without ripping through him. That was something that Hotaru didn't have in his heart to do. Breaking through SK's 'skin' would be like cutting himself in half, but he was still tempted. He refused to meet anyone's gaze, but he could feel their expressions when they looked in his direction. None of his so-called subordinates could saw him as human anymore.

"Boss!" Orinato exclaimed as he came running to meet him at the door. "I didn't think that you'd--"

"I've got to go to school," he interrupted without stopping to meet his former friend. "It's tradition."

"Boss, I--" Hotaru cut Orinato off with a silent gesture as soon as he heard the note of apology in his voice. There were some things that couldn't be forgiven. They could only be forgotten at best and this was one of those things. After having such a personal thing dredged up in front of everyone, all attempts at finding peace with himself would be futile now. The Family had totally disregarded any feelings that he might have had while crushing all of his hopes for the future. He'd planned to keep his worries about his humanity to himself for the rest of his days. He hadn't needed an answer, but they'd forced the answer on him and they'd done it without any consideration for his privacy. Their attitude made him feel little better than a dog. He didn't want to look at any of them for a long time to come.

"My intuition might be unreliable, but there's one thing that I don't need to use it for," Hotaru murmured as he paused next to a waiting car. "I don't need it to tell me that you and the rest of the Family will never understand me, no matter how much you watch. The reason that I know that is because, while all of you were concentrating on the parts of me that are artificial, you were able ignored the parts of me that aren't. I could hate you for that. You and everyone in that house behind you ignored my rights as a person and don't you dare tell me that you had faith in me. You're not Gokudera and I wouldn't be fooled. I don't want to talk to you for a while, Orinato. I don't feel that I can trust you anymore and the same goes for everyone else that was there yesterday. Unless you have something that requires you to see me personally, I want to be left alone."

"Yes.... Boss..."

Nodding to himself that he'd said the only thing to Orinato that was needed, Hotaru slipped into the car and gestured for the driver to head for the school. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Orinato silently sobbing where he stood as they pulled away from the mansion. Hotaru wasn't falling for it, though. He was the victim here, not anyone else. Hotaru felt no guilt in leaving Orinato to cry all that he wanted. If he had any idea of how much pain he'd heaped onto Hotaru, even slitting his wrists wouldn't have been enough to make amends. What he was.... What his father had done to him... That was something that should have never been announced as if it was Sunday's gossip. If it wasn't for the fact that he wouldn't have a Family left, he'd send the Vendiche after all of them for breaking the Family Omerta.

Another factor that kept him from exxacting retribution was the fact that doing so would only make his position more insecure. There were undoubtedly people who were already questioning Vongola for allowing a 'thing' take the position of Boss for so long. Before the end of the year, he'd likely find himself out of a throne and the Family due to the combined influence of the other Families. After all, there was a long history of other Families taking Vongola's lead and they couldn't do so if they were uncomfortable with the Boss. This wasn't something that was going to be forgotten quickly. From how Orinato had still called him Boss, he could guess that there was a very slim chance that he would be able to survive the microscope that he was going to be placed under, but it was a very slim chance. The best thing to do would be to begin looking through his siblings to find a suitable replacement. Gregory was too honest to suffice, but Katie seemed to have the right fire in her.

The major problem with finding a replacement was the Sky Flame. Ieyasu was the only one other than himself who had it, having produced faint flickers hidden under his Mist Flame, but that boy was far too weak. He could barely walk across a room without having an asthma attack. Hotaru wanted to be able to argue that he was also far too young, but Hotaru had been around the same age when he received the position. However, if Ieyasu was picked, Hotaru might be able to stay in place for a few more years as the regent of the throne.

That was all to be worried about later, though. For now, he needed to gather data on how everyone had reacted to the epiphany. Which Families might still support him and which would be quick to latch onto the flaw was the natural place to start. He also needed to show the world that he wasn't dead from a few stab wounds. Okay, a lot of stab wounds, he admitted. The fact was that he couldn't die, which would normally be a relief considering how it made him completely unlike his dad. The Families should be happier that the Vongola Boss was indestructible, but Hotaru already knew that it was far more likely that they'd be alienated by it. A Boss that they couldn't meet with on even terms was too much of a threat. After this, no matter what he did, they wouldn't feel comfortable in meeting with him in person.

Already resigning himself to eventually becoming Vongola's hidden weapon instead of their Boss, Hotaru stepped out of the car as soon as it reached Don Girarde. The welcome waiting for him told him that someone had been watching to see whether his car was coming. Unfortunately, the welcome was from rivals rather than supporters. Everywhere he looked, there were people playing with mannequins or molding clay as a silent way of telling him what they thought of him. As he passed the large tree in the center of the courtyard, he also saw that someone had set up an empty suit of armor with a nametag on it that said 'Hotaru'.

The lack of anyone coming forward to push back the display told him that his rivals had gained control of the school in his absence. Lionesse, Agostina, and those allied with them were no longer willing to stay silent. Even though it was doubtful that they even understood a quarter of what they'd seen and heard, they'd comprehended enough to give them the upper hand. Since it wasn't violence, the teachers themselves could do nothing about it. A Mafioso who got upset over a little taunting wasn't worth his salt anyway. He could ignore such things.

As he entered the hallways, the thing that finally shook his composure was how everyone refused to look at him. Although, he couldn't blame them since he wasn't putting on the smiling façade that he normally did. If what Thunderbelly had told him still held true, probably no one could read his expression. He was depressed as hell, though, and he wasn't trying to cover it up. He didn't want to talk to anyone and he didn't feel like socializing. He just wanted to be left alone and to get through the day without any more surprises. If he could just have that, he'd feel a little better.

* * *

Another surprise, Hotaru groaned to himself. He'd been tested all through the day and he'd long gotten sick of it. It'd started with his teachers keeping him in class rather than kicking him out, as if they were afraid of what he'd do once he was out of sight. He'd managed to dodge the attempts to trip him in the hallway, but the pile of wet dog food at the bottom of his locker with a note saying 'get well soon' had been disgusting to deal with. He hadn't let them win, though. He'd kept his composure and showed them all that he wasn't what they thought by cleaning it up himself. They were actually doing him a favor with their bullying since everyone was now afraid to get near him. When he'd skipped lunch to sit in the courtyard rather than pretend that he needed to eat, not a single person had approached him. Since his stomach had been cramping a little from stress, being left alone to read had been pure bliss.

The more that people turned against him, the more confident that he felt. None of them understood him enough to know that their attempts to rattle him were backfiring. After all, it was only when he had an opponent that he could show his true mettle. He might not have any courage, but no one else had his determination. If it were just arrogant assholes, he had far more experience in dealing with them than his rivals could ever hope to get. P.E. was the annoying part, though. It was as if everyone was suddenly second-guessing his strength and cockily thought that they could beat him now. That might have been true if he were normal, but he'd been trained as a Mafia Boss since he was eight. It would take much more than experiencing emotional disarray to give the enemy a chance to defeat him. At least, that's what he wanted to say.

On opponent twelve, he'd actually begun to sweat. On opponent seventeen, he'd begun to pant. He didn't understand it since his body wasn't human. If he could get rid of scars, why couldn't he modify his body so that he didn't need to do such things? On opponent twenty three, he finally had to take his shirt off to help cool off. He'd purposely held SK back since the first bastard had the gall to say that Hotaru was useless without him. One by one, he'd been defeating him with nothing more than his fists, but it was getting to the point that he might have to call out his Flame.

His intuition hadn't warned him of it, but they'd actually planned the order of opponents ahead of time. By scattering weaker ones through the stronger opponents, Hotaru was finding it harder as time passed to gauge the level of strength he needed to defeat his opponent. Some that were strong were purposely making themselves seem weak in order to launch sneak attacks. The result was that he had to run at full strength regardless of the opponent. While it was feasible as a short-term plan, he was running out of energy as it came closer to the end of class. Any time now, they were likely to throw a real threat at him. Someone who had a much better chance at beating him. The question was who? Were they expecting him to beat the entering one quickly or was this one the one that he needed to be careful about? Was it the next one? He had no way of knowing, but it was his personal code not to refuse a challenge. To back out now would make him lose face.

"Heh," he laughed at himself as the next opponent stepped into the ring. He was still doing it. He was still trying to pretend that he had an image to protect when it'd already been completely destroyed. "Screw it," he spat as he began walking toward the sidelines. He no longer felt the need to uphold such foolish pride. There were already enough people who had to recover from his strikes. One or two more wasn't going to make a difference.

"Hey!" His would-be opponent exclaimed in shock. "Where the hell are you going? I--"

"I've had enough of a workout," Hotaru interrupted. His opponent and all of his opponent's friends gaped at his uncharacteristic statement. "I don't need another empty-headed practice dummy for today," he said, turning their probable thoughts back to themselves.

"He's just scared," someone taunted from the sidelines. "All bark and no bite, just like his dad!"

"If that's what you want to believe," Hotaru shrugged without giving them the reaction that they wanted. Picking up his shirt, he smiled at the hot wave of gentle wind that hit his skin with a wave of SK's wing. It evaporated all of the sweat on his body instantly, cooling him off much more quickly than was natural.

"Hey, Sawada," another called out while he headed out of the ring in the direction of the locker rooms. "Is it true that you've turned whore like your dad?"

"No, but I'll ask your dad for advice if I do," Hotaru retorted without looking back. He could hear the bastard choking on his pride behind him, though. He could also hear a few people daring to snicker at Hotaru's winning insult. It was a small sign that people were beginning to warm up to him again despite the shock of Vongola's revelation, but he wasn't sure how to take it. He wasn't trying to present himself as a Boss anymore. His image didn't really matter since he was likely to be replaced, so why were they bothering to warm up to him. He wasn't so naive as to think that they didn't want something from him.

There were still things that he had to consider since he was the current caretaker of the throne, but there was nothing left to be said that could hurt him. He'd thrown around much harsher insults about his father himself and being compared to him by a rival was completely meaningless. If the same words had been said a few weeks earlier, he probably would've been mad. But he had no pride left to protect anymore. Reborn had already stripped him of all of that. What he said and what he did couldn't reflect on the Family because the Family wasn't behind him any longer. He only had SK beside him now.

"HOTARU!" A scream echoed across the sparring grounds. Hotaru paused and looked with everyone else to see Katie running toward him with a complete lack of care for how she was kicking up her skirt in the process. She flung herself into his arms in a panic, gasping out a string of sentences that made absolutely no sense. There was something about Gregory and a Cathedral and Ross. "Some guys tricked Gregory into leaving the grounds with them!" She shouted at him as she abruptly caught her breathe. "Ross tried to stop them, but there was a fight and--"

Hotaru didn't need to hear more. Flinging Katie aside, he started running at top speed toward the school's front gates. They couldn't have gotten far. He cursed at himself for not keeping a closer eye on Gregory. He cursed himself for not making preparations to protect the naive, gullible idiot when people had begun to openly stand against him. Of course they'd go after his Family! Wearing him down in the matches had never been intended as an assault on him in the first place! They'd been wearing him down so that he couldn't protect Gregory!

Tough shit, he snarled to himself. He'd promised Gregory that the priest-hopeful could leave all the fighting to him. By targeting a civilian pacifist, those who hated him were crossing the line. It made him glad that they'd went off campus. That way, he could kill them without breaking the school's rules. At least, that's what he planned to do. When he found Gregory, the situation wasn't that simple. The covered alley was far more crowded than he'd guessed it would be and it was too tight to allow SK entry without destroying the occupied apartments on either side.

They'd planned the trap well. Hotaru could easily save his brother, but he'd have to sacrifice innocent people to do it. The enemies weren't so stupid as to come out after him, either. They had to simply wait for him to willfully enter. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be so foolhardy. Even if his body wasn't human, Reborn's knife had proved that he could still be temporarily incapacitated via normal methods. They probably intended to knock him out and drag him off to be studied like a lab rat in the hopes that they could learn a method to make create invincible hitmen. This couldn't be considered as normal circumstances, though. They were holding Gregory hostage with a knife to his throat and Ross was lying dazed at their feet. She was bruised and bleeding. Someone had dared to hurt his brother and his dear Rosalind.

Running away wasn't an option. Failing wasn't an option. To succeed, he needed more power than what he....

"Whether the rain is shining or the sun is pouring, always keep this with you," Reborn admonished as he was smacked in the head with a familiar item. Hotaru choked as he caught it before it fell to the ground. He wanted to question why Reborn was dressed up as a street-side mailbox, but there wasn't time. Gregory and Rosalind needed him and--

"My umbrella?" Hotaru gaped as he looked at the 'weapon' that he'd been given. Why now?! He didn't even know how to... oh. He did know. Everything that he'd been put through suddenly fell into place within his heart and his mind. The reason that he hadn't been able to transform his umbrella and the reason that everyone had gone to such extreme lengths. They'd done it because he'd been too damn stubborn to get over the problem that had been holding him back. He'd been so focused on his image and trying to appear human that he'd ignored his own inhumanity. He'd been doing the exact opposite of everyone else, which made him into a huge hypocrite. He understood now, though. His power wasn't in being one or the other. His true power was in being both. The spirit of a human and the body...

The body of a Salamander.

"Sorry for taking so long to figure it out," Hotaru apologized. Releasing his Flame, he stood at attention with his umbrella held in front of himself and smiled in satisfaction as it began to glow with its transformation. He wasn't going to hide anymore and his weapon was accepting his resolution as if it'd been waiting.

He could feel something welling up inside of himself as the umbrella began to elongate. He could hear the rattling of Chains and something shifting within himself. Faster, he silently urged. Faster. Faster. He didn't know what it was, but there was such an incredible feeling of excitement that he couldn't restrain himself. He'd been waiting, his intuition cried with open arms. Now! Come!

* * *

_"Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a tall, tall tower and outside that tower there lived a dragon--"_

_"Was he a scary dragon?"_

_"He had sharp teeth, but the princess knew that he would never hurt her with them. He was a kind dragon and he was only mean to the bad men who came to try to hurt the princess. The dragon would gobble them all up though, so that the princess could live every day without worry."_

_"Wasn't the princess lonely in the tower if he gobbled everyone up?"_

_"Of course not! The dragon brought lots of good friends for the princess to play with. He carried them on his back from faraway places and they came to stay at the tower where every day became a festival. The princess wasn't alone at all!"_

_"But, still... Dragons are scary! They're big and... and they have sharp teeth and sharp claws and they roar like this-- RAWR!"_

_"This dragon was special, though. Sometimes he could turn into a handsome prince and come join the festival with everyone else. When he did, he hugged the princess and told her how much he loved her and that made him less scary when he had to turn into a dragon again. But you know something? It was really the dragon that was lonely. He could only turn into a human when the moon was full. The rest of the time, he was too big to fit into the tower with everyone else so he only got to watch while he guarded the gates around the castle."_

_"That's sad. Why didn't everyone just go outside and visit the dragon if he was too big to fit in the tower?"_

_"Because then he wouldn't be able to use his dragon fire to gobble up the bad guys who tried to hurt the princess. He'd be too scared of hurting everyone. But if everyone stayed in the tower, he would be able to keep everyone safe and that made the dragon happy even if he was lonely."_

_"There has to be something that the princess could do so that the dragon could be happier! It's too sad if he doesn't get to play with everyone that often! He's working hard for everyone but he doesn't get to have any fun! The princess should do something to help him!"_

_"One day... One day the knight that's asleep in the tower will wake up. Then he will climb down the tower and help the dragon keep the bad men away. Then the dragon won't be lonely because the knight would be strong enough to withstand his dragon fire and he could ride on the dragon's back while they fight together. The knight would probably be scared at first since the dragon is so big and scary, but then the knight would see that the dragon was lonely and they'd become friends. And then everyone would live happily ever after."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really. Now go to sleep."_

_"Can...Can Hotaru be the knight?"_

_"Ha-hi? Wouldn't you be scared?"_

_"Yes. Hotaru would be very scared. But Hotaru wouldn't be able to leave the dragon alone. It's too sad. Even if Hotaru is scared right now... One day Hotaru won't be! One day Hotaru won't be scared of anything!"_

_"Then Hotaru can be the knight. But right now, the knight is supposed to be sleeping. So lie down like a good boy and shut your eyes."_

_"Yes, Momma. Goodnight."_

_"Good night, Hotaru."_

_***********************_

_"Daddy...?" Hotaru called, coming into the back cabin with his costume already on. Daddy smiled at him with an admiring gaze at the Halloween costume that he'd put on. "I can't get my mask to stay on, Daddy," he pouted, holding up the small mask that had been made for him._

_"How about we get some ribbon from Haru and tie it on?" Daddy suggested._

_"What color?" Hotaru asked doubtfully._

_"Every color," he answered with a wide grin, making Hotaru's eyes widen in excitement. "You can't be my little rainbow if you stick with just one color."_

_"I get all of them?" He inquired in awe._

_"You sure do," he confirmed. Daddy ruffled his hair, then asked him a question to see if he'd been paying attention to his lessons. "What colors do I need to ask Haru for? Can you remember them all?"_

_"Yes, Daddy," Hotaru replied with a wide grin. He remembered this one. Holding up a finger per color, he started to count them off. "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Purple."_

_"Very good," Daddy praised with a strange smile. Hotaru smiled widely in triumph anyway, not caring about anything more than that he'd made Daddy proud. "Let's go see if Haru has some spare ribbon that she didn't use."_

_********************_

_"Can Hotaru go to school with Hayakeshi First?" Hotaru interjected in sudden inspiration. "It doesn't matter if the teacher can't answer all of Hotaru's questions. Hotaru will be happy learning with everyone else!"_

_"Hotaru..."_

_"I can't protect you, Hotaru," Hayakeshi First sniffed from his chair in Papa's classroom. "You should stay with the Tenth."_

_"That's enough, Hayakeshi First!" Papa snapped in sudden anger. Hayakeshi First stiffened in his chair, but Hotaru knew that Papa wasn't really mad. To prove it, Papa's eyes immediately softened and he placed a hand gently on the young man's head. "We'll get him back," Papa promised. Hotaru was relieved because Papa never lied. "You protected him by being willing to accept help. No one else could have done that. You need to be happy doing what you can do rather than be upset with what you can't."_

_"But Nori and Marco..." Hayakeshi First sobbed. Papa sighed and knelt down next to him._

_"They didn't get hurt because you were weak," Papa soothed while Hayakeshi First's tears calmed in effort to listen. "They got hurt because there are bad people out there. Bad things happen sometimes and nothing will change that. You need to know that even if your friends got hurt, it was because you made them strong enough to want to fight back. Don't cry because they're strong, Orinato. Don't cry because they wanted to use that strength to protect you. If you're going to cry, cry over the fact that bad people exist. Cry over the fact that you can't always make everyone strong."_

_"I don't understand..." Hayakeshi First admitted with a sniff._

_"What is strength?" Papa asked suddenly. "Do you remember what I taught you a long time ago about strength?"_

_"As long as we stick to what we believe and remember how it feels to want to protect someone, we're strong," Hayakeshi First replied._

_"It's more than that," Papa corrected. "It's about caring more for others than yourself. That's the feeling you get when you want to protect each other, right? You forget about your own needs and try to put the other person first."_

_"So if everyone cared about others more than themselves, people wouldn't be bad?" Hayakeshi First asked in curiosity._

_"That's what I believe," he agreed with a nod. "But the world doesn't work that way, no matter how much I or anyone else wishes for it. There are people out there who care more about themselves than how they're hurting others. So don't cry about your friends being strong for your sake, even if they got hurt. Cry because not everyone is strong and those people will end up hurting even more in the end."_

_**************_

_"Hey, kid," Xanxus mumbled while Hotaru gently played with sleeping-Papa's hair. "How did you--?"_

_"Hotaru has a fire like Papa's," he answered honestly, knowing that Uncle Xanxus was one of Papa's good friends. He didn't have to hide his special stuff from Uncle Xanxus. "Hotaru can make all kinds of colors out of Papa's fire. Papa's fire looked like it needed more yellow, so Hotaru gave Papa some of his yellow!"_

_"Could you maybe give Uncle Xanxus some yellow?" Uncle Xanxus asked with wide eyes. Sakura, Haru, and Reborn got strange faces, but Uncle Xanxus ignored them._

_"Uncle Xanxus doesn't need yellow," Hotaru said. He wanted to giggle because Uncle Xanxus should have already known that! He was being silly! "Uncle Xanxus needs more blue and green!"_

_For some reason, Uncle Reborn started laughing and Uncle Xanxus got mad. He left the room in a very, very unhappy way._

_"Did Hotaru say something wrong?" Hotaru asked after Uncle was gone._

_"No, Hotaru," Sakura replied in suppressed laughter. "It's just that Xanxus' blue and green is Squalo and Levi. He hasn't seen them for a long time and he gets touchy if people tell him that he needs others."_

_"Oh," Hotaru said with a small nod. That made sense. Uncle Xanxus liked to play by himself, but he had to play with others to be happy. Strangely, Sakura suddenly darted out of the room and began laughing in the hallway. Hotaru could still hear him, though. _

_"Tsuna," Sakura gasped into the empty hallway once his laughing fit stopped. "Your son is really something."_

_**************_

_He opened his eyes for the first time. His first sight was the big warm person from his dreams. Papa, he remembered... Papa held out his arms and Hotaru smiled widely at him. Without hesitation, he darted forward into Papa's waiting embrace, allowing him to finally...finally!...hold his beloved Papa outside of that other place. Papa kissed his head and he squirmed around in joy within his arms while wet stuff dripped off of Papa's face and onto his head. _

_Suddenly, Papa's tight hug loosened to let him peek out. There were other warm things around them. Putting his finger in his mouth, he stared up at the warm thing that felt familiar. She was pretty, but not as pretty as Papa. Papa was the prettiest, warmest thing in the room. _

_"It's okay," Tsuna encouraged into the silence. "That's mommy." He looked up at Papa with eyes full of worry before hiding his face in Tsuna's arms. Papa sounded like he wanted to give him away, but he wanted to stay with Papa. Papa turned him around in his lap and looked up at the other pretty person in encouragement. He tried to hide back in Papa's arms, but it wasn't that easy when Papa wasn't letting him. _

_"It's okay," the other pretty one repeated. "Can Mommy have a hug, too?" She held her hands out for him, neither forcing the issue nor taking back her request. She really was pretty, but it was pretty in a different way than Daddy. It should be okay... maybe.... He could always go back to Papa if he didn't like it. He slowly uncurled himself from Papa's lap and half-crawled, half-floated toward her. He did it slowly, determined to jump back into Papa's arms if she bit him. But when he finally wrapped his arms around her neck, he realized that she was warm, too. She wasn't as warm as Papa, but it made him feel happy when she wrapped her arms around him. It was even more familiar than Papa, too. After a moment, he cuddled up in the pretty, warm one's lap with the feeling as if he'd always been there._

_"What are you going to name him, son?" Papa's Papa asked softly. Papa blinked at the question and got warmer. _

_"I-I have no clue..." Papa mumbled. Papa looked over at the warm one holding him, 'Mommy', but Mommy seemed just as clueless._

_"How about Ieyasu?" Papa's Papa suggested softly. Papa's Papa started to explain the history behind the name, but he realized that they were talking about what to call him and he didn't want to be called that. He shook his head violently to tell them no. "What about Ietsuna?" Papa's Papa suggested. Once again he shook his head no. _

_Papa's other warm friends started softly making suggestions, but he kept shaking his head no. He didn't know what most of them meant but he didn't like them. Then he heard the bright red one say something that he liked. Everyone got quiet as he jumped out of Mommy's lap and darted through the air. Coming to a stop next to the bright red, warm person, he smiled and pointed to tell them that it was what he'd said while looking at Papa to see if he agreed._

_"You like the name Gokudera said?" Papa asked carefully. He nodded and glided behind Gokudera to hug his shoulder in gratitude for the nice sound Gokudera had made while he continued to look at his father. "What was the name again, Gokudera?" Papa asked with a smile. Gokudera had a strange look on his face for some reason and he seemed frozen in place._

_"H-Hotaru, Tenth," Gokudera finally answered._

_"Firefly?" Papa's Papa said with a questioning look. Papa just smiled, though, obviously liking the name. Papa looked at Mommy in askance to see if she agreed. The smile on her face made Papa turn back around and look at him in agreement._

_"Hotaru it is," Papa announced. Hotaru flew into Papa's arms again in happiness at the acceptance, making Papa chuckle in delight. "Do you like that, Hotaru?" He asked in joy. Hotaru looked up and opened his mouth to agree, finally intending to speak now that he wasn't hesitant and fearful._

_No sound came out._

_The smiles were wiped off of everyone's faces while Mommy became openly upset that nothing was coming out. Hotaru tried again and again, knowing exactly how he'd done it in the other place. Papa tried encouraging him but he kept messing up. It made him want to cry, so he opened his mouth and did despite the lack of sound. _

_"I was afraid of this," a different warm one sighed into the sudden silence. "He's still only Flame, after all. He doesn't have internal organs or a voice-box, no matter how much he looks like a normal boy."_

_"Is it something we can--?" Papa started to ask in panic while he cuddled Hotaru while he continued to silently cry._

_"Maybe," she said after a moment. "He managed to make human-looking skin, after all. You just have to wait until he can understand he needs to transform his Flame on the inside, too, so that he has lungs and a voice-box. I think it'd be too complicated to try to get him to do it right now, but maybe once he's been in the world a while longer..." She trailed off, leaving only silence that Hotaru couldn't fill up with laughter. _

_"It's okay," Papa told him. "Even if you can't talk, I still love you. We'll find a way to speak to each other without sound. Okay?" The promise made Hotaru's tears slow down and he looked up at Papa in completely trust. Papa wiped the stuttering stream of sparks away before smiling gently down at him. "Your papa is just happy that you're here with me," he said softly with a smile._

_"And so is your Mommy," Mommy added._

_"And your Uncle Yamamoto," the calm blue one continued._

_"And your Uncle Ryohei," the bright yellow one bellowed._

_"And your Godfather Gokudera," the fierce red one exclaimed._

_"And your Grandpa," Papa's Papa finished with a laugh._

_"See," Papa told Hotaru with a small chuckle at everyone's enthusiasm. "Everyone loves you and is happy you're with us. Okay, Hotaru?" _

* * *

"Okay," Hotaru agreed as he reopened his eyes. This time, the vision waiting for him wasn't his father, but a gleaming, ebony lance. There was extravagant gold filigree wrapped around the hilt of the weapon and he could see the Vongola emblem etched into the dark surface. More importantly, his Chain was no longer on his body. It was visibly wrapped around his fist and the lance, binding them together in a way that he couldn't explain.

It was also heavy, he realized. The lance and the arm that touched the Chain was so freaking heavy, but the rest of him felt so light. It was almost as if...

Looking down at his feet, Hotaru gaped for a long moment at his missing feet. The word 'Genie' was his first thought. His second thought was 'Freedom'. His body felt so free now that it scared him. It was as if his skin was missing and he was made of mist. Then the thought occurred to him that mist couldn't be struck.

"Kufufufu," Hotaru chuckled in a weak imitation of Mukuro as he turned to the alleyway full of enemies. Although he felt as if he'd just relived his whole life in reverse, he knew that only a few seconds had passed from how little everything had moved. They were complete idiots for picking an alleyway to challenge him in. "Thanks for lining yourselves up so nicely," he grinned and he lowered his lance into an offensive position. "I can repay you for taking care of Gregory and Rosalind for me."


	114. Chapter 114 Bound

Seventy-two bottles of beer on the wall... Seventy... err...something bottles of beer....

Knocking over the stack of empty beer cans that were blocking out the rest of the world, Squalo asked himself a very important question. It was the most important question in the world and he wanted to weep when he thought that he wouldn't ever be able to find the answer. This answer to this question could alter the face of the free world and the question itself had been known to bring kings to their knees. That question was 'where is the waitress with my beer?'

"VOOOIII!" Squalo bellowed as he began chucking empty cans in hope of getting some damn service. "Ge yur ash over 'ere, shupid bitsch! I's thirshty an' yur shupposhed to gimme anudder damn beer! No--!" He gasped in sudden inspiration. "Nevermind that! I's wants a scotch! Scotches for everyone in mem'ry of Xanshus! Mays the devil fear fors his ass cause Xanshus 's surely kickin' it! He always was a fucking pain in the ash...."

Looking around at the lack of cheering for his eloquent toast, he was disappointed to find that everyone was dead. The bartender was dead. The waitresses were dead. The bastards who'd pissed him off earlier were dead.

"Holy shit," he gaped as he surveyed the expert workmanship that was show throughout the bar. "Everyone ish dead." Damn fine work, though. It was the work of a tip-top, one-hundred percent bad-ass Mafia swordsman assassin. He could tell, cause his sword was still poking out of one person's chest.

That was right, he remembered as he went to another table to steal the drinks that they didn't need anymore. He'd followed Ryohei after the bastard showed up at Don Girarde. He'd planned on shadowing the asshole and stealing all of his jobs to prove that he was still the better assassin. Well, his plan had backfired when he'd lost track of the bastard in the lower west end of the city. To ease his battered pride, he'd went to the closest bar for a drink and some drunk just had to make a fucking comment about his long hair making him look like a girl.

He wanted Xanxus back. Killing just wasn't as fun without him. Squalo also knew that he wasn't the leader that Xanxus was. He'd tried to hold it together, but it was pointless without Xanxus uniting them. Mammon had given up after they'd run out of money. Lussuria was completely missing in action. Levi was still loyal since Squalo had renamed them the Xaria, but he wasn't very useful from his self-appointed graveside post in America. As for Belphegor, that brat had returned to his childhood home with plans to paint it red out of sheer pique and he'd dared to say that the Xaria was a waste of time on his way out the door.

"Ashhole," Squalo grumbled as he stood. Stumbling over to retrieve his spare sword, he tucked it back under his trenchchoat and weave his way toward the door. He didn't weave because he was drunk. Oh, hell no. He didn't get drunk. He was just weaving because he didn't feeling like walking on corpses and there wasn't a straight path to the door. "Shorry," Squalo mumbled as he weaved the wrong way and stepped on one.

The streets were dead when he got outside, which wasn't too surprising. The lower west end was mostly private airports and empty warehouses. The bar was the only place of normal business within a three block radius and he'd initially entered at closing time. It had to be close to dawn now, so...

Clutching onto the side of the doorframe for support, Squalo doubled over as soon as he felt his bile rise. Yeah, he admitted to himself as his vision swam, he'd drank a little too much. That was fine, though. It was always better to surpass limits rather than being too much of a pansy to break them. How else was he supposed to increase how much he could withstand? Shit, this was nothing anyway. When Xanxus used to take him out drinking, he'd never been able to remember how he got home. He just had.

That was right, he thought. He didn't have to get himself home. He just had to lie down and close his eyes. Magic would do the rest...

* * *

His head hurt. It hurt a lot. More importantly, where the fuck was he? No, even more important that that was why he was naked?? NO! Even more important than that was who the hell had dared to remove his cybernetics while he'd been asleep?! His hand and his leg were completely missing! The ports were still in place, telling him that someone knowledgeable had taken them off, but the machinery was gone! Not an enemy, he determined. An enemy wouldn't put him in such a luxuriously large bed. Well, some psychopaths would, but not without also tying him down. It couldn't be anyone from the Varia since those guys wanted his head on a platter and it couldn't be anyone from Vongola since they were far more likely to lock him up. The other Xaria members were out, too, since they all had horrible tastes and the room that he was in had decent decor.

Mafia scout, he decided after several minutes of consideration. It was probably some fool who'd seen his work and knew that he was currently working solo. It wouldn't be the first to approach him. He'd already had two offers from Lionesse and one from Gospella, promising to eradicate Vongola's marks against him in exchange for loyal service. He'd sent them packing, one after the other. This one had probably planned to get Squalo's gratitude by putting him up in such nice digs while also not allowing him to leave by taking his cybernetics.

The bastard had another thing coming, Squalo thought as he tossed back the blankets and threw his good leg over the side of the bed. Getting up with only one leg was difficult, but not impossible. The same went for walking. If one person dared to say that he hopped, he swore that he'd kill them. Hitmen didn't hop. He simply took one step at a time with the same foot. When he went off balance, he used the wall to keep him upright until he could get to the door. At the door, he pushed it open with a hard shove and used his only hand to grab onto the doorframe afterward.

"I sent your clothes to be cleaned since you barfed all over them," a man called from where he was working with his back turned to Squalo. "And I'm almost done here. Since you're too fucking stubborn to wait, take a seat where ever. I've already fixed the hinge on your hand and I've done the matience that you've been skipping. There was small problem with this piece of shit leg, but I'm almost done. You had two broken toes and bullet holes throughout the whole fucking calf. For an assassin, you suck ass at dodging bullets."

"I've been outnumbered lately," Squalo grumbled in his own defense since he couldn't argue with the assessment. "I hope you don't expect gratitude. No one fucking asked you to--"

"I'll expect gratitude when pigs fly," the man said in amusement. "We'll negotiate the payment after I'm finished, so sit down and stop fucking distracting me." Squalo immediately began imagining what the bastard would look like once he'd been cut into tiny pieces. Not only was he daring to speak to Squalo in such a domineering tone, but he still hadn't turned around to look at him. Being disregarded as a threat was more insult than he was willing to take. This guy--! "If you need help, just tell me," the man added in a taunting manner that made Squalo bristle.

Determined to prove that he didn't need any damn help, Squalo kept one hand on the wall and began taking slow steps toward the closest chair. It wasn't that far and he wasn't handicapped. He'd sooner die than ask anyone for help! After all, his pride was the only thing that he had, whether it was his pride as a swordsman or his pride as a self-sufficient hitman. Of course, it'd be easier if he had his fucking leg, but that bastard was trying to test him. Squalo swore that he wouldn't lose!

Swearing didn't save him as his knee buckled from all the strain that was being put on it. His heart leaped in his throat at the prediction of his impending crash landing. There was nothing that he could do to save himself. He didn't have a second leg to catch himself and there was nothing along the wall for him to grab onto. On the side where his hand was missing, there was a table. He tried to twist in place to grab onto it with his good hand, but he didn't make it in time. He was going down--!

"Don't be so stubborn, dumbass."

Squalo couldn't breathe as he stared up into the face of his would-be savior. He'd moved so fast. He'd been over there, but now he was suddenly here and his arms were holding Squalo away from the floor. He didn't look like anything that Squalo had expected. Mafia scouts were typically smiling idiots that were skilled in putting people at ease. They had to be the type who would blend in well with a crowd and were so ordinary as to be nonexistent. However, this guy was the complete opposite. His dark, shoulder-length hair created the illusion of youth while his eyes held such a depth of age. Far from being inconspicuous, he wore a sleek black mask that drew Squalo's gaze in a way that only the gleam of a sharpened sword could.

"Don't tempt me," the man growled in warning. Squalo blushed brightly, understanding instantly that his surprise was being misunderstood for something else.

"I'll fucking kill you!" He spluttered in outrage.

"With which nub?" He asked with a knowing smirk. All of the blood rushed to Squalo's head, making his temples pulse until he was positive that they were going to explode. The man was smarter than he looked, though. Before Squalo could lash out to punch him, he was unceremoniously dumped onto a short couch that was sitting across from where the man was working. The positioning surprised Squalo, as did the speed with which the man returned to his work. At this angle, Squalo could see every detail of what he was doing to the leg that was stretched across the makeshift worktable.

The man wasn't much of a conversationalist. Unlike the scouts who'd confronted him in the past, this one wasn't trying to squeeze too many words into a short of an amount of time. It wasn't that he was patient, since he cursed up a storm each time that his screwdriver slipped. It seemed more as if he simply didn't notice the passage of time. The minutes passed far too quietly and Squalo's immobility left him with the only option of looking around to occupy himself. The room seemed a little too straight forward to be interesting, though. It seemed pre-furnished like a hotel suite, but it had more like a rental atmosphere from the messes that had accumulated on every surface. Whatever the place was, it'd been irregularly occupied for longer than a month and less than a year.

Halfway through his observations, Squalo had a nagging sensation that he should recognize the man. It wasn't until a black trenchcoat was abruptly thrown into his lap as a silent order to cover himself that he recalled it. Only one person would have such bad taste as to own a black mask, a black trenchcoat, and the black hat on a table in the corner of the room. The man who was repairing his cybernetic leg was Black Lunatic, one of the three idol hitmen of the Carter Family. He wanted to curse himself for not getting caught up in the underground hype surrounding the three since Reborn's defeat. A grass-green hitman probably had more information on his 'host' than he did at the moment. What the hell did a Mafia idol want with him anyway? No. More importantly, why the hell was he called Black Lunatic? He didn't seem particularly crazy.

"Boss~!"

Squalo got to see why he was called a Lunatic after his hand slipped yet again in response to the sudden call, causing him to scrape his knuckles against the outter casing of Squalo's leg. First, he devolved into a particularly heated fit of cursing. Then, his screwdriver went flying into the wall next to an unexpectedly appearing Lussuria, followed by Lussuria being pummeled around angry admonishments for interrupting. Finally, Black Lunatic returned to his seat with his calm restored and once more began working without blinking an eyelid at how Lussuria twitched on the floor.

"I told him not to fucking bother me while I was working," Lunatic absently explained as he began folding down the fleshy coating that was covering the hardware of his cybernetic appendage. Squalo straightened up and held the trenchcoat tightly against his lap when Lunatic began carrying over to him with the obvious intent to reconnect it personally.

"Don't even think about it," Squalo growled with a fierce glare. Despite his pretenses, he was utterly confused. Why was Lussuria here and what was this bastard planning? It couldn't be coincidence. This guy had picked up Squalo on purpose instead of scouting him by chance, assuming that he was even a scout. Squalo didn't feel quite as confident in the assessment anymore. No scout would reveal such a cold-hearted look in front of a potential recruit nor would he be so free with where he touched. After all, undressing a potential recruit was normally the fast-track to a coffin. Normally. This didn't feel normal at all! The man in front of him was a Lunatic!

"It's a bad idea to piss me off," he replied with a scowl.

"I can put it on myself!" Squalo exclaimed in a strangled shout when the bastard tried to grab his thigh. He attempted to snatch his leg out of the man's hands, but he held it out of reach as if to taunt Squalo with his disabilities.

"You need both hands," he said logically.

"Then give me my other hand!" He retorted.

"I'm not stupid," the bastard said with his face twitching in frustration under his mask. "Your hand has a sword attached. I don't plan to give you a weapon until you understand a few things." Squalo's eyes narrowed at him, getting the hint from such a little statement.

"Find someone else, you pathetic asshole," Squalo spat with a feral grin. It was a grin that didn't last longer than it took to see the Lunatic's eyes. It seemed impossible, but they'd gotten colder and sharper. It was too late, but he realized that the Lunatic had actually been nice to him up until now. He'd been nice and he wasn't planning on being that way any longer.

The true struggle began as soon as the Lunatic advanced on him. The man was stronger than he looked, but Squalo wasn't willing to let himself be defeated. Even without a hand and a leg, he was determined to kill the bastard who dared to undress him, take his appendages, and then try to pretend that he was just a good Samaritan. Squalo knew the truth! The bastard was just a pervert who'd seen Squalo's hair and jumped to conclusions like every other mother fucker out there! That's why he hadn't wanted to discuss payment until afterward!

Feeling a hand groping his thigh again, he reached down with his good hand with the intent to break the bastard's wrist. He was stopped when the man pinned his good hand above his head, but Squalo quickly retaliated with a bite to the man's arm that would make the man thing twice about trying to pin him. For good measure, he punched the bastard in the ribs with his nub, proving that the amputated limb was still quite usable.

The man didn't even flinch, retaliating to the attacks with a thick hand around Squalo's throat. It wasn't just an empty gesture because the Lunatic began to squeeze despite Squalo's attempts to make him let go. No matter how much he punched and kicked, though, it was useless. Ten seconds passed. Twenty seconds. Squalo's self-preservation instincts began to overwhelm his training, making him claw at the hand around his throat in desperation. He couldn't breathe! At this rate--

Squalo blacked out to the sound of a gasket being sealed as his leg was reattached to the appendage that it'd been made for. When he woke again, he was back in the bedroom again with one subtle difference. He'd been tied up. Both of his cybernetics were once more in place, but both were completely immobile. The bastard wasn't an amateur at tying ropes, either. Not only had he tied each hand individually, but he'd been smart enough to tie them to the bed railings in such a way that Squalo couldn't budge or use his sword. Even his forearms were immobile. If he were to attempt to do a handstand on the railing to give himself the ability to see the knots, he'd get nothing other than broken arms for his efforts. As for his legs, he didn't like the position that he was bound in at all. Even more, he didn't like what was being done to him despite his resolve to ignore it.

"This is punishment for making me pull you out of a gutter and having to listen to your bullshit," the Lunatic growled to let Squalo know that pretending to be unconscious would be pointless. Squalo spat at him in response, but the bastard caught the flying saliva in his hand and dared to use it as lubricant for his fingers. Ignore it, Squalo told himself. No pervert in a mask was going to make him squirm. He'd had much worse done in the past and every single person who insulted him had ended in the same way. This bastard would be no different.

"If you think that you can wait till I'm done and then kill me, you're sadly mistaken," the Lunatic murmured in a soft voice while Squalo felt his insides being probed and stretched. "You're mine and I don't plan to let you go. You can only blame yourself for showing me that you won't come as obediently as Lussuria did. You can no longer leave me, Squalo. If you try, your hand and your leg will explode. You're free to attempt to assassinate me all that you want, but any attempt to disobey my orders will will end with the same result. I think you already know what would happen to you without your limbs."

Squalo flinched, having already considered the fact when his calf had been pierced. Replacements weren't cheap and he didn't have the backing of Vongola like he used to. Without a hand and a leg, any attempt to make the money for himself would be exceedingly difficult. He'd say that an immobile hitman was about as useful as a tree, but that would be an insult to the tree. That was fine, though. The threat just meant that he had to figure out how the bastard had modified his cybernetics--

"By the way," he added as something wet and warm teased his nipple, "if you let anyone but me open the casing to your limbs, they'll blow." Squalo cursed verbally, making the man chuckle in amusement. "You can't beat me, Squalo. The sooner that you accept it, the better off that you'll be. You serve me now."

"I serve Xanxus!" Squalo snapped in open anger. "You're nothing but a half-assed wannabe compared to him! If you think that you can fuck me into submission, then you--!" Choking on the rest of his sentence, he clenched his eyes shut in a refusal to respond to the Lunatic's attempt to make react. It was just a blow job. He hired whores to do it all the time. That was nothing to... ah.... It was nothing that he... He couldn't ignore it. No! He could ignore it! Mind over body. He just had to clear his mind as if.... ah...

"Bastard," Squalo gasped when he realized that it was impossible to ignore it like he wanted to. "You drugged me."

"Why?" The man smirked, sitting up in order to thumb Squalo's weeping tip. "Are you getting into it?"

"I'll kill you," Squalo threatened.

"Try saying that when you can follow through," he laughed as he continued his torture.

* * *

"And you were so close to being my favorite type," Lussuria whined. Squalo couldn't look at him even though the man was setting him free. He couldn't even lift his head due to all the shame that was weighing him down. He'd been completely defeated. The were no windows or clocks in the room to tell him how much time had passed, but he'd been force-fed eight times before he'd lost track and started eating willingly. Whether it'd been over two days with three meals each or over a week with one meal a day, it didn't really matter since his sense of time had long been screwed up by the bastard who'd captured him.

In all honesty, he felt as if he was being set free after a ten year imprisonment. There was an utter lack of excitement for the event and absolutely no hope for the future. He just existed. That man... The vampire Xerxes... He'd been more thorough than anyone that Squalo had ever went up against in the past. Squalo didn't know what to think about him anymore. It wasn't just being fucked by him, although it was a fact that he didn't feel as if his body were his own anymore. It was the skillful way that Xerxes had played with his mind during the process of brainwashing.

The process wasn't over yet, Squalo reminded himself when Lussuria tossed the key to freedom into his lap. For a key, it looked remarkably like a collar for a dog. It was one with Xerxes' emblem centered in the middle with rubies studded around it in the same fashion that Lussuria's bore topaz and it Xerxes' form of marking ownership. He was now something called a blood slave, which he'd agreed to because Xerxes had offered to stop screwing him. He'd been willing to do anything to make him stop after the embarrassing moment that had caught them both off-guard. That moment was so horrible that Squalo turned a bright red at the mere memory. The offer to let him be a blood slave instead of a sex slave was probably Xerxes' way of taking pity on him, since that moment gave the man enough blackmail there wasn't even the option of running away without his cybernetics anymore. He was unlikely to get it, but he wanted whatever had possessed him to call out Xanxus' name to burn in hell. His life was ruined now.

* * *

Xanxus purposely ignored Squalo as he stepped out of the bathroom with his hair still wet from a shower. Despite what Squalo might think, there was nothing personal about what he'd done. The simple fact was that Xanxus knew that Squalo's pride was at a level that was almost equal to his own. The only conceivable way to make such a man submit was to hit him low, fast, and often until his pride buckled under the weight of reality. The reality was that Xanxus wasn't going to let Squalo go off on his own anymore. The reality was that his resolution toward his goals were as half-assed as Xanxus' had been before finding a little twerp named Boo Boo.

All this bullshit about a Xaria and reclaiming their honor was a load of bullshit that Xanxus could smell from a mile away. Giving the Varia a hard time had nothing to do with Xanxus, even though they threw his name around so often. They were just throwing a tantrum because they didn't want to play nice with others. Fucking hell. Squalo deserved to be screwed up the ass a few more times just for turning into such a pile of rotten trash. The only reason that Xanxus wasn't doing it was because he was frankly weirded out by Squalo's final use of his name, especially since he was quite conscious of Squalo's continued lack of recognition. Also, his loyalty and repeated claims to only served Xanxus might have been touching if not for the fact that he was swearing to a man that he believed to be dead.

"What kind of job is it?" Xanxus asked over the video conference that he was having with Lord Nephriam. While he waited on the answer, he absently threw his glass of blood wine at Squalo's head in simple irritation brought on by seeing his face. Squalo dodged it, but the dumbfounded look that he gave Xanxus afterward told him that the long-haired twit had finally--FINALLY-- caught onto Xanxus' real identity. It took him long enough, Xanxus grumbled as he decided to throw the wine bottle for good measure.

"It's nothing Hunter related," Lord Nephriam sighed in boredom. "From every angle, they've completely gone to ground. This is just a simple mote clean-up. Well, I say simple, but it's actually quite complicated. I've sent you a file with the details inside. If you can't succeed, you have orders from the Council to report to Lord Sky for further instructions."

"Van?" Xanxus asked as his full attention went to the conference call. "What does he have to do with this?"

"You'll understand after you read the file," he replied. "It'll be a good opportunity for you. If I've been told correctly, you've collected another blood slave with you, how should we say... unusual... methods."

"I don't hear anyone complaining," Xanxus retorted with a cruel grin.

"I don't supposed that we ever would," the little brat said around a forced cough of discomfort. "I'll let you know if we get any more leads on the Hunters. Until then, I'd like to keep you on exorcist duties. We're dangerously backed up and they need someone with your appetite in several key places. I'll have the details by the time that you're finished with the urgent business that I called about. Perhaps some traveling will--"

"I've got a list of places that I need to go," Xanxus interrupted briskly. "I'll only take jobs that intersect with my own plans and I expect cash on completion. I already paid off my debts by playing general for you assholes, so don't try to negotiate the price. One of my targets doesn't come cheap and Van took half of our fucking stock-market profits when we went in different directions. You're covering travel expenses, too. First class. None of that coach bullshit."

"Anything else?" Lord Nephriam asked sarcastically with his eye twitching at Xanxus' orders.

"A case of quality blood wine and Shotgun comes with me," he answered seriously. "If you're going to make me eat shit, I want something to clear the taste afterward and my two blood-slaves aren't done being re-seasoned."

"I'll consider it," he grumbled as he hung up without so much as a goodbye. As soon as he put his cellphone down, Squalo erupted.

"VOOOIIII! What the fuck--!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Xanxus interrupted quietly while forcing Squalo into dumbfounded silence with an icy glare. "You submitted to Xerxes and don't fucking forget it. Xanxus is dead and the past is dead with him. Get your head out of your ass, Squalo, or I'll put my dick back in it." Despite the threatening nature of the comment, he felt the need to smirk when Squalo's nipples hardened. Three weeks of continuous, intensive training wasn't going to go away overnight. By the time that he did regain control of himself, Xanxus intended for Squalo to once again be completely loyal. For now, it was enough that he was too confused by events to formulate any sort of plan. Squalo's only choice was to follow. It always had been and always would be.

"I'll tell you the same thing that I told Lussuria. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open," he ordered as he slipped on the glove interfaces to his computer contacts. Bringing up Lord Nephriam's file, which held his mission specifications, he absently added, "When we go out, don't speak unless I tell you to speak and don't disobey. No matter what I tell you to do, just fucking do it or I'll kill you. Now, go get ready and tell Lussuria that if he wants to live, he better stop ordering room service just to see the bellhop. We're leaving in twenty minutes for an... assignment..."

Trailing off as he became engrossed in the details of his assignment, he completely understood why Tsuna would be involved. His intuition also told him that there was no possible way for him to do it without Tsuna. It was also impossible for Tsuna to succeed without his or another exorcist's aid. This one absolutely had to be a joint effort, which meant that they absolutely had to see each other. This was also an assignment with a very strict time limit involved. They had to leave immediately and he also had to hope that Tsuna could get there in time or else they'd have to wait another full year for these particular motes to resurface.

There was no time to worry, only time to act.

* * *

Nubo's traditional ballroom location of their annual Halloween party was exactly as Xanxus remembered it, almost. The major difference to be seen was that he was actually in it rather than watching from outside with the rest of the Vongola security team. From the garden, he could pinpoint at least thirty that were present to watch over the Eleventh or one of the other guests attending. The lazy bastards used the same old stations that they always did, which was a major breech of protocol. He had half a mind to go knock some sense into them, but he couldn't since he wasn't Xanxus. He was Xerxes, who had no affiliation with any Family other than Carter.

"Now presenting," the Major Domo called, turning Xanxus and everyone else's attention to the stairwell. "Living fairy tales."

Xanxus cursed, seeing that Hotaru had finally arrived with the rest of his Family. Hotaru and some bimbo were costumed as Cinderella and her Prince Charming. Behind them came Orinato with his date as Rapunzel and her Prince. Ken and his date were Beauty and the Beast while Sugar was Puss-in-Boots. The most curious of them was Hibird's costume. His feathers had been painted black and he held a pebble in his beak, pretending to be the crow from the Aesop's fable, "The Crow and the Pitcher". Toshi was missing since he was playing dead while he impersonated Tsuna for the masses, but Sakura was playing the Boy who Cried Wolf by himself. No, Xanxus amended. He wasn't alone. Reborn and Bianchi came up behind him dressed as a black sheep and a white wolf. Finally, there was Haru and Hibari, costumed as a Fairy Godmother and...

Like everyone else, Xanxus silently turned away and pretended that he saw nothing. The party had a strict costume guideline, but Hibari had always done what he wanted. If he didn't want to be in costume, then it was easier to just ignore him. Although, Xanxus wished that the Major Domo would have known that Xanxus also wasn't in costume. Damnit! This was his normal attire! No matter what Cheri told the guy, they were definitely not Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! And a leash did not make Lussuria and Squalo into their pet prarie dogs! Those leashes were just in place as a reminder to the two that they couldn't act freely! It was also to tell everyone else that the two weren't with him willingly!

Looking at his watch, he growled to himself that Tsuna still wasn't present. This was getting dangerous. If Hotaru looked too closely at him or if SK noticed his Flame, the gig would be over. He wasn't as worried about Dino and the others since he'd rarely come in contact with them in the past, but someone was eventually going to get the courage to ask about Squalo and Lussuria. He'd told Nubo when he arrived that they were battle trophies, but how well was that going to hold? If Hotaru asked for them back to punish them for their interferences, then...

Seeing Hotaru smirk at the leashes on the two, Xanxus knew that there would be no such request. As he'd hoped, the brat considered such humiliation to be more of a punishment than anything that he could do. He'd probably want to know how Xanxus had gotten a hold of them, but--

"N-Now P-Presenting," the Major Domo choked out, startling the assembly into silence. No one ever arrived after Vongola! Xanxus knew who it was, though. After only a glimpse at Tsuna's costume, he could see why the Major Domo was stuttering, too. "V-Vongola the F-f-f-first....." Jaws dropped and eyes widened in shock that someone would dare to dress up as a Vongola Boss for Halloween. It was practically sacrilege!

While guests began muttering and sending sidelong glances to see Hotaru's reaction, Xanxus wanted to curse. Even if he'd kept his mask off, Tsuna was giving off too much of a vibe of his old self with the pin-stripped suit, mantle, and styled blonde wig. In front of all the attention, he held himself too proudly. He was too eye-catching and suavely poised. At this rate--

"He always knew how to make an entrance," Cheri laughed as Tsuna tripped on his too-long mantle and fell down the stairs. His wig went flying off, causing the crowd to explode in surprised laughter when his ponytail fell out and the wig landed at Hotaru's feet. Xanxus wasn't laughing, though. By the time that Tsuna got to his feet again, it was too obvious to him that it'd all been calculated. And it'd worked. Although his choice of costume was still risque, no one was staring at him as if he had some sort of ulterior motives for his choice. He also got Hotaru's approval for the costume by how the Prince Charming laughingly and obliviously tossed his wig back to him.

Xanxus began to step forward to snap at him about being late, but he was stopped before he could ever get started due to the four people that slowly walked down the stairs without being announced. It was understandable that Aster was with him, but it was unexpected that Chrome, Chikusa, and Kiyoshi were also there. Was he _trying _to blow his cover?! He was the one who'd been so damned picky about wearing their masks at all times! Shit, he grumbled to himself. He couldn't berate Tsuna for it even though he wanted to. After all, he was walking around with two of his own Guardians on leashes.

"Can we get this over with?" Xanxus growled, finally stepping forward despite his surprise.

"In a moment," Tsuna replied in complete composure. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he brushed past Xanxus to throw his arms open in greeting to the new Nubo Boss. Nubo himself wasn't the only one taken aback by Tsuna's arrogance when he found himself in a bear hug with a man that he _thought _that he'd never met before. The whole room was frozen in its tracks. First, Tsuna had the balls to come as Vongola the First and, now, he was hugging the host like they were old friends. "Nubo, old buddy, old pal," Tsuna exclaimed in laughter. "It's been forever!"

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he replied as he pried Tsuna off of himself.

"Of course you've had the pleasure," Tsuna chuckled before stepping away. "Who do you think accepted your request for an exorcism?"

"That was you on the phone?" Nubo choked. Xanxus felt like choking with him! If Tsuna had already been aware of the assignment, then why the hell was Xanxus there?! He could have picked up any vampire to help out! "But the hotline--"

"Don't underestimate the Carter Family," Tsuna warned with none of the foolishness of before. "Your voice was recognized and the call was forwarded to me. New York and the surrounding states are my jurisdiction now, so I've come personally to deal with your problem. I've brought a lady-friend to help me," he added, holding out his hand to allow Chrome to demurely step forward. By now, he had the full attention of not only Nubo, but also Cavallone, Vongola, Tomaso, Warwick, and the rest of the allied Family Bosses. "I've also asked Xerxes and Shotgun to be here as seconds, in case I should fail or need aid. I'm glad to see that they had no problems in getting into your fine festival. Is this floor marble?"

"No," he answered in confusion for the sudden question. "It's refinished stone--"

Tsuna interrupted him with a sharp whistle and Flames exploded out from under his mantle in answer. Nubo had no time to react. Just as quickly and coldly as Xanxus knew that Tsuna was capable of being, his dango-Salamanders got to work on his behalf. It began with the red one exploding into its wyvern form. Diving upward into the cathedral ceiling of the ballroom, he did a flip before descending again. Guests ran to the sides of the ballroom in fear, but the Salamander wasn't attacking. He was getting momentum to dig.

"My floor!" Nubo wailed as chunks of tile exploded into the air, followed other building materials and then dirt. By the time that the red one finished, there was a six foot deep hole in the middle of the ballroom and Nubo looked ready to faint. He immediately turned to Tsuna with the intent to demand payment for the damages, but Tsuna was no longer there. Xanxus doubted that anyone other than himself had seen Tsuna move. His strong points had always been how he was quick and agile. His training and experience had given him silence and grace on top of that. If he wanted to, he could have done the whole job without anyone being aware that he was even present. Whatever he was doing, it was clear that he wanted it to be seen.

"All Hallow's Eve," Tsuna said into the sudden silence as the dust began to settle. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a pouch from his pocket and took his time in opening it, as if he were trying to set a mood with a slow pace. "This is the one night of the year when it is said that the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest. This is the night when things better left buried can rise up out of hiding with relative ease." Xanxus smirked, seeing how Kiyoshi was already hard at work without anyone else noticing. The lights were dimming and there was the rumble of thunder even though the sky was clear outside. The bastards were putting on a planned show. "But without life, there cannot be death," Tsuna continued as he emptied the pouch into the hole. Even to Xanxus' eyes, it was hard to tell what the small item was before it was gone. Something small and black was all that he saw.

What happened next was something that no one would forget for the rest of their lives. Even _he _knew that the memory would be etched since it was a glimpse of the true power that Tsuna held in his lithe body. It began with Tsuna pulling out a conductor's wand from under his mantle. The sound of music began to play with his movements, another courtesy of Chrome. He wasn't conducting the music, though. He was conducting his Salamanders, who were all once again in Dango form.

The six colored balls circled around Tsuna for several moments, syncing up their timing as they hovered in a ring. They began bouncing one at a time while slowly breaking ranks to head for the hole. The purple and the green ones dived in. The blue one exploded into wyvern form and began to furiously wave his wings in a way that sent a steady sprinkle of blue sparks down after the other two. Meanwhile, the yellow one hovered high over the hole and also took Wyvern form. Unlike the others, he stayed relatively calm, although he did begin to spin in a wide circle while seeming to become brighter by the second.

For several long minutes, no one could tell what was happening. The blue one kept sprinkling sparks and the yellow one kept spinning in time with Tsuna's music. The indigo one and the red one stayed by Tsuna's side, helping to keep the even tempo with their bouncing. People began murmuring among themselves in soft whispers as if they were afraid to break the mood and several of the more brave guests inched forward to get a better look. It was a little boy who was looking out from behind his mother's legs that first noticed and understood.

"Momma!" He exclaimed before he could be hushed. "Look! It's a vine!"

It was a vine, but it wasn't only a vine that began to crawl out of the hole. In the center, the tip of a baby tree began to peek high enough to be seen. What Tsuna had poured into the hole had been seeds and they were forcing it to grow at a rapid rate. The purple one was propagating them while the blue one fed them with the purified life of a rainfall. The green one was strengthening the roots while the yellow one gave the the same energy as the sun. As the tree began to get bigger, the indigo one darted forward to belatedly do it's job as the mist, protecting, shading, and cooling it. Finally, the red one took action once more, pruning away the weaker leaves and branches while also tending to the vines so that they didn't overwhelm instead of support.

It was the creation and nurturing of life and Tsuna was conducting all of it. From a seed to an apple tree, he watched over it and directed his Salamanders to tending it. Even when it began to get too large to tend on his own, he somehow managed to get help from the guests in finding places where it needed care and he did that without ever saying a word. Xanxus felt a chill go up his spine as he watched. This was Tsuna's Sky. He'd never been one to look down from above like Xanxus was. He'd always wanted to be on the ground and push people upward.

They were too different from each other, even though they had the same Flames within them. Where Tsuna had been born to create, Xanxus could only destroy. Seeing Tsuna work in such a way, Xanxus knew that it was their natures. No matter how he'd tried to change himself in the past, he couldn't change anymore than Tsuna could. Creation and destruction, life and death, love and hate. They were meant to be together and they had no meaning without one another, but seeing this made Xanxus understand something.

Tsuna and himself would always conflict with each other. There was only a thin line where they could meet. If he or Tsuna tried to go past that line, the other would be forced to compensate. Therefore, for Tsuna's sake, he couldn't get involved anymore. His love would only cause Tsuna to change. His proof was how much Tsuna's aura had reverted into that of a Mafia Boss since Xanxus left him. His proof was how Tsuna was glowing from within with the pure orange of his Flame instead of a fragmented rainbow.

"It's your turn Mukuro," Tsuna said as he abruptly stopped conducting. Xanxus' attention snapped to Chrome while Tsuna's hands dropped to his side. When she slowly stepped forward, Xanxus realized that Kiyoshi had been the one to do all of the visual and sound effects. Chrome's work was to be something far different. A mist began forming around her, blocking her from view. The form that stepped forward out of it, Mukuro stood with a smirk and his trident in hand.

"Let's finish this quickly," he yawned with a long stretch. "I'm in the mood for some more of that chili."

"I'll pick up the ingredients on my way back," Tsuna replied with a soft smile. Then, tossing his head toward the tree, he asked, "Do you mind? I don't feel like talking to air."

"Very well," he chuckled. Spinning his trident around in his fingers, he began to stroll around the tree. The Dango stopped in their tending in order to playfully bounce around him in a way that Xanxus didn't like. They were too comfortable around each other. How long had Mukuro been back? Was he the reason that Tsuna hadn't called? At least that explained why Tsuna's Flames had merged into a complete whole. That bastard--

"Need a drink?" Cheri whispered in his ear, reminding him that he was just as guilty as Tsuna was. That was right, Xanxus told himself while he buried his anger. They weren't married and he had his own fucking life. Tsuna could do whatever he damn well pleased. Why should he give a flying fuck? Tsuna only had one Guardian and Xanxus already had two. There was no way that he was any less of a person without the brat.

On Mukuro's second pass around the tree, his work began to be noticeable to Xanxus' eyes. Motes that were invisible to human eyes began to flood in from the garden, dancing around the tree and moving around in odd patterns. On Mukuro's fourth pass, the crowd began to notice that something was happening when the Salamanders sped outside. When they returned, they had their tails wrapped around the handles of several large tubs. On Mukuro's sixth cheerful pass, the tree's fruit began to move on their own. The watching guests began to panic that there were ghosts, but Xanxus could see that it was the mote's doing.

"Wait--!" Tsuna shouted when Xanxus and Cheri both began to move forward to work. "Not yet," he pleaded, causing the crowd to freeze alongside both of them. "Let Mukuro finish."

"Hurry up," Cheri growled with a hungry look in her eyes. "I haven't seen a feast this good in a while. If you plan to let them get away..."

"I won't," he promised as he turned back to look at the tree with sorrowful eyes. "I know that they're just leftover phantoms, but they were created with the feelings that Vongola the First had for his beloved wife and mistresses. The Council has been honoring the First's wishes by leaving them untouched for so long, but they've had time to evolve and learn. Now that they've grown restless enough to interact with humans, it's my responsibility to deal with them. I'm ordering as a Councillor, Shotgun. Please follow my wishes and wait."

"Just do it," Xanxus grumbled when Cheri growled in distaste for how Tsuna pulled rank. Xanxus wasn't agreeing because of that, however. He was agreeing because Tsuna was the First's bloodline and he now understood why Tsuna had come dressed as he had. This many evolved motes could be dangerous if angered like they would be if one of their own were suddenly murdered before their eyes. Tsuna was planning to negotiate a peaceful end.

"Why do you hide your face from me, Giotto?" A feminine voice echoed through the hall as Mukuro finally gave the motes the forms of a dozen beautiful women in dated dresses. The guests murmured and whispered excitedly among themselves as delicate hands abruptly appeared around the apples that were being plucked and placed into the wyvern's tubs. Illusionary ladders appeared to make people less frightened by how the 'ghosts' were hovering and Mukuro began playing an illusionary violin for the girls to dance to while they continued their harvest. It was as if none of them could see the people watching, with the sole exception of one ghostly woman that stepped forward to caress the side of Tsuna's face. "I can feel it. I know that it's you. I've missed you so much, my love. Please, I beg you to let me see--"

"I can not," Tsuna replied formally. Reaching up to grab the woman's hands, he pulled her into a hug where she melted against him like they were lovers reunited. "You are beguiled, sweet woman. This is All Hallow's Eve and we are both disguised as something we are not. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"I understand," she agreed without letting go. "We all know. We all understand. We've been watching for so long. We want to go to where Giotto is, but we know that we can not. We beg of you. Even if we are merely teardrops left behind out of love and sadness, we wish to pretend for a time that you are him."

"You fill me with grief, although I did not know you in life," Tsuna murmured softly. "It is I who beg you not to make this more difficult. Surely this brief illusion has been enough to give you satisfaction."

"We... are satisfied," she whispered slowly as she let go. Turning around to look at the rest of the ghostly women who were still plucking fruit from the tree, she smiled and opened her arms as if to cheer. "It's time to go!" She exclaimed with a sad smile. Every one of the girls responded to the statement, jumping off of their ladders and dropping apples everywhere. While the Salamanders pulled the tubs of fresh fruit to a safe distance behind Tsuna, the girls disappeared into the tree one after another until only one was left. The last one plucked a particularly fat piece of fruit from the tree and smiled before tossing it into Tsuna's surprised hands. "That should buy you some time, so get well soon," the head mistress ordered before melting into the tree with a farewell wave.

"Thank you," Tsuna mumbled, tucking the apple into hiding under his mantle. Looking over at Xanxus, he nodded mournfully in an order to go to work. "I'll leave the rest to you. Don't try to save the tree," he ordered as he waved to Aster, the Dango, and Mukuro's team to follow him towards the exit. He paused momentarily like he wanted to say something, but Xanxus pointedly turned his back on him. There was work to do and he wouldn't be doing Tsuna any favors by letting business mix with pleasure. Or displeasure as the case might be. He knew that Tsuna and himself would get things worked out eventually, so things were fine like they were at the moment. Tsuna was beginning to move on his goals and Xanxus was moving on his own. Getting distracted was the last thing that either of them needed. "Don't get so drunk that you'll miss class on Monday," Tsuna called out to the minors attending the party before disappearing out the door.

Once he was gone, the effects of the illusionists went with him. The light returned to normal and the ballroom stopped rumbling with thunder. People began to once again talk in normal voices and children began to run forward to play on the tree.

"If you touch that, a demon will come out and kill you," Squalo called before the first brat actually reached it. Xanxus turned around and put his fist into Squalo's gut, doubling him over in punishment for speaking out of turn. Nubo began to march forward in sudden remembrance of how his floor had been destroyed, but Xanxus put out a hand to forestall him.

"They're not gone yet," he stated with a warning glare. Nubo froze and stood motionless as Xanxus walked past him, suddenly too frightened to interfere with Xanxus' work. It was good since Xanxus could now see why Tsuna had called him to attend, though. Even with Cheri's help, eating a dozen evolved motes and a tree was going to give him a serious power trip.

"You might want to take the kids out to the garden," Cheri added as she followed him. "This part isn't something that innocents need to see."

"But my party..." Nubo objected weakly.

"It's your fucking fault for having it even though you knew that this was the only damn night that we could deal with this shit," Xanxus snarled, seeing how Cheri was bristling at the idea of managing around children. "Just move them out for twenty minutes. It won't fucking kill you, but I will."

"Wha..." Nubo stared at him blankly for a long moment. Xanxus didn't plan to explain himself, though. Instead, he tossed his hat to Squalo while Cheri tossed her own into Lussuria's keeping to make the two useful.

"Lets give it a coating first in case they change their minds about going willingly," Cheri suggested as they stepped forward to the tree itself. It was glowing in Xanxus' eyes, ripe with energy that was as pure as Tsuna's. Xanxus nodded in agreement and reached into his trenchcoat to pull out a grenade. It was amusing to see how the Nubo got his lazy ass in gear at the sight of Xanxus pulling the pin on it, even though it wasn't the shrapnel grenade that the man feared. It was one of Xanxus' mote traps and the cloud of smoke that erupted of it reeked of incense.

Tossing the object up towards the ceiling, he ensured that the whole tree was coated with the smoke particles to create a barrier before he continued. Even if the women wanted to, there was no possible way for them to leave the living tree in front of him now except to return to the earth through the tree's roots. Doing that would be doing his job for him since the energy of a mere individual would become overwhelmed and lost in the greater energy of the planet's core.

"I'll go first," Cheri offered. Xanxus nodded and let her. While she worked, putting her hands on the trunk to begin siphoning the tree's energy, he kept a watchful eye on the few guests who hadn't rushed for the door. The tree was probably giving off a supernatural chill to the humans due to how much life was currently stuffed into it and he had to ensure that they didn't fuck with it. For a werewolf like Tsuna, eating a piece of fruit that was so potent with life would probably give him his own version of a power trip. For a human like Dino Cavallone or Reggie Nubo, the fruit of the tree could only cause harm. That was probably why Tsuna had harvested the apples before the women had merged. It was so that the curious could taste without the side affects that the fruit still hanging from the branches would have.

Xanxus also understood now why Tsuna had grown a new tree instead of going out into the garden to work. In this way, the women had something with the same affinity as the grove in order to merge with and the First's grove of trees weren't destroyed in the process of removing the motes. Also, Nubo only had to repair a floor, which was a lot cheaper than trying to refill a whole garden with trees that were several centuries old. History wasn't quite as replaceable as tile.

"Break it off," Xanxus ordered when Cheri's hair began to rise with the static discharge that came with overfeeding. Cheri obeyed the order instantly, breaking off her connection with the tree as she stumbled toward him with an incredibly satisfied expression on her face. Xanxus knew the look and he knew what she was probably feeling. Being drunk on pure power was an experience that no one could understand until they experienced it.

Despite having taken in such a large quantity of the tree's life energy, the leaves around the edges were barely withered after Cheri's attempt. That was fine, though. It was his turn and it'd been estimated that his appetite was equal to around four of the more mediocre vampire exorcists. Eating what he guessed to be seven and a half motes plus a tree would be pushing his limits, but he could manage even though he couldn't use his X-Guns to discharge the excess so that his appetite was infinite. He had to be careful since Hotaru was watching from thirty feet away, but there were other methods that he could use.

Pulling his arm out of his sleeve, he waved Lussuria forward after Cheri retrieved her hat from him. Lussuria already knew what to do from a previous side assignment in Rome. He stayed in range, kept his mouth shut, and waited. After he was in place, Xanxus temporarily forgot about him while he picked a comfortable place to rest his hands against the tree's trunk. Once he had his contact point, he began to carefully vamp the life force from it while keeping an eye on what was going on above himself. To ensure that nothing survived, he had to kill it at an even rate so that the tree withered. If he ate too fast, parts of it would turn to ash and the tree would fragment in a way that would make their job twice as hard.

The leaves began to die, turning orange and then brown before lifelessly falling off. Xanxus ignored those as intentional and continued to focus on the core of the tree. The bark of the tree began to peel as he felt his reserves noticeably begin to fill and the sound of creaking, straining wood began to echo in the nearly empty ballroom. As soon as the last strip of bark fell off, Xanxus picked up his pace. Once the branches were dead a few moments later, he had nothing to fear from an over-sized log.

He pulled the energy into himself, turning the dead limbs into dust before they could break off. He pulled the energy into himself, turning the tree black as the last traces of life were drained from it. He pulled the energy into himself until he was overflowing with enough power that his nerves felt as if they were sizzling and his muscles felt as if they were close to exploding from his body. This was the point that Lussuria went to work, although Xanxus couldn't feel it. No matter how much the man punched, kicked, or struck with a knife, the overload of power made his body heal it before the pain reached him.

By forcing his body to heal, however, he was using the energy that he otherwise wouldn't need. It gave him that little extra room to feed until there were no traces left of the tree outside of the fallen leaves, a bed of humus filling the hole in the middle of the ballroom, and two handfuls of ash. Xanxus let go of the ash and reached out to grab Lussuria's ankle before he could strike again, silently telling him to stop. To his eyes, there was no longer any trace of the motes left. Whatever residual energy that was in the leaves would dissipate as they naturally decomposed.

It was over.

"The ghosts are gone and won't be back," Xanxus stated with a sidelong glance at his audience. Feeling slightly malicious since they were staring at him so strangely, he decided to add something else before Nubo could start whining about his floor again. "Good luck with the kobolds."

"Kobolds?" Nubo gasped with an indescribable look on his face.

* * *

Author's Notes: My beta is on vacation, so please forgive any minor mistakes. Also...

Welcome Back Gintan and KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

gintan. deviantart. com/art/Il-Cavaliere-FireFly-130912018


	115. Chapter 115 First Day

Gunpowder. Marijuana. Silicon. Ink. Bruise ointment. Hair gel.

No one noticed him as he tried to sort through all of the scents that were passing through the courtyard. Of course, few had the training that would make them look up, either. That was the very reason that Tsuna had decided to start the day on the rooftop. It was hard to think of himself as a Tutor, but he'd put some serious thought into how he was going to portray one. He wasn't one to give hour-long lectures, although he could if he had to. He also didn't like the idea of only focusing on one or two students to teach instead of the whole school, although he had his eye on one or two that would blossom with some help.

Having already broke into the secretary's office to retrieve the school's roster and lesson plans, he had the other Tutor's reports to use in formulating a plan. Three of them were taking the middle road by focusing on particular year-groups so that there could be no claims of favoritism. One of the other two was taking the opposite approach by taking special cases. The last one had taken to sporadically assigning himself to a classroom for a day.

All three plans were good ones, but none of it was what Tsuna felt needed to be done. Too much attention could be as harmful as too little since it made them spread themselves out. What the school needed was a Tutor who wasn't as easy to access and someone who took on cases that seemed to be a waste of time. He needed to be someone that the desperate would seek out and the rest of the students learned from without knowing that they were being taught. Again, that was the reason that Tsuna was sitting on the roof despite the crisp chill in the air. It might not happen on the first day or even in the first week, but the students would learn to look up without his prodding.

Chuckling to himself, Tsuna watched as his first water balloon hit its mark. The second one was pink, so he aimed for a girl while the first boy spluttered over being soaked. Her horrified scream after she was hit was music to his ears. Attention flew upward to him, but he didn't go for a third. He just smiled and waved and waited for the current crop of students to leave the courtyard so that he could take another set unawares.

Seeing a rare girl with a red tie instead of a yellow one, he instantly changed his mind and threw out an extra. His interest was perked when the girl was the first to dodge his attack. She didn't even look up, keeping her eyes on the ground in a way that was incredibly familiar. To test it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. With a carefully aimed flick, it landed in the girl's intended path and Tsuna waited. His guess was confirmed when she picked it up without missing a step.

Using his interface, he marked her for recognition scanning. If he came by her again in the future, his eye would remind him of this event. Someone with those kinds of habits and reactions needed attention. There were plenty of people in the Mafia who had once lived on the streets and always kept an eye out for fallen change, but they rarely made it into Don Girarde so young. It was far more typical for years to pass and those habits to be wiped away before their Boss sent them into such a place.

The next one that caught his eye was a boy in a blue tie. Tsuna recognized the shorty as the kid with the good deductive reasoning skills at Mafia Land; the one who had first realized that Tsuna had an eye implant. To test him, Tsuna chucked a water balloon. The arc was good and there were still plenty of people in the courtyard who were looking up at Tsuna, but the boy still got nailed. Tsuna spat in disappointment. That guy needed a lot of work. Tsuna remembered how much potential he had, but it didn't seem as if he'd harnessed any of it.

Pulling out a cigarette, Tsuna held off on the water balloons for a while. This was still just the early-bird arrivals. There was no sense in showing too much of his hand this early and it was going to get harder to successfully attack as word spread. That was why he snapped his fingers to start Plan B while he just watched. His Salamanders had been waiting for the cue. As seemingly innocent puffballs, they spread themselves out through the courtyard and began to play.

Alright, he admitted to himself as several students began to frantically defend themselves, the Dango Brothers were harassing. Fog took to flipping up girl's skirts while Bolt bounced from one head to another. Hurricane blasted from one end of the courtyard to the other, knocking down anyone in his path while Heatwave exploded in unsuspecting student's faces to blind them. Sprinkle made good on his name, sending a shower of sparks onto the heads of the unwary to send them sprawling with a sudden nap, and Cirrus watched it all in boredom from Tsuna's feet.

Although it created chaos in the courtyard, there was a point to it all. That point was to make the students put up their guard. They were all too oblivious and naively trusting that they were safe on school grounds. They were in the Mafia, though. No where was safe and they needed to wake up. It might seem cruel and unfair to the student's eyes, but Tsuna could already predict the result. A few weeks of having to deal with such attacks and there wouldn't be anyone left who entered school grounds with a relaxed air. He was doing them a favor by putting them on edge.

Whistling for the Dango Brothers to return to his side, he ignored all of the outraged and dumbfounded stares that were sent up at him. No one understood what he was doing, but the Tutor band around his arm gave him license. No one could stop him and they didn't have to understand as long as they learned. At least, that was how Reborn had always taught him. Although he'd hated it and had thought that Reborn was nuts, he had to admit that it'd been effective in pulling out his potential. Everyone in this school had potential or they wouldn't be present, therefore they were all targets for his method of teaching.

For ten minutes, he went back to just watching the student while he smoked. The courtyard slowly cleared again until the entering students were oblivious to the mayhem that they missed. During that time, Cirrus flew off for a moment. When he returned, he bounced on Tsuna's left shoulder eight times to tell him the number of students who were waiting in safety to witness the next wave. That number increased as Tsuna repeated the same series of attacks to unsuspecting arrivals.

"Having fun?"

"Not really," Tsuna answered as he chucked another water balloon at a veteran Mafioso with a black tie. He didn't look up at where Alijah was standing over him with her blue panther-Salamander. "Pathetic," he grumbled as the veteran proved to be just as blind as the rest of the students. "I've only had one miss so far. You'd think that Mafioso would be more conscious of snipers."

"I see," Alijah murmured as she caught onto his plan. Sitting down next to him, she relaxed on the slanted roof while the Dango waited for their cue. "So which guy did you miss? If you give me a description, I can probably--"

"It was a girl," he corrected, finally glancing over at the woman while he sent the Dango to work again. She looked pretty much the same as she had in the teacher's exams, although there was a new scar across her lips that told him that she hadn't been idle. "I haven't had time to cross reference for her identity, but it shouldn't be hard. There's not that many with red ties."

"Ross," she supplied instantly. "Don't bother, Van. That one has more pride than sense and she's a trouble-maker to boot. Both Thunderbelly and Hart have tried to help her, but she won't give either of them the time of day. She's gotten in three fights with Poison Scorpion Bianchi, the Home Economics teacher, and she sent her Etiquette instructor to the hospital to get stitches. She's been up for expulsion nine times, but the Dean keeps letting her off since no one can deny that she has potential. She the only person to have made Vongola the Eleventh admit a defeat."

"Ooh," Tsuna murmured in growing excitement. The more that he heard, the more interested that he was. He could understand the fights, since he'd already noticed that she was like him. Wasting food with poison and the snobbery of fine dining were sure to rub her the wrong way. "What Family is she from?" He asked curiously before recalling the Dango Brothers with a whistle.

"Martelli," Alijah answered. "She's their version of a Cloud Guardian, so I've been tempted to call in Hibari for--"

"No," he interrupted as understanding fell in place. She wasn't just like him. She _was _him as he'd been when he'd been Lazarus. She just didn't have the drive or a good reason to assimilate. "Leave her to me for now. I've got a few ideas." Tsuna paused, seeing that someone was actually stopping in the courtyard to look up at him. Marking the guy for facial recognition, Tsuna grinned to himself at how easy it was becoming to find targets.

"Surprising choice," Alijah chuckled when she saw what he was looking at. "Nothing stands out about that one, but he's not at the bottom of his classes either."

"The average and the hopeless ones are the ones that I'm looking for," he explained with a satisfied grin for how the man stepped aside to avoid the balloon that Tsuna lobbed at him. "I'm going to work school-wide like this for a while, but I'm collecting names. Warn the others that I'm taking over on the Ross girl. I don't want to step on any toes."

"Tell them yourself," she replied as she got to her feet. "I've got to go wake up one of my student that your blue meatball just put to sleep." Tsuna chuckled to himself when she jumped off the side of the roof to give her student a wakeup call from hell.

It was difficult to ignore Hotaru when he entered the grounds with Orinato beside him, but Tsuna did so.... for the most part. The crowd of girls that rushed out to meet him and warn him of Tsuna's attacks before he got halfway across the courtyard was a little too sickening. The crowd of those watching to see the next wave had been increasing this whole time, but no one else had gotten such consideration. Therefore, Tsuna punished the entire lot by sending a hail of water-ballons that were unavoidable. The girls started screaming as they got drenched one after another, but Tsuna was careful to hit each of them only once. He left Hotaru and Orinato untouched since they'd glanced up before being warned, but the rest were fair game.

In the commotion, he sent Bolt down with a message for Hotaru. It was the only message that Tsuna planned to send him for the near future. He was too biased to really teach Hotaru anything, so Tutoring him was out of the question. However, his message would hopefully bring the boy to him out of curiosity. Hotaru's face became covered in confusion as he accepted the origami crane, but he took it with a glance up at where Tsuna was still hurling water-balloons. Then his face cleared, understanding the message incompletely. He got that Tsuna was reminding him of the challenge to figure out his identity, but the boy still didn't understand why Tsuna had chosen the crane as a carrier for his message in his first place. He would, though. Time always brought a conclusion; Tsuna just had to be patient until Hotaru was ready.

By the time that he was done, he only had three water balloons left and the courtyard was empty since everyone had finally run for cover. Those water-balloons were saved so that he could nail any stragglers that came in late. He was glad that he did since the three unlucky fellows to be targeted after the bell rang also proved to be the type to look up. Two were smart enough dodge successfully, but the unlucky one who came in last actually dodged _into _the line of fire. After he stopped laughing, Tsuna marked him for attention. The boy had the senses and the reflexes, but his downfall had been from second-guessing himself.

Four. It was a good number to start out with. It wasn't the best, but he didn't want to spread himself too widely. There was the girl and the shorty from Mafia Land. There was the obscure guy that had looked up and the unlucky one who'd come in late. Pulling up their images from his eye's memory banks, he cross referenced their images with the ones that he'd scanned from the school's records. Rosalind Roxanne Jazz, John "Napoleon" Doe, "Mad Mutt" Murlock and Chin were an unlikely bunch, but he saw incredible potential resting in all of them.

Information gathering first, he decided. There was no point in rushing into anything since those four still had two and a half years of study ahead of them. The same went for Hotaru. Whether the disease took Tsuna within a year or Mukuro extended that time out indefinitely with his illusions, his own situation had no bearing on these kids' futures. They already had the willpower and the determination to move forward. The only reason for his existence in their lives was to teach them things that would smooth the way, starting with the short brat from Mafia Land who was nicknamed Napoleon.

Just like he'd been told when he accepted the Tutoring position, no one stopped him when he barged into the boy's class. The teacher broke off his lecture mid-sentence to stare and the students all perked up in interest, but Tsuna ignored them all in the beginning. Instead, he carelessly found himself a seat in the teacher's chair and propped his feet up on the man's desk to get comfortable.

"Ooh, a pen," he mumbled, snatching the item from next to his feet. Rolling it between his fingers as an exercise in nimbleness and to keep himself amused, he let the silence and the confusion stretch until there wasn't anyone in the room who thought that he was threatening. "Go ahead," he said absently. "Pretend that I'm not here."

"Okay," the teacher agreed. Tsuna waited until the man turned back to the students and the students relaxed in disappointment in order to interrupt again.

"I change my mind," Tsuna said, flipping the pin into the air to practice catching instead. "Let's play a game. Twenty questions," Tsuna said. "Everyone split up into three groups. You get five questions a piece to ask me. Whoever correctly guesses my true identity wins a prize. If you can impress me even a little bit, then your team can skip the punishment game. Pick your captains wisely, because your futures depend on it. We'll start as soon as everyone is settled."

"Three teams means that there's only fifteen questions, though," a girl in the front row objected as the class immediately began separating. Tsuna sent her a wink that explained nothing and gestured for her to continue what she was doing. As he thought would happen, the three captains ended up being three men with more charisma than brains. One was a brash loudmouth with a lack of patience. One was a delegate who couldn't think for himself. The last was decisive but also reckless.

Standing up, Tsuna walked around the room to see how the different groups were handling themselves. The other teacher helped, throwing in ideas and answering some of the more obvious questions that logic could have figured out. Also as he expected, each group had one or two of the quiet types like Napoleon. They were probably brilliant, but they each had a look in their eyes that said speaking up would only be troublesome.

"You," Tsuna said, startling Napoleon into lurching in place with a pat on his shoulder. "Go stand at the blackboard. Also, you, you.... you, you, and you." Grinning to himself, Tsuna waited to explain until the quiet members that he'd picked were separated despite their confusion. "You guys are team four. You get the last five questions, so pick your captain wisely. Feel free to talk while we get this started. Let's see..." Looking over the groups, he decided that the reckless one would be his safest bet to waste questions. "Yes or no questions only. Anything else will waste a question. Teacher, please keep track of the questions on the blackboard. Take as much time as you need in deciding what to ask. I'll only answer questions from the Captains, but the rest of you are free to add input. You, Blondie, stand up and go first."

"Is Van Wolfe your real name?" The boy asked instantly.

"Yes," Tsuna answered slowly, taking into consideration that it really was his name at the moment.

"Were you ever a member of the Vongola Family?"

"Yes," Tsuna admitted with a feral smile as he continued to stroll around the room. The boy was too predictable.

"Why did you leave?" He asked in excitement. The boy was immediately smacked over the head by his teammates and Tsuna simply shrugged. The teacher marked it down as his third question, although it couldn't be answered since it required more than a yes or no.

"Are you really a vampire?" He continued at his teammates' urging.

"No..." Tsuna grimaced, stretching the word out to let the kids know that it could possibly be a yes. He was a form of a vampire, but he wasn't permitted to call himself a vampire. Therefore, the technical answer was no while the personal answer was yes.

"Are you human?" A girl asked. Tsuna paused and looked at the captain, waiting for the boy to repeat the question to make it official. Once he did, Tsuna gave them an answer that put a bee in their ears.

"Yes," Tsuna grinned, taking into account that he was still considered half-human. "That's five. We'll go with Mr. Sunshine next." It was amusing that no one questioned who the nickname referenced. The only captain who could be called Mr. Sunshine was the smiling delegate. He stood up and put his hands behind his back, silently telling Tsuna that the boy thought that he had a hidden card.

"When you were in Vongola, did you answer to Vongola the Tenth?"

"No," Tsuna answered, being slightly more careful about his choices. Technically, he never had to answer to himself. He had to answer to the rest of the Family.

"Did you answer to Vongola the Eleventh?"

"No."

"Did you answer to Vongola the Ninth," he continued with a confused gleam slipping into his expression.

"Yes," he admitted. He was faintly impressed, but he was also disappointed. The boy had wisely narrowed down a piece of information on him, but he'd wasted three questions to do it. If he'd been smart, he would have asked about the Ninth first since the period of the Tenth's reign had been a fairly short one. Having little brains actually worked in this boy's favor, though, since he turned back to discuss with his team before asking the next question. "Che," he spat as one girl pointed out something very helpful to Tsuna. "Are you a werewolf?"

"Yes," Tsuna grinned in satisfaction. The question and answer had the effect of completely erasing the benefit of the previous three questions. A werewolf's abilities were just as unknown as a vampires', therefore they had no way of knowing whether he'd been in Vongola at the beginning of the Ninth's reign, the middle, or the end. Putting this together with his hesitant answer about being a vampire and his humanity, his age was now an unknown factor.

"Were you forced to leave Vongola?" He asked for his final question.

"Hmm..." Tsuna murmured in thought. That was a hard one. Technically, no one had forced him to leave. He'd done it on his own. However, the question didn't specify whether a person had forced him to leave or his own conscience had. That meant that he could answer, "Yes," before prompting to the loudmouth to go next.

"Do you shape-shift during a full moon?" He blurted, proving that he was completely ignoring the goal.

"No," Tsuna smiled.

"Do you drink blood?" He asked quickly despite how his teammates were choking over the meaningless questions.

"Yes," he admitted with his smile fading. The answer had the effect of bringing the whole class to a standstill with the sole exception of the loudmouth who was willing to ask callously personal questions that had nothing to do with his identity.

"Will you die if you don't?"

"No," he answered with a scowl.

"What about Vongola? Are they the reason that you're a werewolf?"

"No," Tsuna answered with his smile lighting back up. "That last one was two questions. Last team. Whoever is your captain, step forward and begin." As he'd hoped, Napoleon stepped forward while the brash loudmouth slowly realized that he'd completely wasted his chance. Tsuna pushed all of them out of his mind, though. Here was the reason for the whole game. He wanted to see if Napoleon was still as bright as Tsuna remembered. He also wanted to ensure that the boy got a chance to shine for the first time in his life.

"You answered to Vongola the Ninth, but were you still part of Vongola during the Tenth's era?" He asked carefully.

"Yes," Tsuna answered with overwhelming pride blossoming in his chest. He hadn't been wrong. Napoleon was just as quick-witted as Tsuna remembered. With one question, he'd narrowed down a time period that was less than ten years long.

"Is the reason that you wear a mask because you're afraid that you'll be recognized by someone currently within Vongola?"

"Yes," he continued slowly. His intuition was spiking in warning for the first time, telling him that he had to be careful or else the little brat might actually catch him with only five questions. If he were to be recognized by someone currently in Vongola, that meant that he'd been more involved with the Tenth and Eleventh's reign despite answering to the Ninth. That narrowed down the list of suspects incredibly.

"If you took off your mask, would Vongola the Eleventh recognize you?" Napoleon asked dispassionately. Tsuna took a moment to consider his answer. It was unlikely that Hotaru had very many memories of him after all of these years and Pink had stated that it was difficult to recognize him even though she'd seen him constantly in the past. Like everyone else, Hotaru was probably too blinded by the split Flames of his Salamanders to recognize the Sky within Tsuna, so, at the moment, the answer could only be one thing.

"No," Tsuna murmured. Napoleon paused for several long minutes, thinking to himself while the rest of his team also took on considering expressions. The next question was asked without their aid, however.

"Do you have some involvement with the reason why Vongola the Ninth didn't come out of retirement after the Tenth's death?"

"Eh?" Tsuna blurted in surprise. "They still haven't..." Tsuna immediately zipped his lips shut and stared at the ground so as not to give anything away with his expression. He felt faintly ill, however. If the world still thought that the Ninth was retired, then did Hotaru not know about the Vongola Crypt? How the hell had that slipped past notice before now? Then again, even the people that Tsuna had taken down there against tradition had no idea of how to open the passage safely. Was the Crypt going to become a lost Vongola secret? Hotaru's intuition should have...

"Wolfe-sensei?" Napoleon prompted in open surprise. Looking up, Tsuna grimaced at how the students were staring at him. He'd taken the game and Napoleon's intelligence a little too lightly. He still had to answer, though, and it didn't feel right to lie.

"Yes," he sighed in resignation. "Last question. Choose ca--"

"Is the Ninth dead?" Napoleon asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"You ask a dangerous question," Tsuna warned as he slipped back into the teacher's chair before his knees could give out. "Are you sure that you want the answer to that? You can change--"

"Yes," he snapped as his face turned red with anger. Tsuna had to smile at him for his courage and his honesty. He might be small and quiet like Aster, but Napoleon was ten times more bold. No one could ever say that he was cold or slow, either. "Cavallone are Vongola's allies! If something has happened to the Ninth, then the Eleventh--"

"Don't be so naive," Tsuna interrupted coldly. "Do you really think that the Eleventh doesn't know the answer to that question? He would have been the first to look for the Ninth's body. To answer your question..." Keeping his head up proudly, he refused to show any weakness to the students. He wasn't going to lie about it. There was no reason to since the answer would only force the boy and the rest of his classmates to jump to the wrong conclusion. It also gave him a perfectly legitimate cover for no longer being in Vongola. "Yes," he answered while imitating one of Xanxus' cruel smiles. "Your five questions are up. What's your guess?"

"You were a Vongola hitman who went on the run after murdering Vongola the Ninth!" The loudmouth exclaimed.

"Close, but no cigar," Tsuna chuckled. "That's not an identity. That's a personal history. Anyone else?"

"I have one," Napoleon murmured, causing Tsuna's Flame to spike erratically in warning. "Are you..." Tsuna held his breathe, feeling as if he was about to have his head lopped off. This kid was too smart! "Nah," he laughed as he shook his head. "I don't know enough about Vongola's retired hitmen to make use of the information I got. I'd have to do a lot of research to even get guesses."

"You still did pretty well," Tsuna replied carefully. This kid--! Tsuna's estimation of him rose even higher upon seeing the sharp gleam in his eyes. He had more than just a little guess. He had a guess that could blow the lid open on Tsuna's identity, but he was keeping quiet because information gave him power. He was everything that Tsuna had hoped for. "I'll admit that I'm impressed with you and your team. Your questions were well thought out and you even made me sweat a bit."

"It was all Napoleon," a girl from his team said. "We made some suggestions, but he's the one that figured out how to keep from wasting questions."

"Even so, all of you are exempt from the punishment game," Tsuna soothed before turning back to the rest of the class. "I want the rest of you outside in the courtyard during lunch. I--" Tsuna froze, smelling something that he shouldn't. "Oh shit," he gasped. Looking around for a place to hide, he knew that under the desk wasn't enough. There was only one exit and Reborn would kill him if he broke one of the windows. The ceiling! Jumping up onto the teacher's desk, he ignored how much everyone was staring at him in order to retreat. At least, he tried. He got half of his body into the crawlspace before the door opened as he feared.

"Sweetheart!" Adie Drake called in a sing-song voice. Tsuna choked as a hand grabbed his ankle and yanked him out of his escape route with one sharp pull. Landing flat on his back on the desk, he groaned as he looked up to see the smiling face of one very angry woman. "You haven't been avoiding me since you got back, now have you?"

"Of course not," Tsuna blatantly lied. "I was just on my way to see you."

"Sure you were," she growled sarcastically. Tsuna attempted to give her a winning smile, but she wasn't in the forgiving mood. With her grip still on his ankle, she started dragging him toward the door with a callous and brutal power that just wasn't fair. She didn't stop when he slid off the desk and landed on the floor. She didn't stop despite hit attempts to grab onto desks or the door-frame. She didn't stop for the stairs or the courtyard. She didn't stop at all until she'd dragged him out to where her car was waiting and threw him inside against his will.

"Did you bring it," Tsuna asked as Adie got in next to him. Adie grinned once the door was closed and nodded. She'd brought what he'd asked for, which meant that he owed her one. "Merci, Madame," Tsuna murmured, taking up the back of her hand to kiss it as if it wasn't capable of the cold and cruel grip that she'd just used on him. "Vous êtes un ange dans ma période d'ennui isolé."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she chuckled. "You owe me dinner and a show for this."

"As you wish," he laughed while wondering what kind of expressions that his students probably had on their faces.

* * *

The rest of the morning was practically uneventful. After clearing his targets with the other tutors, he stopped in at several more classrooms to challenge them to figure out his identity. Although it was risky, he did it for three reasons. The first was to negate any thinking on Hotaru's part that he was special for being challenged in the same way. He was special, but it would do him no good to know it. The second was to make the mystery into something commonplace. By forcing out everyone's curiosity now, people would give it up as unimportant much more quickly. After all, he couldn't truly care about being found out if he was challenging them to uncover it. At least, that's what he wanted them to think. The third reason was to get the students working together toward a common goal.

He was the talk of the school by the time that classes were dismissed for lunch. Everyone was talking and logically trying to narrow down the list of good questions to ask, not knowing that Tsuna no longer planned to challenge anyone to that particular game. The amusing part was to see how many people actually showed up to the courtyard for the punishment game. There was nearly eighty students gathered by the time that the last ones arrived and Tsuna didn't feel like being particularly cruel.

He was satisfied with just being a little irritating.

"Bunny-hop around the school once and you're free to go," Tsuna called from the second-floor hallway window as his six Salamanders flew out to oversee things for him. "Don't try to cheat. The Dango Brothers are going to be watching." Seeing their unbelieving expressions, he laughed to himself as he headed for the cafeteria. The punishment was so light as to be non-existent while also being a harsh punishment out of the sheer embarrassment factor.

The part that made the punishment irritating was Tsuna's reason for giving it.

"Two of everything and an extra plate of blood sausages please," Tsuna grinned, being first in line to pick up his lunch. He was first because everyone else was outside doing bunny-hops or watching the ones doing bunny-hops. The ladies behind the food counter stared at him in disbelief for the size of his order, but he simply continued to smile until his tray was filled with what he'd asked for. His stomach rumbled in glee at the mouth-watering aromas. It wasn't Aster's cooking, but it wasn't the normal high-school fare either. The prices were still as eye-popping as he remembered, too. Even with his Tutor's discount, he could feel his wallet deflating in his coat pocket.

Aster was the reason that he was willing to pay for it, though. That guy had been constantly by his side for the better part of a year now. Buying food from a protected source like Don Girarde was the only way to give the guy a break. Aster already oversaw his breakfast and dinner being made. By eating at the school, Tsuna was giving Aster nearly eight hours of relaxation a day. It was the least that he could do to make up for being so high-maintenance before now. Of course, if it hadn't been for Mukuro's willingness to constantly twist Tsuna's perceptions so that he didn't feel a need to cough, Tsuna knew that he wouldn't have been able to let Aster leave his side at all.

He had to ignore his instinct to sit in the same corner table that he'd always used before. Instead, he chose a table that was in the center of the cafeteria so that he had a better chance to listen in to conversations that would be going on in every direction. It was also a wise choice from a teacher's point-of-view since putting himself in the center made it easier for him to reach any corner of the room within seconds in the event that a fight broke out and it gave him a clear visual on the entrance. The only real problem was how his back itched at being so exposed and the fact that he was the center of attention when people began to belatedly arrive.

Pretending to care about nothing other than his food, he ignored the curious looks and he ignored the other teachers who hesitantly sat with him. From the looks of it, there were only a rare few that actually ate in the cafeteria. The rest took their food back to their classrooms, went off-campus, or apparently ordered delivery. He supposed that it was understandable, since it was just as much of a break for the teachers as it was for the students. Those who actually ate in the cafeteria were only present because they were on-duty or they didn't have an office to eat in.

"If you'd just asked for the files, I would have let you look at them," a voice growled unhappily. Tsuna looked up from his plate and stared in complete surprise at the "Secretary" label on the man's nametag. "Really, Mr. Wolfe," Fuuta sighed as he sat down next to him. "Do Tutors always have to take the solitary route? The school's staff is here for more than just the student's benefit."

"Sorry," Tsuna mumbled, staring at his plate while he tried to suppress his reaction. Fuuta had _grown_! It was to be expected since so many years had passed since Tsuna had seen him, but seeing Fuuta made him realize the gap far more than seeing his own son had. He was a little late at thinking about it, but Fuuta was in his mid-twenties and a working man. He was a far cry from the little shrimp that had come to him in need of protection. "It's not... um... It's not really that I was taking a solitary route. It's more that I was too impatient and didn't want to drag anyone out of bed."

"I'll forgive you since you only picked the locks on the filing cabinets instead of breaking them," he sighed. "But I've got to think up a new password for my desktop now. How did you.... Nevermind. You're a Tutor. Figuring out my password was probably easier than getting into the room."

"Not by much," Tsuna grimaced. Putting his attention back on his plate, he kept his mouth full to keep from having to make conversation. Fuuta didn't recognize him, but the boy--man!--was too easy for him to make a slip around. He made a note to himself to ask the 'Dean' about the rest of the staff. He'd known that there would be one or two Vongola in the school, but he hadn't considered the fact that they'd be people that he knew. Alijah had already warned him about Bianchi and he knew Reborn was incognito when being the Dean. If Shamal had kept his word to be the school nurse, that meant that he'd see four of his old friends on a regular basis.

Apples.

Tsuna was instantly distracted and mesmerized by the scent of glazed apples. The memory of the apple given to him by the First's harem taunted him. There had been so much life-energy stuffed inside that it'd been like eating the essence of the most mouthwatering, succulent, crisp apple in the world. It'd been an experience that couldn't have been far off from a human eating the God's ambrosia. He wanted another one, but he'd yet to find an apple that was just as good.

"Are you alright, Mr. Wolfe?" Fuuta asked curiously. Tsuna nodded absently, but continued to drool as the smell got stronger. He could smell it. It was in the box that was laid down across the table from himself. He wanted one so badly. Whoever had brought them in was a very nice person, though. They opened the box and gestured for him to take as many of the spiced apple dumplings that he wanted. They looked faintly off, but he didn't care. The cafeteria wasn't serving apples and someone was being nice enough to offer him something made with the fruit. "Eh?!" Fuuta gasped as Tsuna attacked the box, stealing all but one for himself before anyone else could take any. "Mr. Wolfe! You don't--" Fuuta broke off and stared while Tsuna inhaled each and every one of them except for the one that he'd politely left behind.

"Hmm?" Tsuna asked as he licked the last few crumbs from his fingers. He felt his stomach cringe a little from how quickly he'd stuffed it, but that was cured with a hefty sip from the blood wine in his hip-flask. He also had to cover his mouth as he let out a small burp that came out in purple smoke, but his craving was nicely satisfied. Patting his belly with a smile, he looked up to thank the person who'd brought the treat--

"Oh my," Bianchi blushed. "I don't know what to say. You counteracted the poison with the power of your _love_, but my heart only belongs to Reborn!"

"Oh no," Tsuna gaped. Waving his hands frantically to try to forestall the misunderstanding, he spluttered hurriedly, "It's not like that! I... uh... I just love apples and your cooking was so delicious that... um... I... eh...!" Looking over to Fuuta for help, he knew that he was on his own with how the man was trying not to laugh at him. "Shit," he groaned as he bowed his head in defeat. He was screwed.

"You're just like your Brother when it comes to women," Fuuta finally snorted, unable to hold back his laughter any longer. "Talk about sibling rivalry!"

"It's not like that!" Tsuna choked while Fuuta pounded on the table to make himself breathe between laughs. With a single glance up at Bianchi, Tsuna knew that the damage was done, though. Bianchi's eyes were practically shining and Tsuna didn't want to know if it was because she had a sudden interest in him or because she liked the thought of Reborn fighting someone for her. He really, really didn't want to know which one it was. "Oi!" Tsuna called out in hopes of distracting the two. He wasn't raising his voice to talk to them, however. He did it to get the attention of the cafeteria and the students in it. "Shortie! Get over here!"

"You already have a candidate to teach?" Fuuta asked as he immediately sobered. Bianchi accepted the change in topic, as well, dropping the matter about her dumplings as she took a seat so that Tsuna could do the job that he was there for.

"Something like that," he nodded as a student approached him from behind. Turning around to speak with him, Tsuna paused as he came face to face with... Hotaru? "Wrong shortie," Tsuna corrected, making himself gesture nonchalantly for Hotaru to go away. It wasn't easy, but he did it since he'd sworn to himself not to get involved with his son's education. He wasn't quite prepared for the reaction that his brush-off got, though.

The entire student body, from Orinato to the glaring rivals across the room, came to an abrupt halt. He didn't need to ask what was wrong. The dumbfounded expression on Hotaru's face explained it all. He'd probably been called out by every other Tutor before now, so he'd been waiting for Tsuna's prompt. To answer a prompt that wasn't intended for him was an incredible embarrassment. To make it up to him, Tsuna did the only thing that he could think of. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another origami crane to give to the teenager.

"Sorry about that," he apologized with a smile. "I should have specified the shortie named Napoleon." Unfortunately, this only made matters worse as Hotaru's classmates openly gaped at the incredulous scene. Tsuna could understand, even though it really was a simple mistake. It wasn't every day that someone disregarded a Vongola Boss. Hotaru was doing well at hiding his embarrassment with only a pink blush, but the fact that he was embarrassed at all worked in Tsuna's favor. If there was anything at all that he could teach Hotaru, it was a little humility. "Shoo," Tsuna added when Hotaru continued to stand in front of him after accepting the paper crane. "Napoleon!" Tsuna called out. "If you take any longer, you better be riding an elephant!"

"I'm here," Napoleon said in Tsuna's ear. Tsuna jolted in surprise and turned in the other direction to see that the boy had approached in his blind spot while he'd been dealing with Hotaru. To be taken unawares made Tsuna even more interested in the boy. Napoleon had completely smothered his presence.

"You were at Mafia Land," Tsuna stated to let the boy that he'd been remembered. Napoleon's eyes widened in surprise and he nodded slightly. "I knew then that you had potential," Tsuna said carefully as he lowered his voice to a more private level. "Can you tell me why I played twenty questions all morning?"

"Your eye," he answered softly. Tsuna nodded while he turned his attention to the plate of blood sausages that were still waiting on him. It was exactly right. He'd been testing to see if anyone else could have the same amount of deductive reasoning that Napoleon had displayed on that beach.

"Do you know why I let you uncover so much about me?" He prompted before taking a bite with purposely eager vigor.

"Trust," he answered simply, making Tsuna nod again in agreement.

"I'd like to teach you, Napoleon," Tsuna said bluntly. "I've read some of your file, but most of it is junk. You've got a few awards and commendations, but I don't give a damn about chess tournaments or how much Cavallone thinks that you'd be great behind a computer. I've got a feeling that you've been a little too quiet and I'd like to do what I can for you, but I can't do that if you've got no reason to trust me. I'll admit that I wasn't expecting for you to pull that particular piece of information out of me, but I swore that I'd never lie to one of my students and I wanted to prove that to you by giving you a chance to question me. I'm not going to sugar coat things and pretend that the Mafia is a nice place to be." Taking a slow breath to settle himself, he got to the point of his little speech. "Other than what an Omerta keeps me from speaking about, I'm only hiding my face and my identity. I might not be the most orthodox person, but I came here to teach, Napoleon. My question is whether you're willing to learn."

"Can I have some time to think about it?" He asked carefully. "I'm not sure if..."

"Take all the time that you need," Tsuna soothed, understanding that there was still the shock of Tsuna's revelation to overcome. "Just remember that every teacher here is a hitman and a murderer, Napoleon. My target might have been a little surprising, but it's not unique. The only difference between me and a Tutor like Hart or Truskle is what side of the fence that I was on."

"Yes, Wolfe-sensei," Napoleon murmured before retreating back to his table. Tsuna let him go, but he knew that the hard part started now. Hiding would be useless and he only had one option to keep his bounty from being raised any higher once the news got around. "He's a very intelligent guy," Tsuna praised in order to answer Fuuta's look of askance. "In five questions, he managed to pull out a piece of information that I never told anyone before."

"What's that?" Fuuta asked obliviously.

"That I murdered the Ninth on the Tenth's orders," he said bluntly around a bite of blood sausage. Silence lasted for only a split second before he received an honest reaction. Leaving the remains of his meal behind, Tsuna dodged both Fuuta and Bianchi's simultaneous attacks. The two wisely stopped themselves after the first strike, remembering where they were and the code of neutrality in place, but the glares of hatred that they gave him were enough to rip his heart to shreds. "Che," Tsuna spat as he leisurely walked toward the door with his head bowed down. It was definitely time to retreat, before someone's temper got the better of them. "You act like I wanted to do it," he said to give them something to chew on.

"I know that you didn't." Tsuna's head snapped up to find Reborn standing in the cafeteria's entry way. His presence made Tsuna flinch. It seemed that gossip traveled faster than light. The understanding expression on his face was so unlike the one full of his carelessly relaxed attitude that it tore at Tsuna's chest. Even having predicted that he'd have to make up a spectacular cover-story for himself that would satisfy the curious, the one that was being created was hitting too close to home.

"Reborn--!" Bianchi gasped in instant delight. Reborn stopped her in her tracks with only a glance and a slight shake of his head.

"You still haven't forgiven him, Van?" Reborn asked quietly. Tsuna stared for a very long moment before he realized that Reborn was trying to help him. Reborn was insinuating that Tsuna had left Vongola due to the incident and that he disliked Vongola the Tenth because of it. In a way, it was genius, since no one would think that he was the very person that he supposedly hated.

"You know the answer to that," Tsuna replied with a glare. At least, he tried to glare. It was difficult to keep his amusement out of his eyes since he could see Reborn's staring right back at him. "I told you before that the past is in the past. It's over and done with, so--"

"Then take off your mask," Reborn smirked. This time, Tsuna really did glare. He glared hard before storming past Reborn at full speed. Reborn predictably followed him, but the responses was enough to give the Mafia something to chew on for a while. No one would be trying to unravel the mystery of his identity for a long while since this should keep their gossip-cravings fed until the next big thing came along. Hotaru might be a little curious, but there was no way of verifying Tsuna's story unless he had access to the Crypt. Even then, there was no way to prove who had actually poisoned the Ninth. If he did verify that the Ninth was poisoned, the worst that would happen would be that Hotaru would have one extra unanswered question concerning his father. "The Vendiche are already moving," Reborn warned in a whisper once they were away from the cafeteria. "What possessed you to admit to something like that? Now everyone thinks that you killed your own Boss!"

"I'm tired of hiding," Tsuna shrugged. "Like I just told Napoleon, I'm only going to hide my identity. I'm not going to hide anything that won't reveal that or isn't covered by an Omerta. It was just a little bad luck on my part that Napoleon figured that out. He really does have a lot of potential."

"Did you really...?" Reborn asked curiously.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed while keeping his true reasons to himself. "I've got a lot to answer for. If the Vendiche confirm it and come for me, I won't deny it. Don't worry, though. I've already thought of some escape plans that will get me out of imprisonment."

"Did you read my letter?" He asked conversationally. Tsuna took comfort in how easily Reborn dropped the subject. The man had left his side, but apparently he was still loyal.

"It mysteriously turned to ash before I had a chance," Tsuna grinned as he headed into the nurse's office. As he'd half-way expected, Shamal was putting his moves on one of the nurses while completely ignoring the boy who was waiting on treatment. Rolling his eyes at the Doctor's pre-disposition, Tsuna gave a handful of tissues to the teenager with his bloody nose and sent him on his way. He also made a few pointedly rude comments that sent the nurse packing despite Shamal's protests, but only after she unleashed a flurry of punches on Tsuna in revenge.

"I almost had her," Shamal grumbled as he pulled out a bottle of brandy from his desk. Tsuna laughed at the comment before settling in with the two to wait out the rest of the lunch break.

For the largest part, the conversation was relaxed and light-hearted. Tsuna found out that Shamal usually only stayed at the school until after lunch, then he went to a private research facility that happened to be looking for a treatment to Centipede. Reborn gave him a few little tidbits on where to find a couple of interesting hitmen and Tsuna told both of them that Mukuro was back, regardless of however unpredictably that he might decide to appear.

They kept themselves from going into any of the finer details of their individual situations, but that was only for the better. It allowed them to enjoy the liquor and the company without getting too depressed by their lives. Shamal needed such consideration the most, although Shamal and Reborn both probably thought that Tsuna did. There was a reason that Shamal always had a bottle in his hand, though. The same went for every Mafia Doctor who had spent so more than five years in service. Shamal's dislike of treating boys probably had nothing to do with his lecherous ways. He did that because a man who whined about a bloody nose wouldn't be able to save himself if he got shot in an alley.

"Let's see it," Shamal ordered, setting aside his drink with a knowing gleam in his eyes. Tsuna nodded softly in acceptance and reached up to remove his communications collar. Once the throat markings from his disease was uncovered, he didn't need Shamal's swift intake of breathe to know that it was bad. Even with Aster and Mukuro's help, it was progressing far more rapidly than Tsuna liked. It wasn't just coughing like everyone thought. Clearing his throat, swallowing, and even speaking was causing the markings to fade. Coughing just caused one to instantly disappear, rushing him toward the end of the countdown even faster.

"It's worse than I hoped, but better than I feared," Shamal murmured after a cursory examination. "I take it that you've been drinking blood regularly?"

"I have some on me at all times," Tsuna answered, holding up his flask with a little shake to show them that it was still half-full. "Mukuro and Chrome have been helping, too. Since I can't feel the symptoms, I don't feel weak after an attack." Shamal nodded in acceptance and turned his back to Tsuna, trying to hide his guilt at being helpless in front of a chronic patient. Tsuna's heart went out to him. More than a Boss, Shamal was the one who always felt the pain of a life being lost. He was a Doctor, after all. "You don't have to worry about me," Tsuna murmured as he put his collar back in place. "If I know you, you're trying to find a counter, but you don't have to. Even if this kills me, I won't let it until I'm satisfied that I've done all that I can."

Reborn and Shamal both jerked in place at Tsuna's calm statement, staring at him in disbelief that he really was himself. He had to laugh at their expressions. They probably expected him to be depressed or panicking over the concept of dying. They probably expected him to do something rash or go overboard in dealing with it like he used to. He'd changed since then, though. He'd gotten stronger and he knew how to accept something without feeling a need to control it.

Changing the subject, Tsuna gave them looks of gratitude when they let the matter drop. Although they couldn't really speak about old times, they didn't have to. Thanks to Don Girarde, there was plenty of things around them to talk about. The students and their quirks, the teachers and their skirts, and the current world news was enough to fill up the last bit of time before the bell rang.

After that, Shamal tucked the leftover brandy into his desk and left for his research while Reborn quickly donned the few pieces needed for his Dean disguise. Tsuna realized why he did that when they stepped out of the infirmary. Rather than Reborn, the Dean was going to give him a quick tour of the grounds to ensure that everyone was aware of his decision regarding Tsuna's post. Regardless of his past, he was a Tutor now and no one could take that away from him. By purposely being seen with Tsuna at this point in time, he was silently telling everyone that he'd already been aware of Tsuna's misdeeds before hiring him.

Tsuna went along with it, although the tour was relatively boring. Everything was like he remembered it except for a few upgrades and additions. The size of the gym had been doubled to make room for a permanent weight training area and there was a track going around the sparring grounds which Reborn claimed was exactly one half-mile long. It seemed a little bigger than that to Tsuna, but he wasn't going to argue. The building had a new third floor full of extra classrooms for the overflow of students and there was the new auditorium in place next to the gym where school-wide lectures could be given. Lastly, Reborn showed him to the Tutor's shed that was behind the East wing.

"I see..." Tsuna choked as he looked over the supply of torture devices and eccentrically dangerous paraphernalia. When he saw the system where the devices could be set up to be delivered to a specific classroom on a pre-set schedule, he could only shake his head. "You sure like your gadgets...." Tsuna trailed off, his eyes lighting up on something in particular that was stashed in the back corner. "I think that I'm going to like them too," he added as he got a mischievous idea.

* * *

He had the nearly indestructible fox mask that Adie had brought him. It was a hundred times sturdier than his old one, which was good since he'd be getting in fights and sparring with much more regularity. He also had the supercharged karaoke machine that had been in Reborn's little shed of terrors. The school's intercom system was probably far more practical, but the karaoke machine allowed him to set everything up where he wanted to. He wouldn't have to play a dangerous game of tag after his little song in order to get his target in place. She'd come straight to him and he'd be outside instead of in the school's office.

"Attention, Attention please," Tsuna said into the microphone. The blast of sound that came out of the speakers practically caused an earthquake, which was perfect. His target had no choice but to hear him. So did most of the surrounding areas, too, but he wasn't going to worry about the small details. It had the effect that he wanted, causing the morning spars to stutter to a surprised halt. The gym blocked off the view of the school, but he was sure that people were rushing to windows to try to find where the noise was coming from. "I'd like to dedicate a song to Rosalind Roxanne Jazz," he said with a grin. The two men sparring in the ring next to him gaped in shock, knowing what Tsuna had already found out from Ross' records. She absolutely hated being called anything other than Ross. Therefore, he'd just pissed her off. _Now to make things worse_, he thought as he started the music and began singing along to an old classic.

"Roxanne!

You don't have to put on the red light

Those days are over

You don't have to sell you body to the night

Roxanne!

You don't have to wear that dress tonight

Walk the streets for money

You don't care if--"

Tsuna switched off the microphone as soon as Ross slid into view around the side of the side of the gym. From the killing intent in her eyes, he'd done more than just anger her. He'd pressed a button that shouldn't have been pressed.

_Perfect_.

She charged at him like a rampaging bull, wanting nothing more than to tear him apart. He dodged her easily, but he didn't take the chance to counter. Instead, he allowed her to continue attacking in order to see her skill level. From her records, no one had been able to survive combat long enough to teach her anything. He could understand why since she had speed and strength that was on par with his own. The problem was that she was all that she had. She was still a raw stone with no sharp edges, much like a wooden club instead of a steel sword. She had enough ability to send powerful punches and enough speed to keep up with him, but she had no training, no martial art, and absolutely no grace in her fighting.

She had no stamina, either, being far too used to ending a fight before she could get winded. Within five minutes of trying to keep up with him at his speed, she began to visibly slow. She also noticed it, though, and skipped out of his range before coming to a stop. Once he saw the reason that she'd distanced herself, he also stopped and merely waited. Ross was intending to use the Martelli Glamours on him. It worried him a little since he didn't know what forms she'd given to her abilities, but he was still confident.

"Eh?" He gaped in surprise when she started with her Voice of Justice. Rubbing his eyes, he didn't know if it what it produced was an illusion or real. What he did know was that she'd suddenly summoned a purple wingless Dragon that was the size of SK. The Dragon let out a loud roar that was real enough. The spine-tingling chill that he got from it when the beast lashed at him with its long tail was real, too. He didn't want to know if it was solid or not. If he had a choice, he didn't want to come in contact with it at all!

Tsuna paused after another dodge, his intuition giving him the knowledge that he needed. The Voice of Justice was based off of the feelings in Ross' little mind. After seeing SK, she'd made her own Dragon so that she could be just as imposing. She thought that bigger meant stronger and this was the result. He couldn't argue too much. Even with the Dango Brothers...

The Dango Brothers plowed into his chest, knocking him to the ground before Ross' Dragon could swipe him with its claws. The beast was fast, probably faster than Ross herself.

"Chi," Sprinkle said. It was his first word. Tsuna's jaw dropped at the sound and he was dumbfounded when the other Brothers began repeating it. "Chi, chi!" They chirped in unison. Then they exploded into their wyvern forms and surrounded him like a shield.

"Sa," Hurricane hissed in a deeper voice. The sound was repeated by the others while Ross' Dragon hissed threateningly at them in its confusion. Tsuna understood the message that the Dango Brothers were trying to give him, though. They weren't children anymore. They were learning and growing. They wanted to help him and they wanted to evolve even more, but they didn't want to do it without him.

"Dumbasses," Tsuna grumbled with a smile as he got to his feet to dust himself off. "A papa is only supposed to help you hatch. A teenager is supposed to be rebellious and mature on their own. You'll always have a home with me, so don't be afraid. I'll help you out if you get in trouble."

"Sa, sa, sa," Bolt said as if he was laughing. Tsuna blinked at him in surprise, but the six didn't wait for him to figure out why he was being laughed at. They were too busy tying their tails together as if they were piling hands on to of each other in a group cheer. Actually, that was exactly what they were doing!

"Sa, sa, Sa-SA!" They cried together. Tsuna felt as if he knew what they were trying to say. If he had to translate, it would have been something like "Dango Brothers, Fight-O!" Their hands didn't break apart at the cheer, though. Rather, Tsuna was pushed back by the power that exploded out of the six. A cloud of dust from the sparring grounds rose up and blocked his view, but it was over in seconds. When the dust settled, what stood before him was not six eggs or six wyvern. It was a single, beautiful creature.

The Dango Brother's true form was that of a six-headed Hydra... sort of. Thinking back to the book on dinosaurs that he'd read repeatedly when he was younger, he'd have been willing to call it a plesiosaur if not for the extra heads. The beast didn't have feet; it had fins and one fin was about the size of Tsuna's whole body. Each head was attached to a long, giraffe-like neck that stretched out of the same base point in the creatures' body, separating out into the individual Flames and personalities of the Dango Brothers. However, from where they'd united at the base of their necks to the end of their stubby tail, their singular body was made up of the Sky Flame.

"RO," Cirrus' head bellowed when Tsuna stared without saying a word. Tsuna jolted in place and tried to shake off his surprise. Smiling up at them in approval, he held out his arms to give a hug to one and Fog was the one to take the offer. As Tsuna wrapped his arms around Fog's head and petted its smooth, bald snout, Tsuna was still in awe, though. As eggs, the Dango Brothers were slightly bigger than the size of his fist. As wyvern, they were about the size of his whole body. As a Hydra, Tsuna couldn't get his arms all the way around even one of their necks. They were huge! They were easily the size of... a dragon.

"Do you still want to fight?" Tsuna asked with a grin as he turned back around to face the wide-eyed Ross. He'd shocked her enough that she'd stopped whatever verbal spell had created her pet, so the Dragon was gone. But Tsuna wasn't fooled. She could recreate it in an instant if she wanted to continue.

Tsuna's grinned widened when her face turned red in anger. She was starting to notice that she was playing into his hands and she wisely chose to play a different card than the one that he was prepared for. This time, he wasn't sure how to react when she pulled out a wand. He'd been able to tell that the Dragon was her Voice of Justice since she'd been forced to speak to keep it out. That only left the Armor and the Spirit of Justice. He didn't think that she was mature enough to have the right heart for Justice, so this must be the Armor. That was dangerous. His Hammer had been his Armor. For someone with such a hot temper to already be capable of Judging others--

"STOP!" Isaac shouted, appearing abruptly between them with his arms spread wide. The interruption was just what Tsuna needed to think of what he should do "What the hell are you doing, Ross?! You can't use that on a--" With a snap of his fingers, Hurricane sent Isaac flying with a simple head-butt to his whole body. It was just in time since Ross wasn't holding back. Even seeing the blast of purple... fairy dust?... heading for him, he stood still and let the blast hit him.

Ross stopped completely in shock that he hadn't dodged and her face went pale as the wand disappeared from her hand. Tsuna momentarily ignored her in order to process the effects of her attack. It wasn't like his own Judgement. It didn't force him into a Reckoning from his victim's eyes. Instead, he felt a tinge of fear that gave him the clue that he needed.

Ross was a vindictive little bitch. Her attack was a curse that propagated his fear over time until he was literally scared to death. Judging from the exponential increase that he felt while examing the attack, his educated guess was that a person would last from twenty-four to seventy-two hours before their heart gave out, depending on how sensitive they were to fear. Not that he had anything to worry about.

Having once been attuned to the Martelli Ring of Justice, he could see the spiritual link that had been attached to him with the attack. It was a simple matter of pulling out a pocket knife and cutting off that piece of skin to break the connection. It hurt a little bit and he had to be careful to keep himself from making a mess from the blood, but a sip from his flask had the wound clotted and scabbed over within a minute.

"Not bad," Tsuna praised as he used his handkerchief to finish wiping up around the wound on his arm. "It's not good, either," he added nonchalantly. "You're a stubborn girl, Ross. You're also a hot-head that doesn't trust people easily. Let me ask you: Did you sleep in a box or under a trashbag?"

"What?" Ross asked with a fierce scowl. "I don't know what you're..."

"There's no shame in being homeless," Tsuna interrupted, refusing to allow her the courtesy of keeping her past a secret. "When you came in to school this morning, you didn't look up once because you were looking for spare change. You keep getting in fights with Poison Scorpion Bianchi because you know what it's like to be hungry enough to dive into a dumpster. You put the Etiquette instructor in the hospital because--"

"She had it coming!" Ross snarled in an attempt to defend herself.

"No," Tsuna corrected calmly as he tucked his handkerchief away. Looking up at Ross, he smiled in a way that he hoped she could tell wasn't pity. It was respect and understanding. "You put her in the hospital because you were jealous and uncomfortable. You felt like you were embarrassing yourself since she's graceful and poised where you're not, so you lashed out at her. I'm not going to tell you that I understand since I'm not you, but I have been through similar circumstances. Can I ask you something? How many times have you been mistaken for a hooker?"

"Enough," she growled, crossing her arms across her chest in an undeniable sign that the question made her uncomfortable. Tsuna nodded to himself as the last few clues fit in place.

The reason that she went by Ross instead of Rosalind was because it was safer for a girl on the streets to pretend to be a boy. From how girlish her wand had been and her reactions to the Etiquette instructor, he could also tell that she wanted to be more feminine but that it felt unnatural for her when she tried. She could learn, but her teachers had been taking all of the wrong approaches with her. They'd forced her into one of the girl's skirts and stuck her in a classroom full of Mafioso who were far more used to the good life than her. She was a horse dressed up as a debutante. He had guessed that her problem was something along those lines already, which was why he'd picked the song that he had. That was also why it'd gotten under her skin enough to make her come after him with killing intent.

"I'd like to tutor you for one hour a day," Tsuna murmured, holding up a single finger to show her how small the request was. "You can pick anytime, day or night, for the tutoring to take place, but I'm not giving you the option to refuse. You can either agree or I'll speak to the Dean about getting you expelled." Pulling out a blank card from his stash, he wrote down his contact number and held it out for her. "It's my number," he explained as she grudgingly stepped forward to accept. "Memorize it and destroy it. You have twenty-four hours to call me with the time that you want to start. This is your last chance, Ross. If you don't want to go home, then you better listen and keep up because you're not going to get any pity from me. I'm a Tutor, not a babysitter."

"Yes, _sir_," she growled without looking at him.

"You can call me Wolfe-sensei," he offered with a soft smile. "Now get back to class." Looking up, he turned his eyes to where the sparring grounds had fallen silent and where Isaac was watching with his jaw hanging open. Raising his voice, Tsuna barked, "That goes for all of you! You should be training and learning, not gawking and clucking like hens! Martelli boy! The next time that you interfere with a student's lesson, I'll have you washing dishes in the cafeteria for detention! Now, shoo! You, too," Tsuna added, lowering his voice while he gave the Dango Brothers a considering look. "You're a little big to follow me around like that."

"RO!" They bellowed before exploding into six separate wyvern again. Once they were no longer united, the Orange Flame that was making up their body fizzled out as if it'd never existed. After that, they deflated even more into his little Dangos and rushed into his arms to get their well-deserved praise. There was still much to do before school let out, though, so he didn't spoil them nearly as much as they wanted.

Getting their aid in returning the karaoke equipment back to the shed, he grimaced after checking his pocket watch. There was only two hours of school left before he would have to wait for a new day to teach anything and he still had two students to see about private lessons. After all, he still had to produce noticeable results to keep his position as a Tutor.

Heading back into the school, he made a beeline for Murlock's classroom. Surprisingly, the teacher didn't stop when he barged in, continuing his lecture as if no one had entered. It only took a moment to figure out why. The teacher was blind, although he was doing a very good job at legibly writing Mathematical equations on the blackboard. Tsuna grinned and left him to it, gesturing for the students to continue listening despite his presence.

For a time, Tsuna merely walked around the class to see how the students were doing. There was a mixture. Some were attentively keeping notes on their laptops while others were surfing the Internet in boredom. Several attempted to hide what they were doing and it was impossible to tell with those who had computer contacts. They all had one thing in common, though. They were underestimating the teacher's ability to teach. From listening for only a few minutes, Tsuna was impressed with how clear and easy the man was to understand. His lecture was like a bullet-train that refused to make any unplanned stops, but a student who actually listened would have no need to ask a question. It wasn't even a dry lecture since the man made plenty of offhand references and even an occasional joke to lighten things up.

"Who...?" The teacher paused, tilting his head at the sound of Tsuna's soft chuckle.

"Wolfe-sensei," Tsuna introduced. "Please don't stop on my account. I was actually starting to understand the K-Theory." The teacher nodded and continued as if there had never been a break. It was good that he wasn't making a big deal out of Tsuna's presence since he was finally on his target's row of desks.

Trying to be nonchalant so that Murlock wouldn't know that he was being targeted, Tsuna started to pass him with the intent to break the ice after a second stroll around the room. He was stopped in his tracks by a scent, though. As if pulled, all of Tsuna's attention snapped down to the guy and his eyes widened when he saw the glare that Murlock was trying to hide. That glare was understandable since Murlock shouldn't be sitting in such a place to begin with.

"Hallway," Tsuna ordered with every trace of pleasantry being wiped away. "Now."

Murlock stood without arguing, closing his laptop in order to carry it out with him. It was a good precaution since Tsuna had it in his power to completely ruin the man's ability to stay in the school. Although, even calling him a man was pushing it. The tang was faint, but Tsuna could tell with only a whiff that Murlock was either a vampire or kept contact with one. Tsuna kept his mouth shut until they were in the hallway, though, not wanting to destroy the man's cover story if he had a legitimate reason to be present.

"I knew that you would come," Murlock stated calmly once they were alone. "I hope that you don't expect me to kneel down. You might be a Councillor, but I'd sooner rip my heart out than lower my head to a werewolf."

"Well, aren't you a hateful little brat," Tsuna smiled while his eye twitched in anger.

"Would you be any nicer to an infant that is promoted over you?" He replied honestly. Tsuna grimace, having to admit that the guy had a point. "You won't live to see a quarter of my lifespan, but you have the nerve to infiltrate the highest level of our society as if you had a right to be there. I don't respect you and I have no intention of learning anything from you. If you persist in interfering in my life, then I'll have no choice but to put in a formal complaint to Mistress Neve."

"So mean," Tsuna said with a pout, switching his mood to try a different method of dealing with the vampire. "I didn't call you out in the classroom because I didn't want to mess your life up," he pointed out. "I was just surprised to see someone like you in a place like this. After all, if you can't learn from a werewolf, then what can a human teach you?" Murlock's face went blank for a moment at the logic of Tsuna's statement and Tsuna held back a smile at the sharp gleam of consideration that lit up in the vampire's eyes.

"They can teach me the methods of this era," he admitted, lowering his voice to a mere whisper. "I've been asleep for the past forty years. Lady Neve woke me early in the aftermath of Lord Chandler's demise, so I must manage until the Sanctuaries are made safe again. School seemed like the easiest method of assimilating."

"In that case, study hard," Tsuna ordered as he relaxed slightly. "I was going to offer to Tutor you since you seemed like the type that holds back in fear of a spotlight, but I'll leave you alone now that I know that it's intentional."

"That would be appreciated," Murlock replied, with a polite nod of his head in gratitude. That was all that Tsuna got for his efforts. He could see his existence being wiped from the vampire's mind before the guy ever reopened the door to his classroom.

"Win some, lose some," Tsuna sighed. Turning to head down the empty hallway, he was faintly relieved that he had one less student to focus on. It meant that he had more free time to teach the school as a whole. Ross would be taught for only an hour a day since her temper probably wouldn't hold out for longer than that. When Napoleon came around, he'd probably only need direction rather than intensive training. That only left the unlucky boy named Chin.

Stepping into the Robotics Laboratory, Tsuna held his face in his hands to hide his expression. Chin wasn't hard to find at all. He was right in front of the entrance, tangled up in wiring with his chin planted on the ground. The laughter of his classmates told Tsuna that such scenes were a regular occurrence from he-who-had-no-coordination. With a sigh of resignation, Tsuna ignored the teacher and the students in order to grab a trailing piece of wiring and drag the poor boy out into the hallway.

Leaving him tied up for the moment, Tsuna propped him up against a wall so that they could talk without the boy causing any further mishaps. The boy was frightened. On close inspection, he had to be one of the youngest students attending the school. It was difficult to tell since he'd grown his hair out and his glasses took up half of his face, but Tsuna guessed that he was around thirteen. He had tons of potential, though, or else his Boss wouldn't have sent him to such a place.

"I won't bite you," Tsuna soothed as he sat down on the floor in front of the kid. "Do you know who I am?"

"T-Tutor," he mumbled with dish-plate sized eyes. "M-Mr. Wolfe of C-Carter Familia."

"That's right," Tsuna nodded. "You look like you could use some help," he added, gentling his voice and his actions as he reached out to start helping him to untangle himself. "Do accidents like this happen a lot?"

"Often enough that I'm called Chin because my chin always hits the ground first," he murmured. Tsuna nodded softly in acceptance, taking in the boy's expression and his mood as he explained. The boy didn't like the name at all, but he'd accepted it rather than singling himself out by arguing. Tsuna didn't know what else to call him, though. Even in his file, there was nothing other than the nickname listed.

"What's your real name?" Tsuna asked bluntly.

"Chin Lee," he whined. Tsuna grimaced. Fate was too cruel.

"Well, Mr. Lee," Tsuna sighed, making the boy's head snap up in surprise that Tsuna wasn't going to use his first name. Helping him out of the last of the wiring, he made sure to keep the boy seated while they bundled up the cords. Experience told Tsuna that Chin would only end up back where they started if he let the boy stand before doing so. "I'll get straight to the point. You've got no luck, no aura, and your look is all wrong." Smiling at how the boy's expression fell a little with each comment, he switched it up by giving him some hope. "You saw me this morning. Even though you were late and in a hurry, you saw the water balloon coming for you and you tried to dodge. You still got hit," Tsuna added with a chuckle. "But you have awareness of your environment. That's why I'd like to help you figure out why you run into so much bad luck."

"Really?" He asked, looking up at Tsuna in open surprise. "But you're from Carter and I'm... I'm from the Lionesse Family."

"I know," Tsuna nodded. "But in this school, you're just a student and I'm just a Tutor. What goes on outside these walls has no bearing on what goes on within them. I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I just left someone like you to suffer with your problems. So, what do you say? Would you like to give me a chance?"

"I... I guess," he mumbled hesitantly.

"Then here's your first assignment," Tsuna said instantly. Helping the boy to his feet, Tsuna hung the roll of wiring on his arm and reached into his jacket to pull out a set of items that he'd picked up on his travels. He felt like laughing at Mr. Lee's expression of confusion when he held them up for the boy to see, but Tsuna's intuition said that this was the best way to teach the boy what he was missing. "They're bean bags that I use to practice juggling," he explained as he started tossing them between his hands. "Watch carefully. I want you to practice this for one hour every day. Don't be discouraged if you can't learn it right away. Just start with tossing one bag from hand to hand to get a feel for it and then move to two. I also want you to jump rope for half an hour each day. You don't have to jump fast. Just jump at whatever pace keeps you from falling over. When you can juggle three bags and jump rope for two minutes without being tangled up, come find me. Got all that?"

"You're not going to watch over me?" Lee asked in awe while Tsuna continued to juggle for an example.

"I think you'd be better off on your own for this lesson," Tsuna replied softly, already foreseeing how much the boy was going to fail before he figured out what Tsuna was trying to teach him. What he was trying to teach was how to move at a set pace. From what Tsuna had observed, most of the boy's problem was either feeling as if he needed to rush or second-guessing himself. These two exercises would help him figure out how to move without being so self-conscious.

Tossing the bean bags into the boy's hands, he flinched in sympathy when the boy fumbled all of them. The wiring got handed over, as well, but not until the boy had a firm hold of the items again.

"Good luck," Tsuna said with a small salute. Turning his back on the boy, Tsuna stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled down the hallway as if he'd only stopped for a chat. He hadn't done badly, if he didn't say so himself. He'd given the school a much-needed wake-up call and he had two-almost-three students who could actually learn something from him. All that was left was the part that Tsuna hated most.

The paperwork.

* * *

Author's notes: I take no credit for the lyrics of "Roxanne". This song was originally written by The Police and lyrics were taken from

Again, thank you to babelfish for my translations since Tsuna knows far more languages than I do.

Again, pardon any mistakes while my beta-reader is on vacation.

Again, thank you to Gintan for killing me softly with this piece:

**gintan. /art/A-Mutual-Wish-131537079**

Finally, I want to give a small warning. Please don't ask "Where's such-and-such or so-and-so?" I can't crush everyone into every chapter and appearances of Vongola will be happening more often from now on. I know that you guys are impatient to see what's going on with your favorite character, but the best that I can promise is that I'll try to get around to everyone eventually!


	116. Chapter 116 Critters and Vermin

With a groan, Tsuna stamped the last piece of paperwork and shoved it into an envelope. Dating it, he tossed it across the room to land into the pile with the rest of the Tutor's reports that would be given to the Dean to look over. He finished it just in time for the bell to ring, signaling the end of his first school day. He had to admit that it was very different from being a student. Not only was there paperwork to deal with, but he couldn't be absorbed in his own problems and issues. Within the walls of this school, the only meaning that his life held was whether or not he could make the lives of the students better.

The fact that he'd killed Vongola the Ninth or the fact that he was a werewolf had no real meaning here. Things like that might affect how others regarded him, but it didn't change what he had to teach. The students themselves would probably gossip or talk about it for a few days, but it was the nature of teenagers and students to ignore what didn't affect them personally. They weren't mentally developed enough to understand how such events intertwined and affected the Mafia as a whole. It was simply too big of a concept for them to be prepared to deal with. After a few 'oohs' and 'aahs' of shock or amazement, they'd go on with their little lives as if nothing had been said. Because of this reason, there really could have been no better place for the secret to come out.

Although the school day was over and he'd finished his paperwork, there were still duties for him to attend to. The first was to put up flyers around the high school campus, offering sign-ups for a club that he'd decided to start and supervise. From what he'd seen, all the current clubs in the school were focused on sports or hobbies. That was okay, but there was no club for people who didn't have aspirations. There was no place for those with no confidence. Hence, the "Ten Years Later" club was the perfect addition. In the flyer, it seemed like a depressing club for only losers so that the only ones who came would be those without pride. It would be a lure for the lost, desperate students who suffered in silence when they couldn't figure out what path to take forward. The motto was "Pathetic now, Perfect later."

After that, he helped out in the cafeteria in order to get on the lunch ladies' good side. He couldn't help with food preparation because of the threats in his blood, but he could still clean windows and straighten tables with the best. Then there was a patrol through the hallways to ensure that everyone had left for the day. Two of the classrooms were still full of students meeting for club activities, but the rest were empty.

"Why won't you talk to him?"

Tsuna's feet slowed to a stop as he passed the library. Although the statement had been whispered, it was as clear as daylight to Tsuna since the library door was open. Considering that it sounded like a secret meeting, it didn't feel right to intrude. However, his responsibilities required that he flush out any students who didn't have permission to stay late. Although, after a moment of consideration, he decided that five minutes wouldn't hurt. After all, secret meetings meant secret information.

Heading to the other side of the hallway, he leaned up against the window sill and looked out to the courtyard while he waited for the boy and his friend to come out.

"Hotaru acts tough, but he's only ignoring you because he doesn't want to hurt you," the boy continued emphatically. Tsuna's ears perked up at his son's name and he shamelessly eavesdropped. "I've been watching Hotaru for a long time now. I know that I keep acting like a jackass in front of him, but that's just because I get so frustrated! He's always lived how everyone has told him to! It's like he can't think for himself! I know that he doesn't want that, so I've tried to break through that wall that he keeps up! The Hotaru that I know isn't anything like what he's been pretending to be and I know--! I know that he really cares about you! He--"

"I know." Tsuna's eyes widened in shock and he felt like choking on air at the sound of Ross' voice. That girl was the one that Hotaru--?! Impossible! However, his son... His son had Haru for a mother, Tsuna groaned silently. His son had Hibari for a father figure. A girl like Ross probably was right up the boy's alley.

"Then why--?!" The boy exclaimed, no longer keeping his voice down. "If you know, then--"

"I knew, but I didn't know!" She shouted angrily. "I knew that he liked me! I'm not a fucking idiot! Everyone else says that he's this and he's that, but he never pretended around me! I didn't get it at first! I thought that he was just making fun of me or that he thought that I was amusing 'cause I'm not stuck up like everyone else! Then I started actually paying attention to how he acted when I wasn't around and I saw the difference! I'm not blind! But I didn't know.... I thought that all Bosses were like Autumn! When everyone called him a Prince, I thought it was because of how he acts so formal and polite all the time! I didn't know that he really was a big deal! A girl like me... What do you expect me to do?! He's got successful women with money and fancy gowns lining up just to get a date with him! Of course he's stopped talking to me! I don't have anything to offer him!"

"I'm sorry," the boy mumbled apologetically. "I didn't mean to..."

"Just go away," Ross said in a strangled voice. "I don't care anymore! I don't want anything to do with him! All he does is cause me trouble!" Tsuna waited quietly for a response from the boy, but only silence persisted. After a moment, the boy stepped outside of the library with a concerned and guilty expression on his face that turned into surprise when he saw Tsuna. He didn't seem the least bit familiar, but Tsuna gave him credit for trying to help Hotaru.

"School ended a long time ago," Tsuna whispered, tossing his head to tell the boy to leave. The teenager didn't argue and he left at a hurried pace while shooting occasional looks backwards in worry that Tsuna had overheard their conversation. Of course, Tsuna had, but he wasn't planning to let the fact be known. Instead, he waited silently and patiently while the girl, Ross, cried in privacy and pulled herself together. When it sounded as if she was nearly ready to leave, Tsuna walked down the hallway and made a second pass in front of the library, timing it for when she walked out. "Students aren't supposed to stay late without permission," he said while politely ignoring her red eyes. "You need to collect your things and--"

"Why do you look like Hotaru?" She asked bluntly, bringing Tsuna to an immediate stop. How was he supposed to answer that question? Didn't she see the mask?

"C-Coincidence...?" Tsuna answered, blurting out the first excuse that came to mind. Ross blinked at him several times before shrugging in acceptance. Before Tsuna could say anything else, she turned and walked away without as much as a glance backward. Tsuna stared after her in disbelief. She'd seen through his mask, but she was really going to let it go that easily?! Was she that oblivious or.... or that much of a genius? Tsuna didn't know, but he made note to be much more careful around her in the future.

"Boss is late."

Spinning back around in the opposite direction, Tsuna retreated backward at the fierce look of displeasure on Aster's face. Well, on what he could see of Aster's face, Tsuna mentally amended. Aster had gone through a transformation in the few days that had passed since Halloween. Most of it was due to the information that had been waiting for them at the Werewolf House, sent via an ordinary postal service from the werewolf Jeb who lived under the desert. That information was a new discovery that had immediately been published in Aster's "W Journal" in order to help other werewolves who had problems similar to his own.

For Aster, that new discovery was the reason that he was wearing a veil of red silk over the lower half of his face. Aster and the rare few like him who were turned into werewolves by Phelgm, instead of inoculated vampires, all possessed a heightened sense. Jeb, once he realized that he wasn't unique, had invested much time and effort into researching and the result was a singular finding: the reason that they were sensitive was because they were sensing auras along with their basic sense. It was such a common-sense finding, especially since Aster had basically told him that very thing when the topic had first come up. However, Jeb had gone a step further by applying the theory. The result was the discovery that silk had just as much ability to block out auras from smell and hearing as it did from a vampire's senses.

Tsuna was still a bit confused by it all, but Aster claimed that he felt normal again once Tsuna had gotten him the silk veil that he'd hinted at wanting. Tsuna hadn't been able to argue with the results. The frequency with which he needed to be fed had lowered considerably and he no longer got excited by merely being around the smell of someone who was. Aster explained it as the difference between smelling a cooked feast that made his mouth water and simply smelling the raw ingredients. The silk blocked out the extra scents and 'spices' that brought temptation.

Of course, once Tsuna realized that the veil was going to be a permanent fixture, he'd been forced to buy Aster a new wardrobe to match. Aster's suit just clashed too much with the accessory. Even though he deserved the luxury after working so diligently, Aster had been incredibly upset over the expense. He'd shouted for two hours straight, citing Tsuna's penny-pinching ways on their travels, before his actions finally caught up with his brain and he'd blown another fuse. He'd been rather cute after that, letting Tsuna dress him up until they found the perfect red outfit to coordinate with a veil. Now Aster always wore a pair of billowing, black pants with a lightweight red shirt that had slitted sleeves that tucked into the ends of his wrist cuffs. To top it off, he also had a cute little black vest that was perfect for holding his spare needles. Aster had recovered in time to refuse the pointed slippers that would finish off the outfit, but they'd found a pair of black shoes that wouldn't be difficult for Aster to keep clean.

Tsuna wondered if he could bribe Aster into wearing the slippers, but the look on Aster's face said that he wasn't in the mood for a discussion on fashion. Tsuna couldn't really blame him for his scowl, either. How could he when he'd threatened hell if Aster was late and yet was late himself?

"Let's go," Tsuna ordered. It was a good response since it only gave Aster the option of following him. He paused before they left the gates, though, sensing that more than just a few people were lying in wait for him to exit. Grabbing Aster to hold him back inside the gates, he showed no other outward reaction while he sized up the opponents. They weren't students, but they were definitely Mafia from how they were waiting for Tsuna to leave the protected boundaries of the school before attacking.

While he lit up a cigarette and leisurely smoked within the safety of the school's courtyard to test his attacker's patience, he saw that Aster was also trying to count the scents. He wasn't good at hiding what he was doing since he tilted his head in the directions that he was trying to smell, but Tsuna still took pride in how he sized up the situation without asking any unnecessary questions. Tsuna wondered, though, if he was getting the same count as Tsuna was. There were three groups. One to the left, right, and a third across the street. The one on the left was in the parking lot next to the school's restraining wall. The one to the right was on the rooftops. The one across the street was simply within the building.

Glancing down at his shirt, Tsuna had to smile at how many laser points were flickering on him. Apparently there were more than a few people who were angry at the news that he'd killed the Ninth and were looking to get revenge before the claim was verified.

How naive could hitmen be?

"Just destroy the guns and singe their rears a bit," Tsuna ordered as he flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette. Aster relaxed at the order, understanding that it wasn't his turn. It was the Dango Brothers' and they sped out of hiding from underneath Tsuna's trenchcoat with a vengeance. Hurricane and Bolt went straight across the street in their impatience. Sprinkle and Cirrus headed for the left since the parking lot gave them more room to work. Fog and Heatwave went for the rooftop enemies.

Not waiting for them to finish, Tsuna stepped out of the school grounds as soon as the last laser scopes were no longer pointed at him. Aster followed quietly, either not questioning Tsuna's judgment or not questioning the Dango Brothers' ability to deal with such easy opponents. It didn't really matter which one it was, as long as Aster didn't go check on the identities of their attackers. Undoubtedly, at least one of the groups was made up of Vongola, but Tsuna didn't want to know for sure. Seeing Bianchi and Fuuta's hatred had been enough. The thought of facing more hatred when he'd hoped for forgiveness was a thought that was far too much to bear.

"Things might be rough for a while," Tsuna warned while they casually walked down the road. "I was a little too honest today and some people have taken a disliking to a tidbit from my past. Make sure that those at the House are on alert. I don't want anyone hurt because a few angry hitmen decide that they don't want to wait on orders. Cavallone and Tomaso will probably try to help Reborn calm things down, but there's still going to be danger until Vongola decides how to deal with me."

"Yes, Boss," Aster replied with his typical acceptance. Reaching out to ruffle his hair in gratitude, Tsuna felt calmer by simply having Aster by his side. In his own way, he was far more reliable than most. It was true that he was constantly changing and maturing, but he was also perpetually unchanging. It didn't make any logical sense, but such was the only way that Tsuna could describe his servant. For that reason, Tsuna felt that Aster deserved the same honesty that Tsuna had given his students.

"If I ordered you to, would you kill Lord Nephriam?" Tsuna asked softly.

"No," he answered without missing a step. Tsuna grinned, having already expected such a straight-forward answer.

"What if I ordered you to because it was what Lord Nephriam wished for?" Tsuna inquired. At this, Aster's pace slowed, but Tsuna didn't give him time to determine his answer. "A long time ago, I murdered my Boss, Aster. The confusion that you feel now is nothing compared to how torn I was at the time. Vongola the Ninth knew that I planned to kill him. He had every opportunity to stop me and he saw through my poor attempt to hide what I was doing, but he still allowed himself to be killed. He'd already foreseen that there could only be two choices. Either Vongola the Ninth died that day or a much greater tragedy would befall Vongola as a whole. More than myself, he was the one who made the choice for the greater good and I don't regret aiding him. I still feel pain from having to do it, though." Taking a deep breath, Tsuna walked in silence for a few blocks to give Aster time to process the story in silence. By the time that Tsuna finished his cigarette and continued talking, Aster seemed as if he understood.

"There is no longer any point to hiding the truth behind the Ninth's demise. He died honorably and his sacrifice demands respect. At the moment, I'm hated because I let it be known that my actions brought his downfall. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to hate the others for whatever actions that they might take towards me during this time. Much like the Hunters that hound us because of our tainted blood, these people are too blind to seek true justice."

"I thought that Justice was supposed to be blind," Aster mumbled in confusion.

"A Blind Justice is only impartial judgment," Tsuna countered with a grin. "True Justice would have a pair of eyes in the back of her head and mismatched shoes."

Aster looked at him with an utter lack of comprehension at the statement, but Tsuna didn't plan on explaining. It was something that could only be understood with experience and Aster still had a long way to go before he could see from his enemy's eyes without being blindsided. That was also something that Ross would need to learn if she wanted to bring out the true power of her Glamours.

The Dango Brothers caught up with them as they reached Tsuna's intermediary destination: the subway. Before heading down to the platform, he sent the six to rest in the sword on his back. Understanding dawned on Aster's face as they headed down the stairs, knowing that Tsuna would use the subway for only one reason. That reason was to go to Venice Row. It was probably naive of him to head to such a place when emotions were running so high, but a glance over his shoulder before losing sight of the street level left him satisfied. Aster probably hadn't noticed, but they'd been tailed since the school and there was no doubt that there were listening devices stationed at several intervals down the road. Tsuna had no doubt that his full story would reach Hotaru's ears and, from there, would leak down into the lower ranks of the Mafia. All that was left for him now was to have a little patience, a little faith, and maybe a few beers.

* * *

Although he'd been to Venice Row a grand total of four times, it never ceased to amaze him that the Mafia had the power to create a hidden city underneath the city. Aster tried to keep his attention on his Master, but it was difficult with all the distractions that were waiting to be seen. The architects of the underground world had to have been geniuses. Although knew that the area had once been a long tunnel, alleyways had been built between some shops to give the illusion that they'd been created separately. Different stores had different facades over the front to make it seem as if they'd been made out of separate materials and a few stores even had steps up or down to get in so that there was the illusion of a hill down the flat tunnel. He really wanted to go down a few of the alleyways to see if different sets of stores had been tucked into hiding even in a place like this, but Master was heading along the same path that he'd taken during every visit.

They didn't stop at the Furry Biscuit, though. Master walked right past it, leading Aster deeper into the tunnel until they found a place called "Pink's". One whiff of the scents coming out of the door was enough to tell Aster what kind of place it was. It was the kind of place that Master took him to be fed since he couldn't do it himself anymore, but Aster didn't need that kind of attention! He'd figured out how to control himself! That was the whole reason that he was wearing this silly veil!

Master wasn't giving him a choice, though. He headed inside without giving Aster the chance to refuse. Knowing his duty to Master, he followed with the intention to tell him as soon as possible that he didn't want this. He wasn't really sure why he didn't want it, since it still felt good to get physical with a person, but he just didn't want it. It would be okay if it was Master, but complete strangers didn't hold the appeal that they once had. Yet, how could he explain that when he didn't really understand it himself? Maybe he should tell Master that he was sick? No, he didn't really feel sick. It just... It just didn't feel right!

Once they were inside the club, Aster couldn't appreciate any of the decor. He was too busy trying to figure out some way to put what he was thinking into words so that it would make sense. 'It didn't feel right' wasn't a good enough excuse for a blood slave to refuse. There were a lot of people around them, too, so it was hard to think of a way to say it without making Master lose face. Aster was aware of how young he looked, even though he was a full adult. If he blurted it out here, everyone would think that Master was doing something really wrong even though he was just trying to take care of Aster.

Aster was distracted from his own problems when Master came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the club. He did something that Aster had never seen him do before. He took off his hat and threw it like a frisbee toward the front of the bar. As expected of Master, it was a beautiful throw. It had such speed and power, but it still landed gracefully on one bartender woman's head. She looked up from where she'd been mixing drinks and her eyes locked onto Master without having to search.

When she tossed her head to the side, Master gave a small half-bow from his waist before grabbing Aster's arm. Aster didn't get a chance to say anything! By the time that Master let him go, they were alone in a private room that was overlooking the main bar. From the smells coming off the couch against the wall and the heavy curtains over the windows, he knew what the room was used for. Here was his opportunity, though.

"W-What's going on, Boss?" He asked despite knowing exactly what was going on. He wanted to give Master the benefit of the doubt, but--

"My version of sex education," Master answered with a smirk as he pushed the curtains open. Before Aster could respond, a girl came in with a bottle of liquor and two glasses. She hurried back out the door before Aster could fear that she was the girl that had been hired, but he only got more nervous due to the scents coming from her as she passed by. The woman's scent didn't bother him at all, but the scents on her from men with more hormones than manners were potent. Even with the auras of sex being blocked out from his senses, his body remembered the smells and what actions went with them. Taking Master's offer to sit at the window-side table with him, Aster accepted the drink that was poured and tried to get his mind back on track.

"I don't need any education," he told Master after the alcohol calmed his nerves.

"Later, Aster," Master waved a hand absentmindedly. Aster gaped at how completely engrossed Master had instantly become in the stage show. This wasn't like Master at all! Aster was used to having his comments ignored, but something didn't smell right! Had Master really just used him as an excuse to see some strippers?!

Deciding that Master had every right to do such a thing, Aster kept his eyes on his glass and tried to hide his relief. They weren't there so that he could be fed. They'd stopped here because Master was feeling a little tense after going without any relief for so long and he'd brought Aster along merely as protection in case he was outnumbered by more than what had showed up after school. That was fine. It made him happy to know that Master could trust him to bring him along for such a personal outing. Although, Aster had a feeling that he better not take any more glimpses at what Master was watching or he'd be in trouble.

Just as he thought that, two of the waitresses came in and sat down with them. Other than the color of their outfits, they had matching uniforms of skin tight jumpsuits that were laced all the way up one side. They giggled a lot for some reason, but Aster ignored them in order to pour himself and Master another drink with shaking hands. The smells on them were too thick. The one in yellow had to have been with a client recently from the strength of the smell on her and the one in green had to have been working out on the main floor from the number of scents that were on her.

"Hey there, boys. I'm Yellow," the one in yellow said as she sat down in the chair next to him.

"And I'm Green," the one in green said as she sat down next to Master. Master ignored her, obviously still engrossed with whatever was happening on stage since it was the most he'd allow himself anymore.

The one that sat next to him was a gorgeous woman, supple and well-endowed. Her hair was cropped short and spiked in a way that made her seem dangerous, while her eyes were a bright amber that seemed so innocent. Thankfully, she only seemed to want to talk. Yellow chatted with him about nonsense stuff to put him at ease while he took a third shot. She wanted to know his name, how old he was, and what he did for fun. Not once did she ask about what it was like to be a werewolf, even though Aster got the feeling that she already knew what he was.

He finally calmed down and was talking with her about what his work was like when she struck. A strike was the only way that Aster could think of describing how she'd jumped in his lap, almost as if she were a snake that was wrapping around him in preparation to bite. He choked when she swung a leg over and straddled him. He immediately tensed up, wondering if Master had given some sort of orders while he'd been unaware. After that, she didn't give him time to think anymore. She leaned seductively over him, her breast pressed against his chest, and lifted up his veil in order to kiss him.

Between the gauntlet of scents that he'd had to walk through to get into the room and the strong scent coming off of her, Aster felt dizzy once his protection was pulled off. He could also feel his body reacting, making him erect and excited despite how much he'd told himself that he didn't need to be fed. She nibbled his lip before pressing them firmly against his, making his heart pound faster. When he felt her tongue flicked against his lips, asking him to open up for her, he couldn't help doing so. Her tongue playfully licked the inside of his mouth, playing cat and mouse with his own tongue before winding it around his. He began to feel his body reacting even more to the sensations she gave him, making him lightheaded with want.

The image of Ulrich surfaced in his mind as Yellow began to reach a hand down to do something to his lower extremities. Before he even had conscious control of his actions, he grabbed the woman's arms and roughly held her away from him, breaking off the kiss in an instant. She looked disappointed, but he took the opportunity to shake his head in an attempt to clear it. He was still dizzy, but she'd let his veil fall back down once he'd pushed her away. The veil was like a wall to him and he felt his body calming down once that wall was once again between him and the smells that could drive him insane.

From where Yellow sat held on his lap, she asked with an innocent look, "What's wrong? You don't like girls?"

"No, no I don't," he gasped as he clenched his eyes shut so that he didn't have to see Master's disappointment. He couldn't let this go on, though. Master was only trying to help him, but this wasn't helping him at all! "You smell like men, but..." he explained hurriedly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to say it if he didn't just blurt it out."I'm really sorry, but I don't like girls! I've never liked girls! I know that Master's worried about me, but I don't want this! I don't want it at all! I'm not Hungry and... and... it just doesn't feel right! I don't want to do it if it's not--"

Aster froze in place and bowed his head down in shock. What had he been about to say? He didn't mind doing it with Master, but he'd almost... He'd almost made a statement that insinuated that he could only do it with a man that he'd spent less than an hour with. How was that possible? That Ulrich-- He didn't understand!

Releasing Yellow's arms, she got off of him without needing to be asked. Aster couldn't look up as both Yellow and Green left. Master was probably disappointed or mad at him. He'd refused Master's kindness and-- Aster gaped when a glance up allowed him to see that Master was looking at him with a crooked grin on his face. Before he could ask the reason, another woman came in.

"I'm Pink," she said in a business-like fashion as she sat down with them. It was the same woman as earlier and she smiled as she handed Master back his hat. "I'm the owner here." Turning to speak to Aster directly, she said, "Yellow said not only did you passed with flying colors, but that you can be kind of cute."

"Eh?" Aster choked in surprise. "Pass? That was a test?"

"We'll take him," she said, turning to Master. Once again, Aster found himself completely ignored. "You know the score. It's not very often we find someone that has the abilities that we need yet can also restrain themselves around the girls. Though If he gets frisky with the customers and can get the customers to like it, it just means more business for me. Anyway, he doesn't look very strong, but I'll take your word on it. He can start this weekend." Master nodded and the woman got up and left before Aster could get any answers. Before Master could ignore him yet again and go back to watching the show, Aster grabbed his attention.

"What was that all about?!" He exclaimed, refusing to let the matter drop like he usually did. Master looked at him lazily and nursed his drink.

"Starting next Friday afternoon, your new job." Aster's eyes widened as Master continued. "You'll be a weekend replacement for one of the bartenders here. You'll be mixing drinks mostly, but you'll also be backing up the bouncers to throw out customers that gets too rough with the girls or don't follow Pink's rules." Master laughed abruptly as Aster decided to down he drink with one large gulp. Work?! HERE?! Was Master trying to kill him?! His veil helped him keep control, but it wasn't flawless protection! "You're the one that said I spent too much money on your wardrobe," he laughed. "Here's your chance to earn it back and learn a few things while you're at it." Master turned his attention back to the stage show, not intending to leave just yet while Aster just sat in his chair, stunned.

* * *

Remembering that he still owed Adie one, he gave the woman a call and headed over to Venice Row's small claim of a movie theater to meet her. It probably wasn't the type of show that Adie had expected, but then again she hadn't specified the format. She didn't complain, though, and she showed up within three minutes of his call. Tsuna was glad that she wasn't going to be difficult, since he had very little free time to spare. Only the fact that Aster would be skipping dinner in order to meet his new coworkers allowed Tsuna the extra time to go on an obligatory date.

Letting her pick the movie, Tsuna smothered a surge of guilt for agreeing to the date. He hadn't had a chance to tell Xanxus that he'd chosen not to cancel the engagement despite how hard they'd worked to collect the money to repay the woman. He _had _repaid every cent of the dowry that he'd collected early, but he'd asked Adie to wait for his answer about her proposal. It was at times like these that he was glad that he'd made that choice. Adie was a powerful woman who didn't care if he used her. No matter what his request was, she'd answer it without asking any unnecessary questions. Her only requirements were that he repaid her with 'time' such as the time that he was giving her now.

She was a source of aid when he had very few friends to call upon and she was a trustworthy soul that didn't sink to low-blows in order to get what she wanted. She could have easily blackmailed him into spending time with her, but she hadn't. She was letting Tsuna take his time accepting her and Tsuna had to admit that her method was effective. He knew that he didn't love her, but he was coming to care for her as a precious friend. She was also incredibly affectionate in a time when he had so few that could see past his mask to care about him.

Adie was beside herself in glee when Tsuna agreed to watch a romance movie with her, although much of that was probably from how much attention they were getting. Half of the attention were fierce glares aimed at Tsuna, the hitman who'd supposedly killed the Ninth. The other half of the attention was aimed at Adie, the billionaire businesswoman-slash-debutante who was acting like a love-struck girl on her first date despite her reputation for being stern and imposing. Tsuna had no doubts at all that she was already aware of the scandal surrounding Tsuna. He also knew that she didn't care what kind of attention that she got as long as she was able to take part. It was a thrill for her instead of a fear since she was of the mentality that she could always outlive such things.

Allowing himself the pleasure of getting caught up in her silliness, he played along with her fantasy of a first date by buying her a drink and escorting her into the theater arm-in-arm. They picked a seat and Tsuna made himself comfortable with his arm around her shoulder. That was, he was comfortable until Adie started pouting while she watched other couples eating popcorn. Having already predicted such an occurrence, Tsuna politely asked her to see if she wanted any and immediately got up to fetch it when she looked at him with a pair of begging eyes.

Of course, he took his time about retrieving it. In truth, a romance movie was the last thing that he wanted to watch. He'd rather watch an action or a mystery. Actually, any movie would be better as long as it didn't remind him of how many time he'd been dumped recently. It was as if all of his luck in love had decided to dry up as soon as he hit thirty. Oh well, he sighed with what was becoming a mantra; win some, lose some.

He wasn't dead yet, so there was always a chance to fall in love again.

After being lucky enough to find four people to care about and then falling in love twice more after that, he wasn't so naive to think that there could only be one person in his life who could fill the void. He just had to remember the lessons his time as Suoh and Lazarus had taught him. That lesson was to keep an open mind and never narrow his options without careful consideration. Adie probably wasn't 'the one' but she also wasn't a hideous ogre. He had reasons to respect her and sometimes sparks happened when they were least expected. He just had to look at his relationship with Xanxus to believe that. Xanxus had been his enemy and the last person that he'd ever expected to fall in love with. More than circumstance or fate, time had brought them together. It was also the thing that had torn them apart, but he could get over it. He had no choice.

Yeah, Tsuna repeated to himself as he paid for the popcorn. He would get over it.... somehow. As he headed back toward the theater, he popped a piece of the snack into his mouth and immediately choked. The overabundance of salt made his attention snap over to the concessionists, only to find them all smirking at Tsuna with their chins tilted up in challenge. Normally, it'd be such a childish attempt at revenge, but Tsuna knew that it was the most that the men could get away with inside the protected confines of Venice Row. He couldn't really blame them and that wasn't even the problem. The problem was how the salt clawed at his throat, urging him to cough despite Mukuro's illusions.

The link between himself and Mukuro was shallow at best, so the illusions keeping him from noticing the constant urge was easily broken. With something real attacking him like this, he had no possible way to fight. That didn't mean that he was going to allow himself to falter from such childish behavior, though. Looking away, he held his breathe and clenched his jaw to delay the reaction as much as he could while his eyes watered. Then, he held out the bag of popcorn and dumped out the entire contents across the carpeted floor. It was something that he would've never have done if it'd been over-salted by accident, but the mess was just what the bastards deserved for making perfectly good food practically inedible.

Willing to leave it at that, he headed into the bathroom to get into hiding before the attack started and he barely made it. As the first coughs began to wrack through his chest in effort to expel the salt, he flipped on the sink tap and cupped his hands under the flow. It was hard to drink water and cough at the same time; he choked several times before the salt was washed away enough that he could grab hold of the sink and dizzily take a breath that didn't end with a painful expulsion. It was over quickly, though, and only someone who'd been directly watching would know that he hadn't just been washing his hands.

At least, he thought it was over until he felt something different crawling up the back of his throat. There was the feeling of something ripping, causing him to once again cough violently in effort to expel whatever it was. It came out easily, but he felt the need to stare at what ended up in his hand. It definitely wasn't popcorn, but it was about the size of an unpopped kernel and covered in blood. That couldn't be good. At the sound of a toilet flushing, he figured that he didn't have time to figure it out, either.

Washing away the evidence of his illness, he wiped his face to ensure that there was no blood on it and hurriedly tried to wash the blood off of his hands. The man that came out of the bathroom stall gave Tsuna a curious look as he washed his own hands, but it wasn't until Tsuna went to get a paper towel that he figured out why. He'd washed his hands with his white gloves on, an undeniable sign that something strange was going on.

It's okay, he told himself while he tried to calm down and get his knees to stop shaking from the weakness that had surfaced. The guy hadn't seen any blood and, even if he had, there was no proof that it was Tsuna's instead of something from his flask. Remembering his flask, Tsuna pulled it off of his hip and unscrewed the cap to drain the half-pint that was left. It wasn't sake, but it made him feel as pleasant as if it had been. His weakness was pushed away and the raw feeling at the back of his throat was soothed. He was going to be okay.

He actually believed that until he looked in the mirror. Seeing a white fox looking back at him, he suddenly understood the real reason for Lord Nephriam's choice of Tsuna's avatar. It wasn't a challenge to others to try to catch him or a playful alternative to a plain mask. He'd chosen it specifically for Tsuna himself. For vampires and werewolves alike, wearing a mask was akin to saying that they were in limbo. He was caught between one life and the next, unable to move on while also unable to go back.

Lord Nephriam had chosen a fox to be his spiritual guide and to remind him that being sneaky didn't always mean that one was cunning. For example, something like this illness.... Why wasn't he asking for help? Hadn't he let go of his stubborn pride? He didn't really want to die, so why was he giving up without ever trying to live? The pale and waxy complexion peeking out from his mask told him that he wasn't healthy. He'd tried on his own and he'd gotten nowhere, so why...? Why couldn't he just step into the open and say "Here I am?"

He knew why. He was still afraid, which was why he was the fox. An injured fox never begged the hounds for mercy. A fox licked its wounds in privacy while struggling to survive. It wasn't the happiest way to live, but it was the path that he'd chosen. One at a time, he'd outwit the hounds and steal the farmer's crops from under his nose. They'd learn from him, whether they wanted to or not. He'd challenge them and outsmart them until they had no choice but to raise the bar to defeat him. And then, right when they had enough strength to outwit and overpower him....

He'd figure that part out later, he chuckled to himself as he put his flask back on his belt. The point was that an injuries and illness were the way of life. He wasn't going to allow such things to bring down his happiness, no matter how fragile or ephemeral it might be. Heading out of the bathroom with determination steady in his mind, he came to an instant stop when he found Adie waiting for him with a furious scowl on her face.

"Were you planning on hiding in there through the whole movie?" She asked unhappily. "If you didn't want to go out with me, then why did you bother to invite me?"

"I... uh..." Fumbling for an explanation, her expression abruptly cleared from surprise and she cut him off before he could come up with an excuse.

"Let's go. The movie sucked," she said, reaching out to grab his hand. As she dragged him away from the bathroom and across the lobby, she added, "I have no clue what people see in Lambo's acting. He's just too full of himself for me to--"

"LAMBO?!" Tsuna spluttered. Pulling his arm free of Adie's grip, Tsuna spun around and took a closer look at the cardboard cutouts that were strewn around the lobby.

Lambo....

Lambo....

LAMBO!

He hadn't recognized the person in the posters and the standees because it wasn't the little boy Lambo that he remembered! Like Fuuta, Lambo had grown up! He was older than the Lambo of ten years later who'd come back in time for occasional visits and he looked much like the Lambo of twenty years later who'd appeared in the Ring Battles! How was that possible?! No, he knew how that part was possible! The question was how it was possible that Lambo had gotten both a job and fame! He was just a little.... No, he wasn't little, but he was still just....

"Van!" Adie blurted in surprise when Tsuna headed back into the theater. He had to see! He wouldn't believe it until he actually saw it! He'd get Adie's apology later. Right now, there was nothing more important than witnessing Lambo's... Once again, Tsuna corrected himself. It probably wasn't Lambo's debut, but seeing what his little friend had achieved was the most important thing in the world.

Sinking down into a seat in the back row, Tsuna's eyes were glued to the screen and his ears blocked out everything outside of the audio coming from the speakers. It was true. It was right there in front of him. Lambo... His dear little Lambo was all grown up and was making movies. The Bovino Boss must be so proud of him. To think that such a crazy little guy could star in such an emotional role. Adie was right in saying that he was a little full of himself. That came through even on screen, but Tsuna saw so much more.

He saw why Lambo had always acted like a ladies' man when he'd come back from the future and he could imagine how acting probably helped boost his confidence. With movies, all the mistakes were wiped away and the only thing that was shown was the finished collection of well-acted scenes. Lambo really could act, too. Maybe it was because he'd always been so sensitive, but he could portray a whole slew of emotions that Tsuna hadn't known was in him.

Long after the end credits finished and the house lights were raised, Tsuna stared at the screen until his mind went blank. It wasn't until one of the concessionists from earlier came in to clean up the theater for the next showing that he came back to himself. Although, that wasn't saying much since he was only able to leave the theater with Adie's guidance. He felt as if he'd taken a shot to the chest. This was a first, he realized. Out of all of his old Guardians and all of his old comrades, who would have believed that Lambo was the only one that he'd found so far who'd actually be okay? With everyone else, there had been self-neglect, relationship problems, confidence issues, and stagnation. But Lambo... Goofy little Lambo had still charged forward in life. It was inconceivable!

"....light on the dressing and we'll take a Full Service Buffet of this one," Adie said as she pointed to a menu. Tsuna frantically looked around, belatedly realizing that he'd been led through the Furry Biscuit, down the stairs into the Private Club, and had a glass of wine in his hand that he didn't remember being given. Seeing the knowing gleam in Adie's eyes, he didn't comment on it, though. She was a sly woman, having forced him into keeping his promise of dinner while he'd been distracted.

He didn't see any reason to complain since his flask was empty and he hadn't eaten anything solid since lunch. Also, he found it amusing that Adie was the first woman to ever order for him. He had to think hard to make sure that he remembered correctly, but he was fairly positive. He'd purposely taken Haru to places where she couldn't read the menu so that she wouldn't be concerned with the prices and he'd never had the chance to properly woo Kyoko. Other than his flings as Lazarus that he'd never been serious about, his only traditional date experience had been with Autumn and they'd ordered separately. He had yet to take Neve on a real date and everyone else that he'd gotten in a relationship with had been male.

In a way, thinking about it made him feel quite pathetic. He'd been an incredible workaholic in the past, skipping over such a basic thing like dating. Although he hated to admit it, it was probably why he was alone now. He'd always just taken what was offered without really considering what he had been getting himself into. Haru and Kyoko, Xanxus and Mukuro.... All four were dear to him, but was it possible that he'd confused friendship for love? He had been desperate. He wanted to say that he hadn't been when it came to his reasons for accepting Haru and Xanxus, but it would be a lie. Even when it came to Kyoko, could he really claim that he'd loved her when he'd permitted such a horrible thing to happen?

No, he corrected himself. He had loved them all, but he just hadn't loved them enough. If he had, then they wouldn't have been able to ignore them so much. If he had, then he wouldn't be able to sit back and accept that they didn't want him any longer. Snicker... That man had been his first real relationship. That man had been the first and only one that he'd truly loved enough, yet he'd still failed Snicker in the end. He'd failed and then he'd gone back to his half-hearted ways by also letting Autumn marry a different man.

After all of that, at least he could say that he wasn't naive anymore. Although he was engaged to both Adie and Neve, he wasn't lying to himself this time around. He wasn't pretending that there was something more than friendship between them, either. Both women knew the state of his heart and they were willing to take their chances. If they had been deluding themselves, he wouldn't have stuck around long enough to make things worse. He'd learned his lesson and he refused to fall in love because of desperation again. Truthfully, he'd rather hand his head over to a Hunter before allowing himself to fall in love at all. Things just got too complicated when he tried to be selfish with his feelings.

"What are you thinking about?" Adie asked conversationally. Lounging back in his seat, Tsuna swirled the wine in his glass while he looked around to see how many people were within listening range. It was nearly a full house, but the conversation was mostly hushed. After all, it wasn't every day that two Councilors came to dinner together. The other clientele were doing their best to be invisible while also shamelessly eavesdropping by the mere act of not leaving.

"The past," he admitted, sighing in resignation at Adie's knowing look. There was no reason to hide it, he felt. As long as he didn't specifically say his name, there was no one present who would dare repeat his words. Regardless of whether the Council had an understanding with the Mafia Bosses or not, the rules of this niche of the world wouldn't change. That included a large amount of respect toward privacy. "I'm growing weary," he added, modulating his voice and his manner with an eye to those who were eavesdropping. The gleam in Adie's eyes sharpened, seeing that he was putting on the mask of a Councilor due to the pressure of their environment. "It's tempting to end this charade before anything really gets started."

"You should," Adie chuckled with a dainty giggle. "Being a Tutor doesn't suit you. If you were to take off your mask for good, there is no one who would not bow down at your feet. You could have everything that the Council has to offer: wealth, power, and even--"

"Don't need it," Tsuna interrupted lazily. "I've had all of that before, but I also had a reason to use it. Now I am but a wandering spirit. The world has very little to offer one such as me."

"Cut the bullshit," Adie snapped, slapping her hand down on the table. Tsuna blinked at her in surprise at the sudden outburst, getting the impression that she was somehow disappointed in his words. At least, that was the only reason that he could think of to explain why she would slip into such an uncouth mood. "You have to be the most warm-hearted man that I've ever met, but you're also the coldest. Why must everything be an extreme with you? I know about your situation, Van. I can--"

"Help?" Tsuna finished with a cold stare that froze her in her tracks. "Please remember who you're speaking to, Adie. Didn't you just insinuate that you'd bow at my feet should I choose to remove my mask? I would think that you'd be the first to want to prolong my state of limbo."

"I just..." she mumbled as she turned pale.

"I have no need of maggots that can only grovel and bitches that can only pant in heat," Tsuna growled in warning. "If you wish to stay as something more than that, then respect my wishes. I'll only spoil you up to a certain point, Kitten." Adie blushed brightly at the use of the old pet name and reverted back into her pouting girl mentality just in time for their appetizers to arrive.

Adie was silent while they dined on oysters, after which their salads were brought. It seemed to be an incredibly normal salad on the surface, but Tsuna caught the tang of vampire blood mixed in with the Cattalina dressing. He could smell it, but he didn't think that he could actually taste it. At least, that's what he thought until he realized that there were no bits of bacon in his serving despite what his taste buds were telling him. They were also brought a basket of bread and a block of pinkish butter that gave off the faintest hint of... pepper-jack cheese?

With this being his first time to actually sit down and enjoy a meal at Neve's place, he had to admit that he was thoroughly surprised. There had to be either a vampire or genius blood slaves who were preparing the meal. To go so far in coordinating the infusions of blood into their meal so that it didn't conflict with the taste was an incredible accomplishment. Far more used to just having to accept blood in the form of wine or raw, he felt incredibly spoiled by the care shown with just the first two plates.

When Tsuna caught the scent of their soup course, his mouth began watering from the smell of seasoned chicken and sliced vegetables. Their fish course left him in heaven with fresh sashimi garnished with infused wasabi. Then the meat course came and Tsuna was beside himself from the tender leg of lamb that was laid before him. The meat looked so succulent and juicy, falling off the bone before his fork could come close to touching it. The side of seasoned rice looked good next to it, too. He wasn't sure where to--

Pausing before he could pick his first bite, he slowly looked up and glared across the table at Adie. He kept his focus entirely on her in an attempt to ignore the suddenly naked waiter who was positioning himself down upon the center of their table. He'd heard her order the Full Service Buffet, but he hadn't realized that she was ordering it for him until now. He'd thought that she was getting it for herself, but that couldn't be the case when what was laid out was undeniably a low-class vampire instead of a human.

"You didn't have to go to such lengths to try to please me," he said neutrally, turning his attention back down to his plate in attempt to keep his composure. Tearing a piece of meat loose with his fork, he took his time mopping up some of the juices with a piece of bread so that none of it would be wasted. Lunch had been cut short, so he was still starving despite the courses that had already passed. He couldn't even remember the last time that he'd actually been full and Adie probably knew that. She'd gotten him a blood-slave-for-hire so that he could fill up without rendering Aster unconscious for several days. There was a major problem with that, though. He couldn't bite anything without taking the risk of passing along his disease. Adie didn't know that, though. At least, he didn't think that Neve or Shamal would have mentioned it to her, but he couldn't think of any other reason that she'd have such a sharp gleam in her eyes. The Buffet was either a token of affection or a challenge; Tsuna was pretty positive that it was the latter.

"Did you think that using the Scent Erasing Soap could keep me from noticing forever, Van?" Adie asked while she ignored her own meal. Tsuna paused with his fork hovering over his plate, disturbed at how quickly she'd confirmed what he was thinking. "How long have you been sick?"

"I have no idea what you're talking ab--" Tsuna broke off, feeling a chill run down his spine. Glancing back up at Adie, it was his turn to pale at the cold stare that he was given. It was her win this time. Just like she couldn't argue when he went cold, he couldn't argue when she showed a hint of her true power. "A while," he admitted, lowering his voice so that it wouldn't carry as easily. "And before you ask, there isn't a cure. Do we really have to talk about this?" Looking up with a smile, he gestured to her meal to suggest a change in subject. "Your food is going to get cold."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," she growled, smiling at Tsuna in a way that insinuated something far different than interest in the food on the plate before her. Tsuna groaned at the reply, but still gave her his winning smile to help lighten the mood.

"You're too good to me," he murmured as she finally began eating her meal.

"You earned it," she shrugged in return. Tsuna shook his head at her nonchalance and finally graced his would-be blood slave with a glance. He started to open his mouth to tell him that he could go, but he found himself gaping instead.

"Adie...." he growled, making her freeze as if he'd caught her red-handed. In a way, he had and he wasn't happy. He couldn't glare at her, though, because that would make him look across a body that he definitely did not want to look at. He looked every which way other than the general direction that the table was in. "Adie, why did you pick this particular buffet?"

"Did I choose wrong?" She gasped in honest surprise as she reached for one of the menus that had been left on the table. "I thought he'd fit your tastes. He has many things in common with your pet servant. He's young, blood type AB Positive, Storm--"

"There's one big problem with all of that," Tsuna grumbled. "I'm a Tutor, Adie. Even you can't expect me to eat one of my students. And, for the record, my tastes actually lean toward those with a deeper flavor. The only reason that I keep such a tight leash on Aster is because he makes for a refreshing drink."

"Oh," she gaped. Then she gasped a second time in horrified understanding, probably lining up Tsuna's previous relationships with Xanxus and Snicker in her mind as representatives of those with a 'deeper flavor'. Giving a flurry of apologies, she had the student, Murlock, slide off of the table and put his toga back on. She didn't let him go, though. After all, she'd lose even more face if she didn't come up with some excuse for making such an incredibly bad choice. "Well, since he's here, why don't we get his opinion on how you did for your first day of teaching?" She asked as if it'd been her plan all along. Tsuna nodded to let her have her way and once more tried to put his attention on the leg of lamb that was still waiting to be devoured.

Surprisingly, Murlock showed no signs of discomfort while giving his opinion nor did he hesitate despite being before two Councilors. He was just as cocky as he'd been at the school, saying exactly what he thought without caring for how dangerous his statements were. It was amusing in a way, since Adie was blatantly ignoring the man once he was filling the silence and Tsuna kept his focus on his own plate in order to devour the succulent lamb before it could become cold. He still listened with half an ear, though, and he could have taken offense at any number of places since Murlock made it plain that he disliked Tsuna. However, Murlock's boldness was his undoing.

"Were you saying something, dear?" Adie asked as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. Murlock's face went blank at the insinuation that he'd been nothing more than background noise, but whatever training that Neve had given him managed to hold up.

"Nothing at all, Mistress," he said with a polite smile. Tsuna made no comment, figuring that Murlock had it coming for being so naïve as to think that he'd be listened to simply because he was a vampire.

"Let's get down to business," Tsuna said as he pushed his plate off to the side. Gesturing for Murlock to refill their wine glasses, Tsuna chose not to dismiss him. There was something decidedly odd about the vampire and he thought that Murlock might learn something by being permitted to watch. Namely, he might learn that being a vampire didn't make him worth being listened to anymore than being a werewolf made Tsuna unworthy. "As much as I love your company, I need an update. How are things looking?"

"Complete stalemate," she groaned, leaning back in her chair to get more comfortable. In response, Tsuna lit up a post-meal cigarette and nursed his wine in preparation of a long talk.

Two bottles of blood wine later, he felt as if he had the complete picture. It took him a while to catch up with the codes that she was using to keep eavesdroppers from understanding, but things were pretty straight-forward after that. "The child", Tonno, hadn't surfaced at all, although they had people keeping an eye on "Giotto's Mark", Hotaru, in fear of a switch since Xanxus had been so specific in saying that they were identical. Inquiries to the main enclave of "Historians", aka the pacifist Hunters, had finally come back with very little information. They weren't involved with the aggressive actions that had been taken, but they were aware of what was going on. Two groups of "Craftsmen", aka the inventor clan of Hunters, had been taken into custody and questioned, but their information only showed that they'd been forced to create the suits and new breeds of weapons before abruptly being cut off from any contact by the "Warriors", which were the Hunters that had actually caused the massacre at Lord Chandler's estate and were the masterminds behind the string of abductions.

The abductions had stopped since Xanxus' return from captivity, but the Council as a whole felt that it was merely the calm before a storm. They were doing their best to return things to 'Business as Usual', but Lord Nephriam and an alliance of two other Councilors were preparing the Omega Foundation for the Child's return. If and when the Hunters took up arms against them again, they would be ready and waiting for them. This time, the battle would not be quite so one-sided.

Then came the bad news. Having already predicted the true reason for behind Tsuna's call, she pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it over to him. Reading through the pages within what she handed him, he found out that the bad news was very bad. The list of dead and the missing was long enough that it was easily equal to two small Families being wiped off the face of the earth. Vampires and werewolves were widespread, but they'd never been a large population to begin with. Fewer than ten thousand people compared to the billions on the planet... Thanks to the Hunter's actions, they were far too close to extinction for anyone's comfort.

"Recall the Phlegm," he ordered as his intuition flared. "If I know you and the rest of the Council, you've sent orders for them to find as many replacements as they can to make up the holes in the ranks. Call them back immediately!"

"Are you crazy?" Adie spluttered. "There's no possible way for us to--"

"CALL THEM BACK!" He roared, slamming his fist on the table to silence her. Spreading the scroll out for her to see, he pointed to the number of survivors and then he pointed to those who were listed as dead. "The numbers don't match! There are three people who are listed as dead who are also counted as being alive. I've been keeping an eye on our numbers since it was my responsibility to ensure that all of my Alliance members were registered properly. This number is wrong! We have to call the Phlegm back!"

"I don't understand," she said, not making the connection between the Phlegm and the Hunters.

"Other than a Hunter, what is the only enemy that we have to fear?" Tsuna asked in effort to make her see the answer for herself. It wasn't difficult. The answer was another vampire. "The Hunters have thrown down the gauntlet, Adie. They want to end us once and for all and they have the resolution to do it. Do you remember Kimi? The Hunter who did the kamikaze attack at Mafia Land? Do you think that people that determined would care if they had to be damned to achieve their goals? What do you think they're doing during this stalemate?"

"Oh god," Adie gasped as all of the blood rushed out of her face. She stared at him in disbelief, but he merely nodded in to confirm what she was thinking. The three extra vampires were likely hiding among the Phlegm. That would place them in a position where they could move freely and access information that was only privy to vampires that were registered. They could spy on vampire activities while also having the power to create Hunter-allied vampires at will.

"Call them back," Tsuna repeated once more. "Before it's too late." Adie nodded in agreement, unable to argue in the face of such logic.

* * *

Rooftops were wonderful things. They could block out the weather and create shelter from the elements. With the right tools, they could become walls where peepholes would go unnoticed and listening devices could be secretly planted. But, most of all, it was a great place to sit with a cigarette and stargaze. If a person picked the right roof to stargaze off of, that person also had a chance to see interesting scenes such as the one happening below.

On the surface, it seemed as if a manager was firing an employee. The interesting part was that the place was owned by a Mafia Family and Ross was the one getting the boot. The really interesting part was that she was on hands and knees while begging without pride to be given another chance. The part that Tsuna didn't like was the attitude of the kitchen cook that was throwing her out.

Tsuna knew the body language, but what it was saying was something far different than what the man was mouthing.

His verbal words were: "You can't get anything right! You make the customers feel uncomfortable and you've been nothing but a nuisance since you started working here! You can't even get to work on time! Did you really think that a place of this caliber would have trouble finding quality staff?"

However, his body language was saying: "You're really cute and I know that I don't have a chance in hell. I'll just have to make you grateful toward me a little at a time until you have no choice but to choose me."

"I'll do better!" Ross exclaimed. "Please don't fire me! I need this job!" Tsuna smiled to himself, seeing that her body language was matching up. She was an honest girl, but she seemed a bit on the dimwitted side. Even though the kitchen cook was smiling openly in happiness as he crossed his arms, Ross was too distracted by her own problems to notice that she was being played. Time to step in and--

"Fine," the cook replied while he attempted to smother his grin. Tsuna paused, hearing a note in the man's voice and body that didn't bode well. "But you've got to stay away from Vongola the Eleventh. You always manage to work in area one on the nights that he comes in and you're giving the place a bad name with your service. He's not someone that--"

"Look out below!" Tsuna shouted as he jumped over the side of the roof. Plummeting down into the alley, he reached out to grab a brick of the wall to slow himself down before haphazardly landing on top of the cook. Pretending he was apologetic, he jumped to his feet and checked the guy over to make sure that no injuries had been caused. He was perfectly fine, although a bit frazzled at Tsuna's surprising entrance. "Oh!" Tsuna gaped in mock-surprise, turning to face a frozen and bewildered Ross that was still on her knees to beg for her job. "Did I knock you down, too?" He asked as he reached out to force her onto her feet. "I'm so very sorry," he added with a glance up at the roof's ledge. "I'm usually much better at judging my jumps than that."

"Wolfe-sensei," she gasped in complete distraction from her problems. "What are you doing here? Is it because I haven't called yet or--"

"Just passing through," he soothed with a grin. "I was going to go put up some signs at the laundromat to see if I could get a few college students to help out around my place for free room and board. You wouldn't know anyone who's interested. Would you?" Seeing her hesitate at his offer along with a sidelong look at the man who'd just tried to fire her, Tsuna added, "Of course, since I'm a Tutor, I'm also pretty strict, though. Students are supposed to study, so I'll only let whoever takes up the offer work 6 hours a day. I like to think that I'm pretty generous when it comes to actual wages to make up for it, but you'd be surprised how few people--"

"How about me?" Ross asked, gobbling the bait and the hook as soon as he mentioned cold, hard cash.

"You?" Tsuna asked in mock-surprise. Pretending to think about it, he snapped an acceptance before he cook could get a word of objection in. "That would be perfect! The Dean's been kind of worried about you, but it'll put his mind at rest if you come stay with me. It'll be easier to set up Tutoring sessions, too. But... then again..." Tsuna eyed her and rubbed his chin, pretending as if he were about to take the offer back. "There're a lot of guys living at my place. I--"

"Don't worry about me, Wolfe-sensei," Ross grinned with a fire in her eyes. Holding up her thin arm to show him how strong she was, she grinned without considering the notion that such a thin arm made her look weak. "If anyone gets out of line, I know how to take care of myself."

"Nope," he said with a small shake of his head. "That's no good at all. All of my guys are gentlemen, so I was thinking that a pretty little lady to serve them tea and clean things up would be nice. I can't bring in someone who's going to strong-arm people with delicate sensibilities."

"Oh," she mumbled as her face went blank.

"Well, tell me if you know anyone who would suit," Tsuna said with a shrug. Turning away from Ross, he shot a knowing grin at the cook that made the man pale before he began walking away like he really was going to give up. He didn't make it all the way to the other end of the alley before Ross made her choice. She ran straight past the frozen cook and grabbed onto Tsuna's sleeve with the same desperation that had made her kneel down before such a scumbag.

"Wait!" She gasped. "I can do it! I-I won't raise a hand against anyone! Please! Just give me a chance! I've never served tea before, but you only have to show me once and I'll learn! I can clean, too! I'm really good at cleaning and... and you'll never have to call a plumber with me around and... uh... I can help cook! I can't do fancy stuff, but I can help make breakfast if it's simple and--"

"Then why don't we go get your things and get you moved in?" Tsuna asked with a wide grin. Ross' eyes lit up over getting the job and she did the very thing that Tsuna had been hoping for. She offered for them to immediately go to the place that she was staying to pick her stuff up.

When they arrived at the Martelli Base, Tsuna sent her inside by herself to explain to her companions and get her things. It wasn't that he didn't want to see anyone. If anything, it was the complete opposite. He had the feeling that it'd be too hard to leave if he were to step into the warmth that he knew was waiting inside. Isaac, Eric, and Poppet were attending the school; who else was in Italy that he hadn't yet seen?

Waiting outside since he didn't want to risk the temptation, he leaned up against the stone wall surrounding the building and waited with a cigarette to keep himself company. He knew that he needed to quit, since it wasn't helping his throat any, but he took comfort in the habit. He could almost hear Snicker saying:

"No matter how rich or how poor, a cigarette is every man's little luxury," a voice said from the other side of the wall at Tsuna's back. Tsuna paused for a moment, wondering what Eric was doing by coming out to meet him instead of Isaac. It was easy to figure out by his greeting, though. Just like Isaac, not enough time had passed for his old friend to be fooled by a simple image change.

"...and I'll be damned if a person that enjoys the same luxuries can honestly claim that he's any better of a man," Tsuna mumbled, finishing off the quote with a smile. He heard Eric sigh, followed by the sound of him leaning on the other side of the wall. Opposite of him, Tsuna tilted his hat down so that his face and his lips couldn't be read by anyone who might be watching. For a moment, silence stretched between them while they both tried to think of something to say, but it was Eric that broke the stalemate.

"Don't make messes that you can't clean up, Mr. Wolfe," he whispered. "Mrs. Timberson will want her Knight back." Tsuna froze, feeling overloaded by the amount of information that Eric had just freely given him.

Mrs... Timberson... There was only one Timberson left that could have gotten married and there was only one woman who had Knights. That meant that Autumn and Charlie had gotten married. What happened to Theodore? No, that didn't matter. What mattered was Eric's first statement. It insinuated that he'd made a mess by leaving. Was everyone alright? But Eric had also called him Mr. Wolfe, so it was more likely that Eric was waiting for a mess to happen in connection with his current identity. Also, since he hadn't used 'Lazarus' or 'Suoh', Eric wasn't planning to interfere by trying to drag him back. Finally, telling Tsuna to make sure to give Ross back also insinuated that there was a possibility that she would have a reason not to return.

After adding that last piece together with what he knew that Eric knew, there was only one conclusion.

"Are you afraid that I'm going to turn into a matchmaker, Mr. Brahms?" Tsuna asked with a slow smile. "You don't have to worry about that. I just--"

"I came to Italy to talk to your son," Eric murmured softly. Tsuna froze once more, feeling as if he'd just been waylaid. "It looks like I've wasted my time. I don't plan to waste more by trying to talk you out of whatever you're planning. I know you too well. It'll be hard to keep this from everyone back home, but just do what you have to do and then take that stupid mask off. Because, you know... my daughter is going to need a godfather."

"Daughter...?" Tsuna repeated in shock.

"Well, we don't know if it's going to be a girl or a boy, but I'm hoping for a girl," Eric said with a soft laugh. "Either way, we're putting Suoh in the baby's name. He was a very important person to me and my wife and there's a lot of people back home who owe him their lives. Where ever he is now... I hope that he's happy to know that we haven't forgotten him."

"I bet that he's near to tears," Tsuna admitted while he tried to blink away the moisture blurring his vision. He managed just in time to straighten up as Ross rushed to meet him with a single box in her arms. He stopped himself from asking where the rest of her things were. In all likelihood, what she had in her arms was all she could rightfully claim as her own.

"I'll repay you for my uniforms as soon as I get my last check from the restaurant," she said, stopping on Eric's side of the wall to say her farewells. When Isaac and Poppet also came outside to see her off, Tsuna found himself on the receiving end of a very pointed glare from the smallest of the bunch.

"Autumn said that we had to let her go if she decided to move out on her own 'cause the Sixth is supposed to do that to keep her perspective," Poppet blurted while her face turned red with frustration. "But you better take care of her, Mr. Wolfman! I won't forgive you if you make her cry!"

Everyone stared at Poppet with the same incredulous expression, although for different reasons. For Tsuna, his jaw dropped at the fact that she hadn't recognized him, along with how she was completely misunderstanding the situation. Ross had to be shocked over the gesture of friendship while Eric and Isaac's thoughts were probably somewhere in the middle of Tsuna and Ross'.

"Idiot," Isaac grumbled as he grabbed her collar to drag her back inside. Eric went with him, throwing a wave backward that was probably more for Ross' sake than Tsuna's. After all, he hadn't actually greeted any of them, so a farewell was a little pointless. He'd see them all in school anyway.

Tsuna led the way to the Werewolf House, keeping his pace down so that Ross could keep up. Where he lived wasn't precisely close to the Martelli Manor, but it wasn't so far that he saw reason to call a taxi. They could make it within an hour if he could figure out some way to get Ross to let him carry her box. Then he reconsidered, seeing how she was already beginning to sweat after only fifteen minutes into their walk. Ross was in great need of some stamina-inducing exercise, starting with a walk while carrying her belongings.

"It's... been... a while..." she gasped ten minutes after that, falling to a stop to catch her breath before they went up a rather large hill. Tsuna felt a little guilty about how worn out she seemed, since he was purposely making them take the long way home, but this was probably his only chance to show her how slack she'd gotten in self-training. If she had the past that Tsuna believed she did, then she was probably used to walking everywhere unless the distance was more than a city. The problem was that she'd become spoiled by the easy living that her new circumstances provided to her.

It made Tsuna wish that he'd arrived earlier in the school year since he would have been able to keep her from losing her endurance. In a way, he was also glad that he hadn't since she would remember this time of weakness in the future and would remember to train diligently without his prodding. That was the same reason that he decided to end the momentary rest long before her breathing was allowed to even out. He wanted her to be gasping, winded, and exhausted by the time that they reached the Werewolf House and, due to how they wandered around several neighborhoods before reaching the correct one, she _was_.

Letting out a howl to let the residents know that he was home with news, he headed inside with Ross stumbling behind him. Despite it being nearly midnight, it was unlikely that anyone other than the human cook, her son, and P-chan were asleep. He wasn't far off the mark, although the depressed gathering in the living room said that they had news of their own. Lady Italia explained before he was forced to ask.

As with all werewolves, the trigger for going berserk usually started with something small. For Aster, it was typically a scent of lust during a period of abstinence. For Tsuna, it was the smell or taste of food during a period of starvation. For a werewolf named Dent, it was apparently hitting his thumb with a hammer during a period of 'be nice around the humans'. He'd tried to hold his anger in, but it had snowballed into an angry rampage full of bloodlust. He'd been restrained by his comrades and thrown in the basement when no one proved capable of calming him, but not before the cook had seen enough of a melee to run for the hills with her son.

"Damn," Tsuna grimaced. From the hungry looks on everyone's face, she'd left before finishing dinner, too. None of them, including Lady Italia, looked like they knew how to even boil an egg and there was no way that his fragile little P-chan could cook enough food to do more than taunt their appetites before she'd been forced to rest. For this to happen on a night that Aster was out of the house was a stroke of misfortune that Tsuna hadn't planned for. "I'll find a replacement," he soothed. "For now, you guys probably haven't eaten, so I'll go fix--"

"I can help," Ross instantly offered. Looking her over in consideration, Tsuna finally shook his head in refusal. There wasn't any way that she had enough energy left to keep up. It was cruel to think so, but she would only be in his way.

"I can handle it," he replied with a gesture towards Lady Italia. "Everyone, this is our new maid, Ross. Lady Italia, if you could show her to a room and get her set up with a hot shower, I'd appreciate it. She's a student of mine and a member of the Martelli Family. While she's going to school at Don Girarde, she'll help clean up around here in exchange for room, board, and...," he added with a sheepish cough, "...wages." Turning his back on the group before anyone could respond, the reason for his sheepish cough was explained by the roar of laughter that followed him into the kitchen.

"You've been fooled," someone choked.

"I heard that!" Tsuna called as he opened up the refrigerator to see what he had to work with. Ignoring the person's retort, Tsuna grimaced at the lack of anything that he could use. He wanted to question why no one had thought of calling for delivery before everything shut down for the evening, but he could guess what happened. Lady Italia had probably been busy with Trident, P-Chan hadn't had any money on hand, and the guys had probably been cleaning up whatever destruction had occurred. By the time they all began to notice their stomachs, P-chan had only been able to make enough food to take the edge off.

It was okay, though. There were still plenty of ingredients left in the cabinets and in the refrigerator. The guys wouldn't get any meat since the only thing defrosted was the meat meant for breakfast, but he was fairly sure that he could prepare something that would fill their empty stomachs. The question was what to make. Everything that could be eaten fresh, such as vegetables for a salad and fruit, was gone. Even the lunchmeat and the bread had been wiped out. There were still several bags of brown beans, but those were meant to be cooked slowly.

Setting up five slow-cookers, he started cooking all of the beans anyway in preparation for the following day's lunch. He could add some bacon to it when cooking breakfast and Aster could make cornbread to go with it. That still didn't supply anything for dinner, though. Unless...

Grimacing to himself, he knew that he had no choice. He could just replace the ingredients for breakfast when a grocery store opened in the morning. Having made his decision, he quickly hooked his hat on one of the cabinet handles and threw both his trenchcoat and sword on top of the refrigerator. As he donned the cook's apron, he called out the Dango Brothers for help and quickly got to work.

In hopes of making the meal into more of a dinner than breakfast, he didn't scramble any eggs. Instead, he put a dozen into five separate bowls full of water and assigned Heatwave and Fog into boiling them on the countertop. Heatwave's job was to heat up the water to a boiling point while Fog's duty was to keep them from exploding while he he laid out the cold sausages, ham slices and bacon on plates and assigned Hurricane to cook them while Sprinkle kept the grease from splattering and causing a fire.

That left Cirrus and Bolt, both of which came in very handy. Bolt helped mix the ingredients for pancakes in one bowl while Tsuna poured them onto a pan and began cooking them. Meanwhile, Cirrus kept the growing crowd of werewolves at bay once the smell of food began to waft through the house and sent them packing to the dining room to wait.

It took some time to get used to how the Dango Brothers switched between egg and wyvern form, but he adjusted to the explosions of Flame and continued cooking. Within ten minutes of working, he and the Dango Brothers had a silent understanding. While it was breakfast food that they'd made, they were not going to serve such plain food to men who'd been starving all night. Without even being asked, Heatwave and Fog began turning the boiled eggs into Deviled Eggs. Hurricane and Sprinkle turned their plain sausage and ham into bacon-wrapped kabobs with intermittent cubes of leftover cheese that they pulled from the refrigerator.

That only left Tsuna to somehow turn a plain pancake into a gourmet dessert and Bolt beat him to the punch, finding a bag of walnuts in the back of one of the cabinets that could be mixed into the batter. He also found a bag of something that had gone overlooked and called Cirrus over to help him while he made a "Sa sa" of laughter that Tsuna was too busy to investigate.

Using all of the burners on the stove, he quickly had pancakes flipping and flying in every direction. When his Salamanders began picking up on his rhythm, he had to grin at how they all fell into his pace. It was like magic. No, he amended, it was like music. He'd noticed it before, but the Dango Brothers did seem to pick up quickly on anything resembling music. That was the reason that he'd chosen a composer's baton to train them to work in concert, but he'd never imagined how well they would latch on to the idea. There was something really amazing about the six of them and how they acted like true Brothers. They could get into childish disagreements with each other, but they always pulled together when Tsuna needed them to.

Once the last pancake was cooked, Tsuna turned off the stoves and started plating everything to serve. He wisely sent the six of them to set the tables since the men would have probably forgotten their manners if he were to take the food out first. While they worked on filling drinks and taking out condiments, as well, Tsuna worked alone in trying to figure out how to make boar-sized platters full of the same items look appetizing. He had to divide the food up for the four different tables, too, and attempting to ensure that everything was fairly distributed was difficult.

Although, it wasn't as difficult as it could have been after he found out what the Dango Brothers had been laughing at. The little guys had found a bag of potatoes somewhere and had managed to make waffle-shaped french fries to serve as the meal's vegetable. There still wasn't any fruit, but there was just the right amount of extra variety that he needed to make the platters seem as if they were overflowing without being overwhelming in a way that would make someone nauseous.

Having the Dango Brother split into pairs again, each pair took a platter while Tsuna took the last one by himself. He could feel his wrists straining at the weight of all the food that he lifted up and he panicked for a moment, fearing that the serving platter was going to buckle. Fortunately, it held long enough for him to slip his arms underneath to help support it nstead of carrying it by its sides.

A loud cheer went up when they finally carried the food into the dining hall and set them onto the tables with a flourish. Tsuna made the cheer louder when he sent the Dango Brothers after bottles of blood wine from his personal stock, but none of the men bothered to wait. They began eating with great relish and tried to give Tsuna praise for his cooking despite having their mouths stuffed. Tsuna let it go on for a few moments, until he finally had to slap one of them to remind him to mind his manners.

"The lot of you are getting spoiled," he snapped as he walked around the tables. "Just because we're all werewolves doesn't mean that we can let ourselves become uncivilized beasts. You've grown used to letting things slide because you all understand each other, but it has to stop. I'm not holding Trident to blame for Cook leaving, because his control snapped. However, none of you have an excuse. I've tried to make life comfortable here for people like us, but that doesn't give any of you a right to forget your humanity!"

"We don't have any distractions," one of them said, remembering to swallow and wipe his mouth before speaking. "Most of us are going crazy here, Boss. We can't go home because it's too dangerous and most of us are too scared to leave the building by ourselves. Hobbies and maintenance on this place can only go so far, you know?" Taking the man's words into consideration, Tsuna took a seat at one of the empty tables and tried to come up with a plan. It needed to be useful and it also needed to be something that would take time and energy. The guys had already shown that they were good at figuring out how to get things done. He just had to give them a direction to go in. Something where it wouldn't be done until they were satisfied. It also needed to be something that he didn't have to invest his own time into. Kind of like with how he'd just ordered the House to be renovated and the guys--

Tsuna grinned as a light bulb went off in his head. He could buy-out everyone in the surrounding neighborhood and have the guys work on demolishing the existing houses. Then, with all of the extra land, he could get them working on building a fortress. Something that could truly keep them safe even from Hunters with vampiric abilities while also making their lives comfortable. It didn't really have to be big since landscaping would take up a large percentage of the territory, but they could make it sprawling so that the guys wouldn't feel as caged as their current cramped headquarters sometimes did. They could add in Vaults that were specifically focused at werewolves and there was no reason not to install some reanimation facilities that were specialized for their breed. They could also add in training facilities and...

A gym.... Tsuna gasped to himself. A boxing gym would be perfect bait to lure out the one Guardian that he'd yet to catch sight of. They could put up a sign and enter a few competitions. Ryohei wouldn't be able to ignore them after they started dominating due to their natural superiority.

"I got it," Tsuna mumbled, grinning even more in a way that was infectious. The men grinned back while they continued to eat in a more mannerly rate, having absolutely no clue about the amount of work that was in store for them. Then his face fell and he grimaced at how much all of it was going to cost. Even so, he knew that it was necessary. "Give me a day to get everything set up and then I'll explain. Until then, mind your manners and be extra courteous to Ross. I need all of you guys to help me in Tutoring her. No matter how much she acts like a tomboy or seems like a crude psychopath, I want all of you to treat her like she's the most feminine girl in the world. Think of her as the House's own little Princess. You can even think of it as role-play if you have to. However you go about it is your choice. You can be a doting uncle or a playful brother or whatever seems natural, but don't cross the line with her and treat her like a lady. Can you guys do that?"

"Does she know what we are?" One of the guys asked with his mouth full. Tsuna smirked when one of his seatmates cuffed him for the rudeness before he could be admonished by Tsuna. Letting it go since it seemed as if they were going to take his previous lecture to heart and keep each other in line, Tsuna thought about how to answer.

"Yes and no," he said slowly. "Everyone already knows what I am, but I don't think she's noticed that I've brought her to a den of those like me. She's a little on the slow side, so I'll probably wait until she starts taking notice of the inconsistencies here to tell her. By then, it'll be too late for her to get upset over it because we won't be strangers anymore. More than training and lessons, right now she needs people around her who see her strength as commonplace and those who see her as a girl. I brought her here because it's the only way to ensure that she gets both on a regular basis."

"And with those things?" One of the werewolves asked curiously.

"She'll be stronger than me," Tsuna replied with a feral grin.

* * *

Tsuna kept an eye on Aster while he ran through his normal early morning training in the yard. He only had twenty minutes left to finish before he needed to be at the grocery store to pick up supplies. The rest of the guys were currently trying to choke down Tsuna's stout coffee in the living room while they decided who would go with him. The old rule had been for everyone to go in pairs. The new rule was to go in quartets so that they still stood a chance if they had to split up.

No one was taking Tsuna's theory about the Hunters very well, but they were willing to listen to his advice. It would take several days for the Phlegm to be gathered from the far corners of the world that they were scattered to, possibly even weeks. It was also unlikely that the traitors would even come, but knowing their faces from their absence would be enough in combination with suspicion of anyone turned in the near future.

Tsuna still shuddered to think what could have happened if he hadn't noticed the discrepancy in the headcount. Vampires were incredibly sympathetic to the new members of their kind, knowing exactly how much misery came with being turned. The enemy's ignorance of the internal workings of vampire society would have gone unnoticed and they would have been shown the locations of the Sanctuaries once they were reopened without anyone blinking an eye. It would have been Lord Chandler's estate all over again with the attacks hitting every Sanctuary in unison.

Shuddering at the thought, Tsuna continued filling water balloons in the kitchen sink in preparation of a new school day. Classes began in three hours and the first students would be arriving in two. He needed to be in position at least twenty minutes before that, assuming that his guests would allow him to leave on time.

Chrome, Kiyoshi, and Chikusa were currently being given a tour of the House. It'd taken quite a bit of sweet-talking and several concessions to get them to move their base of operations. They'd finally agreed, but Tsuna felt torn about why he wanted them to be closer to him. The sensible and logical part of himself felt that they could use the protection of the werewolves' natural strengths while also adding a layer of psychic defense to the House's protections. The emotional part of him just wanted Mukuro to be nearby. The real Mukuro was refusing to face him, but even having Chrome was enough for Tsuna to be satisfied that there was still a connection. It was a thin, fragile connection, but it was still a connection.

He felt that he now understood why Chikusa and Ken had stayed at Chrome's side for so long. He also knew that it wasn't right for him to imitate them, but he couldn't stop. While Chrome was a wonderful person in her own right, it was Mukuro that Tsuna couldn't let go of. He knew that he should though. He knew that Mukuro was trying to find his place in life, but Tsuna had to ask the question. He had to ask why Mukuro was looking elsewhere to find understanding instead of seeking out Tsuna. Was Tsuna that unreliable or was Mukuro trying to find himself in a place where Tsuna couldn't influence? Tsuna didn't know, but he wanted to find out. He wanted to know what he had to do for Mukuro to rely on him more.

Perhaps it was because he was the last lover that Tsuna still had an actual connection to, but Tsuna was torn on how he should act toward Mukuro. It was like interacting with Mist; he was there one moment and gone the next. Mukuro wasn't allowing anything to be settled. When he did show up, he didn't even allow a conversation to be finished before disappearing again. In a small way, that was a little comforting by itself. It told Tsuna that Mukuro felt as if he were in control of his actions. He was standing on his own again after a long fall and making his choices with his own mind rather than relying on Tsuna to fill in the gaps. For Mukuro, it was a wonderful step forward. For Tsuna, it was a gut-wrenching experience that he never wanted to repeat. Tsuna felt as if the uncertainty was going to cause him to fall even more than Mukuro had.

The raw feeling at the back of his throat was the reason that he'd handed Chrome and her companions off to someone else for a tour. The feeling wasn't new nor was it pleasant, but the fact that he could feel it allowed him to know that Mukuro was sleeping. Although the man was powerful, he was still human and no longer in a life-support tank. He needed to rest, unlike Tsuna who could go several days without depending on how much blood he consumed. Lately, thanks to the combination of his disease and the amount of work that needed to be done, he'd been consuming more than Aster could supply by himself.

Despite now needing outside sources to sustain himself, he knew that he couldn't lessen his intake. He had a bad feeling that something was going to happen soon. His intuition and his instincts couldn't focus it anymore than that, but that nagging feeling was the reason that he'd increased the allotment of blood wine that he gave to the residents within the House. He wanted them to keep their strength up so that they'd be prepared for anything. Around him, when bad things happened, they liked to happen all at once. He wasn't so naive anymore that he could think that pushing people away would make them safe. Once they were permitted in, there was no safety. Therefore, his only solution was to arm those who got too close with as much information, skill, and strength as he could so that they could survive.

At this point, the others in the house already knew everything that he did. They didn't know his true identity, but that was a small mark on an otherwise clean record of honesty. He could see in their eyes that they trusted him and had chosen to throw their lot in with his. He also knew that he needed them for far more than they needed him. Planning to do his best for their sakes was the only reason that he held the power that he had. Without them, it'd be far too easy to give into depression and simply give up. However, with people relying on him, he could be steadfast.

Catching a hint of a scent that shouldn't be present, Tsuna put aside the last balloon and reached for his sword. Carrying it with him, he pressed his fingers over his lips when he saw that Aster had also fallen to a stop in the yard. He immediately picked up his training routine again so as not to alert whoever had gotten so close to the house. This left Tsuna to search alone and his gut said that the enemy knew that he was aware of their presence.

After scanning the rooftop with a glance and giving the scattering of thin trees a single look, he had to admit that he had no idea where the man was hiding. The cellar door was still locked and none of the windows looked as if they'd been touched. It was possible that the enemy had slipped inside before Tsuna got into the yard, but he didn't think so. That left flanking the side of the as the only possibility.

Moving on instinct, he stripped the silk bag from his sword and unsheathed the blade as quietly as he could. Then, he tapped the sheathe against his leg to tell the Dango brothers to come out. Finally, with a simple gesture, he sent the six into a surveillance ring high above the House. The feedback came instantly in the form of a panicked stream of 'Chi' out of Hurricane on the left side of the building.

Tsuna didn't rush to meet him, knowing that Hurricane's warning had probably been seen. With Tsuna's nose, he could smell only one man. It was a little surprising considering all the squads who'd arrive to kill him yesterday, but such confidence meant that this one was either more cocky or more skillful. Tsuna hoped for the former while still preparing for the latter. He would face the man, but he'd be damned if he rushed into a trap. Although, he didn't think that there was one of those, either. This atmosphere.... If he wasn't mistaken, this was someone seeking an honorable duel.

First tossing out his hat like a frisbee as a distraction, Tsuna stepped out from the building's edge and slowly took in the waiting enemy. He almost relaxed in recognition, but the sight of the sword in the man's hand stopped him. This wasn't an early ten year reunion and the man in front of him wasn't here for tea. He was here to kill and just a glance at his stance told Tsuna that he was serious. It was an old habit of Yamamoto's to only turn the blade out when he had someone in front of himself that he was prepared to murder. Considering that Tsuna was still holding his husband and his son, he had every reason to want to kill.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Tsuna called out as he slowly moved away from the building to give himself more room to dodge. "I've never had any intention to fight you!"

"You killed the Ninth and you dare say that it doesn't have to be like this...?" Yamamoto asked softly. Tsuna paused, quickly reevaluating Yamamoto's motives. Why wasn't he asking about Matsu and Yoshi? It wasn't possible that he didn't know. The taxi driver that Tsuna had bribed to take Cresente away would have been able to give a good description. Was it possible that he hadn't been doing what Tsuna predicted of him? How could he?! He should be with Matsu and Yoshi right now, not trying to get revenge over a ten year old murder!

"Ah," Tsuna replied carefully, trying to read through Yamamoto's hardened expression. "I dare to say it. You surprise me, though. I would've thought that you would be more interested in the location of your husband and son."

"An attempt to blackmail me into leaving won't work," Yamamoto warned calmly. "Not only did you kill the Ninth, but you've dishonored the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi by lying. To say that the Ninth's murder was done on his orders... I can't forgive that."

"And if I said that it was the truth....?" Tsuna prompted cautiously. Against his will, he was forced back a step at the lazy smile that Yamamoto gave. It was cold. The look in his eyes were a hundred times sharper than Xanxus' fiercest glare and the icy calm caused fear to lance through Tsuna in an instant. This wasn't the Yamamoto that he remembered. This was a Yamamoto who'd gone past the breaking point and snapped. He was in pain. He was surrounded in confusion and misery; seeking retribution was just his way of trying to continue forward. He was like a train that refused to stop moving after it had already wrecked. "Takeshi... I--"

Tsuna paused as a swarm of Salamanders came out of hiding from behind Yamamoto. They were hummingbirds with each one easily being half the size of Tsuna's fist. It was difficult to count them since they flew around each other in constant motion, but his guess was more than six and less than a dozen. The interesting part about them was that, despite how quickly they could cover distance, their wings were flapping at an incredibly slow pace. It was almost as if he was watching them fly in slow-motion.

Glancing up at the Dango Brothers, he gave the signal to attack the birds only if they proved to be a threat. Tsuna's instincts said that they were harmless, but his gut was tightening in a way that he didn't like as one flew closer. Even if something so small turned itself into a projectile, Tsuna was confident that his trenchcoat could protect him from the little guy's attack. Although, the bird's wings began to speed up to a normal pace as it hovered in front of Tsuna's face. It was almost as if the Salamander was charging up for an attack, but Tsuna couldn't tell what it was. He wasn't giving off calming sparks like Sprinkle did. There was no heat and--

Tsuna froze at the sound of steel meeting armored cloth. Then he flinched sideways as something grazed his cheek. Within seconds, the cuts piled up and he couldn't see where Yamamoto had disappeared to. The attack was too fast! Tsuna tried to parry and dodge, but it felt as if he was being attacked from every direction at once. Even a leap into the air in an attempt to regroup was pointless. It was as if Yamamoto was picking him apart one scratch at a time and Tsuna couldn't figure out what the problem was. It wasn't possible for Yamamoto or the Salamander to be faster than him because Tsuna's potential reached outside of human limits.

Tsuna could only think of one counter that could possibly make Yamamoto pause, but he'd have to risk everything to use it. Oh well, he smiled to himself. Yamamoto was worth such a risk.

"Wash your sword or throw it down, Takeshi!" Tsuna yelled. He yelled it a moment too late to stop the blade from sliding between his ribs. The blade stopped before it pierced through his back, but the damage was done. That didn't matter to him, though. What mattered was how Yamamoto was frozen before him with a startled expression. There was a faint gleam of light in his eyes that hinted that he was regaining some of his senses, but he needed more of a push.

"This isn't how you were meant to wield your blade, Takeshi," Tsuna said, grabbing hold of Yamamoto's blade so that he couldn't pull it free to run away or push it deeper to finish the job. It was then that Tsuna also figured out the trick to Yamamoto's speed. It was his Salamander's doing. The little bird hadn't been pumping its wings harder to charge up an attack. It was that the Salamander had a field around it that slowed the senses of anyone within its range. The increased speed of its wings was just a byproduct of Tsuna having been slowed.

"Tsuna would be ashamed to see you now," Tsuna continued, keeping eye contact with his former friend. "How could you raise your blade with such an empty heart? What happened to your oath? You swore you would put it down if you felt nothing when you held it. Can you honestly tell me that you feel something right now? Wipe that smile off your face. If anyone here is a liar, it's you... so... So wash the blood... off your sword... or throw it down..." Feeling his strength leaving him, Tsuna slipped off the end of Yamamoto's sword and tumbled to the ground. He wasn't finished, though. He still had to tell him, "and go smile... honestly... with your family again."

Tsuna's vision was swimming too much to tell whether his words got through to Yamamoto or not, but he did know that he was a sitting duck if Yamamoto chose to attack again. If left alone, Tsuna knew that he would heal despite the deep wound. It hadn't hit any vital points since Yamamoto had been prolonging the end, but he could still feel himself growing weaker from blood loss. If Yamamoto attacked, he was a dead man. If he didn't, a short hibernation was still threatening to take him out. He didn't want to hibernate. If he hibernated, Aster would have to feed him in order to wake him and that would put Aster at risk of getting Centipede.

Pills, Tsuna remembered. He could take one of the booster pills in his belt, assuming that he had enough strength to retrieve one. He thought that he did, then again he also thought that it was about to snow from how cold it was getting. Reaching down to his belt with hands that felt sluggish, he took it as a good sign that he wasn't dead yet. He was also positive that he blacked out once before he managed to get a pill into his hand and he might have blacked out a second time before getting the pill to his mouth.

After swallowing, he didn't move for a very long time while he fought to stay conscious. His abdomen felt like it was being attacked by mosquitoes as the bleeding stopped and a scab formed over the wound, which was as much as he could have hoped for with only a single pill. After staying still for a time to keep the wound from breaking open while it was healing over, he felt his strength return enough that he could dizzily sit up.

Yamamoto and his Salamanders were already gone by the time Tsuna looked around. As for his own Salamanders, they arrived ahead of a swarm of armed and angered werewolves led by Aster. Tsuna waved to tell them to calm down and that he was okay, but his grimace of pain as the wound broke open destroyed the attempt. He hated to admit it, but he needed the mob that came to rescue him. They were able to carry him inside and bandage his wound before his damage got worse. They also were able to get him blood wine to drink with another pill so that he was able to recover before he went into hibernation.

"It was just a little misunderstanding," Tsuna soothed as he traded out the mincemeat remainders of his shirt for a new one. Glancing at his trenchcoat and the amount of blood-soaked towels that would need to be burned, Tsuna knew that his comment wasn't believable. Yamamoto had done a number on him and a normal person would have been hospitalized for months at the minimum. Yet all Tsuna could feel was sadness at how much his old friend had to be suffering to go after someone in revenge over a simple comment. Getting angry over insults wasn't Yamamoto's style, which meant that he had to be more than a little lost to have been capable of such a thing.

Honestly, he hadn't thought that Yamamoto would have been this bad off. What he'd picked up off of Matsu had been disturbing, but not nearly as disturbing as reality. Part of him was tempted to track Yamamoto down and straighten him out, but he knew that he couldn't. Yamamoto was a grown man. Tsuna had already given him a wake-up call, so the next step was up to him. He cared about Yamamoto more than words could ever describe, but he couldn't live his friend's life for him. Whether he stood up from his own personal hell-hole and reached out for help or not, it would do no one any good if Yamamoto wasn't resolved to face the consequences.

Even after making the decision, getting dressed and heading for Don Girarde was probably one of the hardest things that he'd had to do recently. It hurt, but he still did it. His precious students needed guidance and education; he only had a short time frame in which to give it to them. Old or young, he had ten times the experience of most of them and he was one of the rare few who had the power to instruct them in safely reaching their potential.

Since most of the House was still on edge from the early morning attack, Tsuna allowed Aster's group of grocery shoppers to escort him to school grounds before leaving for their errands. Getting on the roof wasn't easy due to the internal injuries that were still healing, but he managed with the box of water balloons being carried up by the Dango Brothers. Once in place, he settled in for a long wait by pulling off his trenchcoat, pulling out his travel sewing kit, and worked on mending the gashes in the fabric with the stitches that Snicker had tried to teach him. He also pulled out his white boot polish to cover up the occasional spot of blood that stained the surface of the leather.

In a way, he was grateful for something to keep him busy, although he could have wished for something besides the battle scars on his coat. For the next three days, he planned to merely sit on the roof with the box next to himself until the students let their guard down again. After all, it'd be too predictable if he launched more balloons today and it was already enough that the students would be on-guard after yesterday's attack. If he tried the same method again while students were still on-guard, they would only get cocky at being able to dodge his attacks and the lesson would be made pointless.

A Tutor couldn't make a mistake like that, just like how a Tutor couldn't let a student see their wounds. A student would find it hard to put faith into someone flawed, ordinary, and mortal. It made him understand why Reborn had always had an untouchable air around himself. He'd made himself seem invincible so that Tsuna and his other students could trust him.

"Patience," he said to the little Dango Brother that was sitting with him rather than playing with the others in the empty courtyard. "I can't rush it and I've got to think long-term. Right, Cirrus?"

"Chi," he agreed sleepily.


	117. Chapter 117 Student File: Gregory

Author's Note: This is part one of a six-part MEGA-Upload. I'll be uploading the rest throughout today and tomorrow, as I receive them from my betareader and put the final edits on them. Thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review!

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"May the most honored, most devoted, most loving, most incomprehensible and magnanimous Lord of Vongola be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in Heaven, on earth, and beyond the earth, by all the creatures of God, in name and in spirit, and be forgiven by thy holy spirit and led to enlightenment, so that he might conquer the cruel tyranny and cold injustice that plagues his venerable sight. I pray to thee o almighty God, as a humble servant to thy omnipotent self, that the Lord of Vongola be blessed by thy light lest his pitiful soul be torn asunder by darkness. Amen."

Closing his eyes, the sound of a Gregorian Chant playing from his room's CD player allowed Gregory to better meditate on the greatness of God while he tried to come closer to enlightenment in regards to God's intention for allowing his sweet brother Hotaru to suffer through such trials. He had no doubt that God had a reason for such permitting such hardship to come to pass, but his mind was far too small to understand the workings of God. However, he took great solace in the belief that, with prayer and faith, he may come closer to glimpsing the awe-inspiring nature of God's great plan.

When he opened his eyes again, he felt at peace. That is, he felt peace until he noticed the light streaming in through the window. Jumping to his feet, he poked his head out only to see that the sun had already lifted over the horizon. He hadn't meant to meditate that long! He was going to be late! Thankfully, he'd already showered and dressed before sitting down for his daily ritual. He'd also already eaten the proper pittance that he'd politely requested be sent to him before sunrise. It was made up of the appropriate allotment of nutrition and nothing more so as to keep himself from being consumed with gluttony, although he had to smile at the sweet bun that the chef had added to the plate. The birds outside his window were going to get fat if the man kept trying to spoil him.

Personally taking his tray down to the kitchen, he gave his thanks to the chef, the chef's underchef, the chef's underchef's assistant, and the rest of the men and women who were toiling away so early to ensure that everyone would wake to a hot meal. He kept his time there short to keep from being a nuisance to the hard-working kitchen staff, but he did stay long enough to pick up a tray of food for the person at his next stop.

The person at his next stop was a man who lived under Headquarters like so many others. Gregory had discovered this particular man praying in the Headquarter's chapel and he'd kept contact despite how busy the guy always seemed to be. It was almost like having a penpal, where, instead of sending letters, they'd meet in the chapel on occasion and the guy would fill him in a little on what he'd been doing. Although their chats had been strained at first, they'd become good friends after the guy realized that Gregory wasn't trying to pull any sort of confession from him. After all, Gregory had no ill intentions. He just wanted to listen and the guy had seemed as if he wanted to talk.

That same talkative man was currently in bed with the flu, so Gregory was trying to return the kindness of his friendliness by helping out however he could. Sometimes that meant taking his meal down to him so that he wouldn't get out of bed and sometimes it was to force the man to rest despite how he wanted to continue working even with a fever. Sometimes it was to fill the man's empty room with laughter and, at other times, it was to keep others from disturbing his sleep. Some people were so callous, trying to tell the poor man that he was lazy for resting when he could be working! He'd given them a piece of his mind, yes he did! A person who ignores the weakness of their body would only create a weakness in their soul.

After tending to the man and ensuring that he was resting comfortably, Gregory's next stop was to the infirmary to see when his sick friend would be able to pick up a refill on his prescription. However, it was there that he found several souls in much more need of comfort. The entire medical staff acted as if there was a cloud hanging over their heads and Gregory could instantly see that the culprit was the unfortunate soul passed out drunk at one of the back research tables.

Knowing what demons haunted the man, Gregory went to the back to gently wake him out of sympathy. It wasn't the first time the morning staff of nurses and Doctors had arrived to find Dr. Shamal asleep at a microscope. However, it was happening with much more regularity as the stack of empty bottles next to his desk grew and Gregory felt a bit lost figuring out how he could help. Dr. Shamal was obviously worried about someone, or else he wouldn't be working to the point that he was ignoring the nurses around himself.

"Come along, Doctor," Gregory ordered gently as he hung the man's arm around his shoulder and attempted to pull him to his feet. "Let's get you tucked into a nice, warm bed." Shamal moaned and grumbled under his breath, but his feet shakily stumbled toward the exit with Gregory's help. It was a bit more difficult than he expected to guide the drunk man forward, but Dr. Sakura thankfully came forward to help with his usual warm smile.

"Let me help," he offered with a wink. Gregory agreed in gratitude, but the man's method of helping wasn't very becoming of a pacifist. While Gregory froze in uncomprehending shock, Sakura held Shamal up by his collar and send a barrage of slaps across the man's face until he finally opened his eyes to look around with a glazed gaze. "Good morning," Sakura said with the Devil's smile. "What have I told you about drinking in the lab, _Sensei_?"

"Oh, Sakura-chan," Dr. Shamal mumbled sleepily. "You should drink more milk or else--" Like everyone else, Gregory stepped backward in surprise when the good Doctor seemed to suddenly snap awake. However, why was he giving Sakura a chest exam and why was Sakura turning red over Dr. Shamal's pure-hearted concern over his protégé's well-being? "I'm too late," Dr. Shamal sighed in disappointment. "I'm afraid that you're flat-chested. I can prescribe some hormone pills to--"

"I'm not a girl, you dimwitted drunkard!" Dr. Sakura exploded as his fist rammed into Dr. Shamal's jaw and sent him flying out the door. Gregory blinked owlishly in surprise, not having known that the gentle man was capable of such violence. "Geez," he spat as he headed back to clean up Dr. Shamal's workstation, "Just because I tricked you for a few years, you won't let me forget it. Will you, you senile old geezer? Gregory!" He snapped, "Don't worry about that fool! His team has been working non-stop for the past few weeks, but he thinks that he can single-handedly find a cure for a disease that's stumped a team of two hundred specialists. He just needs to accept that he's working on a lost cause and sympathy will only hurt him more right now. Some people just can't be saved."

"With all due respect," Gregory replied hesitantly, bringing Sakura to a surprised stop since he rarely objected. "I think that you're wrong, Doctor. There doesn't exist someone who can't be saved. There are only people who give up before they find strength to do so and those who run out of time. You might think that it's hopeless, but Dr. Shamal is doing God's work. It says in the book of Matthew that 'He who endureth to the end shall be saved.' So... um... I think you should have more faith in your friend."

"Well said," Dr. Shamal agreed, making Gregory jerk in place when the man's hand gently landed on his shoulder. He hadn't heard the man coming back in! "But shouldn't you be somewhere right now instead of preaching?"

"Huh?" Gregory gaped. Then his eyes flickered to the time on the infirmary clock and he choked. He was going to be late again! Bowing in apology for needing to make a hasty exit, he began running as soon as he was out of the door. He had to stop by his room to grab his school bag and his coat, after which he bolted to the front door in hopes that he wasn't too late. Hotaru never waited for anyone and--

Gregory's heart sank when he got outside in just enough time to see Hotaru's car pull out of the driveway and onto the street. It was okay, though. Hotaru wasn't being mean by going ahead first. It was just that he was busy and Hotaru knew that Gregory would feel bad if he slowed him down. It was his own fault for being late and it wouldn't be the end of the world. Even as he thought that, a different car pulled up and a smiling chauffeur stuck his head out the driver's window.

"Need a ride to school, Brother Greg?" He asked pleasantly. Gregory blushed at the teasing as he jumped into the passenger seat. He didn't know who'd started it, but word had spread that he intended to take vows. Even though he'd told them several times that he was still too young to have taken the necessary steps to becoming a Brother in the church, they still called him such. It felt dishonest to let people call him that, but he didn't know how to make them stop when they didn't mean any malice by using the nickname.

He had no answers for that question by the time that they arrived at Don Girarde. It was okay, though. There was no reason to get upset when he was only slightly bothered by a title that he hadn't earned yet. Rather than get upset, he should instead feel touched that they remembered his goal. Although, there were other also people waiting for him in the school's courtyard that he prayed would remember, even though they never did.

The girls were on him in an instant, chattering far too speedily for him to keep up with the conversation. He really needed to get inside to drop off his jacket in his locker, but the girls weren't letting him pass. It was okay, though. The poor things probably just wanted some attention and he had no reason not to be friendly. He just had to--

Reaching out by instinct, he stopped the ball that was aimed at the forehead of the girl in front of him. It trembled in his hand, but he managed to assert the right pressure to stop it without breaking it. It would have been bad if it broke since it turned out not to be a ball at all. It was a water balloon and a glance over his shoulder told him who the culprit was. He hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but he'd heard about the senseless attacks from Tutor Wolfe. Doing such a thing like soaking students before class... what purpose could it have?

"Amazing!"

"Gregory saved me!"

"That's the first time that someone stopped him!"

"Throw it back!"

"Yeah! Give Mr. Wolfe a taste of his own medicine!"

Glancing up at where Mr. Wolfe was innocently repairing another tear in his trenchcoat, he knew that he couldn't follow the girls' suggestions despite how unguarded the Tutor seemed. Violence only created more violence and he refused to add to the negative feelings that were growing around himself. Bowing slightly to apologize to the women, he took the balloon over to one of the flowerbeds in the courtyard and carefully popped it so that the water would be used to nurture life instead of hatred. Then, once the water was drained, he turned to head for the trashcan in order to dispose of the balloon properly. Unfortunately, a certain someone had moved to confront him while he was distracted and getting away didn't seem to be an option.

"You're quite the ladies' man, Alexander," Mr. Wolfe said in greeting. Gregory froze at the usage of his first name as the smile slowly fell from his face. He hated that name. His mother had called him by that name before she'd sold him off. There wasn't a single instance that he could recall where something good happening after hearing that name, which was why he went by his middle name. Mr. Wolfe couldn't know that, though. That was right. Mr. Wolfe was probably just using the name in Gregory's file. He just didn't know any better.

"M-My name is Gregory," he corrected gently. "And friends come in all shapes and sizes, whether they're man, woman, plant or beast."

"I won't keep you long since class is about to start, Alexander," Mr. Wolfe replied, completely ignoring Gregory's words. "There are just two things that I need to ask about. First of all, why aren't you taking a gym class?" Gregory opened his mouth to answer alongside another correction regarding his name, but the girls who'd been watching him leaped forward to defend him before he could speak.

"Don't bully Gregory, Mr. Wolfe!"

"Gregory doesn't need a gym class!"

"Yeah! He probably trains at home!"

"Idiots," a different girl said from behind Mr. Wolfe. Mr. Wolfe turned around and smiled at Miss Ross, who was sitting on a bench reading . "Gregory is planning to take vows in the church. He's a pacifist."

"Heh," Mr. Wolfe grinned as Gregory got a sinking feeling. "Even you got it wrong," he taunted, making Miss Ross' head snap up in surprise. "Why don't all of you shut up and let Alexander--"

"Don't call me that!" Gregory blinked in surprise at his outburst and slapped his hands over his mouth. He hadn't meant to blurt that out so rudely.

"What's wrong, _Alexander_?" Mr. Wolfe asked as he slowly pushed the surprised girls out of his way. "Why don't you want me to call you Alexander, _Alexander_?" Gregory couldn't answer. All he could do was take a trembling step backward while Mr. Wolfe advanced on him with an intense look on his face. He had to say something. Anything would work, but there was a lump in his throat that kept him from speaking. "I was visited by an old friend of mine, Alexander. You might know him, Alexander. His name is... Father Robert, _Alexander_."

Gregory wavered on his feet at the statement. Father Robert and Mr. Wolfe had a connection? Wait! If he knew Father Robert, then he knew--

"The Vongola Priesthood is a martial sect, Alexander," Mr. Wolfe said with a wide, wolfish grin. "They follow the guidelines of a pacifist offense, but they also train diligently for an aggressive defense, Alexander. Isn't it one of their beliefs to never ignore wrong-doing, Alexander? They believe that since even the weak can make a difference, the strong can make a bigger difference. Correct, Alexander? So why haven't you been training, Alexander? Have you forgotten the reason that Father Robert sent you here, Alex--"

"Stop calling me that!" Gregory shouted, unable to hear anything besides that sickening word. "That's not my name! I--"

"Fine," Mr. Wolfe said as he pulled back. "If you want me to stop calling you Alexander, then report to the sparring grounds immediately. Unless you have a good reason not to...?" Gregory paused at the knowing look in Mr. Wolfe's eyes. He was asking a question that he already knew the answer to.

"Father Robert and Master Basil forbade it," he murmured, bowing his head down in shame. That was right. He wasn't permitted to raise his hands against anyone. He was going to be a priest and priests didn't cause injury. They only became stronger so that they could defend and protect. Not destroy. "I don't know what you're trying to do, Mr. Wolfe. If you've met with Father Robert then you already know that I can't..."

"I know about your problems," he replied with a shrug. "You're still going to do it anyway. I've got Father Robert's permission. As long as I'm the one overseeing it, you're allowed to train from now on."

"But--!"

"God doesn't turn a blind eye to the parts of yourself that you try to hide," Mr. Wolfe said with his eyes taking on a curious gleam. "So why are you?"

"I--"

"I can tell you why," he interrupted. "You're trying to run away." Gregory froze, feeling as if the Tutor had just slapped him. He wanted to deny it. He hadn't decided to enter the Church because he was running away. He had been called. God had called him to do good and charitable works! He'd been called to spread the word of the Lord and bring light to dark places! Yet... yet he felt the dark whisper of doubt in his ears. What if Mr. Wolfe was right? Was he just afraid of facing life outside of the church? Was he just scared of having to deal with the part of himself that he'd buried? "Envy is a sin, Alexander," Mr. Wolfe whispered in his ear, making Gregory shudder in the fear that someone else was close enough to overhear. "If you want to let go of your envy of your brother, you've got to face your feelings about your mother. If you don't, it's just going to fester until you're consumed with evil thoughts. Which is it going to be? Are you going to face your demons or let them breed?"

As Mr. Wolfe stepped back, Gregory stared at him in horror as all of the blood rushed out of his face. He could think of only one thing despite how the man looked at him in sympathy: _Mr. Wolfe is __the devil_. Being able to turn such a bright and beautiful day into such a cold and miserable one had to be the power of a demon. He needed to get away from this man. His intuition said that his life would never be the same again if he fell into the demon's trap.

It was true that he was envious of Hotaru, but he thought that he'd done well in facing that. He bore no grudge toward him. So what if Hotaru had grown up with an angel for a mother and he'd actually gotten their father's acknowledgement by being made heir? So what if their father had given Hotaru ten times the amount of attention compared to everyone else when he'd been alive? Hotaru was just special. His brother needed more support because being special also meant that he had more burdens.

Yet, Mr. Wolfe also had a point. It did eat at him at times so that he was even a little jealous. Hotaru had so many people around him that loved him, yet he was blind to it all. Why couldn't it have been Gregory instead? He would have been much more grateful for the love and attention. Why couldn't Hotaru have been the one with the harlot of a mother? Why couldn't Gregory have had a happy childhood like that idiot? It wasn't fair! No, he told himself as he put his jealousy in check. It was fair. Hotaru suffered in his own ways. Comparing their lives was like comparing apples and oranges. It was senseless, just like his envy.

It was all that woman's fault, he grumbled to himself. If she'd been a better mother, he wouldn't feel this way. He'd have no reason to be jealous of Hotaru. Just thinking of her made him feel filthy. Jesus had been able to pity a harlot, but he couldn't. He hated her too much for what she'd done. That was the real reason that he was entering the Church. When one took vows, they were purified in the eyes of Heaven. It was also the reason that he couldn't raise his fists. When he tried to fight, that hatred came out against his will. It twisted his intentions in a way that made him ill to think about--

"Gregory! Stop!" Gregory missed a step, his fist barely grazing Hotaru's cheek as he collapsed forward into his brother's arms. He felt disoriented and confused by how his muscles were burning from exertion, up until the searing heat on his back made him weep.

He'd done so well since arriving at Don Girarde, yet it'd happened again. The Devil's Wings had surfaced again. He didn't need to look to know that they were there, the set of bright red Flames protruding from his back rather than sprouting on his forehead. He'd wanted to keep it secret that he was different. He'd tried so hard to bury his destructive nature so that he could become worthy of serving God, but he'd failed again. He could feel them burning, threatening to overwhelm him and turn everything nearby into ash.

He had to protect Hotaru. His foolish brother had no idea what was going on. Even Gregory was a little unclear on the details, but the fact remained that Hotaru was in danger as long as the Devil's Wings were out. Gregory blamed their presence on the Tutor's confrontation. He'd told the man not to call him Alexander! And why did he have to talk about his mother?! He hated that! It made him think of all those times that the bitch made him listen from a closet while she fucked a complete stranger! It made him think of the times that she wrapped her hands around his throat because he dared to say that he was hungry after she ate something in front of him! It made him think of the shitholes and the assholes who'd--

"Go away," he gasped, shoving Hotaru away before he lost control of the Flames. It wasn't a light push. It sent his brother across the courtyard with a force greater than what he could muster under normal circumstances. Hotaru slid to a stop with all the grace and skill that came with being blessed by God, but that only caused Gregory's control to falter again.

The world became hell in an instant. His sight was shadowed in unholy Flames and his ears filled with the panicked, fear-filled voices. There was a pressure builiding within himself that made his skin tighten as it threatened to explode. It hurt, yet he couldn't focus enough to find the beginning or the end. He couldn't do anything other than pray that he didn't hurt anyone before it was over.

* * *

Spluttering and gasping, Gregory woke to a pitcher of water being poured onto his face. As he jumped to his feet, his expression told the culprit how shocked he was at the rude awakening. Seeing Mr. Wolfe caused him to remember everything, though, and his shocked expression slowly turned into one full of shame. He'd let his emotions get the better of him again. How could he have--

A second pitcher of water was dumped over his head, leaving him to stare at Mr. Wolfe in complete shock again. What was the man trying to do?! Drown him?!

"You're really easy to see through, Gregory," Mr. Wolfe admonished as he left the empty pitcher in Gregory's hands and began to slowly pace around the infirmary. "I hope that you'll forgive me for pushing you so far, but I wanted to see with my own eyes. When I asked Father Robert if I could train you, he told me about your triggers and warned me not to let you get emotional. Unfortunately, it seems that I'm a little too masochistic to listen to sage advice, so I got my fingers a little burnt. All's well that ends well, I guess. No one got injured, although Hotaru's a little shaken up. It's not every day that his half-brother tries to kill him."

"I didn't--!" Gregory choked as the pitcher fell from his hands. Mr. Wolfe snatched it out of the air before it could shatter, but Gregory ignored his speed in his fear that he'd done something unforgiveable. "I wouldn't--!"

"Well, it's mostly Hotaru's fault for charging at you after I pressed all of your buttons," Mr. Wolfe replied gently. He sat on the side of the infirmary bed, seeming somewhat softer and more in control than Gregory expected after all of his unreasonable actions. "Don't feel guilty about attacking him, Gregory. You weren't in control and his actions were an interference that I didn't plan for. He must have been watching over you from somewhere nearby and he jumped in before I could get you under control."

"W-What did you tell him?" Gregory asked worriedly.

"Just that it was a private matter between a student and a Tutor," Mr. Wolfe said with a smile. "And that he was an idiot for jumping in front of you when he had no idea of what was going on. I didn't say anything about your problem. It might seem like I've completely invaded your privacy, but no one knows what really happened, Gregory. As far as your classmates are concerned, you were possessed by the Angel of Destruction to tell me that God was pissed with me. They'll only know what you tell them."

"Eh?" Gregory gaped, trying to imagine himself in such a fashion. He failed miserably, but the description was scalded into his brain. He liked the term 'Angel of Destruction' far better than the 'Devil's Wings'.

"Oh?" Mr. Wolfe murmured in curiosity. "So you suddenly like your Flame just because I gave it a different name?" Gregory blushed at having his mind read. "Liking it is a good step toward controlling it, but a name change is a very superficial way to care about something." Gregory flushed in shame at how the comment accurately hit the mark. "Come here, Gregory," Mr. Wolfe ordered, patting the stretch of bed next to himself. "I'm going to give you a little lecture. After that, what you do will be up to you." Curious, since Mr. Wolfe was sounding like an actual Tutor, Gregory obeyed. Mr. Wolfe waited until he was comfortable to begin and Gregory was glad for the consideration since Mr. Wolfe's lecture wasn't a short one.

"You probably don't want to hear it, but we have many similarities between us. My father wasn't around very much when I was younger and he died before I was prepared for it. I can't say that our mothers were alike, but I do know what it's like to be forced to witness things that you never wanted to see in a million years. I know what it's like to feel like you're in a place where you don't belong and I know-- Just hear me out. I know how it feels to want to run away to somewhere more comfortable and safe.

You also remind me of two old friends of mine. Just like how you're devoted to God, the first one was also incredibly devoted to his Boss. He wanted to serve him in any way that he could and he had faith that his Boss would always have the answers. The other person that you remind me of was someone who desperately tried to become something that he wasn't. This person was born as a man, but wanted to become a woman -- I'm not done yet, just let me finish.

Now, the devoted one and the transvestite both have one thing that they need to learn. It's the same thing that you need to learn. That is: Once everything on the outside is taken away, you're still the same person within. You see, the devoted one eventually lost his Boss and, no matter how he tried to cover it up, the transvestite was still a man once his clothes were stripped away. It's a lot like you. Once religion is taken away, what kind of person are you, Gregory?

The feelings that you have aren't going to go away just because you cover them with a Priest's robe. No matter how much you want to get closer to God, you can't change the fact that you're just another human being in this world. Also, no matter how much you lean on your faith and devotion to God, only you can live your own life. He's not going to come down from on-high and give you all the answers that you pray for. As long as you hide behind your goals, you're never going to have the peace of mind and the strength to find your own answers.

Just for the record, I'm not telling you not to be a priest. I just want you to know that being a Priest isn't a one-way ticket to being blessed by God and it won't erase your feelings. The only way to do that is to accept the truth no matter how painful it might be and deal with it honestly. You have a power and a strength that makes you special in your own way, but you can't harness those gifts that God gave you if you turn your back on them. Your past is part of what makes you who you are, too. Stop running from your memories and your envy. You don't have to face them all at once, but you can learn to deal with them as long as you don't ignore them. Acceptance can lighten many burdens, Gregory.

Now, I'll be happy if you think about what I've said for even a few minutes because I won't approach you again about this matter after you leave this room. You're free to come find me if you want to train or you need help with anything, but you don't have to worry about me repeating this morning's performance. Your life is your own, Gregory. Therefore, only you can choose your own path. Just know.... Just know that even a man with a compass can still get lost."

"A man with a compass...?" Gregory repeated slowly. He wasn't repeating it because he didn't understand; he did it because he did understand. Mr. Wolfe was saying that he could still go down the wrong path if he read the signs wrong. Even if he read the signs right, he still might end up somewhere different than planned because there wasn't a map to life. The statement left him with a degree of uncertainty and doubt that not even Father Robert had been capable of bringing out. It made him wonder: what if he wasn't supposed to become a priest?

Wait--! No! This was the devil's trap! He would have faith! Faith, faith, faith, faith, FAITH! He wouldn't be led astray by confusing whispers. Yet, the knowing look that Mr. Wolfe shot him before leaving the infirmary was like a bullet shooting into the heart of his beliefs. There was truth in the Tutor's words, but he didn't want to admit it. He wanted everything in the past hour to just go away--

Gregory gaped at the sight of the clock on the infirmary wall. Far more than an hour had already passed. It was almost time for school to let out! How in the world had he slept so long?! He had to hurry or else he wasn't going to be able to attend a single class! With that in mind, he jumped to his feet and tucked his shirt in. A glance into the mirror allowed him to straighten his messy hair and fix his disheveled tie. His hands and face had been washed while he was asleep, but he still had to make the infirmary bed before he was ready to leave.

A quick stop at his locker showed that someone had properly stowed away his school bag and his coat. Both looked to be a little worse for wear, but the digital notebook in his bag was still intact. So were the encrypted data sticks that served as his textbooks. Once he had the items in hand, he was headed for his last class in full haste. Regardless of what Mr. Wolfe said, Gregory knew that he was a student first and foremost. He was in school because there were things that he still needed to learn. He was in school because... because Father Robert wanted him to see the world outside the Church before he entered the seminary.

Slowing to a stop outside his classroom, Mr. Wolfe's words continued to nag him. Since he'd been old enough to consider his future, he'd never considered a life other than that of a cleric. Everyone he looked up to was a part of the Church and he'd found peace within those holy walls. Thoughts of intimate relationships disgusted him, which he had to admit was the influence of his mother. He loved children, but the thought of having his own made him ill. He'd much rather be like Father Robert and care for orphans and abandoned innocents. He liked the work that Father Robert did outside of his clerical duties, too. Caring for the sick and becoming a pillar of support for the weak was such a noble way to live. Yet...

He couldn't shake the feeling that he was chasing after that goal only because he had no other. Just like Mr. Wolfe said, Gregory had no idea what he would do if he couldn't become a priest. He liked writing poetry, but that was nothing more than a hobby. He was good at sports, but that was more like a necessary evil to him. It wasn't anything that he enjoyed, but he would still participate for the exercise and what the small satisfaction that came from good teamwork. The same went with studying and everything else that he did.

Unable to come up with a single path that didn't lead back to the Church, he suddenly felt so empty. So very... very empty... like a vessel waiting to be filled.

"_You're starting to get it_," a man whispered. "_Remember this feeling and_--"

"Gregory...?" A woman prompted in concern. Looking up at his sister Katie's worried face, he looked back down the hall to see who the guy with her had been. He must have been someone very fast because he was already out of sight. "Are you alright? You look horrible."

"I'm a little worse for wear, but I'll be okay," he soothed with a faltering smile. "I've heard some of my classmates say that Mr. Wolfe didn't pull his punches with students, but I didn't realize that they were speaking figuratively. He really knows how to dreg up everything that a person doesn't want to talk about."

"Is there anything that you want to talk to me about?" She asked softly. "You know that I'm always willing to lend an ear." Gregory gave it a moment of consideration before softly shaking his head. While it was true that they had a similar history on the surface, Katie couldn't possibly understand what was going on in his heart. Katie had been fortunate. She barely remembered her mother since the woman had rarely been home. Her neighbors had mostly taken care of her before their father had went back for her and she'd been able to accept Haru-dono as a surrogate. She was living happily and normally while going to school and interning under Haru-dono.

"I think I'm going to leave early today," he murmured. Glancing at the door of his classroom, he knew that he didn't have the courage to step inside where there would be the knowing looks and the questioning stares, all of which he didn't feel ready to handle. Katie nodded in understanding and gestured that she'd walk with him to the front gates. It was mostly a silent trip, although Katie tried to cheer him up with attempts at conversation. He really wasn't in the mood, though, so he quickly gathered his bag and coat from his locker and took the shortest route to the exit.

Once alone, he knew that there was only one place that he could go to.

* * *

Cattedrale Delle Fiamme Celestiali wasn't a large cathedral. It's parish extended less than six blocks in any direction, although there were people who came far and wide to attend Mass and to visit Vongola Primo's former place of worship. Outside of that small range, however, most people went to the newer Cathedral across town where the congregation could enjoy air-conditioning and where they didn't have to sit shoulder-to-shoulder on unpadded pews.

To outsiders, the rustic and backwater feel of the place was probably unwelcoming. However, to those who frequented the cathedral, there were many small details to boast about. The unpadded pews, although uncomfortable to sit in, were wonderful at keeping people awake without making their rear-ends go numb. They were hand carved and lovingly detailed, just like the stained glass windows lining the walls. As for the air conditioning, it wasn't really needed. Between the natural airflow in the building and the Deacon's ability to use illusions, no one who attended ever suffered from being too hot or too cold during service.

"I had a feeling that you'd be by today," a voice whispered quietly as the person slid into the empty pew next to him. Gregory squeaked in surprise and raised his head from his quiet praying in order to stare wide-eyed at the one man that he'd been afraid to see. "Don't look so frightened, my son," Father Robert chuckled. "I was in town on business and I noticed you praying when I went in to see Deacon Smith. Since you're still here, you must be quite troubled. I assume this means that the little rascal didn't listen to my warnings. He always was a reckless fellow."

"Why--?" Stopping himself, Gregory tried to rephrase his question while also trying to decide on which one to ask first. "How--? No... _Who _is--"

"You'll figure it out in time," Father Robert chuckled. Although he looked amused, Gregory noticed that he was thumbing the cross attached to the rosary around his wrist. He'd been praying recently and Gregory knew Father Robert only kept the rosary around his wrist when he was in need of comfort. "Ah," he said, turning his attention to the statue of Christ behind the pulpit. "You'll figure it out in due time. Have patience, my son. I can no longer give you the advice that you seek, but I can promise you that the one called Van Wolfe is a saint compared to many. I have faith in him, more so than any other man on this earth. His methods might seem erratic or unpleasant, but I assure you that he only has your best interests at heart."

"Why did you tell him about my mother?" Gregory asked, leaning back in the pew with his hands still clasped in his lap and his head bowed. "The wings came out, Father. He knew about my sin toward Hotaru and he said that you..."

"I told him nothing other than not to push you emotionally," he murmured, bowing his own head down. "Van is much like yourself and Hotaru, but he's harnessed his strengths to an incredible degree. With one sentence, he can see into the heart of a person. With two sentences, he can read whole stories. He knows far more than anyone gives him credit for and he's a Master at putting puzzles together even while holding only a few pieces. His abilities have grown to a degree that even I tremble in front of him. It's no longer just guessing. He's been studying people, their body language, facial expressions, and a hundred other nuances that I couldn't even imagine interpreting. Whatever he said to you, it was what he learned by just watching you, Gregory."

"I don't like him," he admitted, lowering his voice to a near-whisper. "He asks questions that I don't like and he makes me think things that I don't want to think about. Everything feels so clouded now that I don't know what to do."

"I don't think that I can help you, son," Father Robert replied in sympathy. "All I can tell you is something that I noticed about you a long time ago. You tend to turn your back on the past, immerse yourself in the present, and never give thought to the future. Think on that a while, if you like, and I'm sure that you'll find your way free of your confusion. I'm afraid that's all that I have time to tell you. I must return to Rome by this afternoon. Gillian, Leonard, and Arianna aren't happy at being told that they have to wait another year before they can follow you and Katie. If I leave them alone for too long, they'll likely get into some sort of mischief."

"Oh! Let me escort you out," Gregory gasped, belatedly standing up with the Priest in the realization that he was detaining the man. "I didn't mean to delay you with my problems, Father...."

"No worries," he chuckled, waving away the apology as they walked down the aisle. Father Robert was taking his time in reaching the exit, which silently told Gregory that there was still some unfinished business. If his slow pace wasn't enough of a clue, Father Robert also kept his eyes on the cross that he was continuously polishing with his thumb and his expression fell from a smile into one of serious introspection. "You might have a difficult time ahead of you, my son," he said in a quiet tone that forced Gregory into a respectful silence. "There will be moments of doubt and confusion. Whatever path you end up choosing, I know that you'll follow it earnestly with all of your might. You are still young, so there is no shame in choosing to enjoy the bounties of the world that God has given to us. I would not hold it against you if you decided that you want more out of life than the meager offerings that the Church can give you."

"What are you saying?" Gregory spluttered in surprise. "You know that the Church is the only place--"

"It's the only place that you've found so far," he interrupted, shooting Gregory a look of admonishment. "I'm quite old, my dear boy. But I'm not so old as to think that bright, healthy young men would want to abstain and live only for the Lord. The world outside of these walls holds many temptations and experiences that those within it can never have. You are also a very special man who is destined for far greater things than a simple parish."

"What's going on?" Gregory asked when his intuition began sending warning bells throughout his head. It almost sounded as if Father Robert was purposely trying to turn him away from the Church, but that didn't make sense. Father Robert had always been the first and foremost person encouraging him. "What aren't you telling me, Father?"

"Sharp, as always," he laughed with his good mood returning. "I cannot say, my son. All I can do is tell you one final thing. That is: Even Lucifer was an angel in the beginning."

"Eh?"

"Just think on that," he said with a wink, leaving Gregory on the top steps of the Cathedral's entrance. "I know that you'll find the right path, Gregory," he called as a Brother darted forward to open the door of a waiting unmarked car for the Priest. "I have faith in you and so does God."

* * *

_The room around him was unfamiliar, but decorated in a way that he recognized. The stained mahogany accents and the heavy wood of the aged furniture reminded him of a seminary meeting area or a Cathedral's reception area. He'd been told to wait alone in this place. He felt excited and a little apprehensive every time that he looked at the large doors set into the far wall. His future lay beyond those doors. It was bigger and greater than anything that he'd ever imagined, yet there was a voice within him that refused to stay humble. It said that this was his Right. _ _This was his Destiny. __This was a power that not even Hotaru could grasp. Here were answers to questions that his brother couldn't even fathom. This was--_

"Gregory?! You're still in bed?"

Gregory groaned as he sat up in his bed and looked around. His eyes watered at the bright sunshine coming through his window, making it hard to see the shocked maid. From the position of the sun, he guessed that it was probably nine or ten in the morning, which was far later than anyone ever expected to see him. He should have been in school at the moment, but he felt as if he hadn't slept a wink all night. He'd tossed and turned for hours, unable to quiet the confused tumult of thoughts with simple meditation.

"Gregory--!" The maid gasped when he collapsed back onto his pillow rather than get up. He just wanted to go back to sleep for once. It wasn't sloth when rest was something he needed instead of merely wanted.

"I don't feel well," he moaned as he threw the blankets over his head to block out the light. "Please let me sleep a bit longer. If you can, have someone call in to school for me today. I'm not going."

"O-Okay..." she agreed. She left soon after he heard the curtains slide shut, leaving him to doze on the threshold of sleep without being given the blessing of oblivion. He tried his best to empty his mind so that he could rest like his body demanded, but three things kept popping into his head.

What would he be like if everything was stripped away?

If he had always turned his back on the past, immersed himself in the present, and never thought of the future, then why was he different now?

What had Father Robert been trying to tell him by saying 'Even Lucifer was an angel in the beginning'?

When he noticed that he was tossing and turning like he had through most of the night, he sat up again in frustration. He caught three young maids peeking through the door at him before they hurriedly shut it, but being spied on was the least of his worries. It seemed as if everyone was trying to tell him something, but no one was willing to just come out and say it! He got the feeling that everyone was playing games with him and he didn't like it one bit!

After punching his pillow a few times to let out his pent up irritation, he felt slightly better despite his inability to damage it. Since he was back to being himself, he probably couldn't tear it apart even if he tried; he was weaker than a church mouse without his Flame out. He almost wished that Master Basil hadn't tried to train him in using it. Ever since he'd taken those first Dying Will Pills, everything in his life had become more difficult. Mr. Wolfe wasn't any better than Master Basil since he'd pushed buttons that shouldn't be pushed just to get a reaction.

His tossing and turning hadn't been in total vain, though. He could see a little of what Father Robert and Mr. Wolfe had been trying to tell him. Mr. Wolfe was trying to get him to accept the past, keep himself from being influenced by the present, and to think more about the future. The part that Gregory didn't like about it all was that he'd unintentionally done what Mr. Wolfe had wanted before he even realized the man's intentions.

He'd been forced to look back at his past, although he didn't yet accept it. He'd felt doubt at the future that he'd always previously ignored in belief that his path was certain. As for the present... He didn't know. Every time he thought about how he currently was, he got a hollow feeling deep in his chest. If asked 'What did he want to be?' or 'Who did he want to be like?' or 'What were his goals?', then he'd have been able to snap off an answer without hesitation. Yet, if someone were to ask, 'Who was he?', then he wouldn't have been answer with anything other than his name. What could he really say about himself that didn't point back to the Church? He was nothing without it. Absolutely nothing and he was... completely empty....

_You've got to stay this empty to hear me_, someone said in a rush. _If you think about responding or reacting, then--_

"Who's there?" Gregory called out curiously as he glanced around his empty room. No one answered, but he recognized the voice. It was the same one he'd heard in the hallway at school when he'd met up with Katie. "I know that you're there," he called again. "Come out so I can see you. Hiding isn't very nice." When no answer was forthcoming, Gregory slipped out of his bed and poked his head out the door to find three very delicate maids dusting the sparkling clean statues in the hallway around his room. He gave them each a small nod in greeting before pulling his head back in his room and shutting the door. The voice was too deep to belong to any of those three. Perhaps the man was in the closet? Out the window? Under the bed? In the bathroom?

No matter where he looked, his room was completely empty of other presences. That was okay, though. There was still one other way that he could use to win this game of hide-and-seek. That option was to turn on the television and change it to Pandora TV.

"Good morning, Gregory!" Pandora greeted with a bright smile. He had to smile at the interactive image on the screen. Pandora had a different appearance for every television in the house and his personal one was set to 'nun'. "How can I help you today?" She asked pleasantly. "Do you need more help in referencing Bible Verses or perhaps--"

"Actually, I need you to help me find someone," he interrupted gently. "Um, within this room, has your sensors picked up any voices other than mine?"

"Yes," she confirmed. Without being asked, four files appeared on his television screen with pictures attached. Unfortunately, they were all that of the maids.

"No, not them," he said in concern. "Was there anyone else? A man or a boy perhaps?"

"I'm sorry, Gregory," she murmured as she paced across the screen while looking at the Bible in her hands. "My files show that the last male voice to be picked up in your room, excluding your own, was three days ago when Herbert--"

"It was today," he corrected. "Within the last ten minutes. I'm positive that I..." Trailing off at the earnest look on Pandora's face, he decided not to worry about it. Making a fuss over such a small thing was pure lunacy. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," he said politely. "I must have been hearing things due to lack of sleep."

"You did only get one point one six hours of REM last night," she confirmed sympathetically. "Would you like me to request a sleep aid from the medical bay?"

"No, thanks," Gregory said with a smile. "I think I'll take a stroll through the garden to wear myself out a little more and then try again. I appreciate the offer, though."

"Anytime," she giggled with a wink. "Just let me know if you need anything. Pandora TV is always on!" Chuckling to himself as her self-crafted logo began flying across the screen, he waved farewell and turned the television off. In his head, he knew that she was a computer program and didn't require such niceties, but his heart wouldn't let him be rude. Pandora seemed just as human as anyone else that he'd met, therefore she deserved the same respect and kindness.

However, she wasn't his problem. His problem was that he'd heard a voice which hadn't been picked up on audio sensors. It made him uncomfortable to think that there was a person around him that no one could hear, which was the reason that he got dressed and fled his room as quickly as possible. Once he was out in the garden, he had to laugh a little at his paranoia. That was, he laughed until he actually remembered what the voice had said. '_You've got to stay this empty to hear me. If you think about responding or reacting, then--_' Then what? Then he couldn't hear the voice anymore? Wasn't that a good thing? Hearing voices that no one else could hear was usually a sign of insanity. He knew that he'd gotten a little unstable in front of Mr. Wolfe, but he was fine now! He might be a little tired, but he was completely in control of his faculties!

There was something about the situation that made him unable to just dismiss the event. If he wasn't just mishearing things, then this would be the second time that the same voice had spoken to him. He wasn't so fanatical that he believed that it was God speaking to him, but he was aware of the possibility that an illusionist was messing with his senses. The suspicious part about that theory, however, was that an illusionist would always be able to speak to him. Why would he have to feel empty for the messages to get through? Even more importantly, why was an illusionist going to such trouble when meeting him face-to-face would be easier?

It was a riddle and he didn't like riddles like this. It was too ambiguous for him to be comfortable with, which was the reason why he couldn't just drop the matter. Someone was speaking into his mind and he wanted to know why. The only option he had was to try again, though. The was risk to doing so, since he might be falling into someone's trap, but his intuition was flaring in a way that he thought was encouragement instead of warning. Something about the thought of trying to hear the voice again made him shiver in excitement.

Empty, he repeated to himself as he found a comfortable spot to sit in the grass. He tried to recall the feeling that he'd had before when he'd thought of being empty. It'd only been momentary, but there had definitely been something. It'd been almost a sinking feeling where his whole body had gone numb. His mind had gone blank and he'd simply existed for a second. He'd been empty, which meant without feeling, without thought, and without impulse. It'd been a moment of pre-genesis, when everything had become nothing and the world had faded away.

Trying to intentionally recreate the feeling wasn't as easy as he expected. It was like trying to meditate without having anything to meditate on. No matter what he did, he kept thinking about what he was trying to do, which negated the attempt to empty his mind. He didn't understand what he had to do to become empty again. It was more than a mental state or a particular physical stance; it was a state of being that he felt was just outside of his reach. Why couldn't he do it? Why couldn't he just exist without existing? Was he really so useless that he could only do it by accident?

Was he really so... no good?

The thought made his heart sink and his mind fall to a depressed stop--

_I'm getting impatient_, a voice echoed in his head. _Let's try this the easy way._

Before Gregory could respond, someone hijacked into his mind. Images, information, and an incredible amount of memory rushed into him with a force that swept him away before he could comprehend anything. When it finally ended, he couldn't do anything other than lay flat on the grass and stare into the sky while he tried to process everything. He barely remembered to breathe while he dealt with the overload. However, among the chaos of recollections going through his head, he was able to pluck out a particular memory. It was one that he used immediately to reach the state of being needed to hear that which he was trying to hear.

_About time, kid_, the voice chuckled. _You're not __good enough to do more than receive yet, but it's good enough for us to get started. Don't try to respond. Until you get more practice, you'll only end up breaking __the trance again. I know most of the questions that you want to ask, so listen up and worry about thinking later. You can call me Arch-Bishop, or Archie if you prefer, and I'm what you would probably consider __a ghost. If you don't believe in ghosts, well, you can consider me a messenger from the heavens. I wish that I could say that the Man Upstairs sent me, but I stopped a bit before I got to meet the big guy. Here's the deal: You're special__. You've_ _got the bloodline, the right kind of spiritual devotion, and just enough fighting spirit that some of your ancestors think that you might come in handy. Oh, Vongola the Fourth says hello. He's taken a liking to you, kid. _

_Anyways__, back to what I was saying. You're special. However, you also got the short end of the stick. I'm not going to sugar-coat things. The third son never gets to take things easy and there's not a chance in the world that you'll be able to __compete with Hotaru on the same playing field. That's where I come in. I'm going to introduce you to a __playing field that's all your own and I can give you a bit of inside advice to help smooth things here and there. Isn't that what you've been looking for? A place to call your own and a spot that only you can fill?_

_However--! Before I can give you that, I've got to get_ _something in return. Two things, actually. The first is for you to agree to follow the Omerta in all of our dealings. No one can know about me. It'd be too much to ask you to hide my presence __completely, but just tell others that you're getting messages_ _from the other side or from heaven or whatever you fancy. You probably don't like the idea of not being completely honest, but you're a prophet now, kid. You're either going to have to learn to keep secrets or fend for yourself. _

_The other thing __I need is a resolution. _You _come to _me_, kid. Not the other way around. If you want answers from me, I can usually give them. But you have to have the __resolution to pay the price that I'll_ _ask before I can give you what you want. When you come out of this trance, you're probably going to think that it sounds familiar. A Devil's bargain. Right? My response is that even Lucifer was an angel in the beginning. _

_Maybe I've __been corrupted too much by watching the Mafia for so long, but a person in our slice of the world can't help but wonder if God isn't making use of Lucifer behind the scenes. Just like a Mafia Boss, God works in mysterious ways, you know. Sometimes a person has to make mistakes and go through hardship to learn the strength that they need to survive. A Boss isn't going to tell his people every detail of what he does and, even if it isn't a 'nice' thing to do, a loyal Right Hand Man isn't going to really care about getting his reputation soiled so that the Big Man doesn't have to stick his hands in the dirty work. _

_Feel free to curse me for_ _that, but there wouldn't be balance in the world if Lucifer hadn't fallen. In Eastern terms, that'd be something like Yin and Yang. But back to the point. Whether you want to trust me or not, I'll always be upfront with the price. If you think that I'm leading you wrong, you can always stop contacting me. I wouldn't blame you if you did. I have no way to back up what I'm telling you. The most that I can offer is the freebie that I already gave you. _

_Once you're done sorting through the information that I sent, you should understand why I'm here a little better. There's an address mixed in there. When you feel ready, go there. There's no time limit on when you have to arrive. Bah. It's all in your head. I'm here when you need me, so I'll leave you to figure out the rest on your own. Ciao_."

Feeling the presence break contact, Gregory allowed himself to break out of the trance. His eyes were watering from having them open so long and his eyelids flickered rapidly to wash them clean. To those around him, it probably looked as if he'd been crying, but that wasn't--

Gregory blushed, before paling at the sight of two dozen people surrounding him. Not only were there maids, bodyguards, and groundskeepers, but also Haru-dono, Master Basil, and Hotaru amongst them. All of them had the same matching expressions of worry. He could understand their concern since he'd been so deep into the trance that he hadn't even heard any of them arrive.

"Oops," he mumbled sheepishly.

"Oops, my ass!" Hotaru shouted angrily, his shoulders sagging in relief simultaneously. "What the hell were you doing?! Do you know how worried we were? I got a message that you'd collapsed in the garden and wouldn't respond to anything! SK almost knocked down a helicopter to get me here--" Gregory's eyes widened in surprise at the outburst, but Master Basil proved to be much more understanding.

"Did thou get a message, Gregory-dono?" He whispered urgently. Gregory felt his jaw drop at the question, but he knew that Master Basil had always been much more aware of things than he pretended to be. After taking a moment to settle himself, he nodded slowly in confirmation. He had assuredly gotten a message, but he had no idea of what to do with it. Even thinking about it for a moment left him so overwhelmed that his eyes glazed over.

"Why don't we going inside and warm up with some tea?" Haru-dono suggested with a calm air around her. Hotaru glared at his mother in disgust at the bad timing for the innocent suggestion, but the thought of tea and biscuits made Gregory's stomach audibly growl. He blushed when everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows, but he couldn't help it. He'd skipped breakfast and, from the looks of it, lunch, too. "Boys will be boys," Haru-dono chuckled as she pulled Gregory to his feet despite Hotaru and Master Basil's protests. "Filling empty bellies can come before explanations."

Although her off-hand manner and a gentle clap of her hands sent everyone scurrying back to their work, the sharp glance that she sent him said that an explanation was something that he wouldn't get out of. He took some heart in how she forced everyone to wait for him to eat before joining in the unyielding wall of people who wanted some sort of answer. He wasn't sure what to tell them, though. It wasn't as if he could say:

"Right now my head is crammed with so much information that I feel like it's going to explode and I'm sorry that I worried you but I didn't expect to go into a trance like that. I wish that I could say it won't happen again, but I know that it'd be a lie and I'm really, really sorry, but can we skip this because I need to go get cleaned up before the messengers arrive with the letter from the Vatican. Disregard that. It's too late because they're already here."

Unable to explain why he felt the need to say so much nor where his certainty came from in regards to the Priests, Gregory stared at the hands in his lap rather than acknowledge the wide-eyed stares that he was getting. He knew he sounded crazy, but he felt as if he couldn't be wrong in what he'd said. He was still trying to get a grip on everything that Archie had 'sent' him, but there was one large parcel of information that was coming forward more easily than the rest. After seeing what it contained, he knew three things.

1. The news that was being brought by the Priests was something that would irrevocably change his future.

2. Father Robert had been preparing him to enter the Church despite knowing that such news would result.

3. There were only two options in dealing with the news and only one of those options allowed him to remain connected to his father's household.

"Eh?" Hotaru spluttered at the man who whispered in his ear to tell him that a set of Vatican messengers had just arrived. "Someone's really here?"

"I'll be right back," Gregory mumbled. Moving thanks to a warning from his intuition, Gregory stood and hurried in the direction that it pointed him. Hotaru couldn't know anything about this, it said. He had to get the letter and send the messengers on their way before anyone knew what was happening. If Hotaru knew, he'd ask questions and he'd want answers that couldn't be given. Gregory had no idea how he knew that would be the outcome, but he did. He also didn't have time to think about an alternative, so he prayed under his breath while he attempted to get to the messengers before Hotaru thought to speak to them personally.

They weren't difficult to find, seeing as how the butler, in the absence of other orders, had predictably made them comfortable in the mansion's reception room with discreet guards keeping an eye on them while serving amenities. The amenities were being refused, though. It was the first thing that Gregory noticed upon entering the room. Already knowing why the three men were scowling and turning their nose up at the kindly meant offerings, Gregory decided to cut things short.

"Upon holy authority, I've been excommunicated," he stated bluntly while holding his hand out to receive the letter that was meant to instruct him of such. All three messengers tried to hide their shock upon hearing that he already knew the secret, but Gregory wasn't in the mood to play games. "You may leave," he directed once it was in his hands.

"How did you--" One of the younger men blurted. Gregory looked at him with a sad smile, wishing that he had a way to explain honestly. However, given his state of internal panic, the best that he could give was something from the information and memories that Archie had supplied him with.

"Humans can't be angels or demons," he repeated. "I'm just a man with a few unorthodox gifts, yet there will be people who fear me, hate me, caste me out and stone me. I can bear that. I can bear your scrutiny and your shunning because I have the blessings of God within me. I will not falter on the difficult path that He has laid before my feet. Now, if that is all, I do believe that you've overstayed your welcome."

"Hold on a minute," the eldest of the three growled, slapping a hand onto the reception room's table in anger. "How do we know that you are Alexander Gregory Sawada? That message was to be given only into his hands and you don't seem anything like him! We were told that he was a man whose whole life was focused on the goal of becoming a Priest! We were prepared for tears and begging, but you--! You don't even care that you've been excommunicated! Don't you realize that--"

"Do you really think that I'm going to sit back and accept this?" Gregory interrupted as his expression turned to stone. "I'm my father's son and a servant of the Lord. This," he said, holding up the decree of excommunication, "is nothing more than someone's attempt to blackmail my brother into doing something. I wasn't raised as a fool, Brother. I've given the Vatican no reason to excommunicate me. Someone in the higher ranks is merely trying to use the Church for their own political and personal gains. So, if it's tears that you're waiting for, then go back to the man who put me on trial without allowing me to defend myself and tell him.... Tell him that he's awakened something better left sleeping because I _can _and _will _bring the full brunt of my abilities and power to his pulpit and I _will _ensure that he is cast out with the same prejudice that he has thrust onto me. His only chance to redeem himself would be to confess his sins and to beg for forgiveness from the highest power. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make."

Leaving the three men to trade disturbed looks, Gregory went directly to his room. There were still volumes of information stirring through the back of his mind, but he was slowly coming to understand them. They were Archie's memories. Since the spirit couldn't give him tangible proof of his words, he'd given Gregory the only thing that he could. He'd given Gregory a history full of experiences that led Gregory to a singular conclusion. That conclusion was that not all men in the Church were like Father Robert. Not all men had such wells of understanding and selflessness within themselves. It made Gregory pity the man who'd felt the need to use the threat of excommunication for his own gains.

As he walked, he opened the letter to take a look at the actual charges that had been brought against him. He was a little taken by surprise at the fact that there was more than one. There was a lot of particular word manipulation to make his crimes look worse than they were, but he had to admit that it all looked reasonable on paper. Once he translated it, however, it was ludicrous. He was being excommunicated for being related to a Mafia Boss, living in a Mafia Boss' household, giving succor to a Mafia Boss, going to a Mafia school, possessing a stolen holy artifact, impersonating an angel, impersonating an ordained Brother, giving false witness, and heresy.

Crumpling the papers into a ball, he stuffed it into his pocket and growled to himself. He could See it. It wasn't just that the instigator of this wanted to blackmail Hotaru, but he also wanted the mirror. The holy mirror that had been given to him upon leaving the Cathedral to attend school by Father Robert. Few people knew that he'd been given that blessed item. The fact that it was listed as stolen in his crimes meant that it was one of the reasons that he'd been targeted.

He knew that he had to deal with this on his own. If he told Hotaru, his brother would probably pay the man off so that everything could go back to normal. That was assuming that Hotaru didn't have the culprit killed in anger. Hotaru was notorious for getting angry on behalf of his Family where an attack on himself was easily forgiven. That wasn't right, though. If he was paid off, the corrupt man would still hold a position of authority within the Church and he would never be made to see the errors of his ways. Killing him wasn't a solution, either. This was an attack that only he, Gregory, could deal with appropriately.

Gregory paused with his hand on the phone, realizing that this was exactly what Archie had promised to give him. It would be a place of his own and a job that only he could do. His love of the Church and his love of his Family put him in a unique position. It put him in the position to find the shadows hiding in the light and the light that was hiding in the shadows. This was his destiny. This was what he was fated to become: secretly outcaste by both sides while superficially being welcomed by both. In the information that Archie had given him, there was a place for people like him. A place where he could be both a Priest and an ordinary man. It was a place where his newfound abilities could be used for a greater good, but it was also a place clouded by secrets. It was a place where he could easily lose his way if his faith in God were to weaken.

Yet, he _did _have faith that God wouldn't have set such a path before him if he wasn't strong enough to shoulder the burdens. Therefore, his only choice was to pick up the phone and make the call that would change his life.

"Father Robert," he whispered when the man picked up. "Um, in the book of Isaiah... chapter forty-two, verse sixteen... it says, 'And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them'."

"I see," Father Robert sighed after a long moment. "Do you know where to go?"

"Yes," he confirmed with a tremble of growing excitement. "I'll go now, but Father.... Messengers came a few moments ago. They--"

"The Lord thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee," Father Robert quoted, allowing Gregory to hear the smile in his voice.

"Deuteronomy chapter four, verse thirty-one," he identified sadly. "Thank you, Father. For everything. I can't tell you how much--"

"Don't look back," he admonished gently. "Keep your eyes facing forward, Brother Gregory." Gregory paused, his intuition telling him that this would probably be the last time that he would be able to talk to the man. The thought brought tears to his eyes, but he knew that he couldn't shed them yet. Father Robert had been a shoulder in times of need and a parent when none other was there for him. He'd taught him so much and had helped him find God. He was irreplaceable, yet this was a path that the man couldn't follow him on. But... But he couldn't let it end like this without telling him anything!

"I love you, Father," he said with a lump forming in his throat. "I won't ever forget you and I'll pray for you every night." Silence echoed across the line for several long moments, during which Gregory feared that Father Robert had already hung up. He hadn't, though, and his patience was rewarded.

"Go with God, my son," Father Robert replied in a strained voice. Gregory nodded to himself as the phone line went dead and steeled himself against the trial to come. It might have been reckless of him to decide so quickly, but he had Archie's memories to lean on. It made him feel as if he'd already had a lifetime of preparation behind him and that gave him the courage that he needed to take the next step.

The next step was to sneak out in the garden again without Hotaru, Haru-dono, or Master Basil catching him. It wasn't easy since they were starting to look for him. He'd disappeared completely without giving any of them the answers that they wanted. As soon as someone thought to ask Pandora where he was, they'd find him and it'd be over. That meant that he had a short window to get the information that he needed.

Leaning up against the shade of a large oak tree, he closed his eyes and settled into the trance required to meet with his new patron.

_Back already? _Archie asked in surprise. _I figured that you would've needed __a few days at the_ _minimum. I'm not going to complain too much since it makes things easier on me. Let's see here. You want to know how to control your wings so that you can fly to the address that I gave you. You don't want Hotaru to know where you're going, which he would if you borrowed a car. Alright. I can give you that information. The price is this: Love thy father and mother._

Gregory snapped out of the trance instantly. That had to be a joke! Love his father? He could probably do that, since his father had admittedly come back to retrieve him even though it had only been after leaving him in his mother's care for eight years. He'd eventually taken responsibility and had put Gregory in a place where he'd been able to find happiness in serving God. However, his mother was a different story! How was he supposed to love that woman?! There was nothing virtuous about her!

He needed to be able to control his wings, though. Which was more important: bearing a past grudge or moving forward? If he had to answer, then he'd have to go with the latter. He was hurt by how his mother had always treated him, but couldn't he forgive her for that? After all, if she'd been a decent mother, then his father might not have taken him from her. He wouldn't have been brought to the Cathedral and he might not have been able to experience God's love. She hadn't been a pleasant person or a kind human being, but she had birthed him and had given him enough to survive on until his father came for him. By being full of sin, she'd given him his reason to seek the blessings of heaven. If only for that reason, couldn't he love her?

It was difficult, but there was only one answer that would allow him to let go of the past and face forward.

* * *

Carefully landing on one of the windowsills surrounding the Church's bell-tower, he felt flushed and excited as he pulled his wings back into hiding. He'd finally reached this place after flying for an hour. He hoped that no one minded that he didn't use the front door, but the old Church was rather large. Finding a way to set down on the ground would have been impossible without attracting a large amount of attention.

Getting down wasn't quite as easy as he'd hoped, though. There was no stairwell. Instead, there was a trap door under the bell that led to a narrow shaft with a ladder embedded in the wall. It was a tight fit to climb down and he grumbled to himself at how dirty he was before he got halfway to the bottom. But his grumbling became sheepish by the time he finally reached the bottom when he found a half dozen people waiting on him.

He was sweating from flying so far, disheveled from the winds, dirty from the climb down the shaft, and incredibly conscious over the fact that his shoes had fallen off somewhere over the highway. If that wasn't enough to make him feel enough out of place, the six people around him were clean, polished, and pressed. They were all his age, though, and two of the men were wearing school uniforms. Another two of the men that he didn't recognize wore religious robes. The last two were girls, but they were incredibly different from each other. The blonde was wearing a Don Girarde uniform with a blue tie and the brunette was wearing a nun's frock.

"Your prediction was a bit off," one of the Don Girarde men chuckled. "He lost both shoes instead of only the left one." Gregory's eyes widened in surprise at the cigarette in the guy's hand while the girl in the frock shrugged at the comment.

"Ignore them," one of the Brothers suggested, pushing his glasses higher onto his face. "We'll save introductions for later, Brother Gregory. We've been waiting for you. If you'll follow us, the Bishop has prepared a test."

"No, he hasn't," Gregory corrected with a wide grin. He remembered this part. No, he amended, Archie remembered this part, but he'd shared his memories with Gregory. "The test is fake. If you take it, then it means that you didn't have enough foresight to know that it's a trap."

"Not bad, Greg," the girl in the Don Girarde uniform grinned. "I didn't figure that out until halfway through the test. The Magister is going to be very happy to hear that the Vongola hyper-intuition isn't just a rumor. Follow us. We'll show you where to really go. Just don't ask any questions 'cause we're not allowed to say anything until the Bishop ordains you."

"Don't worry too much about the excommunication," the smaller Brother added as the group began escorting him through the Church. Gregory did a double-take on him, surprised that he would know about such a thing. "We all went through similar trials," he explained with a sad smile.

The room that they led him too was strangely familiar and decorated in a way that he recognized. The stained mahogany accents and the heavy wood of the aged furniture reminded him of a seminary meeting area or a Cathedral's reception area. Before leaving him alone, the group told him to wait for further instructions. He felt excited and a little apprehensive every time that he looked at the large doors set into the far wall. His intuition said that the future lay beyond those doors. It was a bigger and greater future than anything that he'd ever imagined, yet there was a voice within him that refused to stay humble. It said that this was his Right. This was his Destiny. This was a power that not even Hotaru could grasp. Here were answers to questions that his brother couldn't even fathom. This was--

He held his breathe when a woman stepped out of the doors and gestured him to enter. Doing so, he felt a tremble of awe pass through him when he saw what was waiting. There were six men gathered on wooden thrones around a round, mirrored table that made his hand-mirror look like a leftover piece of shiny metal. As the woman who'd greeted him took a seat at in the seventh chair, Gregory couldn't take his eyes off of the gleaming surface of the table.

The people in the room around him were mirrored by a set of people within the image, but the images weren't matching up. Movements differed and the people in the image were all blurred so that he couldn't make out any details. Some of them, however.... He was positive that some of them weren't human. Even more strangely was the image in the center of the table. It was as if he were looking at the underside of a huge bowl, but the images on the bowl were constantly in motion. There was something there.... There was something about the truth behind the table that he couldn't quite comprehend. Some sort of secret that...

"Don't push yourself, Gregory," the woman chuckled. "You'll understand with time. It's your Destiny to one day sit among these chairs, so there is no need for you to force yourself to mature overnight. The Arch-Bishop took you on personally," she continued as one of the images in the mirrored table began to frantically wave while, in the room, the man sitting at that seat smirked at his counterpart. "So we all have great expectations of you. Do you have any questions that you'd like to ask?"

"The messengers," he prompted, unable to keep his eyes off of the table. "Three men came to my house today and brought me a letter stating that I've been excommunicated."

"Do you want us to lift that?" The man who smirked asked carefully. "We have the power to do that."

"I can't take vows if it's not," he replied slowly, feeling as if he were being tested. "But more importantly, it's not right for someone to use his authority to try to blackmail my brother. If it were just me, I would overcome it on my own somehow, but Hotaru... I don't like being used against him like this."

"So which is it?" The woman asked pointedly. "Do you want the excommunication lifted or do you not want to be used against your Family?" Gregory's jaw dropped in shock, not having thought that he would have to choose.

No, he amended. He knew how to answer the question. The excommunication was just a piece of paper that told him of the judgment of others. In the eyes of mankind and the Church, he was outcaste. However, he couldn't believe that God would forsake him due to the mechanizations of a sinner. Also, this series of events would only continue to repeat so long as he was a liability to Hotaru. Lifting it would be no good if someone else could judge him guilty again in the future.

"My Family," he answered softly. "I have faith that I've served God loyally and that He will still welcome me in heaven with open arms, because He knows the truth of all things. If I had to choose, I'd choose to protect my brother who does not have the same faith in the Lord that I do. The crime committed upon him would be thrice that of which I would be made to suffer if I were to turn my back on him."

Glancing up from the table, he blinked in surprise at the numerous smiles around himself. He didn't understand....

"We are the Gatekeepers of this world," the woman explained with a smile. "We ensure that there stays a balance, but to do that, we have to accept that some evils in the world can hide behind a mask of righteousness and even the righteous can commit sins. If you'd chosen to have the excommunication lifted despite it being a superficial judgment by a selfish man, we would have known that you weren't meant to join us. You have passed our test, Brother Gregory. The Illuminati welcome you."

"However," a stout man on the left interjected before Gregory's hopes could lift more than a notch. "To protect your brother, we cannot lift the excommunication that's been placed upon you. All hope is not lost, however. The sect of the Church that you're within is called the Order of the Fallen Templars and they have their ways of working outside the Vatican's reach. While the excommunication won't be lifted now, they will go through the proper procedures to have it automatically lifted upon your death. They will hear your vows now and apply them when you reach Heavens Gates, along with any honors that you might be due. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Gregory slowly nodded while trying to fully digest the insinuations made. He would never be a Priest while he walked the earth. It explained why the boy downstairs had been smoking. All six of those people had also been excommunicated and given similar offers. The ones that were wearing frocks had decided to continue on a virtuous path, but the rest had trusted their faith in God and had decided to dive into darkness in order to find the specks of light hiding. Since they were not yet ordained, there was no sin in doing so. He could do the same if he wanted. As long as he was connected to this Order, he could get married, have children, and even say things that would normally get him smacked by Father Robert. No one would expect more or less from him than a normal man, because everything that he did until his death would be things done during the time that he was excommunicated.

"Even Lucifer was an angel in the beginning," he mumbled to himself. "Does that mean that he'll be forgiven after the end?"

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy," the woman quoted from the book of Matthew. "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' Gregory... we can make guesses as to the correct answer for your question, but only He knows what will come after the end of days. Until then, all we can do is continue to work and pray that we have read His intent correctly. Will you join us in serving Him, even though He has permitted such misfortune to befall you? Will you help us keep balance in this world, although it might dirty your hands and turn your tears into ash?"

"Ah," he confirmed sadly, feeling the answer surge from deep in his heart. "This is the only place for me."

* * *

Gregory stepped out of his transport, still unable to decide whether he was blessed or damned by his decision. Until the day that he died, he would probably never know, but that was what faith was for. He had his intuition and Archie to guide him. He had the power of the Illuminati to support him. He had the blessings of those in the Order of Fallen Templars to sustain him.

Now he just needed something to help him get through school in one piece. Due to the amount of looks that he was getting as he walked through the courtyard, he couldn't keep his face from turning red. Besides having been missing for nearly a week, he'd known when he put it on that his long, black cassock and white clerical collar that it would also attract attention. He didn't want to change out of it, though. Even if only one small Order recognized him, he'd made his vows. Wearing the garments in the open was his way of rebelling against the judgment cast down on him. He was telling everyone who was watching him that even the holy Church couldn't stop him from serving God.

Gregory paused halfway across the courtyard, realizing that none of the girls were running forward like they normally did. When he glanced in their direction, the group pointedly turned their backs to him. It was saddening, but he understood. By wearing the cassock, he was also creating misunderstandings. They all thought he'd taken vows of chastity, so they no longer wanted anything to do with him. After all, they couldn't talk a Priest into marrying them. The thought made him pity the lot of them.

"You sure know how to stir up trouble," a girl said from behind him. Gregory smiled and turned to find Miss Ross looking over his cassock in amusement. "I didn't think you had it in you. I thought only heartbroken girls in bad romance stories ran away to become nuns."

"I'm not from a bad romance story or a nun," he retorted with a grin. "At the moment, I feel more like a character in a religious thriller."

"Is that so," Miss Ross chuckled, gesturing for him to sit down on the bench with her. He took her invitation, although he kept an appropriate distance from her. "This sounds juicy, so I want some details. Spill it."

"There's not much to tell," he shrugged, turning sideways to lean on the back of the bench. "I've been excommunicated and I didn't want Hotaru to know until I'd dealt with it."

"Excommunicated?" She spluttered. "Then what's with the robes?! You look like you just took vows!"

"It's my little way of rebelling," he admitted softly. Seeing her expression of shock, he chuckled and patted her on the leg to soothe her, "Don't worry about it. I've already dealt with the matter. My faith isn't something that can be broken over such a matter. I've just had to find a different place in which to serve. Things have actually worked out better this way. I have more freedom to do God's work than I would have on my previous path. I've also gotten to meet a lot of people who aren't the type to sit back and take things meekly. Really, I feel as if... I feel as if I'm not fighting to fit into a mold anymore. I can be a Mafia Boss' son and a Priest without having any conflict between the two."

"So you _did _take vows?" Miss Ross asked in open confusion.

"In a way," he answered mischievously. "I'm not going to be like any Priest that you recognize, though. Let's just say that I was given an altered set of vows. I don't have many of the constraints that the average Brother does, but I have twice the duties and the moral obligation. Also, the sanctity of my position is entirely up to the person before me. For example, whether I'm a holy Priest or an average guy is entirely up to you right now."

"That sounded like a line," she growled. "Are you hitting on me?"

"No!" Gregory spluttered before bursting out into laughter. What was it with girls? Surely they weren't all constantly trying to pair off with the men around them! "Even if I'm allowed to think about that now, it wasn't my intention! You're a very fine lady, but I'm quite happy being single. Honestly. Could you imagine someone like me on a date? I'd probably do something horribly tacky like singing hymns at karaoke."

"You'd go to karaoke," she gasped in mock-horror. "How sinful!" Laughing with her at the image of himself in such a place, he had to shake his head at his brother's stupidity. Gregory knew that Hotaru was in love with Miss Ross and she was a very fine woman. Gregory had no idea what his brother was doing by ignoring her so much.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to ponder it, either. Both his hand and Miss Ross' darted up at the same time to catch the water-balloon aimed between them. She noticed his movements just as he noticed hers, but it was Miss Ross who pulled back first to allow him the honor of a catch. It was such a thoughtful move that he almost fumbled the catch and he had to stare at her in shock when he had it in hand. Miss Ross' pride was normally infallibly predictable, but she had actually put that pride aside so that everyone would think that he'd protected her from a soaking rather than forcing him to suffer teasing for being saved by a girl.

Feeling as if he needed to repay the kindness, Gregory slipped off the bench and pointedly stared up at where Mr. Wolfe was smoking a cigarette on the roof. Around him, the disgusted looks of his classmates told him that they thought he was weak for how he'd reacted previously. He wasn't the same as he'd been back then, though. His reaction now wasn't to water flowers, but to send a rush of hot wind through the courtyard as he unsheathed his wings.

Mr. Wolfe's attention perked up immediately, but Gregory hadn't pulled out his wings for show. He used them to lift himself out of the courtyard and to a level where he could speak with the Tutor without yelling. What he wanted wasn't to talk about why he was throwing water balloons, however. He'd had nearly a week to think that over and he thought that he understood. Mr. Wolfe was purposely being cruel, but his cruelty was in order to get a positive effect. Even Gregory couldn't ignore the results. There were few people who could catch the balloons without also breaking them, but the number of people who saw the attack in time to dodge had increased to the point that people were no longer scared of loitering outside before school.

No, he smiled to himself. What he had to talk to Mr. Wolfe about was something far more personal.

"I've figured out the meaning behind the cranes that you keep giving to Hotaru," he said quietly, so that his voice wouldn't carry to those watching below. Mr. Wolfe predictably became a statue, which made Gregory chuckle at himself for thinking that the man was a devil. "I won't tell," he promised, tossing the water balloon into the man's numb hands. "But in exchange, I believe that you have something that I want."

"Eh?" He gaped, still dumbfounded by Gregory's opening statement.

"A certain rosary that you have," he prompted softly. "I want it, unless Hotaru is the only one that you care about." Staring into Mr. Wolfe's eyes, he let the man know in no uncertain terms that he knew. He knew that the man before him was his father. He hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but Archie had access to information that was infallible. The tears growing in his father's eyes only confirmed the truth.

"Gregory--" he choked.

"The rosary," he repeated, holding out his hand before his idiot of a father could blow his own cover. "Let me have it and I'll start taking a gym class. I'll help you out with Hotaru, too. Thanks to you, I've got an inside track on pretty much everything. It _was _you, wasn't it? I'm not supposed to be able to take vows until I'm eighteen, but the Order let me because you signed the waiver." Gregory smiled to himself when his father bowed his head down and nodded slightly. The waiver was something that only a parent could sign. The Church would have accepted Father Robert's signature, but Gregory now saw why he'd refrained. Father Robert had known that his blood father was still around. "Please let me have the rosary," he pleaded. "It would help me much more than it'd help Hotaru."

His father nodded softly again and reached into his coat. When he pulled it out, it was balled up in his fist and he wouldn't look up. Gregory didn't force him to, either. Edging closer so that he could step onto the rooftop next to him, he cupped his hands under his father's fist to accept the coveted item that was dropped into them. It wasn't the rosary that he really cared about. What mattered was the feelings that he received by being given something so precious by a man that he barely knew.

"Thank you," Gregory whispered in a tight voice as he wrapped the rosary around his wrist. "I don't know everything that you've been though, but I know enough. That you're here now... heh... I'm not Hotaru, but I hope that it means something for me to forgive you... Dad."

"Ah hell," he gasped before darting away with a speed that was nearly too fast to follow. Gregory chased him, unwilling to let him get away this time, but he didn't catch up until his father finally stopped on a rooftop nearly a mile away. Dropping down next to him, he didn't have time to pull in his wings before his father's arms were around him and the sound of sobbing filled his ears. Whether it was his father's tears that he heard or his own, he didn't know.

All that he knew was that within his arms was a really warm place to be.


	118. Chapter 118 Student File: Ross

"Now, Ross," Wolfe-sensei said in a reasoning tone as he put three men and a chair between them. "I know that you're upset, but don't forget that you promised not to hit anyone while you're living here."

Ross continued to glare until all three men moved out of her way. Someone even went to the trouble of moving the chair, which left Wolfe-sensei exposed with his back against a wall. Slowly walking forward, she put her hands on her hips and tried very hard to not pay attention to the maid's uniform that she'd been forced to wear for every afternoon since staying at the 'Werewolf House'. No, the outfit wasn't an issue, although she'd already figured out that the so-called gentlemen were really just a typical bunch of sleezeballs on short leashes.

Even so, she kept herself reigned in as she slowly walked forward to meet her so-called Tutor. He visibly cringed backward at her proximity, but she'd been paying attention during her lessons. There was only one thing that she could possibly do in this situation and she mustered all of her strength to do it.

"Thank you very much, Wolfe-sensei," she said, pitching her voice to be pleasant while giving a graceful curtsey. Everyone in the room let out a loud sigh of relief and even Wolfe-sensei looked ready to faint. It'd been a long, hard road, but she think that she finally had the knack of graciousness. She'd actually been able to accept her stipend without feeling the need to knock Wolfe-sensei on his ass.

"Don't I deserve a little extra?" Wolfe-sensei grinned, purposely trying to taunt her in what was his annoying habit. "Since you improved your grade in Etiquette from 'shitty' to 'not so shitty', I gave you a little bonus. It's not much, but you should be able to go on the school ski trip with everyone else." Spluttering in surprise, Ross pulled open the envelope that he'd given her in order to look at the check. It was easily three times as much as the poor excuse for wages that he normally gave her and, like he said, there was plenty for her to buy what she'd planned to buy and go on the school's pre-holiday skiing trip.

Part of her wanted to refuse the extra money, but this wasn't the first time that Wolfe-sensei had weaseled her into taking a bonus. She found it kind of suspicious, actually. Whenever she started thinking that she needed more money for something, the pipes in the basement would burst or a dog would knock over the garbage cans. She tended to get really bad luck during those times and had to work twice as hard as normal to keep things tidy around the house. Then, when she went back to trying to figure out how to make some extra money, she got 'compensated' for extra work that wasn't in her job description.

This wasn't the first time that Wolfe-sensei had given her a bonus for improving her grades, either. She hadn't done much. It was just that, on the day that they had a big test in Home Economics, Miss Bianchi had been out sick and the masked substitute for the day, Mr. Fowle, hadn't marked her off for not poisoning the stew. The old geezer had actually thought that she poisoned it so well that he couldn't figure out the method. So, she'd gotten top marks and Wolfe-sensei had been waiting for her at home with a 'bonus'. Although he called it a bonus, he'd bluntly explained that it was a bribe for making him look good as a Tutor. It was a bribe, not charity, just like the 'bonus' in her hands.

There was one major problem, though.

"I'm not going on the trip," she mumbled in wonder that he'd actually let such a large sum out of his tight fist.

"Eh?" Wolfe-sensei gaped.

"I'm not going," Ross repeated slowly, so that he could understand. "It's three days and four nights and I can't take that much time away from work. I still have a lot that I need to study so that I'm not stuck in Remedial History next year. Plus, I don't have anyone to sign the permission slip. And.. and... Eric heard a girl in his homeroom class talking. She said that only third-rate hitmen go on the ski trip. Everyone else has lodges and vacation homes to go to."

"Ross," he said in a scolding tone. Looking up at him, she couldn't explain why she suddenly felt so anxious. "First off, I'm giving you a paid vacation to go on that trip. You've earned it by keeping your promise not to hit anyone while you've been living here. Ahem... As for the kicks and suplexes, you never made a promise not to do that, so they don't count against you. Second, you've got all of Christmas vacation to study diligently, so a few days won't hurt you. Third, your Boss has already signed your permission slip. Fourth, since when have you been one to care about gossip? And, finally, fifth, you're just making excuses again. If you're afraid that you're not going to fit in, then just say so. I'll go with you to pick out a nice bikini to wear to the heated pools."

"Who'd go with a pervert like you?!" She blurted. Grabbing hold of his collar in frustration, she threw him as hard as she could across the room. He managed to punch a fist into the ceiling and stop his progression before he landed, which was even more irritating. No matter what she did to him, he crashed into anything due to her efforts. Instead, things like the current event happened. Wolfe-sensei kept hold of the ceiling and pulled his feet up so it seemed as if he were crouching upside down. He opened his mouth to scold her, but gravity caught up to him before he could say anything. The piece of ceiling that he was holding onto broke off and he crashed into the ground from his own stupidity. Such things always happened right when it seemed as if Wolfe-sensei was about to do something amazing, such as give a gravity-defying lecture.

"I'll go get the broom," she groaned. When she returned from fetching the broom and dustpan, the living room was empty and the mess was gone. She had to do a double-take to ensure that she was in the right room, but the hole in the ceiling was still there.

Scratching her head, she was confused by the lack of stuff needed to be cleaned. She guessed that she was just used to Wolfe-sensei making bigger messes, but he hadn't actually destroyed anything this time around. Actually, now that she thought about it, there was never a lot to clean up when he screwed up. His falls were spectacular and his moments of stupidity looked catastrophically destructive, but it was really rare for him to actually break anything that he didn't mean to. Then it hit her. If Wolfe-sensei broke something, he'd have to replace it and he was too much of a cheapskate for that.

Shrugging, she put the broom back in place and headed up to her room to put her check away. Her chores were done for the day, so she quickly changed out of the uniform that was part of her contract. Since her only plans for the rest of the night were study, dinner, and a bath, she decided to put on some comfort clothes instead of another uniform. Whether it was her Don Girarde uniform or her maid uniform, she could never feel very comfortable. However, once she had on her old, worn jeans and the sweater that she'd gotten last Christmas, she felt much more like herself. Unlike her uniforms, her regular clothes didn't make her feel strangled or exposed. They were loose enough that she could move, work, and fight in, while covering her so that it was hard for anyone to tell that she was a girl.

A glance in the mirror made her amend the thought. Even with baggy clothes, she could see that she still looked female. She didn't really understand it, but she thought that the hair had a lot to do with it. Wolfe-sensei had ordered her to wear it down and had forbidden her to cut it. Even though her lips were thin and her nose was bulbous, the way that Wolfe-sensei had plucked her eyebrows while she'd been asleep made her eyes seem much bigger. She still hadn't forgiven the pervert for doing that, but maybe Hotaru had noticed--

No, no, no, no, no! Shaking her head to snap her out of her funk, she went over to her desk and firmly sat down. It didn't matter what she looked like, because she wasn't the kind of person that Hotaru could greet in public. It'd been nice when he'd visited the library, but that had just been a momentary diversion on his part. Even if he'd liked her in the past, he'd gotten over it and she needed to forget about it. It wasn't as if they could actually have a relationship. Autumn would kick her out of the Family if she tried, since a personal connection with Vongola the Eleventh would completely destroy the neutrality of the Martelli Family.

Accepting the fact, she turned her attention to her second-hand laptop and tried to focus on studying. She didn't know why Mafioso had to make things so difficult. A paper textbook would have been much easier to use than the flimsy piece of electronics in front of--

Ross gritted her teeth as her laptop started smoking as soon as she touched it. This was the very reason that she hated electronics. They couldn't be used after they broke and they needed a lot of careful handling. It was okay, though. She didn't know how Wolfe-sensei had gotten them for her, but she had an older copy of the school's textbooks in print. Picking up the thick volume on remedial Mafia history, she slowly paced the room while she flipped to the chapter on drug trafficking in the 1960's.

As with all stories that was new to her, she became absorbed in the chapter. Reading Italian was becoming easier and the material was fairly interesting. What wasn't interesting was the floorboards under her bed after she put the book down. Every time, she growled to herself. Every single time that she took her attention off of her surroundings while she was alone, her habit kicked in. If it was a library, then she'd hide under a table. In her bedroom, it was either under the bed or in the closet. If it was in the open, then it was always somewhere high or somewhere low. It was starting to become irritating. She was strong enough now that she didn't need to hide from anything, so why couldn't she let go?!

That was a stupid question in itself. Of course she couldn't let go. Oscar had taught her to do that and Oscar had died the one time that she hadn't listened to him. She could still remembered it like it was yesterday. She'd seen someone throw away a perfectly good pair of boots and she'd decided to go dumpster diving rather than hide like she was supposed to. She'd wanted to get the boots for Oscar, since Oscar's boots had always had more silver tape than fabric on them. She'd pulled them out and, in her excitement to give them to him, she'd waited in the open.

Back then, it hadn't been abnormal for guys to try to buy her. There were some who hadn't cared whether she was a boy or a girl, as long as she had a hole that they could stick themselves into. That was why it'd always been important to hide. Oscar had never had the strength to run off enemies, although he'd always tried his best to make a distraction so that she could get away. That was why, the plan had always been that she would hide. Oscar would normally settle down for the night and that was when the guys who followed him, if there were any, would come out. Oscar would shrug and say that he didn't know where she was and the men would go away. Oscar would tell her when it was safe and then they'd find a good place to huddle together for the night.

That day, though. That day.... she'd waited in the open like an idiot. She could still remember Oscar's face when he'd walked around the corner and saw her. She hadn't understood the horror and everything had happened so fast after that. Two homeless bums couldn't win against four men with knives and guns, no matter how much she'd trained herself. They'd ran. They'd ran like their lives depended on it and it'd only been when Oscar collapsed that she realized that he'd been hit. His last words had been to find Papa Paolo, a person that she recognized from many of Oscars old stories. Then he'd died just like that, face up in an alley behind a bar, and she'd had no choice but to keep running because the men were still chasing them. She'd ran and ran and ran until she'd finally found an empty train moving east that she could collapse inside of.

Everything after that had been a large blur until she'd finally found the place called Pasta da Paolo. Dirty and starved from traveling, she walked right into the place during the dinner rush and told the first person that she saw. She told them "Oscar said that Papa Paolo would help me" before passing out at the feet of the restaurant's host. Her life had changed that day. She'd awakened in a warm bed and had been given clean clothes, hot food, and work. Later, she'd learned the reason that Oscar had been on the run for so long. He'd stolen two million dollars for a reason that he'd never explained and he hadn't been too ashamed to go back to tell Papa Paolo that he couldn't repay it. Where the money had gone was still a mystery, but the Martelli Family had accepted her pledge to repay it in his stead. Papa Paolo had agreed and done the paperwork needed to get her adopted into the Family before the police could start asking questions.

It was by her request that no one had been told of her past. Papa Paolo knew and so did Autumn. She'd told a little of it to Hotaru, but she realized now that it'd been stupid to do so. She'd told him on the last day that they'd spent together. She'd told him about it on the day that she'd learned exactly what 'Vongola the Eleventh' meant. That memory was almost as vivid as her last one of Oscar. With just the power of his name, the speed with which the happy crowd around him had turned into a violent mob still left her gaping.

Everyone knew Hotaru's name. From the smallest child to the oldest grandfather, he reached into their lives and their homes on a regular basis. There was just something about him that made everyone pay attention. It'd started with a simple question, "You know who Hotaru is?" The replies that she'd gotten had been so detailed that he'd felt ill afterward. Whether it was the news in the gossip papers or serious coverage on his latest business venture, everyone knew what Hotaru was up to. He was one of the ten most powerful men in the world, he was in the top fifty most wanted, top twenty of the world's most eligible bachelors, and in the top one hundred of the richest. He'd won awards that she'd never heard of and donated to charities that worked on the world-wide level. He was on the forefront of scientific advancement and his commercial for the latest breakthrough in skateboarding had turned him into an heart-throb idol for the masses.

A poor girl who didn't even know the name of his corporation didn't have a chance in hell with him. Not that she liked him, anyway. She wasn't some ninny to fall for a meal ticket with a pretty face who just happened to have a nice body, an impressive aura, and a few piercings. Okay, she growled at herself. She was attracted to him, but that wasn't the same as liking him! It was completely and totally superficial! Of course, she'd liked talking to him in the library. She liked how he was the kind of guy to jump out to save someone that he thought was falling out of a tree and how he had a dragon for a Salamander. She liked how he could turned from a polished executive into a brash, wild fighter.

Noticing her train of thought, she smacked her head on the floorboards a few times to get herself to stop. There were a hundred more important things to think about, such as what to do about the ski trip. She only had two days left to sign up and she honestly did want to go. Skiing was something that she'd never done before. It was true that she didn't really care about the gossip. It was true that Wolfe-sensei had taken care of almost all of her objections, but there was one objection that she hadn't voiced.

That objection was that she didn't want to be alone. None of the other Martelli in Italy were going. Isaac had work, Eric had work, and Poppet had work, so they were using the 'only third rate hitmen go' as an excuse to get out of the trip. There were several people in the Household that she'd become friends with, but none of them were students. Outside of those people, she didn't have much in the way of actual friends. She cringed at the thought of going into the mountains with classmates that normally avoided her during school.

Even if she decided to take a chance and go anyway, she didn't know what kind of clothes to get with her paycheck. She didn't think that school uniforms would work. Skiing meant snow and she didn't have much in the way of cold weather gear. If it was like everything else that the school did, then she might need grappling hooks and a parachute. Maybe a--

"Ross--!" Wolfe-sensei called as he barged into her room. She lurched in surprise at the sudden entrance and hit her head on the underside of her bed. "Come out from under there," he ordered. "There's a visitor here for you."

"A visitor?" She repeated. Crawling out from under the bed, she fingered the spot where she'd hit her head to ensure that it wasn't bleeding. When it wasn't, she got to her feet and followed Wolfe-sensei back toward the living room. She felt her jaw drop at the sight of the guy that Aster was serving tea to. "Gregory?!" She gasped as Aster and Wolfe-sensei left. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," he answered slowly. "I decided to go on the ski trip and I thought that you might want to go shopping with me."

"What about Hotaru?" She asked, dropping down into the seat across from him. "Don't you guys have a Family lodge to go to or something?"

"I'm sure that they do," he said with a gentle laugh. "But me and Hotaru haven't been on the best of terms lately. I..." Gregory paused, holding his breath while he flinched slightly. "I might have accidently told him that we were dating."

"What?!" She blurted in outrage. Jumping to her feet in anger, she stopped herself from punching him at the sight of Wolfe-sensei passing into the kitchen. Seeing him was a reminder of her promise not to hit people. She really, really wanted to, though. She didn't care if Gregory was a guest, but saying something like that was crossing the line!

"Please hear me out," he said, giving her an apologetic look that made her anger crumble in an instant. She was still irritated and annoyed, but Gregory was a Priest. Even she had her limits and hitting a Priest was something that she couldn't do. "My brother can be an idiot sometimes. The Family has been pushing women on him for a while now and he'd gotten in the habit of only accepting one date a week. Everyone else got tossed onto me and I got the unfortunate task of letting the girls down gently." Ross slowly sat down as her temper calmed, seeing that Gregory had an actual reason for the trickery. "Well, I don't want to be used like that anymore. My brother needs to learn how to stand up for himself instead of delegating the things that he doesn't like to other people. I can't really tell him something like that point-blank, so I just told him that I couldn't go out with his lady-friends anymore. And, of course, he wanted a good reason. I humbly apologize, but you were the only person that came to mind."

"I don't understand," she replied in confusion. "Why not just use one of those girls that always hang around you?"

"Those girls stopped coming near when I started wearing this," he answered, holding up the Rosary that he kept around his wrist at all times. He'd been wearing it since the day that he'd come to school in a Priest's uniform and the effect had lasted even after he switched back to the normal school uniform. "Very few people actually know that my vows allow me to date and I purposely haven't cleared up the misunderstanding. I'm afraid that you're the only female friend that I have left. And, anyway, don't you want to see it?"

"See what?" She asked as if the words were pulled from her.

"Don't you want to see the look that brother makes when he's jealous?"

* * *

Ross couldn't get her heart to calm down. She knew that it was her imagination, but it felt as if everyone around her was staring. Actually, a lot of them were, which made her cheeks heat up. The plan had been to go shopping for the things that they needed on their trip, but no one had said anything about going to Venice Row. She still wasn't sure how Gregory had managed to get her there. One minute, she'd agreed to take a walk with him and they'd been discussing their theories on what the ski trip was going to be like. In the next minute, they were stepping off the subway onto the underground platform.

"Relax," Gregory soothed. He wisely didn't try to put his arm around her, although he did step into a closer proximity so that she was more aware of his presence. She wasn't sure how to handle this situation. For the better part of her life, men had been 'the enemy'. Between Hotaru and Gregory, she thought that she'd gotten better at dealing with guys, but ninety percent of the people strolling the area were male. "Why don't we go get a hamburger first?" Gregory suggested. "We came before you had dinner. Right?"

"Okay," she mumbled as her focus shifted to her empty stomach. However, thinking of food always made her think of the price of food and that made her remember that she hadn't gotten her paycheck cashed yet. "Is there a bank down here?"

"You don't have to worry about that," he chuckled as he guided her onto down the path toward the food court. "I've imposed on you, so surely you'll allow me to repay you with dinner." Ross automatically opened her mouth to object, but snapped it back shut after a moment. She could understand the desire to repay a debt, even if it was one that only Gregory saw.

It wasn't her first trip into Venice Row, but it was her first trip with another person. Gregory was an interesting escort, too. He kept pointing out stores that they might shop at and he had his way of making witty commentary without having to make fun of other people. She'd never met a guy quite like him. He had an air of generosity around him and it seemed as if he couldn't say a bad thing about anyone, with the exception of his brother. He made her feel a little confused, actually. He really did have the air of a Priest around him, but he also had the air of a boy on a... a.... a....

"Is this a date?" She blurted, turning to him in shock. He stared at her with wide eyes for a long, silent moment before bursting into a fit of laughter that sent heads turning in every direction. She felt her face light up at the attention and her fist had an automatic reaction to her embarrassment. "Don't laugh at me!" She spluttered, aiming her fist straight at his jaw. Her punch was ineffective, though. He somehow managed to grab her wrist before the attack landed and spun her around so that she was hugging herself with her back against his chest.

"I'm sorry about laughing," he apologized before she could break free. "I won't do it again, but please try to notice your surroundings a little more." At the cue, she looked around and immediately turned even more red. She'd blurted such a question right as he'd been preparing to order from the hamburger kiosk. He'd had reason to laugh at her outburst. The expression on the cashier's face was still priceless.

"Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly. Even with the apology, he didn't immediately let her go.

"I'd say that you're cute when you get mad, but that'd probably just make you try to hit me again," he whispered in her ear. "So, instead, I'll ask whether you're a Mega-Stack type of girl or a Salad kind."

"I'll order for myself," she said, pulling free of his grasp. Irritated at how embarrassed he'd made her, she decided that revenge was due and he'd set himself up by saying that he was buying dinner. Therefore, she bought the largest, most expensive hamburger on the menu with a large fries, large milkshake, and a fried pie for dessert. Unfortunately, the revenge didn't seem to work. Instead, he seemed inordinately pleased as he ordered a small chicken salad for himself and a bottle of water.

Seeing their meals being placed on a tray, she had to chuckle and loosen up a little at the irony. It would figure that a stickler like Gregory wouldn't order something fattening or greasy. He wasn't the type of person to preach to others about life's little pleasures, either. Really, he was a complete oxymoron. The thought made her chuckle again as they picked a table to eat at. It brought back a memory that was particularly amusing. Predictably, Gregory asked her what she was suddenly so amused about, so she told him.

"I was thinking that you were an oxymoron," she smiled. "And that made me remember the time that Oscar called someone an oxymoron. The guy that he told it to was this really stuck-up bum who thought that he was better than everyone cause he had a year of college under his belt. Well, he got furious. He didn't know the difference between an oxymoron and a moron, so he blew his top and started ranting. Then, one of the guys that he'd been looking down on stepped in and explained what an oxymoron was. I'll never forget that guy's expression. He'd made a complete fool of himself and he couldn't even blame Oscar because Oscar hadn't really insulted him."

"Is Oscar your brother?" He asked innocently as he poked at his salad with his fork. She flinched slightly at the question and decided to pay attention to her own meal before the grease got cold. Gregory let the silence continue while they were eating, but he began a one-sided story as she finished off her pie and milkshake. It took her several long minutes to realize that it was a story about Hotaru.

It was an.... embarrassing.... story about Hotaru that got her attention after the first punch line. That first punch line was the image of Hotaru covered in poison ivy because his pony had _not _wanted to joust against SK and he'd been thrown into a patch of the stuff when the pony balked. Gregory didn't stop there, however. Next came a story of his ninth birthday and his first tantrum regarding the sweets that he apparently hated. He had a story about getting in a domino-chase. A cat named Sugar had been chasing a bird named Hibird, a person named Ken had been chasing Sugar, and Hotaru had chased after Ken with SK's help. Then the doctor had chased Hotaru in fear that he'd get hurt and someone named Hibari had shown up to bite all of them for some reason. The one that really got her laughing to the point that she had to stop was Gregory's claim that Hotaru looked just like Bambi when he first woke up. He claimed that he'd seen it first-hand after catching Hotaru napping in his office and, after that, no one dared to enter without permission.

"Feel relaxed now?" Gregory asked with a gentle smile. Ross blinked in surprise and slowly nodded in agreement. She'd completely forgotten to be anxious thanks to Gregory's stories. They'd actually made it to the first store and she'd been able to respond without worrying about who was looking at her.

"Thanks," she mumbled grudgingly as she began looking through the racks of clothes. Gregory nodded slightly in acceptance, but didn't make a big deal about the gratitude. Ross appreciated his subtlety, since graciousness was a lesson that she was still integrating into her life. She was too used to having to claw for what she had or have to choke down pity when she got something. Learning something like 'graciousness' hadn't been easy for her because it meant that she had to be grateful to someone. The ideal had clashed badly with her personality until Wolfe-sensei had put it into terms that she could except. She wasn't being grateful for what was just given to her. She was being grateful that there was the chance to get more. In this case, she was grateful that she had a chance to get more of Gregory's consideration in the future.

She needed some of that consideration as soon as she noticed the quality of clothes that she was looking through. She couldn't believe that people would actually wear such things. For example, there was a coat that claimed to have fabric that 'breathed', which she knew to translate as 'full of really small holes that let heat out'. There was fur lining that was 'animal-friendly', which she translated as 'just for looks and completely useless'. Even the parkas failed her after a quick look. They were heated, which translated to 'useless without a plug-in'.

"Is there anywhere else that we can go?" She groaned. "This stuff might be on sale, but there's nothing here that I'd spend a nickel on." Looking over at Gregory, she pressed her lips together when she noticed that a sales-clerk was helping him find the right size of a particularly expensive coat.

"What's wrong?" They asked in unison. The salesclerk was more aggressive, though, stepping forward as if she'd just insulted him and his store. "Please explain your objections to my designs," he said politely, while his scowl betrayed his mood. In the back of her mind, a little voice told her not to say anything. However, a larger part told her that he'd asked for it. So, she told him. She pointed out ever flaw in his products. Then she pointed out how he was ripping people off with the poor quality stitching and cheap fabrics. The coats wouldn't last a full season. Finally, she added a little bit of personal opinion in saying:

"The designs are crap, too." It might have been a little much, she thought in hindsight when the man fainted in a very flashy manner. The gaping look on Gregory's face only reasserted the thought. "Let's get out of here," she choked when the other clerks began to rush forward to help the fallen. When Gregory didn't respond, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the exit by force. She knew what would come after such a scene if she stuck around and she didn't feel like it was a good day to become a martyr for something as stupid as fashion.

"You--!" Gregory suddenly roared halfway down the strip of stores. Ross gasped at the sudden shout and missed a step before spinning around to see an indescribable expression on Gregory's face. It was somewhere between shocked and excited, with a touch of an epiphany thrown in. "You have to come with me," he spluttered. Suddenly turning the tables on her, he grabbed her hand and began dragging _her _through Venice Row while going so far to shove people out of his way. "Don't you dare argue!" He snapped when she tried to pull free. "You're exactly the kind of challenge that Haru-dono has been looking for! Once she meets you, I'm sure that she won't be able to say no!"

"What are you talking about?!" She gasped as he pulled her onto the platform for people leaving the area. "Where are we going?!"

"Vongola Mansion, of course," he said with a bright smile. "You need clothes for a ski trip."

* * *

Shit.

Fuck.

Damn.

Those three words continued to cycle through her head endlessly as she sat at a table in a room that she'd never expected to enter across from people that she never expected to meet. The only thing that she could think of was how much Autumn was going to kill her. This was worse than bad; this was hell. Even if she put that aside to worry about later, she didn't know how to react to the excited little meeting going on between this strange woman and Gregory.

The woman, someone named 'Haru-dono', seemed to be a Vongola seamstress. She'd seemed very soft-spoken at first, but that hadn't lasted longer than it took Gregory to tell her about the incident at Venice Row. Then she'd been swept through the house, which held wonders that she was still trying to wrap her mind around, and into a large room full of worktables. Gregory and herself had been placed on one side with stools and tea to make them comfortable. On the other side, Haru-dono was sketching and drawing like a madwoman in an asylum while snapping questions in a constant, brisk stream. Ross couldn't keep up with the questions, let alone how quickly Gregory answered.

"Collar, fur or cloth?"  
"Cloth."

"Button or zipper?"

"Button."

"Thermal?"

"Lining only."

"Armor?"

"Light."

"Fighting style?"

"......."

"Fighting style?"

"Miss Ross?" Gregory prompted, making Ross lurch in place in surprise.

"I... uh..." Ross mumbled as she looked between the two in utter confusion. Why were they asking about her fighting style? Apparently, Haru-dono was more than just a mad-woman, though.  
After a glance in Ross' direction, she put down her pencil and leaned across the table in a much more relaxed manner.

"Have you not decided on a style yet, dear?" She asked gently. "The kind of specifications that you were looking for tells me that you're someone who's used to doing field duty. Gregory brought you to me because he knows that it's very rare for me to find the kind of person that I like to make clothes for. When I was your age, I wanted to just make costumes. As I got older, I wanted to make beautiful things. But tastes are a fickle thing and I've matured even more since then. What I really enjoy is making clothes that aren't just a social armor, but a physical one. Finding a woman who wants to look good and be ready for battle at any moment is a rarity, though. That's why Gregory brought you here, probably against your will from the looks of it."

"I... I can't be here," she said with a worried glance at the door. "My Boss... uh... She'd be mad if she knew that I was here."

"Ha-hi?" Haru-dono squeaked as she straightened up.

"Oh no," Gregory gasped in horror. "I didn't think about that. Miss Ross is from the Martelli Family. So that's why Hotaru..."

"That's why I what?" Ross froze at the sound of Hotaru's voice, feeling as if she'd just been by a truck. Why did he have to be here now?! Before she could actually see him, however, Gregory moved between them to block the line of sight.

"I was just wondering why you won't give Miss Ross the time of day at school," Gregory replied honestly, making Ross' heart stop entirely for a moment. Unfortunately, her heart didn't halt Hotaru's quick and efficient answer.

"Miss Ross?" He repeated with a careless shrug. "You mean your girlfriend? Why would I? Hey, mom. I just got a fax from dad. He says that he's decided to swing by Brazil on the way home, so he won't be back for another week."

"What's that man doing?" Haru-dono hissed in frustration. "He knows that I've got a show in three days!"

"Dunno," Hotaru replied on his way back out the door. "Probably training so that he can bite Wolfe-sensei to death. I don't care. I've done my part by delivering the message and I've got to get back to work. Make sure that you have your girlfriend back by curfew, Gregory. I don't need the Martelli Boss banging at my door because of a scandal."

"Che," Gregory spat after he was gone. "That didn't go like I'd hoped. I should have known that he's used to wearing a poker face. Sorry, Miss Ross. We'll get him next time."

"There won't be a next time," Ross corrected with a shake of her head. Not wanting to hear any objections, she darted for the door without taking the time to give a farewell. She'd never felt so humiliated in her life. It'd been a mistake to agree to Gregory's plan and she regretted ever stepping foot into the Vongola Household. They were all assholes, using her for their own purposes and looking down on her. After hearing Hotaru's voice, all she wanted to do was to go home. She didn't care if Hotaru was capable of jealousy anymore. She didn't want anything to do with a guy who could brush her off like an inconvenience. She didn't want anything to do with him or his Family!

Getting out of the building wasn't as easy as it seemed, though. It was her first time being in such a large place. Unlike the Martelli Mansion, there didn't seem to be any windows or doors that led outside. No matter which way she turned, she felt as if she were running circles in a maze. Then someone tried to stop her and, before she knew what was going on, she was somehow in a fight against three armed men. They were weak compared to what she was used to dealing with, so she knocked them out lightly and continued running in whichever direction was in front of her.

It wasn't until she got into three more fights that she finally figured out that getting out of the house was impossible. Every time that she turned another corner, there was only more people to fight. She needed somewhere to hide until the heat cooled down and then she could sneak out through a window or something. Checking door after door, she finally found a good spot where she could go unnoticed until everything calmed down. There were people actively trying to find her now. She could hear their footsteps echoing in the hallways with the beat of military precision. Although she'd just wanted to get out and go home, she'd put the whole building on high alert as if she'd been raiding it!

She was safe in the air intake vent, though. No one would find her th--

"When you calm down, come out and let me know," a man said from across the room. "I'll take you back upstairs and get you a car ride home." Ross didn't respond, unable to recognize the voice. It wasn't Hotaru and it wasn't Gregory, but it was calm, unsurprised, and unfooled by her hiding. "No one will lay a hand on you while I'm with you," the man promised in effort to sooth her even more. "You don't have to worry that I'll harm you either. I'm not a Vongola, but I'm permitted a large amount of freedom during my visits."

"W-Who are you?" She asked, hugging her legs in fear that she was going to be dragged out and arrested. She was just beginning to comprehend the enormity of her infraction. Not only had she attacked Vongola hitmen and ran rampant in the Vongola Stronghold, but they probably thought that she was a spy now. Only spies would hide! How much of an idiot could she be?!

"I'm called Lambo of the Bovino Familia," he answered without seeing her inner turmoil. "Before you ask, I could feel the disturbance in the vent's electromagnetic field. It was slight, but it was enough for someone as great as I am to notice that someone was hiding in here." Ross' eye twitched, getting the feeling that this guy was full of nothing but hot air. Still, she thought hesitantly, it was a good chance to find an exit.

Climbing out slowly, she froze on hands and knees when she saw the person who had been talking to her. It wasn't just any Lambo. It was THE Lambo. It was the Lambo that acted in her favorite movies and the one that starred in her favorite television drama. She had posters of him secretly folded away in her journal. Not only was he her type of guy, but he was tall, manly, yet still incredibly sensitive. She had to be dreaming to imagine herself at his feet. Not just at his feet, but at his feet while he was only wearing a towel and was fresh out of the shower in an adjoining room.

"Can I have your autograph?" She blurted as her face heated up.

"Oh?" He asked as he knelt down next to her as her fantasies demanded. "For a fan, you've come to a dangerous place for such a common thing, but perhaps it wasn't an autograph that you were--erk--"

"Erk?" She repeated in confusion. In way of explanation, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed face first on the floor. Looking behind him, her face fell at the sight of the last two people that she wanted to see, both of which were polishing their fists in the aftermath of knocking the great Lambo unconscious.

"What are you doing here, _dear _brother?" Gregory asked with his tone just slightly more malicious than pleasant.

"I thought I'd see how Lambo was settling in," Hotaru answered with a pointed glare at Gregory. "What about you, _dear _brother?"

"I came to pick up my girlfriend to see her home, which is something any _gentleman _would do."

"A gentleman wouldn't have allowed his girlfriend to run rampant in his house."

"But a gentleman wouldn't care if she did, either," Gregory retorted. "What's wrong, dear brother? You weren't hoping that you could rescue her. Were you?"

"As if," Hotaru scoffed. "I just don't want the Martelli Boss to harass me because my brother's girlfriend is gullible enough to fall for an idiot's sweet-talking. Oh, that's right. It's too late. She's dating you."

"You sound a little bitter there, dear brother," Gregory said sharply. "You wouldn't happen to--"

"That's checkmate."

"Not yet."

"I'm telling you, it's checkmate."

"You haven't won yet."

"Give it up, Reborn."

"Not on your life, Van."

"You're telling me that either boy has a chance after their insults?"

"She hasn't responded yet. She's just watching them argue."

"That's because she's trying to hold her temper. She won't be able to do it, so pay up."

"I'm not paying a cent. You haven't won yet."

"Aww, now look what you've done. They're all staring at us. Now we can't see who would have won."

"You were the first to talk."

"That's not fair. A good fight needs commentary. Does that make this a draw?"

"No. If the fight's over, then I've won. Your student just sat there."

"She was conserving her strength! You can't seriously think--"

"I win by default. Ross didn't score a single point. Face it, Van. You can't gamble against me and win."

"That's true, but it was fun trying."

"You still have to pay up."

"Che."

Ross stared along with the two boys standing over Lambo as Wolfe-sensei and Reborn both finally turned their attention to them. The most obvious question was what her Tutor was doing in such a place, but the one that she wanted to ask was why they were making bets on her. She was already angry enough, having figured out that the two imbeciles next to her were talking about her like she was an idiot. The last thing that she needed was for her Tutor to act like the whole situation was a television show! Had he followed her just to make fun of her?!

"Wolfe-sensei--!" She shouted. "What--"

"Quiet," he snapped with the look in his eyes piercing straight through her. In an instant, she knew.... She knew that her anger couldn't compare to his. She had more reasons to be angry, but Wolfe-sensei had just lost a bet. Everyone who lived in the Werewolf House knew that when Wolfe-sensei lost large amounts of money, it was a good time to hide. Even she knew since, after he'd bought every house and building around them to get the extra land, he'd put her through a hellish training that she never wanted to remember.

"Yes, Sensei," she squeaked.

"Reborn!" Hotaru yelled. "What's the--"

"You shut up, too," Reborn snapped. Hotaru choked in surprise at the order, but Ross noticed that he still obeyed.

"Ross~" Wolfe-sensei called in a sing-song voice, pulling her attention back to where her Tutor was sitting with a pleasant expression that wasn't fooling anyone. "Do I want to ask what you're doing in Vongola Headquarters, Ross? No, let me amend that. Do I want to ask what you're doing by causing such a ruckus while you're a guest in someone else's home?"

"I was trying to leave, but I couldn't find a way out," she mumbled, bowing her head in embarrassment.

"Did you try the elevator?" He replied in a voice that was almost a growl. "Did you not notice that you went underground?" Ross felt her ears turn red, honestly not having noticed the transition. Everything had been too much of a whirl before they'd made it into the seamstress' workroom. "Ross, Ross, Ross," he admonished with a sigh of resignation. "We've really got to increase your awareness levels. Once you're off the streets, you're completely clueless. I can forgive that, but your method of reacting is going to cost you. Or did you think that I, as your current keeper, wasn't going to be held liable for your mistakes?"

"Eh?"

"Let's see here," he murmured as he pulled a calculator out of his coat and began hitting buttons with a speed that was a little frightening. "Four of the people you attacked have fractured bones. Three with torn muscles. Two with bruising and six with concussions. Plus there's hush money to keep everyone quiet, unless you'd prefer your Boss to know about this, and the bribe money so that Lambo here will forget that he ever saw you. I'd say, with miscellaneous fees for pain and suffering, you're looking at a settlement of Two-hundred sixty-three thousand dollars. All of which I now have to pay and you now owe me."

"Assuming I let you off that cheap," Reborn commented as Aster abruptly appeared to serve the two men tea. 'Cheap' wasn't the word for it. How in the world was she ever going to get that much money?! She was still paying back Papa Paolo! She couldn't afford another debt!

"Don't worry too much," he soothed. "I have a way of dealing with people who owe me cash. A friend of mine owns a unique bar. You can be a blood slave for hire there until you've paid back what you owe."

"Blood slave?" She repeated while Reborn shot him a look pure of disgust. "What...?"

"Don't ask what," Wolfe-sensei laughed as he pulled Aster around to sit in his lap. "You see a blood slave every day, unless you thought that Aster just served me because he likes being a pet. Aster, why don't you be a good boy and show Ross what she'll be doing until she earns the money that she owes."

"Yes, Boss," the veiled man agreed instantly. Watching carefully, Ross felt the blood rush out of her face as Aster filled a teacup for his 'Boss'. He didn't fill with tea or even water, however. He filled it with a liquid that she couldn't quite comprehend. How was there liquid coming out of his wrist?

"That's plenty," Wolfe-sensei said quietly. Aster nodded and lifted his wrist up to his mouth to lick it in order to stop the.... the bleeding. He'd bled into the teacup, she realized as Wolfe-sensei lifted the same teacup to his mouth and sipped as if it really were tea.

"That's..." Gregory gasped in horror from beside her.

"So it's true," Hotaru growled. "You're a vampire."

"A werewolf," Wolfe-sensei corrected after setting his cup down empty. "The difference is something that would take far too long to explain, but there is one. Let's return to the more pressing issue, though. That would be how Ross is going to come up with two-hundred sixty-three thousand dollars by working as a blood slave. You're actually in luck in that respect, Ross. Someone with blood as potent as yours can easily get a thousand dollars an ounce. Hmmm... Taking into account Mistress Neve's service fees and other miscellaneous costs, you should be able to repay me after a mere week."

"A week?" She repeated in hope. She could do that. She'd donated blood lots of times and this wasn't much different.

"That's assuming, of course, that you provide complete service," Wolfe-sensei said, dashing her hoped in an instant. She didn't have to guess what he meant by 'complete' service. The way he looked at the guy in his lap and the way that Aster accepted his attentions explained everything. It wasn't just blood that she'd have to offer. It was everything!

"I'm not doing that!" Ross shouted in disgust that he would suggest such a thing. "What kind of girl do you take me for?!"

"One who has no other way to make money," he answered in brutal honesty. The words impacted her, taking her breath away and making her feel as ill as if she'd hit her solar plexus. "You're out of options, sweet-heart," he added as he got to his feet and walked over to tower over her. "I did some digging and found out all about dear old Oscar. Don't ask me how," he warned when her head snapped up to stare at him in shock. "The only thing that matters is that you're already in over your head. If it weren't for the fact that Paolo Martelli is the type of guy to accept loyalty for payment, you would have been selling yourself long before this. Warm beds and hot meals have made you forgetful, Ross. What's the first rule of survival?"

Ross bowed her head down, not wanting to answer the question. She knew the answer. She'd known the answer since the day that she was born. It wasn't even something that Wolfe-sensei had taught. It was something that experience had shown her, but she didn't want to say it in front of Hotaru, Gregory, and the sleep-talking Lambo. She didn't have a choice, however. When she stayed silent, Wolfe-sensei pulled her to her feet by her collar and gave her a look that demanded a response.

"T-Trust no one," she mumbled painfully.

"If you want to survive, then why are you letting yourself be led around by the nose?" He snarled in open anger. "Get your act together, little girl. I'm not teaching you etiquette and manners so that you can get a boyfriend. I've been teaching you the shit that you need to know to keep your ass out of debt, because mistakes here are a hundred times more costly than the measly bullshit that you saw on the street. But if you're just going to walk into enemy territory and cause a disturbance like this, then I've been wasting my time with you. I don't teach whores or fools and you've been acting like both. If you don't start using your head soon, then I'll wash my hands of you."

Ross barely kept her legs under her when Wolfe-sensei let her go. She understood. She understood far better than she wanted to. If she didn't figure out a way to make the money other than by taking him up on his offer, then she'd be back to square one. She'd have to go back to the Martelli Family for room and board. She'd be without a job to make money and her savings would continue to dwindle. What could she do, though?

"Such a reckless teaching style," Reborn said as Wolfe-sensei found his seat again. "I don't think she understands."

"Then I'll find someone else who does," Wolfe-sensei shrugged while Aster poured him a cup of normal tea. "Isn't it the student that picks the Tutor? If she can't understand, then that means that I'm not the Tutor that she needs."

"Wolfe-sensei," Gregory interjected. "You're not really going to make her--"

"Arrg!" Hotaru erupted, scrambling his hair in frustration. She and Gregory both turned to look at him, surprised by the unexpected outburst. "All of you are idiots!" He blurted, wagging a finger at them. "Did you all forget that the Boss of Vongola is standing right here?! If I choose to ignore this, then she doesn't owe anything. I can just tell everyone to keep their mouths shut and that can be the end of it!"

Ross felt her hopes rise--

"Your turn," Wolfe-sensei mumbled under his breath.

--only to be crushed by the open hand that went across Hotaru's face. Hotaru reeled back at the blow, taken off guard by how quickly the man named 'Reborn' had moved. Ross hadn't even seen him move out of his seat! He had to be as fast as Wolfe-sensei!

"What was that for?!" Hotaru shouted angrily, staring up at the man who had to be _his _Tutor.

"You disgust me," Reborn answered, towering over Hotaru in a way that made him seem three feet taller. "For the Boss reputed to be the most intelligent, you're more foolish than that girl over there. Even if she accepted your decision in gratitude, do you foresee her Boss agreeing so easily? People who are neutral cannot be grateful to anyone, foolish boy. Such a method would create a crack in the foundation of the Martelli Family's neutrality If she were to accept your offer of leniency, they would either be forced to pay you triple the amount in order to repair their reputation, which would only increase the debt that Ross would have to repay, or they would be forced to exile her. When that happened, do you truly expect that Ross would remain grateful? You need to use _your _head a little more, as well."

"How about this," Gregory interjected hesitantly, pulling everyone's attention his way while Hotaru paled over Reborn's lecture. "Ross could--"

"Quiet, Gregory," Wolfe-sensei snapped. "If you use your gifts to prophesize how this is supposed to end, then no one will learn anything. It might be hard to watch them struggle for the conclusion that you already foresee them making, but that's something that you have to learn to accept. Trust me. By knowing the future, the future will already change. If you act on that knowledge, the future will only change to an even greater extreme. Isn't that right, Lambo? You can stop acting now. If you want to avoid me, it's not necessary to go to such lengths."

"I didn't think that all of you would stick around this long." Ross gasped in surprise as the formerly-unconscious Lambo's eyes snapped open and he slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position. His shoulder-length hair had already dried while everyone was talking around him and Ross averted her eyes so as not to see the carpet pattern that was imprinted on his chest. "Buongiorno, vecchio amico."

"It's been a long time," Wolfe-sensei murmured with a sad smile.

"Far too long," the great Lambo agreed. "I thought that you were dead. How long have you been posing as a Tutor?"

"Not posing," Wolfe-sensei corrected. "I am one. This is my life now, Lambo. It's not as nice as my old one, but it has its perks. For example, I can go to the movies now. You've made quite a name for yourself. I bet I-Pin's beside herself in awe."

"One could hope," Lambo replied with a hand reaching up to finger the three thin ponytails that were braided into his hair. "But don't let me interrupt your lesson," he added with a smile. "We can catch up over drinks later, but I'm very interested in seeing what your young pupil does."

Ross blanched when the attention reverted to her again. She had to think of something fast, but it was so hard to think of anything with the great Lambo watching! Wolfe-sensei and Reborn went back to drinking tea as if they had all day to wait, but Hotaru was scowling at her and Gregory kept throwing her apologetic glances. What was she supposed to do?! It was obvious that there was some way out of her predicament, but she couldn't figure out what it was!

Damnit! If only--

"Oh," she gaped.

"Did you think of something?" Wolfe-sensei asked with a knowing look in his eyes. Ross slowly nodded, although she wasn't sure if this was the right way to deal with everything. How could it be the right way? After all that talk about manners and etiquette, was Wolfe-sensei really expecting her to do _that_?!

Shit. It was the only thing that she could think of and she was already in so deep that the risk was worth it.

Besides, she had to admit that they both had it coming.

* * *

Ross didn't look at anyone on the plane or on the bus heading to the ski lodge from the airport. For some reason, Hotaru had signed up at the last minute and both his and Gregory's black eyes were getting a sickening amount of attention. At least everything had turned out well on her end, she thought. She'd gotten to punch the two brothers for treating her so badly, Wolfe-sensei had won his bet with Reborn, and the winnings had been enough to salve Vongola's ruffled feelings with a tidy profit left over. She just hadn't been able to look at either Hotaru or Gregory since then. Of course, neither of them had gone near her, either.

In a way, she was glad to be ignored. Wolfe-sensei's lecture still rang in her ears and it was all that much louder for having been true. She'd allowed herself to be swayed and caught up with the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but that wasn't her. All this time, she'd been thinking of how little she had to offer instead of remembering how little she had to call her own. It wasn't a mistake that she was going to make a second time. She needed to concentrate more on her goals and stop getting mixed up in everyone else's drama.

Of course, where ever people congregated, there was drama and she was beginning to regret going on the ski trip with a large crowd of her classmates for that reason. There was over two hundred people that had chosen to take the trip, fifty of which had signed up after Gregory and another seventy who'd signed up after Hotaru on the last day. It was such a large increase over the previous year's attendance that all six Tutors had been asked to accompany the group to keep the peace between Families.

Something told her that Wolfe-sensei was only attending because it meant a free vacation.

She really didn't understand her Tutor, although one thing was becoming very clear. Wolfe-sensei was... a woman. She'd thought long and hard before she figured that out. Wolfe-sensei liked boys, he never used group bathrooms, and he could cook better than anyone that she'd ever seen! He went to the infirmary a lot during school, which meant that he was probably in a relationship with the male doctor and didn't want anyone to know. Plus, there was the odd distance that he always kept around people. He didn't want anyone to get close because he didn't want it to be found out that _he _was a _she_!

It made her feel kind of nice to know the secret. She understood a lot of where Wolfe-sensei was coming from now, too. All of the extra tutoring on etiquette and manners was because Wolfe-sensei didn't want Ross to fail where _she _had. Ross could see it all in her mind. Wolfe-sensei had probably broken something really expensive and he was hiding her identity until she could raise the money to repay her debts. That explained why she was such a penny-pincher, so careful about her surroundings, and why she knew so much about such fast ways to make money. It also explained why she hardly ever took off her coat, why she kept her hair in a long braid that was asexual, and why she had such confidence in dealing with Mafioso. She had experience, a wide range of skills from living on the run, and a personality that her circumstances had created over time.

Because of all of that, Wolfe-sensei was someone that Ross could look up to. She'd been suspicious of Wolfe-sensei at first, but it was different now. Ross truly wanted to apply herself to learning Wolfe-sensei's lessons. She had a feeling that she'd get stronger and wiser if she did. With Wolfe-sensei guiding her, she'd pay off Oscar's debt in no time and then...

And then what?

The question made her brain come to a crashing stop. What was she supposed to do after she reached her goal? In the past, her goal had always been so out of reach that she hadn't been able to fathom meeting it, let alone surpassing it. What was to become of her life? Was she going to end up like Wolfe-sensei? She didn't want that! Wolfe-sensei was a nice person, but her life seemed so _boring_! Wolfe-sensei took so many naps and never seemed to have anything to do when she wasn't giving Ross a private lesson. Everything around her was incredibly predictable, from where a person could find her to what she would be doing when found. The only times that she did something different was when she occasionally went into a classroom to challenge the students to an off-the-wall selection of games that seemed more targeted at entertaining herself than teaching anything! Of course, her classmates loved Wolfe-sensei for her crazy interruptions, but it was still far too ordinary of an existence.

She wanted more. The thought itself made her mind go blank for a large part of the bus ride, since she'd always been taught to accept what she was given without hope for more. It made her wonder how long she'd been subconsciously wanting more, because knowing that would tell her at what point that she'd started going wrong. Unfortunately, pinpointing it seemed impossible no matter how long she dwelled on the problem. There was no way to tell. Her best guess was that it'd been something that had been growing in her since the day that she'd arrived on the Martelli Family's doorstep.

"Listen up!" Wolfe-sensei's shout effectively snapped her out of her wool-gathering and reminded her of her surroundings. After that, she was too busy listening to his instructions while getting settled in to the lodge to worry about ephemeral what-ifs.

The ski lodge was much larger than she expected, easily twenty times the size of the Werewolf House. There were classmates everywhere, but she'd luckily gotten an individual room since they were assigned by Family first with gender and age being of secondary importance. Unlike everyone else, however, she only had one bag of luggage to deal with instead of a dozen. Watching some of the other students have to go back to the bus four and five times to get everything made her feel a little disgusted. It also made her feel slightly out of place since she didn't have a complete wardrobe change for every day of their stay like those outside the lodge windows did.

"So much for a relaxing vacation," Ross heard a girl whisper from the window next to her. "Since Mr. Bigshot came, all the divas followed him. If we get to relax at all, we'll be lucky."

"I hear that," the boy with her grumbled under his breath. "This is probably the only vacation that I'm going to get and I'm stuck on duty with Miss so-spoiled-that-she-gets-anything-she-wants Felice--"

"Are you two serious?" Ross interrupted, turning around to face the pair openly in hope that they were being honest. The two lurched in surprise at being overheard, but Ross didn't care about that. She crossed the distance between the two and grabbed the girl's shoulder to keep her from running away. "It's not normally like this? The ones with a dozen bags are the strange ones?"

"Are you crazy? Only someone who's trying to show off would bring that much on a ski trip," the girl answered with an incredulous expression. "A normal person isn't going to spend that much of their salary on stuff that's only going to be used once."

"Most of us are just students," the boy laughed, patting Ross' shoulder in understanding when she sighed in relief. "Our Bosses are already paying for our tuition and housing, so our pocket money isn't enough to afford things that are just going to be used to show off. They save that cash allotment for the girls that they're trying to catch the eye of either Vongola the Eleventh or Lionesse the Third."

"Lionesse the Third...?" Ross repeated as she slowly let the girl go. "Is that someone important?" The girl and the guy traded a set of questioning looks to each other before giving her a smile that was two parts empathy and one part sympathy.

"Why don't we go get some cocoa and find somewhere to talk while everyone else is running around like headless chickens," the girl suggested as she carefully guided Ross toward the kitchen. "I think I've really misjudged you from your reputation."

"Me, too," the boy smiled as he fell in beside her in an overly cheerful manner. "I think this could be the start of a very interesting friendship, Miss Ross."

* * *

The Mafia had a fence. On one side was Vongola and those who looked up to Vongola. On the other was those that despised Vongola. The side that despised Vongola didn't have a leading Family, but they were united by their common goal of defeating the illustrious Family. At times, the Families that looked up to Vongola dealt with those on the other side of the fence, but they were always wary when doing so. After all, personal feelings didn't always enter into business contracts, but that didn't erase those feelings. However, on the side opposite of Vongola, one Family was slowly rising in reputation by continuously putting themselves in direct competition with Vongola. That was the Lionesse Family.

The Lionesse Family was younger than even Martelli, but their power was growing rapidly. People were joining their ranks in awe at their guts for willfully standing in opposition of a Family like Vongola. It had started a mere eighty years ago, but the past ten years had been when they'd taken the chance to openly compete. They got respect and admiration for their resolution to fight the most powerful Family head-on, which translated into a growing power of their own.

Lionesse the Third was the unofficial heir to the throne of rising power. Word hadn't spread yet since he hadn't been sworn in, but Kirota Lee was the only worthy contender for the position. His brothers, Chin, Tanner, and Shaun didn't have even half of his charisma or his potential. They also didn't have Kirota's following or his support base, which was to be expected since Kirota was the best looking of the bunch.

Since the Lionesse Family was gaining such fame, it was only to be expected that their would-be heir was also becoming as idolized as Vongola the Eleventh was. Whether it was Gesso, Gospella, Agostina, or even Calcassa, the Families that opposed Vongola had long been waiting for a Family with the strength to unite them. That role was slowly being given to Lionesse as their list of achievements increased, which was also making the line dividing the sides of the Mafia into a hardened stretch of No-Man's-Land that was becoming harder and harder to cross.

"I know that you're from a neutral Family," Becky said as she refilled Ross' mug with cocoa. "But it's going to be harder for your Family to survive if you don't pick a side soon. The Mafia's changing more and more with every day because Vongola the Eleventh doesn't have the experience to keep his competitors in line like his predecessors did. I give Vongola another five years before the other Families start questioning their faith in the boy wonder. Oops," she added sheepishly when Scott flicked a marshmallow at her. "Forget I said that. You probably know what's going on with Vongola better than we do. I mean, with how you're dating the Eleventh's brother and all."

"Eh?" Ross gaped, startled out of her introspection by the girl's last statement. "I'm not dating Gregory."

"You don't have to hide it," Scott chuckled with a knowing wink. "We saw you with him at Venice Row a few days ago. You two looked mighty cozy together--"

"We weren't!" Ross blurted, jumping to her feet with a red face. Just the mere mention of that day made her angry in memory of all the rude insults that they'd traded over her head. "Gregory is just as much of a jackass as Hotaru is! If I'd known that they were still going to come on this trip, then I would have done more than just given them black eyes! I--"

"Thought so," Becky interrupted. Ross froze, knowing her mistake simply from how Becky's tone changed and the look of satisfaction on Scott's face. Gullible was the only word that she could pin on herself in that moment. She'd let her guard down, thinking that she'd actually made a few friends for once. These weren't friends, though. They'd already known her name and her recent activity when they'd met. They'd guessed that Ross had been the one to give the two a black eye and it'd been a setup from the start to get proof.

She'd. Been. Used. Again.

"Oi," Ross said as the two headed for the door with smiles on their faces. They both paused, believing in their own gullible way that they could really just walk out so easily. "I don't know how they do it in the Mafia, but there's a saying where I come from. 'Nothing is free.'" Looking straight at the two, she slowly smiled as their grins faded. "You two owe me a little something."

"What are you talking about?" Becky asked with a worried glance to Scott. "We didn't take anything, so we don't owe you anything."

"You took my time," she retorted darkly. "Now I'm going to take some of yours."

* * *

Ross silently grumbled to herself as she continued splitting firewood for the lodge. She'd never thought that there would be Mafioso who were tattlers. She'd just given them a few bruises, but they'd went running to the Tutors like she'd almost killed them. The choice had been to either chop firewood as punishment or get sent home with three days of suspension. She'd almost chosen the suspension, but Wolfe-sensei had picked a bad moment to arrive and taunt her.

Even now, Wolfe-sensei was taking a nap on one of the piles of chopped wood that was stacked up against the lodge, having been assigned the task of watching her to make sure that she didn't run off. Wolfe-sensei was such a lazy--

"Were you just pissed or did you have a reason?"

Ross paused in the middle of a swing, bringing her axe to a rest on the top of her targeted cylinder of wood. Wolfe-sensei was still relaxing lazily on top of the wood piles as if he were asleep, but the question had undeniably come from him.

Thinking back to the fight against her two irritating classmates, she had to admit that she had been angry. She didn't like being used and she didn't like being tricked. She'd been mad at herself, too, for putting herself in a position that they could use her. After what Wolfe-sensei had taught her at the Vongola Mansion, she should have known better than to trust strangers. Even if it'd just been with a slip of the tongue.

There was more to it, though. It hadn't felt right to let them get away with their act after exposing themselves. Her position in the Martelli Family was one where she was supposed to create Justice. If she'd allowed the two to get away with something so unfair, they would have just done it again to someone else. Beating them up had been a deterrent so that they would think twice before doing it again.

"Ross," Wolfe-sensei sighed as he sat up to look at her directly. "You have the mind, body, and spirit of Justice or else you couldn't use your Glamours. I think I understand now how you can have all three, but still managed to get distracted so easily. Your Justice is in the heat of the moment instead of cold calculation. You keep trying to do things that you feel are right, but you do it so recklessly that you always make a mess with it."

Ross nodded softly, unable to deny any of Wolfe-sensei's words. It was true that she always made a mess of things, but that was what she was supposed to do. Autumn and Papa Paolo had both told her so. However, every time that she made a mess, it felt like she was going to get deeper in debt. She was getting tired of scrambling to clean things up before the Family found out about her screw-ups. If it hadn't been for Wolfe-sensei helping her on the last one, she probably wouldn't have had a Family to go back to.

"Have you ever thought of making a resolution?" Wolfe-sensei asked as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "I'm not talking about a specific goal for the future or a destination that you want to reach, but a resolution on how to live your life...?"

"You mean like what you make on New Years?" Ross asked curiously.

"No," Wolfe-sensei replied with a shake of his head. "People tend to make goals on New Year's, even though they call it a resolution. There's a difference. A resolution is a strong will to do something while a goal is what you have the resolution to do. Most people make a goal on New Year's without having the resolution to back it. I think a resolution is what you're missing, though. Everyone in the Mafia has one, even if they don't realize it for themselves. Sometimes it's a resolution to follow a certain person or protect a certain Family. There's also those that are resolved to make money or to do what they have to in order to survive. A resolution doesn't have to necessarily be put into words like a goal does. It's just a strong feeling that can support you and empower you. Do you have anything like that?"

"Kind of," she admitted. Digging her axe into the piece of wood waiting to be split, she leaned on it while she thought. She had her goal of paying off Oscar's debt, but the resolution that empowered her to do so was different. "I want to repay Oscar for taking care of me. That probably sounds kind of stupid, though, since he's dead."

"No," Wolfe-sensei murmured with a sad smile. That smile made Ross pause, once again struck at how much Wolfe-sensei looked like Hotaru. Of course, Wolfe-sensei's outward appearance didn't look anything like Hotaru, but the expression was an identical match. She thought it was peculiar that they could look the same without looking the same, but Wolfe-sensei had already said that it was coincidence. "I understand that kind of resolution but... It's not strong enough for what you're wanting to do."

"Eh?" Ross choked in surprise.

"It's not strong enough," she repeated slowly, keeping eye contact as if she could bore the message into Ross' brain. "If it were strong enough, then you would be unable to make actions that get in the way of your goal. In other words, you wouldn't be able to make a mess. Think about that for a while. When you have a resolution that you think is worthy, come find me. Until then, go enjoy the ski trip."

Ross stared in disbelief as Wolfe-sensei headed for the front door of the lodge. She'd only been chopping wood for ten minutes! Was he really letting her go so early? Then again, perhaps being let go early was part of the punishment. With such a challenge placed on her, enjoying the ski trip was probably impossible.

"A resolution..." she mumbled to herself. Sticking her hands in her pocket, she decided that a walk through the snow would be more beneficial than trying to find peace and quiet in a crowded lodge. It was the first time in recent memory that she'd made a choice that sent her in a direction away from Hotaru, Gregory, and other people, but it felt like the right choice. This was something that no one else could help her with. This was her life. This had to be her decision.

_She didn't want to depend on others._


	119. Chapter 119 Student File: Chin

Mornings were supposed to be a dull, quiet time where a person was slowly able to smoothly transition from sleeping to waking. A normal person was supposed to open their eyes to see a bright day waiting and feel a moment of peace as they said farewell to the beautiful fantasies that their dreams were made of. However, for Chin Lee, his mornings were never quite that pleasant. To begin with, the Lionesse Family couldn't be considered normal in the least. Waking up slowly to chirping birds and a bright sunrise was literally impossible, because his head was locked into a position where he couldn't see anything other than the front of his fraternal twin brother's pajamas.

Once again, his twin brother had sneaked into his bed so that he didn't have to sleep alone. In a way, it was incredibly annoying. Kirota stubbornly told everyone that he was doing it because Chin would cry if he didn't, when Kirota was the one who was being the cry-baby. Chin had hoped that he'd get one night of good sleep since he hadn't thought that Kirota would follow him on the school ski-trip, seeing as last year's attendance had been a grand total of eight people, but that had been where things had started to go wrong.

Without hesitation, Kirota had signed up right after him. Then, all of Kirota's followers had signed up. Kirota's follower's friends had signed up. Then Gregory Sawada had signed up for some reason, followed by _his _brother and his brother's followers and his brother's follower's friends. In the end, Chin's dream of a quiet ski trip to get away from his crazy family had turned into a crowded affair where four people had been assigned to the same room. He'd still had hope since Kirota had been assigned to a different room, but this morning headlock couldn't be the work of anyone else. Idiot-Kirota had struck again.

The war wasn't over yet, though. With skill that only came from practice, Chin wiggled loose and slipped out of the bed without waking his brother. He got dressed as quickly as he could and tiptoed toward the door with his bathroom bag in hand. If he could just wash his face, comb his hair, and brush his teeth before Kirota woke up, he might be able to have a quiet breakfast alone. Unfortunately, once he opened the door to the hallway, his wish was immediately destroyed by the frantic rush of students running through the halls at top speed while yelling on top of their lungs.

In the back of his mind, he had to admit that it was still more relaxed than it was at home. Typically, the moment that he opened the door, his other two younger brothers would be waiting to yell at him in worry that he hadn't finished their homework and then they'd get caught by Father's bodyguards. That would lead to a half-hour brawl between those who didn't want to be punished and those who had to punish even though they didn't want to. In the midst of that, he'd have to fight off the maids who wanted to brush his teeth for him and the fanatical subordinates who wanted to yell at him for somehow coercing Kirota into his bed. Then Father would come and straighten everything out in a blinding instant, which would then be followed by a ten minute lecture about how a man should step up and solve his own problems. Finally, Kirota would appear behind him, dressed and polished for the day without a hair out of place and say something that would make Father happy while simultaneously inviting Chin to breakfast as if he'd been the one that'd been delayed.

Just thinking about it gave Chin a headache, but it also made the riot in front of him seem like perfect calm. Dodging the other students in effort to get to the bathroom was easy compared to avoiding his family. Fighting for a place at one of the sinks was a piece of cake and he got his turn to use the toilet without a problem. Everything was going smoothly up until a certain someone appeared before him.

"Oh, there you are, Chin," Kirota smiled as he pushed back a perfectly styled wave of hair from his face. Chin groaned inside at how activity in the bathroom stopped and blushes rose to the cheeks of several classmates' faces. Chin hated to admit it, but Kirota had that kind of power. Whether it was a man or woman, no one could resist such a fresh-faced beauty or someone with such an intoxicating charisma. "If you don't hurry, all of the pancakes will be gone."

"I suddenly lost my appetite," Chin replied, turning his attention back to brushing his teeth. "Go on without me." Everything went incredibly still after the words left his mouth and he slowly became aware of a dark aura growing at his back. Peeking back around, his jaw dropped in horror at the dark glares that everyone was giving him. The reason for the glares made him even more horrified. Kirota was pulling out the tears card! Of all the wicked things to do, that card was the worst! He could still remember the last time that he tried to ignore that card, thinking that no one would care if he made a boy cry! Kirota had gotten even more followers while Chin's reputation had sunk even lower! "But I'm feeling better!" He spluttered, plastering a smile over his wide-eyed expression of panic. "I'm just a little slow. You know me, I'm always running behind. It'd... uh... it'd make me feel bad if you waited, so that's why I said to go on without me! I'll definitely come to breakfast, though, so don't worry! _Please_!"

"How can I not worry?" Kirota said as even more tear-drop diamonds fell from his eyes. The sight made Chin feel nauseated as the killing aura around him grew. Idiot--! Idiot--! Idiot-Kirota! Couldn't he read the atmosphere?! "You're my precious little brother! If I didn't look out for you, then who would? No, I understand," he amended, putting his face in his hands to cry even more. "It's my fault. It's because of me that you skip breakfast at home, so it's my fault that you're so short. And I've been so horrible, sneaking into your bed because I'm scared of the dark. How can you stand to even look at me? I'm nothing but a nuisance to you!"

Feeling the killing aura around him grow, he didn't have to say a word to know that no one cared about the legitimacy of Kirota's claims. All that mattered was that Kirota was crying and that it was somehow Chin's fault. So, when Kirota ran out of the bathroom like a girl that'd just been rejected, Chin didn't have to guess what was going to happen next. Even away from home, some things never changed. He would always be outnumbered.

* * *

In one small way, Chin was glad that he was the complete opposite of his brother. He wasn't tall, handsome, or elegant, but he also didn't bruise. Where Kirota would get welts from bumping into a table, Chin could take the worst falls and the most intensive beatings without having a mark on himself afterward. He still felt nauseated and shaky after his classmates were done, but he could show his face without fear that Kirota would get upset.

In his heart, he knew that Kirota never meant to cause trouble. His brother really was an honest fool who couldn't seem to forget the invisible bond that came with being twins. The problem was that Kirota also had an ego. Having been compared to the visually-lacking Chin for his whole life, he'd gotten caught up with the idea that he was better and a burden of guilt had been put on him. He went overboard time and time again to 'protect' Chin and to 'help' Chin, so Kirota couldn't be in the wrong. With a face like his, it had to be Chin's fault for making Kirota feel bad, no matter what Kirota said.

In a way, Chin felt as if he was also at fault for how Kirota was. More than anyone else, Chin didn't want to see Kirota cry, so he couldn't tell Kirota to just leave him alone. He also couldn't get it across that he felt perfectly fine with how he was. If Kirota could just leave him alone instead of constantly getting in his way, he felt as if he'd become ten times stronger. That wasn't something that he could say to a person who was honestly trying their best, though. There was no way that he could hurt his brother's feelings like that.

That was where his mishaps began, though. Because hurting Kirota was impossible, he had to suffer through the consequences of misunderstandings on a constant basis. Whether it was the nervousness that came after one of Father's lectures or the anxiety after losing yet another fight, he had trouble focusing on what was in front of himself. For example, at the moment, despite having no bruises on him, his legs felt like gelatin due to a combination of fatigue from the beating and worry that Kirota might notice that he'd gotten in a fight.

He managed to make it to breakfast so that his brother could see that he was going to eat, but he tripped over his feet on the way to the table and landed face-first in his own cereal bowl. This, too, was normal for him. He didn't bother taking the time to notice the laughter around himself. He just quickly piled his food back onto his tray and slid into the nearest empty seat before Kirota could interfere and unintentionally make things worse. Taking his time in getting himself cleaned up, he sighed to himself in relief when Kirota left the room arm-in-arm with one of his many admirers. Once he was out of the room, Chin dumped his tray of food without eating a bite and slipped out one of the lodge's side doors. He'd gone to breakfast to make his brother happy, but his stomach was in way too many knots to allow him to actually eat anything.

That was okay, though. Even Kirota couldn't get away from his admirers so easily, so he shouldn't be around to 'check' on Chin for at least an hour. It was just enough time to take a long walk that would put him even farther out of Kirota's reach, which was one reason why he'd actually come to enjoy the ski trip despite how his brother had followed him.

It wasn't until the ski lodge was nothing more than a speck in the distance that he noticed that he was walking in the trail that someone else had left. It was almost enough to make him turn back since he was no longer walking to a place where he could be alone, but he kept going since returning would only ensure that Kirota would find him. He was a little curious, too, since the trail didn't look like something that a group of people had made. It had been made by a solitary someone like himself who was walking away from the crowd.

Making his choice, he followed the trail over several more snow covered-hills and down a steep incline. It became a bit of an adventure as he crossed over an ice-covered stream and into a small outcropping of fir trees. After that, an abrupt ending of the trail left him confused and a little disappointed. He must have been following a trail left during the previous night instead of something freshly made. At least, that was what he thought until he heard someone shout from above. Looking up, he felt his jaw drop at the sight of Ross sitting in a tree while she yelled at a bird flying overhead.

No, he amended as his jaw dropped further. It wasn't a bird that she was watching, it was that guy Gregory who'd sprouted wings at school before. The sight made his face turn red, realizing that he'd walked in on a secret rendezvous. Not just any rendezvous, but one between a Vongola and a Martelli. That was bad. If they saw him, they'd bury him in the snow to cover their secret! He needed to run--

Without tripping, he noted to himself as he got a face full of snow. It was too late, though. From the growing sound of flapping wings and the crunch of snow behind him, he knew that he was dead meat. He cringed when the crunches doubled and got closer. There was nowhere to run. Ross was coming up to him on the left and Gregory had him flanked to the right. Even if he could get to his feet to run forward, there was no way that he could outrun those two on slippery snow.

"Are you okay?" Ross asked curiously.

"That was a nasty slip," a wingless Gregory added in concern. "Can you stand?"

"I'm fine," he replied instantly, more out of habit than anything else. "But if you're going to beat me up, can you get it over with?"

"We're not going to beat you up," Gregory chuckled as Ross' foot became embedded in Chin's gut. He could hear Gregory spluttering in the distance, but the strike was strong enough to make Chin glad that he hadn't eaten breakfast. He could barely breathe after it and what breathe that he had went into a fit of coughs that wracked his whole body. "What did you do that for?!" Gregory choked.

"I hate people like him," Ross answered with a shrug. "He gave up just because he was a little scared. There's nothing more disgusting than someone without a will to live. Being nice to someone like that is just a waste of time." For some reason, the words irritated Chin. They irritated him more than anything Kirota or anyone else at the lodge had said.

"Take that back!" He blurted as he pushed himself to his knees.

"Eh?" Ross asked calmly. "Why should I?"

"Take it back!" Chin yelled. "Take it back! Take it back! Take it back! I'm not scared of you! That's why I said to get it over with! I don't want to waste my time with someone stupid like you! Mafioso are all the same! They don't know how to have a simple conversation without turning it into a fight or a situation where someone has to be blackmailed or bribed! I don't take either, so that means that you'll beat me up so that I won't tell anyone that I saw you two together! You can't kill me since we're on a school trip, so it'll take less time if I don't fight back! I'm not stupid, so take it back! I do have a will to live! _You _just aren't a threat!" Panting after all his shouting, he clenched onto a fist full of snow and waited for the follow-up attack. He knew that it was coming. Mafioso never liked it when they were talked back to and the first reaction was always to fight.

"Okay," Ross said as she found a seat on top of a nearby log. Chin froze, unable to believe that a Mafioso had just agreed with him. "I take it back. You have a will to live and you're not disgusting, but you're really stupid. This far away from the lodge, no one could prove anything if an accident were to occur. For example, if a tree fell over and pinned you or a bear attacked. There's a hundred ways that someone could get away with murder, so telling someone to 'get it over with' is a good way to get yourself killed."

Chin felt his face turn red, noticing for himself that she was right.

"If you're going to suffer _through _it, then you might as well suffer while trying to find a way _out _of it," Gregory added as he held out a hand to help him to his feet. "At least that way, it won't hurt as much because you'll have hope that things will change. Yes?" Chin stared at the hand being held out to him, dumbfounded for several reasons. First, he was shocked at how much sense the advice made. Second, he was unable to believe that a Vongola would so easily stretch a hand to help a rival. Third, he had to do a double-take to ensure that both of these people were his classmates. They weren't violent at all. Well, Ross had kicked him, but he had to admit that he'd basically asked her to. Other than that, neither of them looked like they wanted to fight.

"Aren't you scared that I'm going to tell people that I saw you two together?" Chin asked curiously. "If I did, that'd be bad for the Martelli Family's reputation and... and it'd be bad publicity for the Eleventh's brother..."

"It's fine," Gregory replied with a smile as he continued to hold his hand out. "But it's not what you think. If you let me help you up, I'll explain so that you don't get a bad reputation for spreading false rumors."

"I didn't say that I was going to tell anyone!" Chin spluttered, taking the hand in order to climb to his feet. "I just said that I _could_!" Dusting the snow off of his clothes, he felt even more irritated at the apology that Gregory gave for the mistake. The guy seemed like the type to apologize for everything, which reminded Chin too much of Kirota. He hated when Kirota apologized because it always became Chin's fault afterward.

"Gregory got here right before you did," Ross interjected before Gregory could say anything. "Actually, if you hadn't fallen over, I was about to throw a pinecone at him to make him go away."

"She's still mad at me," Gregory added with a gesture toward his bruised eye. "I said something unfair and she's the type to hold a grudge."

"No," she corrected coldly. "You were just in the way of the cloud that I was trying to look at. I could care less about what you or your idiot brother has to say about me."

"Anyway," Gregory said with a slight flinch for the correction. "I got some information that a tragedy could be averted if I was at this place around this time. I'm not really sure what it is or what I'm supposed to do, but I came anyway. I was just about to see about getting more information when you arrived. Actually, I probably still need to get more information. I'm not really seeing anything that looks tragic around here, unless my arrival somehow kept one of you two from killing each other. That couldn't be right, though, because neither of you seem like murderers to me." Chin raised his eyebrow when Gregory let out a sheepish chuckle that made him wonder if Gregory had a few screws loose. "If you don't mind waiting, we can talk some more after I double-check. I hate to be rude when you're finally looking energetic, but this is rather important."

"Uh, sure," Chin agreed with a shrug. "I need to practice anyway." Gregory gave a slight bow and a tilt of his head in appreciation before turning his back and making a beeline for a tree on the opposite side of the clearing from Ross. Without giving any warning, he dropped down to sit at the base and made himself comfortable. The action confused Chin, since he'd expected Gregory to pull out a cell phone to call someone. Gregory wasn't doing that, though. Rather, it looked more as if he were about to fall asleep. "What's he doing?" Chin asked curiously over his shoulder.

"Who cares?" Ross replied. As surprising as the reply was, it was nothing compared to what he saw her doing when he turned around. Ross couldn't be doing what he thought that she was. No, she couldn't, he told himself firmly. Wanting to take his mind off of the two strange people that he'd ended up with, he pulled out the beanbags from his coat pocket and started practicing the juggling that Wolfe-sensei had assigned.

He felt a little strange as he started practicing. Usually, he was too embarrassed with the assignment to let anyone see him in his attempts. However, he also didn't feel threatened by practicing around these two. One seemed a little eccentric while the other was doing something much more embarrassing. Especially since Ross couldn't seem to get the base of her snowman from cracking each time that she tried to pat more snow onto it. Of course, it was impossible that a notorious delinquent like Ross was making something as innocent as a snowman. He had to be missing something.

Chin flinched as the third beanbag dropped to the ground due to his lack of attention. It'd taken weeks to even get to the point where he could try adding in the third ball, since it was rare for him to have a moment to practice. He'd stolen an hour a day, though, in small fifteen-minute doses so that he could keep trying. He was sure that there was some point to the assignment. Wolfe-sensei was erratic, irresponsible, and silly, but Chin felt that the man had to have some credentials to have become a Tutor. Even if the man had only been making fun of him, there was no harm in trying to do his strange assignment. The worse that could happen was that he would get laughed at.

Jumping rope had come easily. He'd managed five minutes without any problem once he'd gotten away from his family. The juggling was the tricky part. Even when he was by himself, he didn't have the kind of dexterity that it took to keep more than two in the air. He was sure that the right rhythm and arc would snap into place if he just kept practicing, but he'd yet to find it. He'd tried doing research on the theory of juggling and he'd tried to build a machine that could juggle as an example, but it was all missing something. The information given by his studies seemed so empty and his machine was the most lifeless creation that he'd ever made. All of it had been a complete and utter failure. Juggling seemed to be one thing where scientific study couldn't help him. Practice was his only hope.

Toss, Toss, Throw-- Kerplunk! Too high, the third beanbag's arc sent it outside of his catching range.

Toss, Throw, Toss-- Zoom! Too fast, the third beanbag's speed sent him fumbling for two bags at once.

Throw, Toss, Toss--Zip!

Throw, Toss, Throw-- Bam!

Throw, Throw, Toss-- Smack!

Throw, Throw, Throw, Throw--Crunch!

Chin froze and stared at the beanbag at his feet. Just then, there had been something. Maybe he'd imagined it, but he hadn't stopped after catching the third bag. The bag on the ground was the first bag, not the third one. He'd done it, but he couldn't get excited because he had no clue what he'd done. Hurriedly picking the bag up, he tried again before he could forget the feeling.

Throw, Throw, Throw, Throw--Crunch!

That was it. That was the feeling. Not stopping after he caught the third ball. Keeping the same rhythm. Not being overwhelmed by fear that he was going to drop one of the beanbags. He'd been thinking that the balls had been going at three different speeds and arcs because how Wolfe-sensei had varied his juggling, but he understood now. Wolfe-sensei had shown him how an expert juggles. For someone experienced, modifying the timing and varying the height was child's play. For a beginner like himself, a steady pattern was what he needed. Height was in direct proportion to speed, so putting the speed at a steady pace instead of a varying one would make it easier for him to focus on the actual act of catching and throwing. It was more than that, though. That 'something more' that his research hadn't shown him was how to make a triangular circle instead of a circular triangle.

Formulae and physics exploded through his head, leaving him blind, deaf, and dumb for several long minutes. Rather than being embarrassed that his assignment had been juggling, he felt embarrassed that he hadn't been able to do it before now. The answer was so infernally simple, yet he'd made it into something so complicated. All he had to do was to not hesitate, keep a steady pace, and not second-guess himself. Okay, he corrected himself. Maybe it wasn't so simple to actually do, but he understood why he hadn't succeeded before now. He was too inconsistent because he allowed himself to worry too much about 'what came next'.

The other thing that left him standing in shock was the realization that Wolfe-sensei had known that he'd come to such a conclusion when he'd given such a ridiculous assignment. By making it self-study, Wolfe-sensei had given him the ability to find the answer at his own pace. That was the theme, too. The one thing that both juggling and jump-rope had in common was the concept of 'pace'. The time of their initial meeting had been less than ten minutes, but Wolfe-sensei had seen his faults and found a correction for them in such a short time. Chin was positive that, if he continued to practice until he found a comfortable pace, Wolfe-sensei's promises wouldn't be a fantasy. Chin really would get strong enough that he wouldn't trip and fall over things despite how Kirota might cause him trouble.

"I knew it," Chin mumbled, delighted beyond measure that he hadn't been wrong about the Tutor's ability. He seemed completely unreliable on the surface, but Wolfe-sensei was a genius.

"Knew what?" Ross asked curiously. Grinning, Chin glanced over at her only to splutter at the sparkling ice-man next to her. It took him a minute to figure out where it came from, after which he felt ready to faint. Ross had kept working on her snowballs so much that they'd somehow become as clear as icicles!

"Remind me never to get in a snowball fight with you," he shuddered at her wide grin. Reaching down to scoop up his fallen beanbag, he dusted the snow off of it before sticking it back in his pocket. "But what I was saying was: I knew it. Wolfe-sensei is an amazing Tutor."

"Eh?" Ross gaped. "He's tutoring you, too?" Chin blinked in surprise, understanding the insinuation behind her statement. Although they hadn't known it before, they had a common link. The same Tutor had picked both of them. Maybe that was why he hadn't felt threatened by her. They shared a common wave-length that only Wolfe-sensei could see.

"I guess he's not one to brag about who he's teaching," Chin mumbled sheepishly. "Is making a snowman his assignment for you? Mine is the juggling."

"No!" She choked. "I wish that he'd give me something this easy! I just made a snowman because I never got a chance to before. Before last year, snow was something that I hated, but this year is different. I wanted to give it a try. Wolfe-sensei's lessons are a lot harder. Sometimes I don't know if he's just making fun of me or if I'm in the middle of a lesson that I don't know about. For example, my after-school job--" Ross broke off abruptly, but Chin had to raise his eyebrow at how brightly she blushed. In a way, he was sympathetic. He knew how bright his face would light up if anyone from home saw him juggling like a clown. "Never mind," she growled, glaring at him in effort to cover her embarrassment. "Forget that I said anything."

Seeing how fierce her glare was, he could understand why Ross had the reputation that she had. He also instantly understood that her glare left a larger impression despite being a small part of her. If he hadn't seen her blush so brightly beforehand, he knew that he would have been running in fright of her anger under normal circumstances. How she tried to cover it made her seem incredibly cute, though. However, before he could let that thought progress into something more, a gleam of light made the icy snowman next to her sparkle and he realized how suicidal such a thought was. Talking to her was already more dangerous than anything that he normally did.

"Why are you--"

"Ngn," Gregory interrupted, groaning as he started moving again. "How long was I out? I feel like I froze solid."

"Less than half an hour," Ross answered as Chin went over to help him to his feet. "You're a little daft for falling asleep in the snow. What would you have done if we'd left you?"

"I had faith that you wouldn't," he chuckled easily.

"What were you doing?" Chin asked curiously, feeling as if something was different about Gregory after his nap.

"I'll explain on the way back to the lodge," he answered with a wink. "I've apparently already done what I was supposed to and there's a snow-storm on the way. It's better if we talk on the move or else we'll be caught outside when it starts."

"He's right," Ross agreed before Chin could object. "I saw the clouds earlier when I was up in the trees. You can stay if you want, but I'm not leading a search party to find you later."

Unable to argue since he had no skill at reading the weather, Chin followed the two as they headed back down the trail to the lodge. As they walked, they talked quietly about meaningless things that didn't involve their separate Families. There wasn't a single mention of their respective homes or businesses. Instead, they kept their conversation to easier topics such as Wolfe-sensei and school. It was the first time in his memory that he was able to talk to other people without feeling as if he were being suffocated or backed into a corner. Both Gregory and Ross were amazing in their own right, too. They could jump over the ice-covered stream while he had to carefully walk across it without--

"Look out--!"

The warning was the only thing that he heard before his ears were filled with water and his body was penetrated with the paralyzing cold of the water below. The ice that had cracked under his feet seemed to hover around him as he clawed for the surface, but the freezing water paralyzed him within seconds. His chest felt as if it were about to explode and he could feel the stream's current beginning to pull at his body. His whole life flashed before his eyes. He saw his brothers and his Father. He saw the scientist who'd taught him how to use a computer. He saw the crazy antics of his Father's subordinates, the manor's maids, and everyone else at home. He could hear his Father's last lecture ringing in his ears. Vongola this and Vongola that. It was all... so... stupid.

The next thing that he knew, he was coughing up water on the bank of the river while feeling colder than he'd ever felt before. Gregory and Ross were both hovering over him, but he couldn't make sense out of what they were yelling. Then the air got even colder as the wind suddenly picked up, ending in a gust of blessedly hot air that made him pass out momentarily. When he came-to again, someone was trying to drown him in hot tea while a different person was stripping his wet clothes off. Chin didn't try to stop them. He was shivering too much to care if he was left naked. All that he cared about was the surge of strength that came with every gulp of the warm cup being pressed to his lips.

It wasn't until he had a pair of warm sweats on, three cups of tea inside of him and one in his hands, while sitting in front of the fireplace with a blanket wrapped around him that he finally began to feel warm again. That was the point that he began to shake in realization of how close he'd come to dying. If Gregory and Ross hadn't been there, no one would have found his body until the ice melted in the spring. Anyone else would have left him for dead, but those two hadn't.

Looking around in hopes of thanking them for saving him, he slowly became aware that Kirota was latched onto him and weeping. He automatically tried to get his brother to calm down, but then he froze when he heard the words coming out of his brother's mouth. It was the same as always, but with one horrifying twist. While blaming himself for not being there to protect Chin, Kirota was basically telling the whole room that Gregory and Ross had tried to kill him. He was doing that and Chin had the sudden feeling that Kirota was doing it on purpose to make Vongola look like a villain.

_"If you're going to suffer _through _it, then you might as well suffer while trying to find a way _out _of it."_

Balling up his fist, Chin did the one thing that he never thought himself capable of. He punched his brother in the face to shut him up. The way that Kirota went flying was pretty spectacular and left Chin feeling more satisfied than he had in a long time. Chin felt as if he had the strength. He had the strength to break out of his brother's pace. He had the strength to surge to his feet and cross over to Kirota. He had the strength to life his brother up by his collar. He had the strength to say the things that he'd kept behind his teeth for far too long.

"You. Are. An. Idiot," he spat into Kirota's face. "I'm sick of your bullshit. I'm sick of how you insult me in ways that make you look good. I'm sick of listening to your whining and I'm sick of how you suffocate me with everything that you do. You're right! I don't eat breakfast because of you! I can't stand being around you for longer than I have to! I can't stand how you pretend that I can't live without you! I'm only going to say this once, Brother. Get. Over. Yourself. We might be twins, but my life doesn't revolve around you! Stop treating me like I'm second rate because_ I'm not second best_! If anything, you are! I'm the one with the brains and I'm the one that's strong enough to put up with your bullshit for all these years! You want to know the reason that I trip so much? It's because of you! You pull a stunt like you did this morning and I'm the one that has to deal with the consequences! _Tell me, _BROTHER! When was the last time that you got your ass beat by ten men and still managed to walk straight afterward?! Hell! You can't even stand up on your own right now and I only hit you once!

All you got was the looks in the Family! I'm the one that Father goes to when he needs someone to unravel the secrets behind Vongola's technology and I'm sick of that, too! Vongola isn't the only one that can create things! I'm sick of stealing their designs when we have the strength, creativity, and ability to match them! Why do we have to copy when we can compete in our own right?! I'm not doing it anymore! You hear me?! I don't give a fuck about the Family's reputation or Father's stupid P-L-A-N of one-upping Vongola by riding on their coat-tails! It's disgusting! There's no point in being a rival if you idiots don't have the pride to do it yourself and I'm not going to let the Family go to a stupid fool that can't even give a simple thank you when _someone saves his brother's life_!"

Twisting his hip, he put an extra exclamation point on his yell by throwing his brother through the nearest window. Then he stood and stared, slowly taking in what he'd done. He was winded, sweating, and feverish, but he felt better than he had in a long time. He'd finally said it. Kirota was probably going to hate him now, but he felt free.

Free, he repeated as the room swam around him.

He thought that he heard someone clapping, but it was probably just his imagination. He couldn't see far enough in front of himself to tell what the sound was, having lost his glasses in the stream. The noise was being echoed, though. All around him was a rumble of sound that he couldn't identify and his knees buckled before he could figure it out. Someone caught him, but he didn't get to identify the person before be blacked out completely.

* * *

Chin woke to the sound of birds chirping and warm sunlight coming through the closed bedroom window. As he slowly stretched, he became aware of how wrong he felt. He felt wrong because he felt so _right_. He felt as if he'd had the best sleep in his life and he didn't have a single cramp from having to share his bed with someone twice his size. Such a feeling was incredibly abnormal. The only time that he'd ever woken up in such a way had been the morning that he'd gotten over the chicken pox when he'd been a kid and Kirota hadn't been allowed near him. His Father was asleep in a chair next to his bed just like that time, too.

It was the first time that he could remember seeing his Father outside of a lecture in a long time. The last time that he could remember had been when he'd won a school science award. Directly after that had been when everything in his life had changed. He'd gone from researching how to build a cotton candy machine to disassembling a stolen Vongola prototype in order to write up blueprints for the Lionesse R&D Department. He'd become just another tool for Father to use and he'd been happy to be used because he'd believed wholeheartedly that Kirota was going to take over the Family.

Chin remembered everything that he'd said at the ski lodge right up to the point that he'd thrown Kirota out the window. Even if he used his fever as an excuse, he'd done something horrible. No matter how mad he'd been, he'd crossed a line that he should have never touched. Not only had he destroyed his relationship with his precious twin, but he'd made the family lose face in front of the Mafia's youth. He'd made the Family lose face in front of Father's arch-nemesis. They were all going to hate him now. They were going to think that he was a traitor and a spy. He didn't want that!

Unable to hold back his tears, he turned over onto his stomach and cried into his pillow so that he wouldn't wake Father. He'd never felt so miserable in his life. Kirota's unwanted attention had never made him feel this bad, but it was different this time. The people who hated him weren't going to be Mafioso from other Families. It was going to be his own!

"I never knew that my methods made you feel this way," he heard Father say. Chin froze, sucking back his tears so that Father wouldn't be disgusted with him. "You stopped letting me see your unhappy face a long time ago, but I didn't notice until now. I thought that you understood what was going on, but now I see why you always had such a sour look on your face during my pep talks. Instead of motivating you, I just kept grounding your self-confidence in the dirt and I let Kirota dance on the pieces. For that, I can't do anything other than apologize and tell you the truth."

"What truth?" Chin asked with his face still hidden in his pillow.

"That Kirota came to me a long time ago and put his foot down," he replied in a harsh whisper. "He came up to me and said, 'Chin is going to be the number one Boss and I'm going to be his Right Hand Man.' I thought that he told you and that you were working together since you two had never gotten in a fight until now. I was so proud of his decision to step down that I never questioned him. I never thought... I never thought that he could be so cruel to you. He's admitted everything, though. Why didn't you speak up, Chin? Did you think that I wouldn't believe you?"

"What are you talking about?" Chin asked, finally turning his head to look directly at Father. "Kirota didn't do anything."

"You don't have to protect him," Father replied with a stern frown. "He's been trying to make your life difficult so that you'd run away. He turned your classmates against you and he spread the rumor that he was going to be the Family heir so that you wouldn't have the confidence to accept when the announcement was made. He's a very smart boy. He knows exactly how to use his looks to get what he wants and he was planning on having you abdicating in favor of him. He's good at politics, but he knew that he couldn't compete with you where it counted. So, he's been fooling us all into thinking that he was just a little over-eager in supporting you while he's been brainwashing you into thinking that you can't compare to him. The whole time that he was doing that, he's been misusing Family funds to increase his popularity while I thought the money was being used for you. I should have paid better attention to what was going on under my nose. If it hadn't been for how your fever made you irate, he probably would have gotten away with it completely."

"I don't understand," Chin said simply as his eyes swam from all the information overloading his brain. "Kirota wouldn't do that."

"He would," Father corrected sympathetically. "He confessed as soon as he woke up from being thrown out the window. You showed him the difference between the power of a real Boss and someone who's just posing as one. One of the Tutors actually recorded your little speech for me. Would you like to see what everyone else saw? That Mr. Wolfe said that you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it for yourself. I guess that he's your Tutor...?" Chin nodded slowly as he sat up in the bed, blushing slightly while he did since he hadn't mentioned his extra lessons to his Father. "He's a sharp man," Father praised as he pulled a laptop out of the briefcase at his side and put it into Chin's lap. "Even though Kirota had everyone else fooled, Mr. Wolfe elected to teach you instead. I think I'd like to meet him again under better circumstances."

Chin blushed again at the sudden vote of confidence, but his blush faded after his Father started the video. Immediately, he didn't recognize himself. Even though he was just sitting in a chair with a blanket and a mug of tea, he looked completely different. His hair was slicked back from his cold swim and his face was glowing from the beginnings of a fever. Without his glasses and his hair in his face, he felt the need to blush at the sight of himself. Now he saw why his Father had named him Chin, but it wasn't just because he had a strong jaw line. He looked kind of arrogant, keeping his chin up at all times in a way that made others hard to look down on him. His pride in himself and his Family was on display for all to see, even though he hadn't been thinking of anything other than how cold he was at the time.

Then Kirota appeared and Chin felt his face fall slightly as realization dawned. He could see for himself why Kirota had feared him, although he wouldn't have believed it if he'd simply been told. Maybe it was because he felt as if he were looking at someone other than himself, but the Chin in the video made Kirota pale in comparison. Kirota became a frantic, sniveling brat while Chin became the stately, composed figure that Kirota had always pretended to be.

Even after hearing that Kirota had been gunning for him, the punch still made Chin flinch. Then he paled as the Chin in the video stood. It wasn't himself. He couldn't imagine having such a terrifying expression nor could he imagine himself growing ten feet tall like he seemed on screen. Hearing the self-righteous anger in his own voice, he had to cover his mouth in shock at himself. He remembered being a little mad, but he had no memory of shaking Kirota so much. He also didn't remember Kirota wetting his pants!

It was while he was yelling about Vongola that the camera angle changed as if predicting what Chin was going to say. He got to see the looks on the faces of Lionesse' Allies, which seemed to be glazed over in shock. He got to see the look of respect growing in the eyes of unaffiliated Families. He got to see the satisfied look on Vongola the Eleventh's face as Chin unintentionally told everyone about Father's Plan. Then the camera snapped back to follow Kirota as he flew out the window.

"Word is spreading through the Mafia," Father said as he shut the video off. "With that one speech, we've got five more Families who want to work with us and you even got the respect of our Rivals. Vongola the Eleventh called me after the ski trip ended and said that he was looking forward to an honest competition. It's a little galling, but he wasn't talking about a competition from me. He was talking about you, Chin. You've made Vongola take our Family seriously for the first time since the Founding."

The statement made Chin flounder like a stranded fish. The insinuation that went with that statement wasn't something that could be joked about! He was just.... He couldn't do..... What was he supposed to.... He hadn't meant to! But whether or not he meant to, there was no denying that he'd gone and done it. He'd knocked his brother out of the running for the Family seat, which put him as the eldest in line to become heir. Even worse, Father completely misunderstood Chin's burst of tears that followed as being full of joy instead of a new form of misery like it was.

He didn't want to be a Mafia Boss!

* * *

The two weeks following the ski trip were the most hectic of his life. There were meetings, make-overs, and marriage proposals coming in from every direction. For the first time in his life, he found himself stuffed behind a desk holding something other than blueprints or homework. From what Chin gathered, Father was trying to make up with his neglect by teaching Chin the business side of running the Family without letting Chin have a single say in the matter. No one would give him anything other than contacts and no one would let him out of the house without his hair slicked back. Slipping off to practice juggling had become impossible, but the part that made him the unhappiest was that he hadn't even been able to step food in the Research and Development Lab since he'd gotten back from the ski trip. Every time that he headed in that direction, someone would show up to drag him to some meeting or another luncheon. In one day alone, he ate lunch seven times, which had made him so sick that he hadn't been able to get out of bed for dinner.

It was almost over, though. It was finally Christmas and a week after Christmas was New Years'. School would start up a few days later and then he'd be out of reach for eight hours a day. He just had to make it through Father's party, which was difficult since there wasn't a single person attending that he knew on a personal basis. Lots of people approached him to talk, but he'd never been much of a conversationalist. They kept asking about his business plans and his prospects. A few of the women also made easily misunderstood comments that he decided to ignore. After all, it was impossible to think that he could have anything in common with a fashion model or that one was hitting on him. Then he heard someone say something under their breathe that made him realize how precarious his position was.

"This squirt is supposed to be a better Boss than Kirota? Who's he kidding?"

The man was right. Chin couldn't compete with Kirota. Kirota knew how to talk to people and he knew how to be witty and interesting. In comparison, all Chin had was a little ability when it came to science. How was he supposed to fight with--

_"Vongola isn't the only one that can create things! I'm sick of stealing their designs when we have the strength, creativity, and ability to match them! Why do we have to copy when we can compete in our own right?! I'm not doing it anymore! You hear me?!" _

Chin's face turned a bright shade of red when he heard Father replaying the clip again to all of his friends. Darting through the crowd, he did his best to grab the handheld video player from Father, but it was lifted out of his reach before he could get his hands on it.

"Stop showing that to everyone!" He blurted in embarrassment. It was worse than Father showing everyone his kindergarten play. At this rate, he was never going to live down the incident! It only got worse, though, since Father was drunk from the eggnog. With a merry laugh and a boisterous spirit, he decided to have one of the big screens wheeled into the reception hall so that he could show everyone at once. Personally, Chin didn't think that it was anything that should be taken pride in. It was a video of him hitting his brother and saying cruel things. How was he supposed to be happy by knowing that everyone was being shown his moment of shame?

Father wasn't listening to him, though. Father hadn't listened to him even once since the talk about the fight.

_"If you're going to suffer _through _it, then you might as well suffer while trying to find a way _out _of it."_

The thought made him calm. It made him calm enough to push his way through the crowd. It made him calm enough to face the ten-foot-tall image of himself in a fight with Kirota. It made him calm enough to put his foot through the screen multiple times until silence fell over the party in shock over the broken television. Looking at his Father's shocked expression, he could think of only one thing to say.

"Idiot."

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked out of the room without anyone stopping him. Undoubtedly, this was going to be another incident that Father was going to be proud of, but Chin wasn't amused.

He'd only just learned that he could do things at his own pace, but Father and everyone else kept dragging him into theirs. He didn't care about kissing up to people at parties and being popular. He just wanted to go back to his lab to check on his hardware and maybe design something from scratch that the Family could be proud of. That wasn't Kirota's doing. That was how he personally felt and Kirota's actions, despite being annoying and problematic, had allowed him to do that. However, the fact also remained that Kirota couldn't be given the Family. He was good with superficial things, but Kirota was also too selfish to be trusted with important decisions that would affect the whole Family.

He didn't like this. For two weeks, he'd been cut off from his brother. While he'd gotten pleasant sleep during that time, there was also the nagging feeling that his life had taken a wrong turn. It wasn't just that he didn't want to be a Mafia Boss. The fact was that he didn't have the disposition to be one unless he was under a large amount of stress. If he had to live his whole life like that, he'd be dead by the time that he was thirty! There had to be a solution, but he'd never felt confident in figuring out his personal problems by himself. He'd always had Kirota to help him....

Which was why he probably ended up outside of Kirota's room.

Keeping his glare in place to make the guards on the door let him through, he entered without so much as a knock to announce himself. Inside, Kirota jumped to his feet and he paled in horror when Chin shut the door behind himself. He was obviously scared, which was mildly sickening after how much trouble he'd caused. Of course, Chin couldn't bear a grudge against him after he saw the long row of stitches across Kirota's face from where he'd been cut badly on his way out the window.

"I'm sorry that I didn't come sooner," Chin mumbled, casting his eyes downward so that he didn't have to look at the fear on his brother's face. "Father's like you in how he goes overboard when he gets an idea. How... How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected for a person under house arrest," he answered carefully. "Father said that he was going to wait until after the New Year to decide on my punishment."

"Yeah, well," Chin replied with a sheepish smile. "Father also needs to butt out. This is a fight between us. Right? A parent isn't supposed to interfere." Kirota cracked a smile, which Chin took as a good sign that they were still on talking terms. They'd both done something equally horrible to each other, so they were even in a way. Kirota had made Chin's life difficult and Chin had put a scar on Kirota's face. "Kirota..." Chin mumbled as he slowly crossed over to sit on the side of his brother's bed. "I don't think we've had a serious talk in years. Not since I won that science award."

"That sounds about right," he agreed hesitantly. "That's around the time that I realized that you were better than me." Chin jerked in surprise, but Kirota let out a soft chuckle as he sat down on the bed next to him. "Don't give me that look. We're not identical, but we're still twins. You never cared about your image, but I knew that you could look amazing if you tried. I don't have a head for math and science like you do, though, so I knew that Father was already leaning toward you. But you never noticed. No offense, brother, but you're a bit of an air-head."

"I thought the same thing about you," Chin snorted in laughter. "But..." he added as he turned serious again."I know that I'm not good with people. You were always the one with friends and popularity. After the past two weeks, I know that I can do it if I try, but I'm really not comfortable like this. I was happier when all I had to think about was R&D. I was planning to back you up as heir every step of the way, but then you did something that I couldn't forgive."

"Vongola," Kirota supplied with a sigh.

"Vongola," Chin confirmed. "I really didn't care about how you were turning people against me. I just didn't want to see you cry. The Mafia, the Family, and my classmates... No matter how important Father says they are, those kinds of things don't matter to me. I've got my pride as a scientist and a human being, though. Every time Father brought me another prototype to disassemble, I felt like I was dying a little more inside because no one wanted to see the stuff that I'd come up with. Everything was focused on beating Vongola and no one was paying attention to anything else. Then I actually got to meet the Eleventh's brother. I'd gotten so used to the classmates who would turn on me because you tricked them that his attitude surprised me. Then he saved me when he could have let me die and you were trying to use that against him. I couldn't keep it bottled up inside anymore. I wasn't trying to take the position of heir from you. I just wanted you to wake up and realize that the Family doesn't have to use underhanded means to compete. We have our own ideas... We don't have to keep stealing theirs."

"You've really been thinking about this," Kirota murmured in a tone of awe. Chin smiled to himself and nodded. He felt happy that Kirota was finally listening to him, but there still felt like there was something missing. After a moment, he realized what it was.

"Can I show you something?" He asked curiously. "I think you'd understand better if you saw it for yourself."

Kirota nodded, giving his agreement to go along with what Chin wanted. Getting out of the room together was a bit problematic, though. He ended up having to let the two guards tag along since they had orders from Father to keep an eye on Kirota. He would have preferred to go alone with his brother, but he figured that this way was better than nothing. Not that he was too worried. The two bodyguards with them was a pair of men who'd been with the Family for as long as Chin could remember. They wouldn't tell anyone about what they saw unless Chin gave the thumbs-up.

"Your lab?" Kirota identified with a raised eyebrow when they took the elevator down to the ninth basement. Chin winked at him with a wide grin of anticipation and hit the stop button when they reached the eighth basement.

"This is top secret," he warned, wagging a finger at all three of them. "I haven't even showed Father this. The other scientists in R&D respect me for being able to take apart Vongola's goods without triggering the protections on them, so they've let me get away with a lot more than they probably should have." Before Kirota could ask any questions, Chin used the elevator buttons for each floor to enter a code that only he knew.

The reaction was instant.

On all four sides of the elevator, the silver paneling retracted in order to show three landscapes that were more than what they seemed. To a novice, one might have thought that it was simply three television screens like one would see in a normal amusement park ride. But slowly, as the elevator seemed to climb up an outdoor scaffolding and then slowly descend back down, it became obvious that there was more going on. The three walls reacted to perspective. If a person tried to get a better look at the ground by stepping close to the wall, then they could. If a person moved side to side to look at a pigeon sitting on a beam, then they saw it from different angles.

"Hologram?" Kirota guessed.

"Nothing that simple," Chin explained, feeling as if he were in his element. "Each screen is actually a network of nanochip-size diodes. Well, LEDs to be exact, but... err..." Pausing for a moment, he tried to gather his thoughts and explain in a way that Kirota would understand. "Um... modern holograms employ a laser going into your eyes to hijack your visual senses. This is different. The diodes that I told you about are like tiny, microscopic fishbowls that catch every angle of the image in a static place. Not everyone has the same kind of eye prescription, so holograms are easily noticeable to people who have less than perfect vision. This way, everything seems as real as the rest of your surroundings, no matter who's looking at it and the perspective changes because every possible angle is on display due to the three-dimensional shape of the...." Seeing the blank look on Kirota's face, he tried to rephrase again. "You know the holograms that they used to put on CDs and in Cracker Jack boxes? The simple ones where the image changed when you tilted it left and right?"

"Yeah," Kirota nodded.

"It's like that, but I added pictures in all directions at such a big resolution that it has realistic-quality," he finished with a sigh. "Anyway, I have to admit, it took a lot of work to make just the elevator ride seem realistic. But I think it was worth it. Especially the next part. You might want to hold on."

"Eh?" Kirota gaped with the blank expression returning. Chin couldn't keep the smile off his face as, outside the plastic 'window' of their elevator, they reached ground level. Kirota and the guards watched in confusion after they came to a stop when squads of engineers surrounded them and began attaching what looked obviously like rockets to every wall. "You didn't," Kirota choked as the room went dark as the last 'rocket' was put into place.

"Liftoff in five," a pleasant voice said from overhead. "Four."

"You might want to hold on," Chin laughed.

"Three. Two."

"Chin! I'm going to kill you!" Kirota shouted as the room filed with the roar of rockets, the gravity increased exponentially, and the elevator shook like mad. After a moment, the temperature spiked twenty degrees, which was easily within human tolerance while being enough of a difference to make things believable. Flames licked up around the outside of the room, seeming to highlight the 'rockets' in a way that was particularly believable. Then, all at once, the gravity disappeared entirely and the room cooled again. The rockets began peeling off of their own accord in order to reveal a scene that still wasn't as good as Chin's imagination. Even so, his rendition of the Earth was enough to make Kirota's face go blank.

"Hey, I can see the wires for the elevator. They're all melted," the more haggard of the two guards said as he pointed them out to his partner. Chin felt incredibly happy when they shot him a look full of askance, wondering if he really had launched them into space. Chin only shrugged, pointing their attention over into the direction of their destination.

"That, my friends, is something that the Lionesse Family created," he said as their eyes widened in surprise. "I call it Celestial Springs." Chin watched the three carefully to see how they reacted. At first, they didn't even notice when the elevator shook as a shuttle latched onto them to guide them in. Even when they did notice, they were too overwhelmed by the destination to comment on it.

The place that they were being guided to was more than just a space station. Despite being at such a distance, no one could ever think to compare it to something so simple. It was more. It had an amusement park, shopping centers, hotels and theaters. There were domes with beaches and domes with lakes among mountains. There were gaming centers, sports centers, and even a golf course. It had everything from fast food to unique restaurants that boasted a view that couldn't be matched.

No, it wasn't just a space station. Celestial Springs was a luxury resort spread across the sky.

Kirota and the two guards floated around to stare at him in dumb shock when their guiding shuttlecraft dropped them into a landing platform that cut off the view. None of them said a word, so Chin figured that he had better disappoint them sooner than later.

"This is all that I have done so far," he said apologetically. "The idea is that, from here, the doors open up into a space city with all of the facilities that you saw. However, anywhere in the city that you can see outside is supposed to be layered like the walls in here so that there's a perspective-changing image behind bullet-proof safety glass. A real space resort would be outside of our ability to build, but an underground resort wouldn't be impossible with this kind of technology. Just... no one would know that it was really underground. If we built the take-off platform on sovereign ground with the facility underneath, no one would be able to touch it from the outside. Once inside, the passengers will think that they really were sent into space. Especially if I have room to make something bigger like a commercial space shuttle instead of just an elevator."

"Mafia Land," Kirota gasped in understanding.

"Mafia Land," Chin agreed with a soft smile. "I knew that you always wanted to go, ever since we were told about it when we were kids. But if I'd made it the same as the one Vongola helped build, you wouldn't have been able to brag about it. So I tried to make something better so that no one could say that we copied. Right now, it's just a dream, but I wanted to show you this. I've been working on it a little at a time for several years now and I wanted to talk Father into helping me build it for real for you, but I... I just can't speak up like you can and he was never interested in anything that Vongola hadn't built. I... It's not much, but I made it for you. Merry Christmas, Kirota."

"Chin..." Kirota said with tears welling up in his eyes. Chin spluttered in shock, wondering what he'd done wrong. Kirota wasn't supposed to cry! It wasn't until his brother's arms were wrapped around him that he realized that he hadn't done anything wrong. He'd done something right for once. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so, so, so sorry! I promise that I'll support you from now on! I never--"

Shushing him, Chin reached over to slowly increase the gravity and send the diode panels back into hiding. Punching in the code to open the doors onto the ninth floor, he guided his brother into the real laboratory and did his best to distract him from his tears with a few more of his inventions and blueprints. He had tons of ideas, all of which had been ignored in the competition against Vongola. There were the modified laser guns that only worked on the robotic 'aliens' that Chin had created. The idea was that aliens would invade the station and tense Mafioso could fight them off with weapons that couldn't harm humans.

He hadn't particularly enjoyed building the guns or the enemies that would explode satisfyingly enough, but he wasn't so stupid as to think that Mafioso would give up their real weapons without something that looked potentially lethal. Staying passive for an extended period was just as unlikely. At that, Kirota let out a small, understanding chuckle at Chin's open irritation and suggested that they could have alien zoos for kids and autopsy theater to help the more blood-thirsty Mafioso feel sated.

It wasn't until two hours had passed that they stopped to stare at each other in realization that they were working together like they had in their youth. Chin blinked owlishly when one of the guards pointed out that the party upstairs only had an hour left and Kirota shook his head in open defeat.

"I can't win against you," he shrugged with an air of resignation. "After everything I did to hold you back, I don't deserve to even be in the Family anymore. Honestly, Chin. You're amazing. You did all this by yourself, so I'm sure that you're going to do great things in the future. I--"

"Don't talk like that," Chin interrupted as he put down the blueprint for a zero-gravity bumper car. "Without you, none of this will matter. I didn't show this to you so that you would give up, Kirota. I showed this to you because I want you to help me. Father's pretty set on me becoming the Boss, but you said for yourself that I'm an air-head. I can't deal with people and I don't want to, either. Is there anywhere that it says that a Boss can't stay in the shadows? If not, I'm perfectly happy being a recluse and running things behind the scenes. I know that it's not as good as being the actual Boss, but can't you be happy with having all the fame and the glory of one?"

"I don't understand," Kirota admitted in confusion.

"Spokesman," Chin said. "Liaison. Vice Chief. Vice President. Right Hand. _Whatever _you want to call yourself. I don't care what it is, but I can't design stuff if I'm worried about the day-to-day business of running the Family. The Family needs someone in front of them that they can see and put their trust into. You're good at doing that. I'll be happy being the shadowy figure that whispers orders in your ear. I don't care about fancy parties and getting girls! You can have all of that! I just want to go back to spending five minutes getting ready in the morning instead of two hours! _Please_!"

"You would trust me like that?" Kirota mumbled in shock. "You'd let me speak for you, even after what I did?"

"Of course!" Chin said without hesitation, feeling slightly desperate at the thought of managing without Kirota's help. "We might disagree, but we're still brothers! If I can't trust you, then who can I trust?" Chin took hope in the faint blush that lit up on Kirota's cheeks. Determined to seal the deal, Chin threw in a bonus that would probably ruin any marriage proposal that he ever got. That was okay, though. Kirota could worry about making an heir for the both of them. After all, Chin knew that his first love had always been science. "We can have a joint office and a joint bedroom," he offered with a blush of his own. "But I want separate desks and a bigger bed! You've got to use your old room if you get a girlfriend, too!"

"Deal!" Kirota snapped, leaving only the hard part to deal with: telling Father. No, he amended, seeing the fierce gleam of determination in his brother's eyes. Telling Father might not be hard at all.


	120. Chapter 120 Student File: Murlock

The man once known as the Hotshot of Vienna Street kept his hands still and his mind detached while his clients enjoyed their fill. Murlock would have thought that Venice House, the restaurant below the Fuzzy Biscuit, would have been completely empty on New Year's Eve. Everyone should have been at their respective Family's parties, but it had turned out that ninety percent of the vampire community stayed away from home on the holidays.

After taking some time to think about it, he couldn't blame them. Holidays were days of familial bonding. For people who could outlive everyone in their family, it was easier to bear that if there was a level of detachment. Vampires always held themselves apart from humans. Seeing how many people had come in to the Venice House gave him a new perspective in understanding it, though. It wasn't because Vampires thought themselves better or wanted to keep a separate society, which was what he'd always believed. It was because they feared the pain of losing something that they allowed to become precious. After all, the things that a person held onto tightly was a thing that they couldn't easily let go of, yet they had to let go if they were going to continue living era after era.

Despite knowing the reason for the moods of the vampires around him, he was beginning to get a little irritated. This was the fifth time he'd been hired for the evening and not once had he been eaten off of. No, the client-vampires hired a human if they wanted a buffet. He was just there for conversation, sex, or as a drinking partner. He wasn't the only vampire on the staff that was being treated in such a way, either. Between assignments, Janet had been forced into one of the human's resting cots so that she could recover a bit before she succumbed to alcohol poisoning. Also, Phillip had been forced to drink two pints of undiluted blood so that he could continue working after he'd fallen prey to a party of six who should have gone to a whorehouse instead.

Murlock wasn't going to complain, though. Despite the distasteful work, he'd gotten many benefits out of his job. He knew that he would have never survived on his own, so working at the Venice House meant that he had a safe place to sleep at night and a place to live where his anachronistic thinking would be overlooked. He thought that he was doing pretty well for a man born in 1920. Most of that was due to Mistress Neve's patient tutoring, though, while the rest was being due to quietly watching the world move around him.

Sixty years ago, he would have never imagined himself sitting in the future. He hadn't been able to imagine that the world would survive, either. The last event of his human life had been his conscription into the military because the world had gone to war. He'd known his duty to his country, so he'd packed his bags and kissed his girlfriend goodbye. His old friend Henry had offered to drive him in his brand new pickup truck, but that pickup had never arrived to where it should have.

Murlock couldn't remember exactly what had happened. All he could remember was waking up as a vampire in the 1960s to a world he couldn't understand. The Cold War. The Vietnam War. Television. Movements and revolutions. People had been fighting in the streets about the morality of war and the equality of people that he'd never thought about before. It'd been too much to handle on top of learning that his sweet Ruth had died as a nurse on the battlefield after his funeral. It'd been too much to handle after finding out that his best friend had been a vampire intent on protecting him from a death on the battlefield.

Unable to cope, he'd told Lord Pelides to put him to sleep and to wake him when the world found peace, but his wishes hadn't been granted. He'd woken up in the middle of another war that he couldn't avoid. He'd been pushed out into a world that was even harder to understand and he'd nearly broken from the stress before Mistress Neve had taken over the responsibility of caring for him. He couldn't count the number of lessons that she'd given him before setting him up at Don Girarde nor could he put a value on the patience that she'd shown when he'd unintentionally done something that was currently considered taboo. She understood that he wasn't intending to be a bigot; he was just a little ignorant.

Taking off the time that he'd slept, he was only twenty-two years old. Taking off the time that he'd been human, he was only one. Finding a balance between the values that he'd been raised with and the current world was difficult. It seemed as if feeling too strongly about anything was bad. Mistress Neve had taught him about the history of vampires and how they viewed werewolves, but it hadn't been until after the incident with Van Wolfe that she mentioned that she didn't approve of such thinking. That had been the first time that she'd corrected him harshly, correcting him and teaching him how to recognize a Council Member.

It'd taken him nearly a week to comprehend that Van Wolfe's dinner partner was the strongest member on the Vampire Council despite being a woman. The fact that Mistress Neve was also a Council Member hadn't truly hit him until then, either. He'd thought that she was Lord Pelides' wife or a teacher. He'd never really considered that she was a woman of wealth and power, but he now knew better. He also knew that she'd been more patient than it seemed because he'd been unintentionally belittling her for many months. For instance, before he'd known very much about her, he'd offered to watch over the club so that she could go make lunch for her kids. That hadn't been kindness like he'd intended; it'd been a rude assumption about her role and lifestyle. She'd let it slide gracefully, though, and had simply corrected him by saying that she wasn't a wife or a mother. But that had led to even more of his unintentional insults since he'd been raised to believe that unmarried girls were supposed to be chaperoned no matter how old they were.

Despite all of his mishaps, he was getting the hang of things. He knew how to use a microwave, although he still sometimes set the clock instead of the cooking time. The television didn't turn him into a gaping idiot since they'd had them in the thirties, but he also couldn't watch it very often. The shows that came on were still too much for his heart to handle. He'd learned how to use a computer pretty quickly, although doing anything more than schoolwork on it was out of the question. The Inter-net made his head spin too much each time he watched Mistress Neve access it.

Thankfully, the world hadn't changed entirely. There was still enough of the past alive that he was able to stay standing. For example, the way to use a fork and a knife was still the same as how he'd been taught. People still used toilets and bathtubs. They read from newspapers, drank beer, and watched baseball. Well-off men still wore suits and ties, although there were a many different cuts, colors, and patterns to choose from. He wished that he could say that shoes were still tied with laces, but the truth was that he'd bought a pair a few days ago with the strangest contraption on it. It was called Vell-Crow and seemed to be used in a variety of places where things were supposed to be laced, buttoned, or zipped instead

So, while the world had changed, it wasn't so different that he couldn't understand it. He just had to take his time and understand the changes a little at a time. After all, not all the changes were bad. He'd learned that coffee could come in many different flavors and that there was medicine for nearly everything. He wasn't too sure about some of the other things, such as the minimum working age being between fourteen and sixteen. But that was just his opinion after comparing his working youth to the irresponsible brats that made up his younger classmates.

Maybe it wasn't so bad since those kids had never been in risk of losing a hand or a foot, but they were also a little too prissy for his comfort. They had no appreciation for the amount of work their families put in to feed and clothe them, always asking for more, more, more as if it were their right. It made Murlock want to put a few of them over his knee and spank their britches until they got off their lazy rears and earned their 'more' by themselves.

That part he didn't think he'd ever understand. Everyone kept telling him 'work smart, not hard', but almost all of them were idiots and idiots trying to 'work smart' were unreliable. Whatever happened to working smart _and _hard? Being smart should only be used for removing distractions and inefficiencies, not eliminating the need to put in effort. So many people moaned and groaned about how crummy their job was, but they still made good, solid money. He rarely saw people breaking a sweat unless they were wearing a hard hat or playing sports, yet everyone was always complaining about how tough their life was. He didn't get it. Did people want to be paid just for breathing? How could they complain when many of them sat on padded chairs in air-conditioned offices and just pressed buttons all day?

When he'd been younger, such a job had been something inconceivable. Work was something that left a person dirty, sweaty, trembling in exhaustion and too tired to even eat. Even when a person put in that much effort, it was only just enough to keep a roof over a family's head. Now it seemed that one person pushing buttons all day was enough to house, feed, clothe, and give luxury. In his opinion, their complaints seemed too childish.

The vampires that were his current clients were no different than the rest of the people he'd met so far. He was willing to cut them a little slack since it was New Year's and they were drunk, but why were they complaining that their vacation was only two days long? If it were him, he would have felt relieved that he was doing a good enough job that his Boss couldn't easily replace him. That was why Murlock was working on New Year's, after all. He wanted some security in his life and he couldn't have it unless he worked hard to earn it. After all, if Mistress Neve could do without him for a week or two, then she could also do without him indefinitely.

"Go bring us some--" As his client broke off, Murlock paused in the middle of standing in prediction of his order. The whole room fell to a standstill as an overpowering aura filled the room. It was so strong that he was forced to sit back down before his knees gave out. What was this? He'd never felt anything like this in his life. It was so dark and so cold, as if death itself was about to walk into the room.

Seeing Mistress Neve flash past him, he shook himself out of his stupor and went to see who was causing such a disturbance. Just as Mistress Neve did, he stopped in front of the entrance when Van Wolfe stepped through the door. There was no way of describing him besides saying that he looked like hell. There was snow melting on his hat and in the folds of his trenchcoat that he hadn't bothered to knock off. What could be seen of his complexion was pale and bloodless, making him seem as if he were a frozen corpse. The most telling part of all, though, was the heavy weight in his eyes and the weariness in his body language.

"Where?" was all that he asked, but Mistress Neve silently pointed in Murlock's direction without hesitation. When Van Wolfe began moving, no one could get the nerve to ask him what he wanted or to tell him to reign in his aura. Also, no one dared to lay a psychic finger on it because it was far too dense. It could have been like eating cement or gravel for all the flavor that he was showing.

The thick aura left Murlock frozen. He couldn't get his feet to move so that he could step aside when Van Wolfe reached him. Fortunately, Van Wolfe didn't seem to care, either. He walked around Murlock and came to a stop two tables away. With his curiosity overcoming his fear, Murlock turned around to watch even as Mistress Neve edged closer to see what was happening.

"You promised that you'd be there, so I waited," Van Wolfe said, his quiet voice echoing through the silent bar. "Did I get the day or the location wrong? You said we'd meet on Christmas at the place where we used to always go after an assignment. I went and I waited for three days, but you never showed. Do you know how hard it is to wait for someone in No-Man's Land?"

"Van..." A man said from his seat behind the silk barriers between tables. "I don't know what to tell you. I forgot."

"I see," Van Wolfe replied coldly. "I've become someone you can forget about--"

"It's not like that!" The man roared, making everyone in the room jump as his fist collided with his table. "I just--"

"Don't make excuses," Van Wolfe growled. The flare of anger that pulsed through Van Wolfe's aura was enough to send both himself and Mistress Neve to their knees before the aura vanished with an insurmountable level of speed and control. "Give me your mask," he demanded, holding out his hand.

"Van!" A woman at the table exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat. This woman was within Murlock's line of sight and he could see that she was wearing a mask like Van Wolfe was, although of a different design. "You can't be serious! You have no right to--"

"Shut up, Shotgun," both the man and Van Wolfe said. The calm silence that followed was too thick for anyone to speak. Murlock was pretty new to this futuristic world, but he'd had a mask of his own for a time. He understood that what Van Wolfe was demanding wasn't something light. It wasn't even something that was acceptable. To demand a vampire's mask had the same weight as telling them to bare their soul.

"You have no need to wear that mask anymore," Van Wolfe continued in dangerous softness. "It was quicker than I expected, but you've met your goals. The Xaria have kneeled at your feet and you have become respected as a powerful fighter and an ingenious weapons designer. You only have _one _reason left to keep that mask on and I don't want your help anymore. So hand it over, King. Give me your mask and go home. You have no reason not to."

"I haven't beaten the Varia," came the whispered reply.

"Yes you have," Van Wolfe corrected, bowing his head with his hand still held out. "You did what they couldn't and brought the Xaria in line. It's enough."

"What about the brat?" King asked. "I still owe him one."

"You can still keep contact. We're still at war," he replied. "Stop stalling. Give me your mask."

"I--"

"Don't bother saying it. It's over," Van Wolfe said. Silence fell once again, leaving Murlock feeling as if he was being suffocated. Then King stood and Murlock got his first look at the man that Van Wolfe was facing off against. It was the third of the Omega Foundation's idol trio, Black Insanity. Like everyone else, Murlock held his breathe in wonder. Was Black Insanity really going to take off his mask? Were they finally going to see the face that had been behind two thirds of the anti-Hunter arsenals? It was impossible, Murlock thought as he trembled in excitement.

"I could force you to take off your mask, too," King commented with his teeth bared in suppressed anger. Van Wolfe didn't even flinch at the threat.

"It'd be the last time that you saw my face, so you won't," he shrugged. "Face it, King. You're holding a shitty hand with only one wild card. Even if you played it, you'd still lose just like your father did."

King froze.

The sound of something snapping filled Murlock's ears.

The room exploded.

That was all that Murlock could comprehend before the dust settled. The details were a blur that happened too fast for his eyes to follow. Not that he couldn't figure out by looking at the aftermath. Van Wolfe had been knocked through the side of the bar and was sitting among the rubble with a bottle of blood wine in his hands. How he'd managed to grab the bottle in the middle of landing was beyond Murlock's ability to imagine, but that didn't matter since something even more shocking happened. Black Insanity threw his mask into Van Wolfe's lap and continued to stand over him with a face full of murderous intent.

From the reactions that went off around him, Black Insanity was someone well-known. The room was filled with such a large aura of terror that Murlock was amazed by how no one moved. At least, no one moved but Mistress Neve. That woman amazed Murlock to no end by how she stood and proudly walked forward. Then he cursed her stupidity when she opened her hand and sent a slap across Black Insanity's face. Murlock stood quickly and took a step forward to rescue her, but he stopped again when the murderous intent faded from Black Insanity's face as he turned to her.

"I'll replace the bar, so keep your hands to yourself, brat," he growled in a deep, spine-tingling voice.

"I didn't do that for the bar," she corrected, crossing her arms over her chest. "I did that for Van Wolfe because you stood him up on Christmas. He's not going to hit you since he feels guilty about your father, but--"

"Save it," Black Insanity snapped as he turned his back on Van Wolfe and headed back to his seat to retrieve his hat. Glancing over at Van Wolfe, Murlock was disturbed by the smile on his face. It didn't look right. It was strained and forced in a way that made it far too obvious that something was wrong. No one noticed, though. All of their attention was on Black Insanity's exit with his dinner partner.

Pulled forward by the strangeness of Van Wolfe's expression, Murlock was almost at Van Wolfe's feet when a call went through the bar from the front door.

"He's gone, Van," Mistress Neve called as she flew back through the room in a panic. Before she got halfway to them, Van Wolfe turned his head, covered his mouth, and began coughing up large amounts of blood into his hands.

The smell of Van Wolfe's blood filled the room. The smell sent the last of the sitting vampires and werewolves to their feet around the room. It was the shock of how bad the smell was that sent people bolting upward. There was something incredibly wrong with the scent of Van Wolfe's blood. Murlock didn't know why he hadn't seen it before. Van Wolfe came into the bar at least twice a week to have dinner with Mistress Neve or a guest he brought with him. Yet, this was the first time that Murlock had ever smelled such a gut-wrenching scent. It was as if a skunk had just sprayed the room!

"Disease," he heard someone behind him whisper as Van Wolfe fell unconscious into Mistress Neve's arms. "I've never seen someone who smelled this bad and was still on their feet."

"No wonder he's been hiding his scent," someone added in consideration.

"How has he been Tutoring like that?"

"I wonder which disease it is."

"I wonder who he is."

"Does it matter? He's as good as dead."

"HE'S NOT DEAD YET!" Mistress Neve roared with a fierce glare at everyone who was standing around watching. "Janet, Baker! Clear this place out! Give To-Go boxes if you have to, but remind everyone of the price for breaking the privacy of members! Hawkins! Go call the Physician! His number should be on my desk! Tell him that Van Wolfe's taken a bad turn! Murlock! Run over to Pink's and find his servant, Aster! He should be behind the bar! Tell him that his Master is in trouble! Marshall, Siren! Come help me move him--"

Ignoring the rest of her orders to save time, Murlock rushed for the door to do his part. His movement sent the rest of the servants running to obey, but Murlock also ignored them in effort to respond to the note of fear hiding in Mistress Neve's voice. She was worried far more than she was letting on to the customers, which was a little understandable since she hadn't been surprised at his condition. She'd already known that he was ill and she'd stayed friends with him despite the risk.

He heard countless catcalls as he ran through Venice Row in his toga, but such attention was unimportant to him. His mind was only filled with the fear that he'd heard in Mistress Neve's voice. He didn't like that sound. Mistress Neve was a strong, patient, and noble woman who'd done more than simply shelter and Council him. She'd given him a home and the support that he needed to finally create a new life for himself. His opinions of Van Wolfe didn't matter in the face of her distress. Perhaps it made him a bigot to think of her as being a helpless woman and respond like he'd been raised, but he'd rather be a bigot than an uncaring spectator at the moment.

With such a belief empowering him, he put on an extra burst of speed in order to reach Pink's even faster. The place was as packed as the Venice House had been, full of people who didn't have anywhere else to go on a holiday. The smell of sex, smoke, and liquor was almost eye-watering in its potency, but Murlock plugged his nose as he shoved his way through drunken mob after drunken mob. Twice, a waitress tried to stop him, but he charged past them in his effort to get to the bar in extreme haste. Then came the bouncers and Murlock was stopped whether he wanted to be or not.

"What's the problem here?" The taller, black-skinned fellow asked in a deep, rumbling voice that was similar to Black Insanity's.

"I've got to find Aster," he gasped while trying to catch his breath. "I was told that.... that he'd be at the bar. It's important! His Master... Van Wolfe... it's an emergency!"

"Alright," the man soothed, his face softening at Murlock's legitimate excuse for making such a commotion. "You're looking for Van Wolfe's friend. Right? Hold on and I'll get you to him." Murlock shot the man a look of undying gratitude when he and his friend started clearing a path to the bar for him. The person that they got for him wasn't called 'Aster', though. It was someone named 'Red'.

For a moment, Murlock was taken aback at the sight of the guy. He was wearing the same uniform as the waitresses, although his jumpsuit had been modified. It was still laced up one whole side, but it was red like his name and fitted with a minimal amount of extra room for male anatomy. It also had the strangest addition. Rather than having space for cleavage, his unique uniform covered all the way up to the bridge of his nose, making him look like some sort of futuristic ninja. That image was completely at odds with his sandy hair, but it made the penetrating blue ring in his eyes pop out in a way that left Murlock frozen for a moment.

"I'm Aster," the boy said in way of greeting, his voice softened and made husky to such a degree by his mask that Murlock felt the need to blush. Men were only supposed to sound like that when they were in bed with a woman! Did modern men have no shame?! "Did you need something?"

"Uh, yeah! Right!" Murlock stammered, shaking himself out of his shock in memory of the importance of his errand. "You have to hurry over to the Venice House! Your Master, Van Wolfe, he's in really bad shape!"

"How bad?" Aster asked, his tone sharpening in a way that seemed to pierce through the noise of the bar as if he were talking in complete silence.

"I don't know," he admitted as Aster's question drew the attention of nearby patrons. "There was a fight and he got slugged through the bar. He was hacking up a lot of blood and then he conked out--" Murlock broke off and his body froze at the expression on Aster's face. In an instant, the boy turned from a bright-eyed youth into something else completely.

"Boss is an IDIOT!" Aster shouted on the top of his lungs, startling several of the bartenders into fumbling their drinks. Before Murlock could think of a reply, Aster was already standing on top of the bar and jumping over the heads of several patrons. He didn't land on the ground, though. He landed on one of the Bouncers' shoulders and used it as a launch pad for an even bigger jump that sent him three-fourths of the way across the room with an eye-catching flip thrown into the middle.

Following with the much slower method of pushing through the crowd, Murlock had to wonder if everyone in the modern world was athletic. Not that he'd been a slouch back when he was human, but the amount of people that he'd recently come across who could jump twenty feet and catch a fly in motion was a little bit insane. Then common sense reasserted itself. Not everyone had Aster's kind of grace and skill. Van Wolfe's servant had to be a vampire like himself, but one that was of a much more refined quality.

Very refined quality, Murlock thought as he broke out of Pink's to find that the boy was already out of sight. Not wanting to be beaten by such a huge margin, Murlock ran back to the Venice House at his top speed without pausing to catch his breath. The Fuzzy Biscuit was packed with people who were hanging around in hopes of getting another juicy tidbit of gossip. Downstairs, his vampiric coworkers were working on turning the diseased blood into ash without touching it by vamping the life out of it. Once that was done, his human coworkers got to work on cleaning up the less hazardous mess of the wrecked bar.

He found Aster standing in front of the door to the resting room, keeping people away merely with his depressed aura. The mood swing from his outburst at Pink's made Murlock confused until he got close enough that he could hear a bit of what was going on inside. The sound of sobbing and Mistress Neve's sympathetic voice kept Murlock from moving any closer.

"Are you one of Boss' students?" Aster asked quietly, making Murlock jerk in surprise. Before he could answer, Aster continued in a soft voice that wouldn't carry through the door. "It doesn't matter if you are or not. Boss' favorite students are the ones who don't know he's teaching them. Boss is a big idiot sometimes. He feels guilty a lot and he feels as if he's being too selfish if he asks people to put their faith in him. He'll accept anyone who comes to him on their own, but he'll also push away anyone who looks like they don't need him. He thinks that he's doing them a favor because he's forgotten that people can want to be together without needing a reason. I want to make him remember, but just telling him won't do anything. I have to show him, even if it means that I have to invade his privacy."

"Why are you telling me this?" Murlock asked, disturbed by how the boy was talking so freely about his Master. That was something that a blood slave should never do. Even he knew that!

"Who knows," Aster said before turning his back in order to knock on the door. The sobbing within stopped immediately and Mistress Neve's voice returned to a normal tone by the time that Aster opened the door to enter.

Murlock was at a loss for what to do after that. He tried to help clean up, but the only thing left to pick up around the bar was the small stuff that needed to be picked up with a vacuum. Since the vacuum that they used was much more advanced than the one that he remembered and he hadn't been taught how to use it, using that was out of the question. The extra human staff was already working on cleaning the tables and the minimal vampire staff had turned to cataloging the bottles of ruined blood wine. As for himself, he twiddled his thumbs while trying to think of something he could do.

For all that he wanted to be indispensable, he suddenly felt incredibly useless. Special people with special skills were indispensable. People with abilities and unique talents were the ones that got the attention. In comparison to people like Aster, Mistress Neve, and Van Wolfe, he was incredibly common. The only thing that made him different from the others was his disadvantage of only knowing how things worked in the era that he'd been raised.

It wasn't like it'd been when he was twelve, where even the weakest kid could find work if he was quick thinking and willing to do anything. It wasn't like when he'd signed up for the military to serve his country as any good patriot would. Being straight-forward and honest wasn't the way to get ahead in the new world. Earnest work and hard labor impressed no one. Blind loyalty and patriotism was seen as bigotry and prejudice instead. There was no where--NO WHERE--in this world where he could stand tall and proud. Not anymore. It was just too different.

Van Wolfe had gained his respect, though. Unlike the pansies that he saw at school every day, Van Wolfe had shown his mettle as a real man. It didn't matter if a man was a bubbler in private on the shoulder of a good woman. What mattered was that he'd sucked up his pain and had finished what he'd started with Black Insanity. Murlock didn't know what was going on between them, but Murlock could tell from how Van Wolfe hadn't stopped Black Insanity from leaving that everything had gone according to his plan. He hadn't been knocked down because he was weak, even though he'd coughed up blood afterward. It'd been because he'd let it happen to achieve his goals, whatever those goals were.

Also, even though he was chronically ill, he hadn't missed a day of school since his first day. That kind of determination was something that Murlock hadn't seen since his awaking in this new era. His classmates regularly skipped just because of the smallest of sniffles and people called in to say that they weren't coming into work because they'd missed a little bit of sleep. That kind of attitude was sickening, but Van Wolfe was different. He was the real bee's knees. He showed up every day and, not only did he teach, but he'd been putting a bee in the bonnet of most of the school without anyone even knowing that he was sick.

It was too bad that he couldn't be doing that anymore. With how bad his blood had smelled he'd probably be resting in bed from now on. After all, a man could only keep going as long as his body held out. Once the body gave up, it didn't matter how much determination a person had. There was times that one had to call it quits whether they wanted to or not and Van Wolfe--

"I'll send my guys down to build you a new bar," Van Wolfe said as he stepped out of the resting room in complete health. Murlock found his mouth hanging open in shock. His blood had smelled as if he were already half-way decomposed! Being on his feet so quickly should have been impossible!

Seeing him up and attending to things as if it were business as usual, Murlock felt frozen as Mistress Neve escorted him to the door with Aster calmly trailing behind. All he could think was that it was impossible despite seeing it happen for himself. Van Wolfe.... Van Wolfe was _strong_. It made him wonder if Van Wolfe had always been so strong. Murlock could understand and appreciate the 'why' of 'why Van Wolfe was standing when he shouldn't be'. He had a gut feeling that it was the same reason that he was working on a holiday: responsibility and duty. The thing that Murlock really wanted to know was the 'how'. He felt that knowing the 'how' was the key to removing his disability and finally feeling as if he could stand tall in this new era.

"Mistress Neve," Murlock called when she re-entered the room to supervise the last of the clean-up. "Might we talk for a spell? I'm all balled up, but I got an idea and I need to know if what I'm thinkin' is malarkey again."

"Sure," she agreed, blinking in surprise at his sudden request. Murlock prayed that it'd be the last time that he'd have to ask her for something with his hands empty.

* * *

Mistress Neve had told him. She'd told him about the kind of place that Van Wolfe lived at and she'd done her best to prepare him for the consequences of his actions. She'd told him that his plan would undoubtedly work, but that she didn't think that he knew what he was signing up for. She'd said it. She'd said that forcing his way into Van Wolfe's house doesn't necessarily mean that he was going to get the lessons that he wanted. He was fine with that, though. Since Van Wolfe didn't have much longer to live, forcing his way in was the only way to see what he needed to see before his chance was gone. His old man hadn't raised him to be a fool that twiddled his thumbs when opportunity came a-knockin'.

So, with only one suitcase of things that he'd earned fair-and-square and his best suit on, Murlock found himself at the door to the Werewolf House. He didn't know if this was how people did it in modern day, but Aster had already told him that Van Wolfe wouldn't turn him away. He'd just have to see if his gut was right and Van Wolfe was a man who could appreciate a will to work and a straight-forward attitude. He couldn't change who he was on such short notice, after all. But after seeing Van Wolfe, he'd gotten the idea that he just had to find people who could accept him as he was. Someone who would meet him in the middle, so to speak.

Hoping that Van Wolfe was that someone, Murlock set down his suitcase and rang the doorbell. The response was as quick as he could have hoped for, but he wasn't quite prepared for the eyeful that he got before the door was slammed shut in his face. He was fairly sure that it'd been one of his younger classmates, but she'd been wearing something that he hoped was a new style. After all, modest girls were good to marry, but flip-skirts were just plain fun. No--! He corrected himself. He wasn't here to think about broads! He was a man on a mission!

Thus self-admonished, he held his hat in his hands and politely knocked again. Once again the door opened quickly for him, but it was thankfully held open rather than slammed in his face this time. The girl who answered it stayed mostly hidden behind it, but he ignored her shyness in favor of getting his greeting across.

"Hello," he said hesitantly. "I'd like to talk to Mr. Van Wolfe, please."

"You and everyone else," she growled with an unpleasant scowl. "If you want in, you've got to give me a better reason than that."

"I..." Grimacing to himself at being stopped at the door, he clenched his teeth together and decided that there was no reason to hide his real intentions. "If Mr. Wolfe still wants to teach me, then I'll let him teach me, but he's got to let me stay here! Otherwise I'd get distracted, see? I can't be taking extra Tutoring from him while I'm working across town, but if I stay here and earn my keep with chores and the like, well everything's copacetic."

"Copacetic?" She asked with her eyebrows flying up.

"Copacetic," he repeated with a firm nod. "It means okay, good, alright, fine--"

"Stop," she ordered, stopping him in the middle of finding other words that were still common. Murlock stopped like he was ordered, but the girl's expression didn't bode well for his chances of being permitted entry. At least, that was what he thought until she threw the door open and waved him inside while rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I don't care. Just get in here and Wolfe-sensei can deal with you. My legs are getting cold from standing in the door and it's not like you're the first of his students to show up."

"I'm not?" He asked curiously as he picked up his suitcase and followed her into the house. She led him into a small living space that was furnished with worn couches and lovingly polished woods. Murlock didn't pay much attention to the decor, though. He was too startled by the amount of people packed into the room. Not only was there Mr. Wolfe and Aster, but there were nearly a dozen werewolves.

There was also three more of his classmates sitting stuffed together on one couch and a pile of luggage taking up a corner of the room.

"This is too much," Mr. Wolfe grinned in disbelief, his eyes darting straight to the suitcase in Murlock's hand. "You were the last person I expected to do this."

"I was just looking for a place where I can live and work that my brother can't easily watch my every move," his priestly classmate shrugged as he sipped on a small cup of tea. "Since Wolfe-sensei is a Tutor, the place where he lives is neutral. It only makes sense to come here. You're not going to turn me away, are you?"

"Wolfe-sensei said that he was willing to Tutor my brother with me, but he refused to move into the Lionesse estate with us," the smallest of the three grinned while he munched on a cracker. "Since Father demands that we both have a full-time Tutor, but I didn't want to get a different one, moving in here is the only way to solve our problem. Please, Wolfe-sensei?"

"You don't have to beg him, Brother," the tallest of the three said in a suave tone. "He should feel honored to be teaching Lionesse the Third."

"So they finally announced it?" Mr. Wolfe interjected in surprise. At the suave one's nod, Mr. Wolfe smiled widely and turned to the shorter boy. "Congratulations, Chin," he said as tea sprayed out of several of the spectator's mouths. Even the tall one turned bug-eyed at the statement, while the shortest boy blushed in embarrassment. "No offense to you, Kirota, but you're missing a lot of key elements that a Boss needs. You have everything it takes to run a business, but the people working in a Family aren't just usable commodities. Don't get me wrong. You're a talented young man, but you'd lack the heart of a man who can lead out of love." The tall one, Kirota, blushed brightly at the statement, but he didn't deny it. Instead, he glared at Murlock which sent every eye in the room toward him. Put on the spot, Murlock unthinkingly fell back on his one virtue.

"I didn't tell you the whole truth before," he blurted honestly, closing his eyes in fear that he was about to be thrown out. He bowed low from the waist while he was at it, hoping that his sincerity would come through. "I wasn't asleep for only forty years. If you take off the few weeks that I woke up for a while, I was out for sixty. I told you the truth about being woken up after Lord Chandler's estate was attacked, but I kept out the fact that I was human before that. I'm sorry that I was rude before, but I was just trying to imitate how I thought I was supposed to act. If I'd understood everything, I wouldn't have acted that way. I take it back, so please forgive me and Tutor me properly, Mr. Wolfe!"

"Sixty?" Mr. Wolfe gasped. "Lift your head, Murlock. Explain this to me properly. You were out for sixty years and you were human before that?"

"I..." Taking a deep breath to settle himself, Murlock straightened back up like he was told and gave Mr. Wolfe a look full of his emotions. His fear at facing the world. His confusion. His sense of loss. "I didn't ask to become a vampire," he began slowly. "I was on my way to enlist. This might be strange for me to say since you're a Jap, but your people attacked us when we were keeping our nose out of the war--"

"You're talking about Pearl Harbor," the Priest mumbled as he set down his tea and gaped like everyone else was beginning to. Murlock nodded and continued while clutching onto the handle of his suitcase in nervousness.

"I felt that it was my duty to go fight, seeing as how I'd just turned twenty-one, so I was headed over to Montgomery to sign up as a fly-boy. Well, I never made it. I didn't know it before, but it turned out that my buddy was a vampire and he thought that turning me was better than letting me go to war. When I woke up, it was already 1962, the war was over, and I had somehow been transported to Europe. My gal Ruth was dead and I just couldn't wrap my head around everything. I asked Lord Pelides to put me back to sleep and told him not to wake me up until things were peaceful."

"But the attack on Lord Chandler's Sanctuary put everyone at risk, so it was deemed better to wake everyone so that they'd have a fighting chance," Mr. Wolfe finished as he slowly nodded his head in understanding. "No wonder you were so much of a prude when we talked. You feel like a time traveler, but you were trying to fit in despite only having a few off-hand comments to guide you."

"I feel like I'm listening to people talk a second language sometimes even when they're talking in English, sir," he added hesitantly.

"Wolfe-sensei," he corrected. "Sensei is the Japanese honorific for 'teacher'. Heh... I'm amazed that you could tell that I was Japanese so easily. If you were born in this era, I have a feeling that you'd have unmasked me at our first meeting."

"Che," the Priest interjected with a smile. "It's not hard to figure out who you are."

"Oh?" The short-skirt girl said, perking up from her seat next to Aster with an excited smile. "So I'm not the only one?"

"I have an idea," the short boy named Chin confirmed.

"It's easy for someone like me," the suave one called Kirota said knowingly, although his words were drowned out by the confirmation of all the werewolves in the room. Wolfe-sensei looked around at each of them, blinking rapidly in surprise. Then a smile spread across his face and he asked carelessly:

"Who am I?"

The chaos was immediate as everyone answered in a united discord. Everyone had a different answer, ranging from 'a woman' to 'Vongola the First come back from the dead to destroy the Vongola Family'. By the time they all stopped and traded surprised looks at how everyone gave a different answer, Murlock was gaping and Wolfe-sensei was shaking his head.

"Alright," Wolfe-sensei said, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention before they could start arguing over who was right. "Now that that's out of the way, there's something serious that we need to discuss. Namely, that there's four of you and we only have two empty rooms."

"Me and Kirota will share," Chin offered immediately.

"I hope you don't mind sharing with an excommunicated Priest, Mr. Murlock," the boy next to him said, smiling even brighter. "That's assuming that the man in the corner is really going to continue hiding until you find him out in three days."

"Gregory--!" Wolfe-sensei snapped. "What have I told you about your predictions?!"

"No one likes a know-it-all," he quoted with a long-suffering sigh. "Don't worry so much Wolfe-sensei. I already checked to make sure that pointing it out early would have a nice outcome. Just trust me for once. Would you?"

"Alright," he growled in return. "Whoever's hiding in the corner, come out. You know who you are."

"I can't--" a voice replied in a strangled tone from a corner of the room that was packed with werewolves. Murlock's stomach flipped and he froze into a statue, feeling as if he recognized the voice. It was impossible, though. That person was dead and buried. Lord Pelides had told him so when he'd woken up in the sixties.

There were too many werewolves packed into that corner for him to see who it could be. Rather than clearing away, the group seemed to get thicker as everyone turned their backs and huddled around a person that was apparently sitting behind everyone. Murlock could hear the sound of sobbing and quiet whispers of encouragement that were irritatingly vague, up until the Priest stood and bullied his way back to the person. After that, the whispers were a one-sided conversation that made Murlock's blood run cold.

Perhaps it wasn't as impossible as he'd thought. After all, vampires and werewolves from all over the world were seeking shelter from Mafia Families so that they wouldn't be easy prey for Hunters. Therefore, it stood to reason that the place where Mafia gathered was somewhere that their kind gathered. If he, himself, could be in such a place, then there was no reason that the man who turned him wouldn't be.

"Henry..." Murlock mumbled, dropping his suitcase out of his suddenly numb hands. The sound of the sobbing in the corner ceased abruptly, ending in a startled hiccup that made Murlock smile despite himself. Henry used to get hiccups over every little thing. He got hiccups when he drank soda pop, when he drank beer, when someone came up behind him, when he ate too fast, when he drove his pickup and even when he talked to dames. Allowing himself to forget for a moment that it was Henry's fault that he'd been torn out of 1941 and stuck in the future, Murlock smiled with tears shining in his eyes at having finally found someone he knew.

"Henry? Is that you over there?" Murlock asked when he didn't answer. "If that's you, you better let me know before I pop you one for acting the fool. Or better yet, if you don't talk to me, I'll tell everyone about that girl that you were carrying a torch for. You know who I'm talking about; that one with the million dollar legs. What was her name? It was a long time ago, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. Was it Letty Table?"

"Betty Grable!" Henry exploded, jumping to his feet with a red face. Murlock grinned at the predictable reaction and ignored the dumbfounded expressions on the face of the people who were slowly backing away from him. They had reason to back away from him, too. Nothing set off old Henry like mentioning Betty Grable did. Besides that, Murlock had to smile at how different Henry looked now. His short silky hair had been turned into dreadlocks and he had a piercing through his nose that made him look like a bull with how tanned his face was.

"Letty Table, my ass!" Henry continued in outrage. "How could you forget her name?! You're the one that kept clipping my pin-ups when... when..." Henry trailed off with his face turning a bright shade of red in embarrassment. "Damn you, Glenn," he spat, covering his face and turning his back to hide the evidence of his tears. "Here I am getting all bent out of shape and you've got to bring up something like that? What's with you? You should be yelling or throwing something at me right about now, but you chose to bring up Betty Grable? Aren't you going to ask what happened?"

"I'd like to hear it," he admitted honestly. "But nothing you got to say is going to make me unhappy to see you. I thought... I thought I was alone, Henry. Everyone else is dead and nothing you got to say is going to change that. But, me and you, we go back a long way--"

"Which is something that I want an explanation for," Wolfe-sensei interjected into their very public reunion. Murlock blushed, as did Henry, for allowing himself to become so sentimental around complete strangers. Wolfe-sensei seemed prepared to deal with it, though. "You three, help Chin and Kirota take their belongings to room seventeen then show them around. You three, help Gregory get settled in room eighteen. Aster, go brew some fresh tea and the rest of you find something to do. Ross, that'll be all for today, so feel free to change. I want this room cleared in sixty seconds."

Sixty seconds later, Murlock was seated alone with Henry on a couch with Van Wolfe making himself comfortable on the couch across from them. He seemed to shrink in size after he took off his coat and hat, but it wasn't as if he diminished any. Actually, he seemed somewhat stronger in the sense that he became more refined. Rather than an unpredictable cowboy sitting across from him, it was as if Van Wolfe turned into a diplomat.

Van Wolfe's manner of speaking also changed, slipping into a form that was as clear as daylight to Murlock. The switch made Murlock feel at ease, allowing him to talk in his own way without fear that no one could understand what he was saying. If only for this one conversation, he didn't have to make himself fit into the future and his manner of speaking wasn't awkward or outdated. He could talk freely, which was something that he hadn't been able to do since waking up.

After a few questions to lighten things up and make them both comfortable with talking in such a way, Van Wolfe showed his skill in interrogation. It was slow at first, but he pulled out the full story from Henry that included several details that Henry had previously forgotten. One the surface, the situation was fairly simple. It was just as Murlock had been told, that Henry had him turned to keep him from going to war. But there was also more that Van Wolfe pried out of him. From Henry's point of view, the situation wasn't so simple and went back far longer than just Murlock's last few days alive. It went back to their first meeting.

Henry had been turned when they were both fourteen, one month before they'd met. There had been an accident at the factory where they worked and Murlock's supervisor had been a vampire. Back then, vampires tended to keep a few drops of their pre-inoculated blood in a locket around their necks in case they found someone that they wanted to turn. That man had used his to turn Henry rather than watch another young boy die. The blood had been old, though, so Henry's Change hadn't been thorough. His life had been saved, but he hadn't gotten the ability to sense the life-energy that Murlock could.

After that, the other boys could tell that Henry was different and stayed away from him. Even his own folks cast him out, saying that he'd been possessed by the devil with how his brown eyes turned blue with the inoculation. Murlock remembered what happened after that. He'd seen Henry heading to Mickey the Finger's joint and he'd stopped him. He'd dragged him home and made his old man let Henry live with them since Henry had been working for an honest living at the factory. The times had been rough back then and every nickel had helped, plus Ma hadn't been one to let an honest lad turn to bootlegging just cause he couldn't earn a full dollar a day.

They'd lived together for years after that. The world had begun crawling out of the Great Depression and Henry had joined them when they'd finally saved up enough cash to move down to the South and get jobs as farm hands. They'd been able to go to school for the first time in their lives and things got good enough that they even got to go to college. Henry had fallen in love with pick-up trucks and Murlock had started dating Ruth. Everything had been grand for a few years until the world fell apart again.

Henry had indeed been trying to save him from the war, but that was where things turned a bit sour. Henry hadn't made the decision to turn Murlock on his own. He'd told Ruth about what he was and offered to turn both of them so that they could both just sleep through the war and pick up things afterward. Just like the guy who'd turned him, Henry had kept a bit of his blood in a locket around his neck. While Henry had been knocked out, Ruth had been there with him when Henry had used it. Then, after seeing that nothing happened, Ruth had taken her turn. It'd been a failure for her, though. His sweet doll Ruth hadn't died as a nurse on a battlefield; Henry had killed her out of mercy when her body rejected the Change.

After that, Henry hadn't been able to face him. He'd contacted Lord Pelides and had Murlock transported to a Sanctuary. Then he'd killed his identity and disappeared because he figured that Murlock would be happier if he didn't know the truth. For a long while after that, he'd traveled with the Phlegm while pretending to be disabled to avoid the draft. He simply stopped aging after that and he'd continued living one day at a time. Changing identities and befriending vampires to make it through, he'd continued surviving until he was the man sitting before them.

"Phlegm blood," Wolfe-sensei murmured in consideration, falling back on the dialect that he was more comfortable with. "Feeding off of Phlegm blood might be the difference that caused you to live so long. I'll have to call up an old friend of mine and see if he can put me in touch with an old friend of _his_. Then we'll see if we can recreate the process. I don't know about everyone else, but I do know one thing. While I don't want to live forever, I also wouldn't mind buying a few extra years. For now, let's just worry about what's in front of us, though. Why don't you two share a room? Gregory is human, so he's going to need sleep. You two, though.... Murlock's a vampire so he just needs space for privacy."

"I don't mind, but...." Henry mumbled with a hesitant glance in Murlock's direction. Murlock shook his head in agreement, but didn't comment just yet. While the part about Ruth left him feeling a bit sore, he didn't have any choice other than to agree. After all, it didn't look like he was going to get any other offer and he had a strong feeling that taking up residence in the Werewolf House was the key to learning what he needed to.

With that decided, Murlock followed Wolfe-sensei's orders to go get settled in before dinner by following Henry--Hendrix now--to the room that would be his home for the undetermined future. The room wasn't quite what Murlock expected from his old friend. There was indeed still a pinup over his bed, but it was someone with much less clothes than anything that Betty Grable ever wore. The room's only desk was covered in what Murlock recognized as a large radio and shelves were covered in miscellaneous items that Murlock couldn't name.

Hendrix quickly emptied out of two drawers full of clothes that were in line with what he saw people wearing on the streets, along with half the closet so that Murlock would have plenty of room to store things in the future. Then he set to moving the radio off the desk so that Murlock could have it for schoolwork. When he started taking his pin-ups down, Murlock broke the silence to tell him to stop. It was obvious that he was willing to give Murlock everything that he might want, but such consideration didn't make Murlock happy. After all, he was the intruder in Hendrix's room.

Their conversation was a little strained after that due to the awkwardness hanging between them. Finally, Murlock decided that the only way to clear the air was to really clear it. Despite their history together, his friend had obviously changed over the years. So, Murlock did the only thing that he could think of. He got even.

"I knew you were stuck on Ruth when I started seeing her," he mumbled, slowing the pace at which he transferred his folded clothes into the drawers. "I thought that I was gonna lose my buddy, so I snatched her up like she was a silver-dollar pancake. She was a good woman, but she was never really mine. Your eyes were always on her and she was never really looking at me. She was sweet on you, but none too bright for a dame. I was planning on setting her free when I got to Montgomery, so you don't got to worry about me holding anything against you. I'm none too bright myself, but the way I got it pegged... What you and her did had nothing to do with me. I was just the sap stuck in the middle and becoming a flyboy was supposed to be my way out."

"I'm sorry," Hendrix replied, at a loss for anything else to say.

"Don't worry about it," Murlock said with a grin. He felt relieved to say it, as if a pressure in his chest disappeared by finally being able to tell the truth to the one person that he'd regretted lying to. "I been awake a while now, but it still doesn't seem real that she's gone. After looking at the history books, I'm not that upset at missing the action. A lot of boys all over the world died. The way I see it, you been carrying what happened around with you all this time while I've been safely snoozing the years away. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. But if I did that, we'd be arguing 'bout who was really at fault until we were blue in the face. So, I'm fine with just dropping it. I'm none too happy about being sent into the future like I was, but there isn't any sense in complaining about having a chicken just because I didn't get to see the egg hatch. Got it? So... So why don't you stop squawking about foxes that aren't there and show me around this coop?"

"Sure thing," he said with a soft, understanding smile in return. "I'll help you get squared away."

True to his word, Hendrix showed Murlock around with none of the awkwardness of before. The crossed paths twice with the other two groups that were being toured around in a similar fashion, making the hallways seem cramped since too many people were trying to be helpful at once. It got to the point that Hendrix practically begged to put off the rest of the tour until the humans went to sleep, just to save them a headache.

However, they didn't retreat to their room again. Instead, they stopped by the bathroom to wash their hands before heading to the dining area in preparation of supper. Murlock found it interesting at how quickly the other groups imitated the choice, bringing everyone together into the same room again. But that wasn't to say that they were put together. In fact, it seemed as if the House's usual residents were working hard to keep the four of them separated. With Ross included, there was one of Wolfe-sensei's students at nearly every table and every table but his own was bubbling with conversation. It wasn't as if the guys sitting with him were snubbing him, though. It was more as if no one knew what to say to get a discussion going.

That was when something happened that Murlock wasn't prepared for. Hendrix got up, walked over to have a whispered conversation with a guy sitting across the room, and then traded chairs. The action left Murlock with a set of eyes that was as large as dish plates. His old friend had just snubbed him! Unfortunately, he wasn't given a chance to get upset over it. The looney that Hendrix had traded seats with was a talkative fellow with a question for everything. It was as if the man wanted to know every detail of Murlock's life down to what kind of knickers he'd been wearing when he'd been turned.

In fairly short order, he figured out that ending the silence had been Hendrix's intention by moving to another table. Without him there, there was no strain in the atmosphere and his table became increasingly animated as the other men started popping off questions or interesting stories of their own. By the time that the kitchen crew started bringing in supper, Murlock knew more about the three men at his table than he knew about his own father. Not that it was truly a bad thing. He got a lot of solid information about what it was like living in the Werewolf House and he got the warning that no one was excluded from the House's schedule.

From the sound of it, the schedule was the master plan of the House and Wolfe-sensei's wrath came down on anyone who interfered with that plan. Skipping out was permitted, but skipping one part meant fending for oneself for the whole day. That meant no prepared meals, the last turn at a shower, and dock in pay. After they informed him that he would also get paid for living in the house, he made his first blunder of his stay.

"I don't mind working," he shrugged while he tore apart a buttered roll. "As long as someone shows me where the blood slaves go, I'm pretty confident that I can manage. There're only about a dozen of you, so it shouldn't be too hard." Murlock knew immediately that he'd said something wrong since everyone at his table started choking on their food. Murlock didn't need an explanation. His ears turned red and he sheepishly kept his head bowed in the realization that they hadn't been talking about him working as a blood slave.

"Listen up," Wolfe-sensei called from the table holding only himself, Aster, and a rather regal-looking woman. "This is mainly for the four of you that weaseled your way in here today. After dinner, Aster is going to hand out your schedules. Since all four of you are still students, what you'll be getting is a copy of Ross' daily schedule. I'll tell you right now that I don't let slackers live with me. If you can't handle it, then feel free to go back home. Now, everyone here has a job that they do every day. I don't make exceptions for students or those with Rank. All of you wanted to live in a neutral territory, so I'm going to treat you all equally. Ross is currently working as our maid, Aster is working as my gopher, and everyone else here is either working in an office capacity or a laborer. I'll go one at a time and ask you what you're capable of. Answer me honestly and I'll find a position that I think you can fill. Gregory, you go first. The rest of you think about your answer while you're eating."

In response, Gregory put down his silverware, wiped his mouth, and turned in his seat to answer Wolfe-sensei squarely. First, he cited the classes in school that he was particularly good at. Then he outlined his typical tasks as a Priest. Finally, he added a few words about his work outside the House and pointed out the difficulty that he'd have working for two people at once.

"You can be one of our scholars," Wolfe-sensei said, gesturing with his fork to say that there wouldn't be any argument. "It's a position that isn't always needed. You'll have to brush up on your Werewolf mythology, but the basic idea is that you'll meet with the occasional nut that we get. You'll sit down and have tea with them in the library, hear their request, and so forth to keep things looking normal for the common human who might find their way to our doorstep. Edmond is currently the only one we have, so he can take the morning shift while you're at school and you can be on-call in the afternoon. It's by appointment, so don't worry that you won't have any notice. Chin. You next."

Chin's response was full of babble that Murlock didn't understand. From the faces around him and the little that he did understand, Chin was a lot smarter than he looked despite his haphazard appearance. All of his accolades and school scores seemed focused on the sciences.

"That's better than I hoped for," Wolfe-sensei sighed in relief. "We'll put you with the planning team that's working on our main project. Fritz, watch over him during his shift. Kirota? What do you have for me?"

Nothing. At least, that was the answer that Murlock figured out after ten minutes of baloney. Kirota had never worked a day in his life, unless planning parties was counted. Even someone as outdated as himself could figure out that Kirota was full of more hot air than a zeppelin. Murlock gave him credit for trying to hide his ineptitude behind bluster, but the look on Wolfe-sensei's face said that he saw through it in an instant.

"You can take over toilet detail for Ross," Wolfe-sensei ordered with a smirk. Kirota paled, but was unable to smooth-talk his way out of his assignment. "Murlock?"

"Um," he mumbled, putting his knife and fork down in the same manner that everyone else had. "I've been a blood slave for the past few months, so I can do that. I don't know if what I did before that matters since it was so long ago."

"Go ahead," Wolfe-sensei urged with an encouraging smile. "I want to hear your full work history, starting with your first job."

"Alright. Well, lemme see here. When I was seven, I polished shoes and ran errands for pennies. I did that until I was ten and then I got me a job at the paper, reading the headlines and selling newspapers on the corner of twelfth and main. I made about a quarter a day doing that until I was twelve. That was when I was old enough to get me some factory work, so I marched down to the nearest one and got me a job working a press with two other boys for forty cents a day. I did that until I was fifteen and we moved out of the city. After that, I worked as a farm hand until I was seventeen when I got a job pumping fuel at a station for about ten dollars a week. Anyway, that was the job I held up until I was going to join the air force, but I already told you all about that."

"What about school?" He asked curiously.

"I got lessons from Ma when I wasn't working," he answered honestly. "We we could afford it, I went down and got some extra lessons from Mrs. Grundy on the weekend. Between them, I got me set up with enough learning that I passed the high school proficiency exam. After that, I took some lessons at the community college in the mornings and worked at the gas station in the afternoon. I was a year away from graduating with a general degree when the attack happened."

"I'm going to ask this bluntly since there's no way to ask nicely," Wolfe-sensei warned. "Do you hate Japanese because of what happened? I know it's been decades for everyone else sitting in this room, but that was just last year for you."

Murlock thought carefully about his answer. While it was true that the memories were still fresh in his mind, it _had _been a year and he'd learned a lot in that time. He'd seen the list of battles, the dead, and the wounded. He'd read in the history books about what had come in the years after.

"I don't know," he admitted slowly. "It does seem like it was last year for me and I had been rearing to fight before I got knocked out. Now, though... I read a lot of history in the past few months and one thing never changes: war is a real messy thing where no one really wins. My side and your side.... It doesn't seem very fair if I were to draw that kind of line so long after everything is already over. You get me?"

"I got you," Wolfe-sensei confirmed with a wide smile. "In any case, you don't seem as if you're scared of hard work, so I'm going to put you to work with the afternoon demolition crews. After the snow melts, you'll be working with the landscaping team. Just for future reference, you're not allowed to work as a blood slave while you're living here. If you want to share blood or couple up with anyone, it's to be a private transaction. Humans, Werewolves or Vampires... everyone is treated equally here. That goes for everyone. If someone tries to discriminate, I want to hear about it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Murlock mumbled with a bright blush while the rest of the room gave their own versions of agreement. The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence as everyone focused on filled their stomachs while everything was still hot. The sheer amount of what was offered made Murlock grateful that he'd gotten used to watching werewolves eat at the Venice House. It was like watching Houdini. There was no possible way that a stomach could hold as much as they put away, but the food still continued to disappear.

After supper, the men sitting with him decided to show him around for another full tour, just to make sure that he saw everything. It was mildly amusing to see how little his would-be associates knew about Murlock's original era. At first, they seemed to think that he was from the Dark Ages with how they asked if he knew how to use simple things. Then they figured out that most of their modern wonders had already been invented by Murlock's birth. Electricity, running water, and television weren't anything new to him; it was just the style and scale that was different.

Things became much easier after that. The guys stopped trying to explain the basics and started pointing out the more advanced things of note. Kennith pointed out some of the modern security features and Dent showed off his newfangled cellular telephone. The phone actually took up a lot of Murlock's attention for a while. It seemed as if everyone had one, but it was the first time that someone let him actually hold one.

Once he figured out that he could touch the screen to make things happen, he took his time exploring it to see what all the hubbub was about. It was a pretty amazing little gadget for all the things it had on it. It was also made it easy for him to embarrass himself. First, everyone laughed at how he jumped when a flash of light went off, which turned out to be a camera that took a very interesting picture. For the sake of not making things worse, he didn't ask what kind of film it used nor how it developed so quickly. The second time he embarrassed himself was when it started twitching and buzzing like it was about to explode, which made Murlock frantic until Dent took it back with an explanation that it was silently ringing.

Finally, the tour was over and the guys guided Murlock back to his room. Before they could make it, though, the sound of a chime made his escort's heads snap up in unison. It was a quiet sound and not very unpleasant despite how it was heard in every corner of the House.

"A visitor at this time?" Dent asked as Kennith started dragging Murlock away from his door.

"Who knows," came the reply. "Boss never warns us of anything. Murlock, for future reference, that sound is kind of like a doorbell. We got guards watching for people approaching, so you can ignore it if the real doorbell rings. If you hear that chime, though, you high-tail it to the entrance. It means someone important is coming and Boss wants to give a flashy welcome. Just stand by me and keep your mouth shut until it's over."

The advice proved to be useless. As soon as Murlock stepped out the front door, Aster grabbed his arm and practically threw him to the side of the porch where Ross and Gregory were already standing. Murlock didn't comment, although he was grateful that he was placed with the newcomers. It meant that not following procedure would be overlooked. Meanwhile, the rest of the House's residents lined up along the moonlit pathway. Once they were all in place, Van Wolfe stepped out of the House with Chin, Kirota, and the regal woman following. Chin and Kirota joined the group of students where Murlock was standing, but the regal woman stayed at Van Wolfe's side and another girl stood next to Aster. It made Murlock wonder if the women were their wives, even though Mistress Neve had stated pointedly on numerous occasions that Van Wolfe was unmarried.

Silence fell. The men lined up the walkway didn't ask questions nor did they move out of their positions in curiosity. In comparison, Kirota, Chin, and Gregory couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. They wanted to ask the same question as Murlock did, but--

"Who's coming, Wolfe-sensei?" The girl named Ross asked from where she stood behind the other students, bundled in sweat clothes for warmth. Murlock felt somewhat sheepish when Van Wolfe answered without an admonishment for breaking the silence.

"His name is Poe," he said while keeping his eyes out on the houses across the street. "He's an old friend of mine who happens to be a full-blood vampire. Be on your best behavior around him. Don't let him throw you off with his sense of humor. He likes to make jokes, but he's very particular about manners. That's why I rolled out the welcome mat. Since he didn't call ahead, he won't show his face unless he knows that I'm waiting on him."

"Are you sure that you sensed him approaching?" The regal woman whispered. "I don't smell anything on the wind."

"It's him," Wolfe-sensei soothed in full confidence. "He's two blocks away.... One block...." Murlock raised his eyebrow at the man who appeared at the end of the pathway as if the wind had carried him there. His ebony hair was even longer than Van Wolfe's and loosely hung around his shoulders. His eyes were a piercing blue that was nearly white and his restrained aura pulsed violently underneath a thin skin of the purest white. The interesting part was how Wolfe-sensei's expression changed upon seeing him. Rather than being happy, his face fell until he was scowling. "Do you want to explain this to me, Poe?"

"Gifts," the man growled without taking a step forward. "One from mother, one from my daughter, one from the Phlegm Chief, and one from me. They wanted to have me to deliver six from each of them, but I managed to get rid of the rest for you. I don't think I have to tell you that refusing isn't an option." Murlock gaped when Wolfe-sensei's response was to stomp his feet and pout like a toddler who wasn't getting his way.

"I don't want them," he whined.

"Wait until you see them first," Poe chuckled. "Show yourselves, Ladies." There was a rush of wind as two women carrying two other women appeared between Poe and Wolfe-sensei. The two women being carried were set down on their feet, and then all four stepped forward and knelt in practiced unison. "Mother sent the vampire Misha," Poe introduced. "She's talented in both dance and massage and has agreed to service your intimate needs for the next forty years. Then we have the talented vampire, Dr. Frieda, from my daughter. She'll oversee your health for the near future, along with the health of anyone else in your Household. Don't underestimate her. She has twelve years of experience in human medicine and thirty years in vampiric. Next is my gift of Pyra. She's human, but a fighter with the senses and sharpness of any vampire. She's trained in six forms of close-range combat and has ten years of experience in both small weapons and large artillery. Finally, we have the Chief's gift--"

"Barb," Wolfe-sensei interrupted. "I remember her. She was the Phlegm assigned to work our territory. How is it that she's here in such a capacity?"

"She's been inoculated, Van," Poe answered in a soft tone. "The Phlegm didn't want to listen to the recall orders, but Barb vouched for you. She spoke out against several ranking members of her Clan, telling them that you were not the sort to accuse people without reason. The Chief listened and we found the traitor in his ranks, but the outcome doesn't change the fact that Barb stepped out of line. She's not so much a gift as the Chief is telling you to take responsibility."

"I see. In that case, all of you are welcome except for you," Wolfe-sensei said, pointing to the girl that was wearing a very formfitting outfit that was lined in white rabbit fur. "I'm sorry, Misha, but I have no use for a blood slave that can only serve intimate needs."

"Mistress predicted that you'd say that," the girl in question giggled as she lifted her head. "That's why I haven't been gifted to you. I've been gifted to Master Aster, the castellan of Master Wolfe's House, in order to be of service. Mistress found out that you've been hiring blood-slaves on a temporary basis from Mistress Neve when someone in the House goes into heat and she got jealous that you were borrowing slaves from someone other than her. She scouted me, trained me, and now I've come to relieve the House's needs so that her jealousy can be assuaged."

"Aster," Wolfe-sensei prompted with a growl.

"I understand Mistress Drake's intentions, but she made a mistake by gifting Misha to me, Boss," Aster replied with unshaken composure. "I won't turn her away, but I don't think she's prepared enough. If she survives my training, I'll put her to work in the House. Until then, I'd appreciate it if you allowed her to stay on a trial basis. A whore can be found on any street corner, but a concubine is difficult to find."

"So scary," Misha mocked while she puckered her lips in a childish pout.

"Very well," Wolfe-sensei sighed without twitching an eyebrow at the girl's attitude. "If that's what you want, I'll leave all four of them in your hands. Just keep them out of my hair." At a gesture from Wolfe-sensei, Aster ushered the four girls inside the House. Wolfe-sensei didn't follow, though. There was still an air of unfinished business between him and the vampire Poe. It was something that made Wolfe-sensei become increasingly irritable as seconds silently ticked by. "Damnit, Poe," he finally snarled. "Stop making things difficult! You know that you can come and go as you please here!"

"It'd be rude without an invitation," the vampire replied with a smirk. Despite his intention to stay quiet, Murlock had to snicker. Mistress Neve had forced him to watch some of the modern vampire movies so that he could see how regular humans viewed them. Because of that, he was actually able to grasp the joke for once. He wasn't the only one that let out a snort, giggle or other burst of amusement. Several others did, as well, although a growl from Van Wolfe quickly silenced everyone again.

"Then consider yourself invited," Wolfe-sensei snapped.

"Invited by who?" Poe asked with his smirk widening into a full-blown grin. For some reason, the question made Wolfe-sensei's face turn a bright shade of red and he instantly lost every trace of decorum. Murlock was shocked at the tantrum that he abruptly blew up into. It was a far cry from the man that had acted so admirably at the Venice House. Wolfe-sensei even went so far as to pull off his hat off, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it repeatedly.

"Damnit!" He blurted, falling to a stop in order to pant from his exertions. "How am I supposed to pick?! If I say I'll be the father-in-law, then that means you're going to give me a headache by acting like a spoiled brat while you're here! If I say I'll be the son-in-law, then you're going to come after me with a sword again! I lose either way!"

"He he," Poe chuckled in open amusement. "That's what you get for accepting proposals from both my mother and my daughter."

"How was I supposed to refuse?!" Wolfe-sensei exploded while jaws dropped left and right. "Adie bribed me and Neve sent a death threat! No offense, Poe, but your family is _too much--_!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Wolfe-sensei frozen in place. Seeing the blood rush out of his face, Murlock began to step forward in fear that Wolfe-sensei was going to start coughing up blood again. He wasn't the only one that saw it, though. The one called Poe beat him to Wolfe-sensei's side by a ratio of thirty feet to Murlock's half a step. However, Wolfe-sensei beat even Poe in reaction time by stooping down to pick up his hat to cover his lapse.

"Since I agree, why don't we continue the introductions inside where it's warm?" Poe suggested calmly. Murlock's estimation of the two rose when Wolfe-sensei agreed and graciously led the way inside as if he'd planned it. Everyone else was fooled, thinking that the break in conversation had been intended, but Murlock knew better. They'd both cut their greetings short because Wolfe-sensei was far from healthy and hiding it well.

Following Wolfe-sensei's composed gesture to follow him inside, Murlock once again had to wonder what gave Wolfe-sensei such strength. One way or another, he was determined to figure out the secret.


	121. Chapter 121 Student File: Aster

Author's Note: Just to clarify: These six chapters of Student Files is frankly 85% filler. Just saying 'Time passed peacefully for X number of months' is boring and leaves a lot of holes. Putting that aside, the main reason that I decided to do these student files is because nearly every character I create comes with a back-story (even if it's only a paragraph long). Heck, there's whole stories and plotbunnies that never got used because I had to keep the story moving. These characters and events would never be in the forefront under normal circumstances. Their stories and the behind-the-scenes things that happen would normally been summarized in a paragraph at most. There are tons of characters that I wanted to write side-stories about during this journey (Such as Ore's Granny, Ollie's Brother, Pandora, even Basil, etc), but I kept it pretty focused on Tsuna's journey until now. Since I needed to show Tsuna being seen as primarily a Tutor over anything else, I thought that these six Files would be a good way to kill three birds with one stone. 1. Time passes peacefully in the greater scheme of things and it's still interesting to read. 2. We see Tsuna finding his new place in the Mafia. 3. I get to write some of the scenes/events that would otherwise be lost.

Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying so far. After this, there's only one left to go!

P.S. I still wanna write the story of how Ollie steals a neighbor's dog to get revenge for.... NVM.

* * *

Inserting the lip of a bottle under his veil, Aster kept his attention on the files covering his desk while he emptied half a bottle of Master's blood wine. Master could be such an idiot. They were already running short on space, yet Master had accepted responsibility for four students, four blood-slaves, and still wanted a private room for Master Poe. And who's job was it to figure out where everyone was going to sleep? Aster. Who had to figure out how one small kitchen and a new cook could feed everyone? Aster. Who had to smooth out any troubles that came up? Aster.

Aster loved his work, but Master was a bit thick-headed. If they tried to squeeze one more person into such a small house, then the Fire Marshall was going to close them down. Hence the reason that Aster also had the blueprints for the new facility on his desk. Master had told everyone that they could build whatever they wanted, undoubtedly to keep them busy, but what Master didn't know was that Aster had been forced to take charge. There had been no choice after the third fist fight broke out on who was going to draw up the blueprints. Everyone wanted a say in what was going to go into the first Werewolf Stronghold.

Perhaps Master didn't appreciate how important such a thing was to the men staying with them, Aster mused. For Master, a House was just something to keep the rain off of his head and give him a taste of privacy. However, for the dozen werewolves that had offered support when the call had gone out that the Alliance was beginning to move, a House was a source of pride and a symbol of both unity and equality. After all, the Werewolf House was the first of its kind. Where vampires had always had their Sanctuaries, this was to be the first time that a Werewolf could build a haven that was all their own. Master had no idea of how energetic the werewolves in the House were because of it.

Of course, they were also temperamental because of it. There were a few who wanted to make it exactly like a Sanctuary, in order to show the Vampire world that they were equal in skill and magnitude. Others wanted the complete opposite, desiring a place that was the complete opposite in design yet somehow better. Both sides wanted Vaults and neither side wanted to compromise on the other luxuries. Actually, the Vaults were the only compromise that they had been willing to make before he'd taken charge.

He'd started with a questionnaire for everyone to fill out individually. Not wanting to limit the features of the House to just the tastes of those in the House, he'd also sent the questionnaire out to everyone in the Alliance. A two-thirds majority vote came out of it, making both groups of in-house werewolves turn into sheep. The majority that came back stated clearly that the bulk of the Alliance wanted a 'Modern Sanctuary'.

They wanted everything that vampires had, but they wanted everything to be built for the joint comfort of humans, vampires, and werewolves. Unlike the Vampires' Sanctuaries that harbored anachronisms in order to keep newly awakened vampires from suffering culture shock, they wanted the House to be built with modern luxuries. They wanted Vaults, but they didn't want private cryogenic chambers. Actually, several werewolves voiced a very strong opinion that Werewolves shouldn't be allowed to sleep like Vampires did. Sleeping in order to detach themselves from a particular lifetime was fine, assuming one was murdered or was forced to 'play dead', but sleeping for a hundred years out of distaste for an era wasn't the Werewolf way. To face the present and to see the future dawn with their own eyes; that was the motto that was quickly becoming popular.

There were other things to consider, however. For instance, there was a heated debate over what sort of cover that they'd use for the place since normal, average humans would pass by it daily. Some wanted it to be a private residence while others wanted it to be a company headquarters. There were those that wanted to cut off all ability for outsiders to come close while others wanted outsiders to move around freely in utter oblivion of what was truly around them.

That was where Aster came in. Building a small house and making the Headquarters completely subterranean was completely out of the question. The power-usage alone would attract attention to officials that there was something strange going on. However, also making it into a business front was out of the question. While such a thing worked with a small house like they were using, Werewolves from all over the country would be coming to visit once it was open. Therefore, privacy was also important. He also had to keep in mind that they weren't safe. Completely disengaging themselves from humanity was a good way to make it easy for Hunters to attack. Because of that, they needed a base where innocent people would become a protective barrier. It was cruel, but even Hunters wouldn't attack in plain sight. Finally, there was the budget to consider. Keeping the Werewolf Stronghold running couldn't depend on Master's money. After all, he had Lord Chandler's Sanctuary to rebuild and finance. Borrowing some of that money for Werewolf usage had already put him on several Councilors' bad sides.

The idea that Aster decided on in the end was a complete neighborhood development. Master had managed to buy out nine city blocks worth of neighborhood housing. Dividing that area up, Aster's plan began to take shape. The corner blocks would be apartments, hotels, and housing alternatives for them to use in creating revenue. To the north and south would be small convenience-sized strip malls. They wouldn't be large since the idea wasn't to compete with the department stores and malls a few miles down the road. The idea was to give them a way to order supplies from wholesale while hiding under a legitimate front of grocery stores, restaurants, clothing outlets, surplus stores and 'locally owned' businesses. With the apartment buildings so close, a shopping center would have likely appeared anyway. Building it for themselves just meant that they could control it completely.

The east and west block would be different, however. To the east, there would be a set of office buildings and a small free charity clinic. The offices were to be split with half going as rentals for revenue and the other half being fronts for the apartment buildings, stores, and their other assets. The clinic was there simply to give back to the community that would settle around them, along with being a nice, fat tax deduction. To the west would be the extra facilities that would be open to the public including a boxing gym, a car repair garage, an arcade, and a cram school.

In the center of it all was to be the Tenth Street Park. The park would have playgrounds for children and jogging paths. The terrain would be cultivated to create bridges and ponds. Hillside picnic spots would be common and perhaps they could have some street vendors work the area. Underneath would be another story, though. Accessed from a key location in each of the surrounding eight blocks, the actual House would be an underground labyrinth that cleverly hid around the city's sewer systems, water pipes, and underground electric cables. It'd be an expansive facility that was only a quarter of the size of Venice Row, but layered to give everyone plenty of breathing space. It was there that they would have the Werewolf Vaults, training areas equipped to handle their strength, pleasure areas to satisfy the pickiest of Council Members and a Grand Hall that was large enough to gather the entire Alliance.

It was a large-scale plan and he was glad that he'd gotten everyone's agreement so quickly. Just the demolition of the surrounding area was going to take another three weeks. Each block held up to six houses with yards and fencing. They'd managed to clear out three blocks so far, but there was still a lot to do. Twelve werewolves could erase a house in a day if the foundation was left. Equipped with the help of bulldozers, a wrecking ball, and jackhammers, they could turn a block into nothing but dirt within four days. If he pushed them, wiping out the remaining five blocks could be done by the end of January. After that, crews could be hired to put up the buildings in the surrounding areas with a team of two werewolves overseeing the progress on each block. Access tunnels and hatches could be dug out and installed after there was a barrier of buildings surrounding the central area. Finally, the last stage would be to section off the Park area and build the stronghold behind the visual covering of the newly built, empty buildings. Once the Park was in place over the shell of their base, the rest would be finishing the interiors and that could be done at a much slower pace so that it could be given the appropriate attention to detail.

The horrifying part of looking over the plans was that it was only the beginning of Aster's tedious work. There were also the daily operations of the House to think about. That meant more than just meal plans and dealing with Master's sudden decisions. It meant keeping track of everyone's cycles so that no one would lose control in a damaging way. It meant ensuring that everyone was doing their daily chores and arguments were resolved before they came to blows. It meant finding an empty room when there _wasn't any _and it meant keeping control of a cock-tease that was only there to cause tempers to flare!

Calming himself, Aster repeated to himself that he'd found a room. Master Poe was comfortably situated for his visit and it'd only cost two blow-jobs. On the other hand, looking over his file on the girl named Misha, Aster growled to himself while he took another swig of blood-wine. For being _his _blood-slave, the girl sure didn't know how to act like one. It was true that the House had need of a full-time sex slave. However, acting like a common slut and causing the men to fight over her was another story. Twice now, she'd teased the guys to the point of fighting over her even though Aster had explicitly told her that she could only work with his permission. She was supposed to be a normal lady outside of the bedroom, but the lessons that she'd gotten from Mistress Drake had been more thorough then he predicted. Every time the girl left a room, she left a mess for him to clean up and he was getting tired of it. It made him swear that if she did it one more time, he was going to teach her the meaning of being a blood-SLAVE. She was making him, her Master, look bad and that was something that no blood-slave should get away with.

Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news. The three other girls were proving to be useful. None of them were happy that their quarters were currently the basement, but they were willing to make do until a more permanent arrangement could be made for them. The Doctor had already begun giving everyone physicals to get their health statuses on file and she'd taken over managing their cycles for him. The bodyguard had taken over the morning training regimen for the House and she'd slipped seamlessly into watching out for Master's safety when Aster couldn't personally do so.

The vampire Barb was worrisome, though. She did whatever was asked of her, but she seemed somewhat lacking in the motivation department. That was understandable since she'd been caste out of her Clan, but it was Aster's job to make her feel like she'd found a new Family in Master's Household. On her file, Aster marked down a reminder to observe her more carefully in the near future. The Phlegm's way was different than the normal vampire society, so perhaps watching her would give him some clue of the differences. Once he knew that, making her feel at home would be easier.

Finally, he went through the House's reports. There were bills to pay and their budget to balance. He had mundane maintenance that he had to delegate and there were request forms to look through. The stack of paperwork never seemed to go away, no matter how much he worked, but he knew that ignoring it was impossible. After all, a large portion of it was actually Master's work and it'd look bad on Master if it wasn't done. Not that Master wouldn't do it, of course. It was just that Master was already using so much energy to keep his illness under wraps. He was doing his best to finish the things that he'd started and he'd work himself to death if left alone, so Aster was just helping him by clearing away his redundant paperwork. Some of it would still need Master's attention and orders would need verification, but taking care of the tedious parts was something that Aster had no problem in doing. It was his duty and his privilege as Master's blood-slave since, ultimately, it was the only thing left that Aster could do for him.

That was something that left Aster tired in a different way than paperwork did. In their line of work, gay men were more of a rarity than Aster liked. About half of the Mafioso that he came across was homophobic. A large portion of the rest had no issues with homosexuality, but was also unyieldingly straight. It was only a small fraction that were gay or were hypocritically impartial. The impartial ones were the ones that gave Aster so many woes. They had no problem with being seduced behind closed doors, but they refused to even look at him in public.

Aster had no choice but to deal with such people, though. Master couldn't feed him and his veil only blocked out the scents coming from the outside. The piece of scented fabric helped him stay in control, but it couldn't do anything about Aster's hormones when he found someone that he was actually attracted to. There had been five of those so far and all of them had been casual customers at Pink's. Three of the five had accepted his advances and made a deal with Pink to sneak him into a booth: one had died in the line of duty shortly after, one had snubbed him on his second visit to the bar, and one came every Sunday to see him. The other two had come close to violence and had demanded free drinks from Pink for the so-called insult of his invitation.

He knew what Master would say. Master would tell him to try to go on a date instead of only thinking about sex. That was easier said than done, though. After all, where was he going to meet someone that was willing to go on a date? Finding someone who only wanted a quick diversion was much, much easier. He had to be careful to check their scents for disease, but Mafia men generally weren't stupid enough to have unprotected sex.

It wasn't as if he were starving, anyway. When he couldn't find someone outside the House to share an hour or so with, there were always those within it who'd grown accustomed to trading favors. Doing so had the risk of forming attachments since they saw each other every day, but there were at least four that he could sweet-talk into doing just about anything. Of course, only two of those were attractive, but 'beggars couldn't be choosers' as Master repeatedly said. Whether it was an attractive stranger or a friend, he felt much less dirty with them than he would if he waited until literally anyone would suffice.

Although, now that he thought about it, he hadn't accepted 'just anyone' ever since he'd gotten his veil. No, he amended. He'd become pickier since before then. Ever since that encounter in Germany where they'd first met Ulrich. Just thinking about that man made Aster's face turn pink. He could still remember Ulrich's name, even though he was just one of hundreds of people that they'd met while traveling the world. It was inconceivable how the man popped into Aster's thoughts at least once a day. The man had done nothing noteworthy. He'd been weak and smelly. He'd been more pig-headed than a boar and he'd had the face of a goat. There was absolutely nothing special about him: not his voice, his attitude, or his appearance.

Yet Aster couldn't get him out of his mind. He didn't understand it. Ulrich hadn't given off any strange scents and Ulrich hadn't shown even an ounce of attraction during their short time together, but just thinking of the guy made his heart act strange. It kept skipping beats and racing with adrenaline for absolutely no reason. He considered that he might need to go to the in-House Doctor to get checked out, but the problem was the side effect of a racing heart. He was positive that any Doctor would laugh at him if he tried to explain his condition while he had an erection. After all, it didn't take four years of medical school to know why his heart would be chugging along in those circumstances. However, the problem was that his heart problem started _before _the erection happened.

And erections made it very difficult to work, he mentally added as he set his pen down and laid his head on his desk in resignation. His whole lower body, from his hips down, was throbbing in tune with his pulse. No matter how much he wanted to focus on paperwork, his body was crying out for attention. It wanted to be fed. He could understand why the other guys all had names for their willies. After the beast was let out of the corral for the first time, it never wanted to go back in.

As always, Aster gave in immediately rather than fighting the urge. He knew that he'd lose either way, but taking care of the problem rather than shrugging it off would allow him to return to his paperwork faster. All he had to do was to grab a tissue from his desk, lean back into his chair with his pants unbuttoned, and let his fantasies run wild for a few minutes.

Master was in them, of course. He was the only person so far that had been an almost-fully-satisfying partner. Master had amazing hands, so it was Master's hands that he imagined stroking his erection from behind instead of himself. Since Master wasn't quite enough, almost-good-enough-partner number two was also in his imagination. He was riding Master Xerxes. No, he was taking both Master and Master Xerxes. It'd be a tight fit, but that would make it all that much better. Master would still be stroking him and Master Xerxes would tease his nipples. That left his mouth empty, though. So that meant he needed a third person. Since he couldn't think of anyone in particular to fill in the spot, imagining a faceless bodybuilder with an erection to suck on was enough.

Actually.... it wasn't enough. Therefore, he had to alter his fantasy a bit. Master got tired easy, so he could lie down. Master Xerxes was a bit of a control freak, so sucking on him was much more believable. He could easily imagine Master Xerxes pulling on his hair and forcing him around. That left the imaginary third in the back where he couldn't be seen anyway. Just knowing that he was there should be enough.

It was too boring if they were all just screwing him, though. They needed to talk dirty. Master would be praising him for being so satisfying and Master Xerxes would tell him to suck harder. The other guy would taunt him by squeezing on Aster's erection and telling him that he had to wait. His nipples would be pinched until they were as sharp as knives and the guy in the back would ride him harder while Aster choked on the cock in his mouth in effort to say 'no, stop,' despite how much he wanted them to continue filling him up so much with their-- Their--

With a strangled moan, Aster released into the tissue waiting in his hand and relaxed in his chair to enjoy a few seconds of utter bliss. It wasn't as satisfying as if his fantasy had come true, but it took the edge off. There was no sense in being untidy, however. Especially when everyone in the House would be able to smell him if he didn't clean up first. Of course, he wasn't one to make such an error. His seriousness had always been the one thing that everyone praised him on. He wasn't going to let his attention to detail slip just because he was getting used to interacting with people.

Although, he had wonder at himself for how easy it'd become to socialize. Once he'd found 'it', everything had fallen into place. He could show smiles whenever he wanted to and he was able to tell when people were looking for frivolous answers or straight-forward ones. 'It' had changed his perspective on everything. That wasn't too surprising since he'd been told that 'it' was the one thing that turned boys into men and girls into women. Still, he hadn't thought that 'it' would be something so simple.

'It' was unsurprisingly the act of sex. Everything had begun after Master had taken his virginity. Or, to be more honest, Aster had forced it on him, which was something that he'd sworn to take to his grave. He hadn't really been himself in that instance, so all of it was still a bit blurry. What he did know was that everything had changed after that. It'd started with his ability to seduce people. On the surface, it was nothing really special, but underneath was a different story. To seduce a person, one had to know what they wanted. Not what they were pretending to want, but what their true desires were.

Maybe his years of silently watching people had been for something after all, he mused. Sex had just given him an outlet to experiment freely and he was incredibly good at it. His batting average was sitting at a comfortably high percentage, even with his more recent strike-outs. From there, the key to socializing had been to work backward. Since he found understanding the inner desires of a person so easily, he'd just had to compare that to the discrepancies that they were showing on the surface. Correlating that with a surprisingly low list of explanations for such differences, it became easy to figure out what the person speaking to him was expecting. All that was left after that was to choose whether to go along with things or to intentionally abstain from meeting expectations depending on the likely results.

His ability to read through people was only the defensive part of why the people in the House followed his schedules. It'd only taken one time to see him go on the offensive and no one--NO ONE--in the House wanted to push him that far again. However, he had a feeling that Misha was going to force his hand. There was one rule in the House that never got broken. That rule was to respect Master's peace-and-quiet. Master didn't like it when people interrupted his peace-and-quiet.

Therefore, it was Aster's job to ensure that those who disturbed the peace-and-quiet were punished severely.

But not until after Master was served breakfast, Aster decided when a glance at the clock proved that it was time for him to get moving. He had to make fresh coffee, get the cook out of bed, and set out Master's clothes for the day. He also needed to take his multivitamin since Master would check his breathe to see if he had, polish Master's sword, and see about cleaning the scuffs off of Master's boots. There was also the paperwork to tidy up and--

Aster's head snapped up at the sound of a high-pitched scream. His reaction was instantaneous. Everyone in the house would be moving due to such a warning. He'd beaten it into everyone's head what to do if the Hunters chose to attack the House. One squad of six would be rushing to the second floor to secure Master's safety. Another squad would split up into teams of three, one of which would get the humans to safety while the other three secured the first floor. That left Aster to track down the cause of the disturbance and create a strategy out of whatever resources were closest. He just had to find out where the attackers had... entered... from....

"What's going on here?" Aster growled when the source of the scream turned out to be a perfectly healthy Misha. She was sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor in a nightgown that was far too revealing while a very sheepish Abel stood over her. It wasn't difficult to see through the situation, but Aster wanted to hear it from their mouths. He wanted a full confession since it wouldn't be fair to give punishments out over assumptions.

"It's not what it looks like, Vice-Boss!" Abel blurted, his face turning pale at the sight of the long needle in Aster's hand. "I was just going to get the coffee started and she came in here and started flipping her skirt at me! I tried to tell her to back off since you'd told us not to touch her, but she wouldn't listen! Then she threatened me--!"

"That's a lie!" Misha exclaimed, turning around from her artistically chosen position of 'victim' on the floor. The two immediately began arguing over what had happened, but Aster ignored their words. Misha's acting just wasn't good enough to fool him. A true victim wouldn't just sit quietly in a room with their attacker if there had been enough fear to justify the scream that she'd let out. The most telling part of all was how her heartbeat was steady despite the tears in her eyes.

"Quiet," he snapped. Abel obeyed immediately, not wanting to get on Aster's bad side. Misha, however, didn't shut up. She spun a very poignant story about how she'd come to get warm milk to soothe her nerves since the basement was so frightening. She told a tale about a beast who tried to force himself on her. By the time that Master arrived, ready and rearing to fight, Aster felt ready to kill something. Everyone but Misha knew it, too. They knew it because Aster had put a lot of effort into showing his emotions on his face, but his face still became blank when he got truly mad. Even Abel, who was having such slanderous things said about him, was too stunned by Aster's silent lack of expression to say anything.

"Well?!" Misha finally exploded when the room fell eerily still in the aftermath of her accusations. "Aren't you going to do anything?!"

"Yes," he answered quietly. That was all he said, but it was enough to flood the room with the scent of fear. The scent was instantly so strong that even Misha couldn't ignore it. She began looking around in confusion, not understanding in the least that for Aster to do _anything _outside of his schedule was very, very bad. That wasn't to say that the people in the House hated him for being so strict. They were actually all very good friends, but that was because everyone in the House knew were the lines were drawn.

Ignoring Misha for a moment, Aster swept his gaze across the men in Master's team. One by one, he gave them their orders without saying a word. To be more precise, Aster figured out what they would do in response to an expression that said 'Go Away' and planned around it. Two people assigned themselves to calling back the team with the House's humans. Another set assigned themselves to getting the schedule back on track. The last two disappeared, high-tailing it back to their rooms in order to hide until the call came that breakfast was ready.

"I'll go check on the other girls, and then head back upstairs to wash up," Master said with a yawn. "Don't forget to send my coffee."

"Yes, Boss," Aster agreed calmly as Aster was once again left alone with Misha and Abel. Seeing that she wasn't going to get the in-fighting that she was aiming for, Misha jumped to her feet and began an attempt to storm out of the kitchen. An attempt was all that Aster allowed. The moment that she tried to pass him, he lashed out with his needle and pierced a pressure point that he rarely used. He rarely used it because it caused permanent paralysis from the neck down. Misha was a vampire, though. Even as he hit it, Aster knew that the girl would be back on her feet within half a day, sooner with a feeding, but that was plenty of time to set up his punishment game.

"Abel," Aster said as Misha dropped into a boneless pile on the floor. She immediately began screaming and shouting, but there wasn't a single person in the House who would brave Aster's anger to come to her aid. Aster simply ignored her, focusing on dealing with the other person who'd been dragged into the situation. "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," he soothed gently, letting Abel know that his anger wasn't targeted at him. "This girl has been given some troublesome training, but I know that you wouldn't force yourself on her no matter how much she pushed your buttons. After all, you don't like pushy women, so Misha would have turned you off. I've already grasped the situation, so don't worry. Just continue what you were doing before this girl interrupted your day."

"Yes, Vice-Boss," he agreed in open relief. Taking the cue to leave, Abel darted out of the room, leaving an abruptly silent Misha in Aster's presence. Aster could tell from the expression on her face that she'd finally realized how much trouble she was in. Yet, Aster had already cooled his temper. Holding onto strong emotions was still difficult for him, no matter how much easier it'd become to keep a lasting expression.

"Misha," Aster murmured, kneeling down in order to push the hair out of her face. "Mistress Drake turned you on a whim. Didn't she? She's not the type of woman to care about the price of things as long as she gets her way, so she probably didn't even ask you if you agreed. You were okay with that... because you owe her something. I know because we all owe our Masters something." Putting his finger over Misha's lips when she attempted to respond, he shushed her and continued to let her know everything that he'd already figured out.

"I'm not done yet," he admonished before continuing. "You said for yourself that Mistress Drake is a woman who gets easily jealous. I can imagine the methods that she used to ensure that you'd do what she wanted. I can also guess what's going through Mistress Drake's mind. Master is bisexual. She thinks that with a House full of male werewolves and no women, everyone would be looking at Master with covetous thoughts and might forget their places. She sent you with orders to seduce every man that you came across so that no one would look at him in ways that they shouldn't. But your Mistress didn't account for me. She thought that you could come here and continue to serve her wants while giving me lip service, but I won't allow you to serve two Masters. You can throw your lot in with us, leave, or return to Mistress Drake. I don't particularly care which, but you'll regret it if you ever plot something that causes a disturbance in this house. If you ever scream like that again and I find that you're not bleeding, rest assured that you will be by the time that I'm through. Now which is it going to be? Chose carefully because I'm going to hold you to it."

"There's no choice," she answered, closing her eyes rather than look at him. Aster saw through her expression of resignation and knew what her answer was going to be before she said, "I'll stay." It wasn't as if she truly had a choice, after all. Going back would shame Mistress Drake, who'd given Misha as a gift in the first place. Running away was also out of the question. Mistress Drake might have hinted at what she wanted, but the only order that she would have explicitly given was 'serve Aster'. To run away from the exact orders just because she couldn't answer expectations would shame her as a blood slave. It would be equivalent of spitting on whatever generosity had put her into Mistress Drake's care in the first place. After all, a blood slave was never truly enslaved by their Masters. They were only enslaved to their own sense of security and their sense of duty to the ones that protected them.

"Very well," Aster murmured, accepting her choice whole-heartedly. It was what he'd been waiting on. From now on, Misha would work at Aster's direction instead of Mistress Drake's. That wasn't to say that she was working out of loyalty to Aster, but the tie to Mistress Drake was cut. In time, Misha would learn what Aster already had: that there were those who cultivated loyalty by collecting debts and those who earned it by giving loyalty in trade. Her debt to Mistress Drake was merely a phantom in her mind that would fade once she got used to the difference between Mistress Drake's method and Master's.

"Bite," he ordered, offering his hand to her. Her eyes flew open, startled by his demand, but he smiled in sympathy. "Getting used to a new sense isn't easy for everyone and you haven't been a vampire long enough to have learned how to properly feed. I can tell since you aren't already on your feet. The humans in this House are off-limits, so you'll have to accept what I can offer."

"How did you figure everything out so fast?" She asked curiously. He answered carefully, seeing that she just wanted to distract him so that she could bite down without his attention on her. Considering how messy she was with his blood, he couldn't blame her for the attempt.

First he pointed out her night gown. Vampires didn't sleep nightly, yet she was wearing silk that was aimed to seduce. There was also the fact that she hadn't shown fear like she would have if Abel had truly attacked her. Going back even further, there was her manner upon first arriving at the House, which had been both childish and spoiled. That told him that she was used to getting her way. There was what he knew about Mistress Drake after watching Master interact with her, along with his deduction for why Mistress Drake would send someone to Aster instead of Master.

Also, there was the fact that Misha honestly was a beautiful woman. Aster could imagine that she'd been told as much at every turn in her life and what he'd seen of her personality was enough to suggest that she liked it when men fought over her. It made her feel special, even though she hadn't cultivated anything other than her appearance. Aster had known from the beginning that any plot she would come up with would be less than believable. She simply wasn't cunning enough. That didn't mean that she didn't have potential. It was just that Mistress Drake's method of training had turned her into a whorish girl instead of a work of art.

"That's why I told everyone to keep their hands off of you," Aster finished as she finally sat up. Standing, Aster headed over to the sink and got a wet cloth for her to use in cleaning herself up. "They were playing hard to get because I wanted to see how you'd react," he added as he handed her the cloth. "You did what I thought you would, although I'll admit that I didn't expect you to put the whole House on alert. Real seduction takes more than forcing your body on someone," he continued as he rinsed off his hand and began work on brewing the morning pots of coffee. "The methods that you were taught are good enough for a vampire in heat, but the men that you spread your legs for won't give any care for your well-being. If you'd actually seduced anyone in this House, they would have tried to protect you no matter how angry I was. Since no one came, you should understand the situation for yourself. You would have been used and discarded just like the rag in your hands if I'd let the men have you. You still have a lot to learn when it comes to seduction."

Aster put a smirk on his face when Misha acted just as he expected her to. There was no way that she'd stayed nearly a week in the House without having heard of Aster's abilities. There was literally no one that wouldn't be tempted if Aster put his mind to it. Of course, that didn't mean that he always got a positive outward reaction. Sometimes the feeling of being tempted could make a person angrier than a hornet. It was knowing which ones would act on the temptation that made his abilities seem far stronger than they were.

"Teach me, Master Aster," she begged, bowing her head in humility. "Everything you said it true, but I don't want to be like that! I want to get better! I don't want them to just use me! I want everyone to love me like they love Master Aster!"

"Love?" Aster repeated, jerking in surprise at her unexpected statement. Despite his intention to cultivate a suave air like Master's, Aster blushed at the statement. It was true that everyone in the House listened to him, but that was just because they didn't want to see him upset. Saying that it was love, even platonic love, was a little too much. They were all just working toward the same goal right now. "Don't be stupid," he scolded, composing himself again as he poured Master's coffee. "Love is something a lot more complicated than seduction. If being good at seduction could make people love you, then...." Then what, he asked himself. Then his batting average would be a hundred percent? "Anyway," he said, adding sugar and cream into Master's coffee. "I'll train you to be a skilled concubine, but you're not allowed to question me and you have to follow orders. That's my only stipulation. If you can't do it, then I'll leave you as a maid and you'll have to look outside the House for bed partners."

"Yes, Ma--"

"Don't call me Master," he snapped, putting the coffee onto a tray along with an apple. "Boss is the Master. I'm still just a blood-slave like you. If you want to call me something other than my name, then just call me Vice-Boss like everyone else does."

"Yes, Vice-Boss," she said in growing confidence, smiling mischievously as she pulled herself to her feet. "You know, I always thought guys were boring when they got serious, but you're kind of cute that way. It makes me want to pinch your cheeks."

"Heh," he scoffed, not bothering to dignify her attempt at flattery with even a glance in her direction. "You can't seduce me, Misha. It's better if you think of me as a rival instead of a target. Now if you're done, I'll give you your first set of orders. It's in four parts. First, go take a shower, put your hair into a ponytail and change into a set of sweat clothes. Until I give you permission, beauty aids like makeup, hair styling, and designer clothes are off-limits. Second--" he continued blithely, ignoring how her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Go apologize to Abel and admit to everyone that you set him up. Third, after you finish number two, you're not allowed to speak until you get at least one werewolf come to me and ask when you'll be allowed to work. You're not allowed to write anything during that time or tell anyone about your goal, either."

"You can't be serious--!" She spluttered. "How am I supposed to--" Aster stopped her in her tracks with a single, icy glance. He'd said that she couldn't question him and he'd meant it. She could either obey and train to become an unrivaled concubine or she could become a common maid that scrubbed floors. The choice was up to her.

"Go have the Doctor Lady check you out from where I hit you," he added as he lifted Master's tray off the counter in preparation to take it upstairs. "I'm behind schedule, so try not to be a nuisance."

* * *

Aster felt worn out. Not even eight twelve full hours had passed since he'd given Misha her orders and she was already causing trouble. She was following orders, but she wasn't doing it gracefully. Rather than try to understand the lesson that he was trying to teach, she was sulking. He had no other way to teach her, though. It'd taken him nearly a week to prepare a speech for her, so it wasn't as if he could explain very well at a moment's notice. Besides, even if he explained, she had to find her own method of succeeding.

Her current lesson was supposed to be a correction in her body language. Since she couldn't communicate verbally, she had to rely more on the cues that were the foundation of seduction. A glance could convey volumes of information, but she was sending signals that were a complete turn-off to most men. A vapid stare was fine for a woman who was only looking for a one-night-stand, but a concubine had to have a demure set of eyes in order to entice her charges over an extended period of time. At the moment, she was showing how spoiled she was by how she demanded things instead of coaxing men into offering it to her. On top of that, her lips tended to curl up in superiority when a man did something she wanted and she was completely oblivious to reading the cues coming off of others. To succeed in the task that he'd given her, she had no choice other than to correct herself and open her eyes.

Unfortunately, he couldn't babysit her to speed up the process. Getting Master ready for school had been hard enough this morning due to her little interruption in his schedule. He hadn't even had time to take his own shower until after the shopping had been done for lunch. After lunch, he'd inspected the progress on the demolition happening in block three and did his part to help until Master returned from school with his students.

Attending to Master had taken over an hour once they were alone together. Master had to bathe more frequently to keep his scent from reaching anyone and he'd fallen asleep twice while Aster scrubbed him despite how much blood he'd been drinking recently. It'd taken nearly a pint from both Aster and P-chan in order to get him back on his feet again and, even now, P-chan was resting in her room to recover.

Aster hadn't been that lucky. Since Master was moving around the House, giving lessons to his students and praising the men for their hard work, Aster had to play his role as the butler. Answering the door had been left to Ross since Master wanted her to overcome her shyness in being seen in feminine garments, but there still had to be someone on hand to bring tea, snacks, and anything else that Master might want. So, he'd done that until dinnertime.

Thankfully, P-chan was on her feet again, so after-dinner service had been left to her. That gave Aster time to bathe, change, and prepare himself for his weekend job. Aster didn't know which was worse: Master's genie costume for him or Pink's leather one. The genie costume gave him more room to move in, but it made him feel like he was dressed for Halloween. The leather outfit was just as bad since it's form-fitting nature revealed every time that he had an erection.

Clothes aside, he had to admit that he had fun at his weekend job. All of the girls were nice to him, even though they teased him a lot. Apparently, he was only the second man to ever get accepted as a bartender instead of a bouncer. He was also the first man that Pink had ever allowed to work in the booths. It'd left him a bit surprised when none of the girls showed jealousy over it. Apparently, the girls that worked the booth didn't work on commission. The payments for their services went into a group fund that was split evenly every week. It gave everyone incentive to help each other land new business rather than competing to the point that customers were turned off by cat fights. Bartending in such a busy place was enjoyable work, too. He got to interact with people in droves while only having to remember three lines.

"What can I get for you?"

"That'll be..." and the total price.

"I'll let her know that you're waiting," Aster said, responding to an order placed for the girl Green. The man knocked on the bar with a grin and snatched up his beer before leaving to make room for the next person needing a drink. Aster took that person's order and filled it around writing a note on the order sheet for Green to see when she came back downstairs.

Like most Friday nights, the bar was teaming with people. He could recognize many of them, too. For example, the man ordering a three mojitos was from the Calcassa Family. The two guys that Pink was dealing with were from the Nubo Family. The three that Yellow was getting beers for were from Gospella. There were Cavallone, Lionesse, Tomaso, Vongola, Deter, and so many more. The Mafia was made up of over eight hundred Families, great and small, and nearly three-quarters had representatives in Italy who showed their faces at Pink's on one occasion or another. And because things were always so busy on the weekend, it was common for him to learn people by the Families that they partied with before learning their names.

"Red," Pink called around fixing a Slippery Nipple. "Go give Blue a break." Knowing that his reply wouldn't be heard, Aster left his line of customers to the back-up bartender and headed over to where Blue had been stalled next to one table despite her duty to make rounds with the tray of gelatin-shots. The guys at the table were showing incredible interest in her along with flashing money frequently, so sending her on break was just a cover so that she could work that table exclusively.

She understood the cue as soon as Aster appeared to take her tray and money-belt from her. While he sold gelatin-shots for her, she'd try and talk one of the boys into heading up to a booth with her. It worked like a charm. Before he'd even gotten a full table away from her, the guys were already offering her a seat so that they could supposedly keep her company on her break. Fifteen minutes was the limit. If she couldn't talk one of them into going upstairs with her in that time, then her time with the group wasn't going to pay off.

Selling shots wasn't hard work, so it felt as if he were getting a break, too. All he had to do was walk around at a leisurely pace. Customers would call him over to their table or approach him directly when they wanted one and they rarely needed change. Occasionally, someone wanted to know what the flavors were and he told them. Apparently the flavors were amusing, though, because several people chuckled at him when he told them 'Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, Indigo, and Orange.' He personally didn't get what was so funny. Those really were the flavors, after all.

He didn't like selling shots just because of the ease, though. There was also the fact that he could take his time and really get an eye for the people who'd shown up. There was always one or two in the crowd who was gay like himself, but had been dragged into the bar by friends. With careful flirtations, such guys could fill the night with something far more fun than mixing drinks. There were also those people that he couldn't go anywhere near. Vongola the Eleventh was one of them, although he'd already gone up to a room with his two favorites. Master Xerxes--Xanxus now--was another, although he'd gone upstairs, too. A few of his blood slaves were still downstairs, though, so Aster gave them a wide berth.

Then there was the back corner of the room that Aster always found himself drawn to despite how much trouble he got into. The back corner, which was far away from the bar, was where the more troublesome customers were. They weren't troublesome because they were violent or drunk, though. They were troublesome because they were too far away from the stage to be in the bar for entertainment. These were the ones who didn't feel like partying, but also didn't feel like spending the night alone. They tended to nurse the same bottles of beer for an hour and talk quietly among themselves in a depressed air.

The ones in the back corner were always so different than everyone else in the room that Aster simply couldn't leave them alone. The girls tended to skip this part of the room since shot sales and drink sales were low, but Aster had confidence that the guys could get in a better mood if they were just given a little attention. The problem was that none of them generally wanted the attention of a short gay guy in leather. That was why he went anyway. He went and he teased them and tried to break them out of their slumps regardless of the disgust that they initially showed him. He flirted despite their mean comments and he got them laughing at his own expense. By the time the Bouncers showed up to drag him away before the group turned ugly on him, everyone in the back corner was much more lively.

"Why do you always have to do that," Cocoa asked with a furious scowl, being one of the few Bouncers that disliked him intensely. "You know that they're never going to buy anything from you, yet it's the same thing every Friday. You go back there and nearly cause a riot by the time one of us pulls you out."

"Isn't it okay?" Aster asked with his voice muffled by the high-neck addition to his uniform that served in the place of a veil. Cocoa paused with him to look back to see that the guys were smiling and drinking with much more energy. "They aren't my friends, so their insults don't really bother me. But after teaming up together against me, they're happier now and happy people buy more drinks. Besides, I know that you wouldn't let anything happen to me. You might not like me, but you take your job seriously. Unless... Unless it bothers you that I rely on you...?" Looking up at the muscle-bound Cocoa, Aster kept his expression earnest like a puppy looking up at his keeper. It worked just like he thought it would. Cocoa was a complete sucker for people who were dependent on him and his face turned red in frustration.

"It's fine," he grumbled sheepishly. "Just be more careful next time."

"I will," he replied with a smile. Cocoa nodded and turned to head back to his post, but Aster didn't follow. He still had shots to sell. At least, that was what he intended to do. However, the floor that was rushing up to meet him had other ideas.

The next thing that he was aware of was the taste of wine being poured down his throat, causing him to choke and push away the bottle being poured down his throat by Pink. He couldn't even ask what had happened. He felt too dizzy and his heart felt as if it was going to pound out of his chest. He was absently aware that a lot of people were looking at him, but the room was spinning too much for him to see why. Thinking straight was impossible. They'd taken his mask off to pour the wine down his throat, so no matter how much he tried to focus on the person yelling in his ear, he felt too bombarded by scents to do anything. Happy scents, horny scents, worried scents, amused scents, and so many other scents swirled around each other to the point that Aster felt as if he were going to be sick. He couldn't breathe. He felt as if he was being suffocated and drowning at the same time.

Then one scent hit him. One solitary aroma cut through the rest and wrapped around him like a lifeline. Closing his eyes, Aster focused on that scent and used it to block out everything else. It was the smell of warm spiced cider and roasted chestnuts. The smell brought back comfortable memories; memories full of contentment and peace. It was a smell that he could cling to for the rest of his life in complete happiness. He wanted to know.... He wanted to know who owned that scent, so he opened his eyes and looked around to see where it was coming from.

Not to the left.

Not in front of him.

That was too far right.

It was there--

Aster only caught a glimpse of the person detaching himself from the crowd, but he didn't think that he was mistaken in recognition. It was Ulrich. Ulrich was in Italy. Even if he was mistaken, the possibility made his heart skip a beat before charging in erratic circles in his chest. No, he told himself. It had to be a hallucination. Ulrich was just a nobody in a nobody street-gang in Germany. It was impossible for him to be in Italy. He--

"ASTER!" Pink shouted into his ear again while snapping her fingers in his face. Everything in the room abruptly locked into place and Aster turned a bright shade of red in realization that he was sitting in the middle of Pink's bar with a ring of people around him. Reaching up, he pushed his mask back up over his nose to block out the smells in the room before they overwhelmed him again. "Are you okay?" Pink asked in worry. "You scared the shit out of us. You didn't have a pulse."

"I feel fine," he said in open confusion. "What happened?"

"No one knows," Cocoa answered from his other side. "My back was turned, but everyone says that you just dropped like a stone. Do you remember anything? Did one of those guys hit you?"

"Do you know of any reason that your heart would stop like that?" Pink added as Cocoa helped him to his feet.

"No--" Aster froze, turning an even brighter shade of red in realization. He knew what had happened, but figuring it out made him into an idiot.

"Do you remember something?" Cocoa asked in concern. Aster nodded, unable to keep his face from turning an even brighter shade in embarrassment. It was his own damn fault. He'd completely forgotten....

"Well?" Pink asked in irritation as she stood with the tray of spilled gelatin shots on her hip. "What is it?"

"...," he mumbled.

"Say it so we can hear you," Cocoa urged. "Who hit you?"

"No one..." he mumbled a little more clearly. "I'mmn...eat."

"You forgot to eat?" Pink asked with a raised eyebrow. Aster blushed even harder, to the point that the side of his uniform with laces turned into an inverted barometer of his embarrassment. Shaking his head, the barometer filled even more with red when Pink gave him a look that said he only had two seconds to explain.

"It's my cycle!" He blurted, filling the barometer in full. "I must have forgotten to mark it on my calendar," he continued, trying to explain in a rush before he lost his nerve. "I'm not a Panda-type like Master is. I'm an Incubus-type, so sometimes the first day can pass without me noticing. But my metabolism is still really high because of my cycle, so I became anemic because I didn't eat anything extra and I gave blood today! I passed out because I'm an idiot! Okay?!"

"I don't get it," Cocoa interjected while Pink gaped in disbelief. "Your cycle? How can you be on the rag? You're a guy."

"Not that kind of cycle!" Aster exploded, clenching his eyes and his fists shut as his embarrassment peeked. "You idiot! Don't make me say it!"

"I got it," Pink interrupted before Cocoa could make the situation worse. "I understand, so calm down. Do you need me to call Van Wolfe to come get you?"

"No," Aster answered, shaking his head furiously. The embarrassment was already bad enough. If Master came to get him because he did something so foolish, he'd never be able to look at himself in the mirror. "If I can just go get something to eat, I'll be fine for today."

"Good," she sighed in relief. "Replacing you would be a little hard on short notice. Just to be on the safe side, why don't you give your order to Cocoa and go lie down in the back for a little while? It'd be difficult for you to get food, eat, and return in a decent amount of time with your uniform on."

Nodding in agreement, Aster stripped off one of his wrist cuffs and gave it to Cocoa with careful instructions. Cocoa was to go to the Fuzzy Biscuit and give the cuff to the person at the counter. Then he was to tell them that he was unaffiliated, but Aster needed a Meal Set D at Pink's. After that, Cocoa was to come back since the meal would be delivered directly to him. Cocoa was confused at the instructions since the Fuzzy Biscuit was a clothing store, but Aster promised him that the instructions would get what he needed.

Once he was gone, Aster did his best to slip through the crowd unnoticed. Every eye was on him, though. After all, it wasn't every day that someone collapsed in the middle of a crowded room. Even the drunks had the sense to pass out against the wall. Even more embarrassing than that was the tight knot filling his pants. He still had the scent of cider and chestnuts on his mind, making him grow harder by the second, but he hadn't been at work long enough to meet anyone that he could--

"Hey! It _is _you!" Ulrich exclaimed, jumping up from the table next to the break-room door. Aster froze, blinded by the smile on Ulrich's face. "Hey guys," he said, turning back to his friends. "Remember that squirt that I told you about? The one that put me down in ten seconds flat? This is him!"

"No way," they laughed in unison, showing their levels of inebriation through their volume. "That can't be him," one of them called out. "That's a girl! You're telling me that you got knocked out by a girl?!"

"He isn't a girl!" Another bellowed in laughter, pounding on the table hard enough to make it shake. "He's got a dick! Just look at the size of that monster!"

"Hey, what happened a minute ago?" Ulrich asked, waving away his friend's comments in complete oblivion for how red Aster was turning again. It wasn't just embarrassment this time, although that was a large part since he knew how exposed he was. There was more, though. The blood was also rushing to his face in excitement. He thought that he was going to go insane with a feeling that he couldn't quite describe. It was somewhere between happiness that Ulrich had recognized him and the strange, giddy feeling that he was going to die at any moment. "Are you okay? You went down pretty hard. I was watching cause I was trying to figure out whether it was really you or not. Do you even remember me? I'm the guy that you--"

"I--" Aster blurted loudly before pausing to get control of himself. "I remember you," he said, blushing over the fact that he could hear his own heartbeat over the music. "Y-You're Ulrich.... um...from Germany. Right? I thought I was seeing things. You're... ah... clean." Aster instantly berated himself for the comment when Ulrich scowled. This was the first time that they'd gotten to talk since their first meeting and the best that he could come up with was 'you're clean'?! He could do better than that! "I mean... ah... um... you clean up nicely." _Nice save, Aster_, he told himself as Ulrich's face cleared. "What are you... uh.... if you don't mind me asking.... that is...."

"What am I doing here?" Ulrich asked for him. Aster nodded and bowed his head, feeling at a complete loss of words. "To thank you for one," he answered, making Aster's heart skip yet another beat. "You and that guy with you gave me a wake-up call that I needed. Here, why don't you join us and I'll tell you all about it? That is, if you won't get in trouble..."

"I'm on a break," he answered, waving his hand frantically to tell him that there was no problem.

Aster felt like he was in heaven when Ulrich introduced him to his friends and offered him his own seat. He was in heaven when Ulrich bought him a beer and he was heaven when Ulrich put his arm around him so that all of them could fit at the table. Then Ulrich started talking and Aster lost track of everything. He fell into Ulrich's story so deeply that even the throbbing in his pants faded away.

After they'd left Ulrich knocked out, he'd been arrested. His Uncle, a powerful man in the Kartoffel Family, had bailed him out, but it'd come with a condition. He either had to straighten up his act and return home or leave the city permanently. He'd already been sick of his lifestyle when Aster and Master had hurt his pride, so Ulrich had taken the offer and began applying himself.

Everything had been going fine for him until the Boss' daughter had returned from studying abroad. It was then that Ulrich had found a passion for doll-making, which the Boss' daughter just-so-happened to like. He'd courted her properly, giving her his dolls since he wasn't a man of wealth, but the Boss hadn't been too happy with the thought of having an ugly guy like him as a son-in-law. When Ulrich had went to get his blessings to propose, he'd been packaged up and sent out of the country faster than he could blink. So here he was, fostered out to the Lionesse Family with a death-threat hanging over his head if he ever went near his sweetheart again.

Aster's heaven did a nose-dive into hell.

But Ulrich wasn't giving up. Even an ugly man like himself could be made handsome with enough money. He was working hard for the Lionesse Family and selling his dolls on the side in effort to save up enough money for plastic surgery. The Family was much more supportive than his old one had been, since they hadn't seen how he'd been before. He was truly, incredibly appreciative of having been knocked on his rear by the two of them, because he never would have found his lady-love without them. It had to have been 'fate', so he had no hard feelings about it. Not anymore. Even with the hardship of being refused by the Kartoffel Boss, he'd finally found something worth fighting for. He was a changed man and he had Aster to thank for it.

Which, speaking of Aster, they wanted to know if the rumors were true about him. They had a friend who usually wouldn't come to Pink's since he wasn't into girls, but they'd be able to talk him into going out for drinks if the rumors were true that Pink's was catering to those with strange tastes. Aster didn't have to lie. None of them were that way, but they would still be happy if they could hook their friend up. He was a good looking guy, not ugly like Ulrich was. Aster would like him--

"Hey, where you going?" Ulrich asked when Aster slipped out of his chair. "You haven't even touched your beer."

"Sorry," he replied, feeling as if he was going to be sick if he stayed another second. "I still feel dizzy from earlier. I need to lie down or else I won't be able to finish my shift."

"Oh. Well, give that cowboy my thanks. I really--"

Aster waved away the rest, stumbling into the hallway leading to the break room before he fell over. He'd never felt so horrible in his life. His stomach hurt in a way that made him want to crawl back into the hole that Lord Nephriam had pulled him from and never show his face again. For some inexplicable reason, he felt bad in a way that couldn't simply be from his cycle. It reminded him of the time that Master had beaten him to a pulp to teach him how to run away. His whole body ached and he just wanted to drop to his knees and--

Realizing that he was already crying, Aster attempted to scrub them away as he reached the end of the hall. They weren't stopping, though. No matter how many he smashed into oblivion before they could fall, even more took their place. By the time that he actually stepped into the break room, he was crying too hard to see anything. This wasn't like him, he told himself as he fumbled his way into a chair and buried his head into his arms on the break room table. He needed to compose himself, not sit here crying like... like a cry-baby! It wasn't the first time that he'd been rejected... It was just the first time that he'd been rejected without even making a move. It was... It was the first time that he'd been rejected by a target that he wanted despite having already known that the guy wasn't attracted to him.

He wanted Ulrich. He could see that now. He'd wanted him since the first time they'd met. That was why he thought about him so often. Sure, Ulrich wasn't attractive and he had the face that only a yak would... would _love_. As soon as the word popped in his head, Aster had to ask himself if he was he in love with Ulrich. If so, he didn't like it one bit. It hurt in a way that he'd never felt before. He'd felt so happy when Ulrich had invited him to join them for drinks, but then his hopes had been crushed. Not only was Ulrich in love with a woman, but he'd tried to see if Aster was for sale for a friend of his. That _hurt_. It still felt as if he should have a knife sticking out of his chest, but nothing was there. It made him understand why Master's smiles never reached his eyes. It was probably because of this kind of pain.

Unused to crying, Aster's tears ended quickly. He could count on his hands how many times he'd cried in his life and they'd gotten shorter with each incident. In that respect, people really didn't understand him. In truth, even he hadn't understood why he'd been without expression until he'd been in Master's care for several months and had gotten the hang of being expressive. The reason was the common link between his parents, slavers, and government officials. They were all strict people who didn't take well to displays of emotion that were disruptive. Even Lord Nephriam had only wanted to see him smile.

Master was different, though. Master smiled no matter what emotion Aster let slip, which had made it 'safe' to be expressive even when it was disruptive. Since he didn't have to hold back anger, sadness, or even disgust, the happier emotions weren't being held back either. That meant that he was able to explore his feelings freely for the first time in his life. Whether it was something superficial like jealousy or something deeper like love, it was the first time in his life that he was allowing himself to face emotions that others had always known. No one was going to hit him for crying. No one was going to tell him to shut up and stop making noise. No one was going to take away his dinner and stick him in a hole with no light.

He knew that, but he still couldn't hold strong emotions for very long. In less than five minutes of crying, he already felt wrung out and dry. He knew that he probably looked horrible. His eyes felt puffy and his tear-ducts felt bruised, but he was still dry-faced by the time that the stage dancers showed up for their breaks. Turquoise, Lavender, and Maroon were energetic as always despite dripping in sweat. They talked and gossiped and teased him at least once every night, jokingly telling him that he should dance with them with how many 'quality men' that he'd snatched from under their noses. Normally such talk made Aster feel like he was being snubbed, but the three girls always did it with such good-natured smiles that he knew it was closer to a form of acceptance instead of rejection.

Like whirlwinds, tonight was no different from the normal routine even if he'd started his break early. The three girls talked over each other, interrupted each other, and filled in the blanks to their own amusement until they finally calmed down enough to ask who was right. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice his reddened eyes, so the question was simply why he'd fallen over. As for the choices, they were: someone bought him a shot of V Special, someone knocked him down, or he was sick. He answered with 'C', he was sick. Then they started guessing what he was sick with and he interrupted their game simply out of the desire to make them be silent for once.

"I'm in heat," he said bluntly. Unlike when he'd said it in front of Cocoa, he was too depressed to care if it was embarrassing. "It's the werewolf mating cycle. You've probably heard stories about how werewolves change under the light of a full moon. It's something like that, but it only happens four times a year and it lasts three days. We're supposed to eat to store up energy on the first day, but I forgot to mark the day on my calendar. I didn't eat anything extra and even gave blood earlier, so I passed out when I ran out of energy."

"Wha-?" Lavender gasped as all three girls crowded around the table in awe. "Are you serious, Red? You're a werewolf?"

"No wonder you're so different!" Maroon exclaimed in excitement. "I was wondering how a scrawny guy like you wasn't scared of the back corner!"

"Is that why you were cuddling up with that horse-face?" Turquoise inquired in shock. "Because you're in heat or whatever?"

"No," he mumbled. "That's...." He tried. He tried to hold back the new onslaught of tears that met the question, but it was harder than holding back a river with a dam full of holes. Before he could control himself, he found himself sobbing out the whole story.

He felt pathetic for breaking down at work, but he felt even more pathetic due to the shocked looks on the girl's faces. They were understandably taken aback by his tears. However, when the shock passed, he learned that the three were far more sympathetic than he could have hoped for. They'd been through similar events in their lives, so they were far better at giving advice than Aster expected. They were also more willing to give support than Aster could have imagined.

None of the three insulted Ulrich after he finished talking, although there was still honest disbelief that Aster had fallen for someone who was 'less than ideal'. What they did do was to tell him stories from their own experiences to help him put the situation in perspective. For example, Maroon had dated a guy who was married and claimed that he would leave his wife, but hadn't in the end. On the other hand, Turquoise had dated a man who was engaged and had succeeded in winning him over. It was Lavender's story that helped the most, though. She claimed that she'd dated a guy who'd refused to leave his wife, but they'd had a happy relationship because she was six hundred miles away with the rest of his family.

Their advice was not to give up. Ulrich had already been cut off from his lady, so there was an opening for Aster to slip in. If he could get Ulrich's attention, then there was always the chance that he'd give up on the girl. Even if he didn't give up on her, she was nowhere near him. A man could be forgiven for seeking a companion when he was lonely in such circumstances. That was what Aster needed to focus on. He shouldn't try for a long-term relationship at first. He had to seduce Ulrich into a short-term one and pray that Ulrich's feelings would evolve. For all that straight men ran from commitment, they also wanted a steady partnership. If given the choice between a 'what-if' that was hundreds of miles away and Aster who was next to him, the odds were good that he'd pick Aster.

"You can't lose now," Lavender encouraged. "If you put your mind to seducing him, Ulrich won't stand a chance. Have some confidence in yourself, Red. Feelings don't lie."

"Yeah!" Maroon exclaimed. "Especially if you've fallen for him and you can't figure out why! You shouldn't give up until you know that much!"

"That's true," Turquoise laughed. "Even if you don't get him in the end, think of the attempt as gathering information so that you'll understand better when it happens again."

"Again?" Aster asked, staring at the three in surprise. The three girls giggled and headed for the door as Cocoa walked in with the delivery bags from the Venice House. Turquoise laid a kiss on the oblivious Cocoa to distract him so that Lavender could give the parting shot for all of them.

"Other people will tell you different, but we say it as girls that know," she said with a wink. "Love isn't something that only comes around once. How often it comes depends on how often you open yourself up to experience it. So don't give up, Red. If it works, then be happy. If it doesn't, then cry. But no matter what, remember that the world is full of people who will make you happy. They just haven't found you yet."


	122. Chapter 122 Student File: Napoleon

The office was finally empty. Lowering himself silently from the ceiling crawl-space, Napoleon grimaced at the fact that his feet wouldn't reach to the desk. He had to let go and drop, which meant that he'd have to rethink his exit strategy. Get the evidence first, he reminded himself as his feet landed with a dull thud. Crouching down to minimize his silhouette, he waited for a moment to listen for a reaction. Only the nearly imperceptible hum of the security system met his ears. There was an alarm in the door, an alarm on the windows, and an alarm on the picture covering the room's wall safe. There were also probably pressure sensitive pads in the carpet, which is why he'd hidden in the ceiling above the desk before the system had been armed.

The mayor wouldn't be stupid enough to put important documents in the wall safe, Napoleon determined without moving an inch from his position. It was the first place that someone would look. That meant his target was hidden among the filing cabinets or the desk. The mayor was probably paranoid after so many attempts on his life. A man in such a state would want to keep incriminating things close by so that he could check on them often. That meant the desk. Where in the desk, though? The top drawers would need to be used often for his daily work, so he wouldn't put them there since they could get mixed up with ordinary paperwork. The bottom drawers were also out of the question since that would be the second place that someone looked. Perhaps he'd taped it to the bottom of his desk? No, there was too much chance that the tape would slip and a janitor would pick it up. The mayor would want it somewhere that he could always keep an eye on it. That meant it could only be in one place.

Shifting his position with the most minimal of movements, Napoleon picked up the keyboard for the mayor's computer and flipped it over. Just as he'd guessed, there was an envelope taped to the bottom. He wasn't foolish enough to rip it off. With it being out in the open, it was likely booby-trapped to keep it from being taken. No, what Napoleon chose as the wisest course of action was to pull out his field knife and cut the cord, taking the entire keyboard as his prize.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, Napoleon silently cursed and cut the phone line while he had his knife out. Tucking the knife back in his pocket, he had just enough time to slip the keyboard up the back of his shirt for safe-keeping before the doorknob rattled. Napoleon gritted his teeth. There was only one place for him to hide and he'd have to have split-second timing to get away.

It was a good thing that he always had three back-up plans.

As soon as the alarm disengaged and the door began to open, he silently slipped into a hiding position under the desk. Then he pulled out his remote trigger and pushed the button that would open the cages of rats that he'd hid in the ceiling when he'd first come in under the cover of being a mouse-catcher. It worked like a charm. The sound of movement in the ceiling directed the attention of those entering in that direction. Of course, that made them quickly notice that there was a ceiling tile missing from when Napoleon had come out, but that was just part of the plan. Napoleon had already determined that the missing keyboard would be noticed. He was just fooling them into thinking that the culprit had already fled from the same direction that he'd come in. And, of course, being in frantic over discovering a break-in, that person wouldn't waste time by walking around the desk to use the phone. He'd use it from the other side, but then realize that the line was cut. That would send him rushing out of the room for help, which gave Napoleon an opportunity to exit out the window of an unoccupied, unsecured room.

If only plans were foolproof.

One person did run out the door for help, but there were undeniably two people and that second person was staying in the room to make a call on his cell phone. Napoleon clenched his teeth in frustration. That wasn't part of his plan. It was okay, though. He still had two back-up plans left. He didn't particularly like the second one, but it was better than getting caught.

Shifting only slightly, Napoleon pulled out his pistol and screwed on the silencer with a speed that only came from practice. One shot, two at most would be all that it'd take. One in the chest, which would kill them if they weren't wearing a vest, and one in the head, which would finish the job regardless. Listening for the man's position and determining the man's relative height by the sound of his footsteps, Napoleon prepared himself to attack. He had to get off the shots before the man called out or got a hand on his own gun.

Alright. He could do this. Inch his way out from behind the desk, Napoleon kept himself nearly flat on the floor as he crawled around to the side. Popping up to shoot might be fine for some hitmen, but he had a better chance of shooting without being shot this way. Okay. He was in position. From his armpits down were still hidden behind the desk. He just had to wait for his target to pace back over into his line of sight, which he'd do in three... two... one...

Zip. Zip.

"Shit," Napoleon grimaced. Letting go of his gun, he knew that he'd failed the mission even before the buzzer went off and the lights came up to tell him that the scenario was over. Not ten feet away from him was Dino, staring at him in sympathy despite the paint splattered between his eyes. "'I'm sorry' just doesn't cover it, Boss," Napoleon said with an apologetic flinch.

"It happens," Dino soothed with an understanding smile as Romario walked up to offer him a handkerchief. "That's why we run these tests. Guys like you have a lot of potential, but you still get nervous and forget the basics. 'Aim before you shoot' doesn't always cover 'identify your target'. You can try again in a month. Until then, practice on the hostage ranges."

"Yes, sir," Napoleon said as he got to his feet. Dino turned to leave, having done his part in overseeing the new hitman testing. Napoleon opened his mouth to ask a question before he went, but thought better of it. He still wasn't good enough to be on personal terms with the Boss, even if Dino had recruited him as a bodyguard candidate for his son. Although, it might be better to say that he'd conned his way into being a candidate.

After meeting Dino's son only once, he'd known that he was meant to protect the boy. People thought he was insane for trying, but he didn't think so. He might not have muscle and he might not be good in hand-to-hand combat, but that sort of thing could be trained. He had something far more important, which was his intelligence. The man who won was the man who had a strategy and Napoleon always had a strategy.

"Oh! Napoleon," Dino called, pausing on his way out the door. Napoleon snapped to attention, putting his full focus on Dino in an instant. "How's the Tutoring going? Ivan said that you'd been selected by Van Wolfe."

"Oh," Napoleon mumbled, taken off-guard by the unexpected question. "I still haven't given him an answer, sir. I was going to wait until I got more information regarding the Ninth's death before I consider taking lessons from the man who claimed to murder him."

"I see," he replied softly. He stayed still for a long moment, going through an internal dialogue, before straightening up to face Napoleon with a smile again. "If that's the only thing holding you back then let me let you in on something, Napoleon. There is no better man in the Mafia than Van Wolfe. What he might or might not have done in the past is inconsequential to your decision. He's a skilled hitman who had years of experience under his belt and you'd be a fool to let personal feelings get in the way if he says that he has something to teach you. After all, only you can decide what to take away from his lessons."

"Yes, sir. Um, if I might be bold enough to ask--"

"Ask whatever you want," Dino laughed. "Just stop calling me 'sir'. You're making me feel my age."

"Yes, s-- Uh... Boss," he replied in a rush, seeing that Dino was looking at his watch in a way that suggested he was in a hurry. "I was just wondering when you were going to let me study as a red-tie instead of a blue-tie. At Don Girarde, I mean."

"What's the rush?" Dino asked with a lopsided smile. "You've still got plenty of time to--"

"But, sir-- Boss--!" Napoleon objected. As soon as the words left his mouth, Napoleon grimaced and reigned himself in. Talking back to his Boss wasn't going to get him the kind of recognition he wanted. "Forgive me, Boss," he murmured with an apologetic bow. "I was out of line."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Napoleon," he replied seriously. "Luca needs trustworthy protectors, but he's still young. It'll be years before he can form a Family. If you rush too much now, you won't be of any use to him when the time comes."

Napoleon nodded in acceptance of the logic, but he couldn't quite get his disgruntlement to leave his face. Luca was going to be an amazing Boss one day. It was true that he was still young, but he was also completely untarnished. While Dino had been playing the bachelor to draw attention away from Vongola the Eleventh, Dino's son had been growing in secrecy as a normal, happy little boy. Now that Vongola the Eleventh was of age and the Family didn't need Dino's aid in such a way, Luca had been brought into the Family's main Household. The competition between those who wanted into Luca's Family was stiff and nothing good could come from being patient. He needed to get stronger and he needed to take missions to gain experience. If he didn't, there was no way that he could compete for the coveted position of Right Hand!

"I'll tell you what," Dino offered in resignation. Napoleon instantly lifted his head in hope, knowing that resignation meant that a compromise was about to be made. "I have a level three assignment that I need taken care of. It's one level above you, but I don't have anyone who can complete it. If you succeed, I'll review your records and consider allowing you to go to Don Girarde as a red-tie. Fair enough?"

"Yes, Boss!" He replied in open gratitude.

"Good," Dino grinned in a way that made Napoleon throw his guard up. "Romario, brief him about you-know-what, then meet me at the conference hall. I've still got appointments today."

* * *

_Assignment Brief 3985201-A Priority Foxtrot_

_Confidential_

Target Profile:_ Van Wolfe_

_Surveillance Operative: Ivan_

_Family: Carter, USA_

_Real name: Unknown_

_Birthday: Unknown_

_History: Unknown_

_Current Whereabouts: Don Girarde, Werewolf House on Block 16 of neutral territories, Venice Row_

_Abilities: Largely Unknown; Above Rank 1_

_Salamanders: Set of 6, form and Flame signatures inconsistent, Demitirus anchor is inside sword sheathe._

_Weaknesses: Physical dependency for mastication of blood type "unknown". Loves apples. Emotional bond with protégé servant, Aster._

_Misc. Details: Werewolf; verified. Tutor at Don Girarde; verified. Omega Foundation Hitman for hire; verified. Rank S Price, verified. Brother of Reborn; unverified. Former Vongola Hitman; unverified. Murdered Vongola the Ninth; unverified. _

_Goals: Unknown_

_Surveillance Findings: Highly dangerous and unpredictable._

Report: _Rumors have been circulating that Van Wolfe has contracted the Bio-engineered Disease 'Centipede'. Our intelligence has cross-referenced this with reports on Trident Shamal's recent activities and has determined that there is a 90% likelihood of the information being correct. A field operative has also reported intel from an inside source: A cure has been found for Centipede, but Van Wolfe is refusing treatment. _

Assignment: _Verify information and fill in unknowns in Van Wolfe's profile._

_Suggested method: Undercover operative insertion via student._

Notes: _Wolfe is currently giving full-time instruction to six students, all of which have moved into his household. Students include: Gregory Sawada of Vongola, Chin Lee and Kirota Lee of Lionesse, Murlock of Tomaso, Rosalind Roxanne Jazz of Martelli. I recommend sending Napoleon in. Wolfe has shown interest in him, more so than any other of our students attending Don Girarde. Napoleon has the brains to think on his feet and the combination of his attitude and his rough edges will make it unlikely that Wolfe will turn him away. He probably has the best chance to get the information due to his intelligence. He won't fall for Van Wolfe's smooth-talking nor will Wolfe find Napoleon's presence unusual. --Ivan_

Notes: _Taken into consideration. --Dino_

Notes: _Verbal authorization by Dino. Briefing given by Romario. Time limit: Unspecified. --Romario_

Napoleon gritted his teeth while he packed his suitcase. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the assignment was low priority, but he understood what Dino wanted from him. By giving him such an assignment, Dino was practically ordering him to take lessons from Wolfe-sensei. Despite that, he didn't doubt that the report was also legitimate. His own observations showed that Wolfe-sensei was likely ill with something. The combination was frustrating. What made it even more frustrating was all the work that he'd put into making a decision for himself about Wolfe-sensei's offer. None of it mattered anymore because Dino needed him to accept regardless of his own opinions.

Then again, Wolfe-sensei wasn't going to be fooled by someone posing as his student. Observations also showed that Wolfe-sensei was adept at reading people. If Napoleon presented himself to be Tutored, Wolfe-sensei would see in an instant that Napoleon had motives outside of being taught. If he was going to succeed with his assignment, he had to make up his mind and legitimately become his student.

He had to do it. It didn't matter if the assignment was low priority or not. It didn't matter if Dino had set him up or not. The only thing that mattered to him was the promise that he could stop wearing that humiliating blue tie when he succeeded.

Blue ties were people who were connected with a Family and knew about the Mafia, but weren't hitmen. Blue ties were the boys and girls who got protected instead of doing the protecting. They were the ones that were only around for emotional support and had no skills of their own. It was a mark of weakness and a symbol of shame. As long as he was a blue tie, there was no possible way that his rivals for the position of Luca's Right Hand were going to take him seriously. It was unlikely that even Dino was taking him seriously.

He was going to be Luca's Right Hand, even if he had to die trying. He'd decided that six months ago and he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way. He needed to become stronger and he needed to get a reputation. Blue ties didn't get reputations. Blue ties didn't become influential people. Blue ties weren't regarded highly as people with potential and Mafioso to be feared. Luca needed someone like that! Luca needed someone who was strong and skilled, but Napoleon wasn't getting any stronger as a blue-tie! There was nothing challenging him in such a position! If completing this assignment allowed him to be a red tie, then he'd become Wolfe-sensei's student and retrieve the information. However, he had to erase his hesitation to do that and it was difficult since he felt that he had reason to hesitate.

Unlike what others thought, Napoleon didn't have a problem with Wolfe-sensei's misdeed against Vongola the Ninth. If Luca told him that he had to, Napoleon knew that he'd kill Dino in a heartbeat. There was nothing wrong with that. Everyone had their loyalties and Wolfe-sensei had to have been following his own when, and if, he killed the Ninth. That wasn't the issue at all. The issue was that Wolfe-sensei was Vongola the Tenth.

There was no way to be completely certain unless Wolfe-sensei admitted it himself, but Napoleon didn't think that he was wrong. The time frame that he'd been in Vongola, that he had access to murder Vongola the Ninth in a way that left him unnoticed by others, his hesitation on answering whether the Eleventh would recognize him and his hidden agenda toward the Eleventh with those origami cranes that he kept giving; all of it pointed in one direction. Napoleon's only doubt stemmed from the fact that Vongola already had a recovered Vongola the Tenth retired in the wings. There couldn't be two Tenths. That meant that one was fake.

Even so, all evidence pointed to Wolfe-sensei being the Tenth rather than the one in Vongola's keeping. Napoleon doubted that Wolf-sensei's charisma would have allowed him to be invisible in Vongola's keeping. That meant that he was a known figure and the Tenth was one of the few that were missing from the Tenth's era. Wolfe-sensei had the ability to bring people together across lines of rivalry. That also corresponded with the Tenth's profile. Finally, there were Wolfe-sensei's preferences. There weren't many Mafioso who were openly gay or bisexual; there were even less who were well-known. In the Tenth's era, there were only two; the Tenth himself and his Rain Guardian Takeshi Yamamoto. Once a person permitted leeway for ten years of alteration to physique and personality, the probability that Wolfe-sensei was anyone other than the Tenth went down to a mere three percent.

Assuming that he was correct, the question was whether or not Napoleon could accept being taught by a man who abandoned his loyalties and left his Family in the hands of a child. No matter how much Napoleon wanted to serve Luca, the thought of forcing him to be a Boss before he was ready was wrong. It would shatter his innocence and make him unhappy. That the Tenth had been willing to do that to his own son left Napoleon slightly nauseated. No matter what reason he had for his actions, Napoleon couldn't imagine anything that would make it acceptable.

It came down to principles in the end. By becoming Wolfe-sensei's student, he would have to accept the man's methods. No matter how much he thought about it, he didn't think that he could do it. How could he do it when the chances were high that he'd just become another puppet that would dance to Wolfe's tune? Napoleon refused to be like that. He refused to be like the rest of Wolfe's students who were so sickeningly adoring of their Tutor that they'd forgotten their loyalties to their Families. A Vongola sitting next to a Lionesse? A Martelli sitting next to a Tomaso? It was all wrong. Those Families shouldn't be talking together unless it was across a negotiation table!

There was a reason that Families didn't socialize outside of their own House unless need warranted it. That reason was because it was difficult to kill someone that had once sat across from them. Wolfe-sensei's methods might seem nice on the surface, but he was doing nothing but torturing his charges. He was setting all of them up for extra pain when the day came that they had to choose between their Families and their friends. Napoleon couldn't accept that. He wasn't going to allow himself to be led astray by a few smiles and smooth-talking. Luca was the only person in the world that mattered.

He didn't like it, but he knew that he had to admit it to himself if he was going to succeed in his mission. He had to admit that he was scared of falling into the trap of making friends. Even the Lionesse heir and Vongola the Eleventh's brother had fallen for it. He was afraid that he'd end up just like them, wasting his time with laughter and meaningless, superficial relationships. He couldn't let that happen. He had to reach his goals. He had to do what he'd set out to do. He couldn't be defeated.... He couldn't be like his father. No matter the price, he would never let that happen.

_"Don't cry, John," Luca encouraged with a dazzling smile. "I'll cheer for you, so just do your best."_

Napoleon smiled at the memory. That memory always came up when he began to feel the pressure. Luca had saved him. Even though he was young, Luca had reached his hand out and pulled him out of a darkness that no one else had seen. Napoleon had been in the Family for a year, but it'd been a mere six months ago that they'd met for the first time. It'd actually been right after his first encounter with Wolfe-sensei. When the Family had returned home, it'd been to find that Dino had a secret to share with the Family. He wasn't ready to share it with the rest of the world yet, but he'd told everyone in the Family about his son who'd been fostered out in hiding for nearly ten years and had introduced him.

Less than a week later, not only had Luca remembered that his real name wasn't 'Napoleon', but he'd given support when no one else had been looking his way. Looking back, it was all a little foolish. The Cavallone had a yearly tradition of a Family-wide Chess Tournament to decide who was going to be the Boss' Chess partner. Everyone had considered Napoleon a dark horse to win, considering how many wins were listed in his profile. However, they'd been supporting and encouraging the standing champion to 'teach the new guy a lesson'. The part that none of them had known was Napoleon's past and his issues with competition.

Napoleon's father had been in research and development. He'd designed hundreds of things in his lifetime, ranging from a more efficient vending machine to the stabilizers that were used in hover boards. He'd loved to create, but his inventions had never been cheap things to make. Funding had always been an issue and he'd cut out a lot of luxuries from their Family life to make ends meet. He'd done his best to make up for the lack, putting his spare time and energy into teaching Napoleon Chess and card games, but things had never gone smoothly for them. There was always someone around who took his father's inventions, perfected them, and then took all the credit.

The science fair had been meant to change all that. Father had spent months in his laboratory, perfecting an invention that he'd worked years on so that he could win the prize money attached to the blue ribbon and end their financial woes. If he'd won, their days of worry would have been over. But he'd lost. A single error in his presentation had given the whole scientific community an opening to mock him. Without giving his invention a chance, they'd called it idealistic and impossible. They'd destroyed his pride and his life. He hadn't had the will to live after that. With the very thing that would have been their salvation if he'd won, his father had been driven to suicide with defeat.

Those memories had continued to surface, long after he'd been taken in by the Cavallone Family. Wolfe-sensei had forced him to voice the fears that were embedded into him from his past, but it was Luca who'd given him the strength to face it. While everyone else had wanted to squash him, Luca had been like a wall at his back. To hear that someone was rooting for him... To know that there was someone who could see his pain, even though he never shed a tear.... It'd saved him. With a single child's innocent cheers, he'd been able to take a step forward. It'd been the first time since his Father's death that he'd been able to compete without feeling as if he were suffocating. It had been the first time since his father's death that he'd taken up a challenge and hadn't felt as if he were going to die if he lost. Then, when he _had _lost the chess match, it'd been Luca's smile and Luca's praise that had given him the ability to shrug it off. It'd been Luca who'd given him the strength to face forward and turn his attention to the future instead of dwelling on his failure.

He owed Luca more than the boy would ever know because of that.

Even if he didn't like Wolfe-sensei's methods, he had to find some method to be accepted as Wolfe-sensei's student so that he could meet his goals. No matter what, he was going to become a red-tie and get stronger. He was going to build a reputation and become someone worthy of being Luca's Right Hand.

* * *

Unlike what was expected of him, Napoleon worked quietly over the course of the following three days while he came up with his plans of attack. Going through the front might have worked for Wolfe-sensei's other students, but Wolfe-sensei would be suspicious of such a move by Napoleon. That meant that he had to find some way to create an opening by using what he knew that Wolfe-sensei knew about him. He thought that he had it, but the plan required that Wolfe-sensei be the one to make the first move.

To lure him into making that first move, Napoleon gave him cues to read. He gave sidelong glances that were turned away a split second too late to go unnoticed. Whenever he came across Wolfe-sensei in the hallways, he slowed his steps as if he had something that he needed to say. Even when they just-so-happened to be in the library together, Napoleon hovered over the bookshelves in his proximity to give him the silent message that he needed to talk to him.

Van Wolfe never took the bait and Napoleon soon realized that it wasn't because he wasn't aware of it. A single smirk was all that it took for Napoleon to know that he'd been underestimating Wolfe-sensei. Wolfe-sensei saw Napoleon's cues, but he was purposely ignoring them. It was frustrating, but the response was the same one that he'd have given in a similar position. After all, when it came to a battle of wits, the one to react first was that was put at a disadvantage

From there, Napoleon had two options. He could let it be a waiting game and erode Wolfe-sensei's patience or he could try a surprise frontal assault. Both tactics had their pros and cons. The first method would put him at an advantage, but he didn't want to waste that kind of time. The latter would put him in an inferior position, but would gain him precious time. The deciding factor was Wolfe-sensei's personality. Since he'd shown amusement at the attempt to lure him in, he wasn't going to fall for a patient waiting game. There was also Wolfe-sensei's illness to contend with. It'd been progressing steadily and it was reaching a point that he couldn't hide it very well. At the rate that he was deteriorating, Napoleon's best estimate was that he'd be dead before summer arrived.

So, he chose the frontal assault despite how uncharacteristic it was of himself and prayed that the element of surprise was with him. Unfortunately, before he could plan out the when and where, Wolfe-sensei pounced. Napoleon was caught off-guard since he'd already discarded his first plan as a failure. He was positive that Wolfe-sensei had been planning to continue ignoring him! Yet, halfway through his course in Mafia History, Wolfe-sensei barged in, interrupted the class, and took a careful seat on Napoleon's desk as if they were about to have a private chat.

"Did you want something from me?" Wolfe-sensei asked as he crossed his legs leisurely and smiled. Napoleon's eye twitched and his return smile only covered half of his face in shock. How could he come up so casually and ask something like that?! What happened to having a strategy?! Hadn't they been playing mind games?! "We were," Wolfe-sensei answered as if he'd read Napoleon's mind. "But you just lost." Napoleon paled. It wasn't possible that his mind was really being read. Wolfe-sensei was just taking lucky guesses. Calm down. He could still salvage th-- "I can still salvage this," Wolfe-sensei repeated in his ear, making Napoleon's mind go blank. "All I have to do is get him to play chess against me and I can trick him into accepting me as his student."

Napoleon's white face turned green.

"It's not going to work," Wolfe-sensei replied to Napoleon's thoughts. "If you want me to teach you, that's one thing," he explained as he slid off the desk. "But if you're going to lose on purpose so that you don't have to injure your pride, then that's another. I don't take students who don't have the guts to stand up for what they want." Napoleon flinched, feeling the scolding hit home. Wolfe-sensei was right. For something like this, he should have just-- "Did you think that's what I was going to say?" Wolfe-sensei asked with a demented chuckle. Napoleon's head snapped up in surprise, only to find that Wolfe-sensei had a particularly demonic expression exuding from under his mask. It was full of so much contempt, amusement, disgust and sarcasm that all of Napoleon's knowledge of Wolfe-sensei's personality went flying out the window. "Are you kidding me? You're exactly the kind of hopeless nut-case that I prefer. We'll play at lunch. It's no fun watching you squirm without an audience."

As Wolfe-sensei swept out of the room, Napoleon felt as if he were going to throw up. Not only had he been outmaneuvered, but he was already beginning to regret taking on the mission. How was he supposed to plan a strategy when Wolfe-sensei's personality changed so much in the space of mere seconds?!

"M-Monster," he mumbled to soon as the words left his lips, panic set in. He couldn't let someone like that be his Tutor! He was going to be eaten alive!

Assignment or no assignment, there was no way in hell that he was going to lose!

* * *

He'd been tricked. No matter how much he stared at the chessboard, he found it impossible that he'd lost. The classmates surrounding him were just as shocked and confused as he was. There were no excuses to give, though. From the start, Wolfe-sensei had said that they'd play Mafia Chess instead of regular chess. He'd agreed, thinking that the differences were superficial, but his assumption was what had caused him to lose. He'd lost from the moment that he hadn't asked for the details on the rules while Wolfe-sensei had gestured for them to set up each other's pieces.

Visually, he could see the difference in the chess pieces. Kings were stately figurine Bosses with mantles and fedoras. Queens were still Queens, but their figurines had sleek dresses and fur coats. Bishops became the Right- and Left- Hand men, both pointing their right and left hand out respectively to order the pawns to move. The knights were Generals with rifles and raised fists. The rooks became illusionists with cloaks and staffs while pawns were simply hitmen. All of them moved in the same ways that normal chess pieces did and everything superficially seemed the same as normal chess.

Yet, there had been more than just visual differences. At first, Wolfe-sensei had called 'check' so many times during the game that everyone had been positive that he had no idea how the game was really played. After all, he kept calling it when the Boss had dozens of ways out of danger. It wasn't until after checkmate came that Wolfe-sensei reminded him that they were playing Mafia Chess. The very reason that they'd set up each other's pieces was that Wolfe-sensei had marked the bottom of one of Napoleon's hitmen as a 'spy'. Each time Wolfe-sensei had called 'check', he'd been giving Napoleon hints on the possible infiltrator.

Napoleon hadn't seen the warning signs, though. He'd naively thought that Wolfe-sensei was just trying to shake him up by pretending to be a really bad chess player, especially when he willfully removed pieces from his own side in exchange for his turn. That had just been good strategy, though. There were four pieces next to Wolfe-sensei's elbow, all of which were 'alive', but taken out of play since Wolfe-sensei had believed that Napoleon had placed an assassin on his side. As for Napoleon, he had a handful of Wolfe-sensei's pieces, but he'd lost his King to a combination attack by an assassin, a General, and an Illusionist.

He didn't have any excuse for losing. It'd been too late to say that he didn't know the rules when he'd moved his first piece. Wolfe-sensei had been leading him around by the nose for the whole game and the smirk on Wolfe-sensei's face said that he knew it. Napoleon clenched his teeth together in frustration, knowing that the game had begun before they'd ever sat down to play. Wolfe-sensei's personality change had shaken him into going against Wolfe-sensei with all of his skill. Wolfe-sensei had _wanted _to crush him when he was seriously trying to win in order to show him the undeniable difference between them.

"If you want to try again with regular Chess, I promise you that the outcome will be no different," Wolfe-sensei murmured as he polished an apple against his sleeve. "But I figured that Mafia Chess would be more fitting, considering the circumstances. After all, you're not looking to be normal. Now are you?"

Napoleon gritted his teeth loud enough to cause several of their audience to jump in place. The bastard was right. He was also better than him at strategy. He hated to admit it, but he had to grudgingly accept that Wolfe-sensei might be capable of teaching him a few things. Napoleon also had to accept that it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought to pull information out of him. Rather than take twice as long by making wrong moves, he needed to swallow his impatience and work carefully. Starting by gaining access to Wolfe-sensei's home.

"I lost," he said to formally admit his defeat. Allowing a measured amount of his irritation to show, he glared at the Tutor in warning and added, "I guess I should have been better prepared, considering who you are."

"Ooh," Wolfe-sensei murmured, perking up in interest. "Do my ears deceive me or was that a threat?"

"I guess it depends on how well you teach," Napoleon replied as his confidence rose enough to allow a smile. "A poorly taught, neglected student can run his mouth a lot. I hope that you're a good Tutor, _Wolfe-sensei_. Who knows what would happen if I felt neglected with how much attention you give your other students." Glancing over at the trio of his students who'd stayed around to watch the match, Napoleon made sure that he got his point across with a smile in Gregory Sawada's direction. The way that Gregory's eyes widened gave Napoleon the confirmation that he needed; the boy knew exactly who his so-called Tutor was. "I do hope that you have rooms open."

"I think arrangements can be made," Wolfe-sensei said, pointedly not following Napoleon's gaze. "But no matter what you think you have on me, I'm not going to give you any special treatment. I'm a Tutor and I'll give you the best instruction that I can because that's my job. If you want to shoot your mouth off and make wild accusations, feel free. I just hope that your reputation survives such an error." Napoleon paled, once more getting the sensation that he was going to be eaten alive by the man sitting across from him. "Pack lightly," Wolfe-sensei advised with a devious grin. "What you bring with you can easily hit you on the way back out."

* * *

Unlike what he feared, his accommodations weren't as bad as he expected. The room was small, he had to share a set of bunk beds with Gregory Sawada, and his whole day was scheduled, but the House was clean, orderly, and there was an abundance of food. Actually, there was so much food that even a teenage appetite was overwhelmed with how much was offered. Not that they were given the chance to get fat. After all, hell began before breakfast.

They'd warned him, but he hadn't quite believed that everyone in the House got up before dawn. However, he believed when Aster dragged him out of bed and stuffed him into a pair of sweatclothes before dragging his half-awake body outside to stand in a work-out formation with everyone else. By the time that he was awake enough to actually comprehend what he was doing, he was jogging in circles with a Gregory in front of him and some strange man barking on his heels for him to move faster.

Assuming that he wasn't having a nightmare, he was doing a morning workout with every other poor soul from the House. He wanted to object since Cavallone had a self-training menu for him to follow, but the groggy expressions on everyone's faces didn't bode well for anyone who tried to break the routine. Even more than that, the treatment that the sole vocal dissenter got was enough to put a spring into his step. The routine that Wolfe-sensei's servant was giving a pretty girl in spandex on the other side of the yard was enough to let him know that he was getting off light by suffering silently.

After their warm-up stretches and the warm-up jog to get their blood flowing, Napoleon was awake enough to notice when Wolfe-sensei finally joined them for exercise. Part of him wanted to speak out instantly that over the unfairness of Wolfe-sensei being late, but his calculating side picked up on the worried glances that everyone threw in Wolfe-sensei's direction. Obviously, no one wanted him to exert himself in such a way. However, Wolfe-sensei wasn't paying heed to the looks in his direction. He simply began his own warm-ups out of the way of the main group while surveying everyone's progress.

Since Wolfe-sensei was wearing sweat-clothes instead of his usual costume, it was visible to anyone that he wasn't healthy. His fitted trenchcoat added much more bulk to his frame than Napoleon had previously assumed and his lack of a hat meant that there were no shadows to hide the pale color in his skin. With how his sweatshirt was hanging off his upper body and fit was purposely lose, it was painfully obvious how thin his limbs were. If told to describe him simply, Napoleon would have been willing to call him scrawny.

A few, quick calculations ran through Napoleon's head and he almost stopped exercising when he realized that Wolfe-sensei was the same size that he was. He was a foot or two taller, but they both had the same type of physiques. It was just that everyone around Wolfe-sensei had been fooled by the silhouette that his costume gave him. Seeing that made Napoleon wonder where all of his power came from. His body was too small to pack such a large punch and--

"Boss--!"

Pausing mid-step, Napoleon was at a loss when everyone went flying in the same direction at once. Giving chase, he barely caught sight of Wolfe-sensei coughing up enough blood to cover his hand before his servant struck him unconscious with a single blow. Unsure of what to do, he milled around with everyone else in shock. He hadn't thought that he would get verification so quickly, but it was true. Wolfe-sensei had Centipede. No, he amended as the servant-boy Aster waved people forward to help carry Wolfe-sensei inside. Wolfe-sensei didn't just have it; he was dying from it. The six-month estimate was so wrong that Napoleon couldn't even find it funny. It was more likely that he had only a month or two left, assuming that he didn't kneel over within the week. It'd be a miracle if he saw Summer; it was far more likely that he'd kick the bucket before Spring set in.

"That's enough training for today," Aster called out as a very large man took over carrying Wolfe-sensei alone. "Students hit the showers. Everyone else meet in the dining room for a briefing--"

"No way!" Gregory exclaimed as Wolfe-sensei's other students bristled over the order. "We live here, too! We want to know what's going on just as much as everyone else!"

"If it's because you don't trust us, we can swear oaths of secrecy," Chin panted, still out of breathe from exercising. "We're not blind! We can see for ourselves that something's wrong with Sensei, so stop treating us like kids! We're Mafioso, too, so we might be able to help!"

"You tell him, Brother!" Kirota agreed.

"I'm not sure what we can do, but twiddling our thumbs and guessing isn't going to do anything," Ross added as she rubbed the sweat off her brow. "It'd be better if we knew what was going on with our teacher."

"You know something," Murlock added. "Don't you think it's time to let us in on the secret? It's not very fair to us to leave us hanging like this. Wolfe-sensei is our Tutor, so we have a right to know."

"It doesn't concern you," Aster replied with an icy sharpness in his voice. "This is Family business. Your help isn't wanted and your claims to have the right to invade Boss' privacy have no merit. If something happens to Boss, then a new Tutor will be provided to you. All of you might be guests here, but please don't forget your place. Learning from Boss is a privilege that can be revoked at any time. If you don't like that, then you know where the door is."

"Aster--!" Gregory shouted. "You can't expect us to--"

"I can and I will," Aster replied as he headed back toward the House. "You six can play House all you want, but you're not Boss' Family," he mumbled, pausing at the door as the rest of the House's occupants filed inside. Gregory froze at the statement and his expression turned pale as if he'd just been slapped. Considering that Gregory was Wolfe-sensei's blood relative, Napoleon could understand what was going through his mind. "Boss wouldn't be happy if you compromised your futures for his sake and he'd be the first to throw you out the door if you tried," Aster continued, his voice softening into a coaxing tone. "It's not that he doesn't want you to be a part of his life. It's that Boss is a werewolf and you are humans. There is a part of him that none of you can comprehend, but it's also your humanity that will help him most in the future. As long as you six are here, Boss is at his strongest and at his weakest points. You keep him grounded in this life. I ask you not to jeopardize that by giving him a reason to remove you from his presence. I assure you, should he feel that you've gotten too close to him, he's fully capable of pretending that he never met you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Napoleon asked bluntly. "You make it sound as if..." _it was a one-sided relationship_, Napoleon finished mentally. Seeing the expression on Aster's face, he couldn't say the words out loud. It was impossible to since the words were the coldest, harshest truth that there was. Wolfe-sensei had let them into his home, but they couldn't make the mistake of thinking that they'd been let into his life. A Tutor and student relationship was never meant to be a two-way relationship. It was the Tutor that taught and the students who learned. The most that a Tutor could ever ask for in return was the experiences he gained by teaching. To ask for more from his students would destroy his position of authority and lessen him in the eyes of those that he'd taken charge of. "Very well," Napoleon agreed, making the other students jerk in surprise. "I'm sure that I can remember the way to the showers. Please update us when you can."

"Napoleon!" Ross exclaimed in outrage as Aster nodded and retreated inside. "How and you just shrug it off like that?! Sensei is your Tutor, too! Don't you want to know what's wrong with him?!"

"I already know," he replied with a raised eyebrow. He found it odd that all of them were shouting so much in want of answers. It was as if none of them could think for themselves. "You might not have the details, but you know what's wrong, too. It's just that none of you want to admit it. On top of that, I can understand Aster's side. I don't know about all of you, but my presence here doesn't change the fact that I'm a Cavallone. Maybe all of you have forgotten because you've been living together, but Wolfe-sensei is just our Tutor. He didn't join my Family and I didn't join his. In matter of fact, I don't understand why three of you are even here. Carter and Lionesse are rivals and Martelli is neutral. As for Tomaso... hmm..." Perhaps it was the light of predawn, but Murlock's eyes seemed to shine with a bright hue that was difficult to ignore. It bothered him for a moment, until he connected it with the blue hue in the eyes of all the other residents of the House. "Never mind," he shrugged. "Being Tomaso probably doesn't matter to a werewolf."

"Vampire," Murlock snapped in correction. Napoleon nodded, filing the information away in the back of his head for later. It was an important tidbit since it informed him that there was enough of a difference between the two that Murlock hadn't been invited inside with the rest.

"Either way," Napoleon continued. "It doesn't concern me. If Sensei teaches, then I'll listen. If he doesn't, I'll go back home. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here so that I can return home stronger." _And with the information that Dino wanted, _Napoleon added silently. "Wolfe-sensei has every right not to allow us into his life. What do you think he is? Your father?" Giving Gregory a cruel smile, he waited for a reaction to gain more information on his roommate. Unfortunately, Gregory was better at hiding his feelings than Napoleon expected. While everyone else gave varying expressions of guilt and sheepishness, Gregory became a blank slate.

"He's our Tutor and someone that I don't wish to see suffer," he answered calmly before pointedly looking at his watch. "I hate to say this, but I don't have time for mind games. If I'm going to get my work done in time to get an update on Wolfe-sensei before school, then I need to shower now."

"Work?" Napoleon asked curiously. "Do you mean homework? Didn't you do it last night?"

"He means the prayer list that he gets from his Order," Ross answered as Gregory went inside ahead of Chin and Kirota. "I'm not religious, but I can tell that he's not your ordinary Priest. Whenever he gets a new list, he tends to forget about school and everything else around him. When he really gets into it, he'll even let his wings out and start talking in Aramaic like he's some kind of angel." Napoleon let out a polite chuckle for her joke, but stopped after only a few seconds when he realized that she was serious. It made him wonder if the rumors of Gregory flying around Don Girarde were true. He'd thought that people were just teasing him for having gone straight to the library like he did every morning, but Ross' comment made it sound like fact.

Shaking his head to clear it of idle thoughts, he decided that he didn't have time to worry about possibilities. He was Gregory's roommate, so such things would be verified in time. What mattered now was that he got away from Ross and found a way to eavesdrop on the meeting that was going on in the dining room. No, he amended. Gregory was probably doing what he said he was, but Chin, Kirota, and Murlock were undoubtedly already trying to listen in. If he followed suit, he'd only get caught due to their blunders.

However, since everyone was at the meeting, now would be a good time to do some spying on Wolfe-sensei himself. He'd been knocked out before being carried upstairs and the blow had seemed solid enough to keep him out for a few hours. Since all the House residents were at the meeting, this was an idea chance to rummage through Wolfe-sensei's room. After all, no one would expect him to aim for an occupied room rather than the place where all the activity was. As long as he made sure to get out before Wolfe-sensei woke or the meeting broke up, no one would even know that he'd been in there!

With that in mind, he gathered his things for the shower as an excuse for wandering if he were to be caught and headed for the most direct route to Wolfe-sensei's room. He made sure to muffle his footsteps as he went up the stairs and he smothered every trace of his presence as he'd been taught. As he always did when working, he felt an incredible sense of calm wash over him. No matter what happened, there was no reason to panic. It was just a scouting trip and one night had been more than enough to grasp the House's methods of working. As long as he wasn't armed, the House's residents wouldn't do more than lecture and show irritation if they caught him.

His belief in that wasn't strong enough to take foolish risks, though. That was why he wisely knocked on Wolfe-sensei's door before trying to enter. No one answered his knock, which was just what he'd hoped for. That meant that it was safe to carefully, quietly push the door open and slip inside. Shutting the door behind himself, he paused and surveyed the room before moving. Wolfe-sensei was asleep in the bed, covered with more hand-stitched quilts than anyone could possibly be comfortable with. The chair at the foot and the bedside were both empty and his costume for the day was hanging on the outside of his wardrobe. His boots were waiting next to the bed, placed perfectly so that he could slip his feet into them as soon as he sat up, and his belt was lying across the top of his desk along with his revolvers and his hat.

Overall, Napoleon was surprised. The quality of everything in the room was no different than the rest of the house and there wasn't much excess anywhere. Even with the blankets and his clothes, the room could have easily been a spare guest room. It'd already been three months since Wolfe-sensei had shown up to Tutor at Don Girarde, so Napoleon would have thought that his personal quarters would have more personality in them. However, it was so empty that Napoleon felt somewhat disappointed... and uneasy. A lot could be told about a person from their room and every inch of Wolfe-sensei's said 'I'm a traveler and this is just a temporary stop.'

That wasn't what he'd come to find out, though. Keeping his target in mind, the emptiness of the room worked in his favor. There were only two places that Wolfe-sensei could keep his medical records if he didn't have a safe somewhere. The first was his desk and the second was his wardrobe. Creeping over to the desk first, he silently knelt down and carefully slid the first drawer open to find...

Nothing. It was completely empty and the other drawers proved just as unhelpful. Even the pencil drawer had nothing more than a few rubber bands, a comb, three paperclips, and a marker. Clenching his teeth, Napoleon stepped over to try the wardrobe. He was positive that there was some written record of what was going on; there always was. First, he tried the sock drawer, figuring that Wolfe-sensei's sense of humor was ironic enough that he'd choose such a place on purpose. It was probably--

"If you want to borrow my socks, you could always try asking," Wolfe-sensei said, making Napoleon instantly snap into his first get-away plan.

"Eh?!" Napoleon exclaimed, purposely falling onto his rear as he spun in place to where Wolfe-sensei was sitting up on his elbow in the bed. "You mean this isn't a storeroom?!"

"Nice try, Napoleon, but you'll have to do better than that to fool me," Wolfe-sensei smiled with lights dancing in his eyes. "What did Dino send you after? It has to be something touchy or else he would have just asked me for himself."

"I have no idea of what you're talking about," Napoleon replied, imitating confusion. "I was just looking for--"

"A pair of socks?" He finished tiredly. Napoleon flushed as he lay back down and put his hand over his eyes. "It's fine if you want to keep your secrets. No hitman in his right mind would give up his orders that easily."

"I'm not... a hitman..." Napoleon corrected in a mumble. "I'm not strong enough yet."

"Sure you are," Wolfe-sensei retorted with a yawn. "You're mixing up this and that."

"Eh?"

"Come and sit," Wolfe-sensei ordered, chucking a thumb at the chair next to his bed. Napoleon wanted to refuse, but the expression on Wolfe-sensei's face made it hard to argue. In the comfort of his own room, Wolfe-sensei wasn't bouncing with the level of energy that he showed at school. Once he folded his hands across his lap, he reminded Napoleon of an old man on his deathbed. Considering that Napoleon knew that it was true, refusing became impossible.

"Don't dig me a grave just yet," Wolfe-sensei laughed weakly as Napoleon obediently sat where he was told. "It's true that I'm sick, but I'm not going to fall over anytime s--" Wolfe-sensei paused, flinching to himself over the obvious fact that he was in bed because he'd fallen over. "Well," he amended with a smile, "It's nothing that I can't get back up from. Do you know what the difference between a hitman and a normal man is, Napoleon?"

"A hitman kills depending on their nature," he answered promptly.

"Close," he smiled. "A hitman makes the conscious choice to kill and trains to do it effectively. Every hitman's nature is the same in that manner. On the other hand, while even a normal man can kill, but they're typically pushed into doing it. It's not what they focus their life in doing. Now let me ask you, what's the difference between a hitman and a soldier?"

"A soldier kills with the authority of the law and a hitman kills against it," he answered.

"Close, but still not right," he admonished. "Both a soldier and a hitman kills on the authority of their leaders. For a hitman, their Boss is the law. For a soldier, it's the government. The difference between them is that a soldier is a hero when he kills and a hitman is a villain. When a soldier kills, he can hold up his ideals and say that he was justified. For a hitman, it's not that easy. The ones staring across from us are people that walk the same streets as us and are people that we can empathize with. We're villains because, even while our hearts are asking if there's no other way, we take a life away. And every time a life is taken by a hitman's hand, the hitman is left with nothing to justify his actions. Even to say that we do it for our Families would stain our Families with blood, so we seal our lips and shoulder the burden alone. It's a painful way of life, Napoleon. From the first kill, a hitman's soul is a festering wound that only gets worse until the day that he dies. Do you understand?"

"No," he admitted in confusion. "If that's true, then why did you say that I'm a hitman? I don't see the connection. It sounds as if you just confirmed that I'm not a hitman, but I get the feeling that you think that you just proved that I am one."

"I did," he confirmed softly. "You might not have lost your blood innocence, but you've already got a festering wound. You can't hide it. A hitman's eyes changes color after he put ice on his wounds to dull the pain."

"And mine did?"

"Ah. The color is dim and the darkness is swollen. You've turned yourself into a villain after someone's death and you've made the conscious choice to kill. I don't know which order those two things are in for you, but I know having those things makes you different from both a normal man and a soldier. Who was it?" Napoleon barely kept his grimace off of his face. Wolfe-sensei was good, he admitted. The question had almost caught him off-guard. "You don't have to tell me that, either," Wolfe-sensei soothed before Napoleon could decide how to respond. "But I think I can understand now why Dino's holding you back. You're a hitman at heart, but your hands are still clean. There's a good chance that you'll heal if you're given enough time, so he doesn't want to take advantage of you. If he were to treat you as a hitman and allow you to act as a hitman, there would be no turning back. Your wounds would never fully heal."

"Eh?" Napoleon gaped in surprise. "What do you mean? Boss--"

"I couldn't figure it out before," Wolfe-sensei continued with another tired sigh. "I asked myself repeatedly 'Why would Dino keep you as a blue-tie instead of a red-tie when your feelings are so obvious?' It makes sense, though. Dino's saving you from yourself. No matter what crazy thought made you decide that you want to be a hitman, it'll eventually fade if you're not allowed to act on the feeling. He's stalling for time so that you don't make a choice that you'll regret. You should thank him--"

"I won't," Napoleon replied, holding in his anger. Wolfe-sensei's words were irritating because they were too logical for him to deny. "If what you say is true, then why should I thank him for becoming an obstacle?"

"An obstacle?" Wolfe-sensei asked with a smile spreading across his face. Napoleon's jaw dropped, realizing exactly how much information he'd just given up. He wanted to curse himself, but Wolfe-sensei was already running ahead of him again. "If you're willing to call him an obstacle that easy, then you can't have chosen the path of a hitman for Dino's sake. Who is it? A family member? A girl? Who's got Nappo-kun's heart tied up with a neat little bow?"

"N-No one," he mumbled as his face turned pink.

"Oh--!" Wolfe-sensei grinned even larger, sitting up on his elbow once more in excitement. "That's the first time that I've seen you embarrassed. They must be someone very special. How did you meet? No, you don't have to answer that. I won't even make you tell me a name. Just tell me why, Napoleon. Give me your reason for wanting to get stronger. Why are you willing to go so far for someone else? As your Tutor, I deserve to know that much. After all, how am I supposed to teach you what you need to know if I don't even know what your goals are?" For a moment, Napoleon held his breathe, struck speechless by the encouragement in Wolfe-sensei's eyes. With one look, Napoleon could tell. He could tell that Wolfe-sensei was the type to throw all of his support and effort into helping people. All Napoleon had to do in order to get his help was a token of trust to open the door.

"It's not like it's a secret," Napoleon mumbled uncomfortably. Bowing his head so that he didn't have to see Wolfe-sensei's face, Napoleon felt as if his lips had suddenly been unglued. They wouldn't stop. He told Wolfe-sensei about Luca. He told Wolfe-sensei about how young he was, but how he was already a ray of light for many people in the Family. He told Wolfe-sensei about their first introduction and about what had happened at the Family's Chess Tournament. He told him of how Luca had made him feel as if he'd finally been welcomed home again and how he wanted to stay by Luca's side to protect him. "But Boss isn't taking me seriously," he finished. "I know that Boss wants his son to have an experienced Right Hand like Romario, but he won't give me the opportunity to get any."

"Hmm," Wolfe-sensei murmured in thought, speaking for the first time since Napoleon had begun talking. "I'm surprised," he added. Napoleon jumped in place when he suddenly clapped his hands, only to get a greater shock when Aster appeared next to them with a tray of coffee and sliced apples. Wolfe-sensei took his appearance in stride, but Napoleon looked around frantically to see which direction he'd come in from. He hadn't even heard the door open! "I honestly had you set in my mind as the type to make a contract. I thought your reasons for being in the Mafia would be more practical than emotional."

"There's nothing wrong with my reasons," he replied defensively while politely accepting a cup of coffee from Aster.

"I didn't say there was," Wolfe-sensei soothed. Sitting up completely, he swung his legs around to sit on the edge of the bed so that he could drink his coffee easier. "I just said that it was different than what I thought. I'm good at putting pieces together, but you're quite good at not giving pieces away. You even had me fooled for a while with how you kept letting yourself get hit with water balloons. That's probably why Dino lets you train even when he doesn't plan on using you. However, everything is becoming even more clear now."

"It is?" Napoleon asked curiously.

"Yup," he grinned. Before Napoleon could ask for more of an explanation, Aster brought forward Wolfe-sensei's collar and he put it on in a rush. The sudden need for the item didn't make sense, until he heard the sound of ringing coming from the speaker implanted into it. "I've changed the output frequency so that you can hear," he winked. "Just listen."

"Ciao?" A groggy voice answered, his voice coming out clearly from Wolfe-sensei's collar. "Quando è?"

"It's morning, sleepy head," Wolfe-sensei laughed. "Wake up. I've got to talk to you."

"Oh," Dino groaned. "It's you. Wha--?! It's not even six o'clock! Are you crazy?!"

"No rest for the wicked."

"Easy for you to say. You get to be a Tutor and goof off all day while I got to stay up all night, negotiating with pig-headed idiots who wouldn't know manners if it hit them upside the head. So? What do you want? You never call anymore unless you want something, you pig. I'm starting to feel like a girl that's been played whenever you call. Would it kill you to stop by for a drink once in a while? I've got a nice bottle of V Special that's been crying tears in loneliness."

"Sorry, sorry," Wolfe-sensei laughed. "I'll stop by later this week, but the bottle has to keep crying. I can't drink the hard stuff anymore. It messes with... uh... my appetite."

"Oh," Dino replied, sounding more alert with every second that passed. "So? What is it? You never call just to talk."

"Do you trust me?"

"Eh?"

"Do you trust me?" Wolfe-sensei asked with his grin widening.

"Oh no!" Dino exclaimed, his tone coming across in a combination of objection, outrage, and resignation. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Don't you start pulling that with me, Mr. Tutor! The answer is no! No! No! No! You only ask that when I'm not going to like what you're going to ask me for! The answer is no! Thanks for calling and good--"

"It's about Napoleon," he interrupted seriously. "I want to foster him."

"Eh?" Dino gasped as Napoleon's eyes widened in surprise.

"Just for a few weeks," he soothed. "After that, I'll go back to being just an advisor."

"No."

"You're too close to him, Aniki."

"Don't you start calling me Aniki now, you bastard! I didn't send him there to get suckered in by you!"

"You make it sound as if I'm going to steal him away. I'm not. This isn't for my sake or yours. I'm asking for his sake. You're too close to him. You feel responsible for what happened to his father and you can't--"

"Don't use your hyper-intuition on me!" Dino shouted.

"--You can't judge his situation fairly," he continued, running over Dino's words carelessly. "Dino! Please listen to me! There's a reason that Generations don't mix in Families! Napoleon isn't part of your generation. He's part of Luca's--"

"You know about Luca?" He interrupted in surprise.

"I just found out a little while ago," he replied with a sad smile. "You gave up a lot for my son. Let me repay you, Aniki. Napoleon is clever, bright, and determined. He'll make a good Right Hand if your son accepts him. I won't interfere if that's what you want, but my judgment as a Tutor is that Napoleon would do better with a little more freedom. I won't let him be crushed, Aniki. Trust me. I'll get him the experience that he needs. Holding him back like you have been.... You're showing your age. The young have to grow up at some point. You need to stop protecting those that are trying to stand up on their own and give them a firm kick out the door instead."

"Argh!" Dino exclaimed in frustration. "This is what I hate about you! You always know what to say to get your way!"

"Not always," he chuckled.

"Fine!" He shouted. "But you owe me!"

"Name it."

"Tell me why you're refusing to be cured," Dino asked. Napoleon felt as if his eyes were going to pop out at the question. If he was just going to ask straight out, then why...? He immediately amended the thought before it was finished. Napoleon's presence as Wolfe-sensei's student was needed simply because it put Wolfe-sensei in a position that he had to answer. Napoleon had to give Dino credit. The plan was beautifully simple.

"Remember Barbados?" Wolfe-sensei asked with a sly grin.

"Che!" Dino spat. "You idiot! What kind of trouble are you in to try to use that?! That didn't work the first time and it's not going to work now! Just let Shamal cure you before you make your sons cry! I'll--"

"They wouldn't cry for me," he murmured. "I'm just a Tutor."

"Oi..."

"Just drop it, Dino," Wolfe-sensei replied. "You can't help me on this, so don't worry about it. I like teaching and I run into my Family on occasion. It's not so bad like this."

"You can't be serious. What happened to your resolution? How could you just--"

"By the way, Napoleon's listening," Wolfe-sensei interrupted, causing Dino to come to a spluttering stop on the other side of the line. "So why don't we just cut through the fact that you don't like what I'm doing and focus on the reason that I called? Will you let me foster him for four weeks?"

"One week," he agreed grudgingly.

"Three and a half," came the counter offer.

"A week and a half."

"Five weeks," Wolfe-sensei replied.

"What?! You just said three and a half!"

"And you're haggling like you're counting minutes," he retorted in disgust. "It's not like Napoleon can't refuse if he doesn't like my teaching. Get a hold of yourself, Dino. Do you think it was easy for your father to sit back and watch Reborn teach you? I can't do my job if I've got you watching over my shoulder and interfering. You either need to back off so that Napoleon has room to grow or else tell him plainly that you aren't going to let him follow his dreams so that he can choose what he wants to do for himself."

"This game is rigged," Dino grumbled.

"I'm not playing games," Wolfe-sensei replied seriously. "If you're playing games with people's lives, then perhaps I should ask Reborn to go give you a refresher course."

"Oi--!" Dino blurted. "Don't joke around about something like that!"

"I'm not joking."

"Fine," he replied grudgingly. "I'll give you three weeks. That's my final offer. After that, I'll decide what to do."

"Good enough," Wolfe-sensei sighed. "I'll take things from here, so go back to bed."

"Oi, Napoleon," Dino called, making Napoleon snap out of his listening daze. "What Mr. Wolfe has said is true. I can't give you what you want. Bosses and parents have one thing in common. To us, you're still a kid and kids aren't supposed to be handling guns and worrying about business. I can't change that way of thinking, but that's why Tutors exist. You probably know by now that I tricked you into accepting Mr. Wolfe's offer, so you can come back if you want. But if you're serious about wanting to compete to be Luca's Right Hand, you should also know that Mr. Wolfe is the only one that can help you. I'm sorry, but I can't."

Napoleon stared at the floor as the line went dead, impacted into speechlessness by the weight in Dino's voice. He understood, but he didn't understand at the same time. Dino sent out hitmen all the time. All he had to do was give him an assignment. What was so hard about that?

"You have the heart of a hitman, but the first step as a hitman has to be one that you make on your own," Wolfe-sensei explained, once more reading Napoleon's mind. "It's a Boss' duty to protect your blood innocence, so asking him to put you in a position to give it up isn't something that he can do. Can you understand, Napoleon? Seventeen years old or seven, there's no difference in his mind. You might see yourself as an adult, but you're still an innocent by the Mafia's code. He can't use you until you've lost that innocence and he also can't strip it away for you. The path that you're choosing to take is too painful and dangerous. If you still want to walk on it, you either have to do it on your own or get a Tutor to walk with you because Dino's obligated to make you turn back. Now is your only chance to go back the way that you came and forget any thought of becoming a hitman. You should think about it carefully and--"

"I don't need to," Napoleon interrupted as his goal solidified in his mind. "I've thought about it long enough. Just tell me what I have to do."

"Take a shower and get dressed for school," he answered calmly, acting as if the answer had been one that he'd predicted. "I've already adjusted your class schedule and your uniform code. I just needed to make sure that Dino would keep his hands off before I told you about it. Starting today, you'll be a red tie. Your standing assignment will be a chess game with me in the afternoon and I'll bring you to observe when I go out for assignments at night."

"When am I supposed to sleep?" Napoleon asked, trying to figure out how he was going to find enough time in the day for everything.

"Hitmen who sleep don't live," Wolfe-sensei admonished coldly. "Train yourself to keep going with only cat-naps," he advised more reasonably. "If I catch you sleeping, expect a rude awakening."

"But--"

"No buts!" Wolfe-sensei snapped. "If you want to be a true hitman, I'm going to have you live like one. You can either suck it up and learn to deal with it or go back and obediently accept the Intelligence position that Dino wants you in. The time to choose is now, Napoleon. I won't have you as my student if you don't have the determination to see this through to the end."

"Fine then!" Napoleon exclaimed, jumping up to his feet in frustration. "I'll just--"

"Do it on your own?" He interrupted, making Napoleon pale at how his mind was being read. "You can if that's what you want," he said softly. "Go ahead and go kill the first target that you find. But let me warn you: a hitman who lives by the gun, dies by the gun. Do you really think you'll survive very long on your own?"

"I..."

"I never said that being tutored would be easy, but I'm your best shot if you want to survive long enough to make your dream a reality. It's your choice, Napoleon. I'm not going to stop you, whether you decide to say here with me, go your own way, or return to Dino. Just stand by your choice, because once you become a hitman... no one is going to shed a tear for you. Either way, go get ready for school. I have more than just you to keep an eye on. Aster, bring me the notes from the meeting."

Napoleon stood in silence, unable to move due to how abruptly he'd been dismissed. It was as if he'd been completely eradicated from Wolfe-sensei's sight, which left him at a loss for how he was supposed to react. Was he really supposed to just leave? Apparently he was because not even Aster was acknowledging his presence anymore. After his full cup of coffee was whisked out of his hands, Aster took his seat and began a briefing as if Napoleon had already left.

Feeling more foolish with every second that passed, Napoleon turned on his heel and left quickly. Going back downstairs, a shower did nothing to calm him down. He was fuming inside, feeling insulted and irritated at how the situation had spiraled out of his control. He'd thought that he'd prepared for everything, but he'd misjudged Wolfe-sensei. He'd thought that Wolfe-sensei's past as Vongola the Tenth didn't matter since he was cut off from Vongola, but he'd been wrong. That man had such a high level of sheer ability that Napoleon didn't know how to deal with him anymore. He couldn't out-plan Wolfe-sensei, out-fight him, or out-smart him. With one conversation, Wolfe-sensei had gained control of the situation and had complicated everything. Nothing was in Napoleon's control anymore. Nothing other than the one choice that would alter his entire life.

Should he wear the red tie or the blue tie?


	123. Chapter 123 Interlude

Author's Note: Please check out the poll on my fanfiction. net profile. It concerns whether you guys want me to continue piling up chaps for bulk uploads or upload more frequently despite how it'll feel as if the story is going nowhere in places.

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﻿Gokudera relaxed against his headboard, smoking a cigarette while he quietly read over the last bits of his paperwork. Sangia was sleeping soundly next to him, which was a blessing that he partially had to thank his lifetime of failures for. Due to his lack of a notorious reputation, they'd been able to live peacefully and quietly for many years. Well, perhaps not quietly, he amended, putting down his paperwork to watch her sleep for a few moments. Elario was far too rambunctious to allow them any lasting quiet and Sangia was far too active to let him sit still.

Even so, he felt blessed because of the two. They'd kept him going during the time that he'd felt helpless. He never would have imagined himself as a good husband and father, but his focus on mundane needs was the reason that he was still able to get out of bed every morning. Ten years of having the two next to his side had made him so tame that even he had to laugh at himself at times. It made him wonder if Tsuna was laughing at him, too, from wherever he was.

Tsuna was somewhere out there. He was alive and well, which left Gokudera feeling happier than anything else could have made him feel. For him, it didn't matter if Tsuna came back, although he doubted that anyone would believe that he was capable of such a thought. He was, though. After living a family life instead of a Family life for the past decade, he could easily understand why Tsuna might not want to return. He was probably out there somewhere, making girls fight over him and being loved by every child that met him. With his death, Tsuna had gotten out of the Mafia and away from the bloodshed that he'd always hated. Therefore, he was probably happy wherever he was.

Such thoughts were the reason that Gokudera could feel his confidence returning. After first hearing that Tsuna was still alive, he'd fallen back on his old habits and had immediately began searching for him. It was Sangia and Elario who had pulled him back to his senses before he could destroy himself in the process. That wasn't to say that he wasn't still looking, but he wasn't going to allow the nagging desire to know what had happened to his Boss get in the way of the life that he'd built. After all this time, it didn't make sense to throw everything away just to search for him. Tsuna had survived and lived for the past ten years without him; it was unlikely that he was going to die just because a few weeks or months had passed before he was uncovered.

"Still awake, Hayato?" Sangia mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Ah," he confirmed. Putting out his cigarette and putting his paperwork aside, he shut off the bedside lamp and snuggled down into the covers with her. "Was I keeping you up?" He whispered once she was lying comfortably in his arms.

"No," she answered in a hushed tone of her own. "I was just thinking."

"About Elario's Karate match tomorrow?" He prompted as he began dozing off. "If so, I told you that I'd be there this time..."

"Not that," she giggled. "I'd kill you if you missed again, sweetheart. I was just wondering... what do you think about having another one?"

"Another match?" He asked curiously. "I thought the Dojo set those up."

"Not that," she growled, tensing in his arms. "I meant another... another baby." At first, the words didn't quite reach his brain. When they did, his breath stopped in his chest, his eyes snapped open, and he blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"Are you pregnant?"

"No!" Sangia exclaimed, instantly taking the horrifying weight off of Gokudera's chest. Gokudera let out a breath in relief and slowly sat up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep after such a shock. "Sorry," she pouted. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Scare me?" He scoffed with a mocking smile. "Who are you kidding? I--" Gokudera's heart jumped in his throat at the sound of breaking glass. In response, Sangia was out of bed almost as fast as he was.

Rummaging into his side table, Gokudera first snatched up a rubber band to tie his hair back so that it wouldn't get in the way of his vision. Then he grabbed the keys for his gun case and ran across the room to open the locked piece of furniture taking up a corner of the room. Inside, there were three more locks that he had to go through before he was able to toss a loaded shotgun and revolver to Sangia before retrieving his own armaments. By the time that he had a pistol tucked into his pajama pants with spare ammo in his other pocket and a loaded shotgun in his hand, Sangia was already silently rushing down the hall towards Elario's bedroom.

Quietly moving down the hallway, the sound of shattering glass was heard twice more before silence fell over the house. Keeping his shotgun at the ready, he moved closer to the stairwell and tried to keep his nerves from getting the better of him. Even if it was a common burglar and not a hitman, someone had broken into the house where his wife and son were. It was dangerous. If he screwed up, his family would be the one to pay the price. He wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't going to lose someone that he loved. Never. Never again!

Gokudera froze halfway down the stairwell with the floorboards feeling like ice under his bare feet, hearing the sound of glass being walked on in the direction of the kitchen. They'd come in through the back, which was a sign of a common thug bent on stealing. A hitman would have likely come through a second floor window or the front door. Unless... Unless it was a hitman who had come to settle personal business. That was right. A hitman who wanted to settle a score wouldn't want to be seen, but also wouldn't be patient enough to use a method with more finesse. Which was it? Burglar? Hitman? Maybe another idiot who thought that his position as President of Vongola Corp actually meant something?

"Show yourself!" Gokudera called, pressing his back against the wall while he crouched down to make himself a smaller target. "I'm warning you! I've got the whole first floor rigged to blow!" Okay, that was a bluff, Gokudera grimaced. Still, it was one that would probably work if the enemy was a hitman who knew his past. He only had to stall until the police arrived. Sangia should have gotten a hold of them by now. "You've got three s--"

"I surrender," the enemy said as he stepped into view at the bottom of the stairs. Gokudera's heart leaped into his throat again, but he stopped himself from firing by a hair's-breadth. "You never change," Yamamoto smiled tiredly in the faint light of the stairwell's small nightlight. "Still threatening everyone you come across."

"Takeshi!" Gokudera gasped as he lowered his weapon. "You scared the shit out of me! Why the hell didn't you ring the doorbell like a normal-- Oi--!" Setting down his shotgun, Gokudera darted down the stairs as Yamamoto collapsed onto the floor. Even in the gloom, it only took him a moment to figure out what was wrong; Yamamoto was bleeding from a slash across his chest. "Oi!" He shouted, also seeing that Yamamoto's eyes were rolling around in his head. "What happened?!" Not waiting for an answer, Gokudera shouted up for Sangia's help as he darted into the kitchen for the first-aid kit, only to find that was already sitting on the counter instead of on the refrigerator where it should have been. Logic told him that it had to have been the reason for Yamamoto's sudden intrusion.

As Sangia came down to help him and saw the situation for herself, chaos began. First they had to get Yamamoto off the floor and the guns out of sight, since the police would be arriving at any moment. After that was done, he and Sangia somehow managed to fall into a pattern where they predicted each other's needs. Hot water and towels. Pillows to place under Yamamoto's feet to keep him from going into shock. The first aid kit's sewing kit and pressure bandages. Wound fever was setting in, so they had to force Yamamoto awake enough to swallow several glasses of doctored water. Salves to keep away bacterial infection and--

"Go back to bed!" Gokudera shouted, seeing that Elario was watching from the top of the stairs at the same time that the doorbell went off. Trading looks with Sangia, she didn't argue when he tossed his head to tell her to deal with it. It was probably the cops that they'd called and she only had a little blood on her hands, unlike the large amount covering Gokudera's hands and clothes.

The wound was messy, but the bleeding had stopped before his pulse fell down to a dangerous level. Yamamoto himself had probably known that it was something that he could live through, so Gokudera felt that he had no choice other than to respect Yamamoto's choice to not go to the hospital. After all, explaining such a wound to civilian doctors wouldn't be easy and he had to have a reason for wanting to forgo such an inspection.

For the time being, Gokudera busied himself with ensuring that Yamamoto was both stable and comfortable on the living room couch. Then he tidied up the rest of the house by sweeping up the fallen glass before Elario could step on it, putting the guns away before Elario could become curious about them, and put Yamamoto's bloody clothes in the washer before the boy could notice the tears in them. As for his wife, she predictably went upstairs to soothe the boy after she was finished sending the police away. He didn't have to talk to her to know that they both hoped the boy would think it was all just a dream in the morning, but also feared that he would know that it was reality.

What scared Gokudera even more was that he knew Yamamoto wasn't the type to get wounded easily. No, Gokudera amended. Yamamoto could make mistakes and be just as stupid as anyone else at times, but he'd rarely gotten into unplanned fights in the old days. There were rumors that he'd gone back into active duty as a hitman. Was it possible that Yamamoto had been on an assignment and things had gone wrong? Gokudera couldn't think of anyone who lived in his neighborhood or any buildings nearby that would hold a potential target, but the wound didn't look to be an accidental one.

Then again, it didn't look like it was caused by a sword, either. There was too much tearing and there were inconsistencies with the size of the cut. Actually, it looked more like a wound from a knife or a piece of glass. It had to have been something with jagged edges, considering how much superficial damage there was. Perhaps--

"Here," Sangia said, thrusting a shoebox into his hands. Gokudera looked down at it in confusion, recognizing it as the box he kept his spare detonator parts in. He hadn't needed to mess around with detonators for years, though. Why was she...? "I know you," she chuckled as she tossed his cigarettes and lighter on top of it. "If you don't occupy your brain with something, you're going to be worrying all night. Just fiddle around with that until Takeshi wakes up. I'll go make some coffee."

"Thanks," he replied, his expression softening in gratitude for his wife's consideration. She knew him better than anyone else, having stood by him through the best and the worst of times. As Gokudera sat down at the coffee table, across from where Yamamoto was sleeping, he wished that he could say the same about his old friend. After Tsuna's supposed dive into the ocean ten years past, the Guardians had all slowly drifted apart until they were no closer than strangers. So, no matter how much Gokudera wanted to figure out what had happened, the truth was that he could only grasp at straws. He didn't know enough about Yamamoto to do more than make a guess.

Following Sangia's suggestion, he concentrated on putting together detonators rather than dwell on Yamamoto's injury. He felt slightly disturbed to discover that he couldn't finish one in under twenty seconds anymore. Then again, he'd had to simplify his arsenal as Elario grew more observant of the world around him. The last time that he'd touched a detonator to use it had been on Elario's fifth birthday. With Elario's more recent birthday, he'd been forced to put away even his rocket bombs. He hadn't had a choice. Kids saw and understood more than their parents wanted them to. Putting it away had seemed better than trying to explain why Daddy walked around with fireworks all the time. He'd ended up getting rid of them entirely after he'd caught Elario trying to imitate him by shooting fireworks at his friends.

That incident was also why they had locks on their guns, they lived in a House outside of the Vongola estate, and why Gokudera had drifted even farther away from the Family he'd always known. It'd been a tough decision, but Elario wasn't going to know anything about the Mafia. His son wasn't going to be like him. Elario wasn't going to struggle to find a Family or suffer because of his parents. Elario was only going to fight when it came to academics and sports. He was going to grow up innocent and happy. He was going to keep his hands and his nose clean, following the law like decent people. If he didn't, Gokudera swore that he'd tan the boy's hide until he couldn't sit down.

As far as things went, Gokudera was living a straight life. He went to work at the office every morning and spent time with his son in the afternoon. He listened to his wife's complaints after nightfall and his biggest worry was if he'd remembered to turn the coffee pot off. It wasn't that he hated such a life, but there were times that he envied Ryohei and Lambo. The last that he'd heard, Ryohei had taken complete control of the Varia and Gokudera would have had to be blind not to see Lambo on every other billboard in the city. In comparison to those two, it was the sad truth that he was stale bread.

Lately, though... Lately he'd been hearing the call to arms in the back of his head. He wasn't about to tell his wife, but having Yamamoto break into their house made him feel a little excited. It'd reminded him of the days when he'd dodged cops and bullets while facing off against the most notorious villains of their era. Sure, it'd been painful at times, but every day had been invigorating. To never know whether he was going to live or die and making choices in the heat of the moment...

He wanted to feel that passion again.

It was impossible, though. He wasn't a hitman anymore. He was just... just...

"Dad...?" Elario called quietly from the top of the stairs. Gokudera smiled to himself, feeling like Elario had filled in the blank for him.

"You can come down," he replied as he snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Waving the smoke away, he tucked his cigarettes and the ashtray under the couch before his son saw them and got up to meet him as he sleepily made his way downstairs. Nearly twelve, Elario was already showing signs that he was going to be taller than Gokudera and more angular than his mother. Besides those differences, Gokudera felt a bit prideful at how much his son looked like him. The two of them locked horns more often than not, but he knew that Elario cared about him. If he didn't, he wouldn't have begun growing out his hair in order to imitate the short pony-tail that Gokudera had when he was working. "You can't sleep?" He asked as the boy shuffled down the stairs with a blanket wrapped around him. Elario bit his lip and nodded, his eyes flickering toward where Yamamoto was covered up on the couch. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," Gokudera added as the boy stepped down beside him. "Do you want some warm milk?"

"Is Uncle Takeshi going to be okay?" Elario asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"He's fine," Gokudera soothed, reaching out to ruffle Elario's hair. "He just got into a fight with one of the neighbor's dogs. You can go sit with him if you want, but don't wake him."

"Mom said that he cut himself on some glass from the back door," Elario mumbled suspiciously, making Gokudera grimace inwardly at his wife's quick thinking.

"He did both," Gokudera explained as he headed into the kitchen to warm up some milk. Once he was done, he headed back into the living room to find Elario looking at the detonators that he'd been working on. It took all of Gokudera's self control not to snatch it away from him. It was something new, so Elario was going to be curious. "They're firework timers," Gokudera lied as he carefully took them away and shoved the mug of milk into the boy's hands instead. "Drink up and go back to bed. You still have school in the morning."

Accepting the order, Elario pulled the blanket tighter around himself and sipped on his milk while Gokudera went back to assembling detonators to keep his hands busy. It was quiet for a while, the only sound being that of parts snapping into place and Yamamoto's labored breathing.

"Dad," Elario mumbled.

"What?"

"The neighbors don't have any dogs." Gokudera froze, his mind blanking over the fact that his son knew such a damning detail. Glancing up at him, Gokudera looked away as soon as he saw the clear light in his son's eyes. He wouldn't... He couldn't let that light get clouded.

"Then it must have been a stray," he replied nonchalantly as he tried to focus on the detonator in his hand. Silence fell for another few minutes, but it ended once again before Gokudera could relax.

"Dad."

"What?"

"It smells like smoke in here."

"It's coming from Takeshi."

"Dad?"

"WHAT?" Gokudera exclaimed, throwing the detonator onto the table in frustration.

"Is Uncle Takeshi going to die?" Elario asked, clutching the blankets tighter around himself in fear. Gokudera grimaced at his own temper and gave him the first honest answer of the night.

"No," he said, sighing to himself as he summoned up the dregs of his patience. "He's a little hurt, but he's not going to die. Give me some credit. If he was that bad off, I'd just take him to the hospital. He's not, though, so don't worry and just try to get some sleep. You can sleep in my bed with your mother if you want. I'm going to stay up and keep an eye on your Uncle."

"I want to stay up and help," he objected.

"If you want to help, then go to bed and sleep," Gokudera replied bluntly as he picked up the detonator to begin fiddling with it again. "Takeshi would be upset if you stayed up because of his sorry ass."

"What about you?" He asked petulantly. "You're staying up because of him."

"That's different."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is," Gokudera snapped. "I'm an adult. Adults don't need as much sleep as kids."

"I'm not a kid!"

"You are until you get a job and move out."

"That's not true! You said that Lambo was an adult when he was fifteen!"

"That's different. Adult-Lambo..." Gokudera paused, coming up against a wall. It was true that they'd called fifteen year old Lambo 'Adult-Lambo', but that'd just been in comparison to his five-year-old self. Lambo was a hitman, too. Hitmen became adults faster than normal kids did. "That stupid cow doesn't count," Gokudera snapped.

"Why?!" Elario exclaimed, exploding out of his blankets in frustration. "Because I'm right?! That's not fair! You're always keeping secrets from me and treating me like a kid! I'm not! I skipped two grades and I'm a black belt! Would a kid be able to do that?! I can help, t--" Gokudera cut him off with the simple sound of his hand slapping the coffee table. Giving his son a look that told him that he was out of line, his son's response was heart-breakingly predictable. "I hate you!" Elario shouted as he ran for the stairs in tears.

The words cut him, but Gokudera knew that Elario didn't mean them. It was just pre-pubescent rebellion and Gokudera was already prepared for it to get even worse. After all, his son's rebellion couldn't be worse than his own. Gokudera had run away from home by the time that he was Elario's age and was already picking fights with Mafioso while trying to get into a Family. Gokudera knew that Elario was going to have an easier, less painful path, so he was willing to suffer through the boy's teenage angst. Gokudera had the strength to do that because he knew that his son would always end up safely back in his room after he had an outburst.

Although he knew that he'd have to tell Elario the truth one day, he wanted to put it off for as long as possible. He wanted to continue watching Elario smile in a carefree way and see how much more he could grow. After all, Gokudera doubted that his son would want to look at him again once the truth was known. Elario would lose all respect for him and would never again believe in him. Gokudera wouldn't blame him if he did so, either. For the boy's whole life, Gokudera had told him to obey the law even while harboring a past full of breaking it. He'd taught Elario to respect life and to always look for non-violent ways out of trouble, while he'd hidden dozens of skeletons in his closet so that Elario wouldn't see them. He'd told Elario to be honest and upright as he lied through his teeth and stole. Considering how much of a hypocritical father that he'd been, it was impossible for Elario to understand. It was practically set in stone that Elario would come to really hate his Father one day, so Gokudera had reason to delay the inevitable.

Perhaps... Perhaps it was time for him to become active again, Gokudera thought. He'd been selfish long enough for getting to spend so many years with his family. If he went back to being an active hitman, he'd be too busy to notice the passage of time. It'd be easier for Elario if the root of his suspicions disappeared. If Gokudera left, his son could think that he was just away on business and he could focus on himself instead of the inconsistencies in his home. It probably wouldn't be easy for him or Sangia, but he had faith that they'd keep each other cheerful. That was what most Mafioso did anyway. No one ever truly 'got out'. They just changed gears until their family was taken care of, then they returned to their real work.

If he was going to do it, then he had to do it soon. Mafioso who didn't have a following by the time they were forty were forced to retire. Those who did have a following could continue working by using their followers as their arms and legs. Most of his team had scattered, but he could probably recall them. A few would likely refuse since they'd settled down with families like he had, but the rest were fire-eaters who'd focused on their careers instead.

Before that, though, he needed to get back in shape. There was a gym at Vongola Corp that he could use. Maybe-- Gokudera stopped the thought in its tracks. What was he thinking? Sangia had wanted to talk about having another baby. If he pulled a stunt like this, she'd either kill him or have her sister do the job for her.

Looking over at Yamamoto, he had to wonder how the bastard had pulled off his return, assuming that the rumors were even true. Then again, his old friend didn't look too content. Actually, he looked downright miserable. Even in his sleep, he didn't lose the lines of pain etched onto his face. Getting up, Gokudera went to his side to see if any of that pain was caused by discomfort or his fever. His head felt warm, but it wasn't worse than what one would get with a common cold. Perhaps his pillow needed adjusted?

"Hayato?" Yamamoto mumbled, his eyes flickering open to catch Gokudera in the middle of adjusting his pillow. His eyes widened as he came fully awake and Gokudera froze with a bright blush painted on his face over being seen in such a position. He started to snap his hands back to his sides and he opened his mouth to make the usual insult to cover his embarrassment, but he didn't get a single word out. The insults formed a lump in his throat when Yamamoto grabbed his hand and pressed it against his cheek with an expression on his face that Gokudera pointedly told himself was from the fever. "I'm dreaming. Right?" Yamamoto sighed. "There's no way that you'd nurse me if I wasn't."

"I scratched my ass with that hand," Gokudera warned, feeling slightly nauseated by the wistful note in Yamamoto's voice. Yamamoto froze with the hand still against his face and stared at Gokudera for a long moment. Then he smiled and laughed, glowing with so much delight that Gokudera remembered exactly why Yamamoto used to get on his nerves so much. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last. Yamamoto's laughter took on a note of hysteria and tears built in his eyes with disturbing speed. Gokudera didn't know the reason, but it was plain to see that his old friend was having some serious problems.

Setting aside his pride, Gokudera leaned over and slipped his arm under Yamamoto's head to give him a shoulder to cry on. Yamamoto took the silent offer, blubbering like a baby until Gokudera's feet went numb from staying on his knees for so long. When he finally began to control himself, Gokudera could only think of one thing to say that might help him.

"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want."

* * *

Gokudera was positive that he'd have grey hairs if it wasn't already silver. The cause was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hands and a mocking smirk on his face. He should have known better than to get suckered in by a few tears. After a few more hours of sleep, Yamamoto had reverted back to his endlessly smiling, flippantly irritating self. He smiled when Gokudera dragged Elario out of bed for school. He smiled when Gokudera dragged Sangia out of bed for work and he smiled when Gokudera took his turn to cook breakfast. He smiled when being served eggs, bacon, and toast on a plastic plate and then the bastard had the gall to comment that any other type wouldn't have survived being washed afterward. He even smiled when Gokudera called and got into an argument with his secretary over whether or not he was really sick and couldn't go to work.

Gokudera was determined not to let Yamamoto get to him, though. Sure, his life was incredibly ordinary compared to the one that he'd had a decade previously, but there was nothing wrong with it. Even hitmen had to scold their kids and kiss their wives in the morning. Of course, Yamamoto got to see the full version since Elario was still upset over the previous night and Sangia was more energetic than usual due to having a visitor in the house. By the time the two flew out the door, Gokudera wasn't sure if he'd just survived a war or just gotten laid.

Either way, he had to smile in satisfaction.

"Elario's in sixth grade now?" Yamamoto asked conversationally.

"Eighth," he corrected as he finally sat down to his own breakfast. "He skipped second and fifth."

"And Sangia?"

"She's the Top Research Chemist at Nitrous Pharmaceuticals," he answered while he dipped his toast into the yolk of his fried eggs. "She's also working on her Master's Thesis in her spare time. What about Matsu and Yoshi? Is the brat still turning your chair into muffins?"

"I left them," he answered tonelessly. Gokudera froze in the middle of cutting up his egg and slowly raised his gaze to look at Yamamoto in shock. He'd heard rumors, but having them affirmed took him by surprise. "It's for the best," Yamamoto added, keeping his eyes on his coffee. "I'd only end up hurting them more if I stayed. I... I tried to keep it together. I told myself that I forgave Matsu, but.... I can't do it, Hayato. Yoshi.... he's... With every day that passes, he reminded me more and more of Tsuna. He wants to be a baker and I... I don't want to crush his dreams by telling him to shut up. At first, I could deal with it, but then I found myself getting mad every time Yoshi talked about how he wants to be like 'Papa Tsuna'.... and that anger.... Toward Matsu, I couldn't..."

"You started blaming Matsu again for the fact that Tsuna isn't there for Yoshi to meet," Gokudera murmured in pained understanding. Taking a deep breath, Gokudera put down his fork and tried to face the problem head-on. "Takeshi... Tsuna isn't dead. You know that--"

"Then where is he?!" Yamamoto exploded, slamming a fist down onto the table in frustration. He reeled himself in as soon as the words left his mouth, giving a flinch in apology for his outburst. "I started taking assignments again," Yamamoto explained, his voice still trembling with suppressed emotion. "At first, it was just to distance myself from Matsu and Yoshi before I hurt them, but when I found out that Tsuna was still alive. It shook me. I started searching everywhere for him, but I couldn't find him. And now... the sword... I can't hold it anymore, Hayato. Kintoki won't answer me and I've lost the will to hold another blade. I don't... I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore. I can't find Tsuna. I can't even protect his memory correctly. I don't... I don't know what to do, Hayato."

"You can finish your coffee," Gokudera answered, looking down at his plate rather than acknowledge the tears in Yamamoto's eyes. He heard Yamamoto chuckle at the order, once more with a bit of hysteria in his voice, but there was also a hint of relief. It was enough, Gokudera felt. More than anything, Yamamoto needed to focus on what was right in front of him. He'd lost track of his own nature and had begun holding everything inside. "I feel the pressure, too," Gokudera mumbled as he slowly ate his breakfast. "For the past ten years, I've thought that I failed Tsuna at the most important time. I want to get him back and clear my name just as much as you want to be able to stop blaming Matsu, but all the evidence is points in the direction that Tsuna doesn't want to be found."

"W-What are you saying?" Yamamoto spluttered in surprise.

"I'm saying that he'll find us when the time is right," Gokudera answered with a shrug. "You need to get a grip, Takeshi. It's been ten years. Either Tsuna is planning something big or he just doesn't want to come back. In both cases, what do you think he'd want us to do?"

"You're crazy," he gaped.

"Probably," Gokudera agreed with a grin. "I was Tsuna's Right Hand. When I thought he was dead, nothing made sense. Now that I know that he's alive, things are a lot easier. I don't know if I ever told you this, but there were times in the past that he didn't tell even me what was going on. If it was anyone else, I'd say he lied to me, but Tsuna was always stuck between a rock and a hard place. That's why, rather than trying to figure out what was going on in Tsuna's head, I learned to trust that he knew what was going on in mine. I learned that sometimes the best way to help him was to not get in his way. Right now... Right now, I don't know where Tsuna is. I don't know what he's planning or what he's doing. All I have is are my standing orders and I'm going to continue following them because I don't think that Tsuna is the type to completely forget about us. It might not be tomorrow or even next year, but as long as Tsuna is alive, he'll come back one day and he'll need us. Thinking that he was dead made you forget, baseball-freak. Boss is invincible. He doesn't need us to save him."

"You're crazy," Yamamoto repeated with a disbelieving laugh.

"Probably," Gokudera repeated with a laugh of his own. "Hey," he added around a sip of his coffee, feeling as that his friend's mood had lightened enough to talk about something serious without getting depressed over it. "Have you been feeling it lately?"

"The itchy feeling in the air?" Yamamoto asked with a crooked grin. "Yeah. Something's about to happen."

"I'm going to start training again," Gokudera said, making his decision with the confirmation that the feeling wasn't just wishful thinking and dulled instincts. "Since things are rocky with you and Matsu, do you want to stay here and help? We can use the gym at Vongola Corp, but you've got to help me keep it from Sangia and the brat. Elario doesn't know anything about that side of things and Sangia would kill me if she found out I'm gearing up again."

"That's fine with me, but don't you think that there's someone else who'd want to know about all this?"

"Eh?" Gokudera asked, his mind going blank for a moment. Then an image floated to mind and his good mood quickly evaporated. "Che," he spat. "You're probably right. We need to go find _him_."

* * *

Coach Achilles, also known as Ryohei Sasagawa when he wasn't wearing tinted glasses and a whistle, scratched his forehead as he marked yet another absence on the attendance roster. What the hell was Tsuna--err, Wolfe-sensei--doing with his students lately? Unfortunately, he wasn't in a position to ask. He wasn't even in a position to greet his old friend, considering they were both working undercover. It was too bad because he really admired Tsuna's ability to pretend that they didn't know each other and he was also curious how his old friend was doing. It was difficult. He'd wanted to run up and give the bastard the old jab-hug-punch after he'd suddenly shown up in such a laughable costume, but no one--NO ONE--seemed to be catching on that it was him. Even Hotaru was oblivious, which had caused his opening to disappear in a flash.

Since then, he'd gotten to see Tsuna every day, but the bastard continued to ignore him. It'd been incredibly irritating until it'd finally hit him that it was possible that Tsuna didn't even recognize him. In a way, it was understandable. First off, he was undercover, so his habits kept him from doing anything that would attract attention. Second, his identity as Coach Achilles didn't look anything like the Ryohei that Tsuna probably remembered. His glasses took up half of his face and his fake mustache covered the other half. His hair was hidden under a baseball cap and his build was hidden under a set of sweat-clothes. He wanted to ask if his hypothesis was correct, but that chance kept slipping away from him. He just didn't know how to approach Tsuna without blowing both of their covers.

He was in a precarious position. On one hand, the Family needed to know that Tsuna was sneaking around right under their noses. On the other hand, he wanted to see for himself what Tsuna was up to. Then there was the other stuff. On one hand, his job was to keep an eye on Hotaru and ensure that no assassins tried a suicide charge into the school. With the Vendiche presence being so thin, it was a compromise that the Family needed in order to feel comfortable in letting Hotaru attend. It took an assassin to catch an assassin, but he wouldn't be able to do that if the enemy knew that he was there. On the other hand, he was potentially ignoring a threat to the Family's well-being by staying silent.

However, that thinking made him run against a wall since he couldn't imagine Tsuna as a threat. Actually, wouldn't he be threatening it more if he interfered with Tsuna? Who was he supposed to follow in this instance? The Tenth or the Eleventh? On one hand, the Tenth was the reason that Kyoko was dead and he'd been missing for nearly ten years. On the other hand, this was Tsuna! On one hand, the Eleventh was the current Boss. On the other hand, this was _Tsuna_!

It all left him so... so... so out of hands to consider with, which was his excuse for doing nothing yet. All he could do was watch and wring his wrists, since he hadn't run out of those yet. On top of everything else, though, Ryohei was worried. It didn't take a hitman to see that Tsuna was wasting away. With every day that passed, he became less active and his moments of weakness became more visible. The sight of Tsuna nearly falling over was becoming so commonplace that students didn't even pause in the hallway for him anymore.

The whole situation had a very Barbados feel to it. Barbados had been an incident that'd happened back when Tsuna had first gone into isolation while training under the Ninth. There had been four of them, including himself, Tsuna, Dino, and Romario. They'd gone down to negotiate with an arms dealer and it'd turned into a hostage situation. Ryohei and Romario had been imprisoned, Dino had become useless alone, and, worst of all, Tsuna had fallen ill. A dead Tenth hadn't been part of the arms dealer's plan, so doctors had to be brought in. However, Tsuna had refused them, claiming that he wasn't going to let a doctor that he didn't trust get near him. His reasoning had been that the doctors might attempt to pump him full of truth serum and that he'd rather die than spill his Family's secrets.

However, the truth of the matter was that Tsuna had been using his illness as a multi-option counter-plan. First, there was the chance that his keeper would free him rather than incur the wrath of his Family by letting him die. Second, his keepers let their guard down by thinking he was weak, giving him the opening to escape. Third, he really would die and his secrets would go with him while his captor would lose his bargaining chip. The problem with the plan had been that Tsuna had been really, really sick. The first part had failed. By the time he could use the second part of the plan, he had been too weak to do anything. And the third part almost came true. The only thing that had saved him was the Ninth's sudden arrival with a raid squad.

Tsuna wasn't stupid enough to repeat that, though, so Ryohei didn't know why he was bothering to reminisce about it. It was far more likely that Tsuna was only pretending to be sick in order to teach his students some strange lesson. It'd be very Reborn-like of him, teaching in such a round-about method. Raising the stakes was Reborn's way, too, and it was obvious that Tsuna was trying to imitate his old mentor in some ways. He had to be, considering how often his students looked completely miserable while also looking incredibly energetic.

It made Ryohei wish that Tsuna could Tutor Hotaru too. There was something really wrong with that boy lately. It wasn't just the sudden desire to wear the clothing his mother designed or how he'd started to stubbornly grow out his hair. It wasn't the tattoos or even his sudden desire to get his tongue pierced. The problem was that Hotaru went from being a Prince-like Boss into a pouting, rebellious punk almost overnight. The even bigger problem was that his attempt to hide his cause for doing so was an utter failure--to everyone but his target.

Hotaru was hopelessly in love with Miss Ross and pathetically jealous of his brother, Gregory, who shared a Tutor with her. Even while he was pushing her away with his words and his actions, his eyes and his heart were following her. He wanted her attention, so he was doing his best to get it by being the extreme opposite of Gregory. It was working for over eighty-percent of the girls that he went to school with. He'd actually increased his following by aiming to become a 'bad boy'; Miss Ross just wasn't one of them.

It was actually amusing to watch from an adult's perspective. Miss Ross actually liked Hotaru, too, as could be seen whenever Hotaru's back was turned. The two kept struggling with their feelings, liking each other with their hearts even as cruel words came out of their mouths. Seeing that it was Hotaru's first love, the adults had an unsaid consensus not to interfere. After all, love was something that he needed to explore and learn on his own. Hotaru had always been an impressionable and skittish boy, too, so there was fear that he'd be frightened off if anyone pointed out that he was doing things uncharacteristic of a Boss.

Things such as staring off in a daze in the middle of the sparring ring--!

Ryohei took two steps toward him, seeing that he wasn't paying any attention to his sparring partner, only to fall to a stop when the opponent's fist went straight through the boy. Ryohei wanted to curse as the opponent skipped forward three steps in surprise and Hotaru's fiery body reformed. That idiot! Hotaru wasn't supposed to use his Salamander form just so that he could slack off in gym class!

"Sawada!" Ryohei shouted with a blow of his whistle to call a halt to the match. "What the hell are you doing?! If you're not going to practice..." Ryohei trailed off, seeing that Hotaru wasn't responding. He was still gazing off in the distance and not even his opponent's hand waving in his face managed to snap him out of it. Worried, Ryohei tossed his clipboard aside and jumped over the rock wall that sectioned off the sparring ring in order to jog up to Hotaru's side. "Sawada!" Ryohei barked, snapping his fingers in Hotaru's face. There was no response, which was definitely abnormal. Even more worrisome was the speed with which Hotaru's form gave way when he tried to grab onto the boy's shoulders. Something was seriously wrong. "SK!" Ryohei snapped, looking to the ring on Hotaru's fingers.

Ryohei felt his stomach lurch when his attempt to grab Hotaru's wrist caused the rings to fall off when his hand momentarily disappeared like Flame, which was exactly what he was. This wasn't right. Hotaru wasn't holding his lance, so why was he in his Salamander form to begin with?! Was he really just in so much of a daze that he'd lost track of his humanity? If so, Ryohei knew one sure way to knock him out of it.

Pushing back the growing ring of spectators, Ryohei balled up his fist and closed his eyes to concentrate. He needed the full hundred percent of his cells if he was going to pull out the Solar Flare that was sharp enough to hit Flame. Sixty percent. Seventy percent. Eighty. Ninety. Ninety four. Ninety nine. One hundred percent. Letting out a sharp yell, Ryohei threw everything he had into a punch he prayed would snap Hotaru out of his daze.

Halfway through the punch, his fist momentarily exploded with the Sun Flames that he'd spent years learning to control. Impact was going to be short and painful in three. Two. One. Hotaru's head snapped to the side, barely avoiding the fist aimed for his chin. Ryohei froze with his arm fully extended, letting Hotaru stare in wide-eyed shock at the limb full of muscle that had almost gone through his head. Ryohei took it as a compliment when Hotaru fell on his rear, gasping for air while he contemplated how close that he'd come to getting hit by such a powerful blow.

"Were you trying to kill me?!" Hotaru spluttered.

"Welcome back," Ryohei growled as he pulled his fist back to his side. "Do you want to explain what you were doing by taking on that form?"

"What form?!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Why the hell did you try to hit me, Coach?! I thought I was supposed to be sparring with other students!" Ryohei narrowed his eyes, worried over the insinuation that Hotaru didn't even remember what he'd done. Even worse, Hotaru didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong, despite the fact that he was still panting, sweating, and sitting long after he would have normally gotten to his feet.

"Pick your rings up and come on," Ryohei ordered. "We're going to have the Doc check you out." Hotaru looked up at him, still bewildered by the situation, but he had enough sense not to argue. With Ryohei's help, he collected his fallen jewelry and tried to stand.

"Eh?" He gaped in shock as he tumbled back to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Ryohei asked in concern. Hotaru shook his head in answer and tried to get up again, only to fall face forward this time. Ryohei caught him before he face-planted, but his doubts were erased. It wasn't just his imagination. Something really was wrong with Hotaru.

"W-What's wrong with me?" Hotaru asked, his eyes growing wide in panic while sweat began beading up even faster on his forehead. "My legs won't work right."

"Let's get you to the Doc," Ryohei replied hurriedly, swinging Hotaru's arm around his neck to help him off the field. Orinato ran forward to help on the other side, keeping Hotaru on his feet despite the boy's inability to control his feet. Shouting out orders for everyone to hit the showers, Ryohei picked up his step when he saw that Hotaru was starting to lose focus again.

The hallways were mostly empty, allowing them to run straight for the infirmary. However, there was a crowd around the infirmary doors that Ryohei recognized as the students missing from gym class. Miss Ross, Napoleon, Gregory, and Murlock were all milling around and pacing as they ran forward. There was something about their expressions that made Ryohei stop, even though he had a possible emergency on his hands.

"What's going on?" He barked, causing the four dazed youths to jolt in place.

"W-Wolfe-sensei collapsed again," Gregory answered in a taunt voice. "Everyone...."

"Everyone just stood there like idiots, waiting for him to get back up like he always does, but he didn't," Ross snarled, punching the wall in frustration. "The Doctor says that his lung collapsed, but he's refusing to let anyone call an ambulance."

"He has to have a reason," Napoleon commented logically.

"He does," Murlock agreed. "Wolfe-sensei is a werewolf. Regular hospitals can't help him as much as his own kind can. That's why Doctor Shamal called Lord Poe and Aster instead."

"What the hell are they supposed to do?!" Ross exclaimed. "Wolfe-sensei needs doctors, not--" Everyone in the hallway jumped a foot into the air at the sound of glass shattering and shouting coming from inside the infirmary. Leaving Hotaru to Orinato, Ryohei bolted for the door as the commotion began to draw the attention of neighboring classrooms.

Once the door opened, he was thrown into the middle of chaos.

"Hold him down!" The Dean roared while holding onto Tsuna's arm as if his life depended on it. A shirtless, dark-haired man held the other arm down while a short kid and Shamal tried to pin Tsuna's legs. It was no good. First the kid was kicked away and then Shamal was sent flying across the room with a foot to his jaw. Ryohei reacted instinctively, running forward to wrap his arms around Tsuna's knees and locked them together. Tsuna didn't like the confinement. It was obvious in the way he was thrashing and fighting them while roaring unintelligibly as if he were possessed.

"Aster!" The dark-haired man shouted as Shamal threw himself back into holding Tsuna's feet down. "It's got to be you! He'll kill us if we let him go!"

"Understood," the veiled kid replied. Before Ryohei could ask what was going on, the kid jumped onto the bed, straddled Tsuna's waist, and stripped himself down to the waist. "Ready," he said calmly once he finished. The dark-haired man and the Dean traded looks and nodded in unison to tell each other that they were also ready. Then, as if planned, they slowly forced Tsuna to sit up an inch at a time. "Master," the boy called soothingly to focus Tsuna's attention on him. "Master, I know you can't hear me, but it's going to be okay. We're going to let you feed now."

"Okay," the dark-haired man whispered while Aster kept mumbling encouragements to keep Tsuna distracted. "On the count of three, let him go. One. Two. Three." Everyone flew away from the bed in unison; everyone except the boy. Ryohei began to leap forward to restrain him again before the kid could get hurt, but Shamal reached out to stop him as Tsuna attacked. It was just enough of a delay to keep him from intervening and Ryohei froze in shock as he saw what Tsuna did with his sudden freedom.

Tsuna's arms snapped closed around the boy, his nails digging into the kid's bare back even as his teeth tore into his shoulder. Blood sprayed across his face and across the infirmary bed from the force that he used. At first, his eyes were wide with an insane gleam, but slowly, while he began drinking from the boy's wound, his expression relaxed into a silly expression of bliss that was even more disturbing for being so out of place.

"While I thank you for your help, friend," the dark-haired man said mournfully, pulling Ryohei's attention away from Tsuna. "I could wish that you hadn't come in." Ryohei blinked for a second in response, not understanding why he wouldn't be welcome. A pointed glance to the side explained it, though. When he'd bolted in, he'd forgotten to shut the door and there was a hallway full of green students and pale teachers who were seeing the same bloody scene that he was.

"Shit," Reborn cursed as he snapped the curtain shut around the infirmary bed.

"There's nothing more to see here," the Dean soothed, stepping forward to mollify the unwanted audience. "Students, the situation is under control, so please return to your studies. Teachers, I don't think I need to remind you that eavesdropping and gossip are the sole jurisdictions of undercover operations and media studies. You shouldn't be giving lessons on studies outside your areas of expertise. Rest assured that an official announcement will soon be made regarding this incident. Until then, please follow the normal routine."

"Orinato, Gregory, bring Hotaru in here to be checked out," Ryohei interjected, stopping the three from being sent away with everyone else. Following his orders, the three slipped inside the room before the Dean shut the door behind himself. Ryohei didn't doubt that he'd get reprimanded as a teacher later, but there were still issues for him to deal with such as giving Shamal a briefing of what happened on the sparring grounds.

Having been thoroughly distracted by Tsuna, the only signs of ailment that Hotaru was still showing was that he was sweating. Therefore, it took some forceful negotiation to get Shamal to take his problem seriously.

"A fever of one-oh-one Fahrenheit," Shamal mused, ignoring the gun pointed under his chin in order to stare over Ryohei's shoulder at Hotaru. "Irregular heartbeat, runny nose, sore throat, and dehydration. No matter how you look at it, it's just a common cold. His legs just got wobbly because he's never had one before."

"Yes, I have!" Hotaru objected. "I had one--" Hotaru froze in place, realizing the very thing that also made Ryohei let Doctor Shamal go. Hotaru had never once been sick before. There had been times that he'd faked illness and everyone had played along so that he could feel 'normal', but he'd never had the misfortune of having so much as a sniffle. If they went by Reborn's briefing of Hotaru's abilities, there was only a single explanation for why Hotaru had a cold now.

He wanted to be sick and his shape shifting ability had answered his wishes.

"Hotaru," Shamal called as he began setting things right from Tsuna's rampage. "Have you been reading manga again?"

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped.

"Any chance the most recent one had a pretty, teenage girl nursing her ill, heart-throb of a classmate back to health?" Shamal asked knowingly. "It's a classic scenario. Boy gets sick and the girl either takes the chance to confess at his house or he kisses her and blames it on the fever. You wouldn't have been planning something like that. Now would you?"

"N-No!" Hotaru blurted while his face turned such a bright red that no one could possibly believe him.

"Hotaru..." Gregory gaped in laughter. "Can you get any more cliché?"

"Boss?" Orinato asked in disbelief. "You made yourself sick over a girl?"

"N-NO!" Hotaru spluttered, jumping to his feet in embarrassed outrage. "He's making that up! I wouldn't--"

"Enough!" Ryohei snapped, stopping the argument before Hotaru could get any more upset. "Orinato, Gregory, go back to class. Hotaru, lie down and stay quiet until school's over. The reasons don't matter. You've got a cold, so you need rest if you're going to make your afternoon appointments. Shamal... How's Van Wolfe? I still haven't gotten an explanation."

"And you won't get one," he replied calmly. "I won't say anything without Van's permission. He's got enough problems without also having to worry about whether he can trust me, so I'm invoking doctor-patient privilege. Not even the Eleventh can make me break that, so don't think that your threats will either. Just wait for the Dean's statement like everyone--"

"Is Sensei going to be alright?" Gregory interjected worriedly. "This is the first time that he didn't get back up after he collapsed."

"He'll live," Shamal answered, keeping his back to them. "For now." It wasn't enough information to satisfy any of them, but Shamal's body language said that he would say no more. It also said that he wanted to collapse, so Ryohei did what he could to clear the room. Hotaru got tucked into bed whether he wanted to or not and the two boys got sent back to their classrooms. Ryohei considered following them, but he knew that the assistant coach could handle things without him for a while.

As he expected, Shamal collapsed into the seat at his desk as soon as the curtain was closed around Hotaru's bed. Once they were left with a respectable amount of privacy, Shamal pulled a bottle of Brandy out of his desk and offered a glass to Ryohei. He almost refused the token, until the wet squelching sound from Tsuna's bed reached his ears. After that, he needed a drink far more than he needed sobriety. There were simply too many questions and no good place to start. He wasn't even sure if opening his mouth was wise, considering father and son were unknowingly in the same room together.

Why did things have to be so damned complicated? Ryohei wondered after a fruitless half hour of trying to figure everything out. He hated it when things got complicated.

"Shamal," the Dean said, poking his head into the infirmary. "How is he?"

"Ask his retainers," Shamal hiccupped, gesturing with the nearly empty bottle in his hands. "I only treat women." Ryohei smiled at the predictable response as the Dean stepped into the room and quietly shut the door behind himself. Curious as to how things were going, Ryohei spun in his chair and opened the curtain so that both the Dean and himself could see.

He instantly wished that he could erase the memory.

The bed was soaked with blood, making it look like the scene of a murder. The boy, Aster, was the victim, sprawled lifeless on the wide stain with his murderer sitting next to him. The murderer, Tsuna, was standing over him, staring at his body with a look of horror hidden under a veil of loose, suddenly-ankle-length hair. The dark-haired man was still hovering, as well, although he'd put his shirt back on and seemed to be more concerned with getting the blood off of Tsuna's shirt than dealing with the boy on the bed.

"Get rid of your expressions," the dark-haired man ordered, speaking to the onlookers rather than to Tsuna. "This is quite common in our world. Aster is a blood slave, so he was aware of the risks before he offered himself. Moreover, he's a werewolf, so he'll live. Van is already upset with himself for going berserk in the school, so you don't need to lecture him, either. I do believe that he's already berating himself enough for putting students in danger. Isn't that right, Van?" Tsuna flinched at the sound of his alias, but he slowly nodded as he wiped his own expression away.

"I have no excuses," he said, staring straight at the Dean with a defiant gleam in his eyes. "If you want, I'll step down as a Tutor. Just please allow Shamal to cure Aster first." The Dean straightened up at the offer and pinned Tsuna with a scowl that made the room tremble.

"Tutor Wolfe," he said formally. "I was aware of your special needs when you were given a Tutoring position. The fact that you went into a berserk state has no bearing on the fact that you were within safety limits at all times. There were no injuries outside of the ones predicted and your abilities have not lessened any with this incident. It's unfortunate that you were seen, since I know how much your condition pains you, but I will be frank. I have no need of students or teachers who lose their nerve in front of such a mild display."

"Dean...?" Tsuna gaped in surprise.

"That being said, the Families will want answers," the Dean sighed. "I'm not going to permit you to run away in face of them. Tomorrow morning, we will hold an assembly with the other Tutors, teachers, black-ties and red-ties. We'll leave the blue-ties and green-ties out of it for now. You can make a statement to apologize for your misconduct in whatever way that you deem appropriate. I'll allow you to use your best judgment. After you're finished, I'll announce the formation of a new class that you'll be teaching beginning next semester. Werewolves and Vampires aren't the only oddity that isn't covered in our normal curriculum. We'll add Occult Studies as an elective for Mafioso with abilities that don't fall in the category of illusion, so brush up on your fortune-telling and ghost stories while I look for an assistant--"

"I'd like to apply for that," the dark-haired man interjected, making Tsuna's eyes bulge. "It'd allow me to be on hand in case Van falls over again and I'm a qualified exorcist when I'm not writing. In addition, I'm a vampire that's far older than these two puppies and I have the experience to match."

"What Family and rank?" The Dean asked calmly in face of the sudden application.

"Hmm," he mused with a slow smile spreading on his face. "The Hellsing Family?"

"Poe!" Tsuna spluttered. "Don't go making up Families!"

"Fine," he pouted. "Then the Wolfe Family."

"There's not a Wolfe Family either!" He protested.

"Van," Poe replied with a note of warning in his voice that made Tsuna freeze and pale simultaneously. "You're not the only one who can see what's coming. I haven't managed to live this many years by being blind. The bait is being eyed. If you want to survive being swallowed, then stop being so damn stubborn. Just tell me which of your identities you want the Family to be registered under and I'll take care of it. Or are you truly planning to leave your precious protégé without a way to retreat?"

"Shit," Tsuna grimaced, glancing back at where the boy was lying deathly still. "Fine. Do it, but keep it secret."

"Then it's settled," Poe grinned, looking back up at the curious Dean. "I'm part of the Wolfe Family and my rank is whatever rank that would be given to this reckless fool's father."

"Father?" Ryohei blurted in surprise.

"I'll take your credentials under consideration," the Dean interrupted calmly before Tsuna could explain. "Until I can set up formal interviews, please learn to clean up after yourselves." Tsuna flushed in embarrassment, reminded yet again of the grisly scene on the bed. As Poe began teasing him over it, Ryohei had to smile over how much Tsuna and Hotaru's pouting faces were alike. It made Ryohei feel... It made him feel like cheering even as a knot formed in his stomach over getting to see it so closely again. Tsuna was right in front of him, seemingly healthy and happy. Yet, at the same time, this wasn't the Tsuna that he knew. As seen by how uncaring Tsuna acted around the unconscious, injured boy, the years had changed him. "Coach Achilles, come with me please," the Dean ordered before he could come to terms with everything that he'd witnessed.

"Yes, sir," he said as he got to his feet. Following the Dean out into the corridor, Ryohei began preparing his apology for leaving the door open. He opened his mouth to say it, but the Dean cut him off before he could utter a single word.

"Gokudera and Yamamoto have been searching for you," the Dean said without missing a step. Ryohei stiffened, but continued to follow with his mouth snapping shut. "They're acting strangely. It seems that they've stopped looking for you-know-who and have begun preparing themselves for something instead."

"That's understandable," Ryohei murmured, having felt a tension in the back of his mind ever since Tsuna had returned. The Dean raised his eyebrow, but Ryohei didn't explain. After all, he doubted that it was something that anyone outside of Tsuna's Guardians would feel. "I've got an assignment with Tan this afternoon, but I'll stop by Gokudera's place afterward."

"Are you going to tell them about Van?" The Dean asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. Ryohei blinked in surprise, but made no other outward sign that he hadn't expected the admission. So the Dean already knew that Van was Tsuna? That complicated things a bit, but Ryohei had known that there was the possibility.

"No," he answered honestly. "I can't ignore what my experience in the Varia taught me. It'd be extremely dumb of me to put all my cards on the table. I'll go to see what they're up to, but I'll go as Ryohei the Lion-Puncher. Ryohei the Lion-Puncher goes to the limit and he only has a quarter of the brains as the Varia Leader, so he wouldn't know anything about some cowboy named Van."

"You're a frightening Mafioso, Coach Achilles," the Dean replied. "More so since you know how to hide how dangerous you really are."

"We all have our lots in life," Ryohei laughed. "The rain falls, the storm breaks, and the Sun hides behind the horizon. I was never in the Sky's sphere of influence and I never will be."

"I wonder if the Sky knows that," the Dean mused.

"Who knows?" Ryohei shrugged as he checked his watch for the time. "Whether he does or not, I've got to go. I've got a schedule to keep."

"Good luck."

"You, too, Reborn."


	124. Chapter 124 Arrivederci, Sensei

"That's true, but as you can see from this 1912 volume in French mythology, werewolves had a tendency to...." Gregory. Check.

"About time you-- Uh... I mean, thank you, I couldn't reach up there. Now why don't you...." Ross. Check.

"If we move the elevator shaft over here, there'll be enough room to add in..." Chin. Check.

"I've already seen Lambo's latest movie. Why don't we go to that new Brahms flick...." Murlock. Check.

"No! No! No! Less tit and more hip! How many times..." Aster. Check.

"Shut up already. I'm awake. I was just thinking about...." Napoleon. Check.

Tsuna smiled to himself as he headed up the stairs and to his room. The House was more active than he could have ever hoped for. It made him happy to see his students, comrades, and friends all working hard to better themselves. It made him even happier to be a part of it. His only wish was that he could allow himself to be cured so that the inevitable goodbye wouldn't come.

"You're a fool," Mukuro said as Tsuna collapsed onto his bed. Tsuna couldn't argue. He knew that he was a fool. He'd become a fool from the moment Shamal had found the cure to Centipede. Up until that point, he'd allowed himself to stay sick simply because it kept his students from relying on him. They were forced to establish their independence because illness gave him an image of weakness. After the cure had been found, though, everything had changed. It was so tempting to just allow himself to be cured. He had to trust his intuition, though, and his intuition said that being cured was the wrong thing to do.

"Just a little longer," Tsuna panted, closing his eyes to better relax in the comforting embrace of his pillow. He felt so weak. For weeks now, it'd felt as if he'd been holding onto the edge of a cliff with only his willpower. Even Mukuro's illusions were beginning to lose their potency, but he couldn't give up now. His instincts had keeping his body tense for most of the day now. Somewhere out there, someone was watching him even now. The attack would come soon. He was the only visible threat in the House and the enemy wasn't foolish enough to attack him when he was at full strength.

Outsiders wouldn't know that Poe was a vampire and Aster hadn't yet shown his full capabilities. Even the werewolves in the House weren't aware of how much the daily training had strengthened them, but they would. Tsuna had faith that the trap would close as soon as the enemy made a move on him. He just had to stay strong and continue to be the most tempting bait that he could make himself.

"You're a fool," Mukuro repeated softly, running his fingers through Tsuna's hair. Tsuna smiled, taking the gesture to mean that Mukuro was actually worried about him. For nearly an hour, Tsuna dozed while trying to gather his strength, using his weakness as an excuse to enjoy Mukuro's lingering caresses running through his hair. It was all that he was going to get, but it eased the crushing weight on his heart. He knew that Mukuro wasn't his anymore, but he was still able to take comfort in the ephemeral friendship that Mukuro offered at times.

It was a stalemate between them and neither of them was willing to make a move to break it. Tsuna knew that he'd lose Mukuro for good if he tried and he was sure that Mukuro felt the same way. Even now, Mukuro didn't understand why he did some of the things he did. He didn't understand why he continued to visit Tsuna whenever Tsuna was left in solitude and he couldn't remember the reason why they'd initially been brought together. Mukuro was afraid. Tsuna could feel it in the moments that Mukuro hesitantly reached out to touch him and he could see it in Mukuro's eyes whenever he was at a loss for anything to say.

For all that Mukuro was eccentric and erratic, the man never did things without a reason. It was typically only a reason that he understood, but it was still a reason and he had none to serve for seeing Tsuna. That was why Tsuna didn't question him during his visits. He felt that it was already enough of a gift for Mukuro to appear before him. To ask for more would be pushing his luck. He could tell that Mukuro felt the same. To question Tsuna or to interfere in his plans would make him question himself. He'd wonder what gave him the right to do such a thing and that would open a box of worms that Mukuro wasn't ready to deal with. For now, he needed to keep his focus on what was in front of himself and get stronger rather than dealing with nebulous, inexplicable feelings that only brought confusion. Mukuro... Mukuro was still searching for his answer to the age-old question of 'why do I exist?', which was a question that he'd once had an answer to before he'd given it up in exchange for Tsuna's memories.

There would be time enough to explore his feelings in the future, Tsuna told himself. He wasn't going to give up. He wasn't going to allow himself to die with so many things left unfinished. He was keeping himself from feeling regret by continually making progress toward his goals, even if it was only by one more crane or making the Mafia a better place with one more lesson taught. He had the determination and the plan. His friends and comrades could be his strength. It wasn't over yet. He refused to let it end this way.

"Hey," Tsuna mumbled, shifting in place to make room for Mukuro to sit on the bed. "Help me come up with a speech for the assembly tomorrow. I'm too tired to think of one right now."

"Shouldn't you be worrying about something else?" Mukuro asked curiously without taking the invitation to sit.

"Hmm?" Tsuna asked, cracking his eyes open long enough to catch a longing expression on Mukuro's face. Closing them again before Mukuro noticed that he was peeking, Tsuna smiled over the fact that Mukuro would make such a face for him. "What would that be?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mukuro replied, lowering himself down to whisper in Tsuna's ear. "Perhaps that you don't have any chocolate for tomorrow?"

Tsuna's eyes snapped open and his mouth parted in shock as he added up the months and days. November. December. January. February. First. Fourth. Ninth. Twelfth. Fourteenth--

"Shit," he gasped, bolting upright in his bed. "Valentine's day!"

Adie and Neve would be expecting some. Bianchi would probably give him poisoned ones, so he needed to have something to give her to reciprocate. Aster and his students would probably give him Obligatory chocolates and people didn't wait for White Day in the Mafia. After all, one couldn't be sure if their love-target or respected senior would still be alive by then. So, if he didn't have chocolates to return tomorrow, they'd all feel upset. What about Haru and Hotaru? He needed to sneak some to both of them. Autumn too-- No, it was too late for her. But there was Poppet who'd probably give him some at Eric's urging. There were also the obligatory chocolates for the other Tutors, Reborn, the other Council members, Dino, Naito, the few kids who'd shown up for the Ten Years Later club, Poe, the House's residents....

Bulk, Tsuna decided. It was too late to make them for everyone, so he needed to go buy in bulk. Where was he going to find somewhere that still had chocolates this late? No, not just chocolates, but chocolates and roses for the girls?!

"Kufufufu," Mukuro laughed as his form faded, leaving only a smile hanging in the air to taunt him. "I'll be expecting something nice."

* * *

Tsuna smiled to himself as he tied the last balloon to the last locker. In the end, he wasn't able to do it. He couldn't narrow down his list enough to figure out how many chocolates he needed to buy. So, he'd gone online and put in last-minute delivery orders for his friends outside of the House, including Vampires, Werewolves and Mafioso. He'd gone in person to find boxes of chocolates for everyone in the House, which he'd handed out at midnight. The problem was when he'd gotten to the people at Don Girarde. He wanted to give Hotaru one, but he didn't want to be accused of favoritism. The same went with the teachers; he didn't know who would gift him with chocolates and who wouldn't.

So, in a blindly simple solution, he'd made chocolates for everyone. It'd taken him five hours to fill up several hundred water balloons with Chocolate Fondue, but he'd finished it on time with the Dango Brothers' help. There was now one in every teacher's mailbox and one tie to every student's locker. He had even left an extra-large exploding one on Reborn's desk, which should make him happy since it was mildly dangerous. All that was left were Mukuro's, Chrome's, and Kiyoshi's, which were sitting in Tsuna's room for them to pick up at their leisure.

Now he only had to head to the front gate and wait for the students to begin arriving. He'd greet them at the gate today to let them know that there would be no attacks via water. The challenge for the day was simply going to be figuring out how to eat their fondue without making the balloons explode in their hands.

Imagining the expressions on the students faces when the first few failed, Tsuna felt incredibly pleased with himself as he took up a comfortable position on a courtyard bench. It'd be too pompous of him to literally wait at the gate, he felt. Being on one of the benches allowed him to conserve energy while still being in a position to greet Don Girarde students. It also put him in an easy-to-find position to receive the much-desired chocolates that he was hoping to get. It was likely a large portion of people had forgotten about him, but he was very aware of the small following that he had amongst the more romantically-minded students. He had two pocket-fulls of wrapped truffles to give in return for anyone who personally handed him--

The smile fell from Tsuna's face as a familiar car pulled to a stop in front of the school. His intuition quivered in warning. What was Lord Nephriam doing out so early in the morning? More importantly, what was he doing at the school? If he wanted to check on Aster and P-Chan, it made much more sense to call ahead for a reception at the Werewolf House. Was it possible that he had a touchy assignment that he had to give in person?

Concerned by the unexpected visit, Tsuna rose and walked forward to greet the child-like Lord as he stepped out of his car. He was cheerful yet as poised as always, a strange combination of youth and age that would be disturbing on anyone else. For Lord Nephriam, it was normal and put Tsuna at ease. He didn't look particularly disheveled, which meant that he wasn't visiting due to sudden business. It was a personal--

_STOP!_

Tsuna froze with his foot hovering over the border between school grounds and public grounds. As he pulled his foot back in response to the warning, his smile slowly disappeared in confusion. Were there snipers? A quick scan of the rooftops came up empty. Trip wire? He couldn't smell any explosives or see any evidence of a trap. Was it just a watcher somewhere nearby? Why had his instincts flared like warning bells? It'd been such a strong feeling, too, more so than any that he'd recently gotten.

"Lord Sky?" Lord Nephriam asked, still patiently waiting to be greeted. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted, turning his eye towards the sewer access in the street and any possible hiding places along the sidewalk. "My intuition is giving me nothing, but my instincts say that it's dangerous. I apologize for my rudeness, but it might be best for you to leave until I can track down the source."

"Do you really think the Hunters would attack here?" Lord Nephriam laughed in disbelief. Rather than laughing with him, Tsuna narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Why would he immediately jump to the idea of Hunters? Tsuna had been thinking of something more along the lines of vengeful Mafioso who didn't like the idea of the Ninth's murderer being a Tutor for their children. Then again, Hunters were the greatest threat in the Council's mind. It was probably Tsuna who was strange for jumping to a different conclusion.

"No," Tsuna answered, taking the question seriously since he'd missed his chance to laugh along. "I don't think that they'd attack here, but that would be a good reason for them to. Before they went into hiding, the Hunters' key strategy was to catch people when they least expected it. Please take my advice and get to safety," he pleaded. "I'll send the Dango Brothers out to--"

"This is why I hate you," Lord Nephriam stated, making Tsuna lurch to a mental halt. What had he just said? "Step out of the protected grounds, werewolf. This is an order from the Carter Family Boss."

"Lord Nephriam?" Tsuna asked in confusion at the sudden, hateful gleam in Lord Nephriam's eyes. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"You were born," he answered in disgust. "Now don't make me tell you again. If you refuse, I'll have the Vendiche execute you for treason."

"Oi!" Tsuna exclaimed, taking a step backward in shock. "Are you joking? If so, that's not..." Trailing off, Tsuna saw from Lord Nephriam's expression that he wasn't joking. "This isn't funny," Tsuna said seriously as the pieces began falling into place. He still couldn't see the entire picture, but some of his feelings started to make sense. This was the reason why he'd had to stay ill and why he had the constant feeling of being watched. It was all because of Lord Nephriam. Lord Nephriam was an... "Enemy," he whispered in dismay.

"Very well," Lord Nephriam said, lifting his chin proudly. "If you don't want to come out willingly, then I have no choice; I'll expose you. I wonder how Vongola will feel once they know that their precious Tenth has been hiding under their noses? Especially that cute little son of yours."

"Wait a second!" Tsuna blurted, taking an unconscious step forward to stop him. He stopped himself before he could take the final step that would put him outside the gates, but it was a near thing. "What are you playing at?" Tsuna spluttered in anger at the threat. "You're a Boss! You can't break the Family's Omerta like that!"

"I can do anything that I want, simply because I am the Boss," Lord Nephriam grinned. "Who do you think writes the Omerta, you little ninny? And even if I did break it, do you think I'm stupid enough to allow it to be traced back to me? As for what I'm playing at, it's fairly simple," he added, stepping forward to toe the line between them. "It's called 'teaching a mongrel his place'. Now step out of the protected grounds and get in the car. I still have one final use for you and you're not going to screw this up. If you do, I will break every bone in your precious servant's body and use him as an appetizer. Do I make myself clear?"

Feeling a vampiric attack on his mental barriers, Tsuna reacted by instinct and jumped backward to put distance between them. Then he simply stared, trying to understand what was happening. Lord Nephriam had suddenly become his enemy. Lord Nephriam hated him. Lord Nephriam had just cruelly threatened Aster's life. Was the man in front of him a fake? No, his intuition answered. He'd just completely misread Lord Nephriam. He'd believed the little Lord when he claimed to have the best intentions for werewolves, but the truth was out now. He'd been blinded from Lord Nephriam's long-term goals by the allure of his short-term plans.

More pieces fell into place, giving him the first vestiges of the image. It was heartbreakingly simple. Lord Nephriam had lured werewolves into trusting him so that he would be in the best position to eradicate them. He hated werewolves-- No, he amended as his intuition corrected him. Lord Nephriam hated everything to do with his own kind. It wasn't just werewolves; he even hated the vampire blood that ran through his own veins. He'd just learned to hide it.

The pieces began to click together faster once he knew that Lord Nephriam's pleasantry was just a facade. Going back to the very first time that he'd heard Lord Nephriam's name, it'd been when the seemingly-young lord had sent outcaste Vampires to try to capture him. He'd been a fool to accept Lord Nephriam's apologies and his excuse that he had only been thinking of his wife. Lady Italia was merely a pawn! Looking back now, even Xanxus had merely been a pawn to get Lord Nephriam on good terms with the Phlegm.

The Phlegm, Tsuna repeated to himself. Lord Nephriam was working on a wonder-drug to make it so that there would be no more Rejection deaths. It was a secret, joint partnership that'd begun after Lord Nephriam had temporarily gifted Xanxus' aid to the Clan. If Lord Nephriam perfected that, the Phlegm wouldn't need to travel to keep from getting caught for their murders. Thus, their numbers would naturally decrease as they were able to settle down, allowing potential vampires to find them rather than forcing the curse onto innocent people. However, once the number of Phlegm decreased and they stopped moving, they would become predictable. Tracking them down and killing them off would become child's play, thus destroying the group from which new vampires were born. After that it would be the destruction of the rare handful of full-bloods and then the half-humans.

But why werewolves? Why was he targeting Tsuna now? Such a plan had to have spent decades in the building, so what did Tsuna have to do with it? He wasn't important in the grand scheme that Lord Nephriam was using. He was just.... He was just a Councilor, Tsuna realized. He'd been a pawn who'd been shown too many pieces, even though he hadn't managed to put it all together. It wasn't just the wonder-drug or even the attempt to kidnap him that'd never been reported. There was more, such as one of Lord Nephriam's charges, Welt, being one of the unfortunate vampires to have appeared as trinkets at Mafia Land. Such as Lord Nephriam's behind-the-scenes support of removing the Vampire Omerta so that they could reveal themselves to humans. Such as Lord Nephriam's visible abandonment of his wife, using the current Hunter Crisis as an excuse to do so.

They'd all been clues pointing to Lord Nephriam's plans to destroy their whole society and Tsuna had played into his hand at every turn. The problem, however, was that his plans hadn't been for the Mafia to accept their kind. The problem was that, because of Tsuna's growing influence in the Council, Lord Nephriam's plans were beginning to backfire. Without knowing it, he'd gone from being a pawn to being an enemy assassin in Lord Nephriam's eyes. The short bastard had to have been planning for a way to eliminate him for some time, but it would have caused too much of an outcry if he'd died while having a good reputation as a Tutor and a Mafioso.

However, after being seen feeding in the infirmary, Tsuna had given Lord Nephriam the opening that he needed. If he were to die or disappear now, people would remember him most for the bloody scene that he'd left them with. They'd think that he'd run off to escape punishment for the attack and Lord Nephriam could smoothly take back the limelight in the Council Chambers and gain control of the Alliance. With Tsuna gone, he'd have an unparalleled amount of power that he could use to usher their society into destruction.

Why hadn't he seen it before?!

"I'm growing impatient," Lord Nephriam said with a frown. "This is your last chance, werewolf. You can either come quietly or everyone at your little Werewolf House will pay the price. Make your choice."

"Alright," he agreed as he slipped his sword carrier off his back, intending to leave it behind so that Lord Nephriam couldn't eat the Dango Brothers. "I don't really have a choice."

"Good boy," he replied with a smirk of satisfaction.

* * *

Reborn growled to himself and checked his watch again. What the hell was Tsuna doing? First he covers the building in balloons full of chocolate, half of which the students had already used against each other instead of eating them. Then he'd just disappeared. That idiot was already half an hour late for the morning assembly and the students were beginning to get impatient. Not only did they want an explanation for the rumors circulating that he'd been caught eating a student, but they wanted to know what his intentions were for giving them all chocolates. Considering his office was covered in fondue, Reborn also wanted an explanation for that last question.

"Dean," the Tutor Alijah whispered in his ear. "I took a look up on the roof where Wolfe usually sits before school starts. This was hidden in one of the gutters." Glancing back at her, Reborn froze at the sight of Tsuna's silk sword-carrier in her hands. Taking it from her, he slipped the silk back to see the sword was missing while the sheathe full of agitated Flames had been left behind. "I don't get it," she whispered so that her voice wouldn't carry. "Why would he take his sword, but leave his Salamanders behind?"

It was a good question and one that Reborn only had one answer for. Tsuna would have left them behind only if he had been facing off against a vampire Mafioso. Against a vampire, a Salamander could only get eaten. Against a Mafioso, school grounds were the only place where they couldn't be taken by force. The evidence suggested that something had happened to force Tsuna into battle rather than wait safely on school grounds, though.

"Find the Vendiche on duty and see if he saw anything, then tell Fuuta to go through this morning's security feeds," Reborn ordered in a hushed tone. "I'll deal with the assembly." Alijah nodded and darted away to follow his orders. It was good sign, Reborn felt. Everyone had respect for Tsuna as a Tutor and would help him for that reason. Whatever had happened, Tsuna had a large force of people who would support him despite his oddities.

Stepping out onto the auditorium's stage, Reborn first looked through the crowd to ensure that Tsuna's students were present. They were all accounted for, whispering and laughing while they showed each other their fondue balloons. None of them were worried, which meant that nothing had happened at Tsuna's home. Still, Reborn felt worried. Sending a signal to Coach Achilles, Reborn whispered orders for him to go check on things at the Werewolf House and report back. Although they couldn't hear, the sight of the gym teacher darting out the doors had the effect of silencing the whole gathering. The students and staff were waiting. He had to tell them something.

"Many apologies for the wait," Reborn said as he stepped up to the microphone. Clenching his fist around Tsuna's sword-carrier, he tried to keep his voice level and calm. If he showed his panic, the students would panic. "Tutor Wolfe is currently indisposed, so I'll make the statement on his behalf. As many of you already know, werewolves and vampires do exist, although they are a minority. Late last year, their stepped out of hiding and many of them revealed themselves to the Mafia for reasons still unknown. Tutor Wolfe is one of those who stepped forward. When he applied for the position of Tutor, I could see in him a will to teach that was equal even to my own.

I'll admit that I was wary at first. Very little was known about werewolves, but Tutor Wolfe acquainted me with the details of his rare condition. As I grew accustomed to his unorthodox needs, I became certain that he would become a great asset to this school. I do not think that I was wrong. Yesterday's incident might have been disturbing to those who unwittingly witnessed it, but I can assure you that it was dealt with by professionals who were aware of the consequences of the situation.

The person attacked was not a student at this facility. He is what Tutor Wolfe calls a 'blood slave', which is a person who has willfully chosen to sacrifice themselves to keep the side effects of the werewolf condition from spilling over onto innocent people. Let me repeat: While the incident wasn't something that Tutor Wolfe would have wished to be witnessed, it was within the bounds of what the executive staff were prepared for. One moment--" Becoming aware of the presence of a Vendiche waiting behind the curtains to the left side of the stage, Reborn broke off, covered the microphone, and motioned him forward.

The words whispered into his ear weren't something he was prepared for. He stood frozen for several minutes after the Vendiche left, feeling as if he'd missed something monumentally important. It wasn't possible. No, it didn't matter whether or not it was possible nor did it matter if he couldn't believe it. All he had so far were facts and they were facts that affected the school. He couldn't ignore the report because of personal reasons; not in front of so many curious eyes and hushed whispers from people who'd eventually hear about it through other people later.

Turning his attention back to the assembly, Reborn took an extra minute to gather his thoughts while he looked out at the faces of students and teachers who would be irrevocably affected by the words that his position as a Dean forced him to say.

"As of five forty seven this morning, the man known as Van Wolfe became wanted by the Vendiche for acts of high treason against the Carter Family," he stated, still not quite believing it himself. "At that time, he ceased to be a Tutor of Don Girarde Academy," he continued despite the beginning murmur of shocked outbursts coming from the assembly. "At seven forty-five, he was captured, put on trial by a Vendiche Jury, found guilty of twenty-seven crimes against the Mafia, and sentenced to live out the rest of his life in the Vendiche prison."

"WHAT?!" One of Tsuna's students shouted over the deafening roar that erupted in the auditorium.

"I'm not finished," Reborn replied calmly. "Twenty minutes ago, while being transferred to the Vendiche prison, Van Wolfe's disease advanced into its final stage. It might be callous of me to do so at such a time, but I'd like to request a moment of silence for the dead."

The students became too shocked to respond and the auditorium walls quivered with the silence that Reborn had asked for.

* * *

It was all within the limits of what Master had prepared for. That was why Aster was able to stay calm even as he watched the Werewolf House burn. Part of him wanted to weep and part of him wanted to wail. He wanted to protest that it wasn't true and scream to the heavens for justice. Now wasn't the time for such things, though. The evidence of what had happened must be destroyed. Already, Master's students' belongings were being delivered back to their Families, along with letters requesting that the Families pick their students up from school before they could return to the House. Even if they did return to the House, though, it would be gone.

It would be gone as if they had never existed.

The attack had been sudden, brutal, and more than they could handle. It'd begun as soon as Master's students had left the House. Master had arrived with enemies hot on his heels. The fight had been chaos, although everyone had reacted with enough calm to make it all seem like a drill instead. Then, it'd been over. Lady Italia had gotten caught between crossfire as she attempted to stop the mayhem, and Master had ordered everyone to stand down before she was killed. The enemy leader had come forward to negotiate and Master had gone with him into the dining room to talk in privacy.

Ten minutes later, the enemy had left with his troops before anyone could stop him and, within the dining room, Lady Italia was found dead in Wolfe-sensei's arms. The Vendiche had shown up while everyone had been trying to figure out what had happened. Aster still didn't have very many answers to give anyone. All he knew was that Master had allowed himself to be captured by the Vendiche and his parting words had been directions to find his Will.

His Will read:

_I, Lord Sky, being of sound mind, do hereby willfully and voluntarily make known my desire that my life not be prolonged under any of the following conditions, and do hereby further declare that:_

_1. If I should, at any time, be taken into Vendiche custody, I direct that no measures and procedures be given to sustain my life. Upon death, my body and all that I own is to be given into the custody of my servant, Aster, and to be disposed of in the fashion determined by his best judgment._

_2. In the event of my inability to give directions regarding the application of life-sustaining procedures, it is my intention that this directive shall be honored by my family and physicians as my final expression of my right to refuse medical and surgical treatment, and my acceptance of the consequences of such refusal._

_3. I am mentally, emotionally and legally competent to make this directive and I fully understand its import._

_4. I reserve the right to revoke this directive at any time._

_5. This directive shall remain in force until revoked._

_IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and seal._

_Signed: Lord Sky._

_Declaration of Witnesses:_

_The declarant is personally known to me and I believe him to be of sound mind and emotionally and legally competent to make the herein contained Directive to Physicians. I am not related to the declarant by blood or marriage, nor would I be entitled to any portion of the declarant's estate upon his death, nor am I an attending physician or an employee of the declarant, nor an employee of the attending physician._

_Signed: Father A. Roberts_

Aster had read it and he'd made his decision based on all that he'd witnessed. He would recover Master's body as he'd willed and then he'd take him into hiding while as they recouped their losses. Although Lady Italia's was the most shocking death, she wasn't the only one to have fallen. P-Chan, Kennith, Dent and Marshall were dead; Master Poe had already dealt with their bodies. Everyone else had varying levels of injury, but they'd followed his orders to retreat to Lord Chandler's rebuilt estate--Aster's estate now.

All that was Master's was now his. In addition, by their contract, Aster was no longer a blood slave. He'd received a human's death-wound in the battle, which brought to an end the 'one lifetime' he'd agreed to serve Master. He'd regenerated after Master had stuffed three booster pills down his throat, but it didn't change the fact that he'd died. Aster was positive that his stupid Master had probably planned it from the start. With his death, Aster's world had changed.

Not only was he a werewolf instead of a blood slave now, but Master's will had also made him into a Lord and the leader of the Werewolf Alliance. As such, Master had given him the power to do what he couldn't: He could unveil the traitorous vampire who was hiding in their midst. He doubted that he would be believed though and he doubted that he had the strength to stand up to the Council, but his heart felt too betrayed to consider doing anything else. The face on the other side of the knife that had stabbed him in the chest wouldn't let him.

"Why would Lord Nephriam do this?" Aster whispered, watching in heartache as firemen across the street tried to put out the blazing house.

"I don't know," Master Poe answered as he took a long drink from the bottle of blood-wine that he'd taken from the House's store. "Lord Nephriam is older than even I am. He's skilled at hiding his true intentions and after how brutally he killed his wife.... It smells like a planned hate crime to me."

"Why?" Aster asked, still unable to make sense of it all. "I thought Lord Nephriam was on our side. Even if he hated us, why did he choose now to attack?"

"That part is easy," Master Poe replied. "It's because of Van. Van is the werewolf that he lured into his Family, but Van became a Council member and proved to have more influence than he does. After this, Lord Nephriam could get Van imprisoned and the Alliance would lose its leader. I don't know if you noticed, but Lord Nephriam was aiming to kill you, too. If it hadn't been for Van's quick thinking, there would have been no one left to pick up the pieces. The only person who would be trusted to step in and take over for the Alliance would have been Lord Nephriam, which would have once more put him in position to control werewolf movements. It's just a guess, but.... I don't think leaving anyone alive was in Lord Nephriam's plan. Van must have made some sort of deal to get them to leave without finishing the job."

"If the Vendiche find Master guilty, everyone loses their faith in Master because he's a traitor," Aster added, biting his lip as he continued the train of thought. "They'll question everything he's said and done up until now, which puts Lord Nephriam into a position where he can influence things in the direction that he wants. I never knew that.... Lord Nephriam is cruel."

"He's also patient and calculating," Master Poe warned. "If you're going to go against him, don't be fooled by his appearance like Van was. Since he knows that you're alive, you can count on him having already planned on you opposing him."

"Then I won't," Aster replied as a plan of his own formed. "You will."

"Say what?" Master Poe said, freezing in place with the bottle of wine pressed against his lips.

"Master Willed me everything that's his," Aster explained with a slow grin. "That includes his position on the Council. You didn't fight, so Lord Nephriam didn't see you. He won't be expecting you to become a Councilor in Master's place. I'd be doubted if I tried to take it up, since I was Master's blood-slave, but you're a full-blood vampire. People would be more confident following you. You can have Master's title and I'll take over the Alliance instead. I'll make a formal announcement that the Alliance is declaring independence from the Council, which will protect the werewolves from whatever Lord Nephriam is planning. Then I'll take Master's body back to the Sanctuary to recover. No one will expect us to be there either because I would've distributed the rights to you and you can keep everyone distracted."

"That won't work forever," he commented as he took the plan into consideration. "It'd be foolish to make accusations against Lord Nephriam when we don't have any proof and, at most, your plan will only buy a little bit of time before people get suspicious of my intentions. You might not have noticed, but I hate people. I'll only be able to keep up pretenses for a few months."

"That's all we need," Aster said in determination. "Just leave it to me. I'll wake Master up before then. Once he's awake, I'm sure that Master will know what to do. Just..."

"Just?"

"Can you buy me a suit?" Aster asked with a mournful look down take out down at his red genie costume. "If I'm going to get Master's body back before anyone else, I need something a little more serious and I don't think the Vendiche are going to take me seriously in this."

"We might be able to manage something," Master Poe laughed.

* * *

_Keep coughing, he told himself. This is it. He had to die now before they put him into a prison cell with life support. Cough damnit! It doesn't matter how much it hurts or how much blood there is, just cough! He could trust Aster! Aster wouldn't choose Lord Nephriam over him! Put your doubts away and keep coughing! Oh no. The Vendiche were catching on! Cough harder! More! Keep going before they bring the cure! Faster! Hurry! Just a little more--! Before they correct their lapse in the wording of his punishment!_

Tsuna's eyes snapped open to see a sea of red. Fighting his instincts to struggle, Tsuna trembled in the embrace of his restraints. His arms were pinned to his sides and legs were locked together at the thighs, knees, and ankles. He had air tubes running up his nose and his mouth was forced open around a feeding tube. He was submerged in warm liquid and the feeling of violation in his lower regions gave him the last clue he needed. He'd failed. He was alive and imprisoned in a cell. He was hooked up to life-support systems that would regulate every necessity of his life, from his meals to his bodily functions. There would be no escape. His attempt to gain freedom through the loophole had fail--

Red--?! Tsuna stopped and took the detail into serious consideration. The Vendiche had no reason to tint the water nor would they submerge him in blood. It'd be an unnecessary waste of resources after all. The only people who'd waste blood for his sake were those who were trying to help him. Was it possible? Dare he hope that he'd succeeded? Had he really died and been resurrected as he planned?

Trying to figure out whether his hypothesis was correct, Tsuna attempted to focus his eyes on what was happening beyond the sea of red. It wasn't as easy as he'd hoped, though. With every breath he took, the liquid moved and disrupted his vision. There was something wrong with his implant, too. The resolution was fuzzy, which suggested that there was an issue with either the optic input sensors or with the brain impulse translator. He hoped that it was the latter since fixing the former would mean he'd need surgery for a new insertion port.

No, it was definitely something wrong with the implanted port and not the detachable hardware, Tsuna amended as he began feeling a burning sensation in his eye socket. Closing his eyes in an attempt to make it stop, he jerked in surprise at the feeling of something touching his bare stomach. It was something cold like a chain, but it poked him like a stick would. Finger, he identified after a moment. Someone was poking him, which mean that he was either close to the surface or that someone was with him in the liquid.

He got his answer a moment later as his restraints began moving his body for him. His shoulder broke free of the liquid first, giving him some orientation to make sense of things. He was laying on his side in a horizontal tank rather than a vertical one.

"...calm, Lord Sky," a female voice encouraged as his ear broke free of the liquid. "We can't pull you up out completely yet, but I've brought you out slightly so that I can put your mind at ease. Please don't struggle. The equipment won't be able to handle it if you put any more stress on it. You have no need to worry, though. You're in friendly hands. To prove it, Lord Aster is here with me."

"Stupid Master," came Aster's voice, making Tsuna tremble in relief.

"Good," the woman encouraged as Tsuna relaxed. "I know that you're uncomfortable, but please bear with it while we finish your treatment. Not only did you suffer damage from your rather reckless escape plan, but it's going to take some time to chase out the last of the Centipede from your system. While the Physician's treatment is effective, it's not as easy to treat you for it after you've gone into stage three. We're positive that we can eradicate it completely though, but it'll take some time. You're probably also feeling some pain in your eye, as well. We've removed your implant and have inserted a... um..."

"It's a new breakthrough in vampire medicine," Aster explained in a polished tone. "To make a long story short, she's trying to regrow your missing eye, Master."

"Exactly," the woman agreed. "We'll need to keep you submerged for another three hours to make sure that we've got you completely healed. Besides the Centipede damage and the experimental treatment for your eye, the Vendiche also did a number on you to make sure that you were dead. They didn't slit your throat or cut out your heart, but I'll be honest with you: We weren't sure if we were going to be able to revive you until last week."

"Hanging, burning, and a stab wound to every major organ," Aster supplied. "They weren't very happy that you intentionally died in their custody, Master. It took a lot of work to keep them from doing an autopsy and even more to get your body back from them, but there wasn't much they could do after we made them admit that you had only been sentenced to be imprisoned until death. It doesn't matter if they intended for you to never have freedom again; because of their wording when they sentenced you, they had no right to keep you in custody after they pronounced you dead."

"The Vendiche were mad that you weaseled out of their judgment, but I think that they were even angrier over being used by Lord Nephriam," the woman added with a chuckle. "I can't prove anything, but a lot of your post-mortem wounds were more flashy than effective. I'd almost be willing to bet that they were only trying to make it look like you couldn't be brought back, Boss. I think this was their way of secretly letting you go."

Tsuna considered the information for several long minutes. There were two possible explanations for the Vendiche having done such a thing. The first was that his trial was merely a farce and it hadn't been their true judgment. That was possible, since they'd gone out of their way to let him know that they knew he was Vongola the Tenth. Not only had he been placed on trial for his supposed betrayal of the Carter Family, but they'd charged him as not-guilty for abandoning both the Martelli Family and the Vongola Family.

In the first case, he was pronounced not-guilty due to the fact that the Family's Charter included an exit clause for Mafioso who no longer wished to stay with the Family. In the second case, he was pronounced not-guilty due to the fact that he hadn't broken the Boss' Omerta at any point since separation. In the eyes of the Vendiche, it wouldn't be abandonment until he acted against the Family's overall well-being and, despite being away for so long and admitting to killing the Ninth, he'd only toed the line without crossing it. He was still guilty of treason against the Carter Family, since he plead guilty to murdering Lady Italia, but there was the possibility that the Vendiche knew he'd been blackmailed into a false confession. And if they knew that, it was possible that they'd put on a good show to fool Lord Nephriam in revenge for his attempt fool them.

The second possibility was that an individual inside the Vendiche ranks was on his side. It was possible that Cheri had felt guilty enough for stealing Xanxus that she had pulled a few strings to give him a chance at escaping judgment. That felt more unlikely than the Vendiche seeing through Lord Nephriam, but it wasn't completely impossible. Vendiche were trained to be inhumane, but they were still human beings. Ignoring a request from a former comrade wouldn't be easy, especially if Cheri tried to persuade them with the right type of jabs to their hidden emotions.

"It's said that it's rude to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Master," Aster admonished softly. "I don't think that we should question it very much. The important part thing is that you're alive and that everyone thinks you're dead. Lord Nephriam has succeeded in putting a rift between werewolves and vampires, but he hasn't won. We're still alive and we're gathering more allies with every day that passes."

"So relax and let your body finish repairing itself," the woman interjected. "We need to lower you back down, Boss. While you're under, I need you to keep your eye shut until Aster signals you that an hour has passed. At that point, I'm going to need you to begin blinking at a normal pace."

"I'll be here with you, Master," Aster added in encouragement as the side of Tsuna's body began to lower back into the blood bath again. "Just think about what you want for your new identity when we're done here."

Despite knowing that he was in friendly hands, it took a large amount of self control to keep himself calm. The thought of being submerged underwater for three hours brought back far too many of his childhood fears of drowning. This wasn't like swimming, where he could control the amount of time that he stayed under. With the way he was restrained, it was more like the water torture he'd suffered prior to Kyoko's murder. Of course, he could breathe due to the tubes going down his throat, but he couldn't say that it was pleasant or helpful to his mind.

Tsuna choked on the tube as something touched his back, scaring him into freezing like a stunned deer. Then that something flattened itself out against his skin and Tsuna recognized the size and shape of Aster's hand. He relaxed, laughing internally at himself for being startled so easily. The contact was just what he'd needed too. He could feel his fears evaporating as Aster gently rubbed his skin, letting him know that he was easily within range of being pulled up before he could drown.

An identity, he thought as Aster traced the lines of his spine with his fingers. So far, he'd been an unlucky brat, a Bouncer, a male prostitute, a Mafia Boss, a bum, a mime, a dancer, a gangster, a corporate businessman, a baker, a father, a club owner, a hitman, a werewolf, a Tutor, a husband, a bed-and-breakfast owner, and a member of a secret Council. To top it off, he'd gotten chances to explore dozens of disguises and he'd been able to dip his hands into dozens of aspects of the sciences, the arts, business, law, medicine, and design. Besides sports that he didn't particularly care for, he'd done it or had been a part of it all at one point or another. That made it difficult to decide what to do. There wasn't much left for him to explore. He needed something, though. Preferably something that would disassociate him from his identity as Van Wolfe.

He had to decide logically, based on what would help him get closer to his goals.

Tsuna tensed after several minutes of consideration drew up a blank. What did he need again? He tried going through his old list of goals, but they were woefully outdated. He'd found a place in the Mafia where he could be useful, but he'd also lost it with his most recent death. Getting a place in Vongola wasn't possible; they simply didn't need him. However, he still wanted to interact with his old Family, so yes... He still needed a Family to serve as a cover. It wasn't actually a need, but the thought made him feel as if he was meandering along the right path. So, that was the first marker of his new identity. He'd be a Mafioso.

He wasn't sure how to tell Aster, but his hands were tied where Lord Nephriam was concerned. If he exposed Lord Nephriam's crimes, Lord Nephriam would expose his past. That wasn't to say that he was going to let Lord Nephriam succeed in his plans. He just couldn't allow his meddling to be caught. No, he corrected himself. He needed enough influence that he'd be able to laugh in Lord Nephriam's face when the bastard tried to expose him and Lord Nephriam would look like an idiot for making such a wild claim. That meant that he needed a bigger reputation than even his own former identity as the Tenth gave him.

So far so good, Tsuna told himself. He was making progress. So far, his new identity would be that of a famous Mafioso. Being famous could open lots of doors for him. What kind of fame did he want, though? Perhaps a food critic? That'd get him free dinners and he could use his sensitive senses to make himself the best. No, he thought with an internal grimace. He could do that, but that sort of thinking was too like Van Wolfe. Perhaps writing? No, he hated paperwork. Acting? Too time consuming. Musician? Too reliant on teamwork.

Figuring out a career was harder than he remembered it being. Then again, either his lineage or some circumstance had always pushed him in a particular direction before. This was the first time that he had the confidence and the experience to literally do anything he wanted to do, so it was difficult not to give in to the desire to be picky. He'd never gotten to be picky before. He--

He had it. He knew what he needed to do.

He needed to focus on himself.

All of this thinking about what he needed to do and what everyone else needed him to do wasn't getting him anywhere closer to being happy. Would it really be so wrong of him to work around his life rather than living around his work? As long as both got taken care of, did it really matter which got the pedestal and which was dealt with in the shadows? Doing it this way would also serve his purposes better, too, since Van Wolfe had been the complete opposite. Where Van Wolfe took everything on his shoulders and didn't complain about anything, his new identity could be a little high-maintenance. It's not like a little self-love was going to kill anyone, so long as he kept it within reason.

A model, Tsuna decided in a burst of inspiration. Models got to be someone different every each instead of every time they stepped in front of a camera, but their work didn't take up nearly as much time as an actor's would. At least, it didn't when their modeling wouldn't be paying the bills. If he got a certain billionaire Mistress to indulge him, he'd be able to pick and choose his gigs. That'd give him enough time to... To do what? When he couldn't find an answer, he felt like he was back to the beginning when he was asking himself what his goals were.

He didn't need goals, he decided in frustration. Those kinds of things would evolve on their own. Right now, he just _wanted _to get back on his feet and return to Italy. Aster hadn't even told him how long he'd been out for. All he knew was that it'd taken three weeks to retrieve his body. Had he'd been in hibernation for a month? A year? Five years? It was possible given how mature Aster's voice had become. How much time had he lost?

The answer would have to wait for until he was released from his watery prison, so Tsuna turned his mind back to his identity. He had a career and a general direction back toward the Mafia. He still needed the basics, though. He needed a name, an image, and a motto. The motto was probably the most important because it'd draw attention, but the name and image was important, too. He'd decide the name first. He wanted a strong name. Something like Stone Armstrong or Gary Stu. Even better, he wouldn't have a full name. He could be known as something like 'Ricochet' or 'Candyman'-- No, he'd already used Candyman before, hadn't he?

That brought up another factor that he hadn't considered before. He had too many past identities already. It was beginning to get tough to remember all the little details. Maybe he could reuse a name? Even better, he could combine his past names to make up a new name. Which ones, though? Lord Suoh...no. Yoshi von Hellsing...no. Lazarus Sky...no. Kai-- Tsuna paused and repeated 'Kai' just by itself. It was a simple, strong name that would sound foreign in Italy. If he went for the foreign vibe, he could get away with having a more exotic image, too. An exotic image wasn't anything that he'd done yet, although he'd come close a few times at Kink's. He'd done the polished businessman, the grungy street-rat, and the down-to-earth cowboy. Doing something lighthearted and whimsical might be nice.

He had it! He'd be the eccentric professional. He could model the latest of modern, sleek fashions, but he'd give it an eccentric twist with his mask. Actually, he could become known for his mask. He could do the opposite of what he'd done at Don Girarde. Rather than making his mask seem commonplace, he'd purposely make a big deal about it and spread misinformation about his reasons for wearing one instead. It'd become the intrigue of the century!

Adding up everything he'd decided so far, his new identity would be that of Kai, an eccentric, professional Mafioso model who liked to be spoiled and hid his true face behind a mask of whimsy. He could be a food and wine connoisseur while he was at it and... And the identity felt flat. Something was missing and he had a nagging suspicion as to what it was. It was the fact that he'd actually liked being a Tutor. Without meaning to, he'd fallen in love with his job. That was probably why he'd lost the sense of urgency in returning to Vongola.

Being a Tutor was the place that he'd been looking for. He was able to stay close to his Family, since he had reason to be in and out of both Venice Row and 'the Dean's' home. He'd found a sense of purpose in teaching the Mafia's youth how to survive. More importantly, he'd felt at peace with both himself and his past. It was as if he'd found his reason for having survived all the rough spots in his life. It had been to give him insight into the wide range of backgrounds that the Mafia's Youth came from. It was to allow him to connect with students and to prepare them for the world in a way that they could grasp on a personal basis. If he stopped teaching, all of that would be gone, though.

Was it possible for him to return? There was an opening now that Van Wolfe was dead. How fast could he solidify his identity? Could he make it in time before Reborn filled his position? Maybe. He doubted that Reborn would find it easy to replacement him. That was assuming that a lot of time hadn't passed. It'd be tough if it had. He might have to go through the Teacher's Exams all over again and just the thought of getting on a cruise ship again made him ill.

One thing at a time, Tsuna told himself as Aster's hand gently caressed the flesh around his eye to signal him that he needed to start blinking. First he'd get his identity in place. Then he'd worry about his Tutoring position. Somewhere along the way, he'd also find time to deal with Lord Nephriam the Traitor. That was good enough. The simpler, the better. If he made goals that were any more detailed than that, he'd only disappoint himself repeatedly. Those three keystones were enough to make him happy.

By the time he was finally lifted out of the tank of blood, he felt incredibly cheerful over everything he'd decided. He felt so cheerful that he actually smiled as soon as the tubes were pulled away from his mouth.

"Master has a plan," Aster said as he began removing the restraints from Tsuna's arms and legs. "Has Master decided what he wants to be in this life?"

"Yup," Tsuna confirmed as he took an unhindered breathe with his newly-remade set of strong, healthy lungs. "I want to be spoiled."


	125. Chapter 125 Determination

"Does this make me look fat?" Tsuna asked, carefully examining his silhouette in his bedroom mirror. Looking over his shoulder, he was unsurprised to see Aster glaring at him. Tsuna had no idea why he was still mad, though. Just because Aster had been forced to dye his hair blond, then sit still while Adie's beauticians added red streaks to go with his new costume. One would think that Aster would be happy too, considering his new costume was more subdued compared to his last one. This time around, he had simple denim jeans, a red silk shirt, and a sleeve-less black suede mini-vest with a raised, stiff collar to replace his veil. Was he still mad about the earring? He had thrown a rather large tantrum over getting it pierced.

"Master has a beer gut," Aster grumbled. Tsuna blinked and did a double-take before looking in the mirror to check, going so far as to lift up his shirt to inspect his depressingly thin waistline. Being a werewolf had raised his metabolism too much to allow him to gain any weight. How could Aster think that he had a beer gut...?

"Stop pouting," Tsuna chuckled, seeing Aster's expression in the mirror. "It's just an image change," he soothed, understanding exactly why Aster was taking a dislike to the change. It was because the change in image also meant change in a more general sense. It was saddening in a way. Although Aster was still calling him Master and hanging around him, the truth was that their time together was over. The terms of their contract had been filled. Perhaps...

Perhaps he should tell Aster the truth, Tsuna thought. What would Aster do if he knew that Tsuna hadn't expected him to die in that fight? What would he do if Tsuna told him that there was a possibility that Lord Nephriam had killed him specifically to end their contract? Would he go back to Lord Nephriam, even knowing that the vampire had killed P-Chan to only erase the evidence of his secret research with the Phelgm? If he knew that Lord Nephriam might have been trying to free him from his obligation so that Aster could return to his side, whose side would Aster choose to be on?

He couldn't do it, which made it that much harder to tell Aster to stop calling him 'Master'. He knew that Aster would be swayed if he looked underneath the surface of Lord Nephriam's actions. It was painful because he didn't have enough faith in the bond that they'd formed since teaming up together. Lord Nephriam had a head-start of several years. How could he possibly negate that with the short time that they had together?

Without meaning to, he'd let Aster invade his heart. The thought of losing Aster was something that he didn't think he could bear anymore. Aster had been there beside him, a source of calm stability amid the chaos of his transformation and exploration. Just for a little longer, Tsuna kept telling himself. He just needed to get settled into his new identity and then he'd set Aster free. He knew that it was selfish of himself to procrastinate, but Aster didn't seem ready to let go, either. For all his tantrums and pouting, Tsuna had caught him sighing in relief on numerous occasions.

Only six months had passed since Lord Nephriam's attack. Don Girarde had continued to hold classes during that time and all his students had advanced into their second years. The bad news was that his position had been filled during the latest round of Teaching Exams. At least his students had been split apart and taken under the wings of other Tutors to ensure that they continued to progress. While he was a little upset that someone else was going to get credit for his work, he would be happy as long as they found their inner strengths.

As for things in Vampire Society, Poe's last report was that everything was quiet. The Council had all been shocked over his sudden demise, but they'd taken to Poe's presence with a disgusting amount of relief. Apparently having a full-blood in the Council made everyone more comfortable than a werewolf did. Since then, Lord Nephriam had been so quiet as to be non-existent. Tsuna was positive that he was plotting something, but the Lord was too good at deception to give any clues away. Finally, the Council's response had been surprisingly understanding of Aster's announcement of the werewolves withdrawing from their leadership. It was almost as if most of them had expected that outcome, although Poe's report included mention of Lord Nephriam's momentary slip of expression--the little brat had been extremely vexed. He hadn't been able to hide it and the Council had teased him mercilessly over it, thinking that he'd just been upset that his little baby had grown up and didn't need him anymore.

Overall, the world had continued to move on while Aster had been preparing a place for him to rest and recover in peace. The place was mildly ironic, since it was directly under the place where the Werewolf House had once stood. Aster had informed him that he'd been kept in stasis at Lord Poe's Sanctuary while the new place was being readied, but it hadn't taken long since most of the groundwork had already been finished before his death. There were still some finishing touches to be taken care of, but Aster's staff of werewolves was dealing with it at leisure.

Aster's staff, Tsuna repeated to himself. That wasn't right. He didn't want to admit it to himself and he didn't think that Aster had realized it, but the werewolves who'd supported them from behind the scenes had surpassed being just mere 'staff' a long time ago. Just like how Reborn had brought together Gokudera and everyone for him, he'd brought together the people who were the foundation of Aster's Family. All that was missing was the final step of 'acknowledgement and acceptance' from both parties. After all, the werewolves of Aster's Family might respect Tsuna, but it was Aster that they discreetly loved. They were all just too bashful to openly say it. That would change, though.

It'd change as soon as Tsuna made it clear that, although he wasn't protesting about being called 'Master', he wasn't taking back the mantle of leadership for the Alliance. The torch had already been passed on, both to Aster and to Poe. Aster would grumble and complain, but he wouldn't be able to leave his Family hanging when Tsuna refused to lift a finger for them. By the same token, for all that Poe had run from his responsibilities as a full-blood, there was no longer any way for him to escape being a Councilor anymore.

Poe was likely going to be upset when he figured out that his temporary position wasn't so temporary, but Tsuna knew that he'd come to be happy with it in time. It was what he was meant to be. The position of Councilor needed someone who wasn't as reckless as Tsuna was. It needed someone who could be calm regardless of the circumstances and could bring order to the lives of people trying to recover from upheaval. With Poe's morbid sense of humor and his personal views on civilized society, he was the best person for the job.

Part of him felt as if he was only running from his own responsibilities, but Tsuna knew that he was just passing on the torches to their proper holders. Whether it was the Council or the Alliance, those places had never been his. They were meant for other people who could work whole-heartedly for the people that they led. Someone like him, who couldn't get Vongola out of his heart, could only fill in as a lackluster substitute.

"Master...?" Aster asked in curiosity at his silence. Tsuna flinched inwardly at the title, but smiled outwardly as he held up two belts.

"Which one do you think will look better?" Tsuna asked in an attempt to get his mind off of things.

"Master's too fat to wear a belt," he grumbled, still upset over the tweaks to Tsuna's personality to help it fit his new image.

"If you don't like it, you don't have to stay," he replied as his smile faded. His heart clenched when he finally said the words, but he knew that he couldn't leave things like they were. No one was happy this way. It was a painful thing to contemplate, but it would probably be fine as long as Aster didn't go to Lord Nephriam. "For all that you keep calling me Master, you're not a blood-slave anymore, Aster. You're a common werewolf now. If you don't like the image that I gave you, you're free to pick your own. You're free..." Grimacing to himself, Tsuna tried to keep the hurt out of his expression. He had to or else the words would be meaningless because Aster would continue to stay with him out of guilt. "You're free to leave me here and not look back. I--"

"Pfft." Tsuna looked up and blinked at the sudden expression of amusement on Aster's face. "Is that what you've been worrying about?" Aster asked as he pushed off the wall and walked closer. "You're being stupid again, Master. I know that I'm not your blood slave anymore. But you said it yourself when we first met. Didn't you? We're friends. I'm here because I want to be, so Master needs to stop giving himself wrinkles."

"Aster..." Tsuna mumbled as his former servant insinuated himself into Tsuna's guard to give him a hug.

"Is it okay if I stay beside you a little longer?" He asked quietly, snuggling his face against Tsuna's chest as if he were a kitten. "I'll stop calling you Master if you tell me what your new name is. I--"

"What happened?" Tsuna asked, feeling suspicious at how Aster was being unusually clingy. Aster froze against him. Dropping the belts, Tsuna wrapped his arms around Aster before he could escape. "I don't mind comforting you, but at least be honest and tell me the reason why. I'm six months out of the loop, you know."

"U-Ulrich came to Italy," he mumbled into Tsuna's chest. Tsuna stiffened, fearing the worst. He remembered Ulrich. Ulrich was that ugly son-of-a-bitch that Aster had fallen in love with at first sight. So, insulting him had worked. He'd hoped that the guy would join the Mafia and at the very least become a respectable thug instead of a disreputable one. That way, he'd eventually end up in Italy and cross paths with Aster in a form that was at least decent if not ideal. He hadn't, however, expected the guy to come so soon nor had he expected to not be present when Aster took his first steps in regards to love.

"I don't know what to do," Aster trembled in his arms. "He's so nice to me and he's so gentle, but he wants to get surgery to make himself handsome. If it works, he'll go back to his girlfriend. What will I do if she takes him back? Even if she doesn't, everyone else will want him if he gets a handsome face. I don't want anyone else to look at him! I don't want him to change, but I don't know how to stop him! I tried to seduce him, but he only considers me a friend and he keeps trying to set me up with other people and I... I... I only want him, Master!"

As Aster burst into tears against his chest, Tsuna tightened his hug in sympathy. A broken heart was never an easy thing to deal with, not even for someone as familiar with them as he was. It was even worse for Aster, seeing how Ulrich wasn't giving him a clean rejection. Then again, it was also Aster's fault for making it more painful to himself by not giving a clear confession.

"I sorry," Tsuna whispered, leaning over to kiss the top of Aster's head. "I should have been here to help you. Let me give you a piece of advice, Aster," he continued as his short friend began calming down. "Whether you follow it or not is up to you, but it's something that I've learned through my experiences with love. That is: You can't force anyone to love you. The spark is either there or it's not. Sometimes love can grow out of friendship, but that only works if you have the determination to keep it on only friendly terms until the spark is bright enough for the other person to feel it too. In your case... It's hard to say what you should do without seeing the situation for myself, but I think your Ulrich does see the spark and is just denying it. If you've been trying to seduce him and he's stayed your friend anyway, he's either dumb or--"

"He's dumb," Aster interjected in a wistful tone. "I've gotten better at scent recognition, Master. People get a unique combination when they're in love and Ulrich only smells that way when he's talking about his girlfriend. When he looks at me or talks to me, he reverts back to his 'comfortable' smell. Even when I hit on him or tease him, he only smells 'happy' and 'amused'. He doesn't love me, Master."

"There's one problem with your sense of smell, Aster," Tsuna said, figuring out what the problem was. "You can't smell the future. Feelings like love can erupt under the strangest of circumstances. Where you might smell happiness, you might also be smelling the potential for many other emotions. Emotions are too turbulent for you to accurately judge by mere scent alone because you can't smell the nuances of a person's heart."

"You're saying that I'm not smelling the whole story?" Aster asked. Tsuna chuckled at the question and nodded when Aster finally lifted his head.

"Ah," he confirmed. "The best advice that I can give you is to start tucking sprigs of lavender under your collar. You're relying too much on your abilities. If you try dealing with Ulrich without letting his scent confuse you, you might get a little farther. I'm not guaranteeing success, since you have a rival, but I think you'll be fine if you just face him without resorting to any tricks. Just keep your spirit up, Aster."

"Astra," he murmured.

"Eh?"

"My new name is Astra," he said, looking up as he wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "I died, too. Remember? While you were sleeping, I had to get a job to keep everyone fed while they were working. To do that, I needed a new name to put on my applications, so I picked something that would be easy to remember."

"But Astra is a girl's name," Tsuna objected.

"I know," Aster replied with a shy smile. "Everyone recognized me at Venice Row and started asking a bunch of questions, so I made up a story that I'm Aster's twin that's been searching for my brother. I told everyone that my father wanted us to be girls, so we both got girl's names. I told them that I didn't know anything about what my brother's been up to since we got separated, so that they'd stop asking me about you. They didn't believe me at first, but Pink hired me back anyway. I also tricked Ulrich into thinking that he misheard my name in the beginning. They're all still suspicious, but it's been two months and you haven't shown up.... So most of them have given up on pestering me."

"Wow," Tsuna murmured in awe. "I think I'm feeling a little lonely now. You picked your name and made your new identity without me. No wonder you were upset when I changed your image."

"I don't mind," Aster laughed, his smile brightening his face. "I can just tell everyone that I got a side job working as an assistant for a weirdo."

"OI!" Tsuna laughed. Pushing Aster away to arm's length, Tsuna kneeled on a bended knee before him and snatched up his hand with the flair that his new persona demanded. "I hope that you will forgive me for being a weirdo," he said as he gave the back of Aster's palm a kiss. "After all, models and actors are delicate creatures, so I'll be relying on you to take care of me." Looking up, Tsuna froze in horror when he saw the expression that Aster was making. He'd expected a laugh, but Aster was flushed with anger instead. He'd made some kind of mistake but he wasn't sure what he'd done wrong.

"Y-Y-You idiot!" Aster blurted, snatching his hand away as his face became even redder. Aster turned around and began storming away, only to stop and storm back with his finger raised to scold him. Tsuna raised his eyebrow when he froze, his finger wagging and his mouth open, obviously needing to say something that he couldn't articulate. "Damnit!" Aster exploded, once more turning to storm away.

It was too strange. He didn't want to offend his friend, but Tsuna couldn't help but laugh at Aster's antics. However, in response to his laughing, Aster once more stopped his stormy exit in order to turn around and advance on him. Although, he didn't stop this time and Tsuna's laughter cut off as he was knocked flat on the ground. Understanding dawned on him as Aster began forcing his shirt up. Tsuna was healthy, disease-free, and had a whole Sky Flame. For a werewolf like Aster, being confronted with such a combination must have been driving him crazy. Aster had managed to contain himself with iron-willed self-control, but Tsuna had crossed the line by making the innocently romantic gesture.

"It's fine," Tsuna soothed, reaching out to run his fingers through Aster's hair before the frenzy took complete hold of him. "I'm hungry, too," he said, causing Aster to pause and look up at him from Tsuna's belly-button. "It's been a while," he added in warning as he slowly sat up. "Are you sure that you can handle the consequences of your invitation?"

"Master..." Aster panted, his need finally beginning to show on his face.

"Kai," Tsuna corrected. Slowly shifting in place so that he could take control of the situation, he lifted Aster's chin to give him a kiss that was full of the desires that he'd suppressed while he'd been ill. As he expected, Aster was slightly dazed by the time he was finished. It was more, much more passion than he'd ever shown Aster before. He blamed the increase on Aster himself. He'd always been there, silently watching over him and supporting him. If Aster really did want someone like Ulrich, Tsuna wasn't going to stop him. However, he'd be damned if he let go of something so precious without showing his full capabilities first.

"Call me Kai," Tsuna repeated, his hands darting forward to snatch Aster up as he jumped to his feet. "You'll have to pardon me for being a little out of practice," he continued as he tossed Aster onto the bed. "But I think I still remember enough to let us forget about everything for a while. Is that okay with you?"

"It's... okay," he replied, looking away as his body became flush with desire again. "Just don't fall in love with me." Tsuna paused in the middle of stripping off his shirt, taken off-guard by hearing his own words being thrown back at him. It was the final blow, Tsuna realized. Aster had already taken the steps to independence. The guy on his bed wasn't a student, servant, or even a comrade anymore. He had his own life to live now with his own loves and goals. Aster.... Aster was just a friend who could use some company as badly as Tsuna did.

"Of course," Tsuna agreed softly, knowing that his new perspective of Aster was going to make things even more difficult in the future. It was difficult, because they'd come full circle. He was now the independent one and Tsuna was going to have to figure out a way to disengage himself from him. He was growing too dependent on having Aster's presence at his side, which was exactly why Aster had probably felt the need to recycle the warning. If Tsuna didn't keep himself in check, he could easily cause both of them to get hurt. "But there's nothing wrong with spoiling each other a little bit," Tsuna rationalized as he crawled onto the bed.

* * *

Aster sat gingerly on the subway seat, doing his best to keep his bottom from actually touching anything. At the same time, he glared at Master through the corner of his eye. It was obvious now. Master had been holding out on him. The man was a complete beast, even more so than Xanxus had been. Even with three glasses of blood wine, Aster's rear still hurt so much that he had to concentrate just to walk straight.

The irritating part of it all was that Master had bounced out of bed afterward with all the vigor of a man ten years his junior and had immediately begun preparations to leave the base. Aster would have never believed it if he hadn't seen it for himself. It wasn't just that Master was eager to start anew; it was that he was actually having fun trying to adapt to his new identity. It was a game to him and Aster was pretty sure that he'd lost something by gaining the ability to enjoy the process. It was as if he'd completely forgotten how the people who weren't in on the secret felt. It made him wonder if Master had lost track of his humanity, which worried him more than anything else could.

At least... At least he looked happy, Aster thought to himself. He kept picking at his suit as if he was trying to decide whether or not he should be satisfied with the design and his eyes were sparkling in delight underneath his new sequined mask. Aster still wasn't sure if he liked his Master's new haircut, though. He'd gotten so used to the long braid that seeing the back of Master's neck seemed odd. It was what Master had wanted, though. He'd cut it off and styled it in what he'd called a 'wistful' manner. Personally, Aster thought it looked like he had bed-head with how it was all over the place and kept falling into Master's eyes.

Master's sudden desire to accessorize was strange, too. He had a rainbow of glittering stones crawling up one ear, while his other ear bore his silver Wolf earring and a rainbow of dangling stars that caught the light almost as much as his mask did. That wasn't where it ended, though. Master also had ten necklaces, six bracelets, and four rings on. Then there were the chains connecting his pocket watch and his wallet to his suit and he'd also had his nails painted deep amber 'to match his eyes'. The worst part of all was that Master was wearing a pair of sandals and had rolled up the sleeves and legs of his suit! Overall, the combination made it so that Aster couldn't decide whether Master was ahead of fashion, lacked taste, or was just insane. BUT-- At least he was happy, Aster thought. He didn't look bad, either. Just a little... strange... which was probably what Master intended anyways. He was definitely going to get attention in his outfit.

"We're almost there," Aster said as the lights in the subway train flickered. Master smiled gratefully despite already being aware of that. It was all part of the charade, though. As far as anyone else knew, this was going to be Master's--Kai's--first trip to Venice Row. Of course, they were already aware that their disguises would be instantly seen through. However, so long as Master didn't confirm anything, there was absolutely no proof that anyone could give that would connect Kai with Van Wolfe.

"We're here," Aster directed, standing carefully as the car slowed to a stop. Master bounced in place, barely containing his glee, which brought several amused smirks from the other passengers. Despite himself, even Aster had to smile. Master was enjoying himself a little too much though and it became even more apparent as he stepped out onto the unloading platform. With a sigh of resignation, Aster followed him to studiously play his role as a tour guide.

* * *

Tsuna couldn't help but smile as he sipped his Apple Martini. So far, everything was going as he had expected. His choice of outfit had grabbed his desired amount of attention and no few of those people had also pointed him out to their friends in recognition. It shouldn't take long now. Old friends who recognized him should begin arriving any moment--

"Van!" Pink snapped, several feet away from his table with a serving tray held against her hip and a towel hanging off her shoulder. Tsuna ignored her and continued to sip his Martini while watching the dancers on stage."Van!" She repeated. "Don't you dare ignore me!" Looking around himself as if he was wondering who she was talking to, Tsuna finally pointed himself and asked the age-old question.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" She spat, stepping forward to slam her tray on the table hard enough to knock his drink over.

"Oi!" Tsuna exclaimed as he jumped out of his seat before the spilt drink could get his clothes dirty. "What's your problem? Astra, I thought you said this place was fun! Why is one of the waitresses harassing me?!"

"That's the owner, Kai," Aster answered on cue. "She thinks that you're someone named Van. Try not to get upset. I've been asked about him a lot since I got here, too."

"Eh?" Pink mumbled as confusion crept into her expression. "Kai? Aren't you Van Wolfe?"

"Impossible!" Tsuna exclaimed in his best imitation of an offended model. "This is completely outrageous! How can you not know me! _ME_! I am the greatest model that ever lived and you dare to confuse me with some common waif?! "

"She said Van Wolfe, not waif," Aster corrected as he continued sipping his drink.

"Preposterous!" Tsuna spluttered as Pink's confusion deepened. "Who is this Van Wolfe? I demand to meet him this moment! I must see why anyone could assume that he is even half the man that I am!"

"He's definitely got half your ego," Aster mumbled low enough so that only Tsuna's ears could hear him. It took everything that Tsuna had not to laugh and spoil his production.

"Astra," Tsuna growled in warning.

"Oh." Aster blushed and lifted his head out of his glass long enough to give the appropriate response. "I heard that Van Wolfe died last year."

"What?" Tsuna gasped, falling forward to lean on his chair for support. "What am I to do, Astra?" He asked, his voice just barely managing to carry over the club's music. "How am I supposed to have a modeling showdown against a _ghost_?!"

"Uh, Van wasn't a model," Pink mumbled, giving signs that she was beginning to get over her shock.

"He wasn't?" Tsuna asked, his attention snapping back to her while he tried to put as much hope into his expression as he could muster.

"N-No," she answered while looking around for help. "I think I made a mistake," she added, snapping for one of the waitresses to come forward to clean their table and refill his drink. "I'm sorry. It's just that Van also kept his face covered with a mask--"

"How tragic!" Tsuna interrupted, purposely closing the distance between them to one that would make her uncomfortable. "Was he horribly scarred?" Tsuna asked, snatching up her hands as if he were confessing.

"N-No--"

"Mildly scarred?" He asked, revising his statement.

"No!"

"Just ugly?"

"Eh?!"

"No matter," Tsuna said, throwing his arm around her in mock-sympathy. "He must have truly had a tragic tale behind his mask, much like my own. I can just imagine the trauma that he must have suffered--"

"He didn't--"

"--That he would hide his face from the world! The poor man! I weep for him! At least he died peacefully, which is all that I could wish for--"

"Actually, his death was pretty messy--"

"--myself," Tsuna exclaimed, continuing to wax mournfully over her objections. "Oh, pitiful Van Wolfe, I shall dedicate my next photo shoot to you as a poor tribute for all that you have suffered! Your story has touched me--"

"YOU!"

"My LOVE!" Tsuna shouted on the top of his lungs at the sound of Adie's voice. "You've finally come for me!" Turning away from Pink as if she were yesterday's news, Tsuna tried to ignore the lancing pain that went through him when she showed relief at the opportunity to escape. After this, he would be nothing more than another eccentric customer to her. She probably still had her doubts, but she had been fooled enough that she wasn't going to push him any farther. It was good this way, since fooling her was the first step to fooling everyone else.... and the stage was set for the play that would win him everything that he needed for his new life.

He just prayed that Adie got the picture with the deep, passionate kiss that he gave her before he kneeled down on one knee to give her the rest of the clues over her hand.

"Your humble pet has been so lonely without his Mistress," he said as ardently as he could while trying not to laugh at her expression. She was obviously taken back by his melodramatic new personality, although he could see lights of glee beginning to dance in her eyes. "If I did something to make you angry with me, I plead for your forgiveness! The world has lost its bright luster without you to--"

"If you want something, just tell me what it is," Adie replied with a smirk as Tsuna's attempt at eloquent flattery came to a crashing halt.

"Erk," he choked before quickly recovering. "Weeeell..." he murmured, pressing the back of her hand lovingly against his cheek."If you really don't mind..."

"When do I ever?"

"Then perhaps a loving Mistress wouldn't mind spoiling her adorable little pet for a while?" As he made the request, he turned his best set of puppy-dog-eyes on her and cheered inwardly as she blushed and waved at him for stop.

"Then perhaps we should get a booth and discuss this at leisure," Adie finally countered as she waved for her ever-present servants to disperse. Tsuna nodded in agreement and offered her his arm to escort her properly. As he expected, she loved his new identity. It permitted him enough melodrama to excite her and it was flashy enough to gain her the attention that made her happy.

Of course, he was positive that he was going to have to sell himself to her for a second time, but it was a small price to pay for a new life. She was still as poised and attractive as when he'd first met her, so it wasn't as if he were selling himself to a grotesque ogre. She'd just sap a bit of his time and energy in exchange for giving him everything that he wanted. Overall, both of them would be satisfied with the arrangement.

"Astra?" Tsuna called, seeing that Aster was still sitting at the table. "Are you coming?"

"I'll wait for you down here, Kai," he answered with a glance to the side. Following the direction of his glance, Tsuna understood as soon as he saw Ulrich sitting nervously in the corner of the room with a box next to him and a full bottle of beer on his table.

"Good luck," Tsuna murmured, seeing that Aster was going to use this chance to talk to Ulrich alone. Turning his full attention back to Adie, he led her up the stairs and into a booth. Once there, the negotiation started with the best line that he could have hoped for.

"Come give me a kiss."

* * *

"I... um... I'm glad you're here," Ulrich said sheepishly. "I mean, I'm glad because I was hoping that you would be here, but I wasn't sure if you'd stop by, seeing how it's your day off and I'm sure that you have plenty of other things to do--"

"You're rambling," Aster commented with a smile as he ordered a second round of beers for both of them. "I don't mind, though. Getting to hear that you were thinking of me makes me glad that I had to show Kai around."

"Kai?" He asked curiously. "Is that your.... uh... friend?"

"Mmn, you could say that," Aster confirmed hesitantly, unsure of the inflection that Ulrich used on the term. "We've known each other for a while and he hired me as a part-time assistant when he got in town."

"Oh, so I guess you won't be working here anymore," he said in disappointment. Aster's heart jumped with joy, taking the comment as a sign that Ulrich liked him on a minimum of one level.

"No," he corrected with a bright smile. "I'll still be here on the weekends."

"Oh, that's good to know," Ulrich sighed in relief. Before Aster could become happy over the words, Ulrich patted the box by his side and added, "I didn't know who I could ask to deliver this for me. I've got an assignment that'll take me out of the city for a few days, but it's really important that this gets to Lavender. I can trust you with it, can't I?"

"L-Lavender...? Deliver?" Aster repeated, dumbstruck by the sudden request.

"Yeah," Ulrich confirmed with a wide smile. Becoming animated, he lifted the box onto the table and opened the lid. Nestled on a bed of soft tissue paper lay a porcelain doll that wiped the smile off Aster's face. It was beautiful. The face had been lovingly sculpted and painted with the utmost care. Every detail, from the delicate eyelashes to the embroidery on its voluminous dress had been given such careful attention that it practically glowed with life. Aster couldn't stop himself. Reaching out, he put a finger under one of the doll's dainty hands and was amazed to find that the doll's fingers curved perfectly as if it were a child holding onto its mother.

"This is one of my discards," Ulrich explained, making Aster's attention snap back to him in surprise. "Lavender stopped by my shop a few days ago and saw it in the bin. She asked me to finish it for her and offered a good price. I told her that I could make her a better one instead, but she was determined that she wanted this one. Anyway, it doesn't feel right to take her money for it since I was just going to throw it away, so I thought I'd see if someone could give it to her for me. If I tried to give it to her in person, she'd feel like she had to pay and it'd just get all complicated. I really prefer to avoid a fuss when I can and-- Hey! Are you crying?"

"No," Aster lied as he hurriedly wiped his tears away.

"Yes, you were," he objected. "What's wrong? You can tell me. We're friends, aren't we?"

"You... You're really dumb," Aster blurted. Jumping to his feet, he left the club as quickly as possible and headed to the one place where Ulrich wouldn't be able to chase him down to for answers.

That place was a small bar tucked into one of the alleys that dotted Venice Row in the attempt to give the area more dimension. There was no sign hanging outside and a knock on the door opened the viewport that allowed the guard to inspect him. Of course, as soon as the guard saw who was waiting outside, the door flew open and he was welcomed in with great joy.

A-Cup was one of Venice Row's hidden delights. It wasn't named for 'A cup of coffee' or even 'A cup of happiness'. It was named for the bra size of its clientele. A-Cup was the only bar on the Row that catered to gay men. Switch-hitters, girls, and straights weren't allowed in unless they were accompanied by someone who had entirely sworn off the opposite sex. It was a place where not even Master could follow him; his own private Sanctuary.

A-Cup was also the kind of place where anything went so long as no one brought the Vendiche down on their heads. It was one of the many reasons that Aster had been drawn to the place. That wasn't to say that it was a dirty hideaway. The owner ran a tight, clean operation that made his costumers feel as if it was worth it to pay his steep prices. Of course, Aster never had to pay for anything. Paying would be stupid when his freelancing as a host for the owner allowed him to socialize, make money, and get his drinks for free.

Today, he didn't feel like working, though. Until Master was done with Mistress Drake, he just wanted to be in a place where his troubles couldn't follow. Therefore, he found himself a nice, comfortable seat in the corner, ordered his usual, and allowed his mind to drift while he watched the waiters wander around the room in tight spandex shorts. Unfortunately, his reputation was already well-known. Within twenty minutes, his table was filled with the usual crowd that had befriended him since he'd begun hanging out at the A-Cup.

To his left was Takeshi, a hitman from the Vongola Family who was estranged from his husband and son. Then there was Eric from Martelli, one of the rare straight men who'd been allowed into the bar and given membership. The owner had listened to his story and had made an exception for him. Eric had a close friend who was a transvestite at home and being in the bar helped him forget his homesickness. It was also a place where he could be appreciated without having fans annoying him while he was trying to relax.

After that was Cresente, a Cavallone hitmen who seemed to have some sort of history with Takeshi, and Viner from Lionesse, who was the odd man out for being affiliated with Vongola's rivals. He was still a good guy, though, and gay men were too rare in the Mafia for anyone to be excluded just because of Families ties. Finally, there was the youngest one, Hattori from Tomaso, who regularly skipped school over his supposed broken heart. Depending on everyone's mood, Hattori would either be shut-out as a minor or permitted drinks as a Mafioso.

Today, Aster was in the mood to let him drink.

Over the past few months, he couldn't count the number of times that he'd sat around drinking with the group. All of them had a common bond that kept bringing them together: They were all looking for serious relationships instead of just flings. It'd begun with him acting as a host for each of them separately, but they'd eventually begun arguing over who got to use him as a shoulder to cry on first. Finally, they'd all called a truce and had permanently reserved a table where they could share him.

It was the same old complaints, though, and Aster wasn't in a mood to pay any attention to any of them. It wasn't that he wasn't sympathetic, but Takeshi could solve his problems by going back to his husband. Eric was fine as long as he had someone to laugh with. Viner already had a boyfriend and Cresente was happy so long as he could scold Takeshi. The only one that had a serious problem was Hattori and it hurt how much their situations paralleled each other.

"Hattori," Aster said, cutting straight through Eric's story so clearly that everyone paused to listen. Looking down at his glass, he knew that everyone was surprised at his sudden rudeness. Usually, he was the quiet guy that did the listening, not the talking. Hattori choked too, being far more accustomed to being the ignored filler in the group. However, just this once, Aster wanted to change that. "Have you made any progress with the Eleventh?"

"Eh?" He squeaked with a bright blush lighting up his face. Takeshi choked on his drink and Cresente looked ready to faint, but Hattori gained courage from how everyone else simply waited for an answer. "Um... No, not exactly. Actually... I think he's forgotten that I exist. He's only got eyes for Ross. When I try to get near him, he treats me as an annoyance. I... I'd like to think that he's grown comfortable with having me around, though. I mean, it's not like he ignores me completely. I bet.... I bet..." Hattori sank down in his seat and Aster didn't even have to ask to know how he was going to finish his sentence because it was the same thing that Aster had been thinking.

_I bet if I were a girl, I'd stand a chance._

"I see," Aster murmured as tears welled up in his eyes. They blinded him quickly, but he didn't notice nor did he care. All he could see anyway was Ulrich's smiling face while his heart felt as if it were shattering into pieces. To be turned into a delivery boy for a gift to a girl... Even if Aster knew that the girl wasn't a rival, it was too much. He wanted Ulrich to give that doll to him. Why couldn't Ulrich be so simple-mindedly giving toward _him_?! He wanted to be the one that Ulrich was thinking of while he worked! He wanted Ulrich to look at him and smile with dreams of a wonderful future in his eyes! "Why wasn't I born a girl?!" Aster wailed, startling everyone in the bar as he began sobbing in earnest.

"Hey now," Eric said as he wrapped his arms around Aster to give him a shoulder to cry on. "Geez, you're just like Gigi. One minute, you're perfectly fine and your heartbroken the next. What happened?"

The floodgates opened and much more than sadness poured out.

"That idiot!" Aster blurted, pounding a fist on the tabletop to vent his frustration. "Even if I had stripped down and kissed him, he still probably wouldn't get it! How long am I supposed to stay just friends before he'll understand?! I've thrown nearly everything I have at him and he keeps raising my hopes only to smash them! It's not fair! When is he going to give up on that bitch and pick me instead?!"

"Whoa!" Takeshi exclaimed with a disbelieving laugh. "Back up some. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah," Cresente agreed. "You never told us that you were chasing after someone."

"Of course not!" He blurted out in frustration. "Ulrich is an idiot! If I told you about him, you'd just tell me to find someone else--"

"Eh?" Viner gaped, spilling his mouthful of beer down his shirt. "Ulrich? Ulrich of Lionesse?! As in Pug-Face Ulrich?! You're going after that ugly--"

"See," Aster growled. Putting his elbows on the table, Aster buried his face in his hands and tried to hold back the need to cry again. "What am I supposed to do? Kai only says to not to give up and my coworkers all tell me that he'll eventually come around, but he's straight. No matter what I do, he thinks that I'm just teasing him. He's only got eyes for his crush --"

"You mean Analise?" Viner asked curiously. "Why would you think that he's still after her? She got married two months ago."

"What?" Aster mumbled, freezing in shock. "Repeat that...?"

Viner did, exposing the full story that left Aster sitting in his seat in a daze. Ulrich's lady love, Analise, had eloped with Ulrich's uncle. Apparently, their whole Family had been buzzing over it. Not only because Ulrich had been stabbed in the back by his own family, but they'd also hardened his exile so that he could never return home now. Kartoffel was now considered a neutral Family because they refused to deal with Vongola and no one on Lionesse's side wanted to deal with them after seeing how they treated someone as hard-working as Ulrich. For all that Ulrich was ugly, there was no one who could ignore someone that was trying their best like he'd been.

Since then, Ulrich had mostly stayed in his workshop. The only times he came out was when member of Lionesse dragged him out for drinks and to attend events. They'd been about ready to give up on him, but he'd passed their test. The one time that no one showed up to get him, he'd gone to Pink's on his own. After that, he'd become much more lively. He was back to making dolls again and he'd shown determination in finding a girl who could appreciate his work. He regularly checked in at the main house and even the Lionesse Boss was beginning to take notice of his doll-making skills. That was actually what his weekend assignment was. He'd been hired to go to Greece to make a doll for one of the Boss' sick relatives.

"He still wants to get his face fixed, but he's not talking about it as often anymore," Viner finished. "I think he wants his dolls to be attractive in his place instead. Who would have known that an ugly guy like that could make something so amazing? Right?"

"I'm the idiot," Aster mumbled. "It was right in front of me. It was my chance. If I'd just told him..."

"You're going to have to explain," Takeshi chuckled. "You're not making sense again."

"Before I came here!" Aster spluttered. "He was at Pink's with one of his dolls! He asked me to give it to Lavender, but I just ran away!"

"Ouch," Hattori grimaced. "That had to hurt. He asked you to be a delivery boy? Does he really not know how you feel or is he just cruel?"

"That's just it!" Aster exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "I didn't tell him! I should have told him to make one for me! Ulrich is an idiot! If I don't tell him, then he's not going to know that I'm jealous!"

"Wait," Eric interjected while everyone stared at Aster in wide-eyed confusion. "So you're not mad at being asked to make a delivery for him? You're just jealous because he didn't make you a doll? No offense if you are, but you don't seem like the type to play with--" Eric froze with his jaw hanging open as everyone paused for a moment of consideration. Aster blushed, knowing that they were all imagining him holding one of Ulrich's fanciful creations. "Never mind," Eric amended with a cough, making Aster blush even harder.

"So, what are you going to do?" Viner asked curiously.

"It's obvious," Cresente answered before Aster could answer. "He's going to go right now and tell him."

"Oh, I have to see this," Takeshi chuckled as he got up to pay their tab.

"Me too," Hattori agreed, bouncing to his feet. "I wanna see why you call him Pug-Face."

"Ditto," Eric said as he stood. "I want to see the person that can get Aster so riled up. He's at Pink's. Right?" Before Aster could get in a word, he was being dragged out of the bar and back toward Pink's. It was as if he were being swept away by a typhoon for all the resistance that he could muster against them.

When he arrived, though, there was another typhoon that lifted him into the air while singing.

"For he's a jolly good fellow--" they cried as they carried him around the bar. He was embarrassed in such a fashion for nearly five full minutes before he finally noticed that the ones carrying him were all werewolves.

"What the hell is going on?!" Aster finally shouted over all the noise.

"You did it, Boss!" Hendrix shouted from the outskirts of the mob. "The registration finally went through! The Wolfe Family is now recognized as official Mafia! You're a Boss now!"

"Look at this, Boss!" One of the men called as the group slowly let him back down to stand on his feet. Aster blinked in confusion at the sheaf of papers that was waved under his nose. "So far, we've got thirty-four members from the Alliance to join!"

"That's not including us!" Another added as everyone began rustling around in their suits for something. Almost in unison, the items being searched for were found and they pulled them out to hold them up to Aster's face. Aster gaped in shock, reaching up to grab the first one that he saw in order to read it more closely.

"They're separation papers, Boss," Hendrix explained as he wiggled to the front of the group. "We've all left our Families to join you." Aster trembled in place while everyone smiled widely at him in pride of their accomplishment. The paper in Aster's hand became crumpled as his fist closed around it. His emotions peaked-- and he wasn't happy.

"SIT!" He barked. As ordered, everyone sat. In surprise at his outburst, no one tried to find a chair first. "YOU IDIOTS!" Aster shouted, bopping his fist onto every head that was close enough to be reached. "Who told all of you to get excited over this and leave your Families?! How am I supposed to explain this to everyone?! The Wolfe Family wasn't created so that you could abandon your Bosses!"

"But--" Hendrix interjected.

"I didn't give you permission to talk," Aster warned, silencing every attempt to object with the force of his glare. "The Family was created to give those outside the Mafia a base of operations to work from! It's supposed to be a shelter for werewolves who don't have access to the things that a Family can offer! It was never intended to be more than a rest stop for those of you who already have Families to lean on! Do you understand?! You're supposed to be migrating out, not in!"

"Does that mean that you don't want us, Boss?" Abel asked with a hurt expression.

"I didn't say that," Aster snapped. "I just-- Look! You shouldn't want someone like me as your Boss! The Wolfe Family isn't like your ordinary Family! First of all, I'm gay! Do you really want to work for a gay Boss?! You're never going to be able to take part in raising an heir and just imagine how hard the other Families are going to be--"

"They were aware of that when they made their choices, Boss," Misha called out from her seat under one of the tables. "Werewolves can't have werewolf children anyway. Their kids are either human or vampires when they do manage to have any, so it doesn't matter if you're gay or not. It's in the Family Charter that the Boss has to be a werewolf, so you'd still have to pick an heir from the ranks anyways."

"And if anyone insults you for being gay, we'll knock their teeth out!" Russell added, sending a cheer through the crowd. "Even if you like guys, you're still the best man that we know! I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not following anyone else!"

"But I'm an Incubus-type!" Aster objected, feeling as if everyone had lost their minds. Didn't they understand that he couldn't be a Boss in anything more than name?! There was no way in hell that he could measure up against people like Hotaru, Xanxus, and Chin! He looked like a second-rate slut when compared to people like them! He'd only agreed to put his name on the paper because Master had still been asleep!

"What's wrong with being an Incubus-type?" Hendrix countered, standing up to face his objections head-on. "You wouldn't be you if you were a Panda- or Raptor-type werewolf!"

"But I can't--"

"Give it up, Astra." Aster froze when Master's scent filled every corner of the room, leaving the werewolves dazed by the strength of his mouth-watering aroma while they searched for napkins and sleeves to cover their noses with. Even Aster had to push his collar tighter against his nose to block out the scent with the silk lining, considering that Master had obviously just finished having sex again. "They're determined to follow you and you have no reason to refuse them. You said for yourself that the Wolfe Family was a place for werewolves without a Family to lean on and none of these men and women have one now. Are you really going to leave them out in the cold?"

"Kai..." Aster mumbled as the truth of his words impacted him.

"There's no rulebook for being a Boss," he added as he escorted Mistress Drake towards the exit. "Just do what you think is right and no one can ask anything more of you. If you still want my advice, then you need to stop arguing and start celebrating. It's not every day that a new Family is born, especially in Italy. I'll help you figure out the logistics later, but right now, this lovely woman wants to introduce me to an amazing photographer. Besides, it looks like you have someone waiting to congratulate you."

Aster froze, his gaze slowly turning to one of the unfortunate customers who'd been present since the beginning. Ulrich was standing next to his table with a dumbstruck expression, having been taken completely by surprise with the announcement that Aster was a Boss. Or was he dumbstruck from learning that Aster was an Incubus-type? No, he wouldn't know what that meant. Only werewolves and vampires understood the terms that had been created to describe their primary needs. Oh no. Was he dumbstruck after seeing Aster angry? That was probably it! That was why he wasn't moving! Aster had shown Ulrich his bad side! He was going to hate him now!

"He's looking at you, Dolt," Viner snapped, giving Ulrich a shove to get him moving. Unfortunately, Viner wasn't the only one to move while Aster was frozen. His attention on Ulrich was noticed by his would-be subordinates and they could probably smell the fluctuations in his scent.

"Is this him?" Misha asked, getting to Ulrich ahead of everyone else. "Wow. You have better taste than I thought." Aster flushed in horrified realization as the others began swooping into range of Ulrich. He should have known! He wasn't the only one who could smell the quality of blood running through a person after all! While he was a little more sensitive than most, he should have guessed that other werewolves would judge Ulrich by his scent before his looks!

"He smells good, Boss!" Another agreed.

"It's nothing special on the surface," Hendrix said, sniffing a little too close to Ulrich's hair. "But I can't quite put my finger on it.... There's something..."

"He's not as overpowering as Kai, but he's right. There's something about him--"

"It's something warm and seems like it'd fill you up with the first bite--"

"Kind of common, but made with an extra touch--"

"I got it!" Misha exclaimed as if Ulrich's scent were a riddle. "It's Mammy's cooking! She always overloaded everything with oregano!"

"Granny's green-bean casserole," Hendrix snapped. "I knew there was something special to it. She always served it with biscuits covered in fig jam."

"Auntie's stew with sweet potatoes--"

"Dad's grilled fish wrapped in onions--"

"STOP!" Aster shouted, lunging to get Ulrich out of their reach before they could get too drawn in by his scent. They both tumbled to the ground, but Aster spun in place as soon as he landed in order to give everyone a piece of his mind. "Ulrich isn't a meal! Stop sniffing him like you're going to eat him! I found him first! If any of you touch him, I'll-- I'll-- I'll do something really, really mean!" For all that his threat was childish, every single one of his would-be subordinates paled in fear. For them, his inability to think of a fitting punishment on the spot made them all quiver as their minds supplied the worst punishments possible. They knew that he was fully capable of tailoring the punishment to the person and he was entirely capable of finding out the fearful punishments that flashed through their minds--which multiplied the threat.

"I'm sorry, Boss!" They blurted in unison, kneeling down to apologize for their error. Their synchronized actions made Aster admit the one thing that he didn't want to: they were already fully trained to his hand. It made him understand why their Bosses had been willing to give them up. No Boss would want to keep hold of someone who was already obeying a different Master.

"Geez," Aster grumbled, knowing what was the right thing to do. He had to take responsibility. "You guys really aren't making it easy to refuse you."

"Does this mean...?" Hendrix asked, lifting his head in hope.

"I'll talk to your Bosses and see if they're willing to hire you out through me," Aster sighed in resignation. "That way you guys can still work for the Families that you came from and stay with me at the same time. You guys better prepare yourselves though! I'm not going to take it easy on any of you! You all are going to have to put in extra hours to make up for disturbing Pink's Club and running your mouths off without talking to me first!"

Despite his warning, everyone exploded into another cheer and began celebrating in earnest while Aster hung his head in defeat. What in the world was he supposed to do with four dozen werewolves? Even worse, what was he supposed to say to Ulrich? A hesitant glance over his shoulder let him see that the man was laid out flat, making Aster grimace at how badly things had gone. Ulrich had already been overwhelmed before he had been knocked over, unable to cope with a dozen people trying to sniff him all at once. Being knocked over had probably been just enough of a shock to make the poor guy faint. After all, for all that he was a large man, he'd never been very strong.

He was going to have to explain himself when Ulrich woke up, but it was more important to get him off the floor. Standing, Aster glared at everyone who tried to help him. None of his new subordinates even attempted to offer help, knowing that Aster could outmuscle any of them. However, Pink tried to send in a few of the bouncers to help from where she was watching in amusement from behind the bar. Eventually, Aster stopped glaring and accepted the extra hands. While he could easily lift Ulrich off the ground, managing his long limbs was a little more difficult.

"Eh?" Aster choked as the bouncer holding Ulrich's legs tried to pull him toward the booth stairwell, which was in the opposite direction of the wall seating that Aster had been planning to put him.

"Your buddies paid for a room for him to rest in," Cocoa explained, tossing his head toward Aster's group of A-Cup friends who'd tucked themselves into a corner table together. Eric saw him looking at them and waved, directing everyone else's attention his way. Catching his eye, Takeshi also gave a thumb up in support and Viner lifted his glass for a toast. In response, Aster blushed. He knew exactly what those bastards where expecting and he--was definitely going to try.

"Let's go," Aster directed. Cocoa's eyes widened at how Aster set his shoulders in determination, but moved as Aster had ordered.

In no time at all they had Ulrich comfortably placed in a booth couch and a request to Cocoa got him Ulrich's doll delivered from the main club along with a cold cloth for the man's head. Then he was gone and Aster was left alone with the very helpless object of his affections. Unsurprisingly, once they were alone together, Aster finally began to calm down. He knew that he should feel tense, considering that Ulrich wasn't in any position to stop him, but he didn't.

Perhaps that was why he liked Ulrich so much, Aster thought as he sat across the room from him with the box holding Ulrich's doll. Pulling the box into his lap, he opened the lid and took his time admiring the piece while he contemplated his feelings. Ulrich made him feel relaxed. The ever-present clawing sensation inside of him became subdued and tamed whenever Ulrich was around. It was as if being near him allowed Aster's mating instincts to become drowsy with contentment. He liked that feeling. It was gentle and warm in a way that he couldn't explain.

Perhaps it was Ulrich's scent that was the culprit. Everyone else had described it as some sort of home cooking that brought up fond memories. Aster didn't have anything like that, though. The closest that he had to it was the stories that he'd imagined while in the orphanage of a Christmas in front of a fire with roasted chestnuts and cider; it was what he'd overheard in a song and he'd used the description to make up a happy dream for himself. Just being near Ulrich made him feel as happy as he had back when he'd allowed himself to believe that those fantasies could come true.

"What do I do?" Aster asked the doll, lifting her up so that her dress could flare out to show its true volume and beauty. "I've got a Geppeto and a ton of Talking Crickets, but still no Blue Fairy. I'd like it if you could be my Fairy, but Ulrich promised you to Lavender and he'd not the kind of person to break his promises. But... If you _were _my fairy, I could tell you my wish and you could make it come true." Aster sighed and hugged the doll to his chest, knowing that nothing in life came so easily. Still... "That'd be nice," Aster murmured. "Then I could turn into someone that Ulrich likes."

"I like you just how you are." Aster's head snapped up and he stared in horror at where Ulrich was still lying with a cold cloth over his eyes. Had he heard all of that?! No, it didn't matter. He needed to make Ulrich understand anyw-- "So... you finally got to meet Viner," Ulrich said before Aster could do more than open his mouth. "I knew you two would get along if I could just get you two together. I feel a little like a fool, though. If I'd known that you were a Boss, I'd have picked someone better. Viner's a good guy and would treat you right, but his business sense is--"

"Viner already has a boyfriend," Aster interrupted in frustration. "They've been seeing each other secretly because the guy doesn't want anyone to know that he's gay."

"Oh."

"It doesn't matter if he has one or not anyway," Aster continued, refusing to let Ulrich get another word in before he'd said everything that he wanted to. "I'm perfectly capable of finding someone on my own. I don't need you to screen my dates for me nor do I want you to. I'm not friends with you for that! I've... I've tried to be patient, but you are completely hopeless! You can't take a hint at all! I--"

"You want me to go out with you," Ulrich stated from where he lay, proving that he wasn't as stupid as he looked. "You're the one not getting the hint, Astra. You're a nice guy and I want to stay friends with you, but I'm straight and I don't plan to change that. I was hoping that I could find someone else for you so that you'd stop flirting with me like you have been. I don't know what you see in someone like me anyway. Well, I shouldn't say that. Your friends made it pretty clear. I smell good to your kind like I'm a side of beef or something. I got to say, I know that I look like some sort of cattle, but you and your friends were the first ones to ever treat me like one."

"It's not like that!" Aster objected. "Our sense of smell is just different! I'd never--!"

"Maybe it'd be better if you didn't hang around me anymore," Ulrich mumbled, causing Aster's heart to stop in shock. "You can't seem to pick someone else while I'm near you and I can't say I'm too comfortable being compared to dinner. Don't try to argue, either. It's the best thing for both of us. You're a Boss now. You can't be seen with an ugly mug like me and I... You don't like girls. Right? Just look at it this way: You wouldn't have considered me as anything more than a friend if I'd been a woman. For me, I can't consider you more than a friend because you're a guy. And that's not going to change, so it's best that we go our separate ways so that you don't hurt yourself over me."

"I see," Aster replied, feeling as if every dredge of emotion was draining out of his body. His chest hurt, but not in the same way as it had before. There was no feeling of shattering or breaking; there was just a hollow, empty feeling that gave him a sense of ennui. "I'm just bothering you," he managed to say as he put the doll back in its box and stood. "You're right. It doesn't matter how I feel. I've already got two strikes against me by being a guy and a werewolf. Being a Boss was the third strike. Wasn't it? But you don't have to worry anymore. I'll leave you alone. It'll be like we never met."

"Now wait a second--!" Ulrich exclaimed, finally bolting upright as he tore the cloth from his face. As soon as their eyes met, Ulrich froze with his mouth hanging open. In return, Aster couldn't think of anything to say or do to make the past few minutes disappear. Ulrich had said his piece. He'd finally put his foot down and made it clear that he didn't love Aster nor was he ever going to try. He'd shown disgust at the werewolf mentality and he made it known that he felt self-conscious about being friends with a Boss. He hated everything that Aster was and there was nothing that Aster could do to change his mind.

But...

"If you ever decide that you want to give me a chance, just go to Tenth Street Park and I'll find you," he said softly. "I love you, Ulrich. I've loved you since the first time we met. I know that I can't force my feelings on you, but you can't take them away from me, either. So... I'll pretend because that's what will make you happy." Aster waited for his response. He prayed for an objection or some sort of promise to give him hope for the future, but all that he received was a lengthening, uncomfortable silence. Ulrich looked away, unable to give him anything other than the opportunity to leave.

Therefore, Aster left with a stubborn refusal to give any sort of farewell and he made up his mind as he slowly trudged down the stairs. He'd just see if Ulrich would truly be able to drop him that quickly. He'd create opportunity after opportunity for them to meet and he'd give Ulrich a taste of the heartache that he was suffering. Ulrich wouldn't be able to handle it. He was too nice of a guy to be happy if he believed that anyone hated him. With a little bit of the cold shoulder, Ulrich's memories of their friendship would become bittersweet and the taste of bitterness was something that guys like Ulrich couldn't stand. He'd open himself up to do whatever it took to make the bitterness go away and that was where Aster's opening was.

The emptiness in Aster's chest began to fill again and the hollow feeling began to fade. He wasn't going to give up like Ulrich wanted him to do. He was just going to change tactics. There was a huge chance that it would all backfire, but he didn't think so. After all, Ulrich hadn't said once that he disliked him. He'd just said that he disliked being compared to a meal. Actually, everything that he'd said sounded like an excuse.

Even the part about not giving him any romantic consideration because of his gender was an excuse. Aster knew because he didn't like girls, but he'd still tried a few times because Master had asked him to. But Ulrich hadn't even tried yet! It wasn't as if Aster was asking him to be a bottom! For someone who'd be a top, the transition between male and female wasn't nearly as hard. Ulrich was just suffering what Aster had seen in many other homophobic males: their true phobia was that of nonconformity. They were scared of being seen as something abnormal and were overcome with shame when they failed to meet society's standards of normality. If Aster could make the bitterness of their separation overwhelm that shame, he'd win.

Aster stopped in his tracks as he realized something else. He hadn't told Ulrich that he preferred to be a bottom. He'd been planning to wait until at least the second date to trade that sort of information. What if Ulrich had been harboring fears that Aster wanted to top him? After all, it was obvious that Aster had the dominant personality. He was the one doing the wooing and being forward while Ulrich was the recipient of his feelings. Was that why Ulrich had made a fuss about him being a werewolf and a Boss? Did he not have the nerve to top someone who was stronger than him? If so, there were a lot of things that Aster could do to disabuse him of such notions. That could be kind of... fun. It'd been a while since he'd corrupted anyone.

His head began filling with plans as he stepped out into the main bar to join in the Family celebration. They had the neighborhood development finished for income now, so the guys who'd been doing construction work could be hired out. After doing hard labor, those same guys would want to do something to relax and release their tensions. The porn industry was perfect for that. The Incubus-type werewolves could get all the 'meals' they wanted while making a nice profit at the same time.

And if a few of the tapes just happened to be seen by Ulrich... Aster flushed, wondering what kind of face Ulrich would make. He didn't like the idea of letting Ulrich see him with someone else, but he was able to console himself by imagining that Ulrich would get aroused by watching him.

Then there were the things that he could do to corrupt Ulrich in person. Ulrich was still going to be dragged out by his friends for drinks. If Aster ignored him and flirted with everyone else that he came across, then Ulrich might get jealous. He could also hint that Ulrich should try new things by hitting on men and women equally. He'd have to do it carefully, though. If he messed up, Ulrich would just think that he'd moved on. He had to play the part of the lonesome guy who wasn't being picky because of heartbreak. That would make Ulrich feel guilty and drive him into taking responsibility.

Then there was--

"You seem cheerful," Pink grinned as she set another beer on the bar for him. "I assume that you finally nailed him?"

"Nope," Aster grinned back as plans continued to form in his head. "He told me to get lost."

"Oh? And you're still happy?"

"Yes," he confirmed, lifting his drink up for a toast. "He gave me a reason to get serious."


	126. Chapter 126 A Disturbed Mind

"It's not me," Hotaru growled.

"Are you sure?" Haru asked for the thirtieth time. Hotaru glared and decided to ignore her for the rest of the trip. He could understand why she was pouting, but he shouldn't have to repeat himself so many times. It wasn't him popping up on the billboards all over town! It was someone else! Of course, his mother wanted it to be her son. If it was him, she could try to talk him into modeling her clothes for free.

"There's another one," Haru said, pointing out Hotaru's window. Glancing up, Hotaru growled at the cologne ad. It was just as tasteless as the rest. What did snakes have to do with cologne?! Apparently a lot since it was now the best-selling cologne on the market. Hotaru was just upset about it since it had been his favorite before that weirdo had made it popular. The masked freak was everywhere.

Over there was a back shot for an underwear ad.

Over there, he was modeling girl's accessories.

Over there, he was tying his shoe for a sneaker ad.

Over there, he was modeling for a coffee shop.

Electronics, construction companies, bathing supplies, clothing, alcohol, restaurants, and so many different things were popping up with him in the ads. None of it was big-name goods, but he was becoming famous through pure quantity. Normally, Hotaru wouldn't care, but everyone kept asking him if he was moonlighting in a mask. As if he'd do anything so distasteful. It was bad enough that he wore his mother's clothing when he wasn't in his school uniform.

That had backfired, too. For all that he'd complained that he couldn't work outside of a suit, no one seemed to care that he'd gone to a negotiation meeting in his new clothes. Even the people that he'd negotiated with hadn't cared. They'd simply complimented him on being trendy and had gotten down to business. Trendy! He still couldn't believe it. He'd been wearing jeans in which the knees had been wore into non-existence, an offensive t-shirt, and more jewelry than a girl!

Well, only half of it was actually jewelry, but onlookers didn't know that. The two cuff on his upper right arm could extend upward as a gladiator shield and the one on his other arm was a hologram generator that could make him seem as if he were a few inches off from where he truly was. It didn't seem like much, but a few inches could be the difference between a head shot and his ear being shot. Nearly everything that he wore was some sort of defensive or offensive weapon disguised as jewelry. Even his earrings were micro-explosives that he could throw at enemies. His mother particularly hated that he wore them, but she had no reason to complain. After all, even if they misfired against his head, he couldn't die. His protections were just to make those around him feel at ease with his safety.

"Taru-kun," his mother called. Hotaru blinked and looked around, startled to find that they'd arrived at their destination while he'd been thinking. Getting out of the car, he gave a long stretch before following his mother to the back of the van. He felt crazy for being awake at four in the morning, but he'd promised his mother that he'd help out with her fashion show. He didn't get it. Fall wasn't even into full swing yet and she kept saying that she was late in unveiling her winter line. How many months early was she supposed to have new lines ready?!

When he wasn't trying to stay neutral, he had to admit that she'd truly outdone herself this time, though. If she was late, he doubted that anyone was going to care with how she'd tripled her design output on men's garments and had increased the detail on the women's. She'd said that her theme this year was going to be 'Le Royal Prince' in honor of him and he thought that she'd succeeded in making things that he would be willing to wear. He also had to admit that he'd kill to see Rosalind in some of the pieces from the Princess counterpart. Not that he was going to get a chance. Rosalind would also kill if she were seen in such fanciful garments. Even so, she'd probably look amazing in that pale pink--

"Taru-kun!" Haru called from the building entrance, snapping him out of his pleasant daydream. "Hurry up!" Hotaru blushed brightly and hid his embarrassment behind the rack of clothes that he was supposed to be pushing inside.

Stepping into the building was like stepping into another world; one where four in the morning was truly four in the afternoon. People were swarming everywhere. The rack of clothes was pulled out of his hands before he got more than two feet with it and was emptied almost as quickly. His mothers assistants were everywhere and so it seemed was his mother. Hotaru tried to wait for some sort of direction, but he was no better than a statue standing in the middle of the long hallway. People flocked from room to room and the sound of sewing machines began revving up from every direction as finishing touches were put on the clothes at his mother's direction.

All at once, he was given something to do, but he couldn't say that he liked the task that he was given. Coffee. Everyone wanted coffee and water and was too busy to make any. Before he could object and ask for a different job, he was dragged into a small kitchenette break room and left there by someone that he didn't even know. A glance around made him want to retreat. It was horrible. The coffee makers looked like they hadn't been used in years and the cheese, fruit, and meat trays had been left stacked on top of each other without a care for how they might spoil. Even a glance in the refrigerator proved that the bottled water was the cheapest that could be sold.

Reaching for his cell phone, Hotaru stopped himself before he could call in reinforcements for an overhaul. Part of his deal to help his mother was that she got Hotaru the son, not Hotaru the Boss. He couldn't give her Vongola aid for anything, even something as simple as a new coffee maker. If he helped her, he had to do it by himself or else her success would be overshadowed. Everyone would say that Vongola had handed her everything and that she hadn't earned it fairly.

Pocketing his cell phone, he walked over to see what could be salvaged. Absolutely nothing in his opinion, but he still started two pots of coffee using the second-rate grounds that he found in a nearby bucket. Then he made room in the refrigerator for the snack trays by moving the bottles of water around. Once that was done, he checked his wallet to see how much cash he had to work with and left the building entirely.

Using his mother's van, he stopped by three places before he had everything that he needed. The first was a restaurant supply store, where he found three cheap coffee makers, a cappuccino machine, a coffee grinder and a few extra things to spruce up the poor excuse of a break room. The second was a coffee shop, where he got premium coffee beans and an array of syrups and creamers to make the coffee even better. Then, with the last of his money, he stopped by the market to pick up boxes of energy bars that would be a hundred times healthier and more filling than a cube of cheese by itself.

Retreating back to the exhibit hall where everyone was already preparing for the evening show, he dodged people left and right while he carried the new supplies inside. As he expected, everyone was too busy to question him and there wasn't a single person who tried to stop him. That was, they didn't try to stop him until he brought the box of energy bars inside. When they saw what he was carrying, the first box was emptied before he even got it to the break room.

Within the break room, he was amazed to see cups strewn all over the place and the coffee pots emptied again. It was obvious that no one had time to clean up after themselves nor did they have time to stick around. From how much everyone was bustling about, his mothers' assistants probably didn't even have time to wait for their coffee to cool before they drank it and rushed back to work.

Hotaru was prepared for that.

Replacing the coffee makers, he started two new pots using his fresh, premium beans. Then, while those were brewing, he picked up the discarded cups and stationed a trash can next to the room's exit. He put a table cloth over the poor excuse for a side bar and organized the room's scattering of chairs so that they weren't in the way of traffic. After that, he stole the room's two tables to create a bar between him and the entrance. This also got covered with a table cloth and it was done just in time for Hotaru to begin filling cups of coffee. He didn't just make any type of coffee, though. He set up a small tray of shaved ice, the syrups, sugar, and creamer for people to make their their own variety of flavored iced coffee. He also set out a dozen bottles of water and two dozen energy bars for people to grab. Then, pulling the snack trays from the refrigerator, he set them out on the side bar along with a stack of napkins. Finally, he began sweeping the floor--

"Oh--!"

Hotaru turned in place to find one of his mother's intern assistants standing at a door, at an obvious loss for what to do due to how the break room had been altered.

"There's coffee already poured," Hotaru said, pointing over to the ones on display before returning to his attempt to clean the floor. "It's still hot, so add some ice to it so that it doesn't burn your tongue."

"Okay," she agreed as she bustled over to take a cup. While she added sugar and creamer, she added conversationally, "Are you one of the new models?" Hotaru paused, wondering if the girl was either as oblivious as Rosalind or playing stupid. She was probably playing stupid, Hotaru decided. It was too preposterous to think that his mother's workers didn't know what her son looked like.

"Nope, just helping my mom out," he replied, showing a hint of irritation for her attempt to fool him.

"Oh," she said, pretending to think hard while she stirred her coffee with a straw. "Is she one of the seamstresses?"

"Yes," he growled. Pausing in the middle of sweeping, he turned his full attention to her and glared to let her know that he wasn't buying it. She cringed backward, but didn't attempt any further conversation while she sat down to finish her drink. Sighing at her predictable reaction, Hotaru went back to sweeping and then turned his attention to the poor lighting. One of the bulbs in the ceiling socket had gone out, so he had to track down a utility closet for a replacement and a ladder. When he returned, the girl was gone along with four other cups of coffee and a few more of the energy bars.

For nearly three hours, he kept himself busy in such a fashion. Refilling the coffee pots and pouring coffee, cleaning and repairing minor things that'd been overlooked, and trying to find the shortest sentences possible to answer the same question repeatedly. He couldn't believe it, but three hours brought him to one conclusion. There wasn't a single one of his mother's assistants who knew who he was. It was no wonder that he'd been stuck in such a place. No one knew who they were dealing with!

The last straw was when someone handed him a plunger and asked him to unclog a toilet. Clenching his fist around the plunger in hopes that it'd snap in two, he stormed down the hallway in search of the most oblivious woman of them all. He stopped as soon as he found her and snapped his mouth shut in frustration. She was on hands and knees, personally hemming the bottom of the dress that was the cornerstone of her whole show. She looked tired, but she seemed to exude a glow that Hotaru recognized a little too well. Haru was in her element. When she got like that, it was as if nothing else in the world existed. Anyone who looked at his mother could see her passion and he knew that no one would have the heart to stop her. That was a problem, though. His mother was a strong woman, but even she would falter if she didn't take a break.

"Oi!" Hotaru called over the throes of activity in the room. When no one responded, Hotaru clenched his teeth and strode forward. Sticking the plunger to the floor next to his mother, he was unsurprised when she ignored him. It hadn't hit her yet that Hotaru was the one speaking. "OI!" He repeated, this time getting the attention of her assistants if not her. "It's been three hours and you skipped breakfast. Take a break already."

"In a little bit," she mumbled, sticking a spare needle between her lips as she continued to sew. Hotaru signed and crouched down next to her while ignoring the looks of consideration that he was getting. They were going to have to keep considering, though, because he wasn't what they thought he was. Reaching out, he pushed back his mother's hair and took a deep breath.

"TAKE A BREAK, STUPID!" He shouted. Rather than jolting, his mother's hands slowly fell to a stop and she sighed in return. Finally turning to look at him, she pinned him with an expression that said she wasn't amused. "I made coffee," he offered coaxingly. "They can do without you for ten minutes."

"You made coffee?" She asked in confusion. "Why are you doing that? I wanted you to help out with the men's fittings."

"Well, _someone _ran off and left me," he growled, giving her an irritated glare. "Since you didn't tell me what you wanted to do and no one here seems to know who the hell I am, I ended up making coffee. Now, are you going to let my hard work go to waste or are you going to take a break, stupid woman?"

"Don't talk to me like that," she scolded in a huff as he helped her to her feet. "I'll tell your father that you were being undisciplined-- Ha-hi--!" Looking up at him, she gaped in sudden surprise and he stared back without a clue as to what she was surprised for. "I forgot to introduce you to everyone." Despite having already known that his mother was an air-head, Hotaru slapped his hand over his face and silently prayed for patience.

"You can do that la--"

"Everyone! A moment please!" Haru called, getting the instant attention of everyone in the room. "We have someone very special helping us today. This is my son, Hotaru. He's still a high school student, but he learns fast and is very good at thinking on his feet. Ladies, he's also single--"

"MOM!" Hotaru spluttered. "Stop trying to play matchmaker!"

"You can't blame me for trying," she chuckled. "Doesn't every mother want to see her son wed? Anyway," she continued, turning back to her assistants. "Please be kind to him but don't be afraid to correct him. He's bad at taking criticism, but he'll still improve with it--"

"Mother," Hotaru snapped in warning.

"Alright, alright," she laughed. "I'll go try some of your coffee. Do you know if there's still any of those energy bars left? I've noticed people walking around with them all morning."

"I got one right here," he offered, reaching into his pocket to pull out the one that he'd saved for himself. Leading her to the break room, he got her seated with a cup of iced coffee and a tray of snacks to help sustain her along with the energy bar. She talked animatedly while she rested, filling him in on what she'd been doing while he'd been doing random errands.

"This is good coffee," she commented as she finished draining a second cup. "When did you learn how to make this?"

"Orinato taught me," he answered with a small smile. "I was working alone one night and didn't want to wake anyone up, but I made a huge mess and the coffee was awful. Rather than let me figure it out for myself, he showed me the right way to do it so that I wouldn't make the cook cry again."

"Ha-hi?" Haru squeaked. "That's just like your father."

"Eh?"

"I mean Tsu-kun," she explained with a warm smile lighting up her face. "I guess I never told you about that. Everyone remembers how Tsu-kun was a baker, but none of them saw him when he first began experimenting. The main chef from back then told me about it, though. The chefs used to wake up and the kitchen would be covered in flour or batter and the baking pans would be filled with substances that they couldn't identify. At first, the head chef thought that some of the under-chefs were stealing ingredients and were making the mess to cover up how much they stole. So, the head chef set a trap. He stayed up really late for nearly a week straight and, finally, he caught the culprit. But, rather than an under-chef, he found your father covered in baking powder and cookie batter. It turns out that your father had never used anything other than a whisk before, so he didn't know how to change the speed settings on the kitchen's industrial mixer. The head chef taught him how to work the kitchen equipment and then promised to keep Tsu-kun's baking a secret as long as he started leaving something edible to make up for the messes that he made. It was the kitchen's biggest secret for a long time before your father's baking became well-known."

"Th-That's nothing like me," Hotaru grumbled, stubbornly refusing to admit that he'd done something similar. As a matter of tradition, Haru chuckled and gave her agreement before heading back to work.

Hotaru didn't immediately follow. Instead, he took a moment to quietly admit that the story made him happy. It was a good story, after all. It wasn't one where his father was doing anything despicable or embarrassing. Well, he'd probably been embarrassed over being caught, but it wasn't a story that Hotaru was embarrassed to hear. His father's baking was one of the few things that he'd always been able to accept about him. He could still remember the taste some of his father's baking, too, which was why he didn't like sweets. No one could make anything comparable and there was always that sense of disappointment after the first bite. It made him wish that he was younger so that he could taste them again.

He didn't wish that! He wished to stay grown up, Hotaru amended in a panic as he felt his skin crawling in preparation of a form-change. The crawling stopped and Hotaru inspected his arms in fear that something had changed before he'd stopped it. Everything looked the same, but he never could tell lately. Shifting his form was becoming easier and easier, which left him a little fearful of himself. If he wished too hard to become a puddle of goo, what would happen to him? It was almost as if he had to keep an image of himself in his head at all times in order to keep his Salamander half from taking over his human half.

There was no reason to let anyone worry, though. So far, his shifts had all been minor and he'd been able to correct them with a little bit of focus. Although, he'd disturbed the whole Family after he'd read a particular manga. He'd been stuck with cat eyes and cat ears for nearly twelve hours before he'd managed to get rid of them and he still swore he'd kill anyone who mentioned his tail. Since then, he'd cut back on his hobby and had begun checking himself over in the mirror twice as often.

"Hotaru...?" Hotaru glanced up to find a man standing in front of his seat with a cup of coffee in hand and a clipboard tucked under his arm. "I'm Eton Grey, your mother's assistant--"

"Everyone here is her assistant," he corrected.

"So they are," he smiled. "But I'm the assistant that tells her other assistants where to go. I believe she said that she wanted you to help out with the fittings?"

"Oh, right," Hotaru said as he got to his feet. As soon as he was standing, though, the man pushed him back down in his chair.

"I wanted to say this nicely since you're Mrs. Hibari's son, but you seem like a intelligent young man," he said with his tone turning unfriendly. "You're in the way. If you really want to help your mother, stay here and keep making coffee."

"Eh?"

"Your mother works hard for these shows," Eton said in warning. "I won't let someone like you come in and ruin that. Even the lowest assistant knows how important something as small as a sequin is. For someone like you, who looks down on such details, it's better that you don't get near the clothes at all. Besides--"

"Eton!" Haru shouted, storming into the room with a dress hanging over her arm. Seeing what she was about to do, Hotaru jumped up and interjected himself between his mother and her assistant before Haru could punch the fool.

"It's okay, Mom!" Hotaru exclaimed, waving his arms to keep her from trying to punch past him. "He's just trying to protect your show! I'm a stranger here, so this kind of thing is to be expected! They don't know--" Hotaru broke off with a bright blush, refusing to finish the sentence out loud. His mother knew how it was supposed to end, though, and hearing him even attempt to say something like that made her calm down. _They don't know that I've been helping you at home for the past few weeks_.

"Still," she grumbled, still not completely mollified over Eton's insults to Hotaru's personality. "I made this line with you in mind! It's not right for someone to go behind my back and tell you that you're in the way!"

"It's okay, Mom," Hotaru soothed. "I _will _be in the way if my being here distracts you. You should get back to work. I'll talk to Eton a little more and see if there's somewhere that I can help out without making anyone uncomfortable. Maybe I'll track down Katie and see if she needs an extra pair of hands."

"Ha-hi? Why didn't I think of that? She should be greeting the models about now. You already know how the finished look is supposed to be, so you'd be perfect to help her out!"

"See?" Hotaru grinned while throwing a glare over his shoulder at Eton. Eton paled, knowing as well as Hotaru did that the person who could meet Haru's expectations of the finished product was the one that would win. Despite that, Hotaru added, "Everyone wins." Eton glared back, obviously angry over having the task taken away from him, but it was his fault for complaining. If he'd kept his mouth shut, Hotaru would have been handing needles to seamstresses and fetching coffee for the rest of the afternoon while Eton got to oversee the presentation preparations. "Go back to work, Mom," he ordered as he headed out the door with a smile on his face. "I'm going to go find Katie."

Escaping before Eton could recover enough to suggest an alternative, Hotaru had to ask directions three times before he found the place where the backstage met the main runway. Stepping out on the stage, he had to pause in awe of the venue. The back staging area was a mess, but the part that the guests would see was amazing. Sequins and crystals dropped from the ceiling, making the whole room seem as if it were amid a frozen snowfall. Everything from the padded chairs to the curtains was in patterns of white and silver, giving the whole chamber a feeling of winter elegance that he hadn't expected.

His sister was easy to find in the cavernous area. Although there were people preparing gift bags for the seats, the only people who were noticeably in the room was Katie and a dozen models. From a distance, she seemed incredibly frazzled and it was a little hard to watch her. In only thirty seconds, he could see that the poise of the models had gotten to her. She was completely overwhelmed by their combined presence and was stuttering over the simplest of directions.

Not wanting to steal her show, Hotaru found himself a seat in the empty audience nearby and waited for her to recover on her own. It wasn't going to happen, though. She needed a moment to regain her calm and she wasn't getting it with how she was trying to force herself.

"Five minute break!" Hotaru called, making Katie jerk in place. In unison, the models turned in place and stared at him in disdain for the interruption. That sort of attitude wasn't going to get to him, though. He'd been stared down at by much stronger people and had come out on top. So, he stared back until, one-by-one, they averted their gaze. "Get yourselves acquainted with the venue while my sister brings me up to speed," he ordered, causing the models to scatter.

Katie took a deep breathe and bowed her head in defeat as she ambled toward him. Once she was within range, he took her clipboard from her hands and lightly hit her upside the head with it.

"Stupid," he teased as he looked over the attendance lists to see who hadn't arrived yet. "You can't let their self-possessed attitudes get to you. They're not as scary as they look. Just pretend that they're like me and they don't know how to take it easy. You can't forget that you're the one giving the orders and they're the ones..." Hotaru trailed off, poleaxed by one of the names on the list. His mask crashed down in an instant, hiding his reaction from his sister while he silently cursed his mother. What in the world was Rosalind doing on the list?! He couldn't ask, though. If he did, he'd bring Katie's attention to someone that Hotaru wasn't supposed to have more than an acquaintance with. "What time are the rest supposed to be here?" He asked instead.

"Any time now," she answered. "I was just trying to familiarize everyone with the planned schedule and decide the order that they're supposed to go out on the runway."

"Why don't you have them walk a few times?" Hotaru suggested. "If you look at them one at a time, it'll make it easier for you to judge their abilities. Or are you deciding by their measurements? Have they already been assigned their outfits?"

Katie slowly filled him in on how his mother had the show set up. None of the models had been assigned outfits yet. Instead, on Katie's list, was their measurements along with the measurements of the clothes. Many of them all had the same set, so they could be placed anywhere. Others could only fit one or two designs, so those had to be specifically placed. Overall, it was much more work than Hotaru expected, especially when he considered the fact that many of the models might have a half-inch differential in places. The models needed to get back for their final fittings before they went in to get their hair and makeup started, but Katie had to decide who went with what piece of clothes to do that. There was still a lot of work to be done. It made him understand why the models had arrived seven hours before the show was supposed to start.

Getting the models organized, he sent them out to walk on the runway one at a time for Katie to judge. Each of them would strut their stuff and stop at the end, where Katie was waiting to ask a few questions before giving corrections to their posture or attitude. As he expected, Katie was able to deal with them better if it was only one at a time and she made her final decisions over which pieces they got to model depending on how well they responded to her orders. One after another, the models got sent backstage with the orders for which piece they'd been assigned.

Seeing that she had that in hand, Hotaru went to greet the rest of the models who were beginning to arrive. He gave them the basics that Katie had informed him about and sent them to join the line of models waiting to be judged. It was while he was distracted that Rosalind arrived. He didn't even see her at first due to how she was hiding behind one of the larger male models and he had to stop himself from calling out to her as she went to line up with the rest. She looked....

She looked amazing. After her Tutor's death, she'd truly blossomed. He'd seen it happen. He'd watched her silently while she'd taken extra etiquette lessons and had learned the art of makeup. He'd painfully held himself back as other guys began noticing her beauty. There had even been a time or two that he'd almost interceded when the guys were the two-faced type, but Rosalind's inner-tomboy had come out and scared the boys off before he'd had to. He berated himself for not foreseeing the direction that she'd been heading in the beginning. It was a given that a girl would want to take on modeling once she learned that there was power in beauty.

It made him disappointed in her. She was turning into a copy of every other woman out there. Pretty soon, all she was going to care about was fancy cars and jewelry. While it was true that she'd become stunning, especially with her hair down like it currently was, he'd liked her better when he first met her. He didn't want her to change, but there was nothing that he could do to stop her. He didn't have the right to tell her to stop what she was doing. He couldn't even admit to being her friend, let alone--

Don't think about it, Hotaru told himself. He needed to focus on work. He wasn't there to get mushy and irritated over a stupid girl. He was there to get mushy and irritated over a stupid woman--his mother. He knew that was what she wanted. They'd been growing apart for quite a while and she was trying to bring them together by getting him involved in her show. He also knew what she'd been intending by asking him to help with the fitting, which is why he was rather glad that Eton had run his mouth. It gave him an excuse to not be dressed up like a mannequin in all of his mother's designs.

"Am I late?" A newcomer asked, panting as he slid to a stop amid the next lot of models.

"You are if you have to ask that question," Hotaru replied as he looked to see who else was left. There was only one, which meant that the newcomer was-- "Kai?" He asked. Looking up, his smile fell when he saw who 'Kai' was. It was the model appearing on billboards all over town; the very same one that his mother kept accusing him of being. "You!" Hotaru snapped. "Follow me! The rest of you get in line! If you have questions, ask Katie when your turns comes up!"

"Who, me?" Kai asked, pointing up at the barren white mask covering his face. "Was I really late?"

"Just shut up and follow me," he repeated, reaching out to grab the guy's arm and drag him toward the back staging area. Kai tried to make apologies and make his excuses, but Hotaru ignored him. He wasn't taking him back stage to be punished. He was taking him back so that his stupid mother could see that it was someone else who had a similar hairstyle. He found her putting an extra button on the pocket of a pair of pants and, as per usual, she ignored him when he initially tried to get her attention. However, with the right application of his voice, he got her to look at him. Of course, he got everyone else to look, too.

"Ha-hi?" She asked, once again showing a complete lack of concern for his shouting. "What is it, Taru-kun?"

"Him!" He spluttered, pointing frantically at Kai. "Look! I'm here and he's there! We're both here! It's proof! _PROOF_! Now will you stop asking me if I'm him?!"

"That's not him," she objected.

"Eh?"

"Well, isn't the man on the billboards bigger?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Hotaru stared at her for a long moment, unsure if he'd heard correctly. He began to tear at his hair in frustration before noticing a particularly amused gleam in her eyes.

"You're joking," he stated, feeling like a fool for falling for her act.

"Of course," she laughed. "I knew that it wasn't you to begin with. I called Kai's manager right after I saw that cologne ad. That was about a week ago. You really need to learn when you're being teased, Taru-kun. To make such a big fuss over it... what are you thinking?"

"Sorry," he mumbled with a blush for his mistake.

"I'll forgive you if you do a good job tonight," she said as she turned her attention back to the pair of pants in her hands. "You need to finish up with Katie as soon as you can. They're ready to fit you as soon as--"

"What?" Hotaru interrupted with his eyes bulging at the insinuation.

"Ha-hi? Didn't you say you were going to help me tonight?"

"Yeah, but--"

"Then do what I ask and go get fitted in the brown--"

"You're joking again," Hotaru said, praying that he just wasn't catching on again. His mother pinned him with '_the look'_, telling him in no uncertain terms that she wasn't kidding. "But I don't know the first thing about walking on a runway!" He objected. "You can't expect me to--"

"The men and women are paired off," she murmured, once again paying more attention to the button on the pants than him. "Your Princess is already being fitted." Rosalind, Hotaru supplied. She was talking about Rosalind. How could his mother--?! No, he knew why she could do it. She could do it because she didn't understand what was at stake. She only saw him as a boy, not as a Mafia Boss with hundreds of lives depending on the choices he made. She just wanted to see him married; she wasn't giving any thought to anything else.

"Stop being so selfish, mother," he growled, irritated beyond reason that she'd go so far in trying to interfere in his love life. "I know how important this show is to your career, so I'll do it. But don't ask for my help again."

"I never expected you to help more than once," she replied absently. "For all that you call me selfish, I think you should look in the mirror. That's why I'm not holding back. I know that I won't get another chance. If you don't like it, you can stop pretending to be older than you really are. How about it, Hotaru Sawada? You give me back my little boy and I'll take away the responsibilities of adulthood." Hotaru froze, lies already welling up to his lips to deny her words. "Don't try it," she warned, her voice taking on an edge of anger. "You might pretend to be nineteen or twenty or whatever you feel like at the moment, but I was there when you were born and I know that you've already learned the truth about yourself. If you want to pretend that you're an adult, then I can't stop you. However, I'm going to make you aware of the consequences of your actions. If you don't like it, then return yourself to your true age."

Thirteen. His birth had been a around thirteen years ago by human terms. Even if he adjusted it by five years, seeing that his form had been that of a five-year-old when he'd been born, he'd still be only seventeen. But he knew that his mother wasn't asking for him to return to being seventeen. She wanted him to become thirteen again. She wanted back all the years that she'd missed out on due to his inconsistent age progression.

There was a huge problem with what she wanted, though. He didn't have the mind of a thirteen year old. If he allowed his outside form to truly reflect his mindset, he felt as if he should be in his thirties. He should be older; not younger. Besides, there was a reason that his age was inconsistent. If he didn't adjust his age from time-to-time, how was he supposed to feel comfortable with himself? He thought that he'd done well by slowly adding on the extra years. What did she want from him? She couldn't really expect him to go back to being thirteen while being Vongola the Eleventh. Could she? People would notice if he got younger. It'd been hard enough to explain away how he'd gotten older so quickly.

"Don't play with me, mother," he warned, knowing that she was waiting for his response despite how she was pretending to focus on sewing. "I've put up with your meddling this long because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. If you keep it up, you're going to make me hate you." His mother paused, showing that the words impacted her regardless of her pretenses. "I repeat: I'll do the show, but don't ask for anything after that. I'm not your little boy anymore nor do I need my mother playing matchmaker for me. If _you _don't like _that_, you and Dad can find somewhere else to live."

"T-Taru-kun?" She gaped, looking up at him with a hurt expression on her face. Hotaru ignored it. It was her fault for crossing the line and making ultimatums. She should have stopped when he'd simply been annoyed and not fed up.

"Why can't you just be happy that I'm here and let me worry about my own life?" He asked, allowing her to see some of his own hurt. Not wanting to hear her reply, he grabbed Kai by the arm again and dragged him back out toward the stage. He stopped before they actually reached it, though, knowing that he owed Kai something. "I'm sorry that you got dragged into that," he said, bowing his head slightly in apology. "I wasn't expecting her to go on the offensive all of a sudden. I was just--"

"It's my hair," Kai interrupted, reaching up to finger a brown lock. "I thought that the color would be enough to differentiate between us."

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped in surprise.

"You're Hotaru Sawada," he said, smiling under his unornamented mask. Holding his hand out in greeting, he added formally, "I'm Kai." Hotaru nodded in acceptance of the introduction and carefully accepted his handshake. Once their hands met, though, Kai abruptly leaned close and added in a whisper, "I heard that you're a shape-shifter. Your mother would probably understand you better if you used your ability to show her what you're feeling. You're still hiding, Hotaru." Yanking his hand away, Hotaru took several step backward to put distance between them. Who--? "Nice meeting you," Kai said with amusement dancing in his eyes for Hotaru's reaction. Giving a small wave, Kai turned and finished walking out to the main stage without him.

A hundred questions flashed through Hotaru's head, all of which went unanswered. All except for one that was answered with the folded piece of paper that had been placed in his hand during their handshake.

"Wolfe-sensei?" Hotaru whispered as he stared down at the origami crane. It was impossible. Wolfe-sensei was dead. Even if he wasn't, he'd been noticeably ill when the Vendiche had taken him into custody. In comparison, Kai was too vibrant and his modeling showed him as a man who was both fit and healthy. Not only that, but Wolfe-sensei would have returned to the school if he were alive. Wouldn't he? But.... But why was Hotaru's intuition nudging him to accept that it was Wolfe-sensei? Was it really possible? But the two had nothing in common other than that they both wore a mask!

Confused beyond reason, Hotaru began running in the only direction that he could think of: outside. People shouted after him as he darted for freedom, but Hotaru ignored them in order to call forth the one who he could trust most to help him in a crisis.

"SK!" Bursting into life, Hotaru was swept off of the ground by SK's Flame and seen skyward before he was fully formed. Seeing that he was just as frantic, Hotaru didn't wait, either. "Is it Wolfe-sensei?!" Hotaru exclaimed. "I thought he was dead! How did he come back from the dead?!"

"Calm down!" SK snapped as soon as his mouth formed. Reeling himself in, Hotaru barely waited for SK to finish forming to begin asking questions again. However, SK cut him off before he could state more than the obvious. "It's him," he confirmed. "I think," he added in a display of doubt.

"You think?" Hotaru asked in confusion. "How can you not know?"

"You can see Flames just as well as I can if you'd allow yourself to," SK grumbled. "He's doing something to mess up my reading. I could never get a clear one on Van Wolfe, either. I thought it was just because he had six Salamanders, but this is different. It's the same feeling that Bradley gives off."

"Do you think it's a vampire skill?" Hotaru inquired in thought. "But Wolfe-sensei was a werewolf. Wait--! Bradley said that vampires and werewolves come from the same source. So, they could probably share some abilities, too."

"It's probably a mental block to keep outsiders from tapping into their Flame," SK replied in thought as they circled the sky around the building. "If it is him, I'm worried about where he's been for the past few months and why he's hiding under a different name."

"Something to do with the Carter Family?" Hotaru inquired, slowly putting the pieces together. "He was arrested for treason. He might have taken on a new identity to protect himself from the Vendiche. I wonder... What if Wolfe-sensei did this before?"

"I don't follow."

"I mean, he claims that he killed the Ninth and we still can't find where the Ninth ran off to," Hotaru explained. "We know that he was someone else before he was Van Wolfe. He challenged me to figure out his real identity. Remember? That has to be the reason that he gave me the crane. Right? What if, the reason that he became Van Wolfe was to escape punishment for the Ninth's murder?"

"That means that you'd have to admit that the Ninth is dead."

"Mhm," he mumbled. "I've thought that for a long time now. If he wasn't dead, he would have shown up when we thought Dad was dead. But he didn't and they had to let me become the Boss. Of course, Basil was playing regent in the shadows, but I don't think the Ninth would have been happy leaving things like that if he'd been alive."

"He would have definitely shown up."

"So, Wolfe-sensei--or Kai's--main form of escape is death. We should look back in the Vongola records and see who died around the same time that the Ninth retired. We might get a clue as to his real identity."

"What are you going to do about his advice? It seems that he knows more than he should."

"You picked that up, too?" Hotaru asked with a small smile. "I don't know how he knows about my nightmares lately, but I can't let mom see me like that. It's bad enough that she can't accept me as an adult. If I showed her the truth..."

"Do you hate yourself, Taru?"

"No," he answered honestly. "I don't hate myself. I think... I think I'm just not ready to accept myself, SK. Even though everyone's shoved the truth in my face, I don't want to let go. I want to pretend that I'm fully human for as long as I can. I want to think of my shape-shifting as just an ability. It's something extra, not something that defines me."

"You won't be able to keep that up forever," SK warned.

"I know."

"So what are you going to do now? Have you calmed down?"

"Yup," Hotaru laughed. "I thought my heart was going to strangle me for a minute there. Talk about a big shock! But I can think a little more clearly thanks to you. For now, we'll keep this a secret. If I tell Rosalind or Gregory, it might just get their hopes up. We don't know what Wolfe-sensei--I mean, Kai's--plans are."

"You were a little hard on your mother," he admonished at the mention of Rosalind. Hotaru grimaced, but he refused to apologize until she did. She shouldn't have pushed him! "Stubborn as always," SK sighed as he began his decent. "Work hard and make the show a success," SK encouraged. "Most problems work themselves out with time, if you can be a little patient. But, more importantly than your mother, are you sure that you should stay quiet about Kai? He was arrested by the Vendiche."

"Hmm," Hotaru murmured in thought as he slipped off of SK's back and landed softly on the ground. "I think it should be okay. I don't get the feeling that Kai is a bad person. He's just... well, it's complicated. I know I should turn him in since we're allies with Carter, but I don't think he would have shown himself to me if he were truly guilty.... P-Probably. Anyway, we don't know what his real goal is. I don't like being toyed with like this, so I'm not going to turn him in until I know what he's up to!"

"Alright," SK sighed in resignation. "If that's what you've decided, then I'll keep my snout shut. But you should probably get back inside. Your mother's going to strangle you if you keep causing disturbances at her show."

"ACK!"

* * *

With every hour that passed, Hotaru's irritation grew. First, he had to stand still for nearly two hours while seamsters and seamstresses swarmed over him. Then he had to sit in a chair for another hour and a half while makeup artists and hairstylists applied goo and creams and an assortment of strange things to his face. It made him jealous of Kai, who managed to talk everyone into applying the facial costuming to his blank mask rather than his face. Then he got sent back to get dressed in his outfit again for another set of adjustments during which he had to strip off all jewelry other than his Vongola ring and SK's ring. He felt bare without his gadgets, but they made him try on so many of their own pieces that he felt ready to scream by the time that they final decided that he looked 'presentable'.

However, the moment that they allowed him to look in the mirror, his irritation disappeared. He looked amazing; not at all like his usual self. His mother had actually listened to him for once, too. While the pieces were showy, they weren't uncomfortable at all and they didn't make him feel like he was supposed to go on stage. No, these pieces made him look like a Boss but also felt relaxed enough for him to eat a hamburger in.

From the heavy fitted jacket to the cuffed pants, all of it was done in the warm tones of orange and deep brown that he liked. His first pick would have been black, of course, but he couldn't complain about his mother's eye for color. Best of all was that it was a suit that didn't look like a suit. If he took the heavy embroidered jacket off, it'd seem as if he were wearing a normal shirt and trousers. No, he amended. The best part was that his mother had given a careful nod to Hotaru's tastes by using silver crossbones in place of all the buttons and a silver skull as his belt buckle.

He couldn't even complain about the makeup and the accessories. Rather than gift wrap him like he'd feared or give him antlers like a reindeer, the makeup artists had only given him a few spiraling appliques of dark golden glitter to add flash for the stage. As for his hair, they'd inserted dark chocolate feathers among his hair so carefully that it was hard to tell where his hair ended and the feathers began. Overall, he felt as if he were going to lift off the ground and take flight at any moment.... just like his dream.

"Here," his mother offered as she slipped something around his throat. "I made this since I know that you hate ties and ruffles." Hotaru tried to take it from her to look at it, but she had it fastened around his neck before he could get his hands on it. That was alright, though. He was able to see it in the mirror and a single glance told him that it was definitely the accessory needed to finish off the whole piece. It was a simple chocolate brown choker with the throat clasp being a bronzed Vongola crest. It told him something that he shouldn't have forgotten: his mother knew better than anyone that her son was bound to the Family.

"Mom..." Hotaru breathed, putting a finger to the emblem as he turned to face her. He froze as their eyes met and she smiled in a way that stole the words from his throat.

"You don't have to say anything that'll embarrass you," she soothed gently. "No one knows you better than your mother does and... you're right. Perhaps I have been too much of a busybody. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I'm just a little scared that my baby's all grown up and is going to leave me."

"Mom," Hotaru choked, seeing that she was really upset. She was afraid that he was just going to disappear one day like his father had. Reaching out to yank her into a hug, he said the only thing that he could think of to soothe her. "Don't put me in the same boat as that idiot. I'm not going anywhere. Sheesh! Why do you always do this to me? I've still got to take exams and then there's college. Just because I look like this doesn't change anything. I've still got a lot to learn, so stop getting so sentimental. I still need you. Okay?"

"Ha-hi?"

"Don't Ha-hi me, you stupid woman!" He blurted, pushing her at arm's length when he realized how many people were staring at him. "You've probably been going non-stop, so go take a break before the show starts!"

"Ha-hi?!" She squeaked again. "But I was going to let you meet your Princess."

"MOTHER!" He spluttered. "Go take a break! I can find her myself!" Putting his foot down, he sent her to rest under her assistant, Eton's, watchful eye. Then, feeling a his heart beginning to pound in excitement, he went to find his Princess. He could see her on an occasion like this. She was going to be his counterpart in the show, so it was perfectly ordinary for him to meet her ahead of time.

He was just making excuses and he knew it. From the moment that he'd seen his mother begin work on the centerpiece of her show, he'd known that it'd been made for Rosalind. That was why he'd given his input here and there. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that he'd actually get to see her in it. He couldn't wait to--

Hotaru froze as soon as he stepped into the dressing room and his face fell. Rosalind was the first person that he saw, but she wasn't wearing the pink dress. She'd been shoved into the white cocktail dress with the silver snowflake embroidery. She was still pretty. They'd put her hair up in an elegant twist with a silvery rope and her face had been ornamented with glittering white swirls. However... he was disappointed. Where was his pink dress?

"If you were hoping that we'd still be naked, then tough luck," Rosalind growled with a mistaken assumption about his intentions.

"I hate to break your stereotyped opinion of me, but I knew that you'd be dressed by now," he growled back. Despite being irritated that she'd assume the worst about him, he looked her over a second time with an eye to his mother's hard work. It wasn't as pretty as the centerpiece pink, but Rosalind looked good in the white, too. It fit her curves better and showed off her legs where the pink would have hidden them. "Umm..." he mumbled, tearing his eyes away when he realized that he was staring. "I was looking for the girl who has the pink Couture. I guess she's not here, so I'll go look somewhere--"

"I'm right here."

Hotaru flinched as he turned his attention to the other models in the room. She was right there beside him. From the unhappy glare on her face, she'd been waiting for him to notice her and she'd seen his lapse in front of Rosalind. He didn't have to have anyone tell him that he'd screwed up. He knew it from how much the other models were glaring at Rosalind. If he knew women, they were blaming her for stealing his attention, even though she hadn't done anything. He had to fix it. He had to fix it fast before they decided to take out their frustrations on Rosalind.

"There you are," Hotaru said, sighing in relief as he plastered a bright smile on his face. Turning away from Rosalind, he put his full attention on his counterpart and went forward to spin her in place with an admiring eye on her dress. "I had thought that I was mistaken. Here I thought that my mother couldn't possibly have paired me with such a gorgeous angel. Can it be true? My mother honestly chose such a beauty to accompany me?"

_Take the dress off, stupid bitch_, Hotaru thought. _ It's not yours_.

"You're just saying that," she giggled, obviously mollified by his lies. So was the rest of the models. The tension went down in an instant as the girls came forward one at a time to receive the words of praise that rolled off his tongue without thought. It was the dresses that he was admiring, he told himself. His mother's work could make even a harlot glow like a fresh-faced maiden. However, he felt his stomach churn with every giggle or blush that his compliments received.

"This color was the right choice for you. It makes your eyes glisten like a moist butterscotch candy." _Too bad they couldn't be seen because she'd clumped on extra mascara after the makeup artists had finished. Stupid women didn't know when to quit._

"You have such petite feet! Are you a ballerina by chance?" _Her feet were small, but her thighs made her look like hogtied cow; A hogtied cow on stilts thanks to her heels._

"How magical! You make me think of gossamer fairies and pixie dust. You aren't going to whisk me away. Are you?" _Yeah, she was going to float away with the wind if she didn't eat something soon_.

"Hotaru!" Katie exclaimed, butting into his stream of compliments. Hotaru paused with yet another lie ready to roll off his tongue, startled by the way that his half-sister shoved her way past the models. "Stop pushing yourself," she said worriedly when she reached him. "I know mom made the theme of Princes and Princesses, but you don't have to do this! These people have been paid to be here! Mom's not seriously expecting any of them to be the one!"

"Katie..." he mumbled, realizing that she was trying to help him. She'd noticed that he'd been lying through his teeth to make everyone happy and she'd seen that every lie made him feel even more sick. He already felt worn out and the show hadn't even started yet. "It's okay, sis," he soothed, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek in appreciation of her concern. "If a little flattery can help make mom's show a success, then I'll help out all that I can. She's worked too hard for me to let my presence ruin this."

"Still--!" She exclaimed, stomping in place to show that she was still upset from watching him. "These models are professionals! You don't have to suck up to them! They'll walk right on the catwalk no matter what you say!"

"Relax," he snapped, feeling his stomach beginning to settle because of her honesty. "Sheesh," he grumbled, resisting the urge to tug on his hair in frustration. "Why are all the women around me such idiots? I got it. Okay? I'll head over to where the male models are and wait quietly like a good boy. Will that make you happy?"

"No," she pouted in a way that she had to have picked up from his mother. "But if that's all you're offering, I guess it'll have to do." Rolling his eyes at her play-acting, Hotaru gave her another small hug before retreating. The models all pouted and begged him to stay, but he made his excuses and tried to slip away without insulting any--

"New costume, same old tricks," Rosalind scoffed in disgust.

Hotaru paused.

Hotaru's temper snapped.

Hotaru calmed himself down.

Hotaru turned and smirked at the most idiotic woman of them all.

"Try not to trip," he advised with a glare. Rosalind blushed brightly, knowing as well as he did that she was still unsteady in heels. She'd managed in front of Katie, but she was probably going to screw up in front of the audience.

"Who would?!" She blurted, quickly covering her embarrassment with anger. Even if she was attempting to be a model, she was still the same Rosalind underneath. Seeing that made him incredibly happy. Her predictable reaction made him so happy that he smiled with the first true smile that he'd had all day. Making his escape before anyone could see that she'd put him in a better mood, he felt like whistling by the time he reached the men's waiting area.

"Did Ross look good?" Kai whispered in his ear, making his good mood crash to a halt. He hadn't been that obvious, had he? Wait! How had he known that it was Rosalind that he was smiling over?!

"As if," he spluttered as he turned to meet him. The knowing smirk on Kai's lips made him freeze as soon as the words left his mouth. How much did he know...?

"You're still a child," he sighed in amusement.

"I am not!" Hotaru blurted defensively. Glaring at the man, he felt somewhat put off at how elegant he looked. He'd been put in the blue counterpart to Hotaru's browns and his mask had been covered in a silver pattern that made it seem as if it were the armor faceplate of a general. Compared to how unimpressive he'd looked when he'd first walked in, Hotaru was taken back by how much presence he had. Of course, the effect lasted for only a moment, after which Hotaru summoned his own composure and poise to match. "I think you're mistaken on something--"

"A real man would admit how he feels," Kai interrupted with his smirk taking on a hint of sympathy. "If you care about her, you should respect the fact that she has her own thoughts and feelings. Her feelings aren't going to cross paths with yours unless one of you takes the first step."

"I didn't ask for your advice and you're misunderstanding," Hotaru said. "Rosalind is just a classmate. She's not--"

"Your face doesn't match your words," he replied. Hotaru stared at him, knowing that he wasn't lying. His face was probably covered with his feelings and he couldn't manage to bring up the right frame of mind to hide it. "Over here," Kai ordered, dragging Hotaru to a semi-secluded corner of the room before anyone of the other models could take notice. "What's your favorite sport?" He asked abruptly. Hotaru stared at him once more, unsure of how the question was appropriate for the circumstances. "I'm trying to get your mind on something else," he explained with another sympathetic smile. "You've still got a show to do. Right? You don't want to go out there with that kind of expression, so talk to me. Do you have any hobbies? Anything that you like to do for fun?"

"M-Manga," he answered hesitantly, seeing that the man was honestly trying to help. "I'm trying to write one, but it's not going well."

"Really?" Kai asked in surprise. "What is it about?" Hotaru blushed brightly, his mind snapping back to his situation with Rosalind. "Never-mind," he grimaced. "Um, let's see... What do you think about Lionesse Corp's stocks going up by fifteen points last week?"

"It's about time I had a challenge," Hotaru replied, instantly feeling as if he were on firm ground again. "I was getting bored with how predictable the world was becoming. Lionesse is a Family that I can accept as a rival and I plan to use my full power to squash them. After they've gained enough strength to fight back, of course. It's no fun if they stay weak."

"Oi," Kai paled. "How much do you see Hibari?"

"Eh?" Hotaru replied, taken off-guard by the unexpected question. "I see Dad every day. Sometimes twice if I'm unlucky. Why?"

"No reason," he said with an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh! I didn't know Lambo was modeling in this."

"He's not--" Hotaru said, instantly looking over his shoulder to find where Kai saw him. Lambo wasn't in sight, though, so Hotaru looked back at Kai to ask if he might be mistaken--only to find that Kai had disappeared. Well, not disappeared, Hotaru amended once he caught sight of him again. He'd just--somehow--managed to get across the room and become engaged in a conversation with another model in the two seconds that Hotaru had looked away. He began to cross the distance to ask why he'd run off, but Katie chose that moment to walk in for a pre-show briefing.

The show came first. Putting Kai out of his mind, he focused on everything that Katie had to say and did what he could to support her from the crowd. He needn't have worried, though. She was caught up in the excitement of the show and it would have taken more much more than a few dozen men to stop her. Before he knew it, he had his marching orders and was filing out behind everyone else to hit the back staging area.

He could hear the crowd through the curtains as he slowly made his way to the front of the line. From the sound of it, several hundred people had shown up for his mother's winter reveal. From the looks of all the models backstage, they were going to get an amazing show. It was crowded since his mother had a policy of one model per outfit. Rather than forcing people to change and possibly sending people out with items missing at the last minute, she'd long ago decided that she preferred a quantity of models over quality. Of course, she normally didn't have as many pieces to offer as she did this time around. She'd gone a little overboard after he'd finally agreed to wear some of her clothes. Hence, there was hardly enough room for the assistants to move around as they put the final-final-last-final touches on everyone.

"Taru-kun," his mother gasped, running up to him with a frantic expression on her face. "What am I going to do?! Kyoya--!"

"What?" He asked in worry. "What happened to Dad?"

"He got arrested!" She spluttered in panic. "There was a pile-up at an intersection on his way here and he threw a tantrum! The police said that he started raving that they were crowding! He nearly started a riot!"

"Geez," Hotaru growled. "Give me your cell phone. You'll have to start the show without him, but I'll get him here before the finale." Ignoring the people who were straightening this and picking at that on his outfit, Hotaru accepted her phone and dialed Orinato. "It's me," he grumbled as soon as the line was answered.

"Already on it, Boss," Orinato replied, already prepared for Hotaru's call. "Our guy downtown called as soon as he was brought it. There's no need to worry. Hibari already has the whole station eating out of his hand. I've got our lawyers heading there for backup.... but I don't think he'll need it. You can safely tell your mother that he should make it by the finale."

"Good work," he praised before hanging up. Handing the phone back to his mother, he smiled and repeated, "By the finale."

"Thank goodness," she sighed in relief. "That's when I need him the most. You'd be surprised how ruthless reporters can be after a show. Here. I brought your umbrella. Take it out with you as a prop. I've got to go. The audience expects me to say a few words. Do you know your cues? How's your boots? Is your--"

"Mom, I'm fine," he soothed, smiling at how she was reverting from fashion aficionado to mother. "Just go out there before they start getting restless." Shoving her out the curtain, Hotaru rolled his eyes at the 'Ha-hi' that could be heard from the other side. She was probably going to be upset with him for making her go out unprepared, but he knew better than anyone how strong his mother could be. The way that the crowd silenced itself only confirmed his expectations. Once she put her mind to something, Haru Hibari was a force to be reckoned with.

Listening to last minute instructions coming from three assistants at once, Hotaru prepared himself. He'd be going out twice, although he'd be in the same costume. The first time, he was supposed to do the walk by himself. Then, at the end of the show, would be the second time. For that one, he'd do the same walk as the first, but stop at the end where he'd wait for his Princess to arrive. When she did, he'd escort her back. He didn't have to worry about any fancy posturing. They just wanted him to walk to the end, check the time on his watch, and walk back for the first run.

It didn't seem too hard, although hearing the desperate instructions that the others were getting made it feel as if the assistants were taking it easy on him. It also made him nervous. What if he screwed up because no one had the courage to tell him that he was doing something wrong? Modeling couldn't be as easy as just taking a walk to the end of the runway and back. If it was that easy, everyone would do it--

"Don't get shaken," Katie soothed, stepping forward to straighten the Vongola emblem on his choker. "You've trained your whole life to be in front of people. If you still needed advice on walking at this point, you'd be a pretty pathetic little brother."

"Katie..." he mumbled, feeling his nerves calm at her words. She was right. The assistants were the ones who were anxious and they were giving tips to the ones that they were scared would falter. That was why were ignoring him. They had faith that he could present himself correctly, but they didn't think that some of the others could measure up to him.

"Break a leg," Katie encouraged, slapping him on the back to get him moving as the runway music started up. Hotaru nodded and slipped through the curtains, his composure already regained and the aura of an experienced Boss in every step. As he began walking, he ignored the audience like he'd ignore common pedestrians in the street. He knew that it was what they were expecting of him.

A Boss had confidence.

A Boss had poise.

A Boss had grace.

A Boss had strength.

A Boss had a million things that a common model could never imagine. Katie knew that and she'd chosen the correct words to calm him. She was right, he repeated to himself. He had been training every day for the past ten years to create an irreproachable image. If that image were to falter just because of a few new pieces of clothing, he _would _be a truly pathetic person. Flawlessly walking from one end of the runway and back with hundreds of eyes watching him was nothing that he couldn't handle. It wasn't arrogance that made it easy, either. It was simply a common, ordinary experience for him.

That ease was also what kept him from receiving any pleasure when his return backstage was met with enthusiastic words of praise. 'Thanks for the hard work' felt empty and meaningless when he was unable to feel the effort. Shrugging off their compliments, Hotaru went to the back of the line to wait for his second turn to come up. It'd be a while, he knew. There were over two dozen sets of models that had to go out before his second turn and each set took two and a half minutes to complete their walks. Since there was more men's clothes than women's, each pair of Princes and Princesses would be separated with a bachelor, too. That meant that he had over half an hour to kill before his next turn--if been nothing other than a simple model.

"Help us find the purple handbag!"

"Where's the superglue?!"

"Someone find the gold powder!"

"Shit! The strap broke!"

"Who's up next?!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! These are the wrong shoes!"

"Oh--!" Everyone backstage froze in unison at the gasp of unified dismay from beyond the curtain. Dropping what he was doing, Hotaru ran forward behind his mother and Katie to peek out and he paled over what was happening on the runway. Some idiot had sent Rosalind out by herself and she'd made the one mistake that runway models couldn't make. She'd fallen.

"Get up," his mother whispered in encouragement. "Just shake it off." Hotaru grimaced at the advice. This was Rosalind she was talking about. There was no way that she had any experience as a model. She didn't know what to do in this instance. He could see from the way that her shoulders were shaking that she was panicking and--

"Shit," Hotaru cursed under his breathe. Looking down at his mother, he snapped, "Track sixteen on my cue," before stepping out onto the runway. It was a play, Hotaru told himself as he plastered a silly expression of amusement on his face. Pretending that he'd expected her to falter, Hotaru slowly strode forward to kneel at her side. "Play along," he hissed under his breathe. Before she could respond, he snatched her hand up and planted a light kiss on her trembling palm. She stared at him, dumbfounded over the sudden action, but Hotaru smiled and pulled her to her feet as if she weighed no more than a feather. Of course, that part took quite a bit of acting. For all of her model-like curves, Ross had more muscle hiding under her skin than an ox.

"S-So--"

"Quiet," he snapped, abruptly pulling her against his chest while he prayed that his mother would follow his orders.

The sound of the runway music faded on cue and the lights dimmed in order to be replaced with a spotlight. Moving by his intuition, Hotaru took his first step in prediction of the new music starting. The timing was perfect. It left no room for the audience to think that it'd been anything other than planned. Although--

Hotaru pointedly kept his eyes averted to the shadowed audience as he used dance steps to sweep Rosalind down the runway. He felt humiliated and he silently prayed that he was managing to keep it off his face. He felt humiliated because he couldn't find words to describe how happy he was. He'd found an excuse to dance with Rosalind! She wasn't even fighting! Although that might have been because her feet barely touched the ground, his heart was racing madly over having her in his arms.

_Focus_! Hotaru screamed at himself. The steps that he was using were too difficult for the models after him to imitate. While it was probably amazing for the audience to watch, the show would fall apart if the models couldn't adjust to the performance. So, at the end of the walkway, he simplified things. Rather than continuing to dance, he unbuttoned his jacket and placed it over her shoulders before offering his arm for the way back--making it seem as if they were walking back home from a party and thereby finishing off the play so that things could return to normal.

It felt nice to have her on his arm, but it ended before he could memorize the feeling. As soon as they got behind the curtain and hustled out of the way, Rosalind practically collapsed into a trembling heap again.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she gasped, her eyes wide with the full knowledge of how badly she'd messed up. Not only was her mistake a social faux pas, but she'd almost ruined the show. Hotaru grimaced for another reason, though. His strong-willed Rosalind was going into shock.

"Just be quiet," he grumbled as he kneeled down to check her ankles. "You should have just gotten up and kept walking, but things like this happen. I don't know why you're here anyway. You should be at the gym instead of messing around with this kind of nons--" Hotaru broke off, swearing that something much larger than a misquito had just stung his cheek. Lifting his head up, he gaped openly when he saw Rosalind's hand still raised and tears of frustration in her eyes.

"Don't you dare!" She snarled vehemently. "I know that I made a mistake, but you have no right to say something like that! You don't know anything about me--"

"I know that you're not cut out to be a model!" He interrupted, allowing his own frustration to show. "What were you thinking by coming here?! Did you think a few hours of lessons and some practice in front of you mirror would be enough to make you fit in? Or did you just come for the money? Yeah. That was probably it. Wasn't it? You heard that my mom was hiring models and you thought 'easy cash'--"

"That shows how much you know--"

"Oi," Eton hissed into Hotaru's ear from behind. "I'm just as upset as you, but this needs to wait until later. There's still a show to run." Hotaru snapped his mouth shut and glanced over his shoulder to find that they'd grabbed the attention of the rest of the waiting models. Shit, Hotaru cursed to himself. What was he doing by getting personally involved in front of everyone? Hopefully they just thought he'd been reprimanding her instead of something else.

"I'm going to go cool off, so call me when the finale gets close," Hotaru growled as he stood back up. He wasn't finished, though. He'd be damned if she got the last word. Staring down at her, he had only one word to describe Rosalind-as-a-model. "Disgusting," he stated coldly before walking away.

All models were disgusting. Actresses, singers, heiresses.... they were all the same. They only cared about appearances. He was well aware that his disgust also reached to himself, too. It didn't make it any less sickening. He was also well aware that he should have more sympathy to such people since he knew what it felt like to be forced to do things merely for the sake of appearances, but sympathy made him even more ill. Sympathy led to weakness and weakness was the crack that led to ruin. If he sympathized with others, he'd have to admit how much he hated...

Don't think about it, he told himself as he ducked down a side hallway to rest against a wall. Now wasn't the time for self-pity. There was still a show to finish. He needed to calm down and compose himself. He had to, even though part of him wanted to huddle in a corner and permit himself to sulk. His cheek still stung from Rosalind's slap. He'd thought that she'd understand from his words, but he'd been mistaken. He blamed himself. He'd ignored her for so long that she couldn't see the real him anymore. She hadn't seen... She hadn't noticed...

He'd just been worried about her!

"Taru!" Katie exclaimed, sliding to a stop in the main hallway. "Crisis! Hurry!"

"What happened?" He asked as he immediately broke into a run back to the staging area. "I wasn't even gone a minute!"

"It's a fight between models," Katie answered with a slap to her forehead in frustration. "They're fighting over you--"

"Damnit!" Hotaru snarled. Increasing his speed, Hotaru reached their destination first and slid to a stop to find--

_CRACK_!

Hotaru felt dazed as the tempers of the two fighting models calmed in shock.

_BAM_!

His mother's expression looked pained, but she didn't stop what was happening.

_SMACK_!

It was his fault that the girls were fighting, so it was his responsibility to take the punishment.

_CRASH_!

"Oi," Rosalind called out as Hibari lifted Hotaru back to his feet for another blow. Hotaru didn't fight, knowing that he'd earned Hibari's wrath by allowing the show to be jeopardized. He shouldn't have interacted with Rosalind. "Oi! He didn't do anything!"

"Incorrect," Hibari replied calmly, forcing Hotaru to meet his eyes. "What's the correct thing to say, Hotaru Sawada?"

"I screwed up," he mumbled in a daze. His face hurt and his legs didn't want to work right, but it was fine since he could say the correct answer in his sleep. "I neglected my duties and allowed my presence to create strife between the models. I should have been here to keep it from happening and I wasn't."

"But we were the ones fighting," said the model in the pink Couture dress. Hotaru grimaced to look at her. She wasn't helping. Bringing attention to herself also brought attention to her ruined makeup, her disheveled hair, and the stinging circle of red on her cheek from being slapped. She couldn't go out on the runway in the state that she was in. "Hotaru didn't--"

"You're just a model," Haru interrupted with a cold stare at where Hotaru was still being held up in Hibari's grip. "It's true that you lost your sense of professionalism and chose to fight rather than focus on your work, but it's expected for you to act on your emotions. Hotaru lives by a different set of standards. You only have yourself to worry about, but Hotaru's got hundreds of lives depending on every choice he makes. There's a time and place for him to do everything. For him to make the same mistake as you did without giving consideration to the situation is a punishable offense."

"I'm sorry--!" Hotaru exclaimed as Hibari lifted his tonfa to continue. "I won't let it happen ag-- Umph--!" Doubling over, Hotaru tumbled to his knees as soon as Hibari let go of him. The last one had hurt. It'd hurt a lot. Hibari was as strong as ever and his stomach blow was penetrating enough that Hotaru was glad to have skipped both lunch and dinner. Coughing to get his lungs working after the impact, Hotaru tried to get himself under control. The pain wasn't real, Hotaru told himself. It was just a lingering figment of his imagination. His body wasn't real, so the pain couldn't be real.

It still felt real, though.

"There's no time," he gasped, pressing his head to the cold floor. "Give me the dress and I'll fix this."

"Hotaru, there's nothing you can do," Katie interjected softly. "We'll just have to finish the show without--"

"Take off the dress," Haru ordered, already seeing what Hotaru had in mind. "Hotaru, go get yourself ready in the closest changing room. I'll bring the dress in a minute. Kyoya, please go with him. We've got six minutes until he has to go on. That's plenty of time."

Hotaru wasn't given a chance to stand. Hibari grabbed him by his collar and dragged him down the hallway instead, tossing him into the first changing room that they came across. Thankfully, Hibari didn't follow him in. Instead, he kept guard on the door to ensure that Hotaru wouldn't be disturbed.

Despite knowing how dire the situation was, it took him nearly a minute to deal with the pain enough that he could stand. It took another thirty seconds to strip off his clothes, after which he walked over to one of the room's full-length mirrors. Taking a careful look at himself, he firmly put his self-image into the forefront of his mind. Then, closing his eyes and putting his hands over his face, he began modifying the image.

He imagined how his body would look with the dress' measurements. His hips would be smaller by an inch and his waist would come in by three. He'd have breasts. There was no way around it if he was going to fill the dress, so that meant that he had to imagine every detail from the size to the weight. His legs were too muscular. They needed to be slender and lean like Rosalind's. His hands and arms needed to be slightly smaller to be in better proportions and he needed to be an inch shorter. He needed to shave off some width from his shoulders so that his frame wasn't as bulky and he had to remove his Adam's Apple to give himself a slender neckline. So that it didn't seem so awkward, his facial features needed to be softened, his eyelashes a little longer, and his hair needed to grow out. His hair didn't look good down. It should be put up in twists and braids and his face needed a bit of color alteration to give him a natural glow.

Making dozens of adjustments, Hotaru imagined the changes taking place one at a time until he could actually see himself as a girl. He had to do more than see himself in such a way, though. He had to make a wish to _be _that way. That was even more difficult. He didn't want to be a girl, but he'd screwed up and his mother needed a female model that could fit the dress. For her, he felt that he could do it. More than anything, he wished that he could help her and this was the way to do it. He wanted to look like this. He wished that he looked like this--!

His skin began quivering and he could feel his bones rattling as his form slowly began to respond to his will. Even so, he kept the image in his mind. Not just the visual details, but he kept imagining how it'd feel. From the displacements of his weight to the alterations to his size, he imagined how every detail would feel and wished for it to become reality. As soon as he felt the last alteration fall into place, he snapped his eyes open and lowered his hands so that he could look in the mirror. That was the key. Once he saw himself physically altered, the self-image was locked into place and wouldn't be changed without his determined will.

He blushed brightly as soon as he saw himself. He wasn't a stranger to a female body, but it was hard to look at himself in the mirror and know that he was looking at himself. He had all of a model's assets, from the curves to a statuesque bearing. However, he also had hard nipples from standing naked in a cold room and he had the strangest urge to cross his legs. At least he'd imagined himself with a nice butt. It wasn't flat nor was it too bubbly. His hips felt a little bony, though, and he wondered how girls could walk with such fragile ankles. He felt like he was going to lose his balance at any moment.

"Ta--" His mother choked, pausing in the doorway with the dress in her hands. From how her jaw was hanging open, she'd obviously been wondering how he was going to make himself fit in it. It made Hotaru a little happy to see her so flabbergasted. He hadn't thought about it before, but changing gender could force her to see the truth better than changing his age would. After all, other than himself, she was the one who was finding it hard to admit that he wasn't human. She kept wishing for her little boy back, but maybe turning into a girl would make her see that the outside didn't matter for him. It could change like the wind, but he was still the same person where it counted.

Hotaru snapped his fingers to remind her that they were in a hurry. His mother blinked, shook her head to clear her surprise, and rushed forward with the mindframe to act. The questions could come later. Right now, the show had to go on. Stepping into the dress, Haru called out for the other assistants to come in once the dress was zipped up.

Thirty seconds wasted while everyone stared at him-turned-her. Fifteen seconds wasted to find him a pair of panties and the right stockings. Ten seconds wasted on adjustments to his hair. The makeup artists went crazy on his face while his jewelry was changed out and extra ornaments were added to his hair. Hands and people crawled over him in a frenzy, making last second modifications and corrections. He didn't complain or make their work harder by fussing. Instead, he responded to their guiding hands while his heels were put on and his new pair of breasts were adjusted within the dress.

All at once, the frenzy ended and everyone backed away. He was finished. No, not yet, he amended as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was holding himself wrong. He was standing tall like a man instead of sensually like a woman. His hip needed to be a millimeter to the side and he needed to curve his neck. Hands on his hips instead of reaching for a pocket and his eyes needed to be shy instead of fierce. There--! That was the look.

"Perfect," Eton gaped as the last adjustment was made. "You're a natural."

"As if," Hotaru growled. At least, he intended to growl, but his voice came out in a soft tone that made him blush. He didn't remember imagining that! It went with his fresh look, though. Testing it out in fear of how virginal it sounded, he continued, "I've been self-conscious of my movements since I was a kid. This is the first time that I've had to move like this, though. Am I doing it right?"

"Let's see you walk," his mother ordered in displeasure as Eton's nose sprang a leak. Hotaru blushed even harder and took his first step forward--and very nearly fell on his face. The assistants caught him before he could hurt the dress, but Hotaru froze in shock. The shoes--! How in the world did girls walk on stilts like these! "You've got to adjust your center of balance. You're top-heavy now. Center that weight over your hips," she continued as he began taking hesitant steps forward. "Shoulders back. Shorten your stride until you get a feel for it. Don't forget to sway. You're bearing down like a man--" Hotaru gasped as his ankle bent sideways and he began to fall again. Once more, he was caught, but the damage was done. As soon as he tried to put weight on his foot, a lance of pain sent tears to his eyes.

"It's no good," Eton said, immediately rushing forward to strip off Hotaru's heels and check his ankle. "You can't expect a man to adjust so quickly. He looks the part, but--"

"Prince!" Hotaru gasped in pain as Eton wiggled his foot. "Mom! Let me borrow Prince! If I can't walk, then I'll just have to ride!"

"Ha-hi!" She squeaked, her eyes widening over the idea. She instantly agreed. Ordering everyone out of the room, both Hotaru and his mother waited until they were alone for her to call out her Salamander. "I need your help, Prince!" Haru exclaimed, holding out her hand to give him room to exit her Demetrius ring.

Prince came forth in an explosion of white Flame and moved around the room in a galloping frenzy until his body was formed. He was excited. Other than at the Mansion, when Haru was in trouble, and when she was making rings, Prince hardly ever got to come out. He was simply too flashy. He'd grown just like SK had, although he hadn't gotten any larger than a normal horse. The part that made it hard to hide him was his horn. They could brush it off as special effects in this instance, but he'd be known for the unicorn that he was in any other circumstance.

"Can I ride you?" Hotaru asked with a formal curtsy, knowing that his mother's Salamander had more pride than sense. Thankfully, he seemed to understand what was going on. He nodded his head and stomped his hoof on the floor twice to give his acceptance. Even though Prince could talk as well as SK could, he stubbornly refused to after being called 'Mr. Ed' so many times. That was fine, though. As long as he was giving his agreement, he didn't have to talk.

"We're out of time," his mother gasped, running forward to fling the door open as Hotaru tore his heels off. Running barefoot was no problem, although he limped a bit due to his ankle. Jumping barefoot was no problem, although it sent a spasm of pain through his leg that made him want to scream. He grimaced a little as he belatedly remembered to land as if he were riding side-saddle, but Prince's back wasn't bony and he could ignore the pain in his ankle. Hurriedly spreading the dress out to cover his feet and show it off as the centerpiece that it was, he nodded as soon as he was ready. "Go!" Haru ordered.

Grabbing onto Prince's main, Hotaru hung on for dear life as the unicorn rushed through the hallways. He had to shrink himself to fit through the doors, but they managed to make it with only four people having to jump out of the way.

"Go for it!" Hotaru exclaimed as the last model returned from his walk. Prince jumped past the models, making them erupt out of the curtains in the most unexpected Finale possible. The audience gasped in surprise, but Prince knew what to do. He stopped, turning himself from a wild stallion into a tame filly in an instant. Hotaru took a careful breathe, calming himself as the audience erupted into a sea of flashing lights. "Slowly," he advised when Prince began to prance forward.

Following the suggestion, Prince paused between every step to allow the photographers and the audience to get a good look. That was where Hotaru's true problems began, though. He couldn't stop blushing. The pictures being taken were likely to be everywhere by morning and they were pictures of him as a girl! It was even more humiliating than dancing with Rosalind down the runway. Even worse was that he couldn't run away! He had to let everyone see him like this or else Hibari was going to bite him to death!

Strangling the overwhelming urge to cover himself up, Hotaru kept repeating to himself that he was modeling. He had to show off his mother's hard work! However, it was hard. He felt as if a thousand eyes were on his chest and he kept feeling lewd stares at his back. It felt disgusting! How could women do this--?!

As Prince turned at the end of the runway, he abruptly broke out into a gallop for the return. Hotaru didn't argue nor did he complain. He was trembling inside after being stared at. It made him feel so... so exposed. It made him understand how Rosalind could go into shock over just tripping.

"Hotaru," Katie called from his feet. "It's over. Mom said that you didn't have to do the final walk, so you can come down now."

"It's over?" He repeated. He hadn't even noticed the return through the curtains. He'd blanked out right after Prince had begun galloping. Shaking his head, he tried to regain his composure as Katie helped him off of Prince's back. He felt.... It was indescribable. He was mortified and embarrassed, elated and relieved, strangely satisfied and a little nauseous. It all made him so dizzy that he couldn't stand straight.

"Thanks for the hard work," Katie praised as he leaned against her for support. "But you better change back into a boy before the models start returning." Hotaru nodded in agreement and slowly made his way back to the dressing room with his sister's help. Finding himself a seat, he leaned back, shut his eyes and saw himself as a boy--

In a pink dress, on horseback, with tits.

"Oh no," he choked, his eyes flying back open as a bright blush lit up on his face.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked, pausing in the middle of checking his ankle.

"I can't change back," he spluttered.

"Eh?"

"The image is too strong!" He shouted in horror as his face brightened with an even stronger blush. "I have to picture it in my head to Shift and all I can see is-- Is--!"

"You're really embarrassed over this," Katie mumbled, laughing in awe at him.

"It's not funny!" He screamed, his voice spiraling up an octave as he began to panic. "What am I going to do?! I--"

"Calm down," Katie snapped. "Let's just get you changed and then you can go take a walk to clear your head. You'll probably feel more like a boy once you get some men's clothes on and you'll probably be able to revert back once you're not thinking about it so hard. If that doesn't work, then I've got a few other ideas. Let's just get you out of here before anyone sees you." Agreeing, he accepted his sister's help in getting the dress off and stood to go collect his shirt-- "Hotaru!" Katie exclaimed, frantically trying to look away from him. "Have some modesty!"

Hotaru paused, unsure of what she was talking about until he looked down at himself. Blushing brightly, he belatedly remembered that girls couldn't walk around with their shirts off like guys did. Girls also had bras, which he didn't have. His mother had tapped his chest into place for the dress, but his chest was jiggling out of control now that the dress was off! Even worse, he belatedly noticed that the panties that he'd been given was a lacy, frilly thing unlike his simple boxers. It was definitely not something he wanted his sister to see him in! It was bad enough that his mother had walked in on him right after he'd first Shifted!

"Shit," Hotaru cursed, falling to the ground as he tried to cover all of himself at once. "Don't look!"

"I'm not!" She exclaimed, rushing over to get his clothes for him. Throwing them over her shoulder, Hotaru cursed again due to how he had to let go of his breasts to grab them. "Just hurry and put these on!" She ordered with her back turned. Then she paused. "Wait a second! Why am I being shy?! I'm used to seeing a girl naked!"

"But not when it's your brother, so don't look!" Hotaru spluttered before she could turn around to help him. "I'm glad that you're fine with it, but I'm not! The more people that see me, the harder that it's going to be to change b--" Hotaru froze in the middle of putting his shirt on as the door flew open and the models began walking in to change. The models froze in return, staring at him in shock for finding him half-naked on the floor. Why? Hotaru asked as he felt his panic spiraling up into his throat. Why did it have to be the _men's_ changing room?! "NOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Omake:

Ashes: Don't be mad.

Xanxus: Fuck off.

Ashes: *Tears welling up* But... but... You haven't been seen in a while.

Xanxus: I'm used to it, so just shut your trap. Amano doesn't give me many panels anymore either.

Ashes: Don't remind me. *Cries*

Xanxus: Bah! It's no sweat off my back. When I appear again, it'll probably be in some sort of amazing way. Too much of a good thing lessens the impact.

Ashes: True. When you appear again, everyone will probably go into fangasms. I guess I shouldn't worry and just do this omake.

Xanxus: I don't give a fuck what you do. Just pour me another scotch.

Ashes: So, what do you think about Hotaru?

Xanxus: The brat's screwed up in the head.

Ashes: I mean, about his situation. Turning into a girl can't be easy.

Xanxus: He's a Salamander, which makes him a shapeshifter. Could he ever really be called a boy to begin with?

Ashes: I dunno. Do Salamanders have genders?

Xanxus: What the fuck? You're asking me?! You're the author of this fanfic!

Ashes: Oh. Right. Anyway, poor Hotaru. He has the mind of an experienced Boss and the heart of a teenage boy, but now his body is in flux. Talk about a difficult puberty.

Xanxus: I thought he already went through puberty.

Ashes: He Shifted past it, so he hasn't really matured through it yet.

Xanxus: So how old is he anyway? I'm getting confused with how much the numbers keep jumping around.

Ashes: He's ageless. He's whatever age he wants to be.

Xanxus: Nice trick.

Ashes: So who are you rooting for in the Ross triangle? Hotaru or Gregory?

Xanxus: Neither. Gregory is too much of a pure-hearted idiot and Hotaru's too much of a hard-ass idiot. If neither of them step up, Ross is going to knock the shit out of them and find someone else. Both of those guys are too into their own little world and keep forgetting that she's not going to wait around for them.

Ashes: Any opinion on the fashion show?

Xanxus: The antlers would have been more amusing than sticking feathers in his hair.

Ashes: *chuckles* Yeah, but then everyone would have seen Bambified-Hotaru. Haru wouldn't want her son to suffer through such embarrassment.

Xanxus: What the fuck is Tsuna doing by giving himself away?

Ashes: You mean his identity? I think he's trying to make it into the best kept secret that everyone knows.

Xanxus: Will the Vendiche really buy that? He's still Van Wolfe to everyone, even if he's hiding behind a new name and career.

Ashes: I think that's the idea? He can pick up where he left off and the Vendiche don't interfere on a whim. Van Wolfe died in their custody. Even if he shows up again, he served his sentence.

Xanxus: It feels like the end is in sight.

Ashes: Sigh. Just like I told my betareader, that's just because we topped another hill. We're about to head back down into a valley and we'll lose sight again. There's still a LOT of fun to come.

Xanxus: *suspicious* What are you planning?

Ashes: *innocent smile* Nothing. But we are going to mix things up for a little while.

Xanxus: How so?

Ashes: You'll see! *Runs away*

Xanxus: OI! Get back here!

Ashes: *calls from a distance* Until next time!


	127. Chapter 127 A Shapeshifter's Woes

_Hotaru stood alone on top of a hill, staring up at the dark clouds as the rain poured down on his face. It was over. He was free now. There was nothing holding him back. His body began to Shift in answer to his feelings. His form flickered like a Flame struggling to live despite the raindrops that were trying to snuff him out. He didn't have to hide. He didn't have to fight. He just had to keep on living no matter what._

_His body began to lift off the ground as the force of his Shift increased the air pressure around him. He would live on. The rain began to sizzle and crackle, evaporating before it could get close. He would live on. His clothes turned to ash that was blown away by the breeze. He would live on. He wasn't human nor did he have to pretend that he was. He would live on. Shed the skin. He would live on. Accept the truth. He would live on. Be free. He would live on._

_His lips began to harden and he could feel his toes stretch. His hands clutched onto the wind while his hair began to shed into a rain of sparks. His skin became thinner and his innards began to painlessly evaporate into Flame. He became lighter and more free as his humanity became a faint dream. This was what he was. Everything else was just a fairytale. He had never been the Knight nor could he ever become one. He was..._

_"Disgusting," Rosalind gasped._

_"Vile," his mother choked._

_"Grotesque," Katie scowled._

_Looking down, he trembled at the sight of himself. He wasn't a man nor a beast. The scaled skin on his clawed hands was opaque, glowing orange from within as if he were a paper lantern filled with fireflies. His body was like that of an alien creature, distorted, elongated, and sexless. Touching his clawed hands to his face and his head, he cried out in horror at what he felt. What was this?! He was hideous! _

_"Don't look at me!" He cried, surging for the sky in hopes of hiding among the clouds. "Don't look at me! Don't--"_

Hotaru's eyes snapped open and he screamed upon having his sight filled with the same glowing, scaled skin as what had been in his dreams. Jumping out of his bed, he fled for the nearest corner and put his back against the wall while his mind tried to catch up. His heart felt as if it were going to pound out of his chest, but sense slowly began to reach him. He was in his sleeping chamber in the Inner Sanctum. The glowing skin that he'd seen hadn't been his own; it'd been one of SK's fingers and his friend had been trying to wake him. He wasn't a monster. He was human. He was human and it'd just been a nightmare.

"Thank goodness," Hotaru gasped before his knees buckled and he fainted into SK's clawed hand. When he woke again, it was to a wet cloth being placed over his head and a cold stethoscope being pressed to his chest. He didn't bother asking what was going on. Undoubtedly, either SK or Pandora had called in the calvary. The two could be complete idiots. They should have just put him back to bed, but no. They had to tell everyone that Hotaru was a guy who got panicked over a silly little dream.

"His heart seems fine, but it's always hard to tell on him," Sakura sighed. "Or her," he amended, making Hotaru choke. Bolt up in bed, he grabbed the sides of his shirt to pull it closed and blushed brightly while refusing to meet anyone's eyes. His breasts. He still had breasts! "No need to get embarrassed," Sakura laughed. "I'm a doctor and I'm not like Shamal. I assure you that your virtue--"

"S-Shut up!" Hotaru spluttered.

"Boss," Orinato said worriedly from the other side of the bed. "He wasn't doing anything to your chest other than checking your--"

"OUT!" Hotaru shouted as his blush deepened. Reaching for the first thing that came to hand, he threw his bedside lamp at his Right Hand in anger that he'd speak of such a thing. Orinato wisely dodged, but the point was made. "Get out, both of you! I don't need a doctor, so just leave!" Keeping his shirt firmly clutched shut, he couldn't lift his head to look at either of them. He'd apologize later, he swore. But right now, he wanted nothing more than to be left alone so that he could try to get rid of the accursed things.

"It's alright, Hotaru," Sakura sighed as he began packing up his bag of medical gear. "I've always tried my best, but there's not much that I can do for you anyway. Honestly, I feel completely useless as your Guardian. I can check your temperature and look for discrepancies in your physical condition, but you have the ability to erase any diagnosis that I make in an instant. I know that you're self-conscious about your condition, but can you give me a little credit? Keeping up with you isn't easy."

Hotaru didn't respond to him, clenching his hands even tighter on his shirt until his fingers began to feel numb. He wanted to say that he knew what Sakura was saying without being told. Sakura had always watched over his health and had always been there to give him a lollipop when he took his medicine without a fuss. He knew now that the medicine had always been just to make him sleep so that he didn't overwork, but Sakura had always been looking out for him in his own way. Hotaru couldn't say it, though. He couldn't say it because he kept remembering that Sakura was a man. Sakura was the man who'd always helped him sneak porn magazines into the House so that no one would know that their Boss was curious about such things. And now Hotaru had the body of the girls in those magazines. What had Sakura thought of when he'd looked at Hotaru's chest?

"Che," Orinato spat as he followed Sakura toward the door. "Get control of yourself, Boss. If you're going to go girlie over something like this, people are going to start talking about finding you a husband."

Hotaru felt his stomach churn and the blood rush out of his face as the two silently left. That had just been a joke. Right? Orinato was just telling him that he knew Hotaru was still a guy. Right? They wouldn't really try to make him marry a guy. Would they?

"Are you alright now?" SK asked, poking his head out of the heir's-bedroom-turned-den that connected with Hotaru's room. "I'm sorry for calling them," he added, laying his head down on the carpeted floor. "I thought that you would have wanted me to. When bad things happen, you always feel better after you see them."

"I... I know," Hotaru said with a grimace. "But--"

"Your voice went back to normal," he commented to get Hotaru thinking of something other than being seen by Sakura. It worked. Hotaru blinked in surprise and said 'hello' a few times to test it. It wasn't high-pitched or soft at all! "Your body reverted some in your sleep, too," he continued, causing Hotaru to bounce out of bed to look in his full-length mirror. A glimpse was all it took to cheer Hotaru up. For the most part, his body had returned to his ideal image of himself. He had his broad shoulders back and his hands were a nice, masculine size. His muscles were well toned, his face had become more angular, and his hair was back to the short, blackened bed-head that he was known for. Overall, once he hid the breasts, no one would be able to tell that he was still Shifted--

Hotaru's happy train of thought came to a crashing halt as soon as he noticed that he had to use the restroom. It wasn't just his chest. There was another part of him that hadn't reverted. Something felt odd.... odd enough that he was afraid to look. It was something that was wet and tight and gross in a way that he couldn't describe. And roomy. There was too much room. There wasn't supposed to be that much room.

Hotaru didn't look. Instead, he slowly walked over to his intercom and hit the button that would broadcast his message across the whole building.

"Sakura," he said, trying to stay as calm as he could. "I'm sorry. Please come back before I send SK out after you." Letting go of the button, he counted to ten. When there was no knock on the door, he once more hit the button. "I mean now!" He exclaimed as his panick began to make him hysterical. He felt tears welling up in his eyes and he didn't try to stop them. "There's something really, really wrong! I need your help!"

"Boss!" Sakura shouted, bursting through the door with his face red from running. "What's wrong?!"

Bursting into tears, Hotaru told him.

* * *

Hotaru kept his head bowed the whole drive, being far too embarrassed to look at anyone. He'd panicked everyone in the house over a little discharge. Of course, he'd been thinking that he'd been feeling blood, but Sakura informed him that he'd have to be in the form for much longer than a day or two for that to happen. It had to build up in his...thingamajig... before it'd come out between his legs.

Once he knew that he had time before that came, he'd managed to calm down. He'd turn himself back into a boy before he allowed himself to experience such a gross thing. The best way to do that was to get around people who only knew him as a guy. That meant school, which was where he was headed. He felt prepared. His chest was flattened down with a peculiar vest borrowed from his mother and he didn't think that anyone would take a close look at the crotch of his pants. As far as any of his classmates would be able to tell, he was still the same old Hotaru that he'd always been.

"Just remember that I'll be in the infirmary if you run into anymore problems," Sakura soothed sympathetically as they pulled up to the front gates.

"And I'll be with you, Boss," Orinato added with a sigh of resignation. "Just let me know whenever you need a few moments to try to Shift and I'll take care of it. You'll be back to yourself in no time."

"Thanks," Hotaru mumbled in a subdued tone. Although he'd normally be put off by Orinato's attitude, it was actually helpful in this instance. He was used to Orinato treating him like he was a brat that only knew how to make trouble. Having his 'condition' treated in the same manner made it feel somewhat commonplace. It was nothing that he should be embarrassed over. He was still the same person inside and... and... and a lot of people were staring at him as soon as he got out of the car.

Were there usually this many people staring at him? Why hadn't he ever noticed it before? He could feel their eyes crawling over him. It was scary. What were those people thinking when they looked at him? Could they tell that he was wearing a vest to squash his chest? Were they imagining what was under his clothes? He couldn't move due to the pressure coming from all those stares. Look away, he silently demanded. Even Orinato was looking at him now. What was there to look at?! There was nothing wrong with him--!

Abruptly, the tension broke and a wave of calm washed over him. It was okay. There was no reason to panic. Everyone was just staring at him because he'd stopped in the middle of the courtyard. If he started moving again, his classmates would go back to what they were doing. Calm down. Calm down. Stop overreacting.

"Better?" Sakura inquired as his swarm of Salamander-moths stopped dusting him with sparks long enough to return to Sakura's ring. "You looked like you were having a panic attack."

"Get control of yourself, Boss, or I'll take you back home," Orinato admonished with a scowl. Nodding in acceptance of the threat, Hotaru took a deep breath to settle himself before following the two inside. As he did, he didn't need his intuition to tell him that it was going to be a very long day.

* * *

"Idiot."

"Moron."

"Weirdo."

Tsuna smiled inwardly as he outwardly swooned over the insults. Just as he thought, his new persona and his flashy suit had the effect of completely lowering him to the level of an imbecile in the eyes of the students.

"Alas!" Tsuna cried, posing melodramatically against the school gates. "I feared that I would never again see thy pearly gates! Oh, how I have missed thee, my dearest Don Girarde!"

"The gates aren't pearly and you took your sweet time coming back," a familiar voice growled in warning.

"DEAN!" Spinning in place, Tsuna lunged at Reborn to give him a hug and prepared himself for the foot that met his face. "You're mad," he added, seeing the anger radiating off of him. In reply, Reborn pulled his foot back and replanted it on Tsuna's face. Once. Twice. Four times. On the eighth, Tsuna was positive that he was adequately reacquainted with the sidewalk, but Reborn introduced him a few extra times to make sure.

"Baka," Reborn spat as he shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking into the courtyard. Slowly picking himself off the ground, Tsuna took stock of his injuries. Reborn was mad enough to cause bruises, but he hadn't drawn blood. Alright. That level of anger could be soothed away. First dusting himself off, Tsuna also stuck his hands in his pocket before running after Reborn with a smile on his face. "No one's going to buy it," Reborn warned as Tsuna fell into step beside him. "The word is already out on you."

"So," Tsuna shrugged, setting aside some of his melodramatic personality so that he could talk seriously. "What does it matter if people say that Kai is Van Wolfe? As long as I don't confirm it, it's nothing more than rumor. Besides, no one knows anything about Van Wolfe, either, so connecting the two gets people nowhere."

"Your students might have a different opinion," Reborn countered. Tsuna grimaced and gave no reply. They both knew that those students were the reason that he'd returned to Don Girarde.

For a time, the two of them walked silently through the halls, nodding politely to the students who were rushing to their classrooms and greeting those who were openly staring in recognition. They picked up a following along the way. Ross, Chin, and Murlock were good at drifting with the crowd, but Tsuna could feel their eyes on his back a little too strongly. Napoleon was probably somewhere in there, too, but that little brat was good at hiding his presence.

"So?" Reborn asked as they started up the stairs to the second floor, taking advantage of the relative privacy to talk. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"It's nothing that you need to worry about," he replied. "It was just a difference of opinion. My Boss told me to die and I refused."

"His wife?" Reborn prompted calmly. "Did you kill her?"

"I might as well have," Tsuna said guiltily as Reborn paused on the top step. "Look. I understand if you don't want me teaching anymore, but I did my best to keep my mess away from the school. I've served my sentence with the Vendiche, so they won't be coming after me. I'm a new man! Kai has a clean slate--"

"Has it become easy for you?" Reborn asked in a tone of warning. Tsuna froze, staring at Reborn's back with the sudden feeling that it was a lot farther away than it looked. Reborn was beyond anger. He was hurt that Tsuna didn't ask for his help and he was upset that Tsuna could brush off his own death.

"Would I be here if it was?" Tsuna countered solemnly. "Some parts can be thrown away with ease. A name that was never mine to begin with and cover story that was made up of lies.... A hitman would never hesitate to throw away his own cover story. But I can't discard the things that I felt and did. I want to be a Tutor! That wasn't fake! Please! I'm begging you! I--"

"The position has been filled," Reborn replied coldly. Tsuna froze in shock as Reborn opened the door to the second floor. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that Reborn would refuse him. No, Reborn wouldn't make the decision out of personal feelings. Don Girarde was a neutral academy. It was that Tsuna hadn't given him any room to work with and his hands were tied. To teach again, Tsuna would have to wait and go through the Teacher's Exams again. It was Tsuna's fault for not reporting his situation to the Dean ahead of time. If a Tutor died, it was only to be expected that a replacement would be found. "Are you coming?" Reborn asked, still holding the door open for him. "Your assistant keeps threatening to quit since you've been absent for so long."

"Eh? You mean...?"

"You been pronounced dead too many times," Reborn smirked. "I told you before that I was going to have you teach Occult Studies and I meant it."

* * *

It was a dilemma that even Orinato paled over and Hotaru couldn't decide on an answer. The boy's room or the girl's room? If he went into the boy's room, then people would wonder why he had to use a stall instead of the urinal. There was also the chance that someone would look over the stall door in search of toliet paper or, even worse, in hopes of finding someone to bully. He'd be a sitting duck. The girl's room would be safer. However, if he went into the girl's room, the girls would probably scream over the misunderstanding and his secret would be out.

He had to decide. Attempting to get a pass during class hadn't worked. The teachers kept telling him to wait and use it during the break. It was now to the point that he could barely hold it. He had to choose, but he didn't know which one!

"We can't keep standing here," Orinato hissed. "People are getting suspicious. Just use the men's and I'll stand by the door."

"You'll peek," Hotaru mumbled with a blush of embarrassment.

"No, I won't!" Orinato choked. Hotaru glared at him, seeing a faint hue of pink lighting up on his Right Hand's face. He'd definitely been planning to peek. Hotaru knew that he would if Orinato had been the one to turn into a girl. He'd do it out of innocent curiosity and because their friendship was old enough to assure forgiveness over such stupid things. "Okay," Orinato blushed even harder when Hotaru continued to glare. "But it would have just been for a second! Stuff like this doesn't happen everyday!" Hotaru's glare turned into a shocked gape. He'd known, but Orinato wasn't supposed to admit it!

"PERVERT!" Hotaru blurted, throwing his arms over his chest in remembrance that Orinato had seen his bare chest. Fleeing for the closest safe haven, Hotaru froze in the middle of the girl's room. The screams were instant. However, not all of the girls ran out of the bathroom. A few, being Red- and Black- ties, cracked their knuckles in warning of a thorough punishment for his invasion. "Wait!" Hotaru spluttered as he backed towards the wall. "It's not what you think! I--"

"YOU IDIOT!" Hotaru froze as the door crashed open and Orinato stormed in after him. He was mad, Hotaru saw. He was mad enough to completely ignore the mob of angry girls. "Now everyone's going to think that I did something to you! Would you have a little consideration for the people around you?! It's bad enough that you're like this! Would you stop acting like every guy around you wants to eat you for lunch?!"

"Orinato..." Hotaru mumbled, realizing exactly how idiotically he'd been acting.

"Shit," he spat, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm not trying to take it out on you, but this isn't any easier on me. I'm not sure if I should treat you like you haven't changed or like you have or something else entirely. Just decide something, Boss. I can't keep up pretenses with you acting like this." Hotaru blushed, reevaluating his actions of the day from Orinato's viewpoint. It had to have been hard. His best friend turned into a girl and Hotaru--

"Does this mean that he finally confessed?"

"Whaa!"

"So it's true!"

"Who would have thought?"

"It's not like that!" Orinato shouted in horror as the whispers of the girls began to reach their ears. Hotaru couldn't move as the blood rushed out of his face.

What was he doing?! A lot more was at stake than just having his boobs seen! His whole image was going to be destroyed at this rate! He'd worked years to make his image into what it was! How could he have forgotten?! How could he have jeopardized all that hard work because of a few extra pounds of flesh?! Stupid. He suddenly felt so incredibly stupid. His reputation wasn't the only one that was at stake. Orinato's and all of Vongola's rested on Hotaru's shoulders. How could he accuse Orinato of being a pervert?! Now everyone was going to misunderstand!

For some reason, his father popped into Hotaru's head. Something like this had happened before. Something that hadn't just been an embarrassment to himself, but one for the whole Family. How had he dealt with it? The Tenth had never shown his weaknesses. To outsiders, he'd always stood proudly through any situation. How had he done it? What was he supposed to do to fix the situation?

No answers were forthcoming, but Hotaru knew one thing without being told. He'd been selfish and continuing to be selfish wasn't going to make anything better.

"STOP!" Hotaru shouted, making the girls pause in the middle of teasing Orinato over his supposed confession. "He said that it wasn't like that! I.... uh.... I've just been jumpy because of a... a... a stalker!" Yeah, Hotaru told himself. That was believable. He had stalkers all the time! "Orinato was just saying that he would protect me anywhere and I took it the wrong way. Ever since... that happened... it's been difficult to trust people." Looking away with a blush of embarrassment, Hotaru knew that the girls would think that he was looking away in shame. His statement left a lot to the imagination, after all.

"How horrible!"

"Was it a guy?

"No wonder you wanted to use the girl's room!"

"Did they catch the stalker?"

"You shouldn't push yourself if you're scared!"

"What did he do?"

"I'm sorry, Orinato," Hotaru murmured, ignoring the girl's comments as if he didn't want to talk about it. "I know that I can trust you. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"Eh," he replied, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "It's my fault, too. I haven't been very sympathetic, even though you do have a reason to be paranoid. I'll try to be nicer until you get over this. Just don't call me a pervert again. Okay? You'll make me self-conscious, too." Hotaru blushed again, but nodded in agreement. Then he waited. And waited.

And waited.

"Are you going to leave?" Hotaru asked curiously. "I really do have to go."

"No," Orinato replied, instantly erasing all of his talk of sympathy. Crossing his arms, he explained with a pointed look at the girls who were giggling among themselves. "You're not any safer in here. I'll watch the stall door while you go."

"Y-You--!" Hotaru choked. Strangling back his need to call him a pervert again, Hotaru clenched his teeth shut and held back his fists. Punching him would do no good. "If you peek, I'll kill you!" Hotaru shouted before storming over to the stall door and locking himself inside. Once there, he pressed his head against the door and cursed his own stupidity. Orinato was only looking out for his well-being. They'd been together since they were kids and Orinato was the one person that he'd always trusted with everything. It felt stupid to distrust him now, but he kept doing it anyway. What was wrong with him? He should be getting down on his knees to thank Orinato for watching his back, but he kept saying such spiteful things.

There was no reason to worry anyway. The girl's room wasn't like the boy's. The stall doors went almost all the way to the ceiling, so the only way to peek would be through the gap at the bottom. Orinato might look over his shoulder for a glimpse, but he wasn't the type to go out of his way to invade someone's privacy. Clean, Hotaru noticed absently as he began unbelting his pants. The girl's room was cleaner than the men's too. The toilets practically sparkled and it smelled like flowers for some reason. Each stall seemed to have a trashcan built into the wall, too, that--

"Eww," Hotaru choked, snapping the lid shut when he realized what he was looking at. He was probably going to have nightmares now. Turning his attention away from the little box of horrors on the wall, Hotaru remembered to sit down and then he waited. And he waited.

And he waited.

"Make some noise," he growled, feeling strangely vulnerable by having to sit with his pants down just to pee. "I know you're there, but it's too quiet. It's like you're waiting to hear what it sounds like."

"The girls all left, Boss," he replied with a sigh, giving Hotaru the noise that he needed to relax. "How's your chest feeling? You looked uncomfortable through Stock Management."

"It's hard to breathe in this vest," he admitted as he unrolled a handful of toliet paper. "I'm a guy, so my frame is wider than mom's to begin with. I can't really describe how it feels. The skin..."

"The skin?"

"Nevermind," Hotaru blushed as he flushed the toliet and pulled his pants up. "I think it was a bad idea to come to school. I--"

"Have you tried thinking of girls, Boss?" Orinato asked curiously.

"Eh?"

"I mean, have you imagined yourself kissing one," Orinato clarified. "You said that the problem was that you couldn't get the extra parts out of the image in your head, but you wouldn't imagine those parts if you had a girl to imagine them on instead. I don't know if I'm making sense but--"

"You're a genius!" Hotaru exclaimed. Unlocking the door, he threw it open with hope shining in his eyes. "Let's go to the infirmary so I can try it."

"Why not here?" Orinato inquired with a mischievous look on his face. "Just think about it, Boss. We've gained entry into one place where no man is usually allowed. Doesn't that make you even a little excited?"

"Maybe a little, now that you mention it," Hotaru admitted hesitantly as his heart started to race.

"Then why don't I mention this," Orinato asked, leaning close to whisper into Hotaru's ear. "That toilet that you just used.... Ross has probably used it."

"Probably," Hotaru agreed with a nod. Then he froze as the statement truly hit him. Rosalind... sitting there.... with her panties around her ankles... all vulnerable and... and...

"BOSS!" Orinato cried as Hotaru's nose turned into a geyser of blood.

* * *

"Welcome back," Sakura grinned as he pulled the ice pack off of Hotaru's head. "For a guy who keeps running up a bill at Pink's, you're surprisingly fragile."

"Orinato!" Hotaru spluttered as he sat up. "You weren't supposed to tell any--" Noticing the lack of restriction on his chest, Hotaru paused and looked down to find that he had a normal, masculine chest. Masculine. MASCULINE! "I Shifted back!" Hotaru spluttered in joy. Praying that he wasn't getting his hopes up, Hotaru pulled at his waistline to see if everything was back to normal. "I got my balls back," Hotaru whispered upon seeing that everything had indeed returned to normal. "I got my balls back! Orinato--!"

"That's great, Boss," Orinato sighed tiredly from his guarding position at the end of the bed. "But could you please restrain yourself? Now that you're back to normal, you should begin thinking about damage control. Not only is there a puddle of blood in the floor of the girl's bathroom, but half the school thinks that you were attacked by a stalker and the other half still thinks that I've touched you inappropriately. It seems that corrections to rumors don't fly as fast as the rumors themselves."

"I'll take care of it," he promised as he bounced out of bed and began buttoning his shirt up. Being back to normal was the best, he thought to himself while he listened to Orinato's briefing with half an ear. Now that he wasn't distracted with his personal problems, he could think clearly and he felt ready to face anything. Not only was his anatomy restored, after all. So was his confidence.

Giving a salute to Sakura in appreciation for his aid, Hotaru snatched up his tie and put it on while he walked back to his class. Orinato followed, carrying both of their satchels while continuing to tell him what had happened after he'd fainted. Overall, it was basically the same thing that he'd already said, but in greater detail and with more desperation in his voice.

"I said that I'll take care of it," Hotaru repeated in exasperation as he opened the door to their next class. He would have said more, but Orinato abruptly leaped in front of him in order to snatch an oncoming projectile out of the air--an eraser for the classroom's blackboard.

"You're late," the teacher snapped. "Find your seats--"

"Kai?!" Hotaru spluttered, looking over Orinato's shoulder as soon as he recognized the voice.

"Oh--!" Kai gaped with a pointed finger, recognizing him in return. "The brat in pink!"

"Brown!" Hotaru corrected with a blush rising to his cheeks. "I was in the brown!"

"Odd," he replied in thought. "I could have sworn that it was you in the--"

"Never mind about that!" Hotaru choked. "What are you doing here?!"

"Teaching," he answered with a grin. "So please take your seat. We're going over the Six-Fold Path at the moment."

"Boss...?" Orinato whispered in askance. Hotaru shook his head to tell him that he'd explain later before slowly making his way to his seat next to Gregory.

To say the least, Kai's presence was shocking. Occult Studies was a relatively new course and the Vampire Poe had been teaching pretty effectively despite his regular reminders that he was only an assistant. For Wolfe-sensei to return and take over wasn't anything that Hotaru had expected. What in the world was the man thinking? No one was buying his disguise. He could see it with the way that his classmates were trading knowing, excited smirks. The confirmation came as soon as Hotaru opened his laptop in the way of three different chat screens.

HOLYKNIGHT: It's Wolfe-sensei!  
HOLYKNIGHT: He came back!  
HOLYKNIGHT: Do you know anything?

VHOFF: Please excuse the unsolicited message.  
VHOFF: This is Vanderhoff, row one, chair two, red tie  
VHOFF: Can you confirm that Mr. Kai is Van Wolfe?  
VHOFF: I need to report to Sir Basilicum

11RIGHT: Did something more happen at the show than you told me?  
11RIGHT: You called him Kai, but isn't that Van Wolfe?

TAURUS: Don't know anything.  
TAURUS: No comment.  
TAURUS: I told you the important stuff and I think so.

HOLYKNIGHT: Stingy.

VHOFF: Sorry to have bothered you.

11RIGHT: Then what was unimportant that you didn't tell me?

TAURUS: I can't be stingy with what I don't have.  
TAURUS: It's fine. I just know better than to trust what I'm told online.  
TAURUS: Now isn't the time for that. Are you taping the lecture?

HOLYKNIGHT: I get it.  
HOLYKNIGHT: Lighten up.  
HOLYKNIGHT: I'm only asking for your opinion.  
HOLYKNIGHT: Not an official report.

VHOFF: I didn't think about that.  
VHOFF: I'll introduce myself properly after class.

11RIGHT: Of course.  
11RIGHT: It's good to see you getting back to normal, Boss.  
11RIGHT: You're really amazing when you get serious.

TAURUS: My opinion is that he's turns into an idiot when he knows that a lot of people are looking at him.  
TAURUS: Alright, but try to keep it short.  
TAURUS: Quit it or I'll get distracted.

HOLYKNIGHT: Oops.

11RIGHT: Shit.

TAURUS: ?  
TAURUS: ?

"Sawada," Kai snapped from the front of the class. "Repeat my last statement."

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped, looking up to find that the whole class was staring at him. Knowing that he was caught, Hotaru admitted, "I have no idea."

"It's 'I have no idea, Mr. Kai'," he corrected. "This is your only warning. Either pay attention or leave the classroom--"

"Then I'll just go to the library," Hotaru sighed as he shut his laptop.

"--After doing a thousand squats at the back of the classroom," Kai continued with a smile. "Since you've already made your choice, you can begin."

Hotaru stared in disbelief and Kai stared back solemnly. He was serious. He wanted Hotaru to do squats as punishment for not listening. No, Hotaru amended upon seeing a flicker of amusement in Kai's eyes. The man had planned the punishment from the beginning. What was his goals? When he'd been Wolfe-sensei, they'd never had more than cursory contact. Why was the man targeting him now?

If it'd been Mafioso versus Mafioso, the order would have been a challenge he could have easily overcome. It wasn't, though. It was student versus teacher and the teacher would win out in this instance. After all, Kai had a perfectly legitimate reason for the punishment and Hotaru had walked into it. However, Hotaru wasn't about to let the teacher single him out without a fight--

"You can glare all you want," Kai warned, "But we're waiting for you to start. Unless you think you're above the students in this classroom who actually want to learn and should have special treatment...?"

Bastard, Hotaru thought as he clenched his teeth in frustration. How many times had he heard the same statement from other teachers? It was the one that they all used to insinuate that he was spoiled because of his rank. Kai was only using him to make the other students think that he wasn't biased, while being incredibly biased against Hotaru. The problem was that Hotaru didn't have many options. If he spoke out against Kai, it'd make it seem that he really did think that he should have special treatment. If he did the squats quietly, he'd be submitting to a man who would use his students to make himself look good.

"Despicable," Hotaru spat under his breathe while he weighed his choices. The word summed up all of his feelings, so Hotaru made his choice. "I don't think that I'm better than anyone," he stated clearly. "I don't expect special treatment, but it's not fair for you to give me special punishment, either. You jump to the conclusion that I don't want to learn despite the fact that I chose this class just like everyone else here did. I'll admit that my attention lapsed, but I believe that you're at fault for that. Take a look at my laptop if you don't believe me. What took my attention away from the lesson was several people asking the same question that's going through everyone's mind: Why is Van Wolfe pretending to be someone named Kai and how did he come back from the dead?"

The tension in the room skyrocketed at his blunt question as everyone held their breathe in expectation of an answer. Kai looked over them all slowly taking in all the sets of waiting eyes before looking over at where his assistant had paused the work being done on his laptop.

"It's a valid question," Mr. Poe stated calmly. "I don't think you have to hide it from Mafioso, even young ones. As long as the general public don't make a connection, you're not jeopardizing anything. Just prepare yourself, Kai. If you answer, he'll be coming after you."

"As if that wasn't already the case," Kai sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. Sit down, Sawada. Since you've asked so courageously, I'll give you an answer."

"EH?!" His classmates exclaimed in disbelief while Hotaru slowly sat down in shock. He had a feeling... Hotaru had a strange feeling that he'd just played into Kai's hands.

"What?" Kai laughed as he put he put aside his piece of chalk. "Students aren't the only ones who are held accountable for their actions. It's only fair if I explain my own."

"So it's true?!" Gregory exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.

"Everyone calm down," Kai snapped. Finding a seat on the edge of his desk, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with none of the flamboyance of his new personality. "We'll make this into the lesson for today, so pay attention. Mr. Poe has already taught you the basics of vampirism before he went into teaching about motes and the evolution of common mythologies. All of you know about werewolves by now and how we're from the same mother-stock as vampires. Now, what he probably didn't mention was how old he is. Mr. Poe?"

"Old enough to have lost track," he answered before returning his attention to his laptop. "Keep me out of this."

"Very well," he laughed. "Let's just say that he's seen the turn of the century more than once. Most vampires that you'll come across are typically old blood, which means that they've been around for longer than anyone else currently alive. Over time, it became common practice for them to discard their lives like snakes so that they could meld alongside human society. Sometimes that means a new name or a new location. In extreme circumstances, they'll kill off their old identity and sleep for a decade or two before re-assimilating with the world."

"Is that what happened to you?" A girl in the third row asked curiously.

"No," he answered with a smile. "I'm not a vampire. I'm just a werewolf. Can anyone tell me the difference between the two?" Hesitantly, Hotaru raised his hand and answered when called upon.

"Werewolves can't see life-energy, they can only feed off of vampire blood, and they are prone to instinctual insanity when they go without."

"Very good," Kai praised. "That's me in a nutshell. Now, because we can't see life-energy, werewolves are still capable of producing their own. Rather than a conduit that stores and channels incoming energy, we're more like generators. You're probably wondering what this has to do with my situation. Well, to put it frankly, generators don't live as long as conduits. Our bodies wear out faster. There's currently research going on that might extend it, but werewolves have all the vices of a vampire with very few of the benefits. Going to sleep for a few decades is beyond my abilities.

However, one of the benefits that we can reproduce is reanimation. To put it simply, it takes a very particular method of death to actually kill me. Anything less only puts me into a state of hibernation that, to a human, would be considered true death. Not even the most sensitive of equipment would be able to follow my heartbeat and it becomes a race against time. If a werewolf in hibernation is given enough vampire blood, our bodies can repair the damage done and we can come back to life. If they're not given it in time, well.... It's a short step between hibernation and true death.

As you can see, I was given it in enough time. Now, back to the beginning of the lesson. Vampires who have died will shed their lives like a second skin. Werewolves who have entered hibernation are also seen as 'dead' in human terms, so we also shed our lives. It makes things easier for us. A new life means that we can let go of whatever... circumstances... brought on our early demise and we can focus on the joy of still being alive. Rather than burying ourselves in hatred and remorse, we keep an eye to the present and the future."

"Don't you want revenge?" A boy at the back of the class asked.

"Why?" Kai countered. "I can't go into the details of what happened to Van Wolfe, but all of you need to understand something very important. You've all mourned Van Wolfe and put him to rest, so don't dig him up now. He is dead. Your Occult Studies teacher is Kai and Kai has no grudges to bear. I'm here to teach and, outside of teaching, my personal life is no business to anyone but myself.

So, having said that, your homework for tonight is a six pages on the Six-Fold Path. You may choose what to write, but I don't want a summary of your class notes. You can imagine that you're walking a different Path and tell me about it or you can write an essay about how the Paths can interact with each other. It doesn't matter, so long as you show me that you have some grasp on the concept. Also, please look over the questions in file Six-R-dash-one. We'll be having a quiz over it tomorrow. Use the rest of your class time to review and get started. If you have any questions about the lesson, you can come up one at a time to ask, but anyone asking questions outside of those pertaining to the Six-Fold Path will earn squats."

Hotaru sat in shock alongside the rest of the class as Kai went to his desk and pulled out a novel to read. He had answered. It was unbelievable. What was the point of a new identity if he was going to admit to who he was so easily? Shedding his old life like a second skin? It didn't make any sense! He hadn't shed anything other than his name! No.... wait. Van Wolfe hadn't been his real name either. It was hard to remember that with Kai using a second alias in front of him. A name was more than just a word, too. Hotaru knew, because there were actual memories attached to the choosing of his own name. Was it like that for Kai, too? Since Van Wolfe wasn't his real name, maybe he was trying to shed the memories from being given it.

That made a little more sense. Hotaru remembered a few glimpses of Van Wolfe with the Carter Family at Mafia Land. He'd acted like a common, loyal subordinate when he'd been around the Carter Representative. However, even a blind man would be able to see that there had been a falling out between Van Wolfe and the Carter Family. A life was more than just a name and an image. There were memories, responsibilities, and obligations that were also attached. When Kai said that Van Wolfe was dead, he was saying that all those bonds were dead with him. The bonds that he had chosen to keep were fragile, weak things that he was just beginning to revive.

Kai-sensei was so pitiful.

Hotaru felt speechless after the thought struck him, but he felt that it was true. How many times had Kai-sensei been forced to start over? At least twice, possibly more. What would it be like to live in a world where nothing stayed firm? What would it feel like to face every day, knowing that the people he met and the things that he did could be erased by nightfall? It was too sad. It made Hotaru want to help him--

_"I don't understand, Master."_

_"It's simple," Van Wolfe laughed as he continued folding the piece of paper in his hands. "The legend says that a thousand cranes can grant a wish. Eventually, Hotaru will remember that it grants the wish in heart of the person folding them."_

_"But didn't you tell him that the cranes were a present?"_

_"The first one was, along with the story," he corrected. "But more than anything, Hotaru needs to learn that some wishes can't be granted without putting in any effort. I'm going to teach him that by example. Each and every one of these cranes are going to be proof that of my effort and one day... one day when Hotaru is ready, my effort will pay off and my wish will be granted. At least, that's what I hope will happen. It's still too early to say."_

_"What's your wish, Master?"_

_"That's even simpler," he answered, smiling to himself as he held up a finished crane for inspection. "I wish to go home."_

"Sawada!"

"Yes!" Hotaru blurted, bolting to his feet in an automatic reaction. The laughter of his classmates reintroduced him to reality and he blushed when he saw that Kai-sensei was standing next to him. He hadn't heard him approach. Having been so enveloped by his vision, he hadn't even sensed Kai's presence. How long had he been standing there? No--! That didn't matter! Kai-sensei--! Kai-sensei's wish was to return to Vongola! That was why he'd been giving the cranes to Hotaru, but not anyone else! Hotaru was the only one who could grant his wish! Why hadn't he seen it before?! Had he just been too self-centered? All this time, Kai-sensei had been suffering and Hotaru could have done something about it--

"I know what you're about to say, but don't try it," Kai-sensei warned with a scowl. "There's an inherent flaw in your Vongola Hyper-Intuition."

"That's not true!" Hotaru objected. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and he couldn't control them because of the sadness and longing that he could now see hiding in Kai-sensei's. He was so.... so lonely that it hurt to look at him. "My Hyper-Intuition showed me the truth! You--"

"Then what's my true name?"

Hotaru froze, struck off-guard by the question. He didn't have the answer. That was the flaw with his Hyper-Intuition. It showed him what he needed to see, but it didn't necessarily show him the whole story. Kai-sensei's wish was undoubtedly important and it told Hotaru that the man's motives were pure, but his wish wasn't something that could be granted with a few heart-felt words from a person who only knew half of the man's story. Kai-sensei wasn't someone who would be satisfied with that. Hotaru had to know the full truth first, which was why he'd challenge Hotaru to find his identity in the first place!

"I'll find it!" Hotaru swore in frustration. "I'll find out your true name and then make you take off that stupid mask!"

"Ooh," he replied, his scowl turning into a flickering grin of mock-amusement as the rest of the class gaped over his sudden declaration. "So scary. Well, five hundred and twenty six."

"Eh?"

"Five hundred and twenty six," he repeated as he pulled a bottle out of his pocket and set it on Hotaru's desk. Picking it up as Kai-sensei headed back to his desk, Hotaru's eyes bulged over the contents. The clear bottle was the size of a medicine bottle, but it was filled with colored cranes that were no bigger than a single pill. There had to be fifty... no... there was more than a hundred cranes inside the small space! "That brings the total to five hundred and twenty six," Kai-sensei said with a mischievous grin. "You know, in the story of Rumpelstiltskin, if the Princess hadn't found his true name in time, she could have lost something irreplaceable. Do you really think that you can do the same when you don't have anything to lose?"

"I will," Hotaru stated, clenching his fist around the bottle in determination. For some inexplicable reason, the reference to Rumpelstiltskin made him queasy, though. The whole story... he didn't have the whole story, but he had a feeling that there was something more than Kai-sensei's wish at stake. He just didn't know what it was.

"Anyone is welcome to try," Kai-sensei said as he collapsed into his chair and reopened his novel. "Just don't slack on your homework or I'll start assigning extra." So fake, Hotaru thought in exasperation as the bell rang to signal the end of class. Kai-sensei was trying to act cool, but Hotaru knew better. He wasn't sure how Kai-sensei looked to the rest of his classmates, but he was like a cat in Hotaru's eyes. Even though he was probably really happy, he showed his back as if he were unaffected.

Putting the bottle of cranes in his satchel for safe-keeping, Hotaru packed up his laptop and headed to the door while he tried to get rid of his own smile. This was starting to become fun. He hadn't had anyone so boldly challenge him in such a long time. He was going to win, he swore. He was going to figure out Kai-sensei's true name and make him return to Vongola. With that, Kai-sensei wouldn't be the only one to win. Hotaru would also win by getting another strong Mafioso into the Family. That reminded him. Maybe Reborn could help him--

"You have some explaining to do," Orinato growled as they made their way to their Home Economics class. "Since when have you been so close to Mr. Kai?"

"Since now," he shrugged. "You don't have to worry, Orinato. He's not a bad man. My intuition might not be reliable, but it's never wrong when it does work. It would have shown me something different if Kai-sensei was someone that I should be suspicious of."

"What did you see?" He asked predictably.

"Secret," he answered with a wide grin. "Don't worry about what I said in there. It's something between me and Kai-sensei, so I won't let it interfere with my work."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Orinato objected. "You don't--"

"You really are amazing, Eleventh." Hotaru stopped in his tracks and was immediately run into by the man who'd apparently been following him since the Occult Studies classroom. Vanderhoff, Hotaru recalled as he turned around and raised an eyebrow in askance at the silver-eyed boy who'd messaged him during class.

"That's right," Hotaru said in an apologetic tone. "You wanted to introduce yourself."

"Yes, sir," he mumbled shyly, bowing his head with the proper amount of respect. "I'm.... I'm..."

"You're...?" Hotaru prompted, seeing that the guy was becoming tense.

"I'm Vanderhoff, sir," he blurted, lifting his head to reveal a face filled with so much adoration that Hotaru was blinded for a moment. "I'm second apprentice to Sir Basilicum. Age: Nineteen. Sign: Gemini. Blood Type: O. My favorite hobbies include reading, writing, and undercover operations. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Eleventh. I--"

"Nice to meet you, too," Hotaru interrupted before he could say anything more. "If you'll excuse me, I need to hurry or else I'll be late to class."

"Of course," Vanderhoff agreed enthusiastically. Giving the guy a nod in farewell, Hotaru turned his back on him and continued on his way with Orinato's voice complaining in his ear about his involvement with Kai-sensei. Hotaru couldn't pay any attention to it, though, because of the curious feeling at his back. Vanderhoff was following him. Picking up his pace, Hotaru tried to lose him, but the guy stuck to his heels like glue. Abruptly, Hotaru stopped in place a second time and was once again bumped into from behind.

"How long do you plan to follow me?" He asked in growing irritation.

"I don't know," Vanderhoff admitted in consideration. "Probably forever...?"

"EH?!" Hotaru choked, spinning in place to stare in shock. He wasn't the only one surprised, either. Orinato's jaw dropped so quickly that Hotaru feared it to be broken. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Sir Basilicum assigned me to watch over you, sir," he explained, confused over Hotaru's outburst. "It's the job of an Outside Advisor to know the current situation within Vongola so that we can give advice, so I'm supposed to watch your movements and report everything that I see to Sir Basilicum. It's a standing order, sir, so I'll be watching you until Sir Basilicum tells me otherwise."

"So you're following me because...?"

"To watch you," he answered with a bright smile. "I made sure to get the same class schedule as you to make it easier. Before, I thought that you were ignoring me because you didn't like me, but I know better now. You've made me incredibly happy by letting me introduce myself, sir. Now I don't have to watch from a distance anymore."

"EH?!"

"Please treat me kindly," he added with a formal bow. Hotaru traded a look with Orinato and saw that his Right Hand was thinking the same thing that he was: Vanderhoff was a real, honest-to-goodness stalker.

"Run for it, Boss," Orinato hissed as he slowly interjected himself between them.

"It's no use," Hotaru whispered in return as the blood drained from his face. "He's got my schedule."

"What do we do? Fanatics are dangerous and he's got the look in his eyes."

"I don't know. He doesn't look dangerous--"

"You can never been too sure. Remember that riot in Indonesia?"

"That was different. This is just one guy--"

"Fans _breed_," Orinato warned with desperation growing in his eyes. "It starts with one, but then they multiply until you're buried in a sea of crazed zombies that'll try to tear you to--"

"Um..." Vanderhoff interjected sheepishly. "I can still hear you."

"Erk," Hotaru choked in unison with Orinato.

"I'm not a zombie, either," he added hesitantly. "I'm not going to multiply or try to tear anything." Hotaru sighed at the innocent statement and tried to relax. Vanderhoff didn't have any ill will. He was just a touch too honest with his adoration.

"Don't worry about it," Hotaru soothed in resignation. "Orinato's just pulled me out of too many mobs. If he has a weakness, then it's probably his automatic paranoia of guys like you. It's not easy being the Right Hand of Vongola the Eleventh, you know. For example, I can't count the times that he's shielded me from danger--"

"Two hundred, sixty one times," Vanderhoff supplied. "Actually, no," he corrected as he fumbled a large leather-bound book from his bag. Opening it to a page towards the middle, Vanderhoff made a small notation as he said, "Two hundred, sixty two times. I forgot to mark that he protected you from that eraser that Kai-sensei threw."

Hotaru traded another look with Orinato. Considering how thick Vanderhoff's notebook was, it couldn't be what they thought it was. It was simply too disturbing to contemplate.

"--And then they tear you to pieces and sell the pieces on the internet," Orinato exclaimed, picking up where he'd left off. Shaking his head, Hotaru couldn't stop his paranoid delusions as they picked up their path toward Home Economics. Especially not when Vanderhoff started following him again. "See," he hissed maniacally as Hattori turned a corner and fell in beside them for the walk to class. "They're _breeding_."

"Knock it off," Hotaru laughed. "Hattori walks with us every day. Right, Hattori?"

"Huh?" He replied, looking up with an expression that said that he hadn't been paying attention. "Oh, Taru-kun. When did you get here?" Hotaru opened his mouth to tease him about being an air-head, but slowly closed it again without saying anything. Something was wrong. First of all, Hattori wasn't hanging on his every word. He wasn't even waiting for an answer and he already seemed lost in thought again. That was something that Hattori would never do. Second, he seemed incredibly pale, almost as if he were sick.

"Are you feeling alright?" Hotaru asked in concern as Orinato held the classroom door open for him. "You're not very energetic today." Hattori shrugged and broke away from their group, heading for his usual workstation. By Hotaru's request, that station was across the room from his own.

Unlike normal classrooms, the Home Economics class was separated into six open kitchens with an adjoining hallway. Their desks, when they needed one, was made up of counter-space and bar-stools. It was rare that they needed to write anything down, though. Ms. Bianchi wasn't one for normal teaching methods, after all. Instead, she posted a new assignment each week. The first day of the week allowed the six teams to pick a recipe that filled the assignment's goals and to order ingredients. The second and third days were practice in making what was in the recipe. The fourth day was where Ms. Bianchi graded their efforts. The fifth day was a free day where they worked on their own recipes to perfect their end-of-year project.

Being the first day of the week, Hotaru knew not to bother putting on an apron or to worry about whether he could look like he was helping without getting in anyone's way. All he had to do was sit and listen while the rest of his group discussed their options. When they hit a snag and needed extra input was the only time that he interfered since he'd chosen his group carefully. Other than Orinato, everyone else in the group was either a blue-tie or one of the rare civilian yellow-ties. They were all non-combative students who were taking the class to become better supporters rather than Mafioso who needed to learn how to take care of themselves better.

While his group began quietly discussing what fitted into the theme of a 'midnight snack made with love', Hotaru found his attention drawn over to where Hattori's group was loudly arguing among themselves. He was in a group made up of all black-ties, so they were regularly bumping heads with each other. Hotaru had always found it amusing because Hattori would usually get gung-ho whenever Ms. Bianchi mentioned something should be made with feelings and would bring the other guys in line with the sheer force of his enthusiasm. Any time now, Hattori was going to jump up with another idiotic plan to make Hotaru pancakes or a popcorn ball or some other off-the-wall treat that was supposed to make him fall in love with the guy. Anytime now.

Anytime now....

Hotaru tapped his finger on the counter impatiently as the minutes ticked by without Hattori's kitchen coming to any sort of agreement. Something was definitely wrong. Hattori should have jumped up by now, but he was continuing to quietly flip through a recipe book with a bored expression on his face. It was irritating. Hattori wasn't supposed to be acting that way. It made Hotaru want to walk over and hit him to wake him up. Didn't he know that his group was never going to come to a consensus without him? Hattori was the guiding force in everything his kitchen made. If he didn't speak up soon, they weren't going to come to a decision in time to order ingredients.

Not that Hotaru cared, of course. He was just bored and Hattori's inconsistency was getting on his nerves. It didn't feel right for him to be so subdued. From their first meeting, Hattori had always been outgoing. Of course, he's started out as a bully, too, but that was beside the point. In Japan, Hattori had been the only person willing to be his friend after everyone had taken a good look at his Family and his lifestyle. He'd dragged him out for fun on multiple occasions just to have fun. He'd pulled him along for shopping and movies and a lot of things that he normally would have been too embarrassed to even mention. It was because Hattori had been there that he'd finally been able to explore who 'Hotaru' was and what 'Hotaru' liked.

The Hattori in front of him was different, Hotaru reminded himself. The Hattori that was a Mafioso had run away from home and had joined the Tomaso Family. He was an idiot that kept making passes at his friend even though they were both guys and had even go so far as to kiss him. He was the same fool that couldn't get a hint despite how many times Hotaru had rebuffed him and the same dummy that kept getting jealous whenever a guy other than Orinato got too close--

Odd, Hotaru thought to himself. Hattori hadn't said a word even though Vanderhoff had been following him. Usually, he would have jumped to conclusions and thrown a tantrum. Could it be? Was there hope? Was Hattori just sulking because he'd finally accepted that he didn't have a chance in hell? If so, Hotaru felt like celebrating. It meant an end to... to...

Damnit, Hattori was just too irritating like he was! Hotaru couldn't enjoy any of the sudden reprieve because of him. He had to do something. Not because he cared, of course. He just had to do something because Hattori was irritating him. What could he do, though? If he said anything, Hattori might take it the wrong way and become a love-struck stalker again. But if he didn't say anything, Hattori was just going to continue sighing into the recipe books.

Seeing Hattori's shoulders sag an inch lower, Hotaru's temper snapped. Slapping his hands on the counter, he stood. He'd had enough of this. One way or another, Hattori was going to quit being so depressed. It was ruining Hotaru's good mood! Storming over to Hattori's kitchen, Hotaru breathed on his knuckles to get them warm before digging them into the top of the idiot-Hattori's head.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Hattori spluttered as Hotaru let up on him.

"You're getting on my nerves," Hotaru replied in frustration. "What's wrong with you today?"

"It doesn't concern you," he snapped, making Hotaru take a step back in surprise. "You've made it clear that you aren't interested in trying anything that I make, so I decided to stop trying. I'll let the rest of the guys pick for once since anything that I make is just a wasted effort."

"Tori-kun..." Hotaru murmured in awe of his sudden change of heart.

"Don't 'Tori-kun' me!" He shouted loudly enough that his group-mates finally stopped arguing. "I already feel stupid enough for following you here! You don't have to keep pretending like you actually give a damn!" Hotaru froze into place, feeling as if he'd just been slapped. It didn't end there, however. From the tears growing in Hattori's eyes, Hotaru knew that he'd done something incredibly wrong. Hattori's feelings weren't going to simply disappear like Hotaru had been thinking they would.

Self-centered, Hotaru repeated to himself. It wasn't just Kai-sensei's feelings that he'd been ignoring. He'd been ignoring Hattori's, too. All this time, Hotaru had grown comfortable with Hattori's advances because Hattori had accepted the rejections. Hattori hadn't complained or made things more difficult. He'd simply waited for a different opportunity to try again. While he'd been trying his best, Hotaru hadn't given a single thought to what Hattori had been feeling, though. It was no wonder that he was crying. Because Hotaru had refused to even consider him, all of his efforts really had been wasted.

No, Hotaru amended. It wasn't wasted yet. Their friendship had taken a strange turn, but Hattori was still his friend. He couldn't just turn his back and leave him to cry like this. Even if... Even if he didn't like guys, there was no harm in letting Hattori know that his advances weren't unappreciated. After all, Hattori's pestering hadn't only been annoying. A little part of him had actually had fun each time Hattori had come at him. A really, really, really little part, but it was still there. The past few years would have been incredibly dull without him, so...

"Gingerbread," Hotaru mumbled.

"Huh?" Hattori sniffed while he continued to scrub the tears out of his eyes.

"I might eat Gingerbread," he mumbled softly, averting his eyes so that he didn't have to see Hattori's tearful face. "I don't like sweets, but... But I might try Gingerbread if they're made like the Tenth's."

"T-Taru-kun...?"

"A-Anyway, you heard me," he blurted, feeling his face turn red in embarrassment. "It's not like I'm going out of my way for you. I just like Gingerbread, so I always try it when someone makes some. It's never made right, though. So... so... so just make it from the Tenth's recipe in the first edition Vongola cookbook and I'll eat it. Capiche? If you use any other recipe, you can forget it!"

As a hint of a smile returned to Hattori's face, Hotaru turned to head back to his own kitchen while cursing Hattori for making him say something so--

"TARU-KUN!"

"Wh--?!" Hotaru choked as he was tackled from behind by a revived Hattori.

"You do care!!" He exclaimed as he hugged Hotaru's back. Hotaru blushed brightly. He didn't blush because he was embarrassed, though. He blushed because of where Hattori's hands had landed. They'd landed on his chest.

They'd landed on his chest.

They'd landed on... his... chest....

"NOOOOO!" Hotaru screamed as Hattori squeezed him for a harder hug. Hattori instantly let go in surprise for his yell and Hotaru hunched forward in shock as soon as he was free, but the damage was done. Hotaru could feel the extra weight on his chest again. He had breasts and it was Hattori's fault. It Hattori hadn't touched him there, he wouldn't have thought about it and they wouldn't have come back. He'd just gotten rid of them, too! Now what was he supposed to do? He didn't have the vest on, so he wouldn't be able to hide it anymore!

"Taru-kun...?" Hattori asked, putting a hand on Hotaru's shaking shoulder. "Did I hurt you? I didn't--"

"YOU IDIOT!" Hotaru shouted, spinning in place to send his fist across Hattori's jaw hard enough to send him to the floor. Hotaru wanted to say more, but the words were caught in his throat due to the way that Hattori was staring up at him. He didn't seem to notice the pain from being punched. He was just staring and gaping... and it wasn't at Hotaru's angry expression.

"Y-You're a girl?" He finally whispered.

Hotaru paled. He wanted to deny the statement, but he was beginning to worry about himself. He'd Shifted too quickly. He hadn't even formed a coherent image before his body had changed. It made him ask the question: What was he? If a man was his natural form, why was he having so much difficulty keeping it? He'd never had this sort of problem before, but he'd also never Shifted so much at once before. What was happening to him? Was he losing control of his abilities? If he couldn't control it, was he going to eventually turn into that monster in his dream...?

_Looking down, he trembled at the sight of himself. He wasn't a man nor a beast. The scaled skin on his clawed hands was opaque, glowing orange from within as if he were a paper lantern filled with fireflies. His body was like that of an alien creature, distorted, elongated, and sexless. Touching his clawed hands to his face and his head, he cried out in horror at what he felt. _

Hotaru's breathe hitched in his throat as something tightened painfully around his chest. A stabbing pain in his heart sent him to his knees as the sound of clacking, rattling metal filled his ears. It was too much. He could hear Orinato shouting in worry, but the combination of pain and noise made it seem so far away. He couldn't think; he couldn't breathe. There was so much weight on his body that he couldn't move. It felt.... It felt... It felt as if he were being buried alive within the dark, cold depths of the earth.

He recognized the sensation, although he wished that he didn't. It was the same feeling that he'd been forced to suffer through when the Reckoning Chain had first been attached to him. It was grounding him to the world and binding him into a human form.

_Calm down_, a familiar voice whispered in his head as a warm, soothing Flame rushed through his body to warm it. The pain and the pressure disappeared in its wake, leaving Hotaru with the sensation of drifting in a breeze. _The Chains reacted because you pushed the limits of 'humanity', _the voice explained in his head. _Whatever you tried to Shift into, don't try it again. If you do, the Reckoning Chains will force you back._

_Who...?_

"We've already met," Kai-sensei chuckled as Hotaru slowly opened his eyes. Hotaru gaped for several long moments as Kai-sensei removed his hand from Hotaru's forehead, struck with the strangest sensation that he should recognize the man. Not just as Kai-sensei or even Wolfe-sensei, but someone else. He couldn't place it, though. "You're going to be just fine," he added with a smile as Orinato and Hattori sagged with relief next to him. "You might try talking to your Tutor. He was stuck as a baby for a long time, so he'll be able to understand what you're going through. I know that it's probably hard for you to put into words, but verbalizing it a little might help you get better control. Right, Reborn?"

"Correct," a dangerously calm voice said from behind him. Hotaru paled as he looked over his shoulder. A glance was all it took to see that Reborn was more than angry; he was pissed. Not only had Hotaru not informed him of his troubles, but he'd fallen over three times in the space of one day. Hotaru didn't need to be told what that meant.

It meant training until he turned into goo.


	128. Chapter 128 Cheesecake

"Confess your sins and be cleansed," Gregory whispered as he fired a Trinity Shot into the back of his target's head. The effect was instant and sent the woman to her knees. Her tears wouldn't save her, Gregory knew. As soon as she opened her mouth, the confession began and the very men that she'd run to in hopes of being saved were quick to throw a pair of handcuffs on her.

And so ended the power of the so-called 'Saint Kim of Attorney".

"Good work," his team leader praised as he jumped down next to him in the winding alleyway. Gregory didn't reply, silently tucking his revolver back into hiding beneath his robes as he turned to head back to their meeting point. No matter how many times he accepted an assignment, he swore that he'd never get used to it. He understood the necessity, but it left a bad taste in his mouth. It was true that their target had done bad things, else she wouldn't have been arrested after speaking the truth. However, the proportion of her punishment compared to her crime seemed wrong. Her long career of legal work was going to be ruined due to this and all she'd done was accept a few monetary gifts that she shouldn't have.

No, Gregory amended. What she'd done in the past didn't matter. Just as he expected others to trust his predictions, he also had to trust in his teammates. Chiklet had predicted that there was going to be a bombing in France within twelve hours. Brother Donald had predicted that the only way to stop it would be to put Saint Kim in jail. Nelson had used his abilities to track her down and Rey had done the necessary actions to get her scared enough to run to the police. After that, it was Gregory's job to make her confess, which he'd done.

He couldn't see the connection between the woman and the bombing, but he had faith that it was there. After all, that was how the Illuminati worked. By using their abilities, they created the smallest of changes which would cause a butterfly effect. Their team members were still only considered Rookies, though, so the butterfly effects that they were assigned to trigger were usually small ones to stop bombings, terrorism, and murders of key people. The more experienced teams dealt with the world-wide butterfly effect management. As for the members at the top, Gregory hadn't met them since the initial meeting. They were too busy keeping watch over the world and deciding what effects to create to bother with a lowly Priest such as himself.

"You need to loosen up, Greg," the team leader, Chaos, commented as he lit a cigarette on the walk back. "That stuffy Church that you're staying at is starting to wear off on you."

"It's not that," he replied solemnly.

"Oh, I get it," Chaos chuckled. "It's the gun that you got in the mail from that old Priest. You're still not comfortable with firing it." Gregory nodded, still wondering why Father Robert had sent him such a thing. Admittedly, it was useful. Trinity Wafers were the Vongola Priest's legacy and the revolver that he'd been given could turn normal bullets into Special Trinity Bullets. Their assignments had become easier to complete after he'd figured out a shot could pull the truth out of anyone, but it all felt so muddled. What were the ethics of using such a thing? "I don't think you have to worry so much, Greg," Chaos said, taking a long draw off his cigarette. "Even a gun that fires regular bullets is still just a tool. As long as you choose the right time and place to use it, I don't think that you're doing anything wrong. It's not like you killed that woman. Yes, she'll take a hit to her reputation, but isn't that a small price to pay for saving hundreds of lives?"

"But she's innocent," Gregory murmured sadly. "It doesn't seem fair to force the price on her."

"Che," he spat. "Then what would you have done differently? Would you rather have us walk up to her and say 'Hey, can you go to jail for a few days? We predicted that it's the only way to stop a bombing that's going to happen hundreds of miles away, we have no clue what you have to do with it, and we have no proof to show you, but you should be dutiful to your fellow man and throw away all of your hard work to save them just because we said so.' As if she's going to listen to us! She'd think that we're nut cases and we'd lose the opportunity to complete the assignment!"

"I know," he whispered mournfully. "I'm not that idealistic. The world isn't that kind." Chaos flinched and fell silent for a moment as they turned the corner, going from the winding alleyway and onto a cobblestone street.

"Sorry," Chaos finally grumbled. "I forgot about your brother. It just irritates me sometimes. I know that I come off as an asshole, but we can't be naive. Our team is only going to get harder assignments as our rank gets higher. What are you going to do when the only way to stop a war is to set off a bomb ourselves or steal a national treasure even if it means that we have to kill the guards to get to it? Are you going to wuss out and say that you can't do it? On that kind of scale, our resolve has to be unbreakable. If you're shaken at only this level, you're going to be stuck in rookie teams for the rest of your life."

"You're speaking from experience," Gregory stated, already aware that Chaos had botched his last two opportunities for a promotion. Predictably, Chaos' mood turned sour and he stormed ahead without him. It made Gregory laugh. It made him laugh because, for all that Chaos tried to act like a delinquent, he was the straightest arrow in the whole team. Gregory had heard about Chaos' two failures. The first had been to save a suicidal office worker that his team had been assigned to push off a ledge. The second time, he'd stopped a man from getting into a rigged car. He simply couldn't ignore the people in front of him when it came to life and death situations. That was why he was still with a rookie team even though he had five years of experience. He'd chosen to stay there rather than take such a large leap of faith.

If only Hotaru could take the leap of faith, Gregory thought as he turned his mind to other things. He wanted to call his brother dense for not realizing that their father was right in front of them, however he knew that Hotaru wasn't actually that dense. Hotaru just wasn't capable of making the connection. First of all, it was too good to be true and Hotaru was suspicious of such things. For all that he had his moments of innocent youth, he was simply too jaded. Recognizing Kai as the Tenth wasn't as easy as putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Hotaru had to first open his heart and believe that it might be possible. Until he allowed his heart to hope, he was always going to be blinded from the truth. It didn't matter how many clues he was given. Unless he set aside his skepticism and allowed himself to be a little idealistic, a happy fantasy would never be able to come true for him.

It also didn't help that Hotaru was hiding his Father Complex. It was true that Hotaru hated their father. After all, Hotaru had been compared to him for most of his life. Getting out of the shadow of 'the Tenth's son' wasn't easy, even for Gregory. Hotaru got irritated when he was seen only as 'the Tenth's son' because he wanted to be seen as his own person with his own abilities and his own accomplishments.

However, hiding under underneath that visible hatred was a side that Hotaru rarely let out. It was the side that adored the Tenth and loved him with all of his heart. The Tenth had done something that Hotaru couldn't: he'd been himself. He hadn't let the people or the world around him determine who he could love or how he had to act. He'd made his own choices and he'd had the determination to see his choices through even though half of the Mafia had objected to those choices. He'd been respected by even his enemies and, although he repeatedly got called naive, it was always said with fondness and smiles. He'd been strong, kind, and patient. Any son would have been proud to call him a father. The only reason that Hotaru wouldn't was because his pride was a double-edged sword. If he loved the Tenth, he'd fall into the shadow of being the Tenth's son. If he hated the Tenth, he wouldn't.

Gregory guessed that the see-sawing between the extreme degrees of love and hate was the reason why it was called a 'complex'. Of course, everything about Hotaru was complex, which was probably why he'd missed the last three days of school. No one had seen him since he'd supposedly revealed that he was a girl in Home Ec class. The news was currently the buzz of the Mafia, but the Vongola were curiously tight-lipped over it all. As they should be, Gregory thought. Boys didn't just turn into girls overnight and Hotaru had a clear-cut history of being a boy. It wasn't as if he'd always been a girl and had just been hiding it. There were still plenty of people who remembered seeing him with his shirt off during sparring practices and his reputation at Pink's was known to all.

Perhaps Archie could shed some light on the situation-- No, Gregory instantly amended. He wouldn't ask Archie about something like this. He was still paying off the prices from the last three times that he'd needed something. That was actually why the group was meeting at the subway station to head to Venice Row. He still had twelve bottles of Black Liquorice Rum to drink and only one week left to do it in.

It made Gregory wish that Archie was a physical person so that he could punch the unholy demon. That guy kept coming up with the strangest prices for his information. The first price of loving his father and mother had been semi-understandable. After all, it'd made him into a better person and had allowed him to make the leap of faith to recognize Van Wolfe. However--! Things had gone downhill since then. After that, he had to move a bird's nest from one drainage gutter to another drainage gutter across the street. Then, he had to work a newspaper route for two weeks. After that, he had to stay up all night watching movies or dance for three hours on a roof or take a picture of a rainbow. It was all so disjointed and random, especially the latest ones. He had two weeks to drink twenty bottles of Black Licorice Rum. Did Archie even know how hard it was to find Black Licorice Rum? There was only one place that had it and that was Pink's! And even she didn't have twenty bottles! She'd only had six and she'd had to order more! And the taste--! It was horrible! It kept turning his tongue black and that wasn't even the worst part! For the last price, Archie had demanded he smoke a pipe at midnight for three weeks running--!

He felt sick by just thinking about it. Drinking and smoking in a strip club.... He'd be dead meat if Father Robert ever found out. However, the information that was going to get was important. He had to know. After he finished paying the price, the information he'd requested could possibly affect the lives of several people that Gregory held dear. Archie knew just how much Gregory needed that information. Even though it was only for personal business, he couldn't just stand back and watch... _that_... happen.

There was still time, he reminded himself. The future that had been predicted was still a long time away. There was still plenty of time left to create a butterfly effect that wouldn't be disruptive to lives like the one that they'd recently triggered had been. Even just a little nudge here and a bit of a push there would be enough. He just needed to know the when and where to get the effect that he wanted. He couldn't ask for his team's help, either. This was personal business, so he had to deal with it personally. However, they were all aware that his method of prediction had a price and they knew that it was difficult to pay his current prices alone, which was the very reason that they were willing to follow him to such a sinful place.

"Success," Chaos called as soon as they saw the rest of their group waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Chiklet and Nelson cheered, but Brother Tize and Brother Donald just silently bowed their heads and broke off from the group to head home. As for Sister Rey, Gregory was surprised to see her stay even though she was aware of their intended destination. Was she truly planning to follow them into a strip bar even though she was still wearing her nun's habit?

Apparently she was, since she silently followed them onto the subway car and into the last car. Gregory felt a little guilty for making Chaos use his Mafia card to get them access, but he didn't want to use his own MIC unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, it was completely possible that each swipe was catalogued and sent to their Bosses to report their activities. Letting Hotaru know that he was going to a strip bar was the last thing that he wanted to do.

After a five minute ride, the side doors opened to let them out into Venice Row. Almost immediately, Gregory's cassock attracted attention and so did Sister Rey's garments. Chaos did his best to pull attention onto him by being loud and obnoxious, but the eyes continued to flicker in Gregory's direction. After all, a Priest in Venice Row was a very rare sight. Thankfully, a few eyes widened in recognition and a few brave souls waved at him in passing. One in particular even had his friends wait so that he could run over and--

"I never got to thank you, Brother Gregory," the man exclaimed as he thrust a box of chocolates into Gregory's hands. "I don't know how you knew where to find it, but my daughter wanted me to give you this for telling her where it was. I'd give you more, but--"

"I can't accept this," Gregory interrupted gently as he handed the box back. The man gaped, knowing as well as Gregory did that the box of chocolates weren't cheap ones. "I didn't help because I wanted anything. I helped because it was the right thing to do. If you want to show your appreciation, then take these back and share them with your daughter. I'm sure that it'd bring a smile to her--"

"Stupid," Chaos blurted, slapping the back of Gregory's head as Chiklet snatched the box away from both of them. "Just ignore this would-be beggar," he continued, putting Gregory in a headlock so that he couldn't argue. "He's grateful for the gift and feel free to call on him again. He just lives to help as many people as he can."

"B-But--!" Gregory spluttered as Chaos dragged him away.

"Shut up, you stupid Priest," Chaos growled without letting go of Gregory's neck. "We don't get paid for our job and you can't expect to always find ways to get your information prices for free. That's why we all take side-jobs. If someone wants to give you something expensive in appreciation, then just take it. Since the feelings are enough for you, you can sell the gift and save the money to pay for the things that you need. Or do you think everyone is always just going to hand you free booze and tobacco when you need it?"

"Oh," Gregory gaped. That was true. Pink was doing him a favor by letting him have the Rum on credit this time, but he still had to pay her back. He hadn't thought of selling gifts to make up that money--

"You were going to sell it?" Chiklet asked from behind them. As soon as Chaos let him go, Gregory turned in place and felt his jaw drop. Most of the box of chocolates was already gone and there were suspicious smudges on both girls' lips! "Sorry, Brother Gregory," Chiklet mumbled apologetically, turning a set of puppy-dog eyes on him that made his stomach flip. "I thought it'd be a waste not to eat them. If you like, you can have some of my gum to replace them."

"It's fine," Gregory sighed, touched that she'd offer her favorite candy to him as repayment. "Chocolates are made to be enjoyed, so--" Gregory froze as both girls' hands lashed out to steal the last two pieces and stuff them into their mouths.

"Gluttony," Nelson admonished from his unnoticed position at the edge instead of end of their group. The comment sent a blush into both girls' faces and made them instantly bow their head in repentance.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

"Watch yourselves," Chaos added, lighting another cigarette as he turned to lead them down the path to Pink's. "You guys don't want to end up like me before you even graduate." Gregory smiled at the comment and traded knowing glances with the rest of the team. Chaos wasn't fooling anyone. For all that he kept trying to set himself up as an example of what not to be, he was an honest and sincere man with a good heart. Missions would be much more difficult without him leading.

For example, he would've never gotten the nerve to step into Pink's without him. Unable to decide where to look, Gregory kept his eyes cast downward at the silver flooring and prayed that Chaos would be able to find them somewhere to sit where they wouldn't attract very much attention. A booth would have been more preferable, but they didn't have the kind of money needed to rent one for even an hour.

"Just who in God's name do you think you're groping?"

Gregory froze in his tracks along with the rest of his group. That had definitely been Sister Rey's voice, but that tone.... That tone heralded the last thing that Gregory wanted.

"Oh shit," Nelson choked as they all turned to find Sister Rey standing off against a man twice her size.

"I haven't groped anything," the man spat in anger at the accusation. The statement made Gregory and all of his teammates pale in unison. Sister Rey was an expert in immediate-future predictions. Her predictions were unreliable if she saw more than twenty minutes ahead, but she saw all possibilities within that limit and could always choose the best course of action. In this case, it meant that the only way to keep herself from being groped was to confront the culprit as if he'd already done it. There was one flaw with that, though, and that was that the man hadn't done it yet. Just thinking of doing something wasn't a crime.

"Yes, you did!" She snapped angrily as the argument began to draw attention. "Apologize immediately!" Gregory opened his mouth to intervene, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Chaos was shaking his head, silently telling him to stay out of it. After a moment of hesitation, Gregory followed the order. Sister Rey wasn't the type to get upset over simply being grabbed. She would have prepared herself for such ill-manners before following them. There was something else going on.

"What did you say, bitch?" The man yelled, reaching out to grab Sister Rey by her collar and pull her off the ground. Chaos squeezed Gregory's shoulder, giving him the signal to move. With a swift draw, Gregory had his gun out and aimed at the guy while Chaos flanked around to stop the man's raised fist with his stole, Chiklet pulled out her athame as she moved into position at the man's waist, and Nelson pulled out his prayer beads to begin building power for a spiritual strike.

All of them paused as soon as they were in place, allowing the man a chance to understand his situation and repent before the situation was forced to escalate. However, the attack had its immediate consequences. The man's friends reacted in a semi-speedy manner, pulling out their own weapons to create a standoff that couldn't end prettily.

"Oi," Sister Rey grinned, ignoring the atmosphere completely in order to speak to the man holding her off her feet. "A rabbi, a priest, a nun, a monk, and a witch walk into a bar.... Would you like to hear the punch line or should I pull out my Holy Ruler and just slap your naughty hands?" The man stared at her, torn between the need to laugh and his anger at being accused. Laughter won out, breaking the tension enough so that the weapons were withdrawn as Sister Rey was slowly put back down. However, Sister Rey wasn't done yet. As she straightened her habit and took a deep breath, she said, "You made the right choice. Idle hands do the devil's work and you'll thank me in thirty seconds for stalling yours."

"Why's th--"

"Herbert...?" A woman called curiously from the entrance. The man froze, paled, blushed, then finally turned to stare at the woman with bulging eyes.

"Lucy...?" The man choked. "What are you doing here? No, wait--" he spluttered, looking back and forth between the newcomer and Sister Rey in confusion.

"Just go and try to stay out of trouble," Sister Rey smiled. The man nodded, murmuring his appreciation before turning to meet the girl. After two steps, he froze in a way that made Gregory and his whole group grin. Then, he shook his head and continued on his way as just another incidental victim of prediction.

"So much for staying low-key," Chaos sighed in resignation. "Nelson, you go secure instead of find the table that'll be empty on the left side in one minute. I'll go get the drinks."

"I'll have a juice--" Chiklet said with a pleased grin.

"I already know," Chaos grumbled, waving away the attempts to make requests before the rest of them could even open their mouths. Gregory shook his head to himself as the crowd parted to let them through. When they reached the appropriate table at the perfect timing to claim it, he swore that, no matter how many years passed, he'd never get used to being around people with active precognition.

Although, a part of him hoped that it was a prediction that would turn out false.

* * *

Tsuna waited patiently for the lights in the house to go off and for the residents to go to bed. The house had guards on the front doors and the back with two men patrolling, but the Family wasn't prestigious enough to need more under normal circumstances. After all, Tsuna was the only fool who'd target them. They were simply too good at keeping themselves out of the spotlight and out of trouble.

Regardless, they were Tsuna's target and he had never failed when he put his mind to something. Tonight, he had his mind set to sneak into a particular second floor window and leave a little present. It wasn't much, but it served his purposes.

As the last light went out, Tsuna had to smother his impatience so that the Family had time to slip into actual sleep. He couldn't be seen. That was his number one goal for this night. No one outside of a select few was to know that it'd been him to break in. Training, he reminded himself. Although the Family wasn't one to be feared, he still couldn't let his guard down. He could just as easily die from a bullet shot by a cheap gun as one shot from an expensive one.

When he felt that the time was right, he slipped off of his tree-top perch, down to the ground, and into the shadows. He focused all of his concentration into smothering his presence, knowing that Lord Nephriam's dogs would be on him if he let out so much as a hint of himself. As he made his way to the back corner of the Family's manor walls, he occasionally paused to determine the movements of the guards on the other side by using his sense of hearing and sense of smell to guide him. A quick jump got him over the wall and he crouched behind a bush as soon as the coast was clear. A nearly silent rush got him across the yard and he barely managed to climb a drainage gutter and onto the roof before the patrol came back around.

Giving the men time to pass by, Tsuna caught his breathe before peeking out to see the situation below. His heart felt as if it were racing a mile a minute and his senses were heightened by excitement. When he'd been younger, he'd always hated the feeling, but he was enjoying it now that he had the experience to appreciate it. It was the feeling of being alive and it only got better with each step he took after that.

Crawling along the roof, it was a challenge to stay silent as he tried to find the right window. When he finally found it, it was even more of a challenge to get it open without being noticed. Especially since there was no outside window sill and he had to hang upside down from the gutter. Especially since it was locked and he had to cut out a pane of glass to unlock it without being heard, seen, or caught. Three times, he had to jump back onto the roof and hide as patrols came back around to the side of the House, but he finally had success.

As he slipped through the window and quietly closed it behind himself, he had to smile at the smell in the room. It smelled just like...

"Bbb," the baby said from his crib. Tsuna grinned even more, delighted to hear that the baby was still awake. He couldn't wait to see the little guy--or girl!--that had been born while he'd been recuperating. Pulling out his present, he set the teddy bear on the changing table for safe-keeping as he peeked over the railing to see what Eric had managed to create. He was adorable. Tsuna couldn't keep the smile off his face as the baby looked up at him in curiosity. He was as bald as a Christmas ornament and his eyes shone like one, too.

"Hello," Tsuna whispered in greeting. The baby began to make a face as if he wanted to cry, but Tsuna quickly pulled off his mask so that he wouldn't be scared. "It's okay," he soothed, reaching in to offer a finger for him to hold onto. The baby grabbed it and immediately tried to stick it in his mouth. Tsuna let him, grinning once more at the feeling of little teeth digging into his skin. "It's dangerous to bite that," he whispered, pulling his finger away in order to grab the teddy bear to offer instead. "Try this. It's not as good as a teething ring, but it's all I've brought this time. I didn't know if I was going to be meeting a baby girl or a baby boy."

Tsuna chuckled to himself when the baby sneezed in reply, but he didn't seem to mind Tsuna's presence once he had his new teddy bear to chew on.

"I'd hold you, but that would make it hard to run if someone came in," Tsuna sighed as he laid his head down on the side of the crib to watch the baby play. "I wonder if they really named you after Suoh. If so, your papa is more of a simple-minded man than I thought. He's also so kind that it scares me sometimes. I shouldn't have the right to be here, but your papa still lets me. See, your papa chose a godfather for you that has a lot of problems. You deserve to have someone that can always be right there over you to protect you, but I don't have the power to do that anymore.

Years ago, I lost my memories and I made some wrong choices after I got them back. I trusted the wrong people and now I've got to be very careful in every move that I make, because there are a lot of people out there that my enemies would target just to get to me. My enemies are more cunning and more dangerous than even Gabriel was, but they have a lot in common. So while it helps that I have some experience in dealing with that type of foe, I'm afraid that dealing with him means that I won't get to see you as much as I want to and I really do want to. I want to see you and your papa and your mama and everyone else a lot more than I show. I know I can't but.... but just know that I'm always watching. Always." Tsuna smiled down at the baby one last time as he straightened up, seeing that the baby had fallen asleep to the sound of his voice. As Tsuna opened the window and prepared to slip back up to the roof, his mischievous side kicked in. Raising his voice, he added, "Sweet dreams, Mr. Brahms."

The bitten-off curse that he heard through the baby-monitor was all that he could have hoped for. So were the running footsteps going down the hallway as Tsuna grabbed hold of the roof's eaves and flipped himself up before the patrol could see him. Watching from above, he got to see as Eric poked his head out the window and cursed a second time while he looked left and right to see where Tsuna had ran off to. It made Tsuna grin. Everyone always forgot to look up--

Tsuna's breathe hitched as a sharp pain went through his back. Spinning in place, he didn't manage to get a glimpse of his attacker before he tumbled off the roof. However, the man's whispered words still reached his ears.

"Lord Nephriam sends his regards," Tsuna heard before landing on the ground hard enough to break bone. He felt something crack--a lot of somethings actually--but he knew that he had to move. Lights were turning on throughout the estate as the guards yelled and ran toward him. No matter how much Tsuna wanted to shout that Lord Nephriam was breaking their deal, the truth was that he'd broken it first.

_"The evidence is gone, so no one will believe you if you try to betray me," Lord Nephriam warned quietly in the empty, closed space that had once been the Werewolf House's dining room. Now, however, it was nothing more than a murder scene__._

_"How could you?" Tsuna asked in disbelief as he pulled Lady Italia into his arms. "Why, Nephriam?! She loved you! We all cared for you!"_

_"You wouldn't understand," he replied, h__is mask slipping enough to show a set of dead eyes that had previously blazed with h__atred._

_"You never gave me a chance to understand, so how could I?" Tsuna asked while he tried to stay calm. "I trusted you. Is this how you answer people that trust you?"_

_"Ah," he confirmed as the mask of disgust settled back onto his face. "Are you honestly Vongola the Tenth? If so, you should know what trust is to a man of power. It's a tool and all tools can be discarded when they're no longer useful."_

_"You bastard--"_

_"The Vendiche will be here soon," he warned with a satisfied grin spreading across his face. "Be a good pup and go into your cage. If you manage to figure a way out of it, I'll be watching you and I'll leave you to your own devices as long as you don't try to bite your Master. If you get in my way or __try to regain status or power, I'll put you down like the dog that you are."_

_"Fine," Tsuna growled, knowing that he didn't have time to debate. He only had one chance at negotiation. "I won't interfere with whatever you're planning. I'll leave that to others. However, I want a promise that you'll go after me directly. Don't try to attack my friends."_

_"Refused," he replied instantly. However, his eye twitched in a way that Tsuna couldn't make sense of_ _before he offered, "If they get in my way, I'll have no choice.... But I can promise that I won't hurt them to get to you unless you leave me no choice. If you want to keep them safe, then give me options by staying powerless, werewolf."_

He'd admitted that he was Van Wolfe. Even if it was only to a few young Mafioso, rumors could spread like wildfire. By admitting his past, he'd reclaimed bonds that could give him power--should he choose to use them. By returning to the school, he was in a position to blow Lord Nephriam's whole operation wide open. A few words placed in the right ears would have him watched enough so that it was just as hard for him to move as it was for Tsuna. Tsuna couldn't, though. While there were people out there that he could call in favors from, he didn't have a Family to support him anymore. There was nothing holding him up other than his own stubborn refusal to give up. Of course, Lord Nephriam probably knew that, too. That was why he'd sent an assassin to give him only a warning that he was being watched. He wanted to make sure that Tsuna's stubborn nature wasn't making him forget their deal.

Stubborn, he repeated to himself. Stubborn and reckless were really the two things that he was best at. It didn't make sense to change that now.

Ignoring the pain going through his body, Tsuna pushed himself off the ground and shakily forced himself to stand. He was still disoriented from the impact, but he could sense the anxious patrol guards around him and he could smell the oil that they'd used to polish their guns with. Yelling... They were yelling, too, but he couldn't make sense of the words. There was something about lying back down, but he couldn't do that. He had to be stubborn and Hungry--no! Stubborn and reckless, not stubborn and Hungry. Although, he was kind of getting Hungry, too. How much blood had he lost? Quite a bit from the slick feeling under his feet as he shifted to focus his attention to the guards. The guards didn't look very tasty--Strong--! They didn't look very strong!

"Shit," Tsuna hissed, shaking his head gently in order to get his senses straight. It was dangerous. He had to get away before he snapped completely. If he could get somewhere where he could have breathing room to think straight, he could tend to his wounds and take a booster pill to make up for the injuries. Ah--! There was a wall. If he jumped that wall and ran away a little bit, the untasty morsels around him wouldn't bother him so much.

That was what he'd do. He'd run. He was good at running. He'd already been doing it for the past ten years, so he had experience.

* * *

With a well-placed left jab, Gokudera's opponent lost his balance and landed squarely on his rump. The onlookers clapped politely at the knockdown, but Gokudera wasn't satisfied. Sparring with idiots who didn't throw a punch outside of the company gym wasn't a real match at all. If he was going to get in real shape and get his senses back, he needed a partner that could actually threaten him. Unfortunately, Ryohei had a standing job during the week and wouldn't be available to train until mid-afternoon at the earliest. Even Takeshi was busy with something. It made him wonder if the two were really as serious about this as he was. He knew that they all still had lives to live, but their determination would open a path if they really wanted it to.

"Che," Gokudera spat as his partner waved to say that he wanted to stop. It was pathetic. Neither of them had even broken a sweat yet and the guy was already bowing out! It made him so damn frustrated!

"What are you getting so agitated for?" Gokudera paused with his headgear under his arm and his gloves clenched in his fist and glanced over to find that the President of Vongola Corp had made a surprise visit. He was sitting on a weight bench with his legs crossed and an amused grin on his face, looking as if he'd been watching for some time. Gokudera couldn't ask how long, though, because he was struck speechless by the way that the Eleventh looked. He was wearing a suit, but the tie was missing and the collar was unbuttoned down to...

"I know I didn't get hit that hard," Gokudera mumbled, rubbing his eyes to make sure that they weren't damaged.

"Don't let it bother you," the Eleventh said with a chuckle. "My abilities have some unfortunate consequences, so the breasts come and they go. It was a hassle at first, but Reborn has trained to the point where I'm not thrown off by the Shift."

"I-Is that so?" Gokudera replied as he ducked under the ropes of the sparring ring and stepped down to meet him.

"A few days as a beach waiter can do that," he said with a flinch. As he stood, Gokudera gestured to offer to escort him on a tour of the company and Hotaru accepted with a smile as he continued his explanation. "After being stared at in a bikini, it's pretty hard to feel self-conscious in a suit. Reborn's methods are frustrating, but I've got to admit that they work."

"It's still a pretty short time to adjust to something like... ahem... that," Gokudera said, firmly keeping his eyes pointed ahead rather than accidently look down at something he shouldn't.

"Well," he mumbled in a sheepish tone. "I only had two days to make to raise money to pay for my plane ticket back home. If I couldn't make it, Reborn said that he was going to make me run Don Girarde's obstacle course in the nude. With that kind of threat hanging over my head, failure wasn't an option. Goku-sensei--" He added as he came to an abrupt stop. "Look at me." Cringing inside, Gokudera followed the order and was slightly dumbfounded when he noticed the gleam of true maturity in Hotaru's eyes. "I'm still the same person as I've always been. My outside appearance might be a little out of the ordinary, but sex is just a tool. That means that gender is a tool, too. If I can switch mine, it just means that I have a bigger toolbox to choose from. You don't have to walk on eggshells around me. I'm nobody's little Princess and I haven't changed. I'll admit that I was hyper-sensitive about the issue at first, but I've learned something important since then--"

"I reminded him of the true reasons behind the Vongola Voyeur Calendar," Reborn explained, popping up behind Gokudera so abruptly that he thought his heart was going to stop. "Now that he's in a position to really understand why his father chose to act nonchalant about the matter, he's been rethinking a lot of things."

"I was naive," Hotaru agreed with a crooked smile as he started walking again. "When Reborn first told me about the truth, I went through it in my mind, but I still couldn't really come to a conclusion about it. I understand a little better now. I'm aware of how embarrassing my gender switching will be since I still can't seem to control of it, but the best way to deal with it is to ignore it. If I pretend that it doesn't matter to me, the fuss will die down faster and people will come to look at it as just another brilliant Vongola plan instead of something to mock or laugh about.

The Tenth... he really didn't have it easy. I've read his journals and the files in the database, but I don't think that I really tried to put myself in his shoes. Instead of trying to see into his heart, I closed myself off and became a spectator. It's no wonder that my intuition became unreliable. I'm not as accepting as a Vongola Boss is supposed to be. That's not something that I think that I can change, either. At least, not right away. I still have a lot of issues with the Tenth that aren't as easy to brush off and I've probably seen enough to give me grey hairs, so being open isn't something that I can do at a snap of my fingers.

I guess... I guess what I came to say is that you shouldn't worry if you hear anything. There have been some superficial changes, but I'm still me and I'm going to try my best to become a better Boss as long as the Family will have me. I also want to put it on record that I'm a guy. I need you to make a public statement, too, since we don't know how long it's going to take me to get control. You should say that the gender switching was caused by a trial drug that had been meant to replace transgender surgery. Vongola Corp has deemed the drug too unstable for further testing and has discontinued the research until further notice. My condition is under observation, but there is currently no risk to my life. Capiche?"

"Yes, sir," he replied, feeling somewhat relieved that the issue was going to be dealt with so bluntly. Trying to cover up something so visible would have taken a toll on everyone. Hotaru's excuse for it made sense and would keep people from turning heads when he finally did regain control of his abilities. "How long do you estimate that you'll be like this, Boss?"

"No clue," he replied with a wide smile. "I can't say that I'm used to this kind of situation. I thought that I could undo my Shifts whenever I wanted to, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The body remembers better than I do, so erasing its memory is going to take time."

"Speaking of time, we're late," Reborn interjected.

"Right," Hotaru sighed. "Well, I'll leave the press conference and everything to you, Goku-sensei. I need to go. I'm late for a rather pressing engagement."

* * *

Hattori thought that he was either about to die from happiness or pass out in awe. His heart was pounding so fast that it made him lightheaded and Hotaru's wasn't helping any. It hadn't been a trick of the light; Hotaru really did turn into a girl. He was still wearing the men's school uniform, but he'd loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar enough so that his cleavage was clearly visible. So was the lace edging on his black bra.

Hattori had to pinch himself repeatedly to make sure that he wasn't dreaming while Hotaru tasted the plate of gingerbread that he had made for him. It was the first time that Hotaru had ever eaten anything he'd offered. He also ate it in such a way that Hattori stopped wondering if he were dreaming. After all, Hotaru had never been so sensual in his fantasies, but the Hotaru in front of him had him so mesmerized that he couldn't do anything other than gape. Just the way that his lips closed around a curved piece of the heart and the way that he licked the crumbs off his lips made Hattori solemnly swear to never give up on Hotaru again. The wait had definitely been worth it. Completely. Totally--

Something was wrong. It was only for an instant, but there was a flash of sadness in Hotaru's eyes before he smiled and offered his compliments. Knowing that Hotaru was just trying to be polite, the compliments themselves went in one ear and out the other. He was smiling, but he wasn't happy. Hotaru was disappointed. What had he done wrong? He'd followed the recipe exactly. Had he baked them for too long? Were they too soft? Was there too much icing? No, he'd practiced and practiced until he'd made sure that they were perfect. The Tomaso Household was up to their ears in gingerbread. Had he forgotten something?

Oh--! He knew what was wrong. Snatching the gingerbread out of Hotaru's hand, he threw the whole plate in the trash and rushed to start over. There were still enough ingredients left and he had just enough time to make another batch if he hurried.

"Tori-kun!" Hotaru spluttered. "I said that they were good! Why did you--"

"Stuff a sock in it," he snapped. "They tasted like shit and you know it. I forgot the most basic thing when I made them this morning, so just hold on. I'll have them right before class is over."

"You don't have to--"

"Shut up," he repeated as he began mixing ingredients in the first bowl that came to hand. His classmates looked t him as if he was insane, but he couldn't screw up this chance. Hotaru might never eat anything that he made again if he didn't like his cooking. He had to make sure that Hotaru was happy with the outcome.

The thing that he'd forgotten was Vongola the Tenth. Hotaru was looking to find the cookies that his father had made, but there were things that couldn't be written down in a recipe. Things such as being able to physically seeing them being made so that Hotaru would have seen how much enjoyment had gone into creating them. There were things like how Hotaru had probably always eaten the Tenth's cookies while they were hot and fresh from the oven and he might not have made them as perfectly as the recipe demanded. The Tenth had his intuition to back up his baking, but Hattori didn't have that. He just had what he knew about Hotaru and his belief that someone might have simplified the recipe in the cookbook to make it easier for others to recreate the taste. Hotaru would be able to tell the difference between something made as if it were put together by a machine and something that was given a little extra--such as an extra dash of sugar and a hint extra of nutmeg. That might not be specifically what Hotaru remembered was different, but the key to making Hotaru happy was to keep himself from being perfect. No one could recreate his father's taste exactly. He needed something warm, good, and different. Something that would make his memories come out fondly instead of creating disappointment that it wasn't precisely the same.

Instead of perfect, Hotaru needed something warm and tasty that would surprise him.

Hattori didn't move an inch away from the oven while he watched them bake, being far too nervous of the outcome. The rest of his classmates were forced back into their kitchens after a while so that Ms. Bianchi could continue the grading, but Hattori ignored all of it. All that mattered was that he had to make cookies that Hotaru would want to eat again. Something with a fond taste, but without the bittersweet disappointment.

If he opened the oven now, they'd be too soft to eat until they'd cooled. He needed to bake it an extra few minutes so that they'd be the right hardness while they were hot. Now--! Pulling them out, Hattori didn't waste any time in letting them cool. He quickly piped icing on them without a care for how the icing quickly melted and hurriedly placed them on a plate. The bell was going to ring at any second. Charging over to Hotaru's station, the only thought in Hattori's mind was that Hotaru had to try them before class was over.

"Please," Hattori offered, holding out the plate full of cookies while trying to get his heart to calm down. Hotaru opened his mouth to say something, but Hattori silenced him with the sheer desperation in his eyes. He had to make Hotaru eat it while it was hot!

"Alright," he sighed in resignation. Reaching out, Hotaru paused as soon as his fingers touched the gingerbread cookie and an indescribable expression crossed his face. Staring down at the plate, Hotaru's jaw slowly dropped and he stood without moving for so long that his Right Hand walked over to see what was wrong.

"Are they poisoned?" Orinato asked as he reached out to take one. Hattori's heart sank. Hotaru was supposed to get the first--

"Touch that and you die," Hotaru growled, making everyone around him freeze.

No one was capable of moving as Hotaru carefully pulled the plate out of Hattori's hands. Carrying it with him over to a counter, he sat down on a stool and slowly ate one. Then two. Three. On his fourth one, he snapped his fingers to wake Orinato from his daze. Less than a minute after that, he was quietly eating a fifth cookie with a cold glass of milk in his hands. No one was sure how to react, including Hattori himself.

"Orinato, Hattori," he called after half the plate was gone. "Come try some before I eat them all." The blood rushed out of Hattori's face in his worry. They were good enough that Hotaru liked eating them, but what did they really taste like? He hadn't had a chance to try one before handing them over. Cautiously taking one from the plate, Hattori broke it in half and carefully nibbled. The taste that hit his tongue was indescribable. It wasn't really bad, but the alterations that he made were noticeable. It was noticeable enough that it changed the taste from the Tenth's extraordinary signature taste into something incredibly common.

"Taru-kun--"

"They're perfect," Hotaru interrupted before Hattori could apologize.

"But Boss--" Orinato objected. "This isn't like the Tenth's--"

"Exactly," Hotaru smiled. "Orinato, you were still in the orphanage back then, so you wouldn't have know this. The Tenth rarely came home. He stopped in at the Hayakeshi House on several occasions without ever bothering to stop by the estate while he was in Japan. After he sent mom and me back to Japan, I can count on my hands how many times I saw him. Because I couldn't remember anything from before the accident, he had trouble even looking at me and he knew that he'd only be getting everyone's hopes up if he showed up when he couldn't stay for more than a few hours. So, you actually saw him more than I did."

"Boss..." Orinato whispered with a pained expression.

"The recipe in the cookbooks was made after all the fine-tuning he did while he was away," Hotaru continued with a soft smile. "The gingerbread that I remember came from his earlier attempts. He never came back home to make me the upgraded ones, so the recipe in the books isn't the one that I've been looking for. Hattori was right to throw that other plate away. They were no better than what the chefs at home make. I'm not sure what he did differently this time but these are perfect. Taru-kun..."

"Yes?!" He blurted, straightening up tensely as Hotaru turned to look at him.

"Thank you," Hotaru said with a smile so bright that it was blinding. "I'll look forward to the next time that you make some."

"O-Okay..." he agreed in a daze. The daze continued even as the bell rang and Hotaru carried the plate with him out the door. He'd.... He'd done good. It started to finally hit him that he'd really done something right for once. Hotaru was happy. He'd made Hotaru--

"Good work," Orinato congratulated as his hand came down heavily on Hattori's shoulder. "But you're going to give me that recipe. Right?"

"Eh?" He blurted before saying the first thing to come to mind. "Hell no! If I give it to you, Taru-kun won't need me to make them anymore!"

"I don't care about that," Orinato replied with a dangerous smile. "I've been trying to find the right recipe for him for nearly six years now and you magically make them for him in less than a week? Don't expect me to accept that. You're going to give me that recipe whether you want to or not. Be smart and have it for me by tomorrow. You don't want to know the consequences if you don't."

Hattori was dumbfounded as Orinato patted his shoulder and walked away with a pleased smile on his face. He was dumbfounded at the sudden realization that Orinato wasn't what he seemed. He'd always been at Hotaru's side and followed Hotaru's orders as a good subordinate, but who exactly was Orinato? Now that he thought about it, he'd never even seen Orinato fight. He had no clue where Hotaru's Right Hand had come from, what their history was together, or what he was capable of. Was Orinato a hidden rival? No, they didn't interact that way together, but Hattori had a sneaking suspicion that Orinato was as mean under the skin as Hotaru was kind.

It made him pray that he could figure out some way to keep the recipe and get off Orinato's radar before the guy showed his true colors.

* * *

Aster was sated to the point that he didn't feel like moving. Never in his life had he enjoyed such great sex and that included his times with Kai. Although, there was something to be said about making a porn film--something painful. He'd made a miscalculation and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Having only werewolves for the actors and the crew had created an experience that was unforgettable. At the beginning, their scents had been intoxicating since everyone had been aroused in expectation. It'd been more than enough to draw Aster in after he'd removed the silken barrier from his sense of smell. He just hadn't predicted what would happen to the others after his scent had also been added to the mix.

One after another, every single one of them had gone berserk, including the camera crew. It'd started out innocently enough. The story was that a young, studious male college student, Aster, goes back to the dorm after studying in the library, only to walk in on his dorm roommate having sex under their sheets. Aster tries to ignore it and turns in for the night, but he doesn't know that the two in the other bed were on drugs. Then they notice Aster and decide to corrupt the innocent roommate by first plying him with drugs and drink, which then evolves into a tidy bit of threesome foreplay including several make-shift toys that they found lying around. After a while of fingering and some cruel probing of Aster, the guys in the neighboring room come over to complain about the noise and also gets pulled in, turning it into a four-on-one fiasco.

It was at that point that everyone began losing it. The guys started forgetting the positions they were supposed to hold him in and the director forgot to call a cut so that they could all get some fresh air. The sound guy started screwing the guy giving Aster a blow job and everything had gotten a little out of control after that. Even Aster couldn't really remember much after he'd put his teeth into the thigh of his main co-star. It all blurred together into an orgy of sex and blood that he didn't think would be legal to reproduce and sell outside of Mafia Row. Assuming, of course, that the cameraman had continued doing his job even after taking his turn with Aster in his lap.

They were probably going to have to reshoot the second half again. Possibly more than once depending on how well the guys controlled themselves after they installed better ventilation into the set. Nothing was going to get done as long as they remained lying around, though. Aster needed to get up--

He needed to get up--

He couldn't get up. None of his limbs were answering to him. It wasn't because he was pinned either. It was that he couldn't feel his muscles tightening in response to the commands of his brain.

"Are you finally awake?" Aster heard next to his ear. His recognition of the voice made him understand why he couldn't move nor see. He wasn't buried under a pile of bodies. Kai had blindfolded him after using Needle Jutsu to paralyze him. What was he doing? No, more importantly, how had he gotten Aster away from the others without anyone arguing? Stupid question. This was Kai. No one would argue with him. The right question to ask was how Kai had known where the location of the video shoot was and why he'd paralyzed Aster while he'd been out.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously once he figured out that his mouth still worked. "This isn't like you, Kai."

"You're not acting like yourself, either," he retorted as his voice moved around him. "I thought you'd already grown past the phase where anyone would suffice. Do you really think that you're going to get Ulrich by acting like such a slut?"

"Acting reserved didn't help me get him," Aster snapped, growing angry at how Kai was toying with him. "What's with this blindfold? Undo the Jutsu and we can talk, Kai. I don't like this."

"Does it make you feel like a puppet?" He asked. Aster felt his legs pulled open and he blushed when Kai put Aster's hand on one of his exposed thighs. What was Kai seeing at this moment? Did Aster still have stuff on him from the film? What was he sitting on? With his legs opened like that, everything about him was exposed. "There you go," Kai said in satisfaction, lightly brushing a finger along Aster's length as it began to harden. "Your body likes it. You should be more honest with yourself. Here, this might be a little cold."

"Wha-ah!" Aster gasped and shivered as something cold and creamy was applied to his genitals and around his anus. "What is that? What are you doing?!"

"I'm making a new video to replace the one from before," he answered in laughter. "But we'll get to that in a moment. Why the porn industry, Astra? I can understand if you're trying to find a way to fulfill the sexual needs of your Family, but that's not the reason. You already had a way to deal with that by discreet pairings and by training concubines. It can't be because of money, either. The Wolfe Construction company is getting a good reputation and work has been pouring in since I did those commercials. You also have the revenues from the apartment buildings and the businesses in your territory. So why? Why porn? I can't understand why you'd choose to degrade yourself like that."

"It's not degrading!" He objected. "It's just sex! Everyone does it! If we can make money from it, then there's no reason not to!"

"Really," he replied in an unreadable tone. "In that case, you won't mind participating in what I have planned for my film." Aster blinked in the sudden light that hit his eyes after his blindfold was torn off. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust and, when they did, he felt cold from the blood rushing out of his body at once. Just five feet in front of him was a set of Doberman dogs chained to the wall. "Don't worry," Kai soothed, rubbing Aster's shoulders in encouragement. "They've been trained not to bite. They'll lick the peanut butter right off of you, though. You know, if you smear peanut butter just right, a dog can lick for hours before he'll give up on getting it all. I wonder how long you'll be able to stand it before their tongues make you--"

"You can't do this," Aster gaped, unable to believe that Kai would want him to do such a thing--and on camera no less!

"Why not?" Kai asked as he walked over to pet one of the dogs, showing that they were as real as he was. "That's why I paralyzed you. We wouldn't want these guys to get skittish while they're working because you tensed up."

"You can't make me do this!" Aster repeated. "It's--"

"Degrading?" Kai supplied calmly. "But it's not. It's just sex. There's no reason not to if it'll make money."

"B-but--" Aster objected, his heart flipping at hearing his own words thrown back into his face. "I don't want to! This kind of thing is disgusting! How can you expect me to--"

"But these guys love people and peanut butter," Kai replied with a wide smile as the dogs began leaning against their ropes due to the smell of peanut butter wafting through the air. "Since you have what they love, shouldn't you give it to them? Especially when so many people will pay to see you give it to them and since I know that you'll like it after you try it?"

"No!" Aster spluttered. "Who cares what they love?! They're just dogs! What about my feelings?! I don't want to do this! I don't want people to see something like that done to me! It doesn't matter if you think I'd like it! I said I don't want to!"

"You still haven't given me a reason not to," he replied solemnly.

"Yes, I have! Don't my feelings count?! Why would you try to make me do this when I already said that I don't--" Aster paused as understanding slowly dawned. This wasn't about a porn film. This was about Ulrich. Ulrich had already said that he didn't want to be in a relationship with him, but Aster was still trying to force him. Even if he made these videos, he'd still have to find some way to get Ulrich to watch them while ignoring Ulrich's opinions and feelings. Was that any different from Kai ignoring what Aster was telling him?

"Do you understand now?" Kai asked as his grin turned into a saddened expression of empathy. "If you love Ulrich, you've got to respect his feelings even if they're opposite of what you want. I know that it's hard for you since this is the first time that you've ever fallen in love, but there's a thin line between love and obsession. Ulrich likes you as a friend, but what you're trying to do is crossing the line. If you love him, then be satisfied with what he is willing to give you and continue living your life. Don't degrade yourself this way. With this method, even if you win... you'll lose in the end. Do you really want him to accept you because you became a slut or do you want him to take you as an upstanding partner?"

"I don't know," Aster admitted with tears growing in his eyes. "I just want him, Kai. What would it take to make him accept me?"

"Nothing you can give him," he answered bluntly as he untied the ropes from the wall and began leading the dogs out. "That's why you have to just let it go. I know that it hurts to be rejected, but it'll be less painful if you don't torture yourself like this. Just be yourself, Astra. Someone will eventually come along that's right for you. I know that you don't have it in your heart to believe me right now, so all I can ask right now is that you try to be more patient. Find things that you need to do or things that you might enjoy doing to take your mind off of things for a while. Just don't be so careless with yourself. Not everyone considers porn videos to be erotic. For some people, it's even more degrading than being licked by a dog and I, personally, don't want to see you degrade yourself like that again. Of course, the choice is up to you. If you want to continue making the video, it's your right to do so and I won't stop you. I... Well, never mind. I've got to get these dogs back. You'll be able to move again in a few minutes, too. Try to think about what I've said until then and consider the type of person you want to be. It's never too late to reinvent yourself."

* * *

Ross glared at everyone who tried to approach her and collapsed into the desk at the very back of the room so that none of her classmates would have to pass by her as they arrived to their first class of the day. She was completely worn out. She'd barely slept either, so she was grouchy, temperamental, and tired... and it was all Hotaru's fault.

It bothered her. After a weekend full of nightmares, she was finally willing to admit it. Realistically, she knew that she didn't have any chance with him. Every time they came across each other lately, it'd been one argument after another. She wasn't pretty, rich, or even popular while he was handsome, loaded with money, and the most wanted bachelor in the world. She knew that because she kept finding herself reading articles about him. She knew that they weren't a match, but a part of her really was bothered over him turning into a girl. Ever since that press conference explaining Hotaru's condition, she'd tried to be understanding. However, she was at her wit's end. If she had one more nightmare of Hotaru proposing to her in a wedding dress, she felt that she was going to flip out.

It wasn't just that, though. Not really. Everything about him was irritating lately. The way that he kept looking down on her and the way she'd caught him laughing over her modeling fumble to his goons. His goons irritated her, too. Half of them drooled over him whenever he was a girl and the way that girls touched him more often also annoyed her. She didn't care if they said that it was just innocent girl-to-girl contact. She was willing to bet everything in her wallet that they were only using that as an excuse to be at hand for when he turned back into a guy. That wasn't the problem, though. The problem was how Hotaru allowed the contact when he'd normally close himself off around women. He'd completely let his guard down!

The pesky, self-righteous, frivolous, snobbish, egotistical, spoiled playboy was truly and honestly getting on her last nerve. The most irritating part of it all was that he was enjoying all the attention that he was getting. He walked around as a woman twice as much as he did as a male. Before the weekend, people had attempted to tease him about making several magazine covers--in his mother's pink dress no less --but he'd just laughed about it and said that the garter belt had been hellish on his thighs. Did he not realize the impact that such a statement would have? Guys and girls alike had been all over him for because of it. He'd gone from being the "Untouchable Dark Prince" to the "Easy-going, Limitless Daredevil". Did no one else notice how strange that was?! Only a week ago, everyone gave him space and only admired him from afar. He never had more than three people to—ever!—eat lunch with him! By the end of last week, his sycophants had tripled and everyone was crowding around him to see what mind-boggling thing that he'd do next.

And he looked down on HER for modeling?! Well, she looked down on him for being such a fake! Who cared if he could turn into a girl?! It only made him into a pervert since he kept switching which locker rooms and bathrooms that he wanted to use! Like she didn't already have trouble changing without anyone seeing her body! Because of Hotaru, she'd been late to work on Friday because she'd had to wait for him to leave the locker room before she'd felt comfortable in just walking inside!

"Are you still mad because Kai-sensei didn't say anything before he ran away?" Poppet asked, looking over the back of the seat in front of Ross' desk in curiosity.

"No," Ross growled. Although, that was something else to also be angry over. The whole house had been tensed after her visit and she knew that the rest of the Family was keeping something from her. Why had Kai-sensei been there in the middle of the night and who had stabbed her? Ross had seen the knife in her back before she'd run away and Ross had tried to follow her, but the bitch was fast. She'd somehow managed to lose her after only two blocks and Ross had no clue where she was sleeping at night, so she hadn't been able to figure out out her condition. "But I'm going to go check to see if he showed up for class," she said, decisively getting to her feet again.

Accepting Poppet's offer to go with her, the two checked the time before leaving the classroom. They still had half an hour before class started, but Kai-sensei should already be in her classroom. They weren't prepared for the atmosphere when they got near it, though. All of the students were milling around, giggling and whispering in a way that made them seem like they were still middle school students. Even the sole thirty-year-old of the group was sheepishly waiting outside rather than enter the classroom.

"What's going on?" Ross asked bluntly, knowing that someone in the group would be willing to tell her all about it.

"Megan walked in on Kai-sensei and Mr. Poe doing it," one of the girls giggled in a particularly annoying way. The answer explained the current atmosphere, but Ross didn't believe the claim for even an instant. She didn't put it past the two to actually do something like that, but Kai-sensei wasn't the type of person to get caught unless she wanted to. Thankfully, someone who made less assumptions stepped forward to talk to her.

"I talked to Megan myself," Murlock sighed. "All she saw was a shirtless Kai-sensei with Mr. Poe's arms wrapped around him and leaning over his desk. It's possible that they were doing it, but--"

"Bandages," Poppet supplied with her own giggle, catching the attention of most of the class. "Kai-sensei got a knife wound over the weekend. Mr. Poe was probably just wrapping him up."

"That's not possible," Murlock argued. "Kai-sensei is a werewolf. He wouldn't need bandages unless..."

"Unless what?" Ross asked worriedly as Murlock's face turned white. Murlock shook his head and turned to shove his way through the crowd. Before anyone could stop him, he threw the door open and froze. Coming up behind him, Ross didn't see why he stopped. Kai-sensei was sitting on the edge of her desk with a large amount of bandages covering--his?!--upper torso instead of a shirt.

"Aww," Kai-sensei chuckled as he threw his shirt on and started buttoning it up. "And here I thought that I might be able to get some extra publicity with a scandal."

"Kai-sensei," Murlock gasped. "That wound--"

"It's not what you think," he soothed. "The Hunters have been quiet even on our end. This was just a little misunderstanding. It'll go away in a few days."

"But shouldn't it have healed?" Murlock objected, finally stepping inside so that the people behind him could get through the door. "That can't be a regular knife wound!"

"It's not," he confirmed with a crooked smile. "But it's not anything that you need to worry about. Teachers come in every day with wounds you students don't get to see. It was just my bad luck that my students don't seem to understand what a closed door means."

"But--"

"But nothing. It's already been treated and I've chosen to let it heal naturally," he said firmly. The expression on Murlock face didn't look satisfied and Ross decided to back him up. She didn't know what it was, but something else was going on here. Murlock's and her combined expressions of displeasure worked. Kai-sensei sighed and reached into his pocket to pull out a small package. "Do you know what this is, Murlock?"

"I see," he mumbled quietly while Ross tried to pretend that she recognized it. "I'll leave you alone then--"

"That's Werewolf treatment gum," Poppet exclaimed, making Ross jolt at the unexpected comment. "I knew a guy who was on it," she explained. "It made it so that he could go without blood."

"Exactly right, Poppet," Kai-sensei confirmed with a smile. "Recently, I've been too dependent on voluntary sources so I thought I'd try the treatment. Mr. Poe has volunteered to be my second, but I thought my students might understand the werewolf psyche a little better if they got to witness someone going through the Dehydration Treatment. If all goes well, I'll be practically human again by this time next year." Ross blinked in surprise. Werewolves could do that? It made her wonder why he'd stay a werewolf if--

"Now I get it," Murlock whispered. "So that's why everyone dislikes werewolves. Pathetic. Disgusting. Werewolves are just like dogs--"

"Oi," Kai-sensei snapped in warning.

"Murlock," Ross murmured, not understanding why he was getting upset.

"Well, he is!" Murlock blurted in anger. "I thought he was different, but he's just like the rest of them! All he wants to do is become human again! He doesn't give a damn about his own kind! I wish... I wish that the Vendiche really had killed him!" Ross gaped at him, shocked that he'd say such a thing as he stormed out the door before anyone could stop him.

"Poe," Kai-sensei whispered sadly. "You know I can't."

"I guess," Mr. Poe grumbled before following after him in place of Kai-sensei.

"Ross, Poppet, you better get back to your class," he continued after Mr. Poe was gone. "The bell should be ringing in fifteen minutes and you don't want to be late."

"But Murlock--" She objected.

"Poe will take care of him," he soothed. "He's just getting some backlash from having unrealistic expectations of me. It's a fact of life that only a small percentage of werewolves and vampires choose to be Changed into what we are. For the vast majority, we were Changed against our wills. Some of those people choose to think that it makes them special because they were Chosen and they develop a superiority complex. It helps them deal with the mental pressures of being Changed so that they can face with world without a victimized attitude. Others choose to face it as the trauma that it is and rebuild their lives by redefining themselves from the bottom up."

"And you, Kai-sensei?" Poppet asked curiously. "How did you deal with it?"

"It's been nearly a decade and I'm still working on that," he answered with a sad smile. "But I think it's important to remember that I was borne a human and I still carry that humanity within me. There is no cure for--"

"Kai-sensei?" Ross prompted when he fell silent with a thoughtful look on his face. Whatever he was thinking about disturbed him, but he quickly shook his head and smiled at both of them.

"It's nothing," he smiled. "Just head back to class. If you'd like to learn more, I'm starting some after-school tutoring classes for anyone who's interested. It'll be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Werewolves and Vampires are on the top of the list of materials to be covered, but we'll also be going over the material taught in class such as the Twenty Nine known forms of illusion, animal telepathy, and spiritual mysticism. All of it is fascinating, even for the uninducted."

Ross stared for a long moment, unable to comprehend what he was talking about. Was he trying to tell her that he wanted to tutor her again? If so, it didn't sound like it. Actually, his manner reminded her of the teacher that she had for chemistry. The man loved chemistry and believed that everyone shared his passion. Was Kai-sensei acting like that on purpose? If so, why was he choosing now to do so? It didn't make sense and her head began to hurt simply from thinking about it. Shouldn't he be more worried about Murlock?

Following Poppet's cue to leave, she felt strangely off-balance as she walked down the halls toward her first class again. Nothing Kai-sensei did seem to make sense anymore. Sometimes he was a melodramatic idiot. Sometimes he was an enthusiastic teacher. Sometimes he was a cool, veteran Mafioso. Sometimes he was something else entirely. It was starting to get difficult to understand him. He used to be so straight-forward and she could figure out his reasons for doing things if she just thought about it long enough. Now, though, he seemed so... mysterious.

How much did she really know about Kai-sensei?

The questioned bothered her enough that she left Poppet at the classroom door and chose to take a walk rather than to go to class. Walking through the halls until the bell rang, she walked outside and tried to find a place where she could sit and think without being bothered. As usual, all the good places were taken. The side of the school was full of dealers sampling each other's stashes. The back of the school was filled with the training courses and sparring grounds. The alley between the gym and the auditorium had lovers making out and the back corner between the school's side fence and the auditorium had--

"...But you said that you'd eat it if anyone made you some," a girl objected in a hurt tone while Ross flattened herself to the wall around the corner in fear that she'd been seen.

"I'm sorry," Hotaru replied calmly. "I should have chosen my words more carefully. I didn't mean to get your hopes up. I'm sure that they're delicious, but I can't accept them because of the reasons why you're offering them. A girl doesn't pull a guy aside to give him cookies unless she has some sort of hope for a connection. Your expectations are--"

"Save it," she interrupted tearfully. "I thought that you might understand because you're part girl now, but you're just a jerk!" Ross' eyes widened in surprise at the sound of Hotaru being slapped. Not once or twice either, but instead the sound of insults and the girl hitting him went on for so long that Ross felt as if her temper was going to snap in Hotaru's place. Hotaru wasn't stopping it, either. Why?! He could easily overpower any girl in the school except Ross. Did he think he was being noble or something? If so, she thought that he was being idiotic. Especially when the sound of slapping turned into the sound of punching and the insults devolved into simple crying.

"You can keep hitting me as long as you want," Hotaru offered when the girl paused to catch her breath. "But I don't think it's going to make you feel any better. You'll only end up leaving here with all your energy depleted, but I'll still be able to go to class as if I'd only slept in. It's not that your hits are light, but no one can put a bruise on me unless I want them to. I understand that what I said has hurt your feelings--" Slap. "--But I can't change how I feel--" Smack. "You seem like a nice girl when you're not mad, but--" Thud. "I'm just not interested."

"Why?!" She shouted shrilly. "I did everything I could! What is it about me that you don't like? Is it because you're really gay like everyone else says you are or--"

"I'm not gay," he said bluntly. "If I had to choose between a guy and a girl, I'd choose a girl. That's not the issue here. I just... I don't think I can fall in love."

"Eh?"

"I know that it sounds stupid," he said softly, taking advantage of her surprise to explain without being slapped again. "But I've been the Eleventh for most of my life. Trying to separate myself from my Family is impossible, so falling in love would mean handing the Family over along with myself. That's not something I can do. I won't threaten Vongola's stability by putting myself in a position where I'd throw everything away for one person. I know it sounds cold, but I can't betray their feelings by accepting yours. I'm sure that you're a really sweet girl, but you should find a man who is capable of falling in love with you. I'm sorry, but I'm not that person."

"So every time someone confesses to you, you think that they're also asking you to give them Vongola?" She asked in disbelief. "Wow. No wonder you have a reputation as a playboy. If I were you, I wouldn't date anyone but air-heads either."

"Heh," he chuckled. "I figured that you had to be smart to be a black-tie. Are you calmer now?"

"Yes," she mumbled sheepishly. "I'm sorry for hitting you."

"You had every reason to," he shrugged. "I broke your heart, so you tried to break my nose. That sounds typical for a Mafia woman. To be honest, it was a relief when you started hitting me. The last one that I turned down pulled a knife on me. When I told her that it was nothing personal, she said that she would have my heart one way or another."

"Che," she spat. "I should have planned ahead."

"Oi!" He spluttered in laughter.

"I better go," she added. "If I stick around any longer, I'll forget that I was rejected. You know, you're just as cold as everyone warned me you'd be, but a girl is going to come along one day that's going to make you warm up whether you want to or not. What are you going to do then, Mr. I-Can-Take-Whatever-Is-Thrown-At-Me?" The sound of footsteps running away proved that the girl wasn't sticking around for an answer, but Hotaru still gave one after she was gone.

"All the hearts that I've broken will come back to haunt me and then my heart will crumble," he said softly. She needed to leave, Ross thought. She should have left earlier, but she'd been afraid that she would've be heard or seen. No, she amended. She didn't need to leave. Hotaru was probably going to leave, which would give her a place to think. She just had to be patient until he was gone.

Without a care for the dirt on the ground, she picked a comfortable-looking spot to sit against the wall. Unfortunately, the sound of her sitting was echoed from around the corner. Hotaru was practically sitting next to her. Cursing him in her mind, she started to get back up, only to be stopped by the Billionaire-boy himself.

"You don't have to go," Hotaru said quietly.

"You don't have to stay," Ross grumbled, leaning her back against the wall in an abrupt, stubborn decision not to give up her newly-found thinking spot.

"I have no reason to leave," he replied, continuing with his abnormally subdued tone. "If anyone comes my way, they won't see you. If anyone comes your way, they won't see me."

"Oh-ho," she said, perturbed by his simple thinking. "So you're comfortable being around me as long as no one actually sees me with you?"

"Yeah," Hotaru murmured. Ross became speechless at the confirmation. She didn't know whether to be happy or angry. She was happy because he was kind of saying that he liked being around her. Yet she was also angry because of his selfish-- "It probably seems selfish of me," he added quietly as if he'd read her mind. "But you'd hate me if people started up any rumors about us. It's not that I don't like you... I actually really miss how we used to talk in the Library, but we've both got our Families to think about. Martelli is neutral and half the Mafia looks to Vongola for leadership. You're not allowed to pick a side and I can't betray the people that look up to me."

"You're irritating when you have a point," she grumbled.

"And you're irritating when you try to act like a girl," he countered. Ross' jaw dropped, once again unsure whether to laugh or get angry.

"And what's wrong with me acting like a girl?" She spluttered. "I am one, if you haven't noticed! And besides that, why do you care if I--"

"I don't want you to turn into one of the air-heads that I date," he answered, once again making Ross speechless. "I hate women who model. I can respect that they have their own type of fighting spirit to be able to get where they are, but a lot of them don't care who they have to step on to get to the top. I don't want to see you become like that."

"Che," she spat, once again becoming irritated by him putting her into a mold. "You're an idiot. I'm not going to become a model. That was just an extra credit assignment from Mrs. Nitts. I didn't want to do it, but she said that it was the only way that I could make up for failing the last semester of my etiquette class."

"What?" He yelped.

"Can you imagine me as a model?" She laughed. Plucking a blade of grass from the ground next to her, she fiddled with it while she explained. "I was ready to knock that bitch through a wall, but I had to hold myself back so that I wouldn't mess up your mother's dress. By the way, I blame that fight on you. If you hadn't gone into the changing room, those cunts wouldn't have known that we go to school together."

"Is that what it was all about?" Hotaru asked curiously.

"I told her that I was just there for an extra credit assignment and I didn't have any experience, but she didn't believe me," she replied with a sigh. "She accused me of ruining the show in an attempt to get close to you. Apparently I tripped on purpose just so that you'd come out and save me."

"Don't let it bother you," he laughed. "That kind of attitude is exactly what I hate about most women. They always jump to conclusions."

"And men don't?" Ross countered in exasperation. "What about you accusing me of modeling just to make easy money? What kind of an attitude was that?"

"That was me being worried you'd hurt yourself by doing something stupid," he answered, causing Ross' jaw to drop yet again. "But I did say that about you without thinking it through, so I'm sorry."

"And what about making fun of me to your friends?" She grumbled, unwilling to accept the apology so easily.

"That was damage control," Hotaru replied with a shrug. "I was trying to make everyone believe that I'm not interested in you." A blush immediately lit up Ross' face and she waited for him to take the statement back. He didn't, though. He let the statement stand, along with all the insinuations that went along with it. Was she reading too much into it? She knew that she wasn't the brightest of people when it came to figuring things out, but Hotaru was sending a strange mix of signals.

Subject change!

"Did you see that show on the gardening channel last night?"

Ross blushed even harder at the amount of laughter that answered the simple question. What was so funny about it?! He'd told her before that he sometimes watched gardening shows and marine documentaries to relax! It was a perfectly valid question! Alright, so it was an embarrassing question to choose, but she couldn't really get mad about it since she couldn't see his face. Actually, now that she thought about it, that was how most of their conversations had always gone. She'd mostly stayed hidden under a desk or in a tree or something else. She could count on one hand how many times that they'd actually talked face-to-face and the conversations had always turned out badly for one reason or another.

"Sorry," he said while he tried to get control of his laughter. "I was getting nervous about what you were going to say and you decided to talk about gardening. Most girls in your position would have said something else."

"Well, I'm not most girls," she mumbled sheepishly.

"No, you're not," he agreed. "I think that's why I like you so much. If it weren't for our Families, I'd probably..."

"You'd probably what?" Ross asked curiously when he trailed off.

"I... uh... I'd probably ask for your help," he answered, leaving Ross with the strange feeling that he'd been planning to say something else.

"Help with what?" She prompted. "If it's something that I can do without anyone knowing, then there shouldn't be a problem. I talked to my Boss about some things because I was getting confused on when it's okay to do things and when it's not. She said that it's fine to do whatever I want as long as I'm not showing favoritism to a Family or doing things for free."

"Then you'll help me as long as I owe you for it?" He asked in a hopeful tone.

"I didn't say that," she spluttered. "I haven't heard what you need help on."

"Oh," he mumbled. "It's... Well, it's kind of embarrassing, so you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Okay."

"You know that I can turn into a girl sometimes. Right?"

"Yes."

"And it's typically only happens when a guy touches me in a certain way or someone makes me think of myself as a girl."

"Alright..."

"The reverse is also true. When a girl touches me in a certain way or I think of myself as a guy, I turn into one."

"I think I understand."

"I don't like how my gender is unstable. I've been a guy for as long as I can remember. I... um..."

"Spit it out," she ordered. "What's this have to do with me?"

"If I kiss you, I might be able to remain as a guy longer," he blurted, causing Ross to blush. Using her imagination, she also imagined one on Hotaru's. Did he really just say what she thought...? "If you don't want to, then I understand, but I don't think that it'll work with any other girl. I mean, it will. I'll turn into a guy, but the effect won't last past the time it takes for me to run into Hattori. To be honest, I'm scared to go to class. I know that someone's going to make a grab at me and I don't want anyone to figure out the connection between me being touched and my transformation. If you were to kiss me, though, I think that it'd be on my mind for most of the day. I... Shit. This is embarrassing. Just forget that I said anything. I don't know what I was--"

"I'll do it," she mumbled as her blush turned even brighter. "I mean, it's nothing personal. Right? You just need help to turn back into a guy. I think that's a... um... a perfectly acceptable reason to ask... to ask for a girl to... kiss... you. It doesn't mean that we're going out or anything and you'd definitely owe me for helping you. It's not like I hate you, either. I mean, you've got your irritating side and I just really want to punch you sometimes, but you're one of the few people who doesn't run away when I get mad. I... uh... I just have to ask for something in return. Right?"

"Name your price," he replied. Ross thought carefully, unsure of what she should ask for. She needed to say something. Autumn had warned her about not setting a price for doing favors. If she didn't, the other person might pretend they didn't owe her anything. He didn't have anything that she wanted, though. Well, she kind of wanted the kiss, but she couldn't ask for it as her price in this situation. What else was there? Money didn't feel right. Not for a kiss. If she asked for something small, then that would be showing favoritism, too.

"Oh!" She blurted as an idea flew into her head. "How about a dress from the fashion show?"

"Can I give you any one?" He asked in a strange tone.

"Sure," she answered with a grin. "Boss usually just rents me a dress whenever there's a fancy party that she wants me to go to, but it'd be nice to have one ready the next time that I'm dragged to a function. The one that I was wearing for the show is a lot like the ones that she stuffs me into. That blue one didn't look very difficult to walk in, either."

"How about I send you three?" He asked quietly. "Two for you and one for your Boss? I mean, it doesn't seem fair to give you just one dress for... uh... helping me. Those dresses aren't in season anymore either, so the value has gone down. Two seems fair. One for your pain and another for your suffering. And if I give you one to give to your Boss, that makes this kind of like an official favor. Right? It'd be to thank her for letting me borrow.... uh... borrow you."

"That seems kind of excessive, don't you think?" She asked curiously. "I don't want to walk away from this feeling as if I owe you something."

"It's not excessive at all!" He spluttered. "Those dresses are in a storeroom where they'll probably never be seen again. Actually, I kind of feel like I'm getting a bargain because it's pretty easy for me to fulfill my end of the deal. I'd feel guilty if you accepted less than three."

"Oh," she mumbled. "In that case, I guess it's okay. I still think that three dresses are too much for just a kiss, but this is a deal. Right? I should just keep my mouth shut and so I can laugh all the way to the bank."

"R-Right," he agreed. "Um, so how do you want to do this? Is now okay? I mean, because the bell is going to ring for class to end soon."

"Oh, uh... m-maybe we should stand up," she suggested as she became conscious of how hard her heart was beating. It wasn't going that fast, but every beat felt as if it was audible. Standing didn't make it any better. Instead it felt as if all the blood was rushing to her head instead of to her feet.

"O-Okay," he said from around the corner. "I-I'm standing. I--"

"This isn't some kind of bet, is it?" Ross asked, growing more nervous with every passing second. "Because even if it is, you still owe me those dresses."

"It's not," he chuckled. "Sheesh. You really know how to make it hard to set a mood."

"Mood will cost you extra," she grumbled. "Let's just get this over with. Shut your eyes."

"No," Hotaru replied playfully. "You shut yours."

"If I do that, then it'll be hard to find you," she objected.

"Then you'll just have to let me find you instead," he laughed. "I'm serious. Shut your eyes. It won't work if I let you kiss me. Guys are the ones that are supposed to initiate kisses."

"There you go with your cave-man thinking again," Ross grumbled. "What's wrong with a girl taking the initiative?"

"Nothing, but the whole idea is to make me feel more like a guy," he countered logically. "I can't do that if I feel like I'm being submissive."

"So you expect _me _to be submissive?" She spluttered.

"That's what I've giving you three dresses for," he replied. Ross flinched. He had a point.

"Damnit," she growled as she crossed her arms and shut her eyes. "Fine. My eyes are closed. Just hurry up before someone sees."

"I'm coming around the corner," he warned, making Ross' heart skip a beat. She was tempted to open her eyes and check to make sure that he was alone, but common sense got the better of her. He had more to lose if they were seen together than she did. She could just tell everyone about the deal and be done with it, but he'd have to admit that he was kissing her because he needed her help to turn back into a guy. Assuming that he was even a she at the moment. She hadn't thought to look. Maybe he was a guy and just needed extra support to stay a guy. Right? If he was a she at the moment, then that would be kind of weird and--

Ross' mind went blank at the feeling of Hotaru's lips on her own. They were softer than she expected, warmer than she expected, and much more gentle than she expected. If she had to describe it, the only word that came to mind was 'sweet'. His kiss was like cheesecake with a chocolate crust. The little nibble that he let her have before pulling away left her unsatisfied and craving for a second bite.

"I shouldn't have done that," he whispered with a groan. Opening her eyes, Ross didn't need an explanation for the statement. Hotaru hadn't pulled away completely. He was hover over her and his eyes said that he wanted to kiss her again--just as much as she wanted him to.

"M-make it four dresses and I'll ignore overtime," she mumbled, saying the first thing that popped into her head. Hotaru smiled at her offer, but slowly shook his head in refusal.

"You don't understand, Rosalind," he said softly. "I like you. I like you more than any girl that I've ever met, but I've got to draw the line somewhere. If I don't, it scares me to think about how much I'd be willing to give you."

"I don't understand," she agreed in honest confusion. "Is a fourth dress too much?"

"No!" He blurted in laughter as he pinned her with a look that sent a swarm of butterflies through her stomach. "No," he repeated as he leaned in to kiss her again. "I'd be a fool to ignore such a tempting discount." Ross slowly closed her eyes as their lips touched a second time.

The second kiss wasn't like the first. It was still just as soft, warm, and gentle, but he was more aggressive this time. It was aggressive enough that she forgot about cheesecake, forgot how to breathe, and completely forgot the reason they were even kissing in the first place. Wrapping her arms around his neck, his arms wrapped around her in return and subsequently made her knees weak when he pulled her against his chest. His chest felt like he was radiating heat and she felt so breathless that she began to get dizzy, but she couldn't stop herself. This might very well be the only chance that she'd ever get to kiss him. She didn't want it to end.

Abruptly, it did end with Hotaru tilting his head back for air while simultaneously reaching out to the wall behind her for support. He didn't let go of her waist, though, and she slowly became aware of the hard lump poking into her. She didn't have enough experience to know whether he had a big one or a small one, but it seemed threatening enough as it was. It also caused a strange tightening sensation in her stomach that she didn't want to think about.

"You're going to be the death of me," Hotaru said, still looking up to the sky as he tried to catch his breath.

"You're not very healthy for me, either," she chuckled as he tilted his head back down. "I've never... been..." Ross trailed off as her smile faded. Hotaru's face had changed. He head had caught on fire with the Vongola Flame like it sometimes did in sparring practice and the roots of his black hair had turned orange. Even worse, from the whites to the pupils, his eyes had turned into a variety of oranges that made him look demented.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Ross opened her mouth to tell him, but the words got stuck in her throat. For some inexplicable reason, she felt too scared to say it. "If I did something wrong, then tell me," he urged in concern as his coloring returned to normal and the Flame on his head went out. "You look like you've just seen a ghost. Why are you shaking?"

"I'm not shaking," she blurted as she pushed him away to keep him from feeling the chill that ran up her spine at the questions. "You're just imagining things."

"Is it because my Flame came out?" Hotaru asked, completely ignoring her words. "You've seen it before. It came out when we sparred."

"What..." _are you?_ She wanted to ask, but the words caught in her throat a second time. Hotaru was waiting for her to say something, though, so she gave him a hesitant smile and said, "What time is it? I think we missed the bell."

"Did I Shift?" He asked, once more ignoring her words.

"What's that?"

"I can shape shift, Rosalind," he answered carefully as his eyes became shadowed. "I've been having trouble controlling it, which is why I sometimes turn into a girl. Did something on my face Change? You were fine until I looked at you."

"It was nothing," she shrugged while she tried to tell herself that she had just been hallucinating. "Your eyes just got a little creepy. I was probably just dizzy from the... the kiss. You didn't really let me have any air."

"Oh. My eyes... I-I see," he mumbled hesitantly before slowly nodding. "You're probably right about being dizzy. I got a little ahead of myself. I'm sorry. I won't.... Well, I can't say that I won't, because I hope that you'll... uh... help me again in the future, but I... um... What I'm trying to say is--"

"Hotaru," she replied, feeling slightly worn out from both his kiss and the emotional rollercoaster that he'd put her through. Hotaru's mouth snapped shut and he smiled without lifting his head. "If you turn back into a girl, I'll think about it," she said. "Until then, I think I want some quiet to relax for a while."

"R-Right," he agreed as he began backing away. "I'll see you later. Well, I mean, I can't say hello or anything, but I... uh... Fuck. Never mind. Ciao."

"Ciao," she yawned while she once more took her seat against the auditorium wall. Craning her neck, she watched him while he retreated and smiled to herself once he was gone. Hotaru was so strange. Making up a story about shape shifting just because he had a few quirks. As if! It was cute that he'd try to make the side effects of turning back into a boy more interesting, but she didn't need him to do that. After all, she was willing to admit that his eyes had freaked her out at first, but that didn't erase the smile on her face. Hotaru was a sweet, demented, pesky little demon in her mind--one that tasted like cheesecake.


	129. Chapter 129 Butterfly Effect

Don Girarde was a school of eight wonders. The first wonder was the accumulation of Bosses and heirs that walked the halls on a daily basis. The second wonder was that rival families sat side by side in peace to learn. The third wonder was the mismatched brickwork on the girl's locker-room shower. The fourth wonder was the ghost in the library. The fifth wonder was the haunted shed behind the school. The sixth wonder was the vampire assistant and the masked werewolf teacher. The seventh wonder was the price of the school menu.

The eight wonder was the range of age in the academy's students. Aster had never noticed it from the outside before, but the average age of high school students seemed to be twenty-three. Whether they were younger or older, they were all also treated like equals. Aster could tell because there was a sixteen year old boy going through a rather stiff punishment in the courtyard and they caught a twenty-seven year old woman being bullied by the water fountain.

"It takes a little getting used to, but don't sweat it," Secretary Fuuta soothed as everyone fled to into their classrooms at the sound of a ringing bell. "You'll probably get attention once people hear that you're a Boss and a werewolf, but Don Girarde is an equal opportunity academy. Just remember that there's always a method to the madness and never retaliate with violence. Any other method is permissible, but the Vendiche don't take lightly to those who use the school to further their outside goals."

Aster nodded and paused in front of a door that reeked of Kai. Even with his high collar blocking out much of the scent, there was too much present for him to not notice it. He also wasn't sure how to react to it anymore. Part of him wanted to see Kai while another part was scared of what their meeting would bring. The last time that they'd seen each other, Kai had been disgusted with him. Even after days of thinking about it, he couldn't make up his mind. Was he supposed to be grateful that Kai had opened his eyes a bit or should he feel violated that he'd gone to such extreme measures?

"That's Mr. Kai's classroom," Secretary Fuuta supplied in curiosity. "Would you like to meet--"

"We already know each other," he said as he turned away to continue his tour. "He'll probably track me down when he catches my scent, so there's no point in waiting around. What classes do you suggest for a new Boss?"

"Well, that depends on what kind of Family you have, but Accounting, Customs, and History are general education that is beneficial to any new Mafioso."

"What's the school's stance on homosexuality?"

"Just like heterosexuality, we prefer if you leave it at home."

"I smell blood. I thought you said violence wasn't permitted."

"It's probably coming from the sparring grounds. There are normal training regimens for the blue and yellow tie students, but red and black ties both have the choice of doing an obstacle course or sparring to hone their combat skills. Would you like to see?"

"Yes."

Following Secretary Fuuta out of a side door, they skipped the gymnasium and the locker rooms in order to go straight to the sparring grounds behind the school. Overall, it was singularly unimpressive. There were nearly a dozen spars going on within waist-high brick walls outlining the individual square rings. There was a lot of sweat and even the gleam of a few weapons, but very little in the way of impressive combat.

"The afternoon classes are much more exciting," Secretary Fuuta explained, catching onto Aster's disappointment. "These are the people who's combat abilities have been judged as insufficient or those with a personality defect such as being high-strung. The morning classes are also for newer students, so you'll likely have to start out in a class like this one. The afternoon classes only go for those who are either highly recommended or have proven their abilities."

"How do I prove myself?" Aster asked curiously.

"It's pretty easy," he shrugged. "You just have to make Coach Achilles notice you. He's right over there switching out the sparring partners for the fourth ring-- Oi!" He called in surprise when Aster immediately began walking forward. "Where are you going?"

Aster ignored him, determined to get the Coach's notice ahead of time. If he decided to attend Don Girarde, he'd be damned if he was going to waste time sparring with half-wits. Stopping next to the Coach, Aster quickly looked him over to get an estimate of the man's abilities. Much of his body was hidden beneath bulky sweat clothes, so he was likely built like a brick and wanted to make himself seem less imposing. A hand-to-hand fighter would be difficult if he kept his shirt on because his body would be in constant motion and the lines of his body were unknown. Using needle jutsu on him would be just as difficult as successfully hitting Kai. He had weaknesses, though. Coach Achilles was being a little too obvious in trying to hide his identity with his sunglasses and hat. If those were targeted, he might lose focus enough to create an opening--

"You'll go the last afternoon class with our elite students," Coach Achilles said quietly without taking his eyes off the spar. "I've seen your abilities before and we only have six students that can fight evenly with you, so you don't have to bother challenging me. I believe that Tutor Alijah has her eye on you, too."

Aster bowed slightly in appreciation for the ease that Coach Achilles had answered his wishes and turned back to where Secretary Fuuta was standing with an astounded expression. He quickly wiped it away when Aster gestured for them to continue the tour, but it made Aster smile inside at the predictable reactions. If his guess wasn't wrong, Coach Achilles was a gifted and dangerous veteran Mafioso. He'd seen the danger that Aster had presented with his cold, silent calculations. On the other hand, Fuuta seemed to be the type to fight behind the scenes with facts, figures, and tokens in place of fighters. He wouldn't be able to tell the kinds of things that those on the front lines could see with a glance and would therefore underestimate Aster's abilities due to his size.

"T-This is the extracurricular wing," Secretary Fuuta explained as he led him back into yet another corridor of classrooms. "We like our students to be well-rounded, so picking a club and a hobby class is required. You have two months to pick a club to join, but the class will need to be determined when you enroll. We have a little bit of everything: Music and choir, Home economics, Arts and crafts, media and current events--"

"Is it permissible to create new clubs?" Aster asked, completely ignoring the activity that he could hear going on beyond the classroom doors.

"You have to have a minimum of four members and a teacher who's willing to supervise your activities," he replied conversationally. "If you were hoping to create a club for werewolves, I'm sorry to say that--"

"Bosses," he supplied as he paused next to the classroom labeled Pyrotechnics 101. "I've been acquainted with a few others and thought it might be interesting to create a club with that as our gimmick. If I can talk a few into it, I won't have to waste my time with activities that don't fit my lifestyle."

"I see," he replied with a look of consideration on his face. "It's true that some of the other Bosses had a difficult time finding something to suit their schedules and interests. An elite club for Bosses would probably interest several of them. It's going to be difficult, though. There's only four Mafia heirs currently attending and only one other Boss."

"I'll figure it out," Aster shrugged. "I just have to form it within two months. Correct?"

"That's right," Secretary Fuuta confirmed as they began walking again. "Ah! Here's Etiquette 101. Why don't we step inside and let Ms. Nitts evaluate you to see if you'll need to take her course?"

"Very well."

* * *

"I think I'm in love."

"Get in line. Have you ever seen a guy move that gracefully before?"

"I know! And he was so soft-spoken. When he asked what kind of tea I wanted, I thought I was going to faint!"

"I wonder if he's a natural blonde?"

"Who cares?! He's got to be a Prince!"

"I thought he was a girl at first, but you're right. He's definitely a Prince from somewhere."

"I wonder what kind of girl he likes--"

"He's Kai-sensei's lover," Ross growled, annoyed beyond reason at how Aster had flawlessly passed Ms. Nitts' tests. Actually, she really wasn't annoyed at that. She was really annoyed at how all her female classmates were falling head-over-heels with him at first look. "He looks like an angel, but he's a demon that rules with an iron fist. I should have known that he was still alive. He disappeared when Wolfe-sensei died. He's changed his name from Aster to Astra, but I'm positive that it's him."

"Ignore her. She's just jealous because she still can't get through a basic tea service without making a mess."

"You want to try saying that to my face?" Ross asked in a warning tone. Both girls screamed like she'd hit them and ran for the door with their school-bags in hand. "Yellow-ties," Ross spat. The word said it all. They were oblivious idiots who honestly thought that the academy was for common, rich elites. The whole lot of them should be swept out the door and--

"Did you see?" Napoleon asked as soon as Ross stepped out of her classroom. "Aster stopped in at my Strategy and Planning class. He's going by Astra now."

"He stopped here, too," Ross confirmed, throwing her bag over her shoulder as they walked down the hall together. "I think that he's planning to--"

"Ross, Napoleon! Hurry or you'll miss it!" Chin shouted from the end of the hallway. "Kai-sensei and Astra are fighting!"

Spitting out matching curses, both Ross and Napoleon ran at full speed toward Kai-sensei's classroom. Outside of it, the hallways had come to a standstill and a space had already cleared between Kai-sensei and Aster. Aster was standing in a pressed, tailored suit that made him look incredibly polished. On the other hand, Kai-sensei was wearing a tank top, khaki pants, and a belt that had more sequins than material. It was as erratic as all of Kai-sensei's costumes were, but the way that he'd made his mask coordinate with his belt made him look strangely appealing.

The two of them weren't actually fighting, though. Rather, they were staring each other down in a way that gave Ross chills from just watching it. They were both tensed as if they were about to snap and go at each other's throat. Aster kept clenching his fist repeatedly and Kai-sensei had his jaw clenched with his nostrils flared in anger. The atmosphere around them was so electrifying that one yellow-tied swooned and no one bothered to catch him.

"So..." Kai-sensei finally said.

"So..." Aster repeated.

"I guess I can take this to mean that you've made up your mind?" He asked with a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"I could hate you for your methods, but I've reset my priorities like you wanted," Aster replied calmly.

"I don't mind being hated."

"Then prepare to be hated."

"I already am."

"Then there's no problem."

"I guess not," Kai-sensei said, bringing the first round to a close with a draw.

"You've lost weight," Aster commented, starting the second round casually.

"Only a little. Work is a bitch."

"You always overwork yourself."

"Then I'm a good example of what not to do."

"You haven't come home."

"I have my reasons."

"Probably stupid ones."

"Probably," Kai-sensei agreed, ending the second round with another draw.

"You'll eat lunch with me."

"I'll think about it," Kai-sensei replied with a flicker of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Have you been getting enough to drink?"

"You sound like the wife that I don't have yet."

"Someone has to or you'll fall over."

"So I will, but you don't have to worry."

"Dehydration treatment?"

"You're quick to make the connection."

"Like I said, you lost weight," Aster replied.

"I think that's enough talk for now," Kai-sensei sighed, slowly reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. "If you keep up that icy attitude, I think the whole school is going to be frozen pretty soon."

"And here I thought that you liked the hot and cold treatment," Aster countered with a sudden smirk. Kai-sensei choked and had to fumble to catch his cigarette, but Ross grinned and traded knowing looks with Napoleon. Kai-sensei had lost.

"Oi," he spluttered. "If you're going to be a student here, then--"

"It doesn't matter," Aster interrupted before Kai-sensei could get the upper hand. "I already talked to the Dean. Since I don't plan to take your class, I can fraternize with you all that I want."

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" Kai-sensei asked with a visible flinch.

"Nope," Aster answered with a wide smile. "It was nice to see you again, but shouldn't you be teaching a class?"

"Shit! I forgot about my apples!" Kai-sensei exclaimed as he flew back into his classroom. As soon as he was gone, Aster held up a hand to stop the flood of people that wanted to question him about their relationship.

"I'm Astra, Boss of the Wolfe Family, and I'm thinking about attending here," he said with a calm tone that demanded calm from those around him. "Secretary Fuuta was giving me a tour, but he was called away on business. Is there anyone who wouldn't mind filling in for him?" Ross once again traded smiles with Napoleon, seeing that Aster was making an excuse for them to skip, and opened their mouths to offer--

"I will." Ross froze with her mouth hanging open and the jaws dropped around her as the crowd opened up to let Hotaru through with Orinato silently following behind him. No one could believe it, including Ross. Hotaru never volunteered to do anything! Something was strange about him, though. He didn't look particularly happy to be volunteering and his scowl only deepened as he stopped in front of Aster. "I believe that we have something to discuss before you think about attending here."

"Ah," Aster confirmed with his expression disappearing completely, making him unreadable. "Why don't you show me the layout of the cafeteria?"

"That sounds like a good place to tour," Hotaru replied with his scowl deepening. "Although it might be better for your sake if we stayed somewhere where there's people."

"I'd think that you were threatening me, but I know from experience that your bark is worse that your bite," Aster replied with complete composure. Hotaru's mood worsened. It was visible for everyone to see with the amount of rage on his face as his head burst into Flame and his eyes began glittering with sparks. Ross was shocked. Napoleon was shocked. The whole hallway full of people was shocked. Only once before had Hotaru shown the infamous Tears of Wrath and that time had been--

"Astra?" Hattori asked as he pushed through the frozen crowd with a wide smile on his face. "Is that you?"

"I was wondering when you'd show yourself," Aster replied with a bright smile lighting up on his own. "You skipped out on me last week!"

As the two started talking like old friends, Ross was pretty sure that everyone else was too distracted to notice the moment that Hotaru's Flame disappeared. He was knocked out of his anger with simple, unadulterated surprise. Ross could sympathize with him. Everyone knew about Hattori's infatuation with Hotaru and his typical reaction to any guy getting close to Hotaru was to be jealous. However, despite Hotaru being in the middle of a verbal quarrel with Aster, Hattori had unknowingly chosen sides by going first to Aster. Actually, it was more than Hattori just picking sides. For the first time ever, Hattori was actually ignoring Hotaru.

"Tori-kun," Hotaru interjected unsteadily as the two laughed over some sort of inside joke. "You already know Astra?"

"Of course," Hattori grinned as he threw his arm around Aster. "We have a standing date on Thursday nights."

"Sometimes Friday, too, if he feels up to it," Aster added in a tone that caused another student to faint at the back of their audience.

"Hey!" Hattori spluttered. "You're going to give him the wrong idea! It's a group date--group!--date. Didn't Yamamoto tell you about it? He sometimes goes, too."

"O-Of course," Hotaru mumbled, looking back and forth between the two as his face became as expressionless as Aster's had been. "He mentioned it before."

"He's a bad liar," Aster whispered loudly to Hattori, making Hattori have to cover his mouth to hide his laughter. Hotaru's face turned a bright shade of red, but the time limit to counter was cut off by the sound of the tardy bell ringing. The sound caught everyone by surprise, triggering chaos in the hallway as everyone ran for their classes. Ross slowly gave into Napoleon's urging to head for her own, although the sight of Hotaru, Orinato, Hattori, and Aster standing unmoving in the chaos left a strange sensation fluttering in her stomach. She didn't know what their history was, but Aster was an opponent that Hotaru couldn't win against.

* * *

Reborn smiled to himself as he held Fuuta back by the scruff of his neck. Things were progressing better than he could have hoped. Tsuna was going to have trouble keeping up his facade and Hotaru was being pushed as both a Boss and a man. It hadn't taken more than a second to see all the potential for mayhem when Aster had stopped in at the office to find out the requirements for attending. As a Tutor, Reborn had clicked his heels together numerous times in excitement for the pure potential that was gathering. As a Mafioso, his senses were quivering at the raw power that could potentially butt heads in front of him. As a person, he was holding his breathe in hope that everything would come together with the best possible outcome.

Tsuna had retreated to lick his wounds. Hotaru was stalemated. Ross was watching from the sidelines. Napoleon was gathering information. Murlock was benched with personal issues. Gregory was noticeably absent. Aster was running the board and it was Chin's move.

Overall, Reborn couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

* * *

"One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, door," Xanxus growled as he threw the fourth shot at the door, eliciting a glare from Squalo who was sitting next to it.

"It's 'floor' not 'door', you fucking idiot," Cheri grumbled as she threw her fourth shot over her shoulder so that it landed on Lussuria's new boots.

"It's what I say it is," he snarled, throwing a fifth shot at her head. She dodged predictably and opened her mouth to give the typical reply, but stopped herself. "What's the point?" Xanxus supplied with a sigh. Cheri nodded and reached out for a fresh bottle to refill their remaining glasses.

The fire was gone. He knew it. Cheri knew it. The whole damn Xaria knew it. It seemed pointless to argue anymore. It'd been fun at first. Cheri was a good, strong woman with the right type of mentality to get along with him. He was a sturdy man who knew how to pick his battles. The problem was that they'd already fought so much that they could predict the winner with their eyes closed. In this case, he'd win the argument, they'd fuck for a few hours, then they'd go out for a meal. By the time they returned, it'd be time for an assignment and the whole cycle would start over again.

Their whole relationship was so unexciting outside of the assignments themselves. The idea of marriage wasn't in either of their heads anymore. Not with such a daunting boredom looming over them both. Partners with benefits was much less of a headache. At least this way, they could be together and not get pissed off when one of them decided to look outside for something to make things interesting again.

"Maybe you should go back to you-know-who," Cheri sighed. Xanxus flinched at the statement, but he couldn't argue. It'd be nice if he could go back, because things weren't working out like planned at all.

He'd thought that Hotaru would go after them after he'd revealed himself at Venice Row, but the brat was stubbornly being quiet. Hotaru was mocking the Xaria, ignoring them as if to say that he could do without them. After this much time, it was obvious that they'd either have to bow their heads like dogs to get back in the Family or else they had to seek outside employment. So far, he'd been managing to keep his team fed by accepting exorcist assignments from that brat Nephriam, but his intuition was starting to flare up around that guy. He hadn't done anything that Xanxus could see, but there was something dangerous about him. Xanxus knew that he needed to find a new patron, but there weren't many places that the leader of an Assassination team could go to for work.

On top of that, You-know-who, the man formerly known as Vongola the Tenth, was dead. Even if he were still alive, their last meeting hadn't been very pleasant. Xanxus admitted fault for that one. With everything that had happened since Mafia Land, he'd forgotten about their Christmas plans entirely. On top of that, he'd never taken out the time to have a proper conversation with Tsuna about Cheri. He'd been pushing for both of them to reclaim their independence, but he'd screwed up along the way. He'd pushed too much and he'd shoved the brat right out of his life.

"Going back isn't an option," Xanxus sighed as he tossed back another shot. "Unless you think the Vendiche screwed up."

"They did something," she replied with a slow smirk, making Xanxus pause. "I heard a rumor earlier that someone named Kai-_sensei _is a werewolf teaching Occult Studies at Don Girarde."

"Even if it's him, he probably won't talk to me."

"Want to make a bet on it?" Cheri asked with a fire lighting up in her eyes. Xanxus slowly grinned, feeling the same fire growing in his belly as he slowly fell for the maniac woman all over again. She understood. Without jealous, anger, or spite, she truly accepted that Xanxus couldn't be happy without Tsuna somewhere in his life and was trying to get them together using a method that Xanxus was weak to: a challenge.

"Levi!" Xanxus shouted. "The fucking car better be ready by the time I get outside!"

* * *

Eric had difficulty keeping his smile to himself. It was practically impossible not to smile every time that he looked at Kai-sensei, though. It was too funny. On one hand, Kai-sensei had a squad of bloodthirsty assassins led by Xanxus who'd dropped out of nowhere to pay him a visit. On the other, Aster was leading a group of rebelling students who were demanding his attention and weren't willing to wait. In Kai-sensei's place, Eric was fairly sure that he'd take his time choking down his soup, too.

Almost as amusing was the way that Eric's classmates were reacting to the two-sided assault. There were those that were poorly pretending that nothing was happening. There were those that had no clue who Xanxus was and were openly staring. There were those who'd already decided to become fans of Aster and kept smiling whenever they thought that he might be looking their way. And finally, there was the teachers, who were slowly gathering all through the cafeteria. None of them were interfereing yet, waiting to see if Kai-sensei could manage without them, but they all had varying expressions of concern and amazement that Kai-sensei was affiliated with two separate groups that were so different from each other.

"It's lunch," Xanxus growled. "You're off the clock, so come with us for half an hour. I'll make sure that you get back in time."

"We need to talk to you about the Ten Year's Later club," Aster countered. "It's you're duty as the club supervisor to attend to us."

"Take a hike, brat," Xanxus snapped, speaking directly to Aster. "Adults are talking."

"Go bury yourself in a gutter with the rest of the irresponsible trash," Aster retorted.

"VOOIIII!" Squalo shouted before summarily being silenced by a glare from Xanxus.

"Fine," Xanxus said, pulling up a chair when Kai-sensei continued to ignore both sets of people. "If you don't want to leave, then I'll talk to you here. Or are you still mad that I stood you up?"

"Of course he's still mad," Aster answered as he pulled up his own chair to sit on the opposite side of the table. "Kai, what we need to ask you is rather urgent. Or are you still embarrassed that I've decided to attend here without talking to you about it first?"

"Why should he give a fuck about a little punk like you?" Xanxus spat in disgust.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Aster spat back.

"I--"

"That's enough!" A man shouted, standing up in a corner of the cafeteria amid a clatter of thrown silverware. Chin, heir of Lionesse, Eric recognized after a long moment. "Are both of you idiots or are your heads stuck so far up your asses that you're not getting enough air?" He yelled without a care for how many people were gaping at him. "Doesn't anyone know how to be considerate?! Rather than harrass him, why don't you put yourselves in his shoes and ask yourself why he isn't responding?! If you did, maybe you idiots would remember that Kai-sensei isn't Wolfe-sensei!"

"A little crude, but well put," Kai-sensei praised as he finally set down his spoon. "I find it ironic that a human noticed what both a vampire and a werewolf missed. I also don't wish to supervise a club at this time nor do I wish to change professions, so both of you can look elsewhere. I can't help you."

"But--" Xanxus and Aster objected in unison.

"Both of you better leave before I do," he interrupted in a eerily calm tone. Eric slowly put his fork down and began watching openly rather than pretending to eat. At the angle that they were sitting from each other, Eric was in a perfect to position to see Kai-sensei's eyes. They were dull and practically lifeless. He was being pushed too much, Eric realized. Aster and Xanxus didn't know about the stuff that Kai-sensei had told to little Suoh. They didn't know about the blackmail or the people watching Kai-sensei or about the threats to his life. "I should warn you that I'm not playing games."

He wasn't playing games. When he said that they better leave before he did, he wasn't simply talking about the room. If Kai-sensei left before they did, he'd disappear completely. Eric was positive, which meant that he had to stop them! He couldn't let Laz disappear again! Not when he'd finally been able to settle down and get some semblance of normality in his life again!

Unfortunately, Eric was stopped by no less than three hands. The heaviest was Poppet's, which had turned to stone and was braced around his thigh under the table. The second was Isaac's, which was gripping onto his arm. The third was Poe's on his shoulder, which made Eric wonder when the vampire had arrived. All three weren't even looking at him. They were still watching the situation with Kai-sensei, but had known what he wanted to do without needing to be told.

"Xanxus," Hotaru called from his usual seat with Orinato and Katie. "I'd like to have a few words with you in Kai-sensei's place."

"And I might be able to help with your questions about clubs, Astra," the Tutor Alijah offered from the cafeteria doors.

Eric held his breathe as Xanxus and Astra looked at each other with matching levels of suspicion. Then the two looked at Kai-sensei, but Kai-sensei had gone back to eating his soup as if the two no longer existed. It was odd, no matter which perspective Eric used on the situation. Hotaru and Alijah's interference had come at nearly miraculous timing. How much did they know?

"This isn't over," Xanxus warned before standing to go meet with Hotaru. Aster opened his mouth to add his own last statement, but quickly changed his mind and left quietly with the Tutor.

After they were gone, Kai-sensei continued to eat his soup without a care for the threats or the number of people who were staring at him in wonder.

* * *

Hotaru quietly pretended to read over reports in his office while he tried to organize everything into a comprehensible situation. Astra was Aster, regardless of what lies he tried to hide behind and Hotaru had a lot to think about because of him. The person that he'd slept with at Mafia-Land was Aster and no amount of denial could allow him to keep lying to himself when his intuition decided to back up Aster's claims. Aster hadn't sneaked into his bed in place of his sister. He didn't even have a sister. That meant that Orinato had been right all along. Hotaru had slept with a guy and just hadn't wanted to face facts. Wasn't that the very reason that he'd avoided Aster at Pink's all this time? He hadn't wanted to admit the truth, even to himself.

He didn't think that Hattori knew about their history. He'd been at Mafia-Land with them, but that situation had been kept under wraps. Only Orinato and a very select handful of people knew about that night. It was possible that Aster had told Hattori about it a long time ago and Hattori had chosen to ignore it, but Hotaru didn't think so. If he had, it was doubtful that Hattori would be so friendly toward him.

Hotaru wanted to know what kind of game Aster was playing by his sudden decision to attend school. At first, he'd thought that it was so that he could get close to Kai-sensei, but their interactions had more flamboyance than substance. It'd made for a good show but there didn't seem to be enough connection for Aster to have followed him out of love. His second thought was that Aster was getting into place to blackmail Hotaru into something, but Aster had laid those fears to rest once they were alone together. In one way, being told that he was nothing special was a blow to his pride, but another part of Hotaru felt relieved. Aster wasn't attending for him, either. Actually, Aster had been a little more mature about the situation than Hotaru had been able to be, which was also unnerving in a way. It was the first time that a prospective partner had blown him off instead of the other way around.

Had he been telling the truth during their short talk before Fuuta had picked him up to continue their tour again? Was Aster really attending just because he wanted to become a better Boss? It was possible. After all, there were several other young heirs attending so that they could get a better handle on the vast landscape of the Mafia. For new Families, it was incomprehensible to understand everything without help. From traditions to Family histories and the ethics of Mafia Business, there were so many places that a Mafioso could step wrong and lose the respect of the world along with ruining their non-existent reputations before they could be formed. If it was true that Aster was the Boss of a new Family, then attending Don Girarde was probably the smartest move that he could have made. Getting a Tutor was the second-smartest move.

Watching and waiting seemed to be the best method for handling Aster for now. If he pressed too hard for Aster to forget that the past ever happened, then he might just pressure him into talking about it. As long as Aster stayed silent, then there was no reason to confront him. Now, if only the same could be said about Xanxus. Hotaru still couldn't believe that he would show himself so openly. The Varia had always stayed in the shadows in the past. It hadn't been until the Tenth's era that their existence had crossed from unconfirmed rumors into fact.

The fact was that they did exist, though. It was also a fact that Xanxus and his team had defected. Admittedly, Xanxus had retired in a rather flashy way before moving in with his boyfriend--

Boyfriend.

Xanxus had died. If he was up and walking around, then what were the chances that his boyfriend was still alive, too? What was his name again? It'd been a while since he'd looked through the Martelli files, but it should still be in there.

With Pandora's help, digging through the files was as easy as ever. Once he found the file that he was looking for, he sat back in his chair and let his mind go blank for a while. Everything was beginning to make sickening sense. It was sickening because Hotaru didn't know how he'd overlooked it before. All of it was fitting together. He'd always been suspicious over Xanxus being killed in the first place. The wounds had looked real enough, but the thought of Xanxus being defeated had been incomprehensible. No matter how soft he'd gotten, there wasn't anyone who could kill him so neatly. While it was true that their boat had been ransacked and there was evidence of a fight, there wouldn't have been a boat left if Xanxus had truly fought back. That meant that the death had been intentional.

The reason why fell back on the boyfriend again: Suoh Lazarus Timberson. He'd had a mental break after the news had gone out that the Tenth had been found and then he'd subsequently broken out of the asylum where he'd been held for supervision. Right after that had been when both he and Xanxus had been found murdered. Since Xanxus was still walking around, it was safe to assume that his identity as Black Insanity hadn't been forged. He been turned into a vampire along the way and had used his death to escape the situation in place of other viable options.

Continuing with logic, it was also safe to assume that they'd disappeared and spent the past two years putting Suoh's mind back together. Hotaru had seen the camera footage from his sessions at the asylum. Suoh's breakdown had been real. He'd attacked and tried to kill Xanxus because voices had told him to. Two years was actually a fairly short time to overcome his problems. If Hotaru's guess was correct, though, he had and was now hiding in plain sight as 'Kai-sensei'.

Tapping his fingers against his lips, Hotaru considered his options. He could confront Kai-sensei with his findings, confront the Martelli Family with his findings, let the findings leak out on purpose, or keep silent about the matter for now. Silence, he decided. There were still a lot of pieces left to be found when it came to Kai-sensei's identity and his full story. For example, Wolfe-sensei had said before that he'd known Hotaru's father and that they'd gone to drug rehab together. There were also the pieces about the Ninth's disappearance that he didn't have.

He felt as if he were getting closer, but it still wasn't enough. 'Suoh Timberson' was just another identity that Kai-sensei had once assumed. He'd been something before that, too. In a way, it was mind-boggling. Kai-sensei and Wolfe-sensei. Now he'd found a connection to Suoh Timberson. How many identities did Kai-sensei have? Which one was the real thing? Had he been a conman for his entire life?

Con-man... That rang a bell, but Hotaru couldn't place it. Had there been a conman in the Tenth's era? There wasn't anything in the files or his father's journal, but maybe asking someone who'd been there might help. So, Hotaru picked up his phone and made a call to the one person that should know everything to do with Tsunayoshi Sawada: Hayato Gokudera.

"This is President Sawada," he said when the receptionist answered at Vongola Corp. "Put me through to Vice President Gokudera immediately." Less than thirty second passed before an out-of-breath Gokudera answered the line. "This is a semi-personal call, so relax," Hotaru soothed. "I was just looking through something and needed an opinion on something that wasn't put into the files. Was the Tenth affiliated with any conmen?"

"Conmen?" Gokudera asked, taken off-guard by the sudden question. "I assume you're looking for something more than the guys on the normal payroll."

"Right," Hotaru confirmed. "I'm trying to find someone's name. If I'm recalling correctly, the Tenth had a conman that looked just--"

"Nobody," Gokudera snapped. Hotaru blinked several times, unsure of why Gokudera was so quick to say that it was nobody.

"I don't care if it's a nobody," he replied. "I still want his name. You should know--"

"Let me rephrase that, sir," Gokudera intejected. "The Tenth had a shadow who was called 'Tsuo' who's original name was 'Nobody'. He was caught posing as the Tenth and had run up a bill at the Blue Moon. Rather than turn him into the authorities, your father took him in and had him trained to be a stand-in. He was quite good. Until the Tenth disappeared, no one really knew whether they were talking to the Tenth or Tsuo. Even I was fooled for a noticeable stint of time."

"Where is he now?" Hotaru asked carefully.

"I can't say, Boss," he replied apologetically. "The Tenth's shadows weren't a matter of record because it would jeopardize the security of using one. I'm not positive, but I think Tsuo retired after Toshi took over the position. I'm sure that the Tenth gave him a new face and a nice pension to settle down on, but he handled all of those dealings personally. All I know is that I haven't seen him in nearly a decade. Would you like me to track him down for you? It might take a while, but I know several places that the Tenth could have stashed him."

"If you could," Hotaru agreed. "I think I already know where he is, but I could be wrong. Take care of this quietly, Uncle. I don't want anyone making any connections before I do."

"Can I ask what this is about?"

"No," Hotaru replied before hanging up the phone. Looking at the file still on his computer screen, Hotaru smiled. He had it. Another piece was fitting into place. If Kai-sensei was Tsuo, then that explained nearly everything. He would have been close enough to murder the Ninth and it explained why no one had noticed his disappearance afterward. After something like that, the Tenth would have forced Tsuo to retire. That he was sent to America wasn't so far-fetched. That the Tenth had allowed him to keep his face wasn't too improbable, either. To be a shadow, one had to be a skilled conman. Letting him keep his face was the Tenth's way of giving him a way to make money after they'd parted ways. Suoh had done that, too. He'd impersonated the Tenth to make cash on the side.

Suoh... Tsuo... Tsuo... Suoh... The names sounded too alike for there not to be a connection. So, a nobody became Tsuo, Tsuo became Suoh, Suoh became Wolfe-sensei, and Wolfe-sensei became Kai-sensei. There was a slight pattern in the name changes, but the jump between Suoh and Wolfe-sensei seemed odd. He'd need to dig some more to figure it out before he made a move.

He also needed to figure out the connection between Kai-sensei and Ross. They were both the Sixth Knight of the Martelli Family. It made a little more sense now as to why Kai-sensei-as-Wolfe-sensei had gotten close to her. He knew what she was capable and had figuratively been in her shoes once. The question was whether there was more to it. Did the Martelli Family know that their previous Sixth was still alive? The timing of their sudden entrance into Don Girarde coincided a little too suspiciously with Wolfe-sensei's.

He was going to have to watch their interactions a little more closely in the future. He wished that there was a way that he could speak with the Martelli Boss or somehow get the Martelli Boss to Don Girarde. If he could see how Kai-sensei and Don Martelli acted together, things might make a little more sense. To do that, though, he'd have to get help from his Rivals. The Martelli would never make a move if it was a request from only one side. She'd need equal incentive from Hotaru's rivals to even consider coming out of her den.

That meant that Hotaru had to pick a fight with Lionesse to get what he wanted, but that was no good. Chin was a solitary Boss Apparent. He didn't socialize much at all and talking with his brainless brother was as bad as talking to a model. It made Hotaru want to strangle someone. They needed a link to force them together or else it was going to stay a stalemate with Vongola, Lionesse, and Martelli.

Hotaru paused as a thought came to mind. Aster had said something about wanting to start a club. Of course, Hotaru had blown him off and he'd seemed to switch to the idea of joining the Ten Year's Later Club, but there was a chance there. If he used Aster, he could get himself and Chin in the same place and then he could figure out a way to get Chin to help him draw out the Martelli. The club that he was in wasn't really his style anyway. Everytime he tried to write something, it turned into idiotic drivel about Ross or Hattori. A Boss' Club was perfect. Especially since there were only three Bosses at the school. They'd have to entice a fourth to come from somewhere or else the club couldn't be formed.

That didn't solve the issue with Xanxus, though. That just put him closer to figuring out the whole truth about Kai-sensei. The real problem that he should be thinking about was the Xaria. Predictably, their talk over lunch had been short and bitter. However, Xanxus had thrown out a few hints that he wouldn't be adverse to returning to Vongola. Actually, some of his manner had suggested that he really wanted to return, but was too damn proud to admit it. If Hotaru could get him back under the Vongola banner, that would also let another key to Kai-sensei's identity to fall into his pocket. Not that Xanxus would freely talk about him. Hotaru knew that hoping for such would be futile, but having him close would increase the opportunities for Xanxus to let something slip.

The problem was how to bring Xanxus back into the fold without insinuating that defectors could always expect forgiveness. Asking Xanxus to suffer through a punishment probably wouldn't work. Then again, Xanxus was a smart and capable leader. He would have already been aware of Hotaru's position before even considering a return. So, if Hotaru assumed that Xanxus would be willing to suffer through a punishment as long as it didn't wound his pride, things became a little more simple. He could assign them community service, which Xanxus would happily accept and then force his subordinates to do. No, Hotaru grimaced. While something like that might satisfy the softer of the Mafiosos, Xanxus would be reuniting with the Varia if he came back. The new ranks of the Varia wouldn't be satisfied with a laid-back punishment. They'd demand a trophy.

He couldn't be soft-hearted. It didn't matter if Xanxus had been the Tenth's semi-secret lover. He'd turned his back to the Family and had personally told Hotaru to fuck off. Erasing that couldn't be done with something as simple as an 'I'm sorry'. People would want his blood and there would be anger that he was forgiven if Hotaru let him back in so easily. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to those who didn't get forgiven if Hotaru asked for less. A Mafia-Boss couldn't permit double standards. Xanxus had betrayed them. Xanxus would have to pay the price to show his loyalty because his word wasn't good after the first strike.

Picking up a pen, Hotaru thought carefully about how he should word the offer. After all, it might very well be the only chance that he got to make one.

* * *

Tsuna quickly unwrapped a piece of gum and popped it in his mouth while trying to keep the box around him from shaking with his movements. It could be worse, he kept reminding himself. If he went to a hotel or rented an apartment, he'd be accountable for the eventual explosions and bullet holes that it received. His box wasn't big, but no one knew where he was and he could sleep without worry that someone stronger than him would find him. After all, no one in their right mind would expect him to sleep out in the open. It was the craziest place for him to be, which ironically made it the safest. As long as no one kicked over his box, he'd be hidden until morning.

Losing Aster after his photo-shoot hadn't been easy, though. He'd done an admirable job as an assistant, but Tsuna was second-guessing the wisdom of keeping him around. Everyone was getting too close. He wasn't going to be able to keep up his charade with how everyone was beginning to crowd around him. It wasn't just Aster and Xanxus, either. He could feel Martelli eyes on him almost constantly now and he was pretty sure that both Poe and Reborn were keeping a close watch on him. There were more out there, too. Tsuna was sure of it. Hotaru had already been suspicious about him and then there was Neve and Adie. His former students ranging from Ross to Murlock... Poppet and Isaac... Dino and Longchamp... The Xaria, Varia, and the Outside Advisors... and Lord Nephriam. They were all watching his every move and he could feel it.

He could feel it, but he wasn't in a position to respond to it. It was painful. He knew that he was in a big mess with Lord Nephriam, but he couldn't ask any of the people watching him to help him clean it up. He wanted to reach out so badly that he felt like he was drowning, but his hands were effectively tied. After all this time and how much he'd hurt everyone, he didn't feel as if he had a right to rely on anyone. Even those who'd already forgiven him... his conscience wouldn't allow him to drag them into his mess. He'd already crossed the line by trying to warn Eric about his situation. If he were to tell Xanxus or Reborn or anyone else, the amount of hell that would break loose was too daunting to consider. It scared him, actually. It scared him because he knew that they'd all still rush to his aid even though he didn't deserve it.

Maybe... Maybe it'd be best if he disappeared entirely. If he broke ties with everyone that he knew and really tried to start fresh again. No Mafia, No vampires, No anyone. He'd managed once before when he'd taken up the name Suoh. No, he couldn't run away like that. While it'd simplify his life, Lord Nephriam had to be dealt with. How was he supposed to deal with someone like that, though? Lord Nephriam had power, support, and enough blackmail material to send half the Mafia chasing after him.

Maybe he should just take off his mask then. No, that wasn't feasible, either. Hotaru still wasn't ready to see his face. He couldn't jeopardize his son's stability just because he was having a few problems in staying hidden. If he took off his mask now, it'd create factions in the Mafia and split it even more than it already was. If Hotaru couldn't accept him, then he couldn't show himself. Period. Only when Hotaru could look him in the face and say 'welcome home' would he be able to reclaim his past without causing any further rifts. That point hadn't been reached yet. Hotaru was just starting to open up to him. If he took off his mask, he'd be undoing all the work that he'd done up to this point.

That also posed problems, though. The closer that Hotaru got to him, the more that Lord Nephriam was going to feel threatened. After all, once Hotaru accepted him, he'd have power again and Lord Nephriam's blackmail material would be obsolete. He knew what Tsuna's goals were. This game of cat-and-mouse was already being played on borrowed time. As soon as Lord Nephriam realized how much of a threat that he really represented, Lord Nephriam would get every vampire, Hunter, and Mafioso in the world to try to kill him.

The situation made Tsuna understand a little more why Reborn had always been so sporadic. Being a famous hitman that everyone wanted to kill was a difficult way of life. Keeping to a regular schedule was nearly impossible and even finding places to sleep safely required careful consideration. Tsuna needed to emulate that more. Reborn would probably understand if he showed up late for classes, ducked out early, and even skipped a few days here and there. So long as the students all got the attention that they needed, Reborn would probably forgive anything that he did. Doing so would make it easier for him to disappear when people like Xanxus came around, too.

The idea of becoming unreliable didn't appeal to him, but it was better than having people rely on him, get noticed, then get killed. It was also better than making Lord Nephriam nervous that Tsuna was regaining the power to oppose him. Something had to be done about the vampire, though. At the moment, he was getting away with murder and that wasn't right. Poe claimed that he was acting impeccably when he was around Society and that all attempts to find proof of his misdeeds had failed. Aster's attention was more on rebuilding and protecting the werewolf survivors, so Tsuna couldn't blame him for not having found anything on Lord Nephriam yet. In some ways, that was a relief since Tsuna didn't really want him anywhere near the guy.

Perhaps Tsuna should make a kamikaze run and just wipe him out? Damnit, no! He couldn't do that, either. Lord Nephriam would undoubtedly use innocent vampires as a shield and just killing him wouldn't tell Tsuna about the details of what he was planning. If he was in league with the Hunters like Tsuna guessed, then killing him wouldn't end anything. Everyone would still be in danger!

There had to be a solution somewhere. It hadn't shown itself yet, but it would. Patience was what was needed. Lots and lots of patience. It was going to be hard and painful, but a solution would present itself if he held out long enough.

"He's somewhere around here," a gruff voice said, making Tsuna freeze in place. Hitmen. There were hitmen outside his box. They had to be hitmen because he hadn't heard their footsteps.

"Are you sure?" A second voice asked. "I don't see him anywhere."

"He's hiding, idiot," the first replied with a long-suffering sigh. "Oi, I know that you can hear us, Mr. Kai. You have no reason to trust us, but we're friends. A little bird told us that you might be in some kind of trouble. We're here to see if we can help."

"Uh," the other voice called hesitantly. "No one followed us. When it comes to tracking, my partner is the best. I can guarantee--"

"Here," the first said as Tsuna's box was ripped open. Rolling out of the opening, Tsuna was on his feet and running before his opponents could draw their weapons. If they were vampires, distance would be the best protection. If they were human, distance was still a pretty effective defense. He just--

"Calm down," Coach Achilles ordered as he dropped down in front of Tsuna.

Unable to compensate for the sudden appearance, Tsuna rammed straight into his chest and sent them both flying. While they were still in the air, Tsuna tried to grab onto him and twist so that he'd take the brunt of the fall, but Coach Achilles matched his power and twisted in the opposite direction to ensure that he stayed on bottom. The impact was hard and Tsuna clenched his eyes shut as they slid, rolled, and bounced together across the hard cobblestones of the alley. When they finally came to a stop, Tsuna kept his eyes shut and silently prayed that he hadn't accidentally killed the man with the impact. Considering how bad his luck had been lately, it was completely possible.

Tsuna felt like crying in relief when he noticed Coach Achilles' chest rising and falling under him. He was still alive! They needed to get him to a hospital--

"Stay still for a minute," the Coach ordered, wrapping his arms tighter around Tsuna when he tried to pull away. He thought about tearing himself free anyway, but his instincts were being strangely silent and his intuition was telling him that it was safe. The combination made him dizzy as weeks of pent-up tension ran out of him, leaving him with the unexpected effect of instantly falling asleep.

* * *

"He's out like a light," Tan chuckled, reaching up with a paw to sheepishly scratch behind his furry ear.

"Yup," Ryohei grinned while he completely ignored his scrapes and scratches from the fall in favor of giving his old friend a long-awaited hug. "Let's take him home with us."

"He's not a stray puppy!" Tan choked. "You can't just pick him up and--"

"Just watch me," Ryohei countered as he slowly sat up with Tsuna in his arms. Seeing that his tanuki partner wasn't satisfied, Ryohei sighed and tried to grasp the right words to convince him. "You can't expect me to leave him here. He was curled up in a box when we found him and look how easily he passed out. Gregory was right! He's going through something that he isn't talking about and he needs help!"

"How do you plan to explain this to your roommate?" Tan retorted grudgingly. "He's not going to be happy that you let someone know about your secret base."

"I'll figure out what to tell him," Ryohei said as he painfully got to his feet. "Just help me carry him. He's not as little as he used to be."

* * *

Should he send the black postcard with his latest movie poster on it or the blue postcard with his CD cover on it? Maybe a landscape instead? Lambo didn't want I-Pin to think that he was full of himself, after all. However, at the same time, it wouldn't be good if she forgot what he looked liked. It had been a while since he'd gotten to see her in person. The last time had been when she'd cut her hair off. She'd given him both of her pigtails and then proceeded to tell him that she was getting married. He still couldn't believe it. He'd been outdone by a wimp that slaved in a cubicle all day and cried when he got a paper-cut. The guy was a complete loser and wasn't even in the Mafia, but I-Pin had accepted his proposal along with his opinion that she'd look good in short hair.

Maybe it was for the best. He and I-Pin had grown up together and they knew more about each other than any other person alive. It'd be too awkward if he confessed after all this time, which was exactly why he couldn't. How was he supposed to go up to her and say that he was in love with her when she could still tease him about sticking asparagus up his nose during dinner? How could he tell her that he'd cried his eyes out after they'd last parted and that he'd come close to killing her fiance out of jealousy? I-Pin would break every bone in his body and never speak to him again if he did something like that. Even if he left out the part about wanting to kill her fiance, she'd still beat him pretty thoroughly in aggravation that he'd drop such a bomb while she was trying to start a family.

Tossing the selection of postcards to the side, Lambo sighed and tried to shake off his depressed mood. No good was going to come from thinking too much about it. He'd chosen to follow his career over I-Pin and he just had to pay the price for making a selfish choice. He'd had plenty of chances to track her down and confess to her, but he hadn't. Part of him knew exactly why he'd stalled, too. He'd stalled because he knew that he wasn't the kind of man that could make I-Pin happy. They made good friends and he loved her, but it wasn't the right type of love to build a relationship on. She was more like a sister to him than a lover.

The other part of him was the part that still needed convincing. That part wanted to monopolize I-Pin and claim her in the stubborn belief that he had such a right and that part of him was willing to cross certain lines if that was what it took to keep anyone else from touching her. Because she was getting married, that part of him also needed to shut the hell up, but it was difficult. He'd been pining after I-Pin for so long in secret that his feelings were torn over her. The choice of whether to love her eternally as a sibling or to take the risky step across that line and build a different kind of relationship was a hard choice to face. It was so much easier to just wring his wrists and wait until the choice was taken out of his hands.

"Devo rimanere calma, il mio amore," Lambo sighed, rubbing his forehead as he paced around the room. The sixty-third floor apartment was one of six different places that he regularly stayed in and was also one of the nicest from a male perspective. There was plenty of privacy since the only ways to access it were via the birdcage elevator that connected every level of the building and the stairwell that wrapped around it. Seeing as how the main owner were a bachelor and a canine, it was unsurprising that there wasn't a piece of lace or printed fabric in the entire place. That wasn't to say that Ryohei was a bad interior decorator, though.

Actually, Lambo found the apartment to be a stylish retreat that he could relax in without feeling as if he was disconnecting himself from the world. It was true that the furniture was all heavy pieces covered in black leather, but Ryohei got hefty paycheck from the Family for his particular work and he used it wisely. His kitchen was hidden among the stocked bar that he'd made for entertaining. He had every electronic gadget and high-class techno-wonder that a man could want, from the wall mounted plasma televisions to the holographic stripper's pole and automatic vacuuming robots. He also had his own private gym to work out in which separated from the main living area by an exposed brick wall. There were four separate bedrooms, each of which could easily be turned into love nests if guests wanted privacy and a balcony that gave a view of the city that was a must for any assassin-for-hire. On top of that, the building had a very stringent policy that protected the privacy of it's tenants and the neighbors were very understanding when it came to get-togethers: they didn't care as long as they were invited.

Lambo knew that Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Hibari had no clue about the place, which also made him feel a little special. Back when Tsuna had still been a constant part of their lives, everyone had viewed them as the two idiots of the bunch. None of them probably had any idea what kind of livestyle that Ryohei and himself were living no. Where all of them had paired off and settled down, Ryohei had a dozen different aliases to play around with and all of them got benefits from being friends with the actor Lambo. They were both famous in their own circles and could actually take advantage of the effect that the word 'Mafia' had on women.

Hearing the doorknob rattling, Lambo automatically darted for cover in Ryohei's gym and crouched next to the brick wall as he checked the ammo level in his pistol's clip. One could never be too careful in their line of work. Ryohei was the leader of the Varia and Lambo still ranked on the top of the list for the Mafioso that every Mafioso wanted to kill. People rarely visited outside of parties, but a determined person could find it without too much difficulty. If it was an enemy, it was always better to be prepared.

"Lambo!" Ryohei's voice barked from the entrance. "Are you here?" Putting his pistol back in his hip holster, Lambo stood and straightened his clothes before stepping out into the open. Then he immediately froze. Ryohei and Tan were dragging in an unconscious body that Lambo recognized all too well. It was Tsuna. "Get some blankets," Ryohei gasped as they laid him out on the couch.

"And get me a shot of something hard," Tan panted as he collapsed into a breathless heap next to Tsuna's feet. "I think he's hiding lead weights in his shoes. Was he always that heavy?"

"Before you ask, I can explain," Ryohei told Lambo while he pulled up a barstool to rest on. "This is Kai, one of my associates at work and--"

"And we both know that's not his real name," Lambo whispered. Both Ryohei and Tan stiffened at the statement, but their lack of objection told Lambo what he needed to know. None of them said a word as a disturbing silence fell over the room. Just as Lambo wondered how much Ryohei knew, Ryohei wanted to know how much he knew. At the same time, neither of them could say it out loud in fear that the other person didn't know as much as they assumed about each other. "A drink sounds good right now," Lambo offered in an attempt to break the tension.

At Ryohei's nod, all three of them went to work in separate directions. Tan went to get the blankets to make Tsuna more comfortable, Ryohei went to lock the door and secure the windows, and Lambo began mixing up Eight Balls at the bar. Tan was the first to join him in making the shots disappear while Ryohei decided to take a shower to clear his mind. Lambo couldn't blame him for escaping for a little while. Their next conversation had to be handled delicately.

If Ryohei didn't know that Tsuna was Tsuna like Lambo was assuming he knew, then Lambo couldn't tell him. Doing so would be betraying both Tsuna and his silent promise not to reveal him. At the same time, he wanted to tell Ryohei. Keeping a secret like this was difficult. It'd taken all of his perseverance to keep from blurting it out in front of Hotaru and Reborn. He had to, though. Tsuna needed him to.

Lambo knew that he'd always been a nuisance to Tsuna. He'd been a problem child when he was younger and he'd blown up Tsuna's bedroom, stolen his breakfast, and embarrassed him more times than could be counted. Tsuna had never hated him for it, though. He'd never raised his voice or his hand. He'd made tons of allowances and had shown incredible patience. In a way, Tsuna had been more of a father than his own father had been. Where his real old man had handed him weapons of mass destruction and told him to kill Reborn, Tsuna had taken them away in concern that he'd hurt himself. Where others had looked away when he'd made a scene, Tsuna had always been there with open arms and a soothing voice. That kind of caring couldn't be feigned. That kind of caring couldn't be betrayed.

Even when he'd been sent back to the Bovino Family, Tsuna had always sent him letters, gifts, and had always answered Lambo's calls when he'd wanted to cry about something. Tsuna had always known what to say to help him. Tsuna had always been there for him. Even if it was in this one small way, he wanted to repay him. He wanted to show Tsuna that he'd grown up into someone that could be trusted and reliable. He wanted Tsuna to be proud of him and he couldn't do that if he let himself be a loudmouth that spewed his secrets to everyone. Whether it was Gokudera, Yamamoto, or even Ryohei, he wouldn't be the one to break the silence.

Looking down at Tsuna's sleeping face, Lambo smiled at the soft noises he made in his sleep. There was no doubt in his mind. Under that mask was Tsuna. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask. There was so many things that he wanted to tell him. Before he could get to that, though, he'd have to figure out some way to keep Tsuna from running away when he woke. He didn't know how Ryohei had knocked him out, but Tsuna probably wasn't going to be happy when he woke--

Tsuna's eyes suddenly snapped open, practically making Lambo's heart stop in surprise. Lambo opened his mouth in preparation to explain, but Tsuna cut him off as he quickly sat up and threw his blankets off.

"They're coming," he warned before leaping off the couch. Lambo tried to stop him as he rushed for the door, but ended up face-up on the floor before he could blink. Flipping over onto his stomach, he got to see Tsuna's feet fly out the door and quickly re-enter. "Shit," he spat as he slammed the door shut again, relocked it, and began pulling everything nearby to barricade it. "Is there another exit to this place?" Tsuna shouted in panic as he ran to get a look out the window.

"N-No," Lambo answered as he got to his feet.

"Fuck," he spat. Lambo could only stare as he slid down the wall next to the window in dismay. What in hell's name was going on?! "We're surrounded," Tsuna whispered, burying his face in his hands. "They'll wait a little while for me to come out because they won't want witnesses, but you've signed my death warrant by bringing me here. He's not going to overlook this."

"Would you mind explaining what you're talking about?" Tan asked from his seat at the bar.

"Power," he answered hesitantly. "I can't go into details but--"

"It's extremely late for that," Ryohei said as he stepped out of his bedroom with a towel around his shoulders.

"R-Ryohei?" Tsuna gaped. "Wait, I thought--"

"You were so busy trying to keep people from recognizing you that you didn't think that there were people around who you didn't recognize," Ryohei grinned. "You've gotten taller, Little Bro."

"Little--" Tsuna choked as tears built in his eyes. "How can you still call me that after what I did? Kyoko--"

"Is dead," Ryohei finished bluntly. "I don't blame you for that, Little Bro. I did at first, but I've had a lot of years to cool off. You were nearly dead yourself and the way I see it, you've probably suffered as much as I have over her dying. I've already lost one sibling. I don't plan on losing another, so why don't you fill us in on what's going on?"

"I-I can't," he replied with an expression full of pain. Before Ryohei could counter his statement, the sound of a crash against the door made Tsuna jump in place and slowly stand with the wall at his back for support. "Both of you should go hide," he suggested. "The door isn't going to hold and they only want me. I'll try to rush past them and lure them--"

"Che," Ryohei spat. Lambo grinned knowingly as he retreated back into his gym. A moment later, the steel shutters and braces for the door locked into place, turning the apartment into an impregnable fortress. "They cut the hard-lines and put up a signal scrambler," he called. "But I've sent a coded SOS out through a micro-drone that I installed on the roof. The Varia should get it and respond within the hour. I could normally get a faster response time, but they took out the backup reciever outside the window."

"What about the floors and ceiling?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"Blast-proof," Tan supplied with his ears flattening down on the sides of his head to show that he was still tense. "No one is getting in or out of here until we say so. Even the ventilation is secured."

"Who's after you, Tsuna?" Lambo inquired as he settled down on the couch in preparation of the wait. The question made Tsuna freeze for so long that Lambo feared that his heart had stopped. He was still that way when Ryohei came back in the room. Trading looks with him, Lambo slightly shook his head to say that getting information wasn't going to be easy. Something was stopping Tsuna from talking--something serious.

"How about a drink?" Ryohei suggested. Going over to the kitchen, he pulled a bottle of V Special from the back of his freezer and pulled out two clean shot classes from the cabinet. Just as expected, the mundane question snapped Tsuna into life again.

"I can't handle that stuff anymore," Tsuna said as he slowly walked over to take a seat on the couch with Lambo. "If you have a regular beer, that'd be good. I've got to be careful with anything harder. If I can't burn it off fast enough, then it'll screw with my self-control. I think the last time that I safely got drunk was... uh... Are the walls...?"

"Soundproof," Tan grunted. "Keep talking. We're the only ones that can hear you right now."

"I'm not sure where I should start," Tsuna admitted as Ryohei walked over with a round of beers. Taking a moment to get comfortable, every eye watched as Tsuna grasped for a good place to begin explaining himself.

"Going over the whole ten years can be done later," Lambo commented casually. "Why don't you start at the end and work backward? The current predicament should take priority."

"You're staying pretty calm," Tsuna grinned. Lambo grinned with him, but his smile slowly faded as Tsuna reached up to carefully dislodge the mask from his face. "I guess I can do without this until your backup arrives." Lambo found himself holding his breathe until Tsuna looked up mask-free. It took a long, silent moment for all of them to align the Tsuna that they remembered with the Tsuna in front of them. Just like Lambo himself, Tsuna had matured. There were small crow's feet around his eyes and the smallest hint of wrinkles around his lips from smiling, along with a deep furrow across his brow from constant worrying. Otherwise, the years had been kind to him. His chin was still as strong as ever and, overall, his face had become both more masculine and proud.

"You look just like Iemitsu with Nana's eyes," Ryohei commented, taking the words right out of Lambo's mouth. "You've still got that shaggy hairdo, though."

"So I do," Tsuna laughed, brightening his face while the glitter of unshed tears highlighted his eyes. "I've tried a lot of different hairstyles, but I always liked this one the best. I think I was ready to stop being Van just because of the long hair. Heh. I didn't have much choice in that, though. Nephriam wants to use me whether I agree or not. He was our patron, mine and Xanxus' both. He looks like he's a young boy, but he's older than everyone in this room put together. And cruel. I don't think I've ever met a person as cruel as him unless you compare him to Gabriel or Ari."

"Gabriel Fresci?" Ryohei asked with narrowed eyes. Tsuna shook his head softly in answer.

"Gabriel Martelli," he supplied. "It's a long story, but he was a man who ruined my life when I was Suoh." Ryohei bolted up in his seat in recognition of the name, but otherwise stayed silent. "That doesn't have anything to do with this, though," Tsuna continued slowly. "Well, in a way, it does. You see, I didn't know who I was for a long time. I mean, I knew that I was Tsuna, but I couldn't remember anything beyond getting challenged by Xanxus in the Ring Battles. Actually, I couldn't remember anything before my tenth birthday, either. I was working off of only about five years of memories.

Anyway, I set up a new life because I didn't want to be part of the Mafia. I made some friends and even fell in love. We never had much and I had to do plenty of things that I'm not proud of, but we muddled our way through. I ended up getting mixed up with the Mafia anyway and I got turned into a werewolf and that's where things started to go wrong. At that point, I was so entrenched in my new identity that my old life seemed like a dream. A lot of more stuff happened that'd take a lot of time to explain, but... um... I... uh..."

"Take your time," Lambo soothed, seeing that Tsuna was getting lost in what parts were needed to get to the current problem and what could be glossed over. "Even if the Varia get here, we don't have to open the doors right away."

"R-Right," Tsuna mumbled. Picking up his narrative, Tsuna slowly explained everything. He went on to tell them everything from the death of his husband, his split personalities, Xanxus being turned, moving in with Xanxus, and his identity crisis which had lead to a subsequent break down. He went over what he'd been told about Xanxus faking their deaths and being awakened after a year. He glossed over the time that he'd spent insane, but told them how it'd been for the best since it'd put him mostly back together. His Flame had still been split and he'd still been unbalanced, but he'd had his memories back.

"I really owed Nephriam at that point," he said mournfully. "Nephriam sheltered us and cared for us. He helped us to build new lives and even brought me together with Aster. I thought he was truly Family. He wasn't, though," Tsuna whispered as his voice hardened. "He was only building trust so that he could use me. He could see that I had the power to bring people together and I did. I brought together werewolves from around the world into a single Alliance. As soon as that was done, he attacked us with the intent to wipe us out. He murdered several of us before his wife got caught in the crossfire. Because he didn't want the vampires on his side to think that he was heartless, he accepted my plea to negotiate and then murdered her in private so that he could pin it on me. But I did manage to get an agreement out of him before the Vendiche arrived.

As long as I don't interfere in his plans and I don't try to build up power, he promised not to go after the people that I care about. I've already toed the line a few times. By bringing me here, he thinks that I've crossed it. And by telling you all this, I really have. Now he's not going to stop until I'm dead. He's in league with the Hunters and wants to wipe out ever vampire and werewolf in the world. I was trying to find a way to stop him without dragging anyone else down with me. I.... I don't want to kill anymore. The way Nephriam sees it, he'll win whether I survive or not because I'll have to defeat the vampires that he sends after me if I want to live. The more that I kill, the more that vampires will come to hate me and, by affiliation, werewolves in general. He's setting up a three-sided war where the Hunters are waiting in the shadows for vampires and werewolves to decimate each other so that they can come in and kill the survivors. At the moment, the only way that I can fight him is to not kill and to keep surviving. By doing both, I'm putting a kink in his plans."

"Why doesn't he just announce who you are to the world?" Ryohei asked curiously as he polished off his beer. "He has to know that doing so would distract you to the limit."

"Nephriam's threatened me with it," Tsuna admitted carefully, "But I don't think he'd really do it. It'd break more than my concentration; it'd break the whole Mafia and that's not in his plans. It's just vampires and werewolves that he wants to destroy. Not humans. So, he'll try to take me out quietly first by sending the Olympus Foundation after me. My only option now is to run--"

Tsuna squeaked in surprise at the sound of a coded knock at the door. As he leaped for his mask and pulled out a small tube of glue from his pocket to use in reattaching it to his face, Lambo traded a questioning look with Ryohei. The code wasn't one that he recognized. It was repeating, though, and Ryohei slowly sat up to listen carefully.

"It's Morse-code," he mumbled after a moment. "T. U. P. I. D. Stupid. W. E. R. E. W. O.--"

"Stupid werewolf," Tsuna supplied with narrowed eyes as the message continued. "'You. Should. Rely on. Friends. More. And your. Own. Ability. To see. Into the. Heart of people. Everyone. Has. Heard your. St--' Ryohei?! I thought you said the walls were soundproof!"

"They are," Tan snapped. "Keep listening. 'Everyone has heard your story and want to hear more. Please open the door and...'"

"'And give us a chance,'" Ryohei finished. "'Signed, Vital.' Do you know him?"

"No," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "It could be a trap." In response, the knocking sound started back up with the response 'It's not a trap.' "Bug," Tsuna grimaced, jumping to the only possible conclusion. "I wonder how--"

_'Poe is here with us,' _the knocking answered.

"Shit," Tsuna grimaced. "We have to open up."

"I won't do it," Ryohei replied without twitching an eyelid. "They could be lying. We'll wait for the Varia to get here."

"But what if they--"

"If they're serious about wanting to hear you out, then they can continue to listen from outside the door," Ryohei shrugged. "I'm not opening it until--" Everyone froze as the sound of a heavier hand began beating on the door in a different type of code. "It seems that my backup is out there, too," Ryohei murmured. "It's turning into a good, old fashioned party. Should we keep them waiting a little longer or maybe--"

Jaws dropped around the room as the door and the wall across from it disappeared in a gushing flow of heat that lasted a mere second. As the sound of footsteps began rushing into the room, Lambo was right behind Ryohei in pulling out his gun and positioning himself between Tsuna and the large crowd that was flooding into the apartment. Like Ryohei, he hesitated, though. With a scowling Xanxus and the Xaria leading the pack, it was difficult to decide whether or not to fire. It was the first time in years that he'd been confronted with such an overwhelming force.

"Put those down," Xanxus spat as he threw a roll of parchment at Ryohei with a hand that was noticeably missing a pinky. "We got the SOS in the middle of cleaning out our new Headquarters. The brat wanted us to find out what was going on and introduce ourselves in the process. We're the new Decimo Squad of the Varia, directly under the jurisdiction of the Eleventh." Without lowering his weapon, Ryohei tossed the parchment over to Tan to open and read over. Lambo followed his cue, unwilling to trust anyone when it came to Tsuna's safety. "You owe me an explanation," Xanxus growled, speaking directly to Tsuna. "I heard what you said through Poe's transmitter. Everyone outside heard it. I'll go over how you ignored me later. All I want to know right now is why you haven't killed that little bastard. Don't give me any bullshit, either. You can rationalize to someone else. I want the fucking truth."

"Two hostages," Tsuna answered, bowing his head as he hugged his arm in a way that showed his vulnerablility. "Information on Tonno and Snicker's Box."


	130. Chapter 130 All for One

Tsuna remained curled up in the middle of Ryohei's bed, quietly trying to pretend that there wasn't a war meeting going on in the next room. He didn't know what to do anymore. They'd put him under house arrest with Poe guarding the door for his own safety. He didn't want them to protect him, though. He didn't want them to fight. If he'd known that this was going to be the result, he wouldn't have opened his mouth to Ryohei and Lambo.

He needed to escape. No matter what plans they came up with, none of them could be put into action without him. After all, his testimony was the only reason everyone was itching to do something. They weren't even listening to him anymore. The leader of the Olympus squad, the leader of the Varia, and Xanxus had formed a triumvirate that completely excluded him. With the way that they were taking over, it had become his job to just sit in the corner and stay quiet while they bailed him out.

It aggravated him. He hadn't asked any of them to stick their nose in his business and he hadn't asked for their help. They were just going to get people killed with what they were doing! Lord Nephriam wasn't someone that they could take up arms against and defeat. A raid into his mansion would only cause more disarray and calamity! Even trying for a stealth mission or a kidnapping wouldn't work! He'd already thought of all that and Nephriam wasn't a foe that those kinds of plans would work against! This kind of situation needed patience and diplomacy--not grenades and heavy artillery!

Unfortunately, his luck had brought together the most gung-ho team possible. With the group assembled outside his room, it was practically guaranteed that something was going to get blown up. What could he do to stop it, though? It wasn't as if he could walk out of the room and--

"Kufufufufu. Feeling caged?" Mukuro whispered into his ear as he settled onto the bed next to him. Tsuna let out a slow breathe in relief, becoming incredibly calm at the arrival of the greatest escape artist of all.

"It's about time you showed yourself," Tsuna replied softly so that his voice wouldn't carry through the door. "Will you help me?"

"No," Mukuro answered playfully as he reached out to twist a lock of Tsuna's hair around his finger. "Watching you squirm is so much more fun."

"You would think so," Tsuna grumbled. He knew that he had to find a way to get Mukuro's help before he decided that watching him wasn't fun anymore. He really didn't have much to go on, though. Mukuro was a solitary creature. He was kind of like a cat in how he slinked around people's ankles and walked through walls. He was always around, but always unnoticed. Cats were notorious for only demanding affection during the times when they felt ignored.

Perhaps... Perhaps he could use that, Tsuna thought. Whether Mukuro admitted it or not, he had to consider Tsuna as some sort of master. He kept reappearing before him in the same fashion as a cat would and cats tended to get jealous when their master's attention went to another pet. "It's too bad," Tsuna sighed, stretching out on the bed so that his head was resting on Mukuro's lap. "You know, I'd stand up to all of them, but there are a lot of vampires out there. They could knock me unconscious in a matter of seconds. I understand why you won't help, though. It'd be pretty difficult even for you to create illusions in front of so many protected minds."

"Pfft," Mukuro scoffed. "I'll admit that Xanxus and the boxer are forces to be reckoned with, but the rest of them are like an open book to me. What kind of game are you playing, my dear Tsunayoshi? It's unlike you to mock me in such a way."

"No game," Tsuna shrugged, closing his eyes as if he was planning to sleep. "I'm just tired of resisting. I'd really like to go give them a piece of my mind and I know that you'd get a kick out of it, but there's no point if I can't escape afterward. I'm just a pawn like this, so I guess I should just take a nap. There's no point in worrying about what I can't change."

"You're becoming dull," Mukuro accused in distaste for Tsuna's bluff.

"I can't really help it," Tsuna replied apologetically. "Pawns take their orders from Kings. The Kings are the interesting ones. Maybe you should go watch Xanxus or Ryohei instead. They're probably more amusing than I am right now. Of course," he added with a slow, mischievous smile. "If I knew that someone was waiting to sweep me away, I could become a King again and might just create a scene that you'd be delighted over. And just imagine how angry Xanxus would get if you were to steal me away from right under his nose. I bet he'd go into a fit of rage."

"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro warned.

"Huh?"

Tsuna's mind went blank as Mukruo kissed him. It lasted for only an instant, but it was enough to knock down every safeguard that he had. When Mukuro broke away and hovered over him, Tsuna couldn't tell whether his heart was racing or if his heart had stopped. He felt... He felt as if Mukuro had just truly kissed him for the first time.

"It would've been enough if you had admitted that you can't do it without me," he admonished gently. "I do not know what possessed me to bind myself to you, but we... We were real. Weren't we, Tsunayoshi? The memories I have of us together are no illusion. The link we have is no accident."

"No," Tsuna agreed sadly, once again reminded of how much Mukuro had given up for his sake. "It's no accident. In a past life, we meant the world to each other and we'll be drawn together again in the next life. Even if neither of us remembers the reason why, we can always make new reasons. I... I can't do this without you, Mukuro. I _do _need you and for more than just your abilities. Even if you refuse to stand before me in a solid form that I can grasp onto, just knowing that you're out there gives me strength. The world would be much lonelier if I didn't know that you might visit me unexpectedly again. It keeps me going because it gives me hope. Every day, I wake up and I wonder whether I'm going to get to see you. Some days, I'm disappointed, but that only makes it even more exciting when you do show yourself."

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled. Tsuna choked when he disappeared from behind him, only to reappear over him as if he were about to pin Tsuna to the bed. It made Tsuna blush, seeing the sharp glittering of amusement dancing in his eyes. "I do believe that I heard a note of longing in your voice, my pet. Have I neglected you for too long?"

"No!" Tsuna spluttered, seeing that Mukuro had reverted to 'Mukuro-sama'. "I didn't mean it like that! I just--" _Mate_, Tsuna's instincts cried, making Tsuna's breath hitch and his lips quiver from Mukuro's proximity. How long had it been since he'd had a real mate? Not a toy like Aster or diversions like Adie and Neve. How long had it been since he'd laid down beside someone who demanded more than just a reaction from his body? "Don't do this, Mukuro," Tsuna pleaded breathlessly, already falling prey to Mukuro's illusionary scent.

"Don't do what?" He asked teasingly. When he reached out to caress Tsuna's cheek, Tsuna trembled uncontrollably and lost the battle against his desires. He wanted to be touched so badly. He wanted to be held and caressed and loved. Mukuro's hand was so warm and he felt so cold from sealing his heart away for so long. Even though he knew that Mukuro's hand wasn't real, the illusion eased a pain that he'd been stubbornly ignoring. However, closing his eyes to let himself fall deeper into the sensation was a mistake. In that moment, Mukuro took over his senses completely.

"Mu...kuro...?" Tsuna panted, opening his eyes as Mukuro's touch disappeared. He was in a new place. Ryohei's room had completely disappeared. In its place was a dark, warm bedroom twice the size of the one he'd been in. The furniture was made out of heavy, polished woods and the bed that Tsuna was on was covered in a dark red satin that made Tsuna's loins tighten in anticipation.

Across the room from him, a fireplace crackled with Flame and slowly drew Tsuna's attention when Mukuro didn't reappear. It wasn't large like he'd expect from Mukuro's zealous personality. Rather, it was small and a little unsightly. The brickwork had been painted over more times than could be counted and the latest attempt at coloring it only made it stick out even more with how it'd cracked and peeled off in places. It was badly in need of renovation so that it wasn't so distracting. As it was, the warm fire within couldn't be enjoyed at all.

Turning his attention away from it, Tsuna slowly slid off the bed and began looking around for Mukuro. He had to be somewhere within the illusion and Tsuna wanted to find him before the mood was completely ruined. Where was he, though? He wasn't under the bed or hiding in any corners. The closet was empty, too. Maybe Mukuro was in a different room? Was he supposed to search the whole building? Deciding to give it a try, Tsuna opened the bedroom door and stopped before he could take even a step out. Outside the door was a group of people waiting that he thought he'd never see again.

"Don't look so stunned," Lazarus teased, reaching out to ruffle Tsuna's hair as he barged into the room with his arm around a vulnerable Suoh's shoulders'.

"Big Bro!" Chibi exclaimed, tackling Tsuna's legs in excitement as Lynx cheerfully bounded into the room as if he was chasing a butterfly.

"Let's get this over with," the Tenth added, gracefully following behind them with Remorse hiding in his shadow.

"W-What's going on?!" Tsuna spluttered.

"Intervention," Lazarus sighed before jumping onto the bed to lounge in relaxation. "We're a part of you, so we know what's going on and we're not very happy with you at the moment." Tsuna opened his mouth to object, but Lynx chose that moment to grab onto the leg of his pants with his teeth and pull his feet out of under him. Landing hard on his back, Tsuna saw stars until Chibi hesitantly leaned over him to see if he was alright. Sitting up, Tsuna waved him away while worriedly eyeing where Lynx had retreated to pacing in front of the fireplace.

"He's been irritable lately," Chibi explained apologetically. "You've been feeding him, but Lynx needs more than just food to be happy. He also needs love and someone to play with."

"You're not leading a very fulfilling life," the Tenth accused as he settled into a heavy armchair while Remorse continued to hide in the shadows behind him. "None of us are satisfied with the bones you've been throwing us."

"Well, what do you expect me to do?!" Tsuna spluttered, reaching up to rub his temple as he felt a migraine forming. "I'm only one person!"

"We know that, but do you?" Suoh mumbled from his seat on the floor next to the bed. Tsuna glared at him, wondering what that particular image was even doing out. Hadn't he become part of Remorse?

"I'll make some tea," Chibi offered abruptly. Shaking his head at Chibi's inability to follow along with the current situation, he found himself watching anyway as his child-self ran over to the dresser and pulled a large sunflower out of a drawer. Without rhyme or reason, he began waving it while singing a song that he had obviously been made up on the spot. However, when tea actually did appear in front of each of them, Tsuna gave up on trying to understand. It was Mukuro's illusion, after all. It didn't have to make sense.

"Mukuro!" Tsuna called out. "Even if you find this funny, I don't. Either you can end this illusion or I will."

"Nice try," Lazarus laughed, draining his tea in a single gulp before tossing both the cup and its saucer into the air--where it instantly disappeared again. "We're not in Mukuro's illusion, though. He brought you into your own head, Baka. Do you understand the problem now?"

Tsuna stared, unable to comprehend Lazarus' words. He was in his own head? If that was the case, then what were they doing here? He'd thought that they'd all reunited to form him! How was he there if they were also there and what--

"Arrg!" He blurted, pulling on his hair in frustration. He was getting confused and none of this was making any sense! He had all of his memories back and his Flame had become whole after Mukuro had given him the last piece --his lies. He didn't have split personalities anymore, so Laz, Chibi, the Tenth and the rest shouldn't exist! They'd become part of him!

"I guess we have to spell it out for him," Lazarus grumbled.

"It seems so," the Tenth agreed in resignation. "He's become rather simple-minded."

"I have not!" Tsuna spluttered. "I--" Tsuna froze at a warning growl from Lynx. The growl said, whether he wanted to or not, he'd better shut up and listen.

"You've lost quite a few things, Baka," the Tenth continued saying, as if Tsuna hadn't said a word. "You've lost my confidence. You've lost Chibi's innocent heart. You've lost Lazarus' stubborn willpower. You've lost Suoh's concern for others. You've lost Lynx instinct and you've lost Remorse's pain. You've accepted and integrated parts of us into your life, but you're still grasping at straws. You're trying to build something new rather than fixing what's broken and what's broken is hurting us like sharp knives. Do you really think that you can continue to live as Kai while you're juggling so many problems? Look how many you've already fumbled."

"Autumn," Lazarus supplied in boredom.

"Snicker," Suoh said sadly.

"Kyoko and Haru," Chibi added, giving Lynx a hug to trade support with the beast.

"Xanxus and Mukuro," the Tenth continued, supplying both his own love and Remorse's. "You've also messed up your attempt to help Matsu and Yamamoto, your attempt to warn the Martelli not to interfere and your control of the Nephriam situation is woefully out of control. You need to face facts, Baka. You've screwed up and lost sight of the prize. Rather than taking a step back to get a better view, you've been charging headlong into the darkness. It's understandable that you don't want to take a long-view on things anymore, but you can't have tunnel vision, either. Even if you don't need to plan that far into the future, you don't have any idea of the true size of your current playing field. That's why people like Xanxus, Ryohei, and Poe can walk into your life and take control away from you."

"If you want to take control of your life, you've got to make a resolution, Baka," Lazarus continued, picking up the thread while the Tenth sipped on his tea. "Not just to reconnect with Hotaru or getting Lord Nephriam off your back, but one that covers all the pieces on the board. Vongola, Martelli, your friends and your family, and even the kindred werewolves and vampires out there. You've been selfish up until now, picking one and then the other like they're shoes that can be traded out. If you really have accepted every part of yourself, you can't do that because only one of us will be satisfied at a time."

"What's it going to be, Baka," the Tenth murmured. "It's all or nothing. Either you accept all of us or start over by yourself. The teacher 'Kai' is a pretty interesting fellow, but he's quite superficial. I believe that you said you wanted to be spoiled, but is that really all it takes to make you happy? If so, then feel free to ignore us and you can go back to letting Ryohei, Xanxus, and Poe spoil you--"

"That's not the kind of spoiling that I wanted!" Tsuna objected. "I didn't ask them to come into my life and just start deciding everything on their own! I just wanted.... I don't know what I wanted! I just--"

"You lost confidence," the Tenth finished knowingly. "You lost heart, the will to forge through any difficulties, and many of the other key traits that gave you the ability to be who you really are. You buried yourself behind a new personality and gave up on trying to actually accomplish anything. You're a fool, Baka. The currents aren't going to take you to the destination that you want unless you grit your teeth and start paddling. The spoiling that you wanted was for everything to be handed to you, but this is the real world. No one gives a handout to someone who has already given up on themselves."

"Does Big Bro not care about us anymore?" Chibi interjected softly. "I thought he was better than that."

"You'll have to ask him yourself," Suoh answered.

As every eye in the room turned to him in expectation, Tsuna didn't know what to tell them. They were right. He'd been selfish and he'd only been working half-heartedly. He was so scared of getting hurt again that he'd closed himself off from feeling what he needed to feel. He'd forgotten how many people were waiting for him and he'd forgotten about all the people he was hurting with his careless attitude toward himself. Not just his Families, families, friends, and comrades, but also his students and all the people that he hadn't yet met. He couldn't be complacent and his will couldn't waver. For their sakes, he had to pull himself together!

"I want..." Tsuna said as the words slowly solidified in his heart. "I want to protect.... everyone. Not just Hotaru and Vongola, but also Martelli, the Dragons, the werewolves, the vampires, my kids, my students, my friends, my rivals and... and... Everyone! I can't choose just one! I want to protect them all!"

"Now, that sounds like something Tsunayoshi would say," the Tenth praised. "It's about time you started sounding more like yourself."

"We'll help," Lazarus offered as he bounced off the bed and helped Suoh to his feet while the Tenth regally got to his feet.

"But I don't know what to do," Tsuna objected, following both Chibi and Lynx's prods to also stand.

"It's okay," Chibi soothed, grabbing Tsuna's hand to pull him towards the fireplace. "You'll figure it out after we do some spring cleaning!"

Before Tsuna could ask what he meant by 'Spring Cleaning', Tsuna had a flat scraping tool thrust into his hand and everyone had pulled back to block off every escape route. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they wanted from him. There was only one thing nearby he could use the scraping tool on: the fireplace. He didn't really understand the importance behind it, but he was willing to trust the more experienced parts of himself. If the Tenth, Lazarus, and even Chibi wanted him to scrape off paint, then that's what he'd do.

Using the tool on the brickwork, he carefully worked at a piece of peeling paint until it broke off and fell to the ground. Remorse, in his oily form, lashed out of the shadows around everyone's feet to snatch it out of the air before it could land and the action seemed to trigger everyone else into action. More hands and tools began working at every surface of the fireplace and even Lynx scratched at the paint toward the bottom in effort to help. Like with the piece that he'd peeled off, Remorse continued to claim every discarded fleck before it could hit the ground.

As Tsuna slowly continued working on the brick he'd chosen to start with, he started to feel funny in a way that he couldn't explain. It was as if, with every piece of paint that they discarded, he was able to identify another piece of his life that was a superfluous distraction. It wasn't anything big, though. It was hundreds of little things that had eaten away at his attention and his time until he'd been squandering himself without making any progress.

Matching his mask to his clothes. Photo shoots. Poking his nose into Aster's love-life. Sneaking into the Martelli Manor instead of using the front door. Making excuses to his students. Misleading those who got too close. Running away from Nephriam's threats. Running away from assassins. Running away from Xanxus. Running away from anything and anyone that might actually change his situation.

He'd made the same mistake with Nephriam that he'd made with Gabriel. Instead of taking action, he'd quietly bided his time in hope that the problem would go away on its own. This wasn't like junior high where the bullies would find someone else to pick on, though. He'd also bided his time with the people around him, thinking that everyone was happy with just knowing that he was there. There was no way that they could be, though. Because he was taking his sweet time in fixing things, people's lives were being affected. He was making people worry and Nephriam was probably still hurting people in secret.

Why was he just wringing his wrists instead of doing something? Were Nephriam's threats really that threatening? Sure, he had Snicker's box which Tsuna had left in his Vault. Those were just things, though. Even if Nephriam did do something to it, he couldn't destroy the memories that Tsuna had.

Also, even if Nephriam told the world about Tsuna's true identity, what did it matter? It wasn't as if anyone was going to believe him. Not only had Tsuna grown and matured, but he barely even looked like the Tenth anymore. Even if he did have a few similar features, the Tenth was a man who'd been known by all while only truly being known by few. His face was a matter of public record, but thinking about it logically brought a different perspective. Of the time that he'd spent as the heir and Boss of Vongola, how much of that time had he spent in hiding or working in an office? The face that most people knew was that of his Shadows. Not him.

How many people out there had been able to tell the difference between them? The answer was 'not very many'. With how much he'd changed since then, the number of people who would be able to recognize him would have been whittled down even more. Of course, there were those who would jump to conclusions if he did show his face, but the larger part of the Mafia were skeptics. Even if the idea crossed their minds, very few would take Nephriam's claim seriously unless Tsuna corroborated his story.

So what was Nephriam really holding against him? His threat that he'd hurt someone that Tsuna cared about? He was already hurting people that Tsuna cared about because he'd killed werewolves and vampires that he knew and he was planning to kill even more. Tsuna's other halves were right. He couldn't prioritize one issue over the other depending on what he felt like on a particular day. If he wanted to protect one side, he had to protect all sides. Wasn't that what the Sky did? It enveloped the whole world. Rather than cowering in fright of the scale, he needed to be more attuned to the weather patterns that were forming right under his nose--

Digging his tool underneath a particularly stubborn piece of paint, Tsuna gritted his teeth in determination to get it off. Once he succeeded, the feeling of satisfaction was washed away by the sudden realization that he was alone again. All of his other-selves had disappeared, leaving behind large sections of clean and carefully detailed brickwork in their wake. There was no way to tell who had cleaned what part. It'd been a team effort where everyone had continued working until the clay of the bricks had were returned to their natural beauty. The only exception was the part that he was working on. There was still a lot more work that he needed to do before he could blend it in seamlessly with the rest.

Rolling up his sleeves, Tsuna continued working. There was a bit of Wolfe-sensei that was still stuck on and Kai's glitter needed to be scrubbed away. Both were identities that he'd only superficially assumed. A cowboy and a model were nowhere near the truth of what he was. He was more. He was a jaded Boss. He was a carefree child. He was a simple-minded beast. He was a stubborn asshole. He was a reckless idiot. He was full of so many experiences that even he couldn't keep track of them all.

He was... Maro.

"I can only be myself," Tsuna smiled as he wiped the last piece of glitter off the fireplace's surface. "I'm ready, Mukuro. You can wake me up now." With a blink of his eyes, the room dissolved back into Ryohei's bedroom. Sitting up in the bed, Tsuna looked around to find that Mukuro was still hiding. It was unfortunate because Tsuna knew how much he owed him for the intervention. It might not have taken much effort for Mukuro to throw Tsuna into introspection, but the fact that Mukuro had done it when he could have just ignored Tsuna's problems. It was a large step forward in regards to their relationship. In a strange way, Mukuro doing that to him could be considered their first argument. He hadn't liked how Tsuna was acting, so he'd battled it out in his own eccentric way.

He could thank him later, Tsuna decided. For now, there was something that he had to take care of. Several somethings, actually. The first was to take off the gaudy clothing that he'd taken with himself from his last modeling gig. He was done with that. There would be no more cover stories or playacting. He was going to start handling things the way that only he should've from the beginning. There would be no more running away from the affections and concern of others. There would be no more hiding behind false bluster and stupid masks--

Tsuna grimaced as he placed his hand on the edge of his mask in preparation of tearing it off. He couldn't do it. No matter how much he told himself that no one would recognize him without it, the thought of taking it off made him feel as if he was exposing himself to the world. Instead of needing the mask to hide behind, he needed it so that he didn't feel quite so vulnerable. It'd have to stay. That was alright, though. He could get a simpler mask. Something that wasn't as flashy and didn't get in his way. Something that felt more like a pair of glasses--

Seeing a pair of dark sunglasses on Ryohei's nightstand, Tsuna tore off the mask and quickly put them on to see if they could suffice. The frames were wide and the feeling on his face was similar to that of his mask, but they could be removed at will. It wasn't much of a difference since he was still hiding part of his face, but he felt that it was a step forward. Digging in Ryohei's closet, he also found a plain white shirt and a pair of pants that were almost his size. The shirt was a little big around the shoulders and the pants had to be belted, but it made a huge difference from the messy wardrobe that he had been wearing previously. It was simple. It was comfortable. Once he had his boots on, it even felt normal.

He still felt that some things were missing, but they were all things that he acknowledged and promised to deal with. The part of him that held Lazarus wanted his feather earring back. The Tenth wanted rings that had meaning. Chibi wanted a pocket watch and Lynx was itching for him to play paddleball. Suoh wanted a lighter like Snicker's along with hand rolled cigarettes instead of the packaged kind and even Remorse was grumbling for some kind of gloves for his hands. He could feel them all inside of himself, melding together to form the array of his true self.

As he turned his attention back to the door keeping him caged in, all of their miscellaneous desires focused with him. Outside that door was an accumulation of people that he cared about despite having met them at such different points in his life. Ryohei, Xanxus, Poe, Tan, Lambo, the Varia, and even a squad of Olympus Foundation hitmen. It was time for all of them to meet the real Tsuna--the Tsuna that wasn't going to stand by while everyone decided his future for him.

Jumping a few times in place, Tsuna got himself nice and limber in preparation for what he had to do. Then, opening his mouth, Tsuna let out a sudden, ear-splitting shout that had exactly the effect he was hoping for: Poe opened the door. Darting past him, he had to dodge Poe's outstretched hand as the vampire attempted to stop him. He had to dodge even more hands as the rest of the room leaped into action, but Tsuna was ready for them. Rushing past, Tsuna grabbed hold of Ryohei's holographic stripper pole and swung around it to build up enough momentum to send one unfortunate fool flying into the rest so that Tsuna had some room in which to work.

"Stop!" He shouted as he spun to a halt on the pole. The effect of his order was somewhat spoiled since he stepped on the pole's control panel and Holo-Kitty started dancing to music behind him, but it was still effective enough. The room came to a standstill and every eye was focused on him in expectation.

Well, Tsuna was ready to live up to that expectation for once.

"Just who the fuck do you think all of you are dealing with?" He asked in a hard tone that made Ryohei, Lambo, and quite a few others blanch. "You find out that I've got a problem and your response is to lock me in a damn room?! I didn't ask a single one of you assholes to imprison me or to protect me! I appreciate that you want to help, but do you really think that I'm going to say 'thank you' for ignoring what my opinions are in regards to my own damn life?! Hell NO!"

"Tsuna--"

"I'll get to you in a moment," Tsuna growled, unwilling to give even Xanxus a chance to speak. "First, I want to get something important through everyone's head, including _your _thick skull. Yes, I was Tsunayoshi Sawada once upon a time. Yes, I was Suoh Lazarus Timberson once upon a time. I've been a lot of people and I've assumed a lot of identities. However--! Never once have I assumed an identity where I needed someone to wipe my ass for me! My problem with Nephriam is exactly that--my problem. I'll deal with it on my own fucking time and in my own fucking way. If any of you have a problem with that, then step forward now because I'm going to knock the shit out of anyone who decides to wait until later to argue." Looking over the assembled hitmen, Tsuna silently dared them to speak out--and his dare was bravely answered by an unlikely source.

"From the sound of it, Nephriam isn't only your problem," Lambo commented from his position behind the bar. "We're only acting like this because we trust you when you say that Nephriam is on a warpath. He sounds like an enemy that you can't handle alone."

"Ah," Tsuna agreed carefully. "I never said that I could handle him alone nor was I even going to try, but Nephriam has several weaknesses and I'm one of them. I've been gambling, Lambo. The longer that I keep Nephriam's attention on me, the more opportunities that he has to slip. If I bring a formal charge against him to the Council, it'd only be my word against his and I'd lose since I have no proof. However, by surviving and not folding to his threats, he'll get more rattled and that will make it easier for those around him to notice that he'd not acting right. I never expected the Olympus Foundation to turn against him so quickly, though. His reputation precedes mine by centuries and there are far more out there who are willing to be loyal to him than to me."

"You were waiting for us?" Vital, the leader of the Olympus team gaped. Tsuna nodded in confirmation even though it was a lie. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought the teams sent after him would be willing to hear him out. For that, he would have to thank Poe after first scolding him for the breach in privacy. "That's reckless!" Vital exclaimed. "What if we hadn't hesitated?! We could've killed you!"

"But you didn't," Tsuna grinned. "Even better, you actually believed me without thinking about how you were betraying Nephriam's orders. The pieces are starting to come together, but it's still far too early to make a move. I'm a Boss without a seat of power. If this was the middle ages, I'd be a mere peasant plotting a rebellion against a King. All of you need to think and work from that perspective. Trying to charge the front gates would be suicidal and speaking out against him is a one way ticket to the gallows. If all of you want to help me, then there's only one way to do it."

"How?"

Tsuna smiled at the predictable question and he saw a knowing gleam in Xanxus' eyes. He had them. With just one little speech, everyone in the room was looking at him like he was the control tower. They'd gone from imprisoning him to taking orders from him and all it'd taken was a little confidence. Closing his eyes for a moment, Tsuna began to carefully lay plans and give orders in trust that they'd be followed.

The first order was to Ryohei and Xanxus. A report needed to be made to Hotaru regarding the SOS. They needed to tell him that it'd been a false alarm. Lambo had accidentally shot off his gun and the bullet had hit the control panel which had incidentally sent the signal. Ryohei hadn't noticed until the Varia arrived. The second order was to Vital. He was to report to Nephriam that Tsuna had gotten away through the sewers and the smell had been too bad to follow. The third order was to Poe. He was to put in the official paperwork that would have Xanxus' Vault moved to his Sanctuary and Xanxus was to lay claim to everything that was Tsuna's by affiliation. Finally, he needed Lambo to call his people and schedule to cover Kai's gigs since 'Kai' would be suddenly retiring.

Predictably, Xanxus was the first to finish. Tsuna shot him a crooked grin when he shut off his cell phone, knowing that he'd probably just left a message saying 'false alarm' and nothing else. It was fine, though. Ryohei could fill in the blanks and everyone else would need a little bit of time to cover up all of their lapses. That gave Tsuna a moment to deal with his ex-lover as promised.

"Thank goodness Hotaru only took your pinky," he commented casually as he reached out to pull Xanxus' injured hand to his lips. The wound had already healed over due to Xanxus' recovery speed, but Tsuna carefully kissed it as if it were still hurting. As expected, Xanxus wasn't amused with the sudden affection. Instead, he was put on the defensive by it.

"Last time we talked, you were ready to gut me," Xanxus replied without pulling his hand away. "Or did death make you forget?"

"You sound like you want me to stay mad at you," Tsuna murmured, continuing to place light kisses on his hand to help ease the emotional pain that Xanxus was hiding for his loss. "A lot of it was my fault. It's true that you didn't show up, but I could have called and reminded you instead of standing out in the cold for three days. The truth is that I was pushing you away because I didn't want you to get mixed up in everything. I knew that something on this scale was going to happen. I had hoped that you felt it, too, but I didn't care as long as you were safe. Were you worried when the Vendiche took me?"

"Nephriam told me that they'd taken you in for killing the Ninth," Xanxus growled. "He said that Hunters had raided the House. Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

"Your wife," he admitted honestly as he finally dropped Xanxus' hand. Looking up at him, Tsuna didn't try to hide behind a smile. He kept his expression as solemn and as saddened as how he was feeling. "It was the first time that you chose someone other than me. I didn't want to drag you away from her out of jealousy. I was trying to give you the same consideration that you've always given me about my spouses. You didn't stop me when I wanted to keep my family, so I didn't feel that it was my place to stop you from starting one. You've always been a man that knows what you want and goes for it. I'm a little upset that I had to hear about it from gossip, but I'm happy for you. You and Cheri--"

"We're not getting married," Xanxus said, biting off each word in a way that made Tsuna freeze. "You can put the whole situation up to a midlife crisis. I'm keeping her as a partner, but she's too much like me. We'd end up killing each other if we traded vows and it's less of a headache if we both keep our freedom."

"I see," Tsuna chuckled despite noticing that he didn't say that he'd dumped her. If he was keeping her as a partner, it was likely that they might still sleep together. Of course, he didn't have any right to tell Xanxus not to. Especially since he couldn't promise to give Xanxus all the attention that he needed to stay content without her. "I'm still happy for you," Tsuna added with an honest smile. "In the past, even considering marriage would have been unthinkable for you. Even if it's only another crack, you've opened your heart up. I... I know that things haven't been easy for you. My head hasn't been screwed on straight and you sacrificed a lot to chase after me. Even now, I'm still trying to get back on my feet and I've only caused you problems whenever you come in contact with me."

"Your point?" Xanxus asked in distaste.

"I'm going to try harder," Tsuna promised. "So, for now... Can you continue to stand back and watch me? You've met your goals with your own strength. I want to meet mine with my own strength, too. Isn't that what you were hoping for when you dumped me?"

"Don't keep me waiting," Xanxus growled.

* * *

Hotaru bit his lip and looked out of his car window in worry. The arms shipment was right in front of them along with the vendor who would claim the payment, but Hotaru was questioning the wisdom of going out. Something didn't feel right. It was the same guy that they always used and the warehouse was in a new location. Of course, it was always in a different warehouse to keep the police from finding the cache, but there was something wrong with the location this time. If he stepped out of the car, he was positive that something bad was going to happen.

"Call it off," Hotaru ordered.

"But Boss--!" Orinato objected in dismay. "We need that shipment! This is the third one you've called off and our supplies aren't going to last much longer, even with the rationing!"

"I know that," Hotaru growled, clenching his teeth in frustration. "I wanted to stick with this dealer since he's always come through for us before, but I don't trust him. If we walk in there, I'm positive that he's going to double-cross us."

"Of course he is!" Orinato exclaimed. "Dealers always try to double-cross us--!"

"Not like this," he corrected. "We can't afford to make a mistake here. Just make the call, Orinato. We'll find another dealer."

"I'll go in alone," Orinato suggested. "I've got my vest on. If it's just a simple double-cross, we'll just kill him and take the weapons. If it's a set-up, then you can just get me out of jail. I know how to play it cool. I'll just go in like I'm asking for directions and scope out the situation. If I see anything suspicious, I'll come back and I won't argue about leaving. We need this shipment, Boss. We can't walk away without at least trying to get it."

"It's against my better judgment," Hotaru murmured in consideration. "But you're right. We've got to chance it. I'll get on SK and watch from the air; you take the car. If it's the police, play dumb and don't fight. If it's an attack--"

"I'll show them why I'm your Right Hand," Orinato promised with a pleased smile. Hotaru nodded in agreement, knowing that Orinato was capable of living up to the name of Storm Guardian.

Slipping out of the car, Hotaru made his way behind a series of metal shipping containers to release SK before jumping onto his back. As they headed skyward together, Hotaru released the seal on his umbrella to trigger its transformation into a Lance.

_You should have trusted your intuition more._

"Eh?" Hotaru asked as the Chain settled around his wrist, forming an unbreakable link between his weapon and his body. "Did you say something SK?"

"Not me," he answered, fanning out his wings to settle into a hovering position over their target warehouse.

_Oh, so you can already hear me. I guess you're not as close-minded as your father was._

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hotaru grumbled. "Everyone can hear you and don't talk about that idiot. You know that I don't like it."

"What are you talking about?" SK asked, twisting his neck to look back at him in confusion.

"Eh?" Hotaru replied in his own confusion. "Didn't you--"

"Focus," SK snapped before turning his attention back to the movement below. "Orinato is counting on us."

_You'll thank me for this later._

Before Hotaru could respond, the Lance in his hand became a hundred times heavier than normal. The shift in weight was so abrupt that Hotaru couldn't hold it up. It dropped out of his hand and instantly became a falling anchor that dragged Hotaru off his seat on SK's back. Knowing that he should be able to fly in his quasi-Salamander form, Hotaru grabbed the Chain and tried to stop the momentum. It was useless, though. No matter how hard he pulled, the ground was getting closer at a terrifying rate.

He was going to hit--!

* * *

_Hotaru stood alone on top of a hill, staring up at the dark clouds as the __rain poured down on his face. It was over. He was free now. There was nothing holding him back. His body began to Shift in answer __to his feelings. His form flickered like a Flame struggling to live despite the raindrops that were trying to snuff him out. He didn't have to hide. He didn't have to fight. He just had to keep on living no matter what._

_His body began to lift off the ground as the force of his Shift increased the air pressure around him. He would live on. The rain began to sizzle and crackle, evaporating before it could_ _get close. He would live on. His clothes turned to ash that was blown away by the breeze. He would live on. He wasn't human nor did he_ _have to pretend that he was__. He would live on. Shed the skin. He would live on. Accept the truth. He would live on. Be free. He would live on._

_His lips began to harden and he could feel his toes stretch. His hands clutched onto the wind while his hair began to shed_ _into a rain of sparks. His skin became thinner and his innards began to painlessly realign themselves. He became lighter and freer as his humanity became_ _a faint dream. This was what he was. Everything else was just a fairytale. He had never been the Knight nor could he ever become one. He was..._

"Why do humans torture themselves with such dark fantasies?"

_"Disgusting," Rosalind gasped._

_"Vile," his mother choked._

_"Grotesque," Katie scowled._

"Do you truly believe that they'd say such things?"

_Looking down, he trembled at the sight of himself__. He wasn't a man or_ _a beast. The scaled skin on his clawed hands was opaque, __glowing orange from within as if he were __a paper lantern filled with fireflies. His body was like that of an alien creature, distorted, elongated, and sexless. Touching his clawed hands to his face and his head, he cried out in horror at what he felt. What was this?! He was hideous! _

"Hideous is a little much, Child," the voice continued, finally knocking Hotaru out of the normal sequence of his nightmare.

"Who are you?" He asked in a daze. "What am I?"

"I am a Guide," the voice replied. "It seems like so long ago that you called me 'Grandpa Fire' and visited me in my nest. Can you remember those days, little Tengu?"

"Tengu...?" Hotaru mumbled as the scene around him faded, leaving him in utter darkness. "I'm a Tengu?! That's not possible! Tengu aren't real!"

"It is nothing more than a name," the voice soothed. "You were birthed from the lost spirit of a Mafia Prince and given life through extraordinary means. You have been barred from Heaven, cannot pass into Hell, and must walk the earth eternally. I do believe that corresponds with the human's myth of a Tengu. If you don't like that, then perhaps the lore of the Garuda would be more fitting. In truth, it does not matter what you are called, Child. You exist. What more must you know?"

"Walk the earth eternally...?" Hotaru asked in shock. "You mean I'm immortal?"

"Immortal, but not invincible," it confirmed. "Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness, Child. You will learn with time. For now, there is a task that I must prepare you for. I ask again: Do you know me?" Hotaru paused at the question, searching his memory in hopes that he could explain the feeling of familiarity that was resonating through his body. The name 'Grandpa Fire' gave him a sense of Déjà Vu, but he couldn't remember where it was from. He thought that he'd remembered everything about his childhood already, but there were still blank spots that he hadn't noticed before. "Do not be concerned," the voice sighed in relief. "There are some things that you are not meant to know if you are to still live solely among humans. Perhaps with time, those experiences will unlock themselves for you and you will be able to walk in both worlds. Until then, I'll have to ask you for your trust. Your Day of Reckoning is coming, Child. You have much to do to prepare for it."

"Day of Reckoning?" Hotaru repeated as he began to grow frustrated with the voice's know-it-all attitude. "Who are you?! What have you done?! Where's Orinato?!"

"Perhaps that's enough for one day," the voice sighed in resignation. "Please try to remember that you can't be a very effective Boss from behind bars."

"Eh?"

Before Hotaru could say more, his consciousness faded momentarily. When it returned, he found himself opening his eyes to the feeling of rain-drops splashing on his face and a headache that could probably be attributed to the hole in the warehouse roof above him. His umbrella was embedded tip-first into the ground next to him, having reverted while he was unconscious. The lack of movement around him also told him that SK had been forced back into his ring and that the warehouse that he'd crashed into wasn't the same one that Orinato had gone into.

"Orinato--" Hotaru gasped as sense began reasserting itself. Unable to trust his umbrella, he didn't transform it once he was back on his feet. Instead, he pulled it out of the ground and stumbled toward the closest exit with it in hand. He had to get himself oriented so that he could figure out which direction to go to the warehouse that Orinato--

Hotaru froze as soon as he wrestled the warehouse door open, staring directly into the barrel of a shotgun that he hadn't expected. Looking past it, the expression on the police officer's face was just as surprised. Then recognition hit and the officer smiled with thoughts of a bonus visibly lighting up in his eyes. It was a smile that Hotaru wiped away with one very simple action.

"Help," he gasped, falling to his knees as if he were suffering from an injury. With the simple act, he quickly turned into a victim in the officer's eyes. The weapon was pointed away from him and he was barraged with questions as the man called for back-up. Faking a concussion, Hotaru answered in ways that could easily be explained away later as didn't know where he was. Where was Orinato? Orinato was supposed to get him. Get him from where? He didn't know where. Where was he? How had he gotten there? His head hurt. He wanted a glass of water. Had Orinato called the police? Eh? Guns? What guns? Did the guns have something to do with why he'd woken up in such a strange place? Where was that glass of water? And a cell phone? Could he borrow a cell phone to tell his family what was going on?

In no time at all, Hotaru was wrapped up in the back of an ambulance and was on the phone with his chief lawyer. Warning him that the police wanted to take him downtown for questioning after the paramedics finished checking him out, Hotaru knew that it was going to take careful handling to get out of this situation. People were going to be suspicious of him for being found near a weapons trade, but hopefully they could cover everything up with Hotaru's acting. If they played their cards right, Hotaru could get both himself and Orinato off with the excuse that they were set-up. It shouldn't be hard with the groundwork that was laid. Orinato would keep his mouth shut in these circumstances, relying on Hotaru's skills to get them out of trouble. That meant that Hotaru could safely spin any story that he wanted. In this case, the story would be that he'd been kidnapped, hit in the head, and left in the warehouse to lure Orinato to the place of the bust. Even without proof, the scheme would be the basis to create a suspicion of entrapment and the police wouldn't be able to press charges like they wanted.

The only hitch in the plan was the weapons dealer, the dealer's ability to testify against them, and the strange visitor in his dreams that Hotaru didn't think was a figment of his imagination.


	131. Chapter 131 Calm Before the Storm

Tsuna smiled as he waited for Adie to catch up to him. He wasn't surprised to see her lagging behind. Even though he hadn't bought much, he felt as if he couldn't stand still. He finally understood where he'd gone wrong. He'd gone wrong from the moment that he'd woken up whole and had allowed Lord Nephriam to create a new life for him. He didn't need a new life, a new identity, or a new personality. What he did need was to better understand the one that he had and, without 'Wolfe-sensei' or 'Kai' to make things murky, he was slowly putting himself together.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded, though. They'd already been to twenty different shops and he only had one bag of clothes to use. Every time that he found something, one part or another would object. The Laz in him didn't like flashy colors, but Chibi didn't like it when he tried plain colors. He tried looking for simple, subdued patterns to satisfy both of them, but then the Tenth in him disliked the material. Trying to figure out whether to get boxers or briefs was even harder.

So far, the only thing that he'd gotten was a black shirt and a pair of slacks to match the typical teacher's uniform at Don Girarde--something that no part of him could argue with since it was a uniform. He couldn't wear that all the time, though. He needed something with a little more personality if he was going to understand his own. The situation with Nephriam had shaken him too much. That was why he'd cracked enough that his split personalities had momentarily come back to life. If he was going to remain whole, he had to find the common ground where every part of himself could be satisfied. If he didn't, he'd just revert back to where a different side of him was taking control without him noticing. He couldn't let his attention jump from Vongola to Martelli to the Alliance to everywhere else whenever he got the urge. If he was going to protect everyone, he had to figure out how to accept everyone at all times and that started by accepting all the parts of himself.

Rather than look for a different set of shirts and pants, he decided to try adding the extra personality with accessories-- a jacket, jewelry, and extra things that could spice up the solid black base. The Don Girarde teacher's uniform requested that he wear a white tie, but it didn't say anything about how he should wear his hair or what kind of accessories he should choose. He didn't want to stay plain, but he also didn't want to stick out anymore. He'd been attracting attention for a little too long. Hotaru already noticed him and fame hadn't protected him from Nephriam like he'd thought it would. There was no reason not to conform a little more so that his students could have a little more piece of mind. He was a teacher now and every part of him agreed that his students could benefit from a little more stability. He needed to rock the boat one more time, but he wouldn't give them things to talk about other than their assignments after that.

"Adie," he mused in thought as he looked through a selection of jackets. "What would it take me to talk you into giving me a shackle?"

"Eh?" She blurted in surprise as the jaws of her escorting bloods slaves dropped. "You want to become a blood slave again?"

"Yeah," he murmured carefully, taking careful note of how each part of him reacted to his idea. "Not a full-time one, but Nephriam couldn't send the Olympus Foundation after me if I accepted a Master. He'd have to go through my keepers first. I was thinking of getting a shackled from you, Neve, and Poe. If all three of you claim me, then Nephriam would have to go through all three of you before he could assign an official hit on me."

"What about your Alliance of puppies?" She asked curiously while she pretended to look through the rack across from him. Tsuna grimaced. It'd probably be a psychological hit on the Wolfe Family if he bowed his head to vampires, but he felt that the lasting effect would be worth it. If he showed them that not all vampires were bad, perhaps he could heal the rift between the species before things got any worse.

"They'll be mad," Tsuna said conversationally. "But the worst that they can do is shun me. Aster wouldn't throw me out of the Family and I think he'd understand what I'm trying to do. The Alliance broke away from the Council because they wanted independence, but a lot of people on both sides think that we've become rivals because of it. That's not the case. If they see me wearing shackles, it might remind them of the time before the Alliance when many vampires helped us keep our sanity. We shouldn't become bitter of our past dependency. We should stay grateful that you guys supported us until we were able to stand on our own. Blood slaves aren't slaves. They're precious friends that lonely vampires rely on for support, not just blood. The shackles will remind werewolves that you guys have sheltered us and protected us in the past when there was no place else for us to go and that our past dependency was also a co-dependency. Right, Adie? You need me as much as I need you."

"That's true," she replied with a soft smile. "Alright, Maro. I'll have a shackle made for you and I'll ask both my son and my granddaughter to do the same. But I must say, you've come a long way from the feisty wildcat that didn't like leashes."

"Ah," he chuckled. "I've realized that they're good things to have. Even if I have one tied around me, it just connects me to someone else. If that person doesn't have the strength to choke me, then I can lead them to safety much more easily. But enough about that. What do you think about this jacket?"

* * *

Ross could barely keep her attention on the lesson. It was a good lesson, she was sure. The teacher was diligently teaching with a book in hand as he wrote on the blackboard, but Ross couldn't pay attention to any of it because she was suffering from too much whiplash to focus. So were many of her classmates. There were a few who'd never cared about Kai-sensei's quirks and were still taking notes from the lecture, but they were woefully outnumbered by the amount of students who'd been staring in disbelief from the moment that class had started.

It didn't make any sense. At first, she'd thought that his switch to the normal teacher's uniform was just another costume in a long line of 'Kai's' eccentric wardrobe, but a corner of the board had a note on it that told her differently:

Occult Studies 101

Mr. Maro

Mr. Poe

There was a note under it that listed the chapters that would be tested on Friday, but the second line was enough to make her gape. Kai-sensei had died without anyone noticing. It made her wonder what had happened during the three days that he'd not shown up to teach the class. It had to be something big. He wasn't even wearing his mask anymore. Admittedly, she couldn't see anything extra due to the mirrored aviator sunglasses that he wore even indoors, but _he wasn't wearing his mask anymore_.

"Alright," he sighed as he looked over the pages in his book to see if he'd missed anything. "Any questions?" He asked, making every hand in the class dart up. "Any questions about the lecture?" He clarified. No one's hand went down, including Ross', even though she knew that her question was unrelated to whatever he'd been talking about. "If you ask a question about something other than the lecture, I'll have you bunny-hop around the school three times before lunch," he growled. A few hands went down at the threat, but Ross stubbornly kept her hand raised. She'd bunny-hop her ass off it that's what it took to get a straight answer. If 'Mr. Maro' was anything like his previous identities, he wouldn't ignore a student's question and would answer her in appreciation of her determination. "Ross," he called. "What's your question?"

"What happened to Kai-sensei?" She snapped. "Does it have anything to do with those guys that showed up at lunch?"

"Kai-sensei retired and, no, it doesn't," he replied in amused resignation. "I'll see you at lunch. Anyone else? Jeremy."

"You said that the wavelength of Salamander Flames can be directly attributed to the owner's Flames, but what about your Salamanders?" He asked curiously, actually asking a question that connected to the lecture. "You have six."

"Good question," he praised with an offhanded gesture to the rainbow-covered sword displayed on his desk. "At the time that I created my Salamanders, it was a unique situation. First of all, Demitirus is typically crafted into rings, but the extra space that the scabbard had allows for a greater spectrum of Flame to be written. Second, each person's Flame is as unique as a fingerprint and can be a combination of lesser Flames to create a more effective output within a person. In my case, it's a combination of all the Flames. Finally, I feel the need to point out that I don't have six salamanders. I only have one, but it's a quirky little bastard. You can't forget that Salamanders are created from people, but they have their own minds. Mine decided that it didn't like being a hulking behemoth all the time and chose a form that could be more compact while also allowing it to show the variety of its character. Here. Why don't we all go outside and I'll give you a demonstration? Perhaps showing you will be more effective than just sitting in a classroom and talking about it."

As Mr. Maro snatched up his sword and headed for the door, the rest of the class bolted to their feet and quickly collected their belongings to follow. Even if it wasn't the question that everyone wanted answered, this was more than Wolfe-turned-Kai-turned-Maro had ever talked about his Salamanders. The behemoth that he'd talked about had only been seen once and there wasn't a single person that didn't want to see it again. Even Ross wanted to take a look. At the moment, Vongola and their allies were the only ones to have Salamanders. Maro-sensei was the only person currently known to have one and also be in a neutral Family. Of course, that was probably also the reason that his Salamander's anchor was a scabbard instead of a ring, but it gave people like her hope. She'd never thought about it before, but she should be able to get a Salamander of her own if Maro-sensei had.

Following the rest of her classmates downstairs, she was unsurprised when Maro-sensei led them to the sparring grounds rather than the courtyard. After a quick talk with the coach, he then led them toward one of the sparring grounds hidden within the woods behind the school so that their class wouldn't distract the gym classes. Even so, the size of her class grew as many of the spectators who'd already finished the obstacle course followed.

"It's alright if you watch, but I want my class up front," he called as they reached an empty meadow that was frequently used for sword duels. "I'll only accept questions from my class, as well. If you want to know more, you'll either have to come to an after-school class meeting or take Occult Studies next semester. Now, Dango Brothers, would you please come out and assist?" Ross wasn't the only one to hold her breathe as the Dango Brothers came out, but she was one of the few to laugh when they came out in the form that everyone knew. Where they'd all been expecting the behemoth, the six little meatballs were the ones that formed. "Settle down," he chuckled as the amount of giggling grew. "I know that they don't look very impressive like this, but I wanted to start with the next part of my lecture before I continue explaining what was said in the classroom. Um, Sprinkle, can you go see if Thunderbelly might join us? He's a scientist, so this might interest him."

Like everyone else, Ross ducked her head as the blue meatball flew off in excitement.

"There are a lot of mistaken assumptions made about Salamanders," Maro-sensei continued, once more falling back into his lecturing tone. "The first is that their size is relative to the strength of their creators. I'll say this now: that is wrong. One must never forget that Salamanders are like children. Once they're born, their freedom in this world is dependent on their creator, but they have their own hearts and minds. Ah! Thunderbelly! Perfect timing! Would you mind helping me with a little demonstration?"

"I suppose," the large Tutor answered as he jumped out of a tree with the same grace as a gorilla and landed in the center of the meadow beside Maro-sensei. The blue meatball went to join the rest of the meatballs that were bouncing around one the ground around Maro-sensei's feet. "What do you need me to do?"

"Call out your Salamander," he directed. Thunderbelly gave him a look full of suspicion, but held out his hand and ordered his Salamander to come out of its ring. His Salamander wasn't nearly as pleasant as Maro-sensei's, though. As soon as the green crocodile formed, it began snapping at the students in effort to get more space to move in. "Very good," Maro-sensei smiled. "Now, a few questions, if you don't mind. What is your friend's name and how long have you two been together?"

"What does this have to do with your demonstration?" Thunderbelly growled as Ross' classmates giggled over the way that Maro-sensei had phrased his question. It made it sound as if the two were dating!

"It's important," he replied solemnly, instantly getting the class' undivided attention again. "Determining the age of your Salamander can give me a general reference to work with in determining the level of development that his mind should be at and knowing his name will make it easier to talk to him directly."

"Her," Thunderbelly corrected in a grumble as the crocodile let out a warning growl to cut off any snickers that the class might want to give. "Her name is Ivy and we've been partners for two and a half years."

"Perfect!" Maro-sensei exclaimed with a bright smile before turning back to the rest of the class. "Now we can continue the lecture. Many of you would look at Ivy and be inspired by her size. Many Salamanders are less than the size of a human, but Ivy is easily within range of two or three. Does this mean that Thunderbelly's strength is the size of three men? No," he answered, cutting off several people's nods. "That would be a slight to Thunderbelly. He's easily equal to six or seven of you that's sitting here, with the exclusion of myself and Miss Ross. This is what I was speaking of about a Salamander having their own heart and mind. At a certain point, Salamanders typically chose to retain a more compact size. In this case, Ivy chose to be large enough to be impressive while not getting so large as to be unwieldy. Isn't that right, Ivy?" Ross gaped slightly as the crocodile's head nodded slightly in agreement and Thunderbelly looked shocked over the revelation. "The truth behind a Salamander's size isn't strength of it's creator's body. It's the heart. Salamanders can grow exponentially, but it takes love and acceptance from their partner and creator to be able to attain that increase. Now, Thunderbelly... I'd like you to sit over here with your Salamander and repeat what I tell you to. Feel free to put it in your own words, but be sure to get as close to what I say as you can. Ivy, I want you to listen carefully and remember that Thunderbelly wouldn't repeat what I tell him to unless he agreed with it."

Ross had never felt so curious in her life. Maro-sensei was up to something, but no one knew what to expect. Even Thunderbelly seemed hesitant, but he was willing to sit next to Ivy's head and listen as Maro-sensei whispered in his ear. It was hard to tell with the man's dark skin, but Ross was fairly sure that he started blushing after only a few seconds.

"I got to say that?" He blurted as Maro-sensei pulled back.

"Use your own words," Maro-sensei soothed. "Class, I want complete silence. If I hear so much as a snort, everyone's going to be bunny-hopping back to the classroom. That goes for the gym class, too. I'll have Coach Achilles make you run extra drills for the next week." Predictably, everyone paled at the threat and the silence became deafening while Thunderbelly's face showed how much he was struggling with whatever Maro-sensei had told him. "It's okay, Thunderbelly," he soothed as he backed up to join the class that was standing and sitting around the meadow. "Take your time. It's important that the feelings get transferred, but it's pointless if you're not honest. Just pretend that no one else is here and do what I said."

"A-Alright," he replied hesitantly as he reached out to put a hand on the back of Ivy's head. For several long minutes, nothing else was said. However, the most telling clue that something was going to happen was the Dango Brothers. All of them went to join Maro-sensei and crowded into his lap to wait with an air of expectation. Normally, the little guys would be bouncing all over the place and would be playing games, but they were calm--much calmer than Ivy and Thunderbelly were.

"Ivy," Thunderbelly finally said with a sigh. "We've been together for a long time now. You and I have a history that no one else shares. You've been with me through a lot of hard times and you've put up with me when I've done some really stupid shit. You've never complained and you've always helped me even when I was being selfish. I never really thought about it before, but I've been taking you for granted. When you stopped growing, I thought that you'd reached your potential, but that's not it. I just got content and stopped challenging you. Well, I'm not content anymore. Mr. Maro says that you have the ability to be more than what you're showing me and I want to see it. You don't have to hide it. No matter what, I'm going to stick with you just like you stuck with me. There isn't anything that you've got to be afraid of. No matter what, you're a part of my life and I want you to trust me as much as I trust you."

"It's about damn time," Ivy snapped. Ross' jaw dropped as Thunderbelly's expression turned into that of a person that had just been punched in the face. The show wasn't over, though. Ivy's skin began to flicker and the Flames of her form began to shift. Instead of growing, though, she began to shrink until she was the size of Ross or one of her classmates. That wasn't all. After her form stopped shrinking, it began to grow upright instead of laying out flat. It was a beautiful transition to watch. Even when it was impossible to tell what she was, the Flames kept on releasing sparks and small explosions of green flame as it pulsed and danced at Thunderbelly's side.

Then, with a nearly blinding explosion, it was done. Ross just wished she could understand it a little more. Ivy had definitely changed, but she was still a crocodile. She was a crocodile that was standing on her hind legs and had arms that had grown in likeness of a human's. Her hands were still claws, but they'd taken on a more human-like form. She still had a long snout and sharp teeth, but her eyes had grown closer together in a way that was more reminiscent of a human face.

"That's better," she said as she sent a rippling stretch from her neck down to the tip of her tail. "I thought I was going to be stuck walking on my belly forever. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say something like that?"

"I-Ivy?" Thunderbelly gaped.

"Don't 'Ivy' me, you big ape!" She snapped in outrage. "How they made someone like you into a Tutor is beyond my comprehension! If you'd just taken two seconds to pay attention when I tried talking to you before, I could have shifted a long time ago! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get up the courage to say hello?! I was terrified that you were going to show me off at parties again if I said anything more! I've been stuck on my belly because you kept thinking of me as a smart pet instead of a partner! Do you have any idea of how much that hurt?! Why couldn't you be more like Salmon Kai's partner?! Salmon Kai has been able to talk for years because his partner always lets him know how much he matters! Instead, you could only be proud of me when I was big and ugly! I don't want to be ugly!"

"I-I'm sorry...?" He mumbled, still in as much shock as everyone around them.

"Maybe I should go back to being a crocodile," she mumbled hesitantly, finally noticing the poleaxed expression on Thunderbelly's face. "You said that I didn't have to hide, but you liked me better that way."

"No--!" Thunderbelly shouted, jumping to his feet as Ivy's skin began to lose form again. Her form hardened again without changing any, but the emotion in her eyes was plain for anyone to see. Ivy was scared. For all that she'd come out snapping, the transition was as new to her as it was to Thunderbelly. "You're fine like this! I just need a moment. Okay? I'm just trying to adjust. I wasn't expecting you to Change so much and start talking. That's not a bad thing, either!" He spluttered as her skin wavered for a moment. "I like it! I really do, but it's going to take some getting used to. Hell. I never had a proper conversation with you before. This... I'm not sure how to deal with you like this, but I'm willing to learn. Okay? So just calm down for a second and let me get my head on straight. I... uh... Hell..."

"Why don't you two go get some privacy while I continue my lecture," Maro-sensei suggested as he slowly got to his feet. "I'm sure that you two have a lot to talk about." Thunderbelly stared at him for a long moment before slowly nodding in agreement. As he slowly reached out to take Ivy's hand and lead her away, Ross wasn't sure what possessed her to start clapping. She did, though. It had to have taken a lot of courage to say such embarrassing things to Ivy, but he'd said them and had given her the love that she needed to grow. Such caring deserved to be applauded and the rest of her classmates joined her in giving it. "Settle down," Maro-sensei called once they were gone. "I still have a lecture to finish and not much time left to give it."

"Can your Salamanders talk?" A boy close to Ross asked.

"Not yet," Maro-sensei smiled. "They're still pretty young and I'm afraid that I don't have Thunderbelly's level of courage. Me and my Salamanders have a comfortable relationship, though, and they're slowly getting me used to the idea. Isn't that right, guys?"

"Chi~!" The six little balls exclaimed in discordant unison.

"Now, back to what we were talking about in the classroom," he continued. "The reason that I went off on this tangent with Tutor Thunderbelly is because I wanted you all to see for yourselves that Salamanders are capable of evolving. Their forms are as liquid as Flame and it's their personal choice as to what forms they are comfortable in. In Ivy's case, she was comfortable as a crocodile. As she gained experience in the world with age, she knew that she was capable of more. However, she held herself back because her heart was afraid of what was in her partner's heart. A Salamander will respond to their partner and creator because there is a bond between them that's much like that of a child and a parent. If a child is afraid of what their parent is going to think or say, then they're more likely to hide that part of themselves. Ivy thought that Thunderbelly would only be happy if she was a big, ferocious crocodile, so that's all that she showed him. My own Salamanders went through the same process. They started out as these six eggs. When I realized that they were waiting on my acceptance, they showed me that they could be Wyverns." Like everyone else, Ross jerked in place when the six Dango Brothers suddenly turned into their winged-snake forms and began flying around the meadow over everyone's head. "For a long time, I thought that this was their true form. It wasn't until I'd given them carte-blanche to become anything that they wanted that they showed me their true selves. Brothers--"

Once more, Maro-sensei returned to the sidelines to give most of the clearing over to the Dango Brothers. They needed it, too. As the six came together and wrapped their tails into a knot, a larger body formed into the six-headed Plesiosaur that everyone had seen once before.

"This is my Salamander's true form," Maro-sensei said, raising his voice to be heard over the crackling of Flame coming from the Dango-Brother's united self. "I'd say that he's a Hydra, but I think he's got more dinosaur in him than anything. As you can see, he's a singular creature and his make-up of Flame matches my own."

"You have the Sky Flame?" Another student called out in question.

"Ah," he confirmed. "But, as you can see from how my Salamander can split, it's not very stable. There's moments where different parts of my Flame can gain dominance, so holding the Sky Flame-- Ah--!" Maro-sensei grimaced as the purple head of his Salamander snapped at the indigo head and caused the six to break apart into Wyrverns as they began fighting. "Oi!" Maro-sensei shouted as the yellow Wyrvern tried to get between the two and only caused the fighting to escalate. "Oi!" Maro-sensei shouted again. Finally, giving a sharp whistle that caused all six to pause, he yelled, "Stop that! If you're not going to behave, all of you can have a time out!"

"Sa," the green one said in disappointment.

"Don't give me that," Maro-sensei admonished as he held up his sword. "All of you go back and think about how you can behave better when I let you out again."

"Aww," Ross mumbled under her breathe as the six turned into Flame and disappeared back into the scabbard. They were getting punished for only misbehaving a little bit.

"Don't give me that look," Maro-sensei chuckled. "I spoil them like crazy most of the time. They were just showing off because they had a bigger audience than usual. Now, back to what I was saying-- Oh--" He gaped, tilting his head in a way that suggested that he'd heard something. "There's the bell. We'll finish this tomorrow. Don't forget to read chapter twenty-six and finish the questions in the review at the end. And Miss Ross, please don't think that I forgot about your bunny-hops. I'll expect you in the courtyard as soon as lunch starts."

Ross cringed as she got to her feet to head for her next class. Then she started grumbling to herself. She was going to have to do bunny-hops and she hadn't even gotten the answer to her question. She knew a lot more about Salamanders, which was what the lesson was about, but she hadn't gotten a single clue as to why Kai-sensei had changed his name and his image.

Something told her that she wasn't going to, either.

* * *

_Tsuna grabbed two hand-fulls of breasts, inciting a squeak of surprise out of Haru and Kyoko respectively as __Xanxus buried himself deep into Tsuna's rear__ while holding his legs open to allow access for Neve and Adie to crawl forward to tease his exposed erection. Meanwhile, Aster licked his nipples, Joshua made him dizzy with a kiss, and Autumn rubbed her breasts against the back of his head. As if that wasn't enough to make him explode, Mukuro began insinuating illusions into it all of it that left the girls moaning in pleasure and the guys grunting in need while Tsuna's three goddesses--Summer, Cassandra and Dedra--teased Tsuna's three kittens--Veronica, Sassy, and Danny-boy--into climaxing in front of Gabriel's camera--_

Tsuna's eyes snapped open, scared awake with such abruptness that he was left shaking. His stomach flipped while he slowly lifted his hand to cover his mouth and tried to get control of himself. He wasn't sure which was worse: that Gabriel had invaded his dream or that he'd had a wet dream with the man in it. It wasn't unusual to have one or two of his former lovers surface during the night. It was one of the few things that quieted his mating instinct so that he could ignore it. However, what left him quivering was the unbearable shame that stained his sheets.

Slowly sitting up, Tsuna knew that going back to sleep would be impossible. With one small inclusion, his dream could rightfully be considered a nightmare. A shower, he decided instantly. He needed a shower--a scalding hot shower that would erase the filth that he felt crawling across his skin. Going into the bedroom of his hotel room, he jumped in as soon as quickly as he could get his pants off and let the water go to work across his chilled skin.

It was a sign. For too long, he'd been ignoring the parts of himself that he didn't like. He'd tried to bury the memories and the pain that Gabriel had created rather than facing it and coming to terms with it. How much of his life had been wasted with thoughts of vengeance and retribution? How much of his life with Snicker had been affected because he'd stubbornly tried to do everything by himself? It made him feel as if he was walking a tightrope to keep himself from regretting his choices regarding that man. If he'd just spoken out when it'd first happened, the man might have been put under lock and key sooner. It would have been stressful, but perhaps the stress wouldn't have built up to the point that Snicker's heart had given out when Tsuna's other secrets had come to light. Maybe Snicker would still be alive--

And he wouldn't have reunited with Xanxus, had the breakdown that had resulted in him being put back together, met Aster, or made his way to Italy where he'd become a teacher.

Burying his face in his hands, Tsuna let the shower wash away his tears as they fell. Even though Snicker was dead, he couldn't regret. That was the most painful part of all. So much had happened since Gabriel had hurt him. It hurt to admit it, but part of who he was had been created by Gabriel. It was a part of him that he couldn't get rid of, no matter how much it disgusted him. If he was truly going to accept every part of himself, that meant that he had to accept the parts that Gabriel had etched himself into.

He didn't feel strong enough to do that. When Snicker had been there, his touch and his kind words had always kept him facing toward the future. Now... Now he only had a Mist that was unattainable and a guttering rage that he couldn't seem to rekindle. He needed... He needed his moon. The stars weren't enough to light his path anymore. He needed his sun or his moon to guide him but both Haru and Kyoko were hidden away by the unyielding branches of death. For Kyoko--it was her own death. For Haru--it was _his _death that blocked them from seeing each other. He was alone.... So completely and utterly alone that the scalding shower was unable to warm him.

Crying wasn't going to change anything, he determined as he sucked back his tears and tried to get control of himself. It was true that the pain was there, but he knew that he couldn't let it control him. Facing it alone wasn't easy and it did feel as if it were going to overwhelm him, but he had no choice. It wasn't as if someone was going to appear out of thin air and hold him to make him feel better--unless Mukuro was in the mood, of course. Since he wasn't appearing to take advantage of Tsuna's weakness, it was a good bet that he wasn't.

Turning off the shower, Tsuna quietly wrapped a towel around his waist and decided to grade review papers rather than dwell on it. Accepting Gabriel's affect on his life wasn't something that could happen in an instant. It was enough that he acknowledged that the effect was there. Anything more would be too much to deal with in a single night. He'd already been at the hotel for too long anyway. If he stayed any longer, his safety would be in jeopardy.

So, doing the only thing that he could, Tsuna got dressed in his spare suit, made his bed, and quietly left the hotel behind him. With a quick stop at the all-night dry-cleaners to drop off his dirty suit, he headed for a diner that Adie had mentioned during their shopping trip. It was one of the many places that she'd bought after receiving a satisfactory cup of coffee. It wasn't Mafia-affiliated and, even better, it was open all night. It was a place where it'd take a Mafioso's sheer dumb luck to find him.

As he'd hoped, the place was empty when he arrived. There was a waitress that was texting on her cellphone and the solitary cook was messing with the radio station, but there wasn't a single customer in sight. Both didn't look particularly enthusiastic to see him, but they didn't act as if he were intruding, either. As he slipped into a seat at the counter, the waitress simply asked him the age-old question with a tired expression.

"What will it be?"

"Any specials?" Tsuna asked as the cook decided on a late night talk show to listen to and the waitress poured him a cup of stout coffee.

"If there's some way to make eggs and hash-browns special, that would be it," she answered with a crooked smile.

"Eggs and hash-browns it is," Tsuna replied with a grin of his own. As the cook got to work, Tsuna pulled out his small, hand-held, do-everything device. It was one of the many things that Adie had determined that he couldn't live without and he noted to thank her for it. It was small enough to fit in his pocket, but powerful enough that he could read over homework assignments no matter where he was. It made him grateful that Don Girarde had entered the information age. The thought of carrying around piles of written paper left him in awe of his own former teachers.

It was calming to simply drink coffee and grade papers. It was something completely mundane and took his thoughts away from both his nightmares and his problems. The waitress went back to texting once his attention went to his files and the cook turned up the radio to listen while he cleaned after he dropped off Tsuna's breakfast. Despite himself, Tsuna found his attention wavering to the radio as he ate. It sounded like an advice show and the host was as realistic as he was.

"....This next email is from Mr. S in Venice," the woman read. "It says, 'Dear Diva. Last week, my wife decided to leave me for a younger man. We were married for thirteen years and she never told me that she was unhappy. What do I do? I want her back, but how am I supposed to compete with the pool boy?' Well, Mr. S from Venice, it sucks to be you, but give me a break! Are you seriously telling me that, after thirteen years, you're not happy to see her go? 'How am I supposed to compete' is the clencher. You don't give a damn that she left you. You're just focused on the fact that you came in second-best. If you want my advice, then suck up your tears and go find yourself a younger woman! It's not like you've got a ball-and-chain holding you down anymore! You're free, so learn how to use that freedom and find yourself a pretty little thing to warm your bed at night instead of staying up and listening to other people's sob stories! Change that! I need listeners, so just find someone that you can sit around and laugh with while you listen to all the letters that I get!"

Despite himself, Tsuna snorted into his coffee at the shameless self-plug along with the blunt advice. It only got better, though, when the cook noticed that he was actually listening and turned it up to hear better while Tsuna ate.

"Seriously, Mr. S," Diva sighed. "I want to be able to tell you that there's a magic button that you can press to make everything return to how it was, but you've got to face facts. You're not as young as you used to be, your wife was unsatisfied enough to leave you, and it probably feels like your life is crumbling. I know that what I said might seem harsh, but I'm not making fun of you. There really is nothing that you can do except to move on and learn from your mistakes. Only you know where you're lacking in your life and only you can change that by accepting your faults. Don't think that your wife left you simply because you're old. Perhaps it was because your relationship got stale or you both stopped trying, but I've seen your situation a lot. It's nothing new and you can't change the fact that you grew apart. Rather than waste years and energy trying to turn yourself into someone that can satisfy her, look at the man that you are.

That's right, I'm giving you a Mirror-check, Mr. S. Go look at yourself in the mirror. Are you there yet? If not, you better be! Now, be honest with yourself. Don't look at that bulging gut or your wrinkles here and there. Look at yourself in the eye and admit that you're a damn fine man. Admit that you couldn't make your wife happy and admit that you're still a good person despite that. Look yourself in the eye and admit to yourself.... Admit all your faults and then, here's the hard part, Mr. S... Admit that you've got things to be proud of.

Whether it's a stable job or a kind heart or even that you're willing to get in debt to take care of the people that you care about... or even that you're as stubborn as a goat.... Whatever it is, find that spark inside yourself and admit that there's something in you worth loving. It might not be something that your wife can love, but there's something in everyone that can be appreciated. Once you know what your spark is, don't lie to yourself and don't pretend to have sparks that you don't. Just go out and be yourself and I promise you that your spark will eventually attract someone who can also love it. I see it every day, people. Girls cover up their faces with pounds of makeup and men try to make up for their deficiencies with attitude. Break the chain, Mr. S! If you want a relationship that will last the rest of your life, be patient and don't lie to yourself."

"Wow," Tsuna mumbled, letting some of the advice roll around in his head. When was the last time that he'd taken a good look at himself in the mirror? He'd been looking on his faults so much and had been paying attention to all the reasons that he didn't have anyone to hold onto, but what about his good sides? What could he admit to himself that was positive?

"Our last email is from Miss R," Diva continued. "It says, 'Dear Diva. I'm not sure what to do. I'm in love with a guy that comes from a completely different background than me. Every time that we meet face-to-face, we end up fighting. Most of that is because we can't be open with each other. Since I'm underage, my relatives have threatened to send me out of the country if I get too close to him. He's also a well-known person and it'd ruin his reputation to be seen with me. We keep getting drawn together even though there's so many things tearing us apart, but I feel like I'm getting torn apart in the process. Please help me figure out what I should do.'

Well, Miss R, my advice is to put out or get out. That goes for both of you. If you can't be open about the relationship from the start, then what do you think you're doing by torturing yourself? Wake up! You need to ask yourself what you're really hoping for and then ask yourself what you're waiting for. Are you hoping that you can get closer with him and for it to stay a secret? Are you hoping that he cares about you enough to defy the things holding you apart? Don't live in a fairytale. Open your eyes and figure out what's really holding you apart. If it's just relatives and the fact that you're underage, then it's nothing. People grow up and you will, too. After that, you can determine your own life without your family's interference. Think with that in mind. What would you want to happen if no one was stopping you? You might not be able to act on the answer that you get right away, but you'll be better able to plan for your future once you know. Also, you need to set things straight with this guy. If he's not willing to lose his reputation to love you openly, then there's no reason to sacrifice anything for him. You can't have a relationship if only one side is always giving.

That's all from Dear Diva. Please tune in tomorrow night for more advice from everything to relationship woes to how to tune a Model T. That's right! You name it and I've got a few words of wisdom to give you! If you'd like to be on tomorrow's show, please forward your problems to Diva D at..."

Snatching up his do-it-all compact device, Tsuna quickly wrote down the email address for future reference along with the name of the channel and the time of the usual broadcast. He didn't feel the need to actually write in, but he wanted to hear the next show. It was rare for him to find something on the radio that caught his attention and his intuition told him that Diva's show could be insightful. He didn't agree with everything that she'd said, but there was enough in there that made him want to hear more.

Although...

"Dear Diva," Tsuna typed into a fresh e-mail with a mischievous grin. "I heard your show and I thought it was pretty good. I'm not one to usually write into these kinds of things, but your closing line felt like a challenge. Can you really give advice about anything? If so, then what's your opinion on the coffee at the all-night place on the corner of Seventeenth and West Twelveth? Signed, Challenger."

Sending it, Tsuna waited a moment to see if she'd reply directly to such a simple question or if she'd wait until the following show to give her opinion. He felt a little disappointed when no reply instantly came, but tucked it in the back of his mind to listen in tomorrow night to see her answer. If she said anything other than 'stout enough to take off the roof of her mouth', then he'd know that she was making up her answers.

That'd be for later, though. For now, he simply ordered a second cup and went back to grading papers. He could tell who'd paid attention to Poe while he'd been gone simply due to how many people gave the same answer on certain questions and others made up their own answer with their limited understanding of the material. Hotaru was perhaps the most disappointing paper to grade. Tsuna could tell from the way that the phrasing matched Orinato's that he hadn't even tried to do it himself. The only effort that he'd put in was to add a few meaningless words here and there to make it seem different.

"Dogs aren't allowed in here, Miss," the waitress called, pulling Tsuna's attention away from his compact. Looking over his shoulder, Tsuna saw--

_Cute_.

The woman was easily a foot shorter than him, but was dressed in a no-nonsense way that he found refreshing. A plaid lumberjack jacket over a plain t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans was an outfit that he'd never expected to see on a woman. She didn't have a bit of makeup on her face and her shoulder length hair didn't seem like it'd seen more than a brush. It was a far cry from the women that he normally saw walking around Venice Row and Don Girarde.

"It's a seeing-eye dog," she replied without moving out of the doorway, sending Tsuna's attention to the Golden Retriever at her side. "I'm blind, so I'd prefer not to leave him outside unless I have to."

"Oh," the waitress gaped. "In that case, it should be okay as long as he stays under control."

"Thanks," she said, taking a step forward. At the single step, the dog started moving again and led her straight over next to where Tsuna was sitting. Tsuna raised his eyebrow at the choice. It was possible that the woman was a hitman and was using the dog to get close to him, after all. One could never be too careful. "I'll take a cup of coffee and whatever the guy staring at me is eating." Caught off-guard, Tsuna blushed and instantly looked away. "Don't feel too bad," the woman laughed without turning her head to him. "Someone is always staring. You're probably blushing over being caught, but there's no reason to. It just means that you're normal."

"It's still rude," Tsuna replied, slowly accepting that she really was blind. The Retriever had settled at her feet and she was still staring straight ahead, although she kept half-turning her head toward him as if she was looking at him with her ear. "It's kind of late to be out alone," he added conversationally.

"You mean for a blind woman," she grinned, making Tsuna blush a second time. "Don't worry about me. I've got Chance with me. He can smell muggers before they can get within a block and he knows to make me start running if someone dangerous gets close."

"I see," Tsuna murmured. He immediately slapped himself in the face for such a poor choice of words. "I mean, I understand. I... uh..." Tsuna felt his face light up even more as the woman started laughing at him. "Shit," he said as he smiled with her. "I really know how to put my foot in my mouth." In reply, the woman reached out and touched his shoulder. Then, her hand slid over to his back and she gently patted it.

"It's okay," she soothed before pulling her hand back. "I'll take honest nervousness over pity any day of the week," she added before turning her attention to the coffee that the waitress set down in front of her. Slowly reaching out to the counter, it took the woman a moment to find the cup. Once she had it, she kept one hand on the rim, she reached out to search for the sugar. Curious, Tsuna kept his mouth shut to see what she was going to do. They were packets instead of a container. How was she planning to tell them apart? The answer was her dog. Chance let out a soft whine at the first two that she held up for him. On the third, he let out a quiet bark that told her that she'd found the right one.

"That's a smart dog that you've got," Tsuna commented in slight awe as the woman began stirring sugar into her drink.

"He has to be," she smiled, still looking at him with her ear. "If it weren't for Chance, I'd probably have broken my neck on my neighbor's skateboard by now. I wouldn't be able to get to work without him, either." Tsuna smiled and slowly turned his attention to his cold eggs as she started drinking her coffee. He figured that their conversation was over since the cook was carefully setting down her plate, but she surprised him. "Although, speaking of work, the answer to your question is 'this coffee tastes like Chance's chew toy'."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped.

"You're Challenger, right?" She asked curiously. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I got an email challenging me to drink the coffee here. I figure a question like that would only be written by someone that was hoping to meet me."

"You're Diva?" Tsuna asked in disbelief.

"It's the jacket," Diva replied teasingly. "I told my image consultant that no one would believe that I was a talk show host if I wore red plaid, but she said that my voice would give me away. Hey, Leona, put on a fresh pot of coffee. This really does taste like you made it with a shoe."

"Right away, Diva," the waitress laughed while Tsuna's jaw dropped even more.

"Are you surprised?" Diva asked curiously. "You sent me an email, but I shouldn't be able to read it. Right? They got a lot of tools for blind users, though, and I got a printer that translates everything into braille. I read the braille for the show, but I headed over as soon as I had the computer read your letter for me."

"I'll admit that I wouldn't have guessed on my own," he admitted with a grimace.

"I know," she smiled as she carefully dug a fork into her eggs. "I thought maybe Leona or Ted put you up to writing me since you asked me to come here, but they tipped me off by saying that Chance couldn't come in. They wouldn't do that unless there was someone strange in the place that might make a fuss."

"Sneaky," Tsuna said in grudging admiration. "I wasn't trying to call you out, though. Under normal circumstances, a talk show host wouldn't go out this late for research. I was just curious on whether you give advice from experience or general opinion."

"Did I strike a nerve with my show?" She countered with a knowing smirk.

"Maybe," he replied softly.

"It was the mirror-check," she identified around a bite of hash-browns. "I do one every night on someone and it usually strikes a nerve with someone. People are usually too pessimistic about their lives. When things go to shit, the negative stuff keeps them from seeing the glass when it's half-full. You're not special. That's the thing that you got to remember. Bad things happen to everyone, but the world keeps spinning and life keeps rolling forward. The only way that you're not going to be dragged under the wheels is if you grab hold of something and pull yourself up. No one's going to do it for you. It's the same for everyone. Even people with support can't get anywhere unless they put in a little effort themselves. A lot of time, the effort that they need to put in is to start thinking about things in a different frame of mind. I might not have eyes that work, but I can still see that."

"You're... You're pretty amazing," Tsuna said, pushing aside his plate so that he could look at her with his head propped up on the counter. "But what if I said that it was your advice to Miss R that got my attention?"

"Then I'd say that you're probably gay," she laughed. "It's a lot more common for male listeners to identify with male callers. Or are you in touch with your feminine side, Mister Challenger?"

"On occasion," Tsuna replied, finding it fun to simply talk with her.

"Really?" She spluttered in surprise. "You don't sound like it. I would have guessed that you were married."

"Divorced and widowed," he confirmed. "But I've had more than my share of flings other than marriage. You might not be able to tell from my voice, but I'll be turning thirty-two in October."

"That's pretty young to be widowed," she commented.

"Yeah, well, it's like you said. Life goes on. It was nice meeting you, Diva," he added, pulling out his wallet to throw down enough cash to pay for both of their meals as he got to his feet.

"You're going already?" She said in disappointment. Tsuna smiled to himself when she tossed her head to follow the sound of his movement. She really was cute--fresh and innocent without actually being innocent. "Um, I know this is forward of me, but would you like to come over to my place for some real coffee?"

"I better not," Tsuna replied despite feeling incredibly happy over the offer. She was sending him a sign that she was interested, but he knew that he couldn't reciprocate. There were too many people who wanted to hurt him. "I've still got papers to grade and I need to prepare a lecture for my morning class. I have a feeling that I'll forget all about it if I take you up on your offer."

"You're a teacher," she identified with a surprised smile. "What do you teach?"

"Maybe I'll tell you next time," he teased as he headed for the door. "Be sure and give a good show tomorrow. I'll be listening."

"But I didn't even get your na--"

Tsuna grimaced to himself as the door quietly closed behind him, cutting off her words. Putting speed in his step, he got away from the diner as quickly as he could. Diva was a nice girl, but he could do nothing but harm by getting too close to an ordinary woman. He was indebted to her, though. With one short meeting, he felt strong enough to deal with everything on his shoulders. She was right. He wasn't special. There were thousands and millions of people who'd gone through the same things that he had. It didn't matter if Gabriel had left a mark on him, because that was just one small part of the whole. He still had sparks within himself that could be loved. The ugliness that Gabriel had left behind couldn't erase that unless he let it and he silently vowed not to.

Let Nephriam come. With the way that Diva had made him feel, he was prepared for anything.

* * *

Tsuna wasn't prepared for this. He had no clue as to what he should say or do. It made him want to go to Ryohei for backup. No, he amended. He had to play it cool. Taking a bite out of his over-sized chicken salad, Tsuna wiped his mouth, pushed his plate across his desk, and turned his full attention to his lunchtime visitor.

"Could you repeat that?" Tsuna asked.

"Where do Salamanders come from?" Hotaru repeated. "I know that you've been teaching that they're created from our Flames, but that's not true. Our Flames just give them the power to come into our world. So where do they come from? SK says that he can't tell me, but I have a feeling that you know."

"Can I ask why you're wanting to know?" Tsuna murmured, thinking quickly to stall for time. The origin of Salamanders was something that few rarely questioned. It was a good thing, too, because the realm where Salamanders came from was the world between death and the Gates of Reincarnation that the Flame-keepers watched over. That information was highly classified, though, and only Bosses of Vongola had ever returned after seeing the realm. Hotaru shouldn't know about that, yet. Unless... "Have you been hearing voices, Hotaru?"

"V-Voices?" Hotaru repeated, his trembling voice instantly giving him away. "Of course not! Only crazy people hear voices!"

"That's not true," he replied carefully. "Well, I mean, it is true. Crazy people do hear voices, but sometimes sane people do, too."

"You mean their conscience," Hotaru supplied in mistaken comprehension.

"No," Tsuna corrected. Standing up, Tsuna went over and shut the door after first checking to see if Orinato-- "Where's Orinato?" Tsuna asked when the hallway turned up empty.

"Jail," he grimaced. "They let me out on bail, but he was caught at the scene. My lawyers are still working on it."

"Oh," Tsuna mumbled as he shut the door. Heading over to the front row of desks, Tsuna pulled one over next to his chair and pointed for Hotaru to sit down. He did, but there was a touch of hesitancy in his body language that told Tsuna to proceed carefully. "Alright," Tsuna sighed, sinking back down into his chair. "I'm not supposed to do this, but I'm going to anyway. We've talked before. Right? At Mafia Land, about how I knew your father."

"Eh?" Hotaru gasped. "I thought you weren't--"

"I'm not supposed to confirm that I was Wolfe-sensei or Kai-sensei," Tsuna confirmed with a flinch. "But this isn't ordinary circumstances. This is going to be our little secret because, if I'm right, you're about to go through something that no one else can prepare you for. I can help, though. I saw your father go through the same thing and I can tell you what the Ninth told him."

"B-But--"

"Just hush," Tsuna said, holding up a finger to tell Hotaru to save his objections. Tsuna felt as if his mind was racing. This was a chance. This was an incredible chance to get closer to his son, but Hotaru couldn't know that. He wasn't ready to know anything more than the few bits that he needed to prepare. If Tsuna was right, his son's Day of Reckoning was close. Actually, he better confirm that, first. It'd be bad if he said too much. "I need you to trust me, Hotaru. Has anything strange been happening to you lately?"

"It depends on what you define as strange," Hotaru grumbled as his chest exploded outward. Tsuna's face turned red, knowing how embarrassing it had to be for his son to shapeshift into a girl. That wasn't what he was talking about, though. For Hotaru, that was relatively normal, especially considering that he had feelings for that Hattori brat and was denying them. He subconsciously wanted to be a girl because then it would be socially acceptable for him to be with a guy. Unfortunately, Hotaru hadn't figured that part out yet.

"The wonders of puberty," Tsuna finally chuckled. "I already know about that, Hotaru. I'm talking about anything new or recent that you might call 'strange'. I'm talking about dreams that it feels that someone else is controlling or perhaps it feels like someone's whispering in your ear. How about your intuition? Has it been acting up lately?" Hotaru didn't answer, but the way that his face paled made Tsuna lean back in his chair in understanding. It was definitely that time. Hotaru just needed a little push to be able to trust him and Tsuna knew exactly which words to use. "Or perhaps you already know about the Day of Reckoning...."

"How--?!" Hotaru blurted.

"I heard about it from your father," Tsuna said, being honest despite talking about himself in the third person. "All of his Guardians thought that he was crazy, but it was real. The Day of Reckoning is the day that a Vongola Boss actually becomes a Vongola Boss. Until then, you're only a Boss in name. It's dangerous. No Boss has ever failed it, but my guess is that you'll die. Even you would. Actually, I'd say that you're more vulnerable than most. You don't have a body to leave behind when you go."

"Go?!" Hotaru squeaked. "Go where?!"

"I can't tell you that part," Tsuna replied apologetically. "All I can do is to tell you that the voice that you're hearing is a guide that you can trust. At the Day of Reckoning, your deeds of sin will be accounted for, as will your deeds of virtue. If the scales are balanced or if the virtues weigh more, then you will gain the power you need to truthfully succeed the Vongola throne. To do that, you must learn to trust your Flame, Hotaru. I... I had hoped that you wouldn't follow the same path as your father. He wanted the bloodshed to end, but you must have added to it since the Guide has appeared. It's not too late, Hotaru. Listen to your guide and act carefully. You can't be reckless when it comes to--"

"Are you nuts?" Hotaru asked, his face telling Tsuna that he'd stopped believing him and was concerned for his sanity.

"I wish I was," he murmured. It was painful that Hotaru wouldn't believe him, but Tsuna knew that he wouldn't have a choice in time. "Go speak with Hibari. Ask him about the day that he died."

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped in surprise. "Dad hasn't died."

"If you want my advice, then just ask him," Tsuna said, pulling his salad back over with the intent to finish it. He'd done all that he could. If he tried saying more, he'd do more damage than good. This was a battle that Hotaru had to fight on his own. "I'll be here in the future if you need someone to talk to that doesn't think you're crazy. You need to get Orinato out of jail as quickly as possible, too. He needs to be ready to fill in the gap when the Day comes."

"You're nuts," Hotaru repeated as he slipped out of his seat and stormed toward the door. It hurt to watch him go, but Tsuna knew that he'd be back. In the end, Hotaru would have no choice but to believe.

_My poor, cute little son...._

* * *

Basil absently chewed on his pinky nail while he tried to decide whether or not to step out of his car. He had a very bad feeling about the coming meeting, but nothing of substance to keep him from it. It was actually very important that he go. At least, that's what he'd like to believe. Tsuna wouldn't have tracked down his informant and sent a message to meet if it wasn't.

He no longer had any doubts that it truly was Tsuna that was hiding right in front of everyone. It'd been a little unbelievable before, but Tsuna's latest identity switch left no doubt in Basil's mind. Both the cowboy and the model had been far too flashy for Tsuna. However, the speed with which Tsuna had conformed once he'd turned into 'Maro' left Basil positive. Only Tsuna could be the center of attention and then become so ordinary that he disappeared without going anywhere.

What Basil didn't understand was his intent. That had been the question from the moment that Tsuna had revealed himself. He'd stated that he wanted to reconnect with the Family, but there was no sign of any active progress. Although, that was a bit of a miscalculation, too. Tsuna wasn't making any noticeable progress, but he was in the thick of everything. From Hotaru's love life to the current state of unrest in the underground, Basil could see Tsuna's fingerprints everywhere. It was never anything more, though. Tsuna hadn't done anything that could be considered a true footprint and he hadn't strong-armed anyone, but his fingerprints were there to show Basil that he'd been pushing in places while staying behind the scenes of everything.

From what he'd seen, it was unlike the new Tsuna to make such a dangerous move like he had: to call out the leader of the CEDEF with a taunt. The message had said 'Basilicum knows that no one can top Iemitsu' which had told Basil both the location and the time of his requested meeting. Tsuna wanted to meet at Iemitsu's faux-grave at the top of the noon hour. He was out there, too, smoking a cigarette inside the shadows of the Mausoleum where Iemitsu had been buried under a fake name.

Basil had driven out to see if he'd been right about the meaning behind Tsuna's taunt, but he was still questioning the wisdom of actually showing himself. A lot of questions would be raised if anyone caught them together. He knew what information that Tsuna wanted, too, and Basil knew that it'd be treason to give it to him. It was classified information that no one other than himself and his successor was supposed to see. However, he knew.... No, Basil amended. He didn't know what Tsuna would do with the information, but he had faith that Tsuna would be able to save the Black Sheep--Tonno Sawada. At least, he would if he was still the same man that Basil remembered.

The part that made Basil's heart clench was the knowledge that he didn't fear treason. He feared that Tsuna had changed more than Basil estimated. If it came down to an ultimatum, which side would Tsuna choose? Would he side with a child of Vongola that he'd never met or would he side with his new brethren among the vampires and werewolves in his hidden society? How much could he really trust Tsuna after all these years? Tsuna had gone out of his way to show those that knew his identity that he was harmless, but would he stay harmless if he had the information that Basil was carrying?

He couldn't chance it.

"Drive," Basil ordered, painfully tearing his eyes away from Tsuna's shadow. Praying that Tsuna wouldn't chase after them, Basil felt his heart jump in place when the car's engine shut off rather than being put into gear. "I said to drive," he repeated, slipping forward in his seat to look over the driver's shoulder. "What's wr--" Basil froze as soon as the drive turned to look at him, mesmerized by the icy chill in the man's blue eyes. The color was what gave the man away, though. "Vampire," Basil whispered.

"Nice to meet you, too," the man grinned, showing off a set of spectacularly sharp teeth. "Just so you know, your usual driver is in the trunk. I promise that I didn't bite. Well, perhaps a little bit, but I left him with all his blood. You've got a pretty good taste in subordinates. Anyway, aren't you going to go meet him? He went through a lot of trouble to make sure that you two could talk."

"Why are you helping him?" Basil asked suspiciously. "I thought the vampire covens had gone to war with werewolves."

"Don't believe everything that you hear," the vampire chuckled. "Most of it is all a large misunderstanding that willl be cleared up soon enough. Do you truly think that the man standing out in the cold for you would allow a war to brew without doing anything to stop it?"

"No," he grudgingly admitted.

"Then there you have it," he smiled. "The man out there is a friend of mine and I owe him more than you could possibly imagine. The difference in our blood can't change that. Now, generally speaking, I'd love to have to nip you in the bud to get you moving, so take your time if you'd like, but you're not leaving here without talking to him."

"Was that a threat?" Basil asked, unsure due to the humor in the vampire's tone.

"It depends on whether or not you think you'll enjoy it," he replied with another toothy grin. Basil paled and quickly decided that there was no possible way to back out of the meeting. He'd have to face Tsuna.

Quickly getting out of the car with his briefcase, Basil was unsurprised when the vampire drove it away to keep it from being a landmark that would attract attention. Basil refused to stay out in the open for the same reason. The faster that he could hide within the mausoleum, the less likely that he'd be noticed. He could always call for a new car after he was done. So, flipping up his collar to help hide his face, he quickly jogged to meet the one man that he hadn't wanted to meet with.

The entrance of the mausoleum felt as if it'd been standing for centuries instead of a little over a decade. Vines had crawled up over the sides and grass had insinuated itself into the steps. The stone construction was solid, though, and it had been cared for regularly within. It felt as if it were a cave once he got into the entrance--one in which the walls absorbed all sound. He'd expected for Tsuna to stay at the entrance, but he wasn't. He'd retreated deeper within to the area that Basil could see candlelight glowing around Iemitsu's grave.

The change in Tsuna's identity was even more telling when Basil finally found him hiding in a corner of the main room. He was lighting a fresh cigarette using one of the candles in place of a lighter, but it wasn't his actions that caught Basil's eyes. It was his posture. The last time that they'd met face-to-face, Tsuna had held himself tightly as if he were afraid of being touched or touching anything else. In contrast, the Tsuna in front of him was a little more open. He still gave off the feeling that he was guarded, but it was the difference between a brick wall and an iron gate.

It wasn't possible to see what was going on in his eyes anymore, Basil noted. Since he'd taken to wearing mirrored sunglasses, he'd hidden away his most recognizable feature while showing more of his face. It was a different kind of mask, but he was still wearing one. In face of that, his new attire didn't seem as impressive. He looked more like a Mafioso in his black suit and white tie, but it was just another costume in Basil's opinion. The Tsuna that he'd known would have never worn his clothes so neatly and he never would have put on the earrings and jewelry that Tsuna was now wearing.

"I've decided to collect leashes," Tsuna explained when he noticed Basil's attention on his thick, golden bracelets and the thick, golden collar around his neck. All three had a different image embellished in silver and Basil's memory was unable to supply the context. It seemed to be an alphabet of some sort, but not in any language that he knew. "These are just the start. I'm heading to Dino's after this to see if he has one to give me. After that is Tomaso and then I might skip over to Lionesse."

"Lionesse?" Basil repeated, taken off-guard by the choice.

"I have no reason to be picky in choosing my friends," he replied with a small smile. "But that's not why I asked you here. I'd apologize for forcing you out, but I don't think you'll be upset after you hear what I have to say. I... I know that it can't be easy for you to trust me, but this isn't about you or me. This is about him and he'll need all the support that he can get."

"Which him?" Basil asked suspiciously. He couldn't afford any missteps. If he was wrong and Tsuna hadn't called him out for information on Tonno, then there was no reason to bring up the subject. It'd been Basil's problem this long. He could just continue to deal with it--no matter how badly he might continue to screw up.

Tsuna paused in the middle of taking a long pull off his cigarette, making Basil's heart jump in fear. Tsuna looked like he was thinking hard about something, but the question shouldn't need thought. He'd either come for something to do with Hotaru or something to do with Tonno. Which was it?!

"There could only be one," Tsuna said slowly as if he were testing Basil. "Unless... there's two... Or even more..." Basil's stomach churned at the statement, sending a spasm of pain through his body in warning that he'd gotten another ulcer. He hadn't been wrong. Tsuna wanted information on Tonno. He wouldn't insinuate that there might be more in hiding unless he already knew about the one child that he shouldn't. "Basil," Tsuna continued in an unreadable tone. "I know what I came for, but what did you come for?"

"I wasn't going to," he admitted, stepping closer to Iemitsu's tomb so that he could lean against it for support. "I don't know who's side you're on anymore, so you can't blame me. I... I want to trust you, but you haven't left me with much reason to. Ever since you came back, you've been secretive and none of my people can follow your movements. You keep dropping off the radar and then you let yourself be caught again on purpose. I honestly have no clue what you're thinking."

"Even I wonder at times," he replied with a sad smile. "Do you think that it's any easier for me, Basil? I've spent the last ten years living a completely different life and it's not like those ten years can be erased, just like I can't erase my life before that. I'm still trying to figure out how it's all supposed to fit together even though it's all so different. I've already failed twice. Van Wolfe was too dependent on his affiliation with Vampires. Kai was a total failure from the start because I tried to pretend that I didn't need anyone else. I can't be Tsuna anymore because Tsuna's life has no place for Lazarus and I can't be Lazarus because he has no place for Tsuna! So what am I supposed to be?! I have to rebuild a new me that can accept everything and it's not like I can do that overnight! Every place that I turn to pretends that it can accept me, but how can I accept that?! How can they really know who they're dealing with when I don't even know who I am anymore?!"

"W-What...?"

"It's tempting to give up, Basil," Tsuna murmured as he settled back into his corner with his cigarette. "If I disappeared from the Mafia, I wouldn't feel as if I was being pulled in a dozen directions at once. I could start over with nothing instead of trying to fit pieces together that don't want to line up. The only reason that I haven't is because there's a lot of messes that still need to be cleaned up and I don't like the thought of stopping when I can still make a difference. Not just with the situation between vampires and werewolves, but with my Family. I've experienced a lot in my life. I know that if I'm patient enough, I can help each of them in some way."

"Do you really want to help him?" Basil asked bluntly as a certainty settled into his heart. Tsuna wouldn't hurt the Black Sheep. At most, he'd be stashed away in the same method that Xanxus had been. It was still cruel, but it was still merciful. Perhaps, if forced out of his current time and into the world a decade later, Tonno wouldn't be so quick to commit the crimes that he had. Of course, Xanxus still had, but hopefully... Hopefully, Tsuna still had the intuition to predict the best future for everyone just like the Ninth had dealt with Xanxus.

"Of course," Tsuna replied without a hint of hesitancy. "I might have changed, but I've still got Tsuna inside me."

"I wasn't here," Basil stated through clenched teeth as he laid his briefcase on Iemitsu's tomb. "The file in here has been infused with Flames. It'll turn into ash after it's been exposed to air for ten minutes, so read fast. I... I only have one more thing to say. Just as Iemitsu begged the Ninth, I'm going to beg you, Tenth: Don't kill him."

"Eh?"

"You'll understand more after you read," he murmured. "You probably already knew that it was bad, but I doubt that you really understand the scope of the situation. It's... It's not his fault that he's the way that he is. It's a gamble that you're capable of saving him, but you're probably the only hope that he has left. I... Just don't kill him, Tenth. That's all that I ask. Can you promise me that?"

"Alright," Tsuna agreed in a subdued voice while staying in the shadows in the corner of the room. "In all the time we've known each other, I don't think that you've ever asked me for anything before. I'd have to be a pretty big bastard to ignore you now."

"Thank you," Basil whispered.


	132. Chapter 132 Phlegm

_Shut up_, Hotaru thought while he tried to keep his temper in check.

"....and as you can see here, the potential profit can be exponentially increased depending on the amount of funds that I can get in order to react appropriately to the market research," Gillian explained. Hotaru continued to try to keep his temper in check, silently erasing his younger half-brother's presence from his mind. He was used to the brat coming around to try and talk him into his latest get-rich-quick schemes, but Gillian had become bolder during the time that he'd been quietly planning for his next attempt. The bastard was trying to use Hotaru's reputation against him by barging into the cafeteria to make his proposal so that it'd be harder for Hotaru to reject him in front of his classmates. Of course, if that was the only problem, it'd be much easier to deal with.

_He's quite the entrepreneur_, the voice commented in amusement.

_Shut up_, Hotaru mentally repeated. _ You're not real._

_I assure you that I am_, the voice replied while Gillian's voice droned in his ear. _ The longer that you take to accept that I am, the less time that we'll have to prepare._

_This is a breakdown, _Hotaru decided_. I'm having a breakdown because Orinato isn't here. That has to be it. I can't let it show. I'm not letting it show. Right? _

_You're not letting it show, _the voice confirmed_. But I'm not a delusion caused by a breakdown. _

_I need a vacation, _Hotaru told himself while trying to ignore the voice_. I've just been working too hard. _

_I can't argue with that assessment, _the voice said. _It's the first honest thing that you've told yourself. You lie to yourself a lot more than a Boss should. A little denial is healthy, but you've--_

_Shut up_, Hotaru growled.

"Eh?" Gillian asked, looking up from his spreadsheet in surprise. "Did you say something, bro?"

"No," Hotaru snapped, aggravated over his unintentional slip. Looking carefully at his brother as he returned to his presentation, an idea quickly came to mind and was discarded just as fast. Gillian had always been the prideful one of the Family. He was always trying to make a fortune under his own power as if doing so would make him better than Hotaru--who'd had his fortune handed to him. Gillian also thought that Hotaru owed him the start-up money for all of his little schemes because he hadn't gotten anything in the way of inheritance. It was incredibly tempting to tell him that he could be Boss for a day so that he could learn first-hand what Hotaru had to do to earn his fortune, which would also give Hotaru a day off to get his head on straight. He couldn't, though. Doing so would--

_Would what, _the voice prompted with a sigh_. Why don't we make a wager, Child? Go through with your plan. If something devastating happens, then I won't bother you during daylight anymore. However, if nothing bad happens that can't be easily fixed, you have to admit that my words have merit._

_Was there a downside to the offer?_ Hotaru thought.

_Going once_, the voice taunted. _Twice_...

"Alright!" Hotaru blurted, jumping up from his seat and slapping his hands on the table as if he had just finished a real negotiation. Then he remembered where he really was and his face began to turn red in embarrassment. There were a lot of people staring and he didn't really have a whole lot of explanation to give them.

"Really?" Gillian gaped, believing that his presentation had actually gotten through to Hotaru for once. Using that, Hotaru immediately got to work by grabbing his younger brother by the collar and shoving him into the seat that he'd vacated. "What--?!" He choked.

"It's a bet," Hotaru stated, looking down on his brother with all the arrogance that he could muster. "If you can last one day in my shoes, I'll fund your petty little project and any reasonable one that you come up with in the future. If not, then you've got to stop coming to me like I'm your own personal bank. Do you think that you're up to it?"

"Of course!" Gillian spluttered, seeing nothing more than the chance to have all of his schemes funded.

"Hmph," Hotaru scoffed with a knowing smirk that made Gillian flush. The smirk said everything that Hotaru couldn't. It said that Gillian would be calling for help before sunset and that he'd be pissing his pants before dawn. "Reborn," Hotaru called, knowing that his Tutor was somewhere nearby.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Reborn asked as he slipped out from under the table and into the seat next to Gillian while somehow managing not to spill his coffee. Hotaru stared for a long moment before deciding not to question how Reborn had hidden under there without being noticed. Some things simply weren't meant to be explained. However, he did answer his Tutor's legitimate complaint.

"No," he said, getting the strangest feeling of 'right' in the back of his mind. "Gillian's been nipping at my heels for the past five years. Everyone in the Family knows that he thinks that he's better than me, so I figure that he deserves a chance to show his stuff. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm not my father's only son--no matter how much everyone wants to pretend that I'm the only legitimate heir. So, I'm giving him a chance to prove that he's not all talk. From now until this time tomorrow, Gillian is Vongola the Eleventh."

"What about Orinato?" Reborn asked with a curious amusement in place of the scowl that Hotaru expected.

"Whether or not Gillian succeeds doesn't affect that," he answered honestly. "If he does anything to screw up Orinato's chances to get out of jail, I'll personally strangle the life out of him." Hotaru smiled brightly as Gillian cringed at the threat, satisfied that his half-brother was aware that his actions could have repercussions. "Have fun torturing him, Reborn," Hotaru added as he spun on his heels and headed for the door. "I'm taking the day off."

_And hopefully figure out some way to get another one in the future_, he mentally added.

* * *

Tsuna felt his stomach flip in nervousness. He knew that he had to get it under control if he was going to follow through on his plans, but it continued to toss each time that he looked at the private club down the unlit street from himself. It held everything that he'd been warned about where Phlegm were concerned. It was lavish. It was hedonistic. It was a place where humans didn't walk out of. He could possibly be walking into his own death if he went inside, yet he knew that he didn't have a choice except to chance it. More than one life might be saved if he did.

Tsuna silently cursed himself for doing something so reckless as he jumped down to street-level and began his approach. He was unarmed on purpose and he'd left his sword at the school for safe-keeping. After all, the Dango Brothers would be too tempting a feast to be ignored in vampiric eyes and ordinary weapons would be useless unless he used those of Hunters. Since he refused, his best chances at getting an audience was to go without any weapons at all. That wasn't to say that he wasn't without his bargaining chips, though. He had quite a big chip tied to his belt and it just might open the way if his intuition was correct.

The door of the club was unmarked and the lack of scent surrounding the place made for a lot of doubt in Tsuna's mind, but it had to be the place that he was looking for. The Phlegm only had one Sanctuary and Poe had said that they'd stubbornly refused to vacate it even in the face of Hunters. He prayed that Poe was right, because he had very few options to fall back on.

The sound of his knock echoed down the street, making Tsuna's heart beat faster when he noticed the eerie silence around him. During the daylight, the street that he was on was normally a busy thoroughfare full of pedestrians, shopkeepers and street vendors. The cobblestone brick under his feet was worn smooth from constant traffic, but it was currently so empty that it felt like a ghost town. He--

Tsuna squeaked unintentionally when the door flew open and a man stepped outside. The man seemed just as surprised at Tsuna's outburst as Tsuna was for the man's sudden appearance, but the shock quickly passed so that Tsuna could notice a disappointing detail: the man was truly a man. His eyes were neither red nor blue like it would have been if he'd been turned. He smelled... Tsuna paused when he noticed the lack of smell coming from the man. He didn't smell like a Phlegm, but he also didn't smell like a human. The realization sent Tsuna searching after something that could mark the guy as a blood slave, but there was nothing visible to be found.

"Can I help you?" The man asked curiously.

"I need to speak to the leader of this place," Tsuna replied as he carefully pulled the silk pouch from his belt. "I've brought a gift in request of an audience. In truth, I know neither the man's name nor how he looks, but I trust that my token is enough to receive an introduction."

"And who do I say is calling?" The man asked after a curious look inside the silk pouch to ensure that it held nothing dangerous.

"Sky," he answered softly. Tsuna nodded in acceptance when the man told him to wait and disappeared inside. Tsuna knew that he'd be back, though. Inside the bag was what looked to be two handfuls of tiny, cut diamonds. It should easily be shiny enough to gain appreciation, especially when it was given to its intended recipient. Since they weren't actually diamonds, the smell alone would probably attract attention since the silk pouch wouldn't hide the scent once it'd been opened. It was Zero-Point Ice that the Dango Brothers had helped him to cut down to bite-sized pieces--a unique treat worthy of a vampire king.

He took it as a good sign when the door opened again and an actual Phlegm gestured for him to enter. As Tsuna stepped inside and the door closed behind him, he felt his anxiousness peak. The Phlegm leading him with a lantern did nothing to alleviate it, either. It turned out that he didn't need to, though. Once Tsuna was led to a stairwell and began descending down into the dark depths of the club, his heart and his stomach finally settled. The reason why was because he'd already missed his final chance to turn back. His only choice now was to continue forward or die, which was an ultimatum that his inner child would faint over. Once that part of himself was out of the way, the only parts remaining of himself was those that could handle such a situation in calm determination.

After the fear left him, Tsuna was better able to appreciate the Phlegm Sanctuary's defensive measures. The upper reaches of the house had looked expensive. The stairwell that they were descending was tight enough and long enough to become an easily defended well after the stairs were taken out. There was still the chance that bombs could be dropped, but the bottom of the stairwell was prepared for that. There was a long tunnel that could easily be collapsed and the darkness of the area left Tsuna no doubt that there were both traps and guards waiting to dispose of any intruders.

The age of the pathway slowly changed as they walked. It started out as simple wood that led to stone and, finally, to mere dirt. The scale of the echo around him increased during that time, marking numerous side paths that likely created a maze worthy of a Minotaur. It felt as if they had been walking in circles for hours, although Tsuna knew that it couldn't have been more than a quarter of an hour. His sense of time was disoriented by the darkness, but he didn't--

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped as the lantern abruptly went out. He heard two footsteps behind him, signaling that his guide had fled. Tsuna was unsure of what to do. It was too dark. If the area was as cave-like as he thought, then it was very possible that taking a step anywhere could send him into a chasm. Had he made a mistake? Had his gift been taken as an insult? What was he supposed to do?!

The answer to his question was 'nothing'. As he stood frozen with indecision, his eyes slowly adjusted to the blue and green light coming off of the cave walls. He had to take off his sunglasses to see it better, but it grew brighter as he spent more time in the darkness.

"It's a light that only Vampires can see," a female voice whispered, echoing through the cave as the light increased to a point that Tsuna felt as if he were standing in bright moonlight. Trying to track the voice back to the source, Tsuna turned to find a woman standing on an overhang above him. "Other clans might differentiate between those who have disabilities and those who do not, but seeing this light is enough for the Duka Clan to welcome you as a vampire."

"Duka?" Tsuna repeated curiously.

"Come," she replied with a welcoming smile. "There is still more to travel if you wish to meet with Badru. I'll be happy to answer your questions on the way." Finding her statement reasonable, Tsuna tucked away his sunglasses and quickly looked around for a way up to meet her. From the looks of it, he'd have to climb.

Thankfully, it was a short climb that he was able to finish after three carefully judged leaps up the rock facing beside the ledge and the woman was kind enough to help dust him off after he reached the landing. After that, she began leading him down a pathway that was dusted with the light-giving substance while carefully giving him a history lesson that erased everything that he'd thought he'd known about the Phlegm.

The Phlegm Clan's true name was Duka, which meant 'All'. They were a Clan that accepted all vampires, not just those who hadn't been inoculated. They took in humans, animals, and even evolved motes that would normally be destroyed. Their leader, Badru, was praised as the wisest and oldest of Vampires, although no one knew whether the praise was true. It was under Badru's predecessor's guidance that they'd created the first Sanctuary centuries ago that could be a haven of life for all beings. That had been copied and recreated each time the turn of a century came and they moved to a new place.

Then, soon after Badru had come to power, the Council had formed out of the malcontents that wanted to take more part in the surface world. Until then, vampires had always held a strict policy of non-interaction with humans. They'd kept to their underground Sanctuaries and only met with humans when absolutely needed, whether to increase their numbers, send a child borne underground into the daylight, or simply to get news of the ever-changing world above. The Council had changed all of that, though. Then the inoculation had been found and the rift between the old ways of Vampires and the Council's ways had increased.

The Council and the inoculated vampires were like children to the Duka Clan. They were children who arrogantly believed that their parents were both short-sighted and stupid for staying hidden. It was something that the Duka Clan had decided to ignore, knowing that their children were merely being rebellious in hopes of gaining independence. The name 'Phlegm' was hurtful, as was the way that the Council repeatedly pointed out all of the Duka Clan's faults, but the greater bulk of the Clan was unconcerned. They knew that their children still needed them and they'd continued to make new vampires so that their children wouldn't be alone in the world. It made them weep each time a vampire fell, but that was the price that befell those who left their parent's nest. Their parents could no longer protect them from the dangers of the world unless they choose to return home.

"We will not deny our faults," the woman said as she began leading Tsuna up a long set of stone stairs that was missing the glow of the rest of the cave. "In the eyes of humans who set their standards of civility so high, we are indeed on the level of primitives. That is because we have learned to harness the power that our instincts give us. How can one fight with their full strength if their instinct is to flee? How can one make love to complete satisfaction if the instinct is to feed? By accepting the beast that hides within all of us, we might seem like disgusting creatures to those outside our haven. However, to those within, our lives have a level of fulfillment that can not be compared to."

"I don't think that I'd be comfortable living like that," Tsuna replied conversationally, feeling his own instincts surfacing merely at the description of the Clan's way of life. "For me, the beast is something that needs to be carefully controlled so that I don't harm anyone around me. Humans are much more fragile than vampires."

"And humans are much more rare in our Sanctuary than in the world above," she continued with an understanding smile. "That is why our instinct is turned to protecting them instead of feeding off of them. Of course, there are few that return to the surface after they choose to join us. Even fewer stay human for more than a year or two. If it's not accident that turns them, it is choice. They know the risks before they step foot on the Turquoise Path that reaches to Newhaven."

Despite himself, Tsuna took a swift intake of breathe and held it as they reached the top of the stone stairs. He'd thought that they were going back up to street level, but they were still underground. They were underground and in a place that Tsuna painfully recognized. Newhaven was the old Mafia Row; the underground city that had been abandoned after it's location had been found by law enforcement. It wasn't the Mafia Row that he remembered, though. It'd changed drastically in the time that it'd been abandoned.

First of all, it'd been buried. The cave-in had been thorough and he couldn't seen any of the old entrances. The buildings that'd been dug out were marginally recognizable, though. The three story dance club next to the old Pink's had been renovated into housing. Pink's had been renovated into the theater and there was a poster hanging for a stage show. Tsuna couldn't tell what it was about since the lettering wasn't anything that he recognized, but the picture showed a vampire standing up against a tree as if he were weeping.

As the woman led him deeper into the warren of excavated streets, Tsuna saw more than he'd ever expected to see. There were red-eyed vampires everywhere. They were shopping in brightly lit stores, stumbling drunkenly out of bars, and trading in the streets like they would in any marketplace in the world above. No few of them stopped to stare at him, but there was far too much to take in for Tsuna to be concerned by the attention. He felt like he was in a city that time had forgotten.

And there were animals! Tsuna had no clue what to think when they had to stop to let a cow cross the road under the guidance of a vampire that had a swarm of rabbits dancing around his feet. There were birds nesting on windowsills and-- Plants! He'd never seen such a variety of plants growing in an area that was occupied. Vines crawled up buildings and Tsuna had to stop and watch as a red-eyed vampire got the help of an visible, evolved mote in tending to a small grove of trees in the middle of an intersection.

"It seemed like a waste to leave this place buried," his guide said in amusement for how Tsuna was trying to look everywhere at once. "Many buildings collapsed in the cave-in, but there were just as many that didn't and therefore protected the facilities within. It took some work to refurbish the power generators, but we have running water here and everything that we need. Those that wish to leave are free to and they know that we have people on the surface to ensure that this place is never spoken of. Are you surprised that we chose to reclaim something made by humans, Mr. Sky?"

"Surprised and in awe," Tsuna replied, shaking his head to clear his amazement. "I thought that all of this would be gone. The cave-in was supposed to erase all the evidence that it existed."

"The humans tried to excavate it," she replied as she led him toward a particular set of doors. "But we have human friends on the surface who talked them into giving up before they got too close."

Tsuna was saved from having to make a comment as she ushered him into a building that had never existed when the Mafia had controlled the area. It was large. It was large and it was filled with scents that made his teeth ache in a particularly bad way. Unsure of what was ahead, Tsuna paused to unwrap a fresh piece of gum. Once he was beyond the entryway and into the main part of the new building, he was glad that he'd took the time.

The building seemed to be a private club, much like what he'd expected in the building that served as a gateway. There were curtained-off booths and seating everywhere, all of which was occupied with vampires at their worst. Feeding, mating, and fighting was all present, interlaced with the smell of liquor and smoke that was strong enough to make him dizzy. He tried not to look too closely at any of it, but several sets that he passed stared at him in a way that could only be described at taunting, challenging, and amused. They knew that what they were doing was indecent, but the look in their eyes said that they didn't care. The looks in their eyes said that Tsuna was a virgin and that they had a lot to teach. The looks in their eyes said that they were Hungry.

Tsuna tried his best not to react, but the amount of smiles around him grew as he walked deeper into the club. It was intoxicating. Simply being in the same room with so many uninhibited vampires left him feeling as if his self-control was slipping. The Lynx within him was going nuts. He wanted to be free. He wanted to taste the bliss of fulfillment and satisfaction that those around him were showing. How long had it been since he'd allowed blood to touch his lips? He'd only been on the gum for a short time, but it suddenly felt like years. He could feel himself being drawn in and the expressions of those around him were full of welcome. All he had to do was to open his arms and they'd... they'd...

Biting down on the side of his hand, Tsuna closed his eyes and reminded himself of the reason for his visit as the taste of his own blood gave him temporary relief. He wasn't there to have his instincts preyed upon. He was there to meet with the Phlegm leader. He wasn't like these vampires. He couldn't let go of his self-control and reclaim it as easily as they could. If he gave in, months or years might pass before he regained his senses.

"Are you alright?" His guide asked. Pulling his teeth out of his hand, Tsuna nodded as he allowed his eyes to flicker back open. The woman had a knowing expression on her face and those that were sitting close to where he'd stopped were quick to reach out and lick the blood off his hand, but he had control. Even if it was shaky control, he could still continue on.

Unfortunately for his sake, their destination didn't lead outside of the club. It actually led beyond several sets of opaque, silk curtains to a curtained dais at the back of the room where a man was laying on a day-bed full of pillows with a glass of undiluted blood in hand. Tsuna was disconcerted from the moment that he stepped past the last set of curtains and his blue-laced, amber eyes met the vampire's pure red ones. He only looked to be in his late twenties. If he were human, Tsuna would have guessed himself to be the older one.

He was strong, though, and not just in physical muscle. The power of his scent explained the very reason that he'd been sequestered in his own area behind barricading silk. It was also enough to explain why the vampires on the other side were so easily swayed into unleashing their primal instincts and how a Sanctuary full of vampires could otherwise stay tamed and hidden. They had a strong leader to instill order.

Badru's skin was a glistening ebony that made Dedra's tone seem washed-out and the sleek black robe draped over his otherwise nude body left Tsuna with the impression of a panther. Unlike what Tsuna expected, he was neither frail or pudgy. He had a muscle structure that made Xanxus look like kitten with claws and a calm demeanor that made Aster look over-emotional. A mere flicker of his eyelid sent a surge of lust through Tsuna. A tilt of his chin made Tsuna want to fight. A drip of sweat crawling down his chest made Tsuna's stomach growl in Hunger. The man exuded such power that Tsuna instantly felt as if he'd turned into a mere puppet.

Badru was a god among vampires and Tsuna's instincts began crying '_mate_' so loudly that he felt deaf.

Tsuna was frozen under his stare, unable to even blink as his guide slowly stepped forward to hand over the pouch of zero-point shards that Tsuna had brought as a gift. When Badru lifted his eyebrow at it, Tsuna felt his knees tremble. When he poured them out onto a platter that one of his servants held out and smiled, Tsuna's knees buckled entirely. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. It felt as if his heart was going to implode from Badru's sheer presence.

Doubling over, Tsuna shuddered as he fought to keep control of himself. He could sense the vampires preparing to swarm him, but a single wave of only one of Badru's fingers kept them at bay. It was a test, Tsuna realized. Badru already knew why Tsuna had sought an audience. Before he'd actually give it, he wanted to know if Tsuna was worthy. If it wasn't important enough that Tsuna couldn't control himself in Badru's presence, then it wasn't important enough for Badru to give him the attention that he wanted.

Tsuna understood that, but he couldn't stand. He couldn't even think straight enough to speak. Covering his mouth and nose was unhelpful. Badru's scent permeated even into Tsuna's skin and sent tremors of simple need through his body. Feed. Fight. Mate. Feed. Fight. Mate. Feed. Mate. Feed. Mate. Feed. Feed. Feed. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

Releasing his Flame, Tsuna tried to counter Badru's presence with his own. It was pathetic. Even using all of his strength, he felt like he was a bird trying to create a bubble of air under the ocean. He could hold it for only a minute at most, especially with how quickly the vampires around him began pulling on the life-energy that he was leaking all over the place. It was enough, though. It was enough to give him a few moments of clear thought where he could blurt out the reason for coming. After that, he lost the power to struggle.

He fed.

He fought.

He mated.

Badru took him into his arms and plunged him into a fiery dream that bordered on becoming a nightmare of insanity. It was Badru that held him back and kept him from crossing the line. It was Badru that pushed him to the edge and held onto him tightly so that he wouldn't fall over into madness. It was Badru that ensured that he kept his mind even while unleashing the full array of his instincts.

Tsuna lost track of how many times he fed. He lost track of how many times Badru filled him and brought him to a climax. He lost track of how many vampires he bit for the offense of getting too near. Badru was his. No one else could have him. Tsuna couldn't explain the possessiveness and jealous insanity that claimed him. All he knew as that, in Badru's embrace, he felt complete. His instincts stopped clawing at him. The needs within his body became silent in satisfaction. He...

He was sane.

Slowly sitting up from where he'd been curled up in contentment, Tsuna looked at his hands and tried to comprehend what had happened. He'd thought that he'd lost it. From the moment that he'd stopped struggling, he should have been lost. He wasn't, though. He felt... He felt free. He felt human again. He wasn't craving blood. He was calmer than he'd ever been. His body was exhausted, but he was satisfied. How was it possible? Once the beast inside him had been unleashed, he should be fighting to regain control! He definitely shouldn't be waking up with the feeling like the beast was peacefully sleeping!

"Confused?" Badru asked, shifting next to him so that he could reach out and push a stray lock of sweat-drenched hair out of Tsuna's face. Tsuna shuddered at the touch, feeling as if he'd been plunged into a new type of insanity. "Don't be fearful, little tiger," Badru said in amusement for Tsuna's reaction. Tsuna shuddered again as Badru's voice echoed in his bones and stole his strength away. Breathless and trembling, he collapsed back in the bed in a way that left him completely vulnerable as Badru shifted a second time to pull Tsuna against his chest. "This is the way that vampires deal with our sickness," he explained while he drew patterns into the sweat on Tsuna's back. Despite himself, Tsuna moaned at the touch and found himself becoming contentedly drowsy due to the heat coming off of his bed-mate. He could still hear, though, and Badru had much to say with a voice that sent spasms of ecstasy coursing through Tsuna with each word.

"Those in the world above would like you to believe that they can control themselves through mere willpower," he said in amusement. "But that is a lie. They are no different from you, little tiger. The beast within them must also be appeased. The reason that they are able to hide this is because they have more methods to use in dealing with it. Thee must take in blood. If you were able to feed like a true vampire, you could satisfy your hunger with greater regularity and it would be silent. Thee must mate. So do vampires. The difference is the choice of mate. When the one who our instincts cries out for is readily available to receive us, the instinct does not pain us. Perhaps it is so with you, too. If you were to choose a mate that will pet you and let you take them when your emotions are running high, then the need will calm within you."

"It does," Tsuna murmured, remembering how easily he'd gotten though his cycles when he'd had Snicker at hand. On most occasions, he'd been able to sleep through the worst parts. "But not anymore. He's gone."

"It does not matter," Badru said, his sympathetic tone taking all of the bite out of his words. "Thee have felt it since you've lost your mate. Yes? When your instincts cry out 'mate, mate' and your eyes begin burning for the person in your sight. This should not be confused with true love, but a mate to calm you can be found with those instincts. Thy instinct knows who can be trusted to be loyal. It is you who denies it and causes yourself pain because you refuse to accept a mate."

"It's too dangerous," Tsuna mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open. "They might die."

"Then I will be your mate until you find one that won't," Badru soothed, reaching up to run his fingers through Tsuna's hair. "Thee will come here whenever you find yourself in need and I will satisfy you."

"You don't even know me," Tsuna objected with a crooked smile for the offer. He couldn't help but smile considering that Badru had taken him into his bed before they could get around to a formal introduction.

"It does not matter," he replied. "In all the world that I have seen and traveled, there have been only six in which my instincts have cried 'mate, mate' and you are now one of them, little tiger. Unlike you, I have learned to trust my instincts. Thee would not betray me. Of this, I am assured and that is all that I must know. Will you not accept so that both of us may be appeased?"

"But--"

"No buts," he demanded pulling Tsuna on top of him so that he had to look at him in the eyes. "I do not care if you have other mates or if you search for more in the future. They have neglected you to the point that you were suffering. Thee will be my mate. Yes?"

"I guess," Tsuna agreed sheepishly. Badru's pleased expression was enough to make Tsuna blush as he tore his eyes away. He didn't really understand because Badru was nothing like what he'd normally consider 'his type', but the way that Badru looked at him made Tsuna feel as if he were being devoured by sight. It wasn't a bad feeling. It made him feel wanted and needed in a way that he hadn't felt since losing Snicker.

"Good enough," Badru murmured as he pulled a sheet up around Tsuna's shoulders so that he wouldn't feel as exposed. "I am happy that you are able to talk to me, little tiger. All are overwhelmed when they first enter my presence, but few have the determination to challenge me. Even more rare are those that do not have their breathes stolen even after I have claimed them. To hear a voice that is not suffering or quivering is a precious treat, easily equal of the tribute that you offered. It is truly a day of celebration for me. I had not thought that so many wonders could come to me at once. Thee are a treasure, little tiger. One in which I would keep under lock and key if you were to find such possessiveness acceptable."

"Stop it," Tsuna blurted, feeling as if his face was going to melt with how heated it became. Those kinds of words weren't meant to come out of a man's mouth! Especially not to another man like himself!

"Ah," Badru chuckled. "I have embarrassed you. Yes? Then let us turn to other matters. You came to ask me for information, did you not? You wish to know how deep our affiliation with the pup Nephriam is and you wish to know all that I do about the Child that torments those above. Yes?" Tsuna blinked, struck speechless at how much Badru knew. He didn't remember saying that much before losing track of things. How...? "Do not look at me with such wide eyes, little tiger," Badru laughed as he sat up and reached for a cup of blood without allowing Tsuna off of his lap. "To answer you," he sighed as he sat the cup back down. "Nephriam has been an unruly child. You are young, so you might not know this, but he was once a Seeker that was born from one of my forays into the world above. He has the strength of a full-blood, but none of the pride. He hates me for turning him, although I had no choice. He was on the edge of death when I found him and he was far too young for my heart to allow--"

"Wait," Tsuna blurted, unable to swallow such a large pill at once. "Nephriam isn't a full-blood? I thought he chose to look like a kid when he came out of his cocoon!"

"Nay," he corrected sadly. "As I said, he was born from one of my forays out into the world and he was a human when I took him into my arms as my child. He was a smart one that saw that those who were full-blood were regarded as special in our world and so chose to tell those around him that he was one also. Over time, that lie has become his truth. While he still lived among us, I held a special place for him in my heart and permitted him to drink my blood exclusively. My blood is weak now, little tiger, but there was a day when a single drop could lengthen a vampire's life by centuries. I did not know that giving it to one so young would hold him in his child-like form for so long and so I am to blame that he's had to spend so many years as such a small boy. I find it understandable that he grew to hate me just as he grew to hate himself. He wants revenge. Nay. It's more than revenge. He wishes to end me and ensure that none other like himself will be created. To do so, he has joined forces with the Child."

"Tonno," Tsuna supplied.

"Ah," he confirmed. "I do not know the Child's story, but he is one full of mischief and he leads Nephriam in a dangerous game. Nephriam has the support of many of the younger Duka Clan, but only because they have not seen through his lies. He tells them that he's trying to end the days where those that we bite can reject the Change. I have seen through his plan, though. It is not merely rejection that he's trying to reverse. It is the Change itself. Once he has it, he will turn all of our clan into humans and then he will come after me. Once he has inoculated me, he will kill me and the few pure-bloods that are left; he will end our Great Race once and for all. That is why the Child has stopped the killings to weed out our ranks. Nephriam is close to his goals, I am sure. It is only a matter of patience for him now."

"Why don't you stop him?" Tsuna asked, finding no flaw in Badru's hypothesis. It was similar to the one that he'd already figured out, although much more devious. How many, including himself, would be tempted to take such an injection if it could really make him human again? Once those were weeded out, it'd be easier to forcibly inject those who'd been turned willingly or wished to stay Changed. After that, the full-bloods would be sitting ducks. It'd be the end of an entire race and no one on the surface would notice that it was gone.

"Would anyone notice if we were gone?" Badru asked sadly, echoing Tsuna's thoughts. "I am old, little tiger. Much older than you probably realize. I have seen civilizations rise and fall and I am not even the first generation of my kind. I have learned to recognize when the end of an era is near and I can see how much pain would be averted if Nephriam were to succeed."

"But what about the motes?" Tsuna objecting, his heart clenching in empathy. He understood. He understood what was in Badru's heart so much that it hurt. How many times had he thought of it himself? How many times had he wondered if anyone would truly notice if he disappeared? "If there's no vampires, then the motes--"

"Will become the gods of the new era," Badru supplied. "Their power will grow unchecked and humans will either have to learn how to control them or compensate for their existence. They have the power to do so; they just haven't harnessed it because they have not seen the need. You need not worry, little tiger. I have no doubt that humans will continue to thrive and--"

"No!" Tsuna blurted, unable to accept what Badru was accepting. "You can't just give up like that! It's not right that they're deciding how the world should work! What about Aster and Poe and Neve and everyone else who doesn't want to be human or can't?!"

"And what of those who never wished such a life?" Badru countered. "Would you condemn them to a damned eternity because of the rare few who have found peace with their existence?"

"No," Tsuna said, biting his lip while he tried to think of the right way to say what was in his heart. "I think that a cure could be a good thing for the sake of those people, but it's not right for Nephriam and Tonno to force it on those that don't want it. I.... I won't let them. Even if you give up, I'm going to stop them. Their methods are all wrong, Badru. I won't let them hurt you or anyone else that doesn't want what they're offering."

"Thee are a treasure," Badru repeated with a wide grin spreading across his face. "I knew that my instinct was not wrong. Thee have made my heart light with such ease, little tiger. Although we have not known each other long and I admittedly took you in a moment of weakness, you still speak with me in your heart. It makes me wish to claim you again. May I?" Tsuna blushed brightly at the question, acutely aware that there was nothing between him and Badru except sweat and air. He had a sheet across his back, but all of his clothes had disappeared during the time that he'd been berserk. He couldn't really find it in himself to care, though.

"You're not supposed to ask," Tsuna admonished, ducking his head against Badru's chest in embarrassment.

"Oh," Badru said with a laugh for Tsuna's sudden shyness. "The rules must have changed again. I'll remember that for future reference."

* * *

Tsuna tried to wipe the smile off of his face and failed. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and failed. He tried to pretend that the crown of guns pointed at his head didn't make him happy, but he failed.

"I guess it's too much to hope that I was only gone for a day," Tsuna quipped, wondering if there was some way that he could make it through the school gates without being shot first. Tsuna took the answer as a resounding 'no' when the guns dug deeper into his head. Reborn, Aster, Ryohei, Lambo, and Xanxus were all very angry with him. He'd dropped off the face of the map for an extended period without a single warning that he was taking a trip. They'd all probably feared the worst and apparently showing up to teach his class wasn't good enough for them. They wanted an explanation. "Anyone want to clue me in?" He asked carefully. "Was it two days?" Ow. No. "Three?" Ow. No. "A week." Little ow. Getting closer. "A week and a half?"

"Where have you been?" Reborn growled in warning. "And why is there a tattoo on your face?"

"A tattoo?" Tsuna repeated, reaching up to see if anything felt different. He'd come straight to the school when he'd surfaced to find daylight waiting. He'd bathed with Badru before leaving his place, but the man hadn't allowed him the luxury of a mirror. Had he done something that he hadn't wanted to see Tsuna upset about?

"You're incorrigible, Maro," Poe growled, stepping forward to push the guns away from Tsuna's head and grab his chin to tilt his face into the light. "There's no doubt. You went to the Phlegm."

"How--?" Tsuna spluttered. He didn't get to say anything more after that. Poe wouldn't let him. First a knee went into his gut. Then, while he was doubled over from that, Poe grabbed his collar and threw him backwards so that he landed on his back. Finally, he jumped on Tsuna's chest with all the enthusiasm of a starving man trying to kill his Thanksgiving Dinner.

"It," he said between bounces, "Wasn't. Enough. To. Be. My. Son. In. Law. And. My. Step. Father. So. You. Arbitrarily. Decided. To. Be. My. Grandfather. Too."

"Sh-- Sh-- Shit--" Tsuna gasped as Poe threw in a few extra-hard stomps.

"What's. Next?" Poe growled in warning. "My. Brother. Or. My. Sister? Perhaps. You. Want. To. Be. A. Cousin?"

"I'm so-o-o-o-or-r-r-ry!" Tsuna exclaimed while Poe continued bouncing on him.

"If. You. Try. For. Me. I'll. Kill. You," Poe snarled, finishing his tantrum by digging his heel into Tsuna's throat.

"I wouldn't," Tsuna gasped, finding it hard to breathe with Poe's foot against his windpipe. "I think you're already killing me anyway."

"As long as we understand each other," he said, stepping off of Tsuna's beaten body with a dignified manner that made it seem as if he were stepping out of a carriage. Without waiting on Tsuna to get up, he headed inside to the class that was probably waiting on him. Tsuna grimaced as he sat up, feeling his ribs spasm from the punishment that Poe had put them through. He didn't get any pity, though. Reborn was still scowling in want of answers. Aster was wide-eyed in surprise. Xanxus looked as if he'd been hit with a brick. Ryohei and Lambo were laughing, although they probably wouldn't be if they had any clue what the attack had been for. All of them looked like he'd deserved every pounce, though.

"I didn't mean to," Tsuna pouted.

"You didn't mean to," Xanxus repeated, biting off each word in pure malice. "You sure as hell don't look unhappy that it happened."

"Why should I?" Tsuna spat with a pointed glare. "Or did you forget that you dumped me? That hasn't changed!"

"Only because you said that you wanted me to leave you the fuck alone!" Xanxus roared.

"Oi," Reborn interjected, cocking his revolver in warning. "I still haven't gotten any answers. You've been missing for over a week. If you want to step foot on this campus, you better give me an explanation."

"I lost track of time," Tsuna said as he carefully got to his feet. Once he was erect, he sighed in relief as the pain in his ribs and chest dwindled before disappearing. For all that Badru claimed that his blood was weak, Tsuna couldn't tell. He stomach still felt as if he'd be stuffed for the next month and his hair still hadn't stopped growing in effort to burn the excess energy that he couldn't store. In just the short time since he'd arrived at the school, it'd gone from his earlobes to his shoulders. "I had to meet with someone and it took longer than I expected. I'd personally prefer not to go into details, but I can give them if you think you can keep Xanxus under control."

"Spare me," Reborn groaned as the details wrote themselves. "Just explain the tattoo."

"What is it?" He asked with a grimace. "I haven't looked in a mirror yet."

"It's a stripe from here to here," Lambo supplied, pointing out the curve under his eye and back to the top of his ear. The description made Tsuna's face turn red, suddenly understanding why Badru had kept calling him 'little tiger'. He'd turned him into one while he'd been unawares!

"I don't want to know," Aster mumbled as he ducked his head and charged back toward the school. Tsuna watched him go and gave a small grimace in apology, but Aster couldn't fault him. After all, he'd been searching for a mate other than Tsuna for a long time now.

"Is it safe to go now?" Tsuna asked as he slowly walked through the school gates. In answer, the sound of Xanxus' X-Guns going off behind him made him freeze until he finally got the courage to look back and find that Xanxus had flown off. "He's pissed," Tsuna groaned.

"You can't blame him, either," Lambo sighed. "Things were looking pretty serious and then you disappeared. We thought that you-know-who had gotten you."

"Well, he didn't," Tsuna sighed as Reborn broke off to head toward his office with some sort of mischief in mind. Ryohei wasn't too far behind, breaking into a jog to return to his class on the sparring grounds since Tsuna was perfectly healthy. "Why do I have the feeling that they're going to get revenge later?"

"Because they probably will," Lambo replied with a hearty laugh. Tsuna smiled with him, feeling some of his good mood returning despite the threat. He knew that everyone was mad at him for disappearing, but he really hadn't meant to worry anyone. It was just hard to keep track of time in a place with no daylight and a lot of distractions. Even knowing that their revenge was coming, he couldn't find it in himself to be worried, either. He'd found another piece of the greater puzzle and the situation was starting to make sense in his mind. Everything that Nephriam and Tonno was doing was for very simple reasons and Tsuna was sure that there would be a chance to counter their resolve. He just had to find a way to speak to them both. With a little negotiation, there was no reason that the situation had to continue like it was. In a way, a large part of it all was a huge misunderstanding. Tonno wasn't beyond saving. He--

"I better go," Lambo said as Tsuna reached the doors of the school. "Come over for drinks later. I don't know about everyone else, but I wouldn't mind hearing a few details about where you've been."

"Alright," Tsuna agreed with a slow smile. "I can't say too much, but I can explain why Poe was so upset."

"Ciao," he said in farewell. Tsuna gave him a small wave in his own farewell and tried to get his head on straight for his class. The rest of the current one would need to be taught by Poe while he got caught up. He'd also need to check and see how Hotaru was doing. Actually, if his watch was right, Hotaru's class should be--

Tsuna froze with the door of his classroom in his hand, stunned speechless by what was waiting for him within. Then his eyes darted to a second person that was slowly rising out of his chair and he began to feel dizzy with shock.

"Dad...?" Charlie asked while Tsuna tried to figure out why Tonno was sitting in Hotaru's seat.

* * *

Xanxus felt ready to blow as he stepped off the subway into Venice Row and headed for Neve's place. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Who the hell was Poe's Grandfather and how dare the bastard hold Tsuna locked away for a week and a half?! He was jealous. Xanxus knew that he was jealous, but he felt as if he had the right to be. If he'd tried to lock Tsuna away for a week and a half, the bastard would have shot him. It made him want to find this Phlegm person and strangle the life out of him. Tsuna was his! He didn't give a damn if Tsuna wanted to play the break-up-and-make-up roller-coaster! Tsuna was his and no one else's!

Unfortunately, getting answers would have to wait. As he neared the Fuzzy Biscuit, he was warned by the crowd that was silently standing around that something was wrong. The target of their focus wasn't hard to identify. It was the store that had opened up across the canal from them. When Xanxus saw what the store boasted, he came to a stop alongside everyone in order to stare in shock at the Vendiche guarding the door to ensure that the peace wasn't broken.

The Silver Bullet was the name of the store. The items on display were weapons that left Xanxus in disbelief that a riot hadn't started. There were weapons gleaming in silver. There was a vial of undiluted holy water. There was a book titled '101 Ways to Identify a Vampire'. There were charms and jewelry. The piece that made Xanxus' knees feel weak, though, was the single small item that had a display window to itself. The price left no doubt that it was real and a large cross-section of vampires were trembling in hope at the sight of it. After all, it wasn't every day that a needle was offered which claimed to return Vampires into Humans and it wasn't every day that the twenty-five thousand dollar expense was offered for free as a gift to all customers in honor of their Grand Opening.

Even as Xanxus tried to comprehend the magnitude of such an option, a vampire broke off from the group and headed for the bridge separating them from the store. Numerous hands reached out to stop him, but his resulting outburst was everything that Xanxus could have predicted if he'd had more time to think.

"Leave me alone!" The vampire shouted, tearing his friend's arms off of him so that he could continue on. "I know that it might be a trap! I don't care! What if it's not?! Don't you see?! If they can cure me, then it's worth a try! I never asked for this! If it's real, then I can be human again!"

"Yes, you can," a voice snapped, drawing attention back at where Neve was standing within the doorway of the Fuzzy Biscuit. The man stopped halfway across the bridge, his face covered in fear that she was going to stop him. "Don't look at me like that," she ordered, pressing her lips together unhappily. "You're a free man and you have the right to choose. If you want to believe that the same people that have committed genocide against us would help you, then the Vendiche are there to ensure that you can enter safely and leave safely. Venice Row holds many stores that sell weapons to kill and there are even those that sell poisons. I can not stop them from offering their wares because they have as much right to sell silver as I have the right to sell blood.

However, my advice is that you think carefully before you enter and use your head instead of your emotions. If you were Changed unwillingly, then I can understand your desire to become human again. Even I would be tempted if I were in your shoes, but I would also ask myself: For what purpose do I wish to be human? As a vampire, you still retain all that you once were. Becoming a vampire merely gave you extra strengths and a few allergies. By becoming human, you'd be stripping all of that away along with shortening your lifespan. For what purpose? Is it because you have a distaste for blood? No one has ever forced you to drink it. Only werewolves have that requirement. Is it because you're afraid that you'll turn someone you hold dear? We already have the inoculation to protect against that. Is it because you fear the Hunters? If so, then allowing them to turn you into a human is the same as laying down your weapons and allowing them to slit your throat. The have still taken another of our kind out of the world--"

"Nice speech," Lord Nephriam interrupted as he stepped out of the Silver Bullet. With a single glance, Xanxus' breathe hitched in his throat and he lost the ability to breathe. In Xanxus' eyes, his aura was diminished, but flowing cheerfully like... like... "A human," Lord Nephriam supplied with a soft smile, seeing the expressions on everyone's face. "I am one now. Thanks to the cure, I can grow up. I can find someone to love and grow old next to them. So what if my lifespan is shortened? It's merely shortened to a human's length! I've lost nothing except the damnable curse that kept me prisoner for so long! I'm free and it's all thanks to the Hunters! _Look _at me! There is nothing to fear! I have taken the cure into myself and I have become human! It is real, my friends! Come! They will make you human and it costs you nothing! You do not owe that woman or her kind anything! They were the ones that took your humanity in the first place! Come to this side and I can give it back! We have found a way!"

"I can't stop you," Neve repeated with a sad smile as the crowd hesitated. "All I can offer you is a round of free drinks if you stay."


	133. Chapter 133 Nostalgia

Author's note: Upload mayhem! My suggestion? Read slowly.

* * *

Hotaru bit his lip to try to keep himself from smiling as he followed Rosalind down the street. Never in his life had he had so much fun. No one recognized him. They hadn't recognized him all morning. After he'd tucked his hair into hiding beneath a baseball cap and put on a pair of prescription-less glasses, he'd been able to walk around without a single person noticing him.

He owed Tonno. He owed Tonno Wadasa big-time. The guy was a real find. Tonno looked just like him and he was the executive assistant of a medical research lab, so he already knew how to act 'official'. All it'd taken was a little bit of a bribe and he'd been more than willing to stand in for Hotaru's classes for a few days. _Finally!_ Hotaru wanted to cheer. Finally, he had a shadow that Reborn or Gokudera or Orinato didn't control.

_Are you sure that you can trust him?_ The voice asked in doubt.

_Shut up_, Hotaru mentally snapped. _You're the one that said that I should be more honest with myself. Well, I honestly want to see if Rosalind is willing to do something with me. If I'd gone to school, I wouldn't have been able to slip my leash and I wouldn't be able to see her. Don't worry so much. Tonno should be able to figure things out. There's nothing on the schedule that's important and I can look over all the paperwork when I get home._

_You're really enjoying this_, the voice grumbled in amusement.

_It's like the Prince and the Pauper_, Hotaru thought with a wide grin. The voice fell silent at his statement, which was good since quiet in his head meant that he could focus on what he was doing.

Picking up his pace, Hotaru caught up with Rosalind and quietly started walking with her. She was such an airhead that she didn't notice him for three blocks, being far too interested in whatever book that she was reading. Even when she did notice him, she only glanced over at him before going back to reading.

"Psst," Hotaru hissed, trying to get her attention without being noticed by anyone else. Once more, she glanced up at him and immediately went back to reading. Irritated, Hotaru reached out to touch her shoulder. She dodged without showing any sign that she'd noticed him. Aggravated, he tried to block her path in hopes that she'd go into an alley. She went around him, still not showing any sign that she'd noticed him. Frustrated out of his mind, he grabbed her by the waist and dragged her away from the road before she could walk out into traffic. The blare of a passing taxi's horn woke her up like nothing else could, but the stream of curses that she shouted after the driver wasn't quite what he was hoping for. "Are you always this oblivious?" Hotaru growled.

"Only when I choose to be," she replied without looking at him. Hotaru had to do a double-take as she went back to reading while she waited for the light to change. If she meant what he thought that she meant, then she'd noticed him all along!

"Are you trying to drive me crazy?" Hotaru asked, clenching his fist in effort to keep himself calm. She stayed silent for a second as the light changed colors. Once she was able to safely cross the road, she momentarily left him behind as she hurriedly continued on her path. Quickening his steps to catch back up with her, he felt the need to bite his lip again to keep himself from shouting. She could at least stop and talk to him!

"I think you drove there by yourself," she murmured as he fell in beside her again. "What are you trying to do, Hotaru? Isn't it bad if we're seen together?"

"I'm in disguise, idiot," he hissed with a glance around to make sure that none of the other pedestrians had heard her say his name. At that, she did pause and she looked up at him in honest surprise for his glasses and his clothes.

"Denim," she gaped in surprise, staring down at his pants as if she were seeing pigs fly. "Are you sick or something?"

"I don't always wear a suit," Hotaru spluttered with a bright blush. "You've seen me in normal clothes before!"

"So this is a relapse?" Rosalind asked curiously. At that, Hotaru threw his hands into the air and gave up. It was impossible to talk to her. He should just go home. "Wait--!" She called in laughter. "I was just teasing you! Sheesh! Learn to take a joke!"

"Oh," Hotaru mumbled, falling to a stop with another pinkish blush. Rosalind took one look at him and shook her head in disbelief.

"What are you doing here," she asked with a lopsided smile. "Aren't you supposed to be sitting in a throne or attending a party or some other crazy thing?"

"I snuck out," Hotaru answered sheepishly, guiding her deep into an alley so that they would be less likely to be seen. He found himself staring at the ground as they walked, unable to look her in the eye as he added, "I.... I wanted to see you. You haven't talked to me in a while, so I thought maybe I'd done something to make you mad."

"I'm not mad," she replied slowly. "I just understand that you can't talk to me in front of people, so I stopped trying. Why should I hold my breathe if you're not going to give me the time of day?"

"Oh," he grimaced. She had a point that he couldn't counter. It wasn't his fault that he had to snub her in public and he could tell that she understood that he didn't want to. He didn't think that she'd be willing to talk to him if she didn't understand. That didn't leave him much to say, though. Nothing except, "Um... Would you like to take a ride on SK with me? He can take us to a place where we won't be seen and I can drop you off close to your house afterward."

"Well, I'm supposed to be job hunting," she replied slowly, instantly making him crestfallen. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to take one day off."

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped, his heart leaping back to life again. "Really?!"

"You're not planning anything strange, are you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Hotaru immediately held up his hands to assure her that he didn't have anything up his sleeve. She laughed at him for jumping at her teasing, but her laughter slowly disappeared as he slid behind her. She frozen entirely with her face going blank when he put his arms around her. "I thought that you weren't going to do anything strange," she mumbled, not understanding what he was doing.

"Just hold on," he whispered into her hair. "SK..."

Hotaru grinned as SK exploded out of his ring and swept them off their feet. Ross was instantly panicking, but Hotaru held her tightly so that she didn't fall off. Hooking his legs around the base of SK's wings, it took only a moment for all three of them to become stable as SK smoothly climbed for altitude. Carrying two wasn't easy, though, so the ride was rather short even though he still managed to cover an incredible distance. By the time that they landed, the city was a forgotten dot in the distance that was hidden from view as they dropped down into a potted orchard.

The sight of the pots and their arrangement made Hotaru's stomach flip in a way that was both nauseating and exhilarating. It was the same place as the dream that he'd had about Rosalind. There were only pots that were overflowing with a selection of baby trees and bushes in this section of the mock-orchard, but Hotaru recognized both the color and the shape of the oversized terra cotta. There was no doubt that somewhere in the area, there was a field of the empty ones that Ross would eventually flee to. But only after he said something like...

"Will you marry me?"

The reaction that he got wasn't one that he expected. He knew that she'd probably blow her top, but she went beyond that. Not only did she punch him, but she jumped off and disappeared through a screen of smoke that seemed to come out of nowhere. Hotaru tried to cover his mouth and nose with his hat, but he dropped it at the same time that his fake glasses fell off. Coughing from the thickness of the smoke and fearful that she might have hit him with a pepper-bomb out of spite, Hotaru pulled his goggles out of his jacket to protect his eyes, released the seal on his Lance to make it easier for him to transform, and hit the triggers on his armbands--which wrapped his upper body in armor.

"H-Hotaru..." A man called cautiously. Hotaru grimaced, figuring that one of his subordinates had followed him and believed him to be under a serious attack.

"I'm fine!" He called in return. "Hold on a second and I'll have SK clear this smoke-screen! Watch your eyes!" Patting SK on the back of his neck to signal him to go, Hotaru held his breathe until after his wings had blown away the bulk of the smoke. What he saw once the smoke was clear wasn't anything that he was prepared for, though.

It was absolutely, positively impossible, yet Hotaru couldn't deny it. He'd been transported somewhere. The orchard was completely gone. He still seemed to be in a garden, though. Actually, after a quick look around, he realized that it was a garden that he recognized. It was the back yard of the mansion in Namimori! It was dressed up for a wedding, though. If the rows of chairs and the white banners weren't enough to tell him that, the man in a tuxedo was enough to--

"Dad...?" Hotaru asked, feeling like Reborn had set off a batch of dynamite against his chest. It was definitely his father, exactly as Hotaru remembered him from over ten years ago. Everything was identical--from his ugly scars to his uptight, yet somehow humble body language. Somehow... in some way... he'd been sent back in time to his father's wedding. "Is that you...? What--? How--? I know I didn't get hit that hard!"

"It's me, Hotaru," Tsuna replied, gaping like a stranded fish.

"You were hit with the Ten-Year-Bazooka," someone called out, verifying that he'd been sent into the past.

"Really now?" Hotaru inquired, his voice tilting upward in sarcastic glee. That was all that he needed to know in order to move. Using his lance to help him get off of SK's back, he slid to the ground and patted SK to soothe him. Then, propping his lance onto his shoulder, Hotaru slowly walked forward with the intent to give his be-damned father a piece of his mind. Namely, with his fist.

It felt good as his punch connected with the bastard's jaw. For some reason, his father was completely unsurprised, though. It was irritating, but he was able to keep on his feet with only a minor stumble. As he reached up to touch the place he'd been hit, Hotaru met his eyes and stared at him defiantly in hopes that he'd say something. No one said a word, though, which ironically made him even angrier.

"I've been wanting to do that for years now," Hotaru spat through clenched teeth while balling his hand up in satisfaction.

"Was I that bad of a father?" Tsuna murmured, his head bowed down so as not to see the look on his son's face. The question made him stop, once again remembering everything that Reborn had told him. It was true that he hadn't been around much, but his father had been looking out for a lot of people. He'd been responsible for and had a duty to protect many more than just his flesh-and-blood child. Hotaru felt like he was beginning to really understand that. After all, he couldn't see Rosalind nearly as much as he wanted to.

"Not at all," Hotaru replied with a sigh, feeling his anger crumble. "You were a great dad. I'm just still pissed because you had to go and play the hero and then left me to pick up the pieces. Why, Dad? Why did you--" Hotaru broke off. Years of unshed tears seemed to surge forward at once, leaving him struggling to keep his decorum.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Tsuna asked softly. "I changed the future, but I died in the new one."

"Yes," Hotaru confirmed as hot tears began to run down his face.

"You know I hate it when you cry," SK rumbled, making everyone jump as he stepped forward to cup his back with a wing.

"Sorry, SK," Hotaru sniffed, wiping his tears away as he tried to get control of himself. "Old habits die hard and I haven't seen dad in a long time. Even though I have you, I--"

"Y-You can talk!" Tsuna suddenly blurted.

"Of course I can talk!" The dragon laughed with embers falling from his sides at each shudder that ran through his body. Hotaru let out a small smile at the outburst, knowing that it was just as much of a reunion for SK as it was for him.

"Wait..." Tsuna murmured, shaking his head softly in disbelief. "It's not possible..."

"I see you finally recognize me," SK chuckled, his scaled lips pulling back into his own peculiar attempt at a smile. "Hotaru helped me in returning, although my form isn't the same as last time. It's been a long time, Father."

"S-Salmon...?" Tsuna mumbled as the combined shocks began to show on his face.

"In the Flame," SK replied, his wings unfolding in order to let Tsuna see him at his fullest.

"I thought you died..." Tsuna whisperered as he began to look unsteady on his feet.

"I'm made of Flame, Father," SK chuckled. "I merely returned to you for a time and my sleeping consciousness was passed on to Hotaru. He named me Salmon Kai, but we shortened it so Reborn would stop bopping Hotaru on the head every time he called out for me. There's only supposed to be one Reborn in the Family."

"He's my partner," Hotaru added with a warm smile lighting up his face. "If it weren't for him, I don't think I would have survived Reborn's training."

"Reborn's--?" Tsuna repeated, his eyes automatically going down to the hand wrapped around Hotaru's lance.

"Ah," Hotaru confirmed, looking at his father with a quirky expression. "I'm Vongola the Eleventh, Dad. Someone had to pick up the Family after you were gone. Although, I think Uncle Xanxus' training was harder than Reborn's."

"Xanxus--?" Tsuna paled.

"You can't be Boss of Vongola if you don't know how to use Zero-Point Breakthrough," Hotaru explained, finding it amusing that his father's knees would buckle over such an innocent statement. "Reborn's method of teaching wasn't getting anywhere, so Xanxus taught me. He was always easier to get along with." For some reason, everyone around him began choking. He didn't see what was wrong, though. Xanxus was a pansy compared to Reborn and he _was _easier to get along with.

While his father continued to gape, Hotaru's had a sudden epiphany. He could finally ask his Dad all the questions that he'd always wanted to!

"Hey, there's something I've always wanted to ask," Hotaru said, crouching down to eye-level with where his father sat on the ground. "Why did you choose to have sixteen kids? I mean, I like having a big Family and all, but did you have to give me so many siblings? Actually," Hotaru corrected, waving the first question away, "Even more than that, I've always wondered about that recipe book I found in the attic a few years back. Why didn't you ever tell anyone--"

Before he could finish his question, his father disappeared behind another cloud of smoke. When SK hurriedly waved his wings to clear it, he found himself back in the orchard where he'd started and a feeling of disappointment began to weigh down on him. He'd completely lost his chance. He should have asked where his father would have gone if he didn't want to be found. Maybe then, they'd have an easier time of tracking him down.

The simple thought made Hotaru's shoulders tremble. He hadn't known before.... He hadn't realized how much he really wanted to see the bastard. Not just to punch him, but to talk to him and learn everything that Hibari was too reserved to teach. It made him truly realize all the things that he'd missed out on. For example, he'd missed out on working on his Dad's cars with him. He'd missed out on asking him for advice on Rosalind. He'd missed out on camping trips and video games and movies and dinners and jokes and laughter and smiles and... and...

"I miss him, too," SK said, crying sparks to match the tears streaming down Hotaru's face. Burying his face into SK's shoulder, it wasn't until he'd nearly cried himself out that he realized that they weren't alone. Reborn was leaning up against a terra-cotta pot nearly twenty feet away, his hair being tossed by the growing wind. There was something in his body language that caught Hotaru's attention. Perhaps it was because his hat was missing, but Reborn seemed more open. He also seemed like he had something that he wanted to say, but he was struggling with it.

"If you're going to cry over not seeing him, shouldn't you put more effort into finding him?" He finally asked. The words were nearly whipped away by the wind with how quietly they were said and the solemn expression on Reborn's face wasn't lost on him. He was serious. Reborn thought that they should seek out the Tenth.

_Be honest_, the voice interjected as Hotaru struggled to reply. _No matter how unpleasant it might sound, Reborn is a person that will respect the truth even if it's childish._

"I..." Hotaru sighed, unable to refute the voice's claim. "I'm scared, Reborn. What if.... What if we find him and he doesn't want to come back? It's just as you've been telling me. Dad was an amazing person. He went through a lot and I never did anything other than push him away. What if I pushed him too much and he hates me? I remember... After he put the Chain on me, he was always disappointed in almost everything that I did. What if he's still disappointed when he sees me again?"

"Was he disappointed when you saw him a moment ago?" Reborn asked curiously.

"No," Hotaru replied, finding a little hope within himself by simply answering. "No, he didn't seem disappointed at all. Actually, I'd say that he was kind of overwhelmed. You should have seen his face, Reborn. It was like I'd turned into a monster that was going to gobble him up. He looked ready to piss his pants when I got off SK."

"I bet he did," Reborn smirked. Then his amusement faded and he once again turned into the solemn hitman that Hotaru was used to. "I wasn't sure if this day would come. Until a few days ago, I'd thought that it was over completely. The timing is off. You should have went back months ago and Xanxus hadn't returned to the Family yet. I kept hoping that the Ten Year Bazooka that hit you had a malfunction when it was dropped and it looks like my hopes were answered. It's a relief. It means that Baka-Tsuna's sacrifices weren't meaningless. However, now that it's over, you should know that... While it might be a simple thing for you to say that your father is dead to you, Tsuna took it literally. From the moment that he heard those words from your lips, he began to work like a man possessed to prepare for his death."

"But that's not what I meant!" Hotaru spluttered in horrified realization that he'd just set into motion everything that had already happened. "I just..."

"It's already done," Reborn sighed, grimacing as the gusts of wind began to pick up. "There's a storm brewing. If you want to get the lady back home before it begins to rain, you should hurry."

"Rosalind!" Hotaru gasped, having completely forgotten about her. Turning his back on Reborn, he began running in a frantic search. How could he have forgotten about her! She probably thought that he'd left her! He was such an idiot! No, he was even more of an idiot for asking to marry her so casually. Rosalind might be a little rough, but she was still a girl! She probably wanted to date and be romanced and get gifts like any other girl. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He'd only gotten one kiss from her in secret and he'd been snubbing her for ages! Of course she'd punch him for throwing out such a big question on a whim! Admittedly, he hadn't been thinking, but that was no excuse. If he was really going to brave everything that was standing between them and actually put in an effort to cut through all the red tape, then he needed to be more serious and a whole lot less reckless!

_Damnit_! He thought as he finally found the area where the empty, oversized pots were stored. _He was acting just like his father_!

The wind was fierce as he searched frantically, warning him of the storm that was about to break loose. He couldn't stop, though. He had to find her and she was here somewhere. He knew that she was there. He knew that she was waiting for him to find her. She was the one and he cursed himself endlessly for falling in love with her. His whole life felt like it was a mess because of her, but he couldn't stop searching. He couldn't stop searching anymore than she could stop hiding.

The wind whipped away his words as he screamed out her name in hopes that she'd hear him. The wind knocked him off his feet countless times, but he continued to rise and struggle. Then he was finally graced with a spark of intuition, leading him to a glazed potting vase that reached up to his chest. Nestled inside was the girl that he'd been searching for. She was unharmed, unhurt, and completely unconcerned with the storm. Looking down at her with a lopsided smile at how much she'd put him through, he felt completely crushed at the words that echoed up to him.

"Why did you have to ruin it?" She asked softly. "You know that I can't marry you."

"I know," he replied in understanding. "But that doesn't change how I feel. I love you."

"Love doesn't matter," she mumbled, burying her face in her knees with a soft sob. "My Family won't except it and I can't betray them, Hotaru."

"Then I'll wait until they do accept it," he countered, unwilling to give up after finally taking the leap. "It's not like it was in the Tenth's era. I have a lot of siblings. The rest of the Families want me to get married and have a kid, but I don't really have to if I don't want to. There's lots of people out there that I can pick for my heir and my brothers and sisters will probably have kids of their own by the time that I need one. That means that I can wait forever if I chose to. I know... I know that it seems like I've asked you on a whim, but I'm going to make up for that. So, you don't have to answer me now. Just give me a chance and I'll do this the right way. You know, when I try hard at something, there's not many that are willing to stand against me."

"Spoiled," she grumbled with a grudging smile. "What are you going to do? Go on your hands and knees and beg them?"

"If I have to," Hotaru replied with a smile of his own. Rosalind gaped up at him, but he'd never felt so sure of something in his life. This was what he wanted. Rosalind was the woman that he was meant to be with.

"You're serious," she said in awe.

"Deadly serious," he answered with a touch of dark humor. "But I'll be good and keep my guns at home. So, if I talk your Family into it, would you give me a chance?"

"I'll think about it," she replied with an impish grin.

"Did pigs fly?" Hotaru asked, looking up at the sky to find them. "I do believe that you've learned the art of being coy."

"Pigs started flying when you wore denim," she laughed. Seeing that she was in a better mood, Hotaru held his hand out to help her out of the pot and even went so far as to pull her out of it. He froze as he set her on the ground, abruptly feeling awkward again once they were standing face-to-face. He found it a little hard to recognize himself, too. Had he really said all of those cheesy lines? How embarrassing!

_Kiss her, you foolish Child_, the voice growled in his head. The prompt made Hotaru blush even harder, but a glance at Rosalind allowed him to see that she was just as red. Would it really be alright? He wouldn't know unless he tried. Leaning toward her, his breathe caught in his throat when she closed her eyes. That was a sign! It was the all-clear to--

Hotaru choked and felt his jaw drop as the skies opened up, giving him a cold shower whether he wanted one or not. Rosalind's eyes popped open in matching shock, followed by a scream of disbelief that made his ears pop. They were drenched within seconds--long before either of them could think to seek shelter.

"Well, shit," Hotaru spluttered, wiping the water from his face despite how useless the gesture was. Apparently his assessment was funny, because Rosalind took one look at him and began laughing so hard that she snorted, which incidentally sent him into his own fit.

"Aren't you supposed to be the Sky or something?!" Rosalind exclaimed in laughter. "Can't you make this stop?"

"Hell no," he shouted back over the rain. "I'm a miracle worker, not a rain maker!"

"Well aren't we arrogant?" She teased, slapping a hand onto his shirt with a wet plop. "You better show me a better time if we get to go on a date!"

"Preferably somewhere indoors," he replied with a wide smile. "But knowing my luck, the sprinklers would go off! Come on. Let's go find some cover and I'll call for a car."

* * *

_Logfile X42-34205-9593B_

It is with great discomfort that I must report that the Tenth's fears are true. A seventeenth child has been found and the fear is solidifying that the Tenth's hard work has been in vain. The future that he wished for can not come to pass if this child is known to the Family. As per the Tenth's request, I have hidden him away with a foster Family and hidden all record of his existence. Perhaps the future can still be saved. I do not know. It seems unfair that this child, Tonno, must be ostracized from his kin simply because we found him late. It is unfair, but I have trust that the Tenth has the insight to choose the best path for all.

_Logfile X42-34206-0003B_

A slip of the tongue has put me in an difficult circumstance. Tonno now knows of his bloodline. He has agreed to stay silent about the matter until ten years has past, but I fear his boldness. He has left me in an awkward position by demanding that he live with me. I find this reassuring since it shows a growing attachment to the Family, but I am unsettled by the darkness dwelling in the boy's eyes. He acts far more mature than any boy his age should. It is as if he fears to be abandoned and his expression often becomes accusing whenever I suggest that he would have a happier life with a foster family. I am not sure that I am up to the task of soothing the pain in his heart, but I cannot leave him alone.

_Logfile X42-34207-4029B_

One year has passed since Tonno has come to stay in the CEDEF Headquarters. He is helpful, intelligent and he grows more cheerful with each day that passes. He has become the secret joy of all my subordinates and he has grown accustomed to being spoiled by them. I now believe that my earlier reservations were the unfounded hesitancy of any bachelor that is suddenly given a child to raise. There have been times of trouble and times of joy, but I have seen nothing other than a normal child that is seeking acceptance.

_Logfile X42-35222-7000B_

Today is a day of celebration. Tonno has been with us for two and a half years. His Tutors are amazed at his progress. He shows all the earmarks of a prodigy and he has flourished under our careful attention. He is beginning to show frustration at his captivity, but also gives complete rejection if offered a life outside our walls. He does not wish to leave my side. I feel honored by his affection and have decided to begin training him as my successor. I am sure that he will make a fine Advisor to the Eleventh and he has agreed to the goal of becoming one.

_Logfile X42-41939-9929B_

I weep as I write this. Tonno lies in a hospital bed, recovering from injuries that I tremble to recall. His training has taken a sour turn. It is confirmed that he holds the Sky Flame. However, it is a form that I have not seen before. It came out in a single burst of Flame that spread and claimed half of Headquarters in a matter of moments. The scale is unimaginable. It is too much for a child like Tonno to control and the Flames nearly consumed him before we could evacuate. I had feared before, but I had not known the depths of pain that Tonno hides from me. The child is in so much pain and I must accept that I am not enough to alleviate it.

_Logfile X42-73945-2343B_

Tonno has grown quiet. He has diligently continued his studies, but he no longer smiles. I do not know what to do to bring him out of the shell that he has formed since the accident. I have tried to introduce him to other newly-inducted CEDEF that are closer to his age than I, but all attempts have been met with failure. He no longer seeks acceptance from anyone but me and I fear what my subordinates might have said to him while my attentions were on the Eleventh. There are many who are growing unhappy that we have a Vongola Sky hidden within our keeping and there are those who fear that Tonno might try to take the Eleventh's throne.

_Logfile X42-83952-3492B_

I shake with apprehension as I write this log. I stumbled unto a most unpleasant situation and was forced to fire one of my subordinates. His funeral was a quiet one, but I had no choice. Tonno has been with me for four years now. I see him as my own son and I will not forgive those who lay a hand on him. I have made my choice. I will choose a different successor and train him. Once that is done, I will take Tonno and retire away from here. I have been too neglectful until now. Tonno needs someone who can make him their only priority and I will take that task onto myself. I pray that the Tenth will forgive me for abandoning my duties to Hotaru, but Tonno is in much greater need.

_Logfile X43-34932-0002B_

My intentions have been misunderstood. Tonno has refused to allow my second choice of successor to train, going so far as to break the boy's arm in an altercation that was instigated by Tonno. This is the first time that Tonno has actively rebelled against me. Rather than fear, such independence gives me hope. Tonno seeks my acceptance, but this is a sign that he has not lost his sense of self. His stubborn refusal to give in reminds me of the Tenth. In face of that, I feel that my decision to retire was too much of an emotional one. I care too much for Tonno and I have come to admit that I have lost perspective regarding him. How can one watch their child struggle and not want to help them? I must tread carefully in the future. That is all that I know anymore. I will continue to train Tonno. I have lost completely to his resolve to be the Eleventh's Advisor.

_Logfile X43-42949-6703B_

Tonno has gained a nickname among the CEDEF: Black Sheep. I believed it to be a continuation of rebellion among the ranks, but I have recently learned differently. It was a name created by Tonno himself. He claims that every Family must have a Black Sheep and that being Vongola's gives him a sense of acceptance. He says that a Black Sheep is the member of the Family that doesn't have to be liked or welcomed, but is also a member that no one can deny relation to. I find this relieving. For him to describe himself in such a way means that he has grown to accept and deal with the unfairness of his life. I only hope that he is not hiding bitterness over it.

_Logfile X43-58663-1113B_

Tonno has left my side and abandoned his home. I have been searching alone for two weeks and I can not find a trace of him. Why has he left? What have I done wrong? All I can think about is our last conversation. Perhaps he has gone out to seek the vampires that have recently come under our radar. I can understand his curiosity. Creatures of myth have been found to be real and any child would wish to explore such a wonder. Tonno is no longer a child, though. He is a man and I have been too blind to notice. All I can do is to wait and pray that he'll soon come home safely with his curiosity unsatisfied.

_Logfile X44-73242-7777B_

Today I received a letter from Tonno. He has been gone for five months and this is the first contact that I've received from him. Trying to backtrack the letter to him proved fruitless. He does not wish to be found. The letter reads as follows:

_Dear Mr. B,_

_You're probably really mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye. Please don't be too upset. I'm doing well and I have not forgotten all that you've taught me. You've always taken care of me and I like to think of you as a father, but we both know that I can't be anything other than a Black Sheep. I tried hard to live up to your expectations, but I can't anymore. I can't stand back and watch when there's something threatening the things that I care about. This is something that only I can do. It's not the most pleasant of work, but a little bit of dirt won't show on black wool. You probably don't find that funny, though. I just want you to know that I never have anything but good intentions in the things that I do. I want you to know that I never wanted to take Hotaru's place, too. There's times that I've been jealous of him, but everyone feels that way at times. It just means that he's a brother that I can be proud of and one that I should protect because I can't be him._

_I have found a way to protect him. I'm prepared to be hated and hunted, but I know that I'm right in this. I actually have to confess something. I read the Black Archives. I don't know why the locks opened for me, but they did and I know what Hotaru is. Don't worry. I won't write more in case this letter is intercepted. Just know that I'm not going to let him become someone's dinner. He can't help what he is anymore than I can help being what I am. I'm not going to let that become his weakness. I'm going to protect him. If I have to, I'll erase the threat before Hotaru even notices it. So don't worry about me. I'm working hard._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Tonno_

_Logfile X44-73242-7778B_

What have I done?

* * *

Ignoring his wet clothes and feeling horrified at his pathetic state, Hotaru kept his head bowed in apology while he tried to think up a reasonable explanation. Unfortunately, he was speechless. No one had informed him that the Martelli Consort had arrived in Italy. From the way that Rosalind looked stunned, it'd been hidden from her, as well. All thoughts of quietly getting the Martelli Manor to overlook their relationship flew out of his head. There was no way that they'd speak up for him when he was leaving them with the worst possible first impression. Not only had he taken Rosalind away for a few hours without permission, but he was bringing her back soaked and he hadn't been there to greet the Consort when he'd stopped by Don Girarde for a tour.

"Get in here," the Consort snapped at Rosalind. "You, too," he added in Hotaru's direction. "There's no sense in both of you catching a cold and I want answers." Grimacing, Hotaru couldn't fault him. In his place, Hotaru was sure that he'd be saying the same thing.

Hotaru tried not to gawk as he was ushered inside to a sitting room. He tried to keep his composure as a servant woman brought towels and coffee for everyone. He tried to keep his comments quiet and his manners genteel. However, it was very, very difficult. For a Family Manor, the Martelli House was nothing like he expected. The entry hall and the sitting room was typically dressed for audiences in Mafia Houses. They were meant to be a formal place with the finest of furnishings; a place where a Family could pridefully display their power to outsiders as a way to command respect. The Martelli's House was nothing like that, though. Actually, he could sum up the Martelli Family in a single word: cozy.

Everything from the plush furnishings to the choice of coffee was simple and antiquated. It wasn't the type of antique that made him want to take his shoes off before walking on the rug or the type of old that gleamed in the aftermath of frequent polishing. It was the type where everything was made of sturdy materials that allowed it to weather years of constant usage. It was the type where history had been respected without being made useless. It was the type that made him think of a grandmother welcoming him with a plate of fresh cookies and a glass of milk. It was warm, cheerful, and homely.

He liked it. He also knew that he couldn't recreate it. Vongola was too different. If he tried to set up such a sitting room, it'd feel staged and wouldn't be used except in the rarest of instances. The high standards that his ancestors had demanded was etched into the very foundation of the Vongola Household. No matter what he said or did, his subordinates would put too much zeal into trying to be the best and it'd end up overdone.

From what he could tell, the Martelli Family were very ordinary in comparison to the Mafia Families that Hotaru typically dealt with. Perhaps it was because they only had a handful of generations behind them or perhaps they thought that competition equated to foolishness. That actually made sense in a way. If the Martelli Family didn't like competition, then wouldn't feel the need to compare themselves to others and, therefore, they wouldn't improve upon what they had in order to gain more acclaim. Simply put, they were a frog lording over a well and they were perfectly happy with the well that they'd built. They were a Family that had learned to control their greed.

"This was not what I expected when I got on a plane," the Consort grumbled as he let the servant woman refill his cup of coffee. "I thought I'd come and see that my people were exploring the sights and the culture of Italy. I figured that they'd be slacking off a little bit, but I don't think that I could have predicted how much. I was at your school today, Ross. I wanted to see what your teachers have been teaching you and I sat in on a few of the classes. And do you know what I found?"

"Boss," Eric Brahms interjected. "She doesn't--"

"Quiet," the Consort snapped with his expression growing angry. "I'm very close to telling you to return home, Eric. Don't push me."

"Yes, sir," he replied with a flinch, making Hotaru raise his eyebrow in curiosity. Why was Brahms being threatened? He hadn't even known about their relationship. Had he?

"Ross," the Consort continued, bowing his head slightly as his expression became unreadable. "What do you have to say for yourself? No. Change that. I want to hear from the man with you, first. Just what in God's name do you think that you're doing?"

"It's impossible to answer that in a way that will satisfy you, Mr. Martelli," Hotaru replied, choosing his words carefully.

"Charlie," he corrected.

"Charlie," Hotaru repeated with a small smile. He couldn't tell if that was a good sign. Americans got on first-name basis pretty easily compared to most. Even so, he needed to match the gesture. "I'm Hotaru. I'm afraid that I have left a bad impression of myself, but I--"

"Cut the crap," Charlie spat, once again lifting his head to glare in anger. "I don't give a fuck about impressions and your stupid pussyfooting around the issue. I asked what the fuck you were doing with Ross? If you're half the man that I've been receiving reports about, then you should know pretty damn well that the Martelli aren't supposed to get involved with anyone. Not only are you jeopardizing her position in the Family, but you choose to play mind games with us. Let me ask you something. When you wrote us a letter and got Lionesse to write a matching one, did you think that you were being cute? Did you sleep good, thinking that we were just going to play into your hands? What were you expecting?! Did you think that we'd just hand Ross over because you lured us to a place where we could find Laz?!"

"Oh no," Hotaru gasped as the blood drained out of his face. "No! That's not what I was expecting at all! They're two totally separate issues! I will admit that I was curious about the man's past and was hoping that you could shed some light on it, but I would never be so asinine as to think that I could win Rosalind in such a way! Neither she nor Maro-sensei is a bargaining chip! I--"

"Rewind," Charlie ordered with his glare softening in amusement. "Would you like to repeat that?"

"They're not bargaining chips," Hotaru mumbled sheepishly. He had to fight a blush as he said it, knowing that Charlie was wanting him to repeat what he'd said before that. He knew that he needed to, as well. If he was going to keep his promises to Rosalind, he couldn't allow himself to revert back into the bastard that wasn't willing to make any sacrifices. "I know what my reputation is like," he said carefully, stubbornly refusing to repeat anything about 'winning' Rosalind. "There are those who would imagine me as a spoiled man who never had to lift his finger for anything. I won't deny that there's some truth to that, either. The Vongola Family is old and powerful and I do control it. However, all of that was given to me. Actually, one could say that it was forced upon me, but I have accepted it by not struggling. In the past, when things were denied to me, I would either take it by force or find something better. Rosalind is different. There is no one better and she would not be happy if I were to stomp on the things barring my way because those things are you, her Family. Honestly, I find myself at a loss for how to proceed. This type of situation has never happened before in my life."

"I guess that explains why you attacked us before," Charlie said with a bland expression. Hotaru flinched, having hoped that his past transgressions would be forgotten.

"It was childish of me," he said apologetically. "I allowed myself to enter a mentality where everything was chess pieces. I knew what I wanted and I thought that I had a right to take it. I have since learned how erroneous my choices were and I have no excuse for my actions. If it would be of any relief to you, I have no interest in pursuing them anymore. The purpose that I needed them for has already been resolved."

"That was before my time," Charlie shrugged. "I heard about it, though. My dad outmaneuvered you and forced you to pull back."

"I thought your father had passed," Hotaru replied while silently swearing to have a few words with his information specialists.

"One of them did," he answered with his eye twitching. "In the years before his death, he turned queer. Lazarus was my dad's faux-husband and, therefore, my step-dad. Personally, I try not to think about it much. But, by himself, Lazarus wasn't a bad guy. He was a little on the crazy side, but it was a good kind of crazy until the end--Which!--Brings me to the current problem. How is it that Lazarus is still alive and pretending to be a teacher for something as strange as Mumbo-Jumbo Studies? His heart was stabbed with silver and his throat was slit. From everything that we know about him, that should have killed him. Don't try to tell me that it's not him, either. I just got a call from my people at home. The bones in his casket aren't his."

"So, I was right," Hotaru grinned, feeling his hands shaking in excitement around his cup of coffee. "He's Maro-sensei now, but before that was Kai. Before Kai was Van Wolfe and before Van Wolfe was _Suoh_. Who was he before that? Do you know?"

"Eh?" Charlie gaped in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he wasn't always Suoh," Hotaru said logically, surprised that Suoh's own step-son would ask such a question. "That was just another identity that he took up for a time. Did he ever say anything about where he came from? Perhaps he might have said something about his past? You see... I need to find the name that he had while he was in Vongola. He's challenged me to find it. I think that he was one of my father's Shadows, but I'm still following up leads to prove it. To be frank, the reason that I sent a taunt to get you here was because I wasn't even sure if he was truly Suoh."

"What's a shadow?" He asked in confusion.

"It's a look-a-like," Hotaru exclaimed excitedly. "It's a method of protection that's been used in my Family for hundreds of years. They're trained to talk and act like us, well enough that our own spouses can't tell the difference. It fits. If he was my father's Shadow before he became Suoh, he would have had enough access to the Ninth that he could have murdered him. I'm still working on trying to figure out his motive but it's possible that my father had pity on him and exiled him to America instead of killing him. I don't know for sure. Like I said, I'm still following up leads. The only one of my Father's shadows that isn't accounted for is a man by the name of Tsuo and Tsuo wasn't even his original name. Did he ever say anything about that? Perhaps he might have mentioned something about where he was born or what kind of work he did before he went to America? If you have anything, I--"

"Hold your damn horses!" Charlie gasped. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around him being alive! Do you have any idea how much this is going to affect our Family?! Not just emotionally, but what are we supposed to do about Ross?!"

"What do you mean?" Hotaru asked, glancing over at where Rosalind was quietly listening with a pale face. "I said before that they were two totally separate matters."

"Maybe for you!" Charlie exclaimed. "Maybe it's not in your know-it-all files, but Lazarus is the rightful holder of the Sixth Knight's Seat! If he's alive, then Ross can't be the Sixth! No--! Change that," he corrected when Hotaru opened his mouth to object. "It's not that she can't be. It's that Autumn won't rest until she has Laz back. She... She's already on her way here with an entourage. Her plane will land in the morning."

"I don't understand," Hotaru admitted in absolute confusion. "The Martelli Family has a policy of free movement. So long as the person leaves your city, I thought--"

"You're right," Charlie interrupted. "You don't understand, so you should go. This is our problem, not yours."

"But it is my problem!" Hotaru objected with wide eyes. "What about Rosa--"

"Hotaru," Rosalind said, making Hotaru freeze in place. "You should go."

"But--"

"Please," she said, her expression telling him that he was only making matters worse. Hotaru stared in disbelief for a long moment, but she refused to meet his eyes. It left him feeling helpless in a way that he'd never experienced before. He always had an answer for problems. He was always able to control a situation and bring about the best solution. So why did it feel like he was an utter failure? Why wasn't Rosalind trusting him to help?

"Don't take it personally, Don Vongole," the burly man named Isaac said as he forcibly guided him out of the room and to the door. "Everyone's just a little shaken up right now. We were trying to keep it from Boss that he was alive, but she found out anyway. You don't have to worry about Ross. Boss wouldn't.... Well, I mean, I don't think she'd.... Well, anyways, have a nice night. You can talk to Boss personally about Ross when she gets here."

Hotaru choked as he was pushed out onto the porch and the door slammed shut behind him. He'd been kicked out. The Martelli Family had actually kicked him out of their house! He couldn't remember ever being kicked out of anywhere before! Things had been going well and he'd been trying hard, too! He'd actually talked with the man Charlie as if they were equals! How could they just push him out the door like that?! What about Rosalind?! Were they going to let him see her again or not?!

What the hell just happened?! He didn't get it!

_It's called the school of hard knocks_, the voice supplied. _Welcome to lesson one._


	134. Chapter 134 Nests

Aster quietly walked through the corridors of his base and tried to ignore the lack of noise. Even with Hendrix following him, the sound of their footsteps seemed incredibly loud. Out of the sixty three werewolves that had joined his Family, only five were left: Himself, Hendrix, Maro, Jeb, and Russel. Ninety percent of their underground facilities had been closed off due to lack of use. Even the vampires affiliated with the Family were gone. Misha, Dr. Frieda, and Barb had joined the ranks of humans like everyone else. The few humans that had been attached to their Family had all gone to look for other work, too.

He didn't understand. How could they trust the very Hunters that hd been killing their kind? How could so many choose to become human? How could they ask to go back to their old Families so quickly? He'd thought that they'd banded together. He'd thought that they had become of one heart and one mind, yet everyone had abandoned him.

"Boss..." Russel murmured, stepping out of the cafeteria with a mournful expression on his face. His body language said everything. He didn't want to stick around anymore. He wanted to go back to being human like everyone else had.

"Just go," Aster murmured as he walked past without stopping. He didn't want to hear it. He'd already heard so many explanations and excuses that he felt as if he'd gone deaf. He'd never before thought that people could be so self-serving. He'd never thought that so many were hiding despair over what they were. "You don't have to stay, either," Aster added to Hendrix as they began walking through the cave that joined their facility with the surface. "I'm honored that you've stayed this long, but--"

"I'm not going unless you kick me out," Hendrix stubbornly replied. "I don't see a point in being human. Maybe it's because I'm older than the rest, but the weaknesses that we have doesn't bother me and getting rid of the benefits doesn't really seem like a smart idea. Jeb said that he felt the same way when I talked to him. He said that it'd be stupid to become human when his wife is a vampire. When... When I heard about the cure, I figured that we'd lose a few, but I never expected that only three of us would be left, Boss."

"Four," he corrected quietly. "Maro is still one of us." Stepping out of the underground base into the basement of one of his surrounding apartment buildings, Aster paused for a moment to reflect and wonder whether he could have done anything differently. There wasn't, though. When it came down to it, it was a matter of choice. The large majority of werewolves had never had a choice in becoming what they were. They'd never been asked if they wanted to give up their humanity. It'd been taken from them, so it wasn't too surprising that they'd take it when it was offered back.

Despite knowing and understanding that, it was incredibly difficult to enter the code that would put the underground Werewolf House into hibernation. It'd been built to be a haven for their kind, but it was now an empty shell. There was no point in keeping it open when a simple apartment would do. It was no longer defensible and using it would only be wasteful.

"Let's go to the club," Aster suggested as he locked the box hiding the key-panel and took a final glance to ensure that the door was hidden well enough. It blended almost seamlessly in with the wall around it, but a few boxes stacked in front helped to disguise the location. The box holding the key-panel was already hidden among several breaker boxes and electrical hubs, so he had no fear that it'd be found. That only left themselves. Once they were gone, there would be nothing left to lead anyone to the place. "Maybe Lady Neve will have a room that we can use."

"We can get dinner while we're there," Hendrix grinned with an ever-optimistic outlook. Aster tried to smile back, but his heart wasn't in it. All of his hopes and dreams were gone. Nephriam had become a traitor and had then become human. It was a betrayal of everything that Aster had admired in him.

Aster tried not to think about it as they headed for the subway. Hendrix attempted to make conversation as they headed underground again, but it felt flat and forced enough that Hendrix gave up before they ever stepped onto the subway car. Leading the way to the Venice Row transport at the end, it wasn't until the doors opened that Aster realized just how abandoned he felt. Standing in the last car was a delegation from Japan holding Mistress Rin and four kimono-clad vampires. Standing near them were two other faces that caused Aster to burst into tears in recognition.

"What happened?" The blood slave Kiro soothed, pulling Aster into the car so that the door could close behind Hendrix. "Why are you crying?" Aster shook his head, unable to answer as the werewolf Tanaka guided all four of them over to a seat away from Mistress Rin. "Did Van Wolfe do something?"

"Van is called Maro now and he didn't do anything," Hendrix said while Aster buried his face into Kiro's kimono. "Boss is upset because we're the only ones left."

"The only ones?" Mistress Rin repeated, finally acknowledging their presence. Aster looked up and sniffed as the woman darted forward and shoved the others aside. "What does he mean by that, Aster?"

"Everyone..." He sniffed as he tried to get control of himself. The tears wouldn't stop, though. They continued to stream down Aster's face as the impact finally caught up with him. "Everyone's gone. They all took the cure and went back to their Families. Even the people that I correspond with have stopped contacting me. They're human now and the Wolfe Family only has four people left. The Werewolf Alliance is.... is gone."

"That's impossible," Tanaka blurted as the other vampires in the car shifted uncomfortably over the news. "How could they--"

"It started with only one or two," Hendrix explained, collapsing into the seat next to him with a complete lack of the optimism that he'd had earlier. "After they came back and the Doc checked them out, the rest started to move. I think that they all thought something along the lines of 'I'm just one person, so they won't miss me.' But the cure is the real thing. It turns vampires and werewolves back into humans and there's no tricks. That one person became two and then two became four and four into eight and so on until there aren't any of us left. We haven't talked to Maro yet to see if he's taken it, but there's only me, Boss, and one other who decided to stick with what we are."

"We're alone," Aster said as his eyes began to run out of tears due to shock. "Everything I worked for... Nephriam destroyed it in one week."

"You poor child," Mistress Rin exclaimed, pulling Aster into a hug in sympathy. "I feel your pain and my heart weeps with you. Our Family has also suffered losses, but I had not known that the effect would be so wide-spread. You fought so hard for independence, only to have it stripped away right before the finish line. It's unfair."

"What am I supposed to do now?" Aster asked in a daze. "I don't want to be human, but I don't have anything left to eat as a werewolf. Hendrix and Maro can't supply me by themselves when they need blood, too. I'll have to go on the dehydration treatment and it's going to be harder to get blood wine soon. And what about my cycle? How am I supposed to get through it now? I--"

"One problem at a time," Mistress Rin soothed as she pulled back. "Come with us, Aster, and bring your friend. The Council has been called for an emergency meeting. I believe that your words would have a great impact on them, as it has to me." Aster nodded in agreement and slowly stood as the car began to slow. He didn't have a choice anymore. Nephriam had taken it away in order to give everyone else one.

As they stepped out onto the Venice Row platform, the kimonos worn by Mistress Rin's group attracted a lot of attention. They weren't the kind that were flashy, but it stood out as exotic among the Mafia's more common suits and ties. Even Aster was a little bashful about being with them once they started moving. Their pace was both slow and graceful as if they weren't in any rush to reach their destination. That thought proved to be more correct than expected since their first destination wasn't the Fuzzy Biscuit; it was the Silver Bullet across the canal. At first, Aster didn't understand why they'd stopped and his best assumption was that they wanted to take a look at the thing that'd caused so much trouble. That wasn't it, though. It became clear as Mistress Rin turned to look at two of the four vampires at her side.

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" Mistress Rin asked with a concerned expression, sounding much like a mother that was sending her children on a trip. "Is there nothing that I can do to dissuade you?"

"Gomenasai, Hime-sama," the man on the left said with a deep bow. The words and the gesture were echoed by the one beside him, leaving Aster no doubt that Mistress Rin had been refused by both of them.

"My doors will continue to stay open to you both," Mistress Rin murmured, turning away so that she wouldn't have to watch them leave. The two had pained expressions on their face, but the pain wasn't enough to keep them from retreating into the store. "Come," Mistress Rin ordered to the rest. "We have business to attend to." Aster nodded in agreement and walked forward with her, but stopped after only a few steps when one of the remaining people didn't move with them. The loss didn't go unnoticed by Mistress Rin, either, who stopped and stared with a shock that she hadn't held for the first two. "Haroshi...?"

"Gomenasai, Hime-sama," he murmured as he hesitantly bowed.

"Why?" Mistress Rin asked in disbelief. "Who is going to run the Shrine if you go?"

"I have not forgotten my promise," he replied carefully. "I... I have thought hard about this, Hime-sama. I was an shaman before I was ever turned. I can continue my duties as a human. I.... I have lived long enough. I wish to grow old and return to the earth as the man that I was born."

"I had not thought that you would be swayed," Mistress Rin murmured with an expression that suggested that she was about to cry. Haroshi didn't look any better as his eyes filled with tears that he tried to blink away. "You--"

"Please!" He exclaimed in an attempt to stop her before she could utter something that couldn't be forgotten. "Gomenasai, Hime-sama. I beg that you allow me to continue serving as a human."

"I will not condone it," she replied as her expression hardened into an unreadable mask. "I can not and you know that!"

"Gomenasai," Haroshi whispered in a tone of farewell. Then, with a visible expression of pain, he tore his eyes away from Mistress Rin and retreated into the Silver Bullet. The vampires that were left looked speechless at the man's exit, becoming subdued as the enormity of their plight began to impact them in the same way that it had Aster. People that they thought they knew became enigmas and people that were believed to be immune became the most vulnerable.

"Anyone else?" Mistress Rin prompted in a harsh tone that revealed how much the betrayal affected her. "The cure is right there. If any of you wish to take it, now is the time. I will not have you say later that I forced you to continue a cursed life that you do not want."

"I'm staying," Tanaka replied instantly, reaching out to grab Kiro's hand. "I'd change nothing about my life. I have a fulfilling job, a fine place to live, and the love of my life beside me. I'd have none of that if I weren't a werewolf."

"And you, Kumo?" Mistress Rin prompted, looking over at the only remaining vampire escort with an unhappy glare that was full of accusation.

"Is it a trick question?" The red-headed vampire countered, raising a pierced eyebrow as if the answer should have been obvious. "I just got one hell of a promotion. I'll be damned if I'm going anywhere. But, even saying that, we have a bit of a problem, Hime-sama. We were short-handed to begin with and Haroshi was covering the east side by himself. I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep up."

"That's probably what the Council meeting is for," Mistress Rin replied in a tired voice. "So let us continue on. We have already attracted too much attention." Kumo, Tanaka, and Kiro bowed at the order and fell in an formation appropriate to their shrunken ranks. This left Kiro in the back with Aster, but neither of them felt particularly talkative. The reality of what was happening left them both sunken into their own thoughts. It was bad. It was very bad, but it wasn't until they'd descended down to the club below the Fuzzy Biscuit that they realized that it was catastrophic.

The club was nearly empty. The silk curtains that had once been a barrier to keep the auras of each table confined had been removed. The reason it'd been done was because there were so few auras that it felt lifeless unless one looked around to verify that there were other people in the room. There were a few Council members already present, most of which were fighting tears as they drank on a rare bottle of Sky blood wine. Xanxus and Maro were both surprisingly in attendance, as were Murlock, Poe, and Shotgun. Other than that, however, Aster paled at the mere two handful of vampires that were in attendance.

"Oh no," Mistress Rin gasped as she fell to a stop. "Please tell me that you closed the place for the day, Neve."

"I wish I could," Mistress Neve replied with her shoulders trembling. "How many do you have left? I'm trying to get an accurate count."

"Nine," Mistress Rin answered with her own tremble. "Ten including myself. We're having to pull in the crew from Hokkaido just to keep Tokyo Tower under control."

"Aster?" Neve prompted.

"You're looking at it," Aster replied, unable to lift his eyes off the ground. "We shut down the Werewolf House. Other than me, Hendrix, and Jeb, everyone else took the cure."

"That brings the total to eighty two and only Mistress Nadia hasn't arrived," Poe said quietly. "We were several thousand strong a mere week ago. How can word have spread so fast about the cure? It feels as if they have devastated us in a blink of an eye."

"It's Nephriam's influence," Maro growled unhappily. "How many of you have accepted a transfer from Nephriam's Sanctuary within the past few years?"

"Operatives," Mistress Drake snarled, slapping her hand on the bar in unadulterated anger. "I bet that the poor fools didn't even know that they were being used. All it would have taken was a innocent letter from Nephriam warning them that a cure was close to being perfected. Even if he said not to speak of it in fear of getting people's hopes up, the gossip would have still spread enough that our people would have made up their minds long before we could say a word of warning. Our people would not have come to us, either, in fear of getting Nephriam in trouble for giving that so-called privileged information. That little bastard! I knew I should have taken his heart when I had the chance!"

"Mother," a bespectacled vampire in a gray suit said from a seat at one of the tables. "Please do not strain yourself over a mongrel's hypothesis."

"Don't say it, Poe," Maro abruptly interjected as Poe opened his mouth to comment. "There's no way in hell."

"As long as we understand each other," Poe smirked before returning to his wine.

"As for you," Maro added, leaning on the bar as he turned to face the vampire who insulted him, "Regardless of your uneducated opinion of me, I am no mongrel. My name is Maro or Sky and I'd prefer if you used it."

"Mother, you might want to silence your pet before I put it in its place," the vampire said in warning.

"I assume this is the one that I heard about before?" Maro asked with a glance in Mistress Drake's direction. "The one that supposedly murdered your previous fiances?"

"It was never proved," Mistress Drake replied with a pout as Poe answered 'Yes'.

"Shit," Maro cursed. "This isn't the time to deal with this. Poe, does that count include Badru's Clan?" Aster choked as every vampire in the room jumped to their feet with rage on their faces. The only ones who didn't were the ones that Aster recognized as being the 'younger crowd'--people who were Changed after him. "Eh?" Maro gaped. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You're supposed to call them the Phlegm, Maro," Poe whispered.

"Fuck that," Maro spat, completely ignoring the hisses that he got in return for the statement. "It's a disgusting name and I refuse to use it. In case some of you haven't noticed, we're in trouble. Now, unless all of you can magically erase the inoculation running through all of us, then Badru and his Clan are the only thing keeping us from extinction. I don't give a damn about your reasons. It's not wise and pretty damn arrogant to insult someone that might hold the only key to recovering from what Nephriam has done to us."

"It's not that easy, Sky," Mistress Drake murmured as the anger in the room subsided into sheepishness. "You don't know how Badru is. Badru--"

"Is my mate," Maro interrupted with a scowl. "Be careful what you say, Adie. I wouldn't want to think that you were afraid of Badru's strength." Mistress Drake's eyes widened as fallen glasses shattered in every part of the room. Whatever Maro had just spoken, Aster knew that it was something of importance. He didn't know what, though, so all he could do was to quietly find himself a seat at a table where vampire-blood wine was set out for self-service.

"That's not funny, Maro," Neve said as she collapsed into her seat and goggled into thin air in shock. "Badru... Badru is a monster. If you met him, you would understand. He--"

"Has the strength to suffocate me with a glance and send me to my knees with a blink," Maro replied with a dream-like smile. "I know. I have met him and I've spoken with him. I won't deny that he has power, but he has much more to offer if you surpass the challenge that he gives with his very presence. What all of you fear is nothing more than the same fear that anyone has toward something that is greater than themselves. You fear to be judged," he said, gesturing to different vampires as he began walking around the room. "You fear to be squashed. You fear to be made powerless. You fear to be forced to acknowledge that you aren't infallible. And you--! You fear that you'll even be asked to go near him. And you--! You've probably never even gotten close to him. You merely fear witnessing the monster that others paint him as! All of you are nothing more than cowards who have allowed your fear to warp your minds so much that you can not see that the grotesque monster in the darkness is truly the sheltering tree in the daylight! What has he done to you to make you fear and loathe him in such a way?! Tell me honestly--! Other than live and breathe, what torment has he placed upon you to be revered as a demon?!"

"He forced us out of our homes!" Mistress Drake shouted. Aster didn't need to look to know that Maro was in her face in an instant. With how angry Maro was, Aster predicted that she'd be in tears in less than two minutes.

"Did he, Adie?" Maro asked with a growl of warning that made Poe, Neve, and the vampire from earlier tense in silent outrage. "Did he hound you like he was a dog of hell until you left _OR _did you simply pack your bags and leave in fear of what you thought that he _might _do?"

"I wasn't going to stick around to find out!" Mistress Drake spluttered. "He might have killed me! You don't understand, Sky! He'd called for us to go to him in that den of filth and--"

"Ooh," Maro replied with a slow grin. "So that was it. You were afraid to get near him because you couldn't trust your own self control. You feared that you were going to lose your mind when you got near, so you ran. Pathetic. Now I understand why all of you are so sickeningly wrapped up with civility and formality. Now I understand why you've written rules for everything from how to eat to where people are allowed to go. Now I understand why you fear allowing vampires to congregate. It's not because you're afraid that they'll kill each other. You're afraid that they're going to do something distasteful like learning to trust their primal, bestial instincts."

"T-That's not..." Mistress Drake gasped with tears building in her eyes like Aster had predicted. "You don't understand! You weren't there!"

"No, I wasn't," Maro confirmed with a hard glare. "But I'm right here, right now, and I've met with Badru. I've spoken with him. I've made love to him. I've done every damn thing that you were scared of and I realized that the only reason that he overpowered me for even a moment was because I was fighting myself. Badru is a kind-hearted and gentle man that is nothing like the monster that you think he is. Open your eyes, Adie. Despite how much you've hurt him, he still loves all of you. He is prepared to die alone and in pain if that is what it takes for you to be happy. You--" Aster's eyes widened as Maro's eyes abruptly filled with the tears already streaming down Adie's face. "You disgust me," he said before turning and storming out the door.

After he was gone, Aster smiled at the singular comment that caused nearly the whole room to choke. But it was only fitting, Aster thought.

"I like him," Poe's brother murmured in consideration.

* * *

"What does that feel like?" SK asked curiously, watching from his den in the neighboring heir's bedroom. Hotaru blushed furiously at the question, but didn't bother to stop stroking himself under his blankets. SK was a part of him. He saw every part of his life, regardless of whether he was within his ring or outside. Such questions were a part of their private life together--a freedom that was built on the years of partnership that they had together. Besides, Hotaru knew that SK wasn't trying to embarass him. He simply didn't understand what it felt like to be human and he trusted Hotaru to explain it.

"It feels good," he panted, sinking farther down his headboard as he spoke. "You know when you make yourself travel size so that you can go indoors with me?"

"It's tight and uncomfortable," SK replied with a twitch of his tail to show his agitation at the very mention. "It doesn't feel good at all."

"Yeah, but," Hotaru continued in short breathes, "When you go back to full size after that, it feels really good. Right? Like, twice as good as it should."

"That's true," SK murmured in consideration. "But I don't think I'd do it for fun. The feeling good part doesn't make up for the uncomfortable part."

"What if it felt ten times that good or even a hundred times better?" Hotaru replied with a crooked grin. SK tilted his head and considered it before slowly nodding in understanding. Hotaru knew that it wasn't a perfect explanation, but it was the closest comparison that he could come up with. SK's sense of touch was different than Hotaru's. He didn't even have skin, so even something as simple as a caress was felt differently.

"You're taking longer than you usually do," SK commented. Once again, Hotaru blushed. However, this time was because SK was right. He was having trouble. Most of it was due to the expression that'd been on Rosalind's face when she'd asked him to leave. He couldn't get it out of his mind enough for him to finish. Not only that, but he'd been abstinent too long. Ever since he'd met Rosalind, he'd not been able to get the enjoyment out of a trip to Pink's that he'd used to and he'd stopped buying girls for more than just drinking partners. For how many months had he been forced to take care of himself now?

"I should probably give up," Hotaru groaned, slowing the speed and vigor with which he'd been pumping himself. Sinking down even more so that his head was on his pillow, Hotaru sighed in frustration and stopped completely. He felt wrung out from the day's events and he'd had hope that he could get _some _sort of satisfaction, but it wasn't going to happen. No matter how much he was throbbing, his erection was simply taunting him. He needed to take his mind off of it so that it'd go away enough for him to sleep. "Hey, SK, what do you think about Ivy's transformation? Did you know that she could do that?"

"I don't want to talk about that," SK replied. Hotaru slowly sat up in surprise at his tone, but SK hurriedly turned in place so that his back was to the door joining their rooms. "Good night, Taru. You should get some sleep."

"What's wrong?" He asked curiously. "Is there something about Ivy that you don't want me to know?"

"No, it's nothing," he said in a rumbling voice. "Just go to sleep. I'll head into my Ring after you're asleep. You know that you'll get scared of the dark if I'm not here." Hotaru's jaw dropped slightly at the comment. While being true, SK _never _mentioned the subject! He knew how touchy Hotaru was over it! This--! This was an attempt to distract him!

"It's something," Hotaru prodded, jumping out of the bed to cross over into SK's room. "What's going on? You don't normally keep secrets from me."

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, turning in place once more to keep Hotaru from seeing his head. Laying a hand on his side in concern, Hotaru paused when he felt how hot SK's scales were. They were noticeably hotter than normal.

"Do you have a fever?"

"No."

"Are you blushing?"

"No--!" SK spluttered as Hotaru mentally supplied 'yes'. Taking a moment to think, Hotaru tried to figure out the reason for the reaction. It couldn't be about Hotaru's masturbation, since SK had seen him do it before. That only left Ivy's transformation. Was it possible that...

"Do you have a form that I don't know about?" Hotaru asked curiously. _Jackpot_, he thought as SK began trying even harder to turn away from him. "Really?!" He asked excitedly while trying to catch up with SK's face. He ran around his body nearly five times before a sudden change in direction caused SK to nail him across the waist with his tail. It knocked him breathless and made him dizzy enough to hit his knees, which was a reaction that caused SK to finally face him in worry.

"Are you okay?!" He spluttered. "I'm so--"

"What's your transformation?" Hotaru asked, grimacing as he rubbed his battered midsection. SK froze at the inquiry, his eyes going wide while his mouth parted in shock over being caught. "Why are you hiding it from me, SK? I thought we told each other everything." In reply, SK tilted his head away in a way that Hotaru guessed was shame. He wasn't sure, though. It was a look that he'd never seen on SK's face before. "Is it something that you don't like?"

"It looks strange," he said as he slowly walked in a circle to turn his back to Hotaru again. "I don't want you to see it."

"What are you talking about?" Hotaru asked with a crooked smile. "You're a dragon. How's that not already strange?"

"Taru!" SK blurted in a whining voice.

"Well, it's true," he replied in amusement for how SK was acting. It was the first time that SK had ever been shy over something. "If you're worried about what I'm going to think, then you shouldn't. Your form is a part of who you are, SK. No matter what it looks like, it's not going to change how important you are to me. But, I guess, if you don't want to show me, then you don't have to. I'm just... I guess I'm just disappointed. I thought I knew everything that there was to know about you. I thought we trusted each other with everything."

"Y-You promise that you won't laugh?" SK called over his shoulder.

"I promise, I swear, I pledge to you... May Reborn turn me into goo, if I do," Hotaru replied, swearing the strongest oath that he knew.

It worked.

Without turning around, SK's form slowly began to lose shape. Hotaru grimaced a little at the resulting burn marks on the rug and ceiling, but he felt transfixed on SK's transformation. He began to shrink and take on a form that he recognized--that of a human. His wings and arms collapsed around his chest. His legs began to straighten and his tail disappeared entirely. Then, the scales on the back of his head began to elongate, his shoulders took on a more definite form, and his clawed feet lost their edges.

With a solidifying blast of light, heat, and Flames, it was done. Yet, Hotaru couldn't comprehend what he was looking at. Even having seen the transformation happen, the difference was too much to take in at once. SK... SK was a Pharoah. It didn't make sense, yet it was the first image that entered Hotaru's mind. When SK slowly turned around to look at him, he realized that it was a very fitting description, too.

A part of him absently noted that it was probably the most human-like transformation that a Salamander other than himself had ever accomplished. While angular and squarish, SK's face held little his dragon-like self. His eyes held a hint of a reptile, but his flat, square nose and perfectly arched lips made up for it. His head was what made Hotaru really think 'Pharoah', though. Rather than hair, the scales that'd grown out were overlapping in such a way that it looked as if he were wearing an exotic headpiece or a crown that covered his head and trailed down his back. With every movement that he made, the Flames within each piece danced and reflected the light in a way that was reminiscent of gold and polished jewelry.

It wasn't until he turned his eyes downward that he realized the reason that SK had been shy about his transformation. There was a very noticeable imperfection in his attempt to look human. That imperfection was the fact that he had four arm--two of which had been created from his wings. He held those two tightly against his chest in fear and was visibly trying to hide them behind his normal set of arms. Despite himself, Hotaru continued to look lower and found that SK didn't only have an impressive set of legs, but he had another impressive appendage that his Dragon form had skipped.

"Don't look!" SK spluttered, covering himself with his spare set of arms. He immediately grapped his spare arms with his other arms in an attempt to cover everything, but that only allowed Hotaru to look up and notice how smooth his bare chest was. Like the greater part of his new form, it didn't seem like he was a Dragon at all! "You weren't supposed to see that," SK mumbled sheepishly, bowing his head in a way that was incredibly reminiscent of his mannerisms as a Dragon.

"Wait," Hotaru blurted, blinking in surprise as the implication of what he was seeing hit him. "Why do you have a dick? You never had a gender before!"

"It's my adult form!" He exclaimed with several flickers of flame momentarily exploding from his cheeks. "I had to chose something or else I wouldn't be able to have kids!" Hotaru opened his mouth to retort, but no sound would come out. Kids? KIDS?! Since when did Salamanders have babies?! "That's why I didn't want to show you," SK murmured as he slowly turned his back to Hotaru again. "It's freakish. Isn't it? Not just the extra arms, but genitals. No one could tell that Ivy was female because she kept a lot of her crocodile features, but me... Everyone can tell what I am with one look. If I go out like this, then I'll be an embarrassment to you."

"I won't be embarrassed," Hotaru replied, responding to the disappointment and the lack of confidence in SK's voice. "It's not a big deal, SK. We can just get you clothes to cover up your lower part and as for your arms..." Standing up, Hotaru slowly walked over to him with his arms open. SK shyly refused at first, but he gave in and hugged him before Hotaru could get aggravated. It was a good thing, too, because it was the first time that Hotaru had actually been able to put his arms around something other than SK's neck or fingers. It did feel a little strange since SK had enough arms to enclose most of Hotaru's body, but it was warm. "See?" Hotaru asked, laying his head on SK's chest with a smile. "You can hug me twice as much as anyone else."

"I feel incredibly lucky to have you as my partner," SK sighted, finally relaxing as his arms tightened around Hotaru's body. "How is it that you can accept everything so easily?"

"Not everything," Hotaru laughed. "But we... We've been together for a long, long time, SK. There's nothing that you can do to make me dislike you."

"Do you mean that?" SK asked with his breathe catching in his throat.

"Of course," Hotaru smiled.

Only a few seconds passed before Hotaru realized that he'd opened a can of worms. Flailing in mind, body, and spirit, he wasn't sure what possessed SK to kiss him. He was doing it, though, and he wasn't letting Hotaru up for air! Hotaru choked as his body reacted to the embrace and turned feminine in a single burst. He felt dizzy as SK's arms tightened around him even more and he felt as if he was going to faint if SK didn't stop. He hadn't expected this! What in the world was SK thinking?!

"Am I doing it right?" SK asked as he finally broke away. Hotaru gasped for air, unable to respond simply because his lungs were completely empty. When they finally filled, Hotaru looked up at SK and asked the singlemost important question that had ever crossed his lips.

"What the fuck?!"

"I'll take that as a no...?" SK murmured with a curious expression on his face. "What did I do wrong?"

"You kissed me!"

"Oh," he replied in growing confusion. "So I did do it right. Was it good?" Hotaru felt like a floundering fish as he stared up at SK in disbelief.

"What--? How--? WHY?!" Hotaru spluttered.

"I'm curious," he answered, tilting his head to the side as he carefullly watched all the nuances of Hotaru's reaction. "Humans seem to do this a lot, but I've never done anything except watch you. I thought I might understand better if I experienced it."

"Oh," Hotaru mumbled in surprise. SK was just exploring. It was true that it was a part of Hotaru's life that he'd never entered, but that was because a dragon was a little frightening to consider when intimacy was involved. His new form changed that. Hotaru had to admit that he was a little curious, too. Ever since his body had begun alternating between male and female, he'd secretly wondered what girls felt during sex. Of course, he hadn't acted on his curiosity since he wasn't willing to let a guy touch him, but SK wasn't a guy. He was just pretending to be one like Hotaru was pretending to be a girl.

"Can I keep going?" SK asked softly while Hotaru felt frozen with indecision. "I know that it's your first time, but I'll be careful and I'll go slow. You can trust me, Taru."

"Y-You promise not to tell anyone?" Hotaru asked, burying his head against SK's chest in embarrassment.

"I promise, I swear, I pledge to you, may Reborn turn me into goo, if I do," he replied in amusement.

"And you'll stop if I don't like it?" Hotaru added with a small tremble of fear.

"I will," he soothed gently. "You don't have to worry, Taru. No matter how curious I am, I wouldn't hurt you. You're the most important person in the world to me. If you don't want me to do this, then I won't. Some mysteries can keep their question marks. It won't kill me."

"But you wouldn't feel comfortable trying with anyone else," Hotaru murmured with a grimace. He knew that refusing SK's request would not only be a setback in his development, but in their long years of friendship. Telling SK 'no' on something so important would be akin to telling him that there _were _things that they couldn't trust each other with. He couldn't do that. He didn't want SK to be scared of telling him anything. "It's okay, SK. I'm surprised that you'd want to do something like that, but I understand. So... Um..."

"Thank you," SK whispered, leaning over to kiss the top of Hotaru's head. Hotaru tensed at the gesture, thinking that SK was making the first move, and it turned out that his fear had merit. A second kiss touched on his temple. Then another on his cheek to get Hotaru to tilt up his head and, finally, he pressed his lips against Hotaru's in an effort to pick up his previous attempt.

Just like the previous time, Hotaru found it difficult to breathe. However, he also stopped thinking about it. SK's entire body was a furnace and his mouth radiated heat into Hotaru's mouth. It was a bit of a shock when SK slipped his tongue between his lips, but it wasn't a bad feeling--until Hotaru noticed that it was forked. It felt weird, but the strange sensation ironically was the reason that Hotaru lost his fear. It was too alien. It was too different. It made everything that Hotaru knew about intimacy fly out the window, which destroyed every expectation that was making him nervous.

Hotaru barely noticed as SK picked him up and carried him back to his bed. Most of Hotaru's attention was taken up with the hands that were cradling his head and the kisses that were stealing his breathe, but he realized that his body was beginning to react positively toward SK's attention. It felt good. His nipples hardened from a gentle caress against is side and his lips trembled from another across his shoulders. As SK guided him into turning around in his lap, his head rolled forward to elicit kisses across the back of his neck and SK went a step further by gently leaving a trail of warmth with his tongue.

When SK finally got the courage to touch his chest, Hotaru let out a small gasp of surprise over the sensation. It was completely different from when he touched them himself. SK paused in fear that he'd done something wrong, but Hotaru sent a glance over his shoulder to tell him that it was alright. It was different, but not so different that he couldn't enjoy it. In reply, SK once more stole his lips and his hands continued to play Hotaru's body as if it were an instrument. He struck chords that made Hotaru tremble. He hit notes that made him gasp. He set a rhythm that made Hotaru's heart race and his body become fevered in anticipation.

Through it all, SK stayed calm and his eyes showed no hint of the desire that Hotaru felt. However, he was engrossed. Hotaru could see it in every movement of his body and every motion of the Flames dancing under his skin. He didn't have the urges or the senses that Hotaru did, but he was still enjoying every moment of exploration. Hotaru could understand and he knew what SK was thinking, which was why he found himself desiring even more despite SK's obvious lack of passion. He was thinking 'I've created this reaction' and 'I'm causing this enjoyment'. He was learning the pleasure that could be gained from being in control of giving others pleasure.

Hotaru shuddered in pleasure and lost control completely when SK reached down to stroke a finger against his inner thigh. His legs felt as if they had a mind of their own, opening wide in askance of more attention. SK gave him that attention by gently running his fingers across the budding lips of Hotaru's crotch. He didn't enter, though. Instead, he merely petted the surface in a teasing way while he waited for Hotaru to become comfortable with his touch in such a sensitive place. In effort to help speed the process, he even went so far as to begin re-teasing the other parts of Hotaru's body. One of his hands caressed Hotaru's face before reaching in to tease his tongue until his fingers were covered in Hotaru's saliva. One of his hands went to Hotaru's chest to fondle his breasts. His final hand created warm patterns across the skin of Hotaru's stomach and hips.

At the point that Hotaru didn't think that he could take it anymore, SK's fingers delved inside him. It created a sensation that blew away every imagined fantasy of how it felt to be entered. The pleasure was similar to what it felt to have his erection stroked, yet the sensation was so much different that it became indescribable.

"You're very warm here," SK murmured, giving Hotaru a sense that he was surprised. "Does it feel good?" He added in curiosity as he began stroking Hotaru's insides as if they were his outsides. Hotaru nodded rather than attempting to speak, finding his voice stolen away as SK hit something inside of him that caused his whole body to shudder in pleasure. Giving himself over to the sensation completely, he was soon rocking his hips in effort to get SK to move faster. "You're very wet," SK commented quietly in his ear. "Would you like me to try to put it in now?"

"Yes," he gasped, his entire body screaming to be filled and satisfied.

"Tell me if it hurts," SK ordered. Hotaru nodded and followed SK's guidance in changing their position. It didn't take long since he merely wanted Hotaru to fall forward so that he was on his hands and knees, but the way that he continued to finger Hotaru's wet hole made Hotaru's arms turn into boneless jelly before a few seconds passed. He couldn't hold himself up. He was able to keep his hips up to receive SK's attentions, but the rest of his body was refusing to show any strength.

Hotaru's breathe caught in his throat as SK's fingers disappeared and a hot rod was put in its place. It was really happening. SK was really going to--

Hotaru had felt a lot of painful things in his past, but none of them prepared him to the pain of losing his virginity as a girl. Fisting the sheets on the bed, his mouth opened in a silent scream that refused to come out. SK stopped immediately, but Hotaru felt as if he'd just been ripped in half with a chainsaw.

"Did I do it wrong?" SK asked in a worried tone. "Are you okay?"

"Just give me a second," Hotaru gasped while fighting tears. He'd been prepared for a little pain, but it was much worse than he'd imagined. SK had entered in a single thrust and he hadn't predicted how SK's size might affect the level of pain.

Thankfully, that pain began to fade after a few moment as his body stretched and he grew accustomed to having something inside him. He began to feel past it until it was nothing more than a nuisance in the back of his mind. His insides were throbbing in a way that he couldn't describe and the heat of SK's mock erection was warming his insides in a way that was strangely pleasant. There was also a tight, uncomfortable feeling that Hotaru recognized as the desire for more.

"Are you okay now?" SK asked softly as Hotaru's body began to relax. "Do you want me to stop or--"

"Keep going," Hotaru panted.

"But you're bleeding--"

"It's just a little and it's natural. Don't worry about it. I can fix it later."

"If you're sure..." He murmured doubtfully.

"I am," he soothed. "It hurt a little at first, but it feels really good and I don't want to stop yet. Please, SK?"

"I'll go slowly," he promised quietly as he began moving again. Hotaru's only way to answer was with a moan of pleasure. It was different than what he was used to, but it was still sinfully wonderful. Especially once SK wrapped his arms around him and began to use his hands to bring out the maximum level of passion within Hotaru. It made Hotaru feel as if he were losing his mind. Words that he never thought he'd utter began to tumble out of his mouth and the result was that he was pushed closer and closer to the edge until he was practically screaming in ecstasy. "I hope you're ready, Taru," SK warned.

Before he could ask 'for what', his womb began filling with a warmth that sent him over the edge into an orgasm. His body tensed and shuddered in a way that made him think that he was having a seizure while lights exploded throughout his brain. Then the wave of euphoria hit, washing away everything in a blissful surge of pleasure that practically left him numb. It was too much for him to handle. Collapsing into SK's arms, he passed out in a matter of miliseconds.

* * *

The first thing that Hotaru noticed upon waking was that his legs hurt. They hurt a lot and he had a newfound respect for his mother. If childbirth was any harder, then--

Hotaru froze as soon as he sat up, noticing two things that were wrong. His mind went blank. Thought was impossible. Comprehension would be a long time in coming. Yet, it didn't change the facts. First, he didn't know what he was. Was he a girl? A boy? Both? How was it that his male penis had insinuated itself into his female form? That was wrong. That was very wrong! Second, he had no clue why SK was on the bed beside him. No, he corrected. He could figure out why he was on the bed; it was better than the floor. The real question was: What the hell was wrong with SK's stomach? He hadn't gotten a beer gut or anything, but his skin was opaque enough for Hotaru to see that there was something inside him. Had he swallowed a pillow in his sleep?

Wait! SK didn't sleep!

"Wake up," Hotaru spluttered, reaching out to shake SK out of his attempt to act human. SK instantly opened his eyes and smiled as he sat up. "What did you eat? It better not have been my lucky shirt."

"Your lucky shirt would have turned to ash in my belly," SK chuckled.

"True," Hotaru agreed as SK opened his arms to let Hotaru have a better look. It was hard to tell what it was, though. SK's Flame was too thick to allow more than occasional glimpses. "Then what did you eat?"

"I ate nothing," he answered with a wide grin. "That's my egg."

"Eh?"

"I'll admit that I wasn't expecting it to happen the first time. I was going to wait to talk to you about it after you had things settled with Rosalind, but I'm not unhappy about it. There are few Salamanders that can find a partner that will help them form an egg and even fewer who succeed in creating one in the first year of trying. I think that this is the first time ever for it to be done on the first attempt. You truly amaze me, Taru. I don't know how to thank you for this. If there's anything that I can do for you, then just ask."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hotaru asked, unable to comprehend what he was talking about. An egg? Was it for breakfast or was he storing it to cook later?

"Perhaps I should explain," he murmured sheepishly.

"Do it while I take a bath," Hotaru replied as a lance of pain went through his thigh. "I've got so many muscle cramps that I don't think I can close my legs right now."

"Stay there," SK ordered before Hotaru could do more than throw his covers off. "I'll run it for you and carry you in." Hotaru tried to object, but another spasm of pain as he put his knees together told him to just shut up and accept. If he was going to get back on his feet in enough time for class, then he needed to soak out the muscle cramps. He also mentally noted to be more gentle with girls in the future. It wasn't so funny to be 'fucked so hard that she can't walk straight' when that she was himself. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the bath to fill and SK was unusually careful in carrying Hotaru into it. It made him blush in memory of what he'd let SK do to him.

"I don't know where to begin," SK said, settling down next to the bathtub as Hotaru relaxed in the steaming water.

"Just start at the beginning and go forward," Hotaru replied while trying not to show how awkward he felt.

"I can't do that," SK grimaced. "There's things that we're not allowed to talk about. You'll probably know in a few years, but I'll get in trouble if I tell you before then."

"In trouble from who?"

"I can't talk about that."

"Then what can you talk about?" Hotaru sighed in frustration.

"Not very much," he said apologetically. "That's what makes it difficult. It's not that I don't want to, but that there are rules that I have to follow. If I break them, then I won't be allowed to see you anymore."

"Then don't break them," Hotaru shrugged. "If I'm going to know eventually anyway, then I can be a little patient."

"Thanks," SK sighed as the tension seemed to drain out of him. "In that case, what I can tell you is what you were supposed to know before I got this egg. So, um... To make this easier, pretend that I don't have it yet. Are you willing to play along, Taru?"

"I guess," Hotaru agreed in amusement. "What's this all about?"

"I have something to ask you," SK said as his form tensed again. Hotaru settled back in the tub and silently listened, seeing that SK was acting out a pre-planned skit. "Feel free to refuse, but I've thought hard about this and you're the only one that I can ask. Can you help me get pregnant?"

"What?!" Hotaru spluttered, bolting up in the tub so fast that the pain in his legs seemed to disappear in an instant.

"Good, good," SK praised in belief that Hotaru was acting. "That was perfect. Now, I have to tell you to calm down and let me explain. So, calm down and let me explain. You see, we, as in Salamanders, whole purpose in coming through to this world is to create an egg. To do that, we find a soul that we are comfortable with and sleep within their Flames. It is a symbiotic relationship that begins before a soul is reincarnated. If the soul becomes strong enough during their life, we awaken. Then, with the help of Demitirus, we can detach from them and become a Salamander like myself. If the soul is weak, then they can't survive without us supporting them. Those people can't see the Flames on Demitirus metal and can't write our Flames onto a Ring. Now, once we're awake, we're supposed to learn and grow with our partner soul. In my case, that would be you. Once we have fully matured, we're supposed to work toward creating an egg so that more Salamanders may be born. It is saddening to think about, but I ask this for the sake of humanity, Taru. Once their impurities are stripped away, there are many souls that are too incomplete to pass through the Gates of Reincarnation without us. If they are to have the strength to rebuild themselves, then they need our support. Do you understand so far?"

"Not a word," Hotaru admitted, his eyes still wide over the 'get pregnant' part.

"Let me try again," SK said with a sigh. "I want an egg so that I can make baby Salamanders. Will you help me make it?"

"Sure," Hotaru said, understanding which way he was supposed to answer. After all, it was too late to say 'no'. SK already had an egg in his belly!

"Good, good," SK praised again. "Now I tell you how. That is, I have to have sex with you. Well, admittedly, we don't have to go all the way, but... um... it made it easier. Err... The feelings!" He blurted, interlocking his fingers together in effort to explain. "It is the feelings that matter! To join and... uh... together is whole... ah... partner and... and... trust and unity."

"I get it," Hotaru soothed. "You wouldn't join together unless there was complete trust and an egg needs feelings of trust to be created."

"Yes, but there is more," SK grimaced as he struggled for the words. "I am only one part. You... You are the other part of the symbiosis. There must be both parts to create the synergy for a whole. If there is not balance and complete unity, then the egg will not form."

"So, what you're saying is that you're pregnant," Hotaru said, feeling dizzy from the overload of information.

"Yes."

"And I got you pregnant."

"Yes."

"And the baby is going to be a Salamander."

"Yes."

"I see," Hotaru mumbled before passing out a second time.

* * *

Hotaru ducked his head and tried to pretend that everyone wasn't staring at him. He was lying to himself, though. SK's new form attracted a lot of attention. Even Hotaru had trouble keeping himself from staring at times. He blamed his mother. The best clothing that she'd been able to come up with on short notice was a long, wrapped fire-proof loincloth that only sharpened the impression that he was a Pharoah. For his part, SK wasn't helping any. He kept gawking and acting like he was seeing everything for the first time, even though he saw the school almost every day!

Grumbling to himself, Hotaru stopped and had to backtrack to grab SK by the hand and pull him forward. He managed to get SK halfway across the courtyard before his first fear was realized: a Tutor came out to question him.

"Why do you have your Salamander out, Sawada?" Tutor Alijah asked in a stern voice. "Are you trying to show off his new form?"

"No, ma'am," he muttered, bowing his head to hide his bright blush.

"Then have him return to his Ring," she ordered.

"I... n't," he replied quietly. "He's pr...nt."

"What was that?"

"I can't," Hotaru growled, raising his voice only the smallest of amounts in fear that his voice would carry. "He's pregnant."

"He's what?" Alijah asked. Frustrated that she was going to make him say it louder, he looked up and nearly shouted it in her face.

"I said that I can't! He's pregnant!"

"He's what?" Alijah repeated, making Hotaru slap a hand over his face in understanding. She hadn't made him repeat it because she couldn't hear him. She'd made him say it because she wasn't understanding the statement.

"I have an egg," SK added with a proud grin. Hotaru blushed even harder at the statement and quickly dragged SK past the Tutor in hopes that Maro-sensei could help them. He was the teacher that taught everything there was to know about Salamanders, so he was probably the only man that might have more knowledge on the subject other than himself. Hotaru hoped so, because this was something that he didn't think there was a precedence for. Even SK was unsure on some thing because he said 'success was so rare that they didn't prepare for it'. It made Hotaru curse whoever or whatever had set the goal to begin with.

Shoving his way through the hallways, he tried to ignore the growing crowd of people who were following him. He also had to stop twice when SK decided that he wanted to greet Hattori and Gregory. At both stops, Hotaru didn't stop for longer than the amount of time that it took to say 'hello' before continuing to drag SK up the stairs to the second floor Occult Studies classroom. Once there, he ignored the shut door, barged in with the full intent to make Maro-sensei answer his questions, and... He fell to a stop only two steps into the room, reminded of a completely different situation that could prove disastrous.

"This isn't over," Autumn Martelli spat, ending the conversation at Hotaru's intrusion.

"I didn't think that it would be," Maro-sensei replied. "But, as you see, I have students to teach. We can discuss this later." Hotaru eyes widened as she stormed past him with an arrogance that left Hotaru gaping. "If this is about the Boss' Club, Sawada, then you'll have to forget about it. Astra won't be attending Don Girarde after all."

"Eh?" Hotaru blurted, taken off-guard by the confusing situation. "No, that's not why. Aren't you going to go after her? Eh? Wait...What happened to Astra? No, never-mind. That's not what I came for. I need some advice."

"Did your Guide say something troubling?" Maro-sensei asked curiously.

"No," Hotaru replied with a strained laugh. Rubbing his face with his hands at the amount of things that he had on his plate, he tried to ignore how he was beginning to feel incredibly exhausted. "It's SK. He's pregnant."

"I see," Maro-sensei murmured quietly as SK put a set of hands on Hotaru's shoulders to give support. "Do me a favor and shut the door. I suddenly feel the need to drink. You want some?"

"Please," he said pathetically when Maro-sensei pulled a normal bottle of whiskey out of his desk, along with two glasses. Like the last time that Hotaru had visited, he also pulled up a desk for Hotaru to sit in, but he turned it sideways so that SK could sit on the tabletop. Then, with no further ado, he collapsed in his seat and poured them both a drink. Hotaru nearly choked over the stout taste of the warm liquor, but Maro-sensei downed three glasses in the blink of an eye before lighting himself a cigarette and settling back into his chair with his leg comfortably crossed over one knee.

"So, was this the first time that you two...?"

"Yes," Hotaru answered with a bright blush. He took the question as a good sign that Maro-sensei might have seen the situation before.

"I see," he repeated as he poured another glass for both of them. "And you..." Maro-sensei prompted, looking up at SK.

"It's a strong egg," SK smiled with a hand absently rubbing his belly. Again, Hotaru rubbed his forehead at the gesture. Unless one looked very hard through SK's skin and Flames, it was difficult to tell that there was something there. With his flat stomach, the gesture made it seem as if he'd eaten something filling instead of an attempt to caress the egg inside him. "It will make many strong Salamanders."

"It makes more than one?!" Hotaru spluttered, turning to look at SK in shock. In reply, SK tilted his head to the side and gave another of his clueless expressions.

"Is that strange? Humans can have more than one child."

"But humans aren't born out of eggs!" Hotaru choked.

"I thought you were," SK replied, his face showing that he was thinking very hard. "Doesn't girls have eggs and guys are supposed to fertilize them? Don't you hatch in the mother's womb?" Hotaru opened his mouth to correct him, but he wasn't sure what to say. In a way, SK was right.

"SK," Maro-sensei said as Hotaru struggled to find a way to refute him. "Humans don't like to compare themselves to animals. When one says 'egg', they think of the kind with shells and those kind typically only hold one offspring. If that egg doesn't detach from you, then--"

"It detaches," SK replied instantly. "I could pull it out and show you, but it is too cold out here. I need to get it back to the nest so that it can be cared for, but I don't know how."

"He tried going into his Ring," Hotaru explained, finally feeling as if he could contribute something. "But the egg didn't go with him."

"Of course not," Maro-sensei said with a thoughtful look on his face. "That would be like SK trying to go into my sword. What does your Guide say?"

"Eh?"

_Hmph, _the voice scoffed_. It's about time that someone remembered me._

"Your Guide is a Salamander," Maro-sensei explained with a smile. "A very wise one. He'll know much more than I will."

_I always did like that brat, _the voice chuckled appreciatively_. _

"You're not serious," Hotaru mumbled with his eye twitching in disbelief. "I come here for advice and you want me to listen to--"

"Haven't you already been?" He interrupted. "Isn't he the one that told you to make Gillian into the Eleventh for a day?"

"How did you know about that?" Hotaru choked.

"I'm good at guessing," Maro-sensei said with a smirk. "What does he say about this?"

"Taru...?" SK asked curiously. "What's he talking about?" Hotaru's lips parted slightly and his face went blank. He'd completely forgotten to tell SK about it. Should he? If he spoke abut it now, though, then Maro-sensei would know that he was right. How much could he trust the guy? No, that was a stupid question, he thought. He trusted Maro-sensei enough to go to him about SK. He could probably be trusted with something like this, too.

"I... I haven't had much time to think about it lately," Hotaru mumbled, looking down at the ground in dismay. "I keep hearing this voice in my head. He's been quiet lately, but he says that he's preparing me for a Day of Reckon--" Hotaru froze as SK let out a sudden growl that sounded as if it'd come straight out of a Dragon's mouth. Looking up at him, Hotaru wasn't sure how to react to the anger on SK's face.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" SK roared. "How long has Prometheus been with you?!"

"A few weeks," Hotaru mumbled in shock. SK was mad at him? SK had never gotten mad at him before. And the name Prometheus... Why did that sound familiar?

"You--!" SK came to an abrupt stop at the sound of Maro-sensei's hand slapping down on his desk. Looking over at him, both Hotaru and SK's jaws dropped over the anger in his expression.

"You can't afford to ignore your Guide, Hotaru," Maro-sensei growled. "I understand that you don't want people thinking that you're crazy, but the Day of Reckoning isn't a joke!"

_Tell him that he can butt out now, _the voice said in laughter_. You're ready, Child._

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped. "He says that Maro-sensei should butt out. He says that I'm already ready."

"Eh?" Maro-sensei gaped as SK's eyes bulged in surprise. "You're already ready? How--? You've been Vongola the Eleventh for ten years now. How can you already be ready?"

"I don't know," Hotaru shrugged. "That's just what he says."

"I see," he murmured, shifting in his chair to get more comfortable. "Well, that's good. I assume that you've been looking at things in a new perspective lately?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a pinkish blush lighting up on his face. "I asked Rosalind to marry me." Hotaru smiled at the look of shock on Maro-sensei's face and let out a small giggle despite himself. The man looked as if he'd just been punched in the face! Then he sobered as reality intruded. "But I'm not sure what I should do. Rosalind is the Cloud Guardian for her Family and I don't think that the Martelli Boss is going to allow it. I... I really love her, but her Family is important to her. I don't think that she'll be happy if she has to give all of that up for me. I'm not even sure if she'll still like me as I am now."

"Like you are now?" Maro-sensei asked in concern. "What do you mean by that?" Hotaru bowed his head once more and skipped the blushing in favor of seriously facing his issue. With everything else that was going on, he hadn't taken a moment to really think about his own problem.

"Hotaru is stuck," SK explained in his place. "It is difficult to see with his clothes on, but he is part boy and part girl now. He can't Shift in either direction."

"I tried!" Hotaru exclaimed. "I tried to make my chest go away this morning and I couldn't! Then I tried to make my you-know-what go away and I couldn't either! I turned into a fucking hermaphrodite and now I can't make myself into just a boy OR a girl! I'm stuck as both! I thought about asking Sakura about it, but there's nothing that he'd be able to do. Even if he did surgery, my body would just put everything back while I slept!"

"Whoa," Maro-sensei interjected before Hotaru could say more. "Who says that you need surgery?"

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped in surprise.

"Hotaru," Maro-sensei said in a sympathetic voice. "I think that you're misunderstanding something. You're talking about make this and that go away, but have you considered that there's nothing wrong with you?"

"Eh?"

"It's a common misconception that there's only two genders," Maro-sensei explained. "But many countries and cultures identify with more. There's eunuchs and transgendered for example. And what you call being a hermaphrodite is sometimes called androgony or intersex. Many societies classify those type of things as a third sex, Hotaru. It's not common, but it's not unique either."

"So there's nothing wrong with me?" Hotaru asked, stunned by the information.

"That's up to you to decide, but I don't think so," he replied with a smile. "You just need to give yourself time to get comfortable in your new skin. Now, let's deal with the matter of SK's egg. You two need to figure out some way to get it to the other side. What does your Guide say?"

_The egg is made of Flame, so tell SK not to be afraid of shapeshifting or fighting, _the voice said_. There is some time left before the Day of Reckoning, but not so much that it'll put the egg in danger. I can bring it over when I open the door to let you through._

"He says that SK can still shapeshift and fight and that we can take the egg over when he opens the door on the Day of Reckoning," Hotaru relayed. "What door?"

"You'll have to wait until the Day comes to get that answer," Maro-sensei said with a sad smile. "But I think that answers your question. I'll go talk to the Dean for you and get permission for SK to sit with you in your classes so that you don't have to be apart. If anyone says anything, it'll probably be best if you just say that SK can't go into his ring until the egg hatches. You wouldn't want to put people in a panic. How are things going with Orinato? Is he out of jail yet?"

"Close," Hotaru murmured with a sigh of relief that Maro-sensei was going to deal with the Dean for him. "He's still a minor and my lawyers have blocked the attempts to put him on trial as an adult. They were talking about sending him to a juvenile prison for a while, but I think my people can get him off with just some community service. They can't really prove that he did anything wrong. Most of the problem right now is that they want to send him back to Japan. Technically, he's still in the custody of Hayakeshi House and he's here on a student visa. If they send him back, he won't be able to come to Italy again until he's twenty-one. That's three and a half years that I'll have to do without him. So, we're leaving him in jail until my lawyers can figure out a way to deal with it."

"That's not good," Maro-sensei said in concern. "You need someone prepared in case someone tries to stir up trouble while you're gone. What about Gokudera? He was there when your father left for his Day of Reckoning. He'll understand what you need."

"I don't..." Hotaru murmured in doubt that anyone could really understand. He barely understood what was going on with that, so he felt ill-equipped to talk to anyone about it. The only reason that he was talking to Maro-sensei about it was because the man had been the one to broach the subject.

"Would you like me to talk to him for you?" He offered. Hotaru was stunned at the expression on Maro-sensei's face. Not only was he sympathetic, but he looked eager to help. It made Hotaru smile, once again reminded that Maro-sensei wanted to be part of the Family.

"Okay," he agreed softly. "But don't tell anyone else. I don't want rumors to start spreading that I'm crazy. Umm... Maro-sensei... I actually need to tell you something. It's my fault that Don Martelli knows who you are. I figured out that you were Suoh a while back and I sent her a letter. I wanted to get her here and see her reaction--"

"You thought we were working together," Maro-sensei supplied knowingly. "Well, we're not. Right now, Autumn probably wants my head on a platter." Hotaru grimaced, knowing that he'd made a mistake. Not only was he screwing up Maro-sensei's life, but he'd put a pipe in the wheel-works of his own life. "Don't look so upset," he chuckled. "Things are kind of going to hell right now in the vampire world, so no one is going to care that I was recognized. Honestly, it's a bit of a relief. I was starting to think that you'd forgotten about me, but you've gotten closer. You still don't know my real name, though. Do you?"

"I... I have a lead," Hotaru replied mischievously. "I'm not going to tell you until I can verify it, though."

"Are you afraid that I'm going to run away?" He asked curiously.

"No," Hotaru said as he jumped to his feet. "I just don't want to win with a lucky punch."

"Well, come to me when you got a finishing blow to be proud of," he laughed. "And don't worry about the Martelli. She's stubborn as a pig, but she'll come around if you make it plain that you really do care about Miss Ross. Just have patience and be honest with your feelings and everything will work out."

"What about you?" Hotaru asked as Maro-sensei got up to walk him to the door.

"I think I have enough patience for myself and Autumn both," he chuckled. "She wants me to take back the position of the Sixth, but I'm not Lazarus anymore. I can't be the man that she wants me to be."

"What happened between you two?" Hotaru asked, curious over the strange note of sorrow in Maro-sensei's voice. "Was she--"

"Oi," he laughed, reaching out to mess up Hotaru's hair as he pushed him out the door and into the crowd of students waiting to file inside. "There's some things that kids shouldn't ask their teachers about. Go to class. The bell should be ringing soon and I still need to talk to the Dean for you. SK, try to keep him out of trouble."

"Yes, Maro-sensei," SK said with a wide grin. "I'll do my best."

"Stingy," Hotaru blurted while acting on the urge to stick his tongue out at Maro-sensei. "I'll get the answer eventually!"

"Good luck," Maro-sensei replied with a wave of his hand as he headed down the hallway.


	135. Chapter 135 To Love

Gigi threw another shopping bag into Danny's hands and headed for the next boutique with a fierce gleam of determination in her eye. Deals! Clearance! Mafia Retail! If she'd known that Italy held such a secret wonder, she would have come years ago! They had Namahage clothes for chump change. Chump change! Things that would normally cost thousands were being sold for pennies on the dollar! She'd already fainted twice over the price of a pair of Namahage pumps. Then there was the high heels that matched and the embroidered scarf from the winter line and--

"Mel--!" Danny whined as he stopped to catch his breathe against a store front. "Can't we take a break? You've been going for hours!"

"No," she snapped. "I still need--"

"It's still going to be there in twenty minutes," Danny said in exasperation. "Why don't we get something to eat and I can call Ore to pick all of this up? My arms feel like they're about to fall off."

"But--"

"You don't really want my arms to fall off, do you?" Danny asked with an expression of pure misery.

"I guess not," Gigi sighed. Taking pity on him, Gigi went back and took the bags out of his hands, which left him with only the box packages to deal with. Of course, Danny acted as if she'd taken the world off his shoulders, but she decided to ignore it as they began looking for a restaurant.

Their relationship had developed a lot over the past few years. It'd been rocky for a time after Laz's death, but they'd managed to support each other until they were on firm ground again. Dany hadn't changed much since they'd initially met, though. He was still an submissive idiot that tried hard to play the role of a manly man for her. On the other hand, her own life had went through a few awkward turns.

First of all, she'd stopped wearing drag and wigs so often. Even now, she was wearing simple blue jeans, a t-shirt, and a plain denim jacket. The only real concession to her feminine mind-frame was her diamond earrings. It wasn't because she didn't like wearing dresses, though. It was simply because having Danny with her made her feel like a woman no matter what she wore. She'd be damned if she wore anything other than a pencil skirt and heels when she got dressed for work, but she'd learned to stop trying so hard when it came to simple outings. So what if she looked a little more masculine than she preferred? It didn't change who she was or how she felt. She wasn't a whore anymore. She wasn't looking to impress anyone and she didn't need to, either. Danny loved her no matter what she wore.

The second thing was that the Dojo had closed down. She still saw everyone on a daily basis, but none of them were living in the place anymore. First, Poe had disappeared without a word. Then, Eric and Summer had moved out, simply because his acting career had taken off and they'd had multiple break-ins from the more psychotic of his fans. It hadn't been safe for them to continue living there anymore. Next Leo and Marty had moved out into a studio where she could focus on her art and Marty wouldn't have men surrounding her outside of her garage. Leo was still the executive of Orange Dragon Enterprises when it came to fads, but that work only took a few hours of her day. Finally, Ore had decided to take a chunk of his savings and give his two ladies the house with the picket fence that they wanted--one with high ceilings. Even Ollie had moved out into an apartment with a sweet little girl that he'd met on the streets. That had left only herself and Danny in charge of the Dojo and it'd been simply too big of a place for only the two of them. They'd gotten a condo up on the higher west side and had handed the Dojo over to a local pastor that they trusted in order to turn it into a youth center--one that Ollie frequented as a volunteer when he wasn't working for either ODE or the Family.

It wasn't a bad life. She still saw everyone on a nearly daily basis and ODE was successful enough that she had a nice chunk of savings to retire on. She just wished that she could understand why Autumn had forced all of them to fly halfway around the world without any warning. She'd said that she'd explain when she felt that the time was right, but the witch had barely been around since dropping them off at the estate that they'd be staying in. She'd just ran off while dragging Charlie and her silly Knights had chased her in effort to pretend that they were bodyguards.

Gigi felt as if she could seriously strangle the woman. Hopefully Eric would be able to explain what was going on when he finished his photo-shoot at sundown. Assuming that Autumn hadn't gotten back by then. That woman--

"How about this place?" Danny suggested, pulling her out of her evil plotting to crush Autumn's high-handed attitude. Gigi looked up to find that they were in front of a place called Ladyfingers. It looked quiet and subdued; nothing like the kind of places that she preferred. However, the look on Danny's face said that he didn't particularly care about atmosphere. He just wanted to sit down.

"They better have something light," Gigi grumbled as Danny held the door open for her. "I'm on a diet."

"It won't kill you if they don't," he retorted. Gigi shot him a withering look, but quieted her complaints as they found an empty table to sit at. A single glance at the menu left her happy; the place specialized in finger foods. She instantly liked it and noted it for future visits. Even Danny looked happy at the menu, since there were choices such as kabobs, steak bites, and--

"Thanks for meeting with me, Longchamp."

_Eh?_ Gigi thought.

"No problem. It's your treat. Right?"

"Are you kidding? On a teacher's salary. I figured that you'd pick up the tab."

_It wasn't possible._

"I guess I could do that. So, what's with the formal meeting? You finally decide to take off those glasses?"

"Not yet. Actually, I needed to talk to you as a teacher. I've been worried about Murlock. He--"

"Laz?" Gigi whispered as she slowly turned around to face the man sitting at the booth behind her. The first thing that she saw was the red feather of his earring as he slowly turned his head back to her with his jaw hanging open. Her own jaw felt just as unhinged. It was impossible. Laz was dead. Yet, he was sitting mere inches away from her. How...? How was he still alive? They'd buried him. He was laying next to Snicker.

"Your mascara is running," he said softly as Danny jumped to his feet with a shouted curse.

"It's waterproof," Gigi replied on cue. The words solidified something inside her. Without thinking, she jumped to her feet and yanked Laz out of his seat. Spinning him in place, she grabbed hold of his waist and--

"Not the suplex!" Laz spluttered as she did a back-bend that sent his head into the floor. Letting go of him, he tumbled to the side and Gigi let him as she straightened up. Putting her hands on her hips, she stomped a foot down and began unleashing hell.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" She shouted in anger. "Do you have any clue what you've put us through?! We thought you were dead, you lousy son of a bitch! We've been having to put up with that bitch Autumn for years now and all you can say is 'Your mascara is running'?! Who the fuck do you think it's running for?! Snicker is probably rolling in his grave right now! Did you ever think for an instant that we could have helped you?! So what if you had a few problems, it would have been better than thinking that you were dead! Where's that fool Xanxus?! He probably put you up to this, didn't he?! Why--?! When I see him, I'm going to put my foot so far up his ass that he'll wish that he was a girl! What-- Don't you laugh at me! Do you think this is funny?! You fake your death and leave us to cry our eyes out and you think this is funny?! Why--! I'm going to whoop your ass! Maybe then you'll take this a little more seriously! I--"

"You look nice."

"I know, don't I? I've been on this new diet and-- Hey! Wait a second! Don't you go changing the subject on me! Mamma Gigi's not done yet! I--"

"Gigi--"

"Don't 'Gigi' me! I'm going to say what I need to say and you're just going to sit there and listen Mister! Now what were you thinking? Why are you here in Italy when you should be back in the city with all of us? The Orange Dragons--"

"Gigi--"

"I SAID, don't 'Gigi' me--"

"But Gigi--"

"Ooh--! I can not wait until Ore gets here. He's going to wring your scrawny neck and shove enough of Cassandra's chili peppers down your throat to make you shit red for a month! You--"

"GIGI!" Laz shouted as he got to his feet.

"Oh no you didn't just 'Gigi' me again!" She said, holding up a finger in warning.

"Then shut the hell up so I can talk," he grimaced, reaching up to rub his battered head. "Shit. You're such a damn drama queen. Did Danny-boy hold out on you last night or what?" Gigi froze at the question and blushed a bright shade of red. He had held out, but that had just been because he'd been exhausted from shopping. It didn't have anything to do with it!

"Maro...?" Laz's dinner-mate asked curiously. "Do you know these people?"

"Yeah," he answered while continuing to rub his forehead. "They were my crew in America. It... It's a long story, but you could say that Gigi was my sugar momma. That's her boyfriend Danny, too. I met him in jail and set them up. Um... Gigi, Danny, this is Longchamp. He's the Boss of the Tomaso Family."

"Oh, damn," Gigi gaped as the man held out his hand in greeting. Having no choice, she shook it... and tried not to break it when he started fighting laughter.

"That was one hell of a show that you put on," Longchamp grinned. "I don't think I've ever seen Maro hit the ground like that before. Was that some sort of greeting?" Gigi scowled at the inquiry, telling from the condescending tone that the bastard was looking down on her.

"Yeah, it was," she replied sarcastically. "I suplex everyone that I meet. Would you like to try it?"

"I'll pass," Longchamp replied with his grin widening even more. "But why don't you and your friend join us anyway? My treat."

"Longchamp--" Laz growled in warning.

"Oh, come on," he smiled. "I want to hear stories. These two look like they're full of them and I don't think that they'll leave Ladyfingers in one piece if you try walking out of here without them." Condescending, but smart, Gigi thought as she changed her opinion of the man.

"Alright, but business first," Laz relented with a sigh.

"Spoil-sport," Longchamp grumbled as he slid deeper into the booth. Laz gestured for Gigi to take the seat opposite of him, but she refused.

"You're on the inside," she demanded, gesturing for him to slid in first. "You've already broken your promise enough times. I'm not letting you do it again."

"What promise is that?" Longchamp asked curiously as Laz slid into the booth and allowed himself to be boxed in.

"He promised that he'd come to me before he ever ran off," she snarled. "First time is shame on you. Second time is shame on me. Third time is 'Gigi kicks some ass'. You don't want to see what happens when I hit strike four."

"Business first," Laz sighed.

"Food and drinks first," Danny-boy corrected as a waitress hesitantly came up to take their order. "I'll have--"

"Four of everything on the menu," Longchamp ordered. "Two beers, your finest glass of white wine for the lady, a whiskey for Maro, and keep the drinks flowing. Will that work?"

"Touche," Gigi grudgingly praised.

"Hurry up and spit it out, Maro," Longchamp said with an absent wave of his hand that sent the waitress away. "I want to get to the good part. You said that you were worried about Murlock? Does this have something to do with the reason that he's been locked in his room for the past few days? What's going on? I thought you guys would be ecstatic over the cure."

"It's... It's bad, Longchamp," Laz said with a grimace. "There's only four werewolves left and the count on vampires is under a hundred. We're going extinct."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Longchamp shrugged. "You said that you didn't ask to be a werewolf anyway. Why haven't you taken the cure yet?"

"Hold up," Gigi interjected, refusing to let the conversation flow past her. They were forced to pause as the waitress returned with their drinks, but she quickly picked up before the two could talk over her head. "What's this about going extinct and a cure?"

"They... They've found a cure to turn werewolves and vampires back into humans," Laz answered in a subdued voice. "Nearly everyone has taken the cure. That's not the problem. For those that choose to take the cure, we haven't been hindering them. The problem is actually humans. For example, I've found syringes in my desk three times this week. One was triggered on a spring to stab me as soon as I opened my drawer. Some of the students--"

"Students?" Gigi inquired.

"I'm a teacher at Don Girarde Academy, Gigi," he smiled. "They call me Maro-sensei. Anyway, as I was saying, some of the students think that they're helping me by trying to make me take the cure. I'm afraid that they might have been bullying Murlock in hopes of making him take it, too. The last time that he came to school, he looked afraid to open his locker. Has he said anything to you?"

"Nothing to me," Longchamp shrugged around a sip of his beer. "All I have to offer are second-hand reports on him. You know that the only reason that he's part of the Family is because Madame Drake strong-armed me into taking him. He's more of a lodging guest than a Family member."

"That was what I was afraid of," he grimaced. "Can you give him my number? Tell him that I have a safe place that he can go if he doesn't want to be cured. We... We're retreating, Longchamp. There's a few of us who are going to stay here, but the rest are going into hiding. I'd hoped... I'd thought that we could live side-by-side with humans without keeping secrets, but it looks like I was wrong. Everyone sees this as a disease instead of a way of life. I--"

"You still haven't answered my question," Longchamp growled in warning. "Why haven't you taken the cure?"

"I'd like to know that, too," Gigi commented.

"I... I have my reasons," he replied with an expression that suggested that he was struggling with his answer. "There are people who I.... who I've come to care about... that I would be separated from. And then there's... there's everything that I am. Being a werewolf... It's part of me now. I feel that taking the cure would be betraying that part of myself. I've.... I've survived things that I normally shouldn't because of this curse so... So I don't feel like it's a curse at all anymore. It's a blessing. I wouldn't change who and what I am for anything in the world. Can you understand that?"

"Can't understand it, but I'll respect it," Longchamp sighed.

"You're lying through your teeth," Gigi growled in displeasure. "This is about Snicker. Isn't it?" Gigi glared knowingly as Laz paled noticeably enough to catch Longchamp's attention.

"Snicker...?" He asked with a curious grin. "I didn't think that this was something to giggle about."

"Not that kind of snicker, you dolt," Gigi retorted, rolling her eyes at the man's idiocy. "I'm talking about Laz's husband. Laz still thinks he had a heart attack because Snicker found out that he was a werewolf. Don't you, Laz?"

"Husband?!" Longchamp choked.

"Long story," Laz repeated with a grimace. "Gigi, that's not it. It's true that his death does affect my decision, but only by making harder to choose to stay like this. He--"

"You don't want to change from the person that you were when he was alive," Danny murmured quietly. "You don't have to hide it from us, Laz. You've had that chip on your shoulder ever since he died. I'm not going to fault you for it, though. In your place, I don't think that I'd want to become human, either. Whether Snicker knew about you or not, he loved you the way that you were. Nothing is going to change that. Now, my question is what you're doing in Italy in the first place. You obviously faked your death. What are you up to?"

"That's a long story, too," Laz replied with a grudging smile. "I--"

"First things first," Gigi interjected as she reached to take off Laz's oversized sunglasses. "Take these foolish things off so that I can see your--" Gigi paused, startled at the way that Laz slapped her hand away in fear and firmly held them in place.

"Sorry," he immediately apologized. "It's habit. No one here has seen my face since I've gotten back. I... Actually, I don't need them for that reason anymore. Hotaru has already made the connection between my current identity and Lazarus, so he's seen my picture. But I don't... I don't feel comfortable without them. I spent some time underground a while back and there was this stuff in the walls that gave off light. My eyes have been sensitive since then. I can go without them for a little while, but longer than an hour gives me a headache."

"Well, the light isn't bright in here. Take them off for an hour so that I can see your pretty face. You owe me that much, Laz. If it weren't for me, your ass would still be sleeping in an attic with no running water and salvaged candles for light."

"So I would," he agreed sadly. "Alright. Just for a little while."

"Bloody hell," Longchamp gaped as Laz reached up in preparation of pulling his glasses off. "Are you a fucking miracle worker?"

"That's what he said," Gigi, Danny, and Laz said in unison. The whole table froze at the unexpected chorus, only to break out into laughter a few moments later. There was something to be said about knowing a person--those that knew best were those that thought alike.

There was also something to be said about seeing a person's face after years of separation. Gigi had to take a minute to process it after Laz finally took his glasses off. He was the same, but he was also different. The gold of the neck-piece that was poking out of his unbuttoned collar seemed to make his eyes glitter in a way that was more inhuman than they'd once been. His black suit and white tie seemed to take the mess out of his erratic hairstyle while his earring and his cigarette backpedaled him into 'wild' again. His skin had a healthy glow, though, and there were age lines beginning to show on his face that gave him a hint of maturity that she'd never seen in him before.

"Laz..." she sniffed as tears began welling up in her eyes.

"Don't start, Gigi," Laz pleaded with a pained expression. "If you start the waterworks, you're going to get me going. I've already had a hard enough day. Everyone's favorite Princess stopped by the school to see me."

"Oh shit," Danny-boy choked as Gigi's jaw dropped. So Laz was the reason that they were in Italy! That little witch! She could have warned them!

"Tell me about it," Laz groaned, raising his glass of whiskey for a toast. "Here's to women and their ability to turn men on their ear in less than ten minutes."

"Kampai," Longchamp cheered, tapping his beer against Laz's glass.

"Here, here," Danny-boy agreed. He stopped before he could add his beer to the pile at the glare of warning that Gigi sent him. She didn't like Autumn anymore than he did, but the toast was a generalization about women. That was a no-no. "Sorry," he mumbled as he hurriedly sipped his beer. "So, ah, what did she want?"

"The same thing that you guys want," he answered quietly. "She wants me to go back to America and settle down as her Sixth. I'm not going to do it, so don't bother trying to talk me into it. I have unfinished business here and I'm not going anywhere until things are taken care of. That's why I didn't tell you guys that I was alive. You've held off your lives long enough by dragging me out of messes. I don't want you to get mixed up in this, too. Don't--" He added in warning when Gigi opened her mouth to object. "I mean it, Gigi. I don't need you to wipe my ass on this one. If I wanted your help to take care of it, I would have called and told you that I was alive. Since I didn't and you showed up anyway, don't expect me to be grateful that you're here. It's nice to see you again, but... To be honest, you're in the way. It would have been better if you'd continued to think that I was dead until everything was finished. I... Lazarus is part of me, but I can't freeze time, Gigi. I can't go back to the time when I didn't remember anything and was happy just to get an honest paycheck. There are people counting on me. I...I can't explain, but maybe this will help you understand."

When Laz reached over to his belt and pulled out a set of keys, Gigi didn't understand. Then she realized that it wasn't a keychain that he was showing her--it was a chain full of rings. Reaching out to take it from him, he felt dizzy at the amount of rings that he'd collected. There had to be six dozen at the minimum!

"Cavallone," he identified as Gigi began looking through the emblems on each. "Deter. Warwick. Lionesse. Havlock. Trench. Tomaso. Olwick. Deter. Aldridge. Nott. Calcassa. Radcliff. Ricci. Moreau. Pell. Wong. Celeroso. Pendleton. Kuneri. Wolfe. Gospella. Juno. Oroburg. Bovino. Otori. Suou. Kasanoda. Franco. Valdez. Kartoffel. Estraneo--"

"Estraneo is a dead Family!" Longchamp spluttered.

"Chrome has chosen to resurrect it," Laz replied without batting an eyelash. "She has reason to believe that there are more survivors out there and she wants to use the banner of the damned to build a place of refuge for the haunted. Right now, there are only four standing members, but that's equal to the Wolfe Family--"

"What is all this, Laz?" Gigi asked without comprehending. "Why are you carrying so many rings? Most of these Families don't even like each other!"

"Because it's something that only I can do," he said with a small, impish smile. Longchamp grimaced as his phone rang and quietly answered while Laz continued. "Few of them actually know who I am, but they've given me these tokens as pledges that they'd give me asylum if I needed it. The ones that gifted them know that I've accepted others and they're okay with that. They've seen that I can be fair and equal no matter who I'm dealing with. I'm in a strange position, Gigi. I'm not chained to one side, so I can see both. Who's right and who's wrong.... I'm not so naive as to think that it's always the same answer. That's why I can forgive past trespasses and I went out on a limb to collect these. The line.... The line between this side and that side is weak right now. Hard times make for strange bedfellows and the Families have been secretly intermixing just to keep their Families afloat in the modern age. They just need one little push and--"

"What?" Longchamp snarled into his phone fiercely enough to catch all of their undivided attention. "No! No! Stay there! I'm on my way with Maro-sensei," he said as he waved for Danny to get out of his way.

"Son of a bitch," Laz gasped. Throwing on his sunglasses, he slid out of his seat in a smooth motion and jumped over Gigi's head to get free of the booth. "I'll meet you there, Longchamp!"

"Wait--! I haven't told you--!"

"Murlock's in Mercy ICU," he spat before disappearing out the door.

"Fucking super-hearing," Longchamp grumbled before returning to his phone. "Alright! I heard you! Send a messenger to Madame Drake and tell her what happened. Be polite! We can't afford to lose her backing over this! Yeah. Yeah. Just take care of it! I'll be there in ten."

"What's going on?" Gigi asked with a wave to tell Danny that he could stay behind to wait for Ore with the packages.

"Midget, put all of it on my tab," Longchamp called to a waitress as Gigi chased him out the door. "Maro is pretty important to you, isn't he?" He asked with several curious glances toward Gigi as they rushed through the crowds on the sidewalks. "Most people wouldn't chase after me like a love-sick puppy."

"Well, duh!" Gigi blurted in aggravation. "Now you going to tell me what just happened or--"

"The student that Maro called me out to talk about, Murlock, was hit with the cure after all," Longchamp explained in a rush. "Some of my people broke into his room when he stopped responding to inquiries and it seems that he slit his wrists. I guess he didn't want-- Eh?"

Staring at the dumbfounded look on Longchamp's face, it wasn't until the shock to her knees hit her that she realized that neither of them were standing anymore. In between one footstep and another, both of their legs had turned into jelly. They weren't the only ones affected, either. People were dropping like flies all around them with the same expressions of shock on their faces for the abruptness of the transition. Although rare, there were a few who'd managed to keep their feet. The only ones that seemed to be having an easy time about it, however, were the two Vendiche standing at the subway platform, the large black man getting off the subway, and Laz--who'd fallen to a stunned stop on the platform.

"What is this?" Longchamp gasped as if he were finding it difficult to breathe. The question shocked Gigi into noticing that she was nearly turning blue from holding her own breath. Never in her life had she seen such a man as the one that was slowly walking forward to Laz. It was as if someone had taken creative liberties with the Statue of David, painted it, then brought it to life. He was simply... perfect.

"Badru...." Laz whispered in a husky tone that sent shivers up Gigi's spine. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous."

"My children are in pain and have asked for my help," Badru replied in a voice that made Gigi fight to stay conscious. Several people around her failed the battle, falling over completely as their body twitched in reaction.

"You're disturbing the peace," the Vendiche warned. "Either discontinue your power, leave, or we'll be forced to take you into custody--" Gigi blinked in surprise as the weight holding her down abruptly lifted. The man--! The black man with Laz was the one that had sent everyone to their knees! She didn't know how he'd done it, but she was positive that he was the cause!

"Many apologies," Badru said with an apologetic nod of his head. "It's been over two hundred years since I've been near a human. I forgot to suppress it. Thee--" He continued, turning his attention back to Laz. "Thee have spoken for me, little tiger. I have heard of your scolding to my misguided children and I am very pleased. None have spoken for me since little hawk put little spider to the test and beheaded him for his unjust mischief. Thee are just as wonderful as--"

"Don't compare me to others, Badru," he grumbled with a bright blush that made it difficult for Gigi to approach. "I'm not a-- LOOK OUT!"

* * *

Tsuna refused to believe it. He refused to look at it. He refused to acknowledge it. It wasn't real. Staring into Badru's stunned face, he knew that denial would change nothing, though. There was a needle in his forearm and he could feel the burning sensation beginning to crawl up toward his elbow. He didn't have time to question. He didn't have time to speak. He didn't have time to look around and cry over the unfairness. He only had a few seconds to make a choice or else control would once again be taken out of his hands and he'd be human.

"Dango," he whispered to his friends hiding in the sword hidden along his side, "Do it." The response was immediate. The Dango Brothers erupted into life and shredded through his shoulder before the cure could spread past his arm. An absent portion of his mind knew that it should be painful. In an instant, a whole appendage was cut off, leaving only bare veins, bones, and muscle tissue exposed to the air. He couldn't feel it, though. Badru's gaze seemed to wipe it away before it ever reached his brain.

"NO!" A voice screamed behind him. Slowly turning to look while the Dango Brothers tried to seal off the blood spurting from his shoulder, Tsuna felt strangely distanced as he stared down at where the Vendiche were binding Napoleon in so many chains that he couldn't move. "Why did you stop it?!" He screamed with tears pouring out of his eyes. "You were going to be human again!"

"Who said that I wanted to be?" Tsuna asked softly. The question brought Napoleon to a sudden standstill in the same way that it did to the crowd that was slowly gathering. It was rare for someone to break the peace in Mafia Row, after all, and this wasn't something that could be written off as an accident. Napoleon had approached and lunged at him as soon as Badru had smothered his presence. Tsuna had mistaken it for an attack on Badru and pushed him aside, but the fact that Tsuna had been the intended target changed nothing. Napoleon had done it in front of Vendiche, no less. "I should be asking you, Napoleon. Why? Why would you force something on me that I never asked for? Did I fail you as a teacher or perhaps I--"

"No!" Napoleon exclaimed with tears running down his face. "No! I was trying to help you! You always talked like you hated what you were! I thought that you were just too scared to take the cure!"

"Then I failed you," Tsuna whispered. "When I spoke before, I was only trying to teach you that what I am is a hard way of life. I wanted to get rid of the romanticized images that people have of vampires and werewolves and teach you what it truly means to be one. It's not something that you can choose to be, Napoleon. It chooses you and it's not something to wish for. It's a trauma that changes everything about you. Those that have taken the cure are those that never dealt with that trauma and have never dealt with the pain. They've never accepted that they were meant for something different from a human life and therefore ran back to it at the first chance that they had. I don't blame them for that, but I never wished to join them, either. Being a werewolf is part of who I am, Napoleon. Just as being a vampire is a part of Murlock."

"M-Murlock?" Napoleon asked in a trembling breathe.

"He was cured against his will," Tsuna murmured as the blood loss began to catch up with him. He wasn't ready to give in to it, though. "Everything that he ever knew had already been lost to him and now, his own identity has been stripped away. He's laying in an intensive care unit right now because he didn't wish to continue an empty life. Being a vampire was the only thing that he had left and you.... you're the one that cured him. Didn't you?"

"I... I was o-on-only t-t-trying to he-elp," Napoleon sobbed. "I th-thought he'd... I th-thought he'd be ha-happier!"

"Would you be happier if I walked into your life and made you into a vampire?" Tsuna asked softly. "I thought, of all people, you would think more before you acted and would carefully evaluate your target. If humans can't accept us living openly beside them, I... No... We... We're left with no choice other than to recede into the shadows and continue the same methods that have allowed vampires to survive this long. Can you understand what you've done, Napoleon? With your good intentions, you've set vampires back into the Dark Ages. You've proven that our cultures will once again be unable to understand each other."

"Pull back your claws, little tiger," Badru interjected, reaching out to hold Tsuna steady as he wavered on his feet. "It has long been known to us that such a thing would be impossible. Thee is dreaming too big. Do not take it out on this poor child that we are too different. Please," Badru said with a sincere glance at the Vendiche holding Napoleon in custody. "Release him. We do not wish to press charges against him for his actions. While the consequences could have been dire if he'd succeeded, all are able to continue living."

"But Sensei's arm!" Napoleon shouted in dismay as the Vendiche began unbinding him. "I did something wrong! I--"

"Are you so quick to give up, Napoleon?" Tsuna asked with a small smile. "As Badru says, I am alive. I think an arm is a small price to pay to teach you something as important as empathy. The question is whether you have learned your lesson. Will you try to see more out of the eyes of others in the future? I--"

"That is enough," Badru ordered as Tsuna wavered again. Tsuna grimaced as Badru swept him off his feet. He was beginning to feel the toll of ignoring the pain and blood loss for so long. "I would tell you to hold on, but I fear that you are ill equipped," he chuckled. Tsuna blinked at the quip, suddenly understanding where Poe got his sense of humor. But couldn't he consider his timing a little better?! "Thee will rest here while I see what can be done with your arm," he continued, laying Tsuna down on a bed that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Looking around in surprise, Tsuna choked when he saw that they were back in Badru's club. It was impossible, though! He hadn't blacked out and only a few seconds had passed!

"How--?" He spluttered as he tried to sit up. Badru immediately pushed him back down on the day bed and waved forward several vampires to tend to him.

"Rest," Badru repeated without answering the question. "Do not fear for your Salamanders. We have motes that live among us and your Salamanders have the same rights as they. None here will feed, so worry not. I will be back." Tsuna wanted to ask where he was going, but the burden of his wound was rapidly stealing his strength. Rest... Rest sounded like a really good idea.

* * *

"Badru...?" Tsuna moaned sleepily. He smiled as he opened his eyes, warmed by the scent of roses and sun-warmed linen. Badru could be such a--

Badru wasn't there. Tsuna didn't even know where 'there' was. He could tell that it was somewhere above-ground due to the light and the breeze streaming through the opaque white curtains of the open balcony across from his bed, but it wasn't a place that he'd ever been to before. He knew that it was Badru's doing, though, because Badru was the only person that he knew who would fill a room with white roses. Of course, he didn't know Badru that well, but he gave off the vibe of a hopeless romanic who'd do such a thing.

"Badru," Tsuna called out. Getting a sense that the room was empty, Tsuna reached out to pull off his blankets and paused as soon as his feet hit the cold planks of the hardwood floor. It took him a moment to comprehend that he had his arm back. It was his own arm, too, and not a replacement that had been patched on. Staring at the Vendiche brand on his forearm that marked it as his own, he got a strange, fluttering sensation in his stomach that he didn't like. He knew that he should be happy, but there was something wrong. There was something very wrong.

Calling out for Badru again, he went to look through the room and out onto the balcony. The balcony itself held a beautiful view of the older parts of the city, but the scene only made Tsuna more apprehensive. He had to find Badru! There was something-- There was something seriously wrong! Running out the door of the bedroom, he absently noted that he was in a three-story house. Badru wasn't on the third floor. He wasn't on the second floor. Tsuna began to panic when he reached the first floor and he couldn't smell anyone. It was as if the whole place had been scrubbed to erase all trace of...

Tsuna slowly came to a stop as he reached the front door. Badru wasn't there. He'd been there, though, and erasing his scent shouldn't have been so easily done. That wasn't it at all. It wasn't that anyone had gone behind him to clean. It was that his own sense of smell was...

"Human," Poe whispered from behind him. Tsuna didn't jump at his sudden presence nor did he turn around. He felt too numb to react to anything. It wasn't possible, he thought. He'd cut off his arm in time! The cure hadn't entered his system! "Badru sends his apologies," Poe continued in a soft tone. "He wanted to be here, but he didn't think that you'd be able to handle it. He wants you to know that he didn't make this choice lightly. We don't have many physicians to call on anymore, so the best replacement that could be offered for your arm was a mechanical one or a transplant. Badru knew that you'd be upset with him if he pulled someone else's arm off to give to you and he was unhappy with the thought of attaching machines to your body, so the only option was to reattach the one that you lost. Even then, there was the option of leaving you with nothing until the cure could be neutralized in your arm or reattaching it immediately. The doctors said that the longer that he waited to fix it, the more likely that your body would reject it. Therefore, he chose to reattach it immediately with the cure still active. He said that it would be better if you are whole and human than be handicapped and a werewolf."

"Why?" Tsuna asked with tears building in his eyes. "I said that I didn't want this. I said that I wanted to stay--"

"He didn't decide alone," Poe interrupted, his own voice straining with unshed tears. "We all chose this for you. You are a great man and a precious friend. We feel honored that you accepted us and stood with us for even a moment. However, we can see that our time is drawing to an end and we don't wish for you to fall with us. You say that you do not want this, but you are meant for greater things than a quiet life in the shadows. I know that, in time, we will become nothing more than a dream within a nightmare and you will recall the man that you were before we pushed our troubles onto you. That is why... this is goodbye, my friend."

Spinning around to object, Tsuna's heart stopped in horror at the empty room. He was gone. Poe was gone and there wasn't a single fluttering curtain or dirty footprint to tell which way he'd left in. The disappearance left Tsuna in shock. Rewind, he wanted to say. Rewind. Rewind and take back Poe's explanation. Rewind and turn him back into a werewolf. Rewind and say that he hadn't just been abandoned!

Too stunned to cry, Tsuna sank down to the floor and let his mind go blank as time continued to tick forward.

* * *

Charlie tried not to laugh at his drinking partner, but it was a hard battle. He'd never met someone so naive before. No, he amended. Hotaru wasn't naive. He was just clueless about reality. It became more and more clear as they continued talking over rounds of beers. Hotaru had never stepped of his high horse in his entire life. It he had, it'd only been to look benevolent and gracious to the peasants--and he'd gotten back on as quickly as he could. He was the type of guy who wouldn't go into the bad parts of town without a squad of bodyguards and he'd probably burn his clothes afterward in fear of catching something. He was the type of guy that probably brought his own photographer when he did charity work and he was the type of guy who never made a move without first considering how it'd affect his reputation.

He wanted to ask what the hell did Ross saw in him, but Charlie noticed it quickly. Hotaru was a sincere man. He didn't make promises easily, but Charlie had no doubt that he'd keep them if he did. He never said a bad word about anyone and he was the type that was insanely loyal when he decided to devote himself to something or someone. Charlie could see that in the way that Hotaru kept trying to jog Charlie's memory of Lazarus even while trying to win Charlie over about Ross. Hotaru could multitask in a way that made it seem as if he wasn't purposely doing anything at all. Charlie saw through it, though. The sharp gleam that kept lighting up in Hotaru's eyes wasn't an illusion. He was thinking everything over and choosing his words carefully, regardless of how flippantly or jokingly they came out.

Unfortunately for him, he'd chosen the wrong target to work on. First of all, Charlie had spent the better part of his time with Laz in trying to pretend that he didn't exist. Toward the end of their time together, he'd felt as if they'd begun to bond, but he didn't know Laz on a personal level at all. He knew nothing about Laz's past and he barely knew how he'd hooked up with Charlie's Dad. He had rumors to go on, of course, and he knew that Laz had believed that he was Vongola the Tenth during his breakdown, but Hotaru probably already knew about that. He'd likely done the same thing that Charlie had, too--ignored it as ravings of a lunatic. He was starting to wonder, though. The more that Hotaru talked about Laz, the more that it sounded as if Laz might still believe that he was the Tenth. After all, why else would he choose for Hotaru to figure out his past instead of going to someone that might recognize him and verify his identity from personal experience? That couldn't be it, though. Laz wasn't so stupid as to think that the Eleventh would really come to the conclusion that Laz was his father. Even considering it was just idiotic.

The other reason that Hotaru was unfortunate in his choice of calling Charlie out for drinks was that he had no say in Ross' life. That was all on Autumn; Charlie didn't get a vote when it came to her Guardians. Hell! He barely got a vote when it came to the Family! For all that their marriage had been a plan to unify the city, Autumn was too much of a control freak to allow more. It made him wish that he'd never gone through with the farce. Sure, it'd allowed the Orange Dragons and the Martelli Family to merge, but he hadn't thought that he'd become a trophy husband in the process. He wasn't even a trophy husband that got laid! Autumn had demanded her own bedroom from day one and she had a damn lock on the door to make sure that he didn't go in unless she was awake and fully dressed!

That was also the reason that he'd agreed to have drinks with Hotaru. They really needed Laz back. He was the only one who'd ever been able to stand up to Autumn. If the rumors were right, he was also the reason that Autumn had divorced her first husband. Autumn had been having an affair with Laz before everything had gone to shit. That was probably why she wouldn't let Charlie touch her, either. Even though he was only a few years younger than him, she probably couldn't forget that Laz had been his step-dad. Yet, that wouldn't be a problem if they got Laz to come back. It'd be a simple thing to divorce the witch and let Laz have her. The Dragons would follow Laz's lead and Charlie would be perfectly happy handing the whole mess over to him.

To do that, he needed Hotaru's help, though. It was easy to see from how pissed off Autumn had been after her return to the Martelli estate that Laz had turned her down. Considering how he'd practically ran away from Charlie, too, the result wasn't too surprising. They needed someone that could get Laz from the inside and talk him into returning. After a bit of questioning Eric, Isaac, and Poppet, it turned out that Hotaru was the best possible choice that they had. Laz seemed to hang off of all of Hotaru's words, Laz frequently gave him gifts of little paper cranes--something that he didn't do for anyone else--and, recently, they'd been seen talking to each other on a personal level.

Hotaru had reason to help them, too. If Laz took back his position as the Sixth, then Ross would be free. Although he'd been angry at Hotaru for being so insensitive about Ross' position, the truth was that Ross probably didn't give a damn about it. The only reason that she might be scared of losing it was because it was currently the only way to pay back her deceased caretaker's debt. Hotaru had the money to make that debt disappear, though. It was probably just chump change to him and they could be happy together while Ross paid Hotaru back instead of the Martelli Family. Charlie just wished that he'd realized it before kicking Hotaru out. On that, he blamed Autumn for not explaining Ross' circumstances earlier. She always waited until the last minute to tell him anything! Well, she'd get hers when Charlie got Laz to come back, he thought mischievously.

There was a hitch to the entire plan, however. That hitch was the fact that Laz had lost his arm and disappeared. Gigi hadn't been able to explain much. There had been something about a needle and a bunch of stuff about vampires and the Statue of David that he hadn't understood. All that Charlie had been able to make of her report was that Laz had been attacked in Venice Row, gotten the attacker off the hook, then disappeared in someone's arms. That had been three days ago. Eric had reported that Occult Studies had been taught by a substitute since then and questioning the substitute had only gotten the reply that Maro-sensei and Mr. Poe were 'out, sick'. Even if Charlie got Hotaru's agreement to help, it might be pointless if Laz didn't come back.

"Don't be stupid," was what everyone kept saying, though. From Isaac all the way to Poppet, the phrase was the same. "Don't be stupid." Even Gigi had said it after she'd calmed down enough to speak straight. "Don't be stupid." They all believed that Laz would be back. To doubt that would be stupid. To worry about him would be stupid. He was definitely neck-deep in something, but he'd settle it and eventually show up without a mark on him. That was just the way that Laz was. He was incapable of staying out of trouble, but he rarely got into trouble that he couldn't handle. So, rather than wringing his hands over where Laz might be, it was a better idea to prepare for his return and that meant manipulating Hotaru into helping them.

"...Rosalind said anything?" Hotaru asked casually as he sipped on his fourth beer.

"Nothing that I know of," Charlie shrugged. "She's taking all of this business about Laz pretty hard, though. It's pretty important to her that she clears her mentor's debt and she'll have a harder time doing that if Laz comes back. But you... You're hung up on her more than I thought. Aren't you?"

"Ah," he confired with a soft, glowing smile. "I want to marry her. I know that it's not feasible right now, but I'm willing to be patient. Assuming that she's even considering my proposal. I screwed up pretty big by putting you and Maro-sensei together."

"Not that big," he replied with a small shake of his head. "Ross might not like it, but it'll make it easier to do what she wants if we had Laz back. I don't know what kind of picture you have of the Martelli Family, but we try to be reasonable with our people. Normally, she could talk to whoever she wanted and deal with whoever she wanted. Her position as the Sixth is what's holding her back. If she didn't have to worry about that anymore, she'd only have to worry about her debt and, well, she can make money from anywhere."

"So it's a good thing if Maro-sensei takes the position away from her?" Hotaru asked with his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"For you, yeah," Charlie shrugged with a sympathetic smile. "Ross probably hasn't looked that far ahead, though. She's the type of person that lives in the moment, so I doubt that she's seen past the fact that the world she knows is crumbling. It might be tough for you at first, but I'm willing to bet that she'll come around. You just got to be patient."

"Heh. Patient. It feels like everyone's been telling me that lately."

"Probably because it's true," Charlie laughed as they went back to emptying their bottles. Gazing around the club to cover himself, Charlie tried to keep the feeling of satisfaction from reaching his face. He'd said enough. The idea was planted in Hotaru's head and, assuming that Charlie was reading him right, he was incapable of being patient. He'd probably run off and begin working on Laz as soon as the guy showed himself.

"You like her?" Hotaru asked curiously. Charlie looked over at him and blinked, not understanding the reference. It wasn't until he looked back in the direction that he'd been gazing that he realized that there was a waitress that kept making eyes at them.

"No, man," he laughed, finding the concept incredibly amusing. "I don't go for hired girls. Even if they're clean, you don't know where they've been. Just look around this place. That girl could have been with anyone in here. Can you imagine sleeping with someone that might have sucked off that guy or did a bump-and-grind with that one? Ug. It makes me want to hurl just to think about it."

"I never thought about it that way," Hotaru murmured with his face turning a pale green.

"I've been around prostitutes for years now," Charlie sighed. "It was fun at first, but you can't help but think about that kind of thing after a while. Now the only girls I touch are the ones that need to be broken in. At least then, I know that I'm the first to touch them."

"Broken in?" Hotaru asked curiously. Charlie grimaced and shook his head rather than answer. If Hotaru didn't know how the game worked, then there was no reason to tell him. It was bad for business. "Doesn't Don Martelli get angry at you for doing that?" Hotaru asked to cover his ignorance.

"Psh," Charlie scoffed in laughter. "She'd be the last one to complain. Trust me. If anyone ever tries to get you to agree to an arranged marriage, don't do it. There's not a sledgehammer that's big enough to break the ice."

"Eh?"

"We get along well enough," he explained with a grimace. "She'd a good partner when it comes to business, but there's no such thing as 'after hours'. Even when it comes to getting pregnant, she said that she wasn't doing it unless we went the artificial route. It's horrible. The only reason that I put up with it is because I was sick of seeing lines drawn through the city. Laz, though... If we can get Laz back then all of that will change."

"How so?" Hotaru asked on cue. Charlie smiled, grateful that he'd gotten the opportunity to set something straight. This was going to be the final blow. Hotaru wouldn't think twice about helping them now.

"Because Autumn and Laz are in love with each other," he answered quietly before taking a long drink. As Charlie had expected, Hotaru was stunned by the news. Now was the time to seal the deal. "Laz started chasing her from the moment that he got out of jail. I can't really blame him. My dad had already been gone for a year and he didn't have anything except time to think while he was in the slammer. It never seemed to work out between them, though. She was her Daddy's little girl and Laz was an ex-con with mental issues. She was already engaged because... well... that's your fault, really. It was the only way to silence everyone that wanted Autumn to accept your conditions for peace. Or don't you remember the terms you sent? If I was told right, it was that Gabriel was put in control of the Family and Autumn had to become your bride."

"Oh, shit," Hotaru choked with his face turning pale. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah, well, they didn't," Charlie continued mercilessly. "Laz was already screwed up to begin with because of what Gabriel did to him and--"

"What?" Hotaru gasped.

"Didn't you know? Gabriel really did rape him before he was kicked out and he did it again after he weasled his way back into the city thanks to _your _help. He was caught red-handed this time, so he couldn't talk his way out of it. Actually, that might be why Laz faked his death and disappeared. It happened when he escaped from the institution where they were treating his breakdown. Gabriel picked him up and did some pretty brutal things to him. Then, while the Family was dealing with Gabriel in the aftermath, Laz and Xanxus turned up dead."

"I didn't know..." Hotaru mumbled with a pale face.

"Well, that's not surprising," Charlie shrugged. "We like to keep our business to ourselves. It's just that, Laz and Autumn never got a fair shot to be together. Between the fact that she was engaged, Laz's issues, Gabriel's interference, and how Xanxus entered the mix... They were grounded before their plane ever got to take off. Laz doesn't know it yet, but this is his second chance. I don't have any attachment to Autumn outside of business. If he wants her, then he can have her. He's just going to have to make some sort of commitment so that Autumn knows that he's not going to disappear on her again. If we can get him to take the position of the Sixth back, then that would be enough for Autumn to thaw."

"You're holding something back," Hotaru said as he started to get color back in his face again. "You're telling me that Ross would be free to marry me, Maro-sensei would get a woman that he never could before, and all that has to happen is for Maro-sensei to become the Sixth again? Nothing is that perfect."

"I--"

"No," Hotaru interrupted with a shake of his head. "You don't have to keep trying to convince me. That's what you're trying to do. Right? But I'm not saying that you're lying to me. I'm just saying that there's more to the story than both of us might know. Maro-sensei already has the Martelli Family nipping at him. I'm not going to do the same until I hear his side of things. I... It seems that I have a lot to apologize for. I'm not going to add to that list by leaping to selfish conclusions."

"Wao."

Charlie paused and his eyebrows flew up at the speed with which Hotaru turned into a ghost and beer began to pour out of his slack jaw. The cause had to be the guy that was approaching, although Charlie didn't see anything special about him. On the other hand, the freak-show with him was incredibly abnormal. Excluding his loincloth, the guy was orange from his bare feet to the top of his strange headpiece and he had two arms too many. The two guys came to a stop and neither spoke a word while they pointedly stared at Hotaru's back. Surprisingly, the impressively-orange guy kept ducking his head and gave way to the normal-looking guy, which was the opposite of what Charlie expected from the first impression.

"You have must have some confidence to ignore routine, Hotaru Sawada," he said in dangerous calm. "Your mother requested that I instill some discipline into you."

"Sorry, Taru," the orange guy grimaced. "He caught me shopping for an egg warmer."

"I'm going to get bitten to death," Hotaru mumbled in shock.

"Indeed," the man replied calmly as he drew the set of collapsible tonfas from his side. Charlie opened his mouth to ask what he was going to do with them since the Vendiche would arrest anyone who broke the peace in Venice Row, but he didn't get a single word out. He found himself stunned speechless when the table in front of him broke in two. Hotaru had already dodging out of the way, too, leaving Charlie sitting next the wreckage without a clue of what was going on.

"Dad!" Hotaru spluttered as he dodged with frantic haste. Charlie watched with his eyes bulging more with every second that passed. The blows that the man was sending after Hotaru seemed to cut the air with lethal sharpness. The guy was trying to kill him! And this was Hotaru's father?! Where the hell were the Vendiche?! "Dad! I'm-- I'm sorry!" He yelped as a tonfa came frighteningly close to grazing his face. "It won't happen again! I-- Damnit! Give me a second to defend myself!"

"Useless," he replied as his tone darkened. "You will be punished thoroughly."

"But I didn't do anything!" Hotaru exclaimed without pausing for an instant. The man--Hotaru's Dad--continued to charge at him while brutally cutting down anyone that got in his way. There weren't many of those, though. For some reason, everyone was pressing themselves to the walls, which left Charlie sitting with his beer in what he was slowly classifying as the 'danger zone'. Should he move? Nah, he decided after a moment. If the bastard hit him, he could just press charges with the Vendiche. Then he could blackmail Hotaru into helping with the Laz situation just to protect his father. "Damnit! Will you stop swinging at me?! I'm doing-- I'm doing what mom wants! There's no-- There's no point in me going on dates anymore! I've-- I've-- I've-- Damnit! I've already proposed to someone!"

Despite himself, Charlie held his breathe when Hotaru stopped and cringed at a blow that he couldn't dodge. The tonfa stopped, though. It was a mere milimeter from his face, but it stopped completely with jaw-dropping precision--almost as if his father was mechanical instead of human. The weapons disappeared out of his hands in an instant while he slowly straightened up with the same eerie calm that he'd had during the whole fight.

"Explain," he ordered as Hotaru wavered on his feet in shock over the close call.

"I met her at school," Hotaru blurted in a rush. The words came out so fast that it seemed as if he was trying to explain everything in under five seconds. "I thought she was a plant at first, but I still fell for her at first sight and I tried to ignore it because I screwed up before and did a bunch of selfish shit that hurt her Family, but I ended up talking to her anyway and I really like talking to her and before I knew it, I was asking her to marry me. She hasn't given me an answer because there's still issues between our Families and her Family has to stay neutral but they wouldn't really be neutral if she started seeing me so I'm trying to figure out a way to work around all that and I'm sorry that I skipped out on mom, but I was trying to get on better terms with her Family and I figured mom would be happier if I could come home and tell her that she could plan a wedding instead of going home and dumping another one of the brainless pigeons that mom keeps picking for me and--"

"Enough," the man interrupted, causing Hotaru's mouth to snap shut with an audible click. "You will report this to your mother and apologize for not informing her earlier."

"Yes, sir," Hotaru mumbled while giving the man a respectful bow.

"You will join me for tea after dinner tomorrow night," he added as he headed for the door. "Your father left something behind that its time for you to have."

"Eh?" Hotaru choked. The man paused without looking back and Hotaru immediately lowered his head another inch. "Yes, sir," he quickly amended. The man nodded and picked up his step again, disappearing out the door. Once he was gone, the entire room seemed to exhale in relief. "Pink--" Hotaru called apologetically.

"Don't worry about the damages," the bartender sighed as the other customers began heading for the door. Most of them were scared sober, so none of them wanted to stick around. "Hibari's anger is insured under 'natural catastrophe' and he's even got some of the Vendiche in his pocket, so I'm not going to hold you accountable. Just do me a favor and give me the gossip first. What was that about you proposing to someone? Any chance that it has something to do with the fearless one over there?"

"He's not fearless," Hotaru grumpled with a considering glance over at Charlie. "He's cunning. You were going to let him hit you and then blackmail me. Weren't you, Charlie?"

"Can you blame me?" Charlie laughed, jumping out of his seat to head for the bar alongside Hotaru. "Your Dad is psycho, but I'm willing to bet that my Dad could kick your Dad's ass."

"I won't take that bet," Hotaru groaned. "He's already lost to him a few times."

"Someone want to explain?" Pink interjected with a broad and curious grin.

"Pink, this is Maro-sensei's step-son, Charlie," Hotaru introduced. "He's also the current Consort of Don Martelli. Charlie, this is Pink, the owner of this club."

"We've met before," Charlie replied with a malicious smile. Pink was a Martelli, after all. The question was how quickly she could put the pieces together. The answer was 'pretty damn fast'. In less than ten seconds, her face went blank and she looked ready to faint. "Ah," Charlie confirmed, already knowing her thoughts. "Maro-sensei is Laz. But you already knew that. Didn't you, Pink?"

"I... uh... yes," she replied in a high-pitched squeak.

"I won't dig," he soothed as she tried to swallow an invisible lump. "People tell you stuff because you're trustworthy. If you blabbed what you know about him, then people will stop trusting you."

"How about a free round?" Pink asked as she hurriedly reached for new beers. Charlie let her, trading a knowing glance with Hotaru in the process. Pink definitely knew more about Laz. They both silently agreed to let it go, though. There were simply some people that it'd be a crime to back into a corner. He hadn't been in Italy for long, but he already knew that Pink was one of them.

Instead, Hotaru began explaining the situation with Ross and Charlie absently listened while he turned around to watch the waitresses and Bouncers who were cleaning up the aftermath of Hotaru's fight. It was surprisingly informational to hear Hotaru explain things. Apparently, it wasn't as much of an overnight romance like Charlie had been thinking. Hotaru had struggled and hidden his feelings for countless months. He'd tried to forget her, he'd tried to push her away, and he'd tried to make her hate him. None of it had worked, though. The more that he'd denied his feelings, the stronger that they'd become until he admittedly proposed in the worst way possible--he'd blurted it out without thinking.

However, unlike others who might have done differently after they'd gotten a chance to think, Hotaru was backing his choice. He was aware of how difficult it was going to be to cut through all the bullshit between Vongola and Martelli, but he was determined. He was determined and fearful. It was kind of sad to listen to him when he started talking about the fears that he had. He was scared that 'Rosalind' didn't know how difficult it was really going to be and he was scared that she might give up before he could get a chance to prove himself. He was scared that 'Rosalind' wouldn't be able to accept that he was part girl and that she might not--

"Whoa," Charlie choked, unintentionally spitting out a mouthful of beer in surprise. Wiping his mouth, he stared at Hotaru with his mouth hanging open and his eyes bulging worse than when he'd watched the fight between Hotaru and his father. He couldn't believe his ears. Hotaru was a girl?! Since when?!

"I know what you're thinking," Hotaru grimaced. "It's true, though. I'm fifty-fifty. I'm half girl and half boy and I can't change that. That's why I really need to talk to Rosalind soon. I wanted to get her reaction before word got out that I proposed, but I guess it's too late for that. Considering how empty this place is, everyone already ran to their Bosses to report the news. I... Do you think Rosalind is going to care? I can flatten out my chest and there's nothing really different about me where it counts. I... She's going to reject me. Isn't she?"

"I... uh... no clue," Charlie replied while trying not to notice the bulge in Hotaru's chest that he hadn't noticed before. He'd just thought that Hotaru had some incredible upper-body strength, but that wasn't it at all. Those were squashed tits! No--! Bad Charlie! He didn't need to be thinking about things like that. Although, he wondered-- Bad! No! Danger-Danger, Will Robinson! "I think I've had too much to drink," Charlie choked as he practically ran for the door. "I'll talk to you later, Hotaru!"

Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, he cursed himself all the way out the door. That conversation did not just happen!


	136. Chapter 136 Faith

Gokudera tapped his pen against his desk in frustration while he looked over report after report. He knew that he should be at home with his wife and son, but the nagging feeling was getting worse. Because of it, he'd been spending so much of his day in the company gym to get in shape that he was having to stay until midnight just to get caught up on paperwork. In the past week, he'd only been able to go home twice. The rest of the time, he'd been showering down in the gym's locker room and he'd had his secretary order him take-out for dinner. Sangia was understandably pissed, but he was avoiding her since he couldn't really explain himself. He wasn't known for being a guy that acted on his emotions. At least, he wasn't anymore. If he told Sangia that he had a feeling that the Tenth was going to come back and need him soon, she'd probably just lock him up in an asylum.

He knew that it sounded crazy! Even when he explained it to himself, he felt that he was crazy. It didn't make the feeling go away, though. It didn't erase the same feeling from Yamamoto or Ryohei, either! He wasn't alone! That was probably the only reason that he hadn't turned himself in yet. Just a little longer, his gut said. Just a little longer and he'd be needed again! Training, it warned him. He had to train hard because the Tenth's life might depend on how well he could get in shape!

It made it hard to focus on mundane tasks, but he knew that he couldn't let it slide. He didn't want Hotaru to get his hopes up if Gokudera was misinterpreting what he was feeling and Hotaru would know that something was up if he began screwing up on mindless, easy tasks like paperwork. Not only was there the latest round of budget cuts to go through and tax exemptions to send to the corporate accountants, but he had to look through the progress that the Board was making on their individual tasks, read through six preliminary presentations for Vongola's latest round of investments, and somehow figure out where the Tenth stashed Tsuo. It all made him want to curse since he could be working on fine-tuning his aim. The latest in mini-bombs were trickier to throw than his old--

Damnit! Paperwork first, bombs later! Let's see here.... In the event that the party of the first part is unable to.... yadda yadda.... Then the party of the second part... yadda yadda.... four million-- Denied. Next. Preliminary data in mass consumption retail authority has... yadda yadda... the increase has resulted in a finely honed..... yadda yadda.... create a surplus of ten thousand-- Denied. Next. In the event that....

"Coffee?"

"No thanks, Boss," Gokudera mumbled. The correlation between.... yadda yadda.... indecent and unaffiliated.... yadda yadda... yadda yadda.... yadda.... yadda...

Yadda...

The words on the paper slowly became an empty page of black splotches as his own words hit him. That hadn't been Hotaru's voice. Had he been hearing things? He was too afraid to look. He felt as if he'd just gotten a shock of ten million volts through his system. It was too much to hope for. Wasn't it? It couldn't really be...

"It's been a long time, Hayato," the Tenth commented softly.

"Boss..." Gokudera mumbled breathlessly. Spinning in place, he felt his heart leap in his throat as he was finally reunited with... one of Hotaru's teachers? He didn't understand. Where did the Tenth go? What--

"Oh, come on, Hayato," he sighed in exasperation as he reached up to take his glasses off. "You recognized my voice. I know that I've changed, but damn! How blind are you?"

"Tenth...?" Gokudera choked.

"In the flesh," he confirmed with a wide grin. "I'm surprised that it took you this long to figure it out. Lambo, Ryohei, and Hibari already figured it out. Well, I'm not sure if Hibari has, but he act like it and I'd rather not question--erk! What the hell are you crying for?! I'm alive, damnit! Aren't you happy to see me?!"

"S-So... happy," Gokudera gasped as tears continued to blind him. "Are you really here?"

"Why don't you give me a hug and find out?" He asked with a tearful smile of his own. Gokudera didn't need a second invitation. Flying out of his seat, he-- Gokudera stopped short of actually hugging him, belatedly remembering that he wasn't supposed to touch the Tenth. Then he mentally slapped himself and threw his arms around him anyway.

It was him. Gokudera was positive as soon as his forehead hit the Tenth's shoulder. Knowing that, Gokudera couldn't keep the tears pent up. He began weeping for joy even while he let go of ten years worth of pain. Of failure. Of guilt. His feelings hadn't been a lie. The Tenth had come back just like they said that he would. He'd waited. He'd waited and he'd shouldered all the burden that he could while the Tenth was gone. He had to tell the Tenth that he'd kept his promise. He had to tell him that he'd did just what the Tenth wanted. He'd stayed loyal. He'd not failed him. He'd--

"Breathe, Hayato," the Tenth ordered, holding Gokudera's face still so that he'd stop talking. Gokudera took a shuddering breathe as he'd been commanded and instantly felt his legs turn to jelly when the oxygen hit him. It was okay, though. It was okay because the Tenth was there to catch him and steady him before he could fall. "I guess some things never change," the Tenth laughed. The sound was music to Gokudera's ears. It was either real or he'd completely lost his sanity. At the moment, he didn't care which it was, either. If this was a fantasy, then he never wanted to wake up. "You're still my number one fan. Aren't you?"

"Yes, Boss," Gokudera blushed with a smile practically cracking his face in half. It was a smile that slowly faded when he truly began to take in how much the Tenth had changed. First of all, he was taller. He was easily an inch taller than Gokudera himself! He had the muscle to go with it, although he still had the lean frame that he'd always had. There was more maturity in his face than Gokudera remembered, but much of that might have been because he didn't have scars to hide the lines on his face. That was the most noticeable change in him, too. He had a tattoo over his cheek where he'd one had a Zero-Point Breakthrough scar, but all of the rest were gone.

Looking past that, Gokudera noted that he'd kept his old hairstyle, although it was in a much more tame and adult version. He was wearing jewelry that he never would have worn as the Tenth, too. Trying to imagine a red feather dangling from the ear of the Tenth gave him an incredible amount of trouble in lining up the past and the present. Trying to imagine gold gauntlets and his wide, gold collar was even worse. The most telling thing of all was simply the Tenth's attitude. His body language was all wrong and his mannerisms were unrecognizable. The amount of differences gave Gokudera a strange surge of doubt that was hard to quell.

"I see that you've been keeping busy," the Tenth commented as he slowly walked around Gokudera's office to give Gokudera time to recover. "I wish that I could tell you everything that's happened in the past ten years, but it'd probably take ten years to tell it. I... It's not fair of me to ask this of you, Hayato, but I'm going to ask the same thing from you that I've asked of the other people who recognized me. Don't tell anyone that you found me."

"Eh?!" Gokudera spluttered. "But--"

"Hotaru doesn't recognize me," he said, keeping his back to Gokudera as he paused to light a cigarette. "I've challenged him to figure out my true identity, but he's stumped right now. He's going to stay stumped until he's ready to open his heart. I hurt him, Hayato. I hurt him just like I hurt you. Until he's ready to look past that hurt, he won't recognize me. He won't even consider the possibility that I'm his father, just like you couldn't consider that I was Tsuna. I'm not sure what happened to help you move past that, but I'm grateful for it."

"Are you in some kind of trouble, Boss?" Gokudera asked as he slowly crawled to his feet with the help of his desk. Leaning on it for support, he couldn't get that nagging feeling out of his head long enough to stay ecstatic about their reunion. "Is there something going on that I need to know about?"

"Sharp as usual, Hayato," the Tenth praised, causing Gokudera to blush in pleasure. How long had he been waiting to hear the Boss' praises again? No--! Focus! The Tenth needed him! "I attract trouble like mice attracts mousetraps. A lot of it would take too much time to explain right now. If you want to know where I've been, I probably have a file in the Vongola Database under 'Suoh Lazarus Timberson'. The rest... The rest, I'll have to explain later. Right now, I need your help, Hayato. No-- Actually, Hotaru needs your help."

"You know that I'll do anything, Boss," Gokudera replied instantly. "I--"

"Don't be so quick to jump in and help me," he admonished. "I'm not here as the Tenth, Hayato. I'm not the Boss anymore. You know as well as I do that the torch has already been passed to Hotaru's generation. I'm just a simple teacher named Maro-sensei that happened to promise Hotaru that I'd talk to you. I... I know that it sounds harsh to say it that way, but we can't go back to the way that things were. If it's too painful for you to talk to me as an old friend, then I've got a letter that'll explain everything without you actually having to talk to me."

"What?!" Gokudera spluttered. "What are you saying, Boss?! I--"

"I'm not your Boss!" He exclaimed, spinning around to pin Gokudera with a set of eyes that were brimming with pain and unshed tears. "Please stop calling me that! I can't come back and pick up where I left off, Hayato! I know that you want me to, but try to put yourself in my position! I was cut off from the Family for _ten years_! I could barely remember you or Takeshi or anyone! All I knew was that I didn't want to be Mafia and I'd ended up as one anyway, so I ran off and built a new life from scratch! I made different friends and made a new Family, Hayato! I fell in love and I learned the pain of loss all over again. I did so many things that I'm honestly not surprised that you have trouble recognizing me. I can barely recognize myself! I have the memories of you back, but the pieces inside me don't fit anymore. Can't you understand? I can't just pick a side, Hayato. I can't go back to Vongola and pretend that the past ten years didn't happen!"

"W-What do you want me to do, then?" Gokudera asked, unsure of what the Tenth wanted from him.

"Call me Maro and just be my _friend_, not my subordinate," he softly pleaded. "I've missed you, Hayato, but your expectations of me are _too much_. I can't live up to them and it's killing me."

"A-Alright," he agreed hesitantly. "I'll call you whatever you want, but I... I don't have any expectations of you, M-Maro. Not anymore. You've already met the ones that I had."

"Eh?" The Tenth asked in open confusion.

"You came back," Gokudera explained with a soft smile growing on his face again. "I knew that you would one day. I don't care how or why. I'm just happy to see you again and I hope... I hope that I can still be of some use to you. Even--! Even if it's only as a friend, then it's more than enough for me. I won't ask anything more of you-- Eh?!" Gokudera choked, seeing the Tenth's face turn ashen as he covered his mouth in an attempt to hold back tears. "What's wrong?!" Gokudera yelped as the Tenth slowly sank to the floor amid harsh sobs. Rushing to his side in concern, Gokudera knelt down next to him and asked worriedly, "Did I say something--?"

"No," the Tenth gasped, clenching his eyes shut in effort to stop his tears. "So... h-happy," he sobbed. At the sight of the Tenth's tears, Gokudera felt a hard knot inside him begin to loosen. He couldn't say what that hard knot was, but it felt good as it began to unravel. He'd always imagined the Tenth as a man without fears and flaws. Somewhere down the line, he'd forgotten how human the Tenth was. He'd forgotten that the Tenth's heart was bigger than anyone and, therefore, was hurt much more easily than anyone else's. It made Gokudera ashamed of himself. How could he have thought for even a moment that the Tenth didn't need him? How could he have imagined that the Tenth would treat their separation as if it were an overnight trip? The Tenth was strong, but no one was that strong.

"I'm real, too," Gokudera offered, opening his arms in the same way that the Tenth had for him. The Tenth was in them in a heartbeat, crying even harder than before. Just as Gokudera had, he cried out his pain and his failure. He cried out his loneliness and his misery. A part of Gokudera noted that it was typically Yamamoto who had always accepted the Tenth's tears, but he felt strangely honored that the Tenth would cry on his shoulder instead.

Doing his best, Gokudera murmured encouragements and held on tightly. He held on and he listened as the Tenth began to explain exactly why he was so happy. It was painful to listen to, but Gokudera didn't let the discomfort bother him. He'd gotten practice in this sort of thing, after all. In the past ten years, he couldn't count the amount of times that Elario and Sangia had cried on his shoulder about something. Just like the Tenth, he'd changed, too. He'd grown past the man that he used to be and had experienced things that had made him into a better person.

Even though he was able to ignore it, there were still parts that Gokudera's heart jumped at and the Tenth cried about things that made his stomach flip. The Tenth's hurt was three-fold, after all, and it was disconcerting to really grasp what he'd meant by being unable to pick a side. He was hurting because of Vongola. He was hurting because of Martelli. He was hurting because he'd been kicked out of the Vampire society. Gokudera didn't understand the last one at first, but the Tenth explained. He explained and he cried even more over his inability to fix things. He was trying. He was trying very hard to figure out how he could live with his hands stretched out to both Vongola and Martelli, but he didn't know how to fix things with his vampire friends.

"You probably don't want to hear this," Gokudera murmured as the Tenth's crying finally began to subside into mere sniffles, "but I'd probably do the same thing in their place. Actually I... I knew that there was a chance that you might have a new life. I told myself that... If you were happy with your new life, then I would let you go when I got to see you again." Gokudera smiled sheepishly when the Tenth did a double-take at him. He could understand why, too. It was something that the old Gokudera would have never said. "I've had a lot of time to think since you've been gone, Bo-- Maro. I swore to myself that I'd do things differently if you came back. I want... I want you to be happy. I want you to wake up every day and be able to smile. If I'm the reason that you can't, then I'd rather be left behind. I don't... I don't want to see you wake up and hate your life. Not again. So your vampire friends... yeah, I think they made the right choice. It might hurt right now, Bo-- Maro, but you're a strong man and you'll recover. You'll continue to live your life and, one day, you'll be able to smile again. You'll smile and they won't be there to take that smile away because they're not there to trouble you anymore."

"I don't know what would make me happy anymore," the Tenth whispered in a voice that was raw from crying. "I just know that I don't want to lose anything else. I... Is it okay for me to be satisfied with what I have, Hayato? Is it okay if I stop risking everything by trying to get closer and just admire the view that I have? I... I've got a relationship with Hotaru now. He might only see me as a teacher, but he still comes to me for advice and help. And Charlie... my step-son, Charlie, is here in Italy, too. Can't I... Can't I just cherish the fact that I have them close to me? Isn't it enough that I'm here? Does the truth have to come out?"

"I think that you already know the answer to that," he replied with a pained grimace. The Tenth stared at him for a long moment before his face crumpled into an expression that Gokudera couldn't look at. They both knew the answer and nothing was going to change that. The answer was that the truth always came out in the end.

"I still want to try," he murmured with strength returning to his tone. "I'm tired of feeling guilty and abandoned. I want to live, Hayato. Like you said, I want to wake up and be able to look forward to each new day instead of worrying whether something is going to go wrong. I... I'm going to stop planning. Yeah," he said with a hopeful smile. "Yeah, I'm going to stop planning. I'll just deal with things as they come along instead of trying to manipulate the future. That's how Suoh and Chibi dealt with things and they were the happiest of all of us."

"Us?" Gokudera asked curiously, not understanding the references. The Tenth laughed at the question and smiled brightly enough to light up the whole room.

"It's nothing important. Maybe I'll tell you over beers sometime. Um... Can you tell Takeshi something for me?"

"What's that, Bo-- Maro?" Gokudera asked, grimacing over his repeated slips. The Tenth chuckled at him over it, but Gokudera knew that he had to get it right. The Tenth's happiness depended on it.

"Tell him that he's being an idiot," he replied. "If he doesn't start chasing soon, Matsu and Yoshi are going to slip through his fingers just like I did."

"That... I don't think that will change anything," Gokudera murmured with an internal flinch. "Yamamoto's problems are--"

"All in his head," he interjected. "If he talks to them and tries honesty instead of running away like he has been, then.... Then at least he can leave the field with pride if it doesn't work out. Who ever heard of a good sportsman leaving in the bottom of the ninth just because he was on the losing team?"

"That..." Gokudera mumbled in slight awe for the way that the Tenth picked the perfect metaphor to get through to the baseball freak. "That might change something."

"I hope so," the Tenth sighed as he got to his feet with Gokudera's help. "I'm sorry for unloading on you, Hayato. I didn't come here for this, but I'm glad... I'm _happy _that you were willing to listen, Hayato. Right now, I seem to have a lot of friends around me, but there's few that I can really talk to. They all... They all want to pull me back into the past."

"I think that's all in _your _head, Maro," Gokudera chuckled as the Tenth raided the tissue box on his desk to blow his nose. "If they're anything like me, then they just want you back in their lives. It doesn't matter how. You've just got to set the ground rules so that we know what's permitted and what's not. All we know is the past unless you give us some guidelines for the future."

"Really?" The Tenth asked in surprise. "I didn't think about it like that before. Okay... um... Can I try?"

"Anything you want," Gokudera agreed as he hiked up a leg onto the edge of his desk to relax. The Tenth wasn't quite so laid-back, however. He began to slowly pace the room while tapping a finger against his lips in consideration.

"You've got to call me Maro," he said slowly. "You can't talk about how you knew me before except to say that we were friends at Don Girarde. Um... You can't tell anyone who I used to be, but it's okay to talk with people who already know as long as you secure the room first. Let's see... You can't put me first. You're still a member of Vongola, so prioritize that and don't do anything that'll make people suspicious of me. Ah... Am I forgetting anything?"

"Can I call you?" Gokudera asked with a smirk for how the Tenth was trying to plan for every eventuality even though he'd said that he was going to stop.

"Yes, but not while I'm teaching," he answered without noticing Gokudera's smile. "I want you to call me when Hotaru disappears, though. It doesn't matter when it happens. I want to know."

"Disappear?" Gokudera repeated in instant alarm.

"Oh!" He gaped, falling to a stop next to office's set of windows. "I almost forgot to tell you the reason that I came! Hotaru's Day of Reckoning is close! His guide has already shown up and he's already been prepared. He hasn't told anyone because he doesn't want anyone to think that he's crazy, but he's going to need someone to fill in the gap. He's not--"

"What are you talking about?" Gokudera asked in confusion. "He's already had his Day of Reckoning."

"Eh?"

"He's already done it," Gokudera repeated while the Tenth stared at him in disbelief. "That's how the Arcobelano all got older. Didn't you know?"

"No!" The Tenth spluttered. "How... Then what... This doesn't make any sense then! He has a Guide and I'm sure that Hotaru... How can he have two Days of Reckoning?"

"Maybe he didn't finish?" Gokudera offered lamely.

"That's it!" The Tenth exclaimed even though Gokudera hadn't been serious. "They didn't give him the proof! No wonder the Guide said that he was already prepared! He's already done the test! He was just too young to handle the inheritance! That's such a relief, Hayato. I'm glad that you noticed it because I've been worrying like crazy. There's nothing to fear, though. They'll just borrow Hotaru for a little while and then send him back. Do you think you can handle things until it's over?"

"Of course. It'll be business as usual. I'll make sure of it. But that's not until later," he grinned, slipping of his desk with an idea forming. "For now, you need to let me buy you dinner. We have a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah," the Tenth agreed quietly. "Dinner sounds good."

* * *

"Sensei, you mixed up Tarot and telekinesis," a boy corrected from the first row. Tsuna grimaced at what he'd written on the blackboard and rubbed the words out with his sleeve so that he could make the correction. He blamed the mistake on Gokudera. That bastard had said dinner--not six beers, two Manhattans, and a half a Vongola Zombie in a Tiki Cup. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that he'd passed out, considering his stomach had nearly revolted at the amount of alcohol, but his head felt like Ore had been using his skull to test out a new jackhammer. It made him wonder if he should have taken another day off before coming back.

"Sensei, I thought telepathy was the transfer of thoughts and speech, not emotions," the boy corrected again. Tsuna groaned and once again made the necessary change while he continued to absently read the planned lecture that his substitute had prepared. This was the first hangover that he'd had in ages. He was having difficulty remembering the last one and the pounding in his head reminded him why he'd gone so long without one. He usually judged his intake better than that. It was possible that his limit had lessened with his return to humanity, but he didn't think so. If anything, it should have raised because he had no reason to fear becoming drunk. There was no beast inside him to lose control and he could use his Flame with much more freedom since Lynx wasn't there to feast off of half of it.

There was a good side to becoming human again. He was forcing himself to recognize and acknowledge all of the small details in order to help cope with the fact that he couldn't change what had been done to him. More than anyone, Napoleon would need him to do that. When people began to notice that he wasn't a werewolf anymore, that boy would probably blame himself. Of course, he had reason to, but there was no point in beating him up about it after he'd already learned his lesson. If he was going to stop what happened from ruining Napoleon's self-confidence, then Tsuna had to be able to face it himself. He also needed to face it so that he could be a decent role-model and source of guidance for Murlock when the boy got out of the hospital.

"Sensei--"

"I got it," Tsuna growled as he looked over the board to see what he'd screwed up on. He couldn't find it, though. For the sake of the class, ESP, Alchemy, and Divination were the three corners of the occult. ESP covered things such as telepathy, telekinesis, and illusion. Alchemy dealt with physical things such as vampirism and Demitirus. Divination covered divine things such as motes, prophecy and inter-planar communication. Everything he'd written seemed just like what was on his teaching guide. "I don't see it," he finally admitted after carefully re-reading the definitions of each of his examples a second time. "What--"

Tsuna froze as soon as he turned around and felt a lump form in his throat. His student hadn't been pointing out another mistake. It was that he'd gotten a set of visitors that he'd normally have smelled ahead of time. They knew that he'd been cured, too. He could see it in their eyes.

"Pardon the intrusion," Nephriam smiled while his cronies created a protective barrier on three sides. "I can wait until you're finished with your lecture, but I just wanted to know that we are here to speak with you. You don't have to fear. We're not enemies anymore, Maro. I'm only here to drop off a few things that you left behind. Call it a token of good faith." Tsuna's breathe hitched in his chest at the reference. He couldn't be serious. Nephriam was really going to give him back the things that had been left in his Vault? What was the trick? No, even if there was a trick, this might be his only chance to get Snicker's box back in one piece. Damnit! No! He wasn't going to let Nephriam win like that. He wanted the box, but the bastard could wait. His students came first.

"Very well," he replied through clenched teeth. "But you can wait in the hall."

"With pleasure," he agreed with a humble bow. "If you'll excuse us." As they turned to leave, Tsuna's heart jumped in fear. He didn't want them out of his sight. If he'd really brought Snicker's box, then he wanted it. He wanted it now.

"Wait--" Tsuna blurted, causing the group to pause en masse. "Give it to me."

"As you wish," Nephriam replied with a satisfied smile creeping onto his face. He turned to call in a fourth cronie and Tsuna tried to suppress his trembling when that man stepped into the room with an oversized, brown moving-box in hand. That box was handed over to Nephriam who, in turn, walked over to set it on Tsuna's desk while Tsuna stepped back to keep his distance. "It's not much, but it's all there," he said as he returned to the safety of his guards. "I don't expect forgiveness since I caused you so much misfortune, but perhaps you can understand why I did the things that I did... now that you're human."

"Get out of my classroom," Tsuna growled in warning as he reached out to protectively pull the box toward himself.

"I see that it's still to soon," Nephriam sighed sadly. "I'll leave, but not before I give you some food for thought. The full-blooded Madame who attempted what I've done was murdered on the cusp of success, by her husband no less, and her husband was murdered by their son. I can't recreate what she did in turning full-bloods, but I can finish fullfilling her hopes for her child."

"You can also go to hell, traitor," Tsuna spat, feeling his anger beginning to spiral out of control at the mention of Hibari's parents. "I won't repeat myself a second time."

"Let us go," Nephriam told his cronies. "This one still thinks that he's a noble werewolf even though he was cured and outcast." Tsuna gritted his teeth at the taunt, but refused to give in to the goading and punch him like he wanted to. He was a teacher and he wasn't going to be a bad role-model anymore. If Nephriam wanted a fist fight, he could have it outside of school hours. However, within school hours, Tsuna refused to battle with more than his wits.

"I'd rather be a werewolf in denial than a impotent brat with a father complex," Tsuna retorted with a feral grin. Tsuna saw the instant that his insult struck home; nearly everyone could see it. Nephriam's face turned a bright shade of red as his mouth dropped open and refused to emit sound despite his obvious attempts to say something back. "Ah," Tsuna said as his intuition provided a piece of information that gave him hope. "I've met with Badru. He gave me this mark and told me all about your twisted little scheme, Nephriam. After the cure finishes turning a person human, that's it. It fades out of the human body just like any drug does. How long does it take? One month?" No, his intuition answered when Nephriam didn't react. "Six months?" No. "A year?" Bingo, Tsuna thought as Nephriam slightly paled. "What were you planning to do? Give yourself a few years to grow out of your child form and then turn yourself back into a vampire? Do you think Badru is suddenly going to accept you when he never offered more than his blood in the past?"

"You.... You don't know what your talking about," Nephriam spat with a tremble giving him away.

"Lie to someone else, you pathetic traitor," Tsuna scoffed in disgust as his temper cooled. "The Child worked you over pretty good if you actually believe that everything is going to go as you planned. You're a fool, Nephriam. You're a prisoner and you don't even realize that you've been aiding your captor. Didn't you ever consider what his plans might be for the full-bloods that can't be cured--including Badru?"

"They're safe," Nephriam answered, completely falling into Tsuna's pace. "They can't help what they are. As long as they don't force the Change on unwilling people, then--"

"Fool," Tsuna spat as he began to feel glimmerings of pity for Nephriam's baseless optimism. "Do you think that he's going to have mercy when he's a few handfuls away from completely wiping us out?"

"Wiping them out?!" Nephriam spluttered in outrage. "Who do you think that you're fooling?! There's only been a few hundred to take the cure so far! We haven't even gotten to fifty percent yet!"

"Fool," Tsuna repeated. Feeling his hangover worsening by the second, Tsuna collapsed into his chair and began searching his desk for aspirin. While he looked, he informed Nephriam on the numbers that Tonno had obviously kept away from his pet scientist. "There's only ninety two left and four of those were werewolves. Knocking off two for me and Murlock, the count drops to an even ninety. Who knows how many have been lost since then? You can make fun of me for being outcast if you want, but they did that so that I wouldn't have to hide, Nephriam. They know that they've lost and they've retreated before the Hunters could finish them off. If you can find a vampire right now, then you must be looking somewhere that I missed because I sure as hell can't find any. Or didn't you notice that only unmarked humans have been running the Fuzzy Biscuit for the past two days?"

"You're lying," Nephriam gaped with a ghostly pale face.

"Go and look for yourself," Tsuna shrugged. "You can consider that as my token of appreciation for giving me my shit back. Now, like I said before, get the fuck out of my classroom. I have a lecture to finish and it's not the one I just gave your sorry ass." Despite himself, Tsuna smiled in satisfaction as his students took that as a cue to show support. The outbursts were enthusiastic and varied in content, but the consensus was that he'd won the battle of words. Nephriam had the expression of a loser, too. He grasped for a form of rebuttal, but Tsuna's students were doing a good job of making it difficult. In the end, fleeing was the only thing that he could do.

"Settle down," Tsuna called out after he was gone. As expected, his class completely ignored him. There wasn't a single person willing to sit down and listen to the lecture when something so exciting had happened in front of them. None of them really knew what had happened, of course, but they'd understood enough to know that Tsuna disliked Nephriam, Tsuna had told Nephriam off, and that there was something major going on when it came to vampires. Talking about attempts to categorize the Occult just didn't measure up in interest.

"Alright, alright," Tsuna exclaimed as his student's questions began to run over each other. "Settle down and we'll talk. I told you at the start of the class that I thought teachers should be held accountable, so I'll answer your questions, but just calm down. I've got a massive hangover and I can't find my aspirin. Dango--" Tsuna sighed as the six burst out of the sword laying across his desk and Tsuna grimaced at the amount of light that they were giving off. "You and you, go to the infirmary and find me some aspirin. You and you, take my teacher's guide and go make copies. The class is going to need something to make up for my interrupted lecture. You and you, go patrol and make sure that Nephriam actually left. He probably did, but it can't hurt to double-check. Singe the rears of any students who you catch skipping class, too. Now," he sighed, looking over to the class full of eagerly waiting students. "Raise your hand if you have a question and I'll do my best to answer. Just keep it down because it feels like my brain is doing bunny-hops around my skull. Justin, you first, since you look like you're going to faint if you hold your breath any longer."

"What's in the box?!" The boy blurted, sending a lance of pain through Tsuna's temple with the volume.

"If you can ask a little quieter, I might do some show and tell," Tsuna grimaced.

"What's in the box?!" The boy whispered excitedly. Tsuna laughed at his enthusiasm and sighed in relief when Bolt and Heatwave returned with an entire bottle of aspirin. Opening it, he took two before finally looking back at the class in resignation. Trying to hide the box's contents would only entice his students into trying to steal it to see what the mystery was about. It would be better to show them so that they wouldn't get into mischief or be distracted for the rest of their school day.

Standing, he smiled at the way that everyone was leaning forward in their seats. It made him grimace over the fact that he couldn't simply open the box. He wasn't that stupid and Nephriam wasn't that trustworthy. Reaching into his desk for a ruler, he carefully slid it under the lid and probed for wires and explosives. Nothing. Sending the Dango Brothers inside next, they came out with a bounce that signaled that it was safe. It was only at that point that Tsuna was willing to raise the lid so that he could peek inside.

The first item was one that made him shudder as he reached in to pull it out. It was the clothes that he'd been buried in before Nephriam had taken him into his Sanctuary. His class was thoroughly amazed by the sight, though. They were amazed right up until he threw the morbid clothes into his wastebasket. Next was his old laptop, which his students' eyes hungrily stared at while he plugged it in and turned it on. Once again, they were sufficiently in awe until they saw that the only things on it were video games. Video games and...

"Is that you?!" Several students in the front row gasped as everyone flooded out of their desk to look at the picture stretched across the display. Tsuna sighed as they crowded around and he pointedly glared in warning at those who tried to reach into the box before him.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed, smiling at the family picture that he'd chosen when he'd last used it. It was a picture of himself, Snicker, and Peanut on the couch of the Dojo in preparation of watching the first Superbowl that Snicker had been able to watch in over ten years. "That picture is an old one before I shot up in height. That was my dog Peanut and that was my partner, Joshua. We all called him Snicker, though, because he used to wear this candy bar wrapper over the name tag on his jacket."

"What happened to him?" A girl asked quietly, noticing the past tense that Tsuna used in speaking about him.

"He passed from natural causes," Tsuna replied bluntly. "I could tell you a thousand stories about him, but none of them would do him justice. So, let's--"

"You played Grey City?" Another boy inquired in surprise while he pointed at one of the many icons on the screen.

"A long time ago," Tsuna chuckled. "I doubt that my character is still around. It probably got erased when... uh... Well, it probably got erased when the game got new management."

"Whoa," the boy gaped. "That was a long time ago."

"Yup," Tsuna laughed as he reached into the box for something else to grab their attention. What he pulled out was easily large enough to distract them. It was the butsudan that he'd been gifted so long ago. Opening it up so that they could see inside it, he smiled at the appreciative murmurs that it received. All of them probably thought that it was a jewelry-box, but that wasn't it at all. "It's a shrine," Tsuna explained, setting it aside on his desk so that he could pull out his real jewelry-box. Opening that, it was mostly the girls that showed interest. However, even the boys showed interest when he pulled the chain of rings out of his pocket and added the Orange Dragon Ring, Houston's Ring, threw away the Carter Ring, and put on Snicker's Ring.

"Holy cow," was the general consensus over how many rings that he'd collected and Tsuna smiled as he traded out his new red feather earring for the old one in the jewelry box.

"I've got a lot of friends," he temporized as he stuffed the chain back in his pocket.

"What is all of this, Sensei?" A boy asked curiously as Tsuna pulled out a small stack of books and set them aside.

"It's all of my worldly possessions from one of my previous lives," he answered as he dug out a shoebox holding his old miming gear and a stack of photo albums. One photo album--one that had been stolen from Vongola--got stuffed in his desk while he handed over the others to let his students take a peek. "All of this was stored in my Vault--that's a place that vampires keep things from their past lives in. As you guys probably heard from my conversation with that brat, I've been cured. And, since I'm not a werewolf anymore, I don't get a Vault. Actually, since things went sour between me and Nephriam, he's been holding this stuff hostage. The reason that he gave it back was because its his way of rubbing it in my face that he beat me. He's an idiot, though. Now that I know that the cure won't stay in my system, I can get turned back into a werewolf whenever enough time passes."

"You're going back?!" Another boy exclaimed, making Tsuna cringe at the volume. "Why?! Why would you go back to being a werewolf, Sensei?"

"Because I want to," he answered calmly. "I know that I tell you guys a lot about the downsides of being a werewolf or a vampire, but there's good sides, too. For example, I would have died from Centipede last year if I hadn't been a werewolf. I would have died a lot of times before that, actually. I also get to see a side of the world that humans can't. Vampires play more of a vital role in the world than people think, too. Without them, natural catastrophes will begin to hit throughout the globe and reports of paranormal activity will increase. Vampires kept all of that in check so that it didn't affect people's lives. Being a werewolf, I wasn't equipped to do the same work as them, but I was able to provide support without being a liability. Having a werewolf on the front lines can be the difference between victory and defeat in some instances. That's why I'll be happy to return to them as soon as I can. Assuming that I can find them again... They didn't even tell me where they were retreating to."

"That's so sad," a girl murmured sympathetically.

"Don't pity me," Tsuna laughed in amusement for the reaction. "Teaching all of you is more than enough to keep me busy for the next year. I'm afraid that Mr. Poe won't be here, though, so I've got to start looking for a new assistant--"

"Kufufufufu," rang through the classroom.

"Don't even think about it, Mukuro!" Tsuna choked as Mukuro faded into sight beginning with his smile. Tsuna got a horrible sinking sensation by how he was dressed in the uniform for Don Girarde faculty. "No, no, no, no, no!" Tsuna exclaimed in an attempt to put his foot down before Mukuro swept him away with foolishness. "You don't know the first thing about teaching and you don't have the attention span for paperwork!"

"I might surprise you," he replied with a smile tugging at his lips. "You have no reason to refuse, unless you have someone else in mind for the job...?"

"Uh... um... Chrome!" He blurted in inspiration. "Why don't I ask Chrome? Then you only have to come in when it's interesting and you don't have to worry about the mundane stuff! She's an illusionist, too, so she's qualified for the job!"

"Very well," Mukuro replied with a suspicious scowl. "Although, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you think that I'm unreliable."

"You're... ah...you're as reliable as mist," Tsuna replied in hopes that Mukuro would take it as a compliment. It worked... for two seconds before Mukuro sent him a glare that made Tsuna cringe in apology. It was true, though. Mukuro did things on whims and he was the hardest person in the world to contact. Tsuna needed someone a more solid as an assistant for the sake of his students.

"I won't forget this," Mukuro warned. Tsuna grimaced at the way that he spun in place and disappeared after taking only two steps. He was mad. He had no one to blame but himself, though. And Tsuna hadn't really told him 'no' entirely. He'd just said that he'd prefer Chrome take the position since she wasn't as ethereal as Mukuro was. Tsuna couldn't help it if Mukuro couldn't cope with simple honesty.

Looking back at his students, he sighed at the amount of giggling that he received. He guessed that it was a good thing that he'd stuck with being a warm teacher instead of a frigid one. Things that would normally be gossip were still gossip, but he knew that it'd just be filed under 'typical' and forgotten in a reasonable amount of time. After all, his students were just that--they were his students. They had their own lives and their own futures. If they could learn something by figuring out that he was just as normal as they were, then it was worth the burden of losing a little respect. He just had to make sure that they didn't lose so much that he stopped being a teacher entirely.

"I think that's enough show-and-tell for today," Tsuna said as he shoo'ed them back to their desks. They went unwillingly, which was perfectly fine with Tsuna. It gave him a chance to dig through the box and ensure that nothing was missing. That didn't take long since there wasn't much still left in the box. There was the Foo-Foo tin box that held the letters that he'd received in jail. There was the case for the silver-plated revolvers that he'd rarely used outside of a firing range. There was the patched and mended gold pillow that Autumn had gifted to him so long ago; it had more patches than original material. Then there were the things that made him glad that he hadn't gotten around to showing everything to his students: his Vongola bullet-proof overcoat that was lining the bottom of the box, the Foxtail charm that Xanxus had gifted to him so long ago, and the small chest of mementos that Tsuna commonly referred to as 'Snicker's Box'.

Seeing the box in front of him again was more painful than he'd thought that it would be. It was also impossible to ignore it, although he tried when Hurricane and Fog returned from making copies of his lecture guide. Directing them to pass it out to each of the students, Tsuna began to put everything back into the moving-box with the exceptions of his laptop and the butsudan. He'd wait until the room was clear to pull out Xanxus' charm, his guns, and Snicker's box, but everything else...

Everything else could burn.

He was a hitman with a price on his head. He couldn't afford to have material things tying him down. Even the things that he wouldn't burn, he planned to gift away. Yamamoto would probably get use out of the shrine, considering his father had long since passed away, so he could have that. The Vongola overcoat was nothing more than a jacket, which he could live without. Rather than burn that, he might just gift it to Hotaru. The books could be donated to Don Girarde's library, the photo albums could be scanned and put onto an online hard drive, and the same went with the things on his laptop that he didn't want to lose. He didn't have a use for the guns, since he'd already gotten a new set of Glocks that he rarely used, so those could be sold. Actually, most of his jewelry could be sold, too. He already had the one earring and the three rings that he'd cared about.

Sentimentality was nice, but it wasn't worth his life. Even when it came to Snicker's box, he knew what he had to do. He had to go through it and pick out what he wanted to keep and what was merely dead weight. Snicker's lighter was a must-keep. The set of Snicker's clothes in the box could be donated to charity, but Snicker's bandana could be easily put in his pocket within a plastic bag to preserve the scent. Tsuna could use Snicker's wallet in place of his own and Snicker's favorite book could be donated with Tsuna's small collection. He knew that it would be what Snicker would have wanted. The things that he'd left behind couldn't replace him. As long as Tsuna kept his memory alive, it was enough.

That only left Autumn's pillow, his old yearbooks, Xanxus' letters, and the laptop after he emptied it. His diplomas and instruments were noticeably missing, but they were merely things that he would have gotten rid of. He had a new life now. He was a Mafioso teacher who was temporarily biding his time as a human. Everywhere and nowhere was home to him and his only goal was to teach his students, live peacefully, and do what he could to help the vampires that had been forced into hiding. If he could come to an understanding with his old friends in the process, then that was merely an extra bonus.

It wasn't a made-up identity. It wasn't a cover story. That was simply who he was now and very little of what Nephriam had given back to him would fit into that life without giving him unnecessary burdens. He didn't need Xanxus' old letters in front of him in order to remember what it'd been like to get one every day while he'd been in jail. He didn't need Autumn's pillow to remember that she could be kind and warm-hearted. He didn't need his yearbooks, either, considering that he could go to the Don Girarde library and look through copies whenever he wanted.

Keeping a few pieces of jewelry, a few of Snicker's mementos, and Xanxus' charm was more than enough to make him happy. Scanning the photo albums and moving the data on his laptop to a safe online storage just gave him a little extra peace-of-mind. They were all small things that could easily be kept on him or accessed remotely, which meant that they couldn't be held hostage again. Instead of liabilities, they'd become a source of strength. He had to think of a way to disguise Xanxus' charm, though. He couldn't wear it in the way that it was intended for since that would be too large of a clue as to his identity, but he couldn't just leave it laying around, either.

Tsuna grinned as his eyes lit on the silk pouch for the Dango Brothers' sword. Digging the charm out of the box, Tsuna quickly affixed it around the top to see how it looked. It was perfect. It was difficult to tell that it was meant for hair and his intuition nodded in acceptance of his choice. Even if someone spoke about it, it was incredibly unlikely that anyone would make the leap from the charm on Maro-sensei's sword to the charm that the Tenth had worn in his hair. Only those who'd seen him wearing it in person might recognize it and there were very few of those left.

"All of life is suffering."

Tsuna's head snapped up in surprise and he felt his jaw dropping open at the sight of Ollie leaning against his doorframe with his skateboard in hand. His body language suggested that he'd been waiting to get noticed for a while, which was completely possible since the classroom was empty. Tsuna hadn't even hear the bell ring to signal for lunch!

"To want is to suffer," Ollie continued quietly. "Suffering can end. To cease suffering, follow the Eight-Fold Path."

"Since when have you become a Buddhist?" Tsuna asked with a smile tugging at his lips.

"Since it started helping me to get control of my idle hands," he answered with a smile of his own. "I'm not the best disciple, but whatever works. Right?" Tsuna smiled even more at his nonchalant manner while he slowly took in how much Ollie had changed since their last meeting--not much. He was still as short as Tsuna used to be and his hair was still a shockingly bright blonde that was impossible to miss against his black skin. He was still wearing his favorite hooded sweatshirt and he still had a devil-may-care look to him. The only noticeable difference from Tsuna's memory was that the skateboard in his hands was a lovingly-cared for, custom piece that displayed the Orange Dragon Logo where it'd once been a second-hand piece of junk that had been covered with stickers, graffiti, and dirt. There was also more confidence in him now, too. Rather than keeping his head bowed to make it difficult to identify him, he held his chin up and gazed at Tsuna with a set of eyes that dared him to throw down a challenge.

"You've gotten cocky," Tsuna grinned.

"You've conformed," he retorted with an expression that suggested it was something to laugh about. "Man, why is it that every time that you try to look like a businessman or a professional, you end up looking like a pimp?"

"I don't look like a pimp!" Tsuna spluttered. "I--" He did look like a pimp, he realized. A black suit with a leather jacket, a white tie, a dangling earring, sunglasses, and a messy hairstyle. All he was missing was a gold tooth to make the image complete. "I don't look like a pimp when I've got my coat on," he pouted. Sticking his laptop into his desk and pocketing the things he wanted to keep, he quickly put the rest of his belongings back into the moving box, put the lid back on it, and slid it into hiding under his desk for safe-keeping. "Have you eaten?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"You're not kicking me to the curb?" Ollie asked in surprise. Tsuna shook his head and gestured for Ollie to follow on his skateboard as he led the way to the cafeteria. Tsuna grimaced to himself when he chose to grind the rails of the stairwell, but he felt strangely unconcerned about being seen with someone from his past.

"The secret is already out that I was Lazarus," Tsuna explained with a small smile. Remembering what Gokudera had told him, he tried to repeat his success by giving Ollie a set of ground rules. "I'd prefer it if you didn't mention some things about my past, but I trust that you remember what topics were touchy. So... it's okay as long as you're not here to try and talk me into returning like everyone else has. Call me Maro, too. I'm not going to pretend that we weren't friends anymore, but I can't say that I'd be happy if seeing you again causes problems. I've got a new life now, Ollie."

"That's what I came to see," he shrugged as he kicked his skateboard up into his hands again. "Don't worry, man. You got out while the getting was good. I'm the last person you have to worry about dragging you back. I'm just checking up. See? Making sure that no one's fucking with you and giving you shit. You already been through enough, so Autumn can go to hell for all I care. Actually, I think it's pretty cool, man. You being a teacher and all. It's like you got a license to go into that 'lecture-mode' that you always liked to go into."

Tsuna laughed at the reference and invited Ollie to go first into the cafeteria. As he'd hoped, his entrance gained attention, but it was attention that was quickly dismissed. He was finally becoming a normal fixture in the school. There were a few students from his previous class that were curious about his visitor, but they were overlooked for the most part. Actually, with how many times he'd attracted trouble in the past, he could probably get in a fist fight without anyone raising an eyebrow.

It was probably a good thing, too, since the earthquake under his feet signaled the approach of something dangerous.

"Damn," Ollie grimaced, putting his empty tray back down on the rack while Tsuna raised his eyebrow. "I was hoping we could eat first, but it looks like we got to run."

"Run?" Tsuna repeated curiously.

"Yeah," Ollie laughed. The reason for his laughter was explained with the sound of bricks breaking. Turning around, Tsuna felt his heart stop at the sight of Ore in the entrance of the cafeteria. He was literally IN the entrance due to the way that he'd smashed the top of the doorway with his head rather than duck under it.

"Oh," Tsuna gaped, staring up at the ready-to-rampage light in Ore's eyes. "Running sounds good," he added as Ore let out a roar that gained the attention that Tsuna hadn't wanted. Cursing, Tsuna barely ducked in time to avoid Ore's outstretched hand. The only exit that he could see was the cafeteria windows, so he ran for that as quickly as his feet could carry him.

Ore cut him off.

Sliding to a stop, he scrambled back for the door--

Ore cut him off.

Sliding to a stop, he scrambled for the window--

Ore cut him off.

Cussing at Ollie for laughing at him, he scrambled for the door--

Ore cut him off.

Cussing at Reborn for laughing at him, he scrambled for the window--

Ore cut him off.

Cussing at his students for cheering Ore on, he scrambled for the door--

Ore caught him.

"Shit," he squeaked as Ore lifted him off his feet with a single meaty hand. "Now, Big Guy," he spluttered in fear that he was about to be inserted into the ground like a hammered peg. "We can talk about this. You don't have to do anything rash--"

"ORE!" Two angelic voices shouted in unison. Tsuna felt his hopes lift when Ore turned in place so that Tsuna could see Cassandra and Dedra walking into the cafeteria. "You forgot these," Cassandra said in cruel satisfaction as he handed Ore a large jar of--

"Oh no," Tsuna choked in recognition of Cassandra's infamous chili peppers. "No!" He shouted in panic. "Anything but that! I know you're mad but--"

"Punishment game," Dedra snapped with a furious scowl. "If you want us to forgive you, then you'll eat every one."

"I told you to run!" Ollie exclaimed from where he was crying tears in laughter. Tsuna slapped a hand over his face, feeling as if he was having the unluckiest lucky day of his life. So many good things were happening, but they were happening in the worst way possible! He'd gotten on friendly terms with Gokudera again, but it'd taken a hangover to do it. He'd gotten his belongings back, but it'd taken a chat with Nephriam to do it. Now he had a chance to be friends with Ollie, Ore, and the girls, but he had to eat hot peppers to do it!

"Alright!" Tsuna exclaimed when Ore gave him a particularly pointed glare. "I'll do it! Just put me down!" Tsuna grimaced when Ore put him down. He would have been happy to just be put down onto his feet, but Ore was nice enough to carry him to a seat and hold him down in it so that he couldn't run away again.

"Don't look so sour," Cassandra chuckled as she took the jar back from Ore. Carefully unscrewing the cap, Tsuna's eyes began to water at the potent smell that wafted out. It could be worse, though. He marked it down on the list of things that made being human positive: the punishment didn't start with simply opening the jar. However, he also marked it down as a negative since he didn't black out before having to eat the damn things. "Dig in," Cassandra ordered with a wide grin. Tsuna couldn't help it. He whimpered. He whimpered and gave Cassandra his best don't-hurt-the-puppy face.

"Oh, no you don't," Dedra interjected as Cassandra started to cave from his expression. Tsuna groaned, cursing the two for being such a solid tag-team. Cassandra was a sucker for his puppy-dog faces, but Dedra wasn't. Dedra was a sucker for his slight of hand distractions, but Cassandra wasn't. With both of the girls present, he wasn't going to be able to get out of the punishment game.

"Ollie?" Tsuna asked, pleading for help from the one man who could make the peppers disappear.

"Oh hell no," he replied, throwing up his hands in refusal. "You know what they say: Don't bite the hand that feeds you, man. No offense, but you're on your own for this one."

"Churros for you, Ollie-pop," Cassandra giggled.

"Is it too late to just say I'm sorry?" Tsuna whined as he fearfully noticed how many peppers were stuffed into the jar.

"Is there a problem, Maro?" Reborn interjected. Despite how Ore and the girls glared in recognition when Reborn joined them at their table, Tsuna let out another whimper. If Reborn found out what was going on, he'd undoubtedly pick the girls' side. After all, a Mafioso couldn't disappoint a lady. Even worse, he might remember the punishment for the future.

"No," Tsuna squeaked. Seeing that he had no other choice, Tsuna reached for the jar and chose a particularly small one. Its looks were deceiving. When it came to Cassandra's peppers, the smallest ones were always the spiciest. He was tempted to go for a big one and work his way to the small ones, but he decided to pray for pity. Perhaps if he ate one or two of the small ones, the girls would be satisfied enough to let him off the hook.

In true Orange Dragon Fashion, Ollie started the drumroll. It made Tsuna unexpectedly happy when Ore, Cassandra, and Dedra picked up on it and began beating on the table with enough energy to create a loud rumble. It was almost as if he was still part of the gang, even though he'd gone his separate way. Then he blushed when the rest of the cafeteria picked up on it and the rumble turned into an earthquake as his students figured out that he was about to eat hot peppers.

"Ah, hell," Tsuna grumbled with an insurpressible smile. He wanted to curse them. He'd always been susceptible to outside pressures. If it was going to be like that, then he really needed to do it in true Orange Dragon style! "Alright," he blurted. Snatching up the jar, he jumped onto the table, opened his mouth, and drank as many peppers as he could until--

HOT!

Tsuna couldn't stop himself from giving them the show that they were hoping for. Dancing in place while he tried to fan his tongue, tears streamed from his eyes while his face turned into a pomegranate. He felt as if Flames should be spouting out of his mouth and smoke should be pouring out of his ears! It had to be the hottest thing that he'd ever stuck in his mouth!

When someone handed him a drink, he downed it instantly and nearly screamed when the water only made things worse by opening his taste-buds even more. His mouth felt as if it were on fire and his stomach felt as if he was being eaten from the inside out. He needed--

The taste of milk cooled his tongue and his stomach as he downed half a gallon as fast as he could. Someone else handed him several slices of bread, which also helped ease the pain when he began alternating between eating and finishing off the milk. However, once the burning was calmed enough that he could breathe, the aftermath kicked in and turned Tsuna's legs into jelly.

"That's our Laz," Cassandra praised.

"Too... cruel," he panted in reply.

"It's not over yet," Ore grinned, making Tsuna's face turned red in memory of the after-punishment. The worst part of it was that, even though he knew that it was coming, he couldn't move to save himself.

At least his students got a kick out of it, he mentally wailed. The catcalls and exclamations of disbelief as both Cassandra and Dedra took turns giving him kisses 'to cool his lips' made the make-up into a worse punishment than the actual punishment. So much for being able to demand a little bit of respect as a teacher, he thought flippantly. Although, it made him realize how long it'd been since he'd gotten a real kiss from a girl. The last one had been Adie? Neve? He couldn't remember, but it'd been several months. And it didn't help that the girls were good enough to leave him dazed and breathless enough that he couldn't move when they decided to temporarily retreat.

"Catch you later," Ore laughed with a flippant salute that Tsuna could only shake his head at.

"They seem like a lively bunch," Reborn commented in amusement. "With this, I do believe that you've won the Teacher of the Year Award."

"Eh?" Tsuna choked. "But I thought..."

"That you were worse off by making a scene?" Reborn finished knowingly. "Don't be naive. This is a Mafioso Academy and the teachers who lead by example are the best ones. Do you have any idea what you just taught everyone here?"

"Don't underestimate chili peppers...?" Tsuna guessed.

"It's never too late for anything," Reborn corrected softly. "You've got some interesting friends, Maro. I think that you made the right choice by letting your walls crack open. Just don't let them down too much and you'll be fine."

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed with a slow smile. "I think I'm going to be okay."

"There's just one problem," he added solemnly. "Word came through from the Vendiche this morning. The Wolfe Family chose to disband. If you're going to continue to teach, then you have to decide on a new one to sponsor you."

"Already done," he answered with a sly smile.

"Oh? Which one?"

"All of them," he answered, digging the chain of rings out of his pocket. As expected of a hitman of Reborn's quality, he didn't even raise an eyebrow. He simply took the chain, tipped his fedora, and headed out to add the list of Families to his Mafia records. Verifications would be sent to every Boss to ensure that he had Familial backing, but Tsuna didn't doubt that there would be a hundred percent return since he didn't pick his friends...

They picked him.


	137. Chapter 137 Reckoning I

Hotaru stood alone on top of a hill, staring up at the dark clouds as the rain poured down on his face. It was over. He was free now. There was nothing holding him back. His body began to Shift in answer to his feelings. His form flickered like a Flame struggling to live despite the raindrops that were trying to snuff him out. He didn't have to hide. He didn't have to fight. He just had to keep on living no matter what.

His body began to lift off the ground as the force of his Shift increased the air pressure around him. He would live on. The rain began to sizzle and crackle, evaporating before it could get close. He would live on. His clothes turned to ash that was blown away by the breeze. He would live on. He wasn't human nor did he have to pretend that he was. He would live on. Shed the skin. He would live on. Accept the truth. He would live on. Be free. He would live on.

His lips began to harden and he could feel his toes stretch. His hands clutched onto the wind while his hair began to shed into a rain of sparks. His skin became thinner and his innards began to painlessly realign themselves. He became lighter and more free as his humanity became a faint dream. This was what he was. Everything else was just a fairytale. He had never been the Knight nor could he ever become one. He was...

"Beautiful," someone said from behind him.

Looking down, he felt in wonder at the sight of himself. He wasn't a man nor a beast. The scaled skin on his clawed hands was opaque, glowing orange from within as if he were a paper lantern filled with fireflies. His body was like that of an alien creature: inhuman, elongated, and sexless. Touching his clawed hands to his face and his head, he felt breathless in wonder at what he felt. A Tengu or a Garuda, he repeated to himself. That was what his Guide had said he was. That was what he became once the Chain no longer bound him into human form. It wasn't a dream. This wasn't his imagination at work. The Reckoning Chain lay at his feet in a pile of Flame-kissed metal and the rain was still sizzling as it tried to pound against his head. It told him in no uncertain terms that he was awake.

_We must go, Child_, Prometheus ordered as SK joined him at the top of the hill.

"Wait!" Hotaru exclaimed, crying out to the rain in hopes that he could stall a bit longer. "I'm not ready! What about--"

_You are ready_, Prometheus corrected with a complete lack of sympathy for Hotaru's problems.

"Go," the man behind him soothed. "I'll take care of everything."

"Why do I get a feeling that I shouldn't trust you?" Hotaru asked, the words rolling across his hardened lips in a way that made it feel as if he was speaking a foreign language.

"You have nothing to worry about," the man shrugged. "I promise you that I'll only act with your best interests in mind. Isn't that enough for you?" Hotaru narrowed his eyes at the man, getting the sensation that he'd fallen into some sort of trap. There was no time to counter, though. He could already feel Prometheus pulling at him in effort to bring him through a doorway that was invisible to the human eye. He only had a few seconds to respond.

"I won't be gone forever," Hotaru warned as the Flames of his body began to be sucked down the path that felt incredibly nostalgic. "You better remember that."

"I will," Tonno soothed. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

* * *

Ross ducked her head to hide her blush and attempted to slip past without being noticed. What the hell was Hotaru doing?! He wasn't just acting odd, he was acting... He was acting in a way that pulled at every string that Ross had! First, he'd had roses delivered to her front door--enough to fill the entire front lawn. Then he'd shown up in a limo to take her to school and he even walked with her when she refused. And, as if that weren't enough, he had three subordinates strewing rose petals at her feet while he escorted her to each of her classes.

She'd never felt so embarrassed in her life, but the worst part was that she was too embarrassed to get mad over it! Normally, she'd knock Hotaru off his feet for doing something so stupid. Yet, she couldn't! It was the biggest embarrassment of her life and she could only blush! Damnit! She hated being caught blushing, but she kept remembering those four little words every time that she saw him again.

"Will you marry me?"

Damnit, damnit, DAMNIT! It made her want to throw her books at his head and do a tantrum dance in the middle of the hallway. Only the fact that doing so would be even more embarrassing stopped her. She couldn't let Hotaru know that he'd gotten to her. He couldn't let him know that she was actually considering his proposal!

She couldn't let him know for more reasons than simple embarrassment, though. She couldn't let him know because of the girls that were glaring at her from every direction while Hotaru continued to smile like an oblivious simpleton. She couldn't let him know because it might make her situation worse with Autumn. She couldn't let him know because she still didn't know how she felt about Hotaru being part girl.

On the last one, they hadn't been left alone together for long enough to talk about it, either, so she didn't know if it was a temporary problem like before or if it was something more permanent. She hoped that it was temporary, but the way that Charlie had spoken about it made her think that it was something more. Personally, she didn't understand it at all since the Hotaru that was following her around like a love-sick fool seemed all male. Of course, there was also the possibility that he was hiding something noticeable under his clothes. She wanted to ask him, but she didn't know the procedure or etiquette for such a conversation.

"Can you stop following me?" Ross mumbled when they reached her locker.

"Am I bothering you?" Hotaru asked curiously.

"Yes," Ross hissed, fumbling to get her locker open so that she could stick her head inside. "You're acting like a dork. What's wrong with you today?"

"Nothing is wrong with me," he replied with an easy-going smile. "I'm just making good on my promise. I said that I was going to do things differently from now on, so I am. Unless you'd prefer if I went back to ignoring you?"

"Cut the bullshit," Ross growled as she threw open her locker and prayed that she'd left a candy bar in her bag. She needed something to help cool her temper and nothing said 'everything will be okay' like a chocolate bar. Unfortunately, she was all out, which only made her frustration worse. Turning back to Hotaru, she clenched her teeth in frustration and tried not to give in to the urge to strangle him. "It's fine if you want to make good on your promise, but this is overkill, Hotaru."

"How so?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as if he were innocent of wrong-doing.

"This!" She spluttered. Gesturing first to the flower-boys, then to the pile of rose petals that were slowly starting to carpet the hallways, Ross felt ready to blow her top. What was it about love that made boys think that money solved everything?!

"What's wrong with it?" Hotaru inquired with another innocent smile. "I love you and I want to marry you. Is it wrong for me to show that?"

Count to ten, Ross told herself. Count to twenty. Thirty. It was no use. She wanted to hit Hotaru more than she'd ever wanted to hit anyone before, but she couldn't because of the knowing looks that the other people in the hallway were giving her. It was too embarrassing!

"Idiot!" Ross spat with a bright red face. Slamming her locker shut, she turned on her heel and ran for her classroom in hopes of losing him. Unfortunately, the bastard had speed. He kept up with her as if they were simply taking a walk together despite how his subordinates fell behind.

"What makes me an idiot?" He asked conversationally, almost as if he hadn't noticed that she was trying to get away from him. "Did I say something wrong?"

Ross ignored him and ran into Maro-sensei's class despite the fact that she was due for Etiquette. Her hopes were that Maro-sensei could smack some sense into Hotaru for her. Maro-sensei no longer gave her private lessons and Tutored her, but he was still a teacher with more sense than most. He would understand what the problem was and would be able to explain to Hotaru what the words 'common sense' meant.

Thankfully, Maro-sensei was easy to find. He was standing at the front of his classroom, erasing the board in preparation of his next lecture while his assistant, Miss Chrome, continued to grade tests. Ross allowed herself to grimace for a moment in concern for her own test before the more important problem came to a stop on her heels--Hotaru.

"Sensei!" She exclaimed. "You've got to help me!"

"What's wrong?" He asked, putting his eraser down in order to give her his full attention. In answer, Ross gestured at Hotaru and let out a rude noise that her Etiquette instructor would probably faint over.

"I see," Maro-sensei smiled. "Ross, go to class. You, come here. I think it's about time that we had a little talk."

"I'd prefer not to," Hotaru surprisingly replied while tilting his chin up with an arrogance that didn't feel right.

"Then you'll just follow me and listen," Maro-sensei retorted with his smile fading. "It can be a lecture instead of a conversation." Ross shook her head at the sound of the tardy bell and threw her hands up in frustration. Screw it. It was in Maro-sensei's hands now. She was late for class!

* * *

Tsuna didn't say a word as he led the way to the Dean's office. 'Hotaru' had no choice except to follow since he attracting attention to himself was probably the last thing that he wanted to do. Although, Tsuna found it suspicious since he had no problem attracting attention to Ross. Was he using her to take attention off of himself? That didn't feel right. Whatever his goals were, he didn't think it was the simple coup-de-tat that it looked like.

As Tsuna predicted, Reborn wasn't in his office. He was rarely in there unless he expected someone to arrive. That was perfect, though. It gave Tsuna a place to talk to the Hotaru imposter without fear that he was going to be overheard.

"Alright," he said as he quietly shut the door and put his back to it so that the man with him couldn't escape. "What are you trying to pull this time, Tonno? Isn't it enough that the Hunters have won?"

"It's enough for phase one," he answered with a slow, malicious smile that was completely unbefitting of Hotaru's face. "We're working on phase two now, but you don't need to be concerned with that... father. You never had to be. I... I must apologize on behalf of my team for the attack on your home. Nephriam took them without my authorization while I was attending to other matters. Werewolves are a protected species that are dealt with on a individual basis. You and those with you were not deemed a threat, so you should have been safe."

"Safe?" Tsuna repeated in disgust. "Werewolves aren't a threat, so you're _sorry_?! P-chan and Lady Italia are dead! So are half a dozen others! You were kidnapping them and killing them! And you think 'I'm sorry' is enough to make up for that?!"

"You're right," he replied with a sigh. "I was just trying to be nice, so forget that I apologized. I didn't do anything wrong. As for my team, they were within their rights to attack your home. You were aiding and sheltering vampires. I was hoping that we could keep werewolves off the chopping block, but a hellspawn is a hellspawn."

"I was born in Namimori, you little punk, not hell," Tsuna growled. "What are you up to? Why are you going after vampires and where's Hotaru?"

"I guess we know who father's favorite is," he commented softly. The verbal strike was close enough to his heart that it made him freeze. He hadn't meant it like that. Hotaru was important to him, but so were all of his kids. Hotaru just needed more attention because he was the Boss of Vongola. He'd be worried if any of his kids were in trouble--

Tsuna felt his heart stop when he remembered that Tonno was one of his kids, too. It made him want to curse himself for going on the offensive. He knew Tonno's past. Basil had handed it to him on a silver platter. Although he was misguided to the point that he was doing bad things, Tonno wasn't a bad guy. Treating him like he was the enemy was the last thing that Tonno needed.

"Basil's worried about you," Tsuna said in effort to change his footing. "He doesn't understand why you're on this crusade against vampires."

"But you do," Tonno murmured as he slowly walked over to pick a book off of Reborn's shelves.

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed. "It's because Hotaru was born as a Salamander. Isn't it? He's vulnerable to the vampire's method of feeding. You're doing this to protect him."

"I thought so," Tonno replied calmly. "You already knew when you saw me before. That's why you left me alone and permitted yourself to faint over seeing your step-son."

"I didn't really permit myself, it just happened," Tsuna corrected sheepishly. "Look, I'll give you credit for having a heart-felt reason for what you're doing, but it's not right. Hotaru has been around this long and no vampire has touched him. Plus, vampires are people, too. They have feelings and lives and--"

"I know," he interrupted sadly, making Tsuna pause in surprise. "I've looked into their faces as they begged for their lives and I saw their tears as they gave me every piece of information that I could pull out of them. I don't call them hellspawn because I wish to blind myself from what they are. I call them that to stop my subordinates from feeling the regret and guilt of Hunting them. After all, the first step in a holy war is to turn the enemy into demons so that the army can feel that their work is righteous."

"Why?" Tsuna asked, feeling as if his heart was going to rip into two by Tonno's cold calculations. It felt as if he was looking at himself during the worst parts of his life. He could feel it. Tonno had too much cold determination and not enough warm feelings to keep himself balanced--just like Tsuna had for many of the years that he'd been the Tenth. "Why would you continue to do it when you know that it's wrong?"

"It's the lesser of two hells," he answered with a shrug. "By doing this, something worse won't happen. For me, that 'something worse' would be to lose Hotaru. Everything that I am is because of him. If he were gone, then the meaning for my existence would be gone, too."

"I don't understand," Tsuna admitted. "Where is Hotaru? Why are you here in his place?"

"The Day of Reckoning has come," he answered while he began flipping through the book in consideration. "Hotaru's left and I've temporarily taken possession of both his Chain and his rings in order to ensure that his disappearance will not affect the Family. I assure you that I only have his best interests at heart. It is my hope that I can improve his situation by the time that he gets back, so I'd appreciate any help that you might be able to offer. I'm afraid that my knowledge of him is all second-hand, although I've done a detailed study of his mannerisms and body language to ensure that I won't be caught. I can see the direction that he was going in some things, but much of this is a little more mundane than I expected. I'm afraid that I didn't brush up on pick-up lines before my turn came up."

"You expect me to help you with Ross?" Tsuna gaped in disbelief.

"Isn't that what fathers are supposed to do?" He countered with a raised eyebrow. He looked at Tsuna for a long moment before sighing and returning his book to the shelf. "I think it's time for you to understand something, father. I'm not your enemy. I've known for a long time now that you are indeed the Tenth and I have kept silent for a very specific reason, even though you were a werewolf."

"You have?" Tsuna mumbled as 'father' began to belatedly impact him.

"Yes," he confirmed with a knowing smile. "I haven't said anything because you are you. Even now, when one of your greatest enemies are in front of you, you are incapable of raising a hand to me. Actually, you're incapable of raising your hand to anyone. Aren't you? Since you've been back, you've been in many fights, altercations, and disagreements, but you've yet to actually hurt anyone. You've done well to hide it, father, but I know the truth. A fly is more threatening than you are."

Tsuna felt dizzy at the confidence in Tonno's voice and the certainty in his words. Even worse, he was right. Tsuna had thought that he'd hidden it better than that. He'd shot a pirate in the leg on his way to Mafia-land. He'd gone toe-to-toe with Hibari at Mafia-Land. He'd successfully evaded and countered every attack that had come his way since he'd started teaching. How? How had Tonno seen through all of that and known that Tsuna felt incapable of actually killing?!

"You're strong, father," Tonno continued as he began to step forward. "It makes me proud to have your blood in my veins. However, you've become naive with your strength. Death is the ultimate threat. Without it, you're nothing more than a barking dog. Don't get me wrong. A barking dog is a very good deterrent and you are even willing to nip. However, once a person knows that the barking dog isn't going to do permanent damage, its effectiveness disappears."

"I don't need to kill," Tsuna replied defensively. "I'm not the Tenth anymore, so it's not my job to punish people."

"True," Tonno smiled as he came to a stop in front of Tsuna. "And that's why I'm not afraid of you. You're not in any position to interfere with me. You might dislike what I've done in the past, but you were outcast by vampires. Even if you defeated me here and handed me over to the Vendiche, it's not going to change anything. Actually, the only thing it'd effect would be Hotaru and you wouldn't want that. Now would you?"

"Who's your mother?" Tsuna asked in mild awe for Tonno's high-handed attitude. It had to be a conniving bitch of some sort.

"Someone that you've never met," he answered with a smile. "So what's it going to be, Father? Are you going to fight me because of a group of hellspawn that already cast you aside or are you going to help me, your own flesh and blood, so that Hotaru can come back with a smile?"

"You're pushing your luck," Tsuna growled in grudging admiration for his son's cunning. "This isn't my first party, Tonno. You might have told me about your plans for Hotaru, but you still haven't told me what you're planning to do about the vampires. Even if it means that you screw up Hotaru's life, I can't help someone who is planning to wipe out an entire species."

"How noble of you," Tonno countered in amusement. "Well then, how about a compromise? Or even better.... a treaty? I will give you my word that I and none of my cohorts will pursue the remnant hellspawn. My conditions are that they stay in seclusion, they do not bite those who are unwilling, and their population stays within reasonable limits. If a single one gets near Hotaru, the treaty will be void and they'll be wiped out with mercy. In return, you help me to the best of your ability. Does that sound fair enough?"

"It's not," he replied unhappily. "Vampires are needed to deal with motes. If they can't come out of seclusion, then how are they supposed to travel to deal with hot spots and how are they supposed to reproduce?"

"A provision, then," Tonno relented. "Vampires can roam freely so long as they are escorted by a Hunter at all times and werewolves are permitted complete freedom so long as they have successfully completed the dehydration treatment. In exchange, you are to reveal yourself to Hotaru as soon as he returns."

"That--" Tsuna choked in shock.

"I said that I wanted to improve Hotaru's situation," Tonno said with a wide, knowing smile. "Feel free to think about it. Just don't think too long. I--"

"How can you offer a treaty at this point?!" Tsuna spluttered, temporarily pushing aside the sacrifices that were being asked from him.

"Because the winners make the rules," he answered without missing a beat. "My methods might have been cruel, but my success will save thousands of people in the future. You are too close to the situation to understand, father. You see the few handfuls that I've murdered, yet you ignore all of those that vampires have killed over the years. I did what I had to in order to put an end to that. Yes, it's true that I had to be heartless and it's true that I'm subjugating an entire race. However, what would you have me do? Would you have me to be as blind as you are? Would you have me ignore those who have suffered and died at the hands of vampires just because it's not 'right'?! I had to minimize the enemy forces to a level that could be controlled! Before, there were too many. Even if a few were killed in warning, they would not change their ways. They continued to haphazardly reproduce and the amount of corpses left behind from Rejections is far more than you could imagine. They do not fear death like a man or woman or child would. Only the threat of complete extinction could possibly bring them under control. Can't you understand that? I did it because they would not listen to the centuries of warnings that the Hunters have given them!"

Damn, Tsuna thought as he slowly slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Tonno had him. He was right. Tsuna had seen it first-hand. P-Chan would have been dead from Rejection long before Nephriam had killed her. Only the fact that they'd stepped outside the box had allowed her to live longer. Only the fact that Tsuna had been willing to allow a change to the traditional process had kept her from ending up in the pile of corpses that Tonno mentioned. However, to do that, they'd had to keep it secret. They'd had to work in hiding and they'd feared for their safety the entire time because the Council would have killed them in fear of the current scenario: that of a cure being developed and the bulk of their race rushing to reclaim their humanity.

Now that they were in smaller numbers, the vampires would be more willing to listen to reason. Their arrogance and the confidence that came from their numbers were gone. They had no choice but to change. If they didn't, they really would die out. Tonno and those like him weren't willing to let things continue in the age-old method that sacrificed so many in order to find a lucky few. They'd continue Hunting until the vampire threat was completely eliminated.

Why was he even offering a treaty? That was what Tsuna couldn't understand. Just one more push and it'd be over. Of course, that's not what Tsuna wanted, but he couldn't figure out why Tonno was willing--

"Badru," Tsuna mumbled in a burst of blinding intuition. Badru was in on it.

"Badru," Tonno confirmed softly. "It was Badru who originally befriended humans and helped create the Hunters. Actually, one could say that he is the founder of the Hunters. I'm unsure of how vampires tell the story, but the Hunters have kept strict records of their beginnings and they allowed me to see them when I joined forces with them. Badru didn't believe that all motes should be killed. He was adamant that only harmful motes should be eaten for the safety of humans, while benevolent motes should be given the opportunity to evolve and gain self-awareness. As you probably know, the Council disagreed and that was the first crack that eventually led to the hatred between Hunters and Vampires. It was difficult for Badru to fight against his own kindred, so he gave us the tools and made us swear that we would use them only when the spirit of cooperation and the efforts of negotiation failed. Two months later, the first vampire was killed by a silver javelin and the clan officially took up the name of 'Hunters' in defiance of the Council's manipulations. They have been working ever since in order to bring the vampire threat under control, but they have not forgotten their promise to Badru. If negotiation is possible, then we shall negotiate."

"I... I didn't know," Tsuna whispered. "I never questioned what Nephriam told me."

"He's a cunning little bastard," Tonno grinned. "That's why I chose him to help me. I wanted him somewhere that I could see him. If the records are right, then he's likely the cause of the disagreement between Badru and the Council in the first place. I'll admit that I'm not sure, though. The records from that far back are all hand-written and there's no pictures."

"I... Can I have some time to think about all of this?" Tsuna asked softly. "It... I don't feel that you're lying, but I... I just need to think. You've hit me with more information than I was prepared for."

"Of course," he smiled. "But, while you're thinking, would you mind giving me a few tips? I always kind of imagined Hotaru as the romantic type, but that Ross girl doesn't seem to be enjoying it."

"Tsundere," Tsuna chuckled. "Hotaru probably _is _the romantic type, but he's not one to show it where other people can see. If you really want to help Hotaru, then just back off. Ross puts her guard up when she's embarrassed and that's all you've been doing to her. Hotaru would probably do something more innocent than rose-petals at her feet and undivided attention. He'd probably slip love poems in her locker and set up picnics in a back corner of the park where no one could see him."

"Oh," Tonno gaped in surprise as he crouched down next to Tsuna. "I didn't think about that kind of romance. What else?"

"Don't," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "You're better off not doing anything. His relationship with Ross is something that he needs to develop by himself. You wouldn't want him to live a lie. Would you?"

"No," he murmured in consideration. "Then what should I do?"

The question took Tsuna by surprise. Less than half an hour had passed, yet Tonno had gone from being his enemy into his student-- No, he corrected. Tonno had become his _son_. He wanted advice from a father, not a teacher. Tonno wanted help to do something for his brother, not his idol. It gave Tsuna even more to think about than just the situation with the vampires. For all that Tonno could be cold and determined, he really was just an innocent child that wanted to be loved. He wanted to be praised for doing good. He wanted to be acknowledged.

"Why don't you do his homework?" Tsuna suggested quietly. "His grades have been slipping because of his situation with Ross and everything else that's been going on. It'd probably be a relief to come back and not have a thousand assignments on his plate. Spend some time with the Family, too. Hotaru doesn't know how to turn off his 'Boss-switch', so his relations with the Family might be a little rocky. But, most of all, the thing that can help him most is..."

"Is what?" Tonno asked eagerly.

"Don't start something that he's got to finish," he replied with a laugh. "Really, you're better off doing nothing. If he can come back and everything is still how he left it, that's an accomplishment in itself. I think he'd appreciate it a hundred times more than coming back and finding out that he doesn't get to win Ross' heart through his own effort."

"I didn't think about it like that," Tonno murmured.

"Then we're in the same boat, because I didn't think about a lot of things either," Tsuna sighed as he pushed himself to his feet. "I can't give you an answer about the treaty right now. That's something that needs to be discussed with Badru and the Council and I can't even find them right now. But I... If you promise that you will negotiate a fair treaty like the one that you suggested, then I'll help you. You've got to stop the pursuit immediately, though."

"Done," Tonno agreed with a bright smile and a firm handshake. "It'll be a pleasure to work with you, father."

"Oi," he groaned. "Call me Maro-sensei like everyone else or you're going to blow my cover."

"Is it okay if I still think of you as my father?" Tonno asked curiously.

"Ah," Tsuna agreed softly. "You can think of me as Papa."

"Papa?" Tonno repeated in confusion. "Why not 'father'?"

"Because I think Basil was hoping for that title," Tsuna replied. Tonno's face fell in an instant and the shadow of pain was there just like Basil had reported. "You need to go see him, Tonno," he murmured in concern when Tonno's feelings disappeared from his face as if they'd never been there. "He's been worried sick about you."

"He's strong," Tonno smiled. "I'll stop by and see him after all of this mess is over. If I go any sooner, he's just going to feel even more responsible. Just... um... Maro-sensei...?"

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to call me Hotaru," Tonno laughed. "You're not the only one that can have his cover blown."

* * *

Tsuna collapsed onto his bed and slowly chanted to himself that everything would work out... somehow. He wasn't quite sure what that 'somehow' was, but he was fairly sure that 'somehow' existed and that was enough for him to keep his calm.

At least he didn't have to worry about where he was going to sleep at night, he thought with a smile. Ryohei and Lambo had taken care of that quite nicely by giving him the spare guest bedroom in their bachelor pad. Actually 'forced' was probably a better word than 'given', but Tsuna wasn't picky. It was more secure than sleeping in a box and there was plenty of booze if he was in the mood for a drink. It was more comfortable, too.

Although, things were beginning to change in respect to the hitmen that had been eyeing him, so security wasn't as big of a problem as he'd previously thought. Now that it was more difficult to sense when they were around, he was slowly becoming aware of how few had actually come out to attack him. It made him realize that all the hitmen who'd kept him boxed up in the past were primarily surveillance groups instead of offensive warmongers; he'd simply misjudged the situation. It was probably safe to assume that they were still out there, too, but fearing them would be a futile waste of effort.

In a way, he was free. He'd made friends with nearly seventy percent of the Families throughout the Mafia. Well, the Bosses, he amended. It'd be naive to assume that every subordinate everywhere would always agree with their Boss' judgment. However, he didn't have to worry about having hitmen with support showing up for his head unless they were from one of the few Families that had refused Tsuna's friendship or Tsuna had refused to go near. Other than that, the only ones who were likely to try would be the individual hot-headed fools who wanted to test their strength and he could handle that without a problem.

For the first time in a long time, it was relatively safe to go to sleep at night. It was safe to walk the streets. It was safe to do a lot of things that he'd stopped doing simply because an unguarded hitman was a dead hitman. It was safe to talk with friends. It was safe to stop and smell the roses. It was safe to simply live.

The freedom was mind-boggling. It made it difficult to accept that the hard part was over. There were still a few loose ends to tie up and a few friends to set ground rules for, but the greater challenge of becoming common was finished. He didn't have to worry about what each new day was going to bring. He didn't have to think about what his schedule was supposed to be or what he needed to do. It was relatively simple: he woke up, he went to school, he came home and graded papers, then he went to sleep. That was it. Sure, there were little hiccups like Hotaru's disappearance, Tonno's sudden parlay, and old friends popping up to say hello, but they were only minor changes to a mildly predictable routine.

He liked routine. Routine made things happier. It made it easier to deal with the unexpected and it made it easier to notice when things weren't right. Routine was the foundation of a comfortable life. Chibi had lived surrounded by routine. Suoh had lived surrounded by routine. Tsuna wanted Maro to have a routine, too.

That was why, even though Tonno had caught him by surprise, Tsuna didn't plan to do anything differently. If he ran into a vampire or a werewolf that he recognized, he'd pass along the message about Tonno's offer. He might even stop by the Fuzzy Biscuit and leave a message when he went to Ladyfinger's for breakfast. Other than that, he didn't feel like it was his fight anymore.

However, becoming human wasn't the reason that he felt that way. He felt that way because he was finally coming to grips with who he was now. Reuniting with some of his old friends was the key that he'd needed to really understand the person that he'd become over the years. It wasn't that Laz, the Tenth, or even Chibi and Suoh were gone. It was that the Tsuna that held them united within himself was a person that had a lot more experience than any individual part and experience changed everything.

There were things that he could do. There were things that he couldn't do. There were things that he'd done in his past that he could and couldn't repeat. All of the different experiences throughout his life had built those guidelines and those guidelines wouldn't allow him to pick sides.

There were truths to the Council's side.

There were truths to Tonno's side.

Deciding which truths were more important wasn't something that he could do because he would be imposing his own perspective onto things. This was something that Tonno and the Council would have to work out on their own. He'd already done his part by simply trying to end the fighting. He'd lost and nothing was going to change that. Dwelling on it wouldn't solve anything. By the same token, ignoring it wouldn't solve anything either. So, he was going to keep both his eyes and his heart open so that, hopefully, he wouldn't miss a chance to make a positive change. He also wasn't going to hold his breath or force that chance to come sooner. He'd never been one to hand a job to a bum who wasn't willing to get off his ass. That hadn't changed; he wasn't going to hand peace to those who still wished to wage war.

There were ways that he could affect Hotaru's life.

There were ways that he couldn't affect Hotaru's life.

It was just like the fight between the vampires and the Hunters. He couldn't force Hotaru to recognize and accept him. However, he could still be there to support the boy as a teacher and experienced elder. He couldn't make Hotaru talk to him, but he could still be a willing ear. He'd already done all that he could by encouraging him and challenging him. If anything more was to be done, it'd have to be done by Hotaru. No matter what Tonno's terms were, it wouldn't be an improvement to Hotaru's situation if he was forced to swallow the truth before he was ready to accept it.

It wasn't his fight. There was a point that one had to stop and wait for the other side to retaliate. If he didn't, then he wasn't truly looking for a resolution; he'd only be looking for retribution. Once the retaliation came, it wasn't his place to respond; it was the job of those who'd stepped up to the plate because he was too old to pretend that he was still the star player. He was just a teacher who knew a little bit about everything.

"Oi, Maro," Ryohei called from the living room. "I'm planning a party for tonight. Is there anyone you want to invite?"

"Yeah," he answered, finding himself grinning from ear to ear for being able to answer in such a way. "Call Gokudera. I owe him for making me drink a Vongola Zombie."

"You want to invite octopus-head?" Ryohei groaned. "Don't you have anyone that's not such an extreme douchebag?"

"He's not that bad," Tsuna laughed as he pushed himself off of his bed and headed back into the living room. "But if you don't want to invite him, then you could call Autumn."

"Autumn?" Ryohei repeated in non-recognition. Then his jaw dropped, "You mean Don Martelli?! THAT EXTREME NUTCASE?!"

"She's not that bad when you get to know her," Tsuna grimaced. "She's had a few days to cool off since we last talked, too, so I'd like to see her if I can. I thought about stopping by the Martelli place for a visit, but a casual party would probably be better. Neutral ground, if you know what I mean."

"Do you got a thing for her?" Ryohei asked with painful accuracy.

"Nevermind," Tsuna mumbled, ducking his head as he headed back toward his room. He wanted to slap himself was he was safely hidden behind his door. What the hell was he thinking?! He was trying to draw the line between him and his old friends, but Autumn was a master at crossing lines. Putting them together into a room was the last thing that he wanted to do!

Tossing his sunglasses onto his side table, he let out a sigh as he traded out his shirt and tie for a comfortable tank top. He could guess what kind of party Ryohei would put together and he doubted it was one that had a dress code. He also guessed that he needed to find a safe corner of the closet to tuck his spare clothes away and that he needed to hide his sword, guns, and the rest of the miscellaneous gear that he normally kept hidden on his person.

A half an hour later, when he left his room at the sound of guests arriving, he found out that he'd only guessed half right. The problem was that he'd guessed right about hiding his weapons, not on the part about the dress code. He could tell with a single, wide-eyed glance at the man and woman who'd come in first. They were dressed for cocktails, not a football game!

"Hurry up and finish getting ready, Maro," Ryohei called as he set the music on the stereo and dimmed the lights throughout the condo with a single remote. "The rest are going to be here any minute."

"Uh... right," he gaped before backtracking into his bedroom. He had to do two double-takes on the way just to make sure that it was really Ryohei that called out to him. Gone was the loud-mouth boxer in a sweat-shirt that he remembered. Ryohei was wearing a silk--SILK!--button-down shirt that was actually tucked in, pressed--PRESSED!--trousers with a belt, and boots that were polished--POLISHED! His hair was styled with gel--GEL--instead of sweat and there was an expensive watch on his wrist that Tsuna didn't want to guess the price of.

Digging his uniform back out of his closet, he quickly put it back on and grimaced after a single look in the mirror. He looked rumpled and his tie had a smudge on it. He didn't have anything else, though. He hadn't picked up his spare uniform from the dry-cleaners yet. Hopefully it was good enough to pass in the low light, he thought. He hadn't prepared anything for a fancy party and he'd underestimated Ryohei by a lot this time. Who would have guessed that Ryohei had grasped the concepts of style and taste within ten years? Who would have guessed that he'd give Tsuna a thumbs down as soon as he stepped out of his bedroom again?

"Don't you have anything else, Little Bro?" Ryohei inquired, pausing in the middle of giving a greeting smooch to a voluptuous middle-aged woman in a scarlet dress.

"Oh~?!" The woman exclaimed in an high-voice. "This is your little brother? Introduce, introduce!"

"In a minute, Velma," he replied. "Why don't you go ask Thomas to get the hor'deuvres out of the refrigerator for me? I didn't think about it before, but my brother just got into town, so he doesn't really know what to expect. I'm just going to run and help him get freshened up and then I'll introduce him."

"Take your time, Ryo," she soothed with a bright smile. "I'll work the room for you until you can get back."

"Right," Ryohei agreed. Tsuna couldn't help the way that his face turned red as Ryohei frantically pushed him through the room and into Lambo's corner of the condo. He was embarrassed. Even more importantly, he was embarrassing to Ryohei. He felt like an idiot. All he'd been thinking about was a few drinks and maybe some chips. He hadn't had any expectations, but it was different for Ryohei. He was introducing his friends to Tsuna for the first time, so it was something pretty important to him.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna mumbled, making Ryohei pause amid his attempt to drag Lambo out of bed. "I wasn't thinking. I should have asked you what kind of party you were planning."

"APOLOGY EXTREMELY DENIED!" Ryohei roared as Lambo slowly sat up in the bed with a sleepy expression on his face. "I'm the one that screwed up, not you."

"But--"

"What the hell are you wearing?" Lambo asked, staring at Tsuna with his lazy eye refusing to open. "Did I sleep through the party again?"

"They're arriving now," Ryohei grimaced. "I need your help, Mini Bro. Little Bro only has his uniforms for work and I didn't warn him about the Silk Police."

"The what?" Tsuna repeated in surprise.

"That would be a problem," Lambo sighed. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You can tell Chrissy that I'll be out before midnight this time. An actor as great as me can never show up to a party on time," he added for Tsuna's benefit. He sighed a second time when Tsuna's only reaction was to blink cluelessly. Was he supposed to be impressed?

"Thanks, Mini Bro," Ryohei grinned as he headed back toward the bedroom door. "I have to get back."

"Silk Police?" Tsuna repeated again once he was alone with Lambo. Lambo broke off a yawn in order to laugh, but his expression turned to panic after he'd had his chuckle.

"They're diabolical fiends," he warned. "If they catch you wearing anything other than silk or natural fibers, they'll strip you on the spot and throw your clothes out the window. Then they force you into a cab that won't stop until it reaches the Empress Ju Theater. You don't want to know what happens after that. Ryohei and I made the mistake when we first began throwing parties. Never again. NEVER. AGAIN."

"I see," Tsuna murmured.

"They do make some exceptions, though," Lambo continued so solemnly that Tsuna found it hard to believe that it was a joke. "Designer labels or custom clothes can be forgiven even if they don't have quality materials. Some leatherwork, too. Nylon and Polyester are huge infractions, though. A little can be overlooked, but wearing a polyester shirt will get you arrested. The only exception is if you're wearing vintage that was actually made over twenty years ago. Knock-offs don't count."

"I... see..."

"Normally, we wouldn't care what you wear, but Layrette is coming tonight," Lambo explained as he finally rolled out of his bed and headed for his closet. "With one call, he can inform the entire world of the fashion faux paus and we'll be at Empress Ju Theater before you can blink. They won't care if you weren't warned ahead of time. Ryohei and I are part of the Titanium Styles Club, so attending one of our parties means that you're up for inspection. Now, we could recover from a second arrest, but we don't want you to have to experience such a torment. It's seriously unpleasant."

"Uh huh..." Tsuna grunted, swearing that he could hear several brain cells in their death throes. "And you put up with inspection because..."

"It's fabulous!" Lambo gasped, looking over his shoulder to give Tsuna a wide grin while his hands searched through his overstuffed closet. "Before we joined the Club, our parties were generic and boring. This place felt like a frat house and my reputation was starting to suffer. Now, everyone who comes is just as great as me. You'll like it. Our guest list is exclusive and I can proudly say that everyone wants to come to our parties because we've built a good reputation. Best of all, we get to kick out Paparazzi when they try to sneak in. We just have to pick out something for you to wear."

"Out of your closet," Tsuna supplied nervously.

"We're close to the same size," he confirmed as he stepped away from his closet in consideration. "Unfortunately, it seems that I have nothing to wear," he murmured. Tsuna's jaw dropped at the statement. He had to have over a hundred outfits stuffed into his closet! How could he not have anything to wear?! However, Lambo didn't notice Tsuna's disbelief as he picked up a phone and hit something on his speed dial. "Two," he ordered. "Me and a friend. Half an inch shorter and two sizes thinner. Japanese. No. Yes. No. No. Yes. Make it express." Hanging up, Lambo sighed and looked at his watch. "Five. Four. Three. Two--"

"Lambo!" A man exclaimed, rushing into the bedroom holding two dry-cleaned suits in one hand and a toolbox in the other.

"Michelangelo," Lambo greeted as the man kicked the door shut behind him.

"Is this him?" Michelangelo asked, nodding his head in Tsuna's direction to specify which 'him' that he was talking about. Tsuna raised his eyebrow at the question, getting a sense that Lambo had mentioned him before.

"That's him," Lambo nodded with a crooked smile. "Michelangelo, this is my older brother, Maro. Maro, this my image consultant, Michelangelo."

"You should have seen little Lambo before I found him," Michelangelo giggled as he handed a suit to each of them. "Cow-print _everywhere_! It was horrendous! It's taken me three years, but he finally has the sense to call me before he tries to dress himself. Although, I don't know what I would have done if... oh my." Michelangelo froze and his jaw dropped at the sight of Lambo's closet. Tsuna fully expected him to get angry over being called when Lambo already had so many choices, but Michelangelo surprised him even more. "This is horrible! Where did you get all of this... this... garbage?!"

"Don't mess with them," Lambo ordered while he carefully unzipped the dry-cleaning bag to see what he'd been brought to wear. "Most of them are costumes. I've kept everything I've worn on set since my first commercial."

"I'd say so," Michelangelo shuddered as he pulled out a green sweater vest. He immediately threw it back into the closet with an expression that suggested he was going to vomit. "Well, hurry up and change," he urged, walking over the door to stand in the corner. "I won't look. Promise!"

"Do I want to ask?" Tsuna asked hesitantly while he began unwrapping the suit of clothes that'd been given to him.

"Michelangelo is the best consultant that I could ask for, but he's also gay," Lambo chuckled as he began stripping out his pajamas. "I don't hold it against him except when I'm changing. We had a few issues when we first started working together."

"Oh, just tell it like it is," Michelangelo sighed, making Tsuna pause in order to listen. "I hit on him and he hit me back. How was I supposed to know that he's straight?"

"That's why we've got rules now," Lambo explained softly. "He doesn't flirt with me, hit on me, or look at me while I'm changing."

"He's so stiff," Michaelangelo grumbled. "But I guess it's worth it to put up with him."

"It better be," Lambo laughed. "I pay you better than anyone else does and I don't argue with you anymore."

"Wow," Tsuna mumbled in awe of the comfortable banter between the two. It was surprising. For all that Tsuna had watched Lambo's movies and talked with him a few times, he'd still been thinking of him as the little brat that caused mayhem. To see him talking like an adult made it hit Tsuna harder than ever before: Lambo was all grown up. He wasn't a little boy. He wasn't even a teenager. He was a man with his own life, his own friends, and his own way of doing things.

Staring at him while Lambo tried to decide whether to leave one or two buttons unfastened, Tsuna had to slowly reevaluate everything that he knew about him. He was still conceited as he'd always been, but it was toned down and in proportion to the fame that he'd actually earned. He was still self-conscious, but he didn't deal with it by crying anymore. Instead, he compensated with clothes, acting, and by maintaining a professional attitude. He could still pull out amazing expressions and a boisterous presence on camera, but he was typically soft-spoken and introverted in his personal time. He didn't rush for anything and he let others do the rushing for him. He was--

"Maro?" Lambo asked curiously, noticing Tsuna's attention. Looking down at his designer cow-hide vest, white shirt and his black fitted pants, he mistook Tsuna's introspection for a look of admiration. "It's pretty good," he commented with a small smile. "Michelangelo knows my tastes and he has everything made custom."

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed, smiling at the way that Lambo could always bring him back down to earth. "You're pretty great."

"Isn't he?" Michelangelo exclaimed, spinning around Lambo to see the finished product. However, he came to a surprised stop when he saw the very thing that made Tsuna's smile widen even more. Lambo was stunned. It was the first time for Tsuna to unstintingly praise him. Other than himself, it was possibly the first time that anyone other his fans had told him that he was great. The part that made Tsuna smile, though, was the fact that it wasn't going to Lambo's head. He could see it in Lambo's face. He was taking the compliment to heart instead of to his ego.

"Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that?" Lambo asked as his eyes began to shine like glass.

"Ten years?" Tsuna supplied quietly. Lambo softly nodded and turned in place to sink down to a seat on the edge of his bed. Tsuna knew that it was hitting him hard. It was just as difficult for Tsuna, although he'd already been through it a few times before. It was the moment. It was the moment where Lambo really realized that Tsuna was back. It was the moment where he came to terms with Tsuna's return. But, most importantly, it was the moment where he decided whether to forgive or not. If he decided to hold Tsuna's absence against him, now would be the moment where he said something. Now would be the moment that he would say what was in his heart.

"I'm pretty great," Lambo repeated. "I've worked hard to hear you say that. I spent a year milking cows with the Bovinos and I taught myself how to earn things instead of crying when they weren't handed to me. I went to Don Girarde and I studied as hard as I could so that I could pass with flying colors. I thought hard about what I should be and I took every role seriously when I decided to become an actor. I wanted you to see... I wanted you to see that I wasn't just a superficial brat. Everyone else thought it was typical of me because actors generally have big egos, but I knew... I knew that you, of all people, would notice that I was working hard. I... I missed you so much, Aniki."

"You're still Cry-baby Lambo," Tsuna teased. As he hoped, it made Lambo laugh before he could really begin to cry. "I missed you, too. I missed all of you. I can't travel back in time to change things, but I'm trying hard, too. I have a lot of mistakes to make up for. I can't predict what the future will bring, but I'll keep watching you, Lambo. You've become one hell of a man and I hope..."

"You hope...?" Lambo repeated with a glance over his shoulder at Tsuna.

"I hope you don't take it personally when I say that I refuse to wear cow-print, even if it's in silk," he chuckled, holding up the outfit that he'd been given. Lambo choked when he saw the cow print leggings that he'd been given in place of trousers. While someone like Lambo could have pulled them off, Tsuna didn't think that he could do the same.

"Michelangelo!" Lambo spluttered.

"What?!" He gasped back, holding out his hands as if he were innocent. "I asked if he was family and you said yes. I remembered that you said before that your whole family liked cow theme whenever you can fit it in, so I brought cow!"

"He's not a Bovino!" Lambo exclaimed. "He-- He--"

"I'm like family, but we're not blood relation," Tsuna interjected, seeing how Lambo was struggling to describe him without blowing his cover. "I was his baby-sitter when he was younger, so we go back a long way."

"Oh, heavens to Betsy!" Michelangelo blurted with wide eyes. "Why didn't you say so, Lambo! I never would have brought something so horrible! You just stay right there, Mister...?"

"Maro," Tsuna offered.

"Mr. Maro," he continued as he snatched the outfit out of Tsuna's hands. "I'll be back in a jiffy with something decent!" Tsuna blinked as he walked out the door. Before the door could actually shut, he walked back in with a new set of clothes on a hangar, "I'm back. Sorry it took so long. I chose a copper-toned, satin shirt that'll go well with your existing accessories and a pair of simple, dark khakis. It should be comfortable and allow you to pass inspections. How's that?"

"Uh... it sounds fine," Tsuna mumbled while wondering how in the world the man had gotten them so quickly. "How--"

"A few secrets keeps things interesting," he interrupted with a wink. "Now get changed. Ryo looked like he could use some help with Velma. She found the Schnapps again."

"Oh no," Lambo choked. "I better go help him. Michael--"

"I'll take care of Mr. Maro," the image consultant soothed, pushing Lambo out the door while simultaneously finger-brushing his hair into place. The speed with which he got Lambo out the door gave Tsuna a sinking suspicion--one that was confirmed as soon as Michelangelo shut the door. "I want details," he demanded as he threw himself onto Lambo's bed. "What was he like? I heard that he was fostered out to the former CEO of Vongola Corp. for a few years, but that's all he'll tell anyone. Did he ever get into trouble? Any childhood sweethearts that I should know about?"

"Couldn't tell you," Tsuna shrugged while trying to get the smile off his face. Shaking his head at the resulting pout, Tsuna tried to get changed as quickly as he could so that he could meet Ryohei and Lambo's friends. Being too used to Gigi, he completely ignored Michelangelo's unabashed attentions while he undressed. He also ignored the disappointment when he got redressed. "You can look, but don't touch," Tsuna said as he zipped up his pants. Michelangelo gulped and gaped with wide eyes at the permission, but Tsuna only grinned. The guy deserved something for providing him with clothes and nothing said 'thank you' like a free show. He also knew Michelangelo's type. The fastest way to get rid of his attention was to accept it. Rejection created drama and guys like Michelangelo fed off of drama.

"Well, as cute as you are, I simply must go," he sighed as he got to his feet. "I'm expecting two more calls in the next hour, assuming that Ewona's corset is going to bust like I think it will. That girl does not know the meaning of 'too tight'. Tell Lambo-- Well, nevermind. He'll call me again in the morning. Ciao." Tsuna smirked as the guy disappeared out the door. He found himself laughing when Michelangelo immediately came back in with his head shaking in frustration. "Nope, nope, nope," he gasped, flying over to Tsuna's side and pushed him down to sit on the edge of Lambo's bed. "Sit," he ordered. "Look this way. This way. This way. Yup. I simply can't leave you like this. No, don't you say a word. I promise Lambo that I'd take care of you and that's what I'm going to do. Now, just let me set up my kit and I'll have you ready to go in a jiffy."

When Michelangelo left ten minutes later, Tsuna was afraid to look in the mirror. Michelangelo was fast. The little guy had been like a whirlwind with Tsuna as the eye. He'd blown in, rearranged things to his liking, and left so quickly that Tsuna had to take a moment to calculate the damages. First of all, his head felt weird. The guy had used more hair products in five minutes than Tsuna had probably used in his entire life. He'd also plucked his eyebrows, cleaned his nails, and gave him a quick neck massage to loosen him up for the party. The point where he stopped calculating was when he noticed that he had a new pair of shoes on and a new belt. He didn't even see the guy bring those in! And why did he have the taste of mint in his mouth? The last thing that he'd eaten had been an apple.

Deciding that asking questions might lead to answers that he didn't want, Tsuna got to his feet and headed out into the party. He was lost in a crowd as soon as he stepped out the door. Everywhere he looked, there were faces that he didn't recognize and people that he didn't know. He assumed that he looked alright, though, since no one gave him more than a cursory glance. He also assumed that he passed the 'Silk Police' inspection since no one said anything about what he was wearing.

He felt awkward. Even in something as simple as looking for his friends, he quickly noticed how out-of-place he felt. The last party that he'd attended for the sake of entertainment had been.... He couldn't recall. He hadn't spent enough time as 'Kai' to attend any. Van Wolfe hadn't been the social type. Lazarus had been all about business. Suoh-- He'd went to a few parties when he'd been Suoh, but he'd typically had Snicker with him and that had been years ago.

Mingling with strangers wasn't as easy as he thought it'd be. He attempted to join a few circles of conversation in hopes of getting to know Ryohei and Lambo's friends, but they all ended in failure. He couldn't even fall back on his experience as the Tenth since everyone had always hung on the Tenth's words. Here, he was just some guy that no one knew and no one was even curious about. After the initial greeting where he got out his name and relation to the hosts, no one asked more. They just went back to their conversations while politely giving Tsuna openings to get involved--openings that he kept having to bow out of since he didn't know what the hell anyone was talking about. What the hell was a quimpy? How should he know if Zian was better than Twill? How should he respond when asked if Juniper was as bad as people said? The only juniper that he knew about was a tree!

He knew that he was in trouble when his back found a wall to lean against. It was total defeat. He might as well be standing in a foriegn country--one where he didn't know the language--for all that he was able to talk to the people around him. At least he'd tried and he'd gotten an idea of the kind of people that his important friends had been socializing with. He could tell them honestly that he thought that they were all nice people; they just didn't have any common areas to talk about. Everyone around him seemed to be high-class socialites who worked in a broad range of industries: fashion, film, food, and even corporate. They all had relationships to talk about and gossip to share. In contrast, he was just a common teacher with no love life to speak of. This was a party that Vongola the Tenth in all of his Powerful Boss Glory would have loved to be at since the amount of connections waiting to be made was abundant. However, for some nobody named Maro, it was a party that was too far over his head to enjoy.

Beer and chips were looking better by the second. It was tempting to go track down Ryohei and Lambo, but he knew that he couldn't cling to their coat-tails. They were the hosts of the party, so their attention couldn't be on him the whole time. Although, after thinking about it for a moment, there was always the possibility that they needed help. A few of the other guests had taken up the task of running drinks and snacks around the place. If he did that, it wouldn't matter if he wasn't talkative and he wouldn't be stuck against the wall, either.

With that in mind, he pushed off the wall and slithered through the crowd to head for the bar where Lambo was playing bartender to give Ryohei a break. It made Tsuna smile to see him doing tricks with bottles to get attention and it made him laugh to see how much fun he was having even when he fumbled. It made him wonder...

"Why haven't you two opened a bar yet?" Tsuna interjected curiously as he slipped into an empty space between a big-lipped vixen and a pinched-faced businessman.

"Business and pleasure should never mix," Lambo answered, breaking off his conversaton with a giggling girl at the end of the bar. "Where have you been? I was starting to wonder if you got stuck up against a wall somewhere."

"Not really," Tsuna mumbled sheepishly. "Um... You need help with anything?" Lambo shook his head as the beginnings of a refusal, but he paused before the damning words of 'just enjoy the party' could leave his lips. Tsuna knew that it was probably his own expression that stopped him. The setting was nice and the mood was refreshing, but semi-formal wasn't his type of party. He was nothing more than a wallflower, but he didn't want to be a party-pooper because of that.

"Can you mix drinks?" Lambo asked. A hail of "boo's" met his statement from people who wanted Lambo to continue, but Tsuna nodded anyway. The Tenth had learned a few things over the years, Suoh had learned a few things from Snicker, Laz had learned a thing or two from Charles at Kink's and Kai had picked up a few extra things during a promotional commercial for a down-town bar. Mixing drinks for a few dozen people shouldn't be hard at all--even if they were against him for not being Lambo. "Let's see it," Lambo grinned, sending Tsuna on a dash around the bar to get to his side. "Make me something. Anything. You've got complete license to make anything you want."

Tsuna looked at him for a long second in consideration. What kind of alchoholic drink would Lambo probably like best? After a moment, Tsuna grinned. It was a no-brainer. Pouring it, Tsuna handed it over to Lambo with a flair that was purposely overdone for the simple drink.

"Plain wine?" Lambo asked in surprise.

"I almost gave you milk," Tsuna laughed as he took the glass and swirled it around his cup to check the consistancy. "Then I thought about a White Russian, but your favorite thing is grapes. Right? Well, for that, there's nothing like a good wine. Unless... You didn't stop liking grapes. Did you?"

"No," Lambo smiled before Tsuna could become worried. "It's perfect. Your intution is as sharp as ever, my friend. Unfortunately, I don't think my fans are going to be satisfied with such a simple outcome. Why don't you make drinks for a few more people so they can see why I'm willing to step down as bartender for the night."

"Oh," Tsuna blushed. "O-Okay. Who's next?"

"Him," Lambo answered, pointing out a man leaning on the bar with a smug look on his face. Lambo shushed the man when he tried to tell Tsuna what he wanted, which made Tsuna glare at Lambo in frustration. He couldn't really expect Tsuna to guess everyone's drink! However, the expression on Lambo's face said that he could and he did. Fine, Tsuna thought as he silently accepted the challenge. Trying to guess would be a hundred times better than standing against the back wall or hiding in his room for the rest of the night.

Staring at the man for a moment, Tsuna's best guess was...

"Club soda?" The guy choked in disbelief while the guests around the bar laughed in amusement.

"Is that wrong?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"No," he answered, causing the laughter to slowly fade out. "But how did you know?"

"Your hands," he replied as he filled the man's glass. "One is tanned more than the other which probably means that you drive a lot. The veins on your forehead are swollen, too, so you've probably got a lot of stress. Since you don't have a wedding ring on, I figure the stress is from something at your work and the driving means a daytime job. With it being mid-week, my guess is that the combination means that you probably need to be up early in the morning. Alchohol is the last thing you need. I thought about giving you a simple cola, but club soda fits better with the atmosphere of the party."

"Her," Lambo ordered, pointing out another before anyone could react to Tsuna's explanation.

"Easy," Tsuna replied after only a glance. Mixing the drink, Tsuna was setting it down on a napkin within a few seconds.

"What's this?" She asked without recognizing it.

"It's called a Shirley Temple," Tsuna answered with a smirk as the girl's mouth dropped open. Shirley Temple was the most notorious of all virgin mixed drinks. "Underage girls shouldn't drink liquor," he added as Lambo burst out into laughter.

"Damn, he caught you," Lambo exclaimed. In reply, Tsuna raise his eyebrow in askance of why Lambo knowingly had an underage girl at his party, which sobered him up faster than a slap could have. "Co-star," he soothed. "Her parents know she's here and she's sitting at the bar so I can keep my eye on her."

"Don't make me worry like that," Tsuna grumbled as he turned back to the others who were still waiting on drinks. "Okay. Who's next?"

"Try me," a guy called out as if it were a game. Responding to the prompt, Tsuna began seriously mixing drinks. Sex on the Beach, Gin and Tonic, Kamikaze, Mojito, Long Island Iced Tea, Cranberry and Pineapple juice, Water, Blow Job, Tequila Sunrise, Fuzzy Navel, shots of Hot Damn, Cosmopolitan, Beer, Apple Martini, Margharita, Neopoleon, Water, Club Soda, Scotch on the rocks, White Zifendel, Stop-light, Chicago, fruit juice with a drop of V-Special, Mojito, Autumn in a red dress, three shots of whiskey down his throat....

"You came," he gasped as the whiskey burned his throat.

"I said we weren't finished," she replied with a glare while Tsuna wondered whether Ryohei had actually called her or she'd simply tracked him down. Wondering wasn't going to change anything, though. She was there and he had to deal with her.

"Oi," Tsuna called over to where Ryohei was chatting with three decent-looking girls. "Ryo, come take over for a second." Ryohei raised an eyebrow in askance, but the question was answered as soon as he noticed Autumn. His face darkened, but he nodded in agreement like Tsuna wanted. Before completely handing the bar over, though, Tsuna mixed two drinks--one for himself and one for Autumn that he hoped would loosen her up.

Leading her away from his friend in hopes of finding some privacy to talk, he quickly learned that there was no such thing as privacy at a party. Therefore, he did the only thing that he could think of and led Autumn into his room. She was unsurprisingly unimpressed with the bare neccessities that he had to offer: a seat on the edge of his bed and an awkward silence that she would get to break. However, he had some hope when he saw the smile tugging at her lips.

"You haven't changed," Autumn said softly. Lounging comfortably on the corner of his bed, her drink dangled from her hand while she continued in a superior voice, "You're still the same freeloader that you've always been."

"You haven't changed either," Tsuna replied in a matching, subdued tone. Leaning up against the door with his glass of whiskey in hand, he was positive that he was going to need it pretty soon. "You've still got that stick so far up your ass that I couldn't hope to pry it loose."

"Why won't you come back," she asked in order to get straight down to business. "You can't tell me that you're happy here. Even if you are who you think you are, you haven't seen these people in over ten years and now you're sponging off of them. Snicker would probably be rolling in his grave if he saw you now."

"I'm not sponging, I'm just not letting chances slip away," he countered. "So, unlike what you want to think, Snicker would nod and urge me on. And, in case you're a little slow on the uptake, the ten year gap is exactly why I'm willing to accept their offer. It's better than sleeping in a box and I can get to know them again."

"While pretending to be a teacher," she scoffed.

"While being a teacher," he countered with a sigh of resignation. "That's who I am now, Autumn. I'm through with trying to live up to everyone else's expectation--both high and low. I'm not an all-powerful Boss, but I'm not a pathetic bum, either. I don't need anyone's loyalty or their charity. Until both you and Vongola can understand that and accept what I am instead of what you want me to be, then I'm going to stay a teacher and I'm not going anywhere."

"And if I accepted that?" She asked with her eyes avoiding his. "Would you come back?"

"Autumn," he replied calmly. "You don't need me to come back. You just don't like losing and you lost when you underestimated me. The only reason that you want me back is so that you can chalk one more win down for yourself."

"Wrong," she scowled. "I made a mistake, Laz. It's not that I didn't see; it's that I didn't want to. You changed everything and I was happy with the way things were. I was happy because you were there and... and..."

"And you could control me," Tsuna supplied when her voice faltered. "But I'm not a toy, Autumn. You cared about me because I wasn't a puppet with strings and then you attached strings. You and your father got me to sing and dance to every tune that you played and then your father gave me the chance to cut those strings. I've paid my debt, Autumn. I'm not a puppet anymore. I'm a free man who can choose how to live his own life. You're breaking every one of your Family's traditions by coming after me even though I chose to leave the city. Why?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was because I love you?" She asked with her eyes locked on her shoes. Tsuna's jaw dropped. He was hearing things. He had to be.

"What happened to 'talk is cheap but I prefer cash'?" Tsuna choked. "No, don't answer that. You've got to be joking. Yeah. This is a joke. Where's the cameras? Gigi's going to jump out and suplex me again. Isn't she?"

"I'm serious," Autumn added solemnly, ignoring Tsuna's antics. Tsuna froze when she looked up at him, instantly drawn in by the look in her eyes. She really was serious. She'd come to get him out of love.

"A day late and a dollar short," Tsuna said, tearing his eyes away as a sudden calm settled over him. "I told you before you got married that I was through chasing you, Autumn. You had your chance to build a relationship with me and you weren't willing to throw away the shoddy little picture of me that you'd drawn for yourself. Then, when I've finally begun to build something new for myself, you ask me to throw it away for you? What drugs did you take to make you think that I'd do that?"

"I misjudged you before," she admitted defensively. "I know that now. Once I got off the street, you stopped... No, to be fair, you never treated me like a whore. I screwed up and didn't give you the same benefit once you weren't a bum anymore. I--"

"You preferred me as a bum," Tsuna corrected. "Don't try to make out like it was anything different. You preferred me as a bum and you wanted to keep me that way even after I'd grown out of that by leaps and bounds."

"Things were simpler when you were a bum," she murmured sadly. "I'm not denying that and maybe... yes... I did like you better like that. You can't say that you didn't like yourself better like that, either. You were happy when you were a bum and so was I. What I'm trying to tell you is that I'm not like that anymore. I've learned to accept that happiness doesn't always mean satisfaction. We both let our greed control us and... and... and you can't say that none of that was your fault!"

"No," he grudgingly agreed. "Some of it was my fault, too. Money changed me and I can't say that it didn't. All I cared about was business and keeping myself from falling back in the gutter. I was selfish, but--! I never turned my back on you. I tried to reach out to you, Autumn. As soon as I was at the point that I felt that I wouldn't disgrace you, I gave you dozens of opprotunities to accept me and all you gave me was rejection."

"I know that," she replied. "And I'm sorry, but you have to see things from my perspective. No one in their right mind would believe that you were--"

"The people here believed," Tsuna interrupted. "Chrome believed me even back then. Ryohei and Lambo believed as soon as I met them. Even Gokudera believes now. And the Dragons... The Dragons always believed me. No," he amended. "They didn't just believe me. They believed IN me. That's something that you never did. Did you know," he growled in rising anger. "Did you know that at your wedding, the only reason that I attended had nothing to do with Papa Paolo's orders? Did you know that I was there... I was there for you, Autumn. All you would have had to do was hesitate for even a moment... All you would have had to do was open your arms a little to let me inside and I would have taken you out of there. I didn't care if it was Papa Paolo or the Dragons or even Xanxus that was in my way, I would have gotten you away from there in a heartbeat and I would have made everyone accept me in Theodore's place. You never gave me a chance, though. You never once showed me that I was more than a nuisance to you. I... I'm not invincible, Autumn. I had to face reality and now it's your turn. I'm not going to run away with you this late in the game. I have a new life now and you're not part of it. I'm not going to throw everything away just because you asked me to. There's nothing left in America for me, Autumn. You need to accept that and go back to your husband."

"I won't accept that," she said calmly. "You're a son of Martelli, Laz. Even if you left the city, it's impossible to leave that behind. You will come with me and you will be my Sixth again."

"You're going to force me?" Tsuna asked while trying to fight the complusion that made him help Autumn to her feet. He gritted his teeth in frustration when he found himself opening the door to escort her out. The bitch had used the Voice of Nobility on him. He had no choice other than to follow.

"You haven't left me much choice," she replied lazily as she stepped through the door to lead him through party. "You can scream if you want, but we both know that you want this."

"You're just like your brother," he countered in seething anger. As he expected, the statement made her pause and broke her concentration. The compulsion on him lifted, but not the anger. Staring at Autumn's back, he could tell that she was aware of her infraction. She'd crossed the line and it was too late to pretend that she hadn't. "Go away, Autumn. I'll be happy to be friends with everyone else as long as they respect my independence, but you... I don't want to see you anymore. You're just a 'what-if' that never happened and I'm tired of dwelling on the past."

"Laz..." she mumbled as she slowly turned to look at him.

"Maro," he snapped in correction. Despite his intentions, he couldn't hold his anger. The expression on her face was full of too much pain for him to turn his back on her. Softening his voice, he added, "Go home, Autumn. I don't know what kind of man that you think I am, but I'm not going to steal my own son's wife and I'm not going to give up what I have in order to chase the past. Ross is your Sixth now. You need to accept that and move on with your life."

"I don't want to," she murmured with a hurt expression.

"This is the real world, Princess," he replied with an apologetic smile. "You don't always get what you want, so learn to make the most out of what you have. If you don't, you're just going to end up repeating the mistakes that you made with me."

"I--"

"Don't," Tsuna interrupted, seeing that she was preparing for a confession of some sort. "I'm not going down that road again, so just go home. You'll be doing both of us a favor."

"What about Ross and the Eleventh?" Autumn asked quietly. "Don't you care about them?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsuna asked, crossing his arms as he leaned on his bedroom doorframe.

"If you don't come back as the Sixth, then they can't be together," she said with a devious smile pulling at her lips. "I couldn't possibly give up my current Sixth if I didn't have a replacement." Tsuna froze as his estimation of her inner-bitch rose a dozen notches. He hadn't thought that she would be cruel enough to pull that card, but he'd thought wrong.

"Are you sure that you want to do that," he growled in warning. "I'm not someone that you want to threaten, Autumn." Autumn's eye twitched in response.

"And I'm not someone that you can ignore," she retorted in anger. "If you're going to be stubborn, then I'm going to be stubborn. I'm not giving up, Laz... or Maro... or whatever you want to be called. Pocky!" She blurted, making Tsuna choke. "It doesn't matter what you want to be called! I'm going to call you Pocky and I'm not going to stop until you agree to come back!"

"You can't call me that!" Tsuna spluttered with a red face.

"Just try to stop me, Pocky!" She exclaimed. Tsuna's eyes widened in recognition of her Mega-Bitch stance: hands on her hips, hip cocked, chest out, and chin up. _Oh, hell_, Tsuna thought. _I'm not ready for this_. "You say a day late and a dollar short, but I say better late than never! You've always been an asshole and you're still and asshole and I don't expect you to stop being an asshole. Assholes only get dealt with in one way in my book. They get smacked. I think I've done a pretty damn good job by not smacking you yet, but I can do it if you're going to keep up this pretentious bullshit. I don't care if you want to be a teacher, a criminal, or whatever, but I'll be damned if--"

"Then be damned," Tsuna interrupted. Spinning in place, he ducked back into his bedroom and slammed the door shut before she could build anymore steam. It was the same as always; they were fighting for dominance. However, Tsuna wasn't going to play that game anymore. As much fun as it could be to have a verbal sparring match, he was too old to pretend that it was going to solve anything.

She banged on his door for a minute, but Tsuna assumed that Ryohei or Lambo stepped in when she stopped. That was why, when he heard a light knock, he opened it to apologize for inviting a nutcase to the--

"Shit," Tsuna choked as he dodged the beer bottle aimed for his head. It crashed into the wall over his bed as a second one whizzed past his shoulder into the closet.

"I tried to be nice!" Autumn roared as she barged in the room with her purse in one hand and another beer bottle in the other. "But if you want to do this the hard way, then we'll do it the fucking hard way!"

"Let's go back to the easy way!" Tsuna cried as she slammed her purse into his bed. The sound of it breaking in two was loud enough to attract the guests outside. They piled in the doorway to watch, which blocked his only escape route out of the room.

"Day late, dollar short!" She shouted as her last beer bottle crashed against his head. Trying to recover, he barely managed to dodge another swing of his purse--one that was aimed for his head, as well.

"Why are you trying to kill me?!" Tsuna exclaimed, jumping up on his side table to avoid a leg sweep. He barely managed to avoid the follow through that turned his side table into a pile of splinters. "Dango!" Tsuna cried. "Help!"

The explosion of Flame out of his closet was everything that he'd hoped for and so much more that it left him fumbling to stand erect. The Dango Brothers had answered his call, but...

The Salamander that pinned Autumn to a wall wasn't a Dango and wasn't a set of Brothers. It wasn't a Wyvern. It wasn't a plesiosaur or a Hydra. It was a one-winged gorgon. At least, that was what Tsuna thought she was. It was hard to tell, just like it was hard to even recognize that it was his own Salamander standing across the room.

The make-shift Medusa was primarily made of Sky Flame and she seemed incredibly stable, unlike the Dango Brother's other forms that could only create Sky for short bursts. The arrangement of multicolored snakes on her head and the single, multicolored wing on her back was the only hint of the Dango Brothers that he knew. He didn't understand. He knew that he'd given permission to the Dango Brothers to grow up whenever they wanted, but why now? They should know that he wasn't ready for such a big change. He was barely able to handle everything else going on in his life!

"We don't like you," the gorgon hissed at Autumn, which made Tsuna's jaw drop and his mind go blank in shock. "Brother doessss not want you here. We do not want you here. Brother assssked you to leave him alone, but We wisssh to make you disssappear. You will leave Our brother alone or We will make Our wisssh come true. Do we have an undersssstanding?"

"Laz," Autumn gasped with wide eyes while she stood frozen in place under the gorgon's piercing gaze. "What the hell is this?" Finally getting over his shock, Tsuna smiled at the question. There was only one way to answer.

"This is Promethia, but we'll just call her Thia," he introduced, making the gorgon's head snap back in surprise. He merely continued to smile, though. It made sense now. There wasn't a person alive who could create more than one Salamander, but he'd already had Salmon and Salmon had passed on to Hotaru. The reason that he'd been capable of creating another one had been because it'd been placed within him. He'd simply forgotten about it.

_"We won't make it," Prometheus cried. Despite his words, he continued to surge forward in the waters. Tsuna screamed when the rainbow of Flame rammed itself into his back and propelled him upwards at speeds greater than before. It ripped in two from the force of its thrust. One half fell back down into the depths and the other half continued pushing him upward. The force it used penetrated his very being until Tsuna could no longer tell where his own Flame began and that one ended._

_He broke free of the waters with a gasp and the power of the Flame attached to his shoulder sent him flying uncontrollably through the air. Blinded and dizzy from the sudden rush of returning memories, Tsuna barely noticed the net that caught him and began to quickly pull him toward the banks before he landed back into the water._

_"Kufufufu," a voice laughed over him once he was laying face-down on the bank. "I seem to have caught the legendary Tsuna-fish."_

"Thia is a dear friend and a precious Sister," Tsuna continued with a smile for the memory of Prometheus' sacrifice to save him, "so I hope you'll come to an understanding with her. I don't like it when my friends fight."

"Your kindnessssss is immeasssurable," Thia hissed with a slow smile. "We ssssshould have sssshown Ourselves ssssooner."

"It would have been nice, but I'm probably at fault for holding you b--" Tsuna broke off with a grimace due to a sudden stabbing pain in his chest. It wasn't stopping either.

Hitting his knees, he was unable to respond when Thia darted to his side in concern. He couldn't breathe. It felt as if all of his organs had chosen the same moment to stop functioning. He gasped for breathe, but his lungs refused to expand. His heart clenched so tightly in his chest that every attempt at beating made him feel like he was going to explode. He couldn't hold on to his consciousness, even though he clawed to stay awake with all of his ability.

What the hell--


	138. Chapter 138 Reckoning II

"Time to WAAAAAAKE UP!"

With ringing ears, Tsuna eyes snapped open. As soon as he looked around to see where he was at, understanding quickly followed. He'd had a heart attack and he'd died--on purpose. He was sitting on top of the lake of Limbo, which had been frozen in preparation of Hotaru's arrival.

"I was in the middle of a discussion," Tsuna grumbled, glaring up at the man who'd come to collect him.

"That's what you get for being difficult, Tenth," the Ninth said with a warm smile. "Come. There's much to do before the Eleventh gets here."

"But, my body--" Tsuna objected.

"Will survive," he soothed. "Your Family is varied, but they're quite capable of protecting you. Of course, they're also capable of getting in a fight, destroying the hospital that you're in, and accidentally killing you in the process, but let's hope for the best. Shall we?"

Tsuna groaned, but nodded and rose to his feet anyway. He wasn't truly angry, although more of a warning would have been nice. From the moment that he'd seen that Hotaru was missing, he'd wondered if he'd be brought over for the Reckoning. He'd also feared that he wouldn't be. His own inheritance had been broken when he'd joined the Martelli Family and turned his back on Vongola. He'd been too scared to look at his X-Gloves since coming back, so he hadn't known whether he'd be forgiven or not.

"I'll drive," the Ninth offered as the ice under them began to lower like an elevator. Tsuna gave him a hesitant smile in return, only to have it quickly fade. He still didn't know if he was forgiven, after all. It was possible that he'd been brought to Limbo in preparation of a punishment instead of simply to witness Hotaru's Day.

"I never once regretted making you the Tenth," the Ninth abruptly commented, making Tsuna jerk in surprise as the elevator of ice came to a sudden stop. "I feel the need to say this, so pardon the momentary delay. Tsunayoshi, you're not the worst Boss in history. We've all had moments of failure and tough decisions to make. Please tell me that you are aware that I only told you that in effort to push you away so that Ari would have a more difficult time."

"I know," Tsuna confirmed softly. "But you didn't have anything to do with the mistakes that I made after that. I turned my back on the Family, Ninth. I allowed so many years to pass without even thinking about them. How does one make up for that?"

"With time and patience," he answered with another kind smile. "Some things can't be forced, no matter how much we wish to make something happen. Just continue as you have been and I'm sure that things will work themselves out. Your heart will be your redemption, Tenth. Believe in yourself and trust your feelings. So long as you do that, you will not regret your choices. After all, can you say honestly that you regret you trip to America?"

"No," he said with a soft smile. "No, I don't regret it at all. I met a lot of very special people there and most of the Family stayed strong even though I wasn't with them. I learned a lot while I was away... things that I never would have learned as the Tenth."

"Such as...?" The Ninth prompted as the floor of ice began to move again. It was disorienting since it felt like it was moving back up again, but Tsuna knew that the lake was like a coin with worlds built on either side. Limbo was on one side and the Flame-Keeper's haven was on the other. Even though it felt like they were moving back toward Limbo, he didn't doubt that he was still moving toward the Haven. Despite being frozen, the lake just had a way of realigning things so that he didn't end up arriving on his head.

"Appreciation," he answered as he decided to ignore the mysteries of inter-planar travel. "I learned the value of a dollar and how little one needs to actually survive. Vongola has a lot more than I ever noticed before and they... we've been hoarding that wealth. Holding some back for a rainy day is a good idea, but we're holding back so much that could be used to help people. For instance, why is it the Boss' job to pick up our guys' bar tabs? We already pay them a wage that's more than enough for their needs. We also give them medical benefits, vacations, and even housing in many cases. Why are we handing them extra luxury on top of that? There are people out there who can't even afford food while our guys get a paycheck that they never have to spend. And what about--"

"Over the generations, Vongola became spoiled," the Ninth said in amusement for how quickly Tsuna got riled. "I won't deny that, which is exactly why you were sent to America in the first place."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped, stunned over the revelation that it'd been planned.

"Two birds with one stone," the Ninth chuckled. "You gained some street sense, Rendrick was dealt with, and Havik was erased from Mukuro's memory. We no longer have to worry if he will continue the plot hatched by the Four Horsemen because he has no memory of them being more than enemies and you, my dear boy, will be able to do more good in the world than ever before. I just have one piece of advice that might help you in the future: If you give a starving man a fish, he'll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he'll never go hungry again. Also, sometimes you have to take a step backward in order to move forward."

"Eh?"

"You will understand with time... and patience," he smiled. Before Tsuna could ask for clarification, they rose back up out of the frozen lake's surface and his breathe was taken away by a sight that he hadn't expected to see again until his true death.

It was an ancient world that was almost completely untainted by the hand of man. Forests and waterfalls surrounded the city on every side and Tsuna... Tsuna realized that he'd learned more than simply the value of a dollar. The schooling that he'd gotten in prison as Lazarus had included history, which allowed him to notice that the ruined city wasn't as seamlessly put together like he thought. It was an culmination of aged stonework that bore marks from Greek, Mayan, Egyptian and dozens of other cultures. A careful inspection allowed him to notice the Native American totems that had been carved into some columns and it allowed him to notice the Indian touches on the fountains. Then he choked when he noticed that someone had feng shui'd some of the rubble!

"It's not as impressive after the first visit," the Ninth said with a knowing glint of amusement in his eyes. "The First has a lot of spare time on his hands, so building the city is his pet project. Also, try not to be too disappointed. He saves his awe-inspiring performances for the heirs."

"Eh?"

"Tsuna?! Timeteo?! Are you guys here yet?!"

"That would be him," the Ninth smiled as they finally stepped off the platform and onto the stone street surrounding the fountain that they'd come through. Following the sound of the First's voice, Tsuna had to smile when they rounded a corner and found him shouting down a small well.

"Hurry up!" He called in a whining voice. "You're taking too long! Damnit. I knew that I should have gone to get him. But, no~," he said as his voice tilted into an immitation of the Ninths', "'Tsunayoshi would benefit more if I went.' As if, you little brat. Everyone knows that the First Boss is the one that everyone wants to--" The First broke off in a strangled voice when he finally noticed them and Tsuna felt the need to laugh at the wide-eyed blush that resulted. "Oh. You're here."

"We're here," the Ninth confirmed with a grin.

"Um, I made an ass of myself again," he mumbled, sheepishly running a hand through his shockingly blond hair.

"Of course not, First," the Ninth soothed. "If you wish to throw a tantrum like a child, then you've earned the right." The First opened his mouth to agree, but quickly snapped it shut with a pouting glare that made Tsuna smile even more.

It was strangely relieving to see what the First was like when he wasn't being 'official'. That someone so legendary could be so normal was a little shocking, but it also eased Tsuna's fear that he wouldn't be able to measure up as a former Boss. The smile that the First sent him also told him that the man knew exactly what Tsuna was thinking.

"Well, no sense in standing around here," the First sighed, gesturing for Tsuna and the Ninth to follow him. "Hotaru won't be here for a while, so--"

"Eh?" Tsuna gasped in surprise. Silently berating him for his sudden lack of vocabulary, he tried to ask an actual question for once. "Why not? Shouldn't he be here already? He left before I did!"

"Time moves strangely here," the Ninth explained. "The Future and the Past are all relative terms that don't apply."

"A moment in time stretched into infinity," the First said as if he were reciting something. "All times are one and one time is all; From beginning to end, 'tis just a fantasy I saw."

"He fancies himself as a poet lately, so try to humor him," the Ninth whispered, causing Tsuna to bow his head to hide his resulting grin. "The point is," he continued, raising his voice to a normal level, "that it's normal for you to arrive before Hotaru even though he left before you. Call it a perk of being the Tenth. No matter what he does, your hour will always come before his just as mine will come before yours. It's a good thing, Tsunayoshi," he soothed with a smile, seeing that Tsuna wasn't satisfied with such a basic explanation. "It gives us some time to relax before we have to get down to business."

"And nothing says relaxation like a visit to the harem," the First added with a wink.

"Harem?" Tsuna choked.

"What else would you call a room full of wives and lovers?" He countered with a raised eyebrow. "You don't think we'd stay here for eternity by ourselves. Did you?"

"You mean--" Tsuna gasped, lurching to a stop that brought the other two to a questioning halt. "They're here?"

"Not all of them, Tenth," the First replied sadly. "There's a reason that the Bosses of Vongola have never been able to keep a simple relationship. Our duty is our own and it's not something that they can share. We must stay here and continue our work, but the ones that we love aren't capable of being happy in such a stagnant place. While here, there is no need to eat or sleep. There is no room to grow and interactions are limited. After a time, many of our loved ones choose to explore the Paths of Reincarnation and leave us. Relying on more than one for emotional support allows us to deal with that loss."

"It is not easy to sit in the Throne of Vongola," the Ninth added sadly. "Many might find us to be hedonistic in our personal affairs, but it is our duty that creates such a need. We build the house, Tsunayoshi. It is the rare, precious treasures that we invite into it that make it into a home."

"Rare, my ass," the First scoffed in laughter. "Don't act like you're above the rest of us, Ninth. If my count isn't off, then who's the current record-holder?"

"So what if I was a bit randy in my youth," the Ninth replied with a pinkish blush.

"Randy," the First laughed. "If you tried to sow any more wild oats, you would have solved world hunger by yourself!"

"Now see here!" The Ninth exclaimed in effort to defend himself. "I--"

"I, what, you old coot?" Turning around, Tsuna gulped at the sight of the Second approaching from behind them. The likeness to Xanxus was too much to be ignored. The Second was more polished and his scowl was fiercer, but his appearance was an approximate match. "Do you think you can take any longer?" He growled, staring down at the First with such ferocity that Tsuna was sure that he was about to hit someone.

"Don't be so uptight," the First sighed. "We've got all the time in the world... Get it?" He asked with a laugh. "All the time in the world!" Tsuna didn't get the joke, but the First began laughing so hard that his face turned red and pounded on the Second's back in effort to make him join in. Tsuna thought about politely laughing with him, but the glare that the Second gave him was enough to freeze the thought in its tracks.

"Why don't we head to the Harem?" The Ninth suggested with a long-suffering sigh. Tsuna nodded and uneasily followed behind the First and the Second. After listening to the First's attempts to make the Second laugh for the entire time that it took to walk to one end of the avenue to the other, Tsuna felt incredibly shell-shocked.

Then his mind went blank when the Second actually smiled and let out a grunt. After that, Tsuna felt dazed for the rest of the walk. He'd always heard that the Second hated the First, yet they were acting like old friends! Then again, they'd also had nine generations to bury the hatchet. Tsuna guessed that it wasn't too far-fetched for them to have become friends. It wasn't as if there was a point to killing each other in this place.

"Tsunayoshi," the Ninth said quietly as they headed into a ruined building and began to descend a dark stairwell. "I feel the need to prepare you. Kyoko isn't here. She chose to go through the Gates of Heaven and explore that realm."

"It's probably for the best," Tsuna replied with a sad smile. "If the stories about Heaven are anywhere close to the truth, then she'll be happy. That's all that I could ever ask."

"I figured that you'd say that, however...."

Tsuna didn't need an explanation for the 'however'. He got it as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs. As he'd expected when he'd heard the word 'harem', the room was large and covered in both pillows and opaque draperies. It was a little strange since the room was actually only half a room. The other half was a balcony that jutted out of the side of the hill to provide a breath-taking view of the surrounding landscape. There were also more of the thin, opaque draperies that were wafting in the breeze as a barrier between the two separate areas and behind one of them...

"Suoh," Snicker greeted with a soft smile as the breeze pushed the curtain back to allow Snicker to step forward. "Or should I call you Tenth like everyone else?"

"J-Joshua?" Tsuna asked in disbelief. Looking over at the First and the Ninth, it was surprisingly the Second that answered the question that he was too dumbstruck to voice.

"We voted," he growled unhappily. "You made vows to this one, so no one can say it was just a fling. If he wants to stay, then he can stay. Just keep the kissing and touching away from me."

"He's got a soft spot a mile wide," the First said, holding up a hand as if it'd keep the Second from hearing. "I think he was hoping that you'd bake him something if he got your lover here for you."

Tsuna stared in disbelief for a long moment, but the Second didn't refute the statement. He simply continued to glare in a way that Tsuna recognized from Xanxus. It was the glare that said 'do it or I'll get pissed'.

"I-It's the least I could do," he mumbled in agreement. The Second nodded and stomped off in satisfaction, the First gave him a thumbs up for the response, and the Ninth tried very hard to hide his need to laugh. Shaking his head over his ancestors' unfathomable personalities, Tsuna turned back to Snicker and finally let it hit him.

It was real. Snicker was really in front of him. What was he supposed to say? Should he apologize for taking other lovers? Was Snicker mad at him for what how he'd acted after he was gone? What about the Dragons? Did he hold it against Tsuna for leaving them? And the funeral--

"I think he's waiting for you to greet him," the First whispered in his ear, making Tsuna jerk in surprise. The simple prompt made Tsuna's head go blank again. Staring at Snicker, he slowly took in his gentle expression, his concern over the delayed welcome, and... and...

Tsuna started moving. It began with a single footstep that led to a second which led to a third and forth in quick succession. By the time that he reached Snicker, he was moving so fast that he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. Since he didn't, he barreled into Snicker's arms at full force--and ended up running through him. Tsuna only had a moment to register surprise before his momentum sent him over the edge of the balcony behind him. Out of reflex, he grabbed hold of a railing before he could fall and a single look downward gave him the energy to scramble back up.

"Damnit," Snicker shouted angrily as he knelt down while Tsuna gasped and spluttered over his close call. "So that's why they told me to stand there! The damn bastards! Are you okay, Suoh? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Looking up at him, Tsuna's eyes widened as a single word flitted through his head.

"G-G-Ghost," he gasped with a pale face. Snicker stared at him without comprehending, but the room filled with laughter as other people did. They were people who'd been in the room since the beginning, but had been hiding from sight in order to watch a show. The First and Ninth were still next to the door and the Second had gone off on his own, but the rest of the Bosses had been waiting to see his reaction and they took ample pleasure in becoming visible enough for Tsuna to see.

The Third's ghost sat among a pile of floor pillows with three beautiful young women while a giggling elderly woman sat in the chair next to him. The Fourth sat at a table with his fork in hand with a set of twins sitting across from him and another woman standing dressed as a waitress behind him. The Fifth and the Sixth were playing cards with another set of mismatched women. The Seventh was sitting on a couch to polish his gun with the help of four dainty women and the Eighth was getting a back massage from a rather unimpressive man in a suit.

"You lost the bet, Eighth," the Fouth called out in a roar of laughter while gesturing with his fork. Tsuna gaped, feeling dizzy from the amount of ghosts around him. "I told you that the Tenth would still be scared of ghosts!"

"No helping it," the Eighth replied in amusement as she slowly sat up from her massage. "It's been so long since the incident with Romeo that I didn't think he'd still be a scaredy-cat, but I guess some things never change."

"You're all ghosts!" Tsuna finally managed to yelp.

"So are you, Suoh," Snicker interjected as if Tsuna's statement was idiotic.

"EH?!"

"Tsunayoshi," the Ninth interjected in exasperation. "One must leave their body to come here. You know this. Physical contact is something for those with a body to be physical with."

"Then...." Tsuna mumbled as he looked back at Snicker in horror. "I can't touch him?"

"We can touch," Snicker soothed, reaching out to put a steadying hand on Tsuna's shoulder to show him that it was solid. "There's just limits. If you plow into me, my form can't hold against the pressure. It's a little frustrating since it means I can't punch anyone, but it's better than nothing. Right? So why don't we try this again? Assuming, of course, that you can lose that expression on your face. You're not really scared of me. Are you?"

"N-No," he lied with his trembling voice instantly giving him away. "I-I just... uh..." Being silenced with a kiss did wonders for his mentality. Once again, his mind went blank and everything he'd been thinking disappeared in an instant. His fear of ghosts went away. His fear of Snicker went away. His unreasonable hesitation went away. Even the room seemed to go away, leaving nothing other than Snicker, Snicker's lips, and himself.

"What about now?" Snicker asked with a lope-sided grin. In answer, Tsuna grabbed his collar and pulled him back to claim a second one that left no doubt in his mind. Snicker was real. He was warm. He was solid. He might be dead, but Snicker was no ghost.

It made Tsuna smile in a way that he hadn't smiled in years. It also brought tears to his eyes in happiness when Snicker reached out to pull him into a full embrace. How many years had he waited for this? How long had he gone on hoping that he'd still be able to meet with him after death? To know that he really was waiting across the lake gave Tsuna strength. To speak with him and touch him again gave Tsuna so much peace that he felt ready to take on anything.

Having gone so long without him, Tsuna hadn't realized how much he'd needed him. He hadn't noticed how much pain had accumulated within him after losing him. All of that was washed away with a single kiss, though. It faded away entirely as if his heartache was the ghost.

"As much as I dislike breaking up this touching reunion," the Ninth interjected, making Tsuna break off prematurely in remembrance that they weren't alone. Tsuna blushing sheepishly at the reminder and the look on Snicker's face suggested that he'd forgotten, as well. "We do have business to attend to."

"Aww, don't be a spoil-sport," the First said as he walked over to tap his finger against a small bell in a row of bells next to the door. It rang, sending a pleasant sound echoing through the room, up the stairwell, and into the ruins above. "There we go," he grinned as the Ninth's face turned a bright shade of red. "Each of us has a different tone," he explained with a wink. "Let's see if he can still spoil things when he's got his hands full."

"We might want to get up against a wall," Snicker whispered in his ear with a laugh. "There's about to be a stampede." Tsuna followed the advice, although he didn't quite believe it. Less than twenty seconds later, however, the chorus of voices coming down the stairs made Tsuna's eyes widen in shock. He couldn't really have that many--

One, two. Three, four, five. Six, seven, eight, nine. Ten. Eleven, Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.... seventeen... eighteen... He lost count. The women swarmed like bees around the Ninth, all trying to get his attention at the same time until, finally, the Ninth simply broke free and began running up the stairs. The sight made Tsuna laugh harder than he'd ever laughed before. All this time, he'd thought that he'd had it bad, but the Ninth--! Tsuna only had six or seven true lovers if one subtracted his flings: Kyoko, Haru, Snicker, Xanxus, and Mukuro... and the recent Badru. That was six unless he decided to count Autumn as a lover. She wasn't really a lover, though. She had been more of a fling.

Hopefully they subtracted flings, Tsuna thought in abrupt sobriety. How many would there be if he counted his flings? Not the one-night-stands, of course. Just the people that he'd had understandings with. If the one-night-stands counted, then he was screwed. He might be able to manage with just flings, though. Yeah... he nodded to himself as he mentally counted the ones that he could remember. That only added Autumn, Neve, Adie, Veronica and Aster. He was still under the Ninth's count.

Whew.

"You seem pretty relieved," Snicker mumbled in his ear, making Tsuna squeak in surprise over being caught. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Uh..." he blushed as Snicker's arms tightened around him.

"Perhaps how many rivals I didn't know about," he prompted.

"Uh..." he blushed harder.

"You have none at the moment," the Seventh answered as he went back to polishing his gun. "That's why the vote was swayed to let you in. The Tenth has taken other lovers in the past, but none currently qualify for inclusion in the Harem. We didn't like the idea of him being alone, so you got a lucky ticket."

"Eh?" Snicker gasped as if the statement was as surprising to him as it was to Tsuna. "What's that supposed to mean? What about his wives?"

"Ex-wives," the Fouth corrected sadly while he lazily rolled his fork through his fingers. "The one that's already dead decided to move on without him and the other one handed her heart to someone new. Unless she shows some dedication to the Tenth, then it's better for her to live and die normally instead of coming here. You know, we make fun of the Ninth a lot for how many girls that he has hanging onto him, but he's one lucky son of a bitch. It's not as easy as you might think to get an invitation to this little club."

"But Xanxus..." Tsuna whispered in shock.

"Got himself a girlfriend and left you high and dry," the Sixth shrugged. "No dedication equals a no-go. He's in the same boat as Haru."

"Mukuro..."

"He's still got a fighting chance, but most of us feel that you'd be doing him a favor by pushing him through a Gate," the Eighth murmured sympathetically. "He's too mixed up inside. Unless he can work through his confusion before he dies, then no good can come from him staying here. You have to think of what's best for them, Tenth."

"A-Autumn...?"

"You know the answer to that," The Seventh growled as if Tsuna had said something moronic. Tsuna slowly nodded in agreement. He knew the answer. She wasn't counted because they'd never had a clear relationship.

"B-Badru?" Tsuna asked in hope. The rest of the Bosses paused and looked at one another before pointedly refusing to look at him. The action supplied the answer that no one wanted to say. Badru couldn't come because Badru was a vampire that was never going to die.

He... He was going to be alone. It was going to happen one day. He was going to truly die and take his place next to his ancestors and then Snicker... Snicker would stay for a while, but what was he supposed to do after Snicker decided to move on? It would happen eventually. After all, how could he be happy with waiting out eternity in such a secluded place? He was going to leave and then...

"It's not as bad as you might think after the last one moves on," the First said with a sad smile. It made Tsuna realize that he was the only one without a single lover at his side. _Was he going to end up like the First?_ Tsuna thought in horror. Was he going to make up bad poetry and feng shui piles of rubble in order to pass the time?!

"Oh, hell no," Tsuna choked. Ignoring the other Boss' surprised expressions, Tsuna turned around in the decision to put his foot down. "I am not going to feng shui rubble!" Tsuna exclaimed. Laughter erupted behind him as Snicker stared at him in surprise for the sudden outburst, but Tsuna wasn't done. "You're going to have rivals, damnit, and you're going to deal with it! If you have a problem with that, then let me know now because I'm going to start dating when I get back!"

"Is that so?" Snicker asked with a crooked grin.

"Yes!" Tsuna answered firmly.

"That's fine with me," Snicker replied. Tsuna opened his mouth to retort to Snicker's objection, but the agreement caught him off-guard. He deflated, staring at Snicker without comprehending how easily he'd won the argument. Actually, it couldn't even be called an argument. He'd just said it and Snicker had given approval. "It's fine with me," Snicker repeated with a laugh for Tsuna's dumbfounded expression. "I've been here for a while, so I had time to think. I figured that you'd find someone after I was gone and I'm okay with that. I'm a little jealous, but it's nothing that I can't set aside. You deserve to be happy and, well, you know me. The more, the merrier. Although, if you bring any men, we might have a bit of a problem. I'll give the okay for that asshole and the weirdo if you can get things worked out, but only because they were there before me."

"What about Aster?" Tsuna asked, getting a faint suspicion that Snicker was hiding something.

"I guess he's okay," Snicker murmured in consideration while he absently rubbed his goatee out of habit. "He's a little on the girlish side anyway."

"And Veronica?" Tsuna asked as his suspicion began to solidify.

"He's girlish, too, but the whole pet mentality doesn't set very well with me," he replied. "I guess he's okay if you really have to have him, but you should try for more girls. How about that one named Diva? She was pretty cute. A little rough around the edges, but still cute."

"Snicker!" Tsuna exclaimed as his face turned red in embarrassment. "You've been watching me!"

"So?" He asked in surprise. "It's not like I have much else to do around here. And anyway, don't you want me to?"

"Yeah, but..." Tsuna mumbled with another deep blush. "You're not supposed to let me know. Now I'm going to be embarrassed every time that I take a shower."

"Well, isn't that--"

Tsuna's head snapped up in unison with the rest of the Boss' at the sound of a buzzing sound in the air. He wasn't sure how, but he recognized it. He recognized it and he knew what he was supposed to do. Looking over at the First, he was relieved when the man nodded in permission. However...

"You have to go," Snicker said quietly, understanding what Tsuna wanted to say from the expression on his face. "It's okay. I've made friends here, Suoh. There's actually a fire-bear hanging around that I wanted you to meet, but it can wait until next time."

"I love you," Tsuna said, knowing the he couldn't stay. "I'll come back," he promised.

"Not too quickly, I hope," Snicker replied with a soft smile. "I love you, too, so I want to see you live a good life. Give me a good show. Alright?"

"Deal," Tsuna agreed warmly. Giving Snicker one final kiss in farewell, Tsuna pulled away from him, took a deep breath, and left in the company of Vongola's lineage.

* * *

Hotaru didn't know where he was. The area gave him a sense of Deja Vu, but he couldn't put his finger on why. Perhaps it was the snow that was all over the place. Everywhere he looked, it was white, so it was difficult to tell what his surroundings were actually like. It was possible that it'd been a lake that he'd gone to before, but he couldn't recall any trips to one that would freeze over.

The strange part was that it didn't really feel that cold. Actually, it felt pretty warm. Each time that he took a step, the snow melted under his foot and gave him the momentary sensation that he was stepping on hot sand. That might have been because of his body, though. He was all Salamander now. Prometheus had unlocked his Chain and freed him entirely from his earthly bonds.

Hotaru didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about how comfortable he felt in his Salamander skin or how light he felt. He stubbornly kept his feet on the ground, even though he felt as if he could drift away with a single bounce. He was human, he repeated to himself around frustrated curses. He'd accepted that he was part Salamander because that had been the price to get control of his Lance, but he'd be damned if he went further and accepted his current form. It made him want to go back home, but he couldn't do that until he figured out where that stupid voice had dropped him off at.

"Prometheus!" Hotaru called in hopes that the voice would answer to a specific summons. Nothing answered and the hills around him refused to even echo his voice in order to help. "SK!" He called, also knowing that his friend should have come with him. He had an egg to drop off, after all. Unfortunately, silence continued to be his only answer.

Remembering that he was supposed to stay in one place when he got lost, Hotaru took a seat on the embankment and waited for someone to find him. Five minutes later, he stood in aggravation and began walking along the shore. On occasion, he stopped to make 'help me' signs in the snow by melting the ice with his hand until the barren ground showed through. He also made sure to put an arrow in the direction that he was walking so that anyone who found the sign could follow him.

A mere twenty minutes later, he knew something was fishy when he walked back up to the first sign that he'd made. The lake was huge. He could probably encircle the entire thing in that amount of time if he ran at full speed for the entire circumference, but he'd been lazily taking his time. He shouldn't have covered more than a fifth of the distance yet!

Melting his previous sign, Hotaru made a new one pointing into the woods. Then he started walking. The slope was easy to climb and he estimated that it would only take twenty minutes to reach the peak, but his fears were verified when he found himself walking back up to the lake after only a ten minute hike. He was in an illusion. Someone was keeping him there and they weren't showing themselves.

Fine, he grumbled to himself. If they wanted to play mind games, then he'd play games. There was no way for him to get confused in the sky. All he had to do was to constantly fly straight up and the illusionist's hold on him would break once he was out of range.

"Don't look down," Hotaru reminded himself as he pushed off the ground and began climbing for altitude. He hated flying. It wasn't so bad when he had SK under him, but flying without him made Hotaru feel queasy. Even when he'd flown on his own with his Lance, he'd refused to get more than a few feet off the ground unless he had to. It was just too strange. People weren't supposed to fly. Only things with feathers were supposed to--

Hotaru groaned as the feathers of his hair began to whistle from the passing wind and he silently amended his thought to 'only things with wings were supposed to fly'. He didn't have wings. That was Gregory. He was just a normal, standard, run-of-the-mill guy that was plummeting head-first toward a frozen lake--

Yelping in surprise, Hotaru tried to slow himself and found that he couldn't. He didn't have enough experience with his Salamander form to make instantaneous changes and his momentum was too much to allow him to compensate. All he could do was throw his arms up over his head to protect it and--

"Sugar?" Hotaru asked, distracted from his predicament by the half-cat, half-woman that was waving at him from the beach. Before he could verify what his intuition told him, he hit the surface of the lake and painfully crashed through the frozen surface layer.

At least, that was what Hotaru expected to happen. It didn't, though. He never hit and there was no pain. There was a lot of water, though. It surrounded him and pressed in on him from every direction, making it difficult to tell which direction was 'up'.

Even worse, the light coming off of himself was the only light that there was. For Hotaru, the dark was even more terrifying than flight. It left him trembling and frozen in indecision. Which way was he supposed to go? He didn't know what was out there. He was under water, so there could be sharks or octopus or piranhas or even...

Hotaru's heart jumped into his throat at the feeling of something tapping his shoulder. Then something grabbed onto his shoulder. Praying that it was seaweed, Hotaru slowly looked over to find that it wasn't. It was something far worse. It was a gnarled, clawed hand that was attached to a set of teeth that was a little too pointy to allow him to see anything else.

The choice was between total darkness or a monster that he could see.

Screaming on the top of his non-existent lungs, he chose the darkness.

* * *

_"Sawada Tsunayoshi left only one thing in my possession before he died," Hibari said formally while Hotaru tried to ignore how his feet were beginning to go numb from kneeling. They'd been sitting on his legs for nearly an hour, patiently going through the motions of their usual, scheduled visit over tea. This wasn't their normal schedule, however, and it definitely wasn't their usual tea. Hibari had actually brought out Hotaru's favorite rather than the flavor that he preferred, which barely made up for the extended length of the meeting. _

_"What--" Hotaru asked before finding himself silence by a single, sharp glare from his step-father. Without pausing for an instant, he continued to pull out a small lockbox from underneath the low table so that he could place it in front of Hotaru. It wasn't very wide, although it was both thick and tall. The lack of ornamentation on it suggested that something worthless was inside, which Hotaru recognized as his father's typical way of hiding something. Then Hibari reaching into the folds of his robe and pulled out the key that matched, laying it on top of the box with the slow pace that formality demanded. _

_Hotaru looked at him in askance and wondered whether it'd be safe to ask if he knew what was inside. He didn't think that it'd win him any points, though. Hibari obviously wanted him to open it and the guy had never been the talkative type to begin with. Therefore, Hotaru asked something completely different._

_"Would you stay while I open it?" He asked, knowing that Hibari would probably do so even if he hadn't been invited. He'd been holding on to it for countless years. It was impossible to think that he didn't care what Hotaru's reaction to the contents might be._

_"Once you put the key in the lock, add your Flame," Hibari directed with a small nod of agreement for Hotaru's request. "I was with Sawada when he shut it and sealed it with his own Flame. Only you can open it without destroying the contents."_

_"Alright," Hotaru murmured. Hesitantly picking up the key, Hotaru carefully slid it into the opening and sent his Flame into the key like Hibari had directed. He didn't have to turn it. As soon as his Flame hit the lock, the box itself burst into Flames and quickly disappeared in a pile of ash. What was left behind was a lacquered box with no lock at all. This one had the ornamentation that showed Vongola-quality in its make. From the Vongola seal etched in gold on the lid to the gold filigree curved around the corners, every inch had been carefully detailed and prepared._

_It was almost a disappointment when Hotaru lifted the lid and found a simple file of papers inside. Setting the lid and the box aside, he pulled out the file and opened it to see what his father had left him. Then his disappointment disappeared in shock as he slowly red the cover letter. He couldn't understand what his father had been thinking to leave him such a thing. Was this some kind of test? Hotaru couldn't possibly..._

_Yes, he could, a little nagging corner of his mind corrected. A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable, but not now. Not when he had so much to gain by making such a choice. He could be with Ross. He wouldn't have to wonder every day if someone was going to show up and take the Vongola Throne from him. He could do a lot of things that he never could before. That was why he could consider it and be horrified at himself for even allowing the possibility to enter his mind. _

_"What is it?" Hibari asked. His tone told Hotaru more than his words did. It was a tone that said that Hibari hadn't just been present when his father had sealed the box. He'd helped the Tenth fill it and wanted to ensure that Hotaru understood the value of what he was holding. No, Hotaru amended, his answer would actually be what determined what he was holding: the key to freedom or a leftover token of his father's madness. He couldn't decide which, so he answered in brutal honesty without allowing his emotions to interfere._

_"It's a guide to destroying Vongola," he answered with a calm that he didn't feel. "It's a method that can only be used by the Boss and will ensure that none of the current Family will be hurt in the process. The Tenth's instructions are for me to use it if I feel that the Family has lost its purpose."_

_"But...?" Hibari prompted, hearing that very word leak into Hotaru's voice._

_"But," Hotaru repeated with the feeling that he already knew what he was supposed to do. "I can't use it. I... I'm tempted. I can't say that I'm not. If I did this, then there wouldn't be anything standing between me and Ross. But... But I still can't. The Family is what saved Orinato and Nori. They stepped in and raised me after dad died. They... They're not just a Mafia Family. They're my Familia. I... Why would the Tenth leave me something like this?"_

_"Sawada was never easy to understand," Hibari answered with a mysterious gleam in his eyes. "One moment, he was the strongest. In the next, he was the weakest. I can not imagine why he would choose to leave you with such an ill omen nor do I care. What I find more interesting is the question of: Why didn't he use it for himself?"_

* * *

A sudden impact to Hotaru's head made him look up...or was it down? In his panic, he couldn't tell, but everything turned right-side up when his head broke free of the water. Hands grabbed him before he could even manage to look around, pulling him free of the lake before tossing him onto a large block of stone. He lay there for a moment, gasping in disorientation, before attempting to sit up and look around. When he finally did, he was left gaping at his surroundings.

He was in the center of a ruined city. In the distance, he could see hundreds of sets of pillars rising up out of a forest canopy. Each set of three spread out at their base, but came together like corners of a pyramid before disappearing into the bright sky. As for the landscape, the forests and rivers and lakes and mountains were too beautiful for him to even consider that he might still be on earth.

Closer around him, ivy draped across stone statues in which he recognized only a few of the depictions. Things from dreams and nightmares were carved everywhere and broken mosaics showed scenes that he could never have imagined in his wildest dreams. Curiously, he looked over at the place he'd emerged from, only to find that it wasn't a lake like he'd thought. It was a small, bottomless reflecting pool inset into the stone floor, overflowing in waters which poured over the side of the ruins and down a large cliff like a waterfall. Beside it, a man stood cloaked in dark black and stared out at the horizon calmly.

"I've been waiting for you," he said softly into the silence. "Although this was not the way I hoped for us to meet."

"Who are you?" Hotaru asked.

"Has so much time passed that you've completely forgotten me?" The man replied. He smiled and turned to look at Hotaru with sad and mournful eyes. He walked closer to Hotaru and with every step, he felt an increasing surge of recognition. Hotaru looked into his face with wide eyes, not comprehending the family resemblance that the other had with him. Then the man lifted a hand to gently lay it on Hotaru's cheek. The single glimpse of his glove was all he needed.

"T-Tenth...?" Hotaru supplied while automatically cringing away from the outstretched hand. The Tenth paused and pulled it back, leaving Hotaru with the feeling that he'd just failed some sort of test. He could help it, though. The Tenth had to be angry. It was Hotaru's fault that he'd been separated from the Family! Because of what Hotaru had said when he went to the past, everything had gotten so screwed up! In the Tenth's place, Hotaru knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his temper. So, he cringed in preparation of a blow that never came.

"Perhaps it's for the best," the Tenth said mournfully.

"W-What--"

"Come, chosen heir," the Tenth replied. "It is time for you to inherit the proof of Vongola." Hotaru stared with wide eyes at the statement and hesitantly slid off of the block of stone that he'd been tossed on. He'd expected the Tenth to punish him for screwing up, but he hadn't. Hotaru didn't understand. He also didn't want to push his luck, so he silently fell in behind the Tenth.

He tried not to stare at the man too much nor to let his fascination with his surrounding overwhelm him too much. Both were awe-inspiring, though. The city.... the entire realm seemed to be filled with Salamanders, from the Yellow and Green butterflies that flapped playfully with each other over his head to the Purple snakes that crawled across the crumbling remains of an edifice. Everywhere he looked was life lit in Flames, which seemed a strange counterpart to the normal looking man leading him deeper into the lost city.

Hotaru felt the strange urge to shudder when they began walking up a steep set of stairs at the center of the ruins. Higher and higher they climbed until finally they came to a flat landing. Seven doors hovered weightlessly in the sky around it, although one was fragmented rubble drifting around in effort to rebuild itself. He watched curiously while two large chunks of it reformed, only to be destroyed by a sudden burst of sourceless Flame. It felt incredibly familiar--too familiar to be coincidence.

Then Hotaru turned his eyes down to the landing itself. Inset into the ground was small rivulets of Flame, outlining the Vongola crest in six different colors. The Tenth quietly directed him to stand in the center while he watched with a disquieting, remorseful expression on his face. The moment that Hotaru was in place, he understood why. The diagram of Flame below him twisted and stretched around him. Reforming at a speed only Flame could travel, they melted together to become chains. A chain of Red Storm Flame was the first to dart forward, binding Hotaru's arms to his chest. Then the Lightening struck, binding his left leg to the ground. The Mist followed, pulling him to his knees when one end wrapped around his waist. The Sun, Rain, and Cloud Flames weren't far behind. They wrapped around him and bound him tightly until he could no longer move from where he was pinned on his knees to the ground.

It was familiar. In a strange corner of his mind, he felt like he'd already done this before. He'd done it in a dream-- No, a nightmare, he corrected. The nightmare that he'd had before Reborn had grown up. If this was the same nightmare, then next would come--

Silently, the Council began to appear. In a flash of Flames, eight bodies flared up and reformed in the very way that he'd seen SK do so many times before. They surrounded him and stared at him, all with identical expressions.

Remorse.

The First stepped forward while Hotaru looked at the congregation in awe and growing fear. He recognized many of them from the weapons they held and the Dying Will Flames on their heads. Nine generations of dead Vongola Bosses had congregated, ten if Hotaru himself were to be counted. Before Hotaru could worry about the absence of the Ninth, however, the First Boss came to a stop in front of him.

The First held out a gloved hand and pressed it to Hotaru's unprotected head, sending a spasm of agony through his body. Despite himself, he cried out when it continued for several long minutes. When the First finally pulled away and the pain stopped, Hotaru bowed his head in relief and panted. It had felt as if something had been forcefully ripped from him, although he couldn't have said what. What he did understand, however, was that his body had been altered into that of a true one in the process. He could tell from how the Chains of Flame around him began to tingle and burn his skin.

"You have already passed the test," the First said softly. He raised his gloved hands toward Hotaru and the rest of the Bosses followed suit with their own weapons. Nine Dying Will Flames sprouted to life and Hotaru was dumbfounded at the fear that was inspired by the sight. "It is time for you to inherit the proof of Vongola," the First intoned mournfully.

Hotaru stopped trying to understand when the Chains released him again. They released him, but that didn't give him the freedom to move. The Nine sets of eyes that were staring down at him made it difficult to move. It made it almost impossible to think. All he could do was watch as the Chains coursed into the air and began untangling themselves over his head. Once they were straightened out, they began to spin around him in a circle as if each one were a snake that was trying to bite the tail of the one in front of it.

In the moment that all of the Chains met and the links connected, Hotaru's intuition provided a warning: pain was imminent. The foreknowledge filled him with foreboding and fear as the Flames of the Chains began to melt together. It was a stunningly beautiful effect to watch as the colors began to run together in a way that reminded him of oil on water, but that effect wasn't enough to make up for what happened after the Flames settled down to become that of the Sky.

The single long Chain of Sky darted forward and encircled him countless times. It clenched and wrapped tighter around him until he felt that he would be squeezed into a hundred pieces. It bit through his skin and sank into his flesh, burning him to his core while infusing him with its power. He could feel it solidifying parts of his Flame while it continued to tighten until it was a flaming lump of hardness centered around his heart. He clutched his chest after it passed below his skin and freed him once more, feeling it move inside of himself as they bound him tightly at his core. Then it began to spasm in time with his own heartbeat, sending Hotaru into a pain-filled scream with every throb.

"It is done," the First intoned mournfully, his voice somehow louder than Hotaru's cries of agony despite its softness. Hotaru could barely hear him. All of his attention was on the pain coursing through his body.

But, as abruptly as it began, it was over.

Hotaru gasped, feeling cold water rushing around him and close over him without having felt himself move. Opening his eyes, which had been clenched in pain, he wearily looked around into the dark depths of his watery surroundings and saw...

"Dad?" Hotaru gasped, seeing the Tenth floating below him. He was being attacked! The monsters from before! They were swarming around him and trying to eat him! "Stop!" Hotaru shouted as he began mindlessly swimming toward him. His voice didn't seem to reach. The Tenth continued to drift in the water while the monsters bit into him and tore away pieces of his Flame. Why wasn't he waking up?! "Dad!" Hotaru shouted, swimming even harder than before. "Dad--! Fight back! DAD--!"

He didn't respond, although he did turn his head to stare at Hotaru. He stared and Hotaru tried not to think about the hollow emptiness in his eyes. Continuing to shout, Hotaru crossed the distance with as much speed as he could muster, but it still felt as if he were crawling. By the time that he finally reached his father's side, his Flame and his body was horrifyingly injured. For some reason, the monsters fled from Hotaru in fear and he didn't pause to question the actions. He had to get his dad out of the water. He had to get him to the shore and go for help!

Carefully grabbing hold of him, Hotaru began swimming toward a beckon of light overhead that he prayed was sunlight. Faster, he told himself. Time was running out, his intuition warned. Putting every ounce of his Flame into the effort, he nearly cried out in relief when his head broke through the surface. He wasn't safe yet, though. He still had to get to the shore--where a certain man was frantically waiting to snatch the Tenth out of Hotaru's arms.

"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro gasped, kneeling down into the sand with the Tenth in his arms. He began his attempts to wake him, but Hotaru was distracted with something else.

Nothing was lining up. Had he just dreamed the stuff about the ruined city and the Council of Vongola Bosses? If so, then how had he stayed in the lake so long that it'd gone from winter to summer? He was fairly sure that he was in the same place as before, but there wasn't any snow or ice anywhere. To top it off, Mukuro and the Tenth looked strange. Mukuro looked younger than the one that Hotaru knew and even the parts of the Tenth that were recognizable didn't match up with the one he'd met in the ruined city. Had he time-traveled again?

What in the world was going on?!

"You come-came as he say-said, glub." Looking around, it took Hotaru a moment to identify the voice. When he did, he let out a startled shout and jumped as far away from the lake as he could. "Fear not," the lake-monster laughed as his head poked above the water for a moment, then sank back down to hover an inch below the calm surface. "We is-are friends, glub--" Before Hotaru could get over his fear and surprise enough to respond, Mukuro noticed the lake-monster and carefully laid the Tenth aside so that he could jump to his feet.

"You bastards!" Mukuro screamed as he charged toward the lake. "Give him ba--" Mukuro froze in place as soon as he stepped into the water and Hotaru scrambled to his feet in worry that the lake-monster was going to eat him.

"The lake steal-stole the memories of this one," the monster said, flitting around Mukuro's feet. Ignoring the disorientation from hearing both tenses of the creatures' words at once, Hotaru tried to comprehend what he was seeing and failed. Mukuro was only standing in an inch of water. On the other hand, Hotaru had seen the monster up close and they were about half as big as a person. How was it that the creature was swimming around in a few inches of water without breaking the surface? Hotaru knew that he wasn't as flat as he appeared to be! "Can I eat-ate him?" The monster asked as he wrapped a gnarled hand around Mukuro's ankle.

Automatically, Hotaru darted forward to pull Mukuro out of reach and Mukuro seemed to come back to life once he was safely on the shore, but he was obviously disoriented. The spark of life was returning to his eyes, but he didn't show any sign that he recognized Hotaru. Perhaps... Perhaps the lake-monster could explain what was going on, Hotaru thought. He had tried to strike up a conversation, after all.

"Um, what's your name?" Hotaru asked, craning his neck to see where the monster was while carefully keeping his distance from the water.

"We call-called many things, glub," he answered while doing figure-eights below the water. "Yamaduts, monster, demon, imp, Charon, lake-dweller, Anubis, jinn, shinigami, Grim Reaper--"

"Grim Reaper?!" Hotaru yelped.

"That is-was one name," the monster confirmed, his voice continuing to come through the water clearly. "We have-had many, glub. We know-knew because it is-was our duty to eat-ate those who enter-entered the River Styx, the Lake of Lost Dreams, the Sanzu River--"

"I get it!" Hotaru spluttered before he could continue listing any more names for the waterway between life and death. "So... I'm dead?" He asked worriedly.

"No," he replied with a longing tone. "To eat-ate you will-would break-broke us, glub. Salamanders taste-tasted bad. You is-are not good for our digestion. We want-wanted tasty bits like what the other two have-has."

"Tasty bits?" Hotaru asked, looking back at where the Tenth was unmovingly staring at the sky. He shouldn't even be alive, Hotaru realized. There was enough pieces of his body missing that no amount of surgery could possibly save him--if they were on earth. He was starting to understand, though. They weren't on earth and that wasn't really the Tenth's body. It was his spirit and the monsters had been eating it in order to send him somewhere else.

"There is-are not many tasty bits left on the one you take-took away," he said in disappointment. "But the other is-are full of plenty, glub. You share-shared?"

"No!" Hotaru exclaimed. "I'm not going to let you eat him!"

"Boy," Mukuro called out, having finally gotten his head on straight enough to hear Hotaru talking. "You understand the lake-dwellers?"

"Am I not supposed to?" Hotaru asked curiously.

"Ask them what they want," Mukuro ordered without answering Hotaru's question. "Find out what it would take for them to return Tsunayoshi to me."

"Um, okay," Hotaru murmured, looking back to the lake to see if the monster had understood.

"Tasty bits, glub," the monster answered. "Give-gave bits that is-are tastier and we trade-traded."

"I think that they want you," Hotaru said, looking back at Mukuro in concern. "He says that they'll trade for bits that are tastier than the ones that they have."

"I see," Mukuro murmured, bowing his head in a way that kept Hotaru from seeing his expression. "You... You are Tsunayoshi's firefly."

"I'm Hotaru," he confirmed with a nod. "Is there any chance that you can tell me where I'm at? The thing in the lake says that I'm in the land of the dead, but that can't be--"

"This is Limbo," Mukuro confirmed. "Death is just a short swim away--as Tsunayoshi so recently tried to show. He is a fool. He is a fool that would throw away his own life to destroy the enemy that made his Family suffer."

"We can still save him, though," Hotaru objected, seeing the lack of willpower in Mukuro's voice. "He's not all gone! Just... Just half. If we get the other half back, then we can put him back together!"

"It's pointless," he replied with a strangled sob. "My spirit holds nothing that could compare to Tsunayoshi's. To find something better to offer, I would have to scour the earth for countless lifetimes and his body would be gone by the time that I succeeded."

"You have to have something!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Think! He said that he can't eat me, so you're Dad's only hope! There has to be something or else this thing wouldn't have made the offer!"

"I have nothing," Mukuro said, finally looking up to let Hotaru see that his face was covered in tears. "Don't you understand, boy?! If I had something to give, then I'd gladly--" Mukuro abruptly turned to stone.

"You thought of something," Hotaru said in hope.

"Indeed," he nodded as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "But it will take time, even if the offering is accepted. You should go, boy. This will not be something that you need to witness. You can leave Tsunayoshi in my hands and I will give you my promise that he will be restored."

"Alright," Hotaru agreed with a smile, sensing that Mukuro wasn't lying. His dad would be put back together. However, there was one little problem. "But how do I get back?"


	139. Chapter 139 End and the Aftermath

"Isn't controlling time fun?" The First asked with a chuckle as they watched the moving reflection in the fountain that the Bosses had all gathered at. Tsuna simply shook his head, still disbelieving that they'd just now stuck Hotaru in the past to save him in the aftermath of defeating Ari. He was only beginning to understand the First's attempt at poetry from before. "A moment stretched into infinity." It wasn't quite as easy to mess with time outside of their realm, but they were gods within it. Literally everything happened in the same moment. With a single Delving Flame inserted into any body of water, he could bring up every single time that he'd ever entered Limbo. He could even see them all at once if he wanted, which was a sight that had left him shuddering at how many overlapping versions of himself had been within one small area.

Mixing the past and the present was child's play for the other Bosses, although the trick of returning him home wasn't quite so easy. Hotaru had to do that on his own, after all, and he wouldn't be able to do it until he gained control of his inheritance. As for what his inheritance actually was, Tsuna felt the need to shake his head even more when he thought about it. No, he amended, he was shaking his head over their reasons for their choices of inheritance. For example, Tsuna had uncovered the ugly little reason that he'd gotten the faucet to create 'Hard Flame'. Apparently, they'd been hoping for a comedy after giving it to him; one where he lost control and went through walls. The Eighth even admitted that it'd been her idea because she missed gag cartoons! If got toughened up in the process, then that was just an extra bonus.

Hotaru's gift was even worse. Having a doorway to Limbo would come in handy since Hotaru was immune to the Lake's effects while he was a Salamander in entirety. He could send Salamanders across at will and he could even returned to the ruined city if something dire happened on earth. However, the problem lie in the way that the other Bosses were already planning shopping lists of things for Hotaru to eventually send over to them. The First wanted a metal flute to replace his wooden one, the Second wanted a leather ball, the Third wanted a library, the Fourth wanted a record player--

It was random. All of it was completely random, but it was things that they couldn't create out of their surroundings. It was things that they wanted in their hands to enjoy at leisure instead of patiently watching over the shoulder of someone on earth. Tsuna had some sympathy since they didn't have the choice of walking the Path of Humans again, but giving Hotaru a doorway just to turn him into a delivery boy was a little too much to accept.

"Oh dear," the Third said, pulling Tsuna's attention back to the reflection in the fountain. It was black, which made Tsuna more worried than anything else.

"What happened?!" He asked, reaching into the pool in effort to bring the image of Hotaru back. It didn't work.

"It's a hiccup," the Fifth explained with a grimace. "It seems that we forgot to account for something."

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed frantically. "What happened?!"

"Calm down, Tenth," the First soothed. "I'm sure that the Eleventh can handle it."

"HANDLE WHAT?!" He shouted.

"The Eleventh stumbled into the mist surrounding the Hidden Gates on that side," the Eighth answered in an unhappy growl. "Symphonia isn't there to keep him from wandering and Mukuro is too focused on you, Tenth. He went wandering to find a way out. That wasn't in your predictions, Fourth."

"It'll be fine," the Fourth chuckled, tapping a finger against his lips in amusement. "Trust me. I'll check with the Illuminati to make sure, but this series of events resulted in a very fine future. Just wait and see. When the Eleventh returns to Earth, he'll be a Boss that can put the rest of us to shame. So don't worry, Tenth. Boys are meant to go on adventures. I'm positive that your son will come through safely."

"He better," Tsuna warned through clenched teeth. "If he ends up in Hell, I'm holding you accountable."

"I didn't say that it would be an easy adventure," he replied sheepishly.

"I think it's time to send the Ninth and Tenth back up into Limbo," the Third interjected, cutting Tsuna off before he could retort. "The Ninth has preparations to make and, if the Tenth stays any longer, then recovering from his heart attack will be more difficult."

Tsuna's eyes widened at the reminder of his heart failure and the Second took the opening to pick him up off his feet. Tsuna flailed to save himself, but it was no use. Within half a second, he found himself tossed head-first into the fountain.

Something was different, Tsuna realized as the water closed in around him. It wasn't difficult to figure out what was out-of-place, either. He could think. He could remember. Even though he'd entered the waters of the Lake of Lost Dreams in his entirety, there was no fear. Taking a moment to orient himself, Tsuna tried to figure out why. He should be freaking out. The Lake-Dwellers should be chasing after him.

Then it hit him and he silently cursed his ancestors. The Lake-Dwellers weren't his enemy. They never had been because they took orders from the line of Vongola Bosses that ran things around the Gates of Resurrection. All of his previous interactions with the Lake-Dwellers had been planned by them in order to make him fear death. Now that he'd visited the other side as a former Boss instead of a headstrong heir, those tactics had been stopped.

Still, they could have just told him and let him use the frozen platform instead of making him swim, he through in aggravation. It was too late to change things, however. If he went back, he'd just have to deal with those bastards again and he'd also have to fight his own urge to see Snicker once more before he left. It'd be far too easy to just stay if he did that, so moving forward was his best choice.

Moving forward, he repeated to himself as he swam in the direction that his intuition pointed. Those words actually had a nice ring to them. For how long had he been holding onto the past? For how long had he been trying to meddle and undo the mistakes that he'd made? He could stop now.

The thought actually made him stop swimming for a moment as he considered the implications of everything that he'd just gone through. On the surface, it wasn't much. He'd been pulled into the Flame-keeper's realm and had participated in his son's Day of Reckoning. However, there was so much more. There was what he'd found out about the Boss' harem and Snicker's acceptance of his choice to try falling in love again. There was also Hotaru's rejection to think about.

Hotaru had undeniably rejected him. He hadn't shown any hesitation with the First or any of the other Bosses, yet the boy had cringed when Tsuna had tried to touch him. There was no possible way that Hotaru could have confused Tsuna with someone else in this instance, so his answer was clear. Once he knew who Tsuna was, he wouldn't want Tsuna to touch him. He probably wouldn't want Tsuna to be anywhere near him.

"Sometimes you have to take a step backward in order to move forward." That had been the Ninth's advice and Tsuna was beginning to understand why he'd given it. He'd known that Hotaru would reject Tsuna and he'd been giving him a clue of how to deal with it. He needed to take a step backward. He needed to distance himself and give Hotaru more time to accept things.

He could do that. It wouldn't be easy, but he could take a step back. That actually sounded like it'd be a bit of a relief. He'd been holding on to all of the wrong things. He'd allowed his personal life to get so bad that only Snicker was left. He'd just let the others go, too. Autumn had tried to confess to him, but he'd blown her off. He hadn't even really tried to woo Haru. He'd pushed Xanxus away and Mukuro... his relationship with Mukuro had a whole slew of problems that he hadn't dealt with.

He'd thought that he'd be fine with leaving things like they were. He'd told himself that he could deal with a little loneliness until his life wasn't so messy. However, seeing what his afterlife was going to be like scared him more than the Lake-Dwellers ever could. The only person that was making Tsuna's life messy was himself. He could fix that, though. All he had to do was cut off the dead weight.

That idea had an even nicer feel to it than anything else. There was a lot of dead weight in his current life. There were bits and pieces here and there that just didn't fit anymore. For example, staying with Ryohei and Lambo. They were dear friends and he cared a lot about them, but why should he stay and force himself to enjoy one of their parties when he didn't want to? Once was fine since it allowed him to see how much his two old friends had matured, but that wasn't his kind of fun. He could keep them and cut out that extra dead weight.

What else? Tsuna asked himself as he started swimming again. Venice Row was dead weight. He went there a lot for meals and drinks, but that just put him back around Mafia. If he wanted to get his personal life straight, he needed to stop going to places that would distract him. Women tend to fall for the Mafia aestetic, but very few found happiness if they were dragged into it. His teaching could be cleaned up, too. He needed to create more of a barrier between his work and his home life. He wasn't the only one that would benefit from it; his students would learn more if they weren't as distracted. As for his kids, he needed to take more of the mindset that he had with Charlie. That meant that he had to cut them out as dead weight until they chose that they wanted a relationship with him. It was a little too late to play father for most of them, so his experience with Charlie helped. He could have an open door policy without holding his breath. He could be there for his kids without lying to himself so that he thought that they couldn't live without them. After all, they'd managed for ten long years without him. A dad like that, even if he came back now...

_Sorry, Dad_, Tsuna grimaced to himself, remembering when he'd thought that about Iemitsu.

"Tenth," a voice echoed through the depths. Tsuna paused and looked around, wondering who'd spoken to him. As far as he knew, the only things in the Lake were the Lake-Dwellers and himself. "Tenth," the voice echoed again. It was closer this time. It was too dark to see where it was coming from, though. "I have-had something for you, Tenth," the voice continued, giving Tsuna the sense that it was swimming around right outside the halo of light around himself. "We are-were to take-took all that we are-were offer-offered, but this is-was not edible. You trade-traded, glub?"

"I can't trade if I don't know what I'm trading for," Tsuna replied curiously. "Come into the light and let me see what you're offering." Tsuna froze when three Lake-Dwellers drifted into range so that he could see him. They stayed somewhat distant, as if they were too ashamed to get close, but seeing them made Tsuna smile. They were grotesque, mishappen, and frighteningly carnivorous in appearance, but there was nothing threatening about them. Perhaps it was because he knew that their actions were controlled, they now reminded him more of children than mindless monsters.

Then the Lake-Dweller in the center of the group hesitantly pulled something from behind his back and Tsuna's impression of children deepened. To him, what they were offering was a treasure. To them, it was probably a useless piece of junk. They had no comprehension of it's value to him. It was equivalent to a medival peasant trying to trade a television. They wouldn't care what they got for it, so long as it was something useful.

"Alright," Tsuna agreed carefully, making the three lurch forward in excitement. Going through his memories, he tried to keep in mind that the Lake-Dwellers valued tainted memories. They would want something that he was ashamed of or was painful. However, he had to be careful in his choice. Whatever he gave them would be lost to himself, so he couldn't give up a memory that might change him. It'd probably be best to give up a memory that he had an abundance of so that he could keep a few of the repeats for himself.

What was something that he'd done repeatedly over the years, though? He usually learned from his mistakes. Working as a hitman was one. He had tons of those memories, but losing any of those might affect who he was. He didn't want to forget his crimes, either. Something more innocent, then. How about lying? He'd lied to lots of people. The question was which lie had he repeated over and over again. Which lie could he stand to lose a few memories of and it not change anything because he had a surplus?

He had it. How many times had he hidden his test scores and his grades from his mother? Those were old, old memories that he rarely thought about and he'd done it hundreds of times during his youth. He wouldn't even notice if he gave up a few instances.

With that in mind, Tsuna reached up and pulled three hairs from his head. Then, clasping them between his hands, he began to insert his Flame and prayed that his intuition was right. It was. The lake sensed what he was trying to do and helped him out. The waters around him began to swirl around him and forced its way between his hands in order to give the memories form by using the hairs as a catalyst. He could feel them hardening and growing in size, but he didn't even notice the loss. It was exactly like he'd hoped; he had enough repeats of doing the same thing that losing a few copies didn't change him at all.

When the water stopped moving, he carefully opened his hands to show the three what he had to offer. To himself, they looked like three dingy coins. However, the Lake-Dwellers reacted as if it was a handful of gold dubloons. They swarmed forward to accept so quickly that Tsuna was barely able to blink before they were gone. They'd traded, though. The three coins were gone and in their place, they'd left an indigo gem that glittered with a beauty that Tsuna had to smile at. It had to be incredibly useless to the Lake-Dwellers. It was too full of good things and pure feelings.

He had to get it back to Mukuro. Holding onto it tightly, he started putting more effort into reaching the surface where Mukuro would undoubtedly be waiting for him. If the gem held what Tsuna thought it did, then Mukuro's confusion might be solved. It made Tsuna shake his head in wonder that the man would even give up something so precious. It made him slightly angry at his ancestors, too. Mukuro hadn't only given up his memories of Havik in order to put him back together again. He'd given up a few precious memories of Tsuna, too!

Tsuna smiled widely as soon as his head broke the surface. Just as he'd hoped, Mukuro was pacing the shore in concern. He stopped and threw Tsuna an illusionary vine as soon as he noticed that Tsuna was within reach and frantically pulled him to the shore in fear that he was going to sink again. Tsuna let him, knowing.... knowing that the one little gem was going to make things right again.

It was the ultimate reward for his patience.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Tsuna did his best to ignore the pain in his chest and the sound of machines pumping in his ears. They were features that he'd predicted from the moment that he'd fallen over at Ryohei and Lambo's party. That part had been real. The Bosses might have had a hand in the timing of when it happened, but the method had been something that had been building enough for them to take advantage of.

Tsuna wasn't really surprised over it, either. The cure that had made him human again had done more than simply destroy his need to feed. It'd destroyed the mental fortifications that allowed him to withstand forces that a human couldn't stand up against. Just as turning into a vampire or a werewolf was almost completely invisible to an untrained eye, becoming human was just as impossible to visibly notice. Some changes didn't go away, such as the ring of blue in his eyes or the way that two of his teeth were slightly longer than normal. However, it'd knocked away the invisible support network that strengthened his body and allowed him to enter hibernation. The extra tissue that supported his joints from impact was gone, the body chemistry that increased his speed was gone, and those were only a few examples. He simply couldn't handle the same amount of stress that he used to--including emotional and mental stress.

Autumn was going to be the death of him, he thought in amusement as he reached out in search of the controls for his bed. It wasn't as easy as he hoped. His hands were shaking from weakness and his twinged with each movement that he made. It was also difficult to see what he was doing with an oxygen mask on his face. Taking a moment to get rid of the stupid thing, his freedom of movement increased enough that he could turn his head and look at the controls implanted into the bed's safety railing.

"Screw it," he finally gasped when he couldn't hold the button down long enough to sit up more than a few inches. Summoning his strength, he made ready to push another button in hopes that it'd solve his problem: the nurse's call button. Then he waited while wondering which hospital he was in. It couldn't be a Mafia-run hospital. He would have had someone at his bedside from the moment that he woke. It had to be a general admission hospital, which meant that no one had been able to agree where to take him. The thought made him smile. He could just imagine all of his old friends arguing over who was going to get to nurse him. It had probably been Reborn's quick thinking that put him in a place that was neutral.

"Mr. Maro?" A woman asked as he heard the sound of the curtain around his bed being opened. Tsuna tried to lift his head to look at her, but a spasm of pain forced him back down before he could get a glimpse. "Let me get that for you," she offered when he tried to reach for his bed controls again.

"Thanks," Tsuna gasped, once more giving up on doing it for himself.

"Would you like some water?" She offered in sympathy for the scratchy sound in his voice. Tsuna nodded and sighed in relief when his bed was angled up so that he could finally get a glimpse of the nurse. He'd half-feared a hitman, but the woman didn't have a mean bone in her body. At least, that's what his intuition said after a single look at her. She also wasn't a fantasy nurse. Well, not _his _fantasy, he amended. The woman looked to be hitting thirty instead of being a pretty little thing in her twenties. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't a woman that would make men fall to their knees. She wasn't thin, but he also didn't think that she was fat. She was husky, he decided after a moment. She was the adorable kind of husky with just the right amount of padding to make her seem like a happy cherub.

"There was some issues with your insurance, so we're limited in how much painkiller we can give you," she explained apologetically as she helped him drink. The water felt heavenly against his throat and he felt himself returning to normal by the time that he finished the glass. "Now that you're awake, hopefully we can get it cleared up and put you on something so that you won't be hurting as much."

"No painkiller, please," he replied as she set the cup aside and carefully pulled back both his blankets and his hospital gwn in order to check the bandages on his chest. Looking down at himself, Tsuna only needed to see a little blood leaking through the cloth before deciding not to look at all. Instead, he kept his eyes on the nurse while she worked and carefully asked questions to figure out what had happened while he'd been out.

Five days had passed since he'd first been brought in and she pointed out the row of flowers on the windowsill and tables to show him that he hadn't been alone during that time. He'd had heart surgery and he'd have to wait on the doctor to get more details. All his chart said was for the nurse to ensure that his room stayed quiet and that he wasn't allowed anything that would be stressful. Several people were listed as care-takers for him to go home with, but the disagreements between those caretakers had left the hospital in the awkward position of caring for him. They hadn't been able to decide who to send him home with since none of those caretakers had been blood relations, so keeping him for observation had seemed like the best idea.

"I'd like to stay here until I'm back on my feet," Tsuna supplied with a smile. "I don't have insurance at the moment, but I've got enough savings that I'll be able to pay the bills. I'm a teacher, so the school might help out a bit, too."

"The Director will be happy to hear that," she replied in open relief as she tucked the cover around his legs and adjusted his pillow to make him more comfortable. "You're free to be released tomorrow if you have somewhere to go, but the bed is all yours if you want it. Just don't get too comfortable. It's fine while you're recovering, but this isn't a hotel. It's a hospital ward."

"Aww," Tsuna complained with a grin. "Now, that can't be the case. There's no way that a hospital could have such a pretty nurse."

"I guess we can tell that you're not going to kick the bucket anytime soon," the nurse chuckled. "It's good to see that you're feeling up to talking, but you don't have to try flattering me, Mr. Maro. It's my job to take care of you whether I like you or not."

"It doesn't hurt, though," Tsuna replied knowingly. The nurse rolled her eyes and shook her head, but Tsuna took the smile on her face as a good sign. She liked him.

"Are you feeling up to eating something solid?" She asked curiously. "You've still got a while to go before dinner, but they had hamburgers for lunch. I can go get one for you if you'd like."

"Please," Tsuna agreed, giving her a pitiful look when he noticed how empty his stomach felt. She laughed at him for the expression and handed him the television remote before leaving to get it for him. As soon as she was gone, Tsuna tossed the remote down into his lap and reached for the phone. Then he stopped himself before he could dial.

Who was he going to call? Reborn in order to ask about Hotaru? If Hotaru wasn't back yet, then they might not even know that he was missing if Tonno was as good as Tsuna thought. If Hotaru wasn't back, then he'd only be worrying people when there was literally nothing that anyone could do to help. Symphonia, the cat also known more generically as Sugar, might be able to go help him, but it'd be safer to talk to her about it in person.

Calling Gokudera, Gigi, or any of the others would only send them rushing to his side. As much as he loved them, that was the last thing he needed. The spasm in his chest said so. Dealing with any of them was out of the question until he'd recovered enough to deal with the mess that he'd gotten himself into. It was probably too much to hope that his Martelli friends and his Vongola friends could come to an understanding, after all. Gokudera and that side was trained a little too well and they followed their sense of responsibility. Gigi and that side didn't have any training at all and just followed their hearts. They were like oil and water, which created a mess that liked to spread out of control when they were together.

It was better to enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted, Tsuna decided as he put the phone back down. Picking up the remote, he turned his attention to the television and tried to pretend that there wasn't anything else that he could be doing. He was convalescing, so it was bed rest and jello until his chest was healed enough that he could move without fear of popping a stitch. Bed rest and jello. Bed rest and jello. Bed... rest... and... jello.

He was bored!

Flipping channels, he tried to distract himself with music. That was no good. No matter which genre he chose, the videos were filled with half-naked girls. Normally, that wouldn't be so bad, but Tsuna got the strangest feeling that he was being a pedophile by even watching. Flipping channels, he tried to distract himself with a cooking show. That was no good. It left him depressed because he hadn't had anyone to cook for since he stopped being Van Wolfe. Flipping channels, he tried to distract himself with the news. That was the worse one of all. A land slide in Taiwan, an major earthquake in the US, a riot in Austrailia, and another war had broken out in the Middle East. Problems in Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Great Britain, and Chad. Even Vatican City was on high alert for some reason and the list continued even after Tsuna pointedly changed the channel again. The world was in bad shape and a large portion of the problem was that motes weren't being kept in check. He couldn't do anything about it, though. Until something was settled between vampires and Hunters, the job just wasn't going to get done.

With relief, Tsuna finally ran across a show that he could watch with a smile.

"Oh?" The nurse squeaked in surprise as she walked in with a meal tray. "You watch 'Liam's Zoo', too?"

"Just started," he replied as she set the tray on a tray-table and then pulled the table to the bed so that it was over Tsuna's lap. While she opened a box of milk for him and added a straw, he explained, "I recognize him. He had a late-night show when I was living in America where he was called the Jester and he pretended to be psychic. He used to take calls from all sorts of people, but he was a complete phoney. He was always right when it came to animals, but I've got experience when it comes to bullshit and that's all he had when it came to people. Anyway, I ran into him at a bar one night and told him. I asked him why he kept trying to help people when his ability only worked with animals. Well, a few weeks after that, he started working exclusively with animals and his career started to take off. I haven't seen him since then, but I guess I know where he went now."

"Really?" She asked suspiciously, sitting on the edge of Tsuna's bed while he slowly tried to eat. "I'm not sure whether I can believe that or not."

"It's true," he replied with a wide smile. "But it's okay if you don't believe me. I'm not trying to take credit for who he is now; he did that all by himself. I'm just glad that he's made something of himself. When I ran into him at that bar, he looked like he was at the end of his ropes. He had a bunch of friend around him who supposedly had big names. I don't know who. I'm usually too busy to watch television, so he was the only one I recognized. Looking back, he got teased a lot because I was a big fan of his and I had no clue who his friends were. It was the first time that I met someone in person that I thought was a television star, so I think I was a little too enthusiastic about meeting him. Actually, now that I think about it, I probably embarrassed the hell out of myself."

Tsuna blushed and the nurse laughed. It was a cute laugh, he noticed. Not too loud and not too high-pitched. It reminded him of a chipmunk. It also reminded him that he was a man with a mission--one that he could start even from a hospital bed.

"You have a pretty smile," Tsuna commented, making the nurse blush at the sudden compliment. "But I bet your husband tell you that all the time."

"He does," she confirmed with her smile softening. Tsuna internally cursed. The score was officially one to zero. Oh well, he'd get the next one. The nurse was still a fun person to talk to and they talked while he cleared his tray. They talked through another episode of Liam's Zoo. They talked all the way up until he got a visitor that made Tsuna's face fall. With one glance, Tsuna knew that the next few minutes of his life wasn't going to be easy ones. "Why don't I leave you two alone," the nurse suggested as she collected Tsuna's tray and headed for the door. Tsuna didn't stop her, knowing that it couldn't be easy to deal with the awkward silence that fell between him and his visitor. Even for Tsuna, attempting to break it wasn't easy.

"You know?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"I know," he replied as he leaned against the wall at the foot of Tsuna's bed. "I've probably known all along, but I didn't want to admit it."

"We all do what we have to in order to survive," Tsuna murmured. "I won't hold our meeting in America against you, but you were out of line to attack me here in Italy. Do you really think that I'd be happy if you killed someone just to protect my old reputation?"

"I didn't want to believe--"

"Then you shouldn't have," Tsuna interrupted in anger. "It's as simple as that, Takeshi. If you hadn't believed that it was possible for me to kill the Ninth, then you wouldn't have felt a need to come after me. But you did believe and you did come after me instead of focusing on things that matter. What happened to you? The man that I knew would have never abandoned his family like you did."

"I couldn't--" Yamamoto choked as tears flooded into his eyes. "I couldn't do it, Tsuna. Don't you understand? After you were gone, nothing I'd done mattered. All the shit we went through and all the pain we caused... What was it for? I... I couldn't forgive Matsu. I tried, Tsuna. I knew that you'd want me to, but I just couldn't. Then Yoshi found out that you baked and he wouldn't stop asking questions about you. I couldn't take it. Every single day, I woke up and tried to forget what happened, but I couldn't. You. Were. Dead. You were dead and I... I--"

"Takeshi, come here," Tsuna ordered softly when Yamamoto began sobbing despite his efforts to hold it in. He stumbled around the bed and sat down on the edge in expectation of a hug, but that wasn't what Tsuna gave him. Instead, he gave him a nice, healthy dose of 'suck-it-up'. As soon as Tsuna's hand slapped Yamamoto's face, his tears stopped in an instant and he stared at Tsuna in shock over the unexpected blow.

"I don't attend pity parties," Tsuna spat, determined to give Yamamoto what he needed instead of what he wanted. "Your not the only one in the world who lost me and you're not the only person that suffered. The only difference was that everyone else willing to let it go and move on with their lives. Instead, you held onto it and prioritized your pain over your family. That was your choice, Yamamoto Takeshi. No one forced you to do that; it was something that you did all by yourself. So pardon me if I don't have any sympathy for you. If you regret the choices that you made, then you need to get off your ass and do something about it instead of whining and wailing on every shoulder that you can find."

"Heh," he gasped as if the verbal blows had been physical ones. "Damn," he muttered, staring down at the floor in shock. "I really messed up."

"It can still be fixed," Tsuna replied with a small, apologetic smile. "You just have to open your eyes. The world doesn't revolve around me and neither do you. Don't think that everything is going to suddenly be right with the world just because you got to see me again. I... I'm not staying, Takeshi. I've had some time to think and I came back too early."

"What?" Yamamoto gaped, his eyes widening in shock. "No! You can't do that! We just found you again! What about--"

"It's not the right time," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "Vongola the Tenth needs to stay dead. I'd like to continue teaching, but whether I can will depend on the people who know that I'm alive. A lot of people have figured out the truth and it's become difficult to hide. Hotaru's already rejected me once. If he finds out that I'm his father, then I might lose him entirely. I don't want that to happen, Takeshi. I'd rather retreat now and try again in a few years when he's had some time to process everything that he's already learned about me. You... Don't make the same errors that I did. Yoshi is still young and Matsu has never hated you. You can still go back and try to fix things. You just have to be honest with them about what you're feeling, because I'm not the person that you need to be crying to. They are."

"But--"

"No buts," Tsuna replied in amusement. "It's fine if you don't agree with me, but that's what I think and I'm not going to change my mind. I've lasted this long on my own. I can go a few more years without any problem and you can too if you'll get your head out of the sand. So, go get things patched up with Matsu. Shoo. You heard me. Get out of here. You're visiting the wrong place, baka."

"Tsuna..." he murmured with a pained expression as Tsuna finally managed to get him on his feet. His expression said everything that Tsuna hadn't allowed him to voice. He was sorry for not recognizing him sooner. He felt regret for cutting him before. He was distraught that their reunion had been so overshadowed and he was concerned about Tsuna's well-being. He wanted to make things right with Matsu, but he was torn by the lingering feeling that Tsuna should be the main priority. He was hurting because he felt as if he were a disappointment whether he stayed or left.

"Give me a hug before you go," Tsuna demanded, holding out his arms with a smile. Yamamoto dove into them in a heartbeat, making Tsuna grimace at the lance of pain that it sent through his chest. He didn't tell Yamamoto to stop, however. Instead, he held him even tighter while reminding him of the most important piece of information. "This isn't goodbye forever, Takeshi," he mumbled into his hair. "I don't know when, but we'll see each other again. I promise you that. Even... Even if I died, we'd still see each other again, so don't screw up this time. You wouldn't want me to go to hell for slapping you at Heaven's Gates, would you?"

"No," he answered with a tearful laugh.

"That's more like it," Tsuna said in satisfaction as Yamamoto pulled away with a smile. "Now go show Matsu that smile."

"Alright," he agreed with concern beginning to overtake all of the other emotions in his expression. "Are you sure that you're going to be okay?"

"You should know that me and hospitals are on dating terms by now," Tsuna laughed. "I'll be out of here in no time and I've got a few ideas of where to go from there. Whether I keep teaching or not, you don't have to worry about me, Takeshi. I'm a big boy. I can tie my shoes and everything."

"I guess you have lived ten years without us," he replied with a crooked smile. "But it doesn't seem fair. I just found you again and you're already talking about leaving. Is there nothing that I can say to make you stay?"

"Go live your life and I'll live mine," Tsuna said softly. "Tsuna might come back to life one day, but I think everyone needs a little more time before I become something more than just 'Maro'. That includes myself, Takeshi. I rushed back before I was really ready to. If I'm going to keep myself from being bowled over by every person that I come across, then I need a house that's made of something sturdier than straw or sticks. I know it's not fair, too. That's why I don't want you to wait on me. So go. Use this time to fix things with that husband of yours and make things right with yourself. I'll be fine and so will you."

"Can't you--"

"Go," Tsuna ordered in exasperation. "I need my beauty rest and you're keeping me up. Sheesh. You're still such a mother hen. If it'll make you happy, then I'll try to keep in touch. So stop worrying about me. I haven't even gotten out of the hospital yet and you act like I'm going to disappear in less than an hour."

"You can't blame me," Yamamoto grumbled. "You do have a tendency to catch everyone by surprise."

"Blame Reborn for Tutoring me," Tsuna replied while waving his hand to tell Yamamoto to get lost. It took several more minutes of banter to get him to actually leave, but Tsuna sighed in relief once he was gone.

Yamamoto was going to be alright. More than needing Tsuna, he'd really just needed someone to tell him that it wasn't okay. He needed someone to tell him that he'd gotten the shit-end of the stick and that he was a dumbass for not letting go and wiping his hands. People mourned in different ways. For a guy like Yamamoto who liked to bury his problems behind a smile and deal with them at his own pace, Tsuna's funeral had probably been the initial trip that turned into a long fall. It was like a switch. Once he'd cried out in the open and had people constantly forcing him to admit that he was hurting, he hadn't known how to shut it off. Tsuna's slap had done that. He was undoubtably still screwed up inside, but he would go to Matsu and he would get things straightened out. From there, he'd deal with his pain like he should have from the beginning... quietly, privately, and personally without allowing it to interfere with the people and things that were important to him.

That, more than Tsuna's urging, was why he'd left so easily. He wasn't ready to forgive Tsuna for disappearing. He hadn't even gotten over the loss yet. Until his life was back in order and he'd gotten control of himself, seeing Tsuna was only going to confuse him. He still _wanted _to see Tsuna, though, and that gave him hope. In the future, Tsuna knew that they'd be able to repair the damage to their friendship, but not yet. Patience, Tsuna reminded himself. He'd been rushing too much. That was why his plans for the future had failed on him so many times. He'd rushed and rushed and rushed when he needed to take things one day at a time.

One day at a time.... starting with bed rest and--

"Master...." Tsuna's heart painfully skipped a beat at the sound of Aster's voice coming from behind the privacy curtain next to his bed. The fact that he'd gotten into the room without being seen told Tsuna how weak he'd gotten, but he ignored it in hopes that Aster could give him some good news.

"Come out where I can see you, Aster," Tsuna said with a smile for his little friend. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, but I don't want you to see me," he replied in a tight voice. "Is... Is Master okay?"

"I've been better," he murmured, immediately suspicious by how Aster was hiding. "Being human isn't all that it's cracked up to be, but I'm toughing it out. How have you been? I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye, so I've been worried about you. Is Badru taking care of you?"

"Master, I--"

"What kind of mark did he give you?" Tsuna interrupted as soon as he heard the note of apology in Aster's voice. His voice was coming from a higher angle than was normal, too. As far as Tsuna knew, the combination could only mean one thing. Badru had claimed Aster in the same way that Tsuna had been claimed and the potency of his blood had changed Aster in ways that would make him unrecognizable. What Poe's blood had done to Tsuna by jump-starting a late puberty had hit Aster twice as hard with Badru's blood. It was an effect that someone like Nephriam, who refused to listen to their 'barbarian' instincts, could never reproduce. "You don't have to hide from me, Aster," Tsuna soothed. "I'm not so arrogant as to think that I've got exclusive rights to Badru. If you've made a match with him, then I'm happy. It means that two of my favorite people won't be alone while I'm waiting for this cure to fade out of my body. Come out and let me see you. I-- OW--- It hurts--"

"Master--!" Aster exclaimed, jumping out of behind the curtains in sincere concern. He stopped as soon as he saw that Tsuna was fine and he blushed at Tsuna's knowing smile. However, the knowing smile became one of consideration when Tsuna saw how much Aster had bloomed.

Tsuna doubted that anyone was going to call him a short robot anymore. He was still an inch shorter than Tsuna, but there was an air of confidence around him that made his natural, innocent charm turn into something that was almost lethal. At least, it was for Tsuna, who began having trouble breathing while he tried to take in all of the changes at once. Aster's slight frame had been built up and toned from regular, potent feedings and plenty of.... charasmatic.... exercise. His hair had grown out into a wave of healthy waist-length tresses that shone in a way that most women would kill to get. He'd been dressed in a simple, sleeveless peasant shirt in a neutral brown and a pair of simple blue-jeans that Tsuna had to admit fitted his personality much better than any costume ever had. The most noticeable change, however, was his eyes. Not just the oddly-shaped spotted tattoo on his cheeks or the smalls set of tea-shades across the bridge of his nose, but the look of peace that his eyes held. They were the eyes of a man, not a boy or a servant or a student.

"Cheetah?" Tsuna finally asked, pointing up to the spots on his cheeks.

"Giraffe," he corrected in a small huff. "He put them down my back, too. I got mad at him for it, but he... I was scared out of my mind when I first met him, but he kind of grew on me. I mean, it's not like I really had a choice at first, but... You know how it is. He's not someone that I could stay angry at or make myself hate."

"He's strange like that," Tsuna laughed. "I guess this means that you're over Ulrich?" In response, Aster blushed for a moment before his cheer seemed to become subdued. "Or... maybe not?"

"I'm getting over him," Aster replied slowly. His hair caught Tsuna's eye with every movement as he slowly walked forward to sit on the edge of Tsuna's bed. The sight made Tsuna a little jealous. He looked good with long hair, but Aster would have never grown it out before. He'd still been too much of a blood slave and he'd wanted his appearance to reflect that. But he was free of those chains and he was comfortable with himself now. Tsuna could see it with every gesture and unrestricted movement that he made. "I'm actually not supposed to be here. Everyone is preparing for negotiations, but I slipped out when I heard that you were in the hospital."

"Negotiations?" Tsuna repeated in instant alarm.

"Negotiations for our surrender," he answered sadly. "Badru and the Child... have set up a meeting in Venice Row. We've asked the Vendiche to oversee the process so that we can be sure that we're not walking into a trap. We can't keep going like this, Master. We have to come to some sort of agreement with the Hunters so that we can openly work with the Mafia to get things under control. You've probably seen the news by now. Humans have no comprehension of what forces are at work. We're the only ones that can make things right and I think that the Hunters realize that. That's the only reason that I can think of for them to be willing to negotiate instead of wiping us out. They have the power to do that now."

"Something's not right," Tsuna murmured, getting a very unsettling quiver from his intuition. He couldn't put his finger on it. He just knew...

He just knew that a lot of people were going to die unless he was at that meeting.

"Help me up," he ordered, throwing back his covers to get out of the bed while he carefully removed the lingering IV's from his arms. Aster spluttered and objected at the command, but Tsuna stopped him with a sharp, pointed look that reminded him that Tsuna had far more experience than he did. "Trust me on this, Aster," he pleaded, praying that his sincerity could do the work that fear wouldn't. "I need to be there. If you want to abandon me afterward, then that's fine. Just help me get out of here and take me to that meeting. Badru's life might depend on it." Aster stared at him while his eyes giving away how much soul searching he was having to do to reach an answer. However, Tsuna knew that there was only one answer that he could possibly reach if he'd fallen in love with Badru like Tsuna suspected.

"Alright," he agreed before darting for the cabinet where Tsuna's clothes and belongings had been stored. Tsuna sighed in relief when they were handed over; someone had packed him a spare uniform to go home in instead of the silk that he'd been wearing when he had the attack. There was more than just clothes in the bag, though, and that 'more' made him pause after he finished getting dressed.

_Do it_, his intuition ordered.

For once, Tsuna obeyed the command and slipped on a pair of gloves that he'd not put on since they'd been fixed. One was visibly worn and faded from years of constant abuse. The other looked completely new outside of the careful stitching that had put it back together. Both of them fit him as if he'd never taken them off and they responded to his Flame with greater speed than ever before. As soon as Tsuna released his Flame, the surface melted and spread out to encompass his fists with a set of black-domed X-Gloves that were no longer cracked.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Aster asked, opening the window to see whether the drop would be manageable.

"Promethia," Tsuna whispered in answer, calling for his Salamander. He didn't need to say it loudly. He didn't need to scream it or even vocalize it. Instead, he sent the call out with his Flame, knowing that they had a connection that was beyond earthly measure. She was part of him, just like his hands or his feet or even his very Flame was.

Testing out his body to see how well he could move with the strengthing of his Flame to back him, Tsuna grimaced a little at how stiff he felt. His body felt awkward since he hadn't taken the time to get accustomed to the reversion into humanity. It was manageable, though. As long as he didn't take any blows to the chest, he should be fine.

_Hurry_, his intuition urged.

"What time is that meeting?" Tsuna snapped, jumping up onto the window-sill in order to keep a look-out for Thia.

"In ten minutes," he answered with a grimace. "I don't think we can make it before it starts--"

"We will," Tsuna interrupted again, smiling at an orange meteor that darted around a building in the distance. Within seconds, Thia was outside his window in her gorgon form and Tsuna grinned at the way that Aster's jaw dropped at the sight of her with her own sword slung across her back. Grabbing Aster by the collar, Tsuna tossed him out the window for Thia to catch before jumping out himself in complete trust of his Flame. It took a moment to remember how it felt to fly, but he got the hang of it in just enough time to see his Nurse running to the window while shouting on the top of her lungs. "Sorry, I'm not staying after all," Tsuna called. "Send the bill to the school."

"My titssss aren't handlebarsss," Promethia hissed, making Tsuna chuckle at how Aster was clinging onto her in fear for his life.

"Let's go," Tsuna ordered before leading the way toward the nearest subway entrance.

Aster started screaming as soon as they started moving, but he was too terrified to make a peep after thirty seconds of high-speed flight. It was a good thing, too, because Tsuna didn't set down in an alley and walk into the subway when they reached it. Moving purely by his intuition, he dove straight down into the stairwell, zipped through the ticket vendors, darted through the crowded platforms, and began a suicide charge straight down the subway tracks. Barely avoiding a head-on collision with two subways and managing to out-run a detached caboose that was heading for Venice Row, he plowed through the illusionary walls that made up the pass-through into Mafia territory, blew through the tunnels, and came to an abrupt stop on the Venice Row platform that was currently holding three Vendiche who were overseeing Badru and Tonno's initial greeting.

Everyone froze at his sudden appearance with Promethia and Aster landing behind him and his gloves did the one thing that he hadn't been able to do alone.

"It's the Tenth!" A shopper passing by the platform yelped in recognition. Tsuna ignored him and all of those who responded to the call that was echoed throughout the underground plaza. Keeping all of his attention on Tonno, he only had one question to ask.

"Did you plan this?" He asked coldly.

"Eh?" Tonno gaped cluelessly. No, his intuition answered. Tonno was as clueless as the vampire next to him.

"Aster, get Badru out of here," he ordered. "Thia, go with him and keep him safe."

"Eh?!" Tonno exclaimed as Promethia grabbed both Badru and Aster in order to drag them toward the back reaches of Venice Row. "What's going on?! What are you--" Tonno froze and paled with the single, icy stare that Tsuna gave him. Even the Vendiche hesitated, which gave Tsuna just enough of an opening to turn around and ram himself into the subway car that was sliding to a stop behind himself.

The action took everyone by surprise, but Tsuna trusted his intuition. Ripping the car apart, he knew that he seemed like a maniac to those watching. The car was empty. There was no reason to tear it apart.

"You idiots!" Tsuna shouted, using one of the doors as a bat that he swung through the air at his intution's command. "You're under attack!"

"No," Tonno gasped in instant understanding. Unfortunately, no one else understood the warning until the unseen enemy finally decided to break their silence with a hail of gunfire that hit two of the three Vendiche in their unprotected vitals. They went down in an instant, leaving the last Vendiche to disappear in order to summon reinforcements. The choice of retreat was relieving. Now, Tsuna only had to hold out until they got back, which was harder than it seemed.

Panic had set in. Mafiosos were running for cover and the ones that tried to give him cover fire kept hitting air until they were shot down by the invisible Hunters that Tsuna was trying to stop. It was a rebellion within the very ranks of the people that Tonno had been working for. It was a raid by those who were satisfied with mere subjugation--they wanted eradication and were willing to break Mafia Code to ensure that it happened. Tsuna had no clue how many there were. Whether it was five or fifty, he continued to dodge intuitively and throw pieces of the subway car until another arriving car rammed into the remains of the first and caused an explosion that knocked him face-first to the platform.

The impact of his chest to the ground knocked the breath out of him and sent a warning spasm of pain through his body that his Flame couldn't suppress. He was a sitting duck. He had to get up before--

Three small explosions went off at his back, powerful enough to disable the invisibility suit of a Hunter that had been preparing to impale him with a spear. It wasn't strong enough to crack through the armor, though. Turning over, Tsuna's eyes widened as the spear began to decend again--

Only to clatter to his sides like sliced cucumbers. Tsuna's heart went from racing to a complete stop as two different people stepped up on his left and his right. It was two people that made even the unarmed Hunter pause as the fight hit an awe-struck, fear-filled lull.

"Why is it that everytime things get nice and peaceful, someone has to stir up shit?" Gokudera asked calmly while lighting himself a fresh cigarette.

"It's our fault for letting them get cocky," Yamamoto replied with a grin of a man ready for competition.

"LET'S TEACH THEM AN EXTEME LESSON!" Ryohei bellowed, stepping up next to Yamamoto with fires lit in his eyes.

"Why do I always get pulled into things like this," Lambo sighed in resignation as he took a position next to Gokudera.

"Out of my way," Hibari growled. Looking over his shoulder, Tsuna gaped at the insane light in Hibari's eyes. "Stray dogs will be--"

"Bitten to death," they all said in unison, making Tsuna's jaw drop as all five of them--including Hibari--smiled in joint excitement. Then, as one, they turned to engage the enemy while Tsuna continued to stare in complete shock. Even when Hibari jumped over his head to prove that a blunt object _could _penetrate the Hunter's armor, he was too dumbfounded to move.

All of them...

As if the past ten years hadn't happened...

Were fighting together...

For him.

The thought left him too blinded by tears to see the explosions or the fighting. Putting a hand over his face, he tried to block it out. He tried to block everything out and get control of himself, but it was useless. He was too overcome by emotion to do anything because he knew... he knew that he couldn't stay. He wanted to stay, though. He wanted to so badly that it hurt, but there was no place for him now that his identity was known to everyone. He couldn't hide as Maro or as a teacher or as a random Mafioso who couldn't pick a Family. As soon as Hotaru got back, he would know... He would hear that the Tenth had been in Venice Row. He would find out that Maro-sensei was really his father and... and Hotaru wasn't ready to face him and Tsuna wasn't ready to face Hotaru. So, he wept. He wept because the Mafia didn't have room for two Vongola Bosses. He wept because he hadn't figured out how to make his loyalty to both Vongola and Martelli coincide. He wept because... because this was to be a goodbye.

"Boss...?" Gokudera worriedly called out as he kicked a Hunter to ensure that he wasn't pretending to be unconscious. The prompt unwittingly proving what Tsuna already knew: Tsuna couldn't continue to be Maro. It was too ingrained in them to view him as a Boss. Individually, they could manage. Once they were together, it was impossible. "Are you alright? Did one of these bastards hit you?"

"No," Tsuna shuddered, pulling back his tears with a strained laugh. "I'm old, but not that old." To prove it, Tsuna stood as his Guardians finished mopping up the last of the raid party and slowly walked over to Tonno. Tonno was understandably shaking in fear against a storefront. Not because he was scared of gunfire, though, and not because he was scared of the consequences of the raid. He was terrified because of the Flames that kept randomly spurting out of his body. He wanted to fight. He wanted to help. However, if he released his Flame, the entire area might become a blazing inferno like what had been written in Basil's report. He had too much power and he couldn't control it.

"P-P-Papa," he gasped, trembling with the effort as Tsuna knelt down next to him. "I-I d-d-didn't--"

"Hush," he ordered while he created a Delving Flame on the tip of his finger. "I know. You didn't have anything to do with this. You truly were trying to negotiate for peace, but not all are as wise or as confident as you." Touching the Flame to Tonno's head, Tsuna smiled and gave a single command as his Flame forced Tonno's to calm. "Sleep." Tonno crumpled in an instant, putting him completely in Tsuna's mercy. Reaching into the jacket of his suit, Tsuna found where Tonno had safely kept Hotaru's Chain and his rings--SK's and the Vongola Ring.

"Rain sector is clear," Yamamoto called, telling Tsuna that they'd all chosen an area to secure. The signal was repeated down the line with each Guardian calling his sector by name. The only exception, of course, was Hibari.

"Venice Row, disciplined," he said in satisfaction. The statement made Tsuna smile as he stood once more. It was an all-clear signal that everyone in the Mafia understood. The Mafiosos who hadn't run began to slowly creep out of behind their make-shift shields, shop doorways, and broken display cases. The place looked like a war-zone, which was precisely what it was. People rushed forward to help those that'd been caught in the cross-fire and to administer first-aid to those who were bleeding. Nearly a dozen Vendiche arrived en masse to make arrests and the Hunters who'd broken the peace were hauled away in the blink of an eye. Slowly, the entire situation was under control, which was the point that eyes began to turn to him in askance, awe, and simple confusion.

"Don't," Tsuna said, stopping the first man who opened his mouth in preparation of a cheer. "I'm out." As Tsuna expected, no one registered his words while they hung in the air like a guillotine prepped for an execution. Even his Guardians merely stared at him, unable to comprehend his simple statement. So, Tsuna clarified. "The Eleventh Hour has come. The Tenth Hour has passed. Time can't go backwards, my friends. It can only continue to tick forward, no matter how much we wish to stop it. I'm honored by the loyalty and the trust that you've given me today, but it's misplaced. From this day forward, I am no longer part of the Mafia. Hayato--" Tossing Hotaru's chain and his rings to his former Right Hand, Tsuna cracked a smile at his lack of understanding.

"You missed your cue," Tsuna admonished. "The Eleventh has been missing a week and you let his brother play all of you for fools. You need to get Orinato out of jail and go back to your sweet wife and son because the Eleventh's Right Hand would have noticed this switch." Gokudera's jaw dropped and he immediately tried to apologize for not noticing, but Tsuna merely shook his head as he turned his attention to the next in line. "Takeshi, we've already spoken," he murmured with a raised eyebrow. "Do you need another slap?"

"I think I can do without it," he replied with a sad smirk.

"Ryohei, Lambo," Tsuna sighed unhappily, seeing that some people were beginning to understand that he was saying his farewells. "Sorry for ruining your party. Hopefully I'll be less of a party-pooper next time."

"POOP TO THE EXTREME IF YOU WANT!" Ryohei roared with a pathetically miserable expression. His way of trying to be cheerful while trying not to cry was so pathetic that Tsuna had to grimace in sympathy for him. His face looked like how Tsuna felt.

"Do you know where you're going yet?" Lambo asked nonchalantly, his quivering bottom lip being the only thing that gave away his unhappiness.

"I'll know when I get there," Tsuna replied with a smile for Lambo's pouting. "But whereever I go, there will be movies and television, so keep working hard. Hibari..." Turning to Hibari, Tsuna smiled at the death-stare that the man was giving him. It was a stare that told Tsuna that he'd never had a chance in hell of getting Haru back. The man would kill him if he even suggested it. Therefore, Tsuna only had one response to give him. "Take care of her," he pleaded.

"Are you suggesting that I'm not?" He growled, rearing for a fight.

"Well, if you stop, I'll kick your ass again," Tsuna replied in amusement. Hibari bristled at the challenge but, surprisingly, reigned himself in and gave a grudging nod in agreement. That, more than anything else that he could have done, told Tsuna that he truly loved her. Somewhere along the way, Hibari had learned that there was something more important than fighting. Against determination like that, Tsuna couldn't win. It was what was best for Haru.

Which only left one tiny detail left for him to clear up before he said goodbye.

"The Ninth is dead and I killed him," Tsuna said bluntly. Once again, no one seemed to comprehend his words. He could have been speaking gibberish with how much they reacted. Even so, Tsuna continued in hopes that they'd understand one day. "I poisoned his tea, froze him, and stashed him with my other major fuck-up. That was over ten years ago and I was quick to put him in stasis after his heart stopped. Tell Hotaru this when he gets back... Iris Tea, twice his hour, see it the same forward and backward, and the silence that's out of place. He'll figure out the rest."

Nodding to himself that the clues were enough to create a cure for the poison he'd used and lead Hotaru to the Vongola Crypt if he hadn't already found it, Tsuna turned around and carefully picked up Tonno. Then he took a single step forward before coming to a stop, seeing his old friends were unconsciously creating a phalanx between him and the exit to keep him from leaving. Looking in the opposite direction, the sight of Gigi, Ore, Eric, Ollie, Isaac, and Poppet in the crowd told him that he couldn't go that way either.

_An opening is coming in ten seconds_, his intuition warned.

"I love all of you," Tsuna murmured, looking around at both sets of his Guardians. "That's why I can't be with any of you." Determined not to leave them with tears in his eyes, Tsuna summoned the best smile that he could and said, "Ciao."

The effect was instant.

"B-Boss!" Gokudera shouted, running forward and Tsuna began to eel his way past people in effort to reach the opposite side of the platform. It was difficult to keep moving when he saw the look of panic and hurt on Gokudera's face as he obliviously ran past, but Tsuna continued to move as Mukuro joined him for the walk out. "Where did he go?!" Gokudera shouted behind him. Tsuna's footsteps momentarily faltered, but he continued to trudge forward. He wasn't going to stop until his Flame gave out. He wasn't going to turn back, even though he knew that he was causing pain to the people that he cared about. He couldn't. Looking down at the young man in his arms, he knew...

Tsuna knew that Tonno needed him more than they did.

* * *

It was here! This was it! Finally! The Path of Humans again! He was going home! How long had it been since he'd been home? It felt like ages, but it was difficult to determine time in Limbo and tons had happened since he'd left Mukuro at the shore-line. After stumbling into a large area of mist, he'd found a set of doorways that his intuition said held a way home. So, following his intuition, he'd entered the first one....

And had entered the realm of Asura, where he'd learned the true meaning of jealousy and envy. He'd also learned how to enjoy a nice bloody fight and he'd gained a Master after getting his ass handed to himself a few times--literally, since the people living in Asura didn't play games. When they handed him his own ass, they cut it off and handed it to him. However, Sir Whitt had found him and seen his potential with a lance. He'd forced Hotaru to take lessons that put Reborn's methods of teaching to shame until he'd learned everything that Sir Whitt could possibly teach. After that, he'd entered a tournament where he'd gotten fifth prize and an audience with the war-priestess Vala. She'd managed to help him get back to Limbo, but only after giving him a few memories that he didn't think Ross should know about.

His next attempt had sent him into Hell. He couldn't have said how long he'd been stuck in that realm. He'd learned the true meaning of evil, hatred, and fear. From the very beginning, he'd been stuck in darkness and demons had repeatedly taunted him with his worse fears until his mind had broken. He'd drifted after that... He'd drifted until he'd rebuilt himself in a way that could withstand his fears. He figured out how to control the hatred of those around him in order to protect himself and he'd slowly added art to his body in order to let him blend in better with the Realm's residents. Once he'd done that, demons had begun teaching him things that were common knowledge for their kind--how to bend minds. He couldn't create illusions like Mukuro could, but he'd managed to get the hang of bringing his body art to life before he'd figured out how to leave Hell. He just hoped that the tattoos were yakuza enough to go without too much comment in the Human realm, because he'd hate to have to give them up after going so far to gain them.

Then, after taking a little time on the beach of Limbo to show off his new lance and mind skills to the shinigami lake-dweller that he dubbed 'Glub', he'd tried another door. This one had sent him to the Animal Realm. It'd been an incredibly strange experience to be a dog. From being born to being abandoned to being picked up by a family, all of it had been insane. It'd been insane because he'd been picked up by a guy named Suoh, named Peanut, and found out that Suoh was the Tenth--his father. After willing himself to death, it'd taken him a long while of sitting on the beach and talking to Glub, Glib, and Glurg to get his head on straight.

Next up had been a trip to Preta, the realm of Hungry Ghosts. This had been a realm where he'd truly been hit hard with homesickness. The desire to return had nearly consumed him, but a ghost named Sienna had pulled him out of his blind searching. She'd thumped him on the head so many times that he'd lost count and she'd helped him... She'd helped him until he'd figured out how to get back to Limbo while distracting him from his homesickness with pranks and chatter. They'd parted ways after that, but they'd agreed that she could haunt him after he made it back home.

Unfortunately, he hadn't gone straight home. He'd tried. He'd purposely ignored his intuition since it had kept leading him wrong and had headed for the left-hand door instead of the right, but it'd sent him into Heaven instead. In Heaven, he'd drifted around almost as much as he had in Hell, but he'd drifted in peace instead of horror. It'd given him time to think about everything and get himself truly sorted out. Who he was. What he wanted to be. How he wanted to live his life. Why he hadn't been doing so before. He learned the answers to all of his questions until he'd finally found peace with himself. He could barely remember what had happened after that, but he did remember a lot of light, warmth, and pleasant euphoria. And a woman... There had been an angel who'd been beautiful enough to leave him mezmerized for eternity. He couldn't remember her name, but he'd had a white feather hanging from and earring when he'd landed back in Limbo--one of her feathers that had been given as a farewell gift.

Now there was only one door left and he knew that he was going home. He wasn't going home as the same man who'd left, though. It felt like ten years had passed since he'd left for his Reckoning and he knew that nothing was going to be the same. He knew where to find his father. He had skills that most humans couldn't dream of. He'd made friends in the unlikliest of places and he'd gained control of the trickiest thing of all--himself. Having seen the horrors of hell, he no longer feared a lot of things that he used to. Whether it was consequences or threats, he didn't think there was anything on earth that could stop him. He knew what he wanted and he wasn't afraid to chase after it anymore.

Although, arriving naked in Venice Row hadn't been what he'd hoped for, either. Oh well, he grinned, rolling his neck to get used to the feeling of human limitations again. It was just a body. He'd been naked for years while he was a dog and he hadn't had any problem. Humans were just too focused on unimportant details. Ignoring the current mess around him and the stunned expressions of those who were staring at him, Hotaru lifted up his lance and allowed it to revert into an umbrella. Tapping it a few times, he bit his lip in worry when it didn't respond.

"Hello," he called curiously. "Sienna? Are you haunting me yet?" Hotaru grinned when the umbella turned in his hand, opened a single wide eye, and stuck its tongue out at him. Then his grin faltered when she flew out of his hands and started smacking him in the head with herself.

"Idiot!" She shouted while Hotaru grimaced at each blow. "I was worried about you! You were supposed to come straight home!"

"I'm sorry!" He wailed. Covering his head after the third smack, he yelped when she changed targets and spanked him hard enough to knock him flat. "I accidently went into Deva! I didn't mean to! Really!"

"What the hell am I wearing?" She gasped, changing focus to the simple umbrella that she was in. Landing in front of him, she carefully balanced on her handle as two arms appeared out of the folds of herself. "An umbrella?" She asked in disbelief. "The best thing you could come up with was an umbrella?"

"You turn into a lance, too," he sheepishly offered. "It was the only thing that I had on hand and I always keep it with me. It's an important item for me. Just think. This makes you a Kasa-Obake. I bet Tulie will be jealous."

"Fine," she grudgingly grumbled. "But I don't like this color." Before Hotaru could object, the folds of the umbrella began rattling and expanding as if she was trying to take a deep breath. It continued until she was entirely opened like a normal umbrella and Hotaru raised an eyebrow as she began to close again as if letting out a long sigh. He wasn't sure what she did, but her color began to change in the process. By the time she was back to her normal, closed form, she was pink with a hard, black stripe around the fringe. "That's better," she smiled as she inspected herself. "Oi, did you know that you're naked? And why is everyone staring? They act like they've never seen a possessed umbrella before."

"They haven't," Hotaru chuckled. "And they're probably staring more because I'm naked than seeing me talk to you. Why don't you find me something to cover myself up with while I find out what I missed?" Sienna nodded and bounced away in the direction of a clothing store, making Hotaru smile at how everyone took two steps back in disbelief to let her through.

However, Hotaru didn't immediately turn and begin asking questions. Instead, he quietly surveyed the situation to see what he could figure out for himself. There were two trashed subway cars in front of the subway platform, one of which was still on fire. Broken glass was everywhere and the displays within line of sight of the subway platform were destroyed. A glance farther down one of the side avenues was full of intact storefronts, which told Hotaru that the mess had centered on the platform itself. But the most telling piece of information was the people gathered and armed for combat. The Tenth's Guardians had gathered, which would have only happened if the Tenth himself had come out of hiding....

But the Tenth was noticeably missing from the group along with Mukuro.

"Dad sure likes leaving me messes to clean up," Hotaru sighed in exasperation, instantly turning Gokudera into a floundering fish. "Hrm..." he continued in consideration. "Tonno's not here either. Something told me not to trust him. Who kidnapped who?"

"Herbivore took carnivore," a small voice answered. Looking over at Hibari in surprise, Hotaru's eyes bulged in recognition.

"Repeat that?" Hotaru prompted while automatically holding his hand out. Hibird bounced off of Hibari's shoulder in an instant and flew over in order to land in his hand.

"Herbivore took carnivore," Hibird repeated with a ruffle of his feathers. It took Hotaru a moment to comprehend what was going on. He could still hear Hibird chirping, but something in his brain was translating it for him. "Hippo roared big and pummeled carnivore's pack, then herbivore took carnivore and flew away."

"So, let me make sure that I have this straight," Hotaru replied. "Tonno had some mean friends who came in and attacked the place, but Hippo... I mean, Hibari, beat them up. Then Dad took Tonno and ran away?"

"Chirp," he agreed with a bouncing nod of his head.

"Do you know why they attacked the place?" Hotaru asked curiously.

"Bats," Hibird answered.

"Bats?" Hotaru repeated in confusion. "Oh! You mean vampires! So I guess that means Tonno was friend with Hunters? Did the Vendiche take them away?"

"Chirp."

"Alright, that's good enough for now," Hotaru sighed as Sienna returned with an armful of clothes for him to chose from. Grabbing a pair of pants from the stack, he threw them on and tossed a shirt on for good measure. He didn't bother buttoning it and he skipped over the shoes, as well. Just wearing pants felt odd enough after going so long without. He didn't think he'd be able to walk upright if he put on anything more. "Let's see, where to start," he grinned, rubbing his hands together in excitement. He couldn't wait to begin giving orders. It felt like years had passed since he'd been home, but it looked like only a few days had passed for everyone else. Of course, that could be because he'd gone ten years back in time to the end of the mess with the Four Horsemen, but even thinking about that left him confused. Did that mean that he was ten years older now or was he still the same age? Bah, it didn't matter.

"Gokudera," Hotaru snapped, while he looked around at the mess that'd been made. "Vongola is taking responsibility for this. Get crews down here to clean things up and oversee everything to make sure that it's done right. Yamamoto, go work with my lawyers and get Orinato to me as quickly as you can. If my guess is right, then Tonno didn't rush to get him out of jail. Ryohei, get to work with the Varia. Dad can't have gotten too far. I want his location as soon as possible. We have a discussion that's long overdue. Lambo, see what you can do about getting a hold of Sakura and Shamal. I want them to oversee the injured. Dad, can you help me for a moment? I need some space to work, but I can't focus on keeping people back at the same time that I'm negotiating. See, I got separated from SK as soon as I left, but the Ninth was missing on the Day of Reckoning. If my hunch is right, then they went together to drop off SK's egg at the Nest, but I'm not sure if he's ready to come back yet. I can find out, but what I'm going to do is pretty dangerous. If anyone gets too close, they'll die."

As expected, the entire group stared at him as if he'd gone insane.

"I know it's an off-the-wall kind of thing to say, but I'm being serious," he explained. "I really need you guys to do this for me and if I open this portal, anyone who touches it other than myself will lose their memories and possibly die. Grim Reapers aren't the type of guys to play games when food enters their territory." Still no reaction and several sets of eyes seemed to glaze over entirely.

"Change lots," Hibird chirped as he bounced across Hotaru's shoulder in glee. Hotaru rubbed his head and quickly reviewed the past few minutes in his head. He'd popped out of nowhere--naked--and his umbrella had come to life. Then, while his talking umbrella went to fetch clothes, he'd gotten a briefing from Hibird. His appearance was different, everyone looked like they'd just come out of a war, and he was only adding more shocks on top of everything they'd been through.

"Alright," he sighed in resignation, figuring that they just needed more time before they could come back to life. "I'll do it myself. Shit. And I thought it was hard to find good help in Hell."

Grinning at the way that Hibird chortled at his joke, Hotaru held his hand open so that Sienna could jump into it. She giggled when he released the seal that transformed her into a lance while also murmuring in excitement over getting to possess something so unique. He just hoped that she didn't play any practical jokes on him at a crucial time--especially why he was in his quasi-Salamander form.

"Lets do this," Hotaru said in preparation. He'd figured out the theory, but this was going to be the first attempt at using his inheritance. He'd decided to wait until he returned to earth to try to use it. After all, it didn't make much sense to open a Gate to Limbo from Limbo.

Taking the cues from his intuition, he closed his eyes and concentrated on performing the Zero Point Breakthrough--his own revised, Eleventh Edition. The Lightening Chain was wrapped tightly around his wrist, but as he continued to focus, they began to rattle in answer to the technique. The sound quickly became a clatter of metal-on-metal that echoed into the silence of his surroundings until it was abruptly replaced by the rattling of a different Chain. The Sky Chain within him began to respond, painlessly surfacing through his currently semi-solid skin. Within moments, it was moving and circling around him as if it were a hovering Ouboros that was eating its own tail.

Using his lance, Hotaru carefully began pinning particular links of Chain into the air. All it took was a single jab to make it stay, until he had a large squarish formation in place. Then, touching his lance to a comfortable spot on the left, Hotaru traded the Eleventh Edition Zero-Point Breakthrough for the First. The Chain began to freeze solid and the blank area in the center became a sheet of ice. After that was in place, it was a simple matter of raising his lance, drilling it into the center of the ice, and pushing enough Flame out from his lance to make the surface to liquify in an instant.

Hotaru grinned even more widely once he pulled his lance back due to the way that the liquified Zero-Point Ice continued to hover within the bounds of the Chain. The result was exactly what he'd hoped for. It was a doorway or perhaps a 'window' straight into the Lake of Lost Dreams. He could tell, because he could see Glub swimming up to meet him on the other side.

"Eleventh," the monster greeted as he came to a hovering stop on his side of the window. "You have-had tasty bits."

"Yeah," Hotaru laughed with a nod of agreement. "I got my body back. Is Glib and Glack there?"

"Glork," he answered, waving a second lake-dweller into view of the window. Hotaru shook his head at the sight of them. The only difference that he'd found so far was that Glub had a chip on one of his left fangs. Otherwise, all the lake-dwellers looked the same to him. "There is-are lots of tasty bits," he said conversationally. Something is-was wrong in Human Path. Imbalance."

"How so?" Hotaru asked worriedly.

"Don't know-knew," Glork shrugged. "We only eat-ate. All we know-knew is Human bits taste-tasted different."

"Will you go speak with the First for me?" Hotaru inquired. "I need to know if it's okay to summon SK and I'd like his opinion on what you've said. If there's anything I can do on my end to fix the imbalance, then I will try."

"He say-said that vampires must fix the imbalance," Glub immediately replied. "And you know-knew that SK is-was ready when Flames light-lit the ring."

"Good enough," Hotaru smiled in appreciation. "Is there anything I can do to thank you?"

"Tasty bit?" The two asked in unison. Hotaru sighed, having hoped that they'd want something different. There was no helping it, though. Grim Reapers were pretty simple-minded creatures.

Sticking his finger in his mouth, he bit down on it until he broke the skin. Then, using the blood that welled up as a medium, he carefully injected his Flames into a few droplets and inserted copies of a few of his worst memories of Hell. Flicking the result into the window, the Glub and Glork greedily snatched them up as if they were candy.

"WAIT-WAITED!" Another Reaper shouted as he quickly surged closer to the window. Hotaru raised his eyebrow, having thought that the creatures were incapable of understanding a concept such as 'rushing'. "For you, girk," he said as he thrust a small piece of paper in Hotaru's direction while carefully keeping his hand from touching the window. Taking it from him, Hotaru opened the letter to find a...

"Shopping list?" Hotaru choked. "They want me to go shopping for them?! Are they fucking kidding me?! Those assholes let me walk into _Hell _and they think I'm going to go SHOPPING for them?!"

"Fourth say-said he is-was sorry," Girk mumbled in a sheepish tone. "He say-said that you have-had fun adventure. No one else go-went."

"Tell them that I'll think about it," Hotaru grudgingly grumbled, shoving the list in his pocket where it could sit for a while. "I'll talk to you later."

"We know-knew," they chuckled bfore swimming away to return to whatever lake-dwellers did when they weren't eating. Shaking his head over their carefree attitudes, Hotaru slowly began the process of taking apart the window. First, he had to use even more Flame in evaporating the liquified surface. Then he had to free the Chains from where he'd pinned them in the air. Finally, he had to let them return into safe-storage by sending them back into his body. By the time that he was completely finished and could let Sienna return into her umbrella form, he was almost completely tapped of energy.

"Who has my rings?" Hotaru asked as he stumbled up against a wall to rest his weary body. Hotaru sighed in relief when Sienna opened herself up and offered to let him sit on the edge of her canopy. He tried to keep as much weight off of her as he could manage when she groaned, but he was too tired to wait for a chair to be brought.

"I do," Gokudera replied, his mouth still hanging open in imitation of everyone around him. "Eleventh, what was... uh... _that_?"

"It's a long story," he laughed as Hibird flew over to retrieve his rings for him. Once he had them back on his fingers, he grimaced at the weak Flame on SK's ring. He was back, but he looked like he might need a little more time to build his strength. So, Hotaru decided to leave him alone for the time-being while he tried to give an explanation. "I took a journey, Gokudera. It started with a trip to the past where I saved the Tenth out of death's jaws. After that, I traveled into Asura where I learned techniques from a Master Jouster named Sir Whitt. I traveled into Hell where my mind was tortured into insanity and then had my sanity restored as I danced with Hitodama and was accepted into a traveling clan of oni. I got out of Hell by taming a Cerberus and making the King of Hell laugh hard enough that a..." Hotaru paused, seeing that his story was getting a little too unbelieveable, even if it was true.

"Anyway," he continued with a crooked grin. "I got out and I ended up going through the Gate to the Path of Animals, where I was stuck living as a dog for several years. After that, I ended up in Preta, where I met Sienna--"

"Nice to meet you," Sienna groaned from under him.

"She helped me get out of there and then I ended up in Deva--Heaven--where this angel..." Hotaru trailed off with a blush at the mere memory of that angel and he absently reached up to finger the white feather hanging from his ear. "This angel helped me out," he temporized with an insurpressible smile, "and I finally found the right door to come home."

"The... uh... tattoos?" Yamamoto prompted. In answer, Hotaru let his unbuttoned shirt fall down to his elbows and showed them--

Hotaru broke out in laughter at how everyone jumped, screamed, or even fainted over the grotesque demons that jumped out of his body. He could only hold the illusion for a few handfuls of seconds, but it was enough time for the demons to cause a bit of mischief by scaring a few people into jumping into the canals in effort to get away. After that, the demons returned, settling down on his skin once more in an terrifying piece of artwork that only hinted at the terrors within Hell.

"I'd show you my new lance skills too, but I'm afraid that I might kill someone," he added in amusement for how wide everyone's eyes had gotten. "Sir Whitt didn't teach me how to hold back."

"Hotaru?"

Hotaru froze and slowly got to his feet while staring down the main strip of Venice Row in mild shock. He'd known that there was a possibility that the love of his life was in the area, but he hadn't known that they'd cross paths so soon. Would he be forgiven if he stole a kiss?

Ah, hell, who cared if he wasn't! Rushing across the distance between them, Hotaru latched on tightly and claimed the lips that he'd thought about constantly since they'd been separated. It felt as if an eternity had passed and those lips were as sweet as he'd hoped they'd be. Unfortunately, he couldn't say they were particularly responsive. His actions were too sudden and too surprising to allow Hattori to do more than stand in shock up until the point that he fainted in Hotaru's arms. It made Hotaru chuckle. It made him laugh outright when he looked over his shoulder to find a large portion of the Mafia gaping at him.

"A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do," Hotaru smirked, knowing that everyone had already seen the combination of tits and dick on his bare body.

Uncaring of what anyone thought, he carefully threw Hattori's unconscious form over his shoulder and headed for the exit. Unfortunately, there turned out to be one person who had an opinion that he cared about: Rosalind. Without him noticing, she'd latched onto a small gathering of Martelli and she was openly stunned by what he'd done. He really wanted to kiss her, too, seeing as how she was another love of his life, but a single glance was all it took to get rejected. The look on her face warned that, if he got near, she was going to turn him into mincemeat.

After two seconds of consideration, Hotaru figured out how to make her hear his whole explanation without blowing up. He simply wouldn't talk to her; he'd talk to someone else within earshot instead.

"I'm half girl and half boy," Hotaru said bluntly, staring directly at Gokudera while keeping Rosalind in the corner of his eye. Gokudera looked like his spirit was about to leave his body from all the shocks, his statement included, but Hotaru continued on with him as the target. At least if he said it to a statue of Gokudera, he didn't have to worry about getting an unwanted response. "After walking in Hell and thinking things over in Heaven, I realized that I've been holding back because I was scared of being compared to the Tenth. Well, I'm not the Tenth, but I am like him and I'm willing to admit that now. No matter how much I fight it, I'm going to continue being unhappy and torn between my girl side and my boy side unless I do something about it. This is me doing something about it. I hope the woman that I proposed to can accept that. If not, then I understand, but I'm not going to have a relationship with someone who only cares about a small part of me. I want a woman that includes everything about me and that includes this stupid idiot because I can't win against Hattori's sincerity. I love him and I love the woman that I proposed to. If anyone has a problem with that then I'll be happy to show off a few other skills that I picked up along my journey. I'm not straight. I'm not gay. I'm just Hotaru. If you can't accept that, then you can't accept me and you can go to Hell for all I care. I can even show you the way and introduce you to a few friends I made because--"

"MORON!" Coming to a choking halt, Hotaru turned to look at Rosalind in surprise that she'd still explode when he hadn't even been talking to her! "IDIOT! IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, THEN SAY IT TO ME!" She shouted on the top of her lungs with her face turning such a bright shade of red that she could be mistaken for a cherry-bomb.

"Fine," Hotaru replied, cracking a smile at her honest reaction. "Will you marry me even though I can't let go of this idiot? I can promise you that there's no obstacle strong enough to keep us apart if you say yes. I love you. I fell in love with you the first time we met. I know that my Family is fucked up and I'm not a normal guy, but that just means that you'll never be bored."

"I--" She mumbled, hesitating even while her expression shouted her answer.

"Go ahead," the man called Gigi urged from behind her, shoving her forward a few steps in the process. Rosalind looked back at him and even Hotaru was surprised by the sudden help. "We'll deal with Mega-Bitch. I didn't want to believe it before, but that's Laz's boy. Only one of _his _kids could give a speech like that with a straight face. You've been around Ore before. It's possible for two people to share the same person as long as there's understanding. You just have to know what's more important: how you feel or what people think about you? Laz's boy has found his answer. So what's yours? Do you love him enough to accept everything, including that poor boy that he's carrying off?"

"Yes," Rosalind whispered, making Hotaru's heart skip a beat. Turning in place to look at Hotaru, she smiled in a shell-shocked way and repeated more clearly, "Yes!"

That was all that Hotaru needed to hear. Holding out his hand for Sienna again, Hotaru turned her into a lance again and jumped on her before anyone could blink. Using her like a hoverboard in the way that Sir Whitt had taught him, Hotaru quickly darted forward and had Rosalind sitting in front of him on the lance before she could blink. After that, it was a simple matter of holding her steady, keeping his grip on Hattori, and getting the hell out of Venice Row as quickly as he could.

"Where are we going?!" Ross shouted in excitement instead of fear. Hotaru answered, saying the one thing that he'd been longing for during his entire journey.

"Home."

* * *

Author's note: And so ends this arc, but not the story (note the loose ends). I'm going to be on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. I suggest adding this story to your story alerts so that you will get an email when I update again (for those of you who go crazy checking every day to see if I've uploaded) because I don't know when my next upload will be. However! When I DO upload again, it'll be the entire last arc in one large gorge-fest of fanfic. If you have any unanswered questions or specific loose end that you want tied up (perhaps one that I might overlook), then please message me or leave it in a review. I'm still able to look over reviews and emails.

Ja ne and thanks for reading!

~Ashes


	140. Chapter 140 Cycle of Hours

Author's note: Uploading 140-148 Now. I'll continue uploading the rest as I finish proofreading each chapter. Figured that you guys would want to start reading ASAP.

* * *

"You're really pathetic, Papa," Tonno mumbled. Tsuna chuckled at the insult, finding it to be the best compliment that he could get at the moment. According to a normal hitman's usual response pattern, they should have gone into hiding. After all, most Families usually didn't accept it when a person chose to leave the Mafia, so they should have been running as far away as possible so that his claim of being 'out' would have a chance of coming true. However, Tsuna did the complete opposite of what a normal hitman would do: he took his time. They'd jumped onto the first subway that passed, switched trains once, and were currently resting in the front car so that Tsuna could recover his strength.

Mafioso were too predictable. When traveling to and from Venice Row, they rarely went outside the last two cars so that they didn't have to traverse more than one or two doorways in order to reach the car to Venice Row or to get out at a scheduled stop. By going in the opposite direction, toward the front, Tsuna knew that he could hide right under the Mafia's nose without being caught. Even if a Mafioso did happen to check the front car, he'd also made a smart trade with a bum for two threadbare coats and a pair of battered hats that would disguise them enough to fall under the radar of casual visual scans. The hitch to his plan was that the Vendiche knew exactly where he was since the subway was thoroughly monitored, but he also knew that they didn't volunteer information.

He was as safe as he could possibly be in his circumstance, which was a good thing since he was feeling a bit panicked. He'd given up everything. All the progress that he'd made was gone. All the work that he'd put into reconnecting with his Family was gone. His hope of being accepted by Hotaru was gone. The career that he'd been building as a Tutor was gone. With one single choice... choosing to protect Tonno and flee fleeing with him.... the past few years of his life no longer had meaning. Yet, despite all of that, he didn't feel like he'd made the wrong choice. Tonno did need him. Simply the way that Tonno had accepted him as 'Papa' told Tsuna that the boy needed the support that only Tsuna could give him.

The part that actually made him panic was how much peace the thought gave him. Every ounce of his being was accepting of the sacrifice. He didn't regret his choice nor did he want to undo it. Even though, Tonno wasn't Hotaru, he was still Tsuna's son. Regardless of whether or not he had a choice in creating the boy, the boy was alive and they had the bond of blood. He had a responsibility to do his best when it came to Tonno's well-being. Even if it meant that he had to break his promise to Xanxus, he wasn't going to let anyone hurt him.

He just wasn't sure how to achieve that. They could go almost anywhere and do almost anything. The sky was the limit because Tsuna had a lot of experience when it came to hiding. He knew what to do and what not to do. He knew what types of attention would go unnoticed and what wouldn't. He knew what type of people would be safe to talk to and who would be a threat to whatever life he built. For example, he knew that they couldn't stay as only a duo or even a trio. Vongola would be looking for a single man with a son, so they needed to shake things up by adding someone to their group.

"Mukuro," Tsuna inquired quietly in consideration, "Are you planning on--"

"No," he replied without moving from his lounging position in the seat next to Tsuna. "My dear Chrome is worried about Ken, so I'll be continuing in the manner that I have been."

"I understand," Tsuna sighed, knowing that Mukuro still needed a bit more time to come to terms with the piece of himself that Tsuna had retrieved from the lake-dwellers.

Thinking hard, he tried to figure out a way to change their group make-up even without Mukuro so that they couldn't be described in the same way that Tsunayoshi and Tonno would be. 'Tsunayoshi and Tonno' would be described as father and son, early thirties and a young man in his early twenties, brown hair with amber eyes and black hair with dark eyes, average height for him and short for Tonno, lean and muscular. Also, his friends would probably describe his smile and Tonno's scowl as recognizable features, along with the tattoo under Tsuna's eye.

Knowing that, Tsuna began to think of easy ways to alter their images. Tonno's black hair could stay, but Tsuna could dye his hair. Not black, of course. That would be too eye-catching. He'd add a dusting of grey instead to add on a few years so that he looked to be in his mid-forties or even his early fifties. If he changed his posture a little, he could take off some of his height so that he seemed shorter, too. He wouldn't bother with trying to hide the tattoo on his cheek, but it would be an unmentionable feature if he made up some crazy story about how he got it 'in his youth'. People tended to only gossiped about things that people tried to hide, so being open about it should be enough to hide it. Once they settled down somewhere, Tonno would hopefully find reasons to smile, which would also alter his appearance enough to pass muster. If Tsuna's intuition was correct, that would be more than enough to make them go unnoticed.

However, thinking of that made him wonder where they should go. Vongola, Martelli, and the rest of the Mafia would have their eyes on the airports, boats, and the roads. They'd be extra watchful of people's movements in the near future in hopes of catching Tsuna before he could get too far. They'd also be incredibly watchful of new people settling in their territories, too. After all, Tsuna had to retreat to somewhere. He couldn't literally fall off the face of the planet. The closest that he could come would be to find a deserted island to settle on, which would be detrimental to Tonno's needs.

The only answer that he could come up with was to stay in Italy. No, he amended in consideration. He wouldn't even leave the city. Not yet. Not until he thought of a strategy to bypass all the eyes that would be watching him, but where could he hide until the heat died down? Police protective custody wasn't an option. Considering how he'd said that he was out of the Mafia, going to Dino or any of the Bosses wasn't an option, either, and going back to the school, the Werewolf House, or anywhere else connected with his former identities wasn't an option. He had to go somewhere, though. But where--?!

"Seek Sanctuary," a boy said as he knelt down in front of them to tie his shoe. Tsuna tensed for a moment at the suggestion, but quickly found himself trying to control a smile in recognition. There was only one person that he knew who could not only find him, but would also tell him to go to a Church for aid--Gregory. The little rascal had obviously worked hard in order to blend in so that he could give the suggestion unnoticed, but it didn't fool Tsuna for more than a few seconds.

"Is Sanctuary the only option?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"No," he answered, tying his laces in a knot to buy himself an extra second to talk unnoticed. "It's just the best option," he added solemnly before rising and heading over to exit the car as soon as the doors slid open.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled. "That one has become quite confident in himself."

"He has reason to be," Tsuna replied with an amused smirk. "He knows that I'll take his advice."

"But, Papa--" Tonno objected.

"I trust him as much as I trust you, Tonno," Tsuna explained, gesturing for the boy and Mukuro to stand in preparation of getting off at the next stop. "Gregory has a good heart. Even if his advice turns out to be wrong, I know that his intentions are pure. Your brother is too well-versed in forgiveness to bear a grudge."

"B-Brother?" Tonno repeated hesitantly as they stepped off the subway and began walking. Tsuna smiled after only a glance in Tonno's direction. The simple word had a noticeable impact on Tonno, making him subdued and melancholy. It made Tsuna curious. Why did the concept of family affect Tonno so much? What was it about the simple concept of 'brother' that made Tonno willing to go so far for Hotaru? What was it about the simple concept of 'Papa' that made him so trusting of Tsuna?

Where had Tonno come from? That was the biggest question of all. The eldest of his naturally born children was Gregory, who had just turned eighteen. If Hotaru had been normal, he'd only be around fourteen or fifteen. Tonno was estimated to be in his early twenties. That put his birth outside of the time-frame when Ari's Salamander had taken Tsuna's body into the past where it'd created the bulk of his children. Tsuna couldn't doubt Basil, which meant that the blood tests hadn't been tampered with. Tonno was definitely one of his sons. However, where had he come from? Twenty years ago, Tsuna had been twelve and it'd been only a year before Reborn had shown up on his doorstep. Eighteen years ago, he'd dealt with Mukuro for the first time and a little bit after that had been when he'd first come in contact with Xanxus--

Tsuna froze, looking over Tonno's black hair, his ever-present frown, and the sinister demeanor that--

Nah. Chuckling at himself for even considering such a possibility, he quickly decided that patience would be better than trying to puzzle it together. Tonno would tell him about his past when he was ready to. For now, he needed to concentrate. Even with Mukuro's help, getting to the Church wasn't going to be easy. The one that Father Robert presided over was on the outskirts of Rome. They'd need a car or, at the very least, a motorcycle. Unless... Unless Gregory hadn't been talking about seeking Sanctuary at that Church. What if he'd been speaking of a Church within the bounds of the city? Was there even one he could trust?

There was. Cattedrale Delle Fiamme Celestiali was an old church with a parish that had been shrinking since the Fifth's era. Tsuna had only visited a few times in the past since the bulk of the Vongola Priesthood had moved to the capitol, but the base should hold one or two people who would remember him and help get him to Father Robert's parish without being noticed. Once there, they could both undergo a Cleansing. Some time to meditate and deal with their Remorse in seclusion was exactly what they needed in order to move on with their lives.

"Im-poss-ible..." Hattori mumbled, making Hotaru pout in dismay at the head of the private dinner table that he'd had set up for Hattori, Rosalind, and himself. There wasn't much eating being done, though. Rosalind was beginning to look overwhelmed and Hattori still hadn't overcome his shock. He was incredibly pale while Rosalind was beginning to look a bit green with regret. Neither of them had ever expected themselves to be accepted in such a way and their fear of the consequences was starting to affect them.

"Nothing is impossible," Hotaru replied softly. "This isn't a game and I'm not going to do what I did before by pretending that it never happened. Only a few days have passed for the two of you, but I feel like I've had a lifetime to go over everything in my head. Hattori... You love me in a way that no one else does. No matter how pig-headed I was or how mean I got when rejecting you, you always held on to how you felt and continued chasing after me. You were there for me at a time when I was completely lost and... and I didn't want to admit it, but you've always brightened my days since you've shown up. Hell, half the reason that I kept going to school was because I knew that you were going to be there. You gave me a reason to smile.

The other half is you, Rosalind. I swear that you must have a sixth sense for when I'm depressed or when I need a good kick in the ass to get moving. Every single time that I was feeling the need to stop and ask 'what's the point', you showed up and reminded me. You're just too amazing. Just being around you gives me the energy to keep me moving because I know that I'll be trampled if I can't keep up with you. I want to make both of you happy, but I don't want to screw up like my father. He was forced to pick even though fate was telling him to choose both. The result was painful for him and the people he loved. I don't want that for the two of you or for myself."

"I... I lived on the streets for most of my life," Rosalind said hesitantly as she folded her hands in her lap. "When you have nothing, you learn to take what you can get. I saw a lot of alternative relationships that worked out and a lot of generic ones that became abusive. If I had to choose, I'd take the alternative one. Even Oscar..." Ross trailed off, reconsidering what she wanted to say. "I don't mind it if you need more than just me to be happy, Hotaru. My problem is whether or not I can be happy living in a place like this. Most girls would kill to be treated like a Princess, but that's not what I want. I want..."

"You want?" Hotaru prompted, curious about the blush that lit up on Rosalind's face before she pointedly looked away.

"I won't say," she replied stubbornly. "You'll just laugh at me and--"

"Sailor Moon," Hattori said with a sudden grin. Rosalind choked, but her expression when she turned to stare at him didn't say that he was wrong. Rather, it said that he was correct and she was embarrassed out of her mind that someone had figured her out. "I always kept an eye on my rival," he explained quietly, looking down at his plate instead of facing either Rosalind or Hotaru. "You've been working hard at etiquette so that you can blend in as a 'normal girl', but you train hard despite how your physical strength singles you out. You want to be someone like Sailor Moon, who can be both an average girl and protect the innocent at the same time."

"There's nothing wrong with that," she growled in warning. "Who doesn't--"

"I'll be Sailor Jupiter," Hattori interrupted. "You can be Mars."

"Eh?" Hotaru and Rosalind gaped in unison.

"Jupiter is the tomboy that likes to cook, right?" He continued without looking up from his plate. "And Mars is the one with the temper. I... I refuse to wear a skirt, but it's okay to think about it that way. Right? Sailor Moon would actually be Vongola since neither of us can beat Taru's Family and that leaves room if Taru falls in love with someone else in the future. I... Assuming that he's not just teasing me, I'm okay with that. I really wanted him just to myself, but I knew when Taru wanted me to stay a guy that I'd have to share him even if he did accept me. He's a Boss and I... I'm happy as long as I can love him openly. Ross is right, though. Taru... What were you thinking by bringing us here? Your Family would accept Ross because she's a girl, but me... No one is going to accept a man as your lover."

"If they don't accept you, then they don't accept me," Hotaru replied with his expression hardening. After a moment, his expression softened again, seeing that both of them were uncomfortable. It was one thing to long for him from afar, but they weren't prepared for their fantasies to come true. "I know that it's not going to be easy at first. The mansion is big and there are a lot of people in it. All I ask is... give it some time. If the two of you still don't feel comfortable after a few months, then I... I'll move out to a new place with both of you."

"WHAT?!" Rosalind and Hattori exclaimed. They were startled by the voices that echoed the sentiment from every direction. Hotaru sighed in resignation at the sound and gave his two loves an apologetic smile. Eavesdropping was a regularity around him, especially within the walls of his own home.

"I'll move out into a new place with both of you," he repeated, ignoring the way that Rosalind and Hattori were looking around in effort to find the source of the echoes. As he hoped, the statement pulled their attention back to him and he took advantage of their shock in order to explain. "The Vongola Mansion is a building. Over the years, it's become more of an office building than a real home. If, after a few months of trying, the two of you aren't happy that it's become your home, then we can move into a new building and the Spirit of Vongola will move with us. I... As Hattori said, I am Vongola the Eleventh. I'm going to be pulled away for work a lot and I rarely get a chance to stop and smell the roses. However, I'm not going to be like my father. If you two want to travel with me, then I'll figure out a way to make it happen. If you don't, I'll make sure you're in a place where you can be happy while you're waiting for me to return. The building itself doesn't matter to me. It won't change anything in the Family. As long as I have the two of you and my Family in my heart, I'll be happy anywhere. Oh--!"

Feeling a spark of heat on his hand, Hotaru took a hard look at SK's ring to see what he wanted. It took Hotaru a moment to figure it out. SK's Flame was strong enough for him to come out, but he was unsure if his presence would be welcome during such a serious discussion. So, rather than coming out and possibly interrupting, he'd let out only a little spark to tell Hotaru that he was back.

"Don't be silly," Hotaru grumbled in amusement. "This affects you, too. Come on out." The speed that SK used in exploding out of the ring and taking on his humanoid form left Hotaru no doubt that the Salamander was excited. Although, he could have done without the sudden kiss that SK gave him when he was fully formed.

"Two hundred and twelve," SK grinned. Hotaru blinked cluelessly, not understanding the reference. "The egg!" He explained as he pulled Hotaru out of his seat to swing him around the room. "It hatched at the Nest! Two hundred and twelve Salamanders were born! The Ninth and Prometheus said that it is a new record! They asked us to try and make another!"

"EHHH?!?!" Hotaru choked.

"Oh--!" SK blurted, abruptly dropping Hotaru in order to fly over to the table where Rosalind and Hattori were sitting in shock. Pointing to himself, he asked, "Which Sailor am I?"

"SK!" Hotaru spluttered.

"What?" He asked obliviously. "We made an egg together, so shouldn't I get to be one too? Can I be Mercury? Or do you think Venus would fit better?"

"You know about Sailor Moon, SK?" Hattori asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. Hotaru has every volume--"

"SK!" Hotaru yelped as his face turned bright red.

"I think you guys have it backwards, though," he continued mercilessly. "Vongola is Tuxedo Mask and Hotaru is Sailor Moon. To prove it, he's even got a talking cat."

"SK--!" Hotaru shouted in outrage while Hattori and Rosalind traded matching looks of shock. Burying his face in his hands, Hotaru had never felt so embarrassed in his life. However, after a moment, the embarrassment passed and he realized something important. There was no need to hide and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. There was nothing wrong with reading girl's manga. It wasn't the only thing he read, after all. He read boy's manga, too. It'd only been himself who'd ever worried about what other people thought. "Fine," he growled.

Standing up, he quickly grabbed Rosalind and Hattori's hands. Dragging them behind him, he kicked the doors open and pulled the two past the eavesdroppers who hadn't been able to hide fast enough. Their presence didn't go unnoted by his two loves, both of whom turned a bright shade of red over being overheard. They weren't going to stay embarrassed for long, though. Three hallways and two doors later, they came to a stop in a room that put their silly embarrassment to shame.

They just didn't know it yet.

The room that he'd brought them to was Vongola's private library. It was expansive since reading was something that every Boss had been able to enjoy. A book was something that could be easily set aside, while a movie or a theater play would rarely finish before an interruption arrived. The bookcases were tall enough to need ladders and the walls were covered in volume after volume of fiction and history. Dragging the two past two of the four reading nooks in the center of the library, he finally let them go at the head of a sectioned-off row of books that held a sign specifying 'private collection'.

Pulling two brown books off the shelf, he handed one to Rosalind and another to Hattori. Then he stood back and waited while they discovered his little secret. It didn't take long. Hattori started gaping as soon as he opened the volume and Rosalind goggled as she took the brown book cover off of the one he gave her. As he already knew, they were manga disguised to look like volumes of classic literature. They both looked at him in askance, so Hotaru did the only thing that he could think of. He started taking the books down one at a time and removed the covers until they understood.

"You're an otaku?" Hattori finally choked when he finished clearing off the first row of manga. Hotaru grinned and started clearing off the second shelf. Then the third.

"The main character in all of these are girls," Rosalind mumbled in horror at the fourth row.

"Have you been collecting these since Namimori?" Hattori asked at the fifth row.

"What are you trying to prove?!" Rosalind exclaimed at the sixth row.

"I think they get the point," SK murmured at the seventh row. Hotaru paused and slowly took in the piles of manga and the piles of trashed slip-covers burying his feet. He prayed that they really did understand, because the mess held something that could possibly break his relationship with both of them.

"What I let people see isn't necessarily who I really am," he said as he slowly went back to unwrapping his manga collection. "I always wanted to be the perfect Boss. Until I met the two of you, I was prepared to accept an arranged marriage and I was merely waiting for the day when one of my siblings would take the seat of power in the Family. I... I never felt human. I felt like a puppet, even though the Family tried their best to give me a life. But, because the Family tried so hard for me, I met Hattori. Hattori taught me how to be a little selfish and he taught me to accept that I have things that I want, too. I tried to reject those feelings and I tried to go back to being a puppet, but then I met Rosalind. I knew how I felt from the beginning, but I didn't give it a chance because I was still fighting to be perfect. I used to hide everything. What I liked and how I felt... What I showed was always what I thought everyone else expected out of me. I... I can't win against you two, though. Hattori's honesty and Rosalind's stubbornness, the way that both of you have never pretended to be anything other than yourselves... I want to be like that, too. I'm going to start being more true to myself, even if it means that I lose the support of everyone around me. Even... Even if the truth makes me lose both of you, too."

"You think we're going to run for the hills just because you--"

"Because I'm not who you think I am," Hotaru interrupted Rosalind. "Neither of you know who I really am. You only know what I let you see and maybe a few small things that I meant to hide. SK is the only one here who has any idea of what I'm really like. Hattori... you've never seen me as a Boss. You don't know how cruel I can really be. Rosalind... you've never seen me as one, either. Both of you have seen the billionaire playboy in the magazines, but you can't possibly understand what it's like to actually be me. What I've hidden and what I've done in my past... What I really think and--"

"Pfft," Rosalind scoffed, making Hotaru look up in surprise. Both Hattori and Rosalind had their arms crossed over their chests, looking at him as if he was being idiotically stupid. "Doesn't that go for us, too?" She asked, rolling her eyes at him. "You may think that you know who we are, but did you know that I was an alcoholic from the time that I was seven until I was fifteen?"

"Eh?"

"Or that I had three girlfriends and two boyfriends before I met you?" Hattori added.

"Or the reason that I hate the song 'Roxanne' so much?"

"Have you heard the story of who taught me how to cook?"

"Have I told you about the fight I got into with two cops and a grave-digger?"

"What about the time that I accidentally skied into a hot spring and managed to lose my virginity instead of getting arrested?"

"Or how I used to steal panties off of clothes lines?"

"Eh?" Hattori choked, looking over at Rosalind in surprise.

"I needed a new pair and we didn't have money," she shrugged. "The point is, Hotaru doesn't know a whole lot about us, either. He only thinks that he does because he's got an arrogant streak that's a mile wide."

"I think we can fix that with a little bit of time, though," Hattori grinned while Hotaru sheepishly rubbed his neck in the realization that they were right. Rosalind opened her mouth to rub it in even more, but her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly as a reminder that they hadn't actually eaten anything yet.

"Why don't we head back to the dining room and finish dinner?" SK suggested with a soft chuckle. Hotaru nodded in agreement and carefully stepped out of the pile of manga and slip-covers at his feet. Once he was free, he paused a second time in front of Rosalind and Hattori while he tried to think of some way to bring them closer together despite the uncomfortable position that he'd put them in. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything. If Rosalind and Hattori were going to accept him, then he'd already done everything that he possibly could. Everything except for an apology.

"I love you," he said, bowing his head so they couldn't see how insecure he was feeling. "I was an asshole to both of you and I can't see how either of you would want me when I've done nothing besides ask for concessions. I'm not being fair to either of you and I've only been selfish, but... if you can really accept that and forgive me, then I'll be the happiest person in the world."

Hotaru paled when he heard the two enter a whispered conversation. Was it really something that they had to talk about?! Apparently it was, because the two slowly stepped away from him so that he couldn't listen in. Their expressions and body language didn't bode well for him, though. It looked like Ross wanted Hattori to hold him while she punched, whereas Hattori was trying to talk her into holding him while he punched. Hotaru prepared himself. If they needed to beat him up to make things fair, then he'd take the beating. It was better than losing them.

"Alright," Rosalind said as they seemed to come to an agreement. "But I go first."

"Deal," Hattori grinned. Hotaru took a deep breath and forced himself to stand still as they approached him again. It was coming. Hattori grabbed him from behind to hold him in place as Rosalind hit him in the face with her lips--

Hotaru's heart skipped a beat and he forgot how to breathe. Before he could remember, he was spun around so that Rosalind was holding him in place while Hattori took a turn kissing him. Then he was spun a third time and held in place between the two of them as they each claimed a cheek with a kiss. By the time they finally let him go, his heart was beating so fast that he could barely think straight.

"Wha--?" He managed to gasp as each of them slid under his arm to hug his sides.

"I love you, too," the answered in unison.

"If you cheat on us, we'll kill you," Rosalind added.

"But it's not cheating if you tell us beforehand," Hattori clarified. "So, we'll give this a shot and see how it works out."

"Of course, we have a few concessions that we want you to make," Rosalind chuckled as the two forced Hotaru to start walking back toward the dining room. "A shared suite with private rooms for each of us for one."

"And no locking us out ever," Hattori continued. "If we really are going to share everything, I'll be damned if I'm not getting a piece of the action when you're in the mood."

"Ew, but okay," Rosalind grudgingly agreed. "Since he's not disgusting, I can get used to it. But, you're also not allowed to work on Saturdays unless it's a major emergency and you've got to tell us what's going on."

"Sundays, too," Hattori added. "I also want a honeymoon on a private beach. Bikini is optional."

"I've always wanted to go to Jamaica," Rosalind murmured thoughtfully.

"Jamaica works," Hattori chuckled. At that, Hotaru stopped walking, causing the two to drag him forward several more feet before they finally stopped with him. Understanding finally dawned. The two of them really were planning for a three-way relationship. Rosalind was already thinking ahead to after he became her husband and Hattori was thinking ahead for when Hotaru became his wife, but it couldn't possibly be that easy. Could it? "He's in shock," Hattori murmured.

"He shouldn't be," Rosalind replied with a raised eyebrow. "He travels the world a lot, so he should know that polygamy isn't illegal everywhere."

"Even in places that it's illegal, it's still practiced by skipping the paperwork," Hattori commented. "What people do in their own homes is their own business."

"Maybe he's worried about his reputation?" Rosalind said worriedly. "Should we skip formalities, too?"

"That's up to Taru," Hattori replied. "I'm happy as long as I've got him. It doesn't matter how."

"Same here," Rosalind shrugged. "Can you really imagine me in a wedding dress?"

"Yes," Hotaru answered, finding himself smiling over their banter. "And I can see Hattori in a tux. That's not... I'm not thinking about that. My father figured out a way to make it happen even though it's illegal, so I know that I can too. I just... Aren't you two mad at me? How can you pretend like this is normal?"

"If you want us to be mad, then we can be mad," Rosalind warned with a glare.

"You're thinking too much, Taru," Hattori said sympathetically. "If Ross is anything like me, then she's probably still shaken up about everything. But you're forgetting that we're Mafioso. We can still think and move even while we're dealing with our emotions. If you want me to be honest, then I'll tell you that I'm jealous and irritated that I have to share you, but that's not going to change the fact that it's something I have to do if I want to be part of your life. I know that I can deal with it eventually, so I'm not going to let it spoil the opportunity that you've given me. Right, Ross?"

"I'm pissed, but I'm not surprised," Rosalind replied with a scowl. "I read a lot about you even though I kept trying to wipe my hands of you. I don't think the papers were wrong about you being a playboy, so even... Even when I imagined us together, I knew that you'd probably cheat on me. Oscar didn't raise me to be a fool. Since you're being honest about it, I don't really have a reason to bitch. At least I know who you'll be with other than me. I'm not some silly air-headed debutante that you have to play footsie with, Hotaru. I'd rather know about it and figure out how to accept it than be lied to. As long... As long as I know that you'll come home to me, then I can hold my temper. It's not like Hattori can really replace me, anyway. We're not even the same gender."

"Oh--!" Hattori gasped in sudden realization. "That's right! If Hotaru's really half-and-half, then I don't have to be a bottom!" Hotaru groaned at the way that he smiled so brightly over something that he should have figured out a long time ago, yet he couldn't help but smile with him as the tension left him. It wasn't that they were lying to him or hiding anything. The two just had their own ways of handling the situation. For Hattori, adding a girl into the mix was nothing serious. It was like he'd gone to the market for a steak and managed to get a two-pack for the same price. He didn't know what he was going to do with the extra, but it wasn't hurting anything. For Rosalind, dealing with Hattori equaled the same thing. It was a little more than she could stomach, but it wasn't killing her to ignore the excess as long as she still got the part that she wanted.

"Come on," Rosalind urged, grabbing Hotaru's hand to pull him forward again. "I'm starving. We can worry about this--" Using the hand that she'd grabbed onto, Hotaru pulled her into his arms and cut her off with a kiss. She was startled for a long moment, but she quickly loosened up in his arms so that he could wordlessly tell her how happy he was.

"Oi, you're making me jealous," Hattori grumbled teasingly as he hugged Hotaru's back. Smiling, Hotaru broke off and tilted his head back so that he could give Hattori a matching kiss over his shoulder.

"You realize that this is the easy part," Rosalind mumbled as Hotaru broke off. "The hard part is what comes next."

"What's that?" He asked, giving them both a tight hug out of simple happiness.

"Explaining this to your mother," Hattori supplied in a strangled voice. The statement made Hotaru freeze as the sound of a tapping foot finally reached his ears.

"Oh no."

"That would be only the beginning of what I expect to hear out of your mouth," Haru growled as Hotaru carefully disengaged his arms from around his two loves in order to turn around and face his mother. "What do you have to say for yourself, Sawada Hotaru?"

"How much do you know?" Hotaru asked with wide eyes. In answer, Haru's eyes slowly raked up and down his body, reminding him of what he was wearing. Stolen pants, an unbuttoned shirt, and a whole lot of bare skin. "I can explain this," he spluttered. "It's... uh... It's the new style!"

"Ha-hi?" She squeaked in surprise. "A new style...?"

"Yeah!" He exclaimed. "I... uh... I'm going for this new look. Something that says... uh... masculine while... um... while showing off that I'm not! See, I didn't like my suit anymore. It got too restrictive, so... ah..."

"Toga-pants," Haru said with a snap of her fingers. Hotaru stared at her, not understanding the reference. "If you're going to wear an open shirt style, you need a blouse that will hold you in place better," she explained. "I could probably make something backless that would look good and be comfortable, but to balance that, you need a pair of loose pants in a material that can move and breathe. I'll make you some and we can call them toga-pants."

"That sounds great, mom," Hotaru replied with a small smile at her enthusiasm in dressing him. Considering how long it felt that it'd been since he'd last seen her, he really wanted to give her a hug, but he knew that doing so would raise questions that he didn't want her to ask. So, quelling the urge, he stepped back to give his mother room to pass in the hallway as she headed for her workroom with ideas for a new outfit. Unfortunately, she also stopped on her way past him to ram her fist into his head hard enough to send him to his knees.

"No making out in the hallway," she scolded while digging her knuckles in to ensure that he got the message. He could hear Rosalind and Hattori choking over the physical admonishment, but it was exactly what Hotaru had feared when he'd seen her. She'd been around Hibari for too long. "Now, get yourself and your fiancés cleaned up for a late dinner. I want a proper introduction to the two people that managed to get my head-strong son to stop being such an idiot."

"Yes, ma'am," Hotaru replied with a groan.

* * *

"How are you faring?" Father Robert asked as he set a tray of tea on the room's only table. In reply, Tsuna merely shook his head and went back to looking out the tower's stained-glass window. He wasn't sure how he felt. With the help of the Brothers at Cattedrale Delle Fiamme Celestiali, he'd been able to get to Rome without a problem. No one had looked twice at him after he'd disguised himself and Tonno as monks in brown robes. He'd also felt no signs of watchers during the two days since his arrival.

He was still depressed, though. The cause was the children playing out in the courtyard and the knowledge of what Tonno was going through in the underground baths. He was thirty-two now, almost thirty-three. Not twenty-one. That meant that Gillian, Ariana, and Leo were seventeen. Joseph was sixteen. Armande and Kiko were fifteen. Morrigan and Bridget were fourteen. Kaida, Moriko, Daisuke, Keiji, and little Ieyasu were twelve.

They'd all grown so much since he'd been away. Even though he had so many children, he hadn't gotten to see a single first step or hear any of their first words. He hadn't gotten a chance to praise any of them for good grades and he barely knew what their interests were. Father Robert had slowly been bringing him up-to-date on each of them, but there was simply too much to tell in one sitting.

Gillian was the entrepreneur of the bunch. He saw Hotaru as his rival and was determined to overcome his brother's shadow by becoming a millionaire on his own. At least, that's what he claimed, but Father Robert had told Tsuna that the boy kept anonymously donating every penny that he made off his schemes. He tried hard to give off an uncaring, professional vibe, but his heart was too big for those around him to fall for it. He had a girlfriend that he'd met at the local high school and they'd been dating for nearly a year already. Gillian had already asked advice from Father Robert in regards to marriage and a proposal, but he'd decided to wait until they were both out of college to pop the question.

Ariana was a musician who played the clarinet. She was part of her high-school band and had already been scouted for an orchestra. After high school, she planned to go to college online while she was touring with them. There was no prominent love interest in her life, but that could be a large misnomer since Ariana was a bit of a prude. She was also a huge fan of the pop idol Kenpachi and talked constantly about how he'd supposedly stared straight at her during one of his love songs at his last concert.

Leo, short for Leon, was the sportsman. Surprisingly, though, his sport of choice was golf. He sometimes played a game with Hotaru when they found time, but Leo was planning to go professional with his talent. That left the full-contact sports to Joseph, who wanted to become a professional American football player. Joseph was already working at a part-time job so that he could afford plane tickets to American try-outs after he graduated, too.

Then there was Armande. The fifteen year old boy was the heart-breaker of the family. He'd just started high school and he'd already had three girlfriends. When asked what he wanted to be in the future, he would never give a straight answer. However, Father Robert also said that Armande had been getting calls from a Lieutenant in the Italian Navy. Apparently, Armande had scored high on a proficiency exam and had marked down an interest in joining, so they'd been coming around a lot in an effort to encourage him.

On the other hand, Kiko already knew what she wanted to do with her life. She was a history buff and wanted to be an archaeologist. Even though she hadn't even finished her first year of high school yet, she was already looking over college application forms in order to figure out which school she wanted to go to. She wasn't alone in her love, either. Morrigan had also shown an interest in the past, although hers followed the path of scientific analysis rather than discovery. Where Kiko wanted to be at ground level, Morrigan merely wanted to examine the discoveries in a lab.

As for Bridget, Kaida, Moriko, and the others, Father Robert hadn't filled him in yet. However, Tsuna picked up several interesting pieces of knowledge simply by watching them from his window. Bridget was a caregiver. Whenever Daisuke and Keiji needed to be patched up from something, Bridget was always right there with a first aid kit and band-aids. The girl was likely to become a doctor or nurse of some sort. Kaida and Moriko were a team of artists. Kaida created interesting sculptures from clay and Moriko painted them after they'd been baked. The two girls fought a lot, but the twins always managed to put their squabbles aside for the sake of their art. He'd seen it for himself when they'd brought several finished pieces outside to admire in the sun.

In contrast, Daisuke and Keiji never stopped fighting. From the outside, everyone was sure that the two really wanted to kill each other, but Tsuna could see differently. It was Daisuke who was the trouble-maker and Keiji kept getting pulled in by purposely making himself a target for Daisuke to blow his top at. He allowed himself to be an outlet and, by doing so, Daisuke was able to control his temper after their fight. Tsuna didn't doubt that the two had an understanding. From the fist-fight that had broken out in the courtyard, Tsuna had seen for himself that Daisuke always apologized in private afterward and Keiji was always happy to accept.

The worrisome one was Ieyasu, though. The boy rarely talked to anyone. Even when everyone was gathered outside for fresh air and sunshine, he tended to stay by himself in the shade. He was the fragile one. From the moment that he'd been born, his health had been poor. He simply couldn't keep up with everyone else and the saddening part was that he'd stopped trying. However, he had a journal that he was constantly writing in, so Tsuna still had some hope for him. As long as he had dreams and goals to chase after, friends and happiness would surely follow.

"Is it difficult?" Father Robert asked, making Tsuna jump in surprise that he was still in the room. He smiled apologetically as he brought over a warm cup of tea, but Tsuna honestly didn't know how to respond to the question.

"I'm less than fifty yards from them, yet I can't even say hello," he murmured as he held the teacup in his lap. "It's not that I think they'll recognize me. They've each only saw me a handful of times when they were very young, so recognition is very unlikely. It's that I can't find the courage. I feel... I feel as if I don't have a right to face them even as a stranger. I took them away from their mothers, then tossed them into the Church, and left them. Even if they manage to forgive me like Gregory did, how can I possibly forgive myself for neglecting them so much?"

"Forgiveness comes with patience, humility, and sincerity," Father Robert replied quietly. "The past cannot be undone. Acknowledging that is the first step to forgiving yourself, Tsunayoshi. Instead of burying yourself in what came before, pay attention to what is in front of you and stay true to your heart. Do not feed your remorse by dwelling in what has already happened. Take action and move forward."

"Sometimes to move forward, you have to take a step back," Tsuna said, repeating the advice that the Ninth had given him. "The question is how far back should I step? Must I disappear entirely or are my recent choices already enough of a step back for me to move forward? Since I've had time to stop and think, I know that I've made a difference by returning. Gokudera's determination has been revitalized, Yamamoto's back on track, Lambo got the praise that he needed, I was able to give Ryohei closure to his sister's death, Hibari has started growing again, and Xanxus reclaimed the place that he's supposed to be. Even Hotaru has grown during the time that I was around. However, I still feel that I haven't done enough. By fixing the messes that I left in Vongola, I created some in Martelli. Many of my children have grown into adults without knowing the love of a parent and Tonno..."

"Tonno," Father Robert sighed in sympathy. "That boy's remorse is possibly greater than yours, Tsunayoshi. He confessed to me as you asked him to, but I fear that he still holds more buried within himself. It might be quite some time before he is ready to face the world again. It might be even longer before he can face you. I can see now why you were so adamant about him being Cleansed before yourself."

"He needs it more than I do," Tsuna replied. "Is there any chance that I can see him?" Tsuna grimaced at the predictable refusal as Father Robert shook his head. If they saw one another before Tonno was finished, Tonno's remorse might grow again.

"He is making progress," Father Robert soothed. "If my predictions are correct, then he should be completely finished in two months. That is assuming that he doesn't have any back-sliding like you did." Tsuna flinched at the estimate. He'd known that Tonno would take more than a week, but he'd been hoping for a single month instead of two. It was better for what he wanted to do, but Tsuna wasn't sure if Tonno could bear to be in seclusion so long.

"I can't stay that long," Tsuna said as he carefully pulled a prepared letter out of his robe pocket. "If Tonno asks about me, then please give him this," he requested as he handed the letter over. "If you tell him that I'm still here, he'll know that you're lying, but that letter should calm him and keep him here until I return. Tell him... Tell him that I'm preparing a home for us to go to."

"What about your Cleansing?" Father Robert asked worriedly. "And shouldn't you rest a bit longer? You still haven't recovered from your surgery!"

"It's okay," he replied with a soft smile. "I'm not going anywhere that I should need to fight and my Cleansing will happen on its own with patience... humility... and sincerity. Did you happen to transfer the funds out of my bank accounts like I requested?"

"I did."

"Good," he smiled. "In that case, please make Christmas extra special for my children this year. I'll need a portion of the funds for myself, but I wish to donate the excess to the church."

"Tsunayoshi!" He yelped with wide eyes. "You can't--"

"I can and I will," he replied calmly. "I don't think that I'll need more than two hundred thousand to set up a small place for myself and Tonno, probably less if I can remember how to be thrifty. What's left over from what I keep can pay for college or classes if Tonno wishes to go. Father Robert... Even if it's only for that one child, I want to be able to say that I was a good father. I want to be there for him and I can't do that if I'm out trying to save everyone else. I've already served my time in the Mafia and I've left the future resting on strong shoulders. As of two days ago, I consider myself retired. I'll leave espionage and gun-fights to the young and the old dogs that enjoy such a life."

"If you settle down, they're going to find you eventually," he warned in concern.

"I know," Tsuna agreed with a sad smile. "But by that time, I plan to be entrenched. Unlike before, when I didn't have anything firm to support me and I was still chasing after my past, it's they who will be walking on unfamiliar ground. I think it'll give me the advantage that I need in dealing with them."

"If everyone is an outsider, then everyone is equal," Father Robert murmured in consideration.

"Vongola, Martelli, vampire, or civilian, it doesn't matter," Tsuna grinned, happy that someone else had seen the same chance that he had. "On my ground, there will only be acquaintances, friends, and foes. I'm not Mafia anymore, so I can do that. But, of course, that's only what I hope will happen. There're many other possibilities, too. One of my old enemies might find me and kill me. Everyone might actually ignore me and I'll live out the rest of my life as a recluse. There's even the possibility that I'll have another heart attack and die before anyone can find me. I don't know what's going to happen. I just know that doing this feels like the right thing to do."

"May I ask where you're going?"

"First stop: America."

* * *

Hotaru diligently looked over the reports on his desk in effort to make up for how long he'd been away. It wasn't as easy to pick up his work again like he thought it'd be, though. When his mind wasn't wandering in Rosalind and Hattori's direction, Sienna kept breaking his concentration by reminding him how boring paperwork was and he couldn't seem to control the urge to just get up and do something. He couldn't, though. He had a lot of questions and the reports held a lot of the answers.

Where was Orinato when he needed him? The reports answered, 'still in jail'. There was a stubborn judge who was stalling his release. Hotaru would have to go in person to clear up the matter.

How was the Martelli Boss taking the news about Rosalind? The reports answered, 'she's pissed'. First, she'd gathered all her overt people in Italy and then she'd returned home in a fury. The woman obviously thought that she'd been made a fool of.

How was Longchamp taking the news about Hattori? The reports answered, 'he's ecstatic'. There was even a gift-basket on his desk to prove it.

How was the cleanup in Venice Row going? The reports answered, 'already finished'. The shops were restored, the injured cared for, the subway cars replaced, and it was already business as usual.

What happened with the aggressors? The reports answered, 'they were screwed'. The ones who'd taken part in the attack were under arrest by the Vendiche with no chance of release. Since a neutral area had been hit and the attack had switched focus to the Tenth--who'd been allied with countless Mafia Families--the Vendiche were stepping in as if it'd been an attack on the Mafia as a whole. They were tracking down the Hunter dens and were already dealing with the matter to ensure that the outrage wouldn't be repeated.

What had happened with the Vampires? The reports answered, 'no clue'. They'd disappeared off the face of the planet along with the Tenth's Salamander. The stories were mixed and varied. There were some who say that they saw Aster fly off with a bat and a sword. Others said that a large black man carried Aster off in the company of a dozen other people. A few even said that they'd simply disappeared in the blink of an eye as if they'd teleported. No one seemed to be able to specify what direction they'd gone. They'd managed to escape completely while everyone's focus was on the Tenth's sudden appearance.

Why hadn't anyone been able to find the Tenth?! The reports answered, 'because he's the fucking Tenth and he knows us better than we know ourselves.' He'd hidden right under everyone's nose at Don Girarde and gotten away with it. Slipping through road blocks and security checkpoints was child's play to him. Considering that Reborn acknowledged him enough to call him 'Brother', he was likely as skilled at Reborn when it came to disguise, too. Finding him was going to be impossible until he wanted to be found.

Why had the Tenth left? The reports to answer this question were even more varied. Apparently, there were nearly three dozen people who'd figured out who he was beforehand. Most of them had stayed back and merely watched, reporting that 'the Eleventh surely saw through his disguise, so I didn't feel that it was my place to interfere'. The rest claimed that the Tenth himself asked them to stay quiet about the matter. He also had a recording of the Tenth's farewell speech before he'd simply walked out in the company of Mukuro and Tonno, but the message at the end didn't make any sense to him.

"The Ninth is dead and I killed him. I poisoned his tea, froze him, and stashed him with my other major fuck-up. That was over ten years ago and I was quick to put him in stasis after his heart stopped. Tell Hotaru this when he gets back... Iris Tea, twice his hour, see it the same forward and backward, and the silence that's out of place. He'll figure out the rest."

Why would he leave such a sour note at the end of such a touching moment with his Guardians? It was as if he were still taunting Hotaru to find him. There was also a report that, at the same time that he was saying farewell in Venice Row, a box had appeared in Hotaru's unused locker at Don Girarde. No one knew how it'd gotten there and the fingerprints had been carefully wiped off, but the contents of the box left no doubt about who left it. Only the Tenth would know exactly how many origami cranes Hotaru had left in order to reach the required thousand. He didn't understand the message, though. Hadn't the Tenth's wish been to return to Vongola? By leaving them, it was as if he was saying that he'd met his goal, yet he'd disappeared!

There was only one thing that could be concluded: the Tenth was still scheming something. Things had just entered a new phase and Hotaru had to figure out the riddle if he still wanted to play along. The Iris Tea part was easy to figure out. During the time that the Tenth had first come to power, it'd been a fad in the Mafia to kill people using a mixture of iris tea and a peculiar poison that tended to make the tea into something incredibly delicious. The reason that the fad hadn't lasted long was because the method was based off of romance instead of fool-proof assassination. In the language of flowers, the iris meant something along the lines of 'my compliments', so hitmen had begun using it as a way of showing that they weren't tasteless barbarians. It worked quickly in that it killed within a minute, but that was only with a small portion of the population. The rest just ended up with a really bad allergy attack that made it difficult to move and breathe until they took the antidote--simple citrus fruits. Once the same attack had been used enough times, people had caught on and added more fruit to their diets which had completely negated a large percentage of opportunities to use the method.

Yet, why had the Tenth told Hotaru the method that he'd killed the Ninth with? Even if he'd been frozen right after dying, he was still dead. Plus, they didn't even know where to find him--

Hotaru paused. Was that what the rest of the message was telling him? Could it be possible that they were clues of where the Tenth had stashed him? It was useless, though! The clues were completely meaningless without some sort of reference. Unless... Had he given a reference? He'd said that he'd stashed him with his other major fuck-up. Why did that sound so familiar? He'd have to ask around to see if it meant anything to any of the tenth generation Family.

"Sir," a guard murmured from the door after a polite tap on the wood to get Hotaru's attention. "Xanxus just arrived. He--"

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY," Xanxus roared, shoving past the guard with his usual irritable disposition. Without saying a word, Hotaru waved for the guard to leave and got up to pour Xanxus a scotch from the sidebar. Xanxus accepted it and drank it down in a single gulp before calming down enough to sink into a chair with a furious scowl on his face.

"I take it that you haven't found any clues?" Hotaru asked quietly as he refilled Xanxus' drink. Xanxus glared at him for only a second before pointedly affixing his eyes to his glass.

"Put on some fucking clothes," he growled. Hotaru smirked at the honest reaction to his new wardrobe. Although Haru had personally overseen the make and design of his clothes, his choices of style hadn't created a very modest outcome. He couldn't help it, though. After everything he'd been though, the mere thought of putting on more clothes left him uncomfortable. He just knew that if he had to put a suit on, he'd be picking at himself left and right in effort to pull out an ever-present wedgie. The clothes that his mother had created didn't give him that feeling.

The most honest opinion that he'd gotten had been from Sakura, who'd described his new look as 'fresh from the shower sexy'. That was mostly because his blouse was reminescent of a towel that would be draped around a person's neck after bathing. The strips of cloth hanging from his neck was positioned to cover his chest and the band around his waist that was holding it in place was loose enough to go unnoticed beneath the hem of his pants. His pants themselves were wonderful. They were loose and airy enough that they could easily be mistaken for a skirt when he wasn't moving. When he did move, he could flip, kick, and run without fear that he was going to show off his underwear and the rope belt ensured that they couldn't be pulled off. Of course, that part had been a must since his underwear was made up of as little fabric as possible--just enough to keep certain parts in place while letting other parts breathe.

Other than that, he'd decided to forgo almost everything else. The only shoes that he was willing to wear anymore was sandals, wearing a jacket had always been unneccessary, and he would be damned if he strapped a restrictive harness around his chest just to keep himself from bouncing a little. He also refused makeup which would make him more girlish and he'd lowered his count of jewelry to three items. The first was the feather earring that he'd brought back from Heaven, the second was the Vongola ring on his finger, and the third was the necklace he wore that bore SK's ring, the engagement ring that Hattori had given him, and the simple ring that Rosalind had given him after he'd presented her with a ring. As for his hair, he hadn't done anything to it yet. Hattori wanted him to grow it out, but Rosalind wanted him to get it cut. Until he figured out what would make 'Hotaru' happy, he was going to leave the style exactly like he'd always kept it.

The combination made him feel more free than he'd ever felt before. Instead of trying to fit into the suit of 'model Boss', he now knew what molds he could break and which ones that he couldn't. His image was a breakable mold, for example, while his diligence needed to stay intact. He'd already taken a few hits in the papers because of the changes, but he didn't care. So what if people had seen his new look? Who cared if someone had taken photos of Hotaru kissing Hattori goodbye at the front door when his love had left to personally give the news to Longchamp? Was he supposed to get angry because people called him a cheater for taking Rosalind out to eat right after that? Let the papers and gossip columns talk about his new way of dressing and his relationships! It wasn't going to change anything when it came to how he was going to live his life! He'd dealt with too many envious bloodsuckers during his trip on the Path of the Hungry Ghost to be bothered by a few little gnats that were trying to get his attention by bashing him! The only opinions that mattered were those of his Family!

"I like my clothes," Hotaru finally replied as he poured himself a glass of V Special and hiked a leg up to sit on the edge of his desk. "They say that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice while boys are made of frogs and snails and puppy-dog tails. Well, I'm made out of coffee and matches and fist-fight scratches. So, you see, I'm not your average person and I refuse to dress like one."

"You grew a backbone," Xanxus commented in amusement.

"It's more like Hell embedded one into me," he chuckled. Then he sobered, knowing that they couldn't possibly keep up the search. Vongola's resources were being stretched too much with nothing to show for it. "Xanxus--"

"Don't say it," he growled, his fist clenching around his glass hard enough to shatter it. "I already know. If Tsuna doesn't want to be found, then none of us have the ability to fucking find him. He's gotten too good at taking on new identities and that bastard probably knows that I'm the one in charge of finding his ass. His fucking intuition will warn him of every trap I set as soon as I think of it--"

"That's not what I was going to say," Hotaru interrupted. "While it's true that finding him is difficult at the moment, I have no doubts in your ability to find him. I was going to say that the best tool in your arsenal right now is patience. My suggestion is to pull back your forces and give him enough rope to hang himself. He's already one step ahead of you and it's impossible to close the distance, so... Be the tortoise instead of the hare. If you let him have enough of a lead that he feels safe enough to rest, the chance to overtake him will come. It's not like we're tracking down a serial killer or a threat to Family security, Xanxus. There's no reason to be impatient when--"

"He's mine," Xanxus snarled, clenching his hands around several remaining shards of glass in frustration. Hotaru grimaced in sympathy as his blood began to run, understanding fully well that Xanxus was hurting in too many other ways to notice how he was injuring himself. "That fucking vampire geezer is hiding him. I know it. I've just got to find him and--"

"And what?" Hotaru prompted in a harsh tone. "You think if you appear before him, he'll come back just because you told him to? Don't be so arrogant. If you want him to come back, you've got to face facts, Xanxus. Your relationship was rocky even before he exposed himself and you've already lost a pinky in order to return to Vongola. Do you think the Tenth is really the type of person to ask you to lose a second one for his sake?" Hotaru paused for a moment to ensure that Xanxus understood the implications. The Tenth had abandoned him in order to keep him from being hurt. Xanxus was struck speechless by the insinuation that someone else had protected him, but the proof was irrefutable. "He let you go, Xanxus," Hotaru said as he slid off his desk. Reaching into one of his side drawers, Hotaru pulled out a handkerchief for Xanxus' hand and returned to Xanxus' side. Xanxus refused to look at him at first. He also refused to open his hand. However, the disagreeable bastard opened it whether he wanted to or not when Hotaru poured his glass of V Special over it.

"What the fuck--?!" Xanxus roared as the alcohol hit his wound.

"Shut it," Hotaru snapped, grabbing Xanxus wrist to hold him down. Keeping his eyes on the injured hand, Hotaru knelt down to carefully pick the pieces of glass out of it. The pain of the alcohol on his injuries did something that Hotaru alone couldn't: it gave Xanxus something to focus on outside of his current obsession. This allowed him to calm down for the first time since entering Hotaru's office. "I know the Tenth is special to you, but you're not going to win against him like this," he said as he gently pulled the last piece of glass out of Xanxus' hand. Wrapping the handkerchief around it, he tied it off in a neat knot and smiled softly at how easy it'd been to get Xanxus' undivided attention. Once a person wasn't scared of him, Xanxus was really easy to manipulate. "Your heart gives you the drive that you need to find him, but you're letting your emotions cloud your judgment. The tortoise can never win if he can't stay on track. Capiche?"

"You've become more like Tsuna," Xanxus replied with his hand tightening around his makeshift bandage. Hotaru blushed, unsure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. He was also unsure of which he wanted it to be since the idea of being complimented by Xanxus was just too strange! It was almost as strange as the hand that Xanxus laid on his head in what Hotaru supposed was a token gesture of affection. "I'm going to find him," he said calmly. "You can pull back as many people as you need to. The Decimo Squad will be enough for a simple search like this."

"Wait," Hotaru blurted as Xanxus stood with the intention to leave. Standing with him, Hotaru thought carefully about how he should phrase his question. His intuition said that the riddle that the Tenth left behind was what would lead them to him and it also said that Xanxus could help. The problem was that it likely also led to the Ninth and Hotaru doubted that Xanxus wanted to see his father again. Even so, he had to try. "Do you know what the Tenth's major fuck-up was?" He knew. Hotaru could see that he knew with the way that every muscle in his body tensed. "Where did he hide the evidence?!" Hotaru exclaimed. "There might be a clue to tell us where to find the Tenth with it!" Xanxus hesitated. "Please!"

"I can't tell you," Xanxus growled through clenched teeth. "I swore--"

"Xanxus!" Hotaru cried in exasperation. "This isn't the time to--"

"I SWORE!" He roared, startling Hotaru into silence. Xanxus wasn't one to make promises lightly. To swear something was even more rare. To break an oath that he'd made to Tsuna--impossible. Xanxus didn't seem happy about it, though. If he clenched his teeth any harder, they were likely to break.

"If you can't tell me, then can you at least show me the general area?" Hotaru asked. "I can find it on my own after that. I just need a reference for the clues the Tenth left. Twice my hour, see it the same forward and backward, and the silence that's out of place. It doesn't make any sense with the information that I currently--"

"Son of a--"

Bingo, Hotaru thought as Xanxus grabbed his arm to drag him out of his office. Waving away the guards who tried to intervene, the grip on his arm didn't last long. In record time, Xanxus dropped it so that he could break out into a run with Hotaru chasing after him. It was odd, though. Xanxus wasn't heading for the exit. He was heading straight for the Inner Sanctum!

"Pandora, switch off security on the Sanctum hallway and turn it back on once we're in," Hotaru called out as they rounded the corner that led down the secure hall to his secure living space. Xanxus barged through the door as if he owned the place and the lack of time spent orienting himself told Hotaru that he'd visited inside before. They went through the entryway, past the secure offices, through the bedrooms, and into the common living space for both the Boss and heir.

When Xanxus fell to a stop, Hotaru didn't understand. It was true that the Inner Sanctum was the most secure place to hide something, but he'd lived there for years without coming across either the Ninth or the Tenth's supposed fuck-up. There was something there, though. Following Xanxus' gaze to the area that he was glaring so harshly at, Hotaru inspected the entertainment center. Nothing looked strange. He'd used the television and radio dozens of times with nothing strange happening.

"SK," Hotaru called, summoning his Salamander to his side. "See if there's any cracks or maybe some kind of hidden room in the wall behind this," he requested as he looked through the shelves for hidden switches or some sort of hidden compartment that he might have missed over the years. SK started to move, but an irritated growl from Xanxus made them both stop. It gave Hotaru an idea. By pressing Xanxus' buttons, he could play a little game of 'Hot or Cold'.

Laying his hand on the television, he pointedly stared at Xanxus for a response. Nothing. Did he not understand? Putting his hand on a stereo speaker--

A soft rumble came out of Xanxus, telling him that it wasn't the speaker. So, that meant that he did understand. Laying his hand back on the television, Xanxus merely clenched his teeth and glared again. So, there was something special about the television. What was it, though? The buttons seemed normal enough and there didn't seem to be any missing channels. He didn't understand! Was he supposed to wait for a certain time to turn on the television?! That was a possibility. The first clue had been 'twice his hour'. If 'hour' was synonymous with 'generation', then he'd be the Eleventh hour. In military time, twenty-two hundred hours was equivalent to ten o'clock at night. However, it didn't seem realistic that the hiding place could only be accessed for one hour a day. Besides, Xanxus was getting grouchy again, which meant that it was something that he could figure out now.

"Isn't this the only television that Pandora could never access?" SK asked curiously. Hotaru nodded while he tried to think of alternate meaning for 'twice his hour'. If the clue meant 'twenty-two' like Hotaru thought, then what on the television could be set to that number? The time, the volume, the channel--

Hotaru grinned at the sound of Xanxus letting out a satisfied grunt once the channel was set to twenty-two. Looking over his shoulder at him again, Hotaru immediately noticed that he was glaring at something else --the radio. Hotaru began to understand as he stepped over to it. It was a three-part combination lock using the television, the radio, and something else. The first part of the combination was 'twice his hour', which meant setting the television to channel twenty-two. The second part was setting the radio so that he could see the numbers 'the same forward and backward'. That meant setting it to a station like one hundred eleven point one.

"Look for a silence that's out of place," Hotaru ordered as he began checking the game consoles for something odd.

"Here," SK answered almost immediately. Darting over to him, Hotaru grinned at the sight of a mute button on the DVD player. Glancing back at Xanxus to make sure that he'd found the right 'silence', his grin widened even more when he saw that Xanxus was patiently waiting with a smirk.

"Lets hope this works," Hotaru murmured to himself as he pressed the button. Stepping back so that the wall behind the entertainment center could swing open for him, he was startled at the feeling of an earthquake under his feet as the floor began to sink instead.

"Taru," SK whispered in awe as he held Hotaru steady. "Can you see it?" Looking over his shoulder at SK's face, he wanted to ask 'see what'. The only thing around him was stone walls! The walls were what SK was looking at, though, and the expression on his face said that there was something amazing that Hotaru was missing. It made him too curious. So, closing his eyes, he concentrated for a moment in order to Shift his sight. When he opened them again, he could clearly see what SK was so amazed about: the walls were covered in Sky Flames. Even as he watched, the Flames began to flicker and move, rearranging themselves into a cursive scrawl that he could read.

The first hour is the hour of founding.

The second hour is the hour of claiming.

The third hour is the hour of building.

The fourth hour is the hour of exploring.

The fifth hour is the hour of expanding.

The sixth hour is the hour of reinforcing.

The seventh hour is the hour of allying.

The eight hour is the hour of protecting.

The ninth hour is the hour of surveying.

The tenth hour is the hour of dismantling.

The eleventh hour is the hour of destroying.

The twelve hour is the hour of preparing.

The first hour is the hour of founding.

"I've got a bad feeling, SK," Hotaru murmured. "A very bad feeling."

"This is what your ancestors wrote," SK soothed, wrapping his four arms around Hotaru in an encompassing hug. "You can choose not to follow their will."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Xanxus growled as the floor came to a stop in front of a doorway with a warning not to enter.

"There's things written in Flame--"

"I know that," Xanxus snapped. "I can see them, dumb ass. I'm asking what the problem is. They're just senseless pictograms."

"Not to us," Hotaru replied solemnly as the floor began sinking again. "Not to us..."

Hotaru stayed silent for the rest of the trip. Even after SK noticed the easy-to-read Flame indicators for where they had to go in order to reach their mysterious destination, Hotaru no longer felt like he was a boy explorer. The message that his ancestors had left gave him too much to think about. He didn't want to destroy the Family. Why couldn't they just keep going? There were other Families that had more than twelve generations. Of course, that didn't make them older Families. It just meant that they had a higher turn-over rate when it came to Bosses.

As if thinking of Bosses had summoned them, Hotaru froze at the entrance of a room full of them. All the Bosses and all their descendants were in the room, starting with the First Boss and going all the way to the Ninth and his dead sons. The entire Vongola bloodline was laid out on slabs of stone and were perpetually frozen in time beneath pyres of Zero-Point Ice.

"He told me that he died from natural causes," Xanxus commented as he walked over to lay a hand on the Ninth's transparent tomb. "He told me a lot of things and I never noticed that he was lying through his teeth. I never realized how much that little brat was hiding from me."

"You trusted him and he took advantage of that," Hotaru replied in sympathy, setting aside his amazement at the unexpected Crypt. "Even when up against someone who can read lies, there's always going to be those who know how to twist the truth. I'm sure that the Tenth had a reason."

"What fucking reason?" Xanxus whispered, staring at the Ninth's face as if he could drill a hole into the ice that was holding him in stasis.

"Because the Ninth was old," Hotaru answered, rambling possibilities off the top of his head. "If he hadn't been put into stasis, then he would have died from natural causes before now. However, since the Tenth killed him and put him in stasis, it's possible to resurrect him later than the time he was due to die and, meanwhile, the Tenth could honestly claim that he was no longer in this world."

"What are you saying?" Xanxus asked in confusion. In reply, Hotaru smiled and nodded down at the Ninth's body. "What?!" Xanxus roared, his eyes widening in understanding of what Hotaru was telling him. "You want to bring him back?!"

"The Tenth said 'Iris Tea'," Hotaru explained as his intuition began pointing him in the right direction. "The Tenth planned for the Ninth to be revived from the beginning. That's why he told everyone before that the Ninth had retired and that's why, after the truth came out, he took the time to tell us that he'd been quick to put the Ninth in stasis. It was to let us know that his clock had been stopped before the Ninth had reached the point of no return. That's probably why the Tenth poisoned him first, too. I've heard that being in stasis takes a mental toll. By stopping his life momentarily, he hasn't had to endure the passing time."

"But his brain--"

"His brain functions should be intact," Hotaru interrupted, already knowing what Xanxus' objection was. "For us, over a decade has passed, but it's only been a few seconds for the Ninth. He might need a jump-start after we get him out of this ice and give him the antidote, but it'll be quite easy to bring him back as long as we make the right preparations. We can bring him back, Xanxus. No--! We need to bring him back! He's the first breadcrumb that will lead us to the Tenth! Here, help me move him back to the elevator. We'll take him upstairs and have Sakura start readying everything we need to revive him."

"What about the rings?" Xanxus asked, willingly taking a position at the Tenth's feet while SK got into position at his head. At Hotaru's cue, they lifted in unison. The Zero-Point Ice refused to release its grip on the stone table that the Ninth had been laid out on, so they continued lifting until the stone base cracked. The result was a heavy bulk of stone, ice, and corpse, but it was nothing that Xanxus and SK couldn't manage. This gave Hotaru time to think of a reply. The rings were definitely needed to free the Ninth from stasis, but Orinato was still being held in jail. That was fine, though. Hotaru could go clear that matter up while Sakura--

Xanxus, SK, and Hotaru froze in unison at the sound of shifting rock coming from the roof above them.

"That doesn't sound good," SK commented. The sound grew louder until the rumble became deafening. The floor under his feet seemed steady, but several loose rocks fell from the ceiling as the walls creaked in warning of an imminent collapse. "That's really not good!" He yelped as Flames erupted from the First's frozen tomb. A moment later, the Second's tomb erupted while the ice on the First's began to melt. Then the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, heralding that the dead weren't rising from their graves; their graves were self-destructing and destroying the frozen corpses within!

"SK!" Hotaru shouted in growing panic. SK responded in an instant, shifting into his larger Dragon-form with a speed that wasn't quite fast enough to make Hotaru feel safer. Grabbing Xanxus, they left the Ninth for SK to carry and jumped on the Salamander's back.

SK began moving as soon as they were in place, rushing back through the maze while dodging the ancient stonework that was crumbling around them. It had to be some sort of self-destruct feature that had been built into the Crypt. Why, though?! Wouldn't it be enough to set traps to kill intruders if grave-robbers gained access?! Why was the entire area crumbling?!

"Oh god," Hotaru gasped as SK began speeding up the elevator shaft that had taken them downward. Above him, he could see from the way that the light fixture was shaking that the entire mansion was being effected by whatever had been triggered below. "Get the Ninth out of here!" Hotaru shouted as they reached the top. Diving off as they passed through the Sanctum, Hotaru rolled and covered his head to protect himself from the falling debris as SK crashed through the ceiling with Xanxus and the Ninth. They were safe. As for himself, he knew his duty as a Boss.

"Pandora!" Hotaru shouted, trying to ignore the way that the floor had already begun shaking. "Broadcast this message to every room and make sure that no one sleeps through it!"

"What's going on?!" She exclaimed through the speakers in his room.

"Just do it!" He yelled as he tried to get to his feet.

"You're connected!"

"This is Vongola the Eleventh! Evacuate! I repeat! EVACUATE! This is not a drill! Leave everything behind and get out before the whole building collapses! Squad leaders, take charge of your men! Rendezvous on the front lawn! Pandora, transfer yourself and as much of the databases to the backup servers immediately! I--" Hotaru broke off as he heard a growing roar coming from the shaft behind him. A feeling of dread turned his stomach into ash as he walked forward to investigate and the sight of Flames billowing up to meet him made the fear evaporate like mist.

"Like Hell," he snarled in cold determination. Holding out his hand in a silent summon, Sienna burst through the door of the Sanctum and transformed into his Lance as soon as she hit his hand. "This is the Eleventh Hour, you bastards!" Hotaru shouted, diving to meet the Flame as his entire body began to pulse with the First Edition Zero-Point Breakthrough. "I'll decide what needs to be destroyed, so keep out of it!"

* * *

The first thing that Hotaru noticed as he began to wake was the smell of burning tires and the feeling of grit embedded into the side of his face from sleeping on debris. He didn't want to get up, though. He'd never felt so tired in his life. Everything that he had within himself had gone into trying to hold back the Flames for as long as possible. He'd tried layer after layer of Zero-Point Ice, but the Flames had cut through it like butter. He'd tried to match Flame for Flame, but he'd been completely overwhelmed. It'd taken everything within himself to simply try and collapse the shaft in a way that he'd hoped would bottleneck the Flames into shooting skyward instead of flowing out into the mansion like lava. At least that way, there was a chance that they could get the fire under control.

"...ru.... tar... Taru--!"

Opening his eyes in effort to answer the call, Hotaru couldn't see anything. He could feel a lot, though. His hand was still gripped around his lance-turned-umbrella and there was something heavy on his back. He felt bruised and beaten all over from damage done after he'd lost consciousness and the lack of movement in the air told him that he'd somehow managed to get himself completely buried, which told him the reason why SK hadn't come to his aid yet. There were no openings for him to eel through.

"Taru!" Sienna called again in worry. "Taru! You've got to wake up! I can't hold this forever! Come on, Taru! If you don't wake up, I'm going to tell your girlfriend about how we haunted that bath house!"

"Meanie," Hotaru groaned. As soon as the word left his mouth, he began coughing as a natural response to how much dust and smoke he'd breathed in. It took a moment to take control of himself, during which time he realized that he didn't have enough energy to Shift to a healthy form. He was stuck in a Catch Twenty-two--he needed to be healthy to be able to recover his Flame, but he needed his Flame to make himself healthy. His ability to shapeshift took energy to control and concentration that he didn't have to spare. Even as he tried to focus, a wave of dizziness and vertigo threatened to make him blackout again. "I think I have a concussion," he mumbled, laying his cheek back down on the ground in effort to make his senses stop swimming. "Don't worry," he added. "I can't die and you're already dead. We just... we just have to wait... until they.... fi... nd... us..."

* * *

Orinato clenched his teeth together as he cleared another piece of debris out of the collapsed shaft that SK had pointed out. This was utter bullshit. He wasn't sure if he was more angry or more worried. He had reason to be angry considering how Hotaru had stopped showing up to visit him nearly two weeks ago. He was also angry over his extended stay in jail and he was angry over all the crap that he'd only heard about after he'd been released. He was especially angry about arriving home to find a blazing mansion that no amount of water seemed capable of putting out. It'd been as if the fire had been alive. Even after Xanxus had cut a firebreak down the center of the mansion in an effort to isolate the flames, the fire had managed to jump the gap and continue chewing throughout the entire building. The part that made Orinato's concern begin to overwhelm his anger was the fact that even Xanxus' attempt to freeze the fire with a Zero-Point Breakthrough and his personal technique, Congeli la Fiamma di Vita, had failed.

Could Hotaru survive after being touched by such a strong Flame? Logic said that he should be fine since he was made of Flame, but his Chain was something physical. If his Chain had been damaged, then he might be lost completely. No--! He couldn't think that way! SK said that he was under the rubble. They just had to dig him out before the air ran out. Even Flame needed air to survive... Then again, Dying Will Flames could be used under water.

Frustrated by simply trying to figure out if he should be worried or not, Orinato cursed and waved for SK and the rest of the digging crews to run for cover. He wanted an answer and he wasn't willing to wait for it any longer. He was going to find out right now if Hotaru was in one piece or not!

The Family who'd seen him in action before were quick to drag the civilian crews out of the way as soon as Orinato rolled his neck to loosen his muscles. It was part of the warning scenario that he always gave before a major assault. In this case, his target was the filled shaft of rubble and debris that was blocking him from his Boss. The next part of the scenario was to carefully pull out a cigarette and light it, which sent the Family scrambling even faster to clear away from the shaft.

Several people began shouting and screaming warnings to those who'd never had the privilege of seeing Orinato lose his temper, but all of the noise was meaningless. No one could run far enough because when Orinato put his foot down--he put his foot down. There was a reason that he was Hotaru's Right Hand and no one else could ever replace him. He knew that in a way that Gokudera Hayato could never understand or imitate. He didn't need tons of ammunition to make up for an invisible deficiency. He didn't need sharp weapons or even a large one to supplement his strength. The simple reality was that he was the only person in the world that Hotaru couldn't stand up against. The simple reality was that for all of Hotaru's genius, he wouldn't have been able to use any of it without Orinato's brain to focus him. He was the power behind the Throne and he'd be damned if he let that Throne be filled by anyone other than Hotaru!

By the time he finished his cigarette, he was irritated enough that his Dying Will Flame surfaced on its own. Flicking the butt away, no one within a mile radius was on their feet by the time his cigarette remains hit the ground. All it took was a single stomp of his foot to create an earthquake strong enough to create a fissure under his feet. As he fell down into the chasm, he called on his Salamander for the first time in years. The red penguin was supporting him and slowing his fall in an instant, grunting and grumbling at him over being called into such a narrow space. Orinato refused to apologize, though. Rhia had been the one to tell him that she didn't like being called out for anything short of an emergency. If she wanted to come out and relax, then the Salamander shouldn't have been so difficult the last time that he'd called her out.

Before he could ask Rhia for directions to Hotaru's location, SK dove past him to hover at a spot only thirty feet below before disappearing into the earth. Rhia followed automatically, although she didn't try to enter through the small hole that SK had slithered through. It wasn't possible for a human to fit through the opening. If Hotaru was inside, then the opening would have to be widened to get him out.

"How does it look in there?" Orinato called as he carefully inspected the section of debris. It wasn't like the debris on the surface, which was made up of burnt wood, partially-melted steel, and ash. In the faint light that Rhia was giving off, he could see that the layer holding Hotaru was purely earth, ash, and stone.

"Hotaru is pinned at his thighs and Sienna is holding up the roof," SK called in a strangled tone.

"Who's Sienna...?"

"Taru's possessed umbrella," he answered. "I'm going to try to bring him around. If I can get him to transform his lance, I can eat him and bring him out as Flame."

"Do it," Orinato ordered as the smell of water began to fill the air. The scent made Orinato curse. "Just hurry it up," Orinato grimaced. "I think I put too much umph in creating the opening. You've got approximately ten minutes before an underground river floods this area and turns it into a lake."

"Heh," Hotaru laughed weakly from the other side of the opening. "You overdid... it... again, Orinato."

"You can reprimand me later," Orinato snapped as a feeling of relief washed over him. "Just do what SK tells you so that we can get you out of here."

"I wish... I could," he replied with a pain-filled groan. "I'm tired, Orinato. So... so... tired..."

"You better not be fucking sleeping on the job again!" Orinato shouted, hearing how labored Hotaru's breathing was. That alone made Orinato's heart skip a beat in worry. If Hotaru had been weakened to the point that he couldn't even Shift to fix his injuries, then he was weakened to the point that a lesser man would be dead. "Wake up, you lazy son-of-a-bitch! It's not over until everyone is safe--including you! I don't care how tired you are or how much it hurts, you're going to get out of this hole by yourself or I'm never speaking to you again!"

Orinato bit his lip as he waited for a reply. It was too quiet. He hated being on this side of the wall. It made him feel so helpless, yet he couldn't just punch through the wall. He'd already been lucky in that Hotaru's air pocket hadn't collapsed during the earthquake that he'd created. He couldn't take the chance that his luck wouldn't hold.

"Hotaru!" Orinato snapped when the silence stretched longer than he liked.

"I've got him!" SK shouted. "Get clear! This whole area is going to collapse when I pull Sienna free!"

"Count to five and I'll be clear," he ordered before shifting his weight on Rhia's back to tell her to get moving. Five. They cleared the section of the fissure that was only stone. Four. They reached the section holding steel and debris from the building. Three. They cleared the shaft. Two. Shouting, Orinato summoned a medical team to be ready. One. Rhia turned in place in just enough time to see... nothing.

Nothing happened, causing panic to surge in Orinato. What if SK had underestimated his ability to pull Sienna free? What if the air pocket had collapsed before he could get out?! What if--

Roaring, SK surged out of the fissure in his Dragon form with an explosive fury that was only slightly greater than the force that Orinato had used to create the opening. The earth trembled in his wake, causing the fissure to collapse as the debris around it shifted and filled the gap. That was the least of anyone's concern, though. As SK came in for a landing, Orinato was one of the first to flood to his side to see what Hotaru's condition was. Unfortunately, his condition couldn't be seen. Within SK's belly, the only visible traces of Hotaru were his lance and the chain connecting it to air.

"He's recuperating," SK soothed before anyone could panic. "Give him a few moments. He's using the Tenth Edition Zero-Point Breakthrough to take in some of my Flame, but he's afraid of hurting me by taking too much. At the rate that he's going, it might take a while, so--"

"I'll be out in a few minutes," Hotaru said tiredly from within SK's stomach. His voice sounded odd, as if he were speaking from the end of a long tunnel, but it was still undeniably Hotaru's voice. "If someone could get me some clothes to wear, I'd appreciate it. Orinato, what's the damage report?" At the question, Orinato let out a deep breath in relief. As per Orinato's expectations, Hotaru was still the strongest Vongola Boss that ever lived. Death was nothing more than a catnap to Hotaru and injuries were only a temporary nuisance, which was exactly why Orinato respected him so much. He might be a spoiled, tantrum-throwing cry-baby, but he could always manage to pull himself together when it really counted. In face of that, Orinato saved his anger over being neglected as blackmail material for some other time.

"The House is gone," he reported calmly. "The mansion was already on fire when I got here, but we managed to slow the blaze so that everyone could get out. There're a few reports of people missing, but we're trying to verify if they were even in the building in the first place. It's possible that they were out for R&R during the blaze and are simply refusing to answer their phones. On top of that, we have twenty on the injured list and..." Orinato hesitated, knowing that the final piece of the report was going to be the hardest to deal with.

"Say it," Hotaru ordered.

"The backup database is empty," he stated, staring down at the ground in effort to hide how painful it was to report such a thing. "Pandora didn't get out. Yuki is trying to figure out what went wrong, but it looks like there was a safety override built into Pandora's sub-systems that blocked her escape route. We still have copies of all the declassified information that was stored with the monthly backup, but all the classified blackmail material, underground information, and secret records... We lost it all."

"Vongola's hidden strength is broken," Hotaru supplied, his voice continuing to echo hauntingly out of SK's belly. "We were defeated by my ancestors, Orinato. They prepared this... All of this. They set a trap to make me destroy the Family, regardless of my will."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," a kindly voice interjected from behind Orinato. Turning in place, Orinato froze at the sight of a man who he'd only seen in pictures: Vongola the Ninth. The likeness was uncanny. It was as if he hadn't aged a day since his retirement, even though more than ten years had passed. The only difference at all was the small age-spots on his face and hands.... which strangely reminded Orinato of some of the Tenth's old scars. "Don't regret, Eleventh," he continued as he walked closer to SK's side in order to carefully insert a set of clothes into SK's Flame. Although there was nothing to differentiate between SK's Flame and Hotaru's, the clothes began moving in SK's belly as if they were being put on a ghost. "It is the wheel of fate," he said. "That which lives must eventually die, so don't regret your hour. The Eleventh Hour is sometimes called the hour of need. It is the time when reinforcements arrive and it is the moment when those who have lost hope in the previous Hours can find solace that the end is in sight. It is an honorable Hour, Eleventh. To destroy does not always mean to cause suffering. Sometimes, it can mean to erase a burden that has been carried for far too long."

"I don't like being treated like a puppet, Ninth," Hotaru growled. Hearing Hotaru voice acceptance that it truly was the Ninth in their midst, Orinato belatedly knelt alongside nearly a dozen other Mafiosos who were on hand in case the Eleventh needed them. "Don't kneel to him," Hotaru spat as his form walked out of SK's side and quickly shifted from Orange Flame into a more human combination of colors.

Seeing Hotaru for the first time since having been sent to jail was a shock. He'd changed much more than Orinato could easily comprehend. Not only was he showing off his feminine side with complete confidence, but his upper body was covered in tattoos that Hotaru would normally be too frightened to get. There wasn't a trace of the cry-baby that Orinato was familiar with. There wasn't a trace of the shy, immature brat that he'd supported for so long. The light in his eyes held so much more weight than the princeling princely facade that he'd always had before. In the time that Orinato hadn't been at his side, Hotaru had gone from being an arrogant playboy to a Boss that was matching the Ninth in simple presence.

"If I'd known that you had set up this sort of trap, I would have left you to rot," Hotaru growled, staring at the Ninth Boss as if he were nothing more than a foolhardy subordinate.

"But you didn't," the Ninth replied with a soft, knowing smile. "Everyone tries to fight their destiny; it is human nature. You must understand. Those who live peaceful, quiet lives and those who suffer life-changing tragedies will always have one thing in common: their mere existence affects this world. Free will only gives mankind the choice of of choosingwhich road to take, but... whether a person's purpose in life is to simply take care of a cat for a day or if it's to bear a difficult, painful burden throughout their lifetime... their destination...regardless of whether that destination is only a pit-stop in the middle of their life, an accident at the beginning, or a moment toward the end... every person's destiny is set. You can fight it all that you wish, but the mystery of life is that you never know what your purpose is."

"You talk in riddles, old man," Hotaru snarled. "You say that I can't fight my destiny, yet you also say that doing this wasn't necessarily what my destiny is."

"You chose the path," the Ninth murmured with a helpless shrug. "I'm merely saying that whether it was this way or another way, you can't escape the fact that you were charged with the task of destroying the Family. I know that you aren't happy with your duty, but that only reminds me of Tsunayoshi. He fought his duty more than most. He almost succeeded, too, but his mistake was returning in hopes of reconnecting with you."

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped while Orinato tried to make some sense out of the conversation. How much had he missed?!

"It's a butterfly effect, Eleventh," the Ninth explained. "The Tenth was charged with dismantling the Family while you were charged with destroying it. He reappeared just long enough to give everyone a taste of the fulfilling lives that they could have with him around and then he disappeared. What kind of effect to you think is going to be created when he's found again? Which do you believe is stronger? His subordinates' connection to the Family or their connection to your father?"

"If they choose him, the Family is going to tear itself apart," Hotaru answered, his eyes flickering back and forth in thought. "His Guardians will want to go to his side, no matter which side he's on, and they each have loyal subordinates that will follow them before me."

"Boss--!" Orinato yelped in surprise for the lack of faith he was showing.

"A few like Orinato wouldn't go, but that's the same," he continued blithely. "It's not the Family that they're loyal to--it's me. If I try to force people into staying, discontent will only spread and grow until someone succeeds in a coup-de-tat. Even if they don't succeed, I'll have to become a tyrant to keep the Family in one piece."

"You don't seem like you have the heart to be a tyrant," the Ninth replied with a satisfied smile while Hotaru's eyes widened in shock. "That means that your only option is to destroy the Family. You'll protect the lives of your people, but the price is to give up the Family name."

"How..." Hotaru whispered, falling to his knees at the Ninth's feet. "Why has it come to this?"

"You have a brain," the Ninth soothed, gently laying a hand on Hotaru's head to console him. "You'll figure it out. Just remember this and keep it in your heart: It is always darkest before the dawn."


	141. Chapter 141 Maverick

Tsuna smiled at the flight attendant as she helped him tuck a blanket over his lap for warmth and he tried to ignore the way that the other attendants were giggling from where they were peeking out of the galley. He'd known that dying his hair would make him look older, but the effect of his faux-gray wasn't quite what he expected. Rather than getting less attention, he was getting more. Everywhere he went, it seemed as if women were trying to coddle him.

When he'd bought his ticket, the woman who took his money had upgraded him to first class for free after a minimal amount of flirting. The lady at the newstand had given him a paper for free when he'd been in a rush to dig out the cash to pay for a tabloid bearing the headline 'Sawada's Tragedy: The Unquenchable Fire' before he missed his plane. Now, even the flight attendants were being a little more friendly than usual. He didn't get it. He'd only added a few gray hairs and a pair of fake glasses. Other than that, he was wearing a plain button-down shirt and pants in imitation of nearly a dozen other passengers. There was nothing special about him.

"You look distinguished," the man sitting behind him offered as the flight attendant finally left while tossing him a coy look that was full of invitation. Turning in place, Tsuna gulped and paled as the man flipped a few more pages before folding his newspaper down into his lap. "A clean, distinguished-looking, middle-aged man without a wedding ring can be more of a playboy than a millionaire in his twenties since women are more unlikely to assume that you have the energy to cheat on them," Reborn explained with a knowing smirk.

"How-- Nevermind," Tsuna amended with a groan as he turned back and settled in his seat. "I thought that getting through the airport was a little too easy. But even if you found me, I'm not going back yet. Of course, you already know that and aren't planning on making me. If you were, you would have simply knocked me out and kidnapped me."

"You're not as much of an idiot as you used to be," Reborn praised, getting up from his seat in order to take the empty one at Tsuna's side. "Would you like to tell me why you're heading back to America? I hope that it's not a foolhardy attempt to pick up where you left off when you came to Italy."

"Of course not," Tsuna grumbled as he pointedly opened the tabloid that he'd gotten and began reading up on the incident photographed on the cover. "You might not believe it, but I do know how to learn from my mistakes. I'm just going to take a look at how things have changed while I've been gone, visit Snicker's grave, and negotiate to have a Maverick's franchise opened in Italy. When I said that I was out, I meant it, Reborn. I thought about it for a while and I've always dreamed of opening my own bakery. I tried to before, but I never got a chance to manage it. Well, now I do."

"You're starting over, just like that," Reborn stated in distaste.

"Just like that," Tsuna confirmed while refusing to look at his old friend. Reborn deserved more, though, so Tsuna softened his voice and added, "I... I was there for Hotaru's Reckoning. He knew who I was, but Hotaru rejected me as soon as he recognized me. A lot of people have cringed in front of me before, but never my own son. I need some time before I'm ready to face him again, Reborn, and this is the only way that I know how to take that time."

"I won't argue," Reborn sighed, leaning on the side of his chair to look out the plane's small window. "Hotaru has a lot on his plate right now, too. It'll take some time before everything is stable enough for him to think about chasing ghosts again, so you should have plenty of time to gather your courage."

"I thought so," Tsuna murmured in satisfaction. "If this article is correct, then Vongola won't be able to spare men to search for me."

"Xanxus is still on the case," Reborn replied in amusement.

"Figures," Tsuna groaned. Setting aside his paper, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in imitation of a nap so that Reborn couldn't see how happy the news made him. Xanxus was still searching for him? That man hated to lose. That had always been the driving force in his life. Whenever Xanxus thought that he was having choices made for him, he rebelled like a child being told to eat his vegetables. That was why, although Tsuna was touched that Xanxus hadn't given up, he didn't know whether Xanxus was searching out of caring or selfish pride. That was also why Tsuna couldn't simply wait and let the man find him.

Xanxus was a leader and an assassin to the bone. He could never be truly happy with settling down in a quiet life. He needed action to keep him alive and subordinates to support him. He needed a target that challenged him and an assignment that needed every ounce of his heart and mind to complete. It wasn't Tsuna himself that Xanxus was really chasing. It was the glory and joy of success that he craved--the thrill of being unbeatable. Ever since their first meeting, Xanxus had never been able to walk away in satisfaction that he'd come out on top. Tsuna really wanted to believe that it was love that was driving Xanxus to chase after him, but he was too much of a realist. Xanxus was still just trying to reclaim his pride after being defeated by a fifteen-year-old brat. The sad part was that Xanxus probably didn't even realize it. The worst part was that Tsuna couldn't find it in himself to point it out to him. If chasing was what made him happy, then Tsuna would simply continue to give him something to chase after. As long as Tsuna didn't get caught, then Xanxus would have a goal in his life while not having to choose between his Family and what he thought his feelings were.

Actual sleep eluded him, even after take-off, and a peek out of the corner of his eye proved that Reborn had taken the opportunity to sleep. Whether he actually was unconscious was another story, but the facade was enough to give Tsuna the freedom to pull out the compact device that Adie had bought for him. He'd chosen to keep it even though he knew that there was a possibility of being tracked by it because of the very feature that he accessed with a set of cordless headphones.

"Now playing, "Dear Diva", archive fifty-two...."

"Welcome back to the Dear Diva power hour," Diva said energetically. "We'll save the headlines for later. I'd like to start off with a letter from a very special listener. Yup, you know it! Challenger strikes again! For those of you who are tuning in for the first time, Challenger is a frequent caller who's been trying to stump me for a while now. The current score is twelve to zero and tonight will make a baker's dozen. That's right! Diva doesn't lose! Tonight's letter reads, 'Dear Diva, This is Challenger again. You won the last round, but I don't give up easily. My next question is going to be tougher than my previous ones because it's something that you won't be able to research and it's a question that puts me at risk to ask.' Now, let me interject here. I don't like to lose, therefore I did stop reading at this point. From here on, we'll be finishing this letter together. Are we excited yet? Can Challenger actually stump Diva?! We'll find out after the commercial break from our sponsors--"

"And we're back! If you're just tuning in, we're reading over a letter from everyone's favorite listener 'Challenger'. Before the break, we read the first half of his letter. Now, we're going to finish the letter--live--on-air! To continue, he writes: 'You see, my challenge comes in two parts this time. The first part is to stop reading the letter at this point and to not finish it until you're recording--' which I did. 'The second part is to answer a simple question: What is your opinion of Tsu... Tsu-na-yo-shi... Tsunayoshi... Sa-wa-da...?' Eh? Tsunayoshi Sawada? Isn't that the father of that billionaire playboy--What's his name?--Oh! Hotaru Sawada of Vongola Corporate. You want my opinion of him? That's it, Challenger? That's the best you can do?

Well, to answer your challenge, I'll tell you what I think about him: he's a jerk. Mind you, I've never met him in person, but I'm not one to be suckered in by all the good publicity that he hired people to write about him. Look, I know what you're probably thinking. He's the world's sweetheart. He's gone for ten years and comes back with amnesia. His family sheds tears and the world cries with him as he's reunited with his family. But, I'm sorry, I'm just not buying it. Why is it, when something tragic happens, everything he did in the past is suddenly forgotten? Did everyone suddenly forget how many times he went to court for crimes against humanity? Oh, sure, he threw a lot of money toward charity, but it's complete bullshit! Do you have any idea of how many people he's hurt in his life? Is a little bit of guilt-money supposed to make that go away?! Give me a break.

Anyway, let's continue reading Challenger's letter. He goes on to say, 'The reason I ask is because....' Oh, come on, Challenger. I've had a lot of people try to pull my leg in the past, but do you really think I'm going to believe this? You're seriously going to say that the reason you're asking is because _you're _Tsunayoshi Sawada? Pfft. Nice try, but I already know that you're a teacher. Try harder next time. Okay?

Our next letter is from Lazy and Crazy in Rome, it reads: 'Dear Diva--"

Pausing the replay, Tsuna tried to hold in the disappointment that he felt over Diva's response. It was an honest opinion, though. Even though the fake Tsuna in the Vongola household had already staged a return, Diva was correct to say that it changed nothing about his past. He'd done terrible things and his giving to charity had only been publicity stunts like she claimed. It'd been guilt money that didn't wipe away his transgressions in the least because he hadn't sacrificed anything in order to give it. Keeping that in mind, Tsuna opened a fresh email and began writing,

_Dear Diva,_

_Challenger here. I'm a little behind on listening to your show, but I just heard your response to my last letter. I find your opinion to be an honest one that I deserved. I have no proof to give you where my identity is concerned, so I'm not going to bother to try and make you believe me. Actually, I'm not even in the country right now, so I couldn't show you proof even if I had it. I know that my history isn't pretty when it's looked at by someone with clear eyes like yours, but I want you to know that I was always working towards the greater good. When I broke the law, it was because I believed the law had failed to assert justice. _

_I've aged since then. I've grown older and wiser and I've realized that one man can't fix the world, no matter how much support he has. That's why I became a teacher. I wanted to work on prevention instead of punishment. I wanted to teach kids how to think outside of the box without losing sight of their humanity, but it seems that I can't do that, either. I've been forced out of my teaching position. Actually, to be honest, I ran away from it. I'm not really sure how to explain my reason. The Tsunayoshi Sawada with amnesia that you spoke about was a hoax that was crafted to draw the real me out of hiding. In a way, it succeeded, but not in a good way. After hiding for so long, the thought of revealing myself left me in fear. _

_Diva, you're a source of inspiration for me, so I want to give you an exclusive on the true story behind Tsunayoshi Sawada, whether you believe me or not. You're right in saying that the papers only report half the story. They report what they think will sell. Well, there's more to it than that. I can't talk about my past in the Mafia for obvious reasons, but what I can say is this... I did have amnesia during the time that I was missing. Actually, I also suffered from a split personality disorder. I know what you're thinking at this point. You think I'm having a relapse, but I'm not. Of course, you might not believe me, but I want to tell you my whole story before you form an opinion. Let me go back and tell you the real story of what happened to me._

_I went out to sea just like the reports say. However, what the reports don't say is that I'd already lost my memory before running out to sea. It doesn't say that I'd lost everything beyond the time that I was fifteen and the reason that I ran away was because I was horrified after learning about everything that I'd done in the years that I couldn't remember. I'd become a monster that I never wanted to be, so I ran away before I could be forced into continuing in the role of a villain. _

_It also doesn't say that I washed up on an illegal freighter bound for America nor how I arrived in America with only a hundred dollars to my name. I lived on the streets as a homeless, illegal immigrant for nearly a year. I was lucky. I was found by a kindly, honest man with more street-sense than most. He took me under his wing and we slowly crawled out of the gutters together. As you can probably imagine, it wasn't easy. I did a lot of things that I'm not proud of, but we survived and he helped keep me hidden from the Mafia for years. _

_You've probably never heard of them, but we built a gang called the Orange Dragons together and, in order to protect the people who'd become like family to me, I ended up back in the Mafia's grasp with a new identity. It was a different Family and I had a much more minor role than before, but I was back in the very place that I hadn't wanted to be. I was still only focused on surviving and ensuring that my Family survived. Then..._

_Then my partner... my husband... died from a heart attack. It was perhaps the major breaking point for me. All my attempts to live a quiet, peaceful life became meaningless and I ended up in prison after I snapped. Like all men, prison changed me. I became harder and colder. My physique completely changed from how much time I had on my hands and I learned to bury my innocent naivety under ruthlessness._

_This didn't last, though. My personality disorder surfaced after I left prison and I remember the day that I was supposedly found and reunited with my family. I was already having an identity crisis because I didn't want to accept that I'd once been Tsunayoshi Sawada.... Tsunayoshi Sawada was a person that was as different from the 'me' that I became as a cupcake is to a wedding cake... so this pushed me over the edge and I ended up in an asylum._

_Anyway, it was a hard battle, but I recovered from both my amnesia and my disorder several years ago.... and I came back to Italy. I came back to Italy and it was completely different than how I left it. One of my wives was dead. The other had remarried. My son had taken over the Family, the rest of my children had been without a father for the most important years of their life, and there was a mock-Tsunayoshi already filling the place where I should have been. There was no place for me to return to, but I was determined not to simply leave things as they were. I wanted my Family back._

_This... This was a complete and utter failure. Some people recognized me immediately while others couldn't see past how much I'd changed. I became a teacher to get closer to my son, Hotaru, but I reverted into a coward before the finish line. People say that I'm a courageous and brilliant man, but that's not true. As you say, that's just what I hired people to say about me. The truth is that I'm just as fallible as anyone else. I know that I'm not the man that I used to be, but I really can't say what kind of man I am now._

_This might sound cheesy, but I've started a journey to figure it out. As I am now, all I have to offer is the illusion of the past. I don't want that, either for myself or the people who continue to chase after the person that I once was. So, I'm going to search until I find a way to fill the hollow shell that I've become. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll continue to listen, Diva. As my final challenge to you, I ask that you continue to be the wonderful inspiration that gives me the hope to face each new day. Hopefully, next time I write you, I'll be able to do a mirror-check without coming away empty-handed._

_Sincerely,_

_Challenger_

* * *

"How long are you planning on following me?" Tsuna asked as he leisurely walked through the airport with his small carry-on bag in one hand and an oversized suede jacket over his arm.

"Until I find a taxi," Reborn answered with a shrug. Surprised, Tsuna paused next to the doorway and gave Reborn a look of askance while he put his coat on. There was snow on the ground outside, which was a poignant reminder that winter had set in. "Believe it or not, it was a coincidence for us to meet. Since the Eleventh has other problems to deal with, he asked me to personally come and negotiate to ensure that matters are settled where Ross is concerned. You might not know this since you've been in hiding, but Don Martelli already returned home."

"Just my luck," Tsuna groaned as he shifted his grip on his carry-on bag. "I'm going to hope that my luck turns for the better, though. It wouldn't be very good if I was recognized so soon after surfacing. You... You're not going to tell Hotaru that you saw me. Are you?"

"Saw who?" Reborn asked flippantly before casually walking outside to grab a cab. Tsuna smiled in appreciation for how Reborn wiped Tsuna from his memory. It was a show of faith that few others could copy. Only someone who truly understood that it wasn't over could do such a thing. Most people were too insecure for that. Only someone of Reborn's quality could be so confident.

Shaking his head to himself as Reborn's taxi pulled away, Tsuna took a deep breathe to prepare himself before stepping back into _his _city. He could tell that it was his city, because as soon as he paused to take in the air outside, a smiling young man cautiously walked up to say, "Buon pomeriggio...?"

"Good afternoon to you, too," Tsuna replied in nostalgic amusement for the guy's wool cap. The young man flinched slightly at Tsuna's show of English, but he didn't back down from his attempt to do the job that Tsuna had initially created.

"Is this your first time in the city?" He asked curiously as he gestured Tsuna to go in the direction of a particular taxi. "Do you need any directions?"

"Perhaps," Tsuna asked with his smile growing. Pausing next to the taxi's open door, he continued, "But whether I tip you for giving me any depends on one thing. Can you tell me who Snicker is?"

"Snicker?" The man blinked in surprise. "How do you know about Snicker?"

"That's not what I asked. I wanted to know if you know of him."

"Of course," he replied in confusion. "Snicker is a legend. His picture is still on the wall at the Orange Dragon Youth Dojo."

"I see," Tsuna smiled as he pulled his wallet out. "In that case, perhaps you can tell me if Warren is still managing a bakery by the name of Maverick's Sweet Treats?"

"Yeah," he nodded, growing dazed by all the unexpected questions. "How--? Oh, shit," he gasped with his eyes growing wide. "You're him! You're--! But you're supposed to dead!"

"Here's a twenty to keep your mouth shut," Tsuna interjected with a grin. Surprisingly, the guy threw his hands up in refusal of the money that Tsuna offered.

"I can't take that!" He spluttered as he reached up to pull his hat off to reveal a head full of sandy-brown hair.

"I insist--"

"Hell no! Your money's no good with me! You don't recognize me, do you, Uncle Laz? It's me! Houston!"

"Houston...?" Tsuna repeated, his eyes bulging at the name. It wasn't possible. Houston was only five-- No, Tsuna amended as he counted up the years. He'd been five when they first met. That had been ten years ago. Houston would be around the age to start high school now! "Holy hell," he mumbled as his arms fell slack to his sides. "Didn't you grow up a little too fast?"

"Blame puberty," he grinned as he snatched Tsuna's bag out of his hands. "I knew you weren't dead," he added as he urged Tsuna into the cab and rushed to get in on the other side. Giving directions to the driver, he continued before Tsuna could wrap his head around how tall his little friend had gotten. "I told them! Everyone said I was crazy, but I said that they didn't call you Lazarus for nothing! So where have you been?! Man, so much has happened, I don't even know what to tell you first--"

"There's time," Tsuna soothed, reaching out to grab one of Houston's hands in effort to make him slow down. The gesture did make Houston pause, but the grin on his face as he shook his head told Tsuna that his mind was still whirling with the unexpected reunion. "I'm not staying long," he warned gently. "So it'd be best if you kept it under wraps that you saw me. It's not quite time for Lazarus to rise from the dead."

"Yes, sir," he agreed earnestly. "You can count on me. I won't tell anyone that you're here. Just... uh... There's something that I should probably warn you about if you're planning to stay with us while you're in town-- You are staying with us. Right?"

"If Warren doesn't mind," Tsuna agreed with a warm smile.

"Okay, well, uh... Dad got remarried," Houston warned. "You probably don't remember Jakiella, but she's the woman that used to run the alley window for Dad. Well, about a year and a half after you... uh... died... they started dating. They tied the knot last year."

"Isn't she the former ex-con that I helped?" Tsuna asked in faint memory.

"That explains why she's so strict," Houston groaned. Chuckling, Tsuna relaxed into his seat and took a moment to really appreciate how much Houston had grown. He had the build and the energy of a sportsman with none of the cocky arrogance that came with a surplus of talent. And even though he was a young man, he was well on his way to becoming a responsible adult. He even had a weekend job already! Tsuna knew from experience that stationing oneself in front of an airport wasn't easy. Not only did he need the skill of a second language in order to be useful, but he needed charisma to get people to pause long enough to listen.

"There's nothing like a fresh-faced teenager to make a person feel their age," Tsuna grinned. "If I'm not careful, I'll find myself talking about when you barely came up to my knees."

"It's fine as long as you don't remember anything embarrassing," Houston laughed.

"How about the time--"

"Uncle LAZ!" Houston shrieked.

"Just kidding," he winked as the taxi pulled to a stop outside the shopping plaza holding Maverick's. "How much do I owe you?" Tsuna asked as he reached for his wallet again.

"No charge," the man answered as he turned around in his seat to pin Tsuna in place with a wide grin. The grin made Tsuna pause and rack his brain in effort to remember if he should remember the guy. Who did he know with a-- "Oh!" Tsuna said with a snap of his fingers when the guy pulled up his sleeve to show off a tattoo that he'd gotten a long time ago. It was one that had been inked while Tsuna had been getting his hair braided one day. "Funky! When did you get out of jail?!"

"A long time ago," he answered, smiling even more widely. "I went straight to the Orange Dragons after I got out and they took me in without asking any questions. I got this job because of them. Set me on the right track to get my life back in order."

"I'm happy for you," Tsuna replied warmly. "We'll have to go out for drinks while I'm in town."

"You don't have to waste time on me," he said, waving away the offer with a good-nature smile. "I'm sure that you've got a lot of stuff to do that's a lot more important. But, look, I still feel like I owe you one for outing my cellmate that one time. I didn't have any more problems while I was serving time because of that. So, if you need a ride anywhere while you're in town, just call up to the cab company and ask for Josef. I'll come straight over."

"Thanks," Tsuna said in honest appreciation as Houston hurriedly got out of the car and ran around to open his door for him. "I'll remember that." Getting out of the car, Tsuna had to shake his head to himself as Josef gave him a wave in farewell before driving off. He hadn't even been in the city for five minutes and he already felt like a VIP. He didn't get his hopes up that it would continue, though. It wasn't like he was Papa Paolo and--

"You're awesome, Uncle Laz," Houston exclaimed as he eagerly escorted Tsuna through the courtyard with an energy that made Tsuna feel strangely tired. "You're famous! It's like, no matter who I talk to, they've always got some kind of story about you! Even the cab driver! It's insane! How do you know him? I bet you met him in some kind of crazy place. Like, there was this one lady that you dived into a dumpster to save her ring and this other one--"

"I met him in prison," Tsuna interrupted with a laugh for Houston's jubilant enthusiasm. "Someone actually hired me to beat the life out of him, but I figured out that he was being framed because his cellmate was pissed that he wasn't taking showers. That's actually why we called him Funky."

"Oh, wow," Houston said with a pair of shining eyes. His eyes were so bright that Tsuna actually felt the need to flinch away before coming to a stop in front of his old bakery.

Maverick's hadn't changed much since he'd been gone, which was actually a bit of a disappointment. It hadn't expanded any and the decor was the same as what he'd put up. It didn't seem particularly busy like it'd been when he'd been around, but it wasn't lacking in patronage, either. If Tsuna had to describe it in a single word when it'd first opened, he'd have said 'cute'. Now that it had a bit of age and solidarity to it, he felt the need to describe it as 'charming'. It was exactly what he'd envisioned when he'd first built the place. People were taking advantage of the three-sided windbreaks to sit out in the courtyard with warm cups of hot chocolate. Inside, even more people were having casual conversations in a comfortable and cozy atmosphere.

Taking a moment to admire the decorative cakes stored in the framed cold cases on the wall, Tsuna smiled over the fact that none of the bakers had changed. There was only two additions, one of which made Tsuna smirk over his shoulder while Houston blushed over having his snowflake-shaped sugar cookies seen. Continuing his curious inspection, Tsuna turned to the main display cases and checked over the current stock. The girl behind the counter didn't go unnoticed either, considering how she kept tossing Houston questioning looks over Tsuna's quiet actions.

"Go get dad," Houston hissed while Tsuna shook his head slightly at the lack of his infamous choco-samplers. He'd thought that they'd stay a regular item, but the lack of those and the cannolis made it obvious that he'd need to brush up on popular bakery trends.

"Haa--" Warren gasped as soon as he stepped out of the kitchen. "Aah--! AAH!" He added with his mouth hanging open and his eyes widening in shock.

"Haa to you, too," Tsuna chuckled, seeing that Warren hadn't changed a bit. He had a few gray hairs showing, but he was still the same skinny man that he'd always been.

"HAA!" He choked.

"Do I need to call a doctor?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"LAZ!" He finally yelped while pointing in disbelief and tugging on his hair.

"Warren!" Tsuna grinned with his arms open in mock-shock.

"You're alive!"

"And so are you!" He laughed. "Am I going to have to stand here all day or are you going to come give me a hug?" Warren didn't need to be told a second time. He darting around the counter and barreled into Tsuna so hard that he barely managed to keep on his feet. The force of the impact was nothing compared to the impact of Warren's tears as he clung on and began sobbing. "I'm sorry," Tsuna whispered. "It's okay. Come on, Warren. Stop crying. You know that I'm a sucker for tears--"

"What's with the bromance?"

Tsuna froze as Warren abruptly let go and sheepishly tried to dry his tears. Pivoting in place, he felt his jaw drop at what only could be Isabella. However, instead of being elated to see her, Tsuna's instincts rebelled. The young girl was only a pre-teen, but her face was covered in makeup, she was wearing a mini-skirt, and her hair was curled and hair-sprayed in an adult style. With her plush fur coat and her begemmed purse, she looked like a prepubescent version of Autumn or Cassandra! Tsuna's stomach flipped a second time at the thought. He immediately wanted to tell her to go wash it all off and change into something decent, but he wasn't sure--

"You're grounded, Bella," a woman barked from the door to the kitchen. "Get upstairs and get some clothes on or you can forget about getting your cell phone back. You're on your way to losing your laptop if I catch you looking like a tramp again."

"Jakiella," Tsuna identified with a slow smile as Isabella stormed past with her little body screaming her rebellion.

"You got old, Boss," she replied with her own smile, making Isabella stop in curiousity before going through the back. "How was Italy?"

"Troublesome," he answered with a chuckle. She was a sharp one, which was exactly why he'd hired her. She had brains to go with her burly frame. "How did you know?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out," she shrugged. Folding her arms across her chest, she leaned against the doorway and pinned him with a knowing look. "How long are you in town for?"

"A week, maybe two," Tsuna replied. "I need to call in a few favors and then I'm going back."

"Long enough to stir up trouble, but not long enough to stir up the Family," she said with a nod of understanding. "Are you planning to bake while you're here?"

"Maybe. I'm out of practice, so just watching might be best for a few days.... Assuming that I'm welcome in the kitchen."

"Why wouldn't you be?!" Warren exclaimed. "You're Maverick! This is your store!"

"It's your store," Tsuna corrected softly. "I abandoned it for selfish reasons, Warren. It's you and your family that's earned the success that this place has. I'm not heartless enough to take that away from you. If you want to keep running this place or sell it or tear it down and build a cottage, that's your right. Not mine."

"But--"

"No buts," Tsuna admonished. "I'm already imposing on you. I refuse to be in the way on top of that."

"You're too selfless, Uncle Laz," Houston interjected as he forcibly began guiding both Tsuna and Warren through to the kitchen and then up the stairs to the apartment above. "All this time, Dad's still been giving your cut of the profits to charity like he promised you. I bet you didn't know that you got a post-humous humanitarian award."

"I did?" Tsuna blinked in surprise as Houston forced him to sit on their living room sofa.

"You just got off a plane, so I'll go get some drinks and snacks," Houston offered as Warren cautiously sat in the leather recliner next to him. "Do you still like ginger tea, Uncle Laz?"

"That would be wonderful," he confirmed. Tsuna smiled as Houston hurried back downstairs to fetch the welcoming tidbits, leaving Tsuna and Warren to battle an awkward silence that sprang up once he was gone. Even with the awkwardness, though, Tsuna felt incredibly warmed by the instant acceptance and welcome that Warren's family had given him. When he'd been the Tenth, he'd taken it in stride that the Families under his wing would open their doors to him, but it was different now. He actually knew how important it was, even though it was such a small gesture. "I know that I said a week or two downstairs, but I didn't want to upset Houston. He was a lot more excited to see me than I was prepared for. The truth is that I'll probably only be in town a few days, so you don't have to worry. I'm not here to cause problems for you, Warren."

"You've got a good heart, but problems follow you everywhere," he replied with a pained look on his face. Tsuna bit his lip and nodded, knowing that he'd react the same way if he were in Warren's shoes. While he was happy to see the old friend that had helped him, he was worried about the impact that it'd have on his family. "Houston really looked up to you. It took a lot of work to keep him away from the Dragons after you were gone. I know that you guys mean well, but--"

"But they're still a gang and they're connected with the Martelli Family," Tsuna finished. "Like I said, Warren. I'm not here to cause problems for you. Actually, the reason that I chose to come here is because I've gotten out. I... I'm on the run. I told the Mafia to stick it up their ass, walked out, and took one of my sons with me. I... Honestly, I need help and you were the first person to come to mind. I need to know how you did it, Warren. How did you keep your hands clean with all of us around you? There were so many times that you could have gotten mixed up in the crap we did, but you always managed to steer clear. I need to learn how to do that."

"That's impossible for you," Warren said slowly, making Tsuna's heart sink in disappointment. "I'm not saying that to be cruel, Laz. It's just the truth. You don't know how to keep your nose out of things. When you see something wrong happening in front of you, it's like someone turns you on full throttle. What I did... What I _had _to do was to learn how to sit back and watch. I knew... I always knew what you guys were doing, but it came down to a choice between my kids and strangers. I can't do what you did by picking up someone off the street and helping them. I've got my kids to think about. What if that person turns out to be a psychopath? Every time that you guys ran off on another crusade, I asked myself.... Can I really risk leaving my kids without a father? I'm the only one that those two have left. And... well... That was my answer. Instead of protecting people that I don't know, I kept choosing to protect the most important people in the world to me. That's why you can't do it.... You can't do what I did because that's already how you work, too. The only difference is that everyone holds the same level of importance to you. Even if your life depended on it, you probably wouldn't have even been able to prioritize Snicker over me. Everyone knows that. It's the reason that so many people followed you."

"But...?" Tsuna prompted while silently admitting that Warren was right. He had been in such a position before and he had let Kyoko die rather than put so many others at risk.

"But I don't think it's a quality that's worth following," Warren murmured, bowing his head in shame. "I never did. You're superficial, Laz. You always have been. People think that you have a big heart because you care about everyone, but I see it differently. You're a player. You've probably never really let someone inside. You've never had someone that you shared everything with... Even Snicker. Everyone thinks that you let them in and care about them, but you really have this huge wall around you that holds everyone at bay. That's why you can control people. While everyone thinks that they've got an attachment to you, you're pulling their strings like it's some sort of game."

"Wow," Tsuna grimaced. "You make me sound like a real bastard."

"No," Warren corrected with a gentle shake of his head. "You're not a bastard. Bastards wouldn't care when they hurt people. You're just... empty. I saw it as soon as we first met and I never considered myself as more than another of your pawns. You helped me when I really needed it, but I never once thought that you wouldn't eventually come back and call in that favor. I've saved up enough money over the past few years to start over, so just tell me what you need. I'll help you and then I'm done, Laz. I don't want this hanging over my head any longer."

"Fine," Tsuna agreed, seeing that Warren wanted closure more than he wanted friendship. "I'm going to sign this bakery over into your name. It's yours to do what you want with it. However, I want the name. Actually, to be more specific, I want you to use the name to open up a franchise in Italy for me. I'll do all the searching and renovating on my own, but I don't have a legal identity to use anymore. I had to use a fake passport just to get here. That's why I need you to sign the contract when I send it and do the paperwork for me. After that, I plan to retire. As soon as the store is open, it's nothing except baking for me."

"That's it?" Warren asked suspiciously.

"That's it," Tsuna confirmed with a smile. "I've got legitamite money to use. Everything will be over the table and I'll pay the bills. I just want my name left out of it and I need your help to do that. If anyone over there asks, I'm you. It's as simple as that. I'm not looking to save the world or fix anything anymore. I just want a little slice of peace and quiet to call my own and I'll be happy."

"There has to be some sort of catch," he replied in disbelief.

"It's a fair payback," Tsuna explained. "I never really had to stretch my neck out to help you, so why should you have to stretch your neck out for me? Just help me get set up like I helped you and we'll call it even."

"It's not fair," Warren said.

"Why not?"

"Because Maverick's is already a franchise," he answered with an apologetic grimace. "Other than this one, we've already opened four other stores and we're working on a fifth one. If you sign it over to me, then that's not fair at all."

"Oh," Tsuna gaped as his mind went blank. Warren was already up to six stores?! When had that happened?!

"You already had me on the paperwork as co-owner," Warren explained. "When you died, I became the sole proprietor. It was getting pretty crowded in here and people were starting to complain because we had butlers standing in line next to average people and we really couldn't keep up, so we decided to open a branch store across town for the high-end crowd and raised all the prices over there to pay for it. I didn't think that people would go for it, but it worked. People were willing to pay extra so they didn't have to come this far downtown. That let me open up an extra shop down by Market Street that specializes in dinner breads, sandwich loafs, and the other basics. When that started doing really well, we opened another that focuses entirely on providing for a set of lunch trucks. They go around to all the factories and businesses during lunch hour with snacks and drinks. The fifth one that we're getting ready to open is a catering service for weddings and business functions and so on. Axel keeps complaining that there's not enough room to bake the stuff it here while all the tables are being used to sevice the cafe."

"Wow," Tsuna mumbled while he continued gaping.

"It's all because of you," Warren grinned. "We never confirmed that Maverick and Laz were the same person, so... after you died, I kinda dressed up like you and made a big announcement. I said that Axel had learned everything that you had to teach and that Maverick was going to France to study the art of fondant."

"The art of fondant?" Tsuna laughed.

"It was the only thing I could think of," Warren chuckled. "Anyway, I told them that Maverick would come back one day and amaze them with a new, innovative outlet for creativity. After that, people started coming just to see if you'd come back yet. Eventually, people stopped waiting, but everyone knew our name and we had enough people who'd become regular, loyal customers to keep going even if you didn't come back."

"But what if I hadn't come back?" Tsuna asked in confusion. "How did you know that I--"

"I didn't," he replied sadly. "When I said that, I was thinking ahead to the next Maverick. I was planning on handing the name down to the next guy that I found with the right kind of vision. Actually, to be honest, I think I've found him, but I was going to wait a few years before I gave him the name. Would you like to meet him? Considering Houston didn't come back up, he's probably down there working by now."

"Sure," Tsuna nodded. Standing up, Tsuna felt relieved enough to take a moment to remove his coat. He'd known that Warren would have some reservations about letting Tsuna around his family, but he'd loosened up and relaxed after Tsuna had bluntly answered his concerns. The fact that he was willing to introduce Tsuna to his hidden star of the bakery was enough to let Tsuna know that Warren's reservations were gone. He really was welcome now.

Following Warren downstairs, Tsuna stopped him before he could interrupt the man at work. It wasn't hard to see who the genius in the room was. However, it wasn't the man who was standing next to the towering behemoth and basking in everyone's attention. That guy indeed had vision considering how he was putting together the cake in front of him, but Tsuna could see in a matter of seconds that he had almost no skill or imagination. The man simply knew how to make the best use of the resources around him and had somehow conned everyone into doing the hard part of the work in his place. Even as Tsuna watched, the most that he actually saw the man do was to pipe a bit of decorative border and put silver beads on the cake. The sugar sculptures, the artistically airbrushed flowers, and the bulk of the design was actually created by a quiet woman who was carefully adding texture to the leaves that the first guy started barking for after three minutes.

"No one can ever keep up with him," Warren said, nearly bursting in pride at how well the cake was coming together.

"Bastard," Houston whispered under his breathe before turning his attention back to his tea kettle. Curious, Tsuna carefully left Warren's side while the guy was engrossed in watching his 'Maverick' at work.

"You noticed it, too?" He asked as he leaned against the counter next to Houston, keeping his voice down so that it wouldn't carry. Houston paused and looked up at him for a moment before pointedly returning to his tea-making. He gave a slight, careful nod in agreement, but his attitude told Tsuna volumes of information. It was a lost battle. Houston had already tried to point out that the baker was a fraud, but no one had believed him. Tsuna could already guess the defense. In a way, baking was a team sport. To get an amazing piece done in a decent amount of time, help was a regularity. For the guy to be a control tower and take pieces from others wasn't abnormal. That wasn't even an issue. The problem was that he was taking all the credit when his only skill was to be a control tower. It was equivalent to a quarterback taking all the credit for a play that utilized a whole football team. It wasn't right.

Opening his mouth, Tsuna stopped himself and slowly clenched it shut again without saying anything. It wasn't his place. More than that, he really had to change if he wanted to be more like Warren. He couldn't jump in every time he thought something wasn't fair and he couldn't leap to strike down those who were pulling the wool over people's eyes. Yet, could he really keep his mouth shut? Speaking his mind wasn't the same as forcing others to change their ways. Was it? He didn't know. Both usually went hand in hand, so could he speak his mind without forcing the issue?

"What do you think, Laz?" Warren asked when the man stepped back from the cake with an unworthy flourish and began accepting praise from his coworkers.

"I think he's a load of horseshit," he answered honestly while accepting his cup of tea from Houston. Houston snorted at the comment and grinned, but Warren's face fell immediately. "Don't get me wrong," Tsuna added around a sip of his drink. "He's got vision, just like you said, but..." Shrugging, Tsuna held out his hands to say that he didn't get it rather than push the issue any farther. Unfortunately, Warren wasn't willing to drop it there.

"But what?" He asked.

"Who the hell is that guy?" The wonder-guy asked, giving Tsuna a dirty look for the insult.

"Warren, you like him, so that's all that really matters--"

"No," Warren snapped in outrage. "If you say that he's horseshit, then I want to know why. You can't just come in here and--"

"I know, which is why I'd like to drop it," Tsuna said with a pleading expression. "Look, you're right. He does have vision. He knew how to put this together so that it looks pretty amazing."

"I still hear that 'but'," Warren growled in warning.

"But he can't do shit himself," Houston said, slapping his hands on the drink counter. Tsuna groaned slightly at the attempt for a rescue, but the look in Houston's eyes as he turned around to face his father said that he was ready for World War Three. "He always has Axel make the sheet-cakes ahead of time and Lizzie is the one that makes the decorations. All your 'genius' does is put them together with a bit of icing and take all the fucking credit--"

"Don't curse at your father," Tsuna interjected, laying a hand on Houston's shoulder to tell him to stop. Houston turned to gape at him over the interruption, but Tsuna wasn't willing to allow an explosion to happen over something so trivial. "I'm sure your father already noticed it," Tsuna said in effort to give Warren the benefit of the doubt. "He wouldn't hand the name of Maverick over to someone who can't bake. That's probably why he said that he was going to wait a few years. He's just letting this man's skill catch up with his decorating creativity. Right, Wa--" Tsuna froze as soon as he caught sight of Warren's expression. Warren was crushed and the horrified expression on his wonder-baker's face said that he'd honestly expected to continue in the same fashion for the rest of his career. "Oy vey," Tsuna groaned. "I better go get my things," he mumbled, heading for the door back upstairs. He'd just gotten finished promising Warren that he wouldn't cause problems, yet he was doing it again. He couldn't keep his nose out of things, so it probably wasn't a good idea to stick around--

"Wait," Warren ordered, reaching out to grab Tsuna's arm before he could pass by. "Don't you dare run away like this," he said through clenched teeth. "You made this mess, so you can clean it up."

"Are you sure that you want me to clean it up?" Tsuna asked softly. "This is why I wanted to drop it. I don't want to cause problems for you, Warren. If you're happy with how things are, then there's no reason to change things. You've gotten this far without me and you're successful. If I start rearranging..."

"Then..." Warren said with a deep sigh of resignation. "Then, things will work out for the better. Trouble does follow you around, but I've never seen you on the wrong side of a fight. If you say that he's horseshit, I want you to prove it."

"Alright," Tsuna murmured. Turning in place, Tsuna ignored the people in the kitchen in order to stare at the floor. He was doing it again. Was it really so impossible for him to keep his nose out of things? Apparently it _was _impossible because an idea came to mind without him having to even grasp for a resolution. "We'll have a bake-off," Tsuna said quietly. "Is there anyone here who wants to try for the title of Maverick?"

"EH?!" Houston exclaimed. "But Uncle Laz--"

"I'll be judging, so it wouldn't be fair for me to compete," Tsuna continued, silencing Houston's objection. "Would anyone else like to try for the title of Maverick?"

"I will," Axel said, tilting his chin up with an slow smile of understanding.

"I will," Houston nodded, stepping forward to the baking table. "Lizzie, you should, too," he added, looking at the girl who was hanging back against the far wall.

"I couldn't--"

"I will," the glory-hog said with a cocky smile. "I don't know who you are, Mister, but I can't just let you walk away after insulting my baking."

"I see," Tsuna replied with a bland expression. Out of the corner of his eye, Tsuna saw something that made him smile. The quiet girl who liked to hang back was beginning to build up pressure like a steam-cooker. She just needed a little extra heat and she was going to boil over. "I bet you think you're going to win this without a fight."

"Of course," he confirmed confidently. "No one is better than me when it comes to cake--"

"I'm in," the woman finally snapped, stepping forward with the rest in order to throw her towel on the main kitchen island. "Someone has to put this cock-sucker in his place."

"Lizzie--!" Warren gasped.

"What?!" She exploded. "I'm not allowed to get pissed off?! You know, I've been keeping my mouth shut because dickhead here could put on a good show and you seemed happy with him, Boss, but I'm sick and tired of doing all the work while he gets all the praise. Axel and me have been doing ninety percent of all the cakes in this store for the past year, but you never once thanked us for our hard work! If being made Maverick means that I can get a little appreciation around here, then I'm taking the fucking title cause I'll be damned if I'm letting it be taken by Mister-Buy-My-Way-Into-Everything."

"I don't buy my way into everything!" The wonder-boy shouted in outrage.

"Then how did you get your job here?!" She spat. "You had mumsy and dadsy--"

"That's not true--!"

"--become regular high-end patrons to get on Boss' good side and then--"

"That's enough!" Tsuna barked, surprising everyone into silence. "This is a bakery, not a place for shouting matches and violence. If you think that you're better than someone else, then your skill will be seen through your baking! Here's the challenge! You have two hours. You are to make something from scratch using only what can be found in this kitchen. Christmas is coming up in a month and a half, so we'll use that as the theme. To get the title of Maverick, you must make something that fulfills four criteria. One! It must look good. Two! It must smell good. Three! It must taste fucking delicious. Four! It must please your target customer. Only if you fulfill all four goals will I be willing to pass the title of Maverick on to one of you. We will begin now."

Tsuna stepped back to give them room to work and the room devolved into chaos. Houston pushed the glory-hog aside to get to the rack of bowls. Axel claimed a whole bag of flour and glared at Lizzie when she tried to claim the blender next to him. Tsuna allowed it to continue, though. He allowed it to continue right up until Lizzie 'accidentally' locked the glory-hog in the refrigerator.

"Stop!" He yelled, bringing the whole group to a standstill. Walking over to the refrigerator, Tsuna opened it to let the glory-hog out. He was understandably angry, but Tsuna ended the man's tantrum before he could build up steam. "You all fail," Tsuna spat, shoving the glory-hog over to stand next to Houston. "When you can tell me why, we'll try this again."

"Why waste time letting them figure it out?" Jakiella asked in amusement from where she'd quietly been sitting next to the take-out window. "You care if I explain it to them?"

"Go for it," Tsuna shrugged. Heading back over to the teapot, Tsuna sighed as the four bakers turned in shocked unison to get an explanation and he smiled at the way that Jakiella phrased it.

"You looked like _shit_," she grinned. "If you fight over ingredients, your stuff is going to taste like _shit _and the customers who hear you fighting aren't going to be pleased worth _shit_. With all that _shit _laying around, it's probably going to smell like shit, too. I saw Maverick at work. The effect he gave off wasn't only when he revealed a finished cake, but with the amount of enjoyment that people got while he was baking. No matter what you make.... what you put in is what you're going to get out. If all of you are baking for yourselves and stubbornly fighting to be the best, then all you're going to put out is pure bull_shit_. Teachers don't teach to make money and a Maverick doesn't bake to make himself happy. He does it for the smiles on the faces around him."

"Axel has the most experience out of all of you, so his will taste the best," Tsuna said, picking up the train of explanation as he stirred in a bit of extra sugar into his tea. "Lizzie's will look the best because she has the most artistic creativity. Wonder-boy's will please the customers the most because he knows how to work a crowd. Houston's will probably smell the best since I doubt that he'll cover his creation with a lot of icing. He's still working on cookies. Together, you make a fine team. Separate, you're all full of shit. And, with that, I think I've proved my point, so I'm going to go take a nap. Jet-lag is starting to hit. Cheers."

Raising his cup of tea to toast the room full of sheepish faces, Tsuna headed up the stairs to claim the couch for a few hours and smiled to himself over the silence that he left behind. Let them chew on that for a while before they think about taking his title again.

* * *

Staring at the finished product in front of himself, Tsuna hung his head in shame and silently gave thanks for whatever had kept him from making an attempt with other people around. He was noticeably out of practice. His first cake had told him how much skill he'd lost. It'd come out burnt and hard. The second attempt had come out of the oven a little better, but he hadn't been willing to waste icing until the fourth attempt had given him a perfect piece of sponge cake to work with. While a fifth one baked, he'd chosen a simple decoration to allow himself to gauge his ability. All he'd had to do was cover it in icing, add borders, and the words 'Happy Birthday', but it'd turned out horribly. He couldn't get the icing to spread evenly, the shells of the decorative border were varied in size, and there was a giant splat in the writing from where he'd forgotten to get the air pockets out of the icing sleeve before he'd begun writing. The result made him incredibly fearful of using the air-brush to add food-coloring to the bland surface.

Laying his head down on the kitchen's work-surface, he felt like an amateur. There was nothing special about his baking anymore. He knew without having to bother with a taste-test that the result was below average; any baker in a super-market could do better. The four bakers who'd tried to steal his title were all better than he was! Of course, they'd been working and practicing for the past few years while he'd been dodging bullets and playing hide-and-seek with the Mafia, but it was no excuse. He'd had plenty of opportunities to continue baking, but he'd purposely hesitated because he'd been scared of getting the same result as what was in front of himself. There was no sign of the Maverick touch.

The frustrating part was he knew what was wrong. The result in front of him was the result that he got when he was baking as himself--without his intuition. He'd followed the recipe like normal bakers did. He'd iced it entirely on his own. He'd decorated it without allowing any cheating at all. What was in front of him was the very best that No-Good Tsuna could come up with and it was as completely No-Good as he'd feared. It wasn't that he wanted to forget his abilities. The reason that he'd chosen to bake in such a way was because he wanted to be able to answer people when they asked how he came up with his ideas. He wanted to remember the process of putting a cake together instead of only getting to enjoy what happened after he presented the finished product.

He couldn't afford to waste more ingredients, though. He was going to have to rely on his intuition until he trained himself to bake in the right way. Needs came before wants. Ultimately, he _needed _to be able to keep his store profitable. Ultimately, he _wanted _to keep it profitable without using his intuition as an unfair advantage. Right now, he _needed _to practice so that he could prove to Warren's crew that Maverick wasn't a fraud. Right now, he _wanted _to practice so that he could rebuild his confidence enough to actually open his own store.

Fondant, Tsuna reminded himself as he raised his inner Flame a few notches and began working again. Warren had told everyone that he was in France to study the art of fondant. Well, that meant that Warren would need some examples to back up his claim. He was only going to be in town for a few days anyway. Even if word spread that Maverick had returned, Xanxus wouldn't be able to catch up to him before he left. After all, Xanxus had no way to know which direction he might have gone in. Returning to America would have been the last thing that he expected since he should be keeping his head down. It was actually a little amusing this way. By the time that the news did reach Xanxus and he got to America to investigate, Tsuna would already be back in Italy. Of course, he planned to leave Xanxus the rumor that Maverick went to Japan or Mexico to study sugar sculpting. By the time Xanxus figured out that he wasn't in either place, he'd have to start searching from scratch and the trail would be incredibly cold.

The thought left Tsuna smiling as he knocked an oven closed with his hip and began mixing more batter for the cakes that he was going to cheat on. A little intuition here... A bit of inspiration there... In no time at all, Tsuna had perfect cakes streaming out of the ovens. They weren't cakes that he could get any satisfaction out of, but it was exactly as Jakiella had stated. He wasn't baking for himself. He was baking for Warren's success and the smiles that he'd get in the morning.

Once the cakes themselves were cooked and cooling, Tsuna stepped out the back door into the alley in order to smoke a cigarette while he did some math. He had thirty-two cakes to work with. If he made thirty-two single-tiered cakes, there would only be thirty-two people who would get to smile. How could he wring more than thirty-two smiles out of thirty-two pieces of cake?

He could use at least five cakes to make a multi-tiered display cake to put in the window to create a buzz that Maverick was back in town. That left twenty-seven cakes. If he cut up seven of those, he could make at least three more display cakes to put in the interior display cases. That left twenty. Ten more could be used to make five. Five more could be cut up into half-sized single-tier cakes, which would leave fifteen full-sized sheets of cake for him to use. If he cut the last five into single-person cakes, that would give him thirty more. So, his goal for the night was one five-tiered, three three-tiered, five two-tiered, five single-tiered, and thirty individual-sized cakes.... which meant that he somehow got forty-four decorated cakes out of thirty-two sheets of undecorated cake. That didn't sound right.

Screw the math, he grumbled. He'd just make cake until he was satisfied.

* * *

Houston groaned and tried to shut off the alarm clock that was going off in his ear without bothering to open his eyes. Unfortunately, his dad wasn't to happy at getting a pat on the head. His reaction was the same that it was every morning--he ripped off the covers in order to expose Houston to the chill morning air. The joke was on him, though. Houston had long ago learned to wear sweats to bed. Even with the covers gone, he still felt nice and toasty--

"Dad!" Houston yelped, jumping straight out of his bed in effort to chase the ice out of his pants.

"You should know by now that you can't win," Warren smirked as he wadded up Houston's blankets and tossed them back on the bed. "Hurry up and get dressed or you won't get to see Laz before you go to school." The reminder instantly made Houston forget about the ice while it melted against his ankle. He'd almost forgotten! Laz had come back! He should be awake by now, considering he'd slept through lights-out at eleven! "Hold it," Warren snapped, grabbing onto Houston's collar before he could dart out of the room. "Clothes first, Laz after--"

Houston grinned as he ran down the hallway, leaving his sweatshirt in his dad's hands. He was disappointed when he got to the living room, though. Laz's blanket was folded neatly at the end of the couch and the man himself was gone.

"Clothes first," Warren shouted as a shirt and a pair of pants was thrown down the hallway after him. "He's probably downstairs. I heard him leave around three this morning, so there's likely a mess waiting on me. He never was very good about--"

Not waiting to hear the rest, Houston threw on his long-sleeved t-shirt as he ran barefooted down the stairs. He hopped down several of them in effort to trade his sweat-pants for a pair of blue jeans, which could have been the death of him if not for the railing that he managed to latch onto when he began to lose his balance. Quickly buttoning them up on the bottom landing, he darted out into the kitchen and--

He came to a stop in awe.

Every table, chair, nook, and cranny had been filled with cake. The biggest one stood nearly five feet tall in the center of the main workspace, a monolith of silver and white that could almost be mistaken for a wedding cake. The only reason that it wasn't was because of the silvery ribbon of fondant that turned each layer into a box of gifts and the glittering sugar-sculptures of snowflakes that were pouring out of the opened 'box' on top. Next to that was a smaller three-tiered cake that was just as white, but had bright red, edible rose-petals decorating each tier with a single life-like rosebud on top.

Three trays of palm-sized cakes shaped like turkeys.

An entire baking rack full of palm-sized cakes with edible appliques ranging from the Two of Clubs to the Ace of Spades.

A dozen two-tiered cakes ranging from fanciful decor to natual wonders to modern minimalistic design.

A half dozen trays of petit fours.

Round cakes, square cakes, stacked cakes, cake sculptures, cupcakes, pies, donuts, cookies, cinnamon buns, honey buns, danish--

Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, indigo, orange, white, black, silver, gold--

Jellied, candied, sugared, dipped--

Swirls, squares, circles, dots--

Sprinkles, nonpareils, nuts, chocolate chips--

Everywhere Houston looked, it was a wonderland of sugar and dough. Laz had only been working since three in the morning. How in the world had he managed to finish so much by sunrise? Where was he? He hadn't left, had he?

Searching through the maze of cakes, Houston found Laz sitting on a stool in the back corner with his head resting on a rock-like piece of spongecake. He was sleeping like a baby with a satisfied smile curling along his lips. Houston could understand why! He'd need his energy when Houston's dad saw--

"What the hell?!" Warren gasped as he slowly walked into the kitchen in shock. He automatically rushed over to the refridgerator to see if there was room to store everything, only to have his eyes bulge at how it'd already been crammed full of even more treats. "How in the world does he expect us to sell all this?!" He exclaimed in dismay. As if on cue, Laz woke up from the noise and slowly lifted his head with a yawn.

"Good morning," he greeted Houston with a sleepy, yet self-satisfied smile. "I must have nodded off."

"Laz!" Warren spluttered.

"Good morning to you, too," he added with another yawn. "Is it time to open yet?"

"We're supposed to open in half an hour!" Warren exclaimed as Isabella slowly walked into the kitchen with the same shocked and disbelieving expression that Houston and Warren had already shown. "Why in the world did you make so many cakes?!"

"Because it's going to be a busy day," Laz answered as he headed over to start a fresh pot of coffee. "You're going to announce that Maverick stopped by to check on things and to show off a bit of what he learned in France. Then you're going to tell everyone that I went to Mexico to study sugar sculpting."

"Mexico?" Houston asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's tradition to make sugar skulls for the Day of the Dead celebration," he explained. "This way, Warren won't be called a fraud for telling everyone that I went to France and no one will question the fact that Maverick isn't around to be interviewed. I made sure to use fondant in as many ways that I could think of. A little searching online gave me a lot of ideas and I just ran with it. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with the technique, though. It does give a smooth appearance, but I like icing the old way so that everything doesn't look like it's made of plastic."

"Laz..." Warren growled in warning.

"Don't worry!" He soothed. "I'll help out for the day to make sure that it all sells. Give me a little credit. Would you? This is all for your sake. You wouldn't want to be called a liar for saying that Maverick was studying the art of fondant. Would you?"

"What are you up to?" Warren asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," he answered with a wide smile and a wink. "Consider this my thanks for letting me borrow your couch. Your store is about to get very busy, so why don't you kick back and relax for a little bit? I'll take care of letting Axel in and opening up the front while you enjoy a nice breakfast with your wife. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"Alright," he grudgingly agreed. "But I'm going to check on things in a little while. You better not--"

"Can I snag Houston for today?" Laz asked, throwing his arm around Houston's neck in a way that made his face light up in hope.

"Oh no!" Warren instantly replied. "Houston has school and Isabella--"

"Please?" Houston begged in unison with Laz. Sticking out his lip, he immediately tried to go for the puppy-dog expression. It usually didn't work, but his dad seemed incredibly vulnerable to Houston and Laz's combined plea. "I haven't gotten to see Uncle Laz in years," he added in a pout. "You're not going to really make me go to school today. Are you?"

"Me, too!" Isabella interjected.

"No!" Warren snapped, shaking his head as he gestured for Isabella to go back upstairs. "I'll let Houston get away with it because he already turned in his term paper, but you're failing half your classes and I doubt that you even remember Laz. So get upstairs and get ready for school. You're going. Laz--"

"Just for today," he promised with a wide grin.

"Houston--"

"I'll work hard!" He yelped in excitement. "No fooling around! Cross my heart!"

"Alright," he sighed in resignation. "Get upstairs and finished getting dressed. After you walk your sister to school, you can come back and help Laz with his shenanigans. I'm warning both of you, though. If all these cakes don't sell--"

"You won't be able to take dessert away for a month," Houston laughed before darting back up the stairs. Rushing back into his room, he hurriedly threw on his shoes and a fresh sweater before darting into the bathroom and snatching Isabella from in front of the mirror. She exploded into a tantrum for being pulled away before she got to spend an hour on herself, but Houston didn't give her a choice.

"What's the rush?!" Isabella shouted in outrage as Houston grabbed her school bag and dragged her out the alley stairwell.

"Hurry up," he urged. Predictably, she dug her feet into the ground to force him to stop when they hit ground level and Houston had no choice other than to wait while she checked her bag to make sure that she had everything. "Come on. You can primp with the bathroom at school. Dad said that I have to take you to school before I can spend time with Uncle Laz."

"What's the big deal?" She asked obliviously. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she pulled a compact out of her coat pocket and began touching up her makeup while she began walking in agonizing slowness. "Some old guy shows up out of nowhere and it's like you all went crazy. I don't get what the fuss is about. So he can make cakes fast? Is there an award for that or something?"

"You were too young to remember," Houston explained with a wide smile. "But we weren't always living here, Bella. After mom died, Dad lost his job and we got thrown out on the streets. Right when I thought everything was over and the cops were going to take us away, Uncle Laz saved dad from a gang of thugs and took us in. He gave us a home, got dad a job, and even found Miss Kat to watch over us. Then he opened the bakery and gave it to dad."

"Is he stupid?" Isabella scoffed.

"No," Houston replied. "That's just how awesome Uncle Laz is. He could do all that without breaking a sweat. You know Orange Dragon Enterprises...?"

"Yeah."

"That was his. So was the Orange Dragon Youth Dojo and most of the nightclubs in town. Rascal Rogers was his, too. If you ask anyone in town who's been here more than five years, they'll know who Uncle Laz is. But you can't tell anyone that he's back. He's incognito right now because he's supposed to be dead."

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

"I'm serious, Bella," he exclaimed as they reached the entrance to her middle school. Pausing next to the gate, she continued walking inside and he used the time that he had left to try to make her understand. "There will be big trouble if word gets around that he's back."

"Sure," she agreed sarcastically. "As if anyone is going to care if I yell out--"

"Don't--"

"Some old guy named Laz is in town!" She exclaimed loudly. "See," she shrugged, "No one cares."

"Bella!" Houston choked as the teacher supervising the yard immediately straightened up in surprise.

"Hold it--!" The teacher snapped, making Isabella's steps falter while Houston covered his face with his hands and groaned. "What did you say, Bella?"

"Some old guy named Laz is in town," she mumbled with a blank face. "He's staying with us at the bakery."

"Bella--!" Houston shouted in outrage. "I said not to tell anyone!"

"Is it really him?" The teacher asked, grabbing hold of Isabella's arms to keep her from running away. "What does he look like--"

"Let her go!" Darting into the schoolyard, Houston snatched Isabella out of the teacher's grip and protectively pushed her behind himself. "What the hell are you doing?! She doesn't know anything!"

"Oh," the teacher gasped, blinking rapidly as his senses seemed to reassert themselves. "I'm sorry, Bella," he apologized while taking a step backward to get his head screwed on straight. "I was just a little surprised. Go ahead and go inside."

"Psycho-teacher," Houston spat as he guided his little sister towards the door. Just as Houston feared, the teacher reached for his cell-phone as soon as their backs were turned. It made Houston curse. "Bella," he hissed, stopping her before she could go inside. "If anyone asks, you don't know who is staying at our place. And if another teacher harasses you like that again, call home and we'll come get you. Okay? I've got to go. That teacher was calling someone on his cell phone, so I've got to go warn dad and Uncle Laz that you spilled the beans before word gets around."

"Whatever," she repeated before darting inside the school. Letting her go, Houston gave the teacher a glare on his way back out. He didn't feel particularly good about leaving his sister alone, but she should be fine once her friends showed up. So, doing the only thing that he could, he kicked up dust as he started running back home.

He felt a little more calm when there was no massive crowd waiting outside the front door. Uncle Laz had already put the monolith-cake in the front window and Miss Tupper was waiting out front like she always was in order to get the first batch of coffee cakes, but nothing was unusual. It made him laugh a little at himself for his paranoia. Even for someone as special as Uncle Laz, it'd take most of the day for word to spread that he was back. The big fuss wouldn't begin until after a news station or a radio station made mention of the return.

Having Miss Tupper wait at a table, Houston headed back into the kitchen and quickly traded out his sweater for an apron. He'd promised his dad that he'd work, so he was ready to work. The cases had to be filled and most of the coffee makers needed to be started. Uncle Laz was unworried about the news that Isabella had spilled the beans and his father stayed unusually quiet after Jakiella finally went downstairs. More than Uncle Laz's assertions that everything would work out, it was Jakiella's calm that allowed Warren to start going with the flow.

While Warren opened the safe to get the cashier's starter drawer, Houston helped set prices for all the new cakes. It wasn't as easy as it seemed. Uncle Laz claimed that he couldn't remember what was in each of them, so there was no way to know if what price was fair. Uncle Laz had a solution, though. By putting up small signs that said 'made by Maverick', they could double the usual prices without getting any complaints. The donuts and typical morning fare kept the typical prices since they didn't want to alienate any loyal customers, but nearly everything else was expensive compared to normal. Uncle Laz even attached a sign to a regular pot of tea and doubled the price for the so-called "Maverick-brewed" specialty!

Like his dad and he had been, the rest of the morning crew were all in awe of how much had been made. Calls had to be made to the shop across town to warn them that they were getting a truck-load of specialty items and it quickly became problematic in the kitchen. There was hardly enough working surfaces free since there were still many cakes left that hadn't fit into the sales cases. But, of course, Uncle Laz had a solution for that, too. First, he took over several of the interior display cases. Then, he sent the extra cashier down to the store to buy raffle tickets and several felt bags. Finally, he put up a sign stating that tickets could be bought for a dollar a piece and 'called in some favors'.

"Word is going to spread no matter what we do," he explained while he packaged up the old display cakes to be sent to the homeless shelter. "So your dad might as well profit off the attention. I already called the radio stations and tell them that we're raffling off the big cakes that Maverick left behind. They were more than willing to give us free advertising time in exchange for a few cakes that I can make tonight and--"

Houston jumped in place as the sound of a loud, bestial roar made everyone in the bakery freeze in place.

"Was that a lion?" Warren choked.

"And that should be the circus," Laz grinned as he tossed a hand-towel over his shoulder and headed for the door. Everyone in the kitchen followed behind him, feeling as dumbfounded as Houston did. How had Laz gotten the circus?! "I saw a flyer when I went for cigarettes last night, so I called Josef and asked him to drive by and see if they could loan us anything for the day. They owe me. Well, not really, but they think they do. Apparently they got really famous after I took Snicker and Charlie to see them a few years ago and they credit that fame to me even though I didn't do anything. I'm not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, though. If they want to owe me, I'll let them. Why don't we go take a look? It sounds like they brought Rojo."

"LAZ--!" Warren spluttered as they walked out the door to find the entire circus waiting on them. There was indeed a lion in a cage, but there were also clowns on stilts, jugglers, a man eating fire, tumblers, and even a guy with a monkey that was winding an old music box!

'Suoh!" Another man exclaimed, running forward to lift Laz off the ground with a bear hug. "I'm so happy to see you again! Last time we came this way, we heard that you were pushing up daisies!"

"Just a misunderstanding, James," Laz laughed as the guy put him back down on the ground. Laz paused and took a step back once he was steady, shaking his head to himself while the man hurriedly smoothed his shirt down for inspection. "You've grown so much," Laz murmured with a smile. "How's your mother?"

"She shaved her beard and settled down with an insurance salesman in Iowa," James answered with a wide grin. "I'm actually the Ringmaster now, so I gathered up the guys who were willing and came straight over when your friend gave us your message. I don't know how you do it, but your timing is perfect. Our first show isn't until tomorrow and we were trying to figure out some way to attract attention to the fairgrounds without having to stop traffic with a parade. Spending the afternoon here works out great for both of us."

"Let me introduce you to Warren," Laz said with a gesture to Houston's father. "James, Warren... Warren, James. This is actually his shop. I'm just here to brush up and get idea for opening my own place, but you know how it is."

"Aye," James confirmed as he gave Warren a firm handshake. "When you start thinking, you don't know how to quit. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. No one loves shenanigans better than me!"

"Laz..." Warren growled in warning. "We didn't talk about this--"

"Don't worry about it," Laz soothed, giving Houston a sly wink. "I said that I'd take care of it for you. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and wait for the profits to start pouring in."

"Why do I feel even more dread whenever you say that?" Warren moaned.

"You shouldn't complain so much," he replied with his grin widening even more. "You'll end up with gray hairs like me."

"I really don't want to hear what you've been up to for the past few years," Warren decided, shaking his head as he headed back inside. "If you can relax through something like this, then I probably _will _have gray hairs by sunset."

"Not if you pull your hair out and go bald first!" Laz offered in condolence.


	142. Chapter 142 Retreat

"What are you doing, Uncle Laz?" Houston asked curiously. Tsuna looked up from his notebook and smiled at the tea pitcher in the boy's hands. Tsuna had been forced upstairs to hide when the television crews had come to do reports over the unplanned festival going on in the courtyard outside, but Houston had been checking every fifteen minutes to see if he needed refreshments, company, or updates. It was a warning sign for Tsuna. The boy looked up to him too much. He needed to have his unrealistic image of Tsuna corrected before it caused a mess that Tsuna wouldn't be able to clean up.

"I'm making a list," he answered, turning his attention back down to the notebook in his hand. "It's ideals for the place that I want to open. I've been looking over how this place turned out and I'm seeing how some things worked out while others didn't. For example, the play areas don't seem like they get much usage. I made the mistake of thinking that a gingerbread house theme would attract parents with kids, but looking at the customers yesterday showed me that it's only the older crowd and young girls that's willing to come in here."

"It's too embarrassing for most guys," Houston grimaced in understanding. "Not that I'm complaining. Savannah likes it."

"Is that your girlfriend?" Tsuna asked, illiciting a bright blush from his young friend.

"N-No," he mumbled. "Savannah... That's... um... Do you remember Miss Ferns from my grade school?"

"Not really," Tsuna admitted. "Is it her daughter?"

"N-No..." he replied as his face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Don't tell me that you fell for your grade school teacher," Tsuna groaned, setting aside his notebook to give Houston a withering look.

"She's not that much older than me!" Houston exclaimed as he instantly went on the defensive. "And anyway... it doesn't matter if I like her. She still sees me as a kid."

"I'm not going to point out that you are one," Tsuna replied in an attempt to stay fair. It was difficult, though. He remembered Houston when he was five--the time of his life when his greatest interest was a giant beetle--so imagining him in a relationship with an older woman triggered alarms. In a mere three years, Houston would be old enough to live on his own as an adult, so telling him that he was still a kid would be the fastest way to make him rush through his childhood even faster. Telling him that would only make him rebel even more, though. "If you want my advice, then put her out of your mind for a few years," Tsuna said. "She's older than you, so making her see you as an adult isn't something that you can do overnight. You need to ease her into it if you want her to take you seriously. Let her see you dating other girls and don't approach her until you've got enough experience that she knows that you're making an informed choice. That way, she won't feel like she's keeping you from anything. If you go straight at her as your first love, she's only going to think that it's a phase that you're going through and... if it turns out that your feelings _are _just a phase, you haven't lost anything. Trust me on this. Following her with your tongue hanging out isn't going to get you anywhere. I tried that when I found my first love at thirteen, but all the chasing in the world didn't change the fact that I still had to grow up."

"Really?" Houston asked as he visibly considered Tsuna's advice. "What happened?"

"Well," he said with a sympathetic smile. "Let's just say that I found my first love at thirteen and I found my second love--my first wife--at seventeen."

"Oh."

"I'm not going to belittle your feelings by calling it 'puppy-love', because love is love no matter what form it takes," Tsuna continued hurriedly before Houston could decide to ignore Tsuna's advice. "But you should know that you're going to change a lot in the next few years. Until you've gone through those changes and matured, you shouldn't close your mind. There's a big world out there and whether you end up with Miss Savannah or someone that you haven't met yet, you should explore. That's what boys are best at, after all."

"But what if she finds someone because I waited?" Houston asked with an earnest expression.

"Then you'll just have a little extra work to do in order to prove that you're the better choice," he answered with a small smile. "But, I think the more important thing to know is that, if she does find someone that you can't win against, then she'll be with someone who will make her happy. If you're not satisfied with that, then you really need to ask yourself if it's really love or a selfish desire to make yourself happy."

"Can't it be both?" Houston asked innocently.

"That's for the really lucky guys out there," Tsuna replied with a wink. Turning back to his notebook, the conversation made him add 'couples booths' to the wish-list for his new restaurant. "Just don't try so hard before your ready, Champ. Life doesn't end after you graduate school." Houston murmured noncommittally before heading back downstairs, leaving Tsuna smiling in his wake. This was one area where Reborn and his own teaching methods went in different directions. Reborn would have forced a confession, which would have resulted in an unsteady relationship and an eventual broken heart. Tsuna didn't know if his own method would lead to a different result, but at least Houston would have the comfort of knowing that he'd made his own choices.

Sadly, that freedom was the only thing that Tsuna had to give him.

* * *

Tsuna looked over his shoulder in silent farewell of the family within the gingerbread bakery behind him. He'd said that he was just going to walk through town for a while, but the truth was that he was leaving. Only Warren knew that truth and he would tell the rest in the morning--after Tsuna had a head-start. Houston was probably going to be devastated over his abrupt departure, but he had to leave now so that he could lose the Martelli watchers on him. He could feel their eyes on his back. Compared to the high standards of Mafioso congregating in the Italian homeland, Autumn's people simply didn't have the skill to go unnoticed. However, they were a warning sign that trouble was brewing. If he didn't get out now of the city now, he'd lose his chance.

The layout of the city hadn't changed much in the years since he'd been gone. The alleys roads were still like he remembered them--for the most part. On ocassion, he did find himself walking into a dead-end that he didn't remember. There were fences placed where he didn't remember fences being or a building extention jutting out into the alley to block off a pass-through. He lost track of how many times he had to backtrack or detour, but he eventually found his destination without too much difficulty.

The bar named the Peephole, called the Rooster's Nest by the local underground, hadn't changed at all. The little hole it the wall was still nondescript and easily missed. The brickwork was dingy from never seeing daylight and the only light to mark the place was a small lantern in the nook holding the door. There were two motorcycles parked in the small area, signaling that other customers were present, but Tsuna was completely unconcerned as he stepped inside. As expected, Bart the bartender was standing behind the aged bar, filling drinks for two male bikers and a lovely woman in leather, an overworked businessman, and the very man that Tsuna was looking for.

"Whiskey," Tsuna ordered, sliding into the seat next to Papa Paolo.

"It'll be just a moment," Bart replied without looking up from where he was filling a third mug of beer for the bikers. Tsuna nodded to himself in acceptance and waited. Papa Paolo was still quietly nursing his drink, not having noticed Tsuna's entrance. No, Tsuna amended when he noticed how Papa Paolo's hands were shaking. He'd noticed, but he wasn't ready to accept it. That was fine. Tsuna didn't have to rush. As long as he was out of the city by dawn, everything would work out. Papa Paolo could take all the time that he needed. "Holy sh--" Bart gasped when he finally looked up. Tsuna quieted him with a single finger over his smiling lips.

"Whiskey, please," he repeated. "And a refill for Papa P. I think he's going to need it."

"How--?!" Bart choked with wide eyes. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Tsuna replied, quoting Mark Twain with a laugh. "I've always wanted to say that."

"What are you doing here, son?" Papa Paolo asked in a strained voice, refusing to look up from his drink. "Have you... come back for Gabriel?"

"No," Tsuna immediately soothed. "I just felt like visiting to see what I've missed. I'll be gone by sunrise, so you don't have to panic. This isn't my home anymore, Papa P."

"Yes, it is," he corrected, finally relaxing with a sigh. "This will always be your home. If you want to stay--"

"Then you'll stretch your neck out and get it chopped off," Tsuna interrupted. Papa Paolo gave him a startled glance for the statement, but Tsuna kept his eyes on the glass of whiskey that Bart was slowly pouring. "Xanxus is looking for me," he explained. "Actually, everyone is looking for me, so settling down isn't an option until I'm ready to get caught." Pausing as Bart brought him his drink, Tsuna emptied it with one large drink before continuing. The whiskey burned his throat on the way down, bringing back dozens of memories in the process, but Tsuna accepted it in effort to move on. "My head's been fixed, Papa P. I just wanted to let you know and thank you for taking care of me. I know that you were always worried about what I'd do once I remembered. I also know that it couldn't have been easy, but I would have been a lot worse off without you. You believed me at a time that very few people would. So if you ever need anything, just let me know. I always repay my debts."

"That you do, son," Papa Paolo agreed with eyes glittering in amusement. "Would you mind answering something for me?"

"What would that be?"

"If you have your memories back, then why are you here?" He asked, rephrasing his initial question. "With all the stuff in the papers about Vongola, I would have expected you to be in Italy."

"They don't need me sticking my nose into things," Tsuna replied with a sad smile. "Would you jump into things when you see your daughter in a crisis?"

"No," he admitted with a sad smile of his own. "No, you're right. It's difficult to watch a child struggling, but the struggle is what makes them stronger. If we jump in and do everything for them, then they wouldn't learn anything. You... You've matured, son. Or is that the effect of having your head on straight?"

"Probably both," Tsuna chuckled. "It was good to see you again, Papa P, but..."

"But you have to go," Papa Paolo supplied with a sigh. "Take care of yourself. You wouldn't want to make an old fart worry about another old fart."

"I'll do my best," Tsuna promised. Standing up, Tsuna reached for his wallet to pay for their drinks, only to have Bart stop him before he could even get the money out.

"On the house," he spluttered, holding his hands up in refusal. "I can't take your money."

"Why couldn't people be this nice when I was alive?" Tsuna grumbled with a smile. "I haven't been allowed to spend a dime since I got in town."

"That's what you get for becoming a legend," Papa Paolo laughed. "Go on. Get out of here before Princess comes looking for you."

Tsuna gave a soft nod of agreement, but hesitated when it came to actually leaving. There was so much more that he wanted to say, but he didn't know which words to use. Papa Paolo had been like a father to him, sheltering him, supporting him, and guiding him when he'd been lost. His life hadn't been sunshine and rainbows, but Papa Paolo had given him the experiences that he'd needed in order to accept the past that he'd run away from. Papa Paolo had taught his naive self that there were more shades of gray than black and white in the world. He'd taught him that 'good' wasn't something that other people could determine. He had to decide for himself what was good and bad.

"Just go, son," Papa Paolo soothed when Tsuna ground his teeth in frustration. He knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the right words! Just telling him what he'd done would be pointless because Papa Paolo knew better than anyone! "I know what you want to say and the intent is good enough for me," he said as he started on another beer. "If you want to do me a favor, then go make a mess for old time's sake. It's been boring as hell around here."

Tsuna slowly nodded in agreement and turned to head for the door while he tried to think of the least troublesome mess to make, only to come to a stop with his eyes widening in surprise at the man who'd entered in stealth. Seeing the guy standing next to the closed doorway with his arms crossed and a large frown, Tsuna's heart jumped in his chest and the blood rushed to his face so quickly that he felt light-headed.

"Badru..." Tsuna whispered, unsure of how to react to his sudden appearance. Should he run up and hug him? No, he couldn't. The cure was still in his system, so his whole body was a walking poison to a full-blood like Badru. Still--! Why was he there?! Hadn't the entire Clan cut Tsuna off?! Had Badru been following him? For what purpose?! Why had he shown himself at such a strange time?!

"Thee ran to a distant place, little tiger," Badru grumbled in displeasure. "I had to ride in a flying metal bird and it took me nearly three hours to find thee once my feet were planted on the ground again. Why must thee be so troublesome?"

"You followed me...?" Tsuna asked with a disbelieving smile lighting up his face over the confirmation. "You didn't have to do--"

"Thee are neglectful of yourself," Badru snapped with his expression darkening. "Thee should be resting in a hospital; not traveling so recklessly. I pray that thee has been taking your medicine." The statement instantly erased the rising joy that Tsuna had for the reunion. It reminded him that Badru had abandoned him, which quickly made him outraged over being followed.

"That's none of your business!" Tsuna exclaimed. "After what you did, you have no right to comment on my actions! I'm a free man and I can do what I want!"

"I see," Badru murmured with his angry expression dissipating. A sad smile broke out on his face, making Tsuna's heart-rate grow unsteady as a result. "I had not wanted to show myself in front of thee, but thee are more fragile now that thee are human. I feared that thee would choose someone unworthy since thee can no longer sense your mate. But... thee are correct. I no longer have a claim to thee or the right to interfere in your choices."

"Eh--?" Tsuna gaped, taken off-guard by the sudden agreement. In the blink of an eye, Badru disappeared from his sight. A finger touched his face from behind while he was in the middle of turning around to look for him. Tsuna froze at the touch, feeling a strange, familiar tingling along his cheek.

_"I'll teach ya' something good, lad," a teenage Badru said with a cocky grin as he leaned into the stagecoach from Scotland Yard who was holding a policeman in tears. "It's a dark magic, tho'... So I dunno if a bright and shiny lad like you wud be up ta' it." _

_"If it'll stop those brogues, then I do not care about the cost to myself," the officer replied from the shadows, his tears stilling in cold determination. "I won't allow this event to repeat itself."_

_"I didn't say it'd stop 'em," Badru murmured slowly in consideration. "I just says that it'd be somet'ing good." _

_It was irony. Dark magic that was supposed to be good...? There was no such thing. Unless one was incredibly careful, dark magic dirtied the spirit and corroded the purity of those who practiced it. Yet, the officer didn't hesitate in front of Badru's offer to teach. He couldn't, when his spirit had already been sullied by the sight of the innocent woman lying dead in his arms._

_"Teach me. If it gives me the smallest chance, then I don't care about the cost to myself. I'll find a way to control it."_

_"Then leave your badge behind and come with me," Badru ordered with a satisfied smile and a lack of his previous accent. "I'll teach thee everything I know and then thee can hunt as an--"_

"Avenger," Tsuna whispered with Flames dancing in his eyes. "It was you who created the Vendiche. They're the real Hunters that you created. The Council tried to imitate you in order to prove that they didn't need you, but they chose the wrong people and their Hunters turned on them. You--"

"Thee doesn't have to think about such things," Badru interrupted in a tired voice as the familiar sensation spread down Tsuna's neck and through his body. It was the same feeling that had been laced through the pain when he'd initially gotten branded by the Vendiche. Badru was undoing the curse so that the scars could fade! "The shadows have lifted and your slate has been wiped clean. You are truly a free man now, Tsunayoshi." Startled by the usage of his birth-name, Tsuna spun in place to find that Badru had disappeared once again. The customers were all slumped unconscious at their tables and a quiet ring of the bell behind him sent him spinning back around toward the door.

It only took two seconds for Tsuna to decide how to react. Choosing to chase after Badru, Tsuna left the sleepers behind, ran out of the bar, and bit his lip as soon as he got into the alley. There was no sign of which direction Badru had gone in. Tsuna had seen it for himself. Badru had the power to cross an incredible distance in a matter of seconds. No--! Tsuna amended the thought at a flare of warning from his intuition. Badru wasn't that fast at all! Tsuna had been tricked!

Darting back into the bar, Tsuna clenched his teeth together at the way that the scene had changed in the short time that he'd gone outside. It was hard to tell since everyone was waking up and beginning to move again, but the room was different than he'd left it. He couldn't specifically identify what was different, but it the feeling was enough to know that something had changed. It meant that he hadn't been the last one to leave the room. How, though?! How had Badru made it seem as if he'd disappeared?! When Tsuna had cut his own arm off, how had he crossed the distance of a city in a matter of seconds? Tsuna had to figure it out if he was going to catch him when he appeared again!

IF he appeared again.

He couldn't figure it out. It was a mystery and he wasn't the best at investigations. He could interrogate, thanks to tutoring from both Reborn and Xanxus. He could put puzzles together, thanks to the intuition provided by his bloodline. To actually hunt down clues in a mystery holding no witnesses other than himself--Tsuna didn't know where to start. If Badru had simply jumped behind the bar, Tsuna would have seen him when he'd initially turned around. There was also the mystery of how Badru had gotten the bell over the door to chime without leaving, which was what had tricked Tsuna, lured him out the door in pursuit, and given Badru the chance to escape unnoticed. There was also the mystery of how he could cross a city so quickly. Unless Tsuna could figure out the secret behind his instantaneous transport, Badru would continue to seem like an unchallengeable god. He'd continue to elude Tsuna's grasp, just as Tsuna eluded Xanxus'.

Noticing that the customers in the bar were beginning to realize that something strange had happened to the entire room, Tsuna set the mystery aside and slipped out of the bar. Keeping to the shadows, he slowly pulled pieces of a disguise out of his small travel bag and put them on as he walked. It wasn't much. He just put on a newsboy hat, a warm scarf, and took off his glasses entirely. At the first homeless man he came across, he also made a quick trade so that he could continue on in an overused corduroy coat while the guy got Tsuna's barely-used suede.

They weren't major changes, but Tsuna hoped that the watchers on him would be fooled once he left the shadows of the alley. He'd gone in wearing one thing, but he would look different when he left. Of course, the trick relied on the hypothesis that the people watching him were people who'd never met him in person. It was also relying on the likelihood that those watching him wouldn't be close enough to see his face. They'd be distracted into thinking that they'd lost their target for the small amount of time that Tsuna would need to slip out of their grasp. He still needed to make a mess for Papa Paolo, though, so escaping the city wasn't necessarily his goal. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction until he was standing in front of the one place that he'd never expected to return to.

Pasta da Paolo was nothing like he remembered. It'd become less homely and more sophisticated since Autumn had taken over. The name was still the same, but the line of people outside the door warned that it'd become closed to the public. So, doing what Tsuna did best, he lit a cigarette, ignored the line, and went inside anyway. Tsuna immediately grimaced at the interior. Chandeliers, silk table clothes, and expensive glassware was entirely out of place in Papa Paolo's old restaurant. Gone were the plastic cups and put-your-feet-on-the-table comfort. Instead, the entire place had become rigid and sparkling like a rich man's ballroom.

"Do you have a reservation?" The host next to the door asked with his nose wrinkling at Tsuna's patchwork costume. Tsuna paused for only a moment before smiling and breezing past into the first sitting area. The host immediately chased after him, but Tsuna was quick. By the time he caught up, Tsuna had already found an empty table waiting to be bussed and a chair. As expected, all conversation in the building stopped as soon as Tsuna put his feet up on the table. "Sir--! You can't--"

"Why not?" Tsuna interrupted with his smile widening. "No one was sitting here."

"I have to ask you to leave," the host replied while the waiters stared in disbelief at Tsuna's actions. "This table is reserved for--"

"I'm not leaving, so why don't you save yourself some frustration and go call the cops? You can tell them that Lazarus is causing a disturbance," Tsuna lazily suggested. "While you're at it, tell Isaac that he still owes me a bucket of Fried Calamari." Tsuna grinned as the man's face turned red, but the host wisely chose to follow Tsuna's instructions rather than argue. Turning his attention to the stalled servitors and the customers who were staring at him, Tsuna urged, "Eat. Don't let me ruin a good meal." Then, he turned his attention to the one man who hadn't stopped eating, even at Tsuna's sudden entrance.

"How's the food?" Tsuna asked.

"Surprisingly good," Reborn answered, swallowing another bite of his risotto. "I presume that you have some purpose for making a scene instead of simply joining me?"

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed. "It's time to clear up a few misunderstandings and get rid of a few pesky nuisances while I'm at it."

"How many?"

"It's hard to tell with the Martelli mixed in."

"I'll take a look around," Reborn offered, standing up from his table with a frown. "Don't forget to take your heart medication," he added on his way past. The statement ignited a warm feeling in Tsuna's chest. Even though Reborn didn't have to, he was going so that Tsuna wouldn't have to fight. Separating out the Martelli hitmen from the hitmen who were waiting on a chance to kill Tsuna would be easy for someone like Reborn. Tsuna didn't know how they'd found him so quickly, but they were definitely out there. In the short time that Tsuna had been in the city, there had been two instances where the feeling of being watched had included murderous intent. Of course, it could be his imagination, but he didn't think so. Someone out there still wanted to kill him.

Setting that aside, Tsuna looked up from his cigarette as the manager of Pasta da Paolo finally got word of the disturbance and arrived to deal with it personally. Autumn was visibly angry. She was also incredibly wise in her choice of action. While she simply glared at him, the servitors and chefs from the kitchen began emptying the tables while giving apologies. The host went outside to give apologies to the line outside, but the entire restaurant was cleared within five minutes.

"I didn't call the cops, but you know they'll be here within ten minutes," Autumn warned as the servitors left in a rush behind the last of the customers.

"I figured as much," Tsuna replied with a smile. "They'll probably want to know about the body in my grave and the fact that I should be dead."

"Why?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest in displeasure.

"Why not?"

"Damnit Laz!" She shouted in frustration. "Right when I think I've got you figured out, you--"

"My name," he interrupted calmly, "is Tsunayoshi Sawada. That wasn't a lie. If I were to take the Sixth seat, you would be tying yourself to the remnants of Vongola because I can't change the fact that I am Vongola the Tenth. That kind of attachment would destroy the Martelli Family's neutrality."

"What?" Autumn asked, confused by the abrupt explanation.

"Which is more important to you?" Tsuna asked softly. "If you had to chose, would you follow your Family's traditions or have me be your Sixth Knight?"

"Are you saying...?"

"I'm saying that what I want and what I can have are two different things. I'm not staying here, Autumn. I can't. Just look out the window if you don't believe me." Turning his own attention to the window, Tsuna smiled at the way that police cars were beginning to blockade the street. They didn't enter, though, due to the way that Tsuna's travel bag was sitting on his lap. If Tsuna's guess was correct, the combination of its presence and the empty building made them think that Tsuna was holding Autumn hostage with a bomb. "This is why I made a scene. I knew that the cops would come because, even though I did nothing threatening, I made a point of saying my name. I wanted you to see the result and here it is... A squad of police officers prepared to take down someone armed and dangerous."

"But that's not why I emptied the building," Autumn mumbled, taking a few steps toward the window in surprise.

"It doesn't matter," Tsuna replied calmly. "The FBI and the CIA shouldn't be too far behind. Actually, the entire room is probably bugged since I sent an anonymous message about an hour ago saying that Vongola the Tenth was going to appear here."

"What?!" Autumn spluttered in disbelief.

"I'm good at making messes," Tsuna said with a wide, impish smile. "You didn't think that I'd let you keep the upper hand. Did you? Now that the players are all in place, the real negotiations can start."

"Negotiations?!" Autumn shouted in outrage. "What the hell are you--"

"Hotaru," Tsuna supplied. Slowly standing so that the men outside wouldn't get anxious, Tsuna slowly put his bag on the table as if it really were a bomb and carefully snuffed his cigarette out in a glass of half-finished water. Then, pulling out another one, he lit his glove with Flames in order to light the tip. It wasn't until he was sure that he had both the cigarette lit and Autumn's undivided attention that he allowed his fist to flicker out. "I'm retired from the Mafia, but a man can't retire from being a father. With the police here, you can't make me disappear or control me like you were probably planning."

"You purposely called the cops to use them as reinforcement?!"

"Among other reasons," Tsuna nodded as he slowly began packing the room. "But back to the point. My son doesn't want to push hard since he's already squeezed the Martelli Family before. On the other hand, I know that you like to bluff a lot. The ice queen isn't so icy if you push the right buttons."

"Laz--!!"

"Shut up and sit down, Princess," Tsuna snapped. "Unless you haven't noticed the news vans behind the line of cops, it's better for you if you pretend that I'm holding you hostage."

"You're a bastard," Autumn growled as she slowly pulled out a chair and sat like he'd told her. "I hope the cops really do catch you."

"They're free to try, but they won't succeed," Tsuna sighed. "Now, before I run out of time and the cops are organized enough to raid, I want this situation dealt with."

"You're an idiot--"

"Don't start," Tsuna growled. "Just shut up--"

"No!" She shouted angrily. "You just shut up! Ross already cut ties before I left Italy! The Eleventh even sent that Reborn fellow to pay her debt so she owes Vongola instead of me! I couldn't come between those two if I tried and I can't use her to bring you in line either! So don't come in here with your high-and-mighty attitude like you're a miracle-worker that can fix everything!"

"Oh," Tsuna gaped in surprise. That was completely against what he'd expected. So Reborn hadn't come for negotiations. He'd said that so Tsuna would think the situation was still unstable and might need a little extra help. "That asshole," Tsuna grinned, seeing that he'd been used as a distraction so that Reborn could escape. "I played right into his hands again. No wonder he was so quick to leave."

"Idiot," Autumn repeated in irritation.

"Not that big of an idiot," Tsuna replied, staring out of the window at the massive crowd of police and media that was gathering. Everything was going precisely as planned. Now he had to just put a bee in the police's ear before they decided to barge in. "There really is a bomb in my bag. I'm just waiting for it to get a little darker outside before I set it off."

* * *

News reporter Wendy Sears trembled in excitement as she repeated the information being sent through her earpiece. It was the breaking story that made careers. People were still trying to track down where the anonymous tip came from, but the police believed that it was really Vongola the Tenth--former billionaire Tsunayoshi Sawada--who was holding hostages inside the upscale Italian restaurant. There was also another anonymous tip that had gone directly to her news station, specifying that Tsunayoshi Sawada and the local criminal Lazarus Timberson were the same person.

Connections were being made like crazy and it was the headline on every television station. For her to be near the scene right as the cops had begun pulling up was the lucky break that she'd been waiting on. It was the news story of a lifetime.

"...As you can see around me, the situation is still unclear," Wendy reported. "The culprit, thought to be the Italian tycoon Tsunayoshi Sawada, has holed himself up inside the restaurant and remains in plain view of the street. Updates from law enforcement tell us that he has a single hostage inside and there is concern that he has a bomb with him. As you can see from this close up that we got earlier, Sawada does have a suspicious bag with him that could easily carry an incendiary device. I'm also getting reports that the woman inside has been identified as the owner of the establishment--Autumn Martelli."

"Has Sawada made any demands?" Her co-reporter asked while Wendy listened intently so that she didn't misunderstand the questions. The atmosphere around her was intense, but she had to concentrate. She couldn't mess this up. Her co-reporter in the news room across town was counting on her. "Has he said why he's doing this?"

"No," she answered promptly. "He has refused all contact from the police and--"

Pop! _Pop!_

Bang!

With her heart in her chest, Wendy ducked below the level of the surrounding vehicles along with everyone else. Unlike those running for cover, though, she also searched around for the source of the gunshots by peering over the hood of her news van. Several people were shouting for the police to hold their fire and Wendy quickly urged her cameraman to zoom in on the front window of the restaurant. There was a hole in it, but it hadn't shattered. On the other side of the hole, Sawada stared out with something odd about him that Wendy couldn't identify.

Their eyes suddenly met, making her freeze in shock. She couldn't explain it, but she could swear that his expression softened. In that instant, she found herself thinking that he wasn't an insane maniac. He had some sort of plan and he was concerned about the people--

The stress of being on-location was getting to her, Wendy thought as she spun around and sank down beside the van. The guy busted into a restaurant with a bomb and holds a woman hostage. Of course he had a plan. He was concerned about getting his money or whatever crazy demands that he might have. That was it. By the end of the night, he'd be in jail along with every other criminal who robbed and thought they could get away with it.

"Oi," one of her crew asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied without looking up. "Can you send someone to the police liaison so we can find out what happened?"

"I already know," he murmured, crouching down next to her with a bottle of water. Taking it, Wendy pressed it against her forehead in effort to erase the headache that she was getting. There was something really strange going on, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "The culprit set off firecrackers to entice the cops into shooting," he continued softly. "Then he used the break in tension to escape while leaving behind the impression that he was still inside."

"Escape!" She yelped. Looking up in surprise, Wendy froze as her eyes locked with the culprit's. She suddenly realized what had been odd about when she'd met Sawada's eyes. First, he'd changed clothes. His reflection had been missing the hat and the badge of a police officer, but the man in front of her had both in place to make a perfect disguise. Second, she hadn't been looking at him through the glass. It was too dark for her to see through the glass! She'd been staring at a reflection created by the police lights!

"Please don't scream," Sawada murmured while looking around at the crowd out of the corner of his eye. Wendy's jaw dropped in response, instantly frightened beyond the point of screaming. What was he going to do?! Was he going to kidnap her?! "I'm not going to do anything, so just stay still and catch your breathe," he soothed, pulling his police hat lower on his head to make it harder for those around him to catch sight of his face. He continued looking around whenever there wasn't a chance of being caught, which strangely made Wendy's fear lessen. Just like she'd thought when she'd seen his expression soften the first time, Sawada wasn't a maniac and this wasn't a normal hostage situation. Something else was going on.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, following her journalistic intuition. Sawada turned back to her in astonishment for the sudden question, but Wendy was positive that she was right. Sawada wasn't in it for money and he didn't have fun terrorizing people. There was something, though. A man didn't escape a barricaded restaurant that easily unless he'd planned for it. "Is it attention?" She guessed. For some reason, Sawada smiled at the inquiry and shook his head softly.

"What's your name, Miss?"

"Wendy Sears."

"Can I call you Wendy?"

"Sure...?"

"You're too smart for your own good," he praised before adding, "If I were you, I'd get out of this line of work. A lovely lady like you shouldn't submit herself to such a violent setting." Despite herself, Wendy blushed at the statement. There were no mocking undertones or ironic sarcasm. Sawada meant what he said from the bottom of his heart, including the part about her being a 'lovely lady'. "It was nice meeting you." Without thinking, Wendy reached out and grabbed his sleeve as he turned in preparation of running. Sawada lurched at the unexpected touch and immediately spun back to duck his head before anyone could take advantage of the lapse to see his face. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

"Answer my question or I'll scream," she hissed back. This was her chance. She wasn't about to let this opprotunity go without a fight. "Why are you doing this?"

"This is why I always stayed away from reporters," he growled through clenched teeth. "You don't know when to quit. Fine. If it'll keep you quiet so I can get away, then I'll tell you. This whole thing is a distraction. I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada, sweetheart. I've got a lot of people chasing me. By coming here, where there's a lot of old traces of me when I was using the alias of Lazarus Timberson, it's like drawing the enemy to a crossroad where there's a lot of footprints. They won't be able to tell which direction I went. It's no good if they don't know that I came here, though."

"That's kind of stupid," she replied in disbelief. "If there are people chasing you, then why don't you just go to the police?"

"Why does a fox rely on tricks instead of running in a straight line like a frightened deer?" He retorted in exasperation. "It's because a fox is smart enough to know that the obvious danger isn't the only danger. A fox has the know-how to play tricks until those chasing it are confused and lose their determination. Only then will it be safe to rest. It'll take time for my pursuers to separate my tracks and I'll be even further ahead by the time they figure it out. Now--" Sawada turned once more in an attempt to leave, but Wendy grabbed his sleeve once more to pull him back. "Wendy," he said in open irritation for the delays. "I've told you what you wanted, so--"

"W-why did you stop?" She asked curiously. "You could have disappeared without anyone noticing, but you're still here."

"Because I was worried about a stupid, reckless reporter that looked over the hood of her van despite hearing gunshots!" He spluttered. "Afterward looking, it seemed like you'd fainted, so I couldn't just leave you! What if you'd gotten hurt and there was too much commotion for anyone to notice that you needed help?! I... I'd never be able to forgive myself." Wendy blushed as he ducked his head down to hide his embarrassment. Of course, she'd hoped he'd say something like that. It was just like an anti-hero in a fantasy novel, but she hadn't actually expected those sort of words to come out of his mouth. What kind of guy would really screw up the perfect escape in order to help a complete stranger?!

Then she understood what was really going on.

"You're lying," Wendy said with a slow grin spreading across her face. Sawada's head snapped up to show her an expression of dismay, but she'd already seen the truth. "You stopped to get more attention because your escape was too quiet. It was more perfect than you expected, so you stopped in hopes that I'd scream when I saw your face. That way, you could get the cops to chase you and get even more attention."

"Che," he spat with a grudging grin. "You really are too smart for your own good. It's too bad. I was really hoping that I was being romantic enough for you to fall for me."

"In your dreams," she retorted as she shifted positions. "My mama taught me how to deal with bad boys."

"Oh? How's that?"

"Like this--!" Lashing out with a foot, Wendy kicked him between the legs hard enough for his eyes to bulge. Then, as he lost his balance and fell forward on his knees, she started screaming as if her life depended on it.

* * *

Tsuna dropped his act of being in pain while Wendy's screams brought a circle of police and guns around him. Wendy had guts. He'd known that from how she'd looked over the hood of her van, which was exactly why he'd picked her to help him act out the farce of an escape. Part of his plan was to be cornered by the cops, but he hadn't wanted them to barge into the building and ruin Autumn's place.

"Don't move!" The police officers shouted. It was too funny. It was easily funny enough to make Tsuna laugh. They really thought they could catch him. Bah. At least the cameras were close enough to catch his voice now.

Begin Act Two.

"I have a message for those searching for me," he said, pitching his voice to carry over the crowd. "The midnight hour draws closer. Do not fear the empty hour. We will meet again after the new day has begun."

"You won't be meeting anyone for a long time, Lazarus," a familiar voice interrupted. Slowly standing, Tsuna couldn't help but smile as one officer in particular caught his eye.

"Demetri," Tsuna grinned while glancing to the sides at the tensed ring of officers around himself. The undercover cop Demetri was in plain clothes, but the badge around his neck and the gun in his hand left no doubt that he was a police officer. "You've grown smarter," Tsuna praised, noticing how he'd chosen to stand between Tsuna and the escape alley. Getting through would have been impossible with such a prepared foe standing in the way--had Tsuna wanted to escape through there. "But not smart enough," he laughed.

Releasing his Flame, Tsuna lit his gloves as soon as the Flame surfaced on his head and went airborne. Only a few weapons rose to meet him while the rest of the police began gaping too much to remember their duty. After all, a flying man wasn't something that they were prepared for. Tsuna paused out of reach of the police while keeping one hand ready to throw up a Flame-shield if any of them decided to start shooting.

"You can't save a man when you hunt him like he's guilty, Demetri," Tsuna admonished to the man who was shouting into a walkie-talkie below him. "And the name isn't Lazarus anymore! It's Tsunayoshi Sawada, so try to keep up!"

Demetri's reply wasn't a verbal one. Instead, the sound of helicopters drew closer. It made Tsuna want to spit when they came into sight from where they'd been hiding behind the neighboring buildings. There were three of them, all of which held FBI markings on their sides. It was going to be an endurance race. No, Tsuna amended as he pushed out his Flame to head for the city limits at top speed with prepared police cars chasing at ground level. This wasn't an endurance race. Tsuna just had to be more cunning than them.

First, he had to lose the police on the ground. That meant finding an area without such a large selection of streets to use. His options were to cross the highway a few times until he caused a wreck by changing directions too quickly or he had to find somewhere in the city that police cars simply couldn't follow. What part of the city didn't have roads? There was the park, which he didn't really want to see messed up. There was too much of a chance for pedestrians to get hurt by the sudden presence of the more gung-ho police officers. There was also the garbage dump, which really wouldn't help him since bulldozers made new roads there all the time.

Oh!

Abruptly diving, Tsuna only paused at street-level long enough to pull off a man-hole cover. As he jumped down into the hole, police cars squealed to a stop above him. He was smart, though. Rather than running head-long, he kept his wits and ensured that the man-hole cover fell into place above his head. He also stopped long enough to weld it shut in a few places. The police on the surface wouldn't see the small bits of welding on his side, but it'd ensure that they wouldn't be able to follow him until they gave up and tried a different one.

Now he just had to find a place to escape from without being noticed and he knew exactly where to go. He stopped several times during his flight through the sewer tunnels, discarding his police disguise along the way so that the sewer water would carry it further away--in a different direction. He'd left his bag at Pasta da Paolo on purpose so that they could get his DNA and fingerprints, so he didn't have a back-up disguise to work with. All he had was his undershirt, pants, and shoes. His lack of clothes was a bit misleading, though. His silhouette could be easily altered thanks to such a basic foundation. All he had to do was to get somewhere that he could snatch a sweatshirt.

After thirty minutes of flying around the tunnels, Tsuna reached his destination. From this side, it seemed like nothing more than a sealed runoff. However, the sound coming from the other side gave it away. He could hear people laughing and the noise from skateboarding. It was the hidden underground skate-park that Ollie had once shown him a long, long time before. It was still being used, which told him exactly where he was. He was in the Pitts--a place where no one would look twice if someone crawled out of the sewers.

Choosing not to unseal the hatch and enter the skate-park, Tsuna headed for the nearest man-hole access and carefully peeked out before surfacing. The area was completely deserted, just like he'd expected. Quickly scrambling out, Tsuna put the cover back into place before snuffing his Flame and running for the nearest alley. He slowed down once he wasn't so exposed, although it was difficult when the cold air finally closed in on him. He was freezing! He was able to bear the cold by keeping his Flame increased to the maximum level without allowing it to surface, but it was still an incredible strain on his body. He shouldn't even be out of bed yet, so all the craziness actions that he'd taken had been at a high risk.

It wasn't over yet, he reminded himself. He still needed a new disguise and some way to escape the city without being seen. With the airport being nearby, they'd catch him if he escaped by air. He needed.... He needed a motorcycle. He needed something that could go off-road in case the cops caught on and he needed a jacket that could keep him warm while riding it. The helmet would hide his face and he could show one of the fake IDs in his wallet if he got pulled over. The hard part was that he only had about an hour to get it and escape. If he waited any longer, the news of his antics would spread and average civilians would be able to aid the police in finding him.

Clothes first, Tsuna decided. Jogging to the closest resale thrift shop that he could remember, Tsuna couldn't take his time in shopping. The place didn't have a television, but it was always possible that the clerk would be listening to the radio on headphones or had a live news-feed on a cellphone. So, he snatched up the items that he needed, paid for them quickly, and borrowed the place's changing room to get dressed in. Tossing his black slacks aside, he threw on a pair of thick sweats before covering them with a pair of over-sized denim jeans. The combination would keep him warm while making him look bigger. He followed the same method with his upper body by first putting on a hooded sweatshirt under his new--used--leather jacket. The jacket had seen better days, but that only helped him. Something that was old didn't gain as much attention as something sparkling and new.

Leaving the store, he stopped at a pawn shop less than a block away to get a scarf, a bandanna, and a pair of sunglasses. By wrapping the scarf around his neck and tucking it under his sweatshirt, it made it harder to tell that his neck was too skinny for his new build. The head-wrap hid his hair and the sunglasses aided in making it harder to identify him. It wasn't until after he paid and left the shop that he threw his hood up to finish the disguise. Now it'd take a miracle for anyone to recognize him on sight!

Grinning to himself, Tsuna already knew where to find the motorcycle that he needed, too. He just had to take a quick trip back to the Peephole and wait for the the drunk bikers inside to come out. The fact that only one of them was sober worked in his favor.

"Oi," he said in greeting while the two drunk men went to their bikes. "Let me drive for you."

"Wha wuz tha?" One of the bikers asked with his eyes glazed over from drinking.

"You don't want to wreck your bike, do you?" Tsuna explained while purposely looking up and down the alley in a nervous fashion. The sober one noticed it immediately, but wisely kept quiet while Tsuna quickly talked. "I'll pay you to let me drive," he offered. "I've got enough cash to fill up all of your tanks with gas in exchange. I just have to get out of town."

"Is someone chasing you?" The sober woman asked while the other two sat on their bikes before their weaving-in-place became noticeable.

"Something like that," Tsuna nodded. "It doesn't matter where you're going. Just let me come with you. You can tell me to get off whenever you want."

"We're leaving the city," she warned. "Do you think you can handle the highway if there's ice?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed in hope.

"Then get on in front of Don and follow me," she smiled as she slid into place in front of her boyfriend. "You can explain your situation later. We need to get moving and you're right in saying that Don is too drunk to drive."

"I'm phine!" Don objected drunkenly.

"Don," she growled.

"Okay," he agreed sheepishly. "But he butter not phuck up."

"I won't," Tsuna promised as he jumped on in front of the guy. Holding out his hand for the keys, Tsuna couldn't stop smiling as the guy behind him threw on his helmet and handed Tsuna a smaller spare that was tied to his saddle-bag. Tsuna could guess that it belonged to the person who should have shown up to drive, but Tsuna had gotten lucky since that person had never shown up.

Once the engine was going and the helmet was covering Tsuna's head instead of the sweatshirt hood, Tsuna slightly relaxed. The hard part was over. Now he could escape with no problem. There hadn't been enough time for roadblocks to be set up and, even with the FBI directing the search, Tsuna doubted that they'd know where to search after he left the city. After all, he wasn't known for going outside of the city limits unless it was in the direction of leaving the country. They'd likely check all of his old hideouts and haunts before moving on to the airports and docks. Checking the roads and bus stations would be at the bottom of their list, by which time he'd be well-hidden from random searching.

He'd head for California at a casual pace so the search could out-run him. It'd take a while to cross the distance by land, but he could take a cruise ship from California to Japan and then take a plane from Tokyo to Hong Kong. He could stay in Hong Kong for a while to rest before heading back to Italy through a series of random plane-rides and bus-trips. Tours, he thought in consideration. Maybe he could join up with a sight-seeing tour once he got in the area of Poland. If he could find one that went through England, Ireland, Spain, France, and Italy, then he could reach his destination without anyone knowing what his destination was. Actually, he could find one that had Italy as a middle-way stop and drop off early with excuses that he had to return home to care for his suddenly ill mother-in-law. That would work. Not only would he get there without anyone noticing, but he could study popular bakery trends along the way if he joined a themed tour. Perhaps there was a 'worldwide bakery tour' that he could join...? He doubted that he'd get so lucky, but the possibility was worth a look online through his compact when he got a chance to breathe.

Thinking about his compact made him slowly realize that the man sitting behind him wasn't as drunk as he seemed. He was moving slowly enough that Tsuna hadn't noticed it due to the vibration of the motorcycle and the padding of his clothes, but Don's hands were clumsily searching Tsuna's pockets while they drove down the highway. He found Tsuna's chain of rings and his compact, but didn't take them out. The lack of theft told Tsuna what the guy was searching for--a weapon. Even in the way he shifted in his seat to press against Tsuna's back was an attempt to check for something hard that might be hidden under his clothing. Since the search ended quickly with the helmeted passenger shaking his head to the passenger on the other bike, Tsuna chose to ignore it. He'd probably have done the same thing in Don's place, considering that Tsuna was a complete stranger with a suspicious need to escape the city.

After that, nearly an hour passed before they crossed county lines and Tsuna could fully relax enough to enjoy the ride. Of course, that was also the point where they had to stop for gas. Pulling in behind the woman driver, Tsuna grimaced as he cut the engine. He was probably going to have to go in and pay, which meant he'd have to take off his helmet--

"Give me the cash and I'll go pay while you pump," Don offered as he slid out from behind him. "We only use super unleaded, so it'll take about forty bucks each." Tsuna nodded and quickly flipped up the wind-shield of his helmet so that he could see into his wallet better. He'd made sure to bring a lot of cold, hard cash since he didn't want to use his credit card too much. It wasn't that he didn't trust Father Robert's ability to get one through an alias, but paper-trails took longer to follow than digital-trails. It would be best to leave it for an emergency.

"Here," Tsuna said. Thrusting a couple of hundred dollar bills into Don's hands, Tsuna closed his wallet and stuffed it back into his pocket before anyone could notice how much he had on himself.

"Whoa! Why so much?"

"Coffee so you can sober up," he answered hurriedly while he opened the gas tank to begin fueling. "Can you get me some, too? It's cold as hell out here."

"Don't worry about that," Don laughed as he headed for the station. "We're almost there, so hold off. There's no sense in wasting money when there will be a pot waiting on us."

"Eh?"

"There's a farm about ten minutes from here," the woman explained from the next pump as her boyfriend darted inside to borrow the restroom. "In the fall, our gang splits up to scout for new blood and we meet back at the farmhouse in the winter. After the new year, we convoy down to Florida as a training run to teach the new kids the rules of the road, then we head across the country through Spring and Summer. Me and Don are a bit late because we couldn't fill our qouta. We got Adam pretty early, but the other bailed on us. I hope you don't mind, but it'd really help us out if you could pretend to be a new recruit. You seem to be running from something anyway, so this would probably help you out. Give it some thought. Okay? For tonight, you can stay at the farmhouse with us. Unless you've got somewhere else to go...?"

"No!" Tsuna gaped in surprise for the offer. "That works perfectly for me! You said you're going cross country? Any chance you guys are heading for California? If so, I'm more than happy to hang around until then."

"The Lady of Fortune must be smiling on me today," she sighed in relief. "Don and me have gone four years without bringing anyone new in, so the rest of the Golems were starting to doubt us. We tried hard this year to find someone, but Adam was the only one that didn't back out after a day."

"Golems... Golems... Why does that sound familiar?" Tsuna asked as he hung up the gas pump and recapped the tank along with the woman.

"Dunno," she shrugged. "We usually stay pretty quiet around these parts."

"Well, if I'm going to be sticking around, why don't we have the guys grab some booze with the change from the gas?" Tsuna asked. "Consider it my appreciation for letting me tag along."

"Deal," she grinned before darting into the station to tell the others. While she was gone, Tsuna considered stealing the bike--twice. He couldn't, though. Not only had they been considerate of him, but a motorcycle was a biker's home away from home. It was a much better idea to stay quiet and slip away during the night than steal something so precious. It really wasn't a bad idea to stick with them until California, either. He'd be better hidden in a crowd.

It took the others nearly twenty minutes to pick out their selection of liquor and come back out to where Tsuna was waiting. The choices were good in Tsuna's opinion. Not only did they get enough bottles of beer to fill an entire saddlebag, but they also chose a large bottle of bourbon, two bottles of whiskey, and a bottle of vodka. The amount allowed Tsuna to guess that there were roughly two dozen people waiting on them. Possibly more.

Tsuna felt a bit anxious as they carefully turned off the main road. He felt apprehensive when they turned off the side road and got on an uncultivated dirt road holding a 'no trespassing' sign. The estimate of ten minutes was nearly perfect, though. Even with the slow speed in effort to avoid ice puddles in the dark and the way that the surrounding foliage encroached to let nothing larger than a motorcycle pass, it opened back up to a fence-lined road within the estimate.

The area was beautiful, as if it were a hidden wonderland. Acres upon acres of rolling hills were covered in a moonlit blanket of snow with leaf-less trees sprouting up at suspiciously regular intervals. They weren't close enough for him to think of an orchard, but they were plentiful enough to know that they'd been purposely planted. The white-washed, three story farmhouse was atop a hill in the distance and Tsuna's guard flew up as they got close enough to see the amount of people who'd been called out by the echoing roar of the bikes. There seemed to be much more than two dozen with the way that they continued to pour out of the house. The shot-gun wielding guards on the barn next to it weren't very welcoming, either.

Slowing to a stop before he could enter the large, empty courtyard in front of the barn, Tsuna felt the sudden urge to retreat. Something was there that shouldn't be there.

"Go on," Don urged from behind him. "They look tough, but they don't bite."

"No," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. Throwing down the kickstand, Tsuna slipped off the motorcycle and carefully took off his helmet. Handing it over, he knew that he couldn't ignore his intuition. Going inside was a very, very bad idea. "Thanks for everything, but I'll walk back," he said before throwing his hood up and hurriedly walking away. He grimaced as Don shut off the engine and chased after him, but the guy didn't follow for more than a few steps before giving up.

"What's wrong?" He called, not comprehending Tsuna's sudden change-of-heart. "At least come in and warm up! It's got to be twenty degrees out here! You're going to freeze to death before you make it anywhere! At least let us take you back to the station!" Tsuna grimaced and paused, knowing that the guy had a point. He'd be walking for an hour or two before he could even get to a place to call a taxi, assuming there were any in the area. It'd be just as long of a walk if he wanted to try hitchhiking. Turning back, Tsuna opened his mouth to accept the offer and--

"Shit!" He choked and broke into a run at the sight of an auburn and orange tanuki. He knew that he didn't have a chance in hell of escaping without his Flame, so he set it free. He didn't do it fast enough, though. Ginger caught up before he could get airborne and grabbed onto his leg. Pulling him down with excessive force, Tsuna couldn't compensate in time to save himself from being thrown to the ground. The impact knocked his breathe away and sent a spasm through his chest that made it difficult to fight back as Ginger attempted to pin him down. It became a rolling battle in the snow in which Tsuna didn't have the strength to win. The pain in his chest was too much. He couldn't--

Ginger was knocked away with a surprised yelp and Tsuna found his head lifted off the ground. Before he could regain his senses enough to react, a small pill was shoved in his mouth with a handful of melted snow following. Swallowing was his only option despite the difficulty caused by the pain in his chest. The pain came with every breath, making it difficult to inhale, which only increased his panic. The panic made his heart race, which increased the pain even more. He was having another heart attack! He was going to die before he had a chance to do anything!

"Calm down," a voice ordered in his ear as a warm hand crawled under his shirt and pressed against his chest. The words alone probably wouldn't have helped, but the addition of the hand gave him something to focus on outside of the pain. He could feel his heart thumping against it, drawing his attention as if he were being hypnotized by a ticking clock. "Calm down," the voice repeated as oxygen finally filled Tsuna's lungs. The sudden ability to breathe left him dizzy, but he began to relax when the resulting spasm of pain was less intense than the previous one. "Calm down," Badru repeated a third time.

"Badru," Tsuna gasped, causing the pain to momentarily worsen.

"Don't speak, little tiger," Badru warned. "Thee must become calm or else your heart will falter. I warned thee before to take your medicine, but thee left them behind." Badru pressed a finger against Tsuna's lips before he could respond. Following the command to be silent, Tsuna tried to relax in Badru's arms until the attack passed. It wasn't easy, though. Not with the way that Ginger standing offensively nearby with his hackles raised. The tanuki was understandably angry. Not only had Tsuna faked his death, but Vongola headquarters had caught fire and the Family was in a mess. He wanted to know what was going on and he was frustrated at himself over being helpless.

So, he growled and barred his teeth until a heartbreakingly familiar woman walked forward to thump him on his head with her cane.

"Stop that," Ore's grandmother snapped. "Just because someone starts running away doesn't mean that you have to chase him down and hurt him. Now, you boy," she continued as she turned to Badru. "Take Laz inside and we'll make him comfortable on the couch until his spell passes. If I'm not mistaken from how much he's sweating, he's sick and pushed himself too far."

"Thee are a wise woman," Badru praised with a gracious nod. "But I am afraid that I can not enter your home, else your family would be at risk. I must ask thee to care for him in my stead."

"Looks like you stole another good one from the ladies," Granny admonished Tsuna as she waved for a few of the other bikers to come help. Tsuna cracked a smile at the sarcasm in her voice, but refused to let go of Badru's shirt. He needed to apologize for getting angry at Badru. After all, it wasn't Badru's fault that Tsuna had become something 'fragile' to him. He was just trying to protect Tsuna in his own way. He had to repair their relationship while he had the chance or else it'd turn into the same situation that Tsuna already had with Xanxus. He knew that, yet he couldn't find the words. He felt completely speechless as soon as Badru's eyes met his.

"Do not worry," Badru soothed with a knowing smile. "We will watch over thee until your strength returns."

"We...?" Tsuna asked hesitantly. In answer, Aster appeared over Badru's shoulder for a moment before disappearing so quickly that Tsuna doubted his sight. They had both been watching over him? "Why?" He asked, feeling his heart break as Badru pried his hand away and forced him into the hands of Granny's helpers. "Why do you keep disappearing?!" He shouted without a care for how it made his chest hurt. "Why won't you take me with you?!"

"I can not," Badru murmured sadly. He refused to meet Tsuna's eyes. "Please rest. I beg thee. If thee does not, I fear that I will do something that will make thee unhappy." Reaching out, Tsuna attempted to stop him from leaving, only to have his hand grasp onto air as Badru gracefully dodged. Before Tsuna could extend his reach to try again, Badru jumped and landed twenty yards away. Then he jumped again to land on the roof of the farmhouse. Finally, he jumped out of sight into the trees behind the neighboring barn and disappeared.

"No..." Tsuna moaned, knowing that he didn't have the strength to follow. He could barely stand up with the help of Granny's 'kids'. "Badru!" He screamed in frustration. "Stop running away, you bastard!"

"Hush," Granny admonished as she thumped her cane lightly against his head. "You'll be staying here until the New Year and I don't want to hear any back-sass from you. I'll have the boys set up something for your friends, too, so don't you worry. Just get your tail inside so we can sit down with some warm tea and I can hear why you're singing and dancing instead of acting like fertilizer."

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed in a subdued tone while two men helped him toward the farmhouse. As Tsuna had feared, Ginger fell in next to them and didn't wait to get inside to ask his questions. He started before they even got to the gate in the chain-length fence that kept the bikers from driving all over Granny's front yard.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Ginger barked in anger. "Where's Xanxus?"

"I knew I should have run faster," Tsuna replied with a note of apology in his voice. "Xanxus and I split up. Actually, you can say that he dumped me and I've been refusing a reunion."

"Figures," Ginger grumbled as they reached the porch. "You crave dependence and he craves independence. You two aren't good together unless it's for short stints. Now, explain the fire."

"Vongola..." Tsuna paused as Don held the door open to let Granny go in first. The fire wasn't something that could be easily explained. He understood it and he knew what the source had been, but to explain it to someone who wasn't a Vongola Boss was like trying to teach quantum mechanics to a baby. It was impossible to explain the reasoning in a way that could be comprehended. The best way that he could think to say it was to boil it down to the most noticeable detail, "Vongola is having death throes."

While Ginger turned into a statue, Tsuna allowed himself to be led inside to a large, worn couch. He practically collapsed into it due to his lack of strength. He'd pushed himself. Not only had he spent the whole day at the bakery, spent three hours in a police standoff, and used a lot of energy in escaping, but he'd also driven over two hours on a motorcycle, nearly given himself another heart attack, and still couldn't figure out why the house gave him such a sick feeling in his stomach. It wasn't just Ginger. There was something else hidden within that he couldn't identify.

The combination made him feel incredibly weary.

"Granny," Don asked curiously as the elderly black woman settled into an over-sized armchair and the rest of the group milled around in curiosity. "Do you know this guy?"

"Of course I do," she replied with a firm nod. "I doubt that all of you remember this young fool, but you've all met before. You boys helped Ore save him from a lynching several years ago."

"Eh?" Several people gaped in confusion.

"But Granny," the biker woman from earlier objected, "I thought we went to that guy's funeral."

"Why do you think they call him Lazarus?" Granny replied with a wink. "This lad can't die."

"I'm sorry to correct you, but I can," Tsuna interjected. "And Lazarus was never my real name."

"Well, we figured that out, boy!" Granny laughed. "I reckon that it's not Suoh, either. Is it?"

"No, ma'am," he replied. "It might be a little unbelievable, but my real name is Tsunayoshi Sawada and I'm the former Boss of the Vongola Mafia Family. I immigrated here illegally ten years ago from Italy in effort to start a new life."

"Oh-ho!" She grinned as the rest of the room broke out into hushed whispers of disbelief and awe. "No wonder you were so business savvy and the Dragons prospered! You already had experience with organized crime!"

"That's also why I fought it every step of the way," Tsuna murmured with a slow, painful nod. "I didn't want to create a gang, but it's in my blood. Trouble follows me around no matter where I go and people will gather no matter how I try to stop it. That's why I'm on the run right now. People can't gather if my banner doesn't stay in one place. If I keep moving, people will be forced to gather under my son's flag instead of mine. That's why... I'd like to request to temporarily join your riders until they reach California. I'll be hidden better in a large group and those pursuing me won't expect me to take such a risk. After all, the more people who know my identity, the more chances there are to be sold out."

"No one here will sell you out," Granny said firmly, scowling over the suggestion. "I taught you how to ride. That makes you Family. You're Ore's brother and Boulder is Ore's brother so that makes you Boulder's brother. Got it? So you better start calling me Granny like everyone else or I'll put you over my knee and smack some sense into you. The Lord knows that all of you keep your brains in your ass."

"Yes, Granny," Tsuna agreed with a warm smile. Then his smile faltered, still feeling as if there were something rotten under his nose. His expression didn't go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" Granny asked. "You got some problem with calling me Granny?"

"No," Tsuna replied. "But is everyone here? I've got a feeling... Are you hiding something? Or maybe... is someone hiding from me?"

"Now that you mention it, where's Gabe?" Don asked as everyone started looking around in curiousity. "Did he go to bed early again?"

"Gabe?" Tsuna repeated while his stomach flipped. "Gabriel," he growled. His eye started twitching as he clenched his teeth shut and attempted to keep himself calm. It couldn't be a coincidence. Gabriel was there. It was the same bastard that raped him and corrupted the time that he'd had with Snicker. It was the same bastard that he'd been forced to spend a year in prison for!

Clenching his fists shut, Tsuna tried to stay calm. The urge to kill was inside him, but he... He wasn't like that anymore. He couldn't kill a man for his own pride.

"Everyone out," Granny ordered as his expression darkened even more. "Jake, go make some coffee and warm up some leftovers for Laz. Larry, go wake up Boulder and tell him to get his ass down here, flu or no flu. Shane, you take two of the boys and go set up cots and a heater in the shed for Laz's friends. Put out a couple of plates and something warm to drink while you're at it." Everyone slowly scattered without argument, noticing for themselves that Tsuna was losing the battle to keep his face from contorting with rage. As soon as they were alone together, Granny leaned forward in her seat with her hands clasped together on her cane. "Lazarus," Granny sighed while Tsuna tried to get control of himself. "Son, I'm going to tell it to you straight. Gabriel already told me the truth of what he did to you. He's been with us for two years now and we got the truth from him during his first winter with us."

"Did he tell you--"

"He told us everything," she confirmed solemnly. "I'm telling this story, Laz. Not you. So will you hear it out? I think what I have to say might interest you."

"I'll listen," he agreed with a scowl. "But I can't promise that it'll change anything."

"Very well. Let me start with that winter two years ago. He was running when he joined us. As you probably already know, he had many underlings who took pleasure in forcing others to submit. Well, what you probably don't know is that _he _was their greatest pleasure."

"Eh?"

"Just listen," she ordered. "Gabe's so-called friends had very wicked hearts. Gabe always felt that he was the unnoticed extra in his family and they knew that. His sister was beautiful, talented, and charismatic. No matter how much he tried to prove himself, the praise never lasted. His father was incapable of filling the hole in his heart and the people around him always assumed the worst of him. He always quietly dealt with it, though. He kept trying his best in the shadows... until the day he met you."

"When I punched him," Tsuna supplied.

"No," she snapped, making Tsuna jerk in surprise. "That was the second time you met. I see. You don't remember the first time. If what he says is correct, it was the first night you showed up at Kink's. He said that he fell for you at first sight and he paid a lot of money that night to keep you sitting in his lap. He said that he'd felt as if that hole had been filled by just having you nearby. Assuming that what he's told me is correct, you were buttered up pretty nicely by that time and feeling the heat, if you know what I mean."

"I was horny," Tsuna mumbled, his face lighting up in embarrassment.

"Yup," she nodded. "He tried to get you into the bathroom to take care of it and he'd wanted to tell you how he felt while he was at it... and you'd been willing, but then Gigi came along--"

"My way of the ninja," Tsuna interrupted as the memory finally surfaced. "Gigi was trying to protect me by not letting me go with Gabriel and Gabriel insulted her. I was drunk, but I told him to apologize--"

"And then you left with Gigi," Granny continued, forcibly taking control of the story again. "Your opinion of him was completely destroyed and you refused all of his attempts to get close to you after that. It was the same misjudgment that he was accustomed to getting from everyone else. They assumed the worst of him and that's exactly what they got because that was all that they were willing to see. Anyway, while he was down in the dumps from being rejected, those twisted scumbags went to work on him. They boosted his arrogance and his confidence, holding him up like a puppet King. He thought he was in charge, but they learned what buttons to press to make him dance to their tune. Once, he almost broke free of them. He tried to talk your friend, that Eric boy, out of Kink's so that he could set the record straight through a third person. You stopped him, so he tried to get you outside by picking a fight."

"But I broke his nose and threw him out by himself," Tsuna grimaced.

"Yup. Then on that night you sold yourself, his friends pushed him over the edge. See, Gabriel could have met your price at any time. He had a lot of profits stored up for the race with his sister. The reason that he didn't do it was because he really loved you. He didn't want to put you in a corner with something as simple as money, but when you went with Xanxus so willingly... he snapped."

"And his friends used me to bring out the worst in him," Tsuna supplied while struggling to keep memories of the first night that he'd been raped from surfacing.

"He didn't question it until he started talking about it with us, but Gabe doesn't remember a lot of that night," Granny interjected quietly. "He remembers waiting for you and confronting you and even stripping you, but that's all he did. When the others started becoming vicious with you, he got in the way of one of their boots to protect you and was knocked out. When he woke up again, he had a knot on the back of his head and was back in his bed. The others spun a story that they'd had to pull him off of you and that he'd been the one to kill you. They told Gabe that they'd hid your body to protect him and he... he was heartbroken at that point."

"But I didn't die," Tsuna objected.

"His heart still broke from thinking he hurt you," she replied. "He waited for you to turn him in. He figured that they'd get his DNA from inside you and it'd be all over, but the police never connected him to the case. Doesn't that tell you something, Laz? Gabe's DNA is on file from previous attempts to arrest him, but they didn't make a connection."

"They didn't find it because it wasn't there," Tsuna gaped. "But what about the other times?! He cornered me time after time at work and he held Charlie hostage!"

"What would you do in his position?" She countered sternly. "Doing it the right way wasn't getting him anywhere and you already considered him lower than scum. Yes, he did corner you. But he admitted it and he knows that he did wrong. He was pissed off and jealous that you'd found a lover, so he tried to scare you away before he lost control and hurt you again. It's you that didn't take the hint and continued to torment him by sticking around."

"You're saying that it's my fault that he didn't have self-control?!" Tsuna spluttered in disbelief.

"No," she sighed. "I'm saying that both of you are at fault. Think of it this way. What person holds a bag of drugs in front of an addict, then tells him that he can't have it? It's true that Gabe had a problem, but you didn't make it any easier for him to deal with. The withdrawal became harder and harder for him to deal with until he snapped and really did rape you. He's admitted it and he's regretted it ever since."

"But he did it again--" Tsuna broke off at the sad look in Granny's eyes and tried to take a step back from his self-righteous defense. If everything that Granny said was true, then Gabriel probably hadn't been very sane by the third time. Even if he had been, he'd been twisted beyond the point of common sense, just like Tsuna had been when he believed that Snicker's ghost had really been talking to him. "I never tried to understand him," Tsuna whispered, realizing that he really did have a hand in making Gabriel into what he'd become. "He tried reaching out, but I just ignored him and spat on his feelings."

"Gabe is hurting in a bad way," Granny continued calmly. "Because of what happened, he's lost everything that he's ever known. He can't even walk down the street without being hated. He tried to find a way to atone for what he did, but no one would give him a chance. His reputation is too soiled and he was on the edge of killing himself when Boulder found him. He's done better since joining us. The Golems don't stay in one place long enough for the individuals to build a reputation, so he takes some solace in contributing to the group. Everyone here knows his past and they know that he carries a lot of guilt over it, but they don't hold it against him. There's really nothing that he can do to erase what he did in the past, but he's determined to not repeat the same mistakes. That counts a lot with us. He's trying to live a decent life now. So, while I understand that you might not be able to forgive him, I will ask that you--"

"I'll forgive him," Tsuna interrupted softly.

"Are you sure that you can?" Granny asked bluntly, unsurprised by Tsuna's statement. "I was only going to tell you to not do any permanent damage. Honestly, that boy could probably use a dose of your anger."

"Eh?"

"Id bedder if you do id than he does it do himself," a new man said as he entered the room. From Granny's earlier mention of the flu, Tsuna quickly identified him as Boulder. He didn't look like a Boulder, though. It was true that he had rock-hard muscles like Ore, but he was surprisingly normal outside of his handlebar mustache. He blew his nose as soon as he came in and directed the two people following him to lay out coffee and food for Tsuna on the living room table. "Dun stop un my accound," he continued while holding his mug of coffee up to his nose.

"This is Boulder," Granny introduced. "Everyone calls him 'Bo'. Bo, you already know Laz."

"I'd shake your hand, but I dun wanna get you sick," he said with a nod of greeting. "This is about Gabe, righd?"

"You got it," Granny confirmed. "I thought you might want a say in this since they'll both be riding with you."

"Don gabe me de run down," he replied, blowing his nose again. This time, he seemed to get it to clear some so that he could speak normally. "Don gave me the run down," he repeated. "Laz needs to ride to get to Cali without any eyes watching, but Gabe might be hurt by it. I say we do it anyway. Gabe needs to toughen up some more. I've never seen such a soggy sack of shit in my life as that cry-baby."

"Be nice," Granny admonished. "Gabe comes in handy at times."

"He got us out of that mess in Vegas," Boulder nodded. "I'm not saying that he's not handy, but he's too quiet. He's been with us two years, but he folded in on himself after that first winter. If it weren't for the fact that we all keep an eye on him, he'd probably disappear without anyone noticing. I didn't want to say it in front of Granny, but he tried to kill himself four times that first year. Twice, he wrecked his bike on purpose. After that, I made him drive up front with me so that he couldn't crash without taking all of us out. Then he tried to slit his wrists when we stopped for showers and sleep. The last time, we caught him trying to cut his own dick off. He's probably still got scars, but we stopped him before he could succeed. He's been better this past year. No suicide attempts, but I know that it's still eating at him. I don't think he knows that Laz is here yet, but I put three people in his room with him just to make sure that he doesn't try anything funny like jumping out a window."

"Why do you go so far for him if he's so much trouble?" Tsuna asked in confusion.

"Because we've all fucked up," Boulder answered solemnly. "We might not have been through the same thing as Gabe, but everyone in the Golems has a story. We ride because all of us have a past to ride away from and it keeps us facing forward. Gabe just needs some more time before he can get his shit straight and... once he does... he'll be able to help others do the same thing. If he can get it together, I think he'll make a good second in case something happens to me. Gabe is a little mixed up, but he's got a few virtues that we respect more than charisma and looking pretty. We just have to get him sorted out so he can show more of his good side."

"I have an idea if you're willing to play along," Tsuna murmured in thought. "It'll kill two birds with one stone. Not only will everyone get through the next year in one piece, but Gabriel should be able to regain his balance."

"What do you have in mind?" Boulder asked with a curious, mischievous grin.

"It's like this..."


	143. Chapter 143 Renewal

Gabriel gave a long stretch before turning off the alarm on his watch and scratching his belly with a feeling of laziness. After waking up at the same time for two years straight, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. However, he didn't really want to get up, either. Winter was the hardest part of the year for him. Actually, that title went to Fall when the Golems split into different directions, but Winter was still difficult. Around this time, the Family would be gearing up for the holidays and the city would be swarming with people. Autumn was probably still steaming over his absence at Thanksgiving and Charlie would be pulling his hair out in effort to find a present that she wouldn't turn her nose up at.

Bah, screw them, Gabriel thought as he sat up in his bed. Rubbing his head in effort to get rid of his mild hangover, he yawned and slowly got up. His first stop was the bathroom, where he took a sinfully long shower. His showers were actually the reason that he had to get up so early. Too many people complained that he stole all the hot water if he didn't finish in enough time to let it heat up again before the rest of the gang woke.

He felt much more human after he trimmed his goatee, got dressed, and tied his hair back with a bandanna. It was starting to get long and shabby, he noticed. Of course, it didn't matter if he was shabby anymore. He didn't have anyone to impress. The pressures of his Family were gone. The pressures of his friends were gone. The pressures of his obsession was gone. He was free now. There was only him, the road, and the unending prayer that he'd disappear into a sunset.

Since he knew that Boulder would kick his ass for thinking like that, Gabriel headed downstairs to see if Granny needed help with breakfast. She was behind the frying pan like normal, although she was yawning more than usual. That could only mean one thing.

"Did someone come in last night?" Gabriel asked curiously as he started laying biscuits out onto a cookie sheet for her.

"Don and Abby," she confirmed tiredly. "They brought in two new guys. Adam is bunking upstairs with Larry and Mouse is sleeping on the couch. Why don't you go wake him and see how he wants his eggs while I get the gravy started? Just be gentle and don't startle him. He had surgery recently, so his heart is a little touchy."

"Sure thing, Granny," he replied with a smile. Finishing up the biscuits, he laid the pan on the counter for Granny before heading into the living room with a handtowel to get the grease off his hands. Just like she said, Mouse was curled up on the couch under a mountain of blankets. Only his hair was poking out, which made Gabriel smile a bit as he tossed the towel over his shoulder. He never understood where the others found the people that they did. It was always such an odd assortment. With a name like 'Mouse', Gabriel guess that the latest guy was some sort of little pipsqueak that got scared easily. He really wouldn't be great biker material, but no one was useless.

"Hey," he whispered, kneeling down to give Mouse a gentle shake. "Mouse, it's almost time to wake up. Granny needs to know how you want your eggs. Hey. Wakey, wakey--" Pulling back the blankets to see if his eyes were open yet, Gabriel was stunned at the sight of a face that he shouldn't be able to look at.

Suoh was dead.

Suoh was asleep on the couch.

He'd personally gone to the morgue to check his body. Suoh was dead.

Suoh was asleep on the couch.

It couldn't be Suoh. Suoh. Was. Dead! It had to be an impersonator. That was possible, right? Suoh had been impersonating Black X, so it wasn't too far-fetched that there were others like him. That was it. That had to be it, because Suoh was d-e-a-d. DEAD!

Fallling backward on his rear, Gabriel continued to stare in blank shock. Was this some sort of test? Was he going to fail and end up doing the same things all over again? Mouse looked just like Suoh. It was like Suoh was right in front of him. Was he going to end up raping this guy, too? It was too cruel. Why was he being tested like this? No. He was being punished. That had to be it. God was punishing him for what he'd done to Suoh because he hadn't done anything to atone for his misdeeds.

He didn't know what to do.

Quietly getting to his feet, Gabriel stumbled out to the porch and gasped for air. His entire body shook with fear. How was he supposed to deal with this? He was already shaking so hard that he could barely stand. There was no way that he could trust himself in front of Mouse once the guy was awake. As soon as he heard the voice and saw the eyes, it'd be over. He wouldn't be able to control himself, yet he couldn't bear the thought of destroying another person.

He... He had to go.

He had to get as far away as he could before Mouse woke up.

Stepping off the porch, he headed toward the barn at a fast walk. There was no one guarding the bikes, but Gabriel didn't question his luck. Whoever was on duty probably ran inside to take a piss. It just meant that he could get away without being noticed--

Gabriel froze as soon as he pushed the barn door open. Within, the entire gang was already mounted on their bikes and none of them were surprised by his sudden arrival. A few had been nodding off in their seats, but they all woke with the light that Gabriel let in with the open barn door.

"If you want to take a ride, we'll go with you," Boulder offered, tossing Gabriel a helmet. Gabriel caught it out of habit, but it fell from his hands almost as quickly. He felt numb. He felt confused. He felt lost. How was he supposed to get away now? No one was going to let him leave by himself.

"No one is going to let you run away," a sleepy voice explained from behind him. Gabriel turned around and quickly backpeddled away when he saw that Mouse had been the one to speak. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and he was rubbing sleep out of his eyes, but it was him. It was the man who looked far too much like Suoh to be safe. "What are you afraid of, Gabriel?" Mouse asked as Gabriel took a step backward for each step that Mouse took forward. "You don't seriously think that you can hurt me. Do you?"

"Get away from me, you fucking--"

"Insults aren't going to cover it this time. You've changed too much. You're not aggressive enough to pull it off," Mouse smiled as he continued to walk forward. Gabriel also continued to back away, but he nearly tripped over an empty trough. He managed to catch himself before he could fall, yet he wasn't sure if that was fortunate due to how quickly Mouse was closing the distance. Before Gabriel could regain his footing enough to skirt around the obstacle, Mouse pinned him against the corner of the barn with nothing more than his frown. The rest of the gang slowly came out of the barn to help close off his escape routes until he was entirely encircled.

There was nowhere to run. Even with the rest of the gang barring the way, he could probably get away if he could get past Mouse. Unfortunately, getting past Mouse was the impossible task. He'd have to push Mouse out of the way and he couldn't do that. He couldn't even think about touching him. He couldn't look at him. Leaning against the corner of the barn, Gabriel kept his chin tilted up and stared at the sky until his eyes burned. He could just stay like that, he decided. Until Mouse left, he wouldn't move.

"I don't think I would have believed it unless I saw it for myself," Mouse mumbled with a small, disbelieving laugh. "You can't even look at me. Is my face really that disturbing?" Not good enough, Gabriel decided without responding. He could still hear. He had to do more, but the only thing he could think of was to crouch down with his eyes clenched shut and his hands over his ears. He knew that he looked pathetic as soon as he switched positions, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he didn't repeat his errors.

"Look at me, Gabriel," Mouse ordered. Gabriel clenched his hands harder against his head, but it still wasn't enough to block out Mouse's voice entirely. "Oi," Mouse said with a raised voice. "Look at me. I know you can hear me. Damnit--" Gabriel's heart jumped in fear as Mouse grabbed onto his collar, pulled him upright, and pinned him against the barn in frustration. "I SAID LOOK AT ME, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU OWE ME THAT MUCH!"

Gabriel's eyes snapped open in shock.

"That's better," Mouse growled in satisfaction. Gabriel paled in front of Mouse's penetrating gaze. It was as if he could see through anything. Mouse could see straight through the layers of armor that Gabriel had put up and into the clouded interior of his very soul. "I'm exactly who you think I am, Gabriel," he said tonelessly, making Gabriel's heart skip several beats in instant fear. "But don't let that fool you. Just as I ignored the greater truth of what you are, you have only seen a small portion of myself. Just as you are more than a simple rapist, I am much more than a simple bum with nine lives. Because of that... I am giving you a chance, so don't run away. If you want forgiveness, then all you have to do is show me what you've learned from your regret."

"Wha...?" Gabriel gasped in disbelief as Suoh abruptly dropped him. Without explaining anything more, he slowly turned and headed back inside with his blanket tightly wrapped around his shoulders. He only paused once along the way in order to answer a completely different question.

"I'll take my eggs scrambled."

* * *

"Why is he crying? Did he get hurt somewhere?" A small voice asked curiously. Gabriel instantly stifled his tears and looked around for the source. The spare barn was empty, though. Well, mostly empty. Granny's two cows were laying down in their stalls and there were chickens pecking at the ground outside of the coop built into the opposite wall, but there wasn't a person in sight. That was the very reason that he'd chosen to retreat to it. He needed some time alone to get his head on straight.

"Shhh! We're not supposed to talk! Remember?" A second voice hissed, confirming that he hadn't been hearing things. Wiping away his tears, he slowly got up to investigate by zeroing in on the two speakers' voices. They sounded like kids, but no one in the gang had any. Well, a few had kids, he amended, but all of them had to pay child support and their kids shouldn't know about the farm.

"Oh yeah," the first one replied while Gabriel quietly moved closer to the source of the conversation. "But Momma talks in front of people."

"That's different! Momma's already has an owner. If we talk, no one will want us."

"Who cares? I'm not going to play stupid just so a human will like me better."

"You're never going to get an owner like that."

"I don't need one!" Above him, Gabriel realized. The voices were coming from the loft.

"Then who's going to take care of you?" The second voice countered while Gabriel quietly headed for the ladder and started climbing. "Granny said she couldn't keep us after we turn one."

"So?! I'll just live in the woods with the wolf pack!"

"Don't you want a name? Wolves can't give you a name."

"I... I can live without one."

"Liar."

"I can!"

"You have to have a name, idiot!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"What the hell?" Gabriel gaped as soon as his head reached the top of the ladder. "Painted squirrels?"

"Ahhh!" The blue one screamed as it ran and jumped into hiding behind a bale of hay. The other one did the complete opposite by standing its ground. It dug its claws into the ground and its hair bristled while it let out a whimpering growl. If the creature hadn't been so obviously distressed, Gabriel would have called it 'cute'. It reminded him of a baby lion trying to roar.

The longer that he looked at it, the more that he noticed how un-squirrel-ish it was. The creature had a long prehensile tail--two, actually--the ability to stand on its hind feet like a squirrel, and the ability to use its front claws like hands, but that was where the likeness ended. Its mouthful of teeth, its muscular frame, and its general appearance was more reminiscent of a canine, which gave Gabriel the clue that he needed.

"You're a tanuki like Ginger," he mumbled in awe.

"No shit, Sherlock," the green tanuki growled in tense sarcasm. Gabriel blinked, unsure of how to react to such an aggressive attitude. Was he supposed to get angry? How could he when the tanuki seemed even more adorable by having a dislikeable attitude?

"What are you doing up here?" He asked, resting his arms on the floor of the loft without climbing any further up the ladder. He didn't want to scare the two, which was exactly what he'd done by appearing so suddenly. It was a good decision. The tanuki slowly relaxed and its body language began to take on a tone of curiousity as it leaned from side to side to get a good look at Gabriel's face.

"We're Christmas presents," it answered with a tilt of its head.

"Be quiet!" The blue one snapped, poking its head above a hay bale so that it could glare at the green one. "Momma said that it's supposed to be a surprise!"

"There were lots of us before, but everyone else got owners," the green one continued with an irritated flip of its twin tails in its sibling's direction. "Momma couldn't find any for us, so Momma said that we could play a trick on someone. We're going to get pretty bows and then we're going to hide under the tree on Christmas."

"That..." didn't sound right, Gabriel mentally finished. He couldn't say it, though. The little tanuki seemed excited over the idea of being a Christmas present, but the idea didn't sit well with Gabriel. The two creatures were smart enough to talk and so was their 'Momma'. How could any thinking creature give away their children in such a way? It seemed just as wrong that Ginger would keep her kids out in a cold barn for several weeks until Christmas arrived. "Aren't you two cold out here?"

"Only when the sun goes down," it replied with a small shiver rustling through its coat of fur. "Granny gave us lots of blankets and games to play, but I don't like it out here. The chickens keep trying to steal our food and Mr. Rooster won't stop chasing us."

"Why don't you come inside?" Gabriel asked curiously. "I have a room that you can stay in until Christmas."

"Can I?!"

"You can't!" the blue one exclaimed. "Momma says that we're not supposed to go with strangers!"

"Shut up!" The green one snapped. "I can do what I want! We're supposed to find owners, so what does it matter if I go with him? You are going to be my owner. Right?"

"Hell no!" Gabriel blurted, making the green tanuki bounce backward in surprise. "I'll probably forget to feed you and I suck with both animals and kids! I'm just offering somewhere to sleep where you won't be freezing your asses off. My room doesn't get used during the day anyway and you'll be able to get an idea of who you want to live with if you can spend some time in the house. Isn't that better than just picking someone randomly?"

"Why can't you keep me?" The green one pouted with his ears sagging in disappointment. Gabriel knew the answer. Someone like him couldn't be trusted with another being's safety. He couldn't explain that to a little kid where it'd make sense, though. If he tried to explain it nicely, the little tanuki would get the wrong idea. It'd hear the tone without paying attention to the words.

"Che," he spat as he hurriedly climbed back down the ladder. "Who'd want a brat like you? You can freeze to death for all I care!"

"But you said you'd take us in the house!" He barked in disappointment as he ran up to the edge of the loft to watch Gabriel's retreat.

"I changed my mind," Gabriel called back.

"You big meanie! Who'd want to go with you anyway?!" The statement struck a nerve. Gabriel knew the answer to that, too. He was a scumbag that wasn't worthy of anyone or anything. He was a sick, sick man that couldn't control himself. He was someone who'd push down a completely innocent man and violate him. Nothing and no one was safe around him.

Keeping his mouth shut, Gabriel left the barn as quickly as he could and headed for the treeline at the edge of Granny's property. Going back into the farmhouse was still out of the question, he wouldn't be allowed in the barn holding everyone's bikes, the tool shed had a sign stating 'off-limits' and now even the animals' barn was out of the question. His luck was going downhill again and he felt that it was a warning. If he didn't figure out a way to escape soon, the bad luck would continue until he had nowhere to turn to. He knew that it would happen. There would be some sort of misunderstanding and then the gang would start doubting him. No one ever tried to defend him. No one ever supported him. He was going to end up in the same place all over again.

What had the past few years been for? How was he supposed to cope with Suoh--

_Will you stop whining already? You're giving me a fucking headache and I don't even have a head._

"Then stop listening," Gabriel whispered down to the large key that was hanging from his neck. "You don't understand--"

_I understand enough to know that you're whining over nothing_, Rendrick snapped. _Unless you forgot, I'm part of the reason you went so far and I also know _that person's _spirit a lot better than you do._

"You don't know shit," Gabriel growled. "I should have never listened to you in the first place."

_You're right on that, but I'm different now. I'm just trying to help you--_

"If you want to help me, then go away."

_I can't do that. I made a promise to undo what I did._

"You can't undo it!" Gabriel shouted as tears of frustration welled up in his eyes. "It's not something that can be erased! We--"

_Idiot. That person already erased it for you._

"Eh?"

_Didn't he say it? You two only know a fraction about each other. You need to start thinking more, Gabe. He was talking about how much he knows about you. Clean out your ears. He practically admitted that someone's told him your side of the story and he's damn near admitted that he wasn't being fair to you. Your friends must have explained things after _that person _figured out that you were in the house._

"Why would they do that?" Gabriel mumbled. Slowing to a stop in the middle of the snow-covered field, Gabriel didn't need Rendrick to reply. Just like everything else, Gabriel knew the answer. However, the answer sent him to his knees this time.

They believed in him. Even though he was usually the last person to be trusted, the Golems had backed him. That was why they'd been waiting with their bikes. They hadn't been trying to stop him. They'd been telling him that he didn't have to run away alone. He didn't have to face Suoh if he didn't feel capable. If it was a fight that he felt he was going to lose, they'd simply high-tail it out of there together.

"Why?" He sobbed as the tears refused to be held back. That was the one question that he didn't have an answer to. The Golems had let him join simply because they'd been a few riders short. Why would they go so far for him when he was nothing but trouble? How could they choose a loser like him over someone as amazing as Suoh? He didn't understand it. The only thing he was good at was twisting the truth and lying. Why would they keep supporting him when every sign pointed to him being a bastard?

It didn't make sense! He was the criminal! Suoh was the victim! So why?! Why were they siding with him when they knew that he couldn't be trusted?! He shouldn't be trusted! He'd raped and beaten and terrorized and violated Suoh--a man who was completely innocent!

Gabriel was completely unaware that he was screaming incoherently until one of the Golems plowed into his back. More bodies and arms followed, hugging him tightly and piling on top of him until he was surrounded by people who didn't want him to suffer alone. Their arrival sent him into another bout of uncontrollable sobbing. He cried until his body felt like it was going to shake apart. He wept until his nose was clogged with grief and his throat was strained with the release of buried pain. Yet, no one let go until he'd purged so much that he felt entirely empty. By that point, he was only capable of two thoughts:

He didn't deserve their support.

He didn't deserve to live.

_You sure don't deserve their support, but you're not going to solve anything by killing yourself_, Rendrick sighed as Bo and Larry carefully pulled him to his feet and began dragging him back to the farmhouse. Gabriel was too worn out to fight their lead. He knew that Suoh was inside, but... But Gabriel was too heartsore to be a threat. It'd be later, when he saw Suoh alone or with his guard lowered. That would be the time when he'd strike without thought. His brain would shut down and he'd just act like a mindless, starving beast. _ I won't let you, _Rendrick swore_. So don't dwell on it so much. If you really do lose your mind, I'll stop you. I owe you that much._

"Thank you," Gabriel mumbled before blacking out into his friends' arms.

* * *

Tsuna did his best to control his trembling as he carefully laid a cold washcloth across Gabriel's eyes. He'd only been watching him for five minutes and he was already starting to wonder if he hadn't been overestimating himself by offering to take care of the man. Objectively, Tsuna knew that they needed contact with each other. Gabriel needed contact with Tsuna if he was going to overcome his demons. On the other hand, Tsuna needed contact with Gabriel in order to overcome his ingrained fear of the man.

It had to be the stupidest idea that he'd ever come up with. Gabriel was completely unconscious, yet Tsuna could barely find the courage to touch him. It'd taken every ounce of his resolve to face him outside. To be in a room alone with Gabriel had to be his worst nightmare. This was the only way, though. Tsuna didn't want to believe it, but Granny's story was possible. Of course, it could be another trick by the master of truth twisting, too. The only way to know was to test Gabriel by putting himself at risk. How Gabriel reacted once they were alone together would determine everything.

Resolve, Tsuna reminded himself. Gabriel wasn't the first to be an enemy first and a friend after. Mukuro had decimated Tsuna's middle school, ordered a large portion of Ryohei's teeth to be pulled out, possessed Lanchia, stabbed Bianchi, and done many other terrible things, yet they had still become friends. Because of Xanxus, Lambo had been put in the hospital, the Ninth had been stuffed into a Gola Mosca, and a lot of people had gotten hurt, yet they'd still become friends. Both of those two had tried to kill him, too, so Gabriel wasn't really that unique. Wait a moment--

Mukuro was a psychopath.

Xanxus was a lunatic.

Badru was a control freak.

Aster was a hypersexual.

He'd never noticed before, but other than Snicker.... his choice of men was horrible! There wasn't a single normal one in the entire lot! Actually, even Snicker could be considered abnormal since he'd chosen to be with someone half his age! Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no! He was _not _going to fall for Gabriel! No, no, no, no, no! It wasn't going to happen! Mukuro and Xanxus might have wanted to kill him, but they hadn't raped him! Well, maybe a little bit here and there, but he'd let them on purpose _after _they'd buried the hatchet!

Like that was any better. Face it. He'd been attracted to Gabriel before all the misunderstandings had begun. Gabriel wasn't an ugly man. Maybe he was a little rouge-like in appearance, but that wasn't really a bad thing. It went well with his lean and muscular frame. His face was a lot more weathered than before, too. If this had been their first meeting and Gabriel showed interest, it would have already been a done deal.

No, no, no, no, no! This was Gabriel--the most evil person in the world! First of all, Tsuna was supposed to be going after girls! Girls, girls, GIRLS! At this rate, his afterlife was already going to be a sausage-fest! How in the world would he be able to explain it to Snicker that the best he could do was to steal the heart of the very man who'd given them so much trouble?! It wasn't as if he was really that desperate!

Oh, yes, he was.

"Arrrrgggghhh!" Tsuna cried while tugging at his hair. His face lit up three seconds later when he noticed that his yell had coincided with Bo's entrance into the room.

"I'm not going to ask," Bo said with a small shake of his head.

"I'm not sure what I'd say if you did," Tsuna replied as he collapsed into a small bedside chair. Bo wisely kept his reply to himself so that he could cross over to the bed and check on Gabriel's condition. Gabriel was still snoozing away without a care in the world, although the redness of his eyes was painful to look at when Bo checked under the cold cloth on Gabriel's face.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bo asked doubtfully as he laid the cloth back down. "We can figure out some other way--"

"There is no other way," Tsuna interrupted with a sigh. "If the story Granny told me is true, then this has to be done for both our sakes."

"I don't get it," Bo admitted. "Why are you doing this at all? You're the one that got hurt, so why are you going so far for him now?"

"Because I didn't go far enough before," Tsuna answered mournfully. "I can't forget what Gabriel did to me, but that doesn't mean that I can't forgive him. He might have hurt me, but I hurt him, too. It wasn't only my life that was ruined, after all. You know... there's a saying in the Mafia that fits this situation. 'The hitman is the victim.'"

"What's that mean?"

"To the eyes of the world, it's the one who dies that's seen as a victim," Tsuna explained. "But it's different for the Mafia. For them, it's the target that's seen as the criminal and the hitman who's seen as a victim, because the hitman wouldn't have to kill if their target hadn't done something wrong. Killing isn't an easy thing, even for men who do it on a daily basis. It tears at a man's soul and makes his heart grow cold. I might have been Gabriel's target, but I wasn't the only one that received a lasting wound. He was injured by it, too. Now that I know that, I can't go back to thinking of him as a monster. Heh," he laughed, holding up his hand to see how bad it was shaking. "I say that, but I can't stop trembling. Isn't it pathetic? I've faced off against armies and tyrants who could destroy me with a finger-snap. I've been tortured and shot and injured more times than I can count. I could write an entire book on near-death experiences and yet--! I'm terrified of a single man who doesn't even have the strength to punch me. If that's not poetic justice, I'm not sure what is."

"Is that why...?"

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed as he laid his hand back down into his lap. "It's not just to help him. I have to face my fears, too, or else I'll always be haunted by the past. Gabriel would probably break out dancing if he heard the whole plan, so I hope you'll keep your promise not to tell him. It's going to take some time before I'm comfortable enough around him."

"I won't tell," Bo promised solemnly. "But I'll warn you now that I'm not Ore. If you hurt Gabe by screaming rape again, I'll kill you."

"I won't," Tsuna promised in return. "It was rape before because he stripped me of my pride and violated my body against my will. If it happens again, it's because I tempt fate by being friendly with him. In that case, I can't really complain about the consequences. Don't worry too much. It's not like before. This time, I know the risks of getting close to him."

"I just hope you know what you're doing," Bo murmured as he headed for the door.

"So do I," Tsuna whispered. "So do I."

* * *

Gabriel was too afraid to move. He might wake up if he moved, because he had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation for his current situation. Suoh would never be sleeping on his shoulder in real life. Suoh would never wrap his arms around his waist and snuggle against his side in real life. Yet, it also couldn't be a dream. If it were a dream, it'd be night outside instead of midday. There would be candles and oil and Suoh wouldn't have clothes on. It was doubtful that he'd even have his freedom!

If this was some sort of cruel joke, then he didn't find it funny. However, he wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth either. He didn't know what it was about Suoh, but simply having him nearby made Gabriel feel incredible. It was as if all of his heartache and problems were monsters that became mere shadows when Suoh was around. He didn't understand how one person could erase so much pain without doing anything, but Gabriel was also able to sense the danger that it represented. The feeling was addictive. It made him want to possess Suoh and lock him up so that no one else could take him away. He wanted to keep feeling like this forever.

It felt so good to have Suoh laying against him, but it really wasn't fair to let him taste such happiness when it wouldn't last. As soon as Suoh woke, the blissful atmosphere would be destroyed. He'd go back to hating Gabriel. It was unfortunate, because Suoh was sleeping so peacefully against his shoulder. Actually.... he was sleeping a little too peacefully. He was completely defenseless, which made Gabriel tempted to do something. After all, it'd be Suoh's fault for getting so close to him. He should know better than to fall asleep next to--

He couldn't do it. In memory of how much pain he'd already caused, his hand began trembling as soon as he touched Suoh's cheek. It was as if he could only make Suoh cry. There wasn't a single instance in his memory where Suoh had smiled at him. That was his fault, though. He could never seem to say things in the right way. For example, there had been the time when he'd taken the chance by sending Valentines chocolates with his blood in them. He'd thought that Suoh, being a bloodsucker, would understand the meaning behind them. He'd been offering himself. He'd never expected Suoh to get so mad and he was still cursing himself over calling Suoh a cannibal. Stupid, stupid, stupid! That was just his luck, though. No matter how honest his actions were, everyone always assumed that he had ill intentions. That was why he'd stopped doing things for people and had kept to himself since joining the Golems. People couldn't misunderstand inaction.

Maybe... Maybe it was time to do something, though. What could he do to show Suoh that he was different? Kissing was a definite no, even though Suoh was asking for it at the moment. His lips looked so soft and the skin on his cheek was so smooth. Well, mostly smooth. There was a fading red stripe along his cheek that looked as if he'd been hit with the edge of a hot iron. It looked painful, but it had already faded a bit from the first time Gabriel had seen it. His hair was also soft between Gabriel's fingers, although the streaks of gray hairs were a little difficult to take in--

Hair.

Fur.

Pups.

That was what he could do! Suoh was a sucker for animals. If Gabriel took care of the pups until Christmas, maybe he could talk one of them into going to Suoh. That would definitely make Suoh happy! How was he going to talk them into going with him, though? He'd been pretty harsh before. Maybe he could use a bribe? Candy wouldn't be good since it might make them sick, but perhaps he could talk them into it by promising to get them some toys or-- A television! The guy at the liquor store had a portable one, so Gabriel could ask him where to buy it. Maybe he could also get some small radios with earphones so that the two could listen to music. That should be more than enough to bribe the two little brats!

Pleased over his idea, Gabriel carefully pulled his arm out from under Suoh and slipped out of bed. Getting out of the house was easy considering it was nearly empty. He knew that Granny and the gang had been planning to go into town for Christmas shopping before Suoh had shown up. As for the ones who'd stayed behind to watch the house, they were guys who purposely left Gabriel alone. It was their way of leaving him with his pride after making such a sappy scene before breakfast. Gabriel appreciated the thoughtfulness, but not for the reason intended. He appreciated it since it allowed him to get out to the spare barn with no one noticing.

"What did the big meanie come back for?" The green tanuki asked as something hard bounced off of Gabriel's head. Looking up, it took a moment to find the tanuki. He wasn't in the loft anymore. Instead, he was relaxing in the rafters with what looked to be a bag of Granny's walnuts. "If you're going to start crying again, then go somewhere else. It's gross."

"You've got a sharp mouth for a squirrel," Gabriel grumbled without bothering to climb up to the loft. "You better be nice to me or else I'm not going to take you inside."

"I thought you said you changed your mind," it replied with a curious tilt of its head.

"I changed it again, so come down here if you want to go in. The house is almost empty right now, so it should be pretty easy to sneak you inside. Bring the other one with you."

"You'll have to come up and get us," it called as it ran down the rafter to a set of stairs created by stacked hay bales. "The ladder is too big for us to climb."

Gabriel grimaced slightly at the statement and quickly looked around for something to carry the two in. There wasn't much to pick from, so he settled on helping the green tanuki save his half-eaten bag of walnuts from the rafters. Once the bag was emptied out and refilled with only a few handfuls of nuts, there was still plenty of room left for the two pups to hide. And, if anyone asked what he had, he could shake the bag a little so that the walnuts rattled together.

As expected, he had to bribe the blue one in order to get it in the bag. The green one went in pretty easily since it was the adventurous sort. After that, it was a simple matter of tying the bag closed, climbing down the ladder, and heading for the farmhouse. Everything was going perfectly. All he had to do was get inside and keep the little buggers happy until Christmas. If he did that, one of them would surely agree to go to Suoh.

He knew that he'd started celebrating too early when his foot hit ice instead of snow and he slipped. He managed to keep the bag from hitting the ground, but he landed badly from the effort. He felt a spasm of pain shoot through his ankle in warning that he'd done something to it while the two pup began struggling and yelling from inside the bag. The sudden movement had scared them, but he couldn't think of what to say to calm them. It took everything that he had in order to keep from screaming about his foot.

Gabriel cursed to himself as the puppies' cries had the effect of attracting attention. Everyone who'd stayed behind in the house slowly came out to investigate, but Gabriel couldn't move to hide the bag. He was screwed.

"What are you doing with those puppies?" Suoh asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"What does it look like?" Gabriel snapped irritably. "I'm trying to put them out of their misery." Stupid. He knew that he was stupid without having to see the way that Suoh's face darkened. He'd meant to say that he was getting them out of the cold, but it'd come out wrong. Damnit! Why did he always screw up like that?! Now they were going to think he had some sort of bad intentions to hurt the pups! Damnit, damnit, damnit! He'd been trying to do something good!

_Stop berrating yourself and tell them that! _Rendrick shouted in his ear. _They're not going to know differently unless you say something!_

It wasn't going to change anything, Gabriel thought with clenched teeth. He could already see it on everyone's faces. They'd already made up their minds about him and the evidence was damning. Not only were the pups in a bag, but their cries could be heard by everyone. He'd really fucked up this time. Just when Suoh had given him a chance to be forgiven, he started showing his bad side again.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that," Suoh said through clenched teeth. "Now, I'll ask again. What are you doing with those puppies?" Gabriel's head snapped up and he stared in disbelief. Suoh was actually giving him a chance to explain himself? Had hell frozen over?

"It's cold in the barn," he mumbled in shock. "I was taking them inside where it's warmer, but I slipped and landed badly. I think I twisted my ankle." Suoh blinked at him several times before his expression abruptly softened into one of amusement. Suoh smiled as the rest of the group belatedly relaxed. It was a smile that left Gabriel dumbfounded. Did Hell really freeze over?

"Damnit, Gabe," Selma finally exclaimed, rushing forward with Don to help him up. "Don't scare us like that! The way you said it the first time sounded horrible!"

"S-Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

"Let us out of here, you big meanie!" The green pup shouted. Gabriel grimaced as every eye went to the bag on the ground and the struggling pups inside. Suoh ran to it instantly, untying it so that the more aggressive pup could stick its heads out for air. "Stupid!" The green one barked as soon as it saw Gabriel's face. "What did you drop us for?!"

"A tanuki?" Suoh gasped before staring up at Gabriel in askance. Before Gabriel could explain, the blue one stuck its head out to look around. "Two?!" He yelped.

"Momma's going to be mad," the blue one whined to its sibling. "I told you that we should have stayed in the barn."

"Shut up!" The green one snapped. "No one made you come!"

"But the big meanie promised that we could watch TV if we went inside," it pouted. Gabriel blushed as every eye turned back in his direction. He wasn't really sure what to say, though. It wasn't as if he could tell them that it'd been a plan to get on Suoh's good side.

"Why don't we wait until we get inside to get he whole story?" Suoh suggested as he carefully picked the two up--bag and all--in order to carry them inside. With Don and Selma's help, Gabriel followed a bit more slowly. He was unable to put any weight on his ankle. Each time he tried, a spasm of pain shot up his leg in warning.

The pained eased once he was sitting at the kitchen table with his foot propped up on a spare chair. He nearly blacked out when Don yanked his boot off, but the ice pack that followed made it bearable. He prayed that he hadn't broken it. If it was broken, he wouldn't be able to ride out with everyone else after New Year's. At best, he'd have to ride in a passenger car with someone else driving his bike until it healed. That would suck. The newcomers' initial ride was one of his favorite events!

"Let me take a look," Suoh said as he set a first-aid kit on the table. Before Gabriel could be startled by the offer, Suoh carefully raised Gabriel's foot up and slid into the seat under it. "It's not swelling," Suoh murmured while Gabriel stayed frozen. "Tell me when it hurts," he added before carefully prodding the injured appendage. Gabriel was too dumbfounded to utter a sound. There were several occasions when pain shot up his leg, but all of it was so distant in comparison to the feeling of Suoh's light touch. Hell must have frozen really solid. "Gabriel," Suoh sighed in exasperation. "I can't help unless you tell me when it hurts."

"Ow?" He mumbled dumbly as another spasm shot up his leg. Suoh stared at him for a long moment without doing anything. Then, covering his face with his hand, he shook his head and laughed. He laughed! That counted as another smile!

"I really don't know how to deal with you," Suoh grinned, breaking out into chuckles every time he looked at Gabriel's face. Turning his attention to Gabriel's ankle so that he could stop laughing, he continued to shake his head in disbelief while he began wrapping the injury with a compression bandage. "I really hated you before," he continued on a more serious note, "but coming here has changed my perceptions a little. I'll be honest. When I asked you about the puppies the second time, I didn't think your answer would change. I just did it because I promised Granny that I wouldn't judge you before giving you a chance to defend yourself. So... I want to apologize for that. It's... It's not easy for me. I've had years to form an opinion of you, so I can't change it overnight. I meant what I said, though. If you've learned something from your regret, I'll forgive you for what you did."

"Don't do that," Gabriel murmured, unable to tear his gaze away from Suoh's bowed face.

"Eh?"

"Don't make yourself forgive me," Gabriel continued. He wasn't sure where the words came from, but they felt like they were coming out correctly for once. It was a miracle! "What I did is unforgivable. No matter how much you misunderstood me, that didn't give me a right to force you. Not just me... I should have protected you from my friends, but I didn't. I did something terrible and I can't change that. If you think that coming in here and saying that you forgive me is going to erase the past, then you're mistaken. Even if you can forget... I can't."

"That's exactly why I feel like I can finally put it past me," Suoh replied with a soft smile of understanding. "Remember when I said that I'm more than a simple bum with nine lives? Well... this might shock you, but... my real name is Tsunayoshi Sawada. I'm... I'm the real Black X. Eh?! You're not acting surprised!"

"I figured it out a long time ago," Gabriel admitted sheepishly. Tsuna's eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped open, but it was nothing less than the unadorned truth. "I didn't know anything about Black X before I met you, but I did research. Black X died a few weeks before you showed up in the city and you were paranoid enough to cut your fingerprints off. It wasn't hard to put two and two together."

"What?!" Tsuna spluttered. "If you figured it out, then why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"Because I didn't want more rivals," he mumbled, bowing his head to hide a light blush. "Compared to a corporate, billionaire big-shot and a Mafia Boss, a bum is easier to get near."

"Baka!" Tsuna blurted. Gabriel looked up in surprise at the strange word, only to find that he was being laughed at. "I never thought that you could be so stupid. Didn't it ever occur to you that your chances would be better if I was forced to return home?"

"Eh?"

"Well, I was a bit of a prude when you met me," he explained with a grin. "That's because I'd reverted back to when I thought that a man was supposed to get married to one woman and live happily ever after. If you'd helped Vongola catch me, I probably would have gotten my memories back sooner and that would have changed."

"EH?!"

"You said you did research on me, but I guess my dating record wasn't public knowledge," he sighed as he propped his head up on the kitchen table. "I'll spell it out for you: S-L-U-T."

"Slut...?" Gabriel repeated with his eyes widening in shock. He'd seen the Vongola calender, of course, but to hear Tsuna call himself a slut was a bit much!

"I never intended to be like that," he replied with a lopsided smile. "You know that saying...? 'All work and no play makes Tsunayoshi a dull boy...?' Well, it was true. I worked so much that I lost my childhood sweetheart to a rival. After that, I married Haru, but I barely got to see her. After that, I started falling in love with whoever was convenient and showed even an ounce of caring for me. Well, that wouldn't have been so bad, but I had surprisingly few women around me. So... I ended up with two male lovers, both of which were former enemies. I think it's the 'former enemy' part that actually made the relationships work. Neither one of them are the type to bow down for me. Now, that by itself wouldn't be so bad, but then I reconnected with my old sweetheart and ended up marrying her alongside the wife I already had. So, I had two wives and two lovers before I came to America. Then I found Snicker... and after Snicker, there was your sister, a pair of vampiresses that are determined to get me into wedlock, and all the flings I had when I was Lazarus. Finally, after leaving here, I met the two guys who are hiding out in the shed. Oh. Did I mention that I'm still looking, too? My goal is to make a harem before I die. The current record-holder among Vongola Bosses is the Ninth. He has a harem of over twenty, so I've got a lot of work to do before I catch up to him."

"I see..." Gabriel mumbled in a daze. He hadn't known. Well, he'd known that Tsunayoshi had dual wives. He'd also known that Tsunayoshi had been lovers with the guy who'd starred in the calendars with him. He hadn't known that Tsuna was so... so... so conceited! He was the poster child for 'free love'! It didn't match at all with the loyal Suoh that would never leave Snicker's side!

"I doubt Snicker would have stood for it when he was alive," Tsuna said as if he'd read Gabriel's mind. "But I wasn't completely myself back then. Imagine what Snicker would have done if he'd known that I had eighteen kids! Ug! Every-time I think about it, I can't help but feeling that I got lucky. If he'd lived long enough to learn what I was really capable of, he might not have loved me as much."

"That's not true!" Gabriel choked. "I... uh... It might have taken some time to get used to, but... Is it really that bad? It's not like you forced all of them to share a bed at the same time-- Wait. Did you?"

"No!" Tsuna spluttered in laughter. "I might be a little indulgent, but I'm not cruel! Well... there was a couple of times, but it was their idea! I swear! Actually, there was this one time in particular...."

Gabriel continued to feel dazed while they talked. At some point, he was given a beer, although he didn't notice it until he set an empty bottle next to four others on the table. Less than a minute later, another bottle of beer appeared for him to drink along with a plate of food. It was the food that made him look around and notice that the holiday shoppers had returned. A few people came forward to ask about his foot, but Tsuna told them that it was only a mild strain that had already been treated. Then they returned to their conversation as if there hadn't been an interruption.

It was the longest conversation that he'd ever had with Tsuna. It was also the most surprising. The more that Tsuna talked, the more that Gabriel realized that his cute, innocent, loyal 'Suoh' had only been an illusion. Reality was right in front of him. Tsuna was a normal person. For each time that he tasted sweet success, he also tasted the bitterness of failure. He got overworked, stressed and lonely, just like everyone else. He had his virtues... and his vices. He drank like a sinking boat, smoked like a chimney when he was nervous, and hopped into bed with anyone that waved their tail at him. He claimed that he hadn't always been that way, but circumstances had made him change. He'd learned to seize every opportunity that he could, even if it meant that he had to sell his heart cheaply.

In return, Gabriel found himself talking about things that he'd never talked about before. He told Tsuna about his first crush and the difficulty that he'd had when he'd first figured out that he was gay. He'd actually been a romantic back then. His crush had accepted his sappy confession and the presents that came with it, although he'd been asked to keep their relationship a secret. Looking back, that should have been the first warning that it wasn't love. He hadn't seen that warning, though, and he'd stupidly introduced the guy to Autumn. After that, the guy had used him repeatedly to get closer to his sister until the day finally came when he'd gotten tired of it and told the guy to stay away from her. The resulting break-up had been the catalyst of his bad reputation. Even though the guy had refused more than a kiss, he spread the rumor that Gabriel had gotten him drunk and did more.

It was his sister's response to the rumors that had made him determined to beat her. She'd called him a rabid dog and a sick freak without allowing him a chance to defend himself. She'd said a lot more than that, too, most of which he didn't want to recall. There hadn't been a moment of acceptance and her low opinion of him had destroyed what lingering compassion he had for her. He became determined to beat her. He'd wanted to show her and the Family that he wasn't the loser that everyone painted him as.

Unfortunately, he'd hit a wall at every turn. He had no problems when it came to doing business. Weapons, drugs, gambling... he'd dabbled in everything and his bad reputation had aided him in dirty dealings. He'd actually had the money needed to win before Tsuna had ever come into town. The trouble had been with finding people who could join the Family. He'd sent his two best men and they'd disappeared after failing his father's mysterious test. After that, all of his people had been too scared to go, so he'd turned his attention to stalling his sister while he searched for worthy people.

His bad reputation at Kink's was actually Autumn's retaliation. She'd known that he liked to go there to relax and she'd found out that he sometimes traded favors in the bathroom. It wasn't that he liked doing it in the bathroom, though! That had just been his only choice since he'd been living in a gutted van inside a warehouse with his gang and he hadn't wanted to mix his personal life with business. Somehow, his sister had found out about it and then spread the rumor that he was only out for sex.

He hadn't known about the rumor until after one night in particular. There had been a guy that he'd been meeting with regularly and he'd had hopes of turning it into a real relationship. They'd both had a little too much to drink that night and Gabriel had mustered up the courage to talk the guy into the bathroom--where he'd immediately been vilified. The criticism and the insults had been harsh while also showing him how hopeless it was to think that he could find someone.

The three weeks after that had been the loneliest in his life. There hadn't been a single person in Kink's who'd been willing to drink with him and he'd almost given up on going back. He'd decided to tough it out, though, and he'd attempted to socialize even though he hadn't been welcome. Then Suoh--lighthearted, carefree, and smiling Suoh--had appeared without any knowledge of Gabriel's reputation. During the time that they'd spent together, it'd felt as if he'd been repaid for all his heartache. He'd had hope that things were going to change for the better and he'd really wanted nothing more than to strike while the iron was hot. He'd wanted to have a firm place in Suoh's heart before the rumors and the gossip caught up with him, but Gigi had interfered and he'd lost his chance. He hadn't wanted to give up, though.

"For once in my life, I wasn't going to let my sister fuck up my life," he explained without taking his glazed gaze off of Tsuna. He was drunk. They were both drunk. The table full of empty beer bottles was a testimony to how drunk they were. There were still people moving around and partying in the living room, but night had fallen hours ago while they'd been taking turns talking. "But I guess you can see how well that turned out," he continued while trying to hold down a burp. "She got the Family, you, and she's on her second husband while me... I'm sitting here in bo-fuck nowhere with a twisted ankle, a beer, and not much else to show for myself. I hope she rots in hell with the rest of them. Shit," he grumbled as he shook a bottle of beer on the table in hopes that he'd missed some. "I don't really mean that. Sis is a bitch, but she's still family. I just... me and her... it's like oil and water... one of us has to sink."

"But oil floats," Tsuna replied in confusion.

"I guess that makes me water," Gabriel laughed. Tsuna was confused even more by the idea of water sinking, but the whole comparison was extremely funny to Gabriel. He couldn't stop laughing, especially after Tsuna plunked a fist into his hand in sudden comprehension.

"You want another beer?" Tsuna offered curiously. Tsuna's smile as he spoke seemed to cut through the fog surrounding Gabriel's brain and his good mood evaporated in an instant. What in the world was he doing? Since when was it okay to laugh and joke with someone who he'd hurt? Something wasn't measuring up. Maybe it was because he was drunk, but the whole situation seemed incredibly surreal. It was dangerous, too, because there was a monster pressing against the zipper of his pants!

"No," he mumbled as he carefully pulled his foot out of Tsuna's lap. It only twinged a little when he put it on the ground as a test. Just like Tsuna had said, he hadn't hurt the bones and the ligaments weren't badly damaged. As long as he didn't use it a lot for the next few days, it'd be as good as new by Christmas. "I think it's time for me to hit the sack," he said as he carefully stood. "I'll see you in the morning." Turning in place, his polite exit was destroyed when he nearly tripped over his own chair. The only thing that saved him from an introduction to the floor was how quickly Tsuna slipped under his arm in order to support him.

"Let me help you," he offered quietly.

At Tsuna's gentle touch, it felt as if a million bottle-rockets exploded under Gabriel's skin. Normally, such a feeling would be a prelude to a 'moment', but it felt excruciatingly painful to Gabriel because it made him conscious of how badly he wanted Tsuna at the moment. It would be so easy to pull him into his arms and kiss him. He could see himself throwing Tsuna down on the kitchen table and--

_Gabriel_, Rendrick growled in warning.

"Get off of me," Gabriel ordered calmly while trying to shut out the fantasies.

"Why? Come on. I'll help you up the stairs--"

"Get the fuck off of me!" Gabriel shouted angrily. Shoving Tsuna away, he felt frozen solid as Tsuna stumbled back and bumped into the kitchen table. The collection of empty beer bottles on top of it was knocked over from the collision, resulting in a noisy disturbance that Gabriel was too drunk to care about. "Are you fucking stupid?!" He yelled. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but stay the fuck away from me! I don't need to go through this shit a second time!"

"How did I know that it'd come to this," Tsuna sighed in exasperation. "Will someone please hold him for a second," he requested, looking over to the small crowd who'd come to investigate the noise from the bottles. Gabriel spluttered as five people instantly pounced on him to hold his arms, legs, and head in place. Before he could get out a coherent question to ask them what they were doing--

Sparklers.

Roman Candles.

M-80s.

TNT.

C-4.

His brain was fried after only three seconds of feeling Tsuna's lips lightly pressed against his. By the time that Tsuna pulled away, Gabriel was positive that his soul had escaped his body. He had to be delusional. There was no way in hell--frozen or unfrozen--that Tsuna had just kissed him.

"You only get a kiss on the first date," Tsuna winked as Gabriel's knees buckled. The only thing that held him upright was the smirking group of spectators who were still holding onto his limbs. "But let's do this again sometime. It was more fun than I thought."

Bo helped him shake his head in agreement since he was too numb to do it for himself.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep, too. Is it okay if I steal your room tonight? I think everyone else still has some party left in them, so it'll probably be a while before the couch is free."

Bo helped him shake his head in agreement since he was too numb to do it for himself.

"Thanks," Tsuna grinned as he headed for the stairs with a long stretch and a yawn. "I'll see you in the morning."

Bo helped him shake his head in agreement since he was too numb to do it for himself.

"You want another beer?" Larry asked with a laugh once Tsuna was gone.

Bo helped him shake his head in agreement since he was too numb to do it for himself.

"What just happened?" Gabriel finally mumbled.

"Well, you see," Selma answered, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "It's called dating. First you meet. Then you get to know each other while having fun, which means that you talk a lot. And, eventually, if you're really lucky, you'll get laid."

"Eh?!" Gabriel squawked, shaking off his 'helpers' in order to stare at Selma in disbelief. "M-Me?! With him?!"

"We didn't know you had it in you," Bo grinned as he put Gabriel in a headlock and started dragging him into the living room. "After all that whining you did about not finding anyone, we were pretty damned surprised to come back and see that you two had gotten so cozy."

"I didn't!" Gabriel spluttered. He wasn't allowed to say more. No one would let him. As soon as he was tossed on the couch, he had another beer shoved into his hand and Bo raised his own for a toast.

"Here's to Gabe," he smiled while Gabriel sat dumbfounded. "May he get the chance to rape Mouse's ass the right way and let's hope that he remembers to wear a gag so we don't have to hear it!"

"Hear, hear!"

Gabriel blushed at the rambunctious cheer and ducked his head in embarrassment. He didn't understand what was going on at all! It felt... It felt as if someone had rewound time, put him back to the night when he'd first met Tsuna, and had given him the opportunity to do things right. He had to be dreaming, though. How could someone that he'd hurt so much do something like that? He'd heard of Stockholm syndrome, where hostages sometimes became loyal to their captors, but he didn't think it applied to rape victims. If it did and that was the reason that Tsuna had kissed him... What should he do? Should he refuse?

The sound of laughter rang in Gabriel's ears, making him blush even though he'd kept his own insane laughter inside. In effort to hide his reaction, he quickly looked around for the source and he paled when he found it. Leaning up against his foot was a single green tanuki that was hiccuping and laughing in a suspicious way.

"Hey," Gabriel mumbled, picking the kid up by the scruff of its neck to get a better look. "Aren't you supposed to be hiding?"

"No--hic--No," it answered with its tongue sticking out. "Uncle Ginger said we could come--hic--in since we already--hic--got owners."

"Oh...? And who's that? Is it the person that got you drunk?"

"No, silly," the tanuki giggled. "That was--hic--Bo. _You're _my owner!"

"No, I'm not," Gabriel corrected instantly.

"Yes, you are," he replied with a serious gleam in its eye. "You need--hic--You need me. Bo says that you're--hic--you're unlucky, so I'm--hic--I'm going to be your lucky charm. Tanukis are really--hic--really lucky."

"Is that so," Gabriel murmured with a slow smile. Glancing at Bo out of the corner of his eye, the man seemed completely innocent as he absently petted the blue tanuki in his lap and told Selma and Don about something that had happened in town. Gabriel knew better. For all that Bo looked and acted like a hardcore biker, he was much more of a softy than most. He cared about people in a way that few others did and he understood a lot of atypical things. He was a good man who always helped those who'd fallen in the hardest ways possible and he never judged people from second-hand accounts. It was actually very predictable that Bo would try to get Gabriel to take the pup. It was Bo's way of trying to crack the shell that Gabriel had closed himself into ever since joining the Golems. "Alright," Gabriel sighed, dropping the tanuki into his lap. "But you better bring me a lot of luck. If you don't, I'll stuff you in a box and mail you to my sister."

"Really?!" The tanuki exclaimed, jumping up on Gabriel's chest to look him in the eyes. "You'll be my owner?!" Gabriel smiled at the question. The tanuki really did feel like a lucky charm. Not even a day had passed since they'd met and his life had dramatically changed already. After meeting the beast, he'd been able to talk to Tsuna and he'd even gotten a kiss from him!

"Yeah," he nodded. "I was going to try to talk you into going to Tsuna, but--"

"You can't give me to Tsuna!" It spluttered. "He's already got a tanuki!"

"Eh?"

"Everyone knows that Uncle Ginger is Tsuna's tanuki. He's famous!"

"Oh," Gabriel replied blankly. "Wait-- Uncle Ginger? Isn't Ginger your mother?"

"You're pretty stupid," it pouted. "Uncle Ginger is a boy. Momma sent us to him because she couldn't keep us anymore."

"Why is that?"

"Culls," someone else answered. Looking up, Gabriel blinked in surprise at the sight of Ginger lounging across Granny's chair with a bottle of beer in his hand. "Those two were the weakest of the litter, so her owner asked me to take them in before she could kill them."

"Kill them!" Gabriel exclaimed in outrage, incidentally drawing Bo and Selma's attention.

"Che," Ginger spat with his ears laying down flat. "We might be able to walk and talk like you, but we're not human. Thinning out the pack is natural for us. My own mother killed three of my brothers before Tsuna picked me up. It might not be fair to these two, but we don't have lovey-dovey families like you do. It's programmed in our fucked-up genetics and they're lucky to be alive. Going from what we know of mother, males aren't allowed around while a bitch is pregnant and the male pups are kicked out as soon as they're big enough to be a threat. That's why we find owners. Not only will an owner help us interact with humans, but they give us a pack to run with. For these two who were on the chopping block, the best solution was to send them to a foster home until owners could be found. That's me. I'm the foster home."

"That's--"

"It's okay!" The green tanuki in his lap blurted. "Every tanuki has to find an owner! We just had--hic--to start looking a little earlier! Right, Uncle Ginger?"

"Right," he agreed solemnly before climbing out of his chair to head for the stairs. No one said a word as he disappeared upstairs, unsure of what could be said in such a situation. Who could have known that being a tanuki would mean that he couldn't have a family? It was shocking at the least.

"Um... Big Meanie... What's my--hic--my name?" The little tanuki asked in a pointed attempt to change the subject. "Bo already named my brother. His name--hic--his name is Harley, so what's--hic--what's mine?"

"Hmm," Gabriel murmured in consideration. Leaning back in his seat, nothing particular seemed to come to mind. 'Lucky' seemed like too much of a dog's name for the little brat. Naming it after liquor didn't seem right, either. "How about Christopher? That's the Patron Saint of travelers."

"Too stuffy," he objected as he curled up in Gabriel's lap in drunken satisfaction.

"Hermes? That's the Greek god of travel."

"Too goofy," he yawned.

"Spanner...? That's what bikers in the UK call a wrench."

"Who would want to be called a wrench?"

"Then what do you want to be called?" Gabriel asked in exasperation.

"Chopper," he mumbled sleepily.

"Fine," Gabriel sighed in amusement as the tanuki dozed in his lap. "Chopper it is."


	144. Chapter 144 Foundation of Sand

The noise wouldn't stop. No matter where Hotaru tried to hide, the noise followed and built in intensity until it was impossible to get anything done. Of course, it wasn't being done on purpose. Eight hundred and eighty seven people had lost their homes when the Vongola Mansion turned to rubble and another six hundred and thirteen had lost their workplace. Even with multiple people sharing hotel rooms through shift rotation and careful planning, there simply wasn't enough room to put everyone. Between people trying to find him to get work done, security teams, family, and curious interlopers, every hotel within ten miles was bursting at the seams.

He wished that he could go to the Vongola Corporate Office Building as a temporary headquarters for business, but that place was already overflowing with people who had legitimate jobs there. Not only would it be unfair to bring the mayhem to their doorstep, but his position as President was becoming shaky. He'd made a mistake. Actually, his ancestors had purposely planned for him to make a mistake.

Those idiots had self-insured everything.

That meant that even if he collected the insurance on the mansion in order to rebuild, it'd be coming out of his own pockets! So, he'd decided to forgo that headache and had sold a portion of his stock in Vongola Corp to cover the expenses and expedite the process of rebuilding. He'd planned to buy the shares back once he managed to sell a few of their unused planes and vehicles, but everything had turned sour after he'd had the money in his account. The price of the shares had tripled! Without those shares, he wasn't the majority stockholder and the Board was quick to notice the slip. They were now trying to vote him out of his Presidency while, on another front, someone was trying to secretly take over the whole corporation. The price of shares hadn't tripled by themselves, after all.

For him, it'd be business as usual even though the situation was looking much like a crisis, but the problem was that his response speed was incredibly slowed by the crisis on the home-front. He couldn't get any work done because of the chaos around him. Ross was nagging him about missing school. Hattori kept nagging him to eat. Sakura kept nagging him to get a check-up. Toshi kept nagging him to get rest. His mother kept nagging him about his replacement clothes. Symphonia the cat kept harassing Hibird, which added another headache, and far too many people were calling just to ask how he was doing!

"Don't call unless it's urgent!" Hotaru shouted in frustration before hanging up on Dino. Throwing the phone across the room out of habit, he grimaced as it crashed against a lamp and shattered. Normally, he wouldn't care, but finances were too tight for him to throw such tantrums. They couldn't afford to replace anything right now!

"Why don't you try some of the soup I made for you? You'll think better with food in your stomach."

"Hotaru! You know better than to throw things! Now stand still so I can see if this hem is even."

"Here, let me check your pulse. It'll only take a minute."

"Hotaru, when was the last time you slept? You really look like hell."

"Hoooottttarrrruuu! She's doing it again!"

"Boss--"

"SHUT UP!" Hotaru yelled. Momentarily releasing his tattoos, the sudden escape of demons from his body had the effect of silencing everyone.

"Boss," Orinato repeated from the door. Hotaru glared in warning. If it wasn't important, then-- "I just got a call from Gokudera. He tried to stop it, but... I'm sorry. The vote went through."

"I... see," Hotaru whispered as he sank down into his chair in shock. The vote had gone through. He was no longer the President of Vongola Corp. It seemed impossible. The Corporation had been created, owned, and operated by the Family for eleven generations. How could they possibly defy him to such an extent? Was it really like the Ninth had said? Was the Family truly more of a burden than it was worth?

"Boss--" Orinato gasped, dashing forward through the curious and oblivious family in the room so that he could kneel at Hotaru's feet. "Just give the word," he earnestly urged. "I have the Varia on speed dial. We can--"

"No," Hotaru interrupted while still trying to process his shock. "One thing at a time, Orinato. I can get control back through a less forceful way in the future. For now, please see what you can do about expediting the transfers. I want mom back in Japan with grandma by morning and at least a quarter of our people moved by tomorrow night. We might have lost the Headquarters, but we've still got bases all over the world. Please ensure that everyone goes to the station that they want."

"Are you sure?" He asked in concern. "If we delay--"

"There's no one that could possibly take my seat," Hotaru soothed. "I..." Closing his eyes to settle himself, Hotaru took a deep breathe before making the hardest decision in his life. "Please book Hattori on mom's flight and get me Autumn Martelli on the phone."

"WHAT?!" Hattori and Ross exclaimed in unison. Hotaru turned his head in refusal to hear their arguments. He didn't want to send them away. He had to. Not only was the situation too unstable for him to ensure their safety, but they would continue to be unhappy if he was on-hand and still couldn't see them. There was nothing other than work in his foreseeable future and both of them were heart-rending distractions. He couldn't allow distractions with the current state of emergency. Distractions could mean ruin for the entire Family. Hattori would be more comfortable in his homeland of Japan and Ross would probably feel more secure in her homeland of America. Hattori could stay at the Vongola estate in Namimori, but he'd have to talk to Autumn Martelli to ensure that Ross would be welcome in the territory that she was familiar with.

"Stop it. Both of you."

Hotaru's breathe caught in his throat by the commanding tone that his mother used. The surprise of the order cut through both Ross and Hattori's arguments as if it was butter. He didn't dare look to see her expression, though. Something told him that he'd break out into tears if he did.

"Hotaru, dear," Haru continued in a softer, more understanding tone. "I'm going to take Miss Rosalind and Hattori out for an early dinner. Would you like me to bring you back anything?" Hotaru shook his head in reply, unable to trust his voice.

His mother knew. She didn't know what had happened specifically, but she knew that he was pushing them away in favor of work. She had to know, considering it was the very thing that the Tenth had done to her, and Hotaru knew that she was planning to explain the situation to the two from a Mafia wife's perspective. He really wanted to thank her for taking on the burden, but the lump in his throat forced him into silence until long after she'd bullied the two into leaving. Thankfully, Sakura and Toshi seemed to catch onto his mood and followed them out as Hibird took up a look-out position at the window.

"Boss..." Orinato murmured worriedly. Hotaru shook his head again, telling him that he wasn't ready to speak. His entire world was crumbling and he only had Orinato and the Tenth's former Guardians to rely on. It was saddening. He had his own set of Guardians, but they were all completely useless when it came to business. Only Orinato had followed him into that cesspool of politics and red-tape. Sakura was a good doctor and a fine Rain Guardian, but he was useless outside of a hospital. Toshi had become an incredible conman and was a powerful Lightening Guardian, but he wasn't good when it came to rules and regulations. Symphonia was the best illusionist and Mist Guardian that a person could ask for, but she was a cat. Hibird, his Cloud Guardian, was a bird. Of course, Hibari was typically inseparable from Hibird, so it was really Hibari who did the work of the Cloud Guardian, but getting Hibari's aid was like pulling teeth. The only one left was Ken, his Sun Guardian, and Ken was on the list of missing persons in the aftermath of the fire. It was quite possible that he'd disappeared--like dozens of times before--in effort to chase after Mukuro, but his disappearance hadn't become worrisome until recently.

Hotaru was trying very hard not to have nightmares of him being burned alive.

"I want Martelli, Gokudera, and the bank on the phone in that order," Hotaru ordered calmly. "Please ask Takeshi to go ahead and sell the tanks. Have him to continue liquidating everything that hasn't been used in the past five years."

"What about the Bluefin?" Orinato asked carefully.

"No--!" Hotaru blurted, appalled at the thought of selling his father's plane. Sense reasserted itself, though. At this point, getting the stocks back was more important than anything--even rebuilding. "Sell my plane," he ordered with a small flinch. "I'll use dad's if I need one. The important thing right now is to stabilize the situation. We're hemorrhaging money ever since the fire and we--"

Orinato reacted instinctively when the door burst open and men in riot gear began to swarm into the room. Hotaru reacted intuitively at the same time, stopping Orinato before he could fire his gun. The move recieved a dropped jaw from his Right Hand Man, but Hotaru merely shook his head and nodded towards the nearest raider to point out the badge on his uniform.

"Guardia di Finanza," Orinato gulped with wide eyes. The Finance Guard was an Italian Police Force that specifically dealt with the type of illegal business that Hotaru was infamous for. This was the first time in several generations that they'd dared to raid Vongola, though.

"Gruppo di investigazione criminalità organizzata," Hotaru specified in distaste as the leader of the group gave orders for them to put their hands up. It was the Organized Crime Investigation Group, a special division of the Finance Guard that dealt with anti-Mafia operations. "It figures," Hotaru sighed, leaning back into his chair in the stubborn refusal to lay belly-down on the ground like they wanted. "As soon as blood hits the water, the sharks begin to circle. Before you try to arrest me, may I ask what I'm being charged with?"

"Everything," one of the men flanking his chair answered with a cocky grin. Hotaru blinked without comprehending the simple answer. Everything? How could they possibly charge him with everything?! They wouldn't do that without proof! Unless... Unless his Board of Directors at Vongola Corp had rolled over on him and given them proof in order to keep him from regaining control. Now would definitely be the most effective time to turn traitor. With the financial crisis, he'd have to spend a lot of money to hire lawyers to keep himself out of prison. That meant that he'd have less funds to re-take control of the company. They were effectively shutting him out. This was their way of saying that they didn't want to have anything more to do with the Mafia.

Fools.

Hotaru felt like laughing as someone finally got the nerve to pull his chair out from under him and knock him to the ground to be handcuffed. His Board honestly thought that simple metal bars would stand in his way? It was ludicrous. Vongola was the most powerful Family in the world. Whether his throne was made of gold or concrete didn't matter. His reach would never be diminished!

Never!

* * *

Hotaru glared. There wasn't much that he could do other than glaring, which only made him glare more. This was no longer amusing. The lawyers who were willing to represent him in order to return favors all claimed that their hands were tied. The court had determined that he was to be imprisoned without bail until he could see a courtroom. That wouldn't be so bad, but he'd been informed that a trial of this magnitude would be lengthy since the Prosecutors were going for the maximum sentence. That meant that he'd be spending months in prison before he ever got to defend himself.

He had predicted that from the moment that his hotel room had been raided. That wasn't why he was so angry. His anger stemmed from the single letter that had been added to his lunch while he was in the local holding facility.

_Dear Hotaru Sawada,_

_I thought you'd be more of a rival than this, but I guess Vongola isn't what it used to be. I had hoped to tell you in person, but thanks for all the stocks. I've been buying in small portions for a while now, but who would have thought that you'd hand me what I needed to claim the place as majority shareholder? The vote to merge with Lionesse should be approved either tomorrow or the next day thanks to that. Please try to understand. I owe the Tenth for Tutoring me, so it's nothing personal. Because of him, I've found my path in life and he healed my relationship with my brother. I just can't stand by while his life's work is washed down the drain by a frivilous heir who prefers to chasing skirts over work. So try not to be a sore loser. I'll make sure that there's a healthy severance package waiting on you if you manage to get released._

_Signed,_

_Chin Lee_

That bastard! If he thought that he was really going to take control of Vongola, then... then... Hotaru couldn't do anything. That was the most frustrating part of all. It was like he was watching a masterpiece sculpture crumble in front of himself. Even if he tried to jump in and save it, it could never return to its former glory. What had he done? Was there truly no way to stop his ancestor's plot? Why?! He couldn't understand why they'd go so far to destroy their own Family!

Calm down and think about it rationally, Hotaru reminded himself. The Family was more than just himself and the Vongola Bosses were notorious about their consideration for others. Looking back, hadn't he chosen to work out of the hotel so that the company wouldn't be disturbed? Vongola's Corporate Offices held thousands of people who did legitimate work. They were innocent people who had no clue about the dark underworld leader that controlled them. They obeyed the law, did honest work, and never knew that they were aiding a criminal.

_You don't look like you have the heart to be a tyrant._

The Ninth was right. He didn't have the heart to be a tyrant. If his people didn't want him to protect them anymore, then how could he possibly continue? He considered the men and women who worked at Vongola Corporate to be his Family, but what if they were too separated to return those feelings? It'd been over four hundred years since the Family had formed and that was plenty of time for people to forget why they were connected with the Family. If he'd become nothing more than a burden to the very people that worked for him, then was it really permissible for him to reclaim the company? Shouldn't he set them free?

No. They were his Family, whether they liked it or not. If some of them wanted to cut ties, then they could tell him to his face. This backstabbing and betrayal couldn't be accepted. After all, if his Board of Directors were willing to betray him, then they'd be ruthless to those who were relying on them for the paychecks that bought their food, clothes, and shelter. No matter how much he'd been hurt, he couldn't leave his Family in the hands of such... such... CROOKS!

He was helpless where he was at, though. If he broke out of jail, then he'd be on the run and he'd lose the opportunity to legitimately reclaim anything. At the moment, his assets were frozen and the hotels where everyone was staying was only paid up for a single month. After that, a large portion of the Family would be homeless. Gokudera was likely too busy fighting the merger to ensure that the transfers got taken care of, so everyone was probably at a standstill. Even worse, he wasn't being permitted any phone calls and he couldn't pass along any orders for dirty dealings to his lawyers without it being taken as more evidence. Yet, he had to find some way out of this mess or else Vongola really would be destroyed.

There was only one option, although it made him quiver to think about.

"Are you cold, Boss?" Orinato asked worriedly. Hotaru gave him a tremulous smile in return as Orinato grabbed his hands and began to lightly chafe them to build warmth. If only Orinato could melt the cold lump in his chest by the effort, it might have worked.

"I was foolish," he murmured mournfully. "I should have never allowed myself to tell Rosalind and Hattori how I felt. They're only going to get hurt now."

"What are you talking about, Boss?" Orinato asked with an encouraging smile. "You'll be out of here in no time and then you can--"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Hotaru interrupted solemnly. "Did you save your phone call like I asked?"

"Yes..." Orinato confirmed, his smile fading in the realization that Hotaru had made a decision. "Do you want me to use it?"

"Yes," Hotaru nodded. Bowing his head, he did his best to control his trembling so that Orinato wouldn't see how difficult his orders were to give. It had to be done, though. There were far too many people who would be affected and harmed if he allowed the current disaster to escalate. At the moment, he had nothing to bargain with other than his own bloodline. That bloodline would ensure support from dozens of Mafia Families, but relying on the Families that looked up to him would be paramount to ensuring that he lost all of the respect that he'd painstakingly cultivated. His only option was to barter aid from the enemy, using himself as collateral. Vongola would lose its name, but it's power would be unbroken. There would always be the chance to regain freedom and independence later. For now, protecting the lives of his subordinates was the highest priority. "Call Basil. This is a state of emergency, so he should have stepped in as my second. That means that he can pass my orders along to the rest of the Family. I need Ryohei in charge of finishing the personnel transfers and I need Gokudera to do his best to ensure that the corporate merger with Lionnesse goes through--"

"Goes through!" Orinato yelped in surprise. Hotaru paused, waiting for Orinato to regain control of himself before continuing his orders. He didn't need to be questioned right now. He just needed a little bit of loyalty and trust.

"Finally," he continued in determination. "I need Yamamoto to talk to Tomaso and Martelli. Tell them that my engagements to Hattori and Rosalind are canceled. Then he needs to approach Lionesse the Third directly. Tell him... Tell Yamamoto to feel them out in regards to a familial union... a marriage... with myself as the bride."

"WHAT?!"

Turning his head away, Hotaru refused to explain himself. It would be obvious enough to Orinato if he took a moment to think about things. Vongola was a sinking ship that required a life raft of some kind in order to survive. If they leaned on Cavallone or Longchamp or even Nubo to survive, then they'd be taking the chance of dragging them down, too. However, Lionesse was a different story. They could be used as a stepping stone to rebuilding and, if they got dragged down, then it would only destroy a rival. At the very least, Hotaru could ensure that his would-be husband got a quick death before he claimed both Families. Of course, Chin could plan to do the same to him, but that was only a minor hitch in the plan. What was important was that Vongola would stabilize and his people wouldn't suffer during their struggle for supremacy. Lionesse was already holding a lot of the cards. For the sake of his Family, it was the wisest choice that Hotaru could make.

"You don't have to do this, Hotaru," Orinato hissed in concern. "You're a man. You don't have to bow down--"

"Watch your mouth," Hotaru ordered sharply, turning an infuriated glare on Orinato that stopped him in his tracks. "I'll bow down before no one. Lionnesse will be lured in by the thought of achieving dominance over Vongola. It's been his Family's goal since their creation, so there's no way that he won't take the bait. Once that's done, I will use him and wring him dry to ensure that Vongola will survive, so do not shame me by treating me like a helpless bargaining chip. Neither that pitiful whelp or my ancestors will win this battle, Orinato. This is my decision--my Will--as Vongola the Eleventh! Capiche?!"

"Y-Yes, Boss," Orinato gaped, openly taken aback by the fierceness of Hotaru's gaze. "I... I understand. I'll make the call right away."

"Grazie," Hotaru murmured before turning his attention back to planning and scheming. The Courts were already planning to put him on trial as a full adult, considering both the enormity of his crimes and the maturity that he'd displayed as President of Vongola Corporation. That meant that they would be transferring him to an adult prison instead of a Reform Facility. It was already set for Orinato to be deported to Japan for trial as an adult. They were going to be separated and it couldn't be stopped without a lot of resources that they simply didn't have to spare.

Prison was a bit of a disconcerting prospect. He was both male and female. Which type of facility were they going to put him in? Both would be bad in different ways. If he went to a women's prison, he might have to fight against women in order to protect himself. He wasn't naive, after all. Women could be just a brutal, vicious, and as dangerous as men. All he had to do was to look in the mirror to prove it. However, fighting against women had always left him unsettled. Even sparring against Rosalind was difficult because he'd been taught from a very young age to respect all women. It was part of the Mafia Code.

On the other hand, going to a men's prison wouldn't be any easier. By themselves, his breasts would turn him into a target for brutality. Fighting back would be much easier, but he wasn't naive in that respect, either. Under enough time, planning, and numbers, even the strength of Vongola the Eleventh would falter. Reborn had tutored him for this eventuality, after all, so Hotaru knew his limits. Without support, he could only manage a mere two weeks. After that, the fatigue would peak from being constantly on-guard and he would lose his edge. There were only two options and he had to pick one in the first day: be a contender and get shanked or be a bitch and get raped. Survival wasn't possible if he tried to quietly keep his head down. Everyone would probably know ahead of time that Vongola the Eleventh was being transferred in and--

What if they didn't send him to either one? Hotaru's stomach turned into lead at the thought. What if they decided to keep him in a specialized prison? He had a notorious reputation, after all. What if they put him in a plastic prison and didn't allow him to have any contact with the outside world? He'd go crazy. He'd had people around him since the day that he'd been born. In his entire life, he'd never been entirely alone for more than a few hours! No--! No, they couldn't do that! He'd already suffered that torture in hell! Plus, it'd cost a fortune to do that! They wouldn't go that far to keep him under lock and key! Would they...?

Should he start praying to be sent to a women's facility?

Should he start planning an escape?

Wait. Stop panicking. No matter where they imprisoned him, SK would stay with him. He wouldn't be able to come out when there was a chance of being seen, but... No, damnit! SK _couldn't _stay with him. SK had to occasionally return to his ring to rest or else his form would evaporate. His Demitirus Ring was in police custody along with the rest of what Hotaru had been wearing at the time of his capture. Visiting it would be nearly impossible without chancing discovery. Although... if SK stole his own ring and hid it, it might be possible for the Salamander to visit in his travel form... No, that wouldn't work either. SK's travel form was incredibly small, but prisons weren't known for giving privacy. It would be too big of a risk for SK to stay with him. They couldn't allow the existence of Salamanders to be known and understood outside of the Mafia. He would have to--

Feeling a hand suddenly grab onto his shoulder, Hotaru lurched in place and looked up to find that a police officer was standing over him. From the way that everyone else in the holding cell was looking at them, the officer had been trying to get his attention for some time without any success.

"Hotaru Sawada?" He asked with a concerned expression. Hotaru nodded while mentally berating himself for letting his guard down. It was difficult not to, though. Compared to the denizens of Asura, the criminals housed around him were nothing more than baby Chihuahuas. "Are you alright? You seem a little pale."

"I'm fine," he growled, brushing the man's hand off his shoulder. "Do you have some business with me?"

"I do," he replied with a perturbed expression. "You're free to go." Hotaru blinked without comprehending the statement. He was free to go? Go where? Were they already transferring him to a penal facility? "The charges were dropped," he added when Hotaru didn't move. "I'm not sure who your Guardian Angel is, but you have to have one because everyone upstairs is talking like it's a bloody miracle. It turns out that the evidence against you is purely hearsay and second-hand accounts, so the Judge ordered your immediate release. If you'll follow me, there's a few final procedures to go through and then you can say goodbye to this place."

Miracle indeed, Hotaru thought as he slowly rose and followed the officer out of the cell in a daze. Orinato seemed just as shocked as he was when they were reunited over release paperwork, which meant that it hadn't been anything done on Vongola's end. Also, Orinato hadn't been gone from the jail cell for long enough to have made his call yet. Even if he had, it was far too soon for Lionesse to move unless... Unless someone had been watching him in his cell. If that was the case, Lionesse could have ordered mobilization as soon as Hotaru gave Orinato orders in regards to an alliance of any sort. The probability of it happening was high, especially in the condition that Vongola was in. That Lionesse the Third could predict it only meant that he'd had more time to plan and prepare for a multitude of outcomes.

The proof of Hotaru's guess came in the form of his clothing. The set that was given to him wasn't the same set that he'd worn when he'd been arrested. The open-top design was similar, but his toga pants had turned into an ankle-length dress. There was also much more in the way of embellishment and embroidery. Hotaru had to admit that it was tastefully done, but it infuriated him. He'd been outmaneuvered and outclassed by a Family _heir_. Chin wasn't even the Boss of his Family yet! He had absolutely no experience in his position and he'd started out as an impotent little nerd, so how in Hell's Name had he managed to become such a threat so fast?! Had Van Wolfe really been that good of a Tutor?! They'd barely spent a semester together and that had been over a year ago!

Hotaru forced himself to calm down as he carefully dressed in the clothes provided, donned his rings, and styled his hair. Putting everything else aside, there was likely to be a media frenzy outside and he couldn't cause anymore destruction to Vongola through poor presentation. The media would likely want a comment and those who were still loyal to Vongola would need some encouragement at the same time. He couldn't blow this. His Family needed him to be strong, no matter how much he was trembling inside.

His loyal image consultants, defense attorneys, Basil, Gokudera, and several other key members of his working Family were waiting for him in the entry-way. Unsurprisingly, not a single one spoke. Their quick arrival and their lack of speech was even more proof that Hotaru's supposition had been correct. Lionesse had planned this. Everyone already knew that they were cornered and not a single one wanted to say something that would make coming to a decision harder. Whether he chose to fight alone or if he chose to ally with a rival, the choice was too tough for any of them to voice their opinion. The fate of Vongola rested on it, after all.

"Gokudera..." Hotaru requested, pausing next to the entrance as cameras began to flash and voices began to be raised in a frenzy of anticipation for his imminent exit. All it took was one pain-filled glance to tell Gokudera what he wanted. A moment later, Orinato tumbled unconscious into Basil's waiting arms and was quickly thrown over Ryohei's shoulder for transport. Hotaru didn't want his Right Hand to witness what was to come and everyone present knew the details of his decision due to the request. He could see it in their faces. Every single one of them wanted to stop him, but none of them had an alternative to offer. They knew as well as he did that the Family name was of far less importance than the people. If he were to chase after the name out of pride, then he would have no right to hold the throne. "Alright," Hotaru said with a deep breathe. "Let's go save our Family."

Setting his shoulders, he kept his head held high as he stepped out the door. It was a posture of arrogance and conceit that forced the reporters to stay at a respectful distance, although it didn't stop their cameras from flashing or their mouths from moving. Hotaru ignored it all, however. With a single flare of his intuition, he continued walking until he reached the stretch limousine that was waiting for him. Hotaru recognized the polished man standing in a white suit beside it from Don Girarde. It was Kirota Lee, brother and Right-Hand Man to Lionesse the Third.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Kirota greeted, offering Hotaru a single red rose alongside a formal bow. "I am--"

"I know who you are," Hotaru snapped before the idiot could blurt his identity out in front of all the news cameras. There was no sense in making the reporters' jobs easier, after all.

"Then you're probably also aware of my reason for coming," Kirota replied with a knowing smile. "Let us cut to the chase." In the blink of an eye, subordinates darted out of the car and transformed the immediate area into a sickeningly romantic scene. There was red carpeting, rose petals on the breeze, a ring box on top of a silk pillow and even a violinist playing a sweet ballad--all of which was out of place in front of a busy police station. "On behalf of Lionesse the Third, I ask for you to unite our Families through matrimony."

"Is he planning to send you in his place to the wedding, too?" Hotaru growled in distaste. This was an insult. The Third wasn't even asking in person. The very least that the bastard could do would be to show his face to the person that he was proposing to! Had Vongola truly sunk so low that he could accept such discourtesy?!

"You're slowly going bankrupt," Kirota replied with his smile fading into a frown. Hotaru's eyes widened in outrage as his face began to turn red with anger. While the words were true, how dare this insolent subordinate-- "You've lost control of your company and your Family is on the verge of collapse," he continued in a superior tone. "I don't think that this is the time for you to quibble over--"

"Kirota!" A voice barked in anger before Hotaru could explode. Kirota immediately paled to the same shade as his bleached suit and he trembled as the door of the car behind him flew open. "How dare you speak to the Eleventh like that," the Third scolded as he stepped out of the vehicle. Camera flashes began exploding at a mind-boggling rate, making the man pause next to the open car door.

The Third was just as Hotaru remembered him from his break-out performance at the ski lodge. His hair was slicked back and his goofy glasses were gone. He had all the aura of a strong man who was in control of himself, but Hotaru could instantly see from his body language that he was incredibly camera-shy. Taking that into account, alongside the fact that he'd braved the cameras to admonish his Right Hand, Hotaru felt that he could forgive the foolish lapse in respect. However, that didn't get the Third off the hook. Now that he'd shown himself, he had to prove that he had the strength to stand next to Hotaru as equals.

"I hope you'll forgive his rudeness," the Third said slowly as the cameras began to circle around him to leave no angle as an escape. Once cornered, he had two options. He could hide or he could face Hotaru. Fortunately, Hotaru was relieved to see that the Third's shyness didn't equal cowardice. He turned his gaze to Hotaru and Hotaru was surprised to see the amount of sincerity and worry in his eyes. Despite all the cocky posturing in his letter and the way that he'd masterminded such a successful coup-de-tat, Lionesse the Third had absolutely no arrogance or conceit. There wasn't even a small flicker that would normally be present with a normal Boss' demeanor. It made Hotaru wonder how such an innocent, oblivious man had managed to outmaneuver him. "Will you come with me?" He finally asked in a soft voice. "It's important that we have a discussion, but there's too many people here for my liking." It was the way that his voice carried over the noise of the reporters that sent alarms ringing through Hotaru's head. Lionesse the Third could not be underestimated. His innocent demeanor was a weaponized facade like Hotaru's own royal facade. That was the true reason that the man had kept hidden from the cameras. It was because pictures and fame could corrupt as easily as money did. His shyness was the self-defense measure that he'd adopted to keep himself thinking clearly.

"Leave your men here as collateral," Hotaru replied carefully. The Third flinched slightly at the display of mistrust, but Hotaru felt that he was being very giving. For some people, sacrificing a dozen subordinates and a Right Hand Man would be an easy price to pay in exchange for the head of Vongola the Eleventh.

"Agreed," he replied with a slow nod. "Please allow my men to treat yours to a late dinner as an apology for my brother's wagging tongue. I assure you that it won't happen again. After all, an insult to the person that I plan to marry is an insult to me."

"It's good to know that you don't have to send someone to apologize in your place," Hotaru murmured in satisfaction. During the ski trip where they'd first crossed paths, his intuition had named Chin Lee as a potential rival. It was good to see that the feeling hadn't been a fluke. The Third typically kept to the shadows like a bat at midday, but he'd continued his training since Van Wolfe had left his side.

He was a worthy suitor.

"Taru--!"

"It might be a good idea to hurry," the Third quietly suggested with a polite gesture to invite Hotaru into the car. At the sound of his name being screamed a second time, Hotaru flinched, nodded, and forced himself to get over his doubts in mere seconds. He would have preferred to acclimate himself to the idea through a bit more banter, but the thought of coming face-to-face with the idiot who kept yelling made him even more uncomfortable.

The Third had understood the need for a quick escape at the first shout. As soon as Hotaru nodded, he snapped his fingers to send his subordinates to work so that the way was clear for Hotaru to get into the car. Once he was inside, those same men encircled the vehicle and cleared a path so that they could pull out into traffic. It was difficult, but Hotaru kept his shoulders back, his chin up, and his eyes locked on the man in the seat across from him. In this way, he kept himself from seeing the pain on the faces of his Family and the desperation on Hattori's face as he broke through the crowd to chase after them.

"Your lover is pretty cruel," the Third commented in sympathy. With a push of a button, the Lionesse heir tinted all of the windows black and rolled up the privacy window to block out the driver. "He should know that you're not doing this out of personal choice."

"But it is my choice," Hotaru corrected tensely. "I could have chosen to ram my fist into your brother's face and tell you to go to hell, but I didn't."

"Because you're a very wise and caring Boss," he praised without mockery. "Would you like a drink? It'll be a while before we reach our destination."

"And where would that be?" Hotaru asked with a careful nod of acceptance.

"The Lionesse estate," he answered with an apologetic grimace. "I wanted to take you for dinner so that we could talk at leisure, but I'm not a socialite. So I hope you don't mind something homemade."

"That would be fine, Third," Hotaru agreed tonelessly. The Third didn't show any sign of having heard the reply, being far too busy with the control panel next to his seat. After a moment, he found the button that he wanted and a panel in the side of Hotaru's door opened to reveal a sparkling glass of champagne. A matching glass appeared in a panel of the Third's door, which he took without any of the hesitancy that Hotaru felt. He took a slow sip and momentarily closed his eyes in appreciation before finally turning his attention back to Hotaru.

"Please, call me Chin," he sighed as Hotaru checked the aroma of his own champagne out of habit. "And you don't have to worry about the safety of your glass. Our drinks come from the same bottle and the glasses are cleaned and sanitized with a tamper-proof invention that I made. I can understand if you don't trust me, though, so I'll be happy to personally test your glass if you'd like."

"I sense no danger," Hotaru murmured with a smirk for the offer. Chin was a sharp one. One typically didn't check the aroma and thickness of champagne before drinking. That was something usually reserved for wine, which wasn't carbonated and--

Hotaru blinked in surprise as soon as the first drop crossed his lips. He could tell with a mere sip that the drink wasn't normal. It hadn't been poisoned, but there was something decidedly different about it. He'd never drank a lot of champagne in the past since Family tradition leaned in favor of wines and hard liquor, so it was hard to put his finger on it. The flavor was bouncy and familiar, but it wasn't from grapes. It tasted more like strawberries and mango, but not in a way that was heavy or overbearing. Watermelon, he identified after a moment. The initial flavors were strawberry and mango, but the aftertaste transformed into a light and crisp Watermelon. It was potent, too. He couldn't even taste the alcohol, but he could feel himself relaxing after only half a glass.

"I'm glad you like it," Chin smiled, breaking into Hotaru's thoughts. Having been caught with the rim of the glass resting on his bottom lip in consideration, Hotaru blushed. The opponent was stronger than Hotaru had expected. Somehow, the guy had gotten Hotaru comfortable in far too short of a time. Even with old Family friends like Dino, it usually took ten times longer for Hotaru to relax! "It's one of many Lionesse rip-offs," Chin sighed as he put his own glass back into the door panel to retrieve a refill. "I analyzed a bottle of V Special, figured out the method of manufacturing it, and created this after a lot of trial and error. I can't tell you how many times I got drunk while I was making it," he laughed. "It took me an entire year to build up my resistance just so that I could finish a bottle by myself! Sadly, it turns out that it was a complete waste of time, though. No one's interested in buying a champagne that's this potent."

"I'd be interested," Hotaru admitted.

"I'm flattered," he replied with an honest smile.

"Don't be," Hotaru grumbled in grudging amusement. "As soon as I get my hands on a bottle, I'll steal the recipe and have my... people..." Hotaru trailed off and his smile faded in remembrance of the situation he was in. Why was he sitting here, allowing himself to be wooed by the very man who'd caused him so many problems?!

"Please don't hate me," Chin murmured, leaning forward in his seat to cradle his champagne glass between his knees. He kept his head bowed over his drink, almost as if he were praying for understanding. "I know that it was cruel of me to take advantage of your crisis at home, but it was the only chance I had to achieve my goals. I know about your feelings for Miss Ross and Hattori, so I really didn't want it to come to this. I tried and I tried to find some other way, but I guess I'm just not good enough. I have to use you, which isn't really fair to either of us."

"There's no such thing as 'fair' in war," Hotaru growled. "You should be happy. If I do agree to marry you, Lionesse will become the most powerful Family--"

"No--!" Chin blurted. Hotaru paused in curiosity at the wide-eyes that Chin pinned him with. He wasn't faking. Beating Vongola wasn't his goal. "I don't want your company or your Family," he continued with a pain-filled expression. "That's not my intention. What I want... What I really want is to see an end to the bloodshed."

"Eh?" Hotaru gaped in surprise.

"Don't you think it's messed up?" Chin asked in a passionate tone. "We live in a civilized world with everything that we could possibly need, yet men and women are still fighting in the shadows over something as intangible as pride and greed! I'm tired of it! I don't want to see any more of my Family in the hospital or in coffins! I can't do it alone, though! My idiot father and everyone else is so caught up with the idea of beating Vongola that they can't appreciate what they have! It's always more, more, more, but I say no more! That... That's why I need you. If our Families were to be united, the hard line of rivalry splitting the Mafia would break down. The spirit of competition could be re-focused toward friendly inter-Family tournaments and everyone could prosper without the heartache that we all suffer. I know--" He said, holding up a hand to forestall Hotaru's objection. "I know that the bloodshed wouldn't stop completely. There's always those who are determined to break the rules and there's horrors out there that only the Mafia can deal with. But still... Can you imagine how much better this world would be if our Families weren't willing to die to beat each other?"

Hotaru pressed his lips together, unable to give a simple answer to such a complicated question. It was true that over half of the deaths and injuries in the Mafia was caused by rivalries. Accident or intentional harm would lead to revenge, which would lead to counter-strikes and retaliation. People got caught in the crossfire and the pain would spread at an exponential rate. Chin's proposal for breaking the chain was something that could have never been done in the past because no one had ever rose up as a lead Family out of Vongola's opposition. Lionesse _had _emerged, though. It'd emerged in Vongola's Eleventh Hour. It couldn't be coincidence.

"I hope you'll forgive me for holding your company hostage," Chin continued softly. "I'm not normally the type of person to resort to underhanded methods, but this is our duty and the greatest service that we could do for our Families. I know that what I'm asking won't be easy for you, but I hope that you understand that it's not any easier for me. I... I never imagined myself getting married, let alone proposing to someone as... uh... gender-challenged--"

"Bi-gendered," Hotaru snapped in correction. "I've accepted what I am and I don't consider it to be a disability. It's actually the opposite. I get more opportunities than most people. For example, if I didn't have a female side, your proposal would have no merit."

"That's true," Chin agreed with a slow grin. It was a grin that froze as the insinuation belatedly hit him. "Wait," he gasped. "Does that mean that you like my proposal?"

"It has merit," Hotaru repeated with a gracious nod. "But I won't agree until we negotiate a full contract. I'll warn you that I have quite a few demands, starting with financial support for the members of my Family who lost their homes in the fire."

"We can go over the details at dinner," Chin replied with a pleased smile. With a sense of timing that could only have been planned, the car pulled to a stop and Hotaru's door was opened by a waiting valet.

Stepping out of the car with the young man's help, Hotaru couldn't help the sense of satisfaction that came from the waiting welcome. The entire Lionesse Household was arranged through the courtyard of the Family's estate. The butlers, maids, and staff were in carefully placed rows between him and the doorway, while the courtyard on the other side of the car was filled with gun-totting men in black. The difference in mood between the two groups was somewhat amusing, though. The staff of the house were all smiling, yet the ranks of Mafioso were all incredibly tense.

As for the estate itself, it was designed as an upscale English country house rather than a castle-like chateau like Vongola's Headquarters had been. That wasn't to say that it was indefensible, because Chin's ancestors had chosen to build the behemoth into the side of a cliff. All it took was a single glance to know that the building would survive bombing, fighting, and even invasion. That was assuming that anyone could get close enough. With the guard towers at the top of the cliff and the careful planning of the building's location, Hotaru knew that it wouldn't be easy to get near. The terrraced hill leading up to the estate was completely misleading. While it seemed that a person could snipe from the bottom of the hill, the extra distance created by the courtyard would ensure that the house was out of line-of-sight. Bringing vehicles up the hill to attack wouldn't be easy either since the winding path ensured that guards would notice the approach in plenty of time to blockade.

For all its elegance and charm, the estate would make a formidable prison.

"Eleventh...?" Chin murmured as he offered his arm in escort. Not having a choice, Hotaru took it and allowed himself to be lead inside. "What do you think so far?"

"I think your ancestors were wise in regards to architecture," he answered politely. "Even Vongola would have a difficulty in planning a successful strike. On top of that, your Family seems well-mannered and content. I'll admit that I was expecting much more in the way of aggression since I came alone."

"There are none here who object to your presence," Chin replied. Hotaru automatically translated the statement into something similar to: 'I told them that I'd break their thumbs if they made trouble.' "The aesthetics might not be what you're used to," he continued, "but I hope that you'll come to call this 'home'. _La mia casa è la vostra casa_. So let me give you a tour."

"Indeed," Hotaru agreed tonelessly. As soon as he entered the front doors, Hotaru had to swallow a lump in his throat. While Chin might think that the aesthetics weren't similar to Vongola, the truth was that the interior could have been made and decorated by the same person. The heavy woods used were the same. The choice of picture frames were the same. The upholstery of the seating was the same. It was almost identical to what Hotaru had lived in since he'd been eight years old, which was enough to make him want to call shenanigans. The only reason that he didn't was because of the nearly invisible marks of usage that everything had. It wasn't something that had been done simply for his sake. Everything had been in place for years before Chin had been made heir.

Pausing in front of a painting in what could only be a woman's drawing room, Hotaru was overwhelmed with a sense of homesickness. It was a reprint of 'The Cardsharps' by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio--the same painting that had been in his bedroom at home. It depicted three men playing poker--a cardshark and his partner duping a well-dressed boy with more money than sense. Hotaru had always felt kindred to the mark in the painting. To him, it looked as if the boy being swindled was smiling as if to say, 'I know you're cheating, but I don't really care. Watching you work so hard is a lot more fun than the card game.'

"Do you like it?" Chin asked curiously. "It's a reprint of--"

"I know what it is," Hotaru interrupted quietly. "I had a copy hanging over my dresser before the fire destroyed everything. It's just nostalgic to see it again. I hadn't expected to find it here."

"I guess our Families are more alike than anyone wants to admit," Chin replied softly. Following his gesture to continue on, Hotaru soon found himself lead into a large second-floor bedroom where three uniformed chambermaids were waiting with towels and bathing supplies. "I'll leave you here to freshen up," he explained as a polite order to bathe. As he bowed himself out of the room, Hotaru couldn't find it in himself to argue. He could still feel traces of the jail on his skin and he wasn't in any hurry to finish selling himself off with a marriage contract. A bath seemed like just what he needed to get his thoughts into order and muster his resolve.

"My lady...?" The eldest of the three prompted with the strangest expression on her face. It took Hotaru a moment to identify it and he was stunned speechless when he did. When had he become someone to be pitied by maids?! Shaking off his shock, Hotaru decided to ignore it. If he really did come to an agreement with Chin, it wouldn't be a good idea to insult the very people that he'd be living with. Especially not if they were sympathetic to him. "We've already drawn a bath for you," she continued politely. "It's right through here."

"Thank you," Hotaru mumbled. "If you can leave the supplies in there, I can wash myself. My body--"

"Don't be silly," the second maid interrupted with an overly-bright smile. "You don't have anything we haven't seen before!" Hotaru choked as she pushed him into the bathroom and started stripping him with the help of the other two maids. He tried to stop them, but his dress was made to be easily removed. He was down to his underwear before he could finish his first objection. Predictably, all three of the women came to a dumbfounded standstill when they noticed the bulge in his modified panties.

"That's an... uh... interesting place to hide a weapon," the eldest maid commented.

"It's not a weapon," Hotaru growled. "It's a dick." Putting his hands on his hips, he didn't feel embarrassed over being seen nude. It was the most comfortable way to be. However, he knew that others couldn't be comfortable seeing his unusual makeup. "I'm a hermaphrodite," he explained in frustration. "That's why I said I could wash myself. I didn't want to have to explain this when I've already got enough on my mind."

"We were already aware," the previously silent maid said as she went over to check the temperature of the bath. "They're just being nosy."

"I'm sorry," the energetic of the three mumbled while she nervously bundled Hotaru's dress in her hands. "I got carried away. I didn't think it was true because you looked so pretty in that dress."

"I'm sorry, too," the first maid said with an anxious sigh. "I don't know what I was thinking. Boss warned us, but hearing and seeing are two different things."

"Both of you shush," the quiet second ordered. The way that the other two snapped to attention told Hotaru that the second woman, despite being younger, was the professional authority of the trio. "Lady Sawada doesn't need the two of you making a fuss. Rather than wasting your time giving excuses, you should get back to work so she can relax."

Hotaru felt the urge to smile as the two hurriedly returned to their duties. They reminded him a lot of his own people. Rather than being stuffy and confined in their actions like regular hired help, they were free spirits who served out of simple joy. They liked their jobs and the Family that they worked for. From their lack of fear, Hotaru could tell that they were coddled, content, and treated as part of the Family.

Keeping that in mind, he was able to finish stripping and carefully sink into the bath without feeling the need to be suspicious. The three weren't hitmen or spies. They were exactly what they appeared to be--chambermaids. Likely, they were wives or daughters of some of the black-suited Mafiosos that he'd seen outside. That, too, would be similar to Vongola's method of operation. It was a way to keep the oblivious women of the family busy, productive, and content, without allowing them to go out to places where they could be taken as hostages. The best part about doing it that way was that the women didn't even know that they were being protected.

It was painful in a way that he couldn't explain. It was as if everything around him, from the people to the choice of soap, was trying to welcome him. It was familiar. It was too much like the home that he'd always known for him to ignore it. The problem was that it wasn't his home. It wasn't the place where he'd grown up. The people weren't his Family. What would happen once the members of his own Family did have the freedom to walk through the halls of the Lionesse estate? Would the surroundings lure them into a false sense of security? Would everyone slowly forget that they'd been members of Vongola?

Would that be a bad thing?

His Hour was prophesied as the Hour of Destruction, but what if it was something good like the Ninth had said? In many ways, this was an opportunity to give the people that he loved freedom. Once Vongola was gone, Gregory wouldn't have the stigma of the Mafia hanging over his head. Gillian wouldn't feel the need to compare himself and struggle to stand out. The rest of his brothers and sisters could grow up without having to hear the whispers of Mafia-this and Mafia-that. They wouldn't be tempted to follow him into the darkness of the Underground and the misguided youths who were already in his ranks would be forced to seek fulfillment through normal lives rather than cake themselves with bloodshed. His mother and Katie could make clothes without having to deal with accusations that their success was of his making. The poor innocents who worked in his business holdings could breathe easier, too. They would no longer have to worry that they'd be targeted because of him. Plus, the old veterans could retire in peace, knowing that they'd served right up until the end. Even... Even his father would be free. Perhaps, if Vongola was gone, his father wouldn't feel the need to run and hide anymore.

Was that what his ancestors had been hoping for when they'd created the fire-trap in the Crypt? Had they created it in hopes that the destruction would be enough to force a merger with another Family? Had they prayed for the people who'd be set free of their obligations and debts? Had they decided a time limit so that Vongola's iron hand could eventually unfurl before it strangled the world?

They were far more wise than Hotaru had given them credit for. Destroying a single Family wouldn't destroy the Mafia, even if it was a powerful Family like Vongola. A different Family would simply rise to fill the void. If he merged the remnants of Vongola with Lionesse, then he could oversee that rise and ensure that the Mafia continued to prosper without suffering in the transition. He could continue to protect the people who'd sheltered him and aided him since his birth. Chin was right. This would be the greatest service that he could do for his Family. It was his duty and he couldn't abandon that duty just because of a little hardship. It was his responsibility to oversee their well-being, right up until the very end.

Thinking of the situation in that perspective helped his mood immensely. It'd probably take him a while to get used to being treated like a woman, but it'd be worth it to continue living as a Mafia Boss. Being treated like a woman wasn't really that bad, though. The three chambermaids were very talented. The quiet professional, Ginerva, had the hands of a hair stylist and Hotaru felt as if he were in heaven as she washed his hair. The eldest of the trio, Fiorella, turned out to be a beautician who specialized in make-up while the energetic one, Fiammetta, showed off her skill by giving Hotaru a manicure and a pedicure. All three had good taste, too. The dress and the accessories that they picked out for him to use weren't to _his _taste, but they were fashionable and acceptable.

He guessed that it was to be expected that he wouldn't be allowed to continue with his open-front style of clothing. After all, he was to be the bride of a powerful Mafia Boss, so he had to show modesty even if he didn't feel it. He couldn't say that he liked it much, though. He'd hoped to never have to wear a bra again, but the chambermaids had three styles for him to choose from. The dress that was chosen was one that would completely cover him, too. The bodice of the piece was made of white leather while the sleeves and skirt were made out of a flowing white material. The collar was a design that he hadn't tried before. It curved up around his throat as if he were a wicked stepmother while the neckline dipped in compensation. All of the hems were covered with simple gold and silver embroidery, which matched with the mixed metals in the jewelry that was offered. Then they brought forward a pair of open-toed high heels and Hotaru's good-humored acceptance disappeared. If he was going to sell himself as a woman, he had to wear them, though. Image was power and he couldn't lessen his own by wearing the wrong shoes.

Step, wobble, step, wobble, step, crash!

Try again.

Step, careful step, step, careful step, step, careful step, wobble, crash!

Try again.

Step, wobble, crash!

"Would you like us to get you some flats?" Fiorella offered politely.

"No," he grumbled as he got to his feet again. "Just give me a few more minutes to practice and I'll get it."

"Walk like you're prancing instead of swaggering," Ginerva instructed sympathetically. "When you first start out on heels, it's not a good idea to use the heel at all or you'll end up with a twisted ankle. Keep your weight on your toes instead of trying to stomp it out like a runway model. It's a work-out for the ankles, but I'm sure that's more bearable than tripping on your face in front of the Boss."

"R-Right," Hotaru murmured as he carefully tried to walk again. He was surprised to find that the suggestion helped. Once he wasn't trying to utilize the raised portion of his shoe, he was able to walk without wobbling or falling. It really did feel as if he was prancing, though. "Do I look stupid?" He asked as he continued practicing. All three women shook their heads in amazement at his progress, but Hotaru still felt foolish. He couldn't understand how Mafia wives managed to look so poised and confident while wearing stilts.

Then he paused in front of a mirror and saw himself. His appearance was enough to make him blush because he looked like a virginal daughter of a medieval Lord on her wedding day. Looking in the mirror, it was almost impossible to imagine that he was partially male. His short hair had been whimsically teased to one side with a glittering, flower-shaped pendant clipped above his ear. His face had completely transformed into a soft, glowing visage. His eyes seemed brighter than he'd ever seen them and his lips had more of a pout than a man's should. Then, the dress drew the eye to his neckline where a medallion matching his hair-clip rested against his throat. The leather of the bodice accentuated his curves while the glittering embroidery and the soft fabric of the sleeves and ankle-length skirt made him look like a ray of light in motion. With the dangling earrings, bangle bracelets, and high heels to complete the image, he could honestly say that he looked like an incredible woman.

However, he couldn't recognize himself. There was no trace of the powerful Boss that he'd once been. Instead, he looked exactly like what he was--the bargaining piece that he'd told Orinato that he wasn't going to be. This wasn't the time to be in denial, though. The fate of his Family rested on his shoulders. If that meant that he had to marry a man that he barely knew, he swore to do it with a smile on his face.

Rosalind and Hattori would just have to accept it. If it was a choice between them and Vongola, they had already known that they would lose. Actually, it might be a good idea to make them think that he'd been playing with them out of boredom rather than simply hope that they'd understand. At least that way, they wouldn't try to interfere in the future. It would be difficult, but it was what was best for them. They wouldn't have to sit back and watch him... submit... to another persons' whims. Their relationships were still pretty new, after all. It'd be easy to make them hate him because they didn't really know him yet. They weren't even at the stage where they could go past kissing, so misunderstandings should be simple to create, too. He'd... He'd have to hurt them. It was the only way to give them the closure that they'd need in order to move on with their lives.

He wasn't going to cry, he told himself as he mustered his resolve. Marrying for love was something that only those without responsibilities could do. There were far too many people counting on him for their livelihood for him to be selfish. He was a Mafia Boss, he reminded himself in determination. Making hard decisions was what he did best. This was his choice. He just had to suck it up and live with it.

"Yosh!" Hotaru whispered to himself before turning to the three chambermaids. "I'm ready, so please take me to Chin."

"Boss asked us not to," Ginerva said as the three bowed their heads in apology. "He said that he doesn't want you to feel like a prisoner, so you should explore freely until you find him."

"I see," Hotaru replied with a smirk. It was a mind game. By forcing Hotaru to explore to find him, it would definitely give Hotaru a feeling of freedom. However, it would also put him in the position of a supplicant. "I think I'm in the mood to explore the garden," he said mischievously. "Let's see how long Chin is willing to wait for his supper." Heading out the door by himself, he heard the three maids explode into giggling before the door shut behind him.

It was a good plan. If he explored the garden until Chin got fed up with waiting, Chin would have to make a concession. If he sent someone else after Hotaru, the feeling of being a prisoner wouldn't be undone. However, if Chin came in person to escort Hotaru, Chin would put himself in the position of a supplicant. Hotaru was quite pleased with the plan. It was crafty. It was devious. Unfortunately, it wouldn't work. There was only one stairwell leading to the first floor and Chin was patiently waiting at the bottom of it.

Discarding the idea, Hotaru switched gears and began working towards knocking Chin's socks off. First, he paused at the top of the stairs to ensure that he had Chin's full attention. Then there was the slow and graceful decent, during which Chin's eyes widened and his lips parted in appreciation. Finally, there was the demure smile at the bottom as Chin stood stunned at Hotaru's transformation.

"You look amazing," he complimented with a gasping breathe. Hotaru allowed himself a coy blush for the praise, while silently swallowing bile. He was acting exactly like those feather-headed women that he hated so much and he couldn't decide which was worse: that he was good at it or that it was working. "I think half of my misgivings just flew out the window," he added as he offered his arm in escort. Hotaru took it shyly and kept Ginerva's advice about prancing in mind as they slowly walked toward the dining hall. "I can see why you chose to attend school as a boy. If people knew that you could look like this, every Mafioso in the world would be proposing. I suddenly feel incredibly lucky."

"You've come a long way from a spluttering scientist," Hotaru commented while keeping his real thoughts to himself. "But if you keep talking like that, I might start to think that I have other options."

"Then I better keep my mouth shut," Chin chuckled.

_Please, do_, Hotaru thought as they entered the dining hall. He paused as soon as they walked inside. The room was easily large enough to hold a table setting for forty with room to spare, but everything had been cleared out. Instead, there was only a small table for two set up, complete with candles, champagne, and a single red rose. Looking over at Chin in askance, Hotaru raised his eyebrow at the smile on the man's face.

"I hope you don't find this presumptuous of me, but I'd really like to get to know you before we get down to business," he explained as he guided Hotaru to his seat and helped him to get settled at the table. "If you don't agree," he continued as he took his own seat, "then I still thought it'd be uncomfortable to yell across the table in order to negotiate."

"I don't mind," Hotaru murmured sheepishly. It was a small detail, but one that he had to admit that he wouldn't have thought of in Chin's place. "I'm a little disarmed by the amount of thought you've put into this," he said as a waiting attendant walked forward to pop the cork on the champagne and pour. Simultaneously, a cook and two uniformed servants wheeled in a cart holding a pair of silver-domed trays.

Once they unveiled what was being served for dinner, Hotaru felt his inner ego deflate a few notches. Chin had wisely decided to forgo the formal multi-course meal in favor of a single delivery and it looked good. There was just enough of a crisp salad to start off with, complete with all the trimmings that he could ask for. There was a light soup to go with it, sporting small bits of chicken and carrots. As for the main plate, he couldn't ask for a better stuffed crab. There was a whole roasted pear that had been pealed and cut into the shape of a tulip. Next to that was two skewers of grilled vegetables that looked to be perfectly prepared. The aroma alone was enough to make his mouth water and all of it was equal quality to what Vongola's kitchens could produce.

"Do you like it?" Chin asked anxiously as the cook and servants hovered in hopes of a positive response. Hotaru simply nodded, unable to trust his voice. Chin seemed confused by the sudden silence. So, since there was no need to distrust the food until after a contract was signed, Hotaru emphasized his response by simply eating.

Unfortunately, digging in with a fork turned out to be a mistake because it was even more delicious than it looked. After the first bite, he could barely keep himself to a pace that wasn't embarrassing. The stuffed crab seemed to melt in his mouth while the roasted pear seemed to explode with flavor. The skewered vegetables were succulent and juicy while the soup turned out to be more savory and filling than it looked. As for the salad, Hotaru couldn't help but moan in pleasure when he realized that the slices of egg were from quail instead of chickens and the cheese was crumbled brie instead of simple cheddar. Even the buttered dinner rolls in the breadbasket were mouth-watering and delicious.

Then his empty plates were pulled away and a small slice of unadorned cheesecake was placed in front of him. On this, Hotaru hesitated. He knew that he'd only be disappointed if he took a bite. Even Vongola chefs couldn't create something sweet that he could accept. He knew that it was incredibly spoiled of him, but there was simply no one better than the Tenth when it came to desserts. The chef was waiting for him to taste it, though. Apparently it was Lionesse tradition for the cooks to come out and personally see the results of their hard work, so it wasn't as if he could pretend that it wasn't there.

Preparing himself, Hotaru took the smallest bite that he felt he could get away with--

The girl within him sighed in bliss as his body melted in satisfaction. It was so good. It made him realize that he'd never tried one of his father's cheesecakes. Even if he had, the small slice in front of him would have probably been a contender for the best. The choice couldn't be accidental. If it was, then the chef was the luckiest man alive because Hotaru was actually disappointed at the last bite instead of the first.

"Please tell me that you don't eat like this every day," Hotaru moaned as he relaxed back in his chair with a fresh glass of champagne. "If so, I don't think my ego could take it. I really thought that there was no chef who could compare to Vongola's."

"This is actually sub-standard," Chin replied in consideration. Hotaru choked and his eyes bulged. The chef and servers who were clearing the dessert plates also froze for a moment until Chin finally broke out into laughter. "I'm lying, but you should have seen your face," he laughed. "I'll admit that my chefs worked harder than usual tonight. Isn't that right, Geoff?"

"Don't tease us like that," the chef admonished with a grudging smile. "I thought I was going to faint." Chin continued grinning until the chef ushered the servers and the cart out of the room. Once they were gone, Chin settled back in his seat while nursing his own glass of champagne. Through his silence, he gave Hotaru license to direct the conversation. Hotaru wasn't sure what to say, though. Idle, meaningless chit-chat didn't seem appropriate. Simply blurting out the first question that came to mind wouldn't work, either. Also, getting down to business would be poor repayment for such a fine meal. It took much more thought than Hotaru was used to, but he finally managed to figure out a way to break the ice.

"It's more quiet here than I would have expected," he commented nonchalantly. "Isn't your Family curious about my presence?"

"This wasn't something that was decided overnight, so they already know why you're here," Chin replied with a tip of his glass to Hotaru for the choice of topic. "My father was probably the hardest to convince, but I managed to counter all of his objections. Once I had his agreement, the rest of the Family followed suit. It's been a long road, but they've come to trust me as much as they trust him. I'm sure that you understand the process."

"I do," Hotaru agreed graciously. "Getting out from under a predecessor's shadow is a battle to itself. I can't count the number of years that I spent as 'the Tenth son'. Getting people to see and accept that I am my own person is something that I still fight with at times."

"The Tenth's shadow is larger than most," he commented in sympathy. "He is a good man, though. I was incredibly shocked when I found out that I'd been Tutored by him. No one can complain, though. If it hadn't been for him, I'd probably still be the bumbling fool who couldn't cross a classroom without falling on his face."

"What did he do?" He asked curiously. "No one really saw him do anything other than sleep and throw water balloons while he was Van Wolfe."

"He taught to juggle and jump rope," Chin answered with a grin. Hotaru stared in disbelief, but Chin simply nodded to tell him that it was true. "I didn't think that it'd make a big difference, either, but it did. Of course, I was terrible at first even though I studied the theory from books. I couldn't even manage to throw a single ball in the air and catch it, so I had to practice a lot. After a while, I had enough hand-eye coordination that I was able to start translating scientific theory into reality. Then, by the time I got the hang of it, I realized that I could use the same method to improve in other areas that I was lacking. I found the best running form and then practiced until I could reproduce it. I started studying forms of hand-to-hand combat and trained in that. I studied the methods of successful entrepreneurs, scientists, businessmen, and everything else that I could get my hands on. Then I practiced, practiced, practiced without letting failure discourage me.

By the time that I stopped and looked up, I'd left my father in the dust. He still treated me like a child, though. He said that he wouldn't accept me as a man until I'd done something that he hadn't. Well, of course, that turned my attention to Vongola and I started to carefully plan to beat you. Originally, I started buying stock in Vongola Corp. simply so that I could gain access to your corporate newsletters and I had hoped to use it as leverage to get a look at your R&D department. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going in the same direction as your people were. Then, when I saw that Vongola Headquarters had burned down and a large portion of stock shares were available, a better plan formed--one that would shut my father up for good and would get rid of something that has aggravated me ever since I was given my first copy of 'How to be a Mafioso'."

"The Family rivalries," Hotaru supplied with a small smile. "I'll give you credit. You pulled the rug right out from under me. I expected that a few of the shares would be bought, but I hadn't thought that someone would snatch them all before I could get them back. If you'd hesitated for even a day, you would have lost your chance. I was in the process of liquidating assets when the shares disappeared. I suppose that it's my punishment for being impatient."

"I would have been impatient in your shoes, too," Chin replied sympathetically. "Your people are crowded into shared hotel rooms and merely feeding them is likely to be expensive without a kitchen to work from. They lost their homes, their possessions, and every ounce of security that they'd had. Gah. I feel like even more of a jerk when I think about it."

"A hard heart is part of the game," Hotaru sighed. "Why don't we get down to business? I'm sure that my people are getting anxious and your people are getting nervous."

"Alright," Chin agreed calmly. Pulling out a small device from his sleeve, he laid it on the table and pressed one of the buttons on the surface. "This will record the negotiation so that my people can draw up a contract. Where would you like to start?"

* * *

The negotiation only took a single hour. Getting it written out only took twenty minutes. It helped that they both knew what they wanted, what the other person would agree to, and where the lines needed to be drawn, but it was completed far too quick for Hotaru's comfort.

In regards to land and outposts: The Vongola estate in Japan would be given entirely to Hibari and Hotaru's mother. The Varia bases would be split among Xanxus and Ryohei. The bases that were left would be administrated jointly. In the instances where two bases were within the same twenty mile area, both bases would be dismantled and a new merged base would be created.

In regards to business: All businesses, debts, assets, and liabilities would be merged under the Lionesse banner. They would be itemized and dealt with individually and thoroughly until both parties were in complete agreement of which to keep and which to axe. No alterations would be made until a consensus was made.

In regards to Family: All members of Vongola over the age of thirty-five were to retire with full benefits. All members of Vongola who objected to the merger or perform unsatisfactorily due to the merger were to retire with full benefits. All blood relatives to Hotaru would receive an inheritance package including a portion of Vongola's remaining wealth, full school scholarships, and housing. All members of Lionesse over the age of forty-five were to retire with full benefits to make room for the influx of Vongola personnel. All members of Lionesse who object to the merger or perform unsatisfactorily due to the merger were to retire with full benefits.

In regards to divorce: Should Hotaru decide to renege on his matrimonial oaths, all joint assets would come under complete control of the Lionesse Family. Should Chin decide to renege on his matrimonial oaths, all joint assets would come under complete control of the Vongola Family.

In regards to an heir: Should Hotaru or Chin prove unable to bear an heir, both parties must agree on a replacement. If either party were to die before an appropriate heir could be conceived or named, the leader of Vongola's Outside Advisors hold sole rights in choosing an heir from the ranks of Lionesse.

In regards to Hotaru's possessions: Possession of the Bluefin, the Vongola Rings, and the land holding the ruins of Vongola Headquarters would remain under sole ownership of Hotaru. In the event of death, all possessions will be passed onto a named heir. In the event of divorce, these possessions would remain in Hotaru's keeping.

In regards to Chin's possessions: Possession of the Lionnesse Rings, the Lionesse Headquarters, and the Lionesse Research and Development Institute would remain under sole ownership of Lionesse. In the event of death, all possessions will be passed onto a named heir. In the event of divorce, these possessions would remain in Lionesse's keeping.

In regards to death: Should either party meet with death, unnatural or natural, everything would be immediately passed onto a named heir and the surviving party is permitted to continue as caretaker until such time that the named heir graduates from Don Girarde Academy or reaches sixteen years of age. On the day that the named heir meets the listed requirements, the surviving party is to immediately retire and be exiled. In the event that both parties meet with death, unnatural or natural, without naming an heir, all assets are to be liquidized, all members of both Families are to be given inheritance packages from the funds, and the Families are to immediately disband.

Overall, the estimate was that the marriage would cost Lionesse over two point nine billion dollars. In return, they were only receiving half of that in assets. It was still a cheap price to make Vongola's banner fall under that of Lionesse's, though. It was an even cheaper price to pay to end four hundred years worth of hatred. All Hotaru had to do was to sign the contract and the line between their Families would become a murky, invisible scratch that would be washed away by Mafia businessmen who would be quick to take advantage of the new order of things.

_Hotaru Sawada, Vongola the 11th_

He felt numb as soon as he made the last stroke. It was done. Before he could consider changing his mind, the contract was already notorized and made official. There was no backing out of it. He was getting married... to Chin Lee. Vongola... would be no more. He would have to... part... with Rosalind and Hattori. The bulk of his Family would be forced into retirement. The rest would have to integrate with the Lionesse Family. He--

"Would you like to stay here tonight?" Chin asked as a dozen copies of the contract were made. Hotaru nodded in confirmation. He didn't need his intuition to tell him that going back to his hotel would be a bad idea. Not only would the press be surrounding it, but Hotaru didn't feel capable of facing his Family at the moment. He would have to send a messenger.

"SK," Hotaru whispered. The Salamander reacted instantly, exploding out of Hotaru's ring as if he'd been anxiously waiting to be called. Chin and the secretaries who'd joined them in the room came to an immediate stop to watch his Flame form into a quasi-human. Hotaru felt too tired to appreciate it, though. He was simply glad that the Salamander had chosen to form in a kneeling position so that every eye didn't go to his groin. "You heard?"

"Yes," he confirmed, keeping his head solemnly bowed.

"Please take a copies of the contract to Gokudera, Orinato, Ryohei, Basil and the Ninth," Hotaru ordered. "Tell them to release the Third's men and inform them that I'll be staying here for the foreseeable future."

"What of Hattori and Rosalind?" SK asked softly. Hotaru grimaced, but managed to harden his resolve long enough to answer.

"Tell them that they were fun diversions, but playtime is over," he answered coldly. "It would be unfair of me to continue stringing them along when I've found a worthy spouse."

"Understood," SK replied. Rising, the Salamander held out his hand for copies of the contract without taking his gaze off of Hotaru. Hotaru couldn't look at him, though. He felt too shamed to meet anyone's eyes anymore. He'd stained his Family's pride. He'd betrayed the two people that he loved. He'd sold himself. He had no honor left to his name.

Would he do it again?

Yes.

Even if he became reviled and hated for his decision, he felt that it was the right one for the sake of the people who depended on him. Many would be able to retire in peace. The rest would be able to continue thriving. They could prosper instead of having to struggle to simply survive. It was a fresh start that not only his Family required; it was a fresh start that the entire Mafia needed. This was his choice. Vongola would be destroyed as his ancestors had predicted, but this was the road that he--the Eleventh--had chosen for his Family's future.

"The empty hour begins," Hotaru murmured to SK.

"Is that your Will?" SK asked. Hotaru closed his eyes, knowing that his answer would determine many things that no one else in the room could possibly understand. It had to be done, though. If he didn't, Vongola's new dawn would only come at the cost of much pain, suffering, and hardship. He couldn't allow his people to go through that when he was capable of stopping it.

"Yes," he whispered in confirmation. As if the single word were a trigger, SK shot off in a ball of Flame and paperwork to carry out his orders. He was angry. Hotaru could tell from the sound of glass shattering from his exit rather than the sound of a door closing. He didn't like the situation any better than Hotaru did, but the fact that he'd stayed silent through the negotiation meant that he was still supporting Hotaru where it counted. "I think I need to get some air," Hotaru said as he slowly rose from the table.

The next thing that Hotaru knew, he was laying on his back in the center of a unfamiliar bed with a cold cloth pressed against his forehead and Chin hovering over him in concern.

"Lie still," Chin ordered when he noticed that Hotaru was awake. "The negotiations took more of a toll than expected. You fainted."

"I don't faint," Hotaru growled in warning as he pulled the soggy cloth off of his head. Before Hotaru could sit up, Chin sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over him so that he didn't have room to move. Chin wasn't forcibly holding him down, but Hotaru was pinned.

"I beg to differ," Chin replied fearlessly. "Although, if you'd prefer to call it a swoon, then I can agree."

"I don't swoon, either!" Hotaru spluttered. "I--"

"You're not used to wearing a brassier," Chin interjected with a knowing, apologetic smile. "Because of it, you weren't breathing as deeply. So, as soon as you stood, the exertion made you light headed and you passed out. If that's not considered fainting, then I don't know what is."

"Oh."

"I guess that explains why you chose to wear open-front blouses," Chin continued mercilessly. "It's so no one thinks it's strange if you don't wear a bra."

"That's not it," Hotaru snapped with a light blush. "It's just more comfortable with less clothes."

"If you say so," Chin murmured. Reaching up, he gently laid his hand on Hotaru's cheek. The touch made Hotaru freeze in remembrance of his situation. He was under contract. Chin _owned _him. He could do whatever he wanted and Hotaru had no room to argue. "Don't look at me like that," Chin whispered as his hand trailed from Hotaru's cheek to the side of his throat in a light caress. "Hurting you is the last thing that I want to do. I'm not going to make you do anything that makes you uncomfortable. If you want to go back to wearing your old style of clothes, then you're free to. I would ask that you put on something more modest when you leave the estate, but I'm not a person that demands absolute obedience. The choice is up to you. I know... I know how hard this has been for you, but I hope that you'll come to lean on me, even if it's only a little bit. It'd make it easier for both of our sakes. Wouldn't it?"

"I agreed to marry you," Hotaru replied while coldly turning his head in refusal. "I never agreed to fall in love with you."

"I suppose so," Chin sighed as he carefully pulled his hand away. "But please think about it, Hotaru. Do you really think you can spend the rest of your life by my side if you're determined to hate me?"

"I... I don't hate you."

"I see," Chin smiled. "I'll consider that a start then." Hotaru was surprised when Chin slowly stood and headed for the door. He'd expected the guy to want an immediate consummation of the contract, but Chin was honoring his word. He wasn't going to force Hotaru to rush or do things that he was uncomfortable with. "I'll send your ladies in to help you get ready for bed," he said, pausing next to the door. "If you need anything, they can get it for you. They also have orders to come get me at any time, day or night, if you request it. So sleep well, Hotaru. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

Hotaru twitched in place as the door gently snapped shut behind Chin. The urge to cry surged forward, but Hotaru clenched his eyes shut in determination to not give in. He wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of tears. Vongola was the one in control, no matter what the Lionesse Family thought. Everything was going by what he'd determined! Chin had only sped up the process. That was all! So, he could deal with this. Something like this couldn't possibly phase Vongola the Eleventh!

"Lady Sawada!" Ginerva cried in dismay as Hotaru--not the Eleventh--tried to hide his sobbing with his pillow.


	145. Chapter 145 Foundation of Stone

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Chin asked doubtfully. Hotaru smiled and nodded.

"Ready!" He called through the estate's intercom. "Set! Go!"

Every Mafioso in every room exploded into a flurry of construction paper, glitter, and glue, determined to make Christmas decorations that would get praise. It was one of many events that Hotaru had planned in order to ease the transition into a merged Family. Both Lionesse and Vongola were mixed up and split into teams. Each team drew lots for a different room in the Lionesse Headquarters. They were only permitted fifty dollars each in order to decorate and the group who created the most festive room by the end of the day would receive a special prize.

It was Hotaru's hope that everyone could overcome their rivalries and bond through the event. After all, there was still a lot of hard feelings on Vongola's side. Hotaru had done his best to bring them around by citing Chin's ability to outmaneuver him. He'd also made a point of frequently pointing out how similar Lionesse Headquarters were to Vongola's previous home, but it was still difficult. No one understood why he had folded so easily. They believed that they could have made it through the hardship and could have continued to stand on top through their own power.

And that would have been true if not for the loss of the Vongola Database. Even without having been cornered due to the loss of stocks, Hotaru knew that an arranged marriage would have been an eventual outcome. It was still a tightly guarded secret, but Vongola didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to Mafia Dealings. Terabytes of blackmailing material, criminal activity reports, shipment schedules, surveillance reports, secrets, incriminating evidence, and simple contact information had been lost along with Pandora. Without that, all Vongola had in its arsenal was bluffs, loyalty, and hope. Some things just couldn't be saved--even with a Dying Will.

The Family would eventually come to accept his decision. Hotaru knew that they would, but he was still a little saddened by the amount of people who'd accepted retirement rather than continue under the Lionesse banner. Not including his Guardians, he was down to a mere two thousand men. Seventeen hundred were spread out through bases across the world while the last three hundred had merged with the Family in Italy. Admittedly, many who wanted to stay at his side hadn't been permitted to. Gokudera and Yamamoto had been forced to retire since they had families. Bianchi and Shamal had been forced to retire, too.

Fortunately, retirement didn't equal exile. They were still free to visit him and talk with him. Hotaru just couldn't give them assignments. It was a safety feature that was built into the marriage contract to keep the veterans from rocking the boat with the desire to recall things like: 'in the Tenth's day, Vongola was such-and-such' and 'ten years ago, such-and-such would have never...' The same feature had been built into Chin's side of the contract. Except for Lionesse the Second, all veteran Mafioso or Mafioso with families had been forced to retire. What was left was a combination of experienced men who were approaching middle-aged and a surplus of enthusiastic young Mafioso who were glad for the opportunity to shape the future with their own hands.

"Let's make this contest into a new tradition," Hotaru suggested as he slowly walked through the rooms to see how well everyone was progressing.

"I think that's a great idea," Chin agreed with a wide smile. "Not only is it good for bringing the Family together, but this has to be the least amount that we've ever spent on Christmas decorations."

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Hotaru admonished.

"Not at all! This is wonderful. Usually the decorations are put up and taken down by the butler and the maids, but everyone is pitching in this year. It really spreads the cheer a lot more than any purchased decorations could. I don't know why we didn't do this sooner. It's truly ingenious."

"It's one of the secrets to Vongola's strength," Hotaru murmured while hiding a pleased smile. "A lot of Families forget the reason for their existence over time. They become consumed by the allure of money and power, even though time is truly the most precious commodity. Anyone can gain money and power with a little planning or luck, but its how we use our time that determines our self-worth as Mafioso. Of course, we have our fair share of squandering in booze and vice, but we always take the time away to bond when we can. A strong heart makes way for a strong mind and body."

"I never would have guessed," Chin replied while shaking his head over two burly Mafioso who were in the process of comparing snowflake cut-outs. "It's hard to believe that my men were so skeptical before. To look at them now, I bet you can't tell that they've been constantly banging at my door since the event announcement."

"That's to be expected," Hotaru sighed as he paused to take a mug of hot chocolate from one of the trays being taken around through the rooms. "To your men, I'm merely an interloper who has leeched a large portion of your fortune and threatens the strength of your position."

"But you're not."

"No, I'm not," Hotaru agreed with a small smile. Blowing on his cup in effort to cool the steaming beverage, Hotaru decided that the time was right to set a few things straight. "I didn't agree to marry you for your money," he said bluntly. He said it bluntly and loudly to ensure that he caught the attention of the Mafioso in the room that they were passing through. Pausing at one of the tables, Hotaru ignored the men who were clumsily trying to make origami ornaments. Taking a sheet for himself, he slowly began folding it while explaining something that everyone eventually needed to hear--Vongola, Lionesse, and Chin. "There's many ways that I could have dealt with your plan to corner me, even after you took control of Vongola Corp. For example, I could have sent explosive experts in after-hours and disposed of the building while ensuring that I had an alibi. After that, it would have been a simple matter of starting a new company with those who chose to stay loyal to me. It would have been difficult at first, but Vongola would have recovered in six months at the minimum. Even my stay in jail could have been handled with a few simple assassinations, a bit of blackmail, and a touch of bribery."

"That's not possible," Chin gaped from behind him. "If you could have, then why--"

"Intuition," Hotaru answered as he finished his origami with a smile. "For the sake of a happier future, marriage was the best path. You believe that you've been in complete control, but the game began long before you started playing. I've felt it. My father probably felt it. The Ninth has felt it. The Hours were written over four hundred years ago, my sweet, gentle Mafia Boss. Vongola's downfall was foreseen long before either of us were born and the fire that destroyed my home was a harbinger of even more powerful measures to come. It could not be stopped, so I merely chose a path that lead to metamorphosis instead of destruction. In this way, Vongola may sleep peacefully rather than wither painfully. So, you see, I didn't chose to marry you for the money, although it was a nice bonus. I chose you because you will make a fine cocoon." Holding out his origami crane as a peace offering, Hotaru smiled as Chin stared in disbelief. Whether it was disbelief at the token or the explanation, Hotaru couldn't tell and it didn't really matter which it was. All that mattered was that he'd offered it. "Make a wish," Hotaru directed mischievously. "Make a wish for the happiness and prosperity of our new Family and then let's work toward making it come true... together."

"You used me," Chin growled with his face turning red in self-righteous anger.

"Are you complaining?" Hotaru countered, setting the crane back down on the table in disappointment. Chin hadn't taken it. Perhaps it was still too soon for them to really understand each other. "Isn't this what you wanted? You went to great lengths to ensure that it happened and you've gotten what you wanted. If you're going to be angry that I had the wisdom to hide my willingness to agree to the proposal so that I could guarantee that the terms would be written in Vongola's favor, then I fear for your future in the Mafia. Honesty is something that's reserved for lovers and animals. To use it in business dealings is akin to sticking one's head in a guillotine; it's both foolhardy and deadly."

"You're correct," Chin replied in a calm tone. Looking over his shoulder, Hotaru had a feeling of dread. Chin's temper had already cooled and the smirk on his face said that he'd already thought over everything with a speed that only he was capable of. He'd already noticed the hole in Hotaru's plan. He'd already noticed that, although Hotaru had been sly in the creation of the contract, it didn't change the fact that the contract had been signed. Chin had already noticed that, no matter what Hotaru's intentions had been in signing it, it didn't change the fact that Chin was the one who was in control. It didn't change the fact that Chin's own goals were being met and Vongola's banner had fallen. "I applaud your ability to produce theatrics at a moment's notice," he added as he stepped forward to take the crane from the table. "It's quite amusing. I hope you can produce something of equal quality at the small party I had my brother put together by using your name, especially since you should recognize most of the Bosses on the list."

"What?" Hotaru gasped, looking up to find that Chin was smiling in a 'I've outmaneuvered you again' way. It made Hotaru's face turn red in effort to hold in his anger. He'd wanted to carefully approach the other Families to explain the situation. A party was the worst way possible to deal with this sort of announcement because he wouldn't be able to control the conversations or the way that the other Bosses reacted. On top of that, if he was forced to enter on Chin's arm, he'd leave the impression that he was a captive. Captives couldn't be trusted with making decisions because no one would ever know whether his choices were of his own making. With one simple party, Chin would completely strip him of his lingering power in the Mafia. The Bosses loyal to Vongola would open themselves to negotiation with Lionesse for Hotaru's sake, but Chin would be completely in control.

"Your dress is already prepared upstairs," Chin added in a tone of command. "We'll leave as soon as you're presentable, so try not to keep me waiting."

"But the contest--" Hotaru objected in effort to buy time.

"We can judge it when we returned," he soothed with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "I'm sure that it'll be more enjoyable for the Family if they can surprise you with a finished house." _Bastard_, Hotaru thought. Taking part as a Boss in the bonding events was the most important part. If he couldn't take part, then his men would bond with Chin's men, but Chin's men wouldn't get a chance to bond with Hotaru. Chin was already working to ensure that Hotaru became the wife of a Mafia Boss instead of a worthy Boss in his own right and Hotaru couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I won't forget this," Hotaru growled as he stormed out of the room in frustration.

* * *

The glittering chandeliers, lush carpeting, antique furniture, and crystal decanters of the private reception hall seemed entirely out of place with the current atmosphere. Tensions were running high and Dino wasn't the only one to feel the pressure. The same question was on everyone's lips: What the hell was the Eleventh thinking? It was bad enough that he'd fallen off the face of the map after being released from jail. It was even worse that there were rumors being whispered that he'd been taken captive by Lionesse the Third. Yet, none of that compared to what everyone had found when they'd answered the invitations that Hotaru had sent them! They'd found that they were expected to share a room with their mortal enemies.

Even Dino was affected by the sudden confrontation. Across the room, Carlo Fucile the Fifth was sitting with a glass of wine while repeatedly sending glares in Dino's direction. Dino sent many of them back, disgusted by the very sight of him. Fucile was the Boss of a Family who'd repeatedly sold guns on the streets in Dino's territory. The number of wounded and dead civilians was sickening and both sides had orders to kill on sight! The Eleventh should know how deep the hatred between them ran, so why did the Eleventh invite that fucking asshole?!

"Boss," Romario whispered as he offered another glass of scotch to soothe Dino's ruffled nerves. Dino wasn't the only one to lean on alcohol to keep himself from drawing a weapon. There was nearly forty Bosses present, half of which were Vongola's enemies. The room was literally split down the middle in effort to keep the tension from exploding into a bloodbath. Even then, it was difficult to hold it in. The only reason that anyone was trying was because the consensus was to see what Vongola's intentions were by arranging such a meeting.

Surprisingly, Dino got a clue from an unlikely source: Naito Longchamp. When the Tomaso Boss entered with his wife and a single attendant, there wasn't a single one of Vongola's allies who didn't believe that he'd join them. After all, everyone knew that Hotaru looked up to the Tomaso Boss and that the Tomaso Boss had been friends with Vongola the Tenth. However, after a short pause at the door to survey the seating situation, Lonchamp chose to join the side holding Vongola's rivals. Even worse, he went to join the section of lounging Bosses holding Fucile, Kartoffel, and Calcassa.

Dino wasn't the only one to jump to his feet in shock. What the hell was going on?! Had Longchamp forsaken his friendship with Vongola? Since when had he been so close to Vongola's rivals-- Realization dawned. Vongola and Tomaso had been rivals for generations before Tsuna and Naito had buried the hatchet. The friendship was relatively new in comparison to the lasting friendships that he held with the other Families who'd stood against Vongola's great legacy. It'd be an insult to his ancestors to completely cut ties with the Families who'd supported his own for generations.

Did Hotaru know that the Tomaso Family still had ties to Vongola's rivals? Did the convention of Mafia Bosses have something to do with that? It couldn't be that Hotaru wanted to heal the rift in the Mafia. That was too great of a challenge for anyone to attempt. Hotaru might have the blood of Vongola, but he was too young. He was too inexperienced. His intuition was too unstable. He was too... womanly.

Those who had managed to keep their seats slowly rose to greet the Eleventh as he paused in the entrance, but they were all too stunned to bow or kneel. Hotaru... The headstrong, dangerous Hotaru... had transformed into a delicate, innocent flower who was hanging off the arm of Lionesse the Third. What sort of joke was this?! Hotaru was a man! Of course, there was that press release to think about concerning a chemical research accident, but the effects were only supposed to be temporary! What was Hotaru doing in a dress?! What was with the makeup and the jewelry and the girlish way of hanging his umbrella on his wrist?! Had he gone insane?!

No one said a word as Hotaru calmly walked down the empty divide in the room beside Lionesse the Third to where a single throne had been set up at the far end. This couldn't be happening, Dino thought as he traded matching expressions of shock with Nubo. Only one of the two could sit. Hotaru couldn't have bowed his head to Lionesse, so it had to be Hotaru's seat. They would reach the end of the hall and Hotaru would take the seat and announce something concerning a truce. That had to be it. Everyone knew that Vongola was having internal troubles, but there was no way that-- Not without talking to the Families first-- It was impossible!

The pair paused in front of the throne and everyone held their breathes in anticipation. Only one of the two could sit in the throne. For them to enter and approach it together meant that the person who sat would have the full support of the other. Had Hotaru really managed to do the impossible? Had he brought Lionesse, along with all of Lionesse's allies, into the fold? If so, it would completely reshape the face of the Mafia. To even think about the consequences left Dino dizzy.

Neither of the two leaders broke the tension by sitting. Instead, they turned in unison to face the assembled guests. The silence was deafening. Everyone present wanted an explanation--allies and rivals alike.

"We--" Lionesse the Third commanded in a hard voice,"--would like to ask Lionesse the Second to enter so that none may question Our wisdom."

"We--" Vongola the Eleventh commanded in a soft voice, "--would like to ask Vongola the Ninth to enter so that none may question Our wisdom."

Automatically glancing at the entrance in disbelief, Dino felt his heart sink at the sight of the Ninth and the Second standing side-by-side. There was something odd about their arrangement that couldn't be identified until the two began their combined approach to the throne. The Ninth was approaching the Third and the Second was approaching the Eleventh. What in the world was going on?! Shouldn't they be walking towards the people who called them? Unless... Unless they'd planned it this way. By purposely answering the wrong person, it would be a way of saying that the Eleventh and the Third were interchangeable in power and position. But they couldn't do that! If they did that, then they would be blurring the line of...

"Oh god," Dino gasped as the blood rushed out of his face. Hotaru was doing it. He was really attempting the impossible. If what he thought was about to happened really did happen, then the factions within the Mafia were to be forcibly united. Both he and Fucile would have to answer to the same joint leadership.

"I heard your call," the Ninth said in greeting to the Third.

"I heard your call," the Second said in greeting to the Eleventh.

Dino managed to keep upright at the verification of his hypothesis, but several other Bosses weren't so lucky. Nubo crashed to his knees and, across the room, the Gospella Boss fainted completely. Although it was nothing more than a simple greeting, there were no Boss present that missed the insinuation. It was really happening. Vongola was joining forces with Lionesse.

"I ask your permission to wed Vongola the Eleventh," the Third requested with a formal bow in respect.

"I ask your permission to wed Lionesse the Third," the Eleventh requested, giving the Second a respectful curtsy.

Neither Boss answered at first. Both needed a moment to take a deep breathe and settle themselves, but they still answered together.

"Permission granted."

In a dazzling moment of precision planning, the Thone behind the two was whisked away in order to be replaced by a love-seat-sized throne that was large enough for the two to comfortably sit in unison. Once in place, the Ninth and the Second were given separate, lesser thrones to each side. After the predecessors were made comfortable, Hotaru sat first in the wide throne. However, no one could read any meaning into it. The order didn't matter anymore because they'd already made a point of showing their shared status.

"We would like to announce Our engagement," Lionesse the Third said, using the royal 'We'. "If any here object, We ask you to speak now so that We may answer your doubts with a benevolent heart."

The words echoed through the hall as the Third carefully took his seat. Everyone was too stunned to react. However, everyone present had been made a Boss of a Family for a reason. It took only a few moments of mental processing before the entire room exploded into chaos with Dino charging for the front lines. There were many questions that _would _get answers.

* * *

It was tiring for Hotaru to be in front of so much inquiry. Everyone wanted to know who, what, when, where, how, and why. They wanted to know who had came up with the idea, what the nature and stipulations of the union were to be, when the contract had been made, where Vongola was being housed in the meanwhile, how the decision had been made and why the decision had been made without any outside input. Then, once everyone was satisfied on the answers to that, they moved on to more trivial matters. They wanted to know who they would be answering to, what the effects of the union were going to be, when the changes were to take effect, where they could go if they needed to contact the Eleventh, how they were supposed to deal with their rivalries, and why they should have to honor the agreement. Finally, once all of that was dealt with, they wanted to know who was planning the wedding, what the wedding colors were to be, when the wedding would take place, where the wedding would be, how the matter of an heir was to be dealt with, and why the Third could be so unconcerned with the Eleventh's gender situation.

"I can understand why you'd ask," Chin said with a good-humored smile. "But simply look at the Eleventh and I believe you will have your answer. A more beautiful creature could not exist outside of myth." Hotaru blushed as numerous eyes glanced his way in consideration. "It is difficult for a woman to be a Boss without finding herself in a position of being married off, so I can see why she has hidden her true beauty behind the mask of a boy until now. Would any of you have been able to focus properly in front of such a woman without allowing your thoughts to be consumed with improper notions?"

"That's true," Warwick chuckled in grudging agreement while lifting his glass in a momentary tribute to Hotaru's appearance.

"Some of us still had problems," Franco exclaimed in drunken laughter. Numerous eyes turned to him in askance, making him blush while Hotaru decided to take control of the conversation. This wasn't funny at all anymore!

"You couldn't handle me," Hotaru interjected. Crossing his legs in a lady-like fashion, he pinned Franco with a penetrating stare that made him pale. Chin tossed him a glance of approval for the maneuver and several of Vongola's allies smiled knowingly. Gender be damned! He was still Vongola the Eleventh! Disrespect was not an option!

Despite his anger, Hotaru knew that it was a good sign, though. The Mafia Bosses were already moving past their shock and outrage. That they were speaking of such meaningless things meant that they'd already considered the implications of the familial union and were moving on to the stage where they began plotting. Likely, Hotaru would receive numerous phone calls in the morning from Bosses who wanted to question the finer details, but they'd only do it after carefully considering every factor.

There wasn't really that much that would change, after all. At least, on the surface there wouldn't be. They weren't dictators. While the other Families looked at them for guidance, their decisions were only an example for others to follow. In that, Vongola's allies still had a leader in Hotaru and Lionesse's allies still had a leader in Chin. The fact that they had set aside their rivalries to come together only meant that the rest of the Families would have to be more careful if they chose to continue fighting, because an attack on any Family now meant that both Vongola and Lionesse would be angered.

"Aha!" The Ninth suddenly exclaimed from where he'd been in quiet conversation with Lionesse the Second. "That sounds delightful!"

"What's delightful?" Hotaru asked curiously.

"We were just discussing the matter of a Family name," the Second answered as the two turned to them with wide smiles on their faces. "Since both of you are equals, we both felt that it was unfair to completely lean on one of our Family's names."

"This is a time of great change for the Mafia," the Ninth continued while Hotaru's face fell in shock. "To succeed in what the two of you are attempting to do, it would be unwise to create a misunderstanding by relying on the conventions of the past. So, we have been discussing what your new Family should be named and I do believe that we're in agreement."

"I think so," the Second nodded as everyone tensed in expectation. "It took a lot of thought and careful consideration, but there could be no other. From this day forth, we have agreed on the name of...." Everyone leaned forward. "Vonleona!" He finished with a flourish.

Hotaru stared for a long moment before exchanging a look of disbelief with Chin. The two had been in huddled conference for several hours and this was what they'd come up with? It was really the best that two brilliant minds could think of? All they'd done was to smash the 'Von' of Vongola together with the Italian word for lion! Unfortunately, Mafioso always seemed to be impressed by the strangest of things. There was an explosion of praise and enthusiasm for the announcement, but Hotaru didn't join in. Such a name was infantile and simple! He guessed that it just showed that some things never changed.

However, what grabbed Hotaru's attention most out of the announcement was that Chin found it as amusing as he did. He gave polite praise to his father for giving the name such thought, but his eyes were glittering with suppressed laughter. It made Hotaru admit to himself that Chin wasn't so bad. The guy hadn't taken advantage of his head-start by forcing Hotaru to present himself in a position of submission. Instead, he'd done the complete opposite by asserting Hotaru's strength. The love-seat-throne had been a stroke of pure genius. In Chin's place, Hotaru knew that he would have been tempted to show his dominance in small ways. Perhaps a few extra pieces of ornamentation on his own throne or have his seat set an few millimeters higher.

Chin hadn't done that, though. His intentions in planning the party without Hotaru hadn't been to show his superiority. It'd been so that he could ensure that it was done fairly. He'd only wanted to ensure that nothing was tampered with and that there were none present who could argue over trivialities. Dominance wouldn't give him the result that he wanted. Only equality could end the rift in the Mafia. Chin had simply used his head-start and superior maneuvering in order to ensure that Hotaru didn't jeopardize things by spreading innuendo among his allies beforehand.

Chin really had a brain that could be admired. Perhaps he was a little heartless in his ability to follow through with plans, but his brilliance in making plans was amazing. It was as if he had the entire schematic to the Mafia stuck in his head and he was repairing it with the efficiency of a machine. No, not just the efficiency of a machine, but the heart of an architect. That was what Chin was. He wasn't a mad scientist or a cocky Mafia Boss. He was a builder who understood the way that things around him was constructed. He could feel the pain and suffering that was happening in unseen crevices. He knew what a foundation needed in order to continue standing for centuries after less sturdy structures had fallen. He couldn't do it alone, though. Just as an architect needed a contractor, Chin needed Hotaru. He needed someone with the ability and the skill to bring his dream to life. He could probably do it himself, but doing it with the help of professional would ensure the quality and longevity of the work.

With Hotaru's help, they could build a lasting peace.

"....Hattori?" Longchamp asked. Hotaru blinked, belatedly turning his attention back to the conversation. It took a moment for him to realize what the predictable question had been, but the surprising part was that it hadn't been directed at Hotaru. It'd been directed at the Ninth. _What should I do about Hattori?_

"Why, nothing, of course," the Ninth replied with a light-hearted chuckle. "That boy will realize it eventually. It's a predicted conclusion, after all. Isn't that right, Eleventh?"

"Eh?"

"Don't look so surprised," he admonished. "I'm talking about your wedding! You predicted this, did you not?"

"I did?" Hotaru mumbled with wide eyes.

"Oh, dear," the Ninth replied sheepishly. "You really are a late bloomer. No wonder you led those two children astray."

"I what?" He choked as the Mafia Bosses around him leaned in to catch everything that the Ninth said. Even Chin was interested, but Hotaru was poleaxed. He didn't remember anything about predicting his own wedding! Up until he met Ross, he'd always thought that he'd end up in an arranged.... marriage.... "Oh," Hotaru gaped in sudden realization. "I did. Wait, but that was years ago and that can't really be considered a prediction!"

"Why ever not?" The Ninth asked curiously. Hotaru opened his mouth to tell him, but he wasn't sure of what to say. Looking back, he'd never had a reason to think that he'd be forced into an arranged marriage. Quite the opposite. He had been a man, so it was he who could have picked whomever he wanted to marry. After he'd come of age to marry, he'd had hundreds of offers. Why hadn't he ever given any of them serious consideration? Even when he'd gone on dates, it had been as if he'd known the conclusion before he'd ever met the girls.

_"You'll chase girls, but do you like them?" His mother had once asked._

_"Nope," he'd answered honestly. "I can't stand girls."_

So why had he chased after Rosalind so much? Hadn't he had a vision of marrying her?

No... No, he hadn't. He'd had a vision of proposing, but he'd never foreseen their wedding. He'd just assumed that the wedding would naturally follow. He'd allowed himself to be caught up in everyone else's ideas of how he should live his life and he'd gotten caught up in a whirlwind romance because... because he'd thought that it would make everyone happy.... including himself. He did love Rosalind. He did love Hattori. That hadn't been a lie, but... but it wasn't really the kind of love that would give him a happy marriage. He'd deluded himself and he'd ignored his intuition because he'd listened to everyone else's opinion of how love worked. He'd been in denial of what his intuition had told him because everyone had stuffed the idea into his head that an arranged marriage was an unhappy one. That wasn't true, though.

Chin.... Chin was a good person who would bring him joy.

"You've only walked five Paths so far, Eleventh," the Ninth admonished with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "Until you've walked the entire Path of Humans, you're still a student."

"So I see," Hotaru whispered, stunned by the revelation about Chin.

"I'm not quite sure if I understand what the two of you are talking about," Chin interjected hesitantly, "but it sounds as if you're saying that Hotaru knew of my proposal before I did."

"That's exactly what he's saying," Hotaru mumbled. "When I was younger, I always assumed that I'd be in an arranged marriage, but everyone wrote it off as the pessimistic talk of a immature Mafia Boss. I didn't realize that it was my intuition at work because it's always been unstable--"

"Psh," the Ninth scoffed. "That's only your lack of self-confidence, Eleventh, and I don't think I need to tell you who you can thank for that. You got a touch too much of the Tenth's humility for comfort. At least your mother granted you some of her spirit, although that's not always a good thing. You do tend to run head-first into things."

"Is that really from Haru? I thought that was the Tenth's recklessness coming through," Dino laughed from the back of the crowd. The statement brought an array laughter that made Hotaru blush, but he knew that it was true. He only had to look at his current situation to see it.

He'd run head-first into a relationship with Rosalind.

He'd run head-first into a relationship with Hattori.

He'd run head-first into marriage with Chin.

"Damn," Hotaru gasped in exasperation for himself as he leaned on the arm of the love-throne. Looking over at Chin, he said the first thing that came to mind and the dumbfounded look on Chin's face made it worth the amount of laughter that the statement caused. "I hope you own a stop sign."

* * *

Hattori glared at his glass of whiskey and swore that he'd deck the next person that came to 'share the news' with him. He didn't care what the word around Pink's was! Hotaru was engaged to Ross and himself, not some two-bit Boss from a shitty, second-rate rival Family!

Then where was Hotaru and why wasn't he clearing up the misunderstanding, the little voice in the back of his head asked.

He was busy! Vongola's main headquarters had caught fire and he had business to take care of! The cops were on his ass, too, so it wasn't like he could just slip down to Venice Row whenever he felt like it! He just didn't have time for a lover right now! That was why he'd tried to send both Rosalind and himself away!

He'd already broken one promise by doing that. What made him so sure that Hotaru hadn't broken a bigger one?

Hotaru wouldn't do that! They loved each other! Hotaru knew how much time and energy that Hattori had invested into creating a relationship! He wouldn't throw it away for anything!

"Did you hear? The Third made reservations at the Red Moon lounge. I hear he's supposed to go after the big shindig that the Eleventh is putting on."

"You're late, ole boy. I heard that the Eleventh and the Third are going together. Apparently the Third proposed, but forgot to give her the ring because he got distracted in writing up the marriage contract."

"Her? I thought the Eleventh was a man."

"Nope. Rumor has it that she was only pretending to be a man to keep things fair. She didn't want to get the reputation that everything she had was handed to her 'cause she used her feminine wiles."

"Damn. Never would have thought of that. But didn't that one guy say that he'd had a gym locker next to the Eleventh? How'd she... uh... hide her stuff?"

"That's the best part! She didn't! Remember that press release before saying that the Eleventh had gotten into an accident? I hear that it was all just a big scam. She'd been taking pills to keep her chest from growing, but she'd stopped taking them. They did that to make up for the awkward in-between while her body caught up with the rest of her."

"Okay, now I know you're pulling my leg. What about the Eleventh's wang? A girl don't have that and someone would have noticed if she was missing it!"

"This is the Eleventh we're talking about, ole boy. Do you really think anyone had the balls to look?"

"True, true. Wow. So the Eleventh was a woman."

"Yep. And the latest rumor is that she's getting hitched. That's probably what the Bosses are meeting about--she's making an official announcement and all. I also heard that they're heading for the Red Moon as soon as they're finished."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm friends with one of the cooks. He said that the Third's Right Hand stopped by this morning and set everything up for his Boss. He's planning to give her the ring all romantic-like over dessert."

"Over dessert! But doesn't the Tenth hate sweets?!"

"Oh, that's the most beautiful part of all! See, the truth is that the Eleventh really loves sweets. The Third found out and passed the word to his Chefs, who passed the word on to other Chefs, until everyone knows. The trick is that you can't give her anything that the Tenth might have made for her. It brings up painful memories that ruins the taste. That means no ice cream, no gingerbread, no cookies, and nothing that's in the Vongola cookbook. As long as you stay away from that stuff, she'll gobble it up like any other woman."

"That's a pretty large list of things that she won't eat, though."

"Aye, but what woman isn't picky when it comes to food? She just--"

"Oi, there's the Boss. You better not let him hear you talking about.... holy shit..."

"Eh? What's wrong?"

Lifting his head from his glass, Hattori turned his swimming gaze in the direction of the entrance. A commotion was beginning to rise around him, but he couldn't focus his eyes properly enough to see what the cause was. Oh! There was Dino Cavallone. Maybe that was it? Next to him was some guy with more hair gel than hair that Hattori didn't recognize.

"Isn't that Carlo Fucile?"

"What is he doing with that guy? I thought they hated each other."

"They do! I heard that they both left orders to shoot on sight!"

"Oi, oi! Isn't that Warwick and Kartoffel?"

"And there's Deter and Gospella. What the hell is going on?"

"Something big, that's for sure. Maybe Boss will tell us. He's coming this way. Hey Boss--!"

"Not right now," Longchamp snapped as he bypassed the two men's table in order to reach Hattori. Hattori stared at him as he came to a stop in front of him. What did he want? If it was whiskey, he'd have to get another bottle because the last of Hattori's bottle was sitting in his glass.

"Oh shit," one of the two hitmen hissed in surprise. "How long has he been sitting there?"

"Hattori," Longchamp murmured as Hattori clenched his fist in preparation to throw a punch. He was drunk. He knew that he was drunk because he forgot to remove his hand from his glass before he balled it, yet he couldn't feel the shards that were digging into his palm. "Hattori," Longchamp repeated as Hattori tried to get to his feet. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't," Hattori spat as Longchamp pushed him back down into his seat. "I jus' need to knock the shit outta those two and I'll be jus' pheachy."

"Hattori," he growled into his ear. Hattori froze in place, not understanding the reason for the hands of restraint on his shoulders. Those two guys were asking for a good fist in their faces. Why was Longchamp stopping him? "I want you to listen to me very closely. You're going to stand up and follow me out of here without hitting anyone--"

"But they--!"

"Without--! Hitting anyone," Longchamp repeated. "Then we're going to have a nice long talk--"

"There's nuthin' to talk abhout."

"Yes, there is. Now, stand up."

"No," Hattori replied in the belligerent refusal to have another person fill his ears full of lies.

"What was that?"

"I says no," Hattori repeated indignantly. Shrugging off Longchamp's grip, he got to his feet in determination to set the record straight. "I might haf a widdle bit a' whiskey in me, but I'm not shtu-pid. I thought you'd be diff'rent, Bhoss. I hear things. I know what ev'ryone's been shaying, but it ain't true. Yous hear me. See my lipsh. 'Taru ain't like that and I won't have anyone say thats he is. We have a co-_neck_-shion. See? So, I don't know what's gotten inta ev'ryone, but theys all real shtupid cause me 'n Taru are... are... well, I don't really know what I's supposed to call it, but it's shpeshial-- schep-- spech-- You know what I'm try'n to say."

"Then why are you drinking by yourself?" Longchamp asked, giving Hattori a look full of pity.

"Well, you see, I.. uh... I was try'n to think of what to get Taru for Chrishmas, but... it's not easy 'cause he can jus' buy anything he wants and... and my paycheck isn't that big. Not shayin' that you're not generous 'cause you've shure been real helpful-like, but Taru... See, Taru... Taru ish... uh... Stop lookin' at me like that! Taru's not like that! He wouldn't--"

"Hattori," Longchamp interjected. Hattori paused, blinked, and was abruptly on kissing terms with the floor. He groaned as a spasm of pain belatedly went through his jaw. Longchamp had punched him! What did he have to go and do that for?! Hattori didn't need this bullshit! He already had enough on his mind!

After that, he felt as if rage incarnate possessed him. It was the only way to explain why the room turned red, why he suddenly charged his Boss, and why he started swinging. Like a bull, he unleashed all of his power against the single target that had presented itself. A few of the blows connected, too. Of course they would. He was Hattori! He'd trained every day to get closer to Hotaru! There was no reason that his blows wouldn't connect! He was worthy, dammit! He was strong! He was caring! He was devoted! He was... a fool.

Hattori wasn't sure if he was charging against Longchamp to tackle him or to hug him, but Longchamp held steady against him. He wasn't sure if the cry that tore from his throat was a battlecry of rage or a strangled cry of pain, but Longchamp held steady against him. He wasn't sure if he was trying to punch or floundering for help, but Longchamp held steady against him. He wasn't sure of anything anymore, but Longchamp held steady against him until he was too spent to do more than weep at how pathetic he was.

"Listen to me," Longchamp hissed into his ear while grabbing hold of a handful of Hattori's hair to keep his face buried into his shoulder. Hattori struggled blindly against the headlock, but Longchamp wasn't giving him an option. He had to listen. "The Eleventh is engaged and it's not to you. You're not even in the running anymore. I know it hurts, but you're not a fool, Hattori. Lionesse the Third is offering something that you can't and will never be able to. You saw it when I came in. You can't say that you didn't, because everyone else noticed and you said that you were listening. It's a truce, Hattori. Vongola and Lionesse are the two most powerful Families in Italy. If they can set aside their differences to unite with marriage, then there's no one who won't try to follow their example! Do you hear me, Hattori? People who'd normally kill each other on sight are meeting throughout Venice Row to negotiate for peace. You can't compete against something like that! The scale is too big for someone like you! You have to let the Eleventh go! Understand? I can't let you chase after him anymore. Lionesse will chew you up and spit you out if you go against him!"

"I'll kill him," Hattori gasped into Longchamp's shoulder as his rage found a target. "I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll--"

"He'll kill you first," Longchamp snarled, tightening his grip on Hattori's head. "Don't be stupid. You won't get within a mile of him before you're stopped. The Eleventh is out of your reach now. Just accept it and move on. You were childhood friends, but you're not children anymore. Just give up, Hattori. You're too good of a man to ruin your life over this."

"I can't do that," Hattori replied. Forcibly pulling his head back despite Longchamp's grip on his hair, he grabbed Longchamp's face to make _him _listen. "Taru's mine. No one is going to take him away from--"

"Damnit," Longchamp growled as he buried another punch deep into Hattori's stomach. The unexpected impact sent Hattori to his knees, where his entire focus became the simple act of trying to get air back into his lungs. "Take him," Longchamp ordered to the two men that Hattori had been initially eavesdropping on. "I want him on a plane to Japan yesterday and I want him confined until I can get down there to sort him out. Use force if you have to, but don't do any permanent damage. And the Eleventh doesn't need to hear about this. She's got enough to deal with right now."

* * *

"...Vonleone," Chin said with a flourish.

"I thought I was going to die trying to hold it in," Hotaru exclaimed in a fit of laughter. Chin broke into laughter with her as he refilled their shot glasses of champagne and Hotaru relaxed against plush padding of her seat. This was the best way to relax. She had her feet up on a couch to rest her tired feet. There was an amazing meal and fine liquor within reach... And the company wasn't so bad, either.

Much like the Blue Moon restaurant in Japan, the Red Moon in Italy was outrageously expensive and exclusive. The views were amazing and the food was good enough to kill for, but a few things had changed since the Tenth's era. Instead of formal dining, the restaurant was now set up in a lounge style that provided more privacy to its members. Where the previous set-up had focused on allowing people to see and be seen, the new set-up was the complete opposite. It was arranged so that people could wine and dine without fear that their evening would become front page news. Considering that Hotaru had been a recent guest of the police, she'd recently become engaged, and she'd recently held a private party with some of the biggest names in the Mafia world, it was the perfect place to get away from the eyes of the media.

Hotaru was appreciative of the privacy for a different reason, though, and that reason was Chin. Everything had been so hectic in the aftermath of signing the marriage contract that they hadn't been able to stop and get to know each other. Now that everyone _else _was busy dealing with the announcement, no one would notice if they slipped away for a simple date. At least, that was what Chin had said to get her to play along and Hotaru wasn't regretting it.

Actually, she was surprised at how much she was enjoying herself. Chin was smart enough to engage her mind. He was normal enough that his jokes were funny instead of dry wit that got to be so incredibly tiresome. He was attractive enough that Hotaru kept forgetting to think of herself as a 'himself'. Chin was also from the same social class, had a similar background, and shared many of the same perspectives on life that Hotaru did. For example, when the idea to marry Hotaru had struck him, he hadn't hesitated with thoughts of love and compatibility. There was only motive, crime, and consequence because business always came before pleasure. Of course, he'd hoped that they could find a common ground to become friends at the very least, but he admitted that he'd been prepared to take the role of a villain if Hotaru had been unwilling.

"Is it too much for me to hope that your smile is real?" Chin asked as Hotaru drained yet another glass of Chin's special champagne.

"It's real," Hotaru sighed, relaxing even more into the embrace of his seat. "Actually, I think I'm a little drunk," she admitted with a sheepish giggle. As soon as the giggle left her lips, she laughed even harder at the sound of herself. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she felt incredibly good. "But that's not a bad thing. I can't remember the last time that I had fun like this. Normally, I'm too worried about the consequences to drink this much because I always feel like something bad is going to happen if I let my guard down."

"I understand completely," Chin replied with a sympathetic smile. "That's a lot of the reason that I don't go out much. I haven't been in the game for very long, but I saw from the number of people who suddenly became my best friend after I was named heir that trust was something that I couldn't give out freely anymore. Let me think... Do you remember me before I made that scene at the ski lodge?"

"Nope," Hotaru laughed, honestly clueless. "I mean, we had you on file, but I don't recall ever pulling it up for more than a quick glance when I was learning the names of my classmates. I don't think I ever noticed you except as another person that passed me in the hallway. You had those big glasses and you were always falling on your face, so I never paid attention until you showed me what you were capable of."

"Sad, but true," Chin groaned with a lopsided grin. "Yet my popularity skyrocketed after that. Can you believe that girls were actually fighting over who could be my lab assistant? My lab assistant! Can you believe that? And I thought I was clumsy! It was horrible. I finally had to switch to home-schooling just so that I could get work done."

"So that's why I stopped seeing you at school," Hotaru gaped in surprise. "I thought your classes were different from mine this year!"

"Nope. I do have to come once a week for lessons with my Tutor, but I do all of my other classes through proxy. Kirota brings me a recording of the lesson and I send the homework back with him. The teachers have been really understanding of my situation. They give me all the quizzes and tests by email, but I have to send back a recording of me taking them so that they can see that I don't cheat. I also have to send weekly reports to the Dean from my fitness trainers so that I can get credit for gym class. The trade off is that I had to take an extreme version of midterm tests and my finals are going to be pure torture."

"You're better off than me," Hotaru sighed as he held out his glass for another refill. "If it wasn't for the fact that Don Girarde is on break for the holidays, I'd probably have to repeat the year. Not that I really want to go. If it wasn't for tradition, I would have simply home-schooled and been done with it. But... unfortunately... what was good for my father is supposed to be good for me. It's such a hassle."

"Don't say that," Chin murmured. "Someone like you thrives the most when you can be around others." Getting up from his own couch, he slid over into Hotaru's. Hotaru attempted to move her legs to give him room to sit, but Chin stopped her by grabbing her legs and stretching them out across his lap. Then, before Hotaru could figure out what he was planning, he carefully slipped off Hotaru's heels and began massaging a slightly swollen foot. It only took a moment for Hotaru to give in to the touch and relax again. Her feet were killing her and every motion of Chin's thumb seemed to melt the knotted muscles. "You shouldn't be so stubborn," Chin admonished gently. "If wearing heels hurts this much, you should tell your ladies to give you flats."

"I'll get used to them," Hotaru smiled as she reached for another bite-sized piece of chocolate mousse. She paused halfway into the bite, feeling something metallic against her teeth. It made her smile, lurch up in her seat in hopeful disbelief, and tear the piece apart in order to reveal a sparkling array of white gold and diamonds. It was the romantic cliche of a wedding ring in the dessert! She'd always wanted to do that! Admittedly, she thought that she'd be the one giving the ring, but it didn't matter! All that mattered was that the cheesy event actually existed and that she'd gotten to take part! It made her so happy because she hadn't thought that she would get the experience with an arranged marriage!

"You're not laughing at me," Chin said while anxiously biting his bottom lip.

"Why would I laugh?" Hotaru replied with an irrepressible smile. "This is the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me. I feel like jumping up and dancing!"

"Oh, well, in that case," he chuckled before snatching the ring out of Hotaru's hand. Before she could snatch it back, Chin slipped off the couch in order to kneel at her side. The movement made Hotaru blush brightly in awe. Chin was actually going to do it! He was going to say something cheesy for the proposal! "Hotaru... There is no woman in this world who surpasses you in beauty, wisdom, and intelligence. Although I ask you to do me the honor of being my wife, I truly ask that you do me the honor of being my partner... my equal... to stand by my side as we step into the future. I... I...." Hotaru's smile widened even more as Chin began to blush under Hotaru's gaze. "I forgot what I was going to stay," he whispered in deviation from his prepared speech. "You're just too amazing, Hotaru. I had everything planned out in my head, but it's all being overwritten with thoughts of you. You really are beautiful and wise and intelligent, but I'm beginning to see how much more is hiding underneath the surface. You're kind... and gentle... and caring. You have a strong will and a resolute heart that I'm starting to think mirrors my own. You can be funny and creative and just so many good things that I'd be listing them all night if I tried. I'd... I'd like the chance to learn more about you. I want to know everything about you. I know that it might be naive of me, but I don't want to keep calculating every moment of our time together and I don't want you to have to, either. I... I think I'm falling in love with you."

"It doesn't," Hotaru gasped as her face began to ache from smiling so much. "I... um... Me, too."

"Really?" Chin asked in surprise. As Hotaru nodded frantically, Chin's face lit up and he shook his head in disbelief. "Then..." he mumbled, at a complete loss for what to do next. "Then will you marry me? I know that we already have a contract, but--" Pressing a finger against Chin's lips to stop him before he started babbling, Hotaru felt tears welling up in her eyes from overwhelming happiness. Chin wasn't lying. He wasn't speaking from a script anymore. What he said was what he meant from the heart. There was only one way to respond to such honesty--with honesty.

"Yes," she smiled. "I'd like that very much." Chin exploded into action at the agreement. First, he attempted to put the ring on Hotaru's finger, only to stop and snatch a napkin to get the remaining chocolate off so that he could put it on her without making a mess. Then, he jumped to his feet and pulled Hotaru to her feet for an excited, spinning hug. Finally, he froze face-to-face with Hotaru in realization that he had his arms around her. Was it safe to steal a kiss? The same question was on both of their faces, but Hotaru wasn't quite sure of what to do. She'd kissed a lot of people in the past, but she'd never been kissed. She only knew how to take the lead, not--

"This is going to take some getting used to," Chin mumbled with a bright blush. Hotaru didn't understand what he meant until a glance downward gave Hotaru the clue that she needed. It wasn't only her breasts that were pressed against Chin, but something else in a much lower region that had become much more firm. Hotaru's face caught fire in embarrassment. Alcohol and romance had that effect, though! "Um... I'm not sure how to ask this but--"

"I have both!" Hotaru blurted as her level of embarrassment rose another five notches. Cursing herself for the lack of tact, she buried her face into Chin's chest and tried to stop blushing. She was mortified. What if Chin decided to call it off because of it? Well, he couldn't do that since they had a contract, but what if he changed his mind about everything he'd just said?! She couldn't get rid of it, though. It was part of who she was! Chin... Chin would just have to accept it because Hotaru had gone through a lot to accept herself!

"Hey," Chin whispered as his arms tightened around her. "I said that it'd take some getting used to, not that I hated you for it. It... It does freak me out a little bit, but it's only one thing so I can cope. There's... um... There's this study I read where some women have enormously large clits. I can just pretend that you have that.... Err, well... It'd be a record size, but..." Despite himself, Hotaru snorted in laughter at the attempt to write-off her erection. It was so stupid, yet so incredibly sweet. "You're all woman to me and I want to make this work, Hotaru. Is it... Is it okay if I kiss you?"

Nodding softly, Hotaru trembled slightly when Chin kissed her cheek, but she turned her head under his guidance until she learned exactly what it felt like to be kissed. It felt good. Rather than having to think about the best way to please her partner, she was able to be swept away in the sensation. It was warm and passionate and mind-numbingly soft. Chin tasted like the chocolate mousse that they'd had for dessert and she found herself melting against him as the flavor deepened alongside the kiss. It made her crave more, but Chin broke off in refusal as soon as she tried to pull him to the couch.

"No," he gasped with a shuddering breathe. "It's not that I don't want to, but it wouldn't be right to do it in a place like this. Plus, I don't want to take advantage of you when you've been drinking."

"You're joking." Wasn't Chin a Mafia Boss? And he was seriously overlooking an opportunity to take advantage of her? "That's so sweet," she smiled as she leaned in to give him another light kiss. "But if you're the type who will only do it in a bed, then I have a feeling that I'm not going to get out as much as I used to."

"That's funny," he grinned. "And here I was thinking that I wasn't going to get to stay home as much if I was going to keep you."

"Compromise?" Hotaru giggled. "You get out a little more and I'll go out a little less...?"

"I think I can manage that," he agreed with a playful smile. "Do you feel up to a walk? Kirota mentioned a little all-night cafe about three blocks from here."

"Are you trying to get me sober?"

"Maybe," Chin winked. "Lets go get our jackets and I'll tell Kirota to use the guys to lure the media away."

"What about bodyguards?" Hotaru asked as she carefully slipped her heels back on.

"I think we can manage an hour without them," he answered as he sent a text message to Kirota with his cell phone.

Nodding in agreement, Hotaru couldn't stop smiling as Chin led her to the exit with an arm around her shoulders. The service at Red Moon was first-class. By the time they reached the elevator, the maitre de was returning Chin's credit card, a young man was on hand to help Hotaru into her coat, and the chef was on hand to receive their compliments while also congratulating them on their engagement.

By the time they reached street level, the media was noticeably absent and Hotaru noted the efficiency so that he could praise Kirota later. It couldn't have been easy for them to fool the media, but they'd succeeded in record time. Hotaru wasn't sure if her own people could have pulled it off so quickly. Although, thinking of her people pulled her back down from the clouds. Orinato wasn't happy with her at all. Since Gokudera had been forced to retire, it'd fallen on Orinato's shoulders to take control of the day-to-day operations. Of course, they'd both known that it would happen eventually, but he didn't like it. There was simply too much to do due to the merger, the fire, and the engagement, so he wasn't at the point that he could constantly stay at her side like Kirota could with Chin.

Lionesse wasn't effected too much by the stipulations of the contract. Their number of retiring Mafioso was lower and the business part of Chin's work hadn't changed. He could still keep regular office hours because his Family only had to make room for Hotaru's Family to fit in. It was Vongola that was having to do all the acclimating. Sakura had to get used to a new medical facility and Toshi... Toshi had retired in complete disagreement with the marriage contract. He was still Hotaru's Guardian, but he had resigned as an active hitman. It made Hotaru feel like his whole Family was dwindling.

That was a good thing, she reminded herself as she slowly walked arm-in-arm with Chin. Fewer people to call on meant fewer people that were burdened by the Family. It was still saddening, though. Hibird always stayed with Hibari and they'd gone to Japan with Haru. Symphonia came and went as she pleased. Ken was still missing. Toshi had retired. The only Guardians that she had left was Orinato and Sakura. She knew that the rest would come running if she needed them, but everything felt a little dull without them.

"About Vonleona..." Chin interjected into her thoughts.

"Hmm?" Hotaru murmured as she took a deep breathe of the winter air. "Are you seriously planning to use that?"

"No," he laughed. "Actually, I had an idea of my own that I wanted to run past you since it's not really fair for us to keep either Lionesse or Vongola. Our predecessors were right about that."

"Let's hear it."

"Sawada."

"Eh?"

"It seems fair to me," he explained hurriedly. "You'll be taking my surname when we wed, so why don't we use yours as the Family name? Then we'll be Chin and Hotaru Lee of the Sawada Family. How does that sound? This way, both of our names can be passed down through the generations."

"I like it," she admitted hesitantly, "but I'd have to talk to my siblings first. They all bear the name of Sawada, too, so this would affect them. I was really hoping to get the Mafia away from them."

"Oh," he replied in disappointment. "I guess that's no-good then."

"It's good!" Hotaru exclaimed. "I really do like it, but this is a big thing. What if they're treated badly because of me?"

"That won't happen," Chin sighed. "I've learned something from staying out of the media. Even though my name is in the papers, no one ever assumes that I'm the same person that they read about unless I've got tons of bodyguards around me. From what I know, your siblings are pretty average. Even if they're asked if they're connected to the Sawada Family, people have a level of skepticism ingrained into them. For example, I could say that I own a flying city, but no one would believe it until they saw proof."

"You own a flying city?"

"No," he laughed. "It's an example. The Sawada name holds power, but only if they use it as such. As long as they don't run around flaunting their Mafia connections, then I don't think that there's anything to worry about. You're just thinking too much."

"Probably," Hotaru sighed as they headed down an alley. Their destination was straight ahead of them, which was good news for Hotaru's feet. She'd gotten used to walking in heels, but she still wasn't used to wearing them all day. She couldn't wait to get into the cafe and rest her feet with a nice steaming cup of French roast. Or maybe she should get a dry Cappuccino? She wasn't really in the mood for adding syrups after the amount of chocolate and champagne that she'd already swallowed. Although... adding just a little shot of whipped cream couldn't hurt.

"Hold it." Pausing, Hotaru slowly turned around in unison to stare in disbelief. Standing behind them, with a knife in hand, was something that Hotaru burst into laughter at. "I'm not kidding, lady!" The mugger barked, brandishing his switchblade as if the sparkle would scare them into listening. "Hand it over! All of it! The wallet, the jewels... I'll be taking that fancy umbrella and the fur coat, too."

"You don't want this," Hotaru warned, holding up her umbrella in amusement. Predictably, he snatched it out of her hand and Hotaru let him. This was going to be hilarious--

"Give it back," Chin growled in anger before Sienna could say anything.

"Don't try to be a hero, Mister," the mugger warned, his knife flashing toward Chin in a way that wiped the smile off of Hotaru's face. It wasn't funny anymore. If Chin got cut, he couldn't heal like Hotaru could.

"I'm not going to repeat myself," Chin seethed. "If you need help, then we can help you, but I won't forgive someone who steals from my fiance and points a knife at her!"

"I'm not looking for a fight," the mugger replied while continuing to make a show of his weapon. "Just give me your wallet and no one gets--" Hotaru moved to attack at the same moment that Chin did, but she was momentarily stalled by the way that her heel wobbled with the first step. Her heart leaped in her chest in fear, yet it turned out to be completely pointless. Hotaru wasn't quite sure what Chin did, but the switchblade fell apart in the mugger's hand. Then, while the mugger was distracted by the loss of his weapon, Chin knocked the umbrella into the air with a carefully placed kick, flipped the man onto his back, and pinned him down with his foot. Hotaru was so amazed by the unexpected result that she almost missed the cue to catch Sienna.

"I hope you don't mind," Chin said apologetically over his shoulder. "I know that you could have taken care of it, but I didn't want you to get your dress messed up. You look too nice in it."

"It's fine," Hotaru replied with a light blush. "But what should we do about him? I'm not one to call the police."

"Me, either," he agreed with a scowl. "But he pulled a knife on you. I'm tempted to call my men and let the fish feast tonight."

"You don't have to do that!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Besides, you'd be throwing away a golden opportunity if you did that."

"How so?" Chin asked curiously. In answer, Hotaru nodded down at the mugger to tell Chin to take a closer look at the man. There were three abnormalities about the mugger. First, he was clean. Second, his clothes were new. Third, although he was holding onto Chin's foot to keep himself from being stomped on, he wasn't struggling or making noise. Instead, he was quietly waiting for the opportunity to escape. "I see," Chin grinned as the mugger became nervous under their combined attention. "We caught a little thrill seeker with a bit of natural talent."

"I'll agree with that deduction," Hotaru chuckled before slowly walking forward to grasp their captive's attention with simple eye contact. He couldn't be older than nineteen, which was wonderful for recruiting purposes. He was still young enough to be trained, but not stupid enough to get cocky. "You're pretty foolish to draw a knife on two Mafia Bosses, boy," Hotaru smiled as the man instantly paled in understanding of the real trouble that he was in.

"I-I'm sorry!" He spluttered, throwing his hands up around his head in surrender. "I didn't know! I'll apologize or whatever you want, just don't kill me! I was doing it for--"

"Your poor, starving siblings who you've been taking care of since your parents died," Chin finished with a smirk. "Try again. We've heard it before."

"You were doing it for fun," Hotaru supplied as she crouched down next to the man's head. "Answer honestly, boy, and we won't kill you."

"I didn't know you were Mafia!" He exclaimed, his gaze darting between Hotaru and Chin frantically. "I thought you were just a couple of rich snobs! I was just going to scare you a bit and make off with some goods! Honest! I wasn't looking to hurt anyone! The knife was just for show!"

"Tell me," Chin ordered with a sadistic grin, taking his turn in bonding with the kid. "How does your heart feel right now? Are you excited?"

"Are you crazy?" The boy choked with wide eyes. "I'm not sure if I'm going to piss my pants or have a heart attack! I wasn't looking to get mixed up with Mafia! I was just killing time! If you let me go, I swear I won't do this again! Promise!"

"That won't do," Hotaru murmured in disappointment. "You're a little foolish in choosing your targets, but you have the makings of a natural hitman in you. How would you like the chance to get the rush of a lifetime?"

"We're the big-leagues, boy," Chin added as he pulled a card out of his coat. Bending over, he carefully tucked it in the guy's pocket before straightening up and removing his foot from his chest. "When you get sick of chump change and two-bit thrills, give us a call. We'll show you a real adventure."

"You're letting me go?" He gaped as Hotaru got to her feet and accepted Chin's arm in escort.

"Let's keep this incident between us," Hotaru replied with a wink. "If you become a law-abiding citizen, you won't hear from us again."

"But if you join a different Family, we won't forgive you," Chin finished as they began heading for the cafe again. Behind them, the man was smart enough to flee once their backs were turned, although he foolishly left the pieces of his switchblade behind. "How did I do?" Chin whispered curiously.

"Eh?"

"It was my first time doing something like that," he admitted with a goofy grin on his face. "I always left recruiting up to Kirota before now, but that was actually fun. Not the part about him pulling a knife, of course, but--" He broke off with a sheepish blush as Hotaru broke out into laughter. "Don't laugh at me!" He exclaimed in laughter. "Not all of us got to be a Boss by the time we were eight! I'm still new on some things!"

"I know," Hotaru laughed, "but you just remind me of myself the first time I got to recruit. It's addictive. Isn't it? That rush of power and having the ability to change someone's life at your fingertips. It never really gets old. By the way, what did you do to his knife? I couldn't see."

"I disassembled it," he answered as he held open the door of the cafe for Hotaru to go in first. "A switchblade is a simple machine, but it's still a machine. As long as it has pieces, I can take it apart or put it together. The fewer pieces, the faster that I can work. I guess you can say that it's one of my unique skills."

"No wonder you could take apart Vongola prototypes," Hotaru murmured in awe. Pausing to order their coffee, Hotaru decided to order for Chin as payback for how Chin had ordered dinner. He smirked over the action, but he was wise enough not to comment. He was also wise enough to pay without changing the drink choices. "Don't worry," Hotaru soothed when Chin looked at the foam in his cup with apprehension. Leading the way to a corner table, she smiled over the fact that the words didn't seem to help. "If you know machines inside and out, then I know coffee," she explained as she sipped on the cinnamon-dusted foam in her own cup. "Just try it and tell me what you think."

Accepting her challenge, Chin tried it and his expression instantly turned into one of appreciation. Hotaru hid her resulting smile behind her own cup, deciding that it was probably better not to tell him what it was. After all, it might hurt his pride to know that he'd been given a decaffeinated cappuccino with extra cream and a shot of chocolate syrup. It might also ruin Hotaru's plans since he might get something caffeinated to try to clear some of the alcohol from his head. It was good enough if he just _thought _that he was more sober. It was always possible that Chin's attraction to her wouldn't continue after he was sober and that was a chance that she wasn't willing to take.

"I can't see you as being a person that drinks strong coffee," Hotaru temporized. "It's still coffee, but I thought it'd suit your tastes better than what I'm drinking."

"I bow before your coffee genius," Chin teased. "I'll have to add a cappuccino machine to the list of things to get you for Christmas."

"You don't--"

"Don't say it," Chin admonished. "Christmas is a big deal with my family, so you'll simply have to accept any gifts that you get. I should probably tell you to prepare yourself. My father dresses up as Santa every year and makes a big deal out of coming down the chimney with a bag of presents. Last year, he was too big to fit. Rather than do something different, do you know what he did? He had a bigger chimney built! The whole house was a mess for weeks beforehand and it was drafty as hell. We were wearing earmuffs and scarves just to unwrap gifts! I tell you, I've never been so happy to get a pair of socks for Christmas! This year, though," he continued as Hotaru tried to control her laughter. "I think my father is probably the happiest person of all. For years now, it's only been me and my brothers on Christmas morning while the bulk of the Family are out paying calls to their relatives. When he found out that I'd decided to wed, he had his objections, but I think the thought of having a full house for the holidays is what really brought him around more than my arguments did. I can tell you that having a woman in the house has improved his mood immensely. I don't think I've seen him smile so much since my mother died."

"I hope he's prepared for more women," Hotaru replied in warning, wisely deciding to dodge the landmine. "I sent my mother back to Japan, but she'll be back with my grandmother for Christmas. My brothers and sisters will be coming, too. I usually go out of town for Christmas, but they'd kill me if I tried this year. Especially after they find out about the engagement."

"All of them?" Chin asked with his face turning pale at the thought of suddenly having to face so many in-laws.

"All of them," Hotaru confirmed in cruel amusement. "I'll write down a briefing for you so that you'll have an idea of what everyone is like. If I try to simply tell you, we'll be here all night. You don't really have to worry, though. The only one that you might have problems with is Gillian. He won't be too happy when he finds out that his older brother became an older sister. The rest will be pretty shocked, but my sisters will get distracted with giving me a makeover and my other brothers are still pretty young. They'll be shocked, but I don't think they'll explode over it. Especially if Santa tosses them a few bribes."

"I'll tell Santa to be extra giving this year," Chin gasped. "What about Gregory? How do you think he'll take the news?"

"He probably knew before I did," Hotaru sighed. "It took me a while to find out, but he's got a precognitive ability. He's part of some sort of Church task-force that collects people like him, so you can take it that he's approved since he hasn't shown up to give us portents of doom. I--" Hotaru broke off at the sight of someone entering the cafe with a black eye, a broken nose, a hand wrapped in blood-stained bandages, and rage blazing in his eyes. "H-Hattori," Hotaru gasped as she slid out of her seat to head him off. "What happened to--"

SLAP!

Hotaru was stunned by the blow. Not because it hurt, but because Hattori had hit her. It made it pretty safe to assume that he'd heard about the engagement. From the damage on his body, it was also safe to assume that people had tried to bring him under control. What was she supposed to do now? This wasn't how she had been planning to confront him about the matter! Hattori was mad enough to hit her and he was injured! How was she supposed to keep calm and be cruel to him when he'd already gone through so much?!

Automatically holding out her arm to keep Chin from coming to her rescue, Hotaru slowly turned her head to meet Hattori's gaze. He was hurting. That much was visible beneath his anger. He wanted answers. He wanted an explanation. He wanted her to say that she hadn't deserved the blow. Unfortunately, Hotaru could only give him a small portion of what he wanted.

"It's over," Hotaru answered. "I was wrong to take advantage of your kindness and lead you on, but I was confused and you were pushy. I never lied to you, but I misunderstood my own feelings until recently. I do love you, but it's not the kind of love that you were hoping for. You confused me by using a role that I'm already familiar with and open to. You came at me with tokens of devotion and unwavering loyalty, so you can't complain that I came to love you as a Boss loves a subordinate. You almost had me with that trick, Hattori. If I hadn't met Chin, I wouldn't have known what it means to be with an equal and I would have continued to love you without questioning the depth of my feelings. I have, though, and I can't go back to pretending that our relationship was anything more than what it was. I can understand if you hate me after this, but you should have listened to me in the beginning. I told you to go back to Japan before you got hurt."

"Are you finished?" Hattori snarled with his eye twitching in anger.

"No," Hotaru replied slowly. "But I only have one more thing to say. If you lay a hand on Chin, I will fight you and I will not forgive you."

"Is that all?"

"Yes," Hotaru confirmed with a soft nod. Hattori nodded, glared at Chin, and turned to quietly leave without saying another word. Hotaru stayed tense until he was out the door, positive that he was going to turn and attack at any moment. He didn't, though. He just continued to walk away without looking back until his image was burned into Hotaru's memory. As soon as he was completely gone and Hotaru relaxed, her legs gave out. Chin caught her before she could hit the ground, but she couldn't stand. The whole confrontation had been too sudden, too unexpected, and far too unhappy.

"Are you alright?" Chin asked while caressing her cheek in worry. Shaking her head to say that it was alright, Hotaru buried her face into Chin's chest and silently struggled to keep her composure.

"I want to go home," she whispered. Chin didn't even blink at the request. Pulling out his cell phone, he sent a signal to his men before sweeping her off her feet to carry her. By the time they got outside, a car door was being opened for them to jump inside before the pursuing media vans could come to a stop. Hotaru barely noticed any of it. She was shaking too much to think straight and she couldn't seem to make it stop. Chin was able to make it stop, though.

He made it stop with nothing more than a warm hug, a willing shoulder, and patience.


	146. Chapter 146 Right of Passage

Fear was a byproduct of the unholy union of anticipation and dislike. Having 'guts' was a good way to overcome the symptom of fear, but a person had to understand it in order to truly master it. They had to accept the anticipation rather than reject it and they had to face their dislike instead of cringing from it. Inside his heart, Tsuna knew that and understood it, yet he couldn't keep the tremble of fear from surfacing and he couldn't keep Gabe from noticing it.

"Let's stop there," Gabe suggested as he pulled his hand out of Tsuna's shirt.

"We don't have to!" Tsuna exclaimed. "You can--" Tsuna broke off with the gentle kiss that Gabe placed on his forehead. It was the kiss of death. Getting Gabe to touch him again would be impossible within the next twelve hours. Tsuna knew it. Gabe knew it. The entire gang knew it. The hopeless idiot was so worried that he might force Tsuna that he was completely incapable of ignoring even a small quiver.

"We've got a long drive in the morning, so you should get some sleep," he sighed while quickly buttoning his shirt back on. Tsuna hung his head in disappointment. It was the same thing that he'd heard every night since the trip had started and he couldn't blame anyone other than himself. The first time that one of their make-out sessions had progressed to touching, there had been an incident. The irritating part was that it'd been a stupid mistake. Gabe had hit one of his ticklish spots and he'd jumped. That was all, but Gabe had taken it the wrong way and he'd somehow managed to get Tsuna to admit that he was still a little apprehensive. So now, every single time that things started looking interesting, Gabe became hypersensitive and would pull back at the first sign of fear.

If Tsuna hadn't wanted to fuck so badly, he probably would have killed the guy by now. It was so incredibly frustrating and not just for himself. As soon as Gabe slipped out of their six-man tent to let Tsuna 'recover' so that he could 'sleep', the guys around the bonfire were ready and waiting with a beer and encouragements. Tonight was no different, even though everyone was getting excited for the imminent arrival at the Golem's beach-house, yet all Tsuna could do was lay on his stomach and glare from the door of his tent.

"What was it this time?" Ginger asked as he stepped into the tent to keep Tsuna company.

"I was thinking that we might make it all the way and I thought about something stupid," Tsuna groaned into a makeshift pillow of Gabe's folded jacket. "I remembered how long it's been since I was a bottom. Not counting the one time with Badru--which I can't really remember a lot of--it's been a few years."

"You didn't bring any lotion," Ginger supplied knowingly. Tsuna groaned a second time in absolute defeat. Yes, he'd forgotten to pack lubricant. Yes, he should have remembered. Yes, he could have continued without it. No, trying to drag Gabe back into the tent would be impossible. Tsuna had already tried nearly a week ago when he'd first gotten fed up with Gabe's worrisome attitude. It'd turned into their first real fight as a couple and they'd both ended up with black eyes over it. Of course, they'd made up, but the bruises were still healing. He wasn't really ready to get a second one.

Even more irritating than Gabe's hands-off hesitancy was the match-makers in the gang. It was almost like clockwork. By the time that Gabe finished his first beer and settled down to a fire-side seat, Selma would come to get Tsuna's side of the story while Pete was getting Gabe's. Then the two would switch. Selma would go tell Gabe what happened with Tsuna and Pete would come over to 'help' Tsuna with whatever caused the night's hiccup.

Tsuna really wished that they'd stop and just let Tsuna and Gabe work out their problems on their own, but he also knew that they wouldn't have come so far on their own. Using the match-makers as a mediator really kept the hiccups from escalating into full-fledged fights. It also made it easier to pass along messages that would be difficult to say in a face-to-face discussion.

"What was it this time?" Selma asked as she crouched down next to the door of Tsuna's tent. Tsuna kept his face buried to keep his blush from being visible. It was already bad enough that the gang had given them the tent as a couple's gift for Christmas--which they just-so-happened to also use as an overnight storage for all of their miscellaneous baggage. It was also pretty horrible that everyone was watching their progress so closely. However, trying to explain tonight's particular hiccup was going to be murder.

"Let me," Ginger offered. Tsuna instantly bolted up to stop him, but it was too late. "No lotion for the motion," he barked in laughter. His laughter turned into a yelp as Tsuna's fist rammed into his snout, but the damage was done. All Tsuna could do was to bury his head under his make-shift pillow and pray that Selma wouldn't ask any questions.

Too bad. Fortune only smiled on fools.

"That's it?" She gaped. "No flashbacks? No Snicker-guilt? No worry that Gabe is going to turn kinky on you? You were just scared because you forgot lotion?"

"Do you have any idea how much it hurts to do it bareback?" Tsuna growled in frustration. "You'd worry, too, if you were as old as me."

"Oh, you're not that old," Selma laughed. "You already told us that the grey hairs are dye, so you're probably only--what?--twenty four? Maybe twenty-five?"

"Add a decade to that and you'd be closer," Ginger corrected so that Tsuna didn't have to.

"Oh," she mumbled in surprise. "But that's still not that bad! The thirties are the best years for most people!"

"Mouse has already been a wealthy playboy with multiple lovers and a porn star," Ginger replied caustically. "Now he's trying to have a relationship with the guy that once raped him. I don't think you can call these his best years, sweetheart."

"Ginger--" Tsuna growled in warning.

"Sorry, sorry," he soothed. "Just trying to help."

"Don't worry, Mouse," Selma sighed. "I'll see if I can't straighten things out with Gabe again. He'll probably be happy to hear that you were just worried about road rash."

"Selma--!" Tsuna spluttered, lifting his head out from his pillow to goggle at the woman for her phrasing. Unfortunately, his red face only made Selma and Ginger laugh at him harder. It was a train wreck, Tsuna thought. A complete and utter train wreck. Sighing, Tsuna slowly laid his head back down on his pillow and tried not to get depressed. "Can you give Gabe a message for me?" Tsuna asked.

"Sure thing. What do you want me to tell him?"

"Are we still on schedule to reach the beach-house tomorrow?"

"We should get there around noon. Why?"

"Let him know that I'm going to tie him to the first bed that I see so he can't run away from me again," he said solemnly. "It's great that he's so considerate, but I'm never going to get over my issues with him if he keeps doing this. I don't want to be forced, but it's okay to be a little aggressive."

"You know that he's just worried," Selma replied sympathetically. "Not just that he's going to force you, but that you'll force yourself."

"Eh?"

"Mouse..." she said carefully. "Since you've started dating Gabe, have you ever told him to stop?"

"Not that I know of," Tsuna answered in consideration.

"There's the problem," she replied with an apologetic grimace. "You might try doing it next time that you're starting to feel anxious about something. It'd probably do Gabe some good to know that you do have a voice. Maybe.... Maybe if you stop him before he decides that it's time to stop, you'll be able to keep him from running away. Just think about that. I'm going to go give Gabe hell about not being prepared. That idiot. Sometimes I wonder if he even knows where to stick it. You'd think that he'd be doing everything in his power to make you comfortable, but no! He always spaces out when it comes to the basics. Well, won't he be embarrassed when he finds out that he ran away when you were rearing to go?"

"Smack him once for me," Ginger laughed.

"Get him drunk and send him back in here for me," Tsuna grumbled. Selma shot him a lopsided grin for the request before rising to head back towards the fire. As always, she traded seats with Pete so that she could relay the info to Gabe and Pete headed for the tent with a six-pack of beer. For once, Tsuna didn't sit up to greet him. Instead, he was much more curious about how Gabe was going to react to the news.

Tsuna wasn't quite sure what was going through Gabe's mind as Selma whispered in his ear, but Selma seemed to be scolding him pretty harshly and Tsuna found his eyes locked with Gabe's. The light of the bon-fire reflected in them, giving him gaze intensity that went straight to Tsuna's groin. Several weeks hiding at the Church. Several days in the city. Two weeks at Granny's. Two weeks on the road. It felt like ages since he'd gotten any satisfaction. He wanted--

"Beer?" Pete asked, holding the six-pack in Tsuna's face. Forcibly cut off from Gabe's gaze, Tsuna did what anyone would have done. He sat up with his 'pillow' in his lap to hide his condition, took a beer, chugged it, took a second one to nurse, and passed the rest to Ginger. "So what was it this time?" Pete asked, crouching down in the same way that Selma had.

"Selma can tell you later," Tsuna groaned as he hung his head. "What did Gabe say?"

"He got impatient and you started getting scared," Pete sighed. "He apologized for rushing you and he says that he'll go slower next time. It's the same old story."

"Not quite," Ginger corrected as he dug a straw out of his belt. "Mouse wasn't scared."

"You weren't?" Pete asked in surprise.

"Nope," Ginger answered before Tsuna could open his mouth. "He forgot to bring lotion and got nervous. Gabe ran off too soon."

"Is that all?"

"That's it," Ginger confirmed.

"Would you mind letting me talk for myself?" Tsuna asked, tossing his empty beer can at Ginger's head in frustration. "Shit! You two are as bad as Gabe. Actually, you guys are probably the reason he runs off so quickly. If he didn't know that there were marriage councilors waiting for every fucking problem, he'd stick around long enough that I could personally tell him what's wrong. Then we could solve the fucking problem and move on instead of having to wait for the next pit stop!"

"Ouch. You got burned," Ginger laughed at Pete.

"OUT!" Tsuna snapped as his temper finally crossed from peeved to pissed. "Both of you, shoo! Tell Gabe that he can just forget it! If he's that scared, then we're better off not trying! I'll be damned if I'm going to give my ass to a pussy!"

"Oi!" Ginger choked as Tsuna sent him fleeing from the tent with a flurry of harmless kicks. "You're not serious! You can't do that!"

"Just watch me!" Tsuna shouted. Zipping up the tent's door, Tsuna ignored all of their pleas for reason. The situation was too screwed up. Tsuna was the one who should be scared and running away. Not Gabe. Maybe he just wasn't cut out for real relationships. They took work and communication, where he'd always worked at being a Boss and relied on his lovers' blind loyalty. Shit! Shit! Shit! He sucked at this! How in the world had the Ninth gotten so many women to love him? There had to be some sort of secret, because 'trying his best' wasn't getting anywhere! Even when he made progress, it felt like he was still walking backwards!

Maybe the secret was availability. His relationship with Haru had never turned sour because he'd continually shown affection without showing his face. He would have probably had to make more time for her as the kids got older and needed more attention, but there had been a clear line between his work and her. He didn't have that buffer with Gabe. They were together every day and every night, so perhaps...

Perhaps he was thinking too much, Tsuna thought as he stretched out on his thin bedroll. Gabe and he had a history. Tsuna had spent his life by putting himself into the shoes of scumbags, killers, and psychopaths, so he had more experience with the mindset than Gabe did. Actually, he probably knew Gabe better than the guy knew himself. That was why Tsuna had been able to progress so much over the weeks that they'd been together. He knew the triggers. He knew Gabe's mentality. Gabe wasn't in line with psychotic rapists who attacked anyone that they could get their hands on. He'd just been an obsessive stalker who'd crossed the line. Tsuna had experience in controlling stalkers from when he'd been a Mafia Boss, so dealing with Gabe was as easy as baking a pie. It'd only been his own memories that he'd needed to get control of and that had been done. He was ready. He was willing. Now it was just Gabe who needed a little push and Tsuna knew just how to give it to him.

"Mouse...?" Gabe called from outside the tent. Tsuna couldn't keep himself from smirking. The idiot really was hopelessly predictable. "Look, I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now, but I really want to say that I'm sorry. I read the signs wrong. You're not really going to break up with me for that. Are you? I just... ah... well, you know. Right? Mouse...? Are you in there? Come on, Mouse. Talk to me."

_Play hard to get._

"No," Tsuna replied in a pouting tone. "You keep apologizing but nothing ever changes. You're still not talking to me face-to-face. First you have to use Selma and Pete and now you're talking to me through the tent! It's useless! I don't need someone like that!"

"Then, can I come in?" Gabe replied with an aggravated sigh.

_Make him earn it._

"Will you promise not to run away again?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Of course! Whatever you want! I know I screwed up. I wouldn't be here to try to apologize if I didn't!"

_Be reluctant._

"I guess you can come in," Tsuna grumbled. Wiping the smile off his face, Tsuna put the proper one in place so that Gabe wouldn't catch on to the fact that he was being played. He also moved over to make room for the guy and carefully ensured that the tent was sealed off once he was inside. This way, nothing could stop him once Gabe was comfortably situated against a stack of luggage.

"I'm here," Gabe said with a careless gesture. "Now will you listen to me?"

"No," Tsuna answered as he slowly turned around. Tsuna's smile resurfaced as Gabe's jaw dropped in shock over the little pistol that was being pointed at him. "I think it's your turn to listen. You can either start stripping or you can get shot."

"M-Mouse!" Gabe choked. Automatically raising his hand to ward off the weapon, Tsuna didn't have an ounce of pity for the idiot. "Where the fuck did you get that?!"

"I'm a retired Mafia Boss in hiding," Tsuna spat. "You're crazy if you think that I'd be without one. I want you to listen to me very closely, Gabe. I'm not someone that needs to be coddled or pampered. Yeah, I did have issues with you before, but I also got over them just like I've gotten over being kidnapped, tortured, and a lot of very ugly things that you'd probably piss your pants over. Right now, I'm not concerned about any of that. I'm horny and the only thing I really need from you is a good, hard fuck. You can either give it to me or I show you how a real psychopath does it. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yeah! Sure! Just put the fucking gun down!" Gabe spluttered. Tsuna's smile widened, but he put the gun down like he was asked. Gabe predictably collapsed in place in relief while panting as if he'd just finished running a marathon. "Shit," he gasped as the stupidity of the situation began to reach him. "I always thought that you might pull a gun on me, but I never expected that to be the reason! That wasn't funny, Mouse!"

"Then it's a good thing that I wasn't joking," Tsuna replied in a husky tone. Tossing the gun back over to his own bag, Tsuna crooked a finger at Gabe in a command that was slowly answered. Tsuna turned the tables on him, though. Rather than give Gabe the opportunity to run away again, Tsuna decided that he had no choice other than to take the aggressive role. By doing so, it wasn't going to be as sweet as he wanted, but at least they would be able to make progress.

Gabe was taken by surprise when Tsuna crawled into his lap, but it was nothing compared to the moment that Tsuna pushed him down to give him a bit of extra incentive so that he wouldn't run again. As Tsuna hoped, Gabe's face paled and his attention was entirely consumed by the knife that was buried hilt-deep into the ground next to his head. This gave Tsuna all the time that he needed to reset the scene to where it had been. Gabe's shirt came off. Tsuna's shirt came off.

"M-Mouse--" Gabe finally gasped when Tsuna skipped the initial lip-lock and went straight for his chest. "D-Don't do that."

"Why not?" Tsuna asked without stopping. Kissing down the center of his chest, Tsuna teased his nipples with his thumbs as his lips approached Gabe's navel. "Doesn't it feel good?"

"Come on," Gabe panted while his flesh began to tremble under the guidance of Tsuna's tongue. "Q-Quit it. It's not nice to tease."

"Who's teasing?" Tsuna retorted. Reaching for Gabe's belt, Tsuna was throbbing with anticipation. Finally, after so long, he'd--

"I said stop!" Gabe shouted. Startled, Tsuna had no way to defend himself when Gabe shoved him to the side, sat up, and quickly started putting his shirt back on. It only took one look to know that Gabe was angry and hurt, but Tsuna didn't understand it. Weren't they both getting what they wanted? Isn't this the direction that their relationship had been developing toward?!

"You don't want me," Tsuna mumbled, rattling off the only possible conclusion that he could think of. "Is that what this is?"

"That's not it," Gabe growled.

"Then what is it?!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I'm pretty damn good at reading people, but I have no fucking clue right now! What the hell are you thinking?! Did I do something wrong?! I thought you'd be happy if I showed initiative!"

"Yeah, that was pretty nice, although I could have done without the weapons," Gabe agreed.

"Then talk to me! Why don't you want to go any further than kissing?! Did you catch something that you didn't tell me about or--"

"No!"

"Then, is there someone else?"

"No! That's not it!" He snapped in anger for the suggestions.

"Then what is it?!" Tsuna shouted.

"YOU DON'T LOVE ME!" Gabe roared. Tsuna froze at the accusation, struck speechless by the pain in Gabe's expression. "You don't love me," Gabe repeated in a softer tone. "Maybe it's because I watched you for so long from the outside, but I can tell. I could see it when you were with Snicker and you had it when you met Xanxus, but me... When I'm with you, that spark just isn't there for you and it kills me. Sometimes it feels like you're really my boyfriend, but other times I feel like you're only trying to reform me and that makes me feel like shit. I... What am I to you?"

"You're... Gabe," Tsuna mumbled uncertainly.

"Thought so," he mumbled in disappointment. From the way that Gabe shook his head and quickly fled from the tent, Tsuna knew that he'd somehow given the wrong answer. He didn't know another one to give, though. Gabe was Gabe! He couldn't be anything else! What the hell did he want?! A spark?! What sort of bullshit was that?! Sparks only came after both sides gave in! How the hell could there be sparks when Gabe was acting like a fickle, disinterested husband after forty years of loveless marriage?! If he wanted sparks, he had to make them by giving in to his passion! Not by running away constantly!

It was time to call it quits. He wasn't going to get anywhere with Gabe. The bastard was going to stay a bastard and that was it! How many weeks had he wasted in cultivating their relationship?! He wouldn't have stuck around if there hadn't been any hope of kindling something special! Didn't that count for anything?! He could have already been halfway across the country by now! His X-Gloves could cross twice the distance in a day that the pathetic little motorcycles could because he wouldn't have to rely on stupid speed limits! With Promethia's help, he could get even farther since he'd be able to double his energy reserves!

Actually, that was a pretty damn good idea. Bursting out of the tent, Tsuna ignored the communal bitch-session going on around the fire. He ignored the way that half a dozen guys were trying to talk Gabe out of driving away. He ignored Ginger as the tanuki tried to tell him to calm down. He wasn't going to calm down! This was the same fucking situation that he'd already been in more times than he could count! He wasn't going to waste his life by going down the same road that he'd went down a million times already!

"THIA!" Tsuna shouted, knowing that she should be nearby. Badru and Aster were nearby and it was incredibly unlikely that she'd allowed herself to be left behind in Italy. She'd only been waiting for Tsuna's call to let her know that she could come out. "THIA! _Corsa a me! Corsa a me, _Thia_!"_

"You can ssstop ssshouting," Thia hissed as she dove into the road-side campsite. Tsuna's breathe caught in his throat at the sight of her with her sword strapped to her back. Only Thia--she who was a part of himself--could be trusted. Only Thia--out of everyone else in the world--would never betray him. "I heard your criesss. What aid can I give, Brother?"

"I'm leaving this place," Tsuna answered as he released his Flame. "I didn't want to leave you behind again."

"You didn't leave me the firssst time," she replied with a warm smile. "I am ready whenever you are." Nodding in agreement, Tsuna sent a sustained burst of Flame through his X-Gloves in order to gently lift off without disturbing the camp-fire.

He didn't get more than three feet off the ground before someone grabbed his leg to keep him from leaving.

"Don't do this, Tsuna," Ginger pleaded while he kept a death-grip on Tsuna's trousers. "It was just another misunderstanding. You can work it out."

"Don't patronize me, Ginger," Tsuna scolded, feeling as if his Flame had cleared months of confusion from his mind in a single moment. "Give me one reason to believe that this is going to be different from anything else in my past." Ginger couldn't. He knew that he couldn't, because he slowly shut his mouth, bowed his head, and let go of Tsuna's leg. "Do you want me to send for you when I find a destination?" Tsuna asked curiously. Ginger couldn't look at him, but he quietly nodded in acceptance of the invitation. It was enough for Tsuna. His time spent with the Golems hadn't been a complete waste because he'd reconnected with one very precious friend.

Glancing over at Gabe, Tsuna felt tears well up in his eyes. The man was still sitting on his bike as if Tsuna meant nothing to him. All it would take was one word from him and Tsuna would be happy to stay. He'd be happy to take the chance that Gabe would have the power to write a different ending to the same old song-and-dance. He didn't move, though. He didn't speak. He did nothing other than look away.

The sight cut Tsuna deeper than he expected. Just like everyone else, Gabe didn't want him. He only wanted to possess the unattainable. Once Tsuna was within his reach, the allure disappeared. The love turned into a phantom. So, once more, Tsuna was left with only one option. He ran away. He didn't make it far, though. After only five minutes, even his Flame couldn't numb his emotions enough for him to control his flight. The best that he could do was to find a small valley out of sight of the road where he could safely land before the tears overwhelmed him.

It hurt so much. How many times was he going to chase love, only to have it slip through his grasp? What did it take to make happiness last?! Was he asking for too much? Was he being too selfish? It was the only fucking thing that he'd ever really wanted! Was it a mistake to protect it when he thought that he'd found it? Was it a mistake to even hope that it was something in his reach?! Why did he have to keep hurting like this?! When was he going to find someone that could love him and stand by him no matter what troubles arose?! Did such a person even exist?!

"I am here, Brother," Thia hissed, wrapping her arms around him while he continued to sob. "I will alwaysss be by your ssside. In life or death, I will not leave you. I ssswear thisss. Ssso ssspend asss many tearsss as you need to purge thisss from yourssself. I will be here whenever you wisssh to continue our journey to whatever desssstination you choossse. I do not care where. I will follow you alwaysss."

* * *

Aster laid his head down on the open window of their parked van and tried not to sigh. It happened just as Badru had predicted and Master was pitiful for not noticing it. The cure could erase the werewolf in Master's blood, but it couldn't do anything about his subconscious. That was the very reason that they'd left the Sanctuary to follow him. Badru had known that Master would open himself to the first potential mate that presented itself. It was his instinct. There were years worth of mating cycles etched into his body and his mind, so there was no way that he could be comfortable being alone. Just as an addict would begin looking for the next fix before the last one had worn off, Master had begun looking for a mate as soon as he'd been left alone.

It was saddening that he would lower himself to someone like the one called Gabe, but it was even more saddening that Master felt desperate enough to take what he was offered. Even worse was that he could no longer tell the difference between the desire in his heart and the desire in his body. The one called Gabe had chosen correctly to refuse Master's advances. Had he accepted, Master would have been trapped in an even more miserable situation.

Aster wanted to help him. He could see from the way that Badru was sitting in silent contemplation that he wanted to help, too. There was nothing that they could do, though. There was danger in even touching Master at the moment. There were reports from the team who'd kidnapped Murlock from his hospital that the cure was the type that weakened and exited the host's system after a pre-determined period of time, but the best estimates was that it'd be another year before they could even consider the possibility of Turning him again. Master couldn't last that long by himself.

There was only a single option that Aster had been too afraid to suggest. He could stay at Master's side despite the probability that he'd end up cured. As long as someone was there that Master could rely on, his subconscious would forget that he was in need. It might take a few years, but Master would eventually acclimate to being a human again and then Aster could return to Badru. The problem was that it'd be a large sacrifice. Aster didn't want to leave Badru's side. Badru was the first person in his life who had returned his feelings with no strings attached. He wasn't like Ulrich; he was everything that Aster had wanted in Ulrich and so much more. To leave him, even if it was only temporarily, made Aster's chest tighten painfully.

Just a little longer. Aster would wait just a little longer before proposing the suggestion to Badru. If Master could manage without him, then the sacrifice would be meaningless. He would never forgive himself if he made that sort of decision on a whim! They needed to watch for just a little longer. Just a little... longer...

"Where are you going?!" Aster exclaimed in surprise when Badru got out of the van and slammed the door shut.

"I'm going to speak with Little Tiger's mate," he answered calmly. Aster's eye bulged at the simple statement as Badru disappeared. He couldn't be serious! They'd been following at a distance of two miles so that the group wouldn't know that they were being tailed! They'd planted surveillance equipment into their motorcycles so that they could listen in without needing to be within a quarter mile! They'd been so careful to hide themselves, yet Badru was really going to show himself to them again?! WHY?!

Jumping over into the driver's seat, Aster turned over the engine and hit the gas. He couldn't leave the van behind. Not only was it stocked with enough blood to satisfy even Badru's enlarged appetite, but it also held all the equipment that they'd bought and a love nest for Badru to rest in. Badru was ill, after all. It was nearly impossible, but Aster had asked a lot of questions during his stay in the Duka Clan Sanctuary. He had something that the oldest vampires called the Thinning. Aster didn't really understand it, but he'd been told that Badru's blood was losing strength. They said that Badru's power had once been powerful enough to stop human hearts with a glance, but he could barely force them to black out anymore. In the past two hundred years, his potency had decayed to the point that many believed that he was dying.

Despite that, there was no way that he could be left with the gang of humans by himself. Badru was still stronger than anyone else and there was no way of knowing what he was planning. The humans didn't have a chance in hell of surviving if Badru decided to get angry! Aster felt frantic as he scanned the roadside for the gang's campsite. When he finally saw the light of their bonfire behind a cluster of palm trees, he slammed on the brakes, shut off the engine, and bolted out of the van. Running at top speed toward the camp, he felt like cursing when he saw that Badru had beaten him there.

The situation was tense. Badru hadn't released his aura, so the bikers were still moving around and talking. They were moving and talking without fear, which was the most stupid thing that they could do. If Badru got angry, the entire gang could be bitten before they could blink.

"Badru," Aster pleaded as he carefully inserted himself between Badru and the fearless bikers. "Let me deal with them. Please? I--" Aster broke off at the sound of a howling wolf and barely managed to dodge before a ball of fur, teeth, and claws could catch more than air. He froze when he met the attacking beast's eyes. There was intelligence there that hadn't been displayed before. Could it be that this misshapen creature--part wolf and part raccoon--was the extra voice that they sometimes heard talking to Master? There was only one way to know. "We are not here to fight," Aster said carefully. "M'Lord only wishes to have a conversation with my Master's mate and then we will leave."

"There are no Masters here, vampire," the mutant wolf growled while showing a large amount of fangs. Aster tossed a glance in Badru's direction in hopes of gaining guidance, but the vampire was still standing like an unmoving statue.

"The one you call Mouse," Aster explained. In hopes of lowering the tension in the area, Aster dropped the defensive stance that he'd fallen into. "He has gone by many names, but he will forever be my Master. We have been following him for several months now in concern for his well-being. He is very ill."

"He's already recovered from surgery," the beast commented suspiciously.

"It's not a physical, human ailment," Aster replied in hopes that the beast would understand the insinuation. Apparently it did, because it finally calmed down and stopped barring its teeth. Aster took that as a good sign that it was safe to continue speaking. "It might be rude of me to skip introductions, but I must ask. What happened before Master summoned his Salamander? There was too much noise for us to hear clearly."

"We got into a fight," the one called Gabe answered from his seat next to the bonfire. Badru's attention snapped in his direction, finally finding the man that he wanted, but Aster was already beginning to understand what Badru's intentions were. All it took was a single glance at Gabe's miserable expression to know that Badru wanted to put the two together again.

"Where did the argument take place?" Aster asked before Gabe could confuse the issue with what he _thought _the argument had been about. The argument had only been an effect, not the cause. If the man was going to understand how things had turned sour, he'd first need to understand the why.

Following several people's pointed fingers, Aster slowly moved toward the small tent that had been set up at the far end of the campsite. He had to stop a yard away from it. The scent coming from within it was strong enough to make his teeth ache and his member harden. Even once Master's unique blood had been taken into account and the frequency that he'd used the tent, Aster knew that a human still shouldn't be capable of giving off such an enticing scent. It was a clear sign that Master's body was trying to force him into a mating cycle, even though it physically impossible for him anymore.

"I was wrong to wait," Aster admitted, shooting a pained glance in Badru's direction. "I can get no closer without fearing for my sanity. Master's condition is much worse than I thought. If he doesn't get a mate soon, his body will tear itself apart. I'd give him..." Leaning toward the tent, Aster gave a careful sniff before fleeing back to Badru's side. Burying his face into Badru's back, he trembled as he let Badru's scent wash Master's away. It was too chaotic and overwhelming. However, he did manage to process the piece of information that he'd gone in for. "Nine days," he gasped. "Master's mind will be consumed in nine days without a mate."

"I don't smell anything," one of the bikers commented, sticking his head into the tent in a way that Aster could never imitate.

"It just smells like sweat and dirt to me," the mutant added.

"My little giraffe's sense of smell is better than a tanuki's or a human's," Badru replied, speaking for the first time since he'd appeared. "It makes me tempted to rename him little bear at times and I would if he did not resemble a giraffe in so many other ways." Aster blushed at the unnecessary statement, knowing all the reasons for Badru's pet name at an intimate level. This wasn't the time for that, though! "If he says that the scent is there, thee must trust his word."

"I'll go, Badru," Aster offered. "If Master has been rejected by his mate, then I can not waste a moment. Please forgive me, but I must help him."

"I won't permit it," Badru murmured, making Aster drop to his knees in shock. Badru wasn't going to let him go. Didn't he understand?! Didn't he also love Master?! Master was going to _die _without a mate! He'd spent too many years as a werewolf to acclimate into being human on his own! Unless... Unless he planned to make Gabe go. Gabe had to go! He was Master's only hope!

There was no time to explain. There was no time to make him agree. Master could be miles upon miles away by now! If they were going to catch up, then they had to leave NOW. Seeing no other option, Aster did what Badru had possibly been planning. He crossed the distance to the man in the blink of an eye, picked him up, tucked him under one arm and started running. The attack was too sudden for the humans to react and it became impossible for them to follow in the darkness once Aster leaped to the top of a palm tree and began using the trees as his road. It was easier to catch Master's scent from the air. It was scattered slightly due to the passage of time, but they were lucky. It was a calm night and the trail was still intact enough to follow.

If only Gabe would stop fighting his grip! Pausing momentarily on top of a palm tree, Aster got fed up enough to drop the fool. He raced down the tree trunk in order to grab him again before he could hit the ground, but his point was made. Master's mate stopped trying to get free. He was also scared beyond the point of yelling, which was good for the sake of Aster's ears. He hadn't thought that a man could produce such an operatic soprano, but Gabe had. Oh well, Aster thought. He'd take screaming over urine any day of the week.

When he felt that Gabe was calm enough, he slowly began explaining the situation in simple terms. Master had once been a werewolf. Master had gone though mating cycles as a werewolf. Master had been cured. He was no longer a werewolf, but there were side effects to having been a werewolf for so many years. Master required a mate because the effects of a mating cycle could be minimized when one had a partner as support. Gabe's constant rejection of Master made it hard for Master to think of Gabe as a mate. Gabe had to make up with Master and become his true mate or Master would die.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Gabe cried.

"It doesn't have to," Aster replied. Aster paused a second time as Master's scent abruptly strengthened. He had stopped and Aster could get no closer. If he did, he'd lose to his own instincts. It was a good thing, though. If Master had stopped, then there was still time to make things right. The first step to doing that was to put Gabe safely on the ground and head him off each time that he tried to run away. He tried several times, too, but Aster's speed was too much for him. Each time that Gabe changed direction, he kept looking behind himself as if he thought a ghost was chasing him. Eventually, he ran out of the willpower to run. Resigned to his fate, he finally came to a stop in front of Aster and simply gasped for breathe while nursing a stitch in his side.

"You vampires aren't much for giving a guy a fair chance to get away, are you?" He asked breathlessly.

"Not particularly," he confirmed. "There is only one direction that I'll allow you to run in. Master needs you. If you truly love him, then you will not allow your pitiful human pride to get in the way of helping him."

"Hey! He's the one that started it! I tried having an honest relationship with him, but he's the one that doesn't give a damn about me! He said it himself! I'm just 'Gabe' to him! I--"

"Who else would you be?" Aster asked, curious about the source of the man's anger. Strangely, the man decided to do an imitation of a suffocating fish on dry land instead of giving an answer. Aster decided to pay him no mind. People sometimes chose the weirdest times to make jokes. There were more important matters to deal with anyway. "I spent many years in Master's service," he said in hopes of getting the man into a sympathetic mind frame, "and Master taught me many things. The one thing that he couldn't teach me was how to truly understand love. I have since grasped the concept, but I have often thought that Master's attempts to teach me were flawed because Master himself has yet to completely understand the mystery."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabe asked, completely confused by the statement. Aster pressed his lips together, positive that he was having trouble communicating again.

"Master," he said slowly while choosing his words carefully. "He often talks from experience, but I do not think that he has as much experience as he pretends. He only knows how to respond to the feeling of love in others, not how to create it for himself. That is why he does not know how to persist through blunt rejection. He is still learning the finer details, just as I am."

"You're saying that he's never been in love?" Gabe inquired in disbelief. Aster bit his lip in frustration. He wasn't getting through to the guy. What would it take for him to understand?! Maybe a little white lie could help in this situation? It was worth a shot since explaining it wasn't getting anywhere.

"Werewolves can't initiate love," Aster blurted. "They feel with their bodies first! When you refuse contact, Master thinks that you don't love him! Master is confused right now! He's been cured, but he was a werewolf for too long! He can't think like a human yet! If you don't make love to him and show him that he's got a mate, then he'll pine away like an abandoned animal!"

"Oh," Gabe gaped as understanding finally dawned. "Then, when I thought he was just playing with me..."

"Master doesn't know any better!" Aster exclaimed with a red face. "He's never fallen in love without making love first!" Aster's thread of frustration abruptly snapped and the tension drained out of him. As Master often said, 'he'd blown a fuse'. He couldn't deal with Gabe anymore. He'd already put in more effort into explaining than he usually did. If he tried any more, he felt like his brain was going to melt. "Just go make up with him before he runs again," Aster sighed, pointing in the direction that Master's scent was coming from. "Take as long as you need. There's a road a quarter mile that way that we'll be waiting on when you're ready to go back."

"Okay," Gabe agreed before breaking out into a jog in Master's direction. He paused before he got to the treeline to toss back a single word of gratitude, but Aster waved it away. What was it about Master that always made him feel so tired? Whatever it was, Aster had the sudden urge to down a bottle of blood wine, cuddle up with Badru, and sleep for a few months.

* * *

Gabe scrambled up the side of a small hill and quickly hurried down into the valley on the other side. Bushes and foliage hindered him, but he broke through impatiently in effort to find Tsuna. The long-haired guy with the tea-shades had said that Tsuna was in this direction. He couldn't be that far--

Gabe cursed as he tripped over something and landed hard on the ground. This night couldn't get any worse, he thought to himself. Looking back to see what he'd fallen over, he instantly took the statement back when he saw that he'd tripped over Tsuna himself. He was curled up under a bush without even a jacket on. The sight made Gabe angry at Tsuna's stupidity until he noticed that he wasn't responding despite having been accidentally kicked. A closer inspection let Gabe see that his breathing was also labored and his skin was hot to the touch.

Carefully pulling Tsuna out from his makeshift shelter, Gabe yanked off his own jacket and carefully wrapped it around Tsuna's body. He was such a fool! If he could fly, then he should have flown to a hotel before stopping instead of trying to sleep out in the open! It might be warmer in the south, but it wasn't Spring yet!

"Gabe..." Tsuna mumbled. Leaning over him to see what he wanted, Gabe paused when he saw that Tsuna was still sleeping. Not only that, but his eyes were swollen from crying. The sight made Gabe ashamed of himself. Once again, he'd only been thinking of himself. Once again, he'd hurt the person that he loved. Once again, he'd driven him away with stupid, stupid mistakes. So what if Tsuna didn't love him?! He didn't hate Gabe, either! Tsuna had given him the doorway, yet he'd talked himself out of walking through for stupid, stupid reasons. He should have just told Tsuna that he hadn't wanted to do more than kissing until Tsuna was positive that it was what he wanted. He should have been honest and told Tsuna that he doubted Tsuna's feelings. Instead, he'd only thrown around accusations and created bitterness!

"Hey!" Gabe shouted in hopes that the long-haired guy was still around. "Werewolf! I need your help! Mouse is--"

"Gabe...?" Looking back down at Tsuna, Gabe found his eyes bulging in surprise. Tsuna's eyes were still swollen from crying, but there was no sign of sickness. He only looked a bit tired, which was understandable considering that he'd been asleep. "What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked. Sitting up, his eyes were full of questions as he stared down at Gabe's jacket. Gabe wasn't sure what to tell him, though. Tsuna sounded perfectly fine. His movements were perfectly normal. The only oddity was the flushed hue in Tsuna's cheeks, but that always seemed to be present when they were together. He definitely didn't look like he was fighting for his life like he had while he'd been asleep. "If you're here to talk me into going back, I won't go," Tsuna warned. "You had your chance to stop me before I left."

"I'm sorry," Gabe blurted, rattling off the first thing that came to mind. "I was a jackass. I didn't consider your feelings and I was way too harsh. It's just... I can't help but be doubtful and suspicious of your motives. You can't blame me. I hurt you, Mouse. I hurt you bad, but now you're throwing yourself at me. There's something that's just not right about that. I thought that I'd figure it out eventually, but I can't do it by myself. I really don't get why you'd settle for a guy like me."

"That's why you didn't want to do it?" Tsuna asked softly.

"Yeah," Gabe grimaced. "I know I should have kept my mouth shut and let you do what you wanted, but I... Maybe it's just me, but I was hoping for something more than just a casual relationship. You know, I can get pretty obsessive about things."

"You think?" Tsuna retorted sarcastically. He cracked a smile, though, which made Gabe's heart leap into his throat with hope. Maybe they could work things out. He'd thought that it was over at the campsite, but Gabe felt like he understood a few things now. Tsuna hadn't had a spark with Snicker or Xanxus or anyone else... It'd been afterglow. However, his initial argument still stood.

"What am I to you, Mouse?" Gabe asked quietly. "What am I really? Do you consider me a friend or--"

"OH!" Tsuna gasped in horrified realization. "That's what you meant! I'm so sorry! I thought you were asking something else! I... I consider you my b-boyfriend," he answered with a faint blush. Then he looked away and his face fell by several small degrees. "I mean, I did. We can't have a relationship if you can't trust me. You... What you did back there reminded me a lot of Xanxus. He only seems to care when I'm not around--" Slapping his hand over Tsuna's mouth to stop him from saying more, Gabe raised a single finger in warning.

"Don't compare me to anyone else," he ordered in mild anger. "I'm not Xanxus or Snicker or anyone else you've been with before. If we can't have a relationship without trust, then we can't have one if you can't get over your past, either. I've already told you that I'm obsessive. If you need a woman, I could care less if you screw every hoochie between here and Jersey, but there's no way in hell that I'll let myself be replaced full-time. And there can't be any guys other than me. I know that you're looking to create a harem or whatever, but at least give me that much. Agreed?" Tsuna slowly nodded in agreement, but Gabe wasn't quite finished. "Do you love me?" Tsuna's face turned crimson at the question, but he slowly gave another nod. "Let me hear you say it," he commanded as he pulled his hand away.

"I... I love you," Tsuna mumbled shyly. The words rang in Gabe's ears like church bells at a wedding and his throat tightened with joy. He felt like he'd waited ages to hear those three short words. He felt like he'd finally done something right in his life. He felt... He felt like the long-haired guy had been some sort of angel who'd set him on the right path.

"Then don't run away from me again," he ordered breathlessly. Lunging forward, he pinned Tsuna to the ground with a kiss before he could respond and began doing what he should have done in the beginning. He kept his ears open for a 'stop' or a 'no', but otherwise ignored everything around himself. When Tsuna's skin quivered, Gabe took it as a sign of pleasure instead of fear. When Tsuna's muscles trembled, Gabe saw it as anticipation instead of dread. When Tsuna cried out, Gabe cried out with him.

He found himself uttering threats under his breathe as he took Tsuna into his arms, but he couldn't stop himself. Tsuna was now his. If anyone _did _touch Tsuna without his permission, that person _would _end up dead. If Tsuna _did _try to run away from him again, he _would _tie him down and screw him so hard that he wouldn't be able to walk. He was never going to let go of Tsuna again. He was never going to betray him, either. Gabe swore to give Tsuna whatever he wanted, whether Gabe had to beg, borrow, or steal to get it. Tsuna just couldn't leave him. Ever. He'd had his chance to get away. He'd thrown that chance away with the three little words that Gabe had been waiting for.

"I love you."

* * *

The drive was a quiet one and Tsuna refused to break the silence. The situation was too awkward. Badru was driving, Aster was navigating, and Gabe had fallen asleep soon after calling Bo to tell him that they'd meet at the beach-house. Apparently, the Golems hadn't even been worried. Badru had explained everything and Tsuna wasn't sure if he wanted to know what had been said. He figured that it was enough to know that the gang would rendezvous with them after they got a few hours of sleep.

It was probably also a good thing that Gabe was sleeping the sleep of the satisfied. Just thinking about what they'd done in the open was enough to make Tsuna blush. He'd known that Gabe had a wild streak a mile long, but he hadn't expected that Gabe would have more energy than him. Then again, Gabe also hadn't burned a large amount of energy in flying followed by an hour long fit of crying. It all seemed so silly when Tsuna looked back at it. Why had they fought? It should have been a good thing that Gabe had wanted to move slowly. Tsuna felt embarrassed that he'd pushed so hard over something like sex. Intimacy wasn't the only thing that mattered in a relationship!

All's well that ends well, though. He wasn't sure what had possessed Gabe to come after him, but he was grateful for it. Now that the fight was over, he could admit that he'd been rash in judgment. His only excuse was that he'd become a bit of a pessimist when it came to relationships. After being disappointed so many times, it was incredibly hard to put his faith in anyone and Gabe had been right to notice the lapse. Part of him _had _been holding back. He'd been too afraid of getting hurt to invest everything that he could have, but Gabe deserved better than that. He'd been trying harder than Tsuna to create a relationship that would work.

When Tsuna took a moment to think about it, Gabe's amount of devotion to creating a relationship was a bit scary. If they stayed together, Gabe would never be able to return to his sister's city. If any of the old Dragons ever found out, the amount of backlash that they'd receive would be tremendous. The same went for Vongola. Taking Gabe to Italy with him was asking for trouble. Tsuna had to go, though. Tonno was waiting on him. He couldn't decide what to do about it and he was grateful there wasn't a need to rush yet. There was still more than two months before Tonno would be ready to be picked up. As long as Tsuna got to Italy a week or so before then, there would be plenty of time to set up a shop. Until then, he had plenty of time to figure out some way to make it work.

Tsuna was changing. He couldn't put his finger on it, but Gabe was changing him. A mere month ago, he would have never considered that he could be so content with his life. He'd lost so much, after all: friends, family, power, and prestige. But he felt... okay... with that. Gabe made it okay. He made it feel like it was finally safe to let go of the Mafia. He made Tsuna feel like he'd finally earned the right to retire.

He didn't have to go back. The thought wouldn't quit surfacing. He'd lived happily with Snicker before by letting go of his past. Perhaps he could do it again, only under his own will instead of by accident or semi-divine intervention. He'd finished his job. While he'd been in Italy, teaching hadn't been the only thing that he'd been doing. He'd also sown seeds of unrest and had strengthened the wills of several key people.

Chin would become a fine Boss who'd easily slip his Family into place as the most powerful Family in Italy. Once Napoleon was in place as the Right Hand of the Cavallone heir, things would be even better because Tsuna had carefully cultivated the boy's mind. More than anyone, Napoleon was one who would usher in a new era of peace and help unite the Families in the void left by Vongola because his time with Tsuna would have taught him that the lines between people and Families was something created by the mind. It could be broken down with something as simple as words and Napoleon had the type of mind to find the right words. Hopefully, his ace-in-the-hole Ross would help, too. By showing the upper class of the Mafia that such potential could come from the streets, their eyes would begin to turn downward again instead of insisting that they had to glare at each other over everyone's heads. Finally, there was Murlock. Murlock had been his hope for vampires. He'd wanted the boy to become the innocent face of vampires for the Mafia to see. Only time would tell if the boy could still accomplish that despite being made human.

Tsuna prayed that Hotaru would come to understand the reason that he'd left Vongola with so many pitfalls. Hotaru had worked hard for so many years to plug the holes that he'd purposely left behind and he'd almost succeeded in keeping the Family from sinking. The fire had been semi-divine intervention, though. It was something that Hotaru couldn't fight against nor should he. Four hundred years was long enough. To extend the Family's life any longer would only create a larger pool of hatred and jealousy. With such a distinguished Family standing on top, other Families would grow discontent with the glass ceiling. It was the nature of the beast to want more and Vongola would only become a very large target that would suffer in the coming years. It was much better to let the Family disband so that others could have a shot at the top. Such was the only way to stop a large amount of bloodshed before the streets were stained with red.

Hotaru was a smart boy. Tsuna had faith that he'd figure out a way to destroy the Family in the least painful way. What he did after that would be up to him. If he played it smart and sold off everything that Vongola owned, he would easily be able to keep a healthy nest egg after paying severance to everyone. Once bankrupt, he would naturally drop out of the public's eye and then he'd be able to do many things that hadn't been possible before. He could go to college of his choice with the major of his choice in order to have the career of his choice. He'd be able to live where he wanted with the people that he wanted and no one would care. He'd become a normal boy and normal boys didn't have assassins chasing after them. Maybe he'd get married to Rosalind and settle down to give Tsuna a grandbaby--

Tsuna groaned and put his face in his hands. He abruptly felt very, very old. It was probably too soon to think about such things, though. Hotaru's relationship with Ross was probably still touchy. It would be for the best if they took their time. Not only so that they could both experience the full bounty of their youth, but Tsuna needed some time to muster his courage. He would definitely have to show himself for Hotaru's wedding when he did get married, assuming that he'd even be invited. Missing the birth of his first grandchild would also be impossible. He'd have to go no matter what. Gabe... Gabe would just have to understand when that time came or they'd have to work something out.

Compromise, he abruptly realized. That was how Gabe was changing him. Tsuna couldn't be self-centered with Gabe because the man had gone through his fair share of hell. He needed just as much consideration as Tsuna did. Somehow, Gabe had become someone that Tsuna had to make compromises with, which was completely different than any of Tsuna's past relationships. He'd made demands of Haru. He'd cornered Kyoko. He'd put his foot down with Autumn and he tended to toy with Xanxus. Mukuro was something else entirely, but Snicker was the only one that he'd really made compromises with.

The thought sent a wave of warmth through Tsuna's chest. He'd doubted his own sanity at first, but maybe... just maybe... he wasn't that crazy for starting a relationship with Gabe. Maybe with Gabe, he could finally make peace with his life. He could let go of all the bitterness and pain that he carried around inside himself and he could just live in the moment. However, doing so would mean sacrifice for both of them. Either Gabe would have to give up America or Tsuna would have to give up on Italy; either Gabe would have to give up the Golems or Tsuna would have to give up his bakery. Giving up the idea of a bakery wasn't really possible for Tsuna, though. He had Tonno to think about.

Yet that was just the tip of the iceberg. Tsuna didn't want to imagine what would happen if Gabe found out that the two who were currently transporting them were both checked off on Tsuna's long list of previous lovers. It'd probably be best to just pretend that they were only friends for the time-being. At least, until the two weren't within range to be hated. Tsuna would have to tell Gabe eventually, though, because he still intended to become a werewolf again one day.

Why?

Tsuna wasn't sure where the question came from, but it left him dumbstruck. Why did he want to be a werewolf again? Badru didn't need him anymore; he had Aster. The fighting was over for the time being and there wasn't much that he could contribute to the reunited Duka Clan. Even if he did become a werewolf again, he was too far removed from their world for it to matter. Poe, Neve, Adie, Aster, Badru... none of them needed him in order to live their lives. The only reason that they were continuing to watch over him was out of obligation.

"Badru..." Tsuna whispered. "Why--"

"Thee should rest," Badru interrupted. "We will wake thee when we arrive." Tsuna's mouth snapped shut, fully understanding Badru's intentions with the simple statement. They couldn't turn back time. Badru wasn't going to permit him to try because he knew that even the attempt would mess up the future that Tsuna was creating for himself. Tsuna couldn't have everything. He needed to accept that if he was going to keep from losing everything.

Still... Tsuna couldn't stand the current state of affairs.

"I haven't picked the location yet, but I'm going to open a bakery," Tsuna said as he laid his head against Gabe's chest. "I'll make you something special when you and Aster come to visit." Tsuna wasn't sure how Badru took the overture of friendship, but Aster tossed a pleased smile over his shoulder and that little smile was enough to make Tsuna happy.

"Go to sleep, Master," Aster ordered as Tsuna began to doze. "We will talk tomorrow."

* * *

Tsuna woke up cursing.... in a bed... in a house that he didn't recognize.... alone and naked. The throbbing in his rear coupled with a lack of stickiness explained the nudity. Whoever had put him to bed had cleaned up the hidden mess from incident in the valley. The smell of sausage also explained why he was alone--Gabe was grilling outside. Finally, the sun streaming in from a long line of windows overlooking the ocean explained the house and the bed. They'd arrived at the beach-house and Badru had left him sleeping despite his promise. Tsuna knew that it was Badru because only Badru would cover the bed with white rose petals after tucking Tsuna in!

Spitting out curse after curse, Tsuna looked around the room in hopes of finding something in the way of clothing. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to choose from. The beach-house was incredibly unlike a house. It was more like an abandoned life-guard station that'd been taken over by a combination of bikers, beach bums, and frat boys. There was a small kitchenette which held more beer kegs than counter space. There was a small bathroom tucked into the back corner of the building which could easily be confused with a closet. The stack of toliet paper outside it helped identify it. Even the bed that he was on wasn't even a real bed. It was merely a mattress tossed on top of a pile of sand bags!

His clothes were nowhere in sight and he'd left his bag at the campsite. The combination made Tsuna curse even more as he wrapped the bed's sheets around his waist and tied it off tightly enough to keep it from slipping. Once his nudity was temporarily taken care of, Tsuna headed for the door in a flurry of more curses. He swore that there was going to be hell to pay if Badru had left without saying goodbye--

Tsuna reacted out of instinct as soon as he felt aggression. Knocking away the fist aimed for his head, he went for a leg sweep while simultaneously hitting the pressure points to numb the attacker's arm. Then he followed up with a punch to the nose that ensured the guy wouldn't recover his footing in time to keep himself from being laid out flat. It was only when Tsuna was going in for the final disabling blow that he paused long enough to realize that his 'attacker' was his own boyfriend.

"G-Gabe?" Tsuna gaped in shock as Gabe stared up at him with wide eyes and a bloody nose. "Why did you attack me?" Tsuna blurted before his mind went blank. Tsuna got his answer, but it wasn't from Gabe. Instead, it was from the sound of slow clapping that was coming from beyond the porch. Tsuna's eyes bulged when he saw the source. Aster was the one clapping and the Golems were staring in disbelief from behind him. When had they arrived?! How long had he been asleep?!

"That was brilliant, Master," Aster praised.

"W-What?" Tsuna choked.

"It was a friendly bet," Aster explained as he slowly stepped onto the porch to undo the effects of the pressure-point attack that Tsuna had used on Gabe. "I bet that you could beat anyone, no matter what unfair odds you were up against. They countered by stealing your clothes, catching you when you first awakened, and sending your mate as the aggressor. All he had to do to win was to pin you for a mere second, but you are as skillful as ever."

"I don't find this funny," Tsuna growled. "How could you make such a bet, Aster?! You knew what would happen as soon as I thought I was under attack! If I hadn't noticed that it was Gabe and stopped--"

"But you did stop before you gave the killing blow," Aster interjected as he began to wipe the blood from Gabe's nose with a handkerchief. The action woke Gabe out of his daze. Shoving Aster away, Gabe jumped to his feet and darted inside the beach-house. Tsuna tried to follow, knowing that Gabe's pride had been wounded by the quick defeat, but he only got a door slammed in his face for the trouble.

Tsuna's temper snapped. Sending a glare in Aster's direction, he silently demanded a real explanation. Aster would never make such a bet without a reason. He wanted something.... Something to do with Tsuna's fighting skills. Could it be...? Tsuna thought as his intuition supplied a possible explanation. Could it be that Aster had been testing him? Why, though? Why would he send Gabe when he knew that Tsuna would get angry--

"If you wanted to spar, you could have simply asked," Tsuna spat.

"But you wouldn't have come at me with everything you had," Aster laughed, once more giving Tsuna a small applause for his deduction. "I am aware of the consequences for my actions. I will indeed ask you to spar with me and you will likely accept in order to punish me for toying with your mate."

"The student seeks to surpass the Master," Tsuna murmured. The idea left a bad taste in Tsuna's mouth, but he knew that he couldn't refuse the duel. It was a right of passage for any fighter and even Reborn had never refused a challenge from one of his students. Forcing his temper to cool, Tsuna knew that Gabe came second in this instance. Tsuna still had some responsibilities that took priority over his lover's ego. "Very well," Tsuna agreed solemnly. "Give me thirty minutes and you'll have your fight."

"You're going to do the full warm-up?" Aster asked in surprise.

"Che," Tsuna spat. "I don't need that for a mere pupil. I just want some pants and a cup of coffee first. Why don't you go find a coffee shop and get me some? You know what I can stomach." Aster grinned and darted off, but it was none too soon for Tsuna. He felt as if bluster was the only thing keeping him upright. Even then, he sank down to a seat on the edge of the porch as soon as Aster was out of sight. "Fuck," he mumbled, staring out blankly at the grinning fools who were doing bad imitations of karate moves between themselves. "I'm screwed."

"What's wrong?" Bo asked as he walked forward to offer Tsuna his bag. Tsuna scratched his head and dug through it in hopes of finding something that he could fight in. Would he be better off with more clothes or less? Dammit! Where was a gi when he needed one?!

"Anyone got something I can fight in?" Tsuna called when he found nothing other than denim and sweat-shirts in his bag. "Swimming trunks will work if anyone can spare a pair. I need bandages, too." Without waiting for a response, Tsuna pulled one of his sweatshirts out and began modifying it. The sleeves got ripped off and he borrowed Bo's pocket knife to cut off the hood. The result wasn't as good as he would have liked, but it would have to do to protect his chest from Aster's needles.

Thankfully, his actions were enough to get help without a boat-load of questions. Not only did he get the pair of swimming trunks that he'd asked for, but Selma brought him the few bandages that were in the beach-house's first aid kit. Ginger seemed to catch on to what he was doing when he resorted to cutting up the sheets for extra wrapping and carefully took over wrapping Tsuna's feet.

"Is he strong?" Ginger asked.

"I taught him everything that he knows and he's a werewolf on top of that," Tsuna answered as he began stretching. "No... Not just a werewolf. He's a werewolf who's had access to Badru's blood. I'll be lucky if Aster doesn't accidentally kill me. I can't refuse, though. You should understand, Ginger."

"I do," he confirmed with a soft nod. "I can understand why Aster baited Gabe now. He wanted Gabe out of the picture so that he couldn't interfere with the challenge."

"Ah," Tsuna murmured as he surveyed the beach-house's surroundings. It looked to be a forgotten stretch of ocean-side, although there was towering condominiums and hotels about two miles away. There was also a jogging path wrapped around a grove of palm trees less than thirty yards away. The area was too open for the bloody battle that was to come. If the fight was going to be as serious as Tsuna expected, then they needed to find somewhere more private. "Is there anywhere nearby that's more secluded than this? I'd prefer sand to minimize impact damage, but I'll take whatever will keep the cops from being called."

"There's an beach inslet to the south of here that was cut off by a rock slide," Ginger offered. "Most people don't know about it because you can only reach it by boat and they usually don't bother because the view of the ocean is partially cut off by a cliff. The coast guard checks it sometimes because it's a popular spot for drug trafficking, but as long as you wait for them to pass, no one will know that you're there for several hours."

"Aster's probably already waiting there," Tsuna smirked. At Bo's surprised expression, Tsuna explained, "He should have already been back with my coffee." Standing, Tsuna checked his preparations one final time. His swimming trunks were tied on tightly. His chest was wrapped under his sleeveless sweatshirt. His feet were wrapped. He had his gloves--

"Brother!" Promethia exclaimed, dropping down from the roof in glee. Tsuna grinned when he saw what she'd brought him. It was a white cowboy hat and his sword.

"Van Wolfe's final ride," Tsuna sighed as he excepted both items. "Do me a favor and keep Gabe company. I'll be back, so don't let him follow me under any circumstances. I'll call if I need a pick-up. Ginger, do me a favor and explain the situation to everyone else. A few of them look like they're going to explode with questions."

"Midnight?" Ginger asked quietly. Tsuna gave it a moment of consideration. Having rested for most of the day, he could probably fight until midnight. However, he didn't think that the fight would take that long. Only Hibari could force him into such a stalemate. Aster was still young and brash, so he'd likely push hard from the very beginning.

"If I'm not back by midnight, call the coroner," Tsuna murmured. Darting away before anyone could react to the honest statement, Tsuna released his Flame as soon as he was out of sight of the beach-house. He didn't release it in order to fly, though. The simple fact was that the fight had begun before Aster had issued the challenge. It was one of the fundamentals of his teachings. It didn't matter how dishonorably or how pathetically one won. The only thing that made a person a winner was whether they survived.

That was why the challenge made Tsuna feel so rattled. Unless Aster killed Tsuna, Tsuna wouldn't be truly defeated. Even retreat was a battle tactic and, should Tsuna use it, the battle would continue even after he left the field. Aster should know that, so why did he still want to duel? It couldn't be that he wanted to create a rift in their friendship. Could it?

Sadly, it was a possibility. Tsuna had made an overture of friendship before falling asleep. Perhaps the challenge had been to create strife between them so that Tsuna wouldn't pursue... Badru, Tsuna's intuition provided. Aster was being jealous. He was likely having trouble separating out his lingering loyalty to Tsuna and his jealousy that Badru would stalk Tsuna for so long. By initiating a duel that could only end with death, Badru would have to pick between them because putting them together would only cause fighting. It was a sly move that Tsuna had to admire. Aster was still doing his duty as Tsuna's student, but he'd figured out a way to use it to benefit his relationship with Badru.

Knowing that, Tsuna shut off his Flame, turned in place, and slowly began walking back to the beach-house with a wide grin on his face. A wise man was a man who didn't fight needlessly. Aster would likely come after him to find out why he hadn't arrived to the battlefield, but Tsuna knew how to deal with that. All it'd take was some careful timing and a strong will.

"Mouse!" Bo exclaimed in surprise when Tsuna circled around the house with his sword over his shoulder. "Did you forget something?"

"Is it over already?" Ginger choked.

"Ssstrategy," Promethia hissed in praise.

"Strategy," Tsuna confirmed with a sigh. "I almost ran headfirst into a trap because Aster distracted me by making me punch Gabe, but I figured out a better way to deal with the situation. Sorry for worrying everyone, but no one's going to get pummeled after all."

"I don't get it," Selma admitted as everyone traded confused glances.

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "Just pretend that I'm not here for a little while." Sending a pointed glance at Ginger and Promethia, Tsuna headed for the beach by himself. The initial battle wasn't over yet, so it wasn't safe to go to Gabe yet and it wasn't safe to stick around the others. Hopefully Ginger understood that from the way that Tsuna was keeping a grip on his sword. He was ready to draw it at any moment.

Picking an open spot on the beach that was within view of the beach-house without being close enough for the Golems to distract him, Tsuna carefully knelt down sieza-style in the sand. Digging the butt of his sword sheathe into the sand, deep enough that it would be held if Tsuna pulled on the hilt, Tsuna released the blade by an inch before he began his wait. He didn't think that it'd take long. Aster would begin looking for him soon. He'd likely come in openly when he saw that Tsuna was in sight of the beach-house--he wouldn't expect Tsuna to want to fight in front of onlookers--but Tsuna--

Plunged his sword into Aster's stomach with an over-the-head stab. The swift, flawless attack took Aster completely by surprise and Tsuna heard a scream come from the beach-house when one of the female Golems noticed that someone had been impaled.

"Heh," Aster gasped in a voice that was quickly being clogged with blood. "Ma... Master... i-is wise."

"Live happily, Aster," Tsuna replied softly. Pulling his blade free, Tsuna didn't turn around to look at his student. He still knew the moment that Aster left, though. It was impossible to miss since Badru's aura nearly knocked Tsuna unconscious when he unleashed it in order to stop anyone else from approaching. He caught Aster before he could fall and Tsuna had no doubt that Badru would keep Aster from falling into a lasting hibernation.

"Grazie," Badru whispered in Tsuna's ear. "I feared that thee would make him suffer. Since thee has not, I will continue to watch thee from afar. Live happily yourself, little tiger."

Tsuna didn't bother to attempt a response. Badru was already gone with Aster before he could even consider turning his head. The fight was over. Aster had asserted his independence and knew that Tsuna would fight him with killing intent if they met again, which was exactly what he'd wanted. Aster's wound was also one that he could quickly recover from. It wasn't what Tsuna had wanted, but he was already coming to terms with the fact that he couldn't have everything. If Aster needed him out of the picture to be happy, then Tsuna would gladly step aside for his cute little student.

Sighing to himself, Tsuna slowly pulled off his gutted sweatshirt and used it to wipe the blood off his blade. He had a feeling that he'd never stop cleaning the blade, just as Reborn continuously polished his beloved pistol. Some stains could never be removed. Tsuna's only condolences were that both he and his student was still alive. That didn't really make it easier, though. It made him understand why he'd been such a special student to Reborn. He was a rare student who'd never had the pride or the desire to challenge his teacher for the title of 'the best'.

May none of Tsuna's other students feel the need to challenge him, Tsuna prayed.

"Mouse...?" Gabe prompted in a trembling voice.

"Don't worry," Tsuna soothed without taking his eyes off his blade. "It's over. My student is alive, but he won't be coming back. I'm sorry if I scared anyone, but I didn't have a choice. It was a battle that I couldn't lose and I needed him to be off-guard."

"I don't care about him!" Gabe exclaimed, dropping to his knees at Tsuna's side. "What did he do to you?!" Following Gabe's gaze, Tsuna choked when he realized that there was blood pooling around his feet. He'd been hit! Where, though?! He couldn't feel it! His feet! He couldn't move his feet! Aster had numbed them and pinned them to the ground! There were foot-long needles sticking out of the bottoms of both of them, but Tsuna couldn't feel it! What was he supposed to do?! Should he undo the numbing effects on them-- NO! Stupid! Leave them numb! The needles looked like they _hurt_! "Don't panic!" Gabe exclaimed while Tsuna continued to flail in place. "I'll pull them out!"

"Don't pull them out!" Tsuna cried as he fell over on his side. Before he could say more, someone stuck a bottle of whiskey in his mouth and tried to drown him. When the bottle was pulled away, the needles had disappeared. In their place, Bo and Ginger had already begun working to stop the bleeding with what had been left behind in the first-aid kit and what remained of the sheet that Tsuna had torn up.

"The needles were small, so you should be able to get away without stitches," Bo said calmly while Gabe wrapped his arms around Tsuna to keep him from panicking. "The blood is already starting to clot, so I don't think he hit anything major. The only problem is that they went all the way through. You need to get to a doctor to clean it up and see if any bones were damaged when it passed through."

"That's it?" Tsuna asked, finally beginning to calm down with the diagnosis. Bo nodded and stared at him with enough exasperation that Tsuna blushed. The question was a little silly considering how much he'd been panicking a moment before. "I mean, uh... we can skip the doctor. The ER would want my identity and that's not something I can really share. Aster knows that, so I'm willing to bet that he made clean strikes. The sand will need to be washed off and they'll need to be disinfected, but I don't think he touched the bones. I taught Aster better than that."

"Don't you want something for the pain?" Gabe asked in concern.

"No," Tsuna replied with a small shake of his head. "I can't feel them right now. Aster is a Master of pressure points. He numbed them before attacking. That's... uh... that's why I panicked. I didn't notice that he'd gotten me. I... I guess it's a good thing that I didn't plan to stand up. If I had, I'd be dead right now." Tsuna blushed again when his optimistic smile only gained more glares. No one was particularly happy after having to witness such a bloody scene. "Sorry," Tsuna apologized meekly. "I didn't mean to ruin the trip, but I _was _a Mafia Boss. This kind of stuff is pretty tame compared to what I'm used to. The injuries are light and a truce has been made without any deaths. I know that it probably looked grisly, but there wasn't any other way to deal with it. Aster wouldn't have been satisfied with just talking things out. Really... I feel kind of happy that he managed to land a hit on me. I can rest easy because it tells me that he has the resolve and the skills to survive without me. I really have done all that I can for him."

"This _was _pretty tame," Ginger repeated to reiterate Tsuna's point. "No buildings were knocked down for once and you've come out with worse in just asking Hibari for a favor. Remember that time that you tried looking for him on school grounds after the gates had closed?"

"Don't remind me," Tsuna whined, seeing what Ginger was trying to do. He was trying to break the tension and make the situation seem more commonplace. If Tsuna and Ginger could pretend like it was nothing more than a stubbed toe, then the rest would automatically follow suit. "Did I ever tell you about the first time that I fought against him?" Tsuna asked as he began blending the bloodstained sand in with the surrounding sand. "Reborn tricked me, Hayato, and Takeshi into invading the reception room at Nami-chuu. Can you believe that I hit Hibari with a slipper? If it hadn't been for the pool outside the window, I don't think I would have survived!"

"I heard that you gave him the smack-down at Mafia-Land, though," Ginger commented as several people detatched from the group in boredom.

"Yeah, well, he did steal my wife," Tsuna pouted. Ginger grimaced, but Tsuna let it slide. All it took was a glance at Gabe to make him smile. "Let me think," Tsuna mused aloud. "How many times have I died so far?"

"With or without the funeral?" Ginger retorted with a snort. Tsuna was the one to grimace this time. His Family _had _planned his funeral more than once.

"Why don't we get you out of the sun and talk about something better?" Gabe finally suggested. Tsuna grinned, nodded, and traded knowing looks with Ginger. It'd taken long enough!

"How about we talk about breakfast?" Tsuna asked, his grin widening when Gabe picked him up to carry him inside. Ginger followed with Tsuna's sword, which was quickly handed off to the waiting Promethia, and the rest of the gang continued to dissipate back to their vacation activities. Only Bo, Selma, and a few others who had been closely watching the progress in Gabe's relationship followed them inside.

Everyone quickly found lounging spots around the beach-house once Tsuna was safely laid on the bed and no few eyebrows were raised with the kiss that Tsuna gave Gabe before allowing him to let go. As Tsuna had hoped, it quickly became the hot topic, which allowed Ginger to tend to his feet while everyone was distracted. Even Gabe couldn't keep his attention on Tsuna's wounds because he was too busy being interrogated while simultaneously trying to make Tsuna something to eat.

It was nice. Not Tsuna's wounds, of course, but the atmosphere became incredibly pleasant. There was plenty of laughter and the jovial atmosphere quickly spread to those outside. By the time that Ginger finished rewrapping Tsuna's feet with clean bandages, it was as if the fight had never happened. There was only one thing missing.

"Is there any chance that we can get some fireworks while we're here?" Tsuna asked with a slow smile.


	147. Chapter 147 Standstill

The neon lights and the bright signs of Las Vegas were hardly welcoming. Tsuna felt as if he was riding through Sniper Alley instead of the main strip. Gabe didn't know any better, though. As far as he knew, it was the first time that any of the new riders had been to the city. That was why it was tradition to drive straight down the main Strip like tourists. He pointed out the Bellagio, the Imperial Palace, the Mirage, the Venetian, the Palazzo, and half a dozen other sights that only made Tsuna's nervousness grow. This was Deter territory. The main strip of a city like Las Vegas was the last place that a retired Mafia Boss needed to be!

Thankfully, the touring ended without anyone giving in to the urge to stop and gamble. Instead, they began heading down a side roads toward what Tsuna hoped was to be the stopping place for the night. He was curious as to what it was going to be this time. The Golems had spent many years traveling the same roads and there were overnight spots prepared almost eighty percent of the time. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and now Nevada, Tsuna was a bit amazed at how many friends the Golems had spread across the country.

A lot of the time, their stopping spot was with an offshoot, local gang that housed Golems who'd settled, but Tsuna prayed that it wouldn't be the case this time. A local gang meant there would people who were in touch with the top local gangsters. In this case, it'd mean that there would be a chance for the Deter Family to find out about him. It was a small chance, since it was unlikely that anyone would raise an eyebrow if they mentioned his description mentioned in passing, but it was still a chance that he didn't want to take.

Fortunately, the place that they pulled into wasn't a roadhouse or even a bar. Unfortunately, it was a suburban neighborhood. Tsuna knew with only a single glance that the guys were planning for more than an overnight visit. This was going to be another extended pit-stop. He knew because of the way that Gabe parked his bike. Normally, everyone lined them up neatly so that they could get back on the road quickly and easily, but the parking was done messily this time. It was done messily because everyone was far more interested in jumping off to greet the old man who slowly walked out of the home.

The sight of the old man made Tsuna's stomach flip. Perhaps it was fate or maybe a stroke of incredibly bad luck, but Tsuna recognized him. It was a Mafioso who'd once served the Deter Family. He'd been a liaison who'd helped to restore the Family after it'd been hit so hard during the Nano-Electro Affair. He'd been past his prime back then, but he looked ready for a rocking chair now. Even so, Tsuna recognized him. He always remembered the faces of Mafioso that he'd wished were part of his own Family. Tommy had been loyal, hard-working, and incredibly sincere compared to most. Even in the aftermath of his Boss' death, Tommy had been one of the few who hadn't panicked and had continued working even if it meant that he'd had red eyes during video conferences. Tsuna was willing to bet that Tommy had retired quickly after ensuring that the new Boss could handle the reigns.

"...be nervous," Gabe soothed as he hung his helmet on his handlebars and pulled Chopper out of his zippered jacket. "Old Tommy's bark is worse than his bite. Come on and I'll introduce you." Tsuna instantly shook his head in refusal, which stopped Gabe in his tracks. He couldn't stay here. They needed to stay somewhere else until the Golems were ready to move on, but Tsuna didn't know how to tell Gabe that. "What's this?" Gabe teased with a wide smile. "Is someone actually being shy for once? What happened to that enthusiasm that you showed in Albuquerque?" Tsuna blushed, but stubbornly continued to shake his head. He wasn't taking his helmet off nor was he going to meet Tommy. Tommy might recognize him and he might be holding a grudge because Tsuna had known about the threat to his Boss, yet hadn't stopped it in time. There was no possible way to know how the man would react to him, so it was too much of a risk.

They ran out of time before Tsuna could get the message to Gabe. With Bo at his side, Tommy approached with an unguarded manner and a welcoming smile. Tsuna had no choice other than to take his hand in greeting.

"Is this another of the new ones?" Tommy asked in a gravelly voice. Bo nodded while Gabe began shooting Tsuna questioning looks. He wanted to know why Tsuna wasn't getting off the bike or taking his helmet off. "He's a little slow, ain't he?" Tommy commented. "Hey, boy. You can get off now. Can you hear me? Take off that blasted helmet so I can take a look at you."

Gabe had left the keys in the bike. Should he drive off?

"Mouse!" Bo snapped, slapping Tsuna across the back of his helmet when he continued to hesitate. "Get off the damn bike! Tommy's an old friend of mine and--"

Shit.

"Buon pomeriggio, signor Tommy," Tsuna greeted, pitching his voice to be heard through his helmet. Tommy's eyes widened and his smile faded.

"Who sent you?" was the automatic response.

"Nessuno," Tsuna replied before switching back to English. "Lady Luck is a fickle mistress. I swear on the blood of my Family that I have not come in the intention to bring you or yours any harm."

"What's going on, Mouse?" Gabe interjected.

"Who are you?" Tommy asked on Gabe's heels. Tsuna bowed his head, unsure of how to respond to either question. From the way that the Golems were beginning to crowd around Tommy, Tsuna knew that he was one of the gang's father figures. Tsuna would hurt them all greatly if he simply ran. However, looking around at the faces that had become so familiar over the passing weeks, Tsuna didn't think that staying was a good idea, either. Depending on how Tommy reacted, the image they had of their father figure might be crushed. "Why don't we go inside and talk privately for a spell?" Tommy suggested when Tsuna continued to hesitate. "The boys can stretch their legs out here while we discuss."

"No," Tsuna decided. Taking a deep breathe, he knew that he couldn't accept the invitation. If Tommy hated him, then entering his home would be a grave insult. He'd have to show himself. If Tommy reacted badly, he could always drive off afterward. "You are a friend of my friends and I'll honor that," Tsuna said. Reaching up, he slowly unfastened his helmet and pulled it off his head. He couldn't meet Tommy's eyes, though. If the man recognized him and blamed him for his Boss' death, then merely showing his face was enough of a crime to be shot over.

"Let me see here," Tommy mumbled as he peered at Tsuna's profile. "Are you yakuza, boy? You got that Asian..." Tommy trailed off and took a step back. "No, you couldn't be him. Where did you learn Italian?"

"Giappone," Tsuna answered in Italian while pointedly staring out at the skyline. Knowing that he'd just confirmed his identity to Tommy, Tsuna added, "I'm sorry about Bertelli. He was a good man and he didn't deserve to die like he did. If you bear a grudge, tell me now and I'll be on my way."

"V--" Tommy gasped. He wisely stopped himself before saying the word 'Vongola' aloud. One never knew who might be listening.

"You were Mafia, Tommy?" Gabe choked, quickly putting the pieces together while Bo's face went blank.

"Oh god!" Tommy spluttered. "Don't talk about that in the open! Are you a blasted fool?! Godfather, please, I beg you to come inside! It's dangerous for you to be out here!"

"Not until you answer me," Tsuna replied stubbornly. Taking the invitation to mean that he could meet the man's eyes, Tsuna pinned him in place with a calm gaze. "A bullet from the shadows would be kinder than betrayal from a trusted man. You remember the alliance of our Families, but we are both retired men, Tommy. If you bear a grudge, tell me honestly and I'll go."

"I..." Tommy paused to choose his words carefully. Tsuna's ability to sense deceit was part of his reputation. Tommy knew that he couldn't get away with a lie. "I did," he admitted painfully. "You knew that he was in danger, Godfather. You knew that Franco would betray him! But I... I was the one that deleted the recording of the conference call on our end so the police wouldn't connect him to you. I know that you were trying to warn him when he was shot and you didn't know that Franco was in the room. It wasn't your fault, Godfather, and I know that your Family suffered losses, as well."

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed sadly, bowing his head as a tremor of grief rose in him. "I lost several dozen of my best men in that incident, many by my own hand."

"Please, Godfather," Tommy pleaded. "I no longer bear a grudge." Tsuna grimaced when the man snatched up Tsuna's hand to kiss it as if he were still wearing the Vongola Ring. The gesture raised a lot of eyebrows, but Tsuna could only accept it for what it was. Tommy still honored him. "I'm begging you to come inside. It's what Bertelli would have wanted. I won't be able to face him when I die if I were to let something happen to you on my own doorstep."

At Tsuna slow nod of acceptance, the man flew into motion with all the speed that his aged body could muster. It was painful to watch, but Tsuna knew his duty. He also knew the consequences of refusing Tommy's escort, his amenities, or his accommodations. The Golems had no idea, though. To them, the shift in Tsuna's personality and his attitude was worthy of being teased, which got the entire lot scolded once they were inside.

Tsuna kept his mouth shut through Tommy's lecture, swearing that he'd apologize to everyone later, but it didn't make it any easier when their faces began darkening. Tommy's show of submission to Tsuna's mere presence wasn't funny once they realized that it wasn't faked. Tommy meant every word he said, whether it was praise for Tsuna, a threat on their lives if they bothered him, or an oath that Tsuna could have absolutely anything he wanted. They also didn't find it amusing when Tommy also refused to allow any of them to sit next to Tsuna on the man's couch, have a shower before Tsuna had cleansed himself from the long drive, or touch any of the prepared food before Tsuna had been served dinner. By the time Tommy popped the cork on his best bottle of wine, gave Tsuna his own silk pajamas, and his own bedroom, many of the Golems looked ready to explode.

Tsuna couldn't refuse, though. To refuse would be equivalent of showing dislike for the man's offerings. It would bring Tommy dishonor and there were many who would commit suicide over feeling as if they'd failed to properly attend to a Vongola Boss. It was one of the first lessons he'd learned and he'd been taught it by his very own Right-Hand Man. Some people simply couldn't be denied their expectations. Even an attempt could be disastrous.

_May the visit end quickly_, Tsuna silently prayed.

* * *

Gabe was furious. He wasn't only angry at Tsuna for turning into a standoffish asshole; he was angry at himself for not noticing Tsuna's desire to flee. He should have noticed that something was wrong as soon as Tsuna had refused to get off the bike. Why hadn't he been more considerate?! He should have told everyone that Tsuna wanted to drive some more and left, but he'd pushed Tsuna into revealing himself instead!

Maybe it was because Tsuna's past as a Mafia Boss rarely came up. Everything had been quiet since the incident on the beach in Florida. Tsuna had sometimes shown nervousness when they'd passed through larger cities, but Gabe hadn't put the pieces together until now. He'd just thought that Tsuna still hated crowded places because Gabe hadn't wanted to think more deeply about it. He never thought hard enough! He'd spent time in Italy with Tsuna's son! He should have known that something like this would happen if Tsuna was forced to meet someone from his past! Everyone always turned crazy as soon as they heard the word 'Vongola'!

Explaining it to the rest of the gang before they started pulling out shotguns was difficult. Tsuna had been riding with them for weeks without needing special treatment, so they didn't understand why Tsuna would suddenly turn into such a jerk. They didn't understand why Tommy would suddenly open the bottle of wine that he'd been caring for like a second child nor why he'd give it to Tsuna without blinking an eyelid. But to Mafioso like Tommy, Tsuna _was _worthy of his best bottle of wine, his own comforts, and of receiving first dibs on everything that Tommy had to offer.

"He didn't seem that special when he was pigging out on barbecue ribs yesterday," Don grumbled after Tommy finally retreated to a spare bedroom to sleep. Tsuna had long since disappeared into Tommy's own bedroom and Tommy had checked on him constantly until he'd fallen asleep--without allowing Gabe or anyone else to 'bother' him.

"That because you guys don't expect anything from him," Ginger replied around a sip of his beer. "Mouse didn't act like that because he wanted to; he did it for Tommy's sake."

"Che," Selma spat in contempt. "How was all of that bowing and scraping for Tommy's sake? Do you have any idea how long Tommy's been saving that bottle of wine?! It was his pride and joy! He used to show it off to the new guys every year!"

"You guys don't understand," Gabe interjected before Ginger could retort. "In the Mafia, Mouse was worshiped as a Boss. I was in Italy for a while, so I know. Those guys work with a completely different frame of mind than we do. I... I'm not sure how to explain it, but for Tsuna to be sleeping in Tommy's house is equivalent to the Pope riding Bo's chopper."

"I've seen people give themselves concussions from bowing down at Mouse's feet," Ginger added solemnly while everyone slowly digested Gabe's words. "I know that you guys are mad that someone you've known for years could lower himself so much, but Mouse isn't the type to stay quiet because he enjoyed it. He did it because he knows how much Tommy has probably dreamed about something like this happening. He knows that the bed he's sleeping in and the dishes that he eats off of will become heirlooms in Tommy's family and that Tommy will be telling the story of the Tenth's visit to his grand-kids for the rest of his life. He doesn't want to ruin the memory by showing displeasure. If he tried to stop Tommy, Tommy would only take think that he messed up and that Mouse wasn't happy with anything he did. Then Tommy would only try harder to please him. Mouse is trying to make things easier on him by accepting everything gracefully."

"It's hard to believe that," Bo murmured. "Mouse looked pretty damned happy at dinner."

"He finished his plate but didn't ask for seconds," Ginger retorted. "Finishing it was to make Tommy think that he enjoyed it and he didn't ask for seconds so that you guys could eat sooner."

"What about the silk pajamas and the bed?" Don asked in distaste. "He was pretty quick to accept both. Don't tell me that he couldn't have told Tommy--"

"Tommy doesn't fix up the guest bedrooms," Gabe interrupted. "It'd be a waste of money since we're the only ones that ever use them. Mouse probably saw that there were blinds instead of curtains in a lot of the windows, so he knew to take the main bedroom so that Tommy wouldn't be troubled over only offering something third-rate."

"I'll bet any of you fifty bucks that he's not really asleep," Ginger added in frustration. "He's probably in there waiting for Tommy to go to sleep."

"Don't take that bet," a voice hissed from the hallway. Turning in his seat, Gabe craned his neck in effort to see Tsuna, but he was hiding better than expected. The hallway looked empty. "Is the coast clear?" Tsuna added in a hushed voice.

"It's clear," Ginger answered. "I can hear Tommy snoring from here."

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked as he belly-crawled into sight with a desperate look on his face. At Ginger's confirmation, his shoulders sagged in relief and he slowly got to his feet. Then he awkwardly shuffled over to the closest crate of beer bottles, selected two, and walked over to give Gabe one as a peace offering. Tsuna's expression was too pitiful to refuse, especially once he firmly planted himself in Gabe's lap and wrapped his arms around his neck like a little kid wanting to tell an uncle about his hard day at school. Gabe reacted accordingly by completely ignoring the mental image and by completely taking advantage of Tsuna's moment of weakness to give him a deep kiss that bent him over backward. Afterward, Tsuna snuggled even closer with a wide smile and lights dancing in his eyes.

"Why is it that I've got this sudden feeling that Ore wasn't as full of hot air as I thought he was?" Bo asked in amusement. It was an amusement that no one was immune to. Seeing Tsuna acting so adorable and spoiled made it hard to believe that he'd been acting cold-hearted by choice.

"I give up," Don added with a lopsided grin. "Mouse, you're one cunning bastard."

"It's part of the job," Tsuna mumbled without letting go of Gabe's neck. "And it makes me glad that I'm retired. I still have to keep up appearances around Mafioso, but I'm hardly ever around them now. So I can just be myself most of the time instead of the wise and venerable leader that has to be above reproach."

"Above reproach?" Gabe chuckled. "How's a Mafia Boss supposed to--"

"Tommy woke up," Ginger interrupted in a dead-pan voice.

Gabe blinked.

"Wha--?!" Gabe choked. Looking around at the others, Gabe wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Tsuna had been wrapped around him like a blanket and then he just... disappeared! No, not disappeared. He was casually leaning against the wall across the room with his beer dangling from his fingers. How had he gotten over there so fast?! WHY had he gotten over there so fast?!

"That's how a Mafia Boss is above reproach," Ginger said. Gabe felt as if he'd been punched when he understood the insinuation. He wasn't worthy of being a Mafia Boss' lover and no one in the Mafia would accept them. Tsuna planned to hide their relationship from everyone except those who already knew about it. Where Gabe was prepared to tell the entire world, Tsuna wanted it to be a secret. How could he do that, though? Didn't he have any idea of how proud Gabe felt of their relationship? Didn't he know how insecure such a thing made Gabe feel?

"Ginger!" Tsuna spluttered as his face turned red. "You tricked me!"

"Damn straight!" Ginger snarled with his hackles rising. "Gabe needs to know what he's really getting into! Isn't the honeymoon almost over?! There's only a few days left until we leave for Cali, Tsuna, and it's only a five hour drive from here! What's he supposed to do when you're back in Italy?! You can't protect him from that far away!"

"I'll figure something out!" Tsuna shouted in a tone that made people begin to rise throughout the room. Fights broke out often enough between Golems that everyone knew the tone heralding one. The two were about to--

"Do you want another Kitsune?" Ginger spat.

Tsuna froze. His face turned an angry shade that Gabe had never seen before and his fists began to glow with a light that didn't look particularly pleasant.

"Take that back," Tsuna growled.

"No."

"Take that back!"

"No!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

"HELL WILL FREEZE OVER FIRST!"

Gabe lunged to stop Tsuna with the help of Bo, Don, and Adam. Larry, Selma, Abby, and Mickey lunged to stop Ginger. At first, their combined strength was only enough to make the two pause, but the rest of the Golems quickly joined in before the two were close enough for any of their blind swings could land on each other. Gabe wasn't sure what to think as his muscles screamed from the effort to hold Tsuna at bay. Whoever Kitsune was, it was a name that made Tsuna turn into a rampaging bull. Gabe had never seen Tsuna so angry before.

"You bastard!" Tsuna screamed over Gabe's head at Ginger. "How dare you say that name in front of me!"

"How dare you sit here and pretend that she's not the reason why you're acting like such an asshole!" Ginger screamed back. "You're retired, Tsuna! If you're not going to let go of your responsibilities, then why the fuck did you leave?!"

"You know why I left!"

"Why?" Ginger spat. "Tell me why you left! I know why you left, but do you really know?! When are you going to face facts?! You couldn't change anything, Tsuna! That's why you left! You've always been a chump that's been pushed around by the Mafia and _you couldn't even stop your own daughter from being murdered_! NO ONE NEEDS YOU! NOTHING YOU DID MADE ANYTHING BETTER! PEOPLE ONLY DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Time itself froze. It wasn't just Gabe who stopped moving. Everyone in the room turned into statues as the words hung in the air and Tsuna seemed to stop breathing entirely. He wasn't struggling in a desire to fight anymore. He was merely standing and staring at Ginger with his mouth parted and his eyes glazed in shock. Ginger was the only one still capable of movement, but even he was affected by his own words. The tanuki was breathlessly panting as if he'd forced the words through a brick wall before delivering them.

"You have to stop this," Ginger whispered. Hanging his head, no one knew what to do when Ginger's shoulders began to shake with unshed tears. "Give it up. I'm begging you. If you go back to Italy, you'll only have to face people like Tommy over and over again. You have to stop trying to fix everything. It's not your job anymore. Your kids have survived this long without you. The Family is already in Hotaru's hands. What do you really need to go back for? Gabe is cunning, but he's not as strong as you. You know what will happen if word gets out in Italy about him. I know it's cruel to say it like this, but Gabe is the one that needs you, Tsuna. If you leave him behind, he's just going to become another Kitsune and none of us want that."

Who was Kitsune? The question was on Gabe's lips, but he couldn't voice it. He wanted to, but the ashen expression on Tsuna's face stopped him. To say that Tsuna looked as if he'd seen a ghost would only begin to describe his face. It was more as if an entire graveyard had just come unburied and Tsuna had been assigned to greet everyone. The thought of forcing Tsuna into giving introductions on top of everything else was too cruel for Gabe to consider.

"There's some things that you should never talk about," Tsuna said tonelessly. "Don't ever talk about K-Ki--" Tsuna clenched his eyes shut and clasped his lips together, unable to get out the name that Ginger had thrown around so carelessly. "You've hurt me, Ginger. I'm not sure if I can forgive you for this."

"Then don't forgive me," he replied. "I'd rather that you hated me for the rest of your life than see you spend those days torturing yourself. I know you. You'll go to Italy and you'll spend the rest of your life with your guard up because you know that people will find you and they'll be watching your every move. Why do that to yourself? If you say that it's to give your Family a chance to find you, then I really will hit you until it's driven into your thick skull that you're not living for them anymore. You're retired and you need to be living for yourself. There's no point in doing things that are only going to make you unhappy. The time for that kind of bullshit is over, Tsuna."

"What do you want from me?" Tsuna asked as his expression crumbled.

"Change," Ginger answered, pushing past the stunned Golems to grab onto Tsuna's shoulders with two furry, clawed hands. "I know that it's terrifying for you, but I know that you can do it! Be the normal man that you've always wanted to be! No one knows where you are anymore! There's a thousand places that they'd never find you! Why do you think witness protection programs succeed?! It's because the Mafia isn't as big as you think! They're strong, but they also have their limitations, Tsuna! They can't be everywhere at once and you know all the ways to avoid their searching! Didn't you make it this far without coming on their radar?"

"I can't," Tsuna mumbled, staring at the ground with wide eyes while frantically shaking his head in refusal. "I always get drawn back in, Ginger. You know that. It's better to go to Italy so that I can control--"

"Control!" Ginger exclaimed. "Right there is the problem! You have to admit that it's you who doesn't want to let go! If you can just change the part of yourself that keeps reaching for that world, then you can do this! I know the Mafia has been part of your life since you were thirteen, but you don't have to let it control you anymore! Please, Tsuna! For once in your life, follow your dreams! The Mafia isn't going to be there to mess it up this time! Remember when you went to college?"

"College...?" Tsuna repeated as his eyes began to glaze even more.

"Yes, and the condo! When you first took me in! Do you remember that?"

"Yes," Tsuna whispered. "Eight hundred and sixty-two bullets in--"

"Not that part! Forget about the machine guns! I'm talking about before that, when--"

"I can't forget that part!" Tsuna exclaimed, finally coming back to life again. "Everyone almost died because of me! You're right, Ginger! That's all I ever do! I put people in danger and nothing I ever did mattered! That's why I have to go back! I'd rather wait out the rest of my life alone and under surveillance than sit and watch the people that I care about die in front of me!"

Ginger had no way to respond to Tsuna's statement or the tears in the expression that was pleading for understanding, but someone else did.

_Say something, dumbass,_ Rendrick spat into the silence that followed. _It doesn't matter what as long as it's honest._

"I won't let you go."

"G-Gabe?" Tsuna gasped.

"I won't let you go," he repeated calmly, speaking nothing less than the truth like Rendrick directed. "I knew that you were planning on going to Italy, but I didn't know it was for a bullshit reason like that. I don't really understand anything that you two have been talking about, but you just said that you're planning to spend the rest of your life alone. I don't know where you got such a crock-of-shit idea, but you can just forget about it. I won't let you go. You're mine, Mouse. I already warned you that I was obsessive, but I don't think you have any idea of what I'm capable of. If you go anyway, I will come find you and then I promise you that I won't be as nice about dragging your ass back here."

"Gabe..." Tsuna mumbled as desperation returned to his expression. "You don't understand," he said as if he were trying to reason with a madman. "I'm Vongola the Tenth. If people find out that I'm with a guy again, they'll come after you and they'll kill you. That's what it means to be above reproach, Gabe. When Mafioso think that their Boss has made a mistake, they clean that mistake up. That's why I had to marry Kyoko. That's why K-K-Kitsune died. Do you have any idea how many hitmen Xanxus killed before they stopped trying to clean him up?! THIS ISN'T A JOKE, GABE! THEY. WILL. KILL. YOU!"

"Fuck. Them," Gabe replied, enunciating each word carefully to ensure that Tsuna heard them through his growing panic. Tsuna's eyes dilated with the words, stunning him on a deeper level than anything else that had been said. "Ginger is right. You're retired, fair and square. Even if they find you and decide to watch you, they have no right to clean up your messes anymore. You're free, Mouse. I think it's you who doesn't want to accept it."

"B-But my kids--"

"That's just an excuse," Gabe spat callously. "You're their father. If you really wanted to be with them, you could just send for them and have them live with you."

"I-I couldn't do that!"

"Why not," Ginger interjected, stepping over to side with Gabe to create a united front. "You're doing it for Tonno. You'd have to fight Haru for the triplets, but you're the only one who has a claim to the rest. All you have to do is give Father Robert the say-so and he'd help you make it happen."

"It's not that easy!"

"Because you don't want it to be that easy!" Gabe shouted, startling Tsuna into silence. "Face it! You don't know shit about raising a kid! At most, you'd only get to talk to them by going to Italy and you can do that over a fucking phone! You're just using them as an excuse to stay where the action is! I've been to Italy, Mouse! I was friends with your son for a long time and I got to see the world you lived in! Italy is the center of everything and that's the only reason you want to go back! You've been a Mafia Boss for so long that you're scared of being normal again!"

"You've both gone crazy," Tsuna gasped in refusal to listen any further. "I... I'm going back to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning when--"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING!" Gabe roared, reaching out to grab Tsuna before he could retreat.

In his hands, Tsuna became the frightened mouse that he was nicknamed after. Gabe wasn't buying it, though. There was no way that Tsuna was actually scared of him when he was so much stronger than Gabe was. It was a fact that Gabe had been forced to admit time and time again during their trip together and he suddenly understood why he'd been forced to recognize it so many times. It was so that he wouldn't be swayed when Tsuna cringed in front of a slap that he knew he deserved.

"Y-You hit me," Tsuna gaped while the sound of the strike echoed through the room.

"And I'll hit you again if I have to!" Gabe spat. "You can play scared all you want, but you're not a woman and I'm not an idiot! You can control everyone else, but not me! This is exactly why you need to change, Mouse! You don't know how to stop anymore! I'm not even sure that you know when you're doing it, which is exactly why I'm not letting you go back to Italy! You can bring your kids here if you want, but you're not leaving the country until I know that you'll come back as Tsuna instead of a Mafia-Puppet-master!"

"And how do you plan to stop me?" Tsuna asked as his face hardened. "You don't have the balls to--"

"I'll cut your fucking feet off," Gabe growled in warning while his hand tightened around Tsuna's arm. "I was raised in the Mafia, so don't test me, Mouse. Now go to sleep if you want, but you better start thinking about an alternative plan." Thrusting him away, Gabe gave him a hard glare before storming out the door.

He stopped as soon as he was outside.

What the fuck did he just do?

_You turned into a psychotic, controlling, boyfriend-beater_, Rendrick answered with a laugh. _But don't feel too bad. I think it's what he wanted you to do. Even he has to admit that he's lost control of himself after all of that. Just drive it off for now. I bet he'll still kiss you in the morning._

* * *

Damn, Tsuna thought as he stumbled back toward Tommy's bedroom in a daze. When was the last time that anyone other than Xanxus had yelled so much at him? Was he really that screwed up? Why had he decided on Italy of all places to build his bakery at? He hadn't really thought about it before. He'd just taken it for granted that Italy would be the place, but Ginger and Gabe were right. He could pick anywhere in the world to settle. If they could find Tsuna in Italy, then they could also find him in America. His Family would find him anywhere because there was a red string of fate tying them together, but it was unlikely that anyone else in the Mafia would be able to do the same unless Tsuna settled right under their noses.

Tsuna couldn't imagine it. When his relationship with Xanxus had been discovered, the outcry had been tremendous. It was probably the same outcry that the Ninth had suffered through when he'd told the world that his heir was Japanese. In a world steeped in tradition, honored legacies, and formality, Tsuna had been unfit to be a Mafia Boss in almost every way. One hundred years previously, a Japanese man like him would have been shot for presuming to be a Mafioso in an Italian Family. Sadly, the same went for the Nubo Family of New York. Every country had it's own Mafia, but not every Mafia had been recognized in Italy. It was only in the modern age that times had changed enough to allow acceptance despite racial differences. Asking for them to accept unorthodox sexual orientation on top of that was asking for too much.

Gabe was right, though. He was retired. He didn't have to have acceptance anymore. The problem was that Tsuna didn't know if Mafioso would try to 'correct' the issue when they found out. It was the same way that mistresses got corrected when they presumed to take a wife's place as child-bearer. It was the same way that bastards got dealt with when they tried to take the place of legitimate children. Male lovers got corrected for presuming to be something more than a mere Brother. The Mafia was technologically ahead of the rest of the world by miles, but their thinking was much harder, colder, and restrictive. Just imagining a 'normal' man like Gabe trying stand against the Mafia's judgment made Tsuna tremble in fear. Gabe would die in a heartbeat....

...If Tsuna were still a Mafia Boss. That was the part that Tsuna couldn't imagine. Maybe Gabe and Ginger were right in that, too. Maybe being retired meant that he didn't have to answer to Mafia rules anymore. It seemed a little possible. It wasn't like the Mafia entirely scorned gay men. There were many hitmen who were openly gay. Tsuna just didn't know what the reaction would be if the Mafioso in Italy found out that one of their respected leaders had chosen to become a neophyte to another man's desires.... again.

"How long are you planning to stare at that door, Tenth?" Tommy asked. Tsuna squeaked and jumped in place, startled out of his introspection by the man's sudden appearance. How long had he been standing there, watching Tsuna stare at the bedroom door?! Thinking about it made Tsuna blush in embarrassment. He'd been caught day-dreaming like an old man!

"Sorry if we woke you," Tsuna apologized. He paled as soon as the words left his mouth. Stupid! The Tenth wasn't supposed to apologize for the things he did! He was slipping up! At this rate--

"You're not very good at this," Tommy replied with a compassionate smile. "I think I'm the one that needs to apologize. You said that you were retired, but I pushed you back into being a Boss without thinking about it."

"No!" Tsuna spluttered in an attempt to keep the man from being troubled. "It's fine!" He smiled. "Really! I--"

"Please don't patronize me, Tenth," Tommy murmured as he crossed his arms. "I've been retired for more than ten years now. I know how tough it is at first. Your blood is still calling for it. Isn't it?" Tsuna's smile faltered and he slowly nodded. He never would have thought that he'd crave to be a Mafioso again, but he was. As much as he wanted to sit back and live peacefully, he also wanted to be out there. He wanted to feel like he was making a difference again instead of meandering through life without a goal. "I might be presuming a bit, but I overheard quite a bit of what was said out there. Would you... Would you be interested in some advice from an old man like me? I can't promise anything too special since I've never been a Boss, but I've been where you're at. Retiring does mean changing a lot of things and it's not as easy as those fools out there think, especially when you've still got some good years left in you."

"Please?" Tsuna gasped, latching onto the offer like it was a life-raft. His own desperation surprised him and made him realize how badly he'd been sinking. Resolving the conflict between his new love for Gabe and his plans to return to Italy was beyond his ability. He needed help, but people who could help him were as rare as people who were willing to yell at him!

Tommy's expression softened even more as he led the way into his bedroom so that they could talk privately. Tsuna was amazed after only ten minutes into their discussion. Tommy was a wellspring of knowledge. When he'd first retired, he'd been giving a nice, fat severance check and a secret to doubling it at a rival, civilian casino. He'd been living off the interest ever since, so he knew many of the pitfalls that Tsuna was beginning to run into.

For example, he understood what it was like to face day after day of peaceful living after having spent so much time in high-tension situations. Tsuna had only gotten a small taste so far since the Golems were constantly moving, but he was able to warn Tsuna that it became harder once he was settled somewhere. The itch to jump back into things was sometimes unbearable, but Tsuna had to find something to occupy his time. An itch that got scratched was an itch that got irritated and would start to hurt. The only way to make it go away painlessly was to pretend that it wasn't there. He could wiggle and dance and throw all the fits that he wanted, but he had to keep his hands tied behind his back. It wasn't easy, but it really was the only way to stay retired.

Then there was the Mafioso who would eventually track him down. Even a man like Tommy had been forced to face off against old comrades who didn't understand the desire to get out. They'd tried to pull him back in and there would undoubtedly be people chasing after Tsuna in the same way. The trick to dealing with it was to be a grinning brick wall. Tsuna couldn't allow the words to penetrate and he couldn't show them that he was itching. If he did, they were like alley-cats: feed them once and they never stopped returning. But, as long as there was a brick wall instead of a doorway, they'd eventually move on.

Tommy also confirmed what Gabe had said about 'fuck them'. No Mafioso, no matter how much he respected Tsuna's past as the Tenth, would interfere in is personal life anymore. It wasn't for the same reason as Gabe and Ginger thought, though. Being retired didn't automatically take away the Mafia's right to interfere. The reason was because interfering would draw him back into the open faster than anything else would and no one wanted to wake a sleeping tiger. The rival Families would be hands-off because Tsuna wasn't a threat while he was 'sleeping'. The allied Families would be hands-off because the newer generations were always greedy. They wanted their chance to be on top, so they wouldn't disturb him out of fear of being out-shined. As for the older generations, they were retiring along with him, so they wouldn't have the power to snoop into his love-life.

The next bit of advice was not to hide at all. Mafioso were men who could recognize a hitman's grace and they'd be able to tell if Tsuna was tensely watching for danger. That wasn't a very relaxing way to live, either. So, Tommy taught him the way of 'don't give a shit.' How it worked was simple. At the moment, if Tsuna saw a sniper on the roof, he'd automatically duck for cover. However, if Tommy was put in the same situation, he'd ignore it. Why? Because Tommy didn't give a shit. He was out of the game and there was no point in anyone killing him anymore. If there was a sniper on the roof, the gun wasn't going to be pointing at him and that's all that he needed to know. That kind of nonchalance was what separate normal people from hitmen. A normal person wouldn't notice the sniper. Even if they did, their first assumption would be that it was legal surveillance or a publicity scheme. Unless Tsuna saw blood, he really shouldn't give a shit about anything except the things in front of him that were important.

That was what normal people did. Their 'bigger picture' wasn't that big at all. It only included themselves. Even when friends and relatives were in the picture, normal people didn't include their friends' and relatives' pictures as their own. Tsuna didn't have to think about how other people were living except in how it affected his own life. Yes, it did mean that some things would take him by surprise, but that surprise was what made life fun. If he knew everything, then everything would become boring very fast.

"Take a step back," Tommy said, echoing the same advice that the Ninth had once given him. "If you stand still long enough, the path in front of you becomes unclear. That's really what you need. That way, when you start moving forward again, it'll be in the direction that you choose and at a pace that you decide. Right now, you're still running full-speed on Mafia Road and, as long as you're moving, it'll stay under your feet. So... Take a step back and just pause for a bit. The Mafia will move on and leave you behind because that's the nature of the beast. It can't stop like you can."

"I guess... I guess I should stop where I'm at," Tsuna murmured as he carefully considered all of Tommy's advice. "If I keep saying that I'll stop after I go a little further, then I'll never really quit. It's not really smart considering this is Deter Family territory, but it's going to be someone's territory no matter where I go. At least I'll know what I'm dealing with if I stay in Vegas."

"I can help you quite a bit if you want to live here," Tommy replied in surprise for Tsuna's suggestion. "I can show you the parts of town that the Mafiosos live and which places they work from. I have a lot of old photo albums that might help you out, too. Mafioso don't usually like their pictures to be taken, but parents love to take pictures of their kids and most of them haven't changed much except for their height over the years."

Accepting the offer with a smile, the conversation turned from simple advice to serious planning. Before he even considered his bakery, he needed a house to live in. One that Gabe, his son, and himself would be comfortable in along with Ginger and Chopper. Something with a kitchen. Cooking for Gabe and his son would be nice. Something open and airy. He didn't want to close himself off anymore. If there was a way to enjoy lots of sunshine without it being a security risk, that's what he'd prefer. That made Tommy laugh since getting _away _from the sunshine was what people usually wanted to do in the desert. He also would like a garage of some sort so that Gabe could park his bike and work on it without getting sunburned.

"Get some sleep and just enjoy yourself tomorrow," Tommy ordered with a wide smile. "I'll have a look around for you and see what I can't find for you to pick from."

"You don't have to do that!" Tsuna exclaimed, once more feeling as if he was only giving Tommy trouble. "I can go--"

"I want to," Tommy interrupted while patting Tsuna's leg like he was nothing more than a young, excitable whelp that needed soothing. "You can put it up to an old man being a busybody or an old dog who still gets the occasional itch. If staying here is what you want to do, then I can't stand by and twiddle my thumbs. Let me help, Mouse." Tsuna wasn't sure if it was the man's imploring smile or his decision to forget that Tsuna was Vongola the Tenth, but he couldn't say no.

"I still can't refuse a request," Tsuna chuckled. "If you're going to stop giving me special treatment, then I guess I'll have to give you what you want. I owe you for letting me borrow your PJ's."

"That's wonderful to hear," Tommy laughed. "But I'm afraid that I'll be taking my bed back. No offense to you, but I can't say I'm too comfortable with the idea of two guys sharing my sheets."

"I wouldn't have!" Tsuna spluttered with a bright blush.

"I know you wouldn't have," Tommy soothed while grinning from ear-to-ear at Tsuna's expense. "But I think you'll sleep better if you go make up with your man. You can use the upstairs room. It's rare for anyone to make it up there on the first night here. Just... ah... just try not to give an old man too much to think about."

* * *

House hunting was one thing that Tsuna had never before done in person. He was much more used to buying something through a computer or snapping his fingers to make someone else search for him. Even when he'd found the theater that had become the Orange Dragon Dojo, he'd only found it because he'd passed by the place on a regular basis. After half a day of searching for a home to retire to, he realized how foolish and spoiled such actions had been. There were some things that wouldn't be shown on a computer screen and the concept of 'taste' varied incredibly from person to person.

He'd shown his naivety by trying to accept the first house that he'd been shown and Gabe had been the one to stop him by pointing out damaged areas of the house. Tsuna tried to respond by saying it could all be easily fixed with a little elbow grease, but even he couldn't ignore the cracked pool. He'd thought that the second house was good, too, but then Gabe had asked about the Homeowners' Association and the rules for the property. Apparently dogs weren't allowed and Tsuna doubted that they'd overlook Ginger. Gabe said that the third house was no good because it was in a densely populated, suburban neighborhood and Tsuna had to agree that he'd be nervous in such a place. Gabe said that the fourth house was no good because of the simple fact that he almost had his bike stolen while they were looking inside.

Tsuna liked the fifth house, but he wasn't sure if he should say anything. Gabe was already starting to look unhappy, but Tsuna thought it was cozy. It had character to it, unlike the newly constructed house that he'd been in love with until the issue with the Association had popped up. There were archways and arched ceilings throughout the house. There was also a winding staircase off of the kitchen that led up to the bedrooms and the master bedroom had a small standing-only balcony. It was airy, just like he wanted. Every room had double glass doors to the outside, no less than three windows, and there were several trees shading the property. It was in a crowded, mostly commercial area, but the house was quiet thanks to a high Spanish-style privacy wall with a wrought iron gate.

Unfortunately, as he predicted, Gabe didn't like it. There was only two and a half bathrooms: one full one in the master bedroom, one full one to be shared with the rest of the rooms, and a half-bathroom on the first floor. He didn't like the stucco. He didn't like the tiled roof. He didn't like the covered breezeway that had replaced his garage. He did like the pool, though, which gave Tsuna a chance to point out a few of the other interesting features.

There was a huge boulder sitting in the back yard. It was completely useless, but it was character. The rooms were small, but that meant that there would be less to clean. What was more important was that, aside from the master bedroom, there were four other bedrooms on the second floor. Plus, there was a tool shed tucked into the backside of the house that Gabe could use in place of his garage since his chopper didn't need as much room to begin with.

"I don't know," Gabe said doubtfully. Pausing next to the pool to discuss it out of earshot of Tommy and the broker, he explained, "There's not much room for when the guys come over and Tommy's getting a little old to greet us every year."

"Us?" Tsuna repeated as his stomach sank. "You're going to keep riding with them? When were you planning on telling me this?"

"E-Eventually," Gabe grimaced. "I know that I told you that you couldn't go to Italy, but I didn't think that you'd settle down so quickly. Look, it's not as bad as it sounds. I've got to finish the ride to Cali, but I don't have to stick around for the entire summer. I'll come back here and be with you up until it gets close to December. Then we can ride to Granny's together. After the New Year, I figure that you could fly back down here and wait while I ride with the guys. See, so it's not that bad! We'll only be apart for a couple of months and I can't think of a better reason to rush to the end than to know that you're here waiting for me." Gabe shot him a conjoling smile, but Tsuna wasn't in the mood to be sweet-talked.

"Tonno's going to be living with me," Tsuna scowled. Gabe cringed at the reminder; he'd forgotten. "I won't be going back to Granny's, Gabe. I want to give Tonno a stable place to live. That means that, if you go, you'll be gone for almost half the year."

"I... " Gabe's apologetic expression said it all. He wasn't ready to settle down. In retrospect, Tsuna couldn't really fault him. He hadn't found a place to belong until recently. It wasn't fair of Tsuna to ask him to give that up. "They need me," Gabe mumbled in a torn voice. "I can't just drop them like--"

"This one," Tsuna sighed.

"Eh?"

"If you're not going to be here for half the year, I want the place that I like and this is it," Tsuna continued. "It is a little small, but it won't feel as empty that way. There's potential for me to make the first floor into a cafe since the living area is so big and airy, too. Please, Gabe?" He pleaded with his best puppy-dog expression. "If you're going to leave me all by myself, then at least let me have the place I want. I really want to have a nice home and open a bakery, but my savings will only stretch so far. With this place, I can still have both."

"Okay," Gabe snapped, unable to deny Tsuna the first thing that he'd asked for. Tsuna grinned. Gabe was beginning to be very easy to-- "But you've got to prepare the welcome next year and I want to put a solid door on the stairwell if you're going to work out of here. I don't like the idea of customers going through the areas that we sleep in."

"Deal," Tsuna agreed, pleased by Gabe's concern. Turning to survey the building a second time, Tsuna grinned as the perfect name came to mind. "We'll call this Maverick's Sweet Oasis."

"Don't let them see your enthusiasm," Gabe warned. "We still have to negotiate the price."

"R-Right," Tsuna blushed as Gabe wrapped an arm around Tsuna's shoulders. Tsuna relaxed against him and quietly buried his growing excitement.

"What am I going to do with you?" Gabe chuckled, still thinking about how he was being the responsible one in their relationship.

"You could kiss me," Tsuna suggested. Once more, Gabe gave him what he asked for and he gave it gently enough to make up for his harshness the night before. Strangely, Tsuna felt tears welling up during the embrace. It took him a moment to figure out why. What he was feeling was exactly what people meant when they said 'happy enough to cry'.

It was really coming true. This was the beginning of his retirement and it wasn't a lot better than he'd expected it to be. He had someone to love him. His son was going to come live with him. He'd get to bake for other people again. What more could he ask for? Sure, he was giving up a lot of things, but those other things didn't seem quite so important at the moment. Perhaps it was the feeling that the high walls around the building gave, but he felt removed from the rest of the world for once. He felt safe. He felt at peace. There was still a lot of unfinished business out in the world, but it wasn't his unfinished business anymore. It really was someone else's job now and it was okay to be selfishly happy. The world wasn't going to crumble because of it!

"Come on," Gabe commanded, breaking off the kiss to press his forehead against Tsuna's. "Let's go buy your little dream house."

* * *

Tsuna was beside himself in glee. Not only had Gabe somehow managed to talk the price of the place down to three-fourths of the list price, but he'd somehow managed buy it outright in record time without touching Tsuna's savings. Not only had the Golems decided to wait a few weeks before heading for Cali so that they could help him fix up his place, but each of them had shown up for a house-warming party with much needed gifts.

Tommy had shown up with a nice bed for Tsuna to sleep in. Selma and Don showed up with a microwave. Adam brought a toaster. Larry got them a blender. Bo, Abby, and Harley showed up with a professional-grade ice shaver, which had instantly been used to start making Margaritas. He got his first set of mixing bowls, which had been instantly used as chip bowls. He got a grill, which had instantly gotten fired up. He got a 'Motorcycle Parking Only' sign that got nailed up in the breezeway. He got a beer tap....

Tsuna's glee dissipated when he realized what was going on. While it was true that he could use everything that they were giving him, the true reason behind the gifts was that they'd gotten things that they wanted to use while they were in town. Tsuna couldn't complain too much, though. Not only was it free stuff, but he owed them for their promise to help turn the building into both a home and a cafe. There was a lot of work to be done and Tsuna didn't waste a moment while the Golems were partying.

He had to buy refrigerated display cases for the front, along with drink dispensers and a register. He needed tables, chairs, and decor. He needed work spaces in the kitchen, a proofer, extra ovens, a professional freezer and a cooler, and a lot of equipment. He also needed a place to store all the equipment. As for the renovations themselves, walls would have to be knocked down and rebuilt. The freezer, cooler, and the proofer took up a lot of space, so they needed to build an extension onto the kitchen to house them. However, an extension meant he needed professional help, too.

He'd called Warren to inform him of everything that was going on and warn him of the modifications to the original plan. He would arrive by plane in a mere twelve hours so that he could be on hand to sign work orders, paperwork, and so forth. In the meantime, Tsuna tried to figure out how he could get the bulk of his wish-list to fit into the small building. He wanted a turnstile brick oven built into one wall of the kitchen. He wanted windows built into the walls between the front of the cafe and the kitchen. One set of windows would have glass so that the customers could see him working and he could see the customers. The other window would be so that he could open it and talk to whoever manned the register without having to walk out of the kitchen. He wanted landscaping to turn the peanut-shaped pool into a pond so that customers wouldn't go in it, but it was still safe for Tsuna and Ginger to swim in at night.

He also needed to do some shopping for Tonno. He couldn't do too much since he wanted Tonno to put his own personality into his room, but Tonno would need a bed, a desk, a dresser, and many other pieces of furniture. That, of course, turned Tsuna back to the thought of decor. A lot of things couldn't be bought for the front of the cafe until he decided what sort of theme he wanted. They weren't on the main Vegas Strip, but the Strip wasn't too far away and there was still quite a bit of foot-traffic outside due to a nearby casino. There was a lot of options to choose from, too, since he could get away with any theme that he wanted. Tonno was going to be there with him, though, so...

Home Sweet Home, Tsuna decided. He'd make it an Oasis away from the vices of the city. A tucked-away little hideaway where one could cool off and rest before they had to face the day again. As opposed to the luxury on the strip, he'd fill the cafe with comfortable things that they'd find in their own homes. Wicker would probably be a good idea. With the right padding, wicker chairs were incredibly comfortable to relax in. He could get wicker tables to match and a bit of cut plexiglass on top would give a smooth surface for people to set their drinks on. Sheer white curtains could be used in the double-doorways to separate the indoors and the outdoors when the doorways were opened and he'd need to install ceiling fans throughout the place since he refused to keep the doors open and run an air conditioner at the same time.

That... That would be more than enough to start with. He wanted to keep the place simple. It was going to be a simple bakery with a cozy atmosphere. Even if it meant that he'd lose some customers, he wasn't going to cram tables into the building. Four tables could go out into the breezeway in the front. Ten tables would be able to fit in the main area, which would blend in with another four on the side patio. With a little landscaping and lighting, five more could fit around the pool-turned-pond. That was plenty of tables. After those were filled, extra customers could simply get their stuff boxed to take home.

Help Wanted  
Entry-Level Waiters/Servers Needed  
Pay and Schedule is Negotiable  
Openings Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
Maverick's Sweet Oasis (Coming Soon)

Help Wanted  
Assistant Baker Needed  
Pay and Schedule is Negotiable  
Openings Monday-Saturday, 4 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
Some prior knowledge preferred.  
Maverick's Sweet Oasis (Coming Soon)

Adding his address and phone number to the ads, Tsuna quietly asked Selma to make sure that they made it to the local newspaper's classifieds. Then he went upstairs, sprawled out on his new bed, and began to mentally prepare himself. It was time to call Father Robert and see if Tonno was ready. He felt that it'd be a good idea if the boy could take part in building the cafe, but explaining to him that his dad had gotten a lover wouldn't be easy. There was no telling how Tonno would react and his relationship with the boy was still new. Tsuna couldn't just wait for him to arrive and say 'surprise'.

Staring at his phone for a long moment, he decided to simply get it over with rather than worry. He dialed Father Robert's phone number.

"Hello?" Father Robert answered.

"It's me," Tsuna replied as Gabe entered the room. Waving for him to stay silent, Tsuna continued in code, "I'm just calling to see if the robes were finished being bleached."

"O-Oh!" Father Robert gasped. "Yes! Yes, indeed! We've been waiting for your call. There was a bit of trouble with a few of the stains, but I believe that they'll fade in time. I... Pardon. I mean, we. Yes, we. We've been anxious to know when you wanted to pick the robes up."

"I know that this is rude on such short notice, but is there anyway that you can have them delivered?" Tsuna grimaced as Gabriel sank down next to him on the bed to listen. "I can have them picked up at the airport, but it's become a little difficult to travel."

"Is there trouble, my son?" Father Robert asked worriedly.

"No," Tsuna soothed with a smile for the man's caring heart. "There's no trouble. I've had some time to think while I've been away and I've decided that Italy wasn't the place for me, but don't worry. I've found a nice location to build and having some clean robes around from the beginning would be nice. Assuming that... um..." Tsuna paused, unsure how to ask if Tonno still wanted to join him without breaching security.

"I have an assistant here who is anxious to deliver your robes," Father Robert replied with a smile in his voice. "I hope you have a spare room for him. He's been quite concerned that they'll all fill up before he can arrive. Oh! He's already run off to begin packing," he added in a chuckle. After a moment, his voice turned solemn again and he warned, "If I know you, you've already begun to fill your church, my son. I do hope for my assistant's sake that you didn't forget--"

"There are additions, but they're fewer than you might think," Tsuna soothed. "The church is full at the moment, but only two are permanent members of the congregation and they will be traveling for much of the year. I didn't forget your assistant for a moment, Father. He has been foremost in my thoughts and, when I think that he'll be with me soon, I find myself worrying about whether my letter was well-received."

"It was better received than you might have thought," he chuckled. "I hope that it doesn't concern you that he permitted me to read it. I gave it to him when he exited seclusion and found that you were gone, which was only four days ago. We spoke at length about your plans to open a... church..." he said in place of the 'bakery' that Tsuna had written, "and he had many questions that I tried my best to answer. Admittedly, he interests are not your interests, but that does not hinder his enthusiasm to help you. He still wishes to be at your side and I sincerely believe that you have nothing to fear. Open your arms to him and he will embrace you with all the love of a true son."

"That's good to hear," Tsuna smiled in relief. "I checked online earlier for the flight schedules out of Rome. There's one that leaves out tonight, but it has a layover in Philadelphia. Do you think--"

"I'll make sure that he's on it," Father Robert promised. "I'll call you after his plane leaves to tell you when he'll arrive."

"Thanks. Tell him that I won't be able to pick him up personally from the airport even though I really want to, but I'll send someone trustworthy to get him."

"I will, my son."

"Take care, Father. I'll be waiting for your call." Turning off the cell phone, Tsuna took a deep breathe before finally turning his attention to Gabe. "I need a favor--"

"Don't worry," Gabe soothed as he hovered over Tsuna with his own sort of eagerness. "I'm not always an asshole. I'll lay off until you've had a chance to talk to the kid about us. When is he supposed to get here?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, but that's not what I was going to ask," Tsuna blushed. "Although, it'd be nice if you did that, too, considering I need you to go pick him up."

"Is that the favor?" Gabe asked in surprise.

"No," Tsuna mumbled as his blush deepened. "I need you to take me shopping. Tonno will be tired after being on the plane for so long, so I need to pick up some things for him and..."

"And?"

"And m-maybe a few groceries?"

* * *

Gabriel swore that he was never--ever--going to go shopping with Tsuna again. For such a scrawny guy, he could carry a lot. In fact, he could carry so much that Gabe had been forced to use the last of his money to buy Tsuna a small delivery truck. Gabe thought that it was money well-spent since Tsuna would need something to use to get around town while Gabe was on the road and the truck could also carry more people, but the purchase had unfortunately opened a can of worms.

Tsuna now wanted to know where he'd gotten all the money that he'd been using, but Gabe refused to tell him. He couldn't. Tsuna would be incredibly pissed off if he found out that Gabe had talked his sister into giving most of it to him. In exchange, Gabe wasn't going to get a single penny when his father kicked the bucket, but he felt that it was okay that way. He had what he wanted: Tsuna, a nice home, and an investment for the future.

More importantly, Tsuna had gotten what he wanted without having to spend every penny that he had managed to save. Gabe wasn't a fool. He'd seen how carefully Tsuna had been budgeting on their trip despite the fact that Gabe had rarely let him pay for anything. Tsuna was trying to play it cool, but the choices of homes that they'd looked at had confirmed it. Tsuna didn't have more than two... maybe three hundred thousand to his name. Getting both a bakery and a home had been completely out of his league without help. Since Gabe had taken over buying the building for him, Tsuna now had his own money to spend in renovating and filling it in whatever way pleased him.

Although, thinking about the word 'pleased' made Gabe roll over in bed to see if Tsuna wanted to rechristen it. Unfortunately, he was immediately disappointed. Tsuna was gone and his pillow was cold. The fact surprised Gabe. He hadn't held back the previous night, considering it could possibly be the last time they could touch each other for some time. It all depended on how well the son--

The son, Gabe thought as he hung his head in resignation. No matter how much Gabe had tried to wear Tsuna down, he'd probably been too excited to sleep because his son was due to arrive. It was a little aggravating to know that Tsuna had been awake without him, though. It was also aggravating to think that he'd already been pushed aside in favor of a brat that he hadn't even met yet, but he was going to show Tsuna that he could be understanding. He owed him that much after slapping him and ordering him around.

Although, Tsuna had been much easier to deal with since their fight. It wasn't that he'd become submissive, but that he'd stopped pretending that Gabe was someone that could be ignored. For example, they'd worked together to find their new place. He'd listened when Gabe's objections had merit, but he'd voiced his own opinion when it'd only been a matter of preference. He also asked for Gabe to do things rather than treating him like a puppet who could only obey.

In addition, Tsuna had also given in to Gabe's desire to continue riding and Gabe wasn't sure how to feel about that. While it was true that he was relieved that he wouldn't have to choose, the agreement made him fearful that Tsuna would disappear while he was gone. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tsuna. It was more that he was anxious because of Tsuna's self-assured attitude. He seemed to be taking it for granted that he could cope in Gabe's absence, but what if something serious happened to him while Gabe was gone? Or what if the temptation to return to the Mafia became too strong to handle?

Thankfully, he had two seasons to figure it out before he'd need to ride out. Since the guys were sticking around Vegas for a few weeks while the house and cafe were being set up, Bo had already told him that he didn't need to make the last leg of the journey to California. He was completely free of his obligations to the Golems until December rolled around again. Gabe hoped that he could become more confident in his relationship with Tsuna during that time. He also hoped that Tsuna's kid wasn't going to be as much of an obstacle as he feared. His own father had once warned him that a child could completely change the rules of life, but he'd stupidly shrugged it off since he'd never seriously thought that he'd have kids of his own.

Shit. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know how old the kid was. If he remembered correctly from his time in Italy, Vongola the Tenth had a lot of kids that spanned a large range of ages. Hotaru was the oldest, so logic demanded that Tonno was younger. How much younger, though? Tsuna hadn't shared many details, so it was hard to tell. Tonno couldn't be younger than ten since Tsuna had already been in America ten years ago, so that left a rough range of ten to twenty that Tonno could fall into. Maybe Tonno was one of the middle children? If so, then it would be a little understandable why his name hadn't come up before. Middle children tended to get overlooked since they were... well... in the middle. That would mean that he was a teenager.

Having a teenager in the house would definitely put a damper on lovemaking, Gabe groaned to himself. A teenager would know what was happening if he heard noises, so Tsuna would get mad if he was forced to make any sounds. Teenagers were also over-emotional, rebellious, easily traumatized, and difficult to get along with. They didn't want to spend time with anything even resembling a parent, but they wanted money, expensive toys, and never-ending entertainment. They also got mad when a parent gave them constant attention, but they got mad when they were left alone for too long. Tsuna would also probably kill him if he drank around the brat.

Pure hell was arriving on a plane today. Unless... Unless the kid liked motorcycles. He might win a few points if that was the case. He'd definitely need all the points that he could get, too, since kids were incredibly low on his list of things that he'd expected to get saddled with. He had no idea of how he was supposed to get along with one, but there was no choice since Tsuna came with them. It was the price that he had to pay. To make Tsuna happy and keep Tsuna in his life, he had to make the kid happy and include the kid in his life.

Since he was willing to pay that price, he was able to roll out of bed with only a small sigh for Tsuna's absence instead of the tantrum that he wanted to throw. As he showered and got ready for the day, he also knew that he'd have to get used to waking up without the person that he'd slept next to. Bakers got up insanely early. Gabriel knew because he'd once seen how early Isaac would show up to make noodles for Pasta da Paolo. It was almost as if the man never slept.

"GABRIEL!" Bo's voice echoed from downstairs. "You might want to get down here! NOW!" Dropping his towel around his neck, Gabriel tossed on his pants and rushed down the stairs to see what was wrong.

It wasn't hard to tell.

First of all, there were several folding tables set up in the dining room. Second, they were all covered in food. Third, Tsuna looked like he'd been possessed by the spirit of a housewife. Gabe had to rub his eyes and do a double-take to clear the image, but it continued to resurface despite the fact that Tsuna's appearance didn't match up. Well, it did, but it was strange. His hair was pulled back with the same head-wrap that he'd worn under his motorcycle helmet, he was wearing the same sleeveless shirt and pants, and he was sweating from the heat, but... Tsuna was wearing an apron, his smile was so bright that it was blinding, and he was humming to himself as he chopped up a carrot to add to the beef pot roast--

POT ROAST?! How could Tsuna be making a roast, Gabe thought in disbelief. There was already a stuffed turkey, a ham, sausages, Swedish meatballs, a vegetable casserole, and dumplings on the table! There was also side dishes littering every counter in the kitchen! A glance in the fridge proved that even dessert had been taken care of! There were cakes, pies, and cookies on every shelf!

"M-Mouse?" Gabe asked. Tsuna didn't seem to hear him. He continued to hum and chop as if his mind were a million miles away. So, Gabriel tried again to get his attention. "Mouse!"

"Hai!" He finally responded, spinning in place so fast that he nearly stabbed Gabe with his knife. "Did you need something?" He asked innocently.

"What is all this?" Gabe gasped, gesturing around to all the food that had been prepared.

"What does it look like?" He giggled--GIGGLED!--while wildly waving his knife around. Gabe barely managed to step away before an accident occurred. Was Tsuna even paying attention to what he was doing?! Apparently not because he went back to his preparations without giving Gabe an apology for the close call. "Tonno's coming home today, so I thought I'd make him something. Speaking of, you need to go get ready. His plane should land in an hour."

"R-Right," Gabe mumbled while tossing a helpless shrug at Bo. From the lack of reply, he didn't think that Tsuna heard him. He also didn't think that it'd be wise to take his attention away from the kitchen to get a better explanation. Tsuna was dangerous when he cooked! It was no wonder that Gabe's father had never allowed Tsuna to do more than wash dishes at Pasta da Paolo! Oh well. They could let it slide at home since everything looked so delicious.

Figuring that there was no harm in stealing a bit of ham to snack on before going upstairs, Gabe reached for a piece to sample--

He quickly pulled his hand back and stared wide-eyed at the steel knife that had embedded itself into the makeshift dining table.

"Holy shit," Bo choked before preemptively darting back into the main living room.

"Oops," Tsuna giggled as he rushed over to retrieve it. "My hand slipped."

Bullshit! Gabe mentally objected as he ran for the safety of the stairs. That knife had been aimed for his hand! Tsuna was going to end up killing them all! If he didn't do it by accident, then he was still going to murder anyone that touched the food before Tonno got home! Dammit! That wasn't playing fair!

"Oi, Gabe," Tsuna's voice called up the stairwell after him, making Gabe freeze on the top step with his heart in his throat. "Just so you know... I'm not a woman and you're not an idiot. So you better not do anything to upset Tonno on the way here." Gabe attempted to reply, but the warning combined with the close call was a little too much for him to handle first thing in the morning.

"O-Okay," he squeaked.

"Love you," he added.

"Uh huh," he squeaked. Waiting for a moment to see if Tsuna would say something more, he gulped when he only got silence. In this instance, silence was far scarier than any amount of yelling or verbal reinforcement. He was positive that he wasn't going to make it through the day alive. Somehow, in some way, he was going to mess up and Tsuna was going to kill him.

"We should leave early in case there's traffic," little Chopper yawned when Gabriel shuffled back into the Master bedroom. Gabriel glared, seeing that the pup had taken over his pillow, but decided to let it slide since he looked so miserable. It couldn't be easy for him to handle the desert heat with so much fur covering his body and Gabe had more important things to worry about. Not only did he have to finish getting dressed, but he needed to find directions to the airport, wash his bike, and figure out some way to fill the hole in his stomach without touching the kitchen or Tsuna's prepared feast. Chopper was right, too. Leaving early wouldn't be a bad idea considering the high probability that he'd make a mistake.

Making a mistake wasn't going to happen, though. He learned that as soon as he walked downstairs with Chopper in his arms. Before he could utter a single word, Tsuna handed him a map to the airport, the keys to his own bike, a folded sign to welcome Tonno with, and a breakfast burrito. Then he was booted out of the kitchen without so much as a 'thank you'!

"I wouldn't say it," Chopper interjected when Gabriel opened his mouth for an outburst. Gabe snapped his mouth shut, knowing that the little tanuki was right again. Tsuna could be reckless, irresponsible, and simple-minded at times, but telling him that was never a good idea. Especially not when he was probably acting in such a manner out of nervousness. The best way to snap him out of it wouldn't be yelling; it'd be to bring his kid home like he'd asked.

He had to smile when he got outside and found that his bike had already been washed for him. Bo and Selma were also waiting on him with Harley. It took only a single traded glance to know that they were planning to ride with him and Gabe gave them each a nod in appreciation. He wasn't looking forward to meeting Tsuna's kid, but having friends with him would make it easier. No matter what kind of kid Tonno turned out to be, he'd be less likely to show bad behavior in front of extra people.

Knowing that, it didn't take long to get on the road. He only had to secure Tsuna's helmet to the saddlebags, zip up his leather jacket to ensure that Chopper was safe, and help Chopper to put his goggles on once he'd poked his head out for air. The goggles were a must for the tanuki since he loved the wind in his face, but his eyes got dried out so quickly. The goggles also looked a little silly since they couldn't find aviator goggles to fit the little guy. The best alternative that they could find had been a pair of swimming goggles which were still too big for the tanuki pup's wolven face.

They worked, though, and Chopper soon got all the wind that he wanted until they reached the airport. However, at the airport, he became miserable as soon as he found out that he'd have to stay outside with Selma and Harley to watch the bikes. There wasn't a choice, though. They couldn't afford to attract a lot of attention like the quartet of Elvis impersonators were, like the Magician chasing a loose rabbit was, or like the mob of flamenco dancers were.

"Do you know what he looks like?" Bo asked once they found the correct terminal to wait at. The question made Gabe curse and belatedly pull out the sign that Tsuna had given him. He barely unfolded it in time. As soon as he was finished and held it up, the terminal door opened in order to spew out a slew of eager tourists.

In a way, it was fortunate that he didn't have time to look at it. If he had looked at it beforehand, he doubted that he would have had the guts to keep holding it up. He swore that he was going to repay Tsuna for it. There was some things that a biker should never do and holding up a sign covered in cute bunnies and sparkling hearts was one of them. The situation could have probably been manageable if it'd only been Bo laughing at him, but the smirks and laughter in the eyes of the disembarking passengers made Gabe's face turn a bright shade of red. Tsuna was--

Walking out of the terminal.

Even Bo stopped laughing when he caught sight of Tonno. The kid wasn't the kid that they'd been expecting. He wasn't even a teenager. Tonno had to be in his twenties already! There was no doubt that it was Tonno, either. The smile that the boy gave them when he saw the sign and began approaching was a match to his father's. He was younger, had black hair instead of brown, and was dressed like a monk, but the resemblance was uncanny. It was like he was looking at Hotaru again.

Gabe didn't need Bo's worried glance to know that he was in for trouble. Tsuna hadn't warned him that his son looked so much like him. He also hadn't warned him that the kid was only a handful of years younger than he was. Just trying to do the math made Gabe pale. Also, hadn't Hotaru been the eldest? Unless... Was Tonno a secret twin? Gabe knew from experience that having twins right off the bat was never a good thing for a Mafia Boss. The matter of inheritance turned into a battlefield. Was Tonno the loser of the battle? Was that why Tsuna was worried enough about the kid to keep him on hand?

"Buon giorno," Tonno greeted as he came to a stop in front of them. "È il mio papà con voi?"

"Uh..." Gabe gaped dumbly. The guy only spoke Italian. Tsuna hadn't mentioned that, either, but he could fortunately understand enough of the language to respond. Tonno had asked for Tsuna. "Padre..." Gabe mumbled while he tried to remember the right words. "Soggiorno.... uh... Alla casa."

"That was horrible," Tonno chuckled in perfect English. Gabe's face went blank alongside Bo's at the light of amusement dancing in Tonno's eyes. "Sorry for tricking you, but I was wondering what kind of guys Papa would send. Oddly enough, you're exactly the kind of person that I was expecting."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabe asked angrily, hearing the note of condescension in Tonno's voice. "Are you trying to say that he picked me because my Italian is rusty? Is so, I'll have you know that your father chose me because he trusted me more than anyone else. I'm not one of his lackeys!"

"Ooh," Tonno mumbled with a pleased smile. "Yup. I wasn't wrong. Papa got himself a new boyfriend. I wasn't sure if it was you or the quiet one next to you, but you're a little too defensive to be anything else. Hmm... I guess Papa got tired of being a top. I hope you've been going easy on him, because he's not getting any younger."

"Eh?" Gabe choked as his face went blank again.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to change before we head home," he added as he started walking toward the nearest bathroom. "Sheesh," he grumbled, pulling on the collar of his robe in distaste. "Of all the places that Papa could have picked, why a desert? How far is it to the ocean?"

"F-Four or five hours by car," Bo answered when Gabe was too shocked to respond before the guy disappeared to change clothes. What was up with this guy?! Gabe had been expecting an excitable teenage brat that would likely follow him around with glares, but Tonno was completely different! Within only two minutes, he'd already taken charge, shown approval for Gabe's relationship with his father, and thought of a way to deal with the heat! Planning a trip to the beach was the perfect way to make it bearable, because it became a temporary problem instead of a never-ending torture!

The situation didn't get any better when Tonno came back out of the bathroom. He'd changed, but he hadn't changed into casual clothes. Instead, he was wearing a dress shirt that was neatly tucked into a pair of pin-stripped pants and a pair of dress shoes that probably cost as much as Gabriel's whole wardrobe. The gold watch on his wrist probably cost as much as his motorcycle, too!

"That's better," he sighed in relief, rolling up the cuffs of his sleeves as he led the way toward the luggage conveyor. His carry-on bag had disappeared along with his robe and Gabe decided that it was better to not ask about it. Tonno had likely ditched it like any Mafioso would ditch evidence. Paranoia was a way of life, after all. "Did Papa cook a lot of things?" He asked as he waited for his luggage to pass by on the conveyor.

"Eh?" Gabe gaped in surprise. "How did you know about that?"

"So he did?" Tonno chuckled with his smile widening while his eyes seemed to glaze with the shadow of a pain that Gabe couldn't begin to understand. "That's wonderful. I guess I owe Father Robert an apology. He said that he'd once heard a story of how Papa's Momma used to get excited when Papa's Father returned home and he said that Papa might do the same... but I... I didn't want to get my hopes up so I didn't believe him."

_He knows how to make it difficult for others to talk to him_, Rendrick commented while Gabe struggled in futile for a way to respond. _He reminds me of someone else who can't seem to get things right._

It was true, but Gabe refused to blush over the comparison to himself. Tonno wasn't his kid and this was the first time that they'd met, so Rendrick's logic was flawed. The brat probably probably just took after his mother on the inside since his outside was so much like Tsuna. Although, that did make Gabe wonder who the kid's mother was until he mentally slapped himself for being stupid. Tonno's mother had to be Hotaru's mother since Tonno was obviously Hotaru's twin.

"Do you like motorcycles?" Gabe asked as Tonno grabbed another piece of luggage from the conveyor and began heading for the exit. He knew that the attempt create conversation sounded forced, even to his own ears, but Tonno tossed him a smile for the effort and nodded.

"I've never rode on one before since the lack of enclosure makes it easy to be tracked by scent, but I've heard that the design is useful for moving combat," he replied pleasantly. Once again, Gabe found it difficult to reply. Tracked by scent? Moving combat? Just what sort of life had the kid been living until now? Even for a Mafioso, that wasn't the typical response.

"Right," he mumbled awkwardly. "Uh... We're parked right over--"

"OH!" Tonno exclaimed when they got within sight of the bikes. Gabe grinned. Even to the untrained eye, his custom chopper was a beautiful piece of-- "Is that a tanuki?!" Tonno asked excitedly as he pointed at Chopper--who was using his bike's handlebars like it was a balance beam. "Can you introduce me? I've always wanted to meet one!"

"Let's wait until we're out of the sun," Gabe sighed as Bo shot him a look of pure sympathy. In some ways, Tonno was exactly like Tsuna. Cute animals always got his attention before cold, hard machinery. "The house isn't that far and Mouse's tanuki is fully grown," he said.

Snatching Tonno's suitcase out of his hands, he quickly attached it to the back of his bike. When he turned back around, he found that Tonno hadn't listened to him and was in the midst of introducing himself to Chopper. It took some time to break the two apart. Tonno was full of questions for the tanuki and Chopper was pretty smug from all the attention. Before the little brat could become arrogant over it, Gabe picked him up and stuffed him back into his jacket. This made Chopper grouchy and Tonno disappointed, but all it took was a reminder of Tsuna's feast to get them on the road.

Wanting to hurry back, Gabe decided to skip the tourist route and take side roads all the way home. He couldn't stop smiling when the word crossed his mind, either. He was going 'home'. He actually had a home of his own now and there was actually someone waiting for him inside it. It had to be tanuki luck again. He'd been worrying about how they were going to manage a home, a cafe, and a brat all at once, but Tonno was nothing like he'd expected. The kid wasn't a kid. He was a grown adult, which meant that he could help out around the store and take care of himself. It'd be more like having a roommate than a son and the simple thought was incredibly relieving.

Almost as relieving was the lack of response from his body. Even though Tonno looked so much like his father, Gabe didn't feel a shred of desire for him. He'd been worried. He couldn't say that he hadn't been when Tonno had stepped out of the terminal, but it might as well have been Ginger at his back than a young copy of Tsuna. The fact made him happier than anything else could. It confirmed what he'd always believed: his feelings for Tsuna ran much deeper than simple lust. He still had a few doubts about how deeply Tsuna's feelings were, but he was satisfied enough that he had feelings and that the feelings would grow over time.

Feelings like the one that filled Gabe's chest as he pulled through the gate and found that Tsuna was waiting for them. Feelings like the one that filled his chest when Tsuna darted toward him with his arms wide before Gabe could even park the bike. Feelings unlike the one that made him bow his head in defeat when Tonno jumped off, picked Tsuna off his feet with a bear hug and twirled him around like he weighed less than a feather. Once again, no one was playing fair because Gabe had tried to do that before and he'd nearly thrown his back out. Tsuna looked like he was light, but his body had a lot of very heavy muscles. Picking him up wasn't nearly as easy as Tonno made it look!

Oi! Tsuna was going inside without him! Where was his greeting?!

"Don't feel too bad," Bo laughed from the bike next to him as they took their helmets off. "They haven't seen each other in months now. It'll wear off after a little while." The words didn't help Gabe didn't bother to get off the bike for a long while, too amazed by Tsuna's lack of consideration to even think of doing anything other than putting Chopper down. Even after Bo and Selma went inside to join the welcoming celebration, Gabe couldn't seem to muster the motivation to follow them. He'd expected Tsuna to be a little single-minded when it came to his son, but being completely ignored was a little too much. If he drove off right now, Tsuna probably wouldn't notice until it was time to go to bed.

"GABRIEL MARTELLI!" Tsuna roared from inside. Gabe perked up, thinking that Tsuna had noticed his absence and wanted him inside, but the thought was crushed as soon as Tsuna flew out of the building with a look of rage on his face, rushed over to him, and knocked him off his bike with a solid punch to his jaw. Gabe couldn't even feel it. He was too stunned to do anything more than stare up at Tsuna in disbelief for the sudden attack. "You already told him about us?" Tsuna growled, holding up his fist in warning that another punch would be soon in coming. "Why did you tell him?!" He shouted angrily. "I thought we agreed to let him get used to living here first!"

"I didn't tell him shit!" Gabe shouted in self-defense. "All I did was pick him up and bring him here like you asked me to! I only said maybe five things to the guy! He's the one that figured it out as soon as he got off the fucking plane! Now I think you fucking owe me something for running out here and decking me when I'm the one that should be pissed! God dammit, Mouse! Did your brains start hiding in your ass or do you really not give a shit about anyone else after you get what you want?!"

"I..." Tsuna gaped, his anger fleeing from his face at Gabe's rebuttal. Gabe saw the moment that Tsuna realized his mistakes. It wasn't just the way that he hadn't given Gabe a chance to explain before attacking him. It was the way that he'd allowed his head to be completely filled with his son from the moment that Gabe had woken up. It was okay to care about someone and to be excited to see them, but not at the expense of actual thought! "I'm sorry," he mumbled with an imploring, apologetic grimace. "It's just that I get a little crazy when it comes to my kids. This is the first time that I've really had any of them live with me. You're right that it doesn't make it okay, though. All I can say is that I wasn't thinking and I'll try not to do it again. A-Are you okay? I didn't really hurt you, did I?"

"You can't hurt me," Gabe lied while pointedly ignoring the throbbing in his jaw. It didn't feel broken, but it hurt like hell. Of course, it'd do no good to tell Tsuna that, so he stood and dusted himself off like he'd just tripped. Then, holding out his arms, he demanded the welcome that Tsuna had forgotten to give him. It was a little cute how Tsuna shyly gave him a hug and how embarrassed he got when Gabe took a deep kiss from him was was even cuter. Tsuna was usually very hard to embarrass, but apparently it only took having his kid around him to break through his guard.

Things might become more fun with Tonno around than Gabe had previously thought.... but that was something else that Tsuna didn't need to know just yet. Maybe later.


	148. Chapter 148 Peacemakers

"Alas," Hotaru sighed melodramatically as she stared at the photo in her hands. It was a picture of Rosalind and Hattori on a midnight flight to America and they were holding hands in a manner that showed more than friendship. Hotaru felt a little melancholy when he admitted to himself that he'd predicted it. The two were practically made for each other. Hattori was kind-hearted, loyal, and a bit soft. Rosalind was street-wise, determined, and a bit hard. Hattori thought too much and Rosalind thought too little. Together, they made up for each other's faults like a good couple did. "Woe is me," she continued in amusement. "My lover ran away with my mistress and I can only curse myself for bringing them together."

"If woe is you, then woe looks pretty satisfied," Chin chuckled, taking the photo from her hands to look it over. "Whoever took this is pretty good with a camera. Why don't we frame it?"

"I'd like that," she admitted. She really would. It was a picture of two favorite people finding happiness and that made his memories of hurting Hattori much easier to bear. Thankfully, he hadn't needed to confront Rosalind. The woman was insanely prideful. Before Hotaru had been able to find her, Rosalind had left a hand-written letter at the front gate which preemptively stated that she was dumping Hotaru and never wanted to see him again. Sadly, she also said that she'd sold her engagement ring to pay for her way home. It went without saying that she'd gotten fleeced. There was no possible way for her to have sold the ring for anywhere near what he'd paid for it. If a miracle had occurred and she hadn't gotten fleeced, then the midnight flight made a little more sense. The two wouldn't want to be caught leaving since they might be forced to give the money back.

Fortunately for them, Hotaru didn't plan to go after them. It was true that Rosalind's debt and her engagement ring had cost him a lot of money, but it was a small price to pay to see Hattori happy. It was also a small price to see a Rosalind who'd found something to live for outside of repaying her mentor's old debts. The woman probably felt justified in leaving the debt unpaid because a woman got stronger with a broken heart. She also got spiteful and vengeful, but Hotaru could withstand a few financial arrows thanks to the man at her side.

Her relationship with Chin had grown both comfortable and uncomfortable. It was comfortable because they did have so much in common, yet still had completely different interests. Chin loved science, machines, and inventing things. She loved the sea, gardening, and manga. This meant that their happiness didn't lessen when they were apart. They simply used the time to enjoy the things that they didn't share so that they could use their time together to share the things that they had in common. Nothing about their relationship was forced. Neither of them had to drag the other anywhere. When Chin wanted to show her something, she went with him. When Chin wanted to be left alone, she turned to her own hobbies. And Chin acted the same way for her.

Hotaru figured that the speed that they'd grown comfortable had much to do with their marriage contract. It was something that neither of them could get out of, so there was no worries that the other person would end the relationship. They were both in for the long haul and they'd both decided to enjoy the journey.

Unfortunately, there was also some lingering discomfort. Much of that had to do with the marriage itself. The Families demanded a huge wedding and huge weddings took time. In the meanwhile, Hotaru's Family had become determined to protect her non-existent virtue. If she was going to get married like a woman, no one was going to allow her to half-ass the formalities. That was why they wouldn't allow Chin and Hotaru to be alone together for a moment. The most that they could get from one another without upsetting everyone was the occasional kiss. Until they said their vows in a church, bedroom games had become impossible--which had opened a whole different can of worms.

It'd been stupid and childish, but Hotaru had sneaked into Chin's bedroom nearly a week ago with the help of her handmaidens. The three women who tended to her bedroom and kept her company when she didn't work had all seen beyond the marriage contract. They knew that both Hotaru and Chin's feelings had become involved in the relationship and this had made all three women happy since they still remembered how much Hotaru had cried on her first night in the mansion. They'd decided to help her when they found out that she'd wanted to progress the relationship more, but Chin's bedroom had held secrets of their own.

Chin shared a bed with his brother. Hotaru still wasn't sure how she felt about it. There was the occasional Boss who took 'Right-Hand Man' in a literal fashion, but there were none who'd ever made sleeping together in the Boss' bed into a nightly occurrence. Chin had repeatedly said that the sleeping arrangement was completely platonic, but Hotaru couldn't seem to get the image out of her mind of Kirota curled around Chin like... like she should have been. When had Chin been planning to tell her about it? When had he been planning to stop? Was Kirota still sleeping there?

It troubled her, which was exactly why she'd started having SK sleep with her. They couldn't do anything since a handmaiden never left the room--even when Hotaru was sleeping--but this had opened a second can of worms. Chin had sneaked into her room two nights ago to straighten things out and had found a situation of his own. The sad part was that they couldn't even fight about it. To fight would be equivalent of sharing the situation with the rest of the household and neither of them wanted their sleeping arrangements made known until they could figure out a way to deal with it.

The problem was that Hotaru had a completely different problem that drew her attention away from the small hiccup in her relationship with Chin. That problem was Kirota himself. He'd been harassing her when no one else was around. He kept asking questions that no one other than Chin should be asking and he kept slapping her ass. Normally, she would have already punched him over it, but the bastard was sly. He knew that Chin would brush off the personal questions as a brother's innocent naivety and Kirota never laid a finger on her unless he was positive that he'd get away with it. For example, the last time he'd done it had been when they'd both been getting coffee together and had been alone in the kitchen--right before Chin walked into the room. The bastard knew that her relationship with Chin was still new and he'd known that Hotaru wouldn't want to rock the boat by making accusations without evidence. Especially not against a relative.

This was the first time that Hotaru had ever encountered such a situation. She wanted to ask Orinato for help in dealing with it, but her Right-Hand still seemed to be recovering from whiplash after seeing how much Hotaru was capable of changing. Other than work, Orinato barely talked to her anymore and Hotaru wasn't sure how to fix the problem. She was still the same person, after all. She'd just chosen to lean on her feminine side until Chin had time to get accustomed to her. She didn't want to scare him off by showing too much masculinity.

On top of all that, she had to return to school in a mere hour. The Dean had refused their proposal to test out and he'd refused to allow Hotaru to home-school like Chin did. His only offer had been to allow Hotaru to graduate a year early, but only if she finished out the last few weeks of the semester without any unexcused absences. It wasn't going to be easy. She didn't particularly care about the opinions of others, but there would be gossip and there would be whispering. The day ahead of her was likely to be pure hell, which was probably why Chin had given her the good news about Hattori and Ross so early. It gave her something positive to think about.

"I wish I could go with you," Chin murmured as he offered her a hand to help her out of her seat. She took it with a smile for his never-ending chivalry and automatically accepted the arm of escort that followed. She knew that she was beginning to get acclimated to all of Chin's small gestures of kindness, because she was starting to take it for granted that he'd do many things. She no longer attempted to open doors for herself and Chin always pushed her chair in for her. She believed that it was okay to get used to such things, too, because Chin had shown signs that the gestures were becoming second-nature. He wasn't thinking about doing them anymore; Chin's body was beginning to move on its own just like hers was.

"If you did that, I think your father would pitch a fit," Hotaru replied in amusement. Chin chuckled at the comment, but it was a bit strained and Hotaru could sympathize. Planning a wedding fit for two Mafia Bosses wasn't easy. Not only did it have to be big, but it had to be expensive and expensive meant a lot of paperwork. Questions came in constantly about color choices and flower choices and nitpicking choices that neither Hotaru or Chin really cared about.

The wedding was going to be so big that they had three separate wedding planners: the one that they'd hired, the one Chin's father had hired, and the one that Hotaru's mother had hired. They'd split them up and put them to work so that no one would be offended, but three planners meant three times the amount of work on the part of the bride and groom. One of the planners had been assigned to deal with the guests. That one needed approval on hotel reservations, invitations, transportation instructions, and so forth. The second planner had been given the wedding itself and she needed approval on flower arrangements, tailors for the tuxedos, the theme of the decor, and a dozen other things. The third planner had been given the reception and she needed approval on catering, entertainment, seating arrangements, and so much more. All three of them needed constant attention when it came to the budget and they were constantly calling about what their preferences were.

White or Ivory?

Velvet or crushed velvet?

Roses or Orchids?

Crystal or glass?

To the left or the right?

All of it made Hotaru and Chin dizzy. Two months had already passed and they weren't even to the half-way point in the arrangements. Almost as worrisome was that only a third of the RSVPs had been returned so far. A lot of the Families were beginning to show their disagreement with the marriage by refusing to respond promptly to the invitations. Cavallone and Tomaso had already replied. So had Nubo and, surprisingly, Calcassa. Even more surprising was the blunt refusals that had been sent by Kartoffel, Wong, and Deter. The replies had been quick, polite, and thoroughly negative. It didn't bode well for the future. If there were dissension even before the wedding bells could ring, then even more trouble might brew afterward.

It was okay, though. They'd been aware that uniting the Mafia wasn't going to be an easy task. It'd actually have been more worrisome if no one had objected. At least this way, they knew who the malcontents were and they could work toward keeping them in line. They could also begin talks in effort to overcome the malcontent's objections. They had to have a reason to refuse and reasoning could sometimes be changed with better reasoning.

However, school came first and that meant a long drive with the problem named Kirota. He didn't move at all during the ride because of Orinato's presence, but Hotaru could feel his eyes on her body the entire time. It felt disgusting. She kept her silence, though, and sat in a way that would expose as little of her body as possible. She'd suffered much worse by creatures that were much scarier than Kirota. She considered the discomfort that Kirota created as only a mere annoyance instead of an actual threat. He was an annoyance that would get slapped down as soon as she found the appropriate opportunity. Kirota really didn't know who he was messing with if he actually thought that he could get away with his harassment.

Kirota wasn't the only one to forget his place. As soon as Hotaru stepped out of the car, she could feel it. There was discontent in the air and the eyes of the media which were waiting outside the school gate were colder than usual. Teachers and Tutors flew in from every direction to help Kirota and Orinato in ensuring that Hotaru made it onto school grounds safely, but the need for the help was a warning. Something didn't feel right. She paused in the courtyard in effort to figure it out, but it eluded her. All she could figure out was that the school held much more animosity than it typically did. She was used to a faction showing open dislike, but it was more than that this time. It'd gone deeper, down to a level of pure hatred.

All was not well in the Mafia, Hotaru thought as she carefully led the way toward her first class. She could understand now why the Dean had pushed so hard to get her to return to classes. Don Girarde held a lot of Mafiosos from across the world, but all of them were still fresh-faced newcomers compared to a ten-year veteran like himself. They couldn't keep their emotions in check as well as fully-trained hitmen could. What he was seeing... What he was feeling was the true face of the Mafia. This was the face that the untrained put on after a version of events were filtered down from their Boss' point-of-view.

For trainees and students to show such a high level of negative emotions, the malcontent had to have spread farther in the higher ranks than Hotaru had first estimated. Usually, students only had a small idea of what was going on over their heads. From the sheer number of glares and disgusted expressions, Hotaru could tell what had been said about Vongola from behind closed doors.

She was being scorned for destroying an honored Family's history.

She was being spurned for tossing the people she loved aside in order to wear a dress for another Boss.

She was being hated for daring to show her face.

Hotaru silenced them all with a simple smirk. They all really thought that they understood her reasoning. They all really thought that she'd mindlessly bowed down because of a little financial problem. It was hilarious. It was actually so funny that she had to pause and lean against a locker to hold the laughter inside. She failed miserably. It was just too funny!

"B-Boss?" Orinato choked while Hotaru's face began to turn red from laughing so hard. "Boss? What so funny?"

"Them!" Hotaru exclaimed breathlessly, gesturing to the other students in the hallway. Many of the student stopped in order to gape at Hotaru's outburst, but Hotaru wasn't done yet. Surely Orinato would laugh with her once she pointed it out. "Don't tell me that you missed it, Orinato! To think that mere students could stare at me in such a way! Don't you find it hilarious?! They actually think that they know what the hell is going on! Oh my! I haven't laughed this hard in ages! Remind me to tell Chin about this when we get home. He should laugh his ass off."

"Boss," Orinato flinched, "I don't think that they're like that because of Vongola. They wouldn't know anything about that. It's probably..."

"Rosalind and Hattori," Hotaru snorted as she tried to hold back another fit. She could feel tears in his eyes from the effort of holding the laughter inside. "That's even funnier!"

"Boss!" Orinato spluttered as the faces in the hallways darkened in anger. "I don't think this is an appropriate time to laugh--"

"Why not?!" Hotaru exclaimed. "Didn't the plan work perfectly?"

"The plan?" Orinato repeated with a blank face. Hotaru grinned and crooked a finger to make Orinato lean closer. Predictably, everyone in the hallway leaned forward in place, too.

"The plan to get those two together," Hotaru explained. "Don't tell me that you fell for it, too. Well, I guess that's really my fault for laying it on so thick. Hattori wouldn't have believed it otherwise. But do I really look like someone who'd settle for a street thug or a common hitman? Those two were perfect for each other and I got them to run away together. They just needed a common link, which was me! See? So don't you think it's funny? Everyone's acting like I'm the biggest villain in the world, which I am, but Rosalind and Hattori are probably snuggled up together like lovebirds right now!"

"Oh," Orinato gaped. "But didn't you and Hattori...?"

"Oh god no!" Hotaru choked as she pushed off the wall and wiped the tears of laughter out of her eyes. She made a note to thank Orinato later. The question was perfectly chosen to help put a wedge in the hatred within Don Girarde's halls. "Hattori was a good guy, but I wouldn't go past kissing with just anyone. The same with Rosalind. She's a very nice girl, but completely unsuitable for me. I feel bad since they both tried so hard, but they were never really after me in the first place. They just wanted to feel special and I gave that to them. There's not many out there that think they can say that they pulled the wool over my eyes. By the time they figure out that I set them up, they'll be happily settled in somewhere and will be too happy to care how they met."

"A-Amazing, Boss," Orinato praised as he followed Hotaru down the hallway. "I had no idea! No wonder you were laughing so hard. I would have laughed with you if I'd known."

"To fool an enemy, sometimes you have to fool a friend," Hotaru quoted.

"B-But Hattori wasn't..."

"Yes, he was," Hotaru corrected firmly. "Anyone who thinks that I'm a prize to be won is an enemy. The only reason that I gave Hattori a happy ending instead of a cold grave was because he did put his heart into making me some good snacks. Rosalind was a nice friend, as well. Those two really deserve each other. I wish them nothing but the best."

"Do you wish Mr. Lee nothing but the best, too?" Orinato asked lightly. Hotaru froze, stunned speechless by Orinato's insinuation. Orinato wasn't joking around, even though his question had been voiced softly. "If all of this is just a game, I'd like to be forewarned this time, Boss. You might not realize it, but you're not the only person that invests emotions into your relationships. You're a Boss. When we believe that you're in love, people like me... we allow ourselves to love with you. So you shouldn't play games with--"

"WHO'S PLAYING A GAME?!" Hotaru roared in disbelief of the pure bullshit that was pouring into her ears. Didn't he understand that Hotaru was making everything up about putting Rosalind and Hattori together to cover for his own mistakes?! "Where the hell have you been?! Do you really think I'd go far enough to wear a dress if I wasn't serious?! You're the one that helped me get used to fighting in heels! You should know that--"

"I can't read you anymore!" Orinato shouted, startling Hotaru into silence. "I thought you were serious about Rosalind and Hattori, too! One minute, I was helping you ditch the girls that your mother kept setting you up with and, in the next, you've become a fucking girl yourself! I don't understand what's going through your head, Hotaru! You--"

SLAP!

Orinato rocked backward from the strike across his face, but Hotaru was too taken aback to identify the tall attacker who'd interjected himself between them. What had just happened? Her best friend... her brother... Orinato didn't understand her? What was there to understand? She was still Hotaru. The only difference was that she wasn't pretending to be only male anymore. The dress, the high heels, the makeup... All of that was superficial changes. It didn't change who she was. Didn't.... Didn't Orinato know that?

"We didn't make it in time," Sakura grimaced as he laid a hand on Hotaru's shoulder. Hotaru turned and stared at him, too dumbfounded to even ask why the doctor was at his school. "I'm sorry, Hotaru. I would have gotten here sooner, but it took me a while to understand the meaning behind the tests you wanted me to run. I know that Gokudera is retired, but I called him in to help when I realized that Orinato wouldn't understand. I didn't think you'd mind."

Gokudera? Where? Oh, that was the man who'd slapped Orinato and was staring him down. Why was he doing that, though? Oh, right. A Right Hand wasn't supposed to yell at his Boss, especially not in public. What should Hotaru do? She couldn't think straight. Orinato had just... He'd just said that...

"Come on, Boss," Sakura urged as he gently guided Hotaru down the hall toward her classroom. "I've gotten permission to escort you today. Just leave Orinato to Gokudera. Things will get straightened out soon enough. I promi-- Oh no." Sniff. "On no!" Sniff, sniff. "Please not here, Boss!" Knowing that Sakura was right, Hotaru tried to hold the tears back, but she failed. The pain was too much. Orinato had always been the one person that she could count on. He'd always been the person that understood her when no one else did! And he hated her now! Why?!

"Sawada," the Tutor Thunderbelly interjected as he stepped out of a nearby classroom. Hotaru simply stared at him, too distraught to even consider responding. "I'd like to give you a test. Would you be interested in taking it?" Hotaru continued to stare until the words began to penetrate. A test? Was he talking about the one that he'd given Hotaru before? Why did he need to take it again? The answers hadn't changed.

Question One: Who are you?

Answer: Hotaru Sawada, Eleventh Generation Boss of-- No. That wasn't right. She was Hotaru Sawada, soon to be Hotaru Lee, Boss of the Sawada Family.

Question Two: Who do you look up to?

Answer: Those who are bigger than-- No again. That was what she'd answered before, but it was different now. She could honestly admit that he looked up to her father, Vongola the Tenth.

Question Three: What do you want to be?

Answer: Myself. This was still true, but there was more depth to her answer now. She wanted to be a good wife, a beloved Boss, and a peacemaker.

Question Four: What are your goals?

Answer: It wasn't to retire anymore. No. She wanted to work hard beside Chin to end the years of bloodshed in the Mafia. She wanted to see the day where people could tend to their Families happily without worrying about who would be the next to be buried.

Maybe more had changed than she'd thought. Why hadn't she thought to tell Orinato about all of this?

Oh. She knew why.

"Thanks," Hotaru smiled at Thunderbelly. Thunderbelly grinned back in self-satisfaction. He'd only had to say two sentences and Hotaru had reached the correct conclusion. She reached the conclusion that made her spin around, storm back over to Orinato, push Gokudera aside from where he was still staring down at his protege, and say--

"You're an asshole," Hotaru blurted. Putting her hands on her hips, she tilted her chin up and told Orinato exactly why he didn't understand her anymore. "You never made it easy on me!" Hotaru exploded, ignoring how Orinato began gaping in surprise. "You always give me a hard time whenever I do anything! Do you have any idea of how much bullshit you put me though?! Every single time that I've ever done anything even a little girlish, you've always thrown dad in my face! It's no wonder that I came to dislike him so much! It wasn't everyone else that was comparing me to him; it was just you! Well, I'm not dad! I'm me! _This _is me! I like pretty clothes and sweet stuff and cheesy, cliche romance! And, yes, I like guys, too! That doesn't make me into dad! That makes me into me! I know that it wasn't right for Chin to put Vongola in a corner like he did, but doesn't that just show how worthy he is? Ross or Hattori couldn't have ever done that! They could barely get over the thought of living with me! Chin's different! He grew up in a Family just like I did and I don't have to spend hours explaining every little thing to him! He already understands everything and he's not someone I have to protect, Orinato! He actually protected me! And he's smart and funny and reliable and... and..." Hotaru's face turned a bright shade of red, but she knew that she had to say it. "AND I LOVE HIM, SO GET OVER IT!"

Hotaru felt as if his face was on fire, but the way that Orinato's eyes were bulging made it worth it. So, she decided to add a bit extra for the benefit of the rest of the people watching. Let THIS be gossiped about throughout the Mafia!

"If you can't follow me, then stand aside and let someone else take your job," Hotaru ordered coldly. Orinato's eyes bulged so much that Hotaru could almost swear that they were throbbing. "You're my Right Hand, not the other way around, Orinato. I don't have to explain anything to you. The only reason that I ever did is because I thought you were a trusted friend instead of another subordinate that was holding onto my coat-tail in hopes that I could turn into my father. Do you want to know why I chose to destroy Vongola, Orinato? It was because of this. Vongola's reputation, their history, their power.... All of it is meaningless to me. Because I was young when I took the Family seat, everything I have is something that I inherited. I tried to make what I had into a Family, but just look at yourself. Even my own Right Hand has admitted that he doesn't understand me! Che. Something like that... A Family lacking in love and trust... I don't need it and neither does anyone else. If sacrificing that empty shell means that I can bring peace to the world, then so be it. That's actually something worth fighting for--not a name. Not 'Vongola'. Chin feels the same way, which is why he was willing to sacrifice the Lionesse name. Both of us want to build a better world and we're willing to knock down walls to do it. I'd like your help, Orinato, but you're free to retire like everyone else who was clinging to the past. It's up to you."

* * *

Hotaru petted SK's dragon wing and tried not to show how unhappy he was. It was already time for gym and Orinato still hadn't returned to his side. He was starting to worry that Orinato never would. This was the worst fight that they'd ever had. Orinato hadn't said anything to her after she'd finished yelling at him. He'd just walked off with a defeated posture and Gokudera following him. Hotaru knew that she'd dealt a harsh blow, but it'd needed to be done.

Orinato was the closest friend that she had, but the age of their friendship was a misnomer. It was actually because they'd known each other so long that Orinato had forgotten himself. He'd forgotten what it meant to be a Right Hand, assuming that he'd ever really understood. A Right Hand was a man who could be relied on and trusted with anything, not a man who questioned everything that his Boss said or did. That was what advisors were for. Hotaru needed Orinato to accept her--to accept Hotaru's will--but Orinato had been a friend for too long. He didn't know how to blindly obey because Hotaru had always allowed Orinato to lead.

The most recent example had been the incident at the warehouse, which had put Orinato into jail for several weeks. Hotaru's intuition had told her that they should leave, but she'd followed Orinato's advice instead. Now... Things were different. Hotaru had the confidence to lead. She believed in herself and she'd been making decisions without even asking for Orinato's input. For her, the maturity had been Five Paths in making, but it had been an overnight transition for Orinato. It was no wonder that he couldn't read her or understand her anymore. She'd finally taken hold of what it meant to be human and had asserted her will.

She would marry Chin.

She would create a new Family in Vongola's ashes.

She would fight to end four hundred years of Family Rivalries and bloodshed.

Orinato could follow, get out of the way, or get stepped on. She didn't really want to step on him, though, so the reprimand had been the only option. She prayed that Gokudera would be able to get through to him. Although she'd been so harsh, she really didn't want to lose her oldest and dearest friend. Orinato was like a brother to her. To lose him would be equivalent of losing an extension of herself.

Sakura was trying to be helpful while Orinato was gone, but it just wasn't the same. The doctor had taken written notes during class instead of using a laptop, which was something that Orinato usually did for her, but Sakura's handwriting was a doctor's handwriting. Hotaru couldn't read any of it. During lunch, he'd tried to get Hotaru's meal for him and Hotaru had ended up with a 'healthier' meal than the one that Chin's chefs had created. Sakura still probably had lumps on his head from the tantrum that had resulted after she'd found out that he'd tossed the dessert. At the moment, Sakura was waiting for the locker room to empty so that Hotaru could change into some clothes to work out in. The female screams from when he'd initially went in had been ear-piercingly loud. Hotaru wasn't sure when to tell him that her locker hadn't been transferred from the men's side, yet.

Screw it. The men's locker room should be empty by now. She'd just retrieve her clothes by herself and take it into the girl's locker room. As long as she waited for everyone to leave, there was no sense in waiting outside.

Unfortunately, when she got close to the men's locker room, she found that it wasn't empty. It didn't sound particularly inviting, either. Her classmates were talking and she seemed to be the topic at hand. Just like Orinato, they didn't understand what she was thinking. They thought she was dumb for destroying Vongola. They believed that no one would follow her if she didn't have Vongola's name to lean on. She was full of hot air and she was only bark without any bite.

Their Bosses were playing along until they were positive that Vongola was gone.

It didn't hurt anything to be nice for now since she'd be powerless pretty soon anyway.

Chin was an idiot if he thought his father was simply going to roll over while everything he'd worked for got washed down the tubes.

Hotaru was just using them and she didn't care about Chin, her Family, or anyone else.

She was a despicable Boss.

Turning away, Hotaru retreated back to SK's side without going inside. For common Mafioso to dare voice such insults about a Boss, the situation was much more dire than she'd previously thought. Her actions had completely alienated everyone around her. The bonds between Families couldn't be trusted. No matter what they were showing on the surface, there was no possible way to tell what they were truly plotting.

"This was what you wanted me to see?" Hotaru asked softly, knowing that her real Tutor was somewhere nearby. Reborn confirmed her hypothesis by the mere act of revealing himself from behind SK's over-sized form. His tall form was immaculate as always, but his expression was more solemn than it usually was. Knowing that Reborn would give him an honest opinion, Hotaru asked, "Am I being foolish, Reborn? For the first time in my life, I'm truly following my own heart. I feel... I feel like the path I'm on is the right one, but I'm still losing things left and right. The trust of the Families, the loyalty of my subordinates, and even... even my friends."

"What does your intuition tell you?" He asked, gesturing for Hotaru to follow him to one of the many stone walls that lined the sparring areas. Predictably, Reborn laid across a large portion of it in preparation of a nap, but he left just enough room for Hotaru to sit next to his head.

"It tells me that pain is part of life," Hotaru answered softly. "It tells me that my efforts may not bear fruit, but the chance is still within my grasp. Even though no plan is perfect and no amount of wishing can make flaws disappear, I have an opportunity to change the world in front of me. It tells me that the obstacles are greater than I can handle alone, but that the possibility of success exists as long as I have Chin by my side. I want... I want peace, Reborn. I don't want to sit back and maintain the status quo anymore. I can respect my father's work, but I'm not him and I don't want to be him. I have my own life and my own dreams. Is it wrong of me to... to throw away... everyone's expectations of..."

Hotaru trailed off, stunned by a single memory.

_"I knew your father," Van Wolfe replied carefully. "That isn't him."_

_"You... knew... my father...?" Hotaru asked in shock._

_"A long time ago," he confirmed as he got to his feet. Hotaru scrambled up next to him and followed when Van Wolfe began walking towards the hotel again. "Just like you, people expected outrageous things from him. Sometimes he met those expectations. Sometimes he didn't. He was just a man, but people forgot that until he was pushed too far and broke. He never had the heart to be a Mafia Boss, but he did have the heart to love his Family. More than anything, he loved his Family. You dislike being compared to him, but I think that you're just like him in that way. And, before you get upset at the comparison, I'll tell you that it's not a bad thing. After all, it's the reason that he chose you to be his heir. Tutors can teach anyone how to be a Boss, but it's your heart that decides whether you lead them out of love or mere duty."_

"I love my Family," Hotaru said with a soft smile. "And I love Chin. If it turns out that I can have children, then I want to create a world that they can grow up safely and happily in. I don't want to have to explain to them that their uncle was tortured to death or that their father was shot down. I--"

"Is sounds like you want to be normal," Reborn interrupted. Hotaru paused with her mouth hanging open, struck speechless by the revelation. Was that how normal people were? Did they wake up everyday to a warm home full of loving people and not have to worry that an enemy was going to drop out of the sky to assassinate them? If that was true, then yes... Yes, she wanted to be normal. She wanted it with all of her being--

But Mafioso weren't normal people. Mafioso lived off of strife and profited off of chaos. War was a business that all of them traded in. From street warfare to international warfare, they couldn't survive and prosper without it. Legitimate business was only a cover, not a way of life for them.

She'd made a grave mistake. She realized it now. The possibility existed for the Families to find peace and for them to end the bloodshed caused by centuries of rivalries and hatred. However, it was a possibility that she'd only waste her life in trying to achieve. Mafioso were offensive by nature. What she was trying to do was to change them so that they were defensive instead. She wanted them to protect without ever giving in to the urge to retaliate.

It was insanity. Mafioso couldn't do that. They were too greedy, too wrathful, too prideful, too lustful and gluttonous. Even if they pretended for a while because of her and Chin's united efforts, the peace would be too fragile to last. Someone would grow unsatisfied with the small corner of the world that they claimed and new gangsters would continue rising from the streets.

What.... What was she doing? It suddenly felt like... like she'd been attempting world domination. Actually, in many ways, she'd successfully done it. Every Family in the world except for the neutral ones were now within her grasp. Some of them were struggling, but they were all present. There was none who would not answer if she called, even though some were plotting rebellion. That wasn't what she'd wanted, though. She didn't want to strangle them into submission; she wanted to share the warmth in her heart with them. She didn't want to drag them kicking and screaming into an era of peace; she wanted to lead them there and show them the heaven that she'd envisioned.

Her intuition hadn't been wrong. The road she was on was correct, but she'd chosen the wrong method of transportation. She could see that now. Mafioso were too skeptical and suspicious. The hatred and discontent that was spreading was due to her mistake. They couldn't see where she was leading them to and no Mafioso would blindly follow her. They didn't trust her enough for that. She'd hidden too much of her true self behind a heartless image for them to know what her intentions were. She couldn't undo years of tight image control overnight. Even if she could, no one would believe her because she'd supposedly fooled them with her 'fake' feelings for Rosalind and Hattori. They'd think that she was just tricking them again.

That's what she got for lying about the situation.

She hadn't thought that she could get anymore depressed than she had when Orinato had left, but her mood was worsening by the moment. Achieving her goals looked nearly impossible now. She had very little Family left that she could truly rely on. She--

She was caught off-guard when Reborn abruptly sat up, lunged at her, and knocked her to the ground.

"An example," Reborn said, staring down at her with a gaze that Hotaru couldn't look away from. "Show them the destination, Eleventh. There are many.... There are many who will always follow you. Use them... create it... and they rest will come. I...." He mumbled in a short breathe as he laid his head on Hotaru's shoulder. "I want... to see it..."

"R-Reborn?" Hotaru choked as he pressed his entire body onto hers. Was this some sort of confession?! When had Reborn-- Wait. Something was wrong. Reborn's first rule of relationships was to never confess. To confess was to make a promise and a hitman couldn't afford to make promises that he might not be able to keep. "Reborn?" Hotaru repeated when he didn't respond to the first prompt.

He wasn't moving.

Rolling him off of her, Hotaru sat up in confusion and stared. He was asleep. How in the hell had he fallen asleep so fast?! No... More importantly, why had he chosen to fall asleep on top of--

"Reborn...?" Hotaru whispered as she stared down at the red stain on her school uniform. Where had it come from? Reborn's black suit looked fine. At least, she thought so until she noticed the red ink that was beginning to spread onto his white shirt. Had his pen broke? It couldn't be what she thought it was. Reborn was invulnerable. They were on school grounds. It was impossible.

Uncaring if Reborn was going to wake up and hit her for touching him, Hotaru ripped open his suit and--

A scream ripped from Hotaru's throat. Reborn had been shot in his shoulder and he'd already lost so much blood. Where had it come from?! Hotaru hadn't noticed anything! Reborn... Reborn wasn't dead. Was he? No... No, that was impossible. He was just sleeping it off. Right? RIGHT?! Oh no. He was still losing blood. She had to stop it. She--

She stopped as her breathe hitched in her chest and she looked up to see Sakura running toward her. She couldn't speak, though. She couldn't warn him to get away. She couldn't do anything because there was a small piece of metal in her heart. Her body was refusing to function and she couldn't think. All she could do was fall over onto Reborn's chest and let her own blood gush out.

The last thing that she heard before blacking out was the sound of SK's roar of rage as he took to the air to find the sniper who'd hit them.

* * *

Chin's eye twitched in anger. He didn't think that his father was funny or brilliant anymore. He thought that he should kill the old fool before he jeopardized everything. The man was despicable. It was as if he'd forgotten that it'd been his idea to change the Family's name. It was as if he'd completely forgotten the joy of the holidays. He'd completely forgotten what it'd been like to have Hotaru with them. Usually, holidays were depressing events. While the subordinates were away, paying calls to relatives, there was usually only himself, his three brothers, and father in the house. They had no other blood relatives to share it with. This year had been different. Hotaru's relatives had come from all over to share in it. It'd been warm and happy yet...

Yet the old bastard was plotting to hurt her. Chin couldn't forgive him. The Second wanted to push forward the wedding so that Hotaru couldn't back out. Then, he wanted to announce that Kirota was the true heir to the Family and that Chin had been a decoy to keep assassins from going after his brother. Of course, Chin would still be in charge, but he'd be in charge from the shadows just like he'd always wanted. Yet, if Kirota was the 'official' Boss, then Hotaru would be powerless. She wouldn't even be a Mafia Boss' wife! They'd be able to keep the Lionesse name and they'd gain the reputation as the Family that finally defeated Vongola!

It took everything that he had not to kill his father on the spot. Nothing had changed. Even though Chin had been working so hard for peace, his own flesh-and-blood couldn't stop the plotting and the needless betrayal that caused the very bloodshed that Chin was fighting against. It was depressing. Why couldn't Mafioso accept the challenges of the business world without sinking to back-stabbing and murder? Why must they torture for information and why did they feel the need to pretend that the word 'no' didn't exist? There was nothing wrong with a little bribery or even espionage and trickery, but they couldn't seem to understand that there was a point where one must stop. There was a point where 'business' began hurting people in ways that couldn't be fixed!

Perhaps Hotaru and his ideals were too modern for Mafioso to accept. Perhaps it wasn't possible for them to break the chain by simply telling others to quit acting like spoiled brats. Some concepts were too ingrained into their thinking. Chin didn't know. Perhaps Hotaru would have better luck at Don Girarde. It was one of the few places where Mafioso from every Family gathered. Therefore, it was a place where people should be capable of seeing what Chin and Hotaru's goals were. They wanted to turn the world into Don Girarde with themselves as the 'Dean'. Hotaru and himself could settle any disputes that came up between students and they could use the Vendiche to punish those who refused to follow the rules. The Mafia didn't have a 'Dean' at the moment. Vongola and Lionesse had been the closest to reach that level of power, but they hadn't been able to completely end the bloodshed because they'd been two rival schools until now.

It should have been a simple transition. They'd been prepared for a little animosity when the two schools began mixing, but Chin hadn't expected trouble from the faculty--his father and the others in the Family who were supposed to be helping him. Could no one be trusted? Was it too much to ask for them to understand what he was trying to do? Beating Vongola, subduing Hotaru, and dominating the Mafia... He didn't care about any of those things. Reputation and power weren't what he craved. He just craved peace!

Killing his father wouldn't make him understand and murder couldn't teach a man to be honest. He blamed himself for his father's attitude. He'd misjudged the man's ability to change with the times and hadn't paid enough attention to what he was truly thinking. Everyone else in the Mafia was probably like him. In front of Hotaru, they would smile and nod. In secret, they'd plot and scheme. Chin couldn't be with everyone at every moment of every day, though. He was only one man.

However, he believed in Hotaru. He believed that they really had a chance to make a difference in the world. He just wasn't sure how to tell Hotaru that their current methods weren't working. Simply presenting a united front wasn't enough. The people around them weren't responding in the way that they'd predicted. The previous status quo wasn't getting transferred to the new arrangement of their Families because they'd become unrecognizable.

It wasn't working and Chin really wanted to know why. He'd thought that he understood the entire workings of the Mafia, but there was something missing. The improvements that he was trying to make to the existing model weren't synchronizing with the dynamics like he'd thought they would. Maybe... Maybe it was because he'd only been trained to maintain. Sometimes an inventor left details of the creation process out of their final presentation, yet those details still affected the blueprints. If that was correct, then the only way to figure out a working method to bring peace to the Mafia would be to go back to the creation stage and see for himself what his ancestors had--

No, no, no! What was he thinking?! He couldn't do that!

Could he?

In many ways, he was trying to build a new Family with Hotaru. He was trying to break the chain of murder and rivalry that his ancestors had buried into his father's Family and the age-old Families that made up the Mafia. Why did he have to hate Vongola just because his father did? Why did the Lumine Family have to hate the Nubo? The problems that they had with each other could be worked out. Just using himself as an example, he'd fallen in love after discarding his father's obsession.

Hotaru really was an amazing woman. He'd meant every word that he'd ever said to her. She was so strong and so beautiful. Personally, he found it difficult to believe that she'd ever been a man. A person with such delicate hands and such silken skin had to be a woman. His own hands were rough from constantly using power tools and building things. She had those eyes, too. They were the kind of eyes that ripped through a man's chest and stopped his heart. Then there were her lips. He couldn't get enough of them. They were so soft and so--

"CHIN!" His father yelled, snapping him out of his introspection. Chin blushed over being caught thinking about Hotaru. He couldn't really help it, though. If her Family continued to enforce a courting into their relationship, he felt like he was going to go mad with desire. It was worse than putting a XLR-11 in front of him and telling him that he couldn't touch it!

Thankfully, his cell phone rang before he had to tell his father that he'd stopped listening. Unfortunately, the call wasn't a pleasant one.

"Repeat that...?" Chin ordered with his heart in his throat.

"Hotaru and Reborn were just gunned down on school grounds," Kirota repeated calmly. "They've both been taken to the Cavallone Hospital, but I don't think they're going to make it. Reborn was only hit in the shoulder, but he lost a lot of blood--"

"What about Hotaru?!" Chin exclaimed as he ran out of his office. Screaming out order for a car to be brought around to the front and two squads to scramble, his hands clenched around his phone so hard that the faceplate cracked.

"One shot through the back," Kirota reported softly. Chin missed a step, froze, and reeled backward as his heart stopped in shock. "It was a professional hit, Chin. It nailed her heart. I don't think anything can be done."

"S-she's... dead...?" He mumbled as the squads he'd ordered began to arrive. The importance of the words were lost on no one. Faces darkened and blood-lust rose.

"I think--"

"Don't think!" Chin shouted into his phone. "Confirm it first, you idiot! She could have been wearing a vest!" Snapping the phone shut before his stupid brother could worry him with more lies--because there was no way in hell that Hotaru was dead--Chin spun in place to give his men instructions before they could think of moving on their own. "I want four of you at the school five minutes ago and I want to know everything the school knows about what happened! No one should have been able to cut through security that easily! Call in as much help as you need, but I want the bastard who did this caught! The rest of you are coming with me to the hospital! I want the facility completely secured within ten minutes in case someone tries to finish the job! Now move out!"

"Wait!" Someone shouted before Chin could move a step. Turning in place, Chin glanced up the stairs to find Orinato running down them with a bullet-proof vest in his hands. What the hell was he doing there? Didn't he go to school with Hotaru? "Put this on," he gasped breathlessly when he reached them. "And don't worry about Hotaru. She could take a bullet to the head and survive-- No! Don't look at me like that! I'm not being sarcastic! She really can! She's been hit in the vitals before, but she was back to normal after a bit of rest. Reborn made sure to let the whole school see it before, so there's no way that Hotaru was the real target! The mastermind behind this was probably hoping that she'd be knocked out enough to make you rush to her! You're the target, B-Boss!"

Chin gaped. He didn't gape at the explanation or the fact that Hotaru could survive a fatal wound. He gaped over the fact that Orinato had called him 'Boss'. That was a first! Hotaru's people still called him 'Third' and he hadn't thought that they'd stop until after the wedding.

"Please," Orinato continued with a pained grimace that showed Chin how much the word had cost him. "H-Hotaru wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Thank you," Chin replied as he accepted the vest, knowing that Hotaru's Right Hand had probably just saved his life. Stripping off his suit's blazer to put it on, Chin watched in amazement as Orinato took the gratitude as permission to go to work. He clarified the orders that Chin had already given and also sent men to check the cars for tampering. He called on his cell-phone to get a confirmed report on Hotaru and Reborn's conditions while simultaneously sending for extra safety gear for Chin. He was like a machine, flawlessly doing tasks with a precision that was admirable.

By the time that Chin walked out the door with a bullet-proof fedora, a mantle to go with his vest, and a handgun strapped to his side, Orinato was able to report that Reborn was getting a blood transfusion and he'd recover, Hotaru had been tucked into a hospital bed to rest after the bullet had been removed, and the Don Girarde Tutors were investigating the remains of the culprit for clues. Apparently SK had torched him in anger as soon as he'd been found, so he was beyond questioning.

"How do you do that?" Chin gaped as their car sped down the driveway.

"Eh?" Orinato asked, pausing in the process of dialing another phone number.

"What you're doing," Chin clarified with a wave of his hand toward Orinato's cell phone. "How do you know who to call in this situation? My only reaction was to get to Hotaru, but you... You've already thought ahead to everything I could want before I even asked for it."

"That's my job," he replied as if the answer should have been obvious. Chin was slightly taken aback by his attitude, but Orinato's face softened and he slowly put the phone down to give Chin a more complete explanation. "I've been with Hotaru for so long that I can barely remember when we first met. I was originally meant to be the Boss of a new Family that the Tenth created, but Hotaru needed me when it was believed that the Tenth had died. The Tenth's Right Hand, Gokudera Hayato, trained me and poured every ounce of his knowledge into me. I... I messed up," he admitted. "I learned his methods and I gained his skill, but I could never understand his devotion. Hotaru... Hotaru is my best friend. I respect him and I honestly believe that no one is stronger. However, I've never been able to put him on a pedestal. He was like a kid brother to me. When he threw tantrums, I'm the one that sorted him out. When he cried over something silly, I'm the one that told him to suck it up. Everyone around me was constantly telling me that I needed to show more respect to Hotaru and that I was being too familiar with him, but Hotaru... Hotaru never wanted that. He wanted a friend more than just another subordinate, so that's what I gave him. I didn't realize how much of a mistake that was until Hotaru told me to quit earlier."

"She did what?" Chin gaped in surprise.

"S-She told me to quit," he repeated. "I didn't understand it until Gokudera talked to me about it. A Mafia Boss wants a friend, but they need subordinates. By being too close to her, all I was doing was pressuring her. I was too caught up in being the big brother that slapped sense into her that I completely lost track of who she really is. Gokudera says it's the same trouble that a parent has when their child matures into an adult. I didn't allow myself to see that Hotaru had been maturing. She's... She's a shape-shifter, you know. When we first met, she was five or six years younger than me. Now she's older than me and a woman on top of that. I'm... I'm not even sure where the change started anymore. I never told anyone before, but I once caught her trying on a pair of her mother's knee-highs. At the time, all I could think of was 'scandal' and I must have shouted at her until I was blue in the face, but... Looking back, I probably could have saved her a lot of heartache by just telling her that they looked good on her."

"It must have been difficult," Chin murmured, leaning back in his seat in consideration of Orinato's position. "Seeing her with me, I mean."

"Completely dumbstruck," he agreed with a chuckle. "She changed so much while I wasn't around. I guess I can see why she blew up at me. I was trying to stuff her back into the mold that I'm used to, but she's... She's still Hotaru, but she's not. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I don't think it's a bad change. I just need to get used to it. Assuming that she'll forgive me."

"She will," Chin soothed with a small smile. He could already see Hotaru forgiving Orinato. She'd do it gracefully and kindly, as if she'd been more hurt than Orinato had. "I didn't think that there was a woman in the Mafia with a heart like hers. I can see why so many quality people would be willing to follow her." Tossing Orinato a knowing look, Chin smiled even more at the man's blush. It was nothing less than the truth, though. "If Kirota was half the Right Hand that you are, I don't think that I would have been given the position of heir."

"You're damning me with praise," Orinato grimaced. "Hotaru's the miracle worker. I just do what I can to try and outrun her. The fact that we fought is because I fell behind. I didn't realize that she was after more than the Lionesse fortune until recently."

"Until recently?" Chin asked with a raised eyebrow. "You've learned differently?"

"Ah," Orinato confirmed with a pinkish blush lighting up the bridge of his nose. "Hotaru wouldn't... um... she wouldn't ask Sakura for tests if she wasn't serious."

"Tests?"

"Well... uh... she's a shape-shifter and... um... she wanted to know... eh... I'm not sure how to say this."

"Take your time," Chin soothed in curiosity. Sakura was Hotaru's doctor. What could she possibly need tests done for? Unless... From the way that Orinato's face was lighting up, Chin figured it out for himself. Hotaru had wanted to know if her body...

"W-Womb," Orinato choked out. "She w-wasn't sure if she got it right, so she had Sakura check. Sakura's report was in my inbox when I checked. Hotaru needs to do a few alterations, but she... uh... you know."

"O-Oh," Chin stuttered. His mind went blank. It was an unmistakable sign that Hotaru wanted to have his kids. She was that serious? He was willing to admit that he'd had doubts. Hotaru had once said that she agreed to marry him, but that she hadn't agreed to love him. She'd told him that she liked being around him since then, but the word 'love' hadn't come across her lips since then. Not really. Of course, he had hope that her opinion of him had been changing. She did let him kiss her and she'd never refused his company or his touch. However, for all that he knew, she was just making the best out of her situation. He couldn't forget how much she'd cried in private on her first night in the Lionesse home, after all. It was one of the many reasons that he'd fallen for her. Her tears had let him see how much pain she'd withstood beforehand.

"She loves you," Orinato said, making Chin stiffen in surprise. "Before, with Ross and Hattori, all of us were just happy that she'd found someone. None of us really cared who it was. We just didn't want to see her alone anymore. That was our mistake. Hotaru's very sensitive to the happiness of her Family and she probably forced herself to say that she loved the first people that she liked so that we would be happy. For her, being with someone she actually liked was probably better than marrying someone for political reasons. It's different with you. Hotaru would have never worn a dress for Hattori and she would have never considered giving up her Father's legacy for Ross. She did that because she believes in you and she really loves you. And I... I couldn't call myself her Right Hand Man if I wasn't willing to trust in her choice. I don't know much about you, but I'm willing to call you Boss until Hotaru says otherwise."

"I'm honored," Chin replied without mockery. "And I hope you won't mind if I call on your services. Right now, my brother can't be trusted."

"Oh?" Orinato gaped. Chin nodded and slowly outlined the situation while the car continued to rush toward the hospital. By the time they arrived, Orinato's mood was dark and he wasn't pleased. "Thank you for warning me about this," Orinato murmured. "I'll keep an eye on Hotaru while you're dealing with it and I'll get on the phone with our people. I didn't know that there was a possibility that the attack was internal." Chin froze. That possibility hadn't crossed his mind, either, but Orinato was right. If his own father was plotting to betray Hotaru, there might be others.

"Put the guards in pairs," Chin ordered as the squads of security personnel began to arrive behind them. "One of Hotaru's people with each of mine, but don't tell them the reason for the mix-and-match. I don't want anyone pointing fingers until we have more information."

"Done," Orinato promised.

Leaving him to deal with organizing the security, Chin flew inside. He was relieved to find that he wouldn't have to deal with the hospital staff; The Bucking Bronco, Dino Cavallone, was waiting for him at the front desk. However, Chin was instantly filled with suspicion. Hotaru had mentioned that Cavallone was one of the Families who'd stayed friendly to Vongola over the years, although they'd never attempted to trade on that friendship. What was Cavallone's purpose in staying so close to Vongola and how had he responded more quickly than Chin had? It was almost as if he'd known about the attack beforehand.

No one could be trusted.

They stopped in at Reborn's room first. His blood transfusion had finished and he was resting. There was no need to worry about his safety because Leon had already taken care of it. The shape-shifting lizard had used pillows as if they were sandbags in order to create a barricade around Reborn's bed. He'd also somehow managed to set up grenades on trip-wire, rig barb wire to the headboard and foot-board of Reborn's bed, and electrify it all by hot-wiring it into one of the spare pieces of machinery in the room. He'd also transformed into an automated high-powered machine gun on top of a sturdy tripod and nearly blew their heads off when they came in without warning. It was relieving. Leon knew what Chin did.

No one could be trusted.

At Hotaru's room, Cavallone left him before he attempted to go inside by using the excuse that he wanted to see if his private investigators had found a match to the bullets that they'd pulled out of Hotaru and Reborn. The man's sudden exit made Chin even more suspicious. There was the possibility that he'd rigged Hotaru's room to explode when he entered. Of course, it was a possibility that proved false when Sakura answered the door at Chin's knock. Even so, Chin made a note to keep his eye on Cavallone. He'd keep an eye on Sakura, too. If Hotaru was going to be fine, then what was the guy doing in her room?

No one could be trusted.

"Paranoia will eat you alive if you let it," Sakura commented as he pointed to the chair next to Hotaru's bed in a silent order to sit. Chin shot him a dark look for presuming to give him any commands, but he knew that a hospital was a doctor's territory. He was also curious to see what the doctor had been doing to his fiance. "I'm cleaning the wound," Sakura explained as Chin settled into the chair next to Hotaru's bed.

Before Chin could ask Sakura for more details, Sakura folded back Hotaru's covers. Chin gulped. Hotaru was laying face-down since she'd been hit in the back, but she was still nude. With the blanket folded down to her waist, there was a large expanse of flesh exposed that Chin hadn't seen before. Chin wasn't sure if he was supposed to look or not. He needed to because that was the area that Sakura was working on, but he knew that Hotaru's Family would never forgive him for peeking.

"You can look," Sakura chuckled, seeing Chin caught between wanting to look and not needing to look. "It's just her back and I've got her arms positioned to hide her breasts. No one's allowed in here at the moment, either. Anyone who tries will regret it. You probably need to see this anyway since you've agreed to marriage."

Giving Sakura a look of both consideration and suspicion, Chin fully turned his attention to Hotaru's back. It wasn't as easy to look at as he expected. The curves of her skin were indeed smooth and beautiful, but the bloody hole in her flesh made Chin's stomach flip. Sakura hadn't even attempted to stitch it shut. Instead, he was carefully wiping up the excess blood that welled up from the wound and continuously applying a cream to the surrounding areas. Chin didn't understand. The doctor wasn't even trying to make the bleeding stop. At this rate, Hotaru--

"The rate of bleeding is slowing," Sakura said before Chin could object to his methods. "At this rate, it'll stop within two minutes. Hotaru will be completely recovered within two hours after that. My method might seem cruel or neglectful, but I learned a long time ago that this was the only way to deal with Hotaru's wounds. I could waste a lot of manpower and supplies in trying to perform surgery, but Hotaru would be completely recovered before I could finish. She heals faster if I don't try to apply human logic. She just needs me to get in, get out whatever shrapnel is inside her, and ensure that the wound stays clean until it can close on its own. If I don't keep it clean, it'll still heal, but it might create a scar when the blood transmutes into skin and Hotaru will have to use even more energy in getting rid of that. Ah... There it goes."

Chin blinked, unsure if he could believe his eyes. The wound was gone as if by magic. Sakura wiped the surface a few times with a soft piece of gauze, but it was as if the bullet hole had only been an illusion. How was that possible? Humans couldn't heal that fast!

"The rest is up to her," Sakura sighed as he folded the blankets back up to Hotaru's shoulders. "And, from the look on your face, you probably need to be informed of a few things."

Chin got informed. He got informed of much more than he could readily believe. From Hotaru's abnormal birth to her shape-changing ability to her immortality, Sakura sat down and calmly told him everything. By the time that Sakura left him to watch over Hotaru, he wasn't sure what to think. In many ways, it was an incredibly sad story. He'd already known that Hotaru had become a Boss at eight years old, but he hadn't realized that Hotaru had been born into a five-year-old body. She'd had almost no childhood to speak of, which was why she had so few people that she could call 'friend'. She didn't know how to interact with average people. The Mafia was the only life she knew and she'd never been given the option of being anything other than a Boss.

Despite the strange beginning, everyone had truly believed that she was completely human until recently. None of them had known that she'd purposely aged herself. They'd believed that it was a side-effect of her unique birth until Reborn had figured out the truth. Hotaru had the shape-shifting ability of a Salamander. There were constraints to it. She could only alter her human form into a different human form. So far, the greatest deviation that she'd managed had been a pair of cat ears. Anything more than that, anything that deviated too far from 'human', would cause the chain inside her to react.

She was also immortal. No matter how much damage her body sustained, the constraints of her chain would kick in after she fell unconscious and it would use her shape-shifting ability to rectify the abnormalities in her form just as if she'd purposely tried to make shift into something inhuman. So far, the closest that Hotaru had come to true death had been when she'd been buried in rubble after being completely exhausted. She'd had enough energy to maintain her form, but not her consciousness. On top of that, the rubble had hindered the attempts of her chain to heal her. She'd been fine once she'd been freed, but no one knew what would happen if she managed to exhaust her Flame beyond the point that she could maintain her form.

Hotaru would never grow old unless she wanted to. She would never die from a mortal wound. Sakura believed that it was a miracle that Hotaru had a chance to have children, but to successfully bring a child to term would mean close supervision. Hotaru wouldn't be allowed to shape-shift even a hair on her head without endangering the baby. That meant that even minor injuries like a bruise would be a threat.

No matter what, Hotaru was Hotaru, though. Sakura was adamant on that point. She had the heart of a normal human being and a strong spirit. Hotaru was prone to laziness, mood swings, and jealousy like anyone else. She could also push herself too hard, work too much, and be completely arrogant when it came to interacting with people. Inside, she really only wanted to be accepted, though. She wanted to be loved like anyone else and she wanted praise. She was vulnerable when it came to her own humanity; she didn't like to think that she was different. She could also tell when people were lying and was easily disillusioned by people. Getting into Hotaru's heart was more difficult than it was with other people, but she gave her all for the people that managed to make it inside.

And she loved him. Just like Orinato, Sakura was positive. His way of explaining was completely different, though. He had medical proof. Hotaru's estrogen levels had increased since becoming engaged to Chin and her breasts had grown by point four percent. She'd also asked Sakura for skin creams where she'd never been interested in them before and she'd asked for Sakura's opinion on possible ways to make Chin more comfortable with her surplus anatomy. There was also the alterations to her body to accommodate childbearing. Sakura was positive that she wouldn't have done that for anyone else.

Hotaru wasn't human. Hotaru loved him. No matter which one he tried to think about, his mind refused to process any of it. The sight beautiful woman laying helpless in front of him wouldn't allow his brain to consider anything outside of how relieved he was that she was going to be alright. That was when the delayed response kicked in. Someone had hurt his fiance. He didn't care if it was only a scratch to her; it was a scratch that she shouldn't have been given. Someone had tried to kill her! If she'd been less special than she was, then she'd be dead!

He wasn't sure of how to deal with it. He wanted restitution. He wanted the promise that it would never happen again. However, he couldn't seek revenge. To do so would turn him into a hypocrite since he'd been actively working for peace. To turn this into a violent dispute would undo everything that they'd managed to achieve so far. His blood was calling for revenge, though. He wanted to find the mastermind behind this, put a gun to his head, and pull the trigger until the clip was empty, but he couldn't do it. Such action went completely against the ideals that they were fighting to instill into the Mafia. What was he supposed to do, though? How was he supposed to find justice when he was the one that others went to in order to solve disputes?

"An example," Hotaru mumbled tiredly.

"You're awake," Chin sighed in relief. Pulling his chair closer to her bed, he reached out with a smile to brush the hair out of her face. She looked like a fawn. Her eyes were wide and glassy from sleep and her expression was relaxed to such a high level of 'adorable' that Chin had to fight a nosebleed. Then she yawned and her mouth made such a cute little 'o' that it took every ounce of his self-control not to kiss her.

Hotaru was a guy? Whoever thought that had to be completely blind. She was strong-willed and stubborn, but no one as cute as her could be anything other than a girl. So what if she had something extra hidden below-deck? That didn't make her any less desirable. Actually, it added interest because anyone could be with a normal girl while he had someone incredibly special in his reach. It was true that Chin still got the after-image of Hotaru in a suit and tie from when they'd been rivals, but Hotaru had been sexy even back then. Like everyone else, though, he'd purposely kept himself from thinking about it so that no one would think that he was gay. Like everyone else, he'd silently let out a breathe of relief when Hotaru's male mask had begun to crumble. Chin wasn't gay and he didn't like guys. He'd just been attracted to Hotaru because he'd subconsciously known that he was really a she.

"What happened?" Hotaru asked as she fought to keep her eyes open. Before Chin could answer, her eyes snapped wide open and she bolted up in her bed. Thankfully, she remembered to hold the blankets around her chest as she spun in place to sit. If she hadn't, Chin didn't think that he'd have been able to respond to her predictable question. "Where's Reborn?"

"Sakura got to him in time," Chin soothed, once again reaching out to caress her face. "Don't worry about him. He won't be able to use his arm for a while, but he's going to be fine. Leon's watching over him in another room and he almost blew our heads off when we checked on him. I'm more concerned about you. Do you remember anything about the attack?"

"Not really," she replied with a soft shake of her head. "It happened too fast and the sniper was too far away for me to feel the blood-lust. When Reborn knocked me over, I didn't even realize that we were under attack until I saw the blood and... By then, I'd already exposed myself. This is serious, Chin. They attacked me on school grounds. We can't let this slide."

"But our policies--" Chin objected.

"An example," Hotaru repeated with her attention turning inward. Despite the urge to ask what she meant, Chin stayed silent to allow her a chance to gather her thoughts. "We need to make an example. This attack wasn't just on me. It was an attack on our policies, our ideals, and our authority. I think... I think that we need to show that we won't bow down to the effectiveness of the old methods, but we have to do it with the methods that we're demanding out of others. We need to find the Family behind this and figure out a way to destroy them completely without drawing blood."

"The pocketbooks," Chin grinned with a slow nod. "If we make them go bankrupt financially, we can take them over without anyone getting hurt. That would show everyone that power isn't in who has the most guns or who can cause the most damage--"

"It's in who can outwit their opponents," Hotaru finished with a bright smile. "This is it, Chin! This is the opportunity that we've been waiting on! No one could see what our goals were, but we can show them with this!"

"I think we need to do more than that," Chin replied, refusing to give into elation so early. "I'm not sure how to say this, but I don't think it's enough. The old generations of the Mafia aren't willing to change their way of thinking so easily. I think--and this is just a thought, so bear with me--we need to really shock them."

"What for?" Hotaru asked in confusion.

"For the heirs," Chin explained. "A lot of the older generation have already retired and the rest are getting ready to. Dealing with them will be like pulling teeth, but there's a lot of heirs and Bosses out there who haven't been in the game long enough to change their ways. If we focus on being the forward-thinking Family who's not afraid to break tradition, I think a lot of the new blood will follow us when they take the reigns. We need to think long-term instead of short-term."

"I'm listening..."

Chin nodded and continued, outlining and explaining the plan as it formed in his mind. There was a lot of details that he needed Hotaru's help in threshing out, but the entire blueprint began to solidify clearly. Within an hour, they knew what they needed to do. It was bold and reckless like Hotaru; it was methodical and inventive like Chin. It would work. The only problem was the sheer amount of trickery, deceit, and cunning that was required.

That meant that the first step was to pick the members of the Sawada Family. Not everyone in their combined Family could be trusted with something this important. On Chin's side, there were many who would likely report this to his father or blow the whole operation with a slip of the tongue. On Hotaru's side, there were remnants of the Tenth's era who weren't necessarily loyal to Hotaru. They were simply clinging to the hope that Vongola would rise again.

Four dozen was the number they decided, not including relatives who they could trust. Hotaru and Chin would hand-pick them and bring them in on the scheme. Hotaru would forcibly retire the Vongola remnants who didn't make the cut. The Lionesse remnants that didn't make the cut would be left behind with Chin's father. It was what the bastard deserved after threatening everything that Chin had been working toward. The man had shown his true colors and Chin refused to give him an opportunity to meddle. He could have everything that he'd built, but Chin swore that the man would lose everything that Chin had given him since being made heir.

The number was small, but both Chin and Hotaru felt that it was enough. It was better to have a solid, trusted Family core than pray that everyone around them agreed with their ideals. They could always build on them once they'd solidified their position. Hotaru also suggested getting the aid of some of the retired hitmen who had only been retired due to age. No one was watching their movements, so they would be a huge asset in this instance.

Then there was the issue of money. That was also solved with a bit of Hotaru's quick thinking. The companies and fortune didn't matter. They'd simply use whatever they took from the Family that they were going to take over--the Family that had attacked Hotaru. It didn't matter how big or small it was. With Hotaru and Chin's combined abilities, they could make it grow in an impossible amount of time. From the outside, it'd seem as if they started with nothing, but that would only make them more admirable in the eyes of rising Mafioso. Of course, this also meant that they'd lose control of the Mafia for a while, but both Hotaru and Chin agreed that the short-term sacrifice was worth the long-term achievements.

All of this was already more than enough to shock the Mafia and get the wheels turning toward peace, but Hotaru added something else to it that made Chin's jaw drop.

"Let's elope," she repeated with stars in her eyes. "That would really break tradition and it'd be so romantic and I... I don't really want a big wedding anyway."

"But we don't want to offend any--"

"Who cares if they're offended?!" Hotaru exclaimed enthusiastically. "Half the people who's going to attend will only be there so that they don't offend us! And you said it yourself that we should keep our eyes on our generation! Can't you imagine how many of them are holding back because of their parent's stuffy traditions? It's not so bad when you've got their consent, but imagine how your father would have been if I was nothing more than a waitress!"

Chin grimaced. She had a point. His father would have gone ballistic and the girl would have likely disappeared. There were plenty of girls in the Mafia who were turned into nothing more than bargaining chips, too. For a typical Mafia Boss, a daughter was only useful when she was married off. However, Chin admittedly wasn't thinking about that when he made his decision. He was only thinking about Hotaru's pleading expression and how much he wanted to finally have her to himself. No more constant supervision. No more courting. Just him and her and the chance to go past kissing.

"Let's do it," he agreed with a wide grin. "We'll find out who attacked you and we'll counter-attack with the takeover. After we've moved the core Family to our new territory and I break ties with Father, we'll elope. No formalities. No invitations. Just me and you and the people we bring with us. It'll be the start of the real Sawada Family."

"Yay!" She exclaimed in glee. "Now we just need a target!"

"I think I can provide that," Orinato interjected, slipping into the room without a sound. Hotaru's face instantly fell, but Chin waved him inside without hesitation. "Forgive me for eavesdropping," he murmured as he knelt next to Hotaru's bed. "I came to inform you that the investigation has found a lead, but I didn't want to interrupt when I heard you speaking. You don't have to worry. I secured the hallway and ensured that no one else was listening. I also agree with this plan and I hope that you'll allow me to aid you in bringing it to fruition. I beg your forgiveness for my earlier impudence. There are no excuses. I took advantage of my position and stepped out of line. I'll accept any punishment that you choose."

"Any punishment that I choose?" Hotaru asked in consideration. Chin raised his eyebrow at her while Orinato bowed his head in preparation. He could already see the light dancing in her eyes. She'd forgiven him and Chin could see what she was planning. Giving a nod of agreement to it, Hotaru said, "Then here is what I choose. You are forbidden to ever question me in front of others again, but you are also forbidden to ever hide your true feelings from me in private." Orinato slowly raised his head, looking at Hotaru with an bemused expression. Just like Chin, Orinato had known what to expect. He was also slightly exasperated that she'd followed through without making the penalty into an actual punishment.

"Your will is my will, Boss," Orinato replied in acceptance.

"Good," Hotaru grinned. "Not that we have that out of the way, who's the target? I want to get started right away."

"It's just a lead at the moment, but I have no doubt," Orinato replied, turning to business with a speed that Chin felt was remarkable. "The corpse was wearing a necklace that can only be found in one place. It was a gold token that a particular Boss only gives to hitmen who show exemplary service and have entered into his good graces with enough regularity that he'll call on them for dangerous assignments--assignments that he personally hands out."

"So the token denotes special hitmen like the ones I have in the Varia, but I'm assuming that these are a smaller force?" Hotaru inquired.

"Indeed," Orinato confirmed. "And you'll be happy to know that the target Family is perfect for our needs. The current Boss was put in place by your father, but he's gained a bad reputation for double-dealing in recent years. No one will complain if we remove him. Considering who it is, I think it's safe to name the motive, as well."

"He didn't like the way we were running things," Chin supplied.

"Exactly," Orinato nodded. "He deals in drugs, gambling, prostitution, and there's rumors that he's been dabbling in the slave trade. At the moment, he has five previously-rival Families on his ass for kidnapping in their territory and he'd be made to answer for his actions if things settled down enough that the Bosses began to bring unsolved disputes to your combined attentions. Taking either of you out would have destroyed the current truce between Families and he could have continued his dirty business in the resulting commotion. I believe that he chose to go after you because it would draw attention to the Families that were previously allied with Lionesse. No one would expect you to be targeted by an allied Family."

"Sneaky," Hotaru grumbled. "So...? Who is it? I want to take him out even more now that I know it's a traitor."

"Deter," Orinato grinned. "It looks like we'll be moving to Las Vegas, Boss."


	149. Chapter 149 Sweet Oasis

There was nothing to denote that the place was open to the public, which was exactly how Tsuna wanted it. Lost tourists passed by without stopping, but there had already been many natives from the area who'd paused to investigate after Tsuna had nailed up his modest sign beside the front gate. First, there had been two workers from a nearby casinos and a gaggle of stagehands from one of the many attractions, all of which had been on a lunch break. Then there had been a group of teenagers walking from their bus-stop who'd been drawn in by the sound of motorcycle engines. After that had been a few of the residents who lived in the surrounding area. They'd all stopped in to see who had bought 'the fort'. The description had made Tsuna chuckle because the little building really did look like an outpost from the outside. There were high walls on every side and the second floor was the only thing that could be seen from street level.

Unfortunately, the place wasn't ready for customers yet. It was getting there, though. He'd probably been a bit preemptive in putting the sign up, but he did want word to spread because he wasn't planning on expanding to make up for an increase in popularity. That was why there was a smaller sign below the first that he could switch out at need.

Maverick's Sweet Oasis

Privately Owned and Operated

"First Come, First Served"

Pets Welcome

Currently Out of Stock

It was probably arrogant of him to think that he'd ever be completely sold out, but it was an agreement that he'd made with Gabe. He wasn't going to kill himself in trying to do too much. This was his retirement, after all. Getting up early and baking was one thing. Giving himself an ulcer by pushing himself too hard to keep the cases filled was another thing. Gabe had made him promise that he'd use the 'out of stock' sign if the cases ever emptied and Tsuna didn't have leisure time to make more before closing time. Tsuna was a little exasperated at him for demanding the promise, but he was also warmed by it. It showed that Gabe had been worried about his well-being.

Of course, they still had a lot to do before Tsuna could even think about baking. The major building renovations had been completed, but there was still much to do when it came to decorating and the landscaping. Tsuna also needed to go through the applications that had come in so that he could hire some help. Tonno could probably manage the front by himself, but Tsuna didn't want to make him. If he wanted to go out for a day, Tsuna wanted to make sure that he had the freedom to do so.

Two or three should be plenty of workers, but picking out the right people was difficult. Even after tossing aside the application of anyone who didn't want to work full-time and tossing aside any application specifying an insane wage, the stack was still incredibly thick. After that, Tsuna decided to do interviews since the applications were so impersonal. Calling everyone had taken a lot of time, but it'd narrowed his options even further. A quarter of the applicants had already found other employment and another dozen had never returned his call. That left only fifteen and several of them hadn't bothered to show up at the appointed time. Another few were late and made excuses. Tsuna sent those away with excuses of his own.

One was late and apologized without giving any excuses. He told Tsuna the reason, but he bluntly told Tsuna that he knew he'd made a mistake. On that one, Tsuna chose to let it slide since the guy seemed honest. Unfortunately, the guy also honestly admitted that he wouldn't pass a drug test when Tsuna bluffed about it. In the end, he'd been sent away like all the rest. The only difference was that Tsuna gave him the promise of a job if he got clean.

Tsuna began to worry. There were only five people left to pick from. New applications came in every day and he still had the part-time applications that he could go through, but he really didn't want to be liable for more than two or three people. He really wanted full-time employees who wanted stable, reliable work instead of employees who would use his place as a pit stop between jobs. Maverick's wasn't going to be a fast-food place. He wanted a 'home-sweet-home' family atmosphere and that meant employees who would consider the place a home. He wanted workers who'd love their job and would be happy to be at work--on time--every morning. Maybe he was asking too much?

Applicant five: sent home for having a bad attitude. Tsuna almost hit him before the interview was over.

Applicant four: sent home for either being doped up on something or being too giddy. Tsuna couldn't figure out which.

Applicant three: sent home because they ran out of the building when they saw Ginger.

Applicant two: no show.

Applicant one:

"Do you do drugs?"

"No, sir."

"Gamble?"

"No, sir."

"Take medication for a psychological condition?"

"N-No, sir," Jim replied, utterly throw off-guard by Tsuna's blunt questioning. Tsuna nodded in acceptance of his answers and actually looked more closely at the guy's application. So far, he was Tsuna's best option. He was on-time, respectful, and didn't have any noticeable issues. From his application, he was also willing to work everyday from open to close.

"What's the catch?" Tsuna asked bluntly, taking off his fake reading glasses to get an unhindered look at the guy. He looked clean. Lime green eyes, brown hair, black skin and Tsuna's height. His application said that he was in his early twenties, which put him in Tonno's range. There was nothing obviously wrong with him, but Tsuna's alarms were going off. The guy's slender body had been toned and he was a little too polished. He was trying too hard to look respectable, so he had to be hiding something. "Where do you work now?"

_Bingo_.

"I'm currently unemployed," Jim answered while nervously clenching his hands together in his lap.

"Then where was the last place you worked?" Tsuna clarified with a glance down at the guy's application. The last place listed was a restaurant, but it was three years old. He had to have had a job since then since his clothes looked new.

"Um... I wrote it down, sir," he said with a gesture to his application.

"I'm not talking about what you wrote down," Tsuna retorted. "I'm talking about what you didn't write down. I can stand a lot of things, but I don't like liars. It's fine if you're ashamed and don't want to write it down, but this is just me and you sitting down for a cup of coffee. I want to know the people who are working for me. So, what did you do? Were you a drug-pusher? If so, it's fine as long as you've quit and have gotten clean. I just want the truth if I'm going to give you a job."

"I... I was handing out flyers on the Strip," he mumbled.

"Flyers?" Tsuna repeated obliviously. "You mean brochures? What kind?" Tsuna raised his eyebrow when the man blushed brightly enough for the red glow to show on his dark skin. Tsuna wasn't a fool. There was only one kind of brochure that could make a grown man blush. "So, you were a prostitute," Tsuna said bluntly, deciding that the guy needed a dose of nonchalance if the interview was going to continue. "I've known a few in my time, so I know how the business works. Have you already cut ties with your pimp?"

"Yes, sir," he mumbled with his head bowed.

"Lift your head up, boy," Tsuna admonished as he glanced down at the guy's application again to see what else might be hidden among the handwriting. "There's no shame in doing what you have to in order to survive. Take pride in the fact that you're sitting here right now. Some people are stupid enough to die before sacrificing their pride, but pride is something that can always be regained. Only your life is something that you can't get back after you lose it."

"That's why I'm here, sir," Jim replied softly. "I got fired from that restaurant because I got caught in the middle of a bad situation and no one would hire me. I have a little brother that lives with me and I didn't want to lose him, so I started selling myself. He's starting junior high, though, and he's starting to notice that I won't tell him where I work. I don't want to tell him that his big brother is doing those kinds of things, so I've been looking for a different job. I want to be 'Jim' instead of 'Gem' and I want to be someone that he can be proud of, but it's been tough, sir. I didn't want you to know that I was a prostitute because the manager of the first place I tried to apply at started hitting on me halfway through the interview. The place I tried after that refused me because the restaurant gave me a bad referral."

"But you still put it down on this application?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"It'd be no use lying about it," he shrugged. "You'd hear about it sooner or later since this is a bakery and all. If the place I was working at comes over here to scope out the competition, they'd see me and give you an earful. I figured it was better not to lie about it and take my chances."

"So, what happened?"

"The version that they'll tell you or the truth?" Jim mumbled hesitantly.

"Both."

"They'll tell you that I was pissing in the food," he answered with a pained grimace. "The truth is that I caught a new guy doing it and I didn't think that it was right. Well, I didn't know that the new guy was the owner's nephew, so I told the manager and the manager put me out on my rear before I could blink. Then he told everyone that he fired me because I'd been the one to do it and I tried to push it off on the new guy."

Truth, Tsuna's intuition supplied.

"You'll work Monday through Saturday, open to close?" Tsuna asked curiously. The guy blinked, gaped, and slowly nodded in disbelief for the question. "I'll make allowances if your brother needs you at home, but I'd like warning ahead of time if it's not an emergency. He's also free to come here and hang out after school, but he'll have to sit in a corner and study until your shift is over."

"Y-You're hiring me?" Jim choked.

"If you still want the job, it's yours," Tsuna confirmed. "Starting pay is minimum wage, but I'll increase it after I see how business is going to do. I'll also toss in holiday bonuses if I can afford it. I'll have you working up front with my son to serve customers, but all of your duties should be common sense and I'll correct you as you go. I also might occasionally call for your help in the back, but I doubt it'll be for anything that you can't handle. Also! You'll also be free to take home any leftovers that don't sell, but I'll beat you black and blue if I catch you eating during your shift. I'll warn you right now that I don't give written reprimands. This is a family business, so I'll treat you like you're family. If a smack upside the head is good enough for Tonno, it's good enough for you. You're free to turn down the job now if you're not willing to accept that. I know that it's not your typical working conditions, but you won't have to worry about getting fired over silly mistakes. As long as you're trying your best, I'll just continue to correct you until you get it right. Finally, I'm right there if you ever need anything. I like to think of myself as a fair taskmaster, so never be too afraid to stop and talk to me if you have a problem."

"I will, sir!" Jim exclaimed with an excited smile breaking out on his face. "When can I start?"

"Immediately, if you can," Tsuna answered. "I need someone to go with Tonno later to pick out uniforms and an extra set of hands is never a bad thing."

"Yes! Of course!"

"Then let's go have Warren teach me how to teach you to clock in," Tsuna chuckled as he put his glasses back on. "You probably won't see him after this week, but I have him sign the paychecks and send them to me." Standing up from the table, he gestured for Jim to follow and headed over to where Warren was signing off on the finished landscaping. It looked good in Tsuna's opinion. There wasn't so much greenery that it'd cost an arm and a leg to keep watered, but there was enough to take the edge off the heat and soften the hard texture of the surrounding walls.

The pool had been turned into a pond like he wanted, too. The water was a greenish color due to the moss and plants that had been planted at the bottom, there were lily pads floating on the top, and dozens of small fish swimming around inside--all harmless modifications that could be ignored if he or anyone else felt like swimming. The patio around it had been widened to accommodate extra tables without jeopardizing safety, too. If someone fell in the pond, they'd have to trip, be pushed in, or jump in.

"We should get some of those little yellow rubber ducks," Tsuna commented. "Whether it's a pool or a pond, it isn't fun unless it has rubber ducks in it."

"We'll get ducks if that's what you want," Warren smirked.

"The kind that squeak?"

"The kind that squeak," he promised with a laugh. "Who's that with you? Did you finally settle on one?"

"Ah," Tsuna confirmed.

"Only one?" Warren asked teasingly while looking around to ensure that Tsuna wasn't hiding more. "I'm surprised. I figured you would have taken every stray that showed up."

"Not me," Tsuna replied, holding his hands up to ward off the jinx. "I'm leaving the strays to the shelters from now on. This young man is Jim. He's prepared to work full-time and he's ready to start immediately. Do you think you can get him set up in the computer for me and then have Tonno show him around for a little bit? I need to start getting the tables set up for the assistant baker interviews."

"Are you doing _that_?" Warren asked with a mischievous grin. Tsuna grinned back and nodded. 'That' was exactly what he was doing. "Can I watch? This is going to be fun."

"Sure," Tsuna agreed. "Help me set up and Tonno, Jim and you can kick back. There's no rush on getting the uniforms and it wouldn't hurt for Jim to see my methods."

Tsuna had to laugh when Warren bustled off to get Jim's information inputted into the computer system. He was excited to see what Tsuna was planning, but Tsuna knew that he wouldn't screw up the paperwork. The computerized clock-in station was for his benefit, after all. Warren was the one who had to write out the paychecks and do the taxes since Tsuna couldn't allow his name to be on anything.

At least, not yet. His retired friend Tommy was helping him out with that. He was going through the process of becoming a legal citizen in America this time around... with the help of the authorities. It was a dangerous game that he was playing. Tommy was negotiating to get him asylum and into witness protection. He refused to break the Omerta or betray his friends, but Vongola was a dead Family. No harm would come to anyone still alive if he cleared up many unsolved cases that were a matter of historic record in the Mafia. He was a potential source of information that had probably never been seen before. This was the one and only chance that any government would have to get the truth about a lot of the mysteries hidden in their closets. There was no reason for them not to take the offer, either. He wasn't a threat to anyone anymore. The government could put as much surveillance on him as they wanted and all they'd find would be a simple baker. However, he wanted assurances and protection if he was going to talk. Not just for himself, but for his son and the unwitting people who were working for him. He didn't want them to try and blackmail him down the line. He also didn't want them to appear with threats of imprisonment. He just.... He just wanted to be left alone.

"Papa...?" Tonno asked with a concerned gleam in his eyes. Tsuna smiled in return and pointedly pushed his troubles to the back of his mind. Tonno was sensitive to his moods, so it was best not to let his mind wander. What was in front of him was more than enough to think about.

"Are you ready to set up the tables?" Tsuna asked. At Tonno's quiet nod, Tsuna smiled and turned his attention to setting up for the assistant baker interviews. Unlike the individual interviews that he'd planned for the servers, he was planning a series of tests to find himself an assistant. He'd been surprised at how many qualified people had applied despite the low wages. Admittedly, a quarter of them were fresh out of culinary school, but there was also a quarter that had years of experience under their belt. The last half were complete novices. Tsuna had accepted them anyway because skill could always be developed. What he was looking for was four things that were far more important: kindness, trust, passion, and loyalty.

He didn't think that he'd really get someone with all of those qualities, though, so he settled with weeding out the ones that he didn't like. This wasn't as easy as it sounded. Every single one of them showed up early. They were all dressed nicely and were physically prepared for hard work. They all had determined looks in their eyes when they saw that there was to be a series of qualifying tests. However, there was only one who stood out to him and that was only because the man instantly took a position at a back table despite the tables still available in the center.

Crud. Well, everyone was ready and both Warren and Jim were settled in to the side to watch with cold drinks. Since he couldn't weed any of them out on sight, his only option was to see if they would weed themselves out.

"Before we begin, I'd like to say a few words," Tsuna said while sending Tonno a nearly invisible cue. Tonno nodded and slipped into the kitchen to fetch what he needed. "First off, I thank you all for coming and I warn you that only one person here will be hired. I also apologize for not forewarning you that the interview would not be on an individual basis. However, being a baker does not mean that you get to sit back in a kitchen and hide from customers. I wish for Maverick's staff to become a team where the bakers can help attend to the front when needed and that means that I need to see how you'll be able to interact with others. The wages will also be low until Maverick's reputation can grow. If you prefer a more solitary position or was hoping to negotiate for a higher wage, you might want to see opportunities elsewhere." Pausing, Tsuna gave a polite nod to the two bakers who grimaced and chose to bow out before testing. However, neither left. Instead, they walked over to where Warren was sitting in order to ask permission to watch. Students, Tsuna guessed. They didn't have experience and wanted to know what sorts of tests that they might encounter in the future. At Warren's glance of askance, Tsuna gave a short nod in permission before continuing.

"Before I forget, I'd like to ask if any of you--" Right on cue, Gabe appeared in the doorway of the kitchen to interrupt. "Do you need something? I thought you were going to wait upstairs for me."

"I got tired of waiting," Gabe grinned as Warren tried to hide his red-faced grin behind his hands. The man knew what was coming. "Plus, I wanted to see you in an apron again."

"Gabe!" Tsuna exclaimed with a purposeful blush. "I'm trying to work here!"

"Whatever," he sighed in disappointment. "Just come work on me when you're done."

"GABE!" Tsuna spluttered. His blush worsened as Gabe disappeared back upstairs, but the damage was done--exactly as he'd hoped it would be. Three of the applicant's faces had turned green from disgust. Now Tsuna just had to give them an excuse to leave gracefully. "Sorry about that," Tsuna mumbled. "Um, where was I? Oh! I'd like to ask any of you if you have a problem with working off the clock for charity on occasion. It'd be only an hour or two whenever one of the local charities needs help, but I know that many of you might have families that need you to keep a regular schedule." As expected, the three green-faced people bowed out at the first opportunity and left far more quickly than necessary. An extra one bowed out, too, and went to the side to watch with the others who'd stayed. That was fine for Tsuna. He really didn't want an employee who wasn't willing to put in a little extra work for a good cause.

"This is an animal friendly facility," Tsuna continued. "If any of you have allergies, you might want to seek opportunities elsewhere." At this, one more person grimaced and bowed out of the testing. This one was also quick to leave when Tonno exited the kitchen with Ginger following. As expected, eyes bulged from every direction from those who stayed and the three watching bakers began to look slightly regretful for weeding themselves out so early. "This is Ginger. He's a very rare tanuki that lives here with me. Ginger, please say hello."

"Hello," Ginger repeated unhappily.

"Ginger, do it right," Tsuna growled in warning.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Hello, my name is Ginger. I'm the Mascot for Maverick's. I don't bite without warning or shit on the floor--"

"Ginger!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Well, I don't," he barked in laughter.

"Anyway," Tsuna sighed with a small shake of his head for Ginger's attitude. "Ginger is not a person in a suit, he's not a parrot, and it's not ventriloquism. I expect anyone who works here to give him the same amount of respect that you'd give me. If anyone has problems with the thought of treating Ginger as equally as a human, you might want to seek opportunities elsewhere." Predictably, no one left. "Alright," Tsuna grinned as he looked over the final ten. "That narrowed it down more than I thought it would. From here on out will begin the test. Don't panic if you're a novice baker. I'll tell you right now that I don't care about your credentials or your experience. Skill is a bonus, but what I'm looking for is something far more precious. If any of you have a problem with that, then you might want to see employment opportunities elsewhere."

Once again, no one left. Seeing that he'd been left with the ones who truly wanted the job, weren't homophobic, liked animals, and had a decent work-ethic, Tsuna waved to Tonno to begin searching through the applications for the ten that Tsuna actually needed to look at. He went one at a time to the bakers to get their names and left the applications on their tables along with a number for Tsuna to use as a reference. Then he went back into the kitchen to bring out the first test. It was fairly simple. Each person had a tray holding three pieces of cake. They were told to eat at leisure and were asked the same question. One at a time, Tonno went around and had them whisper the answer in his ear, which Tonno then marked down on a tablet for Tsuna to look over.

"Which one would you serve?"

The question wasn't as simple as it seemed. There was a trick to all three: they were all appropriate to serve. However, they were all different. The first one was a very low-quality cake. The ingredients had been cheap and it wasn't time-consuming to make. It still tasted good and the texture was fine despite the lack of icing. The second was a medium-quality cake. The ingredients were as simple as the first, but it'd taken a bit more time to prepare in order to make it more light and fluffy. There was also the visual appeal added with simple dab of whipped-cream frosting and a strawberry slice on top. The last one was a very high-quality confectionery that would typically be served at the end of an expensive meal. It was covered with an incredibly thin layer of fondant, a zig-zag pattern of strawberry glaze, and a very fine cactus flower that had been hand crafted with gum paste and hand-painted with baker's petal dust. In appearance, quality, and taste, there other two couldn't compare.

While everyone made their decisions, Tsuna waved at Warren to get each of the three watching bakers a plate of samples. All three of them gave Tsuna a gesture of appreciation for the free tasting and Tsuna grinned as they became confused. They knew what Tsuna knew--all of them were worthy of being served. However, they weren't under the pressure of being tested like the remaining ten were. Under pressure, the true question being asked was which applicants would close their minds.

"Let's see," Tsuna said as he looked over the results. "Number two, three, six, eight and nine. I thank you for coming, but you're not what I'm looking for."

"What?!" All five of the failed applicants exclaimed in outrage.

"I want an explanation!" Number two exclaimed. "The one I picked was--"

"Number one," Tsuna continued, ignoring failed applicant's outburst. "You chose only number one. Can you tell me how you came to that decision?" As expected, the question silenced the failures, who were curious why the person who chose the lowest-quality cake was able to stay while they were forced to leave.

"Well," Number one replied slowly. "All three were good, but I took time management into consideration. We were warned when we came in that you were only wanting one of us and there's not many people who look like staff here, so I figured that you were planning on managing without a lot of extra hands. So I narrowed it down to the cake that could be remade the easiest."

"I'll take that," Tsuna murmured in thought. "However, quality should never be sacrificed because of time constraints. For future reference, we give people what they pay for. If we can't, then we don't take their money. Number four, you choose all three. May I ask why?"

"I couldn't pick one," the young woman answered with a faint blush. "They were all so good, but in different ways. I felt like I could eat the first one every day without getting sick of it. The second one was sweeter, but not so sweet that I felt bad after eating it. And the third was wonderful enough for me to give as a birthday present. I could swear that I was eating something worth a hundred dollars!"

"Good answer, but you don't get extra points for praise," Tsuna chuckled with a wink. "Number five? You picked number one and two exclusively. Same question."

"The third one was too refined," he answered bluntly. "It wouldn't sell well to an average customer because the price would need to be higher and making it regularly would be a waste of ingredients if it doesn't sell. It's better to spend the time making extra of the first two."

"I'll accept that," Tsuna agreed with a small nod. "That only leaves number number seven and ten. Number seven? You picked all three. Same question."

"Same answer as the girl," he replied. "The quality is passable for all three. I'd serve any of them, but at different prices."

"Good," Tsuna nodded before turning his attention to the defeated man in the back. "That only leaves number ten. You chose none. May I ask why?"

"I should probably leave now," he mumbled without meeting Tsuna's eyes. "I don't think my reason is something you'll accept."

"Let me decide that," Tsuna grinned before deciding to surprise the guy. "Just so you know, your answer is the only totally correct one." Tsuna's grin widened even more as the guy's head snapped up and the other bakers looked ready to faint. "I'd like to hear your own reasoning before I explain, though."

"They taste bad," Number ten answered with a slack jaw for Tsuna's statement. "They taste like they were made by a machine."

"Exactly," Tsuna laughed, tossing Warren a pleased look. He liked number ten. He liked the guy a lot. "Actually, all of them were made by a machine. I bought them pre-made from the supermarket up the road and decorated them. I didn't want to allow myself to be misled by praise for my baking. Now, each of you have given acceptable answers and I'll pass you onto the next round of testing. As for those of you who failed, I believe that you should now understand why you failed. All of you were misled by the quality of the third piece and chose it exclusively. You closed your mind to accepting something of lesser quality, even though customers will not always want something so sweet or expensive. I appreciate your attempt at my little test and I apologize for taking up so much of your time, but I only have room for one assistant and I'd prefer one who doesn't automatically assume that a higher class of goods is a better class of goods. Feel free to continue watching if you want, but I hope that you'll accept your defeat gracefully."

Three accepted gracefully and headed over to watch while the other two threw a tantrum, knocked over their tables, and stormed out. Tsuna ignored them. There were still five worthy candidates that he had to narrow down and paying attention to sore losers was a waste of time.

"Let's move on to the next test," Tsuna sighed as Tonno headed into the kitchen to wheel out a cart full of supplies. As soon as it was in place, he headed back in a second time to bring out a cart of plain sheet cakes. "This test will be quite simple," Tsuna explained. "I have several cakes that I'm planning to send to the homeless shelter for their dinner tonight. I'd like you to decorate them." Tsuna waited until the trained bakers began to look smug and the novices began to look nervous before throwing them the twist. "You have five minutes, starting thirty seconds ago."

Everyone wasted twenty seconds by staring at him. Five minutes was enough time to put frosting on a cake, but showing a large amount of skill would be impossible! Tsuna could see the trained bakers working it out in their heads as they rushed over to the cart to pick their toppings. He also saw their moment of horrified realization when they saw that he'd left out any type of pre-made frosting, fondant, or mixers. Whatever they figured out would have to be made by hand and that alone would take up most of the five minutes.

Two of the men took the hint from the bottles of water on the table and began to make a sugar glaze. The girl, being a complete novice, didn't try to make frosting or a glaze. Instead, she chose several oranges and began hurriedly slicing them and arranging them pinwheel fashion across the top with a sprinkling of cherries. One of the other guys began doing the same with fresh strawberries and number ten began doing the most curious thing of all--he finely diced two apples and mixed them in a bowl along with water, cinnamon, brown sugar, and walnuts. The result was poured across the top of the cake.

"Time!" Tsuna called. Glancing around, at the results, Tsuna nodded to himself. All of them were acceptable at first glance. The two cakes with a sugar glaze were simple, but the topping had been wisely chosen. The glaze would help trap moisture into the cake so that it didn't dry out quickly in the heat, but it wasn't so thick that it'd give anyone a sugar high. However, on closer inspection, Tsuna had to dismiss one of them for ruining the idea. "Number one, I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. You would have been fine if you'd left it alone, but you tried to make yours better than number seven's by adding food coloring. I can tell without cutting it open that you added too much and the food coloring is seeping through the cake. You've compromised both the taste and the texture. It was a good idea, but I can't hire you if you're willing to--"

"Naw, it's okay," he laughed sheepishly. "I know I made a mistake, so I'll bow out. Thanks for having me, sir." Tsuna gave him a nod of appreciation for his time and gestured for him to watch the rest of the test with the others. After that, Tsuna turned to the others and decided that he couldn't dismiss anyone else without getting an explanation.

"Lets start with number four," Tsuna ordered. "Why did you decorate the way that you did?"

"I don't know how to make frosting from scratch," she admitted with a faint blush. "Since this is supposed to go to homeless people, I thought about what my mother always told me about oranges being good for the teeth. Homeless people always seem to have a problem with their teeth and... um..."

"I'll let it pass," Tsuna laughed. "But here's a little lesson for you. Many homeless people do have bad teeth from a lack of citrus in their diet and end up with scurvy, but a lot of times it's from drug abuse. Heroine especially. It's also from smoking cigarette butts out of ashtrays and not having any way to brush their teeth afterward to get rid of the tar. On another note, your choice is good because oranges have a lot of vitamin C and simple water. Both are needed to keep illness at bay, so... good job. Number five?"

"Same answer," the man said with a nod in the girl's direction. "Strawberries have more vitamin C than oranges, plus they have fiber and potassium. They're also more visually appealing."

"I'll take that," Tsuna smiled. "Very good answer. Number seven?"

"I didn't want to waste ingredients," he answered with a glance down at his plain sugar coating. "With something simple like this, they'll get the taste without you having to spend as much."

"That's true, but I can't pass that answer," Tsuna replied as he looked down at the cake in disappointment. "If you'd cited the protective nature of the glaze coating, it would have been one thing, but thriftiness should never be a reason to hold back from giving to others. Other bakers might think differently and other bakeries might have different methods, but not here. I'm sure that you'll go far with your abilities, but I'm sorry. You'll have to seek employment opportunities elsewhere."

"To each, their own," he sighed with a shrug. "Can I still watch?" Giving him a nod in permission, Tsuna turned to the one he'd silently been favoring and prayed that the guy wouldn't disappoint him.

"Number ten?" Tsuna prompted.

"It's no good," he mumbled, confirming to Tsuna that the guy had a major lack of confidence.

"Just tell me your reasoning and I'll decide whether it's no good," Tsuna soothed.

"I didn't think about any particular reason," he answered with a bowed head. "I just thought it'd taste good."

"You pass," Tsuna said shortly. "Now, if the three of you remaining will take these front tables, we'll move on to the last test." Tsuna watched them carefully as they rearranged themselves. They were down to three. There was the girl, number four, who'd been unable to choose a cake and had used oranges to decorate. There was number five, who'd said that the third cake was too refined and had used strawberries to decorate. Then there was number ten, who'd said none and had decorated with a topping similar to a pie filling. All three had potential. However, not all of them could be hired. "Alright," Tsuna sighed, gesturing for Tonno to pass out the materials for the last test--a measuring cup and a spoon. "This one will actually be a competition. It's fairly simple. I'll offer the job to the first person to come back with a cup of flour and an egg. You're free to start whenever you want."

Once more, the applicants stared at him in confusion and disbelief, but Tsuna refused to give them any hints. Number four and five ran out the door in unison, predictably racing for the nearest supermarket. Number ten headed out at a leisurely pace without an ounce of hope in his body language. He already expected to fail. Tsuna knew differently, though.

"Number ten will win," Tonno murmured in thought when Tsuna headed over to meet with the failed applicants. Tsuna grinned when the statement had the effect of silencing everyone still in the bakery. "The closest supermarket is a twenty minute walk. They'll make it in ten if they run the whole way there and five if they think to take a car. If one of them has a car, they'll likely go to the grocery store that they regularly go to, but that will actually take even longer. There's also the check-out lines that will stall them. Even if they think to go to a nearby restaurant and ask for help, they'll have to talk the manager into giving in to such a strange request. You tricked them by giving them a spoon, too. Even though you didn't tell them what to do with it, they'll think that they're supposed to run back while balancing the egg on it, so they'll make mistakes and take even longer."

"Exactly," Tsuna nodded. "I'm testing their common sense. Number ten doesn't have any expectations, so he won't over-thinking such a simple task. There's always a chance that one of the other two will figure it out and come back, but..." Tsuna grinned as number ten walked back through the door with his measuring cup filled and an egg in his hand. He looked surprised when he saw that he was the first one back, but it was just as Tsuna had expected. "You went next door and asked to borrow a cup of flour and an egg," Tsuna said knowingly.

"No," he corrected while he continued to look around for the other applicants that he was competing against. "I live a block away. I went home and got it out of my kitchen. Was that bad?"

"That's even smarter," Tonno commented while Tsuna tried to hide his glee over the dumbfounded expressions on the failed applicant's faces. "You don't have to pay anyone back. You would have lost if either of the others had thought to go next door, but they're idiots."

"Tonno," Tsuna admonished. "Be nice. Everyone here tried their hardest, so why don't you go pass out the thank you packages to everyone for staying to watch?" Tonno nodded in acceptance and obediently headed into the kitchen with Ginger to get the cart of packages. Inside was a piece of cake, coupons for free samples on opening day, and a ticket to the next Baking Expo. As Tsuna expected, the tickets went a long way toward soothing ruffled feelings. Tsuna figured that the cake itself would give them even more to think about when they got home, though. It was his own recipe and he'd put every ounce of his intuition and skill into making it. Every single one of them would pause after the first bite and Tsuna doubted that the trained bakers would be able to gobble it down like the novices would. Instead, they'd likely spend all night in trying to understand the mystery of it's simple-yet-not-simple goodness.

Turning his attention back to the winner of the competition, Tsuna left the rest in the hands of Tonno and Ginger. He also left it to Warren to keep the other two applicants from leaving after they returned from their task in case the winner didn't make the cut after an actual interview. The man still didn't seem to understand that he'd won, so Tsuna's first priority was to get him comfortably seated at a secluded table on the patio and inform him of such.

"Andy," Tsuna said as he looked over the man's application. He was twenty-one, taller than Tsuna and much bulkier. He had long hair, but he had it tied back like a professional. His expression refused to deviate from 'solemn' and 'downtrodden', but there were hints of smile-lines around his mouth and eyes. He had a calm aura about him as if he were mentally slow, but Tsuna had seen his quick thinking. Pressure simply didn't affect him. From his application, he'd attended a culinary school, but the reason for leaving wasn't listed. Tsuna guessed that it was probably a recent choice and also the reason for the man's depression. "I'll cut to the chase," Tsuna said, deciding to be blunt for the man's sake. "Are you looking for a permanent job or a temporary one?"

"Permanent," he answered quietly.

"You're willing to work Monday through Saturday, from four in the morning until seven at night?"

"Do I get breaks?" He asked without meeting Tsuna's eyes.

"Of course," Tsuna confirmed. "The only big rush will be in the mornings to get set up. After that, you can work at your own pace. I'm not a slave-driver, so I'll be happy as long as the orders get filled and the cases are stocked. There's also a limit of three special order cakes per day. First come, first served with no exceptions. I see no sense in biting off more than I can chew. As long as the stuff in the cases sell, three cakes are more than enough to make a respectable profit. I also might ask for a little extra around the holidays, but--"

"That's fine," he interrupted. Tsuna pressed his lips together and gave the man another look-over. He seemed like he could do the job and he did have all the qualities that Tsuna was looking for, but there was a lack of passion that was worrisome. Yet, Tsuna couldn't forget the man's answer to the first question. He'd said that they tasted like they were made by a machine, which meant that he could taste when someone put their emotions into their baking. Someone with that ability couldn't possibly be a bad baker. However, the man also seemed to have an issue that might affect his baking and Tsuna's intuition said not to question him directly.

"Excuse me," Tsuna said as he got up from the table. "I'll be right back." Heading over to the lingering applicants who were talking about baking with Warren, Tsuna interjected with a silent question. "Do any of you know Andy?" Bingo, Tsuna thought as the two students who'd backed out first traded worried glances. "This isn't going to affect whether I hire him. I just want to know what his hang-up is."

"It was a competition," the older of the two answered with a grimace. "Andy used to go to school with us, but he's been different ever since this national competition that a lot of us entered. He's never talked about what happened, but I've got a good guess. One of the other guys stole Andy's recipe, the one that he'd been saving for the final round, and used it before Andy could--"

"So that's why he quit even though he was winning!" The other student exclaimed in outrage. "Which one did it? If I get my hands on--"

"That's just the thing," the older one interrupted. "Andy isn't the type to point fingers at people and there's no proof of foul play. He was hurt by it, but Andy didn't try to get revenge. After that, though, his mother passed away and he hasn't been the same since. He stopped coming to class and I heard that he dropped out. I was really surprised to see him here. I thought that he'd given up baking."

"I see," Tsuna whispered in consideration. It was a trust issue combined with a loss of an important person. Andy was like a dog who'd been kicked too many times. He still wanted to bake, but he didn't know what he was baking for anymore. How should Tsuna--

"Here, Papa," Tonno said, holding up a 'thank you' box with a notepad and pen on top. Tsuna's face lit up. He knew exactly what Tonno was suggesting and it'd definitely be a good start!

"Thanks," he said before darting back over to Andy's table with the items. Andy didn't even blink over his return nor did he ask what Tsuna was writing down. He was probably expecting to get kicked again and was just waiting for Tsuna to tell him that he wasn't fit for the job. That was why Tsuna did the complete opposite. "Here," Tsuna grinned, handing over both the box and the paper that he'd written on. "We've got another week to go before we're ready to open, but I'd like you here tomorrow so you can help me get the kitchen set up."

"Eh?" Andy gaped.

"You're hired," Tsuna clarified with a small smile. "Also, I want you to know that I treat my employees like family and I hope that you'll come to think of this bakery as 'home'. I need an assistant who can bake with kindness, be trusted, and will come to have a sense of loyalty to this place. It'll fall apart if I'm the only one who cares about keeping this place open. I also need an assistant who is passionate about baking." Andy grimaced, but Tsuna wasn't unsympathetic. "I see that passion inside you," he continued before Andy could close his mind. "It's been beaten down, but it's not dead. That's why I'd like you to go home, relax, and enjoy this piece of cake until tomorrow. I've also given you the recipe for it, which is something that none of the others were given. It might be naive of me, but... I'd rather be naive than cold-hearted and I think that you're the same way."

Andy slowly looked up at him with the same solemn expression that he'd had the entire day. However, Tsuna could see a spark lighting in his big brown eyes. He was still fighting it, but Tsuna had struck the right chords. Andy was beginning to hope again. He was beginning to believe in himself and others again. It might take weeks, months, or even years for the consequences of Tsuna's actions to make visible changes to Andy, but Tsuna had no doubt that they would. Andy's potential could still blossom.

"Thank you," he mumbled before turning his eyes back downward. It was almost as if the previous moment hadn't happened, but Tsuna knew that it had. Andy would become a very valuable assistant and he'd actually need less work than the girl would have. Andy only needed a bit of confidence. The girl would have needed to be taught everything down to the fundamentals. "I'll be here tomorrow, sir."

Holding out his hand to illicit a handshake, Tsuna stood and escorted Andy to the gate. Then he turned to the group of lingering bakers and saw that the final two had returned from their attempt at his test. They were both sheepish when Tsuna told them that they could have asked to get the flour and egg from the bakery's kitchen, but they accepted their defeat with smiles. The girl admitted that she hadn't expected to get so far and that the test had motivated her to go to culinary school. The man had nothing to complain about, either, since Warren had offered him a job at one of the home stores--moving fees included--and the guy had instantly accepted.

Tsuna wasn't sure how to get rid of them after that. He still had so much to do. Tonno needed to go with Jim to find uniforms for the servers and Tsuna needed to start looking through part-time applications for more staff people. He needed at least one more person, possibly two, if he was going to settle for part-time employees. Warren needed to go after Bo and the Golems to tell them that the interviews were temporarily done. That way, they could come back to the bakery and get to unpacking and arranging the furniture. There was also--

"That's it," Gabe growled, appearing behind him so suddenly that Tsuna jumped a foot into the air. He didn't get a chance to land. Before he could say anything, Gabe had him tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and was carrying him through the kitchen. Tsuna gave him credit. He made it halfway up the stairs in his kidnapping attempt before Tsuna's weight became too much for him. "You can walk, but you're only allowed walking upstairs," Gabe laughed while breathlessly barring the way back downstairs. "Dammit. How are you so heavy?"

"You're just getting old," Tsuna teased mischievously. Darting up the stairs, Tsuna laughed when Gabe chased after him. He also allowed himself to get caught as soon as they got in the bedroom so that Gabe could show him that he was still young where it counted.

Break time!

* * *

Ting!

Tsuna's eyes snapped open and he was instantly alert. Slipping out from under Gabe's arm, Tsuna snatched his boxers off of the floor and silently slipped them on. Then he went to his dresser and silently pulled out his X-Gloves. The sound had come from outside. If it was Tonno or Ginger, there would have been more than a quiet 'ting'. He would know better than to hide his presence. The Golems were all at Tommy's house and they would have rang the bell to get through the gate. Tsuna's hitman instincts wouldn't have kicked in for any of them, either. The only possibility was that there was an intruder within the walls and there was no way to tell if it was a hitman or a common burglar.

Carefully peek out of his door, Tsuna smiled when he saw Tonno peeking out from the door across the hall. He'd heard the noise and reacted, too. Just like Tsuna, he was only wearing boxers due to the day-time heat, but he'd also thought to tightly belt on a bath robe to ward off the night-time chill.

Ting!

Tracing the sound to his balcony door, Tsuna waved Tonno into his room to join him in investigating. Tonno was good, Tsuna noticed with unmerited pride. He moved silently and he understood commands without needing verbal cues. Tsuna raised his eyebrow a little bit at the old-style revolver in his son's hands, but he decided to let it slide. After all, Tonno had been hunting vampires for the past few years and Tsuna wasn't stupid enough to think that all vampires were good. There were still plenty of outcasts in the world.

Ting!

Tsuna was grateful that he'd had the forethought to grease the balcony's sliding door. It opened without a sound, allowing both Tsuna and Tonno to crouch down and peek out. It was almost disappointing when they saw the culprit. It was some fool who thought that he could rip off Gabe's chopper. Tsuna didn't let his guard down, though. There was always the possibility that the guy was a lure.

Ting!

"Shit," the man below cursed under his breathe.

"Mwousse," Gabe mumbled in his sleep with a wide grin.

_I'll jump over and catch him, you go around and check the front gate_, Tsuna silently signalled. _Eyes to the roof. Watch for traps_.

_Roger_, Tonno confirmed before silently back-stepping in a crouching position and slipping out of Tsuna's room to use the stairs. Tsuna took a moment to smother his smile as his son left. It wasn't an ordinary father-and-son activity, but they weren't an ordinary pair.

In order to make the jump to the first floor without taking damage, Tsuna released his Flame to just below surface level and took several deep breathes. Then, quietly slipping out onto the balcony, he made sure to shut the door so that the noise wouldn't wake Gabe. He'd probably be mad when he found out that he'd been left out later, but Gabe wasn't a fighter. He never had been and never would be, no matter how many weights he lifted. If he were to see someone screwing with his motorcycle, he'd fly into a rage that would involve more shouting and yelling than actual effective action. So, it was up to Tsuna to take care of the problem.

"Oi," Tsuna called down as he balanced himself on the balcony railing. The man's head snapped up and Tsuna smiled as the guy's eyes widened. He'd been caught and now he knew that he'd been caught. "You really picked the wrong place to rob."

"Fuck!" He yelped before turning to run. Before jumping after him, Tsuna gauged the man's speed, trajectory, and balance. Then, Tsuna moved with perfect timing in order to ensure that the burglar face-planted into the ground with the least amount of damage done to his precious landscaping.

"Whoa, boy!" Tsuna exclaimed, stretching his legs out to straddle the guy's back before he could think to roll away. He found himself laughing when the man pushed himself up to his knees anyway and tried to buck Tsuna off his back. "I said, whoa, boy!" Tsuna grinned with a firm chop to the back of the guy's neck. He faceplanted again from the blow and thankfully stopped struggling. "Oops," Tsuna grimaced when he saw that he'd knocked the man unconscious.

Sighing in exasperation at himself, Tsuna carefully got off the man's back and scanned the bakery's roof. Clear. He scaled the wall with nothing more than momentum in order to ensure that the alley was empty of partners-in-crime. Clear. Grabbing the man by his belt, Tsuna lifted him off the ground as if he were a package and carried him around to the front. Tonno rushed across the yard to take over the 'heavy lifting' as soon as they caught sight of each other and Tsuna let out a breath of relief that Tonno had wisely left the front door unlocked because his boxers didn't have any pockets to hold keys in and it was amazingly cold outside.

"I thought you switched to briefs," Tonno commented as he fetched a chair for the burglar to be set in.

"I switched back," Tsuna grinned. "More room to breathe in this heat."

"Here," Tonno murmured as he unbelted his robe. "Put this on so--"

"Oi!" Tsuna laughed, holding his hands up in objection. "I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of you! You keep that...." Tsuna's face fell in shock as Tonno finished pulling the robe off. Up until now, he'd been particularly careful in making sure not to invade Tonno's privacy, so he'd never seen the boy without his shirt on. It was obvious to him now that it'd been more of Tonno's doing than his, though. The boy had been hiding something--a lot of somethings. The right side of Tonno's upper body was covered with burns. Obeying Tsuna's gesture, he spun around to show that his back was even worse.

"There was a fire at CEDEF HQ a long time ago," Tonno explained tonelessly while thrusting the robe into Tsuna's hands. "Mr. B managed to save me, but the doctors could only do so much. I'm told that I'm lucky that they could fix as much as they did, but you don't have to think about it, Papa. They're old wounds, so they don't hurt anymore, and they don't affect my daily life. As long as I keep a shirt on--"

Tsuna silenced him by simply wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into an enforced hug.

"You don't have to pretend with me," Tsuna whispered into his ear while refusing to let the boy look at his face. "It's okay to be pissed off at me, Basil, yourself, or whoever else you want to be pissed off at. It shouldn't have happened to you and it wasn't fair. I've been there, Tonno. What you're doing is exactly what I did when I was covered in scars--I tried to pretend that they didn't bother me so that people wouldn't worry and they'd stop staring at me. But they do hurt, which is why I want you to know... It doesn't pain me to look at you. The scars you have are scars that you got in your journey to be with me and you might have taken a different road without them. So I'd rather that you didn't hide what you're feeling. If you hide it, I can't help but feel selfish about thinking of them as a blessing."

"A... blessing...?

"A blessing," Tsuna repeated. "So if you want to cry or shout or beat me to a pulp for not being there, you can. You can't hurt your Papa, Tonno. I'm stronger than I look, so stop pretending like I'll break if you throw a few punches."

"Grazie, Papa," Tonno murmured without any sign of the outburst that Tsuna had been hoping for. "But you don't have to pretend, either," he said, making Tsuna stiffen in surprise. "I'm really okay with my scars. You see them as a blessing, but I see them as..."

"As...?"

"Can we talk about this later?" Tonno asked as he shrugged off Tsuna's hug. Tsuna grimaced at the polite refusal to open up, but he'd already known that Tonno would need time. It'd taken him months in the Cathedral to unburden himself and that had been with spiritual aid. It'd also been exclusively for himself. Opening up to another person took a completely different type of courage and preparation. "We still need to figure out what to do about the burglar," Tonno pointed out, gesturing to the guy who was beginning to come around. "We can't call the cops and you'd get mad if I buried him in the desert, so what should we do? If we just dump him in an alley somewhere, he might start talking about what happened tonight."

"Well," Tsuna said slowly, "I do need another worker..."

"Papa! You wouldn't!" Tonno objected. "You can't trust him!"

"Why not?" Tsuna grinned. "If it's one thing I've learned in life, it's that everyone can be trusted in the right set of circumstances. We just have to put the fear into him."

"Torture?" Tonno asked with a considering look on his face.

"No!" He spluttered in laughter. "We don't need to go that far! Here... Put your robe back on and just watch your Papa work for a while. I've got an idea."

"Okay...."

* * *

Ray slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Where the hell was he? Had he passed out at the card table again? No... This was a cafe of some kind--

Cafe. The motorcycle. SHIT! Juke was going to kill him! What time was it?! Jumping to his feet, Ray stared at his watch for nearly a minute before he comprehended the time. Then he slowly sat back down and put his face into his hands. Shit! Shit, shit, SHIT! He was an hour late on the drop off! What the hell was he supposed to do now?! Juke was going to break his kneecaps! Ray should have listened when the guys said not to take out a loan from a creep like him, but he hadn't listened and now he was fucked. There was no way in hell that he could come up with fifty thousand dollars on his own! He had to, though. He had to or else Juke had promised to put him on disability--permanently.

Fuck it. He'd just sit here and wait to be caught. Yep. That's what he'd do. Whoever had knocked him out must be upstairs, calling the cops. He'd just wait for them to pick him up. Juke wouldn't be able to reach him that way. Shit! He didn't want to do that! Bad things happened to guys like him in jail! If Juke had friends on the inside...

He was screwed. No matter what he did, he was completely and utterly screwed. Juke wasn't going to take an apology. He'd tried his best, though! A pair of rims here. A television there. He'd managed to stall Juke this long, but now he was out of luck. Juke had seen the motorcycle that came in and out of this place and he'd asked for it specifically. Juke wasn't the kind of guy to accept failure. No bike equaled no kneecaps.

"Geez," a man sighed, stepping into the room through the open front doors. Ray slowly lifted his head and stared. It had to be the guy who owned the place, but the guy who owned the place was a weirdo. He was only wearing boxers and a pair of fingerless gloves, even though the cops had to be on the way. He was also smoking a cigarette as if a burglar was an everyday occurrence. "I had this great plan to scare the shit out of you, but you're not trying to escape," the owner sighed. "I was going to make you think you'd stumbled into a demon's den and... Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. You look like you've already got your own demons to worry about. So, go ahead and spit it out or I'll call the cops. Why were you trying to steal my boyfriend's bike? Was it for cheap thrills?"

Ray stared, wondering what sort of drugs the guy was on.

"Not cheap thrills," he murmured in thought. "You like motorcycles? No, not that, either. Then you had to be planning to steal it for money," he continued. Ray stiffened, but tried his damnest to keep his face blank. Who the hell was this guy? What did he think he was going to prove by figuring out Ray's motives? Was he a cop? Shit. Ray did have that kind of luck. "I'm not a cop," the man said in amusement. Ray clenched his teeth together. So it was like that. Ray wasn't a fool. Mind-reading was a common parlor trick on the Las Vegas Strip. The guy was just another fraud. "How much do you owe, boy?"

Ray refused to answer. If the guy wanted to call the cops, then fine. However, he wasn't going to play to--

Click.

"You might want to answer," a second, younger man said, smiling widely when Ray turned to find a gun to his head. "You chose the wrong people to rip off. If I had any say in the matter, you'd already be six feet under in a desert grave because you don't seem like the type of guy to have people that will wonder what happened to you."

"What do you care?" Ray spat.

"Oh!" The first grinned with his face lighting up. "Is that a Jersey accent?"

"New York," the second corrected.

"Shh," the first shushed. "I know it is, but you need to let this guy answer. Talking about meaningless things will make him relax and then we can get down to business more quickly."

"I see," the second replied before turning back to Ray. "Is that a Jersey accent?"

Ray stared up at the younger one before slowly turning back to the older, grinning one. What the fuck was _wrong _with these guys? They weren't right in the head or something! They were trying to make him relax, but they were also holding a fucking gun to his head! He'd met a lot of insane people in his lifetime, but these two--

"Who are you working for, boy?" The elder one asked as his hopeful smile began to fade. "I'm not going to give you any sob story about how I want to help you and I'm not going to make you listen to a lecture on how stealing is bad. Just tell me who you're working for and your name. In exchange, my son won't break your fingers one at a time."

Ray gulped. They definitely weren't normal people. Fuck! First a loan-shark and now some Mafia wannabes! Who was he going to run into next? An Al Capone imitator? He didn't really have a choice, though. The younger guy who was holding the gun looked like he was itching to break some fingers.

"I'm Ray," he answered with a grimace. "Juke sent me." Already feeling the blows ready to fall for giving up Juke's name, Ray buried his head in his knees and covered his neck with his hands. He was a dead man. He might as well borrow the guy's gun and shoot himself. It'd be a whole lot less painful than--

"Oi, Tommy," the older one said, making Ray freeze in place. Slowly lifting his head, Ray found himself staring in disbelief again. The guy was on a cell phone and 'Tommy' didn't sound like a cop's name. "I'm sorry for waking you, but I've got a bit of a situation. No! No, it's okay. It's nothing serious. I just found a rat digging in my trash and I was wondering if you might know the species. Yeah. Uh huh. Ray. Dunno. Yeah, Juke. Oh. I see. Your nephew? Yeah. He tried to rip off Gabe's bike. I don't think it was his idea. You will? Be sure not to drop my name. Oh, you don't need to? That's great. Thanks."

Ray continued staring when the man hung up the phone, grinned, and took a long, self-satisfied pull off his cigarette.

"I'm waiting for a call," the man explained before his cell phone rang again. He waited until the third ring to answer it. "Hello? Ah! Just the man I was hoping to talk to. That's right. I've got him right here." Ray paled. He was S. C. R. E. W. E. D. "Well, you know how it is. A little pain here and there and people's mouths just start babbling the most amazing things. Yeah, Tommy's an old, old friend of mine. That's alright. I'll take your apology. I have been trying to keep low key, so you didn't know. I'm retired, you know. Yep. Maverick's Sweet Oasis, that's me. Uh huh. Well, you see... about that-- No, I'd really like to keep him here. Good help is really hard to find. Ray owes a hundred thousand dollars?"

"That's--" Ray blurted in outrage. The younger man silenced him with a solid punch to his jaw before he could say more. Ray ignored the blow. He was used to getting punched in the face and he was much more interested in the bullshit that Juke--

"I see, but you're willing to cut it down to fifty-thousand for me," the guy continued. "You know, Juke... That's really kind of you, but I don't think you realize who you're dealing with. I'm not a cheap sucker that was born yesterday. But we haven't had formal introductions and I'm not really interested in any, either, so I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you twenty thousand and you're going to take it. Yup. That's right. You're going to take it and you're going to pretend that you never met Ray. Why would you do that, you ask? Well, because we both know that you were never expecting to get more than twenty thousand back from a guy like Ray. I've seen this type of recruiting scheme before. You get him in a lot of debt and then you use that debt to make him work for you. I really don't like that method, but I know it's effective. Now, twenty thousand is more than enough to let you cut your losses without any hard feelings and it's cheap enough to make me stay retired. Do you understand me? Yeah. Okay. Take all the time you need."

The man hung up his phone again and held up a finger in warning when Ray opened his mouth. Following the silent order, Ray felt light-headed. Just who was this guy? Did he know what he was doing by talking to a crook like Juke in such a way? It couldn't be that these guys were really Mafia. Shit. Had he really gotten mixed up with the Mafia?! He was going to die. This guy was just paying off his debt so that no one would complain when they killed him!

It was just a motorcycle!

"Tonno, why don't you go get Ray a glass of milk," the older one suggested. "Grab me one, too, please. Juke said that he needed time to think about it, which means that he's calling Tommy back to get more information on me. He'll want to know if I can make good on my threat. Oh--!" He grinned as his cell phone rang again and he answered it promptly. "That didn't take as much time as I thought it would," he said in greeting as Tonno removed the gun from Ray's head and headed into the kitchen for the milk. Ray was incredibly tempted to make a run for it, but he didn't because of one simple face: Juke would find him and kill him without hesitation. If he took his chances by staying, he might be able to work out some sort of deal with this new guy. "I see. Tommy said that? Oh, that was nothing. Really, stop. You're going to make me blush. Yes, that's right. I just want Ray. No. I'm too old to care about the business anymore. I'm just hard-pressed for good employees and I can't really ignore one when he falls in my lap. You'd do that for me? That's very generous. So, tell me about Ray. How did you find him?"

Ray felt the blood rush to his face as Juke told the guy every detail of his past. Within fifteen minutes, the new guy knew everything. From how he'd been thrown out on the streets by his parents at seventeen... to how he'd ended up in Vegas... to how he'd managed to rack up fifty-thousand in debts with gambling by twenty... His entire life was on parade and it was incredibly pathetic. From what Juke told the new guy and the new guy repeated for Ray's benefit, the only thing Ray was good at was losing at cards and slots. He had no home, no family, and no future. The sad part was that Ray couldn't argue. He'd always been a good-for-nothing and he always would be.

"Here," Tonno said, thrusting a glass of pink milk into his hands before handing a second glass to the older man. After that, he pulled up a chair and sat with an expression that said he was ready to wait all day for the older guy to finish. Ray really didn't get the attitude. Even if the older guy was Tonno's father, it just wasn't normal to hang on his every word. Maybe... Maybe Ray could get a bit of information out of him, though. It couldn't hurt to try now that the gun was out of his face. The older guy was slowly pacing out the door, too, so he wouldn't notice if Ray asked a few questions.

"Hey," he whispered. "Who--"

"Strawberry milk," he said, pointing to the glass in Ray's hands. "Drink it."

"R-Right," Ray agreed. Taking a slow sip so that the guy wouldn't harass him about it, Ray was surprised at the taste. He normally hated milk, but this was actually good. It reminded him of a partially melted strawberry milkshake. He didn't care about the milk, though. Focus! "So, is that your dad?"

"Papa," he said tonelessly. Ray took that as 'yes'.

"He seems like he's used to dealing with guys like Juke," Ray commented in hopes of getting some sort of response. Unfortunately, Tonno only glanced at him and blinked a few times before turning his attention back towards the door that the older one had disappeared through. "Is he going to kill me?" Ray asked bluntly.

"No," Tonno answered.

"Then what's he doing all this for?" Ray inquired. "Why doesn't he just call the cops?"

"Hmm," Tonno murmured, pressing his lips together as he glanced in Ray's direction again. Ray met his eyes, praying that he could get his worry across. He had no clue what the older guy was planning or who he was. He just wanted to know what was going to happen to him! "Papa's taken a liking to you," Tonno said. "He's taking over your debt so that you'll owe him instead of Juke, which means that you're Papa's slave. Your only choice is to do what he tells you to or run away. I wouldn't suggest running away, though."

"He'll track me down?" Ray supplied in resignation.

"No," was the surprising answer. "You'll do something stupid and get yourself killed. You're better off as a slave."

Ray paled, knowing that the guy was probably right. He didn't have to say it out loud, though! Damnit. He couldn't get mad. Even if it was a slim chance, the new guy could be a better guy than Juke. Ray couldn't be any worse off anyway. Juke was a complete bastard. He took every cent that Ray managed to find and barely left behind enough for Ray to buy food with.

"Alright," the older one sighed as he walked back into the room. Setting down his empty glass and his cell phone, he grabbed one of the chairs scattered around the room and pulled it over to sit in front of Ray. "I have an offer for you. You can refuse, but I'll tell Juke that you refused and you'll still owe him fifty grand. If you accept, you'll work here for minimum wage until you pay off your debt. How long that will take will be up to you. You can give me as much or as little out of your checks as you want, but I'll break your kneecaps in Juke's place if I catch you gambling again. Do you have a place to stay?"

"N-No," Ray choked.

"We have a spare room upstairs," he continued. "I'll throw in room and board, but you have to spend every Sunday cleaning the building from top to bottom to pay for it. You're also not allowed to refuse any task, no matter how hard or disgusting it is. If I tell you to clean out the dumpster, then you'll clean the damn dumpster until you can eat out of it. Do we have a deal?"

Ray stared. Was this guy for real? This was a dream. Right? Things like this didn't happen to guys like him. Ever. He must have hit his head too hard when he'd gotten caught. That's what it was. In that case, there was no harm in agreeing.

"Sure," he grinned. It was a grin that faltered when the older man grinned back with a light in his eyes that said 'I know what you're thinking.'

"Then your first stop is a shower," he replied, wrinkling his nose in Ray's direction. "You smell like you haven't had one in weeks. Tonno will show you where it's at and I want you to stay in there until the hot water runs out. After you're done, I'm going to check to make sure that you're actually clean. Don't look at me like that. I've lived on the streets, so I know how dirty a person can get. You better make sure to scrub every crack and nook on your body or else you're going to get a second shower with cold water and I'll be in there to make sure you do it right. Now shoo while I go wake Gabe and make sure that you didn't damage his bike."

Ray paled again. The guy seemed like the kind of person to make good on his threats, so the best option was to do what he was told. It wasn't like he really had an option anyway. The guy owned him now. If he didn't do what the guy wanted, Juke was going to be after him again. At least the new guy wasn't asking him to steal anything.

"Uh," Ray mumbled as they led him through a kitchen and up a narrow set of stairs. "What do I call you?"

"Eh?" The older one gaped, pausing with a dumbfounded expression on the top stair.

"I picked up that this guy's name is Tonno, but I didn't hear yours," Ray explained. "If I'm really going to work here and live here, too, then I'd like to know what to call you. Unless everyone calls you Papa...?"

"You can call him Papa," Tonno said as the older one continued to gape like a floundering fish. "You'd probably pronounce his name wrong if he told you what it was and you'll be less likely to betray him if you think of him in familial terms."

"Tonno..." Papa murmured as his mouth finally closed. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"It's fine, Papa," Tonno replied with a shrug as he opened the bathroom door to gesture Ray inside. "It's different when I say it compared to someone else, so I won't get jealous. Please leave Ray to me. I'll make sure that he's made presentable." Ray gulped when Papa nodded. For some reason, he had a strange sense of foreboding. Tonno was actually scarier than Papa was, because Ray couldn't read him. Even though he seemed straight-forward on the surface, he was a little too straight-forward. There was just something... soul-less... about Tonno. When he showed emotion, it felt really fake. Maybe that was just because they'd just met, Ray thought. Maybe it was because Tonno didn't trust him--for good reason. Maybe it was just because Ray smelled so bad.

Hoping that it was the last one, Ray paid attention when Tonno showed him the towels, the soap, and how the antique bathtub worked. Then he waited for the guy to leave before dropping his pants to get in the shower. He thought while he scrubbed. If he really wanted to, then this would be a golden opportunity to escape and he could probably take a few valuables with him. He didn't really want to, though. Papa and Tonno were both really weird, but they didn't seem like creeps. They weren't people like Juke.

Actually, when his current situation began to sink in, he felt pretty damned ashamed of himself. They'd saved him from getting his kneecaps busted and they'd stuck their neck out to get his debt to disappear. They were letting him use their shower and, assuming he understood things correctly, they were going to let him live and work with them. He still had his debt, but he could pay it back in an honest way. No more sneaking around at night, dodging cops, and stealing. No more worrying about whether he was going to live to see another day. They'd put an end to that.

And he'd tried to steal from these people.

He was grateful for the hot water of the shower. They washed away his tears along with the filth that had accumulated without him noticing. His sister would have been so damned ashamed if she'd seen him. When he'd gotten kicked out of the house, he'd promised her that nothing could keep him down. He'd sworn that he'd go out into the world and make something of himself. Then he'd ran so that she wouldn't see him fall. He'd known from the start that his life was screwed. He'd always been in trouble in school and he'd barely managed to graduate. He'd never been able to keep a job. He'd never given a damn about himself or anyone else but...

But these people...

They were giving him a chance anyway. He'd never done anything in his life to deserve so much help. He'd never before felt actual gratitude for anything that anyone had ever done for him, but... But he did now. He was going to change, he swore to himself. No more gambling. No more living his life like a half-assed bastard. No more fucking up just because he didn't like answering to anyone. He was smarter than that now. He'd learned better. People always had to answer to someone and answering to Papa would be a hundred times better than having to answer to guys like Juke. He was going to get his shit straight even if it killed him because he couldn't continue to stand around and hope that someone else would set it straight for him.

Oh. Right. Papa had already set it straight for him. Shit. Well, then he'd just have to suck it up and do what he could to pay Papa back. He didn't know anything about being a slave, but he did know that he owed Papa his life and repaying that was more than enough for anyone to start with....

As soon as he stopped smelling like moldy ass.

Shower first. Repayment after.

* * *

The uniforms worn by Tonno and Jim were perfect. It started with a sleeveless dress shirt in white with a customized name-tag over the right breast. The shirts had been custom-made by a modest seamstress down the street for a discounted fee and the name-tags had been ordered from the same place that Warren used. The discount from the seamstress was a combination of Tonno's ability to sweet-talk and a promise to spread the woman's name whenever possible. For the pants, light khaki had been chosen to help keep everyone cool during the heat of the day. As a final touch, they each had a pale orange apron tied around their waist to keep them from wiping their hands on their pants.

"Do I have to wear that?" Andy asked as he helped Tsuna to transfer a truckload of ingredients from the front gate to the stockroom.

"No," Tsuna laughed as he tossed a ten-pound bag of flour onto a shelf. "We work in the back, so I think we'll be fine with the full aprons over our clothes."

"Hair nets?"

"Handkerchiefs should be fine," Tsuna replied as he paused to catch his breath. "You'll need to braid your hair to keep it out of the food, but I'm not planning on wearing anything special. I'd rather blend in with the customers when I'm up front." Looking down at himself, Tsuna grimaced slightly. He didn't look like a professional anything. Actually, he could probably be mistaken for a delivery man. Unlike his son and the front-staff, he was wearing a tank top, shorts, and backless leather slippers. He had an apron hanging in the kitchen for when he worked and a sweater next to the walk-in freezer for when he needed to spend a lot of time inside, but there was nothing in the way of professional garb. "Do you think I should get a uniform?"

"You're the Boss, Papa," Andy shrugged. "You tell me."

"True," Tsuna laughed. "I'll think about it after I get used to this heat. Right now, I still feel like I'm in an oven, so the two of us will wear whatever we feel like." Tsuna smiled as Andy gave a small nod of agreement and quietly headed back to transport another load. He was still acting bummed, but he'd shown up like promised. It was a good thing, too, because they were entering the final set-up of the bakery.

The renovations and landscaping were done, including the ceiling fans. The kitchen and sales area was equipped. The wicker tables and chairs had been set up. The decor was finished. Warren had completed all the necessary paperwork, listing Gabe as the manager, and the staff had been hired. The only thing left was to stock the kitchen and decide on a regular menu. Hopefully Ray would return from getting his uniform soon. Once he got back, he could take over the heavy lifting and Tsuna could talk about the menu with Warren.

Oh well, he'd just have to--

Pausing in the doorway of the kitchen, Tsuna had to rub the roses out of his eyes. Ray had returned, but the effect of having Tonno, Jim, and him together was more than Tsuna could have hoped for. Ray the former burglar had cleaned up into the rakish, outgoing daredevil with an eye for trouble. Jim the former prostitute had cleaned up into the polished gentleman with a romantic allure. Tonno the former hitman had cleaned up into the quiet, mysterious stranger with a heart of ice. When Andy paused next to them to ask a question with a ten pound bag on sugar on his shoulder, Tsuna gulped. Even Andy had a part to play. He was the hard-working, muscular guy that offset the thin builds of the others and his long-hair left onlookers with the impression of 'New Age'.

Together, they were the Cabana Boys from Hell and Tsuna didn't doubt that women would quickly find themselves sucked in by their combined charms. Tsuna wasn't sure if that would help him build a harem or hinder him. He guessed that it was a good thing since the boys would be after college girls. Meanwhile, he could have the more mature women and everyone would be happy.

"Papa, you have a dirty look on your face," Tonno commented before heading over to help inventory the coffee selections. Ray let out a snort at the comment before ducking his head and returning to the process of stocking the display fridges with juice and bottled water. Turning his eyes to Jim in want of someone to glare at, Tsuna found that even that one was grinning. He was also smart enough not to look Tsuna directly in the eyes as he scuttled over to help Andy with transporting the truck delivery into the kitchen.

"No respect," Tsuna mock-grumbled, unable to become truly aggravated when there was such a pleasant mood in the building.

Heading over to where Warren was directing the Golems into positioning the last-minute display cases that Tsuna had ordered, Tsuna grinned even more at how nice they looked. Buying them had been a good choice. Each case looked much like a museum display, being nothing more than a tall glass dome over a pedestal, but each of them were refrigerated at a regulated temperature. No matter what Tsuna decided to put within them, they wouldn't melt in the heat and it'd take a professional wrestler to knock one over. That was why all the Golems were working together to place them at scattered intervals in the seating areas.

There were only seven free-standing cases in total--one of which was double the size of others--and putting cookies or pies in them would be a waste. Four of the cases could hold custom, designer cakes. What kind of theme, though? Oh! He could make a cake for each of his employees! He could make a poker themed one for Ray. He could make a champagne bottle one for Jim, which would hint without being too suggestive. He could make a fedora one for Tonno. Andy's could... be left for Andy to make. Maybe allowing him to have creative control on his first cake would help him grasp what he really wanted to do as a baker. That left two small cases for tiered tea-trays of petite fours and the large one for a wedding cake. Tsuna wondered if he'd survive if he made the wedding cake with Gabe in mind. Either Gabe would misunderstand and demand that they got married or... he'd still misunderstand and smother Tsuna with affection.

It'd be safer to make a generic wedding cake, Tsuna decided.

"Ready to go over the menu?" Warren asked. At Tsuna's nod, they headed over to sit at one of the scattered tables that had the benefit of a slow-moving ceiling fan overhead.

The process of picking out a menu wasn't as easy as it seemed. First, Warren made Tsuna look through the expense reports and sales records of the home bakery. Then he made Tsuna look through photos that he'd taken of the nearby competition with his cell phone. It didn't look good. Vegas was one of the centers for the culinary world, being home of a leading Culinary School and tons of five-star restaurants. The competition was able to demand high standards since there were always new graduates looking for jobs. They had huge staffs of pastry chefs, which equaled more manpower for more amazing results. Plus, they could bring in the latest-and-greatest of innovators without blinking an eyelid. On top of that, they were directly on the Strip with all the lights and attractions.

In comparison, Tsuna had himself and Andy. He was the head baker, but he'd been self-taught and couldn't follow a recipe to save his life. His own innovations relied on inspiration from the internet. Finally, the only 'attractions' he could boast of was Ginger... and maybe Thia. If he had Thia help him in the kitchen, he could produce more results, have better control over the temperature in the brick oven, and have an attraction on top of it! In a place like Vegas, no one would think that she was anything other than a magician's trick as long as she didn't try to mingle with the customers! If she was only seen through the view-port stretched around the kitchen, then people would think that it was a trick of the light and wire-work! That would work!

As for the menu, he really couldn't compete, though. The five-star quality being demanded took time and energy that would eventually wear him down. His only hope would be to go in the opposite direction. High quality meant expensive prices. If he made simple treats that were affordable, then he'd bring in the natives instead of the tourists. That was what he wanted anyway. Maverick's was an oasis, not a theme park. The so-called attractions were coincidence, not design.

Cheesecake was a must. So was cupcakes, cake squares, and fruit pies. White bread, wheat bread, rye bread, and banana nut bread. Croissant, rolls, French bread, and Pita bread. Lemon squares, Brownies, and Cinnamon struesel. Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips, peanut butter cookies, and sugar cookies. Donuts, donut holes, and danishes in the morning. Crepes, turnovers, and eclairs for lunch. On Fridays and Saturdays, he'd also add cannolis, tiramisu, and buccellato--a godfather's favorite. Tsuna also wanted to try adding dango, chocolate taiyaki, and daifuku. He didn't know if the last three would actually sell, but he figured that it wouldn't hurt to try as long as he didn't make too much. It'd get eaten no matter what, after all.

As for lunchtime tidbits to be sold, Tsuna had chosen to simplify things. Rather than prepare them himself, a truck dropped off a variety of pre-packaged items that were stored in a refrigerator next to the register. Customers could peruse and choose for themselves from a selection of packaged sandwiches, salads, and individual-sized fruit trays, then bring the purchases to the counter. There was also a selection of potato chips to choose from along with trail mixes. Overall, the selection wasn't large, but Tsuna also wasn't running a full cafe like Warren's had been. He was running a bakery.

"Cream puffs and mille-feuille," Tsuna murmured in thought. "It probably wouldn't hurt to make stromboli and individual-sized calzones, either, but that's as close as I'm getting to making anything lunch-like."

"Those chocolate ball samplers sold well at the beginning, too," Warren suggested. "You might cut back on making them after the initial curiosity is over, but I think they'll do well if you can cut the size down to make them more affordable. Also, the Dooby Snacks--"

"I won't make X-Cakes," Tsuna interrupted. "Certain people would recognize that taste. I need to add spice cake to the menu, though. Gingerbread might also be a good idea for the cookie racks. Hmm. Angel food and Devil's Food are pretty common and it can be bought for cheaper at the supermarket. Let's skip those along with the shortcake and shortbread. We'll just go with pound cake unless someone asks for one of the others specifically."

"Are you going to make full-sized pies or the individual-sized ones?" Warren asked curiously.

"Individual for the fruit pies," Tsuna answered. "I'll go with full-sized for the mousse and cream pies."

"Just don't overextend yourself after the first day," Warren warned. "Keep an eye on your sales record so that--"

"Do you really think I'm going to have left-overs?" Tsuna asked with a bland expression. "Remember who you're talking to, Warren. I hate wasting food, so don't worry. I'll adjust the amount of what I make depending on the sales and what's on the shelves will get to charity before it goes bad--if my predictions are wrong."

"They never are," Warren laughed. Then his expression turned solemn as he glanced around to ensure that no one was nearby to overhear. "How's things going with Tonno?"

"Horribly," Tsuna admitted with a small flinch. "Not on his side, though. I think he's settled in pretty nicely and I think he's having fun helping me out, but... I dunno, Warren. Maybe I've just gotten used to treating my subordinates like kids or maybe I'm treating Tonno like a subordinate. I really don't know, but it just doesn't feel like it's clicking. I care about him and I'm really trying to build a connection, but... It's just like you told me before. Maybe I really can't treat anyone special."

"No one said that it'd be easy," Warren replied with an expression of sympathy that didn't match his words. "Tonno is a grown man. You're pretty late to build a connection with him, but I'll tell you what... I'll give you credit for trying. Actually, I'll give you credit for a lot of things that I wouldn't have before. I... uh... Ginger mentioned that you were negotiating with the authorities for asylum. That had to take a lot of courage and I couldn't see you doing that for anyone else. Tonno might not be special to you in a way that you can pinpoint right now, but I'm starting to think that he doesn't have to be special. As long as you care about him and get that across to him, then that's all that matters."

"Thanks, Warren," Tsuna replied with a sad smile. "I'm not sure if that helps or hurts, but I'll keep it in mind. About the authorities, too... Keep that under wraps or I might lose the leg I'm standing on."

"Got it," he winked. "Why don't you head into the kitchen and start making samples of your menu. I'll get the guys together for a break and we'll watch from the window. Personally, I'm horrible at baking, but I've learned that I'm a decent commentator."

"In a minute," Tsuna said as they stood. "I want to introduce the last member of our team first."

"Eh?!" Warren choked. "There's someone else?! When did you--"

"Just trust me," Tsuna interrupted with a wink. "And do me a favor. Have Tonno, Jim, Ray, and Andy meet me upstairs in the common room and set them up with some drinks. I'm going to go get Gabe and Ginger and then I'll be up there." Warren was confused with the order, but he saved his questions for later and headed over to collect everyone.

This allowed Tsuna to walk around to the back of the house where Gabe was setting up a workshop in the shed. At least, that's what he should have been doing. Instead, he was still trying to fix the superficial damage that Ray had caused in his attempt to hot-wire the ignition and Ginger was left to organized the tools by himself. With a glance, Tsuna knew that Gabe was still angry. He wasn't only angry at Ray for touching his baby, but he was angry that Tsuna had spent twenty thousand dollars to recruit the guy for the shop and that Tsuna hadn't woken him during the break-in.

"You're still not talking to me?" Tsuna pouted.

"He's being a big meanie again," Chopper grumbled from his shaded hiding place under the motorcycle ramp connected to the front of the workshop. Gabe growled under his breathe and Tsuna grimaced. Taunting him wasn't going to help anything!

"Look," Tsuna sighed, crossing his arms in refusal to back down on his decision. "I know that I should have talked to you first, but I'm not used to having to explain myself. You've heard it so many times that you're probably sick of it, but I can't help who I am. I was trained to make decisions and nothing you say can erase the past twenty years of my life. I'm a thirty-three year old man, Gabe. If you expect me to become thirteen again and bow down to your superior wisdom, I'm not going to do it. Your bike can be fixed, but that boy's life was close to being destroyed. I wouldn't be the person that I am if I would have sat back and--"

"That's just it!" Gabe exploded. "You never sit back and let people deal with their own fucking problems! I can get over my bike, Mouse, but you... When are you going to quit?! You're not a Mafia Boss anymore! It's not your job to save anyone!"

"Then what do you expect me to do?!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Would you have been happy if I'd have pretended that I couldn't help that boy? Ray needed someone to--"

"Why does that someone have to be you?!"

"Because there's not enough good people in the world for me to believe that someone else would step in!" Tsuna shouted angrily, making Gabe pause in surprise. Tsuna let out a breathe in a huff, exasperated that Gabe would even ask such a question. Wasn't the answer obvious? "I've already promised not to run out and look for trouble, but I can't ignore a person in front of me that needs help just because it's going to be a little troublesome. When are you going to understand that, Gabe? I'll look for alternative methods when I can, but there wasn't any other way this time. If I hadn't stepped in, that boy's life would have been in danger. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but he'd eventually have ended up in prison or an early grave. My intuition is never wrong and that's not something that I want on my conscience. You said that I could do whatever makes me happy. Well, I wouldn't have been happy if I'd left that boy to his own devices."

"Fine," Gabe grumbled in defeat. "I'll give you that one, but if that boy does one thing out of line--!"

"I'll throw him out myself," Tsuna promised, sighing in relief at the end-of-fight signal. "Try to get along with him. Please? I didn't just bring him in because I need another worker and I didn't just bring him in because he needed help. I really think that having him around will be good for Tonno."

"I guess," he agreed with a grimace. Tsuna grimaced with him, knowing that Gabe was having the same trouble that Tsuna was. Tonno was good at playing the part of the 'good son', but he was still incredibly closed-off. He didn't want to talk about anything in his past and his words could be like acid at times. He wasn't the type of guy who was easy to be friendly with. That issue could only be solved with time and patience, though.

"Anyway," Tsuna said in effort to change the subject. "Everyone's waiting upstairs for us. Since we're close to opening, I thought that this would be a good time to have an employee meeting. I'd like you, Ginger, and Chopper to join in since it'll effect all of you."

At Gabe and Ginger's nod of agreement, Tsuna led the way back inside and upstairs to the common room. The house had come with five bedrooms. Tsuna and Gabe had taken the master bedroom, Ginger and Chopper had taken a bedroom, Tonno had taken a bedroom, and Ray had gotten a bedroom, but the last room had been converted into a small common room.

The common room wasn't like a normal living room. There was no television, seeing as there were several downstairs in the cafe that they could watch. There was no couches or chairs, either. Instead, Tsuna had stubbornly begged for a low coffee-table and a set of zabuton. What he'd gotten had been the low coffee-table that he'd asked for and a set of bean-bag chairs. The effect wasn't quite what he'd hoped for, but it was as close to a kotatsu that he was likely to ever get in the desert.

He'd also filled the walls of the room with every photograph that he could get his hands on. All of them had been printed off from the internet and framed, but he didn't care. The fact that he'd been able to find so many had brought him an incredible amount of happiness. He had a poster from Lambo's first movie and Eric's first movie. He had a newspaper photo of Leo at the opening of her latest art exhibit. He had a picture of Hayato and Takeshi shaking hands outside a courthouse. He had a group picture of the Dragons and an old picture of Ryohei from an archived boxing magazine. He had Haru and Kyoya from her latest fashion show and he had two pictures of Hotaru. One was of him handing over a check to charity and the other was a photo from a magazine that he hadn't been able to ignore. His cute little Hotaru had actually put on a dress for one of Haru's shows! The rest of his kids were on the walls, too. Father Robert had sent dozens of photos to him after Tsuna had given the man his address.

They were all there. No matter how big or how small, he'd found a picture of everyone and he'd incidentally covered the walls with his Families by refusing to leave anyone out. The only exception was the space that he'd left to hang Thia's sword, an old cuckoo clock that he'd found in an antique store, and a long bookshelf that he'd begun filling with the classic literature that he'd grown fond of during his time as the Tenth.

The effect was incredibly eccentric, but Tsuna liked it. He would have put all of the pictures in his own room, but Gabe had looked a bit sour when Tsuna had suggested it. That space was for him and Tsuna alone. The common room's decor was the result of Gabe's stubbornness, but Tsuna didn't mind. Especially when they walked in to find the other employees curiously looking at some of the photos. It took everything that Tsuna had not to break out into instant story-telling. He knew that he had to--

"You're him," Jim gaped from a far corner of the room, pointing to the picture of Xanxus that Tsuna had carefully chosen. Tsuna fought a blush. There hadn't been many pictures of Xanxus to choose from, after all. He'd been forced to crop one from a particular calendar that had merely shown Xanxus looking down on him. "I didn't recognize you at first cause of the gray hair and the glasses, but--"

"Ah," Tsuna flinched, deciding that there was no reason to hide it. Gesturing for everyone to pull a bean-bag up to the low-standing table holding their drinks, Tsuna figured that his past would probably be the best place to start the meeting. "I'm him," he sighed. "I'd rather you didn't spread it around though. That was from a long time ago, when I was someone completely different. Everyone on these walls are people that I once knew and I could spend hours telling you stories, but it wouldn't really change anything. For those of you who don't have a clue what Jim is talking about, I'm sure that he'll give you an earful later. Right now, I want to inform all of you about something that might affect your decision to work here."

Tsuna paused. As expected, Jim, Ray, Andy and Chopper straightened up in curiosity. Warren did, too, out of surprise. However, Tsuna was more concerned with the others. Tonno was still calmly sitting as if he'd expected him to say something of the sort. Gabe was grimacing at him in full knowledge of how difficult the imminent admission was going to be. Also, Ginger kept his head down on his paws, but he looked ready to whine. This wasn't going to be easy.

"All of you..." Tsuna murmured while he struggled to find the right words. "All of you have probably noticed something odd about this place and each other, but decided to shrug it off. Well, I'd like to get it out in the open before each of you have time to become suspicious and feel the need to dig. I'm not a baker--" Holding a finger up to stall Andy's outburst, Tsuna continued, "At least, I've never had any formal training as a baker. I do love to bake and I'm good enough that this place will be a success. However, I wasn't always the person you see in front of yourself. As Jim has already realized, I've got a bit of a dirty past. I've done things that I'm not proud of and, as Ray can probably tell you, I've got connections to people that aren't on the right side of the law. I don't want to tell you too much because I don't want this to affect your lives, but you need to know a little bit. I... I'm currently waiting on a visit from the CIA to tell me whether my request for clemency was accepted--"

"PAPA!" Tonno exclaimed in outrage.

"Calm down," Tsuna snapped, forcing Tonno to settle back into his seat with an angry expression. "I'm not going to betray any of the oaths that I swore, but I have information that I can safely trade for protection," Tsuna soothed. "I'm retired now, Tonno. I don't want my past to come in here and jeopardize what we've built and no one from the underworld will approach a place that's connected with the law. It'd be equivalent of walking into a police station and confessing. Please understand. I'm not going to tell them any secrets and I'm not going to betray my friends, but there's things that I can talk about without hurting anyone. They'll take my offer, too, because I'm the only person in the world who remembers a lot of things that were in the records that were destroyed."

"I don't like it," he replied stubbornly. "You can't trust the authorities. They'll only try to blackmail you into squealing--"

"I have nothing to squeal about," Tsuna interrupted, seeing that Tonno wasn't completely against the idea. He was just having an ingrained reaction. "I've been out of the game for a long time now, Tonno. Anything that I could possibly talk about would be ancient history and I've already specified that I'd testify to nothing. They also have nothing to blackmail me with. If they had proof that I did anything wrong, I'd have been thrown in jail as soon as Tommy approached them with the deal. They know as well as I do that all of the evidence against me is purely circumstantial. At most, they'd get me locked up for a few months until trial and they'd make me into an enemy. It's much wiser for them to keep me as a friend when I'm willing to talk. They'll give me legal status to stay in America and their presence will ward off anyone who wants to drag me back to the Mafia."

"Mafia!" Ray squeaked with wide eyes. "So you really--"

"That's my past, not who I am now," Tsuna repeated before anyone could get alarmed. "This bakery and myself are completely legitimate. I don't do dirty business and I won't allow anyone into these walls who want me to. I just wanted all of you to be aware because I knew that you'd start asking questions when someone with a badge showed up."

"What about--" Andy said with a look of worry on his face.

"Your jobs are safe," Warren interrupted, predicting the man's question. "On paper, all of you work for me and are managed by Gabe. Even if Laz... I mean... Even if Papa's plan doesn't work out, I'll come back down here and ensure that this place continues running in his absence. I know that this sounds bad when it's all laid out so bluntly, but Papa is an honest, fair man with a big heart. So please don't judge him by his past. The man that hired you and the man you've worked with today is the man that will be running this bakery--not the guy that most of you are probably imagining when you hear the word 'Mafia'."

"Thanks, Warren," Tsuna murmured with a warm smile. "Warren is right. None of my past really matters right now and I don't expect any of you to act differently around me. Ray and Jim... I plan to treat you exactly like I'll treat Tonno. I'll praise you if you work hard and I'll correct you if you slack off. If you want to quit, you're free to find another job and I'll give you a good reference for how well all of you worked today but... Ray, that won't excuse your debts. If you want to work somewhere else, we'll have to come to a written agreement on what your payments will be."

"I'm fine with staying here," Ray replied instantly. He blushed a moment later when every eye turned toward him, but he didn't change his answer under pressure. "What?" He spluttered. "Why shouldn't I? Papa helped me out of a bind and it's not like I have people banging on my door to give me a job. Hell, I wouldn't even have a door without Papa. I'd be a pretty big bastard to run off after he's stretched his neck out for me."

"Me, too," Jim grimaced in agreement. "I... When Papa hired me, I was starting to wonder if I should just go back to my pimp, but--"

"You were a call-boy?" Ray asked in surprise. Jim's face lit up at the blunt question, but nodded rather than lie. "Oh," Ray said as everyone shifted awkwardly. "So you... with guys..."

"NO!" Jim spluttered as his face became even more red. "I only had female clients! The others serviced the guys!"

"Oh," Ray said sheepishly. "I guess that's not so bad. Isn't that kind of like skipping straight to the point with a girl and then being dumped with a nice pay-off?"

"No," Jim replied with an expression of disgust. "The ones that hired me were usually tourists who'd heard that one motto and believed it. 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' It's a load of bullshit. Half the time, I had to sit and listen to them bad-mouth their husbands and the other half wanted to do freaky stuff that they couldn't do at home. Shit. If it wasn't for the ugly ones who just wanted to get laid, I would have lost my mind a long time ago. I'm glad that Papa hired me and I get what he's been saying. His past is just like my past--it's in the past and he doesn't want to talk about it anymore. Right?"

"Right," Tsuna confirmed with a small smile for Jim's outburst. It was a little relieving to hear him say such a thing. It meant that he wasn't going to run around to all of his old friends with the story that he was working for Black X. The only reason he probably knew about Black X was because of his 'co-workers' who'd serviced men by choice. "What about you, Andy?" Tsuna asked, turning to the last person that had yet to make a decision. "Out of everyone here, you have no reason to stick with me now that I've confessed. If you want to go somewhere else, I won't stop you--"

"I'll stay," Andy interrupted, crossing his arms with a small frown. "You said that you've had no formal training, but that cake that you gave me... I couldn't make it. I tried last night with the recipe you gave me, but it didn't turn out right."

Tsuna blushed brightly when Warren's head snapped in his direction.

"You didn't--!" Warren exclaimed in disbelief.

"I tried to remember it," Tsuna pouted with a sheepish smile. "I know that I wrote down the directions correctly."

"You--!" Warren spluttered, throwing a spare pillow at Tsuna's head in frustration. Tsuna ducked, but it still managed to hit the side of his ear as Warren stood in self-righteous outrage. "The directions don't mean anything if you can't remember the ingredients correctly! You can't give a baker a bad recipe and hope that he'll figure out what you did! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that it'd make him interested enough to stay," Tsuna answered innocently.

"You idiot!" Warren exploded before turning to Andy. "Don't ever trust one of his recipes! EVER! Don't get me wrong. He's a genius at baking, but this fool can't follow a recipe to save his life! If you ask him how he made something and he's honest, he'll tell you that he just threw some stuff together!"

"That's a little harsh..." Andy replied with a glance in Tsuna's direction.

"Laz! Or Papa or whatever you want to be called!" Warren snapped. "What's the ingredients for a pound cake?"

"Um..." Tsuna mumbled as his blush brightened. "Flour... butter... eggs and sugar."

"Hmph," Warren scoffed with a hard glare. "You've been studying, but can you tell me the ingredients to a meringue topping?"

"It's only eggs and sugar," Tsuna answered, feeling his confidence building.

"Flan?"

"Eggs, sugar, milk and... oh... um... I know this.... flour?"

"Ah ha!" Warren exclaimed as if Tsuna had proved his point. "See? He can't remember it!"

"That doesn't prove anything," Andy commented. "Unless he's made it regularly, a baker can't be expected to memorize every recipe in the world. That's why we have recipe books to reference."

"Then name something that even you have memorized!" Warren spluttered.

"Pie crust," he shrugged. "Everyone knows that one." Tsuna paled. He hadn't gotten around to really studying pies yet. He knew that there was flour in them, but what else? "You do know how to make a pie crust," Andy stated, noticing Tsuna's expression.

"No," he cringed, grimacing as he bowed his head even more. "I didn't want to admit it, but Warren is telling the truth. I could bake one, but I have no clue what I'd use. I've gotten better about learning recipes and I've been trying hard to pay attention to what I'm doing, but my baking has been purely intuition until now. That's really why I need an assistant. I'm never going to learn to do it the right way by myself. I need you to teach me the stuff you learned in culinary school. If... If you're willing to help me, I mean. I'll understand if you'd rather work for someone else. It's not like I can offer you any consistency right n--"

Tsuna paused when he heard the sound of laughter. Slowly raising his head up, he gaped when he saw that Andy had begun laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe. It was the first smile that he'd seen on Andy's face, but what in the world was he laughing about?! Tsuna was being serious and this was a serious problem! Andy should be upset, not laughing! He'd just found out that the man he was working for--

"Consistency!" Andy snorted in laughter. Wiping tears out of his eyes, he smiled widely and finally explained. "Oh man! This is the best! Of all the things you've said, that really takes the cake! I'm in. Actually, you'll have to pry me off with a crow-bar to get rid of me after telling me that! To think, someone like you made that cake I ate and is actually going to open a bakery! If I told this to anyone at school, I don't think anyone would believe me! It's outrageous, but... But I like it! That's one thing I hated about culinary school and made me quit. Everything was by the book, but you... You don't even have a book!"

Tsuna blushed yet again when Andy broke out into another fit of laughter, but there was no one in the room who wasn't smiling. Everything was starting to come together. Jim, Ray, and Andy had all made their choices. Tonno was a little unhappy that Tsuna was going to work with the authorities, but even he was grudgingly in acceptance of the situation. Gabe and Ginger seemed happy, too. That only left one final thing.

"I'm glad that you're all going to stay," Tsuna sighed in relief. "But there's one more thing that I have to tell you." As expected, his words sobered the group and he regained their full attention. Fortunately, this was the easy part. "All of you have already met Ginger, even if you haven't had a chance to talk to him yet--"

"Yo," Ginger greeted.

"As far as attractions go, I thought that he'd be enough by himself," Tsuna continued. "But a tanuki is like a unicorn. Even if you saw one, you'd think that it was just a horse with a horn glued on. In Ginger's case, people will think he's a mutated wolf."

"That's pretty close to the truth," Ginger chuckled in amusement. "Mad scientists should never be underestimated. If it hadn't been for the one good doctor, we'd have been exterminated as a mistake before we could show that we were more than dumb beasts."

"Well, no matter how you came about, I'm glad that you're here," Tsuna smiled. "Anyway, I don't think it'd be fair for Ginger to have people pointing and staring at him like he's a freak-show. It's one thing for him to be a mascot, but I know that it'll start to wear thin after a while if he has to shoulder all the attention by himself. That's why I've decided to bring in one more person. She's sure to be a big attraction, she won't mind the attention, and she'll be easily explained away as a magic trick. Just... Just don't be startled. She's not your average person. Actually, you'll probably think that she's a ghost, but she's not. Have... Have any of you ever heard of a Salamander?"

"The lizard?" Ray asked curiously.

"Or the one from myth?" Andy asked.

"The one from myth," Tsuna nodded. "The elemental made of fire." Tsuna waited until everyone nodded before nodding to himself. "I have one," he said bluntly. The reaction was immediate. There were snorts of laughter and expressions of disbelief, but it was quickly ended when Tsuna, Tonno, Gabe, and Ginger didn't join in. "Would you like to meet her?" Tsuna inquired. Everyone nodded in dumbfounded unison, suspending their disbelief in curious wonder. If Tsuna could produce a Salamander, then they wanted to see her. "Thia, I think it's safe to come out," Tsuna called.

Turning his head to look at the sword on the wall, Tsuna smiled as Thia came out slowly. Andy, Ray, and Jim jumped to their feet in surprise at the sudden appearance of Flames, but the ones who met her before were unconcerned. Gabe simply reached out to squeeze Tsuna's shoulder in support. Tonno didn't bother to look up from his drink. Chopper jumped out of Gabe's lap to jump after her liquid form as if it were butterflies and Ginger laid his head back on his paws in boredom.

It was their complete calm that kept the others from panicking while Thia's rainbow of flame slowly danced around Tsuna in greeting. They were still shocked, though. Andy kept his bean-bag chair in his hands, ready to smother the Flames if they became threatening. Jim looked ready to jump out the window and Ray seemed to be holding himself back from the urge to jump forward to pull Tsuna to safety. Meanwhile, Warren had the most interesting reaction. The guy simply rolled his eyes and put his face in his hands. He was used to seeing the impossible around Tsuna.

"Everyone, this is Thia," Tsuna introduced as the rainbow of Flames finally began to combine into orange Flame. By the time that she took her human form in a sitting position next to him, the guys looked ready to faint. "She'll be helping out in the kitchen and she's as good as I am when it comes to baking intuitively. Thia, this is Ray, Jim, Andy, and Warren."

"It isss a pleasssure to meet you," she said as the multicolored snakes on her head waved in greeting. At this, Jim did faint into Warren's arms, but Tsuna decided that ignoring him would be for the best until everyone had a chance to get comfortable with the idea of a talking Salamander.

"Now that greetings are out of the way, why don't I go whip up those samples," Tsuna said with a wide grin. "Thia, would you like to help?"

"Gladly," she confirmed with a hissing chuckle.

"To the kitchen!" Tsuna ordered enthusiastically. Jumping to his feet, he headed out the door behind Thia and only grimaced a little bit when the bean-bag finally dropped out of Andy's numb hands. They'd get used to it, Tsuna prayed. If they didn't, Tsuna had a feeling that the CIA would be the least of his worries. He'd spend too much time trying to keep his staff from having mental breakdowns.


	150. Chapter 150 Lion, Tiger, & Bear

Xanxus glared.

And he glared.

And he glared some more.

It seemed as if all he could do every day was glare and, for some idiotic reason, the rest of the Decimo Squad's happiness seemed to grow in direct proportion to his anger. Of course, that pissed him off even more, so his glare...stayed the same. He literally couldn't glare any harder. He'd tried. It was physically impossible and it was beginning to feel as if his face was permanently stuck, because he couldn't seem to stop.

Ironically, he was in a pretty good mood. Just like the Eleventh had predicted, Tsuna had surfaced. He was in America and Xanxus had no doubt that Tsuna was settling a few scores, especially with that piece of scum Gabriel. Unfortunately, he'd disappeared again before Xanxus could decide to head in that direction and Xanxus had decided to wait it out again. Just like the Eleventh advised, Xanxus was prepared to be patient. Although he'd surfaced, Tsuna was still running. Xanxus had to store up his energy so that he could attack when Tsuna finally stopped and dropped his guard. That was why Xanxus was sitting in the poor excuse of a Varia Headquarters instead of running in circles like Tsuna probably wanted.

One of the reasons that he'd been glaring was because of the newspaper in his hands. It didn't look good for Vongola. All that was missing was an official announcement from Hotaru to make it official. The Family was on the chopping block. Most of Vongola's forces had already merged with Lionesse and there were rumors circulating that the Eleventh had put in the forms with the Vendiche to change his Family name.

That alone could be forgiven after long and careful thought, but the pictures of Hotaru at a charity event in a designer cocktail dress was a little too much to take in. The sight instantly gave Xanxus an image of Tsuna in a dress and that image wasn't pretty. It was actually pretty disgusting because Tsuna had always been masculine despite being able to sleep with men. The confusing part, including the reason for his current glare, was that seeing Hotaru in a dress didn't create the same level of revulsion. It was a little disturbing since Xanxus had helped train the brat, but it wasn't really disgusting. It actually seemed to suit Hotaru in a way that Xanxus didn't think Tsuna could recreate.

He continued glaring while he tried to understand how such a thing was possible when the two looked so similar to each other. It didn't make sense. Maybe it was because Hotaru had a rack?

Screw it, he grumbled to himself as he waded up the newspaper and threw it into the fireplace in front of his chair. While he watched it burn, he carefully nursed a glass of scotch and pointedly kept himself from thinking about such useless things. How Hotaru looked or chose to dress didn't matter in the long-run and Xanxus had bigger fish to fry. Their work as hitmen didn't end just because Hotaru was having a leadership crisis. There were still men and women who had to die and it was their job to ensure that it was taken care of. The assignments hadn't stopped coming in, after all. There were plenty of Mafia Bosses who needed messes cleaned up and neither Vongola or Lionesse had anyone better than the Varia when it came to taking out trash.

The Decimo Squad had become the elite of the elite. They only got the juiciest assignments and the hardest challenges, which was great for their overall mentality. Belphegor was especially reveling in the bloodshed. After running on empty for so many years, his level of maliciousness had become sharpened and Marmon had gone with him on assignment in effort to increase his catalog of horrific illusions. Squalo was up to his old games again, too. There was a boasting swordsman in Spain that he'd gone to challenge, which left only Levi and Cheri at Headquarters with him--

Only Cheri, he amended when he remembered that he'd put Levi in the hospital for looking so sickeningly happy about the current state of affairs. Actually, Cheri wasn't even there. She'd gone to see if she could get in touch with some of her old Vendiche contacts to see if she could track down where the vampires had hidden themselves. There were a lot of people who wanted answers from them and it'd fallen on the Decimo Squad to track them down, although the truth was that Xanxus still wanted to have a few words with the scumbag named Badru.

Just thinking of Badru made Xanxus' blood boil and gave his glare a blood-thirsty tang.

"If you glare any harder, the windows are going to break to the extreme," a familiar voice admonished. Xanxus didn't bother to get up nor even honor him with a backward glance. What did Hotaru want this time? It better be an assignment-- "I have to confess to something, Xanxus," Ryohei said softly as he poured himself a glass of vodka at the bar. Xanxus paused, recognizing the man's tone. This wasn't Ryohei the dumb boxer speaking; it was Ryohei the dangerous hitman. Of course, that didn't make him a threat. No, Ryohei had never been a threat to him. All the tone meant was that the guy had brought something interesting with him--probably information. "Hotaru never cleared the assignments I gave you," Ryohei murmured.

Xanxus considered killing him on the spot. That was it? That was why the guy had shown up to bother him? Idiot! He'd already known that Hotaru hadn't cleared the assignments! They would have been signed with a Dying Will!

"But you already knew that," he continued while Xanxus continued to watch the ashes of his newspaper crumble in the fireplace. "You took them anyway because you know as well as I do that some people have to be killed."

"Get to the point, scum," Xanxus growled while absently holding out a glowing hand in warning.

"Don't touch Deter," he replied, getting straight to the point as asked. "We have proof that they're the ones behind the attack at the school, but Hotaru's trying to cover it up for some reason and the Vendiche seem to be helping her."

"Hmph," Xanxus grinned. It was a grin that exploded into malicious laughter as the light on his hand went out. He'd thought that Tsuna had given him a great comedy, but Hotaru was even better! He had no doubts anymore. The fire that had consumed Vongola... The sudden merger with Lionesse... Giving complete control of the Varia bases to Xanxus...

The brat actually thought that he could put guys like him out of a job!

"Keep passing out assignments like you have been and leave Deter to the brat," Xanxus ordered with a cruel smile. "It'll be fun to see how long it takes them to figure out why the Varia has always stayed in the shadows."

"Business as usual," Ryohei sighed in agreement as he headed back out the doors. "It'll be nice when people forget that we exist again."

"Ah," he agreed, his expression returning to a glare as the last vestiges of the newspaper disappeared. "Guys like us were never meant to be in the light."

Tsuna would regret forgetting that when Xanxus appeared out of the shadows to claim what was his.

* * *

Ken carefully perused the selection of gum that was in stock. Selecting the right gum was difficult. There were so many flavors and there was both texture and longevity to think about. A bad gum would be tasteless rubber in less than half an hour. For someone like him, he needed a gum that would last all day. He couldn't pick the kinds that Chikusa had always helped him pick out before, though. He was done with Chikusa and that little twit Chrome and--yes--even Mukuro. Hotaru, too, for that matter. He didn't want anything to do with any of them anymore!

There just wasn't a place for him. Chikusa had been his friend for years before Chrome had come along, yet he'd gone with Chrome and left Ken behind without so much as a farewell. Mukuro hadn't stopped by to talk to him even once since he'd gotten out of the Vendiche's grip and Hotaru... Hotaru had never trusted him to begin with. Ken was just the dog-boy to go with the rest of the brat's menagerie of Guardians and Hotaru hadn't talked to him even once after that meeting with Van Wolfe. It made Ken feel like a fool for trusting him when it came to what he was. Hotaru hadn't given a damn about him. He'd just been using him to get a foot in the door so that he could get more information about vampires and werewolves.

He always got used by people. He was sick of it, which is exactly why he'd run away. If he couldn't trust anyone, then he might as well be in a place where he wasn't the only freak-show. Joining the Duka Clan was probably the best thing that he'd ever done, too. No one here treated him like he was stupid and he was actually given a lot of respect for being a werewolf with so many skills. After all, he could turn into twenty different animals and he didn't ever lose to his instincts.

He even had a job! Not some make-shift job that anyone could do, either! He was part of the team that brought outlaw vampires under control. When a call came in from the surveillance groups that another one had been found, it was his job to go out and confront them. All of them only had two options: to join the Duka Clan or become human. Those that chose to join were brought to the base for processing while anyone who refused was cured on the spot. It was a job that only someone like him could safely do because the werewolf gene within himself was one that couldn't be erased with the cure. That meant that his weapons couldn't be used against him! It was also a job that had the full support of the entire Clan. The vampires wanted peace, after all, and peace couldn't be gained while there were still vampires out there who acted like the stereotypical demons that humans had reason to fear.

People praised him constantly when he did a good job. They didn't belittle him or ignore him down here. They didn't make fun of him or think that he was simple-minded. He was happy. The Duka Clan gave him everything that Mukuro and Hotaru had never... Well, they did give him a little acceptance, but it wasn't the same. He'd already come to terms with the fact. Mukuro would never see him as a worthy friend. He had Chikusa and Chrome and even a disciple in the boy Kiyoshi. He didn't need Ken.

The same went for Hotaru. That guy probably hadn't even noticed that he was gone. He never did. No matter how long Ken disappeared for, Hotaru never tried to look for him. Not anymore. It'd been nicer when Hotaru had been small and would still play games with him. Not that Ken liked playing kid's games, of course. He just... He'd just played with Hotaru because the kid had been a little pathetic. Hotaru hadn't had anyone else to play with because all the people around him had been adults who were only interested in adult games. Hotaru had lots of people to play with now that he was older and his interests had matured, so it was a relief. R-E-L-I-E-F. Ken could... Ken could move on with his life instead of being a perpetual lapdog. He was finally in a place where he could get respect...

_"I'll race you to the house!"_

_"Let's play circus again! You can be the lion, Hibird can walk the tightrope, and I'll be the fire-eater!"_

_"Come on, Ken! I can't save the princess if you won't be the evil wizard! You have to tell SK to come out so that I can fight him!"_

_"Give me a piggy-back ride! No, not like that! You have to turn into a gorilla so that I can be Tarzan!"_

"Why don't you try this gum? I hear it's good for your teeth." Looking up, Ken was surprised to see Murlock hovering over him with a concerned expression on his face. "Are you okay?" He asked as Ken took a pack of gum from him to look it over. "Neve said that you were leaking some heavy energy in here." Ken nodded and quickly put up the mental barriers that they'd taught him to use. He wasn't used to them yet, so he kept forgetting to put them up. "If you need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to listen," Murlock offered.

"You sound like a queer," Ken replied as he snatched up an entire box of the dental gum. Murlock predictably turned into a spluttering ball of denial, which only made Ken laugh as he went over to the counter to pay for his purchase.

Although, he found it curious that he never really had to pay for anything. The administrators of the Clan had given him a credit card with no spending limit. At least, Ken thought so since he'd never been refused anything that he wanted to get with the little piece of plastic. Chips, pizza, juice, gum... he got a lot of snacks and no one ever told him that there wasn't enough money. Oddly, he never got a bill, either, but he wasn't going to complain. No one asked for the stuff back, after all.

"I'm done with testing for today," Murlock said as he followed Ken into the corridor outside of the makeshift grocery store.

"I bet you failed," Ken laughed while he dug through his sack for the juice box that he'd gotten with his gum.

"N-No, not that kind of testing," Murlock replied sheepishly. "They've been testing the strength of the cure that's in my body. They said that its been getting weaker. It'll probably be another nine or ten months, but there's a big chance that it'll eventually disappear completely. After that, I'll be able to be turned again."

"Turned into what?" Ken asked curiously. Then an idea struck him before Murlock could answer. "You should get turned into a frog. Then you'll be able to jump really high."

"No... I'll turn into a vampire again."

"A vampire frog?"

"No! Just a regular vampire!" Murlock spluttered.

"That's boring, pyon," Ken mumbled in disappointment. Murlock ducked his head and blushed in embarrassment, which was even more disappointing. If it'd been Ken, he would have followed up with an agreement or some sort of wise-crack. Murlock wasn't Chikusa, though, and he just didn't seem to understand when Ken was joking. Still, hanging around him was better than nothing.

"Hendrix and a bunch of the guys are meeting up in the arcade," Murlock commented. "There's a new racing game that you'd probably be good at."

"I'm good at all of them," Ken grinned. "I got the high-score on--"

"Joushima Ken," a pleasant voice interjected from over the intercom. "Please report to a suiting station immediately. Joushima Ken, please report to a suiting station. You have a priority one assignment."

"I guess that means you can't come," Murlock sighed in disappointment. "Do you want me to take your bag to your room for you?"

"Go ahead, but you better not steal any of it," he grumbled. "And don't touch the stuff in my room. I like my mess how it is."

At Murlock's nod of agreement, Ken thrust the bag into his hands, shoved his hands in his pockets and began heading for the closest suiting station. An assignment meant that he was going outside and going outside the base meant that he would have to put gear on. He hadn't liked it at first, but the irony made it pretty damn amusing. After all, it wasn't every day that a guy got to dress up like a Vendiche. He even got to use weapons like the Vendiche. There was the Mayhem Manacles, the Nefarious Nets and Phantom Revolvers--everything he could possibly need to bring a target into custody without causing permanent damage. There were the hidden defenses inside the costume, too. For example, under the bandages was a mask that was used to ensure that everyone's face looked the same and that mask had a set of illusion-penetrating goggles inserted into them. There was also the automatic first-aid kit which was the bandages themselves and the mantles could stop fire, acid, and even bullets. Then there was the hat. The hat was the sweetest part of all because... it was just a hat. Ken had laughed for an hour when he'd found out that it didn't have any special qualities.

He wondered what the assignment was going to be this time. Maybe he'd get to go somewhere interesting? Probably not. Priority one meant a dangerous mission and there were only two possibilities since it'd been given to him. The first was to hunt down an band of outlaw vampires. The second was that he was going to be assigned to a prisoner transfer. Prisoner transfers were rare, but he had three under his belt so far.

The prisoners being held in the compound were all alike. They were all vampires who'd rejected joining the Clan, rejected obeying rules, and had been cured. Normally, such people were sent out into the world as humans and were eventually picked up by normal insane asylums if they began ranting about vampires, but there were a few who were different. For example, in revenge for being cured, there had been one incredibly dangerous man who'd gone on a serial killing spree, draining human vampire-imitators of all their blood in effort to make vampires hated. Another hadn't been able to accept being cured and the surveillance teams had stopped him from his plan to bomb the Fuzzy Biscuit before he could ever put the bombs together.

The really dangerous people were those that simply went insane, though. Unlike the large portion of forcibly-cured outlaws who tried to commit suicide to prove that they could still regenerate, there were those that had an even worse form of denial. They made themselves believe that they were starving with Hunger and attacked innocent people like they were beasts. Because they'd already been cured, the other vampires who used the Vendiche costume to work were too afraid to face them. All it'd take would be a single bite or a scratch and the cure would be passed on. Even worse, their insanity allowed them to push past human limits so that confrontation would always end with injury. That's why they sent Ken. He was the only person who couldn't get cured even if he wanted to and he could face off against insane opponents without flinching.

The only problem with prisoner transfers was...

"Looks like you're heading to Venice Row," the secretary said as Ken paused in the entrance of the suiting station. Ken scowled. Of all the places that he hated to go, they would have to send him to a place where he'd be surrounded by disgusting Mafioso. Shit. He really wasn't having a good day, he thought as he snatched the written orders out of the guy's hands. Taking them over to his locker, he waded it up and threw it over his shoulder after only a glance. He didn't like it, but he couldn't really refuse, either. Even a guy like him wanted a few things in life. By doing this odd-ball work on occasion, he got a roof over his head that no one could take away, food in his stomach, gum in his mouth, and all the video games that he could want. He didn't even have to clean his own clothes. By the time he got back from his assignment, the ones he left in his locker would be spotless.

Grumbling the whole way, Ken stripped, popped in his teeth for the Lion Channel, and walked over to sit in the actual suiting station on the opposite wall. It didn't look like much. He'd actually confused it for an exercise machine at first, but it wasn't. As soon as he put his rear in the seat, his feet on the pedals, and his hands on the overhead bar, the station turned on. First, the mask was slapped on his face, ensuring that none of his features would be recognizable through the bandages. He had to go through a series of quick tests to ensure that the anti-illusion optics were working and that he could breath one the gas-mask seal was in place, but everything checked out fine.

After that, belts began shooting out of the wall behind him, wrapping his body with the automatic first-aid kit. It was a little uncomfortable to be wrapped like a mummy in less than five seconds, but he couldn't really complain. The annoying stuff had already saved his life on one occasion when the target had thought to carry a machine gun and his mantle hadn't deflected everything. It was actually a little comfortable once it was done. All of his muscles felt supported and compacted in a way that normal wrappings couldn't reproduce.

Finally, there were the clothes themselves. Shirt, pants, shoes, and mantle were all forced onto his body with the precision of a nurse-maid forcing a naughty boy into his Sunday best. The machine handed the hat to him, though, but only after a mechanical arm dusted the top off. Taking it, Ken slapped it onto his head with a purposeful intent to flatten it and dodged out of habit when a boot appeared from behind him in order to kick him out of the station. The suiting up was done. Now he just needed his weapons.

"Give me everything, Mr. Fuck-up," Ken ordered with a malicious grin as he sauntered up to the weapon supply window. Lord Nephriam glared at him from the other side, but he couldn't retort. His name had officially been changed to Mr. Fuck-up as part of his punishment. The stupid sop had cried like a baby to be let back into the Clan. Every single day after he realized that the vampires had disappeared from the world, he'd appeared at the Fuzzy Biscuit, cried until he was blue in the face, and had refused to leave. Finally, the Vendiche had practically begged Badru to do something with him, which was why he was serving as a menial clerk. Depending how he did for the next twenty years, he'd been promised a fair trial where he'd either be turned into a vampire again or be turned into dust. No one really expected him to be anything more than dust after that, but it was amusing to see such an arrogant asshole fall so low.

"Where's your paperwork?" He glared, clenching his teeth in frustration that he didn't know who was behind the mask.

"The suiting station ate it," Ken answered, giving the same lie that everyone gave the guy. Mr. Fuck-up glared even harder, but he wasn't allowed to complain. He'd simply have to search until he found where the paperwork had disappeared to. In the meanwhile...

"Sign here," he sighed in resignation. Ken signed the paper with an X to match all the X's above his name and grinned widely at how red Mr. Fuck-up's face got. Each time someone signed with an X instead of their name, it was a slap to the guy's face. It reiterated time and time again that his job was completely meaningless. His paperwork was meaningless. He was meaningless. In reality, all of them could fetch their own weapons. Making Mr. Fuck-up do it was just a way to give a little payback for all the trouble he'd caused and to keep him busy until he finally gave up his unrealistic hope of being turned again.

Then again, there was always the possibility of new blood joining the Clan. If new people came in, he might be able to build a new reputation from scratch due to ignorance. Ken didn't really care. He wasn't going to be in the Clan forever. He was just there until he decided where he really wanted to go. Thailand had crossed his mind a few times.

Once Mr. Fuck-up passed him his weapons and he had them stowed under his mantle, Ken headed for the quarantine area of the base. His job was exactly what he'd dreaded--a prison transfer--and it was one of the worst ones to deal with. The psychopath had been cured, but he'd somehow managed to block off all attempts at being subdued. Gas didn't work on him. Distanced vamping didn't work on him. Everyone was too chicken-shit to get close enough to touch him for a forced vamping. It hadn't been proven that the cure really would disappear out of a person after a year, after all. That was why Murlock was so closely watched. Everyone would know by watching him whether a cured vampire became a true human after one year--one with no trace of vampire or cure in his body like Mr. Fuck-up claimed.

At least the guy was bagged and tagged for him when he arrived, Ken thought as he threw the 'package' over his shoulder for transport. Inside, he could hear the rattling of chains and he could feel the guy struggling against them. It was a real lunatic, alright. The guy had gone so insane that he was forcing his body to do things that humans shouldn't be capable of. The real Vendiche prison would be able to handle him, though, and their facilities were more equipped to research a way to effectively subdue such a person in the future. That was actually the reason that they never reduced to beating a prisoner. They could get more information if they handed prisoners over to the real Vendiche while they were in good shape.

Even if they were sick bastards who did human testing, Ken thought as he headed for the closest inconspicuous exit. Finding an inconspicuous exist wasn't as easy as it seemed. There were dozens to pick from, but they all popped out into apartment buildings. The only exception was the one that he was heading for--the one that would spit him out in a secluded section of the Decimo Park overhead. He'd heard that the current home of the Duka Clan had once been home to the Werewolf Alliance, but Ken couldn't really believe it. The organization had been so tiny and they'd never asked for donations from its members. Affording something so large should have been impossible.

However, that's what the story was. Their previous hideout had been deemed insecure after Vongola the Tenth had been cured and they'd wiped it out to make it seem as if it'd never existed. Boss Badru's queer lover had offered this place to replace it. Not that Ken was going to complain. The place was incredibly comfortable to a guy like him, although some of the other vampires hadn't been quite as happy. They'd demanded that the lower levels were completely cut off from light and they'd covered the walls with a strange fungus that had quickly taken over the corridors below. Ken didn't know what it was, but the shelf-mushroom parts of it had tasted pretty good.... until he'd gotten yelled at and Boss Badru had banned him from eating it anymore.

Of course, he now had a bag of them stashed in his room and he was trying to grow his more in the back of his wardrobe, but that was his little secret.

Pay attention to what you're doing, he reminded himself as he finally reached daylight. The sun was setting, which would make it easier to get around, but there was no sense in stirring up the neighbors by allowing himself to be seen. Dash, hide, dash, hide, dash, hide, wait for people to pass, dash, hide, smack the bag against a wall to make the guy stop struggling for a little bit, dash, hide, dash, jump!

He breathed a sigh of relief as he landed in the man-made river that ran alongside the highway. Two freaking miles, he grumbled to himself. That's how far he'd had to run to find a sewer entrance that he could safely walk in and also connected to the subway tunnels. Unfortunately, it wasn't over by simply finding an entrance. He had to walk nearly three more miles through sewer lines while dodging messes that made him glad that he was wearing the mask over his face. If he'd had to smell any of the stuff that he was walking through, he probably would have passed out. It got better after he reached the entrance to the closed-off sewer lines, but not by much. The place was a complete maze. He had to backtrack nearly twenty times before he found the right ladder to climb and he nearly had his head run over by a subway car when he poked his head out to look around.

"Too much freaking trouble," he snarled to himself as he pulled his package through the hole, replaced the cover, and began running. He had five minutes to find the entrance to Venice Row before the subway cars came again and he barely managed to dive through the illusionary brick wall hiding the turn-off before they passed by. Catching his breathe in the walkway built into the Venice Row subway tunnel, Ken continued to curse at himself. Even though the jobs were usually short ones, he sometimes wondered if he was really getting paid enough for the hell he went through.

It was almost over, though. He only had to walk two blocks in total darkness to reach the end of the Venice Row tunnel and there were Vendiche waiting at the platform. They weren't going to take his bundle from him, of course. Oh no, that would be too easy, he thought sarcastically. However, two of them did fall in beside him to ensure that the captive didn't break out in such a populated area and escorted him all the way to the Vendiche Headquarters. There, after a bit of idiotic paperwork, he was able to safely drop off the bundle to real Vendiche who'd transfer him to a more secure facility.

All of the bastards were completely silent through the process and he never saw more than a receiving desk inside the massive Vendiche base. However, he still felt a little special for getting to see that much. Usually, only Bosses wishing to file a grievance, Family representatives who'd undergone strict evaluation procedures, prisoners, and other Vendiche ever got to see inside. Everyone else steered clear in fear. He actually thought it was a little funny since the receiving area wasn't really that different than a police station. It was a police station that was a few hundred years behind the times, but it was still a police station.

Oh well. It wasn't like he really cared what the Vendiche did. His job on behalf of the Duka Clan was done, so he could go back to his shitty little dorm and--

"Ken...?"

Keeping himself from missing a step was the hardest thing that he'd ever done, but he managed to keep in step with his escort. He'd been trained in this. People approached Vendiche all the time in belief that their missing friends or lovers were hiding under the wrappings. Sometimes they got it right. Sometimes they got it wrong. His response had to be the same no matter what. He had to ignore it. If the person persisted, he would stand still and patiently hear them out. Then he'd give the poor fool one of the peppermint candies that came pre-stocked in his pocket and go on his way. Speaking was completely forbidden. If he said a single word, he'd be stripped of his Vendiche status on the spot and he'd be outcast by the Duka Clan. If he were anyone other than the person that he was, being outcast would include being cured.

"Ken!" Hotaru exclaimed, darting in front of him to force him to stop. Ken grimaced under his mask for two reasons. First, he really didn't want to deal with this right now. Second, Hotaru was dressed up like a girl.

What kind of bet had Hotaru lost this time?

"I know that it's you, Ken!" Hotaru exclaimed. Ken clenched his teeth together and stood completely still, stubbornly refusing to admit to his identity. He didn't care how much attention Hotaru was drawing and he didn't care what Hotaru had to say. He wasn't going to listen. He wasn't going to lose another place to be! "Where have you been?! Why are you dressed like that?! Don't you know how worried I've been?! I though that I might have lost you in the fire!"

Eh? Hotaru had thought that he was dead? Was that why he'd--

No! Don't listen!

"Why won't you talk to me?!" Hotaru asked in desperation as a man lunged forward to drag her away. Ken was a bit surprised at the intervention, but he counted his blessings. He was able to continue walking again and the exit was in sight-- "Ken!" Hotaru cried. "At least tell me what I did wrong! KEN--!!"

Stupid. Idiot. Bastard. Fucking hell--! The sound of Hotaru breaking out into tears behind him made his feet turn into lead. He tried his damnest to make them move, but they refused to listen. He couldn't do it. It was one thing to think that Hotaru had forgotten about him. It was another thing to let Hotaru cry over him.

"You're making the same irritating face as always," he growled. As always, Hotaru's tears stopped so fast that he hiccuped.

What wasn't normal was the pains that he got for his efforts. The mask on his face instantly self-destructed, blowing itself into pieces as soon as he'd unveiled himself. His Vendiche escort was just as cold and methodical, taking advantage of the situation while he was still reeling from the explosion. They sliced his mantle and his hat into confetti with a weapon that flashed by too quickly for him to identify. His weapons disappeared in the process, leaving him only with a set of clothes that was quickly being shredded by the passing winds. Thankfully, they left enough unrecognizable material on his body to give him modesty, but the bandages were damaged beyond repair by the time they were done. He also had enough surface wounds to keep him in a different type of bandages for the next few days.

The bandages fell from his face as his escort slowly walked away as if they'd never known him, but Ken couldn't lift his head. The consequences of what he'd done began to hit him harder than the explosion had. He'd just lost his home. He'd lost his ability to return to the place full of people who respected him, were friendly toward him, and didn't look at him like he was a wild animal. Why? He didn't care if a little, whining brat cried because of him. He made babies cry all the time! He made grown men cry sometimes, too!

"K-Ken...?" Hotaru whispered hesitantly.

Ken wasn't sure what possessed him to respond in the way that he did, but the lion's roar that ripped from his throat was oddly satisfying. He didn't need something as inferior as words to get his point across. All he needed was the single roar that let out all his frustration, all his pain, and all his anger in one fell swoop. It was also a test that no one around him passed. Everyone nearby was startled and stepped back at the ferocious sound....

Everyone except for Hotaru.

"I'm sorry," Hotaru said earnestly as he--she?--gently took Ken's hands into her own and pressed it to her cheek. Ken's roar ran out at the apology. Just like he'd put everything into a single statement, so had Hotaru. Her words said everything that he'd silently been wanting to hear. She was sorry for underestimating him. She was sorry for not being a good enough friend. She was sorry for ignoring Ken when he'd needed her. She was sorry for not treating him like part of the Family. She wanted to make amends. She wanted a second chance to do things right. She didn't want to lose him.

She wanted him to come home.

Nodding in acceptance, Ken allowed himself to be led out of Venice Row by her kind hand. He really didn't care if people thought that he was acting like a trained animal or a lapdog. At least he'd chosen his Master, which was much more than a lot of Mafioso could say. Of course, Hotaru wasn't his first pick, but she was a hundred times better than a certain illusionist that never came home and...

And he could live with that.

* * *

Autumn wasn't happy. First of all, she was sweating bullets in public. Second, her idiot brother was up to no-good again. He had to be. There was no way that Gabe would ever borrow money to settle down in a quiet life. For him to cut ties with the Family in the process of borrowing money made her even more suspicious. The bastard had basically said that they'd never have to see him again if she gave him the money he'd wanted.

She'd given it to him, but she couldn't leave him to his own devices anymore. He was likely in some sort of trouble and she wanted to know what it was. She didn't care if he was outside of the Martelli city. She'd sent people after him anyway in order to track him down. Gabe was her only brother, after all. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to him because she ignored him, especially after she'd gotten the report in Vegas.

If he'd racked up gambling debts, then she swore that she was going to strangle him. Gabe was smarter than that, though, and getting herself worked up would be meaningless. Whatever his reasons were for settling in Vegas, she'd get to the bottom of it fairly quickly. She had an address, after all. Her hounds hadn't been able to get past the walls since the place had been under construction, but they'd been positive. Her brother had been seen entering and leaving the premises on numerous occasions.

Knowing her brother, the bakery was probably a cover-up operation for a drug-smuggling ring. Flour, sugar, baking powder... As if! She was sure that she'd get more than a simple sugar high if she ordered the right thing. Her father hadn't raised a fool and there was no way in hell that Gabe would be baking bread. That was fine, though. She'd go in, pull him out of whatever mess he'd created for himself, and drag his ass home. She didn't know why he'd left in the first place, because she'd given him everything that he could have wanted.

From her initial inquiry, it didn't seem that Gabe was working with Deter's permission. They hadn't even known that he'd settled in the city. They didn't seem to particularly care, either, but they'd promised hell if they caught someone who was cutting into their business without paying the standard protection fees. That meant that Gabe had to be part of some hair-brained scheme with that motorcycle gang that he'd joined up with. She'd already confirmed that half of them were running drugs from Florida to California and the other half were complete dupes who were brought in as extra muscle. That was how they could afford to go without regular jobs and still pay for their food and gas. The jump from running drugs to selling them wasn't that large of a jump. It just meant that they purchased an extra kilo for themselves.

When her taxi pulled up to the address that she'd been given, the place looked exactly as she expected. There were high, stucco walls painted in an adobe brown which surrounded the entire building and completely cut it off from the rest of the street. It'd take a master of surveillance to see what was going on within the walls. Also, there was only a single point of entry, which meant that raids would be bottle-necked at the gate unless they brought equipment to scale the walls. Finally, there was only one permanent sign next to the gate to advertise the bakery and it was so small that she couldn't read it until she was standing on the sidewalk next to the temporary 'Grand Opening' banner. After the banner disappeared, it'd be incredibly difficult for people to know that a bakery was hidden inside. Therefore, it definitely wasn't the work of someone who actually wanted to attract business.

"Maverick's?" Charlie read in disbelief as he stepped up next to her and the taxi drove off. "Do you think Warren knows about this?"

"Don't be fooled," Autumn snapped. "My brother isn't stupid. The name is changed enough that Warren couldn't sue, even if he found out about it, but it's similar enough that he can profit off of affiliation. Maverick isn't a household name, but the name might be known by some of the jet-setters and high-rollers that travel up north before coming down here. Plus, he probably hired a cheap baker to make it look like a real bakery and a recognized name makes this place look even more legitimate to the authorities."

"Then it's not a real bakery?" Charlie asked curiously. Autumn scoffed at the naive notion and hiked her purse up on her shoulder. Charlie would see for himself once they went inside. After all, there was no way in hell that...

There was a line stretching through door, out the breezeway, and down the drive-way. It had to be a fluke because of the Grand Opening sign, she mentally grumbled, because there was no way that...

Every table was filled with people enjoying pastries and talking in an animated fashion about how good the sweets were. Okay, she relented. So her brother was smart enough to hire a _good _baker, but there was still no way in hell that...

"Coming through!" Gabe called as he emerged from the kitchen with a full tray of steaming cinnamon buns. She goggled at him as he slid them onto one of the cooling racks that lined the wall behind the sales counters and immediately headed back into the kitchen. He was wearing a white handkerchief on his head, a tank top, shorts, and a white apron, but she had to be seeing things. Her brother had never worked a day in his life outside of dealing drugs and pretending to help manage Pasta da Paolo!

Yet, even as she thought that, he came back out with another tray full of creme-horns as if it was completely natural. He looked happy, she had to admit. He wasn't even breaking a sweat as he continued transferring freshly baked goods out of the kitchen and the people working around him seemed to give him a large measure of respect. While she watched, he was stopped on three separate occasions to be asked questions and he helped the guy at the register to give a refund for an accidental overcharge--

There was no way in hell....

"Is that Laz?" Charlie choked, noticing the same thing that she did. It looked like him, but there was something odd. He'd dyed his hair black again and she could have sworn that Laz was taller. Was that really him or was it possible that her brother had fallen for an impersonator? If it was Laz, then whose idea had it really been to open a bakery? Was it really a facade like she thought or had Laz somehow blackmailed Gabe into building one for him? "Are you sure that this isn't a bakery?" Charlie asked hesitantly, echoing her thoughts.

Before she could do more than shake her head in curious wonder, Autumn's attention was drawn by the giggling that rose from the crowd gathered at one end of the bakery. Curious, she walked over to investigate. The sales area of the bakery had been set up in an L formation around the kitchen, but the bend and smaller hook had been left empty of tables and counters in order to give people room to stand and watch what was going on in the kitchen. That area was currently surrounded.

Wiggling her way through them to see what they were all looking at, Autumn's eyes bulged when she reached the large picture window that wrapped around the kitchen's main decorator's station. However, there were no walls within the kitchen, so she could see everything. On the far end, an assistant chef was pulling trays of finished pastries out of an over-sized brick oven. On the back wall, an optical illusion of a woman was mixing ingredients and pouring batter into pans. Right in front of her....

Right in front of her, Laz was teasingly trying to shoo Gabe away so that he could get back to work on filling the cream-puffs that were littering his table. Unlike the guy manning the register, Autumn had no doubt that this one was Laz. He'd started getting a lot of gray hairs since she'd last seen him and he was wearing a pair of glasses, but it was definitely him. Well, she was almost positive that it was him. There were a few things that were a little strange, though. For example, he was wearing a loose top, but there wasn't a single tattoo, scar, or brand to be seen on his body. His shirt was moving around a lot, so she should be able to see the X on his chest, but even that was gone. Also, in order to get Gabe to go back to work, he gave Gabe another shy kiss that incited more giggling from the younger girls in the watching crowd.

Autumn felt dumbfounded as Gabe accepted another tray from the assistant baker and returned to work with a resigned expression. She was even more dumbfounded when Laz went back to filling cream-puffs as if the incident was an every-day occurrence. What the hell was going on? It couldn't be what it looked like because Laz and Gabe were mortal enemies. Was Laz playing some sort of sick, twisted game with Gabe? Was this some sort of revenge for what Gabe had done to him?! If so, she was going to kill the bastard! Gabe might be a sick bastard, too, but he was still her brother!

"Please don't," an unfamiliar voice ordered, grabbing her wrist before she could do more than wind her purse around it. Glancing up at the man who'd stopped her, Autumn was dumbfounded to see that it was the mini-Laz who'd been behind the register. "If you break the window, you'll interfere with the temperature control in the kitchen," he explained without letting go of her wrist. "Papa would be devastated by such an ill omen on opening day."

Papa? This boy was Tsuna's son?! She guess that it explained the resemblance but how was that possible?! Not only was he a little old to be Tsuna's kid, but when did Laz have children?! Shit. That was right. Laz was Tsunayoshi Sawada and Tsuna had lots of kids. She kept forgetting because the Laz she'd known hadn't remembered anything about that part of his life. Shit. Why was she gaping like an idiot?! She already knew all this stuff!

"Then get him out here," she demanded, yanking her wrist free of the guy's grip. "I want both him and my brother to explain themselves!"

"I understand," he replied calmly. "If you'll take a seat, I'll tell them that you're here."

"You do that, but I'm waiting right here," she growled, crossing her arms in the stubborn refusal to move. The guy shrugged and walked off to fetch Gabe and Laz. Meanwhile, Autumn began steaming. She wanted answers and she wanted them right now!


	151. Chapter 151 Resolve

"What?" Gabe asked, his entire body stiffening in fear as he laid down a tray of fudge squares. It wasn't possible. Why was his sister there? "D-Don't tell your father," Gabe ordered in quick thought. "I'll try to get rid of her before he--"

"Papa already knows," Tonno replied blandly. "He couldn't miss her if he wanted to. He's ignoring her on purpose to give you time to talk to her first."

"D-Did he say that?" Gabe paled.

"No, but it's obvious because Papa's still in the kitchen," he answered, rolling his eyes at Gabe's moment of stupidity. Gabe flinched at the accurate shot, but steeled himself. He knew that it wasn't as simple as Tonno thought. Tsuna could have been ignoring Autumn to allow Gabe the opportunity to deal with his family issues on his own, but it was far more likely that Tsuna was simply hiding. Tsuna didn't have any better idea of how to deal with the situation than Gabe did.

After all, it had to look pretty damn bad from Autumn's point of view. Gabe had once terrorized and violated Tsuna, then tried to play the victim himself. On top of that, Tsuna had been sent to prison for a year because of him. His sister had naively tried to protect him through all of it, which had ironically made him even angrier at the woman for suddenly showing up. He'd never asked for her protection and he was sick of her meddling. Wasn't she happy that she'd won the battle to be their Father's heir? When the hell was she going to be satisfied and leave him the fuck alone?!

Although, part of him knew that this was a chance for revenge, too. He'd heard all about Tsuna and Autumn's past love affair, even though both Tsuna and he had wisely chosen never to bring the subject up. It had to be eating her alive to find that Tsuna had gone to her brother instead of her. That had been her mistake, though. After Suoh had been buried next to Snicker, she hadn't wasted any time in considering marriage to Snicker's son. If she'd held onto her feelings like Gabe had, then she could have had her chance.

Not that he really wanted to hurt her, though. When everything was said and done, she was still his only sister. She'd jumped in to save his life when Tsuna had finally snapped enough to try to beat him to death. She'd come through for him when he'd wanted money, even though he hadn't told her what it was for. She'd believed in him when no one else would. It was just irritating how she always popped up and ruined his life. He knew that she never did it on purpose, which is why he forgave her, but he had a lot more to lose this time around. Respect, pride, dignity... He could survive losing all of that, but he had something different now. He had a future with Tsuna and he wasn't going to let her take that away like she'd taken his first crush.

"Payback's a bitch," Gabe said, crossing his arms as he fell in next to his sister to watch Tsuna work.

"What?" Autumn gaped. Gabe clenched his teeth together, not needing Rendrick to remind him on his phrasing. He'd gotten better about picking his words more carefully, but his nerves were rattled. Not only was his sister a Mafia Boss, but there were probably CIA hidden in the crowd to get information on Tsuna. Not only did he look like the near-penniless biker-turned-baker that he was, but his sister was wearing a designer dress, designer shoes, and had a designer purse. She also had a fresh manicure, her hair in a professional up-do, and an overall amazing appearance. Inside, it was hard to imagine that Tsuna would pick a guy like him over his sister.

"I meant that you probably have some idea of how I felt when Bentley dumped me," Gabe clarified, keeping his voice quiet so that he wouldn't disturb the rest of the crowd that was watching the kitchen. "If you want to talk, we can talk, but let's sit at a table so that we don't disturb Papa."

"Papa?!" Autumn choked with her eyes bulging.

"That's what his son calls him and it caught on with the rest of the staff," Gabe explained. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Gabe found a soft smile spreading across his face while he watched Tsuna work. Tsuna had put a pair of earphones on to help distract him from the watching crowd, so he kept bouncing in place to the music while he continued filling cream-puffs with his special whipped filling. It gave Gabe the inexplicable urge to walk back around to him and give him another hug.

He didn't do it, though. Instead, he tore his eyes away and smoothly walked off regardless of whether his sister was going to follow him or not. She followed, of course, but Gabe began to panic when he saw that all the tables were filled inside. The ones on the patio were taken, too, which mean that his only hope was the tables in the 'backyard'.

The backyard didn't look like much of a yard anymore, thanks to the landscapers that had been hired. The back patio had been connected with the poolside patio and widened to allow for more tables. Palm trees and desert plants covered each of the surrounding walls to break up the monotony of the area and the sun-loving plants around the pool helped to add shade. Half of the outside wicker tables were also equipped with umbrellas and a single tiki-like gazebo had been raised in the back corner of the yard--a needed feature in case someone wished to rent the back yard for a reception.

Gabe silently gave thanks that the table set up within the gazebo hadn't been taken yet. Once seated across from her, with her husband awkwardly sitting between them, a silence fell that Gabe couldn't break. He knew that his sister wanted answers, but he also knew that she wouldn't have come in person unless she'd thought the worst about him. Seeing Tsuna so suddenly had to have been a shock to her, too. Even more importantly, Gabe wasn't sure what was safe to talk about. Actually, he thought to himself, that might be a good way to start things off and hopefully run Autumn off in the process.

"We're being watched," he said, staring at the table rather than face the woman who was threatening his entire life with her mere presence. "It's not safe for you to be here."

"I knew it," she hissed in satisfaction. "What kind of mess--"

"Let me rephrase that," he interrupted, his eye twitching at how his sister jumped to conclusions. "Papa and I have agreed to work with the authorities. It's perfectly safe, but not very wise for you to be here." Autumn froze as he'd expected her to and pulled back slightly in shock. Gabe wasn't finished, though. As if the floodgates had opened, Gabe began saying things that he'd always hidden behind his teeth. Somehow, he managed to stay perfectly calm through it all, even though the words were flowing in a steady, unstoppable stream.

He told her how much she'd hurt him by refusing to accept that he was gay. She'd hurt him by accepting the preference in others, but not in her own flesh and blood. More than he, she was two-faced. She'd cut into his heart time and time again while laughing at his expense. He blamed her point-blank for the events that had caused him to be cast out of the city. When she tried to object, he cited how it'd been the rumors she'd started at Kink's which had ruined his reputation, his ruined reputation which had kept him from Tsuna, and his broken heart that'd pushed him into doing such cruel and sadistic things. He also knew that she realized her errors when he said one simple statement.

"Am I really your brother or a rabid dog that you think you're responsible for?"

Her face turned green, telling him the answer without needing to hear a verbal answer.

"I'm not a rabid dog," he continued calmly while still refusing to meet her eyes. "I screwed up in the past and I've already paid for that. Do you have any idea how many times I've wanted to kill myself in the past eight years? Or how much it hurt every time he cringed from me when we crossed paths again? It took countless hours of talking until my throat was raw before he could trust me and I still had to watch my every move for weeks after that so we could make progress. Every day for the last six months, I've poured every moment of every day into repenting for what I did to him just so that we could enjoy the relationship that we have now. That's why I resent you for coming here. This is our home now and I won't let you destroy it--"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She exclaimed in outrage. "I've never--"

"Done anything but treat me like a rabid dog," Gabe finished. "Don't deny it, Autumn. You know... I can forgive you for the things that we did while we were racing against each other. I did some pretty cruel things, too, although most of them turned out wrong. I talked a lot of shit, but I never intentionally tried to hurt you... until you lost faith in me. You were the first person to turn on me and the rest of the city followed your lead. Do you want to know why I left the house and the city? It's because I could feel the eyes on me. Everyone was expecting me to start foaming at the mouth and do something despicable again. Do you remember the months before I left? Probably not. I'd stopped going out and I stayed in my room for six weeks straight. Do you remember the last thing that you said to me before I told you that I was leaving? You told me that you were proud of me for staying out of trouble. All that time, I was locked in my room and considering whether to kill myself, yet you only cared that I hadn't caused any problems for you. You were so damn smug about finally putting me on a leash that you didn't notice that I was being strangled. If I hadn't respected Father so much, I probably would have killed myself on the spot just to spite you, but I didn't want to desecrate the home that he'd raised us in. If it hadn't been for Bo and the Golems finding me that night, you probably wouldn't have seen me again--"

"Why are you telling me all this?!" Autumn spluttered, emotionally distressed by his admissions. Gabe smiled to himself at the question. He actually knew the answer to that one.

"It's because of him," he answered, glancing over at the bakery. "Both of us have changed because neither of us are trying to live for our Families anymore. I could care less if Martelli went to hell in a hand-basket as long as I've got him beside me. He's like a bright morning after a nightmare. I'm completely disconcerted by him, but he's blown away my insecurities. Since he's overcome his fear of me, he's become stronger than me, too. I'm not stupid. Everything I do is only because he lets me and he's not afraid to fight me when he thinks that I'm out of line. He treats me as an equal and supports me in a way that you never could, sis. And that's why... I've got to protect him with everything that I have to offer. I... I won't let you see him."

"W-What?" She gaped.

"He's not part of your world anymore," Gabe explained bluntly, finally willing to meet her eyes with pure defiance in his gaze. "That's one thing that I can give him that no one else could. You know that I've always loved him, sis. I've always love him for himself, not because of who he is or what he can do. I don't care about his titles or his power or his past. If I have to, I'll rip through all of it just like I did before. Consider me a possessive bastard or a psychotic stalker or whatever you want, but I'm not going to let him go--no matter who he is. You'll only make him remember the things that he's been trying to forget. You'll make him doubt. If you care about us at all, then you'll just leave. Just by being here, you're threatening everything that we've built together, so I won't let you talk to him and make things worse, sis. Charlie, I can't stop him from talking to you since you're his step-son, but I want to be there to stop you if you start talking about things that you shouldn't. Those are my terms."

"Gabe!" Autumn exclaimed, finally exploding from her chair in anger at his dominance of the conversation. "Who the hell do you think--"

"Sit down," Charlie ordered. Autumn froze with her mouth hanging open and Gabe was just as surprised when he glanced at the guy. Something had changed in him during the time that Gabe had been talking. It was visible in his eyes and his rock-hard expression. For once in his life, he wasn't going to allow Autumn to act how she wanted and he wasn't going to be the browbeaten husband. The dangerous gleam in his eyes threatened hell if she chose to ignore his warning. Autumn was too surprised by Gabe's unexpected support. She paled. She gulped. She silently sat back down. Charlie was in charge now and all three of them knew it.

"You'll have to excuse your sister for being reactionary," Charlie stated with the same insane calm that had possessed Gabe. "We were expecting something a lot different when we came here and you've made us happy by proving us wrong. I hope that you'll understand things from our point of view, though. It's a little too much to ask us to stand aside when we see that _he _is in your keeping. No matter how much you say that both of you have changed, I can't accept that he'd forget what you did to him and would willingly stay here. No one is that forgiving. However, since we are intruding in your life, I'll accept your terms. Autumn will go back to the hotel while I meet with my step-father."

"Ch--"

A single glare was all that it took to silence Autumn once more. Under the surface, Charlie was angrier than Autumn was. He had much more at stake than pride. He'd finally found the important connection to his blood father and he'd found him in the arms of a former enemy. There was no way that he could accept such a situation without hearing an explanation from Tsuna's lips.

"I'll tell him that you're here, but it might be a while," Gabe warned. "We've got a lot of customers today because of the grand opening and we need him in the kitchen. It might be better if you come back after we close at six."

"I'll wait," Charlie replied stubbornly. Gabe softly nodded to himself. He'd expected as much from a kid that Tsuna had helped raise. Charlie wasn't going to go anywhere until he got what he wanted.

"Gabe..." Autumn mumbled in entreaty when he stood from the table without a single word of farewell. Gabe stared down at her, knowing what she wanted. He'd been harsh to her. She wasn't a woman who could handle honesty and he'd thrown all of her mistakes in her face. She wanted him to tell her that he needed her and that he was miserable without her. She wanted him to say that he was only asking her to leave because he was scared that Tsuna would run to her if she snapped her fingers. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the truth.

"You're arrogant, sis," he said bluntly, making her eyes widen in shock. "You think that everyone's happiness relies on you because you're the Boss, but you're just a small person with a big ego. You're never going to be happy unless you learn to appreciate the things in front of you. You know, despite everything I did, I don't regret falling in love. The only thing I regret about my life is that I allowed you to hurt me enough that I became so obsessed with losing him that I ended up hurting him. That was my mistake and I'm not going to repeat it. So don't come back here. You might be my twin, but we're nothing alike."

There was no way for his sister to respond to such a cold statement and Gabe didn't look back as he headed for the kitchen again. It was depressing, but he honestly hoped that he'd never see her again. He just wanted a simple, quiet life with the people who actually cared about him. Autumn could only bring chaos and mayhem to his doorstep and she no longer thought of him as more than a disobedient pet. He was tired of telling her the things she wanted to hear and he was through with being treated like a third-rate human being. If she wanted comfort, then she could turn to her husband or her Family because he wasn't doing it anymore. His time was better spent with the man who... didn't seem to be in the kitchen.

"He took a smoke break," Andy shrugged before turning back to the tray of cookies that he was preparing. Gabe grimaced as he headed back out of the kitchen and through the sales floor for the front door.

It was one of their compromises that Tsuna couldn't smoke in the building. Gabe wanted him to quit, but he knew that it was more than a simple habit to Tsuna. For Tsuna, smoking a cigarette was equivalent of hugging Snicker again. It brought him comfort and reassured him that happier times were possible. In his own words, a cigarette was 'the good life'. That was why Gabe hadn't pushed the issue after getting his foot in the door. Eventually, Tsuna would quit bothering with the hassle of going outside and would come to him for comfort instead. In situations like the current one, though, a cigarette was his only option and it was enough to make Gabe smoke simply to give Tsuna new memories to lean on when he smoked in the future.

Walking around the house, Gabe found Tsuna leaning against the workshop shed with a dull light in his eyes and a cigarette loosely hanging from his lips. It only took a glance to see that Autumn's presence had already taken a toll. Although he seemed calm on the outside, Tsuna was imagining all the possible outcomes from her presence and considering his options. There was no joy on his face. It was almost as if the Tsuna of the past six months had been erased entirely.

Pulling the cigarette out of Tsuna's mouth, Gabe put the light back in Tsuna's eyes with a passionate, deep embrace that lasted until Tsuna was forced to break away for air. Gabe refused to pause at that point. He followed up by groping Tsuna rear, pulling him close, and attacking his throat with even more fervor. He wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop until Tsuna fought back. If he didn't fight back, then Gabe was fully prepared to fuck him on the spot because he knew that it was something that Tsuna wouldn't want to do. The customers around the front might hear them, one of the staff might come looking for them, or even Charlie might walk up on them. Tsuna didn't mind being loving in broad daylight, but he preferred to keep bedroom games in the bedroom for the sake of the people around him.

"We can't--" Tsuna blurted, gently pushing Gabe away so he could get control of himself. Gabe smiled, seeing that he'd managed to warm Tsuna up. That was exactly what Gabe had wanted. Tsuna had reverted back into the adorable, shy, and caring man that Gabe had fallen in love with. He wasn't thinking about meaningless things anymore. From Tsuna's sensuous gaze, the only thing on his mind now was how much he wanted to continue, but couldn't. The bakery was still open for five more hours and it was opening day. Closing early was impossible.

"That's more like it," Gabe smirked, planting one final kiss on Tsuna's cheek. Leaning over to his ear afterward, Gabe added, "After watching you bake all day, I have half a mind to fill you up like a cream-puff. Why don't we send the boys out for dinner tonight? If I have to wait until everyone goes to sleep again, I don't think that you're going to be able to get up in the morning."

"Gabe!" Tsuna gasped, his face lighting up in embarrassment for the dirty talk. Gabe laughed at him before taking a slow drag off his cigarette. Carefully putting the cigarette back in Tsuna's mouth as he blew the smoke to the side, he got the effect that he'd been going for. Tsuna blushed even more and there was no way in hell that he was thinking of Snicker while he continued smoking it. His eyes kept darting back to Gabe too much.

Unfortunately, all good things had to end at some point.

"I told sis to go away," Gabe said as he leaned against the shed next to Tsuna. Tsuna's blushes instantly faded, leaving him with his cigarette and a listening expression. He wanted to hear more. He wanted to know what had happened while he'd hidden. There was still light in his eyes, though, so Gabe was willing to tell him. "What we do is none of her business anymore. I was pretty hard on her and I didn't let her say much, so she's probably going to go home pissed, but... But she'll go home. I hope you won't be mad at me, but I told her that I wasn't going to let her see you before she goes."

"Gabe..." Tsuna grimaced. "About Autumn--"

"I don't want to hear it," he snapped. "She's old news and you're not with her. You're with me, so let me be a little selfish about this. I don't want to see the two of you together and I don't want you to talk to her. You don't need friends like that anymore. I... I'm not trying to pick your friends, I just--"

"I got it," Tsuna soothed with his expression softening. "It's probably for the best anyway. I'll leave the past in the past. I've already told her what I needed to anyway. She's married to Charlie now and I can't go back in time. When it comes down to it, her Family is more important to her than I am and I can't blame her for that. Neither of us can change who we are, so there's no point in being miserable by chasing after a rainbow. You can't catch it."

"Unless you're a pot of gold like me," Gabe teased in hopes of cheering him up. Tsuna looked momentarily dumbstruck at the reference, but his expression quickly softened again as he leaned over to hug Gabe's side. Gabe guessed that he'd said something right. He really was getting better about that.

"I love you, Gabe," Tsuna mumbled into Gabe's shoulder as Gabe wrapped his arms around him to hold him in place.

"I love you, too, Cream-puff," he grinned. He got a jab in his side for the pet name, but Gabe made note to use it again in the future. The back of Tsuna's neck was turning red. "You're going to have to go tell Charlie that you love me," Gabe warned. "I got rid of my sister, but your step-son doesn't believe me. He thinks that I'm holding you captive and he's not planning to leave until you talk to him."

"Well, I'm not planning on talking to him anytime soon," Tsuna replied. Gabe tensed in surprise. "Seeing is believing," Tsuna explained. "If we make him wait long enough, he'll get up and start looking around. I think the best thing we could do is to pretend that he's not here. Let him see for himself that you're not lying."

"Then you better get back inside," Gabe admonished. "Right now, Andy is the only one in the kitchen."

"Yes, Mr. Manager," Tsuna agreed teasingly. "I wouldn't want you to reprimand me." Gabe groaned when Tsuna planted a final kiss on his lips and broke away with a laugh to head back around the building to the front. A reprimand was only the first of the things that he wanted to do to Tsuna, but--sadly--they couldn't stay in bed all day. Not only would such a thing be bad for Tsuna's state of mind, but it would be bad for Gabe's stamina. Gabe was good at bluffing, but Tsuna... Tsuna was insatiable. Wearing him out through work was Gabe's only hope.

* * *

Tonno Sawada was his name. His father was Tsunayoshi Sawada, Mafia Boss by lineage and direct descendant of Vongola the First. His mother, if that person could be called such a thing, was the person that he hated more than anyone else on the face of the planet. Other than serving Hotaru Sawada, first born child of Tsunayoshi Sawada, Tonno had only three goals in life. The first was to ensure Tsunayoshi Sawada's continued survival until the empty hour came to an end. The second was to ensure that the dawn of the vampire age never came. The third was to kill Xanxus in the most brutal way possible.

His first goal had been born after reading the Black Archives that the CEDEF held. While he did not have all the details, he had been able to piece together enough of the record to understand the current situation in the Mafia. Vongola had been doomed long before Hotaru had ever been given the throne. After the fall from power, there would be a void in the Mafia--the so-called empty hour--when other Families could move in and rise in Vongola's place. This Hour was the time when everything stable began to fluctuate and chaos ruled. That chaos was what allowed a new hour to form in unnoticed silence.

The first hour came after the empty hour and it was already ticking closer. Tonno could feel it approaching. Across the ocean and in the dark depths of the Mafia, the catalyst for a new Family had already been created and was merely waiting for Hotaru to grab hold at the right moment. Vongola would rise again. Tonno knew it. CEDEF knew it. His father probably knew it, but was doing his duty by ignoring it. The empty hour had to remain empty, else the chance for a new beginning would slip through their fingers.... through Hotaru's fingers. His intuition told him that Hotaru would be the one to bring everything together. Until then, Tonno's abilities were best used in keeping the trouble-magnet from attracting trouble.

That brought him to his second goal, which was to keep the vampire age from dawning. It hadn't been an easy choice, but the simple truth was that the dawn of an era where vampires could show themselves in the light would have shifted the balance of power out of Hotaru's favor. There was no way that a mere human could compete in terms of experience, physical power, or abilities, no matter how powerful of a Mafia Boss that he was. Keeping the vampire nation in the shadows was the only chance that the world had to keep them under control and the only chance that Hotaru had in order to safely reclaim the power that he'd lost along with the Vongola name.

His third goal was to kill Xanxus, but there were two reasons for such a goal. The first was obvious since the bastard was a blood-sucker. That was just an excuse to torture him, though. The truth was far more personal because Xanxus had ruined his life by being born. If Xanxus hadn't been who he was and if he hadn't been adopted by the Ninth, then... then the bastard's Flame wouldn't be running through Tonno's veins.

It was a good thing that the Estraneo Family had already been destroyed by Mukuro. If it hadn't been, Tonno wasn't sure if he'd have been able to overcome his hatred enough to accept a Mafia Boss for a father and a brother. His past was too demented. It was too horrifying for anyone to face, even himself. He had no choice, though. There were somethings that could never be changed and his birth was one of them.

Unlike what Tsunayoshi thought, Tonno had been born in a test tube. He was a combination of Tsunayoshi's blood and Xanxus' blood in a completely unnatural way. The idea had been to allow Estraneo to rise again by creating a Boss that would be stronger, smarter, and have ten times the potential of anyone else. He'd been expected to have Vongola the Tenth's intuition, his charisma, and his luck. He'd been expected to have Xanxus' tactical genius, his brute strength, and his raw determination. He'd been expected to be the greatest Boss that would ever live.

The result--Tonno--had turned the lab into a forgotten crater by the time that his body had matured into that of a twelve-year old, thus destroying the remnants of Estraneo that Chrome and Mukuro were searching in vain for. Of course, he had very little in the way of memories from before that period. From time-to-time, he'd awakened and peered out at the doctors who'd been monitoring his advanced growth. There were also bits of programming in his memory that had been intended to ensure his loyalty to Estraneo. There were also memories of waking up to needles and sensors and much pain. Things like love and warmth hadn't been taught to him until after Basil had found him and introduced him to a picture of his father.

People had come to love him simply because they'd loved the man that he superficially resembled. People had come to hate him for the uncontrollable Sky Flame within his body--Xanxus' Flame. Tonno refused to bear that bastard's sins, though. He refused to acknowledge Xanxus as his father. If he did nothing else in his life, Tonno swore to erase the bastard from the face of the planet before someone could say the damning words in reference to the wrong man:

"You remind me of your father."

Tonno was happy when people said such a thing in reference to Tsunayoshi. That man deserved to me admired. He was kind, caring, and incredibly self-less. Even now, when he was purposely trying his hardest to be selfish, he'd jeopardized it in an instant to help a complete stranger. His father had been quicker to react to a break-in than him and he'd been incredibly wise in his choice of staff members. Xanxus was a common scumbag compared to Tsunayoshi's uncommon grace, his untainted heart, and the beauty of his Dying Will.

Even his brilliance in choosing a dupe to fall in love with was admirable. Gabe had Tonno's approval. He was cunning enough to have previously cornered a weakened Tsunayoshi. He was loyal enough that he'd turned on his own sister. Best of all, he was completely common. Gabe was easily controlled and practically transparent to a man like Tonno and his father. His strength, his wants, and his goals were so easy to decipher, which meant that there were no surprises. He was someone who was safe to love. He was like a dog or a cat; Gabe was a companion that no one expected anything out of.

For someone like Tsunayoshi, such a man was the rarest creature of all. When Gabe envisioned the future, he had no thoughts of regaining power, building a Family, or protecting his assets. He was like a mindless beast who only cared about when his Master was going to be able to pet him. He demanded attention where less mindless people would back away to give Tsunayoshi space, he became jealous of anyone who tried to take his place, and he attacked anyone who threatened to hurt his Master. Those qualities weren't rare since every one of Tsunayoshi's previous subordinates had the same mindset, but Gabe was rare because he didn't allow the reality to equate to a feeling of being indebted. Instead, Gabe dared to claim a matching level of mindless devotion from Tsunayoshi as if he really held an equal status.

Reality would intrude eventually, but Tonno had decided to leave things alone for the moment. His father seemed to enjoy Gabe's delusions and there was no point in ruining his fun while it lasted. He'd have to go back to work soon enough. At least, Tonno thought he was going to, but he wasn't entirely positive anymore. His father had completely changed the rules of the game by including a truce with the authorities. It made Tonno wonder if his father had somehow become as deluded as Gabe was. It was always possible that he was turning senile with old age, too.

Giving the bakery a cursory glance between patrons, Tonno prayed that Papa wasn't turning senile because the situation could turn very ugly in the blink of an eye. There were at least three law enforcement officers hidden in the crowd, all who were nearly hitman quality in their ability to blend in to their surroundings. Other than the Martelli Family, who had a personal reason to cause a commotion, there were also two other suspicious people. There was also the customers themselves, who were beginning to look peeved over the long line.

The long line couldn't be helped, though. Tonno was working at his top speed and with complete efficiency. Jim was moving as fast as he possibly could, too. The simple fact was that they weren't equipped to handle so many customers. They'd underestimated the number of tourists who'd find the place, the number of nearby residents who'd curiously stop in, and the amount of working people who could reach the bakery for their lunch breaks. If he hadn't taken a break to use the restroom, then there was no way that he would have been on hand to stop Autumn. The customers were never-ending!

Papa had good foresight, though. The line crossed in front of the display cases, so people had plenty of time to see what was in stock before they reached the counter. There was also enough spare room beside it that people could come in to look at what was available before they decided whether to wait in line and Gabe's 'managing' was sufficient enough to keep the rest of the staff from causing interruptions in a fairly smooth operation.

On top of that, Papa had wisely chosen the people to work for him. Jim never got angry, no matter how snippy the customers got. He also kept up with Tonno's speed without complaining over anything. Next, Ray was more hard-working than he seemed. He kept the lobby cleaned and somehow managed to keep the customers from lingering at their tables after they finished eating without making the customers unhappy. He also filled in admirably when Jim needed to use the restroom or needed a breather. Finally, Andy came out often to check the display stock and somehow managed to make the right things refill the cases before they became completely empty. His efficiency was as good as Tonno's.

"Who do I talk to about having a cake made?" An elderly woman asked curiously as Tonno rang up her order. Tonno didn't answer. He didn't need to because Papa had trained Jim well. As soon as the man heard the question, he darted into the kitchen to fetch Papa. Papa came back out with him and took the woman aside to talk so that they didn't interfere with business, but the result was less than satisfactory because the woman politely asked to talk to the head baker.

It was the third time that such a mistake had been made. Papa just didn't look like a baker. Actually, he looked a bit slovenly due to the amount of frosting that he'd gotten on his apron and his lack of a uniform. Customers tended to think that they'd sent out the dishwasher to take the order and they didn't want to talk to someone that wasn't going to be making their cake. Fortunately, the woman accepted the correction and still placed her order, unlike the two previous ones who'd abruptly changed their mind after meeting Papa.

"Two hours?!" Papa yelped.

"You can't do it?" The woman asked in disappointment.

"N-No..." Papa corrected, biting his lip while he quickly considered his options. "I think I can manage it, but it's not going to be as detailed as it could have been if I'd had notice."

"That's fine," the woman soothed with a trembling lip. "It'd really help me out of a bind if you could make anything. As long as it has the tiers, I can figure out some way to decorate it."

"Well, I can decorate it, but... hrm... Would you mind trusting me with the design? If so, I can promise that you'll have something satisfactory for your daughter's elopement and I can have it done within the hour."

"O-Okay..." she mumbled hesitantly.

"White and tiered are your only demands?" Papa asked. At the woman's nod, he darted back into the kitchen and kicked both Andy and Gabe out of it. They were both bewildered by the sudden order to take a break, but the strangled yelps from the crowd in front of the kitchen window was enough to explain everything. Papa had just multiplied his workforce by having Thia split into her wyvern forms and he hadn't wanted to scare Andy or Gabe with their appearance.

Tonno wasn't going to complain, considering that half the customers in line broke off to go take a closer look alongside the two men. He also didn't feel the need to go with them. No only was he disinterested in baking, but he could already see everything in his mind's eye. Papa would have his Flame burning at maximum. One wyvern would have taken over Andy's work. Another would have taken over Thia's. Another one would be helping those two, which left three to help Papa out. Papa's salamanders were extensions of himself. Although there would be four people working on the cake, it'd be done with the single-minded focus of an individual.

Using the distraction to his benefit, Tonno waved for Ray to help Jim and picked up the pace that he was serving customers in. It was a rush. Even though he kept his calm, Jim and Ray became frantic to keep up the pace. It was worth it, though. By the end of the hour, when Papa stepped out of the kitchen while wiping his hands with a towel, the only customers left were those who'd gotten caught up in watching. Nearly half of those people left without buying anything when they realized how much time had passed and the other half were easily dealt with--once they stopped trying to question Papa about the show he'd put on.

"Ray," Papa ordered, getting the man's immediate attention. "I need you to make a delivery for me. The customer is going to ride with you, so go get the truck ready." As Ray darted off with keys in hand, Papa disappeared back into the kitchen for a moment.

When he returned, he was pushing a cart with an amazing piece of art on it. The cake was three tiers high, boasting white roses of a traditional wedding cake without the typical column separators. It was a notch above the normal standards because Papa had taken such care with it. The surface was as smooth as glass despite the lack of fondant and the roses were incredibly life-like. For the cake-topper, he'd somehow created two doves with wings spread and that was where it began to become truly special. The cake was covered with sparkling, cast-off feathers. It looked like the whole thing could take flight at any moment, but not in a chicken coop type of way. Papa had somehow given the creation an angelic quality that was amazing for the short amount of time that he'd been given.

The woman who'd ordered it burst into tears as soon as she saw it, which told Tonno that she'd been in more than a simple 'bind'. The woman had lost all hope of finding a cake on such short notice. She'd likely been prepared to reduce herself to buying several pre-made, generic birthday cakes and stacking them. To have a real cake made was a sudden blessing that seemed worthy of crying over. It was also worthy of promising to send business to Papa.

"I'm going to tell everyone to come here!" She sobbed as Papa began enclosing the cake in a box for transport. "Just you wait! My granddaughter's christening is coming up and so is my nephew's birthday! From now on, I'll make sure that they all come here to get their cakes!"

"Just tell them to give me a little bit of notice," Papa laughed. "I have a limit of three cakes a day, so I need notice if I'm going to be able to schedule it in. You're lucky today because it's the grand opening. I didn't have anything schedule yet."

"Then get your schedule ready because I'll make sure that they come tomorrow!" She exclaimed as she dried her eyes with a spare napkin. "Really, I have no way to thank you. No matter how much money I won at slots, I was starting to think that it wasn't enough. Everywhere I went said that they were already backed up with orders and they couldn't fit me in on such short notice, but you managed a miracle in under an hour."

"It was a pleasure," Papa smiled as he borrowed Tonno's register to ring up the order. As the woman left with Ray and the cake, Papa leaned on the wall behind him to catch his breath. Tonno knew what he was thinking. Although it looked like a miracle, it wasn't. Papa had stretched his abilities in order to save someone again. "I think it's break time for me," he sighed, confirming Tonno's thoughts. "But there's no rest for the wicked. Since the line is short, go get Ginger to take over the register for you and pass out some slices of buccellato to our friends in the crowd. There's no sense in continuing this farce when they're taking up so many tables. After that, I want you to join Gabe and I for a little chat with your step-brother in the gazebo."

Nodding in acceptance of Papa's wise orders, Tonno darted through the kitchen and up the stairs to fetch Ginger. Ginger was watching television in front of an air-conditioner in his room when Tonno found him, but he turned it to cartoons for Chopper and followed Tonno downstairs without an argument. He'd managed to go most of the day without showing himself, but he couldn't complain when he was actually needed.

As expected, Ginger's appearance was shocking for the customers, but they quickly wrote it off as a man in a suit. This freed Tonno to snatch up a serving tray and fill it with the slices of bucellato that Papa had ordered. He added a bit extra in case someone wanted to taste a sample, but he made sure that the pieces for his targets were full-sized.

"Papa gives his compliments," Tonno said as he set down the first piece. Before the agent could react, Tonno moved on to the next table and repeated the process. There were five altogether, all of which had slyly integrated themselves into larger groups of people. Tonno could tell that three were law enforcement officers due to the way that their backs slightly straightened after being uncovered. He could tell that one was Mafia due to the cocky smirk that the man gave; Tonno guessed that it was someone from Deter who'd followed the Martelli to the bakery. The final one was someone that was likely tracking Ray. The clues were that the idiot actually asked where Ray was and he turned his nose up at Tonno's offering. The man didn't have the class or the ability of a trained professional.

Once that was finished, Tonno put the remainder of the tray's contents next to the register for customers to sample and headed for the gazebo with four bottles of water. The conversation stopped once he arrived and passed out the drinks, but it quickly picked back up once he was seated. Other than a polite greeting, Tonno kept his comments to himself. No matter how Papa treated Charlie, the simple fact was that the man had no relation to Papa. He wasn't even an adopted son, let alone a blood relation.

"You can't expect me to accept this," Charlie scowled with the full force of his glare landing on Gabe.

"You don't have to," Papa replied calmly. Charlie's attention snapped to him in surprise, but there was nothing other than compassion in Papa's face. "You didn't accept me when I was with your father, either, so I'm not going to change my mind because you don't like it. I know that it's incomprehensible that the two of us would be together, but a lot of time has passed, Charlie. Both of us have changed over the years and I truly believe that Gabe regrets what he did. I've also had a lot of time to move past what was done to me. I hate to say it, but it helps that I've regained the memories that I lost before meeting your father. Gabe hurt me, but I've gone through much worse and recovered. I don't want you to think that this was an easy choice, though. It was actually very hard for me, but Gabe bit his tongue and waited patiently for our relationship to progress at a pace that I was comfortable with. If he hadn't been so considerate of me, then I wouldn't be sitting here right now with him beside me. I think your father--"

"Dad wouldn't accept this," Charlie interrupted through clenched teeth. "Don't you dare say that he'd approve after everything that happened!"

"Ah," Papa agreed sadly. "He probably doesn't approve, but I've learned something in the past six months that you probably need to hear. I learned that I've only got one life, Charlie. If I spend every moment in thinking about what he's going to say when I die, then I'm going to miss out on what's in front of me. I wasted a lot of time by doing what everyone else wanted of me. I made a lot of excuses about being responsible for the people around me, but I had to face the harsh truth: People can take care of themselves. I allowed everyone to become too dependent on me. They looked to me for their jobs, their shelter, and even their direction in life. I responded by giving it to them and I left myself out of the equation. I'm not doing that anymore. If my friends and family need help, then I'll help them. However, I'm not going to let them run my life anymore and I'm not going to make sacrifices when I don't have to. I'm happy here. Can you understand that, Charlie? I might not have the whole cake, but Gabe loves me, I've got Tonno beside me, and I have work that doesn't make me want to cry at the end of the day. No matter what you or your father has to say, I'm not giving this up. A little slice of happiness is better than being greedy and ending up with nothing."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Charlie asked with a petulant frown. He was still upset about the situation, but Tonno could see that Papa's words were beginning to penetrate.

"No," Papa murmured, bowing his head over his bottled water. "I also want you to know that I still want you in my life. I want to hear how you're doing and I want to be there for you when you really need me. I know it's selfish of me to demand for it to be on my terms, but it's up to you to decide if my terms are really that hard to accept. I loved your father and I care about you, too, but the world isn't going to let me stand still long enough to be available to you unless I dig my feet into the ground. Your opinion matters to me, but I can't budge from this, Charlie. If I budge, I'll only end up making the same mistakes again and I don't want to do that. I want a real family, not the Mafia."

"What about Autumn and the Dragons?" Charlie inquired in a subdued tone. "They know that you're still alive. Gigi's already started a manhunt for you."

"I'll worry about Gigi when she finds me," Papa shrugged. "It'd help me out if you didn't tell her where I am yet so that I can have a little more time to get set up, but I'm not running anymore. If she finds me, then she finds me. I'm not going to budge for her anymore than I budged for you. As for Autumn, she's your wife--not mine. I know that things are a bit complicated, but I'm not in that picture anymore, Charlie. I never was. If you want to make a real relationship with her, then my only advice is to show her that you're with her for more than politics. She's an icy one, but even ice melts with enough heat. That's the only difference between me and everyone else that chased after her: I didn't listen when people told me that she was out of my league. Trust me on this. You can't hold back with her or else you'll never get through, but she'll crack if you keep up with the pressure."

"This is weird," Charlie replied with a sheepish blush. "I never thought that you'd try to help me with her. I always imagined that I'd be handing her over if you came back in the picture."

"I'm not in the picture, though," Papa smiled. "I'm just an old man that's hanging off the edge of the frame. What you do with your relationship with Autumn is all on you. She's a... uh... well, she's a real bitch, but she's your bitch now. I'm happy with the pot of gold that I have; I'll leave the royal treasure to a younger thief."

"Royal treasure," Charlie repeated throwing his hand over his face with a laugh. "That sounds about right. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

"Getting to her isn't easy, but it's possible if you're clever enough," Papa chuckled while Gabe scratched his head in non-comprehension. It was an inside joke, albeit one that Tonno was able to quickly pick up on. He was comparing Autumn to a royal treasure, which was typically locked up, guarded, and untouchable. Meanwhile, Gabe was a pot of gold. A pot of gold was similar to a royal treasure since they were both full of hidden riches, but a pot of gold had less in the way of physical defenses. It was more magical in nature and therefore could only be found through fate instead of effort. A pot of gold was also connected to a rainbow, which was an interesting way to describe Papa and Gabe's relationship. Finally, a pot of gold made Tonno think of the old saying about 'the pot calling the kettle black'. It was definitely a fitting metaphor for a man who was shining despite such a shady past.

"Thank you," Charlie said abruptly, making Papa and Gabe blink in surprise. "I don't think I ever told you, but I'm really glad that you were part of my life, Laz. I missed my chance to really get to know dad because I was pig-headed, but I was able to deal with it because you were there after he was gone. No matter how much I screwed up, you still cheered me on and you taught me so much. I... I'm not good with mushy stuff, but... you know... I care about you. You're the only one left that I can really call family."

"Ah," Papa confirmed with a warm smile as Charlie ducked his head in embarrassment. "I knew, but I also doubted before now so I appreciate you for telling me. I can't tell you how happy it makes me."

Tonno attempted to excuse himself as the conversation began to come to a close, but Papa told him to stay even though the reunion had a pretty generic ending. The two traded contact information and made promises to keep in touch. Charlie showed acceptance of Gabe by threatening his life if he hurt Papa. Charlie also promised to keep Autumn from opening her mouth to everyone when they got home. In his own words, he was going to man-up and show his wife that he wasn't just a trophy husband--even if it killed him.

Once Charlie finally left, Tonno saw the reason that Papa wanted him to stick around. The slices of cake that he'd passed out had been effective. The three law-enforcement operatives had stopped pretending to be strangers to each other and they'd grouped together at a single table. They wisely waited until Charlie was gone before they attempted an approach, but they were quick to arrive when Papa was free from his visitor.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada," the leader of the trio greeted with a hard expression. Flipping out his wallet, he showed his CIA badge before introducing himself. "I'm Agent Hendleman. This is Agent MacDell and I believe you know Detective Demetri. He was brought in as a character profiler in your case."

"We've met," Papa smirked as he lazily pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Tonno glanced at the man in question and was unimpressed. He looked like a generic cop in a beige suit. There was nothing special about him at all. "First, he was set on saving me and, after that, he was set on catching me. So, are you here to finally arrest me or did I raise a few eyebrows with my offer?"

"May we sit?" Agent Hendleman asked. Tonno translated the question to mean 'yes, we accepted it, but we want to try to negotiate so that we don't feel so damn sheepish about accepting'. It had to be embarrassing for them. Not only had they been unable to catch Papa, but they were having to play by Papa's rules. The bait was too juicy for them to refuse.

"Gabe," Papa sighed, "Why don't you go get some coffee for us and check on the store? I think I can manage these three with just Tonno."

Gabe tried to object, but the dead-eye stare that he received was enough to send him away. Tonno could understand the reason for sending him away. Gabe had never seen the Tenth at work and Papa didn't want to let him have a glimpse. It was better if his impression of Papa stayed where it was. If he learned what Papa was truly capable of, then he might change and change was bad. However, Tonno already knew what Papa was capable of, which was why he was permitted to stay. Papa was also trying to make Tonno feel more important by being included and it was a gesture that Tonno appreciated. It let him know that Papa wasn't trying to revert him into a baby and that Papa remembered that Tonno was the strongest person in the building after himself.

"Like father like son," Agent Hendleman smirked as Gabe left to get coffee. Tonno recognized the bait. The Agent was implying that he had interesting information on Hotaru and was trying to create a bond with the information that could later be used to pull Papa's strings like he was a puppet.

"Do yourself a favor and shut up," Papa scowled, seeing the same thing that Tonno did. The three Agents stiffened at the sudden shift in atmosphere, but Tonno had to hide his grin. Papa was taking control of the situation through sheer power. "I haven't looked outside these walls since I got here and I don't plan to, so don't try to bait me. If I wanted information on my family, then I can get it without you. So for future reference, I'm not buying information; I'm selling it. I'll tell you all the declassified information on Vongola that you want to know, but my price is that you and your goons stay out of my life. I don't want anyone trying to muscle me for more than I can give. I'm an honest man with an honest business and I want to keep it that way."

"You were right," Agent Hendelman commented, glancing over at Detective Demetri. "He's very aggressive when he gets defensive."

"Don't try to bullshit him and you'll get further," Detective Demetri wisely advised without turning his eyes away from Papa. Papa stared back, almost as if he were warring with his gaze alone. It was interesting to Tonno. What was it about the man that made Papa act like he was a demon? Was Detective Demetri just hiding his abilities so well that Tonno couldn't sense them? Interesting. Tonno made a note to watch him closely in the future. There was nothing worse than underestimating an opponent and this one seemed to have some sort of prior connection to Papa.

"Is that your expert opinion?" Agent Hendelman scoffed.

"Mock me if you must, but it is," he confirmed while continuing to trade glares with Papa. "When Sawada says that he's an honest man, he actually believes his words. He never says things without conviction to back it. He's also an expert strategist when it comes to people. You're the weakest when you think that you've bested him because being underestimated is his greatest weapon. If you want to get anywhere with him, then don't try to play games. Don't be rude-- But don't try to play games. He has more experience than you do and he'll beat you."

Mutual respect, Tonno finally identified. Papa was glaring because the Detective was an enemy that had the mentality of a friend. The Detective understood what Papa was really like and he didn't try to sugar-coat the reality.

"If you think you understand him so well, then why don't I let you handle this part?" Agent Hendelman suggested. The other agent stiffened, telling Tonno and Papa that it wasn't part of their pre-arranged plan. Tonno scowled unhappily when Papa's frown deepened at the Detective's instant smile. It didn't take a genius to see that it was the worst possible outcome. Papa wouldn't be able to control this one as easily as the other two because this one had personal experience in dealing with Papa.

"We want a sample," Detective Demetri said as he pulled a nearly invisible listening device out of his ear and laid it on the table. "You say that you have information, but how do we know that it's worth the price you're asking? I'm not going to bullshit you. You want citizenship, amnesty, and carte blanche to start a new life, but the past doesn't go away that easily. Your escapades on the east coast are enough for us to toss you in a cell. Unless you can prove otherwise, it's smarter for us to let mysteries stay unsolved and let you rot in prison."

This man was dangerous, Tonno finally admitted. He looked normal enough, but he knew exactly where to punch to make it hurt. It wasn't necessarily a rule-book play, as could be heard with the amount of yelling coming over his discarded earpiece, but that only increased the danger. Detective Demetri was an enemy to be closely watched.

"You could only pin me for resisting arrest," Papa replied calmly around a drag of his cigarette. "It's not my fault that the police jumped to conclusions about the contents of my luggage and no one got hurt in the incident. Unless I'm mistaken, the only damage done to Pasta da Paolo was caused by a trigger-happy police officer. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even if you threw me in prison, I'd be out as soon as the trial was over and the most you'd be able to do would be to deport me. In doing so, you'd lose a valuable source of information and I'd still be free as a bird. So stop trying to bluff, Demetri. We both know that you're not going to put me in prison and you'd have already made a move if you had anything on my Family. Unless all of this was just a way to shut up those idiots who were squawking in your ear...? In that case, touche and let's get down to business."

"Touche," Demetri grinned with a knowing glance at the newly-silenced Agents at his side. Both of them had blank faces. Obviously, the attempt at threatening had been their brilliant plan to bring Papa around if all other attempts failed. Demetri knew better and he'd cut through all of the agent's expectations like they were made of butter. He'd effectively taken control of the Agent's side of the negotiation. "You still have to give us something, Sawada," he continued, getting straight to the point. "The higher-ups think you're blowing smoke and I have to admit that it's pretty hard to believe. Breaking the Mafia's Omerta isn't something that a Boss--even a former Boss--is willing to do everyday."

"I know," Papa agreed as he relaxed in the face of the man's honesty. "But that's why I've only agreed to give information on historical records. I might have locked myself in these four walls, but I'm not completely out of touch. I know that the Vongola Family has been eradicated and--"

"What?" Agent Hendleman gasped in surprise.

"Oh lord," Papa scoffed in disbelief. "Can you people not read between the lines? It was all over the newspapers! Didn't the Vongola Mansion burn to the ground? Vongola Corp was also taken over! Even a blind man can see that the incidents are connected! I don't know what Hotaru's chosen to do since then, but I can tell you that rebuilding Vongola isn't one of his options. The power and reputation of the Vongola name has already been soiled beyond repair and no Family means that I'm not a Boss anymore. The oaths that I swore were to a Family that doesn't exist. Now, I'm not going to give up information that you guys can use against people who were once my allies, but I have a lot of stuff stored in my head that has a more historical significance. It won't hurt a single person if I tell you how Vongola the First managed to come to power or how the Family managed to survive two World Wars unscathed. There's seven generations of history that your information specialists have no clue about and at least nineteen unsolved cases that will blow your mind when you hear the truth behind them from the Mafia's viewpoint. Also, I'm the only person on the face of the planet that knows the details and I can give you proof that everything I say is true. Not physical proof, of course, but even more information that will help you connect the dots in your records. It's up to you to decide whether it's worth the pittance that I'm asking for or not."

"And how did you gain all this information?" Demetri asked.

"Lineage is everything to a Mafia Boss," Papa answered sharply. "What I didn't have drilled in my head during my training, I read during my quests to understand the mistakes of my ancestors. The Vongola Family was never intended to be seen as a criminal organization. We were originally a vigilante group who were simply trying to protect ourselves and the community around us from enemies that could insinuate themselves into positions of high authority and power. Over time, the enemies grew more powerful and we had to grow with them or die. The world has never been as black and white as you probably want to believe. There's a shitload of grey out there. Good guy... bad guy... all of it is a matter of perspective. Just look at the basis of your own authority if you don't believe me. Over ninety percent of Americans' ancestors are immigrants. This country was founded on the subjugation and bloodshed of the native tribes who lived here in peace. Are you seriously going to look at me in the eye and tell me that my Family was in the wrong for fighting back just like the Native Americans did?"

"No," Demetri replied, unfazed by the attack on his own 'Family's' history, "But we've learned to live in peace with each other. There are Native Americans in our police forces and--"

"There's Mafiosos in there, too," Papa interrupted with a knowing smirk. Tonno smiled with him. It was a nicely aimed arrow that rattled all three of their 'guests'. "Our methods are different, but we have always wanted the same thing. Don't pretend that you don't know that, Demetri. I've done things that I'm ashamed of, but I've never regretted my actions. My pride can deal with a bit of shame because we both know that even the most righteous organization has its bad eggs. It's better that people like me can collect those bad eggs and keep them in line so that people like you can go to sleep at night."

"The Mafia isn't a police force," Demetri scowled. "It's an organized criminal organization that--"

"Again with the black and white," Papa sighed. "Let's just agree to disagree and move on with this. I have a bakery to run. You said that you need a token of good faith and I can give you that. It's the least I can do since you skipped so much bullshit for me. Hmm, which story should I tell? Oh! Guys like you eat up gangster stories, so how about I tell you about the Family's run-in with Al Capone? It was in his later years while he was suffering from neurosyphilis, but I think you'll find this quite interesting..."

Tonno listened intently while Papa spun his tale. The truth of it was something for historians to verify, but he successfully managed to pull the three Agents into his pace. By the end of his story, he had them in the palm of his hands and they were far too dumbfounded to question the accuracy of Papa's account. Al Capone's name alone was enough to gain their attention, even though the story had no information of actual use within it. If the three had been trained better, they would have been able to see that it was a fluff tale that was intended only to captivate the audience and leave them begging for more.

".... and that's how it was," Papa finished with a shrug. "Now, Demetri, you come back this time next week with green cards for me and my son and I'll tell you something even more interesting. You can leave these two idiots behind and bring a historian instead. A historian will be more useful in digging out relevant information and asking questions than fools who only know how to make recordings. Deal?"

"That's not up to me," Demetri replied with a small shake of his head. The other two didn't seem to understand what had just happened, but the Detective did. He'd already noticed that the three of them had been made to dance to Papa's tune and he was both amused and disgruntled over the fact. "I'm only on temporary assignment, so I can't even promise to be back unless the higher-ups decide that they need me."

"That's a shame," Papa sighed in mock-disappointment. "Of all the cops I've come across, you're the only one who's ever come close to rattling me. I'm not in the habit of becoming friends with people who only want to see me behind bars, but I made a mistake by underestimating you. I didn't think that a gay man could be a cop, so I blindly trusted you. You're the reason that I took up kickboxing and was able to regain my self-respect, so I owe you for that, but you crossed a line that you shouldn't have. You tried to use our friendship as a bargaining chip against me and Papa Paolo. That is not something that I can forgive, Demetri, so I believe that it's fair of me to say that your betrayal cancels out the favor you did for me. We are nothing to each other now. Agreed?"

"I can live with that," Demetri agreed solemnly. "But it's never been personal. When you were a victim, I did my best to help you. When you broke the law, I did my best to stop you. I'm an officer of the law. I've always done my job and I'll continue to do my job. I'll save friendship for people who can respect the rules."

"Oh, I respect the rules," Papa chuckled with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm just smart enough to know where they can be bent. With that said, I think that's enough talk for one day. I need to get back to running my bakery. Please tell your 'higher-ups' to be more considerate when they send in another delegation. I don't mind being watched, but it's a little upsetting when you get in the way of the customers."

"I'll tell them," Demetri promised as he stood. "Stay out of trouble, Sawada. We have our eyes on you."

"I'll remember that," Papa agreed. Following Papa's example, Tonno stayed seated as Detective Demetri bullied the other two into leaving. There was a lot to consider about the visit. Not only was there the volumes of information that had been traded under the surface of the conversation, but there was the importance of the conversation itself. If Papa was going to get the citizenship and the amnesty that he wanted, the CIA was going to make him earn it first. They'd let him work and live in peace for now, but the green cards weren't going to come anytime soon. Only when Papa ended up in a situation where he needed it would they decide whether or not to give it to him. Until then, his only choice was to continue making himself look like a valuable asset. "What did you think of them?" Papa asked curiously as he finished his guttering cigarette.

"Charlie is simple-minded and easy to see through," Tonno replied. "The two agents were even worse. They were trained well in under-cover operations, but Agent Hendleman made a mistake by handing control over to Detective Demetri."

"A mistake?" Papa asked in surprise. "How so? I thought it was a wise move."

"He showed a lack of confidence in himself and a lack of respect for his partners," Tonno explained. "If he were one of ours, I'd demote him, Papa. On the other hand, I'd promote Detective Demetri. He showed an ability to cope with pressure and was quick to react to the opportunity that Agent Hendleman gave him. He's a dangerous enemy."

"Then it's good that we're on the same side now," Papa replied with a warm smile. "Anything else?" Tonno paused at the prompt and reviewed the encounters in his mind. He couldn't think of anything else, though, so he slowly shook his head. "The third Agent," Papa supplied with a small shake of his head. "I'm not surprised that you overlooked him, but he's actually the most dangerous of the three. I was watching pretty closely and all of his expressions were mirror images of Agent Hendleman's. His reactions were quick, so he was only a few milliseconds behind, but there was a minuscule lapse. My best guess is that he's a professional conman. At this stage, he was probably brought in just to watch how I interacted with others so that he could figure out what sort of con I'd be susceptible to."

"So that was why he stayed silent," Tonno murmured to himself in consideration.

"It's not time for him to take center stage, so he blended into the background," Papa agreed through clenched teeth. "This isn't funny. I knew that they'd take my offer seriously, but to bring in Demetri to rattle me and a professional of that level... I'm going to have to be careful."

"What's there to be careful about?" Tonno inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Do you think they're going to steal your recipes?"

"Eh?" Papa gaped as his entire body froze. Tonno waited for him to comprehend the question. Papa was always quick to understand things, except when they involved himself. "Oh," Papa grimaced as his expression softened in realization. "You're right, Tonno. I don't really have anything to hide anymore, so it doesn't matter if they watch me. Geez," he sighed. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"You can't overwrite self-preservation habits that easily, Papa," Tonno replied sympathetically. "It doesn't hurt for you to keep your guard up, but you should relax when you can."

"I know," Papa smiled as he reached out to grab Tonno's hand. "Thank you, Tonno. I know that it wasn't easy for you to sit and listen to your old man tattle on the Family, but I appreciate that you toughed it out. It would have been a lot harder without you here and I promise that it'll all be worth it. Your Papa's going to take care of everything. I don't care what it takes. I'm not going to let anyone take our home away."

Tonno bowed his head and blushed. Papa was willing to break his oaths of secrecy just to ensure that Tonno could stay with him. Tonno knew that he should be upset over it, but he wasn't. Instead, he felt so incredibly happy that he couldn't describe it. He was just a Black Sheep, but Papa really cared about him.

"Let's get back to work," Papa prompted, giving his hand one final squeeze before standing. "This might be the land of opportunity, but a person can't benefit from those opportunities unless they get off their bums and work. So let's work hard and make Maverick's a success!"

"Yes, Papa," Tonno agreed with a warm smile as he stood to follow. "I'll help."

* * *

Tullio quietly waited in the Second's office for the Boss and his son Kirota to notice him. Like many members of the Lionesse Family, he was a second-generation Mafioso. His father had loyally served the First in his latter years and he'd helped the Second to ensure the Family's prosperity over the last forty years. He'd been looking forward to doing the same for the Second and the Third, but dreams didn't come true so easily.

The Third was planning to betray his Father.

Tullio's first reaction had been to talk the Third out of his reckless plans. The more that the Third had spoken, however, the more that Tullio was confronted with doubt. So, like many others who'd been invited to join the rebellion, Tullio kept his lips tightly sealed and asked for time to decide. He didn't know how many people had been given similar offers. The Third had been adamant that he not tell anyone, but that only made the situation harder. How could he possibly make up his mind when he didn't know whether his friends would be joining the same side? He didn't want to end up fighting against them. They were people who'd cared for him and supported him ever since he'd been a toddler.

Betrayal wasn't something that he was familiar with. He knew that it happened all the time in the Mafia, but he was just an accountant. He'd always worked loyally and honestly. He'd always been praised for being trustworthy and precise. He'd been serving the Second for the past six years. How could he possibly betray him now?

The answer was the very thing that Lionesse the Second and Kirota was glaring at outside the window. In one of the many terraced gardens below, the Lady of the house was tending to weeds under the combined eyes of her three ladies. Even though her flowing sun-dress was dirtied from the work, she was glowing with happiness. Nearby, her Right Hand, one of her predecessors, and the Third were sharing a tea-time with expressions full of amusement. Glances repeatedly went to the women and laughter often rang in the air because of the women's unfathomable desire to get their hands dirty, but all of them were enjoying themselves. Tullio couldn't remember ever seeing such a magical scene. It was like something out of a picture book and everyone who looked upon them wanted to join in. Miss Sawada was the best thing that had ever happened to the Family.

"She needs to be bent over a table and reminded how a woman is supposed to act," the Second spat in disgust. Tullio paled, unsure if the Second remembered that he was still waiting in the room. "It's bad enough that she distracts Chin from the work that he should be doing, but she's got the nerve to act like she has some say in how the Family is run."

"I'm working on it, Father," Kirota replied calmly. "She's been ignoring me so far and she hasn't mentioned anything to Chin about it, but I just have to increase the stakes to provoke her. She'll have no choice but to attack me with my next attempt and that will be enough to open Chin's eyes. No matter what she thinks, Chin will side with his Family first."

"Are you still sleeping in his room?" The Second asked curiously.

"Ah," Kirota confirmed with a slow smile. "Chin has always been naive. That's why he continues to stay in the palm of my hand. He still thinks of himself as a shadow-Boss, so he's been working twice as hard. There's three new inventions in his lab. As soon as he's finished and unveils them to the Family, I can take them and unveil them to the world. Your plan was brilliant, Father. He'll be a bit distraught when he realizes that he was duped, but he never wanted to be more than a scientist anyway."

"We can't afford to lose a mind like Chin's, but he's not Boss material," the Second replied with a clenched jaw. "I'll give him credit for managing the stocks well enough to take over Vongola Corp, but he's being foolish in his methods of dealing with the Eleventh. I'm afraid that she's going to try to turn him on us, so you have to work harder on getting a wedge between them. Listen, Kirota. You're the Third, not Chin. The only reason I allowed him to have the limelight was to keep you safe while we brought your physical abilities up to par and to let him see for himself that he's not fit to be a Boss. So don't be led astray by all of your brother's wishy-washy talk about the Sawada Family. That goes for you, too, Turino."

"Tullio, sir," he corrected quietly. Ducking his head, he was afraid to say anything more. He felt as if his head was swimming with information. Chin wasn't really the Third? How was that possible? Chin was kind, caring, and hard-working. He'd managed a feat that Kirota would have been incapable of and he'd brought Lady Sawada to them. Lady Sawada had become a shining ray of light in the Household. Even a mere glance at her was enough to raise the men's spirits.

Tullio felt dazed as the Second finally turned away from the window and accepted his ledgers. Heading out of the room, past the guards on the office door, Tullio was shaken inside. The Second was betraying them all. The peace that Chin had been working for would crumble when the rest of the Families realized that Chin was only a dupe. Lady Sawada's position as co-heir would disappear and she'd be left with nothing. Tullio didn't want to question the Second's wisdom, but it all seemed so painful. Chin had been working diligently as a Boss and the synergy that he had with Lady Sawada could only benefit the Family. Why would he ignore that in favor of Kirota? Was he really discarding sense in order to cling to a silly name?

He felt heartbroken. His father had always cited that the leaders of the Lionesse Family were different than others. He'd said that they were wise, ambitious, and powerful people who had an abundance of love that not even Vongola could compete with. Yet, twenty-six years after he'd been born and six years after he'd begun working, the Second still didn't even know his name. It made him wonder what he was really working for. This wasn't how he'd imagined his life. He didn't expect to get the attention and credit that those on the front lines had, but praise was completely meaningless when it was generic.

Pausing in the shadows of the side veranda, Tullio felt tears welling up in his eyes as he looked out at the mid-day picnic in the side garden. Halfway down the terraced steps was where the table had been set up for a comfortable tea-time in the warm sun. Nearby, Lady Sawada was laughing and spinning in circles with her ladies as a swarm of butterflies danced around them. It was pure magic, which only made his heart sink further. It was as if there were an aura around the group which was impenetrable. Someone like him could never--

"You can join them," a woman said. Spinning around, Tullio was disconcerted when he saw that no one was around. Discarding it as an echo from the upper levels, Tullio turned his attention back to the garden where Lady Sawada was trying to pull a politely refusing Third out of his seat. They looked so happy, but-- "Why are you hesitating?" Glancing over his shoulder for the source of the woman's voice, Tullio was even more disconcerted when the only thing present was the cat that was walking toward him. He had to be hearing th-- "Suit yourself," the cat said as she strutted outside to find a sunning spot on one of the garden's stone steps.

Tullio's jaw dropped, but he didn't have time to question it before he was attacked. The attacker was only the size of his hand and was covered in misleadingly soft feathers, but the yellow ball had a sharp beak that was incredibly painful as it tapped on the back of his head. Tullio acted out of instinct by covering his head and running out into the open. Only caring about getting away from the bird, he didn't notice where he was running to until--

"Hibird!" Lady Sawada snapped with her hands on her hips. "Stop scaring Tullio!" Tullio ducked as the bird swooped past his ear to lightly land on Lady Sawada's shoulder. It emitted a burst of chirps afterward that made Tullio lift his head in surprise. It was almost as if-- "Oh," Lady Sawada gasped with a bright smile as she reached up to scratch the bird's feathers. "Why didn't you just say so? If I'd known that, I wouldn't have yelled."

"What did he say, Hotaru?" Vongola the Ninth asked with a small smile while nursing his teacup in his lap.

"Hibird says that Tullio was too shy to come out by himself, so he thought he'd help," she chuckled. "He says that Tullio is an ostrich." Tullio blushed as a light chuckle rose from the group. However, before he could recover, he found himself surrounded by Lady Sawada's three handmaidens. This only made him blush harder because Fiammetta was one of them. She was like a little ball of energy that a quiet man like himself could never dream of keeping up with. For example, she stripped off his suit jacket to make him more comfortable in the sun before he could even wrap his mind around how close she was. It didn't help that the other two were working on him, either. He felt like he was in the middle of a hurricane. In the blink of an eye, his tie was pulled off, his collar unbuttoned, his hair tousled, and his sleeves were rolled up. After that, he was thrust into an empty chair at the table and poured a cup of tea before he could even think to object.

"Catch your breathe," Chin laughed as the three ladies ran off giggling into the garden with Lady Sawada and the newly-missing pieces of his suit. "They're like imps. They don't hold back when they think they can get away with poking fun at someone--" Chin broke off and all of them turned in their chairs to look when a scream erupted from the garden. There was nothing to worry about, though. The screams became laughter in mere seconds as all four of the girls began running from the beast-man who'd darted into the area. Ken, Tullio identified. The girls were playing an innocent game of tag. "She's going to be the death of me," Chin groaned as they all settled back into their seats.

"She could also be your salvation," Vongola the Ninth commented with a knowing smile. Chin smiled and nodded at the comment, once more looking out at his fiance. However, this time, Tullio saw a light in his eyes that was worth blushing over. It was the look of a man who was staring at the woman he loved. Tullio wasn't sure how to respond to such obvious emotion. Actually, he didn't even know what he was doing by sitting with them. He'd just been distressed and had wanted some fresh air. He hadn't meant to intrude on Chin's--

"I wish every day could be peaceful like this," Chin said with a sigh. "Don't you think so, Tullio?"

"Uh, yes, sir," Tullio responded hesitantly.

"Don't be so formal," Chin laughed. "Just because I'm the Third doesn't mean you have to become stuffy. Don't you remember that time that we jumped in the pond together?" Tullio blinked, instantly recalling the incident in question. However, he was amazed that Chin remembered it, considering he'd only been half of Tullio's size at the time. "If I remember right, you'd just finished having another growth spurt, so you were twice my size. You got upset because I kept saying that I had to study and didn't want to go out, so you lured me out there by saying that you'd found a weird machine at the bottom and you tricked me into jumping in with you. I can't remember how many hours we spent looking for your mystery machine before we gave up and just started swimming, but I remember that Father was so angry when he caught us that he nearly turned blue in the face. I wasn't allowed to see you much after that, but it was one of the few times that I had a lot of fun outside."

"Y-You remember that?" Tullio mumbled in awe.

"How could I forget?" Chin smiled. "So don't worry about being formal when we're relaxing like this. I get enough 'sirs' when it comes to business. I don't need more at home."

"Home..." Tulio repeated. With that single word, everything that Tullio was feeling began to make sense. He lived here. He worked here. This was his home, but the Second treated him like a run-of-the mill servant instead of Family. Kirota was no better with all the airs he put on. Chin was different. Even though he was younger than himself, Chin was more than another shadowy overlord. He was a true Godfather that treated everyone in his Family like the family they were. "Mia famiglia... è... Sawada," Tullio mumbled, making his decision.

Although it seemed as if his decision were made on a whim, it wasn't. He was well-aware that he could be shot on the spot for his statement, but he was strangely unafraid. Chin and Lady Sawada were good people who were worthy of being followed. In his eyes, what the Second and Kirota was plotting was more than unfair--it was betrayal. Tullio's father had spent his life joyfully because he'd stayed loyal to what he believed the Lionesse Bosses were. Tullio couldn't possibly dishonor his memory by turning a blind eye to the current situation. When it came down to a choice between the heir who stayed loyal to his own beliefs and worked hard for an honest living _or _an heir that only wanted money, power, a reputation and was willing to turn on his own brother to get it... there was no choice at all. He had to choose the one that he believed was a worthy leader and that was Chin.

"It's good to hear you say that," Chin replied with a sigh of relief. "There was a lot that I couldn't tell you before about what I'm planning, but now I can. Have you noticed that the hallways are beginning to be more deserted?" Tullio slowly nodded. He'd noticed, but he'd thought that everyone was just out on assignment. "Hotaru has been removing her people a few at a time. We decided that we're only taking four dozen people when we move. Hotaru's already picked the people that she can't do without and she's retiring the people that she doesn't think would be happy with such a massive shift. You know Orinato, her Right Hand," he said, gesturing in Orinato's direction. Tullio traded polite nods in greeting. "He's also become my Right Hand. Kirota can no longer be trusted. You've also met her bird and cat, along with Ken, who's with the girls, the doctor Sakura, and there's a man known as Toshi who's already left to begin arranging housing in America for us. Hotaru has also chosen to invite the technician Yuki and a dozen retirees along with their Families.

You've probably heard most of their names, but you'll be working more closely with them in the future. There's the Tenth's Right Hand, Gokudera Hayato, and the the master swordsman, Yamamoto Takeshi, along with their families. There's also the hitman Reborn, Poison Scorpion Bianchi, a man by the name of Moretti, the genius weapons designer Gianninni, and Ranking Prince Fuuta. She's also sent requests to Trident Shamal, a girl by the name of I-Pin and the great actor Lambo to help round things out. Finally, we'll have representatives from CEDEF, the Cervello Foundation, and the Varia with us. Are you keeping up so far?"

"Barely," Tullio grimaced.

"Don't worry," Chin soothed. "You'll get to know them all in the future. What's important is that I have about two dozen people that I can invite from Lionesse to go with us without making the group too large to go unnoticed. Other than you, my two younger brothers have decided to join us. They don't really want to leave this home, but their desire to get out from under Father's shadow is too strong for them to ignore. I can't blame them, either. A third and fourth son are treated like unwanted garbage, but both of them have dreams and abilities that have been grossly ignored.

We have more than enough specialists, so I've decided to choose people from Lionesse who I can trust and will help fill in the gaps in Hotaru's people. That's why I extended invitations to Hotaru's three ladies since they've bonded together so well. They're aware that they'll be the only maids in the new Household, but they're happy anyway. I invited you because we're in desperate need of someone who can run numbers. You'll probably be happy to know that Greco already agreed to come--" At that, Tullio let out a gasp of surprise. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Greco was his best friend! They'd been working side-by-side ever since they'd went to college together! "Don't be mad at him for not telling you," Chin pleaded in sympathy. "It was killing him, but I still asked him not to. I wanted you to make the decision on your own without his influence. I didn't want you to come with us and find out that you regretted it because you were only following someone else. What we're doing is going to be live-changing for everyone involved. I want you to understand that, Tullio."

Tullio simply nodded in acceptance, still too breathless from the shock to properly respond.

"I've also asked a few of the cooks, two of the butlers, a six-man squad of hitmen, and some of our surveillance specialists to come," Chin continued. "All of my technicians and mechanics from the downstairs lab has agreed to come, too, but I'm still waiting on replies from the professional cleaners, a couple of laywers, and our jack-of-all vehicles, Harlot. Harlot said she'd definitely come if things don't work out with her and the beau she's been after, which probably means that she'll be with us by the time we're ready to move out." Tullio chuckled along with Chin at the comment. Harlot had notoriously bad luck when it came to picking men to chase after. "Now, aside from our people, Hotaru's told me that her mother is moving the rest of her Family to Las Vegas with us. Miss Hibari has decided that she's getting too old to keep up with the latest designs and have time for her family at the same time, so she's turning her mind toward opening a small boutique that she can run personally. They'll be in a separate household from us, but they'll still be around quite a bit. Actually, if you've been down to Venice Row, then you know that she's already in the process of closing down her stores. Their home in Japan is also being shut up. Miss Hibari says that it'll be a vacation home from now on instead of a full-time residence."

"How did Haru manage to talk Hibari into the move?" The Ninth interjected in curiousity.

"She told him that he could stay if he wanted, but that she was still going," Chin grimaced. "I'm told that the entire east wing of the estate was destroyed by the time that they finished fighting. Miss Hibari is a formidable woman, though. She managed to get his agreement by pointing out that we'd be building an entirely new neighborhood with the amount of people transitioning into the same area."

"Head of the Neighborhood Watch?" Orinato asked with a laugh.

"Worse," Chin groaned. "It's been decided that he'll be Head of the local Homeowner's Association. Lord help us if he doesn't like our lawn ornaments." Tullio didn't understand the reference, so he chose to quietly sip on his tea while Orinato and the Ninth tried to stiffle their laughter. "I've only met Hotaru's step-father twice so far and I dread another meeting. He nearly killed me for not asking his permission before I got engaged to Hotaru and he almost killed me again when I told him that we were going to elope."

"What saved you?" Orinato inquired.

"I did," Hotaru answered, popping up from behind Chin so suddenly that he couldn't react to the kiss that she planted on his cheek. "I asked Hibari to give me away at the smaller ceremony and he suddenly decided that killing Chin would be boring," she added as she slipped into a seat in Chin's lap. The other three ladies followed suit, taking over each of their laps since there wasn't enough seats. Tullio couldn't stop himself from blushing as Fiammetta chose his own to sit in.

"I'm not a chair," Orinato growled as Ginerva plopped onto his legs.

"You could have fooled me," she laughed, ignoring his objection completely as she began stealing snacks from the table alongside Hotaru.

"Don't be shy," the Ninth said, setting his teacup aside when Fiorella hesitated next to him. "I might be a little old, but I think my legs can handle a young lady like yourself. Go ahead and sit so that you can rest for a bit."

"Don't let him fool you," Hotaru warned around a bite of crumb cake. "The Ninth is a horrible womanizer."

"It can't be helped if I have an eye for beautiful women," he chuckled as Fiorella decided to take her chances with a bright red face.

"Where did Ken go?" Orinato asked as he leaned back in his seat to put as much distance as possible between him and Ginerva.

"He got in a fight with Symphonia again and chased her up a tree," she shrugged. At Orinato's raised eyebrow, she added, "He's still fighting the tree. Symphonia wasn't too happy with him, but I told her to make sure and put it back where she found it after they were done arguing."

Once again, Tullio felt too dazed to keep track of the conversation. First of all, a large portion of his concentration was being used to keep himself from reacting to the feeling of Fiammetta sitting in his lap. He felt like he was dreaming. If he wasn't dreaming, then he had to be the luckiest man on earth. Not only had Fiammetta finally come to a stop in front of him instead of breezing past, but she was sitting on him. This was a one-in-a-million chance to talk to her, which was the other part that had him dazed. He had no clue what to say. He couldn't even keep track of what the others were talking about. It'd be a bit odd if he just complimented her out of the blue or introduced himself when she was already sitting in his lap. Commenting on the weather was a little too lame and--

And she was gone, chasing alongside the two who'd stolen the whole trays of snacks.

"You're going to get fat, Lady Sawada!" Ginerva laughed as she darted through the garden with a crumb cake in her mouth.

"Will not!" Hotaru spluttered in laughter as she ran after them. "Give those back! I haven't tried the lemon chiffon yet!"

"Boss..." Orinato groaned under his breathe as he hid his face in his hand in embarrassment.

"Well," Chin sighed as he upturned up his empty tea-cup in amusement. "Not only did they steal the cakes, but they finished off the tea, too. I guess that's my cue to get back to work."

"I'll go with you," Orinato offered as they got to their feet. Tullio tried to rise with them, but Chin gently pushed him back down in his seat.

"Relax," he ordered. "You've already turned in the ledgers for the day, so there's no rush. I'll have someone bring out more tea, so enjoy yourself. The girls will probably be back to take a longer rest in a little while."

"If you don't mind the company, I think I'll stay here, too," the Ninth winked. "Unless my eyes are deceiving me, I see a little romance blossoming and I just love to meddle. I hope you don't mind, but you seem like you could use the help, Tullio." Tullio blushed brightly and ducked his head as Chin and Orinato walked away with a sympathetic chuckle. He hadn't been that obvious. Had he? "Don't worry," the Ninth soothed. "We're Family and I've known a woman or two in my heyday. There's three keys to catching a lass like Fiammetta. Are you interesting in hearing them?"

Yes, he admitted to himself. Slowly lifting his head, Tullio sheepishly nodded and received another kind smile for his troubles. It was in that moment that Tullio realized the most important thing of all. The magic hadn't diminished when he'd joined in; it'd grown to include him. This was it. This was how he wanted to live. It didn't matter if he was going to have to turn on the Second. What mattered was the bright and hopeful future that he could see ahead of himself. The Sky was the limit from now on and...

He'd never felt happier.


	152. Chapter 152 Converging Paths

Hotaru dodged to the left as a knife whizzed past her ear. She barely gave it notice as she ran forward to attack with her umbrella. This was the last day of classes. All she had to do was make it through her gym class and she'd be a high school graduate. It hadn't been easy. Not only was there a constant disdain for her after she'd allowed her Family to fall, but there had been constant attempts to run her out of the school. The bulk of the Mafia still considered her a traitor.

Thankfully, the mindset hadn't reached into the faction of female students at Don Girarde. There were many girls who'd been frightened away from him due to bullying, but there had been a few who'd sympathized with her. Of course, a large portion of them were made up of former admirers and the rest were from Families who still supported her, but he wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth. Friends were precious things.

What wasn't precious was the line of idiots who'd started harassing her in gym class. For weeks now, it'd been the same thing over and over again. They challenged her. She beat them. They claimed that they'd held back because she was a girl. The coach had stepped in to lecture the first few times it'd happened, citing how only a fool underestimated a fighter due to gender, but that hadn't stopped anyone. It was a war of attrition where those who lost to her were able to get away unscathed.... Or relatively unscathed, Hotaru thought as she slapped her umbrella against her opponent's body hard enough to crack ribs.

The idiot fell and was quickly dragged away by onlookers. Hotaru's record was still legendary. In three years, he'd only had one loss in one-on-one combat and that had been to Rosalind. Only hitmen like Reborn had that sort of record, which was why everyone was frantic to ruin it. There were very few people who wanted to admit that she still had power. The pain was going to be worth it, though. In less than a week, the operation would begin and they'd be in Las Vegas. Leaving an impression behind would be a good way to keep her foot in the door for a return to power.

"Next!" Hotaru barked when no one seemed forthcoming. After a moment, one person did step forward and Hotaru's stomach flipped. It was Kirota. What did he want--

Hotaru was taken off-guard by the sound of the whistle blowing. Before she could understand that she was expected to fight Chin's brother, she was put on the defensive by an overly-aggressive attack. Kirota... was different. There was something wrong. He wasn't the same fool who'd been blown out of a window by Chin's punch. He was stronger, faster, and sharper than he'd ever appeared to be before.

This was a true challenge, Hotaru realized as she parried another blow from Kirota's brass-knuckled fists. If she lost here, Kirota would be seen as more worthy than Chin because no one had ever seen Chin fight. Even if she won under pressure, Kirota would walk away with a large amount of respect from the rest of the Families. The bastard! He was screwing up everything! Why did he have to choose now--the worst possible moment--to make such a surprise attack?! Didn't he understand what he was doing?!

Yes, Hotaru's intuition provided. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He was purposely provoking her to garner a bigger reputation. He'd already won by putting Hotaru on the defensive. Now, when Hotaru and Chin ran away to Las Vegas, everyone would think that they were running away from Kirota's true power. The fact angered her. All the work that they'd done to keep their plans quiet was going to be used against her.

Fine, Hotaru thought as she released her Flame. If Kirota wanted to play such games, then Hotaru would make him earn his reward. Transforming her Sienna into a lance, Hotaru landed a hard blow against Kirota's arm. Hotaru froze as soon as it hit, seeing a smile of satisfaction cross Kirota's face as he blocked and repelled the strike. He flipped backward as Hotaru pulled back for another blow and--

"I yield," Kirota smiled. "I wouldn't want to hurt a lady." Hotaru's eyes bulged as the whistle blew to signal the end of the match. It was the worst possible outcome. He hadn't allowed the match to continue past the point where Hotaru had gotten serious. Everyone was going to think that he'd only yielded because Hotaru was engaged to his brother! It wasn't fair! Even though her record was nearly perfect, it was tarnished now because no one knew what might have happened if he'd continued!

Wait. Think calmly. She could fix this.

"For a guy who doesn't want to hurt a lady, I find it pretty disappointing that I have bigger balls than you do," Hotaru scoffed. Kirota froze as a light chuckle went up from the onlookers. "There's no point in stepping into the ring if you back out as soon as things look tough. That's something you might want your brother to teach you."

"For a lady with big balls, your brains are as small as a bird's," Kirota shot back over his shoulder. "There's no one here who would fight you seriously. I was simply trying to eat up time so that you could end your stay at Don Girarde with an impeccable record."

"I don't need your help," Hotaru spat, angered at his attempt to give her opponents another way to keep their pride. Now everyone was going to think that her fights had been fixed! "If you're not going to fight seriously, then don't waste my--" Hotaru broke off as the sound of school-bells signaled the end of class. It was over. She'd done all that she could, but Kirota was becoming a plague in her life. First had been the sexual harassment and now he was sending jabs at her pride. No matter how much she hadn't wanted to admit it, she couldn't deal with him alone. She needed--

"Chin?" Hotaru blinked, noticing the man who hadn't moved along with the rest of the dissipating students. Kirota lurched and gaped, Chin's presence being an unexpected hitch in his plans. The students who heard Hotaru's word paused, too, as soon as they noticed the dark look on Chin's face. He was angry. However, the anger wasn't aimed at Kirota.

"What the hell was that?" He snarled. Hotaru's jaw dropped. He couldn't be doing what she thought he was doing! "That was low, Hotaru. First, you hold back and don't fight him seriously, then you get mad and try to goad him when he backs out. Were you thinking that I'd be fooled because you brought out your lance? It's showy, but it's meaningless if you're not going to use it at full strength. I can understand why Kirota backed out. I would, too, if I thought someone was trying to make me look good."

Don't smile, Hotaru admonished to herself as she lowered her flame and sheepishly hid her umbrella behind her back.

"Sorry," she apologized as Chin's play demanded. "I thought you'd be happy that I was helping him. I even pretended that Kirota wasn't fighting seriously so that he'd look stronger."

"He doesn't need you to make him look strong," Chin admonished as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Kirota has a big enough ego as it is. If anything, he needs you to deflate it a bit, so don't let me see you trying something like that again."

"Okay," Hotaru agreed coyly.

"Hurry up and go get changed," Chin sighed. "Since you apologized, I guess you still deserve to be taken out. I got tickets for that opera that you've been nagging me about."

"You got tickets?!" Hotaru exclaimed in honest surprise. "I thought you said you wouldn't be caught dead in an opera-house!"

"I figured I'd die on the way there so I wouldn't have to watch," Chin laughed. "I'd be a pathetic man if I couldn't even celebrate my fiance's graduation and tickets were the only thing you said you wanted. So I got tickets."

Excited by the news, Hotaru ran halfway across the sparring field before she belatedly remembered to backtrack and give Chin a kiss in thanks. Then she darted across the field a second time, leaving Kirota as a forgotten statue. For once, she didn't wait for the girl's locker room to clear out before going inside. Instead, she took a shower with a towel around her waist and changed in one of the toilet stalls. Her classmates--now former classmates--were amazed at how giddy she was. Once they heard that she was going to the opera, though, they were quick to aid her in preparation. In no time at all, her locker's contents were packed up, her hair and makeup was fixed, and someone even fetched a teacher to take her school-issued flash drive from her.

Darting back outside as soon as everything was finished, Hotaru smiled when she saw that Chin was waiting on her. She didn't care if it was a bit shameful. There wasn't a thought in her head outside of excitement that she was going to get to go on another date with her fiance. Kirota, the Family's move, and even the Mafia could wait. All that mattered at the moment was that she was reminded of how deeply she'd fallen in love.

* * *

"Mark down the accessories another twenty percent," Haru ordered as she personally began removing the show pieces from the mannequins. Everything had to go, including the displays. Although, there wasn't much left that needed to be sold. As soon as she'd put up the sign specifying that they were having a going-out-of-business sale, the shop had been filled with customers. Everyone wanted a piece of the original Namahage Collection because, in less than a week, control of the line would be in possession of the woman that it'd been sold to. The Namahage Brand would continue to be sold, but it was being taken in a new direction by a new lead designer.

The decision hadn't been an easy one, but she was satisfied. She'd earned herself a personal fortune that was more than enough to retire with and she had other things that she wanted to focus on now. She'd learned a lot over the past ten years. After spending so much time as a designer, she had much more sympathy for the position that Tsuna had always been in. The bigger that a business got, the less spare time could be given to family. Just like Tsuna, she was beginning to notice how much she'd neglected her own kids. Just like Tsuna, she'd allowed someone else to take care of them while they grew. Her intentions had been good. She'd told herself that they'd benefit from a boarding school, which had allowed her to work with a clear conscience. She'd told herself that, as long as she brought them home during holidays and vacations, then they would be happy without her on hand.

In some ways, she'd been right. All of the children had always seemed happy when they came home and none of them had ever complained about living at the Church. However, as she could see from Hotaru's engagement to a man, she wasn't as involved in their lives as she needed to be. Letters and phone calls could only do so much. She wasn't a fundamental part of their lives and they were maturing without her.

She'd resolved to correct her mistakes. If she couldn't be a mother and a full-time elite fashion designer, then she'd become a full-time mother and a fashion dabbler. The glitz and the glamor of being famous had already worn thin, so it hadn't been a difficult decision to make. Especially since it meant that she'd never have to apologize for Hibari's temper again. She swore that the man could boil eggs with his glare at times and there were no few critics who'd been smacked around by him. After all, he didn't like it much when people took pictures of himself or his wife, even though it was part of the game.

All of that was going to be over, though. No more rushing frantically to finish a new piece and no more bickering with assistants over which fabrics to use. No more interviews. No more nights that turned into morning before she saw her bed. No more hospital trips for vacations because she worked until she dropped, either. From now on, she could kick back, relax, and her only worries would be what to make the kids for dinner. She might not be a Mafia Boss' wife, but she still had a chance to be a number one mamma.

Thankfully, all the kids had agreed to the move and Father Robert had been strangely helpful in ensuring that she could take all of the kids. It wasn't just her blood children that would be moving with her. It'd be Kyoko's children and Tsuna's motherless children, too. She hadn't been able to say no after she'd told Daisuke and Keiji that they wouldn't be living in the Church anymore. The two boys had been living side-by-side with Kyoko's triplets and had refused to go anywhere without them. So, Haru had agreed to see if the triplets could come. Gregory had decided to continue living on his own, but she'd promised Katie that she could come, too. The girl had completely won into Haru's heart by their shared love of fashion. Kati had wanted to know if Gillian and Armande would be coming and Haru hadn't had the heart to say no. Eventually, she'd decided to take all of them. While most of them weren't related to her, it was undeniable that they all saw each other as full siblings. Separating them would be the cruelest thing that she could do.

That had actually been what her fight with Hibari had been about. After she decided to take all of them, he'd wanted them all to stay in the Church's boarding school to ensure that they retained discipline, while she'd demanded that all of them transferred into public schools at their new home. She'd won, of course, but the price had been hefty. She wasn't talking about the damaged wing of he house, either. The price that she'd been forced to pay had been in fashion. She wasn't allowed to make clothes for Hibari for the next ten years and she couldn't complain to any of Hibari's rules after he became Head of the local Homeowner's Association.

It was such a pity, but she felt that it was going to be worth it. From now on, she could focus on making clothes for the children instead--with one exclusion. She had to make Hotaru's wedding dress. It made Haru want to cry with happiness. Not only was Hotaru finally coming to her for fashion advice, but her little boy was getting married. Even better, her little Hotaru going so far as to become a transvestite for the person he loved, but he had secretly decided to elope on top of that! It was so romantic that Haru couldn't help but squeal in joy over the situation. It was almost as if she was getting to watch a real-life play!

Thankfully, she had Nana and Iemitsu to help her out when they reached the new homestead. Both of them were coming with little Timoteo and Lanchia, although Timoteo had to have a bit of extra Tutoring in English. The poor boy seemed to be even more hapless than Tsuna had been in his youth. He was just as kind-hearted, though, and he was eager to join the Sawada siblings at school, even though he was younger than everyone. It was quite adorable. He took his position as uncle very seriously and got incredibly upset whenever he thought that his nieces and nephews were babying him.

The more that she thought about it, the more that she was ready to finish closing the shop so she could get home. The life of high fashion was behind her and it was going to be a whole new start in America. She would have her children around her and a revitalized purpose in caring for them. Hotaru had even promised to spend more time at home so that everyone could really bond with her again after how much love had changed her. They'd all get a chance to get better acquainted with her beau.

HER beau.... Haru had to smother another internal squeal at the thought. It made her wish that she'd thought to dress up as a man for Tsuna. Maybe Hibari... No, Haru grimaced. Hibari wouldn't appreciate the romantic qualities of doing so and they were already married anyway. Although... cosplay didn't sound like too bad of an idea. She wasn't too old to think up a costume or two for kicks. It might be worth it just to see what kind of expression Hibari would make.

"Ha-hi!" Haru exclaimed as she took down the last mannequin with a wide grin. "Haru's so excited!"

* * *

Daisuke bit his lip as he looked through this stuff. He couldn't decide what to bring. Father Robert had said that they could take as much stuff from their rooms as they wanted, but it didn't seem right. What if other kids came to the Church? Wouldn't they need something to play with? He remembered how scared he'd been at first. It'd been a new place with lots of rules and scary nuns. If it hadn't been for his twin brother Keiji--

"Idiot," Keiji blurted as he started grabbing armfuls of stuff to put in the packing boxes.

"Am not," Daisuke retorted.

"Then help out," Keiji growled. "This is your stuff, too!"

"Do we have to take it?" He asked softly.

"Duh."

"But what about the person who's going to live here after us?" Daisuke asked. Keiji paused between the suitcase and the packing box with the toys still in his arms and a frightening look on his face.

Daisuke knew that look and he smiled.

* * *

"What's this?" Father Robert asked as Bridget led Daisuke and Keiji into line with the rest of the children. Both of the boys were covered in bruises, bandages, and band-aids--Bridget's handiwork. It was obvious that they'd gotten in another fight, but Daisuke was smiling more than he usually did in the aftermath. Aside from that, the two boys only had a single satchel with them instead of a box.

Actually, now that he noticed it, none of the children seemed to have a box. He was sure that he'd given each of them several to use and he was positive that he'd told them to bring them down when they came. What in the world...?

His question was answered by a monk that rushed forward to frantically whisper a report in his ear. In front of each of the children's rooms were the boxes that they'd been given, but each of them had been labeled 'donations' and they were stuffed full of the children's belongings. Father Robert's heart soared as he looked over each of the children a second time. From Gillian down to little Daisuke, all of them had chosen to take only a single bag full of their most precious possessions. They'd chosen to give everything else to those who were less fortunate than themselves.

Father Robert felt that there was no better gift that the children could have given to him. In unison, all of them had shown him that his efforts hadn't been wasted. He'd taught them the meaning of kindness and generosity. He knew that he couldn't take all the credit, though. Surely the entire bunch had been given good hearts to begin with. Tsunayoshi would be proud of his children. He'd even be proud of little Keiji, even though the boy liked to show his temper whenever he knew that he was doing something nice for others.

"Pride cometh before the fall," Father Robert advised as he reached out to ruffle the twin's hair in unison. "But, despite that, I am touched by all of you for thinking about others in a time when you could easily fall prey to greed." Keiji stubbornly turned away to hide his blush, but Daisuke looked up with an even brighter smile than before. They were good children, Father Robert thought to himself. "Are all of you ready?" Father Robert asked as he turned his attention to the rest.

The initial answer was a silent 'no'. Gillian was still saying farewells to his 'business partners' from school and his little girlfriend. Ariana was receiving farewells from her music instructor. Leonard was dealing with his golfing buddies and Joseph was trading high-fives with his former teammates. Armande was in a bit of a pickle since his girlfriends had all arrived together to give him farewells, but he was quick to clear up the misunderstanding. He did like the three girls and think of them as girlfriends, but only in the sense that they were girls and they were friends. He even claimed that his heart wasn't ready to consider things like romantic love, which somehow had the effect of making all three of the girls accept each other's relationship with him. Father Robert made note to pray for the boy because he had to be cursed with the devil's tongue to say such sly things at the age of fifteen.

No one had come to say farewell to the rest of the children, but Father Robert wasn't surprised. Kiko and Morrigan's friends were all penpals, since their archaeological interests weren't in keeping with their age. Kaida and Morika's friends were all quiet and artistic in nature, so they would have previously said farewells with paintings or sculptures. Bridget's closest friends were her own siblings, so there was no one special who would travel to the Church to say farewells to her. As for Keiji and Daisuke, it was likely that the two rascals hadn't told anyone that they were leaving. They probably thought it'd be more 'cool' to just disappear. As for the smallest teenager of the group--

"Um... excuse me."

Father Robert blinked in unison with everyone else. Then his eyes narrowed at Armande along with the rest of the siblings. There was a group of shy girls at the front gate who were too cute to have come for anyone else. It was bad enough that he'd lured in three girls, but--

"It wasn't me!" Armande spluttered as the girls at his side crossed their arms and glared. "I'm innocent! I swear!"

Then who...?

"Is Ieyasu here?!" One of the girls blurted as each of them abruptly held out a plate of sweets. "We heard he was leaving and--"

"Cira?" Ieyasu gasped breathlessly as he pulled his single piece of luggage into place at the end of the line. He was pale and sweating from the effort, even though the case probably weighed less than Keiji's stuffed satchel, and his weakness didn't go unnoticed by the girls. Father Robert was nearly run over by the resulting riot and he felt dazed as the girls ensured that Ieyasu was given somewhere to rest in the shade with a cold glass of water and a fan.

"Um," the girl, Cira, hesitantly mumbled with a pleading expression. "We didn't want to bother you, but we were wondering..."

"One more time before I leave shouldn't hurt," Ieyasu soothed with a gentle smile. In response, the girls hurriedly got into a single file line and began presenting their farewell gifts. At least, that was what Father Robert thought, but his jaw dropped alongside the rest of the siblings when he heard-- "Garbage," Ieyasu said, spitting out the cookie before he could swallow. "It's overcooked. Next--" Another girl. Another dish. Another sample bite-- "Trash," he spat as he pulled out his journal and began writing in it. "The batter was stirred too hard," he continued absently. "The texture is rough."

"Oi!" Armande choked. "You can't talk to girls--"

"SHH!" The entire line of girls hissed. Armande was left with his jaw hanging open, but the first to have her cookies tested, Cira, quietly came over to greet Father Robert.

"I'm sorry for our intrusion," she apologized sincerely. "We weren't sure if we were going to make it in time, but I'm happy that we did. Ieyasu is an important person for us and we were very sad when we heard that he was leaving."

"I hope that you don't mind me asking," Father Robert replied as Ieyasu's siblings stretched their ears. "But who are you exactly?"

"Oh!" Cira squeaked with a bright blush. "I'm Cira," she greeted. "We're the Food Club."

"The Cooking Club?" Father Robert said in surprise.

"No, no, no!" She exclaimed. "The Food Club! The Cooking Club makes food! We're different! We taste food! It's just a hobby for a lot of us, because it gives us an excuse to go to new restaurants and eat fancy food, but there's a few like me who's different. We want to be food critics!"

"So, Ieyasu...?" Father Robert prompted.

"He's got the best taste out of all of us," she answered with a shy blush. "At first, we were a little put-off by his critiques, because they were always bad. But then he started to let us see what he writes in his notebook and we figured out that he's actually really fair in writing. He's really amazing. The reviews that he writes are totally different from his sharp words and there's even a few restaurants that started letting our club eat for free just to get his opinion on new dishes."

"So what is he doing right now?" Armande asked.

"It's the twenty-plate showdown," she answered as Ieyasu continued insulting the dishes he was being given. "We each bring something that we've critiqued and see if Ieyasu's critique matches. It's helped a lot of us get better at really understanding the taste of the food we eat and it can show us where we're lacking in our sense of taste. Taste buds grow depending on how you use them, you know. You have to eat a large range of things to develop the right sensitivity to be a food critic and sometimes sensitivity can diminish if it's not used. For example, have you ever eaten something and then tried it again years later? The flavor will be different depending on what you ate in the interim and you might like it more or less based on that. Ieyasu is different. No matter what it is that he eats or when, his tastes don't change. He can accurately judge a dish every time without letting his personal preferences interfere."

"Wow," Leonard gaped. "Who knew that Ieyasu had an ability like that? Why didn't he tell us?"

"He says that bragging is sinful," she replied with a blush. "So is lying. Ieyasu is really humble and honest, which is why we're going to miss him so much. It's not going to be the same without h--"

"This is good!" Ieyasu exclaimed, making Cira spin around in shock. Completely forgetting that she was in the middle of a conversation, she darted forward as all the girls crowded in to see the dish in question. Father Robert smiled at the reaction and made a note to write to Tsunayoshi about the incident. His worries would definitely be eased if he could see his children so lively. Hopefully, he'd be able to see it for himself in the future, though. Perhaps-- "Bernard!" Ieyasu abruptly exploded.

Father Robert's attention snapped back to him, only to be dumbstruck at the sight of the boy running for the front gates. Chasing after him in worry, Father Robert had difficulty in quelling his reactionary panic. Ieyasu shouldn't be running! The boy could lose his breathe from simply walking too fast! Father Robert wasn't the only one to chase after him in concern. All of Ieyasu's siblings darted out of the Church gates, leaving behind all of the guests who'd come to say their farewells.

However, there was no need to be concerned. Ieyasu was bent over and panting, but he'd stopped running only a few steps outside of the gate. He'd stopped running because he'd caught the person that he'd been running after. Bernard, if that was the fellow's name, had come to a stop on the sidewalk, caught in the middle of walking away due to the hand clutching the trailing hem of his shirt. Ieyasu looked prepared to die before he would let go, which was far more spirit than anyone had ever given him credit for.

"You... came..." Ieyasu gasped breathlessly. "You... said... you... wouldn't."

"A guy's allowed to change his mind," Bernard grumbled, while stubbornly refusing to turn and meet Ieyasu properly. Father Robert smiled to himself, recognizing the attitude from their very own Keiji. Boys could be so stubborn in their youth.

"I'm... so... happy..." Ieyasu panted as he fell to his knees from hyperventilating. Several of the siblings lurched forward in place to help him, but Father Robert held out an arm in a silent command to stop. There was no danger, he believed. Ieyasu would never get stronger if he continued to be coddled and he wouldn't appreciate help in this instance. Not when his moment of weakness was able to break through his friend's pride like it was a wall of mist.

"Damnit," Bernard growled, making Father Robert's ears ring as the boy knelt down and began searching Ieyasu's pockets for his inhaler. "Why do you have to be so stupid?! You know that you're not supposed to run!"

"I... wanted... to... see... you," he gasped. Before he could say more, Bernard found the inhaler, tilted Ieyasu's chin up, and shoved it in Ieyasu's mouth to give him the dose of medicine that he needed to clear his lungs.

"Stupid," Bernard growled. "I only came to check to see if the girls got here in time. They were all yelling in my ear all morning for not telling them that you were leaving. You have my cell phone number and my email. It's not like this is really goodbye, so stop acting like an idiot. The place you're moving to has a Culinary School close by and a lot of four star restaurants, so you're going to get to taste a lot of stuff that's better than what's served around here. It's not like I plan to stay in this dinky town forever, either, so you're just leaving a little earlier than me. Got it?"

"Bernard..." Ieyasu mumbled as the boy helped him to his feet.

"Don't 'Bernard' me!" He spluttered in return with a bright blush lighting up on his face. "Just get out of here already and stop running after people! I'm tired of mopping you off the ground!"

"Okay," Ieyasu mumbled in agreement.

"Geez," Bernard grumbled as he pointedly walked away. Ieyasu watched him go for nearly a block before he finally turned around with his inhaler in his hand like it was a treasured keepsake. His face lit up in red when he finally noticed how many people had been watching the farewell to his friend, but it was nothing compared to his blushes after his siblings finally rushed forward to his side. He was teased and given knowing winks, but Father Robert decided to overlook the insinuations that Ieyasu was fiercely denying. Far more important than the need to lecture was the joy in Father Robert's heart at the sight of Ieyasu's smiles. The boy had a strong heart. All of Tsuna's children had a strong heart. All that was left was for their hearts to connect with Tsunayoshi's.

It was a blessed day.

* * *

The night was cool enough to allow for the windows to be opened in the small hostel's common room. The hostel had been given over to Gregory and his team by the Illuminati in gratitude of their one hundredth successful mission. Although it was run-down, the gift had been surprising since the entire team had refused to take the most recent Rank test. There wasn't a single one of them who wanted to be moved to a different team where they might have to kill to successfully complete a mission. They were happy with the team that they had because of their leader's worth ethic. However...

"You want to transfer out of Rome?" Chaos asked in surprise. Gregory bit his lip and nodded tiredly, still worn out from Archie's latest price of 'run three miles in under five minutes by the end of the week'. His body wasn't made to go that fast, but the information he'd just gotten had been worth it. It was also the reason for his sudden decision to transfer.

"What's going on?" Chiklet asked as she lounged across the couch.

"It's my Family," Gregory answered with a sigh. "I've foreseen great tragedy. Betrayal. Heartache. Death. They're blindly walking into a bleak future and they're going to need me nearby if that's going to change. Plus, a transfer is my only hope to stay true to my chosen path of being both a Priest and my father's son."

"Hmm," Chaos murmured in deep consideration.

"What are you guys doing sitting around?" Nelson asked, walking into the room with a mop in hand. It was a mop that he abruptly threw at Chaos, who absently caught it as if he'd known that it was coming. "If we're going to get this place cleaned up in time for Mr. Ties to buy it, then everyone needs to help out."

"Buy it?" Gregory choked, sitting up straight in his chair in surprise. "When did you guys decide to--" Gregory broke off at the wide smiles on everyone's faces and groaned to himself. He should have known that they would know his future before he did! They all had various forms of prophetic ability, after all! They'd politely waited for him to make his decision on his own, but they'd already known the outcome and they'd already decided how to react to it. The hostel would be sold to give them start-up funds for a new church and the entire team would transfer with him. Actually, the higher ranks of Illuminati probably knew even more than they did. Giving them a way to make start-up funds was why they'd been gifted the hostel in the first place!

"Guys," Sister Rey said, poking her head into the common room with a grin. "A messenger will be here in fourteen minutes, so you might want to get cleaned up. They'll want to come in for coffee before they give us our orders."

"Let me guess," Chiklet chuckled as she stood from the couch to begin picking up the room. "They've decided to recognize us as a permanent team and they've given us permission to start a Church in Las Vegas."

"Bingo!" Sister Rey giggled before heading out to warn the others.

"Don't just sit there," Chaos snapped while Gregory continued to gape. "You should be used to this by now."

"I-I am," Gregory mumbled with a small shake of his head. "But you all make it look so easy that it still never ceases to amaze me."

"Don't be daft," Nelson said as he headed back out the door. "You're the one that always sets things in motion. We only follow God's design, but you retain the free-will to manipulate it. That ability is the amazing one."

Gregory gaped even more.

"He's right, you know," Chaos smirked as he headed out the door. "I don't need prophecy to tell me who the real leader of our team is, Gregory. It's about time that you woke up to the fact."

Gregory opened his mouth to retort, but he was silenced by a well-timed reminder of that they had ten minutes until the messenger arrived. Closing his mouth in frustration, Gregory sent a grudging smile at Chaos' retreating back. The future... Even with the ability to see it, it still managed to surprise him.

* * *

Chin bowed his head and tried to calm his heart. It was time. Kirota had left on a two-day trip to give the Family's regards to a renown Family in Sicily. It would take him several hours to arrive and there would be a message waiting on him. It was a message that would be handed over personally by an agent that they'd hand-picked to stay behind. It was a fool who had no clue about what he was carrying and it was a bastard who Hotaru had quickly marked as a undercover spy.

_Arrivederci._

That was the entirety of the message, but it was already too late for Kirota to respond to it. It was a good thing too, because Chin felt prepared to put a bullet through his brother's head. The last week had been pure hell as his Father's farce of a planned wedding drew closer. He'd been forced to watch as the Family showed their true colors to Hotaru and harassed her whenever they thought he wasn't looking. He'd been forced to pretend that he couldn't hear the conversations that his bugs picked up in his Father's office. He'd been forced to pretend that he was growing disgusted with his fiance, simply to keep anyone from suspecting them.

It was over, though. Well, almost, he amended. There was one thing left to take care of, but he couldn't do it until the Bluefin was in the sky. His Father was a foolish man. He'd agreed when Chin had begun sending operatives to Las Vegas and he'd believed Chin when he'd stated that it was preparation for a retaliation strike. No matter what the Family's outlook was on Hotaru, even the Second couldn't overlook an attack on the Family's 'prized captive'. That was why he'd also agreed when Chin said that he was taking Hotaru to pay the Deter Family a visit despite the tight time-frame for the wedding. It was time to make a statement to the Families about who was really in control.

Things weren't going to go like he thought, though, and that wedding wasn't going to happen. All of Chin's operatives in Las Vegas were under his direct control and the takeover of the Deter Family would be finished before his plane landed--which gave him plausible deniability. Everyone was already in place. A single phone call from his cell phone would be enough to put them in motion. Orinato and Tullio were in place to flood the market with the Deter stocks that they'd been buying. Once flooded, the price would begin to drop and the stockholders would be quick to react. While Deter was distracted with that, all four of his slave markets would be hit by police raids due to a well-timed tip from one of Chin's men. Simultaneously, one of their undercover agents within the Deter Household would flip the switch that would turn all of the Deter Casinos into financial black holes. Rigged slot machines and loaded dice went a long way in ruining a gambling business.

By the end of everything, Deter would be in so much debt that he wouldn't know how to respond. They'd shut their doors to figure things out and that was when Chin and Hotaru would appear with a rather dirty little business proposal. It would almost be enough to make Chin feel sorry for the Family--if they hadn't tried to assassinate Hotaru. They were lucky that he was stopping at financial ruin. If he wanted to, their lives could be forfeit with a snap of his fingers.

"Are you nervous?" Hotaru asked as she laid her head on his lap. Chin nodded, seeing no reason to deny it. As soon as he made the call, there was no turning back. There was no way to know how the Mafia as a whole would react to their actions. There was no way to know the depth of the Second's anger. There was no way to know a lot of things, but-- "I love you," Hotaru murmured as she snuggled in place and shut her eyes. "I don't like flying, so I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we land."

"I will," Chin promised, brushing a finger across Hotaru's lips in place of a good-night kiss. She smiled at the touch before falling asleep far more quickly than a girl should in such circumstances. He could understand if she was tired, though. The situation was far more draining than either of them had predicted it would be. Soon, though. In less than an hour, everything will have begun. "Sleep well, sweet angel."

***

Nori, former resident of the Hayakeshi House and on-again-off-again hitman for the Vongola Family smiled as he guarded his former home under the cover of being a live-in maintenance man.

He knew that it would be starting soon. Long Live Sawada the First.

Basil gritted his teeth as his charter plane began to land, knowing that a welcoming committee would be waiting on him as soon as he stepped out onto the runway.

He knew that it would be starting soon. Long Live Sawada the First.

Belpheghor and Mammon traded insults on the balcony of their expensive hotel room while the previous occupant swung from the chandelier inside.

It should be a good show and they had front row seats. Long Live Xanxus... and Sawada the First if he was entertaining enough.

Mukuro smirked at Chrome's sleeping form and turned to nod in confirmation to Chikusa and Kiyoshi that the time had come to begin moving.

The world would soon tremble. Long Live Sawada the First.

Gokudera checked his watch as the movers continued to unload furniture into his new Las Vegas house.

He knew that it would be starting soon. Long Live Sawada the First.

Yamamoto threw his arm around Matsu's shoulder and ruffled Yoshi's hair as they continued packing boxes in the vineyard home that they'd waited for him in.

It was about that time. Long Live Sawada the First.

Ryohei bit his lip as he quietly knocked on a door that he hadn't faced in ten years and tried to search for the right words to explain when Hana turned into a silent statue after answering.

Time had to move forward for everyone. Long Live Sawada the First.

Lambo knelt in respect before the Bovino Boss and quietly whispered for understanding despite the restaurant full of gossips.

It was starting and he was needed. Long Live Don Bovino and Sawada the First.

Colonello raised his tequila in a toast to another beautiful sunset on Mafia-Land and mourned how much would change with the dawn.

Screw it. It'd been getting boring anyway. Long Live Sawada the First.

Two operatives of the Cervello Foundation knelt in front of their new target for analysis and reswore their oaths of impartial observation.

Some things simply must be done. Long Live Sawada the First.

Orinato smiled as a single message appeared on his cell phone.

It was time. Long Live Sawada the First.

Amid a celebration for his newest recruit's first big, successful assignment, Don Deter's glass of Gin slipped out of his hand and shattered across the tip of his boot.

Geez. Talk about bad luck.

***

The only sound that could be heard in the dark, underpowered elevator was the sound of his own breathing. What the hell happened? Who ever heard of a power outage in the middle of the day? This wasn't funny. Why weren't the backup generators kicking in? Had an assassin gotten into the building? The elevator was going to hold. Right? How long ago had it been since he'd had the emergency brakes checked on this thing? How many floors were under him?

"Oh god," Lionesse the Second gasped, throwing himself against a wall at the sound of creaking in the empty shaft below. Clutching onto the armrail against the back wall, he felt his heart jump into his chest at the sound of clattering above him. Someone was in the shaft with him. There was the sound of metal sliding on metal. Were they coming in? If so, he wasn't going down without a fight! He might be old, but--

"Facial recognition is confirmed," a female voice stated over the elevator's speakers. "Begin program 'Arrivederci'."

The Second gulped as the lights began to flicker back on. 'Arrivederci' didn't sound too pleasant and he got a trembling, sinking feeling in his gut as a hologram began forming in the center of the elevator. It didn't take more than a moment for the Second to recognize his own son. It was a recent scan. He could tell because Chin's appearance wasn't the shabby, unsightly mess that it'd once been. He was polished, pristine, and strangely frightening. The Second couldn't put his finger on why. Perhaps it was because he was stuck in an elevator. Perhaps it was because it was slowly becoming clear that his own son had trapped him on purpose. Perhaps it was because the situation made him reevaluate the image of his own son and notice the warning signs that hadn't been present before.

Chin had always been unwieldy and awkward, but the image before him was confidence and composed. Chin's gaze had always been distant as if his head were in the clouds, but the image before him had an unclouded, mature gaze. Had Chin always been so tall? The image was the same height as himself. That couldn't be right, though, because Chin was short. Wasn't he? When had the boy grown so much? When... When had Chin become such an imposing spectacle?

"Father," the image greeted, turning its head toward him as if Chin were truly standing before him. "I doubt that I need to explain your current situation to you, but I will in case you have truly lost all grasp of reality. You are being held hostage within this elevator by my will and it will be your grave."

"Wha--?" The Second gasped as the blood rushed from his face. Was this some sort of prank? If so, the humor wasn't present.

"You've drawn a line where there didn't need to be one," Chin continued softly. "So allow me to set the record straight. I worked hard for what I've gained. You handed me nothing except empty promises, so you probably understand how I could say that you brought this on yourself. I feel no pity for you, just as I feel no pity for my brother. Both of you were planning to betray me and I'm not sorry to inform you that the future will not unfold like you wish. I lost my naivety a long time ago and I have made preparations to forge my own destiny. The only reason that I'm here is to tell you that you will not be needed. Goodbye, Father. If you have any desire to live, then you might wish to hold onto the railing. The floor will fall away in three... two..."

The Second scrambled to grab the railing and barely managed to cling on before the floor dropped away as Chin had warned. It clattered and bounced into the shaft below, making his heart leaped into his throat as his feet dangled above empty air. He knew that he was going to die. He was an old man and he'd been slacking on his physical training. He couldn't hold on for more than--

A harsh scream ripped from his throat as his hands slipped from the railing and he began falling. He felt weightless as he threw his arms over his head in preparation of hitting the bottom. The walls of the shaft passed by at a frightening speed. In a matter of seconds, he was going to die at the bottom of a dark elevator shaft by the hand of his own son. Saving himself was impossible. All he could see was the face of his deceased wife through a haze of unshed tears.

What had he done to their family?

Before he could get an answer, he was surrounded by light so white that he couldn't see and he felt his back lightly impact something as his weight settled. He'd landed on a cloud in heaven. He was dead, which probably explained why he didn't feel like moving much. He felt so weary, but it was alright to rest now. He could just shut his eyes and--

Pop.

Pop. Pop.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

The Second began screaming as the light began to fade and his body was surrounded by infinitely small shards of glass. He'd fallen into hell! Oh God! He was being punished for everything he'd done wrong! Someone save him! Anyone! PLEASE!

"BOSS! WHAT HAPPENED?! BOSS!"

Reality began to insinuate itself into his panic and he latched onto his subordinates' arms as if they were a lifeline. He was back in the elevator. He was laying on the floor of the elevator to be exact. Had everything been an illusion? No... No, he was covered in sand-like shards of glass. What had happened? Who cares what had happened?! He wanted out of the fucking elevator before it happened again!

Scrambling out of it, reaction set in as soon as he was safely on solid ground. His heart and mind was racing so much that he felt as if he were going to faint at any moment. He couldn't breathe. His subordinates had gathered because of his screaming, but he didn't know what to tell them. He barely understood what had happened. He'd gotten in the elevator and then it'd stopped. Then Chin's 'Arrivederci' program had begun--

Program, he repeated to himself. All of it had been an illusion. The floor hadn't truly dropped out from under him. It'd been pure smoke and mirrors. That's what the dark had been for. The walls covering Chin's view-screens had pulled back. He knew all about his son's work on optical illusion and the so-called 'trip to space' that had excited several of his men. Putting that together with the way that Chin had tricked him into clutching onto the railing and he knew what had happened. With the right images and sound surrounding him, he hadn't noticed that the railing had lifted higher into the elevator and subsequently pulled him off the ground. In a way, the floor had been pulled out from under him, but it hadn't disappeared. It'd been covered with a realistic image of an empty shaft. The fall down the shaft could be explained in the same way. With the right combination of immersive imagery, sound, and the low-gravity that was installed for the 'trip to space' ride, Chin had made him feel like he'd been falling. Landing in heaven had been his own imagination due to the sudden absence of surroundings. The program had ended and then... Then he'd imagined hell when the imaging diodes had self-destructed.

He'd never felt so scared in his life and Chin had done it in an elevator with smoke, mirrors, and a few well-placed lies.

"Boss," one of his subordinates murmured in concern as he knelt down beside him. "What happened?"

Staring at the elevator in shock, the Second slowly shook his head. There was no way that he could possibly explain this rationally to his men. There was more at work than simply being terrorized by his son. It'd been a show of power. It'd been a warning. It'd put him in his place. Chin... He'd hurt his beloved son and for what? A name? A reputation? Like Chin had said, he had brought this onto himself. He'd gotten arrogant and conceited... and there was only one way to rectify the situation.

"It's time for me to retire," he whispered as tears began running down his face. The statement shocked his men into silence. The only reply was the sound of the elevator creaking for a moment before the cable abruptly snapped, the emergency brakes released, and the empty car went crashing down the shaft. His men were trained well enough to begin responding, but the Second didn't move an inch. If anyone else had done what Chin had, then destroying the elevator car would have been a declaration of war. However, in this case, it was different.

It was Arrivederci and may God help any who mistakenly thought that a Mafia Boss had to kill to instill fear.

* * *

"Repeat that?" Dino choked into his cell-phone.

"Lionesse the Second said he's disbanding the Family and retiring," the spy hissed. "Something big happened, Boss. I'm still trying to get information, but the Family is in a huge uproar. As soon as Kirota came back from his trip to Greece, he's been fighting non-stop with the Second. He looks ready to draw blood, sir."

"Has Hotaru said anything about the situation?" Dino asked as he tried to put the pieces together. It didn't make sense. Why would the Lionesse Family disband when they were on the verge of total dominance? Had the Second gone mad? There was no way that Hotaru would stand by while--

"That's just it, Boss," the spy whispered excitedly. "No one knows where she is! Everyone's been out searching, but both her and Chin are missing. After a head-count, we realized that at least twenty-five other people are missing with them and the Bluefin is gone out of its hangar! If my guess is correct, then--"

"Son of a bitch," Dino spat as he snapped his phone shut. "Romario!" He snapped as he broke out into a run. Running for the exit to Venice Row with his Right Hand behind him, Dino knew that he was racing against time. In less than twenty minutes, everyone in Venice Row would know what he knew. In the resulting supposition and gossip, old rivalries would flare up and chaos would ensue. He needed to get home and fortify his position as quickly as possible so that he could calmly respond when shit hit the fan.

"What's going on, Boss?" Romario asked once they were on-board the first transport out of the area. Dino glanced at the other passengers, but quickly decided that it wouldn't matter if they overheard. News like this would travel quickly through the Mafia.

"It's a lizard-gambit," he answered absently as he began sending out orders via text messages. "You know how some lizards can detach their own tails to escape a dangerous situation?"

"I see," Romario murmured as his eyes clouded in thought.

"Ah," Dino replied, more for his own sake than Romario's. It seemed inconceivable, but it was the only scenario that fit the bill. "Hotaru and Chin cut ties with the Lionesse Family, but did something to frighten the Second into retiring before they left. That bastard didn't tell me anything, which can only mean one thing."

"They're eloping," Romario grinned.

"Damn straight," Dino confirmed through clenched teeth as the amount of cell phone usage around him surged. "We have to get back to base and prepare for the worst. No one's hands are on the wheel right now, so there's about to be a power struggle that will shake the entire world."

"You're thinking World War Three?" Romario asked worriedly.

"I hope not," Dino grimaced. "I hope that the other Bosses have sense not to bring the fight to that level, but we have to prepare for the worst. All of it's going to depend on how Hotaru--" Dino paused as he got an incoming message on his cell phone. He read it three times before slowly grinning.

"From Hotaru, I presume?" Romario asked. Dino nodded.

"It's a mass warning to all Bosses," he said as he held up the cell phone for Romario's benefit. "It says 'Don't get cocky'. Those two are planning something. Do what you can to find the Bluefin. I want to know where they were heading after it took off and every detail about what's happening at their destination. I'm willing to bet that someone is about to be made into an example."

"Show of power...?"

"Exactly. It's not the Mafia that's about to shake the world. Hotaru is."

* * *

"I love you more," Hotaru smiled.

"No... Because I love you a hundred times more than you love me," Chin corrected lovingly.

"Then I definitely love you more because I love you times a thousand," Hotaru retorted.

"Then I love you times a million."

"I love you times infinity!"

"Ooh," Chin smiled. "Times infinity? That's a lot. I guess I'll just have to love you times infinity, too... infinity to the power of infinity!"

"No fair!" Hotaru pouted. "You're not allowed to use math algorithms!"

"Says who?" Chin laughed as the hatch of the plane finally opened. "All's fair in love and war." Hotaru smiled even more at his response when the rest of the plane's passengers rushed out the door with the air of people who were fleeing instead of men rushing to secure the area. The fact made him laugh as Hotaru blushed in realization of how sickeningly sweet their conversation had gotten. It was all for a good reason, though. They were setting the mood so that their presentation wouldn't have any noticeable flaws. A couple who was searching for honeymoons spots was supposed to be lovey-dovey.

Chin put a long, white jacket full of spare weapons around Hotaru's shoulders to keep her warm in the chill night of the desert before snatching up his briefcase and offered her his arm. The runway that they'd landed on was a private strip at the edge of the city's limits, but the news crews had been fast to respond when word had 'accidentally' leaked about the jet's time and place of arrival. By morning, they'd be on every front page in the city. By tomorrow morning, they'd own the city. By tomorrow night, they'd be married. So, they paused at the top of the stairs to give everyone an ample chance to take a good picture. There was nothing worse than having a bad picture looked at throughout history, after all. Besides, she wanted a few copies for herself.

Chin looked amazing. He'd shot up another inch in the past week, which reminded her yet again that he wasn't even drinking age yet. Of course, neither was she, but that was their little secret. Editing their own birth certificates was always a Mafia Boss' first use of power and both of themselves were legal on paper. She honestly doubted that Chin would ever get carded, though. He appearance was too polished for common people their age and the look in his eyes was far too mature for a bartender to think that he shouldn't get a drink.

"Don't look at me so hard or I'll start blushing," Chin admonished with a smile as he led her down the stairs. Hotaru sheepishly pulled her eyes away and started scanning the crowd like she was supposed to. It was difficult, though. In less than forty-eight hours, they were going to be married. She couldn't help but be conscious of him because of what was going to happen after the wedding. After the wedding was... was the bedding.

Hotaru lowered her gaze from the crowd and tried her best to control her expression. She could feel her nipples hardening in anticipation, but she had to focus. Chin couldn't pull off the scheme on his own. He needed her to do her part, which included dealing with the reporters because Chin hated public speaking!

"With your wedding so close, why the sudden trip to Las Vegas?"

"It's because the wedding is so close," Hotaru answered as she leaned closer to Chin's side for another photo opprotunity. "Things have been so hectic that we haven't been able to decide on a place to take our honeymoon. We decided to go in person to perspective places and give ourselves a little pre-wedding breather at the same time."

"Why Las Vegas? Why not a more tropical destination like Tahiti or Jamaica?" Another reporter asked.

"We've both already been to Tahiti and Jamaica," she answered with a wide smile. "They're lovely places, but we were looking for somewhere a little different. We've always heard great things about the lights of Las Vegas, so we thought that this might be a good place to take a more extended vacation after the wedding. I don't know... We'll see."

"What are your plans while you're in town?"

"What are anyone's plans when they visit Las Vegas?" Hotaru countered with a small giggle. "Chin is very interested in seeing the light show on Freemont Street and I'd like to go see a few stage shows. I've heard that Las Vegas has some amazing restaurants, too."

"Any plans to gamble?"

"It'd be a sin not to," Hotaru winked as they reached their rented limousine. "I hope you'll excuse us, but we really need to go check into our hotel--"

"Which one are you planning to stay in?" Another reporter asked on cue. Hotaru traded a glance with Chin and smiled. People were so predictable.

"Deter Plaza," she smirked before ducking into the limo. Chin followed and Ken firmly shut the door behind him. Together with a dozen of Chin's most trusted men, they held the reporters and photographers back so that the limosuine could pick up speed and get away. Hotaru looked out the back window once they were on the highway and grinned. As expected, many of the reporters were giving chase. "It's not as many as I'd hoped for, but there's enough back there that the plan should work perfectly," Hotaru said before turning back to Chin. "How did I do?"

"Beautiful and flawless as always," he praised as he leaned over to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek. Hotaru blushed, her heart fluttering in her chest as she once again remembered what would happen in less than forty-eight hours. Unfortunately, her expression didn't go unnoticed. Chin saw it and he exploited it just like a Mafia Boss should.

For once, Hotaru wasn't suspicious when the driver suddenly closed the window between them by his own violation. She didn't care, either. Chin's kiss always did that to her. It was as if the entire world melted away. Even though they both knew that they needed to stop and focus on preparing for the upcoming takeover, it was as if they were possessed. She wanted him so badly that it hurt. He wanted her so badly that he couldn't stop. They didn't care if the whole world knew; they were just so tired of waiting and they were finally alone together.

However, they were also both Mafia Bosses.

"We've got to stop," Chin gasped, breaking off a mere millisecond before Hotaru had planned to say it. "It's not that I don't want to, but... ah..."

"I know," Hotaru panted with a flushed face. "We've waited this long. It'd be disappointing if we tripped at the finish line."

"Actually... Hotaru," Chin murmured, biting his lip in worry as he settled back down into his seat. "There's actually something that I've been wanting to ask--"

"I'm not a virgin," Hotaru grimaced in prediction of the question. She'd been waiting on it. Thankfully, Chin was unsurprised by the blunt answer. He nodded to himself as if he'd expected it and let out a small sigh as he reached for a prepared bottle of champagne. The reaction made Hotaru also sigh in relief while Chin poured a pair of drinks. He'd already guessed and he wasn't upset that she'd refused to beat around the bush. "W-What about you?" She asked as he handed her a glass.

"I'm not either," he answered quietly. Hotaru smiled when he put his arm back around her. The exchange of information hadn't changed anything like they'd both feared. "It was nothing special, though. Just the usual introduction at Pink's."

"Same here," Hotaru murmured. "Well, mostly. You probably heard about how much I messed around with Pink's girls, but that was before my body began changing. Around the time I started at Don Girarde, I stopped fooling around. Since then, I've only gone there to relax and talk to people who weren't afraid to disagree with me."

"What about Ross and Hattori?" Chin asked in confusion.

"We never did more than kiss," Hotaru admitted sheepishly. Chin was taken aback by the answer, which made Hotaru's ears turn red in embarrassment, but Chin deserved to know the whole truth. "Actually... um... since I started high school, I've only done it once and that... well..."

"SK," Chin supplied. Hotaru ducked her head even more and blushed even harder. It was so embarrassing to admit, but she couldn't lie to Chin. "Most of us guessed when he showed up with an egg in his stomach," Chin soothed, momentarily tightening his embrace around her shoulders in understanding. "I probably would have done the same thing in your position. SK is a part of you. Right? So there's nothing really wrong with that. It's... uh... it's kind of like masterbation. Isn't it?"

"That's what I figured," Hotaru agreed warmly. Chin always seemed to know exactly how to word things to put her at ease. Now it was time to repay that. "Other than SK, I've... I've never went all the way with a guy."

"Oh," Chin gaped as his face went back. Hotaru blushed again and tried to cover it with a drink of champagne. She couldn't say that she was a virgin, but she'd just admitted that she was inexperienced in the one area that would count between them. She'd never slept with a human male. Chin was probably having an internal overload. "I... uh... oh hell. Now I wish I'd gone to Pink's for more lessons." Hotaru snorted in laughter at the unexpected response and Chin broke out into laughter with her.

They were still laughing over his response when the limousine reached their destination. Getting out behind Chin, Hotaru paused to appraise the hotel so that her luggage could be pulled from the trunk, the waiting body-guards could get control of the area, and the reporters would have time to catch up. Deter Plaza was everything that she could have hoped for. It was huge, ostentatious, and pretentious. The upkeep on the first-floor casino, resturaunt, and lobby must cost a fortune to itself. Fifteen stories above them, the light coming from the Plaza's sign was enough to power a whole neighborhood. The set-up was better than she could have hoped for. There was a lot of potential to make money, but the Deter Family had made a lot of exploitable errors in their management. The cost of the bell-boy's uniform alone was probably worth the price of a room for three nights.

It was even better when they got inside. There were so many crystal chandeliers that the lobby seemed as bright as daylight, the reception desk was made of expensive Italian marble, and the concierge looked as if he were a million-dollar suit when he darted out to meet them. Hotaru didn't allow the man to greet them nor did she allow him a chance to get enough security to get rid of the press. Instead, she pulled Chin behind her into the first-floor casino as if she were an excited tourist and headed straight for the high-stakes slot machines.

"Let's play this one!" Hotaru pleaded, pointing to an empty machine.

"Hotaru..." Chin objected on cue. "We haven't even checked in--"

"Please?" Hotaru pouted. "Just once? I've always wanted to play a slot machine!"

"We can do it later--" Chin broke off when Hotaru stuck her lip out. "Alright," he grudgingly agreed as he pulled out his wallet to get a hundred dollar bill. Hotaru snatched it out of his hand and quickly fed it into the machine. "But just one pull!" He warned. "I want to get checked in so we can have dinner."

"Give us a pose!" One of the watching reporters called out as the cameras began going wild. "To commemorate your first visit to Las Vegas!"

"Like this?" Hotaru asked, stepping to the side so that the machine could be seen alongside her. Putting both of her hands on the lever like it was hard to move, Hotaru smiled for the cameras and pulled it down. Letting go, she already knew the result before the slots began spinning. However, she still held her fists up as if she was holding her breathe in excitement.

Bells and sirens exploded and her face lit up for the cameras as the electronic read-out told her that she'd gotten the jackpot. Trading an excited hug with Chin in joy that the plan had worked without a hitch, Hotaru barely noticed when the pit boss came forward to write out a ticket for the winnings. The money was too much for the machine to spit out by itself and, although the man looked both unhappy and suspicious, Hotaru had dozens of witnesses. She hadn't been in town long enough for there to have been foul play. It had to have been pure luck.

As predicted, the reporters were escorted out with the speed of light while Hotaru filled out a small piece of paper to tell the casino where to send the winnings. Also, their rooms suddenly became compliments of Deter Plaza--a regularity for a casino that wanted a chance to win their money back--and they were invited to have dinner with the owner. It was when they were escorted into the restaurant for a late dinner that Hotaru knew the real danger began.

The lighting was low and the tables were set up for a five-star dining experience. There was no way to know how many enemies were hiding among the tables and Hotaru wasn't stupid enough to think that having her own men around her would make her safe. All it would take would be for Deter to tell one of his boys to take the fall and the room would be filled with gunfire. Fortunately, the fact that Deter was already waiting on them made such a possibility less likely. No one would open fire when there was the chance that their own Boss could be hit.

"That was quite a show," Deter scowled without getting up from his chair in the back corner.

"We thought you'd like it," Chin smiled as he helped Hotaru into a seat. Once he was comfortably sitting next to her, it took only a single traded glance to sum up the situation from Deter's body language. The man knew that he was in trouble, but he wasn't planning on going down without a fight. He still thought that the suit he was wearing was actually worth something and that his suave appearance would be slick enough to keep him out of prison.

"You think you can come in here and take over that easily?" He spat with his lip twitching in anger. "What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"The kind that would send an assassin into Don Girarde," Hotaru replied in a pleasant tone. "Also, the kind that thinks he's going to get away with his slave trade under our noses. Did you think that we wouldn't connect the dots, Deter? A lot of people have been disappearing overseas."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

"What kind of fools do you take us for?" Chin asked, throwing the man's words back at him. Deter's eyes widened in shock, but Hotaru merely smiled. This was the good part. "You're through, Deter. You don't even have the money left to post bail, let alone the money it'd take to keep control from jail." Deter's jaw dropped, understanding the insinuation. They knew about his financial trouble. They knew about his legal trouble. They knew everything about him and his business because they were behind the destruction of it. "You underestimated us and lost, Deter. For the sake of your men, don't pretend that you have the ability to salvage the situation. You need to get up, go straight to the airport, and get out of the country before they stick a needle in your arm. You know that they'll have the evidence to arrest you by morning."

"But we're not merciless," Hotaru said, picking up the thread. "We'll give you the numbers to the offshore account that our slot winnings were just sent to. In exchange, we'll expect you to sign over rights to your holdings before you leave."

"What the hell--" Deter snarled.

"You don't have time to waste by pretending that you can actually get revenge," Hotaru warned. "You could probably salvage the financial situation by making cut-backs and rigging your machines a little bit, but we both know that you have no chance in prison. Your men aren't smart enough to pull it off without you hovering over them. Do the smart thing and escape while you can, Deter. Twenty million is more than enough for a comfortable retirement."

"It's more than enough to have you both killed, too," he replied through clenched teeth.

"You're welcome to waste your money however you want," Chin smirked. "But do you really think that you can cut through all of our defenses, including Reborn's expert skills, when greater Families have tried and failed? You can't touch us and you know it."

"My Right Hand said that I shouldn't have targeted you," he said. Hotaru smiled sympathetically at the first sign that the man was moving past denial. She knew what it was like to see a life's worth of work come crashing down. It wasn't easy. Dignity was usually the first thing to be lost when the situation became so hopeless, which was why they were trying so hard to give Deter a way out with his dignity intact. Despite his flaws and his mistakes, the man had been a successful Mafia Boss for over a decade. He still deserved respect and consideration. "I won't make the mistake of ignoring good advice a second time," Deter continued as he reached into his suit for an envelope of prepared paperwork. Hotaru gestured for one of her men to take it and open it while Chin gestured for another to hand over the bank card attached to the offshore account.

"You two are a scary duo," Deter commented with a resigned smile. "You'll take care of my men?"

"We'll clean house," Chin answered as their man nodded in confirmation that all the necessary paperwork was present in the envelope. "If we can use them, then we will. If not, then we'll give them a good enough monetary severance to satisfy them. As long as they don't challenge us, then we can assure you of their safety."

"I guess that's as good as it gets," Deter flinched as he finally stood from his seat in preparation to leave. "I'd say that it was nice meeting you, but I honestly hope that we never cross paths again."

"Caio," Hotaru replied in farewell. Chin gave a small nod in agreement with the sentiment, which was returned before the man left with what small shreds of pride he had left.

As easily as that, it was done. They'd bought Deter Plaza for the single hundred dollar bill that it'd taken to play the slot machines. They'd taken over the Family by removing the leader. Within the next week, word would spread to the rest of the city about the change in management. The remnants of the Deter Family would decide whether to come forward on their own to swear loyalty or strike out on their own, but the local underworld would accept them as powerful players fairly quickly.

The police would likely question them when Deter couldn't be found, but they had believable cover stories. They'd had a falling out with some of Chin's family, so they'd planned to elope from the beginning. They'd applied and gotten citizenship before traveling into the country, which was why they already had a residence set up. They were staying in the hotel until after the wedding because Hotaru's parents were very particular about not allowing them to live together until after they traded vows. Buying the Plaza had simply been a whim because they'd gotten such a good omen upon their arrival. They had no clue why Deter had sold it so cheaply and they have no idea where he'd disappeared to. It was a clean, perfectly legal transaction and a little bit of financial trouble was nothing that they were concerned about. It was like a house that needed a little renovation--a perfect hobby for people like Hotaru and Chin.

"He had less fight than I expected," Hotaru commented as she looked over the restaurant's menu.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Chin replied as gestured for their bodyguards to relax at nearby tables.

"It makes me suspicious of how much debt he was in before we made things worse," Hotaru murmured in consideration. Placing her order to the waiting server, she set the menu aside and carefully tested her glass before taking a cautious sip of wine. There was no poison, but there was always the chance that Deter had left them a surprise somewhere.

"Don't worry about that," Chin soothed after the server left with both of their orders. "This gives us a chance to buy while the price of stock is low and our reputation will boost the price pretty quickly once word spreads that we've taken control of Deter Plaza. When the Bosses will begin arriving to congratulate us on our brilliant maneuvering, we can price gouge them a little bit to pay for--"

"That's not very nice," Hotaru objected.

"They deserve it for showing up to bug us and they can always stay somewhere else if they don't like our prices," Chin replied coldly. "A lot of our men followed us because they trusted us. I'm not going to repay that by allowing everyone to be house-poor. We've only got the money from liquidating our joint assets before we left and we can't afford to waste opportunities to make more. You know that, Hotaru."

"I do," Hotaru agreed with a sigh. "We've got to turn this place around and build our own company from scratch or else the cash is going to run out pretty quickly. Do... Do you think we made the right choice?"

"With every fiber of my being," Chin replied with a warm smile. Hotaru smiled back when she felt Chin's hand clasp onto her own under the table. "I love you, Hotaru. This is just the beginning, so don't start doubting me now."

"I'm not," Hotaru murmured softly. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to regret this."

"I won't," Chin swore. Hotaru nodded in acceptance and felt her muscles relax in relief. He was being honest when he said that he wasn't going to regret his choices. It was a good thing. It was what Hotaru needed to hear. It was what Chin had needed to decide because Chin had no idea that there was one surprise left for him. In less than forty-eight hours... In less then forty-eight hours, Chin Lee was simultaneously going to become Vongola the Twelveth and Sawada the First.


	153. Chapter 153 Formal Union

Authors note: 4 a.m. I'm posting these with only a spell-check for those crazy peeps out there who speed-read. I'll do a more detailed proof after a few hours of sleep.

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Chin nervously paced around his hotel room and tried to pretend that he was perfectly fine. It was finally time. He was going to get married. What was he going to do if Hotaru stood him up at the altar? No, she wouldn't do that. What were they going to do if they couldn't find a priest? No worries, Orinato had already come in to tell him that Gregory had popped up. Was security secure enough? Stupid question. Reborn and Mr. Hibari were on the job.

"Bro, you're going to ruin the carpet if you don't slow down," his younger brother and best man, Jun Lee, said in amusement.

"Leave him alone," his other younger brother, Feo Lee, laughed. "He's just trying to warm up is cold feet."

"I don't have cold feet!" Chin spluttered, forcing himself to sit down in a chair. He was back out of it after a mere second. He couldn't sit still. This was a big deal, after all. He was getting married. M-A-R-R-I-E-D! He knew that he loved Hotaru, but there was so many other doubts. What if... What if he couldn't perform well enough in bed? What if he got in bed, saw her extra appendage, and couldn't perform at all? What if he was too big? What if he was too small? What if she was disgusted when she saw him naked for the first time? What if he froze at the altar and didn't even make it to the honeymoon? What if he fumbled and dropped the ring? "Oh god," Chin paled. "The rings!"

"Don't tell me that you lost the rings," Jun gaped in disbelief.

"Even worse," Chin choked. "We never got any."

"What?!" Feo gasped. "How can you forget to buy rings?!"

"We didn't think about it!" Chin spluttered. "There was a lot of other stuff going on! Jun--"

"Calm down," Jun soothed, pushing him down into a chair as Feo poured him a glass of water. "I'll go see if Hotaru's mother will go with me to pick something out. I've got pretty good taste when it comes to jewelry, so don't worry. There's still an hour left. I'll make sure you have a ring." Chin nodded frantically and waved for him to go as he accepted the water from Feo. Gulping it down, he set the cup aside, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling. He knew that he needed to calm down. It wasn't like him to get so agitated, but he was getting m-a-r-r-i-e-d!

"I need to go see her," he mumbled as he started to bolt out of his seat again.

"Oh, no, you don't," Feo objected, pushing him back down. "You can't see her before the wedding. It's tradition."

"I don't care, I--"

"Do you really want to chance pissing off her old man?" Feo asked. Chin grimaced and settled back down into his seat. He didn't really want to get married with a black eye and that would be the least of the wounds if he angered Mr. Hibari. "Just chill out, Chin. Why... ah... Why don't you tell me a little more about Hotaru? What made you get so serious about her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chin retorted with a raised eyebrow. Feo gave him a withering look in return to silently tell him that it didn't matter if it was obvious. He wanted to hear it. So, Chin told him. He told Feo about the times that they'd crossed paths at school and how his interest had increased after he'd figured out that Van Wolfe was Hotaru's father. He admitted that it'd actually been a little hard to change his perceptions about Hotaru's gender, but her gender had never really affected who she was. Hotaru had always tried her hardest for others and he'd respected that, although he'd been a little put-off by her attitude. It'd been when he'd cornered her that the first spark of love had lit. She wasn't a woman that could be held captive. She was too captivating and they had so much more in common than he'd initially thought. When he'd realized that her attitude was nothing more than a titanium casing over a beautiful arrangement of clockwork and springs--

"I get it," Feo interrupted with a groan. Chin broke off with a blush, realizing that he'd just compared his fiance to a machine. He couldn't help it, though. She was so precise and nothing was more beautiful to him than machinery. Anyone who thought that cogs couldn't get warm had never seen them running as fast as Hotaru's heartbeat. Actually, he needed to write that down. It was kind of poetic for a guy like him. "Do you feel better now?" Feo asked as Chin headed over to his suitcase to find a scrap of paper and a pen. Chin paused in place and blinked, realizing that he had calmed down after talking so much about Hotaru.

"Thanks," Chin said, tossing an appreciative smile over his shoulder at his brother. Before he could say more, he lifted his head at the sound of a small knock at the door. Feo darted forward to answer it for him, but his guest wasn't Jun like they'd hoped. It was someone much, much scarier. "M-Mr. Hibari," Chin greeted as sweat began building up on his forehead. Chin wanted to gesture for Feo to leave the door open, but the idiot darted out of the room and shut the door behind himself. Chin had been abandoned in front of a very dangerous man who didn't seem particularly happy. "Is something wrong?" Chin asked with only a small tremor in his voice.

"I will only say this once," Mr. Hibari said calmly as a tonfa dropped out of his sleeve. Chin gulped and automatically began backing up to the nearest wall. He was dead. Mr. Hibari was going to kill him! "You will stay disciplined. If you stray even once, I will bite you to death. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, sir," Chin squeaked. Mr. Hibari nodded in satisfaction and quietly left the room empty-handed. However, Chin didn't move for a very long time afterward. He felt as if his testicles had shriveled beyond the point of return. The reason why was the tonfa that was embedded into the wall behind him--between his legs. A mere inch higher and there wouldn't have been a honeymoon. He wanted to faint. He really, really wanted to faint, but he knew that Mr. Hibari would do something even worse if he did.

"Ha-hi?" Mrs. Hibari squeaked, pausing in the doorway with Jun and Feo. Chin couldn't respond as his brothers rushed forward to drag him away from both the wall and the tonfa. Mr. Hibari was going to kill him for even thinking that he could touch Hotaru. If Mr. Hibari ever found out how much they'd kissed before the wedding, he could say good-bye to his balls. "Don't let him fool you," Mrs. Hibari soothed, shoving a small shot of liquor in his hands as his brothers helped him into a seat. "Kyoya's probably happier than Hotaru is. If he scared you a little bit, then it's just because he's trying hard to be a good father. Since you're still alive, I think you can take it that he approves of you."

"How do you figure that?" Chin gasped as he tossed the shot down his throat.

"Because he left after only damaging the wall," Mrs. Hibari smiled. "If I've learned anything by being married to such an erratic man, it's that he's not as erratic as he looks. If he calms down after just doing property damage, then he's being reasonable. If he calms down after just causing bruises, then he's upset... but not so upset that he can't get over it. If he calms down after breaking bones and drawing blood, then he's pissed... but the damage would be enough to satisfy him. If he kills... Well, I think you get the picture. That means that he didn't calm down at all and you should leave him alone for a few days... assuming that you weren't the one to die."

"I... see..." Chin mumbled as the blood drained from his face. He didn't know which was worse: that Mr. Hibari could reach such psychotic levels or that Mrs. Hibari had figured out such a disturbing pattern.

"Don't look at me like that," Mrs. Hibari chuckled as she took a seat on the edge of his hotel bed. "It takes a lot to be a Mafia Boss' wife. We have to pretend that we don't see a lot of things when we really do and we have to be able to keep smiling no matter what happens. I lost my naivety a long time ago, Chin, but keeping up the oblivious facade is something that Mafia wives have to do. A Mafioso couldn't feel at peace at home if he believed that he was causing his family heartache. I know from experience because I'm the reason that Tsunayoshi stopped coming home. I let myself get hurt."

"Eh?" Chin gaped in surprise alongside his brothers.

"I'm talking about Hotaru," she explained with a worried look in her eyes. "It was devastating for us when I was attacked and no one took the miscarriage harder than Tsu-kun. It was because Tsu-kun couldn't accept it that Hotaru is here with us today. Tsu-kun forced her spirit to stay in this world after her body was destroyed and that's why she's the way that she is. I let my guard down and she paid the price. I don't think Tsu-kun ever forgave me for that, but I know... I know that he still loved me. He just couldn't trust me anymore. He distanced himself because he blamed himself for causing our home to hold such a painful memory."

"Why are you telling me this?" Chin asked in confusion. "Shouldn't you be telling this to Hotaru?"

"I already have," she replied with a sad smile. "But I wanted to tell you, too, because it affects you. Hotaru and you are different from Tsunayoshi and me. Both of you are well-trained and strong individuals. You are partners in every sense of the word, which will come with both its joys and its sorrows. As I said before, a Mafia wife's job is to create a home that a Mafioso can return to. We're supposed to create an environment where the heartache of work won't enter, but Hotaru won't be a typical Mafia wife. She'll be working alongside you, so it'll be up to both of you to support and comfort each other. If I can give you any single piece of advice, Chin, it's that you can't pretend that you can protect her. Instead, you need to trust that she can protect herself, just as she'll have to trust you to do the same--especially in the face of defeat. Fear will always be your greatest enemy and fear is the only thing that can create cracks between two hearts."

"Fear...?" He repeated in awe of the not-so-common sense coming out of Mrs. Hibari's mouth. On the surface, it seemed so obvious, but he could see how it really wasn't. Everyday, people's relationships turned sour because of their fears. They feared that they weren't good enough for the other person. They feared that the other person didn't love them. They feared that they couldn't make enough money to survive together. They feared that they were being used. The types of fears were endless, but it was the fear itself that caused the arguments and discord that commonly led to separation and divorce. To stay happy with Hotaru, all he had to do was to look inside himself and Master his own fears. Once that was done, he would be able to see and connect with her without allowing shadows to dim the bright happiness between them.

"Be fearless," she nodded as she reached into the folds of her dress for an item that had been carefully stored away. It was incredibly nondescript, being only a folded scrap of cloth, but Chin could feel something hard within it when she handed it over. "I want you to have that," she explained as he carefully unfolded the parcel. "It was given to me by the Ninth when he felt that it was time for me to truly stand by Tsu-kun's side. I was unable to live up to it, but I think Hotaru will be different. It's called the Ring of Acknowledgment and it's an heirloom that's been passed down through the generations to consorts, wives, and mistresses who could truly stand by the Vongola Bosses in every sense of the word. If you need a ring to give Hotaru, then there can be none other than this one. This would be the greatest token that you could offer--acceptance. I... I don't like to think too hard about how my little boy became my little girl, but... for some reason... I think she's been waiting her whole life to receive that ring. I... You'll take care of her. Won't you?"

Chin's gaze snapped away from the ring, startled at the question. Mrs. Hibari had advised that he shouldn't pretend that he could protect Hotaru, yet the woman wanted him to take care of her? He didn't understand how the two statements could coincide, but it became clearly understandable when he saw the tears in Mrs. Hibari's eyes. Her little baby was all grown up and she just wanted a bit of reassurance. She wanted to know that Hotaru would have a warm home and a happy smile even though her parents wouldn't be around to catch her every time that she tripped.

"Mrs. Hibari," Chin murmured sympathetically, reaching out to pull the woman into a hug. "Don't cry! You can see for yourself that she'll be okay, because we're going to be living right down the street from each other! I swear that I'm not taking her away from you! If anything, I hope that the two of you will become closer! If you don't, then who else can I rely on to tell me embarrassing stories about her? I'm going to need at least a little bit of ammo!"

As he hoped, the statement was enough to make Mrs. Hibari laugh. It was also enough to get her talking about a very embarrassing story about Hotaru, a tire swing, and a poorly aimed lance. Time passed quickly after that. Before Chin knew it, Orinato was rushing in to ensure that his tuxedo was in order, he had a breath-mint, Jun had possession of Hotaru's ring, and they were all ready to head for the reception-hall-turned-wedding-venue. Chin offered his arm to escort Mrs. Hibari there, but the woman politely bowed out in a rush to get back to Hotaru. Chin was honestly grateful that she left, because he needed a quick overview of how a Catholic Wedding was preformed.

"Don't worry about it," Orinato soothed as they jumped onto the first elevator that they came to. "Gregory will give you all the cues and he's not going to be performing a textbook ceremony anyway."

"He's not?" Jun asked worriedly.

"Do you really think that Hotaru's going to swear to obey anyone?" Orinato countered with a raised eyebrow. "I said don't worry about it. Gregory is a bit of a prophet. No matter what he cooked up, Hotaru said to trust that it'll be for the best."

"But--" Chin objected. He didn't get a chance to say anything more because the elevator doors opened to a very irritable-looking Mr. Hibari.

"Ah, Hibari-san," Orinato grinned. "Any chance you can show Chin the way to the Hall from here? I need to get back to Hotaru."

"Follow me," Mr. Hibari ordered. Chin silently obeyed, feeling his testicles shriveling in the process. He was never going to make it to his wedding. He just knew it. Mr. Hibari was going to lead him to an empty room and-- "Tea will be Thursdays at two," Mr. Hibari abruptly said. "It's undisciplined to arrive late and unforgivable to be absent without cause or notice."

"Y-Yes, sir," he automatically responded. The words didn't penetrate his brain until Mr. Hibari came to a stop next to the Reception Hall doors. He'd just been invited to tea--No!--He'd just been given a standing order to meet for tea! Could this be...? Did Mr. Hibari really approve of him? He wasn't going to die a grisly death?

"You're crowding in the doorway," Mr. Hibari scowled. Chin squeaked and darted inside, knowing from Hotaru's repeated warning that 'crowding' was akin to wearing a 'bite me' sign. He was amazed, though. Maybe Hotaru's step-father wouldn't be so hard to get along with, after all. Just like Hotaru had said, he seemed a little easier to get along with as long as Chin followed the man's unwritten list of rules. Of course, 'easier' didn't mean 'easy', but Chin felt a little more relaxed when he realized that he hadn't been lied to. Mr. Hibari's schematics were a little more erratic than most people's, but he still obeyed his own internal blueprint.... much like many of the other people in the room.

Chin felt his smile growing when he looked around to see that he was surrounded with Family. Four dozen people and their families were more than enough to fill a Reception Hall, but he was a little surprised that he recognized everyone. He hadn't known that he personally knew so many people and that had so many who cared about him. Admittedly, many of them had come to him because of Hotaru, but he couldn't believe that anyone present could possibly betray him. Hotaru's Family was his Family, right down to the Priest who was trading greetings with Hotaru's other siblings.

They'd decided to forego all the norms of a typical wedding in favor of simply getting hitched. There was no split in the seating that had been set up and the decorations had all been centered around the small, makeshift alter. Chin had to smile at the sight of it. Hotaru was probably going to strangle him for picking all of the nearby florists clean of their stock, but he felt that it was worth it. Hotaru was meant to be surrounded by growing things. To have her to get married amid plastic shrubbery would have been a sin that he would have regretted more than anything. It was much better for her to be surrounded with wildflowers, roses, tulips, and every other flower that he could get his hands on.

The sound of the wedding march caught him off-guard, making him race to the appropriate position next to Gregory. His brothers, Jun and Feo, were right beside him as the groomsmen who would be countered with Orinato and SK. He felt his heart beginning to race and his palms begin to sweat as the audience all stood in preparation of Hotaru's entrance. It was really happening--

"Whoever takes the best pictures of the wedding will get a prize," Gregory suddenly called out. Chin choked on air at such an un-priestly action, but he had to admit that it was effective. Everyone who'd forgotten to get out their cameras had them in hand within seconds. Chin tried to remember to smile when a few thought to take test shots of him, but his smile was that last thing on his mind when the doors finally opened. Nothing... Nothing on heaven or earth could have prepared him for what happened after that.

Orinato entered first, wearing a tuxedo much like his own. There was nothing special about that, although the silver case handcuffed to his wrist was a little wierd. SK followed in his own custom tuxedo. It was strange to see the Orange Salamander in so much clothing and even stranger to see how he managed his duties as both a brides-groom and a flower boy. All four of his hands were at work, throwing out petals from a set of four filled bags hanging around his waist. Two arms threw the flowers into the air to create the illusion that they were outside while the other two ensured that the carpet was covered.

Then came Hotaru and Chin momentarily forgot how to breathe. She was nothing like he'd imagined when he'd heard that Mrs. Hibari would be making the dress, but the surprise was a good one. Hotaru looked amazing. Instead of an old-fashioned hoop dress with a huge train, Hotaru's slight frame was lined perfectly with a sleek, form-fitting white dress in a peasant-like style. She'd skipped all of the unnecessarily finery and frippery in favor of a much more modest--and virginal--design appeal. However, that was merely his impression at a distance.

With every step that she took closer to him, the more detail that he could see in her dress and the more regal she became. He couldn't explain the effect. It was as if, while walking down the aisle, she turned from a simple, beautiful girl into a virtuous archangel of mercy. Her corset began as a simple stretch of white leather, yet turned into a detailed, embossed imprint of the Vongola Seal. Her gossamer sleeves began as simple, plain drapery, yet turned into shining battle armor holding minuscule, sparkling studs. The unadorned skirt flowing from her hips turned from a mildly disappointing expanse into countless layers of geometrically designed hems in a wide assortment of varied materials.

Yet, none of that compared to Hotaru herself. Under a glittering lace veil that was easily thin enough to pass through a ring, Hotaru was glowing. He'd never seen a woman so beautiful. He felt dumbfounded and breathless at the same time, unable to put together even a partial thought while he looked at her. All he knew was that he had to be the luckiest bastard in the world. Just as he'd told Feo, he was completely captivated by her.

He was so dazed that he barely noticed when she handed off her bouquet of white roses to Orinato so that Chin could take her delicate hands into his own. He was so dazed that he had no clue when the ceremony started. He was so dazed that his eyes never left her while he dreamily repeated the words that Gregory told him to say. He was so dazed that he almost forgot to give Hotaru her ring when she finally looked up at him with tears of joy in her eyes. He was so dazed that he didn't even notice his own ring being put in place until... until after he hit his knees.

Hitting his knees woke him up faster than anything else could have. He felt hot. It wasn't painful, but he felt as if his entire body was being condensed and pressurized. It was dizzying. The more that the pressure grew, the more that it felt as if something was rushing into his body. It felt as if he were trying to cram two kilograms of water into a five milligram tank. He was going to explode. It.... It...

It stopped.

Gasping for air, Chin could feel his hand still trembling in Hotaru's. He had no idea what had just happened, but... But everything seemed so much clearer than before. It was different than the time that he'd gotten high on helium with his friends in the lab. It was something deeper, more profound, and much more lasting. It was as if he'd just gotten a lobotomy, but... But it was a lobotomy for his spirit instead of his head.

He didn't move as Hotaru turned to open the silver case in Orinato's hands. He couldn't move. Nothing was making sense. Even when Hotaru pulled a long, black swath of fabric out of the waiting case with a flourish and draped it around his shoulders, he couldn't seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Please stand and kiss your bride, Sawada the First," Gregory intoned as Hotaru snapped the chains in place that would hold his new mantle on, one of which held the complete set of Guardian rings. Something inside him responded to the title and told him to look at his hand. Understanding dawned with only a glance. In place of a wedding band, Hotaru had given him her most important treasure. She'd given him the Vongola Ring and... and it hadn't rejected him. He wasn't sure how he knew that it could have rejected him, but he knew it. He also knew that the ring was different than it'd been when Hotaru had worn it. The design was the same and so was the seal under the blue dome, but... But the ring now said Sawada where the Vongola name had once been etched.

He.... was... now... Sawada the First. He felt as if volumes of incomprehensible information was unlocked within his head with the knowledge of who he was. Yet, once again, there was something more within him that told him what to do. He ignored the confusion. He ignored his brothers' hovering, worried presence. He ignored the audience full of people who were holding their breathes.

He stood.

He looked into Hotaru's shining eyes.

He kissed her.

Everyone seemed to exhale at once and belatedly remember to take pictures of the consummate embrace. After it was over, Chin went back to being dazed and allowed Hotaru to lead him down the aisle, down the hallway, and into a nearby room so that he could rest in private while the reception started. Thankfully, she didn't pressure him to speak. Instead, she simply sat next to him and held his hand while he sorted through the changes inside himself.

There was more than simply the mental clarity and spiritual reprieve. He felt stronger in a way that he couldn't describe. It was as if he could see his own potential and he could see how much potential he'd already fulfilled. He couldn't see the future, but he felt a strange certainty that many things were going to work out perfectly. He was also getting a strange nagging sensation on a few that he wouldn't have previously worried about. On those, he began rambling in the urgent need to unload the concerns to anyone who would listen. He had so much knowledge inside of himself that he felt ready to burst at the seams, but it became easier to deal with as he sorted through it piece by piece.

He was Sawada the First. The guiding force inside him seemed as if it were trying to tell him what that meant. He'd thought that his first child would be the First, but that wasn't how it worked at all! The Hours were already written. He was both the Hour of Preparing and the Hour of Founding. His first child would take up the mantle as the Hour of Claiming. His grandchild would take up the mantle as the Hour of Building and it would continue. It would continue until the Eleventh Hour, when everything would be destroyed. In the Hour that followed, the decision would be made to end the cycle or to permit it to continue in under a new name. It was the Cycle of Life and Death that no creature on earth was immune to.

A schematic began forming in his head and Chin became even more dazed at the implications of what he saw. He understood everything. He knew how the world really worked and he could SEE the purpose to his own life in the greater picture. In a way, it was terrifying. A sense of responsibility that he'd never expected suddenly crashed around his shoulders and there was no possible way to remove it. His Hour was written. There were things that he had to do and an infinite amount of ways that he could step wrong along the way. How could someone like him possibly handle such a massive undertaking?! This was the cosmos that were at stake and, less than five years ago, he'd been tripping over his own feet!

"You're not alone," Hotaru whispered, reminding him of her presence. Chin stared at her, once again feeling a strange sense of certainty well up inside of him. Everything would work out. All he really had to do was to face one day at a time in the same manner that he always had. Hadn't he already made the resolution to do that when he'd waited for Hotaru to walk down the aisle? Together with Hotaru, he could handle anything that came at him.

"I love you," Chin mumbled.

"Is that your hyper-intuition speaking?" Hotaru smiled.

"No," he replied with a smile of his own. "That's a husband speaking to the most amazing wife in the world."

"Are you mad at me for not warning you?" Hotaru asked softly in worry.

"No," he answered instantly. "I might not have said that if I didn't have... uh... you called it hyper-intuition?" At Hotaru's nod, he continued, "But I have that now and I can understand why you chose not to warn me. I would have worried needlessly over it, gotten myself worked up, and increased the chances that the ring would find me unfit."

"My intuition said that it wouldn't," Hotaru chuckled in relief. "If I'd had any doubts, then I wouldn't have taken the chance. The last person that was rejected by it got quite a few scars added to his list and there's no way that I would give you something that would hurt you."

She was being honest, his intuition needlessly told him. It made him put his face in his hands and close his eyes in pained understanding. This was how Hotaru had always seen the world. If he had ever lied to her, then she would have intuitively known. In the face of that, he knew why she'd always put up such a distant air around her classmates and why she'd always seemed so distrustful of the world. She'd been taught by experience. It was also why she was so weak in front of him. For a Mafioso, he was had a pathetically long streak of being honest. He didn't like to bluff unless he had something to back his words and he didn't like blunt lies unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Pinch me," Chin smiled.

"Eh?"

"I feel like I'm still dreaming," he admitted. "I can't believe that we're actually married. It all happened so fast that I can't remember anything other than you walking down the aisle."

"Oh," Hotaru mumbled with a bright blush. "That explains it, then."

"Explains what?"

"Do you remember who walked me down the aisle?" Hotaru asked. Chin shook his head. He hadn't seen anything other than Hotaru herself. "Dad did," she said in effort to jog his memory. "After he gave me away, he took a cheap shot at you and you disassembled his tonfa before it could hit you."

"I did that?" Chin gaped in horror.

"Don't worry," Hotaru laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen him so happy. You surprised him. Actually, you surprised everyone. You don't show your skills outside the lab very often, so no one had any idea that you were so strong. Just prepare yourself. Dad's tonfa is probably going to be the hot topic at the reception. It's not very often that someone walks away unscathed when Dad raises his hand. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone--"

"The reception can wait," Chin interrupted with a smile. Pulling Hotaru into his lap, he reminded her with a kiss that the wedding was for themselves instead of anyone else. No one could come between them anymore. At the moment, he didn't give a damn about the reception or the Family. He only cared about--

"Stop right there!" Orinato exclaimed as he burst through the door in self-righteous anger. Breaking off the kiss, both Chin and Hotaru glared at the interruption. Just how far was Hotaru's Family going to go in order to keep them from becoming intimate?! "I'm just the messenger," Orinato grimaced in the face of their combined irritation. "You can't skip the reception. Especially not Hotaru."

"Oh," Hotaru gaped in abrupt understanding. Chin wasn't very far behind in putting the clues together. Mr. Hibari wanted the traditional first dance with the bride. Orinato wanted the chance to make a toast. People wanted pictures of them cutting the cake and they wanted Hotaru to throw her bouquet. There was also the send-off with birdseed and a hundred other small celebratory traditions that they'd have to go through. If they didn't, they'd disappoint everyone who'd come to celebrate with them--including the waiting Paparazzi. Keeping the photographers away from the actual wedding ceremony had only been possible because they'd given reception invitations to many of the more respectable journalists in the city. "There's one other thing I need to tell you before we go," Hotaru grimaced as he rose to his feet in resignation.

Chin didn't need an explanation. The rattling of the chain on his mantle was enough to explain everything. There were six rings inserted into the surface and he would have to choose a set of Guardians. They'd be Guardians for himself, not Hotaru, which was why they'd been handed over to him. However, he knew that there was only one set of choices for the job. That was why he didn't feel the need to hesitate. Plucking the Storm Ring out of the Chain, he tossed it to the only man that he could possibly trust for the job.

"Boss!" Orinato choked as he fumbled to catch his ring. "What about Jun?!"

"What about him?" Chin shrugged. "I always pick the best man for the job. Jun was suitable to stand in at a wedding, but I wouldn't trust my life to a younger brother on a daily basis. It's my job to protect him, not the other way around."

"Boss..." Orinato gaped.

"We'll be counting on you," Hotaru smiled as she finally stood. Chin opened his arm for her, allowing her to insinuate herself as closely to his side as possible. Chin couldn't help himself. Despite the seriousness of the moment, he ducked his head and stole another kiss from his wife. Her Family had given him everything. He'd been nothing more than another pawn who'd been pushed around by Mafioso who were more powerful than himself until the Tenth had taken him in and begun training him. He'd been prepared to spend the rest of his life as an unappreciated inventor in his father's basement until Gregory had saved his life and lit the sparks of Chin's resolution with mere kindness. Even then, he'd never expected to be surrounded with so much light. He'd never imagined that he'd end up as the true Boss of such a warm and amazing Family. It was Hotaru who'd brought him there. It was Hotaru who'd cut through the darkness in his life and had paved the way for him to show his true potential.

"I love you," he repeated against Hotaru's lips, knowing that the words were inadequate for how deeply his heart had been affected by her.

"Save it," she laughed, inserting a single finger between them before he could kiss her again. "We still have a reception to attend."

"Right," he sighed. Gesturing for the dumbfounded Orinato to lead the way, Chin took his time in following with Hotaru. There was still something different about himself that he couldn't put his finger on. He assumed that Hotaru would explain it when they had more time to be alone together, but it was annoying to feel it hovering at the edge of his reach. It had something to do with the increase of raw potential he felt inside himself. It was as if, somewhere deep inside him, a screw had come loose and had caused a helpful oil leak that was lubricating all of his internal parts so that they were running at maximum efficiency.

Putting the image together with what information he'd had on Vongola's methods of operation, Chin felt a little closer to an answer. The 'oil' that he felt was the Vongola Dying Will Flame. The Sawada Ring had unlocked it to a much greater degree than he would have been capable of on his own. Chin didn't want to think about what degree of genetic alterations had been made for his body to be able to handle such an increase nor did he want to think about how such a thing had occurred. A contained injection of specialized radiation was always a possibility, but the human body wasn't his forte. All that mattered was that he knew that it'd happened and that his own 'schematics' were different than before.

Doing a quick self-inventory of himself, Chin compared what he remembered to what was currently in place within himself. Surprisingly, he quickly found the oddity that was nagging him. It wasn't hidden in the deep recesses of his consciousness like he'd expected. Instead, once he was actually looking for it, it felt as if he could reach out and--

"Oh!"

"Chin!" Hotaru gasped. She froze alongside Orinato to stare wide-eyed at the bright Flame on his head, but he wasn't quite sure how to explain the presence.

"Is that normal?" Chin asked as he tried to look up at it.

"How did you figure it out so quickly?!" Hotaru spluttered. "Reborn hasn't taught you anything yet!"

"I'm used to self-study," he answered. Once more reaching for the loose screw inside himself, Chin carefully 'tightened' it so that the gush of Flame around it would slow enough for the Dying Will Flame to disappear. "I think I have a good grasp of the concept now. The Dying Will Bullet that Reborn shoots is like a forced switch that's inserted into the mind and body to bypass the source of the Flame until the owner has the resolution and the mental fortitude to control it on their own. I assume that I've skipped some sort of Right of Passage by superceding Reborn's lessons...?"

"You might say that," Hotaru smirked with lights dancing in her eyes. "Sheesh. Everyone said that I was reckless because I got control so young, but you're even worse. You just can't keep yourself from tinkering, even when it's a landmine inside yourself. Can you?"

"It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge," Chin replied with a wide smile.

"Vongola the First is just going to love you," Hotaru laughed. "I'll introduce you to him later. Right now, you should get ready. Dad's probably going to attack you as soon as we walk in."

"With what tonfa?" Chin chuckled. Gesturing for Orinato to continue forward and open the doors to the Reception Hall for them, Chin's happiness grew in proportion to the loud cheer that greeted them.

While they'd been gone, the entire room had transformed from a wedding venue into the reception hall that it was meant to be. The tables had been brought back in and a long bar had been set up for buffet-style serving. The table for the wedding party was stretched out in front of the garden-like altar and was already decorated like it'd always been in place. Chin doubted that they were going to make it over to it until it was time to cut the cake, though.

Despite his quip, Mr. Hibari indeed appeared with a tonfa in hand and swung at him. He didn't dodge. Instead, he stood unyielding with the foresight that Mr. Hibari would stop himself. He did, too. The tonfa was a mere centimeter from his eye when it halted, but it didn't hit him.

"There's a harmonizing structural weakness right here," Chin murmured, reaching up to point at an ambiguous section of the polished steel. Lightly tapping it, the entire length reverberated like a tuning fork before falling to pieces. Mr. Hibari stared at the remnant in his hand and quickly decided to discard it over his shoulder. Oddly, he seemed both unsurprised and uncaring of the result. "I'll be happy to look over the rest of your arsenal when we visit for tea," Chin offered carefully.

"I'll have it ready," Mr. Hibari replied calmly before turning to head for the table that Mrs. Hibari was fuming at. Chin held his breathe in until the crowd closed between them. When it did, he traded a knowing glance with Hotaru and joined her in a small fit of quiet laughter. Thank goodness the Paparazzi hadn't caught sight of them yet or Hotaru's step-father would have gone down in history as the most notorious party-crasher in history!

Eventually, the photographers did catch sight of them, though. Chin did his best to distribute the rings back to their previous owners under the cover of the crowd, but he was still left with the Cloud and Mist Rings by the time that they reached the cake that his personal chef had slaved over. Knowing that he could always pass them along later, he turned his focus toward getting through the reception. They only had to stay a mere hour, but there was so much to do in that time.

After the initial greeting of all the guests, they cut the cake. It'd been specially made not to touch on any of Hotaru's sore spots, which meant that it was an atypical masterpiece. The chef had wisely chosen to skip the traditional style. Instead, he'd put all of his skill into combining a rainbow of colors into a seven-layered monolith... of gelatin. Chin had to give the man credit for how artistically he'd molded and sculpted the piece to be visually similar to a real cake. It looked amazing in the center of a table full of back-lit ice shards and the extra lighting that glowed from the stand within the center of the treat gave it a lot of extra-special appeal.

Of course, there was still real cake on the buffet table for anyone who wanted it, but the cake that they cut was the one that Hotaru would eat and enjoy. Chin couldn't keep the smile off his face when he saw the chef responsible had collapsed into a seat in relief after Hotaru had demanded to have a slice of each color. It was absolutely perfect. The only thing that would have been better would have been if the Tenth had been present to make a real cake for her to enjoy.

Such a thing wasn't possible, though. He understood that now to a much greater degree than ever before. He also understood why Hotaru had dropped off the effort to find him. Simply put, the Tenth would return when the time was right and now wasn't that time. His Hour had been one of the hardest, after all. It was a double-sided curse. Tsunayoshi would forever be a beacon. People would always gather to him, for both good and bad. In attracting the good, there were communities left in his wake that the Eleventh could gather together and use to choose a new foundation for a new beginning. In attracting the bad, he would have the opportunity to dismantle the worst enemy organizations that were around, which would lower the chances of the Eleventh's failure.

To dismantle and to destroy were such painful tasks, but it was saddening to think that the harder job was truly the easier one. Once Hotaru had finished destroying, she could move on with him into the process of founding. However, the Tenth's job never ended. To simply dismantle meant that he left the pieces laying around. Those pieces would eventually reassemble and attack him... over... and over... and over again. It was no wonder that he wasn't ready to return. The man knew the dark depths that came hand-in-hand with the joys in his life. Just as Mrs. Hibari had said, the Tenth was afraid. He was afraid that he couldn't break the cycle of his own Hour. Until he could break it and he could face the dawn of the new day with a fearless heart, it was much better for everyone's sake to leave him to his own devices.

"You look fairly depressed for a man who just got married," the Ninth commented as he slid into the seat next to him. Chin tried to smile, but it was half-hearted at best. There was simply too much to think about. He really wanted to keep his mind on what was in front of him--namely, Hotaru doing a waltz with her father on the dance floor--but he couldn't.

"How do you deal with it?" Chin asked as he hid his expression behind a sip of champagne.

"You don't," the Ninth replied, bowing his head in sympathy. "You just continue to face one day at a time and lean on your Guardians when you feel lost. With time, the knowledge and the power will become an extension of yourself. You'll completely forget what it feels like to be normal and one of two things will happen. Either the power will twist you and consume your heart by allowing you to justify things that should never be justified... or... you'll learn to cling to simple joys around you and delude yourself into thinking that you can have a normal life with enough effort."

"I choose the second one," Chin replied with a crooked grin.

"That's the spirit," the Ninth praised. "Now, why don't you go cut in to Mr. Hibari's waltz before he loses his temper at all the photographers--" CRASH! "Never mind what I just said," the Ninth grimaced. "This might be a good chance for you to have Hotaru throw her bouquet. After that, I do believe that you're free to kidnap her."

"Is that so?" Chin asked with a wide grin. Standing, Chin quickly walked around the table and prompted the crowd to get ready for Hotaru's throw. The results were a little surprising because there were only five unmarried women of marrying age in the room. The first was Katie, Hotaru's eldest sister. The second was Bianchi, who had a rather demented gleam in her eye while he looked around for the suddenly absent Reborn. The third, fourth, and fifth were Hotaru's three maids: Fiorella, Ginerva, and Fiametta. All the other women in the room were either standing next to their husbands or standing with their parents.

No, he amended. There was one other person.

"Hotaru," Chin whispered as everyone tried to decide whether the younger girls should be allowed to enter the scramble for Hotaru's bouquet. Hotaru looked at him and her jaw slowly dropped open when he held out an item that needed to be attached to the bouquet. However, after a long moment, she nodded in agreement and allowed him to attach it. Chin felt a little crazy for his decision, but something inside him was positive that it was the right one. "Countdown!" Chin called as Hotaru turned around and shut her eyes. "Three! Two! One!"

Hotaru threw the bouquet over her head. The girls held out their arms in an attempt to catch it and Bianchi jumped to increase her chances, but the bouquet never reached them. Midair, between one moment and the next, it abruptly disappeared. The outcome left everyone at a loss of whether to cheer or not, but Hotaru's face was full of smiles when she opened her eyes again. There was only one person who would make a wedding bouquet disappear--Chrome--and she'd taken the Mist Ring with it.

"Geez," Hotaru sighed while Bianchi turned a nearby table into poison cooking out of irritation at the loss. "They could have just come out and told me that they were here."

"If they did that, then you'd be obligated to ask where the Tenth is," Chin replied in sympathy. Hotaru was startled by the observation, but she was startled by something else that was even more sudden before she could reply. Chin was taken off-guard, too, because he had no idea why Orinato and Ken were holding Hotaru down in a chair.

"The garter belt," Sakura whispered into his ear. Chin's face instantly turned a bright shade of cherry. He'd completely forgotten that the grooms had their own item to throw! From the look on Hotaru's face, he knew that she was still wearing it, too. "Be gentle with her," Sakura teased as the unmarried men began gathering. Chin's blush deepened, but a single glance at the gathering crowd told him that he wasn't going to get away without doing it. Orinato, Ken, Sakura, the disguised Toshi, Tullio, Ulrich, Lambo, Greco, Viner, Fuuta, Gianninni, Shamal, several of Hotaru's brothers and nearly a dozen other bachelors were gathered. This was the real reason that Hotaru hadn't been allowed to skip the reception!

The blush on his face was nothing compared to the blush on Hotaru's face as he knelt down to gently lift her foot off the ground. It was embarrassing for both of them as Chin carefully began following her leg up her dress, but he couldn't say that he was particularly apologetic. Hotaru had amazing legs, after all. Her calves were toned to perfection, yet still so soft under the smooth surface of her stockings. Her knee felt so delicate, yet he knew that it could become a lethal weapon at need. Her thigh--

"If you don't hurry up, I'm going to strangle you," Hotaru hissed.

"R-Right," Chin blushed, remembering that a crowd was watching. Detailed exploration could come later. Right now, he needed to find her garter belt, which was right under her gun holster. Grabbing hold of it, he almost couldn't bring himself to pull it off. It felt so frilly and lacy that he wanted to leave it on. The thought of allowing his men to see even a small piece of Hotaru's underwear felt so incredibly wrong. Screw it, he finally thought. It was just a garter belt. He got all the rest to himself. Pulling on it, he froze when it refused to come loose.

"What's wrong?" Hotaru asked when Chin's face began to turn burgundy.

"It's... um... caught on your gun holster," he mumbled, causing a burst of laughter from their audience.

"Eh?"

"You're going to have to stand up," he continued in a strained voice.

"You're joking," Hotaru gaped in shock.

"I wish I was," he grimaced as he traced the edges of the garter belt with his fingers. The part that was caught was on the backside of her thigh. His only options to unloosen it was to disassemble the belt, raise her leg higher, or get her to stand. The first option would anger the men waiting to catch the damn thing. The second option would anger Hotaru. The third option was the only viable choice.

Understanding that it was the best option, Hotaru didn't put up a large fuss. Instead, she quietly grabbed onto his shoulders for balance and stood. Chin clenched his eyes shut in embarrassment due to the face-full of dress that he got and swore that he was going to strangle the person that had suggested to actually invite the Paparazzi to the reception. He could hear cameras going wild in the background. It was probably the image of the year--Hotaru standing beautifully with her groom's hands up her dress. Thankfully, though, it was over fairly quickly after that. His fingers managed to find where the lace had gotten belted down to Hotaru's leg by the gun holster and he safely pulled it off without tearing the material.

A cheer rose up when he finally held up the intact garter belt, but he didn't give anyone time to tease him about the difficulty of retrieving it. While everyone was trying to think up something witty to say, Chin sent the garter belt flying into the air like a slingshot. As he'd hoped, the lack of preparation between the bachelors allowed the garter to land before anyone could grab it and the result was a massive dog-pile of men who all wanted the prize. Chin took advantage of the melee. Grabbing Hotaru's hand, he darted for the doors and--

"They're making a run for it!" Mr. Gokudera shouted in laughter. Chin cursed under his breathe and Hotaru giggled in glee. He managed to make it outside despite all of the Mafioso who were chasing them, but he quickly learned not to underestimate his Family. They had prepared for his maneuver! There were nearly a dozen people waiting outside with streamers and birdseed, all of which went flying as soon as the doors flew open. There was also several dozen Paparazzi who hadn't been invited inside. The camera flashes were nearly blinding, but he could see their waiting transportation--SK in his Draconian form.

Ignoring the cans tied to SK's tail and the streamers tied to the specially-made saddle, Chin jumped on his back and pulled Hotaru up into his lap. It was a maneuver that they'd practiced in secret and Chin felt an internal sigh of relief that he managed to succeed on the first try. Now he just had to hold onto the pommel tightly enough that neither Hotaru or himself fell when--

Chin's breathe caught in his throat as SK leaped into the air and began climbing for height, but he thankfully stopped himself before he could shout. It was no worse than hang-gliding, he told himself. It'd all be over soon. It'd all be over soon. It'd all be over soon-- SK could take his time, Chin amended as all thoughts of flying or falling were thrown to the winds by Hotaru's lips. He could feel the passion in her kiss as she clung to him with more fervor than ever before. There was nothing standing between them anymore. They could kiss. They could touch. They could make love and no one would stop them.

Between the short flight and the feeling of Hotaru's body wrapped around him, Chin was dizzy by the time that they landed in their new front yard. Under the circumstances, he felt that it was reasonable to skip the tour. Orinato had promised that he'd drilled the route into SK's head multiple times and that the Salamander had visited the home enough times to recognize it on sight. He also knew that it was his own home due to the two men who were playing dominos on the front porch--guards who had been placed to ensure that the wedding wouldn't end with any unwanted surprises.

"The numbers on the perimeter sensors haven't changed," Yuki reported as Chin and Hotaru dismounted.

"Hibird and Sugar haven't seen anything, either," Basil reported. "It should be safe for you to go in."

That was all that Chin needed to hear. Sweeping Hotaru off her feet, he charged up the stairs and kicked the doors open to carry her across the threshold. He didn't stop there, though. He'd made sure to take a look at the blueprints of their home and he knew exactly where he wanted to go. Hotaru started struggling in embarrassment when he didn't put her down, but he silenced her with a kiss as he headed up the stairs, down the hall, and past the over-sized painting that hid their bedroom door. There was a small alcove after that in which they had to pause for recognition scanning, but the room beyond was worth the wait... or the lack of waiting in Hotaru's case. From the way that she already had his mantle off and his shirt unbuttoned, he figured that he didn't have to worry that she'd want to freshen up first or make any special preparations. He could just go with the flow, which was exactly what he wanted.

Letting Hotaru's feet drop to the ground, Chin reached up to pull her veil off and discard it to the side. Their shoes got kicked off in the same manner and, as Hotaru finally got the last button of his shirt undone, Chin could feet the hesitant anticipation hit them in unison. They were finally going to go all the way together.

"This dress doesn't have a zipper," Hotaru mumbled softly as she shyly gestured to the laces on her corset. Chin gulped as his shriveled assets found new life. Her bosom was beckoning him. It was the weak point in the design of the dress. All he had to do was to pull on this one little string and... Chin felt a pleasant shudder ripple up from his groin as Hotaru's dress slid down her body to land in a puddle at her feet. She'd put lingerie on underneath, all of which was white lace.

He'd never wanted anyone more in his life, he thought as she slowly reciprocated his gesture by unbelting his pants. Letting her take all the time that she wanted, Chin took his time in absorbing ever detail that his eyes could handle. Her neckline was as smooth as he'd imagined and it was nearly impossible not to run his fingers down the graceful arc to her shoulders. Her breasts were bigger than he'd thought they'd be for a B Cup. She was probably almost a C Cup considering how much her bra was straining to hold her in. The hourglass curve at her mid-line was a little more muscular than he'd expected, too, but she didn't have the six-pack that he'd feared. Her entire body was toned, not hardened into rock, which made her even more pleasant as his eyes raked over her soft, supple skin.

When his gaze reached her panties, Chin's erection hardened even more. He'd already been prepared for her to have an extra appendage, but he hadn't calculated how it would effect him to see it straining against her underwear. Hotaru was just as aroused as he was. He wasn't the best looking man in the world, but it seemed like she appreciated what she saw. He... He needed to explore more, he thought as his pants finally dropped down next to Hotaru's dress. Pulling his shirt off, he let it drop down with the rest of his clothes as he leaned in to give Hotaru another kiss. Simultaneously, he took the first step forward to guide her towards the over-sized bed that was waiting on them.

The sound of the door creaking open caught their combined attention, but Chin ignored it since he'd lost his gun holsters along with his belt and shirt. He was much happier with completely focusing on kissing Hotaru while she blindly drew her weapon and filled the door frame with bullet holes. A moment later, the door creaked a second time as whoever had thought of interrupting went back to where ever he'd come from. Chin smiled into his kiss as Hotaru tossed the weapon aside and threw her arms around him. At least he knew that they were thinking the same thing. Everyone else could go to hell at the moment. Even if the end of the world came, they weren't stopping this time.

Becoming impatient, his hands slid up Hotaru's back to undo the catch on her bra. Pulling it off, he became even more impatient once he felt her bare chest pressed against him. He couldn't wait. As soon as they crawled on the bed together, Chin pulled off his boxer, pulled off her panties, and did the one thing that he'd sworn to never to. He took hold of another person's staff and crossed it with his own. Hotaru cried out as he pumped them together, but it wasn't enough to cause a release. They both needed more.

So, Chin gave them both more. First, he sucked on Hotaru's nipples until they turned into rock-hard peaks. Then, while he teased them and played with them, he slid his hand down her side to cup her buttocks. His hand didn't stay there, though. As soon as he had her hips rocking in unison with his, he went in search of the Cave of Wonders. Traveling down her smooth canyon, he skipped over the Pit of Doom and gently followed the trail until it came to an end at the guardians at base of her tower. Backtracking, he put more pressure into the search so that he could discover the hidden Cave in her nether-regions.

He was surprised when he found it and began exploring. Just as she'd promised, she had all the parts of a woman. Unlike what he'd imagined, it was small and incredibly tight. If SK had really explored before him, then Chin couldn't tell because her body was sucking in his fingers like it'd never been touched before. It was so warm and wet, but there was no possible way that anyone or anything had stretched it out before him. By all empirical evidence, Hotaru was still a virgin.

Knowing that it would be painful if he simply plunged straight in, Chin forced himself to slow down and properly prepare her. She needed to be right on the edge of climax so that it wouldn't hurt for very long after he penetrated. She needed to be as wet as he could make her so that he could pass inside without rubbing her raw. She needed to be completely relaxed so that she wouldn't tense up against him.

Glancing up at Hotaru's flush face, Chin figured that he'd done all that he could. He didn't think that she'd be able to handle anymore foreplay. Her entire body was quivering with need and her eyes were glazed with desire. She looked so erotic with how she was spread out under him with a faint sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. Her nipples were swollen and red from all of his stimulation and there were multiple hickeys on her abdomen from where he'd sucked on the skin too hard in passing. The small, thin rivulet of pre-cum hanging from her erection was the last straw. He had to get inside her.

"This is going to hurt," he warned as he positioned himself between Hotaru's legs. She was too breathless to reply, but the inflamed gleam in her eyes told him that he could continue. So, grabbing her hips to hold her steady, he continued. She tried to hold her voice in as he pushed his tip inside, but he paused anyway when he noticed that she was in pain. It was reasonable for her to be in pain. Even with all of his careful preparation, she'd begun to bleed. Thankfully, it wasn't a large amount, but he knew that it couldn't be comfortable because taking her virginity meant that he had to literally tear her open. "Slow or fast?" He asked, leaving it for her to decide which would be easier to bear.

"F-Fa--" she gasped. Chin nodded in acceptance. She wanted fast. In that case, the only thing he could do was to ram himself as deeply as he could. He stopped a second time when her back arched and she cried out, but quickly continued when he saw that he was only half-way in. He knew that he was only average in size, so he knew that she should be able to take more of him. It was difficult, though. Her walls and her legs were wrapped so tightly around him. Once he was three-fourths of the way in, he was afraid to go any deeper. She was already bleeding like the virgin she was. There would be absolutely no way to tell if he injured something that shouldn't normally be damaged.

Deciding that it was more than enough to start out with, Chin pulled back to begin giving her slow, shallow thrusts. He could feel himself beginning to crest each time he plunged into her, but he couldn't manage to find release. He didn't know if it was because of the nails biting into his back or if it was because Hotaru was simply too tight around his erection, but climax felt much further away than normal. He needed more. He needed it faster. He needed it harder. He needed it deeper. Her cries echoed in his ears as he finally began pounding his entire length into her and he let his own voice roam free in response. She was so wet. She was so warm. She was so damn sexy.

His intuition told him when she was close to climaxing. The knowledge felt like a trigger that abruptly shoved him to the peak of his own pleasure. He was going to cum inside his wife. His wife was going to cum because of her husband. The knowledge lit a fuse that sent him spiraling into an explosion and... and he wasn't prepared for what the explosion entailed. Not only did a hoarse groan escape from the back of his throat and not only did his entire body tremble as he filled her with every drop of his lust, but the Dying Will Flame exploded onto his head as the room reeled around him. Not only did Hotaru scream soundlessly at the ceiling as he back arched and not only did her Dying Will Flame surface alongside his, but her eyes disappeared in a sea of Flames that stole Chin's breathe away and the sweat on her body seemed to sparkle in an orange light for a moment. It was an unexpected reminder that Hotaru wasn't entirely human, yet... Seeing more proof only led him to a single conclusion.

"I love you," he mumbled as he leaned over to give her another deep, passionate kiss. She fully returned it, incidentally touching their Dying Will Flames together in the process. As they danced in an unexpected embrace and momentarily united into a single blaze, he lost track of his own consciousness. Everything that Hotaru knew became a part of him. Everything he knew became a part of her. Their bodies were one. Their minds were one. Their destinies were one.

As their Flames flickered out from exhaustion, Chin stared into Hotaru's eyes and saw the same knowledge swirling within them that he felt within his own soul. Nothing was going to ever be the same again. What had sprung up between them was more than simple love and common cause; it was an eternal love that would forever be unbroken.

"We're soul-mates," Chin mumbled in awe, knowing that he sounded like a hopelessly romantic, naive fool. In their case, it was true, though. Hotaru might not have a human body, but she still had a human spirit. Somehow, in some way, after lifetimes of reuniting, a bond had formed between them. "Remind me to strangle the Ninth for not telling us," Chin said, realizing how much doubt Hotaru must have felt because of her previous relationships and realizing how much doubt he'd harbored about falling in love with a hermaphrodite.

"Do you think we would have believed him if he had?" Hotaru asked with a gentle smile. Chin grimaced, knowing that she was right. To discover it for themselves was one thing, but he never would have believed such a fanciful tale if he'd simply been told. "Are you happy, Chin?" Hotaru asked softly, reaching up to push a lock of sweaty hair off his forehead.

"There isn't words to describe how happy I am," he answered as he lowered himself down to rest his head on her chest--on his wife's chest.

"Yes, there is," she corrected.

"There is?" He asked sleepily. If she answered him, then he never heard it because he was out like a light as soon as his body relaxed in Hotaru's sweet embrace.


	154. Chapter 154 Identity

Author's note: This should go without saying, but.... Be Kind. Please Review.

* * *

Tsuna smiled as he carefully put the finishing touches on his latest creation. The cake was only two layers tall and had an incredibly simple design, yet he couldn't help the happiness that welled up in him as he wrote "Happy Birthday, Tiny" on it. He hoped that Jim's little brother liked it because it wasn't every day that a boy turned fourteen. Lifting his head at an urgent tap at his viewport window, Tsuna smiled even more when he saw Gabe giving the thumb's up. The last of the kids had arrived for the party and Jim was on his way with his brother.

He couldn't remember the last time that he'd planned a surprise party for anyone, which was probably why he'd been so enthusiastic after he'd heard that Tiny's Birthday had passed uncelebrated. Jim had felt bad about it because Tsuna had absolutely needed to work that day, so this was Tsuna's apology. They'd gotten a list of Tiny's classmates from school and had passed word through the grapevine to Tiny's friends about the party. Nearly three dozen kids had responded to the invitation and come, although Tsuna had a nagging suspicion that most of them had only come for free cake and Ginger. Even so, Tsuna had high hopes for the celebration. It was Sunday and the bakery was closed, so--

"Papa..." Andy interjected, popping his head into the kitchen with a worried look on his face. "There's a couple of officers here to see you."

"Now?!" Tsuna exclaimed in a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.

"They seem to be pretty impatient," he grimaced. Cursing under his breath, Tsuna did the only thing that he could do: he took off his apron and headed out of the kitchen to see what they wanted. He didn't bother smiling or bullshitting after the initial look. Just like Demetri, then two men had 'Detective' written all over them and they didn't look like they were wanting to join in the party. Tsuna could see the suspicion in their eyes. Something had happened and the two were staring at him in the pre-determination that he was the culprit.

"Skip the introductions. What do you want?" Tsuna asked bluntly, crossing his arms in anger for the intrusion. The two traded glanced in response, but Tsuna's words were effective. They got straight down to business.

"Do you know this man?" The officer on the left asked as he held up a photo. Taking it out of his hands, Tsuna clenched his teeth. It was a morgue photo, which meant that he was suspected of murder because cops didn't investigate accidents.

"Gunshot to the head," Tsuna murmured in cold calculation. "Straight between the eyes and there's burn, which means close range. It was either a contract hit or a friend that was allowed close. Was there any other wounds or markers? I'm not talking about defensive wounds or evidence of binding, but anything etched into his skin or left with the body?"

"You sound pretty familiar with this sort of thing, Mr. Maverick," the detective on the right asked as he plucked the photo. "Most people would answer the question with a simple yes or no, but you seem like you have a proprietary interest in this."

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped in surprise. Staring at the two for several long seconds, he didn't understand the insinuation at first. When it hit him, he wanted to curse himself for his stupidity. "You're not with the CIA," he stated. "What's this about?"

"You seem to know a lot of what this is about," the man on the left answered as he reached for his handcuffs. Tsuna spluttered in objection as they spun him around and cuffed him, but he didn't resist. Of course, that didn't stop Gabriel and Tonno from trying to interject, but the two detectives were quick to point out that they'd get Tsuna in more trouble if they didn't back off. "Why don't we talk about this downtown, Mr. My-Records-Are-Sealed," the detective continued, "and tell us all about what the connection is between a baker, the CIA, and our John Doe in--"

"Don't--!" Tsuna shouted when he sensed Tonno preparing for a strike. The two detectives paused along with everyone else in the room, giving Tsuna time to take control of the situation. "This is just a misunderstanding, so don't cause unnecessary problems. Gabe, I need you to call Demetri for me and tell him what's going on. Tonno, I'm going to go with these detectives and see if I can't get this mess cleared up. I'll only be gone for a few hours, so don't worry. Go ahead and start the party without me and make sure that Tiny has fun."

Tonno and Gabe were unhappy with his orders, but they didn't interfere as the two detectives escorted him out of the building. He stayed silent for the ride down to the station and didn't bother trying to defend himself along the way. He knew the mentality of detectives like the two who'd arrested him. They weren't going to be happy until they had a fair shot at interrogating him. So, he gave them a fair shot.

Once he was tossed in an empty interrogation room to sit and steam for a while, Tsuna put on a show of being tired before laying his head down on the table for a nap. The choice of response was effective. The detectives returned in a decent amount of time and they brought him coffee to wake him up. They reminded him of his right to an attorney and gave him a piece of paper to sign when he waived the right. Then they began the typical bad cop, worse cop play. They threw accusations at him to get a response and questioned him thoroughly about his alibi at the time of the murder. Of course, since his alibi was that he'd been at home in bed with Gabriel, they took it as if he didn't have one at all. Finally, Tsuna began to get irritated when they finally told him the reason that they'd come to his doorstep. The victim had bought donuts from his store before being shot in the head and Tsuna's fingerprints were all over the box. They were the only fingerprints that had been found at the scene.

"Were there any other fingerprints on the box?" Tsuna asked suspiciously. "I'm usually in the kitchen. My son and my staff work up front, so it's impossible for a box to be sold without someone else touching it."

"That just means that you brought them with you to the scene--"

"I don't like to repeat myself," Tsuna growled in anger. "I didn't kill that man and I don't remember having contact with him. I'm doing everything that I can to be cooperative, but it's useless if you're not going to listen to me. If no one else's fingerprints are on that box, there's only three places that it could be from. The first place is my stockroom. Someone could have broken in and took one. I restock the shelves at night, so my fingerprints would be the only ones on them until we opened the store in the morning. I doubt that's it, though, because I'd notice if someone broke in. That leaves one of the other two places. The second place is the sample box that the delivery person always hands me to make sure that the logo is correct. He pulls it right out of the delivery boxes before I sign for them and he has to keep it for record. The service I use is very particular about covering their ass, which is why I use them. The last place is the homeless shelter. On Sundays, I take a dozen boxes of blueberry cake donuts and fruit pies down there along with a case of bottled water. You can ask the adviser. Maybe your John Doe is a volunteer that stole a box."

"Say we believe you," the detective said, silently telling Tsuna that one of the possibilities rang a bell. "That still doesn't explain the connection between the CIA and a baker."

"I'll have to plead the Fifth if you ask about that," Tsuna replied. Folding his arms across his chest, Tsuna leaned back and traded unwavering stares with the two detectives. It was checkmate. There wasn't enough evidence to accuse him of murder. They had no reason to hold him and no basis to question him about his connections to the CIA. They had to release him.

Unfortunately, they were like rabid dogs. They didn't give up when someone else had the upper hand and they continued to question him mercilessly about the same things in hopes that he'd slip up somewhere. Tsuna didn't fall for it. He'd been interrogated more times than he could count. While he'd been Vongola the Tenth, the police had arrested him at every turn in hopes of cornering him into a confession. While he'd been Lazarus, the police had arrested him repeatedly in hopes that something would slip about Papa Paolo.

In this instance, the detectives were digging simply because they didn't like mysteries. His records were sealed and they wanted to know why before they released him. So, they dug into things that had no bearing on their case. Tsuna's anger skyrocketed as Gabriel's police record was spread out before him. It skyrocketed as the public portion of Tonno's sealed file was laid out before him. It skyrocketed as Ray's police record spread out before him. It skyrocketed as Jim's record was spread out in front of him and it skyrocketed as Andy's speeding tickets were spread out for him. The bastards even brought Warren into it, which was when--

"Papa, don't--!" Demetri gasped, bolting into the interrogation room to throw himself between Tsuna and the two detectives. Tsuna reigned himself in, but it was difficult. He really felt like strangling someone and the two in front of him were asking to be strangled.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tsuna snarled. "For someone who has his eyes on me, you're pretty fucking slow to respond!"

"I've been doing my job!" Demetri snapped. "Do you know how hard it is to keep your records sealed when you're mixed up in a murder investigation?! I had to pull the surveillance records to prove your alibi and I've been meeting with the Sheriff and the Police Commissioner for the past two hours to keep your ass hidden! Who cares if you had to sit and answer a few fucking questions?! I understand if you're pissed, but you're not helping yourself by getting angry! As for you two--" Demetri growled, turning his attention to the two nosy detectives, "--I'll be writing a report on this breach in procedure. You're supposed to be investigating your John Doe, not Mr. Maverick."

"He's our only lead," the detective replied in distaste for Demetri's interference. "We can't discount him until we have a full grasp of who he is. For all we know, he has a motive hidden somewhere in those sealed files."

"Do you?" Demetri asked, snapping his attention back to Tsuna.

"NO!" Tsuna spluttered in disbelief. "I don't even know the guy! I tried to tell him that their evidence was probably taken from the homeless shelter, but they ignored me and started digging into my Family!"

"Alright," Demetri nodded in acceptance as he turned back to the detectives. "You've asked your questions and now you have a new lead. Are you finished with Mr. Maverick?"

"For now," he relented. "But don't leave town."

"Where the hell would I go?" Tsuna spat before storming out of the room. Demetri didn't follow immediately, but he managed to catch up as Tsuna charged down the front steps of the building. It was at that point that Tsuna realized how different his life really was. No one looked twice at him. There were no waiting cameras or journalists. For all that anyone knew, he'd just come in to file a police report and he was an normal, average citizen.

"Do you need a ride?" Demetri asked as his footsteps began tilting in the direction of the parking lot.

"I'll walk," Tsuna replied calmly. "I need to clear my head."

"Suit yourself," Demetri shrugged.

For a long time, Tsuna slowly strolled in the direction of his home with nothing going through his mind outside of the recent incident. He couldn't blame the cops for the suspicions and he couldn't blame them for taking potshots at Tsuna's integrity. Mistrust was a detective's line of work because murderers and criminals worked with lies. In their place, he didn't think that he would have done anything differently. However, he also didn't think that the case was as simple as it seemed.

A man had been shot in the head and the only evidence around him had been a box of donuts. No matter how Tsuna explained away the evidence, he felt that it was odd. There should have been some other clues at the scene. There was also the morgue photo to think about. It was possible that the man had been begging a close friend for mercy when he'd been shot, but Tsuna didn't think so. It was too clean. It was too professional.

The only explanation that fit was one that Tsuna didn't want to admit. Someone had tried to frame him for murder in hopes that he'd come out of retirement. If his file was unsealed for a murder investigation, the local police force would be constantly badgering him once they knew his past and the media wouldn't be far behind. The only chance he had to hold onto his quiet, peaceful life was to find the culprit himself. At least, that was what the culprit wanted him to think. The culprit wanted Tsuna to come after him because he'd have no choice other than to reclaim his lost power to succeed.

Tsuna refused. The police could handle this murder. It wasn't his job anymore and reclaiming his lost power wasn't an option. He just wanted to be left alone. Hopefully, whoever had done the deed would see that when Tsuna didn't respond in the predicted fashion. Murder was a big deal for him and the culprit probably knew that. So, when Tsuna refused to get involved, the culprit should accept that he wasn't the same man.

He was just an ordinary baker.

"Hey, hot stuff. You need a lift?" Looking up from the sidewalk, Tsuna smiled over at where Gabriel was slowly pacing his bike to match Tsuna's walking speed. He looked like he'd been driving around for hours, which was probably the case. Gabe always went for a drive when he had something on his mind.

"I don't know. Are you going to take me somewhere good?" Tsuna asked coyly.

"How does dinner and a movie sound?" He smiled as Tsuna slowly approached the vehicle.

"Ooh," Tsuna murmured in honest surprise. "And here I thought you were only good for drinks."

"Drinks come after the movie," he retorted. "I know how you get when you get liquor in you. If we go for drinks first, we won't make it anywhere else."

"Can I call home first?" Tsuna asked curiously. Coming to a stop at Gabe's side, Tsuna blushed lightly at the look in Gabe's eyes. He was making bedroom eyes at him, even though they were out in the open.

"I already took care of that," he replied as he leaned over to give Tsuna a teasing kiss. "Get on," he ordered. "The party's already over and the boys can clean up without us. You look like you need some recreation outside of the house." Tsuna smiled, knowing that Gabe was right. The only times that he left the bakery anymore was for charity work, deliveries, and when he went shopping for groceries. A date sounded like just the thing to get his mind off of things and let him relax at the same time.

With that in mind, Tsuna decided to be obedient for once. He jumped onto the back of the bike, wrapped his arms around Gabe's back, and chose to simply enjoy the ride. After all, there was no telling when the peaceful days were going to end. He had to enjoy them while they lasted.

* * *

"Thank you, Preacher."

"I'm not a preacher," Tsuna smiled as he continued to hand out bagged meals. "I just don't see sense in wasting food." His words were lies and every man who accepted a bag knew it. What he was passing out was fresh and would need several days to go completely bad or it was prepackaged, sealed and entirely new. Every bag was the same. Inside was a card for one of the social workers who Tsuna frequently met at the shelter. There was also a couple of fresh strawberries, a sausage stromboli, a piece of carrot cake, a boiled egg, and a sports drink. It wasn't a balanced meal at all, but it was stuff that he already had ingredients on hand for and could easily make a lot of. A little waste was to be expected with any business that relied on freshly made goods. Since he was fairly good at keeping his daily waste to a minimum, Warren had no problem in writing off his little hobby and the meal was still different from the normal fare at the shelters.

Of course, the food wasn't free. He wasn't the type of man to give anything for free and the men who came to receive weren't the type to accept without knowing the price. That was why they'd begun calling him 'Preacher'. His price was that they had to stick around to listen to a mandatory lecture while they ate. What they didn't know was that the lecture was for their benefit. Their food wasn't going to be stolen out of their hands so long as they ate in front of him and he could ensure that everyone got a fair helping.

The men and women scattered around his truck as if they were having a midnight picnic were the sort of people that refused to go to a shelter out of pride. Tsuna knew the type. They were the kind of people that stubbornly believed that they could get off the street with their own power and refused to accept help from anyone. They were the kind of people that needed a wake-up call to their own situations.

Tsuna didn't come to them with messages of hope or attempt to make their situations easier to bear by telling them 'it could be worse'. These people heard such messages all the time and they'd built up a resistance. They were too skeptical to believe in the goodness of others. They were too jaded to believe that someone would be willing to help if they looked in the right place. So, Tsuna started off by telling them exactly that.

He told them that no one was going to help them. He told them the harsh truth that they weren't even a number on a census. He told them what they needed to do to change that. These people were used to sticking up for themselves without anyone to support them. They just needed someone to tell them the way to fight. They were American citizens. The first step was to grab hold of their identities and not let go. If they no longer had an ID or paperwork, then they needed to create some. They needed to go downtown and demand to be given the paperwork to reclaim their identity.

Of course, none of them were fools. They knew that doing such a thing would get them assigned a social worker, but Tsuna told them that it was okay. A social worker's job wasn't to help them. A social worker's job was to get them into the system, which is exactly what they were demanding. Why should they demand such a thing? Because it gave them their identity back and their identity was something that no one could take away. Once they had an identity, they had a foundation to fight back. They had the first key to demanding their rights.

He knew that he had to play to their pride. Not once did he say that they were asking for the government to help them. Instead, he phrased it so that they believed they were entitled to aid. They were born in the United States and many of them had paid taxes before they'd gotten onto the streets. There were plenty of people who had houses and still demanded their entitlements from the government so that they didn't end up homeless. There were plenty of people who didn't have jobs, yet still survived. How? They demanded their entitlements and they didn't give up until they got them.

'Prove them wrong' was the motto that Tsuna stuck with in regards to the homeless people before him. He didn't sugar-coat the reality. He told them bluntly what other people thought of them. They were smelly. They were useless. They were scum. However, they could prove 'them' wrong. They could grab hold of their identities and say, 'I am me and I deserve my fair share!' They could fight back. What else were they going to do? They'd already hit rock bottom and were accepting handouts from the back of a truck, so what harm was there in fighting back? What did they have to lose if the government didn't help them? Nothing!

"Get off your asses," Tsuna spat. "Do you think those charities are there because they want to help you? Hell no! They're there as some rich man's tax write-offs! You should take advantage of them because they don't care if you use them or not! They still get the tax break regardless of what happens to you! Do any of you have any idea how many millions of dollars get wasted every day? That's money that could be going into your pockets! How many of you still buy your own food?" No one was stupid enough to raise their hand and tell the others that they had money, but a few sheepishly bowed their heads.

"I've been there," Tsuna continued. "When you have money in your hand, it only makes sense to buy what you need, but you're being stupid if you're buying food. There's two shelters that serve breakfast and dinner, not including the trucks that bring bagged lunches and the churches that feed people like you. Be smart! You're on the street. Take advantage of the facilities that cater to people like you and use the money that you can get your hands on wisely. Go to thrift shops and replace your clothes. Buy a cheap hotel room for an hour and take a shower or at least buy a fucking brush and some wet wipes. Bribe someone to let you use their phone number or their address. With that, you can get a job, can't you? Everyone here looks like a capable person to me. Start using your heads and fight back. It's not shameful to demand respect. It's not shameful to demand your fair rights. The only thing that's shameful is when you give up or when you're too damn stubborn or lazy to get off your asses and do something. And don't try to tell me that you can't do anything. I've lived on the street. I know how it is and there's one thing that never changes. No one's going to do shit for you. If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself."

Pausing, Tsuna gave them all a moment to digest his words. There were several who were nodding in agreement and looked energized by Tsuna's dose of realism, but most of them still had blank eyes and depressed expressions. They weren't even listening to him, but he didn't care. As long as they kept coming, Tsuna could hope that they'd eventually gain willpower from his words. He'd done what he could for the night. Most of them had full bellies and some of them were taking the sense to heart. It was more than he could ask for.

"With that said," he continued as he stood to close the back of the delivery truck. "I hope you've all enjoyed your meals. If you like what you heard and ate, then tell your friends that I'll be back next Wednesday." As expected, no one bothered to stick around after the lecture was over. One or two did stay long enough to help Tsuna pick up the trash, but they disappeared just as quickly as the rest when Tsuna didn't offer a second helping.

There was one person who stuck around, though, and Tsuna couldn't keep the smile off his face as he walked over to greet her. Her street name was Wasp due to her sting and Tsuna couldn't count the times that their paths had crossed since he'd started his meal lectures. She was the very social worker that Tsuna had gotten the cards from and she was incredibly hands-on when it came to helping people. For example, Tsuna knew for a fact that the bag slung tightly around her body was filled with condoms, band-aids, wet wipes, and even clean syringes for those addicted to drugs. Like him, she'd once been on the street and she knew exactly where the greatest threats were. She also knew that protecting lives was more important than judging the choices others made.

"For a Preacher, you sure like to slap people in the face," she said in greeting. Tsuna smirked at her, knowing that she was just as bad as he was. The people on the street were too jaded to be appreciative. They'd take what they could and spit on the person afterward because accepting help felt like salt on an open wound.

"If they want to be told that God will show them the way, there's a dozen churches that they can go to," Tsuna replied while trying not to admire the woman's appearance. She wasn't small, but she wasn't huge. She was entirely average and she'd gone to great lengths to wear clothes that wouldn't stand out among the bum-holes. However, her baseball cap didn't do a good job in hiding her shiny black hair and there was no way that anyone would be fooled by such clean hands, such a smooth complexion, or such a nice pair of sneakers. It wasn't the homeless that she was dressing up for, though. It was simply a progression of what she'd worn while she'd still been on the streets. "Any luck tonight?"

"A couple," she nodded as Tsuna slightly reopened the back of the truck to store the bags of trash. He grabbed a bagged lunch while he was at it and handed it over to Wasp, knowing that the woman had probably skipped her own dinner in hopes of getting an early start. "Thanks," she smiled in acceptance. Inviting her to perch on the back of the truck with him while she ate, Tsuna listened while she outlined the few that really seemed to have the resolution to do what it took to get off the street. She also outlined a few of the more stubborn people that she'd come across, including the one that had actually tried to punch her. "I knocked the shit out of him, threw the condoms in his face, and told him to learn some manners," she laughed. "He's probably still pissed, but I don't think I have to worry about him in the future. It looked like he was a close friend of Jesse and just doesn't understand what the score is yet. Jesse should set him straight. If he doesn't, I'll just knock him down next time, too."

"Is Jesse the one you've been telling me about?" Tsuna asked curiously after strangling the urge to remind her that she was a girl. "The sixteen year old that doesn't want to go home?"

"It's more that he doesn't have a home to go back to," she sighed. "His mother refuses to take him, his father abused him, and he's ran away from every foster home we've tried to put him into. He hasn't gotten into drugs yet, but it's only a matter of time. I think he'd do fine if I could just find some way to get him a job and a roof over his head, but--"

"Let me meet him," Tsuna said. "I can't promise anything, but I might be able to help. If nothing else, I might be able to talk him into accepting a foster home on a temporary basis."

"Alright," she agreed slowly. "I don't see how it could hurt, but I'll warn you that he reacts badly to men. I'm hoping that the guy that was with him is a sign that he's getting better, but... you know how it is. Jesse is used to being on the street, so someone fresh to the street could get him mixed up in a lot of trouble depending on whether he's the kind to lead or the kind to follow."

"Is Jesse a leader?" Tsuna asked as he locked up his truck in preparation of a little walk.

"Follower to the bone," Wasp grimaced. "I'm really worried about him, Preacher. The kid with him didn't look like the bad sort, but even a good kid can end up in a bad place out here and that kid didn't seem to understand when I told him that. He kept trying to tell me that he didn't need condoms and he attacked me when I tried to call his bluff."

"Don't worry," Tsuna soothed. "Let's just go find them. The more I hear, the more that I get the feeling that we need to talk to them."

"This way," she directed. "Last I saw, they were heading for Fireball Alley." Tsuna grimaced, but he still continued to follow her. Fireball Alley wasn't a place that teenage boys needed to be and it was one of the few places that he had been warned to steer clear of. It was a recruiting ground for several gangs, including Deter along with Ray's former 'employer'. They set up fire barrels to bring in homeless men and teenagers like moths. After they buttered them up with grilled meat and liquor, they began offering crash space or 'work' like they were simply hooking up an old friend. Where they went if they accepted depended on the recruiters current needs and refusal wasn't as easy as it seemed. Once a person walked into the area, it was incredibly difficult to leave.

Wasp tossed him several considering looks as Tsuna prepared himself, but she wasn't stupid. Women had their way of surviving on the street and so did men. It was pointless to go in thinking that he could hide in the shadows. Someone like him who walked with his head held high was bound to get tested at least once on the way in. He was also going to need freedom of movement so that he could react when someone tried to harass Wasp. So, he stripped off his sweatshirt and tied it around his waist and his thin undershirt got tied to his belt loop. His watch got stuffed in his pocket and he re-knotted the laces on his shoes so they wouldn't come off. This left him in only his shorts in the cold night air, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be feeling the cold for very long.

As he hoped, his preparations got them through the first layer of protections without being bothered. That layer was the layer of prostitutes and street-walkers who didn't have the class to be connected with an escort service on the main Strip. These were girls who could be talked into a hotel for a couple of twenties and all he had to do would be to hold out his arm in invitation. The layer of defense was ingenious. They warded off the respectable citizens who might simply be lost and helped distract the police from the crimes happening deeper in the gutters.

The second layer of defense was the fire-barrels set up along the overpass leading to Fireball Alley and the 'guards' were nothing more than wannabe thugs. They were people who didn't have the guts to step up to someone who was ready to fight, yet loved to bully people. They were gathered simply because they were spare stock for the recruiters to call on if no one interesting showed up. They were acquaintances, but they were too stupid to know that they had already been passed over as useless. Their placement was perfect for keeping out the homeless and the weak people who weren't good enough for the recruiters to be bothered with.

The third layer of protection was harder. These were the people at the head of the alley itself and they were people who had recently accepted the patronage of the recruiters. The placement was to welcome in friends and do half the recruiters' jobs for them by drawing their buddies in with tales of all the good stuff they'd been given. These were people that hadn't yet been asked to do anything that would open their eyes to what they'd agreed to and these were people who had a good motive to protect the people who were deeper in the alley.

"Is he here?" Tsuna asked as Wasp looked around for Jesse and his friend.

"I don't see him," she grimaced. Tsuna nodded in acceptance. That meant that they had to go into the belly of the beast and he was perfectly willing because he was starting to get a really bad feeling in his gut. The way that the men and women of the third layer were staring at him didn't help. As soon as he moved, he knew what to expect.

"Where do you think you're going?" A rather large man asked as a bulky hand landed on his shoulder.

"I'm going down there," Tsuna answered honestly, pointing down into Firebarrel Alley. "I'm looking for someone and I don't need help, so please take your hand off of me. I'm not looking for a fight."

"Why don't you look somewhere else?" He replied politely. It wasn't a suggestion, yet Tsuna knew that he couldn't listen to the command.

"Because I know he's in there," Tsuna said. Raising his voice, he decided to skip the search. His bad feeling was getting worse by the moment. "JESSE!" He shouted. "GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!"

"Papa--" Wasp choked in warning. Tsuna didn't need it. Reaching out, he grabbed the hand aiming to blindside him and locked eyes with the owner before he could think of throwing another punch.

"You don't want to do that," Tsuna stated with a glare. "I said I'm not here to fight. I didn't say that I was incapable of fighting. You can either get Jesse out here or I'll put your ass into the ground and find him for myself."

"WHOA!" A different man interjected, rushing in between them before Tsuna's attacker could decide what he wanted to do. This one was older and much less clean than the attacker was, which told Tsuna that he was one who hadn't yet accepted patronage from any of the recruiters. "What are you doing, Bull?!" He spluttered before he could be pushed aside. "That's Preacher that you're swinging at! You can't hit him! He's the one I was telling you about!"

"Eh?" The larger man gaped. "He don't look like no preacher."

"Because I'm not one," Tsuna interjected. "I'm--"

"UNCLE LAZ!"

Tsuna's eyes bulged. He had only a moment to deny the possibility of the owner's identity before his eyes nearly popped out in recognition. Not even twenty feet away, a dirty and rumpled Houston surged through the crowd with an excited look on his bruised face. He lunged to give Tsuna a hug once he was through, but Tsuna stopped him. Tsuna stopped him by grabbing his collar, holding him still, and asking one very important question.

"Where the hell is your father?" Tsuna gasped.

"E-Eh?" Houston gaped with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR FATHER?!" Tsuna shouted angrily.

"A-At h-home," he stammered. Calm down, Tsuna told himself. There had to be a reasonable explanation. There was no point into jumping to conclusions.

"If he's at home, then how did you get here?" Tsuna growled.

"I... uh... I hitchhiked," he answered with a silly grin.

Stay calm, Tsuna repeated. One thing at a time.

"Are you Jesse?" Tsuna asked, pointing to the small boy who'd followed Houston. The guy nodded. "Follow me," he ordered. Exactly as Wasp had warned, the guy was a complete follower. He couldn't disobey a direct order and he didn't have the mentality to think for himself. Running away was probably the only thing that he'd ever managed to do for himself and he'd probably done it in the dead of night while everyone else was asleep.

Dragging Houston away from Fireball Alley, Tsuna prayed that they could make a clean getaway. He knew that it was impossible, though. He also knew that he wasn't in the mood to screw around. Guys started running out of the Alley after them as soon as they saw their two potential recruits being dragged away and none of them looked like they were willing to be reasoned with. Even worse, the commotion being stirred was enough to attract attention from the wannabe thugs hanging around in the second line of defense.

"Run to the truck and wait on me," Tsuna ordered, tossing his keys to Wasp. Giving Houston a shove in her direction as a silent order to follow, Tsuna stopped in place and did a few hops in place to get his joints loosened. "Go!" He ordered when they hesitated. Tsuna was grateful when they began running. It meant that he didn't have to worry about them. As long as he held back the gangs, they'd be safe.

The mob rushing out to get him weren't playing games. They came at him full-tilt from the start and didn't try to play fair. Tsuna had to dodge bats, pipes, and chains, alongside the more common punches and kicks. Tsuna tried to hold back. He knew that the attack was impersonal and that the people attacking him were only trying to prove themselves. They didn't care about Jesse or Houston. They were only taking the first opportunity that presented itself to show that they could be useful. They were only taking the first opportunity that they had in order to release some of their anger and self-loathing at their lots in life.

Tsuna found it saddening that he didn't even need his Flame to win. He had enough speed, training, and experience to beat all of them three times over. His speed allowed him to see and move with his attacker's patterns. Training told him how to dodge and respond to the blows in the most efficient manner possible. His experience showed him how to predict the blows that he couldn't see and how to quickly end the fight while causing the least damage.

It was over far too quickly for comfort and he doubted that the men at his feet had seen the blows that had incapacitated them. Seeing them made Tsuna want to groan, though. There were enough spectators watching from the alley that one thing went without saying: it wasn't that his opponents had been weak. It'd been that Tsuna had been too strong. He could see it in the spectators' eyes. This wasn't going to be the end. Tsuna had raised his fists and now it'd be impossible to lower them. Not unless...

"A fighter who fights for a reputation or pride is a fighter who will have a lonely funeral," Tsuna said, speaking directly to the spectators. "A fighter who fights to protect something is a fighter who wouldn't enter a senseless fight. I didn't raise my fist to compete. Before you think to challenge me, ask yourself why you raise your own fists and see if fighting me has anything to do with your answer. I doubt it does. If you think I'm wrong, then I'll be happy to correct you one-on-one. If you don't want to go one-on-one, then what the hell is the point of fighting me? Do you think you'll get any respect for winning against an old man in a group? If anything, it'll only make you look more pathetic."

"So you'll fight anyone as long as it's one-on-one?" Bull called as he pushed through the spectators. There was a smile on his face as he approached, but there was only one answer that Tsuna could possibly give.

"It only makes sense to protect myself when I'm attacked," he said calmly. "As I told you before, I'm not here for a fight, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to stand by and allow others to cause injury."

"Hmph," he grinned before saying something incredibly surprising. "Take off, Preacher-man. You found what you came for and I don't have any fight with you." Tsuna paused for a moment, sizing up the man in his mind. Bull's words had an impact on the rest and he was smart enough to know when to let something slide. Tsuna didn't think that he was a recruiter, but it was highly possible that he was a leader of his own street gang. Obviously, he wasn't organized enough to have his own hideout yet, but Tsuna had a feeling that it was only a matter of time.

"I'll be back next Wednesday," Tsuna said with a slow smile. "Any requests?"

"I could go for some ham," he answered with an amused light dancing in his eyes. "The kind with honey and pineapple on it, not sandwich slices."

"Then you better show up on Wednesday," Tsuna replied as he started stepping over the fallen. "It's four blocks over under the overpass and some of my sermon might surprise you. I promise you that God is nowhere in it." His words got a laugh as he broke out into a jog, but Tsuna didn't wait to see whether the laughter spread. Instead, he cursed himself as he headed back to his truck.

Even if he'd managed to kill the desire for fighters to come after him, there was no way that he'd gone unnoticed by the recruiters. Word was going to spread about him, all the way up the totem pole to gang leaders and Bosses. He'd have to be careful from now on. As long as he kept to his sermons and bagged dinners, they'd probably leave him alone. However, a lot of street fighters and gang members would probably start coming to hear him speak. It was a chance to open their eyes and help guide their energies into a community-helpful outlet, but it was also the fastest way to get the more organized gangs to hate him. Anything that made people think that they could band together and improve their situation without needing to turn to crime was hated because it was going to make it harder for slimeballs to recruit. The more success that Tsuna saw, the more likely it was that people would be sent to shut him up.

Tsuna refused to stop, though. He wasn't a Boss anymore and he didn't have his own gang, but he knew how he could help people. He'd seen the world from both sides. By sharing that experience with people who were in similar places, he could lead them out of the darkness of their own lives. That wasn't to say that his method was fool proof, but it was different and it was a method that other street-preachers rarely tried. As long as Tsuna helped one person to wake up to their own situation, then he couldn't think that it was a waste of time and he wouldn't stop trying.

But, at the moment, he had something other than strangers to worry about.

"Uncle Laz, I can explain--"

"Shut it," Tsuna snapped, cuffing Houston upside the head as soon as the boy was in range. Coming to a stop next to his truck, he checked it over to make sure that it hadn't been messed with before turning to face Houston, Wasp, and Jesse. "I'm calling your father as soon as we get home! Do you have any idea how worried he probably is?! He had enough problems with me before, but it doesn't help that his son suddenly runs off to be a delinquent because of me!"

"It's not like that!" Houston exclaimed. "Dad knows that I'm here!"

"Eh?" Tsuna gaped in surprise.

"We had a fight," he explained in a tone begging for understanding. "It didn't have anything to do with you. It was about Savannah. Dad found out about her and he blew up. He started talking like she'd been messing with my head and he was going to get her fired from the grade school! I had to stop him! Savannah never did anything wrong! I was the one that fell in love with her!"

"And?" Tsuna prompted, crossing his arms in frustration. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I told Dad what you said," he continued. "I told him how you said that I should wait until I was a real man to confess to her and he blew up again! He told me that I should grow up and get my head out of the clouds, so I told him fine! I said that I'd find you and I wouldn't come back until I'd grown up and... and he told me fine! So I packed my bags and left and he didn't stop me."

"Of course he didn't," Tsuna groaned, seeing how the situation had cascaded. "Warren probably expected you to give up after one night on the streets and go home."

"I was in Atlanta by mid-morning," Houston replied with a crooked grin. "Fifty dollars and a bag full of CDs can get you pretty far if you're smart. I hitchhiked from Atlanta to Dallas and managed to sneak into the luggage compartment of a bus after that. They caught me at Carson City, but I managed to get away by hiding on a delivery truck bound for Las Vegas."

"Idiot," Tsuna growled. Houston cringed when Tsuna reached out again, but his intention wasn't to punish this time. Instead, he pulled the boy into a hug that told him in no uncertain terms that he could stop bluffing. A few seconds after that, Houston broke down.

"I was so scared, Uncle Laz," he cried into Tsuna's shoulder. "A guy p-pulled a gun on me and stole my bag and I-I thought I was going to die! And it was so h-hot in that bus! I couldn't breathe and I couldn't get out and I was s-so thirsty--"

"It's okay," Tsuna murmured, holding the boy tighter as he began sobbing in earnest. "It's all over, Houston. I'll take you home with me and we'll get you a hot shower and something to eat and then we'll get you tucked into a nice, warm futon so you can get some sleep. It'll all feel like a long nightmare in the morning. I promise. For now, I want you to dry those eyes and tell me about your friend here."

"This, ah, this is Jesse," he introduced as he sucked back his tears and hurriedly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I don't know who the lady is, but she kept telling me that I needed condoms and she wouldn't get out of the way when I saw your truck pass by. I wasn't trying to be rude, but she still decked me."

"The lady is a friend of mine," Tsuna smiled as Wasp sheepishly blushed. "She's a social worker that's used to dealing with stubborn men. You'll have to forgive her for hitting you. She thought you were trying to attack her. Not everyone out here is as sweet as you are."

"Oh," Houston mumbled. "I guess that's understandable. Um... Jesse helped me out of a bad situation when I first got in town. I was asking around to see if anyone knew you and there were a bunch of guys who tried to shake me down behind this casino. I tried telling them that I didn't have any money, but they didn't want to believe me. A-Anyway, Jesse jumped in and saved me. We had to run for it, but I would have been a lot worse off without him. I told him about you and how I was looking for you and he said that Fireball Alley was the best place to go to find someone that didn't want to be found."

"You could have tried the yellow pages," Tsuna grumbled.

"Eh?" He gaped. In answer, Tsuna pointed to the logo on the side of his delivery truck and Houston blushed. "Oh. Maverick's. I didn't think to look for that. Dad said you'd changed your name."

"I did," Tsuna nodded. "I go by Papa now and my street-name is Preacher, but I kept the Maverick name for the bakery. Did you tell anyone else about me?"

"Uh, no," Houston replied. "We didn't have time. I was just sitting down with this one guy to tell him my problem when I heard you yell."

"Think carefully," Tsuna urged in worry. "You didn't tell _anyone _else about me? This is very important, Houston. The people around here don't know about me and I need to keep it that way or I'll be in serious trouble."

"I didn't!"

"Good," Tsuna sighed before turning his full attention to the quiet teenager who was slowly distancing himself from them. It wasn't by much, but Tsuna could see that he was trying to edge his way to the back of the truck so that he could disappear. It was saddening to look at him when Tsuna kept in mind what Wasp had told him about the boy's background. The nervous look in his eyes and his small size made him seem like a frightened rabbit. However, there was something more to his body language that caught Tsuna's attention. It caught his attention and it made him faintly sick. Half of his body language was that of a rape victim. It was the unconscious marker that told others that he was both vulnerable and easily subdued, which attracted trouble from people who were willing to take advantage of him. The other half of his body language said that he was in want of attention. From how his eyes kept getting a spark of desire when he glanced between Tsuna and Houston--while completely ignoring Wasp--made Tsuna wonder if the boy was attracted to males. If so, he was probably harboring some self-loathing and confusion because of what his father had done to him. He needed help. "It looks like I owe you one, Jesse," Tsuna said, making the teenager tense in place.

"It... ah... " Jesse mumbled, trailing off with a panicked look on his face before he could finish the sentence.

"Did Houston tell you about me?" Tsuna asked, softening his voice while pointedly turning his gaze out to the lights on the horizon. Grabbing Houston's sleeve, Tsuna pulled the boy over to stand next to him against the side of the truck. He didn't do it to get Houston out of the way, though. He did it to help open the space so that Jesse would feel that he had more room to run in. Thankfully, Houston caught on after a moment and looked out at the horizon with him, which helped. Jesse was able to relax when the only person looking directly at him was Wasp. Of course, she was thoroughly confused and didn't understand what Tsuna was doing, but that didn't matter. It was the attention of the men that made Jesse uncomfortable and scared.

"He... He said you were cool and that you were a baker," Jesse replied with his voice growing stronger in relief. "He said that you helped people and... uh... that you were gay."

"I'm bisexual," Tsuna corrected, cracking a smile at how Wasp jerked in surprise. "But I do have a boyfriend right now. Are you wondering if you might be gay?"

"Y-Yes," he answered, licking his lips in nervousness.

"I can't tell you if you are or not," Tsuna said in effort to cut straight through the teenager's hope of finding someone to lead him. Jesse sagged slightly in disappointment, but Tsuna could see out of the corner of his eye that Jesse was still hopeful of getting some guidance. "It's like how you can't tell me whether I like brussel sprouts. It's a preference that I had to decide for myself. When I was younger, others might have tried to force me to eat brussel sprouts, but then I grew up and became independent. When I became independent, I decided for myself whether I wanted to eat brussel sprouts or not. It was my decision and no one else's. Do you understand, Jesse?"

"Y-Yes," he confirmed with the slow beginnings of a smile lighting on his face. He did understand. He understood what Tsuna was trying to get across with his metaphor and he understood that what his father had done to him didn't decide anything. He still had a right to make his own choices.

"I'd like to thank you for helping Houston," Tsuna continued, still keeping his voice soft for Jesse's sake. "Wasp put in a good word for you, so I was already planning to help you if I could, but I'd like to go farther than that. I have an offer for you, Jesse, but it's completely up to you to decide. If you say no, then I'll just get in my truck and leave you here. If you say yes, then I'd like to take you home with us and foster you. It'd be a foster home in name only. I'm not looking to raise anyone and I don't think that you want anyone trying to raise you. You're already sixteen and you know how to survive on your own, so you can think of it as a trade. I'll give you a roof, good food to eat, and warm clothes. You'll have to share a room with Houston until I get everything figured out, but we can put a lock on your door so you won't have to worry about anyone jumping on you at night. In exchange, you make me look good by going to school and you help out with my pets. That's all I'll ask from you, which is a lot less than anyone out here on the street would ask from you."

"I-I'll have a... a _lock..._ on my door?" Jesse asked with tears building in his eyes. "You swear?"

"It's already got one, but we'll stop by the store on the way home and get a chain lock to go with it," Tsuna promised, seeing how important it was for him to feel safe. "There's three other guy who live with me, but two of them are straight and the other is my boyfriend. We also have a tanuki and a tanuki pup, which is something like a cross between a raccoon and a wolf, but you don't have to worry about them. They're as smart as you or me and they'll protect anyone that's willing to spend time brushing their fur."

"I can do that!" Jesse exclaimed in hope.

"Does that mean that you want to come?" Tsuna asked.

"P-Please," he answered with a miserable expression. "I don't want to be out here anymore, but every foster home they put me in doesn't understand! They expect me to share a room with other guys and I... I just can't take it!"

"You'll still have to share with Houston until we get things sorted out," Tsuna warned.

"That's okay!" Jesse blurted, finally running forward to stand directly in Tsuna's gaze. "Houston's different! He doesn't make me sick like everyone else does! Maybe it's because he talked so much about that Savannah girl, but--"

"I got it," Tsuna soothed with an understanding smile. "Let's just get you home and cleaned up. Wasp--"

"I'll be by with the paperwork in the morning," she sighed with a wide smile on her face. "Preacher, I don't know how to thank you for--"

"Don't," Tsuna interrupted, turning to stare at her with only pain in his eyes. It hurt. He understood Jesse's pain so much that his heart was crying out. Whether it was the pain of being raped or the pain of living on the streets, Jesse hit every nerve that Tsuna had and it hurt. There was no way that he could leave such a boy to suffer on his own. It was as if he was watching himself suffer, except he'd had Snicker and the gang to help ease the burden. Jesse had no one and that made Tsuna's heart hurt even more. "Come on, boys," Tsuna ordered, digging out his keys to unlock the truck. "Wasp needs to get back to work and I'm about to get in a huge fight. Gabe isn't going to be too happy with me for bringing in more strays."

'Unhappy' was an understatement. When Tsuna arrived with the two boys and the chain lock that he'd promised, everyone exploded. Tsuna managed to keep Jesse from taking the brunt of it by having Ginger show him where the shower was. The boy was completely distracted by the talking tanuki and Tsuna could tell that he was instantly smitten. Jesse was apparently an animal lover, which was better than Tsuna could have hoped for. It meant that Ginger could be the key to giving Jesse a measure of self-confidence and breaking through his fear. On the other hand, Houston had to hear the full brunt of the argument and the argument wasn't pleasant.

Gabe was upset at Tsuna for bringing the boys home. However, when Tsuna explained their individual circumstances, Gabe's pained expression was as bad as Tsuna's when it came to Jesse. On the other hand, he thought that Houston should be shipped back on the first plane to his father. That part of the argument was the longest when he tried to talk Gabe into understanding that a bit of separation would be good for both Houston and Warren. Warren needed time to be able to accept that his little baby was maturing and Houston needed a little time to realize that he still needed his dad.

Then it turned to how Gabe didn't understand why it had to be their problem to deal with, but Tsuna managed to get in a few verbal slaps about how much they owed Warren for helping to set up the bakery. Watching his kid for a little while was the least that they could do. Tsuna also pointed out how Houston's presence would benefit Jesse since Houston was the first person that Jesse had ever felt comfortable around and that was the end of the argument. Gabriel couldn't counter. Their combined first-hand experience with rape left both of them vulnerable to Jesse's plight. They both wanted to see him recover from the trauma and move on with his life, even if it meant a bit of overcrowding at first.

Then the argument came from Tonno and Ray, but it was a combination of aggressive dislike and passive-aggressive objection. They were short on rooms, so Ray and Tonno would have to share. It wouldn't be fair to ask Ginger and Chopper to move into the common room just because they weren't human and they were already sharing. The common room needed to stay empty because there was nothing else that could serve as a break room. That only left the option of moving the two current residents into a single room.

"Tonno!" Tsuna snapped. "Houston is like a son to me. Do I need to tell you what that means?"

"No, Papa," he mumbled, giving Houston a considering look out of the corner of his eye. It meant that Houston was Tonno's brother--his younger brother that needed to be protected and taken care of. "I'll retract my objections."

"Ray!" Tsuna snapped. "Half a room means you only have to do half the work! Do I need to tell you what that means?"

"No, Papa," he mumbled, giving Houston a considering look out of the corner of his eye. It meant that Houston would be helping out with Sunday cleanup--an extra pair of hands that would help finish Ray's so that there was more time to go out and relax. "I'll take back my objections, too."

"Good," Tsuna huffed. "Now get upstairs and get your things moved over. You can flip a coin on who has to move, but I want you to work together to get it taken care of. Lights are going out in two hours whether you're finished or not. No one is allowed in the bathroom while Jesse's in there and no one is to go into Jesse's room without his permission. Understood?"

"Y--"

"No," Ginger interrupted as he slithered past the stairwell door and into the kitchen. "I can see how you're setting things up, but I have a few objections of my own. Papa, can I talk to you in private before you finalize the room assignments?"

"Sure," Tsuna agreed. Following Ginger outside to the pond, Tsuna could tell that something had gotten under Ginger's skin. The tanuki looked ready to bite something, which was far more aggressive than he usually looked. Ginger was the type that would defend himself, but it was very rare for him to look ready to throw the first punch. "What's wrong?"

"He's not bothered by me even though I can talk, so he let me in the bathroom with him while he took a shower," Ginger growled with his tails twitching and his shoulders shaking. "He's been beaten recently. I'm not talking about a fist fight either. He's got welts as long as my arm all the way down his back. What the hell did you bring home, Tsuna?"

"He's a streetrat," Tsuna groaned, pulling out a chair to collapse into. "I'm friends with his social worker and she told me a bit of his past. His mother is gone and his father abused him. From the way he's acting, I've already surmised that the abuse was rape and you know how that works. After the first time, it never ends. Just look at me if you need an example. Both Xanxus and Mukuro are the kind of people to use me and there's countless people who wanted to get their hands on me but didn't have the guts. Hiko tried to rape me while I was in prison while I was the Tenth, Gabriel's friends raped me, and so did Gabriel himself. I'm not unique in that, either. Most rape victims find themselves assaulted repeatedly throughout their life. If Jesse is going to keep it from happening again, he's going to have to get some self-confidence, some trustworthy friends, and some self-defense training."

"Put me in the same room with him and move Houston in with Chopper," Ginger said with his gaze locked onto the pond in search of answers. "Even if he says that he's okay with Houston, he can't afford for you to take chances. I'm just a smart dog to him, so it's less likely that I'll alarm him at night and--"

"You don't have to convince me," Tsuna sighed in relief. "I was hoping that you'd offer, but I didn't know whether you'd latch onto him or not. If you didn't, I figured that he was better off having Houston watch over him than no one."

"I'll watch him," Ginger promised. "Maybe I've just been around you too long, but I can't leave a kid like that when I know he'll feel safer with me around. He might feel differently when he realizes how old I am, but I think I still have a few good years left in me."

"How are you feeling?" Tsuna asked softly, knowing that Ginger's age was a touchy subject. On the surface, Ginger was still hearty and healthy, but Tsuna knew that Ginger's mother hadn't lived very long. She'd hit middle-age at the age of eighteen and she'd died before reaching thirty. Considering Ginger was only a second generation pup, no one knew whether he was going to live a longer or shorter period of time. There was no basis for an average lifespan and there was no way to tell if Ginger's mother had lived a long life for her kind.

"I feel old," he admitted quietly. "It's gotten better since we moved here because I have Chopper to keep me on my toes, but my joints still ache whenever I get on anything with a motor and I keep getting heart burn when I drink anything other than milk. I've still got my balance, my strength, and my full senses, though. If I had to make an estimation, I'd say that I've caught up with you. I've got maybe a two or three years and then everything is going to start going downhill."

"Then you need to quit taunting the dog catchers," Tsuna smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Hell no!" Ginger barked in laughter. "I have fun screwing with them! Imagine a deer hunter turning around to find himself held at gunpoint by a doe! It's hilarious!"

"Well, from now on, you can cut it out," Tsuna grumbled with a grudging smile. "You have a human to take care of now, so you have to be more responsible."

"Feed him, bathe him, walk him, and play with him...?" Ginger asked in amusement.

"_And _clean up when he makes a mess," Tsuna confirmed with lights dancing in his eyes. "I think he's already house-broken, but I'm leaving it to you to make sure that he doesn't run away. Kidding aside, I'm serious about this, Ginger. If you'll accept, then I really need you to take responsibility for him. I can't give him the attention he needs, give the others the attention they need, and still manage the bakery on top of everything. I'm willing to suck it up and do it anyway if you refuse, but I think we both know that you're the best person for him right now."

"I'll accept," he agreed in a quirky tone. "I'm not getting any younger and it's never too early to train a human to take care of me in my old age. I'm not saying that you can't do it, but..."

"But I've always got more cookie jars than hands," Tsuna sighed in self-exasperation. "I don't blame you, Ginger. If anything, I'm relieved that you're not holding me responsible for neglect."

"You remember what you said when you were trying to pick one of us to take?" Ginger asked curiously. Tsuna nodded, smiling to himself as the memory returned with startling clarity.

_Tsuna cleared his throat. Several heads popped up at the sound and the rest followed when Plum barked loudly to wake them up. Two dozen sets of eyes focused on Tsuna and Ryohei and Ryohei backed off from the one he'd been about to pick up to look at._

_"Sorry for waking you," Tsuna said apologetically, talking directly to the mob of young tanukis. "I know all of you are still young, but I was wondering if any of you would be interested in living with me. My name is Yoshi and I live next door. It's quiet and there's lots of room to relax in. I won't be here a whole lot because I have to work, but I'll have someone coming in to take care of you while I'm away. I can promise that I'll give you whatever you might want within the limits of my ability, but I have to warn you that it's kind of boring over at my place. It'd probably be best if I only took whichever of you that prefers solitude."_

_Four of them broke off from the rest of the group and lazily walked forward to present themselves for his consideration. Tsuna looked them over with the seal on his eye released in order to look over their Flames before nodding slightly to himself._

_"All of you seem like the kind that wouldn't mind living with me," he commented in thought. "May I ask a few questions to see which of you would be a better companion for me?" Eight tails wagged in agreement while they softly panted. "Do any of you dislike secrets? I've got a lot of them. You might find out things about me that aren't very pretty if you stay with me." One of the pups whined softly and willing left the group for selection. "Do any of you not like the movie 'The Godfather'?" Another pup whined softly and broke off, leaving only two for Tsuna to choose from. "Either of you like ice cream?" Tsuna asked in a final attempt to narrow it down to one. The one on the left immediately bounced up in eagerness, showing that he loved ice cream. Tsuna chuckled softly and picked him up, while the other turned to rejoin his brothers and sisters without showing any sign of actual disappointment. "I think you'll be a good friend," Tsuna said in greeting to his new pet. The pup--Ginger--let out a small bark and licked him on the nose, showing that he agreed._

_"That's one way to pick out a pet," Dr. Ericka chuckled. "Most people just pick the color they like and leave it at that."_

_"I couldn't do that," Tsuna laughed while the little auburn and orange creature got comfortable in his arms. "These aren't normal dogs. They have enough intelligence to understand us and know their own likes and dislikes. If I picked just from color, I might end up with one that needs a lot of attention and would be unhappy living in my condo."_

"I remember," Tsuna confirmed. "You were as small as Chopper is and you were the type that didn't mind being left alone."

"You get in a lot of trouble, but my life has mostly been quiet like you promised," Ginger said. "Even when you were gone, Xanxus set things up so that I could be self-sufficient. I had to learn how to talk just so that I could tell the bastard to quit leaving the coffee pot on, but it was nice. If I can, I want to share some of that peace and quiet with Jesse. He deserves it after everything he's been through."

"He's all yours," Tsuna replied. "I'll put Houston in with Chopper and Ray in with Tonno. This is a good chance for those two to bond a bit more."

"I'll tell them," Ginger said as he turned to head back inside. "But don't think I can't see what you're doing."

"I have no clue what you mean," Tsuna retorted innocently. Of course, it was a lie and they both knew it. Tsuna's choices of staff hadn't been made on a whim. Nothing he did was on a whim. Ray the Storm, Jim the Rain, Andy the Cloud, Chopper the Lightening, Houston the Sun, and Jesse the Mist: everyone was gathered. All that was left was for Tonno to realize that a bloodline wasn't required to define a Family. Once he had that, the Flame within him wouldn't feel as chaotic. He'd be able to channel it like it was meant to be instead of unleashing it in an unfocused fury. Tonno's problem was that his true potential was still unrealized. He was still untapped because he was fighting an invisible enemy in his head. He was still No-Good because he hadn't opened his eyes to the reality of what was around him.

Ray would be the one to begin breaking down Tonno's walls. Tsuna was sure of it. The guy was too straight-forward and too much of a troublemaker to ignore Tonno. Ray wouldn't give up just because he got punched once or twice. He'd continue to move forward in unrelenting waves until Tonno had no choice other than to accept him. He was a guy who wouldn't be put off by Tonno's temperament and he was a guy who'd be able to understand the darkness that Tonno was hiding from everyone else. Ray would be the crack in Tonno's armor and the most loyal friend that a man could ask for. He'd also become a driving force for Tonno to become stronger because having Ray around would make Tonno want to learn to control the parts of himself that he was afraid of. It was only a matter of time.

Figuring that there was no better time to ensure that Tonno's Sun was able to stay close to him, Tsuna lit a cigarette while he slowly dialed Warren's phone number.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

Four rings.

"Hello," Warren groaned sleepily. "Ma---ah--verick's Sweet Treats," he yawned. "Warren speaking."

"It's Papa," Tsuna said in greeting. "I just found someone that you might be looking for."

"Eh?" Warren gasped in tired confusion. Then it hit him and he instantly discarded any thought of sleep. "Houston's _there_?! How the hell--"

"He says that he hitchhiked most of the way," Tsuna said. "He's fine, but I don't think you have to worry about him dong a repeat performance. From what I can tell, it wasn't the easy trip that he'd thought it'd be."

"Oh my god," Warren mumbled in shock. "I didn't think he'd really go. I filed a police report as soon as they let me, but I figured he was just hiding out with the Dragons when they didn't pick him up."

"Your kid is more resourceful than that," Tsuna replied. "My question is what you want to do now that he's found. He's your kid, so I'll put him on a plane in the morning if you want me to. If you want me to hold onto him and slap some sense into him, then I can do that, too. It shouldn't be too hard to let him know that his Uncle Laz doesn't give anyone a free ride. One week of making him clean out dumpsters and gutters to earn the roof over his head should be enough for him to run ho--"

"No," Warren said in a strangely defeated tone. "I'm not sure how to ask this of you, but is there anyway that you can take him in for me? If he comes back now, I have a feeling that he'll just run off again. He still respects you, though. I... You have to understand, Papa. I don't know what to do with him anymore. I already saw it coming before you came back, but it's gotten worse the past few months. He needs someone to set him straight and... and it's better if it's you that makes him a criminal than someone else."

"Because it's you that said that, I'll let it slide," Tsuna mumbled with only a twitch of his eye betraying how much the words cut him. "But I have to remind you that I don't turn people into criminals. I never let my friends get arrested and the one time that Ore--"

"You know what I mean," Warren interrupted irritably. "Maybe I did phrase it poorly, but we both know that trouble breeds around you. Don't treat me like I'm some idiot. Even if he doesn't get arrested, I have a pretty good idea of what kind of trouble Houston is going to get into. Give me some credit. I did say that it was better that it was you than someone else. I'm trusting you to watch over him."

"I appreciate that," Tsuna murmured, mollified by Warren's honest appraisal. "I'll take care of him Warren. Do you want to talk to him?"

"It's probably better if I didn't," he replied sadly. "I'll wait for him to call home on his own. Neither of us was really rational when we fought. I think I was just so shocked that he'd be chasing after such an older woman that I lost the ability to think straight. I'm not too happy that he left home, but I have to admit that a part of me is relieved that he's out of reach of Miss Ferns. If he still feels the same way about her after a few years out of her reach, then I'll accept it. Right now... Right now, I just can't."

"I understand," Tsuna soothed. "I can imagine how my parents would have freaked out if they'd gotten a chance to meet Snicker. It should be a little easier for you since Houston's going after a woman, but easier doesn't mean that it's easy."

"He's still in high school," Warren moaned. "He should be thinking about sports and pop quizzes and cheerleaders, not a woman twice his age! Can you believe that he told me that he wanted to be a home economics teacher?"

"Really?" Tsuna asked in surprise. "Isn't that good?"

"Not when he's citing job stability as his reason!" Warren exclaimed. "He's got his head so full of that woman that he can't even think for himself anymore! He just wants to be a teacher to be closer to--"

"You don't know that," Tsuna interrupted before Warren could get himself worked up into a frenzy. "Even if that is the reason, I don't think you should dissuade him. Most kids his age don't have any goals and becoming a teacher is a great thing for him to aim for."

"I know," Warren groaned. "But I don't have to like it. Will you keep an eye on him for me, Papa? He obviously rather be there than here and I'm at my wit's end in dealing with him."

"I'll keep my eye on him," Tsuna promised. "I'll need you to transfer his transcripts down here and send me some of his stuff, but I think I can take care of the rest. I'll keep you updated on how he's doing, too. I'll tell him that if his grades drop, he's on the first plane home. That should be good incentive for him to study instead of getting himself into trouble. I hope you don't mind if I put him to work, too. I'll keep it to a minimum when he's out of school, but I could honestly use the help. We're a lot more popular than I wanted us to be."

"That's fine," Warren agreed. "I'll overnight his things as soon as the post office opens in the morning and I'll take care of his transcripts. Just fax me any paperwork that the school needs me to sign."

"Will do," Tsuna confirmed. Giving Warren a polite farewell, Tsuna hung up the phone and snuffed his guttering cigarette out in the empty ashtray on the table. The conversation had gone more smoothly than Tsuna had expected, which was more worrisome than less. Exactly how bad of an argument would it take for Warren to be willing to accept Tsuna as a temporary guardian for Houston? It had to have been of epic proportions or there had to be flying pigs somewhere in the world because Warren wouldn't have budged for anything less.

One problem at a time, Tsuna reminded himself. For now, the only thing he needed to be worrying about was to get the boys fed, bathed, and in a warm bed. Everything else could wait until morning to be dealt with.

* * *

Paperwork was never-ending. There was the paperwork that Wasp brought by to begin the custody transfer of Jesse and the paperwork wasn't as simple as it seemed. Jesse was a runaway and the police had shown up to return him into is previous custodians' care. No one other than Wasp wanted to leave the boy in Tsuna's care because Tsuna had two strikes against him: he'd recently been brought in for questioning in regards to a murder case and he was gay. Rules and regulations didn't care about Jesse's opinion and they didn't care that Jesse's previous foster home had done nothing to find him outside of filing a police report. They didn't care that his previous foster home had been collecting the childcare money allotted for Jesse without giving the boy any actual care. All they cared about was that Tsuna didn't look good enough on paper to take care of a kid.

It was unsurprising that Jesse had turned up missing before he could be carted off. They only took their eyes off of him for a mere moment and he'd been gone. Tsuna knew that he'd be back, though. A room with a lock on it and Ginger were good incentives for him to come back. That was why Tsuna switched tactics when it came to the paperwork. Instead of fostering the boy, Tsuna had Wasp begin work on getting Jesse an emancipated status. He had a job as Tsuna's animal groomer and, on paper, he made enough money to cover the room and board that Tsuna provided with just enough left over for a respectable clothing allowance. The trick was that Jesse had to finish school, but Tsuna took care of that, too, by enrolling Jesse into online GED courses. He could learn without having to subject himself to the discomfort of a crowded classroom.

While Tsuna waited for Wasp to push through the paperwork on that, Tsuna got on the phone with the local high school and began what was needed to get Houston back in school. Again, there were dozens of hurdles that he had to go through and there was a mountain of paperwork that the school faxed him. They wanted to question why Houston was living in this school district when his father and sister was on the other side of the country. They wanted to know what Tsuna's relationship was with Houston and they were displeased when he couldn't claim a blood tie. In the end, Tsuna had been forced to tell a white lie: he said that he was Houston's distant uncle on his mother's side. After that, there had been more and more paperwork for him to sign, but it eventually ended with the school faxing him Houston's class schedule, his locker number, and his bus schedule.

The mid-afternoon rush was over by then and he had to do the paperwork for the bakery since Gabe had gone out to buy lunch for everyone. The registers got counted down in the upstairs common room and Tsuna prepared the bank deposit. He had to enter the cash totals into the computer, count the safe, mark down the inventory that they'd used, and ensure that everyone had remembered to clock in when they'd arrived. He also had to fill out the paperwork to get Jesse put into the computer as a salary employee and add an automatic deduction in his file for the room rental, much like Tsuna was already doing for Ray, so that the money wouldn't have to needlessly exchange hands to get back where it started. Finally, he sent an email to Warren to tell him that Houston needed to be entered into the computer. He figured that it was something that Warren needed to do personally to help him come to terms that his little boy was grown up enough to have a real job.

By the time that Gabriel returned, it was one o'clock in the afternoon and the paperwork was finished. Most of it, he amended as he took his fake reading glasses off and rubbed his eyes. They got most of their meals from barter, so he'd have to put a credit on the ledger to Bamboo Shoot Restaurant so that they could come in and get a matching amount of free food. Tsuna had a feeling that the place was saving up to buy a big custom cake, though, because Tsuna had already racked up two hundred dollars worth of barter meals from them.

"After lunch, I've got to get started on that groom's cake," Tsuna mumbled around a bite of General Tsoo Chicken. "I've also got to begin preparation on that monster that Mr. Dodson wants for the country club."

"I don't know why you agreed to do that one," Gabe grumbled while Tonno and Houston dug into the Pork Fried Rice and the Lemon Chicken. "They're paying with a club membership and you don't golf."

"Actually, I do," Tsuna grinned as he stole another eggroll. "It's been years since I played, but a lot of the guys I used to make contracts with wanted to do business over a few rounds. So, I learned. It's a lot more relaxing than being stuffed into a board room. Actually, I still remember the first time I played. I was irritated because this guy kept pulling my strings instead of signing over this sweet piece of sea-front property that I wanted. I chased him down to the third hole at this exclusive country club and broke his best driver across his golf cart to show him that I was fed up. He wasn't bothered by it, though. I guess he'd already been warned about my temper before he started screwing with me. 'Relax,' he said. 'I'll tell you what,' he said. 'If you'll play against me, I'll sign the paperwork on the tenth hole. Doesn't that sound fair?' Well, it was a lot less than some people would ask for considering the value of the property, so I agreed. It was so embarrassing at first because I sucked so badly. By the time we got to the tenth hole, I had gotten the hang of it, but I'd completely modified the layout of the golf course in the process of learning. There was a lot more sand traps than there used to be, if you get my drift. But... I'd had fun and I'd calmed down like the guy had probably intended. He signed the paperwork like he'd promised and then he smiled at me and said, 'You want to see if you can get the better of me on the back nine?' Of course, I was surprised at his audacity, but I agreed and, after that, I started doing business as much on the greens as off of it and.... uh... oops. I started story-telling again. Didn't I?"

"I like your stories," Tonno mumbled as he reached for the last wonton at the same time Tsuna did. They both paused with the tips of their chopsticks meeting and Tsuna felt a lance of challenge go through the air.

Round one, start.

Knocking Tonno's chopsticks away, Tsuna was halted in his quick dive by a quick block. Tonno's flicked his wrist, trying to disarm Tsuna with a classic sword parry. It failed and Tsuna countered with a strike to Tonno's fingers with the side of his chopsticks. Tonno was unfazed, countering with a jab to the side of Tsuna's utensils that sadly broke the flimsy things in half. Tonno dived for the wonton again, only to find that the prize had already been stolen by an outside challenger--Gabe. Tonno glared and stuck his lip out at the unfairness of Gabe's win, while still showing a gleam of amusement for the situation since he'd technically won the fight against Tsuna.

"Don't pout," Tsuna laughed as he tossed his broken chopsticks away and searched through the meal bags for another pair. "There's still plenty to go around. Just be sure to save some for Jim, Andy, and Chopper."

"What about Ginger and Jesse?" Houston asked in concern.

"Ginger said he'd pick something up after he found Jesse," Tsuna shrugged. "I have a feeling that they won't be back before dinner, but you don't need to worry about them. What you need to be thinking about is getting me a list of school supplies. It's been years since I went to public school, so I have no idea what you might need."

"Why don't you take him down there to look around after you finish eating?" Gabe suggested. "You can work on the cakes when you get back and I think I can manage the afternoon rush with just Andy and Thia in the kitchen."

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked in surprise. If he wasn't imagining things, it almost sounded as if he'd come to completely accept Houston's presence in their home.

"You can borrow my bike since Ray has a couple of deliveries to make," he said, pointedly staring at his plate instead of giving Tsuna the benefit of a glance. Tsuna smiled at the offer. Gabe's bike was his baby. For him to loan it out to anyone, even Tsuna, meant that he was doing more than trying hard to be understanding; he was trying hard to make Tsuna indebted to him so that he could get his payback in the bedroom.

"Pervert," Tsuna mumbled under his breathe as he finished his meal and set aside his empty plate. Gabe turned a bright shade of red over the insult, but he didn't deny it and he didn't comment on it. He simply his his face behind his plate of fried rice and kept it hidden until Tsuna headed into the bedroom to get dressed.

Figuring that flour and casual wear wouldn't be fitting for his first meeting with Houston's teachers, Tsuna jumped into the shower to get the traces of his morning work out of his hair before heading to the closet to pick out something nicer than shorts and a tank top. His selections were limited. There were the two outfits that he wore when he went for drinks with Gabe. There was the professional baker's costume that he wore when he delivered cakes personally. There was the police costume that he kept on hand out of sheer habit. There was the trench-coat outfit in case he had to go on the offense with a hitman. There was the ninja costume that Tonno had given him for Father's Day. There was the kimono that Gabe had gotten him to celebrate six months of being together. There was the lamp post costume for when he wanted to spy on cute customers or scare the wits out of Ray-- Oh! The office worker costume would work. It was what he wore when he had to go to the bank in person, but it was simple enough to suffice and professional enough to satisfy Tsuna's needs.

Putting the cream suit on, he decided to skip the tie and leave the collar unbuttoned so that he wouldn't appear uptight. It was supposed to be a casual visit, so careful grooming would give off a better vibe than a strict dress code. Stopping by his jewelry box, he removed his earrings and put on a flash mock-gold watch instead. He knew that it was the small touches that made the most impact. A watch would show him as punctual while the flash of gold would make him seem more financially stable than he was. He also snatched up a pair of sunglasses and pocket his reading glasses. If the principal was the snobbish and stickler type, then Tsuna would use the reading glasses to make a more presentable finish. If he was the relaxed and accepting kind, Tsuna would use the sunglasses to make himself fit in better.

However, the final touch was the cane that Tsuna grabbed to take with him. It was a simple, beautifully carved and lovingly polished piece with a silver handle that was useful in so many ways. With it, Tsuna could play the part of an overconfident pimp, a hotshot businessman, an elderly gentleman, a middle-aged sourpot, or a well-rounded man with a weak knee--all while still retaining a weapon. If there was one thing that he'd learned from his lifelong identity crisis, it was that the same objects could create so many different appearances. It all depended on how well it was utilized by the owner.

The boys downstairs were thoroughly impressed when Tsuna made his way downstairs. They were also thorough about teasing him and Tsuna had to strut a few steps for their benefit. After all, he might be getting older, but he still had his mojo. Of course, proving it to a bunch of teenagers and young men was a little difficult considering every compliment came with a laugh, but he did manage to silence them in the end.

"J'aimerais vous forer dans un lit demain soir," Tsuna said, staring deeply into the eyes of a very well-endowed woman eating a piece of cheesecake under one of the indoor ceiling fans. From the amount of makeup she was wearing and the way she was sitting as if she were posing, Tsuna guessed that she was an off-duty showgirl and, from the look on the guy's watching faces, she was totally out of Tsuna's league.

"Excuse me?" She asked with a smile, taken off-guard by Tsuna's sudden approach.

"It's French," Tsuna smiled. "It means that my cheesecake must be the best in the world if you're here."

"How do you figure that?" She asked in amusement.

"Because seeing you tells me that angels have begun to descend to taste it," he grinned. When she laughed at him as predicted, Tsuna dropped the suave act to crouch down next to her chair. This gave her the feeling of superiority since she was looking down at him, which was perfect for his killing blow. "That was probably a bit corny, but I couldn't help it," he said shyly. "I didn't think I could get your number if I just asked for it. I'm Maverick." Holding out his hand in greeting, the well-endowed woman stared at it for a moment before reaching into her purse for a pen and reaching for a napkin to write her number down. Once she was finished, she slowly folded it up and carefully put it in Tsuna's hand with a coy smile and a flutter of her eyelashes in invitation.

"I'm Sheila," she said softly.

"The name of a warrior," Tsuna complimented. "Just let the boys know if you'd like anything else. For such a beautiful lady as yourself, lunch is on the house. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I can't stay to enjoy it with you, though. As with all working men, duty calls. But I hope to see you again soon, Miss Sheila."

"Maybe," she grinned. Letting her get back to her cheesecake, Tsuna slowly stood, turned, and paused with a triumphant smirk. The boys, all of who'd been watching him in belief that he was going to be shot down, were dumb-struck and Tsuna couldn't help but give them a victorious wink as he tucked Miss Sheila's number in his pocket. Gabe was probably going to kill him when he found out about it, but there was no harm in making new friends and Tsuna doubted that any of his staff would underestimate him again. He might be rough around the edges with the guys, but he could be as smooth as ice with women. There were very few who could withstand it when the old Mafia charm was used.

"Houston, let's go," Tsuna directed, pointing at the door with his cane with a smile. Houston followed him outside as ordered, but the boy wouldn't stop laughing behind his hand until Tsuna lightly thumped him on the head with his cane.

Tsuna took a moment to look around outside before heading to Gabe's workshop. Business had died down since the Grande Opening, so there were no more lines stretched around the block. However, there was still a good amount of business trailing in and Tsuna made a note to have Ray check the front landscape for litter. He could see cigarette butts had been ground into parts of the driveway and there was a plastic fork hanging in the limbs of one of the shrubs.

Walking around to the back, he found Gabe preparing his baby for Tsuna. It took nearly twenty minutes of lecturing before Gabe was willing to let Tsuna on it. It took another ten minutes before he finally let Tsuna have the keys. It took another five minutes to get his helmet on and Gabe wouldn't actually let them leave until Tsuna finally snapped.

"I know how to drive a motorcycle!" He exclaimed in exasperation. "Geez! We could have been there and back by now!"

Not giving Gabe a chance to retort, Tsuna maliciously peeled out before popping the clutch to send them flying down the driveway. He could hear Gabe yelling behind them, but Tsuna stubbornly refused to stop. Pulling out into traffic, he figured that the shouting match could wait until they got back. If they waited any longer, school was going to let out before Tsuna could see what the common supplies being used by the students were! He wasn't thinking about pens and paper, either. For Houston's sake, he wanted to know about the cell phones, laptops, and popular clothing styles. It'd be horrible if Houston stuck out as a sore thumb on his first day of school.

Tsuna got a bad feeling as soon as they reached the school parking lot. There were a lot of high-end cars sitting around, which told Tsuna that Houston was going to be at a disadvantage from the start. There was no way that Tsuna could provide something custom on such short notice and there was no way that he could afford to buy even a dinky car for the boy to drive around. He was going to have to make do with the bus, even if it was an unpopular method of transport.

There wasn't much else to see from the outside. The landscaping had all been modified into a water-conscious rock garden and the beige brick faded into the landscape as if it were camouflaged. Tsuna understood why they'd chosen such an unimpressive exterior, though. Rock landscaping meant that they could put more money into watering the football stadium behind the school and the light color of the brick helped to reflect heat which meant that it was cheaper to cool the building. Whoever was running things was being smart with his budget instead of wasting money on superficial things. So, as far as first impressions went, Tsuna approved.

Inside was set up much like Leo's high school had been. There were no shoe lockers and the floors were wax over cheap tile. The school's mascot was proudly presented inside and just beyond the statue was the office. The only difference that Tsuna could see was the wise use of sky-lights in combination with low-wattage lights and the lack of overall wear-and-tear. Tsuna could swear that the building was new, which was a possibility considering how much Las Vegas had grown in the past decade.

"You sure this is the right school?" Houston asked worriedly. Tsuna sent him a withering look before heading into the office. He'd looked around before settling on this school and he was perfectly capable of remembering the right address. Wasp had highly praised this place, too. She'd said that there was a rumor going around that it was going to be made into a private school, so getting Houston in now would be for his benefit. Students who attended before the transition wouldn't have to pay the fees to get an elite education.

For some reason, Tsuna felt his Flame spasm in warning as he opened the office door and ushered Houston inside. It took him a moment to figure out the cause. The school had cameras installed everywhere! Knowing that it was a common practice in some school districts, Tsuna ignored it and silently grumbled to himself about being paranoid. Even if he was caught on camera, what was the likelihood that the people on the other end would recognize him? They were probably eating donuts or reading a magazine and he wasn't doing anything that would attract attention.

"Can I help you?" The frazzled secretary asked, looking back and forth between Tsuna and Houston in non-recognition.

"I'm Papa Maverick," Tsuna said, holding his hand out in greeting. "I called earlier on the phone about my nephew? I still had a few questions and I was hoping that we could take a little tour before he started class tomorrow."

"Oh!" She gasped in surprise. "The new transfer student! Just one moment and I'll get the Principal for you. He likes to greet the new students personally."

"Thank you," Tsuna murmured as she darted off. When she returned, she was even more flustered than before and quickly urged them to follow her out of the office.

"I'm sorry about this," she gasped. "I completely forgot that the Principal is overseeing the proficiency exams of our other transfer students."

"It's no problem," Tsuna soothed. "You don't have to bother him if--"

"Well, you see," she explained in a rush as she guided them down a spectacularly ordinary hallway. "I'm glad that you came by. I just looked at Houston's transcripts and it seems that his test scores aren't with them. If I hadn't caught it until tomorrow, he would have lost a day while we got everything sorted out because, if we're going to put him in Honors classes like you requested, he's going to have to take the proficiency tests, too. We can't put him in a class that's too advanced for him to learn from."

"I don't need Honors classes!" Houston spluttered.

"You do," Tsuna corrected. "You were making straight A's with regular classes. The challenge will be good for you. As long as you're living with me, you'll take at least two Honors classes a year and you'll pass them or I'll send you back to your father. Understood? I don't expect you to be perfect, but I'm not letting you take the easy route, either."

"Yes, sir," Houston grumbled.

"If you flunk the proficiencies on purpose, then I'll put you on a plane tonight," Tsuna added in warning. Hotaru paled, his escape route flawlessly blocked as the Secretary finally reached their destination.

"Right in here," the Secretary urged as she held the door open with a knowing glance in Houston's direction. Walking inside, Tsuna smiled in preparation of meeting the Principal and--

Froze as the blood drained from his body.

Gillian.

Ariana.

Leonard.

Joseph.

Haru.

Hibari.

Lanchia.

"Papa... Maverick...?" Reborn repeated slowly as the Secretary quickly whispered the situation in his ear. Tsuna couldn't respond to Reborn's questioning look. There were too many questions of his own whirling through his head as everyone in the room slowly rose to their feet in shock. Tsuna didn't know how they could stand. He was already on his feet and he was in very bad need of a chair.

Should he run? No, he couldn't run. He'd already said that he wouldn't run anymore. This was his home! He was here first! He was Papa Maverick, not the person that everyone was thinking of when they looked at him! Stand firm, Tsuna told himself. This was a shock since he hadn't recognized Reborn's voice on the phone, but he could handle this. He'd been preparing for this! He'd known that they'd run across each other eventually.

"Houston," Tsuna murmured over at the oblivious teenager next to him. "Introduce yourself to the Principal."

"Uh, hi--"

Tsuna glared.

"I mean, hello, I'm Houston," he amended, stepping forward to politely offer his hand to Reborn. "I just came to live with my Uncle and... uh... the Secretary said that I had to take some proficiency tests because Uncle says I have to take Honors classes... and um... Uncle? Why is everyone staring at you?"

"That's because we know each other," Tsuna stated. Deciding that the time had come to quit hiding behind lies, Tsuna smiled when Houston gave him a questioning look. "The Principal is a good man," Tsuna said. "He taught me most of what I know. Standing over at the seats under the window is my ex-wife, Haru, and her husband who is a dear friend of mine, Hibari. Next to them is another dear friend, Lanchia, who is a bodyguard and caretaker of their Family. And, finally, there's your classmates. Gillian is an entrepreneur and I foresee that the two of you will dislike each other greatly. Ariana is a musician of great skill and I'll break your fingers if you touch her, but I don't think I have to worry about that since you're still crazy for Miss Ferns. Leonard wants to be a professional golfer and has already been making a name for himself. Finally, you'll probably have a lot in common with Joseph since you both like football, but don't underestimate him because he's a jock. He's very mature for his age, just as you are."

"How do you know all that?" Houston asked innocently, his eyes wide at the overload of information.

"Don't be silly, Houston," Tsuna smiled as he gazed across the room of very special people. "I'd be a horrible man if I didn't know that much about my own kids."

"EHHH?!" Houston spluttered. Tsuna chuckled at the expression on Houston's face, but it didn't take long to clear as the boy remember the most important thing possible. "OH!" He gasped in recognition. "They're in those photos!"

"They are," Tsuna confirmed with a smile. "But there's plenty of time to talk about that later, so go take a seat, Houston. You're not getting out of being tested because of an unexpected reunion. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," he gulped, not needing to be reminded of the threat to be sent back home. As he trudged toward a desk and collapsed into it in resignation, Tsuna turned to Reborn and raised an eyebrow. He'd made his move. Now it was Reborn's turn to respond.

"You could be nonchalant even before the Reaper," Reborn praised as he turned to his students. "I don't think I need to remind you that the math portion is timed," he said with a cruel gleam in his eye. "Unless you make a passing score, all of you will be put in remedial algebra."

All four of the kids were visibly torn. They knew that they needed to continue working on their tests, but they were also afraid to take their eyes off of Tsuna. Seeing that, Tsuna knew that he couldn't duck out into the hallway. His only choice was to take a seat with the other waiting parents--Haru and Hibari. He purposely chose a seat at the far end of the guest seating, tucking himself into the back corner so that the kids could feel his presence without being able to look at him while they finished their tests, but Haru predictably refused to leave things alone. She boldly ignored Hibari's frown, approached him, and sat down next to him.

Wisely keeping his mouth shut, Tsuna refused to initiate conversation. He didn't do it to be cruel, though. He did it for the same reason that Haru stayed silent: there was nothing that they could really say to each other. Both of their lives had drastically changed since they'd been torn apart. No matter how much he cared about her and no matter how much she thought she cared about him, they couldn't rewrite ten years of separation.

There were a million questions that he wanted to ask, though. Why were they in Las Vegas? How was Hotaru doing with Ross? What had made her decide to take in his kids? How was Ieyasu's asthma doing? Was Bridget still patching up Keiji and Daisuke? How were the girls? How was her fashion line doing? Did Yamamoto go back to Matsu? Had she heard anything from Lambo recently? The questions were endless, which was another reason that he kept his mouth shut. He felt that, should he give in to even an innocent inquiry, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He'd allow himself to be dragged back into the Mafia without even a ripple to tell the people waiting at home where he'd disappeared to, but that was something that he couldn't let happen. Tonno was counting on him to return home. So was Gabriel, Houston, and everyone else who was already part of his new life.

The silence was unbearable, but Haru didn't manage to break it before the time ran out on the test. However, as Tsuna had feared, none of the kids could get up from their desks after Reborn called for a break. They couldn't anymore than Tsuna could walk up to them and say hello. What was there to say? He'd provided for them financially, but he hadn't been much of a father. He was honestly surprised that they even remembered his face. How could he expect them to understand the responsibilities and feelings of someone in the position that he'd--

"Old man," Gillian barked without lifting his head from his desk. Tsuna wasn't alone in freezing, but the two words made him feel incredibly alone in the room. There was no one around him that could protect him from whatever the boy chose to say. "Why are you here?"

Hundreds of possible answers came to mind, but nothing seemed fitting except for the harsh truth. His kids weren't naive. They were all old enough to have some memory of their lives under their mothers' rule, unlike the kids who were younger than them. They'd all been raised as loved, yet discarded, siblings to a powerful Mafia Boss. They wouldn't thank him if he tried to dumb down the answer. So, giving them the only thing that they wanted, he told them the truth.

"Because things die quietly in the desert," he whispered.

Taking advantage of how hard his words were to digest, Tsuna slowly stood and retreated out of the room. He didn't retreat far, though. After finding the cafeteria to purchase a bottled juice from the vending machine, Tsuna headed to the outdoor seating with the intention to smoke while he waited for Houston to finish testing. He couldn't breathe easily until he was under the open sky. Of all the uncomfortable situations that he'd ever been in, this one had to be at the top of his list.

Unfortunately, the situation didn't end when he retreated. One person _did _have the confidence to follow him and it was the one that he'd least expected. Tsuna was too surprised to say anything as Ariana sat down across from him. He had no idea what the girl might want from him, so he continued to quietly smoke his cigarette and drink his juice while the silence stretched between them. He was too scared to break it. It was one area of his life that he was still a huge coward and he didn't know how to change that. The possibilities of what his daughter might say were endless--

"I don't want you to die," she finally blurted. Caught off-guard, Tsuna choked on his drink. Then, staring at her, he felt something magical well up in his chest. He laughed. "I'm serious!" She exclaimed while Tsuna's shoulder's shook in effort to hold it back. He couldn't help it. She was an adorable little girl. She looked nothing like him since she took after her mother in appearance, yet she reminded him so much of himself as a teenager that laughing was the only thing keeping him from crying. "I finally got to meet you, so you can't die!"

"I'm not planning to die anytime soon," Tsuna soothed as he firmly took control of himself.

"Then why did you say that?" She asked innocently.

"Because it's true," he slowly answered with a soft sigh. "It's not fair for me to sit here and tell you that I've had a hard life, but I have. I came here to put all of that behind me. I wanted to see all of you so badly, but a retired Mafia Boss has to settle somewhere quiet and keep his head down or he won't be allowed to stay retired for very long. Can you understand that, Ariana?"

"I think so," she mumbled. "That means you couldn't come see us because of all the people watching us."

"Yes," Tsuna replied with a sad smile. "But that doesn't mean that I haven't been watching you, too. It might have been from a distance, but I've always watched over all of you. It's just... It's been so long since I've seen you face-to-face that I was afraid that none of you would want to see me. Eventually, I figured that you'd be happier imagining me as something special instead of learning that I have just as much good and bad in me as anyone else."

"That's stupid," Arianna said so bluntly that Tsuna's eyebrows flew up into his hairline. "A real dad is better than an imaginary one, no matter how you look at it."

"True," Tsuna agreed with a slow smile. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be more real for you. To be honest, I don't really know how to be a dad. It's not as straight forward as paperwork."

"Everyone is bad at something," she replied with a breathtakingly bright smile. "I'll help you. As long as you're trying, no one can say that you're a loser." Tsuna grimaced, feeling as if the offer was cutting straight into his chest. It made him bleed, yet he knew that he couldn't let his precious daughter see his pain.

"I appreciate that, Ariana," Tsuna murmured. "I really do, but I think it's too late for me. The world you live in is one that I can't enter anymore. I want to--"

"Then I'll come to you," she said. Tsuna was instantly defeated. He knew that he couldn't win. No matter what he said or did, his little girl was determined to make herself a part of his life. His only option was to include them on his own terms and pray that she wouldn't be disappointed.

"Alright," he smiled as he dug out his wallet. Pulling out one of the cards for his bakery, he slid it across the table to her. "That's my card. It has my address, my phone number, and my email address on it. If you want to see me, that's where you can go. If you want to talk to me, that's how you can contact me. I can't promise much if you come by while I'm working, but I'll always make time for you. I know it's probably not what you were hoping for, but--" Tsuna's words were lodged in his throat as Arianna flew out of her seat and into his arms for a hug. He found it impossible to say another word. If he did, he was sure that he'd break down like a fool. He'd greatly underestimated how much a simple embrace would effect him. It was so much more powerful than he'd thought it would be and it made him understand one thing; it made him understand how so many people could become devoted to him after such small amounts of kindness.

"Thank you, Papa," she smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek as she broke away. Tsuna bowed his head and softly nodded in acceptance of the words, feeling utterly pathetic at how little he'd given her in return for how much he felt he'd recieved.

"Go ahead and go back inside," he urged. "School is important, so try hard on those exams."

"Okay, but... um..."

"What is it?" Tsuna asked, lifting his head to see that a faint blush had covered his daughter's face.

"Can you not break that boy's fingers?" She asked innocently. "He's kind of cute."

"Alright," Tsuna laughed, once again taken off-guard by his daughter's innocence. "I won't break them, but you better not give me a reason to strangle him instead. His father would be really upset if I had to do that." Ariana rolled her eyes at him before darting back into the building with his card held against her chest like a treasured memento. Considering how little he'd gotten to interact with his own children, he knew that it probably was a keepsake for her.

The fact made him feel even more pathetic. He'd been such a bad father that his kids would consider a calling card as something special. He knew that he had to fix that, but he didn't know where to start. If he started throwing gifts at them now, they'd feel like he was trying to buy their love. Yet, he knew that it wasn't right to do nothing, either. His ex-wife was taking care of his kids. He wasn't in any position to take the burden from her, but it was pathetic. He was pathetic. Was he going to be No-Good all the way to the end?

One day at a time, he told himself. The cat was out of the bag now. Tsuna doubted that Hibari would tell anyone that he was in town and Tsuna doubted that Haru would comment on the subject. However, word would spread and he was going to have to be very careful in how he dealt with the response. Very, very careful.

* * *

"Can't we talk about this later?" Tsuna sighed as he parked the delivery truck next to the front doors.

"No, we can't," Demetri growled. Ignoring him in the same way that he'd been ignoring the man all morning, Tsuna jumped out of the driver's seat and hurried around to the back to retrieve the cake stowed inside. Ray was sitting in the back with it, seeing as how the monster was big enough to tip over. It was an edible scale model of the employee's outdoor tiki hut, complete with marzipan figurines and edible golf bags. It was the perfect treat for an employee appreciation party and also a good way for the owner to see Tsuna's skill without ruining a more important event with a high-dollar wrecked cake made by a half-rate baker with more ego than skill.

Tsuna still couldn't create beautiful pieces without his Flame, but he was finally at the point where he only had to use his Flame on the custom cakes. He'd been studying hard. He could make all of the bakery's regular stock without help and Andy had been drilling him mercilessly on recipes. Baking wasn't truly hard when he knew which details to pay attention to. Of course, his technique left a lot to be desired, but he was getting better every day because of regular practice. His frosting roses were even beginning to look like actual roses instead of piles of dung!

Keeping his business alive came before personal preference, though. That was why the piece that he helped Ray to unload from the truck was one that Tsuna could take no pride in. He could still enjoy the smiles that it'd bring to the recipients' faces, but he'd used his Flame to create the entire thing and there was no way that he could be personally satisfied with the outcome. His intuition had done all the work instead of him by himself.

"Papa!" Demetri exclaimed, following Tsuna like a rabid dog while they carried the cake inside. Thankfully, someone had been smart enough to bring out a rolling cart for them to lay it on as soon as they got in the doors. The club's owner was also waiting on them and he was full of praise for the outcome of his request. Tsuna accepted the words, but he couldn't really be happy because of them. All the praise did was to motivate him more toward learning how to do all of the baking and decorating by himself. He still had unfulfilled potential.

"Will you be quiet?" Tsuna hissed as the owner led them toward the dining room where the party was to be held. The owner looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, but Tsuna only smiled since his words had been meant for Demetri. Tsuna knew what the man wanted and it went without saying that Tsuna refused. He didn't care if the whole world knew who he was or where he was. He wasn't going to pick up and move just because his witness protection had been compromised. After all, what kind of man would he be if he ran away from his own kids?

Demetri didn't understand that, though, and Tsuna could understand things from his point of view. Tsuna was an important commodity. There was information stored in his head that could answer mysteries that were decades and centuries old. Tsuna had the ability to entirely rewrite some points of history and there was no way that he could allow Tsuna's safety to be jeopardized. On top of that, Demetri was under pressure to keep Tsuna under wraps. He'd been forced to hand over Tsuna and Tonno's amnesty and citizenship papers when the police had questioned him over that murder, so there was nothing left except for the gentleman's promise that Tsuna would continue working with them. If Tsuna reconnected with his Family, the chances that he'd continue to work with them went down.

At least, that was what Demetri thought, but Tsuna had been doing some thinking of his own from a Mafia Boss' point of view. While it was true that a man on the street would be severely punished for talking to government officials, it was different for a man with power. Mafia Bosses were expected to talk to government officials and smooth over misunderstandings that his men might cause. Mafia Bosses were expected to get police and law enforcement agents into their pockets just as much as they were expected to be friendly with judges, political representatives, and big-wigs who could sign research contracts. It was true that he'd raise a lot of eyebrows if word got out that a retired Boss was still working those types of contacts, but there were few who would ever consider that 'Vongola the Tenth' would ever use those ties to turn traitor. It was laughable, even to himself. Therefore, he wasn't moving an inch.

He'd put all his money and his hopes on Vegas and he was going to let that money ride until he got some sort of return on his investment. Demetri would simply have to understand that because Tsuna had the opportunity to build something solid for once. He had full control of all his senses and all of his memories. He might not have a very wide support base yet, but he was working on it. After all, he wasn't working charity only because he felt that it was the right thing to do. Charity was the doorway to everything. He met people who were at their lowest points in life and people remembered when someone helped them while they were down. He made contact with social workers like Wasp, who also sometimes put him in contact with probation officers and paroling police. Charity events also attracted high-rollers who had money to spend and invest and social pariahs who needed good publicity--people who were always looking for a friend like him.

He'd lied to Gabe. The real reason that he'd agreed to the country club's trade wasn't only because he liked to golf. It was because he was trying to get his hands embedded into the local society. Doctors golfed. Politicians golfed. Bored people with money and reputation who couldn't risk injuring themselves with a contact sport were golfers. The country club was the perfect place to make friends in high places and he knew that he'd need all the friends that he could get if he was going to keep himself from being ushered to the city limits as soon as word of his true identity got out. He needed to have the community on his side as quickly as possible to keep that from happening.

The country club that had approached him was better than he could have hoped for in that respect. The amount of money that had been put into the lobby was enough to buy his bakery three times over and the lack of tan on the patrons told him that most of them were rarely out of their suits. It made Tsuna glad that he'd decided to wear his white baker's coat for the delivery. It was stuffy and hot, but it looked nice and respectable for the curious crowd that paused to look as Tsuna passed with the cake delivery.

The delivery itself was pretty normal after Demetri finally shut up and fell back to simply guarding him. The waiting employees applauded in excitement as he dropped off the cake in the dining room and the owner wanted him to stay to personally cut the cake for everyone. After that, he was invited into the clubhouse so that the owner could personally ensure that his membership was taken care of.

The clubhouse itself was incredibly generic. Three of the walls were made of glass to allow patrons to see out over the golf course and the driving ranges. There were tables set up inside for those who wanted air conditioning, but there were also tables on an outside deck for those who wanted to enjoy the fair weather. Finally, there was the long bar across the only wall where orders for food and drinks could be ordered--snacks to tide over an empty stomach until the dining room opened for the lunch and dinner crowds.

"You really went above my expectations," the owner repeated as he continued signing off on Tsuna's membership paperwork. "At most, I thought you might be able to whip up a gingerbread house, but the level of detail you put into it is well-worth more than a year membership. Actually, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to upgrade it to a lifetime membership for you as a small token of my appreciation."

"You don't have to do that," Tsuna replied, knowing what the response was going to be.

"No, no! I insist," the owner smiled. "Men who go above and beyond should be recognized. It might not be much, but please let me do this for you. I'd feel indebted if I didn't. I've never seen my employees so happy. They consider me a bit of a cheapskate, you see, but the cake you brought in looks like it cost a fortune to make. You really helped me out with them, so I'd like to give this to you. It's the least I can do."

"Who am I to argue?" Tsuna shrugged. The owner's smile widened, but Tsuna was no fool. He knew that the owner had seen his skill and was hoping to keep him happy so that he could ask for discounts later. However, the man was being foolish if he thought that Tsuna didn't know how to turn the 'friendship' into a two-way street. "I'm not sure how often I'll be able to use it, though," he added sadly. "My bakery is becoming popular, but renting golf clubs and golf carts isn't cheap enough for me to come on a regular basis like I'd like to."

"I see," the owner replied, slowing down on the paperwork as he looked at Tsuna in consideration. "That would be a problem, but we might be able to work something out."

"How so?" Tsuna asked innocently, leaving it to the man to state the terms. Doing so allowed the fool to think that it was his idea.

"Would you be interested in another barter trade?" He asked curiously. "I've got this charity event coming up next week. It's nothing too big, but--"

"Is it the one to raise money for the Youth Golf Program?" Tsuna interjected with a smile. The owner blinked at him, silently telling him that he'd gotten it right. "I'm familiar with it," Tsuna explained. "I was actually invited to the event last week when the supervisor stopped by to pick up a few dozen donuts for the Youth Center."

"Oh!" The owner chuckled in surprise. "In that case, how would you like to make the cake for the event? In exchange, I can give you free cart rentals and your pick of a set of clubs from the pro shop."

"It sounds more than fair," Tsuna grinned as they finally reached the predicted outcome. The backscratching wasn't going to end there, however. Less than thirty minutes later, Ray left to finish the cake deliveries and Tsuna was on the driving range with a new set of clubs, a complimentary set of clothes with the country club's logo, a shiny new pair of golf shoes, and his baker's costume safely stored away in his personal locker. The locker was even in the elite section of the locker room, which left Tsuna in silent glee. The one to his left was assigned to the Police Commissioner and the one to his right was assigned to a Judge! He couldn't have asked for anything better!

Once on the driving range, there was no way for anyone to tell that he wasn't a regular member. Of course, he had to make two more cakes plus a wedding cake to pay all of it off, but it was worth every penny due to the social position it put Tsuna in. He knew that the owner was happy, too, because Tsuna had picked cheap gear on purpose. In doing so, he saved the owner at least a thousand dollars that he wouldn't have to pay for custom cakes. That was the key to backscratching. Tsuna knew that as long as he kept the owner happy by saving him money, the owner would want to keep him happy in return. Also, as long as the owner was happy, Tsuna had a friend in a good place.

A man could never have too many friends.

"Can we talk now?" Demetri grumbled as the owner finally left Tsuna to enjoy himself on the driving range.

"There's nothing to talk about," Tsuna replied. Refusing to look at him, Tsuna focused on setting up his tee and choosing which driver he wanted to try out first.

"If you expect me to overlook what you just did, then I think we do," he growled. Tsuna glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and grimaced when he saw the frustrated look on Demetri's face. The man knew exactly what Tsuna had been doing. After all, Tsuna wasn't the first illegitimate man to search for legitimate ties on a golf course.

"It's not what you think," Tsuna sighed as he picked a club at random. It felt awkward in his hands at first. It wasn't until after he took a few test swings that he could remember the comfortable way to hold it. How long had it been since he'd held a golf club? It definitely felt a lot longer than ten years. It was okay, though. There was only a few other people on the driving range and he could take his time to practice without having to worry that he was going to be laughed at. He could start out with light swings and work on his aim. He didn't have to hit it all the way across the driving range on the first try.

"Then what is it, Papa?" Demetri asked as Tsuna began swinging. "Unless you forgot, you're the one that came to us. What was the point of that if you're not going to let us do our job?"

"Your job was to make me legal and keep me safe," Tsuna replied calmly while he waited for his ball to land between swings. "You've already made me legal and you're keeping me safe by simply by hanging around. No one is stupid enough to cause problems with my bakery when they know that you're watching."

"You know what I mean," Demetri growled. "I'm talking about your safety. I already get it from how you've been brushing me off this morning. You're not going to move, but how in hell--"

"Demetri," Tsuna interrupted softly, stubbornly refusing to stop golfing for such a stupid conversation. "I'm not a stupid man. I know I've put myself in danger by letting my kids know where I am. But what would you expect me to do? They're my kids. If I run from everyone else, I'll have to run from them, too, and that's not something I'm willing to do anymore. I'm tired of running. Just do what you can to keep my home safe and I'll keep up my end of the bargain. You don't have to worry about my personal safety. I can take care of that by myself."

"And what are you going to do when hitmen start showing up?" Demetri spat. "You're no good to us dead, Papa. I don't give a damn about your home! It's you that--"

"Then you need to start giving a damn," Tsuna replied calmly. "Without my home, I have no reason to deal with you. I'll just disappear and you'll never see me again. That's the part that you're not understanding, Demetri. I didn't approach you for my own sake. Yes, I did tell you to protect me and my son in the beginning, but that was only because telling you to protect a building and the people in it wouldn't have gotten me anywhere. I knew that your overseers wouldn't understand that a guy like me isn't a selfish bastard like they want me to be. I played you because I knew that you'd have to protect everything around me in order to keep me safe. The situation is different now. I've become a liability. So, from now on, if you have to choose between letting me get a little burned and keeping my home safe, then pick my home. I can always recover, but I won't want to if I don't have a home to go back to."

"And how are you going to recover from a bullet in your head?" Demetri asked angrily. "Damnit, Papa! You don't see--"

"I see," Tsuna corrected. "And I'm not in as much danger as you think I am. Right now, you're talking about hitman and old grudges, but that stuff is all shadows. It's not realistic because I made sure to leave the Mafia on decent terms. They might not be too happy about it, but there's very few who'd want to kill me if they found me again. The only real threats that you need to be worrying about are the media, keeping my overzealous Family from tearing my home into pieces in their efforts to reconnect with me, and maybe a few strange fanatics that might start stalking me when word gets around that I'm alive. In the bigger picture, I'm just a small fry now. There's no reason for the people still in the game to target someone who's retired from it."

"Papa, you're still not understanding," he said in exasperation. "There's things you don't know--"

"Like the fact that my kids had moved into town," Tsuna growled, allowing some of his own anger to show over being kept out of the loop. "When were you planning on telling me, Demetri? No, more importantly, what else haven't you told me? If I go buy a newspaper right now, what is it that you don't want me to see in it?"

"You were keeping to yourself," he replied without an ounce of apology in his voice. "You weren't going out that much and--"

"And what?" Tsuna snapped, putting a little extra 'umph' into his swing to help keep his anger under control. "You thought I could spend the rest of my life without coming across my kids even though we live in the same city together? Did you think it'd be okay as long as I didn't notice how my newspapers kept coming up missing or how my cable keeps going on the fritz everytime I manage to sit down to watch the news without Ginger being around to change the channel? Or maybe you thought that I actually liked having no clue of what was going on around me?"

"Can you blame me?" He retorted. "You're a loose canon, Papa. There was no way of knowing which direction you were going to blow in if you found out--"

"Found out what?" Tsuna asked, finally stopping his swings long enough to meet Demetri's eyes. "How deep does this go, Demetri? Haru wouldn't suddenly decide to move here with the kids by herself. I need to know. What's really going on?"

"For your own sake, I can't tell you that," he murmured while stubbornly holding Tsuna's gaze. "You're finally getting your life back. I'm not going to tell you something that's only going to make you destroy what you've been trying to build."

"I see," Tsuna murmured. Dropping his gaze, Tsuna didn't need more of an admission than the one that Demetri had unwittingly given him. "Hotaru is here."

"You know you can't see her," Demetri said in sympathy. "She might be your daughter, but--"

"Daughter?" Tsuna repeated in confusion. Demetri paled and slapped a hand over his mouth, which was an even bigger admission. Tsuna jaw dropped open as the pieces fell into place in his head. He'd already known that Hotaru had lost control of his shape-changing ability and he'd had a bit of an identity crisis, but he'd never thought that Hotaru would continue the transition. He'd figured that, once Hotaru stopped fighting himself, he'd revert back into the boy that he'd always been. 'Daughter' told him that the exact opposite had happened. Hotaru had... He'd had... "Hotaru's a girl now?"

"And married to a guy."

Tsuna felt his heart jump into his throat as he slowly turned in place to see who'd been willing to give him such a decisive blow. He felt his hands begin to tremble when he saw that it was his own son. Leonard was standing less than ten feet away with a bag of golf clubs in his hands and a look of utter guilt on his face. Like most of his children, Leonard had Tsuna's wiry frame but his mother's likeness. In this case, his mother was a curly-haired brunette with dark brown eyes and cherub-like cheeks.

"Dad," he said in greeting when Tsuna was unable to do more than flounder like a fish. Tsuna continued to flounder even after the greeting, unsure of what he was supposed to say or do in this instance. He'd known that Leonard was a golfer, but he hadn't expected the boy to be at the golf course today! He should be in school! "Are you going to yell at me for ditching?" Leonard asked as if he'd read Tsuna's mind. Tsuna quickly shook his head, figuring that the boy had a good reason to skip out. He also figured that he wasn't in a position to yell at anyone for ditching. After all, he'd ditched work for a few hours, too. "Good," Leonard said as he dropped off his clubs in the neighboring pen. Tsuna continued to stand like a gaping statue until the teenager finally smiled at him. "I guess I'm not the only one that's nervous," he commented. "I didn't expect to see you--"

"Papa, you should go back home," Demetri interrupted as he dared to step in between Tsuna and his son. "I can smooth things over with the brass about what happened yesterday, but you can't afford to keep making contact like this. If you keep it up, they're going to consider you more of a problem than an asset and they're going to cut you loose. You can say goodbye to your amnesty, your citizenship, and everything else."

"Don't be stupid," Tsuna replied, forcibly shaking himself out of his daze to deal with the problem at hand. "They're past the point that they can take back what they've given. If they tried, they know that I'd create a media stir that they don't want. How do you think it'd look if the world found out that the CIA has been hiding Tsunayoshi Sawada for the past six months and that they turned their back just because I wanted to talk to my kids?"

"Is that a threat?" Demetri asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"No," Tsuna soothed. "It's a fact, so stop jumping to conclusions and go away. Your brass can get upset all they want, but I'm not going to agree to moving somewhere else and I'm not going to agree to spend the rest of my life stuffed into my bakery. Face it, Demetri. Your people screwed up by taking my bait instead of locking me up when they had a chance. It's too late for them to go back and do things differently, so chill out. I'm not doing anything illegal and everyone will be happy as long as you stop worrying every time I talk to someone."

"With your history, talking is all you have to do to make trouble," Demetri grumbled. "I think I have reason to worry."

"Demetri," Tsuna sighed in exasperation. Giving the man a penetrating look, Tsuna smirked when Demetri finally threw up his hands in surrender. He was spitting and cursing in frustration, but he left exactly as Tsuna wanted. Tsuna knew that it wouldn't be the end of it, though. If his intuition was correct, he could look forward to an increase in visits because the CIA was going to want to pull out every piece of information possible while Tsuna was still being cooperative.

Tsuna thought that it was a small price to pay as he knelt down to reset his golf tee. Leonard had begun practicing as soon as Demetri had come between them, but the boy hadn't left. The fact made Tsuna smile as he prepared to start hitting balls again. There was still an opening for Tsuna to connect to--

"You're gripping too tight," Leonard said as soon as Tsuna finished swinging. The statement caught Tsuna by surprise and startled him into letting go of his club. Thankfully, it didn't go flying out into the range. Unfortunately, it went flying behind him to smash against the thick plexiglass around the clubhouse. The glass didn't break, but the impact made enough noise that Tsuna caught the attention of everyone relaxing inside--including the passing owner.

"Sorry," Tsuna mouthed, blushing brightly as he gave the owner an apologetic wave. Sheepishly darting over to retrieve his club, Tsuna was sure that his ears were red in embarrassment. If not due to the amount of people grinning at him from inside, then from the amount that Leonard was openly laughing at him. It was laughter that only increased when an employee came out with a free glove for Tsuna to use, 'compliments of Doctor Samhill.'

"My hands were sweaty," Tsuna pouted after he sent the employee back with orders to put the good Doctor's lunch on his tab. Of course, his explanation only made Leonard laugh harder, but the sound made Tsuna happy. It wasn't often that he got to hear his children happy. "You don't have to laugh that much," Tsuna mock-grumbled as he put the glove on. "I used to be pretty good at this, you know. I'm just a little out of practice."

"I know," Leonard laughed. "But you should have seen your face. It's..."

"It's what?" Tsuna prompted curiously when Leonard seemed to sober from his amusement.

"It's not like what I imagined," he replied honestly as he leaned up against the pole separating their pens. "Other than your school pictures, most of the ones we have are ones you're posing in. I thought you'd be a stiff-neck, but you're actually pretty normal."

"I had a different life back then," Tsuna explained, relaxing as he bent over to put another ball on his tee. "Everyone expected me to be this amazing businessman and this formidable person, but I was never really comfortable like that. I just wanted to go out and have fun with my friends and my family, but you know what they say. 'The bigger the Family, the bigger the headache.'"

"The bigger the heart, too," Leonard smiled. Tsuna smiled with him, touched beyond belief at his son's vote of confidence. "I talked to Ari and the others after we got home yesterday," he added quietly. "After she told us your side of the story, we felt bad about how we acted. Well... Gillian didn't, but I think he'll come around eventually."

"If he doesn't, then I can't blame him," Tsuna sighed. "I know I haven't been very consistent."

"A-Anyway," he continued in determination, "I wanted to say that I'm sorry about how we acted. You just kind of caught us off-guard. We weren't expecting you to show up like that."

"That goes both ways," he chuckled. "I wasn't expecting you to be there either. It really surprised me that any of you were willing to talk to me on such short notice. Your sister is a pretty amazing girl to take advantage of the opportunity like she did."

"I know," Leonard agreed shyly. "She yelled at us when we got home for not going after you, too. I don't know about the others, but I really wanted to. I just... If you were going to disappear again, I didn't... I mean, I could have, but--"

"Leonard," Tsuna interrupted, instantly getting the boy's wide-eyed attention. "It's really okay," Tsuna soothed in complete understanding. "Considering you're standing here, talking to me right now, I don't really have anything to complain about. It's more than I had yesterday or the day before."

"T-True," he agreed hesitantly.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Ariana," Tsuna continued as he put his driver back in his bag in preparation of leaving. "I have no idea how to be a father. If you have any expectations of me, then I'm only going to disappoint you. Are you prepared for that, Leonard? I've changed a lot in the past decade. All the stories that you've heard about me are completely meaningless because I'm not the same person anymore."

"I know," Leonard confirmed with a slow smile. "Actually, I should say that we all know. I told you that Ariana told us what you said and we really sat down and thought about what you were trying to tell us. That's why we decided to keep it secret that we met you. Mom and Uncle Lanchia said it was okay not to tell anyone, too. Me and Ari and Joseph all want some time to get to know you better before the rat-pack starts nipping."

"Rat pack?" Tsuna chuckled, slightly in awe of his children's cunning.

"That's what Mr. Hibari calls them," Leonard grinned. "He says that the Uncles are like a pack of rats and you're the cheese and he's the trap that's going to bite them to death when they start crowding.... or something like that. It was cooler when he said it."

"I bet," Tsuna laughed. Then his smile faded as he saw Ray walking through the clubhouse in search of him. "My ride is back to get me," Tsuna sighed. "I've got to go. I--"

"Joseph made the football team," Leonard blurted. "He's second string since the season already started, but the coach is probably going to put him in the games anyway. There's... um... there's a home game on Friday and... um... I got special permission to come here and practice during my afternoon classes on Tuesday and Thursdays as long as I keep my grades up. If... um... If you want to come practice with me sometime."

"I'd like that," Tsuna replied as he struggled to keep tears from showing in his eyes. "I'll talk to my crew at work and see what I can manage. They might be able to do without me for an hour or two on Tuesdays. Tell Joseph that I'll be at his game, too. The bakery closes at seven, so I don't know if I can make the kick-offs, but I'll do my damnest to get there before half-time."

"Really?" Leonard gaped with his eyes shining in happiness.

"How could I say no after getting an invitation?" Tsuna smiled. Lifting his hand up, his fingers trembled slightly as he reached out to ruffle his son's hair. He was a good kid. He was honest, straight-forward, and kind. He wished that he could say that some of it had been his doing, but he knew that Father Robert deserved most of the credit for how they'd turned out. "I'll see you later," he said as he shouldered his golf clubs.

Leonard didn't say anything as Tsuna headed off the driving range. He kept his head bowed and quickly turned to hide his confusion under the cover of sorting his clubs. Tsuna understood the confusion. They barely knew each other and they'd traded very little information during their conversation, but Tsuna could feel the beginnings of a connection. However, the current happiness didn't make the pain of the past go away. It was going to take a lot of dedicated work to get even a semblance of a real relationship started.

Kind of like how Ray was trying to start a relationship with the clubhouse waitress.

"Let's go, lover-boy," Tsuna laughed as he reached out to grab Ray's earlobe. "Unless you forgot, there's a bakery waiting with a lot of dirty dishes for you to wash."


	155. Chapter 155 Sunken Ship

"If you're mad about something, then just tell me what it is," Gabe growled as Tsuna continued kneading dough on his work-table. Tsuna didn't respond, continuing to give Gabe the same silent treatment that he'd been giving for the past three days. Although, he couldn't really say that it was the silent treatment because Tsuna had spoken to him a few times. Unfortunately, it'd been absent-minded and entirely one-sided. It was like Tsuna couldn't hear any of the words coming out of Gabe's mouth and he couldn't be bothered unless it was something to do with the bakery.

Gabe didn't know what to think. Even their sex life had dropped off into nonexistence. Tsuna didn't want to be touched. He didn't want to be talked to. He didn't want to go anywhere or do anything. At first, Gabe had thought that he was just having an off-day or was ill. He'd actually stayed in bed all day Sunday instead of getting up and cooking breakfast like he usually did. Then, it'd continued the next day. He hadn't dragged himself out of bed until after Andy had already arrived to begin the day's preparations and he'd completely skipped over his morning workout. This morning didn't seem to be any better. He was completely lacking in energy and his responses were lifeless when he gave any at all.

Gabe couldn't remember doing anything wrong, but there was no telling with Tsuna. It was always possible that he'd rubbed a sore nerve with a joke or something. It was also possible that he was upset because Gabe only had another two months remaining before he left for the drive north. It was also possible that it had nothing to do with him. Tsuna's kids had been comng around lately. One of them might have said something hurtful and none of them would know.

Trading a worried glance with Andy, who was checking the temperature on the brick oven, Gabe decided that enough was enough. He was going to get an answer one way or another!

"Damnit, Tsuna!" Gabe snapped, putting enough bite into his words that Tsuna was actually startled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Gabe shouted. "It's one thing if you're just in a bad mood, but you're making everyone worry about you!" There was no response again. "Will you just talk to me?" He continued stubbornly. "I'm not Snicker! I can't figure out what you're think--" Breaking off, Gabe wasn't sure what sent him reeling more: Tsuna's solid punch or the angry tears in Tsuna's eyes. The combination left Gabe speechless.

_You just made a major fuck-up_, Rendrick commented unhelpfully in the back of his head. One glance at Tsuna's expression was enough to tell him that he'd fucked up, but he couldn't figure out what he'd done! Was it because he'd mentioned up Snicker? What did that matter? He'd died years ago! It had nothing to do with what happened here and now--

"Oh, hell," Gabe gasped, taking a few steps backward when he realized what he'd done. "I totally forgot. Today is--"

"SHUT UP!" Tsuna shouted as he threw down his apron and stormed upstairs. Gabriel flinched internally and externally. He was seriously tempted to sew his mouth shut. Now that he knew the cause for Tsuna's mood-swing, he also knew how lucky he'd been that Tsuna had only grown a little distant. He should have left Tsuna alone until Tsuna was ready to talk about it on his own. He should have opened his arms a little more instead of pressuring Tsuna. How stupid could he get? He deserved to get hit for compare himself to Snicker on _Tsuna's birthday_.

Shaking his head in response to Andy's questioning look, Gabe slowly put on an apron to help as the man's assistant. They'd have to rely on Andy's skill to get them through the day because, due to his ill-chosen words, it was unlikely that Tsuna would feel like baking for a while. He'd hurt Tsuna yet again and it didn't help to tell himself that it'd been an accident. Actually, it hadn't been an accident. Ever since Tsuna had begun acting strange, Gabe had been trying to ignore the nagging sensation of jealousy toward Snicker. He'd kept thinking, 'Tsuna never acted this way toward Snicker' and 'Tsuna would probably open up if Snicker were the one talking' or 'Snicker would have known the right thing to say to cheer Tsuna up'. Yet, he should have been thinking, 'Tsuna is counting on me'. Even worse, he'd completely forgotten Tsuna's birthday.

Gabe didn't say a word as Ray and Tonno came downstairs to get their breakfast. They gave him disgusted stares when he put a box of cereal and a bag of bagels on the counter again instead of breaking out with a batch of fresh fruit muffins, sausage, and eggs like Tsuna did, but they'd have to deal with it. He wasn't in a particularly good mood to cook and he'd need all of his concentration if he was going to keep up with Andy until Tsuna came back. That was assuming that Tsuna wouldn't leave him over his mistake.

He prayed that Tsuna wouldn't leave him over his mistake.

"Stop gnawing at my ankle, Chopper," Gabe sighed, pausing in the middle of prepping Tsuna's dough for baking.

"WhaddiewdodoPapa?!" The little tanuki growled with his mouth still full of the bottom hem of Gabe's pants.

"I was insensitive and said something I shouldn't have," Gabe answered honestly. Kneeling down, Gabe sadly patted Chopper's head in hopes that it'd bring him some luck and tried to smile when the pup finally let go of his pants. "I'll apologize to him properly after he calms down enough to listen to me, so don't bug him right now. Just do me a favor and go wake up Ginger. We're going to need his help to keep things running until Papa feels better."

"Is he sick?" Chopper asked worriedly. "If he's sick, I can take him some medicine."

"He's not sick," Gabe replied. "He's just depressed as hell right now. He's remembering things that he shouldn't and he's been trying to deal with it by himself because he can be just as pig-headed as me. If you want to help him, then the best thing to do is to wait for him to come around on his own."

"You're just going to leave him like that?" Chopper asked with a wrinkle of his nose.

"No," Gabe smiled. "I'm not very good at waiting, which is why..." he continued, coming to a decision as he stood back up, "Ray, I need you to hurry up with your breakfast and help Andy. He can give you directions on what to do. Tonno, do you think you can open the front by yourself until Jim gets here?"

"What are you planning to do?" Tonno asked with a dark gleam in his eye.

"What I should have done in the first place," he answered as he took his apron off and tossed it over to Ray. Darting up the stairs to his bedroom, Gabe quietly shut and locked the door behind him once he was inside. The sound of running water was coming from the bathroom, telling him exactly where Tsuna had gone. Gabe wasn't surprised. Despite how erratic he could seem, Tsuna was incredibly predictable. When he felt tired, he took a shower. When he felt sad, he took a shower. When he felt upset and ready to kill someone, he turned on the hot water and sat on the edge of the toilet until he calmed down. Then he took a hot shower. On bad days, Tsuna was known to take three showers before someone called shenanigans over the lack of hot water.

When he was moved by something, he baked. When he was excited, he told stories. When he was nervous, he smoked. When he was moody, he ate ice cream. When he was nostalgic, he brewed tea. There were a million signs that Gabe had been able to categorize and all of them led to one conclusion; Tsuna was normally a lovable, predictable idiot. That was why it was so important that Gabe actually did something instead of leaving Tsuna to his own devices. Tsuna was currently unpredictable because his birthday had knocked him off-track and he couldn't get back to normal without help.

Tossing his watch and his wallet on the dresser, Gabriel gritted his teeth, stormed into the bathroom, and jumped into the shower fully dressed before Tsuna could stop him. He got punched in the face again for his troubles, but Tsuna mistakenly didn't put enough strength in the blow to cause any real damage. This gave Gabe the opportunity to take control of the situation by grabbing Tsuna's arms, pinning him to the shower wall, and silencing him with a kiss. Again, he got his lip bit for the trouble, but Gabe wasn't ready to give up with such half-hearted opposition. He headbutted Tsuna and kissed him again.

As he'd hoped, Tsuna's angry facade crumbled when he finally felt Gabe's lips and Tsuna's resolution to fight seeped out of his arms. Tsuna felt what Gabe was putting into the kiss and there was no way that he could struggle against Gabe's unadulterated desperation. Of course, it didn't make Tsuna happy or very open to discussion when Gabe finally let him have air, but it stopped Tsuna's ability to run away and that... That was enough for Tsuna to realize his own desperation.

Tsuna turned the tables in an instant, pinning Gabe to the wall in his place with a kiss. He pulled his arms out of Gabe's grip to tear at his soaked beltline and Gabe didn't resist for an instant. After all, he'd dedicated his life to giving Tsuna what he wanted and there was no way that he was going to reject him. The problem with the situation was that Gabe knew that the feelings he was receiving wasn't meant for himself. He also knew that Tsuna needed to release his emotions regardless of who volunteered.

Gabe stripped his shirt off at Tsuna's cue and kicked his wet boots off to the side of the shower. When his pants were pulled down, he leaned against the wall and silently allowed Tsuna free reign. It was difficult to control himself despite knowing there was a problem. Tsuna's naked body was enough to turn him on even without the help of the shower's magical waters. Tsuna's lips against his skin was enough to drown him in pleasure and Tsuna's teeth--

Gabe lashed out in instinct. Backhanding Tsuna away from his thigh with enough force that he slammed against the floor of the tub, Gabe froze with his hand still raised. He hadn't meant to do that. Tsuna had bitten him hard enough to draw blood and he'd just reacted. Tsuna couldn't hold that against him! Then Tsuna looked up over his shoulder and Gabe understood the true face of the beast attacking him.

There was a depraved gleam in Tsuna's eyes that Gabe recognized from when he looked at himself in the mirror. Somewhere in his life, Tsuna had become a masochist in order to survive. Obviously, he didn't let that part of him reign free very often, but it was in him. In a situation like this, where he was under enough emotional pain to be truly suffering, he was relying on his ability to turn pain into pleasure to deal with his internal misery. And... And the look in his eyes was asking Gabe to play along, even though he was well aware how much pain it'd cause Gabe in return. Tsuna knew how hard Gabe had worked to keep himself civil and their relationship on a respectable level, yet he was still asking Gabe to throw his promises away. Tsuna was still asking Gabe to hurt him.

Bowing his head, Gabriel made his decision in the few seconds that Tsuna gave him. It was a no-brainer. He didn't care if it tore his own soul into shreds or turned him into a monstrous beast. Whatever Tsuna needed, he would provide without hesitation. Yet, his heart still tore in two when Tsuna cringed at having his hair pulled and he felt his stomach flip when the sound of Tsuna's gasp reached his ears. That didn't stop him from forcing Tsuna's mouth back onto his erection, though, and it didn't stop him from ejaculating down his throat. It didn't stop him from brutally smashing Tsuna's face into the wall of the shower and it didn't stop him from forcing himself into Tsuna while using humiliation tactics. It also didn't stop him from leaving Tsuna in the floor of the shower afterward while he got out to sterilize and bandage his thigh.

Eventually, the water shut off and Tsuna got out behind him, but Gabe couldn't speak for a long time. He couldn't even look at Tsuna. However, that didn't stop Tsuna from coming forward to wrap his arms around Gabe. It was the nature of the hug that made Gabe relax a bit. Even though it wasn't particularly warm, it was apologetic and that was enough for both of them to pretend that the past half hour hadn't happened.

"It wasn't my fault downstairs," Gabe said as Tsuna bowed his head in refusal to meet Gabe's eyes. "You know that I never pick the right words when I'm anxious and all you've been doing is making me anxious the past few days. Why didn't you tell me what was wrong, Tsuna? Did you think I wouldn't understand or that I'd get jealous?"

"But you are jealous," Tsuna retorted in a sour tone.

"Damn straight!" Gabe shouted. "You'd be jealous, too, if you found out your boyfriend was thinking about someone else, but that doesn't mean that I can't be understanding! I get it! Snicker was an important person to you and you've been distant because you know that he's been rolling in his grave--" Gabe broke off with a grimace when Tsuna looked up with a horrified expression. He'd chosen poor words again. Calm down. Be more sensitive. "I meant to say that you've been distant because you don't think he'd be happy that we're together and I can understand how that would make you uncomfortable. But he's not here anymore, Tsuna. He's been gone a long time and, no matter how much you miss him, I can't bring him back to celebrate your birthday with you."

"I know that!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I'm not asking for--"

"That's the thing," Gabe interrupted, leaving Tsuna with an expression of misery on his face, "You never ask for anything, but you should--even when you know it's unreasonable. I'm not with you just for sex and the good times, Tsuna. I want to help you through the bad, too. If you're scared that Snicker isn't happy seeing us together, then you can tell me that. If you're unhappy with something, I'll listen to that, too, no matter how trivial it might be. If you want a party or something special done for your birthday, you need to tell me that. Whatever you need to say, you can say it instead of bottling it up. I might not be able to do anything other than listen, but it doesn't hurt to have two people thinking on the problem."

"I--"

"Don't say that you don't want to make me worry," Gabe interrupted again, seeing Tsuna's expression turn to guilt. "If you can't lean on me for something like this, then what the hell am I here for?" Tsuna stared into space for a long moment while he searched for the answer, but his response was already decided. The life began to return to his eyes and the tears came with it.

Pulling Tsuna into a tighter embrace so that he could cry all that he wanted, Gabe knew what the score was. Between himself and Snicker, he knew that it was no contest. However, he also knew that Snicker was dead. Tsuna might be confused and hurting right now because he had to go through another birthday without Snicker, but the day would pass and Tsuna would eventually go back to enjoying what was actually within his reach. Eventually, Tsuna's tears would run out.

As expected, he was subdued after he finished crying and thankfully didn't seem like he was going off into his own little world anymore. By the time that they had both gotten silently dressed in fresh clothes, he was almost back to normal. At least, he didn't reject Gabe when he put his arms around him and held him to his chest for another supporting hug.

"Why don't we close early today?" Gabe whispered in suggestion. "We can find the closest Buddhist Temple and have them do a few chants or whatever they do for the dead. I know it's not the same as having Snicker with you, but at least you can tell him that you're thinking of him."

"Snicker was Christian," Tsuna mumbled.

"That makes it even easier," Gabe smiled. "We can go down to a Church and light a candle for him. Didn't Wasp say that there's a new one that opened just up the road? It might not be fancy, but we won't stick out as new because everyone there is new."

"But he said that there was something strange about that place," Tsuna objected. "I thought we decided not to go there."

"No..." Gabe corrected slowly. "She said that it was weird because the Priest was younger than usual and you said that a younger Priest meant that it was probably a Church scam. There's no proof of that, though, so why don't we just go and take a look? If you get a bad feeling about the place, then we'll go across town to the main one to light a candle."

"You'll go with me...?" Tsuna asked in a quiet voice.

"You'll have to knock me out to keep me away," Gabe replied. "Even then, I'd come after you as soon as I woke up because there's no way in hell that I'm going to let you be alone on your birthday. How does it feel to be thirty-four?"

"Tiring," Tsuna sighed. "I'm sorry if I've been in a funk lately. It's just hard and it's not all about Snicker. I... I was thinking about Kyoko, too. The first time I had a birthday party with friends, she was there and she's gone now. Snicker is gone, too, and seeing Haru again... I don't know. I'm probably just thinking too much. I'd come to hate my birthday, but I've got a lot of good memories. I think I got depressed because I know that I can't repeat some things. I started dreading how today was going to turn out and I really just wanted to skip it so I could stop worrying about it."

"I can't allow that," Gabe objected, making Tsuna tense in his arms. "Maybe I want to make some memories, too. How about we go to the Church so you won't feel guilty? Then we can come back, get dressed, and go out for once? You like the circus, so how does Circus Circus sound? I've noticed that you keep looking at the brocures for it at the supermarket."

"That would be nice," Tsuna agreed with a shy blush. "Um... do you think we could go to a hotel tonight? I... uh..."

"Now who's the pervert," Gabe teased as Tsuna's blush deepened. He could understand the request, though. Having Tonno, Ray, Houston, Jesse, Ginger and Chopper living under the same roof made it very difficult to regularly let loose in bed. Passion had long become secondary to the need for silence, but this was one time that no one would argue over the unnecessary expense. "I hope you don't mind if I bring the baby oil," Gabe whispered, leaning down to nibble on Tsuna's ear as an extra tease. "If we're going to get a hotel room, then I'm going to grease you up and massage every inch of your body until I'm satisfied."

"Gabe!" Tsuna hissed as his embarrassment rocketed to record-breaking proportions. "Quit talking dirty!"

"Never," he grinned. "You wouldn't turn so red if you didn't like it."

"That's not--!" Tsuna broke off with a shudder as Gabe reached between his legs to fondle the proof through Tsuna's pants. Tsuna was already hard again. It would have to wait, though. One of them needed to be downstairs to open the bakery and Tsuna wasn't in any condition to worry about business. However, Gabe got a devious inspiration on how he could keep Tsuna's mind from wandering into dark places.

As soon as he let go of Tsuna and darted across the room to pull a suitcase from under their bed, Gabe knew that he was walking down a dangerous path. They'd made a deal when they'd moved in together. Tsuna got the storage above the closet and Gabe wouldn't pry. Gabe got the storage under the bed with the promise that Tsuna wouldn't look at the stuff. They both had things that they still couldn't share after all. For Tsuna, it was likely Mafia-related stuff. For Gabe, it was his hobbies.

Tsuna would kill him if he knew about the camera equipment being stored right under his nose. He'd throw Gabe out if he had any notion about the suitcase of photos that Gabe had and Gabe didn't think that Tsuna would forgive the costumes. Even worse, he feared for his genitals if Tsuna had any idea that Gabe had a portable DVD player with the video of his rape on it. Gabe couldn't help it, though! He did have perverted fantasies and the recording had Tsuna acting out many of them. However, none of that mattered in comparison to what was in the case that he opened: sex-toys. He couldn't help himself. Every-time he came across one, he found himself imagining what it'd be like to use it on Tsuna. He thought that he'd done good so far by keeping them in storage and he hadn't actually planned to use any of them, but... But desperate times called for desperate measures and Tsuna could use a perverted distraction.

_This is a bad idea_, Rendrick warned.

Which one, though? This might be his only chance to use one and be forgiven, but there were so many to choose from. It had to be something that would go unnoticed if Tsuna went downstairs. That meant the dildos and harnesses were out. Tsuna would walk strangely with the dildos and he wouldn't be able to hide the rattle of the buckles with the harness. The opposite went for the smaller items and the stationary objects. Tsuna would be able to ignore them too easily once he acclimated to them. Then Gabe saw it. It was one of the first devices that he'd gotten and a classic when it came to subduing a stubborn man.

Snatching it up, he quickly closed the case and shoved it back under his bed before Tsuna could become curious about the contents. The item went in his pocket before Tsuna could see it, but that didn't matter. Tsuna would become closely acquainted with it fairly shortly.

"I have a feeling I should be worried," Tsuna paled. Gabe didn't reply. Walking back over to him, Gabe focused entirely on getting Tsuna to put his guard down. He kissed him. He fondled him. He guided him in the direction that he wanted until he finally managed to get Tsuna to bend over the side of the bed with his pants around his thighs. The sight was enough to get a rise out of Gabe, but the item in his pocket was enough to make him ignore it, too.

Tsuna was going to kill him.

"Gabe--!" Tsuna spluttered as Gabe carefully pushed the cold egg inside him. "What did you just put in me?!"

"Something that will make you feel good," Gabe grinned as he strapped the battery pack to Tsuna's thigh. He barely managed to fasten the velcro before Tsuna scrambled away from him. Doing so was a complete mistake. As soon as Tsuna came to a stop on his hands and knees atop the bed, Gabe couldn't stop himself. He reached into his pocket and thumbed the remote control for the device that he'd inserted. The effect was instant and twice as satisfying as Gabe could have hoped for. Tsuna's hand instantly went to his crotch to control himself and his entire body shuddered in pleasure from the vibrations being unleashed against his prostate.

"Wh--What did you do?" Tsuna gasped as his face fell forward into the bed.

"I'm just keeping your mind in the here-and-now," Gabe answered as he quietly observed every one of Tsuna's movements. From his trembling lips to how much he raised his hips, Gabe memorized all of it. It could be the last time that he ever had Tsuna in such a position and he'd be damned if he didn't exploit it. He really wished that he could get his camera out, but Tsuna was probably already going to kill him for doing this little bit. He'd just have to make do with remembering everything. "Turn over," he ordered. "Let me see you touch yourself."

"No!" Tsuna spluttered. "I'm not doing that!"

"Okay," Gabe shrugged. Having already known that Tsuna wouldn't give in so easily, Gabe shut off the device and turned to leave. He'd still gotten a good amount of enjoyment out of the situation. Tsuna would probably take the thing out as soon as Gabe left the room, but there was always the small chance that he'd leave it in. If Tsuna did, then Gabe could use it as a way to snap Tsuna out of his funk whenever he decided to think about silly th--

"Wait--!" Tsuna gasped. Bingo, Gabe thought as he turned back around. He'd been cruel. He'd completely cut off stimulation after teasing Tsuna while he'd already been horny. There was no way that Tsuna could simply let him leave with things unfinished. His body was too hungry for that to happen. He wanted more, but was too embarrassed to admit it.

Tough shit.

"Did it feel good, Tsuna?"

"Y-Yes."

"Do you want more?"

"Gabe--!"

"Do you want more?" Gabe repeated with a smirk.

"Yeah," he mumbled with a petulant pout.

"Then be good and turn over so I can see you."

* * *

Tsuna refused to look at Gabe. The bastard was too smug about getting the upper hand. He'd been even more smug every time he'd gotten a chance to give Tsuna a 'reminder' to focus on the tasks at hand. Tsuna was willing to admit that the plan had been effective. Every time that he'd started thinking about things that would get him depressed, all it'd taken was a little buzz to get him back on track. However, he was going to have a little talk with Gabe eventually. Tsuna hadn't thought it was funny when Gabe had buzzed him for talking to a woman and he really didn't think it was amusing that he'd had to finish an entire cake while hiding an erection. By the time that they'd been ready to close after the noon rush, he'd barely been capable of standing.

It was over, though. Not even Gabe would make him go to Church with something like that toy inside of him. While the boys had cleaned up the building and closed down the kitchen, Gabe had finally taken it out, given Tsuna what he needed to be satiated, and helped him into another shower to get cleaned off. Tsuna had the energy to go out after a quick lunch and several cups of coffee, but he swore that he'd figure out a way to get Gabe back for his antics. Of all the things to do on his birthday, being toyed with wasn't on Tsuna's list.

Tsuna put such thoughts out of his mind as they finally arrived at the Church. It was nothing like what he'd expected. When he'd been told that it was a Church that had begun working the streets, he'd expected a shoddy little scam set up inside a renovated store. This was different, though. It was actually a Church, complete with stained-glass windows and a bell-tower, but it didn't take Tsuna long to figure out how such a Church had popped up.

It was a fake. Tsuna had no doubts that the current keepers were actually religious, but the Church had been built entirely for the sake of eloping couples. The reason Tsuna could tell was because he could see three other Churches on the same block and both of them had hired crowds waiting outside to toss birdseed. The one in front of him was different, though. There was definitely a crowd, but it wasn't the same kind as the others. Instead, it was groups of homeless men who were slowly enjoying an after-sermon meal on the front steps and several of the men were people that Tsuna recognized from his own sermons.

"Preacher!" Bull exclaimed as soon as he caught sight of Tsuna. Leaving Gabe to help the boys out of the back of the truck, Tsuna slowly approached while surveying the scene. Everyone looked pretty happy and they were a lot more relaxed than usual. Typically, when homeless men ate, they ate quickly and efficiently so that the food would end up in their stomachs instead of stolen. Instead, all of them were currently taking their time to savor every bite they'd been given and they were doing it in the open. Tsuna knew from experience that it took a lot of trust for a homeless man to be able to do that. Whomever was running the Church had to have a good reputation to pull such a thing off. "What are you doing here?" Bull greeted.

"I wanted to light a candle for someone and this was the closest place," he answered while he continued to look around at everyone. "I thought I'd check it out instead of going across town. Do you usually come here?"

"Every day since they opened," the gang leader confirmed. "The Priests in here are different than the rest. They don't tell us that God is sending us to hell and then turn around and tell us that God loves us. They preach that bad things happen to good people for a reason and then they tells us that the bad stuff hits us because God knows we're strong enough to handle it. They say that it's us who doesn't have enough faith in God and we screw up because we let the Devil turn us into pessimists. But as long as we're optimists, then we can keep going cause we're all part of God's plan. We might get a shitty life, but our lives have meaning. You know? He says it's like how someone has to be around to haul shit on a farm. It's not a pretty job and the guy doing it will curse cause of how much it stinks, but someone that he might never meet is going to eat from the garden that he's fertilizing and they'll get stronger cause of it."

"That's one way of thinking about things," Tsuna smiled in amusement for the metaphor. "The trouble with the world is that a lot of people don't care about people that they can't see."

"But that's the cool part," Bull replied enthusiastically. "The Priest guy knows that and he says that it don't matter because we sometimes enjoy the bounty of other people's labors and might never notice it. Just like these sandwiches," he continued, holding up his lunch for Tsuna to see. "Someone else had to sit in the kitchen all day to put these together and that guy was probably wishing that he could be doing something else, but I'm eating good because of him."

"What is that?" Tsuna asked, seeing that the color of the meat wasn't the typical, cheap bologna or ham. It wasn't even the typical boxed stuff in the supermarket.

"Smoked turkey and veggies," he answered with a wide grin. "He also gave us each a huge slice of pumpkin pie and some apple cider. He said that it wouldn't be October if he didn't. They're kind of wierd, but the Priests here are good people, Preacher. They don't cut corners like most people do and there's always enough to go around."

"I can't wait to meet them," Tsuna smiled as Gabe and the rest of the boys finally joined him. Leaving Bull to get back to his meal, Tsuna was stopped several more times by acquaintances who wanted to greet him. Tsuna wasn't surprised. He'd become a regular fixture for most of their Wednesday evenings and he'd protected several of them from unfair assault tactics. Tsuna didn't know what it was about teenage wannabe thugs, but they just loved to pick on men who were too weak from poor living to fight back. Tsuna guessed it was because they disliked seeing what was waiting at the end of the road they were on.

Heading into the Church, Tsuna paused in confusion within the doors. He actually had to step back and look outside a second time to ensure that it actually was a Church. The sign definitely said 'United Holy Assembly', though. Tsuna was simply taken off-guard by the specifics of what had been united. The interior held pews like any Christian Church, but that was where the normalities ended. Each stained glass window held a different spiritual emblem: a Crucifix, a Star of David, A Pentacle, and a Dharma Wheel. Each corner of the building held a different altar: Christian, Jewish, Wiccan, and Buddhist. Each one of the Priests waiting to welcome them wore a different uniform.

"Isn't it amazing how such different icons can be linked together despite the difference in faiths?" A frighteningly familiar voice asked. Tsuna's stomach dropped out from under him as the doors behind him slammed shut. He felt Tonno tense behind him and the rest of the boys begin to mill around in confusion, but none of them had any idea of the danger that was present. Adie smiled as she stepped out from hiding with Gregory humbly following. Tsuna's heart skipped each time her heels clicked on the floor and her amusement only deepened as Tsuna frantically tried to understand what she was doing there. Gregory was bad enough, but Adie?! She was probably smelling his panic from across the room.

"The Crucifix is Christian and reminds us that forgiveness can not come without sacrifice," Adie said conversationally as she gestured to the stained glass windows. "The Star of David is Jewish and reminds us of the lasting importance of the number Seven. Six plus one. Six days of work and one day of rest. Six directions on a compass and one center. Seven angels... or six Guardians and one leader. Then there is the Pentacle for Wicca. Did you know that it was once a Christian symbol? It symbolized the five wounds of Christ. Now it symbolizes the Five elements of nature: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. Oh, and we can't forget the Dharma Wheel. Doesn't it remind you of the symbol for the Alpha and the Omega? The main difference is that the Alpha and the Omega has six spokes and the Dharma Wheel has eight. Do you know what number is between six and eight?"

"Seven," Tsuna answered as he sent Gregory a questioning look. The teenager refused to meet his eyes for some reason. It was as if the conversation only included Tsuna and Adie, but the line of reasoning was making no sense. "But that doesn't mean anything. You've used a lot of other numbers, too."

"I have," she agreed with a knowing smile. "But a typical man or woman would never be able to comprehend whether the coincidences are accidental or planned, regardless of which afterlife we believe in. All we can do is to muddle through with the best of our abilities and pray that there is a method to the madness." Tsuna didn't understand what the woman was babbling about, but he was able to figure one thing out from the way that Gregory was deferring to her. Adie was part of the Illuminati and she'd browbeaten Gregory into staying silent about something. That could only mean one thing.

"What did you predict, Gregory?" Tsuna asked, feeling his stomach flip in fear.

"He can't tell you," Adie replied as she softly laid a hand on the boy's shoulder in support. "I honestly didn't want to see you again, Tsunayoshi, but the situation is critical. Gregory feels a duty to warn you, but I can't allow you to pressure him into speaking. I have a duty to something bigger than us. If I have to, then I'm under orders to ensure that contact stays severed between the two of you until the butterfly effect has been triggered. I'm permitted to kill either one of you if neccessary. I don't think that I have to tell you that I'd rather not, but you have a way of screwing up predictions so I'm asking nicely for you to back down on this one, Tsunayoshi."

"You've come a long way from the woman who whined because her son wasn't paying enough attention to her," Tsuna commented in hopes of diffusing the situation.

"You've become human," she retorted sadly. "I'm sorry, Tsunayoshi. This is nothing personal. As an apology, I have clearance to allow Gregory to deal with another issue that he's predicted."

"Oh?" Tsuna murmured with a raised eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Your death," she smiled. Tsuna's face went blank in surprise. The declaration left him too stunned to move, but the rest of the room seemed to explode around him. Gregory unleashed his wings and raised a revolver. Gabe jerked Tsuna behind him and covered his head to protect Tsuna from the shot. The boys ducked into the closest pews for cover and... and Tonno hit the ground with a bullet in his head before he could finish pulling out his own revolver.

As quickly as the room had exploded, everything seemed to freeze around him as Tsuna shoved Gabe away and lunged to his son's side. He knew that it hadn't been a real bullet. There was no way that Gregory was capable of actually killing someone, but that wasn't what Tsuna was afraid of. He was afraid of exactly what happened. Tonno began to lose containment of his Flame due to the effect of the special shot. He was already shaking and his sweat was beginning to steam from the pressure. If he kept it up, his Flames would begin leaking through his skin and...

"Damnit!" Tsuna shouted, looking over his shoulder at Gabe. "We have to get him home! I need my gloves so I--"

"Confess, Tonno," Gregory demanded in an echoing voice. "Your silence will only cause more suffering."

"Papa is Momma," Tonno blurted. Tsuna's eyes bulged, but the most surprised person in the room was Tonno himself. He slapped his hands over his mouth and was openly dismayed at the words that had come out in place of his objection. The damage was done, though. The small puzzle piece was enough for Tsuna to get a glimpse at the bigger picture.

"I thought so before, but you're not one of the kids from the Horseman Paradox," Tsuna mumbled as Tonno's trembling worsened. "Someone else created you with my genetics and... if they used my DNA to create the mother, then.... Xanxus," Tsuna gasped, knowing that it could be no one else. Tsuna wasn't quite sure if he could believe it, but it definitely explained a lot about Tonno's itchy trigger finger, the uncontrollable strength of his Flame, and the reason that his body could withstand emitting it without a weapon as a medium. His entire body was a weapon!

"I hate him," Tonno gasped as he covered his eyes instead of his mouth in effort to hide his tears. "I didn't want you to know. I want to kill him so that you couldn't find out! It's his fault that I'm like this and I wanted to blame him for the fire, but I know--! I know that it was my fault! It's my fault that Mr. B almost died and it's my fault that CEDEF Headquarters blew up! I just wanted to blame him and make it all go away! I don't want to be a walking time bomb anymore!"

Tsuna couldn't think of a word to say as Tonno broke out into tears. The confession had been forced, but Tsuna had no doubt that the information was accurate. Tonno was the creation of Tsuna and Xanxus' DNA. It was mind-boggling. He had no idea what to say to calm Tonno down in the face of such an admission. What could he possibly tell to someone who's mother was a man and had a father who was a sociopathic assassin? Tsuna didn't think saying 'he's not as bad as he used to be' would be particularly helpful. No matter what Xanxus was like, it wouldn't change the fact that Tonno's Flame was explosive and dangerous. Although, crying seemed to help him. Since he wasn't burying the guilt or hiding his pain anymore, his Flame didn't have as much energy to feed off of. Tsuna just wished that he knew what to say to wipe the pain away entirely.

"Why does everyone always blame their parents when they screw up?" Ray blurted. Tsuna's jaw dropped as he turned his head to look at the guy and Tonno stiffened in his arms, but Ray didn't seem to notice. He was too busy in lounging against a pew and staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all of life's great questions. "It's pretty screwed up that Papa is your mom, but a lot of people have dead-beat dads and turn out fine. Just look at me. My dad was a workaholic and he was rarely home, but he didn't point a gun at my head and make me gamble. Sure, I get pissed when I think about how he neglected me and my sis, but he's not the one to blame. I'm the one that screwed up. Isn't that the same with you, Tonno? Whatever happened before that has you acting like a wuss is something you did. It just sucks to have to admit it, but I can tell you one thing from experience--admitting that you screwed up is a lot less painful in the long run than trying to fix everything by yourself."

"How can I do that?" Tonno sniffed, his entire face crumbling into an even larger mass of pain and confusion. "I can't just--"

"Just let it go," Ray advised with a sympathetic smile. "You're letting your past rule who you are here and now, but everyone can change. I'll prove it to you."

Understanding the recklessness that was about to result from Ray's bold statement, Tsuna helped Tonno into a sitting position to watch as the closest thing he had to a friend decided to jump out from hiding. The idiot was holding nothing more than a bible to protect himself, which made the scene somewhat comical. It was as if he thought that an assassin pretending to be a Priest would actually pause in fear of hitting such a shield. Tsuna let him, knowing that he could be corrected later. He also knew that Gregory had no intention of firing another bullet and that only good could come out of allowing Ray his misguided moment of bravery.

Even better, a quick glance around the room told Tsuna that Ray wasn't alone. Jim and Andy had flanked the outside aisles of the pews and Jesse somehow appeared behind Gregory. All of them ran forward together in hopes of creating a pincer manuever that would block all escape routes. It didn't work, of course. The boys weren't trained enough to make such tactics work, but the unified motion of the three was exactly what Tsuna wanted his misguided son to see. He wanted Tonno to see that he wasn't alone. Tonno needed to know that there were people other than Tsuna who were willing to fight to protect him. Tonno needed to realize that, although Tsuna signed their paycheck and gave them guidance, Tonno was the one that they counted as a friend.

Unfortunately, the makeshift counter-assault ended up with the four in an untidy heap when Gregory took flight with Adie in his arms and the four ran into each other, but Tsuna gave them credit for trying. He also gave them credit for getting Tonno to laugh, which was exactly what the boy needed to completely get his Flame back under control. The crisis had been averted. Tsuna guessed that the growth of Tonno's heart and his Family's unity had been the outcome that Gregory had been wanting. At least, that was what he thought until he looked up at his precocious son and saw the expression of apologetic sorrow still on his face.

"I'm sorry, Papa," Gregory murmured as he carefully flew Adie over to the main entrance and set her back down on her feet. Tsuna stared at him, unable to comprehend the amount of grief in his eyes when their gazes finally met. His eyes only flickered once during that brief moment, but the hint was enough to make Tsuna pale as his son whispered two words before leaving. "Forgive me."

As Tonno slowly picked himself up to help his friends and Gregory's brethren came forward to restore order to the Church, Tsuna continued to stare at the exit until his eyes began to sting. The insinuation in the flicker in Gregory's eyes had been too clear. Tsuna didn't want to believe it, though. It was too painful to consider. It was too unfair to be true. However, as Tsuna slowly turned his eyes in Gabe's direction, he knew that it was too late to stop it. Tsuna could see it in Gabe's face, his quiet introspection, and the way that he'd fallen into a state of shock. Gabe was pissed that Tonno was the child of Tsuna and Xanxus.

His jealousy had always been a factor in their relationship. It was impossible to ask him to rationally face the fact that another man had already laid claim in a way that he never could. It didn't matter if Tonno was the byproduct of Mafia genetics experiments or test-tube breeding. All Gabe cared about was that he could no longer believe that Tsuna was entirely his. Tsuna had already pushed the limits of his self-control by asking for rough sex and by not standing firm when Gabe had gotten kinky. Now it was too late to take that back and Gabe's obsessive personality was taking control because the latest shock was pushing him too far. His possession of Tsuna had been threatened. There was only one way that Gabe would respond to such a thing and that way was to snap.

Tsuna knew that there was no way to stop it. He also knew that Gabe wasn't going to kill him when he snapped. Adie had said that Gregory had been preventing that, but... but there were too many dots for Tsuna to get a clear idea on what was supposed to happen in the bigger picture. Maybe that had been what Adie had been trying to tell him by her convoluted speech. The answer was there, but any attempt to find it would be vain. He'd find endless possible connections, but he'd never be able to comprehend this particular puzzle in time to change anything.

All he could do... All any of them could do... was to have faith.

"G-Gabe?" Tsuna prompted hesitantly. Gabe blinked several times before rejoining the rest of the world with a wide, fake smile.

"I think Snicker would forgive you if you want to wait to light a candle," he commented. "If you're done with the angel-kid, then why don't we gather up the boys and go back home? I have a sudden urge to cook you dinner for your birthday."

"Okay," Tsuna agreed softly. "Anything you want sounds good to me."

* * *

Tonno kept his head bowed over his drink and kept his comments to himself. He had no idea what was going on because the current situation was a first for him. Papa's workers had invited him to go out to a club with them and Papa had urged him to accept. He had, but he really didn't understand what they wanted. If they were looking to blackmail Papa over the incident at the Church, then it made sense. However, Tonno's intuition said that none of them were scheming anything. They couldn't just be trying to let Papa have some time alone with Gabe on his birthday, either, because they didn't even know that it was Papa's birthday. They still didn't even know what had really taken place at the Church. Andy, Jim, and Jesse hadn't seen anything other than a madman shooting at Tonno, but that had been enough for them to react. Ray had seen more, but he hadn't asked for clarification on any of the parts that Tonno knew he couldn't have understood.

That brought Tonno back to the initial question. Why had they asked him to go with them to their favorite night spot? There had to be a reason, but Tonno couldn't see it. Well, he amended, there was one possibility. The guys could be trying to bond with him, but he doubted it. Papa was the only one who wasn't scared of getting close to him and that was because Papa had the power to quiet Tonno's Flame when it began to rampage, but that thought brought up another possibility. Papa could have told the guys to take him out because Papa needed time to come to terms with the secret that Gregory had forced out of him. It couldn't be easy for Papa to accept that Tonno had some of Xanxus inside of him. Even Tonno had problems with the fact.

At least, he used to have problems with it. Ray's words had hit him hard. It'd hit him hard because the guy had been right. No matter how Tonno's Flame had come about, it was his own Flame and no one else's. If Tonno expected Xanxus to take responsibility for it, then it stood to reason that Papa was responsible for his inability to completely control it. Since Tonno refused to hold Papa responsible, that meant that Xanxus couldn't be held responsible. All of it was on Tonno's shoulders and Ray's words had been the final push he'd needed to accept it.

He'd screwed up. The explosion at the Estraneo base where he'd been created and confined was his fault. He'd killed the last remaining dredges of that Family and he hadn't even been fully awake. The fire at CEDEF had been his fault because he hadn't been able to handle the whispers. He'd pent up his guilt over the Estraneo deaths, his heartache at how many foster Families had been unable to understand him, and his anger at the betrayal of the people who'd said they'd take care of him. The CEDEF had turned on him and had begun whispering that he was a threat to Hotaru and he hadn't been able to control the outburst when he'd taken a Dying Will Pill to begin training his Flame. He'd exploded and the casualties had increased.

None of that was Xanxus' fault. None of that was Papa's fault. Just like Ray said, Tonno only had himself to blame. Mr. B had told him countless times that the Estraneo deaths weren't his fault, but that didn't change the reality of the second explosion. If he'd told Mr. B earlier that he didn't feel stable, then the casualties could have been prevented. He had to grow up and admit that he'd made that mistake. He had to grow up and admit that he'd already known that it hadn't been Xanxus' fault. Wasn't that why he'd let Xanxus escape when he'd had the fool in his grasp? His intuition had told him that torturing him wasn't right, but he'd done it anyway because he hadn't wanted to admit that Xanxus was innocent.

He'd done such horrible things, so where in the world was he supposed to start to put things right? Was it even possible?

"You don't talk a lot," Ray commented as he slipped into a seat at the bar. Tonno didn't respond, being far too unsure of what sort of reply Ray was expecting. Ray was too easy-going for Tonno to understand. He had no hesitation in anything he did. He didn't hesitate when it came to getting phone numbers from girls like the one on the napkin he was fingering or running head-first at an armed assailant, Ray never did things half-heartedly. Yet, for some strange reason, the guy had always chosen a round-about method when he tried to talk to Tonno. His voice softened and he turned introspective. It was odd and Tonno still couldn't figure out the reason for it. Tonno was starting to realize that he couldn't figure out a lot of things. "I'm not really sure what happened at that Church earlier," Ray continued as Tonno sipped on his scotch. "I guess it was pretty dumb for me to jump out and run at that guy like I did."

"Stupid," Tonno nodded. When Ray choked on air, Tonno gave in to the sudden urge to smile. Tonno couldn't understand Ray, but he could predict how the guy would react to some things. Ray hated it when people agreed that he'd been stupid. "You always do that," Tonno commented softly. "You put yourself down and then expect other people to tell you that you're wrong."

"But you always tell me that I'm right," Ray murmured with a grudging smile. "So are you going to explain what happened back there? When it was over, you and Papa acted like nothing special had happened."

"Because it didn't," Tonno shrugged as he went back to nursing his drink. Ray shot him a questioning look and Tonno decided that Ray deserved a little explanation. The guy _had _run at an armed Priest. "The guys with the wings is my half-brother. What he shot me with was a special bullet that forces confessions. I don't know why he'd want to force me to confess, but it's probably not a bad thing that he did. That's why Papa didn't go after him."

"So, all that about you having two dads..."

"It's true," Tonno admitted, keeping his eyes on his drink. "But I'd rather not talk about it. Papa is a good father. The other one... The other one is a psychopath and I don't want to have anything to do with him."

"That's understandable," Ray agreed slowly. "You know, my dad is an accountant."

"Eh?"

"He runs numbers," Ray explained. Tonno raised an eyebrow, confused as to why Ray would bring up the subject. "I didn't know him very well, but I figured I was just like him because I didn't really see any of my mother in me. That's why I started gambling when I got to Vegas. I figured that numbers were in the blood and it'd just start flowing out when I'd stuffed my head full of probability percentages and racing stats. It never did, though. It turns out that I got my mom's tenaciousness instead."

"What's your point?" Tonno asked with narrowed eyes.

"It means that you should stop trying to take after someone else and just be yourself," Ray smiled as he reached up to flick Tonno's forehead. "Thinking too much makes you grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy," Tonno grumbled. Ray laughed at him for the irony of his statement and Tonno couldn't help but let out a small chuckle with him. Maybe Ray was right. Tonno did seem to have a habit of over-analyzing things. Perhaps it would be best if he just took a step back and didn't think about things so much. "Blonde at two o'clock," Tonno murmured, knowing that Ray liked blondes. Ray's head snapped up to look around, only to pause and look back at Tonno in curiosity.

"How did you know?" Ray asked curiously. "You haven't looked up from your glass."

"Peripheral vision training," he answered with another shrug. "It keeps your target from knowing that you're spying on them."

"Let me get this straight," Ray murmured in awe. "You've had spy training and you use that to scope out babes?"

"Not on purpose," Tonno blushed. "I just have a wider range of vision!"

"Suuure," Ray agreed in disbelief. "You're going to have to teach me that later. For now, what type of girls do you like?"

"EH?!"

"Come on," Ray urged with a wide grin. "I'll be your wingman. After all, what are friends for?"

"F-Friends?" Tonno repeated. Actually turning his head to look at Ray for once, Tonno couldn't erase the surprise that seeped into his expression. He'd never considered that Ray or any of the others could be friends. They were just Papa's hired subordinates at the bakery. "Why would you say that?" Tonno blurted in confusion.

"Why would you have to ask?" Ray replied, staring back at him in his own confusion. "Aren't we friends?"

"I-I don't know," Tonno admitted. "I've never had any."

"Oh," Ray smiled as his confusion cleared in understanding. "In that case, you can count me as your first."

"O-Okay," Tonno agreed slowly. "Do I have to do anything special if you're a friend?"

"You're thinking too much again," Ray laughed, reaching up to flick him in the forehead again. "Being friends just means that you can trust me and I can trust you. It makes it easier to talk to each other and help each other out. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't run at a guy with a gun for just anyone. Shit," he groaned, bowing his head over the bar in defeat. "I still can't believe I did that. I'm used to running away from bad situations, not into them."

"Then..." Tonno murmured as he slowly put the pieces together. "You did that for me? B-Because we're friends?"

"You're kind of slow on the uptake," Ray grinned. "But yeah. I did that because we're friends. You were already on the floor and crying, so I thought he'd hit you. I didn't want him to shoot at you again. It would have helped if I'd known that he was your brother, but what can you do?"

"I see..." Tonno replied. "I thought you were trying to protect Papa. It never occurred to me that you'd worry about me."

"That just shows that you think too much," Ray replied with a long-suffering sigh. "Papa's older than us and he knows how to take care of himself, but you... I don't know what it is about you. Sometimes I get this feeling that you're just as strong as Papa is, but these other times... You really come off like you've been sheltered."

"EH?!" Tonno gasped in surprise.

"It's true!" Ray exclaimed in laughter. "Hell, this is the longest conversation that I've ever had with you. It's like you know how everything works in theory, but you suck when it comes to socializing. Just take what you're doing right now for example."

"What's wrong with what I'm doing?" Tonno asked, looking over his placement at the club's bar. The bar was an island-style and he was opposite of the entrance so that he could monitor when people entered and left. He was off-center where the bartender would pass by often, but people wouldn't constantly reach past him for drinks. He also had a good view of the dance floor-- "Oh," Tonno gaped in abrupt understanding. "Is it because I thought too much?"

"No..." Ray said slowly. "It's because you're not mingling and enjoying yourself. Look at Jim and Houston over on the dance floor. He's got three hotties dancing with them and I'm willing to bet that they've already got two of their numbers. I've got at least one phone number and Andy is over there chatting with that sweet honey to get her number, but you... You've just been sitting here all night with the same glass of whatever that you got when you first walked in."

"I like to pace myself," Tonno objected.

"If you pace yourself any slower, you'll be a corpse," Ray chuckled as he dragged Tonno out of his perfectly-placed chair. "Come on. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to teach you how to pick up chicks."

"Why?" Tonno asked curiously. "I've already been trained--"

"This is going to be a long night," Ray groaned. Tonno blushed at the statement and allowed himself to be pushed in the direction of three college girls who were openly looking to have fun. Once more, he didn't really understand the reasoning behind what Ray was trying to do, but... for some unfathomable reason... it made Tonno happy.

* * *

"Papa, we're back!" Tonno called as he jogged up the stairs. Behind him, Houston helped a very inebriated Ray up the stairs to his bed. Ginger followed with Jesse sleeping soundly on his back, having drunk himself into a stupor without anyone noticing. Overall, it'd been a very interesting night. He'd learned more about his friends--plural--than he'd ever imagined knowing and he'd even gotten a few phone numbers in the process. It was almost a shame that it'd ended, but Andy had been forced to leave so he could get enough sleep for work and Jim had been forced to leave because his brother had called about some noisy neighbors. The last straw had been when Ray had pulled up his shirt to compare nipple sizes with a lovely woman in her thirties. Ray was probably never going to live that d--

Tonno froze in the doorway of the common room and stared for three long seconds. The entire room had been trashed. The table was broken and the bookshelf had been knocked over. Most of the photos had been ripped off the walls and the ones remaining showed signs of being knocked into. The floor was covered in glass and broken picture frames and there was a bloody hole in the wall where one picture in particular had once been displayed--Xanxus.

"Papa!" Tonno shouted, darting over to Papa's room in a panic. It wasn't easy to get into. The door had already been kicked in, but there was a dresser holding it shut. "Papa!" Tonno shouted as he strained to push it out of the way. "It's Tonno! Let me in!"

"Holy shit," Houston gasped from the door of the common room. "What happened?"

"Help me out!" Tonno snapped as he continued straining against the door. "I think Papa's in here, but I can't move it."

"Go try the balcony!" Houston exclaimed. "You can use the ladder while I work on this!" Seeing the sense in the suggestion, Tonno left the door to Houston and ran down the stairs to get outside. Rushing around to the back of the house, Tonno got a sinking feeling when he saw the doors of Gabe's workshop thrown open. Not only was Gabe's motorcycle missing, but so were most of the travel gear that was usually stored on the walls. The clues suggested that Gabe had run away. The only two questions were whether Papa had been with him and whether he was running from something he'd done or an enemy.

Using the ladder stored inside the shed, Tonno was able to break in through the balcony door at the same time that Houston and Ginger managed to finally force the interior door open. There was nothing to find, though. Unlike the common room, Papa's bedroom looked completely untouched outside of the moved dresser. Unfortunately, the fact that the balcony door had been locked suggested that someone was still in the room.

"Papa!" Tonno called, darting for the bathroom ahead of the others. When he found the bathroom door locked, Tonno kicked it in without hesitation. However, his haste hit an abrupt stop when he got inside. "Papa...?" Tonno gaped as Houston and Ginger backed out of the room in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Papa yawned as he sat up in his bubble bath and splashed water over his face. He looked mostly unharmed, which was much different from what Tonno had expected after seeing the damage in the common room. He had a bruise on the side of his face and a cut on his lip, but that was it. "I must of fallen asleep in the tub," he sheepishly laughed. "I meant to clean up before you got home, but the hot water--"

"What happened," Tonno asked, holding his breathe to assert calm over himself.

"Why don't you wait outside while I get out of the tub and I'll explain," Papa said with a small sigh. "I--"

"No," Tonno blurted. Smelling something fishy about the whole situation, Tonno followed his intuition. He darted forward, pinched Papa's neck, and pulled.

The skin stretched away from Papa like the rubber it was before Papa could reach up to push Tonno away. The material tore in the process and the truth became visible before Papa could push the mock skin back into place. He'd been beaten and he'd tried to cover it up with a flesh-colored suit. Tonno felt that it was safe to assume that Gabe had been the one to beat him. The bubble bath was a complete set-up as Papa's attempt to let Tonno think that he'd been unharmed. After all, no one would normally think twice about what they saw when they broke in on someone taking a bath. If Tonno had been anyone else, Papa's lie would have gone unnoticed.

"How bad is it?" Tonno asked while giving Papa the consideration of not ripping off the entire suit of fake, flawless skin.

"It looks worse than it is and he's got a few bruises of his own," Papa soothed as he painfully leaned forward to pull the plug on the tub. "You don't have to worry about it. It was just an argument that got a little out of control. He'll come back and apologize after he's had some time to clear his head. Okay? For now, just see if you can get my dresser moved back to where it was and then get some sleep. We've still got to open in a few hours."

"Papa--"

"Go," he ordered gently as the water level continued to sink in the bath. "It might seem stupid, but I'd like to keep a little of my pride." Seeing that he'd be resented if he continued to push for answers, Tonno nodded, slowly backed out of the bathroom and shut the door. Houston and Ginger were waiting for an explanation when he turned around. Tonno made a judgment call in which one he should give.

"They got in a fight," he mumbled in effort to keep Papa from losing respect from his crew. "Gabe lost his temper and tore up the other room when Papa wouldn't let him in here. Then he left," he lied. "He'll probably come back and apologize after he's calmed down, so Papa said not to worry about it. He meant to clean the mess before we got back, but he fell asleep in the tub. He said that we should leave it and go to bed because we still have to open the store in the morning."

"I don't think I can sleep after that," Houston sighed in relief for the simple explanation. "I'm going to go get a trash bag and start cleaning the common room. There's no sense in making Papa do it when he's probably tired and we're not."

"Help me move this dresser first," Tonno requested as Ginger slowly headed out of the room to find a broom and dustpan.

* * *

Another relationship finished, Tsuna thought in resignation. Carefully getting out of the tub, Tsuna carefully wrapped his bath robe around himself and grimaced at the twing in his wrist as he sat on the toilet to wait until the boys left his bedroom. He hurt. Under his skin suit were nearly a dozen welts from where Gabe had hit him bare-handed, bruises from where Gabe had tried to strangle him, and a countless number of scratches from where he'd scrambled through broken glass to get away.

Gabe had tried to kill him. He wasn't planning to let anyone know that the attack had been that serious, though. He'd known what he was getting into when he'd opened himself to an obsessive man like Gabe. While he'd hoped that an incident like the current one would never occur, he'd always known that it was possible and he knew that he had to shoulder some of the blame. He'd known that Gabe was possessive, yet Tsuna had still demanded to put pictures up of all the people who could potentially take him away. He'd known that Gabe was unsure of himself, yet he'd forced Gabe to talk about the morning deviation with the sex-toy. He'd known that Gabe was already trying hard to keep himself in check, yet he's stupidly asked Gabe why he was holding back. He'd really thought that making Gabe talk about it would be better than letting Gabe continue to pent up his frustration.

Tsuna had been prepared for an argument. He'd hoped that talking about the sex-toy first would put Gabe in a better mood since Tsuna was open to widening the scope of their intimate experiences--as long as he had warning and was given a chance to refuse. He'd planned to talk about Xanxus being Tonno's father afterward, but they hadn't gotten that far. 'Why are you still holding back?' In hindsight, the inquiry was high on his list of stupid questions. He should have known that it would be the key to unleashing hell. Tsuna could still see the look of rage and disbelief on Gabe's face when he'd snapped.

_"Why the hell do you think I'm holding back?!" Gabe had roared as he'd knocked the table over and lunged at Tsuna. _ Tsuna could still feel the hands around his throat from where Gabe had squeezed the first time. Tsuna hadn't been able to respond at the time because of how the struggle had escalated so quickly, but Tsuna knew how he'd answer now.

Gabe had been holding back because he hadn't wanted Tsuna to see the depth of his obsession. He hadn't wanted Tsuna to know that he'd been getting worse instead of better while they'd been together. It was the nature of greed and lust and envy to always want more than what was available. Tsuna had only been making him sink further by continually giving him what he wanted and Gabe had known what the response would be when he'd found something that Tsuna couldn't possibly give him. So, Gabe tried to take something in place of what Tsuna couldn't give him. He'd tried to take Tsuna's life.

It was pure insanity. It made no rational sense, but that was probably why the heart and mind were at odds so often. It didn't have to make sense for Gabe to act on it and that was what made Tsuna tremble when he realized how close he'd come to dying. He hadn't actively thought for an instant that he should use his Dying Will against Gabe, but it'd come alive when he'd been losing consciousness. Thia had answered that surge and had held Gabe back long enough for Tsuna to barricade himself in his room. He'd quickly gone through the dresser for his gloves in case Gabe managed to force the door open. Thankfully, he hadn't needed to use them, but it'd been a close call. Gabe had kicked it in, but the dresser had been heavy enough that Gabe hadn't been able to make it budge.

_"Damnit, Tsuna! Let me in! I didn't mean to do that!"_

_"Calm down first! You're too angry right now!"_

_"Fine," he'd said in a calm voice. "I'm calm. Now will you let me in?"_

_"No. I don't believe you. It hasn't been long en--"_

_"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"_

Tsuna had no idea what had made him abruptly stop and leave, but his anger was still etched in Tsuna's mind. It felt as if they were back where they'd started again because Tsuna was afraid. He was terrified of what Gabe might do when he came back. It would be nothing to worry about if Tsuna were living alone, but he had several young men living with him. What was he supposed to do if Gabe snapped and went after one of them? What was he supposed to do if Gabe wasn't able to calm down and control his jealousy?

The relationship wasn't working. They'd both tried hard, but their love for each other was too distorted. Maybe... Maybe it'd be for the best if Gabe did ride with the Golems full-time. It seemed like he could control himself if their time together was limited. Distance would ensure safety and it wouldn't be the first time that Tsuna had accepted a long-distance relationship. It'd be a good thing. Tsuna hadn't made much headway with creating a harem since Gabe had been hovering around him, but distance would give him the freedom to begin searching.

Gabe should be able to accept that. It wasn't as if they were breaking up. They were just separating for most of the year and it shouldn't be a big deal if Gabe left for Granny's a few weeks early. It just meant that he was smart enough to know when to back down from a fight. Their problems could still be worked out. It wasn't over. It couldn't be over. Tsuna prayed for it not to be over.

"Don't leave me alone, you idiot," Tsuna whispered to the ceiling.

* * *

"What the hell am I doing?" Gabe mumbled to himself. Pulling his motorcycle off to the side of the highway, he carefully tugged off his helmet to take a deep breathe while he looked at his surroundings. He was in the middle of nowhere. As far as the eye could see, there was only mountains and desert. He couldn't even tell what highway he was driving on. All he was aware of was that it was hot, dry, and he felt incredibly sweaty.

The last five hours were blurred together. He'd had a fight... with Tsuna. That was all that he could remember. What he'd said and what he'd done felt like a bunch of senseless inkblots stored in the back of his mind. They were splashed with red, though. He'd been angry about something and then--

"Oh, shit," Gabe gasped with a shuddering breathe. "I hit him."

_It took you long enough to come to your senses_, Rendrick growled in the back of Gabe's mind. _Do you remember anything else?_

"Y-Yes," Gabe answered as he tried to sort through his jumbled memories. "I knocked him down and... He got away, but I grabbed him and... and I threw him against the wall. I was so pissed off, but... Did he get away again? How did I get here?"

_He got in a few solid swings and got away_, Rendrick replied with a sigh. _You've probably got a bump on your head if you really don't remember, but you eventually took my advice and went for a drive to cool off._

"Xanxus..." Gabe breathed in memory of what had set him off. "Am I remembering that part right? Tonno is... is from Tsuna and Xanxus?"

_You're remembering right, _he confirmed. _ But before you get pissed off again, you might want to open you damn eyes and notice that Tsuna was just as surprised as you were. I don't know what the boy's story is, but you can probably bet that Tsuna didn't know about it before now. Tonno was probably created without his permission._

"How is that possible?" Gabe asked, rubbing his face as the facts began to overwhelm him again. "None of this is making any sense! Two guys can't have a kid! And why am I out here again? I know I got a little upset but--"

_YOU BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF TSUNA AND RAN AWAY_, Rendrick shouted in his head. Gabe grimaced from the pain the volume caused, but that was nothing compared to the moment when the words themselves hit him. His heart momentarily stopped. _YOU FUCKING IDIOT! You scared him badly enough that he had to barricade himself in his room so that you couldn't get to him and you couldn't hear me when I tried to stop you! You shut everything out and went off the damn deep-end!_

"T-That's not possible," Gabe trembled as his memories began to align with the explanation. "I-I wouldn't. I couldn't! Tsuna means everything to me! I'd never--"

_Never is too strong a word for humans to use, _Rendrick admonished in a sympathetic tone_. I know you don't want to believe it, but you hurt him._

"I don't believe you," Gabe spat as he hurriedly put his helmet back on. Spinning the tire on his bike, he got the entire motorcycle to spin around so that he could head back home. He refused to believe Rendrick's words. He refused to believe what his memories were sorting out as truth. He refused to believe anything until he saw it with his own eyes.

The drive was a long one, but Rendrick thankfully stayed silent so Gabe could properly sort through what had happened. It wasn't pretty. The closer that he got to the bakery, the more that he was sure that Rendrick was right. He was sure that there would be police waiting for him and police tape would be encircling the doors, but he was surprised to find that everything was quiet when he pulled into the driveway. As he parked his bike in his workshop and locked the doors, there was absolutely no sign that anything was irregular.

It was wrong. Chopper was still next to the pool where he'd fallen asleep in his attempt to guard the yard. Ray was getting the tables ready for the store to open while hiding his hangover. Houston was dressed for school and was generously cooking breakfast. Jim hadn't arrived yet and Ginger was likely still upstairs with Jesse, but Andy was throwing pans of donuts into the oven and Thia was helping Tsuna to sprinkle powdered sugar over a pan of fresh fritters. No one was looking at him, but that was the least of Gabe's worries. He was far more concerned with whatever Tsuna was wearing under his clothes to hide his bruises. It was far too obvious that he was wearing something because he wasn't sweating and there was a bruise on the side of his throat that was abruptly cut off. He was pushing himself.

"You shouldn't be working," Gabe mumbled in effort to simply break the silence that was threatening to break his heart.

"There's no reason for me not to," Tsuna responded primly. His tone forced Gabe to swallow a lump in his throat. Tsuna was upset, but he was trying to pretend that nothing had happened. The fact made Gabe take closer notice of how Tsuna was moving. He was working more slowly than he usually did and far more efficiently than his typical haphazard method. Just like Rendrick had said, Tsuna had been hurt. The smallest of movements was painful for him, but he was pushing himself to work anyway because... because Gabe had been the one to hurt him.

"You should go to the hospital," Gabe suggested in concern.

"Don't need to," Tsuna snapped as the other workers slowly stopped what they were doing to openly listen.

"You don't need to or you don't want to get me in trouble?" Gabe asked quietly. Tsuna paused and tensely leaned up against his worktable. His silence was an answer in itself. "Don't do that to yourself, Tsuna. I crossed the line last night. I know I did and I'm willing to admit it, but that doesn't really matter right now. I'm more worried about getting you taken care of. If I have to, I'll drag you down to the hospital myself. At this point, I'm not above getting another strike on my record as long as I know that you're okay. If you're not going to do it for yourself, then do it for me. I need to know that I didn't do any permanent damage. Please? I know it's not fair for me to ask--" Despite standing directly behind him, Gabe barely managed to move in time to catch Tsuna as he crumpled onto the floor.

* * *

"I hate hospitals," Tsuna moaned, recognizing the smell before he could get his eyes open.

"Then don't get hurt, stupid," Gillian grumbled. Tsuna's eyes bulged as he bolted up in his hospital bed. He was instantly punished for the sudden movement by the way that his stiff muscles groaned, but it was worth it. His initial recognition wasn't wrong. Just like his ears had told him, his son Gillian was in the room and the young man didn't seem happy to be there.

"What are you doing here?" Tsuna blurted.

"Maybe I wanted to see if you'd really die quietly," he snarled before darting out the door. Tsuna's jaw dropped. He was too stunned to move, but the insinuations in the statement made Tsuna feel like he'd been running. Had Gillian really watched over him because the little brat had been worried? Tsuna couldn't believe it. Out of all of his eldest children, Gillian had seemed the most reluctant to face him.

"Leonard came by when you didn't show up for golf practice," Tonno commented, making Tsuna jerk in surprise as Tonno stepped out from behind the curtain surrounding the neighboring bed. Tsuna gaped as he hesitantly sat down in the chair next to Tsuna's bed. The boy--the man!--had a five o'clock shadow on his face! It made Tsuna fearful of finding out how long he'd been unconscious. "Don't worry," he continued with a tired smile. "I told them that you'd fallen down the stairs at home and that you'd be okay."

"How long?" Tsuna asked despite his fears.

"A few days," Tonno shrugged. "At first, the doctors thought you collapsed from dehydration and shock because you'd stuffed yourself in that suit after being attacked. Then they started looking more closely at your other injuries when you didn't wake up. Your wrist was fractured, your ankle was twisted, and you had a concussion. Two inches one way or another and you would have dropped on the spot. The doctors said that with everything that happened, you had too much adrenaline pumping to feel it until after Gabe apologized. After that, everything hit you at once and you blacked out."

"Oh."

"You said that it looked worse than it was," Tonno said in accusation. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I thought it was all just bruises," he answered as he settled back down into his bed. Taking a moment to catch his breathe, he carefully took stock of his injuries. Tsuna could believe the diagnosis. The scratches felt like knife wounds. The bruises felt like broken bones. The fractured bones felt like they were broken. Without adrenaline surging through him, he could honestly say that he felt like he'd been run over by a truck and that made him think of a very important question. "Where's Gabe?"

"He's gone," Tonno said as he pulled a letter out of his shirt pocket. "He asked me to give you this before he left," he explained as he handed it over. "He wanted to turn himself in to the police, but I told him not to. I don't agree, but I didn't think you'd like it if he got raped in jail."

"I wouldn't like it," Tsuna agreed with a half-hearted smile. "An eye for an eye doesn't seem as fair when you've lost one." Slipping the letter under his blankets to read later, Tsuna decided to focus on what was in front of him before he allowed himself to grow melancholy. "How's the bakery?"

"Everyone's shaken up, but they're still working," Tonno answered with a grimace. "I promoted myself to manager and did some juggling with the staff. Houston's working as Andy's assistant in the kitchen when he's not at school and I have Ray on the register with Jim. I've got Jesse cleaning tables and on trash detail, which works out pretty well since it keeps Ginger on the floor. Chopper has decided to help out, too. He's been stapling flyers up on every lamppost in a six-block radius and he's been handing out samples outside the gate. Don't worry about the dog-catchers," he added when Tsuna opened his mouth to object. "Chopper tied a fake leash to the gate so they can't complain."

"I'm surprised he didn't go with Gabe," Tsuna commented.

"Gabe told him to stay and watch out for you," he replied solemnly. "I can't say that I understand what he's thinking, but even I know that Chopper is better off living in a house instead of a suitcase."

"True," Tsuna admitted.

There was nothing else that either of them could say after that. Tonno tried to alleviate Tsuna's worries by telling him stories about the things going on at the bakery. He tried to give comfort by peeling and slicing a couple of apples for them to share and he tried to raise Tsuna's spirits by pointing out the flowers that the guys and his children had brought him during visits. Tsuna couldn't stop the sadness from creeping in, though. He wanted to know what was in the letter that Gabe had written and the letter was the first thing that he reached for when Tonno finally excused himself to go check on the bakery.

_Dear Tsuna,_

_I'm sorry. I know that doesn't mean much coming from me, but it's true. I wish I could tell you what happened, but I don't really know. My head is still spinning from everything. I guess the steam built up before I noticed it and I lost it. That doesn't excuse what I did to you. I broke my promise and I hurt you for no good reason. You probably already know what I'm going to say next. I can't stay with you. I love you too much. I didn't think that such a thing was possible, but it's true. I'm a danger to you. When I think how close I came to _

_I don't want to think about that. You're banged up, but you're going to make it and I'm going to do my part in making sure that it doesn't happen again. I'm heading up to Granny's. I know it's early, but I'm going to check myself into an in-patient facility up there. I need help. I know that now. I'm going to do what I can to get control of myself, so I don't want you to worry. If you never want to see me again, then you don't have to contact me or say anything. I'll just fade out. If there's any way that you could possibly forgive me once I've got my head on straight, then you know my number. Just send me a text and I'll make sure to drop in when the Golems swing through Vegas again. Maybe we can work something out._

_I know I screwed up. Trust me on that. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for how much I screwed up this time. That's why I want you to know. If you ever need ANYTHING, then just call me. I'll be there in a heartbeat or I'll send whatever you need if you don't want to see me in person. It doesn't matter how big or small it is, I still want to keep that part of my promise. I'm going to take care of you, even if that means that I've got to stay away to keep you safe._

_I love you. That's why I want you to try to forget about me and start getting that harem together that you wanted until I can get myself sorted out. I know you haven't been working on that because you knew I'd get jealous even though I said I wouldn't. I probably would have. I still will, but I don't want that to stop you. I can't tell you how happy I am at having you to myself for all these months. I wish we could have made it to a year before I screwed up, but I guess a tanuki's luck has to run out at some point. Tell Chopper that I'm sorry for leaving without him. I wanted to take him, but the place that I'm going to doesn't allow pets._

_I'll never forget you._

_Love,_

_Gabe_

* * *

Tsuna didn't feel like getting out of bed. The obvious reason was because it was past midnight, but he knew that he still needed to get up despite that. He'd stayed in bed and he hadn't left his room in the four days since he'd returned home from the hospital. At this rate, he was going to turn into a vegetable, yet he still couldn't grasp the motivation to move. He felt so tired. His bedroom felt so empty. While he'd been unconscious, Gabe had packed up everything of his and locked it away in his workshop before leaving. Tsuna knew why. He'd been trying to give Tsuna a clean slate, but the idiot didn't understand. Maybe he'd never understood why Tsuna had chosen him. How could Gabe have possibly understood when he'd left so easily?

It was so lonely. Gabe probably thought that Tsuna would be fine without him for many reasons, but it was all a lie. Tsuna's kids were only giving lip service in effort to build a relationship with him. He wasn't really their dad. Their dad was the man who'd raised them. He was just a stranger that they felt a little connected to, but that connection was as fragile as Tsuna's relationship with them. They were only reaching out to him and humoring him out of curiosity. There wasn't the bond of 'Family' yet. There might never be. Gabe probably thought that Tsuna could snap his fingers and have another lover, but that was wrong, too. How could he possibly open himself again when he'd thrown so much of himself into building a relationship with Gabe, only to have it fall apart in the first mile?

Tsuna felt stupid for doing it again. He'd already been disappointed so many times, yet he'd let himself be hope again. A harem? Tsuna wanted to laugh. If he couldn't keep a relationship working in life, then his afterlife was already hopeless. He couldn't even keep one lover, let alone find two that could accept living side-by-side with him and each other. That was what a real harem was, yet the best he'd managed was to juggle affairs with lies and deceit. Didn't Gabe understand that such a thing wasn't what he wanted? Tsuna wanted people beside him that he could give his heart to and would give him theirs in return. He wanted people he could trust and...

And how could he trust anyone now?!

He knew that he could have his Family back at his side by morning and all he'd have to do would be to make a few phone calls, but it didn't feel right. He knew that they'd take him into their home and give him everything he could possibly need, but they couldn't give him what he wanted. He wanted someone to love him like Snicker had. He wanted work that he could be proud of. He wanted to help people without sinking to criminal methods. The Mafia couldn't give him that. The Mafia could only give him an illusion of happiness.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tsuna let out a small groan as he hesitated to get up. Tapping at his balcony door was abnormal, but he wasn't in the mood to care. He just wanted to go back to sleep--

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tsuna groaned a second time as he slowly sat up. Whoever was at the door had to be the most polite burglar in the world. Of course, it could also be a smart hitman who was trying to lure Tsuna out, but Tsuna didn't think so. Curious about who it could be, Tsuna slowly hobbled to the door and pushed back the thin curtain to see who was tapping. There was no one outside, though. Even when he carefully opened the door to peek out, the balcony was completely empty--

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Oh!" Tsuna gasped in surprise when he finally located the source of the sound. It was someone small, familiar, and incredibly aggravated. As soon as Tsuna noticed her, the beetle Jewel bit into his good ankle in greeting before swarming inside without waiting for an invitation. Tsuna cracked a smile as she scrambled across the floor, up his bedpost, and dived into his blankets. Within a few seconds, she was comfortably settled on his pillow and Tsuna doubted that he'd be able to move her.

It was odd to see her again after so long. He'd honestly thought that she was dead, which she obviously wasn't. Poe obviously wasn't taking care of her, either, if she was really in front of him. Unless--

"Poe," Tsuna whispered as he stepped out onto the balcony to take a closer look around. Someone else was there. Tsuna was sure of it. Jewel couldn't have traveled to Las Vegas on her own. Her sense of direction was horrible. Jewel only knew how to zone in on the smell of those who'd she'd bitten within a seven-day period. Someone had to have led her to his door. It was the only way that she could have found it! "Neve...?" Tsuna called quietly. "I know someone is out there. Please don't hide yourself. I..." Trailing off, Tsuna swallowed the lump in his throat when he realized that he was on the edge of begging. It didn't matter who it was. He was hurting. He needed company. He needed a friend. Anyone would do, so long as it was someone that Tsuna didn't have to be brave for. "Wishful thinking," Tsuna admonished himself as headed back into his room. Vampires and werewolves alike had shunned him. No matter how much he was in need, he was none of their concern anymore.

The knowledge wasn't enough to keep him from freezing when he heard someone lightly landing on the balcony behind him. The sound wasn't solid enough to make Tsuna turn around, either. He was afraid. If he turned around and the balcony was empty, he knew that he'd be devastated. It was so much easier to slowly close his eyes and allow himself the fantasy that someone was there.

He knew that he was delusional when the room began to spin and a pair of large hands kept him from falling when his knees buckled. A pair of strong arms swept him off his feet to carry him back to his bed. With every step, Tsuna felt lighter and the room started spinning faster as the vampire holding him drained him of his spare energy. By the time that Tsuna was laid on his bed, moving would have been impossible if Tsuna had the inclination. He didn't want to move, though. It felt as if he were already dreaming. It was possible that he really was. Tsuna didn't want to open his eyes to find out.

It felt too nice. The body that slid into the bed next to him was warm and the world seemed so soft. If it was an illusion, then he didn't want it to break because the feeling calmed his heart. He wasn't alone. The world wasn't going to end just because Gabe had abandoned him. Someone out there still cared about him. Tsuna couldn't tell if it was Mukuro, Badru, or someone else that was holding him. He couldn't tell if it was real or delusion. He couldn't tell if it was love or lust. The only thing that he could tell was that it didn't matter because accepting it meant that he wasn't alone.

The tear refused to stay buried as he clung to his savior. He'd stayed strong. He hadn't cried in front of Tonno or anyone else, but it was okay now. His savior wouldn't belittle him for letting it out. He wouldn't think less of Tsuna for admitting that he was in pain. Gabe had hurt him deeply. The bruises on his skin, the cast on his wrist, and the brace on his ankle could be forgiven, but Gabe had betrayed his trust. He'd caused pain where Tsuna was the weakest--his heart. Tsuna knew that Gabe had only done it because he cared, but it didn't make the situation hurt any less.

He'd been abandoned. Again.

"Shh," his savior whispered as a gentle hand pushed the hair out of his face. The touch only made Tsuna sob harder. He couldn't hold it back. The arms holding him and the hands gently carressing him was all that he'd ever wanted. Was he still asking for too much? He didn't care if he had to share. He didn't care if he had to humiliate himself and he didn't care if he had to keep it secret. All he wanted was someone to hold him at night to wash away the fatigue of the day. All he wanted was someone who could kiss him to give him the energy to face another day. That was it. That was all that he needed. He knew that asking for more would be asking for too much, so he was willing to settle for the absolute minimum.

His savior seemed to read his mind. Tsuna's tears slowed as his savior softly grazed Tsuna's lips in askance and Tsuna replied without hesitation. It was impossible for him not to. His savior was giving him exactly what he needed. There was no reason to worry about who or why. Jewel's presence was enough to vouch for his savior's identity and that was enough for Tsuna to give in to the fantasy.

It was likely due to mental exhaustion, but Tsuna felt as if he were drugged as his savior slowly caressed him. He was too tired to purposely move anymore. Just the thought of opening his eyes left him dizzy, but he could still feel. His body could still respond and he never considered refusing. Someone warm and gentle was touching him. Someone still wanted him. His savior was slowly and surely destroying Tsuna's heartache. He was eradicating the loneliness and curing Tsuna's longing. Tsuna didn't question his savior's motives. It didn't matter. He didn't question his savior's identity. It didn't matter. He didn't question the past or the future. It didn't matter. The only things that mattered were the warm hands that slid under Tsuna's clothes to warm his body and the lips that kissed away his fears.

Tsuna knew that his tears were making the experience bitter, but he couldn't manage to get them to stop. The best that he could do was to slow them to a mere trickle. Thankfully, his savior didn't seem to mind. Once he had Tsuna's shirt open, he seemed far more interested in kissing the pain from his injuries away. Tsuna could barely feel the impact. Everything was growing more distant by the moment. At the rate that he was going, Tsuna knew that he'd be unconscious before the foreplay could end and he had to do something. It wasn't fair for him to receive so much while giving absolutely nothing. So, forcibly squeezing the last bit of energy out of his body, Tsuna reached up to give what little he could. His savior was startled by the move. He jerked sideways so that Tsuna's hand landed on his neck instead of his face, but Tsuna didn't have the energy to correct his mistake. All he could do was hope that his appreciation was understood and received as he whispered the most selfish request of his lifetime before sinking into oblivion.

"Don't leave me alone."

* * *

"I'm only gone a week and you're already screwing around with someone else," Gabe grumbled. Tsuna yelped and tried to bolt out of his bed, but only managed to get himself hopelessly tangled in his blankets. He fell off the bed while he was trying to get everything sorted out and the impact made him freeze. It was too hard. Where was the carpet?

"No..." Tsuna groaned as he managed to pull the blanket off his head. The blood rushed out of his face in horrified recognition of his surroundings. It wasn't true, he thought as tears flooded into his eyes. Fate couldn't possibly be so cruel, but their surroundings could only have one possible meaning.

"Don't cry," Gabe admonished when Tsuna began sobbing. Tsuna shook his head in refusal to answer the request. It was too sudden. It wasn't fair. It wasn't Gabe's time! Unfortunately, the glittering lake behind him and the soft glow on the foliage wasn't agreeing with the assessment. They were in Limbo and the only reason that they could possibly be there was if--

"You can't die!" Tsuna gasped as his spate of tears worsened.

"I'm sorry," Gabe replied with an expression full of apology and sympathy. "There's no going back for me, Tsuna. I screwed up on the way to make up for my last screw up. I wish I could tell you what happened, but it's against the rules. All I can say is that I've always been an unlucky bastard. I just... I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Tsuna," he said among his own tears as he pulled Tsuna into his arms--blankets and all. Tsuna's tears instantly stopped in shock.

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

"I love you," Gabe whispered. "I'm going first, but I don't want you to chase after me. I'm going to go find Snicker for you and see if we can't settle our differences, so take your time and enjoy your life. You've still got things that you need to do, Tsuna. You're not alone. I know it feels that way, but there's a lot of people out there that still care about you and there's a lot of people who still need your help. I... I know this isn't fair, but I'm running out of time and I have to ask you to do something for me. Do you know that necklace that I'm always wearing? That skeleton key that I found as a kid?"

"Y-Yes," Tsuna replied in a trembling voice.

"I need you to get it and destroy it," he said as he pulled away. "There's a spirit that's bound to it. He's kind of like my conscience and I never would have admitted my problems without him.

He's not going to be able to free himself without help and I owe him that much. Can you do that for me?"

Tsuna stared at him, still unwilling to admit to what was happening. It had to be a bad dream.

"I love you," Gabe repeated as he slowly stood to begin shuffling backwards to the lake.

Tsuna wanted to wake up.

"Be happy," Gabe called. "There's always more fish in the sea."

He really wanted to wake up.

"I'll see you later--"

Clenching his eyes shut, Tsuna screamed at himself to wake up. It worked. When Tsuna's eyes snapped open again, he was looking straight up at his own ceiling and light was streaming in through the open balcony door. Tsuna's body shuddered as he gasped for breathe. It was so difficult to tell what had been real, fantasy, and nightmare. When he sat up to look around, he could tell that Jewel had been real. She was still comfortably nestled in Gabe's pillow as if she were an amber egg instead of a palm-sized beetle. Tsuna couldn't tell if is fantasy savior had been real, though. Tsuna had left the door open before the guy had appeared and there was no evidence left to suggest that someone else had been in the room. As for the nightmare, Tsuna's stomach flipped in fear.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Tsuna whispered to himself. Knowing that he was too shaken to cope with the multiple shocks alone, Tsuna reached for his phone. He stopped as soon as it was in his hands. Who could he possibly call in this situation? Fifteen years ago, it would have been Gokudera. Ten years ago, it would have been Gigi. Five years ago, it would have been no one. 'No one' was out of the question. He needed someone to talk to! Gigi was too far away in this instance. That only left Gokudera. If Hotaru was in town, then it was likely that Gokudera was, too. Would he mind being called so suddenly? Tsuna prayed that he wouldn't because there weren't many people that he could reach out to anymore and Tsuna didn't think that Demetri or Tonno would be able to help him with this one.

"The number you have called is no longer in service."

Tsuna cursed and deleted the number from his phone. It only made sense, though. If Gokudera had moved into town, then he would have changed his phone number. Tsuna's only hope was to call information and see if he was listed. Tsuna sent a quick prayer of thanks to the heavens when he was. Quickly dialing the number, Tsuna chewed on his lip when the phone started ringing. He had no idea what he could possibly say, but--

"Gokudera here," he answered briskly. Tsuna's throat closed. He couldn't speak. He'd found the number and he'd called, but what could he possibly say? "Hello...?" Gokudera prompted. "If this is a prank call, then--"

"It's not," Tsuna gasped as he struggled to keep his tears from surfacing. "It's... It's me, Hayato."

"Ts-Tsuna?" Gokudera gulped.

"Yeah," Tsuna smiled. "Um... I know this is out of the blue, but is there any chance that you're in Vegas right now?"

"I am," he confirmed carefully. "I'm dropping Elario off at school. Why? What's up?"

"Is there any chance that you can come over?" Tsuna asked in a tight voice. "Please, Hayato? I... I... ah... I think my boyfriend just died. I don't know. I had this dream and it was so real and um... It was just like when dad died, so... so I could really use a friend right now."

"Oh, hell," Gokudera moaned. "Where are you?"

"Maverick's Sweet Oasis," he answered as the tears refused to stay under control. "Hurry, Hayato. I'm scared. I don't think I can deal with this again."

"I'll be right there," he swore.

* * *

Andy cooking cinnamon rolls with Thia. Normal.

Jesse taking the chairs off the tables in preparation of opening. Normal.

Ginger and Chopper opening the doors and pulling back the privacy curtains. Normal.

Houston rushing so he could leave in time to catch the bus to school. Normal.

Ray drinking his fourth cup of coffee in hopes of waking up. Normal.

A crazy guy with a ponytail jumping over the gate without messing up his white suit. Not normal.

"Shit," Tonno spat in recognition. Gokudera Hayato had finally found them. It was the worst possible time. Papa was still depressed over his sudden breakup and he was still recuperating from his injuries. Now wasn't the time for hitmen to start showing up! Taking the quick route over the counter, Tonno ran to head him off at the door. "We're closed!" He shouted as he started slamming the doors shut.

"You don't have to do this, Tonno," Gokudera called through the door. Tonno paused. How in hell had his name gotten around to the Family? Was there a leak in the CIA or were there more watchers thn the ones that they'd noticed? "Tsuna called and asked me to come, so open up," he stated clearly. "I don't want to blow the door up unless I have to."

"I don't trust you," Tonno replied bluntly.

"I don't trust you, either, but this isn't the time for that," he snapped. "Tsuna said on the phone that he had a dream last night. I made some calls on my way over here. His boyfriend is Gabriel Martelli. Right?"

"What does that have to--"

"He's missing," Gokudera said, keeping his voice low enough that only Tonno could hear him through the door. "I have a couple of friends riding with a gang affiliated with the Golems. They run sensitive material across country for me. They said that someone named Bo has sent out a code red for Gabriel. Everyone is already out looking for him. He was supposed to have checked in with the guy when he got to Nashville yesterday, but he never made it and he's not picking up his phone. If your father's intuition is correct, then they're probably not going to find him until they start checking morgues. This is serious, Tonno. I need you to open up so I can talk to your father. He needs someone to stay with him until the official news gets here and this is something that you can't do. Even if you don't trust my word as a man, then trust me as an experienced father. Tsuna needs a friend more than a son right now."

Too shocked by the news to resist, Tonno allowed himself to be pushed back as Gokudera opened the door. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He'd lost comrades-in-arms before and he'd killed his fair share, but this was different. Gabe was... He was a mentor. He was a friend.

"Business first," Gokudera admonished gently while Tonno fumbled to understand the strange emotion welling up within him. It felt so sad, but it was worse than the times that he could remember. It was something deeper. It was something that made him want to deny the verbal evidence. That was stupid, though. Verbal evidence from a hitman of Gokudera's quality would normally be as good as first-hand visual confirmation. "Focus, Tonno," Gokudera said sympathetically as he guided Tonno deeper into the bakery. "I'm guessing your father is upstairs?"

"Y-Yeah," he mumbled in confusion.

"Good," Gokudera praised. "I'm going to go talk to him. While I'm doing that, do you think you're in good enough condition to run things down here? It might be a good idea to close down for today, but I wouldn't know how to do that since it looks like you're already set up to open."

"I... uh..."

"We'll stay open," Ginger said as he slowly plodded forward on all fours with Jesse hovering next to him. "You look gay with that ponytail, Hayato. Aren't you too old for long hair?"

"Sangia likes how it looks in the sun," Gokudera replied with a nod of greeting. "I was wondering when you'd turn up again. Xanxus' attitude has gotten worse since you left."

"Get it straight," Ginger growled. "He gave me the option to stay behind when he left and I took it. I have a weird enough life without adding a vampire coven to the mix."

"Fair enough," Gokudera sighed. "I guess I can leave things down here to you?"

"Tonno can take care of it as soon as he gets his head out of his ass," he grumbled. Tonno blinked and looked around, belatedly remembering that he was the acting manager in the building. Like Gokudera had said, business came first. Tonno was mildly shocked at himself for losing his head for even a moment, but the shock was a new experience for him. Grief was a feeling that he was unfamiliar with in regards to death. Guilt, yes, but not grief.

"Ginger's right," he agreed. "We should stay open until official word reaches us. It might take a few days, so we should keep running for as long as we can so that there will be no problems with temporarily closing down later."

"I'll leave it to you," Gokudera smiled. "I called Sangia. She'll be by in about twenty minutes to drop off a bottle of V Special. I figured Tsuna will want it, so it'd be helpful if you could bring it up to us." Tonno tensed at the prospect of Papa's location being shared, but Gokudera read his mind. "You don't have to worry about security with her," he soothed. "My wife isn't a normal woman. Her sister is a Mafia Boss and she's a research chemist. If anyone knows what to do when I say to keep something classified, then it's her."

Tonno didn't get a chance to object because Gokudera darted into the kitchen as soon as he was finished speaking. Of course, he flew out of the kitchen again after only a moment. The sight of Gokudera's shocked face made Tonno smile. If there was one thing that everyone quickly learned, it was not to let customers behind the counter because Andy was very possessive when it came to the kitchen.

"Tonno!" Andy roared as he shoved the kitchen door open with his favorite rolling pin. "I thought we agreed that no one other than staff could come through here!"

"Let it pass this time," Tonno replied with a grimace. "He's here to see Papa and you know that we only have one staircase."

"Isn't he a little old to be one of Papa's kids?" Andy asked suspiciously. Tonno flinched as a vein bulged on Gokudera's forehead, but the question was a valid one because Tonno's siblings were the only visitors that Papa had ever allowed upstairs. Unfortunately, Gokudera didn't know that.

"Che," Gokudera spat in irritation. "Why is it always me who has to teach manners to brats?" He grumbled as he stubbornly stormed towards the kitchen doors again. Tonno paled when Andy pointedly stepped in his path to keep him from entering. Gokudera was a top ranked hitman. He had almost two decades of experience and he'd taken down men who were ten times Andy's size without breaking a sweat. "You're ten years too early to stand up to me," Gokudera said, stopping nose-to-nose with Andy. "I'm going past you, brat."

"Over my dead body," he replied, crossing his arms in stubborn refusal to let anyone through his territory without Papa's explicit orders.

"Wrong thing to say," Tonno groaned to himself as Gokudera smiled. It was over in an instant. Actually, it was probably over as soon as Gokudera began walking toward him, but Andy didn't know that. He probably also had no idea of what happened, but Tonno saw everything. Gokudera used Andy's naivety against him. Tonno knew from experience that it was hard to see what was going on below the shoulder-line when someone was standing so close to his face. By using that narrowed line of sight to his advantage, Gokudera was able to drop a mini-bomb into his hand, light it, and flick it up in the narrow space between them. Andy literally never saw it coming.

The mini-bomb's explosion was smaller than that of a firecracker, but the strange cloud of smoke created from it told Tonno that it was a type of gas grenade. Tonno couldn't keep himself from smiling as he watched its effects and his estimation of Gokudera's ability rose incredibly. The man really was a genius. He hadn't wanted to use something that would damage Papa's store, so he'd used gas. He'd stayed close-range to ensure that only himself and his target were hit. He used a gas that he was immune to so only his target would be affected and his choice of gas was something that would wear off without any ill effects. That didn't lessen its effectiveness, though. Andy's face still turned green, he put a hand to his stomach, and he quickly ran for the bathroom before the poison could cause him to make a mess.

"Pathetic," Gokudera taunted as Andy ran toward the downstairs customer's restroom with a green face. "His stomach will settle down in fifteen minutes," Gokudera added while giving Tonno a considering look. "For future reference, tell him that I don't respond to threats from children. If he wants me to stay out of his kitchen, then he needs to be strong enough to make me."

Tonno gaped slightly in awe. Perhaps he was just hearing things, but that almost sounded like a challenge. For THE Hurricane Hayato to give a challenge to anyone meant that the person had somehow gotten his small nod of approval. That actually meant something to Tonno. It didn't matter if the rest of the Mafia still naively thought that Hayato was a failure. Tonno knew the truth. Hurricane Hayato was Papa's most loyal subordinate. He was one of the only Guardians who'd kept an active role in the Family despite the impact that his visibility would have on his pride and he'd never hesitated when Papa called on him. He was a real man who could do anything, whether it was assassination, war planning, corporate takeovers, or organizing a DVD collection. Assuming that Papa really had called him, Tonno was glad that he wouldn't have to fight such an adept person.

Tonno would have felt bad if he'd had to kill him.

"You have your father's eyes," Gokudera commented quietly before ducking into the kitchen a second time. The words made Tonno's heart momentarily stop. Even he knew that his eyes were nothing like Papa's. The words had been a warning. Gokudera knew. Tonno didn't know how he knew, but Gokudera somehow knew that Xanxus' blood was running in Tonno's veins alongside Papa's. It seemed impossible. The CEDEF had sworn to never reveal his genealogy. Basil had even sworn on his mother's grave to never tell! Had someone still leaked the information or was it possible that Gokudera had figured it out on his own? Did it matter? He might have reacted differently if Gokudera had said such a thing before Gregory had forced the confession, but it didn't seem like a big deal anymore. No matter whose blood was in his veins, his blood didn't control him. He was his own person, just like Ray, Ginger, or Papa.

"Go ahead and finish setting up," Tonno ordered. Ray, Jim, and Jesse stared at him for a moment in curiousity, but they got back to work when it became obvious that Tonno wasn't going to tell them anything. There was no reason to tell them anything. Prematurely informing people that Gabe was dead would be more than cruel; it'd put him on the top of the list of suspects for his murder. That was assuming that he'd been murdered. There was also the possibility that he'd suicided or that he'd had an accident... assuming that Gabe was really dead. It didn't seem possible. Gabe had been standing among them only a week ago.

Denial was a stage of grief, Tonno reminded himself. He'd learned all the stages in training, but he hadn't thought that he'd ever go through them. He guessed it was a byproduct of living with Papa. People were getting closer to him than ever before and he was feeling so many new things. Gabe had a lot to do with that, too. Gabe had always been reserved and grouchy when he was around without Papa, but he'd still been a mentor of sorts. For example, seeing how happy Gabe had been with Papa had made Tonno want to find someone so he could also try it, even though having a girlfriend would be a liability.

Without Gabe, Tonno doubted that he'd ever harbor such thoughts. He also doubted that life was going to be the same in the bakery. Papa was probably devastated. Tonno couldn't imagine what it'd feel like to predict a lover's death. Maybe--

"Are you Tonno...?" Looking up, Tonno paused at the sight of the most beautiful woman that he'd ever seen. She was tall and slender like a nymph with long silver hair reaching to her ankles. Her eyes held the gentle glow of a mother and her smile-- "I'm Sangia," she greeted softly, smirking slightly as if she knew exactly what he'd been thinking. "I'm Hayato's wife. He said he'd be here...?"

"Um... ah... He's upstairs," Tonno blurted. Then he paused. How had the woman gotten past the gate? They still hadn't opened it!

"It's probably best if I don't go up there," she said as she handed over a familiar bottle of V Special. As Tonno accepted it, she explained, "Men don't like to face women when they can't keep a straight face. It hurts their pride when the time comes that they need to cry. It's silly if you ask me, but there's no reason not to let it slide. I can see Tsuna some other time."

"O-Okay."

"Tell Hayato to take his time," she added as she turned to leave. "I can pick up Elario and we can eat out for dinner. Caio."

"C-Caio," he repeated dumbly. Keeping his eyes on her, Tonno was amazed at her exit. She slipped through the bars of the gate as if she were a two-dimensional cat! The sight made Tonno gulp. It was understandable if hitmen had strange skills, but it was the first time that he'd come across a Mafia wife with skills of her own! It was somewhat scary while being incredibly attractive. If only Tonno could meet a girl like--

He did not just think that, Tonno groaned to himself as he pointedly headed through the kitchen to get upstairs. Girls were liabilities and a general pain in the neck. Besides, there was more important things to think about and nothing reminded him of that more than the tear-filled voice coming out of the crack in Papa's bedroom door.

* * *

Seven shots of V Special could calm anyone down. Tsuna knew that first-hand as he emptied his eighth. It made him wonder if he was an alchoholic. Everytime someone had died in his life, he'd drank. Everytime he'd had difficulty facing the world, he'd drank. Everytime he'd become overstressed, he'd drank. He didn't know any other way, though. How did normal people cope when life became unbearable? How was he supposed to cope after the V Special ran out?

"A week and a half ago, I would have been proud of this room," Tsuna said quietly while Gokudera curiously looked through the photos covering the walls of the common room. All of the broken frames had been replaced and the hole in the wall had been repaired, but it brought him no happiness. It felt as if the eyes were staring in accusation and Tsuna could only glare back. "Now it's just a list of suspects."

"Suspects?" Gokudera gaped in surprise. "Even the Vongola wall?"

"The Vongola wall, the Orange Dragon wall, and the wall of relatives," he confirmed as he began pouring a ninth shot. His hand shook as he tried to hold the bottle steady, but the liquor still trembled as it splattered into his glass. Setting it back down, Tsuna wisely decided not to drink the shot he'd poured. Eight was still his limit. If he drank another, he was either going to black out or vomit. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd gotten so drunk. It felt good, though. He felt numb, which was exactly why he could say things that would normally rip his heart out. "They're the only ones with motive for getting rid of Gabe. Face it, Hayato. No one but me is happy that I'm just a baker. Everyone wants the big bad Boss back. Even my kids are suspect. They finally get to meet me and I'm just this gay weirdo with commitment issues. They might have thought that I'd be like I am in the stories if Gabe was gone."

"You know that's not true," Gokudera admonished with a hurt expression.

"I don't know anything anymore," Tsuna sighed while the room swam around him. Knowing that Gokudera couldn't reply to such a retort, Tsuna leaned back in his bean-bag chair in a drunken sprawl. He was emotionally numb, but he felt like shit. His eyes were swollen from crying. His wrist was hurting because he couldn't take his pain-pills with alcohol. His body was aching because it was trying to heal and process the alchohol at once. Plus, he'd been laying in bed for four days straight. He needed a shower and a shave. If he waited any longer, he was going to end up with a full-blown beard.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get one. Tsuna was too drunk to react when Demetri barged in alongside two armed and jumpy police officers. He was too drunk to care what the conversation was as Gokudera tried to block their line of sight to Tsuna. He was too drunk to keep his mouth shut when Gokudera hesitantly stepped aside to allow Demetri to kneel down next to Tsuna.

"Where's Gabe?" Tsuna asked bluntly.

"He's dead," Demetri answered gently. "It was a drug overdose. He left a suicide note, but there's reason to believe that he was murdered."

"Let me guess," Tsuna laughed. "It's the same painkillers that I was prescribed for my wrist."

"How--?"

"I told you, Hayato," Tsuna murmured as his expression crumbled and his pain grew more powerful than the numbing powers of V Special. "Everyone wants the big bad Boss back and they killed Gabe to do it."

"Guys, give him a second," Demetri requested to the two detectives who'd presumably come to take Tsuna in for questioning. Tsuna ignored them as he buried his face in his hands and wept. It was over. Even Demetri wouldn't be able to keep his records sealed when Tsuna had the motive of revenge for being beaten. He even had the weapon since someone else could have gotten a copy of his prescription and used it to make Gabe overdose and he didn't have a good alibi since he'd been locked in his room for four days. Tsuna didn't doubt that his fingerprints would be found at the scene, either, and that meant that he was likely going to be put on trial for Gabe's murder.

He wasn't going to be able to hide anymore. Even if he could, he didn't have a reason to hide. Tsuna's peace and quiet was gone with Gabe. Gabe's killer had won. Everyone was going to get to see Tsunayoshi Sawada in a suit one more time. If he was convicted, then life in prison wouldn't allow him happiness. That was assuming that he didn't get a death sentence, which made Tsuna doubt that the killer knew what he was really asking for.

No one frames him for murder and gets away with it.

No one fucks with his Family and gets away with it.

No one kills someone that he cares about and gets away with it.

"I'll go, Demetri," Tsuna said as he carefully pulled himself back together and dried his eyes. "But once I give proof that I'm not the murderer, I want two promises from you."

"You know I can't--"

"You can," Tsuna interrupted. "They're easy promises to make. The first is that I want to go to Gabe's funeral."

"I can probably swing that if you don't mind an escort," Demetri agreed slowly as Gokudera stiffened in surprise. Tsuna knew what Gokudera was probably thinking. He was probably thinking that Demetri wasn't the average cop that he seemed, which was the truth.

"The other is that I want to help you catch the bastard," Tsuna growled with Flames growing in his eyes. "Tell your Bosses that Vongola the Tenth's intuition is at the CIA and the FBI's full disposal until this case is closed."

"That's a pretty big thing to offer," Demetri replied with a slow smile. "You know that they won't limit their use of your intuition to just this case--"

"I don't care," Tsuna snapped as he carefully got to his feet to shake off the V Special in his body. "If someone crossed the line to kill Gabe, then I'm willing to cross it to catch him. He's not going to get away with this. I won't let him."


	156. Chapter 156 Tonno's Interlude

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Papa asked worriedly.

"We'll be fine," Tonno repeated with a groan. "I have the city map downloaded onto my phone and I can always grab a taxi if I get lost."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Ray said.

Tonno glared at the insinuation that he couldn't take care of himself, but the promise seemed to alleviate Papa's concerns. At least, it was enough to make Papa get out of the doorway so that Tonno and his friends could leave the hotel room. They'd only been in town for four hours and Papa was already acting like the entire world was about to arrive at his doorstep. He was being overprotective and paranoid. Tonno could understand a bit because Gabe had been murdered and Papa was still in protective custody until the killer had been caught, but it was a little irritating. It was as if Papa had completely forgotten that Tonno was the same person who'd cornered the entire vampire race after annihilating many of them through attrition tactics.

This wasn't his first party.

Although, Tonno had to admit that he'd changed a lot since those days. Back then, the people he'd been leading had been nothing more than pieces on a chessboard. Now, the people around him were all friends. He saw their faces on a daily basis. He worked alongside them and knew their pasts. He even spent his recreational hours alongside them. Considering the nugget of pain inside him from Gabe's death, Tonno couldn't really say that he could sacrifice any of his friends for anything. The pain would probably be a hundred times worse than the loss of a mentor. The thought of losing Papa was a thousand times worse than that.

That was why he'd agreed to be a messenger pigeon for the day. Papa didn't trust phone lines and he wanted to keep his location secret for as long as possible, but there were people who needed to know that he would be in town for the funeral. Miss Martelli especially needed to be warned that Papa wanted to stop in for the viewing on the night before. Tonno could already imagine the chaos if Papa were to show up unannounced. It would be much worse than the little bit of chaos that Tonno was going to unintentionally bring.

He wasn't sure if he was happy that his friends were following him or not. Chopper had chosen to stay with Papa, but Ray and Jim had refused to be left behind. Houston was tagging along as a tour guide. Andy had decided to come along when Houston mentioned that his father ran Papa's first Maverick's Bakery. Jesse had attached himself to the group when Ginger had demanded Dooby Snacks from the same bakery. The bakery hadn't even been in the initial plans, but it was apparently on the list now.

"This way is faster," Houston suggested as Tonno began bypassing a particularly wide alley. Tonno paused and bit his lip. The alley wasn't on the map, but he'd be a fool to ignore advice from a native.

Making a command decision, Tonno gave a small nod of approval, tucked his phone in his pocket, and followed Houston into the alley. Houston was young, naive, and brash, but Tonno already credited him with enough common sense and street sense to suffice. In the short time that he'd been living with them, Houston had become the most outgoing one of them all. His optimism often made him butt heads with the more pessimistic Ray, but he'd already proven that he had the courage to make up for his faults.

Tonno was glad that he'd allowed Houston to guide them. Within ten minutes, they were walking up to the front of Pasta Da Paolo even though the directions on the map had seemed more like a thirty minute walk. The question was how to get through the doors, though. Papa's assessment of their security wasn't accurate. Even though it was only a little after lunchtime, there was a line at the door and guards keeping out anyone who didn't look extravagant or rich. With the mismatched riff-raff around him, Tonno doubted that he'd be allowed inside.

"There's a kitchen door," Houston suggested with a grimace. Once again, Tonno gave his nod of approval and followed him into an alleyway. They knocked on the door and the guys stood back to let Tonno talk without distractions. Then they waited.... and waited... and waited.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Tonno finally roared as he dented the steel with his fist. His friends' eyes bulged at his outburst, but it was effective. The door flew open.

"Fuck off," a chef barked before slamming the door shut again. Tonno's face turned red with anger. The man hadn't even looked at him! What the hell-- "Holy shit," the chef gasped as the door flew back open. The guy stared at him with his jaw flapping in the wind for several seconds before uttering the obvious. "Wait. You're not Laz. Why do you look like him?"

"I'm his son," Tonno answered in frustration. "I'm here to give Miss Martelli a message on his behalf. It concerns Gabe."

"Is he here?" The chef asked as his face turned white from blood loss.

"That information is only for Miss Mart--"

"Shit," he groaned. "He's here. Fuck! Just what we need. Tell Laz to wait until the funeral is over to dance on Gabriel's grave. It's bad enough--"

"Take that back!" Tonno shouted angrily. "Papa wouldn't do that! He loved Gabe and he's going to catch the person that killed him!"

"Eh?"

"PEON!" Tonno blurted before forcibly shoving his way past the idiot chef. Looking around, he ignored all the men in the room and searched through the females for blonde hair. She wasn't there. That only left the office, which was exactly where Papa had said it would be. He barely managed to keep himself from kicking down the door. Only the fact that Ray had followed him inside made him keep enough of his self-control to knock. If he lost containment of his Flame through too much anger, then Ray would be the one to get hurt.

"Tonno...?" Charlie gaped as he opened the office door.

"I have a message from Papa," Tonno stated with a glare. "I'm authorized to give it to you if Miss Martelli isn't here."

"Laz will be at the funeral?" Charlie asked in understanding.

"And the viewing on the night before," Tonno confirmed.

"He'll catch the guy?"

"Papa doesn't like being framed," he confirmed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of the two cards with Papa's location on it and handed it over. "Papa said that he'd like to see you if you're willing."

"I'll think about it," Charlie replied quietly. "I wasn't there for him when my Dad died, but I can't say that I'd be any more sympathetic this time around."

"Papa said to let him know if you need any help with funeral fees," Tonno added before stating the last piece of information in his pre-determined message. "Papa also said to let Miss Martelli know that he was prepared for her anger. No amount of apologies is enough to--"

"Save it," Charlie interrupted. "I'll let her know."

"They broke up," Tonno blurted when Charlie began to shut the door on him without giving any sort of reply. He wasn't sure what made him say it, but his intuition said that he couldn't keep it secret and the words were enough to make Charlie pause. "Gabe got jealous and they had a fight. He put Papa in the hospital and left while he was still unconscious. By the time Papa woke up, there was no way to know where Gabe was. We were only aware that his destination was back up here somewhere. Papa blames himself even though there was no way for him to know what was going to happen."

"I see..." Charlie murmured softly. "I'll give him a call."

Figuring that it was better than nothing, Tonno accepted the response with a polite bow before turning to leave. Leaving wasn't as easy as it seemed, though. There was a waitress and an assistant chef standing in his way with the Head Chef standing behind them.

"Uh oh," Tonno gaped in recognition. When the waitress balled up her fist and raised an iron skillet, Tonno only had one response. He pulled Ray in front of himself as a shield and yelled, "I'm not Hotaru!"

"Like we're going to believe that," Ross spat with fire in her eyes. Tonno pulled Ray along with him as he dodged Ross' initial strike and he grimaced as the floor trembled and cracked from the iron skillet that she wanted to hit him with.

"I'm not!" He spluttered. "Hotaru's my half-bro-- I mean, half-sister! We have the same Papa, so we look alike! I swear!"

"I think he's telling the truth," Hattori said as Tonno pulled his shield out of range of another blow.

"I am!" Tonno choked as he dodged again and found himself cornered against a preparation table. He only had a moment to react before the skillet came crashing down. He wasn't sure what made him move in the way that he did, but he rashly spun in place to keep Ray from being hit with the skillet and his heart erupted in fear that his friend was going to be injured. Flame shot out of his back like a bullet and nailed the frying pan before it could land. The entire room seemed to freeze as the iron rang like a bell from the impact and Tonno tried to understand what he'd just done... what he was still doing. Looking over his shoulder, Tonno gulped at the spike of Orange Flame protruding from his back. It was pinning the skillet to the ceiling as if it were a stake.

"What the hell is that?" Ray gasped as he slowly eeled out from under Tonno's protection. Tonno couldn't answer. As soon as the question left Ray's lips, Tonno's knees buckled and the stake disappeared. It was the first time. It was the first time in his entire life that his Flame had come out in something other than an eruption. He didn't understand. What had he done to make it come out like that? "Whoa!" Ray yelped before he abruptly started slapping Tonno's back. Tonno didn't question the movement. He was used to his clothes catching fire. "Holy shit," Ray blurted as he patted the last embers away. "You're a straight up Pyromaniac, Tonno!"

Ray's tone made Tonno pause again. He expected Ray to be angry or upset, but there was laughter in his voice. He wasn't scared by the sudden outburst. Instead, he sounded mildly proud. Actually, Tonno realized in an epiphany, he had reason to be proud. Tonno had protected him with that Flame. It was shocking--almost more shocking than the Flame not exploding wildly out of control. Someone actually approved of his Flame. That was two firsts in less than five minutes.

"The ceiling is on fire," he mumbled. As the chefs started running for fire extinguishers and bags of flour, Tonno slowly rose to his feet with a smile. Ross and Hattori glared at him as they rushed to put the small fire out, but Tonno was happy enough to give them a smirk in return as he escaped out the kitchen door with Ray. He started running as soon as he got into the alleyway with his friends chasing after him. He felt as if his chest were about to explode again, but from happiness this time. He'd actually done something right!

Unfortunately, even a surfeit of happiness could be dangerous for someone like him, but Tonno had the clue he needed to deal with it. His Flames were erratic because his heart was erratic. If he focused it, then he could make it come out in the way that he wanted it to. When he'd been scared, he'd focused it into a weapon to protect himself. Thinking back, when he'd been forced to confess and it'd been erratic, he'd managed to release the energy by crying. How was he supposed to release happy energy?

"Oh!" Tonno gasped as they paused to catch their breathes halfway down another alley. Reaching out blindly, Tonno grabbed Ray's collar, pushed him against the alley wall and planted a kiss on him. His ears rang as Jim, Houston, and Andy let out whistles and laughter in surprise, but it was working even though Ray responded like a deer in headlights. He could feel his heart settling and his Flame calming for every second that his lips were pressed against Ray's. It actually didn't feel that bad. Of course, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he broke off and flew backwards until he was flattened against the opposite wall of the alley. "Sorry!" He blurted as his face turned red. "I was losing control of my Flame again! I didn't want to blow up the neighborhood!"

"Oh," Ray replied tonelessly. Seeing that he was still in shock, Tonno decided that a quick distraction was in order.

"Let's go to the bakery next," he said hurriedly. "We can go to the other places after lunch."

"It's.. ah.. this way..." Houston mumbled with a wide grin on his face. Once more, Tonno nodded in acceptance of Houston guiding them, but he kept his head bowed afterward to hide his red face. He'd never done something so embarrassing before. Even worse, it'd been his first kiss. He'd been well-trained in how to pick up women, but Mr. B had always said that he should let his gut tell him what to do once he was in the door. Since he'd never willingly gone out and used the training, he'd never gone through the door with anyone. It was probably obvious to his friends now, although he hoped not. They probably thought that he was gay now... which really wouldn't be a problem if he really were. Tonno didn't know. He'd never considered the possibility because his life had always been filled with one goal after another. How did a person know if they were gay?

He needed advice.

Blurting out an excuse to split up with the others, Tonno broke out into a run as he pulled his cell phone out so that he would have a map to navigate by. He felt as if his mind were racing as he paused to orient himself. He already knew that running back home to Papa would be a horrible idea. If he ran in and suddenly asked Papa how he'd known that he was bisexual, Papa would freak out. Tonno had another option, though. It was crazy and insane and reckless, but it was better than letting his brain swim in circles.

There was one person on the list of people he was supposed to meet who might be able to answer his question. The person known as Gigi was a known drag-queen who had a male life-partner named Daniel, a.k.a. Danny. Such a person would definitely have an answer for him. There were three possible places that she'd be around lunchtime. The first was the club known as Kink's, where she sometimes organized Gay Pride activities. The second was the free clinic where Daniel worked, where she helped process people for free AIDs testing. The third was Orange Dragon Headquarters.

"Where's Gigi?" Tonno gasped at the front desk of the office building.

"L-Lazarus?" The guard and receptionist choked in unison.

"My name is Tonno!" Tonno shouted in frustration. "Lazarus is my Papa! Now, where's Gigi?!"

"Top floor, Vice President's office," the receptionist gaped. Tonno didn't need anymore direction than that. Bolting past the duo to the elevator, Tonno danced in place when the aged machine took its time in opening up. When it took longer than three seconds, Tonno gave up entirely and darted for the stairs. Racing up them, he had to dodge several office workers before he reached the top and the guards on the top floor said the very thing that was beginning to grow tiresome.

"Laz!" The Latino woman exclaimed. Tonno tried to get past her, but the woman caught him off-guard by tackling into him. Of course, it wasn't the woman's size that allowed her to knock him down. It was her strength.

"You're a guy," Tonno blurted in surprise as the drag-queen squeezed his neck.

"Eh?" She choked before quickly letting go of his neck in order to pull back and stare at him. "You're not Laz," she stated in confusion.

"How many times do I have to say that he's my Papa?!" Tonno exclaimed in exasperation. "I just need to see Gigi! It's important!"

"She just left," she replied innocently. "Didn't you pass by her on the elevator?"

"Damnit," Tonno spat in disappointment. "Papa wanted me to give her a message and I wanted to ask her advice on something." Figuring that he couldn't chase after her until he got on his feet, Tonno almost shoved the drag-queen off his lap. Thankfully, he stopped himself when he remembered what Papa had told him. 'Always treat a drag-queen like a woman and they'll respond like a woman. If you treat them like a man, then they'll hit you like a man.' Considering his current circumstances, Tonno found it to be sage advice. He didn't need anymore obstacles.

Reaching out, he slid his hand under the woman's legs and around her back to support her when he rocked back to get the momentum needed to jump to his feet. Once firmly upright, he gently set the woman back down on her feet with an apologetic smile.

"It was nice meeting you, but I really need to catch Gigi," he said politely.

"Would you like me to call her back?" The woman asked with a bright blush. Tonno paused. Papa hadn't wanted to call directly, but there shouldn't be any trouble if someone else called her.

"Please?" Tonno asked with a hopeful smile. "Don't say anything about me being here, though. Papa said that we can't trust the phone lines right now."

"No problem, honey," she smiled with an understanding wink. "You just leave everything to Veronica and I'll have Gigi back here in a few minutes. Would you like some coffee?"

"Um... sure," he shrugged with a small blush of his own at the identification. Papa had mentioned Veronica a few times when he'd told stories and none of the stories were very modest. Some of the inconceivable things that he'd said were starting to make sense, though. Tonno hadn't been able to imagine Veronica properly from Papa's stories. When he'd heard that Veronica was a drag queen, he'd never considered the possibility that she was pretty. He'd just imagined an Adam's Apple, big feet stuffed into leather boots, and a slutty dress. Veronica wasn't like that, though. If she hadn't tackled him, he wouldn't have considered the possibility that she was a he because she was so incredibly feminine. Even the way that she talked on the phone was soft, gentle, and polite like a girl and the fact only made Tonno more confused. If he could admit that a guy was pretty, then maybe he really was gay. Or maybe he wasn't since Veronica was able to pass herself off as a woman so well...?

"She'll be back in thirty minutes," Veronica sighed as she headed over to the coffee maker to get Tonno's coffee. "I tried to tell her to hurry, but that's the best she could do. She has to make her appointment at the bank or she'll get in trouble. Do you mind waiting?"

"That's fine," he agreed in disappointment. Accepting his coffee, Tonno found himself a seat across from Veronica's desk to wait and bowed his head while he tried to make sense of things. He'd kissed Ray in effort to get control of his Flame and he'd started to like it. Had he liked it because he liked guys or had he liked it because his Flame had calmed down? Had his Flame calmed down because any embrace would have worked or had it calmed because it had been Ray that he'd embraced? Why a kiss anyway? A hug could have worked just as well. Did it mean that he was gay because he'd chosen a kiss or had he chosen a kiss as the most effective method? He was so confused. "M-Miss Veronica...?" Tonno asked as the drag queen carefully blew on her own coffee to cool it. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"I don't see why not," she shrugged with a perky smile. "But I just might ask a few of my own. I didn't know that Laz had such a cute son."

"I'd rather not talk about that," Tonno replied while keeping his head bowed. "Um... How did you know that you were gay?"

"Well..." she answered carefully. "I don't."

"Eh?"

"It's true," she said. "I don't wake up every morning with this overwhelming feeling in me that says 'gay'. When I was younger, I chased after girls like any other guy did. Then I met a man that I liked and respected to the point that I followed him around like a lost puppy. It turned out that he was attracted to men and he propositioned me. That's when I realized that my feelings for him ran deeper than just admiration. I was in love with him, so I accepted and we started dating. It turned out that I was just a fling for him, but the experience opened my eyes to my attraction for men. Others label me as gay, but I'm not different than anyone else. Some people like big breasts and others like a certain curve at the waistline. The things I like just happen to be found on a man's body."

"Then you could be straight if you found a woman with the things you liked," Tonno asked in confusion.

"I could also be an alien from Mars," she laughed. "It's possible, but very improbable. Why are you asking?"

"My friend... he--"

"And what's your friend's name?" She asked knowingly. Tonno blushed brightly, understanding the insinuation. She thought that he was planning to tell his story in third person!

"It's not like that," Tonno blurted. "I kissed him!"

"Oh!" She gaped in surprise. Leaning over her desk in excitement, she continued, "Now that's juicy. Do you like him?"

"I don't know! He's my friend, but I never thought about him like that before!"

"Then did you like the kiss?"

"I think so, but I don't know that, either," he replied shyly. "It was my first one."

"I see," she smiled in understanding. "I wouldn't think too hard about it. Everyone likes their first kiss because they don't have anything to compare it to. I can prove it." Tonno gaped when Veronica stood from her desk and he blushed brightly when she walked over to sit in his lap. He knew what she was going to do and he couldn't find it in himself to refuse. If being kissed by a drag queen could help him understand even a little bit, it'd be worth the experience.

He realized his own naivety as soon as her lips hit his. She'd kissed a lot of people before. He could tell because she wasn't shy or dumbstruck like Ray had been. Her lips were eager to force his mouth open and her tongue--

"What the hell?" Tonno choked as he jerked away. Veronica burst into laughter as he covered his mouth and tried to wipe the experience away. The kiss had been disgusting! Who in their right mind would want someone's tongue down their throat?!

"You really are Laz's kid," she chuckled as she slid out of his lap to return to her desk. "So how did my kiss compare to your friend's?" Tonno's face turned red in understanding. He'd have to say that Ray's had been better, but Veronica's had been so different that it was like comparing apples to oranges.

"I get it," he mumbled as he sipped his coffee to get the taste of Veronica out of his mouth. "You're saying I need explore more before I can know if I'm straight or gay, because I'm currently too inexperienced to know what I like."

"Bingo," she winked. Before she could say more, the entire room exploded from the whirlwind known as Gigi. He recognized her instantly from Papa's description--baby-faced, curvy, and dressed like a CEO who wasn't afraid to use her feminine whiles to close a deal. She also had the personality that Papa had described--short tempered, easily exasperated, and susceptible to flattery.

"What the hell was so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone?" Gigi exploded as she threw her purse down on Veronica's desk. In answer, Veronica pointed at Tonno and Gigi turned around in a huff as Tonno stood.

"I'm Tonno," he greeted, getting introductions out of the way while Gigi was frozen in surprise. "Papa sent me to deliver a message to you." Setting aside his coffee to reach into his pocket, Tonno pulled out the only written letter that Papa had prepared. Gigi came unfrozen at the sight of it. Snatching it out of his hands, she tore it open and quickly read it. Then she slowly sat down on the corner of Veronica's desk while she read it a second time. Tonno was unsurprised by the reaction. Papa had already warned him that his relationship with Gabe would create chaos when people found out and Gigi's shock was understandable considering Papa's history with Gabe.

"I don't get it," Gigi mumbled as she lowered the letter to stare at Tonno. "This isn't possible."

"It's the truth," Tonno replied calmly. "The Gabriel Martelli that you know isn't the one that we've been living with. Papa saw how much he'd changed, so he forgave him and they started over. He didn't contact you because he didn't think that you'd understand."

"Of course I don't!" Gigi shouted as Veronica's jaw dropped in shock. "Laz always hated Gabe! He even threatened to kill him! This--! This is ludicrous!"

"It's the truth," Tonno repeated as he pulled the second card out of his pocket and handed it over. "If you don't believe it, you can ask Papa yourself. He'd prefer if you kept it quiet that he's in town until after the funeral, but he knows that it'll get around eventually. He also asked for you not to suplex him when you see him. He's still recovering from a previous fight. Now, if you'll excuse me--"

"HOLD IT!" Gigi roared when he turned to leave. For some reason, Tonno's instincts told him to run, but his feet refused to move and Gigi had his ear in an iron grip before he could get over the hiccup. She dragged him past Veronica's desk and into her office. He felt nailed down into his seat by the intensity of her gaze and he felt his jaw drop when she began a thorough interrogation.

_So this was what Papa meant when he'd said to be honest with Gigi_, Tonno thought as he answered all of the formidable woman's questions. The situation made Tonno's face turn red again when he realized that he'd been used as a human shield. Papa had known that there would be an interrogation and he'd known that Tonno would have most of the answers that Gigi wanted.

"Where had he gone after the assault on Venice Row?"

"Where was he living?"

"What was his home address and phone number?"

"What's he been doing for work?"

"How long had he been dating Gabe?"

"What fight?"

"How long was he going to be in town?"

"Why couldn't he leave his hotel?"

"Did he still like Fried Calamari and whiskey?"

"Good enough," Gigi smiled as she collapsed into her chair. She wasn't through with him, though. Tonno knew it as soon as she reached into her desk to pull out a large steel sphere that he recognized. It was the body for the AI program known as Cici, but it was completely powerless. Tonno didn't need a hint. Gigi obviously expected him to give it the Flame it needed to operate, but there was a huge problem with that. Tonno's Flame would likely destroy it because he was just beginning to learn how to control it.

"You'll have to ask Papa to fix her," he mumbled. "He started wearing his gloves again, so he should be able to do it when you go to meet him."

"Fine," she replied in acceptance. "I'll take her with me, but you're under citizen's arrest until I get back."

"Eh?" Tonno gaped.

"Veronica!" Gigi called as she stood with Cici in hand.

"Yes?!" She squeaked, poking her head into the office with such speed that it was obvious that she'd been eavesdropping.

"Don't let him out of your sight," she ordered. "I want you glued to his hip until I call you."

"EH?!" Tonno spluttered. "You can't do that! I've still got other places to go!"

"Then take her with you," Gigi shrugged on her way out the door. Tonno scrambled after her with Veronica scrambling after him, but it was useless. Gigi wouldn't be swayed and she kept her decision firm even after a taxi took her out of Tonno's reach.

Turning to look back at Veronica, Tonno groaned at the woman's eager smile. He needed to rejoin his friends before they started to worry about him, but there was no way that he could show up with the same person that he'd asked advice from. Well, he amended, there was one way. He lead her down an alley and waited until the coast was clear to pin her to a wall with nothing more than his glare and imposing body language.

"Not a word about what we talked about to anyone," he growled in warning while Veronica trembled like a frightened rabbit. "If you do, I can promise that your body will never be found."

"Okay," she squeaked with wide eyes. Pulling back his menace, Tonno nodded in acceptance and checked his cell-phone for directions. Maverick's bakery was across the park, which meant that the fastest way would be to jump the fence behind Orange Dragon Headquarters. It was more difficult than it should have been since he had to drag Veronica along, but the woman thankfully kept her complaints to herself.

It was a solitary walk once Veronica became nothing more than a hovering shadow and Tonno was relieved by the fact. He had enough things to think about than a silly citizen's arrest. He didn't know how he was going to face his friends again. Should he just walk up and pretend that nothing had happened or should he start off with an apology? How was Ray going to react? Would he still want to be friends? What if he didn't? What if Ray never wanted to talk to him again? That would be horrible. Ray was the first friend that he'd ever had. How were they going to continue sharing a room if they couldn't talk to each other anymore? He didn't want that! He wanted to keep being friends with Ray! It made him happy to talk to someone else, even if it was just about things that didn't really matter!

By the time that he reached the shopping center holding Maverick's Sweet Treats, Tonno was ready to cry at the thought that Ray hated him. It was shocking to himself since he could count on one hand the amount of times that he'd cried in his life, but he couldn't stop it. As soon as he saw his friends crowded around a table in the courtyard and as soon as he caught sight of Ray sipping on a milkshake, his walls crumbled before his Flame could grow erratic.

"Whoa!" Ray gasped in dismay, jumping up to guide Tonno to a seat at the table. "What happened?"

"Veronica!" Houston cried. "What did you do to him?!"

"I didn't do anything!" She spluttered. "He was fine a few minutes ago!"

"I got this," Andy said. Two seconds later, Tonno was shocked out of his tears by the feeling of ice suddenly being poured down his shirt. Two seconds after that, his friends were shocked into silence as steam billowed up from Tonno's coat. Tonno stared at each of them in turn, unsure of how he could explain the situation in a way that would make sense. The only thing that came to mind at all was something that he doubted they could really understand.

"I'm not as good as Papa."

"No one said you had to be," was the surprising response from Ginger. Tonno looked over at him in hope and tried not to allow himself to be disoriented by the way that Jesse was obliviously eating a piece of cake next to him. It was incredibly strange. After the dirt from street-living had been cleaned off, Jesse had turned into an adorable, innocent boy that had more in common with an unassuming kitten than a teenager. Seeing the two together made it very hard to think of Jesse as anything other than a coddled pet and Ginger as anything other than a mature man. "You've done good to reach this stage on your own, Tonno," he said. "Tsuna and Hotaru had Reborn to lean on while they were learning to control their Flame. Even Basil had Iemitsu. You're running blind, so it's not surprising that you've got to find alternate methods like crying erratically or kissing whoever comes to hand. In some ways, you're lucky. I heard that Reborn made your father confess to his childhood sweetheart in his boxers in front of his entire middle school."

"Oh," Tonno gaped. "Mr. B didn't tell me about that."

"Tsuna's still embarrassed over it," Ginger chuckled. "I heard that the girl screamed that he was a pervert and he was knocked down by the Captain of the Kendo club."

"Did she hate him after that?" Tonno asked while giving Ray a side-long glance.

"Reborn helped him to fix things," Ginger answered with a smile. "But your father had to have enough courage to face her first."

"Oh."

"Listen, Tonno," Ray mumbled sheepishly. "If this is about what happened earlier, then don't worry about it. I'd want an explanation, but I'm not going to hate you for something like that. It was just a kiss. Right? I can forget about it if you can." Tonno carefully nodded in agreement and bowed his head again to hide his own sheepishness. Ray was right. Most men their age would have kissed lots of people already. Papa had even been married by the time he'd been Tonno's age. It was no big deal. It wasn't as if he'd been kissing Ray because he liked him. Well, he did like Ray, but he didn't like Ray like Papa had liked Gabe. Did he?

"I think he's been in the desert too long," Jim laughed in effort to change the mood. "The cold is probably freezing Tonno's brain."

"That's not it," Ray replied seriously before anyone else could tease him. "You guys don't get it. Tonno is different from us. While we were only worrying about passing midterms and meeting girls, he was already neck deep in fights for his life. This is the first time that he's ever let people close enough to become friends, so don't make fun of him. He's still learning."

Tonno's initial reaction was to become embarrassed by the heartfelt words, but he was distracted by the sudden feeling of being watched. His training kicked in. Keeping his head bowed, he listened to the conversation with half an ear while he stretched his senses as far as he could to search for anything that was out of place. The task was difficult due to his unfamiliarity with the area, but someone was out there--someone trained considering how quickly the feeling vanished when Tonno got close to identifying it.

The sensation returned before Tonno could dismiss it as paranoia because Ray had brought up his past. Locating the oddity slowly became easier. It was someone moving with the crowd of shoppers moving from store to store and he was getting closer at a fast rate. In three seconds, he was going to be at Tonno's back. The enemy was attacking! There was only one choice. Shoving Jim out of the line of fire, Tonno spun out of his seat in a crouch and drew his revolver in a smooth motion. It was loaded with silver bullets, but he never took chances. Whether the enemy was a man, vampire, or a surprised man on a skateboard--

"I'm unarmed!" He yelped as he fell on his back in surprise. His skateboard continued rolling toward Tonno, but Tonno refused to take chances that there was a bomb attached. Kicking it across the courtyard, he kept his eyes and his weapon pointed at the assailant. It might be Gabe's murderer. The guy looked the part of a hitman. He looked ordinary, was skilled in going unnoticed, and--

"Don't shoot!" Veronica exclaimed as she jumped between them. "That's Ollie! He's one of ours!"

"Ollie...?" Tonno repeated as he slowly put down his gun and glared past Veronica's legs. The description fit, but Tonno wasn't too happy about the sneaky approach. His nerves were already rubbed raw from Gabe's murder and his personal problems. "Don't come up behind me like that," Tonno warned as he holstered his gun and dropped his defensive stance. "I--" Tonno paused. Someone was still watching him.

"Up there!" Ginger barked.

Following his cue, Tonno looked to the rooftops and instantly paled in recognition. It was Alpha, one of the six team leaders that had worked under him in the Hunters. The sight of him made Tonno shiver in apprehension. Alpha should have been arrested by the Vendiche after the attack on Venice Row. It should be impossible that he was standing proudly in the same Hunter-issued trench-coat that Tonno was wearing, but he was. He was even wearing the issued headgear, the tracking goggles, and the underclothing designed to reduce aura emissions during vampire hunting. Tonno still knew that it was Alpha, though. The silver halberds attached to his back could belong to no one else.

"A friend of yours?" Ginger asked curiously while Tonno kept his eyes locked on his former subordinate. Tonno didn't answer. Keeping his eyes on Alpha and his hand close to his revolver, he honestly couldn't say what the situation was as Alpha jumped down to ground level. Alpha could hate him for abandoning his post after the attack on Venice Row or the meeting could be entirely accidental.

Tonno paled and Alpha paused in his approach as Ray, Jim, Andy, and the rest of his friends quickly closed ranks around him. They knew that something was up, but they couldn't possibly know the danger that they were putting themselves into. If Alpha had come for revenge, then they wouldn't stand a chance. Alpha hadn't gotten the spot of number one team leader by being nice, although that was one thing that Tonno truely hated about the man.

"I see you've got a new team," Alpha called in greeting, his voice coming out clearly despite the ventilator over his mouth. Tonno tapped his gun and tried to come to a decision. He could make a preemptive strike, but there were still shoppers lingering around in belief that they were witnessing some sort of show. It'd be too dangerous to start randomly shooting because a fight against Alpha would spread throughout the entire area. "What's wrong, Boss?" Alpha called as he slowly raised his hands in acceptance of Tonno's unwelcoming attitude. "Don't you remember me?"

Tonno swallowed a lump in his throat as his friends glanced over their shoulders in askance. He had to respond. He had to do something before his friends got involved with his mess!

"I remember," Tonno confirmed, breaking away from Ray and the others to quickly take Alpha's flank. "But I'm not your Boss anymore. What are you doing here, Alpha?"

"It's not Alpha anymore," he replied while openly dismissing Tonno's friends. He turned to face Tonno alone, knowing that he was the only person in the group who was worthy of notice. "I'm Trigger now," he laughed. Tonno paled. "That's right," Alpha confirmed as his amusement faded. "I'm your replacement."

"What do you want?" Tonno asked as he laid his hand on his revolver's grip. "If you're here for revenge, then there's no point. You guys set me up, so it was within my rights to leave--"

"I don't care about that," Alpha shrugged, holding his hands up to show that he held no malice. "Bravo and Delta were stupid to disobey orders. I was just in the neighborhood for work, see...?" Tonno felt his heart jump as Alpha reached up to slowly take off his ventilator and pull back the rest of his headgear. Tonno instantly smothered the desire to avert his eyes. Alpha had been a Hunter since he was twelve. He'd made his first kill by fourteen. He would be twenty-nine by now and his body--along with his face--was a testimony to all the battles that he'd been in. "You're still the only one who's willing to look at me," Alpha smiled, his lips contorting grotesquely due to the scars that split his bottom lip into three parts. "I'm here to ask you to return," he said with another smile. "We still need you, sir. Most of the enemy ranks--"

"I won't," Tonno interrupted with a sigh of relief. So that's all it was. With Bravo and Delta's team in custody along with the others who'd been arrested by the Vendiche, the Hunter ranks were low. The meeting was pure chance, but Alpha wasn't stupid enough to ignore someone of Tonno's skills.

"You found your father?" Alpha asked in understanding. Tonno's eye twitched at the question. He'd never let any of his subordinates know about his background. Alpha shouldn't know anything-- "Don't look at me like that," Alpha laughed as he carefully put his headgear back into place. "You always hated to talk, but everyone has a history, Boss. I'm a little jealous seeing you enjoying yourself with friends, but I don't blame you. I'd pretend that vampires didn't exist if I could, too."

"That's not fair," Tonno objected.

"When did life become fair?" Alpha retorted. "You've changed, Boss. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself." Tonno's hand automatically reacted when Alpha threw something at him and he caught it before he could consider the possibility that it was dangerous. His fears were unmerited, though. What he caught wasn't a bomb or a weapon meant to hurt him. It was Alpha's farewell: a box of silver bullets for Tonno's revolver. "Five and one," he called, sending a lance straight through Tonno's heart.

_Five bullets for the enemy and one for himself. Never get Turned._

"Six and zero," Tonno corrected on impulse. _It was better to live and keep fighting than to let everything end in death._ Once more, Alpha paused in surprise. When he started moving again, it was merely to leave with the sound of laughter echoing out of his mask. Tonno didn't stop him. His heart was racing and his hands were shaking. What would he have done if Alpha hadn't been sympathetic? How was he going to explain this to his friends?

Work, he decided. He still had things left that Papa had wanted him to do. It was always best to keep his mind on work when he could. He didn't want to talk about what had just happened. He didn't want to explain his past to his friends. He hated messy things like this! So, stuffing the box of bullets into his coat pocket, he turned on his heel and headed back toward the park with a fast step. Looking at the map on his cell-phone, he determined that his next stop should be the Orange Dragon Youth Dojo. Papa wanted pictures of the interior for some reason. It was close. He just had to--

"It's faster to get to the Dojo through here," Houston said as they reached the park's fountain. Tonno stopped so fast that Ray ran into his back and Ginger yelped as Jesse accidentally stepped on one of his tails. Looking around himself, Tonno's jaw dropped. They'd all followed him. Without asking pointed questions or demanding unreasonable answers, they'd chased after him and were still willing to be his friend even though they knew that he was hiding something from them.

"Why...?" Tonno gasped in confusion.

"Duh," Jim laughed. "Why wouldn't we hang out with our friend?" The honest, heartfelt response hit Tonno like none of Alpha's words could. He dropped like a rock to sit on the edge of the fountain in dumbfounded disbelief. In that moment, he truly realized the difference between people like Alpha and the people currently standing around him. Alpha would always follow orders, but Ray... Jim... Andy... Jesse... and Houston... They would always follow their hearts.

"If we're going to stop again, then I want to go back and get another piece of cake," Jesse said innocently. Tonno stared at him for a long moment and then... Then he laughed an honest laugh for the first time in his life and, damn, it felt good.

* * *

"So there we were," Ollie grinned. "The entire waiting room is filled with us and the people that we'd just gone toe-to-toe with and out walks Laz without a mark on him other than this bandage over his missing eye. He turns to the guys who'd lynched him and pulled off the bandage off his empty eye socket and said 'Where's my eye?' like he was some sort of zombie. You should have seen their faces! I bet orderlies were cleaning up shit for a week!"

Tonno cracked a smile as everyone politely laughed at the story, but the sound was flat even to Tonno. It'd been a long day for everyone. After the trip to the Youth Dojo to take pictures of Snicker's mural with their cell-phones, they'd run into a gang of trouble-makers while searching for the bar called 'Peephole'. The bar hadn't been on Papa's to-do list, but everyone had wanted to see it when Tonno mentioned it as one of Papa's old haunts. The fight with the gang had been short and relatively unmentionable. The guys had run away as soon as they'd figured out that Tonno and his friends were willing to fight back in the face of spineless bullying. As for the Peephole, they hadn't found it before the time had come for them to head to the funeral home.

The visit to the funeral home had been sobering. Seeing Gabe's body had made it hit home that he was really dead. Tonno could understand why Papa had wanted him to scout it out, too. It'd been a learning experience because there had been literally no one else present. The only flowers in the room had been a single bouquet from the Martelli Family. His coffin was the cheapest that could be accepted.

None of them had understood it until Veronica and Ollie had explained that Gabe was considered an outcast. It'd been determined that Gabe's crimes against Papa had been the reason that Papa had initially faked his death and left the city. Everyone blamed Gabe for the street-hero Lazarus' disappearance. Everyone hated him for hurting Papa. Everyone would spit on his corpse if they could, just to make it clear that he'd never be forgiven for the things he'd done. That was why his funeral was being taken care of quietly. Paolo Martelli and Autumn Martelli refused to even see him until the official viewing so that the media didn't catch wind of his death until it was too late for anyone to disturb his burial.

The reality was sobering, which was exactly why they'd followed Veronica to the club called Kink's to get a few beers. Tonno felt like cursing himself for not looking deeper into Gabe's past. He should have asked more questions when Charlie had first objected to Papa's relationship and he should have researched what Papa had been doing during the years that he'd been untraceable. Tonno hadn't, though. He'd always believed that Papa knew best and he'd never questioned anything regarding his choice of a lover, but he should have paid closer attention to the signs. Papa was addicted to helping people. His entire life was made up of the same situation; Papa repeatedly put himself in jeopardy because his infernal belief that everyone had good inside them and then he was hurt when a quarter of those people disappointed him.

"I'm going for more drinks," Tonno mumbled. Setting aside his empty beer bottle, he smiled slightly as Ray stood to go with him. He smiled because Ray had learned his lesson after getting a hangover and had chosen to stick to soda. Therefore, he was the only sober one out of all of them and he'd taken to playing the part of a guardian everytime someone took a turn in going to the bar.

Admittedly, Tonno needed and appreciated his help. They were drinking on the third balcony, which Tonno had reserved for the night with a healthy bribe, and the ground floor was a long way down. On top of that, the club had become crowded since they'd first entered and one thing was becoming clear even through the haze of liquor. Kink's was a gay bar where even the women were men. Tonno didn't feel like going to a different place, though. Not only would it be troublesome, but there wasn't a reason to since none of them were interested in dancing and the only time that his friends or himself were in reach of the crowd was when they bought another round of drinks. Plus, even when they bought drinks, the crowd seemed friendly. Maybe a little too friendly, but it was nothing that they couldn't ignore since being a homophobe was impossible after living with Papa.

Or so Tonno thought until a man suddenly ran into him and stole his third kiss. Tonno was too surprised to react to the sudden embrace. By the time that he thought to push the man away, he was already letting go to run back to his friends with his arms in the air like he'd just achieved a victory. Rubbing his lips to rid himself of the taste of smoke and bad cologne, Tonno didn't know what to think. Why had that guy just--

"Are you okay?" Ray gasped, grabbing onto Tonno's shoulders in worry when Tonno doubled over slightly for air. Unfortunately, Tonno couldn't answer. He was too distracted by the stranger that ruffled his hair in passing and the other stranger that suddenly spanked him. Bolting upright, Tonno spun in place to identify the bastard with plans to gut him, but he was already gone. In his place, another stranger abruptly wrapped his arms around him, ground his body against him, and took his fourth kiss. "Get off of him!" Ray roared while forcibly tearing the guy away.

Understanding hit Tonno like a ton of bricks while Ray plowed his fist into the latest bastard's face. Everyone was kissing him and touching him because he looked like Papa. They thought he was impersonating Black X! Knowing that, Tonno jumped in to stop Ray before he could do more damage than a black eye.

"Stop!" He shouted as he latched onto Ray's arm and refused to let go. "It's an honest mistake!"

"Honest mistake, my ass!" Ray shouted angrily as the people nearby stopped what they were doing to gawk at the fight. "That douche was all over you!"

"He thinks I'm pretending to be Papa!" Tonno cried as Ray paused in an attempt to pull Tonno off his arm. "People pretend to be Papa all the time! Remember what Jim told you about Papa's calendars?!"

"You're talking about that Black X stuff?" Ray asked in confusion, showing that he could still be reasoned with. "But that was years ago. Why--?"

"Papa's famous in some circles because of those," Tonno explained. Letting go of Ray's arm, Tonno proved his point by reaching down to pick up his fallen assailant by the collar. "Who am I?" He asked.

"Is that a trick question?" The man replied while wiping his nose in fear that it was bloodied. In response, Tonno shook him by his collar until he spat out a real answer. "You're supposed to be Black X!"

"See?" Tonno sighed as Ray slowly relaxed in understanding. He relaxed, nodded, and rammed his foot into the man's crotch with enough force that their spectators groaned in sympathy as the guy fell to the ground alongside Tonno's jaw.

"I don't give a damn about Black X!" Ray shouted in anger as the ring of spectators slowly grew to include the whole club. "You're not your dad! No one has the right to put their hands on you without asking first and the next one that tries is going to get something a lot worse than this asshole because the only one who's allowed to kiss you is--!" Tonno narrowed his eyes as Ray paled and searched for some way to end his sentence that wouldn't get him punched. "Is uh..." Was Ray really going to say himself? It was kind of touching that he'd care so much, but Tonno wasn't sure how to react. He'd never been confessed to before. "I... uh..." he babbled before swallowing a lump in his throat so he could finish with a solid, "I'm dead."

"That's assuming that you could be so lucky," Papa said from behind Tonno's back.

"Oh no," Tonno groaned in realization.

Fight and fire at Pasta da Paolo.

Standoff outside of Maverick's.

Incursion with wimpy gang.

Brawl at Kink's.

Using Papa's credit card to rent out an entire balcony and buy drinks.

Sheepishly, Tonno slowly walked forward to stand next to Ray with his head bowed in apology. He glanced up only once to see how mad Papa was and he instantly decided that he never wanted to look up from the floor again. Papa was wearing a suit and the thick, black felt trench-coat that he'd bought for Gabe's funeral, which barely allowed him to blend in with the four agents guarding his sides. His arms were crossed over his chest and his imposing demeanor told Tonno without words that he was in deep trouble, but the expression on his face was what put a lump in Tonno's throat. He'd never seen Papa so angry.

"I'd like an explanation, boys," Papa growled with every word becoming a whiplash despite its softness. "When you offered to run errands for me, I distinctly remember you saying that you could do it quietly. But, for some reason, my phone has been ringing off the hook since you left. Don't think about it--!" Papa abruptly barked with a finger pointing to the stairwell to stop Ginger from leading the others to safety. Tonno grimaced as Jim and the rest froze. He didn't blame them for sneaking out, but they should have known that they couldn't slip past Papa. "Get over here. All of you. Veronica, you too. I know it was you who lured Tonno here." One at a time, Tonno shot them an apologetic look as they sheepishly came over to fall in behind him. They all knew that they were in serious trouble and Ollie had been the only one fortunate to get away. "What do you have to say for yourselves?" Papa asked with his foot tapping with impatience.

Tonno wisely stayed silent as all of his friends tried to explain at the same time. It was chaotic since they all tried to talk over each other while simultaneously looking to each other to get their stories straight. As their voices rang in Tonno's ears, something came over him that he couldn't explain. He felt like laughing. A little laugh even escaped his lips despite his effort to hide it and the sound cut straight through his friends' attempts to make excuses.

"Tonno...?" Papa prompted as Ray and the others slowly trailed off in surprise.

"I'm sorry, Papa," Tonno said while struggling to keep a straight face. He failed utterly by letting out a wide smile as he finally looked up at Papa. "I had fun."

"Oh," Papa mumbled as the anger finally left his expression. Tonno's smile grew hesitant when Papa didn't say anything else for a long moment. He'd been honest, though. Even though they'd probably caused Papa a lot of headaches, he'd learned a lot about himself and his friends throughout the day. No matter what punishment he received, he wouldn't change any of it. "How troublesome," Papa finally sighed. "Alright! I'll let you off the hook this time, but you can forget an allowance until my credit card is paid off and--" A second groan passed through Kink's as Papa lifted Ray off the ground with a revenge kick to his crotch. Ray dropped as soon as Papa removed his foot, coughing and gasping for air as his face began to turn purple from pain. "How's that?" Papa asked, looking over his shoulder at the man that Ray had kicked. "You can keep the black eye for kissing Tonno without his permission, but the low blow was uncalled for. I'm sure that Ray would apologize if he could speak. Fair enough?"

"Papa--" Demetri growled as the stranger rapidly nodded in acceptance of the punishment.

"What?" Papa shrugged innocently. "If the cops aren't call, then you can't arrest them for assault. Can you?"

"You know we can't arrest them," Demetri admonished. "We're only assigned to protect you."

"Then everyone's happy," Papa smiled before turning back to Tonno. "I suggest you boys call it a night and go back to the hotel as quietly as you can. I won't be so easy-going next time I have to show up because you want to make trouble."

"Yes, sir," Tonno and his friends mumbled in unison.

"Veronica," Papa added, making the drag queen freeze in her attempt to slip into the crowd.

"Yes?" She squeaked.

"Since I'm here and my boys have been so kind as to rent a level for the night, you can join me upstairs for drinks," he said without a hint of request in his voice. "I'd be very interested to know what you were thinking when you brought my son here."

"Okay," she mumbled sheepishly.

"Tonno, since you have my credit card, you can buy me a drink and bring it to me before you leave," Papa continued as he turned to head upstairs. "Everyone can wait outside for you."

"Yes, Papa," Tonno said, bowing his head in realization that his punishment wasn't over yet. Getting Papa a drink from the bar wasn't going to be easy if he had to do it by himself. There was a look of greed in the eyes of the nearby gawkers. As soon as Papa was safely upstairs and his friends apologetically left to wait outside as ordered, the patrons of Kink's descended on him.

Everyone wanted to know if Papa was the real Black X. Everyone wanted to know if Black X was Lazarus. Everyone wanted to know what it was like to be the son of Black X. Everyone wanted to know if he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps to fame. Everyone wanted to know about Excaliber. Everyone wanted to know if Xanxus and Papa were still an item. Everyone wanted to know every little detail that they could possibly squeeze out of Tonno and they wanted to know before they'd allow him to go to the bar for Papa's drinks.

They crowded around him without any consideration for Tonno's personal space and Tonno's Flame began to spasm in panic. They took every opportunity they could to touch him. It made Tonno flustered and the vultures didn't let his weakness go unnoticed. By the time that Tonno noticed it, it was already too late. His fifth kiss was stolen and the culprit disappeared into the crowd before Tonno could punish him. Someone else gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and disappeared into the crowd. Someone else crept up behind him to pull the not-so-funny prank of yanking his pants down. While he scrambled to pull them back up, someone else snapped the waistband on his boxers and--

The culprit cried out as Ray squeezed his hand almost to the breaking point.

"I said that no one touches him," Ray growled in warning as the crowd slowly backed away to give Tonno room. Quickly pulling his pants back into place, Tonno had never been so relieved to see anyone in his life. After all, Papa would get in trouble if he started assaulting people, but no one would blame him if Ray were the one to start a fight. Ray was just a concerned friend where Tonno was Papa's son. "Go get Papa's drinks," Ray said softly as he pushed the not-so-funny prankster back into the crowd without causing permanent damage. "I'll watch your back."

"But Papa said--"

"The worst that he'll do is fire me and kick me out of the house," Ray replied with a pained smile. "I can live with that a lot easier than watching you get harrassed."

Work, Tonno reminded himself as a light blush rose up from a combination of indescribable emotion. It didn't feel bad, but he really couldn't say what the feelings were. It was just warm and nice in a way that felt worthy of a blush. He managed to hide it by placing orders for Papa's drinks, but it wasn't easy. He could feel Ray standing at his back and his presence didn't calm Tonno's Flame like it had before. It actually made him struggle to keep containment.

"Take a walk with Ray until you calm down," Papa ordered when he dropped the drinks off along with Papa's credit card. The words made Tonno blush harder as he darted down the stairs and out the door of the club with Ray following him.

The cold night air only made him realize how overheated he was when it hit him. It also made him glad that the rest of his friends had gone back to the hotel ahead of them. He felt ready to explode. His skin was tingling due to the pressure of his Flame and his brain felt as if it were boiling. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't breathe. Only Papa's orders kept him moving and he walked aimlessly in hopes that his Flame would grow calm enough for him to regain complete control. He walked down the street, around the block, and down several alleyways, but it didn't seem to do anything outside of getting him lost--while making him painfully aware that Ray was with him and thereby in danger.

Pausing to catch his breathe against an alley wall, Tonno closed his eyes to fight the urge to simply let his Flame run rampant. It made him feel so weak as it clawed the inside of his mind and bucked under his skin in effort to get free. He needed to get control of it, but his heart and his mind was in shambles. The emotion pent up inside him was one that he couldn't recognize, so there was no possible way that he knew what outlet would calm it. He didn't think laughing or crying would work. It wasn't bad, so lashing out in anger wouldn't help. He didn't think a kiss would work, either, since all the kissing inside the club had only made the situation worse.

"Your skin is hot," Ray said worriedly as he pressed a cold hand to Tonno's head and hovered over him in concern. "I think I'm catching on, so I apologize ahead of time if I'm wrong."

"Eh?" Tonno gasped breathlessly. Before he could comprehend Ray's intentions, his friend pulled him into his arms and stole his sixth kiss. Tonno choked as his Flame began to erupt from his body, but Ray held him tightly and kissed him deeply until the strangest thing happened. Tonno became incapable of thinking and his Flame began to grow calm. The danger of the situation, the alley, and even time began to float away. It was different than his first kiss. It was different from the kisses from strangers. Ray's lips were gentle and his arms were amazingly supportive against Tonno's back. It felt nice. He was being held and he could almost feel Ray's caring ebbing into him as the kiss deepened. It made Tonno want to close his eyes for a reason other than exhaustion. It made him understand why Papa had always kissed Gabe so much. It made him realize that the inexplicable feeling that had been making his Flame unstable was the indescribable 'love' that everyone always talked about. It was almost as if all his problems were melting away--

"Umph," Ray choked as he abruptly broke away. "Sorry!" He blurted with a red face.

"Eh?" Tonno gaped a moment before his legs gave out. Sliding down the alley wall, sense was slow in returning. When it did, Tonno buried his face in his knees as his face turned as red as Ray's. He felt so stupid. Ray had only kissed him because he'd needed a kiss to control his Flame previously. He should have stopped as soon as his Flame was under control!

"Oh no," Ray said in dismay as he knelt down next to him and patted down the few loose threads on his coat that had become burning embers. "I got it wrong, didn't I? I'm so sorry! Did I make it worse?" Tonno shook his head into his knees and stubbornly refused to lift his head. His Flame was under control, but it was starting to grow unstable for a different reason! Ray couldn't know how much he'd liked the kiss. They were friends. If Ray knew that Tonno might be in love with him, Ray would hate him! He didn't want that! "You have to talk to me, Tonno!" Ray exclaimed in worry. "What can I do to help you? There isn't a guidebook for this!"

"You promise you won't get mad?" Tonno mumbled.

"I swear!" Ray spluttered. Tonno bit his lip. It was possible that Ray was lying, but Tonno's only hope was to trust him because he apparently couldn't control his Flame by himself.

"If..." Tonno mumbled.

"If...?" Ray repeated.

"If you don't kiss me, I'm going to blow up and level everything in a one block radius," he whispered into his knees.

"Eh?" Ray gaped while Tonno's blush deepened. "But I just kissed you," he objected in confusion.

"If you don't want to, then go away!" Tonno blurted as he lifted his head to let Ray see how flustered he was. "I can't calm down when you're so close!" Ray's jaw dropped in surprise. Ray lost his balance. Ray fell backward onto his rump and turned into a statue. "Do you have a guidebook now?!" Tonno exclaimed before burying his face back into his knees.

Taking a deep breathe, he started counting each exhale in effort to calm himself. He'd already figured out that his Flame became erratic when he became too emotional. There wasn't time to wonder if he did or didn't love Ray. The feeling was as close as he'd ever come, so he just had to accept that it was real and deal with it. In that, he did have a little bit of training to fall back on. The best way to deal with love was to confess it because secrets gave no closure. The worst that Ray could do would be to reject him and that would be okay. Tonno knew how to deal with disappointment and rejection. The process wasn't easy, but--

"O-Okay," Ray agreed hesitantly. Tonno's head snapped up and he stared in shock. He had to have smog in his ears because it'd sounded as if Ray had just said that it was okay. "I mean... uh... Assuming I'm understanding things right, then kissing was helping you so you don't go Pyro-psycho. If I say no, then you're going to go Carrie on my ass and, if I say yes, then you can keep your fire to yourself. Am I right so far?"

"Close," Tonno grimaced as his Flame surged again out of anxiety. "If you give me a blunt no, then the feeling making me go 'Pyro-psycho' as you call it will turn into something else and I can find a different outlet. If you say yes, then... uh..."

"Then one kiss isn't going to do it," Ray finished with a slow smile. "You're getting used to it," Ray continued in awe. "It only took one kiss the first time and you need two-- Oh," he gaped in true understanding as Tonno's blush returned. His mouth hung open like a stranded fish as his slow brain finally grasped onto what Tonno was truly asking. "Uh..." he floundered, running a hand through his hair while he considered the request. "I didn't know you were like that."

"I didn't, either," Tonno admitted in a tiny voice as he turned his eyes back down to his knees. "All my siblings are straight. Even Hotaru is technically straight since she turned into a girl. Papa, Gabe, and Jesse are the only ones I know who are gay, so I never considered it before, but I started wondering after I kissed you earlier." Grimacing at the tingling feeling resurfacing on his skin, he struggled to keep control while he explained. He knew that he had to get the words out. Ray was his friend and he really wanted his friend to understand. "I... I was really happy, but kissing another guy isn't what most people do when they're happy. I don't want you to hate me, but I... I don't know any other way to deal with this. I know it sounds stupid, but I've really never felt this way before. I--"

Tonno felt something snap inaudibly within himself. He recognized the feeling, but he couldn't stop it. He couldn't control it. His vision became covered in Flames and his ears filled with roaring. He shouted for Ray to run, but he had no way to tell if his friend heard him or if he was even still in the area. His sense of touch disappeared as he was overwhelmed by the feeling of heat. His sense of smell was overwhelmed by the stench of burning clothes. Even his sense of taste was overwhelmed by salty bitterness due to an abrupt increase in his need to sweat. He was going to blow. There was no stopping it anymore. His Flame wouldn't answer to him. It continued to grow in proportion to his panic and his panic rose rapidly in fear that he was about to incinerate someone he loved. Only ashes would be left!

Not again.

Not again.

Not again.

"NOOOOO!" Tonno roared as he threw ever ounce of his mind and body into controlling the beast rampaging within him with the resolve to control it even if it killed him in the process. His Flame wavered and paused against his unfathomable desire to stop it. Tonno didn't count his blessings. Instead, he continued to strain against his Flame's strength and push against it with every ounce of his strength. Little by little, it answered that Will and slowly receded until every flicker was back inside his reach.

When the Flames disappeared from his senses, the first thing he saw was an unharmed Ray plastered to the wall across from him. The second thing he saw was the burnt remnants of his fire retardant coat hanging off his body. The third thing he saw was the back of his eyelids as he collapsed from exhaustion with a satisfied smile on his face. He'd fought and won. What more could any man ask for?

He found the answer when he awoke in his hotel room to the feeling of having his back massaged with lotion and a cold washcloth draped across the back of his neck. He knew without looking that Ray was the one working on him, so he wisely stayed silent to enjoy the free massage while it lasted. There was no need to ask what Ray was doing, after all. During his time with the Hunters, he's survived enough minor explosions of his Flame to recognize the aftermath. Both his body and his skin was dehydrated. It typically took three bottles of moisturizing lotion before he could ever get his skin back to normal and the washcloth on his neck was to help cool any residual heat that might affect his brain. Tonno's only question was how Ray knew how to take care of him, but that question was answered while he continued to feign sleep.

"Just keep doing it like that," Alpha soothed as Ray reached for another handful of lotion. "Don't stop until you've used all three bottles and make sure that you cover every inch of him twice."

"E-Every inch?" Ray repeated as he wiped the cold cream across Tonno's back.

"Every inch," Alpha confirmed in amusement. "That means his hands, his feet, and even the non-existent tan lines on his ass." It took a lot of willpower for Tonno to not to react to Alpha's statement. It was a complete lie. While it was true that he usually woke to the feeling of someone beginning the rubdown process, Tonno had always finished it by himself! The bastard was playing games again. He was teasing Ray simply because he could and he probably knew that Tonno was already awake. However, Tonno refused to bite. Ray's hands was one set that he didn't mind touching him.

"You're lucky I saw the aura flare," Alpha commented, giving Tonno a mental pause. It almost sounded as if Alpha was trying to relay what had happened. Was it possible that Alpha was setting something up? Or was the guy actually trying to be helpful so Tonno could enjoy himself a little longer? "In the old days, Boss once made a man go blind because he flared up right in front of the guy's aura scanner--that would be our goggles. It wasn't on purpose, of course. It was the idiot's fault for looking at Boss with his scanner even though he'd been warned not to. It's a well-known fact that Boss is like a nuclear reactor. If you open the door at the wrong time, Boss--"

"He's not your Boss anymore," Ray corrected, incidentally using more strength on Tonno's back than necessary. "He's Tonno, so stop calling him that."

"Sorry," Alpha laughed. "Old habits die hard and I've only heard his real name on rare occasions. But you're still lucky that I decided to investigate. I've been tracking a quartet of outlaw vampires for the past three weeks. They've left behind a nasty trail of corpses. Considering the size of the aura flare, you better believe that they'll have gotten Boss-- Sorry. I meant _Tonno's_ scent. Every vampire in the state probably got a whiff of him. I saw the scorch marks in the alley, so I know you have some idea of Tonno's abilities. What you see and what my goggles let me see are on completely different scales. Considering the state of his clothes, you only saw his Flame expand outside his skin and he somehow managed to pull it back in before the bubble popped--which is a first, by the way--but I saw an atomic explosion. That's something you have to understand if you're going to stay by him. Tonno is more than a tasty target to his enemies; he's an eight course meal complete with champagne, cigar, and a nice little mint to make their breathe fresh for the walk home."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Ray asked curiously as he paused in his ministrations. "Are you saying that vampires are going to be coming after him?"

"Yes and no," Alpha chuckled. "They'll come, but that's why I'm here. They won't get within a half mile of this hotel before I put them out of their misery. What I'm trying to to tell you is your little friend isn't as innocent as you think he is. He was more than my Boss, Mister Ray. He was the bait and was on the front lines of more than one massacre. Do you understand what I'm saying? The person that you're tending to so carefully is a cold-blooded murderer. He'd shoot them down like rabbits, chain their bodies inside his detonation radius, and boom.... The only thing left is ash and vampires can't recover from that sort of dismemberment. Do you really think you're prepared to stand beside someone like that?"

"I..."

"I'm telling you this because he's in love with you," Alpha continued mercilessly while Ray hesitated from the information overload. Tonno stayed silent out of combination of cowardice and logic. Tonno knew that Ray needed to know the truth, but he didn't have the guts to say it himself. It was much easier if someone like Alpha laid it out for Ray since it would allow Ray to make an informed decision without Tonno's interference. "A few years ago, Tonno's only mission in life was to eradicate vampires. Nothing outside of that mattered. Not me. Not himself. Not anything. He would have shot his own mother if it meant that he'd kill another vampire in the process. But you--! He's actually talking to someone like you. He actually stopped himself in the middle of an Level Two Release and risked imploding in order to keep himself from hurting you. And he succeeded! Do you have any idea how rare that is?"

"N-No," Ray admitted.

"It's the first fucking time it's happened, moron," Alpha spat. "Tonno could never do that before. The only other time that he tried to stop himself in the middle of a Release was before he joined the Hunters and I only have two pieces of information about it. The first is that he got those scars on his body when he failed and the second piece is that he tried to stop because the man who raised him had been nearby."

"Then... You're saying that he risked more scars to stop himself this time?" Ray asked softly.

"From what I know, he risked death," Alpha replied. "And that's why you should back out now if you're feeling half-hearted. Tonno has already thrown all of his cards on the table. I don't know what the hell you did to make him care so much, but you've got him on the ropes. If you duck out of the fight now, I know for a fact that he can recover. If you keep toying with him, he might have permanent damage when you do decide to quit. That's why it has to be all or nothing, Mister Ray. You either throw down and stick with him until the end or let him know up front that you're only in until it gets boring. So which is it going to be?"

"You want me to decide now?!" Ray spluttered. "I can't do that! I don't even know if everything you said is true!"

"Pretend that it is, because I've only given you the watered-down version," Alpha advised. "I doubt that anyone knows the true depth of what Tonno's gone through other than himself, but I can answer most of the questions that you might have--"

"What's CEDEF?" Ray blurted.

"Oh-ho!" Alpha exclaimed in surprise. "If you're asking about that, then that explains a few things about Tonno's mysterious background. CEDEF is an organization known best for it's affiliation with the Vongola Mafia Family. They're advisors and the leader can take charge as the Second-in-Command in times of crisis. If Tonno was connected to them, then it's likely that they were hiding him for some r--"

"Who's Xanxus?" Ray snapped.

"How do you know that name?" Alpha asked suspiciously.

"Just who is he?"

"He's the leader of Vongola's Elite Assassination Squad," he answered slowly. "He's known for being bad-tempered and a general pain in the ass. He's also a vampire and Tonno once managed to get his hands on him. I wasn't there to see it first-hand, but I heard that Tonno worked on him for several days without managing to break him. After that, he got loose and destroyed the base, but he's come up on our radar a few times since. Unfortunately, he's well-trained and well-protected or he'd already be dead. Oh. And he's also the former lover of Tsunayoshi Sawada, who I assume is Tonno's father due to the resemblance. Is there anything else that you'd like to know?"

"Why did he quit?"

"Why did he quit the Hunters? Well, that's a story to itself, but I can give you the short version. Our side won and some idiots screwed it up. The leader of the vampire nation waved a white flag at us and surrendered. Tonno went to meet with them to negotiate the terms of the surrender and two Hunter teams decided to go rogue with a sprinkling of men from several other teams--including mine. They crashed Tonno's party, tried to kill the Vampire leader along with the nearby cell of vampire remnants, and set Tonno up to take the fall. Over five years of work went down the drain in the blink of an eye. Let's just say that Tonno didn't have a reason to come back after that. None of us really blame him. Those years were more grueling than all the other years I've been with the Hunters combined and Tonno achieved more than anyone else had.

Anyway, most vampires went underground after the attack and the few who have started to surface have begun registering themselves with the Vendiche--who are kind of like the Mafia Police. We've also been getting tips from the Vendiche about outlaw vampires who like to create mountains of corpses during their pleasure trips around the world. There's no proof, but most of us believe that the vampires underground are the tipsters. It might be slow, but Tonno's efforts are still paying off and his goals are coming true. Vampires have become much more respectful of the places where humans walk and we've become more tolerant of blood-suckers who live without harming others.

To us Hunters, Tonno is a hero who came out of nowhere to set things right and left with the wind before the dust could settle. That's why I don't want to see him get hurt by some two-bit wimp with a big ego and a commitment problem. Tonno doesn't need someone to protect his body. He can do that just find by himself. What he needs is someone who cares about what's in here--in his heart--because that's where all his pain is. If you're too scared to face what might be in there, then you need to drop the friend act and tell him that you don't want to get too close. Tonno isn't the sweet and innocent boy next door. He can take rejection a lot easier than--"

"You're wrong," Ray finally interrupted. "He is sweet and he is innocent. He always keeps up a wall around himself because he is scared of rejection. You got it all wrong. Tonno didn't focus on his goals because that was all he cared about. He focused on it because he never learned how to do anything else. I see it everyday when Tonno is surprised by things that I always took for granted. I don't know what happened to him as a kid to make him turn out this way, but the pain I see is nothing like the pain you see. That's why saying that I'm 'all in' isn't as easy as you think it is. Tonno doesn't really love me. He just thinks he does because I'm the first friend that he's ever had and... and I don't want to make him more confused than he already is. If it's about being his friend, then that's something I can say that I'm in the long haul for. Tonno's an amazing person and he's got a good heart buried inside him. I want to stick with him for as long as he'll let me. It's his confession that I don't know how to respond to. What if it turns out that he's misunderstanding what he's feeling? He doesn't have a whole lot of experience to make a judgement with. I don't mind kissing him or being his... uh... his right hand if he needs one, but I'm not stupid enough to think that he's always going to be attracted to me. I mean, look at me. We both know that Tonno can do a lot better. He just needs more experience in stuff that's not vampire-this and killing-that!"

"And what if his feelings don't change after he gets more experience?" Alpha asked in consideration.

"Then I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Ray shrugged as he belatedly began rubbing Tonno's back again. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon and neither is he. It doesn't make sense to worry about stuff that probably won't happen when we've got enough stuff in front of us to deal with."

"Is that so?" Alpha laughed with a note of defeat in his voice. "I think I'm starting to see what Tonno sees in you. Now I'm even more jealous of him. It's not easy to find someone as loyal as you are."

"It's not like that," Ray grimaced. "Tonno said it when we first met. If I'm left alone, I'll probably do something stupid and get myself killed. I think he was right, so I'd rather take my chances with him. At least my stupid moments seem a little cool that way. Besides, I can't say that he's particularly nice or very open, but Tonno is my best friend. It wouldn't be the same without him and he needs me. You know?"

"I know," he confirmed. "I think I'm done here. Keep the windows shut until morning. I've got to go hunting. Au revoir."

"Hey, wait--!" Ray choked as Alpha threw the window open. "What about Tonno? What else should I do?"

"Ask him yourself," Alpha laughed. "Assuming he's not too embarrassed after hearing your confession."

"EH?!" Ray exclaimed. Cursing Alpha for revealing him, Tonno opened his eyes and tossed Ray an apologetic smile when he entered his limited range of vision. "How long have you been awake?!" Ray cried.

"Long enough to be sleepy again," he answered as Alpha exited out the window and shut it behind himself without Ray noticing. "Sorry if I worried you, but I was enjoying the massage. Do you think you could get my shoulders a little more?"

"Oh! Right," he said, instantly returning to his ministrations. Unfortunately, he stopped after only a minute when he realized that he'd fallen for Tonno's distraction. "What the hell?! You can get your shoulders for yourself! I want some answers!"

"Okay," Tonno agreed as he slowly sat up on the bed. Reaching for the lotion on the side table, he busied himself with applying it to his arms so that he wouldn't have to face Ray directly. "What do you want to know?"

"Eh?" Ray gaped. "You're really going to tell me?"

"None of my past was ever a secret except the part about Xanxus," Tonno shrugged. "There's a few details that I can't give you like the location of CEDEF Headquarters, but most of what you probably want to know is declassified."

"Then why don't you ever talk about it?" Ray asked curiously. Tonno grimaced as Ray sat at his feet and hesitantly grabbed a bottle of lotion to help with Tonno's skin treatment again.

"I could say that you didn't ask, but it's not that simple," Tonno replied realistically. "It's that people usually want their lives to stay simple and the truth is complicated. People don't always know what they're really asking, so I learned that it's better to just stay quiet and let people think what they want. You... You're the first person to still ask anyway, so I'll tell you whatever you want to know. You deserve the truth."

"That's... That's a pretty big thing coming from you," Ray mumbled, keeping his eyes on Tonno's feet while he quietly considered everything that he already knew. "Okay..." He sighed. "Why don't you start with the Hunter stuff. What made you join such a weird group?"

Slowly, Tonno filled Ray in on everything about himself. He corrected Ray's mistaken impressions, such as Papa being Tonno's mother because he was really a transgendered woman, and filled in the blanks like the big one where Ray had to understand the reality of vampires. He told Ray about his first memories and his life as CEDEF Headquarters after his first explosion. He told Ray about the difficulties of being the eldest and strongest of Papa's children, which had gotten him snubbed by other CEDEF recruits. He told Ray about how he'd become the Black Sheep because of the unfair assumption that he was only training under Mr. B so he could become Vongola's number two and take over the Family.

Then he told Ray about the more difficult parts while being thankful that he'd already exhausted his Flame. It wasn't easy to talk about how he'd felt after Mr. B told him the truth about his bloodline and it was even harder to explain about the incident where he'd gotten his scars. He'd screwed up and he'd almost killed Mr. B, which was also the point where he'd stopped trying to connect with anyone. He'd still wanted to prove himself, though, and that was when he'd found the Black Archives, which was the place where he'd found a reason to keep living.

Ray stayed silent through most of the story, but he was openly disturbed when Tonno talked about the Hunters. Admittedly, it wasn't the part about killing that disturbed him. The words 'I shot them' didn't leave much of an impact since Ray was hearing it second-hand. For Ray, it was much like hearing that a soldier shot down an enemy. There was nothing surprising to it. The part that made Ray truly understand and become disturbed was when Tonno recounted the reality of the casualties. Most of them had been men and women who'd been going to work and innocently living their lives. They'd been teachers and lawyers and people with careers who'd done nothing wrong other than having the wrong blood type.

Killing them had been the only way, though. Nothing made leaders react like the injustice against innocents. By attacking the helpless and the defenseless, the entire Vampire society had been forced to open their eyes to what was going on outside their narrow little lives. They'd been forced to reach out to each other to survive and that--THAT--was what Tonno had wanted. Once the dots had started connecting, he'd been able to trace the routes right to the true target and he'd attacked the very sanctuaries where they'd felt safest.

It'd been a warning. Vampires frequently attacked humans when they were weak and vulnerable, often going into their homes to destroy their entire Families in the search for someone who could be Turned. By turning the tables back on them, he'd forced them to look into a mirror and see the ugliness of the things that they considered 'standard procedure'. Then, once they realized their own ugliness, he'd given them a way out. He'd dangled a cure in front of them when they were still consumed with self-loathing and the bulk of the Vampires had willingly returned to the ranks of humanity.

The ones who were left had to walk on thin ice. Once they realized that the unity of their race was so fragile, the leaders should have been forced to correct their mistakes. They had no choice other than to see the error of their ways. By forcing people to become vampires, they were only spreading hatred and pain throughout the world. There were other ways to do things so that both humans and vampires could be happy, but the vampires themselves had to change. They couldn't see humans as only meals. Vampires had to respect the humanity within themselves, which was something that the full-bloods wouldn't allow so long as their traditional methods were still effective.

"I killed every vampire I came across because it was the only way to make those ways ineffective," Tonno said as he drained another cup of cold water. "It's sad that so many had to die, but I'm not going to apologize. I saw first-hand the brutality that vampires are capable of. When you walk into a blood bath that was once a building full of healthy men and women, you lose your pity for the people responsible. You only want to work harder to stop the people who were Turned before they're brainwashed into thinking that the deaths of everyone they knew was acceptable because they were somehow special. It makes you want to stop them before they start believing that it's their duty to search for more special people so that their own tragedies can have a reason. So that's what I did. I created a plan to stop them and I followed through on it even though I had to sacrifice innocent people to do it. I figured that killing a few hundred would be worth the thousands that my actions would save in the future."

"That doesn't seem right," Ray mumbled from his perch on the side of Tonno's bed. "I mean, I get what you're saying, but--"

"It wasn't fair," Tonno supplied as he refilled his water from the pitcher that they'd ordered from room service. "I'm not going to pretend that it was, but someone had to make a hard choice and I'm already used to being hated. I don't expect you to understand. You just asked about my past and that's part of it." Draining his cup again, Tonno sat it down in satisfaction that he was rehydrated and slowly walked over to join Ray on the side of his bed. He didn't say anything more. Instead, he slowly waited while Ray digested everything that he'd been told.

Ray stayed quiet for so long that Tonno began to worry that it was too much for him to handle. He took some hope in the fact that Ray was actually thinking about it, though.

"So... let me get all of this straight," Ray said slowly. "Papa is your mother, but not because he was a woman. It's because some weird Mafia people used his DNA in the soup that made you and that Xanxus guy is your father because they used his, too."

"Basically, yes."

"And your brother is the Boss of a Mafia Family, but he became a girl because he's really a shapeshifter and you started hunting Vampires because his shapeshifting makes him look tastier than regular people."

"Something like that."

"But then you decided to hunt Vampires because you were good at it and you figured out a way to win the fight against them."

"Kind of."

"But you don't do that anymore because they backstabbed you and Papa was there to take you in when you didn't have anywhere else to go."

"Pretty much."

"So what's all of that have to do with me?"

"Absolutely nothing," Tonno smiled. "That's all my past. I don't have any goals anymore. The only reason I'm still around is because Papa wants me to be and I... I wanted to know what it felt like to actually be part of a family. I've never had one before other than Mr. B, but I was never a very good son for him. I caused him more trouble than I was worth."

"That's not true," Ray objected, glancing over at Tonno with a smile. "I don't know who Mr. B is, but I bet he thought you were worth twice the trouble you caused. He wouldn't have put up with you if he didn't. Didn't you say that he could have put you in a foster home?"

"I blackmailed him into keeping me," Tonno replied sadly.

"Oh," Ray flinched. "Well, he still could have locked you up, but he didn't. That should count for something."

"Yeah," Tonno grudgingly agreed. "I guess so."

"Well, I think you're worth the trouble, so you better not run off on me," Ray said in a huff. "I'd be pretty pissed off if you did. I don't give rub downs to just anyone."

"Don't say something like that," Tonno mumbled, ducking his head to hide his need to smile.

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me want to kiss you again," he admitted shyly. Ray stared at him in surprise for a moment before his face abruptly turned as red as a cherry. Tonno pointedly looked away to give him a chance to recover, but it wasn't easy. When Ray said such nice things, Tonno couldn't stop himself from being happy anymore. It was possible that Ray was right, though. Maybe he was just misjudging his own feelings because Ray was the first person that he'd ever gotten so close to. Being a friend was already a burden. It wasn't fair for Tonno to ask more of him. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I'll stop saying such strange things. You're probably uncomfortable enough with everything else I've told you."

"I... I lied," Ray blurted, making Tonno turn to him in surprise. "I had ulterior motives when I started getting close to you," he admitted with an inward flinch. "I know that you're not used to having friends, though, so I didn't want to tell you. I figured you'd lose respect for me if you knew the truth. At first, I just wanted to pay Papa back for taking me in and I thought that I could do that by being your friend. But--! But then I started getting to know you and... and I stopped caring about what Papa thought and I just wanted to know more about you. You've always been so quiet and withdrawn and I really wanted to pull you out of that stupid shell that you're always in. I wanted to see what you were like when you smiled and when you laughed and when you cried and then--! Then, when you kissed me earlier, I-- I-- I really like you, Tonno, and it doesn't have anything to do with Papa or anyone else. I'm scared that you'll wake up in the morning and decide that you hate me for saying this when it's not something a friend would do, but... But if you want to kiss anyone, then I want you to kiss me because I'll get jealous if you kiss someone else."

Tonno's jaw dropped. Before he could digest all of the words ringing in his ears, Ray lunged forward to kiss him. The confession and the kiss was too sudden for him to think about anything. Ray didn't give him time to rationalize or consider consequences. He could only respond with the one part of his body that he'd always barricaded and rejected--his heart.

Wrapping his arms around Ray in acceptance, he felt as if he were melting again when Ray kissed him repeatedly until he was breathless. His world had always been one of cold calculation and logic, but Ray made him feel so warm and pleasantly chaotic inside. Even though his Flame was exhausted from his earlier outburst, it still felt as if it were rampaging under his skin and it felt as if Ray were leaving trails of fire across his body. It made him feel happy.

"Papa's going to kill me," Ray gasped as they sank down on the bed.

"I'll protect you," Tonno promised breathlessly. "Just don't stop." He felt delirious as Ray buried his face in his neck and simulteously ran a calloused hand down his side. His entire body was starting to pleasantly throb in tune to Ray's pulse. He wasn't really sure what was going on, but it was a hundred times better than just kissing. At least, that was what he thought until Ray stuck his hands down Tonno's boxers. "Where are you touching?!" He spluttered, reaching down to pull Ray's hand away from his crotch.

Ray froze.

"Oh no," he moaned as the blood drained from his face. "You're kidding me. Right?"

"You're the one kidding me!" Tonno exclaimed. "Are you trying to make me piss my pants or something? I thought you were serious! If you're just trying to make fun of me, then stop it!"

"You're not kidding," Ray groaned, pushing himself to his knees in disbelief. "Tonno... Where do babies come from?"

"Eh?!" Tonno spluttered in outrage. "What kind of idiot do you think I am?!"

"Please," Ray begged, making Tonno pause at the amount of pleading in his expression. "Just answer the question."

"They come from hospitals," he mumbled.

"And how do they get to the hospitals?" Ray asked.

"Their parents take them there, I guess," he shrugged awkwardly. What was with the sudden questions about babies? How did that have anything to do with Ray suddenly touching the place where he urinated from? "I don't know!" He admitted. "Mr. B said that he'd tell me when I felt like having one."

"Oy vey," Ray laughed in disbelief. "Did Mr. B ever tell you what sex was?"

"Of course," Tonno growled in irritation for the silly question. "It's when two people love each other and get together, which is what I _thought _we were doing."

"Did he tell you how it happened?" Ray asked.

"No," Tonno admitted suspiciously. "Mr. B said that it'd happen naturally, but there's nothing natural about you touching me down there. You almost made me pee!"

"It's not pee," Ray said, scratching his head in impatience. "Shit. I should have known that something like this would happen. I got the facts of life from friends by the time I was twelve, but you never had friends and Mr. B was apparently too embarrassed to lay it out for you. The question is... Do you want me to tell you what you don't know or just show you?"

"If it means that you're going to try to make me pee again, then you better tell me," Tonno replied with wide eyes. Ray grimaced, but he still leaned over and whispered everything into Tonno's ear. Tonno's jaw dropped a second time. He was supposed to do what with what?! And guys stuck it where?! "I'm not doing that!" Tonno spluttered. "You're lying!"

"I'm not lying," Ray said apologetically. "It's okay if you don't want to do it, but it's the truth. I can prove it."

"How?" Tonno asked suspiciously.

"Let me see your cell phone," he said. Willing to play along in case Ray wasn't lying to him, Tonno got up to retrieve his cell phone. Unfortunately, it was nothing more than a lump of melted plastic attached to the burn remanents of his coat. "Shit," Ray spat. "I could have shown you some porn-- Oh! Papa was a porn star. Didn't you ever look at his calendars?"

"Mr. B said that I'd be traumatized if I did, so I never looked," Tonno replied.

"Fuck, you probably would be," Ray groaned. "Okay, how about this? Come here. Don't worry. I'm not going to bite. I won't even touch you unless you want me to. Just sit on the bed." Still suspicious, Tonno sat on the bed while keeping a safe distance in case Ray was setting him up for a prank. His suspicions only rose when Ray unbuttoned his pants and pulled his member out. Tonno didn't say anything, though. He was actually a little curious. Ray's member looked just like his, but it was much bigger. It made him wonder if he was missing something in his diet. Or did Ray just have to go to the bathroom really badly? "Does it look like yours?" Ray asked curiously. Tonno nodded, keeping his eyes on the way that Ray was touching himself. He wasn't holding it like Tonno did when he had to go bathroom. "Go ahead," Ray urged. "You can do it to yourself, too. I know that you're wondering what it feels like."

"I can't do that," Tonno objected with a bright blush. "It's embarrassing!"

"Then, can I do it?" Ray asked quietly. "You can sit in my lap and I'll touch both of ours like this. I promise that it'll feel good. We can kiss more if you do that, too."

"But... What if you're wrong?" Tonno asked worriedly.

"Then I'll clean up the mess and I won't tell anyone," Ray promised in exasperation. "Give me a little credit. Don't you trust me?" Biting his lip, Tonno realized that he didn't have any reason to disagree. After all, if Ray was making fun of him, then Tonno could always kill him before he told anyone.

"A-Alright," he agreed hesitantly. Crawling forward, Tonno tried to keep his blushing under control when Ray stretched his legs out so Tonno could straddle his thighs. His blushing worsened even more when Ray reached into his boxers again, but his embarrassment disappeared in surprise when he realized that Ray was right. It did feel good.

"See?" Ray smiled as he pulled Tonno even closer so that he could stroke them together with the same hand. Tonno couldn't answer. Something... Something was happening to him. It was starting to feel like he was going to explode again, but his Flame... His Flame was throbbing in time with the way that Ray's hand was moving down his length, but it hadn't built up to the level where it could explode yet! Something else was ready to snap. Ray had to stop! If Ray didn't stop, then he was--

"Calm down," Ray gasped as he pulled Tonno into a breathless embrace. "It's okay," he soothed as he nibbled on Tonno's lips between soft kisses. "Buck your hips just like that," he panted, making Tonno realize how his body was moving. He had no idea what he was doing. It just felt so good. He knew that he needed to make Ray stop, but just a little more-- He wanted to do it just a little more because he felt so close... so close to something indescribable. "If it feels like something is going to come out, then let it," Ray adviced in a husky voice.

Once again, Tonno didn't reply. He couldn't think. He couldn't even hold himself up anymore. Laying his head down on Ray's shoulder, it took all of his energy to keep moving his hips so his member would keep rubbing between Ray's member and his hand. His groin had such a tight knot in it and it got tighter every time that he thrust himself at Ray. If it tightened any more, he was sure that... He was sure that... His body shuddered and a moan escaped his lips as the knot unraveled and his member spewed like an angry volcano. He couldn't feel Ray's member exploding with it, but he was instantly too dizzy to care if he'd done it alone. He felt light-headed and pleasantly drunk. He also didn't feel like moving. He'd had tactical operations that were less exhausting, but... But his body felt so good and his only disappointment was that it'd ended faster than he'd thought it would.

"Tonno--" Ray moaned into his neck while his hands moved in patterns that suggested that they weren't done. "It wasn't pee, so can I do it now?"

"Eh?" Tonno gasped in surprise. "Didn't we just do it?"

"Tonno..." Ray groaned, rolling over so that Tonno was laying under him again. "That was just foreplay," he said with a pained look on his face. "The real thing feels even better."

"It does?"

"I've heard that it hurts at first, but it does get better," he confirmed as he stripped off his shirt and leaned over to start kissing Tonno's chest again. "God, you're so damn cute when you're like this. I bet that Alpha guy would drop dead if he saw you right now."

"I don't look stupid?" Tonno blushed as Ray's hands crawled down his hips to slide his boxers off entirely.

"No more than I do," he answered breathlessly. "You better tell me if you want me to stop, Tonno. If you don't, I'm going to go all the way."

"I... I won't," Tonno replied. "If... If it's you, then I trust you."

"You shouldn't," Ray groaned as he wrapped his arms around Tonno's back to give him a fierce hug. "A friend wouldn't do this to you."

"Oh," Tonno mumbled. "Um... What about a Right Hand? Could they do it?"

"I have the feeling that you're not talking about roommates," he replied while taking deep breathes in effort to calm himself. "What kind of Right Hand are you talking about?"

"It's a Mafia Boss' best friend and most loyal subordinate," Tonno explained. "They're supposed to ensure that the Boss is taken care of so they don't overwork themselves and they have priviledges that no one else has. They can even kidnap their Boss and get away with it, so... um... I'm not a Boss or anything, but wouldn't this fall under fixing a gap in my education? Or... uh... m-making sure that I'm not lacking anything. I... I really don't want to stop if there's more."

"Papa's really going to kill me," he groaned in warning.

"I won't let him," Tonno promised with a smile. "I love you, Ray."


	157. Chapter 157 Responsibility

Death would be quick and painless, Tsuna decided as he stared down at Ray, his son, and the bottles of lotion scattered next to them. Despite the tangle of limbs and blankets, Tsuna could see from the way that Tonno was laying against Ray's chest that his son hadn't been on top. The thought that someone had been violating his son in such a way--in the room right next to his--infuriated him. The only question was whether he was going to let Ray wake up before he killed the little bastard.

Figuring he could wake up later, Tsuna reached out for Ray's neck, but he was stopped before he could get his hands around his throat. He was stopped by a network of Flame tentacles that shot out of Tonno's unconscious body to create a barrier that Tsuna couldn't get past. The tentacles froze when Tsuna did and they slowly retreated when Tsuna stepped back in curiosity. Then Tsuna smiled, seeing how Tonno's Flame was being so careful not to touch Ray even though Tonno was still dead asleep.

As a father, Tsuna still couldn't agree to seeing his son in the arms of a man, but the mentor part of him let out a sigh of relief. It was a magnificent sign that Tonno was beginning to understand his own Flame. Tonno's subconscious control was finally beginning to become conscious control. At the rate that he was going, he'd only need the tiniest bit of guidance to build the strength he needed to completely master it. His days of exploding and rampaging were going to end.

Tsuna felt a little irritated that most of the credit would have to go to Ray, but that irritation was something that he already knew how to deal with. All he had to do was to walk back to his room, grab one of Demetri's shotguns before his guards realized what he was doing, and march back into Tonno's room before they could stop him. Tonno snapped awake at the sound of the shotgun being loaded. Ray woke as Tonno grabbed him to roll off the bed with the blankets wrapped around them. Both of them were wide-eyed when their bed exploded in a shower of feathers and shotgun pellets.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Ray shouted frantically. Holding out one hand in effort to tell Tsuna to stop, his other arm wrapped around Tonno to keep him firmly in place in his lap as the only possible thing that would keep Tsuna from shooting. "O-Okay!" He blurted as Tsuna re-aimed the shotgun. "It is what it looks like, but I can explain! Please don't shoot me! I swear-- umph--" Tsuna couldn't stop himself from cracking a smile when Tonno silenced Ray with the effective method of a backwards headbutt.

"That was my bed, Papa," Tonno said while Ray checked to make sure all his teeth were still in place.

"And you're my son," Tsuna replied as Demetri lunged to get the shotgun out of his hands. Tsuna let it go, but not without first making a show of wanting to keep it. "What the hell were you two thinking?" Tsuna asked angrily.

"That I'm an adult and it was my choice," Tonno said calmly while clutching onto the blankets nervously. "Ray reminded me five times that you were going to try to kill him, but I promised that I wouldn't let you. I don't want to fight you, Papa, but I will if I have to. R-Ray was just taking care of me because he's my Right Hand."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. Then his face turned red in a combination of anger and embarrassment. He could have gone his entire life without hearing such words from his son's mouth. He also wasn't sure if he was more proud or angry that Tonno had finally matured to the point where he could defy him. In many ways, it was a very good thing, yet he knew that no father in their right mind would accept such fickle reasoning. He also knew that, even though he was Tonno's father, he couldn't begrudge his son's desire to fall in love--even if it was to a young man who was incredibly ordinary in almost every way. Tsuna could swear that he could see himself and Gabe in the two boys in front of him; they were willing to do anything to be together even though they knew that it wouldn't be accepted.

His conclusion was that he was a father who wasn't in his right mind.

"I need a cup of coffee," Tsuna groaned before retreating back to his room in defeat. As he collapsed into his room's couch next to one of the other no-name agents that Demetri had brought along to protect him, he barely heard Demetri's lecture about wielding firearms against civilians. The words went in one ear and out the other until Demetri finally left to head off the police and report a misfire. He felt brain-dead.

Objectively, he knew that Tonno was an adult, but he didn't feel very objective. Tonno was still innocent in many ways. It was a mental shock to see that Tonno had hopped into bed with the same person that Tsuna had brought into his home to be Tonno's friend. He'd wanted the two to become close so that Tonno would open up, but he hadn't meant for Ray to get that close! It... It was just wrong! His kids weren't supposed to be like him! They were all supposed to get married and have kids of their own! Those two boys had no idea what they were getting into by choosing a homosexual lifestyle. The world was full of homophobes, religious activists, and people who would harass them out of simple dislike. They wouldn't be able to do many things that normal couples did and they'd always have to look over their shoulders in fear that they'd be targeted for hate crimes.

Were they really prepared to face all of that and more just so they could be together? Did they even care about each other to the level that was required to keep such a relationship stable? Were they even in a relationship? He hadn't considered it, but it could just be a fling or a one-night-stand. Tsuna hoped that his son was smarter than to do such a thing, but he also knew that he'd done a lot of stupid things in his own lifetime. Did he have a right to interfere in that part of his son's life? Tonno had said it himself. He was an adult and it'd been his choice. It was just so hard for Tsuna to remember that the boy was in his twenties. It made Tsuna remember that he wasn't that young anymore.

He needed advice and Gabe wasn't around to give it anymore. Tsuna had other options, though. He didn't have many, but he had a few: Gigi, Charlie, Papa Paolo, Veronica, and Ollie. He'd talked to all of them the previous night and had done his best to reconnect the ties of friendship that had been broken. He'd also gotten a briefcase full of alibis to go through when Gigi and Papa Paolo had finally accepted that he was serious about finding Gabe's murderer. They were probably all still in shock over the revelation. Asking advice from any of them would probably be a bad idea, which made him glad that he had one other option.

"Gokudera here," Gokudera answered on the second ring.

"It's me again," Tsuna greeted into his cell phone as he ducked into the bathroom for privacy. "Did I wake you?"

"Nope," he laughed. "I just dropped Elario off at school. Do you want me to come over?"

"I'm out of town right now," Tsuna replied. "Gabe's family wanted to bury him in his hometown, so I had to go back for the funeral."

"When is it?"

"Tomorrow," he answered. "Listen, I didn't call about that. I was actually wanting your opinion on something."

"Okay..."

"Hypothetically," Tsuna said with a grimace. "What would you do if Elario was in his twenties and you caught him in bed with someone that you thought was just his friend?"

"In bed?" Gokudera repeated in confusion. "You mean, if he turned out to be gay? I don't have a problem with that."

"No, Hayato-- You're not getting it. Really picture it. You walk in to your son's bedroom. He's naked and sleeping next to another naked guy. Even if he's in his twenties, are you sure that you'd be okay with that?"

"I--"

"Really picture it," Tsuna urged. "You had no idea that they were intimate before you walked in on them."

"I'd kill him," Gokudera answered tonelessly.

"Good," Tsuna sighed in relief. "Because I just used a shotgun on Tonno's bed. I was worried that I might have over-reacted."

"Were the boys still in it?"

"No," he soothed. "I made sure that they got out of the way first."

"I wouldn't have waited," Gokudera growled.

"I didn't want to kill them!" Tsuna spluttered. "I just wanted them to know that I don't approve! Do you think it's bad that I don't approve? Should I approve? I'm not sure of what to do, Hayato. This is the first time that I've been up against something like this."

"If you'll pardon me for saying it, it does seem hypocritical of you," Gokudera admitted. "You were sleeping with Xanxus behind Haru's back and you were married. From the sound of it, you don't know that he's actually gay yet. He might have just been experimenting. I know I did a few times before I met Sangia."

"Oh!" Tsuna gaped at the reminder. "I forgot. You and Takeshi did do that."

"Don't tell Sangia," Gokudera groaned. "I think she already knows, but there's no point in dredging up the past. Actually, Takeshi would probably be the best person to talk to about this. I experimented and you're bi, but he was gay right off the bat--pun not intended. If Tonno turns out to be serious, then he should be able to tell you how to handle it."

"I don't know how to get in touch with him," he objected. "I really wouldn't know what to say, either. I was pretty hard on him when I saw him last."

"Don't worry about that. I've got him right here. The bastard keeps coming over to steal the leftovers from breakfast. He eats like a pig, but he's too stupid to tell Matsu to make extra."

"Eh?!" Tsuna choked.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto exclaimed, taking over Gokudera's end of the call. "How have you been? Well, that's a pretty stupid question. Hayato told me what happened. Tough break about your boyfriend. I met Gabriel once when he was living in Italy. He seemed nice enough, but you really do seem to go for social outcasts. So what's this about your son? I only got part of the conversation."

"It's... It's Tonno," Tsuna said hesitantly. "It's a long story, but he's older than Hotaru and Gregory, but he's more innocent than Ieyasu in some ways. Um... Let's just say that he takes after Xanxus."

"All work and not a people person...?"

"Exactly. The other guy is this little misfit that's been working at the bakery for me. I've been letting him room with Tonno in exchange for extra work, but then I found him in... ah... Well, I'll just say that I found them in a disturbing way in Tonno's hotel room this morning."

"I got it," Yamamoto laughed. "They were knocking boots behind your back and you finally caught on."

"Takeshi..." Tsuna groaned in misery for the lack of tact.

"Do you remember your eighteenth birthday?" Takeshi asked curiously.

"How could I forget?" Tsuna flinched. "I was going to ask Kyoko to marry me, but I ended the night with Haru."

"Do you remember what Iemitsu did?" Takeshi prompted.

"Eh? Oh, yeah. I forgot that he was there. But he left after Haru showed up."

"There you go," Takeshi laughed.

"You're saying that I should leave them alone?" Tsuna asked in confusion. "But how can I do that? Tonno--"

"If you found him in bed with a girl, would you have reacted the same way?" Takeshi asked seriously.

"Well, no--"

"And if Tonno was a girl, would you have barged in like you did?"

"Well, no--"

"You would have knocked first and you wouldn't have seen anything," he supplied. "Tsuna, I know that you like guys, but you're way of being gay is nothing like the way I am. I don't think that much has changed over the years. When you're with a guy, you always let them treat you like a woman or you treat the other guy like a woman. If Tonno's first love is a guy by choice, then it's completely different. Males have strong personalities. If they're already sleeping together, then they're both aware that the other person is a male and they have a much better idea of what they're doing than you do. They couldn't have gotten that far unless there's a strong bond between them. My advice is that you should look the other way. It probably isn't easy for you since they're both living with you, but it's really none of your business. If you still want to get involved anyway, then you should limit yourself to making sure that both of them are informed about safe sex and proper care for their bodies."

"You mean--?" Tsuna choked.

"Yup," Yamamoto confirmed mercilessly. "They obviously already know how the sex works, but you have to tell them about everything from condoms and AIDs testing to what hemorrhoids are and how to use an enema."

"Can I go back to being a bachelor?" Tsuna whined.

"You wish," Yamamoto laughed. "Just start out slow. It'll be embarrassing for both of you, but you don't want him to get a disease or any kind of infection. You can probably get him a book if you really don't feel up to the task, but it'd be better for him if you just talk to him about it so he can ask questions. You don't want him to learn the hard way like you had to. Oh! If it turns out that they don't want to talk to you, then you can bring them by to see me. Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger and I know just about everything on the subject."

"Just about everything?" Tsuna repeated with a laugh. "I figured you'd know everything by now. How long have you been with Matsu?"

"Long enough to realize how little I know," Yamamoto chuckled. "I still manage to learn something new every day."

"It's amazing that you can learn anything with your small brain," Gokudera taunted in the background.

"But won't it seem like I'm approving if I talk to them about all that?" Tsuna asked worriedly.

"The bigger question is what they're going to do if you don't talk to them," Yamamoto retorted. "Pops didn't know about Matsu and I for a long time because we knew that he'd disapprove. When I look back and think about all the risks I took before Pops told me that sex was like baseball, it honestly scares the bejeezus out of me."

"Sex is like baseball?" Tsuna laughed.

"Yup," he confirmed. "You've got good forms and bad forms and there's player etiquette and--"

"I get it," Tsuna groaned as Gokudera made a comment that sent Yamamoto into a fit of laughter.

"The point is that there's rules," he said. "If you don't teach Tonno the rules, then he's going to have issues with the umpire. And when I say umpire, I mean his health. I was lucky since Matsu knew everything that I needed to know and he cared about me enough to take the time to teach me, but I was swinging blindfolded before that. Regardless of whether you approve, Tonno's risk factors aren't going to change. Even if he's only curious, he needs the information so that his explorations don't lead him to some place bad."

"Alright! Alright!" Tsuna exclaimed in defeat. "Damnit! I hate it when you're smarter than me! You're only supposed to know about baseball and competition!"

"We all grew up, Tsuna," Yamamoto replied in amusement. "I'm just telling you what I've been telling myself in case Yoshi turns out to be gay."

"Isn't he still too young?" Tsuna spluttered.

"He's in middle school," Yamamoto answered. "That's the age where you and Gokudera stopped thinking that girls had cooties and started thinking that they were nice to look at. I was a little different since I was never attracted to girls and I didn't consider that I might be gay until I was almost out of high school, but Yoshi is different. He sees me and Matsu together every day, so I've got to be prepared for any eventuality. Don't get me wrong. I don't approve of him doing anything until he's old and gray, but I've already decided to give him the facts of life as soon as he brings home either a girlfriend or a boyfriend for us to meet. If he's straight, then he'll only get the basic version. If he brings home a guy, then I'm already mentally preparing myself to give him the full lecture. Visualization is the key to everything."

"Wow," Tsuna gaped in awe. "You've really thought a lot about this."

"I can't keep being a deadbeat dad," Yamamoto chuckled. "Unless I was hallucinating, I believe it was you who gave me a smack in the right direction."

"Oh. Yeah," Tsuna agreed sheepishly.

"I've got to go, Tsuna," he added. "I've got a job to get to and I still have to stop for gas. It was nice hearing from you again. Try to keep in touch more often. I get worried when you drop off the map."

"I will," Tsuna promised before Yamamoto passed the phone back to Gokudera.

"Tsuna?" Gokudera asked.

"I'm still here," he smiled. "I'm pretty damned stunned, but I'm here."

"What are you stunned about?"

"One is that you're still calling me Tsuna," he teased. "The other is that Takeshi actually gave advice that didn't need a translator to decode."

"When he started talking in metaphors, I told him that he was going to start explaining with 'Bump, bump' and 'Chuu, chuu' if he kept it up."

"So that's why he started laughing," Tsuna chuckled. "I appreciate the intervention. I can live without that kind of explanation."

"You're pressing your luck if you send Tonno to him for advice," Gokudera warned. "He'll probably think that it's practice for Yoshi and get so flustered that he'll start growling to show how AIDs can be bad."

"Stop it," Tsuna laughed. "Takeshi's not that bad!"

"I called to ask him how to pick out a good cantaloupe the other day and he said it was supposed to go 'bong' and not 'bop' or 'pip' or 'squish'. Like that was supposed to make sense when I'm in the middle of nowhere and the vendor was speaking some Spanish dialect that I can't make sense of," Gokudera grumbled, making Tsuna laugh even harder. "I didn't know if I was supposed to tap on the damn thing or throw it against a wall! In the end, playing charades with the vendor was easier than trying to understand what the hell Takeshi was talking about. But, seriously... That only goes to show that he must be worrying a lot about Yoshi since his advice actually made sense this time. Don't tell him that I said so, but I agree with him, too. Putting aside how I'd react if I walked in on Elario in the same situation, I'd still want to give him the facts after I calmed down because, even if I killed the guy with him, it wouldn't help him to deal with the next time he had the urge to hop in the sack with someone."

"You're both right," Tsuna sighed. "It really makes me jealous that the two of you would agree on this kind of topic. I guess it shows the difference between someone like me--who's not even a weekend father--and guys like you who've had your kid beside you every day since they were born. It makes me feel like a poser. Please tell me that I'm not a poser, Hayato."

"You're not a poser," he repeated dutifully.

"Thanks," Tsuna groaned.

"You're really not," he said in encouragement. "A poser would be more worried about whether they look like a good father and they wouldn't ask for outside input because they'd be scared of looking bad. You're just new to it and you've got a late start, so don't pressure yourself so much. You've always thought about what's best for your kids, which makes you a damn fine father in my book. Even I still run up against things that I'm not sure how to react to. In matter of fact, Elario threw me for a loop last night. The little bastard suddenly said that he was a vegetarian and he couldn't eat pork chops. Then he called me a murderer for buying meat."

"What did you do?" Tsuna asked in curiosity.

"I told him that Sangia murdered the green beans first," Gokudera laughed, making Tsuna snort in laughter with him. "Then, after Sangia tried to put a hole in me with her fork, I told Elario that he'd get sick if he didn't eat it. If he had a problem with that, then he'd have to go back a few thousand years and yell at the monkeys for making us evolve in a way that requires it as part of a balanced diet."

"Ooh. And what did he say?"

"He said that I was still a murderer," Gokudera grumbled. "So I told him that he was right. I am a damn murderer and he was lucky that someone's leg wasn't being served because I'd be damned if I didn't have meat on the table for dinner. Sangia tried to stab me again and Elario excused himself from the table, but I don't think he'll open his mouth about it again tonight. If he wants to be a vegetarian, then that's his choice. I have no problem with adding tofu as a side dish, but I'm not going to let my kid sit there and disrespect me at the dinner table. I taught him better than that."

"Did he have bacon for breakfast?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"Now that you mention it, he did," he said in thought. "I bet he didn't notice since he always has bacon, but that's a meat. Eggs are, too, I think. I'm going to go do some research. I bet Elario doesn't have any clue what it really means to be a vegetarian."

"It's hard to make sweets without milk and butter," Tsuna commented. "That's assuming that dairy products are off-limits."

"Oh, that's brilliant," Gokudera chuckled in glee. "Lard and the grease for fried foods is usually animal fat, too. No-- That won't work. We use vegetable oil."

"I'd take him to the zoo," Tsuna suggested in thought. "Maybe if you go at feeding time, he can see how different animals need different foods. If he's smart, then he'll see that a lion isn't bad for eating a steak and a horse isn't bad for eating grass. It just makes them different from each other--just like you and Elario."

"And here I thought you were calling me for advice," Gokudera laughed. "I'll try that. Even if it doesn't work, it's been a while since I took him anywhere other than school and his martial arts classes. He might get off my case if I force him out of the house. I better call Sangia and tell her what I'm planning. She'll kill me if I don't. Damn women."

"Be thankful of what you have, Hayato," Tsuna admonished sadly.

"Shit, I stepped on that one," he groaned apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna soothed. "Do me a favor when you have time and swing by the bakery. I locked everything up, but there's no telling if someone will try to break in while no one's home. I'd feel better if I knew that someone was checking on the place."

"No problem. Let me know if there's anything else you need."

"T-There is," Tsuna said hesitantly. "Remember when I said that everyone was suspect?"

"I'm already on it. It's hard to get alibis while staying discreet, but I've already cleared Takeshi, Ryohei, your kids, Haru, Hibari, and Lambo. I'm still working on Lanchia, but I don't think he would have much time around keeping all the kids' schedules straight. Mukuro and Hotaru are going to be the tough ones. I can't find Mukuro and Hotaru will tell me point-blank if she had someone kill Gabe, but I'd be revealing that I know your current situation if--"

"Ask her," Tsuna said. "I don't care about hiding anymore. I just want to find Gabe's killer. If it means that the world is going to crash down on my doorstep, then so be it. I couldn't do anything for Kyoko or Snicker, but Gabe... I know that I'll regret it if I don't find out who killed him and why. His death is completely meaningless with how things stand right now and that's not right! I have to do everything that I can, Hayato. I need answers. Can you understand that?"

"I understand," he agreed. "I'll do everything I can to help you, but... Just take care of yourself. Okay? I doubt that Gabriel would want to see you hurting yourself and we both know that you stop taking care of yourself when you've got your teeth on something."

"I'll take care of myself," he promised. "If you've learned how to stay calm and Takeshi has learned how to sound mature, then I've learned the right way to live. Gabe's death hurts and I do want answers, but I've been through this enough times that I know that the world is still turning. Something like this isn't enough to stop me anymore."

"I'm here if you need me," Gokudera murmured.

"Thanks," Tsuna smiled. "I'll talk to you again later. I've got an appointment with Gabriel's father that I need to go to."

"I'll be waiting on your call."

Hanging up his phone, Tsuna sat on the edge of the bathtub and rubbed his face in hopes of wiping his thoughts away. He didn't want to think yet. Whether it was about Gabe's murder, Tonno's love affair, or even the media that was likely staking out the street in front of his hotel, he just wanted everything to stop for a moment so he could breathe. One moment. Two moments. That was enough. Thinking carefully, he dug through the volumes of information that he'd stored inside his head over the years and dragged out one piece that could help him with his current problem--that problem being Demetri's inability to give him any valuable information on the FBI's investigation of Gabe's death.

The man who he called wasn't happy to hear from him. He also wasn't happy to hear that Tsuna still recalled an unpaid debt that was over ten years old. He was helpful, though. Tsuna wasn't sure what rank he held in the government anymore, but he was sure that it was something higher than he'd held previously and that was more than enough clearance to pull a few strings on Tsuna's behalf. It was also enough to get the ball rolling in case the investigation was nothing more than smoke and mirrors being blown in Demetri's face so that Demetri could blow it at Tsuna.

After that was finished, Tsuna closed his eyes and dredged up another name. Kamau. The little black boy who'd been so eager to run errands had been aiming for law school. Assuming that he'd kept that goal, he'd be a good asset to have prepared in case people began backstabbing through malicious legal-work. It took him a while to track down the boy's full name and current phone number, but he was completely satisfied when he found it. Kamau already had his law degree, having gotten it in record time, and he was an intern at a law firm. He was happy to hear Tsuna's call and he was even happier when Tsuna asked if he was willing to do Pro Bono work. He needed a week to blackmail his supervisor into accepting Tsuna as an official client, but he foresaw no problems since Tsuna wanted him to take care of things personally if he was needed.

The final number that he called was Josef the taxi driver who Tsuna fondly remembered as 'Funky'. He didn't care if the man was an ex-convict. Josef was a hundred times more trustworthy than the easily-interchangeable drivers that Demetri would call on. He was more than willing to give Tsuna free rides and, even more importantly, he wasn't afraid to break a few laws if they got in a pinch. The same couldn't be said about the by-the-book operatives that were supposedly protecting him.

Getting up from the side of the bathtub, he stopped to wash his face in sink before making the careful assessment that he looked like hell. The image that stared back at him in the mirror seemed like a stranger's visage. The bruises from Gabe's attack were still livid and Gabe's hand-prints were still around his neck. Perhaps it was the lingering injuries that made it so hard to believe that Gabe was dead, but the bags under his eyes were a sign of something more serious than plain grief. Gokudera had reason to worry because Tsuna could slowly feel himself pining away inside.

He couldn't sleep. Getting to sleep was no problem, since the same strange dream of a savior lulled him into oblivion every time he laid down at night, but the nightmares destroyed his rest. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it over and over again. Iemitsu sinking into the lake. Kyoko sinking into the lake. Snicker sinking into the lake. Gabe sinking into the lake. It wasn't just them, either. There were dozens of others. People like the manservant named Cress who'd cared for him when he'd begun training in Italy. People like the street vendor named Georgie who'd given him hot dogs. People like his daughter Kitsune. One by one, people he knew kept dying and he couldn't stop it. They just slipped through his hands like... like melted glass.

"Tsuna...?" Demetri prompted in concern. Tsuna continued to stare at the shards of mirror melting through his gloves for a moment before taking a deep breathe to shake off his melancholy. Now wasn't the time to get depressed. He still had things to accomplish.

"I'm fine," he soothed as he ran his gloves under cold water to cool the glass enough that he could throw it in the trashcan. Once he finished, he let his gloves revert and carefully checked his wrist to ensure that he hadn't re-injured it. He was supposed to wear the brace for several weeks, but he couldn't wear the brace at the same time as his gloves. Therefore, he'd wrapped it in a split that was almost as good at keeping it immobile. He'd be able to move it if he absolutely had to and the injury wasn't visible once he put his coat on. It was as good as he could ask for.

"I'll be ready to go in a minute," Tsuna added as he quickly buttoned up his shirt and carefully tightened his neck-tie to help hide the bruises on his throat. Running a hand across the stubble on his chin, he decided to skip shaving and settled for combing his hair back with water. Admittedly, he didn't look his best when he was finished, but he didn't think that anyone would expect him to. He was burying another lover, after all. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if he gained the title of a Black Widow even though he was a man. "Remind me to call Eric later and see if he can help keep the media from running me over," Tsuna said as he headed out of the bathroom to grab his coat. "I hate to bother him with it, but I don't have much choice at the moment."

"You know just about everyone, don't you," one of Demetri's cohorts commented.

"Just about," he agreed noncommittally as he paused next to his bed to check on Chopper. In many ways, the tanuki was worse off than Tsuna was. Gabe had been his owner. To a young tanuki, an owner was almost like a god that provided everything and it wasn't the same for him that Tsuna had taken over in Gabe's absence. To Chopper, Tsuna already had a tanuki partner in Ginger, so he didn't feel like he could contribute. He needed a partner that he could be useful to or else his existence had no meaning. Sadly, Tsuna understood his pain. It was the same sort of relationship that Tsuna had held with Snicker in the beginning and he remembered how difficult it'd been to recover from the loss. "Chopper," he said carefully, sitting down next to the pup in hopes of drawing his attention away from the empty wall. "I'm going to go see Gabe's father right now. Would you like to come with me?"

"Don't wanna," he whispered.

"Then... Can I take you over to stay with Tonno?" Tsuna asked. "I don't want to leave you by yourself."

"I don't care," he mumbled. Taking that as agreement, Tsuna carefully picked him up to carry him out the door with Demetri and his pack of suits following.

Tsuna felt his stomach flip when no one answered Tonno's door. The blood rushed out of his face when Jim's room held all of the boys--excluding the two that he was looking for. He grew furious when Tonno answered Ray's door with nothing except a towel around his waist and a sheepish grin on his face.

"I'll save it for later," Tsuna growled to himself as he handed Chopper over. "I'm going out for a while. Stay in the hotel and order room service if you get hungry. Do not--! I repeat, do not order one of everything. I'm already in enough debt with that stunt you pulled last night. If you do anything more, then I'll have to sell the bakery to pay it all off and I'll leave it to you to tell all your friends that they're out of jobs. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Papa," Tonno confirmed with a mild blush.

"Try to cheer Chopper up," he added with a grimace. "It's pointless to tell him that everything will be okay, but maybe you can take his mind off things by playing board games or something. Just see if you can get him to do something other than impersonating a wet towel. I don't like seeing him like this."

"I'll try, Papa," he agreed with a sympathetic glance down at Chopper. "Um..." Tonno added as Tsuna turned to leave. "Is taking care of a tanuki like taking care of a dog?"

"Why do you ask?" Tsuna inquired curiously.

"B-Because I've never had either one," he mumbled with a shy smile. "Even if it's only until you get back, this... This means I have a pet. Right?"

"Right," Tsuna agreed with a slow smile spreading across his face as Chopper's ears perked up in interest. "I'll tell you what, Tonno," Tsuna said in consideration. "I've got my hands full with the investigation and several other things right now. Would you like to watch Chopper indefinitely?"

"You mean that I can have him?" Tonno asked in surprise.

"Well, you'd have to talk Chopper into it since he's the one that decides who his owner is," he said shrewdly. "But I think Gabe would like that since it means that Chopper will still be part of our family. How about this? You take care of him for me until we go back to Vegas and he can decide what he wants to do after that. If he wants me to take care of him, then I will. If he decides that he wants to stay with you, then you can take care of him. I'll also ask Bo and several others to see if they might want Chopper. If they do, then Chopper can pick whoever he wants to live with."

"Oh," Tonno gaped in surprise. Tsuna winked at him, seeing that his son understood the insinuation. Chopper's ego would be crushed if he thought that he was an unwanted burden. If it seemed like he had a lot of options in where to go, then he'd feel better about staying where he was at. The trick was that Tonno would have to give him extra attention until the funeral was over so that Chopper would feel needed, wanted, and loved by the living. That would help him move past Gabe's death more than anything else could.

As an added bonus for Tsuna, Tonno wouldn't be able to do any hanky-panky while the tanuki was around.

"Have fun," Tsuna grinned, once more turning to leave. "And be ready for a talk when I get back! Don't think I've forgotten about this morning!"

* * *

There was an eerie silence in Gabe's bedroom. Most of the eerie part was because of the shocking decor. He'd thought that he was mentally prepared after having seen Autumn's childhood bedroom during a previous visit. Her room had been overloaded with fairytales, castles, and pink, but that awe-inspiring theme was nothing compared to Gabe's room. Gabe's... Gundam... bedroom. There were paintings on the walls and action figures on every surface. There was even a model in progress on his desk, showing that he'd still been working on it when he'd last stayed in the room.

"These were his favorites," Papa Paolo sniffed, pointing out a shelf full of finished Gundam Wing models. "I can't tell you how many hours he spent fiddling with them. I honestly can't tell you what they are. He was always throwing me these random serial numbers like I'm supposed to automatically understand what they meant. This... This is something called a Heavyarms. I remember it because Gabriel once sat in my lap and repeated it for an hour straight to make sure that I got the right one for Christmas. N-Now that I think about it, that might have been why he was fixated on you so much in the beginning. I remember him saying that the character who operated this one was in the circus."

"It was more than that," Tsuna sighed as he slowly took in everything around himself. "Gundam migrated here from Japan--"

"Gundam!" Papa Paolo snapped with a relieved smile. "That's what it is. Do you recognize it? They just look like robots and spacemen to me."

"I recognize it," Tsuna confirmed in awe. "There are people who'd pay a fortune to get their hands on a collection this size. Unless I'm mistaken, he's even got a complete set of the first run in Japanese and English over there. But I didn't know he could speak Japanese."

"He can't," Papa Paolo laughed momentarily. "He couldn't," he corrected soberly. "Not really, but he watched the English versions enough that he knew what everyone was saying when he watched the Japanese. He told me that he was teaching himself how to speak it, so I had to buy him both or else he couldn't learn. I knew that he was pulling my chain, but I always got them for him anyway and his face would light up so much. You probably wouldn't believe me if I said it, but Gabe was always a good boy. He studied hard and he played quietly with his models when he wasn't watching his cartoons or reading books. It's my fault that he turned out the way that he did. I should have never pitted him against his sister."

"That wasn't your fault," Tsuna said firmly, making Papa Paolo's eyes widen in surprise. "It was my fault," he continued mournfully. "From the first time that I met him, I could have helped him, but I didn't. I never gave him a fair chance and I never considered that the rumors about him were wrong. Autumn is the one that set him up for a fall, but I'm the one that pushed him over the edge. He just needed a friend and I--"

"You gave him a chance in the end," Papa Paolo smiled sadly. "I'm the one who set up the race that ruined his reputation and his confidence. I'm the one that put him in a situation where you would think the worst of him. No matter what you say, I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing that I was the one that caused him so much pain. You were a victim, son. Even if you saw him in a different light when you met again, it doesn't change the fact that I..." he trembled with tears filling his eyes. "I hurt him first."

"Papa Paolo..."

"Hush," he smiled as he quickly brushed his tears away. "I'm going to go take a moment. Take all the time that you need. The key you wanted is over there on his bed with the rest of the things that the-- the--" Papa Paolo paused, too choked with tears to get out the word 'morgue'. Waving Tsuna away when he approached in concern, Papa Paolo quickly left before his decorum crumbled. The sight of him rushing out the door was almost more painful than the room itself.

The room was so difficult to comprehend. Tsuna had known that Gabe had been obsessed over him, but he'd never thought that his obsession would trace back to Gundam of all things. It made him wonder why Gabe had never mentioned it. It could have been something for them to share. Then again, Gabe had supposedly figured out that he was the Tenth within a few weeks of their first meeting. Maybe he'd thought that it'd be too childish for Tsuna to enjoy. Maybe he'd been embarrassed that his attraction to Tsuna had started from such an odd-ball thing. Maybe Tsuna could have learned about it if they'd had more time together.

Stubbornly refusing to give in to the urge to bemoan how unfair the world was, Tsuna headed over to the bed to retrieve what he'd come for. Tsuna recognized the small skeleton key on sight and he escaped the room as soon as he had it in his hands. He couldn't explain his reasoning for the quick exit. He just had the strange certainty that Gabe wouldn't be happy if he saw Tsuna going through his things and Tsuna wanted to respect the fact that Gabe had never invited him in. He also wanted to listen to his intuition when it said that there were no clues to the identity of Gabe's murderer hidden within.

_"What's that?" Tsuna asked as Gabe's necklace dangled over his face._

_"This is a skeleton key," Gabe laughed, pausing in his kissing attack to show Tsuna his treasure. "I found it a long time ago... Or maybe it was given to me...? I don't really remember. I just know that I've always had it and I get anxious when I don't have it around."_

_"Like a good luck charm?" Tsuna smiled._

_"Nooo..." he replied. "I'd say that it's more like an heirloom. It doesn't really have a purpose, but it's so old that I'd feel bad if I lost it."_

_"Ug," Tsuna groaned, glaring at the key in distaste. "I hate heirlooms. The last time I got a damn heirloom, I went from a below average middle-school student to a Tenth Generation Mafia Boss."_

_"Don't say that," Gabe grinned. "What would you do if it turned out that this was the key to a pirate treasure?"_

_"I'd say give me the box and you can keep the key!"_

_"Spoil-sport!"_

"Idiot," Tsuna murmured to himself as he paused on the front doorstep to fulfill Gabe's final request. Opening his hand, he stared down at the key for a moment in curious wonder. Gabe had used his last moments to tell Tsuna to destroy it so the soul bound within could be freed, but it didn't look special. The key laid as dead as a door nail in his hand. Tsuna could see no sign of it being haunted. The proof was in Tsuna's hand itself. He'd be trembling if there was a ghost inside the key.

"Tsuna, we need to move," Demetri called worriedly as he broke away from the car to approach. "It's too open out here."

"One more moment," Tsuna replied. Releasing his Flame, Tsuna pressed a Delving Flame to the key in curiosity. Gabe had gone so far for a silly key, but... But Tsuna felt nothing as he probed it. If there was a spirit inside, then it was one that only Gabe could feel. In a way, it was very disappointing. If there had been a spirit that Tsuna could talk to, then the spirit could have told him the identity of the person who'd killed Gabe. The key was just a key, though. So, doing what Gabe had wanted, Tsuna used his X-Gloves to destroy it.

There were no sparks of magic or big fanfare as the key lost shape like warm butter. Once it was hot enough, it pooled in his hand until it was the consistency of water and Tsuna carefully poured it onto Papa Paolo's lawn so that a groundskeeper could deal with it after it cooled. That was it. There were no secrets hidden in the key. There were no answers. Once the key was destroyed, Tsuna still had nothing but questions.

"Let's go," Tsuna said quietly. Getting into his taxi, he pointedly ignored the black car following him for his protection and tried to put himself in the right mindset for his next stop. That stop was the television station, where he was scheduled for an interview that Demetri was whole-heartedly against. He didn't care, though. An interview would be the fastest way to get several things out in the open. That reminded that he needed to get Eric to handle crowd control while he was in town, though.

The call was short and sweet like many of the others that he'd made. As if no time had passed, Eric instantly agreed to meet him at the television station and he said that he'd bring Ore. Tsuna guessed that Gigi had already passed along most of the news since Eric was unsurprised by the sudden call. It was relieving in more ways than one. Tsuna didn't know who he could trust anymore, but Tsuna had already collected alibis for most of his closest friends. He was much more comfortable with trusting Eric and Ore than a squad of government dogs who were only protecting him as long as he stayed useful.

The television station itself was almost exactly how he remembered it. There was only one exception. There was a crowd in front of the huge building and the signs they were holding suggested that they were there for him. Tsuna grimaced to himself and kept his eyes staring forward as his taxi began to break through them. There had to be at least a hundred people and their presence meant that the television station had begun airing promotional clips to attract interest to the one hour special that was planned. Only a portion of the special would be the interview that he was about to do while the rest would be a combination of clips, pictures, and narrative. He wasn't doing it for fun, though. He had a plan. Everyone wanted answers about what he'd been up to, so he'd give them all answers. Then, in the finale, he was going to demand answers of his own--assuming his taxi could get through the crowd.

"Tsuna--!" Demetri choked as Tsuna pushed his door open and stepped out. The car bucked to a stop as Josef hit the brakes, but Tsuna didn't care. The crowd fell to a gaping stop when they saw how he'd suddenly exposed himself.

"Get out of the way," Tsuna ordered with his glare sweeping through the crowd before they could gain the courage to riot. The crowd lost their excited and eager mentality and quickly parted to let Tsuna's car through. Nodding in satisfaction, Tsuna ducked back into the car, firmly shut the door, and bowed his head. Josef began driving again, but Tsuna ignored everything until they came to a stop at the front doors.

"Mr. Sawada!" The station director greeted as soon as Tsuna walked inside. Tsuna raised his hand to stop the man, seeing how he was already opening his mouth again to give a planned speech.

"Skip the formalities," Tsuna ordered as Demetri slipped off to deal with the station's security personnel. "Just show me where to sit and let me meet the person who's planning to put me through the wringer."

"That would be me," a familiar face replied with a smile as she stepped up to shake his hand. Tsuna's jaw dropped. He remembered the woman. Her name was Wilma-- No, Wyra-- No!

"Wendy," he smirked in remembrance. "You managed not to get shot, I see."

"You managed to escape, I see," she retorted with a sidelong glance over at Demetri. "Or did you get caught again?"

"It's a corroboration," he answered in relief. Wendy was a reporter who wouldn't be afraid to ask difficult questions. It was just what he wanted since most of his life was one difficulty after another. "You could say that I've decided to pay my debt to society, but it'd be a lie. I needed clemency so I can live in America and he's around to make sure that I don't blow it. The government figures they can get more information out of me if they stay on my good side and they're right, but they can't help me if I make a mess that's too big for them to clean up."

"Only someone like you would use CIA as a personal maid service," Wendy scoffed.

"Only a man like me would have the balls," he corrected.

"Ratings are going to skyrocket," the station director interjected in glee. Tsuna and Wendy turned to look at him in unison, making the poor man become twice as flustered as before. "Why don't we get you into makeup," he spluttered. "If you'll--"

"No makeup," Tsuna said, waving away the offer. "I'm not here to look good for anyone, so let's just go straight to the interview. I still have a few more stops to make after this."

"Follow me," Wendy ordered, taking absolute control of the situation. "If there's anything that you want me not to ask, then now is the time to tell me," she warned as they grabbed the first available elevator.

"Don't ask me to verify anyone's involvement in criminal activity and leave my kids out of it," he answered automatically. "Other than that, you have free license. I'm not hiding anything anymore."

"You're making my career for me," Wendy smiled as the door opened to spit them out next to a studio. Following her inside, he took a moment to look over the prepared set. He liked it. It wouldn't make him look very good, but he didn't mind that. The heavy leather chairs and the side table holding cigars and liquor reminded him of his parlor at Vongola Headquarters while the brick wall backdrop reminded him of his days as a bum. Someone had done their homework and he was very pleased by the fact.

"What would you like to drink, sir?" An intern hesitantly asked as Tsuna walked forward to take a closer inspection.

"Whatever coffee you have in a can," he replied. "I'll open it myself, so no cups." Allowing the intern to take his coat, Tsuna slowly sat down in the armchair and pointedly refrained from grasping nervously onto the arms. He'd given statements and held press conferences many times in his life, but this was the first time that he'd ever sat down to let someone ask anything they wanted.

"Are you paranoid?" Wendy asked as she sat down in the seat across from him and handed him the canned drink that he'd ordered.

"I wouldn't still be alive if I wasn't," Tsuna said with a sad smile. "Um, when are we going to start?" He asked, clutching onto the drink to hide his anxiety rather than take the chance that someone actually had poisoned the thing.

"Let's just talk for a few minutes," Wendy soothed. "The cameras will start rolling whenever they're ready, so just focus on me. From everything I've researched, you've never allowed yourself to be interviewed. Why did you agree to now?"

"Two reasons," he answered. "Tomorrow is my boyfriend's funeral and I've already got media staking out my hotel room. I figured that they're storing up their questions to attack tomorrow, so I figured it was best to get a jump on them. By interviewing now, they'll need a day to recover from the sudden surge of information and maybe I can get through the funeral without it turning into a circus."

"And the other reason?"

"I'm tired of burying people," he admitted. "Someone out there killed Gabe to get to me. I want to set the record straight on who I am so that the person that did it will know that they didn't gain anything. I've quit the Mafia and I'm not going to go back. When this is over, I'm going to go home to an empty room. I'm going to pack up the things that my boyfriend left behind and I'm going to keep living my life in the same way that I did before. I'm going to help the police search for Gabe's killer, but I'm not going to do what the murderer wants. I'm not going to start breaking fingers and breaking laws in hopes of getting some sort of vigilante justice. Gabe and I worked hard to build the life we had. I'm not going to throw it away like his murderer wants."

"When you say Gabe, you're talking about Gabriel Martelli," Wendy said carefully as the sound technicians lowered microphones over their heads. "The same man that you were imprisoned for assaulting in retaliation for rape."

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed with a pained smile. "We have a pretty bad history together. Gabe changed, though. We both did. He learned to repent and I learned to forgive. The Gabriel Martelli that I met almost a year ago was nothing like the Gabriel Martelli that hurt me. He was willing to do anything to make up for his mistakes and I... Maybe I took advantage of him by starting a relationship with him, but we were both happy."

"Let's go back," Wendy directed as the cameramen signaled to say that they were already rolling film. "You were raised in Namimori, Japan, and you became the Tenth Generation heir of the Vongola Mafia Familigia at the young age of fifteen. During high school, you moved to Italy to begin training under the supervision of your predecessor."

"I was first approached when I was thirteen, but you're otherwise correct."

"Your first marriage was to Miss Haru Miura who is now Mrs. Haru Hibari," she continued. "Was Mrs. Hibari your first love?"

"No," he answered carefully. "That would have to be Kyoko. I'd actually planned to propose on my eighteenth birthday, but I came home to find that she'd moved on while I was in Italy. I was heartbroken. Haru was alway following me around, saying that she was going to be my wife and... Well, it sounds terrible when I say it like this, but she was the one that helped me rebound from Kyoko. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't shown up on my doorstep that night. She'd always been so devoted to the thought of being my bride and, once my eyes were off of Kyoko, I realized that her devotion counted for a lot. It really meant the world to me, so we started dating and eventually got married."

"But you divorced and remarried in a very illegal group marriage ceremony," Wendy said. "This time, with both Haru and Kyoko as your brides--pregnant brides, I might add."

"Everyone already knows that I wasn't the most faithful of husbands to Haru," Tsuna grimaced. "It was hard being away from her so much and I broke my vows countless times. I was too scared to bring her to live with me and I made mistakes. The group marriage was supposed to... Well, it was supposed to protect Kyoko and the children inside her. Mistresses aren't thought of too fondly when they get pregnant. I didn't want anyone to hurt her because I screwed up and I didn't want my kids to have the stigma of being a bastard."

"So you were protecting her from your Family," she clarified. Tsuna nodded. "Was that also what you were doing by releasing the Vongola Voyuer calendar that made you into a porn star?"

"You're too sharp," Tsuna said, letting out a long breathe in surprise. "In a way, yes. That... Those pictures were actually taken without my permission. The calendar was just a cover-up to salvage the situation after someone uploaded them across the internet."

"So those pictures are actually--"

"I was on drugs," Tsuna interrupted in determination to have the true story told. "I had a lot of problems back then and... Excaliber was a chat buddy of mine. He was someone that I could talk to and he had no idea that he was talking to someone like me. During one of my more lucid moments, I ran away from my training to meet him. I felt like I was already in hell. When I got into a relationship with him, my wife was thousands of miles away and I felt so strangled by my position that I just wanted someone to make me feel again. Yes, we had sex. Yes, I experimented with bondage. Did I love him? Yes, I loved him. He was someone that understood my pain and helped me get through my problems. He's the one that stopped me from using and helped me to reconnect with the world. There's nothing I can do to repay him for that."

"Let's jump forward a bit. We could be here all night, recounting your medical history and incidents that you were involved in, but I think the thing that everyone wants to know is where you went when you disappeared. I have a letter here to a late night talk show host in Italy, a Miss Diva of 'Dear Diva', that says that the man from Greenland was a fake?"

"He was," Tsuna confirmed. "The true story is similar, but very different."

"Then tell us the true story. What happened after your plane crashed?"

"To answer that, I think I need to go back a little bit and tell you about the coma," Tsuna said.

"Coma...?" Wendy prompted.

"I was in a coma for several months before that from an incident--"

"The same incident that took Miss Kyoko's life?" Wendy asked.

"Yes," he confirmed sadly. "The dead-ringer that popped up, saying that he'd washed up in Greenland, is actually the same man that pretended to be me while I was being nursed in secret inside Vongola Headquarters. The same people that killed Kyoko had tortured me pretty badly and I slipped into a coma. When I finally did wake up, my memory was limited to a time when I was fifteen and was still trying to refuse the position of Vongola heir. I guess I should mention that I was a coward when I was younger. Scary guys in suits and even the word 'Mafia' made me squeal like a stuck pig. So, I ran away. My Family managed to chase after me, but I lost them over the ocean when... Well, when my plane crashed. I managed to wash up on a freighter of circus people bound for America. I traded honest work for passage and we split ways when we landed."

"And that's when you met Joshua Timberson and assumed the identity of his son, Suoh Timberson," Wendy prompted.

"Ah," Tsuna smiled. "Joshua--Snicker as we called him--was one in a million. He'd been living on the streets for ten years before I met him and we were in the same boat. I had no family, no friends, no money, and I didn't even have citizenship. We managed to survive, though. We took charity where we could find it and we begged on the streets for scraps. We also started making friends and that... That's when I got myself thrown into my first street fight."

"A street fight?" Wendy asked, tossing a curious look at her assistant for the unexpected information.

"It won't be in any of your files," Tsuna laughed as the assistant frantically searched through her folder for a source. "It wasn't your average boxing match and it was so low-profile that I'd be surprised if anyone remembers more than the crazy bum that showed up out of nowhere to knock the reigning king on his ass. I couldn't remember where I learned it at the time, but some of my Mafia training came through at the right time and I got enough money out of the fight to rent a living space in the attic of an apartment building."

"What happened after that?" Wendy asked, at a complete loss of where he was at in regards to the information that she had on him.

"What always happens?" Tsuna retorted. "We survived. The shelter and the money gave us breathing room to look for alternatives to begging. After eating out of dumpsters, I wasn't afraid to make a fool out of myself if it landed me a few dollars, so I started miming in the park for tips and I used the tricks that I learned from the circus to make it look like I knew what I was doing until I had enough skill to be considered a real mime. I made more friends and then I realized that I looked just like Black X. So, I did the so-called smart thing and I started impersonating him to make money."

"You impersonated yourself," Wendy laughed despite the fact that it was already common knowledge.

"I impersonated myself," he nodded with a laugh of his own. "I figured that it was the best place to hide. No one would expect to find the real thing in a bar and my resemblance would have an explanation for once. A friend of mine helped me out and my living situation slowly got better from the tips I got at this club called Kink's. Snicker got a job in a factory and we got to move into a real apartment and then... Then I was raped."

"By Gabriel Martelli," she supplied.

"It was a long time ago," Tsuna said painfully. "Looking back, I knew I heard his voice and I know that he was there, but there was never any proof that he's the one that did it. I was always so sure, but... But it wasn't him. I found out the truth when I met him again. He backed out at the last second and the guys with him knocked him out. They hurt me, tossed me in a dumpster, and set him up to take the fall. And... I fell for it. I came to hate him and he became more obsessed with me. He didn't back out the second time because he thought he'd already done it once and gotten away with it. Anyway, the situation escalated repeatedly until I was finally out of his reach entirely and he woke up to what he'd done."

"Let's go back a bit," she said. "Tell me about the Orange Dragons."

"Oh man," he groaned with a grudging smile. "There's so much to tell, but so little at the same time. We started out just a bunch of friends from different backgrounds. I didn't want Snicker and I to fall back to the streets, so I talked everyone into pooling their money together so we could buy an old theater. We hired guys off the street to help us renovate it and, somewhere along the way, people started saying that we were a gang. I didn't want that, but everyone else was excited by the idea. It made us look stronger and more organized so that people would think twice about targetting us."

"During that time, your father-and-son relationship with Snicker broke down," Wendy asked carefully. "Didn't it?"

"I loved him," Tsuna said as a pang went through his heart. "He gave me everything. A home, a reason to survive, and a new life. Maybe it's because I'd been on the streets for so long, but he taught me to take what I could get. In the case of love, that was Snicker. It was a slow progression, though. Pretending to be father and son was the only way we knew how to explain our feelings for each other. Over time, those feelings grew deeper and deeper until we just couldn't pretend anymore. He was the only person that I thought about and I... Well, I don't think he could ignore me. So we got married. Back then, I remember thinking that 'this was it'. I thought that I had my happily ever after and I wasn't asking for more."

"And then he died from a heart attack," she said gently.

"It was the second time I lost someone that I loved," he whispered. "My memories were starting to come back, so I knew, too. It's probably a good thing that the assault charges caught up to me. If I hadn't been in prison, I know I would have suicides."

"This was when your connections to Gabriel Martelli's father began to become publicly known," Wendy prompted.

"Papa Paolo was the best Boss that a man could ask for," Tsuna said firmly. "He gave me my first job so I could have stable income and helped keep me off the streets."

"He also used you as a Mafia errand boy and messenger," she stated.

"I never did anything illegal," he shrugged. "Work was work and Papa Paolo is a kind man. If he's Mafia, then--"

"You promised honesty," Wendy admonished.

"Alright," he sighed, leaning back in his seat for support. "You want honesty? Papa Paolo protected me like he was my own father. I couldn't have lived with Snicker and stayed in the Orange Dragon Dojo for so long without him and the job he gave me. Papa Paolo never once blackmailed me into doing anything and he never forced me to do something that I didn't want to do. There are many times that he sheltered me when no one else could and he did his best to let me live the straight life that I wanted. He was there for me after Snicker died and he reminded me that there were people counting on me. He gave me a reason to pick myself off the ground and survive. For that, I will always consider him a man to be admired and respected."

"That's high praise coming from Tsunayoshi Sawada," she smiled.

"That's high praise coming from a bum that he picked off the street and helped," Tsuna corrected. "He had no reason to look after me. Tsunayoshi Sawada was the name of a dead man at the time."

"Fair enough. Let's move forward again to the part that our local viewers want to know about. Why did you fake the death of your identity as Suoh Timberson--aka Lazarus--and where did you go?"

"That was after my breakdown," Tsuna answered with a nod of acceptance for the question. "Seeing myself pop up in Italy gave me one hell of an identity crisis. Everything came flooding back, though. I remembered everything from before my coma and... Let's just say that I couldn't deal with it by staying at home. Going back a little bit, it's important to know that I was in a relationship with Excaliber at the time... Our relationship started as gaming friends this time. We went as Foo Foo and Boo Boo in Grey City. He wrote me letters while I was in prison and helped me get over Snicker's death. We were actually in contact for years and, I don't know... Maybe it was fate that we met again and started living together. When the news came in that I'd been found, he went racing to Italy and I had a meltdown. I questioned everything right down to my own memories of my childhood in Japan."

"So, you left the city to recover, but where did you go?" She asked, digging for the information that he was hesitant to give.

"I... I went to a lot of places," he said slowly. "I stayed with some of Excaliber's friends in a California estate for a while. Then I decided to hide my face since it was the cause of my problems and I went back to Italy under the assumed name of Van Wolfe. I thought, maybe if I went back to where it started, I'd be able to make sense of who I was and what my life had become. I took a teaching job at Don Girarde Academy and I bought a bed and breakfast that I turned into a boarding house for some friends I met along the way and a few students that I hand-picked for special Tutoring. I started to settle down again and I tried new things--"

"Like modeling?" Wendy prompted, making Tsuna blink in surprise. "Unless I'm mistaken, that _is _you in the wine ads."

"Yeah," he smiled. "That's me when I was using the name 'Kai'. Modeling isn't really my thing, though. Out of everything that I've tried to do in my lifetime, there was only one thing that I really enjoyed doing."

"Baking," she supplied. "Assuming my information is correct, you moonlit as the Maverick Baker."

"Guilty as charged," Tsuna laughed. "I'm a baker. There's just something so satisfying about seeing people eat something that I made with my own hands. Baking never went with any of my identities, though. When I was Vongola the Tenth, my men would have been horrified to see me in an apron. I tried to take some college classes for it once, but the world found me and I couldn't go back. When I was just a street bum, I got to learn how to cook some more, but we didn't really have the finances for me to do it full-time. By the time I did have the money, I was a leader again and people would have been horrified to see 'Lazarus' in an apron. So I created the Maverick Baker. I set up a shop and had a friend manage it for me. When I could slip away, I'd sneak in the back door at night, spend all night making cakes, and generally made a mess of the kitchen. Sweet Treats was my first shop, but that got handed to Warren when my identity as Lazarus died. It's his fair-and-square now. I just stop by time to time to say hello."

"But you're still using the Maverick name."

"Yes," he sighed. "It was selfish of me, but I talked Warren into opening a shop in Las Vegas for me. That's where Gabe and I have been living for the past few months. I... I achieved a lot of things when I went to Italy, but I didn't really succeed in what I went there to do. I was too much of a coward to face my Family. It's been a long time since I've seen them. I didn't know what to say to them and I... I couldn't take off the mask. I tried to, but... Well, I ran away again. Once a coward, always a coward. I sought asylum with the Church and I stayed there for a while so I could have time to decide what to do."

"And what did you decide?"

"I decided to give up," Tsuna said solemnly. "It was too late for me to fit in with Vongola again. My son was doing a fine job of running things and there really wasn't a place for me. I came back here to the city to tie up a few loose ends, but I knew that I couldn't stay here, either. People knew that I was Vongola the Tenth and I'd just told the Mafia where to stick it. I couldn't go back to being Lazarus again because Lazarus didn't have the history with the Mafia that I did. So, I picked a direction and went with it.

I wasn't aiming for anywhere in particular. I came across these two bikers who were heading for California and I said 'why not?' I went with them to their local home where the rest of their gang was waiting and... And there was Gabe. He'd been completely outcast by everyone and he'd joined these bikers during the time that I was away. He'd taken to riding all over the country with them and they--the Golems--had given him a chance to tell his story. The Golems told me what they'd been told and I realized that I'd never given Gabe a fair chance. From the start, I'd vilified him and spat on him as a rapist, but I'd never really put myself in his shoes. Things looked really different when I finally did. So, I forgave him and we started over--introductions and all."

"Was it hard?"

"Very hard," he admitted. "Years of hatred don't go away with just an apology and years of self-loathing don't go away with simple forgiveness. We had to work hard at it. I still had fear ingrained into me because of what he'd done, but he was very sympathetic. He gave me space when I needed it and he stayed on hand for when I felt like talking. We started out as friends. During the months it took to get down to Florida for the first leg of the cross-country trip, the past slowly became forgotten and I grew closer to him. We became lovers. When we hit Las Vegas, he made me realize that I was still running away. So, we dropped anchor right there. We set up Maverick's Sweet Oasis and I was happy to finally be able to bake full-time. Gabe gave me a lot of motivation to follow my dreams. We invited my son Tonno to come live with us and things were going so great. Some of my other kids had found me and I... I was happy again. Things were starting to come together."

"But Gabriel was murdered," she prompted bluntly.

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed, fighting to keep the tears out of his eyes.

"And you think that it was because of you," she continued mercilessly.

"Yes," he agreed painfully. "Gabe never hurt anyone other than me. A lot of people disliked him because of what he did, but I don't think that someone would kill him over it. They wouldn't follow him to Nashville and... and do that to him."

"The officers on the scene said that it was a suicide--"

"Staged suicide," he spat in correction. "I saw the reports and it's a load of bullshit. Gabe never touched drugs and he always wrote in print, but that note was written in cursive. He was trying to send me a message that someone was making him write it. Well, I'm listening and I'll be working with the police until I find the person that did this."

"The police?" She repeated, returning to the point where they'd started. "A man with your connections could surely--"

"No," he interrupted in determination. "That's probably what Gabe's murderer wants. He wants me to go back to being a Mafia Boss, but I'm not doing it. That would be a slap to the life I built with Gabe and everything I've done in the past ten years. I'm not loathe to call in debts and ask for help from friends, but I'm not the same man that I used to be. I'm going to find Gabe's murderer the right way and I'm going to make sure that he's punished by the law. Nothing more and nothing less than the same justice that any citizen would ask for."

"Can you tell me what--"

"No," Tsuna interrupted, feeling as if the walls were beginning to close in on him. "That's enough. I need some air."

"But, we still have--"

"Please," Tsuna urged, staring her into silence with nothing more than the pain in his eyes. "That's enough."

"A-Alright," she agreed slowly before glancing over in understanding at the cameras. "Alright. Cut it, guys. That's a wrap."

"Thank you," Tsuna said before covering his face with his hands to hide the tears that refused to be controlled. It was over, though. He'd connected the dots for the whole world and he'd gotten the message out that Gabe had been a decent man in the end. It wasn't the same as catching Gabe's murderer, but it was a start.

It was a start.

"Naive," Eric said as he draped a towel over Tsuna's head. "Just because someone says it's a wrap, you shouldn't believe that all the cameras are going to stop. You just gave them their moneyshot."

"What happened after the cameras turned off?" Tsuna replied. Letting out a shuddering breathe, Tsuna carefully pulled back the tears and used the towel to dry his face. He should have known better than to let his tears out on the studio stage, but stopping them was hard even with the release that he'd allowed himself. "Thanks for coming, Eric."

"Like we could leave you alone," Ore said as he carefully knelt down in front of Tsuna's chair. "You're an outrageous fool. Is that really why you didn't come back? You thought we wouldn't want you because of the Mafia junk?" Lifting his head up enough to see Ore's face beyond the edge of the towel on his head, Tsuna felt more tears surface at the expression on Ore's face. It made him feel so stupid. His friends were his friends, no matter what he did.

"Ore--" Tsuna sobbed, throwing his arms around the giant's shoulders so he could weep in earnest. "I'm s-so, so sorry. I was running away again! When I stopped, I didn't-- I didn't know how to tell you guys about Gabe and I was so afraid--"

"It's okay, Little Guy," he soothed, pulling Tsuna into a firm hug while he continued to cry. "Gigi already told us the outrageous story. You don't have to worry. We've still got your back."

"I never thought I'd say this," Eric groaned. "But we'll help you find who killed Gabriel and we'll do it the legal way like you want. I've already got the producer setting up a hot-line for tipster and I talked him into adding the number to this special that they're doing on you. If anyone saw anything of value, then we'll hear about it and we'll pass it to the feds."

"Thank you," Tsuna whispered as his tears began to slow again. Sitting back out of Ore's embrace, Tsuna used the towel to dry his face a second time and closed his eyes while he tried to settle himself. He knew that he needed to save his crying for when he was alone because crying in public got two pointed reactions. Some people would grow sympathetic to him when they saw it and others would be disgusted in belief that he was doing it on purpose to buy sympathy. He honestly didn't want either reaction. He wanted his words to be what made people think--not his tears.

"You want to go get something to drink?" Ore asked as Tsuna slowly stood and pulled the towel off his head.

"No," he answered as the gentle giant rose to his feet. "The timing is horrible for me, but I've got to find a head shop."

"Repeat that?" Eric snorted in surprise.

"It's a long story," Tsuna groaned. "Well, actually, it's a very short story. You know how I said that Tonno--my son--came to live with me? He apparently decided last night that his best friend was going to be his boyfriend and that means--"

"Someone has to give him the facts," Eric grimaced in sympathy. "You're getting him a starter kit?"

"It's better than getting him stitches," Tsuna moaned. "Although, I really don't want to think about him doing any of that. Yesterday, he was still my little boy and today... Uh. Today I find him in bed with the little twit that I hired to clean the gutters. Don't--!" Tsuna growled when Eric opened his mouth to make a pun. "I barely managed to make myself pause long enough to jump out of the bed before I shot it. If I hear a single remark on the subject, I'll end up strangling the guy when I go back instead of giving them condoms and advice."

"This is probably a hard time for them, too," Ore said, following beside Eric as Tsuna headed for the studio doors. "Maybe that's why they decided to get together now?"

"Maybe," Tsuna said in consideration. It made sense. Gabe had been important for both of them, too. It might have made them scared of losing each other. Neither of them were the crying type, either. Maybe they'd decided to get together to give their emotions a different sort of outlet. Tsuna knew from experience that sex could sometimes be treated as a catch-all for tons of situations. Just looking at the way that he'd initially gotten together with Xanxus was proof. "Damn," Tsuna grimaced. "That makes it harder to stay mad at them."

"Just embarrass the hell out of them with a safe sex lecture and call it even," Eric laughed. Tsuna shot him a grudging smile as they claimed an elevator for only the three of them to head back downstairs. When Tsuna got outside, though, he was surprised to see that the crowd had disappeared entirely. "They're all watching the special," Eric explained while Tsuna glanced up and down the road. The only person in sight was Demetri, who was standing up against the building with a cell-phone in hand. "It's playing semi-live right now. Upstairs is a madhouse right now, cutting everything together at lightening speed to get it on-air."

"Why are they doing that?" Tsuna asked with wide eyes.

"You're a high-profile person," Eric said apologetically. "You can't take it back if it's already been broadcast. This kind of thing happens when you don't have a manager. They throw it on air as soon as possible so that it becomes set in stone. Everything becomes fact instead of rumor. Plus, by turning it into old news, they get tons of good ratings and you can't complain about how they reuse the footage when it gets re-cut into a presentation that they can spend more time and energy on."

"Tsunayoshi's raw interview becomes 'Confessions of a Mafia Boss'," Tsuna sighed in resignation. "Oh well. It should still be effective in keeping the media away from Gabe's funeral."

"Yes and no," he corrected. "You better be prepared. I doubt that anyone will shove a camera in your face tomorrow since you've made it difficult for them to have any original questions, but every newspaper and television station in town is going to be eyeballing you from a distance to get pictures of you crying."

"They'll be disappointed," he murmured. "I plan to do all my crying later tonight when I go to see Gabe. Tomorrow, I'll probably be too worn out to see anything unless it's a foot in front of me."

"Laz--" Eric grimaced.

"Laz," Tsuna repeated softly. "You know that's not my real name."

"Neither was Suoh, but that was fine for Snicker," Ore growled in warning. Tsuna flinched at the reminder, instantly realizing his biggest mistake. "Your name is just a name, Little Guy. Suoh might not be the one that your mother gave you, but it's the one you gave us. You already changed it once to Lazarus and then Van Wolfe and who knows what else. If you want to change it again, then that's fine, but just make up your mind already. You're giving me an outrageous headache."

"Then just keep calling me Laz," Tsuna soothed with a slow smile. "Tsuna is my real name, but that doesn't really matter between friends. Right, Skittles?"

"Laz--!" Eric spluttered with a bright blush. "How can you still remember that?!"

"The same way you remember me in a fundoshi at that founding festival in Chinatown," Tsuna answered with a wide smile as Josef finally pulled up with his taxi and Demetri hurried out of his surveillance post in preparation to leave. "We always remember the things that can become blackmail material."

"Give us a call when you're free tonight," Eric said as Demetri opened the door to urge Tsuna to get inside. "Even if you're planning to grieve, you don't have to be by yourself."

"I'll bring the booze," Ore offered.

"Thanks," Tsuna replied softly. "But I think I'd like to be alone tonight." Ducking down into the car, Tsuna tossed them an apologetic wave in farewell as Demetri hurried to get in on the other side so they could leave. Demetri wasn't happy when Tsuna informed him of what their next stop would be, but he eventually gave in when Tsuna completely ignored all of his objections. Tsuna didn't like it any better than Demetri did, but there were some responsibilities that Tsuna couldn't ignore and preparing his son for the life he'd chosen was one of them. "You can wait out here if you want to," Tsuna offered as Josef parked his taxi outside of a building with more X's than a voting booth.

"You know I can't," Demetri grumbled with a faint blush. "Where you go, I go. That's my orders."

"Then you go in here," Tsuna replied in sympathy.

"I'll wait here," Josef mumbled, staring up through his windshield at the XXX signs in awe. Tsuna shot him an amused look as he got out of the taxi, knowing that the guy had probably made a late night visit to such a place as soon as he'd gotten out of prison.

Knowing that didn't make it any easier for Tsuna to walk inside, but he was pleasantly surprised once he got through the door. The store wasn't the raunchy adult toy exhibit that he'd feared. It actually looked very similar to a bank. There were islands holding catalogs of merchandise, each one labeled with a different area of interest like it was a department store: movies, literature, accessories, jewelry, glassware, clothing, beauty supplies, and health-care. Tsuna easily translated it--video porn, printed porn, sex toys, navel and genital jewelry, bongs, lingerie, fetish, and lubricants.

Picking up an order form, Tsuna browsed through the books until he had a little of everything. It wasn't easy to decide whenever he remembered that the stuff would be for his son, but he tried to keep that out of his mind whenever possible. He picked out a movie targeted for sensual lovers. He picked a book targeted for young men who were just beginning to experiment. He picked the smallest dildo in the book and the same lubricants, condoms, and lotions that he'd always sworn by. He also picked out several other items that he knew would raise Tonno's eyebrows, but was seriously needed in order to ensure that he didn't cause himself any harm if he chose to be with Ray for an extended period of time.

"You got a little of everything," the clerk commented when Tsuna took the form to the counter to be filled. Tsuna pointedly turned his head to hide his blush, but only found himself staring at another customer who was doing the same thing. "No need to be shy," the clerk chuckled as he looked over the order. "'A Twink's Starter Guide'. Heh. That's a good book. Saved my ass more than once, if you know what I mean. So is all of this for you or do you need it gift wrapped? That's a serious question, by the way, so don't get mad. We're required to ask."

"It's for my son and you can skip the gift wrap," Tsuna replied.

"For your son?" He asked curiously. "And you're here getting it?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Tsuna asked with a glare.

"No, no!" He exclaimed. "Not at all! I just wish my old man was cool like that. When I told him that I was gay, he wouldn't speak to me for three weeks."

"I went after mine with a shotgun," Tsuna retorted in amusement. "This is my way of apologizing for over-reacting."

"It's still pretty cool," he mumbled before heading into the storeroom to fill the order. Tsuna got a sinking feeling when the clerk returned twice simply to glance at him before ducking back into the storeroom again. It was obvious that the clerk had belatedly recognized him and Tsuna was willing to bet that his interview was being broadcast on a television in the storeroom. It was a bet that he won as soon as a different clerk eagerly bounced out of the back room to stand across the counter from him with a silly grin on his face.

"What do you want me to sign?" Tsuna groaned in resignation. In answer, the clerk giggled, slid a pen and battered photograph across the counter, and jumped in place as Tsuna sloppily wrote his name. "Give me a discount and I'll let you take a picture if you're quick about it," Tsuna offered. Taking the excited squeal that he got in response as an affirmative, Tsuna looked down the length of the counter again to see that the other customer was still staring at him. When the man saw that Tsuna was looking at him, he abruptly stuck out a split tongue before turning to quickly exit the store. Tsuna could only laugh at the absurdity of the response. Either he was getting old or the world was turning weird even faster than he thought it was.

The situation only got worse as the entire staff turned out to take the picture. The only female had more piercings than a side of beef at a butcher's. One of the guys smelled like a private Hemp Convention and there was another who looked completely clueless about the situation. The giddy one was quick to get everyone arranged, though, and he was even faster in getting Demetri to take six different pictures.

"Hey!" The first clerk exclaimed as he returned with Tsuna's order. Putting it down, he darted around the counter in outrage. "Get off of him, guys!"

"B-But--" the giddy one exclaimed.

"Take your b-butt back to organizing the back-issues," he admonished angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you not to harass the customers?! It's hard enough getting people to come in without you scaring them off! This is exactly why online sales are doing better! You guys don't know the meaning of anonymity."

"But he's Black X!" He blurted.

"And I'm the one that signs your paychecks," the clerk shouted, making Tsuna's eyes widen in surprise. The guy had to be as young as Tonno! "Now get your ass back to work!" Tsuna was in awe as the crew darted back into the storeroom and he was even more surprised when the clerk-turned-owner shot him a look of apology. "I'm sorry about that," he said as he headed back to the counter. "I should have kept my mouth shut when I recognized you. I kind of blew a gasket back there, but I didn't think that they'd actually come out here and bother you. Um... I threw in doubles of the supplies you wanted. Compliments of the h--"

"Aren't you too young to be the owner?" Tsuna blurted. He blushed brightly as soon as the words left his mouth. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "You look like you just got out of high school. I'm just a little shocked that you'd be... uh..."

"Running a porn bar?" He supplied knowingly as he rang up the order. "You don't have to apologize. I get that a lot. You remember how I said that my dad didn't talk to me for three weeks?"

"Yeah..."

"He cut me off permanently, too," he said with a lopsided grin. "In revenge, I took his stockpile of porn to the closest head shop and sold it all for twenty bucks to the first person that walked out the door. Then I took that twenty inside and talked the owner into selling me some stuff at manufacturer's price. I resold it on the streets and I kept doing that until I had enough cash to start a website. A year later, here I am with my own store. You'd be surprised what people would pay for discreet service for all their fetish needs. You also probably have no idea about how many times I've imagined you walking through the doors, too. This... Well, you probably get this a lot, but you just made me a very happy man. My old man has nothing to throw at me anymore."

"Does that mean I get half price?" Tsuna asked in amusement, seeing that the register was reading over three thousand dollars.

"Shit," he laughed as his face turned red in embarrassment. "I'm just hitting buttons to buy time. It's all yours, man. On the house."

"Would you like a picture, too?" Tsuna inquired in understanding for the guy's sentiment. The clerk licked his lips in thought. Then he blushed again. Finally, he nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Leaning across the counter to put his head next to Tsuna's, he limited himself to a single snapshot before hurriedly pocketing it again. In appreciation for making it quick, Tsuna tore the three thousand dollar receipt off the register and signed it for him. This made the guy blush even more, but it also had an added bonus.

"Hold on a second," he said before ducking back into the storeroom. When he came back, he handed over a book that made Tsuna raise an eyebrow due to the lack of pictures inside. "You said that this was for your son and all of the stuff you got looks beginner, so give him this. I know it's not on the recommended reading list, but it might help him if he likes to read. It's a fictional story about this kid with straight parents. He finds out that he's gay and he makes a few wrong turns after the secret comes out. I hope everything goes good for him since he's got you for a dad, but this story covers a lot of different situations. You can never be too prepared. Right?"

"Right," Tsuna agreed with a slow smile as he put the book in his bag and rolled down the top. "Thanks. If you've read it and recommend it, I might just read it myself."

"Just give me a call if you want me to recommend any more," he smiled. "We have online ordering and shipping if you live out of town and I'll be happy to take care of your or your son's orders personally. My card is in your bag."

"That's good to know," he replied as he headed for the door with Demetri following. "Now's the hard part--talking to him."

"Good luck!" He called.

Good luck, Tsuna repeated to himself as he got back into Josef's taxi and directed him to return to the hotel. He tried to mentally prepare himself along the way. The first step in getting the two to talk would be to figure out whether it'd been experimentation, a fling, or the culmination of a relationship. The answer would determine how much of the bag got pulled out and explained. Considering that the two had already slept together, he shouldn't have to explain a lot of it, though. He just had to deal with the before and after care. Tonno was in his twenties, after all. He should already know where babies came from and the danger of STDs. Then again, Tonno was a test-tube baby. Maybe he thought that all babies were born in such a way. Oh, damn.

"I think I'm starting to see how you managed to do so much with your life," Demetri suddenly said as their taxi drew closer to the hotel. "You don't carry things around with you. Do you, Tsuna? You're always looking at whatever's in front of you and everything else gets shoved aside. That's how you can cry for the cameras one minute and take goofy pictures in a porn shop less than twenty minutes later. You're a real sociopath. You know that?"

"A sociopath wouldn't have feelings to shove aside," Tsuna commented solemnly. Demetri scoffed at his defense and even Tsuna had to admit that it was pretty fragile. It took a certain sort of monster to cope with tragedy in the way that Tsuna chose to, but circumstance had given him the tools to survive. The fact was that nothing he said or did was going to bring Gabe back, but he could still make a difference in Tonno's life. What Demetri saw as sociopathic behavior, Tsuna saw as simple expediency. He would still grieve and mourn, but it would be on his schedule. He'd earned that right and that ability from all the tragedies that he'd survived through in the past. Demetri could go to hell if he thought less of him for it because Demetri wasn't in his shoes. "Everyone has skeletons in their closest," Tsuna said, keeping his eyes on the passing scenery. "Mine just have rings."

As he expected, his words made Demetri wake up to the cruelty of his accusation, but Tsuna forestalled any attempt to apologize. Demetri had meant what he'd said and his bad timing wasn't going to change the fact that he had a point. It was very abnormal for Tsuna to be so calm and collected. His boyfriend was laying in a coffin across town and anyone else would be weeping incessantly every time that someone reminded him. He wasn't everyone else, though. He was Tsunayoshi Sawada, a former Mafia Boss who knew the Reaper's true face. He knew that he'd see Gabe again and he knew that he'd have plenty of time to learn more about Gabe in the afterlife. The only reason that he wept at all was because of all the opportunities that they'd lost. He wept because it hadn't been fair for Gabe's life to be cut short. He wept because the world hadn't gotten a chance to see for itself that Gabe had changed.

The atmosphere in the taxi grew heavy, but he only had to suffer through it for another five minutes before they pulled up to his hotel. There was a crowd waiting. Tsuna wisely stayed in the taxi until Demetri's three associates could come forward from the trailing car to clear the way. When Tsuna finally got out, he was almost blinded by a surge in camera flashes. His vision took a moment to clear and the first thing that he saw when it did was the amount of police officers who were trying to help create a trail for him to walk down. There were nearly a dozen and one of the smaller ones in particular looked incredibly familiar.

"Tracer?" Tsuna gaped. "Is that you?" The police officer froze in the middle of holding the crowd back and blushed brightly. Tsuna was amazed. The last time that he'd seen Tracer, the man had been setting himself up as a cab driver and a father. It was definitely him, though. He still had the cut over his eye from a fight outside of the Orange Dragon's boarding house.

"Get inside, you idiot," he finally blurted, lashing out with a foot to nail Tsuna's rear before going back to pushing the crowd away. "You're making me work overtime!" Recklessly ignoring sense, Tsuna reached out to grab Tracer's collar and pull him into the hotel with him before Demetri's men could slam the doors shut on the crowd. "What did you do that for?!" Tracer spluttered.

"You're a cop!" Tsuna blurted in return. Tracer stared at him for a moment before abruptly letting out a sigh of exasperation and smiling while the cameras continued to flash outside the lobby doors.

"You haven't changed a bit," Tracer said with a small shake of his head. "You never seem to notice when you're making a mess. Do you know that the whole city is in an uproar now? In one day, you've made us famous. The airports are already flooded with reservations of people that want to see where the great Tsunayoshi Sawada lived as a bum and traffic is backed up for miles on the interstate because of the sudden surge in interest! And all you can say is 'You're a cop'?! Are you fucking out of your mind?! The station is going nuts!"

"Oh," Tsuna gaped. "But isn't tourism good?"

"YOU--!" Tracer choked with his face turning red as he knocked his cap off to tear at his hair. "YOU IDIOT!"

"Calm down," Tsuna laughed. "You want some coffee?"

"No, Laz, I do not want coffee," he growled. "I--"

"How's Kit and the baby?" He asked.

"A kick to the balls and a pain in the ass," he snapped. "You really--"

"So when did you become a cop?"

"LAZ!" Tracer exploded. "Give it a rest!"

"Why?" Tsuna frowned. "Aren't we still friends?"

"Yes, we're still friends," he sighed. "But I'm a cop now! I have a job to do! You can't just pull me off the line like you did. The Chief could have my badge if someone got injured out there." Tsuna paused, finally realizing his mistake. Tracer wasn't off-duty and a lot of people were taking pictures of them together. It probably wasn't doing his career any good to be affiliated with a former Mafia Boss.

"Sorry," Tsuna said sincerely. "I wasn't thinking. It's been a long time since I got this kind of attention. I... I just saw someone familiar and I reacted. I didn't mean to make trouble for you."

"The Chief will get over it," Tracer replied with a grudging smile once Tsuna had shown the proper remorse. "And Kit would have my ass if I didn't at least get a hug from you." Tsuna looked at him in confusion for a second until the gleam in Tracer's eyes finally registered. Letting out a happy shout, Tsuna tossed his bag of purchases over to Demetri and threw his arms open as Tracer jumped. Tsuna didn't care about the camera flashes outside. He laughed joyously as Tracer threw his entire weight on Tsuna and bounced up to slap a wet kiss on his forehead. "You're such an idiot," Tracer laughed as he added a noogie to the menu before jumping back down to his feet.

"You had me worried for a second," Tsuna said with a wide smile.

"Bah!" He scoffed as he retrieved his cap from the floor and dusted it off. "I'm just a beat cop. The worst that will happen is that I'll have to write a few extra citations. Hey! Is what they're saying true? Were you really a billionaire before you were on the street?"

"Sad, but true," he confirmed, gesturing in invitation for Tracer to follow him to his room.

"And you threw it all away?" Tracer asked in awe.

"It's more that I didn't remember having it," Tsuna smiled as they jumped on an elevator. "And I still don't have it," he laughed. "I'll be lucky to keep my bakery open after the loan I had to take out to make this trip. I've--maybe--got five thousand left in the bank and the loan I got was thirty grand. Demetri's people have covered most of the bill, but everyone working for me wanted to come to the funeral and my boy decided to blow a lot of cash at Kink's last night."

"That's got to hurt," Tracer grimaced. "So why didn't you come back here if you're so hard-up for cash? You know that you could have taken control of ODE--"

"It's not mine to take anymore," Tsuna interrupted as the elevator opened to his floor. "Besides, I'm broke on purpose. I had some savings before I came back, but I donated most of it to charity. I wanted to live a nice, quiet, normal life and normal people don't have a million in the bank. It feels good to have to work for what I earn."

"Only you would say that," Tracer smiled. Tsuna paused, seeing that Tracer wasn't planning to follow him any further. "I've got to get back to work," he explained. "I...uh... I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about Gabe. I mean, it's no secret that no one liked the guy, but... Well, you know. If it matters to you, then it matters to me. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help catch the guy you're looking for. I can't promise much, but I'll give it my best shot."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied softly, knowing how tough it had to be for Tracer to offer such a thing. The man was jeopardizing his whole career, which was exactly why Tsuna couldn't accept his offer. "But I've got it. You just worry about busting those evil guys who park in handicap spots and getting home to your family in one piece. Okay?"

"Y-yeah," he mumbled awkwardly in disappointment as the elevator doors began to shut. "Evil... Right." Tsuna shot him a look of understanding before he could disappear. He knew that Tracer only wanted to help, but Tsuna no longer tried to recruit every guy that he met. The days of harvesting loyalty and manpower were over. He had no reason to and Tracer would be much better off going home to the life he'd earned through his own sweat and tears. He didn't need to get mixed up with Tsuna's.

Shaking off his nostalgia and his sadness, Tsuna focused on the task at hand. It was time to talk to Tonno and Ray. Unfortunately, no one answered Tonno's door. No one answered Ray's. No one answered Jim's, Andy's, or Houston's. Ginger answered Jesse's, though, and Tsuna was relieved to find that everyone was accounted for inside. It seemed innocent enough. Chopper was sitting in Tonno's lap and all of them were arranged around a Monopoly game. Something was off, though. Everyone looked just a little too innocent.

That was when Tsuna noticed the clues and decided to shut the door with Demetri on the other side. The board only held four markers, but there were five sitting down to play and they'd miraculously managed to get to the point of buying hotels without needing to name a banker. The surplus money was still in the box and the box was sitting under a stack of empty pizza boxes. That alone wasn't enough to make Tsuna suspicious, though. What really got him to start walking around the room was how Ray was across the room from Tonno, innocently watching the news with Ginger, and the bed was a little too untouched. The silence was defeaning as Tsuna walked over to inspect it. From the blushes that lit up on Houston and Jesse's faces, Tsuna didn't need to pull back the covers to know. It was obvious that there was porn hidden inside. Tsuna gave them the benefit of the doubt, though. He left the bed alone and headed over the hotel room's phone to call down to the front desk.

"Can I get a history of the pay-per-view charges on my account?" Tsuna asked. The room instantly filled with guiltily bowed head and attempts to hide sheepish grins. "Actually, never-mind," Tsuna groaned. "I don't want to know." Hanging up, Tsuna turned to face the group en masse, crossed his arms, and waited to see who'd be the first to crack. Surprisingly, no one did. They all kept their lips tightly sealed until Tsuna finally had no choice but to ask questions. "Tonno...?"

"It was my idea!" He blurted. "I figured it would be okay if I used cash!"

"Used cash for what?" Tsuna asked tonelessly.

"I... I was curious," he answered shyly, "So I made Ginger go down the street and buy a magazine. B-B-But it didn't answer my questions, so... uh... I... uh... I rented a movie. It was all me, Papa," he said as he stood from the staged board game. "I swear. Don't be mad at anyone else."

"I'm not mad," he corrected while resolving to stay calm. "I overreacted this morning," he admitted. "You're right in saying that you're an adult. I forgot that and I apologize for barging in like I did. It wasn't right of me. I'm not very happy that you didn't come to me first, but I'm not so old that I've forgotten how I was at your age."

"T-Then it's okay?" Tonno asked hesitantly while his friends gaped.

"I didn't say that," Tsuna growled, keeping his arms crossed so that he wouldn't give in to the urge to strangle someone. "Most of the people in here are adults, but Houston, Jesse, and Chopper are all still considered minors. No--! Don't say it. I'm not so stupid as to think that age matters in the face of hormones. I'm just saying that you shouldn't make me commit purgery. Am I clear?"

"We won't let you catch us again, Papa," Tonno replied with his eyes lighting up in relief that Tsuna was being understanding about the matter.

"I wouldn't smile yet," Tsuna warned with a frown. "We're about to have that little talk that I warned you about. I want you and Ray to meet me in Ray's room in thirty seconds. The rest of you can clean up the board game and wait because you're getting a safe sex talk, too, when I'm done with those two."

"B-But--!" Andy spluttered.

"I don't care if you're already old enough to know it," Tsuna snapped as Tonno and Ray flew out the hotel room door. "It doesn't hurt to have a refresher course. Goodness knows that I'm about to get one." Ignoring the objections that rang out, Tsuna left them to clean up the room while he headed down the hallway to Ray's room. Demetri followed as his orders demanded, but Tsuna stopped him in front of the door. "I won't kill them," Tsuna soothed as he took his bag of purchases from Demetri's hands. "And it'll be a blessing if someone shoots me at this point, so I think you can wait out here."

"I'm busting the door down if I hear yelling," he warned with a sideways grin.

"If that happens, I'll do you a favor and jump out the window," Tsuna chuckled before heading inside. As soon as Tsuna was through the door, the atmosphere shifted. Tonno and Ray took the sound of the door closing as a death sentence and their faces paled. Both of them were sitting on the edge of Ray's bed with properly remorseful expression in place and their hands innocently folded in their laps. Tsuna wasn't fooled. They weren't ashamed of what they'd done. They were only apologetic over getting caught. "I don't care who," Tsuna sighed, pulling a chair away from the room's dining table so he could sit and confront them both at once. "Someone please tell me what you were thinking."

"It was my idea!" They blurted in unison. They paused in unison. They stopped to stare at each other in unison. They silently questioned each other in unison.

"Sleeping together was my idea," Ray admitted, turning back to Tsuna as Tonno bowed his head in defeat. "But Tonno kissed me first. I know that you don't approve... sir... but I... I really love your son and I want to make him happy. When he kissed me, I really thought that my heart was going to stop and... and I--"

"Save the details for when you're alone together," Tsuna interrupted in distaste. "Tonno...? Do you feel the same way?"

"I... think so," he mumbled, reaching out to hold Ray's hand. "Ray makes me feel calm and... and excited at the same time. When he touches me, it's... It's hard to explain, Papa. I just know that I'm stronger when he's around and I can do things that I never could before. I... I'd cry if you said I couldn't be with him because... because something other than pee comes out when he touches me and it doesn't feel bad."

_Because something other than pee comes out when he touches me and it doesn't feel bad_, Tsuna repeated to himself as he glanced at Ray in askance. He unfortunately didn't get much of an answer. Tonno was innocently waiting for Tsuna's response and Ray was too embarrassed to meet Tsuna's eyes. Even more unfortunately, Tsuna's intuition explained the reason for the reactions. Tonno was completely untutored in the ways of intimate contact and intercourse. His experience with Ray was all the boy had to reference from!

"Tonno," Tsuna said carefully. "Did--"

"Not you, too!" Tonno exclaimed.

"Eh?"

"That's the same tone that Ray used!" He spluttered. "You're going to make me feel stupid again!"

"No, I'm not," Tsuna soothed with another mystery solved. Tonno's reaction explained why Ray was so embarrassed. It couldn't have been easy for them when Ray had realized that Tonno was completely untutored. Tsuna could barely believe it. He'd had Naito shoving porn magazines in his face as far back as middle school! Tonno should have picked up something from similar occurrences, but the gap in his ability to describe his experience showed that he'd been completely sheltered. Likely, Basil had tried to keep him as pure as possible in fear of overstimulating Tonno's brain. "Calm down. I just want to know how far the two of you went last night so I have a reference of where to begin my lecture."

"Oh," Tonno gaped in surprise, mollified by Tsuna's indirect approach. "We... um... We t-touched each other," he said with a bright blush lighting up his face. "A-And kissed--"

"We couldn't do it," Ray blurted while hiding his face in his hands so that Tsuna couldn't see his expression and he couldn't see Tsuna's. "I was planning to, but it wouldn't fit. I don't know why it wouldn't fit, but it wouldn't and I stopped because it looked like I was hurting him. That's why we had Ginger go get a magazine. I've never been with a guy before. I know where I'm supposed to put it, but I've never asked for details on how it works. We tried asking the other guys, but they all assumed that you just stuck it in and we already knew that it didn't work like that. The magazine that Ginger brought back was for straight guys and couldn't help us figure out what we were doing wrong, so we rented a movie. I figured that we'd understand if we saw other guys doing it."

"I... see..." Tsuna gaped. "Uh... Did you figure it out?"

"No," he grumbled without lifting his head. "The porno jumped straight into them doing it."

"That guy made it fit," Tonno mumbled, making Tsuna's lungs stop for a moment. When they started working again, Tsuna rubbed his chin and carefully thought about where he should begin explaining. It was obvious that the two were interested in more than experimentation. Ray was already saying 'love' and Tonno was serious enough to be defiant. It was likely that Gabe's death had triggered the sudden development in their relationship, but Tsuna's intuition said that it would have happened eventually in any circumstance. The two truly cared about each other and were doing their best to make things work.

"Are you sure that this is what you both want?" Tsuna asked quietly. Both boys finally looked up at him and met his eyes squarely, sensing from both his words and his tone that he was doing his best to be supportive. "Are you both aware of how hard it is to keep an alternative relationship going? Ray, you said it yourself that you've never been with a guy before. That means that you probably don't realize how many people out there have unreasonable hate for gay men. Search your memory. How many times have you heard people being called fags and cock-suckers as an insult? Do you really think you can be mature enough to handle being called worse when the insults hit so close to home? Tonno, the same goes for you. I know that you've been trying very hard to fit in with the people around you and I know that you're uncomfortable when you're reminded that you're different. Being gay is becoming more accepted in today's society, but it's still not even close to being normal. You might want to go out on dates or hold Ray's hand or maybe even kiss him in public, but you'll be looked at strangely if you do and some people might even harrass you because they believe that it's wrong. Can you deal with that? Can both of you deal with that? It's not as easy as you might think."

"I honestly don't know, Pa-- Sir," Ray said respectfully. "I just know that how I see things today aren't like they were two or three days ago. I... I really don't know if I can deal with all of that, but I know that I'd hate myself if I didn't try my best."

"You can still call me Papa," Tsuna soothed. "Since both of you are being honest, I'm just going to pretend that the two of you were planning to tell me and I'm going to assume that this wasn't a one-night-stand."

"It wasn't, Papa," Tonno said. "I... I know that this makes me different. Hotaru and everyone else is straight. I didn't really know what that meant before other than the boys like girls and the girls like boys, but I know that... I know that I would have never considered what that entailed before I realized how much I like Ray. Doesn't that count for something? Ray was the first person that I've ever wanted to kiss. If we can do more together, then I want to."

"Oh, hell," Tsuna groaned as Ray took a turn at blushing. "Alright. I'm not going to say that I approve because I still don't think that the two of you know what you're really getting into, but--! Since you've already got the 'why' and the 'who' figured out, I'll give you the 'what' and the 'how' so you're prepared for the 'when' and the 'where'. So listen closely because I really don't want to have to explain twice and, so help me, I'll kill you both if I catching you practicing unsafe sex. Of course, it goes without saying that I'll kill you if I catch you practicing any sex. I'll look the other way and give you privacy in your own room since I don't want the two of you fooling around in a dirty alley somewhere, but if I hear so much as a single peep--!"

"Why would you hear us peep?" Tonno asked innocently. Tsuna wisely ignored the question and began informing the two with a watered-down version of all of his knowledge. Since the two were too old to get the 'birds and the bees' version, Tsuna gave them the 'Boy A and Boy B' version while keeping the story as objective as he could possibly manage. He covered Boy A and Boy B's chances of catching a disease if they played around with a Boy C or a Girl D along with how to protect themselves. He explained what Boy A and Boy B did to prepare themselves for intercourse, gave the simplest of instructions on how to have intercourse, and the proper care for their bodies after intercourse. Along the way, he brought out his purchases one at a time and explained how they were meant to be used, which put semi-permanent blushes on all of their faces.

Time and time again through the lecture, Tsuna was reminded that Yamamoto had been correct. Both boys were embarrassed, but they were attentive and listening. The information that Tsuna gave them might make it easier for the two to be intimate, but it also made it so that their intimate moments wouldn't be traumatizing moments. They wouldn't hurt each other by forcing themselves like they might have if Ray had forced himself into Tonno without preparation. They would be more thoughtful in how they used their bodies and they wouldn't overuse themselves when it was unnecessary. On that, Tsuna allowed himself a bit of a smile. Ray had naively assumed that anal sex was the only type of sex between gays and he'd been incredibly surprised when Tsuna had informed him that oral and hand-jobs accounted for a large portion of his previous relationships with men.

"It hurts quite a bit," Tsuna explained sympathetically. "I remember that I could barely walk the day after my first time. If I hadn't been having withdrawals, I doubt that I would have made it out of the bed. My first wasn't very... um... That's to say, he didn't have any of the information that I'm giving the two of you and he wasn't nice enough to stop because it hurt. I know that it's embarrassing, but it'll help a lot for Boy B to practice with the... um... the dildo. At least until you've got enough conscious control of those muscles to... ah... to be able to accept something larger without it being painful.

Once you're both at the point where it's relatively painless, you still shouldn't choose anal sex every time. The tissue and muscles down there are sensitive and easy to tear. Plus, agitating it frequently can give you other problems like the ones I already told you about. Whenever possible, it's a good idea to satisfy yourselves with just being next to each other, holding each other, or using alternative methods like your mouth or hands. I know that both of you probably think that it doesn't count unless you go 'all the way', but penetration doesn't create a connection between you. You should already have that whenever you look at each other. Intercourse just gives you another way to... ah... to care for each other's needs. Kind of like cooking breakfast for the person you care about or giving them a present. Sex can give the same type of joy, but just has a messier result. If you do it with a girl, then the mess takes the rest of your life to clean up. Any questions?"

"Uh... one..." Ray replied while swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. "I'm supposed to... ah... with my fingers...?"

"You can or he can," Tsuna answered in determination to inform them completely. "It can be a nasty job and no one said that it'd be pretty, but there's more to it than just stretching the muscles out. You've got to ensure that the cavity is empty because anything in there can cause it to be rough and rough sex can tear the tissue. If there is something, then just clean it out and move on. Whoever does it just needs to make sure to use a lot of lubricant. A LOT. You should even use lubricant on top of the lubricant already on the condoms. If there's too much friction, then Boy B might start get hurt and start bleeding.

If you do start bleeding, then it's okay. Just don't try to stick a tampon in there to stop it. The material can irritate it more and it increases your chances of an infection. Just keep an eye on it and head for the doctor if you think it's bad enough to need medical attention. The same goes if you hit the spine. Don't underestimate back pain. It's very possible to have the disks between your spine to get pinched or even break your tailbone if it's weak.

I'll warn you that Boy B probably won't want to get out of bed the day after he accepts Boy A inside himself. It'll actually take a while before Boy B has enough practice to recover easily. That's why it's very important to have a caring and sympathetic partner. It's natural for Boy B's body to hurt all over for an entire day. If the pain keeps him in bed for longer than a day and he can't stand up straight without it being painful, then Boy A should make Boy B go to the doctor because Boy A was probably too rough and caused damage."

"The movie didn't tell us that," Tonno commented with wide eyes. "It sounds more dangerous than breaking into an enemy facility."

"It can be," Tsuna laughed. "But that shouldn't stop you if it's something that you really want to do. You've just got to be prepared for all sorts of possibilities and keep your eyes open for each other's health. That's also why I'm giving you this briefing even though I don't think that either of you are prepared for the consequences of having an intimate relationship. I don't want either of you to learn everything the hard way by doing what a lot of people do--going out and experimenting with every person that you find. A lot of guys do that and both of you will come across the type if you stay in the gay scene for long enough.

There will be guys who will hit on you and want to be with you even though they don't know your first name. And--! There will be times that you're tempted to take the offers. Don't give me that look, Ray. I know what I'm talking about. You can't pretend that you're never going to have a fight with each other, but it's going to happen because both of you are completely different individuals with your own thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Disagreements will happen and you might find yourself in a position where someone wants to take advantage of your momentary vulnerability.

That's when I want you to remember what I'm telling you right now. The person offering to be with you won't be a partner. They're not going to take care of you the next day or take responsibility if you're hurt. As long as you give them the thumb's up, then the only thing that they care about is using you to get their jollies. Sometimes guys build relationships out of such meetings, but those relationship tend to stay unstable because there's not a foundation of mutual respect and caring. You shouldn't settle for that sort of thing. Both of you-- Yes, I mean you, too, Ray-- Both of you deserve to be with people that care about you. Never think otherwise. You should always start out with dating and you should always wait to have sex until you know your partner enough that you can tell whether or not they're lying about their sexual history. You should also always go to get yourself and your partner tested at a clinic before you have intercourse. If either one of you are too impatient to do so, then you should re-evaluate your reasons for sharing your body with the other person. Any other questions?"

"Does that mean that we should wait until we've both been tested?" Tonno asked curiously.

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed firmly. "And I'm not saying that because I want to postpone you. STDs can sometimes be transferred by accident. For example, a customer or a friend could have been less careful than you, caught an STD, and given it to you through an accidental exchange of saliva or blood. You would have no way of knowing unless you get tested because some STDs don't have noticeable symptoms until it's progressed to the point of being lethal. That's also why you should get tested yearly even if you're with the same partner. It's not just to look out for yourself, but to look out for the person that you're with."

"Papa made me get tested when I started at the bakery," Ray offered hesitantly. "They said that I came up clean, but I don't know if that was just a drug test or more."

"They did a full blood work-up," Tsuna soothed. "That means that you're entirely clean."

"Same here," Tonno murmured with an embarrassed blush. "I mean... I came up clean before we left Vegas."

"Eh?" Ray gaped in confusion. "When did you go in?"

"I have a portable machine at home that can run the tests," Tonno mumbled, ducking his head in embarrassment. "It's a Mafia-grade device. I... I'm paranoid about catching something."

"Tonno used to hunt vampires," Tsuna explained in understanding when Ray became even more confused. "Becoming a vampire doesn't always create obvious visible changes, but it wreaks havoc on blood. Checking is probably habit for Tonno."

"M-My machine can't identify mutations or infections, but it can tell me if any are present," he offered softly. "It only takes a few seconds, so I usually do it every morning before Ray wakes up. Um... I can start checking Ray, too. It only takes a little pinprick."

"I'll leave that between the two of you," Tsuna sighed as he looked at his watch. "For now, I want the two of you to go tell the others that they're getting out of the lecture this time, but let Houston and Jesse know that I'll talk to them eventually. Then have everyone get washed up and into their suits. We need to be at the funeral home in an hour."

"Yes, Papa," Tonno agreed before abruptly jumping out of his seat to give Tsuna a hug in appreciation. "Thank you for telling us everything and for not killing Ray." Tsuna paused for a moment, surprised speechless by the gratitude. Then the warmth of the embrace hit him and he smiled.

"Just don't do anything to make me regret it," Tsuna whispered.

* * *

The media were worse than vultures, giving absolutely no respect to the dead while they fed their gluttonous appetites. The media were annoyingly persistent in following him and taking pictures, but they didn't directly get in his way thanks to the Martelli men guarding the building combined with Demetri's detail. Even if they could get in the way, he doubted that any of them would try to approach him directly. They still didn't know what questions to ask, which was why they were reduced to hovering in hopes of seeing something newsworthy to use as a prompt.

Tsuna thought that it was a good thing that they were stalled because he honestly didn't know what to feel as he stared down at Gabe's corpse. 'The makeup artist did a good job' didn't seem fitting. Tsuna already knew what the temperature and texture would be if he touched him. It... It was simply too familiar. A dead body was just a dead body. Tsuna knew that Gabe's soul had already passed out of reach, so he found it hard to get emotional like he'd thought that he would. It felt as if he were looking at a photograph again and he'd already looked at dozens since he'd gotten the news. Photos weren't something he could connect with. They were cold, unmoving images just like the corpse laying in the coffin before him.

"I think my ticker's broken again," Tsuna whispered, taking advantage of the silence in the empty room to voice his worries. He knew that he only had a few minutes until the others joined him, but he felt the need to say something in case Gabe was watching from the other side. "Why did you abandon me, Gabe? I forgive you for doing it, but I wish I knew why you'd chosen to run away. We could have worked things out. Now... Now I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. It's supposed to hurt. I know that it's supposed to hurt that you're gone, but I only feel empty. I keep telling myself that it's just reaction because I've been through this before, but it scares me, Gabe. I don't want to go back to being cold again. But that... Just saying that is selfish. I know that you weren't intending to die when you left. I got your note and I read it. You were going to get your head on straight and come back to me, but someone took you away. I... I don't know how to feel when I look at your body, but is it okay if I stay mad at the person that killed you? I know that I'm supposed to be great at forgiving people, but I... I really want to be selfish this time. No matter what their reasons were for hurting you, is it okay if I don't try to understand this time? Would you be disappointed in me if I don't forgive them, Gabe?"

Tsuna wasn't surprised at the lack of a reply. After all, he'd have been more concerned if someone had actually answered.

"I love you, Gabe," Tsuna continued quietly as he reached into the coffin to needlessly smooth down Gabe's lapel. "Be nice to Snicker. He's probably irritated after only getting to watch for so long. Tell him that I'm sorry for being with another guy and let him know that I said to be nice to you. You might not be the cute girl that he was wanting me to get, but you did make me happy, Gabe. I could wish that we'd had more time together, but I guess it'll have to wait until I catch up with you. Assuming that you and Snicker are still there when my time comes. I... I hope you will be, but... But I understand if you want to move on...."

Trailing off, Tsuna was at a loss for anything else to say. He'd thought that the sight of Gabe would bring him to tears and would send him into grieving full-force, but there was nothing other than anger over the unfairness of Gabe's death. Tsuna had expected more out of himself. Kyoko's death had given him nightmares for years even in his anemic state. Snicker's death had sent him into a depression that had changed his entire personality. He still wondered if he'd ever recovered from either loss, but Gabe's death was different somehow. Rather than being consumed by Gabe's death, he felt fueled by it--

And that was what made him fear that the murderer had achieved his goals. It was hard to tell without knowing the murderer's identity or motives, but Tsuna couldn't deny that he'd become stronger with the death. He'd still go home. He'd still continue to run the bakery. He'd even continue living as a man of moderate means, but none of that truly mattered. Tsuna had known as soon as he'd called Gokudera. There was no turning back. Fragment by fragment, his life was going to change again and Gabe's death had already determined the direction.

He was using every ounce of his training and skills. He was reconnecting old ties again. His face and name was in every household again. He was already planning for possibilities, strengthening his legal and social positions, and calling in favors. There was no denying it. All that was left was for him to break the law and he'd be named a Mafia Boss in a heartbeat. There were people who probably already thought he'd reclaimed his old position with his new life, considering Mafia Bosses made it their business to always come up clean in a courtroom.

"Nothing is going to change by staring at him," Papa Paolo commented as he quietly approached. Coming to a stop next to Tsuna, Papa Paola gave Tsuna a moment to compose himself while Tsuna simultaneously gave way to allow Papa Paolo to see his son.

"I know that," Tsuna said while creating distance between himself and Gabe's corpse.

"Do you?" He asked curiously as he looked into the casket. "Yes, I suppose you do. Ginger told me about your daughter... The one that was murdered by a rogue doctor. I'm ashamed to ask this of a man younger than me, but... How did you get over it?" Tsuna paused at the trembling note he heard in Papa Paolo's voice and his heart trembled in reply. The only way to reply was to be honest.

"I barely knew her," Tsuna whispered with tears of remorse building in his eyes. "Our first meeting happen back when I was still on drugs and my grip on the world was tenuous. I thought that she was lucky. The trauma of our meeting had wiped her memory clean. I took her to a family.... people that I thought I could trust and they... Well, let me just say that they didn't turn out to be very trustworthy. The man who I'd believed would be a good father figure turned out to be a sadistic bastard with a taste for young girls. He'd been brutalizing his entire Family right under my nose for years. You know the type--big ego, little balls. I... I remember once calling him a 'proud man with big ideals and little ambition'. I guess it just goes to show that things can slip through the cracks and the cracks can get very big when your tower covers the globe. I never knew. I never saw. I only visited Kitsune on the rarest of occasions because I thought she'd be safer if I was distant.

After... After I found out, he.... disappeared.... and I sent men to retrieve Kitsune. The poor girl had already suffered enough. While I was en route to see her and find out what could be done to help her, one of my personal doctors ran her blood-work and realized that she was mine. He... He took it upon himself to get rid of the evidence of a bastard before the girl could tarnish my so-called good name. He fed her full of hallucinogens and told her to follow the butterflies all the way up to the roof. She did. She followed them until there was no roof left and then she fell. I'm told that she would have had too much drugs in her system to feel anything. It was a painless death, they said. I didn't agree. I tracked down the doctor responsible. The guy had actually expected a reward for doing me a favor. No one could be held accountable, he'd told me. He said that it would have to be ruled medical negligence at the most and he'd be more than happy to spend some time in jail for me. He said... He said that he owed me everything and everything that he'd become was because of me. He was proud of the fact. He.... He disappeared, too.

I drank a lot after that and stayed in my room. I didn't want to look at any of my Family. I was disgusted by it. I felt... I felt as if I couldn't trust anyone anymore. I've always been bad about that. You know how they say that a person will always meet your expectations? If you expect a person to be bad, then they'd turn out bad. If you expect a person to be good, then they'll turn out good. I'm a product of that expectation, but... But Kitsune's death was a result of an important oversight. I forgot that people can also disappoint you.

What else was I supposed to do, though? After several days of drinking alone in my room, I was finally dragged out and I came to realize that I was nothing without those same people that would probably disappoint me. They gave me purpose and I... No matter what the media or people build me up as, I'm not a man that's very good at thinking for myself. My Family told me that I could trust them, so I did by burying all of my disgust and loathing alongside my daughter. It was the only way that I could continue on with my life. I had to make myself forget because I knew... I know that it'll eat me alive if I face it."

"What about now?" Papa Paolo asked quietly as he took a seat in one of the many chairs lining the walls of the room. "Tell me, son. Are you burying your feelings alongside my Gabriel?"

"No--!" Tsuna gasped while his tears silently broke free to run down his face. Rushing forward to Papa Paolo, Tsuna knelt before him and searched his eyes in askance. "How can you even think that? If someone I know did this, then I won't rest. I swear to you that Gabe will get justice. Please, Papa Paolo. Don't start doubting me now." When Papa Paolo didn't respond, Tsuna reached out to gently clasp his hands. He bowed his head on top of them, pressing his forehead against Papa Paolo's skin in hopes of letting him feel the fires of determination that he held. Then, he wept in the way that he couldn't while staring at Gabe's corpse. He let out the pain and heartache that his rational mind had tucked away and he allowed Papa Paolo to see the rage in his heart. "I swear on my father's grave," Tsuna said as his tears filled Papa Paolo's clasped hands. "I loved Gabe and whomever killed him will pay for taking him aw--"

Tsuna instantly sobered and his emotions were redirected. Jewel was crawling across the floor next to Gabe's casket, but her patterns were irregular. She was moving back and forth in a manner that suggested that she was confronting an attacker. It didn't make sense for her to do such a thing to Gabe, though. Jewel probably knew him from the past, but she also knew the difference between a true threat and a corpse. That could only mean one thing--there was someone other than Gabe in front of her.

Trusting Jewel, Tsuna quickly stood and motioned for Papa Paolo to escape the room, but refused to wait for Demetri and his goons to be called to deal with the intruder. Releasing his Flame, Tsuna signaled for Jewel to attack. She darted underneath the tablecloth under Gabe's coffin and disappeared while Tsuna's heart began to pound from adrenaline. Someone was there and he wouldn't be able to stay hidden for long once an insect of Jewel's size decided to swarm.

Demetri's entrance forced Tsuna to hide his Flame as the first scream resounded. The tone of panic and fear made Tsuna's stomach flip in disgust as the guy began thrashing in effort to find a way out of his hiding spot. It wasn't a hitman or even a Mafioso since such a person wouldn't have gotten scared because of a large bug. There was only one possible alternative to explain the man's presence and that explanation was enough to make Tsuna's temper snap while Demetri's team reached for their guns. Reaching out, Tsuna grabbed the spy's leg and pulled him out from hiding before anyone could stop him. Tsuna's guess was instantly confirmed when the guy froze with camera in hand.

"I guess this isn't the wedding chapel," the photographer commented with a innocent smile and a British accent.

As Demetri and his men lowered their weapons, Tsuna reached out in disgust with plans to personally expel the Paparazzi from the building. At least, that was what he planned to do. The more that the guy tried to create the excuse of a simple misunderstanding, the more that Tsuna's anger grew. By the time that he'd dragged the man outside, he couldn't hold it in. The media who waited outside in hopes of catching him off-guard were mildly acceptable since everything he did in public was a public matter. However, Tsuna couldn't accept the thought of someone intruding into a private moment of mourning with the belief that the law would protect them from punishment. He couldn't let it pass because people who believed they were legally permitted to do wrong was the very reason that he'd spent so much of his life in shadows. Tsuna decided to use the man's camera to correct the mistake in thinking.

He wanted to beat the correction in harder, but several people he knew jumped in to stop him before his lecture could send him to jail for murder.

"I'm calling the cops!" The Paparazzi shouted as he pressed a hand against one of his many head-wounds. Tsuna lunged to give him a few more, but Tonno, Isaac, and Demetri held him back. "I've got witnesses! Everyone here saw what happened! You--"

"Oh, shut up," Gigi snapped as media and passerby began crowding in effort to capture every moment on camera and camera-phones. Gigi preened as the attention settled on her and even Tsuna was surprised at how forcefully she stepped up--especially considering what her foot was stepping on. The positioning was frightening enough that the photographer snapped his mouth shut before she decided to step again. "You must be the stupidest Paparazzi that I've ever seen. No--! You keep your mouth shut while you've only got one foot in the grave instead of two. Just let good old Gigi spell out something for you _and _everyone else that's standing around who don't know how to mind their own business.

People like you are the reason that good men get their reputations and their lives soiled. You think that you've got every right to invade someone's privacy and put their personal lives on display. At most, the law can only charge you with trespassing, breaking-and-entering, or peeping. It's nothing that you can't shrug off with a good lawyer and the sale of the pictures is always more than enough to cover any lawsuits. So, you think you're safe and you don't give a damn about the people you hurt or the lives you might ruin along the way. You're happy as long as you can stir up some gossip because retractions are always tucked away where no one will notice it, but that's just sick and guys like you WILL get what's coming to them in the end. What were you planning to do, Mister? Were you planning to write up a big story about how Laz is a crybaby?" The question made Tsuna choke and Gigi's high heel digging into the photographer left him speechless.

"You're not going to get anywhere with a story like that, you little shithead," she growled with a sharp gleam in her eyes. "Everyone here already knows that Laz is as human as anyone else. Laz was part of all of us. He's part of this city. We've all seen him cry before. We've seen him angry enough to hit someone. We've seen him so shit-faced drunk that he can't walk straight and we've even seen him in pants so tight that you could see his bulge from a block away. We've all seen him and been with him through some of the hardest times in his life and all your little tabloid would prove by publishing those pictures is that they can't be trusted. Of course, I can't talk about anyone else since the world is a big place, but I'm not going to buy a paper that hires a piece of scum to peep through people's windows or go so far as to desecrate a man's funeral for their own greed."

"Add me to that boycott," Eric said as he finally broke through the ring of spectators. The cameras latched onto him instantly and he smiled in apology as he approached. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic is a little crazy and-- Ouch, that looks like that hurts," he grimaced as he glanced down at the target of Gigi's rant. "Anyway, I concur with what I could hear. Personally, I'd just let Laz go, though. I doubt there's a judge in the city who'd prosecute him for hitting this guy. After all, Laz is mourning the loss of a loved one and this man was likely baiting him in hopes of causing a scene. Did he say anything, Laz?"

"Eh?" Tsuna mumbled in confusion for the abrupt question. "No. Not really. He just said that he'd thought that this was a wedding chapel."

"Uh huh," Eric nodded as if his point had been proven. "That would do it. This man did his homework. Just think about it Laz. You lost one of your first wives to a murder. You lost Snicker and you had trouble with legalities afterward because you couldn't get legally married. Now you've just lost Mr. Martelli before you could even know the joys of marriage with him. I can see how your temper would snap and this guy probably predicted it. How many times did he say 'wedding' before you got out of the building with him?"

"A-At least a dozen times," Tsuna answered while the blood drained from his face at Eric's blunt explanation. Eric noticed his expression and grimaced, but they both knew that it was necessary. The crowd was already beginning to turn from gaping spectators into sympathetic bystandards. Even Demetri's grip had loosened in understanding of Tsuna's motive.

"Sorry, Laz," Demetri said in sympathy as he removed his hands entirely and gestured for the others to stop restraining him. "Why don't you go back inside while I send this guy to the hospital in a taxi? I'll make a call to the Sheriff and tell him what happened. Even if this asshole presses charges, we should be able to get them cleared away without bothering you."

"W-Wait--!" The beaten Paparazzi spluttered while his bruises continued to darken. Before he could say more, Demetri grabbed him and dragged him into the crowd despite his incoherent objections. Surprisingly, none of the media seemed to care that he was unfairly being dragged away while Tsuna was going unpunished. They seemed far more interested in the awkward silence that sprang up between Tsuna, Gigi, and Eric.

"You both came," Tsuna said quietly, causing a hush to fall over the crowd as everyone leaned in to better hear his words. "I wasn't sure that you would."

"I can't say that I understand what was going through your mind when you forgave Gabe, sweet-cheeks," Gigi replied with a small, pained smile, "But you forgave him and he was making you smile before he died, so there's no reason for us to stay away."

"You need us," Eric added with his own sad smile. "Did you think we'd really leave you to deal with this on your own?"

"I wasn't sure," Tsuna shrugged. "Thank you both for coming, though. Did Ore--"

"Ore will be here tomorrow with everyone else," Gigi answered as she threw an arm around his shoulder to lead him inside. "He figured that you'd want someone to make sure that Bo and his crew could make it."

"Thank you," Tsuna repeated. The two words became the only thing that he could say as the numbness began to spread again. His friends tried their best to keep him talking and responding, but his mind began to wander after he was settled into an overflow room. The word 'wedding' circled in his head constantly. He'd thought about dedicating his display wedding cake to Gabe, but he hadn't. He hadn't even mentioned the word 'wedding' to Gabe outside of work in fear that he'd want to get married. But what had he been afraid of? Why hadn't he done it when they'd had the chance? It would have made Gabe so happy.

What was he really supposed to do now that Gabe couldn't come back to him? That was the biggest question of all. Tsuna knew that he had to go back to his bakery for Tonno's sake, but the thought of facing his empty bedroom left him shaken. Could he really search for Gabe's murderer and be a good father for Tonno alone? Gabe had been the leash that had held him in check so that his training and intuition didn't get the better of him. Who was going to stop him from gathering strays and who was going to tell him when he was crossing the line into a Mafia lifestyle if Gabe wasn't there?

Nothing would be the same.

_"That's the thing," Gabe told him, "You never ask for anything, but you should--even when you know it's unreasonable."_

"I want him back," Tsuna whispered in hopes of breaking through the wall of ice growing around his heart. Unfortunately, the words weren't enough. They only made the slowly growing group of Orange Dragons to pause long enough for Tsuna to register their concerned and sympathetic expressions. Those expressions penetrated through Tsuna's numbness, but it wasn't enough to make the increasing haze to disappear. Only one thing could do that, Tsuna's intuition warned.

He had to find Gabe's murderer.


	158. Chapter 158 Final Convergence

Gigi stared in disbelief alongside the rest of the men and women in the Board Room. Everything was supposed to have calmed down after Tsuna's plane left, but this emergency meeting had caught them all off-guard. Even more shocking was what the Boss had suddenly proposed. Gigi didn't know what to think. On one hand, she loved it. On the other hand, the size of the task was incredible.

Charlie wanted to divorce Autumn, split the company, and move his half to Las Vegas. No one could truly blame him for wanting to get divorced. The woman was an ice cube and it was no secret that Charlie was suffering in his loveless marriage. Considering that Autumn had been caught with her musician friend in questionable circumstances on numerous occasions, Gigi had to admit that she wouldn't have managed to tough it out as long as Charlie had.

The proposal to split the company was what she didn't understand. It'd be corporate suicide since they'd be transferring into an area controlled by the Sawada Family. They'd have no support base and no street credit. They weren't a company that had department stores. They specialized in renovating housing for the poor and escort services. How could they possibly prosper in a place where every building was relatively new and the market was already flooded with sex-based companies?!

"It's simple," Charlie explained as he rolled out a large page of blueprints and waved the members of the Board to move closer. "This is the property that I've been in negotiations for."

"A warehouse?" Gigi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Forty warehouses spread over two hundred and fifty acres of land," he corrected with his eyes lighting up in glee. "Look at the address! This is prime real estate being wasted. I want to build a city with it. Here--" He gasped as he unrolled several more sets of blueprints. "These are the modules. It's a new micro-housing design. Inside a single warehouse, we can fit a eight story building that can hold eighty of these cubes. I figure we can fit ten of these buildings into the land we have."

"You're talking about an outrageous apartment building," Ore said curiously.

"Yes and no," he replied. "Apartments usually have separate rooms. With this design, it's more like a set of incredibly small lofts. There's no wasted space and the only room other than the main room is a bathroom. We're talking minimal amenities here. All the furniture is built in and you have to go outside to stretch your legs. Think of a prison cell or an RV. You have everything you need--"

"Why would anyone--? Oh," Gigi gaped. Her eyes widened in surprise as she comprehended what Charlie was planning and she slowly pushed him aside to get a better look at his plans. The houses were only slightly bigger than a prison cell, but that was perfect for the target clients that Charlie was looking for. Single men and women who didn't have families and were out of their home more than in it wouldn't mind the lack of space. Homeless would be happy with whatever they could find and shut-ins would want to save every penny they could. They were little places that someone could call their own when they couldn't afford anything better. They were something for those who couldn't afford anything. "You're thinking about welfare housing for singles."

"It's an untapped market," Charlie smiled in pleasure. "They'll want something bigger when they partner up or create a family, but there's a lot of singles out there whose lifestyle would accommodate such an apartment. With these, people don't have to worry about furniture other than electronics and most low-income singles don't entertain in their house. They go out to bars, bowling alleys, and movies to meet their friends. There's enough room for them to have one or two people over, but not enough room for huge parties. And that brings me to this--"

Gigi's eyes widened as she looked over his overall plans. There were ten apartment buildings in total and they were strategically placed with a parking garage within walking distance. The nexus held a shopping mall, a casino and a new Headquarters.

"The mall will hold cheap vendors," Charlie explained pointing to the building on the left. "Most places pride themselves on having name brand, but we're going in the opposite direction. We're looking at thrift stores, farmer's markets, pawn shops, gyms, dollar retail chains and--to top it off--a food court with a buffet that will make them feel stupid for going anywhere else for their dinners. All of it will be run by us and the money will be in our pockets. Next door to that will be the eight story casino with a rooftop restaurant," he continued, pointing to the building on the right. We'll have fancier restaurants in here along with arcades, pool halls, dance clubs, escorts, movies-- Just think of everything you could possibly want to do at night and we'll put it in the casino building. This is where we want our residents going when they're not at home, they're not at work, and they don't feel like shopping. The Mall is their day life and the Casino is the night life. This is where we want them to spend the money that they're saving on their housing by picking our place."

"You're targeting the locals instead of tourists," Eric murmured in thought.

"Wrong," Charlie grinned. "That's the best part. I'm targeting both. These two apartment buildings at the front will be hotels and these two are staff housing. And--! Here's what our new Headquarters is going to look like." Charlie grinned even more as he handed out artist sketches with Leo's mark on them. The result left Gigi gaping. With blueprints, she had no idea how everything would look when it was finished, but the sketches showed her everything.

It was a castle. Charlie was building a damned castle in the desert. The apartment buildings acted like the outer walls, complete with parapets. The parking structures acted as cornerstones. The main gate was the very road leading into the area. The Mall and the Casino were towers in the courtyard with the Orange Dragon Headquarters being the building connecting them together. That was when she noticed what he was truly planning. It wasn't just a castle. It was a fortress that would be nearly impenetrable. Charlie was creating an island where outsiders would have a very difficult time penetrating without an invitation.

"Headquarters doesn't look like much since it's two stories shorter than the Mall and the Casino," Charlie grinned, "But I made sure to make the floorspace count. It's six floors. The first floor is divided up into public offices. The second floor is divided up for private offices for each of us. The third, fourth, and fifth floor each has four condos, one for each of us. The sixth floor is an all-purpose area for meetings, press-conferences, etc. I figured that the view would be more impressive up there since the roof will be made of glass instead of thatching."

"Charlie--" Gigi gasped.

"I know what you're going to say," he interrupted, "but the visual effect is something we can't skip on. Las Vegas is a city of landmarks. If we don't make our own, then--"

"It's not that!" She spluttered. "I want to know when you were planning on telling us about this and where you think you're going to get the money to build it!"

"I'm telling you now and the money would have to come from everyone here," he answered as he sank back into his seat. Taking the hint that the discussion was about to turn serious instead of idealistic, the rest of the Board sat with him. "Autumn will take half of what we've earned as soon as I show her the divorce papers. The only way that I can afford to truly become free of her is if I sell her the other half-- Wait before you object. The city is unified because of the monopoly that was created when I married Autumn. If I split it up now and skip town, everything will return to how it was. People will be fighting in the streets and the little guys will start feeling the pressure from both the gangs and the police. That's why I propose to sell. If Martelli is the only power left in the city, they can seize control and keep things peaceful."

"I don't understand," Eric admitted. "You're saying that we'll be splitting from the Martelli Family, but you're also saying that you're selling us to the Martelli."

"I get it," Ollie grinned from his corner seat. "Boss is going to sell her a shell. The name and the people go, but the operations and the buildings stay."

"Exactly," Charlie confirmed. "With the money I get from selling her the shell here, I can build new places for everyone in Vegas. It's going to take everyone, though. The deeds to all the clubs, the Dragon Den, and even our local charities. In exchange for signing them all over to Autumn en masse instead of splitting it all down the middle, we'll be able to restart in Vegas."

"Not everyone is going to want to go," Mama Jill from Tig Bitty's commented. "I've been set up for years and I'm pretty comfortable where I'm at."

"Then stay here," Charlie shrugged. "Nothing should change if we do this. It just means that Autumn will be the one that takes the cut instead of me."

"That's not much different than how it is now," she teased. "That woman holds a pretty sharp whip. But... I guess I can agree to this. Autumn isn't the friendly type, but she's smart when it comes to business."

"Then I'll call the vote," Charlie said as he looked around at the ODE Board. "All those who favor selling out to the Martelli Family and rebuilding in Vegas, raise your hands." Gigi glanced around at Ore, Eric, Leo, and Ollie. They each stared back with a gleam in their eyes and a knowing smirk on their lips. Laz was living in Vegas. The choice of destination couldn't be a coincidence. "It's unanimous," Charlie sighed in relief. "Viva Las Vegas."

* * *

Hotaru and Chin danced and the audience stayed captivated. There wasn't a single person who was willing to intrude because their dance steps were both erratic and graceful. Chin took the lead first, but Hotaru always took it away. Chin responded to the challenge and moved with her, flawlessly responding to her impromptu steps as if they were planned. Then he took the lead back, sweeping Hotaru off her feet while forcing her to predict his movements. Parting and meeting, spinning and twirling, dominance and submission: the cycles continued endlessly until the music came to a close and Chin respectfully guided Hotaru off the dance floor to the sound of the audience's clapping.

"You're not getting away from this conversation," Chin warned when Hotaru stopped a passing waiter to get a glass of champagne.

"Do we have to talk about this now?" She asked quietly while glancing around to ensure that there were no eavesdroppers. There were dozens, of course, but Chin wasn't willing to let that stop him. It was her fault for blowing his inquiries so often that he was reduced to cornering her at a fundraiser.

"Why won't you go see him?" Chin whispered. "He's your father, Hotaru. You must want to talk--"

"I'm fine without him," she said stubbornly. "Will you just drop it? Why do you want me to go see him so badly anyway? You saw that Special just like I did. He doesn't want the Mafia in his life--"

"You're not Mafia," Chin interrupted. "You're his daughter. Don't you see that, Hotaru?"

"What I see is that he left me to run the Family so he could start a new one," she hissed bitterly. "And I don't see him knocking on my door, so he obviously doesn't want us back. So just drop it already. He's got his life and I've got mine. Things are fine like that."

"He sent Gokudera to ask you for help," Chin murmured as they began walking around the event together. "Doesn't that count as knocking on your door? He let you know where he--"

"We'll talk about it later," she snapped before plastering a smile on her face. "There's the Head of the Gaming Board. It's time to schmooze."

* * *

Brushing the hair out of Tsuna's sleeping face, he sighed to himself while he looked around the dark bedroom. His eyes could see everything. The walls were covered with mugshots and photographs. The dresser and much of the bed was covered with paperwork. Tsuna was pushing himself to find Gabriel Martelli's murderer. He knew because he'd been watching carefully. Tsuna acted so normal in the daytime. Since he'd returned, he'd been diligent in his work as a baker and he'd been attentive to the needs of his son. The media still covered over him like a hawk, but they were slowly running out of things to turn into news. Tsuna was too normal to be interesting indefinitely, but it'd be a different story if they could see his bedroom.

Every piece of paper in the room was a source of stress. Alibis, financial records, and correspondences made up most of it. Tsuna was leaving no stone unturned, even though he still had to worry about the financial and legal stresses of his own life. That was why he'd begun sneaking into Tsuna's room. It'd begun out of the simple desire to make Tsuna stop crying over being dumped, but Gabriel's death changed everything. Now wasn't the time for Tsuna to be comforted by another lover. He needed a friend who would force him to sleep and hold him while he wept. Maybe the situation could change after Tsuna's tears ran out, but not yet. Tsuna wasn't ready yet.

After tucking Tsuna into bed, he quietly headed deeper into the house to check security like he always did. Jewel jumped on his shoulder along the way to help out, but he didn't need help. He could see for himself where Tsuna's law enforcement friends had placed bugs. The malicious energy coming off of the cold devices told him exactly where they were. Along the way, he also emptied the house of negative motes. Tsuna was leaving more and more lately because reality was much different than the calm facade that Tsuna presented to the world.

Once those were gone, he checked the bedrooms. The boy Houston and Chopper were snoring after having a pleasant day. He was slightly disturbed to find Tonno and Ray in the same bed, but he decided to ignore it. Tsuna probably already knew and approved. It wasn't his place to interfere since he'd already decided to leave the twerp alone for now, even if he had once been a Hunter. Finally, he reached the last room on his nightly visit: Jesse and Ginger's room. Both occupants were awake, unlike the rest who he'd fed off of to ensure that his visit would go unnoticed.

"I thought I told you to leave," he snapped.

"I thought I told you not to come back," Jesse smiled. Ginger whined and laid his ears down in worry for the tone of the meeting, but he didn't get up from Jesse's lap. "Tsuna belongs to me," he added while he continued running his fingers through Ginger's fur.

"In your dreams, Mukuro," Xanxus growled. "You can't even use that vessel when Tsuna's awake or you'll blow his cover. Tsuna wouldn't touch him anyway. He's a kid."

"Who says that I was planning to use this body?" Mukuro asked. "Unlike some people, I don't need physical body to affect the world."

"Leave him alone, Xanxus," Ginger mumbled. "Mukuro might be a pain in the ass, but Kiyoshi is a good kid. I don't know what Mukuro was planning by ordering him to infiltrate Tonno's Family, but he's not hurting anything with his illusions. The only time that Mukuro even shows up is when you're around."

"Someone has to ensure that Tsunayoshi isn't tainted in his sleep," Mukuro said.

"And someone has to make sure that he gets to sleep," Xanxus growled. "I'm keeping my eye on you. The only reason that I'm not turning your vessel into dust is because I don't have to deal with fleas as long as he's around, but one wrong move and the trash is gone."

"Now, now," Mukuro soothed. "We both know that you wouldn't want to upset Tsunayoshi by attacking one of his son's friends. Why, that might make him question whether you're the murderer that he's looking f--"

"I didn't kill him," he spat through clenched teeth. "I wanted to after I finally got here and saw what he did to Tsuna, but someone beat me to him. The scum was already dead before I could locate him."

"Kufufufu," Mukuro laughed. "Don't look at me to find his murderer. My plans can continue regardless of whether Tsunayoshi's toy is living or dead. I did have the opportunity since my reach is long, but I have no motive.... unlike a certain jealous--"

"I didn't kill him," Xanxus repeated angrily. "And you're the last piece of trash that should be talking about jealousy! You--"

"Are you two really going to do this again?" Ginger whined. "It doesn't matter if you don't trust each other. Just prove that the other is lying and you'll win the argument. Isn't that what you both want...? To knock the other guy out of the running to be Tsuna's rebound lover?"

"My intentions aren't so mundane," Mukuro smirked.

"And I'm not that simple-minded," Xanxus growled.

"Then agree to disagree, because I'm getting tired of these nightly debates," Ginger grumbled as he closed his eyes. "I'm going to bed."

* * *

"Go away," Tsuna groaned tiredly as a camera descended. The journalist on hand ignored his plea, continuing to direct the cameraman into covering every moment of Tsuna's delivery. Tsuna was unamused. He'd forgotten to shave again, he had bags under his eyes from fitful sleep, and his shirt had a combination of oil and sweat stains on it from where he'd stopped to help a woman change her flat tire. Normally, it would have been another average morning, but the media was making it difficult for him to pretend that everything was unchanged. He felt like he had his own reality show, but he wasn't getting paid for it.

"What's with the cameras?" Wasp asked, walking out of the shelter in curiosity for the growing crowd.

"They won't leave me alone," Tsuna spat. Trying to focus on his work, he helped Ray open the back of the truck so they could begin unloading the daily allotment of charity goods. Wasp needed them. She'd taken to selling them to make money for the shelter after Gregory's Church kitchen had lessened her burden. The goal was to make six hundred dollars for paint and new flooring.

"Are they going to follow you tonight?" Wasp asked worriedly as he began handing down boxes. "Everyone down there's been asking about you when you didn't show last week, but they're not going to come around if outsiders follow you. You know how they work, Preacher. A camera means attention and attention isn't a good thing down there. If people see how they're living, they'll come in and try to clean the place up. People will lose their homes!"

"I know," Tsuna grimaced. Sending a glare at the cameraman, Tsuna knelt down at the end of the truck and tried to soothe her. "I know what it's like, Wasp. You know, I don't think I ever mentioned it, but I lived in a dog house for a while. Some city clean-up crews came through and hauled it to the dump because all the trash in the alley was bringing down property value. Almost a dozen of us was left in the rain that night with nowhere else to go. I'm not about to do something that will cause that kind of misfortune on someone else. Besides, do you really think that I'm going to lead a female reporter that close to Fireball Alley? What kind of man do you take me for?"

"One with a sense of honor," she answered with a sigh of relief. "I was worried that you might have forgotten with everything that's happened. I... I heard about what happened to Gabe and... and about your past. It must be crazy for you, so I'd really like to help if I can. I feel like I owe it to you for how much you've been helping out on the streets."

"In that case, you can help me get these inside while they're still fresh," Tsuna grinned, holding up a box of donuts. Wasp blinked in surprise at the innocent request, but quickly smiled and nodded. They both knew that it wasn't always the big favors that mattered. A lot of the time, the only thing that counted was a shoulder to lean on and an extra set of hands.

It didn't take long to unload the truck. Because of his debts, Tsuna couldn't afford to be as giving as he wanted to. Wasp understood, though. She knew that Tsuna would also give as much as he could and she didn't blame him for not having as much to give as he used to. She merely accepted his pitiful donations and invited him inside for a cup of coffee in appreciation while Ray made friends with a few of the guys who were playing dominos on one of the shelter's meal tables.

"Geez, isn't this harassment?" Wasp grumbled when the journalist tried to follow him into her office.

"It is," Tsuna confirmed with a grimace of apology. "I didn't want to keep bothering the police, so I've just been ignoring them," he explained while Wasp filled a set of mugs from her desk with coffee. I figured that they'd eventually get bored and go away when they saw how simple my life is, but there's a few who are refusing to give up. I really only have myself to blame. My reputation for rebounding precedes me. They think that if they hang around long enough, they'll see-- Oh, shit."

"What's wrong?" Wasp asked as Tsuna's buried his face in his hands.

"I'm so stupid," he groaned. "I came in here alone with you. Now they're going to think we're dating."

"You're joking," she gaped in awe. When he lifted his head and silently shook his head to tell her that he wasn't, her jaw dropped. "But Gabe's funeral was only a few days ago! And we're only friends! How can they--"

"It's my old reputation," Tsuna grimaced. Accepting his cup of coffee, he let her go over what he knew about him. He knew that she'd seen the special report on him. Everyone had seen it and there had been as many lies in it as there had been truth.

"Did you really sleep with Princess--"

"No!" Tsuna blurted, his face turning red at the predictable question. "I did cheat on Haru, but I didn't drop my pants for every girl OR guy I saw! It was just a couple of flings. I was young and a lot less appreciative of people than I am now. But I never touched the Princess, the model, the daughter of--"

"How do you know?" Wasp asked curiously as she leaned back in her chair to nurse her warm coffee mug.

"Eh?"

"How do you know?" Wasp repeated knowingly. "You can remember the flings because they lasted more than one night, but we've both seen what drugs can do to people, Preacher. People wake up all the time without any memory of doing terrible things. That's why drugs are illegal. They can make you do things that you'd otherwise never do and--"

"I know," Tsuna interrupted with another pained grimace. "Trust me, I know. I still can't remember whole weeks and months, so it's possible that I had a few one-night-stands and don't remember. But it's bad enough that it might have happened. Would it really do anyone any good to find out that it did? The reputations of the girls I supposedly slept with are already damaged by the accusations. At least they can keep their dignity around their friends and family if I deny it."

"Chivalry after the fact?" Wasp smirked.

"More like common sense," Tsuna laughed, seeing that she wasn't going to hold the truth against him. Seeing that, Tsuna decided to let her in on another secret. "Actually, some of it can be blamed on planning."

"Planning?" She asked, once more raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"To keep Haru safe," he said honestly, staring into his coffee so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes. "A lot of people used to want me dead and a wife is a prime target. Some of my men cooked up the idea to spread rumors of mistresses to make everyone think that Haru was just a trophy wife. It was believable enough. She mostly stayed in Japan and I stayed in Italy. We never saw each other and I rarely got a chance to talk to her on the phone. I played along and took a couple of my female operatives on dates. We made it look good and they turned into bait afterward."

"What happened?" Wasp asked on cue. Tsuna didn't respond at first. It took several moments of focusing his breathing before he could even consider how to phrase the answer.

"The bait was taken and we didn't catch the kidnappers until after they became murderers," he said bluntly. "After that, I called off the entire operation and had the other bait operatives change their appearances. The effect was lasting, though. A guy like me is expected to have a mistress and everyone that I got near after that became another tale of conquest thanks to the media, but no one could ever confirm any until Xanxus. I guess you could say that, for once, I wanted to be guilty of what I was accused of. Not that Haru ever accused me. She would always forgive me of everything, regardless of whether I deserved forgiveness. She just had that kind of heart. No matter what happened, she never lost her spirit."

"You really loved her," Wasp said in surprise. Tsuna smiled despite the lance of pain that shot through his heart.

"She was my moon," he replied. "I never wanted to hurt her, but that's all I ever seemed to do. The more that I protected her, the worse that it got, but she never wanted to leave me. If I hadn't been pronounced dead, then she probably never would have moved on. I'm glad that she did. She always deserved someone better than me."

"If I had something other than coffee in my hand, I'd pour it on your head," Wasp laughed. "You're selling yourself short, Preacher. You've always seemed like you were preaching from experience and that's what makes people stop to listen. When I consider that what the media knows about you is probably only a quarter of the story, it gives me the shakes. For you to still be standing after being through so much, you must have a shitload of fortitude, willpower, and determination. That alone is worth a lot when we don't even have to go ten feet outside my door to find guys who lack it."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied with a slow smile. "You're not so bad yourself, but I'd probably get smacked if I tried to give you a compliment."

"And don't you forget it," she chuckled. "Geez. Get out of here, Preacher. I have a feeling that you really will hit the rebound if you stay any longer."

"That won't happen," Tsuna corrected gently. Draining his cup in preparation of leaving, Tsuna tried his best to ignore the considering look in Wasp's eyes. He knew the look. She was thinking the same thing that a million other women that he'd come across in his time as Vongola the Tenth. She was thinking that being one of many mistresses wouldn't be so bad if it was with a man like him. It was called the Mafia-effect and it was one of many reasons why guys like him could get away with murder. Respect, kindness, and strength went a long way for men with no honor. "I better go," Tsuna said.

Setting the coffee cup on her desk to be washed later, Tsuna gave her a polite farewell before heading out the door. He felt suspicious when he didn't immediately have a camera stuck in his face and he became even more suspicious when he saw Ray waiting next to the truck for him with a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"I got rid of them," he grinned. "They kept nagging me and asking when you were coming out, so I told them that Wasp had a secret exit that let you escape so you could get to your secret rendezvous in the park on time. They're probably climbing trees by now."

"They'll be back," Tsuna replied with a grudging smirk. Then he paused, taking in the fact that he wasn't being followed for the first time since Gabe's death. "But since you got rid of them and we've got some time, how about we do something a little reckless? Get in!"

Darting for the driver's seat, Tsuna started the engine and got the truck on the road before Ray could even shut the door. Tsuna ignored him and his objections, though. There was one person that he'd been dying to see and he could actually go see them now. Just thinking about seeing them left his heart racing. It would be okay, though. Even if the media caught up to him, it'd be nice to them again.... To be able to talk to them again.... To hug them.

Tsuna drove like a man possessed, breaking speed limits and surging through traffic as fast as his truck could carry him. He slowed down when his intuition warned that he was about to come across cops, but he didn't stop until he was a block away from his destination. It was incredibly reckless when he thought about it. He didn't even know which house was hers. He only knew the street because Gokudera had mentioned that the entire Family lived on the same block.

Then she stepped out of her front door and Tsuna's heart stopped as he hit the brakes. Throwing the vehicle into park, he couldn't move as she obliviously walked out to check her mailbox. When she finally noticed him, he was struck as speechless as she was. They simply stared at each other for several long moments as tears built in both of their eyes. She'd gotten older. Her hair had gone completely gray and her face was marked with countless wrinkles, but her bright eyes and shining smile was completely unchanged.

"Tsu-kun...?" Nana gasped in disbelief.

"Mom..." Tsuna choked as he flew out of the truck. He slowed when he reached her in fear of breaking her with a full-impact hug, but he still swept her off her feet with the momentum that he couldn't control. Once she was in his arms, he began bawling like he was thirteen again and he didn't want to let go when her smell hit him. She smelled like 'home'. "I missed you so much," he cried when she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so, so, so sorry for not coming home sooner. I wanted to, but--"

"Stop it, Tsu-kun," Nana admonished in tears. "They already told me everything. You had to hide away because those bad men wanted to hurt you. I don't care about that! You're home! My little Tsu-kun finally came home! Oh my--!" She gasped, breaking out of Tsuna's arms in a flurry. "Iemitsu!" She shouted without letting go of Tsuna's hand. "Teo-kun! Come see! Tsu-kun's home!"

"M-Mom--" Tsuna spluttered.

"Oh dear!" She gasped, visibly torn between going inside and staying with Tsuna. "I've got to send Iemitsu out for more fish--"

"You don't have to make anything extra," Tsuna soothed with a smile for his mother's predictable attitude. Nana paused in surprise, leaving Tsuna to break the news as gently as he could. "I can't stay, Mom. I... I'm working. I have my own bakery in town called Maverick's. It's... um... I'm on my lunch break. I wanted to come sooner, but I had to wait for the media to go away. I came as soon as they left me alone. I really--" Tsuna froze. Standing in the doorway of his mother's house was the man who'd taken over Iemitsu's identity and a young boy that made Tsuna's heart jump into his throat.

Little Timeteo looked even more like Nana than Tsuna did. His straight hair gave Tsuna fits of jealousy while his small stature made Tsuna sympathetic. Teo-kun didn't seem to notice, though. He was too busy playing with his handheld to look up, although he frequently paused to push his glasses back into place.

"Teo-kun!" Nana admonished as she pulled Tsuna towards the door for introductions. "Put that away! Tsu-kun finally came home!"

"So?" Teo-kun shrugged. Nana's wrath was instantaneous. She snatched the game out of the boy's hand while Iemitsu simultaneously cuffed the back of his head in punishment for being rude.

"Say hello to your brother," Iemitsu ordered.

"Hello," he mumbled with a glare at his parents for the stolen video game. Tsuna couldn't help but laugh when Teo-kun finally looked up at him. He was making the same petulant expression that his family was famous for and Tsuna could already imagine how the boy likely bemoaned his lot in life on a constant basis. From how he blushed and silently accepted Tsuna's laughter without complaint, Tsuna had no doubt that they had a lot more in common than Teo-kun probably knew. It didn't matter if Teo-kun was still in elementary school. Some things transcended age.

"Hello," Tsuna greeted with a wide smile. "You can call me--"

"Tsuna-san," Teo-kun supplied in blatant refusal to call Tsuna 'brother'.

"We're in America, so you can drop the honorific," Tsuna said in decision to let it pass. Teo-kun glanced up at him through his bangs before pointedly staring at the ground again, leaving Tsuna with the impression that he wasn't actually rejecting Tsuna. He was merely disconcerted by Tsuna's sudden appearance. "Don't worry," Tsuna soothed in understanding. "I'm not here to take Mom away from you. I'm just visiting. I've got my own house across town and a job that keeps me busy most of the time. See my truck...?" Turning in place to point at his delivery truck, Tsuna's pressed his lips together in aggravation. Ray had decided to take a nap across the front seat and his feet were hanging out the window. "Ray!" Tsuna barked, making him bolt up in his seat with wide eyes. "You're embarrassing me! Get your feet down and get over here!"

"EH?!"

"You heard me!" Tsuna snapped. Ray rushed to follow his orders, but Tsuna ignored him as he turned back to his mother to explain. "Ray is one of my live-in workers. He doesn't look like much, but he comes in handy. Ray--" He continued as Ray hesitantly joined them. "This is my mother and father, Nana and Iemitsu, and this is my little brother, Teo-kun."

"Eh?" Ray gaped while automatically offering his hand in greeting. "Wouldn't that make them Tonno's grandparents?"

"It does," Tsuna nodded. "And Teo-kun is Tonno's Uncle."

"Who's Tonno?" Iemitsu asked with a raised eyebrow. "Did you have another one while you were gone?"

"Not quite," Tsuna grimaced. "Tonno is as old as Hotaru. I-I'm not really sure how to explain."

"Let's go inside and you can tell us," Nana suggested with a bright smile. "You have to stay for tea, Tsu-kun. I can call Haru-chan and--"

"I can't," he interrupted. "I'm sorry, Mom. I want to stay, but I've got to get back to the bakery. Tonno's managing it alone right now. I... um... I can come back with him after we close. It won't be until seven or eight, though."

"We'll be waiting, Tsu-kun," Nana sighed in disappointment. Reaching out, Tsuna pulled her into another hug and took his time before letting go. She felt so small in his arms, reminding him of how much he'd grown in the years that he'd been away. He couldn't begin to imagine how hard it'd been for her during that time. First believing that he was dead and then being told that he might be alive. Finally, being told whatever stories the Family could think of to explain his continued absense. None of it had been fair to her.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," Tsuna repeated, ducking his head to kiss her crown. "It's all over now. I'll come visit more often. I promise."

"Oh, stop it," she admonished as she pulled out of his arms. "You're going to make me cry again. Just be here by eight and we'll talk."

"I'll bring a cake," he promised. Nana nodded in acceptance and stepped over to take comfort in Iemitsu's presence, leaving Tsuna to say his farewells. It wasn't easy. More than anything, he really wanted to put everything down and enjoy seeing his family again, but he knew that Tonno was probably getting worried. So Tsuna settled for trading phone numbers and addresses, trading polite farewells, and promising to return for a late dinner. There wasn't any reason to rush. They only lived a few miles apart. Now that he'd broken the ice, he could see them anytime that he wanted because his fears hadn't come true. Nana hadn't slammed the door in his face or slapped him. He had his family back.

* * *

Haru grimaced as she watched Tsuna work. He wasn't in the kitchen, though. He was sitting at the gazebo table in the garden and he looked frazzled while he tried to talk to the man across from him and search through paperwork at the same time. Considering what Haru knew about his schedule, the dark circles under his eyes were understandable. His regular schedule for the bakery was bad enough. He was up before dawn and he closed after sunset, but he did so much more than that.

On Mondays, he'd set up a regular visit with his mother for lunch. On Monday evenings, he met Gokudera and Yamamoto for drinks after dinner. On Tuesdays, he spent his lunchtime at the golf course with Leonard and his evenings at the library. Ariana went daily to pick up books and she said that Tsuna always appeared right before closing time in order to check out a new book on baking techniques. She also said that she thought Tsuna might have a thing for the librarian, since he always brought her a box of cookies.

On Wednesdays, Tsuna went to Church on his lunch breaks to spend time with Gregory and she'd found out that he handed out bagged dinners in the evening. Gillian said that some of his friends talked about him and called him 'Preacher'. She'd thought that he'd be free for lunch on Thursday, but he'd been talking constantly with a man in a suit since she arrived. That was why she was quietly eating a slice of cake in the corner. She didn't want to interrupt since the conversation seemed serious. It really had nothing to do with the perfect taste of the shop's mille-feuille.

Haru didn't know what Tsuna did on Thursday evenings, either, but she knew that Fridays were reserved because she'd noticed him at each of Joseph's football games. He never made a big deal out of showing up and he never approached her, but he rarely missed a game. His Saturdays and Sundays were what she'd come to see him about. She didn't know if he had any standing plans, but she felt that she should spend some time with his younger children since he'd already gone out of his way for the elder ones.

"SAWADA!" A woman abruptly shouted as she charged toward Tsuna's table at full speed. The men seated at the tables next to the gazebo jumped up to stop her, but nothing could stop the woman's voice. "HOW DARE YOU!" She yelled, making Tsuna's eyes bulge and his jaw drop in surprise.

"W-What did I do?"

"Is it true?!" She shouted, the tattoos on her arms bulging when she swung at air in effort to get past Tsuna's guards.

"Is what true?!" Tsuna spluttered.

"You stopped selling Pumpkin bread!" She exclaimed in outrage. Tsuna's guards let her go out of surprise, but she didn't attack like Haru expected. Instead, she slammed her hands down on Tsuna's table and continued shouting. "How could you?! I've been working for weeks to make a better one!"

"B-But Pumpkin bread is seasonal," Tsuna gaped. "Halloween is over."

"SO?!" She yelled with her eyes blazing in anger. "What am I supposed to do now?! I just finished perfecting my recipe and you're not even selling yours anymore! How am I supposed to compete?!"

"Oh," Tsuna sighed in understanding. "I recognize you now. Aren't you that baker that's been making a fuss about beating me?"

"You got a problem with that?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest in irritation.

"Not at all," Tsuna smiled. "It's nice that someone's taking my baking seriously. I've gotten used to being accused of taking credit for Andy's work."

"Andy used to be in my class," she shrugged. "He's good, but I've tasted his stuff. You've got a different signature."

"I'm glad to hear that," Tsuna replied with lights dancing in his eyes. "I'm sorry that I had to take the pumpkin bread off the menu, but this is a business. It stopped selling. Would you like to try what I'm planning to put in it's place? It's a new variety of potato bread using sweet potatoes. It goes well with turkey, so it's perfect for Thanksgiving."

"You'd let me try it before it's out?" She asked suspiciously.

"Of course," Tsuna nodded. "There's nothing wrong with a little friendly rivalry. If you can bake something better, then it only motivates me to try harder. Just ask Tonno to get you a loaf. I'd get it for you personally, but you've caught me in the middle of something."

"It's fine, Papa," the man across from him soothed. "What you've given me is enough to get the historians moving. I only need the name. Who pulled the trigger? Was it Plott or Verie?"

"Verie," Tsuna answered with a long-suffering sigh. "Plott was just a dupe being used by French Revolutionaries."

"Good enough," he smiled as he got to his feet. Gesturing to the others to follow him, he said, "Hendleman, MacDell, you're with me. The two of you, I want a sweep around the block. There's a pimp that's been littering brochures on Papa's doorstep and we still haven't caught the ad team that keeps slapping their posters on his walls. Either one could become a security risk if...."

"Ignore them," Tsuna directed while the men disappeared out the door. Gathering his papers, he signaled for the rival baker to follow him to the kitchen. Then, on his way past, he finally caught sight of Haru and he nearly face-planted from stopping so fast. "Haru," he blurted. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to finish a mille-feuille," she answered with a knowing smile. "Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"EH?!" Tsuna spluttered.

"About the kids," she added when he began blushing from a different set of thoughts.

"Oh," he mumbled in comprehension. "Um... yeah. Just give me a minute." Haru bowed her head to hide her smile. Tsuna was obviously torn between dealing with her immediately and dealing with the rival baker. She'd caught him completely by surprise and she felt a little proud of herself. The last time that they'd been face-to-face, her mind had been spinning with so many questions that she hadn't been able to say anything. This time was different. She was the one in control.

Being in control only helped a little bit, though. As Tsuna darted off to escort his rival to the bakery's kitchen, she had to exert an iron-will to keep her heart from racing. She could do this. She hadn't come to stir up the past. She was married to Kyoya now and Tsuna... Tsuna was... She didn't know what Tsuna was, but he wasn't her husband anymore. She wasn't even sure if they could call each other 'friends'. Tsuna deserved credit for admitting his faults in that interview, but it didn't change the things that she'd come to terms with.

It didn't change the fact that she felt just as guilty as he did. After all, she could have demanded more of him when they'd been together. She shouldn't have allowed herself to be pushed aside like she had. She just... She hadn't felt the same after what had happened to Hotaru. She'd tried to continue being a good wife and a good mother, but the truth was that she'd been angry. She'd been angry at Tsuna and she hadn't been willing to admit it so they could work out their problems instead of ignoring them. Tsuna should have noticed as soon as she'd suggested that he married Kyoko, but he hadn't because she'd been too good at lying and she'd been too scared to tell him the truth.

Reminding herself that it was different now, Haru smoothed down her dress and summoned the fortitude to face him. No matter what difficulties had gone unnoticed, it was all in the past. Tsuna had his life. She had her life. The kids were the only reason that she needed to speak to him.

"I hope you don't mind if I eat lunch while we talk," Tsuna said as he slid into the seat across from her with a salad and a bottle of water. Haru shook her head and pushed crumbs around her plate with her fork, unsure of how to open a dialog with him. It'd been nearly a decade and he'd changed a lot since she'd known him. "You said that you wanted to talk about the kids?" Tsuna thankfully prompted.

"Yes," she confirmed with a soft nod, keeping her eyes on her plate so she wouldn't have to look at him. "Ariana and Leonard tells me that you've been in touch and I've seen you at Joseph's games. I thought it might be good for the younger ones if we set up a regular visitation."

"Is that how it's going to be, Haru?" Tsuna asked with a hurt expression. "Am I only allowed to see them at certain times on certain days?"

"It's for their sake," she replied stubbornly. "I know you. If I don't set limits, then you'll reschedule over and over again until they're not in your life at all. If you don't believe me, then ask yourself when you last saw Daisuke or Ieyasu. You see the older ones because they set a time and place where you could see them and you don't miss the opportunities because it's the only chance you've got, but you don't see the younger ones at all because no one's told you what the limitations are. So here I am. I'll let you have them on Sundays after Church or Saturday evenings after they finish with their tutors. Your pick, but they have to be home by Sunday night so I can get them in bed for school."

"Wow," he gaped with wide eyes. "You're serious."

"Of course I am!" She exclaimed in irritation. "Do you know what it's like to be asked 'when is Papa going to visit me' and not be able to give them an answer?! You've got half of the kids excited because you're actually in their life for once, but did you ever stop to ask yourself how it would affect the others?! The kids aren't like me, Tsuna! You can't tell them that you're busy and expect them to keep a smile on their faces! Either get with the program or get out of their lives completely! Damnit! I didn't move here for you to show up and make them cry! I moved here to get away from--" Haru snapped her mouth shut before she could finish her sentence, but the damage was done. Tsuna's eyes were bulging in shock and his jaw was almost on the floor. Taking a deep breathe to calm herself, she continued, "Just tell me when you want to see them, Tsuna. I don't care if you want to have visitation at my place or if you want to take them out, but you need to do something. It's crushing them that you're so close and you haven't taken the time to see them."

"I-I didn't mean to," Tsuna murmured, bowing his head to hide his distraught expression.

"You never do," she replied in distaste for the common excuse. Tsuna's head snapped up to stare at her in shock like she'd stabbed him, but Haru stubbornly refused to fall for it. Tsuna always got sympathy because he made people believe that he was the one being hurt most, but that wasn't the case this time. He couldn't possibly compare to a dozen kids who got their dreams shattered on a daily basis when 'Papa Tsuna' didn't care enough to even call them.

"D-Do you hate me?" Tsuna asked with tears building in his eyes.

"Grow up," she retorted in anger for his over-emotional response. "This isn't about you and me, Tsuna. This is about our kids. Do you want to see them or not?"

"I'll see them," Tsuna answered, reaching across the table to grab her arm in fear that she'd leave before hearing his answer. Haru automatically pulled away before he could touch her. It wasn't out of hatred, though. She pulled away out of fear, because she couldn't trust herself to stay objective if he got too close. After all, he was her Tsu-kun. He'd once been the love of her life and, problems aside, they hadn't separated because of hatred. They'd separated because it'd been too painful to keep faith that he'd come back from the dead again.

Tsuna noted her rejection and pulled his hand back, but he didn't comment on it. He simply gave her the promise that he'd visit with the kids at Nana's on Sunday since the bakery wasn't equipped for it. Haru agreed, knowing that the children would be happier when their home was across the street. It'd be easier for them to run back if they forgot something they wanted to show Tsuna and they would have a haven to run to if they didn't feel like seeing him.

After that, they continued talking for another ten minutes on meaningless matters. Tsuna probed Haru's feelings about Hibari. Haru probed Tsuna's decision to be gay. He talked about Tonno. She talked about Hotaru. By the time that she was ready to leave, she thought she had a good grasp of what their relationship could be. It was something more than business partners and less than friends. They silently came to an agreement that the past would stay buried and they both became satisfied that they could meet on civil terms. It was the least that they could do to keep their kids happy.

"Feel free to punch me," Tsuna said as Haru stood to leave. Bowing his head, he continued, "I made a lot of mistakes and I lost track of what was really important. I should have--"

"Quit it," Haru interrupted firmly. "We both know that you don't regret anything, Tsuna, so you can quit lying to me. Apologies sound good, but they don't change anything. Besides, even I won't be able to forgive you if you screw it up this time, so make it count."

* * *

Love could make people do crazy things. They could make her sell her garage. They could make her drive across the country in a tour bus with a dozen other people. They could make her sleep on concrete next to a fire-barrel. However, what love couldn't make her do was to ignore the pimp who was making passes at her girlfriend. Marty trusted Leo with all her heart, but nothing could make her trust a man who had more grease in his hair than what she got on her hands every day.

"WHOA!" The man yelped as he dodged Marty's twenty-pound wrench. "I was just talking!"

"Talk to someone else," she growled while lifting the steel to prepare for another swing. The guy's eyes bulged, but he took the hint and ran out of the warehouse without arguing. Leo shot her a crooked grin, but didn't complain. Leo knew as well as she did that the guy hadn't been planning to only talk. He'd been hoping to get a free pass into the Orange Dragon's temporary headquarters so that he could report back to whatever gang he was in. Las Vegas was dangerous for people who looked like they could disappear easily and everyone taking shelter in Charlie's warehouse looked like that type.

The warehouse that they'd set up shop in was outside of the construction area and there were no other alternatives until construction was finished. It'd been one of the stipulations of Charlie's agreement with the Martelli Family. If he wanted his money, then everyone who wanted to go with him had to be out of the city within the month so that she could re-stabilize the companies that she'd bought. Leo and Marty had gone with the first load of people. Ore had come with the second load. Ollie had brought the third load. Eric was due to arrive within a few hours with the fourth load.

The loads of people were those who were willing to deal with the temporary hardships in order to be part of Charlie's vision for the future of the Orange Dragons. A large portion of them were men and women who hadn't been able to build decent lives in the city because of lasting reputations or an inability to find work. A smaller portion like Leo and Eric were successful people who refused to ignore their ties to the Dragons when it'd become time to choose.

Marty still couldn't believe it. They'd built such a nice life in the city. She'd had her garage and half a dozen grunts working for her. Leo had her own workspace and enough of a reputation to get regular commissions. Now they were reduced to a bus, a fire-barrel in an empty warehouse, and two bags of luggage each. Everything else had been sold to help fund the insane project that Charlie had come up with and estimations said that it'd take at least three months for everything to be built.

In the meantime, Marty's job was to help Ore build temporary showers for everyone. It wasn't as difficult as she'd feared. They'd managed to get several broken water heaters for cheap and saved money by repairing them. It'd taken some work to run water lines from the warehouses' pitiful excuse for a tap, but they'd managed that, too. All that was left was to connect a set of showers to the heaters and pray that it'd drain where they wanted it to instead of into the area that people were sleeping in. Sectioning the area off with tarps could wait until later.

"Marty!" Charlie barked, causing her grip to slip on her ratchet and her knuckles to ram into a pipe. Cursing, Marty let the tool drop. Her knuckles were a bright shade of red, but she thankfully hadn't scraped any skin off. That meant that she could yell at Charlie for distracting her instead of having to run for a first aid kit.

"WHAT?!" She shouted as she jumped to her feet. "I'm working on the showers like you told me to!"

"Let Ore finish that," he called. Seeing that he was waving her over to a group gathered at the front bumper of her parked bus, Marty grudgingly left her post to see what was going on. It was a questionable gathering. Charlie, Ollie, Leo, the man called Sergeant, and T.J. were an unlikely group. "Sergeant and T.J. have found something," Charlie explained when she got close enough that he could speak without letting his voice carry. "Sergeant, you first."

"I've been blending in with the bums and hobos," the old man said with a slap to his rickety leg to explain how he managed to insinuate himself with the locals. "Word is that there's a foul weather shelter that opens for breakfast and dinner. It can feed about a hundred, but can only shelter around thirty for an extended time. The guys say that I shouldn't need it often since the weather around here stays pretty nice. We just need shade for when it's hot and blankets for when it's cold. They say that we shouldn't even have to worry about the rain. It tends to be nice and warm, which makes for a good shower sometimes."

"What about food?" Charlie urged. "I don't want to send everyone to the shelter, but we can only do so much with fire-barrels and take-out. We might have to rely on them before the first building is finished."

"There's a church about nine blocks from here," he answered with a slow nod. "They say that you get free lunch if you show up for morning service and I also got a list of meal trucks that come around this area. One comes Monday morning, another comes Wednesday night, and there's another that comes midday on Saturday. The one on Monday is an extension of the shelter, the one on Wednesday sounds like a private charity, and the one on Saturday sounds a little fishy. Seems that they pass out steaks and hot fixings, but they sometimes take people with them. They say that they're giving out jobs and the like, but I dunno. The Orange Dragons are the only guys that I've ever seen give legitimate jobs to bums."

"Tell the guys to stay away from that one," Charlie ordered. "T.J...?"

"There's an alley about eight blocks from here," the muscle-bound man reported. "It's about two blocks from where the Wednesday truck stops. They call it Firebarrel Alley and it seems like the set recruiting grounds. I mingled a bit and found out that there's only three major organizations to worry about. The first is the Sawada Crime Family from Italy. They're serious Mafia and they got guys set up there as contacts for the underground gambling rackets, stolen goods, and information sales. I can tell you that they're the ones behind the steaks, too. The other one is the Black Lily Cartel and it seems like they're Mexican from how they talk, but I think they're actually white guys backed by guys from Cuba. I didn't get close enough to make sure, but I think we're looking at gun runners, drug dealers, and hardcore pimping. The last group I noticed in there was a set of locals. It's three separate gangs that banded together to claim power equal to the Mafia and the Cartel. Together, they're called--"

"Let me guess," Ollie grinned, "They call themselves the Triad?"

"No," he answered with a small shake of his head. "They're called the Ghosts. You've got the African-Americans from the Red Iguanas, the Asians from the Serpentines, and the real Latinos from the Diablos. There's a bunch of other small timers who've set up shop, but those are the main ones. You've got a little of everything down there. We're talking guys setting up underground racing, fighting arenas, and all sorts of other shit."

"Thought so," Charlie said in satisfaction. "A lot of things might be overlooked around here, but there's still a lot of stuff that's illegal. I knew there would be gangs already organized. Okay. Here's what we're going to do. Leo, since Eric isn't here yet, would you mind doing the talking?" Marty stiffened at the suggestion, but Leo nodded before she could object. Thankfully, Charlie didn't let the concern go unnoticed. "Don't worry," Charlie soothed. "That's why I've got all of you here. I want T.J. to go as muscle and you can be backup, Marty. Ollie will be our whistle-blower if things go south. We're bringing a lot of people in and we need to get word out that we're not wanting to step on any toes. Let them know where our interests lie and make sure that they're aware that we're not the type to overlook it if someone decides to invade our territory. We might be vulnerable right now, but I don't want anyone thinking that they can screw with our girls or rip off our guys and get away with it. If they respect us, then we'll respect them. Those are the terms."

"I got it," Leo replied with a sweet smile. "I'll let them know that we're new to town, but not new to the game. My only question is what you want me to do about the Sawada Family. Do you think they're connected to Laz?"

"I thought he used to be with the Vongola Family," Ollie interjected.

"Vongola?" T.J. repeated in surprise. "The people I talked to said something about the Sawada Family being what's left of Vongola. There was something about a fire and a wedding, but I didn't pay attention to it. I was too busy scoping out the area."

"Shit," Charlie grimaced. "Then do I need to send Ore with you? I didn't want to since his size will raise alarms, but I can if--"

"We'll be fine," Leo soothed. "This is just a neighborly visit to introduce ourselves, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Pack some extra cans and cover up just in case," Marty ordered when Charlie gave his nod of approval and left to get updates on the supply retrieval teams. Leo shot her a look full of exasperation, but she did like she was told. Two spare cans of spray-paint went in her satchel, she threw a painter's smock on over her clothing, and she double-checked to ensure that both cans in her smock's pockets were full. While Ollie and the others double-checked their own gear, Marty headed back to the showers to grab the backpack holding her travel toolkit and her lucky wrench. Expectations of a peaceful meeting aside, she felt better once the three feet of steel was within reach and the weight from her smaller tools gave her confidence. She might not be as big as Ore, but she could still protect Leo like she was. There were grown men who couldn't lift her travel toolkit.

Their group was relatively silent as they headed out in a single-file line. T.J. took point, setting a pace that told onlookers that they were heading somewhere. Not only did the pace keep people from stopping them, but it scared away those who might consider them as potential targets because they had the aura of people who were prepared for anything. Marty took the rear, trusting her senses to tell her when they were being followed and trusting her wrench to block any blunt attacks that got through. Anyone who thought they could swing a bat or a pipe at her were going to be unpleasantly surprised. Leo stayed safely squashed between them with her hands in her pockets, fingering the triggers on her cans of spraypaint as if they were mace. Finally, Ollie acted as an outrider, scouting ahead while trusting the speed of his skateboard to keep him out of trouble.

No one bothered them on their eight-block walk, but Marty felt eyes on her several times before they reached the area of abandoned buildings, construction dumpsters, and makeshift shelters that could be found under every overpass that she'd ever visited. This one had the strange addition of having the entrance to a parking garage attached, but it looked relatively similar to what she was familiar with. Young men and women were loitering in small groups while the older homeless tried to go unnoticed in their mounds of rubbish. It was depressing as hell when she considered that she was no better. She'd sold her home to help fund Charlie's crazy plans. If it failed, then they'd all be digging in dumpsters for their dinners.

"Over there," T.J. directed as he slowed his pace to keep the locals from being alarmed. Marty got a bad feeling when she saw where he was leading them. From the outside, it looked like any other alley on the block. It was dark, dirty, and was blocked off by unfriendly thugs. Unfortunately, she also knew from experience that it wasn't the appearance on the outside that counted. What counted was who was waiting on the inside.

T.J. managed to talk his way beyond the first set of guards, but Marty didn't feel better as they were forced to eel through a gateway made up of people, stacked crates, and silver chain-link fencing. After fifty feet, the alley opened into an area wide enough for a car to pass through, but her stomach only sank more as she took in everything that was waiting. It was as if a four-way intersection had been blocked off. The other end of the alley they were on had been blocked off with a combination of steel storage canisters and wood fencing that reached two stories high. She had no doubt that the perpendicular alley had been similarly blocked.

Women were hanging out of the windows of the adjoining buildings and men were lounging on fire-escapes. There were couches set up along the alley walls where small groups gathered around dealers, pimps, and loan sharks. Each one had their territory marked in spray-paint, leaving only a narrow walkway for them to travel down that was marked with fire-barrels. Carefully staying within the designated area, Marty came to understand what she was looking at when they reached the four-way itself. It was a street convention, complete with a complimentary buffet.

"Food is down there," T.J.'s bulky guide explained. "You've got to drop a name if you want any, but it's real easy to get someone's nod. Just go chat up with whatever group you're interested in and--"

"Bull!" Someone barked loudly, bringing silence to the alley. Turning in place, Marty's eyes were pulled upward along with everyone else's as their guide scrambled forward to answer the call. She didn't need an introduction to know that the guy standing on a second floor fire escape was one of the people they were looking for. With his spotless silk shirt and gold jewelry, he had the look of someone with money.

"Mafia or Cartel?" Marty asked quietly in curiosity for Leo's opinion.

"I'd say Mafia," Leo whispered. "The Cartel would be the guys on the ledge across from them. The ones smoking their cash." Glancing over at the men that Leo pointed out, Marty had to agree. Mafioso were notorious for their mild-mannered appearances while the guys on the fire escape across from them seemed ready to pull out a semi-automatic.

"That makes ground floor as the Ghosts," she concluded. "It looks like everyone is already here. Now what?"

"Wait," she directed without taking her eyes off of Bull or the man who'd called him. Marty's eye twitched when Leo boldly stepped forward and lifted her chin so that the man could know that her full attention was on him, but she knew that Leo was only second to Eric in these types of situations. Despite how quiet she was at home, Leo was a completely different person when she felt that she had something to prove.

The guy met Leo's eyes and held her gaze for a moment before gesturing for Bull to be silent.

"You're a long way from home, little girl," the guy said, making Marty bristle in irritation. Leo had always looked young for her age, but the Mafioso had no room to talk. If he was out of high school, Marty swore that she'd eat a wrench.

"If you know that, then you already know who I am, who my Boss is, and my reason for being here," Leo retorted boldly.

"I do," he confirmed with a slow smile. "But I have reason to withhold that information unless you give me a reason to acknowledge you."

"Shit," Leo spat under her breathe as she thought quickly. Licking her lips, she stubbornly continued, "The construction area that's eight blocks from here is ours. There has been a mass exodus. Our home is no longer a place for us to return to."

"Interesting," he called back. "Very well, Miss Leona, artist of repute and delegate of the Orange Dragons--former affiliate of the Martelli Crime Family. I, Gillian Sawada, delegate of the Sawada Crime Family, acknowledge you and welcome you. Come join me for drinks and tell me about this exodus. Depending on what you have to say, perhaps a friendship could be formed."

"Unfortunately, I can't reply to your invitation so easily," she countered, surprising the man in the middle of turning around. He turned back, his face full of curiosity for Leo's hesitancy.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada," she answered bluntly. "You bear his name and our information sources do not extend very far at the moment. I'd like an explanation of my friend's identity before I can call him friend in truth."

"I see," he sighed with his lip curling in distaste. "I almost forgot the rumors. Tell me, Miss Leona. Was my father a personal friend or merely a distant leader for you?"

"A-A personal friend," she replied as she glanced over at Marty in shock. Marty didn't know what to tell her. They'd known that Laz had a lot of kids since they'd all seen the news special on Tsunayoshi, but they hadn't expected to meet one in such a place. How were they supposed to react? In their eyes, this Gillian guy was Charlie's step-brother--legalities of Laz's marriage to Snicker be damned. "What should I do?" Leo hissed with wide eyes. "I can't negotiate with Charlie's step-brother!"

"You have to!" Marty whispered. "It'd be unbalanced for Charlie to come down here. Gillian might be one of Laz's but he's still answering to someone else. Don't panic. It's still delegate versus delegate. You can do this."

"A-Alright," she nodded, slowly calming with Marty's encouragement. Turning her attention back to Gillian, Marty smiled when she saw Leo's eyes light up with an idea. "A-As much as I'd like to call you friend, I have orders that I must follow. My Boss believes that it would send the wrong message if we were to take shelter with someone, no matter how temporary it might be. I'm sure that you understand."

"Your Boss is wise," Gillian replied with his smile returning. "But if you're not here to make friends, then you must be here to stake a claim and set up shop."

"We are," Leo said carefully as she began to pitch her words to everyone in the alley instead of Gillian alone. "But only if the neighborhood is friendly. I doubt that we'll be stepping on any toes. The Orange Dragons specialize in subsidized housing co-ops and facilities targetted to provide a wide assortment of legal entertainments to the residents of our co-ops."

"But not illegal entertainment?" Gillian inquired without missing the insinuation.

"I hear that strip clubs and escorts are pretty common around here," she replied solemnly. "But there's no reason to fear. We know how to respect neighboring businesses so long as they respect ours."

"Apartments cost a hundred a week, chica," one of the Cartel members supplied, pointedly cutting into the conversation so that Gillian couldn't keep full control. "That's to keep the black-and-whites from interfering with your shop. It's fifty a week for squatting rights in the alley. You've seen the squares on your way in. You get room for one couch and some standing room. You can get rights to the buffet by supplying it for a day, but you might want to skip that, chica. I doubt that your pockets are big enough to feed everyone."

"They're big enough," Gillian corrected in amusement. "The development they're working on is supposedly worth several million. I don't see how they plan to find enough people willing to rent down here, though."

"We'll answer that after we set up shop," Leo replied. "For now, we'll take an apartment and we'll skip the buffet until I get word from my Boss. He wants us to be thrifty until profits start rolling in."

"Amelio," Gillian called down to someone amid the groups on ground level. "Set them up with 2-D unless someone objects. Provide them with some seating, too--a housewarming gift from a friendly neighbor."

Marty's eyes narrowed when Gillian turned their backs on them and climbed through the open window into his own abandoned-apartment-turned-shop. When the speaker for the Cartel and several others disappeared in a similar fashion, Marty traded a knowing glance with Leo. The initial introductions were over. All that was left was to set up shop so the real talks could begin and that was done easily enough when a man came forward to lead them to an unclaimed fire escape. However, upon seeing the knowing gleams in the eyes of their neighbors, Marty stopped Leo before she could climb up to the platform.

"Wait here," she ordered as she stripped off her backpack. Pulling out a multitool and an adjustable wrench, she handed off the bag for T.J. to hold. Unsurprisingly, the weight was too much for him to handle and the bag was dropped to his feet within seconds. She gave him a glare as a silent warning not to let anything be stolen, but otherwise ignored his weakness so that she could turn her full attention to the integrity of the fire escape.

Climbing up the ladder, she saw that the fire escape was as poorly maintained as she'd feared. The bolts holding it to the wall were loose and the mechanism to lower the ladder was stuck from years worth of rust. Considering it was connected to a condemned building, she couldn't say that it was unexpected. However, she felt irritated that they were having to pay a hundred dollars a week for such a pathetic place and she knew that complaining would be a waste of breathe. The saying 'do as Romans did when in Rome' was good advice for a reason.

She didn't give Leo the nod to climb up until after she finished re-tightening every bolt, double-checking the wall anchors, and fixing the ladder mechanism on the fire escape. Once Leo was on the platform and Marty retrieved her bag of tools so that J.T. could follow, she still didn't let anyone enter the apartment until after she scouted it first. With a single pointed glare, she told both of them to stay on the platform and out of reach of the locals while she pulled the boards off the broken window to climb inside.

The interior of the apartment was spectacularly unimpressive. It seemed to be a one bedroom apartment with several vital flaws. The kitchen had been gutted down to the empty cabinets, there was no electricity, no door on anything, and the bath tub was missing. The floor of the bedroom was also missing, creating a shaft that allowed her a chance to wave down at the neighbors. There was only two pieces of good news: the living room where she'd entered seemed sturdy and the toliet functioned properly. It needed a thorough cleaning, but there was enough private space to do business in and the amount of curious people that stuck their head in from the hallway outside the apartment told her that the neighbors were waiting for their business to open.

"Leo--" Marty said, sticking her head back out the window. She immediately froze and groaned when she saw what Leo had done in her absence. Leo had not only stripped off her painter's smock to reveal her slender body, but she'd started tagging the exterior with Orange Dragon graffiti. Marty was torn between being angry at the amount of people admiring Leo's form or being proud that such an amazing woman belonged to her. Leo worked like a demon. Her mouth and nose were covered with her Orange Dragon handkerchief, but her eyes were blazing as she rapidly covered her brick canvas with paint. Marty knew from experience that Leo would be unreachable until she was finished, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It gave her plenty of time to fall in love all over again.

"That should do it," Leo grinned as she flipped a can of spray-paint into the air and caught it like it was a baseball. Craning her neck, Marty cracked a grudging smile at Leo's handiwork. Unlike the other signs painted across the alley walls, the Orange Dragon logo gleamed from the clear-coat that Leo had added. There was no way to confuse her work with an amateurs'. Leo had too much experience, too much pride, and too much skill for any local artist to be her rival. Of course, many would undoubtedly try. Marty had no doubt that the entire alley would be covered in fresh paint within the next twenty-four hours while everyone tried to show off by repainting their signs, but they would only fail to compare. "What do you think?" Leo asked as she pulled down her mask.

"I think I want a kiss before someone thinks they can steal you from me," Marty grinned. Leo's face lit up, but she answered the request by leaning into the window to give Marty the passionate embrace that she asked for. There were countless expressions of surprise in the alley below when she pulled away, but it was the disappointment and the disgust that made Marty smile. They knew. The onlookers could tell from the nature of the kiss that it hadn't been the kind that two women submitted to in order to turn men on. It was a kiss that told outsiders that there wasn't room for a third wheel.

"You're giving me a hard-on," Ollie called from below. Marty groaned as Leo blushed brightly and climbed over her to hide inside the apartment. Some things apparently never changed and Leo's discomfort with public affection was one of them. She had the guts to stand up to a Mafia Mouthpiece like she had balls of steel, but her feminine side came out with a vengeance whenever she was teased about her sexuality.

"I should throw a wrench at you," Marty growled, leaning out the window to see that Ollie as climbing the ladder to their floor. "She's not going to let me touch her until we're in bed now."

"Then don't fondle each other in places where I'll see you," he grinned. Marty retorted with a hard glare, but he helped soothe her ruffled feathers by handing over a six pack of beer before finding himself a seat at the top of the ladder. "What's the shopping list?" He asked bluntly.

"A hundred in cash," she answered as she began opening bottles. One went to T.J. to tide him over while he stood guard on the fire escape. One went to Leo on the inside to help take the edge off her nerves. One went to Ollie and one went to Marty herself. "A keg would be helpful to get the neighbors on our side, but a few cases of booze would work," she continued while she positioned herself on the windowsill so that she could talk to those outside and simultaneously keep an eye on Leo while she worked to paint the interior. "Get us a couch, too. The Sawada Family is gifting us with some seating, but I don't think Leo wants to take it if she doesn't have to. There's no telling what he might want in exchange for the kindness. Let me think. We could probably use some extra muscle. T.J. is good for out here, but the security here sucks. Having a couple of guys for the inside would be nice."

"Big and big, small and small, or big and small?" Ollie asked.

"T.J. is big, so get us one more big and two small," she answered. "The other big can watch the inside door and the smalls can be on hand in case someone want to start trouble. Some eye candy might be nice for hospitality, too."

"I'll get Charlie to send Mike for one of the smalls," Ollie replied after a moment of thought. "I know Leo doesn't like him, but he'll protect the girls that are willing to come. I'll let Ore pick out the rest. He knows everyone's fighting level and he might want to come personally to check things out if he's done with the showers."

"He's big enough to carry a couch, too," Marty laughed. Then her face fell, seeing how the alley below was beginning to get more crowded. Word was spreading that someone new had dared to stake a claim and the amount of resulting chatter left her uncomfortable. The other gangs and gangsters were trying to be sly about it, but they were all looking in her direction. "Tell him to be quick about it. I don't like our odds if the neighbors decide to become unfriendly."

* * *

No clues, Tsuna thought as he absently handed out the bagged meals from his truck. Every person that he could track down had an alibi. There were dozens of people that he couldn't locate, but his intuition said that he didn't have to chase after them. Gabe's murderer was someone that he'd already investigated, but he couldn't figure out which person's alibi had been faked. On top of that, the clues collected from the scene of Gabe's death were inconclusive. The suicide letter looked legitimate despite Tsuna's assertions. It'd been verified that the pills that Gabe had overdosed on were a precise match to the ones in Tsuna's medicine cabinet. It had been determined that Gabriel himself had gotten one of Tsuna's refills from a pharmacy along the way to Nashville. There was camera footage to prove it.

So far, there were no outstanding clues that could help them. Gabe's motorcycle had no questionable fingerprints on it and the motel room had been wiped clean by a cleaning lady who'd actually done her job before Gabe had rented the room. The woman herself had checked out and so had all of the motel staff. Tsuna had helped identify all of the items in Gabriel's possession and Demetri had kept him in the loop during the investigation of the rest. From a credit card charge, they knew that Gabriel had stopped in at a roadside diner for lunch where he'd ordered two hamburgers and a large side of french fries to take with him. The waitress claimed that she didn't remember him or the order and the diner had no surveillance. After that, he'd driven forty miles to a gas station where he'd refueled and bought a six pack of beer, rash ointment, and a pack of bubblegum. Five miles later, he'd arrived at the motel where he'd written the letter, taken the pills, and died less than two hours later.

Tsuna didn't understand it. He was positive that Gabe had been murdered, but the evidence was overwhelmingly pointing to suicide. Gabe's body had no signs of being subdued. The room had no signs of forced entry. Gabe had even bought the murder weapon himself. Tsuna could understand why Demetri kept hinting that Gabe might have written in cursive because he hadn't been in his right mind, but Tsuna's gut refused to accept it. He couldn't believe that Gabe had actually killed himself, which was why he was still searching for clues on his own. He wasn't making any friends with the police department by doing so, but he knew that he couldn't allow the case to be closed.

Unfortunately, he was running out of energy and his resolve was waning. Even he had to admit that it looked like suicide and his time to search for clues had been rapidly declining since he'd returned home. Faded memories had allowed him to blend in to the community, but his recent interview had reminded the world of what he looked like. When he went to the Country Club to see his son, he found himself subjected to countless invitations to lunch and meaningless introductions. While he was working, he had to do twice the work of before because sales had gone through the roof. Everyone wanted to try Tsunayoshi Sawada's baking, regardless of whether it was good or not. Finally, the bulk of his free time had been doled out to his family and friends.

Tsuna didn't begrudge spending time with Gokudera, his mother, or his kids since it was important to see them, but he was beginning to feel stretched thin. In the old days, his work and his Family had been a single entity. He'd been distant, but he'd always been connected and focused. It was different now. Now, he spent hour upon hour in their company with very little to show for it. Instead of talking to Gokudera about what the prospects were for expanding research, they talked about how Sangia had mixed up Gokudera's dry-cleaning or Chopper had gotten stuck on the roof during a game of hide-and-seek. Instead of saying hello to his mother in passing and getting scolded for bad manners, he had to sit through an awkwardly formal luncheon before being sent to help tutor Teo-kun on his poor English for an hour. Instead of hugging his kids and sending them to play in the yard, he spent all afternoon being reminded of how little he'd been in their lives while they presented him with paperwork such as report cards, graded projects, and recital invitations. He supposed that it was expected for them to treat him like a stranger, but he honestly hadn't expected for them to act like they were being forced to meet their principal.

What was he doing? That was the thought that was constantly rolling through his mind. He had a semi-successful bakery, friends and family, a growing positive reputation in the community, and even a goal in finding the truth behind Gabriel's death, but it all felt so empty. Something was missing and he sadly knew what it was. With Gabe gone, he had no one to protect. He had no one to fight for. Everyone around him were already being taken care of and even Tonno had gained a set of close friends who could provide for him better than Tsuna could. If Tsuna were to die on the spot, he could honestly say that it wouldn't matter. Of course, there would be a lot of people who'd cry and there would be a massive funeral, but the result would be much like Gabe's funeral. Once it was over, people would return to their jobs and their lives. The loss wouldn't make very little impact on the world.

"No sermon tonight?" Wasp asked as she popped up behind him, making him leap out of his skin in surprise. She laughed at him over-dramatic response, but Tsuna still had to take a moment to catch his breathe. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard her approaching!

"Don't do that!" He exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I came unarmed," she teased with a wide grin. Holding her jacket open for Tsuna, she added, "See? No camera!"

"Very funny," he retorted sarcastically. Reaching into his truck a final time, he pulled out a couple of bagged dinners and invited her to dine with him in the back of his truck. While she looked over the contents of his offering and made herself comfortable, Tsuna scanned the area in disappointment. Very few people were willing to hang around for his sermons anymore. They were willing to show up for the free food and they were even willing to eat it in front of him, but they'd started scarfing it down so that they could leave within five minutes of their arrival. The word was out that he was a Mafia Boss and no one living on the streets wanted to take the chance of being connected with him. Even if he tried to give a sermon, it was pointless if no one was willing to listen. "I wanted to fill them with hope and give them the strength to rise above the streets, but its starting to feel like I'm only giving them the strength to run away. They won't listen to me anymore."

"You can't blame them," Wasp replied bluntly before taking a large bite of her hotdog. "Three weeks ago, you were just 'Preacher'. We all figured that you were like me; You lived on the streets, got off of them, and you came back to help those who were left behind. Not many people around here have a television, but the news gets around. They know who you are and they figure that you're either dangerous, a hypocrite, or both because you were Mafia. You can't say that the Mafia didn't have anything to do with how you got off the streets, but you're down here preaching that they can get off the streets without having to sell their souls. You've also got a set of dangerous friends and no one down here can afford to take chances. They might be homeless and faceless, but they've still got their lives and they're not ready to lose them by being friendly with the wrong kind of person."

"I'd take offense if I didn't know that you were just being honest," Tsuna sighed as he looked out at the rows of hovels that he'd parked by. Very few people were moving around outside of them, but Tsuna knew that the area would be teeming with life after he left. At the moment, everyone was simply hiding in fear of what they thought he represented. "What about you? You're still talking to me."

"I know what it's like," she shrugged. "It wasn't Mafia, but I sold part of myself to get off the street, too. It took me years to get free and I came back because I thought that I might keep someone else from following in my footsteps. Even if it was only one person, I wanted to give them the strength to do what I couldn't."

"I guess that makes us both hypocrites," Tsuna replied with a grudging smile. Wasp laughed in agreement, but there was a hint of unsteadiness in her tone. Tsuna knew where it came from. It came from the secret truth that both of them were too afraid to admit out loud, but created a feeling of guilt when they were forced to face it inside themselves.

That secret truth was the longing they shared. Life on the streets had been simpler. The rules had been far more basic and they'd felt like they'd made a difference when they'd been able to think outside the box. There was always a bigger box waiting, though. Just like the frog who steps out of his well might find out that he's on an island, they'd both come to realize their own ignorance toward the scale of their actions. It made them want to go back to the time when they'd still been naive. It made them wish that they could be part of a world that they'd already outgrown.

"Remember the days when cops wouldn't look twice at us because we were unreliable witnesses?" Wasp asked softly.

"Or the days when we were happy to get one hot dog instead of worry about how to get two hundred?" Tsuna retorted quietly.

"The days when the local shark was a bigger threat than the IRS?" She prompted in challenge.

"The days when seeing a knife was more common than a gun?"

"The days when men expected it to be a one-night-stand instead of a marriage proposal?"

"The days when women asked me if I wanted to be their baby's daddy instead of informing me of visitation rights?" He countered with a smirk.

"Ouch," she laughed. "Okay, then how about this? The days when it was okay for someone over twenty to play in a broken fire hydrant!" Despite himself, Tsuna laughed as several memories surfaced. He'd used a fire hydrant in place of a shower on at least two occasions and he distinctly remembered breaking one of them. The look on the faces of passerby had been hilarious when he'd started soaping up, but it'd been worth it so that he could visit a few of Mike's girls that night.

"That doesn't count," Tsuna objected with a wide smile.

"Why not? There's no way that I could do something like that anymore! What would I do if I got arrested?!"

"You'll only get arrested if you get caught," Tsuna replied with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Wasp spluttered, her face turning red from the suggestion in Tsuna's voice, but Tsuna knew that she'd be the first to jump in if Tsuna decided to break a hydrant open. "It makes me wish that I didn't have people watching me," he sighed. His shoulders sagged as reality intruded again and he began pointing in response to Wasp's raised eyebrow. "FBI," he identified, pointing at the sedan parked down the block. "CIA," he continued, pointing at the seemingly empty, rusted van across the street. "IRS would be over there in the hybrid, the LVPD would be undercover in the hovels, that building over there probably has a PI in it, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was an INS agent around here somewhere."

"EH?!" She spluttered, goggling at each spot with wide eyes. "Are you serious?! What's with the alphabet soup?!"

"Seems like overkill for a baker, but that's how it is," he sighed. "One wrong move and I'll either be arrested, deported, or on the front page of the papers. I've cleaned up my act, but you said it yourself: I'm a former Mafia Boss and that makes me a danger."

"No wonder you look so depressed lately," she gaped.

"Collaring me would make someone's career," he shrugged. "I'm used to it. I've been under investigation since I was seventeen, but I think that's what I miss most about the street. Sometimes it's nice to be ignored."

"Doesn't it make you paranoid?" She asked without taking her eyes off the FBI sedan.

"It does," he admitted with a laugh. "But I know the rules that they play by. The FBI won't move unless they have something that'll put me away for life, the CIA won't move as long as they can get information from me, the IRS won't move as long as I'm broke, the LVPD won't move as long as no one is complaining about me, INS won't move unless they find a reason to deport me, and the PI won't move unless he gets a picture that he can sell to the papers. So, unless they can prove that I committed a major offense or do something newsworthy, I'm as free as anyone else. Having them around just reminds me that I can't have privacy in public."

"Wow," she mumbled in awe. "Then I guess it's pointless to give you this ticket."

"Eh?" Tsuna choked as she reached into her jacket to pull out a theater ticket.

"I mentioned you to a friend of mine," she explained with an apologetic smile. "I know that it's still too soon for you to feel like dating, but I thought it might be okay since she's not really looking for a relationship. She just has trouble making friends and she was talking about how hard it was to find people with the same interests. So... I thought of you. I haven't seen someone that you couldn't get along with if you tried. Besides, you need to get out more. When was the last time that you left your house to just do something fun?"

"I take the boys--"

"No kids," she interrupted. "I'm talking about adult-time, Preacher."

"I go out for drinks with Hayato and Takeshi," he replied with a slow nod. "But I get what you're saying. There's a hundred attractions on the Las Vegas Strip, but I haven't taken the time out to see any of them. I rarely leave the bakery just to go out and have fun. I'm usually either meeting someone or have an errand. I... I'll think about it. The tickets, I mean. I can't make any promises, but it might be nice to go out with someone who doesn't know me from the old days. J-Just as friends, though."

"Just as friends," she soothed, holding up the ticket for him. Tsuna was hesitant to take them, but he quickly became eager when he noticed what the tickets were for. Spluttering in surprise, he snatched them out of her hands and his jaw dropped in awe. They were tickets for the Beauty and the Beast musical that he'd been wanting to see!

It wasn't the child-friendly version. It was the bloody, heart-breaking reinvention that was completely unlike the cartoon versions. The rendition was supposed to bring a taste of realism to the story by remaking the fairytale into a tragedy. There was the powerless woman with broken dreams being forced into a loveless marriage and the man who was cursed, despised, and feared because of his visceral, bestial appearance. Then there was the love story itself, which was full of misunderstandings, betrayal, and even murder. He only had rumors to go on, but he'd heard that they'd even rewritten the story so that Belle was taken by the castle's curse, turned into a living doll, and was freed only when the Beast sacrificed himself out of love. Afterward, she supposedly became the solitary queen of the land and spent the rest of her days watching over the grave of the man who defied the Beast in effort to claim her as a wife and the grave of the Beast himself. The reviews said that the ending could force tears from a rock.

"I can't believe you got a ticket," he gaped. "They said that they were sold out!"

"You tried to get tickets to something like this?" She choked.

"Uh," he mumbled as his smile faltered. "I wanted to, but Gabe didn't... He didn't want to go. By the time I gave up and decided to go by myself, they were already sold out and I didn't think I'd be able to see it."

"Oh. Then, um... Then it must be a sign! Right? You didn't think you'd be able to go, but now you can. It sucks that you can't go with Gabe, but there shouldn't be any harm since you were ready to go without him anyway."

"I-It'd be a shame to waste a good ticket," Tsuna commented in effort to justify going.

"That's the spirit," Wasp laughed. "I'll make sure that Gina knows that it's not a date, too. Not that you should have to worry. Gina is usually very shy, so she might not even have the courage to show up. Even if she does, she tends to fade into the background. She's the type that's more comfortable when no one is looking directly at her."

"Somehow, it sounds like you're trying to set me up without actually setting me up," Tsuna groaned.

"Was I that obvious?" She grimaced. "Look... Preacher... I'm not good at this so I'm going to come right out and say it. I get that you're upset about Gabe's death, but you were with him for less than a year and the two of you didn't have very much in common from what I could see. I'm not badmouthing him, though, because I could see that you were happy when he was around, but... But I don't give a damn about what everyone else says. Gabe beat you to a pulp and dumped you before he died. A lot of people are saying that he even suicided--Don't! I know that you don't agree, but it doesn't change the facts. No matter how much you loved Gabe, he left you and he can't come back. You should move on. I'm not telling you to jump into another relationship, but you shouldn't close yourself off, either. Gina is a nice, pretty, shy girl who's not going to put pressure on you. You shouldn't have any issues with meeting her. It's not like you have to take her out for dinner and dancing. All you have to do is show up, watch the play, and walk her to a cab afterward. That's it."

"That's it...?" He asked while he quietly digested Wasp's lecture. It hurt to admit it, but she was right. No matter what Gabe's intentions had been when he'd left, the evidence didn't lie. Maybe Gabe's suicide letter was the truth instead of the letter he'd written before driving away. Maybe Tsuna was being too hard-headed about the whole issue. He refused to stop looking for clues to prove that Gabe had been murdered, but what would it hurt for him to spend a few hours watching a play with a pretty girl? If he continued at the rate that he was going, he knew that he was heading for a burn-out.

"That's it," she nodded firmly. "Go and have fun," she said, urging Tsuna to pocket the ticket. "The world isn't going to end if you take a moment out to relax."

"OUTRAGEOUSLY WELL SAID!"

Falling off the back of the truck in surprise, Tsuna's eyes widened in shock when Ore walked around the corner of the truck with a keg of beer on each shoulder.

"ORE?!" Tsuna spluttered while Wasp looked up at Ore in awe of his size. "What are you doing here?!"

"We just--" Cassandra grinned, her head popping out from behind Ore's left side.

"Moved into town," Dedra finished as she leaned out from behind Ore's right side.

Tsuna's face went blank when he saw the half-dozen men and women standing behind them. His eyes dilated in shock when he saw that Gale and Mike were carrying a second-hand couch between them. He started getting dizzy when Ollie rolled to a stop on the edge of his delivery truck's roof. He felt as if he'd been hit with a brick. They'd just moved into town? All of the Orange Dragons? Why? How?! What happened between Charlie and Autumn?!

"Oh, no," Tsuna paled when he saw the expectant gleam in Ore's eyes. "No, no, no, no, and no!" He shouted, jumping to his feet to reinforce his point. "I'm not partying with you! It's nice to see you again, but I can't be around you guys like that!"

"Are you saying that the great Tsunayoshi Sawada is too good for us now?" Ollie called down from the roof.

"It's not like that!" Tsuna spluttered. "Do you have any idea how many people are watching me right now?! I promised that I'd keep my nose clean! I'll be in deep shit if--"

"Preacher?" Wasp interjected as she looked around at their sudden company in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Wasp, these--"

"You're coming with us, Laz, so quit being stubborn," Ore stated. Tsuna paled when Ore carefully put his kegs down and rolled his neck to loosen his muscles. He didn't need hyper-intuition to know what was about to happen. Ore had decided that Tsuna would be coming to whatever party they had planned and he wasn't willing to accept a refusal.

"Big Guy--" Tsuna choked in warning. Stepping backward twice for each step that Ore advanced toward him, Tsuna's adrenaline began surging from the determination in Ore's eyes. "I said no--!" He cried as he turned and began running. The race was over after less than ten yards. Ore rammed into him with a single powerful dash, tackling Tsuna into an unoccupied hovel made from cardboard, newspaper, and plastic bags. He tried to scramble away, but Ore's large hand wrapped around his calf and pulled him back into reach. Grimacing in pain from the amount of force used, Tsuna raised a hand in preparation to hit Ore's pressure points.

He was stopped before he could attack. His half-healed wrist protested when he flexed it so abruptly and the spasm of pain was enough to distract him from the large fist that rammed into his solar plexus. The world seemed to stop moving in that moment. Lights exploded in Tsuna's head and he lost feeling in his legs. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and couldn't move, all of which made it incredibly easy for Ore to toss him into the back of his own delivery truck. Wasp was forced to follow him, albeit in a much more polite manner, and the couch followed her with a complete lack of care for the furniture.

"Preacher--!" Wasp gasped as the door to the delivery truck slammed shut, leaving them in darkness. While Tsuna made several painful attempts to get his lungs working correctly, the engine roared to life and Tsuna mentally cursed Ollie for picking his pockets.

"That sucked," Tsuna groaned when his stomach muscles and lungs finally unfurled. Slowly sitting up, he let out a small sigh of resignation when the vehicle began moving and turned his attention to Wasp. Despite the darkness, he could tell that she was torn between throwing a tantrum and panicking. She was smart enough to have figured out that Tsuna was acquainted with their kidnappers, but she had no way of knowing whether it could be considered a good thing. "Don't worry," Tsuna soothed, reaching out to figure out where she was sitting. "Ore is a good guy. He looks like a big, dumb ox, but Ore is actually really smart. He probably noticed how many people were watching me and this is just his misguided attempt at helping."

"With kidnapping?!" Wasp exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah," Tsuna nodded with a slow smile. "In instances like this, the number of agencies watching me will actually keep them from lifting a finger to save me. I can't be arrested when I'm the victim of a kidnapping and there isn't a single agent who'd give up their chance to catch me by arresting Ore. They'll wait to see if someone else will do it for them and, if I know Ore, then he wouldn't have been so forceful unless he knew a place where I can't be followed. So play along or else I got hit for nothing."

"W-What do I do?"

Directing her to play dead next to him, Tsuna got a sinking feeling when the truck stopped after only a few blocks. He became worried when the back door was raised and the sound of dozens of people could be heard. When Ore pulled him out of the truck, slung him over his shoulder, and began carrying him through a mob that were whispering 'Preacher' instead of 'Laz', Tsuna began to panic.

"You can wake up now," Ore said, abruptly falling to a stop. "The locals are starting to look outrageously pissed that I'm carrying you."

"Good," Tsuna growled. Taking advantage of his unrestrained position on Ore's shoulder, Tsuna grabbed Ore's shirt, kicked his legs in the air, and flipped down the giant's back. When he landed, he sent a spinning elbow into Ore's side and followed up with a solid kick to the back of his knees. It wasn't enough to bring Ore down, but it was plenty to tell him that he was angry and that anger only worsened when he saw that Ore had dragged him into Fireball Alley. "You idiot!" Tsuna shouted as Ore quickly put Wasp down on her feet. "When I said no, I meant no! What did you think you'd achieve by kidnapping me?!"

"When did you become such a prude?" Mike asked as he walked by him with one of Ore's kegs. He set it down when he reached Ore's side, but the look in his eyes said that he wasn't stopping to rest. Mike the Pimp had something of his own to preach about. "Quit acting so high-and-mighty, Laz. You know why Ore kidnapped you. You've gotten a big head and someone needs to deflate it before you explode."

"What?!" Tsuna spluttered, his face turning red with anger. "I don't--"

"Oh, stuff it," Mike spat. "You've always had people watching you and it's never stopped you before. You've just turned into a whiny little prick. Shit! You think you got problems right now? _BULL_-SHIT! Look at yourself, Laz! You've got a house, a business, and a fucking reputation that most guys would kill for! Since when was shit like that more important than your friends? Since when does the Civil Satan care about what people think?!"

"Since I have kids that would be pretty fucking disappointed to have their visitations at a prison," Tsuna growled. "Are you a fucking idiot, Mike? Do you have any idea how hard it is to build a new life? Why do you think I settled here instead of going back? It's because it wasn't just the Mafia that I was trying to cut out of my life. I didn't want to be part of a gang anymore! Fighting over territory and hurting people for something as stupid as pride--?! Who wants tha--" A single punch from Ore was enough to silence him and simultaneously knock him into an alley wall. His eyes widened in shock as he slid down it, seeing that Ore was both serious and angry.

"I was always better at talking with my fists," Ore stated through clenched teeth. "What the hell did I just say?" Staring at him in surprise, it took nearly a minute for the message to sink in and Tsuna sagged with guilt when he comprehended it. He was being a complete jerk. Ore and the others never said that they were dragging him back into gang business. They just wanted to have a few drinks with him for fun. Ore knew that he was trying to live a clean life. That was why he'd gone as far as kidnapping; it was so Tsuna could enjoy himself without having to worry about consequences.

"I'm an informant, Ore," Tsuna whispered, finally throwing his cards on the table so that his friends would understand the real problem. "I've managed to keep them too distracted to ask the right questions, but they're going to question me about this and I don't know what I'm going to tell them. If I lie to protect you, then they'll know and I'll lose a lot of support. If I tell the truth, then they'll try to blackmail me into giving up secrets. This isn't a game. If I go down because I refuse to cooperate, then I'm looking at death row and I can't afford that yet. I swore to Papa Paolo that I'd find Gabe's murderer."

"You must not be cooperating too much, Little Guy," Ore replied with a slow smile. "If you were cooperating, they'd already have what they wanted and you'd be on death row anyway."

"True," Tsuna admitted with a crooked grin. "Damnit. I need a beer. All of this double-crossing and triple-crossing is starting to confuse me into thinking I'm normal."

"I think we can help with that," Ore laughed as he offered a large hand to help Tsuna to his feet.

Once upright, Tsuna became instantly sheepish when he saw Wasp's amused expression. Being a former street-brat herself, she'd already grasped the situation. So, doing the only thing that he could think of, Tsuna made introductions and tried his best to keep his face from turning red in the process. It wasn't easy since the gang got retribution for his attitude by embarrassing him.

Cassandra gave him a full kiss in greeting before slapping him. Dedra gave him a full kiss in greeting before slapping him. Ore flattened him with a pat on the back and Mike unleashed his three top girls on him. He stupidly chose to listen to Ollie when he pointed to a ladder as an escape route. As soon as he reached the second floor, he was pounced on by an ecstatic Leo and was forced to dodge a jealous Marty's wrench. Things settled down quickly once Tsuna was pulled into their hideout, but it wasn't because he was able to relax. Tsuna's jaw dropped as he stared at his son. Gillian was standing less than ten feet away and the man next to him was none other than--

"Ryohei...?" Tsuna gasped. His mind went blank as Ryohei cracked a smile and the blood rushed out of his face when he saw the satisfied gleam in Ryohei's eyes. Tsuna didn't know what Ryohei was satisfied about, but he was willing to bet that he'd just walked into some sort of trap.

"As soon as I heard that the Orange Dragons were moving, I knew that you'd eventually show up here," Ryohei said in Italian.

"Were you waiting on me?" Tsuna replied, using the same language. Glancing over at Gillian, he added, "Why did you bring him here? Does Haru know that--"

"Where's my mother?" Gillian interrupted with a glare. Tsuna was frozen speechless at the question. It was the question that explained why Gillian had refused to give Tsuna a chance like his siblings had. "I know that you didn't kill her, so where is she? I want to meet her."

"Let's go home and talk about this," Tsuna suggested, switching back into English. "Haru must be worried sick--"

"She's not," he corrected with his lip curling up in distaste. "She knows that I'm working for Hotaru. Didn't you hear? I'm in advertising now."

"That's not funny, Gillian," Tsuna admonished. "You're still too young to--"

"Silenzio!" Gillian shouted, switching back to Italian. "La mia madre! Dove?! Ora!" Tsuna was struck speechless when Gillian reached for the small of his back. Ryohei stopped him in the process, but Tsuna knew... He knew that Gillian had been reaching for a gun and that was enough to tell Tsuna that Gillian was ready for a harsh truth.

"She died in prison six years ago," Tsuna stated, his expression hardening to keep Gillian from seeing how difficult it was to admit the truth. "She was arrested for murdering her six month old daughter during a bad drug trip. When I took you from her, I tried to get her some help, but she didn't want help. She wanted to forget that you and me ever existed. Two months into her sentence, she stabbed herself in the neck with a spork and bled out before they could get her to a hospital."

"She committed suicide?" Gillian asked, his expression crumbling in dismay.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna whispered. "She gave up on herself long before I found you and I thought you'd be happier living without the truth. I apologize if you feel like your life was ruined because of my choice, but I'm not a miracle worker, Gillian. I can't turn a junkie into a mother when she doesn't want to change and I couldn't be a father while I was trying to rehabilitate her and a half-dozen women like her."

"My life...." Gillian mumbled, staring at the ground in shock. "My life wasn't ruined." Tsuna grimaced in sympathy as Gillian digested the information and slowly put everything into perspective. Gillian had been given a decent life. He might not have had parents around, but he'd been given a loving home where Father Robert had praised him. He'd been given first-rate schooling so that he could have every chance in the world to follow his dreams. He'd never had to worry about anything that many people struggle for; things such as food, clothing, and money.

"I might be your father, but I never asked for you to love me," Tsuna continued mercilessly. Gillian's head snapped up in surprise, but Tsuna was determined to give him the truth that he'd asked for. "I always considered it enough that you were sheltered and protected until you were old enough to seek out your own destiny. So tell me, Gillian Sawada. Have you found your destiny?"

"You don't have to answer that," Ryohei interjected with a knowing grin. "Tsuna, you can stop that, too."

"What?" Tsuna shrugged innocently. "I'm only telling Gillian the truth."

"And you're recruiting him at the same time," Ryohei smirked, making Gillian's jaw drop in surprise. "This was what I was trying to teach you," Ryohei continued. "Did you see what he did there? By giving you the information you wanted, he took control of the situation and turned you into a supplicant even though you were the one making demands in the beginning. Then he made you feel guilty for making demands by simultaneously deflecting blame and forcing you to admit that he'd taken care of your needs even if you disagree with the methods. That puts you in the mind-frame of a person in debt. Finally, he was planning to close it off by making you admit that you were better off with his help. This would make you feel thankful for the things he did, which--in combination with the rest--would turn you into a loyal subordinate."

"EH?!" Gillian spluttered.

"I've still got it," Tsuna winked as the tension in the room snapped. "Everything I said was true, Gillian, but I wanted to show you that 'advertising' needs a special touch. It's not fair of me to step in and tell you not to work for Hotaru, but I wanted to make sure that you understand what you're getting yourself into. Your intuition can never replace skill and it takes skill to be a recruiter. You're not selling cars or talking people into pyramid schemes; you're talking people into dedicating their lives to your Family. If you do it wrong, then loyalty won't be borne and betrayal will run rampant through the ranks."

Leaving Gillian to stand flabbergasted over being outmaneuvered, Tsuna turned back to the apartment's window to see that Wasp, Ore, Leo, Ollie, Marty, and the rest of the gang had been attentively listening. All of them were openly amused by the result of Tsuna's conversation with his son, but none of them seemed particularly surprised. With a few exasperated shakes of their head, they went back to pulling items through the window and setting up for a keg party. The couch got thrown against a wall. The kegs got tapped. Dedra headed to the bathroom with the cleaning supplies, Leo got back to work on her indoor mural, and the rest fanned out to check security.

Taking advantage of all the movement, Tsuna headed over to snag several plastic cups of beer. One went to Wasp, another to Ryohei, and he took one for himself while the party quickly built steam. Information trades began filling every corner of the room. Ryohei told him that he'd proposed to Hana and they'd moved into Sawada territory. He'd given up work with the Varia in order to pursue a much more stable life as a physical trainer and underground tutor. He was having to use his alias as 'Ryo' to do it, but Hana didn't seem to mind since he'd bought her a shoe collection to rival a queen's.

Gillian was working in 'advertising' like he'd already said. It was a place that he'd found after coming to terms with his inability to beat Hotaru. Recruiting allowed him a certain amount of notoriety and it put him in a position to help people. Both his ego and his altruistic side were satisfied. Gillian was also able to use his talent at wheedling in a way that turned him into an asset instead of an annoyance. He was aware that some of the Family wouldn't be too happy with his life choice, but that was why he was being tutored by Ryohei until he finished high school. There wasn't a better man in the world when it came to hiding things and he was protected while he was still learning the ropes.

On the other side of things, Ore informed him about the situation with the Orange Dragons. Even after growing a backbone, Charlie hadn't been able to make things work with Autumn. He'd been forced to sell out and move in order to retrieve his freedom. Some people like Charles from Kink's, Steve the Den Manager, and even a few guys like Noel had stayed behind, but they had several dozen who'd been willing to make the move with them--including Mike and several girls that, to Tsuna's chagrin, wanted to get reacquainted with him.

"Hands off, Roxy," Tsuna choked, pulling the girl's hands away from his belt line.

"But it's been so long since I had any Pocky," she pouted. Tsuna blushed with a wide, embarrassed smile and struggled to find an appropriate response while Cassandra and Dedra began roaring in laughter from nearby. Roxy was a beautiful woman and he felt like a complete fool for passing on such an open invitation, but he knew that he couldn't.

"Pocky...?" Wasp prompted in amusement, making his blush deepen.

"Don't ask!" He spluttered. "And no one tell her, either!"

His pleas were ignored, but Tsuna didn't mind as much as he pretended. The topics of discussion slowly turned into more frivolous matters while Gillian and Leo headed into the gutted kitchen to talk about whatever matter had brought the two to the same room together. Tsuna decided to ignore it. The choice probably wasn't one that a father should make, but Gillian was already much older than Tsuna had been when Reborn had first showed up on his doorstep. If he'd decided that he wanted to dedicate his life to serving the Family, then Tsuna wasn't the person to stop him. Tsuna already knew what Gillian was thinking because it was the same thing that he'd thought when he'd finally agreed to becoming a Mafia Boss. Having a purpose in life, no matter how criminal, was better than staying useless and No-Good. Knowing that and seeing Gillian making such a choice, Tsuna was forced to ask himself what his own purpose was.

Sadly, the answer refused to surface.


	159. Chapter 159 The Last Stand

"You don't have to move out," Tsuna repeated in hopes that Tonno would change his mind. His plea was ignored. Andy shot him a sympathetic glance, but everyone else kept moving boxes in determination to finish within an hour.

Tsuna was still disapproving of the situation, but he didn't have a leg to stand on. Tonno had decided that he wanted his own place. He swore that it had nothing to do with Tsuna, but Tsuna knew better. Living with Papa wasn't so much fun when he wanted to get intimate with his... his _Right Hand_. Just thinking about it made Tsuna want to growl, but it didn't change the fact that Tonno was old enough to do whatever he wanted. It didn't matter if Tsuna disapproved of his relationship.

Thinking that way only made Tsuna more irritated at Ray because he felt as if he'd been very understanding. He'd given them the facts. He hadn't split them up into different rooms. He even overlooked it when he caught the two kissing. Well, he'd mostly overlooked it since Tonno had pushed Ray away first in a dislike for public affection. The bruises that Tsuna had added had gone away after a few days, so that wasn't enough to be worth mentioning. Despite appearances, he could also understand why the two wanted to get their own place. It was because Tonno had the savings to do it and they wanted the independence that came with a separate household.

What Tsuna couldn't understand was why Houston, Jesse, and Chopper were moving out with them, but Tsuna couldn't argue even on that. Jesse had an emancipated status, so he could go where he wanted. Chopper was technically Tonno's pet now and Warren had given his approval on Houston after a video chat with Tonno. Well, he amended in effort to be honest with himself, he could understand why those three would want to move out, too. Chopper would automatically go where Tonno went, Houston wanted a place that would make him seem more mature for the teacher that he'd been chasing, and Jesse would feel more secure with his own apartment.

It made Tsuna want to curse Andy's landlord. The value of the neighborhood had gone up since Tsuna's bakery was in the area and the man had come up with a scheme to get rich quick. With plans to sell an untenanted property to a developer, he'd tripled the rent on the apartments in effort to force people out. Andy had been upset over it, which was when Tonno had gotten wind of the situation and had revealed his savings from his previous life as a Vampire Hunter. It'd been more than enough to buy the apartment building several times over and Tonno had done it without telling anyone. Money was meaningless to Tonno, after all. All he cared about was his friends.

So, seeing an opportunity because the apartment building was half-empty because of the landlord's scheme, Jim had spoken up in hopes of getting a place with a cheaper rent. Tonno had instantly given him the two bedroom apartment downstairs from Andy. Then, after helping Jim and his little brother move into the building, Ray had made an innocent comment on how nice the apartments were. Innocent comments from Ray had a strange effect on Tonno. He'd instantly given one to Ray like it was nothing more than a keychain. Ray had refused to move in without Tonno, though, which had begun the mass exodus from the bakery. Houston had been gifted a place when he'd innocently shown jealousy over everyone having their own place. Jesse had been gifted one after Ginger innocently teased him about being left out--

"Are you going, too?" Tsuna asked, reaching out to make Ginger pause with a box of Jesse's belongings.

"It's not like we're moving to a different country, Tsuna," Ginger soothed. "We're just down the street from you, we're all still going to be working here, and--"

"You're moving out," Tsuna gaped.

"I thought we already talked about this, Papa," Tonno sighed as he climbed the stairs. "Please stop pouting."

Hearing the exasperation in Tonno's voice, Tsuna crossed his arms and stuck his lip out. They had talked about the situation, but that didn't mean that Tsuna agreed with it. How could he when Tonno wouldn't even admit to the true reason that he was moving out? Instead of stating a desire for freedom and more privacy, Tonno had the gall to claim that he was doing Tsuna a favor! He'd cited Tsuna's odd hours and the increasing frequency that Tsuna called to tell the boys to order out for dinner. Tsuna couldn't help it, though! He had a busy life!

He frequently met with Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei. A lot of the time, he was invited to lunch, drinks, or dinner so that he could hang out or become closer to their families. The same went with his own mother. Then there were all his kids. Not only did he have group visitation, but the invitations to recitals, tournaments, and various school events were increasing since they'd figured out that he'd actually show up for them if he could. On top of that, there were the Orange Dragons that he had to meet with. Not only was the Orange Dragon's castle such a huge project for Charlie that he called constantly to get advice, but the gang never failed to kidnap him on the nights that he handed out dinners under the overpass. The day after that was when Demetri reminded Tsuna of his presence and made insinuations that forced Tsuna to drop another historical tidbit.

Finally, there was his other friend. He'd taken Wasp's advice and had gone to the play. Gina was the sweet girl that Wasp had claimed and he'd figured out that they had a lot in common. Actually, Gina had surprised him first. It'd turned out that Gina didn't just like to watch theater, but she'd been the lead actress in Beauty and the Beast. It was a secret that few people knew because it also turned out that she was just as shy as Wasp described. Once she was out of costume, her voice was as soft as a whisper and she gave the impression of a delicate, fragile flower of a woman. He'd gone out with her several times since then, although they'd chosen plays that she could watch from the audience instead of the stage.

The situation would have probably been easier if Tsuna's feelings hadn't begun fluctuating. He was completely torn. On one hand, he still hadn't come to terms with Gabe's death. On the other hand, there was a pretty, vibrant woman who was overly-understanding. She was so sympathetic and agreeable that it made Tsuna feel like a player even though he hadn't crossed the line beyond friendship.

It had to be TOWS: The Other-Woman Syndrome. Since she believed that Tsuna would never be swayed from his love and loyalty for Gabe, she didn't expect commitment. She was happy just to be part of his life. The saddening part was that Tsuna knew what would happen if he did cross the line with her. So long as Tsuna showed guilt for the trespass, they would go back to being friends afterward as if nothing had happened. That was the Ninth's secret method to building a large harem. It was probably the real Iemitsu's method, too.

_"Never make promises, son," Iemitsu had once advised. "You never know what might happen. Not making any is better than breaking them without meaning to."_

"Don't look so depressed, Papa, or I won't be able to go," Tonno mumbled as he carried another box out. Tsuna let out a small sigh. Nothing made a man feel more foolish than being admonished by his offspring. Reaching out to stop Tonno, Tsuna felt the need to correct the situation.

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" Tsuna asked, allowing his concern to show on his face. "I know that you lived on your own before, but--"

"Papa," Tonno interrupted with a quiet smile. "You really don't have to worry. I won't be alone and you're a one-minute run away if anything happens. Plus... Don't take this the wrong way, but I feel like a burden right now-- No--! It's not your fault! It's Gregory and Katie. Both of them are younger than me, but they've already moved out of Miss Haru's household. I... I feel special for getting to stay with you for so long, but it's not like it was before. I'm not scared to leave anymore because I know that you're always going to be there for me, Papa," he said with his smile brightening. "It's a good thing that I feel ready to move out. It means that I know that you love me and... I think I'm ready to call Mr. B."

"Tonno..." Tsuna gasped in awe.

"I feel kind of grown up now," Tonno added, his face becoming flush with a combination of joy and embarrassment. "I think Mr. B. might be proud if he saw me now."

"I'm sure he would be," Tsuna agreed softly. Resigning himself to the situation, Tsuna took the box out of Tonno's hands and smiled. The silent, tenative approval took Tonno by surprise, even though he'd earned it by maturing so much. Tonno wasn't the soul-less, lost sheep that arrived on his doorstep fresh from confession. Gaining friends and falling in love had changed him. It was worrisome since the changes were still fresh and reverting would be painfully easy, but Tonno was on the path to controlling his own destiny.

Tsuna just prayed that his destiny wouldn't one day lead him into conflict with Hotaru.

Pushing such foreboding thoughts away, Tsuna headed downstairs to put the box in the back of his delivery truck with the rest of the boy's belongings. A smile bloomed when he saw that Gina was quietly waiting on him. She really was one of a kind and Tsuna was reminded yet again to thank Wasp for talking him into meeting her. Outside of her costume for the stage, Gina wore a different type of costume and girls dressed in lolita fashion had never struck him as 'his type' before. Gina made it work, though. The flamboyant style of her frilly, black garments went well with her shy nature and it actually became an unnoticeable backdrop that drew his gaze to her vibrant violet eyes and the silken amethyst hair that was bundled underneath a baby-sized top hat.

"Are you moving?" She asked quietly as Tsuna handed the box off to Ray.

"The boys are," Tsuna sighed. "What are you doing out so late? Didn't you get my message? I had to move the sampling party to tomorrow."

"I can go if I'm bothering you..." she mumbled.

"Did I say that you were bothering me?" Tsuna inquired with a lopsided grin. "Come inside. I'll make you some tea while the boys are finishing up and then I'll walk you home. I'd drive, but I already promised the boys that they could have the truck tonight."

At her soft nod of acceptance, Tsuna lead her back inside to the closed bakery and set her up with a cup of tea and a slice of angel food. Then he ran back upstairs to help the boys finish moving. There wasn't much left to do. Tonno had already bought new furniture for everyone, so they only had to take their clothes and personal belongings. Almost all of that was already down in the truck, which only left the common necessities that they almost forgot: their bathroom supplies, towels, and groceries for breakfast.

"Are you sure that you have everything you need?" Tsuna asked worriedly as they piled into the loaded truck.

"I think so," Tonno nodded. "I can go shopping if I missed anything. Um... Papa..."

"I'll be fine," Tsuna laughed, seeing the concern on Tonno's face. Turning to Ray, Tsuna let out a sign of resignation when he saw how pale the guy was. He was terrified that Tsuna was going to blame him for Tonno moving out. "You better take care of him and you better not be late for work tomorrow," Tsuna said, holding out a hand for the sake of peace. Ray hesitated to shake it, worried that Tsuna was going to break his hand, but his face lit up when Tsuna kept a light grip.

"I will, sir-- Papa--!" Ray spluttered in happiness.

"Get out of here," Tsuna urged, sending Ray fleeing for the driver's seat. "Be sure to remember to lock the truck tonight," Tsuna called as the engine roared to life. "And don't stay up too late--!"

As the truck pulled down the driveway and through the gate, an incomprehensible sense of loss overcame him. Tonno had already been an adult when he'd come to live with him, but Tsuna had watched him grow. He'd watched him mature and he'd guided him. Now, he was gone. Even though Tsuna knew that he'd be back in the morning, it wasn't the same. He couldn't admonish them for staying up late or smack them for eating with their elbows on the table. He wasn't going to have anymore chances to sit around and tell stories after dinner. He wouldn't get to hear stories, either.

The bakery was so quiet that it was eerie when he went back inside. There were no sounds of movement from upstairs and the sheer emptiness of the building was depressing, which made him glad that Gina had chosen to visit.

"Sorry to make you wait," Tsuna said as she stood from her table. "Are you ready to go?" At her shy nod, Tsuna ran upstairs for his jacket before escorting her out of the bakery. It felt odd to lock the doors since someone was usually always home when he left. Locking the gate felt even stranger, but Gina's presence kept him from thinking too deeply about it.

The air outside was warm for the December weather that he was used to, but it was still cold enough for him to admit that it was winter. Using that as a starter topic, he quickly found himself in a discussion about the Christmas season. That lead to a discussion about holiday plays and the lack of originality in modern storytelling. Gina asserted that it wasn't a lack of originality that was the problem, but the overuse of the theme that created a sense of boredom. Tsuna retorted that the boredom was due to the lack of surprise because of the reliance on tried-and-true inspirations like 'A Christmas Carol' and Santa Claus.

"When was the last time that you saw a Christmas tragedy?" Tsuna grinned in amusement for the debate.

"A Christmas Story," she retorted in a soft voice.

"That wasn't a tragedy!" Tsuna laughed.

"He shot his eye out, the father's prized lamp broke, and the mother's turkey was eaten by dogs," Gina mumbled. "I'd call that tragic." Tsuna gaped in disbelief until he noticed the smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"That was a joke," Tsuna grinned.

"It was a joke," she confirmed shyly. "Was it funny?"

"Hilarious," he chuckled. "But you're not winning this argument! 'A Christmas Story' had a semi-happy ending."

"Would you want to watch a holiday movie that didn't?" She asked quietly. "This season is the most depressing time of year, even more so than Valentines Day since there's weeks of buildup beforehand. That limits the ability of playwrights and screenwriters because they know that they audience will be unsatisfied if they aren't given a happy ending. Being forced to use that theme of a happy holiday is what makes it seem unoriginal, but no two stories are the same. Look at the difference between 'The Night They Saved Christmas' and 'The Santa Clause'."

"That's not fair," Tsuna grumbled. "There's decades between those movies. When did you see 'The Night They Saved Christmas' anyway? I didn't think anyone knew about that movie anymore."

"Filmography in the '80s can stand the test of time," she smiled, ducking her head to hide a faint blush.

"Okay, I'll give you that one, but what about theater?" Tsuna inquired. "When was the last time that you saw something other than 'A Christmas Carol' or a Nativity story on stage during the Christmas season?"

"The Twelve Stars of Christmas," she answered carefully. "It's a story about twelve angels that come to earth during the Christmas season. They each have one day to pick out a person who needs a Christmas blessing and the angel who finds the person who needs one the most will be given a great gift."

"What happens?"

"On the Twelveth night, the last angel goes to the Devil and gives him a message from God that touches his black heart," she whispered. "He weeps and his teardrops fall to earth as snow, giving the world a white Christmas."

"Wow," Tsuna gaped in surprise. Then suspicion arose. "Wait a second. Isn't that like the ending to 'The Grinch that Stole Christmas'? His heart grew three times larger...?"

"It's not!" She gasped in disbelief. "It's completely different!"

"I'm just teasing!" He laughed, holding up his hands to ward off her wrath. "You win!"

"You shouldn't tease people," she admonished softly. "Now I don't know if I should ask you or not."

"Ask me what?" Tsuna prompted. Gina didn't respond at first. She nervously chewed on the inside of her lip and her eyes glanced in every direction but his. "Gina...?"

"I have tickets," she mumbled, coming to a stop on a street corner with her eyes locked on a crack in the sidewalk. "They're... They're for 'Twelve Stars'.... on Christmas Eve."

"Oh," Tsuna gaped in surprise. For a moment, he was dumbfounded by the invitation. So far, all of their not-dates had been set up whenever someone had a set of spare tickets that they didn't want. Gina had never shown the confidence to blatantly ask him out, but she was actually asking for a date this time. For it to be on Christmas Eve was even more astounding because that was the day for lovers.

"You probably have plans already," she said, misunderstanding his resulting blush as a sign that he was struggling to find a nice way to refuse.

"I don't," Tsuna blurted. "I just... Christmas Eve..." Tsuna was torn between accepting and refusing. Gina was a sweet girl, but it was still so soon after Gabe's death. Was that a good enough reason to refuse, though? Gina was someone that he could talk to, although she would only really speak when they were alone together. She liked the same kind of theater, opera, and movies that he did. She never pressured him into talking about things that he didn't want to talk about. Moreover, she was soft-spoken, pretty, and... And he felt like a fool when he considered refusing. No matter how soon it was, everyone was right. Gabe wasn't coming back and there was no reason to put his life on hold. It was just a date, anyway. Dating didn't equal a lifetime commitment and it beat being alone for the holidays. "I think I'd like to go," Tsuna said with a faltering smile. "A-Assuming that you want to spend Christmas Eve with a guy like me."

"I'd like that," she mumbled with a shy blush. "Um..." she added, looking around frantically for a distraction. "Where are we?"

"Eh?" Looking around for himself, Tsuna's jaw dropped when he realized that they'd walked into a place that he didn't recognize. "Isn't your apartment around here?"

"My apartment is across town," she answered as her blush deepened. "It'd take hours to walk there."

"Oh," Tsuna said sheepishly. "Uh... I don't think we made any turns, so let's walk back and I'll call a taxi for you." Nodding timidly in agreement, Gina followed him as he headed back down the street toward his bakery. The conversation during the return trip was much more stilted than before since both of them were suffering from embarrassment, but he still found it strangely enjoyable. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd taken an innocent walk with a pretty girl. Most women would have gotten fed up after only a block or two, assuming they'd have gotten out the door before being asked where they were going. Gina was different. She'd known that his intention had been to walk her home, but she hadn't corrected him. She'd simply taken advantage of his moment of absent-mindedness so that she could enjoy his company for a little longer.

_Forgive me, Gabe, _Tsuna mentally pleaded_, but I want to give this a shot._

* * *

"That's not right," Chin groaned in the back of his throat. His response only made Hotaru smirk knowingly. She was breaking the rules. There was a reason that she wasn't supposed to enter his lab. It became very difficult to concentrate with Hotaru around.

Hotaru with her cute little toes peeking out of sandal-like heels. Hotaru with her bare calves and her so-called toga shorts flowing over silky smooth thighs in imitation of an almost-opaque skirt. Hotaru with her sleeveless, backless, open front blouse and the chain necklace trailing down her tattooed chest to the belly button piercing that--

"BOSS--!" Toshi shouted in dismay as Chin accidentally drilled a hole into the circuit-board that he'd been installing. Quickly pulling the drill away, Chin's face lit up in embarrassment followed by irritation. "Damnit, Hotaru," he grumbled, tossing the drill to the side. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't come down here! I don't go into your greenhouse without warning and you don't come into the lab. That was the--"

"We might have a problem," Hotaru interrupted solemnly. "One that's big enough for me to intrude." Chin paused as all the anger melted away. There was only one problem that would make Hotaru come personally instead of sending a subordinate to fetch him. The Ninth was dying. He'd been ill long before Hotaru's father had been taken under his wing. Being frozen had given him a chance to be alive longer than otherwise possible, but nature was still taking its course. "He wants to see us. He's foreseen something."

"Let's go," he whispered in understanding. Pulling off his lab coat, he held out his hand for Hotaru and she clasped onto it without hesitation. Despite her strong will, he could feel her trembling. It made him feel guilty for trying to pressure her into seeing her father because his intuition told him that this was the moment that she'd been waiting for. Something big was about to happen. Something that was going to strain the very fabric of their Family. "It'll be okay," Chin soothed as they stepped into the elevator. "We can face it together."

* * *

Tsuna stared at his wet hand in horrified realization. He was no stranger to erotic dreaming, but he was pretty sure that his buttocks weren't capable of ejaculating. It was the first sign that his 'Savior' wasn't a wistful delusion or an overactive dream. He'd always woken up dry and in the same clothes that he'd gone to bed in, so he'd never questioned the surreal visits by night. This time was terrifyingly, unmistakeably different. His clothes were on the floor, his body was sticky, and his balcony window was still open.

Someone had been in his room. Someone had been in his room every night since Gabe's death. Searching his memory, Tsuna couldn't recall an instance where he'd had sex during his dreams. They'd always ended after a little kissing and fondling, but now he had to wonder if it'd really stopped there. Was this the first time that his so-called Savior had fully taken his body? If not, then why hadn't he cleaned up after himself this time? More importantly, who was it and why couldn't he remember anything?!

An impatient knock on his door sent him diving to cover his body with his blankets.

"Papa," Demetri called. "Tonno said that you weren't feeling well. Is everything okay?" Tsuna didn't answer. He was too disoriented from shock. From the position of the sun outside, it was almost midday. Andy should have woken him up if he'd overslept and Tonno wouldn't tell anyone that he was unwell unless Tsuna himself had told him that he was sick, but he didn't remember getting a wake-up call or telling Tonno anything! He couldn't even remember falling asleep! "Papa, I'm coming in to check on you," Demetri called.

As the doorknob turned, Tsuna opened his mouth to tell him to stay out, but nothing came out except a wheezing rasp. His voice was gone.

"What in God's name--" Demetri choked, freezing in the doorway. Following his gaze, Tsuna paled. On the wall behind him, a single word was written in something fresh, dripping, and disturbingly red.

SLUT

* * *

"Are you sure that this wasn't an act of self-loathing?" Detective Grisswald inquired as he spread out crime scene photos for Tsuna to look over. Tsuna glared, irritated beyond the point of reason. He could understand that Demetri had been forced to report the intrusion. He thought that he'd been pretty cooperative about allowing a rape kit to be completed. However, being questioned like a culprit was pushing his patience. Not being able to speak up to defend himself only made him more aggravated. "The blood came back as common, generic, fake blood," the Detective continued. "If you know anything about this, then now is the time to say so."

"Are you suggesting that Sawada raped himself, too?" Demetri spluttered in disbelief.

"It was sugar water," Grisswald countered calmly, "made with ingredients found in Sawada's own kitchen. We also found a turkey baster in his sink with traces of the same sugar water and the only fingerprints on it were Sawada's. Are you aware, Mr. Sawada, that falsely reporting a crime is a punishable offense?"

Clenching his teeth, Tsuna was forced to reply with only his glare.

"Can you explain his inability to talk and the voice that Tonno heard?" Demetri asked, pounding his fist onto the table in frustration. "Someone was there with him!"

"I understand how your pride as an intelligence agent might be compromised by this situation, Agent Demetri, but--"

"Sawada didn't do this!" Demetri shouted angrily. Reaching out to stop him from turning the interview into a full confrontation, Tsuna froze as a thought came to mind. Both Detective Grisswald and Demetri's attention landed on him when he straightened up. "Did you think of something?" Demetri asked. Nodding, Tsuna mimed for a pen and paper. Once he had them in his grasp, he wrote out a single request. "Gabriel's file...?" Demetri read in askance. "Why do you want to see that?"

_This attack may be connected to Gabe's murder_, Tsuna wrote. _Need to check something in photos_.

"Alright," Detective Grisswald agreed in curiosity. "I'll have them pull the file." Nearly thirty minutes passed before Grisswald returned with both the file and a dissatisfied expression. "It look like you were right, Agent Demetri. Sawada's blood-work just came back. There was an almost lethal dose of sedative in his system and there's signs that he was given it in a gaseous form. A side effect is that it numbs the vocal cords, which is why he can't talk. You should be back to normal in a few hours, Mr. Sawada, and you should be happy to know that I've sent my team back to the scene to try to trace the source. Meanwhile, I'm having the lab cross-reference the handwriting with others on file. Here is Gabriel Martelli's file like you asked for, as well. Is there something in particular that you're looking for?"

Ignoring the question, Tsuna flipped open the file and spread the pages across the table until he saw it--a picture of Gabe's motorcycle as it'd looked outside his motel. All it took was a glance to have his theory confirmed and, finally, he knew what Gabe had been trying to tell him by writing in cursive. Tsuna cursed himself for not putting the pieces together sooner. Gabe had always joked that cursive was a woman's way of writing and there was only two times when a man should write in cursive. The first was on a tattoo and the second was in paint.

Staring at the picture of Gabe's motorcycle, the name of Gabe's murderer stared back in cursive writing on the gas tank. Everything began to fall in place. There was only one person who would have reason to kill Gabe instead of Tsuna. There was only one person who had the motive and the skill to stage a rape to embarrass him. There was only one person who would hate him enough to write slut across his wall. It was a man who wanted retribution and rationalization. It was also a man who was still part of the Sawada Family.

Knowing that he'd have to think carefully before making any sort of move against him, Tsuna reached out for his pen and paper again.

"Lawyer," he wrote with a dark, angry gleam in his eyes.

* * *

"You knew," Tsuna whispered, his voice straining to get out.

"I knew," Gregory confirmed from the other side of the confessional. "You can curse me for not warning you, but it was what I had to do. Gabriel's death was mandated. To interfere would have had dire consequences."

"I might kill him," Tsuna warned.

"I cannot give you forgiveness for crimes that you have yet to commit," Gregory replied quietly. "I can absolve you for having the sinful thought, but I cannot condone such an action. But... if you want a reply that's not straight out of the book, then I must remind you that Hotaru would become your enemy if you were to take justice into your own hands."

"I can't sit back and ignore this. He's dangerous and he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants."

"Are you sure that you understand what he wants? If you think that it's something as simple as revenge, then you're wrong."

"What else could it be?" Tsuna asked, breaking out into a fit of coughing when his vocal cords protested.

"I have a gift of prophecy, Papa," Gregory whispered. "But I am still a humble man. I cannot pretend to know everything. However, if it's guidance that you're seeking, then might I suggest taking a step back?"

"A step back?" Tsuna repeated in surprise.

"Yes," Gregory smiled. "You should go see the man who taught you how to fish."

_"I just have one piece of advice that might help you in the future," the Ninth said. "If you give a starving man a fish, he'll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he'll never go hungry again. Also, sometimes you have to take a step backward in order to move forward."_

"I'll take your guidance under advisement," Tsuna replied with a slow, determined smile.

* * *

The dark cherry furniture and the heavy curtains around the bed only made the Ninth seem smaller under his mountain of blankets. He was dying. He'd been dying for over twenty years, although the process had been stalled because of the Zero-Point Stasis that he'd been held in. He'd stayed on his feet so long by recklessly burning his Flame, but the Ninth's Flame was running out. His body was running out of fuel. Soon, there would be nothing left to keep him going and he'd be gone.

Xanxus couldn't look at him. For three days, he'd sat in the same chair while he tried to sort through his feelings. He was angry. He was angry at the old man for becoming so weak and he was angry at himself for not saving him. A single drop of un-inoculated vampire blood would be all it'd take to keep his father alive, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Saving him would be equivalent of admitting that he actually cared and he'd rather go to hell than admit such a thing. He didn't owe the old man anything. He didn't owe anyone anything!

So why was he still sitting there? His irrational actions were what frustrated him the most. He'd gotten a few laughs from Squalo and the others when he'd claimed that he wanted to watch the old man croak. He had every reason to want to considering the bastard had locked him away for ten years, but he had to wonder now. He wanted to ask exactly how much the Ninth had predicted. By missing those ten years, Xanxus had been forced out of his own time. If he'd been left free during that time, then he would have been too old to meet Tsuna as an actual rival and his head start would have allowed him to be twisted beyond the point of playing mind games. After ten years of growth, he knew that he would have just killed the brat in his sleep before he became a threat, but being held back had changed everything. While he'd slept, Tsuna had grown strong enough to withstand him. He'd been given the chance to mature into a man that Xanxus could actually respect and that respect had opened doors that Xanxus had never noticed before. He'd finally seen the doors of friendship, love, and patience where there had only been anger, duty, and pride. Xanxus had become a man with more to live for than simple power.

Had the Ninth foreseen such an outcome? What about Xanxus' influences on Tsuna? Had the Ninth foreseen that, too? Xanxus knew that the brat would have turned out differently if he hadn't been there for every step of his growth. It was because of his threats on the lives of Tsuna's friends that the brat had trained until he'd become strong enough to fight him. It was because of how close that Xanxus had come to defeating him that Tsuna had chosen to go to Italy to train as the Tenth. It was because of Xanxus' tutoring that Tsuna had grown the backbone needed to become a survivor. It was because of Xanxus' interference that Tsuna had been saved from suicide and self-destruction.

"How much did you see, you old fart?" Xanxus gasped with his face in his hands. "Was making me hate you just another price that you threw on your fucking tab?"

The Ninth didn't reply. He might as well have been dead for all the life he showed, but Xanxus' eyes could still see a weak aura around him. It was an aura that had been diminishing steadily since Xanxus' arrival, but the Ninth was still buried within the pitiful body that he couldn't use. Xanxus was sorely tempted to put him out of his misery. The only reason that he didn't was because he was waiting on something that he couldn't even name. The old man had to give him something before he kicked the bucket, after all. He couldn't just fade like this without doing anything! There had to be something more! Anything!

Trying to get a grip on his confusion of emotions, Xanxus refreshed his scotch from the Ninth's sidebar when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He didn't need to look to know that it was Hotaru. The old man had asked for them when he'd become lucid for a few minutes. It figured. The Ninth probably couldn't see far enough in front of himself to know that Xanxus was in the room and he probably didn't give a damn even if he did, but perhaps that was what Xanxus was waiting around for. He was hoping that the last thing the Ninth did was to ask for his own fucking son. Everyone knew that he wouldn't willingly ask for Xanxus otherwise.

"You came," the Ninth wheezed as the door quietly shut behind--

"I came," Tsuna confirmed softly, making Xanxus freeze.

"Don't do it, Tsunayoshi," he gasped weakly. "He's in pain. You can still save him if--"

"I don't want to save him," Tsuna interrupted. Xanxus' curiosity overcame his surprise. Turning around to investigate the coldness in Tsuna's voice, Xanxus felt a sense of satisfaction rising inside of him. Unlike the soggy, soft toy that Tsuna turned into during his night-time visits, his eyes were lit in Flames and his expression was hardened with bitter rage. It was obvious that something had shaken him during the time that Xanxus had been at his father's side and it only took a nudge from his hyper-intution to know what. Gabriel Martelli's murderer had finally made a mistake that allowed Tsuna to identify him.

"You've lost sight... of your Family, Tsuna... yoshi," the Ninth admonished before breaking out into a fit of coughing. Strangely, Tsuna didn't move to help him. He didn't even twitch an eyelid until the Ninth settled down into the supporting embrace of his pillows and blankets on his own.

"I've lost sight of nothing," Tsuna stated calmly. "I trusted him and he betrayed--"

"You are in no position to speak of betrayal," the Ninth scolded, gathering his strength for his final lecture. "You turned your back on him first, Tenth. He trusted you to protect the woman he loved and you allowed her to die. He could have accepted that because it was for the sake of the Family, but you deserted the Family and her death lost all meaning! The rage you feel is only a taste compared to the suffering that you've caused him! You only have yourself to blame for your lover's death! It was your neglect that caused this problem, so it's your duty to save him, Tenth!"

"So it's not retribution," Tsuna mumbled.

"He's crying out to be saved," the Ninth gasped with tears in his eyes. "I can hear it, Tsunayoshi. Your Hour demands that you have the strength of a martyr, but he is a simple man who's lost the only things worth living for. He's lost the woman that he loved and he was abandoned by the man who became the reason for his existence. He wants to make you see the error of your ways. He wants.... He wants you to give up your.... your pursuit of a simple life because.... because he still believes... in you. You... You must help him, Tsunayoshi. Without you... he will be lost..."

"What about me?!" Tsuna shouted angrily, unable to see that the Ninth's consciousness had already faded. "I lost Kyoko, too! What right did he have to take Gabe from me?! What right does he have to make demands?! Answer me, damnit! Why should I give a shit about him when he walked into my life and destroyed--" Tsuna choked, breaking off in dismay when he finally admitted the truth to himself. "He killed Gabe," Tsuna gasped as his expression crumbled, "Am I really the one that made him do it?"

Seeing that Tsuna was ready to break down into tears, Xanxus reflexively reached out and vamped his aura. The euphoric feeling that came with digesting his energy made Xanxus groan as Tsuna collapsed to the ground. No one else could compare to the meal that Tsuna represented. Even with the tolerance built from feeding from him regularly, it took an incredible amount of willpower not to kill him out of gluttony. Of course, he cursed himself after he was done. Just because he hadn't wanted to watch Tsuna cry, he now had Tsuna's unconscious body to deal with and there would be hell to pay if he was left on the floor.

Figuring that the old man wouldn't kick the bucket just yet, Xanxus turned his full attention to Tsuna. It was far too easy to pick him up because of how much he'd been feasting lately. It was also strangely unsettling to carry him because it made him face reality. Just as the Councilors had explained would happen, Tsuna had almost completely transitioned back into a human. Vampire society had become distant enough that he wasn't even protecting his aura anymore, which was why Xanxus had such an easy time of vamping him on the nights that he visited. The fact was irritating. Even the Hunter brat who was living with him was harder to attack. It was almost as if Tsuna was purposely dangling himself out like bait to lure a vampire into his reach, which was possible with Tsuna's reckless method of operating.

Following his intuition, Xanxus used the side stairs to avoid being seen. The attempt was pointless. As soon as he caught sight of Tsuna's truck and headed for it with the intention to commandeer the vehicle to take Tsuna home, someone else ran over to intercept.

"Hold it!" The man shouted as he reached for a gun. "Where are you going with--"

Xanxus spat in distaste as the man fell unconscious without a mark on him. Pausing for a moment to kick his jacket open and look at his badge, Xanxus raised an eyebrow at the shiny CIA emblem. It figured, Xanxus grumbled to himself as he started heading for the delivery truck again. Only Tsuna would have the balls to make friends with the government despite his history as a Mafia Boss. Actually, it was probably because of his history as a Mafia Boss that he could do it. Anywhere there was a organized order to things, there was the opportunity for corruption to create cracks and there were likely a hundred different cracks that Tsuna knew how to dig his fingers into.

Unfortunately, Tsuna's friends wouldn't necessarily be his friends, too. The very thought made Xanxus want to laugh since he was still one of the most-wanted terrorist on INTERPOL's watch list. Sometimes he was really tempted to let himself be caught, just to see the look on everyone's face when he got to walk free at the end of a trial. After all, no one could prove that he'd ever done anything wrong. He was too skilled to leave evidence, which was exactly why no one had ever moved against him during the few times that he'd actually settled down.

Musing on the subject to keep him distracted from the combination of Tsuna's proximity and his helplessness, Xanxus absently dug the truck keys out of Tsuna's pocket, inserted them into the ignition and--

Stopped.

Something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on what, but he'd been saved by his intuition enough times that he didn't question it. He simply grabbed Tsuna's unconscious body, kicked the passenger door off its hinges, and threw Tsuna's body ahead of himself in hopes that he'd get clear before--

* * *

Tonno clenched his teeth together as he helped clean up the mess that the crime scene investigators had left behind themselves. There was fingerprint dust on everything from the sinks downstairs to the bathtub upstairs. Every drawer and closet had been turned inside out in search of clues. A section of the ceiling in Papa's room had been torn out so they could remove the device that had dispersed the gas that had sedated him. His sheets were missing, the door to his bedroom had been removed, and all of Papa's files were gone. On top of that, they'd covered every entrance with that stupid yellow tape and they'd taken all of the fish in Papa's pond into custody as some sort of evidence. It was going to take days to clean everything up and there was no way that they'd be able to open the shop until it was done--assuming that they had any patrons left with how many cameras were hovering outside the gate in effort to find out more details about the break-in.

He froze as the scent of burnt flesh wafted up the stairwell. Throwing his wet sponge into his bucket of bleach water, Tonno pulled off his rubber cleaning gloves and headed downstairs to investigate. His initial concern being that Ray had burned himself on the oven was wrong. There was no one in the kitchen and the smell only got worse as he crossed the first floor. Worried that someone might have actually been caught on fire, Tonno picked up his pace and darted out the kitchen door.

He froze a second time as his heart leaped into his throat. Inside the entrance of the bakery was the smoldering remains of a crouching man who wasn't a man and the naive idiot who was hovering as if he could actually help. If the man had actually been a man, then it would have been far too late to save him. His skin was blackened to a crisp and pieces of shrapnel protruded at odd angles. Identifying him would normally be impossible, but Tonno saw the signs. The man who wasn't a man was in pain, but he was in no danger of dying.

"RAY!" Tonno shouted, making Ray spin around with his eyes bulging in shock. "Get away from him! He's a--" The vampire exploded out of his crouch, sending a rain of ashen flesh to the floor as he reached out to grab Ray's throat with a mangled hand. Tonno moved in the same instant, drawing his silver-laden revolver out of the small of his back and aiming it at the foolish vampire in a smooth motion. They paused in the same moment with the understanding that they were in a standoff. "This shoots holy silver, vampire," Tonno warned while trying to ignore how Ray was trembling in fear. "You can't bite him because I've already injected him with the cure and you'd have already vamped his aura if that was enough to fix whatever happened to you. You're in no condition to dodge my shots without a full blood meal, so I'll warn you that I'm not afraid to shoot through a friend--especially when he's been touched by scum like you. You can let him go and leave peacefully or I'll kill you. Those are your choices." Licking his lips, Tonno waited for a reply that was short in coming.

"He smells like shit anyway," the vampire laughed before weakly shoving Ray away. Tonno didn't lower his weapon and he didn't shoot. Despite himself, he was incredibly curious to know why a vampire would choose to walk in so boldly while in such a bad condition. "You're Tsuna's kid," he continued as he reached down to pull a large piece of metal out of his leg. "Tonno. Right? Did he come back here?"

"Who's asking?" Tonno asked suspiciously. Waving for Ray to get behind him, he didn't lower his gun and he didn't take his eyes off his target. Vampires were notoriously cunning bastards. They were skilled at lying and they were professionals at killing.

"Xan--" Tonno instantly fired off two rounds, sending baked-Xanxus darting for cover behind a one of Papa's cake display pedestals. "What the fuck?!" Xanxus shouted in anger. "I'm here to help, you little shithead--!"

"XANXUS?!" Ginger exclaimed, bolting out of the kitchen alongside Jim and Jesse. The tanuki grasped the situation as soon as Tonno shot off a third round that only managed to nick the top of Xanxus' skull in passing. "Tonno!" He gasped as he jumped into the line of fire. "Stop shooting! Xanxus isn't your enemy! Did you forget what you said in the cathedral?! You have to stop blaming him for your problems!"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Tonno slowly lowered his revolver. He didn't do it for Ginger, though. He did it for the set of hands that laid on his shoulders in support. Becoming irrational and overemotional wasn't an option with Ray around.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll kill him next time." Stuffing his gun back into the small of his back with the safety on, he crossed his arms and stubbornly refused to help when Ginger rushed over to help Xanxus. Blameless or not, he still didn't want to have contact with Xanxus.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Ginger yelped in dismay when he saw Xanxus' condition. Personally, Tonno was unaffected by the sight of Xanxus' burnt body, but he could see that his friends were effected. Jim had to cover his mouth to keep himself from vomiting from the smell and Ray had turned pale. Only Jesse seemed calm out of the three.

"Ground zero at a bombing," Xanxus answered with a bark of laughter for Ginger's hesitation in touching him. He let out a hiss of pain when Ginger finally got the nerve to pull on his shirt and he let out a gasp of agony when he was pushed into a wicker chair. "By the time I woke up, cops were flooding into the area and I had to make a run for it."

"So you came here?" Ginger asked. Before Xanxus could answer, Houston poked his head out of the kitchen alongside Andy.

"Is it over?" He called.

"Houston!" Ginger barked in relief. "Do you remember what the bottles of blood wine look like?"

"The stuff Poe always drank?"

"That's it," Ginger nodded. "Tsuna keeps a bottle in the back of the cold storage. Get it as fast as you can. Bring a dozen eggs, some milk, and whatever leftovers are in the fridge, too."

"Figures the twerp would keep some wine on hand," Xanxus laughed despite his painful condition. Houston's eyes widened in recognition of the voice and quickly darted back inside the kitchen, dragging Andy along with him. Tonno still refused to move. Just because Papa kept blood wine in the house didn't mean that he had to be nice to every vampire that dropped by. "Did Tsuna come back here?" He asked worriedly. "My senses are still scattered from the explosion."

"Tsuna was there?!" Ginger yelped as Tonno tensed with worry.

"It was his truck that blew," Xanxus groaned. "I think I threw him out in time, but both him and his CIA buddy wasn't in sight when I woke up. I was hoping someone brought him back here so he could claim his truck was stolen."

"He didn't come back here--"

"Where the fuck is that wine?" Xanxus snapped irritably. "If he's not here, then I've got to find him. Whoever set that bomb--"

"Shut up, you fool," Jesse spat in distaste. Turning in place, Tonno's eyes bulged alongside everyone else's. Xanxus was a vampire, a trained assassin, and a violent jackass. Even Tonno wouldn't call him a fool unless he'd chained Xanxus up first! "This isn't like ten years ago," Jesse smiled. A mist began filling the room, momentarily blocking his sight. When it cleared, Jesse was gone and a familiar person was in his place. "Kufufufu," Mukuro laughed in glee. "His Salamander, Jewel, or my Chain. Which do you think would find Tsunayoshi first?"

"The cops took Papa's sword as evidence," Tonno interjected in refusal to let Mukuro know that he'd been tricked by the illusion on Jesse.

"I haven't seen Jewel since yesterday," Ginger added with a grimace.

"I'll have to come personally to track him by Chain," Mukuro said, shifting uncomfortably at the outcome. "It'll take me at least four hours to get here."

"Useless," Tonno spat in unison with Xanxus. Tonno's face instantly turned red in anger, but he bit his tongue to keep control of himself. "If Papa's been kidnapped, then we can't waste any time in finding him. Mukuro, please take Jesse to Hotaru and inform the Family of what's happened. They probably already know about the bombing, but see if they knew that Papa was there. Jim, please take Houston and head over to Charlie. If the Family can search high for Papa, then the Orange Dragons will be able to search low. Ray, take Chopper to Papa's truck and see if you can pick up his trail that way. Call me when you get there--"

"I know a lot of people in town," Andy offered, holding the kitchen door open for Houston to push a cart of supplies through. "I can call around and have every neighborhood watch keep their eyes open for Papa. I can call Wasp and that Gina girl that Papa's been seeing, too. They might have seen him."

"Do it," Tonno nodded.

"Not bad, kid," Xanxus smirked. Tonno only glared at him as Houston pushed the cart over to Ginger before running out the door with Jim. The rest of his friends scattered, too, leaving Tonno alone with Xanxus and Ginger. He was tempted to pull his revolver out again, but he refrained. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed Xanxus in this situation. Xanxus had hyper-intuition, so he might be able to figure out who'd taken Papa after he was shown the clues in Papa's bedroom. Xanxus was also needed to give power to CiCi. Papa's Flames weren't dense enough to charge her systems, Tonno's Flame was still being trained, and she would be incredibly helpful in narrowing down possible locations. Once healed, Xanxus would also be incredibly helpful in breaking into the evidence locker to retrieve Promethia's sword. "Who taught you how to torture people?" Xanxus abruptly asked between bites of leftover casserole and gulps of blood wine.

Tonno glared and refused to answer while Xanxus reached out to turn the dozen raw eggs on the cart into dust. His body was already beginning to heal. Burnt skin was flaking off at a rapid rate and fresh, pink skin was spreading across his hands and arms. Xanxus paused between every other bite to realign cracked bones or to stretch injured muscles, but he never let out more than a minimal grunt of pain.

"Not a conversationalist," Xanxus nodded in acceptance when his hair began growing back. "I used to be that way, too," he said before taking another long gulp of blood wine. "But you won't get anything out of being pissed off all the time except a migraine. So what's your fucking problem? Is it vampires in general or do you just hate me because I took pictures with Tsuna?"

The vein in Tonno's forehead began to throb in anger. Xanxus was actually trying to give him advice?! Xanxus the psychopath was talking like he was a normal person?! Bull-fucking-shit!

"Just leave him alone, Xanxus," Ginger interjected. "He has a good reason not to like you."

"If someone shoots at me, I like to know why," Xanxus growled.

"Just let it go this time--"

"Like hell! He might be Tsuna's brat, but he's still trash unless someone gives me a good reason to fucking ignore--"

Clenching his teeth together, Tonno struggled to keep his Flame under control. It was much harder without Ray around to calm him. Xanxus' presence made his nerves feel raw and his chatter was only putting salt on them. How dare he walk in and act like he had a right to be there! How dare Xanxus talk like he understood why Tonno was pissed off! The bastard didn't know anything! Xanxus should just die!

"Tonno--!" The Flames growing in Tonno's eyes dissipated instantly and his knees gave out when the support disappeared. Ray was there to catch him, though. Like a Guardian Angel, he'd come back to save him in his moment of need. "Damnit!" Ray gasped, his arms tightening around Tonno in effort to keep him standing. "I knew something was wrong when you sent me away! I know you don't like your dad, but you can't just blow up and get rid of him! You have to stop blaming him for everything!"

"What the hell was that?" Xanxus whispered with wide eyes as fresh skin spread across his jaw. "G-Ginger...? Why the fuck does Tsuna's kid have my Flame?"

"Because," Ginger sighed in resignation. "Xanxus, meet your son."

"That's not possible," Xanxus gaped while Tonno buried his face in Ray's chest to hide from the truth. "I'd never bring a brat into this world and he looks just like Tsuna."

"Can you account for every drop of blood you've ever spilled?" Ginger countered. "Tonno was engineered from a combination of DNA from both you and Tsuna. He's part yours, Xanxus. Maybe not on the outside, but he's got a lot of your personality. That's why Tsuna couldn't keep his promise to let you have retribution on him."

"Holy shit," Xanxus mumbled as he collapsed back into his chair. "I-I'm a father?"

"No, you're not!" Tonno shouted, his temper snapping at the claim. Pulling out of Ray's arms, he was determined to set the record straight. "You're not my father! I won't claim you! I want nothing to do with you! You can go to hell for all I care and I'd send you there myself if I could! You're just a--"

"Oh," Xanxus interrupted, relaxing into his seat in mild satisfaction. "Good. If that's how it is, then just forget about it. Ginger, fill me in on what's been going on with Tsuna. We need to narrow down the list of suspects so we can figure out who took him...."

As Ginger and Xanxus entered into a closed conversation, Tonno's jaw dropped in disbelief. All the bastard could say was to forget about it and then dismiss him like he was a nobody?! How dare he?! Didn't he have any idea how difficult Tonno's life had been because of his existence?! A rampaging Flame, the scars on his body, and a history of uncontrollable emotional outbursts and all Xanxus could say was 'Good'...?

Tonno leaped for Xanxus' throat before he was even aware of what he was doing. Unfortunately, Xanxus wasn't one to be caught unaware by sheer power and Tonno found himself pinned to the floor by his throat before he could blink. His mind went blank when he stared up into Xanxus' penetrating gaze. Xanxus was a beast. He'd seemed so laid back and weak a moment ago, but Tonno could see it now. Xanxus was a monster who'd only learned how to be civil and communicative on the surface. Tonno couldn't beat him. With just a glimpse at Xanxus' true strength, he knew that his rampaging Flame was just a lit match in comparison.

"Naive, brat," Xanxus smirked in amusement for the attack, his grip tightening around Tonno's throat until it became difficult to breathe. "You don't have toys and greater numbers to fight with this time. How does it feel to be at the mercy of someone stronger than you?"

"Xanxus!" Ginger shouted when Tonno grimaced from the pressure on his throat. He refused to claw like a frightened rabbit, though. Instead, he grabbed Xanxus' wrist and tried his best to assert enough pressure to break it. Xanxus might be stronger than him, but he wasn't going to be defeated like this!

"Weak," Xanxus laughed at his feeble attempt to struggle. He laughed even harder when Tonno tried to kick him. Xanxus batted it away absently, but the strike was strong enough to make Tonno's foot become numb. "You're nothing more than a whiny little brat who's too scared of getting hurt to to anything. You think you know what it means to be angry, but you have no idea. Here's some fatherly advice for you--"

Tonno would have screamed if there had been any air left in his lungs after Xanxus punched him in the chest. He felt his heart stop as his clothes were burned away with Xanxus' Flame of Wrath and he could hear Ray's shout as the shockwave blew him backwards. While the dust started to settle, Tonno found his gaze held by Xanxus' with enough force that he couldn't move. Even when Xanxus let go of his throat, his heart began pumping again, and his lungs went back to work, he was completely pinned to the ground with shock.

He could feel it. Xanxus' punch had beat something into him that he'd never truly experienced before--pain. It filled him with awe. He'd been hit with bullets and broken bones before, but it'd never really hurt. When he'd been in the hospital to recover from the burns on his body, it hadn't hurt. Even being rejected by everyone at CEDEF Headquarters and being told that he could never reveal himself to his Family hadn't hurt. Pain had always been a distant thing because he'd always had a greater one dwelling inside him.

Being hit by Xanxus and having Xanxus' Flame touch him hurt. It hurt a lot. It hurt because, even though there was no instant physical damage, it hit on that greater pain. Even though the floor around him was blackened and the bakery was trashed, his skin was as flawless as before. He had no doubt that he'd have a bruise later from the physical strike, but Xanxus' Flame hadn't affected him. His body had accepted it and processed it as if it'd been his own. The fact made it impossible to deny the truth. He was Xanxus' son and there was something deep inside himself that was pleased by the proof. The insanity of his life actually had an explanation.

"Doesn't it piss you off?" Xanxus asked quietly while Ray and Ginger pulled themselves to their feet. Strangely, the simple question made Tonno smile. It made him smile because he finally understood. He'd never been angry at Xanxus. He'd been angry at himself for not being able to admit to the part of himself that actually wanted Xanxus' acknowledgment. He still didn't think that he could admit it out loud, but he could recognize the sensation now and he could actually turn that self-loathing into his power.

"Yeah," Tonno mumbled, tearing his eyes away from Xanxus to stare at the ceiling instead. "It pisses me off a lot."

"Then get off your ass," Xanxus spat in irritation for the delay. "You might have that dickhead over there to calm you down, but you don't want to see how pissed off I can get when Tsuna's missing."

* * *

Only one person fit the description. It was someone who was in town last night. It was someone who knew that Tsuna's son had moved out with his friends. It was someone who knew that Xanxus had been closeted with the Ninth. It was someone who wasn't in town on the date of Gabriel Martelli's death. It was someone who had motive to think of the Tenth as a slut. Finally, it was someone who knew the Tenth well enough to know what kind of sedative would be affective on him.

"Are you sure?" Hotaru asked without looking up from her desk.

"I'm positive," Sakura nodded. "I didn't think anything of it when he requested some. He said it was for an assignment, but I had one of our contacts in the police force send me a copy of the analysis. It's a match to what I have in stock. If I'd known that he was going to use it on the Tenth--"

"We're not blaming you, Sakura," Chin soothed as Hotaru's expression continued to crumble. She tried to get control of herself when Chin squeezed her shoulder in support, but she couldn't. It was too much to comprehend. "Toshi hid it from all of us."

"I can't believe it," Hotaru whispered. "He always said that it'd been an honor to be the Tenth's shadow."

"Don't blame yourself, either," Chin admonished. "You heard what the Ninth said. Toshi isn't acting out of hatred. It's just a twisted sense of love. He wants to scare the Tenth into taking back his power so Kyoko's death will have meaning."

"But it still does have meaning!" Hotaru exclaimed in dismay. "The people that the Tenth was protecting are still alive and well! Kyoko didn't die in vain! She--"

"I know," Chin soothed in sympathy. "But Toshi is the one that doesn't understand. He's confusing the Tenth's title for the Tenth's responsibility. He thinks that Kyoko died so the Tenth could stay in power, not so that the Tenth could protect a greater number of lives."

"What do we do?" Sakura asked gently. "Mukuro won't be here for a few more hours and there's no telling what Toshi is planning to do with the Tenth."

"Prepare a war room and send an invitation to Charlie of the Orange Dragons," Chin ordered. "Tell him--"

"Boss," Orinato interjected, hesitantly poking his head into the room. "I've got the war room set up and Charlie just arrived with his Lieutenants."

"A step ahead as always," Chin smirked. "We'll be there in a minute. Start filling them in on Toshi's history."

"Are we sure that he's the--"

"Orinato," Hotaru admonished with a saddened sigh. "You heard Chin."

"Yes, Boss," he murmured before disappearing back out the door. Sakura quickly followed at Chin's absent gesture of dismissal so that he could give a first-hand account of Toshi's personality.

Once alone with Chin, Hotaru sagged into her chair and tried to put her thoughts in order. Toshi had always been an underdog, but he still had all the training that the Tenth had gone through. There was a million different ways that he could be planning to achieve his goals and a thousand different places that he could have dragged the Tenth to. Going by what they knew about Toshi, it was safe to say that he was prepared, though.

He would have taken the Tenth somewhere that his Salamander couldn't sense him. He would have chosen a place with enough residual spiritual energy that he'd become a needle in a haystack to vampires like Xanxus. It was somewhere that would be difficult for Mukuro to follow him to and somewhere that he wouldn't be seen. Distance would deal with most of that, though. So would an air-tight room with spiritual seals. There were always underground to think about, too.

"You're not going to figure it out by yourself," Chin whispered, gently pulling Hotaru out of her chair and into a supporting hug. "Don't worry so much. We'll find him. I know it."

"I know it, too," Hotaru admitted as she relaxed in his arms. "I also know that everyone is going to expect me to pull something out of my hat as soon as I walk in that war room and I don't have anything worth adding."

"Yet," he said firmly. "You don't have anything worth adding yet, but you will. We just need more pieces." Hotaru allowed herself a small smile for Chin's optimism. Always being a pessimist herself, she didn't know what she'd do without him. It made her wonder how Toshi had--

"Kyoko--!" Hotaru exclaimed in unison with Chin.

"That's why he killed Gabriel Martelli--" Hotaru yelped.

"And that's why the Tenth hasn't freed himself even though Toshi doesn't have anything strong enough to hold him--" Chin spluttered. Nodding in agreement, Hotaru dashed for the office door with Chin following her. She almost fell down the stairs in her rush to get to the mansion's reception room--the only room big enough to turn into a war room--so she kicked her high heels off along the way.

The war room was as fully stocked as only Orinato could manage on short term. Everything known about Toshi and the Tenth had been written out on several chalk boards, pictures were pinned up on cork boards, monitors were playing through surveillance recordings, and there were at least two dozen computers set up with researchers and hackers. None of that mattered, though. As soon as she burst into the room, she ran straight for Charlie and asked the only question that had any meaning.

"Is Papa seeing anyone?!" She blurted. Every jaw in the room dropped and silence descended from the bold question. Hotaru wasn't planning to give them a chance to overcome their shock, though. "Anyone?!" She shouted. "Does anyone know who Papa might go on dates with?!"

"I heard Arianna say something about a librarian," Gillian offered from a corner of the room. "I think her name was Paige."

"There's a social worker named Wasp that he's friendly with," the Orange Dragon named Ore added.

"What about that baker woman that he's in a rivalry with?" Someone else called out. "I heard rumors that they had some kind of moment at a charity bake sale."

"I heard that he's got a history with that reporter, Wendy Sears--"

"That radio talk show host from Italy, too. I think her name was Diva--"

"I remember a report that said he was engaged to a pair of vampire princesses--"

"That was a long time ago! What about that one girl that he went to the theater with? The actress one... um... Gina! I think that was her name!"

"Damnit, Tenth," Hotaru groaned, her face lighting up in embarrassment for her father's sake. "I'd call you a slut, too."

"Find them all," Chin ordered while choking to keep his laughter inside. "Contact Dino and see if he can track down the one in Italy. There's a possibility that Toshi has either kidnapped one or is holding them a hostage from a distance. Check their homes, their cars, and everywhere else that you can think of. Toshi might have rigged bombs to kill them. Someone warn Hibari, too. There's no telling whether Toshi would target Hotaru's mother along with the rest."

"He's replaying his own twisted version of Kyoko's death," Hotaru explained when everyone looked at her in disbelief. "Once Kyoko was murdered, Toshi only had the Mafia to live for. That's why he killed Gabriel Martelli and that's why we think that any potential lover in the Tenth's life is at risk. He's trying to cut off all of the Tenth's alternatives to happiness so that he'll only have the Mafia left."

"But even after Papa lost Gabe, he still had his baking," a new voice offered. Turning in place, Hotaru's eyebrows flew into her hairline in surprise at the sight of Xanxus standing side-by-side with the guy known as Tonno. Then the statement itself hit her.

"We've got to find him!" She shouted, turning to stare at the gathered operatives in horrified understanding. "FAST!"

"I thought that was a given," Charlie replied in confusion.

"You don't understand," Chin gulped as the blood rushed out of his face. "If Tonno is right, then Toshi is going to make it so that Tsuna can never bake again. We have to work together and find him before it's too late."

"A Mafia Boss only needs two things to do his job," Hotaru trembled. "A mouth to give orders and the fingers to hold a pen. Nothing--and I mean nothing else--is needed. Eyes, face, pinky-- I think you get the picture. A Mafia Boss doesn't have to be pretty."

* * *

The cold air echoed with stillness and Tsuna's breath turned into vapor as soon as it left his lips. He was freezing from the low temperature in the room, but there were more worrisome things to think about--things such as how the floor below him was shifting. He thought that he was in a commercial freezer on boat, but he couldn't get up to investigate. He was tied down by more than just rope. While he'd been unconscious, his clothes and parts of his bare skin had frozen to the floor. On top of that, he could see that Demetri's unconscious body had been tied to a chair at his feet with a shotgun pointed to his head. That same shotgun was rigged with counterweights so that it'd fire if the bindings around Tsuna's arms and legs were to loosen too much.

The choice was to get free by disfiguring himself and murdering Demetri or to die from hypothermia. At least, that was what Tsuna would think if the mastermind was anyone other than Toshi. Toshi would know that Tsuna's Flame would keep his temperature high enough to survive such a low level torture, so the elaborate setup had to merely a method of holding him. Assuming that Toshi really was the person behind everything. It was hard to tell since the last thing that Tsuna remembered was yelling at the Ninth.

"It's a shame that you woke up already."

Tsuna clenched his teeth together to hide his initial reaction. It was definitely Toshi. Tsuna had heard his voice on television enough lately that he could easily recognize it coming out of someone else's mouth. Unfortunately, he couldn't turn his head to get a visual identification because of how bits of his hair had frozen to the floor, but he could hear enough to make his insides quiver from memory.

A hammer being tested on a brick.

A circular saw being tested on a pipe.

The creaking of nails being bent into the shape of hooks.

"You'll have to pardon the poor accommodations," Toshi called from his work table. "I planned to have more ready, but I was forced to move the schedule up. I didn't want you to have another death on your conscience and that Gina girl was getting a little too close to you."

"Is that why you wrote slut on my wall?" Tsuna asked while carefully taking in everything within his range of vision.

"You weren't supposed to move on so easily," Toshi replied. A crash at the worktable made Tsuna grimace. Toshi had already gone off the edge and his temper had already snapped. It signaled that Tsuna didn't have a lot of time to work with. "I suppose that I should have expected it. The Tenth isn't a man who can be bound by something as simple as love. I wish I would have figured it out earlier. I always thought that you only pretended to be unaffected. It didn't hit me that you really didn't care until I saw how quickly you got over Gabriel's death. I should have known! If I'd known, then I wouldn't have had to kill that man!"

"I didn't get over Gabriel's death, Toshi," Tsuna called in correction. "I still carry it with me, just like I carry Kyoko and Joshua's."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Toshi sighed in disturbing calm. "You should be happy to know that I made Gabriel's last day into a happy one. He thought that I was you right up until I made him write that letter. That letter was probably a mistake, but I had to cover my tracks somehow. Was that how you figured out that it was me, Tenth?"

"Gabriel never wrote in cursive," he answered in hopes of keeping Toshi distracted. Slightly shifting in place, Tsuna kept his teeth clenched to keep himself from crying out as he pulled his skin off the floor millimeter-by-millimeter. He could feel it tearing, but he didn't have a choice. Getting loose was the first step to getting free and Demetri was counting on him even if the bastard was still asleep. "He said that it was only okay to write in cursive on tattoos and paintjobs. He was giving me a clue, but I was too dumb to remember that detail and put the pieces together until they were talking about handwriting analysis at the police station. My name is written in cursive on his motorcycle. He was trying to point the finger at me in a way that you wouldn't notice. He trusted me to notice and connect it with you, but I failed him until now."

"So that's what happened," he replied in exasperation. "I won't complain. Even though you didn't react like I expected, his death still has meaning, Tenth. It's taught me that you can't be manipulated, so I had to find an alternate method. Just killing your lovers is pointless. No matter what happens, you'll always have people who love you, Tenth. So it's everything else that I have to get rid of."

Tsuna froze and paled when Toshi walked into view, dragging a sledgehammer with one hand and a modified cell phone in the other. There was no sanity in his eyes. Tsuna couldn't even see a spark of life. It was as if he was staring into the face of a... a psychopath.... which was exactly what Toshi had become.

"Close your eyes, Tenth," Toshi smiled as he pressed a button on the phone. He discarded it immediately afterward, which sent a tremor of fear through his gut. What exactly had Toshi just triggered with that call and what in the world was he planning to do with the sledgehammer? "You really should close your eyes," Toshi urged as he lifted the weapon over Tsuna's knee. "I ran out of sedative and this might hurt a little bit. If you accidentally jerk, I don't think you want to see your friend get his brains scattered."

* * *

The entire room stood still in shock as men on the scene fed them video footage. There were at least five journalists injured from the unexpected explosion. Cops, fire trucks, and news vans were everywhere, but the damage could be seen through the exterior walls that had been knocked down from the blast. Just like his truck, there was nothing left of the Papa's bakery except a scarred skeleton of the building and the foundation it'd been built on.

"That's impossible," Tonno whispered.

"How is it impossible?" Charlie snapped, triggering a frantic rush as everyone got back to work. There was no time to stand around in awe and dismay. Every minute that passed was another minute that another bomb could go off or something dire could happen to Papa.

"The crime scene investigators," Ray answered when Tonno was too dazed to reply. "They were there until just a few hours ago and it's impossible that they missed a bomb. They went over every inch of the building when they were looking for the thing that leaked gas into Papa's room last night."

"They didn't check everything in the freezers," Andy corrected. "It was the first thing I looked at after they left because I wanted to make sure that they didn't ruin any of the stock and a lot of the boxes were still unopened."

"Hotaru--!" Charlie called, waving the Tonno-look-alike over to them. "These guys say that the bomb probably came in with a delivery of frozen goods. Is there any type of delivery that you might have in common?"

"I doubt it," she murmured in thought. "But I'll send someone over to our hotel kitchens to ask if Toshi ever hung around the delivery--"

"Delivery!" Andy yelped. "Remember Tiny's birthday party when those detective came to question him about that murder? Papa came back and said to keep an eye on the delivery guy after that! Do you think there's a connection?"

"Maybe," Hotaru nodded. "I'll have CiCi hack into the police database and pull up the file. I'll have her grab the files of any other murders where something from Maverick's was logged as evidence. Keep thinking. Every tidbit might help us find--"

"He's already taken Papa out of the city," Tonno interrupted. Ray's eyes bulged along with everyone else's. Tonno had always been blunt, but his timing couldn't be worse this time.

"What are you suggesting?" Hotaru asked, gesturing for everyone else to stop when they began to open their mouths to admonish Tonno for his statement.

"Time," he replied without taking his eyes off the video feed from Papa's bakery. "Even if he planted the bomb ahead of time, there's still a large gap of time between the truck bombing and the bakery being bombed. I'd say four, maybe five hours. I'd advise checking any coastal harbors that can be reached in that time frame."

"I don't follow," Charlie admitted in confusion.

"I do," Hotaru said with a slow grin. "Toshi wants two things--time alone to work on the Tenth and for the Tenth to survive so that he can become the Mafia Boss that Toshi wants him to be. A boat would give him privacy and the Tenth would be found in time to be treated if Toshi sets it to drift in a region where the coast guard will patrol. The gap in time between the bombings is because Toshi wanted us to distract us. He wants us to think that he's still in the city when the truth is that he just arrived at whatever destination he prepared. Chin--"

Ray gulped as he stared at Tonno in awe. Had he really put all that together just by watching the video feed? What kind of mind did he have to figure something like that out?!

"Not bad, Tonno," someone new praised as he passed by to deliver a report to Hotaru. Ray raised his eyebrow over the comment, but not because Tonno was undeserving of it. He raised his eyebrow because of how brightly Tonno blushed.

"Someone important?" Ray whispered in Tonno's ear out of curiosity. The question was probably a stupid one. Everyone around them seemed to be important, but not every important person could make Tonno blush.

"Mr. B," he whispered back. Ray gaped slightly in surprise before attaching his gaze to the man in effort to soak up everything that he could. Mr. B was the man that Tonno always talked so highly of and consequently made Ray jealous over. There was nothing very special about the guy, though. Admittedly, he was on the other side of the man-fence from Ray. Instead of down-to-earth and real, Mr. B seemed slightly angelic. All of his movements were girlishly graceful and his appearance was the type to be called romantic instead of devilish. From the way that Hotaru stopped to listen to him, Mr. B was also smart and had a good reputation. Ray remembered that Tonno had once mentioned that he was a good fighter, too.

Ray lost--hands down.

"We got it!" The woman called Gigi shouted suddenly, waving around a print-out. "It's not the delivery guy, it's the freezers themselves that's the common denominator! The same guy that did matenience on the ones in the Deter Complex also installed Laz's and there's a service record for both right before the first murder!"

"Send the guy's name and address to our guys on the street and have them pick him up before the cops do," Charlie ordered. "We need to know everything he knows about this Toshi guy and see if he knows where they might be hiding--"

"We should do that--" Hotaru objected.

"Leave this part to us," Charlie urged. "You should be sending your guys toward the coast in case Tonno is right. We'll pass the location to you as soon as we get it."

"O-Okay," Hotaru nodded in hesitant agreement. "Xanxus! Reborn! You head out first! Gokudera! Ryohei! Chin has a few toys in the garage for you to follow in! Hibird! Grab a micro-transmitter and go with them! I want eyes as soon as you get there--" Hotaru paused along everyone else when they turned to head for the exit. There was a stranger standing in the doorway that Ray recognized on sight, even if no one else in the room knew who she was. Her black skirt was shorter and her ruffled corset was showing more cleavage than usual, but her baby top-hat made it hard to confuse her with anyone else.

"Gina--" Ray choked. "What are you--"

"I want to help," she interrupted, staring past him at Hotaru. "Let me go, too."

"Alright," Hotaru nodded slowly, her eyes lit with consideration. "Head for the garage with Gokudera--"

"What?!" Ray spluttered in outrage. "You can't let her--"

"Shut up, Ray," Tonno snapped. Once more, Ray's eyes bulged in surprise, but the look that Tonno shot him was one full of sympathy instead of anger. "Gina is both an anagram for 'Nagi'. Papa never thought to check her for illusions, but that's not her real face. She's really one-half of one of Papa's Guardians and the other half probably sent her to watch over him. If she wanted to, she could make you think that your intestines were strung across the room without having to lift a finger, so don't underestimate her."

"I wouldn't do that," Chrome said quietly as her illusionary face turned pink with a blush. "And Mukuro-sama didn't send me. I... I decided to meet Tsuna against Mukuro-sama's wishes."

"Do you think Papa is going to believe that?" Tonno asked bluntly, making the blood rush out of Chrome's face.

"You can figure that part out later!" Hotaru snapped. "If you're going, then get moving! There's no telling what the Tenth is going through right now!"

* * *

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

No matter how many times Tsuna thought so, the pain didn't go away. His legs were shattered from the knee down. His entire left arm was crushed and three fingers on his right hand were taped to the back of wrist. Even if he got to a hospital in time to fix them, he knew that they'd never work the same again. He'd be able to hold a gun, but holding a rolling pin would be impossible. Standing outside of a wheelchair would be impossible. Looking at himself in the mirror would probably be impossible with all the damage that Toshi had done and Tsuna wasn't even counting the X that had been branded onto his chest, the cuts that had been scored on his face, or the extra burns on both his thighs and stomach.

He'd managed to stay still while Toshi broke his legs. He'd managed to stay still while Toshi destroyed any hope of still being a baker. He hadn't been able to stay still when Toshi had put a gun to his own head. Being in too much pain to think straight, he'd moved instinctively. He could hear the Ninth's plea in the back of his head along with his promise to Papa Paolo to bring Gabe's murderer to justice. As soon as he'd realized that Toshi was planning suicide, he'd tried to leap into action even though he was in no condition to do so.

Two gunshots had gone off. The first shot was the reason why Toshi was laying in a puddle next to him. The second shot was the reason why his eyes were slowly freezing shut from his own tears. Demetri had never been in danger. The shotgun pointed at him was filled with blanks. Tsuna had allowed Toshi to take everything away from him and.... and he'd done it for no reason at all. It made him understand what Toshi had felt for all the years that Tsuna had been out of reach. It was heart-rending to have something so precious ripped away and to have his only sense of comfort destroyed.

Kyoko didn't die in vain. The Tenth did it so that he could continue protecting people.

The Tenth abandoned the Family.

Tsuna didn't sacrifice his body in vain. He'd been protecting Demetri's life.

Demetri had never been in danger.

It was pure insanity, but it was insanity that he understood only after it was too late to change anything. However, he wasn't a man who gave up easily. Even if his own body was too mangled to fix, Shamal and Sakura could do wonders when it came to gunshot wounds. Toshi had made a mistake with his last stand. Instead of aiming for his brain, the gunshot had come out on the side of his face. He'd fallen unconscious immediately, but the damage could be corrected if the bleeding was stopped. So, Tsuna had gambled his own life in an attempt to save Toshi's by wasting a large portion of his Flame in sealing the poor bastard with the Zero-Point Breakthrough. Then, in fear that Demetri had been in the freezer too long, he'd wasted even more to seal Demetri.

Tsuna never wanted to do the maneuver with broken hands ever again. He honestly never wanted to move again. Dragging himself to Demetri to freeze him had taken every ounce of determination that he had. He had nothing left. Of course, that was mostly the blood loss talking. He could feel it pouring down his back from where he'd torn his body from the floor of the freezer and he could feel it crystalizing alongside his tears.

_"How could you do it, Tsuna?" Toshi asked as he began breaking Tsuna's fingers. "Kyoko loved you. How could you just sit back and watch while those bastards raped and killed her? She was right in front of you. She was your wife. You swore to--"_

_"I swore to nothing," Tsuna corrected, choking back his pain in hopes that he could distract Toshi with conversation. It worked. Toshi paused and gave Tsuna his full attention. "You're the one that made vows to her," Tsuna gasped. "I made vows as a Boss that had higher priority. When I became Vongola the Tenth, I swore to protect everyone equally. My brothers, my sisters, my uncles and parents.... I made an oath to protect them all! She knew that she'd lose if there was a conflict of interest! To lose her was less of a hell than losing everyone else that I held dear--including you!--and if I had forsaken those oaths to save her, she would have never forgiven me because I didn't set those oaths aside to save Mochida! Don't you remember the first thing that I taught you when you asked to be my shadow, Toshi?! A Boss must resist! I couldn't--"_

_"Good," Toshi smiled in satisfaction, making Tsuna pale with fear when he turned his attention back to Tsuna's fingers. "I'm glad that you're starting to remember, Tenth."_

Tsuna still didn't understand what Toshi had expected to gain. He knew that Toshi wanted him to become a Mafia Boss again and he'd tried to remove the temptations to be anything else. He'd ruined his hands so that Tsuna couldn't knead dough or craft anything that needed dexterity. He'd ruined his legs to make him more dependent on others and also to make it difficult for him to leave a desk. On top of that, he'd etched scars into his body so that it'd be difficult for him to be distracted by an amorous rendezvous. If anyone could possibly be attracted to him now, then they'd have to be aroused by horror movies. Objectively, he knew all the details, but he couldn't understand any of it.

How had Toshi managed to go over a decade without letting go of the past?

Maybe Toshi would be able to figure it out one day. Hotaru would probably keep him locked up in ice for a decade as punishment for killing both Gabe and Tsuna, but he'd get out one day and he'd have to face reality. Kyoko was gone and Tsuna had never had the option to return as a Mafia Boss. From the moment that Hotaru had taken over the Family, his era had been over.

Despite his pain, Tsuna really wanted to laugh. He could feel himself going into shock from all the damage that he'd done to himself while moving around to freeze Toshi and Demetri. Toshi couldn't have expected that Tsuna would still have enough strength left to do so, which meant that it was over. He was going to die and he was going to have to be satisfied with a harem of two. It didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it would. Snicker and Gabe would probably be a little upset that they only had each other to look at when Tsuna was pulled away for duties with the rest of his ancestors, but quality over quantity wasn't a bad thing. Yeah. Three made a pretty cozy little crowd.

* * *

The Mafia Land Cruise Line wasn't happy to see him. Xanxus had a long record of wrecking their ships and they were distraught when Xanxus began wrecking the ones being housed in the shipyards for minor repairs. The pleas of "Don't--" and "Please--" were really beginning to get on his nerves. They acted as if a few busted doors and a couple of holes in the hull were really going to sink the ship.

Xanxus cursed as he pulled the last freezer door open and saw only empty shelves. Toshi's bastard contact had said that he'd hired him to install a new freezer in the executive kitchen, but this was the last one out of the ships in dry dock and Tsuna wasn't in any of them. The only alternative was if he was in one of the two ships that Reborn was searching or...

...Or one of the ships being readied to head out to sea. Filling the freezers would be on the crew's checklist, which would ensure that Tsuna was found. Which one, though? There were at least three and time was running out. He could feel the seconds ticking away in his gut.

Running back up the stairs to return to the deck, Xanxus scanned the coast in hopes of getting a nudge from his intuition. The first one was an obvious no. It was actually loading passengers, which meant that the freezers were already filled. The second one was a no. There were no signs of life around it, which meant that it was being inspected. The last one, though... The last one was beginning to show signs of life. The dock next to it was filled with supplies that hadn't been loaded and there were crew members being briefed on the deck.

Firing off his X-Guns, Xanxus flew over to interrupt the staff meeting. He started running as soon as he hit the deck and the idiot crew automatically chased after him. He didn't have time to remind them that getting in his way was pure stupidity, so he arbitrarily ignored them and continued running until he reached the executive kitchen. The ones that had the speed to follow him figured out their stupidity as soon as they saw him rip a freezer door off its hinges. It was empty, which pissed him off. Stepping over to the next one, Xanxus lifted his X-Gun in preparation before throwing it open. It was also empty, which pissed him off even more. Turning to the last freezer, Xanxus sent a charge of Flame into his X-Gun and gritted his teeth. One clean shot and Toshi would be toast. Even if he managed to dodge, Xanxus was ready to vamp him into oblivion.

He ripped the door open and darted inside.

Being entirely made up of retired hitmen, the gasps from the crew behind him were a testament to the carnage that Xanxus stepped into. Blood was spattered, puddled, and frozen in every direction. Two bodies were frozen in monoliths of Zero-Point Ice and Tsuna's corpse was laying against the one holding Demetri. He'd gone through hell before he'd died. His hands were curled up against his body in a grotesque fashion and blood was frozen in rivulets down his face. His legs had stiffened at odd angles, showing how many times they'd been broken before--

"C-C-Come t-t-to join th-the crowd, Xa-Xan-X-Xus?" Tsuna shuddered, his voice cracking from pain and gargling from blood. Xanxus felt his bile rise. It should be impossible to survive after receiving so much bodily damage, but Tsuna-- "B-Better hur... hurry," he added without opening his eyes. "It's... t-t-time to go..."

"You're not going anywhere," Xanxus replied. Stuffing his X-Guns into their holsters, Xanxus closed his eyes and made his choice. There was still one promise that he'd never kept to Tsuna and it was time for him to fulfill it.

He wrapped Tsuna's body in his Flame and prayed that Tsuna would forgive him when the Zero-Point Ice thawed. After going through so much, he knew that Tsuna probably wanted to die, but Xanxus wasn't willing to let him go just yet. The fat lady still had an encore left in her, even if Xanxus had to choke it out of her.


	160. Chapter 160 The Sawada Family

Day One

Lord Sky transferred to Decimo Park Underground Sanctuary sealed in a highly compressed negative density energy output--the result of a 'Zero-Point Breakthrough' technique commonly used by Vongola leaders. Priority One called by the Physician. Code Twenty Seven called by assistant examiner Murlock. Situational history provided by Lord King. Clearance Orange negotiated and authorized by Hotaru Lee of the Sawada Family and His Royal Highness Badru of the Duka Clan. An oversight council to be convened by Lord Aster to determine final method of extraction and treatment. Jurisdiction of security handed to Lord Sky's only known blood slave, Reborn, as per New Transient Law which dictates that cured Vampires--despite any known prior disability--is to be given full rights in situations requiring Vampire intervention.

Day Four

Section one lock-down has been completed per Regulation Eighty-Four. Vendiche interception tactics authorized if necessary to protect concealment of the Sanctuary's location. Oversight Council has begun deliberating. Murlock has begun cataloging visible injuries. A two cubic inch square of ZPB sealant has been collected by the Physician to test for density in order to determine rate of aura absorption needed to remove Lord Sky's entire casing.

Day Five

It has been determined that twelve vampires feeding in three hour shifts over a sixty seven hour period will be sufficient to retrieve Lord Sky. The Physician has vetoed the procedure, stating that Lord Sky's body temperature would be forced out of stasis at intervals incompatible with survival. Method suggested by Lady Neve to call Lord Sky's Guardians to remove ZPB sealant has also been vetoed. Lord Sky's visible injuries are too extensive to allow compatibility with survival should he be forced to bear the full brunt instantaneously. No medical facility, even that which is made up of vampire lineage, is equipped to repair such damage on a human's body with enough speed to ensure survival.

Day Eight

Method of retrieval decided. An incision will be made into the ZPB sealant via auric siphoning. Lord Poe, being a vampire of stable control and rapacious appetite, has volunteered for the operation. The target area has been decided as a two millimeter shaft above Lord Sky's heart--to be monitored closely by the Physician. Once completed, insertion of His Royal Highness Badru's blood into the heart muscle has been authorized. The shaft will then be resealed with ZPB by Lord King and monitoring will begin to determine rate of proliferation of vampire genome despite the vegetative nature of Lord Sky's stasis.

Day Fourteen

Despite the supposed success of the operation, monitoring has given conclusive results. The transmutation of Lord Sky's cells is being exceeded by the deterioration caused from his injuries. We're losing him and there is fear that there are still effects lingering from when Lord Sky was previously cured of the vampire genome. Immediate preparations have begun for a second operation. The method will be identical to operation one in all ways except location and number of insertions. Target areas are brain, stomach, and femoral artery in hopes of overwhelming the vestiges of the cure with the purity of His Royal Highness Badru's blood. ZPB surgeons will be Lord Poe, Lady Neve, and Mistress Drake. Insertions of blood to be handled by the Physician, Murlock, and Lord Aster. Post operation procedures to be handled by Lord King as per operation one.

Day Seventeen

Operation two deemed successful. Transmutation of Lord Sky's cells is proliferating faster than deterioration. Scans of ZPB sealant have revealed micro-fissures forming and have been determined to be a sign that Lord Sky's body is viewing his shell of ZPB in the same fashion as a blood bath. After further study, the Physician has determined that the overload of pure donor cells in combination with Lord Sky's stasis has allowed full transformation despite Lord Sky's previous disabilities. If Lord Sky survives, he will be the first werewolf to have become a vampire after receiving a second Turning.

Day Twenty-Two

The micro-fissures have been growing at a rate that is rapidly destabilizing Lord Sky's stasis. It has been determined that full retrieval must be performed within twelve hours, before Lord Sky's metabolism rises beyond the point of cellular regeneration to the point of tissue regeneration. In his current positioning, regeneration of tissue would lead to irreparable loss of motor skills. Section four has been requisitioned for an emergency blood ceremony. Lord Sky is to be submerged prior to retrieval from stasis. The Physician and Murlock are being prepped with silk-lined diving suits to allow immediate intervention during ceremony. Operation three will be performed once stasis is determined as lost. ZPB containment will be removed by united effort of Xanxus, Lord Poe, and His Royal Highness Badru--approximate combined aura siphoning rate and appetite equal to one-hundred-two vampires of average ability or thirty-six Guardian level vampires. Estimated time between stasis breach and the divers' first opportunity to straighten Lord Sky's limbs is indeterminate. Estimated time between initial breach and full regeneration is indeterminate. Estimated success rate of operation is indeterminate.

Day Twenty-Three

Operation three deemed successful. Lord Sky has been removed from ZPB stasis and had undergone surgery amidst blood ceremony. The Physician, working in collusion with the offspring of Shezmu Descendant Jewel and Murlock, were able to partially realign Lord Sky's skeletal structure. Calibration of motor skills was incomplete before full regeneration completed. Lord King has been assigned to the task of regulating Lord Sky's energy levels while the Oversight Council decides on the best method of reconstruction. The only unanimous decision is that Lord Sky can not be returned to his people in his current shape and the blood slave, Reborn, has spoken on his Master's behalf. He is not to be awakened until recovery is completed to the Physician's utmost ability. Proposal of replacement implants denied.

Day Thirty

Method decided. Preparations for transitional surgeries have begun.

Day Thirty-One

Transitional surgery one deemed successful. Calibration of left foot completed. Motor skills restored.

Day Thirty-Two

Transitional surgery two deemed successful. Calibration of right foot completed. Motor skills restored. Lord King and Reborn have been pulled away to attend the funeral of Vongola the Ninth. Lives are ever fleeting. Lord Poe temporarily attending to regulate Lord Sky's energy. Lord Aster temporarily attending as blood slave.

Day Thirty-Three

Transitional surgery three deemed inconclusive. Calibration of left knee completed. Motor skills incomplete. Lord King and Reborn have returned. Operation to continue on schedule.

Day Thirty-Four

Transitional surgery four deemed successful. Calibration of right knee completed. Motor skills restored.

Day Forty-Four

Transitional surgery fourteen deemed successful. Calibration of hands completed. Motor skills restored. Damage to ring finger on left hand deemed inconclusive.

Day Forty-Six

Transitional surgery sixteen deemed successful. Calibration of overall motor functions completed. Beginning preparation for sub-dermal and superficial reconstruction surgeries.

Day Forty-Seven

Reconstruction surgery one deemed successful. Renewal of thighs completed.

Day Forty-Eight

Reconstruction surgery two deemed successful. Renewal of chest completed.

Day Fifty

Reconstruction surgery four deemed successful. Renewal of face completed.

Day Fifty-Six

Complete reconstruction deemed successful. Overall renewal completed.

Day Fifty-Seven

Oversight Committee to meet to determine post-operational procedures for rehabilitation.

Day Fifty-Eight

Lord Sky has been moved to an executive apartment in Section Nine for recovery. By official decree, Lord Sky will be permitted to determine his own status after being given sufficient time to recuperate physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Lord Poe has been assigned as Councilor to aid Lord Sky with transition from werewolf into vampire. Murlock has been assigned as attending physical therapist after the Physician's refusal to continue treatment due to Lord Sky's gender. Attending blood slave will be Reborn.

Day Fifty-Nine

Regulation of energies removed. Lord King remains on standby. Lord Sky due to rise at oh-seven-hundred hours tomorrow.

* * *

Sweating and panting, Tsuna bolted up in his bed and gazed into the darkness of the room. He'd had such a horrible dream. It'd been one where his former shadow, Toshi, had kidnapped him and crushed his hands so that he couldn't be a baker anymore. It was okay, though, because it'd just been a dream. His legs felt stiff, but he could wiggle his toes. His hands felt a little numb from sleeping on them wrong, but he could open and close his fist. There was nothing burned into his chest and his face was as smooth as a woman's breast.

Laughing at himself for becoming panicked over a silly dream, Tsuna threw back his blankets and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He froze when they hit silk bed-curtains in the process and light from the room streamed in at him. The first shock was that he wasn't in his own bed. The second shock was how much the light hurt his eyes before the curtains fell shut again. He recognized the lance of pain. He recognized it and he trembled at the insinuation.

It hadn't been a dream. The stiffness and weakness in his body wasn't from sleeping tensely from a nightmare. It was the lingering effects of injuries that couldn't be fully treated. Toshi really had kidnapped him. He really had held Demetri hostage. It really had ended with half of Toshi's face blown off and him being sealed with Tsuna's Zero-Point Breakthrough. The aftermath left Tsuna speechless. Out of unreasonable faith in Tsuna's ability to survive, Toshi had miscalculated the damage so badly that whoever had recovered him had been forced to turn him into a vampire so that he could be treated.

Tsuna wasn't sure which part he should be more shocked over--that Toshi would go so far in an attempt to recreate the past or that his Family would go to such lengths to keep him alive. He settled for being shocked that he was alive since he was no stranger to the potential darkness lurking in the human heart. Countless times in his career as a Mafia Boss, he'd seen good men turn bad when their feelings and beliefs became twisted. It'd happened to himself, too, which why it was somewhat unsurprising that Toshi would be capable of such brutality.

The aftermath of the situation was something that Tsuna could already predict. His friends would try to support him while he got on his feet again and the vampires would patiently teach him their methods of feeding. They would be overly concerned and caring in belief that Tsuna would need time to recover and they'd do their best to pretend that nothing had changed. Tsuna wasn't so naive, though. A lot had changed and he was grateful for every bit of it--even Toshi's psychosis---because it made him understand where he'd failed so many times before.

A businessman. A boss. A mediator. A patron. A friend. A lover. A father. A teacher. A baker. A Godfather. He was all of these things and so much more. He'd failed by pretending that he could choose only one. He'd failed by thinking that he wasn't doing anything good by splitting his attention between too many things. He'd thought that it was No-Good if he did everything half-heartedly, so he'd repeatedly shut his mind. When he'd been a friend, he hadn't wanted to be a Godfather. When he'd been a Godfather, he'd lost sight of how to be a lover. When he'd been a lover, he'd been a poor father. When he'd been a teacher, he hadn't been a charitable patron. When he'd been a baker, he hadn't been an ambitious businessman.

It was okay to be average at a lot of things, though. It didn't matter how big his impact was. Just being available in many capacities was enough. The conflicts between his roles would work itself out if he gave it a chance. Even if they didn't work out, it was the struggle to make it work that made life worth living. After all, how boring would it be to spend his life doing only one thing?

Knowing that, Tsuna smiled and made the most important decision of his life.

"I know you're out there, Reborn," Tsuna called. "I can smell you, but don't say anything. I have something very important to tell you and there's something I need you to do...."

* * *

Dino Cavallone smiled as he watched the latest rendition of Tsuna's interview. They'd done a lot of homework on him. The 3B Special--Billionaire, Beggar, and Baker--was the best one yet since it included interviews from everyone that knew him personally. It was a little embarrassing, but everyone from Romario down to Napoleon had recorded it when they'd found out that Dino himself had offered a few words.

_"You can't sum up who Tsunayoshi Sawada is with only one word," Dino had laughed. "You'd have to use two--abnormally normal. He's so normal that it makes me feel like a freak for knowing him sometimes."_

It wasn't much, but it was the truth. In the high-stakes life of powerful men, Tsuna had always been weird. He'd never allowed suspicion to get the better of him and his simple kindness was the cornerstone of his personality. Even in times of cruelty and vicious betrayal, Tsuna's greatest asset and his greatest liability was his mindset of a common man. Common men got angry when they were cheated and betrayed, but they didn't turn to murder as the first resort. They didn't think that money could buy loyalty and solve every problem. Most of all, common men didn't hold their head higher than anyone else.

Tsuna was a humble Mafia Boss who disliked troubling others.... normally.

"You're out of cola!" Tsuna called from the kitchen. Dino glared in his direction. His horse ranch was two hundred acres wide and Tsuna had managed to make it feel like a dozen meters. The only thing keeping Dino from strangling him was because he knew that Tsuna wasn't doing it on purpose.

It was cabin fever. When Tsuna had first arrived, he'd barely been capable of walking. It'd taken two and a half weeks of constant effort for him to be able to move around without falling over and he still had to rely on a cane. It honestly amazed Dino. Tsuna could have been on his feet in a matter of hours if he'd chosen the life of a vampire, but he hadn't. Instead of the inoculation, Tsuna had taken the cure. He'd chosen to keep his humanity.

It was the first time in Tsuna's life that he'd ever rejected something so clearly, but Tsuna's reasoning was the amazing part. He wanted the experience. Every time life had given him lemons, Tsuna had always made lemonade. He'd always gotten buried under the sugary sweetness of his Family's caring and the cold dose of water that was familial obligation, which had always destroyed any sense of actual recovery. This time, he wanted to feel the effort. Instead of allowing it to be handed to him, he wanted to experience what it felt like to use his own strength to reclaim what had been taken.

Personally, Dino felt that it was naive, but that was just how Tsuna was. Dino couldn't argue with the results, either. Tsuna hadn't been so energetic since his middle school days. He grew more animated with every day that passed, even if he did have sour days where he complained more than a grown man should.

"Can I borrow your laptop again?" Tsuna asked as he lumbered into the room. He snatched it up off the desk before Dino could reply, which only made Dino sigh in exasperation. What was the point of asking if he was going to take it anyway?

Dino watched him carefully while he walked over to the couch with it. Tsuna had gotten much better in using a cane. His limp was imperceptible and he'd built the strength to make the effort unnoticeable. The paleness of his skin hadn't lessened, though. The washed-out pigment made it seem as if he hadn't seen the sun in decades. Dino also wondered if Tsuna really thought the gray dye that he kept putting in his hair made him look distinguished. It really didn't. Maybe if he cut his hair down to a more professional style, but his shaggy hairdo--

"I don't care if it makes me look distinguished," Tsuna commented absently as he propped his leg up on a footstool, making Dino choke. He'd only thought it! He hadn't said it out loud! "It's to make me look older," he continued with a small smile. "It's no good if people can't tell that I'm Hotaru and Tonno's father instead of another brother."

"Eh?" Dino gaped in surprise. "Then you're planning to go back?" Tsuna didn't answer, being far too engrossed with whatever was on the laptop. Curious about the worried expression on his face, Dino got up to investigate and his jaw dropped when he looked over Tsuna's shoulder. "Tsuna!" Dino yelped as he stared at an online bank inquiry. The readout was over two-point-seven billion dollars! "Where did you get that much cash?!"

"That old bastard," Tsuna growled with a disgruntled smile. "It's the Ninth's last laugh. Hotaru got the Vongola accounts when he--I mean, she--took over the Family, but each of us have our personal accounts. Mine was dispersed to the Family when it was ruled that I was dead, but the Ninth still had his own accounts and the old bastard willed them to me when he died. What you're looking at is the Ninth's nest egg."

"How the hell did he manage to hide that kind of money?" Dino asked in awe. "I have trouble hiding a couple of million."

"It's easy if you never touch it," Tsuna shrugged. "I gave most of the money I had as Van Wolfe to charity, but I've still got around sixty million spread out over a dozen alias accounts. Those accounts were feeding cash to the kids' mothers, but I've already reassigned most of them to start sending monthly checks to Haru as child support. Well, most of them. There's still a few of the women who haven't managed to get themselves killed yet."

"Tsuna..." Dino said as his supicions rose. "What are you up to? You gave up your chance at full recovery and even cut off contact with your Family. Now you're suddenly a billionaire again and--"

"That stays between us," Tsuna interrupted sharply. "I don't want anyone to know about this money, Dino. I'll pay the taxes on it and I'll probably use it, but no one needs to know how much I have on hand."

"I ask again," Dino sighed. "What are you planning?"

The answer that Tsuna gave left Dino dumbfounded. He was still speechless when Napoleon walked in with Luca to get lunch. Tsuna was insane. No--! It was a midlife crisis. There was no other explanation. He must have cracked and his presumptions of sanity had to be a mistake. That was it. That had to be it.

"Luca--" Dino mumbled before the boy could get settled on the couch next to Tsuna. "Take Napoleon back outside to play. Daddy needs to talk to Uncle Tsuna alone for a little longer."

"Are you going to yell?" Luca asked innocently.

"Probably."

* * *

Hotaru tried to wipe the smile from her face and failed. The Tenth never changed. If it wasn't his erratic mood-swings or incomprehensible actions, then it was the aftermath of his foolish, sweeping plans. It was said that there was a fine line between genius and insanity; Tsunayoshi Sawada kept proving it.

"Hotaru...?!" Chin spluttered, running into the room with wide eyes. "Did you see--?!"

"I saw," she groaned, pointing to the television across the room from her. Waving for Chin to join her for tea while she watched, she couldn't seem to stop shaking her head. Her father was a complete and utter idiot.

_"What do you have to say about the bombing of both your delivery vehicle and your bakery?" Reporter Wendy Sears asked while showing all the signs of having fallen for the Tenth._

_"I say I should have gotten better insurance," he laughed with a flirtatious look in his eyes. "But, seriously, protective custody is such a pain--"_

_"Protective custody?" She inquired, jumping at the false tidbit. "But the police said that you couldn't be found for questioning."_

_"Of course they would," the Tenth shrugged helplessly. "I was in the custody of agencies that are above local police jurisdiction. Did no one find it odd that my own Family was unconcerned with my absence? Oh well. I've been given the all-clear to resurface, so I assume that the culprit was found. I uh... I heard that my son made first string while I was away. Good job, Joseph. Sorry I missed some of your games."_

"Dork," Hotaru grumbled while Chin choked on his tea at the sight of the Tenth holding up a peace sign. It was just like him, though. The Tenth had never been worried about the small details. Even if he did, the small details had already been dealt with by the Family.

Toshi was being held by the Vendiche for his crimes. He would remain in stasis for ten years at the minimum and he would be paroled for release only after serving another five years in a retraining facility. It would be harsh for him, but he would be given the chance to reclaim freedom and he would still have his life. After all, the true punishment was that he'd been stripped of his position as a Guardian of the Sawada Family. There were some who wished him to be outcast entirely, but Hotaru thought that it would be unwise. It was much better to keep him under watchful eyes than to let him roam free where he could repeat his misdeeds.

Aside from that, it was good to see that the Tenth was alive and well--which was the likely reason that he'd agreed to be interviewed again. The Tenth knew that there would be worry when Reborn had returned with word that the Tenth had willfully left the graces of the Duka Family. Using an interview to indirectly check in was his brand of cunning, too, since he met his goals, was given a chance to flirt with a beautiful woman, and got paid in the process.

_"Where do you plan to go now?" Wendy Sears asked, instantly gaining Hotaru's attention. _

_"That's a secret," he replied slyly. "But rest assured that Maverick's will return to Las Vegas as soon as I have the funds to rebuild it properly. I have to, because I've come to realize something during my protected seclusion."_

_"What's that?"_

_"Home is where the heart is..." he answered with a glowing smile. "So I better build a bigger house."  
_

"Hotaru..." Chin whispered as his face fell in shock. Hotaru let out a huff in response. The Tenth was a huge idiot. A mega idiot. He was the idiot emperor.

Turning to look at her husband in exasperation, she smiled when she saw resignation on his face. The Tenth knew how to play everyone like a fiddle, including them, and there was only one way that they could possibly respond.

"Parents always know how to pull the strings," she sighed. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Always," he confirmed with a crooked grin. "I'll go call Orinato. We might as well start now."

* * *

"Awk-ward," Tsuna mumbled sheepishly.

Xanxus stared daggers at him. Neve stared daggers at Xanxus. Badru stared at all three of them with amusement dancing in his eyes. As for himself, Tsuna wished that people would learn how to knock before they barged in because Wendy darted out of the room in embarrassment before he could give an explanation. Of course, it'd help if he had an explanation to give her.

"Tsuna...." Xanxus growled.

"What?!" He spluttered innocently. "We were just talking! I swear!"

"More like flirting," Neve teased.

"Why the fuck did you take the cure?" Xanxus spat in irritation.

"It is obvious," Badru interjected. "Little Tiger does not wish to live forever at this time. He--"

"Actually," Tsuna interrupted with a smile, surprising Badru into patient silence. "That's not true." Walking over to the mini-refrigerator that came included with his penthouse suite, Tsuna gestured in invitation and was unsurprised when no one else wanted a beer. Getting the lid off was difficult due to the lingering weakness in his hands, but he thankfully succeeded before anyone offered to help. It was a good thing. He might be a little less than perfect now, but he wasn't disabled. "I had a lot of reasons for taking the cure," he continued before grabbing his cane to aid him in walking out to the penthouse's balcony to enjoy the view of Las Vegas in the company of so many old friends. "The one that the three of you would be most interested in would be the fact that it goes against my oaths to become a vampire. I can manage being a werewolf, but becoming a vampire is different."

"Your Flame," Xanxus mumbled in understanding.

"My Flame would rely on energy that I take in from feeding instead of regenerating on its own," Tsuna nodded in confirmation. "Xanxus, your Flame has always fed off your rage, so you wouldn't notice it as much as I did. But me... it didn't feel right to me. I might not be a Mafia Boss any longer, but that doesn't mean that I don't keep the promises that I made. I need the connection to the Cycle and being a vampire cut me off from that. It's as simple as that. Now, I've answered your question and I know why you're here, but Badru and Neve are still mysteries to me. Did I miss something? I thought the two of you wouldn't ever visit me again."

"Things have changed," Neve replied with a slow smile. "Badru got us registered as our own Family. We're protected under Mafia Codes now, so there's nothing wrong with me taking a trip to visit an old... Flame."

"Cute," Tsuna admitted with a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. Leaning on the balcony railing, he glanced back at her to get a second look. She was still as beautiful as the day that she'd been born, but her eyes were insinuating a lot more. "Too bad that you can't touch me for another year," Tsuna smirked. "That's probably why Xanxus is pissy, too."

"One doesn't have to touch to date," Neve chuckled while Xanxus growled in warning.

"And you, Badru...?" Tsuna prompted curiously. "Or should I call you 'Your Highness' or maybe 'Don Duka'."

"Don Duka has a nice ring to it," he replied in consideration before dismissing the thought with an absent wave of his hand. "But Badru is fine. I've come to thee for three reasons. The first is that I need thee to aid me in choosing an appropriate method to... what would be the word... Does one still propose marriage in this era or is it called something else?"

"You're going to propose to Aster?" Tsuna goggled in surprise.

"I must," he confirmed bluntly. "It makes me irritable lately when he... His eye wanders often and I have realized that I have been lax by not leashing my Little Giraffe when it is such an obvious desire for him. I must know what manner would be best to satisfy his needs and I could think of no one more trustworthy to turn to in regards to this matter."

"Okay," Tsuna agreed with a slow smile. "I can help with that, but you have to hold him back when he finds out that you came to see me. I won't be able to fight on par with him like I use to."

"That can be done," Badru agreed with a wide grin, openly pleased by the acceptance of his innocent request. "The second matter is much easier. I need to negotiate for a blood trade--to be concluded after a year, of course."

"Of course," Tsuna repeated knowingly, seeing that Badru was making an excuse to keep a connection. "And the third thing?"

"To ask thee if anything is needed that I might provide," he answered, tossing a glance of challenge in Xanxus' direction. "I, too, remember my promises, Little Tiger." Tsuna blushed at the reminder, which only irritated Xanxus to the point of going back inside to retrieve a glass of scotch. Tsuna couldn't help it, though. The last services that Badru had provided still felt like an erotic fantasy.

"N-Not at this time," he mumbled sheepishly. "Why don't we deal with negotiating for the blood tomorrow while I help you pick out a ring? Come by at breakfast...?"

"I will be here," he promised before disappearing in the unfathomable method that only he could. Turning to Neve, Tsuna raised his eyebrow in question.

"Valentine's Day...?" She asked curiously. "I know that you'll probably have someone to meet that day, but what about the day after...?"

"It's a date," Tsuna agreed. She grinned widely before giving him a polite bow and leaving by the much more mundane method of the door. Once she was gone, Tsuna let out a slow sigh and grabbed his cane to go back inside to where Xanxus was. Unfortunately, Xanxus was sulking in the way that only he could--by throwing things.

"You're such a fucking whore," he spat. "You haven't even been resurfaced for a fucking week and you're already back to chasing every piece of ass in sight."

"It's not a crime to flirt and date," Tsuna responded calmly. "You're not the type to get jealous, so what are you really mad about, Xanxus?" Waiting patiently for the answer, Tsuna slowly collected clues. Xanxus kept glancing at his cane, but there didn't seem to be any guilt. He wasn't blaming himself for Tsuna's injuries. He wasn't showing jealousy because of Wendy, Neve, or Badru. That was just a side irritation. The true problem was-- "Your father," Tsuna sighed as his intuition made the leap. "You're scared that I'm starting to resemble him more than I used to."

"I'm not scared," he growled, tossing aside another glass so that he had a reason to drink straight from the bottle of scotch.

"You are," Tsuna prodded. "Your father is gone, Xanxus. Even at the end, you don't think that you managed to get your true feelings across because your pride is so strong, so you're angry with yourself. You're looking at me and you're asking yourself if your pride is going to continue to hold you back. But you don't have to be angry. Your father always knew what you were hiding, just as I know. Your anger IS your love because you wouldn't waste the time getting angry unless you cared. The fact that I piss you off so much is proof that you love me, even though you dumped me."

"Tsuna--" Xanxus blurted. He stopped as soon as the word left his lips, holding his breathe as his face turned red with a combination of irritation, resentment, and actual embarrassment.

"You don't have to say anything, Xanxus," Tsuna added. "You never did." Figuring that the conversation was over, Tsuna headed for his bedroom with the intentions to sleep and rest his knee. He had a long day planned for tomorrow. He had the meeting with Badru over breakfast. Then he had to go by Gina's place and apologize for missing Christmas Eve. After that was a visit to the bakery to see how much work it would take to clear the property so that he could rebuild. He needed to find out how Tonno had fared while he'd been away, stop by his mother's, check up on his kids, and see how Charlie's project had progressed.

But, first and foremost, he had to figure out why Xanxus had his arms wrapped around him.

"You shouldn't touch me," Tsuna mumbled in surprise. "It's dangerous, Xanxus. I've been cured recent--"

"It won't kill me," Xanxus interrupted before stealing his breathe away with a kiss. Dropping his cane, Tsuna tried to resist out of fear that he'd pass the cure to Xanxus, but Xanxus held on firmly until Tsuna understood his intentions. After being apart for so long, another year was too much to bear. A single day was too much. Even though Xanxus had dumped him for both of their sakes, he hadn't wanted full separation. He still wanted a place in Tsuna's life, even... even if it was only an occasional night-time intrusion. The strength that he got from seeing Tsuna was a hundred times more powerful than the strength that came from being a vampire.

"Baka--!" Tsuna gasped when Xanxus finally let him breathe. Staring into Xanxus' eyes, he felt tears welling up while he watched the ice-blue color fade as the cure spread through Xanxus' body. "Why would you do that?! You only had to wait a year!"

"I always get what I want," he replied with a feral grin. Tsuna flushed at the insinuation. He couldn't really expect for Tsuna to just jump into bed with him. Things had changed a lot in Tsuna's life. Not only was he unsure that he could perform, but he'd decided that he was going to try the dating scene instead of serious relationships!

"Xanxus, I--"

"Shut up," Xanxus ordered, making Tsuna's eyes bulge. "Don't try to pretend that you're too old, too infirm, or too fucking reserved to do anything because I have twice as much to bitch about than you. I'm just better at keeping my problems to myself."

Despite himself, Tsuna's expression softened. Xanxus was correct in so many ways. The life of a hired assassin was much more dangerous than the life of a former Mafia Boss. Where Tsuna could typically lounge in bed when his joints hurt or his wounds ached, Xanxus had always been moving on to the next assignment without complaint. He was older, too, and Tsuna's attempt at being reserved didn't change the fact that he was unconsciously responding. After all, counting the two months that he'd been unconscious, it'd been over four months since he'd been intimate with anyone and he hadn't been comfortable with celibacy since high school.

"I can't make any promises," Tsuna whispered, his gaze captured by the demanding gleam in Xanxus' eyes.

"I'm not asking for any," Xanxus replied in satisfaction. "But you ARE going to pay for not telling me that we had a kid."

"Eh?"

* * *

Tsuna cursed under his breathe with every step. It was already bad enough that he had a limp to hide. The last thing that he'd wanted was to be teased by a man centuries older than him because there were extra reasons for it. Unfortunately, Badru was the type of man that it was difficult to get angry at. He was like a King who'd stepped down from his throne for the first time to see what life was like for the commoners. Actually, Tsuna amended, it was exactly what Badru was. His naivety, innocent curiosity, and brash honesty in combination with his Royal grace and saintly caring made it impossible to hold anything against him.

Teasing aside, the morning had been pretty satisfying. Xanxus had already been gone when he'd awakened, but Badru had arrived during his shower. Over a breakfast for one, Tsuna had explained the modern methods of marriage. Badru had been amazed to find out that Mistresses weren't commonly accepted anymore. The days were over where a man could be married and still have flings with the scullery maid on the side--although some men still did it anyway. He was shocked that polygamy had become illegal in parts of the world and he was distraught to hear that dowries had also fallen out of style. Considering the irony, Tsuna pointedly ignored it when Badru called it a crime against humanity. He also became depressed because the notion of exclusivity was something that he couldn't promise, even to Aster. Pure-bloods were too rare. It was his duty to create as many children as possible.

Knowing that, Tsuna talked Badru out of the idea of marriage and suggested an alternative--a promise ring. Giving Aster a ring to represent the promises that he could make wasn't the same as proposing marriage, but it was a much more honest way of satisfying Aster's apparent wants. He would know that he was loved above all others, be given a token that wasn't shared with anyone else, and feel special in a way that couldn't be wiped away with a few transgressions.

The following two hours had been given over to walking around to jewelry stores in hopes of finding something suitable. Badru hadn't liked anything. The guady pieces that caught his eye were fake, the simple pieces were too understated, and the gems were too small. So, Tsuna gave up on the jewelry stores and pulled Badru to an antique store. Tsuna was exasperated when they'd found something acceptable in the first one, since Badru had chosen it simply because the saleswoman had specifically said that it was fit for a Queen. Fortunately, the ring was one that fit Badru's style and would fit Aster's finger. It was antique Edwardian style ring with a square ruby embedded in the center with a band of hand-wrought white gold filigree. The price made Tsuna choke, but he wasn't the one buying it and Badru's smile made the money inconsequential.

After that, they'd gone their separate ways and Tsuna had begun cursing once he was half-way to his next destination. He should have called a taxi instead of trying to walk the distance, but he'd stubbornly thought that the exercise would be good for his knee. He was wrong. By the time that he reached Wasp's apartment, the only good thing that he could say was that his knee hurt worse than his hips and his thighs.

"Preacher?!" Wasp exploded, throwing the door open to stare at him in wide, sleepy-eyed surprise. Tsuna blushed and politely averted his eyes. She was only wearing a men's oversized, button-down shirt and a pair of panties that looked pretty good on her. She didn't seem to notice her state of undress, though, because she jumped out of her door to give him a hug without reservation. "Where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you! I heard about that bomb! Are you okay?"

"I'm a little banged up, but I'm fine," he laughed.

"You don't look fine," she replied, pulling back in suspicion. "Your face is pale and what's with the cane?"

"The paleness will go away once I get some more sun," Tsuna soothed with a sad glance down at his accessory. "The cane is a little more permanent. Is there any chance that I can come in to tell you about it? My knee is killing me." He smiled when she automatically ushered him inside and he had to smother a chuckle when she flew into action immediately afterward. Being a full-time social worker, she obviously didn't have much time to clean up after herself. Her couch looked like a spare closet, her coffee table was a garbage disposal, and her desk seemed to be its own postal service. She apologized profusely for the mess while she shoved things into piles so that he could sit somewhere, but it was incredibly amusing to watch--especially when she remembered what she'd gone to bed in. Wasp wasn't the type of girl to scream and throw a fuss, though. She simply grabbed a pair of pants and threw them on without bothering to leave the room.

Tsuna filled her in on his situation as soon as she began to slow down in her frantic cleaning. He didn't give her the full story, of course, but he did tell her a version that hit on the important facts without worrying her. Although he lied and said that the injury to his knee was from the explosion instead of a sledgehammer, she was incredibly sympathetic towards his lingering injuries. She was also adamant that he should continue living his life in the same manner as before. Injuries aside, he had no reason not to continue baking because he could always hire extra assistants to help him out.

Eventually, the conversation wound down and he got to the main reason for his visit. He needed Gina's address.

* * *

Breathe--check. Straighten shirt--check. Smooth down hair--that's the best it got. Should he knock or ring the doorbell? The doorbell was broken, so knocking was his only option. While he nervously waited for someone to answer, he tried to hide how uncomfortable the place made him feel. Gina's home was nothing like he expected. The apartment unit was on the back side of a run-down strip club and the entire area made his nerves twitch. Between the litter in the parking lot and the drunkards who hadn't gone home yet, Tsuna didn't see how Gina managed to walk out of her door--

Tsuna paused in the middle of a second knock, hearing shouting coming from inside. Worried that Gina was being attacked, he let himself in, hurried through an unexpectedly bare living room, and froze in the doorway of Gina's bedroom. Gina wasn't there, though, and he was left gaping at the people who were. It only took a moment to put the clues together while Chikusa and Ken stopped their fist-fight to stare at him, but the outcome didn't make any sense. What were they doing there?

"Why did you have to fight about this today?" Chrome asked, her expression crumbling.

"Shut up, you stupid girl," Ken blurted in aggravation. "It was his fault."

"You threw the first punch," Chikusa corrected calmly.

"Because you--!"

"Chrome....?" Tsuna whispered in askance, completely ignoring the two arguing men in favor of the girl who was staring at him from the corner of the room. He had a sneaking suspicion in his gut that left him feeling foolish and betrayed. It couldn't be true, though. It had to be a mistake. "Where's Gina?"

"I was going to tell you," she replied in Gina's soft voice. "But I didn't think that you'd take so long to notice."

"Y-You're Gina?" He asked, swallowing a lump in his throat as he compared what he knew about Gina with what he knew about Chrome. Gina's two brothers would be Chikusa and Ken. The boy taking lessons from her weren't for acting; it was Kiyoshi learning to control illusions. The patron who'd helped her get free of her parent's heartlessness would be Mukuro. Even the acting fit. She'd said that she'd started acting because of her shy nature. When she acted, she became someone else and being someone else gave her a confidence that she didn't normally have. Recalling that, Tsuna paled in understanding. When she'd told him that, she'd been trying to clue him in on the fact that she'd been in-character for their meetings. She wouldn't have had the confidence to see him otherwise.

"I wasn't trying to fool you," she mumbled, bowing her head so she didn't have to face him. "I just wanted a chance. You were never interested in me when I was just Chrome."

"Of course not!" Tsuna spluttered. "You're..." Trailing off, Tsuna wasn't sure what to tell her. It was true that he'd never looked her way. As one of his first would-be subordinates, Chrome had always been in the 'off-limits' category as if she were a sister or a daughter. He'd fallen into thinking of her that way because she'd been an unknown quantity when she'd first entered his life. He hadn't known anything about her other than she'd been an illusionist connected with Mukuro who'd wanted to fight for him. Over the years, he'd learned more about her motives and he'd come to respect her abilities, but he'd never let go of that first impression. He'd never thought of her as an autonomous person and he'd never considered that there was more to her than just her connection to Mukuro. The fact that she'd hidden behind an illusion to get close to him was proof that he'd made a massive oversight. He'd closed his mind. She shouldn't have needed to hide her identity to get fair treatment, but she was right. He would have never considered her as an actual woman if she hadn't tricked him.

"I-I'm sorry," he said in admittance of his error. "You're right. I should have noticed your feelings, but I let you fade into the background. I only gave you a chance when I saw you as a normal actress instead of an illusionist. I understand why you tricked me and it's my own fault for not keeping my guard up against illusions, so.... Do you think you can forgive me for missing Christmas?"

Tsuna gave a faltering smile as Chrome slowly lifted her head to stare at him in surprise. He could see the moment when she figured out that he wasn't mad at her and the blush that crossed her face over the mention of Christmas told him even more about the situation. Chrome might have hidden her face when pretending to be 'Gina', but she hadn't been pretending to be anyone else. Their conversations hadn't been scripted and she'd never altered his perceptions to make him like her unreasonably. The illusion she'd used had been no different than using a disguise or plastic surgery.

The surge of relief that he felt when she shyly nodded in forgiveness was surprising, but not unwelcome. Chrome was a lovely woman. She--

"Che," Chikusa spat in disgust. "Why can't you be so understanding?"

Tsuna blinked several times before he realized that the comment wasn't intended for him. It wasn't intended for Chrome, either. The person that it was intended for was the quiet person standing across from him with a bruise forming on his jaw. Tsuna's jaw dropped at the insinuation of what the two had been fighting over. His jaw hit the floor when Ken pointedly turned on his heel to stiffly walked out of the room with his face bowed in embarrassment and Chikusa chased after him.

"That's the real reason that Mukuro-sama left Ken behind," Chrome giggled quietly. "He was being hunted."

"What?!" Tsuna spluttered in disbelief. "I thought you and Chikusa--"

"Once or twice," she admitted with another faint blush. "But it was just a fling and never really worked out. Chikusa's feelings never changed. He never wanted anyone other than Ken as a partner, but... You saw what just happened when Chikusa confessed. Ken's image of his childhood friend was completely destroyed."

"Wow," Tsuna gaped in awe. "What made him finally do it?"

"Me," she answered softly. "Mukuro-sama didn't like that I was getting closer to you, but he finally came around. He said that he was proud of me for getting the courage to make my own choices and he said that Chikusa should learn from my example. That's as close as Mukuro-sama has ever come to admitting that he was wrong about something."

"The lady is wise," Tsuna praised. Chrome's face lit on fire from the compliment. It was an accurate statement, though. Not only had she been cunning in her approach to him, but Chrome looked every inch of a lady--from the bottom of her clunky heels to the tip of the dark purple, crushed-velvet top hat that was the centerpiece of her whole outfit. "Did Haru design that for you?" Tsuna asked curiously. "Remind me to thank her later," Tsuna added at Chrome's sheepish nod. "I... um... Would you like to take a walk? Well, no-- Actually, we'd have to take a taxi, but um... I need to go by the bakery and take a look at the damage and I thought maybe..."

"We still have a lot to talk about," she finished with a demure smile. Tsuna nodded, his image of 'Gina' quickly merging with his history with Chrome. They definitely had a lot to talk about and the amazing part was that he could tell her the truth. He could talk to her about vampires and Toshi without worrying whether she was going to catch him in a lie. After all, Chrome wasn't just an illusionist. She was part of Mukuro's independent team of hitmen and had just as much experience with the underworld that he did.

It was an unexpected pleasure to escort her to the street so they could hail a cab. Because of the flashy nature of her lolita style clothing, he felt much like a mid-century gentleman. He even had the cane now. Of course, he'd be happier when he could put on a chef's coat and bake. The fashionable lady and the common baker made for a much more romantic story than the common lady meets lord.

As they got into a taxi and finally headed toward his property, Tsuna felt his smile grow along with Chrome's. With Mafia speed, they managed to get everything straightened out. She knew that he was only interested in dating and she was happy to keep things at the level of friends since she had her oaths to Mukuro to think about. There was potential for more, of course, but it was she who drew the line. She would never give up the independence that she'd struggled for and their relationship would have to respect that if they were to continue seeing each other. He accepted and rebutted with a semi-disclosure agreement--one where she didn't dig into his head when she knew that he was lying and, simultaneously, where he didn't prod when she told him to butt-out.

"It's not slight intended to you," Tsuna grimaced apologetically. "But I can't promise to always be honest. You should understand that better than anyone."

"I do," she agreed with a quiet smile. "So this means that you won't mind if I say not to question me about Mukuro-sama. Correct?"

"Eh?" Tsuna mumbled. "But I thought--"

"Tsuna-san," Chrome admonished gently.

"Alright," he grumbled. "I guess that's fair. But you've got to stop calling me Tsuna-san or Mr. Sawada. I distinctly remember that you were calling me just 'Tsuna' when you were pretending to be Gina."

"I forgot," she blushed. "I-It feels a little strange to call you that when I'm not hiding."

"It's okay," Tsuna soothed, reaching out to take her small hands into his own. "You're not going to disappear if you say something wrong. I know that you've always been scared of speaking out because you thought that your friends would discard you like your parents did, but I'm not like that. I might have made a mistake by thinking that you preferred to be left alone, but I know better now. I see you, Chrome. I want you to know that and I want you to feel welcome when you come to see me. I never--"

"You shouldn't say never, Tsuna," Chrome interrupted softly. "But if you want to make me feel welcome, then call me Nagi." Tsuna paused, finding himself pinned in place with a gaze that was earnest and breathtakingly clear.

"I suddenly feel like I should eat my shoe," he mumbled. The abruptness of the comment made Chrome break out into giggles and Tsuna flush over actually saying what he'd thought, but it was true. He felt like he should eat his shoe because Tsuna knew that somewhere in his past, he'd sworn that he'd never fall for a girl like Chrome. He was falling for her, though. He could feel his feet slipping from the edge and--

"Sir--" The taxi driver interjected with a wide grin, snapping Tsuna out of his daze. "We're here," he said, pointing out the window at--

"What the hell--?" Tsuna choked. His eyes bulged. His jaw dropped.

When had Maverick's been a six story croquembouche?

Stepping out of the taxi, he absently pulled out a set of bills to pay the driver and dropped them in his passenger side window. He couldn't take his eyes off the building in front of him. It looked like the world's biggest tower of cream puffs. He was sure that it was a solid building, though. It was just... covered in soccer-ball-sized cream puffs. They had to be fake, he decided before his attention was drawn to the deck that was winding from ground floor all the way up to a roof-top seating area. There were platforms on every level, incredibly multiplying the amount of out-door seating that had previously been available while giving access to every floor.

Lowering his eyes back down to the first floor, Tsuna's continued to take everything in with eyes that were frozen wide. The parking lot alone was as big as his previous store had been. Whoever had taken it upon themselves to build the croquembouche store had done it on the neighbor's property--on several neighbors' properties, he amended as he took in the size of the building. The Spanish-style wall with the iron gate that he'd liked so much had been removed to give a clear view of the street. There was no sign of his fish pond or his cozy little oasis. Even so, the sign above the entrance specifically said 'Maverick's Tower of Sweets'. It even had his original logo, which was also plastered on the side of the three delivery trucks that were parked on the side of the building.

Walking forward at a tug from Chrome, Tsuna absently accepted a flyer being passed out by Gillian and Chopper. He was too shocked to respond to either his son or the flyer, but a glance down at the page gave him even more food-for-thought. It was an advertisement for feeding the homeless. For one week only, one dollar would be donated to the local shelter for every box of cream-puffs sold.

Then he stepped past the clear doors and his feet became glued to the floor. It... It was a cafe, complete with a drive-thru window. Instead of cakes and sweets being sold, there were sandwiches and coffee. Instead of relaxing chairs and tables, there were booths and tables set at bar-height. Instead of fanciful displays of cake sculpture, there were computer terminals--!

"Don't say anything until you see it all," Hotaru called from behind the serving bar. Tsuna felt dizzy at the sight of his son--daughter, he amended. Unlike the male servers who were wearing the same uniform that Tsuna had previously assigned, Hotaru was dressed in a revealing white outfit that made Tsuna choke on air. She looked like an expensive stripper and he was dying to tell her to put some more clothes on. He couldn't do it, though. The protective look in the eyes of the man who stepped up to wrap his arm around her waist wouldn't let him.

"Hotaru," Tsuna gasped. His mind was whirling too much from everything else to even consider being shocked or nervous at the unexpected reunion. The only thing he could think to say was, "What the hell is going on?"

"What does it look like?" Hotaru countered with a smirk. "I've been running the family business until Papa Dragon decided to come home."

Tsuna's knees started to buckle. The only thing that kept him upright was a combination of Chrome's support and leaning heavily on his cane. The croquembouche tower suddenly made sense, but... He couldn't comprehend why Hotaru was running it and he couldn't think straight enough to figure it out. A part of him wanted to burst out in tears. Another part wanted to throw a fit and ask where the hell his bakery was. There was even a part of him that wanted to run away for some reason. Especially when the man at Hotaru's side walked around the counter and boldly approached him.

"Do you remember me, sir?" Chin asked. Tsuna nodded with wide eyes. He remembered Chin very well. He also knew that Chin-- "I married your daughter, sir," he said solemnly. "I know that it's late, but I'd like to ask for your approval." Tsuna's mind went blank. It was too much at once. He had no idea how he should respond and only one thing popped into his head.

"Are you still practicing?" It was a silly question and had nothing to do with the matter at hand, but Chin's face lit up. He nodded in confirmation before stepping back and flicking his hands out like a magician to make a set of juggling balls appear. With a bit of sleight of hand, the balls doubled. Then the four turned into six. While Tsuna watched, Chin began juggling to prove that he'd kept in practice. He'd become as skillful as Tsuna had ever been, but Chin didn't stop at simply juggling.

One by one, the juggling balls began to ignite until Chin was keeping a ring of Sky Flame in the air instead of merely six balls. They were his weapon of choice and he showed Tsuna how effective they could be by throwing one at a particularly familiar shoplifter who thought that he could snatch a pre-made hoagie without getting caught. The ball ricocheted off Ollie's hand. By the time that the rebound brought it into Chin's reach, Chin's hands were empty again.

"Pay before you pocket it or I'll tie you up with a bow for Charlie," Chin admonished.

"Sorry," Ollie apologized before sheepishly hurrying to the register.

"Not bad," Tsuna grudgingly praised, knowing how difficult it was to catch Ollie in the act.

"Thank you, sir--"

"Call me Papa if you're part of my family," Tsuna corrected absently as he took a closer look at the patrons scattered around. He didn't know how he missed it before, but they were all people that he recognized. They were all trying very hard to pretend that nothing special was going on, but the mixture took Tsuna's breath away. Gokudera and Gigi were quietly arguing over a ledger while they enjoyed their coffee. Tommy and Gianninni were having a discussion about generational differences in weaponry over lunch. Hibari and Poe were quietly discussing something about arbitrary discipline in a civilized society. From the sound of it, Fuuta and Leo were quietly gathered to discuss a potential teaching job at Don Vongole Academy and Armande had been cornered into a booth by Mike and a pair of girls that had to be new stock. As for the crew who were working, Tsuna had to swallow a lump in his throat when he saw Hotaru, Orinato, SK, and Jim working side-by-side.

Before he could think of anything to say, Chrome determinedly pulled him toward a small elevator that was situated next to the stairwell. He didn't object when she pulled him inside, figuring that the reprieve would be good so that he could get his head on straight. Unfortunately, he became aware of his own naivety when he saw how the floors had been labeled on the elevator panel. Ground floor was labeled 'Cafe'. The second floor was labeled 'Parlor'.

Chrome pulled him out before he could read the rest. Once again, Tsuna's feet became glued to the floor. The 'Parlor' was an ice-cream parlor instead of the smoke-filled reading room that he'd expected. Tsuna had to goggle at the display. There had to be over fifty different flavors and that was only the ice cream! There was an entire wall filled up with chocolate, candies, gumballs, licorice, and nuts--all of which could be mixed into ice cream or sold separately in a bag. There was also a chocolate dipping station where customers could have their ice cream or their cone dipped in milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel or melted praline. Even as he watched, one particularly familiar customer had a cone dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with crushed almonds before getting a large scoop of strawberry.

Tsuna swallowed a lump in his throat and pulled his attention away from Ariana. Once more, the room had a shocking amount of familiar people in it. Ore, Ryohei, and Joseph were having a contest to see who could finish their extremely banana, outrageously strawberry Super Sundae first. With little Bridget's attempt at helping, Lanchia was struggling to keep Daisuke and Keiji from running in circles from a sugar rush. On the opposite end of the room, Morika was sitting across from Basil with her attention being firmly planted on her milkshake to hide her betraying blush. Tsuna also pretended not to see how Ken was pointedly ignoring Chikusa in favor of looking through the jars of bubblegum. Turning his attention to the people behind the counter, Tsuna goggled when he saw that Tonno was working alongside Ray to fill orders while Elario chopped up bricks of chocolate to melt so that Leonard could make more candies.

Chrome forced him back in the elevator before he could even begin to identify all the recognizable people who were waiting in line. He was still in shock, but he thought that he was starting to get used to it. At least, he had the courage to stop Chrome so that he could reach out to hit the button for the third floor on his own. He was also able to step out of the elevator with Chrome's company instead of her prodding.

He couldn't help the sigh of relief that he let out as he walked into the bakery. The racks of bread, baskets of muffins, and stacks of cake were everything that he could have asked for. Even from a distance, he could tell that his original menu had been mostly untouched. There were a few glaring absences like his stromboli and calazones, but he had no doubt that they'd simply been moved to the first floor. The important thing was that the things that he loved to make most were still present.

Here, too, the lunch crowd was made up of mostly recognizable people. Lambo and Eric were having an animated discussion over an open script. Haru, Hana, and Sangia were enjoying a massive array of different cakes with Summer and Summer's toddler. Ginger and Tan were trying to settle their differences over milk and cookies and Ieyasu was sitting by himself with an empty plate and a fascination with whatever he was writing in his notebook. Tsuna pretended not to see Bianchi. She was with Reborn in a corner booth, but Tsuna didn't want to think about her in his bakery. He was much happier when he turned his attention to the counter and saw that Kiyoshi was manning the register while Andy and his assistant, Yoshi, worked to refill the cases. Then he noticed his rival, Siren, working with Thia and decided that it was time to head to the next floor.

So far, Tsuna had to admit that he was amazed. Each floor got smaller, but the design was flawless. The cafe would need the most room, being where most customers would want to sit and eat before leaving. The parlor needed the second largest floor since hyper kids would need room to move around in. The bakery needed the third largest since it required a larger work area, but the customer area would only need a few tables since most sales would be taken home. It made Tsuna actually eager to see what the Club Floor was.

The club floor was the last floor that the elevator gave access to. It was also the floor that made him do a double-take and wonder if he was in the same building. It was an actual bar. At least, he thought it was a bar at first. It had bottles lined up behind the counter, dim lighting, a dance floor, and the same bar-height tables from the first floor. Then he noticed the details and he slowly grinned. It was a virgin bar where the strongest mixed drink was a Virgin Mary--which happened to be what Gregory was drinking with Adie and some of his friends from his Church.

Curious about the design of the place, Tsuna headed over to the balcony to look around and he smiled at what he found. Despite how it looked from ground level, the winding platform around the building stopped on the fourth floor deck. No one could go higher from the outside, but the platform over his head told him that there was still more to see. So, heading back inside, Tsuna looked around until he noticed the VIP stairwell being guarded by Bull, one of the local guys that Tsuna had often seen on the streets. He didn't look like he was on the streets anymore, though. From his pressed suit and the diamond stud in his ear, Tsuna guessed that he was doing pretty well for himself. The little bird on his shoulder seemed pretty pleased, too.

Shaking his head to himself, Tsuna took Bull's poor attempt at hiding his smile as an eager invitation for Tsuna to go upstairs. Tsuna planned to, but not before he glanced around to see what other patrons he recognized. There was his lawyer, Kamau, in a deep discussion with Katie. Kiko and Morrigan were dancing with a set of twins that Tsuna didn't recognize. In the corner, Mukuro was having a quiet discussion with Symphonia while she enjoyed a bowl of milk and, nearby, Sakura was enjoying a drink with Teo-kun. Finally, Houston couldn't keep the smile off his face as he mixed a drink for Tsuna's library acquaintance, Paige, while Jewel tried to get into a jar of maraschino cherries.

Instantly deciding that it was time to move to the next floor, Tsuna headed for the stairs with Chrome as a quietly smirking escort. Bull let him pass without a word, but the stairs were a little harder to handle than he expected. It wasn't that they were steep, but that there were so many steps to smooth the transition to the next floor. The fifth floor was a real treat, though. It was a true adult club, complete with a satisfying stash of liquor and a painfully recognizable pole dancer.

Pointedly tearing his eyes away from Neve, Tsuna had to swallow a lump in his throat as he looked around. The room was stuffed so full of people that they were pouring out to the deck outside. Xanxus was in a corner with his entire team. Shamal was hanging out at the bar with a disgruntled and scarred Demetri. Yamamoto and Matsu were looking over the songs on the jukebox and Marty was repairing one of the indirect lighting fixtures. Charlie was talking with Cheri over a pair of beers while Cassandra and Dedra giggled at Lussuria's costume behind their cocktails. Veronica was beside herself as she played the part of a perky waitress and Pink looked pleased with herself as she wiped out a clean beer mug. With only a single traded glance and an amused smirk, Tsuna knew that this was her version of a relaxing retirement. He also knew from her pointed glance toward the ceiling that there was still more to see.

Heading to the balcony, Tsuna had to backtrack when a single glance told him that the outdoor path led directly to the roof. There was another stairwell inside, though. It was hidden behind the bar by a simple use of perspective and mirrors. The lack of a guard made Tsuna raise his eyebrow in curiosity, but he wasn't too surprised. No matter what was on the sixth floor, it was well guarded simply by the exclusivity of the adult club.

The sixth floor turned out to be a residence, complete with a deadbolt for the door, a personal kitchen, and a luxurious bathroom. There was a master bedroom for himself, a guest bedroom, and a small office. There was also a small, private balcony outside his living space that was disconnected from the winding road that encircled the croquembouche tower. Finally, there was an elevator that seemed to access the employee areas on every floor, which was secured by a connection with CiCi. It didn't take a genius for him to figure out that it was meant for him.

"Cici's wired to everything in the apartment," Hotaru offered as she quietly walked into the room. Tsuna could only stare as Chrome politely bowed herself out to give them a moment alone together. Considering everything that he'd seen, he had no idea how Hotaru had managed to put so much together in such a short amount of time. "She can do everything from run your bath-water to pick out your clothes for the day. Personally, I wanted to give you something bigger, but Tonno said that you wouldn't be comfortable and you'd get stubborn about it. He said that it'd be better to put the money in places that you couldn't see, like temperature controlled flooring and smart lighting. I think he's actually turning out to be a pretty good advisor since Basil started training him again."

"Hotaru..." Tsuna mumbled hesitantly.

"Papa is the Dragon," Hotaru whispered without looking at him. "And Mommy is the Princess and Hotaru is the Knight. Hotaru won't sleep anymore, Papa. I've gotten big and strong so Papa won't be lonely."

"How could I possibly be lonely?" Tsuna asked with tears of joy in his eyes. "You've built me a tower and filled it with love."

"Then you won't leave again?" Hotaru asked with tears already streaming down her face. At Tsuna's firm nod, Hotaru's expression crumbled entirely and she ran forward into Tsuna's outstretched arms as his cane fell discarded at his feet. They burst into tears in unison, weeping out years of pain and longing. Tsuna finally had his baby back. Hotaru finally had her father back. It was the moment that both of them had be dreaming of for years.

"I missed you so much," Tsuna cried.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come back," Hotaru wailed. "I was so, so, so worried!"

"There's nothing to worry about," Tsuna smiled. "I'm right here--"

"But what am I going to do when the baby gets here?!"

"Eh?"


	161. Chapter 161 Final Note

"The End" is just a shorter way of saying "Once Upon a Time."

Thanks for reading!

Final Note:

Flames and Family..........64,273 words  
Flames and Family II......438,853 words  
Flames and Family III.....573,041 words  
Flames and Family IV....2,212,377 words

Total word count........3,288,544 words

Avg. Novel on shelf.....80k-120k words

Flames and Family series is between 27-41 novels in length.

I'll leave part V to the readers' imagination.


End file.
